《Returning from the Immortal World》


 Chapter 1

    Chapter 1: I¡¯ll Keep Playing with You


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Tang Xiu, where did you hide the money? Take it out right now!¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, even if your family in need of money, you can¡¯t just steal it! As people say ¡°stealing needles when young, you¡¯ll steal gold when you¡¯re old¡±. You can¡¯t make a habit out of stealing, or else your life will be finished.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, I know that you owe the school three thousand yuans of the tuition fee. Are you going to take the money to pay for it?¡±


    A dozen or so people surrounded Tang Xiu and spoke endlessly. Doubt and disgust filled their eyes with impatience in their tones.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face was flushed red, as a trace of blood could be seen as he bit his lips. His eyes turned misty, but he firmly said with neck raised, ¡°I didn¡¯t steal the money!¡±


    ¡°Shangwen, Meiyun, you two have seen Xiu¡¯er grow up. He¡¯s always been honest since childhood. His studies and behaviors have always been excellent and he never lies! Since he said that he didn¡¯t take the money, then the three thousand yuan lost was not related to him!¡± Su Lingyun tightly hugged her son in her embrace, begging a middle-aged man and woman in the room.


    ¡°Lingyun, we never said Xiu¡¯er stole the money. We just think that he may hide that three thousand yuan and possibly because he wanted you to be less worry!¡± The middle-aged man turned his head to the side. He didn¡¯t even dare to look straight at Su Lingyun.


    ¡°His studies and behaviors have always been excellent? Hohoho. Indeed. Before your son entered the Star City First High School, his studies and were really excellent. But after staying there for a year, his marks sharply fell and he¡¯s placed first for the entire grade from the back. If it weren¡¯t for your begging, your son would¡¯ve probably been kicked out from school, right?¡± The middle-aged woman coldly spoke. She completely disregarded Su Lingyun¡¯s expression which almost near desperate.


    After hearing his younger brother, Su Shangwen and her sister-in-law, Zhang Meiyun, Su Lingyun¡¯s face turned pale as her eyes turned dejected. But after seeing her son in her embrace, she braced and forced herself, mustering her courage again to attempt to defend her son¡¯s innocence.


    However, at this time, before Su Lingyun was even able to speak, two sharp voices interrupted her.


    ¡°Hey Auntie, you don¡¯t need to protect Tang Xiu anymore. For a while, you might be able to protect him. But you can¡¯t protect him his entire life! There are only a few people at home, and you say that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t take the money, so that means the money just flew by itself?!¡±


    ¡°Auntie, the reason why we¡¯re suspecting Tang Xiu is that he¡¯s the most likely to steal the money in the house. In your eye, Tang Xiu naturally is the most outstanding. But you also know that he¡¯s doing awful things at school this year. Copying schoolwork, cheating at the tests, fighting¡­ as his cousin, I can¡¯t even lift my head up high at school!¡±


    The ones who interrupted Su Lingyun were the son and daughter of Su Shangwen and Zhang Meiyun. If Su Shangwen and Zhang Meiyun couple¡¯s words were spoken rather using euphemism as they knew how to soften their words, however, their son and daughter obviously didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Su Yanning, Su Xiangfei, you¡¯re both speaking nonsense and spitting false accusations!¡± Tang Xiu shouted he almost screaming.


    ¡°Shangwen, Meiyun, I beg you not to make things difficult for him! If you can¡¯t find that three thousand yuan, then consider it as I¡¯m borrowing the money from you. You also know that ever since the accident a year ago, Xiu¡¯er became a bit disoriented and cannot take stimulation. If something bad truly happens to him, I won¡¯t be able to continue living.¡± Under the aggressive oppression of her younger brother¡¯s family, Su Lingyun¡¯s tears dripped down as though a broken line of pearls as she begged helplessly.


    After she finished speaking, Su Lingyun seemed to have exhausted every ounce of strength in her body.


    Recalling the bitter experience and treatment her son had to go through this year, Su Lingyun couldn¡¯t help but feel sad and sob soundlessly.


    Although her son had lost his father from an early age, however, he was very obedient ever since he was a child and his studies were particularly outstanding. Even two years ago, he entered the Star City First High School and placed first for the High School test for the entire city. Similarly, he also stood out in all sort of exams and competitions, including being placed first in all subjects during his first year.


    However, due to a car accident when he was just entered the first semester of his sophomore year, her son¡¯s brain suffered from a strong impact; resulting in serious damage with his memory and comprehension ability. Even the doctor once diagnosed him to have a mental disability. If it weren¡¯t for her plead, and the school also saw a trace of hope, that her son would have likely been expelled from school.


    Su Yanning and Su Xiangfei siblings glanced at each with expressions that looked like they were bored and couldn¡¯t bear it upon seeing Su Lingyun¡¯s deeply grieved appearance and the house went to silence.


    When everyone¡¯s attention was attracted to Su Lingyun, Tang Xiu¡¯s body in her embrace was slightly trembling, as a glint of light emitted from his eyes.


    ¡°What¡¯s this place? Where¡¯s this? Didn¡¯t I die after failing a tribulation? What¡¯s going on?¡± Tang Xiu looked at the surrounding with eyes full of confused expression.


    Tang Xiu remembered that he was standing at the peak in the Immortal World. He was passing the Divinity tribulation. As long as he succeeded in crossing the tribulation, he would be able to become a God in the Immortal World and obtained the qualification to enter the door to eternal life.


    Trying hard to remember everything and recalled what really happened, Tang Xiu¡¯s facial muscles gradually distorted as an extremely painful expression flashed from his eyes. The last scene before he was reawakening here, finally appeared within his mind¡­


    It was the most critical moment of Tang Xiu¡¯s tribulation. When his strength was nearly spent; when he completely focused his strength and spiritual force on fighting back the Divinity tribulation from above; his back was opened and devoid of any protection. He was completely defenseless against the used-used-to-be several good friends of his whose cultivations were just a bit inferior, who were also at the peak in the Immortal World, with numerous Divine Armaments and Divine Tools in their hands.


    Immediately after, just as he barely passed through the nine levels of lightning tribulation; when he was preparing to face the last wave of formless yet most dreadful tribulation¡ªpsychological-mental, and at the same time he began to undergo the first Demonic Tribulation, the very people¡ªhis several good friends who were supposed to protect him, launched a fatal strike towards him.


    And of those people, outrageously, was the companion he fell in love with for hundreds of years, Xue Qingcheng.


    Under their joint attack, Tang Xiu¡¯s fate was nearly doomed. Even, before his body was completely shattered and he lost his consciousness, those people had already impatient and rushed to snatch the mysterious ancient manual which he accidentally obtained from the ancient demonic god remains¡ªthe Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis manual.


    ¡°Human nature is so unexpectedly loathsome, even love and friendship are nothing before an absolute secret Divine cultivation method!¡±


    ¡°But, since I failed the tribulation, it should be no chance for me to survive. My body should have become ashes and my soul should have scattered. Yet now, what¡¯s happening?¡±


    Within a daze, a familiar¡ªd¨¦j¨¤ vu¡ªwoman fragrance drifted to his nose.


    Inhaling, smelling this fragrance, an extreme enjoyment expression revealed on Tang Xiu¡¯s face as his emotions gradually calmed down.


    After a long time, only then was Tang Xiu slowly turned his head, to look behind at the woman who was embracing him.


    A gentle face clearly presented in front of him, a familiarly close and kind face. And in comparison with the face in his memories, there were traces of shallow ¡°fishtail¡± imprint at the corner or her eyes.


    ¡°Inner Demon! Damned inner demon! I already died, so how can I be disturbed by this inner demon?!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head quickly and forced himself not to look at the face, that he had dreamed of for thousands of years.


    When Tang Xiu looked at the others in the house, he couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback for a moment.


    Of ten thousand of years within the Immortal World, Tang Xiu had experienced all sorts of mental and sentimental tribulations; both big and small. However, even after having so many, severing himself from all of his family members, the one he could never give up was his mother. So in the later heart tribulations, only his mother appeared and no other relatives.


    ¡°Are the ones in front of me now, not my inner demons?¡± Tang Xiu suspiciously looked around whilst his mouth muttering.


    Then, after a huge explosion inside his head, the ten thousands of memories Tang Xiu rarely touched before, instantly opened. At the same time, obscure and enigmatic memories also appeared within his mind.


    ¡°I¡¯ve actually returned back to Earth I so long desired? Ten thousand years passed in the Immortal World, and yet only a year passed on Earth?¡± After a long while only then did Tang Xiu realize what happened.


    All the obscure memories that appeared inside his mind, was his body memory accumulation in the one year that had passed.


    In the car accident a year ago, although Tang Xiu¡¯s physical body was fine, his soul was damaged. That caused his intellect to drop sharply which in turn made him experienced horrid days at school. He was as though a bystander-observer that could only absorb all the information around but he would rarely participate in activities.


    However, all of the information was stored inside Tang Xiu¡¯s mid, letting him understood everything that had occurred for the past year on Earth.


    A strand of Tang Xiu¡¯s damaged soul actually traveled to the Immortal World and took possession of the grandson young master of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect¡¯ Master. There, he lived an exciting dream-like life for ten thousand years!


    But he just had never thought that when he was schemed against and died in the Immortal World the strand of his soul would once again return back to his body on Earth. And at this time, only a year passed on Earth.


    ¡°Fairy Wanhua, Great Emperor Danqing, Zither Demon Jiuyao, on the day this Tang Xiu come back to the Immortal World will be the time all of you die violently!¡±


    Recollecting carefully the bits and drops of his life in the Immortal World, and when the final section of his life memories, Tang Xiu nearly screamed out and gritted his teeth.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s roar broke the silence in the house, attracting everyone¡¯s eyes on him.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er¡­ you¡­ what happened?¡± Su Lingyun was the first to react as she hugged Tang Xiu in panic and asked with an anxious expression.


    Seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s extremely distorted facial muscles and then remembered his physical condition, dozens of people looked at him with a regretful expression as they cast blaming gazes toward Su Shangwen¡¯s family.


    Su Shangwen family clearly had never thought that Tang Xiu would suddenly turn ¡°insane¡±. Moreover, judging by circumstances, it was them who evidently caused it. They couldn¡¯t help but look at each other with a guilty and afraid look.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, stop acting here. What was those immortals, emperor, demons? Do you think you¡¯re playing a game? I¡¯ve never heard a game that has bosses such Fairy Wanhua, Great Emperor Danqing, or Zither Demon Jiuyao.¡± Just as the entire people in the house were at a loss, a cold snort sounded in the house. It was from Tang Xiu¡¯s cousin, Su Xiangfei, who sneer out loud.


    ¡°You damn idiot, you even knew how to feign insanity now? Damn, I was almost tricked by you. Do not think that we¡¯ll ignore the three thousand yuans just because you act pitiful like that! I¡¯ll clearly say to you¨Cmother and son, that if you don¡¯t take out that three thousand yuan out today, don¡¯t ever think that you can walk out of this door!¡± After a brief of panic, Zhang Meiyun couldn¡¯t help but secretly look at Tang Xiu and furiously snapped at the short instant afterward.


    After he roared loudly, Tang Xiu himself knew that he lost his self-control a bit. And then as he immediately felt the anxiousness and deep worry his mother had toward him, he hastily adjusted his emotions and quickly consoled her, repeatedly saying that he was fine. This scene fell to Zhang Meiyun¡¯s eyes, and naturally, made her furious.


    ¡°Dragon births dragon, and phoenix births phoenix. Just like the apple doesn¡¯t fall far from the trees, the offspring of a rat continue digging holes!¡± Tang Xiu coldly glared at Zhang Meiyun then his eyes fell on Su Xiangfei as he said indifferently, ¡°Su Xiangfei, are you certain to keep on playing this game? If you think it will become more

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2: Transformation of Nature


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Only when you lose it, will you know how to treasure it.


    Only when you lose it, will you know what is precious to you.


    In the ten thousand years in the immortal world, the one that Tang Xiu yearned for the most was his mother, and she became the inner demon in his heart that threatened to stop him on the path of cultivation. Now that he had his mother again, Tang Xiu was ecstatic. But in his heart, he vowed that he must protect his mother no matter what happened.


    Tang Xiu was already blaming himself for losing control which startled his mother, but after hearing Zhang Meiyun and Su Xiangfei ridicule and hurl abuses at them, he naturally flew into a rage and chided out loud.


    When the strand of his soul return back to his body from the Immortal World, even though there seemed to be no changes happening on the outside, a startling change was actually happening in Tang Xiu¡¯s body. The change was not as simple as gaining back his intellect from one year ago due to his soul returning back. His whole self, from head to toe, from the inside to outside, had a change in constitution.


    Firstly, Tang Xiu¡¯s senses had improved over ten times, while his brain processing speed had increased almost a hundred times. Every action that happened in the house was all caught by Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes and ears, and his mind was done processing all that information in an instant.


    Following that, Tang Xiu¡¯s control over his own body had reached a frightening level. It was as if a rope that was always constricting him had suddenly snapped apart, freeing him from the constraint, presenting a whole new world in front of him.


    Lastly, in the ten thousand years that Tang Xiu was in the Immortal World, whether was it being the grandson of the Holy Sect¡¯s manager or a supreme expert, he was always in a high position and was used to ordering people around. The long years of accumulation of imposing manner was not imaginable by normal people, and when the strand of soul returned back to Tang Xiu¡¯s body on Earth, he naturally possessed such imposing manner.


    As Tang Xiu chided, the temperature in the room suddenly seemed as if it had dropped to a freezing point; everyone started to break out in a cold shiver uncontrollably. Zhang Meiyun and Su Xiangfei even seemed as if they were strangled by their necks as they were unable to utter a word.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, who allowed you to make a ruckus in front of us, do you still have any respect for your seniors? And you still dare to be rude after stealing money?¡± Su Shangwen stood out after a brief moment of silence and retorted back, giving off a strong front even though he was actually afraid. He could faintly sense that there were some changes on his nephew, and this change made him feel extremely uncomfortable; it gave him a sense of danger. However, he was unable to pinpoint exactly what that change was. When he saw that his wife and son were being suppressed by his nephew, he was forced to speak up.


    ¡°Su Shangwen, what rights do you have to speak to me about respecting our seniors?¡±


    ¡°Owning an asset of over several millions, yet you abandon grandpa and grandma and did not care for them, leaving them to live a hard life with uncle in the rural village. What¡¯s more, all their medical bills and living expenses were equally divided and split among the few uncles and aunts. Is this what you call respecting your seniors?¡±


    ¡°Whenever we have a family gathering, Su Yaning and Su Xiangfei, these two siblings will always be beating and scolding the seniors. You and your wife will also put on an arrogant air, bossing people around and showing off your wealth. You call this respecting your seniors?¡±


    ¡°Whenever your family holds a party, grandpa, grandma, uncle, mother and I will always contribute our share of the cost, but your family always comes up with excuses saying that there are too many people; we don¡¯t even have the qualification to sit at the dining table. Is this what you call respecting your seniors?¡±


    Tang Xiu cast a sidelong glance and ignored Su Shangwen¡¯s fierce gaze as he pointed at him while criticising.


    Su Shangwen had gone through the ups and downs in the commerce industry for over 20 years, so he had accumulated some power and influence. Su Shangwen was used to bossing people around in front of the family, so he thought that his stern scolding would cause Tang Xiu to stammer and not know what to say. But never in his wildest dream would Su Shangwen have known that even after facing his stern scolding, Tang Xiu would dare to oppose him instead of cowering back timidly. Moreover, Tang Xiu¡¯s imposing manner was not any weaker than his, even faintly suppressing his own imposing manner.


    Su Shangwen was caught off guard by Tang Xiu¡¯s criticism, his face was as red as a monkeys¡¯ bottom, and an indescribable fury rose from within.


    ¡°This bastard, you were given life but you have no morals. Since your mother was unable to discipline you, then I will!¡± With no way to defend his argument, Su Shangwen flew into a rage out of humiliation. He raised his hand and gave a slap towards Tang Xiu¡¯s face.


    Seeing that Su Shangwen actually dared to take action on him, Tang Xiu subconsciously gave a cold smirk. In the ten thousand years that he was in the Immortal World, whoever tried to fight him were all grinded into fine dust.


    With a flicker of his mind, Tang Xiu subconsciously tried to unleash skills from the Immortal World to punish this mortal ant that dared to be so arrogant. However, in that moment, his face became deathly white.


    Tang Xiu was used to his Immortal World self, but he forgot that the him on Earth right now was just an ordinary human being. It was not only that his body lacked any trace of power, but even more so, the body he had right now was so weak that it could not even be compared with an ordinary human being.


    Su Shangwen revealed an arrogant and sinister smile when he saw Tang Xiu¡¯s startled actions, and his slap was less than ten centimeters away from Tang Xiu¡¯s face.


    Seeing that Su Shangwen¡¯s slap was about to fall onto his face, Tang Xiu subconsciously revealed an indignant expression. He had never taken a loss in the ten thousand years when he was in the Immortal World, yet he was actually going to get slapped by an ordinary human being?


    ¡°Su Shangwen, you dare?!¡± Tang Xiu shouted hysterically, eyes releasing a terrifying radiance.


    ¡°What¡­ What don¡¯t I dare to do, as your uncle, don¡¯t I have the qualifications to discipline you?¡± Su Shangwen was shocked by Tang Xiu¡¯s stern glare as his hand movement hesitated briefly. After saying his line, Su Shangwen was enraged with Tang Xiu opposing him. He did not retract back his hands, but instead increased more strength as he continued the slap in the direction of Tang Xiu¡¯s face.


    However, the moment of hesitation from Su Shangwen gave Tang Xiu an opportunity to dodge. As Su Shangwen was retorting back to increase his courage, Tang Xiu had already dodged to one side in a flash.


    Just when Tang Xiu had thought that he had managed to escape this situation, a loud ¡°PAAA¡± sound resounded beside his ear, causing his heart to skip a beat. He turned back his head in shock and realised that the slap that Su Shangwen gave actually landed on his mother¡¯s face.


    That¡¯s when Tang Xiu suddenly recalled that he was in his mother¡¯s embrace not too long ago, and naturally, she would be standing behind him close by. When he dodged, Su Shangwen¡¯s slap would naturally have landed on his mother¡¯s face.


    Remorse, pain, rage, self-blame. In that instance, Tang Xiu¡¯s heart was swallowed up by all kinds of negative emotions.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not right. Judging from where Su Shangwen was standing and the length of his arms, the slap just now could not have reached his mother¡¯s face. He must have flew into a rage out humiliation because of me dodging, and purposely took the chance to hit my mother.¡± The scene from just now replayed itself in Tang Xiu¡¯s mind at lightning speed, following which he stared at Su Shangwen coldly.


    As Tang Xiu saw the corner of Su Shangwen¡¯s mouth display a mocking smirk as he was still faintly leaning forward from the slap, Tang Xiu¡¯s furry reached an extreme point.


    He subconsciously wanted to rush forward and stake his life to fight him. But looking at Su Shangwen¡¯s strong bear-like stature, and thinking back on how extremely weak his body was, Tang Xiu forcefully suppressed his impulses. However, that did not mean that Tang Xiu was going to let it go and suffer in silence. If it was to say that the ridicule from Su Shangwen¡¯s family angered Tang Xiu, then the intentional slapping of his mother by Su Shangwen had touched on Tang Xiu¡¯s taboo, causing him to feel a sense of hatred and disgust towards Su Shangwen¡¯s family.


    ¡°Having no godly items and no cultivation, coupled with such a frail body, how am I going to tide over this impending situation?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s mind was processing at the speed of light even though he was staring at Su Shangwen coldly.


    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes shone with radiance in that instant. In the ten thousand years that Tang Xiu was in the Immortal World, the martial skills that he had practiced were uncountable, and the martial skills that he had accumulated were even as boundless as the vast sea. He vaguely remembered having a manual called ¡®Origin Ignition Art¡¯ that was able to resolve the situation at hand.


    ¡®Origin Ignition Art¡¯ was a common energy circulation technique in the Immortal World, similar to a breathing technique. It did not require any cultivation foundation and even ordinary humans would be able to fully utilise it. Although it would consume a little amount of life force from one¡¯s body, it would not cause harm to the user. Of course, the ¡®Origin Ignition Art¡¯ had its limitation. Even though it can boost the user¡¯s strength, it would only last for a short duration.


    Even though Tang Xiu was unable to fully contend against Su Shangwen due to his weak physique, but if he were to store up and concentrate his strength while waiting for a chance to strike explosively at a critical moment, he was confident that he would be able to crush Su Shangwen with his close combat prowess.


    ¡°Su Shangwen, what rights do you have to hit my mother, I will fight you!¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s strength had accumulated to a certain level after a few breaths, but he realised that Su Shangwen didn¡¯t have the intention to apologise to his mother. Furthermore, his mother was also silently tolerating the slap from Su Shangwen. He bellowed once and dashed straight into Su Shangwen¡¯s direction.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s loud bellow and rashness was seen as him losing his rationale due to anger, but this reaction was what the 16-year-old Tang Xiu would possess.


    After a short period of adjustment, Tang Xiu was already fully accustomed to his own body on Earth, and made the most accurate reaction thus far.


    ¡°Such an idiotic guy, do you think I¡¯m afraid of you?¡± Seeing Tang Xiu, that was as skinny as a bamboo, rushing towards him, a contempt-filled smile rose from the corner of Su Shangwen¡¯s mouth. Using a stern voice, he berated, ¡°I was just going to discipline you, but you actually dodged, causing your mother to get slapped by me. If you want to blame somebody, blame it on yourself, don¡¯t blame it on me.¡±


    As Su Shangwen was speaking, he casually stretched his hands, thinking of pushing Tang Xiu¡¯s body to one side. But only a clear loud ¡°Kachaaa¡± sound was heard as Su Shangwen¡¯s elbow got dislocated.


    Before Su Shangwen had the chance to scream in pain, he felt an indescribable immense strength lunging onto his abdomen, almost causing him to throw up the food and drinks that he ate in the afternoon. But Tang Xiu was still using both hands to stab randomly at his body, making him unable to throw up. He felt as if being struck by a dizzy spell, and was in so much pain that he felt like dying.


    Under the immense pain, Su Shangwen¡¯s head wavered, seemingly like a weak drowning person. His hands danced frantically, as if trying to grab ahold of something that could save him.


    ¡°Help! A murderer!¡±


    ¡°So much blood, quickly call the police.¡±


    ¡°Just because of a mere 3000 yuan, the birthday party became like that, was it worth it?¡±


    Before losing consciousness, Su Shangwen could vaguely hear the horrified screams and sobbing sounds echoing in his ear, but he could not figure out what had actually happened.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3: The Truth is Revealed


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    No one in the house could have imagined that a simple dispute would result in such a bitter ending.


    Seeing that both Tang Xiu and Su Shangwen were lying weakly in a pool of blood, everyone lost their minds as screaming, wailing, and cries for help could be heard in successions.


    Nobody had the mental capacity to find out who was in the right and who was in the wrong anymore.


    In a matter of minutes, the police had arrived.


    Strangely, when the police had just arrived at the scene, Su Shangwen, who was still unconscious a moment ago, woke up; following which a groaning sound could be heard coming from Tang Xiu. Seeing that the house was filled with police officers, Su Shangwen was taken aback in shock. As he took a glance at Tang Xiu, who was lying on the floor, Su Shangwen¡¯s eyes turned red momentarily as he immediately recalled the scene where he got struck by Tang Xiu before he passed out.


    ¡°Officers,3000 yuan was stolen from my family, and I suspect that it was this stupid rascal who stole it, I trouble you to arrest him.¡± Su Shangwen couldn¡¯t be bothered with the pain in his finger as he pointed at Tang Xiu¡¯s nose, gnashing his teeth as he said those words.


    ¡°Just now I received a report saying that there was a murder case here, who was the one that made the report?¡± A voice seemingly like a silver chime resounded through the house. The one leading the squad was actually a valiant-looking female officer.


    The female officer ignored Su Shangwen¡¯s words as she sweep her eyes over everyone in the house, and finally resting her eyes onto Zhang Meiyun as she lowered her voice and asked.


    Under that female officer¡¯s stern gaze, Zhang Meiyun lowered her head as she felt guilty, stammering as she answered, ¡°Officer, I was the one who made the report. I thought that my husband had died when I saw him bleeding and not breathing at all, so I became flustered and said the wrong thing when I made the report.¡±


    After listening to Zhang Meiyun¡¯s explanation, Cheng Xuemei¡¯s facial expression softened a lot.


    ¡°Officer, you definitely have to arrest this person. Not only did he steal 3000 yuan from us, he even used brute force to clash with me and broke my arm.¡± Just when Cheng Xuemei bend over to seriously inspect the condition of both Tang Xiu and Su Shangwen¡¯s injuries, Su Shangwen started to make a ruckus again.


    Cheng Xuemei stared at Su Shangwen without saying anything as she continued doing her own stuff. At the same time, she commanded other officers to seal off the area.


    ¡°Officer, I¡¯m a close brother of Captain Wang from the Public Security Division, and have also had some drinks with Chief Commander Deng before. Furthermore, I have sponsored your City Police Headquarters on numerous occasions.¡± Seeing that Cheng Xuemei was not giving him any attention, Su Shangwen felt that he had lost face and hurriedly tried to inform her of his backings.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you say that the City Police Headquarters was opened by you so that I will arrest whoever one you ask me to arrest?¡± Cheng Xuemei was already annoyed with Su Shangwen¡¯s bossy attitude, and after listening to what he had said, her face was like cold as frost as she lifted her head and ridiculed him.


    Su Shangwen evidently didn¡¯t expect that, even when he revealed his connection with the Chief Commander, this female officer in front of him did not buy it, and furthermore, felt more disgust towards him. He couldn¡¯t help but be lost for words in that moment.


    Without Su Shangwen disturbing her, Cheng Xuemei had quickly finished up inspecting the conditions of Su Shangwen and Tang Xiu¡¯s injuries. Cheng Xuemei discovered that other than a dislocated elbow, Su Shangwen was hardly injured. On the other hand, there were multiple injuries on Tang Xiu¡¯s waist and abdomen, and he seemed to be in a semi-conscious state.


    What made Cheng Xuemei puzzled was the cause of such a large pool of blood on the floor. She could confirm that, although the injuries on Tang Xiu looked terrible, it was in fact not that serious. However, everybody on the scene said that Tang Xiu was the one who coughed out the whole pool of blood on the floor, causing her to question if there were any problems with her eyes.


    ¡°Do you feel unwell anywhere?¡± Cheng Xuemei took a glance at the deathly pale Tang Xiu and inquired, feeling concerned.


    ¡°Sis, I¡¯m alright, I don¡¯t need to go to the hospital, I don¡¯t want to let my mother worry.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head as he used a delicate voice, seemingly like the buzzing of a mosquito, to answer back.


    Cheng Xuemei gazed at Tang Xiu for a brief moment before giving a quick glance at Su Lingyun, who looked deeply worried. After seeing that, she fell silent.


    ¡°Captain Cheng, do we need to hand this case over to Captain Wang?¡± After making sure that there was no murder case or even any case of serious injury, although it was just a normal public security case, but the few officers that followed Cheng Xuemei out for this operation had the intention to dodge the work.


    ¡°At the mass immobilisation convention yesterday, Chief Commander Deng was still yelling at us to economise our manpower, do we need to mobilise our City Police force twice just because of such a small matter?¡± Cheng Xuemei stared at the police officer who asked that question as she replied in displeased tone.


    After finishing her lines, Cheng Xuemei felt that her whole body had relaxed. However, the few police officers that followed Cheng Xuemei out for this operation were all dumbstruck, and they all thought that there were some problems with their hearing. Based on their understanding, Cheng Xuemei was not someone who would meddle into other people¡¯s business. Whenever she met this kind of public security cases in the past, she would distance herself from it as far as possible, needless to say taking the initiative to handle it. But after recalling the conversation that Cheng Xuemei had with Su Shangwen when they had just arrived at the scene, they seemed to vaguely understand what was happening.


    In the City Police Headquarters, Cheng Xuemei seemed to be filled with enmity as she especially disliked Captain Wang Hao¡¯s working style. Thus, when Su Shangwen mentioned that he was a close brother of Wang Hao, he unintentionally dug his own grave.


    Under Cheng Xuemei¡¯s command, a few policer officers quickly went to work.


    Seeing that the police officers were doing a search in the house, Su Yaning and Su Xiangfei¡¯s expressions became deathly white, and their body trembled. They wished that the police officers would stop investigating on the missing 3000 yuan, but at this moment, both of them had already lost the courage to speak up.


    ¡°Yaning, Xiangfei, the police officer said that I only have my elbow dislocated, so the two of you need not worry.¡± Seeing that both his children had an abnormal expression, Su Shangwen thought that his two children were still frightened from him fainting from just now, so he comforted them while smiling lightly.


    Listening to their father comforting them, Su Yaning and Su Xiangfei almost burst into tears. They did not dare to explain to their father as the police officers were still around.


    Very soon, the police officer found the 3000 yuan in the house. The money was found on top of a wardrobe in a bedroom, and at the time when the officers found the 3000 yuan, they also discovered a distinct handprint. The top portion of the wardrobe had not been cleaned for a very long time, causing a thin layer of dust to be settled there, and the person who hid the money had accidentally left a trace behind.


    Cheng Xuemei stared at the handprint for a while before sweeping her eyes onto everybody, and lastly fixating her eyes onto Su Xiangfei.


    ¡°Su Xiangfei, can you explain to me what had happened to cause this handprint?¡± Cheng Xuemei sternly questioned Su Xiangfei the moment she stared at him.


    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault, it was big sister who screamed at me to hide the money. Big sister said that she hated Tang Xiu, and Tang Xiu was also a stupid rascal that was notorious for his misdeeds, even if we accused him, he would not be able to defend himself.¡± Su Xiangfei was already feeling guilty, and when he heard Cheng Xuemei¡¯s stern questioning, his tensed mental state had collapsed, and he pushed the blame away in a flurry.


    ¡°I¡­ I ¡­ I only wanted to tease Tang Xiu a little, I never had the intention to steal the money.¡± Seeing that everyone in the house had their gaze concentrated on her, Su Yaning became flustered as she hurriedly explained herself.


    After listening to Su Xiangfei and Su Yaning¡¯s explanation, even if Cheng Xuemei didn¡¯t say anything, everybody in the house could understand what had happened.


    ¡°After all that ruckus, it was actually the thief calling other people the thief, this family is indeed exquisite.¡±


    ¡°This family doesn¡¯t even lack 3000 yuan, why do they want to unjustly accuse this single-parent child and widowed mother?¡±


    ¡°The mother-son duo must have been struck with bad luck to have such relatives. If I were them, I would sever all connections with this kind of relatives since long ago and not continue to keep in touch, suffering humiliation for no reason.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Today was Su Shangwen¡¯s 40th birthday celebration, and although a large number of guests had already left after the lunch banquet, there were still quite a number of guests staying behind to continue with the dinner banquet.


    Initially, only the few people that was in the bedroom knew of the matter, but when Tang Xiu blew the matter up, all the guests knew of what had happened in an instant. After all, watching a good show was human nature, and even more so when the main lead of the celebration was closely involved in it. The arrival of the police had undoubtedly attracted all the guests over, and even all the people in the neighbourhood had rushed down to join in on the ruckus.


    Initially, everybody had believed that it was Tang Xiu who really stole the 3000 yuan as he was poor and in desperate state. However, when the truth was unveiled, they felt that the matter was extremely outrageous. While they were sympathising and pitying Su Lingyun and Tang Xiu, the look towards Su Shangwen¡¯s family was filled with loathe and despise.


    Su Shangwen and Zhang Meiyun had obviously not anticipated that the truth would be as such, and both of them couldn¡¯t help but stare blankly.


    Hearing the discussion and criticism from the surrounding people, and feeling the mocking and disdain-filled gazes from them, Su Shangwen¡¯s family could feel their faces burning in pain.


    ¡°Officer, it¡¯s not stealing if we hide our family¡¯s own money right? We are sorry that we caused you all to make a wasted trip.¡± After spending much effort, Su Shangwen had somewhat managed to calm his emotions down, and with a forced smile, he walked towards Cheng Xuemei and softly begged.


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed not a crime to hide their own family¡¯s money away. However, according to the regulation of our country¡¯s criminal law, to use violence or other methods to publicly insult someone or to fabricate lies to slander someone, in the event of a serious case, he will be sentenced to imprisonment for 3 years and below, detention, supervision or to have his political power stripped off.¡±


    ¡°Additionally, according to our country¡¯s criminal law regulation, intentionally injuring other¡¯s body would render imprisonment of 3 years and below, detention or supervision. To cause serious injury to other people would render imprisonment of 3 years and above, 10 years and below. Because of your assault, Tang Xiu suffered multiple injuries and even threw up blood and fell unconscious. Even if you¡¯re not sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment, 3 to 5 years of imprisonment is unavoidable.¡±


    Cheng Xuemei sneered as she saw that Su Shangwen was still not aware of his own mistakes and even nonchalantly defended his son¡¯s actions.


    Ignoring the pleading gazes from Su Shangwen¡¯s family, Cheng Xuemei waved her hand as she said in a clear voice, ¡°Bring all the relevant people involved back to the station to take their statement and interrogate them!¡±


    ¡°Officer, it was a misunderstanding, everything was a misunderstanding. Tang Xiu is our nephew, we would never slander or even intentionally injure him.¡± Seeing that Cheng Xuemei was truly going to arrest him, Su Shangwen panicked as he pulled onto her sleeves and started begging loudly.


    Su Shangwen looked towards Su Lingyun with pleading eyes as he was explaining to Cheng Xuemei. Zhang Meiyun had also realised that at this moment, only Su Lingyun and Tang Xiu, this mother and son, would be able to help their family. She pulled onto her daughter¡¯s sleeves and slowly walked over to face Su Lingyun.


    ¡°Lingyun, as the saying goes, ¡®if the citizens don¡¯t sound out, the government won¡¯t investigate¡¯. We are all one family, so let¡¯s speak behind closed doors. The joke that Yaning and Xiangfei had played did indeed cross the line, but both of them are still children, so they were just playing around. So how about going over to tell the police officers that we will settle the issue in private?¡± Zhang Meiyun pleaded as she gave an apologetic smile.


    As Su Lingyun heard Zhang Meiyun avoiding the main issue and speak only of the trivial, she directly turned her head away.


    ¡°Second Sis, today was indeed Xiangfei that did wrong, and I will let him apologise to Tang Xiu after this matter is resolved. If you really want to make things difficult, then we will sever all connections with you.¡± Su Shangwen coldly snorted and gave a threatening gaze as he saw that Su Lingyun actually dared to put on airs in front of his wife.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that Tang Xiu is still studying in Star City First High School, if he doesn¡¯t have me as his backing in the school, based on his grades and character, he may be kicked out of school anytime!¡± The chilling words coming out from Su Shangwen¡¯s mouth caused the temperature in the whole house to drop over ten degrees. Su Lingyun¡¯s body shivered as well and had no choice but to turn her head to look towards Su Shangwen.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4: The Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Su Shangwen¡¯s words not only shook Su Lingyun, it also caused everyone in the house to be left dumbstruck. Never would they have guessed that Su Shangwen could be this shameless, not apologising when his son was in the wrong, not having the right attitude when begging to people, and even using a higher status to threaten other people.


    However, thinking back on Su Shangwen¡¯s influence in Star City, everyone couldn¡¯t help but lament in silence for Su Lingyun and Tang Xiu.


    Even if Su Shangwen¡¯s character was detestable, it was an undeniable truth that he owns an asset of over a few million, and the connections that he had build up over the years in Star City could make one lose hope.


    Just when everyone thought that the weak-natured Su Lingyun would submit to his threat, a smile suddenly surfaced from Su Lingyun¡¯s expressionless face as she lightly tiptoed, raised her hand, and ruthlessly gave Su Shangwen a slap on his face.


    That slap was so loud and clear that everyone in the living room had thought that there were problems with their hearing.


    In everyone¡¯s eyes, Su Lingyun was a refined and composed, good-tempered and agreeable kind of person, to say that she had a weak character was also not disagreeable, there were only instances of her getting bullied, and not once was she the one bullying other people. However, for the first time in her life, she actually dared to slap someone, and the one getting slapped was even the strong and robust Su Shangwen. This caused everyone¡¯s jaw to drop.


    Seeing Su Shangwen getting slapped by his mother, Tang Xiu was feeling extremely satisfied and couldn¡¯t resist laughing out loud, but the joy was short-lived. Tang Xiu¡¯s body on Earth was extremely frail to begin with. The sudden return of his soul, the overwhelming sorrow and happiness in that short period of time, and coupled with the usage of the breathing technique from the Origin Ignition Art, which burns away the user¡¯s life force, had caused him to faint after merely three big laughs.


    When Su Shangwen realised that he was given a slap by his younger sister who was shorter than him by a huge margin, a vicious glint flashed past his eyes as he bellowed in rage and wanted beat Su Lingyun up. But never would Su Shangwen have thought that before he had the chance to take action, a pair of ice-cold handcuffs had landed on his wrist. Cheng XueMei, who was standing at the side observing the scene, had already prevented him from flying into a rage and harming people.


    ¡°Me and Hu Wenxu will send Tang Xiu to the hospital, Madame Su Lingyun will follow us along. The rest of you will bring the relevant people that was involved to the police station!¡± Cheng XueMei glared at Su Shangwen with disgust, and with a wave of her hand, she concluded the operation for today.


    Su Shangwen was like a deflating rubber ball withering away as he looked at the silhouette of the departing Cheng XueMei.


    Similarly, Zhang Meiyun would never have guessed that the joyous celebration banquet would end in such a tragic manner due to the misdeeds of their own family. Even if they could get released easily after the arrest, but their reputation among their friends and neighbours was tarnished.


    On the other hand, Su Yaning and Su Xiangfei were stupefied since a while ago. They could clearly not comprehend how a simple prank could land them in such a desperate state.


    ¡°It was Tang Xiu who manipulated the whole event, he blew up the matter on purpose!¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s devious smile and his words on wanting to continue playing along with Su Xiangfei abruptly surfaced in his mind as Su Xiangfei cried out hysterically. But sadly, at this point in time, nobody would bother about the agitated Su Xiangfei anymore.


    Meanwhile, in the Star City Hospital where the night grew deeper.


    The night sky was glittering with stars as a ray of moonlight shined through the glass window onto the scrawny-pale, but refined face of Tang Xiu.


    ¡°With the Gods in the sky and the Demons on land, the universe had determined the Gods and Demons to be separated. If Gods are holy beings, are Demons the lowly ones? If Demons are superior, are Gods the inferior ones? The universe is always moving, strength and weakness are hard to separate, Yin and Yang will eventually meet. When both forces gather, fusion occurs, and the form of good and evil will coexist as one. This is the Dao of Yin and Yang¡­¡±


    A string of words that were difficult to understand abruptly spilled out from Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth, which woke up Su Lingyun who was resting beside his bed.


    Initially, Su Lingyun had thought that her son was having a nightmare due to the traumatising incident that happened in the afternoon, and wanted to wake her son up. But when she saw the complexion of her son through the dimmed lights, she got rid of that thought.


    Although Tang Xiu said a bunch of words that were incomprehensible, his facial expression displayed an unusual calmness, and his two nice looking eyebrows were curved into a crescent-moon shape as if he was smiling lightly.


    ¡°Was my son reciting a classic?¡± Remembering that her son was going to be in the third grade of high school, Su Lingyun felt relieved.


    In the next moment, Su Lingyun¡¯s eyes suddenly opened wide.


    She was astonished by the sudden burst of radiance coming from the stars outside the window, which later turned into tiny bits of starlight, passing through the window and projecting onto her son¡¯s pale face. The bits of starlight then silently assimilated into his body.


    After a while, a faint layer of white mist was slowly produced and lingered around her son¡¯s body, which seem like a fantasy-like illusion in the dark night.


    Seeing that her son¡¯s pale complexion slowly turned rosy, and a layer of holy light covered his forehead, Su Lingyun unhurriedly reached out to that white mist with her hands, wanting to confirm that she was not hallucinating.


    However, the moment she touched the white mist, all of it disappeared into thin air.


    ¡°It seems that today¡¯s incident must have given me a huge shock for me to be hallucinating.¡± Su Lingyun smiled bitterly as she helped Tang Xiu lay in his blanket properly before lying down to rest again.


    What Su Lingyun didn¡¯t notice was that, with the disappearance of the white mist, Tang Xiu¡¯s eyelashes quivered slightly for a brief moment.


    ¡°The Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis, I actually managed to successfully cultivate the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis?¡± Tang Xiu had a face filled with disbelief as he laid on bed, silently feeling astonished after checking his own body condition.


    The Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis was a mysterious cultivation technique unintentionally recovered by Tang Xiu at an ancient remnant of the Gods and Demons, and this cultivation technique was passed down from the Ancient era.


    It was said that during the Ancient era, when heavenly energy was not formed yet, the world was filled with formless energy. The human race were like ants while the world was dominated by the God and Demon races, where their martial skills could move mountains and drain the seas.


    The ancestors of the God race had extremely powerful insights, thus their cultivation technique was mostly on cultivating the mind. On the other hand, the ancestors of the Demon race had extremely powerful physique, thus their cultivation technique was mostly on cultivating the body. Although the cultivation techniques of both the Gods and Demons were extremely powerful, but it clashed with each other mutually, making it impossible to cultivate both techniques at the same time.


    It was also because of the God and Demon¡¯s overly powerful cultivation technique that caused the extinction of both races, leaving behind only traces of the battlefield and fragments of secret techniques.


    The Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis that Tang Xiu had found was claimed to be a supreme cultivation technique that allowed both the geniuses from the God and Demon races to cultivate it.


    After getting the cultivation technique, Tang Xiu went frenzied with joy as he began studying the technique. However, after a 100 years, he had no choice but to admit that he was unable to cultivate it.


    The reason was that this cultivation technique requires the cultivator to have his physical and mental state returned back to the initial point when the cultivator was given life, which means, returning back to the state when they were just a fetus. Not only does it require the body to be in the purest form, the mind also had to be in the purest form. This was simply impossible to achieve.


    Tang Xiu went into seclusion to thoroughly study the art for 100 of years, but he was still unable to find a solution to it. Out of disappointment, Tang Xiu threw the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis into his storage ring as if it was rubbish. He did not share it with his lover and close friends as he felt that it would be useless to them. Not only would it waste their time and effort, it may even result in cultivation deviation.


    But it was exactly this decision that caused his lover and close friends to breed hatred in their hearts, and in the end, they joined hands to deal with Tang Xiu, causing his soul to be shattered and die with resentment.


    ¡°How did I managed to cultivate the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis in just one night on Earth when I had failed cultivating it after spending 100 of years in the Immortal World? Was it because the body I had on Earth had a better cultivating aptitude than the body I had in the Immortal World?¡± Tang Xiu fell into contemplation.


    Very soon, Tang Xiu rejected that notion.


    As the grandson of the Holy Sect¡¯s manager in the Immortal World, he was nourished with all kinds of heavenly treasures even when he was still in his mother¡¯s womb, and even after he was born, he was strengthened externally and internally. His intelligence and cultivation aptitude were also extremely monstrous. Not only did his cultivation progressed at a very fast pace, the amount of spiritual pills, martial skills, cultivation tools and talismans that he possessed also caused other people to be green with envy.


    On the other hand, the body that Tang Xiu had on Earth was malnourished since young. Furthermore, he was so focused on his studies that he neglected training his body. After the car accident, he became very clumsy and often hurt himself. Thus, it was not logical that his body on Earth would have a better cultivation aptitude than his body in the Immortal World.


    ¡°Since the problem was not in cultivating aptitude, then what was the problem?¡± Tang Xiu fell into contemplation once more as he felt a thread of energy from the stars and also a weak but distinct life force coursing through his body.


    _The Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis requires the cultivator to have his physical and mental state returned back to the initial point when the cultivator was given life, which means, returning back to the state when they were just a fetus¡­_


    _It was said that during the Ancient era, when heavenly energy was not formed yet, there was only formless energy._


    _Coincidentally, the current Earth practically does not have any heavenly energy in its environment._


    _As for physical and mental state¡­_


    _After throwing up blood and being unconscious, my body was in a paralysed state where I couldn¡¯t control my own body and this could barely fulfil the requirement of starting from scratch. My soul had also just returned back, which caused my mental state to be untainted, saying that it was starting from scratch was also undeniable._


    After deciding to try it, Tang Xiu took a leap of faith as he recklessly charged ahead. Recalling through the contents that he had painstakingly memorised for over a hundred thousand times, he began on his first phase of cultivation.


    The first stage of the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis¡ªStars Tyrannical Body!


    ¡°With the Gods in the sky and the Demons on land, the universe had determined the Gods and Demons to be separated. If Gods are holy beings, are Demons the lowly ones? If Demons are superior, are Gods the inferior ones? The universe is always moving, strength and weakness are hard to separate, Yin and Yang will eventually meet. When both forces gather, fusion occurs, and the form of good and evil will coexist as one. This is the Dao of Yin and Yang¡­¡±


    As the chant was recited line by line, Tang Xiu discovered that his consciousness started to extend out rapidly until he saw a sky full of stars.


    For the first time in his life, Tang Xiu felt that the stars were rather cute and familiar, causing him to have the urge to gently caress and care for it.


    With a flicker of his mind, Tang Xiu¡¯s consciousness began to reach out towards one of the stars which suddenly brighten up majestically, as if it was calling out for Tang Xiu. It then shattered into countless starlight before sprinkling towards Tang Xiu¡¯s consciousness and entering his body.


    When all the starlight was absorbed by Tang Xiu¡¯s body, his consciousness started to reach out to other stars again.


    Just like this, he started to play hide and seek with the stars as he gradually forgot that he was in the middle of cultivating.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± Suddenly, Tang Xiu let out a scream and withdrew from his cultivation after an unknown amount of time.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5: I Will Protect This Family


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Xiu¡¯Er, did you have a nightmare?¡± Su Lingyun was woken up from her sleep by Tang Xiu¡¯s miserable shriek, and her heart tightened up as she saw that Tang Xiu was drenched in perspiration.


    The immense pain nearly caused Tang Xiu to lose consciousness, and he spent an enormous amount of effort to gradually control his breathing. Seeing the nervous and concerned look from his mother¡¯s face, Tang Xiu hesitated a while before nodding slightly to acknowledge her conjecture.


    Tang Xiu did not want to tell anyone about the matters regarding the Immortal World. An ordinary person will not have any trouble, but if they had hidden a treasure then trouble will befall upon them, so he did not want to be put in any danger.


    Although Tang Xiu believed that his mother would not harm him, but he was afraid that the people who wishes to harm him would make use of his mother or cause disturbance to her tranquil life.


    ¡°You little rascal, still being dishonest when you¡¯re sleeping, look at the amount of perspiration you¡¯re having, it¡¯s making you smell bad. I will go fetch some warm water to wipe your body.¡± Su Lingyun monitored her son for a while before giving a light smile and leaving.


    After checking that his mother had went off to someplace further away, Tang Xiu collapsed and inhaled a breath of cool air as he couldn¡¯t help but shriek miserably in pain again. However, his face was filled with delight.


    ¡°Tyrannical, it¡¯s indeed tyrannical! The Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis that came from the ancient era of the Immortal World, which lacks heavenly energy, actually retrieves energy from the sun, moon and stars for its own usage. Initially, I lacked the qualification to cultivate this Art, but luckily I subconsciously cultivated the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis when I was in a paralysed state after throwing up blood and falling unconscious. This barely fulfilled the requirements of the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis, giving me the qualification to cultivate it. Or else, I would not have been able to cultivate this mysterious cultivation technique based on the mental state that I have when I¡¯m awake and the frail body that I possess! I¡¯m truly in luck!¡±


    Feeling a thread of star energy, and also a weak but distinct life force coursing through his body, Tang Xiu was unable to contain his joy.


    But in the next instance, the smile on Tang Xiu¡¯s face froze momentarily as he entered into deep thought.


    The anguishing pain from just now had left a deep lasting impression on Tang Xiu. The pain was similar to the one in the Tribulation of the Heart when undergoing the Tribulation of Divinity in the Immortal World¡ªthe Demonic Tribulation. Tang Xiu did not wish to experience this kind of pain anymore.


    The only fatal weak point of this Art was that the cultivator must possess a substantially strong physique to withstand the abundance of energy from the universe.


    The creator of the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis had emphasised time and again that if cultivators wished to cultivate the first stage of the Art¡ªStars Tyrannical Body¡ªthey would have to prepare enough rare medicinal herbs, minerals, and also internal organs of ferocious beast like blood essence, tendons and many more to strengthen the body.


    The cultivation of Stars Tyrannical Body includes training of stamina, toughening of the skin, growth of muscles, strengthening of bones, strengthening of tendons, strengthening of organs, and improvement in blood circulation. It was created to emulate the body constitution of the Demon race to resolve the issue on the disadvantage of having a weak body constitution for the God race. Every small part of the cultivation process requires different innumerable rare materials.


    The Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis requires the cultivator to have a strong body constitution. Even if the cultivation progress for this technique was fast, if the strength of the body constitution did not reach the requirements, the cultivator would explode and die on the spot from absorbing too much star energy.


    ¡°It was not easy for me to return back to Earth, I don¡¯t want to just explode and die. I wanted to cultivate the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis back when I was in the Immortal World, because it was a chaotic world of slaughter and I needed a strong cultivation to keep my life. However, the world on Earth pays more attention to law and harmony, there is no need for me to have high combat prowess.¡±


    Tang Xiu gradually calmed down after a brief moment of delight, and at the same time, firmly decided to give up the thought on cultivating the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis.


    One reason was that he may face the risk of self-exploding if he continued to cultivate it. Another reason was that the memory of his lover and close friends who joined hands to deal with him was too painful.


    ¡°Since there is no need for me to posses high combat prowess and there is danger from cultivating the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis, I could just cultivate other cultivation techniques.¡± Tang Xiu felt more at ease after putting down the enormous load that he had carried for a hundred years in the Immortal World.


    As the grandson of the Holy Sect¡¯s manager in the Immortal World, Tang Xiu possessed innumerable cultivation techniques and martial skills belonging to the Vermilion Bird Holy Sect, and he had also purchased and exchanged countless of legacies and secret techniques.


    Tang Xiu even went to raid the whole of the Immortal World just to root out cultivation techniques and martial skills after becoming one of the top few supreme experts in the Immortal World. Therefore, the cultivation techniques and martial skills that Tang Xiu could choose from were simply too many.


    Art of Golden Swarn, Sapphire Flame Art, Art of Frozen Heart¡­


    Other people may fret over the _lack_ of cultivation techniques and martial skills to train, but what Tang Xiu was fretting over was the _choice_ of cultivation techniques and martial skills to train.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯Er, I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have slapped your uncle just now. Although it helped released my pent up anger, but it may have caused you to get kicked out of Star City First High School.¡± When Su Lingyun came back after fetching a pail of water, Tang Xiu was still fretting over the matters regarding his cultivation, so when she saw the frowning look on Tang Xiu¡¯s face, she thought that Tang Xiu was worried about the problem regarding his school.


    ¡°Mum it¡¯s alright, what¡¯s done is done. It¡¯s fine even if we lose this relative, or else we will always suffer humiliation for no reason.¡± Seeing the guilt on his mother¡¯s face, Tang Xiu had no choice but to hide his emotions away as he gave a light smile and consoled her.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Mum, lets not worry about the things that have not yet to occur, maybe I will still be able to continue studying in Star City First High School. Even if I¡¯m not able to remain there, Star City Seventh High School should be willing to accept me I guess? By then we would have to see if mum is willing to continue spending money on me.¡± Su Lingyun wanted to say more but was interrupted by Tang Xiu.


    ¡°You little rascal, you¡¯re the only son that mum has, how can I not be willing to spend money on you!¡± After staring at her son intensely and realising that her son really had no intention of blaming or resenting her, Su Lingyun subconsciously relaxed.


    When Su Lingyun was helping Tang Xiu to wipe his body, Tang Xiu was still racking his brain on what cultivation technique and martial skills to train on, and did not notice anything inappropriate. However, only when he felt his pants being pulled down and a cool breeze brushing around his groin did he came back to his senses.


    ¡°Mum, I will do it myself, just go over the side to rest!¡± Tang Xiu pulled up his pants at the speed of light while snatching the warm towel away from his mother¡¯s hands and exclaiming with a red-flushed face.


    ¡°You little rascal, I was the one who gave birth to you, which part of your body have I not seen before.¡± Su Lingyun was laughing and scolding Tang Xiu at the same time, but she did not insist on helping Tang Xiu to wipe his body, and instead turned around to pack their stuff. ¡°Xiu¡¯Er, the doctor told me that there was no issue with your body, and that the repercussion from a year ago had actually been cured miraculously. How do you feel?¡±


    ¡°After throwing out a few mouthfuls of blood at uncle¡¯s house, I feel that my whole body had loosened up, and my mind is more active now, my disoriented intellect of the past also seems to have straightened out. Mum, I have a feeling that I will be able to reclaim back the top ranking in my cohort that used to belong to me.¡± Under Su Lingyun¡¯s nervous gaze, Tang Xiu spoke with his face ¡®filled with excitement¡¯.


    Tang Xiu naturally understood what his mother was worrying about, so he spoke entirely in accordance to his mother¡¯s thought process. Of course, what Tang Xiu had said was not exactly lying to his mother, but more of covering up the truth with good intention.


    After his soul returned back to his body, Tang Xiu had realised that he had a lot of blood clot accumulated all over his body, and knew that it was the repercussion from the car accident.


    Initially, Tang Xiu wanted to give Su Shangwen a gruesome beating when he activated the Origin Ignition Art, but when he took action, he suddenly recalled that he was now on Earth, where world peace takes precedence, and not the vicious slaughter of the Immortal World. Su Shangwen was just a relative that he loathed and not a murderous enemy, so Tang Xiu retracted a lot of energy back and used this energy to clear all the blood clots in his body.


    Therefore, the repercussion in Tang Xiu¡¯s body did not just get cured miraculously, but was due to Tang Xiu curing himself. As for his studies, Tang Xiu had already recovered back his initial intellect after his soul returned back to his body, and coupled with the ten thousand years of scholarly knowledge and godly skills, if he didn¡¯t obtain the top ranking in his entire cohort then he would have spent ten thousand years in the Immortal World in vain.


    After making sure that there were no issues with Tang Xiu¡¯s body, Su Lingyun went to do the outpatient procedures.


    When they reached home and did a simple clean up, Tang Xiu had no choice but to head over to school due to his mother¡¯s insistence.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯Er, your uncle shouldn¡¯t have made things too difficult for you since we are still his blood relatives. If you really can¡¯t stay in Star City First High School then mum will try to squeeze you into Star City Second High School. Worst come to worst there is still Star City Seventh High school.¡± Before stepping onto the school compound, Su Lingyun was fixing up Tang Xiu¡¯s uniform as she was reluctant to part, while speaking in a gentle voice.


    ¡°Mum, I got it. I will concentrate on my studies and not think of other stuff, because I still have you.¡± Tang Xiu lightly hugged his mother. Using a delicate voice, he said, ¡°You have to take care of your body too, or else I would get distracted.¡±


    Tang Xiu turned around and left after saying his lines, leaving Su Lingyun there with eyes seemingly red.


    ¡°Such a bear-like child, suddenly being so loving, I¡¯m really not used to it.¡± Feeling the great change from her son, a sense of satisfaction began to well up while feeling deeply moved.


    What Su Lingyun didn¡¯t know was that Tang Xiu had not gone far. As he reached a turning point of the school building, he made sure that his mother could not see his figure before hiding at a corner at lightning speed, silently gazing at her.


    When Tang Xiu saw that there were tears at the corner of his mother¡¯s eyes with a face full of smile and delight, Tang Xiu¡¯s nose soured as two streaks of tears surged out uncontrollably.


    Nobody could imagine how deep the relationship between Tang Xiu and Su Lingyun were, including Su Lingyun herself.


    Separated for ten thousand years, and yearning for ten thousands years.


    In his ten thousand years in the Immortal World, Tang Xiu was always thinking about his mother, and she was also the greatest inner demon in his heart. No matter how hard he tried, he was unable to put down his longing for her.


    Even though Tang Xiu have not seen his mother for ten thousand years, but in his heart, his mother and him had been together for countless reincarnations. Su Lingyun would always be his mother, and Tang Xiu would always be her only son in every reincarnation.


    Luckily, the ten thousand years in the Immortal World had let Tang Xiu possess a strong control on his emotions. Or else, coupled with the fact that he was feeling downcast from being betrayed and harmed by his lover and close friends, Tang Xiu would have hugged his mother and cried bitterly when he returned back to Earth.


    ¡°Mum, you were the one that protected our family for the past seventeen years. From now onwards, let me protect this family of ours!¡± Tang Xiu thought to himself silently as his mother¡¯s figure walked further away and disappeared into the crowd.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6: Humiliation


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    When Tang Xiu arrived at the classroom, most of his classmates were engrossed in their studies as they ploughed through pages after pages of past years¡¯ papers, while a handful of them were reciting out loud their textbooks. A tense atmosphere filled the entire classroom.


    As the final-year examination was only three months away, their main class teacher and subject teachers emphasised on the importance of this examination time and again. With wave after wave of weekly and monthly tests given to the third year students, this bunch of seventeen-years-old youths couldn¡¯t help but feel nervous.


    Seeing the eye-catching countdown number for the final-year examination on the blackboard, and all his classmates studying intensely, Tang Xiu felt that he did not fit in with this world.


    ¡°Since I¡¯m here just to fulfil my mother¡¯s wish and not here to really study, I need not be too bothered about my surrounding.¡± Tang Xiu quickly retracted his gaze as he walked to his desk.


    What Tang Xiu didn¡¯t expect was that just when he stepped into the classroom, all his classmates that were initially busy doing their revision stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Tang Xiu.


    Those looks were filled with despise, ridicule, disdain, and loathe, which Tang Xiu could not discern the reason for it.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, we don¡¯t welcome you here, get out!¡± Suddenly, a tall and skinny youth, with a face filled with despise, pointed his finger and ordered Tang Xiu, with a broken gong-like voice which resounded throughout the classroom.


    Feeling the strong hostility coming out from the tall and skinny body, Tang Xiu¡¯s gaze turned cold as killing intent was emitted from his body.


    The tall and skinny classmate was called Yang Jian, and he was a member of the class revision committee. He was always opposing Tang Xiu, because he resented Tang Xiu for scoring better than him during the entrance exam. When Tang Xiu¡¯s academic performance deteriorated, Yang Jian grabbed the chance to ridicule and suppressed him.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, we don¡¯t welcome you here, get out!¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, we don¡¯t welcome you here, get out!¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, we don¡¯t welcome you here, get out!¡±


    Before Tang Xiu had the chance to question Yang Jian, a clamor resounded throughout the classroom as wave after wave of perilous loud shouts caused Tang Xiu to freeze momentarily while still at the entrance.


    Just when he wanted to clarify exactly what was going on, a loud ¡°clang¡± sound echoed throughout the class. When Tang Xiu looked over, he saw that a fat guy at the last row had smashed his chair onto the table.


    The strength that the fatty had used was simply too great, causing the classroom to tremor slightly. After the loud smashing sound, the uproar abruptly stopped. The classroom became dead silent as the classmates who were actively bashing Tang Xiu seemed as if they were strangled by their necks.


    ¡°It¡¯s just Tang Xiu¡¯s grade being a little bit poorer, and it¡¯s not his fault being like this, is there a need to go against him?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu is my tablemate, and I have seen him put in so much effort in the past year. I dare to say that Tang Xiu is the most diligent in his studies out of everyone here. If not for the car accident one year ago, all of you here would not even have the chance to be able to catch up to his silhouette. So what qualifications do you all have to reproach him?!¡±


    ¡°This matter aside, so what if Tang Xiu¡¯s grades are not good. It¡¯s not as if whatever you all say counts. He can come and go whenever he wants to, so it¡¯s none of your business!¡± The fatty indignantly defended Tang Xiu after seeing that everyone was looking at him.


    The fatty was very plump and had a height of over 1.8 meters, his tummy was so round that it looked like a lady who was pregnant for 10 months, and his already small eyes were compressed by his fats on his face that made it look like a straight line, unable to see his eyeball.


    It may be that fatty¡¯s stature had given everybody a huge pressure, or that his murderous, fierce look was too intimidating, because the whole class was startled by him.


    ¡°Yuan Chuling, what rights do you have to be so arrogant? The reason why our class¡¯ average marks are the last in the cohort is all because of the two of you being such a disappointment. As the saying goes, ¡®a piece of rat feces spoils the whole pot of congee¡¯. Furthermore, our class has two rat feces, that¡¯s why it¡¯s hard to raise our average marks even if we want to.¡± Yang Jian retorted back unconfidently after being silent for so long.


    ¡°Yang Jian, who is the rat feces, I dare you to say it again!¡± With a ¡°clang¡± sound, Yuan Chuling kicked over the table and glared at Yang Jian with eyes that seemingly wanting to devour him as he yelled back.


    Yuan Chuling¡¯s action had frightened Yang Jian as he avoided making eye contact with him; his face became deathly pale.


    ¡°Yang Jian, its not that I want to pick on you, but even if your grades are exceptionally good, a useless scoundrel like you would only be fated to work for others once you step into society, and you actually think that you are that great just because your grades are good. If I, your grandpa, wishes to deal with you, then it¡¯s just a lift of a finger to me.¡± Seeing that Yang Jian had admitted defeat, Yuan Chuling did not bother with him anymore. He gave him a cold smirk before arranging back his chair and table and sitting down.


    Not sure if it was because of the wear and tear from the long years, or that Yuan Chuling¡¯s previous action being too violent, but the initially strong chair was actually damaged. So when Yuan Chuling sat on the chair, a ¡°kacha¡± sound could be heard as he fell onto the floor with his hands and legs dancing wildly in the air and a heart-tearing, lung-splitting shriek was produced.


    With Yuan Chuling making such a scene, the tense and silent atmosphere disappeared in an instance, and there was even someone who could not resist laughing out loud.


    Even Tang Xiu himself almost burst out laughing. But thinking back on how Yuan Chuling had stood out to speak up for him, he forced back his laughter and walked towards Yuan Chuling to pick him up from the floor.


    On the other hand, most of the people that were on Yang Jian¡¯s side did not dare to laugh, because they did not want to anger Yuan Chuling who had an extremely intimidating temper.


    ¡°Are you all done? If you¡¯re done then shut up!¡± Just when everybody¡¯s attention was focused on Yuan Chuling, a cold voice resounded from the front of the classroom.


    Upon hearing the imposing voice, the classroom became dead silent in an instance, and even Yuan Chuling stopped screaming in pain.


    At this time, Tang Xiu had a face filled with shock when he saw that the chair on floor was perfectly undamaged, and that Yuan Chuling was even unharmed.


    As if seeing through what Tang Xiu was thinking about, Yuan Chuling gave Tang Xiu a few winks. If not for Tang Xiu¡¯s soul returning back, which improved his eyesight, the wink that Yuan Chuling gave from his seemingly straight-line eyes would have been a waste of effort.


    ¡°This fatty is actually a genius.¡± Seeing the winking expression that Yuan Chuling gave, Tang Xiu immediately understood the reason why Yuan Chuling fell, and he couldn¡¯t help but praise his high EQ.


    Yuan Chuling only wanted to go against Yang Jian and not the whole class, but his actions previously were too arrogant, which may easily cause the rest to detest him. But after acting out his slapstick self-torture performance, the effect of Yuan Chuling¡¯s arrogance and despotic actions had clearly been dissolved, and the favourable impression that he brought to the rest of the class would also be fresh in their minds.


    ¡°The whole school could hear your argument. Even if you don¡¯t feel ashamed, I feel ashamed. Do all of you still have the image of a student?¡± Seeing that he had successfully intimidated the sixty over students in his class, Hu Qiusheng¡¯s expression softened slightly.


    He took a look at everyone in the class, causing the students to panic as they all lowered their heads in guilt. Only Tang Xiu, Yuan Chuling and Yang Jian had their chest held up without being intimidated by Hu Qiusheng.


    Hu Qiusheng had a look of disgust as he cast his sight from Tang Xiu to Yuan Chuling. But when he laid his eyes on Yang Jian, a smile appeared, ¡°Yang Jian, what exactly happened just now, why did the class made such a big ruckus?¡±


    ¡°Teacher, Tang Xiu did not attend last night¡¯s self-study session and was even late for the morning self-study session as well, so I just told him off a bit. But after that, Yuan Chuling went to smash the chair and kicked the table, and even started criticising us that no matter how good our grades are, we will only just be an employee working under someone. Furthermore, he still said that dealing with us would only be a lift of a finger to him¡­¡± Yang Jian became very confident after having the main class teacher backing him up. Giving Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling a side glance, he started explaining the situation, adding oil to the fire as well.


    Hu Qiusheng did not like Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling in the first place, so when he had finished listening to what had happened, the expression on his face when he looked at Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling was filled with even more disgust.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, the results for last month¡¯s monthly test are out, and do you know how much you got? 37 marks!¡± Hu Qiusheng¡¯s eyes locked onto Tang Xiu as he started reprimanding him.


    ¡°Its 37 marks! The total marks for the test is 750 marks, but you actually got 37 marks! You are the first in the cohort if we count the ranking backwards, do you know how many people laughed at me because of this? If not for your mother kneeling down and begging me several times, do you really think that I would let you stay in this class?¡± Hu Qiusheng scolded Tang Xiu loudly.


    ¡°Every time you assure me that you will work hard and score better on the next test, but every time when the result comes out you are always the lowest in the cohort, and your results are getting worse and worse each time!¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, I have already sent in a request to the principal to have you expelled or at least have you switched to another class, our class is never going to continue having you here, or else I will quit my post as the main teacher of this class!¡±


    ****


    Hu Qiusheng was roaring when he said those words, his facial muscles were warped up, and his eyes turned blood red as if Tang Xiu did an unpardonable crime.


    Facing Hu Qiusheng¡¯s scolding, Tang Xiu¡¯s lips trembled for a brief moment. He wanted to explain himself, but gave up on that thought after he observed Hu Qiusheng for a while. He stood on the spot quietly, letting Hu Qiusheng reprimand him.


    However, Yuan Chuling, who was standing beside Tang Xiu, had his face totally red, as if he had suffered a huge humiliation. His body kept on fidgeting while his mouth opened up a few times, wanting to defend Tang Xiu. But he was suppressed back by Hu Qiusheng¡¯s imposing manner and was not able to speak up.


    After scolding Tang Xiu non-stop for about 10 minutes, Hu Qiusheng¡¯s pent up anger had almost subsided, and following that, he cast his eyes onto Yuan Chuling.


    When he saw the indistinct mocking smile on the corner of Yuan Chuling¡¯s mouth, Hu Qiusheng choose to ignore his existence before criticising the other students that were not performing well. Only when the bell for the end of morning self-study session rang did Hu Qiusheng stop his scolding and left hastily.


    Although Hu Qiusheng had left, the classroom still had an intangible heavy atmosphere. Other than a few students who needed to go to the toilet, the majority of them were busy revising.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7: Kicked Out of Class


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu laid his eyes on his study table. Just the test papers alone were stacked two feet high, and the amount of reference books was even more.


    It was not only Tang Xiu¡¯s table that was like that. At a glance, all the tables in the class were like that. If there was really a need to point out one difference, then it would be that all the books and test papers that were on Tang Xiu¡¯s table looked brand new and neatly arranged, while the rest of his classmates¡¯ table had their books and test papers piled up in a mess, looking like a disaster.


    Tang Xiu randomly pulled out a few test papers to take a look and found out that he could not understand most of the questions. The numerous fresh red zeros on his test paper even made his face turn red.


    ¡°It seems that I must resolve the issue with my studies first before resolving the issue with my cultivation technique. Or else, I would really be expelled from school due to my grades, and mum would definitely be sad.¡± Tang Xiu whispered to himself softly before taking out a book from his table and seriously skimming through it.


    After having his soul damaged, although Tang Xiu¡¯s intellect on Earth was damaged, but his attitude towards his studies was very proper. All his study materials from Year 1 to Year 3 were neatly arranged underneath his table, and Tang Xiu therefore would not need to waste his time and effort gathering studying materials.


    As he was from a single-parent family, Tang Xiu was extremely obedient and very diligent in his studies. Since primary school to high school, Tang Xiu had always been the dictator in academic results. He was ranked first in the entire cohort for his entrance exam into Star City First High School. And subsequently in Year 1, Tang Xiu had also dominated the entire cohort by ranking first in his final year¡¯s examination.


    However, due to a car accident in the first half of the school term in Year 2, Tang Xiu¡¯s soul was damaged, and this caused his memory and comprehension skills to fall drastically. He would always lose focus randomly from time to time. No matter how hard he tried, he was not able to catch up with the pace in class, thus his results kept on falling until he became the last in his cohort.


    If Tang Xiu wanted to improve his results, he would not only have to self-learn the content from Year 2 and Year 3, but also relearn all the content before Year 2. If it was the previous Tang Xiu, it would be impossible to take back all the glory that should have belonged to him using just three months. But this wouldn¡¯t be of any issue to the current Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, don¡¯t bother wasting your effort, us brothers are just not fit to study. It wouldn¡¯t be of any use no matter how hard we try.¡± Tang Xiu had only flipped a few pages of his book before he felt a hand over his shoulder, and a low voice resounded beside his ear.


    The one who was speaking was naturally his tablemate Yuan Chuling. He was thinking that Tang Xiu was affected by Hu Qiusheng¡¯s words and couldn¡¯t help himself from looking through his study materials, so he wanted to console him.


    Yuan Chuling was one of Tang Xiu¡¯s good friends that was hard to come by, and was considered his brother-in-arms.


    Yuan Chuling¡¯s result was also extremely outstanding when he first entered school. However, during the second half of the term in Year 1, his parents got divorced, and after that, Yuan Chuling began to frantically skip classes, getting into fights, getting into relationships, and even skipped examinations. From an exquisite model student, he became a bad student that teachers hated in a short period of time.


    Two years had passed, and although Yuan Chuling had calmly accepted the fact that his parents had divorced, but the harm inflicted onto him by his parents was unable to be salvaged. His enthusiasm towards his studies was also unrecoverable.


    ¡°Fatty, let¡¯s just study properly, or else¡­¡± Tang Xiu stopped his sentence halfway and was not able to continue. The reason why he was willing to go back to school to study was to fulfil his mother¡¯s wish, but Yuan Chuling hated his parents and so would do anything that would make his parents feel miserable.


    ¡°Ai, forget it, our situations are different. You better study hard and not let down your mum¡¯s expectation. For me, it will always be like this for the rest of my life.¡± Seeing that Tang Xiu had stopped speaking further, the smile on Yuan Chuling¡¯s face gradually disappeared as he became downcast.


    ¡°Fatty, since you still persist to come to school for lessons on time everyday, then this says that deep down you still have the passion for learning. You are only doing this because you want your mum and dad to feel miserable and regret, that¡¯s why you are giving up on yourself, am I right?¡± Tang Xiu stared at Yuan Chuling as he asked.


    After hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, Yuan Chuling¡¯s expression changed, and he avoided Tang Xiu¡¯s gaze with guilt.


    ¡°Fatty, even though I don¡¯t know why your parents decided to file for divorce, but during this two years, I have seen how much they care for you. They didn¡¯t divorce because they don¡¯t love you anymore, but because they felt that they were not suited to be together. If you still continue giving up on yourself, you will suffer, and your parents will be in pain as well. So why the need to be like this?¡± Seeing that Yuan Chuling was properly listening to him, Tang Xiu took the opportunity to advise him.


    If the bunch of experts from the Immortal World saw how earnest Tang Xiu was giving advice to a mortal ant to reflect, then their jaws would definitely have dropped to the floor.


    This was because the Tang Xiu in the Immortal World was simply too arrogant. Even to his lover and good friends, he did not bother talking to them much, and he was even colder towards strangers.


    It was only because Yuan Chuling had stepped forward to speak up for him in the most critical moment that made Tang Xiu felt touched, causing Tang Xiu to acknowledge and accept this friend of his.


    Tang Xiu simply had nothing on his side. His family was so poor that he had trouble with his family expenses, he even had trouble gathering enough money for his school fees, his results were atrocious, and he was even suspected to be mentally handicapped. Even under all this circumstances, Yuan Chuling was still willing to help and protect him, so this only proved that Yuan Chuling really treated Tang Xiu as a friend.


    ¡°I¡¯m also aware that my parents have their predicament on why they divorced, but I¡¯m still not able to get over it.¡± Yuan Chuling had an agonised expression on his face.


    ¡°Ai, let¡¯s not talk about my issues. Previously, Tiger Hu had said that he wants to kick you out of this class or expel you from the school, but why do I feel that you are not worried about this at all?¡± Yuan Chuling did not want to continue talking about the issue regarding his parents¡¯ divorce, so he simply changed the topic.


    ¡°My results are simply too atrocious, so it was normal for Tiger Hu to be this agitated. Furthermore, don¡¯t you think that this class totally lacks sympathy for others? Maybe a change of environment would be good.¡± Tang Xiu smiled as if nothing had happened, as he did not put this matter to heart.


    ¡°Why do I feel that you became another person today?¡± Listening to Tang Xiu¡¯s reply, Yuan Chuling almost thought that his hearing had problems. Following that, he couldn¡¯t help but size Tang Xiu up from head to toe.


    Gradually, Yuan Chuling¡¯s eyes started getting brighter as his face revealed an excited expression. He asked nervously, ¡°Your¡­ Your¡­ Your mind has become brighter!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, my mind has recovered back to normal, thank you for always taking care of me this past two years. As a way to express my gratitude, I have decided to let you seat on the throne for last in the class.¡± Seeing the sincere smile of joy on Yuan Chuling¡¯s face, Tang Xiu felt very warm deep in his heart as he punched his fist onto Yuan Chuling¡¯s chest with a light smile.


    ¡°Damn¡­ I¡¯m just simply too happy now. Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll treat you to some beer, we need to celebrate.¡± After he got a confirmation for his suspicion, Yuan Chuling was overjoyed. He grabbed onto Tang Xiu¡¯s arm as he pulled him to the exit of the classroom, ignoring the ridicule behind Tang Xiu¡¯s back, and also the clear lesson bell that was ringing.


    Tang Xiu had the intention to resist, but couldn¡¯t do anything as Yuan Chuling stature was three times as big as his. Yuan Chuling¡¯s strength was not something that the current Tang Xiu could contend against.


    ¡°The two of you, stop where you¡¯re going. It¡¯s time for the lesson, so go back to your seats.¡± Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling were stopped by Hu Qiusheng just as they reached the exit.


    Yuan Chuling clearly didn¡¯t expect that Hu Qiusheng would return after going away. He couldn¡¯t help but freeze momentarily as he let go of Tang Xiu¡¯s arm hastily and looked at Tang Xiu with an apologetic expression.


    One must know that even though Tang Xiu¡¯s results were not satisfactory in the past one year, but his discipline in school was well-known to be good. He was never absent from any class or played truant, and there was never even an incident of him being late for class before. But right now, he was being dragged by Yuan Chuling to skip class, so Yuan Chuling would naturally feel bad about it.


    ¡°Teacher, Tang Xiu isn¡¯t feeling very well, so I want to accompany him to the sick bay. Can I take half an hour leave from you?¡± Yuan Chuling immediately sprouted out some nonsense as an excuse.


    Hearing that excuse, Hu Qiusheng swept his sharp gaze on Tang Xiu from head to toe and asked in a mocking tone, ¡°Yuan Chuling, do you need me to accompany you to send Tang Xiu to the sick bay together?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright teacher, we will persevere for a while and head to the sick bay during the break!¡± Hearing Hu Qiusheng¡¯s bone-piercing cold tone, Yuan Chuling shook his head in a flurry and pulled Tang Xiu back to their seats.


    Seeing that Yuan Chuling and Tang Xiu had returned back to their seats, Hu Qiusheng made his way slowly to the teacher¡¯s desk.


    Following Hu Qiusheng¡¯s light cough, the whole class turned silent in an instant.


    ¡°After discussing with the teacher-in-charge of Year 3 in the principal¡¯s office, Tang Xiu will no longer be a student of Class 5. In the next three months, Tang Xiu will go to Class 10 to continue his studies.¡± Hu Qiusheng took a glance towards Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling¡¯s direction before reading aloud the file in his hands.


    Upon hearing Hu Qiusheng¡¯s words, Tang Xiu¡¯s heart contracted as his face turned deathly white. Although he said that he didn¡¯t mind, but being kicked out of class and leaving the class on his own accord were two different matters. Furthermore, Hu Qiusheng had read out the notice in front of all his classmates, not sparing any consideration for his dignity and feelings. This was like giving Tang Xiu a tight slap on his face, causing Tang Xiu to have an indescribable rage and despair.


    Yuan Chuling also didn¡¯t expect that Hu Qiusheng would stop them from going out just to announce Tang Xiu¡¯s dismissal from the class. This made Yuan Chuling pant in anger as his face flushed red. But taking a glance at Tang Xiu¡¯s deathly white face, he resisted the urge to retort back.


    ¡°This is simply too good! With Tang Xiu leaving, our class¡¯ average marks would definitely go up!¡±


    ¡°I have calculated it seriously before. If Tang Xiu were to be absent from the exams, then our Class 5¡¯s average marks would be the highest among the rest of the class. It was because of Tang Xiu¡¯s existence that caused our average marks to fall by such a large gap.¡±


    ****


    After Hu Qiusheng finished reading the announcement, the class was silent for a brief moment before a thunderous applause burst out with some the students cheering loudly.


    Hearing the heated discussion in the class, Yuan Chuling clenched his fist tightly. However, Tang Xiu¡¯s expression was very calm, and did not change at all, as if nothing had happened.


    ¡°Teacher, Tang Xiu have already recovered completely from his repercussions from the car accident, so his results would improve soon. I plead you to help say a few words in the principal¡¯s office to retract back the decision.¡± After staying silent for a while, Yuan Chuling suddenly stood up and pleaded loudly.


    ¡°I have already listened to this kind of promise for many times now, so I will not trust any kind of promises from both you and Tang Xiu. Furthermore, the principal and the Year 3 teacher-in-charge¡¯s approved decision cannot be easily changed or retracted. Besides, I do not believe that Tang Xiu have the ability to pull up his grades in just three short months.¡± Hu Qiusheng calmly replied as he glared at Yuan Chuling.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8: The Dumbest Decision


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Hu Qiusheng¡¯s eyes were always on Tang Xiu when he was talking, the corner of his mouth slightly hooked up as he revealed a mocking smirk.


    Hu Qiusheng initially felt that it was a great pity when Tang Xiu¡¯s result fell. After all, Tang Xiu was ranked first in the entire cohort during the entrance exam, and Hu Qiusheng had also spent a great amount of effort to snatch Tang Xiu into his class.


    During Year 1, Tang Xiu had indeed brought honour to Hu Qiusheng by doing extremely well in any small and big exams or competitions. However, everything changed after the car accident in Year 2. Even though Tang Xiu was still as passionate to learn as before, but Tang Xiu always forgot the things that he learned previously after learning new things, causing his results to be worse and worse, paper after paper.


    Furthermore, as Tang Xiu¡¯s results deteriorated, incidents such as copying of homework, cheating in exams, and getting into fights were all happening to him one after another. Even when Hu Qiusheng didn¡¯t investigate on the truth with regards to those incidents, but seeing that there was really no hope in Tang Xiu¡¯s results, Hu Qiusheng had already taken Tang Xiu out of his eyes.


    ¡°Teacher, if you really insist on kicking Tang Xiu out of class, then I would want to apply to be changed to Class 10 together with Tang Xiu.¡± When Yuan Chuling noticed that Hu Qiusheng had already firmly decided on this matter and would not retract back the dismissal, he stubbornly glared at Hu Qiusheng as he said loudly.


    Hearing Yuan Chuling¡¯s words, Tang Xiu, who was silently packing his stuff, froze momentarily as he turned to look at Yuan Chuling, feeling astounded.


    Tang Xiu knew that Yuan Chuling¡¯s circumstances were completely different from him. Even if Yuan Chuling¡¯s results deteriorated, nobody could force Yuan Chuling to leave the class if he didn¡¯t want to, because his parents¡¯ influence in Star City was simply too great. That was why Hu Qiusheng didn¡¯t want to offend Yuan Chuling.


    ¡°Yuan Chuling, I will need to seek your parents¡¯ opinion with regards to you wanting to change class first. If your parents agree to it, then I won¡¯t stop you.¡± Hu Qiusheng knitted his brows as he saw how Yuan Chuling kept on provoking him because of Tang Xiu, so he spoke in displeased tone, ¡°Please seat down now, we are starting class.¡±


    Yuan Chuling froze momentarily as he did not expect Hu Qiusheng to straight-forwardly agree to his request. Only when Tang Xiu gave him a tug did he gradually sat down.


    Using only a few minutes, Tang Xiu had already packed all his stuff from his table and stood up as head towards the direction of the exit.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, where are you going?¡± Yuan Chuling was still racking his brains on how to let Tang Xiu remain in Class 1, but never would he have expected Tang Xiu to behave in such a manner, so he couldn¡¯t help but feeling startled.


    ¡°Going to where I should be going.¡± Tang Xiu waved the bag on his hands as he gave a splendid smile towards Yuan Chuling.


    Yuan Chuling¡¯s startled sound had caught the attention of Hu Qiusheng, who was still writing on the blackboard. When he saw that Tang Xiu had already walked to the classroom¡¯s exit, he slammed his fist onto the teacher¡¯s desk with his face filled with rage, ¡°Tang Xiu, we are having lessons now, who allowed you to walk around freely?¡±


    ¡°Tiger Hu, I¡¯m already not a student in this class anymore, do you think you can still control me around?¡± Tang Xiu glared at Hu Qiusheng coldly as he gave a subtle smile.


    During the self-study session in the morning, Tang Xiu did not utter a word when Hu Qiusheng was scolding him. Tang Xiu also did not utter a word when Hu Qiusheng announced Tang Xiu¡¯s dismissal in front of the whole class just now. But this did not mean that Tang Xiu had no temper, it was just that Tang Xiu did not want to be so calculative with Hu Qiusheng.


    If Hu Qiusheng had allowed Tang Xiu to walk out of class freely, then he wouldn¡¯t have bothered taking the initiative to provoke Hu Qiusheng. After all, Hu Qiusheng had also taught Tang Xiu for more than two years, and was also the main teacher-in-charge of his class. So Tang Xiu did not want to be seen as a person who do not respect his elders.


    Yet, Hu Qiusheng had chosen to impose his authority to berate Tang Xiu, and thinking back on all the humiliation that Hu Qiusheng had brought to him and his mother in the past 1 year, Tang Xiu naturally could not bear it anymore.


    After finishing his sentence, Tang Xiu had stepped out of the classroom without giving Hu Qiusheng the chance to speak.


    What Tang Xiu did not know was that when he said the words ¡°Tiger Hu¡±, not only did he caused Hu Qiusheng to freeze on the spot, he had also caused the rest of the class to be left speechless.


    Even though all the students called Hu Qiusheng ¡°Tiger Hu¡± behind his back, but nobody would dare to say this nickname out in public, or even more so in front of Hu Qiusheng, because they did not dare to face his fury.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to deal with you, I¡¯m so going to deal with you, I do not believe that I can¡¯t deal with you!¡± Hu Qiusheng managed to regulate his breathing after a long while. By this time, Tang Xiu was nowhere to be seen, and Hu Qiusheng couldn¡¯t help but shiver in anger.


    ¡°Tiger Hu, I will take it that you have already agreed to let me switch over to Class 10 to study, bye bye. Oh, and before I leave, I would just like to say this to you: Letting Tang Xiu leave this class is the dumbest decision that you have ever made in your life, you will definitely regret it!¡± Just when Hu Qiusheng wanted to walk out of the classroom to chase after Tang Xiu, another voice resounded in the classroom.


    When Hu Qiusheng looked over, he saw that Yuan Chuling was actually carrying his study table and chair, and heading out of class, and winking at him while he was at it.


    ¡°Yuan Chuling, you¡­ You leave and never think of coming back!¡± Thinking back on how Yuan Chuling¡¯s parents¡¯ had kept an eye on him, Hu Qiusheng could not help but threaten Yuan Chuling.


    ¡°Tiger Hu, since I, your grandpa, have decided to leave, then I have never thought of coming back. Even if you begged, your grandpa would still not come back.¡± Seeing that Hu Qiusheng was so angry that his soul seemed to be flying out, Yuan Chuling had an indescribable satisfaction as his steps became more joyful.


    Very soon, Yuan Chuling disappeared from Hu Qiusheng¡¯s line of sight.


    Hu Qiusheng did not attack with mean words when it came to Yuan Chuling because he was well aware of Yuan Chuling¡¯s circumstances; any mean words would be useless against Yuan Chuling and may even backfire, getting himself humiliated.


    When both Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling left the class, Hu Qiusheng, who got heavily provoked by them, could also not continue on with explaining the answers to the questions in the practice paper. With his mind preoccupied, Hu Qiusheng mumbled to himself as he hastily left the class and headed to the principal¡¯s office.


    ¡°Principal Wei, I strongly request that we expel Tang Xiu. Not only is his studies poor, he also does not respect his elders, and even lead others astray. If we continue to tolerate him and let him stay in this school, then it would only tarnish our reputation!¡± In the principal¡¯s office, Hu Qiusheng earnestly pleaded as he narrated and exaggerated the entire incident that happened in the classroom.


    ¡°Old Hu, I would also like to expel Tang Xiu, but you should also know that Teacher Han is always protecting Tang Xiu. He have even made a compromise to you by letting you dismiss Tang Xiu from your class. If you really want to make things difficult for Tang Xiu, and wants him to be expelled, then it¡¯s nearly impossible.¡± Principal Wei slowly poured a glass of tea for Hu Qiusheng before smiling lightly and explaining to him.


    ¡°But¡­ But¡­¡± Listening to Principal Wei, Hu Qiusheng felt suffocated and unbearable in his heart as he didn¡¯t know what to say. Hu Qiusheng could not understand why Han Qingwu, the teacher-in-charge of Class 10, would protect Tang Xiu.


    If not for Han Qingwu protecting Tang Xiu, Hu Qiusheng would have already kicked Tang Xiu out of his class one year ago when his results deteriorated. As for agreeing to the pleading of Tang Xiu¡¯s mum, Hu Qiusheng actually went along being acting as a benevolent person even though he could not really kick Tang Xiu out of his class.


    ¡°Principal Wei, do you know the reason why Teacher Han is so protective of Tang Xiu? I have already investigated numerous times on Tang Xiu¡¯s personal information, family members, and also key social networks, but I could not find any connection between him and Teacher Han. Furthermore, I have never seen Teacher Han interacting with Tang Xiu in school before.¡± Hu Qiusheng asked, feeling perplexed.


    Logically speaking, Hu Qiusheng was the teacher-in-charge of the gifted class, and was also an old teacher who had been teaching in Star City First High School for almost 20 years. Whereas Han Qingwu was just a teacher-in-charge of the normal class, and had just entered the school for a only little more than a year, so Hu Qiusheng could have totally not put him in his eyes.


    However, the truth was that Hu Qiusheng had to be cautious when speaking in front of Han Qingwu, and also with a respectful attitude. This does not apply only to Hu Qiusheng, but every teacher in school, as they seemed to be treading on thin ice whenever they were in front of Han Qingwu, including Principal Wei Zhentai himself.


    The reason was actually very simple. Han Qingwu¡¯s father, Han Fu, was actually the chairman of the Ministry of Education in Star City. So if any teachers wanted to continue climbing up, or wished to continue their career in teaching, then they could not afford to offend Han Qingwu, and must even treat him well.


    ¡°Old Hu, is knowing the relationship between Tang Xiu and Teacher Han really that important? As long as Teacher Han wishes to protect Tang Xiu, then you can forget about kicking Tang Xiu out of school. Actually it¡¯s not only you who wishes Tang Xiu to be expelled, I received a call this morning, and that person also wishes Tang Xiu to be expelled from the school, and I bet you would never be able to guess who that person is.¡± Wei Zhentai gave a weird smile and looked at Hu Qiusheng as he said softly.


    ¡°Who?¡± Wei Zhentai¡¯s words had successfully caught the attention of Hu Qiusheng as he asked involuntarily.


    ¡°The Chairman of Shangwen Organisation, Su Shangwen.¡± Wei Zhentai lowered his voice as he replied.


    ¡°Su Shangwen? You mean the owner of the rapidly expanding organisation who donated a large dormitory to the school just to let his son enter into Star City First High School? How did Tang Xiu manage to offend such a person? That¡¯s not right, him and Tang Xiu belong to two different worlds, unless it was because Tang Xiu and his son had some conflict with each other?¡± Su Shangwen¡¯s past achievements began to surface in Hu Qiusheng¡¯s mind as he heard Su Shangwen¡¯s name.


    ¡°Old Hu, didn¡¯t you say that you have investigated numerous times on Tang Xiu¡¯s list of family members? Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know the surname of Tang Xiu¡¯s mom?¡± Wei Zhentai had a face filled with doubt after hearing Hu Qiusheng¡¯s words.


    ¡°Tang Xiu¡¯s mom?¡± Hu Qiusheng did not understand why Wei Zhentai had asked him this question, but he still recalled the simple lady who kept on knelling down to him, and in the next moment, Hu Qiusheng¡¯s pupil shrank abruptly as he asked, ¡°Principal, you are not going to tell me that Su Lingyun and Su Shangwen are related, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not right, if Su Lingyun and Su Shangwen are relatives, then why are both Tang Xiu and his mother so poor that they could not even afford to pay the school fees? As long as Su Shangwen is willing to slightly leak a bit of money from in between the gap of his fingernails to Su Lingyun and Tang Xiu, then this mother and son would not even need to worry about food and clothes.¡± Hu Qiusheng was confused.


    ¡°This matter is already not within our scope of investigation.¡± Wei Zhentai did not acknowledged or denied Hu Qiusheng¡¯s doubts, but only continued with what he wanted to say, ¡°Although Su Shangwen had contributed a lot to the school, but with Teacher Han backing Tang Xiu, I naturally could not fulfil his unreasonable demand. Even so, he should have been contented with me agreeing to switch Tang Xiu to Class 10.¡±


    Listening to the principal¡¯s words, the corner of Hu Qiusheng¡¯s mouth twitched uncontrollably for a brief moment.


    Hu Qiusheng already had the intention to chase Tang Xiu out of his class since a long time ago, and had already mentioned it to the principal and the teacher-in-charge of Year 3 numerous times, but both of them have always been pushing this matter in circles.


    When the principal and the Year 3 teacher-in-charge had agreed to switch Tang Xiu out of his class, Hu Qiusheng had still thought that it was his persistence that won him this battle. But never would he have thought that Su Shangwen had played a critical role in this decision, and that he had taken all of Su Shangwen¡¯s glory.


    Thinking back on the mocking look and words from Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling before they left the class, Hu Qiusheng suddenly realised that although he had won, but he had also lost as well.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9: Fierce Beautiful Girl


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Eldest Brother, why are you standing outside the classroom and not going in?¡± Yuan Chuling noticed that Tang Xiu was standing silently at the corridor and not going in when he carried his table and chair over to Class 10, so he asked curiously.


    ¡°Based on Tiger Hu¡¯s character, he must have brought the folder containing my dismissal over to Class 10 to read out when it was just released, so I¡¯m guessing that Class 10 still doesn¡¯t know that I will be coming over. That¡¯s why I¡¯m waiting for Teacher Han to arrive before going in, or else I would only interrupt their studying if I entered rashly.¡± Although Tang Xiu was stunned from the table and chair on Yuan Chuling¡¯s hand, but he still answered Yuan Chuling¡¯s question.


    ¡°Studying?¡± Yuan Chuling took a peek through the window to see the movements in the class and laughed, ¡°Studying my ass, Class 10 is not like the gifted classes. Just look at them making a din, it¡¯s as if they can¡¯t wait for us to join them to play!¡±


    Yuan Chuling wanted to push open the door after he finished talking.


    ¡°Fatty, I appreciate your kind intentions, but you should go back. Class 5 suits you more, it will only hold you up if you come over here.¡± Tang Xiu put his hands on Yuan Chuling¡¯s shoulder as he said with a face filled with sincerity.


    ¡°No way, I heard that the people in Class 10 are all lawless devils. I¡¯m afraid that you would suffer, so I need to stay here to protect you!¡± Yuan Chuling¡¯s eyes shone resolutely, ¡°I have never been afraid since young when it comes to fighting, I could still walk out alive even if I have to face the entire class.¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed bitterly as he heard Yuan Chuling¡¯s words.


    Yuan Chuling¡¯s parents were successful businessman with an asset of over 100 million. But because Yuan Chuling lived a simple life and was very low-profiled, it caused Tang Xiu to almost forget that Yuan Chuling had a status like that.


    ¡°Fatty, you can come over to Class 10 to study, but you have to promise that you will concentrate on your studies for this last three months, and not give up on yourself like how you used to, or else you better go back to Class 5 now.¡± Tang Xiu said earnestly after staying silent for a brief moment.


    Yuan Chuling subconsciously wanted to shake his head to reject when he heard Tang Xiu asking him to study hard, but when he saw the serious look on Tang Xiu¡¯s face, he had to forcefully suppress his urge to shake his head.


    After a long internal struggle, Yuan Chuling raised his head, ¡°Eldest Brother, you are right, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to learn, but I¡¯m giving up on myself purely because I want to take revenge on my parents. I also don¡¯t want to ruin the rest of my life just like that, and I¡¯m not resigned to be a bad student. Since Eldest Brother wants to put in your best effort in this last few months, then I shall accompany you to put in my best effort together.¡±


    ¡°Yi, are you two the students of this class? Why are you two standing outside of the class and not going in?¡± Just when Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling were busy talking with each other, a girl had ran to the entrance of the classroom door panting hard, and after giving Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling a curious glance, she called out to them.


    The girl had a short hair at the neck level. Her hairstyle was very neatly cut, and her low-tone coffee coloured hair made her overall hairstyle look in-trend with a refreshing and energetic look, without losing the feel of a student.


    Yuan Chuling gave the girl a glance before his eyes became a straight line, even Tang Xiu was captivated by the girl¡¯s exquisite complexion and her sunshine smile.


    The girls in Class 5 either wear thick spectacles or tie their hair up into two ponytails, and have an atmosphere of heavy lethargy due to stress. They also do not take the initiative to call out to people, so don¡¯t even mention about dyeing their hair.


    ¡°Hi pretty lady, I¡¯m Yuan Chuling, and this is my best friend Tang Xiu. We are previously from Class 5, but from today onwards we are classmates.¡± After losing focus for a brief moment, Yuan Chuling hastily stretched out his meaty hands to the short hair girl.


    ¡°I was transferred to this school a month ago. I¡¯m called Cheng Yannan, it¡¯s my pleasure to meet you two.¡± Cheng Yannan gave a broad smile before reaching out her hand towards Yuan Chuling.


    ¡°You two must be waiting for the teacher, then I will head into the classroom first.¡± Cheng Yannan waived her hand at Tang Xiu before stretching out her hand to push open the door.


    Seeing Cheng Yannan¡¯s action of pushing the door, Tang Xiu¡¯s heart was raised to his throat.


    With the return of his soul, Tang Xiu¡¯s senses and brain processing speed far exceeded normal people. Tang Xiu had clearly noticed that when he had arrived outside of Class 10, all the students in Class 10 had an excited expression when they looked at him, as if he was their prey. This situation had caused him be more on guard.


    As he was standing outside the classroom, he could hear all the whispers happening inside the classroom with his superhuman hearing, and subsequently knew what was going on.


    It turned out that the students of Class 10 had set up a trap at the top of the entrance door using a broom and a dustpan. So when someone pushed open the door and enters, the broom and dustpan would smash onto them.


    Tang Xiu would naturally not walk right into the trap after finding out about the existence of it. So he simply stood outside of the classroom to wait for the teacher to come, and also to see how the students would clear up the mess when the teacher arrived.


    When Cheng Yannan came, Tang Xiu could hear the suppressed cheers coming from inside the classroom, and also saw that everyone revealed a look of excitement and anticipation. It was also at this moment that Tang Xiu understood that the trap was probably set up to deal with Cheng Yannan.


    ¡°Cheng Yannan, are you always late for class?¡± Tang Xiu could not bear to see Cheng Yannan getting smashed by the broom and dustpan, so he purposely disrupted Cheng Yannan¡¯s action of pushing open the door.


    ¡°Why would you ask me this question?¡± Cheng Yannan looked at Tang Xiu with a curious gaze as her hand¡¯s movement went sluggish.


    In the next moment, Cheng Yannan had a face of realisation as she quickly took two steps back before raising her beautiful long slender legs and giving the classroom door a kick.


    After that a ¡°peng¡± sound could be heard, a ¡°kang dang¡± sound resounded incessantly as dust was flying all around.


    Yuan Chuling was left dumbstruck when he saw the broom and dustpan that was all over the floor. He sucked in a breath of cool air as he celebrated internally that he did not push open the classroom door just now.


    ¡°My god, this bunch of grandsons from Class 10 are really sinister to play such a big prank.¡± After staring blankly for a long time, Yuan Chuling couldn¡¯t help mumbling to himself when he finally got ahold of what was going on.


    Tang Xiu had his gaze fixed on Cheng Yannan as her reaction was simply out of Tang Xiu¡¯s expectation. Furthermore, her last action of raising her leg, and the kick¡¯s arc and strength gave Tang Xiu a breathtaking impression.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, Yuan Chuling, you guys don¡¯t have to be afraid, their trap was meant for me, so it¡¯s not related to you guys.¡± Cheng Yannan smiled as she saw the dumbstruck look on Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling, and used a soft voice to comfort them, ¡°You two seem not bad, I will take care of two of you next time in class.¡±


    After Cheng Yannan finished talking, she took big steps into the classroom.


    Tang Xiu could clearly hear that when Cheng Yannan successfully avoided the trap, the students in the classroom were heaving sighs in succession, and a few students who were sitting at the front hastily cleared up the broom and dustpan, making it seem as if nothing had ever happened.


    Just when all the students had gotten back to their seats, a rhythmic ¡°da¡± ¡°da¡± sound echoed through the corridor. It was obvious that it was someone wearing high heels that was walking over.


    Looking at the direction of the footsteps, a woman wearing a typical female working attire was heading over towards the classroom of Class 10. She was wearing a black and white checkered short-sleeved shirt revealing her snow white skin on her arms, a bright red skirt, and a bright silk stocking.


    This lady had a long and straight beautiful hair, which was elegantly captivating, a standard goose-egg shaped pretty face, a bright and clean forehead, skin as white as snow, refined long eyebrows, a sharp nose, lips with an exceptionally gentle and beautiful curve that was so tender that makes people want to take a bite on it, and a sharp and smooth chin. In other words, it was a perfect and flawless face.


    If previously Cheng Yannan was as beautiful as a wintersweet flower, who was graceful and proud, then the lady in front of their eyes was like a violet flower; simple, elegant and nobel, breathtaking but not overwhelming.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you¡¯re here early, I was still thinking of going over to Class 5 to fetch you over once this lesson ended.¡± While Tang Xiu was staring at this lady blankly, her cherry lips opened and revealed a set of pure white teeth as she called out with a slight smile, her voice so soothing and pleasant to listen to.


    ¡°Hel¡­ Hello Teacher Han!¡± Tang Xiu got back to his senses only when Han Qingwu called out to him, and replied to her with a face blushing red.


    The reason why Tang Xiu was staring at Han Qingwu blankly was not because of her captivating looks, but because Han Qingwu had a very similar look as his lover in the Immortal World, which made him dumbfounded for a moment.


    If not for him checking that Han Qingwu did not possess even half a spiritual energy on her, Tang Xiu would have thought that his lover from the Immortal World had followed him back to Earth.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, the principal and Year 3 teacher-in-charge had already spoken to me with regards to your matter. If you don¡¯t mind being in Class 10, then you will be with me for these last few months.¡± Han Qingwu seemed to be satisfied with Tang Xiu¡¯s reaction as the her the smile on her face got even brighter.


    ¡°I will still need to ask teacher for your care and guidance.¡± Tang Xiu adjusted his emotions as he silently observed Han Qingwu.


    Tang Xiu felt that Han Qingwu was being too overly enthusiastic with him, but he could not think of any instances where he had interactions with her. Furthermore, Han Qingwu looked really similar to his lover in the Immortal World, which made Tang Xiu feel uncomfortable. But he could only choose to avoid it.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you¡¯re being too polite. You are the one who got the first place during the entrance examination into Star City First High School, so I¡¯m still pinning my hopes that you would give me a miracle during the final year examination.¡± Han Qingwu didn¡¯t notice anything unusual on Tang Xiu as she continued to encourage him in a gentle voice.


    Tang Xiu went into contemplation as he touched his nose while listening.


    ¡°Teacher Han, I¡¯m Tang Xiu¡¯s best friend in Class 5, and I would like to apply to join Class 10 to continue my studies, so I would like to ask Teacher Han to accept me in.¡± Yuan Chuling noticed that Han Qingwu had her eyes focused on Tang Xiu the entire time and not once did she looked at him, so he waited until Han Qingwu had finished up her conversation with Tang Xiu and hurriedly spoke up.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 10

    Chapter 10: Insensitive


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Han Qingwu only realised that Yuan Chuling was here when she heard his voice.


    Seeing that Yuan Chuling had actually brought his table and chair along, she let out a laugh with a mesmerising smile on her face. Her round and ample chest was also moving up and down, causing Yuan Chuling¡¯s eyes to form a straight line.


    ¡°As long as Teacher Hu permits, then I would naturally welcome you.¡± After looking at Yuan Chuling for a brief moment, Han Qingwu turned to look at Tang Xiu at the side and nodded her head with a light smile, ¡°You and Tang Xiu go to the back of the classroom to sit down, I will introduce the two of you to everyone.¡±


    Seeing that Han Qingwu was willing to accept him in, Yuan Chuling was unable to contain his joy as he quickly walked into the classroom.


    After Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling settled down at their seats, Han Qingwu began to introduce Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling to the class.


    When Han Qingwu was introducing Tang Xiu, a hissing sound could be heard in the classroom as everyone was whispering to one another in discussion.


    Clearly hearing the discussion happening around, Tang Xiu turned a deaf ear to it, but Yuan Chuling¡¯s face became green in anger. If not for Tang Xiu tugging at the corner of his shirt tightly, Yuan Chuling would have jumped in anger.


    Luckily, Han Qingwu was strong at handling situations; with a light cough, the classroom returned back to its former serenity. Han Qingwu gave an apologetic look towards Tang Xiu before asking the class to take out their monthly test paper and go through it.


    However, what made Tang Xiu astonished was that Han Qingwu was actually using English to conduct her class without even using half a Chinese word, so much so that Tang Xiu did not understand a single word that Han Qingwu was saying even after a few minutes into the lesson.


    It was not that Tang Xiu¡¯s English was poor, or that his hearing had problems, but it was purely because he was not used to it, and that he did not expect any teacher to use English to conduct their class at the high school level.


    Yuan Chuling was also puzzled after hearing it. He wanted to cut off Han Qingwu¡¯s lesson for a while, or ask the student next to him on what was going on, but seeing that all the students were eagerly paying attention to the lesson, he could not help but force himself to pay more attention to the lesson.


    After three minutes, Tang Xiu had dejectedly given up on listening to the lesson and decided to take out his English dictionary to read. This was because, although Tang Xiu was able to clearly hear every word that Han Qingwu was saying, but he was unable to understand every word that Han Qingwu had said, so he realised that the amount of vocabulary that he knew of was very limited, thus he decided to learn more vocabulary first to fill up his vocabulary knowledge.


    When Yuan Chuling saw that Tang Xiu wasn¡¯t concentrating his attention on the lesson but reading the dictionary, he was delighted and immediately followed what Tang Xiu was doing by taking out a very thick Oxford dictionary, and began putting on an act of reading it.


    Although Han Qingwu was explaining the solutions to the test paper, but her attention was always focused on Tang Xiu. When Han Qingwu realised that Tang Xiu could not even persist for more than ten minutes and gave up on listening to the lesson, her face involuntarily revealed a dejected expression as her initial high spirits were dropped to the lowest point.


    Throughout the whole lesson until it ended, Han Qingwu had took a few glances at Tang Xiu, but Tang Xiu had buried his head in the dictionary the whole time and not once did he lift his head up, causing Han Qingwu to be thoroughly disappointed.


    When the bell for the end of class rang, Han Qingwu left the classroom hastily at almost the same time.


    Following Han Qingwu¡¯s departure, the previously quiet classroom became lively immediately.


    ¡°Listening to Teacher Han¡¯s lesson is both a pain and an enjoyment. Although we could not understand what she was explaining at all, but we have to act as if we understand so as to not disappoint Teacher Han.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, even if we can¡¯t understand anything that she had just said, but just listening to Teacher Han¡¯s voice is a kind of enjoyment. Furthermore, we still have the opportunity to see Teacher Han¡¯s wonderful figure.¡±


    ¡°Yi, why are these two bastard so insensitive by not paying attention when attending Teacher Han¡¯s lesson!¡±


    The students of Class 10 were still discussing the ¡°Art of listening in class¡± when they unintentionally saw that both Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling were actually holding up their English dictionary to read, angering them as they indignantly surrounded Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling one by one.


    Yuan Chuling had wanted to join in on the conversation when he heard his classmates discussing the ¡°art of listening in class¡±, but never would he have thought that the students of Class 10 would suddenly pick on him and Tang Xiu, and felt that he got stabbed in the back even though he was lying down.


    ¡°Newcomer, we are talking about you, why are you acting deaf?¡± Yuan Chuling opened his mouth and was about to acknowledge his mistake as he was in a new environment and did not want to stir any trouble, but before Yuan Chuling could utter a word, a peculiar voice resounded beside his ear as the English dictionary in his hand was slapped onto the floor.


    ¡°You!¡± Yuan Chuling was already hot-tempered to begin with and could not stand this kind of attitude, making him sprang up on his feet, breathing heavily.


    The student who provoked Yuan Chuling clearly did not expect that Yuan Chuling¡¯s temper would flare so easily, because when Yuan Chuling stood straight, his suppressive stature caused the student to stagger and step a few steps back. If not because of someone standing behind that student to prop him up, he would have already fallen sitting on the floor.


    ¡°Fatty, do not forget the things that you told me when you were at the corridor.¡± Just when Yuan Chuling wanted to kill the chicken to warn the monkey by properly trashing that student, Tang Xiu¡¯s calm voice suddenly resounded beside his ear.


    ¡°Hey coward, they are bullying you and you¡¯re still shirking back, go and fight back if you have the guts.¡± Just when Yuan Chuling was prepared to cease his actions, a piercing voice resounded once again in the classroom. This caused Yuan Chuling, who had just cooled down, to fly into a rage once again.


    However, Yuan Chuling had a weird expression on his face when he stared at the person who shouted, and gave a puzzled look towards Tang Xiu.


    This was because the person who mocked and ridiculed Tang Xiu was not a stranger but his cousin Su Xiangfei.


    Yuan Chuling would have already slapped him if he was another person, but because the other party was Tang Xiu¡¯s cousin, Yuan Chuling naturally needed to seek Tang Xiu¡¯s opinion.


    Only when Tang Xiu saw Su Xiangfei did he remembered that Su Xiangfei was studying in Class 10. Seeing the rage on Su Xiangfei¡¯s face, Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh, ¡°Su Xiangfei, are you sure you want to continue playing this game? If you think that it would be more interesting this way, then I don¡¯t mind continue playing this game with you.¡±


    Listening to those words, Su Xiangfei¡¯s body quivered uncontrollably as he subconsciously remembered the scene of him being brought to the police station in the afternoon yesterday.


    At that time, Tang Xiu seemed to have said the exact same words to him before the incident became uncontrollable, causing his whole family to be brought to the police station.


    Su Xiangfei wanted to retort back, but under Tang Xiu¡¯s sharp look, Su Xiangfei froze and did not dare to utter a word. The incident yesterday afternoon had left a deep traumatic experience on Su Xiangfei.


    ¡°Why are all of you still standing there, are you asking for a beating?¡± A clear and loud shout suddenly resounded behind Su Xiangfei as he was still hesitating whether to continue fighting back with Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Cheng Yannan, I didn¡¯t provoke you this time, so don¡¯t meddle in other people¡¯s business!¡± Su Xiangfei retorted back like a conditioned reflex as he heard the voice from his back.


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t provoke me, then what was the broom and dustpan doing lying on top of the classroom door just now? Don¡¯t think that I couldn¡¯t guess it was you!¡± Cheng Yannan swiftly grabbed onto Su Xiangfei¡¯s collar at the back as she gave a cold snort.


    Su Xiangfei didn¡¯t expect Cheng Yannan to take action without saying more as his face turned white the instance his collar was grabbed, and said loudly, ¡°Cheng Yannan, if you continue to touch me I will find people in the society to deal with¡­ ahhhhh¡­¡±


    Before Su Xiangfei could complete his sentence, he heard a cold snort from Cheng Yannan, and following next, his body was sent into the air as he flew backwards uncontrollably.


    After a few seconds, Su Xiangfei landed heavily on the floor with a loud thud with dust flying all around.


    ¡°Cheng Yannan, you bitch, you threw me beside the rubbish bin again!¡± Just when everyone was worried if Su Xiangfei was injured from the fall, two ¡°pui pui¡± sounds could be heard from him as he started hurling abuses at her.


    ¡°If your mouth continues to spew out such degrading words then I don¡¯t mind throwing you into the bin next time again!¡± Cheng Yannan said harshly as she glared at Su Xiangfei coldly.


    Hearing Cheng Yannan¡¯s words, Su Xiangfei seemed as if he was strangled by the neck with his face flushed red, not daring to utter a single word.


    With Su Xiangfei, their leader, being dealt with, the rest of the students were angered but did not dare to say anything; the looks in their eyes when staring at Cheng Yannan were as if they spewing out fire.


    Cheng Yannan seemed to be satisfied by the effects of her killing a chicken to warn the monkeys and swept her gaze through the rest of the students as she said loudly, ¡°Every single one of you here better remember this, Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling are my good friends. So if anyone dares to confront or tease them next time, I will definitely go for a good round of sparring with them.¡±


    After she was done saying her piece, Cheng Yannan casually slapped Tang Xiu¡¯s shoulder and said with a clear voice, ¡°As a guy, you must be more aggressive, or else you can¡¯t survive in society!¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t worry, as long as there is me around, I would guarantee that no one in class would bully the two of you. If there is anyone that bullies or ridicule the two of you, just feel free to tell me and I will definitely help settle the score for you!¡± Cheng Yannan started talking by herself again even before waiting for Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling to reply.


    Cheng Yannan¡¯s words were like a toothache for Su Xiangfei as he looked at Tang Xiu with eyes filled with jealousy.


    Su Xiangfei could not understand why there was always people helping Tang Xiu whenever Tang Xiu was in trouble.


    When there was no way out for Tang Xiu at his own house yesterday afternoon, the police came over to help him; when his father wanted to kick Tang Xiu out of school, Teacher Han was there to protect him; even this time when Tang Xiu was transferred over to his own class today and he wanted to give Tang Xiu an unforgettable lesson, Cheng Yannan actually stood out for him.


    The farce came and left like the wind. When the bell for the start of lesson rang, the students surrounding Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling dispersed and returned back to their seats. At this moment, Yuan Chuling had still not reacted to what was going on.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, did I become a little more handsome again? If not, why did Cheng Yannan stood out to save us?¡± After a good long while, Yuan Chuling started to tug on Tang Xiu¡¯s arm with a narcissistic expression.


    ¡°Just wait and go to the toilet when the lesson ends and you will know if you have gotten more handsome or not.¡± Tang Xiu shot Yuan Chuling an eye as he replied with a disgusted tone.


    There was a smile on Yuan Chuling¡¯s face after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, and just when he wanted to counter-attack, he realised that Tang Xiu had once again brought his attention back to the English dictionary, so he could only give up on that thought.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11: A Kiss to Qingcheng


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Maybe it was due to Cheng Yannan¡¯s intimidating words, or because the final-year examination was getting nearer and nearer, but everyone gradually lost the desire to fool around. During this time, nobody went to disturb Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling.


    With the return of his soul, and especially after successfully cultivating the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Origin, Tang Xiu realised that his memory was really terrifying. As long as he took a glance through any book once, it would be deeply imprinted in his mind and would he not be able to forget even if he wanted to.


    Together with his memory being astonishing, his comprehension skills was equally hard for normal people to catch up to.


    Tang Xiu had only used two days to devour the ten-over centimetres thick English dictionary, and stored them all in his mind completely. The rest of the students, including Yuan Chuling, still thought that Tang Xiu was only flipping the dictionary for two days out of boredom.


    After that, Tang Xiu spent another day¡¯s time to finish flipping through the English studying materials from Year 1 to Year 3, and thus, he was finally able to stop revising English as a subject.


    When his mind had contained all the information from the whole book of Oxford dictionary and all of the high school English studying materials, Tang Xiu realised that he could actually completely understand Han Qingwu¡¯s lesson that was in English, and was also confident that he could converse with Han Qingwu in English.


    Next, Tang Xiu began to flip through all the Literature textbooks once, and at the same time, couldn¡¯t help but look through all of the Literature¡¯s past year papers and outstanding compositions that were on his desk. After that, he was surprised to find out that doing Literature questions was becoming an enjoyment to him.


    After finish revising English and Literature, which requires a large amount of memory work as a subject, Tang Xiu then placed his energy on Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. Relying on his powerful memory, terrifying comprehension skills, and also his initial foundations, Tang Xiu was able to use less than 10 days to grasp this three subjects.


    Tang Xiu was enjoying the quiet and calm days which he was unable to live back in the Immortal World. There were no endless training and no endless slaughter, every day was only about going to school, going to the cafeteria, and going back to the dormitory.


    This was the first time Tang Xiu had tried spending his time and effort on things other than cultivating, which was a new and strange feeling to him.


    In just half a month, Tang Xiu began to feel bored.


    This was because Tang Xiu realised that there was nothing for him to learn anymore. Any practice paper that was on his desk could be easily completed, and he could even attain full marks. Any Olympiad-level question could be mentally solved by Tang Xiu, and even all the theories and formulas from the given studying materials could be counter-argued by Tang Xiu.


    ¡°The knowledge that I have learned so far is enough for me to handle the final year examination, I could even snatch back the first place that initially belonged to me without any problem if I want to. So what should I do to spend away the remaining two more months?¡±


    After sweeping through all the studying materials and practice papers on his desk, Tang Xiu felt disappointed and frustrated.


    When Tang Xiu¡¯s gaze unintentionally landed on Su Xiangfei. He realised that Su Xiangfei was glaring at him with eyes filled with hatred. In that instant, Tang Xiu quivered and immediately became more awake.


    ¡°How could I have forgotten about the matter on cultivating? Although the world on Earth isn¡¯t filled with bloodshed and slaughter like the Immortal World, and not too high a martial skill is needed, but I should at least have the ability to defend myself, right?¡± Tang Xiu smacked his head. After he remembered about it, he began to select the most suitable cultivation technique from his enormous memory bank.


    The first cultivation technique that surfaced in Tang Xiu¡¯s mind was the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Origin. In this short period of time, although he did not intentionally cultivate the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Origin, but he realised that ever since he successfully cultivated this cultivation technique subconsciously in the hospital, cultivating this technique seemed to be instinct. Every time he went to sleep, his body would involuntarily start cultivating the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Origin.


    The good thing was that this kind of subconscious cultivation was rather slow and would not cause any harm to Tang Xiu. On the contrary, Tang Xiu would feel very refreshed, full of spirit, and could even vaguely feel that his mental strength was gradually becoming stronger.


    However, recalling back on the pain from the first time cultivating the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Origin, the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth twitched violently as he firmly decided to filter out the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Origin cultivation technique.


    Art of Golden Swarn, Sapphire Flame Art, Art of Frozen Heart¡­


    The amount of cultivation techniques and martial skills for Tang Xiu to select was simply too many. Other people may fret the lack of cultivation technique and martial skills to train in, but Tang Xiu was fretting over which type of cultivation technique and martial skills to select.


    However, Tang Xiu quickly realised that he was overthinking.


    In this ten days, Tang Xiu though about all the knowledge and experiences that he had gathered. In the end, he realised that all the countless secret martial skills and top notch cultivation techniques that had let the people in the Immortal World shed blood and lose their lives were like worthless ornaments.


    This was because all these cultivation techniques and martial skills were created for those whose physiques were already very strong and had a decent foundation to cultivate. Tang Xiu already had a decent foundation when he first crossed over to the Immortal World, therefore he improved tremendously by relying on those cultivation techniques and martial skills.


    The body that he had now was extremely feeble, his cultivation aptitude was also horrible. Adding on to the fact that there was barely any spiritual energy around Earth, thus there was no way to train using all those cultivation techniques and martial skills that were contained in his mind.


    However, Tang Xiu was not discouraged as he tried to briefly recall his deeper memories captured from his other body back when he crossed over during that body¡¯s younger days. Although recalling from this two memories was very difficult, but in the end he still managed to recall back on some elementary chants that doesn¡¯t have a high requirement on spiritual energy and aptitude.


    During this one week, Tang Xiu was patiently trying out these outstanding basic chants one by one, but his body that was born on Earth with no existence of spiritual energy was simply too atrocious. If it was put in the Immortal World, his body may even be put below that of the half-demon half-human race.


    As time flew by, Tang Xiu¡¯s knitted brows were getting deeper and deeper after half a month, and he gradually felt anxious.


    ¡°Calm down, I must calm down, there is a broad and wide amount of techniques in the Immortal World, so there is definitely a cultivation technique that is suitable for me, it¡¯s just that I have not recalled it yet. Just what cultivation technique have I not tried yet¡­¡± Tang Xiu kept on comforting and encouraging himself as he continued to rack his brains.


    However, what Tang Xiu did not know was that when he suddenly stopped looking at his books to learn and sat on his seat ¡°daydreaming¡± every day, and even frequently ignored Yuan Chuling¡¯s questions, Yuan Chuling¡¯s heart sank straight down as he looked at Tang Xiu, feeling worried and anxious.


    Not only was Yuan Chuling feeling this way, but even Han Qingwu and Cheng Yannan, who secretly cared for Tang Xiu, were worried.


    Although there were people who were worried about Tang Xiu, but there were also people who subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief and rejoiced.


    ¡°That scared me, Tang Xiu was always reading books and doing practice papers all day long, not leaving his seat when he just came into our class. I still thought that his mind had recovered back to normal and would pull up his grades during this last three months.¡± After reaching home, Su Xiangfei took off his shoe, threw his bag to one side, and jumped onto the wide and soft sofa.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that Tang Xiu isn¡¯t looking at his books and doing practice papers anymore?¡± Hearing Su Xiangfei¡¯s words, Zhang Meiyun, who was paying attention to the television program, became energetic.


    ¡°Either he can¡¯t continue acting anymore or that he has no more energy to continue studying even when he wants to. Every day he is just sitting with his mind somewhere else, he would even daydream when the teacher calls his name, angering the teacher.¡± Su Xiangfei¡¯s mouth twitched as he said in disdain.


    ¡°Mum, you¡¯re thinking too much, how could Tang Xiu¡¯s mind have recovered. The incident last month was definitely a coincidence, most probably it was due to us pressuring him too much, that¡¯s why he would ramble all that to dad. If Tang Xiu¡¯s mind was really recovered, then why would he use his head to knock onto dad?¡± Su Yaning said without much thought as she peeled a pine and put it in her mouth.


    Su Shangwen kept feeling that there was something wrong when he recalled being knocked and stabbed all over by Tang Xiu. Although one month had passed, but Su Shangwen could not forget that incident as he had never felt so ashamed before in this ten-over years.


    ¡°Was it really just all a coincidence?¡± Su Shangwen gradually began to believe their judgement when he couldn¡¯t think of any possible reason after thinking for a long while.


    ¡°Shangwen, stop being suspicious already. Did you really believe Su Lingyun, this bitch, when she said that her son¡¯s mind had recovered? With our son monitoring Tang Xiu every day, do you still need to worry that he will escape from our hands? As long as he dares to walk out of the school compound, even if his mind had really recovered, we would also be able to make it not normal again!¡± Seeing the worried expression on her husband¡¯s face, Zhang Meiyun walked to her husband¡¯s side and pursed her lips as she whispered softly beside his ears.


    Even though Su Shangwen did not like Tang Xiu, but he still felt uncomfortable inside when he heard his wife spew out words like bitch and bastard from her mouth.


    When Su Shangwen heard that his wife had already found people to deal with Tang Xiu, his heart skipped a beat and subconsciously wanted to open his mouth to stop her, but after thinking back on humiliation given by Tang Xiu, he stopped himself.


    A month¡¯s time flew past unknowingly and the second monthly test for Year 3 students was coming. During this time, Tang Xiu had still not found a suitable cultivation technique for himself. It was not that Tang Xiu did not want to recover his cultivation that he had in the Immortal World as soon as possible, but it was because he simply could not do it.


    Compared to the Immortal World that was concentrated with spiritual energy, Earth was like a barren wasteland with spiritual energy being too sparse.


    When Tang Xiu was in the Immortal World, he had collected countless cultivation techniques and martial skills, and had also bought and exchanged countless heirlooms and secret manuals. However, with Earth having such sparse spiritual energy, Tang Xiu realised that not a single cultivation technique and martial skill could be trained after trying all of them.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you must really work hard for this upcoming monthly test. I just had a gamble with Teacher Hu in the office that if your results drop again this time, then my next month¡¯s pay would be given to him; and if your result is not the lowest in the cohort, then his next month¡¯s pay would all be given to me. Whether I can hold onto my pay will depend on you.¡±


    When Han Qingwu realised that Tang Xiu was still daydreaming and not in his right state of mind even though the test was coming soon, she couldn¡¯t help calling Tang Xiu into her office to plead him, almost flirtatiously.


    Listening to Han Qingwu¡¯s close whispering voice, and looking at her playful expression, Han Qingwu¡¯s face and Xue Qingcheng, his lover in the Immortal World, gradually merged into one. With a sudden realisation, Tang Xiu embraced Han Qingwu¡¯s body as he lightly imprinted his kiss on Han Qingwu¡¯s ice-cold cherry lips.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 12

    Chapter 12: I Will Take Care of You for Life


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Han Qingwu clearly didn¡¯t expect that Tang Xiu would kiss her when she went to find him to talk.


    Other than being with her dad when she was young, Han Qingwu had never been so intimate with someone of the opposite gender before. Thus, when she was embraced by Tang Xiu, she froze momentarily, unable to react to the situation.


    While smelling the light soap scent from Tang Xiu¡¯s body and feeling his strong arms, Han Qingwu fell into a daze and forgot to resist.


    Only when Tang Xiu¡¯s action was being more inappropriate where he forcefully stuck his tongue into her mouth and grabbed her b**t and chest with his hands did Han Qingwu realised what was happening.


    Feeling ashamed and angry, Han Qingwu slapped Tang Xiu¡¯s face fiercely.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you¡¯re too much!¡± Han Qingwu¡¯s tears uncontrollably trickled down as she recalled that her first kiss that she had preciously preserved was gone just like that.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you repay what you owe me?¡± These words subconsciously came out of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth.


    Only after Tang Xiu finished saying this did he awoke from his frenzied kiss and realised that this was not the Immortal World but Earth. The woman in front of his eyes was also not his lover Xue Qingcheng, who had once betrayed him, but his class¡¯ teacher-in-charge Han Qingwu, causing Tang Xiu to uncontrollably freeze at that moment.


    The reason why Tang Xiu mistook Han Qingwu for Xue Qingcheng was because during this period of time, he had been trying to select different kinds of cultivation techniques and martial skills that belonged to the Immortal World. Having been living in the memories of the Immortal World for a whole half a month, he often mixed up the Immortal World and reality.


    Under Han Qingwu¡¯s gaze, Tang Xiu looked down with guilt as he did not dare to look at Han Qingwu.


    Just when Tang Xiu was prepared to apologise, his peripheral vision unintentionally landed on Han Qingwu¡¯s delicate and slender thighs and the faintly discernible panty mark under her pink short skirt, his nose suddenly felt a hot surge.


    After touching his nose a few times and confirming that he did not have a nose bleed, Tang Xiu let out a breath of relief as he revealed a self-mocking expression.


    Han Qingwu seemed to have just washed her hair as her damp red hair was sticking onto her cheeks, appearing mesmerising like a flower. Her body was releasing an indistinct sexiness that was more impactful than her beautiful looks, causing Tang Xiu to be unable to control his body¡¯s natural reaction.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, so you already knew?¡± After listening to Tang Xiu¡¯s words, Han Qingwu¡¯s tender body quivered as her the anger on her face instantly dissolved, replaced with a face filled with guilt, ¡°Tang Xiu, I¡¯m sorry. You saved me one year ago but I did not dare to reveal myself due to some predicaments that were hard for me to speak, and after that, because of my own selfishness, I did not come forward to apologise to you.¡±


    Just when Tang Xiu was worrying that his vile conduct would cause him to be expelled from school, Han Qingwu¡¯s words abruptly startled him.


    Shouldn¡¯t Han Qingwu be scolding me sternly or go cry to the principal to lodge a complaint? Why did she apologise to me instead?


    After thinking over Han Qingwu¡¯s words once more, an old memory suddenly sprang up in Tang Xiu¡¯s mind as a dismayed expression unconsciously surfaced on his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s you, so you¡¯re that person from one year ago¡­¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s gaze was fixated on Han Qingwu. After a brief moment, his pupils contracted and his mouth opened widely as he subconsciously cried out in alarm.


    Before Tang Xiu could finish his sentence, his mouth was covered by Han Qingwu¡¯s hand.


    ¡°I beg you, don¡¯t say anymore, please don¡¯t tell anyone about this matter.¡± After hearing the first few words that Tang Xiu had said, Han Qingwu¡¯s expression changed drastically as she pleadingly replied.


    However, Han Qingwu was puzzled by Tang Xiu¡¯s action as she pleaded Tang Xiu not to reveal her identity out.


    ¡®Unless Tang Xiu didn¡¯t recognise me before I went out honest with him¡­ then why did he say that I should repay what I owed him?¡¯


    What Han Qingwu did not notice was that, because she was flustered right now, her position with Tang Xiu was very ambiguous. Her body was literally sticking in Tang Xiu¡¯s embrace with one hand over Tang Xiu¡¯s neck and the other hand covering his mouth as if she was seducing Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu felt both pain and happiness during this time. With only a thin clothing separating them, Tang Xiu could feel Han Qingwu¡¯s warm and astonishingly elastic body. Even if he wanted to take a step back, there was no space. Han Qingwu was almost the same height as Tang Xiu while wearing her heels, and with their eyes less than 10 centimetres apart, he could almost see the watermarks in Han Qingwu¡¯s eyes, seducing people¡¯s souls.


    Both of their faces accidentally touched slightly and they could feel the warm breath on their ears. Having a sudden urge, Tang Xiu looked down and saw a plump chest being squashed out of shape. Looking past the collar, he could even see a big patch of snow-white skin as well as a very eye-catching deep valley.


    Tang Xiu wanted to kiss Han Qingwu again, but thinking back of that slap from before and of the status of Han Qingwu, Tang Xiu, who was now vigilant, didn¡¯t want to defile the goddess in front of him.


    Only when she noticed that Tang Xiu¡¯s breathing was becoming more restless and the way he looked at her was becoming more hectic did Han Qingwu realise that she had lost control in that moment. She let go of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth hastily as her fair and exquisite face gradually grew intoxicatingly red, and her eyes radiated an alluring expression.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, I am not the type to be ungrateful to someone whom I¡¯m indebted to; it wasn¡¯t convenient for me to find you during that time. But when I wanted to find you to explain myself, there had been some problems with your mind, that¡¯s why I could only secretly take care of you in the dark.¡± Seeing that Tang Xiu¡¯s feverish gaze was gradually dissipating, Han Qingwu let out a breath of relief while her heart felt a little disappointed.


    Under Tang Xiu¡¯s inquiring gaze, Han Qingwu narrated the incident that happened that time.


    Two years ago, a college entrance exam¡¯s fraud incident in the province of Shuangqing had shocked the whole nation, warranting a thorough investigation from the top management all the way down in Shuangqing province¡¯s education system. During that time, the deputy head of Star City¡¯s Ministry of Education¡ªHan Fu¡ªwas also implicated, and was directly sent to prison.


    Han Qingwu strongly believed that her father was innocent, but at that time, she had just stepped out of her university compound, and all of her father¡¯s friends went missing, even their relatives hid away from them.


    With no solution on hand, Han Qingwu could only think of a solution herself.


    Alas, the heavens did not disappoint people who persevere. Under Han Qingwu¡¯s many days of tracking down and gathering information, she finally understood the truth behind the incident. After that, without any regards, she dressed up in a sexy and seductive manner to get close to a key witness, seizing a very important evidence from him.


    But never did she think that the key witness would be so vigilant as he felt that something was amiss just when Han Qingwu had taken the evidence away, therefore chasing after her.


    Agitated, Han Qingwu crossed the road without much thought, and before she knew it, she was already in a sea of cars.


    Even if the speed of the cars in the city area was rather slow, generally, there would still be an exception in any situation. When she realised that a car was swerving its way towards her direction rapidly, she screamed in fright as she could not react in any other way.


    Luckily, Tang Xiu stepped in during the critical moment and saved Han Qingwu, but Tang Xiu was hit and sent flying by the car.


    After being rescued, Han Qingwu was afraid that the evidence in her hand would be snatched back, thus she quickly concealed herself in the crowd and fled without even taking a look at Tang Xiu.


    With this key evidence, Han Qingwu¡¯s father, Han Fu, was cleared of all his grievances while the head of Star City¡¯s Ministry of Education, who was initially sitting at the side watching the storm, was thrown in jail; even a few of Han Fu¡¯s strong competitors met misfortune as well. Thus, Han Fu sat on the throne of being the head of the ministry of education without many obstacles.


    When Han Qingwu¡¯s mind had calmed down from her father¡¯s incident, two months had already passed. It was also at this time that she recalled back on her saviour during those critical moments, making her search frantically for him after that.


    Han Qingwu knew that if this person did not step in to save her in that critical moment, then not only would she have lost her life, but her father would also be locked in jail for many years, and her initially happy and blissful family would be shattered.


    Although the incident happened two months ago, Han Qingwu still managed to pick out the case of the car accident from the traffic police easily.


    The taxi driver that swerved and drove the car towards her was drunk that night. He mistook the speed pedal for the break and steered the steering wheel in the wrong direction out of panic, thus causing the accident.


    The person who saved her was a student from Star City First High School and was even ranked first among the whole cohort when he entered Star City First High School.


    Han Qingwu pestered her father and managed to fight for Tang Xiu the award of being a good student in Shuangqing province, and at the same time, made the traffic police give out a certificate and a medal for being courageous through her connections.


    Just when Han Qingwu wanted to thank Tang Xiu in person, she heard some news that almost made her collapse from the doctors¡ªTang Xiu¡¯s brain got severely impacted during the car accident, leaving behind a repercussion that was almost impossible to recover from. In the next few years, not only would Tang Xiu¡¯s IQ seriously fall, his memory would gradually disappear. In the end, he would gradually be reduced to a vegetative state.


    Han Qingwu could not accept this cruel reality, and she did not even dare to meet Tang Xiu.


    However, the gratitude and guilt in her heart could not let her walk away just like that. After agonising for a month, the haggard Han Qingwu gave up on her high paying job and chose to enter Star City First High School to accompany Tang Xiu.


    After a year of observation, Han Qingwu found out that not only did Tang Xiu¡¯s IQ dropped severely, but his memory also became atrocious. His understanding and thinking capabilities were only barely passable. However, the difference, compared to the time when he just entered the school, was like heaven and earth.


    The worse Tang Xiu¡¯s condition became, the guiltier Han Qingwu felt. She didn¡¯t dare to get close to Tang Xiu nor dared to disclose the truth of the car accident to Tang Xiu or Su Lingyun.


    Han Qingwu didn¡¯t know how she should repay or compensate Tang Xiu, the only thing she could do was to pay attention to Tang Xiu secretly, and if she heard anybody badmouthing Tang Xiu, she would lightly berate them.


    Han Qingwu even almost fell out with the principal regarding the discussion on the issue of expelling Tang Xiu by the school and cohort team. The original mastermind, Hu Qiusheng, had even been blacklisted by Han Qingwu.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, I¡¯m sorry, I was the one being too selfish. I should have apologised to you long ago, but I was afraid that my reputation would be tarnished, so I hesitated for a very long time and did not dare to say the truth. It was really hard for me to bear deep inside my heart¡­¡± Han Qingwu felt relaxed immediately after saying the truth.


    Ever since the accident happened, Han Qingwu would be woken up from a nightmare almost every day.


    Over the past one year plus, Han Qingwu had always carried a heavy moral chain.


    The guilt in her heart had tortured her, making her toss and turn, unable to fall asleep. She even despised and loathed herself.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, I can finally stop experiencing the inner criticism towards myself in my heart from today onwards. I will always be by your side protecting you, and if you really become a person in a vegetative state then, I will take care of you for the rest of your life!¡± As if saying an oath, Han Qingwu stared at Tang Xiu¡¯s face as she said those words, one word at a time.


    By this time, Tang Xiu was completely dumbstruck.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 13

    Chapter 13: Monthly Test Began


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu was very clear about the unique position of Han Qingwu in school. He also faintly heard the story of Han Qingwu¡¯s life, but he did not think of how there is such a relationship between Han Qingwu and him.


    Knowing the truth of the matter, he figured out the answers to some questions that Tang Xiu was confused about before.


    He got high marks but did not get the best student of the province when he was in grade one in high school. However, he got the award when he had low scores in grade two.


    After the car accident, he clearly got treatment and compensation, but later he somehow gained another ten thousand yuan of courageous bonuses.


    His mind clearly had a problem, Hu Qiusheng also hated him, the school did not expel him but to let him still study in chief classes.


    Although the younger uncle Su Shangwen took all the credits so that all of his family had a good impression on him and his mother was grateful to him, couldn¡¯t wait to take out her heart and gave it to him, but Tang Xiu always felt that his younger uncle Su Shangwen would not help him without propagating.


    ¡°Miss Han, did you say you will protect me from now on?¡± Silently watching Han Qingwu for a moment, he suddenly felt that it was particularly funny when he saw Han Qingwu looking sacred and serious.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Han Qingwu was immersed in the decision that she made. She heavily nodded her head without feeling anything is abnormal.


    ¡°Miss Han, you also said that you will take care of me forever?¡± Tang Xiu continued to ask.


    ¡°Mhm!¡± Han Qingwu continued to nod her head.


    ¡°Miss Han, what if I got the last place in this examination?¡± Tang Xiu asked her again.


    ¡°I¡­I¡­I will not want the salary this month.¡± Reminding the bet with Hu Qiusheng, Han Qingwu was unable to be calm, however, she was also afraid that she will put too much pressure on Tang so although it would be suck, she helplessly said that.


    ¡°Miss Han, you should always remember what you just said, this time I will take the exam seriously, and ensure that Hu Qiusheng will regret his decisions.¡± Watching Han frowning, Tang Xiu finally did not have the heart to continue to tease her.


    After saying the words, Tang Xiu was already gone and left Han Qingwu to be in a trance alone.


    ¡°That¡¯s not right, this guy was just clear-minded when he talked to me as if he was deliberately tricking me. Not to mention his previous frivolous look, how does that look like a guy who has something wrong in his mind?¡±


    ¡°Yuan Chuling also told me that Tang Xiu¡¯s hidden disease because of the car accident has been cured and Tang Xiu¡¯s academic performance will soon be better.¡±


    ¡°But after my observation in this month, he hardly looked up at the blackboard, and did not listen to the teacher lectures, or as before, read the book by himself. In the second half month, he did not even turn the pages, sitting there in a daze for whole days.¡±


    Han Qingwu tried her best to figure it out but did not understand what was going on. At last, a scene unconsciously emerged out in her mind, when she was kissed by Tang Xiu. She suddenly blushed with shame and involuntarily put her hands on her hot cheeks.


    Yuan Chuling looked nervous when she saw Tang Xiu went back to the classroom, ¡°Boss, did Miss Han criticise you?¡±


    ¡°No, Miss Han just encouraged me to try my best to take the exam and ask me how did I prepare for it?¡± Tang Xiu shook his head, and immediately answered him carefully.


    ¡°After changing the environment, there is no more pressure from before and with the protection of Cheng Yannan, there was almost nobody to disturb us, so I had a good study efficiency in this month. Basically, I have mastered all of the knowledge of grade one of high school. I am sure I can be admitted to junior college if I continue to study for two more months.¡±Yuan Chuling contemplated for a moment and said loudly.


    ¡°Junior college is not enough, our target is key university or even famous university.¡± Tang Xiu patted Yuan Chuling¡¯s shoulder and said softly.


    Yuan Chuling could not help to make a supercilious look. He would like to refute Tang Xiu but thinking of the situation of Tang Xiu this month, he was silent.


    In the expectation of a student of grade three, the second monthly test already started and Tang Xiu would take his first exam after his soul came back into his body.


    Although it was only an ordinary monthly test, but whether it was the high school students or the teachers of grade three they all took it very seriously. After all, the type of test questions and difficulty were completely similar to the college entrance examinations from over the years. To a large extent, the monthly test scores can be reflected the college entrance examination scores and can be regarded as the exercise before the college entrance examination.


    Only some students who had bad performances and are totally hopeless to get high scores paid no attention to the exam.


    There were two classes of students who were cross-sitting in the examination room and they were liberal arts class and science class students, so it was very likely to put an end to the possibility of plagiarism cheating.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, do not look around, take the exam. Oh, if you counsel in the fight and get a bad scores of the exam, I will look down on you.¡± Tang Xiu looked around the candidates. There was a crisp sound behind, but it was Cheng Yanan sitting in his back seat.


    ¡°Come on!¡± Tang Xiu smiled and then took out his own test equipment.


    Tang Xiu fainted to hear someone talking about him and also felt that someone was pointing at him, but he did not care.


    ¡°When the scores of the monthly test come out, you are going to be shocked.¡± Tang Xiu took a deep breath and adjusted his state of mind to the best condition.


    Soon, two invigilators came into the classroom, holding thick exam papers.


    The invigilators did not immediately hand out the papers, but instead swept the classroom again with their eyes and stressed the examination discipline. They were unhurried to hand out the papers to each candidate¡¯s hands.


    When walking in front of Tang Xiu, one of the invigilators obviously stopped for a moment, then his face revealed a disdainful smile.


    Tang Xiu forced a smile when seeing this situation because the teacher was the Physics teacher Xia Mingjie when he was studying in class five. He did not think that he would come over to inspect his basic language.


    Getting the papers, Tang Xiu did not write at once, but swept it again from start to finish, to confirm that there no mistakes of the questions. At the same time, he recalled of all the knowledge for the test over again.


    Next, Tang Xiu quickly wrote down the answers on the paper one by one.


    Just half an hour, Tang Xiu finished all the questions besides composition writing.


    ¡°Everyone says that a father¡¯s love like a mountain, then what¡¯s like a mother¡¯s love? Spring¡¯s soft breeze, summer¡¯s clear spring, autumn¡¯s fruit, winter¡¯s sunshine, or warm light in the dark night? Please use mother love as the title to write a composition which not less than 1000 words.¡±


    After reading the title of composition, Tang Xiu suddenly stood in amazement and then his emotion crashed. Tears welled out of her eyes.


    When Tang Xiu was still three years old, Tang Xiu¡¯s father died and he was raised by his mother.


    In Tang Xiu¡¯s memory, there was simply not an existence of a father. It was his mother bringing him up, and also his mother who taught him how to behave. After Tang Xiu¡¯s mind became handicapped, it was his mother that did not become the slightest bit disgusted and impatient and stubbornly took care of him.


    There is too much memory of the mother and in the thousands of years in the immortal world, those memories had deepened again and again, so that Tang Xiu would not forget.


    Tang Xiu immersed in the memory of his mother for a long time and was unable to extricate himself. He did not notice that he has become the focus of the examination room.


    ¡°Did you see that? That guy who is tearing is Tang Xiu. He was once be admitted to our school in the first place, but now he is the last one in the grade.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it is no need to cry even though not know the answers, that is too much of a shame, it seems to be something wrong with his mind.¡±


    ¡°Since his brain has a problem, he needs to leave school to go home, why is he still staying in school, what if he suddenly hurt others?¡±


    Two invigilators also found Tang Xiu abnormal, in fact, they were the first to find Tang Xiu¡¯s abnormal emotions, but seeing Tang Xiu only torn silently and did not affect the other candidates, they did not say anything.


    When the behavior of Tang Xiu caught more and more attention of candidates, they would like to remind Tang Xiu and even expelled him from the examination room.


    When one of the younger invigilators angrily went to the seat of Tang Xiu before hitting him, Xia Mingjie gently sighed and quickly caught up with the young invigilator to prevent his behavior.


    ¡°Tang Xiu now is the examination time, but please seize the time to seriously answer, or you may miss the exam.¡± Xia Mingjie gently knocked the seat of Tang Xiu and softly reminded.


    Heard the reminding of Xia Mingjie, Tang Xiu unknowingly discovered that the time was over an hour in the past. He was sitting in the classroom for an hour without doing anything and seeing that the time left is only less than half an hour, he quickly began writing his essay.


    ¡°Old Xia, with Tang Xiu¡¯s ability, no matter how long he sat in the examination room, it will not affect his scores.¡±As Tang Xiu began to seriously answer, the young invigilator Ran Pan stressed the exam time and examination discipline and then left, but he could not help complaining to Xia Mingjie.


    ¡°What a pity for the child, if not for the car accident that happened a year ago, his future would be absolutely bright.¡± Xia Mingjie watched filled with sympathy and regret.


    ¡°Oh, this is life. To enter into our school in the first place of our city, and now even reduced to the penultimate grade, this gap is too big.¡± Thinking of the performance for Tang Xiu, Ran Pan also sighed.


    ¡°Yes, I still remember this child¡¯s speech when he won the first prize in the Olympic Physics Competition, his tolerance, vision, ambition, I am proud to be his instructor and teacher. I do not think he would fell to the present situation. Really unfortunate.¡± Xia Mingjie sighed with regret.


    ¡°Old Xia, do you think that it¡¯s possible for Tang Xiu to return to normal in the last few months, and then catch up, to win his honor once belong to him?¡± He swept the essay written by Tang Xiu seriously, Ran Pan asked.


    Xia Mingjie lit up his eyes when he heard the words, then they became sad, ¡°This year, I have been looking forward to a miracle that day. Unfortunately, miracle does not appear, and now Tang Xiu has been moved to Class 10. The time for the college entrance examination only leaves a short period of about two months. Even if his mind is really back to normal, it would be difficult for his scores to catch up.


    Actually, Ran Pan felt it was pleasant to say that, finding Xia Mingjie seriously discussing this problem with him. He could not help smiling and shaking his head, quickly changing the topic.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 14

    Chapter 14: Frigid Irony and Scorching Satire


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    When the basic language examination ended, Tang Xiu subconsciously let out a breath of relief. Although he didn¡¯t answer with the standard answer, Tang Xiu had the confidence to get more than 140 points in the basic language test.


    After lunch, Tang Xiu did not go back to the dormitory to rest, but instead left school and went to the provincial library opposite to the school.


    As early as two weeks ago, Tang Xiu was no longer satisfied with the knowledge of the textbooks and went to soak in the school library all day long.


    Later, Tang Xiu learned that he could enter the provincial library with the school library card, and the collection of books of the provincial library is hundredfold of the school library. Then, he decisively abandoned the school library and lingered in the provincial library every day.


    Tang Xiu going to the provincial library was not only to study but also to improve his ideas generated from his mind to ensure the training direction for the future.


    In the math exam in the afternoon, Tang Xiu only spent half an hour for it. He then handed over the paper and left.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s behavior caused an uproar. In order to increase the learning pressure on the high school students, the school specifically increased the difficulty of the examination.


    But Tang just spent half an hour to finish the paper, which made the others think of one possibility, which was that Tang Xiu thought the exam paper was too difficult and abandoned the test.


    ¡°Although this math test is very difficult, Tang Xiu should not abandon the test, or else he would let Miss Han down.


    ¡°Oh, Miss Han will definitely lose this time. Although she does not care about that salary, I would feel uncomfortable when I think of the savage smile of Hu Qiusheng.¡±


    As the two invigilators watched Tang left, they could not help whispering.


    When the first day of the examination ended, the students of grade three intensely discussed, which Tang did not participate in. Instead, he tried and revised the exercise of practice which occurred in his mind.


    When the idea of the last power law and tactics are declared a failure after practice, Tang could not help but have the look of decadence.


    ¡°Do I only practice the universe tactic? But where to go to find those rare herbs and minerals?¡± Tang Xiu felt very puzzled.


    ¡°Boss, I feel that my performance of the examination this time was okay. If tomorrow¡¯s performance of the exam will be like today, then it¡¯ll be good.¡± Yuan Chuling touched the arm of Tang and said excitedly.


    ¡°Come on, there are still two months left, I believe that you can certainly get good marks.¡± Tang Xiu glanced at Yuan Chuling and said with absentmindedly.


    ¡°Hey, I did not think I could master the knowledge I abandoned for so long and it¡¯s all thanks to your teachings and incentives. By the way, how was your test today?¡± Yuan Chuling smiled then asked curiously.


    ¡°I think it is okay?¡± Tang Xiu hesitated for a moment and whispered.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you are bragging, aren¡¯t you? Afraid that it will expose after several days?¡±


    ¡°You cried for an hour in the basic language test and even abandoned the math test. You still think it is okay?¡±


    ¡°The students of the key class are really powerful, not only do they have good scores, their bragging skills are also first-class.¡±


    After Tang Xiu said that, he heard of a burst of ridicule.


    Cheng Yannan who was sitting in front of Tang was also puzzled and felt disappointment as she watched Tang Xiu.


    Whether it is the language exam in the morning or the math test in the afternoon, Tang made a big influence in the examination room. Thus, many people knew about the performance of Tang Xiu in the examination room, which made the people who originally hate Tang hate him more and the people who originally had hope in him be completely disappointed.


    See Tang was teased by his classmates because of his words, Yuan Chuling was anxious to slap himself heavily on his face.


    Yuan Chuling subconsciously looked at Cheng Yanna for help. Although Cheng Yannan entered Class 10 earlier than Yuan Chuling and Tang Xiu, Cheng Yan Nan successfully conquered the classmates of Class Ten with her sturdy combat effectiveness and metamorphosis of learning, completely securing her big sister position.


    Because of Cheng Yannan¡¯s care, Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling had a very moist life in Class 10. Not only did they get a good learning environment, but they also got Cheng Yannan¡¯s care and greetings from time to time, which made the classmates of Class 10 be more envious and jealous of Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling while they were enjoying their life.


    In the past, if someone dared to tease on Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling, Cheng Yannan would already stop them, however, this time Cheng Yannan directly escape from the eyes of Chuling and continued to write on her papers, as if she knew nothing.


    ¡°Aha, these two gutless cowards. You two have bad scores and yet you don¡¯t even recognize it, are you still a man, mhm?¡±


    ¡°Are they men? If they are men, then why do they always hide behind the woman. If I were them, I would¡¯ve already been dead.¡±


    The classmates were worried that Cheng Yannan would protect Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling, so their words were soft. When everyone found out that Cheng Yannan¡¯s attitude to Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling had changed, their language became more and more unscrupulous.


    Under the ridicule and abusiveness of the crowd, Yuan Chuling¡¯s breath became more and more rapid and his face became red. When Yuan Chuling could not help to pound the table and stand up, Tang Xiu gave a quiet cough to prevent Yuan Chuling¡¯s impetuous behavior.


    ¡°In fact, it¡¯s none of your concern whether our monthly test results are good or bad. You are not eligible to ridicule. If your academic performance is very good, you will not have to sit in this classroom, right?¡± Tang Xiu glanced at the classmates who liked having a fight in the blood and said lightly.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s simple words were as if it lit the powder keg, instantly boiling up the classroom.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you have no sense of class honor and your monthly test scores have something to do with us. If your test scores are good, then the total scores of class 10 will go up and will not at the bottom of grade three. If you are poor, aren¡¯t we affected by you?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, your test scores every time are almost zero, how can you have the courage to take the exam? If I were you, I would abandon the test to not trouble others!¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, Miss Han let you stay in class 10 with great pressure. In the No.1 Middle School of Star City, except Miss Han, it is estimated that no class dares to accept you. Without Miss Han, you would have been expelled from the school long ago. Miss Han is so good to you yet how do you not understand Miss Han?


    Tang Xiu apparently did not think that his own words would become a target for public criticism. However, when he heard these words, Tang Xiu did not angry but instead showed a smile on his face.


    Tang Xiu knew that these people did not have much malicious intent as their understanding and care for Han Qingwu were true and their class sense of honor were also true.


    ¡°The Book of Songs goes: ¡®cast me with papaya, repay you with peach. ¡± When Tang Xiu talking, he got up and left the classroom.


    After he left, the classroom became deadly silent.


    After a while, everyone became sober from Tang Xiu¡¯s words.


    ¡°What did he say? Did he say he want to get the first place in the monthly test?¡±


    ¡°We certainly got it wrong. It is fair for him to get last place as for first place, he can only get it in a dream.¡±


    In the classroom, only two people did not speak. Although his face showed a look of contemplation, Yuan Chuling was a little excited.


    Fiercely staring at the crowd, Yuan Chuling left the classroom with his things as he was afraid he would beat someone if he continued to stay in the classroom.


    ¡°I heard that after he was seriously damaged after the car accident, not only is he unable to remember the new things but his knowledge also have been forgotten quickly. When he entered class 10, his basic knowledge was almost blank. Can he get No.1 after a month? ¡± Cheng Yannan whispered.


    In the second day, the monthly test continued.


    In the examination room, Tang Xiu¡¯s was still gloomy because of the basic language test.


    In the comprehensive course test, as the other candidates were still scratching their head with the papers, Tang Xiu got up and left indifferently.


    In the English test in the afternoon, including the time of the listening part, Tang Xiu only spent half an hour for the test and then handed it over. At the mean time, the others were still trying to finish the other questions.


    The No.1 Middle School of Star City carried out closed teaching and they usually did not have any holidays. They would only have a holiday of two or three days to go home at the end of each month. This was called the monthly leave.


    After the monthly test, the students had a short time to rest.


    After the end of the month test, Tang Xiu did not stay in the school to continue to study hard like the other high school students nor did he go to the library. Instead, he waited to walk along the River Street because he knew that his mother must have got a lot of delicious food waiting for him.


    Tang Xiu was living in rural areas before he was admitted into the high school. Until he got the first place in the exam and was admitted to No.1 Middle School of Star City, this was the first time for him to go out of the countryside.


    In order to take care of Tang Xiu, Su Lingyun Tang lived in the city with him.


    As Su Ling Yun was a rural woman, it was easy for her to do farm work but to find a job in the city was difficult. Thus, in the three years in Star City, Su Lingyun and Tang Xiu had suffered a lot.


    Fortunately, Su Lingyun worked hard. However, she has always tried to do it the dirty work. After a few years, she finally accumulated a little money and borrowing ten thousand yuan, they rented a place and led a peaceful life.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 15

    Chapter 15: The Restaurant was Smashed


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m back!¡± Tang Xiu sincerely smiled and could not help but loudly shout when he saw a few words far away from restaurant which was next to his home.


    Soon, his smile disappeared.


    His mother would usually go out of the restaurant to meet him when he loudly shouted, but this time she did not. Instead, the surrounding neighborhood sighed and felt sympathetic for him when they heard his shout.


    ¡°Did anything happen to the restaurant?¡± When he saw neighbors¡¯ reactions, he quickly ran into the restaurant.


    When Tang Xiu went inside, he saw the restaurant was in ruins. Food, soup and broken dishes filled the entire hall, dining table and chairs were all kicked to the ground, the walls and floors had been designated beyond recognition.


    Smacking sound of ¡°bang bang bang¡± were coming from the kitchen, faintly mixed with crying.


    Hearing the voices in the kitchen, Tang Xiu¡¯s blood boiled instantaneously and his eyes projected the spark of anger.


    ¡°Black, please do not smash things anymore, all the things in the kitchen are all we have. If you break them, I cannot continue to do business.¡± When Tang entered the kitchen, he saw his mother holding an arm of a middle age man while crying. Her face was full of tears.


    ¡°Now you know how to ask me for mercy? What did you do just now? I let you pay 5,000 yuan before the middle of this month for the protection fee and you still have not paid at the end of the month. You take my words as passing wind. Just break! If I do not give you a lifetime of unforgettable lessons, you will never remember our words in your heart!¡± Middle-aged man lifted his arm, pushed Su Lingyun to the ground, and then kick the front of the steamer.


    A huge steamer overturned to the ground and at the same time, hot steam poured out and the water went all over the floor.


    ¡°Mom, be careful!¡± Seeing the boiling water in the steamer was going to pour on his mother¡¯s body, Tang Xiu rushed into the kitchen to help her up.


    ¡°Xiu, you¡¯re back. Are you hungry? I¡¯ll make something delicious for you now!¡± After being lifted by Tang Xiu, Su Lingyun bursted out of trance then said panically.


    At that time, she was reminded of the situation of the restaurant and felt a bit of helpless.


    The dishware were all broken by the seven bullies led by Black Three. Su Lingyun cannot make any food for Tang Xiu, even the simplest dish¨Cegg fried rice.


    Clearly catching the helpless and hopeless look of his mother in the eyes, Tang Xiu felt sad.


    In Tang Xiu¡¯s heart, Su Lingyun not only did the work of mother, but she was perfectly played the role of the father, taking care of him in every possible way.


    For more than ten years, his mother has been hard working. She propped up the the sky for him so that he was carefree and had a healthy growth. He almost ignored the fact that not only his mother was a woman, but also a powerless and lonely woman.


    Widows would be discussed a lot by others. When thinking of the suffering which was taken by his mother over the years, Tang Xiu felt pain.


    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m not hungry, we will be home for dinner.¡± Tang Xiu tightly embraced his mother¡¯s thin body and said with red eyes.


    ¡°Go home? You want to go home? If you do not hand over 5000 yuan today, you two cannot go home!¡±The black middle-aged man said coldly, interrupting the conversation between them.


    Hearing the words said by the middle-aged man, Su Lingyun was scared and trembled. She hurriedly hugged Tang Xiu in her arms and said shakingly: ¡°Black Brother, this matter has nothing to do with my son, please let him go. Give me a day and at this time tomorrow, I will hand over five thousand yuan!¡±


    ¡°Today, you are able to solve the problem with 5000 yuan but tomorrow, it may not be this number.¡± Black three glanced at Su Lingyun once and said cynically.


    ¡°Brother, I remember we only need two thousand yuan for the protection fee before, why did it rose to five thousand this month?¡± Tang Xiu blocked his mother from behind him without noticing.


    The man did not expect Tang Xiu to suddenly stand up to speak and dare to question their charges standards. Reminded of Tang Xiu¡¯s silly look before, he froze for a moment without saying anything and then looked at Tang Xiu surprisingly.


    ¡°Fuck you, we do not need you to teach us.¡± The green-haired bully behind Black Three shouted seeing black three seemed to be neutralized by Tang Xiu and rose his hand, about to slap on Tang Xiu.


    However, when the green-haired bully¡¯s hand was more than ten centimeters away from Tang Xiu, a broken glass abruptly flew from the ground, mercilessly embedding into the green hair bully wrist. His wrist was bleeding.


    The poor green hair bully just wanted to make a show and didn¡¯t think that this would happen. The glass was punctured in the wrist; it was too painful to shout.


    Green hair could not beat Tang Xiu but it didn¡¯t mean that Tang Xiu would let him go.


    No matter how the students of class 10 abused him, Tang Xiu did not say anything. It was not because he had a good temper and not because he was a coward but because, in the eyes of Tang Xiu, they just wanted to abuse him and did not have real harm to him.


    But these bully are not the same, they not only destroyed his mother¡¯s efforts, but also pushed his mother to the impasse, both physically and psychologically harming her, which made Tang enraged.


    The most critical factor was that his mother was the only emotional entanglement of Tang¡¯s heart.


    So at the moment they smashed the restaurant, Tang Xiu already sentenced them to death, not to mentioned his mother was pushed to the ground.


    The other bully did not react to what was going on. Tang Xiu had crossed the previous step and stood at the green hair bully¡¯s side. He kicked the green hair¡¯s knees and stepped on the face so that the bully could not speak.


    The actions of Tang Xiu were very fast, so only when the green-haired bully was lying on the ground struggling for a long time that the other bully to reacted to what happened.


    ¡°Little bastard, you dare beat us! You don¡¯t want to live?¡±


    ¡°Bastard, quickly let go of my brother or I will scrap your dogleg!¡±


    Being aware that their own people were being beaten by Tang Xiu, the group of bully were extremely furious. They all rushed to Tang Xiu almost at the same time and only Black Three stood in place. He did not move, but instead curiously looked at Tang Xiu.


    Black Three already lived in the old river street area of more than twenty years and had known the old river street area well. Although the restaurant was opened less than six months, Black Three knew everything about the restaurant.


    According to black three, Su Lingyun of the restaurant was from rural areas and has a small son. Before opening the restaurant, she had done a lot of work. Moving bags, picking up garbage, supermarket salesperson. As long as she can make money, this woman would rush to do the work. She was the typical foreign households.


    A month ago, there was a man wearing sunglasses looking for black three and paid 100,000 yuan to let him deal with Su Lingyun and Tang Xiu.


    Although black three was sympathy to Su Lingyun, he, after all, had no relationship with Su Lingyun. To let him make a choice between Su Lingyun and 100,000 yuan, black three did not hesitate to choose the latter.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t Tang Xiu stupid?¡± According to his past observation, Tang Xiu¡¯s brain really had a problem. How could he speak rationally and beat people ruthlessly, completely unlike a stupid child?


    Commissioned by the sunglasses man, the harassment of the restaurant was only a bait, bullying Su Lingyun was also a trap. The purpose was to lead to Tang Xiu out. Who they wanted to deal with was Tang Xiu, which made black three suspicious about Tang.


    ¡°We have seven adults here. He is a weak juvenile and actually dared to take the initiative to attack us! He is looking for abuse!¡± Soon, black three shook his head, watching at Su Lingyun.


    Before, black three had never seriously looked at Su Lingyun. He just felt poor for Su Lingyun¡¯s experience and was worthy of respect. Looking carefully at Su Lingyun today, he found Su Lingyun was quite a beauty, more beautiful than most of the women he had seen, which made his mind wander off for a moment.


    ¡°If Su Lingyun was willing to live with me then I would be reluctant to deal with her. Unfortunately, Su Lingyun was too stubborn and did not agree.¡± Thinking of Su Lingyun¡¯s desperate resistance to him this month, black shook his head. A burst of impatience rose in his mind.


    When the other five bully ran to Tang Xiu, Tang Xiu did not fail to show any emotion of fear, but instead, it was full of excitement.


    Tang Xiu crossed his feet and the green-haired bully flew, directly towards the other three bullies. Then Tang Xiu swept out with another leg, kicked the guy who was attempting a sneak attack to the ground, making the guy lying in the boiling water. He shouted painfully.


    When the last person¡¯s fist was about to hit Tang Xiu¡¯s forehead, Tang Xiu sneered. He suddenly stretched out two fingers, poked the other¡¯s wrist, and then fixed his fist in the air.


    Carelessly controlling the five bullies, Tang Xiu looked towards the black and strong middle-aged man, saying icily, ¡°Black Three, the things in our restaurant are almost destroyed by you. We now discuss the compensation!¡±


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 16

    Chapter 16: Barbarism Must Be Met with Barbarism


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°You have guts to talk about compensation with me? Are you nuts?¡± Although he was surprised to see the battle prowess of Tang Xiu, black three was not afraid of him. However, the look on his face was serious and fierce. The smile on his face showed that he found the whole situation fascinating.


    Even though Tang Xiu showed some brilliant skills in the battle, in the eyes of an ordinary person like Black Three, Tang Xiu was just a youth with some extraordinary brute force.


    ¡°I crushed your restaurant, but in return, you beat up my people. Do you believe the restaurant is more worth more than my men??!!¡± Black Three shouted out loud while closing towards Tang Xiu step by step.


    ¡°Black, he is still just a young boy. We apologize to you; please forgive us.¡± Seeing the ferocious look on Black Three¡¯s eyes, Su Lingyun stood up covering Tang Xiu behind her, just like how a hen protects its small chicks.


    ¡°Too young? Do you want to fudge by using just this word?? You think we are all idiots?¡± Black Three almost touched Su Lingyun and wanted to push her aside.


    Before his hand could close in on Su Lingyun¡¯s body, Tang Xiu gently embraced her mother in his arms and softly said: ¡°Mom, it¡¯s all right, let me handle this, you just move aside a little. ¡±


    While Tang Xiu was speaking, he held his mother¡¯s hand. His thumb gently pressed Shenmen Point on her hand.


    Pressing on the Shenmen Point would usually help a person fall asleep. Su Lingyun had been worried and exhausted for over a month because of the harassment of Black Three. Due to the huge pressure of this whole issue, she has gone through countless sleepless nights.


    The kneading of Tang Xiu, instantly made her fall asleep.


    Falling asleep, her wrinkled eyebrows gradually relaxed, a serene and sweet smile appeared on her face.


    ¡°You¡­¡­you¡­¡­¡± Witnessed the way Tang Xiu had somehow hypnotized Su Lingyun, Black Three eyes went wide, his mouth was also slightly open, rendering him speechless.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s leisure hypnotic trick on Su Lingyun really shocked Black Three, even more than when Tang Xiu crushed his six men.


    Su Lingyun was under a lot of stress and tension today. In such a state, no matter how tired she was, she would never be able to sleep so calmly, not to mention the loud crying noises the bullies were making.


    But Tang Xiu didn¡¯t even take a minute to make Su Lingyun fall into a deep sleep. The kind of ability was really fantastic. The smile on Black Three¡¯s face was gone.


    ¡°My mom is sleeping, let¡¯s get back to the compensation, how do you want to sort this out?¡± Tang Xiu asked ignoring his reaction.


    ¡°Shorting it out??¡± Black Three was afraid of Tang Xiu, a simple touch of his can make him fall asleep. He felt there was no longer any way to get out of this situation safely without giving a compensation, in his mind he already decided to compromise.


    ¡°You decide it, if you don¡¯t show enough sincerity, I don¡¯t mind giving you another reminder!¡± Tang Xiu snapped his fingers with a cold look on his face.


    ¡°You!¡± The domineering attitude of Tang Xiu again made Black Three angry.


    Staring at Tang Xiu for a long while, Black Three was so angry that he started laughing. He pointed at the nose of Tang Xiu and said: ¡°Kid, you really got balls¡­ Don¡¯t be fearless just because you know some Kong Fu moves¡­ Do not think you can be afraid of nothing because of some Kong Fu moves¡­ I have been in the underworld, long before you were even born!!¡±


    ¡°I originally intended to forgive you, and perhaps we could even have been friends, But since you are so ungrateful, then do not blame me for being ruthless!!¡± While saying this, a butterfly knife appeared on his hands and killing intent flashed on his eyes.


    The dazzling butterfly knife was dancing in the hands of Black Three, the whistling sound of the wind gave off a sense of oppression while giving a ridicule and disdain look towards Tang Xiu.


    A butterfly knife was not considered as a lethal weapon. Martial artists usually preferred daggers, bayonets, rejection stick, even knives and machetes more than a butterfly knife.


    But Black Three extremely loved butterfly knife, spinning the knife was cool as f***. He has been practicing butterfly knives for more than 20 years; he even has a huge collection of butterfly knives for himself.


    In the eyes of other people, a butterfly knife was usually just practiced for tricks, these 20 years of practicing, on the hands of Black Three, the simple looking knife has become a lethal weapon.


    Under the aggressive oppression of Black Three, Tang Xiu dodged back little by little.


    The kitchen was quite narrow. Stepping just six steps back, Tang Xiu was already agaisnt the wall, leaving him no space for retreating.


    ¡°Boy, I think you are quite normal unlike what the rumors outside says, but I believe you are a very assertive person, Why not convince your mother to live with me, and I will protect your mother and you from now on, how is it?¡± Tang Xiu was in a tight spot, Black Three on the other hand got more ferocious.


    ¡°Saying such words, now no one can save you!¡± Tang Xiu sighed, and then slightly moved his feet. The green haired bully who was the first to be knocked down onto the ground actually flew up, directly heading towards Black Three.¡±


    Unconsciously Black Three drew the butterfly knife in his hand, but realizing what was actually thrown at him, he tried to recover his own attack, if not his own guy would be injured severly, instead he tried to actually catch the guy with his arms.


    Thinking that stopping the body would be simple, Black Three was relaxed. However, in the next moment, when he made contact with the body, his face went pale.


    Who would have thought, that the green-haired bolly was thrown with such speed and force.


    Underestimating the impact had actually dealth a fatal blow to him.


    The impact was as if a rapidly running train had mercilessly crashed at him, and directly knocked him in to the air.


    The sound of bones breaking was clearly heard.


    That wasn¡¯t all, green-haired guy¡¯s body did not halt after hitting Black Three, instead they both flew back quite a distance.


    After a long while, with a thud sound, crashed into a wall, and powerlessly fell to the ground.


    Just one hit, and both of them directly fainted.


    ¡°Wake UP!! If you pretend that you cannot stand up, then you will never get to stand up again!¡± Tang Xiu snapped. After Tang Xiu kicking Black Three, he glanced at the other five bullies who were awestruck and stunned on the floor.


    The moment Tang Xiu spoke, the all jumped up all at once.


    However, instead of listening to Tang Xiu¡¯s order of waking up Black Three and Green-Haired Guy, the five bullies rushed towards the direction of the kitchen door, trying to escape from this hell.


    ¡°Trying to escape? You think you can escape so easily??¡± After shouting, Tang Xiu moved his hand very quickly, five chopsticks directly pierced into the thighs of the five bully¡¯s, paralyizing and making them fall on the ground.


    Dominating the Immortal World for thousands of years, Even after returning back to earth, Tang Xiu still naturally had an arrogant aura about him. Even though he did self-cultivation in school for a month, The arrogance and domineering personality he had in his bones was not even slightly reduced. When he faced the bullies, he felt as if he has returned back to the Immortal World.


    ¡°If you continue to act, the chopsticks in my hands will penetrate your brain next time, not your thighs, do you want me to try!¡± Tang Xiu spoke indifferently, ignoring the pitiful situation of the five bullies.


    Hearing the words spoken by Tang Xiu, the screams immediately stopped. There was fear and panic in the eyes of the five bullies.


    These people usually frightened the old and the weak, they have never actually seen bloody stuff. They dared to come and harass the restaurant, because they knew the background of it, that only a weak woman and a student with something wrong with his brain were the only ones there.


    The five people never imagined that a ¡°stick¡± would be this hard to break.


    Under the stare of Tang Xiu, the five bullies crawled back to Black Three and the Green-Haired Guy. Enduring the pain they were suffering, they sprinkled some water on their face, which immediately woke them up.


    ¡°Go! Beat that little bastard. If he were to die, I will take responsibility!¡± As soon as Black Three¡¯s eyes opened, he began to shout.


    Pia! The moment the words came out of his mouth, he heard a brisk sound, and then he felt extremely painful.


    Feeling that some kind of salty liquid was coming out of his mouth, along with some solid fragments, Black Three touched his lips. His fingers turned red, the solid fragments were pieces of his teeth.


    He no longer knew what he was feeling, was it helplessness, anger, hatred or just embarrassment?


    ¡°Was I beaten?¡±


    ¡°I was beaten by him without even getting to fight back???¡±


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 17

    Chapter 17: Demon


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Black Three, are you sure you want to be responsible for his life?¡± Tang Xiu said indifferently and watched him coldly.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you should consider clearly. What you do is operate a business, we are just a bunch of idle bullies so unless you kill us, you will not be making a living in Star City!¡± Black Three said in a low voice.


    From Tang Xiu¡¯s words and manner, Black Three already judged that Tang Xiu was the type of man who was ruthless and was the kind of man who could not be offended.


    However, Black Three would absolutely not apologize to him, so he started to play rogue.


    Black Three used to play rogue as his trump card, this trick was extremely useful against ordinary people, but it was obviously a failure against Tang Xiu.


    Before Black Three finished his words, a few chopsticks shot out from Tang¡¯s hand landing directly into Black Three¡¯s thigh.


    Black Three jerked up in the air showing the huge amount of pain he was in.


    In the next moment, Black Three made loud noises of agony as his body became paralyzed and fell to the ground.


    ¡°Black Three, don¡¯t say that I did not give you a chance, you can call for help now, and you will see that I have control over everyone, I would like to see how you try to prevent us from making a living.¡±


    After living in the Immortal World for more than a thousand years, Tang Xiu would typically destroy his enemies with the full potential of a thunderbolt. He would never let his enemies have any chance for a comeback.


    The people Black Three had led who harassed the restaurant didn¡¯t do so for only several days, but did it for about six months straight, and this month it intensified, even making the restaurant impossible to operate, which had touched a nerve in Tang Xiu.


    Since Tang Xiu had turned against Black Three, it would be problematic if he let Black Three leave. So he had to solve the problem right now.


    ¡°You¡­¡­¡± Black Three was completely shocked when he heard what Tang Xiu had to say.


    Black Three wasn¡¯t thinking about how his approach did not intimidate Tang Xiu, but rather how it brought shame onto himself.


    ¡°I will only give you ten minutes, if no one arrives after ten minutes, then I will kill you!¡± Tang Xiu said, glancing over to Black Three. He made sure to pace his words to increase impact.


    Although Black Three could call many people to help, distant water couldn¡¯t quench present thirst. Tang Xiu only needed to control him, it was useless to call other people to help.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, we are neighbours, we will meet each other every day, so no need to say it in absolute terms-¡±


    Black Three was not able to finish speaking. Tang Xiu rose his hand, and fiercely punched him in the face. (ED: Translation says slapped, but men don¡¯t slap each other. It also makes more sense in the next few lines)


    ¡°So now you regard us as neighbours? Do you know what you did last month?¡± Looking at Black Three who was astonished, Tang Xiu questioned him indifferently.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, do not forget your business is to operate a restaurant, no good will come from insulting us!¡± Black Three said fiercely as he spat out saliva mixed with broken teen and foul blood. (ED: How would a slap break teeth? Hence the punching instead of slapping.)


    ¡°Is that so? Then I want to see what¡¯s the result of my transgression!¡± Tang Xiu laughed without anger, and then punched Black Three in his face a few more times.


    Poor Black Three had dominated the old river street area for more than twenty years. Before today, he had never received any troubles. However, today completely stunned him, for the first time he was being punched in the face multiple times.


    Previously, Black Three couldn¡¯t¡¯ feel any murderous intent from Tang Xiu, which made Black Three think that Tang Xiu was merely a harmless sunny boy.


    But after he was beaten by Tang Xiu , Black Three carefully looked at Tang Xiu again, his impression of Tang Xiu had changed drastically.


    But now Tan Xiu gave off a slight scent of murderous intent. However, Tang¡¯s eyes were indifferent, which was a kind of indifference to life. This kind of attitude was far more terrible than a murderous look.


    ¡°There is something wrong with Black Three, are you guys normal? Just hurry up to call for help, it won¡¯t be long until time is up.¡± Tang Xiu watched others, and urged them impatiently.


    There were a few other people who saw Black Three beaten to a pulp, they were nervous. When they found that Tang Xiu suddenly turned his eyes on them, they were shivering. They hurriedly turned their faces one by one, pretending not to hear what Tang Xiu said, while praying Tang¡¯s eyes did not fall on any of them.


    ¡°It seems everyone¡¯s mind has a problem, because of that, I will not show mercy.¡± Tang Xiu sneered at everyone he saw in the kitchen. Tang then proceeded to shove Black Three onto the ground.


    There was only a muffled sound as Black Three fell into the trash.


    The trash bin in the restaurant was full of oil and water. Black Three and others thought that the trash bin was dirty, so they deliberately avoided the trash bin when they went to the restaurant to ransack it. So the trash can was full of various oil and leftovers, emitting a burst of foul odor.


    When Black Three got smashed into the trash can, he screamed a burst of oppressive pain, at the same time, he ¡°danced¡± and spilled water everywhere in the room


    Because his hands were broken, Black Three¡¯s attempt to escape the trash bin failed even though he tried with all his might. The more he struggled, the more oxygen he consumed. He came close to suffocating. His body¡¯s movement slowed down as the oxygen depleted and soon his voice disappeared.


    Black Three¡¯s body twitched from time to time and there were bubbles constantly popping from the liquid¡¯s surface. The other people stared at Tang Xiu. He was standing beside the trash bin looking indifferently. The six other bullies had no way of pretending that they didn¡¯t hear Tang.


    Before today, the six bullies had been blindly worshiping Black Three, they thought that Black Three was invincible and in their hearts he was unbeatable.


    But when they saw Black Three being beaten up by Tang Xiu again and again, not even having the chance to fight back. The demonic image of Tang Xiu deeply imprinted into their minds.


    ¡°6 minutes has passed, you still haven¡¯t called for backup, it seems like you do not want to go back¡± As the bullies looked at the trash bin abstractedly, the sound of hell breaking loose suddenly screamed into their ears, instantly waking them up.


    Two of the bullies were timid. They fell on the ground when they heard Tang Xiu¡¯ voice. The others were also shaking. The eyes looking to Tang were full of fear and horror.


    ¡°Everyone should pay for their own mistakes. Since you do not need help, then you all can stay in the trash bin with Black Three.¡± When Black Three no longer made any noise and had no sign of fighting back, Tang Xiu wrinkled his brow. He then grabbed the feet of Black Three and dragged him out of the trash bin.


    Tang ignored the other bullies pleas and proceeded to kick the green haired bully into the trash bin.


    The green haired bully¡¯s hands were not broken. He struggled to climb out from the trash bin when he was pushed into it.


    Green Hair had no time to breath. He heard a sharp piercing sound and then felt a sharp pain in his hands. His hands ceased to function as they were pierced.


    The green haired bully watched Tang Xiu in fear, realising that Tang was staring back.


    At the critical moment, Tang Xiu pierced the green haired bully¡¯s arm with two chopsticks.


    Not waiting to hear the green haired bully¡¯s screams of pain, Tang Xiu kicked him back into the trash bin.


    This time, he did not attempt to get out since he did not have the strength to get out.


    Watching the green haired bully twitching in the trash can and Black Three who was lying on the ground motionless, the other five bullies lost all hope. They never imagined that Black Three and the green hair would have been beaten up this badly today.


    Thinking that the fate of Black Three and the green hair would be theirs soon, the other five bullies collapsed in prostration. After they exchanged glances, they did not hesitate to kneel in front of the Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Tang¡­¡­Tang Xiu, you cannot blame all of us. Someone else gave us money to only attack your restaurant.¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang, we were here by the order of others. You have scolded and beaten us, please forgive us. We are just the bottom of the society, and sometimes we are forced to do these actions.¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang, although we did ransack your restaurant, we swear to the God, we never hit your mother, we haven¡¯t even touched her. Only Black Three and green hair are extremely cruel and merciless, the others just for backup.¡±


    When the first person asked for mercy, the few other people spilled out their beans and spoke out their difficulties.


    The bullies looked much older than him, but called him brother. This felt slightly weird for Tang.


    However, of the thousand years inside the immortal world, Tang Xiu had come across more ridiculous things, so it didn¡¯t really shock him when they mentioned it.


    Everyone has their own way of survival. The people who are the high rollers of society have their own way and so do the people who were living as the scum of society.


    Several people were crying and begging. However, they did not forget to secretly look at Tang Xiu and observe his reactions.


    When these bullies realized it was useless for them to flatter and respect Tang Xiu, The status of Tang Xiu in their hearts increased, whilst becoming very mysterious.


    Because according to their survey, Tang Xiu was just an ordinary high school student in Star City coming from a remote rural town, he even had a car accident.


    But from what happened today, the information provided was vastly different than reality.


    After a long silence, the bullies continued to watch Tang Xiu in fear. Tang Xiu snapped, ¡°Who bribed you to ransack our restaurant?!¡±


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 18

    Chapter 18: The Hidden Mastermind


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu originally wanted to end the bullies¡¯ lives.


    Just looking at the mother in his arms, Tang hesitated. It was not difficult to murder someone, but the aftermath was a big problem.


    If his mother was not here, Tang Xiu wouldn¡¯t hesitate to kill, as he did not have to worry about any repercussions.


    With these fetters in his mind, Tang Xiu wouldn¡¯t dare kill people recklessly like in the immortal world.


    What the bullies said had evoked Tang¡¯s sympathy.


    Although these poor people must have been hateful, they only smashed things in the restaurant, they did not beat his mother. They did not deserve to die, regardless it seemed that there was someone pulling the strings.


    ¡°Tang, it was a middle-aged man wearing sunglasses, he paid us money to harass you, but only Black Three talked with him, we do not know the true identity of the sunglasses man.¡± Said one on the bullies. This topic in particular successfully attracted Tan Xiu¡¯s attention.


    ¡°I do not know the identity of sunglasses, but I happened to heard a conversation between sunglasses man and black Three. Sunglasses man seemed to hate Brother Tang a lot, the purpose of harassing the restaurant was to infuriate you and then to kill you. He even offered a price¡­¡± Another bully did not hesitate as he was speaking, but his voice became softer and softer as he was speaking.


    ¡°Ding Zi, Ban Shou, if you want to die in right now, just say it. I promise I will make it quick!¡± Black Three¡¯s voice unexpectedly came up in the house.


    Black Three did not know when the best time to wake up was. He stared at the two bullies with threatening eyes. That was why Ban Shou did not continue to speak.


    Realising that Black Three would still be trying to cause troubles at this time caused Tang Xiu to feel nauseous.


    In the next moment, the green haired bully was dragged out from the trash bin and Black Three was thrown back into the trash bin by Tang Xiu.


    Right now, the green hair bully was unconscious, lying on the ground foaming out the mouth and the nose.


    ¡°Ban Shou, continue.¡± Tang Xiu wiped his hands with a piece of cloth.


    Ban Shou glanced at Black Three who was flailing about in the trash bin, then looked at the green hair who was bubbling in his mouth. He swallowed hard and stammered gradually.


    ¡°Tang¡­ Tang Xiu, that sunglasses man said¡­ if we cut off your hands, he will add 100 thousand yuan. If we cut off your legs, he would add 200 thousand yuan¡­ This is what Black Three promised.¡± Ban Shou said with difficulty.


    After hearing what Ban Shou had to say, Tang could not help to frown. He really could not figure out who hated him so much, to the point where he wanted to cut off Tang¡¯s hands and feet.


    Staring at Ban Shou for a moment Tang confirmed that he did not lie. Tang Xiu then kicked down the trash bin, so that Black Three had the opportunity to breathe fresh air once again.


    ¡°Who ordered you to attack me?¡± Tang Xiu snapped at Black Three whilst kicking him harshly.


    Black Three seemed to be in a semi-conscious state, his eyes stirred, but he did not answer Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu was not anxious. He glanced at the kitchen, and saw a steaming stove pot. He went to pick up the pot with a wide grin. Soon boiling water poured down on Black Three.


    As the boiling water was poured on him, Black Three fiercely twitched up with resounding screams of pain.


    ¡°Who told you to attack me?¡± Finding Black Three finally became fully conscious, Tang Xiu continued to ask.


    Black Three hatefully looked at Tang Xiu. He would have liked to say a few words out of spite, but thought of the result from his previous experience. He had to swallow what he wanted to say.


    Black Three had made a living in the underworld for more than 20 years and he had worked with all kinds of people, but he had never met a person as cold blooded as Tang Xiu.


    Black Three knew that if he was ignorant about the current state of affairs, Tang Xiu would murder him.


    Black Three felt extremely depressed because a high school student was forcing him to admit his mistakes.


    ¡°Still keeping quiet? Then you never speak again!¡± A pot of boiling water was poured to Black Three while he wasn¡¯t thinking.


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk¡­ I¡¯ll talk¡­ ¡± Watching the cold and uncaring eyes of Tang Xiu, Black Three was thoroughly awake. He was crying for forgiveness while he was writhing in pain.


    We need to say that human potential is infinite. Even if Black Three was seriously injured, he dodged the boiling water to avoid the fate of being scalded at a critical moment, but some boiling water still splashed on him, injuring him slightly.


    ¡°The sunglasses man is Xu Kun, the sales manager of the Shangwen Real Estate Company. It seems that you have offended his boss, and brought shame onto him, so the person who wants to deal with you is Xu Kun¡¯s boss.¡± Black Three was afraid that Tang would continue to torture him if he spoke slowly. Therefore, he told all the information he knew to Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Shangwen Real Estate Company?¡± Tang had doubts in his mind. When his guess was confirmed, he could not help being angry, outrage burst from his mind.


    Because of a variety of high-profile and show-off behaviors of his uncle¡¯s family, Tang Xiu naturally knew who was the boss of the Shangwen Real Estate.


    It really didn¡¯t occur to Tang Xiu that he had let his uncle¡¯s whole family go due to the blood relation with them, while they would coerce he and his mother until death in turn.


    ¡°Su Shangwen, you will pay for your ruthlessness¡± Tang Xiu said as he looked in the direction of the Shangwen Real Estate Building, Tang Xiu started to have murderous intent raise up from within his heart. It was the first time he had this intention


    Tang Xiu was so agitated he actually forgot about Black Three.


    The bullies were afraid of Tang Xiu and did not dare make a move while Tang Xiu was lost in a state of mind, after all , they got beaten by Tang Xiu more than once.


    ¡°Tang¡­¡­. Brother Tang, these are the worthy things that all we have. If not enough, we will try our best to get you more.¡± as Tang Xiu pondered on how to deal with his uncle whilst also not making his mother¡¯s sad, a weak voice was sounded in his ears.


    Hearing the voice of Ban Shou, Tang Xiu just noted that there were several people still waiting on what he was going to say next.


    Ban Shou was holding a stack of cash, jewelry and a bank card as well.


    The cash was worth about fifty to sixty thousand, the value of the jewelry was ignored by Tang Xiu however, instead the gold bank card caught Tang¡¯s attention.


    ¡°You think this is enough compensation?¡± Tang Xiu did not reach out for the money Ban Shou was holding, but instead sneered at him.


    What Tang said suddenly made Black feel gloomy. At that moment, Black Three felt regretful for what he had done.


    He looked at the restaurant he had smashed up, Black Three knew that the money he brought out wasn¡¯t enough.


    ¡°In three days, I would like to see a brand new restaurant, or there will be consequences.¡± Tang Xiu coldly glanced at the bullies and then walked out of the kitchen with his mother. They finally left the restaurant.


    The kitchen was too dirty and smelly. After staying in the kitchen for a long time, Tang Xiu had reached the limit of bearing the smell, as he had a slight cleanness. He really did not want to entangle with them, so he decisively left.


    After a long time after Tang left, Black Three and other people recovered.


    ¡°Did the demon leave?¡±


    ¡°He should have. If he hasn¡¯t left, I would break down!¡±


    ¡°Good, the demon is too scary, I don¡¯t want to meet with him again.¡±


    Confirming Tang had left, Black Three and the others cried with joy and felt relaxed. Everyone smiled and sat on the ground, completely ignoring the dirt on the ground.


    ¡°Ban Shou, just now you were saying something, you actually wanted to betray me?¡± Black Three said to Ban Shou who was really nervous.


    Ban Shou lowered his head his emotions were volatile. After a long while, his eyes flashed a firm look and said, ¡°Black, you have controlled this area over twenty years, however it is about time to retire.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Black Three did not expect that Ban Shou dare to challenge him without Tang Xiu. He frowned and then wanted to scold Ban Shou, but just as he was about to speak, he found the atmosphere was a bit abnormal.


    Besides the green hair, the other five bullies stood around Ban Shou. They all looked at Black with aggressive emotion.


    ¡°Black Brother, thank you for sheltering us in our most helpless time and gave us meals. We did so much for you, it was enough to repay your kindness. But we do not want to continue to follow you, because you are too cruel, too selfish and there is no bottom line at all. ¡± Ban Shou said word by word.


    ¡°Even we are just make a living in the underworld, we still need to follow the rules. But you never follow the rules. Those are not what we want.¡± Ban Shou put all the money, jewelry and bank card into his own pocket, said solemnly, ¡°from now on, I don¡¯t want to see you again in Old River Street Area, behave yourself.¡±


    After saying the words, Ban Shou left the restaurant.


    ¡°Black, You cannot resent us, just blame yourself for your own unreasonable and selfish.¡±


    ¡°Black, you¡¯d better not to wish to take back the leadership. In these two years, when you had fun all the time and regarded us as coolies, Ban Shou got the recognition of everyone long before.¡±


    If Tang Xiu¡¯s attack on Black Three was only physical, then the strike by the bullies was at a psychological level.


    As the bullies left one by one, only the green hair stayed as he did not know what to do. Black Three seemed soulless, sitting in the kitchen motionless.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 19

    Chapter 19: Chapter 19 Debt Collection


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Ten minutes later, Tang Xiu and his mother appeared in a low shanty house.


    Because they were short on money, they did not have their own house in Star City, but instead rented the cheapest flat in the shanty area as a temporary residence.


    Gently putting his mother on a small plank bed, Tang Xiu started to do some chores inside the flat.


    During the thousands of years in the immortal world, Tang Xiu had gotten used to an easy life where others had served him. Sometimes he even had no problems with not eating or drinking for hundreds of years at a time. He was obviously unaccustomed to this when he had to the clean the house.


    Within moments, Tang had gradually become skillful, and his face gradually produced a smile.


    The room was small, only forty square meters. It was divided into four rooms. The living room with the dining room adjacent to it, there was a worn-out sofa separating the spaces, then there was the kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom.


    Tang Xiu looked at the clean pillow and old quilt on the sofa, this made him sad all of a sudden.


    As the room was too small and there being only one bedroom, Su Lingyun left the bedroom to Tang, she then slept on the sofa. Even when Tang Xiu was schooling, Su Lingyun insisted on sleeping on the sofa, refusing to step into the bedroom.


    In Su Lingyun¡¯s words, Tang Xiu had grown up, he must be allowed his own space.


    It was precisely this kind of Su Lingyun¡¯s meticulous care and spoiling that made Tang Xiu unable to cut off his attachment and yearning toward his mother for thousands of years in the immortal world, Tang Xiu yearned for mother¡¯s love.


    Half an hour later, the house was clean and tidy. Without a spec of dust neither top nor bottom, inside and outside. Just like a brand new house.


    As it was late in the day and knowing his mother still had not eaten, Tang Xiu crept into the kitchen.


    While Tang Xiu was cleaning the house, a human tragedy drama was unfolding in Lingjia Restaurant.


    An hour ago, after Yuan Chuling handed in the paper, he happily went to the examination room where Tang Xiu had the exam. He was looking for Tang to share his joy, but he did not expect that Tang Xiu had already left the school.


    Since Yuan Chuling was familiar with the whereabouts of Tang, he did not hesitate to rush to Lingjia Restaurant and the scene in front of his eyes made him shocked and infuriated. The restaurant, which was regarded by Tang Xiu and Su Lingyun as part of their lives was smashed beyond recognition.


    Suddenly, Yuan Chuling was crushed by remorse. He blamed himself for his selfishness. He clearly had the capabilities to help Tang Xiu improve his life, however, he had not yet done anything to help.


    Yuan Chuling was about to call the police, but he faintly heard some chatter coming from the kitchen, Yuan Chu Ling did not hesitate to rush inside to investigate.


    In the kitchen, Black Three and the Green-Haired bully did not notice Yuan Chuling¡¯s arrival. They were still cursing Tang Xiu and his mother with clenched teeth while planning on how to exact revenge on them.


    Today, Black Three and the Green-Haired were beaten badly by Tang Xiu. Following that, the rest of their own men had betrayed them. These events had given them a huge psychological trauma, completely blinded by hatred, there was only the need for revenge in their hearts.


    While the two of them were discussing how to abuse Su Lingyun, Yuan Chuling walked into the kitchen with an angry face.


    Staring blankly at Black Three and the Green-Haired bully, Yuan Chuling grabbed a chair and started mercilessly beating it against them.


    Had Black Three and the Green-Haired bully not already been injured, Yuan Chuling could never be considered an opponent to either of them due to their experience and skills in combat. Unfortunately, Black Three¡¯s hands were fractured by Tang Xiu, and a few ribs of the Green Haired bully were also broken. Currently, the two of them were like disabled people, at such a pitiful state even an ordinary person could beat them, much less a stronger person like Yuan Chuling.


    Yuan Chuling beat them up for more than ten minutes till he got tired. Black Three and the Green-Haired bully had already fainted long before Yuan Chuling stopped. They were totally covered with blood, gaping wounds, and injuries all over their bodies.


    ¡°Did I¡­¡­did I kill them?¡± Yuan Chuling finally woke up from his frenzy and realized the shocking scene on the ground he had caused, his face immediately turned pale. He then turned around and ran away.


    Just as Yuan Chuling left the restaurant, Ban Shou and the other bullies came back.


    When Ban Shou inadvertently saw a line of blood-stained footprints coming from the kitchen to the front door, his complexion changed greatly and he rushed into the kitchen.


    Following Ban Shou, Ding Zi and the others could faintly guess what happened as they rushed inside.


    Seeing Black Three and the Green-Haired bully lying on the bloody floor motionless, the bullies were shocked and their faces turned pale.


    ¡°Quick, they are still breathing, call the ambulance! Hurry!¡± Ban Shou shouted in a condescending tone. After carefully checking the condition of Black Three and the Green-Haired bully, subconsciously he felt relieved.


    Hearing that Black Three and the Green-Haired bully were still alive, the other bullies relaxed and then quickly left.


    However, they were sorrowful after they saw the miserable condition.


    They knew that if they had not chosen to follow Ban Shou and Ding Zi before and continued to follow Black Three and the Green-Haired bully, they would have also ended up in the same state.


    ¡°Ban Shou, who beat them up like this? They nearly killed them.¡± Ding Zi said with fear, staring at Black Three and the Green-Haired bully on the floor with their deathly pale complexion due to losing an enormous amount of blood.


    Ding Zi knew that if they hadn¡¯t come back to the restaurant in time, Black Three and the Green-Haired bully would have definitely passed away.


    Upon hearing what Ding Zi had to say, Tang Xiu¡¯s figure subconsciously appeared in Ban Shou¡¯s mind, he shivered suddenly, but did not dare say who he thought the culprit was.


    Although Ban Shou did not say anything, Ding Zi and the others understood.


    Outside the restaurant, Yuan Chuling had run a long way, but he turned back. Watching people move in the restaurant, he did not dare to go back inside, but instead he hid outside. When he heard the news that they were not dead, he felt at ease.


    River Street Old Area, Shanty Area


    After busying himself for nearly an hour, Tang Xiu finally tossed out a full table of dishes, showing a sincere smile.


    In order to make the dishes, Tang Xiu even had to visit to the market twice.


    The first time was to the food market. Tang Xiu only bought some common vegetables. But when Tang Xiu checked the condition of his mother again, he found that his mother was in a serious overdraft state and had multiple hidden diseases, so he could not help going to the market to buy some Astragalus and red ginseng.


    He then carefully tasted the meals on the table again to confirm that there were no flaws and then went into the bedroom to wake up his mother.


    ¡°Xiu, weren¡¯t we in the restaurant? Why am I at home and in bed?¡± When Su Lingyun opened her eyes and figured out where she was, she felt light-headed.


    ¡°Mom, you are too tired and still dazed from this whole incident, you passed out.¡± Tang Xiu explained with a smile.


    ¡°Mom, the issue about the restaurant has been solved. I have negotiated with Black Three and the others. They have promised not to harass us again and will help us to renovate the restaurant.¡± Not waiting for his mother to ask, Tang Xiu told all the things that his mother would be worried about.


    Su Lingyun¡¯s complexion changed to that of disbelief after hearing what Tang Xiu just told her, she hurriedly lifted up Tang Xiu¡¯s clothes, and checked Tang Xiu¡¯s body. After confirming that Tang Xiu was not injured, she began muttering in amazement, ¡°Black Three and other bullies are from the underworld, how could they possibly let go of us that easily?¡±


    ¡°Mom, as the saying goes, everything has its conqueror. They might consider me as a nobody. But when I showed them the name of the cards of police officer Cheng Xuemei and Hu Wenxu and they were scared, just like a mouse meeting a cat. They feared that I would tell the police officers, so they promised to help in restoring the restaurant, they also gave me a lot of money and jewelry¡­¡­¡±


    In order to completely reassure the mother, Tang Xiu had to rack up his brain to make up a believable story.


    Tang Xiu was surprised at his ability to make up a story which could even convince himself, let alone his mother, who trusted him a lot.


    ¡°Xiu, you did a good job. I will visit police officer Cheng and Hu when it is convenient. We have to get close to the police so that the bullies will fear us. You are far better than me at doing this.¡±Su Lingyun softly said as she affectionately touched Tang¡®s head.


    ¡°Mom, we should talk about this later. Let¡¯s first eat or the food will get cold.¡± When Tang Xiu saw that his mother wanted to continue with the talk, he had to push her out of the bedroom.


    Su Lingyun was confused and didn¡¯t really pay attention to what Tang Xiu just said. She subconsciously went into the kitchen to cook a meal. She could not help but exclaim when she saw the table full of food, ¡°Oh, why there are so many dishes? Did you order the take-out food?¡±


    ¡°Mom, I spent an hour on cooking these dishes, they are all your favorite food. Does it suit your tastes?¡± Tang Xiu said nervously as he pressed his mother to the seat. He then gave her a bowl full of food.


    Tang had cooked four dishes and a pot of medicine. The four dishes were taro chicken, steamed fish, fried rapeseed, daylily soup and a porridge of medicinal to supplement her weak body and to help her pneuma.


    Smelling the delicious flavors, Su Lingyun moved her fingers. She could not wait to hold the bowl and begin eating.


    ¡°Mom, eat slowly, do not choke. If the food is not enough, I¡¯ll cook more for you.¡± Seeing the way his mother was swallowing down the food, Tang Xiu¡¯s heart was filled with a great sense of success. This sense of success made him feel more excited than a breakthrough during practice.


    ¡°Xiu, don¡¯t just watch me eating, come join me and have some.¡± Su Lingyun said after eating for a while. She realized her son was watching her eat in such a manner and felt embarrassed.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat together.¡± This was the first time that Tang Xiu see his mother forgetting herself. He smiled and then immediately started to eat.


    While they were happily enjoying the warm dinner, a loud bang suddenly came from outside. The house violently shook a bit and then three strong men clad in western suits and leather shoes stormed into the house.


    Seeing Su Lingyun and Tang Xiu were enjoying a meal, the man with a buzz-cut hair grinned fiendishly and then heavily kicked the low wooden table downwards.


    With a loud bang, the old looking wooden table was broken into pieces. The meals on the table were all dispersed all over the floor.


    ¡°You have money to pay for your food, but have no money to repay us. Do you fucking think we are stupid!¡± After kicking the table the buzz-cut haired man shouted angrily. He then raised his hand to slap Su Lingyun.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 20

    Chapter 20: Severing All Ties


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Su Lingyun was completely immersed in the cozy atmosphere Tang Xiu had created, so she didn¡¯t expect someone to pay them a visit at this time and in such an unusual way.


    After clearly seeing the three men¡¯s faces, Su Lingyun¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and her immersion was shattered.


    Because she was in a trance, Su Lingyun didn¡¯t even notice as the buzz-cut man kicked over the table.


    Su Lingyun didn¡¯t react until the guy was grinning and was about to slap her face. When she finally caught up, she screamed and wanted to escape.


    However, Su Lingyun was still seated. If she wanted to escape from the slap of the buzz-cut man, she would have to stand up before she could start running. And since the man would not wait to let her escape, Su Lingyun could not dodge that slap.


    Watching as the palm closed in on her face, Su Lingyun desperately closed her eyes.


    At the next moment, Su Lingyun heard the sound of someone groaning. Su Lingyun thought she recognized the voice as it came from the buzz cut man.


    Su Lingyun was stunned when she opened her eyes. She found that the vicious-looking man with spiky hair, who was so ferocious just now, was already squatting on the ground. A chicken bone was stuck in his forehead, blood was flowing out of the wound along the bone before dripping to the ground.


    ¡°You dare attack him!?¡±


    ¡°Are you an idiot!?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to die!?¡±


    The other two men in suits looked at their companion on the ground and then looked at Tang Xiu who was sitting on the chair, motionless. After a long time, they finally realized that their companion was hurt by Tang Xiu with a chicken bone. Seething with rage, the two shouted and rushed towards the youth.


    ¡°No, please don¡¯t hurt my son! He didn¡¯t mean to hurt your companion, we are willing to compensate for it!¡± Su Lingyun hysterically shouted whilst rushing towards Tang Xiu. She also understood what had happened and tried to bare the pain.


    Seeing his mother¡¯s frightened expression, Tang Xiu¡¯s cold expression lightened. He stretched out his arms and embraced his mother. At the same time, he lifted his legs and readied for an attack. Two pieces of shattered porcelain from a bowl flew up from the ground and were cast towards the two men¡¯s forehead.


    The two pitiful men had only just raised their thighs, and had not even moved a step, but they had received the same result as their companion. Then fell to the floor, howling in pain.


    ¡°They¡­ they¡­ Xiu¡¯er, what¡¯s going on?¡± Su Lingyun had thought that they must have been brutally humiliated. Realizing that everything had happened so abruptly, she was completely shocked.


    ¡°Mom, it¡¯s ok, don¡¯t worry, just let me handle this.¡± Tang Xiu pinched his mother¡¯s palm and comforted her softly.


    This time, Tang Xiu did not make his mother blackout.


    Tang Xiu was not willing to let his mother live in fear, so he wanted to show off his strength and capabilities, letting her know that he had the ability to protect his family.


    To appease his mother¡¯s emotions, Tang Xiu went to the three suited men and coldly asking, ¡°If I am right, my mother has already repaid you including interest, why do you have to harass us?¡±


    Tang Xiu was familiar with the three men in front of him.


    His mother was short of money when she opened the restaurant, and even after borrowing money from relatives, she was still short of 50,000 yuan. Therefore, she had to get money from a small loan company.


    They thought that if it was only a loan of 50,000 yuan, they could repay the debt if they worked hard.


    However, they did not think this small loan company was a loan shark. They changed the loan contract. The original interest was 3.3%, but as time progressed, the final loan had stunningly increased to 7.33%.


    The plan was to repay by dividing the 50,000 yuan loan into six months, but due to the change of interest, the actual price repaid every month was 12,000 yuan. (ED: I don¡¯t think the person writing the story does maths or knows how loans work¡­ if they had to pay with 7.33% interest, they would be paying back 51k, not 72k¡­ this makes me angry)


    Tang Xiu and his mother could only painfully and helplessly endure the debt. They tried to put up some fierce resistance, but it ended in failure.


    They did not think that the loan shark with high interest was only the beginning of their nightmare. In the times to come, they almost always lived in a waking nightmare.


    In the first month, the restaurant was operating at a loss, Tang Xiu and his mother were unable to repay the loan. As a result, the small loan company ignored their pleas and ransacked their home. The loan shark company also threatened them to repay the principal money and interest, otherwise, they would start to attack the restaurant.


    There was no way to plead their case, their only option was to borrow money from relatives and friends. In three days, they finally gathered enough money to pay off the debt.


    The loan sharks seemed to think that they were easy to bully. So within the next few months, the loan sharks pushed them for more money every month, and harassed Tang Xiu and his mother for pleasure.


    In order to avoid the bullying, Su Lingyun would prepare the payments. Even in cases where the restaurant¡¯s profit wasn¡¯t enough.


    Su Lingyun¡¯s restaurant is situated on Old RiverRiver Street Old Street. Their neighbors also had similar businesses. This made for tough competition and prevented Su Lingyun from earning a lot each month.


    After half a year, Su Lingyun was finally able to repay the entire debt to the loan sharks. However, after repaying all the money, Tang Xiu and his mother had no savings left. There was no money left to pay for Tang¡¯s tuition. Su Lingyun was also losing weight due to this.


    That is why when Su Lingyun saw the three suited men, she looked pale, which was also a reason why Tang Xiu was this merciless.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you son of a bitch, you dare attack us? We are members of the Tianlang Society. Do you think that we can¡¯t kill you and your mother whenever we want?¡± The buzz cut man cursed and clenched his jaws as he pulled the chicken bone out of his head.


    ¡°We have been in contact for half a year, you should know there are some problems with my brain. Are you saying that killing you three would be illegal?¡± Tang Xiu grinned as he grabbed a chair and started to strike the buzz cut man with it.


    There was a crisp ¡° _crack¡±_ as the shoulder bone of the buzz cut man broke. He was in far too much pain to talk.


    ¡°I will ask you again, we have already repaid the debt, why are you still harassing us?¡± Tang Xiu, this time, directed the question to the two other people.


    ¡°Err¡­ Tang Xiu, you did repay your debt, but someone signed a debt transfer contract with us last month, so you have to create a new loan relation with our business.¡± Under the sharp eyes of Tang Xiu, another man was about to call Tang Xiu a son of a bitch but swiftly stopped.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, it is your younger uncle. We borrowed 50,000 yuan from your uncle. Maybe what happened last month made him angry out of shame, so maybe he went to Eternal Growth Trading Co. and made a transfer to them.¡± Su Lingyun added when she noticed that the suited man could not fully explain the situation.


    After hearing what Su Lingyun had to say, Tang Xiu became silent.


    Reminded by the words said by Ban Shou and Ding Zi in the restaurant, his anger was ignited.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t understand why his younger uncle would act so heartlessly because they were family.


    ¡°Mom, why did you only tell me this after all that has happened?¡± Tang Xiu complained after a moment of silence.


    Su Lingyun only touched Tang Xiu¡¯s forehead indulgently but did not speak. However, Tang Xiu got the answer from his mother¡¯s eyes.


    His mother did not tell him about the harassment in the restaurant and at home. The reason was that she didn¡¯t want it to affect his performance at school. Another reason was that it would only make Tang Xiu worry more.


    For a moment, Tang Xiu slightly hated himself for not showing his strength earlier. That way, perhaps his mother would have discussed the difficulties she faced, rather than bearing it in silence.


    ¡°This card has 50,000 yuan. Take it and get out. If you dare to continue harassing my mother, I will make sure your business will have no future in Star City!¡± Tang Xiu shouted.


    While he was thinking about how to solve the problem with Eternal Growth Trading Co., a muffled voice came from outside the house. Moments later, Yuan Chuling¡¯s obese body squeezed into the house.


    ¡°Fatty, why are you here?¡± Tang Xiu asked in surprise.


    Even though he had known Yuan Chuling for a long time, Tang Xiu did not think about letting Yuan Chuling visit his home because of his low self-esteem. So he didn¡¯t expect that Yuan Chuling would come here of his own volition.


    ¡°Brother, you didn¡¯t even tell me about the problems you have with your own family. It seems you don¡¯t see me as your brother.¡± Yuan Chuling grinned, punching Tang Xiu lightly on the chest.


    ¡°Mom, let me introduce him to you, this is my classmate, Yuan Chuling. He is my only buddy in school. When I shifted from Class 5 to Class 10, he also followed me and transferred to Class 10.¡± Tang Xiu explained with a smile as he noticed his mother¡¯s eyes were full of questions.


    ¡°Oh, it is Tang Xiu¡¯s classmate. Welcome to our family.¡± After listening to the introduction, Su Ling Yun¡¯s face showed a warm smile, but when she saw the bodies of the three suited men lying on the floor, her complexion turned gloomy as the smile on her face faded slightly.


    ¡°You¡¯re still not leaving yet? Are you waiting for me to send you back?¡± Yuan Chuling snapped at the three suited men when he noticed the reaction in Su Lingyun¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Young Master Yuan, I am sorry, I didn¡¯t know Master Tang was your friend. If we knew Master Tang was your friend, we would not have harassed him.¡±


    ¡°Young master Yuan, this is your card, please take it back. We had accidentally ruined Boss Su and Young Master Tang¡¯s dinner. This way, the 50,000 yuan debt will be paid off. We also wish Young Master Yuan to put in some good words for us to Boss Yuan, so that we may still work in the company.¡±


    The two remaining suited men fearfully said. They then fled the scene as fast as possible, carrying the unconscious buzz cut man with them.


    Su Lingyun and Tang Xiu originally thought that Yuan Chuling¡¯s hot temper would provoke contradictions and stir up more troubles, and had already planned to stop his impulses. They would have never thought that after he spoke, the things that happened next would make them stunned.


    Tang Xiu and his mother could only stand there for a long time.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 21

    Chapter 21: So Pleased As to Lose One¡¯s Sense of Measure


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Fatty, how could it be that they are awfully afraid to see you?¡± Although he had long been friends with Yuan Chuling, Tang Xiu had never asked about Yuan Chuling¡¯s family situation. On the other hand, he also never raised the subject about his family in front of Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu only faintly knew that Yuan Chuling¡¯s parents did have hundreds of millions in assets and, but he was quite clueless about other things. Having been through the previous matter, Tang Xiu found that his buddy¡¯s identity was quite mysterious.


    Having heard Tang Xiu¡¯s question, a scarlet blush covered Yuan Chuling¡¯s round face. And with eyes full of an awkward expression, he answered, ¡°Eldest Brother, since things have been resolved, could you not dig any further?¡±


    Upon hearing his answer, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t speak and instead stared straight at Yuan Chuling.


    ¡°Eldest Brother¡­ I¡¯m afraid¡­ if I say it¡­¡± Under Tang Xiu¡¯s questioning gaze, Yuan Chuling was quickly defeated as he told everything with an embarrassed and ashamed expression, about his relationship with the Eternal Growth Trading Co.


    Five years ago, when the country vigorously cracked down and rectified the illegal usury company, Yuan Chuling¡¯s uncle seized the opportunity to purchase the Eternal Growth Trading Co. and then became the company¡¯s boss.


    However, the kind of opportunistic, lazy, and irresponsible Yuan Chuling¡¯s uncle, Zhao Tielin, proved to have no ability. Even though he became the Eternal Growth Trading Co¡¯s owner, he didn¡¯t know how to run a business, and instead let the previous company¡¯s staff run the business. Resulting in turmoil within the company. Although Yuan Chuling¡¯s parents had lent a hand, it took quite a long time to clean up his mess.


    Because Yuan Chuling often went in and out the Eternal Growth Trading Co, coupled with the unusual doting Zhao Tielin had toward Yuan Chuling, over time, everyone from the top to the bottom of the Eternal Growth Trading Co. knew about his relationship with Zhao Tielin. They even regarded him as the crown prince master.


    Having heard that the Eternal Growth Trading Co.¡¯s true owner turned out to be Yuan Chuling¡¯s parents, a kind of died down feeling sprouted out from Tang Xiu¡¯s heart, making him almost vomit blood as he looked at Yuan Chuling with an unspoken bitterness which even words were unable to convey.


    Thinking about as to how he and his mother had long been forced into a desperate situation for 6 months because of this Eternal Growth Trading Co., Tang Xiu could only feel that he had been wronged.


    Mixed feelings also enveloped Su Lingyun¡¯s heart, but at the next moment, with some effort, she was able to adjust her mood and then warmly greeted Yuan Chuling and asked him to sit, serving some tea and then skillfully cleaning up the house.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, I¡¯m really sorry. After my parents divorced, I rarely go to the Eternal Growth Trading Co. anymore. Also, I haven¡¯t paid any attention to their specific businesses. Otherwise, this matter wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡± Yuan Chuling was also perfectly aware of the inner circumstance within the Eternal Growth Trading Co, even at a glance, it could be seen that it was a complete mess, making his heart full of guilt and shame.


    ¡°This thing does not have anything to do with you. You don¡¯t need to blame yourself.¡± Upon seeing Yuan Chuling¡¯s apologetic and regretful expression, Tang Xiu¡¯s heart also melted as he patted Yuan Chuling¡¯s shoulder before he curiously asked, ¡°Anyways, as long as I¡¯ve recalled, I have never given my address to you or anyone, how did you find it?¡±


    ¡°Eldest Brother, what about the matter at the restaurant? That group of thugs had bashed the restaurant without reasons or cause. Do you need me to deal with it?¡± As he simply shifted to the matter with the restaurant, Yuan Chuling asked in an excited manner.


    ¡°The restaurant matter has been resolved, but thanks for your concern though. Anyways, it¡¯s the second day of our month vacation, you¡¯re not going back to accompany your father and mother?¡± Seeing his mother become motionless and speechless after having heard of the matter with the restaurant, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t hesitate to shift the topic.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­ Eldest Brother, I have yet to prepare my mind and heart, I just want to wait until the end of the college entrance examination, and then I will consider this matter afterward.¡± Having raised the subject about his parents, Yuan Chuling¡¯s mood suddenly became gloomy and dejected.


    Ten minutes later, the room had been cleaned up and got a new look from Su Lingyun, and then the three of them took the leftover dishes in the kitchen and had dinner.


    At the dinner table, Su Lingyun threw full praises towards Tang Xiu¡¯s cooking skill while Yuan Chuling was devouring it as he himself almost wolfed down more than half of the dishes. Su Lingyun and Tang Xiu could only look at him with dumbfounded expressions.


    With Yuan Chuling¡¯s funny gags, the originally cold, dull, and sad atmosphere soon became cheerful and lively.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, I remember that yesterday you said that this month you¡¯ll take the first grade, and now since all the tests have been finished, how much of a chance is there that you will take first grade?¡± The topic unknowingly shifted around to the Monthly Test, Yuan Chu Ling asked with a nervous expression.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, when have I spoken empty words to you?¡± Seeing Yuan Chuling¡¯s caring looks, Tang Xiu nodded and answered confidently.


    Just when Tang Xiu¡¯s words had finished, ¡°clang¡± sounds were heard.


    As Tang Xiu followed the sound¡¯s direction, it turned out that the bowl suddenly fell from his mother¡¯s hands as she stared blankly at him.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, did what you say just now is true? You can take this Monthly Test¡¯s first grade?¡± Su Lingyun didn¡¯t clean up the bowl on the floor as her hands grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s arm and asked with an excited expression.


    ¡°Mom, the Monthly Test¡¯s results should be coming out in 3 days, you will know the results then.¡± Tang Xiu was naturally aware of the concern in his mother¡¯s heart.


    Tang Xiu knew that his mother had basically pinned almost all of her hopes on him. The car accident more than a year ago had almost devastated all the hopes his mother had.


    For more than a year, his mother had always been looking after him with meticulous care even though she had never shown any restlessness in front of him, but Tang Xiu also knew that his performance grades fell rapidly. The one who truly suffered from the pressures was not himself, but instead his mother, who was unconditionally bearing the pressure.


    And now, having suddenly learned that his performance grades had returned to his previous achievements, it was only natural for his mother to be excited.


    ¡°So you only need a month to catch up to your previous grades?¡± Upon hearing Teng Xiu¡¯s affirmative answer, Su Lingyun was more excited.


    ¡°It¡¯s a given though. Whose son you are looking at anyway?¡± Tang Xiu put on a smug face and replied.


    ¡°Great, great, I know that once your body is back to normal, your grades would soon also be coming back. Then, your father¡¯s soul in heaven will rest in peace.¡± As Su Lingyun said these words, two lines of tears welled up although a smile covered her face this time.


    Having thoroughly understood Su Lingyun and Tang Xiu¡¯s expression from their eyes, Yuan Chuling at the side seemed to want to speak but hesitated as worries were drawn on his face.


    In this month¡¯s time, Yuan Chuling was also fully immersing himself into study. He was perfectly aware of the difficulties of how to improve one¡¯s grades. He had originally wanted to speak to Su Lingyun about the difficulty degree of improving the Monthly Test¡¯s grades from the bottom grade to reach the first grade. However, after seeing the joyful tears from Su Lingyun¡¯s face, he didn¡¯t have the heart to say it.


    When he saw Su Lingyun¡¯s pure concern and happiness for Tang Xiu and seeing the caring attention of a mother and child between Su Lingyun with Tang Xiu. at the same time, a slight envy filled Yuan Chuling¡¯s heart.


    It reminded him about when his mother decided to leave home. Gradually, Yuan Chuling¡¯s eyes became moist.


    When the students in the Star City were enjoying a rare two days¡¯ holiday this month, the high school¡¯s teachers for the third year had already reviewed the test papers.


    For these third year¡¯s teachers, this was a painful and joyful pleasure.


    It¡¯s painful because they had to sacrifice their time and holiday time with their family to mark the test papers. It was joyful because they could see little improvements from their students¡¯ results. They were seeing the College Entrance Test, like a bonus to entering higher education.


    ¡°Yang Jian¡¯s results are really good, his Literature and Languages¡¯ test scored 128 points, Mathematics 135 points, his Comprehensive Science test also got 242 points, if he can get more than 120 points in his English test, then he could pick most of the country¡¯s major universities.¡± Hu Qiusheng read a few top students¡¯ statistics¡¯ grades in the class with a satisfied expression.


    Actually, it was almost impossible for the third year¡¯s teachers to completely review the examinees¡¯ tests¡¯ papers in one day. But this didn¡¯t prevent the teachers in charge of their respective class to review the top students¡¯ tests in advance.


    ¡°Yang Jian¡¯s English results came out, 128 points; his total score has reached 633 points. Teacher Hu, congratulations! The two months he has spent working hard on this one finally bears fruit. Yang Jian is likely to be admitted to the Tsinghua University.¡± Quickly, the Class 5 English teacher handed Yang Jian¡¯s English exam paper to Hu Qiusheng.


    Upon hearing Yang Jian got 633 points in the second Monthly Test, other teachers in the office could not help but look toward Hu Qiusheng with envious eyes, and then spoke words of congratulation to him one after another.


    ¡°Hey, Tang Lijuan from our class only got 610 points, it seems he only got second place again.¡±


    ¡°Teacher Xiao, you don¡¯t need to sigh, even the first genius in our class only got 598 points, I don¡¯t know whether he would be able to enter the top ten or not.¡±


    ¡°This time, the difficulty degree for this Monthly Test was really raised too high compared to the last month¡¯s. Its degree of difficulty is already close to the College Entrance Test. The students who are able to get more than 550 points should be able to enter prestigious universities.¡±


    ****


    During most of the time today, these third year¡¯s teachers had arranged the last month¡¯s highest scorer in the forefront on top of test¡¯s papers that had been marked, they also basically knew quite well about this time¡¯s Monthly Test¡¯s results.


    All the tests¡¯ papers had been marked, and there were 27 students who got 550 points or more, of which 12 of them came from Class 5, which was almost half of the total number. This made everyone become more envious to Hu Qiusheng¡¯s good luck, and at the same time, they also had no choice but to congratulate him one by one.


    ¡°Everyone still remembers my bet with Teacher Han, right?¡± Having been flattered by numerous teachers for a while, Hu Qiusheng then spoke with a smug and conceited tone with a face full of an excited expression.


    Hu Qiusheng¡¯s words were like a pair of giant invisible hands that grabbed down on everyone¡¯s neck, making the office instantly quiet down.


    Looking at Hu Qiusheng¡¯s expression which was seemingly blown up with success, everyone in the office subconsciously frowned with knitted brows. Never did they feel so disgusted with someone like this before.


    ¡°Oh, my wife has been calling me several times that I should go home quickly for dinner, see you everyone.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too late today, if I don¡¯t go home, my girlfriend will be angry again. I can¡¯t continue reviewing the test papers again, see you everyone.¡±


    ¡°Since the marking for top 20 students for each classes¡¯ test papers have basically been completed, let¡¯s review the rest of the test papers tomorrow. Today everybody has worked hard, so let¡¯s go home to rest first.¡±


    ****


    Under Hu Qiusheng¡¯s stunned and dumbfounded gaze, the room which was previously full of people, was instantly emptied by the people who went home, leaving only him and Han Qingwu.


    ¡°Teacher Hu, you want to go home with everyone now, or do you want to personally mark Tang Xiu¡¯s test paper, and then rig it again?¡± Han Qingwu looked at Hu Qiusheng and faintly smiled, with ridiculing expression.


    ¡°You¡­ you¡­¡± Hu Qiusheng was almost unable to breathe from a few words from Han Qingwu, as he sprouted out this ¡°you¡± words and pointed to Han Qingwu¡¯s nose for a long time. Unable to speak a complete sentence, he finally gasped for a breath and slammed the door when he went out.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 22

    Chapter 22: I¡¯ll Become Number One


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    These last two days were undoubtedly the happiest time for Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu completely put aside his practice as well as studying.


    All day long, he was beside his mother, indulging himself to enjoy his mother¡¯s spoiling without the slightest restraint.


    Tang Xiu had long been longing such a wild hope, that one day he could have this day after living for ten thousand of years in the Immortal World. And now, his long-cherished wish had finally come true. Therefore, Tang Xiu truly cherished each second he spent together with his mother.


    No matter what time, regardless of any place, Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes were unable to even lose sight of his mother¡¯s face even for a second.


    ¡°You sonny, why do you always watch attentively and look at your mother¡¯s face, is there any flowers growing on my face?¡± Having felt her son fondly attached to her, joy filled Su Lingyun¡¯s heart, even though she couldn¡¯t help but scold him as well.


    ¡°Mom¡¯s face must be more beautiful than flowers.¡± Tang Xiu blurted out without even thinking.


    ¡°Oily mouth and smooth talker, you certainly have a girlfriend at school.¡± Hearing the praise from her son, happiness blossomed in Su Lingyun¡¯s heart, as she then scolded him with a happy expression.


    ¡°I do want to have a girlfriend, but unfortunately nobody looks at your son.¡± Tang Xiu curled his lips and spoke in disdain.


    Han Qingwu¡¯s figure involuntarily flashed through Tang Xiu¡¯s mind after he said these words, as well as his intimate scene with her.


    ¡°That¡¯s because they are blind, they will regret it one day.¡± Looking at her son¡¯s content and happy smiling face, Su Lingyun felt touched that her son was happily smiling. Su Lingyun affectionately stroke Tang Xiu¡¯s head and then hugged him.


    However, happy times have always been short.


    The 2 days of the monthly vacation had fleeted.


    Although Tang Xiu was extremely reluctant to go, he had no choice but to return to school since his mother urged him to.


    ¡°Have you heard that this Monthly Test¡¯s results have all come out? I heard that there are some students from our class that entered the top 20.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that also, I didn¡¯t expect that apart from her outstanding abilities in sports and outside activities, Cheng Yannan also excelled in studying, I¡¯ve completely fallen for her.¡±


    ¡°In the previous Monthly Test, Cheng Yannan only got 400, how could her points suddenly increase by 100 points?¡±


    ****


    When he just walked and entered the classroom, Tang Xiu heard everyone discussing the Monthly Test¡¯s results.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t participate in the discussion, but was racking his brains about some ways to make money.


    Having gone through the restaurant¡¯s smashing, followed by that loan shark debt collectors matter, Tang Xiu became more aware of the importance of having formidable strength.


    Tang Xiu knew that if he lacked strength just like when he had his rebirth, then, not only would have he and his mother been humiliated by those several bullies headed by Hei San, but those debt collectors from the Eternal Growth Trading Co. could also have beaten them. It was too horrible to even imagine the consequences.


    It was precisely because he was lucky enough to fit the cultivation requirement and practice the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Origin, which caused his physical body to undergo an earth-shaking transformation, that he had the strength to face and defend himself against all kinds of crises at that time.


    However, practicing this Heavenly Art of Cosmic Origin also gave excessive and overbearing side effects. Tang Xiu didn¡¯t dare to actively practice this cultivation technique this month, and instead tried to find an alternative substitute for the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Origin with other martial skills and cultivation techniques.


    However, after having spent one month, even though Tang Xiu had tried every cultivation technique and martial skills in his memory, he despairingly found out that all those cultivation techniques and martial skills from the Immortal World had harsh requirements regarding the need of heaven and earth spiritual energy. They simply were not suitable to be practiced on Earth.


    Having realized that he had no means to practice all those cultivation techniques and martial skills in any situation, if Tang Xiu wanted to have the strength to protect his family and himself, moreover wanting to return to the Immortal World to have his revenge, then, he must choose to practice this Heavenly Art of Cosmic Origin.


    But, in order to practice Heavenly Art of Cosmic Origin, Tang Xiu naturally had to find a way to find and buy all kinds of precious herbs and minerals in order to refine his bodily liquids and use it to temper and refine his own body. This certainly would need massive amounts of money.


    ¡°If I were to draw magical charms and sell it, could it be regarded by people as snatching God¡¯s stick?¡±


    ¡°Also, I don¡¯t know whether there are any other cultivators on Earth or not. If there are, it actually wouldn¡¯t be bad if I built a formation array and sold it to them to make money, would it?¡±


    ¡°Or concocting pills and then selling them?¡±


    ****


    Tang Xiu spent the whole night trying to find ways to make money only to find out by himself that the grand and sophisticated way of making money in the Immortal World couldn¡¯t be applied on Earth.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, even if we failed this exam, it really doesn¡¯t matter. There are still 2 months left till the College Entrance Test, so if we are willing to work hard, we can take the Unified Examination and be admitted to a university.¡± Having seen Tang Xiu studying in the evening with his brows wrinkled, sighing voices, and wailing breath, Yuan Chuling was under the impression that Tang Xiu had already known about the Monthly Test¡¯s results and thus gave this kind of response. He gently spoke these comforting words as his side.


    ¡°Fatty, do you know any good way to make money?¡± Upon hearing Yuan Chuling¡¯s words, Tang Xiu eyes turned bright as he caught Yuan Chuling¡¯s arm, and asked with an excited expression.


    Tang Xiu knew that the reason why he couldn¡¯t come out with any good way to make money was because he himself was only a bumpkin and had no business sense. On the other hand, he had been living for ten thousand years in the Immortal World, and since he was only here for a little while, he still was unable to keep up with the senses and thoughts of the living rhythm on Earth.


    But Yuan Chuling was different. His parents were successful businessmen. Having grown up and been influenced by such a kind of business environment, both of his business sense and talent were certainly incomparable to his.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, how much money do you want? I can lend you.¡± Seeing an eager expression from Tang Xiu, Yuan Chuling froze for a moment, and then quickly replied in a bright tone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to borrow money, but want to make money. You tell me which is the world¡¯s most profitable business, or what is the fastest way to make money.¡± Tang Xiu knew that Yuan Chuling misunderstood his words and replied while shaking his head.


    ¡°The quickest way to make money is certainly robbery; robbing a bank or jewelry shop. It doesn¡¯t need any business and could be built from nothing, it¡¯s enough to cover your current problems.¡± Yuan Chuling blurted out and talked without even thinking.


    Upon hearing Yuan Chuling¡¯s remarks, Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but give him a supercilious look, then heavily slapped his shoulders, and snappily spoke, ¡°I¡¯m serious dammit! I¡¯m dead serious in asking for your advice.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to rob or don¡¯t dare to rob, then you can only buy lottery tickets, it could even make you a billionaire overnight. However, this is being too reliant on luck.¡±


    ¡°There is also speculating the stock market, albeit it needs a huge amount of capital as a support for the deed, but you also need to spend enough time and energy to study it meticulously. And this obviously doesn¡¯t suit you.¡±


    ****


    ¡°Tang Xiu, if you want to make money then you can talk to me, eh. I know a lot of ways to make money. Now, the most suitable for you is to become a top scorer in this year¡¯s provincial College Entrance Test. As long as you can be a top scorer on the College Entrance Test for our Shuangqing province, those kinds of bonus, endorsements, and advertisements will definitely roll in. Ordinary people could never make that much money in their entire lives.¡± When Tang Xiu was happily talking with Yuan Chuling, an ill-timed voice abruptly stuck in and interrupted their conversation.


    Tang Xiu looked up and found that the one who was interrupting was Su Xiangfei. His brows wrinkled, and subconsciously, he had the urge to beat him.


    But Su Xiangfei¡¯s words nevertheless had him palpitate, sparking his interest. It caused him to repress the anger inside as he then asked Yuan Chuling, ¡°Fatty, does the top scorer of the College Entrance Test for the Shuangqing Province really make a lot of money just like he said?¡±


    ¡°Eldest Brother, becoming the top scorer in the provincial¡¯s College Entrance Test is definitely worth the money, the point is that we couldn¡¯t even become a top scorer in the provincial College Entrance Test. It has been 13 years and not even one student from our Star City First High School is able to become the top scorer in the provincial¡¯s College Entrance Test. And if you can be the highest scorer for the provincial College Entrance Test, I think our school will even reward you 1,000,000 in cash.¡± Under Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes that were full of inquiries, with a face full of an agonized expression, Yuan Chuling nodded his head.


    ¡°Hahaha, I will die laughing. He actually really wants to take the top scorer for the College Entrance Test?¡±


    ¡°Hey, it seems the rumors really are true, Tang Xiu¡¯s mind really has a problem.¡±


    ¡°He said before that he must be number one on the test, and now he said he will become the top scorer for the provincial College Entrance Test. Maybe a few days later, he will proclaim that he will rush out of the universe.¡±


    ****


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s serious and earnest expression, Su Xiangfei, lead the other students in Class 10, as they couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter.


    Yuan Chuling¡¯s face flushed red in shame at the side, while Cheng Yannan, who was sitting in front of Tang Xiu, also slightly knitted her delicate eyebrows.


    Only Tang Xiu who still had a light expression and sat undisturbed in the same place, didn¡¯t even move his ass. He only swept his eyes over the loudly laughing classmates surrounding him at the side with a calm and tranquil expression. There wasn¡¯t even rippling waves in his deep eyes, as if the one who was being ridiculed was not himself.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, the English and Math exams¡¯ papers have already been issued in advance. How many points did you get from these 2 preliminary subject tests? I suppose it would be unlikely that all completely got a salted duck¡¯s egg, right?¡±[1] Having been out of breath due to laughing for quite a while, Su Xiangfei then asked.


    ¡°What? The exams¡¯ papers had been sent down? How could it be that I didn¡¯t know about it eh?¡± Tang Xiu looked around with a blank expression, and then found that the Monthly Tests¡¯ papers were really being put on everyone¡¯s desk.


    Tang Xiu, at this time, was only thinking about one thing, and since he was too single-mindedly and drowned in the thought about making money, he didn¡¯t even notice that the English and Math exam papers had been issued in advance.


    ¡°Fatty, have you seen my Monthly Test¡¯s exam papers?¡± Tang Xiu turned toward his desk, and also looked at the floor, but he didn¡¯t find his Monthly Test¡¯s exam papers. He couldn¡¯t help but ask to Yuan Chuling at his side.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, I haven¡¯t seen your Monthly Test¡¯s exam papers. I thought you had received it.¡± Yuan Chuling replied quietly just like the sound of mosquitoes.


    From the beginning, after the exam papers had been sent down, Yuan Chuling¡¯s attention was fully glued to the eye-catching-bright red result on his results, and he didn¡¯t pay attention to whether Tang Xiu got his Monthly Test¡¯s exam papers or not.


    However, to Yuan Chuling¡¯s understanding about Tang Xiu, he didn¡¯t think that Tang Xiu was playing with him, but he knew that Tang Xiu might really have yet to get his Monthly Test¡¯s exam papers. So, Yuan Chuling was also confused and puzzled.


    ¡°Hahaha, I really could die because of laughing. You solemnly vowed to take the first grade before the test, and now you even afraid to show the Monthly Test¡¯s exam papers to everyone. It can truly be called as a misfortune to me. Could it be that the English test with the Math turned out to be as I have predicted and feared, that all the tests got the ¡®salted duck¡¯s eggs¡¯?¡± Upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s and Yuan Chuling¡¯s appearances that looked like they were pretending, Su Xiangfei couldn¡¯t help but laugh again.


    ¡°For each preliminary exam you only used less than half an hour to hand your exam paper and then leave. Other than making noises to get the attention from almost nearly the entire school, that our class has presented such a genius, I really don¡¯t know what to call it otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Seizing the limelight to the extreme only to make a fool of yourself, and now you¡¯re also playing dumb. Tang Xiu, you haven¡¯t disgraced yourself enough in Class 5 and actually came to our Class 10 to disgrace yourself again, your face is really very thick.¡±


    ****


    Under Su Xiangfei¡¯s lead, the other students of Class 10 let out an extreme ridicule to the highest degree of their abilities as they gathered around Tang Xiu, denouncing and sneering at him one sentence after another, missing only the cursing that pointed at Tang Xiu¡¯s nose.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you come out.¡± When Yuan Chuling was unable to bear it any longer and was about to come forward bravely, a crisp and sweet voice suddenly rang from the classroom¡¯s door.


    Hearing this familiar and full of majesty voice, the noises in the classroom abruptly ended, and everyone went back to their seats quickly, taking out pen and paper, pretending to calculate something.


    ¡­¡­¡­..


    [1] Salted duck eggs here refer to BIG ZERO points¡­ 0 0, while salted, well it¡¯s a taste¡­ hahaha


    Udeze notes:


    Well¡­ how should I say it¡­ how many chaps of Returning From the Immortal World you guys want? Please don¡¯t answer it¡­ hahaha¡­ well, I can promise at least 3 chaps a week since I¡¯m also working on Great Dao Commander and The Lame Daoist Priest. However, for some occasions, such as holidays or other special occasions when time allows me to translate more, I¡¯ll translate more. You can see my track record from GDC and TLDP, that I never stockpile chapters, but I have always been making up for all the chapters I owe due to my absence cuz of a monster called REAL LIFE¡­


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 23

    Chapter 23: It¡¯s Not The Most Shameless, Only More Brazen


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    The one who suddenly appeared at the classroom¡¯s door was Han Qingwu.


    Han Qingwu¡¯s prestige had been firmly established after more than a year in charge of Class 10, and every student had extreme respect and love for her.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, do you know why teacher is calling you out?¡± In the corridor outside, after staying silent for a moment, Han Qingwu asked in a soft voice.


    ¡°If my guess is right, it should be related to the Monthly Test, right?¡± With his brain¡¯s processing speed far surpassing average people¡¯s, the moment Han Qingwu called him out in a loud voice, Tang Xiu had already understood about the matter, and naturally knew how to deal with it.


    Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s answer, Han Qingwu fell into silence again as her round pair of beautiful eyes stared at Tang Xiu and watched him attentively.


    At the beginning, Tang Xiu also returned the gaze toward Han Qingwu with eyes full of sexual intentions.


    After a long while, Tang Xiu was finally defeated.


    Han Qingwu¡¯s expression was too pure with not even the slightest ill-meaning intention and anger, and Tang Xiu simply was unable to have the heart to blaspheme her pureness.


    ¡°Teacher Han¡­ Aren¡¯t my English and Math exam papers being confined by you? Could it be that after seeing my tests¡¯ results, you think that I have cheated on the exam and you don¡¯t want me to make a fool of myself in front of the whole classmates, so you want to cover me?¡± Although Han Qingwu hadn¡¯t said a word, Tang Xiu could read it from Han Qingwu¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°You¡­ you really didn¡¯t cheat?¡± Hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, Han Qingwu¡¯s tender body trembled while a disappointed expression flashed in her eyes.


    ¡°Teacher, do you remember the words I told you before the exam?¡± Tang Xiu didn¡¯t answer Han Qingwu, but rather asked an irrelevant question.


    Han Qingwu¡¯s delicate white face suddenly turned rosy when she heard Tang Xiu¡¯s words. She clearly remembered that night before the exam, not only was Tang Xiu kissing her, he also deliberately baited her with words. So, she told him that she would be protecting and taking care of Tang Xiu for a lifetime.


    ¡°Teacher Han, before the exam, I¡¯ve said that I will take this monthly test seriously to ensure that Hu Qiusheng will regret it and even make him deeply regret. You shouldn¡¯t have forgotten it.¡± Seeing the puzzled and not understanding expression from Han Qingwu¡¯s garish and beautiful face, Tang Xiu knew that Han Qingwu¡¯s thoughts were straying as he then smiled and reminded her.


    ¡°Do you also remember that you said such words? Then why did you make such big scene when you took this monthly test? You were bursting into tears and were in a daze in the Language and Literature exam room. Why did you hand over the exam papers after answering the test for less than half an hour? Did you want to make teacher disappointed?¡± Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, Han Qingwu was unable to suppress the restlessness in her heart, even her voice imperceptibly increased by several decibels.


    When Tang Xiu heard it, he only smiled wryly and couldn¡¯t help but touch his nose, while an embarrassed expression was fully drawn on his face.


    ¡°Teacher Han, the process is not important, but the results are. As long as the results are very good, everything is alright, is it not?¡± Tang Xiu faced the classroom with a pouted mouth and replied in a soft voice.


    ¡°The results are very good, ah, you big-headed demon! Your scores are too fake. The Language and Literatures exam got 140 points, 150 points for English test, 150 points for Math test, and Comprehensive Science test is 272 points, with total score reaching 712 points. You¡¯ve even surpassed the genius Yang Jian who successively became the top scorer on the Monthly Test who only got 633 this time. Yours are 79 points higher than him!¡±


    ¡°This shows that I am more of a genius than him. Ah, Teacher Han, shouldn¡¯t you be happy for me? So why do you look like you¡¯re very angry?¡± With a puzzled expression, Tang Xiu asked back.


    ¡°I AM very happy, and even too happy. However, that bastard Hu Qiusheng said that you were cheating on the test. When I insisted on watching the surveillance video in the exam room, he even said that someone was lying. He, from the very start, never believed that you might get such results from the test. Let alone him, even the whole third year¡¯s teachers, no one believes that you can get this kind of result on the test!¡± Upon seeing that Tang Xiu seemingly hadn¡¯t truly realized the seriousness of the problem, Han Qingwu couldn¡¯t help but roar.


    ¡°Teacher, be calm, you need to be calm.¡± Seeing that not only several heads were popping out from his classroom, but also some people from other classrooms were attracted to see the commotion due to Han Qingwu¡¯s shout, Tang Xiu quickly reminded her.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who should be calm, big demon! Now Hu Qiusheng even insisted that because you got such good results at the test, it¡¯s entirely because you had read the test papers questions in advance, but also made oblique charges that since I couldn¡¯t afford to lose, then I deliberately leaked the test papers questions to you. Now you tell me, what¡¯s to be done with this matter?¡± Han Qingwu stared straight as she approached Tang Xiu, angrily appealing him with a charming and loveable expression.


    Han Qingwu didn¡¯t realize that her manner at this time she had completely forgotten her own self.


    In front of Tang Xiu, Han Qingwu seemed not like a teacher, but more like a pair of friends.


    ¡°What, he was so shameless?¡± Tang Xiu apparently had never thought that his sudden outbreak would result in such a counterproductive effect.


    Previously, Tang Xiu thought to hide his strength and then improve his test scores bit by bit, making it seem natural. Thus, it would be easier for everyone to believe it.


    But every time Tang Xiu thought of that snob¡ªHu Qiusheng¡¯s¡ªface, anger filled his heart, not to mention there were also Yang Jian, and another group of people such as Su Xiangfei who were cynical, mocking and ridiculing him. Which then made Tang Xiu suddenly change his previous thought.


    Even if he got a moderate score on the test, as long as he was progressing, he would certainly be suspected of copying and cheating.


    Besides, their test¡¯s results were average in general, so everyone could have suspected that he was copying someone and cheating. Thus, he might as well leap up in a single bound. Therefore, the others would be unable to suspect that he was cheating and copying other¡¯s tests. But since he got the highest score, who else could have been his target for copying?


    After having listened to Han Qingwu¡¯s explanation, only then did Tang Xiu realize that for people with noble nature, even if you shot him from behind, he would only suspect that the gun was only being shot accidentally. But for people without shame, even if you do better, they could and would always find countless reasons to discredit you.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, if you and teacher ensured that your test scores are true and valid, I have a way to clear up your name, so that bastard¡ªHu Qiusheng¡ªhas to apologize to you!¡± Upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s excited expression, a trace of strange expression flashed from Han Qingwu¡¯s eyes; she had unexpectedly believed Tang Xiu¡¯s words.


    Han Qingwu was speaking in English for this sentence. Although she believed Tang Xiu¡¯s words, she still couldn¡¯t help but want to test Tang Xiu and find out if Tang Xiu was really as he said, that he had already achieved the first-grade standard.


    ¡°Teacher Han, in fact, I wanted to tell you that after the accident. Although there was a problem with my brain, but my performance actually didn¡¯t fall. I just become tired of the tests, so my grades became so bad, do you believe me?¡± Tang Xiu was perfectly aware that jumping up from the bottommost grade to the topmost grade was also a little bit too unbelievable, so he simply weaved a lie.


    Of course, Tang Xiu also replied this sentence in English.


    Seeing that Tang Xiu not only fully understood the content in her English sentence, but also used such authentic and fluent American-English to reply to her with confidence, Han Qingwu¡¯s eyes instantly brightened.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, are you really not joking with teacher?¡± After having been lost in words for a moment, Han Qingwu responded back to the of Tang Xiu¡¯s previous words while couldn¡¯t help feeling overjoyed.


    ¡°Teacher Han, I can lie to you for once, but I couldn¡¯t deceive you the next. Whether what I¡¯ve said is true or false, you can find out in the next two monthly tests, right?¡± Tang Xiu blinked his eyes and replied with a smile on his face.


    ¡°Good, great, I can imagine that Hu Qiusheng would regret it, and even vomit blood at once tomorrow.¡± After having gotten positive answers from Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth, Han Qingwu couldn¡¯t help but burst into a happy laughter, and then handed over the English and Math exam papers to Tang Xiu.


    After taking the exam papers, Tang Xiu then leisurely returned back into the classroom as Han Qingwu left with a relieved and eased feeling.


    When Tang Xiu had almost entered the classroom, the evening bell indicating the end of studying time ringed in the school, causing the previously still and quiet school to be thrown into rocks of a lake, and instantly boil up.


    Tang Xiu cleaned up his desk and then quietly left school.


    Previously, Yuan Chuling had told him a lot of ways to make money. Although Yuan Chuling himself didn¡¯t seem to be reliable, but Tang Xiu really considered his words.


    Of course, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t come out this time for robbing, neither was it to buy lottery tickets, nor to speculate the stock market.


    Half an hour later, Tang Xiu¡¯s figure appeared in a Game Hall called ¡°Health and Prosper Club¡±.


    Tang Xiu had long known the existence of this Game Hall, and even repeatedly passed this place, albeit he had never entered. He only knew that there were many boys in the school who were addicted to the game hall and often spent their pocket money in this place, as well as always coming out from this place cheerfully.


    When he had just stepped into the Game Hall, Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but cover his nose. Even his straight and nice looking brows were wrinkled upwards and slanted.


    Tang Xiu was almost suffocated since the Game Hall was very noisy with shouts and screams, filled with lingering smoke with a bad stench; it was completely a different world compared to the outside.


    But remembering his goals, Tang Xiu held back his impulse to run out.


    The Game Hall was about 400 square meters large, and had all kinds of slot machines, with a variety of slot machine designs inside. There were all kinds of large and small slot machines ordered in 6 rows, for a total of 100 pieces.


    Almost every slot machine was surrounded by a few people, or even a dozen people standing there. It was truly unexpected that such a small Game Hall could actually gather over a thousand people.


    And to Tang Xiu¡¯s surprise, he even found that amongst these more than 1000 people, even less than a half were wearing uniforms and mostly were from neighboring schools.


    ¡°With regards to minors, gambling machines are way too deceptive for them. At first, many minors were thinking that they were only playing games. The results were that they finally became addicted to them and abandoned their studies. This Game Hall was opened in the middle of the downtown area and didn¡¯t even ban students from entering, this bad influence is really too much.¡± Silently observing the crazy and lively scene in the Game Hall, a disgusting feeling rose in Tang Xiu¡¯s heart toward the Game Hall.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t immediately start, but silently watched the method to play with the slot machine.


    With such amount of people inside the Game Hall, Tang Xiu¡¯s behavior didn¡¯t cause any attention.


    An hour later, Tang Xiu went to the new waiter and exchanged 10 coins before he lined up behind a slot machine.


    The basic operation of the slot machine was very simple, one only needed to insert the coin and then pull down the handle. If the symbols in the box in the middle were matched, then one could get the reward money, while the sum of money was related to the odds with the symbols¡¯ occurrences.


    Sometimes even if it didn¡¯t match, if a specific symbol jumped out, you still could have a certain reward, and this symbol was usually a cherry. Sometimes, the machine will set a ¡°universal¡± symbol that could substitute and match any other symbols, and the reward for this ¡°omnipotent¡± symbol was greater than the usual reward.


    However, making money out of slot machines was very difficult, and Tang Xiu had been observing it for an hour. Most people playing slot machines basically didn¡¯t get much yield. Even if some people occasionally had small wins, they would soon lose the money they had won.


    With his fast brain¡¯s operating speed that was far above ordinary people¡¯s, Tang Xiu already familiarized himself with the rate of return for each slot machine from this hour of observation. He also knew the rules of each slot machine in his mind.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, it¡¯s actually really you! I thought I had seen the wrong person. You have no money to pay your tuition, but you¡¯re rich enough to play slot machines in the Game Hall. Just wow! You are really awesome!¡± Just when Tang Xiu¡¯s turn was about to come, someone¡¯s barks suddenly came out of nowhere and bursted near Tang Xiu¡¯s ears, causing Tang Xiu to have no choice but to shift his attention from the slot machine and look back.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 24

    Chapter 24: The Good Luck That Makes People Jealous


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    The someone that suddenly appeared at Tang Xiu¡¯s side was Su Xiangfei.


    In order to pressure the third year students to study more, the Star City First High School purposefully increased the difficulties for the last Monthly Tests¡¯ questions, so the average results for the Star City First High School¡¯s students in this Monthly Test were far from ideal.


    Su Xiangfei¡¯s results were also only average. When the last Monthly Test¡¯s results came out, it almost made him cry without tears. Only until he found that the class¡¯s average results were also low did he feel relieved.


    But, despite this fact, after having seen his own marks, Su Xiangfei¡¯s mood plummeted into an unprecedented abyss. He endured to stay and study with great difficulty until the end of the first studying session, and then he immediately pulled the other 2 students to come to the Health and Prosper Club to vent his feelings.


    But Su Xiangfei had never thought that he would encounter a familiar face in this Game Hall, much less that this familiar person was the most improbable person that was likely to appear in this place.


    Tang Xiu only glanced once at Su Xiangfei before he retracted his sight again, because the person that lined up in front of Tang Xiu had spent all of his money and it was his turn to play this slot machine. Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to delay his money-making project only because of Su Xiangfei.


    All slot machines¡¯ programs had been pre-set beforehand and only produced random prizes, so it was difficult to find a way to win steadily. However, through careful observations and calculations, Tang Xiu found that there were still some ways to increase the odds of winning, or at least to win a certain prize.


    In most cases, when the slot machine had been used for a certain amount of time, it would be out of a symbol pattern, and there was a great chance to twist around the prize symbols from the symbol pool.


    For Tang Xiu¡¯s financial state, he naturally couldn¡¯t have many game coins to play. However, this didn¡¯t prevent him from winning the prize.


    One thing that must be known was that many people in the Game Hall were lining up only to have fun with the slot machine, not to mention that those people obviously only played to vent their feelings or came here to test their luck. They neither read the symbol table nor studied the symbol¡¯s occurrence odds and rate of return.


    Tang Xiu had spent a full hour to observe the symbol table, while also thoroughly analyzing the game coins¡¯ accumulative rate from hundreds of slot machines in the Game Hall inside his mind. After he silently observed and calculated the number of queues in front of the slot machine, as well as the numbers of game coins they had, Tang Xiu decisively chose to line up in front of this slot machine.


    When the person in the line in front of him had spent his game coins, Tang Xiu subconsciously felt relieved.


    Even though there was a little deviation in Tang Xiu¡¯s calculation, and this slot machine¡¯s symbols¡¯ prizes in the pool were twisted, but it would be unrelated to him. Because he only needed to insert 5 game coins to play and win the prize from this slot machine.


    For fear that someone would cut the line, the moment the person in front of him had just left, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t hesitate to insert his game coins in the slot machine, and then immediately pressed the spin button.


    Because of Tang Xiu¡¯s action, the three patterns in the slot machine¡¯s glass frame quickly spun, and if specific patterns (such as three identical patterns) would appear, then the prize money that it gave would be higher.


    After a few seconds, the pattern stopped spinning, but the slot machine didn¡¯t ring anything.


    ¡°Hahaha, you country bumpkin, why did you move that fast? You have never played a slot machine it seems. Playing with slot machines is not dependent on the movement, but on luck!¡± Seeing Tang Xiu carelessly throwing his game coins and failing, Su Xiangfei couldn¡¯t help but burst into a loud laughter.


    Tang Xiu was too lazy to look at Su Xiangfei as he inserted the game coins and then pressed the spin button again.


    After a few seconds, the pattern stopped spinning again, but the slot machine still didn¡¯t ring.


    ¡°Hey Buddy, this machine seems to have gone bad, it only swallows money but won¡¯t spit any. I have been seeing it for half an hour and not even once have I seen it give out any game coins. I say, you don¡¯t need to waste your game coins on this slot machine.¡± Having seen that Tang Xiu had inserted the game coins for two consecutive times without any response from the machine, someone from the crowd loudly reminded him.


    Tang Xiu glanced at that youth gratefully and then continued to dig the game coins from his trousers.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, bah, your mind indeed has a problem. He said that this machine has a problem, but you still throw your money on this machine. You don¡¯t have any other place for you to spend, do you?¡± Clearly looking at Tang Xiu¡¯s reaction from his eyes, Su Xiangfei couldn¡¯t help but mutter.


    Tang Xiu ignored Su Xiangfei, and continued inserting the coins on the coin¡¯s slot.


    This time, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t immediately press the ¡°spin¡± button, but pressed the ¡°raise¡±, and then inserted another coin into the machine again.


    Having repeated this action twice, Tang Xiu¡¯s fingers then grabbed the ¡°spin¡± button above.


    The most exciting feat from the slot machine was the prize accumulation (jackpot). Not every slot machine had a jackpot. Generally, if you play the English version of the casino game machine, you could see ¡°progressive slot¡± that was a cumulative prize pool. But if you wanted to win the pot, it would need 3 chips for each bet.


    Once it hit the marked symbol on the prize pool, then all game coins in the slot machine would be spat out.


    The reason why Tang Xiu inserted 2 game coins in front was exactly due to it being the most appropriate time to get the biggest bet.


    ¡°You brain indeed has a problem, and not light it seems. Let¡¯s go play there, looking at this idiot only gives me a heart attack.¡± Upon seeing Tang Xiu repeatedly ignore him, he was unable to vent his anger, so Su Xiangfei turned around and left after muttering to himself.


    In the next moment, Su Xiangfei¡¯s body was felt like it was struck by paralyzing technique, as he stood motionless.


    Su Xiangfei had almost turned his body when, in a split second after, crisp and clear tinkling sounds passed into his ears.


    Having often come to the Game Hall to play, Su Xiangfei clearly knew that this was the sound of winning the prize money, and also the heavy winning one.


    Subconsciously, Tang Xiu¡¯s action of filling coins for 2 consecutive times flashed through Su Xiangfei¡¯s mind.


    ¡°The jackpot, he actually hit the jackpot!¡± An absurd thought boiled from Su Xiangfei¡¯s mind, making him subconsciously yell out loudly.


    When the slot machine issued sharp and crisp tinkling sounds, not only was Su Xiangfei stunned, but the crowd who was standing around the slot machine to watch was also shocked.


    Because the sounds exuding from this slot machine was a bit too long.


    The sounds coming from this slot machine really caused a big stir. Not only did it attract the people who played games nearby, but also attracted the Game Hall¡¯s boss.


    ¡°What happened, what happened, who broke my machine?¡± A short and plump, full of fat middle-aged man, shouted and squeezed in front of the slot machine.


    His mouth was slightly twitching when he saw a lot of game coins everywhere on the floor, and then immediately laughed loudly, ¡°Ah, congratulations to you, little brother, this machine hasn¡¯t given a prize money for a month yet. But you actually have run into good luck, it is estimated that it hit up to tens of thousands, yes?¡±


    Facing the boss¡¯s cordial smile, Tang Xiu was quite unable to give any respond first, since the boss didn¡¯t reveal any painful expression at this time. Or maybe he was simply pushing the excuse that the slot machine was having a problem, and then denied him of winning a lot of game coins?


    Tang Xiu immediately understood the reason in the next moment.


    The boss was all smiling after Tang Xiu had said something, after which he immediately turned around to everyone in the Game Hall, ¡°Everyone, you all can see that our slot machines in the Health and Prosper Club are 100% okay, small investment and huge returns. It¡¯s simply investing a dime to earn a million. Except for robbery, never will you find any job that could make money like this compared to this one!¡±


    Upon hearing the Game Hall¡¯s boss¡¯s words, Tang Xiu sneered in his heart endlessly.


    According to Tang Xiu¡¯s observation, the Game Hall¡¯s slot machines were obviously tapped and machinated by the boss, not only did it have low winning odds, but the prize money was also much lower.


    The reason why the slot machine being used by Tang Xiu gave this abnormal result was because too many people had played this slot machine today, which was already beyond the boss¡¯s control.


    Under the boss¡¯s misleading enticement, the Game Hall instantly boiled.


    People who originally intended to watch the fun also ran to the counter to buy game coins, while people who previously only intended to buy a few game coins to test the water were now also increasing their purchase amount without hesitation. As for the veteran-addicted hardcore players, they waved stacks of paper money and ran to the counter.


    For a moment, a smile blossomed on the Game Hall¡¯s boss¡¯s face.


    ¡°It¡¯s only 18,000 game coins, damn, this Game Hall¡¯s boss is really stingy.¡± After Tang Xiu clearly estimated the game coins in his hands, he couldn¡¯t help but pout his mouth, and then went to the counter to convert those coins into money.


    However, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t completely convert all game coins into money, but left 100 pieces of game coins and continued to play in the Game Hall.


    ¡°Yo Buddy, you don¡¯t have any game coins, then I¡¯ll give you some, and anyways, thanks for your kind reminder before.¡± When he accidentally passed a slot machine, Tang Xiu saw someone who was sighing in a vexed tone and was about to leave the slot machine. And since Tang Xiu was in a buoyant mood he threw 20 game coins to him.


    The reason why Tang Xiu still vividly remembered this man was because this youth was bald-shaved, and second, because this bald youth was the only one that kindly reminded him amongst so many onlookers at that time.


    ¡°Ha¡­ Ah, it¡¯s you, thank you buddy. If I win then you can have half of the money.¡± This bald youth obviously had never expected that he would get such a surprising joy. When he saw Tang Xiu clearly, he just brazenly took the game coins and turned around to play again with full spirit.


    This bald youth obviously had been drowned in a deep addiction, because he almost put the biggest bet for each gambling stake.


    Saving only 6 coins, he fully threw all of his game coins given by Tang Xiu into the slot machine.


    The bald youth was thinking that this time, he was really in vain and only wasted all of his money to the Game Hall¡¯s boss, when suddenly, clear and loud clinking sounds exuded from the slot machine as game coins spit out from it at the next moment.


    ¡°This¡­ This¡­ Hahaha, I made it!¡± Looking at the game coins on the floor, the bald youth loudly cheered and then rushed up.


    Although the game coins won by this bald youth at this time were not as many as Tang Xiu¡¯s, it was around 4,000 game coins. Not only was he able to win back all the money he had lost, but he also had a slight surplus, of which naturally made him excited.


    Of course, the thing that made this bald youth most happy was that he finally won a game from the Game Hall, rather than usually making him lose and become a bottomless pit. The anger and vexed feeling in his heart finally got vented.


    ¡°Buddy, these game coins are yours, we¡¯ll play again later.¡± The bald youth casually grabbed some of the game coins, and then put the rest of the game coins into Tang Xiu¡¯s hands.


    Tang Xiu wanted to refuse, but found that the bald youth had already gone in a flash. He couldn¡¯t even find his shadow. He reluctantly received and took the rest of the game coins, then went to the counter to convert a large numbers of game coins to paper money.


    Su Xiangfei was behind Tang Xiu with a foolish expression in his eyes.


    Su Xiangfei usually refrained from drowning himself in the Health and Prosper Club. But almost all of his pocket money was spent in the Game Hall, and although Su Xiangfei sometimes won some game coins, he soon lost it once more.


    But in just a few minutes, Su Xiangfei had been watching Tang Xiu¡¯s track, as he not only won nearly 20,000 game coins, but also received gifts of several thousands of game coins, which made Su Xiangfei jealous.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 25

    Chapter 25: Refusing the Toast, Only to be forced to Drink


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Su Xiangfei wasn¡¯t the only one who had a foolish expression in the face. The other two classmates behind him also fell into the same predicament.


    ¡°Tang Xiu does really go out of the door and tread his step on. He could actually win so much money in the Game Hall. I have visited the Game Hall so many times, but this is my first time seeing someone win so much money in the Game Hall.¡±


    ¡°This is what¡¯s called an idiot¡¯s luck. If Tang Xiu¡¯s brain was normal, he couldn¡¯t have won so much money.¡±


    Su Duanxin and Tan Liquan were watching Tang Xiu with a face full of envy. They wished that the one who had won the money was not Tang Xiu but them.


    ¡°What does Tang Xiu have to deserve being envied, huh? His grades are the bottommost for the entire year. With the problem with his brain, not only would he fail to enter university, he would also face problems in the future. Don¡¯t tell me that you think these 20,000 game coins could let him eat and drink for a lifetime?¡± Su Xiangfei stared at his two followers and spoke out of disdain.


    Su Xiangfei didn¡¯t notice that he was talking with a voice mixed with a sour taste.


    Although Tang Xiu also noticed Su Xiangfei and the other 2 classmates¡¯ presence, and even heard that they were talking about him; however, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t put their words in his heart, since he simply didn¡¯t have time to pay attention to them.


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu¡¯s vision locked to another slot machine inside the Game Hall.


    Judging from this slot machine¡¯s rules to win the prize money, it would need to swallow at least another 100 game coins before it can spit out game coins. But Tang Xiu had long calculated the odds of this slot machine would give.


    ¡°100 game coins in exchange for 8,000 game coins, this seems to be a quite a worthwhile transaction.¡± Tang Xiu murmured and then unhurriedly stood behind the slot machine¡¯s queue.


    If Tang Xiu had just entered the Game Hall, he would be reluctant to spend 100 game coins to play slot machines, but Tang Xiu had won 18,000 game coins today and then received more than 3,000 game coins, so he simply didn¡¯t care about these 100 game coins.


    Since Tang Xiu¡¯s action had stirred up the Game Hall and attracted a lot of people¡¯s attention, it made many people subconsciously encircle around Tang Xiu when he began inserting game coins again; even Su Xiangfei¡¯s trio were no exception.


    Regarding the onlookers who were standing in a circle and watching, never once did Tang Xiu care about them. He just slowly filled the game coins into the slot machine in front of everyone, and then pressed the spin button.


    At first, everyone also had wild expectations from Tang Xiu, since they thought that because Tang Xiu could win twice, and then he would be sure to win the third time.


    But when everyone saw Tang Xiu continuously insert coins into the slot machine for 20 times, and didn¡¯t hear nor see any sounds, the onlookers gradually scattered.


    ¡°I thought a God of Gamble came here, but I didn¡¯t expect he was also trying his own luck.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because we were thinking too much, playing slot machines is, of course, dependent on luck. How the hell could it depend on skills to win? Otherwise, the boss would be in extreme deficit.¡±


    ¡°Bah, pretending to be so unpredictable, as if he¡¯s like the God of Gamble¡¯s reincarnation. Damn, I really wasted my feelings in vain.¡±


    ****


    Upon hearing the incoming comments, voices, and complaints in his ear, Tang Xiu mouth slightly pouted upwards even though his face also exposed a trace of a teasing smile expression, because this was precisely the effect that he wanted.


    He knew that amongst those onlookers that stood around watching him, not only were real onlookers there, but several employees from the Game Hall must also be mixed in amongst them. And they obviously wanted to watch as to how he used his tricks to hit the jackpot.


    Along with Tang Xiu¡¯s repeatedly losing game coins, nobody suspected anything about Tang Xiu¡¯s jackpot winning.


    But this fact also made Tang Xiu alarmed, this Game Hall was obviously not like how its boss had shown the generosity on the surface. On the contrary, this Game Hall was very stingy and narrow-minded, and it seemed that the Game Hall¡¯s background was even more complicated.


    When Tang Xiu had inserted 113 game coins into the slot machine, it finally exuded pleasant cheers, and then a large number of game coins sprayed out.


    ¡°What the hell, it couldn¡¯t be, right? He hit the jackpot again?¡±


    ¡°How could he be so awesome?¡±


    ¡°If we also count the baldy who won the prize money before, this dude has hit the jackpot for 3 times today, this luck is way too ridiculous!¡±


    ****


    After Tang Xiu hit the jackpot, the previously scattered crowd once again flocked to his side and looked at him with burning hot eyes.


    It had to be said that of Tang Xiu¡¯s first jackpot was but only luck, then Tang Xiu¡¯s help for the baldy to hit the jackpot could be called as a coincidence. But Tang Xiu¡¯s third jackpot¡¯s hit definitely couldn¡¯t be explained as only luck and coincidence.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, you are my Eldest Brother. Can you teach me how to play the slot machines?¡± When Tang Xiu was cleaning up the game coins leisurely, the baldy suddenly squeezed out from the crowd and grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s arm as he began to beg excitedly.


    Previously, when Tang Xiu was on that slot machine, this baldy only grabbed dozens of game coins and had long spent all of it, then he suddenly saw that Tang Xiu won again. This baldy started to see Tang Xiu just like a celestial being, and immediately pestered Tang Xiu without hesitation.


    Regarding this baldy¡¯s brazen and familiar behavior, Tang Xiu subconsciously knitted his brows and was slightly regretting helping that baldy before.


    But Tang Xiu also quite appreciated this baldy¡¯s fervent and frank attitude, so he didn¡¯t make things difficult for him and instead joked and teased him, ¡°Ah, the casino certainly will lose its brilliant light because of your baldness. If you can keep your hair, you also will be able to win.¡±


    Having finished his words, he didn¡¯t wait for the baldy for the answer. Tang Xiu got up and left.


    Behind Tang Xiu, the baldy slowly stroke his smooth and slippery bald head as he saw Tang Xiu leave and looked at his back, while his face showed a thinking expression.


    _¡°I¡¯ve won 30,000 game coins from this Game Hall. In the end, should I continue playing, or quit while I¡¯m ahead?¡±_ After he exchanged more than 8,000 game coins in his hands for paper money again, Tang Xiu glanced at the Game Hall¡¯s boss, whose face was fully covered with a tense expression, as if he was falling into a tangle.


    ¡°Little Brother, this is my little regard, please receive it.¡± When Tang Xiu had yet to make up his mind, the Game Hall¡¯s boss¡ªLi Kanglong¡ªquickly took out a stack of paper money from the drawer and handed it to Tang Xiu, with a face full of a pleading expression.


    Tang Xiu was frozen for a moment and then understood the boss¡¯ thought.


    ¡°Are you insulting me, or insulting yourself?¡± Having swept the paper money on his hand, Tang Xiu asked with a disdained tone.


    It was because Tang Xiu saw that the stack of paper money in the hands of the Game Hall¡¯s boss was too thin, and he could easily determine that the money in his hand would be no more than 2,000 yuan.


    If Tang Xiu were to continue playing in the Game Hall, he certainly could sweep away the entire Game Hall, of which wouldn¡¯t amount to 2,000 game coins, but it possibly could be 100,000 to 200,000 game coins.


    But the Game Hall¡¯s boss actually wanted to use 2,000 yuan to kick him out, which made Tang Xiu unable to throw away his previous thought and vanish, and instead gave birth to a trace of anger out of nowhere.


    ¡°Brat, if you¡¯re smart and tactful, then take our boss¡¯ money and get the fuck out. Otherwise, not only must leave behind all the money you have won in the Game Hall, but you also must stay here.¡± Just when Tang Xiu¡¯s words had just finished, a gloomy and probing-like voice suddenly sounded in his ear.


    Tang Xiu turned around and followed the voice¡¯s direction and saw from the side a tattooed youth with sinister and fierce look was glaring at him like a tiger watching its prey.


    There were also several punk-styled youths standing next to the tattooed youth. These punks¡¯ hair cut was peculiar as well as clad in exaggerated attire, and they faintly blocked the game hall¡¯s entrance, encircling Tang Xiu in the middle.


    ¡°Boss, is this your way to entertain the patrons?¡± Tang Xiu looked at the boss¡¯s face with a proud expression and asked in a sharp and stern voice.


    ¡°What? Do you have any complaints?¡± Li Kanglong sneered.


    ¡°I was thinking that I also wanted to quit while I¡¯m ahead. But since the boss says otherwise, then it seems that I have no better options than continue playing.¡± Upon seeing the Game Hall¡¯s boss¡¯ expression that seemed like wanted to eat him, Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but let out a sneer, and then turned around and walked to the center of the game hall.


    Those few punk-styled youth were merely only blocking the Game Hall¡¯s entrance, and they absolutely didn¡¯t even expect that Tang Xiu still had the mood to continue playing the slot machines in this kind of situation. For a moment, they couldn¡¯t help but stand still and stare blankly.


    Until Tang Xiu had finally slipped into the crowd, Li Kanglong, the tattooed youth and the others could only reveal a ¡®how could it be?¡¯ expression on their faces.


    ¡°From what background does this brat come from? He really got the balls. How did I never hear there was such a character on the streets?¡± Recalling Tang Xiu¡¯s neither humble nor arrogant manner just now, and coupled with Tang Xiu¡¯s words when he turned away, an uneasy feeling suddenly gushed out from Li Kanglong¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Boss, the Ensemble Heroes Street is our turf, while you and the City Council¡¯s Public Security Division¡¯s Chief Wang Hao are sworn brothers. Don¡¯t tell me that you are afraid of a smelly brat that has even yet to grow his hair?¡± Having heard the boss¡¯ whisper, the tattooed youth spoke in a disdaining tone.


    ¡°Who said I was afraid of him? I¡¯m just curious about the identity of this brat. He can still talk and laugh even though he¡¯s surrounded by us. Either he¡¯s really awesome or not, but we haven¡¯t heard of such a character on the Ensemble of Heroes Street. So he IS obviously one. Why the hell all of you staring at me? If you let him take the advantage to slip away out of chaos, all of you get the fuck out!¡±


    Li Kanglong fiercely stared at the tattooed youth, immediately straightening his chest, and then yelled his orders out loudly.


    On the other side, the baldy youth thought for a long time before he came over and responded to Tang Xiu¡¯s jokes at him before. When he chased him to the counter at the office, he happened to see the conflict between Tang Xiu and the Game Hall¡¯s boss.


    Having eavesdropped the conversation between the Game Hall¡¯s boss with the security guards, a happy smile emerged from the baldy¡¯s face.


    ¡°Li Kanglong, I heard that you want to deal with my Eldest Brother, eh?¡± Not waiting for the security guards to be dispersed, the baldy youth then went over to the counter while smiling and greeted Li Kanglong with a condescending tone.


    ¡°Y-y-you¡­ you are Young Master Long, you honor me to visit my small shop¡­¡± When he heard someone was shouting his name in such exceptionally arrogant manner, Li Kanglong couldn¡¯t help but carefully look and size up that person. However, in the next moment, Li Kanglong¡¯s eyes instantly turned wide while surprise and excitement covered his face.


    Because this person¡¯s background was really big, and even a few words from him could decide the life and death of Li Kanglong¡¯s Game Hall.


    However, the youth in front of him was usually very low-key, to the extent that only a small circle of people knew about his existence. Even Li Kanglong only happened to see this person a few times due to chance and luck. He didn¡¯t dare to continue sizing him up before and was not especially familiar with this person.


    But since this person greeted Li Kanglong on his own initiative, and also stared at him with a teasing expression, Li Kanglong absolutely couldn¡¯t think how this condescending person would come to play at his Game Hall.


    ¡°Young Master Long, you must be mistaken, even if you lend me 100 gallbladders, I wouldn¡¯t even dare to deal with your Eldest Brother¡­¡± Recalling Long Zhenglin¡¯s previous remarks, Li Kanglong hurriedly apologized.


    Li Kanglong hadn¡¯t yet finished speaking his words but Long Zhenglin raised his palm and fiercely slapped Li Kanglong¡¯s face, ¡°One thing that I really loath is the kind of people like you who only want to win but can¡¯t afford to lose to others. If others also open a Game Hall and acted like you, then people could only enter and can never get out. Do you think we¡¯re also some fucking idiots, hah?¡±


    Long Zhenglin¡¯s slap to Li Kanglong¡¯s face made him stare stupidly, since he had never thought that Long Zhenglin, who had been usually a smiling like youth from next door, could have such a violent side.


    ¡°Li Kanglong, you listen to me, the one who just came to you to exchange coins before, is my Elder Brother. What and how he wants to play here, if you dare to play dirty, I don¡¯t mind playing with you.¡± Under Li Kanglong¡¯s confused and puzzled eyes, Long Zhenglin dropped his words before leaving quickly.


    Upon hearing Long Zhenglin¡¯s words, Li Kanglong felt like he was struck and killed by lightning, while that tattooed youth¡¯s group was also completely taken aghast.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 26

    Chapter 26: Getting Rich Overnight


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Boss, what should we do now?¡± After enduring the full silence for a long time, the tattooed youth nervously spoke and asked Li Kanglong.


    ¡°What the hell can I do¡­ I can only recognize my defeat today and let that high school student play anything he likes. As long as he¡¯s happy, Young Master Long will also calm down, and we would be able to continue opening the Game Hall.¡± Li Kanglong was full with bitterness and an astringent feeling while recalling Long Zhenglin¡¯s father¡¯s power in Star City.


    At this moment, Li Kanglong desperately wanted to fiercely slap his own face a few times. Had he been a little more generous and willing to dig some money up for that high school student, this situation wouldn¡¯t have happened.


    Now, not only had he offended Young Master Long, but he might also lose more money.


    ¡°Boss, if that high school student really has found out the regular pattern for winning the slot machine¡¯s prize, then we will be losing too much money since we had yet to clean up the game coins in the slot machines for nearly a week.¡± The tattooed youth spoke in a worried tone.


    ¡°Researching the regular pattern to win the slot machine¡¯s prize? You think too much! How the hell could there be such a genius in Star City? If there is such a genius, it would be much better to directly go to gamble in Macau, why the hell would he need to come to my small shop, huh?¡± Li Kanglong quite disagreed when he heard the tattooed youth¡¯s words.


    Although Li Kanglong said that Tang Xiu could never study the general pattern to hit the slot machine¡¯s jackpot; however, unusual restlessness filled his heart.


    If it were not for the fear and dread of the powerful backer behind Long Zhenglin, Li Kanglong would have quickly kicked Tang Xiu out from the Game Hall.


    While Li Kanglong and his goons were drowning in uneasiness, Tang Xiu was disposing of everything without even the slightest scruple.


    After hitting the jackpot for 3 times previously, Tang Xiu already became famous in the Health and Prosper Club. Whenever he was facing a slot machine, the majority of the people would give their queue position to Tang Xiu, and let him display his unique skill of controlling the slot machine to spray out game coins.


    However, some others who saw Tang Xiu line up behind them thought that the slot machine would certainly give a 100% winning rate, so they were unwilling to leave their spots. But Tang Xiu only laughed and didn¡¯t speak as he didn¡¯t hesitate to line up in front of other slot machines, causing those people an incessant embarrassment and feeling of loss, not knowing what to do.


    Because the Game Hall¡¯s aggressive attitude enraged Tang Xiu, his next moves were absolutely unrestrained, and didn¡¯t even care about the Game Hall¡¯s standing anymore.


    After that, everyone in the Game Hall witnessed the episodes of the game coins¡¯ spraying from the slot machines.


    3 game coins in, 12,000 game coins spat out.


    17 game coins in, 6,000 game coins sprayed out.


    99 game coins in, 22,000 game coins burst out.


    ****


    In just half an hour, Tang Xiu had swept more than half of the slot machines in the Game Hall, with each slot machine giving Tang Xiu several thousands to tens of thousands of game coins, while the most impressive one gave him more than 20,000 game coins.


    Even those players who hung onto certain slot machines and refused to give their location remained puzzled even after pondering his actions over a hundred of times. Although they also eventually won the prize, but the odds were very small, and then waited until they had spent their game coins. Never were they able to win the prize more than once.


    When they realized that they were unable to even make money by seizing the slot machines, nobody resorted to these petty tricks again and took Tang Xiu cheaply, while the rest of people in the Game Hall also excessively praised him, full of admiration.


    Finally, all the players in the Game Hall were disturbed by Tang Xiu, and they also didn¡¯t attend to their own slot machine, but rushed behind Tang Xiu. Wherever Tang Xiu walked, they would always follow him behind, as they wanted to see whether the miracle would continue to happen.


    When Tang Xiu was crazily sweeping several tens of thousands of game coins in the Game Hall, Li Kanglong almost cried, because he was perfectly aware that even though the Game Hall¡¯s profit was very big, it didn¡¯t mean that all that profits were his sole possession.


    In fact, Li Kanglong was but only the Game Hall¡¯s boss on the surface, because the majority of the shares mostly belonged to other people. So, once he lost too miserably, not only would he be kicked from his boss¡¯ position, he even had to dig the money from his own pocket to fill the deficit.


    But facing Long Zhenglin¡¯s threat, Li Kanglong didn¡¯t dare to take any actions.


    Li Kanglong at most could subsidize it using his money bit by bit should the Game Hall fall into extreme deficit. But if he dared to ignore Long Zhenglin¡¯s words, he could and would lose his life.


    At this very moment, Li Kanglong¡¯s regret literally had made his intestines green. He was bleeding from his heart.


    Li Kanglong regretted that he was too stingy, and also regretted he was too headstrong in front of Tang Xiu.


    Had Long Zhenglin gave his permission, Li Kanglong wished that he could immediately run and kneel to Tang Xiu, and beg him to not continue playing.


    But under Long Zhenglin¡¯s smiling expression that faintly threatened him, it caused Li Kanglong to simply not dare to approach Tang Xiu, let alone apologize to him.


    ¡°Damn, Tang Xiu is really awesome, it¡¯s no wonder that he got good results in the test and has always been taking the first grade, and also took so many Olympic Games competition medal back for the school.¡±


    ¡°Huh, it¡¯s not right, hasn¡¯t Big Brother Fei said that Tang Xiu¡¯s brain is damaged? But I¡¯m really sure that his performance just now could never be explained by only luck. Tang Xiu must absolutely have calculated the slot machine¡¯s odds and its general patterns to hit the jackpot.¡±


    Su Duanxin and Tan Liquan looked at Su Xiangfei¡¯s complexion that already turned pale and ugly as they both whispered to each other.


    ¡°Do you think Tang Xiu is very clever? Envying Tang Xiu because he won so much money?¡± Upon seeing Su Duanxin¡¯s and Tan Liquan¡¯s envious expressions, Su Xiangfei let out a disdainful smile, ¡°I firmly believe that his mind still has some problems!¡±


    ¡°You can think about this, how could such a big Game Hall run a business in the most bustling Ensemble Heroes Street in the Star City? Could this Game Hall¡¯s boss be a nobody? If he let Tang Xiu continue making trouble like this, where the hell should the Game Hall¡¯s boss put his face? Tang Xiu is only making money and exchanging it with his life!¡± Looking at Tang Xiu¡¯s complacent and proud expression, a pitying expression flashed across Su Xiangfei¡¯s face.


    After listening to Su Xiangfei¡¯s analysis, Su Duanxin and Tan Liquan couldn¡¯t help but tremble with fear¡­


    At the next moment, they no longer looked at Tang Xiu with envy and jealous¡¯ eyes, but instead turned into pitying and sympathetic looks.


    Su Duanxin and Tan Liquan were also aware that the world absolutely had never been so clean just like it seemed on the surface. So the more money Tang Xiu won at this very moment, the more impossible the Game Hall would let him go.


    If Tang Xiu realized and was aware of what had to be done, he would willingly turn in all his game coins and buy his way out from the Game Hall.


    If Tang Xiu wasn¡¯t aware of his predicament, it could be estimated that Tang Xiu¡¯s fate would be very miserable.


    So, no matter how much money Tang Xiu had won this time, his efforts were useless.


    Su Duanxin and Tan Liquan didn¡¯t know that, although Su Xiangfei at this time thought that Tang Xiu wouldn¡¯t be able to walk out of the Game Hall, but he had already identified one thing, that was, Tang Xiu¡¯s mind had returned to normal, and it was even more sophisticated compared to before he got a car accident.


    Moreover, Tang Xiu¡¯s confident expression and his unscrupulous behavior also made Su Xiangfei¡¯s heart palpitate, because he even faintly felt that Tang Xiu had nothing to fear even though he especially won big in the Game Hall, as if he had a powerful backer. Tang Xiu should have long been preparing the way out; otherwise, it didn¡¯t make sense, and it was hard to imagine that if he completely was unable to think it through.


    Half an hour had passed and Tang Xiu had basically wiped clean all the slot machines in the Game Hall. At this time, he had gained a shocking amount of 470,000 game coins.


    Tang Xiu had played all of the game machines here, not to mention that he didn¡¯t come here to play, but to win. Tang Xiu didn¡¯t even wait for the Game Hall¡¯s personnel to come and deal with him as he took all the game coins he had won and came over to the front desk to exchange it into money.


    Seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s walking direction, the Game Hall instantly turned deathly silent as everyone¡¯s thought could only be spoken in their throats.


    Everyone perfectly knew that the real play was going to unfold.


    Even if Tang Xiu had won a lot of game coins, if he had no way to convert those coins into money, then his previous big efforts were only wasting his time.


    Everyone had the same thought that it was impossible for the Game Hall to convert Tang Xiu¡¯s coins into money, or they would never let Tang Xiu safely leave the Game Hall.


    But awkwardly, to everyone¡¯s astonishment, the Game Hall¡¯s boss not only didn¡¯t obstruct Tang Xiu, but also revealed an apologizing smile, and even personally delivered all money to Tang Xiu¡¯s hands, while also nodding to Tang Xiu and respectfully escorting him outside of the Game Hall.


    Clearly seeing with their own eyes as to how the Game Hall¡¯s boss had literally nodded and bowed to Tang Xiu, everyone was gasping and dumbstruck. They all thought that their eyes were having problems, or they were simply in a dream as they could only stand motionless and speechless on their spot for a long time, unable to respond to anything for the matter.


    Tang Xiu himself also felt bewildered. He had long been mentally prepared that he could only solve this problem with violence, and never did he have the thought that this Game Hall would let him out like this.


    ¡°How could it be like this? How could it be possible that the Game Hall¡¯s boss let Tang Xiu out? The Game Hall¡¯s boss is absolutely worried about the bad aftermath it could bring, so he didn¡¯t want to take care of Tang Xiu inside the Game Hall, but intends to wait for Tang Xiu to arrive at a remote place, after which he could begin to clean him up. Yes, it should be like this, the scenes in the movie usually developed like this.¡± Upon seeing the differences between the script scenario and his imagination, an astonished expression covered Su Xiangfei¡¯s face.


    Su Duanxin and Tan Liquan, who also had been waiting to see the major drama, could only find that the good play was not even happening, they felt they were just like being messed by somebody. Only after listening to Su Xiangfei¡¯s analysis did their hearts feel better.


    ¡°Big Brother Fei, let¡¯s quietly follow Tang Xiu and find out what kind of fate and end he will get?¡± Having hesitated for a moment, Su Duanxin suggested, as if he wished to jump over and move.


    When Su Xiangfei heard it, his eyes lightened up and did not hesitate to nod and agree. The trio then quickly chased him.


    Outside the Game Hall, Tang Xiu had almost just stepped out of the doorstep when Long Zhenglin stopped and blocked him.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, are you really short on money that much? If you¡¯re short of money, I have a way to make you rich overnight!¡± After nearly an hour of entanglement, Long Zhenglin had already successfully approached and followed Tang Xiu closely and wormed his way into being friends with Tang Xi, and even shamelessly saluted Tang Xiu as a Master with a brazen face.


    Although Tang Xiu hadn¡¯t given his consent or was willing to admit to having such a young brother like Long Zhenglin, but Long Zhenglin brazenly ignored Tang Xiu¡¯s opinion and persisted to address Tang Xiu as his Eldest Brother.


    ¡°You only fancy my ability to calculate and want me to make money through gambling. But I have merely won a little more than 30,000 yuan from the Health and Prosper Club, and now I am surely being targeted by them. Do you think to use me and get rich overnight through gambling?¡± Tang Xiu glanced at Long Zhenglin and snapped.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, you¡­ how do you know that I want you to go gambling? Oh right, you have that smart brain in your head. You certainly can guess my mind with the flick of your toe.¡± Hearing that Tang Xiu easily discovered his intentions, Long Zhenglin couldn¡¯t help but feel surprised. But then, as he recalled Tang Xiu¡¯s reaction in the Game Hall, Long Zhenglin quickly felt relieved.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, if you are really confident about your gambling ability, not only have I the means to make you rich overnight, but you will also have the chance to make someone owe you a favor. With that person¡¯s favor, you can conveniently do a lot of things in the Shuangqing Province.¡± Seeing that Tang Xiu already guessed his purpose, Long Zhenglin didn¡¯t tuck and hide again, but rather blurted out with an excited expression.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 27

    Chapter 27: The Place with a Spiritual Vein


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    [Heavenly Art of Cosmic Origin >>> Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis]


    Long Zhenglin¡¯s words made Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes brighten up, and he couldn¡¯t help but glance at Long Zhenglin.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s instinct could clearly tell that Long Zhenglin was not the kind of delinquent youngster that often hung out at the Game Hall. Although Long Zhenglin was shamelessly pestering him, but his words, actions, and mannerism didn¡¯t have the slightest annoying low life aura.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who helped solve my problem with the Health and Prosper Club back there, yes?¡± Tang Xiu stopped walking and suddenly asked.


    Long Zhenglin originally wanted to shake his head and deny it, but under Tang Xiu¡¯s gaze, he still finally said the truth, ¡°Eldest Brother, the Health and Prosper Club doesn¡¯t respect any business ethics, so I gave them a warning. It seems that my actions were unnecessary because even if I didn¡¯t act, Eldest Brother could have solved that club. Oh no! Eldest Brother, did I do something that bothered your pleasure?¡±


    ¡°Although I can solve the trouble with Health and Prosper Club myself, but still, I owe you a favor. The name is Tang Xiu, Class 10, third-year student at Star City First High School. If you need me, you can come to look for me.¡± Tang Xiu stared at Long Zhenglin and finally decided to accept him as a friend.


    ¡°Eldest brother, you¡¯re polite, I¡¯m surnamed Long, the name is Zhenglin. I¡¯m schooling at Second High School and I¡¯m also a third year. I¡¯ll be sure to visit you in my free time.¡± Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words that seemed like he was going to leave, Long Zhenglin also knew when to stop, and didn¡¯t dare to continue pestering Tang Xiu any longer.


    For Long Zhenglin, he wasn¡¯t only successful in getting close with Tang Xiu, but also knew Tang Xiu¡¯s identity, and it would be easier to contact him further and to him; this had been a worthwhile endeavor.


    After a simple farewell, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t delay anymore and quickly left.


    Gazing at Tang Xiu¡¯s back until his figure gradually faded away in darkness, an excited smile emerged on Long Zhenglin¡¯s face.


    ¡°Brother-in-law, we have been saved. As long as Tang Xiu takes action, we can definitely take Walled Hill Village.¡± Long Zhenglin gripped his fist and waved his arm, then he got into a sports car at the roadside and quickly left.


    ¡°What the¡­ Holy shit! He¡¯s Long Zhenglin. Big Brother Fei, its Long Zhenglin! How would Tang Xiu be acquainted with him? Moreover, how could Long Zhenglin keep calling Tang Xiu as Eldest Brother?¡± In a remote corner, Su Duanxin let out a low scream.


    ¡°We should have mistaken him for someone else, right? Long Zhenglin¡¯s status is very high, how could it be that he would play in such a lowly place like the Health and Prosper Club? He¡¯s even very humble to an ordinary person. That youth should be someone that looks like Long Zhenglin and posing as him, ain¡¯t it?¡± A doubting and puzzled expression covered Tan Liquan¡¯s face as he spoke in an unsure tone.


    At this moment, Su Xiangfei clenched his fist tightly; even when his nails pierced his palms, he was unaware that his palm had bled.


    Looks could be similar, the name also could be used, but that sports car could never be faked.


    Six months ago, Su Xiangfei was quite fortunate as he had to accompany his father to attend Long Zhenglin¡¯s adulthood rite ceremony. Long Zhenglin¡¯s family had prepared a custom-made version of a Rolls-Royce Phantom sports car as his adulthood rite¡¯s gift, with a license plate number that was the combination of Long Zhenglin¡¯s first adventure¡¯s fight and birthday.


    Whether it was the customized version of Rolls-Royce Phantom or that exaggerated license plate number or the banquet with a variety of high-class performances. All in all, everything was a feast for all the guests¡¯ eyes who attended the banquet. Especially for each and every boy and girl who were at the same age with Long Zhenglin. They could only feel inferior and look at him with envy and jealousy.


    Therefore, even though Su Duanxin and Tan Liquan still doubted whether that youth was really Long Zhenglin, Su Xiangfei was quite certain that the bald youth was Long Zhenglin.


    _¡°How would Tang Xiu know Long Zhenglin? And their relationship also is seemingly not shallow. This is truly troublesome. It will be very difficult to deal with Tang Xiu later.¡±_ Recalling Long Zhenglin¡¯s proud and arrogant character, and then recalling how Long Zhenglin was sticking to Tang Xiu, Su Xiangfei felt like he was in a dream, and it was also very hard for him to think that it was only the first meeting between Long Zhenglin with Tang Xiu. Moreover, Long Zhenglin was the one who took the initiative to stick and entangle to Tang Xiu.


    After leaving the Health and Prosper Club, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t immediately return to school, but rather brushed over his body and went straight to the city¡¯s outskirt.


    Due to cultivating the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis, Tang Xiu¡¯s body had been reborn and transformed into a whole new state. Even though he didn¡¯t practice any martial and movement skills, his speed far surpassed an ordinary person¡¯s.


    Since he had decided to fully practice the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis, Tang Xiu naturally had to be fully prepared.


    On the cultivation path, the aspects that must be particularly paid attention to, were nothing more than 4 aspects, ¡°The Methods¡±, ¡°The Dao Companion¡±, ¡°The Wealth¡±, and ¡°The Land¡±.


    The Methods referred to cultivation techniques and methods. Without these aspects, one could only blindly practice and cultivate. The Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis was precisely an ancient record of a divine cultivation technique that was fiercely fought by the Immortal World¡¯s giants with bloody efforts and endeavors. Tang Xiu also had countless cultivation techniques and secret manuals in his mind, so he naturally didn¡¯t need to worry about cultivation methods.


    The Companion pointed to other cultivators or Dao companions, ¡°The Classic of Rites¡± mentioned that: ¡°Learning alone without friends will result in ignorance and narrow-mindedness¡±. The Earth itself was a world with the final law stage, so Tang Xiu was destined to never find any other cultivators or Dao Companions on Earth. However, since Tang Xiu only just started cultivating, he was completely indifferent toward this aspect.


    The Wealth meant that it referred to certain financial circumstances because, in the early stages of the cultivation path, the greatest extent of time and mind would be consumed for practicing. Thus, there would not be enough time to make money correspondingly. If one had no underlying cultivation resources, his cultivation path would be very difficult. People from the ancient times had said, ¡°Without wealth, it would be insufficient to bring up anything.¡±


    The Land referred to the place of practice or cultivation place with distinct environments which had harmonious with distinct qi atmosphere that would greatly impact one¡¯s cultivation.


    Regarding the Method and Dao Companion, Tang Xiu could exempt these aspects. However, he had no choice but to rack his brain for the Wealth and Land aspect.


    In this month, except for a small amount of time for studying, Tang Xiu had been spending most of his time in the library.


    Drowning himself in the library naturally was not because Tang Xiu needed to study, but instead tried to find other cultivators¡¯ existence on Earth, while also looking for a suitable place for his cultivation at the same time.


    Even though Tang Xiu had nearly read all the books in the library, he still wasn¡¯t able to find any trace of other cultivators, which made him suspect that there were simply no cultivators on Earth


    However, he also read and flipped over a lot of books about human culture, history, geography, biography, as well as other books. Of which, had given him a plausible but possible sacred ground spot for cultivation.


    The place was not in the main city but was located 70km from the main city¡¯s suburb, which was called Walled Hill Village.


    Today Tang Xiu was heading to Walled Hill Village specifically to investigate it, and to find out whether Walled Hill Village was really a suitable place for cultivation. If Walled Hill Village was really described just like in the book, Tang Xiu intended to get a piece of land in Walled Hill Village and construct his Immortal Cave for cultivation in that place.


    Half a day later, Tang Xiu¡¯s figure appeared on top of Walled Hill Village¡¯s summit. At this time, Tang Xiu had already explored this place completely.


    Looking at the vast sky full of stars above his head, which as if it could be picked with his hand and bathing the main city that simply had no Heaven and Earth spiritual energy, an excited expression was seen on Tang Xiu¡¯s face.


    ¡°Spiritual Vein, this Walled Hill Village actually has a Spiritual Vein hidden underground. Since this place has a Spiritual Vein, then it should have precious heavenly materials. I no longer have to worry about concocting Body Refining Liquid.¡± Standing on top of the mountain boulder, Tang Xiu turned around, highly spirited, and couldn¡¯t help but look up to the sky while his mouth let out a long whistle.


    Since his rebirth, Tang Xiu had always been in fear and trepidation as if his hands and feet were tied.


    On one hand, it was because the earth¡¯s spiritual energy was very thin that it was even almost extinct, causing all cultivation techniques and secret martial skills to completely become useless ornaments; this made Tang Xiu helpless.


    On the other hand, he had accidentally fitted himself for cultivating the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis. Which made his body start to passively cultivate this Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis, and he was unable to control it.


    If he could practice this Heavenly Art in the Immortal World, Tang Xiu would be absolutely ecstatic. However, since Earth¡¯s spiritual energy had almost vanished, cultivating this Heavenly Art only made Tang Xiu want to cry and feel helpless.


    Although cultivating the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis didn¡¯t need any Heaven and Earth spiritual energy. However, the key point in this Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis was that it had a harsh and excessive need of precious heavenly materials to concoct Body Refining Liquid. While these precious heavenly ingredients also could only be found and in a place rich with spiritual energy.


    However, there was no spiritual energy on Earth, which meant that there were no precious heavenly materials to concoct Boy Refining Liquid. Thus, when Tang Xiu accidentally began to cultivate the Heavenly Arts of Cosmic Genesis, the only path waiting for him was a dead end.


    Tang Xiu was naturally very happy, since today he had found such spiritual vein in the Shuangqing Province, which was in this Walled Hill Village. This implied that he could also find other places on Earth that had Heaven and Earth spiritual energy.


    ¡°The spiritual vein seems to be under this boulder, but I don¡¯t know whether this Walled Hill Village belongs to somebody or not, else it will be a little troublesome.¡± Having circled around the vicinity of the Walled Hill Village¡¯s summit, Tang Xiu then focused his attention toward the spiritual vein in this place, while his face exposed a pondering expression.


    To Tang Xiu¡¯s knowledge, Walled Hill Village was regarded as a strangely named place by most inhabitants in the Shuangqing province. Had Tang Xiu not flipped through a large number of books in the province¡¯s library, he would have never found out that such a hidden fairyland existed in the Shuangqing Province.


    The Walled Hill Village _(Zhai Shan Ping)_ formerly known as the Imperial City on the Lesser Cold Mountain _(Xiao Liangshan)_ , and was an ancient village. According to historical records, in the late Ming Dynasty era, when the peasant uprising army¡¯s leader¡ª¡ªentered Sichuan, he attacked this place and occupied this mountain, and acted as king. After which, he proclaimed himself as the emperor. He set this place as his Imperial City and collected all weaponries as well as treasures from all regions, and then buried them underground, which then would be called as the Iron Built Tomb. The walled village built the South Star Gate _(Nanxing Men)_ , Peaceful Gate _(Ping ¡¯An Men)_ , Great Plain Gate _(Taiping Men)_ , Heavenly Treasure Gate _(Tianbao Gate)_ , Immortal Gate _(Changsheng Men)_ , and 18 others city gates and roads. While a few kilometers of wall had also been built to surround the city. In addition, there was also the mysterious Li Family ancestral hall, splitting sword stone, government official residences, fort, and ruins of Goddess of Mercy Temple _(Guanyin Temple)_. [1]


    After having realized that dawn had come, Tang Xiu restrained his urge to begin searching for precious heavenly materials needed to cultivate the first stage of the Heavenly Arts of Cosmic Genesis¡ªthe Stars Tyrannical Body.


    The Heavenly Arts of Cosmic Genesis was divided into four stages¡ªStars Tyrannical Body, Stars Heavenly Essence, Stars Essence Integration, and Stars Cluster Transformation.


    The Stars Tyrannical Body stage itself consisted of Breathing Practice, Skin Strengthening, Flesh Strengthening, Bone Transformation, Meridians Transformation, Marrow Transformation, Viscera Transformation, Qi and Blood Circulation, and Nine Cores Phase Forming.


    The Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis was created by a God Race¡¯s genius based on the God Race¡¯s body to strengthen their extremely weak physical aptitude. Of which, in theory, was to emulate the Demon Race¡¯s body; thus, becoming the reason for the creation of this cultivation technique. For each sub-stage of tempering and strengthening, it would need countless of rare and precious materials, while each and every one of them had nothing in common.


    Cultivating the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis required the practitioner¡¯s strength to be extremely high. If the strength was not up to the required degree, even if the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis cultivation speed was faster, one could only end up absorbing too much star energy, finally causing his body to explode and die.


    The creator of this Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis had repeatedly emphasized that, if ones were to cultivate the first stage of this Heavenly Art, the Stars Tyrannical Body, they must prepare sufficient rare and precious medicinal herbs and minerals. As well as a fierce beast¡¯s internal organs, blood¡¯s essence, tendons, and many others. Only then could they advance in tempering and strengthening their body.


    Notes:


    [1] What a time consuming chapter to translate¡­ not because it was difficult, but the historical record made me research it for almost 6 hours¡­ not to mention that this chapter makes me baffled since I don¡¯t know whether the Shuangqing Province wrote by the author was intentional or not, because the place described in this novel should be located in. And _Zhaishan Ping_ (Walled Hill Village) itself is an actual place. Zhang Xianzhong was a rebel leader in the late Ming Dynasty and about his treasure¡ªof which also described in this chapter, some of them were illegally trafficked,. That¡¯s why I¡¯m still including the original names for the gates and also the place¡¯s original name in this chapter.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 28

    Chapter 28: Incompatible as Fire and Water


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu was sitting motionlessly on his seat at Star City First High School¡¯s classroom with an unusually ugly expression.


    Through a night of effort, although Tang Xiu was able to find a dozen types of rare and precious medicinal herbs as well as all rare minerals needed to concoct the Body Refining Liquid, he didn¡¯t even find any trace of fierce beasts, so he naturally had no idea as to where he could find fierce beasts¡¯ internal organs and blood¡¯s essence.


    ¡°Could it be that, because this world¡¯s spiritual energy is too thin, it had caused the extinction of the Earth¡¯s fierce beasts, or the Earth is simply unable to give birth to any fierce beasts?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s face turned deathly pale when this possibility suddenly crossed his mind.


    Even though concocting the Body Refining Liquid could be carried out without the fierce beasts¡¯ internal organs, blood¡¯s essence, and tendons; however, the effect of the Body Refining Liquid would be greatly reduced, and also multiplied the dangers Tang Xiu would encounter in cultivating the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis.


    And since he couldn¡¯t any find fierce beasts now, maybe one day he would be lacking a rare medicinal herb and rare minerals. Wouldn¡¯t it be equal to completely making him unable to cultivate the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis?


    ¡°This won¡¯t do, I must find the substitutes to concoct the Body Refining Liquid, or find a replacement for the raw materials. Immortal World has Immortal World¡¯s advantages, while Earth also has its own. The science and technology on Earth is very developed, and never will I believe that I can¡¯t solve this problem in cultivating the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis!¡±


    Slowly, firm, brilliant lights flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes while his expression also slowly eased, before he finally revealed a confident smile.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, Teacher Han wants you to go to the Grade Section Main Office.¡± A crisp voice suddenly rang near his ears while Tang Xiu was still immersed in his thoughts.


    Tang Xiu looked up and found that Cheng Yannan was unknowingly standing next to his seat, and looked at him with a complex expression.


    ¡°Thanks for the notice, I¡¯ll be there right away.¡± Tang Xiu already faintly understood what issues he would have as he nodded at Cheng Yannan, before he got up and left.


    Seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s slim back from behind, Cheng Yannan¡¯s lips were squirming as she seemed wanted to talk something but hesitated.


    Cheng Yannan had just come out from the Grade Section Main Office, so she naturally knew for what issues Tang Xiu was being summoned by Teacher Han.


    ¡°Your marks have always been in the most bottom, people at most will only ridicule and sneer at you, and you wouldn¡¯t have anything to lose anymore, so why did you choose to cheat?¡± Only until Tang Xiu¡¯s back had disappeared for quite awhile did Cheng Yannan whisper in a soft voice.


    The scene Cheng Yannan had just seen really scared her. Not only were all third years¡¯ teachers gathered at the office, but also the principal, vice principal, as well as several people from the school¡¯s administration were there in order to clarify whether Tang Xiu really cheated or not in the last Monthly Test.


    Almost all teachers at the office believed that Tang Xiu had cheated on the Monthly Test, because his results were too exaggerated. From the total points of 750, he unexpectedly got 712 points, which became even more doubtful since he beat Yang Jian, who successively became the city¡¯s top scorer in the last Monthly Tests. Let alone the one who got this result was Tang Xiu, who was the most bottom-ranked of the entire third year.


    Only Class 10¡¯s teacher-in-charge¡ªHan Qingwu¡ªalone, firmly believed that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t cheat on the test. She didn¡¯t even hesitate to quarrel with other teachers that were headed by Hu Qiusheng, which even made her face flushed red in anger.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, Tang Xiu¡­ the issue that you¡¯re cheating is not important, but you¡¯re dragging Teacher Han into the pit miserably.¡± Cheng Yannan curled her lips, and was extremely disappointed in Tang Xiu.


    However, recalling how Tang Xiu was in Class 10 for only a month, and only spent most of his time sitting in the classroom in a daze, as well as recalling all the rumors about him, the kind-hearted Cheng Yannan neither blamed nor complained about him.


    ¡°I dare to vouch that Tang Xiu absolutely had cheated on this Monthly Test. If he didn¡¯t cheat, then I will resign at once!¡± Tang Xiu happened to hear Hu Qiusheng roar in an agitated voice when he just arrived at the Grade Section Main Office.


    Maybe it was caused by Hu Qiusheng¡¯s intimidating manners, the office turned deathly silent after he roared his words, and even Han Qingwu, who always strongly argued with him, also seemed frightened by Hu Qiusheng¡¯s words and didn¡¯t utter any words again.


    ¡°Hey, Old Tiger Hu, did you mean it with your words that, if I can prove that I didn¡¯t cheat on the Monthly Test, you will really resign?¡± When Hu Qiusheng thought that he had won the final victory and felt triumphant, a frank and clear voice suddenly transmitted, and immediately followed with the door being pushed open by Tang Xiu as he entered the office.


    ¡°You ¡­ you¡­ impudent! You didn¡¯t respect the elderly and superiors. You have no respect for your teachers and their teachings. How could such a person able to get the highest score in the test?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s ¡®Old Tiger¡¯ remarks instantly made Hu Qiusheng stamp into a rage as he suddenly jumped up from his chair and pointed at Tang Xiu¡¯s nose and cursed, ¡°If you can prove that you were not cheating on this test, I, Hu Qiusheng, will change my name to your surname.¡±


    ¡°Old Tiger Hu, I am sorry, there¡¯s no way in hell I will agree to your request. You¡¯ve got to ask my father¡¯s consent to change your surname into mine!¡± Upon seeing the flustered and exasperated expression Hu Qiusheng had, Tang Xiu felt very happy.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s had always abided to his principle with others that, if ¡°a person respected him for a foot, he will return the respect for 10 feet. Had a person ruin his one grain, he would rob 3 buckets from him¡±.


    When Hu Qiusheng repeatedly humiliated Tang Xiu and his mother, and even tried to kick Tang Xiu out of school, the relationship between Tang Xiu and Hu Qiusheng as teacher and student had ended. He naturally no longer had the slightest respect towards Hu Qiusheng, and this was reflected in his rude and disrespecting words.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s words made everyone in the office unable to restrain their smiles. However, when they saw Hu Qiusheng¡¯s eyes that seemed like he was being burned in flames, they held back the urge to explode in laughter with great difficulty.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, shut up! Today, we called you to the office to give you a chance to prove your innocence. If you talk too much again like this, I will drive you out!¡± Upon seeing Hu Qiusheng¡¯s posture, who was about to burst out into a rage, Han Qingwu quickly stopped Tang Xiu and loudly shouted.


    ¡°Teacher Han, I¡¯m sorry, I was just impulsive.¡± Facing Han Qingwu¡¯s scolding, there was no any dissatisfaction in Tang Xiu¡¯s heart, but instead felt grateful as he respectfully saluted toward Han Qingwu.


    Originally, after having seen how rebellious and unruly Tang Xiu was a moment ago, everyone in the office actually frowned, and their impression of Tang Xiu fell to the extreme.


    But when they suddenly saw Tang Xiu bowing respectfully to Han Qingwu, thoughtful expressions were drawn on their faces, while they also couldn¡¯t help but to re-evaluate Tang Xiu once again.


    Everyone also found that, although Tang Xiu was wearing plain clothes, it was unusually clean and tidy. His short black hair made him look particularly high-spirited. Coupled with his bright and piercing eyes, high nose and thin lips, as well as his tall and straight stature, it gave off the kind of good look and graceful charm feeling.


    Upon seeing and feeling the invisible elegance and self-confident charm that was emanating from Tang Xiu, everyone then associated it with Hu Qiusheng¡¯s usual character and conducts. They then instantly forgave the rudeness Tang Xiu had done a moment ago and no longer blamed him for saying those offending words. They instead felt that it was Hu Qiusheng that had forced Tang Xiu to a dead end, and caused him to say those words.


    Wei Zhentai stared at Tang Xiu for a moment and then spoke in a deep tone, ¡°Tang Xiu, because your Monthly Test¡¯s results are too exceptional, the school doesn¡¯t know how to deal with your results. But Teacher Han firmly believes that your results are true and valid. And she pleads to us to give you a chance to prove it. I also want you to take this opportunity well.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Principal, I will cherish this opportunity.¡± Tang Xiu replied in a neither humble nor proud manner.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, if right now you admit that you cheated, we can forgive you. But if you cannot prove it through this re-exam and the whole truth is unmasked and exposed, not only will you find yourself in a bad position, but you also will be dragging Teacher Han into the suffering.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you don¡¯t need to be like a frigid duck that is reluctant to admit mistakes. In this one year and a half time, we might be unclear about what kind of circumstances you were in, but even if you were cheating, please do so with a little bit conscientious and reasonableness compared to the marks table. Your results are nearly almost a perfect score. Do you think that we are some kind of idiots?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, be honest and you don¡¯t need to rigorously defend yourself. Even if you have cheated, everyone can understand your feelings. If people found that you were cheating and you didn¡¯t dare to admit, this is precisely a problem with moral character.¡±


    ****


    When Tang Xiu¡¯s voice had just quieted, several teachers in the office couldn¡¯t help but advise Tang Xiu at the same time.


    Most of these people were Tang Xiu¡¯s high school third-year teachers. Their prejudices toward Tang Xiu had already been deep-rooted, in their hearts the results had been set. Rather than advising Tang Xiu, they might as well ridicule and warn him instead.


    Hu Qiusheng didn¡¯t speak, but only coldly snorted at the side with arms crossed over on his chest and stared at Tang Xiu with a ridiculing expression.


    ¡°Principal Wei, could you start it?¡± Tang Xiu didn¡¯t pay attention to the other teachers but instead asked with a calm and tranquil expression.


    ¡°Since Tang Xiu has already been prepared, everybody take your exam questions out.¡± Upon seeing Tang Xiu was responding like ¡°facing the Mt. Tai being collapsed, and the elks were still coming and leaving without even blink¡± from his eyes¡¯ expression, Wei Zhentai nodded in satisfaction.


    Under Wei Zhentai¡¯s order, the third year grade teacher¡¯s leader¡ªXia Mingjie¡ªput out the early prepared 4 papers and handed it over to Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, if you can finish these exam papers within 4 hours this morning, and your results pass the minimum standard, the school will admit that your Monthly Test¡¯s results are true and valid.¡± Under Tang Xiu¡¯s inquiry eyes, Xia Mingjie explained in a clear voice.


    ¡°IF I finished this set of exam papers within the specified time and achieve good results, but still some people are suspecting that I¡¯m cheating, then what¡¯s to be done?¡± After Tang Xiu took the exam papers, he didn¡¯t immediately answer it, but instead asked while sweeping a glance at Hu Qiusheng that was somewhat as if it was intended to be pointed at him.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s words made Hu Qiusheng¡¯s face flushed red, even Xia Mingjie also couldn¡¯t help but cough.


    ¡°I have asked the teachers from the high school affiliated with Tsinghua University to compile these exam papers with a sky-high price. These exam papers had only just arrived 10 minutes before you entered the office. Except for the Tsinghua University affiliated high school¡¯s teachers who compiled these exam papers, nobody had ever seen these sets of exam papers.¡±


    ¡°We originally intended to use these sets of exam papers for the next Monthly Test, and temporarily use these exam papers to test you. Because Teacher Han had been struggling and requested for it, only then was I willing to let you see these exam papers. Student Tang Xiu, we hope that you won¡¯t let us down!¡±


    Upon seeing the scene between Tang Xiu and Hu Qiusheng. who were just like the incompatible fire and water, a bitter laugh filled Wei Zhentai¡¯s heart. In order to avoid a dispute from happening again, he had no choice but to stand up and speak.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 29

    Chapter 29: An Overnight Sensation


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    After Hu Qiusheng heard Tang Xiu¡¯s ridiculing words, he originally wanted to jump out and scold Tang Xiu¡¯s ruthlessly.


    But when Wei Zhentai came out, Hu Qiusheng had no choice but to suppress his anger, and could only stand on the side and sulk in anger.


    After Tang Xiu had vented most of the anger in his heart, he also didn¡¯t act too extreme and began to immerse himself in answering the exam questions.


    Although there were 30 teachers encircling and watching him, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t even have the slightest discomfort, but was calm and composed, just like the flowing clouds and waters, as he rapidly answered the exams questions on the paper one after another.


    One must know that each time Tang Xiu was given lessons on concocting pills in the Immortal World, there were almost tens of thousands of pairs of eyes gazing at him attentively. Tang Xiu had also been able to deliberately ignore and turn a blind eye toward everything.


    Tang Xiu might be able to ignore the presence of 30 teachers in the office; however, those 30 teachers in the office had no way to ignore Tang Xiu.


    Upon seeing that Tang Xiu almost didn¡¯t think, and took only seconds to answer most of the exam questions, a lot of teachers at the office couldn¡¯t help but look at each other in dismay with wrinkled brows.


    ¡°Humph, you really know how to put on an act. Even the teachers who teach these subjects can in no way easily answer these exam questions. But you can finish it so fast, isn¡¯t this the same with only talking nonsense?¡± Hu Qiusheng who had long been discontented with Tang Xiu¡¯s conducts and manners, couldn¡¯t help but blurt mocking and ridiculing words from the side.


    ¡°Teacher Hu! Please DO NOT disturb student Tang Xiu in answering the exam questions; otherwise, we will have to ask you to step out!¡± When Hu Qiusheng¡¯s words had almost finished, Han Qingwu ruthlessly reminded him.


    Seeing Han Qingwu¡¯s anger, several other teachers in the office who had similar feelings with Hu Qiusheng had no choice but to quickly swallow back the words that nearly were blurted out, and could only silently watch Tang Xiu answering the questions.


    Han Qingwu¡¯s short sentence made Hu Qiusheng furiously mad, as if he was more dead than alive. Had it been other teachers who dared to talk to him like this, he could have long flipped out crazily.


    However, since the one he was facing was Han Qingwu, Hu Qiusheng could do nothing but tolerate and endure it.


    Through a period of contact, Hu Qiusheng had already been aware of Han Qingwu¡¯s character. He knew that Han Qingwu was not the kind of person who had favoritism but was full of integrity and kindness, while she also had a very strong sense of justice and principle, of which made him fear to not provoke Han Qingwu.


    But Hu Qiusheng also knew when to stop. Because after he saw that Han Qingwu was really angry, he tactfully stopped provoking, and only sneered in his heart endlessly. He was waiting to see Tang Xiu and Han Qingwu become a joke.


    20 minutes later, Tang Xiu had already finished his Math exam papers.


    Although they already knew that Tang Xiu¡¯s answering speed was very fast in the Monthly Test, but witnessing that Tang Xiu only needed half an hour to finish the Math questions with this high difficulty degree, the third year teachers couldn¡¯t help but become scared seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s answering speed.


    The moment Tang Xiu was about to throw the Math exam paper to the side, Hu Qiusheng immediately grabbed it.


    After Hu Qiusheng got the exam paper, his mouth slightly upturned, and was ready to blurt out the ridiculing words he had long prepared.


    Just when Hu Qiusheng was seeing the first three multiple choice questions on the Math exam paper, it was as if his throat was like being pierced by fishbone and it got difficult to bear the pain as his face was thoroughly flushed red.


    Before he took the exam papers, Hu Qiusheng had already done the first three multiple-choice questions on the Math exam paper, and he found that not only were these three multiple choice questions very difficult, but it also had traps and was tricky. Had the ones who answered it be a little careless and have a shaky foundation, it was very possible to make mistakes. So Hu Qiusheng also thought that Tang Xiu would absolutely write the wrong answers for these 3 questions.


    After he snatched Tang Xiu¡¯s exam paper, never once he had thought that Tang Xiu could be this good. And to his surprise, he found that Tang Xiu had correctly answered all of these first 3 questions.


    Recalling that it took him 5 minutes to finish these three questions, and how careful he was as not to make mistakes to answer these questions, Hu Qiusheng¡¯s heart naturally refused to believe that Tang Xiu only needed nearly a few seconds to correctly answer these questions.


    The fourth question¡ªCorrect.


    The fifth question¡ªCorrect.


    ****


    When Hu Qiusheng read the last question and found that all the answers were exactly the same as the standard answers, it was as if he was being struck and killed by thunder as his face had turned extremely pale.


    After Wei Zhentai called Hu Qiusheng for several times without getting any replies, he became puzzled and took the exam papers from Hu Qiusheng¡¯s hands.


    Although the Wei Zhentai was the principal, he had long been engaged with administrative works for years, so he naturally couldn¡¯t be like Hu Qiusheng, who only needed to look at the paper to know whether the answers were correct or not. However, this didn¡¯t hinder him to judge whether Tang Xiu¡¯s answers were correct or not, since he held the standard answers in his hands.


    10 minutes later, Wei Zhentai had carefully checked Tang Xiu¡¯s Math exam papers from the beginning to the end, and then he finally knew the reasons as to why Hu Qiusheng was in a daze after reading the answers.


    At this time, Wei Zhentai¡¯s heart also had mixed feelings as he saw Tang Xiu with eyes full of a gratifying expression, as well as shame, guilt, and even a boiling and heating up feeling.


    ¡°Tang Xiu¡¯s answers on this Math test are fully correct. He received a perfect score on this Math test!¡± Upon seeing all third-year teachers looking at him with inquiring eyes, Wei Zhentai whispered.


    Having said this sentence, Wei Zhentai suddenly felt that he that he become old and weak, and handed over the exam papers to the teacher next to him.


    When Wei Zhentai was nearly finished checking his Math exam papers, Tang Xiu had completed his Comprehensive Science exam.


    All teachers naturally were competing to snatch it, as if becoming the first one to check it was a pleasure.


    Having a perfect score on the Math exam, everyone in the office was also filled with hope and expectation regarding Tang Xiu¡¯s Comprehension Science exam.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu¡¯s Comprehensive Science exam paper also had been fully checked, and all answers were fully correct. Tang Xiu had gotten a perfect score once again.


    Then the English exam, except for the listening section, he also got a full score.


    Finally, the Language and Literature exam. Except for the essay composition test, he hit a perfect score again.


    Because Tang Xiu didn¡¯t need to do the listening section for the English exam, as well as the essay composition in the Language and Literature Exam, he had completed all 4 sets of exam questions, and it only took him an hour and 10 minutes. But, this time mark was not even enough for other people to finish these set of exams.


    Silence.


    Still silence.


    Still the same deathly silence.


    After fully reviewing all of Tang Xiu¡¯s exam questions, all the third year teachers fell into silence.


    These teachers seemed to be bewitched as they stood motionlessly with faces revealing a pondering expression, while Hu Qiusheng suddenly seemed to have aged by several decades. There was no longer the haughty and fierce expression on his face; instead, it was replaced with a distraught and dazed expression.


    The only one who was excited was Han Qingwu.


    Even though Han Qingwu had chosen to trust Tang Xiu before, but before Tang Xiu¡¯s exam results were out, her heart was disturbed and apprehensive. She especially saw how fast Tang Xiu was in answering the exam questions, her heart was boiling up and it filled her throat. But she didn¡¯t even dare to gasp heavily in this kind of atmosphere.


    Now, after seeing that Tang Xiu had not only had lived up to her expectation but also gave such answers that were far surpassing of her expectation, beside the excitement from her heart, she also felt gratified.


    ¡°Principal Wei, Tang Xiu¡¯s exam result in this time shouldn¡¯t be because he was cheating, yes?¡± Having found the exceptionally strange atmosphere, and seeing that everyone had fallen into silence after reading Tang Xiu¡¯s exam papers, Han Qingwu, after being silent for a long while, then cautiously and solemnly asked.


    ¡°You are the one that pulled the efforts for these exam papers, and these were also delivered to my office, and only had been planned to temporarily test Tang Xiu. So how would Tang Xiu be able to cheat, while even I was in front of you when you opened the exam paper?¡± Wei Zhentai¡¯s voice was like a gigantic bell that rang in the office as he affirmed Tang Xiu¡¯s test results.


    ¡°Then, Tang Xiu¡¯s Monthly Test scores should also be valid, correct?¡± Han Qingwu continued asking while the issue was still hot.


    ¡°Tang Xiu just did this set of test volumes that are at least 2 levels higher in difficulty than the last Monthly Test. Since Tang Xiu got perfect scores in this test, then his 712 points in the last Monthly Test isn¡¯t surprising.¡± Wei Zhentai was naturally perfectly aware of Han Qingwu¡¯s worry as he then smiled and nodded his head.


    ¡°Such being the case, should Teacher Hu¡¯s gamble with Teacher Han be fulfilled? Besides, Teacher Hu seemed to have said that if I didn¡¯t cheat in the Monthly Test, then he would resign at once. I don¡¯t know whether Teacher Hu¡¯s words could also be counted to have any weight?¡± When Wei Zhentai was preparing a few words to comfort and praise Tang Xiu, as well as encouraging Tang Xiu to make persistent efforts, Tang Xiu¡¯s sharp and clear voice suddenly resounded in the office.


    Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, everyone¡¯s heart in the office slightly jolted as they subconsciously focused their vision on Hu Qiusheng.


    However, Hu Qiusheng was as if he lost his soul after having read Tang Xiu¡¯s Math answers. As he was only sitting in his seat in a trance-like state with despondent eyes, to the extent that he didn¡¯t even know what everyone had said in the office.


    ¡°Tang Xiu! Although Teacher Hu¡¯s attitude towards you was a little bit extreme; however, it¡¯s also because he¡¯s expecting too much from you that caused him to do that. And since Teacher Hu has known that he had misunderstood you, he surely feels very uncomfortable towards you. Could you not to make things more difficult for Teacher Hu? Okay?¡± Looking at the dazed Hu Qiusheng, Han Qingwu¡¯s heart was unable to bear it and subconsciously pleaded for Hu Qiusheng.


    The people in the office apparently didn¡¯t expect that Han Qingwu would plead for Hu Qiusheng, but she was also the first one to plead for Hu Qiusheng. At this time, they looked at Han Qingwu with eyes full of respect and admiration.


    They perfectly knew that before today, Hu Qiusheng¡¯s words had always been provoking of Han Qingwu everytime and everywhere. Had each and every one of them were to ask themselves honestly and put themselves in Han Qingwu¡¯s shoes, they absolutely could never have done the same thing.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll leave everything to Teacher Han. If Principal and other teachers don¡¯t have anything more for me, then I will go back to the classroom first.¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s test had ended, and he purposefully said these words since he wanted to remind Hu Qiusheng that he hadn¡¯t forgotten the dispute between himself and Hu Qiusheng, while also forcing Hu Qiusheng to get back to his right mind and return to Class 5, because Tang Xiu didn¡¯t really want to hit a person that had been downed already.


    Since his purpose had been achieved, and with the plead from Han Qingwu for Hu Qiusheng, Tang Xiu also was in a happy mood to give this favor that cost him nothing. Besides, he had helped Han Qingwu and this also could show his generosity at the same time.


    ¡°Student Tang Xiu, can I ask you a question? Your performance this month has improved to the highest, from the beginning, you haven¡¯t fallen, have you?¡± When Tang Xiu was about to step out from the office door, Wei Zhentai suddenly asked.


    ¡°Principal, is this question very important?¡± Tang Xiu paused his footsteps as he revealed a faint and vague smile, ¡°Principal, rather than paying attention to this issue, you might as well pay attention towards those students with ordinary results. After all, there are nearly a thousand third year students every year. But if we re-evaluate it, only very few or several dozens of students could pass the university entrance exam and be admitted to the famous and prestigious universities. Principal, how would you think?¡±


    After he had finished speaking, Tang Xiu turned around and left, no longer giving any chance for Wei Zhentai to speak.


    After the long silence in the office, Wei Zhentai only let out a sigh, his originally straight spine suddenly turned bent, while some traces of regrets were also drawn on his face.


    The expression of drowning into deep thought was also shown on the other teachers¡¯ faces.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes

 Chapter 30

    Chapter 30: Releasing Public List of Successful Examinees


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    To stimulate the third year students, Star City First High School¡¯s Monthly Test¡¯s results were to be posted at the School¡¯s Gate Bulletin Board, which listed the top 500 of the Monthly Test¡¯s results. While the school also gave a generous reward in cash for the first 100 high scorers.


    The prize for the top scorer was 10,000 yuan, while the 2nd and 3rd would get 6,000 yuan; 4th to 6th were 3,000 yuan; 7th to 10th were 1,000 yuan; 11th to 50th were 500 yuan, and last the 51st to 100th would get 100 yuan.


    It was precisely due to this school¡¯s policy that a strange line scenery was seen at Star City First High School every first Monday at the beginning of the month.


    After hearing the class ending bells, all the students didn¡¯t rush toward the canteens but were gathered in front of the school hall¡¯s bulletin board.


    The students that gathered in front of the school¡¯s bulletin board were not only limited to third-year students, but also sophomore students who couldn¡¯t help but want to see their seniors¡¯ results. Not only would they be able to be familiar with those bright and dazzling names, but those achievements also became their goal and motivation.


    ¡°Wow, this time Monthly Test¡¯s highest score actually reached 712 points, my eyes don¡¯t fail me, right?¡±


    ¡°Yang Jian¡¯s performance has really improved, he¡¯s really worthy to be the school¡¯s top student. If he could have this result in his College Entrance Exam, he could have been allowed to choose the Tsinghua University or Shuimu University right?¡±


    ¡°No, the top scorer is not Yang Jian, but is an unfamiliar name. Speaking about it¡­ who knows who Tang Xiu is? Who the heck is he? I haven¡¯t heard about him. But his mark is actually 79 points higher than Yang Jian¡¯s!¡±


    ****


    The top scorer in the list was the most eye-catching, and also the one that everyone was concerned about the most.


    When the Star City First High School¡¯s students found out in the Monthly Test¡¯s result announcement that Yang Jian, who had been the top scorer for a long time, unexpectedly had been replaced by someone else, a commotion happened under the bulletin board, and everyone thought that their eyes were having problems.


    A performance improvement was, after all, a course of process, and the name that took the first place suddenly appeared without even entering the top 10 first. This made everyone ask what and how, and also wished that it was not listed there.


    ¡°I know that Tang Xiu, he is from our Class 5. He was the top scorer in the whole city when he first entered Star City First High School, and also had stood out in a lot of examinations and competitions outstandingly. He even became the first in all subjects.


    ¡°Hey! Tang Xiu is obviously from Class 10. Can¡¯t you see that the following note after his name is Class 10? How can he be related to your Class 5?¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t Tang Xiu¡¯s brain damaged? How could he suddenly emerge this suddenly? Could it be that the rumor is wrong, and Tang Xiu acted just like a pig to eat the tiger in these 2 years and purposefully turned on the water in the test?¡±


    Most students were clueless about Tang Xiu¡¯s circumstances. But some of them, especially Class 5 and Class 10, were the ones that knew the information about Tang Xiu.


    When the students from these 2 classes saw that Tang Xiu¡¯s mark actually got 712 points, apart from their astonishment, they were even more shocked with admiration and adoration.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s impossible! Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t have such a high score on the test. His performance is absolutely false!¡± Yang Jian¡¯s eyes were turning red as he stared at Tang Xiu¡¯s name and score and then bellowed hysterically.


    ¡°Hey, Yang Jian, just accept your fate, will you? If Eldest Brother was cheating on the Monthly Test, that Old Tiger Hu could have already jumped and make a fuss about it. But heck, I might as well tell you one thing. This morning, Eldest Brother was called to the Grade Section Main Office to have a re-exam. After that re-exam, his results had been recognized by Principal and all teachers, so his marks are true and valid.¡± When Yang Jian¡¯s voice words were just ended, laughter was bursted near his ears. It was Yuan Chuling, who was standing behind Yang Jian.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t conceal the matter that he was being summoned to the Grade Section Main Office to have a retest to Yuan Chuling and Cheng Yannan.


    Although at that time Yuan Chuling and Cheng Yannan didn¡¯t believe what Tang Xiu had said, and much less that he could get such a high score as 712 points, but they actually had no choice but to accept this fact slowly.


    Almost every teacher that taught the four classes in their classroom threw generous praises toward Tang Xiu a few times. Some teachers even directly invited him to stand on the podium to explain this Monthly Test¡¯s exam questions.


    Although the results of Class 10¡¯s students were a little worse, it was neither because they didn¡¯t put importance nor didn¡¯t put too much thought to their study, but it was solely caused by their problematic IQ.


    If there was only one teacher who expressed his goodwill towards Tang Xiu, it could have been regarded as accidental.


    Had there been 2 teachers that expressing their goodwill toward Tang Xiu, it could also be understood as only a coincidence.


    But when all teachers were very good towards Tang Xiu, there was only one possibility; Which was¡ªTang Xiu¡¯s academic performance had made these teachers impressed, causing their appreciation and acknowledgment toward Tang Xiu to truly come from their hearts.


    ¡°After Eldest Brother¡¯s sky high performance suffered disastrous decline, did you really think that his true abilities were dropping? You know what? He was only bored with all those exams and competitions, and intentionally goofed off! Deliberately hiding his true abilities by remaining silent on the test. But he didn¡¯t expect that although he had given the 1st position to you, not only did you not know about the words GRATITUDE, but instead insulted him to the extreme. I actually wanted to see Eldest Brother start to be serious just like now though. Who the hell are you to be compared with my Eldest Brother? You are not any good thing whatsoever!¡±


    ¡°Neither you nor that Old Tiger Hu are a good thing. Eldest Brother originally intended to show his true abilities on the College Entrance Exam, the results were that you two absolutely wanted to be that aggressive, huh? Not only did you want to kick Eldest Brother out of Class 5, you even went as far as wanting to kick him out of the school, so Eldest Brother really had no choice but to show a speck of his strength. Letting dogs like you open your eyes and learn to be cautious, that later you mustn¡¯t see others from a narrow slit mind!¡±


    ****


    Having seen Yang Jian¡¯s stupefied expression, Yuan Chuling¡¯s heart became extremely carefree. He didn¡¯t wait for Yang Jian to reply, and bombarded him like a machine gun, as he shot out everything he had long buried within his heart for a long time.


    Facing the insult from Yuan Chuling, Yang Jian extremely wanted to retort back a few words and even wanted to punch and clean him up.


    But Yang Jian had long been taught and knew that he could only beat Yuan Chuling¡¯s tongue with only academic achievement. As for the ability to talk about quarreling, he was worlds apart from Yuan Chuling.


    And to go as far as punching, he was nowhere near Yuan Chuling¡¯s match.


    ¡°The one who got the first place is Tang Xiu, not you. Who the fuck are you showing off your power to, huh?¡± After having swept around and found that Tang Xiu wasn¡¯t nearby the announcement examinees¡¯ list, Yang Jian bursted out some words in a sour tone before he turned around and left.


    ¡°I¡­ Tang Xiu is my Eldest Brother, can¡¯t I be happy on his behalf huh!¡± Yang Jian¡¯s sentence had made Yuan Chuling choke and was unable to gasp for quite a while. Only after Yang Jian¡¯s figure disappeared in the crowd was he able to roar at the crowd.


    Su Xiangfei, who was in the crowd, could clearly hear the dialog between Yuan Chuling with Yang Jian as his face turned extremely unsightly.


    Early this morning, when the public list announcement results had yet to be announced, Su Xiangfei had already known about the news that Tang Xiu had attained the top scorer spot on this Monthly Test¡¯s results.


    This morning for Su Xiangfei was simply a kind of torture.


    Because the people who were usually around Su Xiangfei were drawing a line with him, and all of them were completely gathered at Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling¡¯s side, as they revolved around them and made Su Xiangfei instantly become a loner that was cut off from others.


    The teachers, who usually favored Su Xiangfei ordinarily, seemed to have forgotten his existence as their eyes were completely concentrated on Tang Xiu.


    Although Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling didn¡¯t ridicule or mock Su Xiangfei, but the other students¡¯ eyes made him feel nervous and uneasy. Never once did he ever feel that sitting in class could be so torturous like this.


    This day was destined to be the day of Tang Xiu¡¯s rising.


    This day was also the very same day that a lot of Star City First High School¡¯s students would be unable to forget.


    ¡°Hahaha, as I¡¯ve said, my Eldest Brother is definitely not an ordinary person. You take a look, you take a look at it. Those people who collect information under you are much inferior to the powerful ones that I¡¯ve found.¡± In the pool vacation resorts to the west, Long Zhenglin was bursting in loud laughter after he received a text message and then handed the cell phone to a young man at his side.


    ¡°712 points, and the top scorer for the third year Monthly Test at Star City First High School? But what can this result explain? At best, it could only explain that his academic performance is outstanding. Do you think a nerd like him can help us to stop those rich second-generation people that want to snatch Walled Hill Village?¡± Long Zhengyu read the SMS on the cell phone and spoke out his disapproval.


    ¡°Big Brother, just believe me this once will you? Tang Xiu¡¯s observation and machinating ability are truly very strong. Don¡¯t mention that group of second-generation rich brats who could only look over the Walled Hill Village completely by luck. Could it be that, apart from Tang Xiu, you could also find other gambling masters from casinos in Star City to help you?¡± Upon seeing that his big brother couldn¡¯t be persuaded with anything, Long Zhenglin was quite anxious.


    After having heard what he said, Long Zhengyu was only silent.


    The Long Family started their business in making food and beverages. However, after being immersed in this business for 50 years, the food and beverages businesses of the Long Family had dominated the entire Shuangqing Province.


    However, in the last 2 years, due to the bad environment, leading to reducing profits for food and beverages¡¯ industries, the Long Family began to seek to reform the market and then aimed to expand and integrate their food and beverages¡¯ business into tourism.


    After having a lot of market surveying done, and intensive research and field studies, the Long Family then targeted the place that was 50 kilometers away from the main city that was called Walled Hill Village.


    However, the Long Family didn¡¯t have enough time to begin executing their plan on Walled Hill Village as news suddenly came that the Shuangqing Province would integrate all the surrounding urban and rural areas in the overall blueprint master plan. And that also included Walled Hill Village with its 600 years of unique historical culture and rows of natural landscape of famous scenic spots.


    After this information spread out, the rich second generation in the Shuangqing Province, who caught the wind of the news, they responded quickly and rushed to the Walled Hill Village, wanting to have a piece of the share in this place.


    Those rich second generations originally had no confidence in developing Walled Hill Village. However, after they learned that the Long Family actually eyed this land, their confidence suddenly burst to the brim.


    Because the Long Family had invested into this moneymaking project for these past few years, the Long Family felt they had not miscalculated the time. To the extent that the investment development area belonging to the Long Family had become the benchmark to a close circle of people who were investing.


    However, due to the influence the Long Family had in the Shuangqing Province, while the Long Family was also the first one to aim at Walled Hill Village, the Shuangqing Province¡¯s rich second generations didn¡¯t dare to forcefully snatch away Walled Hill Village from the Long Family. Therefore, they were collaborating to pressure the Long Family and came up with a stake bet on gambling. Whoever won the gamble, the development and exploitation rights would be turned over to the winner.


    Regarding the competition on this Walled Hill Village¡¯s project, it was being used as a trial to foster the successors from the younger generations, since several elders completely didn¡¯t move and let those rich second generations do everything by themselves.


    Being aggressive and ambitious as he was, this was also the first time Long Zhengyu was in charge of a project development. Which is why he wasn¡¯t able to anticipate that he would encounter other people who would collaborate to snipe at the project he had just taken over.


    Being faced with such a meticulously laid out arranged game of chance by these people, Long Zhengyu unexpectedly found himself forced into a dead end. Under desperation and without having any choices, he could only turn toward his devilish younger brother for help.


    For a period of time in the recent past, being near with his devilish brother gave him some knowledge that his brother was clearly clueless and had one of his root muscles wrong. He even recommended him an ordinary high school student, which even made Long Zhengyu¡¯s confidence in obtaining the rights for the Walled Hill Village¡¯s development and exploitation increasingly plummet.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 31

    Chapter 31: Acted Like Pretentious Pricks and Got Slapped in the Face


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Uncle, excuse me, may I ask whether there are wild animals strolling around this hill?¡± Tang Xiu respectfully asked a farmer at Walled Hill Village¡¯s foot.


    ¡°Do you want to eat game meat? There are a lot of wild games on the hill. On the ground, you can find pheasants, hares, and wild boars. In midstream, you can find wild turtles, alligators, and giant salamanders. You can find more for flying games.¡± The old farmer inhaled his tobacco pipe and spat out a thick smoke as he answered leisurely.


    Having heard the old man¡¯s words, it made Tang Xiu overjoyed. The locals sure are the ones more familiar with the situation in the surroundings. He had spent half a night in the hilltop and couldn¡¯t find anything. He didn¡¯t expect to get such a big harvest by asking the locals.


    After Tang Xiu asked where to find these wild animals, the old farmer took a long sigh, ¡°But alas, that was the situation in a few years ago. Because there are too many people hunting the wild animals in this hill, they scared them away, and now there only a few of them on the hill. Even if there are some, people can¡¯t find any traces of them now¡­¡±


    The old farmer¡¯s words were just like cold water from the sky, making Tang Xiu¡¯s heart turn cold. The smile that just emerged on his face instantly vanished.


    After having said goodbye politely to the old farmer, Tang Xiu started asking the other locals.


    But he didn¡¯t expect that even though he had asked a dozen of farmers on hill¡¯s foot village, he didn¡¯t get the answers he wanted, causing him to nearly fall into despair. If even the locals hadn¡¯t heard of any rumors about fierce beasts here, didn¡¯t this mean that Walled Hill Village really didn¡¯t have any fierce beasts?


    Tang Xiu was a perfectionist in nature. He had always been pursuing everything to perfection and reached the ultimate peak. He didn¡¯t find any traces of fierce beasts last night, which meant that the Body Refining Liquid he wanted to concoct lacked one last ingredient. He didn¡¯t want to accept this fact and finally decided to leave a note to ask for a leave, as he left school in the afternoon and visited Walled Hill Village again.


    Since he didn¡¯t get any useful information from the farmers in the village at the hill¡¯s foot, Tang Xiu directly headed straight to the hilltop and explored the hill by himself.


    Steep overhanging cliffs surrounded Walled Hill Village. It was more than 500 meters above sea level and 200 meters above flat ground. The high terrain was surrounded by different raised flat lands, giving off the feeling of a terraced mountain. This kind of terrain was extremely rare in the Shuangqing Province.


    Zhang Xianzhong once occupied Walled Hill Village and declared himself king of this place. He built the city walls, city gates, as well as constructed the Li Family Ancestral Hall, the fence split stone, official buildings, a fort, The Goddess of Mercy Temple, and other buildings. Therefore, the hill had a winding and complicated path all the way to the top.


    However, because the path was too winding and long, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t traverse along the road but chose to climb up the hill.


    Along the way, Tang Xiu saw a few turtledoves in the depths of the wood. He was also almost bit by vipers and scorpions, which could make other people overjoyed when they saw them.


    Unfortunately, the one that Tang Xiu wanted to find were fierce beasts, rather than sate his appetite for game meat. So these wild animals didn¡¯t interest him in the slightest bit.


    Half an hour later, Tang Xiu successfully climbed to the top with a few turtles, hares, and a dozen of snakes. His schoolbag was also filled up with scorpions and a variety of rare and precious medicinal herbs.


    At first, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t plan to hunt the games on the hill, but since he thought about his family¡¯s restaurant and his mother¡¯s malnourished body, he took and carried these games although he didn¡¯t need them. He just conveniently hunted the wild animals he could see.


    ¡°Hey kid, you¡¯re good. The five of us could only hunt 2 rabbits, but you actually caught a lot of turtles and snakes?¡±


    ¡°Kid, how about you sell those games in your hand? Say the price, we¡¯ll buy all of them!¡±


    ¡°Kid, from your clothes, you must be one of the locals. Give us the games, we¡¯ll buy it!¡±


    ****


    When Tang Xiu had just stood and straightened up his body, 5 people surrounded him and looked at the turtles and vipers in his hands with hot and boiling eyes, the only things that they didn¡¯t do yet was rob them from his hands.


    Upon seeing that Tang Xiu climbed up from under the overhanging cliff and didn¡¯t seem to have a car, these people subconsciously thought that Tang Xiu was one of the local farmers that hunted games in the hill for pocket money, and talked to him with an arrogant manner and words. They looked at Tang Xiu in a condescending manner and didn¡¯t even have the slightest respect for him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but these games are for my humble home. I can¡¯t sell them to you.¡± Tang Xiu faintly glanced at the 5 people that surrounded him and didn¡¯t hesitate to refuse.


    Tang Xiu could clearly see 3 cars off-road¡ªthe all-terrain vehicles parked near the roadside. The Wrangler, the Land Rover, and the Mercedes-Benz. Thus, it could be seen that these people were wealthy and had high statuses. Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to provoke them and simply cut off their words as to not to tangle him again.


    However, Tang Xiu underestimated these people¡¯s determination to get his game.


    ¡°Hey boy, how much do you sell these games to others for? We¡¯ll double the price. Name your price and we¡¯ll pay you!¡± A young man in a flowered pattern shirt stared at Tang Xiu and spoke confidently.


    ¡°A man must keep his own words. Even if you give me a lot of cash, I will not sell these games to you!¡± Upon seeing the flowered pattern shirt¡¯s youth¡¯s gaze that it was just like he wanted to eat him, Tang Xiu subconsciously knitted his brows and frowned, ¡°Please make way, I¡¯m going down the hill.¡±


    Previously, Tang Xiu also intended to practice in the Spiritual Vein in this place for a while, but since the vein¡¯s spot was being occupied, he gave up the thought and planned to do it another day.


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯ll only buy some then, and you can take the rest to your home. And we¡¯ll also buy it from you for a high price, so you can make money as well as keep your words to your family.¡± The youth in the flowered pattern shirt gave his advice and smiled.


    Having heard the youth¡¯s reasoning, as well as he didn¡¯t want to get pestered anymore by these people, Tang Xiu was about to nod and comply with him.


    But a rude voice interrupted him when he was about to nod, ¡°Xue Renfei, you¡¯ve been getting more and more boring lately. Why must you haggle with this dirty kid? It¡¯s just some games, we don¡¯t need to pay it, just take it from him!¡±


    The one who was talking was a guy with a fierce-looking face and with 1.9 meters in height, looking like an iron tower.


    ¡°Zhang Yongjin is right. The whole Walled Hill Village is ours. Let alone these games, even though he doesn¡¯t want to, he must hand over those games to us.¡±


    ¡°Hey kid, those turtles are protected animals by the State¡¯s laws. It¡¯s illegal to catch them. Do you want us to drag you out to the police station?¡±


    ****


    The other three youths burst into loud laughter along with the towering Zhang Yongjin¡¯s speech, whilst also looking at Tang Xiu with a ridiculing expression. They wanted to see how Tang Xiu dealt with the current situation.


    Xue Renfei turned silent instantly, he obviously didn¡¯t expect that his companions would choose to threaten and intimidate Tang Xiu, since he usually had always been using money to resolve the problems silently.


    But Xue Renfei didn¡¯t interfere with his companions¡¯ pleasure since he had given this peasant youth a chance. It was him that didn¡¯t cherish the opportunity.


    ¡°You think doing this is very interesting, don¡¯t you?¡± When Xue Renfei and his gang thought that this peasant youth would be scared shitless, the youth unexpectedly sized them up one by one and revealed a teasing smile.


    ¡°Y-y-you¡­ what the fuck are you talking about?¡± Zhang Yongjin was so dumbfounded that even his voice stuck up when he saw that this peasant youth was not acting according to the scenario in their imagination.


    The others also stared with a dumbstruck expression as they looked at each other and didn¡¯t seem to grasp the way the matter went.


    ¡°I just think that you all are doing this out of boredom.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and explained in a soft voice, ¡°First of all, robbing from others is wrong; much less that you might not be able to snatch these games from me. Secondly, you didn¡¯t need to scare me by taking me to the police station. I also know some people there. Finally, Walled Hill Village belongs to the State, it¡¯s not yours yet. Only after you got the development rights can you have the rights to say those words.¡±


    Tang Xiu calmly left after speaking these words.


    Only until Tang Xiu¡¯s shadow disappeared did Xue Renfei, Zhang Yongjin, and the others react to what had happened.


    ¡°Holy sh*t!!! What the f**k was that? Did we just literally get slapped?¡±


    ¡°This won¡¯t do, weren¡¯t the ones who were oppressing him, us? How could kids these days be so brash and wild?¡±


    ¡°Hell no!!! I can¡¯t take his tone. I don¡¯t believe I can¡¯t teach this country bumpkin bastard a lesson.¡±


    ****


    Some of them bursted and roared in rage as they rushed to board the cars and wanted to give an unforgettable lesson for a lifetime to Tang Xiu.


    After having chased him for a few minutes and not even seeing Tang Xiu, Xue Renfei and his gang then realized that the one that they were after was on foot. They also remembered that they were strolling around the hill on foot and only got a poor harvest before Tang Xiu slapped them with his words. Having lost interest to continue hunting, they roared curses in their talks while walking down the hill.


    As the few cars gradually disappeared on the winding road, a figure then jumped down from a pine tree on the hilltop.


    Tang Xiu had not really left and walked down the hill, but he headed toward a remote corner to hide.


    At first, Tang Xiu intended to temporarily leave the hilltop and come back another day. But when he accidentally saw the weary looks from Xue Renfei and his gang¡¯s faces, he concluded that they had stayed too long on the hilltop, so he gave up his plan to leave the hill.


    Tang Xiu especially asked for a leave of absence for a day because he wanted to completely explore Walled Hill Village. Naturally, he didn¡¯t want to return empty handed.


    ¡°This is too much, he requested a leave in this crucial time, and didn¡¯t ask permission from me and just ran away? Isn¡¯t this the same as ditching school?¡± While Tang Xiu was leisurely exploring Walled Hill Village, Han Qingwu was almost raging in anger when she snatched the leave of absence slip from Yuan Chuling.


    ¡°Yuan Chuling, you¡¯re his good friend! How can you let him do this irresponsible thing? Why didn¡¯t you prevent and advise him before¡­¡± While condemning Tang Xiu¡¯s bad behavior, Han Qingwu quickly pointed her muzzle toward Yuan Chuling, as if it was Yuan Chuling who was inciting Tang Xiu to ditch school.


    Had it been Hu Qiusheng who dared to yell at him like this, Yuan Chuling would have scolded back and directly left. But facing Han Qingwu¡¯s indictment, Yuan Chuling was just like a primary school student who had just made mistakes and was afraid to even breathe.


    ¡°Teacher Han, you cannot blame Yuan Chuling for this. Tang Xiu only left the absence slip and ran away. He didn¡¯t even give us the chance to speak.¡± Seeing the class-in-charge teacher reprimand Yuan Chuling and seemingly wouldn¡¯t stop even after half a day, Cheng Yannan reminded with a soft voice from the side.


    Actually, Tang Xiu had already suspected that his leave would push the consequences to Yuan Chuling, so he gave his leave of absence slip directly to Cheng Yannan and asked her to give it to the class-in-charge teacher. However, Cheng Yannan thought that Tang Xiu was only joking to her, and then gave the slip to Yuan Chuling.


    When Han Qingwu had just entered the classroom, the insufficient-nerves-brainless Yuan Chuling gave it directly to Han Qingwu, and then dragged himself into a devastating storm cast by Han Qingwu.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 32

    Chapter 32: A Shrewd Well Behaved Mommy¡¯s Boy


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    After Han Qingwu had vented her anger for a while, she also knew that she had wrongly blamed Yuan Chuling, and looked at Yuan Chuling with an apologetic expression.


    Yuan Chuling¡¯s marks might not be as exaggerated as Tang Xiu¡¯s, but he also passed the exam with 476 points on this Monthly Test.


    She knew that the last Monthly Exam¡¯s difficulties were very high. The students who got more than 550 points were only 27 out of the whole third year. With 476 points, Yuan Chuling was ranked in the top 300s. He was also one of 5 students from Class 10 who entered the top 300 rankings.


    ¡°Yuan Chuling, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t stay in his dormitory last night. He requested a leave of absence today. Do you know what matter he was leaving for in a hurry?¡± Han Qingwu asked


    ¡°I-I-I¡­ ah¡­ I don¡¯t know that¡­¡± Yuan Chuling was a day student, he didn¡¯t know that Tang Xiu left the dorm last night. But when he remembered about the smashing accident at Tang Xiu family¡¯s restaurant, a trace of a panicked expression flashed from his eyes.


    ¡°You are lying, you definitely know the reason! Tell me quickly! Has Tang Xiu encountered any problems?¡± Han Qingwu asked nervously since she keenly caught the changes in Yuan Chuling¡¯s complexion.


    ¡°Yuan Chuling, if Tang Xiu really has run into problems, you must tell us! You don¡¯t want Tang Xiu to have any unexpected accidents at such a critical time like the College Entrance Test, right?¡± Having heard the dialogs between Han Qingwu and Yuan Chuling, Cheng Yannan¡¯s also voiced the concerns in her heart.


    A trace of nervousness also filled Yuan Chuling¡¯s heart when he saw the tense expression in Han Qingwu and Cheng Yannan¡¯s faces, since the shadow that related to Tang Xiu¡¯s smashed restaurant was the first thing that came into his mind.


    After hesitating for a short while, Yuan Chuling told them about Tang Xiu¡¯s restaurant¡¯s smashing incident.


    Han Qingwu and Cheng Yannan were greatly shocked when they suddenly heard that Tang Xiu¡¯s restaurant was bashed. They quickly dragged Yuan Chuling out of the classroom, and asked Yuan Chuling to take them to Tang Xiu¡¯s restaurant.


    Half an hour later, Han Qingwu¡¯s car parked on the roadside in front of the restaurant¡¯s entrance. But she was stunned when seeing the bustling and lively situation at the restaurant.


    ¡°Yuan Chuling, are you sure you didn¡¯t take us to the wrong place?¡± Cheng Yannan also felt something was wrong as she asked with a doubtful expression.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, I came here 2 days ago. The entire dining hall was smashed broken, and also there were bloodstains in the dining hall since I went in and beat 2 people out of rage.¡± The same surprised expression also struck Yuan Chuling.


    But the present scene in front of him was really beyond Yuan Chuling¡¯s imagination. Judging by the state when the restaurant was just smashed, there was no way the restaurant would be opened in a few days. However, the restaurant now was not only normally opened for business, but it also was bustling and lively.


    ¡°The hardwood planks to decorate the restaurant¡¯s interior for 3 walls and ceiling will cost at least 200,000 yuan. A 100 square meters floor covered with Marco Polo ceramic tiles cost at least 100,000 yuan. 30 sets of hardwood tables and chairs are estimated at least 200,000 yuan, while the soft clothes and equipment will cost at least 5 to 600,000 yuan.¡±


    ¡°The business also looks flourishing. Not only the 18 tables inside the restaurant are completely full, but they have lined up by at least 6 tables long outside the restaurant. Even if the profit for each table was only 50 yuan, but this restaurant¡¯s daily net profit would at least reach 20,000.¡±


    When Yuan Chuling was still wondering how the restaurant suddenly changed, Han Qingwu¡¯s voice suddenly sounded in his ear.


    ¡°Yuan Chuling, you don¡¯t feel that your lies are too ridiculous, huh? If this restaurant really belongs to Tang Xiu¡¯s family, will he even have to face difficult times in school and be unable to pay his tuition?¡± Yuan Chuling was still puzzled as to why his class-in-charge teacher was calculating the restaurant¡¯s interior and exterior decoration and the profit, but suddenly Han Qingwu¡¯s voice turned cold and scolded him in a stern voice.


    ¡°T-T-T-This¡­ I really don¡¯t know how could it be like this, but what I¡¯ve told you before is really the truth!¡± Yuan Chuling was at loss and didn¡¯t know what to say.


    ¡°Get off!!! And go back to school by yourself! If you are late for the evening class, give me a thousand lines of self-critics and regret!¡± Han Qingwu was too disinclined to listen to Yuan Chuling¡¯s explanation as she commanded in a cold tone.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll go inside there to see what¡¯s going on, and look for the owner.¡± This was the first time Yuan Chuling saw Han Qingwu became so angry. Under her sharp and fierce gaze, Yuan Chuling frantically got out of the car as he spoke in a trembling voice.


    Han Qingwu pressed the gas pedal even though Yuan Chuling had yet to finish his words as her VW Touareg quickly pierced through into the traffic flow.


    Only until the disappeared did Yuan Chuling realize that his wallet and cell phone were on his school desk, leaving him with not even a penny right now.


    _¡°It will take at least an hour on foot from here to school. I¡¯ll definitely be late for the evening class. Man¡­ it seems like that I¡¯ll have to write that damn self-critics¡­¡±_ Yuan Chuling silently calculated the distance from the restaurant to school and his face turned into a red-bitter melon color.


    ¡°Oh! A Ling, is that you? I thought I mistakenly saw someone else. What are you doing standing outside? Come, sit here!¡± When Yuan Chuling was wondering whether he had to enter the restaurant to see what happened inside, when a familiar voice sounded in Yuan Chuling¡¯s ears.


    Yuan Chuling looked up and saw the one who was talking to him was Tang Xiu¡¯s mother¡ªSu Lingyun. Excitement was immediately revealed on his face, since the problem for the transport fare to go back to school finally could be solved.


    ¡°Auntie, have you moved the restaurant?¡± Yuan Chuling observed Su Lingyun and found that her clothes didn¡¯t even change from yesterday¡¯s attire. A guess gushed out from his heart as he asked with a caring expression.


    ¡°Ah no, it¡¯s still the same restaurant. I just renovated it again. But I have made a few new seasonings and the business suddenly flourished.¡± Upon hearing Yuan Chuling mentioned about the restaurant, a happy smile surfaced on Su Lingyun¡¯s face.


    Having heard Su Lingyun¡¯s answers, Yuan Chuling was quite puzzled. He wanted to ask out of his curiosity, as from where the renovation money came from. But because he was not too familiar with Su Lingyun, he felt awkward to ask about it.


    ¡°Auntie, Tang Xiu got 712 points in the last Monthly test, and compared to the second ranker, his marks are 79 points higher. You don¡¯t have to worry about his achievements.¡± After keeping silence for a short while, Yuan Chuling intentionally shifted the topic to Tang Xiu as to probe whether Su Lingyun knew about Tang Xiu¡¯s whereabouts.


    At first, he wanted to directly ask about Tang Xiu¡¯s news, but he was afraid that Su Lingyun didn¡¯t know about the matter about Tang Xiu¡¯s leave of absence, causing her to worry about him. He had no choice but to indirectly probe Su Lingyun about it.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er really got the first grade?! Ah, that¡¯s great! I knew that he wouldn¡¯t lie to me!¡± When Su Lingyun heard that Tang Xiu got the first grade, although she was very happy, but her excitement was normal and obviously stemmed from his imagination.


    But when he recalled that Su Lingyun had believed that Tang Xiu would get the top scorer spot even when the Monthly Test¡¯s results had yet to come out, Yuan Chuling suddenly turned silent again.


    However, from Su Lingyun¡¯s answer, Yuan Chuling was almost sure she also didn¡¯t know about Tang Xiu¡¯s matter.


    After having chatted with Su Lingyun for a while, Yuan Chuling then asked for transport fare from Su Lingyun to go back to school.


    When he arrived back at school, Yuan Chuling was surprised to find that a bald youth was sitting in Tang Xiu¡¯s seat. He even felt that also familiar with the baldy.


    ¡°Long Zhenglin, how come you are in my school?¡± After having observed the baldy for a quite a while, Yuan Chuling asked in an astonished expression and warmly greeted him.


    ¡°What the¡­ Fatty, you¡¯re not dead yet? I thought you¡¯ve committed suicide after that thing happened.¡± Long Zhenglin also warmly greeted Yuan Chuling after observing him attentively.


    Hearing Long Zhenglin¡¯s answer, Yuan Chuling¡¯s facial muscles fiercely twitched as he snapped, ¡°Damn! You¡¯re not dead yet, so how can I die before you?¡±


    Even though Star City might not be considered big, but it wasn¡¯t small either.


    The Long Family deserved to be called as the food and beverages business giant in the Shuangqing Province, with assets of more than 10 billion, while the Yuan Family was only a rising star in the Real Estate business with assets less than 1% of the Long Family¡¯s.


    Comparing family background and capital, the Long Family was, of course, world¡¯s apart from the Yuan Family, and the two families were unlikely to cross each other, much less for Yuan Chuling and Long Zhenglin to become good friends.


    However, a lot of things were entirely fated to meet by the heavens. Yuan Chuling and Long Zhenglin¡¯s friendship was not because of their family, but it was only a coincidence that they were schooling in the same school and became classmates.


    Although they were only classmates for only a short year, but the 2 of them already forged a deep friendship, leading to the close relationship between their families businesses.


    Only until 2 years ago when Yuan Chuling¡¯s parents had a divorce did Yuan Chuling start to abandon and seal himself from social interaction, leading to the cutting off of their relationship.


    But the two¡¯s friendship had clearly not faded through the passage of time. Even if they hadn¡¯t seen each other for 2 years, not only had the two of them not become strangers and unfamiliar, but instead turned more affectionate and warm.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for Tang Xiu. Do you know where Tang Xiu is?¡± Long Zhenglin straightforwardly asked Yuan Chuling after having chatted for awhile.


    ¡°You came for my Eldest Brother? What¡¯s your purpose to look for him?¡± Upon hearing that Long Zhenglin actually came for Tang Xiu, an astonished expression surfaced on Yuan Chuling¡¯s face. To his knowledge, these two people wouldn¡¯t mix in the same world.


    ¡°Tang Xiu is your Eldest Brother?¡± Long Zhenglin¡¯s lips twitched as he heard the answer as he recalled how he was begging and tangling Tang Xiu, even calling him a Master. A little bit of pain suddenly bit his intestines.


    ¡°Of course, his brain is smarter than mine, his grades are better than mine, he¡¯s more handsome than me, he¡¯s sincere and honest, as well as caring and understanding for his buddies. How can not recognize him as my Eldest Brother?¡± Yuan Chuling patiently explained, because he thought that Long Zhenglin felt that Tang Xiu was unworthy to become his Eldest Brother even though he didn¡¯t know for what matter Long Zhenglin was looking for him.


    ¡°Hey, you haven¡¯t said for why you¡¯re looking for my Eldest Brother.¡± Yuan Chuling couldn¡¯t help but ask after he found Long Zhenglin was a little dazed after he spoke.


    ¡°The reason I want to find him is that I need Tang Xiu¡¯s help. Have you heard about Walled Hill Village¡¯s project? My family planned to reform our Food and Beverages businesses into a tourism catering business and was targeting Walled Hill Village. But we never expected that other families were also eyeing this project and then decided to determine the winner in a gambling bet¡­¡± Long Zhenglin didn¡¯t even hide the slightest thing from Yuan Chuling and told him the full details.


    ¡°Wait a sec! I don¡¯t get it. You want Eldest Brother to help you gamble? The problem is he¡¯s a well-known well-behaved mommy¡¯s boy. Never once did he ever enter the casino, and there¡¯s no way in hell he knows any gambling techniques.¡± Yuan Chuling¡¯s eyes stared wide as he spoke in an astonished expression and lost his cool when he heard Long Zhenglin¡¯s explanation.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 33

    Chapter 33: Carving the Clouds and Cut Out the Moon


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°A well-behaved mommy¡¯s boy?¡± A strange expression surfaced on Long Zhenglin¡¯s face as he heard Yuan Chuling¡¯s description of Tang Xiu.


    Would a well-behaved mommy¡¯s boy enter the Game Hall? Could the very same well-behaved mommy¡¯s boy make the Game Hall¡¯s boss lose his coolness and manners?


    ¡°Wait-wait¡­ Hold on! What is with that strange expression? Could it be that those bastards have spoken the truth?¡± Having clearly seen the changes in Long Zhenglin¡¯s expression, Yuan Chuling subconsciously glanced at Su Xiangfei¡¯s direction.


    When Yuan Chuling had just entered the classroom this morning, he heard someone spreading rumors and said that, after Tang Xiu left yesterday¡¯s evening class, he had gone to the Game Hall and played there all night.


    Su Xiangfei, Su Duanxin, and Tan Liquan were the source for the rumors.


    Everyone easily believed the rumors spread out by this trio, because the fact was, Tang Xiu really didn¡¯t come back to the dorm last night. They spoke about Tang Xiu with a disdain and contempt-filled expression. Even if Tang Xiu got poor results, but to go as far as leaving to spend all night to play slot machines, wasn¡¯t it the same with the broken moral and mental sickness?


    But when Tang Xiu¡¯s Monthly Test¡¯s results came out, the direction of public opinion immediately changed.


    Everyone thought that the rumors were intentionally spread out by Su Xiangfei, Su Duanxin, and Tan Liquan to discredit Tang Xiu because the three of them were well known to often go out and play in the Game Hall. But never once did everyone hear about Tang Xiu entering the Game Hall.


    Besides, entering the Game Hall was not the worst thing everyone ever did, since most of the students in the ordinary class, in fact, had played at the Game Hall and many of them also had played the game all night long. So even if what Su Xiangfei¡¯s trio had said were true, for Class 10¡¯s students, it was not enough to even loathe Tang Xiu in the slightest bit. They even felt closer and thought that he was not an out-of-reach kind of existence.


    On the contrary, they were much more loathing Su Xiangfei, Su Duanxin, and Tan Liquan¡¯s behavior since they were starting rumors and causing trouble, ratting about their own classmates to the teachers behind his back. This was not a gentleman behavior, this was a dishonorable behavior.


    This was the power of scoring 712 points in the Monthly Test¡¯s results. This was the power of snatching out the first rank in grade.


    Su Xiangfei¡¯s trio apparently didn¡¯t expect that not only did they failed to discredit Tang Xiu and get him punished, but instead got themselves alienated by all their classmates. It was just like they were trying to get the advantages but ended up losing worse, while also suffering a double loss after trying to trick somebody.


    ¡°Those bastards?¡± Following Yuan Chuling¡¯s eyes, Long Zhenglin also looked at the direction of Su Xiangfei¡¯s trio as a trace of coldness flashed from his eyes.


    Yesterday, Long Zhenglin was also aware that Su Xiangfei, Su Duanxin, and Tan Liquan were trailing behind Tang Xiu because he also had been following Tang Xiu. Moreover, he also heard this trio¡¯s curses and disrespecting words towards Tang Xiu.


    At first, Long Zhenglin only thought that this trio were completely passers-by. They were merely jealous due to Tang Xiu¡¯s success to sweep away the Health and Prosper Club and then said those words. But he had never thought that they were Tang Xiu¡¯s classmates, causing a surge of disgust to be born in his heart.


    Feeling the disgust from Long Zhenglin¡¯s eyes, Su Xiangfei¡¯s trio subconsciously lowered their head as their complexion turned pale.


    In fact, after Long Zhenglin came to the classroom, Su Xiangfei¡¯s trio literally became ostriches that dove their heads into the sand. They didn¡¯t even dare to breathe, as to not to be noted by Long Zhenglin. But they didn¡¯t expect that Long Zhenglin eventually shifted his attention toward them.


    ¡°Fatty, you and I have been friends for a long time. Why don¡¯t you tell me where Tang Xiu is?¡± After having stared at Su Xiangfei¡¯s trio for a while, Long Zhenglin retracted his vision back and asked with an anxious expression.


    ¡°You can ask me but to whom I have to ask, huh? Eldest Brother had basically run away after he left a leave of absence for today. He said that he had something urgent to do and must go out to deal with it¡­¡± Recalling his previous experience, Yuan Chuling answered with a bitter expression.


    ¡°This¡­¡± Long Zhenglin was dumbfounded after listening to Yuan Chuling¡¯s answer. ¡°Fatty, if Tang Xiu comes back, you must call me ASAP. If Tang Xiu does not show up by tomorrow morning, my Older Brother could really die this time.¡±


    Having not found Tang Xiu, Long Zhenglin then hurriedly left after he left his message.


    Yuan Chuling and Cheng Yannan were staring with eyes opened wide in Class 10¡¯s classroom, as they were dumbfounded with doubting and shocked expressions on their faces.


    The shocks and surprises Tang Xiu had brought them in these 2 days¡­ were simply too big. First, he broke the record and became the Monthly Test¡¯s first scorer, and now it was followed shortly that he had unexpectedly turned into a God of Gamble.


    Had it been someone else that told them Tang Xiu was a master in gambling techniques, they would have snapped and scoffed at him. But since it was Long Zhenglin who told them and also personally came to ask Tang Xiu¡¯s help, even if they didn¡¯t want to believe it, they had no choice but to believe it.


    The moonlight was just like threads of thin silk, projecting a huge black shadow of the hill on the earth.


    On the summit of Walled Hill Village, the stars¡¯ lights were spraying down from the sky as it enveloped Tang Xiu¡¯s body.


    Bathing himself in the star lights, each pore on the whole of Tang Xiu¡¯s body crazily absorbed the stars¡¯ lights and refined it into Star Essence.


    This was the second time Tang Xiu cultivated the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis on his own initiative after his rebirth.


    The first time, he actively practiced this Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis was when he found that his body accidentally fitted itself to cultivate this cultivation technique. He used to recite this Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis in the Immortal World for days and nights. And now, since his body had been passively cultivating this cultivation technique, and out of curiosity, he was now actively practicing this Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis.


    But that time, Tang Xiu felt that something was not right since his body was torn in pain as if it was being split apart. And for a very long time, Tang Xiu was afraid to actively practice the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis.


    But now, since he already obtained most of the raw materials and ingredients to concoct the Body Refining Liquid, Tang Xiu also braved himself and dared to actively practice the breathing practice for the first stage of the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis.


    Along with the stars¡¯ lights seeping into his body, the Star Essence inside Tang Xiu¡¯s body was increasing with a speed that could be seen with the naked eye.


    One, two, three, four¡­


    While Tang Xiu actively practiced the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis for the first time, he only produced a half sphere of Star Essence inside his body. Only after passively having practiced it for a month did that half sphere of Star Essence gradually become round, barely forming a full and complete sphere of Star Essence.


    The reason for this second time of actively practicing this Heavenly Art of Cosmic Origin, was that Tang Xiu was sitting on top of a Spiritual Vein. And compared to the previous attempt that he actively practiced the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Origin, the star light absorbing speed was faster by a dozen fold. Thus, the Star Essence¡¯s condensation inside his body was also faster accordingly.


    Within a short time of 2 hours of practice, the Star Essence¡¯s sphere inside his body had changed into 4 spheres from 1.


    However, when the Star Essence¡¯s spheres inside Tang Xiu¡¯s body had reached 4, his absorption speed sharply declined as his face and shoulder muscles fiercely twitched and convulsed while thick sweat permeated out of his body, creating a pool of water under his butt-ocks.


    The strength requirement to cultivate the Heavenly Art Cosmic Genesis was really extremely high. Although Tang Xiu had been exercising his body day and night for about a month and enhanced his strength by a lot, but before he soaked and tempered himself in the Body Refining Liquid, Tang Xiu¡¯s body was still that of an ordinary person¡¯s.


    A human corporeal body had a bearing and tolerance limit. While the Dantian, meridians, meridians¡¯ channels, blood vessels, and internal organs also needed to rest. It was impossible to continue circulating the energy unceasingly.


    After the 4 Star Essence¡¯s spheres had been condensed inside his body, Tang Xiu felt that his body had reached the limit it could tolerate. The explosive power inside these 4 Star Essence¡¯s spheres felt like it would make his body explode into pieces at any time.


    ¡°Aaaah¡­¡± The severe and acute pain made Tang Xiu look up to the sky as he hissed loudly, as if his voice could shock the world.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s body immediately began to roll about everywhere as his head then hit a stone.


    For a moment, violent gales howled on top of Walled Hill Village as it blew off sand and stones, and turned the sky and earth dark.


    For most of the time, Tang Xiu was fully tossing himself everywhere. Only when he had vented out part of the power inside his body did he immediately feel an intense sense of hunger, making him felt dizzy.


    At this very moment, Tang Xiu was even thinking that he would be able to swallow a few cattle easily.


    ¡°Huh?! How come all those turtles and hares are gone?¡± When Tang Xiu intended to eat the wild game he had hunted to appease his hunger, he found that all the games, except vipers and scorpions in his school bag were gone, making him dumbfounded.


    It was 1 AM when Tang Xi began to practice, it would be impossible for someone to go uphill in the middle of the night. Those hares and turtles also had been tied with Tang Xiu¡¯s special technique, so it was impossible for them to escape. Thus he found that this was extremely strange.


    After having been struck with a short thrill, Tang Xiu quickly calmed himself down while a trace of excitement flashed in his eyes.


    Had it been ordinary people, they could have thought that the hilltop was haunted and be scared shitless, wetting their pants and running down the hilltop while weeping and wailing.


    But Tang Xiu was not an ordinary person to begin with. He had been living and cultivating in the Immortal World for 10,000 years, and he specifically didn¡¯t come to Walled Hill Village for sightseeing.


    ¡°Really, I¡¯ve been strolling far and wide to look for you, only to find you this easily.¡± Tang Xiu had been desperately trying to find the fierce beasts¡¯ traces and in the end didn¡¯t found it. But at this time, he knew that a kind of fierce beast had snatched the games from his hands.


    After calming down his mind and soul, Tang Xiu¡¯s sense was strengthened by more than 10 folds. He had been passively practicing the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis for a month, resulting in his sensing ability to be strengthened, and was 100 times stronger compared to an ordinary person. His senses were 100 times stronger, and nothing could escape from Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes and ears.


    When Tang Xiu realized that his games were gone, he didn¡¯t even notice it at all. So this explained that the one who snatched his games was neither a human nor a wild animal, but was a fierce beast that had been cultivating.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t immediately set out to find the fierce beast, but he picked up some dry branches and wood from the roadside grove and burned it. He then leisurely started to roast the games.


    In his 10,000 years of life in the Immortal World, Tang Xiu not only had reached the ultimate perfection in cultivation, but he was also gifted in other aspects such as alchemy, formation arrays, refining tools and devices, drawing magic symbols, and other academic or artistic attainments. All in all, he had mastered those fields at an equal expertise degree, making it very difficult for anyone to catch up to him.


    And Tang Xiu still had one godly skill, cooking delicious food¡­


    Only to satiate his gluttonous nature, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t hesitate to spend 100 years to enter the mundane world. He travelled all over the countries in the mortal world to find and study various legends and folklores, and finally reached mastery in the godly culinary technique of _¡°Carving the Clouds and Cut the Moon¡±_.


    10 minutes later, a tempting aroma emitted out from the stick that forked the vipers in Tang Xiu¡¯s hands.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t hurry to eat it, but he took out salt, seasonings,, and 13 types of spice from his school bag as he skillfully sprinkled the seasonings above the snake meat.


    Along with the snakeskin being bloomed and popped, the white and tender snake meat¡¯s color slowly turned into a golden yellow as the meat flavor in the air became richer.


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu heard a loud sound that broke out of nowhere, as his nose smelled a foul and bad stench of fumes at the same time.


    ¡°Evil creature! I¡¯ve long been waiting for you!¡± Tang Xiu seemed to have long been anticipating such a scene. He quickly rolled down his body to the front and avoided to get sneak-attack from behind, as he kicked a pile of burning charcoals and overwhelmingly poured it away in a torrent toward the direction behind his body.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 34

    Chapter 34: Life and Death Struggle


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    The split second after Tang Xiu rolled his body to the front, a rattan as thick as a bucket ruthlessly slammed towards Tang Xiu¡¯s direction.


    Had Tang Xiu not quickly laid and rolled his body a moment ago, he definitely would have been pulled out by this rattan.


    ¡°Hissss¡­ hissss¡±


    Having failed to pull Tang Xiu, the rattan¡¯s mouth issued a sharp and angry his.


    The thing that suddenly had sneak-attacked Tang Xiu was a shocking giant python.


    Not only did the python¡¯s sneak attack not hurt Tang Xiu, but it actually had been injured in the eyes by the burning wood that was kicked up by Tang Xiu.


    As if Tang Xiu enraged it, the python¡¯s body was suddenly raised high in the air as if it was flying. Its mouth sprayed a mass of scarlet mist that enshrouded the surroundings in a 10 meters¡¯ radius. Its body bolted through just like an arrow released straight from a bowstring as it directly flushed toward Tang Xiu.


    Even though he had held his breath, but Tang Xiu still felt a burst of dizziness for a while. The scarlet mist turned out to be highly toxic poison, and didn¡¯t even need to enter the body through breathing but could penetrate deeply through the human body skin.


    Tang Xiu was no different from ordinary people now, he could only try to predict and guard to take precaution against it. Thus, holding his breath in advance was already very good. But with his current cultivation, he was simply unable to control the pores on his body.


    While rolling about and avoiding the python¡¯s attack, Tang Xiu took out a trident dagger from his schoolbag and ferociously stabbed toward the python¡¯s back.


    Although he had escaped the python¡¯s attack once again, but Tang Xiu¡¯s face had turned extremely ugly.


    Although Tang Xiu still persisted to shut his mouth and nose, and relied on his willpower to not breathe after intense and fierce movements, but the pores on his body suddenly opened, causing the poison mist in his body to greatly increase.


    ¡°Damn! I¡¯ve got to finish this quickly or else I could die in this place today!¡± Feeling the toxin spread inside his body, a trace of coldness flashed through Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as his mind instantly became sober.


    In the next moment, Tang Xiu grabbed a lot of medicinal herbs.


    He quickly chewed the medicinal herbs and also rolled down toward the burning firewood.


    While enduring the severe pain from his feet due to the burning firewood, Tang Xiu stared at the python with eyes full of fighting spirit.


    Previously, Tang Xiu came to Walled Hill Village to find a fierce beast, but he basically didn¡¯t calculate the danger and risk brought by the fierce beast. And this python was clearly beyond the risk that he had expected, and had even caught him unprepared.


    Tang Xiu had long been accustomed to having his strength in the Immortal World, giving him the confidence to face any kind of odd and strange monsters. Therefore, he had yet to fully adapt to his current condition as a normal person.


    Fortunately, Tang Xiu had picked some medicinal herbs with detoxifying effects when he climbed the hill to prevent him being poisoned. Although these herbs couldn¡¯t fully eliminate the highly toxic poison in his body, but it could temporarily suppress it.


    The reason as to why Tang Xiu was drilling into the bonfire was not because he wanted to torture himself, but because he was forced to do it.


    Fire obviously had an expulsion effect towards the poisonous scarlet mist, as there was no scarlet mist around the bonfire. It was simply no different from Tang Xiu finding an excellent place to protect himself.


    ¡°Hisss! Hisss!¡±


    The Black Python apparently also realized Tang Xiu¡¯s intention as its tail rolled and ferociously thrashed toward Tang Xiu.


    A trace of a cunning light flashed in the Black Python¡¯s eyes while Tang Xiu jumped high in the air to avoid the Black Python¡¯s attack.


    With a banging loud sound, the bonfire was suddenly thrown out into the air and not even 1 piece of burning firewood remained.


    It turned out that the Black Python was targeting the bonfire on the ground and not Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Damn evil creature, it seems that you have entered the Spirit Convergence Stage, I will never permit you to live!¡± Having seen such intelligence from the Black Python, a shocked and horrified expression flashed on Tang Xiu¡¯s face as an intense murderous intent surged up from his body.


    Since Tang Xiu was able to hide inside the bonfire, he was naturally able to guard against the Black Python¡¯s attack that destroyed the bonfire.


    With his rich combat experience, Tang Xiu dodged the Black Python¡¯s attack, and at the same time, skillfully swiveled his trident dagger as he stabbed at the 7 inches spot below the Black Python¡¯s head.


    The pitiful Black Python, which was still excited after destroying the bonfire, suddenly felt a sudden burst of severe pain from its vital part of the body, causing its body to suddenly freeze and turn stiff.


    The moment Tang Xiu¡¯s hit connected, he didn¡¯t hesitate to take out the trident dagger, stripping off a lump of flesh and blood, as he then stabbed it in and out once again.


    Only after having been repeatedly stabbed 3 times did the Black Python react from the severe pain, as it coiled and rolled over its tail, attempting to coil and grasp Tang Xiu.


    By now, Tang Xiu had already made a fist-sized wound 7 inches under the Black Python¡¯s head as blood gurgled out from the python¡¯s wound.


    Tang Xiu had recited and studied the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis countless of times in his past incarnation, it had even been ingrained and became his instinct. Naturally, he also had thoroughly memorized the raw ingredients and materials needed to concoct the Body Refining Liquid for cultivating the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis.


    The first blood¡¯s essence shed by the murderer could be said to be the most quintessence part, and Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to miss it even for a bit.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth mercilessly bit the fist-sized wound 7 inches under the Black Python¡¯s head with lightning speed.


    At the same time, Tang Xiu¡¯s hands firmly clung onto the Python¡¯s body as to prevent to be thrown off by the python.


    The python absolutely didn¡¯t expect that the tide of the fight could be reversed this fast and that it might even be defeated.


    When it was aware that it had lost its superiority against an ant and was even facing a life-threatening danger, it became anxious.


    With a loud ¡°bang¡± sound, the Black Python¡¯s tail fiercely thrashed at Tang Xiu¡¯s arm as the pain made Tang Xiu¡¯s face fiercely twitch.


    In fact, the Black Python¡¯s tail was originally trying to strike at Tang Xiu¡¯s head. But at the critical moment, he didn¡¯t hesitate to sway his head to the side and escape the disaster.


    ¡°Evil creature, I¡¯ll don¡¯t believe that I can¡¯t kill you today!¡± Tang Xiu clearly felt that the Black Python had broken one of his arms, leaving only one arm intact.


    Having been forced to endure the severe pain from his arm, a trace of a fierce expression flashed across Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes.


    In a split second, he gripped the trident dagger with his teeth as he rapidly stabbed the Black Python¡¯s previous wound.


    When the trident dagger had fully lodged on the wound, Tang Xiu continued to suck out the Black Python¡¯s blood¡¯s essence once again.


    Under the sharp pain, the Black Python rolled and raged everywhere as it sprayed out a thick scarlet poisonous mist. It let out hissing voices as its nose sent out gloomy and cold air, sending the chills to anyone¡¯s heart who look at it.


    When the Black Python had amassed its strength back and prepared its tail to trash on Tang Xiu again, Tang Xiu fiendishly grinned as he used his mouth to rotate the trident dagger deeper into the Black Python¡¯s body.


    Under the rotating movements of the trident dagger, the Black Python¡¯s accumulated strength that it had desperately amassed instantly vanished as its attack also was resolved in a flash.


    Being aware that its tail couldn¡¯t effectively attack Tang Xiu, the Black Python finally turned chaotic as it began to bump its body along with Tang Xiu¡¯s body against the boulder and old trees on the hill.


    Tang Xiu vigilantly observed the surroundings. He quickly and skillfully hid to avoid being hit each time it would hit the stones and trees and tried to minimize the damage to his body, whilst at the same time almost not stopping to continue sucking the Black Python¡¯s blood¡¯s essence.


    With Tang Xiu frantically sucking its blood¡¯s essence, the Black Python¡¯s blood¡¯s essence gurgled out crazily as its strength was becoming weakened endlessly.


    Finally, the Black Python seemed to be aware that its life might come to an end. It didn¡¯t frantically struggle again, but coiled up its body and fiercely shot through its head straight toward a particular direction.


    When Tang Xiu¡¯s body was raising high in the air, he was greatly alarmed as his face turned deathly pale.


    It turned out that, this time, the Black Python didn¡¯t hit against the boulder and the old tree along with Tang Xiu¡¯s body, but it straightly flung itself and fell down the hill.


    The Black Python seemed to realize that it couldn¡¯t do anything to Tang Xiu, and even it also could lose its life. It didn¡¯t hesitate to choose to perish together with Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Could it be that today I will die together with this python?¡± While listening to the whistling sounds of the wind that pierced his ears, whilst also looking at the unseen dark ground downhill, despair and desperateness gushed out from Tang Xiu¡¯s heart as unwillingness filled him.


    ¡°NO! I came to this world and finally could see Mom with great difficulty! I must live!¡± In a split second of effort, Tang Xiu set firm his mind as a resolute conviction flashed from his eyes.


    Tang Xiu took out the trident dagger, and in the next second, frantically pulled himself out from the Black Python¡¯s body.


    The Black Python had no strength left at this moment. Under the ravaging from Tang Xiu, it was unable to even resist and could only let Tang Xiu make shocking and terrible scars on its body.


    However, a look of astonishment quickly gushed out from Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion. Because, aside from the 7 inches spot from the Black Python¡¯s head, the trident dagger was unable to even pierce the other parts of the Black Python¡¯s body.


    Tang Xiu then realized that had he not caught the Black Python unprepared and stabbed its only weakness¡ªin the 7 inches under its head¡ªhe would have been unable to even damage the Black Python¡¯s body today. It was even extremely possible to have lost his own life to this Black Python.


    Tang Xiu was dazed for a moment. It was already more than 100 meters since he had fallen down with the Black Python. At this time, Tang Xiu could already faintly see the houses at the hill foot as he could also see the peculiar rugged rocky terrains.


    ¡°My body is but no different with mortal flesh. Falling down with this kind of speed will definitely turn me into minced meat!¡± Upon seeing that his body was coming closer to the ground, anxiousness and deep worries increasingly engulfed Tang Xiu¡¯s heart. His eyes were just like an eagle¡¯s as he sharply looked below¡­ for the chance of survival.


    Looking far down at the ground below, Tang Xiu could only see stones and rocks. There were neither trees or swamps, causing Tang Xiu to almost fall into despair.


    When Tang Xiu was thinking that his death was imminent, a drop of rainwater suddenly gently fell onto his face, causing him to stare blankly for a moment.


    How could it be raining while the sky was bright?


    A puzzled expression filled Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he looked up to the sky and saw the whole, vast sky was full of stars with a dazzling and bright moonlight above his head.


    ¡°I found it!¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes brightly shone when he found that the drop of water that fell on his face was not a raindrop, but the blood¡¯s essence that flowed out from the Black Python¡¯s body.


    He finally found a chance to survive.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 35

    Chapter 35: The Ingredients and Materials Completed


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    It was 3 AM, the darkest time before dawn. This was also the time when farmers around the hill¡¯s vicinity were mostly still in deep sleep.


    But a loud noise, as if a muffled thunder struck the flat land, was suddenly heard near Walled Hill Village¡¯s foot, waking up the sleeping villagers.


    The sleeping villagers only half-consciously mumbled to themselves as they turned over and continued to sleep.


    Some villagers carefully listened, and apart from the roaring voice of the owls, there were no other voices, so they also slowly went back to sleep again.


    Suddenly, someone surprisingly appeared on top of the serpent that had fallen to the ground.


    This person and the snake had an awe-inspiring fight before in Walled Mountain Village. It was Tang Xiu and the Black Python.


    The Black Python had already died at this time, its body curled up and lumped. Tang Xiu was standing in the center of its coiled body, grimacing in pain with a fearful expression lingering on his face.


    At the last moment of life and death, Tang Xiu found that the Black Python was going to die, so he didn¡¯t struggle anymore. When he turned his eyes, he didn¡¯t hesitate to use the Black Python¡¯s body to shield himself.


    After a few breaths of time, Tang Xiu was like a dumpling being wrapped and solidly packaged, completely covering all parts of his body.


    At that moment, the Black Python also aware about Tang Xiu¡¯s intention and subconsciously wanted to use its hard-rock, solid body and tremendous strength to convolute Tang Xiu¡¯s body and turn him into mincemeat.


    But when the Black Python was about to execute this move, its body had already crashed to the ground.


    The Black Python¡¯s life was already hanging on a line, so it instantly died by the huge impact and was unable to hurt Tang Xiu again as its hard-rock, solid body cracked and was lacerated.


    Only after having collected himself did Tang Xiu untie himself from the python¡¯s tail¡¯s wrapping as he crawled up from the ground and stood shakily.


    Upon seeing the smashed and badly mangled Black Python that was covered with its blood, Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but secretly feel very fortunate. Had it not been because his life was hanging on the line and an idea was born in desperation to save himself, he could have turned into mincemeat with the Black Python.


    The Black Python¡¯s body was just like a hard-solid-rock after all, while his body was that of mortal¡¯s that could collapse in a single blow.


    Although Tang Xiu finally survived due to using the Black Python¡¯s body during the critical moment and had covered all of his body, but under such a huge force of impact, his head still received a few bruises.


    After having spent a lot of effort, Tang Xiu gradually collected himself as he took out the trident dagger and cut a little piece of Black Python¡¯s skin.


    ¡°This Black Python¡¯s skin from its whole body, aside from being used to concoct some medicine, the skin is also enough to make 3 sets of clothes. One for Mom, one for me, and the last one is for Fatty.¡± Tang Xiu began to calculate after skinned the python¡¯s skin with difficulty.


    ¡°The Black Python¡¯s internal organs are the main ingredients for concocting medicine, but this Black Python¡¯s internal organs are a bit too large, and I wouldn¡¯t need this much to concoct the Body Refining Liquid. I can use the rest to concoct medicinal liquor and use it to recuperate Mom¡¯s body, and sell the rest.¡±


    ¡°Part of the Black Python¡¯s tendons and muscles will be used to concoct the Body Refining Liquid and the rest will be used to refine some tools.¡±


    ¡°But this Black Python¡¯s meat, although it¡¯s very big, but it¡¯s poisonous and clearly can¡¯t be consumed by ordinary people. It seems that I¡¯m the only who can enjoy this meat.¡±


    Tang Xiu spent the next 3 hours to finish separating the materials taken from the Black Python¡¯s body and piled them up. But after he stood and straightened up his body, he was quite stunned.


    He didn¡¯t know for how many years had this Black Python been practicing since its body was just like a thick and hard bucket of about 20 meters in length. The piled materials separated from its whole body were unexpectedly nearly his height.


    ¡°Having no interspatial ring is really troublesome!¡± Tang Xiu wryly smiled and looked around. After having thought that nobody would come this early to this rocky area, he climbed back to the hilltop.


    Tang Xiu had left his school bag with his cell phone, wallet and other stuff inside it before he roasted the games.


    Half an hour later, Tang Xiu had successfully climbed the hilltop and found his school bag was completely in a mess.


    The rare and precious medicinal herbs, along with some special emergency items in his school bag, had basically already been destroyed when Tang Xiu was fighting the Black Python.


    One thing that made Tang Xiu heave a relieved sigh, was that he found that the cell phone he had just bought yesterday afternoon was still intact in his school bag. The cell phone¡¯s screen was unexpectedly quite strong and even shined.


    If the cell phone was broken, Tang Xiu was certain that a lot of people would be shocked when he shipped these Black Python¡¯s materials¡¯ piles to the main city.


    ¡°Banshou, find a good leak-proof truck and send it over to me. And tell Dingzi to find a freezer compartment¡­¡± Tang Xiu spoke after dialing Banshou¡¯s number.


    Banshou and Dingzi were exactly the thugs that came along with Hei San, who caused havoc at Linjia Restaurant a few days ago. After Tang Xiu ruthlessly tidied them up, they blindly followed and were only obedient to Tang Xiu.


    The day when Tang Xiu had beaten up Hei San¡¯s gang in the restaurant, he didn¡¯t let off these 7 thugs easily but used his restriction technique on their bodies to avoid that they would break their promise to renovate the restaurant and run away from it.


    When Hei San¡¯s gang was leaving the restaurant, they indeed ignored Tang Xiu¡¯s words. Hei San and Lumao, Banshou and Dingzi, and the others were also the same.


    After having been tortured by Tang Xiu, they couldn¡¯t wait to hide far away from Tang Xiu, and the farther from him was the better. It was because the impression Tang Xiu had carved into their souls was too deep. He was too fierce, cold, cruel, and ruthless as well as having such formidable strength, causing them to be unable to even have the chance to resist him.


    Hei San and the others thought that as long as they found a place to hide, it was impossible for Tang Xiu to find them. They thought that they would be alright as long as they didn¡¯t make any trouble with Linjia Restaurant.


    For fear that Tang Xiu would track and find them to Shangwen Real Estate, Hei San and the others didn¡¯t dare to go to Shangwen Real Estate and ask for the remaining half of the reward.


    After most of the time passed by, they knew that Tang Xiu was only strolling around for a while at the restaurant¡¯s entrance before he was leaving, and he seemingly thought that they were helpless. They couldn¡¯t help but feel glad and thought that their decision was correct.


    Only after the night came, when they were together at their gathering place did Hei San and his gang regret it black and blue.


    Acute and severe pain struck Hei San and his gang almost at the same time. They even went to the hospital to look for the doctor to cure it and had a complete check-up, only to find that there was nothing wrong with their body. Thus, there was also neither any means or way to stop these pains.


    When Hei San and the others asked about each other¡¯s condition, they finally identified the same thing. These acute pains were definitely related to Tang Xiu, and only he himself could release them from this pain.


    Since the 7 of them were unable to heal the pain, and it was also already midnight, they had no choice but to gather in front of Linjia Restaurant.


    Naturally, it was also impossible for Tang Xiu to wait for them in the middle of the night in Linjia Restaurant. Only during the next morning did Tang Xiu calmly arrive at Linjia Restaurant, while the severe and acute pains had been torturing Hei San and his gang the whole night.


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu, Hei San and his gang were just like the sons seeing their parents as they kowtowed and begged him to release them from the pain. They also gave their regret and remorse as well as giving their pledge, and showed sincere and honest attitudes.


    Tang Xiu smiled and laughed. He didn¡¯t make things more difficult and directly helped them stop the pain. He then left the message ¡°Be good in renovating the restaurant¡± and quickly left, leaving Hei San and his gang standing in front of the restaurant whilst looking at each other.


    But Hei San and his gang didn¡¯t dare to ignore Tang Xiu¡¯s words this time, neither did they dare to goof off and cheat.


    Hei San and his gang basically racked their brains and gave their all to renovate the restaurant as to satisfy Tang Xiu, since they wanted the pain to be removed completely.


    In just two days, Hei San and his gang had completely rebuild Linjia Restaurant.


    It cost them almost 600,000 yuan. Not only did they spend more than the payment from the Shangwen Real Estate to pay Tang Xiu in front, but they also had to empty their own savings for it.


    It was because the pain caused by a restriction technique was really unbearable. Not only did it ravage the body, but it also tortured their souls. Never did they want to suffer such pains anymore.


    Tang Xiu was very satisfied with Hei San and his gang¡¯s work¡¯s efficiency and quality. He removed the restriction technique on Banshou, Dingzi and his body, and even directly cured the injuries on their body personally.


    But Hei San and Lumao were the exceptions, Tang Xiu only lifted the restriction on their body, and refused to heal their injuries. Tang Xiu said that they were already very lucky that they were still alive, so they naturally mustn¡¯t expect that he would heal them.


    However, as the proverb said, ¡°An exchange of blows might lead to friendship¡±. After having gone through this fight, deep fear and respect towards Tang Xiu was ingrained deep in Hei San and Lumao, as they were also afraid to provoke him anymore. But Banshou, Dingzi and the others were in awe and regarded Tang Xiu as a son of heaven. They could see that Tang Xiu regarded others justly and knew the distinction between gratitude and grudges. Therefore, not only were they not afraid of Tang Xiu, but instead brazenly and shamelessly followed Tang Xiu, in the hope that Tang Xiu would teach them a bit his martial arts.


    But naturally, Tang Xiu was too lazy to respond to Banshou, Dingzi and the others, although he also didn¡¯t deliberately alienate them either.


    It was because Tang Xiu also realized that the world would eternally never lack small figures like Banshou and Dingzi. People like them were often humble and unworthy, but once they were breaking out at a critical moment, their strength could have been more terrible than that those of great figures¡¯.


    Before he had enough strength, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t hesitate to use these muscles for his needs.


    Banshou did move very fast. It was 6 AM, and he already rushed and drove a big truck for half an hour and arrived at the appointed place at Walled Hill Village¡¯s foot.


    The other 3 thugs that previously created havoc in Linjia Restaurant also arrived at the same time with Banshou at Walled Hill Village.


    ¡°Boss! Dingzi hasn¡¯t come yet since he is still searching for the appropriate warehouse. You said that the fewer people that knew about this matter, the better. So I only called the 3 of them. Tell us what we need to do.¡± After seeing Tang Xiu, Banshou quickly came over and reported with an excited expression.


    Banshou¡¯s gang had been following Tang Xiu for a few days, but Tang Xiu only gave them cold shoulders. This was the first time for Tang Xiu to ask help from them. This meant that Tang Xiu no longer disliked them, causing Banshou¡¯s gang to naturally feel extremely happy.


    ~~~~~~~~~


    Notes:


    You can read


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 36

    Chapter 36: The Way to Control Subordinates


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    A dumbstruck expression appeared on the faces of 4 people headed by Banshou when they saw the piles of snake meat and snake skin on the ground.


    ¡°B-B-B¡­ B-Boss, you couldn¡¯t have killed this Evil Dragon from the Walled Hill Star Lake, right?¡± A look of surprise and horror covered Banshou¡¯s face as he glanced at Tang Xiu whilst asking in a stammering voice.


    ¡°Evil Dragon? What¡¯s that all about?¡± Tang Xiu originally wanted to scold Banshou since he talked too much, but he swallowed his words back because Banshou seemed to be very familiar with Walled Hill Village.


    Since Tang Xiu wanted to know more about Walled Hill Village, he had inquired about it to the farmers from the hill¡¯s foot village yesterday afternoon. However, these locals were tight-lipped, and obviously had a wary and vigilant mentality against foreigners. Thus, it was very hard for Tang Xiu to get accurate information from their mouths.


    ¡°I¡­ I actually came from this Walled Hill Village. I heard from my grandfather that there is an Evil Dragon from the Walled Hill Star Lake hiding in this Walled Hill Village. Whenever a full moon arises, it will go out from the Walled Hill Star Lake to prey on the livestock raised by the villagers. As time passed, the people in Walled Hill Village were simply afraid to rear any livestock again, since it meant that it was the same as feeding and raising the Evil Dragon.¡±


    ¡°For fear of being attacked and injured by the Evil Dragon, every house in this hill must hang a red lantern in front of their houses and all the lights also must be lit on. The hunters were also afraid to hunt in the hills as to avoid accidentally being preyed on and devoured by the Evil Dragon.¡±


    ¡°But speaking about it, it¡¯s strange though. It¡¯s been 20 years, and never once have we heard the news about this Evil Dragon again. We thought that the Evil Dragon had died or moved from this place. So I never thought that it would appear again now. Moreover, you¡¯re the one who killed it.¡±


    ****


    Due to excitement, Banshou told everything he knew about the Black Python¡¯s information in an intermittent manner. He also told the rumors, even if he didn¡¯t know whether the rumors were true or fake. It was because Tang Xiu himself obviously had heard some of these rumors fabricated by the villagers.


    _¡°There was no news of movement in the past 20 years. This means that this Black Python was trying to break through a bottleneck for 20 years, or because it was in a weak state due to injuries?¡±_ Suddenly, a trace of brilliance flashed over Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes.


    If the Black Python was in a weak state for 20 years because of injuries, then it meant that there was another fierce beast hiding in the Walled Hill Village. Thus, the materials needed to concoct the Body Refining Liquid to cultivate the Second Layer of Stars Tyrannical Body for the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis was already solved.


    With 5 people¡¯s muscles, all the snake meat on the ground had already been loaded onto the big truck in half an hour.


    Almost at the same time, Banshou also received a phone call from Dingzi, who informed him that he had rented a freezer compartment.


    ¡°Boss, do you want to rent the freezer compartment to store these snake meats? But it¡¯s quite a lot, you won¡¯t be able to completely use it by yourself. How about we supply the remaining great amount of surplus to Linjia Restaurant and sell it there? We can make another source of income as well as pay the rent for the warehouse this way.¡± Halfway to the destination, Banshou mumbled.


    ¡°All of these snake meats are extremely poisonous. Besides, I have other uses for them, and it¡¯s not edible food.¡± Tang Xiu stared at Banshou for a moment and spoke in a deep tone.


    Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s explanation, Banshou couldn¡¯t help but sweat. He knew that he had said something wrong and hastily apologized.


    Tang Xiu also knew that Banshou was speaking out of his good intention, so he didn¡¯t say anything. If it were not for fear that Banshou would take the snake meats for food, he was also disinclined to explain it.


    After running his mouth like that, Banshou no longer dared to speak again. The others also saw that Tang Xiu seemed to be thinking about something, and they afraid to make any noises as to avoid disturbing Tang Xiu and provoke his anger.


    Driving all the way without any words, the big truck quickly arrived at the freezer compartment located in the Old River Street area, where Dingzi had already been waiting for Tang Xiu and his gang.


    ¡°Anyways, all of you actually don¡¯t have a rotten character. From now on, don¡¯t do those kinds of extortions and blackmailing again, as well as stop harming people and smashing others¡¯ properties. If you want, you can go to the restaurant and work there. You don¡¯t need to stay there all day long though. Just help there occasionally. You can use your physical strength to work for your own livelihood such as lifting up goods or use your mouth to publicize the restaurant.¡± When Tang Xiu saw the great physical strength from Banshou, Dingzi, and the others when they were moving the snake meat into the freezer compartment, so he spoke out these words seriously.


    After having realized through a few days of observation, Tang Xiu found that, although Banshou, Dingzi, and his gang had been mixed with Hei San, but at the bottom of their hearts, they were not willing to live that kind of life. It¡¯s just because they had no particular professional skills, while they also having always been jeered at and ridiculed by their families or friends. Thus, it caused them to wish to have something that could give them a good standing, face, and make their families and friends see them in admiration and respect.


    Banshou, Dingzi, and the others had never thought that their wishes turned them into sh*ts after they followed Hei San. Not only did they not gain recognition and respect from their families and friends, but it also increased the cold treatment and loathing from them. They were simply becoming more rotten and broken. Thus, the cycle repeated and developed into a vicious circle as it started getting out of their control.


    ¡°Thank you for taking care of us, Boss! We will not disappoint your expectations!¡±


    ¡°Please be assured, Boss! From now on, the restaurant¡¯s tiring and heavy jobs will be taken care of by us. We will make sure to never let Auntie get tired.¡±


    ¡°If there are some bastards that dare to cause havoc in the restaurant, we¡¯ll clean them up and kick them out!


    Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, the weary and exhausted looks on Banshou, Dingzi, and the gang¡¯s faces suddenly turned excited in a flash, just like men seeing hot chicks.


    Although Linjia Restaurant¡¯s business was not quite good before, but they could really see that Linjia Restaurant was very flourishing these days.


    The proverb said that, _¡°drawing back a step before walking forward 10,000 steps¡±_. Even if Linjia Restaurant¡¯s business was deserted, it didn¡¯t matter for them, since they had other motives in mind. They just wanted to be able to get closer with Tang Xiu through working in the restaurant. Only after Tang Xiu was happy and approved them, might he be willing to teach them his even a bit. With this, they were guaranteed to rise.


    Besides, Linjia Restaurant¡¯s business was very hot recently. With their understanding about Su Lingyun, as long as they get Su Lingyun¡¯s approval, she absolutely would never treat them wrongly. They could also get back their self-esteem and respect from their families and friends with this kind of work.


    ¡°This is some money for all of you. Take it! Just consider it as your compensation for renovating the restaurant.¡± Upon seeing the excited expression from Banshou, Dingzi, and the others, Tang Xiu was also perfectly aware of their thoughts, but he didn¡¯t mind it and only smiled. Tang Xiu then took out his ATM card and then gave it to Banshou and Dingzi.


    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s another thing! Buy new clothes and change your current style! All of it! If you help at the restaurant with this kind of shi**y looks, every one of you will only scare away the patrons.¡± After having stared at Banshou and the gang for a moment, Tang Xiu added his command.


    The reason as to why Tang Xiu gave the money to them was because he accidentally overheard Banshou and Dingzi¡¯s conversation in a remote corner a moment ago.


    Although Dingzi had already rented the warehouse, but he only paid a deposit of 1,000 yuan and had yet to pay the whole sum. The reason was very simple ¡ªHe had no money, not a single penny left.


    All these years, Banshou, Dingzi, and the others were simply living for this moment only. As for tomorrow¡­ that¡¯s for tomorrow. They were just like the typical that used all of their money early in the month like there was no tomorrow.


    Before renovating the restaurant, Hei San, Banshou, Dingzi, and the others had amassed nearly 600,000 yuan. In the money they used: 100,000 yuan was down payment from Shangwen Real Estate; 200,000 yuan from threatening and intimidating someone from Shangwen Real Estate; 200,000 yuan gathered from Hei San, Banshou, Dingzi, and the others after they scrapped all of their possessions, including all of their savings, to be contributed to the total sum.


    Thus, after the restaurant¡¯s renovation had finished, Banshou, Dingzi. and the others were completely broke. Therefore, when Tang Xiu asked them to do something, they were also strapped for cash.


    They were just like the foals that were supposed to run and yet there was no grass for them to eat. So Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t do such a thing.


    Besides, Tang Xiu had always been extravagant to his servants in the Immortal World. He had never been stingy with money.


    After throwing his ATM card to them, Tang Xiu walked to his school on foot.


    Although Tang Xiu had already collected all the materials and ingredients needed to concoct the Body Refining Liquid and couldn¡¯t wait to immediately close up and practice, but he calculated that it would take at least 10 to 15 days of him disappearing temporarily. This gave him no choice but to go to school and take a long leave from the school.


    But, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t know that when he went to school, Banshou, Dingzi and the others were completely shocked because of the amount of money in his ATM card.


    At first, Banshou and the others tactfully refused when Tang Xiu gave them his ATM card. However, since Tang Xiu insisted and they were afraid to make Tang Xiu angry, they reluctantly accepted it.


    Banshou and the others firstly thought that even though there was some money in Tang Xiu¡¯s ATM card, the amount wouldn¡¯t be a lot.


    However, since they had no money to handle the current task, they couldn¡¯t help but find an Automated Teller Machine, out of their curiosity to check the amount of money inside Tang Xiu¡¯s ATM card.


    When they saw the huge amount of the six-digits number on the ATM¡¯s screen, they almost didn¡¯t believe their eyes and thought that their eyes were having a problem.


    ¡°273,000 yuan? Holy crap, I didn¡¯t read it wrong, right? How could Boss be so rich?¡±


    ¡°Could it be that Boss is a rich and powerful person in disguise? Hass everything we have seen only been a facade?¡±


    ¡°Well, I say, since the Boss¡¯s skill is that good, how could Boss be a poor person? He must be only taking a trip outside and living as he wishes¡­ Ah, he also lives carefree enough to not worry about everything.¡±


    ****


    Banshou, Dingzi, and the others were only staring at each other with eyes opened wide as they started to discuss it.


    They seemed to be pre-occupied and were thoroughly shocked with Tang Xiu¡¯s formidable martial skill since they racked their brains and thought of all kinds of possibilities afterward. The only thing they had never thought of was that this money was only in Tang Xiu¡¯s hand for a night, after he got it from the Game Hall.


    ¡°Banshou, Dingzi, the 2 of you are the oldest and the most experienced amongst us. What should we do with this money? Should we divide it or give it back to Boss?¡± After having discussed for a long time, everyone was unable to guess the reason, as they finally threw the decision to Banshou and Dingzi for this difficult problem.


    ¡°Giving it back to Boss is certainly wrong. Judging by Boss¡¯ character, once he has given something, he must never want it back! I suggest that we save this money first. Apart from necessary expenses, we¡¯ll use it for any tasks given by Boss!¡± After having pondered for a while, Banshou gave his suggestion.


    ¡°I also think so. The Boss has clearly said just now that he hates our previous conducts. So to say, we can¡¯t dally with chicks, extort, and blackmail again. We must do honest work seriously now. If the Boss acknowledges us, he might teach us his a bit¡­¡± Dingzi also gave his agreement from the side. But he obviously was slightly absent-minded, because his mind was completely focused as to how and in what way to learn Kung fu from Tang Xiu like he had said just now.


    ~~~~~~~~~


    Note:


    Damn¡­ he¡¯s on the way to becoming a Godfather¡­


    Half a Loaf Kungfu¡­ I won¡¯t explain this tho, since all of you can guess it too¡­ ????


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 37

    Chapter 37: Destiny Will Allow Enemies to Meet


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    After leaving the freezer compartment, Tang Xiu slightly regretted his extravagant actions.


    Tang Xiu had won a total of more than 290,000 yuan from the Health and Prosper Club. He drafted 10,000 yuan for his pocket money and put it into his school bag and left the remaining 280,000 yuan in his ATM card. He bought his cell phone using his ATM card. But for the necessities he brought to the hill, he paid for them in cash.


    From the 290,000 yuan Tang Xiu had won in the Health and Prosper Club, aside from the 7,000 yuan he spent for his cell phone and the drafted 10,000 yuan, he had given the rest of the money to Banshou, Dingzi, and the others.


    ¡°Earth is not the Immortal World. I¡¯m not the Immortal World¡¯s great person who has infinite wealth anymore. So I have to carefully plan my spending from now on!¡± While stroking his shriveled schoolbag, Tang Xiu slightly missed the feeling from 2 nights ago when his bag still filled with stuff and money.


    The day session class had already ended when Tang Xiu arrived at school.


    After he threw his schoolbag into his classroom, Tang Xiu headed straight to Han Qingwu¡¯s office.


    ¡°What?! You want a leave? And you want a leave for 20 days?! Hey, do you even understand what you are asking for?¡± At first, Han Qingwu wanted to criticize Tang Xiu¡¯s actions that asked for a leave, while he directly left and explained it later. But she would never have thought that, when she had yet to speak about it, Tang Xiu had already snatched the momentum in advance. After having heard what he was asking, Han Qingwu turned furious as her voice suddenly increased by dozens of decibels, almost reverberating throughout the entire office building.


    ¡°Teacher Han, I¡¯m perfectly aware of what I am talking about. I just want to find a quiet and tranquil place to study and review while waiting for the College Entrance Test to arrive, rather than spending my time in a noisy and chaotic classroom.¡± Tang Xiu calmly replied in a soft voice amidst facing Han Qingwu¡¯s interrogation.


    Han Qingwu was stunned and froze for a moment. She obviously didn¡¯t expect that Tang Xiu would answer back.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, I know that your grades are good. But it¡¯s exactly because of this that you must not be complacent and arrogant. You don¡¯t want yourself to fail at the critical moment, right? Else, you will regret it for the rest of your life.¡± After the long silence, Han Qingwu advised sincerely, ¡°Tang Xiu, you¡¯re still young, and there still much you have yet to experience. You¡¯re still unable to think thoroughly, but I have been through a lot and experienced many things, I certainly won¡¯t push you to the pit.¡±


    An inconceivable strange feeling gushed out in Tang Xiu¡¯s heart when he heard Han Qingwu¡¯s words. He was regarded as a genuine 100% old monster in the Immortal World. But he was said to be very young by Han Qingwu. Who was younger than whom really?


    However, he could also feel that Han Qingwu¡¯s advice was truly for his own good. Had it been Hu Qiusheng who spoke to him like this, he could have snapped and left.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, is it because of the class¡¯ lack of discipline? And it¡¯s affecting your study or homework? Or was it caused by the bullying by your classmates, so you feel you had been wronged?¡± Han Qingwu seemed to be reminded of something as she asked him with an expression full of worries, since she saw Tang Xiu was only silent.


    ¡°Teacher Han, my decision is already decided and I only came today to inform you. Whether you agree or not after I talk to you, I will still leave! If you don¡¯t allow me, I¡¯ll talk to the principal. If he doesn¡¯t permit it, I will move to another school. Please understand my difficulties.¡± Tang Xiu quickly left after speaking, since he felt that continuing to speak with Han Qingwu, he would be unable to change her mind.


    Han Qingwu was clearly shocked and shaken with Tang Xiu¡¯s words. Never once did she ever think that Tang Xiu would suddenly talk to her with such a cold and icy expression. His manner was imposing and gave off a strange and unfamiliar feeling.


    Han Qingwu was frozen and didn¡¯t react even though Tang Xiu had left the office for a long time.


    ¡°Eldest Brother! You finally came! I have long been waiting for you for almost the whole day. Why did you want to play the disappearing act, eh? You¡¯re causing everyone to worry about your safety!¡± When Tang Xiu was just entering the classroom, he ran into Yuan Chuling, who just returned from the toilet.


    Yuan Chuling tightly grabbed and clutched Tang Xiu¡¯s arm with a warm and affectionate expression.


    ¡°Hey Fatty, don¡¯t be this disgusting, will you? We both know that we¡¯re die-hard buddies. But if anyone who doesn¡¯t know about our friendship, they will call us GAY, you know?¡± Tang Xiu seamlessly broke away from Yuan Chuling¡¯s palms as he smiled and teased him.


    ¡°Holy sh*t! Eldest Brother! How could you insult me like this? But heck, I will change my sexual orientation for you if you reaaaaaally want me to!¡± At first, Yuan Chuling roared in a strange manner, followed by a grumbling laugh in a low tone.


    ¡°Get lost!¡± Tang Xiu yelled back in a good mood as he grabbed his school bag on the desk and walked out.


    ¡°Hey, the class will soon start! Why are you going outside? Could it be that you taking leave again?¡± Yuan Chuling was dumbfounded when seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s actions.


    ¡°I was disgusted by you. So I should leave and gain some distance from you to get better, shouldn¡¯t I?¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand toward Yuan Chuling, but his feet stopped walking toward the classroom¡¯s door.


    Yuan Chuling¡¯s face slightly twitched when he heard that, while his eyes also exposed his confused and puzzled expression. He was quite clueless whether Tang Xiu was telling the truth or just joking with him.


    In the next moment, Yuan Chuling smiled and laughed, because when Tang Xiu had just arrived at the classroom¡¯s door, he took out a basketball from his school bag and threw it at him, ¡°Fatty, this is your birthday gift, I hope you like it.¡±


    It¡¯s true that the reason Tang Xiu came to school today was to take a leave of absence. But his true reason was that he suddenly remembered that today was Yuan Chuling¡¯s birthday. Tang Xiu felt that he must say or express something to him since Yuan Chuling was his only friend at school. He couldn¡¯t help but feel that he must give him something, and then bought something that Yuan Chuling very fond of ¡ªa basket ball.


    On the other side, when Han Qingwu finally recovered from the blow she got from Tang Xiu¡¯s words, she quickly went to the classroom. She wanted to catch up to Tang Xiu but she was unable to overtake Tang Xiu¡¯s pace. For a moment, her face suddenly turned unsightly while eyes turned misty and watery.


    ¡°Shameless son of a b**ch, you¡¯re like the dog which bit Lu Dongbin[1]. You don¡¯t have gratitude for others¡¯ goodwill. If you fail your College Entrance Test, you will really deserve that!¡± In an empty corner, Han Qingwu furiously stamped her feet as she cursed as she fumed with rage and clenched her teeth.


    Han Qingwu didn¡¯t realize that her attitude right now was like an angry female student, not a teacher.


    After leaving the school, Tang Xiu was worried about a difficult problem.


    He was now able to cultivate the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis. He also had improved his strength as well as having the materials for Body Refining Liquid. But where should he go to concoct the Body Refining Liquid and then take it?


    Concocting the Body Refining Liquid would cause very big changes, and Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to be mistaken as a terrorist by other people and get arrested. While after taking the Body Refining Liquid, he had to close up quickly, and it would take at least a few days or 10 to 15 days. Under this state, he mustn¡¯t be found by anyone.


    Had it been in the Immortal World, Tang Xiu wouldn¡¯t have a headache to solve this problem. But on Earth, it became a big problem.


    ¡°Damn. If I had my own land and manor in the suburb, this wouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± The place with Spiritual Vein in Walled Hill Village suddenly flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s mind. But he remembered that he encountered those few second generation rich youths there, so he couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious and worried.


    Tang Xiu got too immersed with this problem in his thoughts, to the extent that he didn¡¯t even notice that an off-road car was speeding and running the red light.


    Suddenly, a high-pitched and ear-piercing braking sound pierced his ears, abruptly awakening Tang Xiu from his thoughts.


    In a split second, Tang Xiu panicked, as a black Land Rover nearly hit and ran him over. Had the driver not stepped on the brake, he could have been hit and thrown away.


    ¡°F**ck! You motherf**ker! Do you want to die? Are you blind or something? Sh*t, if you¡¯re dead, you really deserved it!¡±


    ¡°You wanted to fake the hit and get compensation, didn¡¯t you punk? You really deserved to get run over by a car if you wanted to fake the hit and ask for compensation! But your Big Daddy doesn¡¯t believe that you got hit, and won¡¯t give you any money!¡±


    ¡°Sh*t! I¡¯m really unlucky! If I were too late to respond, I could have seen blood today, and certainly will lose the gamble! Luckily I just saw the Yellow Calendar before I went out and am always on alert all the time!¡±


    When Tang Xi heard the emergency brakes¡¯ sound, it was as if a loud blast exploded in his mind. The painful memories from when he got a car accident suddenly appeared in his mind. He was unable to bear the pain, causing his face to violently twitch and twist as beads of sweat poured out from his forehead, to the extent that he didn¡¯t even hear the cursing from the Land Rover¡¯s driver¡¯s.


    ¡°Punk, don¡¯t play dumb! I¡¯ve installed a driving video camera here. I will take you to the best hospital to check your body! There¡¯s no way in hell you will have the chance to blackmail me!¡± When the Land Rover¡¯s driver saw the symptoms on Tang Xiu¡¯s face, he was frightened at once. He obviously didn¡¯t dare to speak so bossy like before, and seemed to have lost his fierceness and turned weak.


    This time was the time when commuting traffic was at its peak. The moment this ¡°traffic accident¡± occurred, the Land Rover instantly got surrounded and overwhelmed by the crowds, causing traffic to be congested.


    When the surrounding crowds saw that Tang Xiu¡¯s body was sweating, along with his twitching expression, they subconsciously thought that he was seriously hit. At this time, the crowd instantly became angry when they heard the cursing words said by the Land Rover¡¯s driver that was domineering and bossy.


    ¡°F**k him¡­ the riches are really f**king great.¡±


    ¡°Humph! This is a second generation nouveau-riche for you! Everyone! Take their pictures and upload it to the internet. So everyone can search their identity!¡±


    ¡°WTF! He is surely less than 20-years-old, but he¡¯s driving a million yuan car! God knows from where he got this car from, maybe his parents are corrupted and take bribes!¡±


    ****


    The Land Rover¡¯s driver was scared and flabbergasted when he heard the crowd¡¯s shouts.


    The Land Rover¡¯s driver had long been used to bullying and oppressing others with his power and influence, going so far as cursing Tang Xiu with an arrogant and condescending manner. The results were that he completely forgot that there were a lot of people in the surroundings, while the crowds were also basically the same with Tang Xiu, the marginalized and lower-class people. These people were generally sympathetic of others who were also weak and marginalized in society.


    Had the Land Rover¡¯s driver been sincere and gave money, he could have left directly. But he cursed and swore in such a domineering and arrogant manner, which caused the public to cry more in outrage.


    ¡°Zhang Yongjin, you said you can change that hot temper of yours. He has yet to demand compensation. Even if he wants money, you can just give him and the problem is solved. If you delay the matter with Walled Hill Village, no matter how much money you have, it will not be enough!¡± When the Land Rover¡¯s driver was trapped in an awkward and difficult moment, a clear and bright voice suddenly broke out behind him. The Land Rover¡¯s driver felt as if he finally caught a straw in his lifeline and looked relaxed.


    ¡°It¡¯s YOU?!!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s YOU!!!¡±


    Tang Xiu finally awakened from that painful memory, and then he saw a youth with a flowered shirt behind the Land Rover¡¯s driver. He couldn¡¯t help but twitch his brows and frown as his mouth also shouted in surprise.


    Almost at the same time, Tang Xiu recognized that youth behind the Land Rover¡¯s driver, that youth also recognized Tang Xiu.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    Note:


    [1] A: paying gratitude will ill actions¡­


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 38

    Chapter 38: It¡¯s Okay Looking for a Fight


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    It turned out that the Land Rover¡¯s driver and that youth in the flowered shirt were the two second generation riches Tang Xiu had encountered at Walled Hill Village. Tang Xiu faintly remembered that the flowered shirt youth was called Xue Renfei, a typical stupid rich youth who had always been using money to deal with people. While that brawn-over-brains was Zhang Yongjin, the courageously stupid brawn-bullying-bastard kind.


    ¡°Kid, how much do you want? State your number! As long as we find it not to be excessive, we¡¯ll pay. But I warn you, don¡¯t be too excessive, else, you won¡¯t get even a dime from us. You might even get arrested because of this.¡± Xue Renfei took a long glance at Tang Xiu as he asked with a disdaining expression.


    At first, Zhang Yongjin wanted to speak. But under the glaring eyes of the surrounding people, he didn¡¯t dare to say anything and left everything to Xue Renfei to deal with Tang Xiu.


    ¡°You can go, I am fine!¡± Although Tang Xiu didn¡¯t like Xue Renfei¡¯s tone and attitude, but he was not the kind of low-life who makes trouble without reason. He shook his head and spoke in an indifferent tone.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s answer clearly strayed from Xue Renfei and Zhang Yongjin¡¯s imaginations. The watching crowds also thought that they heard it wrong and that there was a problem with their ears.


    They clearly saw that this youth¡¯s body was heavily sweating just now, and that painful expression he had shown was not faked. How could he let them off and refuse their money?


    ¡°Hey kid! Do you want to play jack-ass with us? Letting us leave for a while and then you go to the police to report a hit-and-run accident?¡± After a short silence, a peculiar voice sounded from the crowd. It was coming from a youth wearing a suit behind Xue Renfei.


    After having heard the youth in suit¡¯s word, an understanding expression was revealed on Xue Renfei¡¯s face, and bursts of ¡°Ohs¡± were issued by the crowd. It was obvious that everyone thought that the suited youth had correctly guessed Tang Xiu¡¯s true intention.


    ¡°Kid, I knew that you were rotten when I met you in the hilltop. But I had never thought you were this rotten. I really don¡¯t believe I cannot fuck you off!¡± The brawny¡ªZhang Yongjin¡¯s eyes suddenly widened as he stared at Tang Xiu. His palm stretched out and tried to grab Tang Xiu¡¯s collar whilst also cursing loudly at the same time.


    Tang Xiu was distracted and in a dazed state when he almost got hit by the car, but since he was in a sober condition right now, it was naturally impossible for him to get caught.


    A cold light flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes when he saw Zhang Yongjin¡¯s palm stretched over at him. He seamlessly moved a step backward and successfully avoided Zhang Yongjin¡¯s palm.


    ¡°Punk, you¡¯re really faking the accident and want money out of it!¡± Zhang Yongjin was frozen for a moment when his grasping failed, before he yelled loudly in an excited expression.


    Because Tang Xiu¡¯s movement to dodge him was too agile, this was not the action an injured person could do. Moreover, when Tang Xiu was stepping back a moment ago, there was not even a trace of injuries on his body from when he completely got hit from the car¡¯s body.


    ¡°Punk, you¡¯ve really faked the accident and were demanding compensation, you Big Uncle will never spare you!¡± Zhang Yongjin only had a little bit of guilty conscience and was yet to even confirm Tang Xiu¡¯s condition as to whether he was really hit by the car or not¡­ And since he had confirmed that he hadn¡¯t hit Tang Xiu, he instantly raged as he snapped fiercely whilst also rushed forward toward Tang Xiu.


    Xue Renfei and Hu Wanjun couldn¡¯t help but shake their heads upon seeing Zhang Yongjin¡¯s excited expression.


    The both of them were perfectly aware of Zhang Yongjin¡¯s character. He was narrow-minded and always wanted revenge over the slightest discord. The kind of person that never wanted to be owed by anyone.


    Zhang Yongjin felt he was derailed, abused, and accused by the watching crowd because of Tang Xiu. Since he felt that he had been wronged, even if Tang Xiu didn¡¯t die, he must teach and skin him a bit.


    Hu Wanjun raised his hand and looked at his watch. With anxiousness and deep worry, he asked, ¡°A Fei, do you think that kid really faked the accident and wanted some compensation?¡±


    ¡°He shouldn¡¯t be, why? Although that kid looks poor and destitute, but he seems honest and just. He doesn¡¯t care about money. If he really faked the accident and wanted some compensation, he would have directly asked some money a moment ago and wouldn¡¯t let us leave like that.¡±Xue Renfei shook his head while answering in a hesitating tone.


    ¡°Ah, my mouth is really cheap! I was quite angry since that kid was playing us in the hilltop yesterday, so I couldn¡¯t help but intentionally let out those provoking words!¡± Under Xue Renfei inquiring eyes, Hu Wanjun explained in a guilty and anxious expression.


    ¡°You¡­ bah, even the clever you got confused at this very time! The Walled Hill Village¡¯s project is very important. But you actually want to vent your anger toward that kid, is it really worth it?¡± While Xue Renfei was thinking as to how to settle the problem, Hu Wanjun suddenly spoke those words. And after having heard his explanation, his eyes darkened as he almost fell to the ground.


    ¡°If we were late there, Eldest Sister would have cleaned us up!¡± Xue Renfei angrily glared toward Hu Wanjun and then turned around to enter his car.


    ¡°Crap! Hey, don¡¯t leave. If you¡¯re gone, what should we do with this problem here?¡± Hu Wanjun was dumbstruck as he watched Xue Renfei leaving for his car.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go to the hotel first. You stay here to help that Big Muscle clean his mess. I hope he won¡¯t go too far. If he¡¯s really playing with other¡¯s lives, you can say that you¡¯re out of luck.¡± Xue Renfei smiled and started his Wrangler Jeep.


    At the next moment, Xue Renfei¡¯s smile vanished as his mouth was suddenly agape.


    ¡°A Fei, what happened¡­ uh¡­¡± When Hu Wanjun wanted to ask more, at the same time, he followed Xue Renfei¡¯s eyes. His neck was as if being strangled as his throat issued stuttering and vague voices with eyes that instantly turned wide and almost popped out.


    The sight that made Xue Renfei and Hu Wanjun flabbergasted was the scene of a towering 1.9m height guy, that looked like Zhang Yongjin, firmly being controlled and grasped by the 1.7m height Tang Xiu.


    At this time, Zhang Yongjin¡¯s arms had been caught by Tang Xiu as he knelt in a very unusual humiliating posture on the ground. He was even unable to move even a bit while his face had swollen red and looked helpless.


    ¡°You said you didn¡¯t make any mistakes hah? You bastard almost hit me by your car! I was generous enough to let you leave, but you went too far as to pester and annoy me. Isn¡¯t this that same as you wanting to force me to make you drink your own pi** after you refused the meal, hah?¡± Tang Xiu kicked Zhang Yongjin¡¯s ass as he snappily cursed at him.


    After having swallowed a lot of python¡¯s blood¡¯s essence, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t have any chances to try and vent his strength. Suddenly, such a big guy took the initiative to sell and knocked his door. So, Tang Xiu was also happy to buy the service and cleaned him up.


    ¡°Punk, I just didn¡¯t think that you really got the balls. If you dare to let me go, I¡¯ll absolutely make you look like sh*t!¡± Even though he had been completely turned upside down by Tang Xiu, Zhang Yongjin still persisted and was unyielding as he loudly shouted.


    ¡°What a big bear, the legendary proverb ¡°all brawns and no brain¡± really suits you! I have checkmated you with difficulty. What the f**k do you rely on wanting me to let you go? Kneel to me and admit your mistakes and I will let you go. Else, you can kneel to me the whole day here!¡± Tang Xiu looked at Hu Wanjun with a provoking expression as his mouth ridiculed them mercilessly.


    ¡°Bastard! Let me go while I¡¯m still not really angry. Quickly release me! Or else, even if you want to release me later, you will be too late!¡± Having heard Tang Xiu¡¯s words, Zhang Yongjin was almost suffocated because of rage as he furiously shouted and commanded.


    ¡°Big Bear, it looks like your mind has turned insane. Then, I¡¯ll make you come to your senses.¡± Tang Xiu really hated Zhang Yongjin¡¯s arrogant character, as he was like this even in a situation like this. He sneered as he trigged and pressed Zhang Yongjin¡¯s hands downward, and humiliated him further as he lowered his head to the asphalt.


    When Zhang Yongjin loudly yelled his curses, a loud-dull thumping sound was heard as Zhang Yongjin¡¯s head hit the asphalt. The rain of curses from his mouth turned into wailing and humming pained voices.


    ¡°Bastard, you¡¯re dead! You¡¯re so very dead!¡± Amidst his pained hums and mumblings, Zhang Yongjin was still unable to bear not to curse and threatened.


    ¡°Fine, since it¡¯s like this, I will see who will die first in the end!¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s anger finally sparked. He had been threatened again and again. He sneered and then bumped down Zhang Yongjin¡¯s head without hesitation.


    ¡°Look out!¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    Upon seeing that Zhang Yongjin¡¯s head was going to hit the asphalt and be humiliated again, 2 voices suddenly burst behind Tang Xiu as two strands of wind blew toward Tang Xiu¡¯s cheek.


    In this critical moment, Hu Wanjun had no choice but command his bodyguards to act and rescue Zhang Yongjin. He was, after all, the one who provoked the fight between Zhang Yongjin and Tang Xiu. Seeing as how Zhang Yongjin suffered the loss, and in case something bad happened to him, Hu Wanjun would absolutely take the consequences. Thus, the only way out was to save him as quickly as possible and let Zhang Yongjin suffer less.


    In order to appease Zhang Yongjin¡¯s anger, Hu Wanjun even commanded his bodyguards to break Tang Xiu¡¯s arms.


    Although Zhang Yongjin might look simple and was only brawn with no brain, but Hu Wanjun was perfectly aware that Zhang Yongjin was not really stupid. He often was just too lazy to think and use his own brain. But once he really used his brain, he usually became more intelligent than anyone else.


    The reason as to why Zhang Yongjin was too lazy to use his brain was because his family¡¯s influence was too powerful. When a family or a person¡¯s strength had become too powerful to a certain degree, all the schemes and tricks became useless before them, to the extent that he possibly thought that there was no need to use his own brain. And Zhang Yongjin was this kind of person.


    Although Zhang Yongjin had long been friends with Xue Renfei and Hu Wanjun, and often went to play together, but be it Xue Renfei or Hu Wanjun, they perfectly understood about their families¡¯ power and capital. Both of their families¡¯ capitals were only one-tenth of the Zhang Family¡¯s.


    A cruel and fiendish smile was revealed on Hu Wanjun¡¯s face upon seeing that his two bodyguards were almost grasping Tang Xiu.


    Although Hu Wanjun didn¡¯t know as to how Zhang Yongjin was capsized and rendered to be unable to move by Tang Xiu, but he was absolutely confident about his 2 bodyguards¡¯ abilities.


    He knew that his 2 bodyguards were not ordinary. They were the veterans who had dozens of years of combat experience before they retired as soldiers. Their grappling skills, as well as martial arts, had reached perfection. Hu Wanjun had once witnessed the 2 of them knock and clean up dozens of thugs in just a few minutes. Therefore, he didn¡¯t worry that his 2 bodyguards would be unable to complete their task.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 39

    Chapter 39: Cleaning Up Enemies in a Flash


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu¡¯s attention seemed to be concentrated on Zhang Yongjin. He didn¡¯t seem to even notice the 2 suited-bodyguards¡¯ arrival, to the extent that he didn¡¯t avoid or counterattack the two bodyguards, while the attacks from the 2 bodyguards almost hit Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Bumpkin bastard. The world is big! Don¡¯t you ever think you can boast and be arrogant of your brute strength in front of us!¡± Hu Wanjun coldly snorted as he turned around and walked to his car.


    It seemed that in Hu Wanjun¡¯s eyes, even if Tang Xiu was powerful, this time his death had been decided.


    Just when Hu Wanjun¡¯s feet lifted up and still hung in the air, and had yet to get in his car, he heard a loud dull thumping sounds twice as he felt his car violently shake.


    ¡°Holy sh*t!¡± When Hu Wanjun had found out what had happened, he couldn¡¯t help but let out a curse.


    Because Hu Wanjun¡¯s imagination to have his 2 bodyguards brake Tang Xiu¡¯s arms didn¡¯t happen, and instead he saw Tang Xiu¡¯s foot sweep at his 2 bodyguards with a kick.


    If the two bodyguards just fell down at their place, at most Hu Wanjun would only feel shocked in his mind, and wouldn¡¯t have felt this distressed.


    But the thing that made Hu Wanjun¡¯s heart bleed, was that his 2 bodyguards unexpectedly fell down and hit his beloved off-road car, causing his car¡¯s front cover to be flat trodden.


    ¡°F**k!!! I don¡¯t know if the car¡¯s engine has been smashed or not. If the engine has been smashed, I¡¯m really f**ked big time!¡± With a pained expression, Hu Wanjun looked at the completely flattened front cover of his car as his facial muscles twitched.


    Before this happened, Hu Wanjun had always felt that his 2 tall and sturdy¡ªbold and powerful¡ªPolar Bears bodyguards were very precious and extraordinary. But now, he wished that he forked and pierced them out with a thin bamboo pole.


    While Hu Wanjun was distressed over his dear car, his 2 bodyguards rolled up from his car and rushed towards Tang Xiu once again.


    But this time, the 2 bodyguards¡¯ faces no longer showed their usual contempt and indifferent expressions again. Instead, they faces were full of a dignified expression along with a faint trace of shame, resentment, and anger.


    They were retired veteran soldiers. Although their fighting prowess might be a lot worse when they were at their peak and couldn¡¯t be compared with soldiers on active duty, however, they felt that their combat prowess was enough to cope with ordinary people, let alone just to deal with a skinny high-schooler.


    Never had these 2 bodyguards ever dreamt that they would be unable to find out as to how that youth moved, kicked and threw them out. For these two bodyguards, this was absolutely a huge insult as well as a deep lesson.


    ¡°I have let the two of you off once. But if you continue to help your bastard evil employer and are still unable to distinguish which is right and wrong, don¡¯t ever think that I will hesitate to teach the two of you a lesson that you will never forget!¡± With a cold expression in his eyes, Tang Xiu snapped at them in a stern voice.


    Upon hearing his words, the 2 bodyguards¡¯ bodies froze. They couldn¡¯t help but look at each other.


    ¡°Brat, you¡¯ve just only caught us by surprise, letting you successfully attack us. Do you really think that you¡¯re very powerful?¡±


    ¡°Bastard, you¡¯re plotting against us and want us to be quiet and make peace? Never in hell will you have that chance! We originally wanted to break your arms, but you shamed and insulted us, you will pay for this and suffer!¡±


    The 2 bodyguards sneered. They completely ignored Tang Xiu¡¯s cold eyes and rushed at Tang Xiu with rage.


    Upon seeing it, Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but sigh.


    It was because he heard from his mother¡¯s relatives that his father was an honorable and glorious soldier. For years, Tang Xiu had been longing for a military career. He was a full die-hard fan of the military. Not only would he watch all kinds of stuff about soldiers on TV, such as movies and documentary films, but he also had always been reading everything related to soldiers and military. Not even once had he ever missed news and information about them.


    He even had hunted all old book editions about Military Boxing from the bookstore, to the extent of forcing himself to practice the Military Boxing frequently for several years.


    This was the true reason as to why Tang Xiu had only aimed these 2 bodyguards lightly, since he had noticed these 2 bodyguards¡¯ background as retired veteran soldiers, and didn¡¯t act too extreme.


    But since these 2 bodyguards really ignored his words, the sympathy and mercy for them in Tang Xiu¡¯s heart vanished in instant.


    In Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes, when soldiers had degraded themselves into purely hired thugs and were unable to distinguish which was right or wrong, as well as drowned themselves into evil things, they were unworthy to be called soldiers anymore.


    The two bodyguards now thought that after they treated him seriously, Tang Xiu would no longer able to escape the disaster, and could only be caught by them obediently as they moved and rushed once again.


    When the 2 bodyguards had yet to react and realized what had happened, they could only hear ¡°cracking¡± sounds a few times as their body fell slowly to the asphalt.


    Only until a few breaths¡¯ time had passed did they feel intermittent acute and intense pains from their legs, as they finally realized that those sounds were the sounds of their legs being broken.


    For a short moment, the two bodyguards completely forgot to scream out loud, they only looked at Tang Xiu with a horrified expression. They couldn¡¯t even say any words as endless regret surged out and filled their hearts.


    When they remembered that Tang Xiu had just kindly reminded them, as well as recalling how they thought that Tang Xiu¡¯s reminder was only a timid compromise and arrogant words, the two bodyguards could only feel that their face was hot, and was burning with pain and shame. They even wanted to find a tunnel to drill themselves into it.


    The 2 bodyguards¡¯ heart were filled with a stormy and tumultuous feeling, while the watching crowd in the surrounding were flabbergasted and rendered speechless for a very long time.


    The most shocked people with the most exaggerated expression were the trio¡ªHu Wanjun, Xue Renfei, and Zhang Yongjin.


    The trio knew perfectly well the combat prowess these 2 bodyguards possessed. Therefore, they had full courage and confidence from the beginning to end, to the extent that they wouldn¡¯t have to worry to suffer any losses in regards to having any conflict with other people.


    Even when Zhang Yongjin was in absolute disadvantage, he was still calm and composed. Not even once he had the thought to lower his head toward Tang Xiu.


    But when the greatest pillars they had been relying on were wasted by Tang Xiu, only then did they really panic.


    A deathly silence enveloped the surroundings after the 2 bodyguards had been wasted.


    Zhang Yongjin was still in his shameful appearance with his head still being pressed down on the asphalt by Tang Xiu¡¯s hand.


    Xue Renfei sat frozen on his own Wrangler Jeep and didn¡¯t even start his car.


    One of Hu Wanjun¡¯s feet was in his car while the other one was still on the ground in an awkward position of not getting in or out of the car.


    At this moment, Hu Wanjun basically wanted to fiercely slap his own face. Never did he ever abhor his cheap mouth to this extent before. He knew that it was because of his mouth. Had it been otherwise, this matter could have long been settled, and wouldn¡¯t be developed beyond redemption like this.


    ¡°Yo Big Bear! How come you turned mute huh? Continue babbling your shit! Try m*e!¡± While everyone was still dumbstruck and drowned in their shock, due to Tang Xiu¡¯s marvelous fighting strength, Tang Xiu snorted coldly as he pressed Zhang Yongjin¡¯s head again to the asphalt.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± Although Zhang Yongjin had single-minded brain and stubbornness, but a terrified feeling had filled his heart.


    The youth behind him was not only skillful, but his conduct in dealing with problems was unrestrained as well as didn¡¯t have the slightest scruples. He was just like an unfathomable existence to ponder about, and even a bit unscrupulous. Zhang Yongjin even suspected that he still could continue to let out stubborn words, but now, it was very certain that he would pay for it bitterly. His lips wriggled for a long time as he was unable to speak any complete words.


    Zhang Yongjin was still hesitating as to whether he had to bow to Tang Xiu or not. He thought to temporarily do that perfunctorily and then seek for opportunities to take revenge in the future. When a loud and clear military ringtone suddenly pierced his ears, he was so shocked that he felt a faint pain due to the shock, while also feeling scared which almost made him jump.


    Under Zhang Yongjin¡¯s angry eyes, Tang Xiu looked around with a bewildered expression before he slowly opened his school bag and took out his brand new cell phone.


    ¡°¡­ Hmm?¡­ I heard you¡­ But I don¡¯t really gamble you know¡­ ah¡­ WHAT?¡­ Apart from 1 million yuan you¡¯ll comply with any condition? Great, I¡¯ll be there immediately!¡± At first, Tang Xiu¡¯s answer was a little bit impatient. But when he heard the other conditions from the caller, his face turned excited instantly.


    The one who was calling Tang Xiu was Long Zhenglin, who he casually became an acquaintance of at the Health and Prosper Club.


    Long Zhenglin got Tang Xiu¡¯s number from Yuan Chuling.


    Long Zhenglin had repeatedly told Yuan Chuling, that he must call him ASAP when Tang Xiu had returned back to school.


    Yuan Chuling also had noted his message, albeit he never thought that Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival and leaving would have been so sudden and quick so he hadn¡¯t had the time to call Long Zhenglin before Tang Xiu also quickly disappeared again.


    In desperation, the last thing Yuan Chuling could do was give Tang Xiu¡¯s phone number to Long Zhenglin.


    When Long Zhenglin had got Tang Xiu¡¯s number, he naturally couldn¡¯t help but directly call Tang Xiu and ask for his help.


    It was because the gambling event was about to begin since the opponent¡¯s Gambling Master had already arrived at the appointed place, while the Long Family had yet able to find any famous Gambling Masters, of which made them very anxious and passive.


    Since there was no way left to deal with the situation, Long Zhengyu could only choose to believe Long Zhenglin and give his word to let Tang Xiu gamble in their stead.


    ¡°Just consider yourself lucky today! But if next time I find that the lot of you are still unable to distinguish right from wrong, setting up and framing others, I will never hesitate to give you a more profound lesson.¡± Tang Xiu quickly left after speaking, since the caller urged him to come quickly before hanging up the phone.


    Only until Tang Xiu¡¯s figure disappeared did Zhang Yongjin finally believe that he had escaped from his tribulation. His body turned weak in an instant as he was paralyzed and fell to ground. He gasped heavily with his mouth opened wide.


    ¡°Yongjin, I am really sorry, I was impulsive just now. I shouldn¡¯t have incited you to deal with that bumpkin.¡± When Zhang Yongjin was sitting on the ground and gasping, Hu Wanjun hurriedly rushed over to him first as he apologized to him in an apprehensive expression.


    Zhang Yongjin quietly stared at Hu Wanjun for a moment. Only after a long while did he let out a wry and forced smile, ¡°Old Hu, we have been friends for a long time. I don¡¯t know about those small thoughts you have in your mind, but I know that you were also adding fuel to the fire. The other reason was truly because I really couldn¡¯t stand seeing that son of a bitch¡­ Ouch¡­ Damn, f**king hurts¡­¡±


    Zhang Yongjin could only finish his sentence in half bursts as sharp and acute pains suddenly came from his two wrists.


    When Zhang Yongjin saw the bruises on his two wrists that were so twisted that they had turned bluish-black, he couldn¡¯t help but take a deep cold breath, while a trace of fear appeared on his face.


    ¡°Xue Renfei, you go to my car¡¯s trunk and take a bottle of wine out, I¡¯ll use them to rub Yongjin¡¯s bruises.¡± Upon hearing Zhang Yongjin¡¯s words, the knot in Hu Wanjun¡¯s heart finally eased up. And in the next moment, he didn¡¯t hesitate to grab Zhang Yongjin¡¯s wrists and carefully rub them up without any hesitation.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 40

    Chapter 40: Big Sister the Boss


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu appeared in front of Long¡¯s Dining Hall¡¯s entrance as the Long Brothers, Long Zhengyu and Long Zhenglin had long been waiting for Tang Xiu there.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, today, whether we can take Walled Hill Village or not, all depends on you.¡± Upon seeing Tang Xiu, with an excited expression, Long Zhenglin spoke as he stepped forward and firmly grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s hands.


    Tang Xiu smiled and didn¡¯t speak, but his vision locked at Long Zhengyu.


    Long Zhengyu also quietly observed Tang Xiu as their four eyes collided in the air.


    ¡°I¡¯m Long Zhengyu, Long Zhenglin¡¯s big brother. Thank you for taking care of Zhenglin. Today, we¡¯re truly depending on Master Tang.¡± When he saw that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t eagerly greet his younger brother and instead noticed his presence first, Long Zhengyu secretly nodded. He began to recognize Tang Xiu as he extended his right hand to him.


    A kind of strange and peculiar feeling sprouted in Tang Xiu¡¯s heart when he heard Long Zhengyu¡¯s remark and him calling him, Master. But still, he also stretched his hand out to shake Long Zhengyu¡¯s.


    ¡°Mr. Long, to tell you the truth, I might have stronger observation and calculating abilities compared to others¡¯. But little do I know about gambling techniques and rules. Please forgive me first. Today, I can only try the best I can and cannot guarantee that I will win.¡± Tang Xiu stared at Long Zhengyu for a moment as he spoke while smiling.


    When he spoke these words, Tang Xiu was quite anxious. He was worried that Long Zhengyu would expel him out directly.


    It was because Long Zhenglin had clearly sounded stress on the phone. that the Walled Hill Village project was very important to the Long Family. But even if the Long Family must take Walled Hill Village, he couldn¡¯t give them any guarantees about it.


    It¡¯s true that the reason as to why Tang Xiu promised to come and help them was because of the reward factor. But the thing that really tempted him was the development and exploitation rights for Walled Hill Village.


    Ever since he had discovered a Spiritual Vein on Walled Hill Mountain, Tang Xiu had been pondering and worrying about how to justifiably own the place with the Spiritual Vein. He had never thought that Long Zhenglin would take the initiative to find him. It was just like he was sleepy and someone sent him a pillow, of which, the offer was one Tang Xiu was unable to refuse.


    However, whether it was his previous incarnation or this life, Tang Xiu had never relied on gambling to earn his wealth. Therefore, he had no confidence in his gambling skill. This was the reason he truthfully spoke to Long Zhengyu so as to avoid to be capsized, blamed and then thrown to the pit had they lost the gamble.


    But Tang Xiu wouldn¡¯t have thought that his honest confession made Long Zhengyu¡¯s impression toward him increase. The confidence Long Zhengyu had, that already fell to the abyss, seemed to have rebounded and risen again.


    ¡°Master Tang is too modest. The gambling has always been turbulent and unpredictable. Nobody dares to pat their chest and boast that they are guaranteed a win.¡± Long Zhengyu smiled and looked at Tang Xiu with eyes full of appreciation.


    When they were still greeting each other at the entrance, ear-piercing cars¡¯ emergency brakes suddenly sounded, followed by a few people hurrying off from the cars and rushing straight toward the entrance¡¯s direction.


    When he saw these people, Tang Xiu was surprised.


    Because these people turned out to be the ones that just had conflict with him ¡ª Zhang Yongjin, Hu Wanjun, and Xue Renfei.


    Almost at the same time, Tang Xiu saw the Zhang Yongjin trio, Zhang Yongjin, who walked in the front, also found Tang Xiu.


    The moment he saw Tang Xiu, Zhang Yongjin¡¯s steps suddenly stopped as his body uncontrollably stepped backward.


    The pitiful Xue Renfei and Hu Wanjun, who were behind Zhang Yongjin, couldn¡¯t see Tang Xiu, since their sight was blocked by Zhang Yongjin. Therefore, when Zhang Yongjin suddenly stopped and stepped back, they simply had no time to stop their pace.


    Muffled thumping sounds sounded twice as Xue Renfei with Hu Wanjun¡¯s bodies bumped into Zhang Yongjin¡¯s body.


    Zhang Yongjin¡¯s body that was like an iron tower did not budge and shake even the slightest bit. But Xue Renfei and Hu Wanjun, who hit him, fell with their butts sitting on the ground, as they immediately shouted in pain.


    ¡°Y-You ¡­ H-how the hell are you here¡­ Y-you couldn¡¯t want to mess¡­¡± Zhang Yongjin ignored his buddies embarrassment and distress as he looked at Tang Xiu with a panicked expression and stammeringly spoke.


    The psychological trauma Tang Xiu had imprinted on him was simply too big. Never once in his life did he ever kneel and kowtow toward others, but Tang Xiu had made him kneel and kowtow.


    The fact that made Zhang Yongjin grieve and be helpless was that he was really cleaned up miserably by Tang Xiu, while he didn¡¯t even know Tang Xiu¡¯s name and background.


    Zhang Yongjin originally wanted to slowly find the information about Tang Xiu¡¯s identity, and then slowly have his revenge on him.


    Not never even in his dreams would Zhang Yongjin ever think that Tang Xiu would appear so fast in front of him again. Without having mental preparation to face him this suddenly, Zhang Yongjin naturally panicked as he lost his calm out of fear.


    ¡°Brother Tang, what¡¯s all this about?¡± When Long Zhengyu saw that the Zhang Yongjin trio arrived, he originally wanted to hide to the side. But he was afraid to leave since Tang Xiu would feel that he was thrown out. So he had no choice but to brace himself to stand together with him.


    At first, Long Zhengyu thought that when Zhang Yongjin trio saw him, they definitely would mock and ridicule him, and he would be unable to get out from this situation. But he didn¡¯t expect that Zhang Yongjin¡¯s attention was directly attracted to Tang Xiu behind him and was even losing his manner, which amazed and made Long Zhengyu naturally surprised.


    He was well aware of Zhang Yongjin¡¯s identity. In his circle of society, everyone knew the famous fiend in human skin¡ªZhang Yongjin. He was a kind of unreasonable and pig-headed chap.


    But to see such a person was actually afraid of Tang Xiu, Long Zhengyu¡¯s curiosity toward Tang Xiu¡¯s identity sparked, while his confidence of Tang Xiu also increased at the same time. Unknowingly, his evaluation and vision toward him also changed.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, he has possibly mistaken me for someone else.¡± Tang Xiu swept a glance at Zhang Yongjin lightly. When Zhang Yongjin was still thinking that Tang Xiu would blurt out that awkward and embarrassing incident, Tang Xiu shook his head and took back his vision.


    At this very moment, Xue Renfei and Hu Wanjun also saw Tang Xiu along with Long Zhengyu and Long Zhenglin.


    Upon seeing that Tang Xiu was standing together with the Long Brothers, a surprised expression flashed on their faces as it followed with an intense and anxious feeling in their heart.


    They had a confrontation with Tang Xiu twice after all. And those two encounters ended with their failure and defeat. This was not a glorious thing. They were afraid that Tang Xiu would reveal those awkward and embarrassing incidents and turn them into jokes in their circle.


    The trio took a sigh of relief at the same time since Tang Xiu didn¡¯t reveal about those embarrassing incident and even pretended not to know their appearances. This made them secretly glad, while at the same time they also felt angry because the contempt Tang Xiu had shown toward them.


    With a complicated expression in their eyes, they looked at Tang Xiu before the three of them rushed into the hall and disappeared around the corner.


    ¡°Mistaken for someone else?¡± Astonishment covered Long Zhengyu¡¯s face when he heard Tang Xiu¡¯s answer. He also had the impulse to ask but stopped the words in his mouth and swallowed them back.


    ¡°Big Brother, the gambling will start soon. Let¡¯s go upstairs.¡± Long Zhenglin looked at the wall clock in the hall as he spoke with an anxious and worried expression.


    The Long¡¯s Dining Hall was located in the Star City¡¯s most prosperous commercial street. The building had up to 49 floors, and the shape resembled 2 coiling Gold Dragons that surrounded the presidential suite buildings in the middle that was built like a sphere of a globe, giving off the impression that the twin dragons were playing with a bead.


    The Long¡¯s Dining Hall, with its straight line skyscraper building, spending and magnificent appearance, had become the center of the Star City¡¯s landmark, while it also had casted its myth as the legendary existence in the business world.


    For businessmen and celebrities in the Shuangqing Province, being able to stay in the Long¡¯s Dining Hall¡¯s presidential suite was regarded as their honor and prestige. As time passed by, the presidential suite¡¯s rate gradually became priced sky high.


    At the moment, in one of the presidential suites in Long¡¯s Dining Hall, 2 people sat.


    One of them was a 30-years-old young woman in a tight gown that exposed her graceful figure, a white delicate face, and the sunglasses that made her look slightly cold and mysterious.


    The other one was a 60-years-old man in a white-colored, with a serious manner and speech, a square face, and deep and profound eyes that were unable to cover his vigorous imposing manner. At this time, his hands were fiddling with two walnuts as his face revealed a calm and composed expression.


    ¡°Grandmaster Jia, today we are really depending on you. As long as you can help us win Walled Hill Village, later you will be the largest shareholder for the Everlasting District.¡± The young woman lit a cigarette as she spoke with an indifferent tone.


    ¡°Miss Zhang, you can rest assured that once this old man gambles, the game already has neither suspense nor problem. Nobody in the Shuangqing Province dares to face and gamble with this old man.¡± The old man nodded as a proud and conceited smile emerged on his face.


    After having heard his words, Zhang Deqin¡¯s delicate eyebrows slightly frowned and quickly stretched again.


    Zhang Deqin had always disliked someone who talked big, but recalling the gambling skill Jia Ruidao had, as well as his reputation in the Shuangqing Province, she quickly swallowed back the words she was about to spit out.


    Ever since Zhang Deqin released the news and announced that Jia Ruidao would help her for a gamble in the Long¡¯s Dining Hall for winning the better share rights, there were almost no gamblers that dared to respond and become the Long Family¡¯s candidates. This was already the proof that Jia Ruidao¡¯s reputation in the circle was truly high.


    ¡°I naturally very much admire Grandmaster Jia¡¯s gambling skill, or else I wouldn¡¯t have invited Grandmaster Jia to handle this matter. But driving a 10,000-years-old ship needs careful and meticulous approaches, so it would be better to be safe than sorry. Besides, remaining in vigilance and always being on guard has always been the correct thing to do.¡± After quite a long silence, Zhang Deqin spoke.


    After hearing the Zhang Deqin¡¯s determination to obtain Walled Hill Village, the expression on Jia Ruidao¡¯s face finally turned serious and solemn.


    When Jia Ruidao was just about to speak out his reassurance to guarantee the result, the room¡¯s door suddenly opened as Zhang Yongjin, Hu Wanjun, and Xue Renfei entered the room in a line.


    ¡°The lot of you really never let anyone be free from worry. If it were during the normal days, you coming late is not a problem. But you are late for this very day. Do you think I can be relaxed to hand over Walled Hill Village to you?¡± The moment she saw the Zhang Yongjin trio, the previously calm and composed Zhang Deqin instantly reincarnated into a fierce tigress, as she faced the Zhang Yongjin trio and snapped at them with a stern roar.


    ¡°B-Big Sis ¡­ I-I¡­ W-we were rushing here, the result was that we almost had a car accident. So we were delayed and came late.¡± Under Zhang Deqin¡¯s sharp and fierce gaze, Zhang Yongjin was as if a primary student that made mistakes as he lowered his head and apologized.


    Xue Renfei and Hu Wanjun, who were standing behind Zhang Yongjin, did not even dare to gasp heavily this time.


    When she heard that Zhang Yongjin almost had a car accident, Zhang Deqin whizzed from the chair as she stood up and arrived in front of Zhang Yongjin in 3 steps. She circled up and observed Zhang Yongjin¡¯s body twice. With a nervous expression, she asked, ¡°Yongjin, tell Big Sis, what had really happened? There isn¡¯t something wrong with your body, right?¡±


    At this time, the imposing manner of an able and successful career woman Zhang Deqin had a moment ago, had turned into the Zhang Deqin who was the embodiment of an ordinary woman full of maternal love.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 41

    Chapter 41: Deviants Have Always Come From Barren Mountains And Wild Rivers


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Zhang Yongjin truly wanted to tell Zhang Deqin that he was bullied. But after his face changed a few times for quite a while, he didn¡¯t say it.


    It was because he felt that this matter was too shameful, and he really couldn¡¯t speak about it. Zhang Yongjin didn¡¯t want to rely on his Big Sister¡¯s strength to solve the problem, as he wanted to wash the shame and have his revenge by himself.


    ¡°Big Sis, it¡¯s nothing really. The thing is, I was speeding and almost hit someone. I hit the brake pedal and hit the glass.¡± Zhang Yongjin spoke with a thoroughly reddened expression.


    ¡°You are lying, how could your hands be bruised huh? How come your knees are covered with dust? How come you¡¯re afraid to say that you have lost against somebody in a fight?¡± Seeing as how Zhang Yongjin¡¯s vision tried to avoid hers, Zhang Deqin¡¯s expression turned cold as she scolded him with a stern voice.


    ¡°I-I-I¡­ I-I-I¡­¡± Zhang Yongjin might be tall, strong and brawny, but he had exceptional fear toward his Big Sister. The fear was deeply imprinted in his bones. He had tried to give his all to get rid of it, and was still unable to break himself from this cage.


    When Zhang Yongjin was about to tell the truth, the door was pushed open as the Long brothers and Tang Xiu entered.


    Upon seeing Long Zhengyu and his people arrived, Zhang Deqin walked back to her seat, as her elegant appearance was also restored. Thus, Zhang Yongjin also fortunately escaped the tribulation.


    ¡°Chief Long, you bring us here and then you neglect us. Is this your Long¡¯s Dining Hall¡¯s hospitality to entertain guests?¡± Zhang Deqin didn¡¯t wait for Long Zhengyu to speak as she took the first stance to seize the momentum and showed her imposing manner.


    ¡°Chief Zhang has always spoken frankly. However, aside from your esteemed self, the Long¡¯s Dining Hall also has more important guests. This Long is naturally unable to always stay in the room to accompany you.¡± Long Zhengyu smile as he replied in a casual manner. He then continued,¡± Besides, the Long¡¯s Dining Hall¡¯s service has and will always be first class. Regardless of any needs Chief Zhang wants, you only need to press the call bell on the table, and our attendants will quickly come over to satisfy all of them.¡±


    Compared to Zhang Deqin¡¯s overbearing style, Long Zhengyu¡¯s words and style was just like a paragon demeanor, as he could make people like feeling a spring breeze, making people ashamed of their own conduct.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Zhang Deqin obviously did not expect that Long Zhengyu would take the tit for tat approach. She subconsciously wanted to curse loudly, but then recalled Long Zhengyu¡¯s peerless eloquence in debate. She didn¡¯t dare to continue talking with Long Zhengyu and instead shifted her sight to Tang Xiu.


    However, Zhang Deqin only swept a glance at Tang Xiu, and was too lazy to gaze at him a second time.


    It was because Tang Xiu¡¯s appearance was really too ordinary and shabby. His colored plaid shirt, that could be found on a street stall everywhere, a washed-out pair of blanched jeans, and a canvas shoe that was about to be pierced open with his toe. All in all, from top to bottom, his whole body was not even worth more than 100 yuan.


    Zhang Deqin had always been pampered and spoiled since birth. She had been used to be the daughter of heaven with an extravagant lifestyle. She believed that outstanding people would never come from the poor and humble families, this was her truth. Thus, a superiority complex against people with poor background had become her nature, as well as having disdain from the depths of her bones toward them.


    ¡°Chief Long, I don¡¯t know which honored guest you have said, can you recommend that person to me?¡± With a doubting expression, Zhang Deqin looked behind the Long Zhengyu and Long Zhenglin brothers and asked while smiling.


    ¡°Ah, Chief Zhang has become humorous from the time I haven¡¯t seen you. Honorable people are naturally far away in the vast horizon. You have invited Jia Ruidao to help you out, while we invited Brother Tang to help us. If Chief Zhang doesn¡¯t mind, we can begin this gamble.¡± Seeing clearly the contempt-filled look on Zhang Deqin¡¯s face, Long Zhengyu couldn¡¯t help but sneer at her in his heart.


    When Long Zhengyu first saw Tang Xiu, he indeed felt slightly disappointed. However, for his younger brother, Long Zhenglin¡¯s sake, Long Zhengyu didn¡¯t judge Tang Xiu solely on his appearance, but carefully observed Tang Xiu, and not even the little details were missed from his observation. The following scenes before also had shown that Tang Xiu must be intelligent, far beyond their imagination.


    Although Long Zhengyu did not know what had happened between Tang Xiu and Zhang Yongjin, but Long Zhengyu was absolutely sure that it was not because Zhang Yongjin had mistaken Tang Xiu with someone else, as he was losing his manner out of fear.


    Long Zhengyu also personally saw Hu Wanjun and Xue Renfei¡¯s expressions when they saw Tang Xiu. Fearful expressions flashed from their eyes. Although it quickly fleeted, but as keen as Long Zhengyu¡¯s senses had always been, he was able to see it.


    One person might say that he was mistaken someone for another person. But could it be even possible if 3 people were mistaken at the same time?


    ¡°What, he¡¯s the one you asked for help?¡± Upon hearing Long Zhengyu¡¯s words, Zhang Deqin¡¯s beautiful eyes instantly turned wide as she let out in a sharp voice.


    ¡°If this old man¡¯s memory doesn¡¯t fail me, never once such a person has been seen in the Shuangqing province¡¯s gambling society.¡± Jia Ruidao scrutinized Tang Xiu as he then spoke in a deep tone, ¡°Chief Long, are you joking with this old man?¡±


    ¡°Chief Zhang, Grandmaster Jia, I¡¯m not joking with you. Brother Tang is indeed not someone from our society. To tell you the truth, after Grandmaster Jia had announced that he would help the Zhangs, nobody from our society dared to come forward and become the champion for the Longs. The Long Family has been forced into this situation, and could only ask for help from people outside our circle.¡± Long Zhengyu seemed to be very satisfied with the effect brought and created by Tang Xiu to the stage as he patiently explained it to them.


    Upon listening to Long Zhengyu¡¯s slightly helpless and distressed words, a proud expression flashed on Zhang Deqin¡¯s and Jia Ruidao¡¯s face. They finally believed Long Zhengyu¡¯s statement.


    ¡°Chief Long really has always been very powerful and was even able to find a hidden master amongst ordinary folks. I am so ashamed of my own inferiority.¡± Zhang Deqin and Jia Ruidao had yet to speak but Zhang Yongjin¡¯s voice had reverberated in the suite as he burst into loud laughter.


    Previously, when Zhang Yongjin saw Tang Xiu being together with Long Zhengyu and Long Zhenglin at the same place, he panicked and didn¡¯t think thoroughly. But now, since he knew that Tang Xiu was someone who was invited by Long Zhengyu and Long Zhenglin to deal with Jia Ruidao, he thought that it was ridiculous and absurd as he looked at Long Zhengyu with a touch of ridiculing in his eyes.


    Although he didn¡¯t know about Tang Xiu¡¯s true identity, but Zhang Yongjin was almost certain that Tang Xiu was a farmer¡¯s disciple, and even most likely a villager from the Walled Hill Village.


    How such a bumpkin could be compared to Jia Ruidao, the Grandmaster of gambling techniques. Wasn¡¯t this same as a great joke for the world?


    ¡°Interesting, this is way too interesting! We thought that after the Grandmaster Jia had acted, no gambling master would dare to show up in this Shuangqing Province. Never once have I ever thought that the Long Family would take a tortuous and winding path, and even invited a Grandmaster from out of nowhere!¡±


    ¡°Chief Long, if you wanted to give Walled Hill Village to us, just straightly give it to us. Why must you deliberately insult Grandmaster Jia?¡±


    Along with Zhang Yongjin¡¯s loud laughter, Xue Renfei and Hu Wanjun also couldn¡¯t help but follow the wind.


    If they had to compare their combined fighting strength against Tang Xiu, Zhang Yongjin, Xue Renfei and Hu Wanjun were really a bit afraid of Tang Xiu. But as for gambling techniques, Tang Xiu was not even worth a dime to compare himself with them. Much less the one who will be pitted against Tang Xiu was not them, but the King of Gamble of the Shuangqing Province ¡ªJia Ruidao.


    Whey they recalled their miserable defeats under Tang Xiu again and again, the Zhang Yongjin trio gnashed their teeth in anger. And now, since they finally caught the hard-to-come-by opportunity, they naturally couldn¡¯t help but mock and ridicule Tang Xiu.


    ¡°How the lot of you know Master Tang?¡± Looking at the unusual reaction of the trio, Zhang Deqin asked with a puzzled expression.


    Only at this moment did the Zhang Yongjin trio realize that their reaction was really losing their own composure.


    ¡°Big Sister Chief, I, Yongjin, and Wanjun took a trip to Walled Hill Village yesterday. We ran into this guy on the hilltop. We wanted to buy the games from this guy¡¯s hands, but he refused, so we had a fierce discord. Therefore, we were so angry when we saw this punk again!¡± Xue Renfei knew that he had to deceive Zhang Deqin, and simply confessed some of the facts.


    ¡°Big Sister Chief, how could this punk be worthy to be called Master? As the saying goes, ¡®Savages have always been coming out from barren mountains and wild rivers¡¯. This punk has neither a worthy culture or personal quality. The only thing he has is brute force.¡± Recalling his car¡¯s front cover that had been smashed, Hu Wanjun added the fuel to the fire with clenching teeth.


    At first, Zhang Yongjin also had the thought to follow ridiculing Tang Xiu. However, when he saw from the corner of his eyes Tang Xiu¡¯s faint teasing smile, a sudden chill struck him as his body unknowingly shivered, and he didn¡¯t dare to speak anything.


    ¡°Fine, since people from both sides have come, let¡¯s start the gamble. This old man still has to fly to Macau.¡± Jia Ruidao stared at Long Zhengyu and spoke with a discontented expression.


    It was very obvious that after having heard the words from the Zhang Yongjin trio, Jia Ruidao felt that today¡¯s gambling was a complete farce. Long Zhengyu asking Tang Xiu to come was completely to humiliate him, and not to win the gamble. Therefore, Jia Ruidao had borne a grudge towards Long Zhengyu.


    Clearly perceiving the expression in Jia Ruidao¡¯s eyes, Long Zhengyu¡¯s heart slightly thumped. He was aware that Jia Ruidao had misunderstood him, and he also knew that he had offended this King of Gamble and its consequences.


    But when he recalled that Jia Ruidao had long chosen to stand as his opponent, Long Zhengyu quickly turned calm and took it lightly.


    ¡°If Brother Tang has no objection, then let¡¯s start the gamble.¡± Long Zhengyu didn¡¯t explain more, but his eyes looked at Tang Xiu with an inquiring expression.


    At first, Tang Xiu wanted to ask about the gambling type and rules, but he took the words that were about to speak out and swallowed them back.


    Tang Xiu was well aware that if he asked, he would be laughed at, and this would also implicate Long Zhengyu and Long Zhenglin as they would be looked down by those people. So, he decided not to ask.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine with me, we can start at any time.¡± Tang Xiu swept a glance at Zhang Yongjin and the others with a calm and tranquil expression. Not even the slightest bit of shame or anger could be seen on his face, but rather apathy in his tone.


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s profound and unpredictable demeanor, Jia Ruidao snorted coldly, as he then rang the bell on the table.


    ¡°Little Bastard, do you want to have to compare the numbers, or do you want odd or even rules? Or do you want to play other games?¡± While waiting for the attendant, Jia Ruidao spoke to Tang Xiu with a condescending tone.


    When he heard this ¡°Little Bastard¡± words, a trace of anger flashed from Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. This remark was too harsh and rude.


    ¡°Old Bastard, choose one that you think you¡¯re good at. So you won¡¯t find any excuses when you have lost!¡± Tang Xiu found that he would be constantly bullied if he continued giving them any concessions. This time, he no longer flinched and stepped back, but began his fierce counterattack instead.


    ¡°YOU¡­!! Since you¡¯ve readied yourself to your own disgrace. then let¡¯s play Dice[1]. It¡¯s simple, and won¡¯t take too much time.¡± Jia Ruidao spoke in anger.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with it, I won¡¯t ask more.¡± After hearing Jia Ruidao¡¯s answer, Tang Xiu was overjoyed as he blurted out his agreement.


    Tang Xiu was afraid that Jia Ruidao would propose a complex gambling play because it meant that he must spend more time to figure out the game¡¯s rules and adapt to them. He was afraid that if it takes too much time in learning and adapting to the rules, he would lose the gamble.


    Chinese Dice was another case all in all. Although Tang Xiu had never played this dice gamble, but he has seen it on TV, while he also had played it to pass the time when he and his classmates were visiting KTV to sing[2], so he was no stranger to this kind of gambling. For fear that Jia Ruidao would take his words back, Tang Xiu hurriedly complied when Jia Ruidao had just finished speaking.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    [1], Big or Small number dice, the raws wrote it, but i think its just only a simple dice game.


    [2]


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 42

    Chapter 42: Learning How to Apply What One Learned


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    In the next moment, The Long¡¯s Dining Hall¡¯s attendant came in with a few exquisite dices.


    After Jia Ruidao carefully checked them, he selected a pair of die.


    Tang Xiu saw that the dices were provided by the Long¡¯s Dining Hall. He was disinclined to check them, but took the remaining pair of dices randomly.


    Dice gambling was very simple. Each person only needed a pair of dices with its cup. Put the dies into the dice cup as both sides shook the cup and threw them out. The one who got the biggest total number would become the winner.


    As long as they had a little bit of time, anyone could learn how to play this game in a short time. This game was very popular in the bars, karaoke, KTV, and other entertainment places.


    Ordinary people would depend on luck when they played this Big or Small dice game. The better your luck, you win and the worse your luck, you lose.


    But for the Gambling Master, this was not relied on luck, but on techniques.


    In the process of throwing the dices, Gambling Masters were able to precisely control the dices¡¯ number, which meant that the dice numbers were controlled by their skill and calculation, not on luck.


    ¡°Chief Long, are you sure to let this kid gamble with me and not you yourself take the shot? If luck were to be compared, yours perhaps might better than this brat, right?¡± When he shook the dices inside the dice cup, Jia Ruidao stared at Long Zhengyu and faintly smiled.


    ¡°Grandmaster Jia, you also know clearly that luck for this kind of thing is unclear. But recently, this Long¡¯s heart feels quite satisfied with life, the lady luck for my gambling chances definitely has been gone. So I¡¯ll have to ask Brother Tang to replace me.¡± Facing Jia Ruidao¡¯s provocation, Long Zhengyu didn¡¯t take the bait on the hook.


    ¡°Since it has come to this, Chief Long could only wait to hand over Walled Hill Village.¡± Having been refused by Long Zhengyu deliberately, Jia Ruidao also didn¡¯t want to speak anymore. He snorted coldly as he shook the dice cup in his hand and began to move.


    Jia Ruidao had been immersing himself in gambling techniques for many years. His techniques naturally had reached the peak and mastered them.


    Along with the shaking of Jia Ruidao¡¯s wrist, the dice cup was as if alive as it changed and reflected illusory images in the air, causing people to be unable to catch its traces completely.


    For a time, the dice cup stood vertically, while at the other times, it was inverted. His movements were like a from the Ninth Heaven as it flew high and danced in the air with exquisite and beautiful grace.


    The dies in the dice cup were as if they were stuck, and didn¡¯t exude any sounds. But had people not witnessed personally that Jia Ruidao had put the dices into the cup, they would have suspected that there were no dies in the cup.


    _¡°This old guy really has some skills.¡±_ Tang Xiu¡¯s attention was not focused at the dice cup, but rather locked on Jia Ruidao¡¯s technique, silently observing it as he fully focused his senses on it.


    Even though Tang Xiu had only an extremely low experience in gambling, but he also knew that gambles were nothing but ¡°having keen ears and quick eyes and hands¡±.


    Jia Ruidao¡¯s techniques were truly very skilled and excellent. His arms were motionless as if it was fixedly supported, and only moved his wrist.


    This allowed Jia Ruidao to reduce the movement range at the same time. Not only would it speed it up, it would also save a lot of physical strength.


    Jia Ruidao¡¯s eyes did not even see the dice cup. He also didn¡¯t look at the tabletop, but slowly swept a glance at the crowd in the room. He especially stared for quite a while at Long Zhengyu and Tang Xiu.


    But Jia Ruidao¡¯s ears slightly moved from time to time. But since everyone¡¯s attention in the room was focused on his hands, nobody noticed the slightest movement that Jia Ruidao¡¯s ears had.


    This sharp and fluid movement technique Jia Ruidao had done with the dice cup in his hands was enough to shock and intimidate the majority of people, not to mention that Jia Ruidao truly had mastered that skill.


    Unfortunately, Jia Ruidao¡¯s opponent right now was Tang Xiu. Not only did Tang Xiu have senses that were hundred times stronger than an ordinary person¡¯s, his brains¡¯ operating speed was also stronger by a hundredfold.


    Others might not notice the slight vibration in Jia Ruidao¡¯s ears, but Tang Xiu noticed them.


    When the game had started, Tang Xiu also thought that the slight movements Jia Ruidao¡¯s ears and were only an accidental behavior, and he didn¡¯t pay any attention to them. But when Tang Xiu found that the subtle jitters seemed to be a regular pattern, as well as continued to move unceasingly, he immediately focused on it.


    _¡°No, it¡¯s not that there are no dice sounds coming out from the dice cup, but it¡¯s because the sounds are very vague and subtle, and couldn¡¯t be heard by most people.¡±_ Tang Xiu quickly figured out that Jia Ruidao also should be listening to the rolling dices¡¯ sounds in the dice cup, while also adjusting the dices¡¯ number with his wrist¡¯s shaking movements.


    In a split moment, Tang Xiu¡¯s attention was fully focused on the rolling dices¡¯ sounds.


    It was the first time that Tang Xiu played the dice with anyone after all. Not to mention that his opponent right now was the King of Gamblers. Thus, he did not dare to even have the slightest negligence, so he could live up to the Long Brothers¡¯ expectation and also obtain the place with the Spiritual Vein in the Walled Hill Village.


    On the other side, upon seeing Jia Ruidao¡¯s dazzling performance, a frantic and excited expression was revealed on Zhang Deqin, Zhang Yongjin, Hu Wanjun, and Xue Renfei¡¯s complexion. They were becoming happier, especially when they were seeing the confused and almost ¡®drowned in daze¡¯ expression Tang Xiu had.


    Zhang Deqin and her group were looking at Long Zhengyu and Long Zhenglin with eyes full of compassion and sympathy, just like the vision from the champion looking at the losers. It was as if Walled Hill Village had already fallen to their hands.


    At this very moment, Long Zhengyu and Long Zhenglin were indeed having a look of anxiety and concern on their faces.


    It was because Jia Ruidao¡¯s performance was truly attractive and beautiful. Jia Ruidao obviously didn¡¯t regard his current opponent as an outsider or ordinary person as he really chose to go all out.


    After having watched Jia Ruidao¡¯s appearance that was fully immersed and concentrated, Long Zhengyu and Long Zhenglin turned apprehensive and trembled.


    Could it be that because they had invited an outsider to gamble with him, it angered him?


    ¡°Hold on!¡± When Jia Ruidao¡¯s performance had engulfed the atmosphere in the room, a voice suddenly sounded in the room and shocked everyone, whilst Jia Ruidao¡¯s movements also slowed down, which made the originally attached dices to the dice cup¡¯s wall almost be thrown out and fall to the floor.


    It turned out that it was Tang Xiu¡¯s voice that broke the show in that critical moment.


    Tang Xiu could see that Jia Ruidao¡¯s performance was getting better and better. If Jia Ruidao was allowed to play in this kind of state, Tang Xiu would very likely lose to him today, so he had to forcefully break his rhythm.


    ¡°Since Grandmaster Jia is very confident in your gambling skills, we might as well change the game from 5 session games with 3 wins to 3 session games with 2 wins, how about it?¡± Under Jia Ruidao¡¯s burning glare, Tang Xiu calmly spoke in a moderate pace.


    Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, Jia Ruidao had the urge to take a knife and stab him in impulse, ¡°Let alone 3 sessions 2 wins, how about one game to decide the winner?¡±


    Facing Jia Ruidao¡¯s provocation, Tang Xiu decisively chose to avoid him for the moment.


    To Tang Xiu, after having interrupted Jia Ruidao¡¯s rhythm, whether it was 5 or 3 sessions of games didn¡¯t really matter anymore. But certainly, deciding the victory with only one game was too much of a risk to take, so he naturally couldn¡¯t agree to it.


    ¡°Then, as Grandmaster has said, let¡¯s decide this gamble quickly. 3 session games with 2 wins are better.¡± Tang Xiu smiled as he gave his words with a grateful expression on his face.


    ¡°Is he really afraid that his death is not fast enough? With 5 sessions 3 wins, he might be able to win the gamble, relying on luck. But he actually wants 3 session games?¡±


    ¡°My, my¡­ I think I understand his thought. In any case, he will still lose and be doomed. Then, he might as well die happily as he wished, so he won¡¯t need to suffer much.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine in any case with me, so everyone¡¯s time wouldn¡¯t be wasted. I think that brat feels anxious, and his body feels unwell.¡±


    ****


    Almost nobody could figure out as to why Tang Xiu abruptly made noise. They just thought that Tang Xiu was fearful and afraid as he wanted to leave this suffocating situation as quickly as possible. Thus, he couldn¡¯t help but make noises and interrupted Jia Ruidao¡¯s dice shaking movements.


    Jia Ruidao glared at Tang Xiu with a disdaining expression, as he shook up his dice cup again.


    However, this time, Jia Ruidao could no longer immerse himself into that kind of subtle sensation like before again. His hands¡¯ movements became a lot slower, causing him to be in a kind of irritable mood.


    A few seconds later, Jia Ruidao¡¯s hands buckled up the dice cup on the table as everyone¡¯s eyes in the room instantly shot toward the dice cup.


    Under the intense gaze and everyone¡¯s attention, Jia Ruidao slowly opened the dice cup and revealed the dices¡¯ numbers.


    ¡°WOW, 6 points! Grandmaster Jia shook out six, we won the set.¡±


    ¡°Grandmaster is really worthy to be called as Grandmaster. Wanting a certain big number, then that certain big number he will have.¡±


    ¡°If I had the skill just like Grandmaster, it would be great. I would simply be picking up chicks and sharpen my weapon.¡±


    The Zhang Yongjin trio couldn¡¯t help but loudly shout in surprise upon seeing the dice¡¯s points. A satisfied smile was also revealed on Zhang Deqin¡¯s face.


    On the other side, Long Zhengyu and Long Zhenglin¡¯s face had turned unusually ugly, while Tang Xiu¡¯s face also turned solemn.


    Long Zhengyu and Long Zhenglin were frightened by Jia Ruidao¡¯s gambling technique while Tang Xiu was surprised since he never thought that Jia Ruidao would still be able to shake out a big dice number in that kind of state.


    ¡°Kid, do you want to directly throw in the towel or want to continue to try your luck?¡± Jia Ruidao glanced at Tang Xiu and provoked him.


    ¡°Old man, do you want to bend down soldiers not to fight? Nah, you don¡¯t have that ability.¡± Tang Xiu stared back at Jia Ruidao, and then picked a dice cup. He threw a dice into the dice cup and slowly shook it up.


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s clumsy and sluggish movements, a ridiculing expression was revealed on Jia Ruidao¡¯s smile, as Zhang Deqin subconsciously felt relieved.


    ¡°Hahaha, I really could die laughing. He¡¯s pretty much unlikely to have learned how to shake the dice. But he actually dares to show off his own shitty technique before Grandmaster Jia. Man¡­ he really wants to show off his pathetic abilities before an expert.¡±


    ¡°This punk¡¯s technique is clearly lower than mine, but his thick-skinned face is truly way thicker than mine.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really damn hard for Chief Long huh. But he¡¯s actually damn good at finding such an extraordinary prodigy like him. You won¡¯t lose face though, but we think you must have been terrified inside.


    Although the others also felt that Tang Xiu¡¯s technique was bad, but they did not say anything. But the Zhang Yongjin trio was completely unable to control their excitement and made satires as they burst into laughter out of their impulse.


    ¡°If you continue to disturb the gambling house, I really don¡¯t mind kicking you out!¡± When the Zhang Yongjin trio burst into unscrupulous loud laughter and made noises, Long Zhengyu spoke in a cold tone.


    Long Zhengyu¡¯s words were as if a pair of invisible giant hands that grabbed on Zhang Yongjin trio¡¯s necks. In an instant, they lost their voice.


    Although Tang Xiu¡¯s shaking dice¡¯s technique was very poor, but since the gambling has already begun, then the house would prohibit any noises. Let alone such a loud, ridiculing behavior Zhang Yongjin and his friends were doing.


    Had outsiders¡¯ influence impacted the players and it was deemed to be unfair, the gambling house could be judged as not valid. Therefore, Long Zhengyu¡¯s words carried along with it an absolute deterrent effect.


    Upon seeing the Zhang Yongjin trio being suppressed with faces flushed red with anger, a satisfied smile was revealed on Tang Xiu¡¯s face, while at the same his hand¡¯s movements also gradually accelerated.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 43

    Chapter 43: Looks and Shapes Might Be Similar, But The Soul is Different


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Although it was the first time Tang Xiu shook dice, but his memorizing and learning pace ability was marvelous.


    Tang Xiu had just carefully observed and emulated Jia Ruidao¡¯s movements in shaking the dice cup, so he would imitate Jia Ruidao¡¯s techniques.


    At the beginning, Tang Xiu¡¯s imitation movement from Jia Ruidao¡¯s movements and techniques were still sluggish and slow. But he gradually became more skilled, as if his movements and techniques almost became a genuine replica of Jia Ruidao¡¯s movements.


    ¡°Y-You¡­¡± Jia Ruidao at first didn¡¯t pay attention to Tang Xiu¡¯s movements and techniques in shaking the dices since it was different from his. But when he figured out that Tang Xiu¡¯s movements and techniques were becoming more and more familiar, he couldn¡¯t help but shout.


    Jia Ruidao had been spending more than 30 years analyzing and perfecting his own set of unique skills. Only then was he able to gradually master this technique. But Tang Xiu only needed to observe his unique skills and was able to emulate it up to 70%, which made Jia Ruidao even suspect whether the three decades he spent pondering on this technique was really in vain or not.


    Although Jia Ruidao also received a few apprentices and also taught them his unique skills, but he was very sure that even his apprentices would be unable to learn his unique skill so thoroughly. Let alone those several good-for-nothing young masters.


    However, watching a stranger suddenly demonstrate his own unique skills in front him, an indescribable feeling filled Jia Ruidao¡¯s heart. Not even words could truly convey his feelings.


    ¡°This kid is only an outsider, and obviously just recently in contact with the society. But he has such a strong perception. If I were to accept him as an apprentice, wouldn¡¯t it mean that I¡¯ll have a successor to carry on my legacy?¡± Suddenly, a thought emerged inside Jia Ruidao¡¯s mind and started to fully fill his mind.


    At this very moment, Jia Ruidao¡¯s attitude toward Tang Xiu changed as he saw that Tang Xiu was becoming more pleasing to his eyes.


    Even though Tang Xiu only wore plain and simple clothes, but it was clean and orderly. His black hair particularly gave off a spirited feeling, with a pair of bright and lively eyes. His high nose, thin lips, tall and straight stature gave off a kind of graceful and compelling feeling.


    When the others heard Jia Ruidao¡¯s shout, they were bewildered.


    The others didn¡¯t know that each gambler always had their own particular unique skills. In the eyes of people, all the dice shaking movements were similar. They didn¡¯t truly memorize Jia Ruidao¡¯s movements previously. Therefore, they didn¡¯t know that Tang Xiu¡¯s movements and techniques in shaking the dice were shockingly similar with Jia Ruidao¡¯s.


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu¡¯s buckled the dice cup in his hands on the table as beads of sweat permeated from his forehead. At the same time, a tired expression was also revealed on his face, mixed with a bit of nervousness and anxiety.


    Although Tang Xiu had tried his best and also had digested and absorbed almost 90% of Jia Ruidao¡¯s unique skill. But a lot of things could only be accumulated with time and experience, rather than looking and imitating could learn from.


    The dice shaking movements Tang Xiu had done was completely the full copy of Jia Ruidao¡¯s techniques. But he didn¡¯t have the means to learn the ear distinguishing technique to figure out the dice number in the dice cup.


    The reason as to why Tang Xiu shook the dice longer than Jia Ruidao, on one hand, was of course to probe the feeling of the dice shaking sensation, so he could be more skilled in executing the technique. While on the other hand, it was because he attempted to listen to the dice rolling sounds in the dice cup, as he tried to confirm the dice number through those subtle changes and sounds.


    ¡°Open it! You must open it! Once the cup dice has buckled down on the table, the result has already been decided. Even if you don¡¯t open, you cannot change the dice number.¡± Upon seeing that Tang Xiu was pressing the dice cup and seemed unwilling to open it, Zhang Yongjin blurted out with an anxious expression.


    Tang Xiu ignored Zhang Yongjin. He wiped the sweat that flowed down on the corner of his eyes, and then slowly opened the dice cup.


    Anxiety and nervousness covered Tang Xiu¡¯s face when he was uncovering the dice cup. Even his right hand that held the dice cup was slightly trembling.


    ¡°Hahaha, 1 point. Only 1 point. You could really kill me with a laugh. With this holy sh*t luck, I might go out to buy lottery tickets.¡± Zhang Yongjin couldn¡¯t help but laugh when Tang Xiu had completely opened his dice cup.


    When Xue Renfei and Hu Wanjun heard this, they couldn¡¯t help but also let out ridicules and mock him, as Zhang Deqin and Jia Ruidao subconsciously felt relieved.


    Previously, Zhang Deqin and Jia Ruidao were also worried that Tang Xiu was a kind of hidden private gambling master, so the gambling house this time could be capsized to the pit.


    But the anxiety in their hearts instantly disappeared the moment Tang Xiu opened the dice cup. Their heart was as if had been eased a lot.


    ¡°Did I lose?¡± When Tang Xiu saw that little red point, a touch of frustration flashed in his eyes.


    ¡°Brother Tang, it¡¯s alright. Don¡¯t be discouraged. We still have 2 other opportunities.¡± Although Long Zhengyu was also discouraged deep inside, but he could see that Tang Xiu had really tried. There was neither a blaming or accusing tone in his words as he consoled Tang Xiu from the side with a soft voice.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, don¡¯t be discouraged, the one who will win in the end is you.¡± Long Zhenglin also added with a face full of confidence.


    Upon seeing that Long Zhengyu and Long Zhenglin were still trusting Tang Xiu at this time, a puzzled expression flashed in Zhang Deqin¡¯s eyes as she couldn¡¯t help but scrutinize Tang Xiu¡¯s face.


    But the Zhang Yongjin trio, as always, couldn¡¯t help but continue to mock and ridicule him.


    ¡°Little brother, can we continue?¡± Jia Ruidao looked at Tang Xiu for a moment as he then smiled and asked.


    ¡°Grandmaster Jia, please!¡± When Tang Xiu heard the change in remark and tone from Jia Ruidao, he was surprised first and then immediately changed his addressing towards Jia Ruidao.


    This time, Jia Ruidao¡¯s dice shaking movements were very slow as he simply reduced a lot of fancy and unneeded movements. The dice in the dice cup suddenly produced sounds.


    When Tang Xiu heard it, his eyes lightened up as he subconsciously looked at Jia Ruidao and found that Jia Ruidao vaguely winked at him, and saw a look full of appreciation from his eyes. Tang Xu immediately understood Jia Ruidao¡¯s intention as he expressed his goodwill to him.


    Although he didn¡¯t know as to why Jia Ruidao would have such a change in attitude, but Tang Xiu knew that this was definitely a good thing for him. So he began to carefully listen to the sounds produced by the dice in the dice cup.


    The second gambling session was much more difficult than the first one.


    In the first gambling, the dice put was only 1. But for the second session, the number of dices put into the dice cup was increased to 3.


    Distinguishing the sounds produced by 1 dice was easy, but the difficulty was raised by 3 times more to distinguish the sounds produced by 3 dices.


    Had it been other people, they were unlikely to be able to listen and discern the dice number through the rolling dice¡¯s sounds. It was even more unlikely to be able to see through the dice cup control technique to identify the dice¡¯s numbers. They could only shake the dice cup for a few times before buckling it down on the table and then submit to the will of heaven for their luck.


    However, Jia Ruidao was not an average person. He was a professional gambler. His professional conduct and ethics didn¡¯t allow for him to be perfunctory and scuffle. Thus, he was very serious in listening and distinguishing the rolling dices and its collision sounds. While he simultaneously also controlled the dice numbers with his vibrating skill technique.


    But Jia Ruidao didn¡¯t immediately put down the dice cup this time, and instead had been observing the changes on Tang Xiu¡¯s face.


    When Jia Ruidao found that Tang Xiu¡¯s face looked tranquil and soothed, a relaxed expression was also revealed on his face as he put the dice cup down.


    Jia Ruidao lifted up the dice cup as the 3 dices¡¯ final points were shown. It was impressively 5, 5, 6, with a total of 16 dice points.


    Upon seeing that Jia Ruidao didn¡¯t score 18 points, a touch of worry and anxiety flashed on Zhang Deqin¡¯s expression, as the Zhang Yongjin trio also looked anxious.


    But when they recalled that Tang Xiu was only just a green gambler, they immediately relaxed.


    Although Grandmaster Jia didn¡¯t get full points, but it was not that far off. Tang Xiu could only rely on his luck to determine the numbers, while the probability to get full points was simply too low. Zhang Deqin and the others didn¡¯t believe that Tang Xiu would get full points by relying on luck.


    Just like in the proverb that said, ¡°Stepping backward for a step before advancing forward for 10,000 steps¡±, could also mean that even if Grandmaster Jia lost to Tang Xiu, both sides would only be tied, and there was still a third game to decide the outcome of the gambling house. But still, Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t depend on his luck to win against Grandmaster Jia twice, could he?


    After he nodded towards Jia Ruidao, Tang Xiu also picked up the dice cup with dices, and then began his second game.


    Through the first session of adaptation and training, Tang Xiu¡¯s dice shaking movement clearly had become more skilled and a lot faster. So he was now focusing on listening and distinguishing the sounds produced by the dices¡¯ changes inside the dice cup.


    Everyone was struck dumb with surprise for a moment when Tang Xiu put the dice cup down. It was because that Tang Xiu only shook it for only a minute.


    ¡°Hey brat, you couldn¡¯t be giving up, right?¡± Recalling as to how Jia Ruidao took a full 5 minutes to shake his dice cup and roll the dice, and Tang Xiu only took a minute, Zhang Yongjin naturally didn¡¯t think that Tang Xiu¡¯s gambling skill was more powerful than Jia Ruidao. But he thought that Tang Xiu already didn¡¯t want to continue putting an act and stopped.


    ¡°Grandmaster Jia¡¯s strength already made him intimidated. If he doesn¡¯t give up, he will be on the point of death, heh.¡±


    ¡°Brat, you finally have self-knowledge eh. Your gambling skill is much inferior to a master. Even if you shake your dice cup longer, it¡¯s useless. You might as well rely on your luck.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better to finish the game this quick, so we don¡¯t have to waste more time.¡±


    When Xue Renfei, Hu Wanjun, and Zhang Yongjin trio saw Tang Xiu¡¯s action, they were frozen for a moment, before they then subconsciously taunted him.


    In the next moment, everyone¡¯s eyes turned round as Zhang Deqin, Zhang Yongjin¡¯s faces were flushed red while Xue Renfei, Hu Wanjun, and Jia Ruidao¡¯s eyes were full of a disbelieving expressions.


    Because when Tang Xiu had opened the dice cup in a flash, the dices¡¯ numbers had already been shown in front of everyone.


    5, 6, 6, for a total of 17 points. It was a point higher than Jia Ruidao with 16 points before.


    ¡°We won! Did we actually win?¡± Although Long Zhengyu comforted Tang Xiu before, in fact, he already didn¡¯t hope too much for Tang Xiu. But he comforted himself because of the long-established etiquette and self-controlling manner he had long been cultivated, as he chose to comfort him and not blame and accuse him.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, I knew you could do it. Big Brother, do you believe me now?¡± Long Zhenglin¡¯s sentence¡¯s first half was aimed at Tang Xiu, as the other half was pointed at Long Zhengyu. At this time, Long Zhenglin was dancing with a joyful expression, just like a child.


    After having confirmed repeatedly, as well as making sure that his eyes didn¡¯t fail him when seeing the dice numbers in front of Tang Xiu, Long Zhengyu finally awakened from his huge shock as he clenched his fist and then grabbed his younger brother with excited tears in his eyes.


    It was because the Walled Hill Village project was too important for Long Zhengyu. He had to firmly step on this first step since it directly related to Long Zhengyu¡¯s entire life plan. Therefore, he had been racking his brains for this project for almost 3 years to make it happen.


    Had the project suddenly get cut off, Long Zhengyu really didn¡¯t know whether he could face the failure or not. This was why he literally begged for help everywhere, and also the reason he finally chose to believe his younger brother¡¯s words and invited an outsider to help with this problem.


    ¡°Your luck is truly good. But I don¡¯t believe you can win the next time.¡± After the silence for a long time, Zhang Yongjin spoke with a sour expression.


    But this time, Zhang Yongjin¡¯s tone was obviously different from his previous emboldened speech. Also, nobody echoed him again, since the others were also still immersed in their astonishment and had yet to awaken from the shock Tang Xiu had given them with the 17 dice points.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 44

    Chapter 44: Gambling Skill¡¯s Breakthrough


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Grandmaster Jia, please!¡± Tang Xiu smiled at Jia Ruidao and made a gesture to invite the fight again.


    Tang Xiu was truly grateful of Jia Ruidao.


    If it were not for Jia Ruidao deliberately slowing down his speed in shaking the dices a moment ago, as well as exposing a lot of key things, Tang Xiu certainly wouldn¡¯t be this fast in mastering the real technique in shaking the dices.


    Jia Ruidao threw him a peach and Tang Xiu casted a plum.


    The 2 people¡¯s eyes locked a brief flash of a moment. Outsiders simply couldn¡¯t see that the relationship between the two already had a subtle change.


    Jia Ruidao was after all the expert that was invited by Zhang Deqin with a sky-high price to deal with the Long¡¯s Dining Hall. So it was natural that he couldn¡¯t exchange pleasant and affectionate words with Tang Xiu. Had Jia Ruidao won, everything would be alright. But if it was the reverse, this matter would be an absolute misunderstanding, and people could say that the gamble had been manipulated.


    Jia Ruidao nodded his head to Tang Xiu and then picked up the dice cup again as he began the third gambling session between the two of them.


    This time, Jia Ruidao put 5 dices into the dice cup.


    As the dice cup shook, a trace of brilliant light flashed on Jia Ruidao¡¯s eyes as his wrist vibrated with an orderly rhythm.


    A burst of clear brushing sounds could be heard as muffled and dull thumping sounds followed, along with a burst of sharp sounds.


    5 dices were colliding with each other in the dice cup. One sound was the sound of the dice ramming inside the dice cup in rhythmic order, as the others scattered and flew around. The other 6 or 7 sounds blended together as the sounds unexpectedly composed a rhythmically cheerful and bright sonata.


    ¡°Ah! Originally, gambling also could be played like this?¡± Tang Xiu could feel an intense fighting spirit that was being exuded from Jia Ruidao. His eyes turned bright as he saw Jia Ruidao¡¯s eyes also turned burning hot.


    Tang Xiu also could feel that Jia Ruidao acting like this was neither because he was not appreciative of his ability nor because he wanted to reverse the current, but it was his decision to go all out.


    This was also the situation Tang Xiu was hoping to happen. It was true that Jia Ruidao¡¯s fighting spirit certainly sparked and became excited because he met his match in Tang Xiu, after being lonely at the peak for so long. Since Tang Xiu unexpectedly had challenged his own limits, he finally could feel the true pleasure of gambling, rather than becoming a winner in a gamble through others who modestly accepted defeat.


    Jia Ruidao¡¯s wrist shook as the dice cup was like a butterfly dancing in the air. Naked eyes were unable to trace anything as everyone could only see a beautiful arc path, whilst a confident and calm smile emerged on Jia Ruidao¡¯s face.


    Everyone in the room apparently had never thought that Jia Ruidao would be this unique. They were all stunned as the music from the dice cup suddenly reverberated in the room.


    The music was giving off a very wonderful feeling. Never even once had anyone ever imagined that the full rhythmic melody sounds from shaking dices would be this wonderful and pleasant to hear.


    Almost everyone stared at Jia Ruidao. Along with each and every jitter and movement his wrist made, they involuntarily nodded with an enthralled expression on their faces.


    For fear of disturbing Jia Ruidao¡¯s rhythm and tempo, nobody even dared to breathe heavily in the room. They only watched with eyes opened wide and holding their breath, as they motionlessly immersed themselves in the wonderful journey brought by Jia Ruidao.


    The time passed without anyone noticing, as everyone finally woke up from the dream by dull thumping sounds. They looked up and saw that Jia Ruidao had stopped his movements as he buckled up and put down the dice cup on the table.


    ¡°Grandmaster Jia is really great.¡±


    ¡°Holy Lord! This is real gambling skills. The other Gambling Masters we have seen before were simply are too pale in comparison.¡±


    ¡°The King of Gamble is the King of Gamble. Even shaking dices can give such a pleasant feeling to people.¡±


    ****


    The moment when Jia Ruidao¡¯s movement was about to stop, the room was fully filled with praises that came and left in succession. Even Long Zhengyu and Long Zhenglin gave extravagant appreciation.


    At this moment, it was as if winning or losing was already worthless. Everyone had been fully conquered by Jia Ruidao¡¯s gambling technique.


    Under praises thrown by everyone, Jia Ruidao slowly opened the dice cup and showed the dice numbers.


    ¡°Full points! It turned out to be full points. We have won this game!¡±


    ¡°Grandmaster Jia is truly amazing. Such an amazing technique and was he able to control it to get full points, I¡¯m completely subdued.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, Grandmaster Jia won¡¯t accept any apprentices again, else I really must become his disciple.¡±


    When the dices¡¯ numbers were revealed, Zhang Yongjin, Xue Renfei, and Hu Wanjun trio couldn¡¯t help but shout again. They were dancing like children with flushing red complexions due to the excitement.


    A charming and enchanting smile was revealed on Zhang Deqin¡¯s face as she looked at Long Zhengyu and Long Zhengyu at the opposite side. A trace of compassion and sympathy flashed over her eyes.


    Although Long Zhengyu and Long Zhenglin appreciated Jia Ruidao¡¯s gambling skills, but when the dices¡¯ points came out, an uncomfortably lost feeling couldn¡¯t help but burst out from their hearts.


    It was especially true for Long Zhengyu. The moment the results had come out, his body shivered as he almost staggered and fell down to the floor.


    ¡°Brother Tang, you have tried your best. It¡¯s OK. We have lost.¡± Upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s ¡°apprehensive¡± expression, Long Zhengyu patted his shoulder and softly comforted him.


    ¡°Eh?! What¡¯s with your expression? I didn¡¯t even act yet. Do you think the gambling result has been decided?¡± Tang Xiu shouted loudly as he felt that the mood in the room was somehow a bit wrong.


    Under everyone¡¯s doubts and contemptuous eyes, Tang Xiu picked up the dice cup, put five dices into the dice cup, and then begun shake it up.


    Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, Zhang Yongjin, Hu Wanjun, and Xue Renfei trio was just about to subconsciously ridicule him, but Tang Xiu¡¯s action was too fast and they basically didn¡¯t have time to mouth him since Tang Xiu already began to shake the dices.


    Recalling the rules from the gambling house, they had no choice but to hold back their impulse to make noise and looked at Tang Xiu with disdain.


    ¡°Boom-thump¡±


    ¡°Boom-thump¡±


    ¡°Boom-thump¡±


    ****


    If Jia Ruidao¡¯s dice shaking sounds was a cheerful symphony and a feast for people¡¯s ears, then Tang Xiu¡¯s dice shaking sounds was a heavy drum battle, almost suffocating people.


    Upon hearing the sounds from Tang Xiu¡¯s dice cup, brilliant rays of lights flashed in Jia Ruidao¡¯s eyes.


    Previously, a trace of regret sprouted inside Jia Ruidao¡¯s heart when he stopped shaking his dices. He was too excited, and then suddenly raised his skill by a level when he shook his dices as he played far better than his usual play. He was afraid that his extraordinary performance would hit Tang Xiu¡¯s mentality and make him depressed, causing him to be unable to recover.


    But when he saw that Tang Xiu hadn¡¯t given up and even casted a completely different vibe from his dice shaking unique skills, apart from feeling happy, Jia Ruidao was even more shocked.


    The others were completely dumbfounded, they felt like they were being mesmerized. One by one they stared at Tang Xiu and were clueless about what was going to happen.


    It was as if 10,000 years had passed in the blink of an eye.


    When Tang Xiu suddenly stopped his movements, everyone in the room shook their head at the same time as if they had agreed to do it together, awakening them from the trance.


    Under the gazes of the crowd, Tang Xiu slowly lifted up the dice cup.


    ¡°WHAT!!! It¡¯s also full points, how could it be possible?!¡±


    ¡°This is not right. I definitely have been mistaken. He was just shaking it a few times. But how could it be possible to get the six numbers this easily?¡±


    ¡°This is only luck, luck ¡­¡±


    After looking at the dice numbers, disbelief and astonishment covered everyone¡¯s faces, especially the Xue Renfei, Hu Wanjun, with Zhang Yongjin trio that were dumbfounded and shouted.


    ¡°Grandmaster Jia, shall we continue?¡± Tang Xiu looked at Jia Ruidao, who was also in a dazed state, as he spoke and sent an invitation to have a fight again.


    ¡°Good, let¡¯s continue!¡± Jia Ruidao looked at Tang Xiu for quite a long time before he answered with an intense fighting spirit.


    The crowd had yet to fully recover and react from the shock Tang Xiu had given them, but Jia Ruidao and Tang Xiu had started the fourth game session.


    This time, Jia Ruidao directly placed 6 dices in the dice cup.


    ¡°In regards to our dice playing level, the Dice Gamble before seems to have lost its significance. We probably have to have a match to guess the results in darkness. Then, shall we add a little more difficulty to our game?¡± Before Jia Ruidao began to shake the dices, his eyes suddenly moved as a smile emerged on his face.


    Upon hearing Jia Ruidao¡¯s words, everyone in the room couldn¡¯t help but feel surprised for a moment. With that remark, wasn¡¯t this saying that Jia Ruidao had admitted that Tang Xiu¡¯s shaking dice skills were at the same level as his?


    ¡°Then, how should we play according to Grandmaster Jia¡¯s plan?¡± Having heard that, Tang Xiu¡¯s curiosity was also sparked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll both shake the dices and put it down at the same time. And then we¡¯ll guess each other¡¯s dice points in the dice cup. The one who guesses right shall be the winner.¡± Jia Ruidao pondered for a short while before he answered with a smiling face.


    ¡°I¡¯ll follow Grandmaster¡¯s arrangements.¡± Tang Xiu complied at once while smiling, and didn¡¯t wait for Long Zhengyu and Long Zhenglin to refute him.


    ¡°You brat really don¡¯t know the immensity of the heaven and earth. You actually dare to play with Grandmaster Jia to guess the dices point game. Compared to the previous dice gamble before that could rely on luck, there¡¯s no way that you could rely on luck with this one.¡± When Zhang Yongjin heard Jia Ruidao¡¯s words that seemed to acknowledge Tang Xiu¡¯s dice shaking skill, he was unable from feeling sour and envious. And now, as he saw that Tang Xiu accepted to play a new gambling game from Jia Ruidao, he couldn¡¯t bear to blurt out immediately.


    Everyone knew that Zhang Yongjin was a diehard fan of gambling. He even had begged Jia Ruidao to receive him as a disciple.


    But ever since Jia Ruidao received an apprentice 3 years ago, he was unwilling to accept any disciples again and refused to accept Zhang Yongjin with an excuse that he was too old. Jia Ruidao also didn¡¯t lack money, so Zhang Yongjin was unable to cast his ¡®throwing money¡¯ unique ability to solve problems again. Therefore, he could only feel powerless and look away.


    Never once did he ever have the thought that Tang Xiu would actually get acknowledged by Jia Ruidao, which naturally made Zhang Yongjin drown in a bad mood.


    ¡°I have just realized that the magnificent of Grandmaster Jia¡¯s strength is not only limited to gambling, but it also excels in cutting short others. Ah, the Longs really have experienced today.¡± The moment Zhang Yongjin¡¯s words just finished, Long Zhenglin harrumphed and coldly snorted.


    Long Zhenglin was worried that Tang Xiu¡¯s gambling skills wouldn¡¯t be as good as Jia Ruidao. And now, since he finally saw that Tang Xiu had a hope of winning in the dice shaking game, he had never thought that Jia Ruidao would change the gambling type, which even Tang Xiu also agreed to.


    Long Zhenglin had yet to realize the subtle changes in the relationship between Tang Xiu and Jia Ruidao. In his view, Jia Ruidao was just taunting and goading someone to rashly act. Tang Xiu was still too young, as Jia Ruidao sugar-coated words set traps for Tang Xiu to accept his gambling challenge under impulse. This naturally had made Long Zhenglin anxious.


    In fact, Long Zhenglin was not the only one who felt anxious, but it was Long Zhengyu who was more worried instead. However, since Long Zhengyu was a lot calmer in nature and character, he was able to control his emotions better.


    On the other side, a few people, led by Zhang Deqin, showed happy expressions.


    Although the dice shaking technique Tang Xiu had just shown them made them shocked, they were still confident, since Jia Ruidao also had shown his gambling technique that was even able to suck their soul.


    Zhang Deqin and the others were becoming more excited, especially because Jia Ruidao had proposed to change the gambling game.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 45

    Chapter 45: Admitting Defeat


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Are you afraid? If you¡¯re afraid, why don¡¯t you admit defeat directly?¡± Long Zhenglin¡¯s previous words suddenly attracted Zhang Yongjin¡¯s attention as he quickly aimed his muzzle toward Long Zhenglin, mocking and ridiculing him.


    ¡°Ha, it¡¯s simply the same with teasing. Only a few words from Grandmaster Jia and you¡¯re already smug and conceited. You really don¡¯t know about your own class!¡±


    ¡°Old ginger is spicier than young ones, Grandmaster Jia is really amazing.¡±


    Xue Renfei and Hu Wanjun stared at Tang Xiu with a face full with ridiculing expressions.


    But Tang Xiu turned a deaf ear to Zhang Yongjin and the others¡¯ ridicules. He and Jia Ruidao looked at each other and then they took a dice cup and swayed it.


    Although Tang Xiu had yet to speak, his actions conveyed countless words.


    The moment Tang Xiu began to sway and shake the dice cup, Zhang Yongjin, Hu Wanjun and Xue Renfei seemed to have had their necks grabbed. They no longer said anything as their smile was frozen. Their awkward expressions turned more embarrassing.


    With their identity, had they bumped into Tang Xiu in the street, they would have been disinclined to even glance at him.


    But now, they were the ones who took the initiative to talk to Tang Xiu, while Tang Xiu simply disregarded them. This was basically a slap in their faces, and it made them clench their teeth in a bad mood.


    However, they couldn¡¯t do anything, since the gambling rules prohibited them. They could only wallow and drown in a sour, bitter, and aggrieved feelings.


    Jia Ruidao looked at Tang Xiu with appreciation as he also picked up the dice cup and began to shake it.


    The room turned quiet and silent in an instant. Leaving only the sounds of the dices that fiercely collided with each other in the dice cup.


    One time, it was just like the sun that brightened up the sky. Another time, it was like a hurricane during stormy weather.


    One time, it was calm and tranquil. Another time, it turned chaotic.


    ****


    Along with the swaying and vibrating wrists of Jia Ruidao and Tang Xiu, the room was filled with dice sounds. Sometimes the sounds burst in a rush, sometimes slow, and other times light. While some others turned heavy. Everyone¡¯s heart also fluctuated, reflected by the tense expression on their faces.


    Jia Ruidao and Tang Xiu tightly locked their vision at each other¡¯s eyes. They didn¡¯t pay attention to the dice cups in their hands.


    When everyone in the room was almost suffocated, muffled ¡°bang¡± sounds sounded twice. Jia Ruidao and Tang Xiu had put down their dice cups on the table.


    ¡°You go first, or I go first?¡± Jia Ruidao looked at Tang Xiu as he smiled and asked.


    ¡°Grandmaster Jia first.¡± Tang Xiu sent out a letting posture as he spoke in a respectful tone.


    Although the two of them had just fought, but in fact, it was an exchange. The two of them, in the end, had even entered the mutual accompaniment realm.


    After having these matches, not only had they deepened their understanding and became familiar with each other, but they also had forged a deep friendship. It was just like the proverbs said that talented people were able to acknowledge each other¡¯s talent.


    Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, a deep thoughtful expression emerged on Jia Ruidao¡¯s face.


    ¡°4 points¡­ ah no, 6 points.¡± Having been pondering for a long time, Jia Ruidao said a number. But he instantly changed the number when he said the number, while a strange expression emerged on his face.


    Seeing clearly Jia Ruidao¡¯s reaction with their eyes, Zhang Deqin and the others couldn¡¯t help but become stunned and apprehensive.


    Zhang Deqin and the others had a near-fanatical worship and trust for Jia Ruidao¡¯s gambling ability. They also had witnessed his legendary gambling skills. But never once did they ever expect that Jia Ruidao would really have difficult times like this when gambling.


    But now, they could see that Jia Ruidao was hesitating. Moreover, the person Jia Ruidao was facing now, was only an outsider, a green-rookie gambler. This unexpected situation made them agape.


    ¡°Grandmaster Jia, are you really sure about it? You don¡¯t want to change again?¡± Tang Xiu did not immediately open the dice cup but asked with a ruminating expression.


    ¡°YOU¡­ I won¡¯t change!¡± Jia Ruidao almost choked and fainted the moment he heard Tang Xiu¡¯s words. He thought that Tang Xiu was arrogant and rude, causing anger to surge deep inside his heart.


    ¡°Grandmaster Jia, I¡¯m sorry, but your guess is wrong.¡± Tang Xiu really wanted to give Jia Ruidao another chance. But he was afraid that doing so would hurt Jia Ruidao¡¯s ego. Therefore, he opened the dice cup in a natural and relaxed manner.


    When Tang Xiu had opened the dice cup, Jia Ruidao¡¯s complexion instantly turned deathly pale as his body trembled for a while.


    Because the 6 dices in Tang Xiu¡¯s dice cup were stacked into a pillar. Only the dice on top showed the points, as the rest were covered.


    According to the dice game¡¯s rules, in the case that the dices stacked and overlapped, then you only needed to calculate the points on the topmost dice. Thus, in this case, the impressive stacked points for Tang Xiu¡¯s dices were 4, since it was the points of the topmost dice.


    In other words, when Jia Ruidao guessed the points, his first guess was correct. But he was wrong on the second guess and insisted on picking the second, wrong guess.


    ¡°This old man has gone through ups and downs in every aspect of gambling for many years. Except losing games early in my studying career, never once have I encountered equally matched opponents within these 10 years in the Shuangqing Province. But today, this old man truly has understood the meaning of the saying that the younger generations will eventually surpass the old ones.¡± After having looked at Tang Xiu for a very long time, Jia Ruidao then turned away and left.


    Only until Jia Ruidao had reached the building¡¯s entrance did Zhang Deqin and the others react to what had happened.


    ¡°Ah, Grandmaster Jia, please don¡¯t go. We have yet to know the gambling¡¯s result.¡±


    ¡°Grandmaster Jia, please wait! You¡¯ve not necessarily lost yet.¡±


    ****


    Zhang Deqin and Zhang Yongjin were the first ones to catch up with him and hurriedly spoke to retain him. Hu Wanjun hesitated for a moment before he also chased up. Only Xue Renfei left and stared at Jia Ruidao¡¯s dice cup that had yet to be solved, for fear that Tang Xiu and his people would open and peep into it.


    In the end, Zhang Deqin and the others still failed to keep Jia Ruidao to stay. In fact, the moment Jia Ruidao turned around and left, Zhang Deqin knew that she couldn¡¯t retain him because she was perfectly aware that Jia Ruidao¡¯s character was extremely stubborn. Once he decided on something, it¡¯s very unlikely that he would change his decision.


    Returning back with a depressed feeling to the room, Zhang Deqin and 3 others saw that the dice cup had yet to be opened. They froze for a moment before their eyes turned bright in next moment.


    The gambling was not over yet?


    Didn¡¯t this mean that they hadn¡¯t lost yet?


    For a moment, the depressed and frustrated expression on Zhang Deqin and the others¡¯ faces disappeared as they instantly turned excited.


    ¡°Chief Long, do you think the Gambling Master you¡¯ve invited is able to guess the dice points in the dice cup?¡± Zhang Deqin eyes fell on Tang Xiu¡¯s face for a short moment as she then immediately sneered.


    Although Zhang Deqin also had slightly acknowledged Tang Xiu¡¯s gambling skills, but she still believed that Tang Xiu¡¯s gambling skills were impossible to surpass Jia Ruidao¡¯s. Therefore, her words and attitude toward Tang Xiu still had no proper respect.


    ¡°3 points.¡± When Zhang Deqin had just finished speaking, Tang Xiu answered instantly without even thinking.


    Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s answer, Zhang Deqin couldn¡¯t help but feel that some of her life force was sucked away.


    With a nodding signal from Zhang Deqin, Xue Renfei slowly uncovered the dice cup, as the dices were then revealed.


    It was different with Tang Xiu¡¯s dices that were overlapped into one stack. Jiang Ruidao¡¯s dices were divided into 3 stacks with each consisting of 2 dices overlapping the other. Only the topmost dices showed points, and all of them were 1 point each.


    When everyone in the room saw Jia Ruidao¡¯s dice points, they were immediately shocked.


    ¡°W-Won! We have won! Big Brother, Do you see now? WE WON!¡± Long Zhenglin was the first that was unable to hold back his excitement as he cheered out loud, ¡°I said that Eldest Brother can do it! Now, you will really believe me, right?¡±


    Happiness also covered Long Zhengyu¡¯s face. But he didn¡¯t lose his manners due to excitement. He looked at Zhang Deqin with a calm and composed manner as he then spoke softly, ¡°Chief Zhang, shall we conclude our gambling¡¯s results?¡±


    ¡°Chief Long, you can rest assured that since you have won the gambling, the exploitation and development rights for Walled Hilled Village are yours. In addition, as part of the stake, within 10 days, we will transfer 10% of our equity shares for Skylane Commercial District to you.¡± Zhang Deqin pursed her lips and thought deeply for a moment, before she immediately smiled and acknowledged her defeat frankly.


    Although the Zhang Family had strong power in the Shuangqing Province, the Long Family¡¯s power was also formidable. Moreover, the potential of the Long Family¡¯s younger generation was stronger than theirs. If her family truly insisted on dealing with the Long Family, this was absolutely just like killing 1000 enemies with 800 casualties. Thus, the gains wouldn¡¯t make up for the losses.


    It was true that when family enterprises had developed to a certain stage, they would be intertwined and chained with each other in some interest and benefit relations. Thus, it was impossible to have bloody struggles and conflicts with all of their might. This was also the true reason as to why Zhang Deqin didn¡¯t fully go all out with every means possible to obtain the Walled Hill Village¡¯s development rights. She¡¯d rather choose this frank and open approach to fighting for it through gambling with Long Zhengyu.


    But, since it was gambling, she naturally had to put out her stake. The Long Family¡¯s stake was to recede and withdraw from the competition in obtaining the Walled Hill Village¡¯s development rights. As for the Zhang Family, they had to transfer 10% of their Skylane Commercial District¡¯s shares as the stake.


    ¡°On behalf of my father, this Long apologizes and thanks Chief Zhang.¡± Long Zhengyu was subconsciously relieved after he heard Zhang Deqin¡¯s words.


    Although the Zhang Family was the majority shareholder of Skylane Commercial District, however, the Zhang Family only accounted for 35% of the Skylane Commercial District¡¯s total shares. The other shares were in the hands of several other shareholders.


    The Long Family¡¯s plan to build up the Skylane Commercial District was to construct a Culinary District. But since they had insufficient funds, they invited too many shareholders to the extent that their movements in handling matters were restrained, resulting in a slower completion for the overall layout of the Skylane Commercial District.


    Since the Zhang Family now had transferred 10% of the shares, although the Long Family was still unable to fully control the Skylane Commercial District¡¯s holding, but the Long Family¡¯s power regarding the Skylane Commercial District undoubtedly had increased by a lot. As long as the Long Family released a press conference about this news, they would easily acquire the shares held by the small holders.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be polite. Chief Long should be thanking yourself in finding a good Gambling Master.¡± Zhang Deqin replied in a perfunctory manner as her eyes then fell on Tang Xiu with a complex expression.


    As for the Zhang Yongjin, Hu Wanjun, and Xue Renfei trio, they were still dumbfounded ever since the dice cup had been opened.


    In the eyes of this trio, Tang Xiu was only a vulgar and barbaric country bumpkin. Apart from his brute strength, he was worth nothing.


    But after having been folded again and again in Tang Xiu¡¯s hands, only now did they finally realize that this was not the root of the case.


    Especially after having seen Tang Xiu demonstrate his formidable gambling skills, their minds flickered and were unable to sober up for a very long time.


    Originally, this trio had also intended to find someone to investigate Tang Xiu¡¯s identity after today, and then slowly clean up Tang Xiu afterward. But when Tang Xiu had succeeded in helping the Long Family win the gamble, they perfectly knew that it would be almost impossible to retaliate against Tang Xiu easily.


    Although Long Zhengyu looked amiable and calm on the surface and seemingly had no bad tempers, however, Zhang Yongjin, Hu Wanjun, and Xue Renfei were very well aware that Long Zhengyu previously was the famous first young master of the Shuangqing Province. Who were they to begin with? Not to mention that Long Zhengyu was the kind of person that had a heavy gratitude and valued friendship. Since Tang Xiu had helped Long Zhengyu, it was impossible for Long Zhengyu to only watch and let Tang Xiu get bullied, and become indifferent toward him.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 46

    Chapter 46: Building the Heavenly Palace


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Zhang Deqin came with her people high-spirited, but they returned back disappointed.


    They originally thought that Walled Hill Village was already in their grasps. In fact, after Jia Ruidao was invited to the gamble, nobody thought that Zhang Deqin would lose. While others believed that this was almost impossible to have happened, Zhang Deqin herself had absolute confidence.


    With public opinion rallied and full support for her, the Union headed by the Zhang Family had the absolute advantage. As for the Long Family, they were covered by countless of dark clouds that would condense and create raindrops of tears.


    But Zhang Deqin had never dreamt that she would lose this gamble, and to even lose in such inexplicable way.


    ¡°Little Brother Tang, we¡¯re truly grateful. If it was not for having you this time, the Long Family could¡¯ve fallen. Moreover, we would have really fallen into the abyss.¡± When Zhang Deqin had left with her people, the calm and composed expression on Long Zhengyu¡¯s face disappeared, replaced by excitement and joy. He grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s palm and shook powerfully.


    After having watched such a thrilling and turbulent gambling, Long Zhengyu was suddenly unable to hold his feelings in as his facial muscles twitched and seemed slightly unwell.


    .


    ¡°Big Brother Long, it¡¯s alright. However, I have to tell you the truth. The reason I came to help is but also for a request.¡± After thinking for a while, Tang Xiu spoke softly.


    ¡°Ah, how much is it worth? Do you know how much value the Walled Hill Village¡¯s development rights are? Do you know how much value the 10% share of Skylane Commercial District is? They are worth billions of yuan. Besides, there are things that even money can¡¯t buy¡­¡± When Tang Xiu had just finished speaking, Long Zhengyu shook his head and refuted.


    Upon hearing Long Zhengyu¡¯s answer, Tang Xiu was dumbfounded.


    If it were not because Long Zhengyu had gone through an advance and retreat battle with Zhang Deqin and finally accomplished the task with ease, Tang Xiu suspected that even if he didn¡¯t open his mouth to state his demand, Long Zhengyu would have revealed everything about Walled Hill Village and the Skylane Commercial District¡¯s values. Wasn¡¯t this the same as inciting him to demand an outrageous price for his service?


    Fortunately, Tang Xiu had once lived for 10,000 years in the Immortal World. He had long been trained his mind to stay calm and sober. Thus, even if Long Zhengyu boasted more convincingly about Walled Hill Village and the Skylane Commercial District¡¯s values, he didn¡¯t care about it and had no greedy thought.


    ¡°Little Brother Tang, I know I offered 1 million yuan before. It was because I didn¡¯t want to give up hope in recruiting a Gambling Master. Because I knew when Jia Ruidao had promised to help Zhang Deqin, even if I offered higher rewards, there would be none to dare to help me. And truthfully, 1 million is not enough for a gambling expert.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how much Jia Ruidao asked for payment from Zhang Deqin? It was 5 million yuan! Regardless of winning or losing he would be paid 5 million yuan, and there was no room for bargaining. Zhang Deqin this time just suffered a double loss after losing to the enemy, truly miserable.¡±


    ¡°Little Brother Tang, since you won against Jia Ruidao, then your payment certainly must not be lower than his. So, I will also give you a 5 million check. As for the other condition you mentioned, as long as we, the Long Family, are able to meet it, then I will fulfill it.¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t even speak, but Long Zhengyu proposed for the reward himself. And that he would fulfill them without even a flinch.


    Upon seeing Long Zhengyu¡¯s heroic spirit, Tang Xiu¡¯s mind wandered as he recalled memories from the Immortal World.


    ¡°Big Brother Long, you don¡¯t need to be this much. I will accept the 1 million reward, but not more. I just want a piece of land on Walled Hill Village¡¯s hilltop.¡± Tang Xiu looked at Long Zhengyu for a moment as he then spoke in a deep tone, ¡°I don¡¯t need too much land, 1,000 m2 is enough.¡±


    ¡°Why would Little Brother Tang want a piece of land on Walled Hill Village?¡± Long Zhengyu apparently didn¡¯t even dream that Tang Xiu would make such a request. He could not help but become shocked, because he was completely unable to figure out for what Tang Xiu would use that piece of land in Walled Hill Village for, ¡°Little Brother Tang, do you mind telling me what you will use that land for?¡±


    ¡°On the other side of the Walled Hill Village was Yuzhou Ridge, my hometown. I can see it from the Walled Hill Village¡¯s hilltop. If I build a manor there, my Mom would be very happy.¡± Tang Xiu hesitated for a moment. He didn¡¯t mention about the Spiritual Vein and casually made up the reason.


    But Tang Xiu¡¯s words were not really a lie, since he knew that his mother only came to Star City to accompany him to study and in fact, was homesick. Although Yuzhou Ridge was quite far, but because of Walled Hill Village¡¯s high elevation, she could see the whole picture of Yuzhou Ridge on its hilltop. By using a telescope, it could even be seen more clearly.


    ¡°Ah, Little Brother Tang originally wanted to build a manor. Give this matter to Long¡¯s Dining Hall. We¡¯ll help you to construct a fine manor there, so you can fulfill your mom¡¯s wish.¡± After listening to Tang Xiu¡¯s words, Long Zhengyu subconsciously felt relieved.


    Because Walled Hill Village was really too important for Long Zhengyu. The issue with the Skylane Commercial District was too deep of a lesson for him. Therefore, for Walled Hill Village¡¯s development, he planned that it must be fully planned and handled by the Long Family. And with the present Long¡¯s Family¡¯s capital, they now had the capital to fully complete the overall planning.


    If Tang Xiu opened another project in this place and intercrossed with the Long¡¯s Dining Hall¡¯s corporate planning, then Long Zhengyu definitely would be in an awkward and in dilemma situation. But since Tang Xiu¡¯s request didn¡¯t intercross, he would try to fulfill it, since he already obtained Walled Hill Village¡¯s development rights after all. Long Zhengyu felt eased since Tang Xiu¡¯s request didn¡¯t intercross with Long¡¯s Dining Hall¡¯s plan.


    Upon hearing Long Zhengyu¡¯s words to fulfill his request, Tang Xiu also felt happy.


    Long Zhengyu and Long Zhenglin brought Tang Xiu to visit the Long¡¯s Dining Hall. After having a meal, they went to Walled Hill Village.


    The Long Brothers then took Tang Xiu along with an architect and headed directly to the Walled Hill Village.


    After arriving at the hilltop, Tang Xiu headed straight to the location where he found the Spiritual Vein and told them that this was the place he wanted.


    Long Zhengyu and Long Zhenglin stood on the hilltop as they looked at Yuzhou Ridge¡¯s direction. They also could see the Yuzhou Ridge¡¯s scenery at a glance and then completely believed Tang Xiu¡¯s reason.


    Although the vegetation around the Spiritual Vein was particularly lush, the Long Brothers didn¡¯t find any specialness, since Walled Hill Village was originally a primeval forest to begin with. Even though the Spiritual Vein¡¯s location on the hilltop was filled with lush vegetation, they were unable to find any particularities.


    ¡°Little Brother Tang, I had surveyed this Walled Hill Village for more than 10 times and also passed by this hill for a few times. But I¡¯ve never found this good place. Now since you¡¯ve picked this up, why do I feel like this location is the most beautiful spot on this hill?¡± Long Zhengyu retracted back his sight and looked at Tang Xiu as he faintly joked at him.


    When Tang Xiu heard his words, his pupil shrunk before he smiled and replied, ¡°Hadn¡¯t people from ancient times said that we can¡¯t get each and every best thing in life?¡±


    ¡°Little Brother Tang¡¯s words are true. It¡¯s just my own pettiness.¡± Long Zhengyu couldn¡¯t help but laugh after he heard Tang Xiu¡¯s words. He no longer pressed more and let the architect begin to measure the land and draw the design.


    When Long Zhengyu asked what type of courtyard Tang Xiu wanted to build, the Immortal Mansion blessed land in the Immortal World crossed his mind.


    Almost unconsciously, Tang Xiu snatched the pencil in the architect¡¯s hands and then painted on the A4 sized paper.


    At first, the architect disagreed, since he thought that a high school student would be unable to understand about architectures and also could not draw any good things out.


    But when the buildings¡¯ outlines were slowly highlighted on the paper, the architect¡¯s eyes turned wide. It was because the picture Tang Xiu had painted was even more exquisite than himself by several folds. The lines were gentle and beautiful and seemed not to be drawn out by a pencil, but drawn out with computer drawing tools.


    In addition, Tang Xiu¡¯s design was even giving off some kind of indescribable feeling to the architect. It simply carried along such an atmosphere of luxury, a trace of elegance and indistinct mystical and spiritual sensation, as if the design was alive.


    Long Zhengyu and Long Zhenglin originally thought that Tang Xiu was carefully drawing his own manor plan, so he snatched the design paper from the architect. They also didn¡¯t think that Tang Xiu would be able to draw so many decent things.


    However, when the Long Brothers saw that several architects seemed to be shocked by Tang Xiu¡¯s design, they could not help but also take a look.


    The Long Brothers¡¯ reaction was also just like the architects¡¯ as they were also astonished that even their eyes suddenly protruded.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, you¡¯re really my Eldest Brother. Not only is your gambling skills amazing, your painting skills is also this good. Man¡­do you really want to make others¡¯ lives feel sad?¡± Long Zhenglin let out a miserable roar as his eyes expressed his amazement and worship toward Tang Xiu.


    ¡°This place is really a place where people should live. But why do I feel like that it¡¯s like a Heavenly Palace? The atmosphere, elegance, ethereal sensation, spiritual facilities, as if it¡¯s integrated with Walled Hill Village, this is simply blended perfectly with the hill.¡± After having carefully looked for a long time, Long Zhengyu couldn¡¯t help but exclaim in astonishment.


    ¡°Brother Tang, I have a presumptuous request. I don¡¯t know whether you can agree or not?¡± Having thought for a while, Long Zhengyu looked at Tang Xiu with some anticipation as he asked in an anxious tone.


    ¡°Brother Long, my College Entrance Test is drawing near, so I don¡¯t have extra time to do other things.¡± Although Long Zhengyu had yet to speak his words, Tang Xiu could fully guess his intention as he answered with a smile and shook his head.


    ¡°Ah, I know that Brother Tang will refuse me.¡± Long Zhengyu couldn¡¯t help but sigh when he heard it, although he then immediately relaxed and spoke, ¡°Anyways, the whole development for Walled Hill Village will take at least 10 years. Drawing the design itself would take a year. However, with Brother Tang¡¯s ability, the time wasted would be lessened.


    Long Zhengyu wasn¡¯t angry because of Tang Xiu¡¯s rejection, but rather understood Tang Xiu¡¯s choice.


    Tang Xiu originally just wanted the land around the Spiritual Vein as the center. But the Blessed Land Immortal Mansion he designed was extremely beautiful. So it made Long Zhengyu excited, and he wanted the design to be completed for the entire Walled Hill¡¯s Village hilltop. Thus, the 1000 meters squared land Tang Xiu wanted, turned into 5000 meters squared.


    *[advantage]: by having their erection in contact with her


    *[ cent bills]: China has cents in bills called jiao


    *[Guoshu]: Guo here means country and shu means technique


    *[ 190 centimeters]: Over 6ft tall


    *[Lake Cui]: Cui Hu, also means Green Lake


    *[hundred dyuan bills]: 100yuan is their biggest bill


    *[Daoist Fierce Tiger]: The author of this novel


    *[Noodles]: made of wheat


    *[Rice Noodles]: made of rice


    *[Zhang Tian Tian]: Tian means sweet


    *[Bajiquan]: Also known as Eight Extremities Fist, but Bajiquan sounds nicer to me


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 47

    Chapter 47: Luxurious Villa


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Long Zhengyu eventually gave Tang Xiu a bank card with 1 million yuan in cash. He originally wanted to give 5 million to Tang Xiu, but Tang Xiu refused to accept more money from Long Zhengyu, since he wanted the spot with Spiritual Vein on Wanted Hill Village.


    However, Long Zhengyu repeatedly guaranteed that he would build Tang Xiu¡¯s ¡°Heavenly Palace¡±. He also gave his words that the place would become the most beautiful scenery and landmark of Walled Hill Village.


    Tang Xiu hesitated before he finally agreed to Long Zhengyu¡¯s offer.


    On one hand, Tang Xiu really cherished the memory of the Immortal Mansion¡¯s blessed land in the Immortal World, as he wished and wanted to reconstruct it here. On the other hand, Long Zhengyu was really attracted to the whole ¡°Heavenly Palace¡± Tang Xiu had drawn, so he blurted out to develop the entire Walled Hill Village according to its design and make the Heavenly Palace as its core.


    Since it also benefitted the both of them, Tang Xiu naturally didn¡¯t refuse.


    After leaving the hill, Tang Xiu went to a real estate agent.


    Tang Xiu wanted to temper his body. This naturally neither could be done in his home nor the barren hill in the countryside. Although Walled Hill Village was a good choice, but it was very likely that another fierce beast was there. Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to be sneak-attacked by fierce beasts during closed-door practice.


    Therefore, he was looking for a single, quiet, and remote house with a perfect security system to practice and quench his body.


    When Tang Xiu spoke about the requirements for the house, the real estate agent looked at him with a strange expression.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, a single, quiet, remote house is easy to find. But since you also want a house with a high-security system, this is a bit hard to find. Only in the kinds of a luxury high-end district or luxury villa area will you find the house that has a high-security system. You¡¯ll never find it in an ordinary residential district.¡±


    ¡°Since you have mentioned these three conditions, there seems to have only one such district in the whole Star City. But the district¡¯s rental fee is particularly high and also very strict with identity checking¡­¡± The real estate agent looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s clothes and spoke with a hesitating expression.


    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this strict control of identity?¡± Upon seeing the real estate agent¡¯s awkward expression, Tang Xiu spoke in an amazed tone.


    ¡°Because the people who live in that district are a wealthy and respectable people. The district¡¯s owner seems to have formed a convention, that is, ordinary people can¡¯t live there. Outsiders could only live there if there is a guarantor from the house¡¯s owner.¡± The intermediary agent hesitated first before softly explained.


    Tang Xiu was completely silent after he heard the broker¡¯s explanation.


    Tang Xiu did not continue to talk with the broker, and instead took his phone out and directly dialed Long Zhenglin¡¯s number.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, we¡¯ve just separated for a short while, but you already want me. I knew that Eldest Brother really loves me, hahaha!¡± Long Zhenglin was still in buoyant mood after having obtained Walled Hill Village as he laughed and teased.


    Hearing his answer sent chills through Tang Xiu as he snappily cursed at him. Then, he asked Long Zhenglin whether he knew about the South Gate Town¡¯s owner.


    ¡°Do you want to rent a house in the South Gate Town? Hey, why didn¡¯t you say so earlier? You don¡¯t know that the South Gate Town is developed by our family?¡± After listening to Tang Xiu¡¯s question, Long Zhenglin replied in a surprised tone.


    The next moment, the person speaking on the phone changed, ¡°Brother Tang, the houses at South Gate Town have long been sold out. It¡¯s basically not for renting purposes, but long ago my friend had bought a house in South Gate Town. But when he had finished decorating the house, he found that the house was close to a hill and had poor natural lighting, so he hasn¡¯t moved in yet. If you want, I could give it to you directly.¡±


    ¡°Either you can sell it to me according to the market price, or I find another place, I can only choose between the two.¡± Upon hearing that Long Zhengyu intended to give it to him, Tang Xiu got a headache and didn¡¯t hesitate to refuse.


    ¡°You¡­ ah, Brother Tang. It¡¯s not that I¡­ ah. You really have a serious nature. You will have no friends later. That house is big, but the natural lighting is too bad. It simply couldn¡¯t be sold at any price. Otherwise, my friend would have long sold it and wouldn¡¯t have been vacant for so many years. Well, if you really want to buy it, 1 million yuan is fine. I¡¯ll immediately give the key to you.¡±


    Long Zhengyu simply didn¡¯t give the opportunity for Tang Xiu to speak and directly finalized his decision on the phone.


    When Tang Xiu hung up the phone and let out a wry smile, he found the broker looked at his face with a stagnated expression. Tang Xiu then understood the reason, because the broker also heard the content of his conversation Long Zhengyu.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, I¡¯m really sorry. I didn¡¯t know you were Chief Long¡¯s friend. I was really rude a moment ago.¡± The broker embarrassedly smiled toward Tang Xiao smiled and hurriedly apologized.


    ¡°Is Chief Long very famous in the Star City?¡± Tang Xiu was puzzled and asked.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, 90% of Star City¡¯s girls are estimated to have known about Chief Long. Could you even tell that he¡¯s not famous?¡± Tang Rong said with a face flushed red.


    Upon hearing it, Tang Xiu was quite stunned. Although Long Zhengyu was a bit handsome, but it was not to a degree that it would shake the world. Besides, Long Zhengyu was a businessman, not a star. How could he possible have such fame in Star City?


    But Tang Xiu did not ask further, but rather turned away from the real estate agency and headed to the appointed meeting place with Long Zhengyu.


    A few minutes later, Long Zhenglin personally sent the key and ID card over. When Tang Xiu handed his bankcard, Long Zhenglin refused to accept it.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, without the key you cannot enter the house in the South Gate Town. And I suggest that you use this 1 million for yourself to dress up. If you wear this kind of dress to the South Gate Town, I¡¯m absolutely sure the security guards will stop you outside.¡± Long Zhenglin let out a ruminating smiling expression before he left.


    Tang Xiu only smiled and didn¡¯t put Long Zhenglin¡¯s words in his heart


    The instant Long Zhenglin was turning around, Tang Xiu slipped the 1 million bankcard into his clothes pocket in a flash.


    Half an hour later, Tang Xiu arrived at the South Gate Town¡¯s entrance.


    When Tang Xiu was just about to arrive at the complex¡¯s entrance, more than a dozen security guards swarmed and rushed over him. Upon seeing overbearing actions from those security guards, Tang Xiu was scared that he almost ran away, while an extreme awkward expression covered his face.


    Tang Xiu was a little regretting his decision for not listening to Long Zhenglin¡¯s words to dress himself up.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, good afternoon. I¡¯m Long Xueyao, the South Gate Town¡¯s real estate manager. I¡¯m very pleased to serve you. Mr. Long asked me to take you to your villa. Please come with me.¡± The leader was a tall girl. She bowed deeply toward Tang Xiu as she greeted him with a bright voice and sweet smile.


    Upon hear Long Xueyao¡¯s words, Tang Xiu, who was ready to give an explanation, couldn¡¯t help but be stunned. But he quickly figured out that he was played by the Long Brothers.


    The Long brothers clearly had figured out his character. And knowing that he was disinclined to spend time and money to dress himself up, they deliberately came up with such a play to scare him.


    While secretly cursing in his heart, a charming smile emerged on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. He politely said a thank you and then went with Long Xueyao with the security guards behind them.


    After he entered the South Gate Town complex, Tang Xiu felt like he was entering another world.


    The complex had a still, deep water pond inside with hundreds of beautiful flowers. It was completely different from the noisy and bustling situation outside the complex.


    For each 3 pavilions inside the complex, a five-step-wide security post was erected, with each of them occupied by an armed security guard that guarded nearby, as he saw that they greeted every pedestrian in the complex with a standard military salute.


    If it for were not confirming himself that he was entering a luxurious villa complex, Tang Xiu almost suspected that he had entered an army compound.


    After having passed through lawns with flowers and grasses one after another, Long Xueyao brought Tang Xiu to the deepest part of the complex as he saw a single built villa that was like ¡°pasted¡± on the cliff.


    The instant Tang Xiu saw the villa, he knew that he was deceived.


    Although the villa¡¯s back was against the hill, but the front was faced toward the sun, and the natural lighting was obviously very good. Moreover, lines of trees could be seen surrounding the villa above, while the design and style were simply unmatched compared to the other villas in the complex.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, this is my business card. If you need anything, you can call me at any time. I hope that you enjoy living in this complex. For your logistic needs, it would be our responsibility.¡± After clearly seeing the reaction from Tang Xiu, Long Xueyao promptly took out her business card, and then quietly led the group of security to leave.


    At this time, Tang Xiu¡¯s mind had been completely locked on the villa above. After he bid farewell to Long Xueyao, he couldn¡¯t wait to hurriedly enter the villa.


    After entering the villa, Tang Xiu knew that he had been deceived.


    It was a 3-storied villa. Because they were built by the hill, therefore, each floor had different beautiful scenery to see. An alley paved with cobblestones directed the path to the door as a row of stone benches were on its both sides. Different shapes of flowers and bonsais were arranged on the stone benches for the feast of people¡¯s eyes.


    The door to the villa¡¯s hall was high and stylish, with round arched windows and corners built from stone, looking completely elegant. The continually arched door and winding pathway gave off an elegant, exquisite, and cozy feeling.


    The villa¡¯s decoration inherited the essence of the traditional Chinese architecture as it maintained the elegance of traditional architectural design and its simplicity as it blended into a splendid unique artistic style. Also, it was designed to be perfectly blended with nature according to Confucianism, incorporating and releasing the Daoism and Buddhism teaching, which hid the idea of gracefulness in an obscure and elegant style.


    Classical and spacious natures were blended as natural building materials and vines above it set each other nicely side by side, giving off the feeling that the classics also didn¡¯t fall behind in fashion.


    Almost at first glance, Tang Xiu deeply liked this villa.


    ¡°Apart from the villa value itself, it is estimated that this villa¡¯s decoration would cost 1 million. I owe them a big favor.¡± When Tang Xiu took out his phone out and called Long Zhengyu to ask for the real price of the villa, he found that Long Zhengyu actually had shut it down. Tang Xiu knew that Long Zhengyu was avoiding him, making it impossible for him to give this villa back.


    ¡°It seems like that I could only slowly pay this favor back.¡± Tang Xiu originally couldn¡¯t bear to return this villa back. But upon seeing Long Zhengyu shut his phone down, his heart was no longer tangled.


    Had it been others that suddenly got this huge amount of wealth, they would certainly be clueless of what to do and be in awe. But Tang Xiu¡¯ past life was almost that of the richest man in the Immortal World. Moreover, he also had the confidence to repay this favor to the Long Family, so Tang Xiu quickly felt indifferent to accepting the fact that Long Zhengyu had gifted him the villa.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 48

    Chapter 48: Concocting Body Refining Liquid Succeeded


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Big Brother, take your bankcard back!¡± At Longwan Resort, when Long Zhenglin accidently found and pulled out a bankcard from his pocket, he was momentarily dumbfounded before he gave the bankcard back to Long Zhengyu with a bitter face.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, since Brother Tang doesn¡¯t want to take us cheaply, we will accept this.¡± Long Zhengyu looked at his bankcard that was sent to himself as he showed a funny smile.


    Because the villa that had been given from Long Zhengyu to Tang Xiu, and wasn¡¯t bought by his friend, but rather he left it as his own spare. It was not because the villa couldn¡¯t be sold, but it was out of the South Gate Town¡¯s landscape blueprint and was the grandest type of all, even the richest couldn¡¯t buy it.


    The reason for Long Zhengyu intentionally saying that it was just another elegant villa that way, was because he was afraid that Tang Xiu would know the villa¡¯s real value and then be unwilling to receive his gift.


    ¡°Zhengyu, Zhenglin, is Tang Xiu really that good?¡± A middle-aged man put down the newspaper in his hands as he asked with a doubting expression.


    Long Hanwen had always felt that his two sons were geniuses. He was also extremely fond and favored his own 2 sons, and simply didn¡¯t believe that there would be other youngsters that were better than his children.


    But after Long Hanwen came home today, the conversation between his two sons was bombed as the topic centered on an unfamiliar young man, which made Long Hanwen extremely puzzled.


    Even if Long Hanwen knew that Tang Xiu was the one who won the gamble against Jia Ruidao, he also only thought that his two sons resorted to tricks and dishonest means and made Jia Ruidao deliberately lose to Tang Xiu, rather than that Tang Xiu really winning against Jia Ruidao through his own gambling skills.


    In fact, if one did not directly witness the gambling scene between Tang Xiu and Jia Ruidao, there was basically none that dared to believe that someone in the Shuangqing Province was able to crush Jia Ruidao in gambling.


    ¡°Big Brother, in father¡¯s eyes, it seems that apart from us, the others are all idiots and morons. We really don¡¯t have to work had, huh.¡± Upon hearing his father¡¯s words and seeing his expression, Long Zhenglin couldn¡¯t help but let out a sorrowful speech and then went upstairs directly.


    ¡°Dad, I admit that your two sons are very good. But you have to know that there will be people outside that are more talented than us. This time, if there was no help from Tang Xiu, your sons might have lost to Zhang Deqin and the others.¡± Long Zhengyu spoke a few words before he also went to his bedroom.


    Long Hanwen looked at the back of his two sons when they left, as a deep pondering expression was drawn on his face.


    At South Gate Town, Tang Xiu had spent half an hour to observe his villa up and down again, and then circled around his villa. When he found that his villa was far away from the other villas¡¯ cluster and almost isolated, he was feeling more satisfied with this villa given by Long Zhengyu.


    After having familiarized himself with the villa and its surroundings, Tang Xiu then went to the rented freezer compartment as he took out some of the python¡¯s blood¡¯s essence and part of the internal organs and meat from the python. He also took the medicinal herbs and minerals he picked up from Walled Hill Village.


    _The Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis_ consisted of 3 big stages, one of which was the Stars Tyrannical Body that was divided into¡ªVitality Tempering, Skin Strengthening, Flesh Strengthening, Bone Transformation, Meridian Transformation, Marrow Transformation, Viscera Transformation, Blood and Qi Circulation, and Nine Core Phase Forming.


    Tang Xiu was now still at the Vitality Tempering phase. Since the _Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis_ had to temper the body first, that meant he needed to concoct Body Refining medicament that was comprised of a 1 st Rank Monster Beast¡¯s blood¡¯s essence, internal organs, and flesh. The medicament also needed Star Spirit Grass, Poisonous Demon Cane, Green Jade Stone Essence, and other materials.


    In particular, the fresher the Monster Beast¡¯s blood¡¯s essence, internal organs, and flesh, the better the medication¡¯s efficacy. This was why Tang Xiu was impatient to seek for a place to close up and cultivate after he killed the python, rather than wait for 2 months after the College Entrance Test and slowly temper his body again.


    In an orderly procedure, the Star Spirit Grass and the Poisonous Demon Cane also must be cleaned and grounded along with the Green Jade Stone Essence into powder. Then, Tang Xiu also had to wash the python¡¯s internal organs and flesh several times before carefully putting these ingredients into certain proportions.


    While doing that, Tang Xiu also had to boil the already long frozen python¡¯s blood essence in the cauldron.


    Tang Xiu tightly stared at the boiled python¡¯s blood essence as he put the Star Spirit Grass and Green Jade Stone Essence powder into it.


    Along with the Star Spirit Grass and Green Jade Stone Essence powder being blended, the previously red-colored blood quickly changed, as the stench that filled the air gradually faded. The blood¡¯s color then quickly turned into a deep blue color as white specks could be faintly seen amongst the mixture, as if the vast blue sky was being painted with countless stars.


    When the stench in the air had completely disappeared, Tang Xiu put in the python¡¯s internal organs and meat into the mixture as he also took out the Poisonous Demon Cane he had prepared.


    Although the Poisonous Demon Cane was named as a cane, but the fact was that it was extremely hard, just like an iron stick.


    The moment after he took the Poisonous Demon Cane out, Tang Xiu¡¯s face turned extremely solemn, because he knew that the stirring speed would directly affect the success or failure in concocting this Body Refining Liquid.


    Concocting Body Refining Liquid also required an extremely high degree of control and concentration. The slightest carelessness would create an accident and/or explosion.


    Although Tang Xiu had prepared several materials for the Body Refining Liquid, and the villa¡¯s location was also quite isolated, so he didn¡¯t have to worry that an explosion would attract onlookers¡­ But Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to experience the feeling of failure.


    While Tang Xiu was still stirring the mixture, the hard internal organs and lumped meat gradually softened as it turned into juice and then blended into the liquid. The most bizarre sight was that the Poisonous Demon Cane in Tang Xiu¡¯s hand was as if it was being gnawed at since it became a little thinner than before.


    ¡°If there was an alchemist assistant, I wouldn¡¯t have to do such a trifling and boring thing like this.¡± When Tang Xiu was still stirring, a wish crossed his mind.


    Because this was his first time concocting Body Refining Liquid, Tang Xiu was quite nervous.


    Slowly, after Tang Xi got used to it, his mind began to loosen as he became absent-minded.


    In an almost unconscious state, all kinds of pictures when he was in the Immortal World emerged in Tang Xiu¡¯s mind. For a moment in this dreamland, he couldn¡¯t even tell whether he was in the present modern era or when he was living 10,000 years ago in the Immortal World.


    While Tang Xiu was still drowned in his imagination, a yellow bubble suddenly gushed out from the boiler as an unbearable stench suddenly filled the air in the house.


    ¡°Holy crap, it¡¯s going to explode!¡± Tang Xiu shouted loudly when he saw that the boiler suddenly turned into a big bubble. He rushed outside the villa without hesitation.


    The split moment when Tang Xiu had just left the villa¡¯s door, a loud explosion sounded. All the previous efforts Tang Xiu had made were destroyed.


    After having spent less than half an hour to clean up the residues, Tang Xiu began to start the second concocting process again.


    Having learned from the first lesson, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t dare to have any stray thoughts again as he completed every step in a meticulous manner.


    Only when the Poisonous Demon Cane in Tang Xiu¡¯s hands became smaller did Tang Xiu¡¯s thought strayed again. The boiler then exploded without exception.


    ¡°No, the problem is not because of me. It should be because of this Poisonous Demon Cane!¡± In the first attempt, Tang Xiu felt that he wasn¡¯t careful. But for the second attempt, Tang Xiu¡¯s mind was only distracted for a moment as to figure out where the problem was.


    Tang Xiu took out a knife and scraped a layer of powder on the tip of Poisonous Demon Cane.


    At the next moment, mixed and various images from the Immortal World uncontrollably gushed out and filled Tang Xiu¡¯s mind.


    ¡°No wonder _The Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis_ said that concocting the Body Refining Liquid is very difficult, and the success rate is very low. It turns out that it¡¯s not because it¡¯s difficult to control one¡¯s feelings in the concocting process, but rather that the hallucinatory effect caused by the Poisonous Demon Cane is really hard to guard against.¡±


    When Tang Xiu wanted to start the third concocting attempt, he saw the remaining materials on the floor, causing him to become cautious.


    After he hypothesized the concocting process in his mind, Tang Xiu analyzed each stage that the boiler had the possibility to explode at.


    In the next moment, Tang Xiu scraped a layer of powder down from the Poisonous Demon Cane again and directly applied it onto his own skin.


    There was no accident at first. Then, Tang Xiu¡¯s mind got distracted again.


    ¡°Fortunately, I promptly thought about this possibility. Otherwise, it would have wasted more materials. This Poisonous Demon Cane is really too powerful. It can permeate into the human skin¡¯s pores and affect people¡¯s thoughts.¡± A trace of fear was revealed from Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion as he looked at the iron stick in his hand.


    Although Tang Xiu could be said to have reached the peak in alchemy and pills¡¯ concocting in his past incarnation, but he didn¡¯t dare to boast that he knew everything about the raw materials for medicines. This Poisonous Demon Cane was precisely one of the herbs he hadn¡¯t known of yet. He could only seek it out through the aid from looking at its picture that was recorded on the prescription above the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis¡¯s record.


    The respective materials and ingredients needed to concoct the Body Refining Liquid were written above the Breathing Practice line in the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis¡¯s record. However, there was no information about each material¡¯s properties on it.


    It was quite fortunate that Tang Xiu was very familiar with most of the materials. The one that he had yet to know was only the Poisonous Demon Cane.


    Had it been others that were blindly concocting the Body Refining Liquid, it could be said that that person would possibly fail hundreds of times. It was because any slightest error would lead to failure in concocting the Body Refining Liquid.


    Even if it were Tang Xiu, he was also unable to say that he would have a 100% rate of successfully concocting the Body Refining Liquid. He was only a bit familiar with the Poisonous Demon Cane¡¯s property. Tang Xiu believed that if he were to completely understand the Poisonous Demon Cane¡¯s properties, he could guarantee that he would be successful in concocting the Body Refining Liquid.


    In the next few hours, Tang Xiu did not rush to concoct the Body Refining Liquid and instead repeatedly researched the Poisonous Demon Cane diligently. Only after another hour did Tang Xiu believe that he had completely grasped the Poisonous Demon Cane¡¯s nature and began to concoct the medicinal liquid again.


    Boiling the bloods¡¯ essence¡­


    Putting in Star Spirit Grass and Green Jade Ore Essence powder¡­


    Putting in internal organs and flesh¡­


    Stirring¡­


    Holding one¡¯s breath¡­


    Closing the pores¡­


    Shielding off the five senses¡­


    Doing all the steps in thorough and orderly procedures¡­


    ****


    Time passed by unknowingly.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mind and heart completely hung in the air, undisturbed and fiercely thumping.


    Suddenly, a crackling sound sounded from the Poisonous Demon Vine in his hand, causing his heart to slow down by half a beat. In an almost unsubconscious state, Tang Xiu opened his eyes.


    The medicinal liquid in the boiler had turned into a golden color as it also exuded an exotic and refreshing fragrance.


    ¡°Have I succeeded?¡± While looking sluggishly at the medicine liquid for a moment, he found that the fear for it to explode didn¡¯t happen. The medicinal liquid color was exactly the same with the record, causing Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes to burn with a boiling and hot light.


    Tang Xiu hadn¡¯t noticed that his clothes had been completely drenched in sweat at this moment, as beads of sweat had also permeated on his forehead. He was just like someone that had been drowned and just got fished out from the water.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    Notes:


    1. I forgot to add that the Supreme Art of Quintessence Space in the previous term has been changed into the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis.


    2. Fierce Beast (Xiongshou) wrote by the author in previous chapters just changed into Monster Beast (Yaoshou). Please don¡¯t ask me whether it was intentional or not XD. Anyways, I think the author has just found his style after 40+ chaps. I have fully read RFTIW until the latest chaps in raws (Chapter 903), he got better in writing style, although I also found a lot of plot holes¡­ well¡­ what can I say¡­


    3. I was trying to keep the consistencies with the terms transliterated by the previous translators, especially for the stages of the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis. However, I was just pondering when I read the contents in the raws. I think that the first stage in the Stars Tyrannical Body Stage was not Breathing Practice, but Vitality Tempering. Á·Æø (Lian qi) usually transliterated into Breathing Practice. But for the cultivation stage in this novel, I have to change it into Vitality Tempering.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 49

    Chapter 49: Vitality Tempering Peak Stage


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    In the split moment after successfully concocting the Body Refining Liquid, Tang Xiu woke up. He took out the already prepared modulated plaster made from the Green Jade Stone Essence and applied it onto his body.


    Tang Xiu carefully spread out the plaster on his body carefully as not to miss any part of his body. He especially painted layer after layer on some essential spots on his lower body.


    10 minutes later, Tang Xiu was just like a warrior clad in ¡°gypsum armor¡±. His whole body, from top to bottom, was completely covered by plaster cast made from Green Jade Stone Essence and did not miss a spot.


    At the same time, a cooling and cold sensation spread throughout his body. The comfortable feeling even almost made Tang Xiu release a moan.


    However, when he looked at the boiling Body Refining Liquid, a trace of hesitation and fear flashed through Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°My body is too feeble. I don¡¯t know whether I can withstand the fierce baptism of this Body Refining Liquid!¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, after my soul had been integrated, I was accidentally able to cultivate the _Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis_ and enhance my body a lot. Otherwise, my life could have been finished directly.¡±


    ¡°It seems that I drank too much python blood essence 2 nights ago. The more the medicine attracted, the stronger the efficacy¡­¡±


    The moment before he entered the boiler, countless thoughts flashed inside Tang Xiu¡¯s mind.


    But Tang Xiu realized that he couldn¡¯t avoid this tribulation. He closed his eyes, clenched his teeth and resolutely entered the boiler.


    One foot¡­


    The other foot¡­


    Half of his body¡­.


    Whole body¡­


    When Tang Xiu had submerged in the liquid medicine, he heard a loud bang. It was as if the python¡¯s blood essence inside his body suddenly ignited, as a raging fire sprayed out from his mouth.


    Tang Xiu opened his mouth for a while and swallowed the gold-colored Body Refining Liquid into his stomach.


    ¡°I must not aaaaaah¡­ uuuuh¡­¡±


    A sharp and acute pain was transmitted from his mouth and cavity as Tang Xiu subconsciously wanted to jump out from the boiler.


    In the next moment, Tang Xiu was stunned because the Green Jade Stone Essence plaster unexpectedly solidified. Just when he wanted to move, he was confined by the gypsum and was unable to even make any movements or jump out from the boiler.


    After calming himself down, Tang Xiu was secretly glad that he did not jump out of the boiler.


    Had Tang Xiu not been careful and jumped out from the boiler a moment ago, he would¡¯ve needed to concoct the Body Refining Liquid again. And this was not an easy task.


    The most essential thing was that the materials and ingredients to concoct the Body Refining Liquid had basically been exhausted. Tang Xiu didn¡¯t have any means to quickly find all the materials and ingredients for the Body Refining Liquid. Therefore, had he jumped out of the boiler, he didn¡¯t know how long he had to delay to completely pass the vitality and body tempering stage.


    With the lesson from almost jumping out from the boiler, Tang Xiu began to increase his vigilance as he quietly breathed and didn¡¯t dare to have distracting thoughts again.


    Even though the expression on Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion was tranquil at the moment, but his facial muscles began to twist as a painful roar was let out from his throat.


    Pain¡­


    Very painful¡­


    Extremely painful¡­


    Although his body was protected by the Green Jade Stone Essence gypsum, Tang Xiu still felt that his bones were being stabbed and scrapped by countless knives. The pain was extremely painful, to the point that he even wished that he could die. Words were unable to describe this extreme pain.


    And the pain was not just from the surface of his body. Because the python¡¯s blood essence was inside Tang Xiu¡¯s body, he felt like there was a cluster of raging flames burning inside his body, scorching all of his internal organs and making his blood boil.


    Tang Xiu also thought of shifting his attention, but the pain inside and outside his body was just like an unending continuous tidal wave, rendering him unable to even shift the slightest attention anywhere else, let alone practice the _Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis_ in this kind of state.


    Fortunately, Tang Xiu long had the _Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis_ and had a kind of approach in practicing it. He had spent his time in reciting and studying almost crazily the _Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis_ in the Immortal World for many years, to the extent that it became his body¡¯s instinct. He didn¡¯t even need to intentionally control his body to practice this cultivation method.


    It was just like the God Race and Demon Race that were able to cultivate their perfect particular abilities at the same time. _The Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis_ was not only a cultivation method to cultivate one¡¯s Divine Sense, but also an ancient and powerful body refining cultivation method.


    _The Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis,_ by means of limbs and body movements, would temper and stimulate the body.


    These movements, including kneading, pinching, folding, bending, knocking, twisting, and other movements would temper and stimulate every large and small part of the body, ultimately forging a body like that of the Demon Race¡¯s body.


    It was also imperative that apart from the limbs and body movements, practicing this cultivation method also needed respective corresponding medicaments.


    Tang Xiu was now a little happy since he didn¡¯t neglect to temper his body. Therefore, he had been accustomed to the pain when he tempered his body beforehand. Otherwise, he could have drowned in this kind of unexpected painful suffering and fainted directly in the boiler.


    After some time had passed, sweat streamed out from Tang Xiu¡¯s body as his spirit and mind also became muddled.


    The Green Jade Stone Essence gypsum covering Tang Xiu¡¯s body began to melt bit by bit as it then fell off. His skin, under the baptism of the boiled medicine liquid, turned scarlet, causing him to look like a cooked shrimp.


    A violent and overbearing energy was rampaging inside Tang Xiu¡¯s body as his internal organs and tendons were nearly exhausted and damaged. However, at the same time, a strange energy wrapped those damaged tendons and internal organs as it was quickly repairing, enlarging, and strengthening them.


    In the middle of the wanton destruction, construction, and reinforcing, music composed from the hoarse and anguished howls were uncontrollably exuded from Tang Xiu¡¯s throat.


    Suddenly, without even preparing his mental force, Tang Xiu had entered into a cultivation state as the extreme twisting muscles on his face gradually calmed down.


    Tang Xiu hadn¡¯t even noticed that, when he entered cultivation state, the moon this night was at its brightest, as he was sitting in the courtyard bathing under the moonlight.


    The moon shone, bright and dazzling, as the stars filled the vast sky like birdsongs and fragrant flowers accompanying the fluttering cheerful music.


    Suddenly, from hundreds of millions of miles away at the end of the dome of the sky, the countless stars transformed into specks of starlight like blooming fireworks. It rained down from the sky above the South Gate Town as it completely enveloped it.


    Since the South Gate Town¡¯s location was far away from the city, coupled with the scene occurring late in the night, many people hadn¡¯t realized this magnificent and bizarre phenomenon.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s body was just like a huge magnet as it continued to attract the starlight from the sky to enter his body.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s practice time today was particularly long as he absorbed an unprecedented large amount of starlight into his body. It was as if it was caused by the body refining medicinal liquid.


    Along with the increase in starlight absorption, the star energy inside Tang Xiu¡¯s body also slowly increased.


    Five spheres¡­


    Six spheres¡­


    Seven spheres¡­


    ****


    When Tang Xiu suddenly opened his eyes, he found that the first light thread of the dawn from the horizon had already fallen into his courtyard. At the same time, an extremely invigorating feeling spread throughout his body as he was unable to control his voice and moaned.


    Tang Xiu looked down and saw that the body refining medicinal liquid in the boiler had long turned transparent. It was as if it was just like a pot of boiled water with some black residues at the bottom of the pot.


    Tang Xiu stretched out his arm a bit as he heard a burst of crackling sounds. At the same time, he also felt that his body was extremely comfortable.


    Tang Xiu then jumped out from the pot in the next moment.


    Crackling and rattling sounds resounded as Tang Xiu jumped out from the pot. 2 big footprints had been carved in the large iron pot that had been especially bought by Tang Xiu from the food market last night. At the same time, Tang Xiu also saw that the blue stone under his feet also had 2 cracks.


    ¡°Could it be that my height grew?¡± Tang Xiu suddenly felt for the first time that his angle and field of vision seemed to be unusually different from before. He walked toward the door for a bit and realized that his height really had increased by quite a bit.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s height previously was only 1,67 meters. But after he had soaked himself in the Body Refining Liquid, his height grew by nearly 10 cm overnight.


    In fact, the biggest change Tang Xiu had was not his height, but his strength.


    Tang Xiu was quite astonished when he found that his strength had an explosive growth. It was nearly 10 folds stronger than previously.


    Tang Xiu looked around as he saw a giant stone teapot decoration in the courtyard. There was a line carved on the stone teapot _¡°worthless things will become extremely valuable in time of need¡±_ [1]. Tang Xiu smiled as he stretched out his hands to hold the teapot¡¯s body and easily lifted it up.


    This giant stone teapot was 500 kg in weight. Tang Xiu estimated that his strength had at least reached 1500 kg, and that was only the strength of his arms.


    Apart from the increase in his height and arm¡¯s strength, Tang Xiu¡¯s Spiritual Sense also had been enhanced sharply.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s Spiritual Sense could only cover a few meters scope around him before. He also had to completely concentrate to be able to achieve it. But now, his Spiritual Sense was able to completely envelop nearly 100m in radius, and Tang Xiu also didn¡¯t need to concentrate beforehand.


    ¡°9 stars. I actually have 9-star spheres inside my body right now. 9 in the _Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis_ is the peak. That means that I have reached the peak of the Vitality Tempering stage. So the next stage would be Skin Strengthening stage?¡± When Tang Xiu observed his body with his Spiritual Sense, he found that the Star Spheres inside his body had increased to 9 spheres from the previous 4 spheres. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t help but exclaim out loud.


    Although he had long known that cultivating the _Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis_ , which was a peerless secret cultivation method from the God Race and Demon Race, would enhance strength very fast, but when Tang Xiu really felt the effect of this cultivation method, he was quite scared.


    ¡°At present, I only have brute force. I don¡¯t know for how much my defensive power has been enhanced by. Only when I complete the Skin Strengthening will I have the invulnerability and will be barely able to fully protect myself.¡± Tang Xiu quickly awakened from his surprised condition due to his strength promotion.


    His state of mind had returned to normal. But Tang Xiu was stunned when he prepared to put on his clothes.


    Because not only was Tang Xiu¡¯s height had increased, but his body was also bigger and became sturdier. He couldn¡¯t wear his previous clothes.


    ¡°Ah, I have no choice but to buy new clothes.¡± When Tang Xiu looked at his short old clothes that didn¡¯t suit him anymore, he had no choice but to take out a phone from his old clothes to ask for help.


    Just when Tang Xiu saw a list of dense missed calls from his phone¡¯s screen, a look of puzzlement expression emerged on his face.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    [1] The raws for this line only had 4 characters Ò»ºøǧ½ð (Y¨© h¨² qi¨¡nj¨©n) literally a pot of a daughter or a thousand jin (500kg) pot. However, the line is also a metaphor that means _worthless things usually become extremely valuable in time of need_. Usually used as a reminder in decorative carvings. I used the metaphor here since the villa was designed in Chinese architectural design.


    [2] Cultivation level in the novel in advance:


    Cultivation level for normal cultivation method could be found later. It¡¯s just like in other novels¡­


    Qi Refining ¨¤ Foundation Establishment ¨¤ Gold Core ¨¤ Nascent Soul ¨¤ bla bla bla ????


    For the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis¡­ well, it¡¯s quite different and confusing even though I¡¯ve read the latest raws. Firstly, the author had stressed out that it was a different cultivation method, thus the cultivation level¡¯s power was also unknown. Secondly, the author will (only shortly) explain later (takes hundreds of chapters) that a certain stage in Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis is comparable with a certain stage in normal cultivation method. Thirdly, it seems that the author will prolong the story¡­ even the previous gambling scene spends too many chapters.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 50

    Chapter 50: Jia Ruidao Asks for Help


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu had only just bought this phone with the money he won after he played slot machines at the Health and Prosper Club. Thus, only an extremely few amount of people knew Tang Xiu¡¯s phone number.


    Apart from Yuan Chuling, Banshou, Dingzi and his gang, and Long Zhenglin only knew Tang Xiu¡¯s number from Yuan Chuling. These people¡¯s number also had been stored in his phonebook.


    But besides the call from Yuan Chuling, there were also 2 other unfamiliar phone numbers. These 2 phone numbers unexpectedly also had called Tang Xiu 17 times.


    One number called Tang Xiu 3 times while the other one had called for 14 times. Tang Xiu also thought that these 2 people were unlikely to have made a wrong call.


    ¡°It¡¯s only been a day, how could there be 60 phone calls to find me? What happened?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s heart sank, as he prepared to dial Yuan Chuling¡¯s number.


    Seeing the missed calls, Yuan Chuling was the one who called him the most times. He had called Tang Xiu 50 times.


    But when Tang Xiu had yet to dial Yuan Chuling¡¯s number, his cell phone already rang and the caller ID was Yuan Chuling. He couldn¡¯t help but smile and quickly press the answer button.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, you finally are willing to answer the phone. Teacher Han almost drove me crazy. When you left school that day, she also went out to chase you¡­¡±


    After the phone was connected, Yuan Chuling impatiently spoke and didn¡¯t wait for Tang Xiu to speak.


    But Tang Xiu felt that something was a bit wrong. He obviously only left school for a day. But from Yuan Chuling¡¯s words, why would it seem that he had left school for a long time?


    With a puzzled expression, Tang Xiu glanced at the time on the phone. His eyes instantly turned wide. Because the date shown was 10 days since he entered the villa.


    ¡°It turned out that I accidentally entered a state of epiphany. No wonder my strength was enhanced this fast.¡± Recalling the degree of the strength promotion he got, Tang Xiu finally understood.


    ¡°Fatty, apart from Teacher Han, is there anything else that happened?¡± Since Yuan Chuling chattered for a long time without telling any important things, Tang Xiu could not help but frown, as he interrupted Yuan Chuling¡¯s babbling.


    ¡°Teacher Han originally wanted to talk with your Mom that you skipped classes. But I prevented her. I said that it would be bad to tell her. Since Auntie is very fond of you, once she learned that you ditched school, Auntie would get sick and must be treated in the hospital.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s one other important thing, I have repeatedly guaranteed to Teacher Han that you went out to study. There would neither be any danger nor would it affect your academic performance.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    10 days ago, although Tang Xiu handed the leave slip to Han Qingwu, he had said that he would leave for half a month or so. But Han Qingwu clearly didn¡¯t want to approve it. But Tang Xiu slipped away since she didn¡¯t respond for a moment.


    Han Qingwu was unable to catch up with Tang Xiu in the classroom and she could not help but to chase him until the school gate. But she still did not see Tang Xiu and could only reluctantly return to the Grade Section Main Office. She was also thinking of to how to deal with this.


    But when she attended afternoon class, Han Qingwu heard that there was a car accident at the car-free zone area nearby. As if she recalled that it was Tang Xiu, and although she had yet to hear about victims, Han Qingwu¡¯s heart was as if it were being hanged. She called Yuan Chuling without hesitation to ask him to contact Tang Xiu.


    But after Tang Xiu bought the phone, he directly set the phone into silent mode as to avoid being disturbed. So unless Tang Xiu was holding the phone and saw the screen, he basically won¡¯t receive the call. Even though Han Qingwu and Yuan Chuling called him for tens of times, nobody picked it up.


    Although nobody picked up Tang Xiu¡¯s phone, however, his phone was on. This also made Han Qingwu and Yuan Chuling feel relieved. Since the phone was not shut down, at least it proved that Tang Xiu was safe.


    Since she couldn¡¯t get to him through the phone, Han Qingwu was still not at ease. She then tracked Tang Xiu¡¯s family address to find Su Lingyun.


    But due to Yuan Chuling¡¯s preventive actions beforehand, Han Qingwu was particularly cautious when she chatted with Su Lingyun. She did not disclose the ditching classes issue that Tang Xiu had done, but rather asked about Tang Xiu¡¯s family situation. She also, at the same time, approached Su Lingyun and reported about Tang Xiu¡¯s good performance¡¯s promotion.


    ¡°Fatty, thanks.¡± After listening to Yuan Chuling, Tang Xiu was really grateful. He knew that he had caused much trouble for Yuan Chuling and Han Qingwu because he disappeared for 10 days.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, we are brothers. You don¡¯t need to act like a stranger. But if you don¡¯t come back, I guess I also can¡¯t stand it.¡± Yuan Chuling smiled as he then added, ¡°Eldest Brother, if it¡¯s convenient, you¡¯d better call Teacher Han. Because of you, she was not herself all this time. Drinking, eating, teaching, she always looks dazed. She has turned pale and thin.¡±


    ¡°I know, I¡¯ll call her.¡± Tang Xiu was still hesitant to call Han Qingwu that he was safe. But hearing Yuan Chuling¡¯s reminder, he instantly made up his mind.


    After hanging up Yuan Chuling¡¯s call, Tang Xiu immediately dialed the number that had called him 14 times. Although Tang Xiu also didn¡¯t know whose number was it, but he had a faint feeling that this must be Han Qingwu¡¯s.


    ¡°Hello, Hello.¡± After the phone is connected, a unique, clear, and sweet woman¡¯s voice answered.


    After hearing Han Qingwu¡¯s voice, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t even know what to say.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, are you Tang Xiu? You quietly left the school. You didn¡¯t go home. Where have you been exactly? If you don¡¯t care about yourself, at least think of your mother¡­¡±


    The phone paused for a moment and then Han Qingwu¡¯s roars full of grievances were transmitted.


    After Han Qingwu unconsciously greeted the call, she realized that something wasn¡¯t right. She immediately looked at the phone number, and then found out the owner¡¯s identity.


    The poor Tang Xiu was so shocked that even his ear turned numb. It was because he was tense and attached the phone very close to his ears and listened attentively.


    Upon hearing the very familiar complaining voice, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t get angry and instead showed a happy smile.


    Although Han Qingwu was angry and scolded him, but hidden concern and love were carried along with her words. Having this kind of feeling really was enjoyable for Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu originally wanted to explain, but when he found no opportunity to interrupt her, he shut his mouth and concentrated on listening to Han Qingwu.


    ¡°Hey, you are Tang Xiu, aren¡¯t you? Speak something will you?¡± Han Qingwu had spoken for a long time. Only after the other had not even responded did she come into realization that she was just talking to herself, while the other side didn¡¯t even reply. She realized that she was losing her manner while also worrying that it was a wrong number.


    Upon hearing Han Qingwu¡¯s words, Tang Xiu almost burst into laughter. He could almost imagine what kind of tense expression Han Qingwu had on at this time.


    ¡°Teacher Han, it¡¯s me. I¡¯m really sorry. I¡¯ve been busy studying all these time, so I put my phone on silent mode and put it somewhere. I didn¡¯t hear the phone ring.¡± Tang Xiu didn¡¯t joke with her and patiently explained.


    ¡°You ¡­ how come you turned into a delinquent and have no manners? You also dared to threaten a teacher and said that you¡¯ll transfer school if your leave is refused. Where the hell have you learned such sh*ty behavior huh?¡± Hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s light and casual explanation, Han Qingwu almost choked. She wanted to curse at first. But she recalled Su Lingyun¡¯s words when she visited her, causing her heart to turn soft.


    Feeling the softness and weak voice from Han Qingwu, the deepest part of Tang Xiu¡¯s heart was deeply touched.


    ¡°Teacher Han, don¡¯t be angry. You¡¯ll be sick because of anger. Please don¡¯t mind it.¡± After the silence for a moment, Tang Xi intentionally teased her.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you die for me?!¡± Tang Xiu had just spoken, as Han Qingwu¡¯s roar broke out from the phone and bang. The phone was hung up.


    ¡°She¡¯s fine.¡± Han Qingwu seemed to have returned to her usual self. Tang Xiu also felt relieved and then dialed the last phone number.


    ¡°Excuse me, may I ask whether you¡¯re Master Tang? My master is currently handling the table. He is temporarily unable to receive the phone. However, my Master has encountered trouble on Jingmen Island and wants to ask for Master Tang¡¯s assistance. If Master Tang complies and is willing to take the trip, I will immediately arrange to book the plane ticket.¡±


    After the phone was connected, the receiver respectfully greeted Tang Xiu and told his intention excitedly. He didn¡¯t even give the time for Tang Xiu to ask the others¡¯ identities.


    It was very obvious that he had long been trying to contact Tang Xiu and seemed to have encountered big trouble. Otherwise, he would have given the opportunity for Tang Xiu to speak.


    ¡°Who is your master?¡± Tang Xiu was suspected that the man wrongly mistakened him. But he didn¡¯t immediately hang up the phone and asked instead.


    ¡°Uh¡­ my Master is Jia Ruidao. 10 days ago, my Master had a gambling game with you at the Long¡¯s Dining Hall. When Master came back, he told us about you. So we also know about you. Master fell into a difficult situation 3 days ago. He might not only lose everything but also could lose his life. We really ask for Master Tang¡¯s assistance to help Master.¡± The man anxiously replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I think you found the wrong person. Although I have had a gambling bout with Grandmaster Jia, but my gambling skill is not at his level. If Grandmaster Jia is unable to solve the problem, I certainly am unable to help.¡± After he figured out the whole story, Tang Xiu hung up the phone without hesitation.


    Although he won and also admired Jia Ruidao¡¯s abilities at the Long¡¯s Dining Hall, but Tang Xiu didn¡¯t feel that his friendship with him had reached such a deep degree.


    Besides, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t like gambling. He hated it instead. If it were not because he was in need of money, he would have neither entered the Health and Prosper Club nor promised to help Long Zhenglin to gamble against Jia Ruidao.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 51

    Chapter 51: Once Thriving, Thriving Thoroughly. Once Lost, Losing Thoroughly


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Jingmen Island, at top floor Presidential Suite.


    The moment Tang Xiu hung up the phone, a middle-aged man standing next to the window fell down with a pale complexion.


    At the next moment, the middle-aged man turned as he fiercely slapped a young man at his side.


    The youngster, who looked at the middle-aged man with an anticipating expression, didn¡¯t guard against the anger from the middle-aged man. So he got slapped directly and fell to the floor.


    ¡°Eldest Senior Brother¡­ y-y-you¡­ why do you hit me?¡± Zhang Tiechun stared at Gong Dalong with a puzzled expression.


    Jia Ruidao only received 3 apprentices in his whole life. Respectively, they were the Eldest Apprentice Gong Dalong, the 2nd Apprentice Zhang Tiechun, and the 3rd Apprentice Jia Yelei.


    Jia Yelei was Jia Ruidao¡¯s son and also his successor.


    The 3 brothers had a good relationship. They supported and cared for each other, and were just like blood brothers. Their good relationship was even well known throughout the Shuangqing Province.


    The only minor defect to the otherwise perfect brotherhood, was that Jia Yelei loved vanity and glory. His extreme impulsive nature made Gong Dalong and Zhang Tiechun often clean up his mess, even Jia Ruidao also had to do the same.


    The reason Jia Ruidao had to rush to Jingmen Island was because Jia Yelei lost a gambling bet very miserably. He even lost his temper after he lost, using his father¡¯s reputation and provoked big trouble.


    Jia Ruidao¡¯s reputation might be useful in the Shuangqing Province, but not in other places of the country. Much less Jingmen Island, a place with quite a strong anti-foreigner sentiment. Not only was Jia Yelei unable to deter others with his father¡¯s name, but he also suffered an even more humiliating treatment.


    In just 3 days, under the taunts of the opponent, the rash and impatient Jia Yelei was hooked and lost 100 million. When Jia Yelei finally realized the problem, he called his 2nd Senior Brother¡ªZhang Tiechun.


    Zhang Tiechun had mastered most of Jia Ruidao¡¯s gambling techniques. He also doted on Jia Yelei and rushed to Jingmen Island. Without even reprimanding or asking of Jia Yelei¡¯s problem, he leaped into the opponent¡¯s traps and then lost another 50 million.


    ¡°Why did I hit you? Right now, you¡¯re still asking why I hit you? Master¡¯s wife¡¯s last will for us was to look after this little guy. But you fucked that up! You didn¡¯t fucking care that he went to gamble on Jingmen Island for half a month. You knew nothing about the circumstances and didn¡¯t tell Master or me when he called you for help. You even played dumb with little brother.¡±


    ¡°Zhang Tiechun, do you realize that if Master is doomed this time, what kind of situation we have to face, hah? Not only would we be bankrupt, but our reputation in Shuangqing Province will also be ruined. You also know Master¡¯s personality, do you think Master would still want to live afterward?¡±


    Gong Dalong almost roared at Zhang Tiechun.


    ¡°T-Tang Xiu¡­ H-he doesn¡¯t want to help us?¡± Zhang Tiechun no longer argued as he asked with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know whether Tang Xiu¡¯s gambling skills are good or not. But he perfectly knew that this water is too deep. He admitted that his gambling skills are not that good and is unable to help. He simply hung the phone up without even giving me the opportunity to speak.¡± Having heard it, Gong Dalong¡¯s complexion turned dim as he sighed in desperation.


    ¡°T-this¡­ How could Tang Xiu be like this¡­ for gamblers like us, once we thrive, we thrive gloriously, but once we lose, we lose completely. Not only would that affect our master and disciples¡¯ reputation, but also the entire Shuangqing Province¡¯s reputation. He doesn¡¯t have any consideration about that¡­¡± Zhang Tiechun replied with a pale expression.


    ¡°Master has told us very clearly; Tang Xiu is not a gambler. He is not from our society.¡± Gong Dalong smiled. He shook his head and added, ¡°Let¡¯s think of other ways first, we can only move Tang Xiu out of favor and speak to him with reason slowly.¡±


    After hanging up the call from Gong Dalong, Tang Xiu cleaned up the villa, and then headed back to school.


    Taking leave this time for Tang Xiu was mainly to quench his body and complete the Vitality Tempering stage. Since he had completed tempering his body, Tang Xiu naturally didn¡¯t need to stay outside.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s past incarnation was completely obsessed with cultivation, alchemy, refining tools and talisman, as well as manufacturing symbols and charms. He didn¡¯t pay attention to the outside and was almost oblivious to the outside world, to the point that he was betrayed by his lover and close friend at the final moment.


    Since he already had the unique and peerless Divine Cultivation Method of the _Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis_ , coupled with his past incarnation¡¯s knowledge and experience, Tang Xiu wasn¡¯t worried about his strength¡¯s promotion being slow or not. Therefore, he just wanted to use his time and energy to familiarize himself with the worldly affairs and temper his state of mind at the same time.


    When Tang Xiu entered the classroom, he realized that his classmates¡¯ expression when they looked at him was very strange. He even faintly heard some ugly words from them.


    ¡°He must have cheated to get the top scorer on the Monthly Test. If he really has the ability, he would be able to take first place again on this Monthly Test.¡±


    ¡°Bah, it¡¯s unlikely for him to create that big sensation again. Yang Jian from Class 5 has continued his first scorer for a few sessions of the Monthly Test. But he didn¡¯t study that serious every day.¡±


    ¡°The way I see it, Tang Xiu thought that graduation is near. So he couldn¡¯t bear to act crazy once. He must have thought that at least he would be remembered by everyone. By his IQ, I don¡¯t think he really could¡¯ve gotten first place.¡±


    ****


    Suddenly hearing these words, it made Tang Xiu¡¯s heart very uncomfortable.


    But after he thought deeper, he slightly relaxed.


    He had ¡°fallen¡± for so long after all. His marks were at the very bottom. Suddenly, he leaped up to first place. It¡¯s no wonder that others wouldn¡¯t feel good about it. So how would he expect that they would like and respect him in an instant?


    Perhaps the instant results might cause a sensation for a moment, as well as shake some people. But as time passed by, the sensation caused by it would gradually disappear. Some people with ill intentions would always provoke and spread rumors to express their jealousy and resentment, and even slander him.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, just fucking ignore them. They just have too much time and got no balls. They¡¯re just the kind of sh*ts that will bite their own tongue one day.¡± Seeing that Tang Xiu had come back, Yuan Chuling couldn¡¯t help but become overjoyed. After chatting for awhile, he realized that Tang Xiu¡¯s face was a bit unusual. He quickly understood and whispered to comfort him.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine really. We¡¯ll slap them with our marks.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. He then opened his school desk and prepared to flip over from the inside.


    The moment he opened his desk, Tang Xiu was shocked. 10 days had passed since he left school, and the desk had been fully stuffed with white paper exams.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, I really admire your wise choice. You strolled out there and had some fun. You don¡¯t need to face this sh**ty endless torture¡­ Hey, hold on¡­ why do I feel that you¡¯re whiter and taller than before? You didn¡¯t get a plastic surgery, did you?¡± Yuan Chuling suddenly realized something was wrong while he was speaking and then shouted.


    Since his voice was quite loud, everyone¡¯s eyes in the classroom shifted their sights on them all of a sudden. And then their eyes brushed over at Tang Xiu¡¯s body.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s heart thumped and his expression changed as he heard Yuan Chuling¡¯s words.


    Although Tang Xiu also found that his height became taller after he quenched his body, but after he had a few phone calls and pondered about other things, he had forgotten about the changes in his height.


    But when he prepared to explain it, the others¡¯ words suddenly echoed behind him, making him shocked.


    ¡°Damn Fatty. You think you¡¯ll die if you¡¯re not boasting, won¡¯t you? Tang Xiu still owes his tuition fee, how the hell would he have the money to do plastic surgery, huh?¡±


    ¡°If plastic surgery can make my height taller, I¡¯ll have one too.¡±


    ¡°Bah, I know that that Fatty only shouted to attract everyone¡¯s attention, don¡¯t pay attention to this bastard.¡±


    ****


    Tang Xiu had become taller. But because he had entered Class 10 for a month only, much less he sat in his seat most of the time and didn¡¯t move nor interact with his classmates, resulting in others feeling that his presence in the classroom was very weak.


    If it were not because of intentional provocations by Su Xiangfei, the Class 10¡¯s students might have ignored such a student like Tang Xiu. They didn¡¯t care about his height, neither would they pay attention if his skin was white or black.


    Tang Xiu also thought that the change in his height might cause a sensation and suspicion. But the fact that it happened made him felt at ease.


    Everyone was simply ignoring Yuan Chuling and only mocked and ridiculed him before they got busy and back to their own things, no longer responding to him.


    ¡°Huh? Could it be that I was really wrong?¡± Yuan Chuling looked at the Tang Xiu with a puzzled expression. But he couldn¡¯t help but also whisper, ¡°Man, my eyes could¡¯ve really fooled me and made me mistaken. But¡­ could it be that I also had mistakenly read the exam papers and my eyes were blurry?¡±


    Tang Xiu now thoroughly felt at ease when he heard Yuan Chuling¡¯s words.


    Yuan Chuling was his closest buddy at Star City First High School. If even Yuan Chuling were not sure that he had undergone tremendous changes, others surely would be unable to see anything.


    As for his family members, Tang Xiu was never worried from the start.


    17 and 18 years old was the age when one¡¯s body had tremendous changes. He only went home once a month. His Mom was also not necessarily concerned about his height. She might be stunned when seeing that his height suddenly became taller. It was very likely the she would only be pleasantly surprised, but she wouldn¡¯t have any suspicions or fears.


    After having chatted for a while with Tang Xiu, Yuan Chuling began to seriously read the book review.


    The knot in Yuan Chuling¡¯s heart perhaps had been untied completely. Maybe after the circumstances and environments had changed, his mentality also changed along with it.


    Tang Xiu could tell that Yuan Chuling was no longer a laughing slapstick chap like he was before because he was attentively studying right now.


    Having swept the exam papers in his school desk, Tang Xiu scraped them out and threw them into the trash can. He didn¡¯t want to waste his precious time on boring exercises and exam papers.


    ¡°The wealth, the companion, the cultivation method, and the place. The wealth is put in first place. So the next priority for me is carving the path to make money. Not this shitty College Entrance Test.¡±


    Treading on the cultivation path particularly stressed on these 4 aspects, ¡°The Wealth¡±, ¡°The Companion¡±, ¡°The Cultivation Method¡±, and ¡°The Place¡±.


    With the _Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis_ , Tang Xiu had no worries with cultivation methods. Earth was a world with the final stage law. Apart from himself, Tang Xiu hadn¡¯t found any other cultivators and had no thought of finding other cultivators. As for the cultivation locations, since the Heavenly Palace¡¯s construction started to be built on Walled Hill Village, Tang Xiu temporarily didn¡¯t have to worry about it.


    But regarding the ¡°wealth¡± aspect, Tang Xiu more or less had no choice but to pay attention.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 52

    Chapter 52: The Ultimate Madness


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    People from ancient times have said: ¡°Without sufficient wealth, it would be very difficult to raise anything.¡±


    In the primary stages of cultivation, one¡¯s thoughts and time should be used to the greatest extent in cultivation. Resulting in that there would be no time to make money. But lacking in cultivation resources would also make one¡¯s cultivation path very difficult. Right now Tang Xiu was poor and had no cultivation resources at all.


    Although he had an elegant villa in South Gate Town due to luck and coincidence, but it was others¡¯. However, he also liked the villa¡¯s location as well as its decoration. He was also reluctant to sell this villa. The villa was half-forcefully given to him by Long Zhengyu, and it was impossible for Tang Xiu to sell it, else he would be looked down and despised by Long Zhengyu.


    Tang Xiu had no means to set up other homes since his savings was less than 10,000 yuan. He really could be said to be an extremely poor cultivator.


    If it were not for Long Zhengyu promising to fully help him out in building the Heavenly Palace, Tang Xiu knew that he would have no way to have his own land for cultivation.


    Fortunately, although Tang Xiu¡¯s cultivation was still in its primary stages, but he was not by any means a genuine green cultivator. So he could totally focus his time and mind to make money rather than only use them to cultivate only.


    ¡°It seems that I have to start making my own business!¡± After thinking hard for a long time, Tang Xiu stopped frowning as an idea crossed his mind.


    The idea in Tang Xiu¡¯s mind was not the gambling that Yuan Chuling had recommended him, but rather picking the path of concocting pills business, of which he excelled at.


    Although coming up with concocted pills from the Immortal World would be too shocking of an effect when selling them on Earth, while the materials and ingredients for magical potions also might not be found on Earth, but this didn¡¯t hinder Tang Xiu from doing whatever he needed. He could carry on the plan to alter and change the concocted pills¡¯ processing according to Earth¡¯s actual situation. So his products could be completely accepted and popular amongst the people on Earth.


    _¡°Food and beverages businesses consume too much time and energy. Besides, if I want to expand the business on a big scale, it would need a huge amount of money, unless I cooperate with others.¡±_


    The first idea in Tang Xiu¡¯s mind was to improve the seasoning recipes. And make money through the culinary industries. He thought about it but then hesitated, because the seasoning recipes itself were not sold for high prices. Only after it was applied to food and beverages¡¯ products would it sell at a sky-high price. And to the present situation, Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t afford to jump into the culinary business.


    Cooperating with others was actually a good way. But he would be most likely others¡¯ subordinates while getting someone else¡¯s trust was also not an easy thing.


    ¡°Apart from food and beverages, there is also liquor, cosmetics, and healthcare products.¡± Tang Xiu racked his brain and also thought of the possibilities to apply the concocted pills into other fields of business.


    But Tang Xiu found that he knew nothing about these areas as he suddenly had a headache.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, you¡¯re only sitting in the classroom. Could it be that you haven¡¯t found something unusual for a long time?¡± After the bell rang, Yuan Chuling put down his book as he pushed Tang Xiu¡¯s arms and whispered.


    ¡°Huh? What particular things should I find?¡± Tang Xiu was puzzled to hear Yuan Chuling¡¯s question as he asked with a confused expression.


    Having heard that, Yuan Chuling looked at Tang Xiu with a beaten-by-you expression. He then leaned on and whispered to Tang Xiu¡¯s ear, telling him about the recent occurrences in Tang Xiu¡¯s class.


    However, Yuan Chuling had yet to speak but Tang Xiu suddenly stood up as he walked outside the classroom.


    Yuan Chuling was astonished as he opened his mouth wide and wanted to ask Tang Xiu¡¯s reason. But when his eyes looked at the beautiful figure outside the classroom, he immediately curled his lips and shut his mouth.


    ¡°What a damn play¡­ I thought you really couldn¡¯t find Cheng Yannan since she didn¡¯t come for the first class session.¡± Seeing Tang Xiu walking toward Cheng Yannan, a pondering expression was cast on Yuan Chuling¡¯s face.


    ¡°He¡¯s been gone for 10 days. But Eldest Brother has become this bold and unrestrained like this. Damn¡­ is he not afraid to be gossiped by the other students?¡± Yuan Chuling thought as he stood up and slowly walked outside the classroom.


    Yuan Chuling and Tang Xiu¡¯s seats were at the furthest corner in the classroom. Since the both of them had seen Cheng Yannan¡¯s arrival, the others naturally saw her.


    Although Cheng Yannan was 6 months earlier than Tang Xiu in entering Class 10, but her beautiful looks and frank character had been recognized, and won over everyone¡¯s heart. She was even rated as the top 10 belles of Star City First High School. Almost half of Class 10¡¯s boys liked her.


    But seeing Tang Xiu directly approach Cheng Yannan made the other boys suddenly nervous.


    It was near graduation time. A lot of boys students who saw that they were hopeless in the College Entrance Test, were preparing to confess to their favorite girls and hoped to have a lively love life before graduation.


    Cheng Yannan of Class 10 was the target for countless male students¡¯ intentions for love confessions. At the same time, they were also planning that they would confess to her while also secretly guarding against each other who wanted to approach her.


    ¡°Tang Xiu! Cheng Yannan is mine! You must give up on her!¡±


    ¡°Damn, a toad wants to eat a swan. Get the hell out of my way!¡±


    ¡°We¡ªthese brothers even have yet to confess to her. Your turn is not coming yet!¡±


    When Tang Xiu had just walked to the classroom¡¯s door, a few boys stopped him. They looked at Tang Xiu with a teasing look. The surprising thing was that even Su Duanxin and Tan Liquan were amongst them.


    While Su Duanxin and Tan Liquan were stopping Tang Xiu, Su Xiangfei pulled out a bunch of roses behind his back as he jumped out and ran toward Cheng Yannan with a happy expression.


    ¡°Hey, make way!!! Cheng Yannan is in danger!¡± When Tang Xiu saw a few of his classmates rushed to block in front of him, he had the thought to kick them out one by one, but also worried that his relationship with them would be deadlocked, so he couldn¡¯t help but snap at them with a soft voice.


    ¡°Huh? Do you think we¡¯re ghosts or 3-years-old child?¡±


    ¡°Even if Cheng Yannan is in danger, it is not your turn to save her! The Class Pres has already jumped to become a hero to save the princess.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Upon hear Su Duanxin, Tan Liquan and the others ridiculed him, Tang Xiu knew that he had overestimated this group of classmates¡¯ IQ. He was very much regretting that he didn¡¯t quickly throw this group of stupid bastards and kicked them out to the garbage heap.


    The next moment, a person¡¯s shadow jumped over from midair and heavily fell to the floor. Followed by the landing of this person, the other shadows also fell down one after another from the air like rain.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t wanna fucking die, make way! Otherwise, you all will die just like this fucking brat!¡± When everyone still hadn¡¯t figured out and were unable to react to what happened, a shocking loud roar suddenly resounded in the corridor outside, followed by a fierce-looking man full with a beard that appeared in everyone¡¯s sight.


    By this time, everyone saw that a man was holding Cheng Yannan¡¯s hands in the back with a dagger on her neck.


    The thrown out figure turned out to be Su Xiangfei, who was the one fastest to run out of the classroom. The prepared bouquet of roses he had been prepared to give to Cheng Yannan were just like a rose rain that had fallen to the floor, as he himself also fainted in an instant.


    Suddenly, the accident occurrence turned all the students scared and sh**less, as the noisy classroom also quieted down in an instant.


    Although Class 10 had the worst discipline amongst the third year classes, and most of the boys also were delinquents and were used to the fighting and ditching classes, but they were after all only teenagers. The bearded man¡¯s aggressiveness and ferociousness completely broke their cognition apart.


    ¡°All of you enter the classroom with me one by one! If any one of you tries to run away or warn the others, this Big Daddy will kill this b*tch! And then all you of you will be dead after this sl*t!¡± While the Class 10¡¯s students were still dazed, the bearded man kicked a few students who were in front of the classroom and blocked the door. He then stood in front of the classroom¡¯s door while snapping at a few students with a stern voice.


    The pitiful few students who stood actually had the chance to escape, but under the fierce and ferocious gaze from the bearded man, they had no choice but obediently run back into the classroom.


    ¡°Shut the door! All the boys move your desks and block the door. Get your asses up, move on! Those who don¡¯t move, I¡¯ll f*cking kill you!¡± Seeing that all the students in the class were in his control, the bearded man walked 2 steps forward whilst grabbing Su Xiangfei¡¯s collar and dragged him into the classroom as he shouted his order loudly.


    With the bearded man loud shout, the Class 10¡¯s students felt helpless and had no alternatives but to obey his words to shut the class¡¯s door. They then slowly moved their school desk toward the door to block it.


    Seeing that those students all succumbed to his order, a satisfied expression emerged on the bearded man¡¯s eyes. His tense nerves also slightly relaxed as his dagger no longer clinging on Cheng Yannan¡¯s neck. He waved from time to time to direct the students¡¯ work.


    ¡°You motherf*cker! What is your business here? You f*cking dare to bluff and bluster in our class hah?¡± When Tang Xiu saw a chance and was about to move, someone¡¯s voice suddenly burst out behind the classroom. Yuan Chuling lifted up the desk and fiercely slammed it toward the bearded man.


    In regard height and build, Yuan Chuling completely couldn¡¯t compare to the bearded man, but when he was raging and yelled loudly, all the students were shivering violently.


    Seeing Yuan Chuling bravely rushing forward, all the Class 10¡¯s students¡¯ eyes couldn¡¯t help but brighten up as the looks of hope revealed on their faces.


    If Yuan Chuling¡¯s attack was to be successful, not only would Cheng Yannan escape from a devastating fate, but the other students also didn¡¯t have to suffer abuse and humiliation.


    When Class 10¡¯s students couldn¡¯t bear to cheering Yuan Chuling out, the next scene turned them dumbstruck.


    The bearded man, as if having foresight ability, forcefully grabbed Cheng Yannan¡¯s hand all of a sudden and lifted her up and put her in front of him. At the same time, his other hand that wielded the dagger also quickly stabbed toward Yuan Chuling¡¯s stomach.


    ¡°Little bastard, I have long been guarding against you. But I really didn¡¯t expect that you will really act. Since it has been like this, I don¡¯t mind to f*ck you up to warn the others, and kill you first.¡± Seeing the frightened and panicked expression from Yuan Chuling¡¯s complexion and eyes, a devilish and fierce smile emerged on the bearded man¡¯s face.


    ¡°NOOO!!!!¡± Seeing that the desk wouldn¡¯t hit the bearded man, but would hit Cheng Yannan, Yuan Chuling was raging and panicking out of fear. Unable to stop the force, he couldn¡¯t help but shout loudly.


    ¡°NOOO!!!¡± The Class 10¡¯s students who clearly saw Yuan Chuling and the bearded man¡¯s action also was unable to control their fright as they screamed out in panic.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 53

    Chapter 53: The Hero Rescued The Belle


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°NOOO!!!¡± Looking at the desk that was about to fiercely smash her head, Cheng Yannan screamed in desperation. Crystal clear tears flowed down from her eyes as endless remorse gushed out from her heart.


    Cheng Yannan knew that this was happening because of her impulse.


    Her impulse had courted her fatal disaster.


    It was because of her impulse, that her classmates also fell into this hopeless situation.


    If time could be reversed again, if the Heavens gave her another chance, she absolutely wouldn¡¯t be tempted to get involved with her older sister¡¯s case investigation. She wouldn¡¯t have had acted impulsively to track the suspect on her own initiative.


    Cheng Yannan at first was just thinking that studying was too boring and wanted to experience something to bring flavor to her life.


    But never once did Cheng Yannan would have ever thought that she would run into the root of the case that her older sister had been investigating for nearly 6 months¡¯ on surveillance without any clues. However, she had never thought that the gangster would actually attack her back instead, as the criminal was even extremely bold and reckless enough to act against her at school.


    Through the information in the case¡¯s record, Cheng Yannan knew that she had failed to help her older sister. She also might have forced the police to be in an extremely passive position. Moreover, she had dragged her classmates into an extremely dangerous circumstance.


    While Cheng Yannan was thinking that she would definitely die, she suddenly felt the bearded criminal¡¯s hand that was grasping her body was loosened. Her body softly fell down to the floor as she could see the following sight that the desk which originally was about to hit her, was smashed on the bearded gangster¡¯s cheek.


    In the critical second, Tang Xiu acted at the moment the bearded gangster was in his most satisfied mood.


    Tang Xiu directly used both of his hand and grabbed the bearded gangster¡¯s shoulders.


    Not even for a second did the bearded gangster was able to react to what happened, as a cracking sound then sounded twice as Tang Xiu pinched broke the bearded gangster¡¯s into pieces.


    After the bearded gangster¡¯s scapula was crushed, not only did his right hand have no strength to lift Cheng Yannan up again to block the desk that was about to smash at him, he also unable to get a hold of the dagger wielded by his left hand that was about to stab Yuan Chuling. As the dagger fell to the floor, he could only stare blankly at the desk that was about to hit his head.


    ¡°F*cking bastard, you dare!¡± The bearded gangster seemed to be fully enraged as he burst out in curses. He immediately lifted his feet to kick the falling Cheng Yannan that was rolling on the floor toward Yuan Chuling. At the same time, the bearded gangster turned his head and hammered his fist to punch Tang Xiu.


    Seeing that this bearded gangster ignored the acute pain his broken scapula brought him and even made a counter-attack against him, an astonished expression flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes.


    Had it been regular people, their face could have been smashed after getting hammered by this bearded gangster¡¯s punch and lost their fighting strength.


    This bearded gangster was not only able to deal with the threat behind him, but also able to avoid Yuan Chuling¡¯s threats on him to a minimum.


    However, it was unfortunate that this bearded gangster encountered Tang Xiu, who had just completed Vitality Tempering Stage and quenched his body.


    Facing the bearded gangster¡¯s swift and fierce attack, Tang Xiu only let out a light shout as he then swiftly grabbed his collar, shouldered him and threw him to the garbage heap behind the classroom. In a quick movement, he stretched his arms out and grabbed the desk and before it hit Cheng Yannan, as he caught and held her body.


    But at this time everyone¡¯s attention was not the desk that had broken to pieces or the scattering books on the floor. Their eyes were fully locked on the bearded man¡¯s body on the garbage heap.


    The spot where Tang Xiu was standing to the back of the classroom¡¯s corner where the garbage heap positioned was 10 meters away. But he easily dumped and threw the bearded man to the garbage heap.


    Looking at the bearded man that was 190cm in height and his bear-like built, and then looking at Tang Xiu¡¯s slim built with a height that was less than 180cm, all of Class 10¡¯s students rubbed their eyes repeatedly. They were suspecting that their eyes had problems.


    Class 10¡¯s students would be much more believing had it been Yuan Chuling who threw the bearded man. But never did they want to believe that it was Tang Xiu who threw him out.


    But after seeing the astonished and dazed look Yuan Chuling had toward Tang Xiu, everyone realized that Tang Xiu was the one and only person who had thrown the bearded gangster, and couldn¡¯t be Yuan Chuling who did that.


    After having been severely crushed into the garbage by Tang Xiu, the burly bearded gangster¡¯s body was severely smashed, causing his internal organs to be crushed, as black blood was overflowing from his mouth.


    ¡°Y-y-you¡­ y-y-you ¡­ ¡­¡± With an unwilling expression, the bearded gangster stared at Tang Xiu as he spoke with a weak and faint voice and then completely fainted on the floor.


    Upon seeing that the bearded gangster fainted, Class 10¡¯s students subconsciously felt relieved. The previously quiet classroom immediately turned chaotic and noisy, just like at a bazaar.


    Some students immediately screamed out loud as some others directly ran out of the classroom to inform the police, while some other students were weeping loudly.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, since you were that powerful, why the hell did you not save us earlier, hah? Do you fucking want us to be trampled to death by that gangster?¡± The moment Tang Xiu was about to put Cheng Yannan down from his arms, a voice full of resentment suddenly sounded. Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but instantly frown.


    Tang Xiu was just about to refute it, but never would he expect that other student¡¯s voices also shouted out loudly, giving him no time to even open his mouth.


    ¡°Yea! He obviously has a powerful strength. But he was f*cking purposefully hiding it. He was just damn intentionally wanting to see us get beaten. How the f*ck did you have that crooked thought, hah?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, that damn gangster entered the classroom at almost the same time with you. Was it you yourself that had brought him to the school? Or the thing happened just now just a play that was simply f*cking planned by you?¡±


    ****


    Having heard his classmates¡¯ words, Tang Xiu was completely stupefied.


    Never once did he ever think that his action would be repaid by with such ungrateful curses. Not only were they ungrateful, they were even blaming and questioning him. For a short while, Tang Xiu was speechless.


    ¡°Hey! You¡¯ve all wronged Tang Xiu. If you were to pay attention to the Shuangqing Daily News, you will find out that this bastard gangster is a wanted criminal by the Ministry of Public Security. He had committed crimes all over the country and is a criminal that trafficks human organs. He already had committed 30 homicides¡­¡± Upon seeing that Tang Xiu was accused wrongly, Cheng Yannan was dumbstruck as she immediately defended Tang Xiu with a soft voice.


    ¡°Yannan, don¡¯t be deceived by that Tang Xiu bastard. Since you knew about that gangster¡¯s looks, Tang Xiu absolutely knew about him also. He must have looked for someone with the same looks with that wanted criminal and act like him, right?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu¡¯s body has always been frail. He even often faints. Never have I seen him passed the School¡¯s sport exam even once. Do you think that he could even match a murderer¡¯s strength?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu certainly wants to pursue you! But he¡¯s afraid that you¡¯ll reject him and made the scenario to play a hero that rescue the belle. He just wants to move and capture your heart.¡±


    ****


    Not only did Cheng Yannan¡¯s explanation not make everyone believe, but it even made everyone became more stirred and excited.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, you obviously have been accused wrongly. Why didn¡¯t you speak out?¡± After having faced the gate of death, Yuan Chuling¡¯s face was still palpitating with a frightened expression. But after seeing the complete misunderstanding from their classmates at Tang Xiu, he couldn¡¯t help but speak.


    ¡°If they wanted to believe, they would naturally believe it. But if they didn¡¯t want to believe, even if you spit thousands of words, they will never believe you!¡± Tang Xiu lightly swept a glance toward the students with an indifferent expression. He didn¡¯t speak more and slowly walked toward his desk and sat down.


    Tang Xiu might be able to be calm and be unperturbed. But the Class 10¡¯s students were unable to be like him.


    Actually, the ones who were questioning Tang Xiu were only a small number of students. Most of the students did not even speak. After all, the vicious and ferocious acts and expression that fiend had done didn¡¯t seem to be an act. Yuan Chuling¡¯s panicked shouts at that critical moments were unlikely to be an act. Let alone the bruises on Cheng Yannan¡¯s wrists and the blood vomiting that the bearded gangster had.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t speak more. Cheng Yannan also firmly stood at Tang Xiu¡¯s side. Most of the students were silent and didn¡¯t even make any noises. Those of who had questioned and railed down Tang Xiu gradually lost their voices.


    10 minutes later, the Criminal Police squad from the City Police Bureau arrived. The police squad was shockingly led by someone who was Tang Xiu¡¯s acquaintance, Cheng Xuemei.


    Tang Xiu was preparing to step forward to greet Cheng Xuemei. But Cheng Yannan had stepped forward before he did as she quickly came forward in front of Cheng Xuemei before Tang Xiu.


    However, Cheng Yannan did not even say anything when Cheng Xuemei¡¯s palm fiercely slapped her face.


    ¡°Cheng Yannan!!! Who allowed you to meddle with my case, hah? Who gave you the permission to take unauthorized actions? Why didn¡¯t you report to me the instant you found clues?¡± After slapping Cheng Yannan, Cheng Xuemei interrogated her with a stern voice.


    ¡°I¡­. I¡­ Big Sis, I¡¯m very sorry, I was wrong¡­¡± By the time Cheng Yannan was waiting for her older sister to comfort her. But on the contrary, her older sister slapped her face. She was about to weep because she felt that she had been wronged. But when she saw that her older sister¡¯s eyes were also flushed red with a concerning and loving expression on her face, she had no choice but to hold her tears back and apologize in a soft voice.


    At first, when Tang Xiu saw Cheng Xuemei slapped Cheng Yannan¡¯s face, he was quite repugnant and angry. He even almost could not bear to stop Cheng Xuemei¡¯s hands. However, after listening to the conversation between Cheng Xuemei and Cheng Yannan, he could not help but be secretly glad that he didn¡¯t rush to act on impulse.


    While Cheng Xuemei and Cheng Yannan were still talking, the Criminal Police squad inspected the bearded gangster¡¯s injury condition. Some of them were also inquiring about the occurrence process to the other Class 10¡¯s students.


    ¡°Chief, the suspect Ouyang Haifeng¡¯s injury is not good. Not only are his internal organs damaged, a few of his ribs are also broken. One of which also penetrated his heart. There¡¯s only a slim chance that he will survive.¡± Hu Wenxu was reporting and at the same time could not help but glance at Tang Xiu.


    After having inquired from the other Class 10¡¯s students, Hu Wenxu got the same answers. The one who dealt with Ouyang Haifeng was Tang Xiu. But when he recalled the scene when he last handled Tang Xiu¡¯s case, his body was very weak and he even fainted. He felt that today¡¯s matter was very strange. He couldn¡¯t even believe everything he had heard.


    But after he continued asking for a few times and the found that the all the confessions were consistent, Hu Wenxu had no choice but to believe. That was, the slim Tang Xiu really had dealt with Ouyang Haifeng.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 54

    Chapter 54: Beating the Grass to Scare the Snake


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°What? Ouyang Haifeng¡¯s life is in danger? How could that be? Isn¡¯t he the one nicknamed the ¡®Undead Ox¡¯ in his team?¡± Cheng Xuemei shouted in surprise as she stopped chatting with Cheng Yannan when she heard Hu Wenxu¡¯s report.


    The reason why Ouyang Haifeng was nicknamed the Undead Ox, was because he possessed an extraordinary strength. He was as strong as an ox. with strong-thick skin and flesh that made him particularly have strong resistance against hits. On the other hand, he was extremely stubborn in nature. Once he decided something, even 10 buffalos would never be able to pull him back.


    It was exactly due to his temper and ability that Ouyang Haifeng had an absolute core position in his team. But after having heard that such a freaking monster unexpectedly was folded under the hands of an extremely delicate youth, even Cheng Xuemei was filled with some kind of unreal feeling.


    She also admitted that she herself had absolutely no full assurance to be able to subdue Ouyang Haifeng.


    ¡°Hi, Tang Xiu. We meet again. Do you still remember me?¡± Cheng Xuemei stared at Tang Xiu for a moment as she finally extended her palm toward the Xiu, smiling and greeted him.


    ¡°Have you been good, Officer Cheng? I¡¯m very happy to see you again.¡± Seeing a touch of inquiry and ruminating expression flashing through Cheng Xuemei¡¯s eyes, a chill passed through Tang Xiu¡¯s heart. At first, he thought of refusing to shake hands with her, but after a thought, he then extended his hand toward her.


    When their two hands touched and overlapped each other, a touch of a happy expression flashed through Cheng Xuemei¡¯s eyes as she then suddenly exerted her strength.


    Cheng Xuemei was thinking that she should be able to probe Tang Xiu¡¯s strength. But she then felt Tang Xiu¡¯s palm was soft and slippery. She had yet to react to what happened when Tang Xiu¡¯s hand already slipped away from her palm.


    ¡°What a good young fellow. It turns out that you really have some skills, eh? I really have to test you out!¡± Cheng Xuemei hadn¡¯t fully used her strength a moment ago. But after Tang Xiu easily got off from her palm, her eyes brightened up as an excited expression could be seen from her face.


    ¡°Officer Cheng, there are more important things to do. Besides, I just rescued Yannan, how come you want to deal with Yannan¡¯s savior?¡± Feeling a fighting intent exude from Cheng Xuemei¡¯s body, Tang Xiu frowned and hurriedly reminded.


    ¡°You called me Big Sis before, but why are you calling me Officer Cheng now? You couldn¡¯t be harboring some hidden intentions, could you?¡± Hearing that, Cheng Xuemei hesitated. She immediately stared as she snapped and asked.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to continue calling you Big Sis, but I¡¯m afraid that Yannan would scold me.¡± Tang Xiu glanced at an anxious Cheng Yannan nearby and intentionally teased.


    At first, Cheng Yannan happily watched the show unfold, but she obviously did not expect that the flame of war would suddenly burn and shoot her. Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s teasing, her face suddenly flushed scarlet, even her expression turned shy and twisted up.


    ¡°You ¡­ Yannan¡­¡± Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, Cheng Xuemei was also stunned. Her vision glanced back and forth between Tang Xiu and Cheng Yannan a few times with a mind full of suspicions.


    But in a public place with a large crowd, it was not good for her to openly ask about Tang Xiu and Cheng Yannan¡¯s relationship, much less that it was inconvenient to expose.


    Finally, Cheng Xuemei fiercely gazed at Tang Xiu and ended her probing.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, Yannan has alerted the enemies. When we rushed to the gangsters¡¯ headquarter, they had already deserted the place. If they knew about the issue with Ouyang Haifeng, the gangsters will definitely get their revenge. Do you want us to send an operative to protect you? Or you can choose to temporarily stay at the City Public Security Bureau for a few days¡­¡± After finishing the case records, Cheng Xuemei hesitated as she then asked Tang Xiu.


    The moment Tang Xiu heard it, he immediately shook his head, ¡°Officer Cheng, if it¡¯s fine and convenient, I just want you to arrange a few people to secretly protect my mother. As for myself, I can handle it.¡±


    Cheng Xuemei stared at Tang Xiu for a moment. But seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s firm and confident expression, she nodded and complied with his request. She then led the criminal police squad and quickly left.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you did well today. If it weren¡¯t because of you, your classmates could have been in grave danger. I will arrange the school¡¯s authorities to give you an award.¡± Before the criminal police had arrived at school, Wei Zhentai actually had led the other school¡¯s authorities to rush toward Class 10. But their main concern was to calm down the scared students and had no time to talk with Tang Xiu.


    When Wei Zhentai wanted to talk with Tang Xiu, the police, Cheng Yannan, and Cheng Xuemei had already asked him to record his testimony.


    However, when Tang Xiu, Cheng Yannan, and Yuan Chuling were working with the police to record the case, Wei Zhentai and the others didn¡¯t stay idle and they already found out the details of the incident from the other Class 10¡¯s students.


    Knowing that Cheng Yannan and Yuan Chuling almost died, Wei Zhentai and others¡¯ heart suddenly thumped.


    As for the limelight seeker Su Xiangfei, who got kicked by Ouyang Haifeng, from the beginning, nobody paid attention to him.


    ¡°Principal Wei, the rewards are not important. The most imperative thing to do is to improve the school¡¯s safety management standards. If the incident today were to be reported by the news media¡­¡± Tang Xiu didn¡¯t get swayed with the reward spoken by Wei Zhentai, but replied with an indifferent expression.


    Having heard half of what Tang Xiu said, a displeased feeling sprouted in Wei Zhentai¡¯s heart. He thought that Tang Xiu was quite proud and arrogant.


    But when Tang Xiu¡¯s second sentence came out, Wei Zhentai¡¯s complexion instantly changed. He looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes with a trace of a deeply shocked expression, as well as a grateful expression.


    For a school, the most important thing was the students. The more students they had, the more income the school got. The more income the school got, the more qualified teachers they could hire. In return, this would increase enrollment rates and attract more students, resulting in a positive cycle.


    However, if the school was unable to guarantee the students¡¯ life and safety, what was the use of a high rate of enrollment? How could there be students who dare to risk their lives to study at Star City First High School?


    ¡°Student Tang Xiu¡¯s words are true. I will immediately rectify the school¡¯s safety standards.¡± Sweating, Wei Zhentai backed Tang Xiu¡¯s sentence up. He immediately left with a restlessness and anxious expression, leaving the other school leaders looking at each other in dismay.


    ¡°I have never thought that not only is student Tang Xiu¡¯s academic performance amazing, you also have far-sight to the overall situation. I¡¯m really amazed.¡± Vice-Principal Liu Yunyong looked at Tang Xiu with appreciation before he quickly left.


    The things that happened today had created a big sensation in the school. The entire Star City First High School higher ups and downs were working together to avert the crisis to their public relation and reputation. Otherwise, Star City First High School absolutely would be pushed to the deep pit. This would severely affect the school¡¯s reputation and image and would also cause an extremely grave impact on next year¡¯s enrollment.


    ¡°You really never let others stop worrying. Either for disappearing for 10 days and half a month or creating such big sensational actions. Do you think that your teacher¡¯s heart is not big enough?¡± Han Qingwu was the only one who stayed after all the school¡¯s teachers and leaders had all left.


    She originally planned to severely reprimand and criticize Tang Xiu after he came back, to tell him that she also had power. But after seeing 2 students in her class almost get dumped into the gates of hell, the car accident scene from more than a year ago gushed out from inside her mind.


    Recalling the scene from more than a year ago, when Tang Xiu pulled her back from the gates of hell, the grievances in Han Qingwu¡¯s heart toward Tang Xiu instantly evaporated. Her eyes expressed tenderness and great care as she looked at Tang Xiu.


    The scene from a year ago and today¡¯s scene were quite similar. The bold act of disregarding self-safety, the same impulse to do something without wanting something back, the same self-sacrifice for the sake of others¡­ everything was exactly alike.


    The only difference was that today, Tang Xiu was luckier than a year ago. Now he was fine and had no injuries.


    ¡°Teacher Han, I¡¯m really sorry. I¡¯ve been causing you so much trouble in this period of time.¡± Sensing the boiling and heating feeling from Han Qingwu, Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes quickly shifted and rolled as he then responded in a soft voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. You did behave very well today. I¡¯m very proud of you. The next time you encounter this kind of thing, remember to protect yourself first. You must not injure yourself.¡± A ruminating expression emerged on Han Qingwu¡¯s complexion when she saw the shy expression from Tang Xiu¡¯s face. Recalling that Tang Xiu had kissed her before at her office, she felt that the big resentment feeling inside her heart suddenly had paid off.


    While Han Qingwu was talking with Tang Xiu, the desks in the classroom had been returned to their original state. Apart from bloodstains in the corridor and garbage, it was as if nothing had happened in the classroom.


    However, a quiet and strange ambiance filled the classroom¡¯s air, reminding them that something big had happened today. Moreover, it was an earth-shaking big incident.


    Han Qingwu had finished chatting with Tang and then went to the podium.


    ¡°Students, I, as your teacher, am very sad about today¡¯s accident. I think that we are equally sad and restless. Fortunately, Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling had bravely struggled and finally averted the disaster at the critical moment. Today, let¡¯s give our warm applause to thank the both of them.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Han Qingwu was just like a queen standing on a Royal war chariot as she spoke with a full and imposing aura, looking valiant and formidable.


    Her voice and words seemed to have a particular magical charm as the restlessness inside the student¡¯s chests quickly dispersed. Slowly, the class subject shifted to principle and ideologic.


    Han Qingwu was now narrating from an ancient retrospective, from the brave heroes of the Qin and Han Dynasties¡¯ chaotic era, to the modern revolutionary martyrs. She also told about Tang Xiu¡¯s brave deeds a year ago. Telling the students about how he bravely rushed forward to save her from the car accident, and then finally concluding the summary for today¡¯s incident.


    Under Han Qingwu¡¯s narration, Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling were impressively transformed into a Hercules that were able to lift up, the bravest of the braves. How they were laughing before the gates of death as the peerless heroes who had always been marching forward, causing all the students¡¯ blood to boil and bubble up to the brim.


    Class 10¡¯s students only had known Tang Xiu in his second year in high school after the car accident occurred. They didn¡¯t know about how Tang Xiu got in the car accident.


    But when they knew that Tang Xiu got hit by the car in order to save Han Qingwu, the Class 10¡¯s students¡¯ vision towards Tang Xiu instantly changed.


    If Cheng Yannan could be said as the target for most of the male students¡¯ admiration, then Han Qingwu was absolutely the goddess that all the students worshiped.


    Whether it was Han Qingwu¡¯s figure, looks, or personality, she was world¡¯s apart from Cheng Yannan. Much more, the aura that she exuded, was almost impossible for Cheng Yannan to have.


    Han Qingwu instantly shifted the Class 10¡¯s students¡¯ attention from the gangster incident to Tang Xiu. When she exhorted the students repeatedly that the issues at school today were not to be divulged to outsiders, everyone responded to her in unison.


    Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh as he sat listening in the classroom, looking at Han Qingwu with an itching and disgruntled expression in his eyes. He perfectly knew that with such publicity from her, with more than a month lasting to finish his high school life, it was almost impossible for him to have a peaceful life here.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 55

    Chapter 55: Disaster to the Family Member


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    As Tang Xiu had expected, his desk was surrounded by other students after class. They were expressing their gratitude as well as were curious about how Tang Xiu had such a big strength. Some others also asked about the specific details of the car accident a year ago.


    With big efforts, Tang Xiu spent quite some time to send them away before this group of enthusiastic and curious students left.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, do you think Ouyang Haifeng¡¯s gang will come to find us and get revenge on campus?¡± Cheng Yannan who sat in front suddenly turned around and asked softly when nobody was around Tang Xiu¡¯s desk.


    ¡°After having gone through today¡¯s incident, I think both the police and the school will increase the security. That gang is unlikely to incite trouble at school.¡± Tang Xiu thought for second and replied with a serious expression.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Having heard that, Cheng Yannan seemed to be relieved and then fell into a daze.


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but be stunned as he scrutinized Cheng Yannan¡¯s expression that was worlds apart with her usual response.


    But Tang Xiu quickly figured it out. Cheng Yannan might have usually been carefree, but she was after all was only a girl, an under 18 year old girl.


    She had just gone through a sudden kidnapping by a murderer and almost lost her life. Had it been for others, they could have lost half of their soul.


    When Tang Xiu thought about it, he subconsciously looked at Yuan Chuling, who shared the table with him. He was also different than his usual self and was awfully quiet. He was also uncommunicative when the cops wrote the record, and his complexion now was even deathly pale as he was also in a dazed state.


    ¡°Fatty, are you alright?¡± Tang Xiu pushed Yuan Chuling as he asked him with a concerned expression.


    ¡°I-I¡­ I-I¡¯m fine¡­¡± Abruptly woken up by Tang Xiu, Yuan Chuling¡¯s body quivered as he looked around with a blank expression. Realizing he was sitting in the classroom, he hurriedly shook his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s OK, your vest is drenched in sweat.¡± Seeing Yuan Chuling¡¯s reaction, Tang Xiu scrutinized him and then softly spoke, ¡°Fatty, everything has passed, we are safe now.¡±


    ¡°Eldest Brother, tell me something. Is it this hard to see someone die? Once a man dies, is it true that his soul is really gone?¡± Yuan Chuling asked irrelevant questions.


    ¡°Haih, I don¡¯t know that. Eh, why don¡¯t you jump from the window and try it yourself?¡± Tang Xiu leaned his head and thought for a moment, and then he suggested with an extremely serious expression.


    ¡°You¡­ Go to hell, f*ck you!¡± Yuan Chuling obviously had yet to recover from his frightened state. He was in a daze for a long time and only came to his senses after Tang Xiu teased him, as he then punched Tang Xiu over.


    ¡°Hell no, will I explore such a deep philosophical problems? Therefore, I¡¯ll just give that honorable task to you. It¡¯s better for you, really.¡± Tang Xiu stopped Yuan Chuling¡¯s fist as he smiled and made fun of him.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, I used to think that I was very powerful. I have both good strength and courage. And I used to believe that I¡¯d be a great hero someday. But when that damned gangster used Cheng Yannan to block my desk and I had no way to stop or change its direction, I felt that I was really useless.¡±


    ¡°Especially when that gangster stabbed his dagger at me. Hell, you wouldn¡¯t be able to know how desperate I was at that time.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After Tang Xiu teased him a few times, Yuan Chuling slowly opened up to what he felt inside as he threw out everything that deep inside his heart.


    Seeing that Yuan Chuling finally broke out from the traumatic shadow due to the gangster incident, Tang Xiu felt relieved.


    But Tang Xiu didn¡¯t know that Cheng Yannan who sat in front was secretly eavesdropping on his conversation, although she didn¡¯t turn around.


    Upon hearing the constant teasing Tang Xiu did to Yuan Chuling, Cheng Yannan¡¯s delicate shoulders shivered. She even almost burst into laughter a few times. But since it was still during class, she had no choice but to hold her urge to burst into laughter.


    Although Han Qingwu spent 45 minutes in giving a psychological counseling for all the students, and most of everyone¡¯s fear had been gone, but many students were still in a dazed state in the classroom.


    Some of them were afraid. Some others were too excited because once they had the chance to speak, they must blurt out everything they knew about this gangster hijacking incident. As if only by doing so, would they be able to drive out their fear and pacify their excited mood to calm down.


    The gangster hijacking became the number one topic at Star City First High School today. Class 10¡¯s students, especially Tang Xiu, Cheng Yannan, and Yuan Chuling were the focus of the talks.


    However, the main players that became the center of talk had long been out of the impact due to the incident. While secretly guarding against the emergence of the retaliating gangster¡¯s members, their thoughts were more focused on their study.


    One day had passed without anyone noticing. The talks about the gangster incident gradually died down under the deliberate action of the school¡¯s authorities. A person in the residential building nearby Star City First High School silently put away his telescope as chilling murderous intention flashed through his eyes.


    ¡°The cop snitcher said that the Third Brother was killed by a student named Tang Xiu. But how the hell do I feel that this doesn¡¯t make sense? There¡¯s no way the cop had already found out about our snitch and deployed traps.¡± The middle-aged man wearing glasses amongst them held Tang Xiu¡¯s portrait as he repeatedly looked at it a few times. Throwing it aside, he spoke with a confused expression.


    ¡°We know that Third Brother¡¯s fighting prowess might not be the strongest amongst all of us. But his strength is definitely the strongest. How the hell did he get buckled down by such a feeble high schooler?¡± A youth with a cherry-apple shirt also spoke with the same puzzled expression.


    ¡°You wait a bit. I have already completed compiling these 3 people and their family¡¯s information. It will immediately come out.¡± Along with a keyboard typed sounds, a man with frameless glasses confidently spoke.


    ¡°Third Brother has died. We must avenge him. Regardless of whoever killed him, the bastard will have to pay for this. Since the cops intentionally disclosed Third Brother¡¯s death to the news media, then they must have laid traps at Star City First High School. We¡¯ll act opposite of their wishes and shouldn¡¯t act toward the High School¡¯s students.¡±


    ¡°Those stupid cops don¡¯t know that there is a snitch amongst them. Never will they ever think that they were being played by a mole right before their eyes. I can tell that now, they are waiting for us to walk into their trap.¡±


    The other two men in the house were using a telescope to look at Star City First High School and were focused on Class 10. Cold air exuded from their bodies as they stared with a dark and cold expression.


    ¡°All the information about Tang Xiu, Yuan Chuling, Cheng Yannan and their family members are out! Let¡¯s take a look at them and then we¡¯ll talk about our target to strike!¡± Suddenly, the frameless glasses man waved the A4 papers in his hand and loudly called everyone in the room.


    Hearing the frameless glasses man, everyone quickly swarmed over and then looked at the information that had just been printed out.


    ¡°This girl is actually that sl*t¡¯s younger sister. It¡¯s not surprising that she is extremely daring to meddle in our business.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu¡¯s sports class results failed for a long time. He got in a car accident a year ago and was in an idiotic-kind of condition?¡±


    ¡°Holy c*ap!!! This must be this f*cking dead fatty. I¡¯m absolutely sure this is the f*cking dead fatty. He looks simple, but I would never have thought that he was a second generation nouveau-riche in disguise. He also learned and Taekwondo and is quite powerful.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The five men who repeatedly read Tang Xiu, Yuan Chuling, and Cheng Yannan¡¯s information a few times directly threw Tang Xiu with Cheng Yannan¡¯s information aside. Then carefully read Yuan Chuling¡¯s information.


    It was because Tang Xiu and Cheng Yannan¡¯s information was too ordinary. Tang Xiu only came from a low social class. He only had a mother¡ªSu Lingyun, who came from a rural village.


    They also found that Tang Xiu was not only physically weak but also had problems with his brain. Hence, he couldn¡¯t be the culprit that had killed Ouyang Haifeng. It was also impossible for him to threaten them. With this reasoning, they decisively threw out the idea to deal with Tang Xiu¡¯s mother.


    As for Cheng Yannan, she was even weirder. Her information only recorded her older sister.


    Cheng Yannan had good fighting prowess, she seemed to have learned military boxing, and her attainment in it was also quite profound. However, since Ouyang Haifeng was able to deal with her before, hence she shouldn¡¯t be the one that was able to kill Ouyang Haifeng.


    Let alone that Cheng Yannan¡¯s sister was a cop. Even though these gangsters had more courage, never once did they ever dare to take the initiative to attack the police.


    ¡°Damn, Yuan Chuling¡¯s father¡¯s identity is complicated. On the surface, his company is only a high-tech limited company. But it¡¯s inextricably linked to the government, even the profits account for hundreds of millions of yuan. The company also has a military secret advisory business credential for confidentiality services. What is his company doing anyways?¡±


    ¡°F**k, it¡¯s too weird. This is way too scary. We mustn¡¯t run into the military big shots! But this resume is only showing that he¡¯s just an outstanding businessman. Ah, his business must be more than only surveying and mapping service fields, and could be related to the cities¡¯ secret intelligence and surveillance.¡±


    ¡°I know about survey mappings, but what the hell is with these cities¡¯ secret intelligence and surveillance?¡±


    When they read Yuan Chuling¡¯s father¡ªYuan Zhengxuan¡¯s information, this group of gangsters were unable to figure out anything, and couldn¡¯t clarify the real situation.


    ¡°Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s wife¡ªZhao Jing, is also remarkable. She isn¡¯t attached to Yuan Zhengxuan, but rather has built an independent heavy-industry company by herself. Also, her company has just come into business recently. Although the current profit couldn¡¯t be compared to Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s high-tech company, but judging from the long-term prospects, her heavy-industry company in no way will be inferior to Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s high-tech company.


    ¡°Zhao Jing seems to be an able woman and has a strong character. Because she heard that Yuan Zhengxuan is close with other women, but without any pieces of evidence, she just directly divorced him. This courage is not something an average woman could have.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how these 2 people¡¯s brains work. The both of them are very difficult, it¡¯s hard to compare which one is more powerful. The money they could make is even more that we could get in a lifetime. F*cking comparing us with them is just driving me crazy.¡±


    ¡°Just blame them for giving us the way to make money. Okay, let¡¯s take on Zhao Jing. As long as we get her, Yuan Zhengxuan will automatically take the bait.¡±


    After having a discussion, this group of gangsters picked their target and then began to brew a plan.


    At Star City First High School, Class 10¡¯s classroom. Although Tang Xiu was reading, but in fact, his mind was wondering most of the time.


    It was not because of the incident that happened this morning had an impact on him, but it was because he was thinking about a project to make money.


    Tang Xiu had stayed and spent his time for nearly half a month in school and the provincial library, and basically had read almost all the books there.


    What he must do now was to screen out all the information in his brain. He needed to analyze the Immortal World¡¯s vast expanse of concocted pills¡¯ formulas and their medicinal herbs ingredients, and find their substitutes with the materials and ingredients on Earth. Only then would he be able to see which pill formula could be concocted on Earth, and which would monetize a huge profit for him.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 56

    Chapter 56: Small Hints of Traces


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    For 2 days and nights, Tang Xiu had been in deep thought. He constantly altered and changed the concocted pill formulas in his mind and was finally able to compose a few formulas that could be implemented on Earth.


    However, the costs for the products were in line with the manufacturing process, products¡¯ marketing, running the company, and other company management aspects that made Tang Xiu baffled.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s past incarnation had long been used to being a lone wolf. He had his servants take care of everything he needed to the point that he only handled his own matters and cared for nothing else.


    But in his current lifetime, not only did Tang Xiu have very few friends, he also had no servants, causing him to feel a kind of helplessness, as if his hands and feet were tied.


    Although Banshou, Dingzi, and the others were available for him to use, but Tang Xiu didn¡¯t think that these people would have the ability to help him manage his own company.


    ¡°It seems like I have to start headhunting for my company or take the initiative to find talented people. However, gaining trust would waste too much time.¡± Tang Xiu sighed as he continued writing and painting on the paper.


    In these 2 days, he had written and painted several thick blank papers in his notebook. When later he realized that painting in his own notebook was only wasting them, he even used the blank exam papers on his desk to write and paint his thoughts.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, have you ran into trouble? Are you worried about the College Entrance Test?¡± Whilst grabbing the painted papers Tang Xiu was drawing, Yuan Chuling seemed to have been drowned in anxiousness as he asked with a worried expression.


    ¡°I am planning to rob the bank, do you want to join me?¡± Recalling those fast-sh*tty-rotten ideas for making money Yuan Chuling had given him, Tang Xiu blasted his instakill reply over to Yuan Chuling.


    Having heard it, Yuan Chuling blushed with shame as he smiled, before he replied immediately, ¡°Eh, if you¡¯re really short on money and is rushed, you could really make money that way though. Besides, apart from robbing and gambling, it¡¯s not easy to play in other businesses, since it needs a lot of money and experience.¡±


    ¡°I know that. Anyways, I¡¯m just bored and painted out of boredom. Hey, you¡¯re busy with your study, off with ya!¡± Tang Xiu pushed him and then continued lowering his head and painted.


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu felt a dazzling ray shoot at his face, causing him to frown immediately.


    Had it been for an average person, being hit by a light from a glass reflection definitely wouldn¡¯t make them startled, since it was in broad daylight after all. The sun was scorching outside and some people might perhaps play with a mirror or switch the window, causing the sunlight to be reflected onto their body, of which would be deemed as a normal occurrence for them.


    However, after Tang Xiu had completed his first cultivation sub-stage, his five senses, as well as Spiritual Sense, was strengthened by numerous times. To the point that he was just like a video camera that was able to completely capture all scenes in a radius of 100 meters inside his mind.


    Tang Xiu knew that the touch of light on his face was the sunlight¡¯s reflection. What made him frown was because he sensed that the sunlight¡¯s reflection was strange.


    He felt strange because it happened too early in the morning as he was also sitting by the window and the sun was shining on him. In fact, apart from the students who were sitting by the window and a few students who were still outside, it was almost impossible for the sunlight to shine down on the other Class 10¡¯s students.


    What made Tang Xiu feel strange was that, because he was perfectly aware that the reflected sunlight was coming from the West, whilst this classroom¡¯s western side was not being shined on by the sun at the moment. Not to mention that this school classrooms¡¯ building was a 10-storey high building and basically would overshadow the residential buildings around it. It was impossible to have sunlight reflection from the residential building below it.


    With his lightning fast eye movement, Tang Xiu was able to figure out the direction where the sunlight reflection came.


    Tang Xiu saw a devilishly handsome man holding a binocular and gazing toward his classroom¡¯s direction. He was focused on his desk mate, Yuan Chuling.


    ¡°Peeping? Surveillance? Or maybe it¡¯s just a coincidence?¡± Tang Xiu turned vigilantly in an instant as a touch of coldness flashed across his eyes.


    Tang Xiu took back his vision and continued to draw on the exam paper. But the corner of his eyes swept toward his right side from time to time to see the movements of those people upstairs in that residential building.


    ¡°Holy f*ck!!! Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t have found me, could he?¡± Almost at the same time, Tang Xiu found that the transvestite man, he also saw that Tang Xiu looked at his eyes. He couldn¡¯t help but suddenly exclaim.


    ¡°B*tch! You¡¯re thinking too much! It is 1000 meters away from that building. You can see that Class 10¡¯s classroom due to using binoculars, but Tang Xiu has no binoculars. How the hell is he able to see us?¡± The moment the transvestite shouted, the frameless glasses man ridiculed him. The transvestite then thought for awhile and realized that he really had thought too much. He felt relieved and continued to monitor Tang Xiu¡¯s actions and movements again.


    When the transvestite found that Tang Xiu only glanced at his direction, he retracted back his vision and no longer looked at his direction. He subconsciously felt relieved and a self-mocking smile was revealed on his face, ¡°Sh*t, students these days are really forgetful. It¡¯s only been a day since such the big incident happened, but they have completely forgotten about it today, and are fully occupied with their study as though nothing happened.¡±


    ¡°Then, why don¡¯t you remind them again?¡± The frameless glasses man repeatedly stroke on a keyboard before he took out his cell phone and dialed a number.


    The second the frameless glasses man dialed the number, Class 10¡¯s Tang Xiu got up, making Yuan Chuling, Cheng Yannan, and the other students confused, because he directly left the classroom.


    For everything, it might be better late than never, but it was much better to prevent things before it happened.


    A torch was ablaze in Tang Xiu eyes as his mind revolved and analyzed everything meticulously. Had there been no such as the thug incident at school 2 days ago, he might have ignored it. But now, he had no choice but to pump up his spirit and mind to prevent the same accident from to happening again.


    As the saying goes ¡ª Behind the occurrences of all abnormalities, there must be demons pulling the strings in secret.


    Some people particularly did surveillance and monitor students with binoculars. And the one who was being the target of surveillance was Yuan Chuling, who was involved in the gangster incident yesterday. This made him certain that those people were absolutely up to no good.


    When Tang Xiu had just arrived at the office on the corridor, he saw that Han Qingwu was bending over and cleaning something inside, aiming her plentiful buttock at him at the right moment and angle. Her waist was slim but seemed to be very supple and flexible.


    ¡°Teacher Han, are you busy?¡±


    Han Qingwu turned around and was quite surprised to see Tang Xiu at her office. She intentionally scolded him and pretended to be angry, ¡°Hey, why aren¡¯t you studying in the classroom, why are you running here for?¡±


    It took quite a long time for Tang Xiu to choose his words, ¡°Teacher Han, I¡¯m not feeling well. I want to have a check up at the hospital.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sick?¡±


    Han Qingwu¡¯s complexion changed. She instantly put the broom down as she half-rang forward and arrived before Tang Xiu in a few steps. She raised her slender white hand to gently stroke Tang Xiu¡¯s forehand.


    1 second!


    10 seconds!


    Half a minute later, with an expression full of concern Han Qingwu softly spoke, ¡°Your body¡¯s temperature is normal. It¡¯s not a fever. But your body might have contracted something. Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll take you to the hospital myself.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu hesitated at first before he nodded and agreed. He originally wanted to leave by himself and then go to the residential building where those people did the surveillance. But in order to not alert them, going outside of the school along with Han Qingwu would provide a much better cover, and would not cause suspicion to those people.


    At the residential building.


    The man with frameless glasses put down the cell phone. He rolled his eyes when he heard a ¡°hey¡± exclamation from his companion. With a disgruntled expression, he yelled, ¡°Shut the f*ck up B*TCH! And don¡¯t make a fuss over nothing! We still have more important things to do. Don¡¯t be such a p*ssy and get frightened over such small things. Even if the Mt. Tai is collapsing in front of you, there¡¯s no way in hell you must get panicked.¡±


    The transvestite retorted angrily, ¡°Bastard, keep calling me ¡®B*TCH¡¯ and I¡¯ll f*ck you up! Get your ass off here and see for yourself. That brain damaged boy is coming out with a woman. I know her. She¡¯s that Class 10¡¯s teacher-in-charge.¡±


    The frameless glasses man¡¯s eyes flashed as he grabbed the binoculars and gazed over whilst stroking his chin gently. He chuckled and then spoke, ¡°It¡¯s Tang Xiu, he¡¯s nothing to worry about. His brain is damaged and wouldn¡¯t pose any threat to us. But this woman¡­ holy f*ck! This Big Daddy has long been dallying with a lot of chicks. Never once have I ever f*cked this kind of hot chick. As soon as we solve this problem, I must snatch her and f*ck her good for a few days!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to watch them?¡±


    The transvestite was somewhat hesitant and anxious. He didn¡¯t know why, but he faintly felt that the frameless glasses man made a wrong judgment. Although his brother didn¡¯t consider Tang Xiu as a threat, but the moment Tang Xiu saw him, anxiousness and tension filled his heart.


    The frameless glasses man sneered, ¡°Why the f*ck should we monitor a retard huh? It doesn¡¯t make sense. What we must closely monitor now is that Yuan Chuling brat!¡±


    ¡°Fine, okay, okay!¡±


    The transvestite quickly got rid of the haze in his heart.


    Outside the school¡¯s gate, Tang Xiu took a seat in the co-pilot seat and suddenly spoke, ¡°Teacher Han, please stop at the supermarket at the street corner. I¡¯m thirsty and want to buy some water.¡±


    Han Qingwu said, ¡°I¡¯ll help you buy it.¡±


    Tang Xiu did not refuse her since he also planned to make Han Qingwu buy it. Only after Han Qingwu left him would he have the opportunity to slip away and sneak into the residential building, where those people were doing their covert surveillance.


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu smoothly slipped away from Han Qingwu. He quickly rushed over to the neighborhood near that residential building. He stopped for awhile and carefully observed his surroundings. He found nothing abnormal in particular. Based on his memory of the floor and apartment where those people were in, he hurriedly rushed upstairs.


    Through his Spiritual Sense, he clearly ¡°saw¡± his targets in an apartment on the 8th floor. There were 2 men. One man was the one he saw from the classroom, he was holding the binoculars at the moment. The man was at the opposite side of his school as he still gazed and watched the school¡¯s situation. As for the other man, his complexion was overcasted with gloomy shades and cold-chilling eyes while stroking and typing on his laptop keyboard.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows wrinkled. For the first time, a chilling cold light flashed over his eyes.


    He clearly found a gun and 2 three-bladed army knives on the computer desk.


    For a moment, Tang Xiu deeply pondered. He was 100% certain that these people were the criminals. If they were the police in surveillance that was monitoring his school in covert, they also must have guns. But it was absolutely impossible for them to have those Mitsubishi army knives. In addition, the bearded murderers at school before also had this kind of three-bladed army knife.


    ¡°Since I have identified their true identity, should I report to the cops?¡±


    The thought crossed Tang Xiu¡¯s mind, but he quickly cast it out. He was a supreme expert in the Immortal World. Even though his cultivation now was only one millionth from before, he was confident that he would be able to handle these worthless thugs.


    He finally made his decision.


    Just like a vigorous and powerful Spirit Ape, Tang Xiu silently approached that apartment¡¯s door.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 57

    Chapter 57: Decision


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    In the vicinity near the entrance of Star City First High School, Han Qingwu dialed a number on her phone with an exasperated expression. However, ¡°the user you¡¯re trying to call has shut the phone down¡± reminder kept replying. This made her wish to quickly pack Tang Xiu up and severely crush him.


    Never once in her dreams would she think that Tang Xiu would lie to her. He was waiting obediently in the car for her to buy water drink, only to fool her and slip away. She was not a fool to realize that Tang Xiu was faking his sickness to make her escort him to the hospital.


    ¡°Damn Tang Xiu, you¡¯re really damnable. Not only do you skip classes, you even make me escort you out to ditch school. Enough is enough! I will fix you up when I find you.¡±


    Near the residential building¡­


    The frameless glasses man was still talking with someone on the phone. He then spoke in surprise, ¡°You have succeeded? Zhao Jing has been kidnapped and taken to the auto repair garage? Great! However, since we¡¯ve kidnapped her, then the cops surely have been notified. We must lay low for at least 2 days.¡±


    ¡°Youngest Sister and I will continue to stay and monitor here. I believe the police will certainly suspect this to have a connection to 3rd Brother. They will also come to the school to find Yuan Chuling, I¡¯m really looking forward to seeing Yuan Chuling¡¯s angry face as well as the cops¡¯ helpless expression.¡±


    ¡°Good, that¡¯s it ¡­¡±


    The call ended.


    A ridiculing expression emerged on the frameless glasses man¡¯s face. He was looking forward to the next interesting scene. But he didn¡¯t know that Tang Xiu overheard the contents of his conversation outside.


    ¡°Is it going well? One-Eyed acted very fast and efficient!¡± The transvestite spoke happily.


    The frameless glasses man sneered, ¡°Have we brothers ever done our work stupidly? However, that Zhao Jing woman was truly hard. One-Eyed was barely able to grab her after he slaughtered her 2 bodyguards through sneak attacks. But still, he got injured in the process.¡±


    ¡°What the hell? One-Eyed is injured? Didn¡¯t he get trained abroad? Anyways, for how long must we watch this Yuan Chuling brat?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll wait for 2 days more¡­¡±


    _Who was Zhao Jing?_


    Tang Xiu was quite confused outside. Even if he was thinking hard and racking his memory, he didn¡¯t know about this woman. However, judging from the frameless glasses man and the transvestite¡¯s dialogue, he figured out one thing, that these criminals had kidnapped this woman. And this woman definitely was related to Yuan Chuling.


    What should he do now?


    Dealing with these 2 men would certainly enrage the other ones. They might kill that Zhao Jing in rage.


    Tang Xiu carefully analyzed the variables and finally decided not to act for the time being. Since these 2 men were still monitoring for the next 2 days, then 2 days later, he would secretly tail them and crack the clues. He would then be able to catch and deal with all of them at once.


    After he quietly left, Tang Xiu was somewhat anxious.


    He originally planned to sneakily deal with these criminals in surveillance or kill them. Once he had done it, then he would explain to Han Qingwu. But he couldn¡¯t act now while he also had to appease Han Qingwu.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll just tell her some fake info!¡±


    Tang Xiu took out his cell phone, rebooted it, typed a message, and immediately sent it.


    At Class 10, Star City First High School.


    Han Qingwu was standing at the podium with a cold-frozen expression. While sweeping at the students¡¯ face, she spoke in an icy tone, ¡°Starting now, everyone is forbidden to skip class. Not even one of you can request to skip class. If any one of you violates this, you will clean the toilet for 1 week.¡±


    In the classroom.


    Dozens of students not only not feared Han Qingwu¡¯s words, but they were happy instead. They were looking at Tang Xiu¡¯s seat in uniform as though agreeing, while some students let out ridicules, taking pleasure of his misfortune.


    ¡°Heck, Tang Xiu must have made Teacher Han furious. He really is rotten to the bone. His boldness and recklessness truly have reached the peak. If I were Teacher Han, I would have kicked him out directly.¡±


    ¡°He also had ditched school before for so many days. But since Teacher Han is benevolent, she didn¡¯t punish him accordingly, causing him to be more lawless. I really hope Teacher Han immediately disposes him.¡±


    ¡°Teacher Han has been too good. She blindly supports Tang Xiu only to find him becoming worse. He¡¯s really sh*tty, causing our class and the entire grade to turn into dipsh*t.¡±


    ¡°How come our class has such a rotten sh*t?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The more Yuan Chuling listened to the comments in the surroundings, the more rage was in his heart. If the teacher-in-charge, Han Qingwu, was not in the class, he probably would have already stood up and beaten those foul-mouthed students.


    ¡°Buzzz¡±


    Han Qingwu immediately frowned as her cell phone buzzed. A text message was sent to her phone.


    She took the phone and opened the SMS: _¡°Teacher Han, I have important things to do. It would at least take 3 days to deal with. I¡¯ll come back later and receive my punishment.¡±_


    ¡°Tang Xiu¡­¡±


    Han Qingwu forgot that she was still standing on the podium as she roared after reading the SMS contents.


    After roaring, Han Qingwu suddenly realized the students were still paying attention to her. Recalling how she had lost her manner, her face blushed red in instant.


    ¡°Heavens! What have I seen? Did the Teacher Han reveal a shy expression? Could it be that I didn¡¯t have enough sleep last night and am seeing an illusion today?¡±


    ¡°Wow! She¡¯s really beautiful! Teacher Han is actually shy? Damn, even the moon and flowers pale in comparison! Oh God, my heart is jolting¡­¡±


    ¡°Teacher Han should be the world¡¯s most beautiful goddess, shouldn¡¯t she? Holy Lord! I¡¯m finished. Never will I be able to like another woman again in my life. Ah, that reminds me. Didn¡¯t she just receive an SMS before?¡­ Was it Tang Xiu who texted her?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Teacher Han just shouted Tang Xiu¡¯s name and then reveal a shy expression? Could it be¡­ Damn, that¡¯s f*cking impossible¡­ How could Teacher Han have a crush on that rotten Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu absolutely has sent a f*cking SMS to Teacher Han, causing her to be that furious and lose manners! That f*cking bastard¡­¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you really deserve to be stabbed with a thousand knives¡­¡±


    Yuan Chuling¡¯s whole face was gloomy. Once again he heard his classmates¡¯ derisive comments. But the cloudy mood immediately turned bright. His admiration toward his Eldest Brother Tang Xiu instantly turned skyrocketed to the peak. Tang Xiu was even able to make Teacher Han expose her ¡°teenage girl-in-love¡± expression. There was no way anyone in the world could be just like his Eldest Brother Tang Xiu and would pull a stunt like this, was there?


    _¡°Damn, I absolutely have to learn Eldest Brother¡¯s flirting skill to pick up some chicks!¡±_ Yuan Chuling secretly resolved this conviction in his heart.


    Outside of school, Tang Xiu hadn¡¯t left yet.


    Using his Spiritual Sense, he continued his observation. There was no household in this residential building. The residential building was in a messy condition. This explained why the building had been vacant for quite a long time. So he deftly and skillfully opened the window and slipped in.


    He was preparing to stay here for 2 days and closely watch the 2 men¡¯s movements upstairs. At the same time, he also needed to find helping hands as soon as possible.


    After carefully thinking, Tang Xiu then dialed Long Zhengyu¡¯s number.


    Star City, in a more than 10 storey building, Long Zhengyu was smoking and sitting on a soft leather sofa, chatting with his friends from Beijing. The other 2 young men were also smoking.


    ¡°Chu Yi, Bai Tao. The two of you know that this Long Zhengyu has never talked big. But that Little Brother of mine is definitely a dragon amongst men. Although I have only known him recently, but I can guarantee that nobody is more outstanding than him amongst the younger generation.¡± Long Zhengyu spoke seriously.


    The handsome Chu Yi who was wearing a suit faintly smiled and spoke, ¡°Big Brother Long, we have long been friends for more than 10 years. This is the first time I¡¯ve heard you speak for others in such high praise. It seems that I have to meet him and get acquainted with him, to see whether he¡¯s really as outstanding as you¡¯ve said.¡±


    Bai Tao also laughed, ¡°I really have to see him. If he¡¯s really like Young Master Long said, I will introduce him to my younger sister who has high standards and looks down upon any youths.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Long Zhengyu couldn¡¯t help but laugh.


    The 2 friends who sat in front of him were the youngest generation of the prominent families from Beijing. They were also outstanding figures amongst the Beijing¡¯s young masters¡¯ circle. Even though he himself from the Long Family had also rapidly risen and developed in the recent years, but still he paled in comparison to the both of them.


    ¡°Ring, ring, ring¡­¡±


    The phone rang and interrupted their conversation.


    Long Zhengyu frowned. He took out his cell phone as a strange look emerged from his face after he looked at his phone. He then smiled and spoke, ¡°Speaking of him, it¡¯s him calling. Sorry, I¡¯ll pick this up first¡­¡±


    Shortly after¡­


    He picked the call up and then spoke while smiling, ¡°Little Brother Tang, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Chief Long, I need a hand. Are you free right now?¡±


    ¡°Little Brother Tang, I¡¯m only a few years older than you. Don¡¯t be like a stranger. How about directly calling me Big Brother Long? Anyways, what kind of help do you need? Tell me. As long as I can do it, I¡¯ll definitely fulfill it.¡±


    ¡°Big Brother Long, I want to find a professional manager for my business. I¡¯m short on money recently and plan to create a small business. But I don¡¯t have much time to manage it and can only entrust the management to a professional manager who can be trusted.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to do some businesses?¡±


    Long Zhengyu suddenly stood up from the sofa. His eyes were rolling and flashed.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Long Zhengyu then probed, ¡°Little Brother Tang, would you mind telling me what business you are going to do? Of course, if it¡¯s convenient for you to tell me.¡±


    Tang Xiu replied, ¡°Cosmetics business.¡±


    Long Zhengyu was silent for a moment and slowly spoke, ¡°I got it. Little Brother Tang, I¡¯ll give a potential professional manager to you within 3 days.¡±


    ¡°Thanks a lot.¡±


    Long Zhengyu hung up the phone and slowly sat back on the sofa. He silently thought about Tang Xiu¡¯s words. He was very clear that it was not because Tang Xiu was short on money. If Tang Xiu really needed money, he could have given him a few million since he rejected his 5 million yuan offer last time.


    Now¡­


    _He said he was short of money. That meant that the amount of money he needed was absolutely astronomical. So he wanted to jump into business. This also meant very big business, and he also had the confidence to make money._


    _Do I want some slice of it?_


    Long Zhengyu gently stroke his chin and silently thought.


    After a moment, he had made a decision.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 58

    Chapter 58: The Rage


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Chu Yi and Bai Tao looked at each other as they looked at Long Zhengyu who was lost in thought. They were very puzzled. They could tell through the phone¡¯s conversation, that Long Zhengyu deeply valued this youth.


    ¡°Young Master Long, what¡¯s up?¡±


    Bai Tao was a straightforward person and asked directly.


    Long Zhengyu answered slowly, ¡°He wants to do business and wants me to help him find a professional manager. I¡¯m thinking which professional manager has the Midas Touch in Star City.¡±


    Bai Tao smiled and replied, ¡°Isn¡¯t it an easy thing to do? Give it to me! I¡¯ll find one from Beijing.¡±


    A mature Chu Yi carefully thought. Hearing the dialogue between the two of them, his expression moved slightly as a thought to test Tang Xiu then emerged. He faintly smiled and spoke, ¡°Hey, how about Kang Xia! If what Young Master Long has said about Tang Xiu is true, I think he also wouldn¡¯t have a problem to recruit Kang Xia!¡±


    ¡°Kang Xia?¡±


    Bai Tao exclaimed loudly.


    Long Zhengyu faintly felt that the name ¡°Kang Xia¡± sounded familiar, but he couldn¡¯t remember where he heard it. After being puzzled for a while, he then asked, ¡°This Kang Xia is¡­¡±


    Bai Tao swallowed his saliva furiously as he let out a wry smile and answered, ¡°She is one of a few domestic brilliant professional managers. Ah, no! She is even more that, far more than world class managers. She came back from the World Financial Center Wall Street 3 years ago. Then, the Pang Group hired her at a sky-high contract. After she took over, she swiftly and decisively reorganized and reformed the corporation, expanding the company to 4 times bigger in just 3 years.¡±


    ¡°Two months ago the Pang Group¡¯s 2nd Young Master, the Beijing Bad Luck Young Master Pang, who had always been pursuing Kang Xia for naught, attempted to drug her. He failed and caused Kang Xia to be furious. She then resigned directly from Pang Group¡¯s CEO. That 2nd Young Master Pang is now still bedridden after being beaten by the Pang Family¡¯s head!¡±


    ¡°The most surprising thing that makes people desperate is that when Kang Xia had left the Pang Group, everybody thought that there was a chance to recruit her. But regardless of any price and means, Kang Xia refused all of them. My father even promised her 10% shares of our family group¡¯s stocks. But she didn¡¯t even flinch.¡±


    Long Zhengyu¡¯s eyes contracted as he was struck aghast with amazement. Others might be clueless of how huge the Bai Group¡¯s capital was, but he was very clear. 10% of their stocks was equal to 10 digits in money.


    ¡°It¡¯s her!?¡±


    Long Zhengyu immediately recalled.


    Chu Yi lightly laughed, ¡°Well, to recruit her depends on Tang Xiu¡¯s ability. If he can win her then I¡¯ll definitely be convinced. Otherwise, I don¡¯t think it will be necessary for us to get acquainted.¡±


    Long Zhengyu squinted his eyes. He was very good at judging other¡¯s personality and characters. But he couldn¡¯t fathom Tang Xiu¡¯s bottom. He even faintly felt that he could only look up to him, as an inexplicable worship feeling had sprouted in his heart. He firmly replied, ¡°I believe that he can win her.¡±


    Two days had passed¡­


    During this time, Tang Xiu ordered Banshou, Dingzi and the others to help him buy a lot of materials. All the materials were then sent to his secret house. He spent 2 days to conduct hundreds of tests and experiments and was finally able to compose 2 kinds of skin health care product formulas and the manufacturing processes.


    Skin Care Lotion!


    Scar Removal Cream!


    These were the 2 products named by Tang Xiu.


    Skin Care Lotion had a powerful whitening and moisturizing effect, and its efficacy was 10 times stronger than those of high-end whitening skin cosmetics.


    As for the Scar Removal Cream, it was able to rejuvenate scars and also eliminate freckles and acne.


    He believed that once these two products were out on the market, it would cause a huge sensation. By that time, people who cared about looks and appearances, as well as having scars, would definitely pursue these 2 products.


    The last thing that needed now was only a starting fund. He basically had no start-up capital which would be needed to register the company, setting up the factory, promotion, marketing, etc. Adding up all of that would require a huge amount of money¡­


    Star City Golden Emperor Villa District.


    The district was one of the best villa areas in the Star City. Only the haves and respectable people lived here. Each and every inhabitant in this district could even shake Star City.


    In one of the villas, with a grim expression, Yuan Zhengxuan stared icily at the 4 suited bodyguards in front him, ¡°It¡¯s been f*cking 2 days! Are all of you useless idiots? Continue sweeping!!! Even if you have to dig 3 feet in the entire Star City, you must find my wife¡¯s whereabouts!!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The four big guys solemnly complied.


    At this time, a middle-aged woman in a professional blazer strode into the hall and spoke, ¡°Master Yuan, the Public Security Bureau¡¯s Director Deng Jianmin and the Criminal Police Division¡¯s Captain Cheng Xuemei have come. They are waiting outside.¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s complexion changed as he spoke quickly in a deep tone, ¡°Quickly bring them in.¡±


    Shortly after¡­


    Deng Jianmin, with an ashen expression, strode along Cheng Xuemei into the hall. Their anger could be seen from their complexion.


    When Yuan Zhengxuan saw their expressions, his mood turned heavier. He then asked, ¡°Director Deng, is there any news?¡±


    Deng Jianmin replied with a bitter and astringent expression, ¡°After the investigation, we have identified those kidnappers¡¯ identities. They are the A-Rank criminals in our wanted criminal list and are wanted for human organ trafficking, they are also currently being hunted by our target operation. Although we have yet to find their whereabouts, we have placed our forces at each city checkpoint. We¡¯re definitely sure that they are still in the Star City area.¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan was burning with impatience. But he after all, was an experienced person and had long been through storms. But even so, he was only barely able to suppress his emotions. After a short moment of silence, he spoke in a deep tone, ¡°Director Deng, I don¡¯t understand. Those damned kidnappers are human organs traffickers and we don¡¯t have any grudge whatsoever with them. So why did they suddenly kidnap my wife?¡±


    Deng Jianmin and Cheng Xuemei looked at each other.


    Cheng Xuemei then spoke, ¡°Mr. Yuan, according to our inference, your wife¡¯s kidnapping should be related to your son!¡±


    ¡°Ling¡¯er?¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan looked at Cheng Xuemei with a dumbfounded expression before he asked, ¡°What relation could it have with my son? He¡¯s just an ordinary student at Star City First High School! How could it be possible that he¡¯s related with this kidnapping?!¡±


    Cheng Xuemei wryly smiled with a bit of apology, ¡°A few days ago, one of Star City First High School students got kidnapped at school. The culprit was one of them. Your son and the other student tried to save that student and got rid of the culprit. Finally, they rescued that student and the culprit was killed by them.¡±


    ¡°Thus, we deducted that this kidnapping is their retaliation.¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan shouted with a disbelieving expression, ¡°No! This is impossible! How could it be my son that killed somebody?¡±


    Cheng Xuemei said, ¡°Truthfully speaking, the one who killed the culprit was not your son, but another student.¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan took his cell phone out and was about to call Yuan Chuling. He then suddenly realized something and then immediately looked at the 4 big bodyguards. With a deep tone he spoke, ¡°All of you rush to Star City First High School and bring my son here. Do bear in mind, you must by any means ensure his safety!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The four men immediately left.


    Star City First High School¡­


    Tang Xiu looked at the messy apartment in the residential building. A satisfied feeling suddenly rose in his heart. He basically had never cared about such trifling issues like this in his 10,000 years of life in the Immortal World. He had a lot of people under his command to provide everything he needed.


    ¡°Ah, no!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion suddenly changed. He keenly realized that his view and frame of mind had changed greatly. The previous apathetic attitude he had toward everything had changed. But now, after he became a mortal again, he also got swayed by various emotions just like an ordinary person.


    In the room upstairs, the transvestite man took the mirror as his big fair and white fingers pinched and watched Yuan Chuling in Class 10 through his binoculars.


    ¡°You said that the Tang brat has left? Ever since he left school that day, he hasn¡¯t come back yet. Could it be that brat got scared because of the incident caused by 3rd Brother?¡±


    The 10 fingers of the frameless glasses man danced on the keyboard, leaving only one piece of a blurred video screen. Dozens of monitoring screens were shown on his laptop screen, which showed all the surveillance cameras around Star City First High School. It seemed like he already hacked through the police monitoring system for city traffic.


    ¡°He¡¯s just a brat! He has never experienced anything big as he got dizzy and was afraid after seeing blood. That Tang brat is only a damaged brain idiot. Just leave him be and not waste our time on a nobody! I¡¯m just curious, when will those f*cking blockheads from the Public Security Bureau withdraw and stop monitoring the school?¡±


    The transvestite man laughed, ¡°Those blockheaded cops have investigated the school 4 times in these 2 days. Man, everytime I see that dumb disappointment on their faces, I really wanted to laugh a few times. I tell you¡­¡±


    Suddenly¡­


    The transvestite man abruptly stopped speaking as he carefully observed the scene at the school with his binoculars.


    ¡°What the f*ck?¡±


    The frameless glasses men frowned and closed down the laptop.


    The transvestite man sneered, ¡°It seems Yuan Zhengxuan still cares about his f*cking ex-wife and son, eh?! He even unexpectedly sent his four bodyguards to pick him up from school. I¡¯m f*cking sure that those moron cops have told the incident at school to Yuan Zhengxuan.¡±


    The frameless glasses man¡¯s eyes squinted and ridiculed, ¡°With our abilities, how can those f*cking idiots cope with us? Well¡­ if that brat Yuan Chuling goes home, there¡¯s no meaning in continuing the surveillance here. We¡¯ll also withdraw.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Class 10.


    Yuan Chuling had been playing with his carbon pencil out of boredom. From time to time, his sight swept outside the window. He came to Class 10 mainly because Tang Xiu was here. But Tang Xiu actually played truant in these days, leaving him alone without anybody to chat with.


    ¡°Yuan Chuling, come out!¡±


    The class¡¯ teacher-in-charge, Han Qingwu, appeared outside the class¡¯s door.


    Yuan Chuling was surprised for a moment. Then, he got up and walked toward her. When he was about to ask, his complexion suddenly changed, because he saw that his father¡¯s 4 bodyguards were behind Han Qingwu along with Cheng Xuemei in her police uniform. He also knew that Cheng Xuemei was the Criminal Police Division¡¯s captain and was specifically responsible for investigating important cases.


    There must be some accident!


    And this should be related to his family!


    ¡°Yuan Chuling, your mother has been kidnapped. Come with us to your father.¡± Cheng Xuemei took the lead and spoke.


    Yuan Chuling gasped and quickly asked, ¡°Who did it?¡±


    Cheng Xuemei replied, ¡°Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll tell you on the way!¡±


    At the residential building, Tang Xiu, who was just cleaning up the living room to temporarily stay in this place, found that the 2 criminals upstairs were packing up and were prepared to leave the apartment.


    ¡°The time has come to clean up these threats!¡±


    Without hesitation, he immediately tracked them from behind.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    [1] I was quite in dilemma (joking mode: ON) whether I have to use man in pink, transvestite or shemale¡­ I chose the second term¡­ :P. BUT, my deviant personality (serious mode: ON) wants me to change it into shemale¡­


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 59

    Chapter 59: The Old Den


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu silently trailed along behind the two criminals. He could tell that they were very careful and extremely vigilant. If he was not supported by his Spiritual Sense, it would be very difficult to tail them.


    ¡°Huh? They took a car?¡±


    Tang Xiu was secretly vexed. Watching the 2 men board the Volkswagen, he quickly memorized the car¡¯s plate number as they bypassed him in high-speed. He then rushed forward to the residential building¡¯s front door and was quite lucky that he bumped into a cab when he got out from the residential area.


    ¡°Little Brother, where do you want to go?¡±


    The fat driver cheerfully turned his head and asked.


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes as he used his Spiritual Sense to find that the 2 criminals¡¯ car was about to drive out. He quickly pulled out a few hundred yuan from his wallet, giving them to the driver and spoke, ¡°Uncle [1], do you see that Volkswagen that just came out from the entrance? Follow it secretly and don¡¯t lose track of it. Do be very careful as not to get found out by those people in the car by any means.¡±


    .


    The fat driver hesitated, ¡°Little Brother, you¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu took a few more paper money from his wallet and handed them again. He was perfectly aware that money and wealth were even able to drive the Devils to work to death. Regardless of this society he was living in now or when he was in the Immortal World, this principle was the truest truth and truly useful.


    It worked!


    The fat driver gritted his teeth as he nodded and spoke, ¡°Little Brother! Relax! This old brother often got asked to help trail others. These days, not only are men having affairs, but women also had illicit lovers. Ah, to think that these kinds of men and women who are fully satisfied with life blindly play crazily without purpose¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth twitched and curled up. He was quite amused and satisfied with this kind of misunderstanding. Tagging along with the cab driver¡¯s words, he intentionally pretended to be angry, ¡°If that loathsome woman in the car is really having an affair, I must really break her dog legs.¡±


    Having heard it, the worries in the fat driver¡¯s heart suddenly vanished.


    10 minutes later.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows wrinkled. The distance between the two cars was only 30 or 40 meters, however, even though the cab driver was very careful, the Volkswagen¡¯s driver in front was as vigilant as before.


    ¡°Uncle, slow down and get some distance from that car.¡±


    The fat driver hesitated, ¡°Little Brother, are you really thinking clearly? We could lose them if the car is too far away!¡±


    Tang Xiu replied, ¡°Uncle, relax! We will never lose them.¡±


    The fat driver laughed and then spoke while smiling, ¡°Little Brother, you don¡¯t have a driver license, do you? I AM the driver, how come you are more confident than me?¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled, but he didn¡¯t say anything. The Spiritual Sense he had was just like a cheat skill in life. With such a skill in this new-era of the 21st century, it was only natural that he had the confidence.


    A few minutes later¡­


    The smile on the fat driver¡¯s face quickly vanished. Whilst looking at the intersection¡¯s traffic light ahead, he let out a wry smiled, ¡°Little Brother, we will lose them.¡±


    Tang Xiu lightly replied, ¡°Wait for the traffic lights and then speed up.¡±


    The fat driver didn¡¯t say anything.


    After a few dozen seconds, the red light ended. The cab crossed the intersection and then accelerated forward immediately. But they quickly ran into the intersection¡¯s traffic light again.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see that car anymore.¡±


    The fat driver spoke with a helpless tone.


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes before he lightly replied, ¡°They didn¡¯t turn and are still moving forward. Do it just like before. After you¡¯ve crossed the intersection, then accelerate.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    The fat driver looked at Tang Xiu with an astonished expression. He had the urge to ask as to how Tang Xiu would know about it?


    The next intersection¡­


    Tang Xiu spoke in a deep tone, ¡°Uncle, get ready to turn left.¡±


    Turning left?


    The fat driver¡¯s eyes rolled and secretly cursed in his heart, _¡°Who the hell do you think you are? A tracking radar? Even I myself cannot see the car, how the hell will you know about it?¡±_


    After continuing moving forward along the road, a happy smile emerged on Tang Xiu¡¯s lips. Because when the cab was speeding up, his Spiritual Sense caught the Volkswagen again. The criminal who drove the car also had lowered his vigilance and no longer repeatedly looked at the rearview mirror again.


    ¡°Uncle, turn right in front.¡±


    ¡°Turn left at the intersection ahead.¡±


    ¡°Accelerate and overtake the two cars ahead¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After turning left and right for nearly an hour, the fat driver was finally unable to bear again. With an angry expression, he mumbled, ¡°Hey, Little Brother, are you playing me? I haven¡¯t seen that car for half an hour while you are continuing to give me directions blindly! How it is possible that we can overtake them?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth tightened up before a smile surfaced on his face. He lightly laughed, ¡°Uncle, you don¡¯t need to worry. My directions are absolutely correct. If you are willing, just speed up and you can see that car in the next intersection ahead.¡±


    The fat driver stared blankly as his eyes glanced at the 700 or 800 yuan in the dashboard container in front of him. He then spoke, ¡°Little Brother, you might not be deceiving me. But if your words can¡¯t be proved and we still cannot see that car, you must add 200 yuan more for me to pay the fine.¡±


    ¡°Deal!¡±


    Tang Xiu grinned and smiled¡­


    A few minutes later, the fat driver was dumbstruck. The Volkswagen was seen tens of meters ahead as a disbelieving expression flashed in his eyes.


    ¡°Flap, flap¡­¡±


    Suddenly, he was slapping his own face a few times whilst driving the car. Because the slap was quite powerful, the sounds were clearly heard. His chubby face was flushed scarlet in an instant.


    _¡°Damn, am I dreaming? But¡­ I can feel the pain. This is not a dream. But how the hell could he accurately determine that Volkswagen¡¯s driving route? His eyes have always been looking ahead and I¡¯m absolutely sure he has never once looked at his cell phone or such electronic tracking devices. This¡­ I-I¡­ who is this Little Brother I¡¯m driving? Could he be a kind of god that descended to Earth?¡±_


    The look in the fat driver¡¯s eyes when he saw Tang Xiu before and now was entirely different. After keeping silent for a short while, he was unable to hold his urge to ask, ¡°Little Brother, if I were to slow down the speed, are you still able to determine that car¡¯s driving route?¡±


    Tang Xiu replied, ¡°It¡¯s not a problem, but the car can¡¯t be too far away.¡±


    The fat driver¡¯s mouth twitched for a few times. He turned his head and showed a thumbs up toward Tang Xiu as he exclaimed in admiration, ¡°Amazing! This Old Big Fatty rarely admires others. But I really admire you! You¡¯re just like a deity! Damn, if everyone were like you, maybe those companies that sell electronic tracking devices would have gone bankrupt and gotten kicked out of business.¡±


    More than 2 hours was spent in this trailing¡­


    From the fat driver¡¯s words, Tang Xiu knew that the Volkswagen car had turned around and passed a lot of places in the urban district. Some of which were passed by twice. Eventually, the cab finally stopped near a dilapidated auto-repair garage.


    ¡°Little Brother, are you sure that your girlfriend hasn¡¯t found out? Her vigilance and counter-detection ability is way too high. Even though I have long been a cab driver and am very familiar with the streets in Star City, if it weren¡¯t for you directing me, I could have been left behind by her by more than 10 streets.¡± The fat driver smiled wryly.


    Tang Xiu only faintly smiled. He then thanked the fat driver as he gazed at him leaving. Then, Tang Xiu circled around the auto-repair garage as he quietly approached it from behind.


    The auto-repair garage had already been dilapidated. It was full with bad and rotten stenches everywhere. A tall man with a robust built was sweating all over his body full of muscles. His hand was holding repair tools as he was busy fixing a pickup truck.


    Most of the building¡¯s side was covered with a canopy. The inside space was a few hundred meters wide and filled with broken spare car parts that could be seen everywhere. In the innermost corner, the kidnap victim, Zhao Jing, was tied with a rag stuffed in her mouth. Although her clothes were still fairly neat, some big footprints could be seen on it. Her face was swollen and bruised, which could be seen that she had been beaten up.


    The 2 men who guarded her were drinking their liquor and smoking. A lot of empty liquor bottles, as well as cigarette packs were on the table in front of them. Moreover, there were also 2 guns and several three bladed Mitsubishi army knives.


    ¡°One-Eyed, those two are surely having some fun watching there, aren¡¯t they? Shall we execute our plan to videotape dismembering this b*tch¡¯s limbs and dissecting her internal organs? I¡¯m perfectly sure that when we send the video to Yuan Zhengxuan and Yuan Chuling, that father and son¡¯s expression must be very f*cking marvelous.¡±


    While putting on sunglasses, the one-eyed man revealed a cruel smile as his eyes swept over the Mitsubishi army knives. He then spoke with a cold tone, ¡°This time, the revenge duty for 3rd Brother falls to Youngest Sister. Don¡¯t be f*cking fooled by his usual fake female-like appearance. His blade techniques and skills are the best amongst all of us. And his 360 blades cut is like being dead but alive, even I¡¯m also really vexed. This motherf*cking b*tch must be tortured while still alive with Youngest Sister¡®s 360 blades cut.¡±


    ¡°Bang¡­¡­¡±


    The shed building¡¯s door was kicked open as the frameless glasses man carried a laptop bag and strode in. The transvestite also followed behind him and carried a big travel bag.


    ¡°Yo¡­ youngest sister, you¡¯ve come back. How about your surveillance plays?¡±


    The transvestite threw the travel bag down and replied with a happy expression, ¡°Of course, it was f*cking damn cool! Those bunch of retarded cops were going back and forth to Star City First High School for 4 or 5 times. But those retards didn¡¯t find anything. You didn¡¯t know how those f*cking cops¡¯ faces looked like every time they left the school. Their f*cking dumb faces were as though their parents¡¯ had died.¡±


    The frameless glasses man swept away the liquor bottles on the table. He put his laptop bag on it and then said, ¡°Now that bastard brat Yuan Chuling had already been picked up by the cops and his father¡¯s bodyguards. Youngest Sister had observed them through the binoculars and Yuan Chuling surely went to Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s place.¡±


    The one-eyed man let out a ridicule, ¡°They deserve to be called a family, huh? Anyways, our snitch in the Public Security Bureau said that Yuan Zhengxuan has been very restless as this almost drove him crazy.


    Unfortunately, he really has a good and strong heart. This psychological attack is neither causing him a heart attack nor vomiting blood and dying a tragic death.¡±


    The transvestite spoke, ¡°One-Eyed, when will we dissect this b*tch? After we kill this b*tch and that Yuan father and son, I wanna slit that brat Tang Xiu¡¯s throat.¡±


    The one-eyed man frowned and replied, ¡°The hell you¡¯re talking about that Tang Xiu¡¯s brat? He¡¯s just a retard! Why the hell are you killing him for? You also know that according to the information we had investigated, he is not the one who killed 3rd Brother.¡±


    The transvestite man shook his head and said, ¡°One-Eyed, I¡¯ll really feel uneasy if we let that bastard brat Tang Xiu alive.¡±


    One-Eyed waved his hand and spoke, ¡°Fine, you can kill him later. The task to dissect this b*tch is yours, as 6th Brother is responsible for videotaping it. Remember that you must take the close-up shot when this b*tch¡¯s face shows pained expressions. I want that f*cking brat Yuan Chuling to feel a hellish pain, like his heart is being twisted by a knife. Make him f*cking grieve and wish that he was better dead than alive.¡±


    The transvestite rolled his eyes. He slammed his ass on the chair as he made a hand gesture to the frameless glasses and said, ¡°6th Brother, this sl*t is a genuine b*tch. She also has good looks and body. Could it be that you don¡¯t want to stick your f*cking d*ck and r*pe this b*tch?¡±


    The frameless glasses man chuckled and spoke, ¡°Haha, 5th Brother truly understands me.¡±


    The transvestite cursed, ¡°Bastard, you will know why I¡¯m called the 5th Brother!¡±


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    [1] The raws wrote Shifu here which means master, skilled worker and a polite address for older person. I deliberately use Uncle. I usually use uncle to address them :D.


    [2] I was tempted to write the One-Eyed man with Cyclops¡­


    [3] Lastly, this is one of the chapters that take longer to translate¡­ typos¡­


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 60

    Chapter 60: Nothing More Than Just an Idiot


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Upon listening to the dialogue between the frameless glasses man and the transvestite, an intense and violent fear swelled up in Zhao Jing¡¯s heart, who was tied up and dumped in the corner. She had witnessed the ruthlessness and viciousness of these people. On the day when she was caught and brought here, she saw a young ravaged and then dismembered afterward. After having seen such a terrible bloody scene, she succumbed to fear for a long time now.


    She prayed!


    She prayed that her husband Yuan Zhengxuan or the police could find her here and save her. However, these people¡¯s talks simply had crushed and pushed her to a bottomless abyss.


    ¡°Woo woo¡­¡±


    Her mouth was stuffed. Even if she wanted to shout and curse, she was helpless and had no means to do anything. She could only glare with murderous eyes and intensely stare at the frameless glasses man, who was approaching her step by step.


    In the next 2 minutes, the frameless glasses man had dragged Zhao Jing to the next room. It was the dissecting and butchering room; the room was chaotic. Bloodstains as well as all kinds of dissecting tools could be seen everywhere inside it. A sponge mat full of filth was positioned at the innermost side as Zhao Jing then got thrown onto the sponge mat.


    ¡°Peony Flower also dies and will become ghost [1]. This saying is truly applicable to your body, which has yet to feel that violated sensation, isn¡¯t it? Today, this Big Daddy will make you taste it for the first time. After you have it, you can have your anguished wailing and die. Hahaha¡­¡±


    Having finished talking¡­


    He grabbed a pair of scissors and cut the rope that tied Zhao Jing, leaving only her hands and feet still tied.


    Tang Xiu was hiding under the rear window of the dissecting room. He already enveloped the surrounding 100-meter radius with his Spiritual Sense. With his keen ears, he could clearly hear all the dialogues of the five men from inside the auto-repair garage. But never did he expect that the kidnapped woman would turn out to be Yuan Chuling¡¯s mother. He had never thought that these kidnappers mistakenly targeted Yuan Chuling as their 3rd Brother¡¯s murderer.


    At first, Tang Xiu had no urge to rush and act.


    It was because his cultivation right now had yet to reach the point that he would be able to avoid bullets. Let alone facing 3 guns and those five criminals. Had it been one or two people, he could have used his lightning speed and given no chance for them to shoot him. However, if 3 guns were to fire at him at the same time, either he would be badly injured or he would die.


    But at this very moment, the threat was negligible¡­


    The split second the frameless glasses man grinned fiendishly and was about to tear apart Zhao Jing¡¯s clothes, Tang Xiu instantly smashed the rear window glass as he rushed in lightning fast.


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    The frameless glasses man had no fighting prowess. Although he had yet to kill anyone, but he was these butchers¡¯ partner in crime; the skill he had was really in the computer related tech and intelligence network. With such a quick speed and accurate strike from Tang Xiu, he could only shout a word as his voice was abruptly stopped because his throat was instantly torn apart.


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his right foot as he whipped his leg to the frameless glasses man¡¯s face and kicked him in an instant, causing the man¡¯s body to hit the hard wall. However, the frameless glasses man did not instantly die, as both of his hands grabbed his neck where his throat was twitching. Tang Xiu only looked at him and then turned toward Zhao Jing¡¯s side. He gave a gesture and hinted her to stay silent before he removed the stuffed fabric in her mouth.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The moment her savior fell from the sky, it caused Zhao Jing to be ecstatic. She understood Tang Xiu¡¯s instructions as she kept her voice to be as low as possible.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know who I am. You just need to know that I¡¯m going to save you. I¡¯ll untie your hands and feet, and then you must escape from this place through this window.¡± Tang Xiu whispered at her.


    Zhao Jing quickly asked, ¡°What about you?¡±


    Tang Xiu replied in a very solemn tone, ¡°These people are fiends. Keeping them alive in this world will only let their scourge continue unleashed. I must exterminate all of them.¡±


    Zhao Jing was speechless, ¡°Are you sane? There are still 4 men here! Let alone they have guns, bullets, and knives. Are you blind or something? You¡­ you must also escape along with me! Let¡¯s go out quickly and report to the police immediately! My husband can help. He has a lot of bodyguards!¡±


    Are they really divorced?


    An astonished expression instantly flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes before he shook his head and replied, ¡°I¡¯ve secretly eavesdropped their conversation. They have a mole inside the Public Security Bureau. Once we report to the cops, they will immediately receive the message to quickly escape. Now is a good chance to clean them up and catch all of them in one fell swoop. I can never let them off. Please be relieved! Such worthless thugs like them are not difficult to handle for me.¡±


    Zhao Jing¡¯s complexion changed. She didn¡¯t expect that her kidnappers would be this resourceful, to the extent that they would have an insider mole in the Public Security Bureau.


    ¡°Then¡­ Then you must be careful.¡±


    The talk had finished.


    With Tang Xiu¡¯s help, Zhao Jing smoothly escaped from the rear window.


    Inside the canopied building, the transvestite man and the one-eyed man were sitting leisurely as they smoked and drank their liquors. From time to time they gazed at the dissecting room¡¯s door with a strange expression. Their brother was there, the one amongst them who was unable to hold his lust was this 6th Brother.


    ¡°Huh? How come it¡¯s so loud there? The 6th Brother has never made such big noises each time he f*cked before. How could it be so noisy now?¡± The one-eyed man slowly realized that something was not right as he exclaimed with a surprised expression.


    The transvestite man let out an evil smile and spoke, ¡°6th Brother¡¯s condition seems to not be good. He could only f*ck this quick and be done. If I were really a woman I¡¯d absolutely refuse such a c*nt crazy f*cker with limp d*ck! What the f*ck is with this 3 seconds d*ck?¡±


    However, the one-eyed man was paranoid in nature. His complexion turned extremely solemn as he shook his head and spoke, ¡°No! Something isn¡¯t right. 4th Brother, let¡¯s go there and take a look!¡±


    The hazy eyed man was drunk. He stood up shakily as he conveniently took the gun on the table. Then, he walked staggeringly along with the one-eyed man to the dissecting room¡¯s door.


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    The one-eyed man kicked the door open as the drunken hazy-eyed man then walked swaggeringly toward the door. His vision was still blurry, but the moment his sight caught the frameless glasses man¡¯s corpse on the floor, his pupil shrunk instantly. His body tightened and became tense in a split second.


    ¡°Puff¡­¡­¡±


    A knife suddenly shot and pierced at the drunken man¡¯s heart. Its tip stirred and pierced through his heart the next second. Heavy punches then followed as his chest was struck, sending his body flying outside the door and falling in front of the one-eyed man.


    ¡°F*cking bastard!!!¡±


    The one-eyed man¡¯s complexion turned into madness and fury as he swiftly snatched the three bladed Mitsubishi army knife from his waist. He swept the drunken man¡¯s body and then rushed toward Tang Xiu. At the same time, due to the noises, the phoenix sturdy middle-aged man [2] also grabbed a knife and gun and then rushed forward.


    ¡°All of you overrate yourself and attempted to do something impossible; much less you¡¯re overestimating your own abilities.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s cultivation had reached the peak of Vitality Tempering. His strength and speed had surpassed an ordinary person¡¯s limit. Due to his martial arts¡¯ realm, he needed no specific moves or styles. He could casually use any style and execute it perfectly. His keen eyes locked at the cold and glittering Mitsubishi army knife as he avoided it with an extremely quick movement. The dagger in his hand then slashed and tore open the one-eyed man¡¯s wrist that held the knife.


    ¡°What the f*ck?¡±


    Feeling such a piercing and acute pain, his Mitsubishi army knife instantly fell as the one-eyed man then retreated back in a flash. He had already known Tang Xiu¡¯s identity. But he thought that he was just dreaming and confused since he was drunk. It was because¡­ he believed that Tang Xiu was only just a damaged brainless idiot after he got into the car accident.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you f*cking move!!!¡±


    More than 10 meters away, the transvestite man pointed his gun¡¯s muzzle at Tang Xiu as he shouted with a stern voice.


    Tang Xiu sneered as his body also jumped backward at the same time. Without the slightest hesitation, he then rushed out through the dissecting room¡¯s rear window. His strength was not enough to avoid the bullets yet. Before he had reached the Stars Tyrannical Body¡¯s second sub-stage, the Skin Strengthening Stage, he would not act just like an idiot who thought that he could meet head on with a bullet.


    Assassination!


    And sneak attacks!


    In order to become Immortal, he had once lived and done these kinds of cruel actions in the brutal cultivation world. Even in extraordinary terrains and dangerous and hopeless situations, he was able to narrowly escape death and survive.


    ¡°Where the f*ck is he?¡±


    The transvestite and the one-eyed man gathered together. They then rushed into the dissecting room and immediately saw the already smashed broken rear window¡¯s glass.


    Murderous intention exuded from One-eyed¡¯s face as he spoke angrily, ¡°We did analyze and consider everything. But never once did we ever think that f*cking bastard would be such an expert. It seems that the intelligence we got before was f*cked up big time!¡±


    The transvestite man looked at his two dead brothers on the floor as sorrow and anger made his face violently twist. Then, he yelled out of hate and bitterness, ¡°One-Eyed, haven¡¯t I f*cking told you that bastard Tang Xiu had seen me? You said that you thought he¡¯s just an idiot bastard, didn¡¯t you? Now tell me, who killed 5th and 6th Brother, hah?¡±


    One-eyed nodded and replied, ¡°Yes, I know. We thought we had thoroughly investigated about Tang Xiu.¡±


    He regretted it¡­


    He was now full of regret. If the world had medicine for regret to sell, he would absolutely be willing to buy it with everything he had. Because if regret medicine truly existed and he took it, he would have neither overlooked Tang Xiu nor would he have blatantly ignored him and thought that he was just an idiot student.


    _¡°An idiot and nothing more!¡±_


    He vividly remembered these words he had said. Subconsciously, both of his palms lifted up and mercilessly slapped his own face. He was the one who had shamed himself. He was also the one who would loathe himself.


    The transvestite man was flustered and exasperated as he cursed and shouted, ¡°Haven¡¯t I f*cking reminded you? But all you ever thought of was only that he was just a f*cking worthless retard that never would have even the slightest f*cking strength to kill a chicken, right? What the f*ck is happening right now? That f*cking-worthless-bastard-idiot you thought of had just killed 5th and 6th Brother? There¡¯s no way in hell it was a f*cking god who had saved that s*utty b*tch Zhao Jing!!!¡±


    The more his words spat out, the deeper the remorse the one-eyed man had. His eyes turned bloodshot as he looked at his 2 brother¡¯s corpses on the floor. He rushed out to the door and yelled furiously, ¡°F*cking bastard Tang Xiu, get the f*ck out and face me if you really got the balls! I will show you that I¡¯m gonna f*cking blast your balls off!¡±


    However¡­


    Apart from the reply from the empty echo, not even Tang Xiu¡¯s shadow could be seen.


    Although the transvestite man was angry, he didn¡¯t lose his sense of logic. He was the most rational person amongst all of his brothers. He kept maintaining his vigilance as he walked near the one-eyed man and spoke in a deep tone, ¡°One-Eyed, Tang Xiu is hiding in the dark, while we¡¯re standing open in the light. The situation is now against us. I believe that we must immediately retreat. Even having revenge 10 years later, a gentlemen¡¯s revenge will never be late. Even though we are criminals, we still must brew a plan to have our revenge.¡±


    While holding the wounded wrist with his other hand, the one-eyed man walked into the canopied building as he then spoke, ¡°Why the f*ck should I fear him? We still have guns. Today it¡¯s either that bastard brat or us who will die here. It¡¯s f*cking shameful to just back out now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay. There still 3 of us¡­ it¡¯s f*cking retarded if we¡¯re afraid of him¡­ why the f*ck should we fear him? The burly and strong middle-aged man angrily cried.


    _¡®These two are blockheads.¡¯_


    The transvestite man secretly cursed in his heart. He recalled the previous scene when he was monitoring Class 10 at the Star City First High School. Tang Xiu was looking at him from 1000 meters away. Suddenly, a cold and chilling sensation seeped into his body, as his mood turned slightly heavier.


    If, and only if, by that time Tang Xiu really sensed and detected him from 1000 meters away, then he was absolutely not a fool, but instead a freaking frightening monster. And fighting with this kind of monster would only be like courting his own death.


    It¡¯s just like ¡­


    It¡¯s just like the 3rd, 5th and 6th Brother¡¯s fate¡­ exactly!


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    [1]


    [2] I hate typos in this paragraph. It took almost 2 hrs for this one paragraph to be translated. Thus this chaps took 4hrs 30mins to be fully translated.


    I¡¯m quitting the translation scene <<< this is a rumor started by me¡­


    Joke aside, I rarely checked the comments due to my activities IRL. I usually connected to the net while having lunch or in my free time, whenever I got them. Sooo, I¡¯m really sorry if can¡¯t reply to the comments frequently. Apart from working (I hate it but I need the money!), raising my 2 naughty and cute sons (they¡¯re 1.5 and 5.5 years old FYI) and dating my wife (LOL).


    So please accept my deepest apology for having almost no communication and rarely get in touch with all of you. I got only 2-3 hours free time everyday except in weekend and that¡¯s 1 hour lunch break plus 1-2 hour before I gotta sleep. These 2-3 hours free time are of course for translating the chaps.


    As for the patrons for our team¡¯s patreon, please forgive me that I really don¡¯t know who you are since Cherry takes care about it (Thanx Cherry!). However, despite my blatant ignorance (and the slightly apathetic nature of mine), I sincerely offer my deepest thanks to whoever you are. May the force be with you! _Eh, since when have I become a Star Wars¡¯ Fans?_


    Lastly, Great Dao Commander and The Lame Daoist Priest¡¯s translation will resume to their original schedule this week. Have fun reading folks! Sorry for the long rants¡­


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 61

    Chapter 61: Are You a Human or a Ghost?


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    The transvestite wanted to retreat, but he was perfectly aware of One-Eyed¡¯s personality. Once he decided on something, he would never back out. He wanted to save his life, and this meant that he had to find a chance to run away alone. As long as he could run from Tang Xiu, in such a big world, he could go anywhere.


    If¡­


    If they were to die here, it wouldn¡¯t be too late to take out revenge and wipe out this grudge toward Tang Xiu later, after he had mixed with other powerful people!


    ¡°Bang¡­¡­¡±


    10 meters away from the three, a sound transmitted from the car parts pile mess.


    ¡°Over there!¡±


    Their complexion changed, and they turned extremely alert. Their eyes locked onto the sound¡¯s source. One-eyed braved himself and hinted his two other companions as he walked to the side, whilst his left hand held the three-bladed army knife as he walked over to the sound¡¯s direction. They didn¡¯t notice that a pair of eyes were preying on them behind the 2 car frames 10 meters in front of them.


    ¡°Eldest Brother One-Eyed, 2 fists cannot win against 4 hands. We have 3 knives and 2 guns. Even though that brat is powerful, he¡¯s not our match.¡± The burly man¡¯s complexion was ferocious as a terrifying murderous intent was exuded from him, as though it was able to suck and devour souls. Amongst all of them, he was the one who had the most powerful fighting prowess.


    However¡­


    The moment he just finished speaking, a figure suddenly appeared lightning fast. The shadow swiftly and fiercely rushed and kicked him from the side. The strong guy lifted his left arm reflexively to block it as a bone cracking sound was then heard. At the same time, a dagger moved in a strange trajectory and pierced his left arm¡¯s armpit.


    ¡°Aaah¡­¡­¡±


    A shrill scream, that could make people¡¯s blood run cold, howled.


    A strong murderous intent was exuded from Tang Xiu. His hand to hand combat and its process was extremely sharp and skillful. He pulled out the knife from the strong guy¡¯s armpit in a flash and powerfully punched the strong guy¡¯s body as it flew straight toward the one-eyed man and the transvestite.


    ¡°F*ck¡­¡±


    One-eyed¡¯s complexion changed greatly as he frantically tried to avoid get hit by the strong guy¡¯s body. He brandished his army knife and ferociously stabbed Tang Xiu. He didn¡¯t have the assurance to block Tang Xiu¡¯s piercing blow, but he believed that as long as he could tangle Tang Xiu, the transvestite would shoot Tang Xiu with the gun.


    ¡°Bang bang bang ¡­¡±


    The transvestite indeed shot at Tang Xiu. But it was a hasty shot and was easily dodged by Tang Xiu. Never once the one-eyed man ever thought that the transvestite man would swiftly run toward the door and run after shooting, leaving him behind. Tang Xiu¡¯s unpredictable moves and elusiveness as well as his violent killing, left him a huge mental dread.


    ¡°Youngest sister, you ¡­¡±


    Previously, taking advantage of Tang Xiu¡¯s dodging movements to avoid the bullet, the one-eyed man burst forward in a flash. But never once he ever dreamed that his sworn brother would abandon him and flee alone. At this very moment, his hate toward the transvestite who betrayed and left him alone was much more than the hate he had toward Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu also hadn¡¯t thought that the transvestite would choose to run away at this time. If he didn¡¯t run, it would¡¯ve been more difficult to deal with these three.


    But now¡­


    Tang Xiu coldly smiled. He quickly knocked down the already severely hit strong guy and the one-eyed man with fast and powerful strikes, leaving them with fatal injuries.


    ¡°He must not escape!¡±


    Tang Xiu kicked oone-eyed man, making him faint. Then, he rushed forward and chased the runaway transvestite. In his spiritual sense, the transvestite man had already run about 50-60 meters ahead and was not too far away.


    He sprinted and chased.


    The distance between them was getting closer¡­


    The transvestite, who was running ahead, turned his head in panic as an aghast expression could be seen on his face when he saw Tang Xiu¡¯s extreme speed. At the same time, he also cursed the 2 useless people who didn¡¯t even give decent resistance.


    The car!


    His eyes turned bright! He suddenly rushed forward, toward the Volkswagen. After he quickly entered the car, he immediately started it and locked the car¡¯s door.


    ¡°Bye-bye!¡±


    As the car started, the transvestite laughed in a provocative manner toward Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Humph!¡±


    Tang Xiu coldly snorted and threw the dagger in a flash. With 1500 kg of arm strength, the dagger pierced through the glasses in front of the driver seat and accurately hit the transvestite¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    The Volkswagen had already started, but since the transvestite was hit, the car drove forward and hit a pickup truck.


    ¡°I told you that you cannot run!¡±


    Tang Xiu sprinted toward the Volkswagen¡¯s driving seat as he grabbed the transvestite¡¯s hair. He forced his head out of the window and then fiercely punched his face.


    Having finished the transvestite, Tang Xiu directly returned to the warehouse garage. Although he already solved those criminals, but he needed the information from them about the cop snitch in Public Security Bureau, who had informed their gang.


    ¡°Don¡¯t struggle! Today, you die. The only difference is if you can have a happy death or get tortured to death! I believe you¡¯ve long known that you¡¯ll die. So I will give you a last choice before you enter the gates of hell.¡±


    The strong guy let out a mirthless smile as he looked at the wound on his body and spoke, ¡°You wanna f*cking torture me to death? F*ck, I have a fatal injury, even if you want¡­ cough, you¡¯ll never f*cking be able to prolong the time. Don¡¯t f*ck with me!¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes as his finger pointed at the spot near the strong guy¡¯s wound in a flash.


    ¡°What the..?¡±


    The strong guy¡¯s eyes got bigger as his face turned aghast. His wound no longer bled after Tang Xiu used his finger to pointed the spot near his wound a few times.


    Tang Xiu coldly spoke, ¡°Even if you don¡¯t believe me, I¡¯ll make you believe it. You won¡¯t die quickly. At least, you can still live 1 or 2 hours. In these 2 hours, I¡¯ll dissect you and keep your consciousness intact. You¡¯ll witness your blood and flesh reduced part by part.¡±


    The strong guy desperately swallowed saliva as he spoke in a flabbergasted expression, ¡°The point¡­ that finger point technique, what the hell are you?¡±


    Tang Xiu replied, ¡°Huh? I didn¡¯t expect you even knew about the finger point technique.¡±


    The strong guy coughed some blood, and with a somewhat awed expression in his eyes, he replied, ¡°My boxing master sometime ago practiced Kungfu. Although his skills were not as terrifying as the legend, but it was quite powerful! The f*cking thing was that he didn¡¯t want to teach me that internal strength cultivation technique!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s curiosity was piqued.


    The strong guy bitterly replied, ¡°What else? That old chap thought that my conducts are bad, vicious, and ruthless. But how the f*ck will I survive and make my name in this brutal environment if I¡¯m not ruthless enough?¡±


    Bad conduct?


    Tang Xiu suddenly realized. This was indeed the case with martial arts practitioners on Earth. The society didn¡¯t allow martial artists to fight ruthlessly. However, he didn¡¯t have the same principle. The Immortal World¡¯s circumstances were countless of times more brutal than Earth¡¯s. It was inhuman in the truest essence. Only ones with sufficient strength and ruthlessness would be able to survive and go on living there. He had stepped on mountains of corpses and gone through countless bloodshed to become one of the Supremes in the Immortal World.


    ¡°Back to my question. Tell me, who is your gang¡¯s snitch in the Public Security Bureau? Relax, my words have always had enormous weight. As long as you tell the truth, I won¡¯t let you suffer!¡±


    With a dejected expression, the strong guy replied, ¡°The winner has always been the king, since I¡¯ve lost to you, I¡¯ll tell you. But you have to promise me one thing.¡±


    Tang Xiu replied indifferently, ¡°You are not qualified to talk about conditions with me.¡±


    The strong guy spoke straightforwardly, ¡°If you want to kill me, just kill me; you have that chance. But at least hear me before I die, so I have no grievance over life and die peacefully.¡±


    Tang Xiu frowned. He did not want to waste time here. Zhao Jing had been saved, and he believed that she had reported to the police. It wouldn¡¯t be a long time that a large number of police would rush to this place. After returning to this world, he was perfectly aware that murders are against the law, even though it was done to save others. Even though the people he killed were extremely evil and law¡¯s heavy offenders, but he still would be implicated, and it would give him much trouble.


    ¡°Say your conditions.¡± Tang Xiu replied indifferently.


    With a bitter and astringent expression, he spoke, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not a condition. It¡¯s just my request. Eldest Brother One-eyed and I are the same, we are fated to be doomed. But when we die, I hope that when you have some time later, you can go north, to the. Eldest Brother¡¯s grandma is still alive there and is also his only family member now.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°And what you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°I have stashed more than tens of thousands in cash. If you meet One-eyed¡¯s grandma, give it to her.¡±


    ¡°I give you my word.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded. Humans have always been two-sided in nature. Regardless of any person, whether they were ruthless and evil in their entire lives, they would still have a soft spot deep down inside. Such as himself, he had killed countless people to the extent that he even could be called as cold-blooded slaughterer. But the one he was most worried and missed, was his mother.


    The strong guy then nodded heavily, ¡°Li Tao, our snitch in the Public Security Bureau Information Section, Li Tao.¡±


    Tang Xiu no longer talked. He took the Mitsubishi army knife on the ground and directly gave the strong guy a happy-quick death. Then, he woke One-eyed up.


    ¡°You ¡­ what the f*ck are you?¡±


    One-eyed woke up from his fainted condition. He then saw that the strong guy had died as the transvestite¡¯s corpse that had been thrown aside. His heart instantly fell down to the abyss as it chilled down to the extreme.


    Tang Xiu spoke, ¡°Tell me, who is your snitch in the Public Security Bureau?¡±


    Extreme hatred filled One-eyed¡¯s eyes as he roared crazily, ¡°Find him in your f*cking dream! Hell no will I tell you! You just f*cking wait! Even though we have died, we¡¯ll find everything possible to have our revenge. Sooner or later this debt of blood will be paid with your life!¡±


    Tang Xiu spoke coldly, ¡°Northern Phoenix City, your grandmother.¡±


    What?


    One-eyed looked at Tang Xiu with a disbelieving expression as tidal waves of fear struck his all the nerves in his body. Nobody in his gang knew about his grandmother, except¡­


    But¡­


    How the f*ck did this bastard in front of him know about it?


    ¡°You¡­ what the hell are you? Are you a human or a ghost?¡±


    With a ruminating expression, Tang Xiu smiled at one-eyed and then spoke, ¡°Even if ghosts have gone to heaven, if I wanted to, I can still exterminate those ghosts.¡±


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 62

    Chapter 62: Good News


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Star City Golden Emperor, Villa District


    Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s complexion was gloomy as anxiety and restlessness filled his heart. Zhao Jing had been kidnapped for a long time and the danger was getting bigger. He hated those kidnappers as well as hated the incompetence he and the police had. Not even the slightest hints could be found regarding Zhao Jing¡¯s whereabouts.


    He had confirmed that his wife¡¯s kidnappers were in the same group with the crazy murderer who hijacked Star City First High School. He also had correctly guessed that they kidnapped his wife for revenge.


    ¡°Xiao Ling, can you contact your classmate?¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan looked at his son, who repeatedly dialed the phone, and asked with a deep and worried expression.


    With a bitter expression and tone, Yuan Chuling shook his head, ¡°I can¡¯t contact him! He shut his phone down. Dad, Tang Xiu had left school at almost precisely the same time as Mom got kidnapped. Do you think there could be any coincidence about it?¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan was still silent. But then his vision shifted over to Public Security Bureau¡¯s Director Deng Jianmin and the Criminal Police¡¯s Captain Cheng Xuemei, who still had yet to leave.


    ¡°The possibility is very slim. Zhao Jing was kidnapped near her office, as at that time Tang Xiu was still studying at school. The distance between the two places is about tens of kilometers away. Unless Tang Xiu has foresight, else it would be almost impossible that the event has any connection to Zhao Jing¡¯s kidnapping. Besides, he¡¯s just only a high schooler.¡± With a deep and low voice, Deng Jianmin replied.


    Yuan Zhengxuan then spoke, ¡°But, Tang Xiu is also missing. Have the police looked for him? He has been missing for 2-3 days and you haven¡¯t found him, right?¡±


    Cheng Xuemei replied, ¡°This is indeed very strange. We have sent someone to his home and inquired about it. He hasn¡¯t come back home, even his mother doesn¡¯t know his whereabouts.¡±


    ¡°Ring Ring Ring¡­¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s phone suddenly rang. His complexion changed as he ran over the coffee table and grabbed his phone. Seeing an unfamiliar phone number, he suddenly frowned.


    ¡°Answer it!¡±


    Deng Jianmin quickly followed and spoke.


    Yuan Zhengxuan pressed the answer button and activated the loudspeaker mode. He then spoke in a deep tone, ¡°I¡¯m Yuan Zhengxuan, who is this?¡±


    ¡°Husband, It¡¯s me¡­ it¡¯s me, Zhao Jing.¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s eyes instantly contracted as he cried loudly, ¡°What? Jing¡¯er? Are you really Jing¡¯er? Where are you? Tell me quickly!¡±


    ¡°Husband, I am on the cab right now and am rushing to your house. I¡¯m using the cab driver¡¯s phone!¡±


    ¡°Jing¡¯er, you¡­ Did those kidnappers release you? Do you know that I was almost driven crazy worrying about you?¡±


    ¡°Husband, Those damned kidnappers didn¡¯t release me. T-There is¡­ someone else who rescued me! Ah yes, quickly send people to the abandoned auto-repair garage on the Deep Red Cloud Road in Peaceful Serene District. My savior is still there. Also, don¡¯t call the cops yet, my savior said that there¡¯s a snitch in the police station.¡±


    Deng Jianmin and Cheng Xuemei gasped. Their eyes showed a hard-to-believe expression. There was a snitch in the police station? How could this be?


    Suddenly, they realized that those criminals were able to get news ahead of time when the police were hunting them since they had always been able to escape before the police arrived.


    Could it be that¡­ there really was a mole in the police station?


    Yuan Zhengxuan glared angrily at Deng Jianmin and Cheng Xuemei. He then spoke in deep and angered tone, ¡°I¡¯ll immediately inform everyone to rush to that auto-repair garage. Jing¡¯er, you¡¯re on the cab, right? Where¡¯s your position right now? Tell me your plate number, I¡¯ll send someone¡­ No!!! I¡¯ll go myself to pick you up!¡±


    ¡°Good¡­¡±


    The call ended.


    Yuan Zhengxuan angrily spoke, ¡°You cops are really damn f*cking great! You even have a mole and traitor amongst you! You¡¯re a damn f*cking model of this country¡¯s Internal Affairs¡¯ employees. You heard my wife speaking. I don¡¯t want your f*cking cops to follow me. I¡¯ll send my own men to solve the problem in that auto-repair garage!!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± A burst of colors alternating between green and white covered Deng Jianmin¡¯s complexion, but he still spoke with a strong tone.


    With a hesitating expression, Cheng Xuemei quickly spoke when she saw that Yuan Zhengxuan was on the verge of raging, ¡°Mr. Yuan, since the situation at that auto-repair garage is truly urgent and critical, it would be for the best for the police force to act. Those kidnappers are not people we could play with easily. All of them are A-ranked wanted criminals. Each and everyone of them is a bloody murderer. My Criminal Police squad had been tracking and investigating the case for a few years. Besides, each and everyone of us is an elite with clean records. We absolutely have no traitors in our ranks. How about having us help you to solve this problem?¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan hesitated for a moment before he nodded and replied, ¡°Fine! But apart from you, not even a soul could learn about this!¡±


    Deng Jianmin hurriedly followed, ¡°I¡¯ll also go!¡±


    At the abandoned auto-repair garage on Deep Red Cloud Road, Peaceful Serene District.


    Tang Xiu was still in the warehouse as he looked at the ashen expression of the dying one-eyed man. He coldly spoke, ¡°I¡¯ve given you the chance to speak. Now, you tell me or face the consequences.¡±


    The one-eyed man was silent.


    He did not want to sell out his brother. He hoped and looked forward to avenging his brothers and wiping off these grudges. However, he was also perfectly aware that the youth in front of him was very ruthless and merciless. If he didn¡¯t tell him, his grandmother would be implicated. He was raised by his grandmother, and she was the person he most cared about.


    What should he do?


    With such a dilemma, a battle raged in his heart as he fell into deep hesitation.


    ¡°I will count down from 3. If you don¡¯t want to answer my question, it¡¯s your choice, since I have given you the options. Of course, I have to tell you that your dead brother had already told me who the snitch in the police station is. I just want to confirm it from your f*cking mouth.¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s words were as though a gigantic hammer had smashed a layer of conviction in One-Eyed¡¯s heart.


    ¡°3, 2, 1¡­¡±


    ¡°OKAY, OKAY, I¡¯ll tell you!¡±


    Pain stabbed One-Eyed¡¯s heart, but he still chose to protect his grandmother in the final moment.


    Tang Xiu coldly spoke, ¡°Who is it?


    One-eyed gritted his teeth and spoke, ¡°It¡¯s Li Tao, and he¡¯s the Deputy Chief of the Public Security Bureau Information Section.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really him!¡±


    Tang Xiu sneered. He slit One-Eyed¡¯s throat with the Mitsubishi army knife and pierced his heart. After he killed One-Eyed, he dug out the hole in the most corner side of the wall, as he then took a plastic bag full of paper money and directly left.


    In fact, had these criminal not threatened him, he was disinclined to clean them up. But since Yuan Chuling¡¯s mother was kidnapped, he definitely had to act.


    However, the most important thing to do for him right now was to make money. He needed to cultivate himself, and this required a lot of medicinal herbs, resources, and precious ores. Only when he had massive wealth would he be able to buy these essential necessities and prevent his cultivation advancement from being bogged down.


    As for the plan to make money, he had already planned about it. The aspect he was lacking right now was that he had no professional manager to handle the business. However, he had entrusted it to Long Zhengyu to find him a professional manager. And by calculating the time, it was almost time that Long Zhengyu found the right professional manager for him.


    Half an hour later¡­


    Tang Xiu took off his bloodstained jacket and threw it to the river he passed by, as he watched it get washed and drowned by river water. He didn¡¯t return to the school and instead went back to his villa in the South Gate Town district.


    ¡°Ah?!¡±


    When Tang Xiu had entered the villa¡¯s center hall, dust had covered it. He recalled that when he just received this villa, the developer was taking care of the villa¡¯s cleanness. However, since he became the owner, the developer stopped taking care of the villa and also had no rights to send people to clean it again.


    ¡°Such a big villa like this, even if I were to look for a maid, I can tell that one wouldn¡¯t be enough. Should I look for a professional butler to take care of this house just like in those TV series?¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled wryly and shook his head. He didn¡¯t have the luxury to hire a professional butler or housekeeper. He went straight upstairs and took a bath, and then took and wore a clean set of casual wears in the wardrobe that Long Zhengyu had already prepared in advance before.


    The villa¡¯s main room was on the second floor. The entire master bedroom was hundreds of square feet big, and the interior decorations were full of luxurious stuff that could even make people¡¯s blood boil. He hadn¡¯t had a good rest these days and was preparing to rest. However, he wanted to contact Long Zhengyu and ask about the professional manager arrangement.


    The moment he thought to call Long Zhengyu, he recalled that his cell phone had long been shut down. He quickly took out the phone and booted it. He had yet to call Long Zhengyu¡¯s number as series of missed calls and SMS reminder rang unceasingly.


    Tang Xiu recalled the scene of large numbers of missed calls when he had gone practicing before. He didn¡¯t expect that it would happen again in this time. He glanced over at the missed call and couldn¡¯t help revealing a helpless look. Apart from Han Qingwu and Long Zhengyu¡¯s number, there was also several unfamiliar numbers of which also had called him for tens of times.


    ¡°Huh? Yuan Chuling even called me 42 times? It seems he already knew that his mother was kidnapped and perhaps had already guessed that I was gone from school and was connected with his mother¡¯s kidnapping.¡±


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment before he decided not to call Yuan Chuling temporarily. He had rescued his mother, and there should be no more incidents. As for Han Qingwu, who had been used and deceived, she was perhaps furious and wished to find and ruthlessly bash him. She¡­ also didn¡¯t need to be contacted for a while.


    Half a minute later¡­


    Tang Xiu dialed Long Zhengyu¡¯s number.


    ¡°Big Brother Long, its Tang Xiu. Sorry for troubling you, how¡¯s the professional manager hunt?¡±


    ¡°Ah, Little Brother Tang, I never thought that you would take the initiative to contact me. I¡¯ve called you for a few times, but you shut your phone down. The professional manager I¡¯ll be recommending to you is a bit special. Do you have the time to meet in person?¡± Long Zhengyu¡¯s tone was somewhat spirited, as though he had found something good.


    Special?


    A surprised expression flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he then slowly spoke, ¡°Well, let¡¯s meet then! Where are you now? I¡¯ll rush over to your place!¡±


    Long Zhengyu laughed, ¡°I am in the South Gate Town¡¯s Real Estate management office.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°OK, 10 minutes.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Tang Xiu hesitated for a while and dialed another number. It was an unfamiliar number, but this was the number that had called him the most times.


    ¡°Hello, are you Tang Xiu?¡±


    The call was picked up. A woman¡¯s voice hastily transmitted before Tang Xiu was even able to speak.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me! Who is this speaking?¡±


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 63

    Chapter 63: The Slaughterhouse


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    A somewhat delightful and a bit hurried voice was then transmitted through the phone, ¡°I am Cheng Xuemei, Public Security Bureau¡¯s Star City¡¯s Criminal Division! Tang Xiu, where are you now? I need to see you.¡±


    Cheng Xuemei?!


    Tang Xiu secretly let out a forced smiled. He already knew that the Public Security Bureau would pay attention had those criminals been dealt with. But he had never thought that the one who would find him would be Cheng Xuemei. However, he didn¡¯t want to deal with anyone from the Public Security Bureau, so he had already prepared a countermeasure beforehand.


    ¡°Officer Cheng, do you have something to ask me? I am very busy recently if there is no particularly important thing, I don¡¯t want to be disturbed.¡± Tang Xiu probed for something he had already known.


    ¡°It _is_ very important!¡±


    Cheng Xuemei¡¯s tone increased a bit.


    Tang Xiu replied, ¡°Then you can come to the South Gate Town! Ah right. I just came out from my house and now am about to meet a friend at the Real Estate Management Office.¡±


    ¡°South Gate Town? Your house?¡±


    An exclamation was transmitted from the phone. Cheng Xuemei was surprised.


    Tang Xiu secretly laughed in his heart. He was aware that Cheng Xuemei must have investigated his background. But she apparently had never thought that he could have a house in South Gate Town.


    ¡°What is it? Is there any problem?¡±


    ¡°No, no¡­ this¡­ I¡¯ll catch up with you later.¡±


    At the Peaceful Serene District, Deep Red Cloud Road¡­


    A few cars rushed over and stopped at an abandoned auto-repair garage. In one of the police cars, Cheng Xuemei, who sat in the co-pilot seat, hang up the phone with a stunned expression. She suddenly realized that her investigation toward Tang Xiu seemed to have missed some very important things.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Deng Jianmin, who sat on the back seat, was keenly aware of Cheng Xuemei¡¯s unusual expression as he asked her.


    Cheng Xuemei turned her head as she frowned for a moment before speaking, ¡°Tang Xiu called me. He said that he was at home in South Gate Town.¡±


    ¡°South Gate Town?!! I¡¯ve read Tang Xiu¡¯s investigation data. How could he possibly have a house in the South Gate Town? The people living there are the most wealthy and respectable people in Star City. He¡­¡± Deng Jianmin¡¯s body suddenly sat straight stiff as a disbelieving expression suddenly filled his eyes.


    Cheng Xuemei smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m also clueless about this.¡±


    Deng Jianmin heaved a deep breath as he spoke in a deep tone, ¡°We¡¯ll take care of the auto-repair garage first. After we handle it, you immediately go to the South Gate Town and see Tang Xiu. Do remember to clearly investigate his situation thoroughly.¡±


    ¡°Yes Sir!¡± Cheng Xuemei nodded.


    Shortly after, a few cars broke into the abandoned auto-repair garage. Deng Jianmin and Cheng Xuemei led the other 7 or 8 SWAT elites, as more than 10 experts under Yuan Zhengxuan also got off quickly. They found the Volkswagen, that had it¡¯s front glass already broken and had hit the pickup truck, as bloodstains could be seen on the driver seat.


    ¡°There was a fight here!!!¡±


    With her vast investigation experience, Cheng Xuemei could decisively make a correct judgment.


    Deng Jianmin nodded as he saw that the SWAT team¡¯s members had pulled their guns. He then issued a command with a gloomy expression, ¡°Take a look inside! Do be very careful. Those criminals must be apprehended. If necessary, kill on sight!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± The SWAT team¡¯s members shouted in unison.


    Cheng Xuemei was adventurous and brave in nature. She was well known as the ¡°daring female officer who dares to risk life¡±. Under her leadership, everyone quickly hid and protected each other, and rushed toward the warehouse.


    ¡°Blood smell?¡±


    The complexion of a SWAT member with a very sensitive nose suddenly changed.


    Shortly after¡­


    When Cheng Xuemei and the other squad members rushed into the warehouse, the scene instantly made them stupefied. 3 corpses were lying in a pool of blood in the middle of the warehouse. One of the corpses was stabbed with a Mitsubishi army knife, as guns and other knives were also there.


    Cheng Xuemei quickly identified the dead bodies. She was shocked after she found that these people were all A-ranked criminals in the wanted list, the very targets of the operation.


    ¡°Captain, there¡¯s something in the next room.¡± One of the cops shouted.


    Cheng Xuemei was startled as she ran straight toward the next room. The moment she had just entered the dissection room, her head was struck by huge waves caused by the situation in front of her.


    The room was full of torturing and dissecting devices and reeked with a thick scent of blood. Blood could be seen on the ground, the wall, and basically everywhere. The scene that made her aghast was the 2 dead bodies laid on the floor soaked in a pool blood. The 2 dead men¡¯s bodies were also A-ranked wanted criminals.


    ¡°Dead? Are they all dead?¡±


    Cheng Xuemei¡¯s body was dead stiff, as her eyes contracted, and body turned sluggish. She came here and was ready to have a combat and fight, even had the conviction to sacrifice herself. Each and everyone of these criminals were after all human organ traffickers as well as bloody vicious and merciless murderers. Solely relying on their SWAT detachment as well as Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s men, there would still be casualties had they fought these criminals.


    However! How could this scene happen?


    Suddenly, Cheng Xuemei recalled Zhao Jing¡¯s words from the call before. Could it be that the one who killed these criminal was the youth that had saved Zhao Jing?


    Who could he be? Tang Xiu?


    ¡°Captain, what should we do now?¡±


    One of the cops swallowed his saliva and solemnly asked.


    She took a deep breath and suppressed the shock in her heart before she replied, ¡°Take care to protect the crime scene here and collect important clues. Although these criminals are truly damned and evil, but still they deserve to be judged under the legal law, and not be punished by some unknown vigilantes. We should find that vigilante!¡±


    ¡°Yes Mam!¡±


    The SWAT members respectfully nodded.


    Deng Jianmin also rushed to the dissecting room afterward. But when he saw the scene inside the room, the shock he got was almost impossible to be conveyed with words. He had been in the force for more than a decade, and had seen numerous types of cases. But never once did he ever encounter such a situation like now.


    ¡°Director Deng, Captain Cheng, we found a cellar in the vicinity, there are¡­ there are a lot of dead bodies inside. We¡¯re now conducting an inspection there.¡±


    ¡°What have you found?!¡±


    Deng Jianmin¡¯s expression immediately changed.


    Half a minute later, they saw the cellar near the warehouse. After they counted, there were 23 corpses with their internal organs completely removed.


    ¡°Is this a fucking slaughterhouse?¡±


    Deng Jianmin¡¯s face turned deathly pale. He knew he was ruined. Such a big case happened in his city¡¯s jurisdiction meant that his career would come to an abrupt end. His complexion turned a few years older in a flash.


    Cheng Xuemei had never thought that she would see so many dead bodies, and quickly conveyed her orders, ¡°Contact intelligence officers. Compile information related to people who were missing recently and send them to my phone.¡±


    ¡°Wait, stop¡­¡±


    Deng Jianmin¡¯s heart was in a mess, but he still didn¡¯t lose his mind as he immediately shouted and stopped them.


    Cheng Xuemei was confused, ¡°Director Deng, what are you¡­¡±


    Deng Jianmin replied with a cloudy expression and spoke, ¡°Have you forgotten the call from Zhao Jing? If we do really have moles in our ranks, once you passed this news, it would alert them. We¡¯ll investigate this case ourselves by any means necessary and also drag those moles out of their holes.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Cheng Xuemei nodded.


    A pondering expression flashed in Deng Jianmin¡¯s eyes before he spoke in a deep tone, ¡°Today¡¯s situation is too unusual. Now, go to South Gate Town to see Tang Xiu. Leave this place to me. Do bear in mind that you must figure out by any means the reason why he was missing recently, and his alibi today.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Cheng Xuemei complied. But when she had just walked for a few steps she suddenly stopped, ¡°Director Deng, don¡¯t we have to report the case first?¡±


    Deng Jianmin¡¯s expression changed as he probed, ¡°Your meaning¡­¡±


    Cheng Xuemei replied, ¡°You are the Bureau Director. Our squad members thought that under your leadership we have succeeded in cracking a lot of important cases.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Deng Jianmin¡¯s heart moved.


    If he was to report truthfully, the consequences would be grave. It would shame and crack open the police¡¯s honor and reputation. However, if he changed the reports¡¯ contents that he personally led the investigation and cracked the case, perhaps¡­ the aftermath would be favorable!


    ¡°Then the ones who killed them¡­¡±


    Cheng Xuemei was silent. She was perfectly aware of the meaning of Deng Jianmin¡¯s words. Once the report¡¯s contents were changed, it meant that the true killer would be concealed. Truthfully speaking, she really admired the hero who had ¡°enforced the justice under the heavenly law¡±. These abominable criminals who mutilated the victims and traded their internal organs truly deserved to be killed, but the legal laws¡­


    ¡°Director Deng, these people are truly evil.¡±


    Another police officer¡¯s tone spoke in a somewhat agitated expression as he spoke in a tone full of deep hatred.


    Cheng Xuemei¡¯s eyes swept his face and then fell onto the dead body that was being carried. Her heart steeled and spoke in a solemn tone, ¡°True, they are not human.¡±


    Deng Jianmin¡¯s lips twitched a few times before he spoke with great difficulty, ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    ****


    The South Gate Town¡¯s Real Estate management office was located in the central area of the entire district. It was a 2-storey building with Western-style architecture that covered the area of 2000 square meters. The office had no fence and was guarded with stern and solemn security guards at the post guard. Neat flower beds were arranged in the courtyard as numerous colorful red and purple flowers were planted on it. At one side, a few large sun umbrellas were placed along with tables and chairs underneath.


    Long Zhengyu was smiling and looked at the direction of the main villa¡¯s direction from time to time. A handsome youth sat in front of him as one of his legs was on top of the one with a cigarette in his lips. His manners were aloof and arrogant as a middle-aged man with glasses and holding a suitcase stood beside him.


    ¡°Young Master Long, who is the respected friend of yours that you¡¯ve been waiting for? He¡¯s even worth your waiting?¡± Gu Yuetao was feeling uncomfortable. Long Zhengyu originally accompanied him to look at the villa¡¯s information in South Gate Town, as he planned to buy a villa after having gotten the information. However, after Long Zhengyu got a phone call from someone and then waited for him personally, it made him and the others stunned.


    A loathing expression flashed in Long Zhengyu¡¯s eyes before he solemnly spoke, ¡°He _is_ my friend, and also our Long Family¡¯s benefactor. I also must add that if anyone dares to offend him, then it¡¯s equal to offending our Long Family also.¡±


    Gu Yuetao was startled and quickly restrained the ill-felt mood he had.


    Although he was proud and arrogant, but he didn¡¯t dare to show it off in front of Long Zhengyu, because he was perfectly aware of Long Zhengyu¡¯s identity, as well as the Long Family¡¯s power.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 64

    Chapter 64: Provocation


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    The desire for wealth had crossed the flow of time and ages as the power of money was the main drive that composed the sonata of desires in a human¡¯s heart. People might say that everyone was born equal, but once one had achieved a certain level in life, they would come to the truest understanding that ¨C the world was divided into classes.


    Although Gu Yuetao was not at the top of the pyramid¡¯s food chain, but he was the only party municipal first secretary¡¯s son, so he also aware about this truth.


    He couldn¡¯t help but probe as he whispered, ¡°Young Master Long seems to pay a lot of attention to this friend of yours. He must be a big shot, right? Is it possible for you to introduce me to him?¡±


    Long Zhengyu nodded. He had long known about Gu Yuetao¡¯s behavior and was very clear about his conduct. Relying on his father¡¯s influence, Gu Yuetao had been running rampant in Star City. He could be described as arrogant, bossy, and frivolous. He had done numerous bad conducts in the recent years, people even lost count of it. Had it not been for his father cleaning up his mess, he would perhaps have to spend his life in prison.


    ¡°He came!¡±


    7 or 8 minutes later, Long Zhengyu was happy as he immediately got up and walked forward to greet Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Big Brother Long!¡±


    A strange, funny, and amused feeling filled Tang Xiu¡¯s heart. If his 10,000 years of life was to be counted, he was an old Gu monster. But he called a mere slightly over 20-year-old youngster big brother.


    Long Zhengyu laughed, ¡°Little Brother Tang, you¡¯re one of the people that is even more difficult to meet than ascending to heaven! Long Zhenglin has been calling for so many times, but you have never answered his call even once.¡±


    With a somewhat apologizing expression, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°Ah, I¡¯m really sorry. I don¡¯t¡¯ have a habit of using my cell phone. Not to mention that the battery runs out and I can¡¯t find it. Anyways, who¡¯s this?¡±


    Long Zhengyu glanced at Gu Yuetao and answered, ¡°He¡¯s Gu Yuetao, my friend. The reason I came to South Gate Town is also because my friend wants to sell his villa, and Gu Yuetao is the one who wants to buy it. So I came over and lent a hand.¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly realized as he nodded at Gu Yuetao, and then asked, ¡°I didn¡¯t disturb you, did I?¡±


    Long Zhengyu laughed, ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    Gu Yuetao had never once expected that the very friend that Long Zhengyu had paid a lot of attention to would be a youngster. Although he also could tell that this youngster had an extraordinary bearing, however, he couldn¡¯t help but feel contempt inside. He only casually nodded and asked, ¡°Little Brother Tang seems very young. What¡¯s your respected occupation?¡±


    Little Brother Tang?!


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows slightly slanted, as he couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly cold toward Gu Yuetao. He could accept Long Zhengyu calling him ¡°Little Brother Tang¡±, since he had quite a friendship with him, as well as for the sake of Long Zhenglin. But Gu Yuetao¡¯s look toward him was focused on his surface appearance, and he spoke with such frivolous words and tone, giving him an ill-feeling.


    ¡°Student!¡±


    Considering Long Zhengyu¡¯s face, Tang Xiu replied him with an indifferent tone and spoke thoughtlessly.


    Gu Yuetao was also keenly aware of Tang Xiu¡¯s attitude. Anger suddenly rose in his heart. However, since he had yet to know Tang Xiu¡¯s real identity, he was still able to patiently tolerate it, and didn¡¯t rage out. He then spoke lightly, ¡°Little Brother Tang, since Young Master Long has acknowledged you as a friend, you should have a very big background, shouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    Background?


    Coldness flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes now.


    He was a cultivator in the Immortal World and had killed countless of arrogant young masters because he had a deep disgust about those young masters with a background. As the saying goes, ¡°someone who only relied on their parents, never once will they be able to become a real man¡±. One could only be a real man if they were tempered with tribulations and constantly strived to improve themselves. Their fighting spirit wouldn¡¯t flinch even if they had to go against the heavens.


    Besides, if someone respected him for an inch, he would him ten inches of respect.


    Rarely would Tang Xiu take the initiative to provoke others, but if others provoked him, he had always been ready to pay the blood with blood and exchange a tooth for a tooth. Hence, he chose to ignore this kind of chap at present.


    ¡°Big Brother Long, about that professional manager issue, is there something wrong?¡±


    Long Zhengyu was also angry seeing Gu Yuetao¡¯s attitude. However, he was a businessman and it was inevitable to have contacts and deals with people from the government. Not to mention that the Long Family¡¯s businesses were quite large and inextricably linked with the government. Even if Gu Yuetao¡¯s father did not have real power, he still was the municipal level party¡¯s first secretary and had a special status, and was not someone who could easily be offended by many people.


    But since he saw Tang Xiu directly ignore Gu Yuetao, he was also disinclined to pay attention anymore. He then looked at Tang Xiu and spoke, ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong, but I have something important to discuss with you.¡±


    Then¡­


    He asked Tang Xiu to sit down and continued, ¡°A few days ago, my 2 good friends from Beijing came to my office. I heard from them that 3 years ago the Gold-ranked professional manager, Kang Xia, who was working at the World Financial Center Wall Street had come back and now has resigned from the Beijing¡¯s Pang Group. If you can, you can go to Beijing and personally invite her.¡±


    ¡°Kang Xia?¡± Tang Xiu was confused, ¡°Is this person really good?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s great!¡±


    Long Zhengyu replied with a serious expression.


    The middle-aged man¡¯s complexion who stood beside Gu Yuetao changed. He then spoke, ¡°Kang Xia is ¡®good¡¯? She¡¯s a legend in the business circles. She has successfully managed a lot of acquisition and financial mergers, developed a lot of new projects as well as established a lot of marketing channels. She has an undisputable reputation, and is very famous in Wall Street.¡±


    ¡°3 years ago, she returned to our country and was hired by the Pang Group as a CEO with an enormous contract price. In less than 3 years, she successfully increased the Pang Group¡¯s total assets 4 times over from before. If it were not because of that idiot Second Young Master Pang, the Pang Group would perhaps have been able to enter into the top 50 enterprises in our country in the next few years.¡±


    Speaking up to there, the middle-aged man then revealed a contemptuous look and sneered, ¡°Even the country¡¯s major enterprises tried with everything they have to hire Kang Xia, which even some of them came up and offered large company stocks, but unfortunately all had failed. Little Brother is this young, I think you see yourself too highly. Kang Xia has been ignoring those high-class people, could she possibly take you seriously?¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a few seconds as he then looked at Long Zhengyu and spoke, ¡°Give me her contact.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    A different light emerged in Long Zhengyu¡¯s eyes. He had an inexplicable sense of trust toward Tang Xiu after having experienced the last gamble event. Others might have no chance but he believed that Tang Xiu could make the difference and give him a big surprise.


    After he gave Kang Xia¡¯s number to Tang Xiu, Long Zhengyu suddenly spoke, ¡°Little Brother Tang, can I buy the shares for the company you want to set up? I¡¯ll provide 20 million yuan to buy the stocks you provide!¡±


    Buying shares?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brow slightly wrinkled.


    Long Zhengyu quickly said, ¡°If you think the money is too few, I¡¯ll add more. Little Brother Tang, you haven¡¯t ran any businesses before, there are a lot of things you have yet to know. A wide range of problems need to be managed in running businesses. The Long Family has long been running businesses in Star City and I can help solve a lot of things for the company you will set up in Star City.¡±


    Tang Xiu took a deep look at Long Zhengyu¡¯s eyes before he nodded and said, ¡°5% shares! You cannot have more than that. If Kang Xia comes and she doesn¡¯t know about the situation here, you help her!¡±


    At this moment¡­


    Tang Xiu had known about Long Zhengyu¡¯s goodwill and he had a favorable impression of him. About the cosmetics business he was about to set up, he only told Long Zhengyu and didn¡¯t tell him any details. But Long Zhengyu trusted him wholeheartedly, and this made his heart warm.


    With a strange expression, Gu Yuetao observed Long Zhengyu and sneered, ¡°Young Master Long, you really have the wealth to burn, eh? How could you be this happy to foolishly spendthrift your money? 20 million in funds for a mere 5% share? And you have to establish the connection and relations also? Have you really lost your mind? This kid said that he would be able to invite Kang Xia, how could it be possible relying on him only? Does he think that he¡¯s the country¡¯s first leader descendant, eh?¡±


    Long Zhengyu¡¯s face turned cold as he replied with a disgusted tone, ¡°Whether I¡¯m crazy or not, you¡¯ll find about it later.¡±


    ¡°Tin tin tin¡­¡±


    At this time, the car¡¯s horn sounded¡­


    Two black Mercedes-Benz limousines slowly approached and then stopped nearby, as 2 middle-aged men then got off. When they saw Long Zhengyu amongst the people, they suddenly smiled and then approached.


    ¡°Dad, how come you came over?¡±


    Long Zhengyu approached and greeted him as he asked with a curious expression.


    Long Hanwen¡¯s vision swept toward Tang Xiu and Gu Yuetao as he then laughed and spoke, ¡°I¡¯m free today, so I came with your Uncle Li to drink.¡±


    Long Zhengyu quickly turned toward the other middle-aged man and greeted, ¡°Uncle Li, how have you been?¡±


    He laughed and replied, ¡°Little Yu, you¡¯re good. Recently, I heard that you¡¯ve performed a major achievement and put a few other youths in Star City into a miserable state. A tiger father indeed wouldn¡¯t beget a dog son!¡±


    With a humble smile, Long Zhengyu replied, ¡°Uncle Li overpraised me. Actually, the one who has to be credited in winning the gamble is my brother. Dad, I introduce you Tang Xiu.¡±


    Long Hanwen slightly squinted his eyes as he sized up Tang Xiu a few times. He then nodded and spoke, ¡°As the saying goes, heroes emerge amongst the youth. Tang Xiu, you¡¯re really amazing, good, very good. Later, when you have time, I¡¯ll ask Little Yu and Lin to take you to our home. Your aunt will prepare a delicious meal for you!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°Well, thanks Uncle Long.¡±


    Long Hanwen nodded with satisfaction.


    Long Zhengyu then spoke, ¡°Dad, Tang Xiu is preparing to set up a company and I want to buy some of the shares.¡±


    Setting up a company?


    Injecting funds and buying the shares?


    Long Hanwen looked at Tang Xiu with an astonished expression. He had investigated Tang Xiu¡¯s background and knew that this youth came from the countryside. He did not have much capital to boast and was only a high schooler. Now he wanted to set up a company. Could it be that he wanted to make some pocket money?


    Long Hanwen thought for a moment before he smiled and replied, ¡°Then buy the shares! Even though Tang Xiu is still young, but I can tell he¡¯s very mature and has a steady nature. He would be a competent and important big shot in the future. Well, you¡¯ll arrange it and have a good chat.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Tang Xiu felt somewhat a favorable impression toward Long Hanwen even though they only had a brief contact. The saying was indeed true that a good father would raise outstanding sons. Long Zhengyu was outstanding and his father was also excellent. Befriending Long Hanwen might help in completing his plan and purposes later.


    Long Hanwen was confused, ¡°Do you still have something to say?¡±


    Tang Xiu gently nodded as his eyes fell on another middle-aged man¡¯s body, who was called Uncle Chen. He found that this middle-aged man named Chen had a problem within his body. After having carefully observed, he could tell that his observation was true.


    ¡°Stretch out your wrist.¡±


    The middle-aged man called Chen, as well as the other two were clueless about it. He looked at Long Hanwen and Long Zhengyu first, but although he was puzzled by Tang Xiu¡¯s purpose, he still extended his left hand out.


    Under the gazes of everyone who looked at him with a puzzled expression, Tang Xiu checked the middle-aged Chen¡¯s pulse. 10 seconds later, his fingers pressed the Tanzhong point [1] and then spoke in a deep tone, ¡°Try to breathe.¡±


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    [1] Tanzhong point: or Danzhong point is an acupuncture point in the middle of the chest at the level of the breasts. Please google it yourself since I can¡¯t find about the reference. I know about it since I¡¯m also a martial art practitioner. I used the name in acupuncture technique not the name in my martial arts style since I think it would be easier to find in the internet.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 65

    Chapter 65: Condition


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical was a leading major enterprise in Star City and its main business was the medical industry. It was one of the best companies in the medical business nationwide. Chen Zhizhong was the Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical¡¯s big boss with assets worth more than several billion yuan and also had a prominent status.


    He looked at Tang Xiu in front him as particular strange thoughts emerged inside his heart.


    _¡°This youngster wants to check my pulse? Is he a Chinese Medical doctor? And how did he know that I have internal injuries? It¡¯s impossible! Apart from my wife, there is no other soul who would have known about it. It¡¯s impossible that he knows about it.¡±_


    Chen Zhizhong secretly shook his head and quickly cast out the absurd thoughts inside his mind. However, he looked at Long Hanwen¡¯s face and complied with Tang Xiu¡¯s request as he took a deep breath.


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡±


    Piercing pain, as though it would rip his heart and lungs came from his chest. The painful sensation instantly made his eyes blackened and almost made him faint. At the same time, he could clearly feel some kind of intense burning sensation, as though it was scorching his internal organs.


    Tang Xiu loosened his grip and spoke with a solemn expression, ¡°Your internal injuries are very severe. It definitely couldn¡¯t have been inflicted by an average person, else your injuries couldn¡¯t have been severely injured like this, since your internal organs were likely to have been shattered. But I¡¯m really curious, how come you¡¯re able to move around everywhere with such injuries?¡±


    At the side¡­


    Even since the arrival of Long Hanwen and Chen Zhizhong, Gu Yuetao was cast aside. This kind of cold treatment made him feel especially uncomfortable. Coupled with the contempt Tang Xiu had given him, as well as seeing that the famous Long Hanwen highly praising Tang Xiu, envy and jealousy surged inside his heart. Seeing this opportunity, he shouted at once, ¡°Tang Xiu! What have you done to Boss Chen? Are you acting like a deity and playing the devil to scam him? You¡¯re just swindler!¡±


    Tang Xiu sneered, ¡°Whether I¡¯m a swindler or not, it¡¯s not yours to call. Mind your own business.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Gu Yuetao instantly raged.


    Tang Xiu interrupted him and coldly snorted, ¡°What¡¯s up with me, huh?!! I¡¯m speaking with others! You have no qualification to interrupt us. Either you move aside or get the fuck out!¡±


    Gu Yuetao¡¯s face thoroughly turned crimson. If it were not for Long Hanwen and Chen Zhizhong¡¯s presence, he could have been immediately flushed and beaten Tang Xiu.


    Chen Zhizhong looked at Tang Xiu with an inconceivable expression. Along with the pain that was gradually receding from his chest, he asked with a shocked expression, ¡°Who are you? How did you know that I have suffered from internal injuries, much less gotten injured by others?¡±


    Tang Xiu lightly replied, ¡°Compared to you, I have received countless more serious injuries. My companion also¡­ so I¡¯m perfectly aware of the symptoms when someone has internal injuries. If I¡¯m not mistaken, you definitely have taken precious medicaments, haven¡¯t you? Your injuries might have been temporarily suppressed, but after the medicine¡¯s efficacy has been completely dissipated and you don¡¯t take your medicaments for quite a while, your injuries would become more serious, even your life would be in a grave danger. Am I right?¡±


    Long Hanwen was shocked, ¡°Brother Chen, you¡­ you really have internal injuries? How could it be?¡±


    Chen Zhizhong nodded with an agonized expression. He deeply looked at Tang Xiu and smiled, ¡°Brother Long. This place is not a suitable place to chat. Let¡¯s find a quiet place to speak!¡±


    Long Hanwen looked at Tang Xiu with a strange expression as he nodded and spoke, ¡°Little Tang, let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tang Xiu nodded and followed.


    When they were just about to walk out toward the Real Estate Management Office, Chen Zhizhong suddenly stopped as he looked at Gu Yuetao and spoke, ¡°You are Secretary Gu¡¯s son, aren¡¯t you? We have important things to discuss and you¡¯re not fit for this occasion, so leave and take care of your own business!¡±


    HUH!


    Gu Yuetao¡¯s complexion instantly turned crimson. Never once have he ever dreamt that Chen Zhizhong would kick him out.


    Waves of regret struck his heart. Had he not jumped and attacked Tang Xiu with his words and instead flattered him, he wouldn¡¯t have been kicked out like this.


    _¡°_ _Fuck!!! Damn bastard Tang Xiu!¡±_


    All of his resentment fell onto Tang Xiu. Gu Yuetao was perfectly aware that he couldn¡¯t provoke the likes of big shots such as Long Hanwen and Chen Zhizhong. But had Tang Xiu not appeared today, such a shameful situation wouldn¡¯t have happened, even Long Hanwen and Chen Zhizhong might say a few praises or encouragements to him.


    At the Real Estate Management Office¡­


    Inside a luxuriously decorated office, Long Zhengyu was busy making tea as Tang Xiu was sitting on the luxurious sofa facing Chen Zhizhong and Long Hanwen.


    ¡°Little Brother Tang, since you can see my injury condition, are there any ways to treat them? I won¡¯t hide anything from you, my wife is also a Chinese Medical doctor and is very skilled at it. But she also felt helpless in treating my internal injuries, and could only temporarily suppress the injuries as to avoid it from suddenly breaking out.¡± A longing expression could be seen on Chen Zhizhong¡¯s complexion as he intensely stared at Tang Xiu and asked.


    Tang Xiu replied, ¡°Your treatment is very easy.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Chen Zhizhong suddenly stood up and asked with a surprised expression.


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s indeed very easy. I could give you the prescription to treat your internal injuries, I can even write out some of them easily. However, since your internal organs have long been injured, it has caused your blood and qi to be clogged, leading to the declining of your body¡¯s functions. Even if you took the medicine as per my prescription, it would take at least a year for you to recover to your previous condition.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong was pleasantly surprised, ¡°The long time is fine, I¡­ ¡°


    He abruptly stopped talking as his expression became sluggish for a moment. He was perfectly aware that due to his condition right now, he must keep calm and not lose himself and become too excited.


    ¡°However, I can give you a treatment that will only take a short time.¡±


    Tang Xiu then spoke with self-confidence.


    Chen Zhizhong was silent for a moment before he seriously spoke, ¡°Under what conditions?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Help me handle some things.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong said, ¡°Do say. As long as I can do it, I¡¯ll not refuse!¡±


    Tang Xiu calmly replied, ¡°It¡¯s actually very simple. Help me lying to cover for some particular times in the past 2-3 days ago ¨C you¡¯ve come visiting me everyday at my villa in South Gate Town. You must testify that I have always been at home here.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong was surprised, ¡°Only this issue?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said.


    Chen Zhizhong nodded, ¡°I give you my word. But can I ask, to whom I should testify?¡±


    Tang Xiu said indifferently, ¡°The police.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong was startled as a thoughtful expression flashed in his eyes, but he still didn¡¯t inquire further.


    Upon seeing the two of them had reached an agreement, Long Hanwen, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, suddenly saw Long Zhengyu as he then spoke in a deep tone, ¡°Little Yu, go to the Villa District Monitoring Room and erase all the surveillance recordings for the last few days. If anyone asks about it, tell them that the monitoring system is broken and is being repaired by the maintenance personnel.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go right away!¡±


    Long Zhengyu looked at Tang Xiu before he strode out of the room.


    Tang Xiu gazed at Long Zhengyu as he left as he nodded and thanked afterwards, ¡°I¡¯ll keep this big favor in mind. If later Uncle Long needs my assistance, please do tell me.¡±


    Long Hanwen nodded with satisfaction, even though a trace of a particular strange feeling emerged in his heart. Today was the first time he saw Tang Xiu. Although his two sons highly praised Tang Xiu before, but he did not believe it. Tang Xiu was after all only a high schooler. Even though he was resourceful and powerful, to what extent did his capital amount to?


    However¡­


    Seeing by himself was better that hearing from many others.


    It was a coincidence that he could see Tang Xiu today. Although Tang Xiu didn¡¯t speak much, however, he could tell from his words and performance that his calmness and bearing were not something some high schoolers could have. He even faintly felt a kind of imposing manner exude from Tang Xiu. He couldn¡¯t really tell what kind of sensation it was. It was as though the moon reflected on the water, but yet made him vigilant and constrained him.


    18 years ago¡­


    Long Hanwen once had ran into someone. He looked like an ordinary person, but he gave off a dangerous feeling, as though he was a fierce beast in slumber in a deep dungeon. Later on, he found that the person was an active soldier, and that man was also coincidentally surnamed Tang.


    After having observed Tang Xiu for a few glances, Long Hanwen secretly suppressed that particular sensation down. He turned around and looked at Chen Zhizhong, ¡°Brother Chen, Tang Xiu just said that you¡¯ve been injured by someone. What happened? How could there be someone who dares to injure you?¡±


    Chen Zhizhong looked at Tang Xiu before he replied, letting out a forced smile, ¡°Brother Long, you only know me as a businessman, yet you don¡¯t know about my martial artist status. I¡¯m a disciple of an ancient martial arts style. Only a selected few of ordinary people are able to contact our society.¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly spoke, ¡°Your cultivation is very low. Although you are now much stronger than I am, however, a true Martial Arts master would very easily deal with you.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong was greatly shocked, ¡°Are you also a cultivator?¡±


    It was Tang Xiu¡¯s first contact with the martial artist society, and he didn¡¯t hide his intention to pry the information about today¡¯s martial arts society situation from Chen Zhizhong. ¡°I am indeed a cultivator. But mine is different from your cultivation. Speaking the truth, I am honestly clueless about the present cultivator society. Could you enlighten me a bit?¡±


    Chen Zhizhong replied, ¡°In fact, I also don¡¯t know much about it. Some are learning martial arts as continued tradition, some from family heritage, and others are from school¡¯s legacies. I only know a few martial artists from family heritages, in which some of them have reached Grandmaster stage with bodies light like a swallow, and are able to fight buffalos easily.¡±


    A disappointed feeling surged in Tang Xiu¡¯s heart. What he wanted to know was not martial artists¡¯ society, but rather the cultivators¡¯ society. Those martial artists Grandmaster Chen Zhizhong spoke of were not different from children in a cultivators¡¯ eyes. Even a slightly powerful cultivator would easily exterminate those so-called martial artists Grandmasters.


    Afterward¡­


    Tang Xiu and Long Hanwen finally knew that the one who wounded Chen Zhizhong was a martial arts expert. It was caused by the incident when Chen Zhizhong and his opponent took a fancy over precious medicinal herbs at the Star City Medicinal Herbs Market. After fiercely competing through financial power, Chen Zhizhong finally won the precious herbs, while his opponent then secretly attempted to rob it. In the end, even though Chen Zhizhong was able to kill his opponent, he was also severely injured in the process.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Anyways, since I have other things to take care of, I¡¯ll treat your wound first! Uncle Long, I¡¯m really sorry for troubling you to keep guard here and let nobody disturb us.¡±


    Long Hanwen replied, ¡°Saving someone is like fighting fire ¨C the faster, the better. You can rest assured that I will immediately arrange people to guard the door and let nobody disturb you.¡±


    Feeling satisfied, Tang Xiu nodded. He then told Chen Zhizhong to take his clothes off, leaving only his big underpants. He ignored the awkward and embarrassed expression Chen Zhizhong had as he then fiercely punched his abdomen.


    ¡°Puff¡­¡±


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 66

    Chapter 66: Half Master


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Chen Zhizhong¡¯s pupil shrunk as his pupils turned into saucers. The acute pain made his vision darken, and he almost fainted and fell to the floor. He was confused and didn¡¯t understand. Tang Xiu said that he would treat and cure him. But why did he attack him? His punch was also very powerful and almost made him faint.


    ¡°Endure the pain.¡±


    Tang Xiu quickly moved and stood behind Chen Zhizhong in a flash. His fist repeatedly punched Chen Zhizhong¡¯s back a few times. In the next moment, his fingers opened with the thumb on the Spirit Hall point, middle finger on Jueyin Transporter point, and pinky on the Reaching Yang point. [1]


    ¡°Open for me!¡±


    His fingers moved and pinched, as his other fist once again continuously punched Chen Zhizhong¡¯s back. Along with Chen Zhizhong¡¯s half-screaming half-coughing, a mouthful of pungent black blood spurted out from Chen Zhizhong¡¯s mouth.


    Tang Xiu stopped for a few seconds as he walked around and stopped in front of Chen Zhizhong. His thumb accurately pressed on the Great Bell point on Chen Zhizhong¡¯s chest. After pressing it 3 times, his palm turned into a fist, then reducing his strength by a third, he punched Chen Zhizhong¡¯s chest again.


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡±


    Chen Zhizhong spurted more blood again. However, this time the blood color was much redder than the previous ones.


    ¡°Down!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s toe pinched Chen Zhizhong¡¯s heel as he stood up and pressed it down with his two legs, after which he heavily smashed his back one after another, and almost made him drop down. However, Tang Xiu grabbed one of his arms in a flash, and with powerful strength, held Chen Zhizhong and didn¡¯t let him get injured as he laid him down on the floor.


    ¡°Qilin bone, White Tiger¡¯s veins, and Flying Ape¡¯s long arms.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face gradually revealed an astonished expression, as his hands constantly traced Chen Zhizhong¡¯s body. He then thought, _¡°What a pity! Such a suitable body for cultivation and he has neither a supreme cultivation method nor a master to teach him. The body has now even been reduced into such a wrecked condition. It¡¯s really unfortunate!¡±_


    While thinking about it, his hands suddenly lifted and then palmed Chen Zhizhong¡¯s chest. His slaps were very rhythmic. Sometimes it was clear as hawk cries, and other times it was deep as drum beats. Gradually, the spot on Chen Zhizhong¡¯s chest that got slapped gradually turned red as blood red lines then surfaced. Water-like appearance, as though running water could be seen, fluctuated and moved inside those lines.


    At the side¡­


    Long Hanwen looked at the scene in front of him with a flabbergasted expression. If it weren¡¯t that he realized that he was awake, he would perhaps have thought that he was dreaming. Tang Xiu was literally beating Chen Zhizhong constantly. What kind of absurd treatment was it? Chen Zhizhong had already had serious injuries; with such powerful hits, wouldn¡¯t it be the same as killing him?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He wanted to shout and stop it. But recalling Tang Xiu¡¯s words, he forcefully buried the worries he had deep inside his heart.


    The time passed by slowly¡­


    10 minutes later, Cheng Xuemei had arrived and was outside the villa¡¯s door.


    Her complexion was ice-cold as she looked at the tall and ramrod straight security guards in front of her. She then spoke in a solemn tone, ¡°I¡¯m Cheng Xuemei from the Criminal Police Division. I need to see and inquire some information from Tang Xiu for a case investigation. As far as I know, Tang Xiu should be in this office building. Please make way!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. We have received Boss¡¯s order that no one can enter the office.¡±


    Cheng Xuemei angrily said, ¡°Hey! Every citizen has the obligation to cooperate and help the police¡¯s duty in investigating the cases. I don¡¯t care who your Boss is, open the way. Otherwise, I¡¯ll declare that you are obstructing the justice, and you will be subjected to legal sanctions under the law.¡±


    ¡°Sorry!¡±


    The ice-cold voice was the only response she could get again.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Long Zhengyu rushed and arrived in time. He glanced at Cheng Xuemei and the other 2 cops. He then turned around and asked the security guards.


    Cheng Xuemei said, ¡°Are you Long Zhengyu?¡±


    Long Zhengyu was surprised, ¡°You know me?¡±


    Cheng Xuemei said, ¡°Star City¡¯s famous businessman. A new generation of a business group successor who has been covered on multiple financial and economic magazines. How can I not know about you? Anyway, I¡¯m Cheng Xuemei from the Criminal Police Division, and I¡¯m looking for Tang Xiu to inquire some information about a case. I¡¯m asking you to cooperate and ask them to make way!¡±


    Long Zhengyu smiled, ¡°Ah, you¡¯re Captain Cheng, right? I¡¯m really sorry. Tang Xiu cannot be disturbed right now. Please wait for a while, I will go inside and notify him.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Cheng Xuemei was shocked. Never once would she ever had dreamed that seeing Tang Xiu would require someone else to notify him first, and the person unexpectedly was a well-known person in Star City ¡ª the Young Master of the Long Family.


    Could it be that¡­ the investigation about Tang Xiu was really flawed? Could it be that his identity was much bigger than Long Zhengyu, and even could make him guard his door?


    Long Zhengyu opened and entered the room, and went out after a short while.


    ¡°How is it?¡±


    Cheng Xuemei knitted her brows and asked.


    Long Zhengyu said, ¡°Tang Xiu said that right now is really inconvenient to see you.¡±


    In the room¡­


    After the last beating, Tang Xiu¡¯s fingers were pressing Chen Zhizhong¡¯s Heaven¡¯s Pivot point. After having stopped for a few seconds, he loosened it and then heaved a deep breath, finally relaxed.


    ¡°How does it feel?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at Chen Zhizhong¡¯s twitching body, who was still conscious and asked.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Chen Zhizhong opened his mouth but his voice was stumped in his throat. His body twitched more intensely as his skin was red as though it had been boiled. In the next moment, traces of black and gray impurities seeped out from the pores all over his body, with a speed that could be seen with naked eyes.


    As he struggled to sit up, he immediately sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.


    Half an hour later¡­


    Chen Zhizhong opened his eyes as a vigorous light flashed from his eyes. His body leaped up and directly jumped gently. He felt as though shackles had been removed from his body, and he felt very comfortable.


    ¡°My injuries?¡±


    A stunned expression emerged for a moment, as he then immediately followed with an overjoyed expression. He could feel that not only were his internal injuries healed, but he also had broken through his cultivation bottleneck after having been bogged down in the third stage for so long. The blood and qi circulation in his body had turned vigorous and powerful as a comfortable sensation gave him the feeling as though his body suddenly became young again all of a sudden.


    ¡°Master Tang, thank you.¡± Chen Zhizhong¡¯s state of mind was extremely excited as respect filled his eyes and he cupped his fists.


    Tang Xiu waved and replied, ¡°Take a bath first! I¡¯ve given you the necessary treatment.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong was surprised. After a moment, he then nodded and walked outside. However, when Chen Zhizhong was out of the door, Cheng Xuemei was a bit confused, since she faintly smelled a stench exuding from his body. Moreover, she felt like the dirty man was quite familiar.


    ¡°Little Yu, bring them in!¡±


    Long Hanwen¡¯s voice came from inside the room.


    Cheng Xuemei glanced at Long Zhengyu before she strode into the room. As her eyes swept at Long Hanwen, she immediately knew his identity. She finally felt relaxed as to why Long Zhengyu would stand guard in front of the door.


    Finally¡­ Cheng Xuemei¡¯s sight fell on the Tang Xiu, as she watched Tang Xiu leisurely sitting on the sofa while sipping his tea. She then approached him and spoke in a serious tone, ¡°Tang Xiu, we meet again.¡±


    Tang Xiu replied, ¡°Ah, Captain Cheng? What issues do you want to find me for? Hasn¡¯t the prior case been fully investigated? In order to save others, I accidentally killed the wanted criminal who committed crimes at school!¡±


    Cheng Xuemei coldly snorted, ¡°Tang Xiu, don¡¯t play dumb and give me a clear answer. Are you the one who killed the criminals at the abandoned auto-repair garage on Deep Red Cloud Road, Peaceful Serene District?¡±


    Tang Xiu intentionally put on a bewildered expression as he replied, ¡°Captain Cheng, if you want to catch a couple in affairs, you must catch the both of them. You need to grab the dirt before moving to grab the thief. What relationship could I have with the homicide case at¡­ what road? You are a policewoman! You also know what accusing and slandering would end up to.¡±


    Cheng Xuemei was impatient and Tang Xiu was playing ¡°blaming the victim¡±, causing her to be at a loss and not know what to do for a moment. However, she was, after all, one of the criminal police elites and quickly adjusted her state of mind. After quickly thinking about the words she had to speak, she then spoke in a solemn tone, ¡°Tang Xiu, please let my words be cast aside and think of it as me just slipping my tongue. I apologize and I hope you ignored it. But I want to ask, why did you disappear the last few days¡­ Especially, where were you a few hours ago?¡±


    Tang Xiu replied lightly, ¡°I had something to do in the past few days, and have always been at my house in South Gate Town District. And a few hours ago, I was still at home.¡±


    ¡°Can you prove it?¡±


    ¡°Someone can testify for me because I have been with him all the time in the same place.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Chen Zhizhong.¡±


    Cheng Xuemei frowned. She felt the name sounded familiar, but she couldn¡¯t remember it from where she had heard it. When she was about to speak again, the man¡¯s face who had just left the room suddenly appeared inside her mind.


    The man just now was¡­ the Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical¡¯s boss, Chen Zhizhong?


    A few minutes later, Chen Zhizhong had finished taking a bath and returned to the room. It was unknown from where he had taken a bath and got clean clothes.


    ¡°Boss Chen, has Tang Xiu really been with you in the last 3-4 hours?¡± Cheng Xuemei asked.


    Chen Zhizhong smiled, ¡°Ah, Yes! Little Tang indeed has been with me here. I must say that he¡¯s really powerful! I have some problem with my body, and he was able to help me treat it. So I have been visiting Tang Xiu¡¯s house in South Gate Town the last few days for treatment.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Cheng Xuemei found that her guesses were all mistaken. Tang Xiu had witnesses to testify that he was in South Gate Town in the last few hours, and not at the abandoned garage on Deep Red Cloud Road in Peaceful Serene District. This meant that when the crime happened, he was not at the crime scene.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, Boss Chen, thank you for your cooperation. We still have other issues and won¡¯t disturb you any longer.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression was calm and unperturbed. He watched Cheng Xuemei and 2 other cops leave as he poured more tea and gently drank a mouthful of it. Having gone through this event, he became perfectly aware, that in the future, he must be one step ahead and plan good escape routes, especially when he had to deal with the police.


    Chen Zhizhong and Long Hanwen didn¡¯t ask Tang Xiu about what he had done. But deep inside, they made up their mind to send someone to investigate it later.


    ¡°Puff, bang¡­¡±


    The moment the door was closed, Chen Zhizhong kneeled in front of Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Huh? Brother Chen, what are you doing?¡±


    Long Hanwen was dumbstruck as he looked at Chen Zhizhong with a dumbfounded expression as he exclaimed out loud.


    Chen Zhizhong ignored Long Hanwen as he respectfully spoke with a frantic expression, ¡°Master Tang, your martial arts boundary is at the level of which I haven¡¯t heard of. You have cured my internal injuries, you¡¯re my savior. Please accept me as your disciple, benefactor!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Long Hanwen was thoroughly shocked as he looked at Chen Zhizhong with an inconceivable expression. It was as though his old friend for decades was but a stranger right now.


    What was this? World-level jokes?


    He was the illustrious Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical¡¯s boss, with billions¡¯ worth of assets, as well as was a rich, powerful, and well-respected person. How could he even want to worship a high schooler as a master? Was Chen Zhizhong still sane? Or had the world gone crazy?


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    [1]. The page doesn¡¯t have detailed descriptions though, and the exact positions are too long to be explained here.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 67

    Chapter 67: Conversation Skills


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion turned cold. With an aloof and indifferent expression, he looked at Chen Zhizhong, who was kneeling in front of him. In his view, even if Chen Zhizhong were to worship him as a master, he wouldn¡¯t have great achievements in his entire life. At the most, he would only be barely able to ascend to be an immortal with great difficulty.


    In his previous life¡­


    How many powerful immortals had begged him to become his disciple in the Immortal World? And what happened in the end? He only accepted a selected few of gifted people amongst them as unofficial disciples on a whim.


    ¡°I refuse!¡±


    Tang Xiu rejected coldly. He then stood up as he looked at Long Hanwen and said, ¡°Uncle Long, I still have other things to do. I¡¯ll go back first.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Long Hanwen looked at Tang Xiu with a strange expression, as he then looked at the kneeling Chen Zhizhong on the floor. His mouth twitched for a few times before he spoke with a smile, ¡°Well, since you have things to do, then go first! Remember that if you have time later, call Little Yu and Little Lin to visit our home and have a meal together.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded as he greeted Long Zhengyu and then directly left.


    ¡°Dad, I¡¯ll escort Tang Xiu back.¡±


    Long Zhengyu hastily replied after he saw such a shocking and hard to believe situation.


    In the room, only Long Hanwen and Chen Zhizhong were left. Chen Zhizhong slowly stood up with a grayish complexion as a disappointed expression could be seen in his eyes. He then quietly sat back on the sofa.


    Long Hanwen let out a wry smile and spoke, ¡°Brother Chen, why are you like this? Even if Tang Xiu is very powerful, you wouldn¡¯t have to go as far as kneeling down to worship him as master, right?¡±


    Chen Zhizhong shook his head and replied with a bitter expression, ¡°Brother Long, you don¡¯t understand. Practicing martial arts is my biggest hobby and a dream for the entirety of my life. I¡¯m well known as a hardcore fanatic of martial arts. However, because my family was too poor, I started to undertake the responsibility to take care of my family and began my business. But my obsession toward the martial arts had never reduced by the slightest bit, and instead was getting bigger along with time. The older I am, the more obsessed I become. I could tell that Master Tang is really very powerful, to the point that I really want to worship him as a Master.¡±


    Long Hanwen then asked with a curious expression, ¡°Didn¡¯t Tang Xiu say that his strength is under yours?¡±


    Chen Zhizhong shook his head again and replied, ¡°You are mistaken. His strength is absolutely above mine! Do you remember the scene when he treated me? His movements are lightning fast with extremely accurate force control. And the most important of all, can you guess it?¡±


    Long Hanwen was confused, ¡°What is it?¡±


    Chen Zhizhong answered in a deep tone, ¡°My cultivation method is a family inheritance, and it¡¯s a method to cultivate inner strength and mind. I have long reached the 2nd Stage 10 years ago. However, no matter how hard and diligently I¡¯ve been practicing, I was unable to breakthrough to the 3rd Stage. And now, not only has Master Tang cured my internal injuries and saved my life through his treatment, but he also has given me a huge benefit. The moment I got cured, I just found out myself that I have broken through the 3rd Stage.¡±


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡± Long Hanwen was shocked.


    Chen Zhizhong had been stuck in the 2nd Stage and unable to breakthrough for more than 10 years. But because of the treatment from Tang Xiu, he was easily able to breakthrough?


    Chen Zhizhong spoke again, ¡°Brother Long, you don¡¯t know the meaning for breaking through from the 2nd Stage in my cultivation technique. Let me show you that my power has become several folds stronger before Master Tang gave me the treatment.¡±


    The moment he finished speaking, he slowly squatted down and then powerfully punched the floor.


    ¡°BOOM¡­¡±


    The floor tiles¡¯ broke and splattered everywhere, as an inch deep fist-shaped hole was then carved on the previously sturdy and smooth floor. However, Chen Zhizhong¡¯s fist was fine without the slightest damage.


    Long Hanwen suddenly jumped up from the sofa. He was shocked as though he saw an alien and exclaimed out loud, ¡°How could it be possible? Your power¡­¡±


    Chen Zhizhong replied solemnly, ¡°If I must draw an analogy, my punching power before was only 100 pounds, but now it¡¯s at least 300 pounds. Along with the longer I practice in the future, my strength would improve by leaps and bounds. Brother Long, now you understand how precious the fortune Master Tang has given me, right?¡±


    Long Hanwen was dumbstruck and could only nod. He was stunned for a long while. The shock he got today was really too much.


    At the villa in South Gate Town.


    Tang Xiu had returned home. He went straight to the bedroom on the 2nd floor, and then stood on the balcony. He looked at the picturesque-like beautiful scenery in the villa district, before he took out his cell phone and marked out the phone number named ¡°Kang Xia¡±. His thumb gently stroked the dial button, but had yet to press down on it.


    A thoughtful expression flashed from his complexion as he was pondering the method to gain this world-ranked business legend figure¡¯s trust, and then recruit her for his purposes. Long Zhengyu had given him the information about Kang Xia along with her number and the method to contact her. Hence, he approximately had a bit of knowledge about Kang Xia¡¯s traits and situation.


    ¡°Cold and detached, tenacious, and has the adventurous spirit to take huge risks, loves to take unconventional moves, has a keen sense and accurate timing to grasp the opportunity, as well as being able to take decisive decisions and actions in a short amount of time according to the circumstances¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu was recalling Kang Xia¡¯s traits from the information he had memorized in mind. A smile gradually blossomed on his face as his thumb then immediately pressed the dial button.


    A few seconds after the ringtone rang, the phone was picked up.


    ¡°Kang Xia speaking here, who am I speaking with?¡±


    Whilst looking at the beautiful scenery in front, Tang Xiu then spoke, ¡°I am Tang Xiu. You haven¡¯t heard about me, but I¡¯ll be straightforward with you. My purpose to call you is very simple, I¡¯m giving you a chance to struggle for the future. Are you interested?¡±


    Kang Xia was silent for a few seconds and slowly replied, ¡°To be frank, your straightforward and simple words sparked my curiosity. Tell me, what kind of path will you offer me?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Before I tell you, you need to answer my questions. Say that there are two cosmetics products, one of which has strong whitening and moisturizing effect, and can improve a woman¡¯s skin condition, as well as is 10 times more efficient than those high-end whitening products. Once this cosmetic product has been tested and thrown to the market, what chance do you think it will have?¡±


    ¡°The second product is a scar rejuvenating cosmetic which is able to eliminate acne and freckles. Please listen clearly. This product¡¯s effect is real and also has a healing curative effect. Once this product has been tested and sold to the market, what chance do you think it will have?¡±


    At a high-class resort in Beijing¡­


    A devilish curvaceous figure with an angelic face, Kang Xia, was wearing a sexy bikini as she sat on a poolside couch. Her hand was wiping her wet long hair whilst the other hand holding her cell phone, as a slightly stifled expression was cast on her face.


    The cold and detached expression she usually had when she wanted to hang up the phone was now entirely different.


    The two questions might be simple, but it was nevertheless problematic.


    If such products were to have such effects as the caller had told her, once those products had passed the test, being advertised and accepted by the market, it would create a great sensation in today¡¯s society, more so that the business would also certainly explode.


    However, could there be such cosmetic products on Earth?


    Kang Xia might not have realized herself that she was a woman with a keen sense of opportunity. She was silent for 2 minutes before she slowly replied, ¡°Seeing from your number ID, it seems that you¡¯re from Star City. Fine, I¡¯ll give you 2 days to send the product sample to me, since you have already gotten my number and my address. Wait for me to experiment and test the sample first, and then we¡¯ll talk again.¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with an indifferent tone, ¡°I don¡¯t¡¯ like people who tell me what to do. The people I will hire, even though I give them the rights and privileges, must not be arrogant and bossy. Do listen that I want to set up the business, but I don¡¯t have much time to run it myself. What I mean is, I want to know about your capabilities as well as your intelligence. Well, I¡¯ll be waiting for you in Star City. If you¡¯ve arrived, contact me.¡±


    After having said that, Tang Xiu directly hung up the phone.


    At the resort¡¯s swimming pool in Beijing, Kang Xia was listening to the dull busy tones from her cell phone as a blank and disbelieving expression covered her face after the caller blatantly hung up the phone.


    Who was she? She WAS Kang Xia!


    She was the one who countless people have always been treating highly with flattery, with wishes that they could recruit her. She was an elite person who was the most sought after to be recruited in the business world. Previously, she was the one who had always been hanging up the phone first when anyone else called her. But the karma had turned against her this time, and this person hung up the phone first instead of her! Was that man insane? Or had her charms and values vanished?


    And why would it seem and feel like¡­ that¡­ she was the one who begged him?


    Kang Xia was somewhat angry as she threw the phone to the recliner next to the coffee table. She couldn¡¯t help recall that man¡¯s words in her mind.


    Very arrogant! Extremely arrogant!


    Kang Xia was pondering and analyzing the 2 questions the man had given her. She wasn¡¯t sure whether this was an opportunity or not. If it was true and she took it, her decision definitely would make everyone shocked. But if it was not, then it meant that she had been played.


    ¡°Tang Xiu? From Star City??¡±


    Kang Xia took back her cell phone and dialed a number. She then spoke in a deep tone, ¡°Andy, help me investigate someone. I only have 5 clues ¡ª his name, living in Star City, a male, arrogant, and his cell number. How long will it take for you to find him?¡±


    ¡°1 day.¡±


    A charming voice answered the phone.


    Kang Xia replied, ¡°Half a day.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    At South Gate Town.


    After hanging up the phone, Tang Xiu then called Han Qingwu as well as Yuan Chuling. Since Yuan Chuling¡¯s mother had fortunately been rescued, he asked him whether the one who saved his mother was Tang Xiu. Tang Xiu avoided answering him. As for Qingwu, it was somewhat quite troublesome.


    A complicated, as well as helpless feeling, filled his heart. Han Qingwu¡¯s appearance was alike with his wife in the Immortal World, and he couldn¡¯t tell her what he felt about her. He apologized to her on the phone, and promised to go school and attend classes tomorrow. After having gotten served a meal full of severe reprimand and critics, he temporarily got his forgiveness.


    Having dealt with everything, Tang Xiu then thought about what Chen Zhizhong had run into.


    ¡°He found precious medicinal herbs in Star City¡¯s Medicinal Herbs Market. It would be too early for me to take the advantage of this favor this time. Should I go to the Medicinal Herbs Market?¡±


    Tang Xiu had a decisive and resolute personality. Once ideas emerged in his mind, he would immediately execute them. He got tens of thousands yuan from the criminals that were intended to be given to one-eyed¡¯s grandmother, and he intended to borrow the cash first since he was short on money.


    ¡°Grrrr ¡­¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s stomach suddenly rumbled as though reminding him that he had yet to have breakfast and lunch.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 68

    Chapter 68: Being Tracked


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu liked to be able to feel the hunger sensation which made him feel the smell of fire and smoke. He also recalled the time when he was still in the Immortal World as he usually didn¡¯t need to eat, and only ate exotic rare fruits whenever he wanted to eat.


    Seven emotions and six sensory pleasures, as well as delicious delicacies and exquisite beverages¡­ [1]


    The taste and smell of the profane and mundane life made him somewhat enchanted. The thing he particularly cherished was that his mother was still here, and he had the opportunity to make up for the regrets he had for 10 millennia.


    After a short while¡­


    Tang Xiu left the villa as he wandered along the trail of flowers under the trees¡¯ shadows whilst enjoying the birdsongs, the fragrance of flowers, as well as the tranquil and peaceful atmosphere in the surroundings. South Gate Town was indeed worthy to be called the best luxury villa district in Star City. Every time he met the security guards, they stopped to salute, showing respect to him along the way.


    ¡°Money and wealth truly makes the world go round.¡±


    Tang Xiu secretly savored this saying. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that it was true. The society he was living in today was entirely different from the Immortal World. The strong and powerful might be revered and respected in the Immortal World, but on Earth, the haves and the wealthy were people that gained respect.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Tang.¡±


    The tall and beautiful Real Estate Manager, Long Xueyao happened to pass by as she greeted Tang Xiu while smiling.


    Tang Xiu also smiled and nodded. When he had just walked for a few steps, he suddenly remembered about the villa¡¯s cleaning and maintenance problem. He immediately stopped and called Long Xueyao, ¡°Manager Long, I have something to ask you.¡±


    Long Xueyao smiled and replied, ¡°Mr. Tang, please do say.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Manger Long, does the South Gate Town Real Estate Management Office also give cleaning and maintenance service? I would like someone to come and clean.¡±


    Long Xueyao said, ¡°We indeed have a cleaning and maintenance service. But for that, we charge for additional fees. However, I¡¯d suggest Mr. Tang to hire a few butlers or housemaids, since your villa has a lot of precious items. Although the Real Estate Management Office also has cleaning staffs, however, it¡¯s best to avoid any accidents later.¡±


    Tang Xiu replied, ¡°Hiring housemaids or butlers would have to wait. For now, please ask someone to clean up my villa. As for the payment, I¡¯ll give it to you now.¡±


    Having finished speaking, Tang Xiu took a stack of hundreds yuan paper money from his bag and directly handed it to Long Xueyao.


    Long Xueyao looked at Tang Xiu with a strange expression. She had never thought that Tang Xiu would carry so much cash. She could tell that this stack of paper money would amount to 10,000 yuan. Moreover, a moment ago, when Tang Xiu took the money from his bag, she could see a lot of stacked 100 yuan paper money.


    _¡°He¡¯s a strange person!¡±_ Long Xueyao secretly whispered in her heart.


    Nowadays, even though one were rich, only a few people would carry so much cash. The age had changed as the ¡°Credit Card¡± in business had flourished and became popular amongst the people in the whole country.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, you don¡¯t need to give me the money now. Each month¡¯s charging fee is calculated and collected by the management office. By that time, a detailed and total expense report would be sent to you.¡±


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment and then nodded, ¡°Alright, then please send cleaning staff every 2 or 3 days. Anyways, I have something to do first, so I have to go. Bye.¡±


    ¡°Take care, Mr. Tang!¡±


    Long Xueyao quietly watched Tang Xiu¡¯s back as a thoughtful expression filled her eyes. She was very curious about Tang Xiu, because the villa he was living in was the most expensive villa in South Gate Town. It was preserved for her cousin, Long Zhengyu. The interior design and decorations were specifically arranged by a specialist hired by her cousin. All the materials used for the building were the finest. But why would her cousin give the villa to this young man?


    At South Gate Town¡­


    Because the district was very large, it was quite a long time for Tang Xiu to go out of it. There was a bustling commercial street near South Gate Town with rows of upscale shops selling luxurious goods.


    When Tang Xiu had just entered this commercial street, traces of food flavors floated in the air. He then walked forward and looked around as his eyes quickly fell onto a plaque decoration on top of an interesting and appealing restaurant that was being renovated. The plaque was carved with the ¡°Immortal Drinking Place¡± words in a bold and cursive calligraphy style, giving off a bold and powerful look.


    Tang Xiu entered the shop and then sat on the table near the window. He casually ordered 2 vegetable dishes and a staple food when the waiter gave him the menu. He then calmly waited.


    ¡°Humph¡­¡­¡±


    As Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes saw through the windows, he keenly caught a few youths stealthily moving on the distant road junction. After he left South Gate Town, he had already been aware and had an intense feeling that some eyes were staring at him. However, as to avoid alerting and letting those people figure it out, he didn¡¯t look around, and instead came to this restaurant and only observed them secretly.


    He was somewhat worried that there were a few criminals that had slipped by amongst the criminals he had killed. He was not afraid of being retaliated against. However, it was very easy to guard against any attack in the open, but it would be hard to guard against hidden attacks from the dark. Much more, he was more afraid that the remaining surviving criminals would retaliate through his mother, just like they were retaliating against Yuan Chuling by kidnapping his mother.


    At the street¡¯s intersection¡­


    Scarface Lee was leaning in the corner whilst smoking a cigarette and observing the ¡°Immortal Drinking Place¡± where Tang Xiu was in. Half an hour ago, he rushed over toward South Gate Town, because he had received the money from a client to deal with someone. He didn¡¯t know how many times he had done this.


    ¡°Big Brother, why didn¡¯t we just act a moment ago? Looking at that brat¡¯s looks, I can quickly fuck him up.¡± A youth with bleached blonde hair asked with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°Right! We had the opportunity to clean that kid up when he just left South Gate Town, why didn¡¯t we hit him?¡± The other sturdy young man asked.


    Scarface Li sneered coldly, ¡°You two are too impatient. It¡¯s better to be very careful in our line of work. This time, young Gu has contacted me, but he also told me that this kid¡¯s background is not simple. So we shouldn¡¯t be careless and fail miserably.¡±


    The bleached blonde hair youth was unconcerned as he spoke, ¡°Big Brother, Young Gu only asked us to break his 2 legs. Let¡¯s just swarm over and directly discard him. And then immediately rush and leave. Star City is big, even though he got beaten by us, he probably won¡¯t know who beat him!¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up!¡±


    Scarface Li ruthlessly slapped the bleached blonde youth as he spoke then spoke with a grim and stern expression, ¡°Do fucking remember!! Your carelessness will throw us into a deep pit. You¡¯ve only been following me in this line of work for a few years. I¡¯ve told you that we must be able to stand on the riverside without even wetting our shoes. I thought you already fucking knew about this. I don¡¯t want all our brothers to get implicated because of your fucking carelessness. Big Tiger, ask Little Cockroach where they are!!¡±


    The sturdy youth was shocked and scared when he saw that Scarface Li was angry. He hastily relayed his instruction through the call. Shortly after, he hung up the phone and then reported, ¡°Big Brother, Little Cockroach and the others will immediately rush here.¡±


    Scarface Lee nodded and said, ¡°Wait until Little Cockroach and the others have arrived, and then we¡¯ll find the right time to act. With more than 10 people hitting that kid, even if that kid had 3 heads and 6 arms, he will never escape his fate of having his legs broken.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh!¡±


    The sturdy youth repeatedly nodded.


    On the 3-storied building rooftop nearby, Gu Yuetao was holding a binocular as he stood on the building¡¯s edge. A middle-aged man with glasses and holding a briefcase was standing at his side.


    ¡°Young Master Gu, we have yet to investigate that kid¡¯s background. Wouldn¡¯t it be too rash if we hit him like this? He lives in South Gate Town, and I have always had the feeling that he not only he has arelationship with Long Zhengyu, but he perhaps comes from a special place.¡± The middle-aged man spoke his hesitation.


    Gu Yuetao sneered, ¡°He Gang, how come we haven¡¯t clearly investigated that bastard kid¡¯s background? If it weren¡¯t for his good gambling skills, Long Zhengyu wouldn¡¯t have given him that house! If you ask me about his family¡¯s background, he comes from a rural village, and he¡¯s only a high schooler at Star City First High School. Hitting him won¡¯t cause anything. Much less Scarface Li, who is someone who will stick to the rules. Even if he failed, it¡¯s highly unlikely that he will sell me out.¡±


    He Gang was silent for a moment and eventually nodded silently.


    He also thought that he was overly cautious. He knew clearly about Gu Yuetao¡¯s background. His father is the city¡¯s party¡¯s first secretary, while his mother was a family company executive with assets worth more than 100 million yuan. He was just Gu Yuetao¡¯s mother¡¯s secretary.


    Inside the Immortal Drinking Place restaurant¡­


    Tang Xiu was sitting alone on the table near the window. He calmly savored the meal. To him, this meal¡¯s flavor was bland and very ordinary. He had tasted every exotic delicacy and drank exquisite wines in the Immortal World. It was clearly impossible to compare them at the same level. Not to mention that he was also a chef, but a Master level one who had reached the pinnacle in gourmet and brewing skills.


    ¡°Ring ring ring¡­¡±


    His cell phone loudly rang¡­


    Tang Xiu took his cell phone and looked at the caller¡¯s ID. He then pressed the answer button and spoke lightly, ¡°Tang Xiu speaking, who¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°Master Tang, I¡¯m Gong Dalong, Jia Ruidao¡¯s first disciple. Could you please spare some time for us to meet? I have already arrived in Star City right now.¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with an angry tone, ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you that I have no time?¡±


    After having said that, he directly hung up the phone.


    Tang Xiu had never liked the kinds of professional gamblers like Jia Ruidao. He did admit that Jia Ruidao indeed had amazing gambling techniques. However, there was always other people under the heavens that would be better than him, just like there was always a higher mountain over the other ones. If one day Jia Ruidao ran into someone who was more powerful than him, his fate would be very miserable.


    Furthermore¡­ Once a gambler had lost his reasons, he would definitely fall into grave problems. Once reason was lost, only recklessness and desperateness remained. In less severe cases, only family fortunes would be lost. But in more severe cases, it would invite calamities to thier family members as well as make their lives miserable.


    _¡°All gamblers are a group of fucking retarded people with insatiable greed. They are just like snakes that are never satisfied after swallowing an elephant. And greed is one of the biggest original sins of all.¡±_


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but curse in his heart as he lost the appetite for eating his meal.


    ¡°Ring ring ring¡­¡±


    The number which just called a moment ago was calling again persistently.


    Coldness flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. After a few seconds of silence, he put his chopsticks down and pressed the answer button again. He then spoke in a chilling tone, ¡°I have already told you that I hate gambling! Much less that my friendship with Jia Ruidao is world¡¯s apart to the point it would be unlikely that I would stake my neck for him. I give you one last warning. If you dare to harass me again, you¡¯ll bear the consequences of my wrath!¡±


    ¡°Master Tang, I understand your meaning. But could you please let me finish my words? My Master is old, and he also has planned to quit from the gambling scene. However, my youngest brother had provoked trouble, and he is Master¡¯s son. Thus, Master had no choice but to gamble again. I¡¯m perfectly aware that your friendship with my Master has yet to reach the point that you would help him. But, I still sincerely ask for you to help him.


    ¡°If Master Tang is willing to help, I will sincerely offer all of my assets to you. The amount is perhaps not much, only tens of millions of yuan. But you can count on us to owe you a huge favor from this one time help. If later Master Tang needs our assistance, even if we are at the ends of the earth, we will immediately rush over at once.¡±


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    [1] The raws said five crops (millet, soybean, grain, sesame, rice) and the crops aside grain and wheat, but it doesn¡¯t quite fit for the flow, so I changed it to delicacies and beverages.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 69

    Chapter 69: (Spoiler; Title At the End)


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu quietly listened to Gong Dalong¡¯s words. The chilling coldness in his eyes then gradually dissipated. From his tone, he could tell and feel Gong Dalong¡¯s sincere feelings, as well as his care toward his Master, Jia Ruidao.


    Wealth?!


    He didn¡¯t have much concern about wealth. Its use was only to support resources for cultivation. Let alone tens of millions in asset, even if the amount were more than that, it was not impossible for him to obtain it once he set his mind to it.


    But it was filial piety!


    What he cared about was Gong Dalong¡¯s filial piety!


    The proverbs had said, that of myriads of things, filial piety was the most important.


    The ultimate bottom line of each person was this filial piety. This was the cornerstone of morality and virtue. This kind of character Gong Dalong had, was the true virtue that had always been held up high by Tang Xiu. He couldn¡¯t take back his vow before, and he valued Gong Dalong in regards to this pledge.


    ¡°Fine, where are you now?¡±


    ¡°Star City Airport!¡±


    Tang Xiu spoke, ¡°I¡¯m going to Star City Medicinal Herbs Market now. I¡¯ll be waiting for you, call me again later.¡±


    The call ended.


    Tang Xiu then received Long Zhenglin¡¯s call. He was very excited when talking on the phone. He seemed to know Tang Xiu¡¯s actions today. When he knew that Tang Xiu was having a meal in Immortal Drinking Place, he then hurriedly hung up the phone to rush over to meet Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu quickly finished his meal and then paid the bill before he left the Immortal Drinking Place restaurant. He originally intended to have a meal first, catch a cab and go straight to Star City Medicinal Herbs Market. However, these people who were stalked him were just like a fishbone stuck in his throat. He wouldn¡¯t feel at ease if he didn¡¯t solve this problem first.


    Tang Xiu quickly identified the direction and then walked toward a remote place whilst using his spiritual sense to check on those people who were tracking him from behind. When he just entered the Immortal Drinking Place restaurant, he only saw 3 people tracking him. But now the number suddenly had increased to 14 people.


    However, the thing that gave him a little peace of mind was that those who tracked him walked slovenly, and their footsteps were unstable. If they were just like those powerful wanted murderers, he would probably have to fully exert his strength and be careful. However, dealing with street bullies like them was very easy for him.


    10 minutes later.


    Tang Xiu turned into a remote alley where people rarely passed by. Compared to the bustling commercial street from before, this place was less noisy and more quite.


    Behind him, Scarface Li looked very happy. He didn¡¯t expect that Tang Xiu wouldn¡¯t return to South Gate Town and would come to this place after finishing his meal. This was simply an opportunity sent by the heavens!


    ¡°Chase him!¡±


    Along with Scarface Li¡¯s order, a dozen youths scattered around him rushed forward, toward Tang Xiu. A few of them circled around to block Tang Xiu¡¯s escape route and trapped him in between them.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Tang Xiu was surrounded. But his expression was cold and chilling.


    Scarface Lee¡¯s eyes squinted. He didn¡¯t send out an order to attack Tang Xiu yet and instead sized up him first. He couldn¡¯t help but secretly think; because the previous ganging up and beating people he had done, his target would always show an anxious and fearful expression. However, the delicate youth in front him right now was abnormally calm, and even didn¡¯t look to fear them.


    _¡°It seems that this little guy is not simple, it¡¯s not surprising that he could become Gu Yuetao¡¯s enemy.¡±_


    Scarface Li turned his head and looked around to his gang, as he then spoke in a deep tone, ¡°Catch him! If he doesn¡¯t resist, just break his legs only.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    A fiendish grin emerged on these young bullies¡¯ faces as they swarmed straight toward Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes were blazing as he acted as though lightning. The two youth bullies in front of him were sent flying upside down after he punched them with his fists. The moment he turned around, he kicked another youth bully, also sending him flying, as his body hit his other companions behind him and fell together to the ground.


    ¡°Bang! Bang! ¡­¡±


    13 young bullies joined to gang up, and it only took half a minute for Tang Xiu to clean them up. To Tang Xiu, these youth thugs were simply just like embroidered pillow. However, since he had yet to know their identity and the people behind them, he didn¡¯t want to kill them.


    He wasn¡¯t afraid to kill, but neither would he want to add unnecessary trouble for himself.


    Moreover, he could faintly guess the culprit who paid these bullies to attack him. However, he needed to confirm his suspicion.


    Scarface Li¡¯s body was stiff frozen on his spot; it was even difficult for him to lift his hand to rub his eyes, affirming that the scene he was seeing was not an illusion.


    It was 13 gang members!


    How could his 13 gang members be so easy to hit and be thrown to the ground? Although they neither had undergone special training nor had basic martial arts skills, but still, they have been following him in countless fights and had rich fighting experience!


    How could this be?


    How could this bastard Tang Xiu be this powerful?


    Scarface Li¡¯s subconsciously stepped backward a few steps, as he stared stiffly at Tang Xiu with a terrified expression in his yes. He also practiced martial arts. He would be able to play with 3 or 4 people, although he would also have to put quite an effort into it. But 13 people? He would have been beaten in minutes.


    A Master!


    This Tang Xiu was absolutely an expert amongst master experts. He had never run into such a powerful master!


    On the 3-storied building¡¯s rooftop nearby, Gu Yuetao and He Gang had changed their position as they were also able to see the remote alley clearly. They were standing on the rooftop¡¯s edge and looking through the binocular, they were looking dumbfoundedly at the scene where Tang Xiu beat 13 youth bullies upside down.


    ¡°H-h-he¡­ Is he possessed by the God of War? H-How could someone be so powerful? A person¡­ fighting 13 experienced fighters. Those people are gangsters, they are protection money collectors, hired thugs. How could they be hit so miserably?¡± Gu Yuetao exclaimed out loud.


    He Gang¡¯s mouth severely twitched a few times and secretly suppressed the fear in his heart. He then spoke in a bitter tone, ¡°Even if he is not possessed by the God of War, but it¡¯s not much different. He¡¯s too frightening! He even hit 13 people down. Is he still human?¡±


    Gu Yuetao¡¯s complexion was somewhat pale. He had sent someone to investigate Tang Xiu. He knew that Tang Xiu came from an ordinary family, had a car accident, and turned from a genius student into an idiot. Although recently there were signs that he seemed to have recovered¡­ but it was nothing to worry about. Moreover, apart from his amazing gambling skills that made Long Zhengyu treat him favorably, he seemed to have no other abilities.


    But¡­But how could it happen this way?


    ¡°Young Master Gu, what should we do now?¡± He Gang strongly suppressed the fear in his heart as he asked in a whisper.


    A pale color covered Gu Yuetao¡¯s face. A dozen seconds after, he fiercely gnashed his teeth and replied, ¡°Even if he can fight, how far could he play? He can beat down 13 thugs, but can he face and beat 13 expert martial artists? Humph¡­¡±


    He Gang was surprised, ¡°Young Master Gu, you mean to find¡­¡±


    Gu Yuetao sneered, ¡°Right, those Golden Phoenix Security Company¡¯s chaps are usually very idle. Perhaps Lu Fuzhong would be very happy to get extra income!¡±


    He Gang hesitated, ¡°Young Master Gu, but if you want to hire these Golden Phoenix Security people, I¡¯m afraid the expense will be very huge. If General Manager knows about this¡­¡±


    Gu Yuetao replied in a grim tone, ¡°I won¡¯t use the money from the company. I¡¯ll pay for it myself.¡±


    Even though his tone was powerful, but his heart was actually bleeding. He didn¡¯t know how much he should pay to invite those chaps from Golden Phoenix Security Company¡­ But he wanted to wipe out his shame and make Tang Xiu pay the price, so he had secretly made up his mind to sell his Porsche sports car.


    At the remote alley¡­


    Tang Xiu looked at the Scarface Li with a cold expression. He flipped his wrist, and skillfully and silently took out a Mitsubishi army knife, which he had taken after he solved those wanted criminals.


    ¡°This really fouled my mood. If people didn¡¯t sell, I also will never buy it. But if a bastard like you wants to fuck me up, then I¡¯ll fuck you up double. You bastards want to break my legs, huh? Then how about I break all 4 of your limbs? But, I don¡¯t want much trouble, if you tell me the fucking bastard who hired you, I give you my word that you won¡¯t have to live the rest of your life in a fucking wheelchair!¡± Tang Xiu spoke in a moderate pace, but the content was as though thunder blasted Scarface Li¡¯s heart.


    Spending the rest of his life¡­ on a wheelchair?


    What was he most afraid of? Definitely being disabled and spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair. He had done a lot of evil deeds and offended a lot of people these years. Those people hated him but didn¡¯t dare to retaliate, because he was a quite formidable martial artist, coupled with having subordinate gang members under his command. But if his limbs were gone, those brothers of his would be just like rats leaving a sinking ship. By that time, countless people would come to find him and take their revenge.


    When the tree had downed, the monkeys would scatter. If the wall collapsed, he would be cut by everyone.


    Scarface Li was perfectly aware that if such a time came to him, he would probably die.


    With such thoughts in his heart, he clenched his teeth and replied, ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Tang Xiu lightly said, ¡°Certainly¡±


    Scarface Li spoke in a low tone, ¡°Gu Yuetao.¡±


    It¡¯s really him!


    Tang Xiu secretly sighed in his heart. He also had observed Gu Yuetao¡¯s facial features. From the simple exchanges when he met him, he also had figured out that that youth was narrow-minded, and always took revenge over simple grudges. Tang Xiu knew that he didn¡¯t offend him, and was only unwilling to respond to him. But it turned out that he was bearing a grudge over it.


    ¡°Waste your arm and get the fuck out!¡±


    A chilling sensation gushed from Scarface Li¡¯s heart. He looked at the Mitsubishi army knife in Tang Xiu¡¯s hand before he quietly pulled out a dagger from his waist. He then stabbed his left arm without hesitation.


    ¡°Puff¡­¡­¡±


    Bloods splattered when the dagger was pulled out.


    At this moment, Long Zhenglin¡¯s figure appeared at the alley¡¯s entrance. When he saw the scene in the alley, his complexion greatly changed as he dashed and sprinted very fast for hundreds of meters.


    ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, what happened?¡±


    Tang Xiu lightly replied, ¡°Just some fucking clowns. They are thugs hired by somebody to break my legs. But I have cleaned them up.¡±


    Long Zhenglin looked at the youth thugs who were howling their painful cries everywhere. His eyes turned saucer as he exclaimed out loud in surprise, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, t-these bastards¡­ D-did you beat them up yourself?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded.


    Long Zhenglin used his hand to rub his shiny big bald head as he shouted in admiration, with a disbelieving expression, ¡°AWESOME!!! IT¡±S SO FUCKING AWESOME!!! You are really fucking worthy to be this Long Zhenglin¡¯s Eldest Brother!! THIS IS SIMPLY FUCKING AWESOME! 10¡­ 13! No, no, no, also that bastard Scarface Li! You unexpectedly fucking cleaned them up! Man¡­ I really have to worship you till I die!¡±


    ¡°Get lost will you¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh as he let out a ridiculing swear.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 70

    Chapter 70: Relationship


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Long Zhenglin let out a mischievous laugh as he then turned around and looked at Scarface Li. His complexion turned cold as he roared, ¡°Fucking Scarface Li, it seems that you¡¯re tired of living, eh? You even fucking dare to hit my Eldest Brother! Kneel down and kowtow to my Eldest Brother and apologize!!!¡±


    Scarface Lee¡¯s heart was as though fallen into an icy cave when Long Zhenglin came. Since Long Zhenglin recognized him, he naturally also knew him. He was also aware of Long Zhenglin¡¯s identity as well as his power. He scowled miserably as a stream of curses toward Gu Yuetao flowed in his heart, for pushing him into a deep pit. With a flattering expression, he replied, ¡°Young Master Long, I really didn¡¯t know that Eldest Brother Tang was your Eldest Brother! If¡­ if I had known about it earlier, even if I borrow any courage, never will I dare to provoke Eldest Brother Tang! It¡¯s that Gu Yuetao bastard who pushed us to the pit like this!¡±


    Long Zhenglin snapped angrily, ¡°Gu Yuetao? This fucking-damned-motherfucker-cunt is really crooked. Humph¡­ This Big Daddy will tidy him up later. But you better fucking not think that you¡¯ll get out of this easily! Kneel down and apologize to my Eldest Brother!!!¡±


    ¡°Let it be!¡±


    Tang Xiu stopped Long Zhenglin. He looked at Scarface Li and spoke in a desolate tone, ¡°Take your gang and get lost! Do remember my words, evil people will be done in by evil people. And this Tang Xiu has never been a good person to begin with. I will no longer prolong this matter with you since this is your first time provoking me. But if you dare to do any wicked deeds again, just be very careful in your acts, else I¡¯ll completely destroy all of you. Get lost now!¡±


    Whilst enduring the pain, Scarface Li nodded again and again, ¡°Yes yes yes! I¡¯ll be sure to remember. Even if I were to be given 100 points of courage, never will I dare to offend you anymore!¡±


    Shortly after¡­


    Tang Xiu gazed toward Scarface Li¡¯s gang as they left with distressed conditions. He then glanced at Long Zhenglin. When they were walking toward the commercial street, he asked, ¡°Anyways, what are you looking me for? You¡¯re unlikely to have come only to flatter me, right?¡±


    A trace of embarrassment could be seen on Long Zhenglin¡¯s face as his intention was exposed. His eager and helpless expression hung onto his face. He knew from his older brother Long Zhengyu about Tang Xiu¡¯s amazing and graceful style and bearing. He also learned from his father about how Tang Xiu treated Chen Zhizhong with an extreme and savage method. Those made his impression toward him skyrocket to the extreme peak.


    How could he not know who Chen Zhizhong was? He was the big boss of Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical with several billion in asset, a famous man with a high social status as well as a rich and powerful person. Such a big shot that stood on a high mountain even knelt and begged Tang Xiu to be his disciple. Long Zhenglin felt that such a peerless skill and unique, graceful bearing Tang Xiu had, had come to the point that it went against the heavens.


    ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, how come I can¡¯t pay tribute and worship your peerless grace, eh?¡± Long Zhenglin wryly smiled as he probed and thickened his face.


    Tang Xiu snappily cursed, ¡°Beat it will you! Your brain is full of useless things. Anyway, I¡¯m going to the Star City Medicinal Herbs Market, so I have no time to tag along with you. You go and do your things!¡±


    ¡°Eh, You¡¯re going to the Medicinal Herbs Market?¡± Long Zhenglin was surprised, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, what do you wanna do there? Do you want to buy Chinese herbal medicine? You could have directly told Chen Zhizhong if you need them. Besides, he truly couldn¡¯t wait to cling onto you and become your disciple!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression turned gloomy as he replied with a solemn expression, ¡°I have always solved my problems on my own and I won¡¯t let myself trouble others if I can. The most difficult thing to deal with in life is to have a debt of gratitude toward others. Do you get it?¡±


    Long Zhenglin gasped as he then nodded and replied, ¡°What you say is true. For people who have a heavy sense of righteousness, they are bound by their words and promises. And a debt of gratitude is truly the most difficult of all! Okay then, I¡¯ll drive you over there, okay?!¡±


    ¡°Eh, do you have a car?¡±


    A trace of surprise emerged on Tang Xiu¡¯s face, but then he realized. Judging from Long Zhenglin¡¯s background, how could he possibly not have a car? His car might be a luxurious one.


    ¡°Of course, I have one fine damn car. Do you know how many hot chicks have wept because they want me to give them a free ride? But this young master, of course, has never looked them in the eye.¡± Long Zhenglin replied proudly.


    As expected!


    These second generation nouveau-riche were truly spoiled too much! They were simply clueless, and never understood the meaning of ¡°hard-work and humbleness¡±. They were too drunk in indulging themselves in a life of luxury, squandering money like dirt, driving luxurious sport cars and throttling the gas pedal down; they forgot and were unable to realize that a lot of people were only able to get a half bowl of hot meal.


    Tang Xiu walked along Long Zhenglin toward a Lamborghini sports car. Glancing at it a few times, he secretly shook his head. To such a big boy like Long Zhenglin, he couldn¡¯t be turned sullen of having such a sports car like this, could he?


    As the saying goes, everyone gets what they have paid for.


    A fine car was a fine car. After Tang Xiu sat in, he was able to feel a kind of cozy and comfortable feeling. Giving a few glances over the interior d¨¦cor, he then spoke, ¡°This stuff does really lives up to technology, especially seeing such exceptional technology that resembles your taste. Ordinary people would at least have to struggle for decades to have this¡­ ah no¡­ it should be for a lifetime. Hey, how much is your car worth? Shouldn¡¯t it be a few million? A lot of people earn less than a few million in their entire life.¡±


    Long Zhenglin smiled with an embarrassed expression and said, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, never once have I ever thought that not only are your kung fu and medicine skills good, but you also have such a strong sense of humor! Man, the longer I know you, the more I realize that you¡¯re really a deep and far-sighted person. Looking at you is just like looking at Mt. Taishan¡¯s peak, really!¡±


    ¡°You bootlicker!¡±


    Tang Xiu mocked and laughed.


    Dragon Bay Resort.


    Inside the classical-designed villa, Long Hanwen was holding a stack of documents as he read over it quietly. Steam was curling up from a teacup on the coffee table in front of him as faint tea fragrance lingered along, following the steam.


    ¡°Brother Chen, take a look at investigation¡¯s results.¡±


    A dignified expression was cast on Long Hanwen¡¯s face as his eyes read the last line of information on the document. He then handed it to Chen Zhizhong at his side.


    Chen Zhizhong silently received and read it. After having read it, his complexion was also unusually solemn. The documents were the investigation results regarding Tang Xiu, and particularly highlighted in the police investigation about his situation.


    ¡°There was a case at Star City First High School a few days ago. Tang Xiu indeed acted and killed the wanted criminal that was about to kidnap and take a student hostage. Furthermore, the criminal was an A-level fugitive and was a member of a group of human organ traffickers, who were then found killed at the abandoned auto-repair garage on Deep Red Cloud Road in the Peaceful Serene District. Each and everyone of them were also A-level wanted criminals. Since then Tang Xiu was being investigated by the police because he strangely disappeared in the last few days, I gave a false testimony for him. I think the one who killed those 5 wanted criminals was also him.¡± With a complex expression, Chen Zhizhong spoke.


    Long Hanwen nodded, ¡°This shouldn¡¯t be wrong. At first, I thought that Tang Xiu was only a good, ordinary youngster. But now, it turns out that he¡¯s not as simple as he seems on the surface! 5 A-level wanted criminals, with each and everyone of them being ruthless, and their hands having been drenched with blood. But all of them were completely killed by him. Adding the criminal he had killed at school, 6 people had died by his hands.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong then replied with a solemn expression, ¡°An extraordinary person, with extraordinary conducts and thoughts. For martial artists, in the strictest view, this could be seen that even the police was unable to do anything against those human organs traffickers¡¯ abomination. But Tang Xiu didn¡¯t even make a mistake in getting rid of them. This¡­ this is a Master¡­ I must firmly set onto.¡±


    Long Hanwen confused, ¡°Eh, are you really sure that Tang Xiu¡¯s strength is stronger than yours?¡±


    Chen Zhizhong replied with a resolute and decisive tone, ¡°Absolutely! He¡¯s absolutely better than me. Aren¡¯t we looking at the living examples right now? If it were me, it would be absolutely impossible to rescue Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s ex-wife without getting injured. But he was also able to get out unscathed after killing so many wanted criminals!¡±


    Long Hanwen said, ¡°So you say. Anyways, I just recalled the information on the record. Tang Xiu actually saved Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s ex-wife. It seems that Yuan Zhengxuan owed him a favor and a huge one at that. Tsk, tsk¡­ who would have ever thought that 2 business society¡¯s big shots owe a huge favor toward a high-schooler. And right now, I don¡¯t even dare to imagine what frightening extent his achievements will be at in the future.¡±


    A trace of a happy smile emerged on Chen Zhizhong¡¯s face, ¡°A chance to encounter a dragon would even change the weather. And how a Master that this Chen Zhizhong set my eyes onto would be mediocre?!!¡±


    Long Hanwen let out a loud laughter before he spoke with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s right. However, I just recalled that we only have an ordinary friendship with Yuan Zhengxuan, and our business cooperation also is almost nil. Since he has a relationship with Tang Xiu, we also need to be close to him, yes?!¡±


    Chen Zhizhong couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°You¡¯re an old fox!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha ¡­¡±


    When the two of them burst into loud laughter, Long Hanwen received an SMS. After reading it, he then looked at Chen Zhizhong with a strange expression and said, ¡°Little Lin sent me a text, he says that Tang Xiu is going to the Start City Medicinal Herbs Market now.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong abruptly got up and spoke without even thinking, ¡°I¡¯ll also go there at once.¡±


    Long Hanwen quickly pulled him back and said, ¡°Hey, hey. If you directly go like this, Tang Xiu will definitely know that Little Lin has secretly informed us. I think that if you go there after you¡¯ve found him, you must pretend that you met him by chance. Tell him that since your injuries have just been cured, you were going there to buy medicinal tonic and food supplements. I think this reason would be good.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right!¡±


    Chen Zhizhong patted his head whilst grinning and mocked himself.


    Star City Golden Emperor Villa District.


    Yuan Chuling was sitting on an upscale western-style sofa as he watched dumbfoundedly at his father, Yuan Zhengxuan, who cuddled his mother, Zhao Jing¡¯s pregnant belly. A deep and confused expression could be seen on his face. He clearly remembered that his parents had divorced and even had been living separately. But now¡­


    After a long while¡­


    Yuan Zhengxuan spoke to Zhao Jing and comforted, ¡°Now, I¡¯ll call the cops and ask about the situation at that abandoned auto-repair garage. I hope¡­ I hope that your savior is safe and sound.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Zhao Jing no longer wore her strong career woman appearance as she was previously, and obediently nodded.


    Whilst looking at his father grabbing his cell phone, with a question in his heart, Yuan Chuling approached his mother and sat at her side as he asked in a whisper, ¡°Mom, are you and Dad not¡­¡±


    Zhao Jing glanced at her husband¡¯s back and whispered back, ¡°Little Ling, please don¡¯t blame us for not telling you. In fact, our divorce was fake. There were some troubles, and we couldn¡¯t tell you about it yet. Please wait for a few years after you graduated from university, and you can live on your own and survive in the society. We will tell you the whole truth by then. For now, don¡¯t ask about it and just study well.¡±


    Yuan Chuling stunned, he never dreamed that his mother would give him such an answer.


    The divorce was fake?


    This meant¡­ that it was him who misunderstood his parents?


    Suddenly, Yuan Chuling felt that he was way insensible and stupid. Recalling how he had abandoned himself and fell into despair, an intense remorse gushed out from inside his heart. Had it not been because for his Eldest Brother Tang Xiu, he would have still been in a deep pit, unable to move on from his self-abandonment.


    A few minutes later, Yuan Zhengxuan hung up the phone as he looked at Zhao Jing and Yuan Chuling in front of him with a strange expression, ¡°Wife, on the phone before, you¡¯ve said that your savior is a young man? Do you know his name?¡±


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 71

    Chapter 71: The Longstanding Enemy


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Zhao Jing shook her head and said, ¡°The situation was critical at that time, so I didn¡¯t have the time to ask. He also didn¡¯t want to speak anymore. Honey, has something happened to my savior?¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan replied, ¡°There¡¯s nothing with your savior, instead¡­ those kidnappers of yours, they¡­¡±


    Upon hearing that there was nothing happened to her savior, Zhao Jing was relieved as she curiously asked, ¡°What happened to those kidnappers? The way I see it, he killed the kidnapper who was going to humiliate me. Honey, could the police hold him accountable for it? If so, we mustn¡¯t stand by.¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan wryly smiled, ¡°How will the police pursue your savior? They are clueless and got a headache about the one who killed those kidnappers! Those five kidnappers were all killed! And the youth who saved you has disappeared without a trace. Wife, you don¡¯t know his name, but you should be recognized his appearance, right?¡±


    ¡°His looks¡­¡± Zhao Jing described the appearance that she deeply remembered.


    The more Zhao Jing described him, the stranger Yuan Chuling¡¯s expression was, as he quietly listened to her. The moment his mother finished speaking, he couldn¡¯t help exclaiming, ¡°It¡¯s my Eldest Brother! That youth must be my Eldest Brother, Tang Xiu!¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan frowned and reproached, ¡°Little Ling, don¡¯t be ridiculous!¡±


    Yuan Chuling replied with a serious expression, ¡°Dad, I didn¡¯t lie. If Mum¡¯s description about her savior is true, then that person should be my Eldest Brother Tang Xiu. The kidnappers¡¯ gang who attempted to kidnap my classmate at school that day, he was the one who killed him and rescued my classmate.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Yuan Zhengxuan also knew the event a few days ago at the Star City First High School. But never once would he have imagined that his wife¡¯s savior¡¯s identity would be his son¡¯s classmate.


    ¡°Little Ling, about your classmate, since your Mum knows her savior¡¯s looks, if you have time, invite your classmate to our home and let your Mum recognize him.¡° Yuan Zhengxuan thought a moment and said.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Yuan Chuling nodded.


    The Star City Medicinal Herbs Market was huge and had various kinds of medicinal herbs, of which, were shipped from the all over the country, either for local sales or being transported to other cities.


    Su Shangwen¡¯s life was rough recently. Especially after his 40-year-old birthday party, a lot of his friends were alienating him. Each time he recalled the event and Tang Xiu¡¯s face, he couldn¡¯t help but clench his teeth.


    Yesterday he had business talks and was now waiting for a formal contract signing. Today specifically, he ran to the medicinal market along with his wife to buy ginseng, caterpillar fungus, and other medicinal herbs to boil a good pot of duck soup to celebrate it.


    ¡°Honey, why do we have to buy these medicinal herbs by ourselves? This Medicinal Market is a mess! We could have ordered anyone to buy them.¡± Looking at the noisy market, Zhang Meiyun wiped the sweat off her nose and mouth with her fingers with a dejected expression.


    Su Shangwen looked around as he shook his head and said, ¡°No, I can¡¯t trust anyone to buy these medicinal herbs. You don¡¯t know about medicinal herbs. There are cultivated and wild herbs, and cultivated herbs don¡¯t have much effect, only the wild ones do.¡±


    ¡°Haih, even the doorway is crowded.¡± Zhang Meiyun replied with a helpless tone.


    Suddenly, Zhang Meiyun¡¯s eyes squinted as she promptly raised her arm and spoke, ¡°Hubby, do you see that person? Doesn¡¯t he look like that little bastard Tang Xiu?¡±


    Su Shangwen looked toward the direction his wife¡¯s finger pointed. An angry expression suddenly surfaced on his face as he strode fast the same time and spoke, ¡°He doesn¡¯t look like him, he simply is that damn little bastard! Our business wouldn¡¯t have been so miserable these days if it were not for him, even my old friends are avoiding me as though I¡¯m a plague. Let¡¯s go, I¡¯m gonna fuck him up.¡±


    Su Shangwen¡¯s subordinate paid a number of small thugs a while ago to teach Tang Xiu a lesson the hard way. And the result? Not only were those damn small thugs unable to severely pack him up, but instead helped Su Lingyun in taking care of her restaurant business, resulting in a thriving and booming business.


    ¡°Tang Xiu!! You¡¯re really a rotten useless bastard! You even skipped classes to play around here? Your mother painstakingly makes money for your study, only to have you ditch school? Are you really a fucking idiot and have no feelings?¡± Toxic profanity came out from Su Shangwen¡¯s mouth.


    Tang Xiu frowned as a look of loathing emerged from his eyes. He had never thought that he would run into this Su Shangwen couple. He knew clearly about them. If it were not because he did not want to make his mother sad, he could have dealt with this Su Shangwen couple a long time ago.


    ¡°Huh? Who the hell are you? Mind your own business!!!¡±


    Tang Xiu glanced at Su Shangwen with a cold and detached expression as he snorted at him coldly.


    Su Shangwen¡¯s rage sparked as he had the urge to drag this bastard nephew of his. He rolled his sleeves and shouted angrily, ¡°Tang Xiu, bastard! You asked me who I am? I AM YOUR UNCLE! You say that I cannot discipline you as your elder? Apologize to me and get the hell back to your school! Else, I¡¯ll tell the principal to kick you out from school directly and revoke your qualification for the College Entrance Test!!!¡±


    Tang Xiu sneered, ¡°Uncle? My uncle is a fucking bastard! Ah, I know. You want to become that bastard, do you? Besides, haven¡¯t you already had bought the school board and coerced them to kick me out by any means necessary? Well, I¡¯m waiting. If you really have the ability, just fucking go! We¡¯ll see if the school will kick me out or you will get your face smeared by your own disgrace!¡±


    At his side, Long Zhenglin¡¯s brows deeply wrinkled. His ability to discern people through their tone and mood was good, so he was sure that the man in front was Tang Xiu¡¯s uncle. But, such attitude and treatment from an uncle to his nephew was even¡­ worse than an animal.


    After seconds of hesitation, he walked forward and stood side by side with Tang Xiu. He looked at Su Shangwen with an indifferent expression and spoke, ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit about who you are! You¡¯re humiliating Tang Xiu, and this is equal to humiliate me, Long Zhenglin. You better get lost now, else I¡¯ll pack you out.¡±


    Only now did Su Shangwen realize that there was still a youth beside Tang Xiu. However, he had long been accustomed to act high and arrogant at his company and around his relatives. And a youngster now was clamoring in front him, causing him to rage more, ¡°Eh, fucking brave aren¡¯t you? This bastard nephew of mine must be taught a lesson. Mind your own fucking business, take your fart and get lost! Else, I¡¯ll give you a lesson too!¡±


    Long Zhenglin¡¯s anger ignited as he snapped, ¡°Do you believe you have the ability to teach me? Apart from my old man, never once has this Long Zhenglin young master been afraid of anyone!¡±


    With an ashen and cold expression, Tang Xiu¡¯s angry eyes stared at Su Shangwen as he turned around and said, ¡°Long Zhenglin, talking with shitty people like him will only waste our time, let¡¯s leave!¡±


    Long Zhenglin stared at Su Shangwen in a provocative manner as he moved his legs and followed Tang Xiu to leave.


    ¡°STOP!¡±


    Su Shangwen stopped the two with a furious expression as he stormed out, ¡°The heavens really are overturned. If I, Su Shangwen, don¡¯t clean two little bastards like you today, I¡¯ll change my surname!!¡±


    ¡°What damn bullshit!¡±


    A sneer shouted from the crowd that gathered around.


    Gong Dalong took the suitcase and came forward before Su Shangwen. He already recognized Tang Xiu, since he had seen his photo before coming to Star City. But, never did he think that someone would dare to provoke his master¡¯s savior.


    Su Shangwen¡¯s expression slightly changed. He had never thought that someone would step forward and halt him midway. He glanced at Gong Dalong and could faintly tell his status as well as feel a slight imposing manner from him. His attitude was weakened a bit even though he responded with an uncomfortable feeling, ¡°Who are you? Are you here to mediate and meddle in others¡¯ business?¡±


    Gong Dalong ignored Su Shangwen and put down his suitcase. He stood in front of Tang Xiu and greeted respectfully, ¡°Master Tang, I¡¯m Gong Dalong. My Master sends his regards for you.¡±


    Tang Xiu lightly nodded. He looked at Gong Dalong¡¯s squared face, thick eyebrows, big and deep eyes, with no slightest hints of evil or crafty aura.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about our matter later.¡±


    Gong Dalong bowed deeply toward Tang Xiu as he then turned around to face Su Shangwen and said, ¡°As for who am I, many people in Star City know me. If you have time, you can find out about me. Furthermore, Master Tang is my honored guest, and is NOT someone you can freely humiliate; otherwise, the consequences you¡¯ll have to bear will be grave.¡±


    Su Shangwen looked at Gong Dalong with a disbelieving expression. He was silent for quite awhile before he pointed at Tang Xiu and replied, ¡°You said¡­ he¡¯s your honored guest? What the hell is this? A world¡¯s joke? Nobody knows him more than I do. You couldn¡¯t be mistaking him with others, could you?¡±


    ¡°My eyes are not blind!¡± Gong Dalong replied with a solemn tone.


    Upon seeing than Gong Dalong¡¯s aloof and stern attitude, a bit of a grudge was suddenly birthed in Su Shangwen¡¯s heart. He quickly grabbed his phone and took Gong Dalong¡¯s picture, adding some text and sent the message out promptly. Shortly after, his phone rang.


    Su Shangwen received the call and heard someone speaking. Then, he hung up the phone after saying ¡°I know¡±.


    ¡°Che, I know who you are. You¡¯re just Jia Ruidao¡¯s First Apprentice who makes a fortune from gambling, eh? Humph¡­ Gong Dalong, I know that your Master has already fallen into a deep pit. And now you come after Tang Xiu, have you lost your mind?¡±


    Anger appeared on Gong Dalong¡¯s face. But when he was about to snap, a voice faster than him came over.


    ¡°I thought I heard a dog barking from far away. No wonder, there are many people gathered around here.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong and Long Hanwen came together, and the one who was talking was Chen Zhizhong.


    Su Shangwen was dumbfounded. He¡¯s a businessman, how couldn¡¯t he know about Chen Zhizhong and Long Hanwen? Compared with these two men, they were simply towering mountains that he must look up to. It was just¡­ judging from the meaning of Chen Zhizhong¡¯s words, it was as though it was aimed at him?


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 72

    Chapter 72: (Spoiler; Title At the End)


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Su Shangwen furiously swallowed his saliva as he turned his head and stared at Tang Xiu wickedly. He had lost his face due to this bastard. He then smiled sheepishly, ¡°Boss Chen, I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here. Isn¡¯t this Boss Long? I¡¯m Su Shangwen, Shangwen Real Estate¡¯s owner. Boss Long, my Shangwen Real Estate has reached the gentleman¡¯s agreement to cooperate with the subsidiary companies under The Long Group. We will sign the contract of agreement a few days later.¡±


    Long Hanwen sneered, ¡°Su Shangwen of Shangwen Real Estate? Never heard of you!¡±


    The moment he finished speaking, he took out his cell phone and dialed a number under the crowd¡¯s eyes. He then spoke with a deep tone, ¡°Who is the one who made an agreement with Shangwen Real Estate? Fire him! And cancel the agreement!! Mark my words, from now onward, anyone who dares to cooperate with Shangwen Real Estate will have to face the Long Group and have a rough life.¡±


    What the hell?


    Su Shangwen thought his ears were having a problem. He couldn¡¯t believe it as he looked at Long Hanwen and exclaimed in surprise, ¡°Boss Long, y-y-you are¡­¡±


    Long Hanwen pointed at Long Zhenglin beside Tang Xiu and spoke with apathetic expression, ¡°He¡¯s my son. Someone was barking that he will teach and humiliate my son. Which father won¡¯t act when seeing his son humiliated?¡±


    It¡¯s done!


    He also pointed at Tang Xiu and continued, ¡°Tang Xiu is my Long Family¡¯s benefactor. We will always be behind him in whatever he does. As long as he speaks, my Long Family will not hesitate to remove your Shangwen Real Estate from this world at all cost.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    Su Shangwen¡¯s expression instantly turned deathly pale. His eyes unceasingly shuttled between Tang Xiu, Long Zhenglin and Long Hanwen. He could accept the fact that Long Zhenglin was Long Hanwen¡¯s son. But, this little bastard beast, Tang Xiu¡­ just how and when had he become the Long Family¡¯s benefactor?


    In a flash, Su Shangwen¡¯s complexion was as though it turned older by several years. Waves of fear struck over and over again as it torn and sunk his heart.


    He¡¯s finished!


    He was perfectly aware of Tang Xiu¡¯s hatred toward him. He knew that his Shangwen Real Estate was on the brink of catastrophe because of this.


    A surge of fear emerged in his eyes as his mouth opened at the next moment.


    After Long Hanwen finished speaking, Chen Zhizhong walked forward before Tang Xiu as he respectfully bowed and said, ¡°Master, it¡¯s my fault for coming this late, so you have been humiliated. But please be at ease, even if Brother Long won¡¯t act, I will never let Shangwen Real Estate continue to exist. Please don¡¯t refuse this disciple¡¯s intentions.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at Chen Zhizhong indifferently and said, ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you that I have yet to promise and accept you as a disciple?¡±


    Yet?


    Chen Zhizhong keenly understood the meaning behind Tang Xiu¡¯s words. He suddenly was overjoyed, and regardless of being surrounded by a large number of people, he straightly knelt in front of Tang Xiu and pleaded, ¡°Master, please accept me! I will follow the ancient tradition to worship and follow your every word!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brow wrinkled as he waved his hand and replied, ¡°You get up first. We¡¯ll talk about this matter later.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Upon seeing that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t directly refuse, Chen Zhizhong was overjoyed to the extreme. He was as though a child that was obeying his elder¡¯s words, obediently and submissively standing beside him.


    ¡°Puff¡­¡±


    Su Shangwen braved himself to kneel in front of Tang Xiu as he begged down with an expression of remorse on his face, ¡°Tang Xiu, my good nephew. Uncle knows I have been treating you wrongly, and have done a thousand wrongdoings to you. But, you have a big heart and wouldn¡¯t lower yourself like me. Please ask Boss Long and Boss Chen to let me off. I vow in front of you, even my future grandchildren will be your servants. I beg you!¡±


    Zhang Meiyun¡¯s face was as pale as a piece of white paper at the moment. She had long been accustomed to a luxurious and glamorous life. If Shangwen Real Estate was to¡­


    ¡°Whoosh ¡­¡±


    A sudden uproar instantly clamored from the surrounding crowd.


    They came over to watch the scene and were also faintly aware of the relationship between Tang Xiu and Su Shangwen. But never once did they ever thought that an uncle would treat his nephew so badly. Much to their surprise, they had never expected that even famous people would stand ahead and respect Tang Xiu. And the uncle even had no shame as he knelt and begged the nephew. For a moment, streams of shouts resounded:


    ¡°I have seen shameless people, but never once have I ever seen such a shameless man. The bird with balls truly stems from the jungle, eh!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this too shameless? How could a man be this shameless to such a degree?¡±


    ¡°What the hell am I seeing today? An uncle kisses his nephew¡¯s ass because of wealth? Is he still a man? Despicable!!!¡±


    ¡°A real man¡¯s knell is very precious and belongs to his parents. Kneeling toward one¡¯s parents is equal to kneeling toward the heavens! He even kneels toward his nephew¡­ What a great and shameless bastard! If I were to have such a son, I would have choked him to death while I was still alive!!!¡±


    ¡°Fuck! This type of shitty man is really disgusting me. Judging from his attitude, he must have done a lot of evil deeds before. This¡­ This will teach him perfectly well.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forgive him! This kind of fucking bastard must be thoroughly ruined as to never let him rise again!¡±


    ¡°Shameless¡­¡±


    Listening to such curses, derogatory and condemning shouts, Su Shangwen¡¯s heart was as though being sheared by a knife. He was bleeding. If there was a hole in the ground, he could have already sunk himself into it. However, as long as Tang Xiu forgave him, Long Hanwen and Chen Zhizhong wouldn¡¯t act to get rid of him.


    Through a millennium of experience, apart from the soft part toward his mother, Tang Xiu¡¯s heart had long been hardened as stone already. He didn¡¯t speak when facing Su Shangwen¡¯s pleading. He was perfectly aware of the hard truth, that Su Shangwen was the type of person that would never have a good ending even if he didn¡¯t act toward him.


    On the other hand!


    He also perfectly understood, that had he not long been acquainted with Long Hanwen and Chen Zhizhong as well as his millenniums of experience, he could have long been thrown into the deep pit by Su Shangwen. Recalling the facts until now, even if he was not dumped and sentenced to prison, he could have been severely injured by some thugs and have laid bedridden in a hospital.


    A docile and good horse would always be ridden by a true man. While a good, weak, and well-behaved man would always be taken advantage of and bullied by other men.


    But him¡­ he never once considered himself as a good man to begin with. Even then, he had never taken the initiative to bully good people even once.


    Tang Xiu turned toward Long Hanwen and calmly asked, ¡°Uncle Long, how did you come to this place?¡±


    Long Hanwen replied with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s because of Brother Chen¡¯s injury. You¡¯ve just treated and cured him! So he dragged me out to this Medicinal Herbs Market hoping to buy some traditional Chinese herbal medicine to nourish his body.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and replied, ¡°That being the case, please look for the medicinal herbs! Since I still have other things to do, I can¡¯t accompany you.¡±


    Long Hanwen didn¡¯t reply and looked at Chen Zhizhong instead.


    Chen Zhizhong quickly spoke, ¡°Master¡­ you¡¯re here to buy medicinal herbs? If you really in need of them, you can tell me to buy it and I¡¯ll send it to you at once.¡±


    Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°No need. Come tomorrow night at South Gate Town!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Chen Zhizhong was overjoyed as he repeatedly complied with an excited expression.


    Tang Xiu sent a hand gesture to Gong Dalong and completely ignored the Su Shangwen couple who knelt on the ground. He walked to the depths of Medicinal Herbs Market followed by the grinning Long Zhenglin.


    Star City¡¯s Medicinal Herbs Market was divided into two parts, the booth area and the shop area. The most precious medicinal herbs in the Market were mostly in the shop area. The price of each and every precious medicinal herb was of course very expensive there.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t go immediately to the shop area but rather wandered in the stall area to see the various Chinese herbal medicines.


    At present, he had already cultivated the first stage of the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis, with 9 spheres of stars inside his body, meaning that he was at the peak of the Vitality Tempering Stage. The next stage was the Skin Strengthening Stage, tempering his body and reinforcing his skin to the point that its toughness would make him invulnerable.


    Had he had achieved this stage before he fought those human organ traffickers, he wouldn¡¯t have been afraid of their guns and would have been able to directly crush them at once.


    A few minutes later¡­


    Tang Xiu halted in front of a stall as his eyes fell on a tender and beautiful blood-colored flower. He recognized this flower. This flower was famous in the Immortal World with its illustrious name ¡ªBlood Spiral Shell. This Blood Spiral Shell was the main ingredient and had a huge role in concocting the Spirit Condensing Pill.


    ¡°Boss, how much is this Blood Spiral Shell flower?¡±


    Tang Xiu asked the middle-aged stall owner.


    That middle-aged stall owner glanced at the Blood Spiral Shell flower with a surprised expression, as he asked back with a confused expression, ¡°Little Brother, this is not a Blood Spiral Shell flower! It¡¯s called Chestnut Petal Flower. It has a very good effect for nourishing blood and vitality! But the price is quite expensive though.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°How much?¡±


    The middle-aged stall owner hesitated before he replied, ¡°500 yuan if you want it!¡±


    500 yuan?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s heart was jolted as his eyes rolled. This Blood Spiral Shell flower was extremely precious, even countless people would fight fiercely over it in the Immortal World. But on Earth, such a precious medicine unexpectedly only sold as though it was a cabbage.


    Long Zhenglin at his side suddenly interrupted, ¡°Hey Boss! Do you think we¡¯re spendthrift and foolish enough to get butchered? 500 yuan for this flower? I have a lot of this flower planted, do you want to buy it from me?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    The middle-aged stall owner was speechless.


    Long Zhenglin continued, ¡°Boss, you need to treat the young and elders honestly in business, and such honesty is way too precious. Such an outrageous price is kinda fooling us. Sell it to us for 200. If you agree, we¡¯ll pay you right away. If you don¡¯t, we¡¯ll leave.¡±


    The middle-aged man looked at Long Zhenglin, and also glanced at Tang Xiu as he immediately smiled wryly, ¡°Haih, fine then. This Little Brother truly is meticulous. Okay, you can have it for 200 yuan.¡±


    Long Zhenglin looked at Tang Xiu with a proud expression in his eyes as he prepared to pay the flower. However, Tang Xiu had already taken his money and gave the middle-aged stall owner 200 yuan, taking the Blood Spiral Shell flower, and then left.


    Tang Xiu had no hope previously for the trip to this Medicinal Herbs Market, he just wanted to try his luck. But never did he ever expect that he would pick up such a treasure. He also learned that slightly precious medicinal herbs on Earth were even outrageously priced. Even though he had tens of thousands of yuan in his bag, perhaps he wouldn¡¯t even be able to afford the precious herbs he would find later.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes

 Chapter 73

    Chapter 73: Unexpected Surprise


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Luck sometimes would come and nobody would be able to prevent it. Tang Xiu had been wandering around the Medicinal Herbs Market¡¯s stall area for nearly an hour, and he had bought two precious herbs at a very low price. Although the preciousness could not be compared to the Blood Spiral Shell flower, but to the present him, these herbs were definitely good stuff.


    ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, are you really skilled in medical skills?¡±


    Long Zhenglin had held himself back for quite a long time, and he was finally unable to bear it anymore and asked.


    Tang Xiu replied lightly, ¡°I know some.¡±


    Long Zhenglin exclaimed, ¡°Holy damn! You really deserve to be my Eldest Brother with all these abilities! Now I very much suspect that you even know more! However, what do you wanna do with these herbs? You don¡¯t have anything wrong with your body, do you?¡±


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes and said, ¡°I¡¯ll have to face the College Entrance Test soon, and the pressure from studying is quite taxing. So I have to prepare and buy some medicinal herbs; to keep my body healthy. Anyways, I¡¯ll give you a prescription, and you buy the medicinal herbs yourself according to it. When you go home, boil it and drink it up. It will cure your problem.¡±


    ¡°My problem?¡±


    Long Zhenglin¡¯s eyes rolled as he replied snappily, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, I¡¯m strong and sturdy enough, how could my body be having problems?¡±


    Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°Bah, you¡¯re a man! If your ¡®bird¡¯ can¡¯t dance vigorously on the bed, then you¡¯re sick. Besides, a man under 3 minutes shot¡­ that¡¯s way too severe. Anyways, if you don¡¯t admit it, then forget it, I can save myself from trouble.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Long Zhenglin was shocked. Never once had he ever dreamt that Tang Xiu could see his most secretive private secret. He did have this problem. He could last for 7-8 minutes relying on sexual vitality supplements. However, since he was too excessive in getting laid recently, he was barely able to hold up to 3 minutes.


    ¡°Eldest Brother¡­ no no no, Big Bro, my beloved-handsome Big Bro, quickly spit out the prescription for me. I¡¯ll give you anything you want!¡±


    Tang Xiu grinned as his lips formed a charming curved arc. Giving Long Zhenglin the prescription was to kick him from his side; otherwise, this guy would have been like Tang Xuanzang¡¯s follower, who would stick to him and make him fall into depression.


    Kidney function deficiency!


    Kidney deficiency was precisely Long Zhenglin¡¯s problem, and it was quite severe at that. A man contracted with severe kidney function deficiency would almost certainly have premature ejaculation and be weak in bed. But for Tang Xiu, treating this problem was simple and easy.


    ¡°I¡¯ll look for paper and pen!¡±


    Long Zhenglin immediately bolted without delay to the stall¡¯s side. After a moment, he already rushed over before Tang Xiu with a paper and pen. With such an eager-looking face, he made Tang Xiu feel funny and amused.


    After having told him the prescription, Tang Xiu saw Long Zhenglin leave as he continued strolling toward the herbs stalls. Gong Dalong was silently following behind him and didn¡¯t speak. Tang Xiu didn¡¯t mind and temporarily ignored him. What he needed now was to find precious medicinal herbs and buy them at an extremely low price.


    Unfortunately, his luck seemed to suddenly run out, since he didn¡¯t find any precious herbs for after a long time. With a disappointed expression, he changed the route and walked toward the shopping area.


    There was a display showcase in each shop.


    Tang Xiu carefully observed everything and didn¡¯t miss any medicinal herbs. But the ones which could enter his eyes were outrageously priced sky high and were not something the current him was able to afford. And the ones that were priced slightly lower and could be afforded, were unable to enter his eyes


    The light had dimmed as the night had fallen.


    The street lights at the Medicinal Herb Market that had been lit as a lot of medicinal herbs shop began to close. Tang Xiu was still wandering around with a tranquil mood, without the quacking Long Zhenglin at his side. He looked up to the shining lights and saw that this medicinal herbs shop had no sign on top. Then, Tang Xiu entered the shop.


    ¡°Welcome! Is there something Young Master needs?¡±


    A young clerk wearing a cheongsam dress approached him with a professional smile.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯ll look around first, so you don¡¯t need to escort me. If I find the medicinal herbs I would like to take, I¡¯ll call you right away.¡±


    ¡°Alright, please have look Sir.¡±


    Tang Xiu did not directly observe the medicinal herbs within the shop, and instead observed the appealing and interesting antique decoration in the shop. He saw that this medicinal herbs shop was as though designed and specifically arranged with a good Feng Shui pattern by someone.


    He was very familiar with this method, especially this Feng Shui pattern, it was the most simple as he could see through the entire layout with only a glance. When his eyes fell on the wealth-fortune bringer cat on the counter, a smile suddenly emerged from his face.


    ¡°Ah, this shop¡¯s owner is really interesting, sailing unfettered with the currents to invite wealth and amass the fortune.¡±


    As the saying goes, in all trade and professions, if one were to put enough love and diligence into it, they would achieve outstanding results.


    Even on Earth nowadays, Feng Shui was still used. Although most Feng Shui Masters were only scammers, there were still some who really had abilities. Feng Shui was after all, the treasured heritage that had been passed down by the ancestors for millenniums. The person who arranged this Feng Shui pattern was also quite an expert in this method.


    Afterward¡­


    Tang Xiu looked into the variety of herbs being showcased on top. To his surprise, he found hundreds of year old wild ginseng, even though his mouth twitched a few times due to looking at its price.


    It was 7 digits!


    Hundreds of year old wild ginseng were even priced at a 7 digit price!


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help thinking, if he were to sell his medicinal herbs he planted on a piece of herb field in the Immortal World on Earth, perhaps he would have been able to buy the whole planet!


    As he slowly observed, a disappointed expression gradually thickened on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. It was just like in the other medicinal herb shops, the good stuff were outrageously priced sky high, and he was also disinclined to even look at the cheaper ones.


    Could it be¡­ that he really had to go back home now?


    He was somewhat unwilling and looked over the herbs in the next showcase again. His footsteps abruptly stopped in front of the showcase as a strange expression suddenly emerged when he saw a kind of Spirit Fruit inside the showcase.


    Holy Dragon Fruit? Earth had Holy Dragon Fruits?


    Tang Xiu secretly suppressed the shock inside his heart. His eyes then fell on the price tag as he almost shouted a curse looking at it. This Holy Dragon Fruit was amazingly only 8888 yuan.


    It really didn¡¯t value the resource!


    Countless Supremes would break their heads and fight over this Holy Dragon Fruit in the Immortal World. If the fruit was to be refined and concocted into a pill, it would absolutely create a top-grade Primordial Chaos Pill. One must know that a grain of Primordial Chaos Pill would even able to make an ordinary person ascend to immortality. If the lowest level Immortal took the pill, he would reach the Golden Immortal stage in a short time, and become the most revered Immortal in existence.


    Tang Xiu estimated that even if the whole precious herbs in the entire shop area multiplied by 10,000 times the price, they would not be worth a dime compared to this Holy Dragon Fruit.


    ¡°Miss!¡±


    Tang Xiu called the female clerk who greeted him before.


    The clerk came with a smile, and said enthusiastically, ¡°Sir, do you have anything in mind?¡±


    Tang Xiu pointed to Holy Dragon Fruit and replied, ¡°I want this.¡±


    The female clerk smiled, ¡°Your eyes are really good, Sir. This fruit is called Dragon Serpent Fruit. You can brew medicine with it, and it gives you enormous vitality. It¡¯s very unfortunate that this Spirit Fruit is very difficult to obtain. Our Boss could only obtain this one from Qinghai through a lot of his contacts. Ah, right, it also has a magical case for it, that is a jade case to prevent it from rotting for a short time.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Please show me! I will pay for it now.¡±


    ¡°Alright, please follow me, Sir!¡±


    After a simple transaction, the Holy Dragon Fruit was completely Tang Xiu¡¯s. With such a great harvest obtained, Tang Xiu lost his patience to continue wandering in the market.


    After leaving the Medicinal Herbs Market, Tang Xiu looked at Gong Dalong who followed him and asked lightly, ¡°Do you have a place to spend the night?¡±


    Gong Dalong said, ¡°Yes! But I don¡¯t have much time, so I¡¯m afraid that I have to go back earlier.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and called the cab in the street corner. He brought along Gong Dalong to South Gate Town. He didn¡¯t want to get involved with Jia Ruidao¡¯s problem, and was only willing to see Gong Dalong due to his attitude.


    Inside the villa¡­


    The villa had been cleaned up, and Tang Xiu felt quite satisfied with the Developer Management Office¡¯s cleaning staff¡¯s performance. He gestured to Gong Dalong to sit down on the couch as he straightly sat on the opposite side.


    ¡°Tell me about what had happened.¡±


    Gong Dalong smiled wryly as he spoke, ¡°In fact, the one who incited the trouble is my youngest brother, Jia Yelei, and he¡¯s also my Master¡¯s son. Master has 3 disciples, I am his First Disciple, the Second is Zhang Tiechun, and the Third is Jia Yelei.¡±


    ¡°The Youngest was gambling a while ago, and he was set up by others¡¯ machinations. Not only did he lose all the money he had, several of his properties were also lost. He called Second Brother, Zhang Tiechun to win those back. Second Brother¡¯s gambling skill is much more powerful than the Youngest.¡±


    ¡°The results were that those two Younger Brothers of mine fell into the deep pit. Not only were their assets completely cleaned up, they even ended up borrowing tens of millions of yuan from their opponents. Similarly, those tens of millions yuan were also lost. Because they were completely broke and even had debt without money to pay it back, they bit the bullet and told Master about this matter.¡±


    ¡°At first, my Master only intended to pay up the tens of millions in gambling debt and let the matter go. But the Youngest didn¡¯t want it and entangled Master for a few days to help him win it all back. Master was unable to ignore the Youngest¡¯s unceasing pleads, and he went to gamble with the previous opponents, resulting in¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu interrupted Gong Dalong¡¯s words, ¡°The results were that his opponents were much more powerful than him and your master lost to them, right? He lost miserably, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    Gong Dalong replied with a bitter expression, ¡°Yes! My Master lost very miserably.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Since his opponents were more skilled than him, then why didn¡¯t he give up? What do you want my help for?¡±


    Gong Dalong said, ¡°It¡¯s the nature of gambling. Once reason has been shrouded and darkened the eyes, even a Gambling Master would lose their mind. Besides, Master was prodded by the opponents and got agitated by his emotions, he even staked the jade pendant memento from Master¡¯s wife on the table.¡±


    ¡°And he lost again, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he lost!¡±


    Gong Dalong tightly gripped his fist as he lowered his head.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°So, even though your Master regretted it, he had no choice but to continue gambling, right? And he only wanted to win his wife¡¯s memento back, and didn¡¯t want the money back?¡±


    Gong Dalong nodded and said, ¡°Yes, my Master has borrowed a lot of money and gambled with them everyday, but he loses miserably in each and every gamble. Master has no other means left and sent me to ask for your help.¡±


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 74

    Chapter 74: Back to School


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Once gamblers lost, they would lose their reason, and lose their money to the bottomless pit. Even if their families¡¯ fortune were a lot to begin with, they were usually unable to suppress the urge to throw everything on the table. Tang Xiu even had once witnessed a gambler sell his children and wife after the gambler lost his family¡¯s fortune.


    ¡°Jia Ruidao still has yet to bet his life, hasn¡¯t he? So he¡¯s still lucky. I already know about your Master and disciples¡¯ matter. So if you have no other matters, you can leave now.¡± He said.


    Gong Dalong¡¯s complexion was dull as he was dumbfounded. He had never thought that Tang Xiu would point him to the door even though he had listened to the whole story. What was his meaning? Refusing to help them?


    ¡°Master Tang, you ¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu interrupted him and spoke, ¡°Could it be that my words were not clear enough? I really can¡¯t do anything about this matter. Even though I sympathize with your problems, I have no way and ability to help you out.¡±


    Gong Dalong asked with a difficult to bear expression, ¡°Why? My Master said your gambling technique has to be more powerful than his. If there is somebody to teach you and train you a little bit, your gambling skill will far surpass my Master¡¯s.¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll have to rectify some points of yours. Firstly, I have no interest in gambling, not even the slightest interest to even train myself for it. Secondly, a professional gambler¡¯s life is just like waiting to shoot birds all day long but finally getting downed after getting pecked by the wild goose. Gamblers like you should have been mentally prepared for getting bankrupt and losing your families¡¯ fortune. Thirdly, I¡¯m going to have the College Entrance Test within a month. Let alone to have a leave of absence from my school, if my Mother knew about, there¡¯s no way I have a just reason to explain myself to her.¡±


    Gong Dalong¡¯s complexion was anxious, he walked straight in front of Tang Xiu as he knelt and begged, ¡°Master Tang, I beg of you. Please help my Master! As long you are willing to help us, not only will I offer all the wealth my family has, I will obey your every word just like the way I treat my own parents. I will promptly be there if you ever call me to serve you!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Looking at Gong Dalong, Tang Xiu suddenly recalled his old servant in the Immortal World. In order to pay a debt of gratitude, his old servant had always been following him with unbending loyalty and devotion. But after he had fallen to a scheme schemed and suffered, he didn¡¯t know about him anymore.


    Gong Dalong begged once again, ¡°Master Tang, you spoke about the matter at your school and your Mother, right? I¡¯ll take care about that, and I give you my word that it won¡¯t give you any problems.¡±


    Tang Xiu was startled and asked with a confused expression, ¡°You can take care of it?¡±


    Gong Dalong replied confidently, ¡°Yes I can. If I can¡¯t do it, I won¡¯t disturb you anymore.¡±


    Tang Xiu got up and spoke, ¡°That being the case, then I¡¯ll be waiting.¡±


    Gong Dalong was overjoyed. He also had the thoughts that he must put in some effort to obtain Tang Xiu¡¯s promise to help. But he didn¡¯t expect that Tang Xiu would easily agree. A deep feeling of gratitude was suddenly bred in his heart. However, looking at Tang Xiu¡¯s expression as he was seeing him out, he immediately spoke, ¡°Master Tang, please wait for my news! It¡¯s already quite late, I¡¯ll leave and won¡¯t disturb you any longer.¡±


    ¡°Take care!¡±


    Tang Xiu calmly nodded.


    The bustling and noisy night in Beijing¡­


    A white was moving in the traffic. Kang Xia was listening to the melodious light music in the driver seat. Her mind was wandering as she thought of something.


    ¡°Ring Ring Ring¡­¡±


    Her cell phone rang abruptly, interrupting her train of thought¡­


    Whilst putting on a Bluetooth earphone, she spoke, ¡°Kang Xia speaking.¡±


    ¡°The information about Tang Xiu has been sent to your e-mail. But since you only gave me a little information, I have to filter out the data, and got 2 possible persons who meet your criteria.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Kang Xia took off the earphone as she turned the steering wheel to turn right at the front intersection. After steering for 100 meters, she stopped at the roadside and immediately took a laptop from the front passenger seat and quickly opened her e-mail to read the incoming mail silently.


    Shortly after¡­


    A somewhat strange expression emerged from her face. She immediately tossed aside the information about the man called Tang Xiu who had a timber logging business. But the second one¡­ how could it turn out to be a high schooler?


    ¡°Once a genius and turned idiot after getting into a car accident?¡±


    Kang Xia¡¯s eyebrows tightly wrinkled. An expression full of thoughts flashed from her eyes. Had it been not for this note, she could have been thrown the idea inside her heart. After a moment, she put the laptop back onto the passenger seat and decided that she must personally go to Star City.


    Kang Xia redialed the number which called her a moment ago, and then spoke, ¡°Andy, help me book a plane ticket to Star City, and schedule it in advance for the morning flight tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡±


    A sensual voice replied, but she then asked curiously after hesitating for a moment, ¡°Boss, what do you wanna do in Star City? Could it be that you want to see that Tang Xiu?¡±


    Kang Xia¡¯s lips bent, as a curving smile emerged whilst she replied with a happy expression, ¡°Didn¡¯t you feel bored for having no struggles recently? I think I can smell a trace of an opportunity. If this trip to Star City is successful, you¡¯ll get the credit. And you are about to start your job again.¡±


    ¡°Good Lord!¡±


    The sensual voice was pleasantly surprised.


    As the common saying goes, early planning was the key to success, and the ideas for the day came in the morning.


    The bright and beautiful sunrise was illuminating the earth, sending a warm and genial feeling to the world. After having been gone for quite a long time, Tang Xiu finally rushed to school.


    He strode into Class 10 and saw that the students were gathered together at one place, and were gossiping in the usual messy and chaotic classroom. Yuan Chuling was quietly sitting in his seat, reading the textbook in his hands.


    ¡°What the¡­? Has this kid¡¯s nature changed?¡±


    With such a whisper in his heart, Tang Xiu strode toward his seat.


    The moment Tang Xiu entered the classroom, the previously noisy and chaotic classroom suddenly turned quiet. Almost all students were aware of Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival the moment he got there as their eyes tightly stared at him.


    ¡°What the fuck? That guy is truly bold and reckless! He even dares to attend the class today. Could it be that he doesn¡¯t fear to be lectured by Teacher Han?¡± Voices suddenly broke out and immediately incited the clamors.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Teacher Han¡¯s mood is way too damn bad the last few days. Even if she was in the class, her eyes were always staring at Tang Xiu¡¯s seat. I bet that Teacher Han really wishes to kick that bastard out of the class, right?¡±


    ¡°Man, he¡¯s always been damn rampant! But now he¡¯s way too fucking arrogant! It¡¯s as though he just comes back and cares for nothing else. It will be really annoying if Teacher Han doesn¡¯t lecture that bastard severely!¡±


    ¡°What a shitty rat, shit! A complete mess and rotten to the bone bastard! He¡¯s really making my blood turn upside down. How come this bastard can enter our class, huh? If I were Teacher Han, I would have used a broom and swept him out directly!¡±


    ¡°What an ignorant and good for nothing bastard!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    With his keen hearing ability, Tang Xiu was able to clearly hear every curse thrown at him by his classmates. But he simply ignored them.


    Besides, it was a common occurrence to him. Even if he said anything, it would only be useless.


    It was just like the famous words of wisdom, _Even if the world were slandering me, bullying me, disgracing me, laughing at me, ignoring me, taking light of me, loathing me, and lying to me_ , _the way to handle it was simply to endure them. Let them be, leave them be, avoid them, tolerate them, respect them, and finally ignore them. Just wait a few years later and then meet them again._


    Also, Tang Xiu liked the other saying that bickering with an idiot would only make yourself an idiot. He clearly did not want himself to become an idiot, so he might as well ignore them completely.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, you¡¯ve come!¡±


    Yuan Chuling finally realized that Tang Xiu had arrived as he quickly stood up with an excited expression.


    Tang Xiu had never thought that Yuan Chuling would react so much, even giving him such a loud and powerful pat on his shoulder. He motioned him to sit down and then sat on his own seat. However, the thing that puzzled him was that Cheng Yannan, who sat in front him, then turned around and spoke in a low voice, which could only be heard by three of them, ¡°Tang Xiu, were those human organ traffickers killed by you?¡±


    Tang Xiu pretended to be confused and puzzled as he asked back, ¡°What do you mean? I don¡¯t get you.¡±


    Cheng Yannan frowned and replied, ¡°Was it not you? But my Big Sis said it was a youngster who did it. And since you¡¯ve been gone from school for the past few days, I thought that you could be the chivalrous hero who got rid of those evils!¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with a smile, ¡°Haih, aren¡¯t you reading too many Wuxia novels?¡±


    Cheng Yannan¡¯s face suddenly turned crimson as she quickly turned around.


    Yuan Chuling cast a glance at Cheng Yannan¡¯s back before he leaned on very close toward Tang Xiu and whispered with a grateful expression, ¡°Eldest Brother, thank you!¡±


    Tang Xia was startled but quickly understood in a flash as he whispered back, ¡°Do you know about it?¡±


    Yuan Chuling nodded and said, ¡°Mum told me everything. I know that you¡¯re the one who did it according to her description. Eldest Brother, I will hold onto this camaraderie deep inside my heart. If anything happens later, in any case, I will be your personal servant, you couldn¡¯t help but rely on me.¡±


    ¡°Fuck it, get lost!¡± Tang Xiu replied back with a curse.


    Along with their merry jokes, the classroom gradually quieted down as the Class 10¡¯s teacher in charge, Han Qingwu, walked in great strides toward the classroom with a cold expression. When she saw Tang Xiu, she immediately spoke with a solemn tone, ¡°Tang Xiu, come out.¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his hand and traced the bridge of his nose. But seeing such a crimson flushed complexion on Han Qingwu¡¯s face, he thought that he would soon bump into a grim future. Glancing at Yuan Chuling, who looked at him with an expression full of sympathy, he stamped on Yuan Chuling¡¯s foot under the table, making Yuan Chuling involuntarily shout in painful voice, as he then stepped out of the classroom.


    At the corridor¡­


    Han Qingwu stared at Tang Xiu with a gloomy and steady expression. She didn¡¯t even speak for a long time.


    A minute had passed, and Tang Xiu was finally unable to bear it as he broke the silence and spoke whilst smiling, ¡°Teacher Han, the moment you saw me, you promptly called for me. You wouldn¡¯t have called me only to look at flowers that were growing on my face, would you?¡±


    Having heard what he said, Han Qingwu suddenly snapped angrily, ¡°You still have the nerve to speak with me and smile with such innocent face? And even dares to speak with such an oily mouth? Do you think I don¡¯t have the guts¡­ to kick and clean you up? Now tell me, why did you lie to me a few days ago? You also ditched school, even deceiving me to escort you out of school personally. This is simply an unacceptable absurdity!!!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s head was suddenly full of heavy black lines.


    Previously, he thought that Han Qingwu would be angry due to his school ditching. But never once he had ever expected that she had really taken to her heart about her escorting him out of school. But since he was in the wrong, with an awkward expression, Tang Xiu then replied with an embarrassed smile, ¡°Ah, that was because¡­ that was because I was really in a hurry to leave, Teacher Han. I swear that I had no time to tell you that time, but I know that what I¡¯ve done was wrong. However, you¡¯re a great adult with a tolerant and big heart right? You wouldn¡¯t lower yourself to the same level as this honest and well-behaved student, would you?¡±


    _¡°The hell with tolerant and having a big heart!¡±_


    Han Qingwu glanced at Tang Xiu angrily, as she even almost spat out that curse. Since when was he an honest and well-behaved student? If he were an honest student, there was no way that there would be honest students left on Earth nowadays. What kind of damn honest student dared to brazenly ditch school? The thing that was outrageously hateful was that he even dared to deceive a teacher to escort him out of school to skip classes.


    ¡°Fine! Since you have something to say, I¡¯ll listen to those reasons of yours and see whether you running away from school can be justified.¡± Han Qingwu didn¡¯t want to let Tang Xiu go easily. She had been bitterly sullen inside for the past few days, she felt that it was necessary to push Tang Xiu to at least shed tears. Much less that the College Entrance Test was about to come, and there was not much time left. She must ensure that Tang Xiu would review his schoolwork and get good results on the College Entrance Test.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 75

    Chapter 75: The First Meeting


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Teacher Han, when you left to buy water at the supermarket, I happened to meet an acquaintance, and he was suffering from serious illness. Since I knew Traditional Chinese Medicine, he then took me away and I gave him treatment in the past few days. The heavens finally bestowed their blessings and I was able to cure his illness yesterday.¡± Tang Xiu had long thought about this good line of just reason for anticipation, as he threw the lie without even flinching.


    Han Qingwu snapped, ¡°What a bull! Even if you left to cure others, why did you go in such a hurry? And I don¡¯t buy it. Since when have you learned Traditional Chinese Medicinal skills? I think you¡¯re only talking big and not even a word that makes me believe you!¡±


    Tang Xiu shouted loudly as though he was unjustly treated, ¡°Teacher Han, all great masters have always been bound by their words! Even if I deceive the whole world, I wouldn¡¯t dare to deceive you! If you don¡¯t believe me, I can give you his number and you can ask him directly.¡±


    ¡°For real?¡±


    Han Qingwu was doubtful and skeptical.


    Tang Xiu straightened up his chest as he spoke with a resolute and decisive tone, ¡°Yes, he¡¯s a famous person. Ah, that¡¯s right! I think you may have heard of him if I tell you his name. His name is Chen Zhizhong, a businessman. And I do have a witness! You should have heard about Long Hanwen, yes? He¡¯s the Long Group¡¯s head.¡±


    Han Qingwu rolled her eyes. A moment ago, she was only skeptical hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words. But now the tiny bit of trust just vanished in the blink of an eye.


    Chen Zhizhong and Long Hanwen?


    She certainly had heard about these two people. It wasn¡¯t just her. 99% of Star City¡¯s inhabitants would absolutely have heard about these two men. And, who was Tang Xiu? How could such an ordinary high schooler possibly know those big shots who were aloof and remote?


    However, the reason she called Tang Xiu to come out was to vent out the iffy feeling in her heart and also to fix Tang Xiu¡¯s attitude toward his studying activities. Such said, regardless of the rubbish nonsense spat out by Tang Xiu, she didn¡¯t want to dwell and inquire it further, ¡°Tang Xiu, I don¡¯t want to check out whether your words are true or not. In short, do bear in mind that there is only a month left to the College Entrance Test. I will ask other teachers to compile a set of exam papers for you to have a mock test. If your results are way down from the previous ones, do be very careful that I will cancel your qualification to attend the College Entrance Test.¡±


    _¡°As expected, everything she says has always been about academic performance.¡±_


    Tang Xiu secretly laughed inside. Again and again Han Qingwu declared her military command at him. But Tang Xiu believed that he could achieve it. Just as a diamond couldn¡¯t be polished without friction, a great man wouldn¡¯t be made without adversity [1]. So he naturally wasn¡¯t afraid of a mock exam.


    When he got back to the classroom, Tang Xiu saw Yuan Chuling wink at him with eyes full of a teasing expression.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, the day when you skipped classes, what message have you sent to Teacher Han? Her face was crimson, and everyone could clearly see it.¡±


    That day?


    Tang Xiu recalled his memory and suddenly couldn¡¯t help laughing involuntarily. Looking at the gossipy expression on Yuan Chuling¡¯s face, he secretly shook his head and no longer paid attention to him.


    He needed a large number of medicinal herbs to reach the Skin Strengthening Stage in cultivating the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis; of which, he had yet to find the rest of the precious herbs. So Tang Xiu could only put on hold his cultivation first and collect all the medicinal herbs as fast as possible.


    As for making money, he had thrown a long line and only needed to wait for the big fish to swallow the hook. As long as Kang Xia was recruited, he believed that with the Skin Care Lotion and Scar Removal Cream formulas in his hand, he definitely would be able to make quite a fortune.


    Soon after¡­


    He sorted out everything he had done recently.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you fucking dumb shit. What have you done to my parents?¡± A burst of loud yells sounded, as though a falling thunderclap suddenly resounded from the classroom¡¯s door.


    Then, with the speed of a 100 meters sprinter, Su Xiangfei stormed over toward Tang Xiu with a threatening posture. Although he knew that Tang Xiu was powerful, but he couldn¡¯t help but ignore it this time. He recalled the situation at home, his raging father thundered the home appliances, his mother sat paralyzed on the sofa and wiped the tears from her face, making him wish to skin Tang Xiu alive and dismember his body into eight pieces.


    Yuan Chuling suddenly looked up as his eyes flashed and stared at him. When Su Xiangfei was about to rush before Tang Xiu, he promptly stood up and kicked him, sending him flying a few meters away as his body smashed over the desks heavily.


    ¡°Aaaaaa¡­¡±


    A scream, as though a pig was being butchered, came out from Su Xiangfei¡¯s mouth.


    Tang Xiu frowned. Whilst looking at the knocked down Su Xiangfei¡¯s forehead, who was struggling to stand up, he spoke with a cold and detached tone, ¡°Su Xiangfei, if you are sick, drag yourself into the mental institution and check for yourself whether you¡¯re still sane or not. But if you are not sick, _do not_ ever dare to provoke me. I¡¯m not the one who provoked your arrogant and domineering parents, I¡¯m even disinclined to even care about them. So, if you know what happened to them, take them to the hospital and have a check up with them. Understood?¡±


    Su Xiangfei¡¯s eyes were as though about to spray a blazing fire as he stared at Tang Xiu and roared, ¡°It must because of you! You bastard must have absolutely done something, else my Dad wouldn¡¯t have smashed things whilst cursing you loudly. Do fucking tell me! What have you done to my parents? Else, I won¡¯t rest until I kill you!¡±


    Tang Xiu sneered, ¡°You wanna kill me? Just depending on you? Previously, you framed me for stealing the money. Had it been that I wasn¡¯t softhearted, you could have been dumped into jail right now!¡±


    Cheng Yannan suddenly stood up from her seat as she looked at the fierce expression on Su Xiangfei¡¯s face and spoke with a light voice, ¡°Su Xiangfei, my Big Sis is the one who took care of this case. She told me that it was indeed you and your sister who had framed Tang Xiu for the stolen money. Also, this is a classroom! I hope you don¡¯t create trouble here, else once this issue turns bigger, the school absolutely will cancel your qualification to take the College Entrance Test.¡±


    Su Xiangfei¡¯s complexion turned crimson in a flash.


    He had never thought that Cheng Yannan would even stand up and defend Tang Xiu. She even had exposed that embarrassing incident, making the entire class know about the incident¡¯s process from Cheng Yannan¡¯s mouth.


    How would it feel to be shamed in public?


    This was exactly the feeling Su Xiangfei felt at the moment. At the same time, he also hated Tang Xiu and Cheng Yannan to the bones, and the one who just gave him the kick, Yuan Chuling. If a stare could kill, he could have used it to kill these three thousands of times over.


    A sudden uproar immediately rocked the entire students in the classroom.


    ¡°Heaven! Is that for real? Su Xiangfei went as far as to frame Tang Xiu? Man, I used to think that Tang Xiu was a troublemaker, but never once did I ever think that Su Xiangfei was full of evil tricks!¡±


    ¡°Man, we know him for a long time without even knowing his true nature. I really never thought that Su Xiangfei was able to do such a shameless thing. But, hearing the two¡¯s words, it¡¯s as though the both of them understood each other¡¯s meaning. What hatred could there be between their families?¡±


    ¡°Damn! I didn¡¯t expect that my eyes could mistakenly judge others. I used to think that Su Xiangfei was a good guy. Only now do I know his true face. From now onwards, we should be wary and guard against him.¡±


    ¡°Su Xiangfei really has a bitch¡¯s mind. ¡°


    ¡°¡­¡±


    At this time, an enchanting and beautiful figure, with a graceful face, perfect body, and coupled with her fashion dress showed up at the classroom¡¯s door.


    Su Xiangfei didn¡¯t notice it. He was shrouded with an ashamed and resentful feeling at the moment. His vision shifted from Cheng Yannan to Tang Xiu as he glared at him with anger blazing in his eyes as he roared, ¡°Surnamed Tang, you fucking-idiot bastard have always been hiding behind women. Is that what a fucking real man could do? If you have the guts and ability, come fight me!¡±


    ¡°Hiding behind a woman is indeed not a real man. But if a man could make Kang Xia interested, I think he¡¯s not the one who falls into this category.¡± The moment Kang Xia walked into the classroom, all eyes instantly got sucked toward her in a flash, bringing along the aloof and majestic feeling a Queen could have. She arrived and turned around in front of Su Xiangfei, and said it once again, ¡°I must correct you. A real man doesn¡¯t mean it has to be proved through fighting. I think people who solve the problems with their fists are either desperately forced or a fool. Now, think for yourself, which kind of person are you?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡­¡±


    The anger on Su Xiangfei¡¯s face froze. With a foolish expression, he looked at the beautiful Kang Xia, whose gracefulness was not the slightest bit under the teacher in charge, Han Qingwu. His mouth was open but he didn¡¯t know what to say.


    Kang Xia cross-glanced at Su Xiangfei before she turned around and looked at Tang Xiu, and then lightly smiled, ¡°It¡¯s our first meeting. And yet seeing you¡¯re this young makes me pleasantly surprised.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook hands with her and calmly replied, ¡°And I also have never thought that the legendary gold manager Miss Kang Xia would be beautiful and enchanting to this degree. Anyways, this place is not suitable, let¡¯s talk elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    Kang Xia shrugged her shoulders and replied.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t even glance at Su Xiangfei and blatantly ignored him, letting him feel more discomfort. After leaving the classroom, Tang Xiu saw the teacher Han Qingwu holding a thick stack of documents pass by.


    ¡°Tang Xiu! Are you going to skip class again?¡±


    Seeing that Tang Xiu was going out of the classroom, Han Qingwu immediately cried out, as she felt as though she was bitten once and afraid to get bitter for the rest of the time.


    A somewhat awkward expression emerged on Tang Xiu¡¯s face, especially because he was followed by Kang Xia. As for Kang Xia, she looked at Tang Xiu with a weird expression, as she suddenly smiled when she looked at Han Qingwu.


    The moment she first saw Tang Xiu, she could feel that the youngster who was 5 or 6 years younger than her was very interesting. Kang Xia approached as she extended her hand to Han Qingwu, and said with a smile, ¡°You are Tang Xiu¡¯s class in charge teacher, yes? How do you do? I¡¯m Kang Xia, Tang Xiu¡¯s¡­ friend. Is it possible that Tang Xiu could have a leave of absence? I have some matters to speak with him, and it would only need 2 hours at the most.¡±


    Han Qingwu looked at Kang Xia before she shifted her sight at Tang Xiu. In the end, she really couldn¡¯t figure out what had happened recently, as to why a lot of people came to find Tang Xiu. A moment ago, the principal summoned her to his office, and told her in a mandatory tone to give him a week of leave. But the most vexing thing and hard to accept for her was, that she had to lie to Tang Xiu¡¯s mother, telling her that he was going out to participate in a subject contest.


    ¡°Hello, how do you do? Anyways, since you have some matters, it¡¯s alright, please take care!¡±


    Kang Xia nodded slightly as she took the lead and walked.


    Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Teacher Han, then I can go, yes? This doesn¡¯t count that I¡¯m skipping classes, right?¡±


    ¡°Just roll quickly!¡±


    Deep inside, Han Qingwu suppressed the peculiar feeling inside her as she snapped with a smile.


    Tang Xiu only chuckled. The moment he brushed past Han Qingwu, his footsteps slightly halted for a second, as he whispered fast, ¡°Teacher Han, to be honest, you are more beautiful than Kang Xia. In my opinion, that is.¡±


    The next second he had already bolted toward Kang Xia!


    ¡°What the¡­ T-This¡­ this brat, even dares to molest me?¡± Han Qingwu was dumbfounded as she was at a loss of whether to laugh or cry. Her eyes furiously rolled as she stared at Tang Xiu¡¯s back before she turned toward the classroom.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    [1] Its a Confucius Analects and pretty much different with literal translation (if one didn¡¯t polish a diamond, do not try to mend porcelain wares), so I chose to translate the meaning of the analects instead of the literal one.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 76

    Chapter 76: Trusted Subordinates


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    At a Starbucks Caf¨¦¡­


    Tang Xiu and Kang Xia were sitting and facing each other. Both of them didn¡¯t speak and only observed each other. Tang Xiu didn¡¯t drink coffee, so he was holding a cup of water whilst watching Kang Xia, who was leisurely stirring her coffee with a spoon. Then, Tang Xiu turned his head and looked outside through the window.


    Kang Xia¡¯s hand that stirred the coffee abruptly stopped. Her brows slightly slanted, although she was quickly back to her usual self in a flash. She just found that she couldn¡¯t see through Tang Xiu. It was a baffling feeling and was almost inconceivable to her.


    She entered the society in her early years and had been struggling in the business circle for 7 or 8 years already. She had met and read countless people, and only a few amongst them she couldn¡¯t see through. And those few were either the elites of the business circle¡¯s elites or amazing people from rich families.


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡± Finally, Kang Xia couldn¡¯t help but call.


    Tang Xiu turned his head and calmly said, ¡°I thought Miss Kang Xia wouldn¡¯t rush the thousands of miles distance to this Star City, only to get addicted to looking at me!¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡±


    Kang Xia couldn¡¯t help but laugh. She shook her head and replied, ¡°You! You¡¯re a very interesting young man. I could tell that there are more amusing things for me to come. To be honest, I do want to know more about you.¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Ah, you¡¯re a young woman. Please don¡¯t look at me with such kind of looks. I¡¯ll advise you in advance, don¡¯t develop any interest toward me or you will regret it later.¡±


    Kang Xia got her moment of surprise and then asked with curiosity, ¡°Why will I regret it?¡±


    Tang Xiu answered with a smile, ¡°There is such hearsay, that once a woman develops interest in a man, she wouldn¡¯t be far away from falling into the man¡¯s lap and taking care of his household. I don¡¯t want you to fall in love with me. The only hope I have is just for you to be very good in making money for me after you¡¯re recruited.¡±


    ¡°Pfft, Hahaha¡­¡±


    Kang Xia couldn¡¯t help laughing, to the point where even tears almost fell.


    ¡°This is so damn interesting! Tang Xiu, even if we can¡¯t reach a deal to cooperate today, I will make you my friend.¡±


    Friend?


    The happy expression on Tang Xiu¡¯s face vanished without a trace as a gloomy expression surfaced. If it were not because the trust he gave to his friends in the Immortal World, he wouldn¡¯t have ended up with such miserable fate. With a complexion full of detached expression, he said, ¡°I don¡¯t need friends. What I need are subordinates only. If you have this intention, I advise to put it away and go back.¡±


    The smile on Kang Xia¡¯s face froze. She looked at Tang Xiu with a strange expression in her eyes. Only after quite a while did she speak to him, ¡°Fine! I accept your advice. Now let¡¯s have the talk. What capital do you have in recruiting me as your subordinate?¡±


    Tang Xiu replied straightforwardly, ¡°Three things! First, I give you a free reign. Second, I have the skills. Third, I can help you achieve your ambition if you¡¯re able to make money for me!¡±


    These were her soft ribs and Kang Xia¡¯s weaknesses. Those were the aspects even Kang Xia was unable to refuse. However, she was a hard-to-compromise person. She stared deeply at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°As far as I know, Mr. Tang has yet to register the company, and I have yet to verify the end products¡¯ test results.¡±


    Tang Xiu took 2 small porcelain bottles from his pocket and placed them on the tabletop in front of Kang Xia. Then, he calmly replied, ¡°This one is the Skin Care Lotion and the other one is the Scar Removal Cream. Take and test them when you get back. I believe the result will come out in a week. As for the company registration, I indeed have yet to register one. If you need it, I will have it completed in a few days.¡±


    Kang Xia straightly took the two porcelains and asked, ¡°How much funds do you want to invest?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°I have no money with me right now.¡±


    Kang Xia couldn¡¯t help looking at Tang Xiu straightly and said, ¡°Are you joking with me? You want to register a company without money? And you even boast to help me achieve my lofty ambition?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m penniless though. I already sold 5% of the shares for 20 million yuan. But I want you to register the company as well as be responsible for managing the operation later.¡±


    5% of the shares, sold for 20 million?


    Kang Xia was dumbfounded. She suddenly felt that she just heard a massive joke. The company had yet to register, and the stock was already able to be sold? And at a sky-high priced at that?


    ¡°Mr. Tang, if you don¡¯t have any sincerity, I don¡¯t think we can continue this talk. What I need is a _real_ Boss, not the one who plays with words and talks big.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before he took his phone and dialed Long Zhengyu¡¯s number.


    ¡°Brother Tang, what¡¯s up?¡±


    Long Zhengyu¡¯s voice transmitted through the phone.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I need that 20 million investment funds from you in half an hour. If you can, send the money to the Starbucks Caf¨¦ near my school. I promise you to sell the shares, else I will have to look for other shareholders.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    Long Zhengyu directly hung up the phone.


    Kang Xia looked at Tang Xiu with an astonished expression. Sending over 20 millions in half an hour? Was he joking?


    Tang Xiu knew Long Zhengyu¡¯s capital. Let alone sending 20 million in half an hour, if he were to say 10 minutes to him, he would probably be able to deliver it. But, the person who sent the money was likely his closest aide.


    Time flew by¡­


    20 minutes had passed in a flash.


    Tang Xiu was silent. But, Kang Xia didn¡¯t look anxious and impatient, and instead had an expectation. If someone really was able to send 20 millions of yuan in half an hour, then it proved that Tang Xiu was not talking big. That would also mean that he had the ability.


    At this moment¡­


    A well-dressed middle-aged man rushed over into the caf¨¦. After he looked around, he exclaimed, ¡°Which is Mr. Tang Xiu?¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his hand as he got up and looked at the rushing middle-aged man.


    ¡°I am Tang Xiu, Long Zhengyu sent you?¡±


    The middle-aged man replied respectfully, ¡°Yes! Chief Long is in a rush to. He couldn¡¯t catch up within half an hour, so he sent me to deliver the money. Mr. Tang, this is the bankcard with 20 million, and the PIN is behind the bankcard.¡±


    Tang Xiu took the bankcard. After sending away the middle-aged man, he directly placed the bankcard in front of Kang Xia and said lightly, ¡°The money is in this bankcard, you check it.¡±


    Kang Xia quickly took her phone. After a fast inquiry, her expression turned marvelous as an inconceivable and surprised expression was drawn on her face.


    After quite a long while, she slowly handed over the bankcard to Tang Xiu and spoke seriously, ¡°Mr. Tang, you have proved your ability. If I¡¯ve tested those two bottles of cosmetics and the products have side effects under the prerequisite, and the effect is very good, I think I will agree to join.¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t take the bankcard but calmly replied, ¡°I am very confident of my products. I¡¯ll send you a short message for the formula to your mailbox, and you can take this 20 million as your starting fund. If the product¡¯s effect has been tested and proved good, I hope you can stick to your words.¡±


    Kang Xia asked with an astonished tone, ¡°Do you really believe me?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I need not to suspect the people who will work with me. This 20 million perhaps is an astronomical figure in the eyes of many people. But in my eyes, it¡¯s only a small amount that is worthwhile for the exchange of your first test.¡±


    Kang Xia raised her thumbs up, praising, ¡°Ah, Ignoring the trivial matters to achieve great achievements. I¡¯m hoping that these two cosmetics truly have the effect as you have said. Such being the case, I can work as your subordinate! Last question, apart from this fund, how much investment funds will you add later?¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment and slowly said, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    What? Kang Xia looked at Tang Xiu with a strange look. She suddenly felt that Tang Xiu was like a white wolf in the empty gloves, wasn¡¯t he? After hesitated, she smiled and said, ¡°Since Mr. Tang cannot answer my question, then I will change the question. If¡­ If I said that I finally joined, what kind of treatment will I get?¡±


    Tang Xiu replied without hesitation, ¡°10% shares.¡±


    ¡°Only 10%?¡± Kang Xia spoke with astonishment.


    Tang Xiu tranquilly replied, ¡°Yes, 10% and no more!¡±


    Kang Xia shrugged her shoulders. She smiled and said, ¡°10%, eh? I hope I wouldn¡¯t get kicked out if the company has gotten bigger in the future.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Anyways, I don¡¯t have the time to manage the company, so I need other¡¯s strength to do things for me.¡±


    Kang Xia laughed, ¡°Understood. By the way, since everything has been said, I¡¯ll go first.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded.


    Kang Xia then asked with a puzzled tone, ¡°Don¡¯t you have to return to school?¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled lightly and said, ¡°I have long mastered all the subjects I need to learn at school. So it¡¯s kinda boring if I have to stay there. Besides, I wanna take a break and relax.¡±


    Kang Xia lazy smile, ¡°Ah, it seems like that more or less, I¡¯ve helped you in taking the leave of absence, haven¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha ¡­¡±


    Along with Kang Xia¡¯s departure, Tang Xiu believed that he had won her and she would join. So he can hand the rights and privileges to Kang Xia for registering the company, setting up, manufacturing, etc. All those coupled with Long Zhengyu¡¯s help would make the initial period very smooth. But, the additional investment funds Kang Xia had mentioned before, more or less made him quite depressed.


    _¡°If¡­ if Gong Dalong really can help me get a leave of absence and conceal it from Mum. I might have to leave with him and help Jia Ruidao. If I were to succeed, I could get some money back.¡±_ Tang Xiu secretly weighing his options.


    ¡°Ring ring ring¡­¡±


    The ringtone abruptly interrupted Tang Xiu¡¯s train of thought.


    He took the phone and suddenly got a headache after he saw the caller¡¯s ID. It was Han Qingwu. This was not even half the time requested for the leave before! Was she that afraid that he would run?


    Even with vexed thoughts, he chose to answer.


    ¡°Hello, Tang Xiu? Your mother came to school, you¡¯d better rush back here quickly.¡± Han Qingwu¡¯s voice transmitted.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion changed as he hastily asked, ¡°Teacher Han, why would my mother go to school?¡±


    Han Qingwu said, ¡°I don¡¯t know about the details, but it seems to be because of the matters with your uncle. In short, you should rush here quickly and see for yourself. And, isn¡¯t Su Xiangfei your cousin? He seems to be very hostile to your mother.¡±


    _¡°FUCK!¡±_ Tang Xiu cursed in his mind.


    Su Xiangfei hated him and of course, he would be very hostile to his mother. What he really worried was that Su Xiangfei would hurt his mother before he got back.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 77

    Chapter 77: A Truly Kind-hearted Mother


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu rushed back to school lightning fast and found his mother sitting in the office accompanied by Han Qingwu, who was chatting with her. Seeing this situation, the worries in Tang Xiu¡¯s heart slowly eased. He thought to assign someone to protect his mother secretly, in case one day he would provoke powerful enemies; of which, if they were unable to retaliate against him and target his mother, what would he do if that happened?


    ¡°Mum, why did you come to school?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at his mother and asked curiously.


    Upon seeing her son had arrived, Su Lingyun promptly stepped forward to pull his hand and hastily asked, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, I¡¯ve been looking for you in a rush. What have you done to your uncle? Your uncle and aunt dashed to our restaurant, kneeling and crying, wanting you to forgive them. What has happened exactly?¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before he answered, ¡°Mum, I was shopping a couple days ago and met Su Shangwen and Zhang Meiyun. They wanted to humiliate me as well as coerce the school to expel me. At that time, my friend was tagging along with me, and he comes from a big business family 100 times bigger than Shangwen Real Estate. That time my friend stood up and defend me, for which, Su Shangwen insulted him. What we didn¡¯t expect was that his father actually passed by and flew into a rage, and swore to make Su Shangwen¡¯s life difficult. If I¡¯m not mistaken, perhaps he will act to get rid of Su Shangwen, so Su Shangwen then ran to you for help, wanting me to talk good about him to my friend¡¯s father.¡±


    Su Lingyun¡¯s complexion greatly changed. Anger grew on her face as she spoke, ¡°How could Su Shangwen be like this? Whatever it is, you are his nephew, his sister¡¯s son!! How could he treat you this badly? Son, you can rest assured, if he dares to use his contacts to make the school expel you, I¡­ I will fight him!¡±


    Han Qingwu at the side also looked angry. She also recalled some of school¡¯s leaders¡¯ attitude toward Tang Xiu. She also knew Su Shangwen¡¯s deeds and conducts. Immediately she said, ¡°Big¡­ Big Sis Su, you don¡¯t need to worry! While I¡¯m still at school, I won¡¯t let anyone bully Tang Xiu and expel him from the school.¡±


    Su Lingyun replied with grateful expression, ¡°Beautiful teacher, thank you. I have heard about the matter before, thank you for standing up for Xiu¡¯er. Our family¡¯s Xiu¡¯er is very smart and well-behaved. It¡¯s just my fault that I have no abilities to protect him, and let him get wronged.¡±


    Han Qingwu took Su Lingyun¡¯s hands and spoke cordially, ¡°Please don¡¯t say that. A year ago, had it not been for Tang Xiu who saved me, he wouldn¡¯t have been hit by the car. This is only a natural act that I must do.¡±


    Su Lingyun had already known that her son saved Han Qingwu. But still, she was full of gratitude. After quite a while, she turned her head and faced Tang Xiu, ¡°Son, what should we do now? Your uncle and aunt¡­ they are still in our restaurant and refuses to leave. I¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu sighed in his heart. In the end, Su Shangwen was his mother¡¯s brother. And his mother was a kind-hearted woman to begin with. She was unable to steel her heart to withstand Su Shangwen¡¯s pleads and begging. She might be unwilling to see Su Shangwen end up in a miserable fate.


    ¡°It depends on you Mum. What do you think of it?¡±


    Su Lingyun hesitated. She didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment. Besides, it was also caused by Su Shangwen himself. If it were not because of her son¡¯s friend, she was afraid that her son¡¯s student status would be implicated and be humiliated. Even his schooling would not have continued. But¡­ blood is thicker than water, and she was caught in a dilemma with this situation.


    Tang Xiu the spoke in a bitter tone, ¡°Mom, this time I¡¯ll tell my friend to talk to his father to let the matter go! But if Su Shangwen dares to humiliate us again, I swear I will not let him go easily next time.¡±


    Even though Tang Xiu spoke like this, but he was sneering inside. He couldn¡¯t let Long Hanwen and Chen Zhizhong to act, but he could still make Yuan Zhengxuan strike Su Shangwen. Much less, he had neither familial love nor did he have significant importance to Su Shangwen¡¯s family whatsoever.


    Su Lingyun hesitated, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, will your words be heard?¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and spoke with confidence, ¡°This matter is caused by me. My words certainly will be heard by them. Don¡¯t worry! When we got back to the restaurant, you¡¯ll know about it Mum!¡±


    Eventually, Tang Xiu was able to comfort Su Lingyun and advised her to go back.


    At the office¡¯s door¡­


    With a strange look on her face, Han Qingwu stared at Tang Xiu, ¡°You didn¡¯t tell your mother the whole truth, did you? If your friend¡¯s father was really angry because Su Shangwen humiliated his son and wanted to kick him out, would even your words have any weight? Do me a favor and tell me the honest truth will you?¡±


    Tang Xiu Xi laughed, ¡°Teacher Han, if a woman is too clever, it would be bad for her.¡± [1]


    Han Qingwu laughed with a happy and proud expression, ¡°Who says a smart woman is bad? Now is not the era of ¡®a woman lacks talent is virtuous¡¯. Eh, no no no. You only shifted the topic, kid. Now tell me quickly, what has really happened?¡±


    Tang Xiu had no other choice and replied helplessly, ¡°Haih, since you really want to know, I¡¯ll tell you. I¡¯ve mentioned it to you before that I met Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical¡¯s Boss, Chen Zhizhong, remember? I really have cured his illness. So he owes me a favor. When Su Shangwen humiliated me, he happened to bump into us. He was very angry and insisted on making Su Shangwen pay the price.¡±


    Han Qingwu was surprised, ¡°For real? It¡¯s really Chen Zhizhong?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes rolled and spoke, ¡°Anyway, tonight I¡¯ll take a leave of absence and see Chen Zhizhong. Do you want to come along?¡±


    Han Qingwu snapped angrily, ¡°You want a leave of absence? Again?¡±


    Tang Xiu wryly smiled, ¡°Teacher Han, there¡¯s no class at night. I want to talk to him about this matter, or you want my Mum to feel awkward and embarrassed?¡±


    Hang Qingwu¡¯s anger vanished quickly as she relaxed, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll give you a leave tonight. Do remember that you must attend class tomorrow morning, and don¡¯t be late.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tang Xiu smiled and nodded.


    He had made an appointment with Chen Zhizhong tonight and was pondering how he would get a leave of absence. But, much to his surprise, he never thought that his mother would come to school, helping him obtain it.


    Han Qingwu said, ¡°Ah yes. The Principal talked to me today to give you a holiday for a week. Tell me honestly, what really happened?¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a surprised expression, ¡°He really complied and agreed?¡±


    Han Qingwu snapped, ¡°Only agreed? Bah, it¡¯s far more than that! He even told me to lie to your Mother that you¡¯re going to participate in the Subjects Competition. But, judging from your words, you know the reason, right? Be honest and tell me quickly, what happened?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mind rotated faster as he grinned, ¡°Someone¡¯s Master has gotten sick, and it¡¯s quite severe. My medical skill is good, so he asked me to go to another city and help to treat his Master¡¯s sickness. You also know, when have I had the time to go to another city? So to refuse him, I told him that I don¡¯t have the time since I don¡¯t have any just reasons to tell Mum and the school. But I never thought that he would see the Principal, even arranging to make you talk to my mother and covering this issue from her.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t lie to me?¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his hand and vowed solemnly, ¡°In the name of my future wife, I swear that I absolutely didn¡¯t lie to you.¡±


    ¡°Pfft ¡­¡±


    Han Qingwu glanced at Tang Xiu with a supercilious look, as she ridiculed with a smile, ¡°You boy, how old are you, huh? Even talking about your future wife! Fine, I¡¯ll handle the talk with your mother! But remember! You only have one week including today.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled wryly, ¡°B-But, tonight is not included. It¡¯s different!¡±


    ¡°You get what you deserve!¡±


    Han Qingwu smiled triumphantly.


    Su Xiangfei glared angrily at him when Tang Xiu entered the classroom. He only glanced and straightly chose to ignore him. He returned to his seat, watching Yuan Chuling studying diligently. Curiosity suddenly itched him as he asked, ¡°Man, how come you changed so much today? I have never seen you this diligent before?¡±


    Yuan Chuling lightly laughed, ¡°That was my past confused-idiot me. Anyways, Tang Xiu, do you know something? My parent¡¯s divorce is a fake. Although they applied for the divorce certificate, but their feelings for each other are much better than before.¡±


    Tang Xiu asked in confused, ¡°How so?¡±


    Yuan Chuling shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m also clueless as to what happened. Mum told me that having a divorce was their last resort. They won¡¯t tell me why as of now, and only told me to graduate from college and have the ability to survive in society. Only then will they tell me the whole story. Man, how stupid I was to fall into depression and abandon myself because I didn¡¯t understand them.¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly realized as he patted his shoulder and smiled, ¡°Want me to help you?¡±


    Yuan Chuling confused, ¡°Huh? How will you help me? There¡¯s only a month left before the College Entrance Test. I¡¯m racing against time right now to study. I wanna make my parents happy and get high scores on the test.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled again, ¡°Wait for a week! Then I¡¯ll teach you my experiences in studying. As long as you study with my method, your performance would improve by leaps and bounds.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Yuan Chuling replied with an overjoyed expression.


    With a confident smile, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°Haven¡¯t you seen my previous grades? If I really want it, it¡¯s easy for me to be the top student at school!¡±


    At this moment, Cheng Yannan, who was secretly eavesdropping Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling¡¯s conversation, suddenly turned around and spoke, ¡°Yo, Tang Xiu, you cannot only favor him. We are also your classmates. Since you will teach Yuan Chuling your studying method, please teach it to me too! It shouldn¡¯t be a problem, right?¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing and replied, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll be generous today and help you.¡±


    Cheng Yannan nodded, but suddenly her eyes turned, ¡°Can I bring along another 2 girls? Just imagine! If many students from our class got outstanding scores in the College Entrance Test, our teacher-in-charge, Teacher Han would get an award!¡±


    Tang Xi hesitated for a moment before he nodded and said, ¡°OK! But don¡¯t bring along too many people.¡±


    Tang Xiu hadn¡¯t a good impression toward his classmates. He could see that his classmates were only accepting in what they heard from others and followed it blindly, even driving them to curse others. If it were not for Cheng Yannan, he would have refused to teach the other classmates of his.


    Yuan Chuling said, ¡°Eldest Brother, you said to wait for a week, why not start now?¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled, ¡°I got a leave of absence from Teacher Han for a week and will leave school this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°What the? You asked a week leave?¡± Yuan Chuling involuntarily exclaimed out loud.


    And in a flash¡­


    All the students in the class turned around toward Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling. In their opinions, Tang Xiu was an ignorant and good-for-nothing student. He might have scored first in the previous test, but it was only by relying on luck, nothing more. He even became more and more disliked by students with his unceasing class-skipping and leaves of absence.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    [1] This was not intended to belittle women, but to express praise.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes

 Chapter 78

    Chapter 78: Unofficial Disciple


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    The days in June were as though the face of children, they changed from time to time. The sun shone brightly at noon, but when the night gradually approached, light rain floated and rhythmically dripped down from the sky. The entire South Gate Town was enveloped by a hazy-misty rain, and vaguely, lights were lit one after another.


    In his villa, Tang Xiu sat cross-legged in his bedroom¡¯s balcony, and quietly sensed the inside of his body. After cultivating for a few days, the 9 spheres of stars had become increasingly bright. He could sense his strength surging like tidal waves even though he was sitting cross-legged. The power circulated into his limbs and all the 5 major bones of his body.


    He knew that it was imperative to start cultivating for the Skin Strengthening Stage. He planned that after he finished helping Jia Ruidao and came back, he would give his all to find all the necessary medicinal herbs and Spirit Stones. If it was very difficult to find them in such a short time, he could only ask for some help from Chen Zhizhong.


    ¡°Treading on the cultivation path has always been full of dangers and hardships. But it¡¯s the inevitable adversities that I must brave. Only then will I step on brilliance again.¡±


    In his previous life, it was very rare for him to get distressed due to lacking necessary cultivation resources. But the resources on Earth were scarce. If he wanted to cultivate the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis, he must give his all to get the resources he needed, even though it was extremely difficult. He was an eagle that must soar in the sky, flying bravely against the current to reach his lofty ambition. He believed that nothing would make him baffled despite the adversities he must face.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    With his spiritual sense, he immediately sensed Chen Zhizhong¡¯s arrival.


    At the first floor¡­


    With an astonished expression, Chen Zhizhong observed the villa¡¯s decoration. He had to admit that his own place was not as good as this villa. He couldn¡¯t help but envy Long Hanwen for having a capable son with such exquisite vision and accurate judgment in investment. It absolutely could be regarded as a business elite with an outstanding talent.


    ¡°You have come!¡±


    Tang Xiu walked downstairs with an indifferent expression.


    Chen Zhizhong¡¯s heart tightened as he respectfully greeted and spoke, ¡°Master!¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t refute him. He walked toward the sofa in the living room and calmly spoke, ¡°I once had a few unofficial disciples, and I¡¯m perfectly aware of all the hardships when teaching apprentices. So I don¡¯t have much time to waste on teaching disciples. But before you worship me as a Master, I have a request for you.¡±


    ¡°Please do tell!¡± Chen Zhizhong hurriedly spoke.


    Never once had he expected that Tang Xiu would have received a few apprentices at such a young age. That meant, didn¡¯t he already have a few Senior Brothers?


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°No hurry. I want to ask a few questions. If your answer can satisfy me, from now on you will be my disciple. If not, then you can go back. Everything you see and hear today must never be exposed to the outside.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong¡¯s mind moved and said, ¡°Please do ask! I¡¯ll answer them.¡±


    Tang Xiu pointed to the top and said, ¡°Do you believe that there¡¯s a heaven above the heavens and that there are higher existences above our Earth?¡±


    Chen Zhizhong said, ¡°Absolutely! The universe is vast and boundless. Who knows how many civilizations and new worlds there are.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°What I mean is not the universe, but planes. Have you heard stories in the world about Immortals which spoke of higher planes than the Human Realm, such as the Demon Realm, Immortal Realm, and God Realm? Do you think such higher existences exist on those planes?¡±


    Chen Zhizhong thought deeply before he slowly replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Tang Xiu asked, ¡°If those planes exist, can you accept the fact?¡±


    Chen Zhizhong nodded without hesitation, ¡°Myriads of bizarre and strange things are capable of existing in the infinite universe. In a broader view, such existences like Demons, Immortals, and the God Realms are also possible. If those really exist, I naturally can accept that.¡±


    Tang Xiu continued asking, ¡°Next question. How much do you know about people who take the cultivation path?¡±


    Cultivator?


    Could it be ¡­


    His mind rotated faster and spoke solemnly, ¡°Cultivators, in my opinion, are people of legend. I only know about them from myths and fables. But never once have I seen them with my own eyes in real life. I did hear that there are 2 places that have these deity-like existences, but I cannot verify it.¡±


    Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Qinghai and Tibet.¡± Chen Zhizhong replied.


    Tang Xiu silently nodded and said, ¡°Even if I teach you something, you will be unlikely to have great achievements. Knowing this, will you still be willing to worship me as a Master?¡±


    Without even thinking or hesitating, Chen Zhizhong answered, ¡°As long as I can practice and improve my martial arts, I will worship you as my Master.¡±


    Tang Xiu pointed to the door and said, ¡°You answered the things I already knew, you can go now.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong stared blankly as he instantly felt a coldness invade his body. He didn¡¯t know what was wrong with his answer, even making Tang Xiu unwilling to accept him as a disciple.


    ¡°Could you tell me what was wrong with my answer that didn¡¯t satisfy you?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°My disciples have no need for martial arts. What they need is a firm heart, with a firm will and conviction to brave adversities, and the courage to fight against fate. From the beginning to the end, my cultivation techniques that my disciples will have to learn thoroughly will defy the heavens. If you have the slightest carelessness, you will be consigned to eternal damnation and accidents beyond redemption. To make it short and easy to understand, if one were to study under me, the most important thing is to cultivate the mind and heart, and the next is cultivating talent and morals.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong immediately knelt in front of Tang Xiu and firmly spoke, ¡°That conviction and heart, I have them. If I can be stronger, even if I must fight against the heavens, never will I back off from it.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at him deeply. Looking at the determination on Cheng Zhizhong¡¯s face, he was silent for a long time before he nodded and said, ¡°Go make tea and then kowtow to me.¡±


    ¡°You are¡­ Ah, yes. I¡¯ll go right now.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong froze for a moment before he immediately cried with joy.


    Serving tea! And kowtowing!


    This was the simplest ceremony of apprenticeship, and would only take 2 minutes of time.


    Tang Xiu motioned Chen Zhizhong to sit at the opposite side of the sofa. Only then did he slowly speak, ¡°In fact, even if you take the cultivation path under my tutelage, your achievements wouldn¡¯t reach the peak due to your age. It would be very difficult for you to ascend to immortality. You only have a minuscule chance to become a Supreme Immortal. But since you have entered my circle, I naturally will make you live longer and become stronger.¡±


    ¡°Ascending to immortality? Supreme Immortal?¡±


    Chen Zhizhong¡¯s pupil violently contracted as amazement filled his expression.


    Tang Xiu spoke in a deep tone, ¡°Yes, I am a cultivator, and I don¡¯t practice the so-called martial arts you¡¯ve spoken about. The Great Dao has myriads of paths, with each and every path being unique and different. I will teach you an immortal cultivation technique and guide you in your cultivation. As for your achievements, it will completely depend on your efforts and good fortune.¡±


    A good fortune! This was indeed a huge fortune!


    Chen Zhizhong was extremely excited he was about to shout loudly. But he didn¡¯t dare because Tang Xiu was in front of him. Cultivators, he had heard about these people, but never once have he ever seen them. Such legendary figures were like the palatial mountain his eyes could only revere and yearn for.


    ¡°Master, thank you! Disciple will respectfully follow your teachings and earnestly cultivate.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong knelt again in front of Tang Xiu as he knocked his head three times respectfully.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows wrinkled and spoke with dissatisfaction, ¡°From now on, you¡¯re not to kowtow to me easily. I can¡¯t teach you much, only if you encounter difficulties in cultivation will I answer the matters that makes you puzzled.¡±


    Shortly after¡­


    Tang Xiu selected a cultivation technique randomly and taught it to Chen Zhizhong. For a Supreme in the Immortal World, this cultivation technique might be unable to enter their eyes. But for those ordinary Immortals, this cultivation technique was tantamount to a godly supreme cultivation technique.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s present cultivation base was too low, he couldn¡¯t use his spiritual force to instill the methods, so he could only teach it with literal instructions a bit. It took 4 hours to finish teaching this cultivation technique.


    ¡°Good. I have taught you the cultivation technique. Later on, when you truly have entered the cultivation path, I will teach you other knowledge such as pill concocting, tool refining, formation array, and some others. But do remember that you must not be impatient and rush your cultivation. Else you will be too obsessed and disturb your state of mind, and fall to a mental demon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bear that in mind and follow Master¡¯s teachings.¡± Chen Zhizhong replied respectfully.


    Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°Well, you can go now. Remember, you must never expose anything I have taught you today to anyone, including your loved ones.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Chen Zhizhong nodded immediately.


    Tang Xiu sent Chen Zhizhong away and then picked up the phone to look at the time. There was an unread message, so he opened it. After reading it, only then did he remember that he had given his ID card number to Gong Dalong at noon for booking the ticket. He didn¡¯t expect that he had booked the plane ticket for the morning flight tomorrow.


    ¡°How would it feel to take a plane? Would the feeling could be compared to riding on a flying sword?¡±


    Tang Xiu thought randomly for a moment as he felt that he was hungry. He went to the kitchen and smiled wryly because there was nothing in the kitchen, even his refrigerator was empty.


    ¡°This house doesn¡¯t have the nuance of a family atmosphere. If Mum lived here, it would have been better! Although the house is small, but if there are other family members, it would be very warm.¡±


    With such emotions, he sighed a few times. Then, he accidentally found a menu list pasted on the wall behind the table. There were a lot of dishes listed on the menu list, and each was exceptionally sumptuous. After having read it, only then did he realize that this was the menu list left by the Real Estate Management Office for him. Due to the reason that he had meals outside, nobody had prepared meals for him, so they left the menu list here.


    ¡°Really, one get for what they have paid for. The grade of this villa district truly has a meticulous and excellent Management Office.¡± A faint smile emerged on Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he dialed the number on the list and called for takeaway food.


    20 minutes later¡­


    The villa¡¯s door bell rang. Tang Xiu walked outside and found that his order had arrived. And the person who sent it was surprisingly not some stranger. It was Long Zhenglin.


    ¡°Why did you come here?¡± Tang Xiu asked with a surprised tone.


    Long Zhenglin replied excitedly, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, I came specially to look for you. I just bumped into a delivery boy outside a moment ago, so I paid him and sent it away.


    Tang Xiu helplessly replied, ¡°Duh, how come I feel you¡¯re haunting me just like a ghost? It¡¯s enough to have you following all day long, but now you also run into me at night and want to sleep with me?¡±


    Long Zhenglin shook his head forcefully, but still, the excitement on his face did not diminish, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, it¡¯s for something else that I need to find you for. You gave me the prescription at noon, remember? So I immediately bought all the medicinal herbs on the prescription. Then, I went home and asked the maid to boil it. After that, I drank it up and felt like I was a new man. A babe who likes me was there by chance. So I just did it. You guess what had happened? A miracle happened!!! I lasted for 20 minutes! Man, I¡¯m not telling you a lie. I did it whilst watching the time. I can play for absolutely 20 minutes!¡±


    ¡°Fuck you! You are really damn sick. Why the fuck are you telling me this?¡±


    Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh as he was dumbfounded and cursed.


    Long Zhenglin shook his head again and said, ¡°No no no! It¡¯s an important matter, Eldest Brother! I hurriedly put my pants on and rushed to find you, because I saw a huge business opportunity from your prescription.¡±


    ¡°Business opportunity?¡±


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 79

    Chapter 79: A Huge Business Opportunity


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    With a quizzical expression, Tang Xiu looked at Long Zhenglin. He really didn¡¯t understand why his prescription for invigorating the kidney turned out to have such great business opportunity.


    ¡°Tell me!¡± After having been dumbfounded for quite a long time, Tang Xiu finally sobered up as his curiosity was sparked and got him interested.


    Long Zhenglin pulled Tang Xiu to the villa¡¯s living room. He put the takeaway food on the table, skillfully took his cigarette and ignited it, and started smoking. Then, he began to speak excitedly as his saliva spurted, ¡°Eldest Brother, you seem to be unaware that you¡¯re sitting on a treasure mountain, aren¡¯t you? The prescription you¡¯ve given me simply has amazing effects beyond doubt. Just think, how many men around the world are distressed because of this symptom? How many couples¡¯ marriages are in disharmony and have divorced? How many women are having affairs because their men are unable to satisfy them?


    ¡°A survey institute has once conducted a research and surveyed this issue. According to statistical data from their findings, the results show that from men around the world, 75% of them are unable to satisfy their partners, 37% are only able to last less than 10 minutes in sexual intercourse, and 11.8% fall into category. Of which, can only last under 5 minutes.¡±


    ¡°Although the validity of this research might be unreliable, but that institute has spent 4 years to survey tens of thousands of men around the world before they finally compiled those findings¡¯ conclusion.¡±


    Long Zhenglin wiped his mouth and continued again passionately, ¡°Which man in this world doesn¡¯t wish to be as strong as Hercules in bed, and don¡¯t want to fall into depression and deep embarrassment because of this? NO! No man will ever want this, absolutely! Even gays have always hoped to carve their strong-ironman image deeply into their partners¡¯ innermost feelings.¡± [1]


    ¡°Your meaning?¡± As though he had realized something, Tang Xiu probed and asked further.


    Long Zhenglin replied loudly, ¡°There indeed are such sexual vitality supplements or drugs sold on the market. They do let men get their _¡®sexual power¡¯_ back, but at the cost of facing big side-effects on their bodies. Even those who have been branded with the ¡®impotency¡¯ tag also don¡¯t want to buy those drugs. But your medicine¡­ it¡¯s a whole different story. Not only does it treat the kidney¡¯s dysfunction, it is also able to revive the glory of being a man. For this, the ¡°Golden Gun¡± would firmly rise without falling. Your medicine is absolutely the Divine Tool to making a fortune!¡±


    Tang Xiu quickly added, ¡°This medicine is not only able to invigorate the kidney and rejuvenate the Yang energy for men. But it also gives great benefits to women due to the Yin energy nourishing effect, and also improves appearance.¡±


    ¡°Good Lord!¡±


    Long Zhenglin jumped directly from the sofa as his staring eyes turned bigger, like a copper bell. After a moment, an angry expression suddenly emerged on his face as he glared at Tang Xiu and roared, ¡°Eldest Brother! You, you, you¡­ you are wasting such heavenly treasure all this time! Damn! Why? Why didn¡¯t you tell me and give me this prescription earlier?¡±


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes as he stared at him and snappily replied, ¡°Eh? How long have I known you?¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Long Zhenglin¡¯s breath halted for a moment. The supercilious anger on his face suddenly vanished, and it was replaced with an awkward expression. He then spoke whilst smiling embarrassedly, ¡°Ah, right! Blame me for knowing you too late. Had I known you earlier, perhaps I would have long knelt under your feet!¡±


    Tang Xiao ridiculed him, ¡°Bah, cut the crap. I know you came to me with the idea to make money from my prescription, yes? Tell me your idea then. Let¡¯s see if you can put forward the plan and idea.¡±


    Long Zhenglin immediately said, ¡°Big Bro, do you have any means to add some flavors to this medicinal tonic of yours? Such as those drinks with sweet, creamy¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes turned bright even as his heart jolted.


    He was unfamiliar with the domestic beverages¡¯ market. But he could estimate the huge potential the market had. He had once heard about a few drink products that occupied half of the market¡¯s share in the country. Those big bosses had successfully squeezed themselves into one of the domestic tycoons and became powerful people.


    In the case that¡­ if it was applied to a medicinal tonic and could be treated as a beverage product, and got thrown into the market, once the sales start to explode in the country, how many shares would it get? How amazing would the profits be? If the market expanded to the world, that¡­


    Tang Xiu¡¯s vision fixated at Long Zhenglin as all kinds of ideas continue to churn inside his mind. After being silent for a long time, he slowly said, ¡°Damn, your proposal is extremely damn good. As long as the promotion lines are perfect, once the product enters the market, it would create a great sensation. The profit also will be outrageously high. Long Zhenglin, how do you plan to work with me?¡±


    Long Zhenglin probed more, ¡°I just want to invest in the shares. As for management, how about you take it?¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t answer, but asked back, ¡°First, I wanna know! How many skills have you learned from the Long Group all these years? If you were to control a huge corporation, can you manage it?¡±


    Long Zhenglin¡¯s complexion froze, as a bit of an embarrassed expression grew on his face when he shook his head and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t have any. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m able to manage an ordinary company. But my elder brother surely will be able to manage a small corporation. But for a large corporation, it will also very difficult for him.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°That being the case, I¡¯ll set up the company and hand the management to other people, and you can buy the shares. But, you also can join the management if you want to. Anyway, how much are you planning to invest for the starting funds?¡±


    Long Zhenglin quickly said, ¡°I can ask the money from my Dad! As for the shares, I¡¯m fine with 5%. For the management aspect, I¡¯m not good at it. The best I can do, would only be miscellaneous work.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t ask your Dad! Your own money! How much can you invest? ¡°


    Long Zhenglin said embarrassedly, ¡°I don¡¯t have much. A few million would be fine, but more than that, I will have to pawn the real estate under my name and sell my car. If those were sold, I think I can get 2 or 3 million.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°If you invest 3 million yuan, 10% of the shares are yours. But you must do it yourself! I¡¯m the Boss of the company, so I won¡¯t easily spread it out.¡±


    Long Zhenglin was curious, ¡°If my Dad and my brother ask me, can I tell them?¡±


    ¡°Have it your way!¡± Tang Xiu replied calmly.


    Long Zhenglin rubbed his hands and laughed lightly, ¡°Ahaha, Got it! I knew it! Seems like following and tagging along with you, wouldn¡¯t make me have to ask for a drink and meal again! Eldest Brother, I¡¯ll cling onto you for the rest of my life. Even if you want to hug or kick me, I won¡¯t even budge.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off!¡± Tang Xiu cursed and laughed.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu sent Long Zhenglin out. The villa turned silent again, and he began to think about the recipe for the new product. He needed to guarantee the new product¡¯s quality while also adding a good flavor at the same time.


    _¡°How can I check other beverages¡¯ recipes?¡±_


    With such crossing thoughts in his mind, Tang Xiu thought to leave but then decided to ask someone as he dialed Kang Xia¡¯s number to ask.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, what¡¯s up?¡±


    Kang Xia¡¯s hazy dim voice transmitted from the phone.


    Tang Xiu halted for a moment and looked at the time. He suddenly realized as an awkward expression emerged on his face. After all, it was almost 2 AM.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I forgot it¡¯s sleeping time. There¡¯s something that I want to ask you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    Tang Xiu asked, ¡°According to your business management vast experience, what should I do to find out about other beverages¡¯ recipes?¡±


    ¡°Find Madam Du!¡± Kang Xia replied with a sour mood. [2]


    ¡°Who¡¯s this Madam Du? She knows those drinks¡¯ recipes?¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help asking back with a deep confusion in his mind.


    Kang Xia¡¯s soul abruptly sobered up. She replied with a dumbfounded tone, ¡°Holy mother! Aren¡¯t you the world¡¯s new genius? How come you don¡¯t even know about Madam Du? It¡¯s BAIDU! Access the internet and find it via Baidu, you got it?! But you won¡¯t find complete recipes from the internet and those labels on the products¡¯ bottle. Besides, there¡¯s no way the manufacturers would reveal their products¡¯ secret.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°It¡¯s alright, I know it too. Thanks.¡±


    Kang Xia asked, ¡°You want to set up a beverage business?¡±


    Tang Xiu replied truthfully, ¡°I do have this idea. But I don¡¯t have the recipe, so I want to study it.¡±


    Kang Xia was speechless. She couldn¡¯t help but mutter in her heart, _¡°Do you think the recipes are very easy to study? If it were so easy, there would have been countless beverage products popping up on Earth!¡±_


    But she suddenly recalled the 2 cosmetics¡¯ formulas from Tang Xiu and also mused, _¡°Could it be that those 2 cosmetic formulas were also created by him on such a whim?¡±_


    Kang Xia¡¯s heart suddenly sunk¡­


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t know that his call had made Kang Xia¡¯s mood turn messy, even causing insomnia. He hung up the phone and tried to search other drink information on the Internet. But he was quickly stunned since he recalled that he didn¡¯t have a computer, he didn¡¯t even have the Internet quota on his phone.


    ¡°Ah, forget about it. Haste and impatience will only waste everything. I should buy a computer when I have the time. It wouldn¡¯t be too late to find it later after I have internet.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head, put down all his thoughts and prepared to sleep. Besides, he must go to Jingmen Island with Gong Dalong tomorrow, so he had to be in top condition and full of spirit.


    Jingmen Island was a large isolated island located in the South China Sea. After having undergone a few decades of development, the island had transformed into a bustling international metropolis. It also acted as an important transport hub in Southeast Asia with prosperous tourism industries, which helped improve Jingmen Island¡¯s economy by leap and bounds.


    At Jingmen Island¡¯s Airport¡­


    Jia Yelei stood restlessly at the airport¡¯s exit gate. His eyes constantly fixated at the stream of unceasing tourists who were coming out from the airport. Along with the deep regret inside his heart, he also anticipated, and was full of hope that his First Senior Brother would be able to invite the Gambling Master whose gambling techniques was highly praised by his father.


    He knew that his father was still gambling with those bastards who pitted him on those fraud games. Perhaps a minute later, the capital his father lost would likely increase more.


    ¡°If that Master isn¡¯t good, perhaps we will never rise again in our entire lives.¡± He lamented with a heart full bitterness.


    ¡°Yelei!¡± A shout came from the corner of the people stream.


    Jia Yelei followed the voice¡¯s source as a pleasant and surprised expression immediately appeared on his face. He quickly approached and greeted, ¡°First Senior Brother, you finally came back. Is this the Gambling Master?¡±


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    [1] The raws didn¡¯t say Hercules though¡­ it¡¯s just ¡°amazingly strong¡± literally. I just use Hercules because he was physically strong (in the story that is). But, no way in hell if I know whether Hercules was so damn strong in the bed since I¡¯ve never read that part about Viagra-Hercules in any literatures¡­


    [2] ¶ÈÄï (Duniang): Alternative name for Baidu, literally can be translated to Mother/Madam Du. So for the sake of the flow, I use Madam Du since Tang Xiu didn¡¯t know about Baidu or even internet?


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 80

    Chapter 80: Paradise Club


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu was standing beside Gong Dalong and saw that Jia Yelei¡¯s eyes only glanced at him. But then he looked around, looking for the ¡°Gambling Master¡±. Tang Xiu was slightly disappointed, especially because of his words. This Jia Yelei seemed to judge people solely by appearance. Now he understood why he was cheated by others, since he also had countless means to push such a person to a deep pit.


    ¡°Pa¡­¡±


    Seeing through Jia Yelei¡¯s thoughts, Gong Dalong slapped his head and snapped, ¡°Hey, he _is_ Master Tang, and he¡¯s the Gambling Master that I specially invited.¡±


    Jia Yelei rubbed the spot on his head where he was hit. His vision was fixated on Tang Xiu, sizing him up, and then he exclaimed with an inconceivable expression, ¡°First Senior Brother, are you throwing a massive, unfunny joke? He¡¯s so young, he even looks younger than me. How could he possibly be more skillful than Dad?¡±


    _¡°You damn moron!¡±_


    Tang Xiu cursed inside since Jia Yelei really made him speechless.


    Gong Dalong was as though driven to the other world out of anger by Jia Yelei. If it were not for Tang Xiu¡¯s presence, he would have already slapped this idiot Junior Brother of his to death. But, recalling the first time he saw Tang Xiu, he indeed also had doubts and contempt, because the first impression that came from Tang Xiu was, after all¡­ well, he¡¯s too young.


    However¡­


    When he saw the dispute between Tang Xiu and Su Shangwen, although he stood up for Tang Xiu, but little did he play his role. Since Star City¡¯s 2 most powerful and rich big shots, Long Hanwen and Chen Zhizhong, already stepped forward to defend Tang Xiu. They also seemed to be interested in making friends with Tang Xiu by expressing their goodwill. This made him come to his senses and he clearly understood that he ¡®must never judge a person by his appearance, just like people were unable to measure the depth of the sea with a pint pot¡¯.


    Gong Dalong glanced at the cold expression on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. Then, he grabbed Jia Yelei and dragged him out of the crowd by tens of meters. After they came to a remote place, he powerfully slapped his face without hesitation, glared at him and angrily reprimanded, ¡°Do bear in your little mind! Judging people only by their appearance is the death flag for us gamblers! Master Tang has won against our Master in a game. You think that Master will intentionally lie and deceive you? In the case Master Tang really does have no abilities, do you think Master will call him as a last resort for his life? You doubt Master Tang and that means you also look down on your father!¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡­¡±


    Jia Yelei covered his scarlet cheek as his eyes tried to find Tang Xiu. He suddenly had cold sweat. Only now did he realize that he was wrong and had broken the professional gamblers¡¯ biggest taboo and death flag. How could he forget not to judge people solely by their appearance? Regret quickly filled him as he bowed deeply and spoke, ¡°Master Tang, I was really rude. With that broad mind of yours, please forgive me.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Jia Yelei did make Tang Xiu feel iffy. But, seeing that he easily admitted his mistake and also apologized straightforwardly with a sincere tone and expression, Tang Xiu was somewhat also saw him in a new light. People who were able to recognize their mistakes would be able to reform themselves, as the saying goes. Despite some shortcomings he had, Jia Yelei¡¯s character could be said that he was a promising youngster.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your father?¡±


    Tang Xiu lightly nodded his head and calmly asked.


    Jia Yelei carefully took Tang Xiu¡¯s suitcase and hurriedly replied, ¡°He¡¯s still on the table because today is the deadline set by his opponent, so he must continue gambling with them. Otherwise, they would sell my mother¡¯s memento!¡±


    Tang Xiu secretly shook his head. Jia Ruidao seemed to have fallen into a deep pit! He had been bitten by a viper and his opponents had hit him on his weak spot. Since his soft rib had been grabbed by his opponents, he had no choice but to give in.


    Rhythm!


    Tang Xiu perfectly understood what this word meant. ¡®Rhythm¡¯ in particular had a deep meaning for people who were gamblers. In the case that professional gamblers controlled the gambling rhythm, they would undoubtedly win big. But on the flipside, once they lost their rhythm control, they would have to face countless hardships and difficulties in trying to win.


    Jingmen Island, Paradise Club¡­


    The regular visitors of Jingmen Island, the lot of them were usually hardcore gamblers. They knew everyone and everyone also knew them. The gambling usually was not held inside the building, but rather on a luxury cruiser at Jingmen Island¡¯s Port. It was rumored that the big boss behind the Paradise Club was Ouyang Lulu, the eldest daughter of the Ouyang Family, and the Jingmen Island¡¯s first family. This was, of course, an illegal type of business, with huge pieces of delicious cake that was being shared by a lot of hands. Otherwise, without such a safe haven, it would have been very difficult to defend against covetous people.


    At this moment¡­


    Inside the spacious and bright office of the Paradise Club luxury cruiser, Ouyang Lulu was entertaining her two classmates from Beijing.


    ¡°This is only produced in. It belongs to the black tea kind of excellent quality. It¡¯s a kind of domestic special tea with tight strips on its contour and vivid greenish brown leaves. After brewing it, the tea water would be bright yellow and the leaves will turn reddish-green. The most distinguishing quality of this tea is the strong and long-lasting fragrance. This is obviously of high-class quality and brings along numerous effects.¡±


    A smiling expression was hung on Bai Tao¡¯s mouth as he looked at the elegant posture Ouyang Lulu had, who was making tea tediously, ¡°This Scarlet Oolong Tea is of the best quality, it¡¯s also very precious due to being very hard to find. My uncle once obtained it with hardships and in trying every means. Only from a big tea merchant from the Southern Province was he able to buy a few of them. But it seems that Miss Ouyang really has the ability to acquire this exquisite tea.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu smiled and said, ¡°Eh? Do you find me interesting to tease, old friend? Anyways, I never knew that you were a tea expert! I may have to find you later and learn about it when I have time.¡±


    Bai Tao gasped for a second before he hastily replied, ¡°No no no, it will be showing off in front of an expert. It¡¯s better for you to ask the real expert I know of. He¡¯s damn knowledgeable about tea. Mine is only superficial, I only know about it because I got influenced and only heard and saw about it.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu was puzzled and asked, ¡°Who is he?¡±


    Bai Tao glanced at Chu Yi and chuckled before he replied, ¡°It¡¯s not far on the horizon though, and he¡¯s just right in front of your eyes.¡±


    As a smart person, Ouyang Lulu quickly grasped it, and suddenly turned around toward Chu Yi. With an astonished expression, she asked, ¡°Eh, the tea expert turns out to be you, Chu Yi! How? And why are you keeping low-key even in front of your friend?¡±


    Chu Yi couldn¡¯t help but laugh and replied, ¡°For one, I considered myself as a tea expert amongst the same generation. But seeing your tea-making technique, I¡¯m convinced that there will always be someone who¡¯s better than me. Miss Ouyang, you¡¯ve given me a good lesson!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu replied with a smile, ¡°Cut it off. Modesty will only make you fatter. I can tell that you¡¯ll be a big fatty in no time. Ah, right. How come the both of you are not busy this time? You even have time to come to Jingmen Island.¡±


    Bai Tao was the one who replied as he smiled, ¡°Actually, we just went to Star City to find that kid, Long Zhengyu, since we have an appointment to get some tickets to Thailand. But I never expected that he changed his mind because of some big project opportunity.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu laughed, ¡°Although I have yet to meet Long Zhengyu, I¡¯ve heard his name a lot, especially from the both of you. Every time we meet, you two always mention him. Seems like that I have to meet this famous Young Master Long if I got the chance, to see what kind of outstanding person he is, which is even worth for the two of you to have such a longstanding and deep friendship with.¡±


    Bai Tao laughed, ¡°Of course, he¡¯s amazing! He¡¯s not even the least bit inferior compared to us.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu was dumbfounded and couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°You are praising and boasting about him? The both of you?¡±


    Chu Yi¡¯s expression suddenly changed and replied, ¡°Lulu, Long Zhengyu is really a fine outstanding young man. Only a few youths from the younger generation could be more outstanding than him. But when we had the tour in Star City, we came across an interesting finding though. To be more precise, we heard about an interesting person.¡±


    ¡°What kind of person?¡± Ouyang Lulu was surprised.


    Chu Yi replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know much about the details. What I know is that he¡¯s also a youngster. And the most inconceivable thing is that he¡¯s still a high schooler. And Long Zhengyu turns out to have gotten the help of that youngster in his big project. Even the aloof and proud Long Zhengyu seems to admire this youngster high schooler.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu was surprised and asked, ¡°Long Zhengyu admires a high schooler? Are you kidding me?¡±


    Bai Tao said, ¡°We absolutely won¡¯t kid with you! I really could tell that Long Zhengyu really admires him. When the both us were chatting with Long Zhengyu and had some tea, that youngster was called Tang Xiu by Long Zhengyu. He wanted Long Zhengyu to find him a professional manager. And you know what? Long Zhengyu¡¯s attitude at that time was simply¡­ how should I say it? It was not like treating a blood brother. He was simply like bootlicking him.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu was confused, ¡°A high school schooler wants to find a professional manager? What does he want to do?¡±


    Bai Tao said, ¡°That said, he¡¯s preparing to set up a company. Since he doesn¡¯t have time to manage it, so he asked Long Zhengyu to find a professional manager. And guess what? Since we were there at that time, Chu Yin got this rotten idea and threw it to Long Zhengyu, and let Tang Xiu invite Kang Xia. Lulu, I think you also have heard about the famous Kang Xia, haven¡¯t you? Geez¡­ I really wanna see if that kid will be able to invite her.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu turned supercilious as she then smiled and said, ¡°Aha, the two of you really deserve to be damned. Who doesn¡¯t know Kang Xia? The super elite who came back from Wall Street¡¯s World Finance Center¡­ even a lot of big corporations wished to recruit her with countless of means and efforts, only to finally get rejected by her. The two of you are really not a good thing, you even tested a high schooler to invite her? It¡¯s not even a funny joke!¡±


    Bai Tao laughed and replied, ¡°Haha, it¡¯s just for fun!¡±


    Chu Yi expression suddenly changed. He grabbed his phone and dialed a number. After the phone was picked, he asked, ¡°The thing I told you to investigate, is there any news?¡±


    ¡°Kang Xia went alone to Star City yesterday, the purpose is unclear.¡±


    ¡°Say what?¡± Chu Yi suddenly thought he misheard it.


    Kang Xia went to Star City? Was she¡­?


    What did she go to Star City for?


    The shock in Chu Yi¡¯s heart suddenly made his face suddenly turn serious, as though tidal waves were surging up unceasingly inside his heart.


    Seeing such a strange expression Chu Yin had, Ouyang Lulu was curious and asked, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    Chu Yi hung up the phone. He looked to the both of them and replied, ¡°I was just curious and sent someone to investigate Kang Xia¡¯s next whereabouts. I just got the report that Kang Xia went to Star City yesterday. As for her purpose, it¡¯s still unknown.¡±


    ¡°She went to the Star City?¡±


    Bai Tao directly jumped over from the couch and exclaimed out loud with disbelieving expression, ¡°Kang Xia went to Star City¡­ c-could it be because of Tang Xiu?¡­ How could this be?¡±


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 81

    Chapter 81: Learning Gambling Techniques


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu?


    Ouyang Lulu deeply etched this name into her heart. She knew perfectly well that if a person could make Chu Yi and Bai Tao greatly pay attention to, he must be an outstanding person. Much less that this was a person who was greatly admired by Long Zhengyu, which meant that he was absolutely not a small fish.


    In addition, if the legendary gold manager Kang Xia really went alone to Star City to find him, then he was really amazing. Certainly, that regardless if Kang Xia would work for him or not, being able to make Kang Xia personally act, meant that he had a marvelous method.


    ¡°Hey, now my interest on this Tang Xiu is even bigger compared to my interest in wanting to meet Long Zhengyu.¡± With a smile blossoming on her face, Ouyang Lulu handed 2 cups of tea to the two of them.


    With shock still filling his heart, Bai Tao took the tea cup and said, ¡°I also feel the same. Chu Yi really got my curiosity and interest sparked up. If he¡¯s really that amazing, I even want to be more than a friend.¡±


    Chu Yi shook his head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think it would be easy to befriend Tang Xiu. When we were in Star City, if I did not wrongly analyze, Long Zhengyu is not Tang Xiu¡¯s genuine friend. Even if he gave Tang Xiu his villa, it seems like he didn¡¯t give everything to keep him. In this world, there are some people who would be easy to be friends with, had there been no conflict of interest between them. But once the benefits rise, wanting to become real friends is on par with soaring to the sky.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu gave a shallow smile, ¡°Well, let¡¯s just forget about this first. Didn¡¯t you two come to visit Jingmen Island, to find this old classmate of yours and talk about the old days? Let¡¯s just talk about something fun, let¡¯s see if I can help.¡±


    Bai Tao and Chu Yi glanced at each other as Chu Yi chuckled and then spoke, ¡°I got a call 2 days ago. My Little Brother in Jingmen Island had a gambling dealer subordinate and he told me that a kid recently gambled. The kid lost, after which, this kid¡¯s old man showed up, of which, my Little Brother got a high-quality jade from. You do know that I¡¯m very interested in these kinds of jades since I¡¯m also in the jade business industry. So I come here to look at it.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu laughed, ¡°I know this. The pitted old man is called Jia Ruidao. He¡¯s quite a well-known professional gambler and could barely be regarded as a Gambling Master. Unfortunately, he hit a solid rock this time. His opponent is one of the top 3 gamblers from Macao, the Golden Finger Ye Taifu. And, Jia Ruidao ended up losing miserably. Not only did he go bankrupt, but he also borrowed several hundred million from a few of his friends here. I think he will soon lose that money too.¡±


    Chu Yi laughed, ¡°I am not interested in gambling, but I do want that piece of jade.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu looked at the clock and said, ¡°Today, coincidentally is their gambling bout. You wanna pass some time and have a look? Ah right, since you came to my place, you should know that Ye Taifu and Jia Ruidao will have their game in my Paradise Club.¡±


    ¡°Knock knock¡­¡±


    The door was knocked, and a middle-aged man entered the room.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu asked casually.


    The middle-aged said, ¡°Boss, the following gambling house, Ye Taifu VS Jia Ruidao. Jia Ruidao suddenly called the stop and left our Paradise Club. He said he wants the game to be rescheduled for tomorrow.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s brows pricked as she looked at Chu Yi and smiled, ¡°It seems today you cannot see the fun, eh? Anyways, let¡¯s go! We¡¯ll have dinner tonight, on me.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Chu Yi and Bai Tao didn¡¯t look forward to the gambling house to begin with, so they didn¡¯t feel disappointed.


    Jingmen Island¡­


    Outside the 5 Star Jarvis Hotel, Jia Ruidao¡¯s face was full of excitement. His eyes were fixated toward the intersection in the distance. At his side, his Second Apprentice, Zhang Tiechun was also filled with anticipation. Their savior has come, finally! They knew very well that the honored guest they were waiting was their last line of hope.


    ¡°Master, Master Tang should be coming soon, right?¡±


    Zhang Tiechun raised his wrist and looked at the watch as he said that.


    Jia Ruidao said, ¡°Yes! They should have arrived by now. Could it be there was something on the way?¡±


    Zhang Tiechun¡¯s eyes squinted as he pointed to the street, ¡°Master, it should be that car, right?¡±


    Jia Ruidao looked toward the direction his Second Apprentice pointed. He was suddenly struck with excitement and spoke, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s your Youngest¡¯s car. Let¡¯s meet up with them.¡±


    The car stopped.


    Jia Ruidao sprinted to the car extended his hand to open the door.


    ¡°Brother Tang!¡±


    At the first glance, Jia Ruidao saw Tang Xiu and then excitedly greeted.


    However, his remark made his three disciples look at each other in dismay, with an ashamed expression on their faces. After all, even the youngest amongst them, Jia Yelei, was 5 or 6 years older than Tang Xiu. This remark, dropped their rank by one generation.


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Eh, aren¡¯t you having a gambling bout? How come you¡¯re here?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much money and I have to keep some for you for tomorrow¡¯s gambling match. So I stopped midway and hurried back.¡± Jia Ruidao spoke with a bitter expression.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Let¡¯s go! We¡¯ll have the talk inside.¡±


    Inside the presidential suite at the top floor, Tang Xiu and Jia Ruidao were sitting on the living room¡¯s sofa. And Jia Ruidao¡¯s three apprentices were standing behind him. Jia Yelei¡¯s eyes glanced over toward his father from time to time with anxiousness, fear, and other expressions.


    ¡°Brother Tang, I don¡¯t know what to say for this huge grace. You flew from thousands of miles away to help me. This gratitude will be carved inside my heart. If you need my assistance in the future, even if I have to pass through mountains of flames and millions of knives, I will neither cower nor will I ever back off!¡± Jia Ruidao spoke sincerely.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Tell me about the opponent.¡±


    Jia Ruidao immediately turned and nodded to the Second Apprentice, Zhang Tiechun. Shortly after, the information was handed to Tang Xiu. Whilst Tang Xiu was still reading the information, Jia Ruidao spoke, ¡°Our opponent is called Chen Kai, a famous Young Master hedonist in this Jingmen Island. He spent a huge amount of money to invite Ye Taifu. Not only have my apprentices lost to them, but I also lost many times. Ye Taifu is one of the top 3 gambling Masters from Macao. He is also well-known as the Golden Finger, due to his cheating skill in gambling. I thought that even if he was better than me, the level wouldn¡¯t be far away, but¡­ alas..!¡±


    Whilst trimming the documents, Tang Xiu also listened to Jia Ruidao¡¯s story. After which, he finally knew the whole process of the story, as well as had a general knowledge about the opponent inside out.


    ¡°He¡¯s an expert that¡¯s hard to deal with.¡±


    Tang Xiu secretly sighed. He looked at Jia Ruidao and said, ¡°I can help gamble on your behalf with them, but with conditions.¡±


    Jia Ruidao replied, ¡°Do tell me!¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°First of all, I need to clear out some points. About my gambling techniques, you also clearly know about it. The first time we met in that gambling bout, I stole your ability. So, if I were to lose this time, you cannot blame me.¡±


    Jia Ruidao earnestly replied, ¡°I absolutely will never do that.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°If I were to win, regardless of how much the value is, I¡¯ll take half of it.¡±


    Jia Ruidao without hesitation complied, ¡°I only need my wife¡¯s memento. Everything you win, all of it will be yours.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°No, as I¡¯ve said, I only need a half.¡±


    Jia Ruidao hesitated. But seeing that Tang Xiu seemed to not want to haggle over it, he could only nod, ¡°Alright.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at Jia Ruidao¡¯s three disciples and then spoke, ¡°I have said my condition. You also know that I don¡¯t know anything about gambling techniques except for the dice game. As for the other types, I know nothing about them. So, what I need today, is for you to explain all gambling types for me, and also teach me those skills.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    It was exactly what Jia Ruidao had in mind, so he happily complied.


    Jia Ruidao promptly told his three apprentices to find a variety of gambling tools. Amongst all of them, Jia Ruidao was focusedn teaching Tang Xiu Dice,,,,, and¡­


    ¡°You have played the Dice and you¡¯re very good in this one, so I won¡¯t teach you this. I¡¯ll first teach you Blackjack, which is the most common gambling method. The games I usually play with Ye Taifu in the past few days, most of them were Blackjack.


    ¡°Blackjack usually uses 1 to 8 cards. The dealer gives two cards to each player with one card opened up. This is called as open card. The other face down card is called the dark card. The both of them will then be summed up¡­


    ¡°Average gamblers perhaps rely heavily on luck to win or lose. But real gambling experts rely entirely on various techniques. Frankly speaking, nearly all those techniques are smokescreen to deceive the opponents¡¯ eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s as the saying goes, ¡®out of ten games, nine cheat¡¯.¡±


    Along with his explanation, Jia Ruidao also demonstrated it for Tang Xiu. His hands were constantly changing as though shadows, as he skillfully shuffled and mixed the cards with lightning speed, even Tang Xiu was secretly praising him. In the myriads of the embodiment of life, there will always be one who mastered the skills of their field. Practicing gambling techniques to such a superb degree, the money one could get would absolutely overturn the sky.


    But of course, the premise, was there had to be the opportunity to win the money and still be alive to enjoy it.


    ¡°The second is the Five-Card Stud¡­¡±


    ¡°The third is the Pai Gow¡­¡±


    ¡°The fourth is ¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Time flew by slowly as night then came in the blink of an eye. Jia Ruidao and Tang Xiu didn¡¯t have a meal as though they forgot the feeling of hunger. They both felt like they were having fun in teaching and learning, enjoying themselves to the fullest, they didn¡¯t even realize that night had come.


    ¡°The last one is, Tie Golden Flower.¡±


    Jia Ruidao took a pair of new playing cards and pulled out the King and Queen cards. He looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°This game¡¯s rules are¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°I can play this game, because I have seen others¡¯ play. You only need to teach me the techniques for this Tie Golden Flower.¡±


    Jia Ruidao knew that Tang Xiu was outstanding. He had once experienced it before and today, his horizon was hit and opened. Each and every gambling skill he taught Tang Xiu, everything was learnt very quickly, even his proficiency and skills were progressing rapidly. So he didn¡¯t have even the slightest anger when Tang Xiu interrupted him, and instead, was secretly happy.¡±


    ¡°Tie Golden Flower mainly has two key aspects that we must pay attention to. First is cheating and deception. The quote from The Art of War is best to explain this that, ¡®all warfare is based on deception¡¯. This play relies on the mind. Some people might get small cards, but they could win big with this ¡®cheating¡¯ technique. Some might hold big cards, but due to the fear that the opponent has bigger cards, they give up.


    ¡°The second one is, steal the rhythm when switching cards. A lot of powerful Gambling Masters have secret cards hidden on their bodies. These kinds of cards are nearly impossible for others to see. And knowing them depends on the other¡¯s ability. Hence, fast hands plays a major role in gambling, especially such as this Tie Golden Flower¡­¡±


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    Note:


    I just wanna say¡­ F**K this chapter. I don¡¯t know much about gambling, so I spent too much time to find about Pai Gow and Tie Golden Flower.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 82

    Chapter 82: The Sadness from the Past


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Jia Ruidao skillfully shuffled the cards. Then, he sent 3 dark cards to Tang Xiu and himself. Putting the remaining cards to the side, he continued explaining.


    ¡°After the dealer finishes dealing the cards, he will place it on the table in front of him. I have once heard that a Gambling Master shot at a card with his hand in the remaining cards pile lightning fast and took the card he needed. But his original card was left in the card¡¯s pile. However, the gambler who could do this was definitely someone who has reached the God Gambler¡¯s level. Such as the casinos in Las Vegas, there exists such God Gamblers.¡±


    Suddenly, Jia Ruidao patted his forehead and spoke in a distressed tone, ¡°Uh, I forgot the key point, that is, memorizing and calculating the cards. You must keep observe the dealer¡¯s hands frequently. Follow his rhythm and remember them, figure out and calculate the card¡¯s position, especially when the cards are cut, you must accurately point it out.¡±


    Tang Xiu touched his three cards as per Jia Ruidao¡¯s explanation. When he saw the card numbers, he suddenly frowned. As he saw that Jia Ruidao had just put the card stack down, he shot a card out lightning fast, and completely exchanged the cards in an instant.


    ¡°Was it replaced with a smaller card?¡±


    Tang Xiu secretly sighed.


    He finally realized that not only must he look carefully at Jia Ruidao shuffling the cards, but he also had to memorize the cards¡¯ face and position. Jia Ruidao seemed to have yet to realize that Tang Xiu had swapped his card, as he took another card and swapped it once again immediately.


    ¡°4 of Spades, 5 of Hearts, 6 of Hearts, a straight?¡± Tang Xiu opened the card, ¡°And you?¡±


    Jia Ruidao said with a smile, ¡°Your luck is good, I¡­¡±


    Whilst he was talking, his hand moved extremely fast to sweep the card stack in front of him. But almost in an instant, Tang Xiu promptly acted and accurately grabbed his wrist. Since it was Jia Ruidao¡¯s playing hand, he failed to swap his card.


    ¡°You can never play the ¡®fast hand¡¯ in front of me.¡±


    Jia Ruidao¡¯s expression froze, he was dumbfounded. He glanced at Tang Xiu¡¯s hand with a disbelieving expression. His mouth twitched as he revealed a bitter smile, ¡°Holy Lord, it¡¯s already unbelievable that your eyes can be that quick, but even your hands are fast to such a degree! I have very fast hands due to my talent and through decades of practice, but you¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu lightly replied, ¡°I¡¯m a martial artist. I have always been vigilant and alert toward my surroundings. My fists and palms are lightning fast. Unless the person is faster than me, I will easily find it if he were to cheat in front of me.¡±


    Jia Ruidao was overjoyed, ¡°Amazing! Brother Tang, I really have never thought that you were a martial artist. After teaching you and seeing you learn the skills today, I can finally feel at ease. Truthfully speaking, it¡¯s a big loss for the gambling world since you don¡¯t want to be a professional gambler. I can vouch that had you have the will to train in gambling techniques, it would only take you 3 to 5 years to be the most renowned Gambling Grandmaster.¡±


    The Gambling Grandmaster?


    Tang Xiu secretly turned supercilious inside. Had he had nothing to do, he could have fully given his all to become a Gambling Grandmaster. But, let alone having not the slightest interest in gambling, what he really wanted was to cultivate and enhance his strength, and then return back to the top in the Immortal World. He was racing against time and couldn¡¯t afford to waste it.


    ¡°Grrr¡­¡±


    Jia Ruidao¡¯s stomach suddenly rumbled.


    Tang Xiao smiled indifferently and said, ¡°It¡¯s already late. Let¡¯s go out and eat something! I have already memorized all the gambling techniques you have taught me. I¡¯ll practice again in the evening.¡±


    Jia Ruidao¡¯s mind had been consumed in the gambling bout during the day. And it was extremely taxing to the point that his state of mind was strained and stressed. After returning back and teaching gambling techniques to Tang Xiu, he found that Tang Xiu had a natural gift and easily absorbed everything he learned. The distressed and dejected feeling he had was replaced with an overjoyed mood, causing him to suddenly feel tired. He naturally agreed after he heard Tang Xiu¡¯s suggestion.


    ¡°Brother Tang, my apprentices should have booked a private dining box, let¡¯s go now!¡±


    After leaving the presidential suite, Jia Ruidao¡¯s First Apprentice, Gong Dalong, had been waiting outside the door. Upon seeing the two of them come out, he respectfully greeted, ¡°Master, Master Tang. I have booked seats at the Everlasting Feast Hall. Second and Third Junior Brother are also waiting there.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Jia Ruidao nodded with a satisfied expression. He looked at Tang Xiu and quickly said, ¡°Brother Tang, this Everlasting Feast Hall is a special restaurant on Jingmen Island. It¡¯s an extremely upscale restaurant. Nobody would be able to enter if they didn¡¯t have a membership.¡±


    ¡°Hmm!¡± Tang Xiu didn¡¯t nod. He had no favorable impression for those who were dead set on chasing status and identity at upscale restaurants or clubhouses. Because for all he knew, this era seemed to uphold the slogan that ¡®everyone was equal for the common cause in building a harmonious society¡¯.¡±


    However, the threshold restrictions as to which type of people could enter, would only divide people into classes. Had it been in the cultivation world, where everyone strove to be immortal, Tang Xiu might have been able to get accustomed to it. But in this new era, more or less, this was giving him such a feeling of being a ¡®hypocrite¡¯.


    Riding on a Mercedes-Benz through the feasting pleasure-seeking and bustling city, the car quickly changed direction as they approached the coastline. Lush and verdant greeneries were on both sides of the 2-lanes trail, as only dim yellow street lights were there with nearly almost nil cars passing by. Occasionally, security guard patrol cars were seen patrolling and passing by silently.


    Gradually, the sound of ocean waves came, as though it were coming from the horizon. Along with the moving car, the sounds was becoming more distinct. Finally, up ahead, groups of stars were flickering as though flashing lights and appeared in front of Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    After having observed those lights, Tang Xiu¡¯s heart suddenly shook as he involuntarily exclaimed, ¡°Water Block Dragon Pen Array?!¡±


    Jia Ruidao at his side responded with a confused expression, ¡°Brother Tang, what did you say?¡±


    Tang Xiu heaved a deep breath as he could hardly control his breathing. He turned around and looked at Jia Ruidao, asking, ¡°How much do you know about this Everlasting Feast Hall?¡±


    Jia Ruidao shook his head and said, ¡°Little do I know about it. The owner belongs to the kind of ¡®Dragon God whose tail and head are unable to be seen.¡¯ According to rumors, when Jingmen Island was firstly developed, the Everlasting Feast Hall had already been here, and the scale expanded along with time. But, there¡¯s a particular circumstance I know of.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°What particular circumstance?¡±


    Jia Ruidao¡¯s voice lowered as he said, ¡°Even though Everlasting Feast Hall charges a sky high price for dining here, their delicacies and wines are absolutely exquisite, people would drool over them. Apart from the haves and wealthy people who come to this place, there are also other types of people who may enter, they are¡­ martial artists.¡±


    ¡°People from the martial world?¡±


    Tang Xiu was quite quizzical upon hearing Jia Ruidao¡¯s words.


    Jia Ruidao explained further, ¡°Yes, martial artists. The most inconceivable thing is that, if those martial artists who dine in the restaurant are able to crack open the ¡®Thousand Revolutions Array¡¯ deployed by the owner, they can freely eat and drink there.¡±


    ¡°Thousand Revolutions Array?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s heart was as though rocked by a huge earthquake as his complexion instantly turned white like paper.


    The memories from the Immortal World uncontrollably gushed out from inside his mind. In the palatial palace¡¯s martial training field, the tender, soft, infantile voice of a little girl in a white dress suddenly appeared and lingered in his mind:


    ¡°Master, Yan¡¯er has broken through the 3600 days record in the Thousand Revolution Array. How¡¯s my breaking through? But yet, Master is mean and acts so shamelessly. You¡¯ve deployed the Little Golden Man on the Yin point, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Master, Yan¡¯er has finally broken through. So Yan¡¯er is very happy. You said that if Yan¡¯er is able to break the 3600 days record in the Thousand Revolution Array, then Yan¡¯er has grown up. And now, Yan¡¯er has grown up, right?¡±


    ¡°Master, Yan¡¯er has personally brewed nectar wine from hundreds of pure and rare flowers, please taste it¡­¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    A trace of crystal beads swelled in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes.


    It had been 6500 years!


    She was his favorite First Apprentice. She ventured alone to the most dangerous place in the Immortal World, the Infernal Dead Sea, only to find a 10,000-years-old Soul of Ice to help him. From which, he had never heard about her again. The sadness for 6500 years made him vow to never accept any true disciples again.


    ¡°It¡¯s absolutely impossible! Although I was the one who created the Thousand Revolution Array and Broken Lock Water Dragon Array, and she was the only one I¡¯ve ever taught those arrays to, this should only be a coincidence. This is absolutely only a coincidence.¡±


    Tang Xiu constantly repeated this sentence inside his heart.


    Shortly after, the Mercedes-Benz parked inside a spacious parking lot. Jia Yelei, who had been waiting for a long time, strode forward to open the door as he watched Tang Xiu and his father come out.


    ¡°Dad, Master Tang, the private room has been booked in advance, it¡¯s been waiting for the both of you.¡±


    Jia Ruidao nodded slowly. He looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Master Tang, let¡¯s go together.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for moment before he responded, ¡°Tell me the private room¡¯s number. I¡¯m quite bored and want to have some air outside. After, I¡¯ll go to the booked room and find you.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Jia Ruidao hesitated.


    Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°Just go! I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Jia Ruidao nodded and said, ¡°If so, we¡¯ll go first. Brother Tang, if there is anything, quickly call me.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tang Xiu nodded silently.


    After having sent away Jia Ruidao and his apprentices, Tang Xiu picked the path through the trail in the forest, walked around the fountain square and headed straight to the coastline. The stars filled the vast sky as its lights gleamed over the sea surface, as it was reflecting the sparkling lights back. A lone boat a kilometer away from the beach floated along with the sea waves. With his keen vision, Tang Xiu could clearly see a thin person¡¯s back on the boat, giving off a dense sense of a desolate and lonely feeling.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath as he sat cross-legged on the beach sand.


    ¡°The Great Dao has myriads of difficult paths.¡±


    ¡°Braces forward through the thorn and thistles along the paths.¡±


    ¡°As the heavens is motionless, my soul casts away the restlessness.¡±


    ¡°The endless thoughts return to the soul within.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Reciting the _¡°Great Sorrow and Happiness Soul Purification Incantation¡±_ secret art, Tang Xiu¡¯s soul surged as the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi howled up from all directions and rushed toward him, as though it was a clear spring that washed away all the ripples inside his heart.


    Ten minutes later¡­


    A kilometer away, on the boat in the sea, the complexion of a beautiful girl who sat cross-legged suddenly changed. An astounded expression was casted in her star-like eyes as she then quickly turned around to look at the beach. With her keen sense, she could feel that the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi around her drifted away toward someone who sat cross-legged on the beach.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 83

    Chapter 83: Confessing Mistakes


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    The whole night sky was covered with stars as the sparkling lights were being reflected back on the sea¡¯s surface. The beautiful girl floated as though a fairy descended from the Nine Heavens. Her toes tapped gently on the sea surface as though she was treading on the sea waves as she traversed along the sea toward the figure who sat cross-legged on the beach.


    After a dozen breaths¡­


    Kilometers in distance had been traversed as the beautiful girl arrived. She stopped tens of meters away from Tang Xiu as her bright eyes carefully looked at him a few times. Then, she carefully pulled out a painting from her chest and compared the picture to Tang Xiu¡¯s face. Shortly after, a disappointed expression was drawn on her face as she shook her head and folded up the picture, putting it back into her bosom.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes instantly opened. His eyes were instantly fixated on the beautiful girl with a cold expression in his eyes. The girl before him seemed 20-years-old in appearance. And much to his surprise, her cultivation was a lot stronger than his. He was even unable to sense her arrival, and only after she was tens of meters away was he aware of her arrival.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± The alluring girl asked with her clear and crisp voice.


    Tang Xiu responded indifferently, ¡°I¡¯m just a guest to dine here. And you are?¡±


    The girl said with a smile, ¡°I am the owner of this place. I¡¯m called Gu Xiaoxue. Just like you, I¡¯m also a cultivator who takes the immortal cultivation path. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    Tang Xiu cupped his fist and said, ¡°Tang Xiu, a loose cultivator.¡±


    Tang Xiu? Gu Xiaoxue blinked. The face on the picture appeared again in her mind. The same name, but why was he so different? She felt that she had to probe further but then thought that it might perhaps be the same surname and name only. She didn¡¯t dwell on it further as she smiled and said, ¡°There are a lot of martial artists visiting our Everlasting Feast Hall. But after all these years. more than the last decade, only fewer than 10 cultivators have visited this place.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion changed. He could grasp the key point from Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s words: cultivators and immortal cultivation.


    After a moment of silence, he asked, ¡°You have seen other cultivators?¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue nodded, ¡°Yes! I also have been to many places, inviting them to be a guest at my Everlasting Feast Hall. But, it¡¯s unfortunate that cultivators who know alchemy and medicinal knowledge are really rare.¡± With that said, a dejected expression emerged on her face.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes squinted as he nodded and said, ¡°Since you are this place¡¯s owner, can I ask you something?¡±


    ¡°Be my guest!¡± Gu Xiaoxue back to her usual expression and smiled.


    Tang Xiu continued, ¡°The moment I came here, I saw from the distance and overlooked that you have deployed a very powerful Formation Array. The array seems to able to sever the water, contain the dragon, gathering spiritual qi, drawing spiritual vein, and takes advantage of the heaven and earth¡¯s feature, and I believe that his place has a very valuable Feng Shui pattern. Could you tell me what this Formation Array is called?¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue exclaimed out loud in disbelief, ¡°Y-y-y-you¡­ you can even see the Water Block Dragon Pen? Heavens! Are you an Array Master?¡±


    ¡°Thump¡­ thump¡­¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s heart thumped madly. A disbelieving expression filled his face. He was the one who created this Water Block Dragon Pen Array. Apart from him, only his first disciple knew about this array. And he had long lost information about her whereabouts. It was impossible for outsiders to know about this array. But, how would this Formation Array appear on Earth?


    Who was it? Could it be her?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s huge imposing manner skyrocketed fast, as the overwhelming aura pressed toward Gu Xiaoxue. Beams of light flashed in his eyes as he looked at her and spoke in a deep tone, ¡°Tell me, who deployed this Water Block Dragon Pen Array?¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue was stunned. Never once she ever dreamed that the very same boy with weak cultivation in front of her would even be able to exude such a terrible aura. This aura made her greatly discomforted, as it brought along a menacing and threatening feeling. She subconsciously stepped back a few steps.


    ¡°It was my Master!¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with a stern voice, ¡°Who is your Master?¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s black eyebrows pricked as a stream of anger welled up inside her heart. She was polite with him, and Tang Xiu unexpectedly gave her the rude attitude. She coldly snorted and resisted the pressing aura Tang Xiu sent her, and then spoke, ¡°Why the hell should I tell you? Who are you to begin with? I warn you that I _am_ _not_ a girl that¡¯s easy for you to bully. With such cultivation base of yours, it will be easy for me to knock you out.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s breath froze a moment as he suddenly retracted back his imposing aura. A wise man knew better to hold back the fight if the odds were against him. And he admitted that he was not this girl¡¯s opponent at present. He also knew that he had lost his manner because he was too anxious to know the person who deployed this Water Block Dragon Pen Array.


    ¡°I really apologize for losing my manners.¡± Tang Xiu cupped his hands and spoke.


    Gu Xiaoxue coldly snorted and also retracted back her aura. She then lightly replied, ¡°As for who my Master is, you can forget it. I don¡¯t like your attitude. The moment you finished your meal here, get lost quickly! And DO NOT ever come back to this place again!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion slightly changed and lightly said, ¡°I am a guest and you¡¯re the host. This truth, I think you understand it. I don¡¯t eat and drink for free. And I can also pay.¡±


    ¡°We do not welcome you here.¡± Gu Xiaoxue knitted her brows and said.


    A thought crossed Tang Xiu¡¯s mind as he immediately said, ¡°With that said, you seem to want to prevent me from coming, yes? Trying to shut me out?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right!¡±


    A happy and self-satisfied expression emerged on Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s face.


    Tang Xiu lightly said, ¡°I heard that you have the Thousand Revolution Array here. It¡¯s your rule that if one were able to break through this Formation Array, he doesn¡¯t have to pay for his meals and drinks, right? I¡¯ll try your array. Please lead the way!¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± The proud expression on Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s face suddenly froze. The person who deployed the custom of breaking through the Thousand Revolution Array was her Master. As long as anyone was able to successfully break it, they would be Honorable Guests of the Everlasting Feast Hall. Not only would they be exempted from paying for their meal and drink, but they would also be given the best treatment.¡±


    Tang Xiu calmly spoke, ¡°How is it? I cannot challenge it?¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue shook her head and said, ¡°Of course, you can. But judging from you cultivation, you¡¯ll never breakthrough the array. Even if you¡¯re barely able to cross the first layer, but at the second layer, either you¡¯ll die or you¡¯ll be severely wounded for trying. There are a total of 7 layers in the Thousand Revolution Array. You¡¯re said to be successful if you¡¯re able to breakthrough all of them. And until now, there have only 2 people who were able to breakthrough to the fourth layer, but those two are cultivators who have been cultivating for centuries.¡±


    Tang Xiu asked, ¡°So, you don¡¯t have any Honorable Guests then?¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue shook her head and said, ¡°No. The ones who were able to breakthrough into the third layer from the second layer, they could count it as their victory for several decades. Only a total of 6 people have successfully broken through from the second layer into the third layer.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s heart turned supercilious.


    This Thousand Revolution Array was created by him. He was perfectly clear about its true might. Even if ones were celestial beings, wanting to breakthrough from the first layer to the second, would prove quite difficult for them. A slightly powerful Immortal might be able to breakthrough to the third layer. But advancing forward, there was 80% chance that they would be severely hit and injured, or expelled.


    ¡°Let me try it!¡± Tang Xiu serenely spoke.


    Gu Xiaoxue said apathetically, ¡°It seems like you¡¯re not one to give up before seeing the River of Styx. Since you want to challenge it, then try! Since I also am very bored right now, you can come with me!¡±


    Tang Xiu did not speak again. He followed behind Gu Xiaoxue, traversing through the woods¡¯ depth. They met groups of black-suited security guards along the way. A strange smiling expression covered their faces as they looked at Tang Xiu, who was following behind Gu Xiaoxue.


    ¡°Huh? It¡¯s strange. Isn¡¯t it the first time we see Little Boss with an unfamiliar young man? Who¡¯s that youngster? Is he worthy to be personally accompanied by Little Boss?¡±


    ¡°Ah, Young Boss has grown up. Isn¡¯t she also a normal girl who longs for a relationship with a man? Just look at the youth behind her. He¡¯s surely unusual!¡±


    ¡°How could this be? Doesn¡¯t Little Boss have a keen eyesight and has always been aloof and picky? She usually doesn¡¯t spare a glance toward any men. How could an unfamiliar youngster walk with her?¡±


    ¡°That young man¡¯s looks are good. But he¡¯s definitely unworthy of our Little Boss. Nobody on Earth is worthy for Little Boss in my eyes.¡±


    ¡°Damn, a toad wants to eat the swan. Little Boss is like a fairy. An average person wouldn¡¯t be able to win her over, right?¡±


    ¡°Ugh, they don¡¯t match at all¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxue had sharp hearing. They were naturally able to hear those security guards¡¯ chats clearly. Gu Xiaoxue, who walked in front, had a deep smiling expression as the corner of her mouth curved. But the one who walked in the back, Tang Xiu, only wore a forced and wry smile.


    Listening to those security guards¡¯ chats, it made him almost think that he was just like a pile of shit who wanted a fragrant flower such as Gu Xiaoxue.


    _¡°Bah!¡±_


    But when Tang Xiu was about to drive away those absurd thoughts from his mind, his eyes looked at Gu Xiaoxue at front. He then spoke, ¡°Your surname is Gu? Someone I know who has gone also surnamed Gu!¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue turned her head as she looked at Tang Xiu with a contemptuous expression before he continued advancing forward, ¡°You don¡¯t need to try to get closer to me. Breaking through the Thousand Revolution Array is our sacred custom. Even if you oily-mouthed me, flattering and saying exaggerated things, I will never help you. Much less, people surnamed Gu are quite rare. But I absolutely have no relation whatsoever with them.¡±


    Tang Xiu asked, ¡°You don¡¯t have any relationship with others? Then, you¡¯re following your master¡¯s Gu surname, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Gu Xiaoxue raised her chin and responded.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes tightly fixated at the back of Gu Xiaoxue, as the already calmed down emotions he had suddenly surged up again and made his heart ripple. His favorite First Apprentice was also surnamed Gu, and he was the one who gave her her last name.¡±


    ¡°Gu Xiaoxue, have you heard about someone named Gu Yan¡¯er?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± She stared at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Who are you? How do you know my Master¡¯s name?¡±


    Was it true?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s heart was as though being thrown into the stormy sea, as he looked at Gu Xiaoxue in disbelief and hastily asked, ¡°Please tell me, how is your Master? Where is she right now?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Gu Xiaoxue replied with an angry tone.


    Tang Xiu said with a deep tone, ¡°Please, answer me. It¡¯s very important to me.¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue sneered, ¡°Hey, you haven¡¯t even answered my question. How do you know my Master¡¯s name? I know it. You should have heard her from your elders, right? Fine¡­ my Master has never contacted any outsiders for the past decade. It¡¯s impossible for you to see her.¡±


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 84

    Chapter 84: Thousand Revolution Array


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    All kinds of thoughts were boiling and surging inside Tang Xiu¡¯s mind about Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s Master, as the feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu was becoming more intense inside his heart. But still, he felt that the timeline was wrong. He lived in the Immortal World for 10 millennia, and only 1 year had passed on Earth. But, 6,500 years ago Gu Yan¡¯er went missing in the Immortal World. Even if she accidentally came to Earth, she should have entered a year timeline on Earth.


    If¡­ If she had been on Earth for decades, would it mean that she had been living for hundreds of thousands of years in the Immortal World?


    After carefully analyzing the facts and reasoning deeply, Tang Xiu felt that the matter was becoming stranger. But, as he looked at the extremely cold expression on Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s face, he fell into a silence.


    He had yet to have sufficient relationships to probe further! Empathy and emotional quotient were not his forte, but he was a highly intelligent person to begin with. [1]


    He perhaps lacked a lot of things in engaging with human relationships and feelings. But with his high intelligence, he believed that he was capable of analyzing almost everything and handling them. Gu Xiaoxue didn¡¯t want to tell him anything. And he had no abilities to pry it out forcefully from her. Therefore, he could only suppress the curiosity and no longer probe any further.


    But still, piles of worries filled him. Because, even though he had long known his wife and brother for hundreds and even thousands of years, he still got betrayed in the end due to their own benefits. And now, could his First Apprentice even still remember him as her Master? After all, an extremely long time had been passed. Would she even have the loyalty and feelings of a master and disciple?


    Upon seeing the silent Tang Xiu, a self-satisfied expression re-emerged on Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s face again as she then grunted, ¡°If you want to see my Master, it¡¯s actually not that impossible. As long as you can breakthrough to the third layer, 3 months later I can take you to see her. However, judging by your cultivation, let alone breaking through the third layer, even when you enter the second layer, you will be severely injured and have to withdraw.¡±


    ¡°Continue to lead the way, please!¡±


    An extremely firm conviction could be felt from Tang Xiu¡¯s tone and expression.


    Gu Xiaoxue sneered, ¡°You really are someone who won¡¯t stop until you hit the wall! And it seems that you won¡¯t shed tears if you do not see the coffin yourself! Fine! Since you insist, don¡¯t blame me for not reminding you if you¡¯re out with severe injuries. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    100 meters ahead¡­


    They were stopped by a security guard in a suit, ¡°Little Boss, Master Shao and Master Miao have come, they are waiting for you before the Thousand Revolution Array.¡±


    With a frown, Gu Xiaoxue said, ¡°How come those two are here? Two years ago, they were trapped in the second layer, and they had no abilities to break into the third layer. Much more, their injuries were quite severe. Could they have recuperated from their injuries and improve their cultivation in these 2 years?¡±


    The security staff said, ¡°They do seem to have improved.¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue turned her head and glanced at Tang Xiu. Then, she strode toward the Thousand Array Revolution¡¯s direction. She felt bored as well as lonely recently. The Everlasting Feast Hall had people to manage operations, and she was only practicing and cultivating all the time. But today, she encountered Tang Xiu, who she felt was quite interesting, so she never thought that those two men would come at this time.


    Deep in the woods¡­


    A square plaza was surrounded by the lush and verdant greeneries. The open plaza was not too big, and had jadeites placed on each corner. 2 middle-aged men sat cross-legged near the corner as their eyes swept over toward the plaza in front of them with profound expressions on their faces.


    ¡°Brother Miao, how big of a chance do you think you have this time?¡± Shao Mingzhen broke the silence and asked.


    Miao Wentang confidently said, ¡°80%.¡±


    Shao Mingzhen was surprised, ¡°You¡¯re that confident?¡±


    Miao Wentang faintly smiled and said, ¡°Brother Shao, I think you¡¯re more confident than me, right? People who haven¡¯t tried to break the Thousand Revolution Array might not know that this is not a Killing Array. This Formation Array seems to be deployed by a certain cultivator to foster his or her disciples. As long as we don¡¯t recklessly rush trying, we don¡¯t need to be worried about losing our lives due to injuries. But, even getting injured it is fine, really. Haven¡¯t you also benefitted from the Thousand Revolution Array 2 years ago?¡±


    Shao Mingzhen nodded and smiled, ¡°Indeed. The person who created this Thousand Revolution Array is absolutely a genius in cultivation techniques. His strength definitely has reached a terrifying degree. Frankly speaking, if possible, I really want to study under the person who created this Array.¡±


    ¡°Haha, we do have the same thought!¡±


    Miao Wentang laughed heartily.


    ¡°Ah, the two of you seem to be unsatisfied, even if you want to challenge the Thousand Revolution Array again. If my memory doesn¡¯t fail me, you have already challenged the Array 3 times. According to my Master¡¯s custom, you need to pay 1 million yuan the fourth time you challenge the Array again. Pay it up first before you enter!¡± Gu Xiaoxue walked slowly along with Tang Xiu. Her expression was tranquil, even though a trace of coldness could be felt from her tone.


    Upon seeing Gu Xiaoxue and Tang Xiu walking together, Shao Mingzhen and Miao Wentang were astonished as to guess about Tang Xiu¡¯s origin. But still, they hastily stood up and picked up the leather suitcase at their side, handing it over to Gu Xiaoxue and saying, ¡°We have prepared the money, please accept it.¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue motioned a few security guards nearby as they took the two suitcases away, opening it and confirming the amount, and then quickly carried the cash and left.


    ¡°Ah Er, sound the Everlasting Bell!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The big man cupped his fist and bolted toward the distance.


    A few minutes later¡­


    ¡°Dong dong dong¡­¡±


    The bell sounded 18 times, as the sounds echoed in the vicinity and struck everyone¡¯s ears inside the Everlasting Feast Hall. A lot of guests came out from their private dining rooms as they were surprised to listen to the bell¡¯s sound, and inquired about it from the attendants.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Everlasting Bell, some people will challenge the Thousand Revolution Array.¡±


    ¡°18 bells. Each person would be 6, so there are 3 people that will challenge the Array.¡±


    ¡°Martial artists will challenge the Array as the screening test to become our Honorable Guests.¡±


    ¡°The Everlasting Bell has been evoked. Everyone can go to the scene to watch.¡±


    ¡°The guests can broaden their horizons today.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    With an excited expression on their faces, the attendants explained, and under the guidance of the security guards, all the visitors in the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s 100 private dining rooms rushed out and strode toward the Thousand Revolution Array¡¯s direction.


    Inside one of the private dining rooms¡­


    Jia Ruidao and his three apprentices stared blankly as they listened to the attendant¡¯s explanation. To them, the most important thing today was to serve and entertain Tang Xiu. Otherwise, if Tang Xiu were to quit, not only would they go bankrupt, they would lose their reputation greatly in the professional gambler¡¯s society and no longer be able to rise again for a lifetime.


    ¡°The three of you, do you want to watch?¡±


    After having explained, a young and beautiful attendant then asked.


    Jia Ruidao waved with a fidgety expression and replied, ¡°We¡¯re not interested. Please leave!¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute.¡±


    Gong Dalong suddenly stopped the attendant. He looked at Jia Ruidao and said, ¡°Master, as far as I know, Master Tang seems to know martial arts. Maybe one of the people who will challenge the array is him. Please think about it! It¡¯s a rare event for people trying to challenge the Thousand Revolution Array even in 1 or 2 years. But the moment Master Tang comes here, some people want to break through the array. I think that Master Tang is highly likely to be one of the people challenging the array.¡±


    Jia Ruidao¡¯s complexion moved. He also knew that Tang Xiu was a martial artist. He suddenly nodded and said, ¡°Then, let¡¯s go! Even if it is not Tang Xiu, perhaps he will also be there to watch!¡±


    Shortly after, the woods surrounding the Everlasting Feast Hall was filled with a lot of people, as the entire plaza¡¯s edge had been occupied. Dozens of Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s security guards took positions outside the plaza and prohibited anyone from entering even half a step.


    Gu Xiaoxue folded her arms. Her eyes occasionally swept Tang Xiu while mostly shuttling back and forth between Shao Mingzhen and Miao Wentang. She was curious, to what degree their cultivation has progressed. Could they be able to break through to the third layer?


    ¡°Little Boss, is it time?¡±


    The Security Chief came at Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s side and whispered.


    Gu Xiaoxue nodded slightly. She glanced at Tang Xiu, Shao Mingzhen, and Miao Wentang and then said lightly, ¡°Today the three of you want to challenge the Thousand Revolution Array. Regardless of your life and death, the Everlasting Feast Hall will not be accounted or be held responsible for your fate. Anyone who can break through the third layer will be our Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s Honorable Guest.¡±


    Three people?


    Shao Mingzhen and Miao Wentang looked at each other as their vision fell on Tang Xiu at the same time. Shao Mingzhen hesitated for a moment. He looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Little Brother, you want to challenge the Thousand Revolution Array? Anyway, this is not something you can joke about. If you¡¯re not a genuine martial artist, perhaps you will lose your life inside.¡±


    Miao Wentang also nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s right! A young man with spirit is good, but don¡¯t aim too high without having sufficient skill. Although this Thousand Revolution Array is very helpful for a practitioner¡¯s cultivation, but if one does not have the sufficient strength, you will either be injured or you¡¯ll die.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware of that.¡±


    Tang Xiu glanced at the two men, who looked and judged him based on his appearance only. But he didn¡¯t feel any antipathy toward them. He was the creator of this Array and he knew everything about it. However, he didn¡¯t want to speak, and he believed that the fact will open their eyes.


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s expression, Shao Mingzhen and Miao Wentang wryly smiled inside. They reminded him out of goodwill, but Tang Xiu seemed to ignore them.


    _¡°Damn!!¡±_


    A trace of anger was suddenly birthed in Shao Mingzhen¡¯s heart as he indifferently spoke, ¡°Since Little Brother wants to strive until the last minute, we will remind you no longer then.¡±


    With that said, he turned toward Gu Xiaoxue and cupped his fist, and then strode into the plaza.


    The entire plaza seemed to be only filled with randomly placed jadeites. But, the naked eyes were unable to see that these jadeites were the pattern of the Thousand Revolution Array. The moment Shao Mingzhen stepped into the Array area, his footsteps suddenly stopped as he began to move the next moment.


    In the onlookers¡¯ eyes, Shao Mingzhen was only repeatedly moving around in the perimeter area of the ten square meter range, as though he was a fly that was moving around heedlessly. But for Tang Xiu, Gu Xiaoxue, as well as Miao Wentang, who had once challenged the Thousand Revolution Array, they knew that Shao Mingzhen was facing a different scene.


    Inside the Thousand Revolution Array¡­


    The split second Shao Mingzhen stepped inside, it was as though he had come to another world. He looked at the Oriole birds that flew above the grasses as high as a person¡¯s height in front of him, giving off the scene of the springtime, and the feeling of the blowing spring breeze. But, even then, he was in full concentration at this time. He had the knowledge of the first layer of Thousand Revolution Array, since he had challenged it before. He knew that even though the beautiful mountain forest he saw right now was a sight to behold, but it actually contained countless grave dangers.


    Suddenly, spring thunder sounded as the bright and beautiful sunshine was shrouded with floating dark clouds. The entire world turned darker as light drizzle rain began to drip from the sky, bringing along the corrosiveness with them.


    ¡°It¡¯s coming!¡±


    Shao Mingzhen¡¯s heart tightened. He vigilantly looked around and immediately found groups of mottled snakes as thick as person¡¯s arms from the surrounding woods as they gathered around him.


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡­¡±


    Since he had once experienced it, Shao Mingzhen didn¡¯t panic. He took a yellow paper talisman from his chest, waved his wrist and ignited the paper talisman as a raging fire suddenly blazed and sprayed out toward the mottled snakes in the surroundings.


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡­¡±


    A mottled snake was neighing in the sea of raging fire and died. But more and more mottled snakes dauntlessly slithered forward in waves. With a cold and chilling manner, the scarlet-colored mottled snake¡¯s eyes were tightly eyeing Shao Mingzhen. However, a sharp stiletto suddenly appeared in Shao Mingzhen¡¯s hands. Along with his foot¡¯s movements, he struck dead the mottled snakes that bolted toward him.


    ¡°Found it.¡±


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    [1] I translate the inherent meaning in the raws to make it clearer.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 85

    Chapter 85: Self-Pride


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    A few minutes later, his sharp eyes saw a wrist-sized dark-yellow snake with a purple-crowned head. The snake was constantly hissing at the snake reinforcement army, as though it was commandeering the group of snakes to the battlefield, and machinating the movements of its soldiers to fight closer.


    ¡°Go¡­¡±


    The stiletto in Shao Mingzhen¡¯s hand flew fast in an instant as it accurately stabbed the dark-yellow snake¡¯s weak spot under its head.


    ¡°Buzz¡­¡±


    Following the death of the snake, the world around Shao Mingzhen changed. The previous scene of the beginning of spring world, full of exuberant vitality suddenly transformed into a brightly colored world with a scorching sun.


    Outside the Thousand Revolution Array¡­


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes as he observed the plaza¡¯s core 7 or 8 steps away from Shao Mingzhen. He secretly nodded. Although he couldn¡¯t see the scene inside the Formation Array, but seeing that Shao Mingzhen was able to advance rapidly through the first layer, this could be said that he was quite good. Gu Xiaoxue and Miao Wentang beside him were also thinking the same.


    ¡°Damn, it¡¯s really amazing! Brother Shao can pass through the first layer in such a short time. Had it been me, it would not have been easy. The first layer of Thousand Revolution Array is the Spring Carnage, and the second layer is the Summer Carnage. What would be the third one?¡± Miao Wentang couldn¡¯t help sighing and exclaiming.


    Gu Xiaoxue looked at him and said, ¡°The Thousand Revolution Array has a total of 7 layers. The first four are respectively the four seasons. Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. The next one naturally is Autumn Carnage and Winter Carnage. But nevertheless, considering his age and the fact that he has challenged the array before, he¡¯s too slow, and it¡¯s quite the losing of face if you ask me.¡±


    Miao Wentang¡¯s mouth couldn¡¯t help but twitch a few times. He was older than Shao Mingzhen. Had he broke the first layer slower than Shao Mingzhen, perhaps he would also be disgracing himself.


    The surrounding onlookers were looking at the Shao Mingzhen inside the Formation Array with bewildered expressions. They could only see Shao Mingzhen walking around chaotically and igniting paper talismans as though he was acting in theatrical plays. He also pulled out a stiletto and randomly slashed once in awhile. The scene put everyone at a loss and were dumbfounded.


    ¡°Eh? Did he turn crazy or something?!¡±


    ¡°What kind of boring scam is this? Making us come and watch such a scene?¡±


    ¡°What Thousand Revolution Array? The way I see it, it¡¯s just only deliberately mystifying.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s damn boring! Our lively dinner party has just turned into watching an idiot in a play. This is way too dull.¡±


    ¡°What does the Everlasting Feast Hall want? To tease everyone?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Listening to the onlookers¡¯ comments and critics, Gu Xiaoxue suddenly motioned to the Security Captain. Immediately the Security Captain loudly spoke, ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen, you don¡¯t know the true reason. So, I¡¯ll explain it to you. This Thousand Revolution Array is divided into 7 layers¡­¡±


    Along with his explanation, the surrounding people suddenly looked to have understood something in a flash. But, they were still skeptical in some manners. Some people were even trying to inspect and verify whether it was true or not as they tried to pass through the security guards and step into the plaza.


    However, because there were a lot of guests, the security guards unable to stop all of them. A dozen of people rushed into the Thousand Revolution Array! Then, seconds after, they stopped moving with a frozen body. Their eyes turned into saucers as their faces formed a disbelieving expression!


    ¡°Ah Er, get them out!¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue shouted with a stern voice.


    Suddenly, more than a dozen security guards rushed into the Thousands Revolution array lightning fast toward the dazed guests as they forcefully dragged them out from the Array area.


    ¡°Holy Lord¡­ I-I-I¡­ I¡¯m not drunk, am I? What was that inside?¡±


    ¡°Illusion!! This is absolutely an illusion! Else, how could there be another world inside?¡±


    ¡°Is that a genuine Formation Array? This magic is really mysterious! Amazing!¡±


    ¡°Wife, can you pinch me? Let me know if I can feel pain!¡±


    ¡°Formation Array do exist indeed¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The sobered up 10 people shouted in succession. The other guests immediately understood that the plaza in front of them perhaps really had a Formation Array deployed.


    Tang Xiu remained silent. He watched Shao Mingzhen¡¯s constant moving, unceasingly brandishing his stiletto and attacking. He found that the Thousand Revolution Array being deployed here was only arranged in an extremely simple pattern. It was like a day and night difference compared to his genuine Array. If he were to go inside, he believed that he would break this array easily.


    20 minutes later¡­


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion moved as he saw Shao Mingzhen approach a few steps toward the plaza¡¯s core.


    Miao Wentang¡¯s expression turned solemn. Looking at the slightly paler Shao Mingzhen, he couldn¡¯t help feel a bit apprehensive. From his expression, he knew that Shao Mingzhen had broken through the second layer and stepped into the third layer. This implied that his strength was much stronger than 2 years ago. He even had reached the qualification to become the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s Honored Guest.


    ¡°Aaaah¡­¡±


    A roar suddenly bellowed. When he had just broken through the third layer, Shao Mingzhen was directly thrown out from the third layer and fell outside the array heavily. After half a minute, he reluctantly propped himself up with his 2 hands as he spurted out a mouthful of blood.


    ¡°Brother Shao, are you alright?¡±


    Miao Wentang strode hastily toward Shao Mingzhen¡¯s side.Trying to get him up, he quickly extended his hand and propped up his arm with a face full of concern.


    Shao Mingzhen spat out a strand of blood. His complexion was slightly haggard as he shook his head with a bitter expression and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. But I failed to break through the third layer. This Thousand Revolution Array is way too appalling!¡±


    Miao Wentang gently patted his shoulder and said, ¡°Don¡¯t aim too high. It¡¯s already amazing enough for you to be able to break through the third layer! I don¡¯t have that much of confidence myself. Much less you¡¯ve successfully become an Honorable Guest of Everlasting Feast Hall. Even if you¡¯re unable to find anything to eat later, you¡¯ll be able to eat and drink here for free.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Shao Mingzhen grinned as he felt eased a lot.


    Miao Wentang stretched his muscles and bones before he walked toward the Thousand Revolution Array. Then he smiled and said, ¡°Next is my turn. I hope I can reach your level and break through the third layer.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s gaze followed Miao Wentang into the Thousands Revolution Array. Then, he stepped toward Shao Mingzhen¡¯s side and took his wrist. Under the astonished Shao Mingzhen¡¯s expression, Tang Xiu lightly said, ¡°Your internal injuries are serious. You need to immediately recuperate your blood and qi flow. With your cultivation level, it would take at the least 10 days and 2 months to fully recover like before.¡±


    Shao Mingzhen took back his hand and said in dissatisfaction, ¡°Don¡¯t talk such nonsense! I know my own condition! To cultivators like us, such injuries like this are but only normal occurrences.¡±


    Tang Xiu lightly said, ¡°It _is_ normal, but healing will take and waste time. So the gain isn¡¯t worth the loss. I can give you a prescription to heal your wound. As long as you take the medicine according to my prescription, it will only take you 3 days to fully recover from your internal injuries. But, since you¡¯re quite rich, I will charge you a fee.¡±


    Shao Mingzhen blankly stared for a moment before he looked at Tang Xiu again. With a skeptical and bewildered expression, he asked, ¡°Are you really sure that I¡¯ll recover in 3 days completely?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely!¡±


    Tang Xiu replied confidently.


    Shao Mingzhen spoke in a deep tone, ¡°Fine, say the price!¡±


    ¡°1 million!¡±


    Tang Xiu spoke calmly.


    Shao Mingzhen exclaimed, ¡°1 million for a prescription only? It¡¯s a daylight robbery!¡±


    Tang Xiu lightly replied, ¡°It¡¯s your choice whether you want to buy it or not. Had it not been for your sincere reminder for me before, not to challenge the Thousand Revolution Array, let alone 1 million, even if you give me 1 billion I wouldn¡¯t even pay attention to you.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Shao Mingzhen seethed with anger. But, he was after all quite a figure with a good status. He took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart and then spoke in a deep tone, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll take your prescription. However, you tell me the prescription first. After I take the medicine and the effect is just like what you said, then I¡¯ll pay you double.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a deal.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded as his eyes back to the Thousand Revolution Array where Miao Wentang was in.


    Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s black eyebrows pricked. She was listening to the chat between Tang Xiu and Shao Mingzhen. Her sight was fixated on Tang Xiu. After having been in silent for quite a while, she leaned toward Tang Xiu and asked in a whisper, ¡°Hey, do you¡­ know about medicinal knowledge?¡±


    ¡°I know some!¡±


    Tang Xiu replied casually.


    Gu Xiaoxue quickly asked, ¡°You know about the illness called Twilight Nightmare?¡±


    Twilight Nightmare?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression froze as he looked at Gu Xiaoxue in disbelief and he exclaimed, ¡°How do you know about the Twilight Nightmare? That is the most ruthless and sinister killing technique from the Shade Demon, Zhu Wushou¡¯s Great Twilight Secret Art. You¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. I only want to ask you, can you treat it?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said.


    It was not because he didn¡¯t want to treat it. It was because he indeed did not have the means to treat it. The Shade Demon Zhu Wushou was one of the Supreme Immortals Peak Stage in the Immortal World, and his cultivation level was comparable to Tang Xiu¡¯s. And the Twilight Nightmare was exactly his most powerful killing technique. Once one were hit by this technique, even if they were lucky enough and didn¡¯t die, they would fall asleep and be tortured with endless nightmares. They might occasionally sober up, but perhaps they would not be able to recover completely.


    Treating this would need 2 kinds of extremely rare treasures¡ª Chrono Crystal and Demonic Revival Grass.


    Demonic Revival Grass only grew in the center of the Demon Realm, in a place with extremely thick Yin energy. Apart from a few Supremes of the Demon Realm who were barely able to reach the Demon Realm¡¯s core, others would find it extremely difficult to go into that dangerous place. Much less, they also would have to face thousands of difficulties in that place to obtain the Demonic Revival Grass.


    Chrono Crystal!


    Rumors said that there were 2 Void Cracks in the Immortal Realm and the God Realm. But apart from the Gods, no Immortals had the courage to enter them, because the slightest carelessness inside the Void Crack would create accidents beyond redemption and cost them their life.


    For one to concoct the medicine to remove this Twilight Nightmare, one must first obtain Chrono Crystals and Demonic Revival Grass. Without the 2 treasures, nobody would be able to remove it, even Zhu Wushou himself.


    Gu Xiaoxue looked at Tang Xiu with a disappointed look. Then, a detached, out-of-touch appearance was revealed on her face as she looked at Miao Wentang inside the Thousand Revolution Array.


    More than half an hour later¡­


    Miao Wentang had successfully broken through the third layer, although the time he spent was longer than Shao Mingzhen. But he lasted longer in the third Autumn Carnage layer than Shao Mingzhen.


    _¡°Cough cough ¡­¡±_


    Miao Wentang coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood. His complexion was pale as white paper. He was forced out from the Thousand Revolution Array.


    ¡°Brother Miao, are you okay?¡±


    Shao Mingzhen propped his arm and asked with concern expressed on his face.


    Miao Wentang shook his head and squeezed out a trace of a smile, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I won¡¯t die. But my injury is quite serious. If I don¡¯t quickly heal in these 2-3 months, I might be unable to completely recover.¡±


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    Notes:


    One of quite difficult chapters to translate in this novel; mainly was because of the naming terms, such as Chrono Crystal and Twilight Nightmare.


    The raws for Twilight Nightmare is ¹âÒõÃÎħ (light/brilliance, Yin/shade/dark, dream/vision, demon/evil spirit)¡­ these two characters >>> ¹âÒõ form a word means time. So¡­ when does the time when light and dark collide? It could be at dawn or dusk, right? But since night demon (ÃÎħ) means evil spirit that disturb people¡¯s sleep and creates nightmare, plus the light and dark time¡ªso I came up with twilight and nightmare. Thus, the Twilight Nightmare term was born. I was tempted to use Incubus, but since it was a sickness and not a creature, so I didn¡¯t use it.


    As for Chrono Crystal, the raws is ʱ¹â¾§Ê¯ (time/season/era, light/brilliance, crystal, rock/stone). But ʱ¹â form a word which means time/era. The moment I read this word, I remember the old games, Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross. So the Chrono Crystal is born¡­ Hahaha. FYI, those two RPG games are PS1 games. Google them, those 2 games have quite the stories.


    The case for Demonic Revival Grass was also the same, but I won¡¯t waste the space here. The author sure is trolling me since his sense of naming for most of the times gives me the moments of WTF? Long words that are hard to translate to English, and those ¡®as the saying goes¡¯ and idioms¡­ please¡­ kill¡­ me¡­!


    Thus, out of 4 hours spent for trans-loathing (:P) this chapter, 2 hours were spent for translating the terms only. And that was¡­ quite¡­ u n a c c e p t a b l e!!


    Oh, I forgot, writing this rant took only less than 5 minutes¡­ the difference is just like the day and night, right?


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 86

    Chapter 86: The Tides of Shocks


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Shao Mingzhen looked up and glanced at Tang Xiu. He hesitated for a moment before he eventually spoke to Miao Wentang about his deal with Tang Xiu. After that, he finally concluded, ¡°I¡¯ve promised him that if his prescription is good, I¡¯d give him 2 million.¡±


    Miao Wentang ridiculed, ¡°Are you joking me? If there was such a wound healing panacea in this world, let alone 2 million for the prescription, even if you sell it for 20 million, I¡¯d buy it.¡±


    Tang Xiu lightly said, ¡°You can try it if you want. But if you find the effect is just like I told you, don¡¯t go back on your words and pay me 20 million.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, what a cheap mouthed youngster!¡±


    Miao Wentang said coldly.


    Tang Xiu coldly glanced at him. Then, he turned around and walked toward the Thousand Revolution Array.


    Miao Wentang loudly said, ¡°Hey, Tang Xiu? I advise you to give up. Although I don¡¯t know how strong you are, but judging from your age, it¡¯s far too much for you to challenge the Thousand Revolution Array. Don¡¯t shame yourself!¡±


    ¡°Brother Miao!¡±


    Shao Mingzhen quickly pulled Miao Wentang¡¯s arm as he called out in a low voice. Although he didn¡¯t like Tang Xiu because he thought that Tang Xiu was too arrogant. But they were men with status and it was quite improper for them to bicker with a youngster.


    Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s mouth slanted upwards as she faintly smiled, watching Tang Xiu from the back with a slightly helpless feeling. She felt that even though Tang Xiu¡¯s aura was very strong, but with her cultivation, she could sense Tang Xiu¡¯s strength. So she could tell that Tang Xiu¡¯s strength was far inferior when compared to Shao Mingzhen and Miao Wentang. The both of them barely broke into the third layer, but for Tang Xiu, perhaps he wouldn¡¯t be able to enter the second layer.


    Amongst the onlookers¡­


    Jia Ruidao with his three apprentices had long seen Tang Xiu. However, he had never thought that Tang Xiu actually would challenge the Thousand Revolution Array. So he and his 3 apprentices didn¡¯t greet him. As an experienced person himself, Jia Ruidao also wanted to see Tang Xiu¡¯s bottom.


    However, when he saw Shao Mingzhen and Miao Wentang¡¯s appearance and condition when they got out from the Array, he was worried. Because, tomorrow Tang Xiu would gamble, and it was quite a taboo for gamblers to be exhausted both physically and mentally before the game. If Tang Xiu were to be injured, how would he be able to gamble tomorrow?


    ¡°I must stop him!¡±


    Jia Ruidao squeezed out of the crowd and rushed toward Tang Xiu as he exclaimed, ¡°Brother Tang, please wait. I have to talk with you.¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly stopped. With a puzzled expression in his eyes, he looked at the rushing Jia Ruidao and then asked, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    Jia Ruidao revealed a forced smile, ¡°Brother Tang, we¡¯ll have the game with Chen Kai tomorrow. If you were to face some difficulties in this Thousand Revolution Array, then tomorrow¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡±


    A cold beam flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he spoke with a cold tone.


    Jia Ruidao smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you. But it¡¯s quite a taboo for a professional gambler to get exhausted physically and mentally. Only in a 100% condition would you be able to win the game.¡±


    Tang Xiu indifferently said, ¡°You have always been resting well everyday, but I haven¡¯t seen you win, have I? Hmph¡­ I¡¯ve my own way. I need not other¡¯s words for it.¡±


    With that said, he turned around and strode into the Thousand Revolution Array.


    Miao Wentang at the side burst into laughter, ¡°Brother Shao, can you see that? Even his companions don¡¯t believe him. Do you think he has the ability to break the Thousand Revolution Array? Just wait and see! We¡¯ll have some funny jokes to look forward to.¡±


    Shao Mingzhen smiled and secretly sighed. Apparently, he also agreed with Miao Wentang¡¯s opinion.


    Inside the Thousand Revolution Array¡­


    The second Tang Xiu entered, he didn¡¯t have the slightest surprise in seeing the changes in the world¡¯s surrounding scene. He looked around before his vision locked on a high ancient tree. He flicked his toes and bolted forward as though arrow being released from the bow. In a breath¡¯s time, he already sprinted toward his destination.


    ¡°Puff¡­¡­¡±


    A sharp Mitsubishi army knife shot forward toward the ancient tree trunk as the dark yellow snake¡¯s weak spot was pierced.


    ¡°Buzz¡­¡±


    The world scene changed as the scorching hot summer emerged. Flowers bloomed with hundreds of birds chirping happily. Tang Xiu looked around at the surrounding and saw a track at the distant. A stele was placed half buried in the middle of the track. Without the slightest hesitation, he sprinted fast toward it.


    It was time! His cultivation was still low. Before he had a formidable strength and was able to act freely, he could only grab the opportunity within the given time. With a burst of effort, he sprinted toward the stele as he exerted all of his strength into his fist and punched the stele.


    ¡°Boom¡­¡­¡±


    The stele was broken as the lions and tigers in the surroundings instantly vanished. The environment changed again.


    Outside the Thousand Revolution Array¡­


    Everyone¡¯s eyes were fixated on Tang Xiu. Strange looks, as well as disbelieving expressions were cast on their faces as they looked at Tang Xiu. They also clearly remembered that it took half an hour for Shao Mingzhen and Miao Wentang to step more than 20 steps toward the center of the plaza.


    ¡°How could this be?¡±


    Miao Wentang exclaimed out loud. A disbelieving expression hung on his face, even his eyeballs were almost popping out. He even did exaggerated things as he rubbed his eyes only to affirm that he was not seeing an illusion, and then looked at Tang Xiu in the plaza again.


    ¡°Damn, I¡¯m not hallucinating! H-h-he¡­ how did he do it?¡±


    Shao Mingzhen¡¯s heart also thumped and jolted at the moment. A similar shock was also cast on his complexion, even his lips were squirming and twitching a few times. He then spoke in bitterness, ¡°10 seconds! He only used 10 seconds to break through the second layer and rush into the third. This¡­ is he still a human? But, with what way did he do it?¡±


    Yes! How did he do it?


    Gu Xiaoxue at the side was also gaping and tongue-tied as she looked dumbfoundedly at Tang Xiu. Her heart was struck with a storm. She clearly remembered that her Master had once said, that apart from one person, nobody would easily break through the barrier, even a group of the most powerful superb experts in the other worlds wouldn¡¯t be able to do it.


    ¡°¡­ even if it was Master, she could only barely reach this level, wouldn¡¯t she? But who is he? How come he could see through the secrets of the Thousand Revolution Array? He was even able to find the layer¡¯s core in such a short time?¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s eyes were struggling to move from Tang Xiu¡¯s figure to shift around to look at the shocked expression everyone had. Only then did she realize that she was not in a dream, someone had truly broken the first 2 layers in less than 10 seconds. He even had rushed to the third layer of the Thousand Revolution Array, the Autumn Carnage.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t know that people outside were being struck with shocks at the moment. The scene of lush trees heavily laden with fruits of the Autumn Carnage was currently emerging in front of his eyes. it was an orchard full of fruit trees, with bright yellow fruits and bright scarlet fruits as a faint fragrant could be smelt, sparking people¡¯s appetite to eat them. A group of wild geese flew over the orchards, leaving a burst of their cries.


    ¡°This simplified version really lacks it¡¯s true might.¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t rush to act this time. But he stood still, staring at a certain spot and quietly waited.


    ¡°Anyone who trespasses this array must die.¡±


    A roar came from inside the orchard. A ferocious-looking big man, winded with chains all over his body bolted from the inside of the orchard. His hand waved a sharp-spike mace as it glowed faintly, giving off a kind of cold and menacing feeling.


    Tang Xiu squatted his body. He casually picked up a pebble on the ground and faintly smiled, ¡°The first time I had just created this Formation Array, I really exerted my strength for it. But, I have left behind a secret gate for each layer. Do you believe me that I can beat you with this pebble?¡±


    ¡°Ridiculous!¡±


    The ferocious big guy was as though having a spiritual wisdom. He waved his spiky mace and crushed down Tang Xiu¡¯s head.


    ¡°Down!¡±


    Tang Xi fingers flicked as the pebble instantly hit the ferocious big guy¡¯s throat. Almost at the same moment, the ferocious big guy stood motionless as his mace hung a feet above Tang Xiu¡¯s head. Along with the burst of autumn breeze, the unwilling ferocious big guy turned into ashes being turned by the passing breeze.


    ¡°Buzz ¡­¡±


    The world scene changed once again. The cool autumn breeze turned into the freezing winter solstice wind. The place was no longer the orchard heavily laden with fruit trees, but turned into the world of ice and snow.


    The vast sea of whiteness of the endless snow, as far as eyes can see.


    ¡°Winter Carnage?¡±


    Tang Xiu sat cross-legged as he stabbed his sharp army knife straight into the snow on his left side.


    ¡°Aroooo¡­¡±


    The billowing sounds of the howling wolves came from the distant horizon. A few seconds after, countless Snow Wolfs, as though flying in the sky of snow, rushed forward and howled.


    Outside of the Thousand Revolution Array¡­


    Miao Wentang¡¯s body greatly shook a few times. With his chaotic blood and qi circulation, coupled with the shocks that struck his heart, it suddenly made him sit down on the ground. But due to his distress and embarrassment, he wasn¡¯t even aware of it. He looked again at the Tang Xiu, who walked 6 or 7 steps, with the feeling as though a thunderclap had blasted inside his heart.


    The fourth layer! It was absolutely the fourth layer!


    Miao Wentang suddenly recalled the mocking and cynical remarks he had said to Tang Xiu before he entered the Thousand Revolution Array. He thought that Tang Xiu wouldn¡¯t be able to break through the first layer. But never once he had ever dreamed that Tang Xiu not only would cross through the first layer, but he also rushed through the second, third, and now directly bursting into the fourth layer.


    At this very moment, he really wished that a pit would appear in front of him, so he could immediately throw himself into it and wouldn¡¯t come out again out of disgrace.


    Shao Mingzhen¡¯s mouth twitched severely. He even found it hard to turn his head as he looked at Gu Xiaoxue at the side.


    However, Gu Xiaoxue was also struck with shocks at this moment. She looked at Tang Xiu with a foolish expression. She even almost raised her hand to slap her own face. She clearly knew Tang Xiu¡¯s cultivation level. But, she had never dreamt that Tang Xiu would actually be able to break through the fourth layer. The Thousand Revolution Array was not an ordinary Formation Array. Even if the cultivators¡¯ strength might be more powerful than her¡¯s, they were not necessarily able to burst through into the fourth layer.


    However, how was Tang Xiu able to do it?


    How was it possible to break through into the fourth layer?


    Gu Xiaoxue clearly remembered what she had said to Tang Xiu before. Tides of regrets were billowing inside her heart. Had she known that Tang Xiu had the ability to break through the fourth layer, how would she dare to disgrace herself?


    She was just like a frog living in the depths of the well!


    It was this saying that thundering inside Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s mind. Reminding her that this saying was truly what she was like at this moment.


    ¡°Miss Gu, Tang Xiu, h-he¡­¡±


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 87

    Chapter 87: Apathetic


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Gu Xiaoxue was surprised when Shao Mingzhen suddenly asked her. He calmed her down before she wryly smiled, ¡°Your guess is correct, why you must ask me? Truth be told, his cultivation is far lower than yours. But¡­ who could have thought that he would able to break through into the fourth layer?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really the fourth layer?¡±


    Shao Mingzhen was stunned. He only guessed it. But now after getting confirmation, he also shared the shocks. He was not a run of the mill person with good judgment abilities regarding other¡¯s ability. But only now did he realize that he had been mistaken. He really couldn¡¯t judge a person by looking only at his appearance, just like you couldn¡¯t measure the depth of the sea with a pint pot. And this time, he was really wrong beyond reason.


    Gu Xiaoxue added, ¡°I don¡¯t want to admit it but the fact is right before your eyes.¡±


    Shao Mingzhen furiously swallowed his saliva and was unable to say anything for a moment. He had seen a genius cultivator before. But for a monster such as Tang Xiu, never once had he heard or encountered one.


    ¡°I suspect that he should be a formation Array Grandmaster!¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue hesitated for a moment before she continued in a low voice.


    ¡°What the hell? Is this a joke?¡±


    Miao Wentang reluctantly propped himself up from the ground and exclaimed out with a hoarse voice.


    Gu Xiaoxue coldly glanced at him as she humphed and said, ¡°Hmph! If he isn¡¯t an Array Grandmaster, how could he easily break the first three layers of the array, then? I can see that his cultivation is not deep, I¡¯m 100% sure about it. Your cultivation is much higher, but can you breakthrough to the fourth layer?¡±


    ¡°T-This¡­¡±


    Miao Wentang was left speechless. He could only feel his face burning as though he was slapped with invisible hands, leaving him to feel a kind of dejected and ashamed feeling!


    A few meters away outside¡­


    Jia Ruidao looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s figure dumbfoundedly. His mouth gaped, big enough that he could even swallow a duck egg. His first disciple at his side, Gong Dalong whispered, ¡°Master, Master Tang seems like he¡¯s very powerful! He¡¯s even able to walk further into the center of the plaza compared to the two men before.¡±


    Jia Ruidao slowly turned his head. The vacant expression on his eyes greatly diminished as he replied with a bitter tone, ¡°But still, I don¡¯t want him to continue rushing into a higher level right now. If he were to continue rushing, the possibility of him getting injured is also bigger. He could be seriously injured.¡±


    Gong Dalong also froze and fell into silence.


    His Master¡¯s concern was true. If Tang Xiu was to be seriously injured, then tomorrow¡¯s gambling match would have been implicated, even all of them would have been finished completely.


    Inside the Thousand Revolution Array¡­


    Tang Xiu kept observing as more Snow Wolves approached. The smile on his face was getting bigger. Had it been for others, they would have been trembling and scared shitless. But, he was not some other guys. He was the creator of this Thousand Revolution Array and knew everything about breaking this array.


    ¡°Aroooooo¡­¡±


    The wolves¡¯ howling voice turned into a stretch line of sound that filled and shocked the entire sky. But a strange thing happened. The group of wolves that came from all directions stopped tens of meters away from Tang Xiu, as their chilling greenish eyes tightly preyed on something else than Tang Xiu. It was the Mitsubishi army knife they were staring at.


    The key point in a formation array was the knowledge of the pattern¡¯s crux.


    Not only did Tang Xiu know about the crux, but he also knew the pattern layout. The spot that was stabbed by his Mitsubishi army knife was exactly the connection point to the crux. As long as he didn¡¯t pull the knife out, the Snow Wolves wouldn¡¯t attack him. The key point in breaking the Winter Carnage of the fourth layer was to withstand against time. As long as one was able to withstand a burning incense stick¡¯s worth of time, the fourth layer would eventually collapse by itself.


    Shortly after, a burning incense stick¡¯s worth of time had passed.


    ¡°Buzz¡­¡±


    The surrounding scene changed as the world of ice and snow dissipated and was replaced with the yellow sandy pathway. There was an unceasing surging river behind the trail.


    A man clad in a raincoat was holding an olden fishing rod as he sat alone on the small boat in the river. The boat turned and automatically approached Tang Xiu slowly the moment he appeared.


    ¡°Ferryman!¡±


    Tang Xiu spoke calmly.


    The old man smiled and said, ¡°I welcome your arrival. It¡¯s honor to serve you.¡±


    Tang jumped onto the boat and calmly replied, ¡°I want to cross the river.¡±


    ¡°At your service!¡±


    The old man nodded and smiled.


    The boat glided and slowly moved into the middle of the river. However, the old man suddenly disappeared and was replaced with a howling gale. The boat began to shake violently as Swordfishes unceasingly leaped up above the surrounding river water and aimed at Tang Xiu. At the same time, a group of Vermillion Birds blazing in fire suddenly flew in the sky as they swarmed over Tang Xiu with their sharp beaks and talons.


    _¡°Xiu¡¯er, Mum misses you.¡±_


    An illusion appeared in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. He was at home as his Mother shed tears as she rushed over at him.


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu snorted coldly as his aura suddenly exploded and destroyed the surroundings scene in an instant. He had experienced this illusion in this dreamland countless of times. Had it been before, he could have drowned himself in this dreamland for a long time even though he was clearly aware that his mother was only an illusion. It was because he missed his mother deeply. But at present, since he had come back from the Immortal World and could see his mother in flesh easily, he didn¡¯t need to suffer the again and did not have the slightest disturbance on him.


    ¡°Destroy!¡±


    He slashed his army knife again and moved fast. With his low cultivation right now, he only had 3,000 pounds of strength, so it would be very difficult for him to kill theses Swordfishes and the Blazing Vermillion birds. A slight carelessness would get him severely injured or killed. But with his vast fighting experience, such a scene was easy for him to solve.


    Besides, the key point to break through this layer was not to kill all of those Swordfishes and Blazing Vermillion birds, but to cross the river and get to the other side with the boat quickly.


    Outside the Thousand Revolution Array¡­


    The terrifying speed Tang Xiu had shown in breaking the array had constantly shocked Gu Xiaoxue to the point of numbness. She originally thought that the fourth layer would be Tang Xiu¡¯s limit. However, the current scene made her flabbergasted and put her at a complete loss.


    She was very strong, to the point that she could kill Tang Xiu with only a pat. But if she were to ask herself, she would never be able to achieve Tang Xiu¡¯s level. She had been challenging the array since she was 10 years old for hundreds and even thousands of times. And never once did she break into the fifth layer.


    What kind of world was the fifth layer?


    She only heard about it but had never seen it!


    _¡°Even if one were an Array Grandmaster, they¡¯d never be like him, would they?¡±_


    Regret filled Gu Xiaoxue because of the contempt and despise she had and did toward Tang Xiu. Such a heaven-defying ability Tang Xiu had shown to break the array had broken her common sense.


    At this moment, Miao Wentang¡¯s face was just like a sheet of paper. He looked at Shao Mingzhen and was barely able to hold the urge to pull Shao Mingzhen and run away due to his embarrassment.


    This was a disgrace he brought upon himself and now he finally tasted this bitter feeling, which was even more bitter than medicine.


    ¡°Amazing!¡±


    With vacant eyes, Shao Mingzhen murmured.


    But his words were just like a sharp knife that ferociously stabbed at Miao Wentang¡¯s heart, the pain even almost drove him to cry.


    As for the spectators, although a few onlookers had left, but most of them still waited. They didn¡¯t know what layer Tang Xiu had broken into, but seeing that Tang Xiu had walked further than Shao Mingzhen and Miao Wentang, they knew that Tang Xiu was stronger than the both of them.


    ¡°Impossible!¡±


    A loud shout came from Gu Xiaoxue.


    In the next moment, everyone also found that Tang Xiu was walking 7 or 8 meters forward toward the center of the plaza.


    Shao Mingzhen turned his head and hastily asked Gu Xiu with an aghast expression, ¡°Miss Gu, Tang Xiu, H-He¡­ He succeeded again?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    With mind already numbed with shock, Gu Xiaoxue nodded and answered.


    Shao Mingzhen mumbled with a blank expression, ¡°The fifth layer, he broke the fifth layer and not into the sixth layer. ¡­ Isn¡¯t this way too inconceivable?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s damn appalling!¡±


    A complicated expression filled Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s eyes. An unfathomable feeling filled her heart looking at Tang Xiu¡¯s figure. She recalled the moment she met Tang Xiu until now, only then was she aware that she couldn¡¯t see through him. He was as though a moon reflected on the water, covered and shrouded by illusions.


    Shortly after¡­


    Tang Xiu came out from the Thousands Revolution Array. His complexion was slightly paler, but there were no hints that he was getting distressed as all eyes fixated on him the moment he came out.


    ¡°Now, I¡¯m qualified to be an Honorable Guest of the Everlasting Feast Hall, yes?¡±


    Tang Xiu calmly asked when he came in front of Gu Xiaoxue.


    Gu Xiaoxue subconsciously nodded. But she sobered up immediately and hastily asked, ¡°Tang Xiu, your cultivation is obviously very low, but how could you break into the sixth layer? My Master is the one who deployed this Thousand Revolution Array decades ago. Although only a few people have challenged this array, but even the most powerful from all of them were only able to break through into the fifth layer¡­ Never once had it happened that anyone was able to get into the sixth. How did you do it?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°No comment.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s heart was as though a cat being caught, struggling and unable to calm down. But, she was helpless even though she was angry at getting such an apathetic attitude from Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu no longer looked at her and turned toward Shao Mingzhen and Miao Wentang, and said lightly, ¡°I will give you the prescription later. But do remember your commitment.¡±


    Having said that, he glanced at the surprised Jia Ruidao and his apprentices, and walked toward the elegant classic attic in the woods. Although he was afraid to confirm the possibility that Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s Master could be his disciple, but he was absolutely sure that they should have a close relationship.


    When he first heard his favorite disciple, he was ecstatic. But after having gone through to challenge the Thousand Revolution Array, his heart finally calmed down. Recalling that even his wife and trusted friend could betray him, then if¡­


    Tang Xiu was afraid to delve down further. He couldn¡¯t withstand such a traumatic blow again, so he directly chose to give up about it.


    The most crucial thing for him right now was to cultivate himself. Giving his all to go back to the Supreme stage of the Realm he once was. For that time, for all those people who had betrayed him, they must pay a hefty and painful price.


    His heart was neither made of steel or stone. But he was also neither a pushover nor softhearted person to begin with. He would never provoke others, but if others provoked him, they must pay 10 times the price.


    He prayed. He prayed to the whole heavens, to the Gods and Buddhas for them to protect and bless those who had betrayed and injured him. For them to remain safe and sound until the time came for him to personally visit them, and ask for payment of their overdue debts.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 88

    Chapter 88: One and His Enemies Are Bound to Meet


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    The Everlasting Feast Hall had a total of three floors with interesting and appealing antique interior decorations. The first floor was an open-style dining hall with 200 dining tables. The second floor was for 108 private dining boxes with a spacious and comfortable environment. And the third floor was for the Honorable Guests area. And the number of people who were eligible to enter this floor could be counted with one¡¯s hands.


    The restaurant manager had already been notified about Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival and greeted warmly, ¡°You¡¯re Mr. Tang, yes? I¡¯m the manager of Everlasting Feast Hall, Chu Yanqing. Little Boss has already informed me that the Honorable Guest¡¯s lounge on the third floor has already been prepared. You and your friends can dine there right now. Your necessities are on us, free of charge.¡±


    ¡°Please lead the way!¡± Tang Xiu calmly nodded.


    Jia Ruidao was somewhat quite excited and followed Tang Xiu at his side. He then smiled and said, ¡°Brother Tang, we¡¯ve been sucked into a limelight just because we¡¯re with you. Do you know that countless dignitaries want to dine on the third floor and got stopped by the security guards? I have never thought that I could also dine in the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s Honorable Guest Lounge today.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s just a mundane life enjoyment. It has no significant meaning.¡±


    Jia Ruidao smiled wryly, ¡°Each person has a different pursuit in life. For you, it¡¯s only trivial and mundane, and such a person like you is very rare!¡±


    Tang Xiu thought that Jia Ruidao¡¯s words were quite reasonable. Everyone had their own pursuit. Some were after fame and mundane life enjoyment. Some others pursued spiritual balance and advancement. He himself also only pursued 2 points, wanting to be with his mother and make her happy, and cultivating himself.


    The third floor had a total of 18 private halls, with each nearly 200 square meters big. Although the interior decoration was also filled with antiquities, but it was luxuriously and exquisitely designed. Even though Tang Xiu wasn¡¯t an antique expert, he could see that those objects inside were antiquities.


    ¡°Ah, painting?¡± The moment Jia Ruidao entered the private hall, he found the wall was filled with calligraphies and paintings. After having observed for awhile, he suddenly exclaimed.


    The restaurant manager smiled, ¡°Our boss once participated in an auction at the port area. So she bought this painting from there. I heard she had spent 9 digits to win the bid.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion moved and asked, ¡°You have seen your boss? What I mean is, not your Little Boss.¡±


    The restaurant manager nodded and said, ¡°Of course! I have seen her when I got bankrupt due to my gambling addiction. I even listed the company and lost my CEO position. My family was broken, we couldn¡¯t even have a decent full three meals a day that time. It could be said that life for me was falling into the abyss. Then, I met Boss. She paid my debt, taught me martial arts, and let me manage this Everlasting Feast Hall for her. Time does fly fast. It has been 20 years since I¡¯ve been here.¡±


    Tang Xiu asked, ¡°What¡¯s your Boss¡¯s name? How old is she?¡±


    The restaurant manager answered, ¡°We cannot easily expose our boss¡¯s name. But for her age¡­ I have seen her 4 times in the last 10 years. When I first met her, she looked like she was in her 20s. And the last time I saw her in the last 10 years, she was still just like in her 20s. And this also made me feel strange. It is as though time doesn¡¯t leave any traces on her at all.¡±


    20-year-old appearance? Wasn¡¯t it almost the same as Gu Xiaoxue?


    Tang Xiu frowned. A little girl¡¯s appearance emerged in his mind. The first time she left him, her appearance was in her 18s.


    Tang Xiu suddenly said, ¡°Please help me find a pen and paper.¡±


    ¡°Please wait a bit!¡±


    Restaurant manager immediately informed Tang Xiu¡¯s request to another attendant through his walkie-talkie. He then put the menu in front of Tang Xiu and the others. When Tang Xiu and the others had finished ordering the food, he handed the pen and paper to Tang Xiu. Whilst waiting for the ordered dishes to come, Tang Xiu painted someone¡¯s face on the paper.


    It was his first apprentice¡¯s appearance in the Immortal World that he was painting. He painted her in her 18s¡¯ appearance, the blooming flower-like age. Along with Tang Xiu¡¯s drawing, a vivid-lifelike girl portrait gradually presented itself. It was as though the painting was alive, and the girl was very beautiful, she would even be able to conquer people and country alike with her smiling appearance. The girl being portrayed on the paper was smiling, as though the painting was alive.


    ¡°What a beautiful painting!¡± Jia Ruidao and his apprentices said inside the hall, as well as the restaurant manager who was being attracted deeply by the girl painted by Tang Xiu. They were as though in a trance seeing such a country-toppler-gorgeous girl. It was as if she was standing and smiling in front of them.


    ¡°Take a look, did she look like this?¡± Tang Xiu turned and spoke to the restaurant manager, and asked in a deep tone.


    The restaurant manager was abruptly awoken from his trance-like fascination. He reluctantly moved his eyes from the painting, shook his head and then replied, ¡°What you painted is a fairy. Although our Boss is very beautiful, but she¡¯s completely different from your painting.¡±


    ¡°Is it not her?¡± A trace of loss and a disappointed feeling arose inside Tang Xiu¡¯s heart. But, a trace of relief also surfaced. He did indeed want to see his first apprentice that he had brought up and cared about, but he was afraid that she was also involved with those who had betrayed him.


    ¡°Forget it, then. Thanks, you can go back to your work!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    The restaurant manager complied and then left the hall.


    Delicious and exquisite delicacies, as well as exquisite wines were unceasingly sent to their dining table. 2 young pretty attendants didn¡¯t leave the hall as they served and filled wine cups for Tang Xiu, Jia Ruidao, and the others.


    ¡°The wine is decent enough!¡±


    This was the first time Tang Xiu had drank wine after he had come back to the modern times. He sipped the wine and carefully savored the taste, and nodded to praise it. He had drunk countless types of wine and was also a Master in wine brewing. The good wines from The Everlasting Feast Hall could be considered as having a good taste for him.


    Decent enough? The wine was only decent enough?


    Jia Ruidao who drained a cup of wine in a gulp was struck by something and suddenly froze when he heard Tang Xiu¡¯s comment. He had lived for more than 60 years, and this was his first time tasting such delicious and exquisite wine. But why would Tang Xiu give such ¡°decent¡± evaluation?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s comment also made Jia Ruidao¡¯s three apprentices shake their heads. They also loved wine. But tasting this level of such exquisite wine was also a first. So they couldn¡¯t help but ridicule Tang Xiu¡¯s comment inside secretly.


    ¡°Brother Tang, I can vouch that this is not your ordinary wine. I dare say that we don¡¯t have such a wine in the second-floor private box. Even though the wine served on the second floor are also good wines, but compared to this one, it¡¯s just like comparing day and night.¡± Jia Ruidao retorted and laughed.


    Tang Xiu gave a toast and said, ¡°Let¡¯s toast and drink some more.¡±


    It was midnight sharp¡­


    Tang Xiu, Jia Ruidao, and his apprentices drank and feasted to their fill. After that, they directly left the restaurant. Since they didn¡¯t need to pay the bill, Jia Ruidao could save a lot of money. One must know that booking private boxes on the second floor would cost at least 100,000 yuan. And it was for the cheapest box and services. Such an exquisite sumptuous feast like they just had, in Jia Ruidao¡¯s secret estimation, it would have cost them more than 1 million yuan had they must pay for it themselves.


    Under the dim light of the night¡­


    Five people were striding along the wood pathway. Cicadas and other small insects were lingering around the pathway¡¯s dim lights. When they were about to arrive at the parking lot, the pathway was blocked by people as a mocking laughter struck their ears.


    ¡°Aha. Isn¡¯t this Master Jia Ruidao? The loser during the day, actually still has the mood to have a feast in the Everlasting Hall? What a great way, to cast away sorrows with liquor, don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    There were 12 people in front of them. The one who was speaking was one of the 3 young men in front. Tang Xiu didn¡¯t know him, but Jia Ruidao and his apprentices knew him. He was exactly their opponent, Chen Kai. He was a famous hedonist playboy from Jingmen Island.


    Jia Ruidao stepped forward and coldly spoke, ¡°Chen Kai, such a rude attitude is unnecessary. The humiliation you¡¯ve given me, you will pay it back by hundreds of times.¡±


    Chen Kai burst into laughter and loudly shouted, ¡°What did you say? Have I misunderstood your spits? You thought you still have the chance to rise tomorrow, did you? Tomorrow, you will find out why these flowers are bleached with red! Hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Jia Ruidao was furious.


    ¡°Chen Kai, is he that Jia Ruidao? The famous professional gambler?¡± Another young man asked.


    Chen Kai stared at Jia Ruidao with a provocative attitude. But he replied to that young man with a flattering expression, ¡°Big Brother Chu, he¡¯s indeed Jia Ruidao, the loser who even almost sold his pants after losing to us. Those 3 guys behind him are his apprentices. Ah right, the youngest one, is his son, this prodigy has messed up his own family.¡±


    The young man observed Jia Ruidao, nodding his head and said, ¡°Chen Kai, do remember to behave yourself, we might meet them later. In case they give in, this matter ends here. I like that fine piece of jade pendant and I don¡¯t want any troubles after having it later.¡±


    ¡°Ah, alright then. Consider that I¡¯ve given you that jade as a gift, Big Brother Chu.¡± Chen Kai replied with a happy expression.


    Jia Ruidao was stunned. His vision shifted back and forth between Chen Kai and the youth as he then raged over and roared, ¡°Fuck your fart, Chen Kai! That jade pendant is a memento from my wife! I¡¯ve been preparing to get it back. If you dare to give it to others, don¡¯t blame this old man for forcing you by any means necessary!¡±


    Chen Kai mocked in disdain, ¡°Buzz off! The things I have won are mine! It¡¯s my own business to do everything I want with it. Why should I fucking listen to your fart? If you really have the balls and abilities, just bring it on! This young master will never cower.¡±


    ¡°Chen Kai!¡± The young man who had just spoken shouted in a low tone.


    Chen Kai shrunk back and laughed dryly, ¡°Big Brother Chu, this damn old fogey started it.¡±


    Jia Ruidao¡¯s eyes turned bloodshot, even blue veins sprouted on his head. It was as though he would eat and swallow him. He stared preying at Chen Kai and said, ¡°The things I¡¯ve lost, I will win them back tomorrow. I¡¯ll have your life look better tomorrow.¡±


    The youth named Chu only spoke lightly when he saw Jia Ruidao angry, ¡°The things that I¡¯ve obtained are also never lost from me. If you want that jade pendant back, you can look for me. Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I¡¯m Chu Yi from Beijing.¡±


    Tang Xiu took a step, looked at Chu Yi and said, ¡°You have just said before to behave properly in life in case we might meet again in the future. Since the jade pendant is a memento from his wife, you ought to give him the chance first. In case that he wins tomorrow, then give it back. But if he loses then we will never mention about this jade pendant matter anymore. And everything must be over after the gambling house ended tomorrow. How about it?¡±


    Chu Yi squinted his eyes, looking at tang Xiu and asked with a faint smile, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡±


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 89

    Chapter 89: Everything Was The Same Just Like Before


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Chu Yi¡¯s eyebrows wrinkled as he looked at Tang Xiu a few times. He shrugged his shoulders and said, ¡°You¡¯re also called Tang Xiu? It seems that this name is very popular and a lot of people have this name. Fine then, looking at your name, I¡¯ll give him the chance. We¡¯ll see you again at Paradise Club tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you again later!¡± As to avoid being seen to be too excited by them, Jia Ruidao shouted loudly and didn¡¯t wait for Tang Xiu to speak.


    Chu Yi lightly humphed and walked toward the Everlasting Feast Hall. Chen Kai followed him after he motioned to slash his own neck with his finger toward Jia Ruidao. Then, he left with a triumphant attitude.


    10 minutes later¡­


    Inside the private dining box on the second floor of Everlasting Feast Hall, the restaurant manager was smiling as he came inside, along with bottles of wines. He looked at several people before his vision fell onto Chen Kai. He smiled and said, ¡°Young Master Chen, you¡¯ve only visited our Everlasting Feast Hall a few times recently. Could it be it was because our hospitality and services didn¡¯t satisfy you?¡±


    Chen Kerry waved and smiled, ¡°There¡¯s no such thing. I was fishing recently. And I got a really big fish this time, so I haven¡¯t the time to visit this place. But, since 2 honorable guests from Beijing came to visit, I brought them here. Big Brother Chu, Big Brother Bai, this is the restaurant manager. He¡¯s the one responsible for managing the restaurant during the week hours.¡±


    Chu Yi and Bai Tao glanced at each other. They were also smart people who had been swimming in the business world for several years. The experience had made them mature. They could immediately tell that this character Chen Kai personally introduced was not some run-of-the-mill character. Even if he was only a restaurant manager, but the man¡¯s identity was perhaps not as simple as he looked.


    The both of them immediately nodded at the restaurant manager.


    The restaurant manager said with a smile, ¡°Ah, I bid our welcome to the two honored guests. We¡¯re really blessed with such happy events again and again today. But it¡¯s a pity that you¡¯ve come too late and didn¡¯t see tonight¡¯s great show. I¡¯m afraid that it would be very difficult for you to see it even 1 or 2 years later.¡±


    Chen Kai was confused, ¡°What kind of major show was it?¡±


    The restaurant manager answered, ¡°Young Master Chen, since you¡¯re our regular patron, you should know about Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s custom, yes? A few hours ago, there were 3 martial arts experts who challenged the Thousand Revolution Array. 2 of them successfully broke through into the third layer, and became our Honorable Guests and another one¡­¡±


    He intentionally paused after having spoken up to there.


    Chen Kai suddenly stood up as he asked with an astonished expression, ¡°For real? Someone has broken through the array? And 2 of them? Holy Lord, that¡¯s really amazing! Have those 2 Honorable Guest already left? I want to visit them personally!¡±


    ¡°They have left already!¡± Restaurant manager replied with a trace of regretting tone.


    Chu Yi said, ¡°Hey Chen Kai, don¡¯t interrupt others¡¯ speech, he hasn¡¯t finished speaking.¡±


    The restaurant manager¡¯s eyes beamed and then said, ¡°Ah, another expert who broke the Thousand Revolution Array is very young. But he was able to break through into the fifth layer successfully. After he successfully entered the sixth layer, only then did he come out. To this day, he is the Honorable Guest of our Everlasting Feast Hall who had broken into the highest layer. Even our Little Boss was also shocked.¡±


    ¡°What? The Little Boss also went to the scene?¡± Chen Kai had just barely sat down, but he jumped up again as though his ass was on fire.


    ¡°Yes!¡± The restaurant manager replied.


    A deep loss and regret surfaced on Chen Kai¡¯s face as he said, ¡°Haih, if I knew it earlier, I could have taken Big Brother Chu and Big Brother Bai to come here! Damn! It¡¯s really regretful!¡±


    Chu Yi glared at Chen Kai with an angry expression. He looked at the restaurant manager and then asked, ¡°You said the other expert is a young man? What is his name?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡± The restaurant manager answered with a smile.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What was he called?¡± Chu Yi and Bai Tao exclaimed involuntarily at the same time.


    A confused expression was faintly revealed on the restaurant manager¡¯s face as he said, ¡°Yes, his name is Tang Xiu! I¡¯m responsible for recording the register, so I know his name and his age.¡±


    Chu Yi closed his eyes and opened it again a few seconds later. He quickly took his phone out and dialed a number.


    ¡°Who is it? Hey, it¡¯s the dead at night and you¡¯re calling me at this hour?¡± A complaining voice roared from the phone.


    Chu Yi said, ¡°Yo, the Famous Young Master Long. It¡¯s me, Chu Yi. Don¡¯t go to sleep first. I wanna ask you something.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    Chu Yi asked, ¡°The idol you are worshipping who called you a friend, Tang Xiu, where¡¯s he now?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu? Ah, he seems to have gone to Jingmen Island. My little brother told me this evening at dinner, so I know about it! Why are you asking about Tang Xiu at this time?¡±


    A wry smile surfaced on Chu Yi¡¯s face. He then glanced at the dull-gasping look on Bai Tao¡¯s face and spoke with a quite distressed tone, ¡°If my guess is true, I¡¯ve bumped into Tang Xiu tonight and have had a little conflict with him.¡±


    ¡°Hey! What had happened?¡± Long Zhengyu¡¯s soul was as though being shocked and quickly asked.


    Then, Chu Yi told the whole things before he finally spoke with a helpless tone, ¡°Young Master Long, you know what? That idol of yours seems like to have rocked and done amazing things on Jingmen Island.¡±


    Long Zhengyu said, ¡°From your words, then it should be Tang Xiu. Tang Xiu indeed knows Jia Ruidao. Do you remember that Tang Xiu has helped me once? He was the one who beat Jia Ruidao in the gambling bout. It¡¯s just that, I didn¡¯t expect they would have any contact with each other. Fine then, I¡¯ll call Tang Xiu and tell him about you. But, about that jade pendant¡­¡±


    Chu Yi interrupted him decisively, ¡°I¡¯ll give it to him.¡±


    Long Zhengyu quickly said, ¡°Don¡¯t! Tang Xiu might look like he¡¯s a docile and friendly person. But he¡¯s absolutely a proud person to the bone. If you give him the jade just like that, you will only ignite his antipathy. I¡¯d advise you not to lose intentionally on the table. He¡¯s extremely smart and he should be able to see it. Once he knows about it, he will think that his win was only a cheap scam and his impression about you will only get worse.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Suddenly, Chu Yi couldn¡¯t help but feel that the jade pendant he just got had become a hot potato. He angrily stared at Chen Kai and spoke in a helpless tone, ¡°Fine, then! I know what to do. And thanks, I¡¯ll hang up the phone.¡±


    Chu Yi ended the call and sent away the restaurant manager. He looked at Bai Tao and said, ¡°We¡¯ve just bumped into the wrong person tonight. He¡¯s really him.¡±


    With a complex expression, Bai Tao smiled wryly and said, ¡°This Tang Xiu guy really makes a big storm wherever he goes. What should we do now?¡±


    Chu Yi said, ¡°Just let everything happen naturally tomorrow. Regardless of winning or losing, we should approach him and show him our goodwill.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡± Bai Tao nodded. Although he had yet to confirm that Tang Xiu had successfully invited Kang Xia, but nevertheless, it was best to be just like a devoted monk who was devoted in his prays even though he had never seen Buddha to better avoid troubles later. Besides, Tang Xiu had a good relationship with Long Zhengyu, and they were Long Zhengyu¡¯s friends. It wasn¡¯t worth it to have a falling out and break a friendship only for a piece of jade.


    Chen Kai was dumbfounded as he looked at Chu Yi and Bai Tao. He had never dreamed that these 2 people would know Jia Ruidao¡¯s friend. The most apprehensive thing was, they unexpectedly wanted to show their goodwill to him. Suddenly, he felt as though his efforts to flatter these two turned out to be putting himself under the horseshoe.


    ¡°Big Brother Chu, should I give back all the money I have won and the jade pendant to them?¡± Although he was anxious and pained, Chen Kai probed.


    Chu Yi shook his head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t. Just carry on the gambling house as usual tomorrow. Do remember, _Do not_ let that that Ye Taifu know about the matter tonight and let him turn on the water.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡­¡± Chen Kai was laughing inside even though he showed a hesitating expression on the surface.


    ¡°Just do as I say.¡± Chu Yi spoke with a decisive and firm tone.


    At the Jarvis Hotel¡¯s presidential suite, Tang Xiu was focusing on practicing the gambling technique skill taught by Jia Ruidao. In the short 3-4 hours, he repeatedly practiced, and with his amazing strength control, he had mastered the ever gambling technique taught to him.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t even a challenge at all!¡± Tang Xiu attempted to steal cards from the card pile easily. His hand¡¯s speed was extremely fast with an accurate strength control. Even if he gambled with others and in the casino, nobody would be able to know his actions.


    He suddenly recalled the day when he had his spatial ring. If he had a spatial ring he could have easily put any gambling tools in it. If he had one, even if he were cheating, nobody would be able to find any clues.


    The next day¡­


    Tang Xiu woke up late. But since the gambling house was scheduled at 2 PM, he intentionally woke up at 10 AM. His mood and spirit had been restored. After having a bath, he called Jia Ruidao and had a meal with the five of them. After which, they drove to Jingmen Island¡¯s Paradise Club.


    During the last few days, a lot of people on Jingmen Island who got addicted to gambling had heard about the gambling house in Paradise Club. Yesterday, after Jia Ruidao was stopped midway and left the gambling house, it created an uproar, and a lot of people concluded that the final bout would be held today.


    With such rumors, when Tang Xiu, Jia Ruidao, and his apprentices rushed toward Paradise Club, a lot of guests had come to the Paradise Club. A lot of people looked at each other in such a crowded situation.


    ¡°This must be because of that bastard Chen Kai. That damn bastard intentionally spread the news and wanted to disgrace us.¡± Jia Yelei was not an open minded person. Seeing such a scene, it drove him to suspect the worst to the bad side. He gnashed his teeth and spoke those words.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Although Jia Ruidao was also suspecting such a thing inside his mind, but with Tang Xiu¡¯s presence, he didn¡¯t want Tang Xiu to think that the father and son were narrow-minded people and only dared to foul-mouthing others behind their back. Through their interaction these days, he was perfectly aware of Tang Xiu¡¯s personality and conducts. If their conducts were bad, Tang Xiu would be disappointed and displeased.


    The guests that had come and surrounded the venue also had found and seen Jia Ruidao and his apprentices at that moment. Each one of them stopped as they pointed at them and whispered at each other.


    ¡°Do you see that? That¡¯s Jia Ruidao. Those three beside him are his apprentices. To the right is his son who has incited the troubles, the black sheep prodigal son of the family.¡±


    ¡°What an unlucky old man Jia Ruidao is. This time his hard bones are being gnawed at. Damn, I hope his teeth are still intact after he gets the shocks! But, who¡¯s that other youngster? I have never seen him before!¡±


    ¡°The father has fought to build the empire, only to see his empire destroyed by his own son. Such a son Jia Ruidao has, is really like a blood sucker of the family. If I were to have such prodigal son that will destroy the family, I would have strangled him to death early.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really miserable and pitiful! Some people have estimated that in just a short time, Jia Ruidao and his people have lost at least 500 to 600 million. It is said that he even had lost a jade pendant. The only memento his wife had left.¡±


    ¡°Winning and losing. All professional gamblers will sooner or later be drowned and lost inside the game.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 90

    Chapter 90: Who¡¯s the Sacred Being? [90]


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Even though the guests¡¯ voices in the surrounding were not loud, but Jia Ruidao and his three apprentices could still hear them clearly. The same expression could be seen on their faces. Especially for Jia Yelei, his handsome-graceful face had turned scarlet with anger.


    Tang Xiu walked toward Jia Yelei¡¯s side and lightly spoke, ¡°If you cannot even endure such a shame and humiliation, you won¡¯t walk too far in your life. We might as well directly admit our loss and forfeit the gambling house today.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The anger that burning inside Jia Yelei was as though being put out by icy water and thoroughly extinguished. The hope he had right now was for Tang Xiu to take back everything and avenge their resentments. If Tang Xiu forfeited the gambling house today, then they would have bit the bullet and lost all their hopes.


    ¡°Master Tang, please be at ease. I¡¯ll do what you say.¡± Jia Yelei replied and bowed.


    Tang Xiu nodded. Then, he stepped onto the Jacobs ladder of the anchored luxury passenger cruiser.


    The passenger cruiser was 135.06 meters in length, 16.5 meters in width, 24320 tons of Gross Register Tonnage with 10.3 meters topsides in height from the water lines to the main deck. The ship was able to carry 2000 passengers and crew. It had a 4 layer deck, with the lowest one being the engine and power room. The second deck was the main deck for passenger rooms, the third deck was for entertainment and recreation area such as the dining room, ballroom, karaoke, gyms and other pleasures and entertainments. And the casino was exactly located on the top deck.


    Jia Ruidao was already familiar with the layout, as the five of them then entered each passenger room on the second deck. They quietly waited for the passenger cruiser to sail to the ocean. Gambling was illegal by law, so the cruiser would sail to the international waters whenever gambling houses were held.


    ¡°The power of science and technology truly cannot be underestimated!¡±


    After Tang Xiu was bored for staying alone in the room, he then went outside to the deck. The passenger cruiser had already set sail, but it was moving slowly as it braved the waves and winds. There was only the vast boundless sea in the surroundings along the sails. A lot of tourists had already come out to enjoy the ocean scenery, causing the atmosphere to turn noisy. Tang Xiu, who wanted a tranquil scenery, frowned. He looked around before his eyes fell and stopped at the glass window at the fourth deck.


    At the fourth deck¡­


    Tang Xiu entered the scenic view room and sat near the window. There were only a few people here. Only 2 or 3 people sat there as they talked in low whispers.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    A few minutes later, a successful-looking middle-aged man surrounded by a group of men came, making loud noises. The middle-aged man approached and came in front of Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Tang.¡±


    The first time he saw Tang Xiu, Miao Wentang originally wanted to quickly leave, because seeing Tang Xiu reminded him of the shameful event where he shamed himself last night. However, he had no choice but to acknowledge that Tang Xiu was really powerful. After contemplating and criticizing himself for a night, he admitted that he was in the wrong. He was the one who spoke improperly, and finally said and did something wrong. After he admitted it, a feeling of admiration toward Tang Xiu was spontaneously birthed inside his heart.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s you?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s brows wrinkled. A bit of a cold and detached expression surfaced on his face.


    Miao Wentang keenly sensed Tang Xiu¡¯s attitude as an awkward and embarrassed feeling suddenly rose in his heart. He thickened his face since he wanted to mend his relationship with Tang Xiu and also wanted to know more about him. Then, he immediately said, ¡°Mr. Tang, I didn¡¯t sleep last night and did some self-review and contemplation. I want to apologize to you for my words and attitude last night. So, I sincerely ask if you can forgive me.¡± [1]


    Tang Xiu sat tight and firmly as though a mountain. He indifferently said, ¡°Your attitude is commendable.¡±


    Miao Wentang quickly said, ¡°It¡¯s my fault, so naturally I have to correct it myself. Master Tang, I want to make up for yesterday¡¯s fault. I hope you could give me face today and let me invite you to the Paradise Club. So I can officially apologize to you.¡±


    ¡°No need!¡± Tang Xiu directly refused.


    A few middle-aged men around Miao Wentang were all elite businessmen. For people like them, their status and identity were a taken for granted capital, and it was only natural that others should respect them. And Tang Xiu¡¯s attitude stroke at their bottom line, because Miao Wentang was their honorable guest. But, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t even give the face and brazenly reject Miao Wentang. This meant that he was also humiliating them.


    ¡°Big Brother Miao, this person is?¡± A middle-aged man couldn¡¯t accept Tang Xiu¡¯s manner, so he openly asked.


    Miao Wentang was still looking at Tang Xiu with an awkward and embarrassed expression, but the sudden question from the middle-aged man abruptly pulled him away from the awkward situation. Even though he was barely able to break away from that embarrassed situation, but he was a veteran businessman who had been through a lot and met countless people. He was smart enough to tell that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t like to be disturbed. So he answered with a simple introduction, ¡°This is Mr. Tang.¡±


    Immediately, Miao Wentang took business card holder from his pocket and put his business card on the table in front of Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Mr. Tang, this is my business card. If you have the time, you can call me anytime. I owe you an apologizing feast.¡±


    After having said that, he did not even ask Tang Xiu¡¯s business card. He turned around and nodded to the people around him and then strode toward another scenic room. A few of his businessmen colleagues around him looked at each other, as their hearts were struck with riddle and mystery.


    Who was he? Was he a sacred being?


    Miao Wentang was the president of the Qingzhou¡¯s Miao Group, a very famous and powerful figure in the entire. Furthermore, he was also rumored to be a very formidable martial artist, and his security service company was listed in the top 10 in the whole country. But, how would such a powerful figure become so timid in front of a young man?


    These several Jingmen Island¡¯s business elites exchanged looks between each other. Then, they pulled out their business cards and placed them on the table in front of Tang Xiu. They introduced themselves in the simplest words and then quickly followed Miao Wentang to leave.


    _¡°These people are such a boring bunch!¡±_ Tang Xiu muttered in his heart. He grabbed and saw a few business cards but didn¡¯t put them in his pocket. Dealing with others was not his forte since he was not good at interpersonal relationships. Even when he was in the Immortal World, he¡­


    Recalling past events made Tang Xiu¡¯s mood sank. Because of Jia Ruidao¡¯s issue, he wasted a few days, so he firmly decided that, regardless of the outcome of winning or losing, he must put this matter to an end thoroughly today. After that, he must find a large number of rare and precious medicinal herbs, ores, and ingredients to aid his cultivation.


    At the other scenic view room¡­


    A middle-aged man turned his head and glanced at Tang Xiu. Then, he looked at Miao Wentang and whispered, ¡°Big Brother Miao, that surnamed Tang kid, what is his origin? And where does he come from? Such a brat like him doesn¡¯t even want to give you face?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! What kind of sacred being could he be? He¡¯s way too rampant and arrogant.¡± Another middle-aged added with a bit of disgusted tone, but still, he was talking with a very low voice.


    Miao Wentang smile let out a forced and wry smile and said, ¡°You should have heard about the event at Everlasting Feast Hall last night, yes? Shao Mingzhen and I have successfully broken into the third layer of the Thousands Revolution Array. And we become the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s Honorable Guests. But he¡­ he amazingly broke into the sixth layer.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°How could it be possible?¡±


    ¡°Heavens!¡±


    Flabbergasted expressions were suddenly revealed on those Jingmen Island¡¯s business elites¡¯ complexion as they immediately exclaimed out loud in shock.


    Miao Wentang wryly smiled, ¡°Those shocked expression of yours also happened to me. I thought it was impossible. But the fact was there, and I witnessed it personally, so how would I make a mistake about it? The reason I apologize to him was because I mocked and ridiculed him before he challenged the Thousands Revolution Array, and I disgraced my own face.¡±


    A middle-aged whispered, ¡°Big Brother Miao, but he¡¯s way too young! I could tell he¡¯s even under 20 years-old. How could he be that powerful?¡±


    Miao Wentang smiled, ¡°You can ask me, but to whom should I ask? In short, with such a talent and intelligence, we¡¯d better off not provoking this unfathomable youth. In this world, having a lot of friends are way much better than having a lot of enemies.¡±


    ¡°Yes Yes Yes!¡± Those people nodded and complied repeatedly.


    Noon, 1:50 PM¡­


    Tang Xiu came over to the casino on the fourth deck. A lot of people were coming to the casino at this moment. The casino was filled with all kinds of gambling machines, stuff, and tools, as they were surrounded with gamblers who wanted to try their skills. Paradise Club provided the gambling venue but didn¡¯t involve themselves in the gambling bouts. However, for each gambling game being held here, they got 1% shares for the total amount of money being staked on the table. But, even though it was only 1%, considering the number of days and people who gambled, the profit was quite big.


    ¡°Master Tang, the gambling house will be held in a VIP private room. My Master has already been waiting for you in the VIP room.¡± Gong Dalong was waiting in the Casino Hall as he immediately approached and respectfully greeted Tang Xiu the moment he saw him.


    ¡°It seems that only a few minutes are left before the gambling bout is held. Lead the way and let¡¯s finish the game. Besides, I still have other things to take care of..¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said.


    ¡°Alright!¡± Gong Dalong respectfully complied.


    The VIP private room was a few hundred square meters in size, with all kinds of gambling tools already prepared. Apart from Jia Ruidao and his apprentices, and Chen Kai with his highly paid professional gambler, Ye Taifu, there were hundreds of people who came to watch. The people who were eligible to enter this VIP private gambling room were of extraordinary statuses. They must at least obtain a recommendation from others before they were permitted to enter. Aside from Miao Wentang, amongst the spectators, there were also several business circle elites from Jingmen Island.


    Miao Wentang also saw Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival. But a blank expression suddenly revealed on his face since Tang Xiu seemed to know the side who would gamble. A few other people were also looking at each other with puzzlement.


    Even though there were many people in the VIP private room, but it was orderly with more than 20 black-suited security guards in the room to ensure that there would be no disturbance in the course of the gambling house.


    ¡°Ah, you finally came, Brother Tang! The game is about to begin!¡± Jia Ruidao and the others who had already burned with anxiousness and impatience, quickly greeted him.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Relax, I know my discretion.¡±


    He looked at Chen Kai at the opposite side of the table and could see the erratic expression from his eyes. On the contrary, the bald middle-aged man at his side seemed very eager and rubbed his hands. Tang Xiu stepped forward. Under the gaze from all spectators, he looked at the middle-age man and spoke with a deep tone, ¡°You¡¯re Ye Taifu? A professional gambler from Macao, called the Golden Finger, yes?¡±


    The middle-aged man raised his chin and looked at Tang Xiu contemptuously and said, ¡°That¡¯s me, yes. And who are you? Jia Ruidao has lost the gamble and then he doesn¡¯t dare to play. So now, you¡¯re going to gamble in his stead?!¡±


    Tang Xiu pulled out a chair and sat on the opposite side of Ye Taifu. He indifferently said, ¡°Yes. Today I¡¯m the one who¡¯ll be playing with you. But, I¡¯m afraid that people are afraid of trouble and don¡¯t like complex gambles, how is it?¡±


    Yutai Fu asked, ¡°How simple?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°How about we play Tie Golden Flower and compare the number?¡±


    Tie Golden Flower and compare the number?


    Ye Taifu sized up Tang Xiu with a strange expression. He chuckled and then smiled, ¡°Are you sure you want to gamble by comparing cards? But I¡¯ll have to tell you beforehand, I don¡¯t want to have a small gambling stake¡­ how about 1 million in deposit as the lowest stake? Do you dare?¡±


    ¡°Why should I be afraid? Deal!¡± A cold beam flashed inside Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he happily replied.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    [1] Sacred being here means as respected/highly skilled people but unknown to the public.


    [2] I have to cut quite a line here for Miao Wentang¡¯s words¡­ I don¡¯t like to write the whole content of the idioms and cut to the point since it was boring if I found it all the time. It¡¯s too long a line for asking forgiveness. Its polite words to ask forgiveness in Chinese, but translating it into English will take too much word¡­


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 91

    Chapter 91: First Win


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Upon hearing it, Jia Ruidao, who stood beside Tang Xiu, immediately reminded, ¡°Brother Tang, my jade pendant¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu glanced at him and lightly said, ¡°Be patient. Since he has given the word and chance, I believe that they won¡¯t take it back.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Even though Jia Ruidao was quite reluctant, he didn¡¯t dare to refute Tang Xiu.


    A strange expression emerged on Miao Wentang¡¯s complexion. He was also amongst the spectators and was quite surprised since he had never thought that Tang Xiu would be with one of the gambling parties. He knew that Tang Xiu was a cultivator and even an Array Master. But, never once did he expect that Tang Xiu was also a gambler.


    In fact, he was only being pulled by these few Jingmen Island business elites and was quite reluctant to be here. But now, his interest had been sparked.


    He knew that Tang Xiu had a heaven-defying ability in breaking through the formation array, and now he really wanted to see, how powerful could he be in gambling?


    At this time¡­


    Ouyang Lulu, with a middle-aged woman wearing her white gloves, appeared in the VIP private room¡¯s door followed by Chu Yi and Bai Tao.


    ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to my Paradise Club. As the name implies, this is a paradise for all of our guests. I¡¯m sincerely hoping that all of you can play to your hearts¡¯ contents in this place. I¡¯ll introduce myself. I¡¯m Ouyang Lulu, the owner of this Paradise Club. And I must inform you that this one is the most outstanding gambling dealer in our Paradise Club¡¯s casino. I can absolutely guarantee that she will preside over the gambling house fair and square for all of you.¡± Ouyang Lulu spoke whilst looking at Tang Xiu and Ye Taifu a few times with a smile.


    ¡°Clap, clap, clap¡­¡±


    A warm applause echoed in the VIP private room. The effect and influence of a beauty had always been great, and if a beauty was added with an honorable status, the effect and influence would be even better. And Ouyang Lulu had everything, the perfect body and looks, everything was a world-class beauty. Only a few words from her and the entire hall was filled with applause.


    A graceful female dealer came to the gambling table and then spoke with a smile, ¡°Have the two of you picked the game you want to play?¡±


    Ye Taifu replied, ¡°Tie Golden Flower.¡±


    The dealer¡¯s expression suddenly froze for a second before her lips let out a smiling expression. She was the best dealer in the Paradise Club and was experienced in presiding over important gambling games. But only a few people would play Tie Golden Flower in such a big gambling house. Moreover, there were only 2 players right now. She looked at Tang Xiu and asked with a smile, ¡°Have you set the rules? How much deposit have you decided on? Stake increment for the stake increase? And how much for the upper limit?¡±


    Ye Taifu stood up with both of his arms on the gambling table. He chuckled and smiled, ¡°Hehe, this Little Brother is pretty much haughty I guess, so I suggest 1 million deposit with the stake increment not lower than 1 million. Lastly, no upper limit.¡±


    The dealer looked at Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu replied indifferently, ¡°It¡¯s fine with me.¡±


    ¡°Since the two of you have already decided, then, we¡¯ll respect and stick to these rules. Now, please show me your chips.¡±


    Jia Ruidao quickly took the chips from his son at the side and placed them in front of Tang Xiu. He then spoke with a wry smile, ¡°Brother Tang, because I¡¯ve lost the game before, the remaining of the borrowed money is only 56 million. Take a look¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s sufficient!¡± Tang Xiu replied lightly.


    Upon hearing Jia Ruidao¡¯s words, Ye Taifu, who sat a few meters away at the opposite side of the table suddenly laughed and spoke loudly, ¡°I thought today¡¯s gambling would be great. But you only have 56 million? Bah, it¡¯s so damn boring! Hey Jia Ruidao, you¡¯re more or less also a famous professional gambler. Why don¡¯t you borrow again from others? Or, are you unable to borrow again? Hahaha¡­¡±


    Many people amongst the spectators had seen the gambling bout between Ye Taifu and Jia Ruidao, so they knew that Jia Ruidao had lost quite a fortune. However, the winner had always been hailed as the king and the loser would be regarded as the bandit, and people who lost money would never get the praises. In an instant, a conversation suddenly sprung:


    ¡°Huh, Jia Ruidao looks strong at the surface and weak inside, eh? How much has he lost? Only a few hundred million and he couldn¡¯t borrow money anymore? Is he unreliable? Or has he no good friends?¡±


    ¡°He really gets what he deserves, only having such trivial capital but daring to continue gambling with others. He really doesn¡¯t know when to stop. A few days ago, I saw him lose and go broke completely, even staking the only memento from his wife. He even lost that exquisite jade pendant.¡±


    ¡°I thought I could see a thrilling and matchless gambling bout today, but I never thought that Jia Ruidao was already broke to this degree. 56 million? Today¡¯s game will be over faster than before.¡±


    ¡°Damn! With such a capital and he let that youth play. Isn¡¯t this the same as giving money to the other player? Even if I¡¯ve seen such stupid act, I¡¯ve never seen such stupidity to this degree!¡±


    ¡°Bah, I regret coming here!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Jia Ruidao was a professional gambler and had excellent gambling techniques. His hearing ability was naturally very keen. He could clearly hear those remarks from the spectators. For a moment, he felt so ashamed that even his old face turned scarlet as his eyes was full of a dejected expression. Even his three apprentices¡¯ eyes were blazing with anger as they glared at Ye Taifu as though they wanted to break his tendon, skin him alive, and put him under the scorching sun.


    Tang Xiu looked at Ye Taifu with an indifferent expression and secretly sneered inside. One who stood at a high place might look high and remote, but once he fell, he would fall very hard. If only one were to lose in the gamble, then it was still fine. But if one only wanted to win a trivial fight and make light of the battle, even the slightest carelessness would cause him to lose everything. Perhaps when that time come, his arrogance would make him regret it to the core.


    ¡°No need for meaningless talk, let¡¯s begin!¡±


    Ye Taifu arrogantly looked at Tang Xiu with provocation in his eyes before he sat back in his chair. He then spoke with a cold tone, ¡°Begin!¡±


    ¡°Ding¡­¡±


    The dealers nodded and sounded the bell. Immediately, the entire VIP room turned quiet.


    She took 8 playing cards from the attendant, putting them on the table and took out a new playing card. After a dazzling showcase of card shuffling, she said, ¡°Both sides please examine the cards.¡±


    ¡°No need!¡±


    Ye Taifu trusted Paradise Club casino¡¯s fairness and directly refused.


    Tang Xiu also shook his head. He was not afraid of any plays Ye Taifu had. Besides, if Ye Taifu really wanted to showcase his tricks, even if he examined the cards, he wouldn¡¯t find anything fishy.


    The dealer nodded slightly. She cut the end of the cards and sent three cards to each player and then put the rest of the cards on the table in front of her.


    Tang Xiu picked his card and looked at it calmly before he revealed a faint smile. He had observed the dealer when she shuffled the cards. Others might be unable to follow the series of dazzling movements, but he used his Spiritual Sense and could see it clearly. He even knew the number and pattern of each card in that playing card stack.


    _¡°A pair of 2, and 5 of Hearts.¡±_


    Tang Xiu looked at his cards whilst observing Ye Taifu with his Spiritual Sense. He was satisfied since his card was bigger than his. Ye Taifu only had an Ace of Spades, 5 of Hearts, and 3 of Hearts.


    ¡°1 million!¡±


    A trace of a smile was revealed on Ye Taifu¡¯s face. He grabbed the chips in front of him and pushed them to the deposit spot in the middle of the table.


    Tang Xiu pretended to hesitate. Then, he also grabbed the chips in front and followed. However, Ye Taifu who was observing, keenly caught Tang Xiu¡¯s split second expression. He grabbed the chips again and threw them out and said, ¡°2 million.¡±


    Tang Xiu also directly threw 2 million in chips and said, ¡°I¡¯m in!¡±


    Ye Tau sneered inside. He looked deeply at Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes and threw 2 million in chips again, ¡°Continue.¡±


    From his card, Ye Taifu was clearly aware that he only got small cards. But he didn¡¯t want to be the first one to pass. Especially since he was also keenly aware of that split second expression Tang Xiu had, so he guessed that Tang Xiu¡¯s cards were definitely small. Besides, this session was only an appetizer. Even if he really lost, it was only a few. Chen Kai had promised him that he would have 500 million for the gambling stake today.


    ¡°I am in!¡± Tang Xiu said again.


    Ye Taifu sneered as he directly pushed a pile of 10 thousand chips to intimidate Tang Xiu, and then spoke in a deep tone, ¡°10 million.¡±


    This time, Tang Xiu really was startled. He didn¡¯t understand where Ye Taifu had that self-confidence to bet 10 million all of a sudden. Added with the previous stakes that he had bet on the table, he had taken 14 million. However, regardless of any intentions he had, his cards were bigger than his, so he didn¡¯t cower because of this.


    ¡°20 million.¡± Tang Xiu pushed his chips and calmly spoke.


    Ye Taifu¡¯s eyebrows slanted. He looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s expression. He thought that Tang Xiu was pretending to look calm, and only intimidating him to deter his moves. Once again, he pushed 20 million chips and lightly said, ¡°It¡¯s just only an appetizer. We don¡¯t need to play that big. Fine, I¡¯ll give you 20 million and open your cards.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Tang Xiu asked calmly.


    Ye Taifu sneered, ¡°Definitely! Why don¡¯t you open your cards?¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t speak but directly opened his cards.


    In just a split second, Ye Taifu¡¯s complexion burned scarlet as an unwilling expression could be seen from his eyes. He could see that he really guessed correctly that Tang Xiu¡¯s cards number were small, but they were still bigger and enough to beat his cards. However, as to not let Tang Xiu gain momentum, he pretended to throw the cards in his hands and lightly spoke, ¡°As an expert, I¡¯ll give you a leeway to win the first of the three games since you¡¯re still a youngster, so you can taste the feeling to be a winner. After that¡­ you should mentally prepare yourself!¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at the stack of chips in the middle of the table. Apart from the 1 million chips deposit, the rest were pushed toward him. A smile surfaced on his face as he nodded and smiled, ¡°Ah, thanks a lot, for letting me win. I¡¯ll wait and see for the latter.¡±


    The first win! He won a total of 34 million.


    He couldn¡¯t help sighing after seeing this kind of situation. Winning at gambling sure was easy. It was no wonder that so many people loved to gamble! Besides, getting rich overnight was everyone¡¯s dream, nobody would refuse it.


    A trace of joy appeared on Jia Ruidao¡¯s face, who was standing beside Tang Xiu. It was a grand start for Tang Xiu; a good luck and fortune. His three apprentices were also smiling as a feeling of joy filled them to the fullest in seeing the Tang Xiu win the first game.


    A look of astonishment, as well as a flabbergasted expression, was worn by all spectators¡¯ who watch the battle. Never even once had they ever thought that an unknown youngster would be able to win again the famous Ye Taifu. Even though Ye Taifu said that he gave a leeway to Tang Xiu, but still, everyone could see that it was not his true intentions.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    Notes:


    Grrrr¡­ as I¡¯ve mentioned¡­ I don¡¯t know much about gambling. But¡­ my whining is useless


    Okay then, gotta say something here. As the novel¡¯s title implies¡­ It¡¯s Returning from the Immortal World. So, the setting is on Earth (first phase if have to spoil it). Anyway, I don¡¯t wanna speak about the detail about what the author has planned in mind. It¡¯s his right and despite there are a lot of plot holes, inconsistencies or anything in this novel, in any case, he still deserves to have my respect of being dedicated enough to continue writing this story.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 92

    Chapter 92: Four Consecutive Wins


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    The second game¡­


    The dealer shuffled the cards. After she finished, she looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Since Mr. Tang won the first game, you have the first right to speak.¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t open his three cards this time. It was because he used his Spiritual Sense to read the cards. He was also able to see Ye Taifu¡¯s cards. This ultra-mysterious-cheating-technique was an absolute Divine Tool for cheating.


    ¡°10 million.¡±


    Tang Xiu opened 10 million chips for the stake and spoke without batting an eye.


    Seeing that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t even open his cards, Ye Taifu didn¡¯t want to fall under the wind in imposing manner. He also didn¡¯t open his cards and followed 10 million directly, ¡°I¡¯m in!¡±


    ¡°20 million!¡±


    Tang Xiu pushed the chips again without even a blink.


    Ye Taifu frowned before he pushed 20 million once again and said, ¡°I¡¯ll follow.¡±


    ¡°50 million!¡±


    Tang Xiu spoke with a calm expression.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Ye Taifu stared blankly as disbelief filled his eyes. He had been diving in professional gambling for more than 20 years. And this was his first time coming across such a type of player like Tang Xiu. This was merely the second game and Tang Xiu didn¡¯t even look at his cards, and directly threw 80 million chips in.


    One must know that the game they were playing was Tie Golden Flower. Tang Xiu had just won 34 million. Summing up with his starting capital, he only had a total of 90 million. In other words, in the case that Ye Taifu followed suit, his cards would be subjected to Tang Xiu¡¯s. And this also meant that it would become the last bet in the game.


    Under his hesitation, his hand extended and traced his three cards¡ª


    7 of Hearts, 7 of Spades, 5 of Clubs¡­


    His biggest cards were only 7 pairs?


    Ye Taifu was silent for a moment. He pushed 100 million chips and spoke in a deep tone, ¡°I¡¯m in. Open your card.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly and opened his cards¡ª Jack of Hearts, Jack of Spades, and 3 of Diamonds. It was a Jack pair.


    In a split moment, Ye Taifu¡¯s complexion turned ashen and pale. He had never dreamed that the second game would turn into this kind of situation. It was needless to say that he had lost the game, but he also had lost a total of 131 million. Added with the 34 million from the first game, plus from this short second game, he had lost 165 million.


    Ye Taifu looked up and glanced at Chen Kai at the side, and saw his unsightly expression. A weak anxious feeling suddenly sprouted in his heart. However, he still believed that it was because Tang Xiu¡¯s luck was good. And he simply had yet to use his real gambling skills.


    Streams of comments came from the spectators in the surroundings:


    ¡°Amazing! Wasn¡¯t it just a few minutes? That unknown youngster has won a total of 165 million. I daresay that this speed of making money is even faster than the fastest money printing machine in the entire world!¡±


    ¡°There has always been new genius coming out in each generation everywhere, and a talent that only appears in a decade. Ye Taifu¡¯s reputation as a professional gambler in the world has been spreading far and wide. But he unexpectedly lost twice to an unknown youngster. It¡¯s indeed the young generation that will surpass the older ones in time!¡±


    ¡°Damn. No wonder so many people like gambling. Money is rolling in fast! Look at me, I couldn¡¯t help but want to play a few games!¡±


    ¡°I thought that the game today wasn¡¯t worth watching, but only now do I find that I was completely mistaken. I¡¯m really hoping that young man will showcase his skills and create a miracle.¡±


    ¡°Good luck? Could luck be this good?! Much less that young man¡¯s guts is truly amazing, he didn¡¯t even need to see his cards and threw 80 million in directly. Awesome¡­¡±


    ¡°At last, I finally experienced it today, that to become a big man, one must have a powerful spirit and soul.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Jia Ruidao, as well as his three apprentices at Tang Xiu¡¯s side, were wild with ecstasy. Even Miao Wentang in the crowd saw him with respect. For Chu Yi and Bai Tao, it was their interest that was sparked. The only one who only had the slightest interest amongst the crowd was perhaps only one person, the owner of this Paradise Club, Ouyang Lulu. She believed that the two wins Tang Xiu had were merely because of his good luck.


    The third game¡­


    The dealer shuffled the cards again. After having finished the dealing, she looked at Tang Xiu again, ¡°Master Tang, it¡¯s your call, please speak!¡±


    With his Spiritual Sense, Tang Xiu had already observed the cards for the both of them vividly. His cards were¡ª Jack of Spades, and 8 and 2 of Hearts. As for Ye Taifu, his three cards were¡ª King of Hearts, and 9 and 5 of Clubs. His cards were much inferior to Ye Taifu¡¯s.


    ¡°10 million!¡±


    Tang Xiu directly opened with 10 million chips with a calm expression.


    Ye Taifu at this time didn¡¯t choose for the dark cards but directly picked up the cards. When he saw his cards, he secretly shook his head and sent a pass sign with his hand and said, ¡°Pass.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly as he watched the dealer pushed the chips at him and said, ¡°You let me win thrice. I hope next time you don¡¯t give me leeway anymore.¡±


    Ye Taifu snorted coldly, ¡°You can count it. I¡¯ll make you leave weeping!¡±


    Tang Xiu replied indifferently, ¡°The game has yet to end. Tongues might be light, but no need to talk big.¡±


    The fourth game¡­


    The dealer shuffled the cards, dealing them and then said, ¡°Mr. Tang, your call, please speak first.¡±


    With his Spiritual Sense Tang Xiu had seen both of their cards. He immediately chuckled secretly inside and directly opened with 10 million chips again and said, ¡°10 million.¡±


    Ye Taifu was silent for a moment. He also chose a dark card and followed the 10 million stake.


    Tang Xiu still didn¡¯t see his card and pushed 50 million chips.


    For a moment, Ye Taifu stared blankly. A bad premonition suddenly sprouted in his heart. He firmly trusted his gambling skills. Even if the dealer¡¯s dealing gave him small cards, he also had the means to turn the tides. He directly pushed 50 million chips and lightly said, ¡°I¡¯ll follow.¡±


    Tang Xiu straightly pushed all the chips in front of him and spoke with a faint smile, ¡°I have a total of 222 million chips. I¡¯ll stake all of them. If you can win this game, I¡¯ll leave immediately. If you lose, you can slap your own face with that arrogance of yours. Whichever it is, whether you want to follow or not, it¡¯s yours to decide.¡±


    Ye Taifu¡¯s eyelids twitched violently. The bad premonition he felt was getting more intense. Tang Xiu was going all out and pushed out all his chips. That meant that at this time he had staked 161 million. If he followed the stake right now, he must stake the same amount as Tang Xiu, which meant that he chose dark cards. But if he opened his cards, once he lost, he must pay double. [1]


    _¡®What to do now?¡¯_


    _¡®Follow the stake?¡¯_


    _¡®Or pass it?¡¯_


    Ye Taifu thought for a moment. He finally decided to see the cards¡ª Ace of Diamonds, 8 of Diamonds, 5 of Diamonds.


    _¡®Golden Flower? But also a gold?¡®_


    A trace of a smiling expression surfaced on Yen Taifu¡¯s curved lips. He directly took out 222 million from his inventory and lightly said, ¡°I¡¯m in. Open your cards.¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed inside as his fingers flicked the second card out of his three cards and instantly shot the pile of cards in front of the dealer in a minuscule split second. That second card ejected another card and remained in the card pile, as the ejected card then hurled at him in an oblique angle.


    With a lightning fast movement, he exchanged the card with another card.


    Naked eyes were unable to see their trajectories. Even experts such as Ye Taifu and Jia Ruidao, as professional gamblers who practiced their visions and had keen eyes, they were unable to sense it in the slightest.


    However, there was someone amongst the spectators who could see it. He was also a cultivator, Miao Wentang! Nobody knew what had really happened, but Miao Wentang showed a faint expression like a seemingly smile but not.


    ¡°Three Aces.¡± Tang Xiu opened his cards and spoke lightly.


    With this, it was very clear that Ye Taifu had lost. Moreover, he lost with principal rules and had no chance to even use his cheating skills to exchange cards.


    ¡°IMPOSSIBLE!¡±


    Upon seeing the opened cards Tang Xiu had, Ye Taifu suddenly jumped up from his chair. His eyes were staring as though saucers, as disbelief covered his eyes. He had calculated everything. He even had been preparing himself to use his cheating skill. But never in his dreams had he ever thought that Tang Xiu¡¯s cards turned out to be Three Aces.


    How would he change his own cards?


    Replacing them by the smallest suit of cards of 2, 3, 5?


    Apart from this suit of cards, no other suit could beat Tang Xiu¡¯s. However, he didn¡¯t have the preparation to exchange the card to the smallest suit of 2, 3, 5!


    Tang Xiu looked at Ye Taifu¡¯s foolish expression that lost his calm and manners before he lightly said, ¡°What? Maybe you still have a chance to win. Open your cards!¡±


    Ye Taifu¡¯s complexion was as though dying embers. With a blank and dazed expression, he turned to Chen Kai and spoke with great difficulty, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I lost. I¡¯m powerless to reverse such cards.¡±


    Powerless to reverse the situation?


    These words were as though a heavy hammer that severely smashed Chen Kai¡¯s mind. Ye Taifu had lost 333 million in this game only. In the last games he already lost 166 million. His total loss was 499 million.


    He took out 500 million for this game. But in just a short 4 games, the only remaining money was 1 million. This was the appalling result that was unbearable for him.


    The spectators in the surroundings were suddenly boiling and seething with excitement. Everyone¡¯s eyes were fixated on Tang Xiu with disbelief. Their hearts sped up crazily, even the exclamations were becoming more heated than the previous ones.


    ¡°What an amazing show! He walked on stage and got 4 consecutive wins, only leaving the opponent with 1 million?! This is it! This must involve a heaven-defying method! There¡¯s only one word, awesome!!!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the God of Gamblers!!! Ye Taifu is already amazingly powerful. But the moment this young man shot, Ye Taifu was crushed completely. It looks like tonight forwards, this young man called Tang Xiu will absolutely become very famous in the gambling world.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s simply a deity. Four games and nearly 500 million!!! This must be the craziest gambling house in the recent years, right?¡±


    ¡°This Tang Xiu is truly unfathomably deep. Ye Taifu has been shamed and disgraced today. Being so rampant and arrogant all the time and finally being made shamelessly. This really reminds me of the saying that the higher one stands, the harder he would fall!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just like the waves in the sea. The last wave will push the old wave in front of it, and the old ones die after reaching the sand on the beach.¡± [1]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Ye Taifu sat back in his chair with a blank and desolate expression as he painfully closed his eyes. He was once a winner who was admired by countless people. But today he had fallen to pieces from up high in the clouds.


    He was finished, a complete game over!


    He knew perfectly well that his reputation in the future would fall freely to the abyss. Even if he were to return to the casinos in Macao, the treatment he would get would fall to the extreme.


    In the crowd, Chu Yi and Bai Tao looked at each other with bewildered expressions. They were quite sure that Ye Taifu absolutely didn¡¯t turn his back, because Chen Kai absolutely didn¡¯t have this kind of boldness to give Tang Xiu 500 million yuan.


    However, how could Tang Xiu so easily win? He won four times consecutively in such a way.


    And who was Ye Taifu? Even if they didn¡¯t like gambling, they knew the famous Ye Taifu!


    ~~~~~~~~~~~


    Notes:


    [1] It should be Yangtze River¡¯s waves, but I use the sea here. It¡¯s an idiom, short meaning is kinda easy, the young will replace the old.


    This chapter is really killing me¡­ I could have made mistakes here and there due to those damn gambling terms¡­As I have mentioned, my knowledge is very limited about Tie Golden Flower, even though I have read the game¡¯s rules a few times. So basically I¡¯m just translating according to the lines. I¡¯ll correct the mistakes later if I found someone who really knows about this game.


    However, as far as I know with my limited knowledge after reading the rules, if the first player doesn¡¯t open his card (dark card) and stake a certain amount of money, then the opponent must stake a double. I might be wrong though. I¡¯m not a gambler nor do I have any interests in learning any type of gambling games.


    As for the game¡¯s rules, I¡¯ve provided the link in the previous chapter when Tang Xiu learn gambling technique.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 93

    Chapter 93: The Final Bout


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Amongst the spectators, Chu Yi glanced over at Tang Xiu with a bit of admiration and whispered, ¡°Long Zhengyu was right. Tang Xiu is really deep and unpredictable.¡±


    Bai Tao nodded repeatedly and said, ¡°True. Now I get the feeling that he will create storms wherever he goes. Either in Everlasting Feast Hall or here, it¡¯s the same. It seems like we must find the chance to get to know him.¡±


    After having silence for a moment, Chu Yi who was mature and had an excellent mental nature whispered, ¡°I thought that if we take the initiative to do it, he would simply ignore us. If we want to get to know him, we need to find what he wants and likes first. Fine then! We shall investigate him and then see what he needs!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea!¡± Bai Tao agreed.


    Ouyang Lulu who was in front of them looked at them with an astonished expression. She looked at the winning Tang Xiu and suddenly remembered something. She immediately turned around and asked Chu Yin and Bai Tao behind her, ¡°Eh, I suddenly recalled something. Didn¡¯t you tell me about a young man who was named Tang Xiu? His name and the gambler at this game are the same.¡±


    Bai Tao smile, ¡°It¡¯s even far more than that. They are simply the same person.¡±


    ¡°Say what?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu was stunned. She never once imagined that the Tang Xiu in front right now was the youngster who was praised by Bai Tao and Chu Yi. The youngster that was able to make the famous professional manager Kang Xia personally rush to Star City from Beijing, and the very same person Long Zhengyu admired.


    But, who was he? How could he be this amazing?


    Ouyang Lulu suddenly felt that the little handsome high schooler boy in front of her was shrouded with a mysterious aura. He was as though being shrouded by a thick layer of fog, and it was very hard to see him.


    ****


    ¡°Well? Do you still wanna play?


    Tang Xiu pushed all the chips in front of him to the dealer and immediately smiled at Yen Taifu and said,


    ¡°Let¡¯s play!¡±


    A vicious voice came over. It was not Ye Taifu¡¯s but from Chen Kai who spoke with a furious expression.


    Tang Xiu shrugged his shoulders and said, ¡°But you have no money. 1 million chips is only enough for the deposit. Do you really think you can play?¡±


    Chen Kai took out a piece of jade carved with a coiling dragon and phoenix pattern and shouted with a cold expression, ¡°Having no money doesn¡¯t mean that we have no rights no continue the gamble. This piece of jade is Jia Ruidao¡¯s. So the next gambling house shall determine, who¡¯s the winner and loser. If you lose, all the chips in front of you are mine, but if you win, this jade pendant is yours.¡±


    With his keen sense, Tang Xiu was aware that Jia Ruidao¡¯s breathing turned faster the moment Chen Kai took the jade out as a wager, as hope could be seen from his eyes.


    ¡°What¡¯s your decision?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at Jia Ruidao and asked.


    A battle stormed within Jia Ruidao¡¯s for quite a long while before he finally clenched his teeth and spoke with quite difficulty, ¡°Do it.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded as he looked Chen Kai and said: ¡°Then, I¡¯ll accompany you to play again! However, whatever happens, whoever wins or loses, everything will end here, and there will be no debts and grudges between all of us!¡±


    ¡°Deal!¡±


    Chen Kai happily complied since he knew the extraordinary background Tang Xiu had, much less he was also a cultivator. Even if Tang Xiu did not say it, he would not dare to easily offend him.


    Tang Xiu glanced at the dealer as he nodded and asked, ¡°What kind of play do you want to have our game on now?¡±


    To recollect his state of mind and increase his confidence again, Ye Taifu spoke with a deep tone, ¡°You are the winner of the previous games, so I¡¯ll give you the rights to choose.¡±


    Tang Xiu asked with a strange tone, ¡°Are you really sure?¡±


    Ye Taifu replied with a firm self-confident, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Tang Xiu shifted his sight toward the dealer and said lightly: ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you to prepare new playing cards.¡±


    The dealer nodded and took out new playing cards. He handed it over to Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°How do you want to play?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at Ye Taifu and said, ¡°Gambling skills are nothing but having keen eyesight, hearing, and fast hands. We are the people that walk on the path of the God of Gamblers. Let us ask the dealer to throw this set of playing cards into the air and then we move at the same time, grab a card each and then compare our cards. The one who gets the biggest card is the winner, and the smallest one will be a loser. What say you?¡±


    Yen Taifu was quite surprised. He had never once expected that Tang Xiu would choose an unconventional method, even choosing this kind of play. He was well known as a gambler with quick hands and eyes, that was needless to say since he had eyes with the sharpness and keenness of an eagle.


    ¡°I agree!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said: ¡°Then, let us begin!¡±


    The dealer looked at Tang Xiu and Yen Taifu Fu, and then said, ¡°The two of you, please come along with me to the open area at the side. I¡¯ll ask everyone to move three meters of distance from each line. Each one of you will stand on the line, and I will throw the playing cards upwards. Each one of you grab one card at the same time and the one who wins this game will be the one with the biggest card.¡±


    ¡°Fine!¡±


    ¡°Agreed!¡±


    Tang Xiu and Yen Taifu nodded at the same time.


    Chen Kai was still shrouded in his anger amongst the spectators. Upon hearing the game that would be played by Tang Xiu and Ye Taifu, he was somewhat anxious and agitated. He felt that something was not right and was unable to pinpoint the amiss. He could not say anything for a moment and could only glare with an unsightly face toward Jia Ruidao, as he and his three apprentices wore happy expressions.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this like some kind of redemption?¡±


    From another direction, Miao Wentang was at a loss whether he had to laugh or cry as he looked at Ye Taifu with an expression full of sympathy. Others might be unaware about Tang Xiu like he was. Such a person who was amazingly able to break through the sixth layers of the Thousand Revolution Array was definitely very strong. Regardless of eyesight or hand speed, his level was absolutely high.


    A few minutes later.


    The dealer stood in the middle between Tang Xiu and Ye Taifu. She looked at the two of them and then said, ¡°Both of you, I¡¯m ready to throw the playing cards and I hope the both of you are able to grab the key point for this game. Now, I¡¯ll count in three in reverse. The moment I count to the last number, I¡¯ll scatter the playing cards to the air.¡±


    ¡°3,2,1,0.¡±


    The dealer threw her arm and tried her best to scatter all the cards in her hard over the top of her head.


    ¡°Humph¡­¡­¡±


    Before the dealer scattered the cards, Tang Xiu¡¯s Spiritual Sense had already firmly locked onto the ¡°King¡± card. After the cards had been scattered, he moved lightning fast and caught the ¡°King¡± card even though the card had yet to reach its peak. Almost at the instant,the cards were thrown upwards, he had caught it and landed from his jump.


    As for another side¡­


    Ye Taifu¡¯s movement was slower by a few seconds than Tang Xiu¡¯s. His eyes spun faster, seeking to find the ¡°King¡± card. When he saw Tang Xiu moved first, his complexion suddenly changed and made him hesitate. He did not see the ¡°King¡± card but saw a ¡°Jack¡±. In that instant, his body jumped into the air and successfully caught the ¡°Jack¡± card as he continued looking at the scattering cards everywhere.


    10 seconds later.


    The remaining cards had all dropped to the floor with some cards opened and some facing down.


    The dealer walked back between the two of them. She smiled and said, ¡°The two of you have already grabbed the cards you want. And now I hope that the two of you will show the cards you¡¯ve taken.¡±


    Yen Taifu still did not find that ¡°King¡± card, neither did he find it amongst the face-up cards on the floor. Anxiousness slightly invaded his heart as he looked at the expressionless Tang Xiu. He secretly prayed inside and hoped that Tang Xiu did not grab the ¡°King¡± card. Otherwise, he really would have a crushing defeat.


    ¡°Jack!¡±


    ¡°King!¡±


    The both of them showed the cards in their hands at the same time.


    In this split second, Ye Taifu¡¯s heart as though had fallen into an ice cave, as his body turned stiff as a stone. His complexion no longer revealed an apprehensive and anxious expression, but a strong disbelief and¡­ pain.


    This was the final bout. The last lifeline for him to grasp onto. But now, only then did he realize that the last line of hope he longed for, turned out to be unable to help him, but viciously stamp him into pieces instead. Wasn¡¯t this the same as though adding fuel to the fire? Wasn¡¯t this successive misfortunes that were fallen one after another? This last game was precisely the perfect manifestation of these words.


    ¡°Whoosh¡­¡±


    The atmosphere suddenly boiled as everyone¡¯s complexion and eyes were burning hot. And the one that they were looking at was Tang Xiu, not Ye Taifu.


    Eyesight and fast hands¡­


    These were the most fundamental as well as the most important abilities gambling masters must have.


    But at present, Tang Xiu had shown that he did not rely on chances or luck. But he relied on his ability to win this game. The fact made everyone who thought that Tang Xiu¡¯s previous wins were only completely on luck, completely changed at this moment. For masters to move, luck only accounted for a few points, with gambling skills playing the major role. The so called out of 10 games, would end up with 9 losses, was because the others gamble and bet on 8 cheatings.


    With a sympathizing expression in her eyes, the dealer quickly looked at Ye Taifu and then spoke, ¡°Mr. Tang has picked the King and Mr. Ye the Jack. So I announce that this game¡¯s winner is Mr. Tang.¡±


    ¡°Puff¡­¡­¡±


    The anxiousness and extreme anger created a severe mental attack for Yen Taifu. Under such a huge psychological blow, a mouthful of blood sprayed out from his mouth as his eyes blackened and he fell backward with a stiff body.


    ¡°Fucking waste!¡±


    Chen Kai¡¯s complexion was ashen and unsightly. He was like a wild dog, as he looked down at Ye Taifu. Not only did he not sympathize with him, but instead rushed over and kicked him ferociously a few times. For this gamble, he had lost both the money he won from Jia Ruidao and even lost his initial capital which drove him to be very angry.


    ¡°What the hell? This Chen Kai is so shameless? Only able to accept wins and cannot afford to lose? Even though Ye Taifu did lose very miserably today, but he has helped him win quite a fortune before. But now he treats others like this because he lost?¡±


    ¡°What a damn bastard behavior! The Chen Family is really thick-skinned. He really deserves to lose. Only using people who are only useful to him and throwing them out when they have no other uses anymore. What a shameless bastard! This really makes my blood boils.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it! I have decided to terminate every business relations with the Chen Family. Such kind of attitude and moral in all likelihood is no different from how the Chen Family will treat others. It¡¯s really a pity for Ye Taifu. A master gambler of this age could even fall to this kind of a miserable fate.


    ¡°Bah! How I really wanna fuck Chen Kai up! He nevertheless is still one of the honored and famous people of Jingmen Island, but to not have the slightest elegant demeanor at all is unexpected. I was really fooled by him.¡±


    ¡°This Chen Kai bastard has stained our Jingmen Island¡¯s face with filth!! If you lose then just lose, take the wins and lost with equanimity. Is there any need to make such a despicable act? He¡¯s way too fucking outrageous!¡±


    ¡°He simply has no sense of shame!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    Notes:


    I just got back from my trip¡­ my computer cannot boot after being tampered by some ramnit.32 and other viruses, making me lose time to fix it.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes

 Chapter 94

    Chapter 94: Driven Out


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Chu Yi and Bai Tao were looking at Chen Kai with a disgusted expression at the moment. They were secretly regretting the trip to this murky and muddy water of Jingmen Island, and then left quietly after the gambling house ended.


    As for the Paradise Club¡¯s owner¡ªOuyang Lulu, she did not stay any longer and looked at Chen Kai with contemptuous looks before wandering for a moment and finally fixating her eyes on Tang Xiu. She looked deeply at him before she chased Chu Yi and Bai Tao. She wanted to hear more about Tang Xiu from them, as to why she could not see through Tang Xiu.


    Crystal tears dripped down from Jia Ruidao¡¯s eyes who just received his wife¡¯s memento, the coiling dragon and phoenix carved jade pendant


    Previously, he thought his life was over. Not only did he lose his fortune, but also had huge debts outside, he even lost the last memento from his wife. However, Tang Xiu¡¯s win gave him the feeling of going back to heaven from hell!


    ¡°Brother Tang¡­ Thanks, thank you!¡±


    Jia Ruidao¡¯s voice was somewhat masked with sobs, but a thick and deep sense of gratitude filled his every word.


    Tang Xiu had neither been accustomed nor could he bear to have others be grateful to him. He also was not used to communicating with others in this way. He apathetically shook his head and said, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s us just go back to the hotel! Moreover, if possible, it¡¯s best for you to book a plane ticket and schedule it in advance for me to go back to Star City tonight or tomorrow¡¯s flight.¡±


    Jia Ruidao quickly said, ¡°Brother Tang, Long¡¯er said that he has helped you get your one week holiday. Only 2 days have passed, so you don¡¯t need to rush back that quick. Besides, we need to exchange the winning money and transfer them to your bank account. Another thing is, I must express my thanks and take you to wander around Jingmen Island and have your time well spent here. You might not know that Jingmen Island has a lot of good places to visit. And I promise that you¡¯ll like it.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Tang Xiu hesitated.


    He hadn¡¯t the slightest interest in the fun places Jingmen Island might have. His biggest interest was that huge sum of money. From the previous agreement between him and Jia Ruidao, he would get half of that 500 million gambling money.


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s hesitation, Gong Dalong quickly said, ¡°Master Tang, my Master¡¯s words are true. We need to exchange the chips into money and then transfer them into our bank account, that would take some time. I also know a private manor which not only has a beautiful scenery but also has precious wild carnivorous meat. I heard that a few days ago, the manor has hired more than 10 martial art experts to hunt down a Sea Spirit Flood Dragon on a nearby island. This private manor has been established for more a few years and this is the second time they have gotten a sea flood dragon. The first time they got one, I heard from a lot of people who have eaten the sea flood dragon meat that the meat was very delicious!¡±


    The Sea Spirit Flood Dragon would do!


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes brightened up as his heart thumped with excitement.


    He was in dire need of various parts of fierce beasts for his cultivation such as skin, flesh and blood, bones, sharp claws and many other things. He needed all of these basic ingredients to refine the Body Refining Liquid, especially if he could come across a higher grade of fierce beast, he would be able to refine a higher grade of medication that would be most suitable for concocting the Golden Bell Liquid to aid his cultivation in Skin Strengthening Stage.


    ¡°What is that Villa?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    Gong Dalong replied with a smile, ¡°Seaside Strait Manor.¡±


    Tang Xiu asked again, ¡°When can we go?¡±


    Gong Dalong quickly said, ¡°If you still have the time, we¡¯ll wait for this ship to moor tomorrow and then we can immediately go there.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll stay in Jingmen Island for 2 more days! However, I need a good rest in the passenger cabin and I don¡¯t want anyone to disturb me.¡±


    With a respectful manner, Gong Dalong replied, ¡°You can rest assured that we will never let anyone disturb you. But you¡¯ll need to tell us your bank account number, so we can transfer you the money after we exchange the chips.


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Tang Xiu sent his bank account number to Gong Dalong through his mobile device and then left the VIP private room under the gazes of a lot of people. However, he did not return to his room and instead came toward the guest area on the aft deck. Overlooking the distance of the rough sea with billowing high waves, while feeling the blowing breeze as he suddenly felt a sense of comfort spontaneously.


    He had always been busy recently. So many things happened and he had to run around and was rarely idle whilst thinking about his next steps. Moreover, it was as though a pair of invisible hands were holding him and dragging him forward unceasingly. He did not like this kind of feeling of having no control over a lot of things.


    ¡°If I can return to the peak, I¡¯ll change this fart of a heavenly law in this world!¡±


    Beams of light brought along a coldness within flashed inside Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he felt some helplessness inside his heart.


    ¡°A lonesome and a very quiet place here.¡±


    A clear pitched voice suddenly sounded behind Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu turned his head and found the Paradise Club¡¯s owner, Ouyang Lulu. Looking at her appearance, she seemed to be only a few years older than him with graceful and smiling looks. Tang Xiu replied with an indifferent expression, ¡°This place is indeed very good.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu observed Tang Xiu and said with a smile, ¡°Congratulations for winning the gambling house.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and did not speak again.


    He did not want to be disturbed by anyone at the moment, but Ouyang Lulu = now came here and it gave her some frustration. If it was not for Ouyang Lulu¡¯s identity, he could have immediately driven her away.


    ¡°Do you feel disturbed and not want me here?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu had was a sensitive person and she was keenly aware of Tang Xiu¡¯s attitude and immediately asked.


    Tang Xiu said indifferently, ¡°I just wanna be alone and have some quiet time.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu was quite annoyed and angry. She had come across countless men ever since her childhood and they fell for her, wave after wave. Even those who pretended to repel her, but actually wished to be the one who could be her man in their heart. However, what she felt from Tang Xiu was really repelling her, and that she was really unwanted here and it was kind of the same as having no interest in her.


    ¡°Hey, are you still a man?¡±


    Under her anger, Ouyang Lulu boldly asked this question. However, the moment she finished speaking, only then did she realize that she had lost her manner and was secretly regretting it.


    Tang Xiu looked at Ouyang Lulu with cold and detached eyes and he then said indifferently, ¡°Whether I am a man or not, do you really want to try? I don¡¯t mind to have a one night stand with you though.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Ouyang Lulu was furious as she looked at the detached and cold expression on Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion. She almost lifted her feet to send out a fierce kick to Tang Xiu¡¯s face. However, she knew about her fighting prowess as she then took a deep breath and turned away.


    A few hours later.


    After having returned to his room, an SMS came and 250 million had been transferred to his bank account


    ¡°Jia Ruidao and his three apprentices are really bound by their promises it seems.¡±


    There was not the slightest ripples inside Tang Xiu¡¯s heart because of this huge sum of money. Wealth was but only a tool to aid his cultivation. If it were not because he needed money to buy a lot of things for his cultivation, he would have ignored wealth and money, even if there was a mountain of gold and silver, it would never be able to make him care and glance over at it.


    At Paradise Club, inside the General Manager¡¯s Office¡­


    Ouyang Lulu was sitting in the boss chair with a furious expression as shattered glasses could be seen under her feet because she smashed her teacup. Never once had she ever dream that Tang Xiu would blatantly disregard her. She was eager to get close and try to get to know him after having been trailing Tang Xiu from a surveillance video.


    And he! He was even thinking of such a disgusting thing even though he was that young!


    ¡°Men are really some fucking bastards. One would only really know someone¡¯s true nature after having known them for a long time.¡± Ouyang Lulu secretly whispered inside.


    ¡°Knock, knock, knock¡­¡±


    The door was knocked on.


    ¡°Come in!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu quickly adjusted her iffy mood and spoke.


    The door was pushed open as Chu Yi and Bai Tao then came in the office smiling. They casually sat on the sofa at the office corner and watched Ouyang Lulu personally serve and pour tea for them. Then, Bai Tao asked, ¡°Fellow classmate, you have gone experiencing it yourself today, haven¡¯t you? We did tell you that Tang Xiu is unfathomably unpredictable and deep. But still, we have never thought that he would win today¡¯s gambling house so easily.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu lightly replied from the side whilst serving the tea, ¡°He only has some ability, but he¡¯s way too arrogant of a man. I just don¡¯t like him.¡±


    Chu Yi grinned and said, ¡°Hehe, I did say Lulu is the type of big beautiful lady. It¡¯s alright for you to not like him, but I do think that there are a lot of women that like him! Haven¡¯t you seen today, a lot of young and beautiful women were watching Tang Xiu with hot and burning eyes full of feeling?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu coldly snorted and said ¡°Bah, could those women be compared to me?¡±


    Chu Yi stared blankly for a moment before he involuntarily laughed and said, ¡°True, if you are as though a fresh flower, then they could be regarded as green foxtail grass and there¡¯s no way for you to be compared. However, judging from your tone it¡¯s as though you¡¯ve met alone with Tang Xiu, yes?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu replied with a snap, ¡°Damn right, I¡¯ve met him. But only to find him a bastard. I know men are shameless, but such a shameless bastard like Tang Xiu is really rare to find.¡±


    Chu Yi and Bai Tao looked at each other whilst a strong interest in their hearts was suddenly ignited.


    ¡°Old friend, what did Tang Xiu do to you?¡± Bai Tao asked curiously.


    ¡°Yes! I know that Tang Xiu is extremely bold, so what kind of wicked deeds has Tang Xiu done to you?¡± Chu Yi also quickly asked.


    Ouyang Lulu rolled her eyes as she looked at the both of them before she replied snappily, ¡°He dares to¡­!¡±


    Afterward, she told everything her meeting process with Tang Xiu from beginning to end and then concluded with her final words with an angry and agitated tone, ¡°Now you tell me, is he still a man? This grand lady¡¯s looks is like a very beautiful flower, an outstanding beauty, even a lot of men want me. But that Tang Xiu blatantly disregarded this grand lady and that is way too outrageous. If this grand lady has a little bit of prowess in martial arts, I could have given him a hard-to-forget lesson.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Bai Tao quickly interrupted.


    Chu Yi also quickly said, ¡°Old friend, I tell you, just forget about teaching Tang Xiu a lesson in your mind. And ignore it, really. You don¡¯t know that Tang Xiu is way more powerful than you can imagine!¡±


    Looking at the panicked reaction from the both of them, Ouyang Lulu was quizzical and then said, ¡°Huh? What happened to the both of you? Even if Tang Xiu is really powerful, but he only has 2 arms and legs, there¡¯s no way he has a superhuman power and has 3 heads and six arms, am I right?¡±


    Chu Yi let out a forced and wry smile and said, ¡°That Tang Xiu is way more powerful than a superhuman with 3 heads and 6 arms! You are the local boss of Jingmen Island, so you should have heard about The Everlasting Feast Hall, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course I know about it! I¡¯ve even seen the Little Boss of that Everlasting Feast Hall. I even had a meal, drank, and chatted with her all day. But, what do you wanna tell me with all these things?¡± Ouyang Lulu said.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 95

    Chapter 95: Unexpected Surprise


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Chu Yi looked at Ouyang Lulu deeply as he spoke with a deep tone, ¡°Old friend, your Ouyang Family¡¯s strength on Jingmen Island should be ranked as one of the best and your intelligence network is also unmatched here. So you should have heard the event at The Everlasting Feast Hall last night, yes?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu was surprised and said, ¡°Of course! But tell me what¡¯s the meaning of this?¡±


    Chu Yi said, ¡°Last night, three masters challenged the Thousand Revolution Array in Everlasting Feast Hall, and one of them was Tang Xiu, and he was the one that amazingly broke through to the sixth layer of the Thousand Revolution Array.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu suddenly stood up as the half-empty teacup in her hands dropped from midair, sprinkling the tea water and its leaves. She had quite a close relationship with Gu Xiaoxue¡ªthe Jingmen Island¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s Little Boss, she has been friends with her for nearly a decade. Although their relationship was not as close as a boudoir friend, however, they knew each other very well. Ouyang Lulu knew about the Thousand Revolution Array and was aware that only a few capable and powerful cultivators were able to challenge the array. Had it been for average people, the probability that they could have died in there was high.


    ¡°Cultivator? Tang Xiu is a cultivator?¡±


    The news caught Ouyang Lulu off guard and made her shocked. But it was certain that it was not because of Tang Xiu¡¯s identity as a cultivator but much more to the fact that he had broken into the sixth layer of the Thousand Revolution Array.


    That was the sixth layer, what kind of terrifying strength must one have to break into it?!


    The fact was that the Thousand Revolution Array had been deployed for more than a decade but nobody had been able to break to the sixth floor.


    Chu Yi looked at the shocked Ouyang Lulu and said with a smile, ¡°Old friend, now you should understand why I stopped you, right? I couldn¡¯t see through this guy, but I can be sure of one thing, that he¡¯s really powerful to the point that it is outrageous and could make your blood boil. So don¡¯t go provoking him. A person like him could only be a friend and never be an enemy.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s sensual red lips wriggled a few times before she finally let out a forced smile helplessly, ¡°What you said is true. Had I offended this kind of expert, let alone myself, even my entire family would be unable to face it. More than 20 years ago a large family in Northwest China had offended a fearful master and caused their entire family to be killed overnight and not even one of their lines remain.¡±


    Chu Yi was astonished and said, ¡°You even know of this matter? Hasn¡¯t this matter been suppressed by the Country¡¯s Godfather as to not divulge it to the public?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu whispered, ¡°My great uncle was the person who was responsible for dealing with this matter during that time.¡±


    ¡°Your great-uncle is the godfather?¡± Chu Yi and Bai Tao exclaimed in unison.


    Ouyang Lulu waved and said, ¡°What the hell are you talking about? What¡¯s the godfather¡¯s surname and ours? What I mean is the godfather sent my great uncle to process the funeral!¡±


    ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s what happened!¡± Chu Yi and Bai Tao immediately understood.


    Ouyang Lulu then said, ¡°But what I really don¡¯t understand is, how Jia Ruidao would know such a powerful person? And Tang Xiu is this powerful despite his young age, if it were his school or sect¡¯s Elders and Masters, how terrifyingly powerful would their cultivation base be?¡±


    ¡°Elders and Masters of the sect?¡±


    ¡°Cultivation base?¡±


    Chu Yi and Bai Tao looked at Ouyang Lulu with a puzzled expression.


    Ouyang Lulu rolled her eyes as she looked at them and snapped, ¡°Haven¡¯t you had realized that Tang Xiu is a cultivator? Don¡¯t tell me that with your family¡¯s intelligence network you don¡¯t know such people existence in the world!¡±


    Chu Yi and Bai Tao were petrified!


    Cultivators!


    They had heard about these people but have never seen them. Coming across such people from legend could be said as their blessing and fortune, it was normal to not meet them. But at the moment, Ouyang Lulu said that Tang Xiu was a cultivator, it caused their hearts to be stormed by heavy waves.


    However, the more they carefully thought about it, the more they could tell that Ouyang Lulu was right. Tang Xiu was this powerful and if he were not a cultivator, could normal people even be able to achieve things that were almost impossible to achieve?


    ¡°Damn, this won¡¯t do. We must investigate Tang Xiu immediately and find out what he needs! If we cannot take advantage while he¡¯s still young and have a good relationship with him, once he¡¯s truly grown, it would be extremely difficult for us to do so.¡± Chu Yi spoke with a decisive tone.


    Bai Tao also nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll immediately pass the news back to my family. Even if I have to use the entire family¡¯s contact, we must find out what Tang Xiu wants. Even if we use all the means we have and can not be a genuine friend with him, we still must do everything possible and let him owe us a big favor.¡±


    ¡°Correct!¡± Chu Yi heavily nodded.


    Ouyang Lulu looked at their serious expressions as her mind was also rotating faster. She had guessed Tang Xiu¡¯s true identity, so how would the idea did not cross her mind?


    ****


    After drifting for a night, the luxurious passenger cruiser finally moored at Jingmen Island Port at noon on the second day. Along with the leaving guests, Tang Xiu, Jia Ruidao, and his apprentices leisurely left the passenger cruiser.


    Lunch was about to arrive but the five people did not stay as they took a car and went to the Seaside Strait Manor. It was because Gong Dalong had made a call when they were still at sea to book a private box in advance, so they decided to have lunch at Seaside Strait Manor.


    Jingmen Island West Coast.


    It was a magnificent and large villa area, and the Seaside Strait Manor was located in this place. Two cars arrived at the entrance and was only allowed to pass after having gone through inspection. The thing that made Tang Xiu surprised was that there were a lot of security personnel at this place, patrolling everywhere. Each one of them was very strong and had extremely steady footsteps, signifying that they were obviously skilled martial artists.


    ¡°What is the origin of this Seaside Strait Manor?¡±


    Tang Xiu was sitting in the back seat as he asked and looked at Jia Ruidao who sat in the passenger seat.


    Jia Ruidao said, ¡°I¡¯m also unclear about their specific origin. However, I do know that the Master of this Seaside Street Manor came from Beijing and has been here for business for more than 20 years, it has a powerful force and influence. But in the recent years, since the Master of the Manor is very old and his health is deteriorating, the one who manages the Manor right now is his son, Tang Dong.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded as he spoke with great interest, ¡°Ah, I really want to see the Master of this Manor to talk about some topics, we might have something in common.¡±


    Jia Ruidao involuntarily laughed and then said, ¡°Brother Tang, meeting the Master of this Manor is probably quite difficult. I don¡¯t how many dignitaries in Jingmen Island wished to visit but were shut out. I have heard that even some government big shots must make an appointment in advance for half a month before they can get half an hour meeting opportunities.¡±


    ¡°They are that arrogant?¡± Tang Xiu asked with astonishment.


    Jia Ruidao replied with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s not that they are arrogant though, but it¡¯s because they truly have a huge background, so they showcase their strong capital. In fact, I can guess their origin, but I¡¯m not 100% sure about the reliability.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Tell me your guesses!¡±


    Jia Ruidao said, ¡°They are surnamed Tang. And the only big family surnamed Tang is the Tang Family from Beijing.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Is this respected family from Beijing really that powerful?¡±


    Jia Ruidao replied without hesitation, ¡°Yes! They are very powerful to the point that they could be called terrifying. I think that there are only 5 families in the entire country that could be compared to the Tang Family¡¯s power and influence. Just think about it! Amongst 145 million families in the entire country, only five families have equal power and influence to the Tang Family, so you can imagine how strong they are!¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s indeed very strong!¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said.


    Having entered the Manor¡¯s interior, the two cars stopped inside a wide parking long as 4 big middle-aged men in a suit quickly stepped and greeted them, quickly opening the car¡¯s door for everyone.


    ¡°Welcome.¡± A middle-aged man with glasses had been waiting in this place as brilliant beams of light flashed from his eyes from time to time as he said with a smile.


    Jia Ruidao surprised, ¡°Chief Hu? How come you personally¡­¡±


    Hu Xinyu laughed, ¡°I¡¯ve heard Grandmaster Jia has returned triumphantly from The Paradise Club, so it¡¯s natural that I have to greet you. Besides, I also have to pay my tribute toward the gambling Grandmasters.¡±


    Jia Ruidao said with a smile, ¡°Chief Hu, you are really fast on the news! Come, let me introduce you to Brother Tang. He¡¯s the one who helped me in winning the gambling house. Brother Tang, this is the experienced reception manager of this Seaside Strait Manor, Hu Xinyu.¡±


    Hu Xinyu observed Tang Xiu. Although he already received the news that Tang Xiu was young, but he never imagined that he was young to this degree. A bright smile was revealed on his complexion as he quickly extended his hand to shake and said, ¡°Welcome Mr. Tang. You are honoring us with your presence. About your elegance in the casino, it has been passed to my ears yesterday. Had it been you were not in The Paradise Club and still at sea, I could have immediately rushed over to learn from you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too polite!¡±


    Tang Xiu had never liked social niceties, but still, he extended hands and could not slap people who smiled at him. Since the other passionately greeted him, it would be better to give face to the host.


    Hu Xinyu said with a smile, ¡°Gentlemen, please come with me! Your private box and meal have already been prepared, so you can have your meal soon.¡±


    Shortly after, under Hun Xinyu¡¯s lead, everyone came to a luxury villa designed in full European-style. Only then did Tang Xiu realize than each villa in this manor area was used to entertain a group of guests.


    ¡°Please wait, I¡¯ll call the kitchen to quickly serve the meal.¡±


    ¡°Please wait!¡± Tang Xiu stopped Hu Xinyu.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, do you have some orders in mind?¡± Hu Xinyu asked.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Could you recommend me to the old Master of Seaside Strait Manor? I¡¯d like to see him.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Hu Xinyu hesitated. After a short moment, only then did he speak with a forced and wry smile, ¡°Mr. Tang, our old Master is old, and in the recent years he avoided to pay attention to outside affairs. So, this request is out of my capabilities.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment and said, ¡°Since I cannot see your old Master, but it should not be a problem to introduce me to see the person in charge¡ªTang Dong, yes? I have a few questions I want to ask him.¡±


    Hu Xinyu said, ¡°I shall convey your request to our Boss. If he is willing to see you, you¡¯ll hear the news from me.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    A loud and clear voice suddenly sounded from outside of the villa as a figure appeared at the villa hall¡¯s door a few seconds after.


    ¡°The heavens are measureless and unpredictable. This poor monk comes uninvited and hopes for gentlemen to forgive.¡±


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    Notes:


    Sorry for the late schedule¡­ I just got back from my business trip on Thursday night, and got occupied with quite a lot of things afterward¡­ and basically only resumed translating on Sunday since Saturday was my wife¡¯s birthday, so we have a birthday party with our family¡¯s friends.


    Anyways, happy reading folk¡­ will translate up to chapter 100 this Sunday¡­ 8 hours for 6 chaps¡­


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 96

    Chapter 96: Fellow Cultivators


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    The one who came was a Taoist monk clad in a Taoist robe, giving off the vibe of a Taoist immortal with chignon combed hair, duster in hand, feet in cloud shoes, as an indistinct smiling expression hung on his thin and peaceful face.


    ¡°You are?¡±


    Hu Xinyu was the reception manager of the Manor. Upon seeing an old Taoist monk come uninvited, he immediately stood and asked. After all, if Jia Ruidao and Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to see this old Taoist, he was responsible for sending this old Taoist out.


    The old Taoist¡¯s eyes carefully swept over everyone before his eyes were fixated on Tang Xiu. He then spoke with a smile, ¡°This old Taoist comes from Xibei¡¯s Ziyang Monastery. My Taoist name is Dao Master Ziyi, and was invited by someone to be a guest in Jingmen Island. This one accidentally heard about what happened at the Everlasting Feast Hall yesterday, so this one has come here to visit Benefactor Tang.¡±


    Jia Ruidao asked with a deep tone, ¡°How do you know that Brother Tang is that person?¡±


    Dao Master Ziyi said with a smile, ¡°Surely you¡¯re Benefactor Jia, aren¡¯t you? It¡¯s just someone has recognized you and says that you and Benefactor Tang has come together, so this Poor Taoist infers that this should be Benefactor Tang.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu. I wonder, how may I help you with?¡±


    Dao Master Ziyi replied with a smile, ¡°This old Taoist would like to invite Benefactor Tang for a cooperation to challenge and break into the Evil Dragon Sea Area. I don¡¯t know whether Benefactor Tang has any interest to cooperate with this one?¡±


    ¡°Evil Dragon Sea Area?¡±


    Tang Xiu had never heard about such a name and immediately asked, ¡°Where is this Evil Dragon Sea Area? For what purpose will we break into that place?¡±


    Dao Master Ziyi asked with a surprised expression, ¡°Benefactor Tang doesn¡¯t know about Evil Dragon Sea Area?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about it!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    Dao Master Ziyi then said, ¡°Evil Dragon Sea Area is located thousands of miles away from Jingmen Island. It¡¯s a narrow waterway small strait in the South China Sea. It¡¯s because our Ziyang Monastery¡¯s best ability is in tool refining, so this Poor Taoist prepared to collect some fierce beasts¡¯ materials and special ores. So this one has prepared to hunt and kill some fierce beasts. However, this Poor Taoist knows of the feeble strength this one has; it would be very difficult to come out of that place unscathed had this one gone alone. Since this one has heard about Benefactor Tang¡¯s extremely high achievement, this one wants to invite you to go together.¡±


    Evil Dragon Sea Area? Killing fierce beasts and seeking for special ores?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mind was as though shook by tremors and immediately asked, ¡°When will we embark? Only the two of us?¡±


    Dao Master Ziyi said with a smile, ¡°It seems that Benefactor Tang has agreed. Yes, only the two of us. This Poor Taoist wants to invite a few people, but this one only has a few personal contacts. Besides, this one doesn¡¯t have the means to invite other Dao cultivators on Jingmen Island.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment as 2 faces immediately emerged in his mind. They were Shao Mingzhen and Miao Wentang, as he was considering as if he should invite them both to go together or not.


    Others might be clueless about this matter, but he was crystal clear about it. His cultivation at present was only at the first layer of Stars Tyrannical Body, the Vitality Tempering layer peak. If he were to fight experts such as Shao Mingzhen and Miao Wentang at a close distance, he might have been instantly killed by them.


    The more helpers they could get, the more chance to live they would have.


    Tang Xiu quickly made a decision and said, ¡°Since Dao Master Ziyi cannot invite others, then, I¡¯ll invite 2 people! And to be honest, I¡¯m also in need for materials from fierce beasts. Please wait until I invited them. And about our harvest, how about we share equally between the four of us?¡±


    Dao Master Ziyi slightly hesitated before he nodded and said with a smile, ¡°Then, this old Taoist will follow Benefactor Tang¡¯s words.¡±


    Tang Xiu took his phone and pulled out Miao Wentang¡¯s business card he gave him and dialed his number on the back of it.


    At this moment¡­


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen were staying at a five-star hotel as they chatted about what had happened at the Paradise Club. Shao Mingzhen attentively listened to Miao Wentang¡¯s vivid narration as he secretly regretted not going there to spectate it.


    ¡°Ye Taifu¡¯s loses were not his fault. Comparing eyesight and speed with someone from the cultivation world is only courting himself with troubles. However, Tang Xiu¡¯s action and style are really unpredictable. Such an honored cultivator, but he even went out to help someone in gambling houses. What an interesting young man!¡± Shao Mingzhen said and laughed.


    Miao Wentang continued whilst smiling, ¡°True! Cultivators have always been cultivating and tempering their mind and soul, and diligently promoting their cultivation. This is the first time I came across someone from the cultivation world gambling. However, I¡¯ve apologized to Tang Xiu for my previous little conflict. But if he doesn¡¯t forgive me, then I have no other means left.¡±


    Shao Mingzhen shook his head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Tang Xiu is not the type of narrow-minded person that will bear a grudge over small things. Since you¡¯ve apologized to him, I don¡¯t think he will pay in mind about that matter.¡±


    ¡°I really hope so!¡± Miao Wentang said with a forced and wry smile.


    Shao Mingzhen no longer mentioned the topic about Tang Xiu and shifted to other subjects, ¡°Brother Miao, can you get the admission ticket for the annual Violet Redbud Auction tonight? The true reason I rushed over to Jingmen Island is actually for 2 things. First was to challenge the Thousand Revolution Array, and second was to participate in the Violet Redbud Auction.¡±


    Miao Wentang replied with a smile, ¡°In fact, I also have this purpose. Yesterday, some Jingmen Island¡¯s business circle friends game me a few tickets. So we can go together in the evening! However, I should give you a forewarning! I¡¯ve prepared quite a lot of money with me right now to buy a few things I need!¡±


    Shao Mingzhen lightly laughed, ¡°Bah, I don¡¯t want to follow your evil intentions on competition. But if I really need something, I will go all out. Besides, there are only a few useful things for cultivators like us in this annual Violet Redbud Auction.¡±


    ¡°I know!¡± Miao Wentang nodded.


    ¡°Ring ring ring¡­¡±


    A cell phone ringtone sounded and interrupted their conversation.


    Miao Wentang took his phone out and found that the caller ID and number was unfamiliar. According to his previous habit, he just wanted to hang the phone up directly. But when Tang Xiu¡¯s face suddenly emerged inside his mind, he immediately changed his idea and pressed the answer button, saying, ¡°Miao Wentang speaking, who¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s voice was transmitted through the phone.


    Miao Wentang¡¯s pupil shrunk as a somewhat happy expression was suddenly revealed on his face as he quickly asked, ¡°Mr. Tang, do you need something that requires my assistance?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Someone called Dao Master Ziyi invited me to hunt and kill fierce beasts in the Evil Dragon Sea Area. Do you have any interest to go with us?¡±


    Miao Wentang quickly glanced at Shao Mingzhen¡¯s eyes and spoke in a deep tone, ¡°I know about Dao Master Ziyi and have been friends with him for more than 2 decades. I do want to join you, but can I bring another person? Shao Mingzhen happens to be here with me right now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Miao Wentang then asked, ¡°When will we go out? And where can we meet?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°If you can, come to Seaside Strait Manor now! When you have arrived here, find Manager Hu Xinyu and he¡¯ll take you to us.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll catch up with you immediately.¡±


    The call ended¡­


    Miao Wentang narrated Tang Xiu¡¯s words again as he grinned and smiled, ¡°Brother Shao, Tang Xiu seems to be a really broad-minded person. He invited us to go to Evil Dragon Sea Area to hunt fierce beasts. I think that this is a good chance to create a good relationship with him.¡±


    Shao Mingzhen stood up and replied with a smile, ¡°This indeed is a heaven-sent opportunity. However, the Evil Dragon Sea Area is a very dangerous place, so we¡¯ll have to be very careful on this trip.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    Inside the Seaside Strait Manor, Tang Xiu put his phone back and looked at Dao Master Ziyi as he spoke, ¡°Please stay here together and have a meal! I believe that the 2 people I¡¯ve invited will come over after lunch. I don¡¯t have much time, but since we¡¯ve reached an agreement, we¡¯ll immediately leave after they have arrived.¡±


    Dao Master Ziyi said with a smile, ¡°Ah, this one didn¡¯t expect Benefactor Tang to be so swift and decisive. This Poor Taoist really admires you. This one will follow your arrangements.¡±


    Jia Ruidao looked at Dao Master Ziyi and Tang Xiu. Only now did he realize that he just saw a special circle of people, one that he couldn¡¯t squeeze himself into. However, he was someone with a slippery and sleek personality, so he immediately warmly invited Dao Master Ziyi with hospitality to take a seat.


    The lunch was very sumptuous, the most sumptuous one Tang Xiu had until now; he even felt that it was somewhat too luxurious, giving him the feeling of frustration at the same time. Such as the 2 main courses, the ingredients were good grade fierce beast meat. If these fierce beast meat were given to him, he could have been able to use these meats as the main ingredients to refine the Golden Bell Liquid.


    _¡°Unfortunately, the spiritual essence inside the meat has been cleanly consumed, so it has no benefits for the body.¡±_


    With Tang Xiu¡¯s sigh, their lunch finished.


    Jia Ruidao previously had the intention to accompany Tang Xiu for some time, but since he knew that Tang Xiu had something to do later, he motioned to his 3 apprentices to get up and leave. Tang Xiu didn¡¯t detain them, he didn¡¯t even say any polite words to them and only quietly watched Jia Ruidao leave.


    ¡°Benefactor Tang, this Poor Taoist heard that you have broken through the Thousand Revolution Array in Everlasting Feast Hall. It¡¯s really amazing. To tell you the truth, this Poor Taoist has once also challenged that formation array, but unfortunately, this Poor Taoist¡¯s cultivation is limited and was only able to break through the third layer. After that, this one had no choice but to quickly withdraw.¡± Dao Master Ziyi spoke whilst holding his duster as he spoke to Tang Xiu who sat on the opposite side.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°My cultivation is very low and my strength is very weak. However, I have a deep knowledge in breaking formation arrays, so it¡¯s only natural that I¡¯m more powerful compared to other cultivators in breaking the array. In any case, I¡¯m afraid that I can¡¯t give much help in hunting high-order fierce beasts in the Evil Dragon Sea Area.¡±


    Dao Master Ziyi hesitated and was silent for a little while before he spoke in a serious tone, ¡°Benefactor Tang, you don¡¯t need to belittle yourself. In my opinion, an Array Master is much stronger compared to powerful cultivators. For our hunting trip, Benefactor Tang only needs to deploy a Killing Array to hunt, while we will direct the fierce beasts to the array. So our hunting trip would be much easier.¡±


    Tang Xiu quickly understood Dao Master Ziyi¡¯s meaning as he nodded and said, ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be much a problem in deploying the formation array, however, I would need some materials though.¡±


    Dao Master Ziyi asked, ¡°What kind of materials?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Jades. The better the quality, the better formation array I can deploy. Moreover, I would also need to draw some paper talismans to use them in line with the array.¡±


    Dao Master Ziyi replied with a smile, ¡°These are only small problems. This Poor Taoist has a friend who has a jade business on Jingmen Island. This one will contact him right now and send you the jades as quickly as possible. As for the paper talisman, I can only trouble Benefactor Tang for that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright!¡±


    Then, Tang Xiu continued, ¡°To draw the paper talismans, I would have to buy some things. Well, you wait here for the two people invited by me, whilst I go out to buy those things. Wait for me to finish drawing the paper talismans before we set out on our trip.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 97

    Chapter 97: Violet Redbud Auction


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu had just come out from the villa¡¯s hall when he bumped into a middle-aged man at the entrance. The man had a square face, a well-shaped figure, 1.8m in height, and sparkling eyes that were full of spirit.


    ¡°Who are you looking for?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for Tang Xiu.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brow slanted as he sized him up and said, ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu, who are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Tang Dong! I heard that you wanted to see me?¡±


    Tang Dong also sized up Tang Xiu as a quizzical expression could be seen from his eyes. He didn¡¯t understand why the young man who was recently famous in the last 2 days on Jingmen Island wished to see him.


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Yes, I originally wanted to see the Old Master of the Manor. But since I heard that it was very difficult to see him, I wanted to see you to ask you about something. Can we find another suitable place to speak?¡±


    Tang Dong looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s villa as he turned around and said, ¡°Come with me! There¡¯s a villa specially used as a teahouse nearby. It¡¯s usually not open to the public though.¡±


    Shortly after¡­


    They arrived at the villa as the attendants then served tea. Whilst savoring the taste of the tea, Tang Dong looked at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Then, tell me! For what issues are you seeking me for?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯m interested in the ingredients you¡¯re using for the main course. If I may, could you tell me the place where you have hunted the fierce beasts?¡±


    Tang Dong replied with a smile, ¡°Ah, it¡¯s for this matter. In fact, there are a lot of people who know about the place where we hunt fierce beasts. There¡¯s a marine trench near Jingmen Island called the Eyes of Death. There are some fierce beasts there, with each one of them being very ferocious, even the majority of them have simple spiritual wisdom.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Hunting these ferocious beasts couldn¡¯t have been easy, could it?¡±


    Tang Dong replied with a helpless expression, ¡°Naturally, it¡¯s not easy. Every time we go to the Eyes of Death, some of our staff are injured and even die. This is also the reason why the meal pricing at our Seaside Strait Manor is very expensive.¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with an expression of understanding, ¡°I could tell that your Manor¡¯s security personnel are martial arts expert. If you pay a little bit of attention, you could use tip pointed weapons to hunt the fierce beasts. Lastly, does your Manor sell the fierce beast bodies?¡±


    Tang Dong frowned as he asked with a puzzled expression, ¡°You need fierce beast bodies?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right!


    Tang Dong shook his head and said, ¡°Our Manor does indeed have fierce beast bodies, but they are not for sell. Because hunting fierce beasts is very difficult and it¡¯s also our Manor¡¯s specialty since we need the ingredients from fierce beast bodies. So¡­ I¡¯m very sorry.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a while before he slowly spoke, ¡°If I don¡¯t need fierce beast meat, can you sell me the fierce beast skin, claw, scales, bones, blood, and other materials?¡±


    Tang Dong then asked with a curious expression, ¡°What do you need these things for?¡±


    Tang Xiu calmly answered, ¡°I¡¯m going to deploy formation array and need these things in particular.¡±


    Tang Dong asked with astonishment, ¡°You can create a formation array? Isn¡¯t that some kind of ancient art of deploying formation for divination and making yourself invisible?¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I believe you¡¯ve heard about me having broken through the sixth layer of the Thousand Revolution Array at the Everlasting Feast Hall, yes? If I have no knowledge about formation arrays, how could it be possible to break through the array?¡±


    Tang Dong patted his forehead as he smiled and said, ¡°Ah, how could my head be this murky at this time? Anyways, since you need these things, I can sell them to you. But since we¡¯re businessmen, what price can you give me for these?¡±


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment before he replied seriously, ¡°For one fierce beast¡¯s remaining skin, claws, scales, bones, and other materials, I¡¯ll pay you 5 million, how about it?¡±


    5 million?


    Tang Dong looked at Tang Xiu with a dumbstruck expression. He never once dreamed that Tang Xiu would offer such a high price. His Manor only used the meat from the fierce beast¡¯s body and had nearly no other uses for the remaining parts. Even so, all the meat taken from fierce beasts as food ingredients were only sold for about 10 million. As for the remaining parts, they sold them at a very low price.


    ¡°What? Is the price not enough?¡± Tang Xiu asked more.


    Tang Dong waved his hand and said, ¡°No no no. It¡¯s satisfying enough. Your price is fair so we have a deal. Are there any other things you need?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°If you have them at present, I can directly buy them right now.¡±


    Tang Dong immediately got up and spoke seriously, ¡°Our Manor happens to have the remaining parts of fierce beasts. I¡¯ll take you there to see them.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tang Xiu then got up immediately.


    However, when he just followed Tang Dong for about 10 steps, only then did he remember that he also should buy the materials to draw paper talisman, so he immediately spoke and said, ¡°May I ask for another favor?¡±


    Tang Dong replied with an amiable expression, ¡°Please do say!¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I was planning to go out to buy some things. Could you send someone to help me buy them? Those materials are not easy to find but are cheap. I believe that if you ask around, you can find and buy them.¡±


    Tang Dong replied whilst smiling, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Write the things you want to buy on a note and I¡¯ll send someone to buy them immediately. You can pay for them later after he comes back.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine!¡±


    10 minutes later.


    Tang Xiu and Tang Dong came to the kitchen deep inside the Manor area and went over to a large warehouse behind the kitchen. A large ice compartment was beside the warehouse with 2 dead frozen fierce beasts inside. After being dissected, the other fierce beast body parts were then piled on the stockpile outside.


    ¡°These are remaining body parts from 4 fierce beasts, and we have no uses for them. If you find them satisfying, then we¡¯ll sell them to you according to your price.¡± With some expectation on his face, Tang Dong looked at Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu scrutinized them for a few minutes as he nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take them and transfer the money to you immediately. But could I ask for another favor again?¡±


    ¡°Do tell me!¡± Tang Dong happily replied.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I come from Star City, but I have no time and means to ship these things back to Star City. I¡¯ll give you my address, could you send them to my place? After you deliver them, I¡¯ll arrange some people to receive these things there.¡±


    Tang Dong replied with a smile, ¡°No problem.¡±


    4 fierce beasts remaining body parts for a total 20 million. Since Tang Xiu had just learned to transfer through mobile banking, he transferred 20 million to Tang Dong.


    ¡°For six months, for every fierce beast your Manor hunts and dissects, please send all the remaining body parts to me. Save my mobile number and send them to Star City, and then I¡¯ll transfer you the money immediately.¡± Having finished the transaction, Tang Xiu added again.


    Tang Dong stared blankly as he then replied with astonishment, ¡°Only half a year?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Yes, only half a year! The fierce beasts you¡¯ve hunted are only low-order fierce beasts and are only useful for about 6 months to me. After 6 months, unless you can hunt more powerful fierce beasts, they are no longer useful to me.¡±


    Tang Dong suddenly understood as he smiled and said, ¡°Rest assured! Since it¡¯s only half a year, I will naturally send people to the Eyes of Death to hunt for a larger number of fierce beasts.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°That being the case, I¡¯ll go back to the villa where I had my meal first. I¡¯ll pay for the meals and the things I need to buy directly to the person you have sent.¡±


    Tang Dong waved and said, ¡°I already know the things you must buy. The money you¡¯ve paid is already enough so you don¡¯t need to pay more.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t a fool. He already got a high price from the fierce beasts¡¯ remaining body parts. So he didn¡¯t care about a small amount of money. He might as well give a little discount as a favor since he had a future transaction agreement with Tang Xiu to sell fierce beast materials.


    ¡°Then, that¡¯s good!¡±


    Tang Xiu only simply complied and left directly.


    Tang Dong squinted his eyes as he looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s back. A peculiar feeling sprouted in his heart. Tang Xiu was obviously only about 20 years old. But his attitude and mannerism were unlike a young man, and instead felt like a mature and experienced man, even giving off a vibe of a person with a distinguished status. This kind of feeling made him feel that it was absurd and ridiculous.


    Tang Xiu returned to the villa where he had his meal before and found that Shao Mingzhen and Miao Wentang had arrived as they were chatting with Dao Master Ziyi.


    ¡°Mr. Tang!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Tang!¡±


    Shao Mingzhen and Miao Wentang got up and greeted with a slightly cordial tone.


    Tang Xiu nodded at them and said, ¡°You need to wait for a while. I¡¯ve asked someone to buy the materials to draw the paper talismans we would need, and they soon will be sent to me. Just wait for me to draw the paper talismans and we can begin our journey.¡±


    Shao Mingzhen and Miao Wentang glanced at each other and they did n¡¯t speak.


    Dao Master Ziyi then spoke with a smile, ¡°Benefactor Tang, this Poor Taoist has never thought that the 2 friends you¡¯ve invited turned out to be Benefactor Shao and Benefactor Miao. This Poor Taoist has been acquainted with them before but didn¡¯t know that they also visited Jingmen Island. I¡¯ve just chatted with them and heard about the Violet Redbud Auction. If we may, can we reschedule the trip to the Evil Dragon Sea Area for tomorrow?¡±


    Rescheduling and delaying the time?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyebrows wrinkled. He was somewhat unhappy inside, but did not directly show it, and instead asked, ¡°What is this Violet Redbud Auction?¡±


    Miao Wentang quickly explained, ¡°The Violet Redbud Auction, is a nationwide large annual auction where some useful items for cultivators would sometimes be auctioned there. I¡¯ve participated in a few events of Violet Redbud Auction and obtained a big harvest, even though I did spend quite a large amount of money. If we miss it this time, we have to wait again next year.¡±


    ¡°Things that are useful to cultivators?¡±


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment and then slowly spoke, ¡°That being the case, then we¡¯ll leave tomorrow. However, when will Violet Redbud Auction be held? Is there any chance for me to participate?¡±


    Miao Wentang secretly felt relieved. He was really afraid that Tang Xiu would not agree. Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s inquiry, he immediately replied, ¡°2 days ago my friends on Jingmen Island had given me 4 tickets to the Violet Redbud Auction. I originally planned for me and Brother Shao to go, but added with the two of you, the tickets are sufficient.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°That¡¯s good then. Fortunately, I have a little cash to spare. I¡¯ll have a look whether there would be something that I need to buy there.¡±


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen glanced at each other as they secretly smiled wryly in their hearts. They wanted to form a good relationship with Tang Xiu. If they happened to eye the same thing as Tang Xiu, they probably would not choose to compete with Tang Xiu.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 98

    Chapter 98: Determined to Win


    Translator: GravityTales  Editor: GravityTales


    It was evening¡­


    Tang Xiu, with a pale face, followed by Miao Wentang and three others came to the Violet Redbud Auction venue. The auction was held at Jiangmen Island¡¯s International Business Conference Center.


    On the 18th floor.


    The venue for the auction was huge. Over a thousand tables and chairs, and one-third of them had been occupied, with more people rushing in from the outside.


    Four people casually found a seat and sat down as the auction venue¡¯s attendants presented them with the list of items that would be auctioned and had been prepared in advance.


    Tang Xiu sat in his chair as he skimmed over the items list that was being auctioned. The detailed list was 3 pages long and presented each item with pictures and a text description. The first 2 pages made him quite disappointed. Although those items were good objects, but he simply had no uses for them.


    But, when Tang Xiu opened the last page and skimmed over the list, his vision suddenly froze as disbelief filled his eyes.


    Void Crack Stone? It turned out to be a Void Crack Stone?


    If the taken photo was true, then this was definitely the main material to refining a Spatial Ring, the Void Crack Stone.


    In that instant, Tang Xiu¡¯s heart accelerated and beat faster as a determined expression could be seen on his face. At first, he had his worries since he would go to the Evil Dragon Sea Area. If they were to hunt a large number of fierce beasts with large fierce beasts bodies, how would they transport them? But if he could refine a Spatial Ring, shipping them back would not be a problem.


    _¡°Such a low price of 5 million? With the increase being 500 thousand for each bid?¡±_


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment. He thought that he had the funds right now, so it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to compete and successfully bid for this fist-sized Void Crack Stone.


    After the gamble with Ye Taifu at Paradise Club, the money he won after having subtracted 250 million for Jia Ruidao¡¯s shares, he got 250 million. He used 20 million to buy the fierce beast body parts, so the remaining money he had now was 230 million.


    ¡°The Void Crack Stone¡¯s floor price is 5 million. I have 230 million, so it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to purchase this thing. If it¡¯s not enough I can borrow money from Jia Ruidao! When I get more money, I can pay him back!¡± Tang Xiu secretly calculated in his mind.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s heart was struck with surprise again as his eyes then fell on the list below as he found another useful thing, a 1000-year-old wild ginseng.


    Had it been in the Immortal World, let alone a 1000-years-old wild ginseng, even 10-thousand years-old wild ginseng, he never lacked of these ginsengs. He used to feed 1000-year-old wild ginseng to spirit beasts. But for the present him, this thing was very precious. If he could buy this 1000-year-old wild ginseng, he would have the main ingredients to concoct the Golden Bell Liquid, and the efficacy would absolutely be excellent.


    _¡°Buy! I must buy it!¡±_


    Tang Xiu looked at the offered floor price as his eyes suddenly filled with disbelief.


    _¡°50 million?¡±_


    This 1000-years-old wild ginseng floor price turned out to be 50 million. Moreover, the amount of bid increase must not be under 2 million.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s lips wriggled, ¡°If, if I moved all of the 1000-year-old ginseng in my herb field in the Immortal World, I should be able to buy more than 10 Planet Earths, right? This price¡­ is really too appalling, a scam!¡±


    His eyes looked downward and also found other few items that would be useful for cultivators, but he had no big uses for them.


    He finally decided and locked his target. They were the Void Crack Stone and 1000-year-old wild ginseng. He silently calculated the final expense he must pay to obtain these two things.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, what objects have your eyes set onto?¡±


    After Shao Mingzhen had read the auction¡¯s list of items in his hand, he turned around and looked at Tang Xiu at his side as he whispered to ask.


    Tang Xiu pointed at the Void Crack Stone and 1000-years-old wild ginseng as he said, ¡°I need these two things. And I must get both at all costs!¡±


    Shao Mingzhen looked at the Void Crack Stone with some astonishment. It was because he didn¡¯t know what this stone was. The auctioneer only described that the ore was rare and extremely hard, and suspected that it was from a meteorite from space. However, for that 1000-years-old wild ginseng, he couldn¡¯t help lament since he was also targeting it.


    At the present time on Earth, a 1000-year-old wild ginseng is extremely rare, to the point that its price had no fixed market price. Even if some people wanted to spend a large amount of money, nobody heard of a 100-year-old wild ginseng being sold for so many years. Let alone a 1000-year-old wild ginseng. Even more, 500-years-old wild ginsengs were extremely rare and very few to be seen nowadays.


    _¡°Ah, I should forget it and give it up then!¡±_


    Shao Mingzhen secretly sighed inside as he turned and touched Miao Wentang, preparing to tell him about the 2 items Tang Xiu wanted to buy.


    Miao Wentang was also targeting the 1000-year-old wild ginseng. But just like Shao Mingzhen, he finally intended to give it up after knowing that Tang Xiu wanted it.


    As for Dao Master Ziyi, he just came to the venue, and was purely acting with ¡®everything was none of my business¡¯. Even if there was something he liked, he wouldn¡¯t try to even bid. It was not because he had no desire to buy, but because he was poor to the point that he only had penny money and simply couldn¡¯t afford anything.


    8 PM sharp¡­


    Along with the auction¡¯s stage opening, a young beautiful woman at the prime of her life walked onto the stage. The originally noisy auction venue suddenly quieted down as everyone¡¯s eyes were fixated on the young beautiful woman.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, we welcome you to the annual Violet Redbud Auction. This year¡¯s auction is held on Jingmen Island, and all the items that will be auctioned have been listed on the auction¡¯s detailed list. My name is Xiao Ai, and I¡¯m also this year¡¯s Violet Redbud Auction¡¯s auctioneer.¡±


    ¡°The auction¡¯s session will soon begin, and I believed that all the Ladies and Gentlemen have already seen the auction¡¯s list of items. It is my sincere wish that everyone will be able to obtain the items you want and return back with a rewarding journey.¡± said Xiao Ai.


    ¡°I hereby announce that the 21st annual Violet Redbud Auction has officially begun. The following first auctioned item is a precious antique, a blue-white porcelain vase produced by the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty¡¯s Royal Kiln. Everyone mustn¡¯t look down on this blue white porcelain vase, the seal above it shows that it is the Imperial Household¡¯s seal, and was used only for the Emperor. It¡¯s highly likely that the vase was used in the Emperor Palace of the Great Qing Dynasty¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu sat quietly under the stage as he listened to the grandiloquent introduction from the auctioneer. As the auction was announced to officially begin, he looked at the following hundreds of guests of the Violet Redbud Auction as they competed in bidding for the items, giving off a peculiar strange feeling to him.


    It was as the saying goes that, when the world was in chaos, opportunity arises, but when the world was in a golden age, amassing wealth is flourishing.


    And now, he was deeply appreciating the true meaning of this sentence. Each item was being auctioned at a high price and each item would be bought at sky high prices. He couldn¡¯t help but sigh. At present, there were a lot of rich people, and they loved to amass wealth and become richer. Certainly, he also had another kind of thought, that rich people were foolish. Buying pieces of dead objects and bringing them home with such meaningless significance.


    The auction had lasted for 2 hours and Tang Xiu had yet to bid even once. In contrast, Shao Mingzhen and Miao Wentang had bid once and bought the items they needed.


    ¡°For the next items we will auction, it is a rare ore. This rare ore is very hard and we suspect that the ore came from the space and crushed down to Earth as a meteorite. I believe that this will be a very precious collection of valuable minerals. Perhaps, this space item¡¯s value will be more valuable in the future and would be very difficult to estimate. The floor price is 5 million, and every bid increase must not be under 500 thousand. Let us begin the auction now.¡± The auctioneer held the Void Crack Stone in her hand and explained in an excellent voice and expression as she announced the start of the auction.


    ¡°It has come!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s spirit shook as his eyes tightly locked on that piece of Void Crack Stone. He didn¡¯t rush to bid because during the last 2 hours of observation, he could tell that from the initial bidder, only very few of them would really want to buy. They were as though throwing the brick to attract the jade, and only initiated the bidding, and if some people called for the biddings, they would immediately renounce it. If nobody called for the bid, they might be able to obtain the item with little money, but still buy it as one of the things they took a fancy at.


    ¡°6 million.¡±


    A voice sounded, as the person also raised his flag sign.


    ¡°6.5 million!¡±


    ¡°7 million!¡±


    ¡°7.5 million!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Shortly after, the Void Crack Stone¡¯s price had risen to 9.5 million. However, after the last person called the bid, nobody raised the bid after 10 seconds.


    A sweet smile hung on the auctioneer¡¯s face as she said, ¡°That gentleman has bid for 9.5 million, any other guests calling for a higher bid? Everyone, don¡¯t take lightly of this rare ore with its mysteriousness. Perhaps its value would be 10 times higher in the future compared to the present.¡±


    ¡°10 million!¡±


    As the auctioneer¡¯s voice fell, another voice sounded.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath as he raised his sign and said, ¡°10.5 million.¡±


    ¡°15 million!¡±


    The voice sounded again.


    Tang Xiu lifted his sign and exclaimed, ¡°20 million.¡±


    ¡°Whoosh¡­¡±


    Everyone at the auction venue turned around and looked at Tang Xiu as streams of comments sounded.


    ¡°Who is throwing away money, more silly people, ah? An unknown ore with unknown uses? Even if it is rare, it¡¯s not worth 20 million, right? Believing the auctioneer¡¯s cons to get rich quickly in the future?¡±


    ¡°What a world-level joke is this? Buying a piece of ore for 20 million? Even 10 million is way too much! Rich people this year really don¡¯t value money!¡±


    ¡°What a spendthrift young man. I don¡¯t know the prodigal juniors from which family he comes from. If I had such a junior, I would have broken his leg absolutely and grounded him at home to reflect on his mistakes in seclusion.¡±


    ¡°That young man, could he have taken a liking to the auctioneer girl? Wanting to showcase his worth in front of her?¡±


    ¡°Wow, this is really interesting!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    With his sharp hearing, Tang Xiu clearly heard a lot of people¡¯s commentaries in the conference hall. But he still wore his indifferent expression. For those who had no knowledge about the truly precious things, he didn¡¯t want to even pay notice to them. And for that absolute reason, there wasn¡¯t even a chance that he would tell them about the Void Crack Stone¡¯s uses. Besides, in his hands, Void Crack Stone was a treasure, but for people who wouldn¡¯t refine the stone into a Spatial Ring, it was only a lump of rough stone.


    The auctioneer looked at Tang Xiu deeply as she smiled and asked, ¡°The handsome young man has bid 20 million. Are there any higher bids than 20 million? If not, this precious rare ore will be sold to that handsome young man.¡±


    The auction venue was silent for a while.


    When the auctioneer was about to speak the final word and announce that the Void Crack Stone was sold to Tang Xiu, a voice suddenly sounded,


    ¡°50 million!¡±


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 99

    Chapter 99: The Bidding Race


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Everyone in the entire of auction venue was all shocked by the sudden voice. Even if Tang Xiu regarded money as though it was a dirt and didn¡¯t think much about it, however, almost nobody amongst people in this era would recognize this Void Crack Stone. And it was unexpected that someone would be willing to bid such a high price for it.


    Tang Xiu followed the sound source as he found the bidder guest. He was an old man who wore a black Chinese tunic suit, with a full set of white hair, and an amiable benign face, giving off the impression of a philanthropist. However, facing the gaze of everyone¡¯s eyes, he revealed a proud expression. Especially when he realized that Tang Xiu looked over at him as he particularly tilted his chin up and showed a provocative look in his eyes toward Tang Xiu.


    ¡°So troublesome!¡±


    Tang Xiu sighed inside as he raised his bid once again, ¡°60 million.¡±


    Whissh¡­


    The entire auction venue boiled as all eyes shifted back and forth between Tang Xiu and the old man. And as such, as the saying goes that in each abnormal event, there must be some kind of reasons and causes, and some people were even secretly thinking, was this piece of rare stone perhaps really a treasure?


    However, guesses were still guesses, and still nobody joined the race. The reason was pretty simple. Even if the stone was precious, they simply had no knowledge about it. In the case that they bought a worthless item, that meant they were really the biggest idiot of all. Much less, that the old man¡¯s complexion had turned ugly and no longer called for a bigger bid anymore!


    The previously expressionless Tang Xiu looked at the distant with a smiling expression that was gradually revealed on his face. The old man¡¯s complexion turned unsightly as though he was a widow that had been left with her dead husband and was forced to marry an old gramps. Tang Xiu could see that the old man¡¯s lips wriggled a few times as he wanted to speak and call for a higher bid before he was eventually able to control it.


    ¡°Eh, what¡¯s it all about?¡±


    Tang Xiu originally calculated that he could have spent a large amount of money, but he didn¡¯t expect that the old man would stop right there.


    Excitement flashed in the auctioneer¡¯s eyes as she spoke with an agitated and spirited expression, saying, ¡°There is a saying that the eyes of the people are as bright as a snow, but for me, I want to quote the modern slang, don¡¯t miss any chance that passes by! If this ore is not precious enough, then how could it be priced highly in an auction? I¡¯m really very lucky and feel happy because I¡¯m able to witness people who have good taste and discerning eyes with a strong mentality, as though bright and burning torch as being able to recognize this treasure.¡±


    ¡°That handsome gentleman has bid 60 million. Is there anyone who wants to bid higher? If there¡¯s none, this piece of rare treasure will belong to that gentleman.¡±


    ¡°Anyone?¡±


    The auction venue which usually full of bidding shouts turned into complete silence along with the auctioneer¡¯s conclusions. Everyone¡¯s eyes wandered between Tang Xiu and the old man. Everyone was very curious, would the old man call a higher bid? Some people even had been preparing to immediately snatch the bidding once the old man raised his bid again.


    But, as the auctioneer had said, ¡®do not ever miss the chance that passes by.¡¯


    In the case that if the stone was really a rare treasure, even if they were unable to recognize it for now, but they could slowly study it, so the might be crossed into a huge surprise.


    However, a lot of people were disappointed since the old man didn¡¯t raise his bid again.


    So many people were disappointed that the old man did not offer another bid again.


    It was also quite regretful for the auctioneer. But she was still excited inside, since never once in her dreams did she think that the stone would shoot to such a high price. As an auctioneer, she would get a percentage commission for each item sold at the auction. Since this item auctioned for 60 million, that meant she unexpectedly got money easily.


    ¡°Then, I hereby I announce that this precious ore is sold to that gentleman. You may proceed to the backstage to complete the transaction now, or wait until the auction ends and then go to the backstage¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t hesitate and immediately rushed to the backstage. This Void Crack Stone was an urgent material he needed right now, so he must obtain it as quickly as possible.


    Inspecting the item and accepting it, then pay the sum of money!


    The transaction went very smoothly, as Tang Xiu quickly returned back to his seat at the auction venue with the Void Crack Stone.


    A smiling expression hung on the corner of Miao Wentang¡¯s mouth, even though he was fully confused as to why Tang Xiu bought the stone. But since it was Tang Xiu, he didn¡¯t ask, but smiled and said in a low voice, ¡°Congrats, Mr. Tang, for obtaining the treasure.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded. After having hesitated for a moment, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s change our remark, and call me Tang Xiu directly later on, and I will call you by your name.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡±


    Miao Wentang looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s indifferent expression as he secretly smiled in his heart.


    The next auctioned items proceeded in a quick manner. Tang Xiu really admired the auctioneer¡¯s speech ability. A lot of items¡¯ original value were not high, but it was her unceasing speech, that was like strings of pearls that sparked people¡¯s interest, making them generously spend their money, causing the auctioned items¡¯ price to climb.


    _¡°She¡¯s gifted!¡±_ These words suddenly appeared inside Tang Xiu¡¯s mind.


    Hours later¡­


    The auction would soon be finished and also enter the final climax.


    ¡°The next auctioned item is our second to last item. This is also the item that a lot of people have been heavily paying attention to, the 1000-year-old wild ginseng. It is public knowledge that along with today¡¯s rapid development in technology, our mountain range¡¯s forest is being severely exploited nowadays. Thus, finding a genuine wild ginseng has already been a difficult thing to do, much less, a 1000-year-old wild ginseng. It is as rare and difficult as finding phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, a rare and far between object.¡±


    ¡°And tonight, to whom will this precious treasure belong to?¡±


    ¡°Thus, I hereby announce that the true auction has begun!¡±


    The moment the auctioneer Xiao Ai had finished speaking and stepped back, the auction venue boiled with guests competing in the biddings.


    ¡°60 million!¡±


    ¡°70 million!¡±


    ¡°75 million!¡±


    ¡°80 million ¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu, however, didn¡¯t rush to participate. He was waiting for the final bidding race.


    However, the prices climbed up to 180 million in just 2 minutes. This was the price that he could afford with the funds he had right now.


    ¡°The difference is only 10 million right now, and the amount would probably change shortly after. Should I look for Jia Ruidao to borrow some money? Jia Ruidao¡¯s shares are 250 million and added with his capital, it should be around 300 million. However, he also has a debt loan. So if his money is subtracted by his loan, perhaps he also only has a small amount remaining left.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mind raced faster as he thought to look for Jia Ruidao to borrow some money. Borrowing money was easy, but to pay it back, it would be quite difficult, wouldn¡¯t it? After all, the amount was hundreds of million at once. Even if the funds could be used for Kang Xia in establishing the company and all ready to run the business and make money. However, how long would it take to pay back the money to Jia Ruidao?


    Half a minute later¡­


    Tang Xiu¡¯s had made up his mind to borrow money.


    He believed in his ability, and he didn¡¯t want to miss this 1000-years-old ginseng.


    Tang Xiu left the seat and went toward the corner end of the auction venue to make a phone call. Finally, he knew that Jia Ruidao had a debt loan of 220 million, and his remaining money now only amounted to 80 million. Tang Xiu didn¡¯t hesitate to borrow that 80 million directly.


    ¡°Ding¡­¡­¡±


    A few minutes later, his phone received an SMS that 80 million had been transferred to his bank account.


    ¡°218 million, is there another higher bidder? If there¡¯s none, this 1000-years-old wild ginseng will be that gentleman¡¯s.¡± The auctioneer looked excited and loudly asked.


    Tang Xiu looked at the silent guests in the surroundings as he slowly raised the sign in his hand and said, ¡°220 million.¡±


    The auctioneer, Xiao Ai¡¯s eyes brightened up as she said with a smile, ¡°The hero indeed comes from youths. That gentleman has offered 220 million, a truly amazing capital. Today¡¯s scene truly makes me think, that a great man always come out amongst youths. However, could it be that the old ginger is no longer hotter than the young ones? Anyways, shouldn¡¯t somebody bid higher than this handsome gentleman? If not, this 1000-years-old ginseng will be this handsome gentleman¡¯s!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    An agitated expression surfaced on a lot of people¡¯s faces in the auction venue. They did approve the saying that ¡®heroes came from youths¡¯. However, listening to ¡®old gingers are no longer spicy¡¯ ignited their anger and made their self-pride rage inside.


    A plump middle-aged man who sat in the front row near the beautiful young girl, forcefully pulled the gold necklace on his neck, along with the few millions yuan of watch as he spoke with a hoarse voice, ¡°230 million.¡±


    ¡°250 million!¡±


    A beam of cold light burst from Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he shouted with a deep voice.


    That fat middle-aged man pushed the beautiful young girl at his side as he turned his head and stared at Tang Xiu, and then motioned his middle finger at him whilst exclaiming, ¡°300 million!¡±


    ¡°Whoosh¡­¡±


    Everyone inside the entire auction venue was all shocked by the fat middle-aged man¡¯s bid.


    300 million?


    1000-years-old wild ginseng auctioned for a sky-high price of 300 million yuan?


    Everyone began to whisper to each other.


    ¡°From where is that silly fatty¡¯s origin? Even coming up with 300 million to buy a 1000-year-old ginseng? I can tell that the food he has eaten becomes the fat in his body and doesn¡¯t go to his brain, absolutely! A 1000-year-old wild ginseng value is at the most only priced at 150 million! More than that, he¡¯s just a spendthrift fool!¡±


    ¡°Stupid, even if the 1000-year-old ginseng is precious, it¡¯s not worth to the point where one has to spend 300 million, is it? He¡¯s obviously aiming to strive over that youth ferociously!¡±


    ¡°What a damn idiot. Too many idiots sprouting up nowadays, especially this year. Is this fatty really drunk and has a fever of his riches?¡±


    ¡°Idiot people with money are indeed out there!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes as he looked at the provocative expression on the fat middle-aged man¡¯s complexion. He secretly sighed inside. He couldn¡¯t afford it. The highest offer he could bid was only 250 million, and he couldn¡¯t follow the race any longer.


    ¡°In life, one sometimes has to wait for the end, and there¡¯s no need to push forward when something is not fated.¡±


    This sentence appeared in Tang Xiu¡¯s mind as he finally let out an unceasing forced smile. He was once very rich, everything he had taken a liking was his. So he was perfectly aware of the power of money. However, at present, he just restarted from the scratch again with a severe lack of funds.


    Finally, the 1000-year-old wild ginseng was bought by the fat middle-aged man.


    ¡°A good scene will soon be coming.¡±


    Some faint excitement could be heard from Miao Wentang, who sat at Tang Xiu¡¯s side.


    Tang Xiu asked with a surprised expression, ¡°Isn¡¯t the 1000-year-old ginseng the most expensive item on the auction¡¯s list of items? Shouldn¡¯t it be the last auctioned item? Is there another thing not listed on the list?¡±


    Miao Wentang whispered, ¡°Mr. Tang, err¡­ Tang Xiu, you didn¡¯t participate in the previous Violet Redbud Auction, so you don¡¯t know about its custom. For each auction¡¯s event, there has always been auctioned items that are not on the list as the last finale of the play.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s how it is. I see!¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly realized. For this last item, he had a bit of anticipation. Since he didn¡¯t spend money to buy the 1000-year-old ginseng, maybe the last auctioned item was what he needed.


    Suddenly, all the lights at the auction venue were lit, as a band of dim white light was shone on top of the auctioneer¡¯s body. Eventually, the projector cast the pictures onto the wall behind the auctioneer.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 100

    Chapter 100: Unhesitating by any means and cost


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    All eyes were fixated on the projector screen inside the dark auction venue as a video was then played.


    The waves surged forth from the roaring, vast, and boundless sea, as it spread over and surrounded an isolated island that was like a mosaic gem inlaid. The eagle view hovered and dived down toward the isolated island. It was a quiet large island which was a few square kilometers in size, with rolling ranges of hills, verdant lush greeneries,and trees, as well as birdsongs and gorgeous brilliant flowers with butterfly groups flying around to play above them.


    A European style castle stood magnificently at the central peak of the island as a smooth pathway at the hilltop branched out toward 3 areas, the road leading to the castle, one path to the nearby parking lot, and the other one to an aircraft parking ground.


    Looking through the isolated island¡¯s landscape, the astounding sceneries uncovered 9 ranges of hills that spread out to the sea. A European style small pavilion was built at the end of each hill as each hill had a road along downhill that was connected to the sea area with a private dock, where a few passenger ships were moored.


    _¡°Nine Dragons Spitting Beads?¡±_


    _¡°How could it be?¡±_


    Tang Xiu¡¯s pupils contracted unceasingly as a burst of disbelief was emitted from his eyes. His body slightly shivered as stormy waves struck inside his heart unceasingly.


    When he was in the Immortal World, he had once possessed a treasured land with this great Feng Shui pattern. The place had a rich Heaven Earth Spiritual Qi, with strong and thick spiritual energy. Cultivating in that place would definitely lead to double the result for half of the effort. But the place was called the ¡°Nine Dragons Spitting Beads Secret Region¡± there.


    The video playback ended.


    The lights at the auction site were re-lit again, followed by the auctioneer¡¯s voice who spoke with a shallow smile, ¡°We¡¯ve seen the video. That is the last auctioned item for this auction today. The Nine Dragons Island is located at the Pacific Ocean nearby another island called the Southern Bird Island, which is 2,000 nautical miles away from each other.¡±


    ¡°This private island was originally owned by a European Financial Consortium owner. However, it was unfortunate that after the island has been developed for 2.5 years, the Financial Consortium owner had no choice but to sell this private island due to special circumstances. And it happens that the Big Boss of this auction has a good relationship with this private island¡¯s owner, so the owner entrusted the auction rights to us.¡±


    ¡°I believe that each and every guest participating in this Violet Redbud Auction is one of the richest and powerful people in our country, and I¡¯m sure everyone is interested in this Feng Shui treasured island. Thus, without further ado, the auction for this private island will begin now!¡±


    ¡°The floor price is 500 million yuan, and each bid increase is to be no less than 10 million. And now the auction officially begins.¡±


    Along with the ending of the auctioneer¡¯s voice, the following hundreds of people under the stage who were participating in the auction were talking in a whisper. After all, this was related to a 500 million business transaction. Although they were filthy rich, but 500 million was not a small amount of money, even for them.


    ¡°That private island is damn good.¡±


    A bit of a smiling expression was cast on Miao Wentang¡¯s face. But he didn¡¯t wish to compete in bidding for this island. He glanced to Tang Xiu at his side before he turned his sight toward other direction and looked at Shao Mingzhen. He then asked with a smile, ¡°If I remember correctly, you¡¯re planning to buy a mansion overseas, aren¡¯t you? How about it? Do you have any interest?¡±


    Shao Mingzhen was silent for a moment before he slowly shook his head and said, ¡°This private island¡¯s floor price is indeed not high. If it could be bought for 500 million and then sold afterward, you can still make money off it. And this, everyone is crystal clear about it. So I thought that even if it were to be sold at 1 billion, I don¡¯t think I can afford it. I¡¯m not one of the local bosses, so there¡¯s no way I can be compared to you. Thus, I¡¯m gonna just watch and enjoy the fun!¡±


    Miao Wentang smiled and said, ¡°Well, if you really want to buy it, I can lend you some money. But I can¡¯t get more than 1 billion in fluid capital though.¡±


    Shao Mingzhen lightly laughed and replied, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll just take a look first!¡±


    Tang Xiu stood up as he went to the back corner of the auction venue and then dialed a number.


    ****


    Star City.


    Chen Zhizhong had just bought a villa near the Gazebo King Villa at South Gate Town. As he sat cross-legged in his study room, he was carefully practicing the cultivation method and technique Tang Xiu had taught him. He used to be a martial arts practitioner, but what he had been cultivating before was cultivating True Qi, which was very different than an immortal cultivation method and technique.


    However, the Great Dao had a myriad of paths, with each path being unique but leading to the same origin.


    Because of his previous foundation, he was now trying hard to transform his True Qi into Origin Qi.


    ¡°Ring ring ring¡­¡±


    The phone suddenly rang and abruptly awakened Chen Zhizhong from his cultivation practice. A slight anger immediately surfaced on his complexion as he quickly grabbed his mobile and looked at the caller ID on the screen. Then, the angry look quickly vanished without a trace, and was replaced with a respectful expression as he then pressed the answer button.


    ¡°Master, are you looking for me?¡±


    ¡°I need money. The more the better. How much money can you transfer in 10 minutes?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    For half a minute Chen Zhizhong fell into a silence. His mind unceasingly thought about it deeply. Only after half a minute had passed did he reply, ¡°About 3 billion yuan. The time is too tight, if you can give half a day, I can gather up to 5 billion or more.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯ll send you my bank account number. 10 minutes later, transfer 3 billion yuan to my account.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Chen Zhizhong quickly complied and no longer gave a thought to continue practicing as he began to make a phone call without stopping.


    ****


    Jingmen Island, at the auction venue.


    Shao Mingzhen and Miao Wentang were having a private chat as they suddenly aware that Tang Xiu had left his seat. They immediately looked at each other. Tang Xiu had left his seat before, made a phone call and then came back to participate in the 1000-years-old wild ginseng auction.


    ¡°Brother Miao, could it be Tang Xiu also wants to participate in this auction? Does he want this private island?¡± An astonished expression flashed in Shao Mingzhen¡¯s eyes as he asked in a whisper.


    Miao Wentang whispered back, ¡°It could be very possible. You also saw his serious expression. I could tell it for sure. However, I really don¡¯t get him. He¡¯s very young, why would he want to run away and buy a private island in the Pacific Ocean? Is it possible that he wants to move there to seclude himself and cut off from the rest of the world?¡±


    Shao Mingzhen let out a forced smile and said, ¡°I don¡¯t get him, moreover, I can¡¯t understand him in the slightest! To tell you the truth, seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s age and appearance, he gives me a contradictory feeling. Basically, I can¡¯t figure him out. He¡¯s too young of a man, but his words, conducts, and actions are not that of a young man¡¯s. In contrast, doesn¡¯t he look like a deep and wise old man?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a freaking genius or a monster.¡± Miao Wentang said his final judgement.


    Tang Xiu returned back to his seat and quietly waited for the funds to be transferred to his account. Although he saw the strange expressions on Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen¡¯s complexions, but he didn¡¯t speak nor explain anything.


    He did want the 1000-years-old wild ginseng, and very much at it. But this private island, he was determined to obtain it at all costs. Even if he must snatch it forcefully, then rob it he will.


    ¡°510 million.¡± A newly rich plump middle-aged man was the first to open the bid.


    ¡°520 million.¡±


    ¡°550 million.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    This was the last round of auction, and only a few number of people were involved in this auction compared to the previous ones. However few bidders in numbers there were, but the price was in constant increase. And one of the most spirited and jubilant in bidding was the fat middle-aged man who wore the gold chain. 7 or 8 minutes later, the price had climbed up to 1.48 billion.


    ¡°1.5 billion!¡±


    A bead of sweat permeated on the fat middle-aged man¡¯s forehead as he called for the bid.


    ¡°2 billion!¡±


    Another old man over his 70s raised the sign in his hand and shouted.


    The fat middle-aged man suddenly turned his head as he stared at the old man with eyes full of anger. He heavily breathed a few times before he shouted again, ¡°2.1 billion.¡±


    Up to this price, there were only the old man and the fat middle-aged man. The old man¡¯s complexion was expressionless as though he turned a blind eye to the fat middle-aged man¡¯s angry stares and face as he shouted his bid once again, ¡°2.2 billion!¡±


    ¡°2.3 billion!¡±


    The fat middle-aged man¡¯s voice turned a bit hoarse, but he still insisted on bidding.


    However, his anger was quickly replaced with happiness, because the old man silently shook his head and no longer bidded.


    ¡°Huff¡­¡±


    The fat middle-aged man wiped the sweat from his forehead and secretly felt relieved inside. It was actually his limit, if the price increased again, he would have to renounce it.


    The corner of the auctioneer¡¯s mouth was curled as she smiled with sparkling eyes and said, ¡°The price of the Nine Dragons Island has risen to 2.3 billion yuan. This is indeed a terrifying amount of money, but I do still think that some people have yet to bid. After all, this is a few tens of square kilometers island with completed construction and development. If this private island were to be used accordingly, it definitely would be a paradise on earth, the one and only kingdom for its owner.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no legal and public law on the Nine Dragons Island, the master of the island is the king, the sole sovereign of the land. If the island¡¯s owner wills it, he can apply to international laws to establish a new country.¡±


    ¡°This island is the dreamland, a paradise. Now, I would like to ask once more, is there no one who wants to increase the bid? No one wants to be the owner of this Nine Dragons Island?¡±


    A deathly stillness and silence filled the entire auction venue.


    Everyone was watching each other. The auctioneer¡¯s words did instigate them and ignite their emotions and desires completely. But still, they couldn¡¯t get so much liquidity, for their enterprises they would be seriously hit by the impact and would severely influence their companies and fracture them!


    Hearts were palpitating!


    But they were struck with helplessness!


    This was the deepest and truest portrait to depict their hearts.


    A trace of a disappointed expression was revealed on the young auctioneer¡¯s elegant face, Xiao Ai. Despite the 2.3 billion price already exceeding her expectations, she still hoped to sell the island at a higher price.


    In contrast, the fat middle-aged man was in the opposite mood as a smile emerged on his face; a proud expression could be seen on his complexion. His vision swept over to the last bidder, the old man, and then subconsciously glanced at Tang Xiu.


    ¡°2.5 billion!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s voice finally reverberated inside the auction venue.


    In just a split second, everyone inside the auction venue showed a very strange expression. Not even one of them had ever thought that Tang Xiu, who couldn¡¯t buy the 1000-year-old wild ginseng before, was now participating in this private island auction. He even bidded with such outrageously sky high price.


    _Did he have so much money?_


    _From where did he get so much courage?_


    _Furthermore¡­_


    _Who was he?_


    Each and every question surged and bubbled up inside everyone¡¯s mind.


    Miao Wentang, Shao Mingzhen, and even the immortal-manner-like Dao Master Ziyi who were sitting beside Tang Xiu, were shocked and shaken by Tang Xiu¡¯s courage. They looked at Tang Xiu in disbelief. And never once did they expect that Tang Xiu was able to come up with so much money!


    Shao Mingzhen gently touched Miao Wentang and whispered: ¡°You persuade him as not to act recklessly in this place. The hidden big boss behind this auction is very powerful, and someone we must absolutely avoid to offend.¡±


    * * *


    Notes:


    It¡¯s been 8 months since I began translating Chinese novels. First novel was _Demon God_ of which I¡¯ve already dropped it due to some trolls who flooded my email and accused that I deliberately slowed down the pace to get donation money, the second is _The Lame Daoist Priest_ which is being continued by Pangpang. The third is _Great Dao Commander_ which now being suspended and waiting for its publishing issues to be resolved. And the last is this _Returning from the Immortal World_. Each and every chapter I¡¯ve translated are for free and I¡¯ve never gotten any payment for them. Our team has never gotten even a dime including the ads revenue, since all of them go to server upgrade and maintenance. I feel the need to tell all the readers about this, in case that someone is wondering whether we accept any financial compensation for our works.


    However, apart from that note, we¡¯ve reached 100 chapters for _Returning from the Immortal World_. I don¡¯t know whether I can continue translating this novel or not due to publishing issues and such. However, I might slow down the translation speed to 7 chapters a week to a maximum of 12 chapters with sponsored chapters. It¡¯s because I need to carefully plan my schedule in real life. I have a family with 7 children (5 of them are adopted), and I¡¯m also working and must manage my business for 8-12 hours a day, 5 days a week.


    I didn¡¯t have a plan to accept donation at first though. However, recently I¡¯ve found other uses for the donation money, that is, donating the money back to social activities I¡¯m currently engaging in real life. For all the donors that have donated for the sponsored chapters, I sincerely give my thanks to all of you. And I want to tell you that the donations¡¯ shares I have received, all have been donated back to the orphanage from where I adopted my foster children. So, once again, I thank you both from me and on their behalf.


    For the rest of the novels beside RFTIW, I¡¯ll resume translating them if some issues regarding the rights have been resolved. And truthfully, RFTIW might be entering these ¡°rights¡± circle too. However, whatever will be, will be¡­ since I¡¯m not really that disturbed if I must drop the novels I¡¯m currently translating because of stealing, poaching, or due to translating and publishing issues. I don¡¯t own the novel, neither do I have the intention to have meaningless talks and fights over them.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 101

    Chapter 101: The Owner


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Miao Wentang¡¯s lower lip wriggled as he secretly sighed inside. Then he pulled Tang Xiu¡¯s sleeve and whispered, ¡°Tang¡­ Tang Xiu, don¡¯t mess with this auction! If you don¡¯t have enough money and fake the price, not only will you get fined with a huge collateral, but you will also get a terrible shot from this auction house. The Big Boss behind this Violet Redbud Auction is a very powerful person.¡±


    An outlined curve was revealed on Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth corner as he glanced at his phone screen which displayed a short message. He then said with a faint smile, ¡°Relax, I will do nothing without discretion and consideration about my ability!¡±


    Miao Wentang gasped, as he then gave up persuading him any further.


    He felt that Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t have that much money. Even if Tang Xiu was very powerful, but his age, after all, said otherwise. He was too young, in his 20s or so. Even if his family was very rich, it was impossible to transfer him that much.


    At the front row¡­


    A smile and proud expression on the fat middle-aged man¡¯s face froze in a flash. With difficulty, he turned his head, and the moment he saw Tang Xiu, he directly jumped from his seat and loudly snapped in a stern voice, ¡°Nonsense! He must intentionally be disturbing the auction. I don¡¯t believe he could put out 2.5 billion to buy this island.¡±


    His words were what most people at the auction venue approved and agreed on as the talks then sounded again.


    ¡°Huh!? How old is he? He¡¯s way too young! How could he possibly have 2.5 billion to buy that island? This auction is not a joke. Doesn¡¯t he know the consequences of orchestrating the price?¡±


    ¡°Bah! Youngsters nowadays really have no discretion. The Nine Dragons Island¡¯s price to buy now is neither 250 thousand nor 2.5 million yuan! It¡¯s 2.5 billion. Even amongst everyone present right now, I¡¯m sure that 4 out of 5 of everyone¡¯s assets will not amount to this number.¡±


    ¡°Has this kid¡¯s head been kicked by a donkey? Before this, the fat man had snatched the 1000-year-old wild ginseng from him. Could it be that he harbors resentment and now intentionally increased the price? Hasn¡¯t he noticed that the fatty has reached his limit and cannot increase the price again?¡±


    ¡°Foolish guy, I really don¡¯t know what he is thinking! For a grudge, even to open such a big joke, he probably is afraid to ride the tiger, it will hemophilus.¡±


    ¡°Fool ¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    With his sharp hearing, Tang Xiu could clearly hear all the talks in the surrounding. However, he said nothing, and only the smile on his face was slowly fading away.


    The auctioneer, Xiao Ai¡¯s heart was full of worry right now. She was crystal clear about one thing¡ª if Tang Xiu finally obtained the rights to buy the Nine Dragons Island and then turned out to be unable to put up so much money, then this auction would be doomed. Not only would she be unable to get her percentage of the sold auctioned items, it would smear and make her reputation in the auction business plummet.


    However, she was also perfectly aware of the fact that when the auction is being carried on, she had neither the rights nor the authority to inquire about the amount of money Tang Xiu had.


    What should she do now?


    With a helpless expression, the auctioneer, Xiao Ai, looked at the fat middle-aged man, before her vision fell on Tang Xiu.


    The fat middle-aged man glared at Tang Xiu as he loudly shouted once again, ¡°Miss Auctioneer, I suggest to make that kid prove that he has sufficient funds. Otherwise, not only will your auction house be thoroughly discredited, but you will also make all the auction¡¯s guests disappointed.¡±


    The auctioneer looked deeply at Tang Xiu, as she finally replied to the fat middle-aged man with a helpless expression, ¡°Sir, I¡¯m really sorry. I don¡¯t have the rights to do that.¡±


    Tang Xiu blatantly ignored the fat middle-aged man and instead spoke to the auctioneer, ¡°Now I want to ask, if in any case someone makes trouble intentionally in the auction house, what kind of measure will your action house do? For example, for someone who takes defeat with bad grace and becomes a sore loser. Such as this fatty who is just like a dog jumping the wall out of desperation.¡±


    ¡°Fucking punk, you¡¯re courting your own death!¡±


    The fat middle-aged man was burning with fury as he angrily glared and roared at Tang Xiu.


    The auctioneer Xiao Ai was very frightened as she quickly stepped forward and said, ¡°Sir, regardless if the other gentleman is able to buy item or not, since he has already bidded then our auction house will do the transaction about the auctioned item with him. Moreover, this matter is between our auction house and that gentleman and you have no rights to interfere. Please go back to your seat, we will continue the auction. I would like to ask you, do you want to increase the price?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The fat middle-aged man¡¯s complexion flushed crimson. He was filled with anger, but there was nothing he could vent his anger to. Although he did have some background and strength, but he didn¡¯t dare to go against this auction house. He could only choose to submit in humiliation and swallow his anger as he silently sat down.


    The auctioneer Xiao Yi felt relieved. However, when she saw the fat middle-aged man no longer bidded, she felt slightly disappointed, but still said, ¡°Present offer for the Nine Dragons Island is 2.5 billion. Are there any other bids? If not, this Nine Dragons Island will be sold to that gentleman.¡±


    No one spoke¡­


    Everyone looked at Tang Xiu as they wanted to wait for the result.


    ¡°Then, I hereby announce that the right of ownership for Nine Dragons Island is sold to the last bidder gentleman. Sir, please take your identity card and follow me to the backstage to continue with the transaction formalities.¡± The auctioneer¡¯s vision fixated at Tang Xiu as she spoke with an anticipating expression.


    Tang Xiu got up and walked toward the back of the auction venue.


    The fat middle-aged man also suddenly stood up as he looked at Tang Xiu with a bitter and hateful expression as he exclaimed, ¡°Everybody, don¡¯t go first. Let¡¯s follow backstage and have a look! I want to see whether this punk who still hasn¡¯t grown his hair can put out 2.5 billion.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s go and see.¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s take a look at the results!¡±


    ¡°OK, let¡¯s go!¡±


    No one chose to leave as everyone swarmed over toward the backstage. They really wanted to know whether Tang Xiu was able to put out that much money. If he really could pay it, they also could witness this sky high price transaction.


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen looked at each other with forced smiles, as they also followed the crowd toward the backstage. If it were 1.8 billion, they were also able to amass the money to help Tang Xiu paid it. But such a huge sum of money of 2.5 billion, even if they wanted to provide it, it would be very difficult.


    At the auction venue backstage.


    The manager already knew about the whole processing matter. His eyes swept the crowds first before finally fell on Tang Xiu as he said with a smile, ¡°Mr. Tang, congratulations.¡±


    ¡°Mmm!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded his head as he handed the bank card and said, ¡°Transfer the money!¡±


    The manager took the bank card and summoned several assistants as he quickly handled the transfer to the account. When 2.5 billion had been transferred, he immediately motioned his several assistants to help Tang Xiu finish the transaction procedures, filling purchase contracts, and other formalities.


    ¡°F-For real?¡­ He really bought it?¡±


    The fat middle-aged man was dumbfounded. The people who had secretly mocked Tang Xiu before were also stunned. They were staring with a dull expression at Tang Xiu, who was being guided by the auction house¡¯s staff to handle various kinds of procedures. Each and every one of them looked at each other in dismay, as embarrassment emerged out on their faces.


    Who told them to play with face? Tonight, this auction had shown what was called to play with face.


    The fat middle-aged man was so ashamed he almost looked for a spot to drill and bury himself into. Those other people also felt like as though they were mercilessly being slapped with an invisible pair of palms. Even Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen were secretly tongue-tied, confused, and felt ashamed for the first time.


    Thus, the Violet Redbud Auction had finally ended satisfactorily.


    After having gone through various procedures, a large number of guests swarmed over to Tang Xiu to express their goodwill. Since these people had a very influential identity in the country, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to easily offend them, as he reluctantly greeted them and asked to be excused with difficulty. Then, he, Miao Wentang, Shao Mingzhen, and Dao Master Ziyi quickly left.


    Half an hour later.


    Inside the presidential suite at the top floor of the 5 star Jarvis Hotel, Tang Xiu transferred back the 80 million loan to Jia Ruidao. He then called Chen Zhizhong and asked for his bank account and transferred back 500 million to him. Now, there was only 90 million yuan left in Tang Xiu¡¯s bank account.


    ¡°2.5 billion yuan in debt!¡±


    After having handled these matters, Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but smack his own lips.


    The common saying might say that many was afraid to get bitten by lice, but they stopped worrying when debts were up to their ears. [1]


    But this sentence was but very inappropriate for Tang Xiu. He had always been making distinctions between gratitude and grudges, and marking the distinct line between private and others rights. Although Chen Zhizhong was his unofficial disciple, but their personal relationship was not to be mixed with their private property. And this money was not filial piety on behalf of Chen Zhizhong for him.


    ¡°It is really imperative to accelerate the plan for making money.¡±


    Tang Xiu went to the window as he looked at curtain of the night, watching the vault dome of as all kinds of thoughts surged up inside his mind. Quite a long time passed as he recalled something and left his suite room and went to knock on the next presidential suite.


    Inside the next presidential suite.


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen didn¡¯t directly go to rest as they were sitting in a bright-lit living room. Whilst smoking their cigarettes, they were chatting at the same time.


    ¡°Brother Shao, I¡¯m extremely curious about Tang Xiu¡¯s identity. The more I investigate about him, the more I feel that he is very mysterious to the point that it¡¯s unfathomable.¡± Miao Wentang¡¯s eyes almost popped out as he said with a spooked tone.


    Shao Mingzhen smile, ¡°You¡¯re not the only to have this kind of feeling. I got some info that Tang Xiu comes from an ordinary family, a single parent family at that, and no big background. The fact that I can¡¯t believe is that he became an idiot for a year after having been in a car accident. You tell me, could an idiot create such huge sensations?¡±


    Miao Wentang nodded and said, ¡°His life story is simply like a piece of white canvas, even if some color filled the canvas recently. It was only his contact with the Long Family from Star City. But the things I most want to know is, who is his Master¡¯s school background? I did have someone investigate about it, but there¡¯s not the slightest clue at all.¡±


    Shao Mingzhen nodded as he sighed and exclaimed, ¡°True! I really want to know where his teacher comes from! Such a powerful master who could teach such a powerful young genius. And tonight, he spent 2.56 billion yuan. This number, even for us is a huge sum amount of money. But he can get it easily. That reminds me that I¡¯m also very curious of the source from where he got that money.¡±


    Miao Wentang¡¯s complexion moved and then asked, ¡°Mmm, should I ask someone to check it? I believe that he should be able to find the source of the money.¡±


    Shao Mingzhen shook his head and spoke seriously, ¡°Don¡¯t! Tang Xiu can get such a huge amount of money, and this implies that there¡¯s a powerful figure we don¡¯t know behind him. If he found out that we sent someone to investigate, I¡¯m afraid that it will anger him. We only slightly know him, and our friendship is not deep enough. And doing that will ruin it.¡±


    ¡°Ah! It¡¯s true.¡±


    Miao Wentang helplessly sighed.


    Shao Mingzhen then slowly spoke, ¡°We don¡¯t need to go as far as deeply investigating Tang Xiu¡¯s identity and such. The most important thing for us now is to deepen our relationship with him. And this will bring more benefits than disadvantages. Tomorrow we¡¯ll leave for the Evil Dragon Sea Area. We¡¯ll have to fight side by side, and it¡¯s a good chance to deepen our relationship. We must grab this chance.¡±


    ¡°Yup, it¡¯s a good opportunity to make a fortune.¡±


    When Miao Wentang heard it, he replied with a grinning smile.


    [1] It¡¯s a common saying, but roughly meant like that. The raws are not too clear if literally translated. So I basically write the meaning. The line in the raws also could be translated roughly to _When you¡¯re covered with lice, you don¡¯t itch_ _£»_ _when you¡¯re up to your ears in debt, you stop_


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 102

    Chapter 102: Humbly Asking for Guidance


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Knock knock¡­¡±


    The knocking sounds on the door interrupted Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen¡¯s conversation. They glanced at each other whilst a puzzled expression was cast on their faces. Who was knocking their door this late?


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you haven¡¯t rested? ¡±


    Miao Wentang opened the door and was surprised to see Tang Xiu standing outside.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°There is something I wish to ask you.¡±


    Miao Wentang replied with a smile, ¡°Come in, let¡¯s talk inside!¡±


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu sat at on the opposite side of Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen, saying, ¡°Could the two of you tell me about your identity? Besides, tomorrow we will rush to the Evil Dragon Sea Area. We¡¯ll cooperate and fight together. And truthfully, I know nothing about the two of you.¡±


    Miao Wentang smiled and replied, ¡°I¡¯m Haiqing¡¯s Miao Family¡¯s patriarch and also the president of the Miao Group. My Master is Daoist En Hui. He has passed away a few years ago and I¡¯m now a loose cultivator.¡± [1]


    Shao Mingzhen followed, ¡°I¡¯m a free man, blown by the wind to drum and run a venture company. Originally, I was a martial artist, and only later on did I find half of an ancient manual about cultivation by chance. Only then did I begin to tread on the cultivation path.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯m a student and am about to participate in College Entrance Test. As for my cultivation path background, it¡¯s very complicated, so I could only tell the two of you later.¡±


    Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, both of them were slightly disappointed. However, they were experienced people, and astute enough not to probe further.


    Tang Xiu then told them his purpose for coming late and disturbed them as he then humbly asked, ¡°The two of you have been swimming for many years in society. Your identities are also not ordinary. So I would like to ask to the two of you, how do I manage a private island?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    They looked at each other. Although they had quite unordinary identities, but they don¡¯t have a private island, so how would they know about a private island¡¯s management?


    Tang Xiu asked in astonishment, ¡°You two have no idea about it?¡±


    ¡°Cough, cough, cough!¡±


    Miao Wentang coughed dryly a few times as he then spoke with a forced smile, ¡°We do know nothing about it. However, I think that managing a private island shouldn¡¯t be a difficult problem. Nowadays, it¡¯s easy for the wealthy to handle things. You can spend a hefty sum of money to hire a professional steward and let him handle all affairs on the island.¡±


    ¡°Steward?¡±


    Tang Xiu patted his forehead as he also secretly sighed. His head seemed to be muddled for a moment.


    He also had an excellent steward when he was in the Immortal World, who had been following him for more than 6,000 years. Most of his domestic affairs were managed by that steward.


    The only thing left was that about the candidate¡­


    Tang Xiu got quite a headache. Hiring a steward was a good method, but where would he find a loyal and competent steward or housekeeper? Who can also stay on an isolated island in the Pacific Ocean?


    Looking at Tang Xiu¡¯s expression, Miao Wentang also understood his thoughts as he probed and continued, ¡°Or I can help you find one; stewards from England are the best. As long as you have enough money, you can hire the most famous steward in the world.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Well, let¡¯s forget this issue first and talk about it later!¡±


    The next day¡­


    A freighter docked at Jingmen Island Port, as it anchored and then set sail afterward. Miao Wentang arranged this cargo ship from his contacts on Jingmen Island. It was for transporting fierce beasts bodies later. Apart from Tang Xiu¡¯s group of four, there were only more than a dozen ship crewmen and 2 chefs.


    The sky was clear blue, as the cool breeze was gently blowing.


    Tang Xiu came to the stern alone and then sat cross-legged on the deck. He silently cultivated the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis. Even though it was daytime, he could still absorb a faint amount of starlight. Inside his body the 9 spheres of stars quietly revolved as they released brilliant rays of lights, whilst absorbing the influx of Star Force.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    In the middle of cultivating, Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion suddenly moved.


    Previously, he found that the stars¡¯ energy he had absorbed didn¡¯t have any fire attribute attached. And today, the sun shined brightly and the power of the stars he was absorbing mainly came from the sun¡¯s lights, which brought along a trace of fire element.


    _¡°The Heaven and Earth divided into Yin and Yang whilst the universe is divided into 2 poles.¡±_


    _¡°The blending harmony of Yin and Yang will sculpt the unpolished gem into perfection.¡±_


    This idea emerged within Tang Xiu¡¯s mind. The stars¡¯ power he had absorbed inside his body became like a burning flame and boiled water as it began to crazily surge. The nine spheres of stars transformed as it created a Yin-Yang formation pattern in the next moment, as the star force flare up and underwent a fundamental change.


    The star force turned into a fog-like appearance as the nine spheres of stars swallowed at the same time, whilst spurting out streams of gloomy streams of qi. Tang Xiu easily controlled the stream current and directed it into his meridian channels. In accordance with the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis, it began to revolve inside the route lines and crazily surged up.


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s body crazily trembled as piercing pains gushed out from his meridians. His meridian channels were as though thin tissues as they were easily torn, and created an opened breach in the channel. The gloomy qi easily filled it, nourishing, and repairing the channel. Along with the influx of the gloomy qi, the newly repaired meridian channels began to expand, tear, and then get repaired again.


    The process continued once again and moved in into an endless cycle!


    Tang Xiu lost touch with time and forgot everything about the world.


    Endless pain, he dared to say that never once had he encountered such terrible pains. The initial pain came only from his meridian channels and continued from the flesh and blood. Along with the passage of time, the pains struck him from everywhere; an indescribable pain was surging up from the depths of his soul.


    Thousands of stars in the depths of the vast universe vibrated together, even the dim planets without lusters, forming halos on their surfaces. The formation was as though a gigantic network as it released layer after layer of countless energy, spreading toward Earth with rapid speed.


    ¡°Boom¡­¡±


    At this moment, the bottomless shining sun¡¯s brightness surged on Earth as the temperature was increased by 10 degrees in a short time of 7 or 8 breaths.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    In every corner of the earth, hundreds of millions of people looked up at the sky with a perplexed and bewildered expression.


    In South East China waters¡­


    Tang Xiu was still sitting on a freighter as all the crews and chefs showed bewildered expressions. Heatwaves were surging up and rolling as their bodies began to sweat heavily. They could clearly feel that the temperature in the surroundings was getting higher.


    ¡°What the fuck is with this deadly heatwave?!¡±


    ¡°Holy shit, it¡¯s too strange! What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°The temperature meter shows 37 degrees. Damn, the temperature is still rising, 38 degrees¡­ 39 degrees¡­ What the fuck is going on? Could it be that this is the end of the world? The temperature has risen to 40 degrees¡­¡±


    ¡°What should we do? Continue sailing to the deep sea?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait first!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Inside the freighter cabin, Dao Master Ziyi, Miao Wentang, and Shao Mingzhen quickly bolted outside the cabin. The moment they arrived at the deck and looked up to the sun in the blue sky, a horror and terrified expression was suddenly cast on their faces.


    This was the first time that they saw the sun this big, and also the first time they felt such an abnormal sun anomaly. It was as though torrential heatwaves were sweeping down from the sky, causing the air temperature above the sea to become hotter.


    ¡°Spiritual Qi fluctuation?¡±


    In that instant, their complexion changed. They were cultivators and were able to keenly sense the spiritual qi in the surroundings. They could feel that a huge spiritual qi surged and flocked toward the back of the ship.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Miao Wentang shouted as his body was as though lightning bolted toward the aft in an instant.


    However, bursts of disbelief emitted from their eyes when they arrived at the aft deck, as their shocked eyes were tightly fixated on Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s him?¡±


    Miao Wentang¡¯s lips squirmed and twitched as if he was seeing a ghost in Tang Xiu. Had it been someone else, perhaps he could barely accept the fact. But the one who created such a worldwide phenomenon turned out to be Tang Xiu. Even though he was personally witnessing it, he still couldn¡¯t accept it.


    Shao Mingzhen¡¯s body was trembling as he struggled with his shivering arm, pointing at Tang Xiu¡¯s back and involuntarily shouted, ¡°H-He¡­ how did he do it? This scene¡­ i-isn¡¯t it way too terrifying?! The temperature keeps rising; it¡¯s not good. We can withstand this temperature, but the ship¡¯s crews won¡¯t be able to bear it.¡±


    Miao Wentang was as if he sobered up from his dream. His complexion was as though someone who just had a tragic event. He felt that he must rush toward Tang Xiu and stop him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡±


    Dao Master Ziyi¡¯s eyes flashed as he moved in an instant to block Miao Wentang and spoke with a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t disturb him. Perhaps this is a huge chance for him. Let¡¯s send the crew to leave first and then come back.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen quickly glanced at each other, and then tacitly nodded as they used their movements to the fullest toward the cabin. After knowing that the ship had spare boats, they immediately brought the sailors and the chefs to board the boat and sailed away to the distance.


    Half an hour later.


    By using life-saving vests, the three of them then returned to the freighter.


    ¡°Dao Master Ziyi, what should we do now? Tens of nautical miles away, the temperature is not as high as here, but it¡¯s already close to 40 degrees. The temperature here is at least 50 degrees. If this keeps going on like this, I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to withstand it either.¡± Miao Wentang was standing on the deck 20 meters away from Tang Xiu as he spoke with a wry smile.


    ¡°Practice and cultivate!¡±


    A strange expression was revealed on Dao Master Ziyi as his fingers pointed to the air and crossed.


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen frowned.


    Cultivate? Meditate here? At this time?


    What joke was this?


    Dao Master Ziyi sat cross-legged as he spoke in a clear low voice, ¡°Are the two of you really idiotic? Do you want to waste such a good opportunity to meditate and cultivate here? The temperature indeed is very high, but we can still withstand it. Aren¡¯t the both you experts who have been practicing for decades? You can¡¯t sense the spiritual qi concentration in the air?¡±


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen¡¯s bodies shook as joyful expressions immediately emerged on their faces.


    Yes! They really could feel the surging, rich spiritual qi. The spiritual qi concentration here was 10 times higher than any other places. Cultivating under this condition would be much faster than their usual practice!


    ¡°Practice!¡±


    They immediately sat cross-legged and began to meditate and cultivate.


    Such a heaven-sent opportunity like this was not something that they wanted to miss. They were cultivation geniuses to begin with. After having challenged the Thousand Revolution Array, they had long wanted to calm their minds and peacefully cultivate, striving to break through their cultivation level.


    [1] Haiqing: Clear Sea. I don¡¯t know if the name refers to a real place since I haven¡¯t heard it.


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 103

    Chapter 103: A Huge Surprise


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Beijing.


    Skyscraper buildings were as though giants¡¯ feet treading on the ground, with the top their heads up in the blue sky. Inside one of the buildings, Andy walked with her high-heeled shoes and opened an office door. Her height was only 1.58m, with a westerner doll-like face, looking delicate and lovely with the contrast of a bust and uplift magnificent plump chest.


    A loli face, but a proud lovable Lolita!


    Andy held a folder on her chest as she came to the desk and knocked on the tabletop, saying, ¡°Boss, the lab¡¯s test results have come out.¡±


    Kang Xia suddenly got up from behind the desk. Whilst taking the folder handed by Andy, she spoke with a deep voice, ¡°What of the results?¡±


    Andy said, ¡°No harmful substances. Chinese medicine ingredients with very strong efficacy.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Happiness was revealed on Kang Xia¡¯s face as she quickly opened the folder.


    Andy sat down on the chair in front of the desk and said with a laugh, ¡°Of course it¡¯s real. The examination reports have clearly stated it. And according to your orders, I also have registered the company at the Bureau of Trade and Industry. The legal owner is Tang Xiu, and for the shares agreement, you need to sign it privately.¡±


    A thoughtful light of wisdom flashed across Kang Xia¡¯s eyes. After having read the documents, she then spoke with a deep tone, ¡°We might have to move from this city since the new company headquarters will be set up in Star City. The first phase of our work is recruiting cosmetics researchers and scientists, renting factories, registering the trademark brands, and packaging the two products. The company and the first phase preparation must be set up within these 2 months.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡± Andy made a ¡®no problem¡¯ hand gesture as she said with a sweet smile, ¡°I¡¯ve been idling for a few months, so we can start the first phase. I think that those two guys, Jack and Cruise, absolutely will jump over happily. They must be praising the God loudly and our future Big Boss.¡±


    Kang Xia shared the excitement as she spoke in a high-spirited voice, ¡°Big Boss is interesting, extraordinary at that if I may say. Besides, this is the first time I¡¯m this excited and full of fighting spirit in entering a new workplace. I have long been unable to feel this kind of feeling, but it now has come back again.¡±


    About the man who was about to become her boss, Andy was also full of curiosity. Watching a full of fighting spirit Kang Xia, she curiously asked, ¡°Boss, shouldn¡¯t you contact the boss? It seems like you have yet to give him a definite answer, right?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Kang Xia¡¯s complexion froze for a moment as she took out her mobile whilst speaking with a smile, ¡°Damn, how could I forget about this matter? I¡¯ll contact him right now.¡±


    After a moment¡­


    A slight anger appeared on Kang Xia¡¯s face as she threw her phone on the desk and said, ¡°The phone won¡¯t get through. I¡¯ll call him tonight! You prep all of our things in Beijing. We¡¯ll leave for Star City in 2 days.¡±


    ¡°Consider it done!¡± Andy jumped out her chair, and as though an arrow as she rushed to the outside.


    South China Sea waters¡­


    The stopped freighter was enveloped with surging torrents of heatwaves. A large number of fishes in more than the 10 kilometer perimeter had all been swimming away to all different directions.


    At this moment, Tang Xiu¡¯s mind was bright and clear. He unceasingly meditated and cultivated in accordance with the cultivation techniques¡¯ route lines in the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis. Although the nine spheres of stars inside his body were motionless, they were constantly absorbing the incoming influx of spiritual qi from all directions and the star force from the stars and universe.


    Absorbing, revolving, and transforming!


    Grayish and gloomy matter finally formed. Tang Xiu named it, Star Force. This energy was just like True Essence qi other cultivators were cultivating and was also similar with Immortal force for cultivators who cultivated immortal cultivation techniques. It was basically the foundation and source of energy for cultivators.


    The Star Force inside Tang Xiu¡¯s meridians surged and expanded his meridians channels¡¯ width as well as tempered his meridians¡¯ toughness. It was a painful process, but the result made Tang Xiu very happy.


    10 meters away from Tang Xiu, Dao Master Ziyi, Miao Wentang, and Shao Mingzhen also sat cross-legged meditating on the deck, going all out to absorb Heaven Earth Spiritual Qi which drifted away in all directions. Although their absorbing speed was very fast, but it was not worth mentioning, and simply a minute was though a drop in the bucket for the rich and thick spiritual qi in the surrounding.


    ¡°Puff¡­¡±


    Miao Wentang was the first to open his eyes as an intense surprise stirred inside his eyes. He looked at Tang Xiu with eyes full of gratitude.


    Breakthrough! It had been nearly 2 years since he had been stuck at the previous stage. No matter how hard he had been cultivating before, he always hit a wall in breaking through the next stage.


    ¡°The spiritual qi concentration in this place perhaps could be compared to the legendary immortal cave in fairyland, couldn¡¯t it?¡±


    Miao Wentang¡¯s heart was filled with satisfaction as he secretly praised with admiration.


    Half an hour later¡­


    Shao Mingzhen also awoke from his meditation. Because he also just had a breakthrough in his cultivation stage, he was full of ecstasy, and also felt a deep gratitude toward Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Did you also have a breakthrough?¡±


    Miao Wentang¡¯s complexion moved as he whispered to ask.


    Shao Mingzhen was astonished and said, ¡°Did you also¡­¡±


    Miao Wentang nodded and said, ¡°Practicing and cultivating in this environment rich with spiritual qi is really half the effort with double the result. Having been stuck for 2 years, I was finally able to breakthrough.¡±


    Shao Mingzhen turned around to look at Tang Xiu as he said with a smile, ¡°We now owe Tang Xiu a huge debt! If it was not for him, we wouldn¡¯t know when we would be able to breakthrough.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Miao Wentang agreed, ¡°Previously, I thought that it would at least take a few years of time, so I didn¡¯t expect to breakthrough right now.¡±


    Shortly after, Dao Master Ziyi also awoke from his meditation with a grateful expression in his eyes as he glanced over at Tang Xiu, before his vision finally fell on Miao Wentang and Shao Wentang. He then spoke with a laugh, ¡°Congratulation for the two Benefactors!¡±


    Miao Wentang laughed, ¡°We should say the same.¡±


    Dao Master Ziyi replied with a smile, ¡°Yes, if it wasn¡¯t for Benefactor Tang, this Poor Daoist would perhaps be unable to breakthrough in such a short time. It¡¯s just that, this one is really clueless, what kind of cultivation technique has Benefactor Tang been cultivating? It even caused such a big phenomenon.¡±


    In the evening¡­


    The sunset had fallen in the west horizon, as the sea surface reflected the sunset lights from the red sky in the west horizon. The extremely hot temperature in daytime also gradually receded. Tang Xiu, who was still meditating, awakened from his practice along with his trembling eyelashes.


    ¡°The three of you¡­¡±


    A sudden confused expression was revealed on Tang Xiu¡¯s face after seeing the three people nearby.


    Miao Wentang¡¯s figure flashed and appeared in front of Tang Xiu. With a bright smile hanging on his face, he said, ¡°We have long finished our meditation, and were waiting for you to wake up from your cultivation practice. Originally, I thought that you¡¯d need a few days to finish cultivating. I didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯d finish it now.¡±


    Tang Xiu got up and said, ¡°It¡¯s just that I had been struck with enlightenment, so it took me a long time to meditate. Have we arrived at the Evil Dragon Sea Area?¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t!¡± Miao Wentang shook his head and wryly smiled.


    Tang Xiu was puzzled and replied, ¡°How long have I been practicing? It is already evening, how come we haven¡¯t arrived at the Evil Dragon Sea Area? Isn¡¯t it only 1,000 nautical miles away?¡±


    Miao Wentang pointed at the sea and was at a loss as he didn¡¯t know what to say, before he exclaimed, ¡°Haven¡¯t you noticed that the freighter has stopped? If you hadn¡¯t finished practicing, the three of us would have been ready to pick up the ship crew dozens of nautical miles away and send them back.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t know what kind of circumstances his practice had caused as he immediately asked curiously.


    A while after¡­


    After having listened to Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen¡¯s narration, Tang Xiu was dumbfounded and tongue-tied as his mood fluctuated. He had never dreamed that he would even cause such a worldwide phenomenon.


    ¡°Ah, yes! My cultivation!¡±


    Tang Xiu immediately used his spiritual sense to observe his body¡¯s condition.


    The nine spheres of stars had turned brighter, with dazzling rays of light illuminating the space inside his Dantian. A large number of grayish and gloomy Star Force surged as it linked each unblocked meridian channels inside his body.


    Moreover, all the bones, blood vessels, internal organs, and muscles had all been quenched. Whether it was flexibility or strength, all had been enhanced and had a qualitative leap. It was as though every part of his body was brimming with explosive power. He was once a Supreme in the Immortal World and was especially keen in accurately gauging strength. He gently waved his fist and could feel the degree of strength he possessed right now.


    It was 6,000 pounds! He nodded with satisfaction. 6,000 pounds of strength meant that his strength had been promoted twice from last time. He originally had to achieve the peak of the Skin Strengthening Late Stage before his strength was enhanced to 6,000 pounds. But even if he had yet to breakthrough into the Skin Strengthening Stage, he already had such powerful strength.


    _¡°By the time I have reached the Skin Strengthening Late Stage, to what degree will my strength increase to?¡±_


    Tang Xiu secretly looked forward about it inside his heart.


    More than an hour later, the four of them used GPS devices and found the crew and cooks who had been starving all day long and took them back to the freighter. They didn¡¯t explain the phenomenon that happened today and only told them that their rewards would be doubled when they had finished the assignment.


    The next day in the evening¡­


    The freighter rushed to the Evil Dragon Sea Area and found a small marine trench in the middle of three islands. However, because it was night, they didn¡¯t immediately rush to find fierce beasts but drank and ate to their full in order to conserve their strength and spirit, waiting until tomorrow dawn before they moved again.


    A chilling wind was blowing, as the shadow of the moon whirled and danced.


    Tang Xiu was standing on the bow deck, looking at the distance toward the nearby islands. He somewhat sensed a dangerous feeling. He couldn¡¯t clearly explain what kind of dangerous feeling it was. But it indeed existed. He could tell that there should be a terrifying and ominous existence on the three islands. It was the kind of fierce existence the present him was unable to face right now.


    Moreover, the others might be unaware of it, but he could sense Death Qi nearby, and it was much stronger than any other places. This meant that a large number of humans or beasts had died here.


    ¡°The heavens¡¯ blessing is immeasurable! Benefactor Tang wants to see the island?¡±


    Dao Master Ziyi silently appeared at Tang Xiu¡¯s side as he spoke with a smile.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°In the next few years, maybe I will rush to the three islands. But now, it¡¯s not that I want to go, but I don¡¯t even dare to go there.¡±


    ¡°Why would you say that?¡± Dao Master Ziyi asked with a confused expression.


    Tang Xiu said indifferently, ¡°There¡¯s a large Feng Shui array formation on those three islands. This formation array is extremely abstruse and wonderfully deployed. If someone landed on the island, he would be fine as long as he moved around the periphery. But once he rushed deeper, perhaps he wouldn¡¯t be able to return.¡±


    ¡°Is that real?¡±


    Dao Master Ziyi originally planned to go to the island to hunt. However, after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, a sense of danger immediately sprouted in his heart. Tang Xiu was after all someone who was able to breakthrough to the sixth layer of the Thousand Revolution Array, which meant that his attainments information arrays were definitely terrifying. If what he said was true, then he really couldn¡¯t go deep into those three islands.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Tang Xiu calmly replied.


    For a long while, Dao Master Ziyi was silent, before he spoke with a wry smile, ¡°In that case, we can only move about its periphery. In fact, this Poor Daoist knew from an ancient book that the fierce beasts¡¯ level on those three islands is much higher compared to the fierce beasts¡¯ level in this marine trench.¡±


    *[Long Taos]: side characters in Chinese operas who perform acrobatics and fight scenes


    *[12.47 to 13.07]: don¡¯t ask me about the tree sap

 Chapter 104

    Chapter 104: Hunting and Killing Fierce Beasts


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu shrugged his shoulders and calmly said, ¡°One must do what one can. Even if high-level fierce beasts brings more advantages to us, but still, we have to stay alive to enjoy it.¡±


    ¡°True!¡±


    Dao Master Ziyi lightly swayed his duster with an approval expression on his face. He has been living for quite a long time and was very old. Countless of times, he had seen people rush for treasures that cost them their lives. It was as people said, money is a good thing, but to end up dead after obtaining it is the most sorrowful thing.


    After having turned silent for a while, he looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Benefactor Tang, this Poor Daoist has something that has confused this one for a few days and wants to ask you. May this Poor Daoist ask you?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Please do ask.¡±


    Dao Master Ziyi then asked, ¡± Benefactor Tang¡¯s cultivation shouldn¡¯t be high, but why can you cause such a terrifying phenomenon like yesterday? This Poor Daoist has read a large number of ancient literature as well as the records about cultivators, but never once has anyone could cause such a worldwide phenomenon.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I don¡¯t know about it either.¡±


    Dao Master Ziyi quietly waited and observed Tang Xiu for half a minute. After having seen the expressionless face Tang Xiu had, he secretly sighed inside, and then said, ¡°Since Benefactor Tang doesn¡¯t know about it, then let¡¯s just forget it. This Poor Daoist won¡¯t disturb Benefactor Tang any longer, and will go to rest first¡­¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t rest right now.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes suddenly focused at the distance and lightly said.


    Dao Master Ziyi¡¯s eyebrows slanted and asked, ¡°Benefactor Tang, why do you say such a thing?¡±


    Tang Xiu pointed to the distant sea and said, ¡°More than 10 fierce beasts are approaching from the sea a kilometer away from us. Our freighter is anchored on the shore and the lights clearly have attracted them. Call Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen to come out! We need to lead those fierce beasts away.¡±


    Dao Master Ziyi asked, ¡°Why should we lead them away?¡±


    Tang Xiu lightly said, ¡°If you want your identity as cultivator to create a huge buzz, then you can freely fight those fierce beasts at a close distance here.¡±


    The crewmen?


    Upon hearing it, Dao Master Ziyi realized in that instant.


    Tang Xiu turned his eyes and looked at Dao Master Ziyi¡¯s back before he quickly returned to his cabin. He took the things he had prepared and then jumped down from the bow. With a flick of his toe, he lightly tapped on the sea¡¯s surface and then landed on the shore in just 2 breaths of time. With his fast speed, he traversed 10,000 meters along the coastline and began to quickly lay down formation arrays.


    Before the upcoming scene, he drew paper talismans and also prepared a lot of jades as the array¡¯s foundation. Even before he had arrived, he already had the thoughts to use formation arrays.


    Defense Array!


    Magic Array!


    Killing Array!


    Combining these three kinds of powerful energy into one formation array. It was the simplest and easiest formation to arrange, the Magical Killing Array.


    Deploying this kind of formation array neither needed spiritual force nor cultivation level. When he was at his peak in the Immortal World, he simply did not need anything, with a wave of his hand, he could create a pattern in the void and was able to deploy a terrifyingly powerful array in a flash.


    Two minutes later.


    Tang Xiu had successfully arranged the Magic Killing Array and used half of the jade and paper talismans.


    ¡°Whizzz¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s figure flashed. When he was about to return to the freighter, he saw Dao Master Ziyi, Miao Wentang, and Shao Mingzhen on the coastline. Dao Master Ziyi was holding his duster with a solemn expression, Miao Wentang with his sword and looked like a firm and steady Mt. Tai, and Shao Mingzhen had a long blade with thick murderous intent.


    ¡°Gentlemen, where are those fierce beasts?¡±


    Tang Xiu had patrolled the sea area, but he couldn¡¯t find any trace of fierce beasts.


    Miao Wentang pointed to the sea in front and then said, ¡°They dove down and have yet to attack temporarily. All the crewmen are asleep and I have switched off the entire ship¡¯s electrical power. Those fierce beasts can only guess the freighter¡¯s approximate position, so they haven¡¯t attacked.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°What are those fierce beasts?¡±


    A touch of forced smiled appeared on Miao Wentang¡¯s face as he said, ¡°White Alligator! It¡¯s a pre-sociality White Alligator.!¡±


    White Alligator?


    Tang Xiu looked at Miao Wentang with a puzzled expression and asked, ¡°Are these fierce beasts very powerful? Is their level very high?¡±


    He had roamed through the Immortal World and knew the fierce beasts¡¯ classes distinction. However, about Earth¡¯s fierce beasts, he did not know whether there was a distinction regarding their classes.


    Miao Wentang then said, ¡°They¡¯re a 2nd Class fierce beast and are very strong. If I encountered one of them, I could perhaps face it. But if I have to face 2 or 3 2nd Class fierce beasts, I¡¯m afraid that running away is the only option for me.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Explain to me about the fierce beasts¡¯ classes distinction.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know about it?¡±


    Miao Wentang asked in astonishment.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m not too clear about it.¡±


    Miao Wentang said, ¡°Fierce beasts are divided into three classes. The ones which just opened their spiritual wisdom would have their strength and speed greatly strengthened are 1st Class fierce beasts, and also called as junior fierce beasts. The 2nd Class has the intelligence of an 7 or 8-year-old child, and are able to fight 10 1st Class fierce beasts easily. The 3rd Class fierce beasts have a mature spiritual wisdom and are absolutely a terrifying existence and very rare in numbers with extremely powerful attacking power. Even if Brother Shao and I were to join together, we perhaps would be unable to fight these 3rd Class fierce beasts. I have never come across 3rd Class fierce beasts, and have only encountered 2nd Class fierce beast twice. Since my cultivation was not high back then, I could only run away in both occasions.¡±


    Dao Master Ziyi shook his head and said, ¡°There are also the 4th Class fierce beasts. I have seen the records in the ancient books. There are records in history that 4th Class fierce beasts had appeared and scourged the world. The 4th Class fierce beasts are called Monster Beasts. Not only is their body strength and speed enhanced to the point of terror, but they are also able to control the force of nature and cast magical arts or spell.¡±


    ¡°It really exists?¡±


    Shocked expression revealed on Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen¡¯s complexion.


    Dao Master Ziyi said, ¡°Yes!


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I understand. Then, we need to be vigilant and pay attention to our safety. Once those White Alligators appear, we will immediately direct them to the left side, 10,000 meters along the coastline. I¡¯ve arranged a formation array there, so it would be much easier to hunt and kill them.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡±


    The three of them were overjoyed.


    10 minutes later, Tang Xiu and the 3 others¡¯ complexion changed, because more than 20 White Alligators were surfacing from the sea. Those White Alligators¡¯ body was snow white and their bodies were a few times bigger than that of ordinary alligators¡¯.


    ¡°The fierce beast number is way too many. We cannot delay and entangle them. We need to quickly to lure them in into the formation array Tang Xiu has deployed.¡± Dao Master Ziyi said with a grave expression.


    Shao Mingzhen leaped up as his body was as though an arrow as he bolted toward those White Alligators. The long blade in his hand quickly slashed ruthlessly at the front most White Alligator at 10 meters away.


    ¡°Boom¡­¡­¡±


    That white crocodile had long been aware of the bolting Shao Mingzhen. Its body quickly fell down to dive, trying to avoid Shao Mingzhen¡¯s strike. However, Shao Mingzhen¡¯s speed was extremely fast as his long blade split opened the sea¡¯s surface and directly hit the White Alligator¡¯s back. Even though Shao Mingzhen did his best with his long blade, his wrist was numb and was unexpectedly only able to break the White Alligator¡¯s scales, giving it some injuries but did not directly killed it.


    More than 20 White Alligators nearby, locked onto Shao Mingzhen as their target at the same time as they swarmed over toward him.


    ¡°Leave¡­¡±


    Shao Mingzhen did not prolong the fight and instantly rushed back.


    Tang Xiu strode fast like an arrow whilst clamping a yellow paper talisman in his hand. The moment Shao Mingzhen was rushing back to the shore, he poured his Star Force through his arm into the paper talisman and instantly released it. A localized lightning was suddenly cast 10 meters in front as it quickly branched out and stroke at a few White Alligators that chased in the back.


    ¡°Plop, plop, plop¡­¡±


    The scales of those few White Alligators were torn to pieces by the lightning, as sorrowful and miserable howls followed.


    At the same time, a few branched lightning hit the seawater. Since water had a conductor characteristic, the electrical power suddenly made a few White Alligators in the surrounding froze for a moment and slow down their speed.


    ¡°Lightning Symbol?¡±


    Shao Mingzhen and the other two¡¯s complexion changed, as their eyes looked at Tang Xiu with a blazing expression. Although they were people who also walked on the cultivation path, they were unable to draw magical symbols and could not manufacture these legendary lightning symbols.


    ¡°Do not fall into a daze! Those White Alligators have been enraged, lure them in into the formation array I have deployed!¡± Tang Xiu quickly rushed back as he hurled toward the left side of the coast.


    Within nearly 10 minutes¡­


    The four of them strove hard and spent a lot of effort. Only after 24 White Alligators had approached within 10,000 meters of the Magic Killing Array did Tang Xiu step into the formation, as he shouted with a deep tone, ¡°The three of you quickly follow me! Pay attention to my steps and tread on my footprints.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    Although the three of them did not know the might of formation array arranged by Tang Xiu, but they did not dare to be negligent as they followed behind Tang Xiu in accordance with his instructions and stepped into the Magic Killing Array.


    24 White Alligators quickly crawled out from the sea extremely fast. The speed was even faster by several folds than that of an ordinary person¡¯s. In just a few breaths, they already rushed into the formation array.


    Inside the Magic Killing Array, Tang Xiu quickly explain the most basic line routes to move inside the formation array to the other three and then rushed alone to hide in the core position. Although his strength was enhanced by two folds, but he was still unable to contend with 2nd Class fierce beasts. If he did not use his Lightning Symbols, even if he could kill a White Alligator, he would perhaps have to pay for it with his life.


    Tang Xiu stood still at the array¡¯s core as he looked at the White Alligators inside the Magic Killing Array. They were as though leaderless houseflies that have been scattered all over the place, as a curved line was revealed on his mouth. At his position, he could clearly see all the scenes inside the Magic Killing Array, but the others and the White Alligator could not see him.


    Shao Mingzhen and Miao Wentang¡¯s fighting strength was quite astonishing. Although, in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes, their movements were rough and did not know how to fight with fighting techniques and strategies, but due to their high cultivation, their strength was greatly enhanced. They constantly fought together to face one White Alligator because they knew the Magic Killing Array¡¯s killing technique characteristic and completely moved accordingly to Tang Xiu¡¯s instruction. Thus, they were not hit by the Magic Killing Array¡¯s killing strikes, unlike the unlucky White Alligators.


    Inside the Magic Killing Array, sword blade light projections appeared out of thin air with each and every sword blade strike, adding injuries to the White Alligators.


    As for Dao Master Ziyi, he constantly waved the duster in his hand. Every time his duster hit a White Alligator, a bang sound could be heard. It was obvious that every blow sent by Dao Master Ziyi was lethally powerful.


    Half an hour later¡­


    The 24 White Alligators had all been killed.


    Shao Mingzhen, Miao Wentang, and Dao Master Ziyi also had received some minor injuries.


    Tang Xiu removed the Magic Killing Array as he glanced over the White Alligators¡¯ corpses everywhere. A satisfied smile appeared on his face since according to their agreement, all the killed fierce beasts would be divided equally, which meant that he would get 6 White Alligators¡¯ corpses. One 2nd Class White Alligator¡¯s body could aid his cultivation into the Skin Strengthening Late Stage. As for the remaining 5 White Alligators¡¯ corpses, he thought that it would be enough for him to cultivate into the Flesh Strengthening and Bone Transformation Stage.

 Chapter 105

    Chapter 105: A Warm and Caring Mother


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Benefactor Tang, our luck is really good. We just arrived here and have hunted and killed so many 2nd Class fierce beasts. I think it¡¯s already sufficient. Then, shall we return?¡± Dao Master Ziyi went in front of Tang Xiu as he wiped off a trace of bloodstain on the corner of his mouth, asking with a smile.


    Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you still looking for precious ores?¡±


    Dao Master Ziyi said with a wry smile, ¡°If we want to find precious ores, we need to enter the depths of the island. Benefactor Tang doesn¡¯t fear to encounter danger on the island?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu stared blankly for a moment before he gave up his intention to look for precious ores. Although catching a tiger cub, one must enter a tiger den. But if one had known perfectly well that it would only lead to his death and was still impatient to get it, then, he was either not sane in the brain or sleepwalking. And Tang Xiu neither had brain damage nor was he sleepwalking, he would not bite more than he could chew and do something out of his capabilities.


    At least¡­ he would not do it now!


    After having been silent for a moment Tang Xiu said seriously, ¡°Such being the case, then let¡¯s go home. We¡¯ll load these 24 White Alligators onto the ship first!¡±


    Although Miao Wentang had minor injuries, but he was still in deep excitement. Upon hearing Tang Xiu and Dao Master Ziyi¡¯s words, he hastily said, ¡°Going home like this? Although we have hunted and killed 24 fierce beasts, but we have just arrived. It would be quite a waste if we go back now. I just talked with Brother Shao, if we stay for a few more days and look for fierce beasts again, we can kill more.¡±


    Dao Master Ziyi shook his head and said, ¡°Encountering this White Alligator group is our luck. This Evil Dragon Sea Area might have other fierce beasts, but the population is not that many. This group of White Alligators are territorial strong fierce beasts, I think they would not tolerate other fierce beasts living here. If this Poor Daoist¡¯s inference is correct, other fierce beasts in these waters might have been killed or driven away by this White Alligator group.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Miao Wentang was speechless.


    If it were Tang Xiu who said it, perhaps he could refute a bit, since Tang Xiu was after all, too young and had too little experience. But Dao Master Ziyi was older than him and he had experienced a lot of things. Regardless of experience or character, he was someone that he respected.


    Shao Mingzhen said with a laugh, ¡°Since Dao Master Ziyi has said so, then let¡¯s go back! There are 24 2nd Class fierce beasts, so it would be 6 for each one of us. That¡¯s satisfying enough.¡±


    Miao Wentang was somewhat unwilling as he said, ¡°But we have yet to get the precious ores. Wasn¡¯t Dao Master Ziyi the one that said that there are precious ores on the island nearby.¡±


    Dao Master Ziyi replied, ¡°They indeed have it. But Benefactor Tang predicts an ominous existence on these three islands! So, rather than disbelieving it, I chose to believe his words. We must not be greedy and become a greedy man who¡¯s never content because of greediness.¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go back!¡±


    Miao Wentang didn¡¯t want to be despised as a greedy man and said decisively, even though he actually had a slight disapproval. His heart was in disapproval. Human beings would die for riches just as birds would for food. In any case, crises and opportunities had always been coexisting whenever dangers and riches were involved.


    2 hours later, all the 24 White Alligator corpses had all been loaded onto the freighter. Upon seeing those White Alligator corpses, all the crew members were shocked. But since Miao Wentang had them under a sealed contract and promised some rewards, they treated it as though they did not see anything.


    On the way back to Jingmen Island from the South China Sea, Tang Xiu asked Miao Wentang and the others about Jingmen Island¡¯s Medicinal Herb Market situation. And the results made him quite surprised. Therefore, after having returned back to Jingmen Island, Tang Xiu entrusted Miao Wentang to ship the White Alligator corpses to South Gate Town in Star City, while he went alone to Jingmen Island¡¯s Medicinal Herbs Market.


    Since mountains, rivers, and a lot of natural places had developed all over the country¡¯s mainland, a lot of precious herbs became extinct nowadays. But Jingmen Island was different because it was located in the South China Sea with a lot of islands nearby that were still untouched by human hands for many years. They still had a large number of medicinal, precious herbs growing there. Once they were picked up by humans, it would be shipped first to Jingmen Island¡¯s Medicinal Herbs Market.


    Therefore, Jingmen Island¡¯s Medicinal Herbs Market¡¯s size was on par with Beijing and Shanghai Medicinal Herbs Market. Occasionally, there were also extremely valuable herbs, which made countless big buyers and medicinal ingredients merchants flock toward the market.


    Neat and clean.


    This was the first impression Tang Xiu had when he arrived at Jingmen Island¡¯s Medicinal Herbs Market. Booths were placed on both sides of the wide street, with their owners behind the booth greeting all the visitors. Tang Xiu had seen the Medicinal Herbs Market¡¯s layout, and the entire market was divided into 4 areas indicated with A, B, C, and D.


    Area A and B belonged to the booth area, two areas and four streets, with more than 1,000 medicinal ingredient stalls.


    C area and D area belonged to the shop area, which also had four streets, but with only 500 shops.


    There was still 90 million yuan in Tang Xiu¡¯s account. This might look like a huge number, but it was actually few if he wanted to buy a lot of precious herbs. A 1,000-year-old wild ginseng was already extremely expensive to the point that it was appalling. And as for other precious medicinal ingredients, the price probably would not differ by much.


    Therefore, Tang Xiu strolled around in the booth area. The last time he was in Star City¡¯s Medicinal Herbs Market, he got an extremely precious herb there, the Blood Spiral Shell Flower.


    This time, he wanted to buy a large number of medicinal herbs. On one hand, he had to collect medicinal ingredients to concoct the Golden Bell Liquid, and on the other hand, he also had to buy medicine ingredients to concoct the Spirit Condensation Pill. Whether it was the Golden Bell Liquid or the Spirit Condensation Pill, Tang Xiu knew that it would be difficult to gather all the medicinal ingredients he needed. But he also could substitute the ingredients with other medicinal herbs of the same efficacies.


    ¡°Young Big Brother, are you here to buy medicinal ingredients?¡±


    A bearded middle-aged man pushing a cart stopped and asked as he saw Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Yes!


    The bearded middle-aged man said with a laugh, ¡°Young Big Brother wants to buy a lot of medicinal ingredients? If so, how about hiring my ¡°porter¡± service? The price is very cheap.¡±


    Porter?


    Tang Xiu asked inside with some puzzlement. After having heard the bearded middle-aged man¡¯s explanation, only then did he understand that ¡°porter¡± was the service offered by some people for visitors who bought a large number of medicinal herbs as they followed the visitor along with their carts, helping the visitor to carry and load the herbs. He thought for a second as he nodded and asked, ¡°How much?¡±


    With a happy expression, the bearded middle-aged man hastily said, ¡°100 yuan per 2 hours if you only buy a cart of herbs. 200 yuan for 5 hours. If you buy more than one cart, I recommend to directly take a day package of 500 yuan for a day.¡±


    Tang Xiu pondered for moment and then asked, ¡°You¡¯re familiar with this Medicinal Herb Market, yes?¡±


    The bearded middle-aged man said with a grinning smile, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m way too familiar. I¡¯ve been a porter for 8 years here, so I know which stalls have good medicinal herbs, and which ones don¡¯t. I¡¯m crystal clear what herbs the shops have, and which shops that have genuine valuable medicinal herbs. If you buy my porter service, I¡¯ll take the responsibility to become your guide and explain to you about the Medicinal Herbs Market¡¯s situation.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you 1,000 yuan. You¡¯re to be my porter for the day.¡±


    Doubled?


    The bearded middle-aged man was overjoyed. His expression turned more respectful and said with a smile, ¡°Young Big Brother is a good man. I, Zhao Dazhuang, will absolutely make your spending worth it. What medicinal herbs do you need? You can tell me and I¡¯ll take you there in no time.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°You accompany me first! If I can¡¯t find and buy the medicinal herbs I want, then you guide me.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡± The bearded middle-aged man happily complied.


    Two hours later, Tang Xiu had bought all the needed ingredients to concoct the Golden Bell Liquid, and the number he bought each ingredient was 10 times more. The small cart pushed by the bearded middle-aged man was about to be fully filled.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    When Tang Xiu had just finished the last transaction and was prepared to continue buying the other herbs to concoct the Spirit Condensation Pill, he suddenly saw that in the middle of the square, a booth and shop area was surrounded by a lot of people. A lot of people ran from all directions toward that place.


    The bearded middle-aged man followed Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he suddenly shook his head and said with a wry smile, ¡°A 100 year-old mother has always been able to bring up 80 children. A mother surely is the greatest human being in the world. How many times has it been? The 16th time?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    The bearded middle-aged man said, ¡°2 years ago, a mother and daughter came to our Medicinal Herbs Market. The mother was 40-years-old at that time, and her daughter was still very young and very pitiful! She suffers from a strange disease and has always been suffering from pains. In order to cure her daughter¡¯s illness, the mother has travelled to all major cities in the country, looking for famous doctors everywhere. Unfortunately, even though she has met countless Western medical doctors or Chinese medical doctors, nobody was able to cure her daughter¡¯s strange illness.¡±


    ¡°During these 2 years, she always comes with her daughter and takes a spot in the square of this Medicinal Herbs Market, having consultations with all doctors to treat her daughter¡¯s illness. She also announced that anyone who is able to cure her daughter, she would give him millions worth of her family assets.¡±


    ¡°2 years have passed by and not only was she unable to find a godly doctor to cure her daughter, she also has spent most of the 1 million she has. It¡¯s been 2 months since the last time she opened the spot here. The last time, she only had hundreds of thousands of yuan, so now, she should have less.¡±


    Tang Xiu was in a daze as he looked at the bearded middle-aged man. His heart was filled with sorrow and grief. The caring and loving mother¡¯s hands moved along the lines of the jacket on his body, slowly closing the seam button before he left, and reminding him to not return home late.


    Mothers were indeed the greatest humans in the world.


    And the person he missed the most when he was in the Immortal World for 10,000 years was his mother. The thing he was holding in the palm of his hand fell as his mouth was unable to speak the ¡°mother¡± word!


    At this instant, his compassion was moved¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s go there and take a look!¡±


    The moment Tang Xiu finished speaking, he strode to the square between the booth and shop area.


    In the middle-sized square center, a half meter high platform was built whilst a few Medicinal Herbs Market¡¯s security guards were maintaining the order there. A single bed with a curled up and trembling little girl was placed at the center of the 20 square meter platform.


    A graceful middle-aged woman was at the bedside with a pitiful and sad face as she constantly looked around at the crowd with a longing expression.


    ¡°Everyone, the remaining money I have is only 300,000 yuan. I beg whoever is able to cure my daughter. I¡¯ll give all the remaining wealth I have. She¡¯s too young. There should be a lot of Chinese medical doctors at this Jingmen Island¡¯s Medicinal Herbs Market. Please, I beg you!¡±

 Chapter 106

    Chapter 106: Saving a Person


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Traditional Chinese medical knowledge was the country¡¯s essence and crystallization of knowledge. It was a heritage that lasted for the last 5 thousand years and accumulated over generations. The Medicinal Herbs Market in each city has always been a place that Chinese Medical sage doctors who lived in seclusion had always liked.


    Mu Qingping firmly believed this point. So aside from visiting famous doctors everywhere, she also took her daughter to each city¡¯s Medicinal Herbs Market, setting up a platform, and hoping to meet a Sage Doctor amongst countless people in the crowd to cure her daughter¡¯s strange disease.


    And as the saying goes, there must be someone skilled under the attraction of a generous reward.


    Each time Mu Qingping went to the Medicinal Herbs Market, the market¡¯s management office would send people to help her arrange the platform, and a lot of people would come around the platform as she could find someone to consult about her daughter.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try it!¡±


    After Tang Xiu arrived, he squeezed out and pushed from the crowd to the forefront and prepared to step onto the platform.


    ¡°Hey, I came first! And you¡¯re too young! Don¡¯t use this event to gain a name for yourself. Some things you can¡¯t get.¡±


    A middle-aged man in a Chinese tunic suit coldly glanced at Tang Xiu as he then stepped on the platform.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brow slanted as he stood still at the forefront of the crowd and did not talk back.


    On the platform.


    Mu Qingping respectfully asked with an anticipating look, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Chu¡­ Chu Guoxiong.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Dr. Chu. Thank you for coming out to check on my daughter¡¯s case. Would you take a look, please? This is my daughter¡¯s inspection reports for all these years, including the description of the symptoms.¡±


    ¡°Show me!¡±


    Chu Guoxiong nodded. He took a stack of thick inspection reports. After he carefully read for a few minutes, his brows wrinkled and formed a slanted shape. He then came over and sat down in front of the single bed and took the girl¡¯s wrist.


    It was the technique in Traditional Chinese Medical consultation, observing a patient¡¯s condition.


    Chu Guoxiong checked the girl¡¯s pulse for over a minute as he then shook his head and let out a forced smile, sighing, ¡°It¡¯s really strange, I¡¯ve been in the medical field for more than 10 years and have seen countless cases. But never once have I encountered such a strange situation. Her inner body is too cold with long-winded and chaotic meridians, of which, are slightly different than an ordinary person¡¯s. The most important point is her blood vessels. When I just checked her pulse and her arm, there are 5 spots on her arms where the major blood vessel which encompasses several blood vessels in the surroundings. I can sense it that this has caused her to be in a deep and strong sense of pain. This shows that the problems are within her body¡¯s meridians and blood vessels.¡±


    After he spoke, he let go his extended arm as he let out a forced and wry smile and then spoke, ¡°I have no means to treat her without knowing where I should start!¡±


    ¡°Aiih!¡±


    Mu Qingping sighed deeply. The chilly and bitter feeling in her heart was getting stronger. She had always been deeply anticipating and was yet disappointed again and again. And her heart now had already been stimulated to the point of desperation.


    Hundreds of onlookers in the surrounding also shook their head in disappointment. Half of these people had seen this scene at least once. And even a lot of people had seen Mu Qingping set up a platform here for more than 10 times.


    They truly felt sorry for the poor little girl!


    Just like Mu Qingping, they also hoped that a Godly Doctor would come out to cure and solve the pain on the child¡¯s body.


    Chu Guoxiong looked at Mu Qingping with a disappointed expression. After having been silent for a moment, he slowly said, ¡°Maybe there¡¯s one person who¡¯s able to make a definite diagnosis for your daughter¡¯s strange illness. He even has a great possibility to be able to cure her.¡±


    Mu Qingping eyes lightened up as she hastily asked: ¡°Which Divine Doctor is it?¡±


    Chu Guoxiong said: ¡°He¡¯s my Master, Gui Ji¨¤nchou.¡±


    ¡°Wow ¡­¡±


    Half of the people in the surroundings turned noisy. All of them looked at Chu Guoxiong with shocked and disbelieving expression in their eyes. Who did not know the name of the Divine Doctor Gui Ji¨¤nchou in the whole country? And the middle-aged man in front, called Chu Guoxiong, turned out to be Gui Ji¨¤nchou¡¯s apprentice!


    ¡°As the saying goes, a famous teacher always have an outstanding disciple. Even if this Chu Guoxiong has no means to treat the little girl, but his medical skill must be very good.¡±


    ¡°A Divine Doctor¡¯s successor!? Heavens, I really have a good fortune today to be able to see the successor of a Divine Doctor here.¡±


    ¡°The Divine Doctor Gui Ji¨¤nchou has never appeared for nearly 2 decades, where is the old man now?¡±


    ¡°If even a Divine Doctor¡¯s apprentice is unable to cure that little girl, perhaps she has no hopes anymore.¡±


    ¡°Damn, crossing across such a guru here!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Mu Qingping has heard of the famous name of Divine Doctor Gui Ji¨¤nchou for countless of times, as an intense hope then gushed out inside her heart at this time. She then asked with a hopeful expression, ¡°Doctor Chu, your master, where is he right now?¡±


    Chu Guoxiong let out a forced smile and said, ¡°In fact, I don¡¯t know where the Respected Master is right now. He has always been wandering from place to place, even I haven¡¯t seen him in 4 years. But every 5 years, my Master will see me once. If I see my Respected Master again, I will naturally tell him about your circumstances. If he¡¯s willing to act, I will contact you by then.¡±


    Mu Qingping quickly gave her contact details to Chu Guoxiong as she thanked him again and again.


    Tang Xiu was still standing in front of the crowd. Upon seeing that Chu Guoxiong¡¯s diagnosis results, his mind slightly moved and was ready to step onto the platform. When he began to check on the girl¡¯s body, a ridiculing comment came shouted from the crowd.


    ¡°Heh, what a Divine Doctor¡¯s successor!? The way I see it, he¡¯s just a lowly scammer bragging as the Divine Doctor¡¯s disciple. Gui Ji¨¤nchou is indeed a highly respected Divine Doctor, with his moral integrity and medical skill, he¡¯s admirable. However, a Divine Doctor¡¯s successor is actually unable to cure a child, what a joke!¡±


    In the instant, all eyes were focused on the speaker!


    He was a white-haired old man with a goatee beard, sloping upward with eyes full of mockery, with the appearance of a 50 to 60-year-old, and thick cotton clothes with scarves on his neck. The most distinct thing about him was that the shoes he was wearing was a pair of hemp rope sandals.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Chu Guoxiong¡¯s brow deeply wrinkled as he looked at the old man with hostility.


    The old man sneered, ¡°Che, as for who this old man is, you don¡¯t have the qualification to know. If old man Gui Ji¨¤nchou comes, he¡¯s the only one qualified to know this old man.¡±


    Chu Guoxiong¡¯s eyes squinted. He was silent for a moment as he then cupped his hands over and said, ¡°I don¡¯t need to explain more about my Respected Teacher Gui Ji¨¤nchou. But since you look down on me for being unable to solve the little girl¡¯s problem, why don¡¯t you try for yourself to diagnose and treat this little girl? If you can treat her, it will be a great deed and benevolence in itself.¡±


    The old man arrogantly replied, ¡°Since this old man has stood, I will naturally be able to cure her.¡±


    Words had been spoken as he walked onto the platform and sat down by the bedside.


    He read the medical records, observed the girl¡¯s condition, and checked her pulse¡­


    The old man skillfully conducted a series of Traditional Chinese medical checking procedures as the arrogant expression that hung on his face gradually turned slightly solemn as time passed by. When his fingers pressed down the girls¡¯ pulse, his face sank and blackened.


    ¡°Black Ice Veins, Thousand Needles Body.¡±


    After the old man blurted out these six words, he silently got up.


    Mu Qingping¡¯s breathing became more rapid again. Although she couldn¡¯t understand the old man¡¯s words, but she seemed to see some hope as she then hurriedly asked, ¡°Elder, are you able to solve the strange illness my daughter has?¡±


    The old man shook his head and said with a touch of pity in his eyes, ¡°It¡¯s no use. She was born with the Thousand Needles Body and Black Ice Veins within her blood vessels¡¯ network. I can¡¯t cure her, and there¡¯s no time left.¡±


    Mu Qingping¡¯s face greatly dejected as she hastily asked, ¡°Elder, what do you mean? My daughter, she¡­¡±


    The old man replied with a sigh, ¡°I have seen this kind of constitution in an ancient Traditional Chinese medical book. She began to contract this illness about 2 or 3 years ago, didn¡¯t she?¡±


    Mu Qingping¡¯s pupil contracted as she said, ¡°Yes! She was fine more than 2 years ago, but ever since her father had a traffic accident, she got a serious illness when she heard the news and fell into a high fever for 7 days. Then¡­ she became like this.¡±


    The old man said with a hopeless tone, ¡°If she were to be treated within that 7 days, she would perhaps have some hope, but now is too late. Being able to withstand such a painful condition for 2 years, is really¡­ truly a miracle. The pains she has been suffering are not something anyone is able to imagine. I think if it were not because her extremely strong willpower, perhaps she would have ¡­¡±


    Stream of tears burst out from Mu Qingping¡¯s eyes. Never once was she able to know that kind of pain. Her daughter had always been fainting more than 10 times a day, every day, due to the deathly pains. But for every 2 or 3 hours, every time she woke up, she continued to bear that kind of pain.


    ¡°Puff ¡­¡±


    Mu Qingping knelt down in front of the old man as he with teeth bit her lips. Along with the seeping blood, she pleaded earnestly and spoke with cries, ¡°Elder, I beg you to find any means to cure her. As long as you can save and make my daughter healthy again, I¡¯ll do anything and even give my life to you.¡±


    The old man shook his head and said, ¡°This is the limit of what this old man can do. Let alone I, even comes back to life, and reincarnated again, they would also find it difficult to cure her. As for Gui Ji¨¤nchou, even that old man would be unable to cure her. Please listen to my advice, rather than letting her be drowned in that pain every day, it would be better for her to have her leave early¡­ Alas!¡±


    ¡°Impossible!¡±


    Mu Qingping screamed. She suddenly got up from the ground. Her eyes were as though a hungry wild wolf as she stared at the old man and roared, ¡°Impossible! My daughter definitely can be cured, absolutely! You are a damn liar, bastard! Get the fuck out in front of me, get lost¡­ get the hell out¡­!¡±


    She cried, as her voice and tears were as though the wept blood.


    Some tenderhearted people in hundreds of onlookers in the surrounding also began to wipe their tears. They truly felt sad and sorry for that little girl, but they were also crying, getting infected by the piercing and ripping heart¡¯s wails and weeps coming out from Mu Qingping.


    ¡°Can I have my turn now?¡±


    Tang Xiu stepped onto the platform as he spoke indifferently and looked at Chu Guoxiong and the old man with chilling eyes.


    Chu Guoxiong previously wanted to mock at the proud and arrogant old man, but seeing that deeply saddened expression on Mu Qingping¡¯s face, he also felt sad at the same time and gave up that foolish idea to ridicule him.


    However, when he saw Tang Xiu once again, especially upon hearing his words, anger suddenly ignited from the bottom of his heart as he angrily snapped and scolded,


    ¡°Hey kid, did you not understand my words earlier? The money is this child¡¯s life-saving money, it¡¯s not by any means to be swindled by you. You¡¯re this young, but how come you¡¯re this greedy? Don¡¯t you fear that if you cannot cure this child, you will only be disgracing yourself here?¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with an apathetic expression, ¡°If you say so, then if I¡¯m able to cure her, the one who disgrace oneself will be you, won¡¯t it?¡±


    Chu Guoxiong stared blankly for a moment and then immediately ridiculed, ¡°Relying on you to cure her? What a joke! If you can cure this child, I¡¯ll change my name to your surname and I¡¯ll kneel down to you and worship you as a Master.¡±


    ¡°I neither want a shameless son nor do I want a cheap disciple. It¡¯s troublesome¡­¡±

 Chapter 107

    Chapter 107: Treating Illness


    Tang Xiu was the type of person who would respect someone more if the other respected him. An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. No matter what status Chu Guoxiong had, let alone a Divine Doctor¡¯s successor, even if he were an Emperor or the Son of Heaven, he would never give him face. He forcefully pushed Chu Guoxiong to the side and sat down on the chair in front of the bedside.


    ¡°Young man, don¡¯t act crazy.¡±


    The old man looked at Tang Xiu with a grim expression and coldly spoke. He had just said in public that even if Hua Tuo and Bian Que came back to life, they would be unable to cure this girl¡¯s strange illness. Tang Xiu was too young, but he did not believe his words, his face turned unsightly.


    Tang Xiu did not even turn around as he replied, ¡°I indeed couldn¡¯t be compared to Hua Tuo and Bian Que, I do remember very clearly who has just spoken such bullshit words. But the outcome is still the same, you have no way to cure her.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    The old man was furious. But after seeing Tang Xiu had extended his arm to check the girl¡¯s pulse, he quickly held back his anger as he spoke in a disdaining tone, ¡°Fine then, since you want to bring contempt upon yourself, I¡¯ll look forward to seeing your disgraced appearance.¡±


    At the moment, Mu Qingping had already fallen into desperation. She had just screamed hysterically and now found something to vent her emotions. Her mood changed in that instant. But looking at the young appearance Tang Xiu had, she actually didn¡¯t hold much hope. She also heard the ridicules from Chu Guoxiong and the old man, but as kindhearted as she was, she then hesitatingly spoke in a bitter tone, ¡°Little Brother, thanks for your good intention and kindness. How about¡­ even if I presume¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu did not answer.


    His attention had been completely focused on the little girl at the moment. Although the little girl was still in a coma right now, but Tang Xiu was able to perceive her body¡¯s inner condition through her meridians and blood vessels.


    ¡°My guesses are correct.¡±


    After a moment, Tang Xiu opened the little girl¡¯s wrist as he turned around to see Mu Qingping and said, ¡°If you believe me, buy a few medicinal herbs within 10 minutes.¡±


    Mu Qingping stared blankly as she asked with a confused expression, ¡°What are you gonna do in making me buy herbs?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Save her!¡±


    Mu Qingping asked in disbelief, ¡°You can cure my daughter?¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with tranquility, ¡°If you were asking someone else, then I¡¯m afraid their answers would be that they are powerless. But fortunately, I can cure her. Now I want to know, do you believe me or not?¡±


    ¡°I believe you!¡±


    Even if Mu Qingping had doubts inside, but she resolutely replied. She had been desperate, and Tang Xiu¡¯s words gave her the last line of hope. Regardless of whatever Tang Xiu told her, she was willing to go and do his orders.


    Shortly after.


    Tang Xiu wrote 4 herb names on the paper. These 4 medicinal herbs were common, but they should be aged hundreds of years and must be grown in the wilderness. He handed the prescription to Mu Qingping and also took out his bank card, giving it to her and then said, ¡°These medicinal herbs¡¯ price is very expensive, and your 300,000 yuan will not be sufficient. I have a lot of money on my card, enough to buy these 4 kinds of medicinal herbs. The PIN is on the back of the bank card. I¡¯ll be waiting for you here.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Mu Qingping hesitated. She had never liked to be under another¡¯s charity. And Tang Xiu in front of her was not only willing to treat her daughter but also gave her the money to buy her daughter¡¯s medicine. For a time, she felt awkward and completely at a loss, not knowing what to do.


    ¡°Take it!¡± Tang Xiu spoke clearly in a low voice.


    Mu Qingping¡¯s body shivered. She looked at the serious expression Tang Xiu had before she finally made up her mind to take the bank card and then said, ¡°Regardless of whether you can cure my daughter, Mu Qingping will engrave this kindness and benevolence in my heart.¡±


    After having said that, she quickly went to buy the herbs.


    Under the platform.


    An old man over his 50s spoke with a clear and resonant voice, ¡°Young Big Brother truly is one of a kind, with a high moral integrity. Your heart is just like a Buddha, of which this old remnant really admires. My ¡°Hundred Medicine Hall¡± even if it could not be said to be the first, but nobody dares to say the second. I have a lot of medicinal herb types. If Young Big Brother trusts this one, you can give me that prescription and I¡¯ll give you those 4 kinds of medicinal herbs for free.¡±


    Tang Xiu was quite astonished as he looked at the old man. After thinking for a moment, he then slowly asked, ¡°The world has always been revolving around benefits and advantages either in peacetime or in a chaotic era. I rarely feel moved by compassion, but I did feel touched by this mother¡¯s heart. So this time I decided to help her to save her daughter. But, you¡¯re a businessman, profit is what you have always been after. I want to ask you, what¡¯s your purpose¡­ or what conditions do you want?¡±


    ¡°Clap clap clap¡­¡±


    The old man applauded as he said with a smile, ¡°True heroes truly always comes out from the youths. Your mind is really keen and you have an outstanding intelligence. This old good truly admires you. What you say is true. I¡¯m a businessman, and it is the profits that I¡¯m after. But this time, profit is not the only thing I want, but also reputation. If you can cure the patient¡¯s illness, I also can take the credit. You can let the world know the achievement of my Hundred Medicine Hall.


    ¡°In addition, since you spoke about the conditions, then I will mention one. If you can cure the patient, I¡¯ll give you the medicinal ingredients for free. But if you cannot cure her, then you must pay for those four medicinal herbs. How about it?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at the old man¡¯s eyes deeply. He suddenly grinned and then said with a smile, ¡°The saying that an old and experienced person is just like a ghost is really true. Fine then, I promise that I¡¯ll use today¡¯s matter to advertise your Hundred Medicine Hall. But I also have one condition for you.¡±


    The old man replied with a confused expression, ¡°You also have a condition? Do say!¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Her illness is very difficult to treat. These 4 kinds of medicinal herbs are unable to completely cure her. If you can come up with 500 year-old wild ginseng, I have the confidence to cure her completely. Of course, as per your words, you will give me that wild ginseng for free if I can cure her. If I fail, then I will buy the wild ginseng for 10 times of the market price.¡±


    The old man hesitated.


    A 500 year-old wild ginseng¡¯s price was 8 digits in number. If Tang Xiu really can cure the patient, wouldn¡¯t he have to pay too much of a price?


    _What should I do?_


    The old man with a straw sandal at the side sneered. He looked at the boss of the Hundred Medicine Hall and said, ¡°Since you cannot make a decision, then I¡¯ll help you. If he¡¯s able to cure the patient, I will pay for the 500 year-old wild ginseng for you. If he fails, then you split half of the 10 times the price with me.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    The old man was overjoyed as he complied happily.


    Tang Xiu glanced coldly at the old man with the straw sandal. He secretly sneered inside. For others, this little girl¡¯s illness might be really strange, but for him, the illness was not even worth mentioning it. After he had finished checking the little girl¡¯s pulse, he perfectly knew the little girl¡¯s physical constitution, the Sacred Body of Twin Pulse Ice Phoenix.


    If such a child with this special constitution appeared in the Immortal World, all Supremes would have fiercely fought over this child and take her to their Sect as their disciple.


    There was a legend in the Immortal World that hundreds of thousands of years ago, a woman with the Sacred Body of Twin Pulse Ice Phoenix appeared. Relying on her peerless constitution, not only was she able to become an Overlord in the Immortal World, she was even able to break through the Immortal World¡¯s limitation and ascend to the God Realm.


    Therefore, this little girl had not gotten a strange illness. If one wanted to treat her, the only way was to teach her a suitable cultivation method and technique, helping her to step on the cultivation path. Only then would all the roots of the problem be easily solved. The reason why he started out with these 4 kinds of herbs was, firstly, he needed to deceive everyone¡¯s eyes and ears as an Immortal Cultivation could not be exposed. Secondly, those 4 kinds of herbs were to be used to improve this little girl¡¯s physical fitness.


    As for that 500 year-old wild ginseng. This was his open machination of robbery. He needed quite an old wild ginseng to aid his cultivation, so he could not waste such a good chance in obtaining it.


    10 minutes later.


    A shop assistant from the Hundred Medicinal Hall sent 5 kinds of medicinal herbs. They also delivered some utensils to boil the medicinal herbs.


    ¡°You want to boil the medicinal herbs here, yes?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at Mu Qingping and asked.


    Mu Qingping nodded and said, ¡°Yes, I have been boiling a lot of Traditional Chinese medicines for my daughter many times in these 2 years.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Saving a human is just like fighting a fire. So, if you want to decoct the medicinal herbs here, take 3 bowls of fresh water, aside from the wild ginseng, put all the four kinds of medicinal herbs into the pot according to my order.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Mu Qingping quickly complied.


    The gathering crowd in the surrounding were getting bigger, almost reaching 500 people. They had been paying attention to this event. And upon seeing that Tang Xiu would let Mu Qingping decoct the medicinal herbs, they suddenly talked with each other secretly.


    ¡°For real, is he a fake? How would this young man be this bold? He even dares to let the girl¡¯s mother decoct the medicinal herbs in public? Doesn¡¯t he know that he would be reviled by everyone once his true face got exposed after the girl takes his traditional Chinese medicine and proves to have no effects on her?¡±


    ¡°Damn, what a reckless act. Even the Divine Doctor Gui Ji¨¤nchou¡¯s successor and that mysterious old man were unable to cure that strange illness, how would this young man be able to cure it? For traditional Chinese medical doctors, the older they are, the more outstanding their medical skills would be. He even has not grown his hairs fully. He wouldn¡¯t be intentionally doing some vulgar claptrap to please the crowds, would he?¡±


    ¡°This young man is acting too recklessly. If he fails his treatment, he will have to pay a huge sum of money. I don¡¯t know the price for those 4 herbs, but I know clearly that a 500 year-old wild ginseng is priced at 15 million yuan by the Hundred Medicine Hall. 10 times the compensation means that he would have to pay 150 million in indemnity.¡±


    ¡°The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. That Mu Qingping has set the platform more than 10 times at Jingmen Island¡¯s Medicinal Herbs Market, and nobody has been able to completely cure her daughter. How could this damn baby boy be able to show any weights, eh?¡±


    ¡°Pretentious and nothing much! Let¡¯s see this bullish show!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu completely ignored those comments from the crowd. It was the muddy instinct of people to judge someone solely based on the appearance. Those people looked down on him, so he might as well let them know how outrageous would it be when they knew that they were wrong.


    Time flew by¡­


    4 kinds of medicinal herbs were put into the pot according to the order, as the three bowls of water quickly left only half a bowl. After having calculated that the time had almost come, he then ordered Mu Qingping to take it out.


    ¡°Little¡­ Little Brother, my daughter is still unconscious, how would she drink the medicine?¡±


    Mu Qingping looked at Tang Xiu nervously.


    The onlookers in the surrounding, including Chu Guoxiong and that the old man who wore straw sandals, were all showing jeering and gloating expressions. The patient was unconscious, and there was no way for her to drink the medicine. They wanted to see, how would Tang Xiu handle it?


    ¡°It¡¯s easy!¡±


    Tang Xiu sat on the bed head position. He took out the little girl and placed her on his arms. His fingers then gently pointed and pressed a few points on the little girl¡¯s body as he lightly pressed her body¡¯s center acupuncture point.


    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡±


    Under the gaze of public eyes, the little girl¡¯s eyelashes vibrated a few times as she opened her eyes. Even her wrinkled brows, while she was unconscious, were now gradually stretched out.


    Notes:


    To be honest, I¡¯m only a replacement translator for this series, and actually had no plan to take over the translation for the novel from the previous translator. However, due to some problems of which I don¡¯t want to speak here, I took over the novel.


    Starting from next month, I plan to stop receiving donations through sponsored chapters for all of my projects. But all novels will have steady release at least 5 to 10 chapters a week. Honestly, it¡¯s not the limit I can give though. But I still need at least 1-2 days off since weekend is also a family time. My other 2 projects are Monarch of the Dark Nights and Great Dao Commander, both of them are hosted on Wuxianation now. Great Dao Commander was hosted on Zenithnovels previously, but since Wuxianation got the license from Qidian, I moved the novel there. Both novels will also be updated regularly.


    It¡¯s not that I¡¯m greedy on taking quite a lot of projects. But sometimes, translating only one novel is quite boring, and shifting from one project to another really helps to refresh the passion I have. It¡¯s been 8 months since I began translating and the pace is getting faster along with time and the more I got accustomed with the author¡¯s style and dictions, coupled with the improvement on my Chinese proficiency.


    If you can support our team patreon please do so out of your goodwill and conscience. But I¡¯m really sorry that I don¡¯t have a plan to give early chapters for all the novels I¡¯m translating. I will release bonus chapters once in a while out of my respect to the donors and because of some special occasions. The reason being is because I don¡¯t have a plan to make a living from translation right now. I began translating out of my hobby as well as to improve my Chinese and English proficiency in reading and writing. From the beginning that I got my first donation, I donated the money back for all social activities I¡¯m currently supporting in real life. I live in Indonesia and there are many people who need support around me of which my government unable to do it ¡®properly¡¯. But please don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m not that good a man nor do I want to enter the heaven in doing this. It¡¯s kinda a self-fulfillment desire based on the words, ¡°what if I¡­¡± it¡¯s quite ambiguous right? lol

 Chapter 108

    Chapter 108: Settling a Dispute


    The silent crowd was like calm water that was hit by a stone as it suddenly rippled and boiled up. Everyone was looking at the little girl who was awaken with a disbelieving expression.


    ¡°She woke up?¡±


    Mu Qingping¡¯s pupil contracted as wild joy burst from her eyes. She had visited famous doctors everywhere all these years. Even those famous Chinese medical doctors were unable to wake up her daughter from her unconscious state even once.


    This was the first time someone able to wake her up from her unconscious state. At this moment, Mu Qingping was as though seeing a hope that the daughter had the hope to recover from her illness completely.


    Amidst the crowd¡­


    A beautiful figure appeared as Ouyang Lulu stepped out with her leather boots and wore a windproof coat. She wore pink sunglasses as her curious eyes swept at Tang Xiu on the high platform.


    ¡°Hello, can I ask what happened here?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu gently touched the side of the face surprised young, whispered asked.


    That young man frowned. An impatient expression emerged on his face. But when he turned his head to see Ouyang Lulu, his expression turned blank as the impatient look on his face instantly turned into a flattering look with speed faster than turning a book¡¯s page. He told everything in a structured and detailed description to Ouyang Lulu. Until he had finished, he was as though still had the feeling that he had yet to explain something more to her.


    ¡°Treating an illness?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu looked at Tang Xiu with disbelief. She knew that Tang Xiu was a cultivator and also a gambling technique master. But never once she had ever dreamed that Tang Xiu was also a Traditional Chinese medical doctor.


    Suddenly, she felt that she had fallen into some kind of illusion. It was as though the longer she knew Tang Xiu, the more she felt that he was unfathomably deep.


    She was not sure as to why some kind of trust toward Tang Xiu suddenly rose inside her heart. Although Tang Xiu had yet to cure the patient with his Traditional Chinese medical skill and neither did she know about whether the patient could be cured, but the emerging of this trust was actually quite absurd.


    On the high platform.


    Chu Guoxiong was looking at Tang Xiu with a shocked expression. For the little girl¡¯s physical state, he was quite clear about it as he also had observed and checked her body. Even if he was very skilled, but he did not have the assurance to make that little girl wake up from her unconscious state. However, Tang Xiu in front of him was able to achieve it. He even secretly whispered in his heart: If this guy used his Traditional Chinese medical skill, would it really work? If he were to be successful, then that meant today could be regarded that he had lost his face and shamed his ancestors.


    The old man with straw sandals also looked at Tang Xiu with the same astonished expression. Although he also had the confidence to wake up that little girl from her unconscious state, but he still needed to make some great efforts. But it was absolutely not in such an easy and relaxed manner as Tang Xiu.


    ¡°This kid somewhat has a little bit of skill.¡±


    The old man praised in his heart, but he maintained his composure on the surface and quietly spoke, ¡°Kid, more or less, I have yet to be convinced if you can really cure the patient with your Traditional Chinese medical skill.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Whether you want to believe it or not, it¡¯s your business. And being able to cure her or not is my business. but today I¡¯ll make you know that the years you¡¯ve been living are just like living like a dog.¡±


    The words had been spoken and Tang Xiu took that half bowl of Chinese medicine and gently blew it. He looked down at the little girl on his arms and calmly spoke, ¡°Your Mom worries about you so much. But she loves you dearly more. If you don¡¯t want to make her sad, drink this bowl of Chinese medicine. I promise you that your body will not get hurt again after you drink this medicine.¡±


    ¡°Big Brother, you¡­ is that for real?¡±


    The little girl¡¯s bright and intelligent big eyes blinked as he asked with a longing expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s real¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded heavily.


    The little girl looked at Tang Xiu and then looked up and glanced at her mother, Mu Qingping. She then carefully took the bowl, gently blew it and found that this Chinese medicine was not hot. Then, she gulped it in and drank it fully into her stomach.


    ¡°It¡¯s hot¡­¡±


    More than 10 seconds after she drank half a bowl of Chinese medicine, her little face quickly become very red. Then, she used her arms to cover her stomach and let out a voice. She felt that a lump of raging fire suddenly ignited inside her stomach as this raging fire then almost burned the five internal organs and six bowels in her body.


    The loving-dearly daughter Mu Qingping hurriedly took her daughter¡¯s hand as she looked at Tang Xiu and quickly asked, ¡°Little Brother, how is my daughter? That medicine¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with a calm expression, ¡°It¡¯s not a problem with the medicine. That half bowl of Chinese medicine belongs to Yang property. You cannot feel it when drinking, but after it enters the stomach, you will feel a lump of burning fire inside. But you can feel relieved! It will be very good for her and bring her no harm. I can guarantee that she won¡¯t feel any pain from her body a few minutes later.¡±


    Mu Qingping was slightly relieved. In order to encourage her daughter, she followed along Tang Xiu¡¯s words, ¡°Honey, please endure it, this Divine Doctor has said that your illness will be cured. You won¡¯t have to endure any pains again later. Ah right, don¡¯t you want to go back to school to read and study like a normal person? Wait for illness to be healed and I¡¯ll send you back to school!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Beads of big tears dripped from the little girl¡¯s eyes. Even though she was suffering and enduring severe pains every day, but the burning like feeling inside her stomach truly was unbearable, it was even making her feel as though she would immediately die after having tasted it. However, she struggled to support and encourage herself. Because she knew that she must not die. Her father had died and if she were to follow him, her mother would have been very lonely as though she was a forsaken person living in this world. If such a thing happened, it would be very pitiful for her.


    She must insist and persevere!


    The little girl cheered on for her own sake in her own heart.


    2 minutes later.


    Beads of sweats had permeated and covered the little girl¡¯s entire face as white smoke was emitted out from her shiny pitch black hair, even her body was trembling.


    Tang Xiu looked at the struggling fierce looks on the little girl¡¯s face. He secretly admired her in his heart. He knew the pain after taking up such a Chinese medicine. In the past, when he was still in the Immortal World, he had once drunk up this kind of Chinese medicine made by his elder. But the medicinal herbs¡¯ age used for him were a lot older and the effect was even more overbearing.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost time.¡±


    Tang Xiu gently picked up the little girl and put her feet on the bed. Then he used both of his hands to grab her shoulders and began a series of strange techniques as he pressed constantly on her shoulders, arms, chest, back, waist, both of her legs and feet.


    Every time he pressed his hand, the little girl pitifully screamed.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s hand movements were getting faster. When he had massaged the little girls¡¯ every part of the joints and each meridian, he revealed a light smile and gently released his hands.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    The little girl stood by herself as astonishment filled her eyes.


    Along with the last wave of pain subsiding, she was surprised to find out that each and every place of her body no longer felt any pain. On the contrary, she could feel an inexplicable comfortable feeling in her body. She had never felt such a feeling for more than 2 years.


    Mu Qingping looked at her daughter who stood on the bed. Then, she asked with anticipating looks to her, ¡°Honey, how do you feel right now? Do you feel any severe pain in your body?¡±


    The little girl looked at Tang Xiu with a grateful expression. She put up an effort and forced herself to jump as she threw herself into Mu Qingping¡¯s arms. Her tears burst out once again and spoke with tearful eyes, ¡°Mom, it doesn¡¯t hurt anymore. It¡¯s very comfortable, truly.¡±


    Mu Qingping¡¯s expression froze as she was speechless after hearing her daughter¡¯s words. It was as though she was in a dream.


    She did not feel the pain?


    This was the sentence her daughter had never spoken even once for more than 2 years.


    Chu Guoxiong stepped out as his eyes tightly stared at the little girl and said, ¡°Child, did you say that you feel no pains anymore? You couldn¡¯t be saying that intentionally to make your Mom feel relieved, could you?¡±


    The little girl turned her head and looked at Chu Guoxiong and replied, ¡°Uncle, I don¡¯t feel any pain really! And Mom has always been telling me since I was very little that a good child must not lie!¡±


    Chu Guoxiong looked at Tang Xiu with disbelief in his eyes. He furiously swallowed his saliva and spoke once again, ¡°Child, this uncle is also a Chinese medical doctor, can you let uncle take a look and check your pulse?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± The little girl lifted her arm.


    Chu Guoxiong¡¯s fingers pressed the little¡¯s girl¡¯s pulse and directly closed his eyes. 2 minutes after, he opened his eyes and loosened the little girl¡¯s pulse as even a fool would be able to see the shocked expression cast on his face.


    ¡°How could that be? Is this even possible?¡±


    Chu Guoxiong unconsciously muttered to himself. It was as though he did not believe such a result would come out. After he re-diagnosed it, he was amazed and aghast as he found that the little girl¡¯s body state had been greatly different from before. Her pulse and meridians had turned smoother and steady, the chilling frost energy inside her body became scarcer, and her blood vessels had been cleared a lot, he could even feel a strand of warm energy within it as it lingered along with the little girl¡¯s meridians and did not disperse for a long time.


    A half bowl of Chinese medicine could produce this result¡­


    Suddenly, at the moment when he realized and was sobered up, he felt like his face was scorching. It was as though he was slapped by dozens of palms severely. What was the saying that said a man could be lower than a dog? His performance today exactly showed the trueness of this sentence. He was perfectly aware that today¡¯s disgrace was not only for him, but it also had implicated his Master, Gui Ji¨¤nchou.


    He regretted it. His heart was as though getting bitten by a viper. If the world had the medicine to cure regret, he would have been willing to buy it, even if he were to lose everything.


    The old man wearing straw sandals looked at the ashamed looks Chu Guoxiong had as a bad premonition sprouted from his heart. He strode forward, and disregarding the happiness the little girl had, he directly grabbed her wrist and checked her pulse. After having diagnosed, his complexion instantly turned into scarlet.


    ¡°Y-you¡­ H-how did you do it?¡±


    The old man¡¯s lips wriggled. He looked like he was a living ghost.


    Tang Xiu replied casually, ¡°This is just a minor illness and it¡¯s very easy for me.¡±


    ¡°Puff¡­¡± A mouthful of blood spat out from the old man¡¯s mouth.


    What was the most painful wound in offending someone in the world? It was not caused by a sharp knife. But it was caused by casual words casted by someone with a casual expression. Especially when those words were said with such powerful abilities and strength. The wound was not on the body, but it was the wound on the heart and the will.


    Suddenly, the old man just like he had just become a few years older.


    He took a few deep breaths, only to suppress the bitterness and dejected feeling in his hearts. Then, he raised his hand to wipe out the blood on the corner of his mouth. He then looked at the Hundred Medicine Hall¡¯s Boss and said, ¡°I¡¯ll pay for that wild ginseng and send it to your shop.¡±


    After having said that, he left with a dejected expression.


    He was afraid that if he stayed any longer, rain of curses would fall down on him, cursing that he was only a worthless doctor.


    Today, he just lost his old face. But he did not lose his fame or reputation since he did not send out his name from the beginning to end. Otherwise, once today¡¯s matter spread out, he would become a laughing stock in traditional Chinese field, even his old friends would have talked about it behind his back.


    ¡°Senior, you didn¡¯t tell your name when you stepped onto the stage! I think I am qualified to know your respected name, am I not?¡± Tang Xiu looked at the dejected old man¡¯s back and spoke.


    Notes:


    Damn, I need coffee¡­ this is the 3rd chapters in 6hrs¡­ kinda tired.

 Chapter 109

    Chapter 109: Ashamed and Unable to Show Face


    ¡°Puff, puff ¡­¡±


    The old man¡¯s body trembled as he sprayed out two mouthfuls of blood. Tang Xiu¡¯s words had hit the deepest weakness in his heart. If he could, he really wanted to find a hole and drill himself into it, and never come out of the hole for a lifetime.


    Finally, the old man did not answer Tang Xiu¡¯s question as he left with swaggering footsteps under the contemptuous gaze of everyone¡¯s eyes.


    The surrounding onlookers now looked at Tang Xiu with blazing eyes at the moment. After all, with his ability, Tang Xiu was able to completely cure a strange illness countless famous doctors were unable to treat, even a Divine Doctor¡¯s successor disciple was unable to achieve so.


    ¡°So damn amazing! I¡¯m truly in awe and amazed! That Little Brother¡¯s medical skill really opened my eyes. Never once have I ever seen such an amazingly skilled doctor!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the incarnation of Hua Tuo! Mu Qingping and her daughter are famous in our medical community, even countless medical masters and gurus were unable to cure that girl. And now, such a young man was able to cure her. This is really like the rear waves of the ocean pushing the waves in front, as the young will replace the old!¡±


    ¡°Amazing! That was so damn amazing! Today, I was really too blind. How could I look down on someone else?! Today I¡¯ve learned my share of the lesson, that we truly cannot judge others only by looking at their appearance, just like we cannot measure the depth of the sea with a pint pot.¡±


    ¡°We were too superficial. This young man is a genuine Divine Doctor. Truly there¡¯s a heaven above the heaven, and this saying really doesn¡¯t deceive me!¡±


    ¡°Heh, what was the name of that Divine Doctor¡¯s successor disciple again?! Chu errr¡­ what Xiong? Bah, he really has no ability! The way I see it, how could his Master Gui Ji¨¤nchou not kick him away?! And that old man before?! He was so cocky, arrogant, and acted so self-important, and the result? He slapped his own face and bang! The result so damn hurt, that he even didn¡¯t dislike it, eh!?¡±


    ¡°Man, how I really want to hear that slapping sound to the face!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    In the crowd¡­


    A bright smile was hung on Ouyang Lulu¡¯s face as bright and colorful lights flashed from that beautiful pair of eyes of hers. She stared at Tang Xiu and was unwilling to leave him from her sight as the feeling she had that Tang Xiu was unfathomably deep, had increased again. But now, she could feel that she was also attracted to this arrogant fellow. She really wanted to unveil the curtain of mysteries that shrouded Tang Xiu, and look at him clearly and thoroughly.


    She hesitated for a moment before she walked toward the high platform. When she was 7 or 8 meters away from Tang Xiu, she looked over and exclaimed, ¡°Tang Xiu, let¡¯s have dinner tonight.¡±


    Tang Xiu turned around and was quite surprised when he saw Ouyang Lulu. He did not expect to meet her at the Medicinal Herbs Market. However, he had prepared to return to Star City tonight, so he shook his head and said,


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t have time.¡±


    A lot of men in the surrounding was attracted by Ouyang Lulu¡¯s beautiful appearance and were heartbroken upon hearing Ouyang Lulu¡¯s word to Tang Xiu. However, the refusal Tang Xiu gave made them stunned, leaving them staring blankly and stumped for words.


    ¡°Heavens!? Have I mistakenly understood? Did that guy just refuse a goddess¡¯s invitation to dinner? Is he still a man?¡±


    ¡°I admit that they are an equal match, a genius coupled with a belle. But damn¡­ isn¡¯t that genius way too proud? How could he had such a cruel heart to refuse such a damn fine belle?¡±


    ¡°Jeez, he¡¯s not a man!¡±


    ¡°How good is it if it were me who got invited by such a beauty?! Such a country calamity bringer beauty asking me to a dinner would make my life 2 years longer!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu unable to understand those men¡¯s words. What was so important of being a beauty? If a woman was beautiful, how could she have such privileges?


    As deficient in social skills as he was, he could only secretly shake his head while taking the 500 year-old wild ginseng and looking at Mu Qingping, saying, ¡°Can we talk privately?¡±


    At this moment, Mu Qingping could not wait to stand up and send the offering to a deity-like Tang Xiu. And upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, she quickly replied without hesitation, ¡°Umm, is there anything you want to talk about?¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a laugh, ¡°I need to talk about your daughter ¡®s physical condition.¡±


    When Mu Qingping heard it, she suddenly misunderstood Tang Xiu¡¯s meaning. She tensed up and hastily asked, ¡°Y-young¡­ Young Divine Doctor, has my daughter¡¯s illness yet to bet cured completely?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t have any other arrangements, follow me! I promise that your daughter will definitely be fine as long as I¡¯m present.¡±


    ¡°Ah, alright!¡±


    Mu Qingping gently put her daughter on the ground. She pulled and hold her hand as they walked along Tang Xiu down the platform. Never once had she ever felt this happy in the last 2 or 3 years. But now, she was truly happy, even if it was only because she could hold her daughter¡¯s hand and walk together.


    On a high platform¡­


    Frustration filled Ouyang Lulu¡¯s heart at the moment. She secretly regretted her excessive impulse. She knew very well about his personality, but why did she invite him in front of the public?


    But, even if she was rejected, she was not discouraged like before. Tang Xiu might be like a fortress, but she had the confidence to attack and capture it. And having a dinner together? It¡¯s just only a way of countless means to befriend him.


    Along with the dispersing crowd, Ouyang Lulu persevered to follow behind Tang Xiu¡¯s back. Whilst another pair of eyes with a different expression, the bearded man who pushed the cart constantly swept looked at them.


    ¡°Young Big Brother, are you done buying herbs yet?¡±


    When the bearded middle-aged man saw Tang Xiu was heading toward the Medicinal Herbs Market¡¯s front entrance, he asked while pushing his cart.


    Tang Xiu stopped. He pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Sell this small cart to me! I¡¯ll pay it along with your payment today.¡±


    For a moment, the bearded middle-aged man was surprised and the said with a smile, ¡°Young Big Brother, but you¡¯ve hired me for half a day, I¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright!¡±


    Tang Xiu waved and said.


    The bearded middle-aged man thought for a short while and said, ¡°Gimme 2,000 yuan, and the small cart is yours.¡±


    ¡°Deal!¡±


    Tang Xiu took his wallet out paid 2,000 yuan in cash to the bearded middle-aged man. He then looked at Ouyang Lulu and said, ¡°If you still want to follow me, help me push this cart. Ah, one other thing, since you¡¯re Jingmen Island¡¯s local boss, please send a car for us to arrange for accommodation for tonight.¡±


    ¡°You what?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu raised her arms with a foolish expression. Her white onion-like finger pointed at the bridge of her nose and exclaimed, ¡°You mean I have to push the cart? But I¡¯m a respected¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu interrupted her impatiently, ¡°No nonsense talk and hurry pushes the cart, otherwise, go back to from where you came. I do need not a waste to follow me.¡±


    ¡°A waste! You are a waste!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu was furious, but looking at Tang Xiu¡¯s impatient appearance, her voice was getting smaller as she was quite vexed inside for a few seconds before she finally pushed the cart helplessly.


    As such, an eye-catching scene unfolded at Jingmen Island¡¯s Medicinal Herbs Market. A beautiful fairy descended to Earth, dressing in such exquisite fashion, and yet the same beautiful fairy was now pushing a cart, following behind someone as though she was a young indignant maidservant. The more eye-catching scene was that, there were a lot of men constantly coming over and kept following along the way, enthusiastically wanting to help Ouyang Lulu. And Ouyang Lulu, kept looking at the never-look-back Tang Xiu with surging resentment inside her heart, whilst rejecting the coming gallant men.


    Inside a teahouse at Medicinal Herbs Market, Shao Mingzhen and Miao Wentang were sitting on the second floor near the window. Although they were chatting, their eyes constantly sweeping over toward the streets below.


    ¡°Brother Miao, Tang Xiu did ask us about Jingmen Island¡¯s Medicinal Herbs Market, but he didn¡¯t necessarily come here today, right?¡± Shao Mingzhen savored his fragrant tea as a slightly wry smile was revealed on his face.


    Miao Wentang said with a smile, ¡°Although our contact with Tang Xiu is only recent and we also knew him for a very short time, but I could tell something about his personality. He does everything in such an orderly manner. He¡¯s also decisive and resolute. So I dare say that he surely will come today.¡±


    Shao Mingzhen involuntarily laughed and then said, ¡°Brother Miao, since you could tell Tang Xiu¡¯s disposition, you should also know that there¡¯s something strange. He¡¯s young but his conducts and actions are every decisive, just like a wily and experienced old fox. I have seen countless people along my extensive travels, and I can say that I¡¯m quite experienced. As long as I carefully observe someone, I can find out his personality and figure out a lot of details about that person. But for Tang Xiu¡­ never once have I ever thought that I could see through him.¡±


    Miao Wentang said, ¡°If you ask me, we don¡¯t need to know him thoroughly. We only need to know his strongest trait ¡°stick to the purpose and plan¡±. This trait of his is enough to figure out his whereabouts today. Trust me, he¡¯ll pass by this main street.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Shao Mingzhen was about to say something when his vision inadvertently swept to the streets as his voice abruptly stopped, and a surprised expression was suddenly cast on his face.


    Miao Wentang was keenly aware of Shao Mingzhen¡¯s unusual response. He followed Shao Mingzhen¡¯s sight toward the street underneath, as his expression suddenly turned particularly strange.


    ¡°That¡­ should be Jingmen Island¡¯s Ouyang Family¡¯s young lady and the big boss behind the Paradise Club, Ouyang Lulu, right? She¡­ how would she look like that she¡¯s just a young personal maidservant who follows behind Tang Xiu?¡± Miao Wentang muttered with an inconceivable expression.


    Shao Mingzhen¡¯s eyes turned bright as he raised his thumbs up quietly and praised, ¡°Damn, he¡¯s truly worthy of someone I could never see through. So damn amazing! He even makes the young lady of the Ouyang Family work as his personal maidservant and a manual laborer?! I believe that he¡¯s the only one in the world who¡¯s able to do it, right? The saying that beauties love heroes are truly true. I used to laugh about this saying, but today, I think I understand why!¡±


    Miao Wentang¡¯s mouth twitched a few times before he said with a laugh, ¡°Previously, I only knew that Tang Xiu is a master in gambling and also an expert in formation arrays. But I never expect that he¡¯s also a guru in conquering Royal Princesses. He¡¯s the only one in the world who¡¯s able to tame the small wild cat of the Ouyang Family. If only this old Miao was 20 years younger, I¡¯d definitely acknowledge him as my Master.¡±


    ¡°Puff¡­¡­¡±


    A woman who took the next table and was eating the dessert with fragrant tea, couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter. She slowly stood up and walked toward the window as her vision looked at 4 people along with Tang Xiu on the street as a ruminating and interested expression appeared on her beautiful face.


    ¡°You are?¡±


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen looked at each other as a confused expression emerged on their faces.


    She then said with a faint smile, ¡°The two gentlemen¡¯s chat is making me interested. Of course, the content of your talk that makes me interested is the young man spoke by the two of you, Tang Xiu. You are Miao Wentang, right? The patriarch of the Miao Family of Haiqing and also the president of the Miao Group. You are also the boss behind the Fire Qilin Security Company, the first of the top three security companies in the whole country. As for you, you should be Shao Mingzhen, a public figure from the Northern Su region. A martial arts prodigy and runner of the Windcast Corporation on the surface, but in fact, you are control more than 60% of the entertainment venues in the Northern Su region. These two gentlemen, is what I said correct, yes?¡± [1]


    Notes:


    [1] The beginning of asterisks censorship from the raws that makes me confused. The same with the next chapter. I will replace the woman¡¯s name with she or the woman since her name was replaced with *. Please blame the site not me! Or blame CN government¡¯s censorship policy. LOL

 Chapter 110

    Chapter 110: Accepting Disciple


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen suddenly got up as their expression turned extremely cold and grim as a slight murderous intent flashed in their eyes. A lot of people knew clearly about their background on the surface, but little did people knew about their secret influence and power.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Miao Wentang asked coldly.


    Her complexion was calm and unperturbed whilst looking at Ouyang Lulu who pushed the cart on the street below. She thought for a moment before she said, ¡°Since the 2 of you are full of curiosity about me, then I¡¯ll clear away your suspicion. As per your words, I¡¯m that Ouyang Family¡¯s little wild cat¡¯s mother. Of course, I really don¡¯t want to be called an old wildcat.¡±


    Old ¡­ old wild cat?


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen looked at each other in dismay as they took back their pressing aura. A slight embarrassment was cast on their faces since they had mouthed somebody¡¯s daughter, even saying that she was a little wild cat. And they did not expect that the woman was the mother of that little wild cat.


    ¡°I apologize!¡±


    Shao Mingzhen cupped his fists over and smiled wryly.


    She faintly smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright! I¡¯m not easily offended by people I found it interesting though. May I sit here and have a talk with the two of you?¡±


    Miao Wentang made a gesture to sit as he said with a smile, ¡°It turns out to be the Ouyang Family¡¯s Patriarch¡¯s Madam. Someone that¡¯s reclusive, just like a Dragon God that one can only see its head and not the tail. Meeting you today is really our fortune. The content of which you are interested in speaking with us should be related to Tang Xiu, shouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    She replied with a smile, ¡°Having a chat with smart people has always been easy and joyful. Yes, on one hand, I do want to talk about Tang Xiu, and on the other hand, I also would like to know if there would be some opportunities for us to have some cooperation.¡±


    In the evening¡­


    At Jingmen Island¡¯s upscale villa area. There was a magnificent, European-styled private villa that belonged to Ouyang Lulu with more than 10 servants.


    ¡°I have ordered some people to prepare the guest rooms. Do all of you want to rest directly or have dinner? Dinner should already have been prepared in the kitchen.¡± This was the first time Ouyang Lulu invited outsiders to her private villa, even her hospitality was very warm. Especially her treatment toward Mu Qingping, of whom her impression toward her was very deep. In her view, unhesitatingly doing everything for her daughter at the expense of bankruptcy, drifting everywhere in destitute to visit famous doctors, and even kneeling toward others without hesitation. This was the kind of great motherly love one could rarely see.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Let¡¯s eat first and please let someone prepare some food for Yinyin.¡±


    ¡°Che, I didn¡¯t ask for your opinion!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu snapped at Tang Xiu and rolled her eyes. She was very warm to Mu Qingping and her daughter, but it was different with Tang Xiu. So it was obvious that she still resented him.


    Tang Xiu did not care about Ouyang Lulu¡¯s attitude, he was just enjoying the feeling of having someone serve him. Since Ouyang Lulu had knocked at his door, he was too disinclined to lower himself and bicker with her.


    After enjoying the sumptuous dinner, Tang Xiu looked at Ouyang Lulu and asked, ¡°If my guess is correct, this villa is not the only place you have on Jingmen Island, yes?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu proudly said, ¡°That is of course! Although I usually live here quite a lot, but since I¡¯m the respected young lady of the Ouyang Family, it¡¯s easy for me to have a lot of houses.¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his thumbs up and said, ¡°That being the case, then you can go. Ah yes, if anything, give one day off to your villa¡¯s servants here.¡±


    ¡°You what?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu was dumbfounded. Even in her dream, never once had she expected that Tang Xiu would say such words.


    Who was she really? She was but the owner of this villa. Where in the world would a guest be able to kick out the host?


    ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, you¡­¡±


    Mu Qingping was also stunned. She looked at Ouyang Lulu whose complexion greatly changed and quickly spoke with a low voice.


    Tang Xiao raised his hand to interrupt Mu Qingping and lightly said, ¡°Miss Ouyang, I do thank you for your hospitality today. But we really need to borrow the villa for one night, and we¡¯ll return it by tomorrow. Moreover, I have something important to do tonight and I can¡¯t be disturbed by an outsider¡¯s presence. If you don¡¯t want to leave or don¡¯t want your servants to leave temporarily, we will leave right now.¡±


    Important things?


    Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s explanation, Ouyang Lulu felt much better. But, Tang Xiu still insisting that she must get out from her own home, this made her quite bitter.


    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°No, it¡¯s not. I¡¯m just explaining it to you.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Ouyang Lulu observed Tang Xiu¡¯s serious expression whilst cursing this guy¡¯s strange taste. Other men would have been ecstatic to spend the night here even though they might be unable to sleep for a night since they were not sleeping in the same room, right? But this guy, he actually wanted to kick her out? Was he still a man?


    ¡°Have it your way.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s ego was hit severely. She angrily drove out all her servants and then took her favorite roadster. With the loud rumbling sound of her engine, she bolted like an arrow out of the villa area.


    Inside the King-type villa, there were only Tang Xiu, Mu Qingping, and her daughter that remained. At the moment, Tang Xiu had just become this villa¡¯s master. He told Mu Qingping and her daughter to the sit on the sofa in the living room. He personally poured 2 cups of tea and placed them on the coffee table.


    Mu Qingping was quite nervous. She also remembered that Tang Xiu had said that he must talk about her daughter¡¯s condition. She did not know whether Tang Xiu would tell her good or bad news. After having stayed silent for a moment, she took the initiative to talk.


    ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, if there¡¯s a problem with my daughter, please do tell me about it! I should be able to bear it!¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Only little do I know about the two of you. Could you tell me about your situation? There are some things, but I must know about your circumstances first before I give you my final decision.¡±


    For a moment, Mu Qingping stared blankly before she nodded and said, ¡°My husband and I are orphans. We grew up in the orphanage together and then married later, after which, we lived quite a rich and good life. My husband was a very capable man, either in managing the family or the company. More than 2 years ago he got into a car accident, leaving me widowed and my daughter orphaned. My daughter was very sad, leading to her sickness and her high fever for 7 days and nights. After that, she had this strange illness.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been more than 2 years since I quit my work. I sold all of our property plus the compensation from my husband¡¯s car accident for a total of nearly 2 million yuan. After the expenses for 2 years, there is only 300,000 yuan remaining now. I want to give you the remaining 300,000 yuan since you have cured my daughter.¡±


    Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want your money. I just want to know our family¡¯s situation. Since Yinyin and you only have each other, then, have you considered about the future? Where will you live and how about your livelihood?¡±


    Mu Qingping shook her head and said, ¡°Today, it¡¯s very fortunate that we came across Divine Doctor Tang as my daughter¡¯s strange illness has been cured all of a sudden. Due to this, I don¡¯t have the time to think about that and prepare for our life in the future.¡±


    With a satisfied expression, Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Since you have yet to have planned for your future, then how about I make an arrangement for your life?¡±


    ¡°Your arrangement?¡±


    With astonishment, Mu Qingping looked at Tang Xiu. She did not understand his words.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°In fact, Yinyin is not sick, but it¡¯s because she has a special constitution. The kind of physical constitution she has is very rare and called, ¡°Sacred Body of Twin Pulse Ice Phoenix¡±. An extremely rare constitution which is a type of sacred body most envied by Immortal cultivators.¡±


    ¡°Immortal cultivation?!¡±


    Mu Qingping was shocked. She was an atheist and she neither believed in the existence of gods, spirits even those of fortune tellers. She thought that those were only lies and was only used to deceive people.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Yes, I am a cultivator who practices immortality cultivation. Perhaps there are only 2 immortal cultivators on Earth. The other one is an unofficial disciple who I just received a while ago. Certainly, there also other cultivation practitioners on Earth such as Taoist cultivators, Buddhist cultivators, and so on.¡±


    Mu Qingping shook her head and replied with a laugh, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, please don¡¯t make fun of me. How could there be Gods and Buddhas? Those are fabricated things created for those who lack a strong mentality and spirit¡±


    ¡°Ignorance!¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a sneer, ¡°You¡¯re the type of people whose brain has been washed by the mighty torrent of this age. Do you really think a person¡¯s imagination can fabricate those myths out of nothing? Do you believe that people from ancient times were all ignorant and idiots? This world not only has cultivators, but also immortals, demons, spirits, Buddhas, even higher planes, and the existences of Gods.¡±


    After having spoken, Tang Xiu fingers bounced as the 200 kg coffee table in front instantly flew. With his accurate strength control, after the coffee table flew up 2 meters high, it paused for a few seconds and then floated mid-air. However, when the coffee table would soon to fall, Tang Xiu moved again as he flicked his finger, and easily pinched the edge of the coffee table before he gently put it down.


    ¡°This¡­¡­¡±


    Mu Qingping eyes almost popped out as she looked at the scene in front of her with a flabbergasted expression. Her heart trembled. Tang Xiu¡¯s action had broken her common sense and also changed her view of the world.


    ¡°Big Brother Tang is so powerful!¡±


    Gu Yin clapped as she exclaimed with a surprised expression.


    Tang Xiu said with a laugh, ¡°Look at me, and look clearly.¡±


    The moment his voice finished, his body instantly disappeared from his spot and appeared in another hall as though a phantom. A few seconds after, whilst Mu Qingping was still fallen in her trance-like state, with a lightning speed, Tang Xiu had appeared again on the opposite sofa.


    ¡°Are you¡­ are you a man or a ghost?¡±


    Mu Qingping¡¯s body was trembling as she hurriedly hugged her daughter and exclaimed out loud involuntarily.


    Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you don¡¯t believe in ghosts and gods? Why do you ask such absurd questions? My cultivation base is very low right now. But in the future, I definitely will become an Immortal and ascend to the Immortal World. We are on Earth now, but in the starry sky, the universe as you know of is only an ordinary space. But on other higher space planes, there are many worlds, one of which is the Immortal World.¡±


    Mu Qingping was completely shocked. Her world view was changed abruptly. She easily believed Tang Xiu¡¯s words since he was, after all, was her daughter¡¯s savior, a capable person with mysterious and magical abilities.


    ¡°Tang¡­ Divine Doctor Tang, why do you want to tell me these things?¡±


    Mu Qingping hesitated as she asked in a low voice.


    Tang Xiu replied with tranquility, ¡°I want to take your daughter as a disciple and teach her to cultivate an Immortal cultivation technique.¡±


    Notes:


    It¡¯s kinda hard to translate when the raws itself censored with asterisk (*), and I don¡¯t like putting asterisk in my translation. I tried my best so the flow won¡¯t be disrupted. But the problem is with the name. I don¡¯t know Ouyang Lulu¡¯s mother¡¯s name. So I came up with she and woman and replaced it with Ouyang Lulu¡¯s mother in the sentence. It was because her name replaced with asterisk in the raws. However, as I¡¯ve said in chapter 109, please blame the site or the CN government¡¯s censorship policy, not me.

 Chapter 111

    Chapter 111: Crossing the River of the Dragon


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Accepting a disciple?


    Mu Qingping suddenly realized Tang Xiu¡¯s intentions. But she knew nothing about the cultivation method practiced by cultivators. She didn¡¯t know whether this kind of cultivation practice would be good or bad for her daughter, so she did not dare to easily agree.


    Tang Xiu as if he was able to see through Mu Qingping¡¯s thoughts as he slowly said, ¡°I understand your thoughts, but you can cast away your worries. Your daughter was born to be a cultivator. I¡¯ve helped her change her body¡¯s condition before, but it will only temporarily suppress the chilling frost energy inside her body. If we want to thoroughly cure her, she must cultivate an immortal cultivation technique. The frost energy will not cause any injuries to her, and instead, give her huge benefits.¡±


    ¡°I promise you!¡±


    When Mu Qingping heard it, she immediately nodded in agreement.


    In her heart, her daughter was the biggest and the most important thing of all. As long as her daughter was safe and healthy, she would absolutely agree to everything.


    Tang Xiu smiled, ¡°To tell you the truth, I really admire you. I can see a great admirable, motherly love from you. In fact, I was also brought up from a single parent family, interdependent with my mother. Please feel relieved and trust me! You will be gladdened for today¡¯s decision in the future.¡±


    Mu Qingping then replied with a doubt, ¡°Then, shouldn¡¯t a ceremony of apprenticeship be held?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°The ceremony of apprenticeship is simple, kowtowing and serving tea is enough.¡±


    With that, he looked at Gu Yin and asked with a smile, ¡°Are you willing to worship me as your Master? And follow my practices of the immortal cultivation technique? I should make it clear that if you worship me as your Master, you will be Tang Xiu¡¯s personal disciple. The immortal cultivation path is very long and would take hundreds of years. Along with the advancement in cultivation practice and your cultivation base becoming more powerful, you could live at least 1,000 years and even for millions of years. And in taking the cultivation path, you will encounter innumerable hardships.¡±


    Gu Yin exclaimed with astonishment, ¡°People who practice the immortal cultivation path can live so long?¡±


    Tang Xiu said with smile, ¡°Yes, of course. As long as they don¡¯t die halfway, living for millions of years is also possible.¡±


    Gu Yin then asked again, ¡°Can my mother practice immortal cultivation?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at Mu Qingping¡¯s eyes as he nodded and said, ¡°Naturally she also can practice. However, her age has passed the best time for cultivation practice, so her future achievement won¡¯t be too high. Even if I give my assistance, at best, she would only be able to ascend to the Immortal World and become only an ordinary immortal.¡±


    Gu Yin nodded repeatedly and then knelt in front of Tang Xiu. She respectfully knocked her head three times and then took a cup of tea on the coffee table, without dropping a drop of tea she then exclaimed, ¡°Master, please drink my tea.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at the tea with satisfaction and drank it down.


    He received Gu Yin as a disciple to nurture her as a personal disciple, and not an unofficial disciple. It was because of her Sacred Body of Twin Pulse Ice Phoenix. After all, if she was to be nurtured well, she would highly likely become a Great Celestial Empress in the Immortal World. Someone who would be above trillions of immortals and celestial beings.


    More importantly, she would also become a formidable helper when he returned to the Immortal World.


    Those number of people posed formidable strength!


    This was the most fundamental truth. Previously, he did not want to accept disciples, and instead cultivated his own power and influence. However, this led to his own demise as he fell under his old friend¡¯s betrayal, easily falling down and failing his ascension tribulation. If it were not for the destiny that his soul and consciousness returned back, perhaps his soul would have vanished just like ashes and smoke extinguished by the wind.


    Mu Qingping did not even think about the matter of practicing cultivation. What she cared about was her daughter¡¯s future. So when Tang Xiu had finished drinking tea and taken her daughter as his disciple, only then did she ask, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, you said you will arrange for our life in the future?¡±


    Along the way to this villa area, Tang Xiu had thought about this problem, and he already had an idea in mind. Then, he slowly asked, ¡°What was your previous occupation, what kind of job?¡±


    Mu Qingping said, ¡°I was an administrator for a foreign enterprise.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°If I want you to be my housekeeper, would you accept it?¡±


    A housekeeper?


    Mu Qingping was stunned. She didn¡¯t expect that Tang Xiu would arrange such an assignment for her. After sobering up, she said with a wry smile, ¡°I don¡¯t know much about housekeeping.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°You have two options. First, I¡¯ll send you abroad to learn and study about it from a Butler Training Organization. And second, I¡¯ll hire specialists and professionals for you to carry out your training separately. Which one do you intend to choose?¡±


    Mu Qingping looked at her daughter and replied with a low voice, ¡°Can I choose the second? I want to be near Yinyin, and going abroad is not convenient.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡±


    Tang Xiu took out his mobile phone and dialed Miao Wentang¡¯s number. He asked his help to hire two professional housekeeper instructors from abroad. After asking about the fee, he found that the price was not cheap as it would take 3 million yuan for 2 months of training.


    After having called, Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯ve contacted my connections, they should be coming over in a short time. And one other thing, I¡¯m not from Jingmen Island, so you will follow me to live in Star City. We¡¯ll rest here for a night and then we¡¯ll return to Star City tomorrow.¡±


    Mu Qingping nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll listen to your orders.¡±


    Tang Xiu then exhorted her, ¡°You must study hard in your butlership training. When you have finished your training, I hope you can live with Yinyin on the Pacific Ocean. I have bought a private island there. Its size is more than 10 square kilometers. So I¡¯ll have to hire a large number of workers and servants there.¡±


    ¡°A private island? More than 10 square kilometers?¡±


    Mu Qingping was awestruck by Tang Xiu¡¯s words. Only then did she realize that she was simply ignorant and knew nothing about Tang Xiu¡¯s status.


    ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, why would you make me and Yinyin live on an island in the Pacific Ocean? How about Yinyin¡¯s study? Wouldn¡¯t it be the same that she would live an isolated life, cut off from the rest of the world?¡± Mu Qingping asked.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Living in seclusion for cultivators is but a normal practice. However, since now is a new era, I won¡¯t be that strict and old-styled. I¡¯ll hire the topmost educators and professors to teach her. Her teachers would not be less than 10 people, and I¡¯ll also give her 2 months of vacation each year for her to travel outside and learn through direct experience in society.¡±


    Mu Qingping said with a hesitation, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be too exaggerated? For only one child, Yinyin, to have such a grand scale of treatment¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I have my plans, you don¡¯t need to worry and say anything.¡±


    Afterwards.


    Tang Xiu imparted an Immortal Cultivation method to Mu Qingping, directed her, and then sent her to her guest room. Since Gu Yin had become his personal disciple, it was necessary to teach Gu Yin the best Immortal cultivation technique in the Immortal World for her. And it was very fortunate that he had a set of supreme cultivation technique which was suitable for Gu Yin¡¯s cultivation.


    _¡°Secret Art of Nine Heavens Ice Phoenix¡±._


    This cultivation technique was one of the supreme cultivation techniques in the Immortal World for hundreds of thousands of years. Each person who mastered this cultivation technique¡ªas long as they did not fall down halfway¡ª would eventually become important powerhouses in the Immortal World.


    With his current cultivation base, Tang Xiu was unable to impart the contents of this cultivation technique via a direct transmission to Gu Yin. He also had no means to create the Jade Slips for it. He could only teach her step by step from scratch. For example, human anatomy identification, meridians, dantian, mind sea, and so on. Much to Tang Xiu¡¯s satisfaction, Gu Yin was extremely intelligent and learned quickly. In the next 2 hours, she had grasped all the most basic things.


    ¡°Now, I¡¯ll teach you the Secret Art of Nine Heavens Ice Phoenix, and you need to memorize it seriously, without mistakes. But do bear in mind that you must never disclose and privately teach this cultivation technique to anyone. Not even your mother.¡± Tang Xiu warned.


    ¡°Mmm!¡±


    Gu Yin cleverly nodded.


    It 2:30 AM when Tang Xiu finally completed teaching the Secret Art of Nine Heavens Ice Phoenix to Gu Yin. Then, he let her try to induce her energy circulation. Although her first attempt failed, but Tang Xiu knew that it was normal. For an ordinary person, wanting to sense energy circulation and even controlling the circulation of energy, even months would be needed for cultivation geniuses to have a first success. If ones¡¯ aptitude was ordinary, it might even need a year or so of time.


    ¡°That¡¯s good! Now go and rest! ¡±


    Tang Xiu patted Gu Yin¡¯s head and said with a smile.


    ¡°Master, goodnight!¡±


    Having gone through suffering and pains for 2 years, Gu Yin had developed a mature disposition in comparison to her peers. Although she was only 9 years old, but comparing her to teenagers, she was more sensible.


    Jingmen Island, Regent Amusement Clubhouse.


    Inside a luxuriously decorated King private box, Ouyang Lulu¡¯s mouth was fully filled with beer as an angry expression fully covered her beautiful face as her best boudoir friend, Huang Duoduo, sat beside her. The girl and Ouyang Lulu were of the same age and also had an elegant appearance.


    ¡°Lulu, drink less will you?! ¡±


    Huang Duoduo had the makings of a lady. Even though she sat on the sofa, she still looked dignified and virtuous. However, at this moment, concern and frustration could be seen on her complexion.


    Ouyang Lulu gulped clean a large glass of beer into her stomach. She was already drunk as she then said with a blazing anger, ¡°Damn, Duoduo I¡¯m really so damn unhappy. Who the hell does Tang Xiu think I am? After having occupied my villa, he kicked me out from my own place?!! Have you ever seen¡­ have you ever seen such a thick-skinned man?¡±


    Huang Duoduo replied with a smile, ¡°Ah, I indeed have never such a thick-skinned person. However, I find him interesting. Just think! You¡¯re the embodiment of a topmost babe, but it turns out he¡¯s able to ignore you and your enticement. He even kicked you out?! That¡¯s one of the rarest men in the world, of which, I thought this species has come to extinction. If later I have the chance, you must introduce him to me.¡±


    ¡°Introduce your damn younger sister!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu burst those bad words out and lost her ladylike appearance.


    But Huang Duoduo knew perfectly well about her character, so she did not get angry and instead spoke again with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s half past two right now, don¡¯t you think we should leave? You don¡¯t want to sleep on the streets tonight, do you?¡±


    Still with an angry tone, Ouyang Lulu spoke, ¡°Where to? He has taken my place!¡±


    Huang Duoduo knew that it was a taboo word that made her angry as she smiled and hugged her shoulder. Then, she said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to my place! Dad gave me his newly renovated villa last month as my birthday gift. I think you¡¯ve never been there.¡±


    ¡°Duoduo, you¡¯re really the best!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s expression changed lightning fast. Her previously gloomy and cloudy face turned into a bright and beautiful sunlight in a flash as she smiled like beautiful flower. She held Huang Duoduo¡¯s arms and gave a little kiss on her beautiful face. She then quickly jumped up and grabbed the bag at her side and then rushed outside the private box.


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    When Ouyang Lulu had just rushed out of the private box¡¯s door, she bumped into a sturdy and robust chest. The impact force made her stagger and stumble backward a few steps, almost slumping to the floor.

 Chapter 112

    Chapter 112: Conflict


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Ouyang Lulu rubbed her head and then shouted in rage even before she saw the other¡¯s appearance, ¡°Are you blind or something? You¡¯ve hurt me!!¡±


    The one who bumped into her was a bald shaved, arm tattooed youth. His build was tough and stocky with fiendish looks. Especially coupled with the shining thick gold chain on his neck. A cigarette was clamped on his lips, and his brows were wrinkled. He was obviously in a bad mood.


    Upon hearing Ouyang Lulu¡¯s curse, the tall and burly youth stared as he strode forward and kicked Ouyang Lulu¡¯s forehead, causing her to be kicked down to the floor. He even kicked Ouyang Lulu¡¯s waist a few times, followed by his curses as though he was venting his mood, ¡°Fucking bitch, it¡¯s you who is blind. You even dare to blame this father. If you dare to fucking curse with your foul mouth, I¡¯ll sew your lips.¡±


    Huang Duoduo, who just came out from the private box carrying the bags, happened to see the scene where she was being kicked. Her complexion greatly changed as she immediately rushed to Ouyang Lulu¡¯s side, and spread her hands to protect Ouyang Lulu. She glared angrily at the tall and burly youth and snapped, ¡°Who the hell are you? Why did you hit this girl?¡±


    The tall and burly youth did not see Ouyang Lulu clearly, but he could see the graceful Huang Duoduo clearly. His face changed immediately as the angry expression on his face disappeared. He touched his chin and even showed a harassing look as he said with a fiendish laugh, ¡°Hehehe, I¡¯m indeed in the wrong, I really shouldn¡¯t kick this girl. I should use my other body part to show her how powerful I am, hahaha! How about it? Are you her sister? Do you want to try my other powerful body part?¡±


    ¡°You ¡­ you are shameless!¡±


    Huang Duoduo cursed in rage.


    The tall and burly youth evilly laughed, ¡°Hehehe. Wait until we¡¯re on the bed, I will make you know how shameless I am.¡±


    Having said that, the tall and burly youth moved his hand to catch Huang Duoduo.


    Huang Duoduo dodged to the side and easily pulled up Ouyang Lulu from the floor. After a few steps backward, she shouted, ¡°You damned thug, get the fuck out.¡±


    The first time Ouyang Lulu hit him she was not fully aware, but now she had gotten back her composure as she stared at the burly and tall youth and then shouted, ¡°You can¡¯t let him get out. Nobody except my father dares to hit me on Jingmen Island.¡±


    The moment the tall and burly youth saw Ouyang Lulu¡¯s appearance, his complexion immediately blanked for a short moment as a burning light suddenly flashed from his eyes. He was somewhat regretting hitting such a beautiful girl. However, since the arrow had been shot, there was no turning back again, so he could only bite the bullet and brace himself. Whilst sneering and showing an arrogant manner he said, ¡°Acting big, eh? Talking big and powerful? Let alone on Jingmen Island, even if I was in Shanghai or Beijing, nobody dares to speak to me like that!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu rubbed some parts of her body that were very sore because of the kicks. She ferociously glared at the tall burly youth. Whilst in extreme anger, she still spoke with a smile, ¡°Well, you¡¯re even more arrogant than me, huh? But if you have the guts, then wait here. If I can¡¯t make you fall down to the ground, I¡¯ll follow your surname.¡±


    After having said that, she immediately took her mobile and dialed a familiar number. Her eyes flashed and suddenly pressed the dial button directly. The number turned out to be Tang Xiu¡¯s number she got from an investigation.


    ¡°Who is this?¡±


    A low and deep voice came from the phone.


    Ouyang Lulu loudly said, ¡°Tang Xiu, since you live in my house, don¡¯t you owe me one? I don¡¯t have a place to spend the night, so I had to go to the Regent Amusement Clubhouse to karaoke, and somebody hit me here. Now I need your help. Can you come here?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re hit by somebody just find your dad!¡±


    After having silent for a moment, Tang Xiu whispered his answer.


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s voice was raised by a few decibels.


    Tang Xiu spoke again helplessly, ¡°Okay, just wait there. I¡¯ll catch up with you quickly. Pay attention¡­ to your safety.¡±


    When such a caring voice came out of the phone, a slight beyond expectation expression was revealed on Ouyang Lulu¡¯s face. She was not worried about the means to deepen her relationship with Tang Xiu, and now the opportunity was right before her. She knew that Tang Xiu was a cultivator and his strength should be powerful. After hesitating for a short while, she decided not to call her subordinates again.


    ¡°What an ability! Asking for help in such a daaamn fine way to lure and goad somebody to act, huh?¡±


    After he watched Ouyang Lulu make a call, the tall and burly youth sneered afterward.


    Ouyang Lulu stared angrily at the burly youth. She pulled Huang Duoduo back into the private box and at the same time also dialed Regent Amusement Clubhouse¡¯s General Manager¡¯s number. She quickly reported in a simple explanation and then hung up the phone.


    ¡°If you really got the balls, just come in and wait.¡±


    After Ouyang Lulu entered the private box, she didn¡¯t forget to loudly shout those words.


    The burly youth rolled his white eyes as he took out his phone and made a phone call, calling his companions, and then they entered the private box. He quickly swept around the private box¡¯s interior and then swaggeringly went over to sit down on the sofa, curling one of his legs onto the other. He then smoked a cigarette as he said whilst laughing, ¡°Hehehe, looks like you are very rich, eh?! You¡¯re even able to spend the money for such an upscale private box! But I gotta tell you something, you¡¯d better apologize to me if you don¡¯t want to drag your family into a calamity just because of a little trouble, and then wait comfortably to serve me for a night.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu angrily, ¡°In your fucking dreams.¡±


    The burly youth proudly replied, ¡°You can play hard and reluctantly admit your mistake, but you can wait for your reinforcement to be utterly defeated, then I will have your mouth softened, hahaha¡­¡±


    Huang Duoduo gently pulled Ouyang Lulu¡¯s lower hem and whispered, ¡°This guy is way too arrogant, he might really have some background. Is that thing Tang Xiu you¡¯ve called reliable? Else, should I call my Dad?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu thought a second before she shook her head and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll send a message to my Big Bro.¡±


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on here?¡±


    At the moment, more than 10 strong big men burst into the private box¡¯s door led by a middle-aged man in a suit with gold-rimmed glasses. He looked at the inside of the private box to see the situation as he asked loudly.


    The sturdy youth rolled his eyes and cursed, ¡°Who the fuck are you? Just get the fuck out!¡±


    The middle-aged man glanced coldly at the burly youth before his complexion then changed with concern, fear, and trepidation, asking, ¡°Miss Ouyang, are you alright? I¡¯m really sorry for the problem and hope you can forgive us. Our security will take care of this problem. Anyone who dares to make trouble for our Regent Amusement Clubhouses, we will deal with them.¡±


    ¡°Bah! You don¡¯t fear that you¡¯ll swallow those big words back it seems¡­ I wanna see for myself today, what ability does this cheap Regent Amusement Clubhouse got, even daring to deal with my brother.¡±


    From the private box¡¯s entrance, three youths came in whilst smoking their cigarettes. The one who just spoke was a very handsome young man in the middle.


    Li Xueming frowned. He had encountered a lot of young master playboys from a lot of powerful families ever since he became the Regent Amusement Clubhouse¡¯s General Manager, but never once had he ever seen these youths in front of him. He knew perfectly well that today¡¯s incident would create big trouble. After all, Ouyang Lulu was the young lady of Ouyang Family, while Huang Duoduo is the only daughter of the Huang Family¡¯s head. These two little ancestors¡¯ background were absolutely scary and had a tremendous influence on Jingmen Island.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Li Xueming asked with a sinking voice.


    That youth replied with a sneer, ¡°Do you know Wei Guoqiang? He¡¯s my father. I have been studying abroad in recent years, but I¡¯ve never thought that when I just came back and wanted to entertain some of my friends from afar, you swept that excitement away. Regent Amusement Clubhouse¡¯s manager, eh? What bull crap! Even if your big boss came, he¡¯d also have to bow down in front of me.¡±


    Wei Guoqiang? The big boss of the Bright Radiance Group?


    Li Xueming wryly smiled secretly in his heart. Although the Bright Radiance Group¡¯s strength could not be compared to the Ouyang Family, but it was also a very powerful family on Jiangmen Island, almost on par with the Huang Family.


    He knew that today¡¯s matter would not end peacefully, and he could not run away from this trouble in front of him. Regardless of that, after having weighed the pros and cons, he decisively stood at Ouyang Lulu¡¯s side, and then spoke with a sank voice, ¡°Wei Guoqiang is indeed a respectable person, but his son turns out to be a rotten straw bag. Take those four and catch them.¡±


    More than 10 security personnel swarmed over after getting the order as though ferocious wolves and tigers as they rushed over toward the four people.


    ¡°You dare!¡±


    Never in his dreams had Wei Chao ever thought that even though he had used his father¡¯s name, this Regent Amusement Clubhouse would still dare to act against him. Today, he invited his two friends from, and each one¡¯s background was no worse than his family¡¯s.


    Shame! He felt that his face was swept clean at this moment.


    A cold light flashed from the burly youth¡¯s eyes. His body burst out instantly as his big fists fiercely punched several security personnel and knocked them out. His speed was very fast, swift, and sharp, easily avoiding a security personnel¡¯s hands which were about to catch him, as his fist punched down at the security guy¡¯s forehead.


    The other two youths were also not idle. Their looks were ordinary, but their martial arts were also extremely amazing. Not only they acted fast, but their strikes were ruthless and vicious.


    ¡°Bang bang bang¡­¡±


    More than ten tall and strong security personnel were all overthrown by the burly youth and the other two youngsters within just half a minute.


    The burly youth trampled on a security personnel¡¯s head as he stared at Li Xueming and coldly snorted, ¡°Only a few people dare to hit this father since my childhood up to now. You did have the courage, and your Regent Amusement Clubhouse is also good. But I dare guarantee that today¡¯s matter will end with you will kneeling before me, begging me to break your legs, and sewing your mouth!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu and Huang Duoduo were not frightened by the scene in front. Although they were shocked by those three youths¡¯ fighting strength, but the two girls were, after all, from a powerful and respected family, and had seen a lot of amazing scenes.


    ¡°You do indeed have the capital to be arrogant. However, you can hit more than 10 people, but more than 100? A 1000? I really want to see you showcasing your skills facing a gang up!¡± Ouyang Lulu clapped her hands with eyes full of contempt.


    The burly young man replied with a wild laugh, ¡°You¡¯re such hot girl, eh?! You¡¯ve got style. If you have the ability, regardless if you call 100 or 1000 people, just bring them on. This Big Daddy will take them on. Do carve in your mind, I¡¯m called Wang Hu from Xibei. Don¡¯t need to wait till having a one night stand with me for you to know this Big Daddy¡¯s name.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu was silent for a moment. She took her mobile in front of the burly youth, Wang Hu¡¯s face, and dialed a number, asking, ¡°Old friend, have you heard of Wang Hu from Xibei? A big arrogant chap?¡±


    ¡°Ye, I heard of him. A little nobody.¡±


    Chu Yi¡¯s sleepy and hazy voice came over from the cell phone.


    Ouyang Lulu said, ¡°OK! I got it!¡±

 Chapter 113

    Chapter 113: Incurring Hatred


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Ouyang Lulu hung up the phone with a deadpan expression as she looked at Wang Hu and said, ¡°I know you¡¯re indeed very famous in the Xibei region since my old classmate has also heard your name. However, you¡¯d better not think that you could get out easily after offending me today.¡±


    The tall and burly youth said with contempt, ¡°Pretentious.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu no longer spoke as she folded her arms, leaned on the sofa, and watched the burly youth and those few youths indifferently. She was somewhat worried upon seeing their strength. She did not know when Tang Xiu would arrive and whether he was able to face them.


    _¡°Cultivators should be very powerful, right?¡±_


    Ouyang Lulu pondered inside.


    The tall and burly youth turned toward Wei Chao and waved as he spoke with a light laugh, ¡°Young Master Wei, you seem to have been gone for too long from Jingmen Island that even the people have already forgotten your name. Wasn¡¯t your family very powerful? But this Regent Amusement Clubhouse turns out to not give any face to your father.¡±


    Such a sarcastic remark made Wei Chao¡¯s complexion turn crimson. He looked at Ouyang Lulu and Huang Duoduo with a more unsightly look. He secretly made up his mind to make these 2 girls pay the price after this matter ended.


    20 minutes later.


    Tang Xiu appeared outside the private box. When he entered the room, his brows wrinkled upon seeing his security personnel knocked down everywhere as well as seeing a burly young man trample on one of them.


    With an ice-cold expression, he looked at Ouyang Lulu and said, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu eyes brightened up as she suddenly jumped up from the sofa. She pointed at the burly youth and 3 others and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. But those damn chaps are hoodlums and very arrogant, they even wanted us¡­¡±


    With cold eyes, Tang Xiu could tell that Ouyang Lulu came out to drink tonight. And it was obviously because he occupied her villa. But her red forehead and a few footprints on her body told the truth that she clearly had been hit.


    ¡°Who hit her?¡±


    The burly youth was about to stand up, but another youth got up and came over before Tang Xiu with a contemptuous look, speaking at him with a mocking tone, ¡°Che, who the fuck is it? Playing hero to save a beauty and coming alone?¡±


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu kicked the youth in the chest with a lightning speed. He didn¡¯t look as strong or as sturdy like the burly youth, but along with the thumping sound, his body was directly sent flying onto the coffee table, smashing the coffee table¡¯s glass.


    ¡°Who else, come at me and get the hell out.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s voice was extremely pressing but carried along with it an extremely cold tone.


    The burly youth and the other youth¡¯s complexion changed. Although Tang Xiu¡¯s kick could be said to be a sudden attack, but the speed was extremely fast as they were unable to see it clearly even though they were staring at him.


    ¡°An expert!¡±


    They nodded at each other. Since they have fought countless fights together, they moved forward 2 steps at the same time to face Tang Xiu, saying, ¡°I¡¯m the one who hit her! Playing a deity, aren¡¯t you? Why don¡¯t you mind your own fucking business!?¡±


    Tang Xiu did not reply, nor did he ask about their identities. He trod on forward with a strange footwork and bolted 4 or 5 meters in an instant as he appeared in front of the 2 of them. He gripped his fist and as he kicked and sent the burly youth flying, at the same time, he severely hit the other youth¡¯s face.


    ¡°Crack, crack, bang, bang!¡±


    A clear sound of broken bones and screams followed from the youths.


    When Tang Xiu¡¯s fist hit the youth, his kicking leg was blocked by the burly youth¡¯s arms. However, Tang Xiu¡¯s body then twisted and moved in a strange posture as he swayed as though he was flying toward the burly youth¡¯s left side and hit him with a meteor-like fist strike. He did exert sufficient speed, but only used half of his strength.


    ¡°Bang bang¡­¡±


    The tall and sturdy youth growled lowly as Tang Xiu¡¯s fist smashed his arms. He retreated backward again and again and was forced backward to the wall. His complexion greatly changed and he was in pain as Tang Xiu followed and used his leg as though a whip to fiercely kick his face, causing his body to be lifted up, as his head then severely hit the floor.


    Tang Xiu coldly snorted and bolted directly toward the unconscious burly youth. He grabbed his neck as though grabbing a dead dog and fiercely slapped him.


    ¡°Pa pa pa¡­¡±


    The burly youth was slapped more than 10 times, causing his cheeks to be swollen up as he was awakened by the slaps.


    Tang Xiu then easily threw him to the corner and then rushed toward the other 2 youths. Under the gaze of everyone¡¯s eyes, he beat those youths ruthlessly as he hit them and made the 2 youths scream again and again. Only after the two of them screamed and begged for mercy did he stop beating them.


    Huang Duoduo, who had run toward Ouyang Lulu¡¯s side, held Ouyang Lulu¡¯s arm. At the moment, her eyes were as though filled with blazing fire as she looked dumbfoundedly at Tang Xiu, who savagely beat his opponents.


    ¡°So damn handsome, he¡¯s so cool!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a man amongst men, the best amongst the best!¡±


    ¡°Damn, it¡¯s not good, I really like him! Lulu, you must not compete with me! I¡¯ve fallen in love with him!¡±


    ¡°Hit them good! Hit them again¡­¡±


    With a dumbfounded expression, Ouyang Lulu looked at the miserable burly youth and the others. She then looked at Tang Xiu, who moved as though a light cloud that was blown by the wind, and then sat on the sofa. Her heart was throbbing and palpitating.


    Yes! He was really cool and handsome!


    At this very moment, Tang Xiu in her eyes was like a knight in a shining golden armor. A hero who trod on the colorful clouds and descended to save a beauty. Not even a word that was full of admiration and worship; what her boudoir friend, Huang Duoduo, had said entered her ears.


    Li Xueming, who was originally restless and anxious, also did not expect that such a scene would unfold in front of him. What he was expecting was that the Ouyang Family would send one of their elders to rescue Ouyang Lulu as per her plead, and then let the Ouyang Family handle this kind of big matter. But this unknown youngster unexpectedly cleaned up the 3 youths with such formidable martial arts alone.


    He¡¯s really strong and powerful!


    Deep in his heart he shouted his admiration. All the security personnel employed by the Regent Amusement Clubhouse were all experts who had undergone training. If they were such street thugs or local hoodlums, they would be able to deal with 2 or 3 of them easily. But those 3 youths were able to knock down more than 10 security personnel.


    Tang Xiu grabbed a bottle of beer, opened the cap and sipped it. He looked at Ouyang Lulu and then said, ¡°I¡¯ve packed them up. Are you satisfied now? If you have yet to be satisfied, you can beat them to your heart¡¯s content. Remember, you can savagely beat them and leave injury marks, but you¡¯d better not kill them. I¡¯m only a little nobody and have neither the influence or power, so killing them would be troublesome. Of course, since your Ouyang Family is powerful and has more power, you can directly kill them should you not be afraid to face the responsibilities!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu gulped her saliva. Her dull eyes turned sober and calmed down. She then looked at the burly youth and the others who tried to crawl and get up but fell again and again. Then, she grabbed a bottle and turned around toward Wei Chao, whose face had turned deathly white as though a piece of white paper. Ouyang Lulu fiercely hit his head and said, ¡°You said We Guoqiang is your father, didn¡¯t you? Your family is the Bright Radiance Group? Causing you to be arrogant, harping, and boasting around and unable to see a Mt. Tai? And even dare to hook up with these three hoodlums¡­¡±


    The bottle cracked and blasted as liquor and blood then mixed together.


    Ouyang Lulu smashed six bottles onto Wei Chao¡¯s head, causing him to directly faint. Then, she took a smashed bottom bottle and walked toward the burly youth and pressed it two times in a crossed shape onto his cheek. After that, only then did she stop.


    The two wounds, interestingly formed an ¡°X¡± shape.


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    The private box¡¯s door was shut after Tang Xiu entered, and now somebody kicked the door open from the outside as a 30 years-old man then strode and rushed into the private box, followed by 4 men with steady footsteps, especially a particularly strong and sturdy middle-aged man.


    ¡°Lulu, are you alright¡­¡±


    When Ouyang Lei rushed into the private box, he happened to see Ouyang Lulu carving the wounds on the burly youth. The sudden words ¡°holy shit¡± he was about to shout was blocked inside his throat.


    Ouyang Lulu replied with a laugh, ¡°Brother, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Looking at the scene inside the private box, Ouyang Lei then spoke with a sinking voice, ¡°What the hell has happened? You texted me that somebody hit you. Who was it?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu pointed to the burly youth and angrily replied, ¡°It¡¯s him. He even shouted to make me accompany him for a night. Big brother, he harassed me with a lot of profane words and insults.¡±


    Ouyang Lei strode forward. He did want to wake up the four of them and give them another series of savage beatings. However, upon seeing the miserable state they were in, his mouth twitched a few times and finally did not act.


    It was awful and way too miserable!


    It was unimaginable for him as to whom had acted that ruthlessly, to even turn the four of them into such a state. Even if they were not killed, weren¡¯t they also beaten half dead?


    Knowing that Ouyang Lei was Ouyang Lulu¡¯s older brother, Tang Xiu put down the bottle in hand and immediately spoke lightly, ¡°Ouyang Lulu, since your family has come, I¡¯ll go back first. I¡¯ve spent most of the night only to comply with your call. If it were not because of you, I would have rested already!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu quickly blocked Tang Xiu. Her attitude now and before was completely different as she smiled gracefully and said, ¡°Have you finished your important matter? Can I go back with you? You can see that I have been beaten, so I need to go back and have some medication.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Fine, you can go back with me!¡±


    With a silly expression, Ouyang Lei looked at Ouyang Lulu and Tang Xiu. It was the content of their conversation that made him shocked.


    _Going back together? Are they in a relationship? Are they already living together?_


    Ouyang Lei¡¯s body trembled as he quickly stopped Ouyang Lulu and asked, ¡°Wait, Little Sis. You didn¡¯t create the trouble but yet you haven¡¯t told me about it clearly! Also, who¡¯s this guy you want to go back with? Are the two you living together?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu squinted her eyes and replied with a smile, ¡°Big Brother, I¡¯ll tell you about the matter later. In short, you just wake them up and make them crawl when they leave this clubhouse. Ah yes, help me escort Huang Duoduo back home, it¡¯s so late and I don¡¯t want someone I can¡¯t trust escorting her home.¡±


    Ouyang Lei shouted angrily, ¡°Hell no, you haven¡¯t answered my question!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu said with a laugh, ¡°Big Brother, why should you be angry! You didn¡¯t even let me find a boyfriend previously, so I might as well marry quickly! And, he¡¯s very good!¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Ouyang Lei was left speechless.


    Ouyang Lulu looked at her brother¡¯s defeated expression. Her smile immediately getting thicker and then said, ¡°Ah, well, I¡¯ll tell you then! He¡¯s Tang Xiu, my savior. Today, if it were not for him, I could have been bullied by these hoodlums! He lives in my villa, so I¡¯ll just go back with him.¡±


    ¡°He lives in your house?!!¡±

 Chapter 114

    Chapter 114: Tuina Massage


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The anger on Ouyang Lei¡¯s face disappeared and was replaced by a deep surprise. He was perfectly aware of his sister¡¯s judgment ability, and her standard was unusually high. How many outstanding youths had his sister refused and not taken a liking to? But this youth called Tang Xiu, could he be more outstanding than those talented youths?


    In the next moment, with a smile surfacing on his face, he walked toward Tang Xiu and carefully observed him while speaking with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re Tang Xiu? Since you and my Lil Sis have an unusual relationship, then I won¡¯t say thanks to you. I¡¯m Ouyang Lei, Lulu¡¯s big brother. Since we brothers will be closer in the future, I¡¯ll ask you to help with the problems in my family¡­¡±


    _Helping their family?_


    With a quizzical expression Tang Xiu looked at Ouyang Lei. He could feel that these words had profound meanings of which he couldn¡¯t guess at. Eventually, he secretly shook his head as he looked at Ouyang Lei and then said, ¡°I¡¯m very tired and quite sleepy. So I¡¯ll leave the aftermath here for you to handle!¡±


    Having spoken that, he brushed past Ouyang Lei and stepped out of the private box.


    For a second Ouyang Lei stared blankly. He watched at the leaving Tang Xiu¡¯s back and also saw his little sister that was like a small maidservant who followed him and went out, leaving the older brother gaping and at a loss for words.


    This ¡®brother-in-law, the husband of his little sis¡¯¡­


    Wasn¡¯t he way too eccentric?


    Huang Duoduo turned gloomy. She just heard that Ouyang Lulu said that ¡®she and Tang Xiu lived together¡¯, giving her an intense feeling of loss. Although she knew that Ouyang Lulu was not really living together with Tang Xiu, but she could tell from Ouyang Lulu¡¯s expression, that she did have the thought about it.


    _¡±Did I just fall in love at first sight?¡±_


    Huang Duoduo stamped her foot as she helplessly turned her head and looked at Ouyang Lei.


    With a wry and forced smile covering his whole face, Ouyang Lei shook his head as he also realized Huang Duoduo¡¯s expression. He immediately smiled and said, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll send someone to escort you home! I¡¯ll stay here and take care the aftermath. Ah, right. If you¡¯re not rushed, can you tell me about what had happened in detail?¡±


    Huang Duoduo was in a depressed mood and she didn¡¯t want to say anything more, so she asked Ouyang Lei to be escorted home directly.


    Inside the private box.


    Li Xueming and Ouyang Lei had a small chat as Li Xueming told him everything he knew. He didn¡¯t know much about what had happened since he only received a call from Ouyang Lulu and then led his people to rush over.


    ¡°What did you say? You brought more than 10 security personnel and all of them were knocked down? Then¡­ Tang Xiu knocked those 3 down alone? Are you joking me?¡± Ouyang Lei looked at Li Xueming in disbelief as he involuntarily exclaimed out loud.


    Li Xueming let out a forced smile and said, ¡°Mr. Ouyang, do you think I would be joking with you? There are a lot of people here! Mr. Tang is really powerful, and I¡¯ve never seen such a powerful expert like him.¡±


    Ouyang Lei gulped down his saliva. He became more curious about this future brother-in-law of his. He secretly analyzed that the 4 big guys he brought here, each and every one of them was an outstanding master. They were special force members in the army, and were very powerful. But if the four of them were to knock down these 4 playboys like that, perhaps they would not be able to do so!


    ¡°Old Biao, between an expert, you should be able to tell clearly, what do you think about Tang Xiu?¡± Ouyang Lei turned around as he asked in a deep tone.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see his depth!¡± The big man shook his head and said.


    Ouyang Lei narrowed his eyes. He took out his mobile and dialed a number. After the call was picked up, he then said with a deep tone, ¡°Investigate someone for me. He¡¯s called Tang Xiu, about 20 years-old¡­¡±


    20 minutes later¡­


    Tang Xiu and Ouyang Lulu had returned to the villa. Ouyang Lulu¡¯s attitude toward Tang Xiu had changed and her tone had become particularly cordial. Tang Xiu quite accepted such a change since he, and everyone else, also disliked being treated with bad manners.


    Since the servants had all been sent home and Mu Qingping and her daughter had also slept, the entire villa was empty and unusually quiet. Since he just went out and his body was dirtied with blood and also smelled like liquor, he asked where the bathroom was, and then went out to take a bath.


    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t have any clean clothes.¡±


    Having finished the shower, only then did Tang Xiu realize that he did not carry any clothes.


    After half a minute passed by, he thought that Ouyang Lulu should have been upstairs and resting. Then he only put on his boxer, and left the bathroom whilst holding his dirty clothes.


    ¡°You done showering?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu was folding her arms as she stood at the corner of the corridor. Upon seeing that Tang Xiu was out, a faint smile hung on her beautiful face.


    ¡°Ugh!¡±


    Tang Xiu was stunned. He was nearly naked, but Ouyang Lulu unexpectedly looked at him over and over again. Subconsciously, he covered his lower part with his dirty clothes.


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    Seeing such an awkward and embarrassing Tang Xiu, Ouyang Lulu suddenly was struck with a big sense of interest all of a sudden and then said with a ruminating expression, ¡°It¡¯s just a little thing. No matter how I look at you, you¡¯re very thin, and I didn¡¯t expect that. But your streamlined and trained muscles are really attractive. No wonder even those 3 guys with such powerful fighting strength were totally defeated and beaten so miserably by you.¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with a blackened face, ¡°You don¡¯t even have a little bit of shyness and shame at seeing a guy not wearing any proper clothes? Don¡¯t you know that men and women have some lines about this? Since it¡¯s only a small problem, then bother me no longer and take your time to rest!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu said, ¡°But, I¡¯m afraid of the pain.¡±


    With a confused expression Tang Xiu replied, ¡°Just go to sleep will you? What relations could it have between pain and your fear?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu said, ¡°That bastard kicked me so hard that the spots kicked by him are very painful now. Although my family has the medicine to treat bruises and such, I feel no effect even though I have used and spread the medicine on the wounds. You¡¯re a highly skilled Divine Doctor, can you help me relieve the pain?¡±


    With that said, she pitifully pointed to her waist and back.


    _¡±She¡¯s really troublesome!¡±_


    Tang Xiu whispered inside as he replied with a calm expression, ¡°Fine! For the sake of making you leave tonight, I¡¯ll help you with a Tuina Massage! Let¡¯s go to your room!¡±


    Tuina Massage? In my room?


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s beautiful face flushed crimson to the ears as she involuntarily thought of the aftermath of the single man and woman staying together in one room.


    _¡±Haih, will my chastity that I have been preserving for more than 20 years be handed over today?¡±_


    But the second this thought emerged, she immediately vetoed it. She did admit that Tang Xiu indeed attracted her a little bit, but it had yet to reach the point for her to the ¡®be faithful till death do us apart¡¯ situation. She could only give her pure and chaste body to her most beloved husband in the future, and it absolutely must not to be surrendered over so easily.


    After having thought of up to this point, she secretly suppressed down her swaying heart and then said, ¡°You want to go to my bedroom?¡±


    Tang Xiu stared blankly for a moment. He looked down at his body as awkwardness and embarrassment suddenly emerged on his face. He strode back to his room and quickly put on clean clothes and secretly felt relieved.


    It was an undeniable truth that Ouyang Lulu was a beauty. And even heroes had a weakness in front of the charms of beautiful women.


    He did have a habit in admiring beauties, and he would also never refuse if a stunning and outstanding beauty seduced him. However, since he was a cultivator, he liked to let nature took its course and did not want to be controlled by his innermost feelings nor lust.


    It was said, a women¡¯s chamber was the most mysterious place, but was also the most yearned place for countless of men. Tang Xiu had had a partner, but she was very simple and lacked such an ambience a young girl usually had, so her companion¡¯s chamber decoration was also very simple. Shortly put, it was his first time ever entering a young girl¡¯s chamber in the truest sense.


    ¡°This¡­ is your bedroom?¡±


    The moment Tang Xiu followed Ouyang Lulu and entered her bedroom, Tang Xiu asked in disbelief.


    Ouyang Lulu replied with a shallow smile, ¡°What? Is there a problem?¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled wryly as he shook his head and then said, ¡°It¡¯s not that. It¡¯s just¡­ I didn¡¯t expect that a girl¡¯s chamber would be like this!¡±


    Inside the bedroom!


    Apart from a large bed, bookshelves filled the room, with a variety of books placed on each bookshelf. In a glance, Tang Xiu could tell that the number of books inside this bedroom should at least reach 20,000.


    Ouyang Lulu rolled her eyes at Tang Xiu. Whilst taking off her white coat, she said, ¡°I love reading. I spend most of my time reading, apart from managing my business and occasionally hanging out with my girlfriends. Each of my houses has the same interior, and the books here are only part of my reading collection.¡±


    Tang Xiu asked in astonishment, ¡°You have read all these books?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu said, ¡°That is of course, otherwise, why would I put so many books here? Besides, I do have a habit of putting the books I have read in my bedroom. So whenever I¡¯m bored, I don¡¯t have to find other books and turn over the books I want.¡±


    Tang Xiu was speechless.


    He had seen a lot of eccentrics and freaks, but never once had he ever met such a reading freak like her.


    ¡°You will really give me a Tuina Massage?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu asked again. She was afraid that Tang Xiu would do something ¡®illegal¡¯ to her.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Relax, my massage technique is even better than a Tuina Massage. I dare guarantee that after you¡¯ve been Tuina Massaged by me, the bruises on your muscles and skins will be restored and you won¡¯t feel any pain also. Don¡¯t stand idly and be stunned, continue undressing yourself; apart from your underwear, take everything off.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s complexion was blushing red as she hesitated. According to Tang Xiu¡¯s order, that meant that she had to take everything off apart from her underwear. If she was at the beach, she dared to put on only a bikini and play at the beach. But wearing only underwear and exposing herself in front of a man inside her boudoir, it was kind of unnatural for her.


    ¡°Lay on the bed!¡±


    A new decree from Tang Xiu came out.


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s face becoming redder. But still, she laid on the bed obediently.


    Looking at such a perfect devilish body, Tang Xiu secretly praised it inside. Whether it was her body or her skin, they were absolutely one of a kind and absolutely the finest amongst the finest. And shortly after, his eyes quickly fell on Ouyang Lulu¡¯s waist and back.


    _¡±That bastard was really ruthless and did not even show any tenderness in doing this!¡±_


    Tang Xiu cursed secretly as he stood beside Ouyang Lulu¡¯s back and began to gently pressed her back with his hands.


    ¡°Ouohhh¡­¡­¡±


    The innermost heart of Ouyang Lulu trembled as she almost hummed out loud. Apart from her father who touched her when she was a child, no man had ever touched her before. She could clearly feel the warm emitted out from Tang Xiu¡¯s hands, as well as sensing a jolting feeling like an electrical current stung and flowed in her body.


    * * *


    Notes:


    For Tuina Massage you can click the link embedded on the title.


    Ugh.. such a golden opportunity¡­ LOL¡­ don¡¯t try this at home kids, it¡¯s bad for your health¡­ hahaha

 Chapter 115

    Chapter 115: Returning to Star City


    Such thoughts that Ouyang Lulu had, did not occur to Tang Xiu, nor did it distract him. He was basically treating Ouyang Lulu entirely based on a doctor-patient relationship. At the beginning, he massaged gently and began to add more strength in the later part. His technique was unusual and constantly focused on Ouyang Lulu¡¯s back and the side of her waist.


    Time passed by¡­


    The pain gradually lessened until Ouyang Lulu felt no pain, and instead, she felt very comfortable. The comfy feeling made her infatuated, even giving birth to the thoughts of letting Tang Xiu¡¯s hands continue to do it eternally.


    At this moment, bursts of intermittent ripples in her heart had all disappeared as a deep enjoyment replaced it and covered her face. Gradually, she began to fight her eyelids from closing as she unconsciously fell into a deep sleep under Tang Xiu¡¯s massage.


    ¡°Huff¡­¡±


    After a long while, only then did Tang Xiu stop massaging. He secretly took a deep breath and grabbed the blanket on the side to cover Ouyang Lulu¡¯s body. Then, he turned around and left the bedroom. Some might say that a man bullying a woman was the same as a beast, but a man who did not bully a woman was even worse than a beast. But Tang Xiu did not defer to this saying. To him, the things between men and women were particularly and heavily reliant on each other¡¯s feelings and willingness. If there was no emotional attachment between them, having sexual intercourse was the same as ¡®people that behaved like animals¡¯.


    The next day¡­


    It was 10 AM when Tang woke up from his sleep. He took a short shower and went downstairs to the first floor. When he saw that the nanny who was busy cooking in the kitchen and Mu Qingping sitting on the sofa, he asked with an astonished expression, ¡°Ouyang Lulu has not woken up?¡±


    Mu Qingping said with a smile, ¡°Since Yin¡¯er and I have woken up, we haven¡¯t seen her. Wasn¡¯t she driven out by you yesterday? I thought that she hasn¡¯t come back yet!¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°She came back last night. Anyways, just forget it, regardless of her issue, we¡¯ll leave for Star City after we have our lunch! Ah, yes! Can you book plane tickets online?¡±


    Mu Qingping said, ¡°OK! I¡¯ll do it right away!¡±


    The lunch was great and the nanny who returned this morning realized that Tang Xiu was an honorable guest, so all the dishes being prepared were unusually delicious, coupled with the hot soup that made their appetite grow.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    After having sated their hunger and thirst, Tang Xiu still did not see that Ouyang Lulu had woken up and he did not have the intention to personally bid her farewell. Whilst carrying his travel bag, he held Gu Yin¡¯s small hand as they left. As for the medicinal herbs and the materials he had bought, he already sent them to Star City via the courier company on the way to the villa yesterday.


    A lot of things had happened in the last 5-6 days. Tang Xiu secretly sighed when he stepped his foot into Star City again. Even though he got quite the harvest on this long journey, there was also some slight regret because he still did not know the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s founder. As to whether the restaurant had a special relationship with his first apprentice that he had received thousands of years ago.


    In South Gate Town.


    The first thing Tang Xiu did when he returned home was to charge his phone¡¯s battery. He had experienced a lot of things in the last 2 days, but after he boarded the plane he remembered that there were no phone calls in the last 2 days. Having seen his phone, it turned out that his phone was out of battery and had long shut down automatically.


    After booting the phone, Banshou was the first person Tang Xiu contacted, of whom he got the news that the fierce beasts¡¯ remains he bought from Tang Dong had already been sent to the freezer compartment in the Old Street River area. Then, he ordered Banshou and Dingzi to wait momentarily for the 6 fierce beast corpses that were being delivered there.


    There were a few days left to report to school from the one week of holiday Gong Dalong had helped him get. And Tang Xiu did not want to go back to school ahead of time. He had long finished learning the high school¡¯s curriculum and could take the College Entrance Test at any time, so he felt that it would only be a waste of time to stay in the classroom every day.


    So, for the last 2 days, Tang Xiu decided to make the Golden Bell Liquid. His cultivation was stuck at the Vitality Tempering Peak Stage, causing him not to rashly cultivate. Only after he reached the Skin Strengthening Stage did he feel that he would have the assurance to safely survive in today¡¯s society.


    After having properly settled Mu Qingping and Gu Yin, he rushed to the Old Street River area where he had ordered Banshou to drive a small container van and wait for him there.


    In the afternoon.


    Banshou and Dingzi were squatting next to a small container van in front of the freezer compartment at the River Street Old area. Seeing that Tang Xiu had come, they immediately put out their cigarettes and quickly greeted him.


    ¡°Boss, what are your orders?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯ll choose some fierce animal bones and remains, and you help me deliver them to my South Gate Town house. Take the 1 million yuan in this bag I got on the way here. You¡¯ll need the money and will have to go to many places later to help me. And do remember to call me whenever money runs out.¡±


    1 million?


    At the same time, Banshou and Dingzi glanced at the black bag given by Tang Xiu. They had never seen such a huge sum of money, especially 1 million yuan in cash. Immediately after, their attitude toward Tang Xiu became more deferential as they felt that their choice to follow Tang Xiu was becoming more and more correct.


    After a long while.


    Tang Xiu had selected some good materials and ordered Banshou and Dingzi to move them to the small container van. Since the materials composition for the Golden Bell Liquid¡¯s recipe now was different from the recipe in the Immortal World, he prepared a lot of materials for it, even filling half of the small container.


    _¡°I should take the driver¡¯s license test if I have time later.¡±_


    Tang Xiu felt that a car was really inconvenient. He couldn¡¯t help but secretly think that once he was able to use a flying sword, he would be able to traverse thousands of miles in one step. But now, he had to start everything from scratch, and having no means of transportation was really troublesome, especially in present society.


    On the way back to the South Gate Town, Tang Xiu asked Banshou about his mother¡¯s situation. And upon hearing that the restaurant and its business was doing well and flourishing, he felt slightly relieved.


    ¡°Boss, I don¡¯t know how to say it to you, but there¡¯s something I want to report.¡±


    Whilst driving, Banshou hesitantly spoke.


    Tang Xiu asked, ¡°What¡¯s up? Tell me!¡±


    Banshou said ¡°Boss, Su Shangwen came to the restaurant yesterday and wanted to borrow some money from your mother. And your kindhearted mother kept thinking that Su Shangwen had helped you, so she came up with 100 thousand yuan and lent it to him. But he thought that it was too few, so not only did he not accepted the money, but he instead spoke a lot of curses.¡±


    Su Shangwen?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows slanted as cold lights flashed from his eyes.


    He thought that after the things that happened at Star City Medicinal Herbs Market previously, he had learned his lesson and would no longer disturb his family again. But he had never thought that he still dared to be arrogant to his mother even though his visit was to borrow some money.


    Such a family like Su Shangwen was just like a fly in Tang Xiu¡¯s heart and he really disliked him. If he could, he would have Su Shangwen¡¯s family disappear from this world forever.


    _¡°Blood is thicker than water? What a big joke! Without feeling and emotional attachment, what¡¯s the use of being of the same blood and coming from the same root? If he dares to do anything excessive again, I won¡¯t hesitate to kick his family out of Star City, even out of the country.¡±_


    Tang Xiu silently thought as he turned his head and looked outside through the window.


    Star City Purple Gold Garden upscale area.


    With an unsightly expression, Su Shangwen sat in his study room with a notebook opened in front of him, looking at the screen that showed the interface of his remaining bank account balance.


    He had heard the saying that ¡°when the tree was toppled down all the monkeys would scatter¡±. He was personally experiencing it right now. Ever since Chen Zhizhong targeted his real estate company, his business faced a lot of difficulties and was on the verge of bankruptcy.


    Even though afterward Chen Zhizhong spared him, it was becoming worse day by day. A lot of suppliers intentionally raised the price of building materials, causing serious miscalculations in the budget of his most important project. And just like a house that leaked along with the heavy rain, the bank that previously gave their words to lend him a large sum of capital also did not give him any news.


    Recently, he had visited the bank a lot of times and even promised a lot of commission for the bank¡¯s executives, but then they intentionally played ¡°Tai Chi¡± with him, even the manager¡¯s attitude had indicated that he could not give the load even though their friendship would continue.


    Under such desperation, only then did he think about that cheap nephew of his.


    However, he knew what he had done before, so he did not dare to find Tang Xiu directly and instead went to the restaurant to find Su Lingyun. Much to his surprise, Su Lingyun¡¯s restaurant business was booming, and she unexpectedly was only willing to lend him 100 thousand yuan.


    What would 100 thousand yuan be enough for?


    It was even lower than one tenth of the money he gave to the bank executives.


    ¡°Bang¡­¡­¡±


    Su Shangwen fiercely smashed the ashtray in his hand as fierce anger light flashed from his eyes whilst he cursed in a whisper, ¡°What a fucking shitty sister and damned nephew!? Outsiders are even better than them. When they were down in the pit this father was the one who provided relief for them. But now that they have climbed and risen, they want to kick this father aside, what a fucking illusion! If it were not because that bastard Tang Xiu, how could my Shangwen Real Estate end up in such a dire situation? How could I even be regarded as a plague and being excommunicated by so many friends?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t put my hope in the bank, neither can I rely on my fucking shitty old friends. My last hope is only to rely on Su Lingyun and Tang Xiu. I must think of a way to satisfy them and obtain my goal, so they would put out the money on their own initiative. Moreover, it¡¯s best to yield first to that small bastard Tang Xiu to approach and create a relationship with the Long Group. If I could climb up to the Long Group¡¯s top brass, only then will my Shangwen Group rake in money.¡±


    Light flashed from Su Shangwen¡¯s eyes as he was deep in thought. He cast away each and every deriding thought that reappeared in his mind as he made up his mind in one go. But since he felt that he could not get to Tang Xiu, he thought that he must focus his efforts toward Su Lingyun.


    In South Gate Town.


    After having put all the materials into his villa¡¯s warehouse, Tang Xiu sent Banshou away before he entered the warehouse. Everything had been prepared, and the only thing left was some small crucial items before he began to concoct the Golden Bell Liquid.


    ¡°By night, the medicinal ingredients should have been delivered. What should I do now? There is still time till noon!¡±


    Tang Xiu stood in the warehouse as he found that he suddenly had nothing to do and was really bored.


    ¡°Ring ring ring¡­¡±


    His mobile rang and interrupted his thoughts.


    Tang Xiu took the phone and looked at the caller ID number. It was Long Zhenglin. Then, he pressed the answer button and asked, ¡°What¡¯s up? I¡¯m very busy right now and have no time.¡±


    Notes:


    I pray for Manchester, Marawi and Jakarta. I don¡¯t care whatever God, beliefs, goals or intentions those people have, but for whatever it is, this insanity must stop.


    Aside from that, sorry for the late updates everyone, kinda very busy at least until June since I got occupied with work and family. But, I¡¯ve stated that I will at least translate 5 chaps a week and those chaps will be published at least on Friday-Sunday.

 Chapter 116

    Chapter 116: What¡¯s in Your Brain?


    Long Zhenglin¡¯s exaggerated voice came out of the cell phone, ¡°Heavens! Eldest Brother, you¡¯re finally on! I¡¯m dead tired of being bugged by my big brother. He said that Kang Xia has been trying to contact you and couldn¡¯t get through. For this day only, I¡¯ve answered my big brother¡¯s call for 18 times already.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I know, I will call Kang Xia. Tell your brother my regards!¡±


    Long Zhenglin cried, ¡°Eldest Brother, you¡¯ve returned to Star City? How about the preparation for our getting rich plan?¡±


    Getting rich plan?


    Tang Xiu stared blankly for a moment before recalling the time when he was about to leave for Jingmen Island. That time, Long Zhenglin looked for him and talked about the mass production of the men¡¯s sexual enhancement and medication products. After having thought for a moment, he slowly said, ¡°I just got back to the Star City and will return to South Gate Town soon. I¡¯ll tell you the answer tonight.¡±


    Long Zhenglin said with a laugh, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll wait for the good news. Ah, right, are you bored? Want me to accompany you? Although you are not a beauty, but since you can make me rich, you are still quite attractive though.¡±


    ¡°Damn you!¡±


    Tang Xiu cursed and laughed loudly as he then directly hung up the phone.


    Tang Xiu called Kang Xia after having found her number.


    The phone had just connected when Kang Xia¡¯s voice then came out, ¡°Boss, you¡¯re really just like a Dragon God that¡¯s very hard to reach, even your tail is unable to be seen. I¡¯ve been calling you dozens of times since yesterday, and I couldn¡¯t get connected to you. Where are you now? I¡¯ve arrived at Star City and I want to see you immediately!¡±


    Boss?


    Tang Xiu smiled and was very satisfied with the name Kang Xia called him. Through this address, he knew that Kang Xia had complied to work for him.


    ¡°Come to South Gate Town! I¡¯m waiting for you at home. I¡¯ll text the address to your phone!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    About half an hour, Kang Xia called him, and it was unexpected for Tang Xiu since she was held by the villa complex¡¯s security. After having called the security chief, only then was Kang Xia able to enter the villa complex.


    ¡°Boss, it¡¯s really not easy to see you.¡±


    Kang Xia was wearing a working blazer suit with gold-rimmed eyeglasses, giving off a spirited, capable, and competent look. After having seen Tang Xiu, a wry smile was revealed on her beautiful face.


    Tang Xiu gestured her to sit on the sofa and spoke, ¡°Has the test results come out? There is no problem with those 2 formulas, yes?¡±


    Kang Xia nodded and said, ¡°It has been tested. And it indeed has no harmful substances for the human body. In addition, I also have already registered the company and need to arrange the organizational structure. But, since I couldn¡¯t contact you, I named the company group on my own initiative.¡±


    Tang Xiu asked, ¡°What is the name?¡±


    Kang Xia said, ¡°Magnificent Tang Corporation.¡±


    Tang Xiu savored it a few times inside before he replied with satisfaction, ¡°That¡¯s a very good name. It¡¯s to my taste. I¡¯ve told you before that I¡¯ve given you the rights and privileges to create the company as well as managing it. You only need to inform me the issues that you cannot handle, and I¡¯ll figure out the solution.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    Kang Xia gave an OK hand gesture and then said again, ¡°This is the company¡¯s original registered documents and I¡¯ll be holding the copies. The company¡¯s owner and main stakeholder is you.¡±


    Tang Xiu received it casually and skimmed through it. Then, he placed it on the table in front of him and said, ¡°I think having only 2 products is not enough. Moreover, we cannot solely have our business in cosmetics. We should expand to some other fields, such as beverages¡­¡±


    Kang Xia interrupted Tang Xiu, and then said seriously, ¡°Boss, we have just founded our company and there are many issues we have yet to handle, such as packaging, logo designing, factory construction, production lines equipment, and many others¡­ Besides, the money you gave me for our starting capital is too few and it won¡¯t be enough. I think it¡¯s too early to develop new products.¡±


    Tang Xiu took out his phone and transferred 80 million through online banking to Kang Xia and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have much money right now. You use this money first, then you can call me later if the fund is insufficient. You can use it according to our financial situation.¡±


    Kang Xia was astonished, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you had no money 5 or 6 days ago? How come you have so much money in just a short time?¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a forced smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s just that I had some opportunities. But now I¡¯m 2.5 billion in debt! Therefore, you have to work hard and strive to make money for me.¡±


    ¡°2.5 billion?¡±


    Kang Xiu stared at Tang Xiu in disbelief as she said, ¡°What did you do?! How come you have a debt of 2.5 billion? It¡¯s not 250 million nor is it 2.5 million. It¡¯s 10 digits, 2.5 billion?!!¡±


    Tang Xiu replied casually, ¡°I participated in an auction and found an extremely valuable Feng Shui place. So I bought it. As long as you work hard for me, I can take you to have your vacation there.¡±


    ¡°What kind of Feng Shui treasure would have a price of 2.5 billion?!¡± Kang Xia exclaimed in disbelief.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°It¡¯s a private island in the Pacific Ocean.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Kang Xia looked at Tang Xiu. If it were not that she believed that Tang Xiu was not someone who would joke about this matter, she would have thought that Tang Xiu was only bragging. After having hesitated for a moment, she finally braced herself to ask further about it and asked cautiously, ¡°Boss, you indeed have the ability, but who has such boldness to even dare lend you 2.5 billion?¡±


    Tang Xiu originally did not want to answer Kang Xia¡¯s question. But then, he thought that she would be his right-hand person, so he could not help but answer it with difficulty, ¡°He¡¯s my disciple, Chen Zhizhong.¡±


    An apprentice? Chen Zhizhong?


    Kang Xia¡¯s mind searched the name. Ten seconds later, her eyes turned into saucers as she exclaimed, ¡°The Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical¡¯s Boss, Chen Zhizhong? He¡¯s your disciple? How could this be possible?¡±


    Tang Xiu calmly said, ¡°And why would it be impossible? Do you think I am not worthy as his master?¡±


    Kang Xia gulped down her saliva and replied with a disbelieving expression, ¡°I really can¡¯t swallow it. For what does he need to learn under you? I know that Chen Zhizhong¡¯s Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical only has a few billion in market value. However, with the shares he had bought from other companies, he has a lot of money from his shares¡¯ dividend each year. And speaking about personal wealth, Chen Zhizhong¡¯s net worth absolutely exceeds 10 billion yuan.¡±


    Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°Even if someone has trillions in asset, if I don¡¯t like him, I will never accept him as a disciple. Anyways, you don¡¯t need to inquire blindly about this topic again. Let¡¯s get back to our main topic. I think if you have the energy and will, you can separately branch-out the subsidiary company, and manage its business development. I already have an idea, so if you think that it¡¯s feasible, then do it. If you think that you don¡¯t have time and energy to manage the business for the new type of products, I can give it to someone else.¡±


    Kang Xia shook her head and said, ¡°I have the energy, but I still don¡¯t recommend to make a subsidiary company. If you really wanna do it, then it¡¯s fine with me. I¡¯ll let another subordinate handle it. If you feel that it¡¯s not appropriate, it¡¯s also fine to give it someone else to manage it.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll give it to the others!¡±


    Recalling the two products that had been given to her, it slightly made Kang Xia¡¯s mind move and she then asked curiously, ¡°Boss, as far as I know, the beverage market has been dominated by major brand companies nowadays. And I think that a new kind of beverage product entering the market would be very difficult. Only if you spend a huge amount of money for marketing would it be possible to become well known and take some market share. Of course, this also must be supported with the premise that it has a good flavor, taste, and uniqueness¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu calmly listened to Kang Xia and admitted that there was still a lot of knowledge he had yet to learn. And since had met Kang Xia, then, he nodded and said, ¡°You¡¯re good. Your business knowledge is far beyond mine. In actuality, I want to run a beverage business. The uniqueness it has is that it¡¯s able to strengthen a man¡¯s sexual ability.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Kang Xia was stunned as a strange deadpan expression covered her face.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Speaking about this drink, maybe it¡¯s better to say that it¡¯s medicine. The effect is to nourish Yin energy and invigorate the kidney, which is a very good supplement to aid in the increase of one¡¯s health. Its unique characteristic is that it can help men greatly in sexual intercourse, prolonging the playing time. For women, it would nourish their spirit and would greatly improve body metabolism.¡±


    ¡°Huff¡­¡±


    Kang Xia suddenly stood up from the sofa as her beautiful eyes stared at Tang Xiu and hastily asked, ¡°Is that for real? Does it really have those effects? And¡­ no side effects on the human body?¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a laugh, ¡°Yup, I tell you, the effect is true and no side effects exist.¡±


    Kang Xia¡¯s breathing quickened rapidly and then said, ¡°Boss, I take back my words. I was wrong. I¡¯ll take the said product under my management. I¡¯m sure that once this product is listed on the market, it will absolutely cause a great sensation. Its future prospect can¡¯t be compared in the slightest bit with the 2 products you have given me earlier.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    Kang Xia replied firmly, ¡°Yes, absolutely.¡±


    Tang Xiu snapped his fingers and said, ¡°You handle the company¡¯s establishment first since I have yet to thoroughly study about this product. Gimme a few days and I¡¯ll send you the product sample and you can try it if you want to.¡±


    Kang Xia¡¯s mouth twitched a few times.


    If the effects were truly as Tang Xiu had said, she would definitely use it. But she somehow felt awkward, because the said product as Tang Xiu had said, after all, had a unique feature; that was, to increase one¡¯s sexual ability.


    With a complex expression, Kang Xia glanced at Tang Xiu and could not help but sigh, ¡°Boss, I¡¯m really clueless as to how deep your brain is, for having grasped such strange knowledge, you¡¯re even able to use it perfectly. The said three products of yours, had one of them fell into the hands of other businessmen, they would have produced a heavenly overturning wealth.¡±


    Tang Xiu faintly smiled and said, ¡°I have some knowledge about medicinal herbs and I usually find something while researching randomly when I have nothing to do in my free time.¡±


    Kang Xia nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ve sent the 2 product samples you¡¯ve given me before to be tested, and the test reports explained that they have a strong traditional Chinese medicine characteristic. Speaking about that, I actually have a suggestion that I think you can consider, Boss!¡±


    Tang Xiu replied in astonishment, ¡°What suggestion? Do tell me. If it¡¯s good, I¡¯ll take your advice.¡±


    Notes:


    I pray for Manchester, Marawi and Jakarta. I don¡¯t care whatever God, beliefs, goals or intentions those people have, but for whatever it is, this insanity must stop.


    Aside from that, sorry for the late updates everyone, kinda very busy at least until June since I got occupied with work and family. But, I¡¯ve stated that I will at least translate 5 chaps a week and those chaps will be published at least in Friday-Sunday.

 Chapter 117

    Chapter 117: The Trick to Make Someone Do Something


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Kang Xia said, ¡°I think it would be better if we define the 3rd product as a health care type rather than a beverage. Then we shall make it a high-class product. I believe that even if the price tag is a little bit expensive, those who need it will buy it. Ah, no, they will frantically buy it.¡±


    Health care product?


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment and then slowly nodded, ¡°Good recommendation. Then, we¡¯ll define it as a health care product as you suggested. You decide the price and I¡¯ll tell you the approximate production cost later.¡±


    Kang Xia nodded. When she was about to say something, Gu Yin¡¯s cheerful laughter sounded from the second floor as she ran downstairs and directly threw herself into Tang Xiu¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Master, a guest came to visit?¡±


    Gu Yin¡¯s voice was very pleasant to hear as though it was a light and sweet ringtone.


    Tang Xiu really liked this newly received apprentice little girl. It was as if he could see the shadow of his adopted apprentice in the Immortal World. Certainly, the most important thing was that Gu Yin had a tenacious and tough will. Her strong will, let alone for a young girl, even most adults did not have it.


    Besides, she was very filial and sensible.


    Tang Xiu stroked down Gu Yin¡¯s black hair as he said with a smile, ¡°Greet the guest, she¡¯s called Kang Xia. You can call her Aunt Kang Xia.¡±


    Gu Yin nodded in a well-behaved manner and smiled sweetly toward Kang Xia as she cried, ¡°How do you do Aunt Kang Xia! Are you in discussion with Master? Please don¡¯t be angry with me if Yinyin is disturbing you. Yinyin will go upstairs immediately~~~?!¡±


    Kang Xia looked at Tang Xiu and Gu Yin with a strange expression. She did not expect that she would meet Tang Xiu¡¯s apprentice here. However, such a sensible little girl as her was very rare to find, so Kang Xia shook her head and spoke with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re called Yinyin? It¡¯s alright. I have finished the discussion with your Master.¡±


    After having said that, she shifted her sight at Tang Xiu and asked with curiosity, ¡°Boss, how many apprentices do you have?


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Two.¡±


    Kang Xia asked, ¡°What do you teach them?¡±


    Tang Xiu calmly replied, ¡°The things I can teach are many. But there are a lot of things you can¡¯t understand, so refrain from asking. If you have no other issues, you can go now.¡±


    It¡¯s the sending away order.


    Kang Xia was dumbfounded and speechless as she looked at Tang Xiu. She was the respected Kang Xia, a top class beauty, the legendary figure of the business world who countless people wished to get some time to be together with her. But how would she be degraded into a guest that was ordered to leave?


    And, she had been here for quite a while, but not even a cup of tea had been fully drunk?


    This boss¡­ was truly a rare and wonderful grab!


    Having whispered to herself inside, Kang Xia then got up and said, ¡°Then, I bid my farewell first. If I come across an issue I can¡¯t handle, as well as have an important matter in the company, I¡¯ll contact you.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and watched Kang Xia leave. He then asked Gu Yin with a smile, ¡°Did your mother go out to the grocery store to buy some food? Why didn¡¯t you go with her?¡±


    Gu Yin said with a laugh, ¡°Mum said that I¡¯ve just recovered, so she wants me to stay at home to rest. Besides, I don¡¯t want to go. The cultivation technique Master has taught me is really interesting. I¡¯ve tried a few times today and I could feel the kind of energy circulation you told me about. It¡¯s just this energy circulation is too naughty and I can¡¯t control it.¡±


    Tang Xiu asked in astonishment, ¡°You feel it already? That fast?¡±


    Gu Yin was confused, ¡°Very fast? I think when I first tried it, I could feel it!¡±


    Tang Xiu touched the bridge of his nose as a forced smile emerged on his face. Others would need at least a few months to feel the energy circulation after they began their cultivation practice. But this treasured apprentice of his was even able to feel the energy circulation within only one day. This Sacred Body of Twin Pulse Ice Phoenix¡¯s constitution was really defying the heavenly order!


    ¡°Yinyin, you must remember that you cannot rush your cultivation. Since you are already able to feel the energy circulation now, try slower. By the time you can control this energy circulation, tell me about it.¡± Tang Xiu advised.


    Gu Yin said with a laugh, ¡°I¡¯ll remember it Master.¡±


    Tang Xiu patted her small head and said, ¡°Go play now! I need to go out to take care of something. Ah, right. When your mother comes back, tell her that I won¡¯t be having dinner at home tonight. One last thing, if the Real Estate sends a courier here, tell her to receive and sign it on my behalf.¡±


    ¡°Okay Master. Be relieved.¡± Gu Yin smiled and then ran.


    It had been more than 2 years that she nearly did not smile nor laugh. Even if she smiled, it was because she did not want to make her mother sad, and forced herself to look happy and cheerful. In her heart right now, the closest person besides her mother was Tang Xiu. Previously, she also had learned the saying that, once a Master for a day was a father for a lifetime. She had no father now, so she regarded Tang Xiu as her father in her heart.


    In the next half an hour, Tang Xiu left the villa complex.


    From Banshou he learned that Su Shangwen¡¯s intention to find her mother was to borrow some money. This made him uneasy, so he decided to visit the restaurant. If Su Shangwen dared to go to the restaurant, he would not hesitate to give him a painful lesson.


    After having an expansion, the restaurant managed by Su Lingyun could not be called as a small sized restaurant anymore. Even there being too many patrons, the second extension had been carried out a while ago. And now, the restaurant was enough to accept 80 patrons at the same time.


    When Tang Xiu arrived, meal time had yet to finish, but there were still a lot of patrons eating meals at the moment. Since nearly all the restaurant¡¯s waiters already knew Tang Xiu, they smiled and greeted him.


    ¡°Boss, you¡¯ve come!¡±


    Banshou, who worked at the restaurant, eagerly ran over.


    Tang Xiu asked, ¡°My mother?¡±


    Banshou said, ¡°Big boss is doing the accounting! I just served tea for her, and it seems like she is worried about something!¡±


    ¡°Because of Su Shangwen?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s brows wrinkled as he spoke.


    Banshou smiled wryly, ¡°It should be! Su Shangwen¡¯s wife has just left the restaurant 10 minutes before you came. That woman is really annoying. At first, she asked for Big Boss¡¯s help and then she actually wanted Big Boss to advise you, making you help build the bridge between Su Shangwen and the people from the Long Group.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows slanted more as a fed up feeling burst out in his heart when he recalled his cheap aunt¡¯s face. He lightly patted Banshou¡¯s shoulder and then strode toward the office.


    ¡°Creak¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu pushed open the door and secretly sighed as he saw his mother sitting at the desk. Looking distressed whilst doing the accounting. Then he went in and said, ¡°Mom, are you busy?¡±


    Su Lingyun raised her head as she suddenly stood up when she found that it was Tang Xiu and then asked, ¡°Sonny, you just came back from the other city? Your teacher-in-charge, Teacher Han, told me that you must go for a week to participate in the Subject Competition in another city. This morning I also thought that it¡¯s about time you should come back!¡±


    Since Tang Xiu did not want to lie to his mother, so he immediately shifted the topic as he said with a smile, ¡°I also wanted to come back early, so I rushed back here after having finished it. Mom, your gray hair seems to have come out recently. Is managing the restaurant too tiring for you? If so, you might as well delegate it to an employee. Your health is much more important.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s words made Su Lingyun¡¯s heart warm. She patted Tang Xiu¡¯s arm with a spoiling manner as she said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m not that tired sonny. Our family¡¯s situation has just changed for the better. So I must take this chance to earn more money and save it for you. Not only will you go to the college, but you¡¯ll also have a wife and must buy a house. You¡¯ll also need the money to buy milk powder for my future grandchildren. So I¡¯ll have to give it to you.¡±


    ¡°Haih, you are thinking too far mom!¡± Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he had to laugh or cry.


    Su Lingyun said with a laugh, ¡°This is what a mother should do for the sake of my son¡¯s future. Ah, right. How about the competition you¡¯ve participated in on the outside? Did you get the ranking?¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s good. School¡¯s leaders are very satisfied. Mom, I just saw you doing the accounting. How come you are doing the accounting during the daytime? As I recall, you always do the accounting in the evening.¡±


    Upon hearing Tang Xiu raised this matter, Su Lingyun suddenly looked distressed and said, ¡°It¡¯s because your uncle. His business has just encountered trouble and now he lacks the funds. Yesterday, he came here and wanted to borrow some money! I have been saving some money since our business has been good recently. But since I did the expansion for the restaurant a while ago, I only have a few ten thousand yuan to spare. Your uncle has helped us before for many times, so I thought that I could help him.¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with a humph, ¡°He was not helping us Mom. It¡¯s the charity. Mom, we know perfectly well Su Shangwen¡¯s conducts all these years. I advised you to ignore him, letting him know what it feels and tastes like to live in uneasiness.¡±


    Su Lingyun hesitated a bit as she said with a wry smile, ¡°Ah, even if you didn¡¯t say that I also know about it! But¡­ whatever he is, he¡¯s your own uncle, my blood brother. Oh¡­ this is a bad karma!¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Mom, I¡¯m afraid that some people would never know repentance if they have yet to get the lessons. Not to mention that we don¡¯t have much resources. Even if we want to help, we are lacking the strength to help him. I think that you don¡¯t need to give him money. He¡¯ll absolutely think that it¡¯s only pity money and charity from us. Not only will he not appreciate it, but instead he will be heartless and dislike us even more.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Su Lingyun stared at Tang Xiu. She had never thought that her son could see it so thoroughly. Yesterday, she indeed had taken 100 thousand yuan to give Su Shangwen. But Su Shangwen rejected and despised it. Not only did he not appreciated it, but he even gave her a rain of curses. Recalling about it now, she also felt that she had been wronged.


    Then, must she really not help Su Shangwen?


    But if she did not help him, how would he survive the difficulty he was facing now?


    Tang Xiu looked at his mother¡¯s expression. He knew that his words had moved her, then he stressed out more, ¡°Mom, our family¡¯s assets are basically insufficient to even fill the gap between the teeth if we compared it to Su Shangwen¡¯s company. It¡¯s just a drop in the bucket and useless for him. Besides, he has been doing business for so many years. Not only has he amassed a lot of wealth, but he also has created a lot of connections. If he were really short on money, why would he rush to borrow some money from us? He knows perfectly well the situation our family is in. The way I see it, borrowing money from us is clearly his intention to humiliate us. Besides, if he were short of money, he would have thought to borrow it from his friends.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡­¡±


    Su Lingyun opened her mouth, but she didn¡¯t know what to say.

 Chapter 118

    Chapter 118: Driven Out


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The more Su Lingyun thought about it, the more she felt that her son¡¯s words were true. Others might be clueless about her family but she perfectly knew about Su Shangwen! Even if her restaurant¡¯s business was good and thriving recently, but it was after all, only a family restaurant¡­ saying that it was a restaurant was pleasant to hear. But the unpleasant word for it was actually a canteen. How much money would it make? With such a big business that Su Shangwen had, how could his money be fewer than hers?


    After having thought through about this matter, Su Lingyun firmly nodded and said, ¡°Sonny, you¡¯re really good in your study. Mom hasn¡¯t read many books and my education is not as good as yours. What you said did make sense. It seems like the intention Su Shangwen had in coming to our restaurant is indeed not to borrow money, but to humiliate me. You can rest assured that I will never lend him a penny later.¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his thumbs up and exclaimed, ¡°Mom, you indeed are able to realize it clearly. I¡¯m really afraid that you wouldn¡¯t understand, I had even prepared a lot of words to argue with you!¡±


    Su Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°I look like those people who don¡¯t understand the essence of the issues, don¡¯t I?!¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a laugh, ¡°No, absolutely not. Who dares to say it, I¡¯ll find and kick him. Anyway, are you still going to continue to do the accounting?¡±


    Su Lingyun shook her head and said, ¡°No, since I¡¯ve already realized it, why would I do that? Anyway, let¡¯s forget it, You¡¯ve just come back sonny, are you hungry? Mom will cook something delicious for you in the kitchen. Besides, the meals outside are not better than the flavor and taste our family has.¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with a smile, ¡°I do think the same Mom, nobody in this world can cook deliciously as you.¡±


    ¡°Mouthy, eh!¡±


    With such words from Tang Xiu, it made Su Lingyun happy as the smile on her face was getting brighter.


    Shortly after¡­


    4 dishes and one soup was delivered to the box as Tang Xiu asked Su Lingyun to accompany him to have a meal together and chat about their family¡¯s daily life, after which, Tang Xiu then prepared to leave.


    ¡°Knock, knock¡­¡±


    The door was knocked as Dingzi then pushed the door open. He greeted Tang Xiu and spoke in a low voice, ¡°Big Boss, Su Shangwen¡¯s son has come and is wandering in our lobby!¡±


    Su Lingyun said with a confused expression, ¡°What is he doing?¡±


    Su Lingyun did not have the slightest good impression of her nephew. Previously, he framed her son and said that her son stole 3,000 yuan from his family. Not only was she humiliated in public, even her son was injured due to that.


    Tang Xiu stood up and lightly spoke, ¡°I¡¯ll go out and see it myself!¡±


    Su Lingyun quickly said, ¡°Son, although I don¡¯t like Su Xiangfei, but don¡¯t go too far in handling this matter. Whoever he is, he¡¯s still¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu interrupted his mother and spoke with a sinking tone, ¡°Mom, I know what you want to say. I won¡¯t clean him up, but we don¡¯t welcome him at the restaurant. Don¡¯t you worry about it, I still have some sense of discretion.¡±


    Su Lingyun nodded. But still, she was somewhat uneasy and followed Tang Xiu to the private box¡¯s door.


    After Tang Xiu went out the box, he saw Su Xiangfei speak something to the approaching waiter. He strode over in front of him and spoke with a sinking and deep tone, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu, Su Xiangfei spoke with a surprised expression, ¡°Cousin, aren¡¯t you¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up!¡±


    Tang Xiu interrupted Su Xiangfei and said with a deep tone, ¡°Su Xiangfei, don¡¯t speak in such a cordial manner. I don¡¯t buy it. Besides, our family¡¯s restaurant doesn¡¯t welcome you. Did you forget what I¡¯ve told you? If you dare to come to us and I see you once again, I¡¯ll fuck you up badly.¡±


    Su Xiangfei¡¯s neck shrunk. Even though he was full of resentment inside toward Tang Xiu, but recalling about his father¡¯s urges about the matter, he squeezed out a smile and said, ¡°Cousin, please don¡¯t do this! We are of the same family and everything was just a joke and only quarrels between family members. I admit that I did have wronged you. But you¡¯ve always been mature and generous, please just forget and don¡¯t bother about my former attitudes.¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a laughing sneer, ¡°Heh, leave those niceties words. Your family is yours and my family is mine. I won¡¯t come out to seek any friendship from you. Now, you get the fuck out, else I¡¯ll order some people to kick you out forcefully.¡±


    In an instant, Dingzi and a few others aggressively swarmed over toward Su Xiangfei. Their gestures were as though they were ready to beat Su Xiangfei savagely had Tang Xiu sent out his order.


    Su Xiangfei¡¯s complexion turned extremely ugly as he looked at Dingzi and the other men. He also looked at the cold frost expression Tang Xiu and finally got scared. He stepped back a few steps. However, when he saw Su Lingyun, he quickly shouted, ¡°Auntie, I¡¯m your very own nephew! You wouldn¡¯t drive me away, would you? I admit that I was in the wrong before, I promise I won¡¯t do that again later.¡±


    The tenderhearted Su Lingyun suddenly showed a hesitating expression as she heard Su Xiangfei¡¯s words.


    Tang Xiu shouted with a sinking tone, ¡°Dingzi, you guys hit him a few times and kick him out. Do remember that as long as you all don¡¯t kill him, I¡¯ll take the responsibility if you break his arms and legs.¡±


    ¡°Done!¡±


    Dingzi and the others rolled up their sleeves and prepared to move.


    Su Xiangfei¡¯s pupils shrunk. He did not tarry to wait for Su Lingyun¡¯s answers as he turned around and bolted toward outside of the restaurant. The last time at school, he was hit and injured by a criminal. Only after having been treated seriously was he discharged from the hospital. Never again did he wanted to pass even another day being bedridden on a hospital sickbed.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    Everyone looked at the running away Su Xiang¡¯s back and suddenly burst into laughter. A few waiters who knew Su Xiangfei¡¯s ¡®virtuous well-doings¡¯ gathered and ridiculed him.


    ¡°Su Shangwen is not good stuff and his son is a coward. Our little boss only scared him and I never thought that he will be that damn terrified. How could our big boss have such a nephew?!¡±


    ¡°What a disgrace! Such a handsome young man unexpectedly has no balls. I don¡¯t know whether his head got squeezed by the door or not. He clearly knows that we don¡¯t welcome him here, but still, he came here to be slapped in the face. He doesn¡¯t dislike to be bashful, but I¡¯ll be much more bashful than him!¡±


    ¡°Our little boss is really awesome, a few words are enough to scare him away. Our big boss¡¯s heart is way too kind and she can¡¯t withstand the pleads and praises from them. I wanna say that our little boss just did rightly. There¡¯s no way that kind of crooked people can be given any face!¡±


    ¡°Just like subordinates imitate their superiors, it¡¯s like father like son! That guy really is one of the same species with Su Shangwen!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu turned his head and looked at Su Lingyun. Seeing such an ugly expression on his mother¡¯s face, he waved to the few waiters nearby, motioning that they did not need to join in on the fun and to take care of their work.


    ¡°Mom, we have our time and days, and Su Shangwen¡¯s family has theirs. The more we got pestered by them, the messier the problems we¡¯ll have to face. So you don¡¯t need to take them seriously in the future. Sooner or later they will court big troubles for themselves, and those kind of troubles are not what you will be able to help even if you want to.¡±


    Su Lingyun sighed deeply as she said with a smile: ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you were saying! But¡­ let¡¯s just forget it. It would be difficult for us to hide from whatever will happen. But I won¡¯t give them any face in the future should they come to find me.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded. Before he left, he specially called Banshou and Dingzi to the side and told them to protect his mother. If anyone sent by Su Shangwen came to made trouble, then they had to directly report it to him.


    In the evening.


    On the way back to South Gate Town, Tang Xiu received a call from Yuan Chuling. He knew that Tang Xiu had just come back from Jingmen Island and wanted to see him immediately. However, he was still at school and he could not easily leave school. So Tang Xiu told him that he would go back to school at the latest in the day after tomorrow.


    Tang Xiu could ignore other people, but he could not help but care about Yuan Chuling. After all, Yuan Chuling was like an iron hardcore-good brother for him since he had helped and defended him countless of times, which, this was a kindness and benevolence that made Tang Xiu feel grateful.


    In fact, after he had returned to Earth, Tang Xiu had always been avoiding making friends with others to the best of his abilities. After having been betrayed by his good friends, it caused his heart to have some detachment and to guard against anyone.


    He was not afraid to have a few friends, but he feared in having a lot of friends that would plan and scheme against him!


    Tang Xiu did not want to repeat the same mistakes as in the past and neither would he ever let it happen again.


    After having gotten back to the South Gate Town, Mu Qingping reported to him that the medicinal ingredients from Jingmen Island had been shipped and that she already signed and received them to the warehouse. Just when he was about to prepare to concoct the Golden Bell Liquid, Mu Qingping came to find him again and told him that a guest had come visit.


    ¡°Who¡¯s the guest?¡±


    In the warehouse, Tang Xiu asked with a puzzled expression.


    He did not have many friends and only few people knew that he lived in South Gate Town. So he could not figure out who came to visit him.


    ¡°He said that he¡¯s called Long Zhengyu.¡±


    Mu Qingping said.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows wrinkled. He did not expect that it was Long Zhengyu who came here. The first time he came visiting, it was after he gave this villa to him.


    After having thought for a moment, he left the warehouse and came to the villa¡¯s living room, he saw Long Zhengyu sitting on the sofa, drinking tea.


    ¡°Why have you come here?¡±


    Tang Xiu went over to the opposite side of Long Zhengyu and sat down.


    Long Zhengyu said with a laugh, ¡°I just heard that you¡¯ve come back, so I come here and wanted to talk with you. How are things? Have you gotten used to living here?¡±


    ¡°Not too bad!¡± Tang Xiu said lightly.


    Not too bad?


    Long Zhengyu secretly smiled wryly inside his heart. Had it been someone else get such a villa, they would have already wild with joy and jaw-dropped. But for Tang Xiu here, it turned out that it was only ¡°not too bad¡±.


    ¡°Brother Tang, the reason I looked for you here is because I have something to talk to you about.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°You can speak frankly to me if you have something to say. But I don¡¯t have much time though. I need to do something shortly.¡±


    Long Zhengyu nodded and said, ¡°It was because of you. I didn¡¯t know where Kang Xia inquired about me. But since she couldn¡¯t find you, she called me a lot of times. But I really have never thought that Kang Xia would really work for you. And yesterday evening, my father asked me and we talked a lot. He wanted me to ask you whether our Long Family could get a huge sum of money and buy some more shares again from you.¡±


    ¡°Impossible!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and rejected directly.


    Long Zhengyu rolled his eyes and snappily replied, ¡°I knew that you would say that. Since you refused, then forget it.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Are you done? If so, I can¡¯t keep you accompany any longer.¡±


    Long Zhengyu quickly said, ¡°Nah, I haven¡¯t even started, I haven¡¯t even entered the main topic! In fact, my main purpose to look for you today is that I want to cooperate with you! I¡¯ve developed a new project recently, as long as you can help me draw the blueprint design, I¡¯ll give you 10% of the shares, how about it?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows slanted and asked, ¡°What kind of project?¡±

 Chapter 119

    Chapter 119: Gifting Money


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu had always opened his arms regarding businesses that would make money. In this kind of a materialistic era, money was the measurement of success and failure. Without money, one would be unable to traverse around the world and it would be very difficult to move without it, so he knew perfectly well about the importance of money. For his cultivation, he needed cultivation resources and materials, even though he was chained to his schooling, Tang Xiu had always been thinking about how to make a fortune.


    He was a well-educated person and a master in the zither, Go, calligraphy, and paintings!


    He could be said as a multi-talented person and was very proficient in all kinds of fields when he lived in the Immortal World for 10,000 years. Drawing an architectural design for him, was easy. And he had the confidence that if he were to draw the architectural design on Earth, his design would absolutely become a landmark building which would make everyone¡¯s eyes shine brightly.


    Long Zhengyu¡¯s eyes beamed as he slowly said, ¡°I have two friends from the capital and they have been preparing to invest on building construction in Star City. But the kind of building they want has to have the most magnificent, extremely unique, and an iconic building characteristic. Our Long Family has already decided to cooperate with them and the total investments of our 3 parties is 5 billion yuan. Of course, we will also consider adding more additional funds if there are any problems with the investment funds later. As for the 10% of shares that will be given to you, it won¡¯t change even if we add additional investment funds later.¡±


    5 billion?


    Tang Xiu stared blankly as he looked at the earnest and serious expression on Long Zhengyu¡¯s face. It took quite a while before he got his composure back. He was not shocked by the 5 billion yuan of investments, but instead got struck by that 10% shares.


    That shares¡­ wasn¡¯t it the same as giving it to him?!


    Tang Xiu slowly collected himself as he was at a loss of what to say before he replied, ¡°500 million only to buy a design, you¡¯re really rich even if you have the money to burn, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Long Zhengyu said with a laugh, ¡°It¡¯s perhaps an Arabian Night to buy a design for 500 million yuans. But they and I think that it¡¯s worth the price. You know that 500 million is not only able to buy the design, but also can buy a friendship and tie you up to our cause! Those 2 friends heard about you from me and they want to be friends with you!¡±


    Friend?


    Whilst scoffing and laughing inside but calm on the surface, Tang Xiu then said, ¡°They are so confident that they and I can become friends?¡±


    Long Zhengyu said with a laugh, ¡°There is a saying that the heavens would never forsake people with ideals. Whether or not they can be friends, we¡¯ll find out from our future exchanges. Now, you only need to answer me, are you willing to accept this business?¡±


    ¡°Sure, why wouldn¡¯t I?!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows pricked as a resolute and affirmation taste could be seen on his expression.


    Long Zhengyu took out a cigarette. But when he was about to lit it, it was as though he suddenly remembered something as he looked at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Do you mind if I smoke?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°When will I have to give the construction design to you?¡±


    Long Zhengyu said, ¡°Temporarily, there¡¯s no need to rush it. The initial phase for the project would need 2 months of preparation. Wait for a few days for us to mark the land for the building. I¡¯ll take you over to see it, and then you can start drawing the architectural design. Brother Tang, your task is the key. Don¡¯t let me down.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you down!¡± Tang Xiu said lightly.


    You received money from others, and you pay it with your own work.


    Tang Xiu had a perfectionist nature so he naturally would give his best to design a qualified architectural design blueprint. However, he was also thinking about another problem in his mind, that was, re-planning the Nine Dragons Island. The foreign rich person¡¯s design who developed Nine Dragons Island before, had one big flaw in his opinion since it did not include and properly use the most important feature of 9 spiritual veins.


    Nine Dragons Island was a Feng Shui treasured trove of which he absolutely could not develop it wastefully and carelessly.


    Long Zhengyu recalled Tang Xiu¡¯s design for the Walled Hill Village as a trace of worry in his heart instantly vanished. Being able to carve a diamond one would not need to shape a porcelain. And since Tang Xiu did not fear to take on this single sale, Long Zhengyu believed that he could meet all the expectations and satisfied him. Even those two guys would perhaps be surprised by then.


    ¡°Since you agreed to take care of it, I am assured!¡±


    Long Zhengyu gave the affirmation.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Are there any other things?¡±


    Long Zhengyu smiled wryly, ¡°Brother Tang has pointed the door out to the guest, eh! Anyway, since you have something to do, I won¡¯t disturb you no longer. Wait for the news from me, once we have chosen the land, I¡¯ll contact you.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    After having sent Long Zhengyu off, Tang Xiu entered the warehouse. He was eager to concoct the Golden Bell Liquid now and strove to improve his cultivation.


    This time, the prepared materials were particularly sufficient, either being the fierce beast¡¯s bones and the bought medicinal herbs, he could try concocting a dozen of times.


    Inside the warehouse, Tang Xiu walked toward the fine iron pot and poured in water, filling half of the pot. Then, he began to boil the water. To concoct Golden Bell Liquid, a lot of boiled hot water would be needed. The moment the water had been boiled, he respectively put the fierce beasts¡¯ bones, teeth, meats and tendons, and other materials into the water. After the boiled water was nearly half used, he put a few traditional Chinese medicine into the pot.


    The fierce beast¡¯s bones were harder than ordinary wild beast bones. And boiling it with boiled water would be very difficult. However, after Tang Xiu had put in a few medicinal herbs, the corrosiveness was greatly strengthened. He also quite regretted that the Poisonous Demon Cane he obtained previously had already been used up, otherwise, added with the Poisonous Demon Cane, the effect would have been better.


    ¡°Add some water!¡±


    After half an hour, the remaining liquid was left only about 2 bowls from the previously half pot of water and the liquid color had become extremely bright red. Along with the clear water, Tang Xiu poured it into the pot, he also grounded the Green Jade Stone Essence into powder. By the time he boiled the liquid again, he scattered the powdered Green Jade Stone Essence into it.


    Since there was no Poisonous Demon Cane to stir up the liquid, Tang Xiu had long prepared a clean steel pipe and stirred the liquid for a moment and then put the remaining medicinal herbs into the pot according to the order. Along with the essence of the medicinal herbs being added and blended, the liquid gradually began to change as the color turned into deep blue.


    Time passed by again¡­


    By the time the deep blue colored liquid was only left with about 2 bowls, a happy smile revealed on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. He did not expect that the first time concocting Golden Bell Liquid would be this smooth. As long as he was careful with the following step, he would succeed this first attempt.


    He took out the 500 years-old wild ginseng, broke it and put half of it into the pot. After the remaining liquid was only about a bowl, he then put the remaining half of the wild ginseng into it.


    Then, the rich medicine fragrance filled the entire warehouse.


    Because of the added ginseng, the liquid color changed again and now turned from deep blue into a golden color, as twinkling stars was emitted out from golden light could be seen in the liquid as though it was a living and nimble creatures, looking smart and mysterious.


    ¡°It¡¯s a success!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes shined. His heart was beating faster as a wild joy expression burst out from his eyes. After the remaining liquid left only half a bowl, Tang Xiu unhesitatingly took off all of his clothes and carefully took out half a spoon of liquid and poured it onto his palm.


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡±


    The boiling hot golden liquid scalded Tang Xiu¡¯s skin with its blazing high temperature. It was quite fortunate that Tang Xiu had strong willpower as he barely persevered and did not put it out.


    ¡°One cannot achieve glory and wealth without going through trials and tribulations.¡±


    A look of madness flashed from Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. Without hesitation, he began to wipe the Golden Bell Liquid on his palm onto his body. The kind burning hot feeling made him chilled, but he quickened his speed and wiped unceasingly, from the wrist, to the arms, then to the shoulders, neck, waist, legs, feet¡­


    The Golden Bell Liquid was constantly being consumed as the area of Tang Xiu¡¯s body that was covered with the liquid was also increasing. By the time the Golden Bell Liquid was about to be used up, every part of Tang Xiu¡¯s body had already been applied with the liquid. At this moment, if anyone came and saw Tang Xiu, they would have covered their mouth with a frightened expression on their faces.


    His whole body was boiled red like a sun dried boiled shrimp. His skin was cracking and his meat was rotting, as his body was violently trembling. All the veins all over his body were protruded whilst the cold water inside his body permeated and drilled from the opened pores as it mixed with his blood, causing him to look particularly frightening.


    ¡°There are still 2 remaining spoons of liquid!¡±


    Tang Xiu was hard and ruthless to others but he was more ruthless to himself, he took out 2 spoons of Golden Bell Liquid and respectively applied it onto the weakest part of his body, neck and lower part of the body.


    ¡°Guaaah¡­¡±


    The pain was acute and piercing as Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes turned bloodshot. Applying the Golden Bell Liquid this second time was as though adding oil to the fire and multiplied the pains he felt.


    ¡°Creak¡­¡±


    The door to the warehouse was pushed open as Mu Qingping in her apron carried dinner in her hands. The moment she stepped through the door and saw Tang Xiu¡¯s appearance, her pupils contracted violently as her body was trembling. The porcelain bowl in her hands fell to the floor and smashed into pieces.


    If she was not already recognized Tang Xiu, she would perhaps have long turned around and ran away through the door.


    Although Tang Xiu was naked at the moment, and even though his big lower body part was as though a tilting hard iron rod, Mu Qingping did not have the slightest embarrassment nor shame. Her heart was beating faster because of the miserable state Tang Xiu was in. Never once had she ever seen someone this miserable to the point of terror like this.


    Tang Xiu did not notice Mu Qingping¡¯s presence nor did he even hear the sound of the fallen and smashed bowl. His state of mind was fully focused on his own body whilst fighting and suppressing the burning pain. At the same time, he crazily revolved the Star Force inside his body in accordance with the cultivation practice route in the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis.


    The energy contained within the Golden Bell Liquid was as though the tides that washing up Tang Xiu¡¯s body, but the Star Force that was revolving inside his meridian channels moved along with the energy from the Golden Bell Liquid. The Star Force and the energy gradually fused and formed a particular energy in his body as this form of special energy within the practice state of the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis nourished and repaired Tang Xiu¡¯s flesh and blood.


    Gradually, the blood and cold water coagulated and formed blood scabs.


    A kind of new energy formed on the skin layer and was unseen by the naked eyes as the energy conducted its repairing and nourishing processes, tearing the skin and tempering it again repeatedly.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s skin layer was like a divine weapon that was being tempered repeatedly. After each and every tearing process, the skin was repaired and new energy surged up every time, strengthening and transforming the skin¡¯s flexibility and toughness.


    The skin layer was cut layer upon layer.


    But the newborn surging energy then filled the void place as if the newly energy was now a part of Tang Xiu¡¯s body.


    From the outside, Tang Xiu¡¯s body had already been wrapped with thick blood scabs as though he was in a cocoon. Mu Qingping was as though a sculpture that stood at the warehouse¡¯s door as she looked at Tang Xiu without blinking. She found that a glistening golden light was enveloping Tang Xiu¡¯s body as if he was the arriving God or Buddha who was full of a sacred aura.

 Chapter 120

    Chapter 120: Title at End


    The starry sky brightened up as the heatwave invaded. In the depths of the vast starry sky, a dark star was like it had been mysteriously summoned. The originally dark starry sky was as though emitting out and enveloped by a halo, as it accumulated layer by layer and shined as though it was daytime.


    Imperceptibly, a huge amount of star power was as though the tides that surged toward Earth¡¯s direction, as it transmitted toward the villa in South Gate Town where Tang Xiu was cultivating.


    Mu Qingping had awakened from the shock. Although Tang Xiu was unlikely to be in danger, but the strange scene still attracted her. She could tell that Tang Xiu was still cultivating, but for her, such a horrible cultivation practice was unheard of. She even had some worries. If her daughter had to undergo this kind of thing, that¡­


    After a long while¡­


    Mu Qingping slowly withdrew from the door and quietly closed the door from the outside.


    Inside the warehouse.


    Tang Xiu still maintained the cultivation posture as he crazily absorbed the influx of the stars¡¯ power from all directions. The previously 9 spheres of stars inside his Dantian began to expand along with the incoming influx of the stars¡¯ power. Tang Xiu¡¯s Dantian crazily opened as his Dantian¡¯s boundary cracked, as it was then filled and was nourished by the stars¡¯ power.


    ¡°Boom ¡­¡±


    Whilst Tang Xiu was still deeply immersed in his cultivation state, the 9 spheres of stars inside his Dantian expanded to their limits, as a violent aura surged out everywhere. Tang Xiu¡¯s vision blackened out, as at present, the severe pain almost made him let out a miserable howl.


    His mind sea was firm as though a bluestone and despite the pain that drowned him, an ecstatic expression emerged out of his face. Through his spiritual sense, he could clearly see that the previously 9 spheres of stars inside his Dantian increased by 9 more stars. There were 18 spheres of stars right now. These 18 spheres of stars exuded brilliant rays of light all over his body, as its volume was almost the same compared to the previous state.


    One of the most surprising thing for Tang Xiu was the Star Force inside his Dantian, which had already reached the limit before, now became more scarce and quite empty. His Dantian now could accommodate more Star Force, as it had been expanded 10 times more than before.


    ¡°Is this the Skin Strengthening Stage?¡±


    Tang Xiu slowly opened his eyes. The moment the 2 bands of light disappeared from his eyes, the thick blood scabs that covered his body like a spider web was split open. Along with his body¡¯s vibration, pieces of blood scabs dropped on the floor.


    Punching and striking!


    Tang Xiu could clearly hear the sound from his striking fist.


    ¡°20,000 pounds!¡±


    The satisfied look on Tang Xiu¡¯s face was getting thicker.


    Along with the promotion of his cultivation base, his physical strength as well as his force also increased by several fold. Now, he was confident that if he came across anyone at the same level of those human organ traffickers, he would be able to kill them without worrying about the enemies¡¯ firearms.


    Reaching the Vitality Tempering Stage only made him stronger than an ordinary person. And by achieving the Skin Strengthening Stage, he now truly had the ability to protect himself. Even if he encountered those martial artists who had reached the Grandmaster level, he would also be able to defeat them.


    ¡°Now, since I¡¯ve broken through to the Skin Strengthening Stage, what I needed to do is to cultivate seriously to fill my Dantian with Star Force as soon as possible. By that time, only then will it be possible for me to breakthrough to the Peak Layer of the Skin Strengthening Stage. If I¡¯m able to reach the Bone Strengthening Stage, the number of stars in my Dantian would reach 36 spheres, and I¡¯ll be much stronger by then!¡±


    Tang Xiu dressed up, but he did not clean up the mess in the warehouse and instead quickly entered the villa. Because of the last cultivation practice, and because his body was tempered and quenched, impurities within were discharged. Although the impurities that had turned into blood scabs, the stench was horrible. So he quickly entered the bathroom and soaped himself a few times and had a shower until the stinking stench on his body had all been cleansed.


    After having taken the shower, with a happy mood, he put on clean clothes and then went to the living room with a refreshed feeling. He saw Mu Qingping sitting on the sofa whilst looking to be lost in her thoughts. Then, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Have I practiced for a whole night? I¡¯m quite starving, please give me something to eat.¡±


    It was only for a short time had Mu Qingping sat in the living room as she suddenly jumped up from the sofa when she heard Tang Xiu¡¯s voice. She looked at Tang Xiu with faint fear in her eyes. But, she saw that Tang Xiu¡¯s appearance was like his usual self. The only difference was that his skin seemingly turned whiter than before.


    ¡°You¡­ your body!¡±


    Mu Qingping¡¯s lips perched a few times as she spoke with a low voice.


    Tang Xiu stared blankly. He recalled that when he was leaving the warehouse, he saw the shattered porcelain bowl as well as the already spoiled dishes on the floor that had yet to be cleaned up. Then, he immediately asked in astonishment, ¡°You went to the warehouse and saw me in cultivation practice?¡±


    Mu Qingping hurriedly replied, ¡°I originally wanted to send you some supper. I had never thought that you were in cultivation practice. Moreover, that time¡­ your body was¡­¡±


    Recalling the scene when he was naked in his practice and even being looked at accidentally by Mu Qingping, a slightly embarrassed look appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. He looked up and rubbed his brows whilst speaking with a smile, ¡°My body is fine, and it¡¯s even better than before. Anyway¡­ I¡¯m really starving, can you give me something to eat?¡±


    Mu Qingping quickly said, ¡°Ah, well, then I¡¯m going to cook for you now. Haven¡¯t you been practicing for 3 days straight? So, it¡¯s not surprising for you to be hungry.¡±


    Tang Xiu involuntarily exclaimed in surprise, ¡°Say what? You said that I had practiced for 3 days straight?¡±


    Mu Qingping nodded and said, ¡°Yes! You had practiced in the warehouse for 3 days and 4 nights. Originally, I thought that cultivation practice was simple, but I have never thought that it would consume so much time.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth twitched a few times as he sat down on the sofa with a desperate expression.


    He previously thought that concocting the Golden Bell Liquid and attempting to break through his cultivation would need 2 days at the most. But never once had he ever thought that it would take 3 days and 4 nights. Speaking about it, the one-week vacation Gong Dalong had given him from school was due, and he was 2 days late.


    ¡°Damn. When I go back to school, Han Qingwu would rain down her fierce reprimands at me, wouldn¡¯t she?¡± Tang Xiu wryly smiled inside.


    Suddenly, Mu Qingping, who just went into the kitchen, came back in an apron. She looked at Tang Xiu and then spoke, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang. I came to clean your room while you were still practicing and heard that your mobile phone constantly ringing. I noticed that in these 2 days, it has been ringing for at least a few dozen times every day.¡±


    ¡°I know!¡±


    Tang Xiu paused for a moment and then immediately stood straight from the sofa as he strode toward the stairs. After entering his bedroom, he grabbed his mobile and saw that there were 100 missed calls from the screen and dozens of unread SMS. His mouth violently twitched a few times as a helpless expression casted out from his eyes.


    He really did not want to think about it! These more than 100 missed calls, a lot of them should be from Han Qingwu.


    As he had expected! When Tang Xiu opened the missed call¡¯s windows user interface, he saw the number of times Han Qingwu had called him. It was 24! And that¡¯s quite a lot!


    Tang Xiu slightly looked down as his eyes swept the names of other people on the list: 42 missed calls from Yuan Chuling, 19 from Long Zhengyu, 32 from Chen Zhizhong, and 6 missed calls from 2 unfamiliar numbers.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    By the time his eyes swept on the last name, Tang Xiu paused and suddenly frowned. It was Banshou, and he had called him for 12 times. Almost without any hesitation, he quickly called Banshou back. He was aware that Banshou would not have called him if there was not something important that happened. Much less that he called him so many times. And he could tell, that the problem was highly likely to be related to his mother.


    ¡°Hello, Boss, is this you?¡± After his call was picked a hasty voice came up.


    Tang Xiu replied with a sinking voice, ¡°It¡¯s me! What happened? You called me dozens of times!¡±


    ¡°Boss, if you have time, quickly come to the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital.¡± Banshou¡¯s voice sounded again.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s breath lagged as his face turned particularly ugly. Then, he asked with a shout, ¡°Has something happened to my mother?!¡±


    Banshou said, ¡°Yes! Someone has wounded Big Boss. But her injury was not serious, although she needs to rest for a few months. Dingzi and I are also waiting here!¡±


    ¡°Give me your specific location!¡±


    Tang Xiu replied back as he ran out of his bedroom.


    Banshou said, ¡°Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, Inpatient Department, 6th floor, ward room #405. Boss, there are things I wanna tell you in advance. Your mother has been wounded by someone called Tie Long. He¡¯s very powerful. Dingzi and I were also injured by him, but we are afraid to get out of the hospital right now, because those people have sent a lot of men near the hospital. As long as we go out, we will be beaten savagely, since they said that if we don¡¯t apologize to them, they will never let us out of the hospital¡¯s door.¡±


    ¡°FUCKING BASTARD!¡±


    A chilling murderous intent burst out from Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. He quickly hung up the phone and sprinted out of the villa with his fastest speed. By the time he sprinted toward the villa square, he came across a few Real Estate¡¯s employees who were accompanying Long Xueyao, as they inspected the environment inside the villa complex.


    Tang Xiu rushed as he strode toward Long Xueyao. A few employees from the Real Estate Management looked at him with great wariness, but Tang Xiu ignored them. He looked at Long Xueyao and spoke with a sunken voice, ¡°Do you have a car?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Looking at the gloomy expression Tang Xiu had, a strange feeling arose inside Long Xueyao¡¯s heart, but still, she truthfully replied to him.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Can you take me quickly to the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital? I have a urgent situation there!¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    Long Xueyao hesitated for a second before she nodded and complied. She looked at those few staffs who accompanied her and said, ¡°We¡¯ll call it day here! If there¡¯s no problem to solve, then, we¡¯ll be discussing it later. You can go back to your own jobs.¡±


    After having said that, she turned and walked toward the Real Estate Management¡¯s parking lot.


    Shortly after, she led Tang Xiu toward a white BMW car, opened the door and looked at Tang Xiu as she asked, ¡°You want me to drive or you take it?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I don¡¯t have a driver license.¡±


    With a strange expression, Long Xueyao looked at Tang Xiu. With his age right now, he should have long been able to take the driver license test, right? Considering that he was of an extraordinary identity, how could he possibly not have a driver license?


    However, even though she had those questions, but she did not probe further as she nodded and sat on the driver seat. She started the car and looked at Tang Xiu, who sat on the copilot seat, saying, ¡°Is there anything I could help with? I have an acquaintance in the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure for now. Let¡¯s just get there first and then we¡¯ll talk again.¡±


    Upon seeing that Tang Xiu did not directly refused, she could clearly guess something. Someone Tang Xiu definitely cared about, should be in the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. And the person was highly likely to be sick or injured.


    Notes:


    We all know that QI and WW have started their war while Volare also has dropped some of QI novels (poor CCG¡­) So, should I drop this novel also? To be honest, I don¡¯t mind if QI will take this novel too, since I could not care less about such politics with money being involved anymore. QI do have the publishing rights to begin with, and I did have the intention to drop this novel due to this ¡°insecurity¡±.


    But then¡­ I thought about it again. I did accept some donations for sponsored chapters before and donated them back since I think there are more people in real life around my neighborhood that would need the money more than I do. Aside from those of the sponsored chapters from the donors, I¡¯ve never accepted even a dime from ads revenue or such, nor have I accepted any type of financial compensation for my translation. So fuck all those who said that all money is the only driving force for translators. Everyone needs money, but NOT everyone translates for money.


    Last but not least, I wanna say, the hell with those publishing rights¡­ I will drop this novel if QI wants to take it. I might sell my translated chapters or they might have to translate this novel from chapter 1. It¡¯s their choice¡­ while I¡ªas I have always been¡ªwill always be a free man.


    For the reminder, starting from June, I¡¯m really sorry that I won¡¯t accept any sponsored chapters for all the projects I¡¯m currently engaging. 2 of my projects are on Wuxianation.com (Great Dao Commander and Monarch of the Dark Nights) and the other on is this Returning from the Immortal World. However, you will still be able to read at least 5 chaps a week for each novel. If you want to support me via patreon, please do so out of your conscience and goodwill.

 Chapter 121

    Chapter 121: Mom Got Injured


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    At Star City Chinese Medical Hospital¡­


    Banshou¡¯s left arm was wrapped with gypsum and was being hanged with a bandage. Bloodstains could be seen faintly seeping out from the white bandage. Contrastly, Dingzi¡¯s head was completely wrapped. His injury was definitely not light, and similarly, there was also blood seeping out from his bandage. Moreover, his backbone was naked as bandages also plastered his shoulders and back. Other parts of his body also had blue and purple-colored bruises. The other 2 men were better than Banshou and Dingzi, but they also had a bleeding nose and swollen faces, with minor injuries on their bodies.


    The four of them squatted at the corridor¡¯s door whilst smoking their cigarettes and keeping watch of the ward #405 in their opposite direction, for fear that those who had hurt them were extremely bold to rush to the hospital and attack.


    ¡°Big Bro Banshou! What did Boss say?!¡±


    Upon seeing that Banshou put away his phone, Dingzi quickly asked.


    Banshou replied with a sinking tone, ¡°Boss said that he¡¯ll immediately catch up with us!¡±


    Dingzi and the others secretly felt relieved. They really admired Tang Xiu¡¯s fighting strength. Although they still did not know the specific details about Tang Xiu, since Tang Xiu was able to live in South Gate Town, he seemed to have very powerful connections. If he were to come solve this problem, they believed that he would absolutely be able to do it.


    Banshou said, ¡°Dingzi, call Xiao Dong and ask him about the investigation. That surnamed Tie definitely comes from an unordinary background since he¡¯s able to gather such a number of youths from the streets. We cannot put all the hopes and work on our Boss¡¯s shoulders. If our enemy¡¯s background is really strong, no matter how or what, we have to gather all of our brothers and fuck them up!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Our life has just changed for a bit and we can tell that it¡¯s getting better, and the good life is getting closer day by day. The Boss is so good to us, we¡¯ve got to fuck them up!¡± Another young man smashed the cigarette butt on the ground, stamping it with his foot and fiercely shouted.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Banshou angrily shouted with a serious expression.


    That youth grunted but the fighting spirit in his eyes was particularly strong.


    Dingzi took out his phone. After having dialed a number, he chatted with someone and then hung up the phone. Then, he spoke with a sank voice, ¡°Xiao Dong has been asking around and has affirmed the other party¡¯s origin. That Tie Long man has opened a company, and he has 2 sites with many goons. The most important thing is that he has a good relationship with a lot of thugs and gangster¡¯s head. You can say, that he¡¯s rich and powerful.¡±


    Wrench said with a sneer, ¡°Even if he¡¯s fucking rich, then what about it? Our Boss gives us shelter, giving us the opportunity to change our life. We can never forget this, and this matter absolutely cannot be left unfinished. We are not good people to begin with, and we have seen quite a lot of bloody things. If Boss is unable to deal with Tie Long, we¡¯ll go into hiding and look for the opportunity to strike at Tie Long. Even if we can¡¯t slaughter him, we must make him pay the most painful price. After that, we¡¯ll go to faraway places, going anonymous and conceal our identity to have another life in other places.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    The 2 injured youths were hesitating for a moment before they set a firm resolve inside their heart. Then, they replied with a deep voice, ¡°Then, by our mothers, even though we will have a hard time, we¡¯ll never make him have a good life.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the lead and be responsible for the knives.¡±


    Dingzi again and again sneered. He did not speak. He was thinking about the trust Tang Xiu gave to them, recalling as how Tang Xiu gave them their new lives, remembering as how Su Lingyun kindly treated them. This made Dingzi hate Tie Long bitterly.


    At one of the upscale and big amusement clubhouses in Star City.


    Inside a luxurious decorated KTV private room, Tie Long was smoking his cigar as he took his playing cards and played a poker game with 3 middle-aged men. And around them, 7 or 8 glamorous girls with heavy makeup surrounded them, serving the tea, gently beating their shoulders, rubbing their backs, and doing their best to serve them.


    A girl was sitting on the thigh of one of the middle-aged men as she fed him grapes. Upon seeing Tie Long showing his cards, the middle-aged man shook his head, hinting that he wouldn¡¯t follow the game. He let out a smile that yet unlike a smile as he said, ¡°Old Tie, your luck is so damn good! This game should be your win. It seems like seeing blood for me and you is not the same! Some other time I¡¯ll take a few guys to come over to look for some trouble. When we see blood, we¡¯ll be sure to kill in a good fight with you and try to win everything.¡±


    Tie Long said with a sneer, ¡°Bah, seeing blood is indeed not a good thing. This father¡¯s bird in the crotch is even hurting right now! That damn slut woman, she dared to kick this father¡¯s fucking dick. Even though she looks like a wretched Taoist nun today, but I can tell that she¡¯s very beautiful when she was young. Unfortunately, she¡¯s too old, so she didn¡¯t make this Big Daddy aroused. Otherwise, I¡¯d make that slut cry in the bed for 3 days and nights.¡±


    That middle-aged man said with ridicule, ¡°Old Tie, you¡¯re damn blown up! Let alone 3 days and nights, I don¡¯t think you can even hold for 3 hours! That said, 3 hours under the premise that you gulp down those dick¡¯s erection pills¡­ hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha ¡­¡±


    The other 2 middle-aged big men also laughed heartily and loudly. They looked at Tie Long with an expression full of teasing.


    Tie Long stared at them and smashed his poker card on the table. Then, his hand forcefully pulled the beautifully make-up hostess, quickly tearing up her clothes, and after some foreplay, he drove straight into the hole.


    ¡°This fucking Old Tie¡­¡±


    The other 3 big guys looked at each other in dismay as a forced and wry smile revealed on their faces. They had never thought that Tie Long would be unable to bear the teasing and stimulation. He even showcased his ¡°power of the spring¡± directly here in front of them, as if it was to prove his ability.


    ¡°Ring ring ring¡­¡±


    Tie Long¡¯s phone, that he put on the tabletop in front of him, suddenly rang.


    The hostess girl grabbed the phone with a smiling expression. After glancing at it, she gave it to Tie Long and pressed the answer button per his order and placed it on his ear.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Tie Long asked whilst still doing his movements and actions.


    ¡°Big Brother Long, I just heard a friend¡¯s reminder. Some chaps are wandering and asking around to find out the details about you.¡± A respectful voice came out of the phone.


    Tie Long finally stopped his movement and directly sat on the chair as he asked with a sinking tone, ¡°What¡¯s the origin of that party?¡±


    ¡°Currently, it¡¯s unclear!¡±


    Tie Long¡¯s mood soured up clean by this call. After he put on his pants back, he pulled the woman hurriedly to the side as he looked at the six flabbergasted visions. Then, he said with a sneer, ¡°Someone is investigating me behind my back! And that fucker is investigating my Younger Brother beneath me.¡±


    The middle-aged man who was eating grapes frowned and lightly said, ¡°This could be a bad thing. For people like us there¡¯s a saying that fear not for the thieves who steal, but fear for the thieves who think and scheme. Who have you annoyed to court this trouble? Of is there any powerful figure you have offended recently?¡±


    Tie Long shook his head and said, ¡°The works on the site project is very smooth. There are indeed a few guys there, but I¡¯ve reached some agreements with them. In addition, those chaps also know my inside story, there¡¯s no way it would be them investigating me. Besides, I keep low key recently, and have not offended even a soul.¡±


    One of the big guy¡¯s expression moved as he said, ¡°How haven¡¯t you offended anyone? You hit a woman and she¡¯s hospitalized now, remember? Could she have any background?¡±


    Tie Long said with a sneer, ¡°That¡¯s impossible! I¡¯ve asked around and it¡¯s perfectly clear that the woman comes from the countryside. A widowed mother and an orphan. Also, she relies on her restaurant business to make a living. Holy motherfucker, do you think this Big Daddy has offended such a sacred deity, for them to investigate me behind my back on my own turf?¡±


    That middle-aged big guy lightly said, ¡°If it isn¡¯t her, then you¡¯ve got to be careful. Who could have known if her, whose arms were broken by you, has a connection with anyone?! She could even be connected with this unknown party and court more trouble. Do remember that an enemy in the dark is the most fearsome.¡±


    Tie Long was silent for a moment as he dialed a few numbers and made some calls. After that, only then did he speak, ¡°The lot of you too should not be idle. Help me find out who is it! You have various methods and means, so maybe you can find out who they are!¡±


    ¡°Fine!¡±


    The 3 men glanced at each other and nodded in unison.


    They were indeed Tie Long¡¯s friends. But the interests that were being involved here were way too much. If the party they would have to investigate was only a small fish, they would naturally help Tie Long, because he, after all, was very important to all of them. But if the opposite party¡¯s strength was too powerful, they would immediately withdraw.


    At Star City Chinese Medical Hospital.


    Tang Xiu got off from Long Xueyao¡¯s car and let her go back directly. He did not mind about Long Xueyao¡¯s polite offer before, since their relationship had yet to reach the point that he could ask for her help. Perhaps, the reason as to why Long Xueyao offered her help, was to give him face.


    When he rushed to the 6th floor of the hospital and arrived outside the #405 ward¡¯s door, he saw Banshou and Dingzi squatting at both sides of the door. Tang Xiu strode over and asked with a gloomy expression, ¡°How are your injuries?¡±


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu, a bit of happy expression was revealed on Banshou and Dingzi¡¯s eyes, as they also felt a warm feeling when they heard Tang Xiu¡¯s question.


    Banshou said, ¡°Boss, don¡¯t mind our injuries. We¡¯re fine, and it won¡¯t be a problem after recuperation and training for some time. But Big Boss has undergone a surgery last night, since her arm bone is fractured. I¡¯m afraid her right arm won¡¯t be able to lift anything later. But doing some other things shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    Comminuted fracture? That serious?


    A chilling murderous intent exuded from Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. He nodded and pushed open ward #405. When he went in, he suddenly smelled an unpleasant stench. This ward #405 had 3 beds, and each one them was occupied with a patient. Moreover, there were also the patients¡¯ family members in other 2 patient beds, and was very noisy.


    ¡°Mom, how are you?¡±


    Tang Xiu strode as he arrived in front of Su Lingyun¡¯s bed and asked with deep concern on his face.


    Su Lingyun was half lying on the bed. Upon seeing Tang Xiu, she immediately shook her head and said, ¡°Son, I¡¯m fine. But how about Banshou and the others? I told them that I¡¯m fine and not to tell you about this. But it turns out they do not listen to me.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s I that ordered them to inform me as fast as possible if anything happens to you! Because of some particular reasons yesterday, I couldn¡¯t answer their call promptly. So I come late.¡±


    Su Lingyun said, ¡°Son, you only have less than a month to face the College Entrance Test. You mustn¡¯t let this affect your studies. You don¡¯t need to take care of me here, since Banshou and the others have are already enough to take care of things here. You just quickly go back to school.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Mom, I already know about everything that caused this accident. And I will never let that surnamed Tie go. You don¡¯t need to hide the truth from me since Banshou has already told me about it. You can rest assured! I have made Banshou and the others reform for the better. And I can make those people who injured you come and apologize. You only need to rest and recuperate well here. As for other things, I¡¯ll solve them.¡±


    Su Lingyun exclaimed in a restless expression, ¡°Son, don¡¯t act recklessly. They are very powerful and are people you cannot touch. Besides, as long as I stay for some time in the hospital, those people¡¯s anger will all disappear eventually, and they will not bother us any longer.¡±

 Chapter 122

    Chapter 122: A Wretched Bawl


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Looking at a worried expression on his mother¡¯s face, Tang Xiu was silent for a moment. Then, he nodded and slowly said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll listen to you that I won¡¯t find them and avoid the trouble. But Mom, if you have anything you need you must tell me even though I¡¯ll let Banshou and the others take care of it. But I must stay in the hospital to accompany you as long as you are hospitalized here.¡±


    Su Lingyun replied angrily, ¡°No, you must go back to school. If this matter affects your College Entrance Test. I¡¯ll be better off die and let it pass.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu opened his mouth but unable to say something. He was perfectly aware of his mother¡¯s character. If he insisted on staying here, perhaps she would really do something unthinkable.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go back!¡±


    Tang Xiu sighed inside. He looked around the hospital ward and then said, ¡°However, before I leave you must agree to my request.¡±


    Su Lingyun asked, ¡°And that is?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°You have to change the ward. It¡¯s dirty and messy here. This ward is simply not a place for a human to stay. If you stay in this place to recuperate, I will keep worrying about you.¡±


    About 7 or 8 family members of the other 2 patients suddenly got incensed after they heard Tang Xiu¡¯s words as they spoke out of anger.


    ¡°What the hell?! Young man, what did you just say? This is a Chinese Medical Hospital¡¯s inpatient department. How could it be dirty and messy? How the hell could it be not a place for a human to stay? Are you out of your mind?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The condition here is already good enough, but you even despise it! Do you think you have the ability to move your mother to the first-class ward? The likes of you, are only able to be hospitalized only by sneaking in. But you unexpectedly even go as far as talking shit like this!¡±


    ¡°You are but only a student, but you talk too big! If it weren¡¯t for your mother opening the restaurant with hardships and making money for your study, food, and clothing, you would have long been starved to death on the streets. But you are just so damn crazy, wanting to have revenge for your mother! If you do have the ability, move your mother to the first-class ward first!¡±


    ¡°This Chinese Medical Hospital indeed has VIP wards, but it¡¯s only for those of the richest and influential people. But you, you only open a small restaurant, even I can tell that you don¡¯t have that much wealth and money and neither do you have good contacts. How could it be possible for you to get the VIP ward? You¡¯re talking big and ashamed yourself here!¡±


    ¡°Youngster nowadays is really unrealistic! Just wait until you truly enter the society and know how difficult it is to make money. You¡¯ve got to be just like those of capable and resourceful people that have the rights to be condescending and arrogant to stand up. You¡¯re just like the one who get along with those bastards and pull your proud head up!¡±


    ¡°Big Sister, your son is¡­! Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu did not expect that his words would attract so much ridicule and mockery. And at the moment, he was barely able to suppress the fire inside his heart and he had yet to vent the blazing flame. After hearing such clamors from these people who shouted at the same time, he suddenly turned furious and immediately shouted, ¡°SHUT THE FUCK UP!¡±


    Everyone closed their mouth! With a stupefied expression they looked at the furious expression on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. 2 youths were even looking at Tang Xiu with an ugly expression and looked like they wanted to storm him over. However, when they recalled the group of people who were waiting for Su Lingyun of whom each and every one of them was not some friendly chaps, they immediately suppressed the urge down. Humans did have the nature to bully the weak and fear the strong. Therefore, the 2 youths only grunted and turned away with anger.


    ¡°Son, don¡¯t be so rude!¡±


    With a quite happy and amused expression, Su Lingyun stared at Tang Xiu and reprimanded him. After then, she immediately apologized to the people inside the ward.


    Tang Xiu took out his mobile phone, and called Long Zhengyu.


    ¡°Hello, Brother Tang? You finally turn on your phone! I¡¯ve been calling you for many times these 2 days, and not even once have I been able to connect to you. I also went to the villa in South Gate Town, but your housekeeper blocked me out of the door. Where are you right now? I need to see you now since there is something I need to talk to you about.¡± Long Zhengyu¡¯s voice came out from the phone.


    Tang Xiu said with sank tone, ¡°I don¡¯t have time to talk about other things with you. The reason I called you is that I wanna ask, do you have any acquaintances at Star City Chinese Medical Hospital? Somebody has injured my Mom, and she¡¯s in an ordinary ward right now. I want her to be moved to the VIP ward. It¡¯s fine if I have to spend some money.¡±


    Long Zhengyu replied with anger, ¡°Who the hell has injured auntie? You wait there, and I¡¯ll rush immediately. I¡¯ll call the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital¡¯s President on the way. He¡¯s my Dad¡¯s old classmate. The Star City Chinese Medical Hospital¡¯s new hospital building is also built by the Long Family.¡±


    ¡°Then, quickly come!¡± After having said that, Tang Xiu directly hung up the phone.


    After a moment, Long Zhengyu called back and it made Tang Xiu surprised. From the phone Long Zhengyu asked him with a funny and awkward tone, ¡°Brother Tang, you didn¡¯t tell me your mother¡¯s name and in which ward she¡¯s been hospitalized! Even if I contact the President, he won¡¯t be able to find her!¡±


    Tang Xiu blushed as he told her mother¡¯s name and the ward¡¯s number to Long Zhengyu. After then, he hung up the phone.


    At Star City Chinese Medical Hospital.


    Inside a spacious and neat President Office, Li Hongji was standing in front of the potted bonsai and watering it. He was nearly 60 years old. He had long been working hard to make a living regardless of any hardships all these years. And the distance, his retirement was also approaching fast. Therefore, he began to delegate the works and decentralized the power and privileges to the others, while he¡ªhimself was immersed in self-mental and spiritual cultivation, raising plants and herbs, and even hung up a few birdcages in his home to raise a few Hwamei birds.


    He had been engaged in medical works for many years and his attainment in Traditional Chinese Medical arts was very high. Even he was one of the influential figure in the domestic Chinese Medical field. Certainly, one of the most important thing about him was his Master, the Divine Doctor Gui Ji¨¤nchou.


    However, except from a few people who knew about this matter, most people did not know about it.


    ¡°Ah, that kid Guoxiong. He has lost his face greatly on Jingmen Island, and now he even comes to Star City. Perhaps if Master knew about this, he would receive rain of curses from Master.¡±


    A smiling expression hung on Li Hongji¡¯s mouth. He was somewhat felt funny as he thought about his Junior Brother¡¯s losing face matter.


    ¡°Anyway, to be able to cure that little girls¡¯ strange illness, from where does that youth come from? Last year, Mu Qingping also came to me here. But it was unfortunate that I was really at a loss and helpless as to what kind of strange illness it was. But now the little girl¡¯s strange illness unexpectedly has been cured by that youth. I don¡¯t know which Divine Doctor¡¯s disciple that youth is.¡±


    Li Hongji put the sprinkle pot on the windowsill. When he just returned to his desk, the phone he put on the desk rang. He picked up the phone and saw the caller ID. A surprised expression immediately cast on his face because he knew the caller turned out to be his old classmate¡¯s son, who was now well known as the great talent of business society, Long Zhengyu.


    _¡°What does he want me to do?¡±_


    With a surprised expression hung on his face, Li Hongji pressed the answer button as he then spoke with a laugh, ¡°Zhengyu, are you looking for me? Did your father make you send nice wine for me?¡±


    Long Zhengyu said, ¡°Uncle Li, haven¡¯t you had drunk up my Dad¡¯s wine not too long ago?!¡±


    Li Hongji burst into a laughter as he then said, ¡°Hahaha, you kid, I do have that bad habit, don¡¯t I?! Well, by the way, let¡¯s get to the point then. You have any request you are looking me for?¡±


    Long Zhengyu quickly said, ¡°Uncle Li, it¡¯s far from any instruction though. But I do have a really important thing so I need to find you for.¡±


    Important things?


    Rarely had Li Hongji heard Long Zhengyu said something in such a serious manner. The smiling expression on his face quickly faded away as he asked with a sinking tone, ¡°Do tell me!¡±


    Long Zhengyu said, ¡°Uncle Li, my friend¡¯s mother is being hospitalized in your Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. He wants to move his mother to the VIP ward, could you stretch the rules and accommodate his request?!¡±


    Li Hongji was surprised and said, ¡°It¡¯s only such a minor matter?¡±


    Long Zhengyu let out a forced smile as he said, ¡°It¡¯s maybe a minor thing for you, but for me it¡¯s very important. Recently, you drank with my Dad, so you must have heard about him also, yes? He¡¯s Tang Xiu, a youth younger than me, and a high schooler.¡±


    Tang Xiu?


    The name spun rapidly inside Li Hongji¡¯s mind. In the split second his complexion turned particularly serious as he asked with a deep tone, ¡°Is he not Chen Zhizhong¡¯s Master?!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Long Zhengyu said.


    Li Hongji said, ¡°Since Tang Xiu is Chen Zhizhong¡¯s Master, how come he didn¡¯t ask for Chen Zhizhong¡¯s help? You do know that Chen Zhizhong and I are friends for decades and this Chinese Medical Hospital also has a lot of business agreements with him. As long as he speaks, he doesn¡¯t need to find me since I can arrange some people to take care of it properly.¡±


    Long Zhengyu said with a laugh, ¡°I look forward for him to look for me and this is a huge favor I could have! Uncle Li, for now you don¡¯t know that a favor that Tang Xiu owes is very valuable. I have 2 friends from Beijing and they want to befriend Tang Xiu, they¡¯ve even decided to prepare their family¡¯s wealth to invest billions of funds and divert the capital for the business investment to our Star City. And for the shares, it¡¯s like that they will give him some of the shares.¡±


    Li Hongji asked with a shocked tone, ¡°What¡¯s Tang Xiu¡¯s background? I couldn¡¯t tell about it clearly from your father. Since you have a good relationship with him, you should know more than your Dad, no?¡±


    Long Zhengyu wryly smiled, ¡°What I know about him, in fact, even if know more, it is as miniscule as my father¡¯s. But Tang Xiu is¡­ unfathomably deep.¡±


    Li Hongji said, ¡°OK then. I¡¯ll take care of this matter and immediately arrange his mother to the VIP ward. All medical expenses are exempted.¡±


    Long Zhengyu replied with a laugh, ¡°Thank you, Uncle Li.¡±


    Li Hongji wryly smiled and said, ¡°Do not thank me. After you¡¯ve stolen the good wines your father has to honor me, I¡¯m satisfied enough.¡±


    Long Zhengyu said with a laugh, ¡°Rest assured uncle! You¡¯ll have a good wine to honor you from me. I guarantee that!¡±


    The phone was hung up.


    The smiling expression on Li Hongji¡¯s face had gone and his expression turned a lot more serious. He pondered for a moment and then dialed the vice-president¡¯s number. After conveying his command, he then silently walked toward his office chair and quietly sat down.


    Tang Xiu?


    The name was somewhat familiar, was it because Long Hanwen had told him before?


    No! It¡¯s absolutely not!


    Aside from Long Hanwen, there should be someone else who said the name to him.


    Who was this person?


    As pondering expression flashed from Li Hongji¡¯s eyes, he fell into silence.


    Inside ward #405, on the 6th floor of the Inpatient Department.


    Tang Xiu personally packed his mother¡¯s clothes and daily necessities as the voice of a middle-aged woman suddenly sounded in a harsh tone.


    ¡°What is he packing for? What a putting up an act. A high school student really thinks that he can move his mother to a VIP ward by only making a phone call?! The ones who can stay in the VIP wards are only rich patients. How could it possibly cheap? Ptui¡­¡±


    After having said that, she wiped her the mucus on her nose with a toilet paper and fiercely smashed it on the floor as she walked along the sickbed bedside and sat down .

 Chapter 123

    Chapter 123: Pleading Voices


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu turned around and looked at her as he coldly snorted and ignored her.


    Seeing that Tang Xiu kept silent, the middle-aged woman thought that Tang Xiu had a guilty conscience. She suddenly turned more arrogant as her words becoming harsher, ¡°Turned silent, eh? How¡¯s my words? Feeling to have disgraced yourself? I advise you not to think about moving your mother to other wards. There¡¯s no need to make you look great by putting up another act to slap yourself. Much less that your mother is injured now. If you do have a filial piety, don¡¯t toss her around. Young man! A youth without facial hair cannot be relied upon! You¡¯re really resembling this proverb.¡±


    Finally, Tang Xiu stopped his action. He looked at the middle-aged man who was half sitting on the sickbed, reading the newspaper. Then, he lightly replied, ¡°Do you believe that I can make the hospital to kick your man out? Have I spoken incorrectly? He¡¯s your man, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    The middle-aged woman stared at him as her voice increased a few decibels when she raged out, ¡°If you have the guts, say that again? You think you can overturn the heaven, and got the ability to drive us away? I, this old lady wants to see, if you, a high schooler brat, are able to overturn the sky!?¡±


    The middle-aged man who sat on the sickbed, put down the newspaper as he looked at Tang Xiu and said with a sneer, ¡°Brat, don¡¯t talk big words and end up biting your own tongue! Your mother is a good person with a gentle personality, sensible and thoughtful. How could she even give birth to such insensible and unthoughtful son? I really am pitying her because of you!¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head as he turned around and continued packing up things.


    It was really as the saying goes, ¡°Blame not the whole family. Just don¡¯t enter their whole clan.¡±


    The middle-aged man and woman were truly worthy to be a couple. They did have something in common. Such a type of people was the kind that Tang Xiu had always been too lazy to respond to.


    On the other hand, Su Lingyun had never expected that the usually well-behaved and sensible son of hers would be just like the embodiment of evils today, even he said such words to offend people! Upon hearing the words from the middle-aged man on the next bed, she hastily said, ¡°Big Brother, please don¡¯t lower yourself to bicker with my son. My son is not sensible and thoughtful. I¡¯ll teach him later!¡±


    The sarcastic middle-aged woman suddenly shouted, ¡°Sister! My husband is right, how come you give birth to this kind of thing? You also heard what your son has said, no? He said that this place is not a place a human can stay, even he added that he can make the hospital to drive us away. His arrogance is way too rampant and soared to the sky.¡±


    ¡°Creak¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows wrinkled and was about to speak when the ward¡¯s door was forced open from the outside. A group of doctors in white coat followed around the middle-aged doctor as they entered the ward. A lot of people inside the ward knew well that person was the leader. He was this Inpatient Department¡¯s Director and someone with a real power.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for disturbing you everyone. Excuse me, may I ask which is Mr. Tang Xiu?¡± The Inpatient Department¡¯s Director asked with a probing expression as he asked with a very polite tone.


    Looking for Tang Xiu? With such a polite tone and expression?


    The sarcastic middle-aged woman as well as her husband on the sickbed, suddenly looked at each other in dismay as a bad premonition was breeding inside their hearts.


    ¡°It¡¯s me!¡±


    Tang Xiu stopped packing up things and replied lightly.


    The Inpatient Department¡¯s Direction quickly came over with smiling expression on his face. He then respectfully said, ¡°Hello Mr. Tang. I truly apologize that we didn¡¯t know that this lady is your mother. So we did have neglected her slightly. I just received the call from Vice-President Gao to personally lead the doctors to come here. Vice-President Gao in the phone has said that he would rush here immediately and he has prepared the best VIP ward. Your mother can move there at any time.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said.


    With very flattering looks, the Inpatient Department¡¯s Director replied repeatedly,¡±Don¡¯t mention it, don¡¯t mention it. This is what we should do!¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Please wait for a moment! I¡¯ll have to pack up my mother¡¯s things first. Moreover, her body is not in a good condition, you should send wheel stretcher here.¡±


    The Inpatient Department¡¯s Director hastily replied, ¡°I¡¯ll have someone send a wheel stretcher here.¡±


    At the side¡­


    The couple had been struck stunned. It was not only them but also those people how ridiculed Tang Xiu before. They looked at the scene with a dumbfounded expression and tongue-tied. Never in their dreams had they ever thought that not only was Tang Xiu not bragging, but he was this awesome to this degree.


    Who was this Inpatient Department¡¯s Director?


    In their eyes, this person was a great figure, an aloof and remote influential person. An Inpatient Department¡¯s Director of whom they must speak with him with a deferential manner. But now, the very aloof and remote person turned out facing Tang Xiu in a respectful manner.


    Was he really a high school student?


    This thought emerged inside everyone¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Ah, I really apologize that I come late. Excuse me, may I ask which is Mr. Tang Xiu¡­¡± Outside of the ward, Gao Jianmin was nearly running as he rushed in with 4 or 5 hospital¡¯s leaders behind him. After having gotten informed from the Inpatient Department¡¯s Director, which person Tang Xiu was, he immediately spoke with a smile all over his face, ¡°Mr. Tang, the VIP ward has been prepared and your mother will be sent there later. In addition, all of the medical expenses for your mother are on the hospital. If you need anything else that we need to provide, we¡¯ll do our utmost to provide it.¡±


    What?


    The complexion of the sarcastic middle-aged woman who was just ridiculed Tang Xiu, turned pale as white paper. A look of disbelief flashed in her eyes as her body was shivering. How could she not be shaken? The Vice-President himself said that he would do his utmost to satisfy any of Tang Xiu¡¯s requests. Had Tang Xiu said the words to drive away she and her husband, wasn¡¯t it the same that she killed her husband and would become the target of curses of all the family¡¯s relatives?


    Moreover, her husband was here to wait for surgery and he had been arranged to have it for over half a month before he was able to enter the operating theater room. And suddenly there was such a small moth emerging here. How could her husband¡¯s illness condition be able to face any delay? What would become of her future later?


    The middle-aged man in the sickbed also panicked. He fiercely stared at his wife and the expression as he looked at Tang Xiu had turned into fear and trepidation.


    Inside the President¡¯s Office.


    Li Hongji rubbed his top of the head. He racked his brain for a long time and he did not expect that he would hear such a familiar name. Apart from Long Hanwen, from whoever else had he heard this name?


    ¡°Ring ring ring¡­¡±


    His phone rang again.


    Li Hongji grabbed the phone. Upon seeing the caller ID, a smile suddenly cast on his face as he said, ¡°Junior Brother, I¡¯ve been waiting for you to go back. If you feel that you¡¯re bored, you can enter my studying room and have a look at my book collection. There are some which are written and contained Master¡¯s medical knowledge attainments.¡±


    ¡°Senior Brother, I¡¯ll look at those later. Staying inside your studying room is really boring. I¡¯m planning to go to Beijing. I heard that Master¡¯s traces appeared in the Capital.¡± Chu Guoxing¡¯s voice transmitted out of the phone.


    The Capital?


    Li Hongji¡¯s spirit was startled as he spoke with a sank voice, ¡°Junior Brother, if you find Master, do remember to inform me as fast as possible! I need to pay respects to him!¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    Chu Guoxiong promised.


    Li Hongji then said with a laugh, ¡°Junior Brother, you come and leave in a hurry. I, as your Senior Brother do not even have the chance to entertain you! Ah, right, about the matters a couple days ago, don¡¯t put that in mind, you do know that there¡¯s a mountain above the mountain, and there are so many hidden masters hiding in the vastness of the world, If Master knew about this, he will laugh at you¡­¡±


    His words abruptly came to an end.


    His eyes instantaneously turned saucer. The answers he was trying to find he tried to rack his brain off, came out inadvertently in between his speech.


    Tang Xiu?


    Wasn¡¯t it the name of the young Divine Doctor who had cured the strange illness Mu Qingping¡¯s daughter had? And smacked his Junior Brother¡¯s face? Right, his Junior Brother did once mention this name. The youth was called Tang Xiu.


    Could it be¡­ that the Tang Xiu in Jingmen Island was the same with this very Tang Xiu at the moment?


    Li Hongji quickly bade farewell to his Junior Brother Chu Guoxiong and hurriedly hung up the phone. With that thought in mind, he dialed Long Zhengyu¡¯s number.


    ¡°Hello, Uncle Li.¡±


    Long Zhengyu¡¯s voice transmitted from the mobile phone.


    Li Hongji asked with a rapid pace, ¡°Zhengyu, I want to ask you and you must tell me truthfully. A few days ago, you said that Tang Xiu has gone somewhere. Where did he go?¡±


    Long Zhengyu replied with a confused tone, ¡°Uncle Li, why did you ask about this? Everything is perfectly alright, no? A few days ago Tang Xiu did have something to do and went to Jingmen Island. He just came back a few days ago.¡±


    ¡°Jingmen Island?¡± Li Hongji exclaimed in surprise.


    Long Zhengyu asked once again, ¡°Uncle Li, what happened? Everything is perfectly alright, no? Why did you ask about Tang Xiu¡¯s matter? And it seems that something surprising has happened when he went to Jingmen Island, no?¡±


    Li Hongji said with a wry smile, ¡°A few days ago, my Junior Brother came from Jingmen Island. He lost his face in Jingmen Island, it could even be said that he also has implicated my Master¡¯s reputation. And the person who made him lost his face greatly is this Tang Xiu. I did not tell you about this before. Anyway, I have to meet this Tang Xiu now.¡±


    ¡°Hello, hello¡­¡±


    Li Hongji did not want to speak any longer with Long Zhengyu as he spoke hurriedly. After he hung up the phone, he rushed out of his office door and strode toward the Inpatient Department.


    ¡°Puff¡­¡±


    Inside the ward #405 in the Inpatient Department on the 6th floor, the deathly pale middle-aged woman straightly knelt before Tang Xiu, with a frightened expression on her face, she pleaded piteously, ¡°Tang Xiu¡­ ah no¡­ Brother Tang, please blame me for having eyes but fails to see Mt. Tai. I did act like a snob. But, you¡¯re a magnanimous adult, so please don¡¯t let the hospital¡¯s authorities to kick my husband out! We¡¯ve been staying here for more than half a month only to be listed in a surgery queue. And in just a moment of mistakes, we did burn ourselves and wronged you. Please give us some slack and show your kindness, and don¡¯t let them drive us away.¡±


    In the instant moment, the doctors who came to this ward, all of them revealed a strange expression. In contrast, all the people who previously mocked and ridiculed Tang Xiu showed a worried expression on their faces.


    Another patient on the sickbed let out a forced smile as he said, ¡°Brother Tang, it¡¯s our mistake. And we did wrong you before. I¡¯ve made a lot of mistakes in judging others in my life, but this time is the most mistaken one. Please forgive these ignorant people like us and don¡¯t lower yourself to the same level as us. Your mother is a good person and I¡¯m sure you¡¯re one also.¡±


    Gao Jianmin said with a surprised tone, ¡°Mr. Tang, this is¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head. He waved his hand and motioned to a middle-aged woman who knelt in front of him to stand up, and then lightly said, ¡°You have said yourself that you acted like a snob. So I hope you¡¯ll pay attention to it in the future that carelessness and curses might court you troubles. Later on, you should speak less as to avoid to court disaster for your family.¡±


    After having said, that, only then did he speak to Gao Jianmin, ¡°It¡¯s just a minor thing, a small misunderstanding. I¡¯m really sorry for troubling everyone for the matter of moving my Mother to another ward!¡±


    Gao Jianmin looked at the middle-aged woman deeply before he replied to Tang Xiu with a smile, ¡°Mr. Tang, please rest assured that I¡¯ll certainly arrange everything properly.¡±

 Chapter 124

    Chapter 124: The Invitation to Work and Serve


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    At the door¡­


    Banshou, Dingzi, and the others looked at what happened in the ward with a dumbfounded expression and were stumped for words. They saw that the middle-aged woman mocked and ridiculed Tang Xiu as well as seeing as how those patients¡¯ family members regarded Tang Xiu with contempt. But now, the situation had turned 180-degree in reversal.


    The Boss was so amazingly awesome!


    The 4 of them were full of excitement and their worship toward Tang Xiu was raised a bit higher. After all, only a few people could have such an ability to make the Vice President of the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital rush over with only a phone call, the worship of the Tang Xiu rose a little higher.


    At this moment¡­


    The intention to follow Tang Xiu became firmer inside these 4 people¡¯s heart.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu had packed up his mother¡¯s clothing, daily necessities, and some other things. After he called Banshou, Dingzi, and the 2 others, he cautiously propped up Su Lingyun with his arm for her to sit. At the moment, Su Lingyun was still stunned with shocks. She like she did not know her own son, as she did not expect that her son would really be able to move her to the VIP ward!


    Finally, Su Lingyun sobered up from her shocked state as she looked at Tang Xiu with a complex expression in her eyes. Then, she spoke with a low voice, ¡°Sonny, I think staying here is already good enough, I don¡¯t want to go¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu interrupted Su Lingyun and said, ¡°Mom, the environment there should be better than here. Moreover, there are too many people here. So it¡¯s quite inconvenient for Banshou and Dingzi to take care of you in this ward. Please do listen to me! And let me take care of this.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ fine then!¡±


    In front of the presence of so many people, Su Lingyun finally did not insist anymore and accepted it. Her son¡¯s filial piety, she could clearly feel it and it gave her full warm feeling inside.


    ¡°Sorry, I come late!¡±


    The awakening voice sounded at the door as Li Hongji entered the door with sweats faintly permeated on his forehead. He looked around before his sight finally fell onto Tang Xiu.


    ¡°President!¡±


    The ward doctors, the hospital¡¯s leaders, including Gao Jianmin, respectfully greeted Li Hongji in a respectful manner.


    Li Hongji nodded as he looked at Tang Xiu with a smile all over his face and said, ¡°You are Tang Xiu? It¡¯s so true that hero comes out of the youths! Your distinguished name is like a thunder reverberating in my ears with your well-known reputation! I¡¯m Li Hongji, the President of this Star City Chinese Medical Hospital.¡±


    ¡°President Li!¡±


    Tang Xiu calmly nodded at Li Hongji in an indifferent manner since he had yet to have any relation with him.


    Everyone in the ward, especially the sarcastic and garrulous couple were so frightened that they were almost paralyzed on the spot. Never in their dream had they ever expected that the Chinese Medical Hospital¡¯s Vice President had come as the President himself then even rushed over. And looking at his amiable appearance, it seemed like he also came to curry a favor from Tang Xiu.


    The others¡¯ faces turned uglier a bit. They were really afraid that Tang Xiu would mention the old issue again. If he spoke about it to the Hospital¡¯s President, they would absolutely be driven away from the hospital.


    Even Banshou, Dingzi, and the other 2 were looking at Li Hongji with a dumbstruck expression. For a long time, the shocks in their hearts were unable to be calmed down.


    Li Hongji¡¯s brows slanted. He did not care about such an indifferent manner Tang Xiu gave him as he said with a smile, ¡°Tang Xiu, my Junior Brother came to Star City a few days ago. He told everything to me about the issue that made him disgrace himself. Do you want to know about it?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brow wrinkled and he indifferently said, ¡°If you want to talk about the daily life, wait until I settle my mother first. If you want to help then it would be best if you start now. As for you the issue with your Junior Brother, I don¡¯t have the interest neither do I want to know about it.¡±


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, how can you talk to the President like that?¡±


    Su Lingyun reprimanded Tang Xiu hurriedly. The president of this Chinese Medical Hospital was a great amazing man in her eyes. The President obviously greeted politely, but her precious son did not even give him the face!


    Tang Xiu sighed helplessly. He looked at Li Hongji and said, ¡°Well, okay then! If you want to say anything, please do say!¡±


    An awkward expression flashed on Li Hongji¡¯s face as he said with a wry smile, ¡°Tang Xiu, you are a young Divine Doctor who has cured Mu Qingping¡¯s daughter¡¯s strange illness on Jingmen Island¡¯s Medicinal Herb Market a few days ago, right? Chu Guoxiong is my Junior Brother.¡±


    Chu Guoxiong?


    Tang Xiu remembered the Divine Doctor¡¯s disciple who spouted the cynical remarks at him for many times and finally disgraced himself. Then he immediately asked, ¡°Gui Ji¨¤nchou is also your Master, yes?¡±


    Li Hongji admitted happily, ¡°Yes, he¡¯s indeed my Master.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°The temperament of your Junior Brother is not good. So the disgrace is a deserved result for him as it should be! If he¡¯s still troubled with that matter and takes it to his heart, please do me a favor and tell him. For doctors to carry the profound virtue along the way, leave the ignorant and narrow-minded habit, and also never judge anyone solely by appearance again.¡±


    Li Hongji¡¯s complexion changed. From these words, he could tell that Tang Xiu indirectly admitted that he was the person on Jingmen Island who had cured the strange illness Mu Qingping¡¯s daughter had. Instead of getting angry, Ling Hongji said with an excited expression, ¡°Mr. Tang, in fact, I also have diagnosed the strange illness Mu Qingping¡¯s daughter had, but I could only sense her body condition and unable to cure it since I have no means nor the ability. I didn¡¯t expect that you have cured her. So I have a presumptuous request, I don¡¯t know if you can comply to this request of mine.¡±


    Tang Xiu said with knitted brows, ¡°Please do tell!¡±


    With face filled with anticipation, Li Hongji said, ¡°Can I hire you to become the visiting expert for our Chinese Medical Hospital? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll give you the best and the highest treatments and specifications¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand to interrupt Li Hongji. Then, he said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not interested. Let alone that I¡¯m still a student and I will soon have my College Entrance Test, so I have no time to become a visiting doctor in the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    With a stunned expression, Li Hongji looked at Tang Xiu with disbelief written all over his face.


    Tang Xiu was a student? A high schooler who was about to take the College Entrance Test?


    This¡­ was this a massive joke?!


    Everyone inside the ward was shocked and shaken upon hearing Li Hongji¡¯s words. The had never dreamed that Li Hongji would even propose such a request toward Tang Xiu.


    With a strange expression in his eyes, Gao Jianmin looked at Tang Xiu as he pulled Li Hongji¡¯s clothes and whispered, ¡°President, you aren¡¯t kidding, are you? But Mr. Tang¡¯s age¡­¡±


    Li Hongji turned his head and glared angrily at Gao Jianmin as he shouted, ¡°What about his age? Do you also see him as being too young? Have you not just heard the message he wants me to pass to my Junior Brother? You do know my Master don¡¯t you? He¡¯s the Divine Doctor, Gui Ji¨¤nchou. You also have stayed in the Chinese Medical Hospital for more than 2 decades, so don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t heard about my Master¡¯s name! His two personal disciples were unable to cure a sickness while Tang Xiu is the one who capable to cure it. Do you think I will joke about things like this?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Gao Jianmin was speechless.


    He also had diagnosed the strange illness Mu Qingping¡¯s daughter had. And it¡¯s really just like Li Hongji said, he was also unable to cure that child¡¯s strange illness.


    At the moment, only Su Lingyun who was still sober. From the beginning, she did not believe what Li Hongji had said, so she spoke with a low voice, ¡°President, my son could never be a doctor, could it be that you are mistaken?¡±


    Li Hongji replied with a serious expression, ¡°No! I¡¯m not mistaken. He was on Jingmen Island a few days ago, and my Junior Brother has said that the person must be him.¡±


    Su Lingyun turned her head to look at Tang Xiu and asked in a low voice, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, you tell me, were you on Jingmen Island a few days ago? Tell me the truth!¡±


    Whilst sighing inside, Tang Xiu said with a forced a smile, ¡°Mom, I indeed was on Jingmen Island a couple days ago and the person who cure that sick child was also myself! I didn¡¯t tell you before because I felt that I don¡¯t need to. I usually feel bored when I¡¯ve got nothing to do so I often flip through medical books. But I didn¡¯t expect that the written information in the book is correct. Thus, I can cure that child¡¯s sickness accidentally.¡±


    After having said that, he looked at Li Hongji and continued, ¡°Let¡¯s stop this matter now. Besides, my mother is injured and she needs to rest.¡±


    Li Hongji looked at Tang Xiu deeply. He could tell from Tang Xiu¡¯s attitude that he was really reluctant to be a visiting doctor at the Chinese Medical Hospital. Even if he seemingly avoided his mother intentionally, he indeed did not want his mother to know that he was an expert in medical knowledge.


    The grade of the Inpatient Department VIP wards was higher than that of the ordinary ones¡¯. Not only was it a spacious single room, but there were also special care nurses who were responsible for the patient¡¯s care. Tang Xiu had long known that there was a ¡°caste¡±, a social class that divided people in ranks. But he did not expect that the disparity between the two was huge to this extent.


    Li Hongji was an experienced and sensible person, he could tell that Tang Xiu did not like to be followed by so many people, so he sent the order to other hospital¡¯s authorities to leave and left behind the Inpatient Department¡¯s Director only to accompany him. After having settled everything, he took the opportunity when Tang Xiu went out of the ward as he said again his request sincerely in the corridor, ¡°Tang Xiu, I don¡¯t know what you had in mind before, so I spoke something I shouldn¡¯t say in front of your mother. I hope you don¡¯t mind it. But I sincerely beg you to become a visiting doctor for our Chinese Medical Hospital. Even if you cannot come regularly, please help us to solve various illnesses we cannot cure or solve the incurable disease we have here.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t have free time.¡± Tang Xiu replied in dissatisfaction.


    Li Hongji said with a forced smile, ¡°Tang Xiu, there is less than a month¡¯s time, mustn¡¯t you attend the College Entrance Test? But after you have attended it, there will be 2 months of vacation. You don¡¯t need to worry that we will disturb you when you are busy. Nowadays, there are a lot of illnesses our Chinese Medical Hospital¡¯s doctors that are at a loss and are unable to do anything. As a doctor, we can only watch those patients br tormented by their ailments one by one whilst watching the desperate expression on their family member¡¯s faces. And those feelings are the most uncomfortable things that we¡ªdoctors have to bear. Just count this as a plea that this old man is begging from you. Just come to our hospital whenever you have a free time!¡±


    Begging?


    Tang Xiu secretly turned supercilious inside. This old man really could sing in a good voice and emotion. And his expression was really sincere, even making him not know how to refuse.


    After having stayed silent for a while, Tang Xiu slowly said, ¡°Once every month. I¡¯ll arrange the time myself.¡±


    Li Hongji quickly said, ¡°3 times a month, once every 10 days.¡±


    Tang Xiu stared at him. IF it were not his mother that was hospitalized in his hospital, coupled with their politeness, he would have been too lazy to pay attention to this old guy. After having pondered for a few seconds, he said, ¡°Twice a month. And the time depends on me. Otherwise, you can forget it and don¡¯t disturb me.¡±


    Li Hongji was overjoyed inside. He secretly made up his mind to take the opportunity to utilize everything in these twice a month schedule. A bright smiling expression hung on his face as he said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you my ID card! Ah, by the way, do you have a medical certificate to give medical service?¡±


    Tang Xiu replied indifferently, ¡°I told you that I¡¯m a student, didn¡¯t I? Besides, why should I have that? I don¡¯t even want to become a doctor in the future.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Li Hongji secretly smiled wryly as he also sighed inside his heart. Geniuses were indeed eccentric. But still, he accompanied the awkwardness with a smile and said, ¡°Since you have none, I¡¯ll take care of it personally for you! However, it would take some time. Nowadays, everything is based on diplomas and certificates. Having these things would make it easier for one to mix in society.¡±

 Chapter 125

    Chapter 125: Incited Crowd


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    For a moment, Tang Xiu was surprised before he nodded. He suddenly recalled a line that said, ¡°having documents and credentials would make it very easy for one to travel all over the world, and it would be difficult without one.¡± The line was the evolved version of the line that said, ¡°having money, one would easily traverse the whole [world, and you can never move without money¡±. This was just the naked explanation to illustrate the importance of social documents in the real world.


    In this era, one would not only need to look at the face, but also the certificate.


    ¡°Then, I won¡¯t worry about it, since you can take care of those matters. I¡¯ll wait for your news.¡±


    Tang Xiu said indifferently as he gave a gesture to leave to Ling Hongji.


    Li Hongji looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s manner and secretly smiled wryly inside his heart. To think that he, a dignified Divine Doctor¡¯s personal disciple, the President of the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, a Master of medical field¡¯s expert and professors, had no choice but to be submissive before Tang Xiu; it was unexpected.


    ¡°What a damn tough prick!¡±


    Even though his mental and spiritual cultivation had achieved a high attainment, but still, Li Hongji¡¯s heart could not bear to burst out such profane words.


    Along with the departure of Li Hongji and the Inpatient Department¡¯s Director, Tang Xiu looked at Banshou, Dingzi, and the others again. Then, he spoke with a deep tone, ¡°Now, tell me everything in detail. How come that Tie Long had a conflict with you? He even dares to beat my Mom?¡±


    A bit of anger was exposed on Banshou¡¯s face as he said, ¡°At noon yesterday, we were helping at the restaurant. And because we had too many patrons, there was a long queue of guests waiting. So Tie Long who took a few people with him, wanted us to drive away some guests who had occupied the tables. Big Boss didn¡¯t want to do it, so Tie Long began to beat people. At that time, the four of us were inside the restaurant, so we hadn¡¯t fought with them, but then Big Boss got injured.¡±


    ¡°Afterward, they completely drove away all the restaurant¡¯s patrons; they even began to smash the restaurant. After we sent Big Boss to the hospital and then prepared to go out to purchase daily necessities, we were attacked by more than 20 guys at the front door. So we got back to the hospital after having been beaten savagely.¡±


    ¡°That Tie Long also threatened that, unless Big Boss kowtowed to him to apologize and compensate for the spiritual and emotional loss to his satisfaction, he will forever make us stay in the hospital. And if we were to try to leave the hospital even by one step, they will beat us savagely. Dingzi once attempted to go out and he had been beaten once.¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed in extreme anger and said repeatedly, ¡°Good, good, good! They indeed are some fucking good people, eh!? They have once bullied others and they unexpectedly want to bully even more! The four you stay in the hospital obediently. I¡¯ll take care of this matter with Tie Long.¡±


    Banshou quickly said, ¡°Boss, you¡¯ve got to be careful. I know that you are very powerful and your fighting skill is amazing. But Tie Long has deep roots. I¡¯ve sent someone to ask around, he has much power and influence in Star City. Not only is he quite a powerful chief labor contractor, he also has a group of thugs under him, and they are also inextricably linked with those in the underworld.¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes as he said with a sneer, ¡°Only if he¡¯s strong enough will he be able to accompany me playing and make me satisfied. You don¡¯t have to worry about anything. In this world, enemies who could make this Tang Xiu afraid, are perhaps only a few.¡±


    He was not boasting. Although he did have to cultivate more to solidify his cultivation base, but his assassination ability, if he said that he was not the first, nobody dared to say they were second. The assassination stealth technique, attacking with paper talismans, he was even able to kill tens of thousands of enemies with the art of poison. He had once roamed through the Immortal World and mixed with those of heretical and lowest kinds of people in the lowest societies, who used countless means of tricks and methods.


    ¡°Give me the detailed information about that Tie Long.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    10 minutes after, Tang Xiu had gotten the info about Tie Long. He was not a passive person, and rather took the initiative to take down the enemies. This was Tang Xiu¡¯s style.


    After having went out of the Inpatient Department, Tang Xiu got quite a headache. He had no car, and handling this matter was very inconvenient without it. So he considered that after he had taken the College Entrance Test, should he take the test to get his driver¡¯s license?


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    When Tang Xiu had just went out of the front entrance of the Chinese Medical Hospital, his keen sense caught the presence of some youngsters who moved slovenly in the surroundings. From time to time they looked at him. Their hairs were dyed with outlandish clothes. They also seemed to have something inside their sleeves, which were apparently the likes of clubs and other weapons.


    ¡°It should be them!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion turned cold as he quickly locked onto one of the most distinct young thugs and brushed past him.


    ¡°Hey punk, come over here!¡±


    Tang Xiu stopped outside, 6 or 7 meters in front of him, as he showed his middle finger to provoke him.


    The young man who had long hair dyed with grayish violet color, and had a few earrings on his ear. He was not handsome, and had some scars that marked some of the glory of his life history. The most nauseating thing from him was that he had a pungent smell of perfume taste but also wore a cosmetic contact lens.


    ¡°Who are you calling bastard?!¡±


    The young man stared at Tang Xiu as he scolded and walked slowly toward him.


    Tang Xiu indifferently said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to beat up the wrong person, so I wanna ask you. You¡¯re Tie Long¡¯s lapdog, aren¡¯t you? If you are, call your fucking buddies and follow me.¡±


    For a moment, the youth stared blankly as he wildly laughed immediately the second after, ¡°Brothers, did you hear what this fucking bastard said? He wants us to follow him? Hahaha¡­ You¡¯re so damn fucking right that this Big Daddy is Big Brother Long¡¯s man. You fucking idiot knows Big Brother Long, no? If you¡¯re no idiot, just fucking kneel down and kowtow to us and yell grandpa!¡±


    ¡°You do have some fucking good fate that here is the hospital¡¯s front gate.¡±


    Tang Xiu sneered.


    That young man rolled his eyes. The way he looked at Tang Xiu was as though he looked at an idiot. More than 20 youths in the surroundings, each and every one of them also let out all kinds of jeers, laughs, and mockeries. They simply did not regard Tang Xiu as a sane person. They only felt strange and thought that Tang Xiu was a mental sickness patient that mistakenly came to the wrong hospital.


    ¡°Yo brat, the Mental Hospital is in the Eastern Outer Ring. This place is a Chinese Medical Hospital. If your brain is dead sick, you¡¯ve gotta hurry to dump yourself to the Mental Hospital. Get the fuck out, this Big Daddy has no interest to beat up such a crazy idiot shit like you!¡±


    In order to anger them, Tang Xiu goaded to let them ganging up to beat him in the public place. Then, he spoke with an indifferent expression, ¡°You all have mental illnesses, even your whole families are fucking crazy. You are all should be the local hoodlums, no? Then you¡ªyour local hoodlums¡¯ 18 generation of ancestors were also the fucking-crazy-mentally sick people.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck?¡±


    The youth was stupefied. And the other youth thugs around also looked at each other in dismay. Never in their dreams had they ever thought that Tang Xiu even dared to curse at them. In a split second after, a tall youth who was drinking soy milk smashed the milk box toward Tang Xiu as he lifted his leg to kick him.


    ¡°Humph¡­¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu easily avoided the soybean milk box which was thrown at him. The murderous intent inside his heart was incensed by several points. His leg flew and kick back; the speed was even faster than the youth several folds faster and directly kicked him on the chest.


    ¡°Puff¡­¡­¡±


    A mouthful of blood sprayed out from the youth¡¯s mouth. His eyes turned white as his body was thrown upside down for 7 or 8 meters. Although Tang Xiu did not kick him to the death, but that kick had given him severe internal injuries as he directly fainted after he hit the ground.


    More than 20 youth thugs in the surroundings instantly sobered up from their dazed state. Upon seeing their companion was easily overthrown by Tang Xiu and fainted directly, they suddenly got stuck with shocks. However, they thought that 2 fists were difficult to contend against 4 hands. Even if Tang Xiu had a little strength, but still he would not be able to endure the punches from all of them.


    ¡°Ah Qiang, Huzai, Dadong, Xiao Yang, the 4 of you accompany this brat to practice. He dares to hit our brother. I wanna fucking see him how much weight he¡¯ll be able to carry!¡± An over 30-year-old man who was leaning up nearby spoke as coldness flashed in his eyes, pointing some of his gang members as to pick who were going to teach Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Done!¡±


    Four youths simultaneously extracted out a hollow steel pipe from their sleeves and quickly surrounded Tang Xiu. Almost in the instant moment of movements, they waved their steel pipe together and smashed at Tang Xiu.


    ¡°You all fucking overestimate yourselves.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s feet moves as his body instantly appeared in front of Ah Qiang. His fist directly bombarded Ah Qiang¡¯s face. By the time a few of Ah Qiang¡¯s teeth were thrown out, he also kicked him flying. Whilst easily avoiding the other 3 steel pipes that hit him, Tang Xiu used the simplest style as he sent the straight punches, uppercuts, and flying kicks. From the first movements and the combo strikes afterwards, it took no more than 5 seconds as the other 3 young bullies were also hit and were downed to the ground.


    Moreover, he was harsh and ruthless in his actions as each and every one of them had a few broken bones.


    The over 30 years-old man¡¯s pupils shrunk. Seeing such invincible might posture Tang Xiu sent out, a fury expression rose to his face. In an instant, he strode over toward Tang Xiu as he shouted with a stern voice, ¡°Fuck him up together! And waste him!¡±


    Tang Xiu did not bat an eyelid as his movements and actions became faster.


    Having the instinct to watch the lively fun and commotion was human nature. The scene which Tang Xiu being ganged up by more than 20 people attracted a lot of passersby as they stopped by to watch it. After Tang Xiu easily hit and knocked down 5 youth thugs, many people showed a shocked expression and quickly got palpitated and scared as they saw that nearly 20 youths armed with weapons stormed over at Tang Xiu. They watched the scene with hearts full of anxiousness and restlessness for Tang Xiu.


    ¡°That young man is really unlucky. How could he get into such a big trouble? He does fight very good, to even be able to knock down 5 thugs in one breath. But now, it is nearly 20 people, it¡¯s not what one person¡¯s strength is able to fight!¡±


    ¡°These ruffians are too rampant, to even blatantly commit such a violent crime in front of the hospital¡¯s gate. Don¡¯t they fear that they will be punished by laws?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know that the same thing happened in the morning? A young man was hit in front of this hospital¡¯s entrance and looks like those bastards were the ones who did it! They are truly too rampant, but the hospital did not even act!¡±


    ¡°How will they be able to prevent it? They are beating people outside the hospital. Moreover, by the time the hospital¡¯s security rushed over, those ruffians would have already run away after they beat people, so where they have to look for them? Today, the police have come, but those people ran and took the taxi as if they intentionally avoided the cops.¡±


    ¡°I really wanna help that young man and drive away those thugs. In this broad daylight and clear daytime, these fucking bastards have been too rampant.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu acted very fast. His fist punched their bodies as his body moved lightning fast. Even though he only used 10% of his strength, in just a short of more than 10 seconds time, nearly 20 young thugs had been knocked down. Even those who had some martial arts skills, were seriously wounded and spat out blood.


    Those young bullies¡¯ bodies curled up everywhere as painful and miserable wails howled from their mouths with each and every one of them were in extremely miserable states. Steel pipes fell on their side while sharp weapons could be seen everywhere on the ground.


    At this moment, the entire surrounding turned deathly stillness as the onlookers¡¯ eyes turned big as saucers. They subconsciously raised their hands to cover their mouths.


    It was a shocking scene! Each and every one of them could clearly feel that their heartswere palpitatinge faster, their bodies even turned weak. Such a horror-thrilling taste, was just like tides swept inside everyone¡¯s heart.

 Chapter 126

    Chapter 126: Heavily Beaten


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    With coldness beaming from his eyes, Tang Xiu stood amidst the knocked down young thugs that curled up around him. The hatred in his heart had yet to dissipate. Under the gaze of everyone¡¯s eyes, he walked step by step and broke the wrists of young thugs one by one.


    ¡°You all are the insects that plague the society. Fucking bastards who only dare to bully the weak and fear the strong. Since bastards like you all are not afraid of the sanctions of the laws, then I¡¯ll fight violence with violence, letting the lot of you unable to take up any weapons for the rest of your lives again. So you¡¯ll spend the rest of your life regretting what you¡¯ve done.¡±


    More than 20 youth bullies were trembling violently as they heard the bone fracture sounds, wailed louder. Some who were scared, begged, but Tang Xiu ignored them as though he did not hear it.


    A frightened expression was shown on the that over 30-year-old man¡¯s complexion. He did not run away after being injured, and only looked at Tang Xiu with a face full of alertness and helplessness. However, upon seeing such a ruthless and heartless action, he was afraid, and regretted not turning away and escaping.


    ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t come closer!¡±


    The man subconsciously stepped back as he involuntarily shouted, watching Tang Xiu come toward him step by step.


    Tang Xiu let out a cold and grim smile. He strode and sprinted in an instant, and appeared in front of the man. He slapped the man fiercely, and along with the sound of the man¡¯s cheekbone breaking, his body flew upside down. Tang Xiu executed his previous action as he stepped forward and broke the fainted man¡¯s wrists.


    _¡°If anyone doesn¡¯t commit sins against me, never will I disturb him. But if they do commit sins against me, 10 times the price must they pay to me.¡±_


    This was Tang Xiu¡¯s principle. This was also his bottom line. Tie Long had smashed his bottom line since his mother, Su Lingyun, was Tang Xiu¡¯s bottom line. If anyone dared to curse at his mother, he would not hesitate to kill them. And now, some people had injured his mother, which really enraged Tang Xiu.


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed. He was keenly aware that 5 or 6 security personnel were rushing out from the inside of the hospital, carrying along electrical batons. He did not delay any longer and directly slipped into the crowd, and quickly disappeared outside of the hospital¡¯s entrance.


    The Security Captain of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital was called Chen Tao. And today, he was very angry, because some local thugs appeared in the hospital¡¯s vicinity and even injured somebody.


    However, when he received a report that more than 20 local thugs were ganging up on a youngster outside the hospital, he immediately led the hospital¡¯s security personnel there.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    With a dumbfounded and tongue-tied expression, Chen Tao looked at the scene in front. A big question mark appeared on his expression. Didn¡¯t the report say that more than 20 local thugs were ganging up on a youngster? How come those 20 local thugs have been knocked down on the ground everywhere?


    An old man over his 70s cautiously leaned over toward Chen Tao and his men, as he spoke in a low voice, ¡°You all are the Chinese Medical Hospital¡¯s security? Fortunately, you all came late. Otherwise, nobody would ever teach those thugs for their parents. That youth is really a Deity. A person against more than 20 evil bastards. And they were all knocked down. This old man has watched a lot of Kung Fu movies, but those definitely were not as good as this wonderful scene today.¡±


    Chen Tao pointed at the wailing youth thugs on the ground as he asked in disbelief, ¡°Y-You mean¡­ That young man injured them?¡±


    The old man said with a nod, ¡°Hell, yes! Everyone here is way too crystal clear with their sights! He¡¯s only one against those thugs with weapons and knocked them down! Moreover, that young man really has said something good! Since you all thugs are not afraid of cops, then he¡¯ll counter violence with violence, and solved these plaguing scourge of cancer for the community.¡±


    Chen Tao shook his head and said, ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t joke with me! Even if a person is powerful, how could he possibly fight and win against 20 people? Was there anyone helping that young man?¡±


    The middle-aged aunt nearby said with a smile, ¡°A helper? None! That young man is indeed the one who kicked them! You really don¡¯t know it. He¡¯s simply the incarnation of Bruce Lee. And he¡¯s likely to be possessed by the God of War. His speed is too fast, his strength is way too powerful, and his fighting skill is too amazing. If your hospital¡¯s security could have at least a half¡­ ah no¡­ could have at least one tenth of his strength, I bet you can maintain the security and safety of the entire hospital.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    A black line was written on Chen Tao¡¯s forehead.


    Then, after having gone through some inquiries, he finally affirmed that the person who had severely injured more than 20 local thugs was indeed this youngster. After having ascertained it, and having not found the youngster, Chen Tao fiercely kicked one of the wildly howling youth thugs and shouted his command, ¡°Take them to the hospital! They are, after all, wounded, and our hospital cannot see them in danger and do nothing! However, ask them who will pay for their treatment! If they have none, we will not treat these society¡¯s plague insects!¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    The other securities also acted bluntly as they grabbed those local thugs as though they were dead dogs, and dragged them into the hospital.


    Inside the President¡¯s Office¡­


    Li Hongji was quite a smoker. He rummaged through the cabinets to find a pack of cigarettes that had yet to be opened. Then, he took one and lit it. After having smoked a few times, he thought about how the Chinese Medical Hospital had won over an amazing doctor such as Tang Xiu, and how it would create a great sensation in the entire medical circle in the Star City.


    ¡°No! Not only the medical circle in Star City, even in the whole country¡¯s medical professions, our Star City Medical Hospital¡¯s fame should rise, no? This old man has spent most of my life in this hospital. And now, I finally made a contribution to the hospital.¡±


    Li Hongji smiled as he was thinking with a bright, radiant face. It was like that he had just encountered the coming second spring in his life.


    ¡°Knock, knock¡­¡±


    His office door was knocked on.


    Li Hongji looked up at the door and saw Long Zhengyu standing there, he immediately asked with an astonished expression, ¡°Zhengyu, why did you come rushing here?¡±


    Long Zhengyu entered the office. He let out a forced smile and said, ¡°Uncle Li, you only half spoke the words in the phone, you even made me lose my appetite. So I couldn¡¯t help but rush here quickly! You asked about Tang Xiu on the phone and told me that your Junior Brother has lost his face greatly on Jingmen Island because of him! So I¡¯m afraid that you, old man, will avenge your Junior Brother and make things difficult for Tang Xiu!¡±


    Li Hongji was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh, ¡°Damn, could this old man be that narrow-minded? Besides, I¡¯m perfectly aware about the course of the matter. And my Junior Brother¡¯s ability is not as good as Tang Xiu¡¯s. He couldn¡¯t cure the patient¡¯s illness and instead he saw that Tang Xiu was too young, so he spoke inappropriate words. The heavens can forgive sin, but we cannot live in sin. So how could I make things difficult for Tang Xiu?! You damn smelly brat! You really are underestimating your Uncle Li, are you not?!¡±


    Long Zhengyu quickly said with a laugh, ¡°Ah, so it turned out like this. Then, it was me who was narrow-minded for suspecting and thinking badly about the noble character of my Uncle Li. Then, I¡¯ll apologize to you. I¡¯ll go home tonight and steal the best of the 20 year old Wine from my Dad¡¯s wine collection.¡±


    The best quality Wuliangye Wine collection of more than 20 years-old? And his old classmate still had more than 20-year-old best quality Wuliangye Wine?


    Li Hongji angrily snapped, ¡°Long Hanwen, that bastard. He turned out to use that junk wine to fool me? Damn, ¡­ ah, Oops. Big Nephew Zhengyu, do me a favor will you? As long as you can steal that wine for me, I¡¯ll exempt everything for Tang Xiu in our hospital, I¡¯ll even increase the number of nurses to look after his mother.¡±


    Having spoken that, his eyes suddenly turned as he chuckled and suddenly smiled, ¡°If you can help me steal 2 bottles, I¡¯ll use our hospital¡¯s highest standard treatment, and hire Tang Xiu to be a visiting Traditional Chinese Medical doctor in our hospital, getting him a medical practitioner certificate and make him as a doctor in our clinic.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡±


    Long Zhengyu had yet to savor everything, and at this moment, after he heard Ling Hongji¡¯s words, his eyes stared wide at Ling Hongji and asked in astonishment, ¡°Tang Xiu is a doctor? Old man, you are not joking with me, are you?¡±


    Li Hongji snapped, ¡°Do you think this old man will kid with you? Not only has Tang Xiu met the standard of medical expertise, even I can tell that he¡¯s definitely a brilliant master of medical skills! I and my Junior Brother are personal disciples of a Divine Doctor. But the both of us were unable to cure a strange illness. But he, was able to cure it. Do you think that he¡¯s not powerful?¡±


    For a long while, Long Zhengyu was stunned. After which, he only smiled wryly and said, ¡°Uncle Li, previously I only knew that Tang Xiu was a person with amazing ability. But I¡¯ve never thought that he could be this powerful to the unthinkable degree. I only have known him recently, but often have I seen and heard his legendary feats. I do know that he was unfathomable, he¡¯s nearly able to do anything!¡±


    ¡°President, there¡¯s been an accident.¡±


    A doctor in a white coat bolted inside the office.


    Li Hongji frowned as he shouted with a deep tone, ¡°What are you panicking for? Get the hell out. Knock on the door¡­¡±


    The doctor¡¯s complexion froze as a frightened expression was then revealed on his face. He obediently went out of the door. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Li Hongji pursued the previous matter, ¡°Long Zhengyu, do you agree? If you don¡¯t give me those 2 bottles, the matter with Tang Xiu might be in a ¡°yellow¡± condition.¡±


    ¡°I promise!¡±


    Long Zhengyu bit his teeth as he nodded and promised. Although his father¡¯s collection of the best Wuliangye Wine was only those 2 bottles. But he decided that after stealing them, he would immediately tell his father, letting him to do any means to snatch them back, or grab them back to drink them together. After then, the matter would not be related to him again.


    His treacherous scheme was fruitful, so Li Hongji¡¯s mood turned better. He heard a knock at the door, waving his hand and said, ¡°Come in! What do you want to tell me? You look so panicked.¡±


    The doctor said rapidly, ¡°President, I was just preparing to get off of work. But at the hospital¡¯s entrance, I saw more than 20 thugs fighting a young man. That young man looks like Mr. Tang Xiu. I can tell that since I also went into the Inpatient Department with you and saw him there.¡±


    At the same time, Li Hongji and Long Zhengyu¡¯s complexion greatly changed. They both cared about Tang Xiu so much. Almost without hesitation, they hurriedly run toward the door and rushed outside.


    ¡°Have you informed the security guards?¡±


    ¡°Captain Chen has already led the security guards team and went there. However, President, please don¡¯t leave that anxiously! I have yet to finish reporting!¡± The doctor in white coat cried out.


    Li Hongji had already slightly ran toward the outside as he said at the same time, ¡°Tell me whilst we are walking.¡±


    A forced smile covered the doctor in white coat¡¯s face. In fact, he was quite shocked to see that the President cared so much about Tang Xiu. Whilst closely following Li Hongji, he slowly said, ¡°President, I happened to see the fight outside, which was exactly when Mr. Tang was being ganged up by those 20 thugs. In the end, Mr. Tang severely injured them, while he himself came out unscathed. Those 20 injured thugs have now been grabbed by our hospital¡¯s security, and all of them have been taken to the hospital and are to be given treatment.¡±

 Chapter 127

    Chapter 127: The So-Called Friends


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Say what?¡±


    Li Hongji thought that his hearing was having a problem, even his footsteps abruptly stopped. He blinked his eyes as he looked at the doctor in white coat and indignantly spoke, ¡°Are you joking with me? Tang Xiu himself made more than 20 thugs severely wounded? Are you sane? Are you talking in your dream?¡±


    The doctor in white said with a forced smile, ¡°President, do you think I¡¯d dare lie to you? Even if you give me more courage, I wouldn¡¯t dare to. I witnessed it myself, Mr. Tang¡¯s martial arts is very powerful. He really has injured more than 20 thugs. And that gang is the one that have ganged up somebody in front of the hospital¡¯s entrance this morning.¡±


    Li Hongji angrily replied, ¡°Nonsense! Who the hell can fight more than 20 people? Do you think I can believe that 2 fists are able to contend against 4?¡±


    Long Zhengyu at the side said with a wry smile, ¡°Uncle Li, perhaps what he said is true. As far as I know, Tang Xiu is indeed a martial artist, and even a quite powerful one at that.¡±


    Li Hongji stared blankly for a moment. Then, he said in disbelief, ¡°Even if he¡¯s a martial artist and very powerful, how could he be able to hit more than 20 people? Even those retired special forces, could they be able to do it? Even if the Head of the largest Martial School in Star City, Magnificent Dragon Martial School¡¯s Grandmaster Jiang Feng, could he even be able to do that?¡±


    Long Zhengyu calmly said, ¡°If Tang Xiu¡¯s medical skill is no better than your Junior Brother¡¯s, will you think that Tang Xiu¡¯s medical skill level is stronger than your Junior Brother¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Li Hongji was speechless.


    Long Zhengyu looked at the doctor in white coat and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Tang Xiu now?¡±


    The doctor in the white coat said, ¡°After Mr. Tang injured those people, he quickly left. I don¡¯t know where he is now.¡±


    Long Zhengyu nodded and then took out his phone to call Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s ice cold voice transmitted from the phone.


    Long Zhengyu said, ¡°Tang Xiu, I¡¯m at Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. I heard that you have injured more than 20 youth thugs outside of the hospital¡¯s entrance, is this real?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Long Zhengyu replied with anger, ¡°Who the hell are they? I¡¯ll help you solve them out.¡±


    Tang Xiu directly refused, ¡°I¡¯ll solve the problem myself. Thanks for your good intention.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The hung up tone came out from his phone as a forced smile expression was written on Long Zhengyu¡¯s handsome face. He was perfectly aware of Tang Xiu¡¯s personality.


    At one of the upscale amusement clubhouses in Star City¡­


    Inside the luxurious decorated KTV private room, although the gambling house was re-started, Tie Long was obviously slightly absent-minded. His hands were no longer as good as before.


    ¡°Old Tie, I think you don¡¯t need to let your imagination run wild. Whether it was a blessing or a calamity, you can hide if it¡¯s a disaster. But now what you¡¯ve got to do is to prepare for it. If the ones who investigated you have a strong background, then you should immediately run. If they are weak, then play with them as you like. Panicking at the slightest moves and threats of an enemy will only make your mind chaotic. It would be troublesome for you and throw you into confusion.¡± The middle-aged big man pulled out a cigarette and said lightly.


    The other guy also said, ¡°Yes. If the opponent is very strong, we are also helpless even if we want to help. But if they are at the same level as us, we can team up to trample him. So you need to prepare in advance. If the enemy stays still, then stay still we will. But if the enemy moves, then move we will.¡±


    Tie Long nodded with a thoughtful expression and said, ¡°What you said makes sense. It looks like I asked too much. Nowadays, I¡¯ve offended too many people, causing me to stay on guard at all times. Otherwise, I don¡¯t know when will someone stab me behind my back.¡±


    After having said that, Tie Long threw his cards on the table. He looked at one of the middle-aged man and said, ¡°I¡¯ve prepared 4 million yuan to take the parking lot project next to the Star Park Plaza. Anyone of you have the interest to take up this project with me?¡±


    ¡°Ring ring ring¡­¡±


    Along with the fading voice of Tie Long, his mobile phone rang again.


    Tie Long frowned. He grabbed the phone, and after it was connected, he asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    After a moment¡­


    Tie Long suddenly stood up from the chair with a shocked expression on his face, shouting, ¡°What the bull you fucking told me? A person making more than 20 of you severely injured? Are you a fucking idiot or me? What? For real? I got it¡­¡±


    Tie Long hung up the phone. Then, he looked at the three others with an ashen face and spoke with a sank tone, ¡°Everyone, this time I¡¯m afraid that I really have provoked some trouble. And this trouble is one that I really have never ever expected before.¡±


    ¡°What kind of trouble?¡±


    Amongst one of them, his expression moved and immediately asked.


    Tie Long said, ¡°Do you remember what I¡¯ve told you? Yesterday I went to a restaurant to eat. And they did not give me any tables. So I injured the restaurant¡¯s boss and the staffs, as well as smashing the restaurant. Since I¡¯m still angered, I sent more than 20 people to wait at the Chinese Medical Hospital¡¯s front entrance to wait for them. As long as they came out, the people I send must fuck them up. And just now, those men I sent, all more than 20 of them, have all been seriously wounded.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s their background?¡±


    ¡°No clues.¡±


    Tie Long let out a forced smile. He shook his head and said, ¡°Regardless of what their background is, this time¡¯s trouble isn¡¯t small. Do you believe that the person who fucked up more than 20 of my men is only a youngster in his 20s? How fucking nefarious. How could a person alone able to fuck up more than 20 people and make them seriously injured?¡±


    ¡°Could it be that your man lied to you? Even those of the retired special forces, or Shenglong Martial Schools¡¯ Head, Jiang Feng, they won¡¯t be able to do that, right?¡± One of them said.


    Tie Long shook his head and said, ¡°Never will my men dare to lie to me. Because they know what fate they will get if they do that.¡±


    The other three men looked at each other in dismay. A dreadful feeling also began breeding inside their hearts. If the opponent also sent more than 20 people and completely routed Tie Long¡¯s men to the ground, they might not think that it was a problem. But the key point was that¡­ the other party only sent one person.


    A person alone, and he made more than 20 people seriously injured. Even if he was the God of War reincarnated, but he would only be barely able to do so, wouldn¡¯t he?


    ¡°Old Tie, I just recall that I have some stuff to take care of. Let¡¯s call it a day for today¡¯s gambling! If there¡¯s anything you need, call me! And about the parking lot issue, we¡¯ll talk about it later.¡±


    ¡°I gotta go back. My wife has gotten noisy at home recently. So I gotta appease her. Old Tie, we are friends, if you need anything, speak anytime.¡±


    ¡°Heck, since the gambling house is done, it¡¯s boring to stay here. I¡¯ll go with you!¡±


    Shortly after¡­


    There only remained Tie Long and his 2 trusted aides inside the big KTV private room, as an unsightly expression appeared on their faces. Whilst looking at the back of his 3 so-called ¡°friends¡± who were leaving him, Tie Long forcefully grabbed a bottle of liquor and smashed it to pieces with anger across all over his face.


    However, his heart was as though a crystal clear mirror. These so-called friends were, in fact, a group of people with linked interests. Everyone used each other and mutually sought their own benefits. Once something happened, and it was truly a disaster, the sentence that exactly happened was, everything flew by itself by the imminent great catastrophe.


    ¡°What a bullying the weak and fearing the strong¡ªfucking bastards! The trashes who have no righteousness and justice.¡±


    Tie Long cursed in rage before he turned around and sat down on the sofa. Things had gone beyond his control and he needed to think about what he should do next.


    First: he needed to save his own butt.


    His safety must be ensured, otherwise, when he encountered that merciless and ruthless little bastard¡­ Perhaps by then, even if he did not die, he would be wasted.


    Second: investigate the other party¡¯s identity.


    As the saying goes, know yourselves and know your enemies, only then will you be ever-victorious in battle. Now, the present situation was that, he was in the light and the enemy was in the dark. He must clarify the enemy¡¯s identity as to prepare to fight or run away.


    Third: prepare in advance and meet the enemy head-on.


    It was already too late to make up for everything. The 3 friends of his tonight were the seasoned veterans who had gone through challenging experiences for decades. They had meticulous thoughts and were as cunning as foxes. Their suggestions were highly unlikely to be mistaken. So he must increase his vigilance and prepare to brace the fire and risk his life.


    Tie Long raised his hand to touch his chin whilst the lights in his thinking eyes turned brighter. He himself came from a perfectly clean family, and he did not have something to rely on such a huge family business in the past. He only had the courage and the brains to scheme in his life. After having thought for a moment, he grabbed his phone and dialed his friend¡¯s number.


    ¡°Dazhi, I heard you have some friends with people from Magnificent Dragon Martial School, yes? Do you think you can help me to mediate and build a connection with them and let me see them? I do have something I wanna ask them for help. Don¡¯t worry about your benefits! Mmm, that said, let¡¯s meet in the Long¡¯s Dining Hall, and I¡¯ll treat you for lunch.¡±


    Tie Long put away his phone as the smiling expression on his face was as though the receding tides. He looked at his 2 underlings as he spoke with a sinking tone, ¡°Call some men, go and wait at the Long¡¯s Dining Hall. And tell them to carry the guns. We¡¯ll immediately act if the situation changes. And the 2 of you also must carry a gun. Humph¡­ millions of people practice martial arts nowadays, and never once has this Big Daddy heard that anyone is able to block bullets.¡±


    The 2 tall and sturdy big fellows looked at each other as fierce expressions cast on their faces. They nodded repeatedly and heavily. Then, all of them went out of the private room.


    At Star City Chinese Medical Hospital.


    Two police cars howled as they entered the parking lot in front of the hospital building. The valiant and formidable-looking Cheng Xuemei stepped out of the police car and hurriedly rushed toward the hospital security squad captain, Chen Tao.


    ¡°Captain Chen, we meet again!¡±


    Cheng Xuemei stepped forward a few steps and spoke with a deadpan expression.


    With a slightly confused and apologetic smile, Chen Tao said, ¡°Captain Cheng, I didn¡¯t expect that you would honor us with your presence today. Do you have something important by coming to our Chinese Medical Hospital, and something that I can help you with?¡±


    Cheng Xuemei frowned and said, ¡°Cut the confused act will you? The nearby police station received a report that more than 20 youth thugs encircled and ganged up on a youngster in front of the hospital¡¯s entrance, similar to a situation in the early morning. Those people ran away and didn¡¯t dare to show up. And where are those beating youngsters a moment ago? Our bureau has taken a serious attention to this mob event. And we hope that you would cooperate with us and help us to the best of your abilities to bring those thugs to justice.¡±


    Chen Tao had received an important order from the hospital¡¯s higher ups: that he must never divulge Tang Xiu¡¯s identity. So he spoke nonsense through his teeth and said with a dry laugh, ¡°Officer Cheng, I think you¡¯re mistaken, no? It¡¯s all quiet, nothing has happened here. Are some youth gangsters who have ganged up and beaten people somewhere in the community just now?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Cheng Xuemei glared angrily at Chen Tao as she snapped with a stern voice, ¡°Captain Chen! You do know our identity. So, it should be clear for you the consequences for lying to us. If we, the Criminal Police Division, wants to investigate clearly, no matter what and how you cover up the truth, we can get the information we want.¡±

 Chapter 128

    Chapter 128: Fly into a Rage


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Chen Tao gave in as he said with a forced smile, ¡°Officer Cheng, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to tell you, but I really can¡¯t tell you! You are a police officer, so please do not make things difficult for gatekeepers like us. I¡¯ll take the responsibility to tell you one thing. The youth which you said to have been surrounded and ganged up, he¡¯s not injured even in the slightest bit. He¡¯s now safe and sound. They only had a small misunderstanding and everything has been resolved after an explanation.¡±


    Cheng Xuemei turned around and winked to the other Criminal Police member, only then did she reply, ¡°Captain Chen, I don¡¯t know about the difficulties you have, but I still hope that you can tell me the truth. We are the Criminal Police, and we have the responsibility to maintain social order as well as punishing those rotten goods by law.¡±


    Chen Tao was silent for a moment, and then slowly said, ¡°Officer Cheng, if you really want to know the whole process of the matter, then you can investigate it! But I can tell you in advance, regardless of what results you get after the investigation, there¡¯s not a minute of relationship with me.¡±


    After having said that, he no longer cared about Cheng Xuemei. He turned around and walked toward the security room¡¯s door. He knew crystal clear that if Cheng Xuemei really wanted to investigate this matter, in fact, it was very easy. But since the higher ups have already issued the command, it might be quite difficult for the Criminal Police to investigate Tang Xiu¡¯s identity.


    10 minutes later¡­


    Several Criminal Police members were back in front of Cheng Xuemei with very strange expressions on their faces. One of them said, ¡°Chief, we just did a thorough investigation. There was indeed a youth that was surrounded by more than 20 youth thugs, but the end result¡­ it was not that youth who was injured, but instead¡­¡±


    Upon seeing that he was hesitant to speak, Cheng Xuemei immediately asked with a sinking tone, ¡°But what? Tell me!¡±


    That Criminal Police member said with a forced smile, ¡°The one who got severely injured was not that youth, but instead those 20 youth thugs. Accurately speaking, it was that youth alone who has made those thugs severely wounded. And now all those injured youth gangsters are still being treated in this hospital.¡±


    ¡°What joke are you playing at?¡± Cheng Xuemei¡¯s eyes stared wide with disbelief written all over her face.


    That Criminal Police member said in desperation, ¡°I really am not joking with you, Chief! It¡¯s the result of our investigation, unless we wrongly interpreted everyone¡¯s confession, but certainly, the possibility for it to happen is almost nil.¡±


    Alone against more than 20 people?


    Cheng Xuemei¡¯s mouth twitched a few times. The shock in her heart was like the surging tides. Strange things happened every year, but this year was particularly abnormal. She recalled Tang Xiu, a high schooler who was able to kill a criminal inside his school. She also recalled the murder case in the auto repair garage¡­


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡±


    Whilst sighing secretly inside, Cheng Xuemei asked, ¡°And those more than 20 injured youth thugs, have you clearly investigated their identities?¡±


    The Criminal Police member said, ¡°We¡¯ve been asking around. Nearly all of these fellows have criminal records. They are the rotten apples of society. They have always been together, often picking up fights, and have done a lot of bad things. And in addition, they are the underlings of the Rivers and Mountains Real Estate Company¡¯s Big Boss, Tie Long.¡±


    ¡°Tie Long? He¡¯s involved with a lot of homicide cases, but yet there¡¯s not a thing nor evidence that can link to that man, yes?¡± With brows slanted, Cheng Xuemei asked.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s him!¡±


    That Criminal Police member replied with a sinking tone.


    Cheng Xuemei sneered, ¡°Since he¡¯s involved and related with to case. Then we shall go to the Rivers and Mountains Real Estate Company now. I wanna listen to Tie Long¡¯s explanation.¡±


    The Rivers and Mountains Real Estate Company was located in Star City¡¯s Economic Development Zone near Southwave Road. It was easily accessed by transportation, and had a dozens of high-rise buildings. All of them were the properties of the River and Mountains Real Estate Company. Inside a magnificent styled building¡¯s entrance, 4 security guards were energetically patrolling and watching the passersby. When a beauty occasionally passed by, they sexually harassed her and gathered together to nitpick minute details of that woman¡¯s appearance.


    2 tall and sturdy big guys hurriedly rushed out from the building. They had fierce looks and their waists were bulging. Their cold eyes swept over the surrounding once in awhile.


    ¡°Big Brother Hu, Big Brother Pang.¡±


    Upon seeing the 2 big guys, the 4 security guards suddenly straightened up their backs and called out respectfully.


    They did not see the 4 security guards and strode forward toward the parking lot direction. They had important things to do and now the Big Boss was waiting for them.


    However, when they had just arrived about more than 10 meters outside the parking lot, an angry shout came out behind them and entered their ears.


    ¡°Hey, who the fuck are you? This is the Rivers and Mountain Real Estate Company, outsiders are not allowed to enter. Show me your staff card. What the fuck? You aren¡¯t listening to me?¡±


    The one who was about to enter the Rivers and Mountains Real Estate Company was Tang Xiu. After he learned Tie Long¡¯s identity, he quickly rushed to this place first. He must make Tie Long pay the price, letting him know the consequences and how miserable it was to have injured his mother.


    With menacing and aggressive looks, the 4 security guards scolded angrily at him. And Tang Xiu¡¯s reply was simple and very direct. He sent his fist and directly smashed that security¡¯s face who shouted angrily.


    ¡°Bang bang ¡­¡±


    That security guard screamed out miserably as he was hit and sent flying. Then, he was heavily smashed on the hard ground.


    ¡°Fucking bastard, you want to make some trouble?¡±


    The other 3 chaps roared and rushed over.


    Tang Xiu smiled coldly and moved lightning fast as his fist hit those three¡¯s faces without hesitation. Whilst watching them fly out upside down, he strode over into the Rivers and Mountains Real Estate Company¡¯s office door.


    The 2 tall and sturdy big guys in the parking lot looked at each other and turned around to bolt toward the company¡¯s front door. They were Tie Long¡¯s trusted confidants and also his goons. They had been in many fights and were experienced fighters. Each and every one of them was able to knock down 4 or 5 expert fighters.


    Not to mention that they had firearms on their waists. If they were really unable to defeat that youth, if worst came to worst, then they would shoot him. At the moment, they had already guessed Tang Xiu¡¯s identity. That he was the one who had injured more than 20 people of their Boss¡¯s underlings in front of the Chinese Medical Hospital¡¯s entrance.


    Inside the first floor¡¯s lobby of the Rivers and Mountains Real Estate Company, Tang Xiu walked toward the front desk. With a cold and grim expression, he spoke to the 2 beautiful girls whose faces had turned pale, ¡°Where¡¯s Tie Long?¡±


    The 2 women shook their heads hastily.


    One of the women said, ¡°We do not know, the boss did not come back after this morning.¡±


    _He¡¯s not here?_


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brow wrinkled as he spoke with a deep tone, ¡°Give me his cell number! And on which floor is his office located?¡±


    ¡°T-The¡­ 12th floor.¡±


    The woman was trembling with fear as she replied while looking at the 4 fainted security guards at the door.


    Tang Xiu coldly shouted, ¡°GIMME HIS NUMBER!¡±


    The woman replied with a miserable scowl, ¡°T-This¡­ S-Sir, we really don¡¯t know the boss¡¯s cell number. If you want to know about it, you need to find our manager.¡±


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and then immediately left. He took the elevator to the 12th floor. In a short while, he found an office whose door was tagged with a ¡°General Manager¡± tag board. He kicked the door open and looked around a few times as he heard the sound of footsteps behind him.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Tang Xiu turned around and saw a slim, young girl who applied a thick beautiful makeup. He snorted coldly and walked toward the inside of the boss¡¯s chair desk and sat down. Then, he said with an indifferent expression, ¡°You don¡¯t need to know who I am. You call Tie Long now. Tell him that his creditor has come and tell him to fucking get his ass immediately here to settle his debts with me.¡±


    ¡°You dare to curse our Boss? Do you want to die?¡± The girl exclaimed in anger.


    With a cold and detached expression, Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you once again! You have half a minute to call him. If you do something funny, I will throw you out of this 12th floor. Call him quickly!¡±


    The girl looked at the grim-faced Tang Xiu. After hesitating, still with anger, she said, ¡°You do have guts. Just wait here and I¡¯ll call the boss now. Just do be very careful that our boss will clean you up for good when he comes back.¡±


    _¡°Jackals from the same lairs!¡±_ Looking at that young girls¡¯ manner, Tang Xiu secretly sneered inside.


    At the Long¡¯s Dining Hall.


    Tie Long had sent his trusted confidants to go back and arranged some things, and then rushed over to him quickly. He wanted to invite some people from the Magnificent Dragon Martial School, so the standard was quite high.


    ¡°Ring ring ring¡­¡±


    His phone rang and Tie Long quickly took it out. He thought that it was a call from his old friend, Sun Dazhi. When he saw the caller ID on the screen, it was his company¡¯s administrative secretary, the one who had always been nitpicking about the accounting. Because there were some important things he must do, his was quite impatient. And after he picked up the phone, he spoke with a solemn tone, ¡°I have got something important to do now, if you don¡¯t have any important things to report, wait for me to go back and tell me later.¡±


    ¡°Boss, there has been an accident here. A bastard has broken into our company and now is sitting in your chair! He asked me to call you and tell that your creditor has come and wants you to roll here to settle your debts.¡±


    A creditor?


    Tie Long cursed in rage, ¡°Which bastard dares to make trouble for this Tie Long? This Big Daddy has a lot of creditors, but who dares to break into this father¡¯s office brazenly? You¡­¡±


    His words abruptly came to an end.


    In his mind, he thought about his goal to invite the Magnificent Dragon Martial School this time. After falling silent for a moment, he asked, ¡°Who¡¯s he? What¡¯s his name?¡±


    The secretary whispered, ¡°He¡¯s a young man, I don¡¯t know what his name is.¡±


    Tie Long shouted in anger, ¡°If you don¡¯t know, why didn¡¯t you fucking ask?!¡±


    The secretary paused for a while before she replied back, ¡°He said that if you want to know his name, you have to immediately come back. When he puts your¡­ your life that you cannot take care of yourselves, he will naturally tell you!¡±


    ¡°Fucking bastard!¡±


    Tie Long hung up the phone and cursed furiously.


    ¡°Oops, Eldest Brother Tie, what has incensed you so much, that you¡¯re burning with anger?! You wanted me to help invite people and here I came. The 4 of them are instructors at the Magnificent Dragon Martial School. Their mastery in martial arts is really great!¡± Sun Dazhi was a chubby, fair, and white middle-aged man. His pair of eyes formed narrow small gaps as it flashed lights from time to time.


    Tie Long saw that Sun Dazhi was followed by 4 vigorous and strong men. His hopes suddenly soared up immediately, as he strode over toward them and said, ¡°Old friend, this time I really have to thank you. We¡¯ll discuss our matter later. For now, I¡¯ve important things to do; that I would need these 4 experts from the Magnificent Dragon Martial School. Can we talk straight to the point?¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    The middle-aged man of the Magnificent Dragon Martial School nodded and said.


    Sun Dazhi did not want to be involved with the matter between Tie Long and the Magnificent Dragon Martial School. So he said with a smile, ¡°Well, have the discussion between all of you then. Since I have other things I need to do, I cannot accompany you. Eldest Brother Tie, I¡¯ll wait for your call.¡±


    ¡°Mmm!¡± Tie Long nodded.

 Chapter 129

    Chapter 129: Heavy Destruction


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Long¡¯s Dining Hall had a beautiful environment with a decorating style that gave off a majestic atmosphere. And inside the magnificent and dazzling oblique hall, Tie Long greeted the 4 experts from the Magnificent Dragon Martial School and mentioned them to take a seat.


    ¡°How should I address the four of you?¡±


    Tie Long squinted his eyes as he carefully sizing up these 4 people.


    One must know that the Magnificent Dragon Martial School was the most powerful martial arts school in Star City; its reputation had even spread to the outside. The School Master, Jiang Feng¡¯s manner and reputation soared to the clouds in the sky, and his attainments in martial arts had long reached the zenith. He had traveled extensively and laid an illustrious fame for his fighting prowess. 20 years ago he returned to Star City, his hometown, and founded the Magnificent Dragon Martial School.


    After 2 decades of development, each generation of the Magnificent Dragon Martial School had produced talented people, and most martial artists in Star City came out from this school.


    Tie Long was very clear that if one were able to become an instructor at Magnificent Dragon Martial School, they would definitely have powerful skills.


    ¡°I¡¯m Fei Qiang, and these 3 are my Junior Brothers.¡± The one who spoke with a deep tone was a strong and robust man.


    Tie Long slowly nodded and said, ¡°Instructor Fei, I entrusted Sun Dazhi to help contact you. I have a business deal I need to talk to you about, do you have any interest?¡±


    Fei Qiang said indifferently, ¡°Tell me about it first!¡±


    Tie Long said, ¡°Recently, I just offended a powerful figure, and his ability is really frightening. I¡¯ve sent more than 20 people who are used to fighting, and all of them have been severely injured by him. My men are still being treated at Star City¡¯s Chinese Medical Hospital right now. So I would like to invite and hire you to help me deal with that guy. As for the price, we can discuss it.¡±


    More than 20 people were severely injured by one person?


    Fei Qiang¡¯s complexion slightly changed, and his 3 Junior Brothers also showed a look of disbelief. Although they did not care for those young thugs who had always been fighting all days, but it was an undeniable fact that those guys were experienced in fights, and were very difficult to deal with. And a person now was even able to make those 20 people seriously injured. This meant that the man¡¯s attainment in martial arts was extremely high!


    Fei Qian replied realistically, ¡°If it¡¯s our School¡¯s Master, perhaps he might be able to achieve such a feat with quite an effort. But the 4 or us, that won¡¯t do. Not even anyone of us is able to knock down more than 20 young thugs.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Tie Long was quite stupefied. If they could not do it, then who should he ask for help? Could it be that he could only use his last resort, using firearms?


    Fei Qiang said, ¡°If it was one of us to go alone, we might be not an opponent for this guy, but if the 4 of us move together, we are sure to be able to waste him. However, it¡¯s really risky, and the 4 of us perhaps would also be injured. So, about the price¡­¡±


    Tie Long was quite happy inside, and he immediately said, ¡°1 million.¡±


    Fei Qiang raised his thumbs up and praised, ¡°Boss Tie is a straightforward person, so we¡¯ll no longer be pretentious. Give us the information about that guy, and we¡¯ll move fast to solve him. If we can¡¯t beat him, we won¡¯t take even a dime.¡±


    Tie Long let out a forced smile and said, ¡°I don¡¯t need to give you any information about him. That guy now is in our company¡¯s office. He¡¯s already rampantly broke our gate.¡±


    ¡°So rampant?¡±


    Surprised looks were revealed on Fei Qiang and the 3 others¡¯ complexion.


    Tie Long said helplessly, ¡°It¡¯s not it! That guy is really way too arrogant, to the point that it¡¯s even ridiculous. So, I could only hope that the 4 of you are able to clean him up for me.¡±


    Fei Qiang said, ¡°Let¡¯s go now!¡±


    At Rivers and Mountains Real Estate Company, inside the General Manager office.


    Tang Xiu was sitting in Tie Long¡¯s desk, and the angry looking woman was standing in front of him. He waved his hand and said, ¡°OK, you¡¯re done here, get out!¡±


    The woman stared fiercely at Tang Xiu and turned around toward the door. She knew nothing about Tang Xiu¡¯s origin, so she was afraid to act recklessly. After all, Tang Xiu was not even afraid of her boss. She was just Tie Long¡¯s secretary as well as his plaything, and simply had nothing to offend him with.


    However, when she just went out of the door, she saw 2 tall and sturdy guys. She was wild with joy and exclaimed, ¡°How come you just got here? There¡¯s a bastard in our boss¡¯s office and is raining curses at him.¡±


    ¡°Humph!¡±


    The two tall and sturdy big guy sprinted to the office. When they looked at Tang Xiu who sat on the boss¡¯s chair, one of them snapped in a stern voice, ¡°Get your ass up! That seat is not something a punk like you can sit on!¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a sneer and ridiculed, ¡°So it¡¯s only for Tie Long, eh?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The big burly guy smiled coldly and gloomily. The way he looked at Tang Xiu was as if he was a butcher that was about to slaughter a lamb.


    Tang Xiu slowly stood up. His vision looked at the 2 guys¡¯ waists as his eyes immediately narrowed into a slit and calmly said, ¡°You 2 are that broken, huh? Such being the case, I won¡¯t have to worry about anything when I act.¡±


    The 2 tall and sturdy guys looked at each other with a ridiculing expression on their faces. In an instant, they pulled out the pistols from their waists and pointed the dark muzzles at Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Punk, I know that your Kung Fu is fucking powerful. But even so, are you faster than our bullets? Humph¡­ what bullshit and stupid, a fucking greenhorn baby boy thinks that your abilities are on top of others and provoke everyone? Today we¡¯ll teach you how miserable your fate could be if you dare to go against Big Brother Long.¡±


    He had committed murder, and even more than once.


    His most favorite scene was looking at his enemies drowning in their own pool of blood, begging and struggling with those desperate, tragic expressions. Whenever he encountered this moment, he felt like he was a thirsty guy who had not drank water for a few days and then drank a few mouthful of ice-cold beer, giving him a cool, comfortable feeling.


    The moment the 2 tall and sturdy big guys appeared, a schadenfreude expression hung on the beautifully thick-makeup secretary as she watched and ridiculed Tang Xiu, ¡°How is it now? Stupefied? You¡¯re such a blockheaded idiot. You didn¡¯t even investigate our Rivers and Mountains Real Estate¡¯s inside story. But if you kneel down and beg for mercy right now, and nicely speak to us a few times, maybe we can spare your life.¡±


    ¡°You also need to be reformed.¡±


    Tang Xiu snorted coldly, with an instant movement he appeared in front of the 2 big guys. He flipped his wrist and grabbed the 2 big guys¡¯ wrists instantaneously. In an almost effortless move, he easily broke their wrists as the guns in their hands fell instantly.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s figure appeared at the door in a split second after. Whilst closing up the door, Tang Xie let out a faint, vague smile and said, ¡°Now, you have only two options. The first is to jump from the window, the second is your dead body will be carried out from here by someone else. Choose which one you want!¡±


    The two sturdy big guys¡¯ wrists had been snapped broken and their guns had fallen to the floor. The piercing and acute pain made the 2 of them almost scream out as thick beads of sweat permeated their foreheads. With a horrified expression, they looked at Tang Xiu with eyes as though they were looking at a terrifying God of Death.


    ¡°The guns!¡±


    They were also vicious and ruthless people, and upon seeing that Tang Xiu did not take away the guns, they instantly squatted and tried to pick up the guns, and quickly aimed the muzzles at Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Bang bang¡­¡±


    It was not the sounds of gunfire. But it was the sounds that came from their faces that were being smashed by the repeated punches sent by Tang Xiu¡¯s fists. Along with the ¡°peach blossoms that reflected on their face¡± being in full bloom, the two guys were directly smashed and sent flying to the back.


    ¡°Nooo¡­¡­¡±


    An ear-piercing scream came out from the woman. She was as though a frightened little rabbit. Her body shivered at the same time as she avoided to the side corner.


    A cold and grim smile was sketched out on Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth. He kicked the gun to the woman and spoke with a faint and vague smile, ¡°I¡¯ll give you an opportunity to stay alive. I really don¡¯t mind throwing you off this floor. And I believe you know the consequences of falling down from the 12th floor. When you fall down from here, your head should be the first to hit the ground, and it will be just like a watermelon being smashed¡­ peng¡­¡±


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t¡­ D-Don¡¯t kill me!¡± The woman screamed in fear.


    Regret was such a venomous snake that bit her heart. She was regretting, that she should not have depended on the 2 goons of her boss, even jumping out to provoke Tang Xiu, and also regretting why did she not escape earlier.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°No can do. It¡¯s impossible. You have 2 choices. First, you pick up the gun and shoot twice at each one of them. Do remember, you must shoot the other parts of the body, except their hands and feet. Secondly, I¡¯ll throw you off from this floor and you¡¯ll fall down there. Well, I¡¯ll give you half a minute, gimme the answer after you think about it.¡±


    Half a minute?


    The woman¡¯s complexion turned deathly pale. She looked at the 2 fainted big guys and also swept over toward the cold and detached expression that Tang Xiu had on. She gritted her teeth and made a choice in a less than 10 seconds. She slightly ran to the nearest gun, picked it up, aiming the muzzle at their four thighs, and then pulled the trigger.


    Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Four shots were aimed at their 4 thighs as blood instantly flowed down from the four bloody holes.


    The woman looked at Tang Xiu, but not even a bit of courage could she muster to point the muzzle at him. With a miserable crying face, she asked, ¡°Can I go now?¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and exclaimed in sarcastic admiration, ¡°Today I have experienced the saying that the hornet¡¯s most back is a tail that¡¯s sharp as a needle, and the most poisonous thing is the heart of a woman like you. You did just pick a good choice. You do have to look out for yourself, else the Heaven and Earth will combine to destroy you. Now, throw the gun away and you may leave. Do bear in your mind that today, you¡¯ve shot these 2 guys. If the police get their hands on this matter, I think it¡¯s highly likely that you¡¯ll sit behind bars for a few years.¡±


    ¡°I-I-I won¡¯t say anything! A-Absolutely!¡±


    The woman was trembling with fear as she replied.


    Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°Then you get out of here! Do remember, after you get far away, leave this fucking shit Rivers and Mountains Real Estate and get the hell out of Star City. I hope that you never see me again for the rest of your life.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave- I¡¯ll leave immediately.¡± The woman said with a firm tone.


    Although she was sarcastic and liked to bully people, but she, nevertheless, was a smart person. Therefore, she could tell that Tie Long had provoked a horrifying existence. Perhaps, Tie Long would end here. Even experts in martial arts with guns were unable to defeat this guy, then, whoever dared to provoke this guy, they would simply be courting their own death.


    She already made up her mind to go to her place and take away all of her money and belongings. And then, go to a faraway place. Never again would she return to Star City, ever. She even began to pray, that she would never come across a vicious and ruthless God of Death like him for the rest of her life ever again.


    Tang Xiu looked at the bullet holes as he woke up the 2 tall and sturdy big guys, who were still alive. Then, he said with ridicule, ¡°Just when you were about to take the gun, do you remember the words you said to me, no? My memory is so damn messy. Care to repeat those words again?¡±

 Chapter 130

    Chapter 130: The Evil Star


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The two tall and sturdy big guys felt ashamed and resentful at the same time. At the moment, they were drenched in sullenness, they even almost cried. They thought that they had won and everything was in their hands. They treated Tang Xiu like a lamb that was placed in front of them to be slaughtered. But the wind of karma had reversed and turned. They were the ones who had been miserably fucked up.


    ¡°A-are you a human, or a ghost?¡±


    One of them endured the piercing acute pains as he asked with a terrified expression.


    Talking nonsense with the level of underlings such as these 2 goons, did not interest Tang Xiu. He deftly snap broken their carpal bones, ensuring that they would never be able to take up these things again for the rest of their lives. Then, he stepped toward the windows.


    ¡°Policemen?¡±


    The most annoying thing to deal with for Tang Xiu, was facing cops. Especially because under his Spiritual Sense influence, he also found the arrival of the Criminal Police squad. And they were led by his old acquaintance¡­ Cheng Xuemei.


    4 minutes!


    Tang Xiu silently calculated the fastest time the police would need to arrive at this place as he made his plan. He mercilessly slapped the big guy¡¯s face and asked with a sinking tone, ¡°Call Tie Long! Tell him to go to the Solitary Cloud Temple in the suburb. Do fucking remember, do not reveal what you¡¯ve been through, else, I¡¯ll break your neck immediately.¡±


    The tall and sturdy big guy was slapped and spat out a mouthful of blood. But looking at the killing intent on Tang Xiu¡¯s expression, he did not dare to disobey Tang Xiu, as he hinted him to take his cell phone in his pocket and let Tang Xiu dial the number for him, and tried to make his tone normal. After the call was connected, he then spoke, ¡°Big Brother Long, I just received a report that the youngster who made our brothers injured went to Solitary Cloud Temple.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I will immediately rush over. You take some men and meet me there.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    Tang Xiu decisively hung up the phone as his fingers pressed at the sleeping point on the burly big guy¡¯s body. His technique was very unusual and it could make these 2 big guys sleep soundly for 2 days and nights. Even if some people used a knife to cut their flesh, they would not sober up.


    Afterward, through his Spiritual Sense, Tang Xiu quietly went to the building¡¯s control room. The 3 people inside had yet to realize about the situation, as Tang Xiu directly moved to stun and knock them out. After that, he destroyed all the surveillance videos and thoroughly smashed all the equipment before he quietly sneaked away.


    He believed that if those 2 big guys woke up after 2 days and nights and the police interrogated them, they would not sell him out, because such people like them were absolutely dirty. And it was highly likely that they would try to avoid any questions from the police at all cost.


    Besides, the 2 of them were not fools. When they knew Tie Long¡¯s fate, they would be even more afraid to sell him out. Otherwise, for the rest of their lives, they would live in fear.


    After having left the building, Tang Xiu took a taxi in the vicinity and rushed to the Solitary Cloud Temple.


    At Solitary Cloud Temple¡­


    The temple was located in the great Yuzhou Mountain Ridge. It was rarely visited by people, and the temple was a rarely incensed. And according to Tang Xiu¡¯s memory, there was also close to nil Buddhist monks in the temple.


    Choosing this place was his plan to avoid the eyes of the police. Although he did not intend to kill Tie Long from the beginning, but he must make him suffer. Even if he did have the intention to kill, he had no means to commit such an open slaughter. Because doing this could easily expose his identity. Today¡¯s society had an established the legal system, and even though he was not afraid to do illegal things, but after all, the troubles it courted, would be annoying.


    Having gone back to the modern era, the hope Tang Xiu had the most, was to accompany his mother, living a serene, peaceful life, and immersing himself in cultivation practice. And then, someday in the future, he would return back to the Immortal World and strive to the zenith, so those enemies and people who betrayed him must pay a painful price.


    At the Rivers and Mountains Real Estate Company.


    Cheng Xuemei, along with 4 Criminal Police members, strode in big steps into the General Manager¡¯s Office. Their complexion greatly changed when they saw the scene inside the office.


    The Vice-President who was accompanying them also revealed a terrified expression.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Cheng Xuemei and the 4 Criminal Police officers immediately acted to contain the scene.


    A Criminal Police member took 2 guns from the floor and quickly checked the 2 big guys¡¯ injuries. And then he reported, ¡°Chief, their injuries are very serious. Although it¡¯s not life-threatening, but if they are not treated quickly, the excessive bleeding will kill them. Also, apart from having 2 gunshot wounds, their wrist joints had been broken cruelly. I think their bodies also have multiple fractures.¡±


    Cheng Xuemei¡¯s complexion looked gloomy as though water. Then she spoke in a solemn tone, ¡°Collect the evidence and send them to the hospital. Vice-President Li, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to contact Tie Long immediately. We have important cases that need his cooperation.¡±


    Vice-President Li immediately took out his mobile phone to call Tie Long, but it was disappointing since he could not get through.


    ¡°I can¡¯t contact the Boss!¡±


    Cheng Xuemei asked, ¡°About your boss¡¯s whereabouts, how much do you know? What¡¯s he doing today? Where did he go today? Do you know the people he met today? Tell us everything you know!¡±


    Vice-President Li let out a forced smile and said, ¡°How would I know about Boss¡¯ whereabouts?! If I were to ask about his position, my Boss would have suspected me, that I was conspiring some errant.¡±


    Cheng Xuemei coldly snorted, ¡°A major case happened in your Rivers and Mountains Real Estate Company, and your Boss is the target of the suspect. Who the perpetrators are, we will clearly investigate this. The case this time is that the suspect was intentionally doing this to harm people. Moreover, there are also firearms left at the scene, which is very serious. If you manage to call your Boss, please contact us immediately.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Vice-President Li nodded immediately.


    Cheng Xuemei looked around and asked, ¡°Vice-President Li, your company should have a surveillance installation, yes? Take us there right now. The perpetrators who have done this violent crime should¡¯ve been recorded there.¡±


    ¡°Please follow me!¡±


    Vice-President Li complied immediately.


    Everyone rushed to the control room, and after they got there, the scene inside made them shocked. The 3 staffs were fainted as though they were dead dogs that lied on the floor. The surveillance installation had been smashed; video HDD, Memory Cards, all had been damaged and could never be used again.


    Cheng Xuemei looked at Vice-President Li in disbelief as she asked, ¡°Such a big incident has happened in your company, and yet no other employees know about this?¡±


    Vice-President Li said with a wry smile, ¡°I did hear that there was a young man that broke into our company before. Not only did he injure the 4 security guards of our company, but he also broke into the General Manager¡¯s office. I was busy taking care of some matters until you arrived here. As for the other employees, I don¡¯t think they know about the young man who broke into the company.¡±


    Cheng Xuemei immediately asked, ¡°Where are the four security guards? We need to ask them some questions.¡±


    ¡°They have been sent to the hospital. I could send someone to accompany you there,¡± Vice-President Li¡¯s complexion slightly changed.


    ¡°No, tell us the address now!¡± Cheng Xuemei directly refused.


    After a long while.


    After Vice-President Li had sent away Cheng Xuemei and the other 4 policemen, the forced smiling expression on his face suddenly changed. Bewildered lights flashed in his eyes. He was thinking as to what kind of big figure his Boss offended.


    After quite a while¡­


    More than 20 men of Boss¡¯s underlings were beaten and seriously injured. They had been sent to Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. He was sent to the hospital to take care of the formality procedures and pay the expenses. Now, Boss¡¯ 2 right hand men, his most powerful dogs, were even disabled by someone in the very office of the Boss. What kind of sacred person was it? Could Boss even pass through this and survive?


    Also, where was the Boss right now?


    Offending someone and now was getting revenged in return. He naturally did not dare to easily expose this kind of issue. He even ordered those 4 injured security guards to keep their mouths shut. And they must not cooperate with the police¡¯s investigation.


    Two hours later¡­


    Tang Xiu was hiding in the path that must be taken toward the Solitary Cloud Temple. His feet were on a tree trunk and his body was completely hidden in a thick cluster of leaves and branches. Only those pitch-black eyes of his that constantly glanced at the end of the road could be hardy seen.


    ¡°He has come!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s spirit sparked. He watched through the foliage gap and could clearly see 5 men quickly rushing over and advancing toward this direction. They were not using vehicles and were on foot, since the path was only a mountain passageway.


    On the path¡­


    Tie Long was panting. Although he also was once a fighter and often risked his life, but after having been living pampered for many years, his physical condition had long deteriorated compared to the past. In contrast, Fei Qiang and the other 3 men around him, each and every one of them looked vigorous and fresh, as if they had not the slightest fatigue traversing by foot.


    ¡°4 brothers, my men have yet to arrive. If we bump into that brat ahead of them, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to take care of him! This time, that brat can come but he must never return!¡± Tie Long breathed heavily as he shouted bitterly with throbbing blue veins on his forehead.


    Fei Qiang lightly said, ¡°Receiving someone¡¯s money and standing for him to avoid calamities. We do understand this truth. But can you speed up faster? We have courses at night, and if the School Master finds out that the 4 of us have disappeared at the same time, I¡¯m sure that we will be doubted and suspected that we have personal interests outside. Even for the 1 million yuan you¡¯ve given us, we don¡¯t want to lose our current instructor position.¡±


    Tie Long stopped as he took out his phone and said, ¡°I¡¯ll call my men to ask them where they are.¡±


    ¡°Our time is precious, tell them to hurry up!¡±


    Fei Qiang said with dissatisfaction.


    Tie Long let out an at a forced smile. He dialed the number and called, but no one answered.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Fei Qiang, who stood at Tie Long¡¯s side, asked with wrinkled brows.


    A bad premonition was breeding inside Tie Long¡¯s heart as he said in a low voice, ¡°I called my trusted confidants, but nobody answered. Such a thing is absolutely impossible to have happened in the past, since I¡¯ve ordered them to make sure that their phones must be on for 24 hours. If I call them, they must promptly answer.¡±


    Fei Qiang asked with a cold tone, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Tie Long said with a wry smile, ¡°I suspect that they have run into trouble.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, they ran into troubles and accidents. Their fate is even more miserable than those who wanted to hurt me in front of the hospital¡¯s entrance. I¡¯m the one who threatened them with their very life to tell news to deceive you that I¡¯m at Solitary Cloud Temple. Words said that good deeds will be rewarded and evil deeds will have its retribution. And now retribution has come.¡± Tang Xiu quietly slipped from the tree and appeared in front of Tie Long, Fei Qiang and the 3 others.


    Tie Long¡¯s complexion greatly changed as disbelief burst out from his eyes. He involuntarily exclaimed out loud in alarm, ¡°How could it be? My 2 men had 2 guns. How could it be possible for you to injure them?¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a ridicule, ¡°You are just like a frog at the bottom of the well. It¡¯s worthless to explain it to you. I won¡¯t kill you today. But you¡¯ve harmed and injured my mother and also hurt a few of my men. We shall settle this debt and account.¡±

 Chapter 131

    Chapter 131: Threats


    With a turn of his hand, a sharp Mitsubishi army knife appeared in his hand. Then, he sneered again, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a multiple choices question. Do you want me to cut off your legs? Or hands? Of course, you also can cut off one leg and one hand!¡±


    Tie Long stepped back subconsciously. Suddenly, he realized that there was still the 4 experts from the Magnificent Dragon Martial School. The hanging worry in his heart suddenly went back to normal as he said with a sneer, ¡°You¡¯re so fucking crazy, brat! Do you believe you¡¯re able to pack me up?! Don¡¯t you think that it is I who¡¯ll solve you?! These 4 men are instructors from the Magnificent Dragon Martial School. Martial arts¡¯ experts. They are especially invited to deal with you. If you brat knows your own good, apologize to me and we¡¯ll end this matter. Otherwise, I¡¯ll fuck you up.¡±


    Magnificent Dragon Martial School?


    This was the first time Tang Xiu heard this Martial School name. He calmly shook his head and said, ¡°I am just a high school student. Never once have I heard the name. The four of you, it¡¯s a resentment and grudge I have with Tie Long. I hope that you don¡¯t meddle nor you involve yourselves in this. Otherwise, I can¡¯t guarantee that you will come out unscathed.¡±


    Fei Qiang trod 2 steps forward. He coldly looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°You were hiding before, so you should also have heard our words that we¡¯ve taken the money from Boss Tie to stand for him to avoid this disaster. Since we¡¯ve received Boss Tie¡¯s money, we¡¯ll handle the matters for him. I heard that you are an expert in martial arts. We are also martial artists. So, we¡¯ll ask you to have a match with us.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and replied grimly, ¡°The taboo that martial artists must avoid is fighting to determine who¡¯s stronger. Practicing martial arts is to have a healthy and strong body, to protect the loved ones around you. But you¡­ you all are not worthy to be martial artists. It seems that your Magnificent Dragon Martial School is that of the rotten kind. Since you insist, wait until I solve all of you and then I¡¯ll visit your Martial School.¡±


    ¡°That is, if you have the chance to do so!¡±


    Fei Qiang nodded toward his 3 fellow apprentices as the 4 of them flushed over toward Tang Xiu. But they did not attack and only surrounded Tang Xiu, looking for his flaws.


    They might have no good character, but they did know the logical truth; that if an expert move, even the slightest negligence may cause them to fall into eternal damnation. Tang Xiu was able to knock down and injure more than 20 youth thugs, and for this they did not dare to take him lightly.


    Wanting to gang me up? A bit of disdain sprouted in Tang Xiu¡¯s heart. He instantly moved and appeared in front of the first man in the front line. The man could only sense that something blossomed in front of him as a big fist punched the bridge of his nose.


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    The man¡¯s arms half lifted as he let out a miserable scream. Then, he felt his chest was severely hit and that huge force made a sweet taste raise up to his throat. His body flew upside down as a mouthful of blood spurted out crazily.


    ¡°You¡¯re all only trashes!¡±


    Tang Xiu moved to the side to avoid the punch and kick the other 2 men threw at him. He straightly charged forward and attacked, and easily overthrew the two of them down. However, he was also quite surprised that Fei Qiang¡¯s strength was really strong. If his martial arts were to be compared to the present standard, although he had yet to reach the point of the Grandmaster of martial arts, but the difference was not far. If he was able to immerse his heart into martial arts, he would undoubtedly be able to reach the zenith in no time.


    ¡°You are NOT my opponent!¡±


    Tang Xiu moved quickly as his feet unceasingly sent intense flying kicks forward toward Fei Qiang, who was in the reverse, stepping backward. Although his every kick from each foot contained only 10% of his strength, but it still at least had the force of a few thousands of pounds. Fei Qiang could only avoid it and hardly block the kicks off with both of his arms. But his hard arm bones were then broken into several sections due to blocking those series of powerful kicks.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    Fei Qian made a donkey roll and avoided Tang Xiu¡¯s foot with difficulty.


    Tang Xiu ignored him. He needed not to guess since he knew Fei Qiang¡¯s thought. Fei Qiang did not admit that they were unable to beat him, but was hoping for this matter to stop at this point. However, the friends of my enemies are my enemies. Much less that Fei Qiang had taken payment from Tie Long to stand for him against the disaster. So it was necessary that he must accept the consequences of pains and bitterness from failures.


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu kicked his chest from the side. Along with the sounds of Fei Qiang¡¯s broken breastbones, he grabbed Fei Qiang¡¯s arms without hesitation and forcefully twisted and broke his hands.


    ¡°Aaah¡­¡±


    The piercing pain was really unbearable, even Fei Qiang pitifully screamed.


    Tang Xiu slapped him to the ground and said with a sneer, ¡°As a man, you have to have accept defeats as the defeated. By the time you¡¯ve agreed to help Tie Long, you also must think about the fate when you¡¯ve failed. Now, each one of you, waste your right hand. Just think of it as small lesson for all of you. If you all dare to break the laws and commit crimes later, I will personally break all of your legs and your left hands.¡±


    Having said that, he no longer care about the 4 of them who miserably wailed. His vision shifted to the face of a frightened-terrified expression, who had run away for tens of meters away but was constantly looking back, Tie Long.


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve come, you can never leave in such a perfect condition.¡±


    The moment he shouted, Tang Xiu moved as fast as lightning. In just a few breaths, he already appeared behind Tie Long¡¯s back. He exerted his strength and bombarded Tie Long¡¯s back, sending him flying 6 or 7 meters away as he fell heavily on the ground.


    ¡°What a fast speed!¡±


    Even though Fei Qiang howled a bitter and painful wailing, but his consciousness was extremely sober. From the beginning, his eyes had never left Tang Xiu. From the fight before, even though he knew that Tang Xiu was very fast, but he did not expect that his speed would be that fast to this degree. Only Tang Xiu¡¯s shadow that was left behind was what he was able to see.


    He was struck with disbelief. How could the human body reach this state?! Even Grandmaster level martial artists would not be able to do that. And now, he was full of regret, regretting that he had received this personal task.


    Previously, he concealed the truth to the School Master¡¯s Jiang Feng, and stole the time to fulfill this private work. But he had never thought that this day would come this fast.


    And even more, he was defeated in the hands of a young man that was about 20 years-old.


    Tang Xiu strode toward Tie Long¡¯s side. He picked him off the ground and mercilessly slapped him on the face. After having pumped him into a pic, he continued to twist and break both of his legs. And finally his foot stomp down on Tie Long¡¯s head. Whilst looking at the wriggling Tie Long, he coldly said, ¡°Surnamed Tie, when you were scourging others, have you ever thought that one day you would be harmed like this?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯ve got the balls, just fucking kill me!¡±


    Tie Long was still unyielding. His 4 limbs had been broken. He was under such pain that made him miserably howl as he loudly roared.


    In contrast, the Mitsubishi army knife in Tang Xiu¡¯s hand flashed and cut off Tie Long¡¯s ear. Whilst looking at the blood flow as though it was injection scene, Tang Xiu ridiculed, ¡°You¡¯re indeed worthy to be an unyielding iron-man of steel, no? Such an unyielding tough guy like you is the kind I love to torture. Now, you fucking listen to me! And use your brain to think about it. Where should my fucking knife cut next? Your other ear? Ripping your nose? Ah, I know, digging your eyeballs is also a good choice! It¡¯s your call! You¡¯re the unyielding tough guy, you decide it, will you?¡±


    Tie Long was being stomped on the head by Tang Xiu. He could feel the warmness in his ear. In such a particular taste, when he saw that his ear was ripped and cut off, the tough, unyielding heart of his instantly went up with the smoke. Something was clear for him; Tang Xiu was too ruthless and vicious.


    He was not old!


    He was only in his 40s. He had been working hard and had made millions and millions of family wealth and property. If he were to be killed by Tang Xiu, his half a lifetime of hard work, the enterprise he had been working on, would come down. His riches would be for naught, a joke. It¡¯s just like giving your own wedding dress to others.


    He did not want it!


    He was afraid of death!


    Listening to Tang Xiu¡¯s words made his heart bitter and frightened, as though it was being frozen in the middle of the winter solstice.


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­ beg you, I-I beg you to let me go! I¡¯ll promise you anything, never will I dare to crisscross with you again.¡± Tie Long begged.


    Tang Xiu moved his foot away from Tie Long¡¯s face. He picked him up once again and sneered, ¡°You¡¯re begging me, eh? You¡¯ve hurt my mother, injured my men, and even so rampantly and arrogantly sent your men to the hospital¡¯s entrance to intercept my men. Why the fuck didn¡¯t you beg me that time, hah?¡±


    ¡°I was wrong! Please forgive me.¡±


    Tie Long coughed up a mouthful of blood, begging as he looked at Tang Xiu with a frightened expression.


    Tang Xiu coldly snorted and said, ¡°Wanna hear the truth? I really don¡¯t want to kill you. But I fear that releasing a tiger to the mountain, is only raising the tiger to invite the calamity. Now tell me, how should I handle this? Ah, right. You can look around, even though here is only a hilltop, but it¡¯s halfway up to the mountain, no? This is a good place to kill someone, robbing, and destroying his corpse. And there¡¯s no trace.¡±


    Tie Long¡¯s pupil shrunk and hastily assured, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll never have the idea to revenge on you. Look at me, do you think I dare to retaliate later? As long as you let me go, I¡¯ll give all of the fixed assets under my name to you and leave far away from Star City, and never will I go back again ever!¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment. He slowly shook his head and said, ¡°You are a rich man. Nowadays, even devils can be ordered to work with money. Like those 4 fucking greedy guys. You can spend your pennies to buy those of the devils and retaliate. Never once have I ever wanted to be targeted by those humans all the time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you the money!¡±


    Tie Long called out loudly.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth outlined as he said with a grim expression, ¡°That being the case, then I¡¯ll accept it. Do you know Long Zhengyu?¡±


    Tie Long hurriedly nodded and said, ¡°Yes! He¡¯s the General Manager of the Long Group, from which I have once handled some projects.¡±


    Tang Xiu indifferently said, ¡°Then, after you¡¯ve returned back, all of the assets under you will all be transferred to Long Zhengyu. I¡¯ll call that fellow to give them to me.¡±


    ¡°You know Chief Long? What¡¯s your relationship with him?¡±


    Tie Long hurriedly asked.


    He had the thought to revenge in mind. And it was a crazy retaliation. However, hearing Tang Xiu mentioned Long Zhengyu, it was as if his head was being poured by ice-cold water. So most of the thought and will to retaliate reduced instantly.


    Tang Xiu lightly said, ¡°He could barely be regarded as my friend.¡±


    Tie Long was perfectly aware of Long Group¡¯s inside story. He was also crystal clear about the strong brand the Long Family had. Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, apart from deep regret, not even any other emotion filled his heart again. Had he known that Tang Xiu was Long Zhengyu¡¯s friend, even if he had more courage, never once would he dare to smash Tang Xiu¡¯s restaurant, neither had he had the guts to injure his mother and underlings.


    It was the cycle of karma!


    Each and every thing would be reported!


    Tie Long was low-spirited inside. He completely dispelled his thoughts to retaliate against Tang Xiu. Thinking that his fate had ended up like this, if later he stayed still in Star City, those people who he had offended, would perhaps crazily storm over at him to have their revenge. After having stayed silent for a moment, with a bitter and astringent expression, he said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll transfer all of my assets to Chief Long. Even if I want keep some of my private assets, perhaps he can find those. And now, since I¡¯ve become a disabled, after I go back, I¡¯ll take my wife and immediately leave.¡±


    Notes:


    Tie Long name in EN is Iron Dragon.

 Chapter 132

    Chapter 132: Who¡¯s Friends with You?


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t have the slightest mercy toward Tie Long. So he casually knocked him out, and with an ¡°aah¡± shout, Tie Long fainted. Then, he came toward Fei Qiang¡¯s side, and said indifferently, ¡°You are responsible for sending him back. However, since this guy has you involved in this matter, I know that you¡¯re all hating him, and you might kill him halfway. But do remember today¡¯s matter. When I have free time next month, I will personally visit your Magnificent Dragon Martial School.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡±


    An alarmed and frightened expression appeared on Fei Qiang¡¯s face as he begged, ¡°Brother, please don¡¯t go to our Martial School. We only came out for our private work and we hid the truth from the School Master! The respected old man is upright and plainspoken, and he¡¯s extremely demanding and strict on us. If he knew that we had private works outside, he wouldn¡¯t bear to see that we¡¯re involved in shady business, and he would kill us for sure! We beg you. We swear that later we¡¯ll never take any private work nor do dishonorable things again.¡±


    Tang Xiu said indifferently, ¡°If you had known about it earlier, why didn¡¯t you think about it before? However, knowing your own mistakes means that you can reform yourselves for the better. Later on, I hope you can put your best into it.¡±


    After having said that, Tang Xiu no longer stayed and went straight down the mountain.


    After having solved the matter with Tie Long, Tang Xiu did not come back to the hospital but returned back to South Gate Town. Previously, he did not answer back the calls and read his SMS. Then, whilst standing inside the bedroom on the villa¡¯s second floor, Tang Xiu called his teacher-in-charge, Han Qingwu.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, where have you been?!! Aren¡¯t you still a student? Mustn¡¯t you go back to school to attend the class?¡± When the phone was just connected, Han Qingwu¡¯s angry roar came out.


    Tang Xiu went outside after he took the phone. Upon hearing Han Qingwu¡¯s roar and waited for her to finish, with a pale smile, he replied, ¡°Teacher Han, I also want to go back to school and studying. But when I just returned to Star City, something happened to my family. I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll have to wait 2 days more before returning to school.¡±


    ¡°What happened at your home?¡±


    Han Qingwu¡¯s anger was reduced a lot as she asked with a tone full of care.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Someone has smashed my mother¡¯s restaurant. Mom and a few waiters there have also been injured. For now, my mother is still hospitalized.¡±


    Han Qingwu asked in an angry tone, ¡°Who the hell are those people? In which hospital and which ward is your mother being hospitalized? I¡¯ll immediately¡­ Well, I¡¯ll go there after finishing the next class.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Teacher Han, this matter has been resolved. But I need more days off, it¡¯s only 2 days. And then I¡¯ll go back to school. So Teacher Han doesn¡¯t need to trouble yourself to come over personally. Besides, there are things that I want to discuss with you.¡±


    ¡°And that is?¡±


    Hang Qingwu was also aware that she was too anxious. So when she heard that Tang Xiu changed the topic, she asked immediately.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯ve promised Yuan Chuling and Cheng Yannan to help them study every night. So they can improve their academic performance. If you can, could you accommodate my request to let them leave every evening to study at my home, not at school? I¡¯ll personally counsel them.¡±


    Han Qingwu angrily replied, ¡°What? You are thinking of skip classes, aren¡¯t you? Since it¡¯s helping your own classmates, aren¡¯t you able to help them study at school?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°My studying technique is very special, and it needs a quiet environment. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll guarantee that if you agree, their results certainly will be improved on the College Entrance Test.¡±


    Han Qingwu was silent for a moment as she said with a sigh, ¡°Tang Xiu, I don¡¯t know why you don¡¯t like to attend school. But the College Entrance Test is near. Couldn¡¯t you persist to stay at school for the rest of this month?¡±


    Tang Xiu said with desperation, ¡°Teacher Han, I really want to make up for the missed lessons to them. You¡¯ve seen my test results. If I want it, I can get such results, or even better than that. I have compiled my own studying method, so even though there isn¡¯t much time left till the College Entrance Test, I have the confidence that I can find the main points to improve their academic performance level. If you don¡¯t trust me, I¡¯ll go back to school 2 days later, and I guarantee that I¡¯ll no longer mention this issue again.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    At the other side, Han Qingwu was still silent.


    She did not know whether what Tang Xiu had said was true or not. But the final sentence Tang Xiu had said, especially the word ¡°trust¡±, in fact, made her quite awkward.


    The thing was, she believed in Tang Xiu!


    Ever since Tang Xiu had amazed everyone with his brilliant feat, she firmly decided to believe in Tang Xiu.


    The silence was not short, and in truth was 2 full minutes. After which, only then Han Qingwu replied with a sigh, ¡°Since you are so sure, then I¡¯ll choose to trust you again. I hope you don¡¯t let me down.¡±


    After having said that, she directly hung up the phone.


    Tang Xiu secretly gasped a breath. Every time he talked with Han Qingwu, he felt that it was more tiring than fighting. He had a very complex and complicated feeling toward Han Qingwu, since she after all, looked like his companion in the Immortal World. But she was also the very companion who actually had betrayed him.


    He had his reasons. Even if he did not want to hate, but that hatred naturally came up.


    However, the sentiment was completely not a feeling between a man and woman¡¯s love.


    Tang Xiu flung his head off, trying to throw those complicated emotions out of his mind. Then, he looked at the 2 unfamiliar numbers and dialed one of them. Shortly after, Ouyang Lulu¡¯s voice came out.


    ¡°Are you Tang Xiu?¡±


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes and snappily said, ¡°If it¡¯s not me, who do you think it is? It was you Miss who called to this number, and you don¡¯t even know whose number you were calling?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu angrily replied, ¡°Who says I don¡¯t know your number? Tang Xiu you bastard, you were freeloading and cadged a meal at my house, patting your own ass and then ran away. You didn¡¯t even say hello and bid farewell to me! Aren¡¯t we friends?¡±


    Who¡¯s friends with you?!


    This sentence had almost burst out from Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth. But then he thought that Ouyang Lulu¡¯s words also made sense. He did take Mu Qingping and her daughter, and ate without paying in Ouyang Lulu¡¯s home. So when he left, he should have bid farewell to her. However, wasn¡¯t it because she was sleeping like a dead pig and had not woken up until noon?


    He wryly smiled shortly.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°You called me not for this reason, yes? If there¡¯s no other things to do, I¡¯ll hang up the phone. I still have a lot of missed calls and unread messages that I have yet to respond to.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu promptly called out, ¡°Who says I don¡¯t have anything to do? I have a lot! I was just preparing to go on a trip to Star City. You live in Star City, so you can host me, no?¡±


    ¡°You are coming to Star City?¡±


    Tang Xiu said with astonishment, ¡°Aren¡¯t you staying nicely on Jingmen Island and have to manage your Paradise Club? What makes you run to Star City for?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu proudly said, ¡°Recently, 2 friends of mine called me to invest in a business together in your Star City. So, I wanna have a look and have a good talk with them.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve gotta make a phone call!¡±


    Having said that, he hung up the call directly.


    With regards to Ouyang Lulu, Tang Xiu never gave her any good lingering thoughts. This woman was eccentric and sometimes her speech was straight ahead and pungent, and sometimes she was gentle and soft. So he did not know which her character was.


    Tang Xiu then turned to the last number and dialed it.


    After a moment, a cold voice came out of the phone.


    ¡°Tang Xiu?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows wrinkled. He felt that the voice was somewhat familiar. But he could not recall it all of a sudden. After having silent for a moment, he said, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me!¡±


    ¡°When you have the time, I hope that you can come again to visit the Everlasting Feast Hall!¡± A chilling voice came out again from the cell phone.


    Everlasting Feast Hall?


    Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s face appeared in Tang Xiu¡¯s mind. Then, he shook his head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have time these days. I¡¯ve just left Jingmen Island.¡±


    ¡°Where are you? I want to talk to you!¡±


    ¡°What do you wanna talk?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you in person!¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I am now in Star City. If you wanna talk, then come to Star City! And don¡¯t conceal or hide anything when you talk to me later. I¡¯m not trying to approach you. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m curious about the Thousand Revolution Array. So I might as well tell you now that Thousand Revolution Array was created by me, and I¡¯ve only taught the array only to one person in my entire life. That person was my apprentice. So I¡¯m curious, why did the Thousand Revolution Array appear in your Everlasting Feast Hall?¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    The shocked voice of Gu Xiaoxue came over from the phone.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°You didn¡¯t hear it wrongly. The Thousand Revolution Array was indeed created by me. It¡¯s not only that array, your Feng Shui array in Everlasting Feast Hall, the Water Block Dragon Pen, was also created by me first. If you want to be clear about the matter, then tell me the whole story. I¡¯ll be waiting for you in Star City. If you cannot tell the whole truth, you don¡¯t need to come.¡±


    ¡°IT¡¯S YOU!¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue was as if she did not hear the following words from Tang Xiu. Her voice¡¯s pitch rose for several decibels as she shouted once again.


    Tang Xiu knitted his brows and said, ¡°What¡¯s me?¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue rapidly said, ¡°The person my Master has always been searching for is you. I don¡¯t know why you haven¡¯t showed up for a decade, but it won¡¯t be mistaken! Tang Xiu, wait for me in Star City, I¡¯ll leave immediately!¡±


    ¡°Toot toot toot¡­¡±


    The blind sound came out from the phone as a slightly particular strange feeling arose inside Tang Xiu¡¯s heart. Gu Xiaoxue said that her Master was looking for him. What was the meaning of this?


    Who was her Master?


    What and how was her Master related with his apprentice?


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu looked forward to Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s arrival. Perhaps the puzzles in his heart could be solved when Gu Xiaoxue arrived.


    After a long while¡­


    After having put away these thoughts, Tang Xiu called Long Zhengyu to tell him about Tie Long¡¯s matter. Having Long Zhengyu¡¯s help, he was not afraid that Tie Long would play shady. Although he did not clearly know about the Long Family, but since they were highly respected and looked up to by so many people, that meant that their inside story was very deep.


    ¡°Knock knock¡­¡±


    His door was knocked as Gu Yin, with a smiling expression, quickly ran into the room.


    Tang Xiu turned around as he looked at Gu Yin, patted her and said with a smile, ¡°How¡¯s your cultivation practice these days? Has your sense in sensing the qi circulation turn more intense?¡±


    Gu Yin pulled Tang Xiu¡¯s hand as she said with a giggle, ¡°Master, Yinyin hasn¡¯t only been able to sense the energy circulation better, but can now control the qi flow! I followed the cultivation method and practice Master has given me to control the energy flow inside the meridian channels. Although the speed is very slow, but at present, in one day, Yinyin is able to revolve it in for a few times.¡±


    ¡°So fast?¡±


    Tang Xiu was shocked.


    Although he knew that Gu Yin had the Sacred Body of Twin Pulse Ice Phoenix, and it was the sacred physical constitution for cultivation that could only be found in one amongst hundreds of millions, however, he did not expect that it would be so heaven defying to this degree! Wasn¡¯t it only a short few days? Yet she could control the flow of qi in the meridian channels?


    It was no wonder that, at that time, the woman who had the Sacred Body of Twin Pulse Ice Phoenix was able to step onto the final step that hundreds of millions of celestial beings were unable to tread on; that was, to ascend to the God Realm.


    Notes:


    Could the last 10+ chapters be called as an arc? Such a scenic route¡­ man. Anyway, I was tempted to use Dojo instead of Martial School, but then I remember that this is a CN novel not a JP. This is why I also used yuans not dollars. However, apart from character names, I transliterated most of the other names.

 Chapter 133

    Chapter 133: The Problems with Education


    Tang Xiu could not cultivate those cultivation methods before, and he could only cultivate the _¡°Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis¡±_. But Gu Yin might be able to cultivate those cultivation methods from the Immortal World. However, since he had an extremely deep comprehension in cultivation practice, guiding Gu Yin was also only natural.


    However, his apprentice was truly abnormal!


    If she kept maintaining such a heaven-defying cultivation speed like this, perhaps she would very quickly surpass and be even stronger than him, wouldn¡¯t she?


    Tang Xiu let out a forced and wry smile as he shook his head. Suddenly, his face changed, as something that made him speechless suddenly crossed over in his mind.


    It was cultivation resources! He had been collecting cultivation resources for his cultivation with difficulties. But this treasured apprentice of his had a heaven-defying cultivation talent. And it was imperative that the time must not be wasted. But since her cultivation speed was so fast, the number of cultivation resources she would need would shake the heavens.


    Tang Xiu looked at his precious apprentice with a brilliant smiling face, but he secretly complained for the hardship he must face inside. However, he did not want to give up the more important thing even though he must be prepared to pay the price. He set firm his resolve and decided to give his best to amass money, and going all out to seek cultivation resources on Earth, so he could make himself stronger. Even if he needed to go to outer space to seek cultivation resources in the other planets, then go he must as to meet their needs.


    ¡°Master, why are you seemingly unhappy?¡±


    Gu Yin was looking at Tang Xiu with a slightly worried expression. She did not know as to how she had made her Master unhappy.


    Tang Xiu stared blankly for a moment, before he suppressed the desperation feeling in his heart. With a smiling expression revealed on his face, he stroked her soft and supple hair and said with a light laugh, ¡°Master isn¡¯t unhappy. I¡¯m just thinking about something else. My apprentice¡¯s cultivation speed in very fast and I¡¯m really surprised and happy, so how could I be unhappy? However, don¡¯t forget what I¡¯ve said to you. Haste makes waste and leads to carelessness. You¡¯ve just entered the cultivation path, so you should steadily cultivate and stabilize your cultivation, and improve your cultivation base bit by bit.¡±


    Gu Yin nodded cleverly and said with a smile, ¡°Master, I promise I¡¯ll bear your words in mind. Mom also once said that a tall building is built up from the ground, and building the foundation is the most important.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded with satisfaction.


    Suddenly, he looked up and said, ¡°Yinyin, since your body has nothing wrong anymore, don¡¯t you want to go to school? Originally, I planned to let your mother take her courses and I¡¯d take you directly to the Nine Dragon Island. But, since courses would take 2 months of time and coupled with other things, I¡¯m afraid it will last until September. I¡¯ll prepare to let you go to school for half a year, and wait until next year before you can go to Nine Dragons Island. What do you think?¡±


    Gu Yin hesitated. She shook her head and said, ¡°Master, I haven¡¯t gone to school for 2 years, and there are a lot of subjects I have missed. So I can¡¯t keep up with a lot of lessons and curricula. Could you let me take cram school? Mom bought me a lot of textbooks a few days ago, so I¡¯m prepared to take those courses and make up for the missed classes there without affecting my cultivation practice.¡±


    For a moment, Tang Xiu was stumped for words as he immediately understood.


    Then, he said with a smile, ¡°Then, so be it! Since you¡¯ve missed a lot of classes, tomorrow I¡¯ll hire a teacher for you, so they can use their summer vacation time to teach you and make up for the missed classes. If you¡¯re able to keep up with those of the same grade at the same time, I¡¯ll send you to school for 6 months. If you cannot do that, then forget it.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh!¡±


    Gu Yin nodded in a pleasant surprise.


    Tang Xiu said with a laugh, ¡°Then go play! I¡¯ve some little things I need to do and must go out immediately today.¡±


    Gu Yin said with puzzlement, ¡°To where does Master want to go? Can Yinyin go with you and play? Mom went shopping at the Department Store, so I think it will be quite a long time until Mom to come back.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I have important things to do. So Yinyin, please stay obediently at home. Wait until I¡¯ve taken the College Entrance Test, I¡¯ll accompany you to play outside then.¡±


    Gu Yin said with a laugh, ¡°Master, you¡¯ll pass the College Entrance Test. And I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be admitted to a very good university.¡±


    What about university?


    Thinking about it, Tang Xiu let out a bit of smile. He had completed his plan, even if he must study at a university, at most his first choice was to take the unified test for Blue City University, the best university in Shuangqing Province. It was classified as an undergraduate university. Once he had been admitted to the Blue City University, he could return home often to see his mother, since it was very close.


    Certainly, if his mother was willing to leave with him and live in another city, he might choose to take the passing exam in other provinces and choose a top university. Attending college for him was useless. But it was his mother¡¯s wish, and he never wanted to disappoint her.


    After having left South Gate Town, Tang Xiu browsed through the internet using his phone to search for a few good cram schools, especially the courses for making up missed classes from the 1st to 6th grade. In order to nurture and cultivate Gu Yin, he was prepared to spend a lot of money. So, he must hire private tutors for 3 important subjects apart from Language.


    Star City, inside an office building near the Baida Plaza, Tang Xiu found the New Ideas cram school, which was marked on the net. The environment inside was good, the whole floor was occupied with new ideas training courses, and its quality also could be seen from its interior decoration.


    ¡°Welcome!¡±


    After having passed the entrance, the receptionist in the front desk greeted him with a cordial smile.


    Tang Xiu observed around a few time and then asked, ¡°Please give me the course tables for your cram school. I want to take a look at it.¡±


    ¡°Please wait!¡±


    The reception lady smiled and nodded, and quickly took out a stack of documents from the drawer. She handed it over to Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Sir, are you sending a child to our cram school? Our teachers here are very qualified. Their education level, if compared with various universities and school in Star City, it can be considered as the top. Most of our teachers have a teacher certificate qualification. They were willing to give up the formal system and came to us to work here.¡±


    Tang Xiu opened the course table. After having read it, he could see that the prices for making up missed classes was very expensive. The more excellent the teacher and the more content the courses had, the more expensive the price. Even if Tang Xiu finally found and hired private teachers from here, the price would be outrageously expensive.


    ¡°I need to find private tutors from 2nd to 6th grade of primary school. And I want all the 3 major subjects. If you can, I hope that it can start tomorrow, to arrange for teaching courses for the 2nd grade firstly. As for how to teach, it¡¯s your teacher¡¯s privileges.¡±


    The reception lady¡¯s eyes brightened up. Her manner and impression on this big customer turned a bit warm. She said with a smile, ¡°Sir, you came to our new ideas cram school. So you¡¯ve come to the right place. You can choose the highest price package, and our teaching staffs certainly¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu waved to interrupt her words and spoke with a sinking tone, ¡°Even your most expensive service might be insufficient. My apprentice doesn¡¯t study at school. She stays at home all day, so she has an adequate time. I hope that you don¡¯t compare it with class hours¡¯ calculation, but an entire day calculation. The best is, 3 hours in the morning, 3 hours in the afternoon, and 3 hours in the evening.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Such a visitor like Tang Xiu was the first this receptionist lady had encountered. And in particular, it was really unexpected for her to hear the word ¡°apprentice¡± from Tang Xiu. She hesitated for a moment and replied in a low voice, ¡°I might have to trouble you to wait for a bit. I¡¯ll contact our boss first, because she¡¯s the only one that has the rights to make a decision about your request.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Tang Xiu complied and took the stack of documents. Then, he went to the sofa at the hall corner and sat down.


    A few minutes later¡­


    A middle-aged woman with glasses in her professional career blazer, came out from the inside. After she and the receptionist lady chatted for a few moments, she walked toward Tang Xiu and asked with a smile, ¡°Sir, your surname?¡±


    ¡°Tang¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu stood up and said.


    The middle-aged woman said with a laugh, ¡°I am Li Liping. You can call me Elder Sister Li. Our young receptionist has just told me your request. We indeed have yet to accept such a request like yours here. I want to inquire, is it that you believe that your family¡¯s child can keep up with the fast class teaching our teachers have?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I believe she can do it.¡±


    Li Liping said with a laugh, ¡°Since Mr. Tang is sure about it, then I can be rest assured. The customer is a Deity to us, so we will certainly comply to the customer¡¯s request as best as possible. How about we set up the schedule like this? I¡¯ll arrange 3 outstanding teachers to carry on daily classes for your child. 3 hours of English tutoring in the morning, 3 hours of Math tutoring in the afternoon, and Language and Literature tutoring in the evening. We¡¯ll also provide time for consultation.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded quickly.


    Li Liping continued again, ¡°And about your request, after all of the subjects from 2nd grade curriculum ended, then if your child can keep up with the course speed, we immediately continue to the 3rd grade curriculum, then to the 4th, 5th and 6th grade curriculum, am I right?¡±


    ¡°Correct!¡±


    Tang Xiu said again.


    Li Liping asked with a smile, ¡°And about the time? Completing 5 years of curriculum for ordinary students, are you prepared to let our outstanding classroom to teach your child with fast learning teaching?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I hope it can be started from tomorrow, until September 1st.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Li Liping was stunned. She looked at Tang Xiu with a disbelieving expression and exclaimed out, ¡°You mean¡­ from tomorrow to September 1st, that¡¯s only 3 or 4 months of time. You want the child in your family to finish all the courses from the 2nd grade to the 6th grade?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded with a deadpan expression.


    A slight disappointed expression was revealed on Li Liping¡¯s face as she snapped, ¡°Sir, we are an educational institution. This is not the place for you to joke like that. If you are sincerely wanting to hire our teachers, I warmly welcome you, and we try to meet your requests to the best we could. But if you are here to joke on us, we¡¯ll end everything here. The door is there, I won¡¯t send you away¡­¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Hearing Li Liping¡¯s words made Tang Xiu stunned. He obviously was sincere to hire teachers, no? But how would it suddenly became a joke?


    _Was my explanation not clear enough?_


    _Or did this New Ideas School¡¯s Boss misunderstood me?_


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment before he seriously replied with a serious expression, ¡°I didn¡¯t joke with you. Each and every word I¡¯ve said is seriously true. The child in my family is special, and special children need special treatment. You¡¯re the boss here, so you must have met a lot of gifted children. I hope that you can understand what I mean. As for the price, everything is fine for us to discuss.¡±


    Li Liping observed Tang Xiu with a strange expression. She shook her head and said, ¡°I¡¯ve seen a lot of gifted and intelligent children. Never once have I heard one of them who¡¯s being able to finish 5 years of curriculum for ordinary children within 3 or 4 months. Sir, teaching and learning needs to be done step by step and to gradually evolve. Your idea, could be said as spoiling things out of excessive enthusiasm, and being anxious to demand instant success. You know that, don¡¯t you?¡±

 Chapter 134

    Chapter 134: It¡¯s All Greek To Me


    Tang Xiu said with a serious tone, ¡°You said yourself that the client is a Deity. I just want you to arrange things as I¡¯ve said. If my apprentice really cannot follow your fast curriculum teaching, then we¡¯ll work out a new teaching plan later. And as I¡¯ve said to you, let¡¯s discuss the price.¡±


    Li Liping hesitated. She could feel that Tang Xiu was serious, but she could not figure out as to why this young man in front of her would be so confident.


    But, it¡¯s not right! What did he just say? An apprentice?!


    Could it be that the child that needed the tutors, was this young man¡¯s apprentice?


    What a strange weirdo!


    Some criticism sparked unknowingly inside Li Liping¡¯s heart, but she nodded and said, ¡°I understand your meaning. Please wait for a while, and I¡¯ll immediately discuss your request with our teachers. Wait for us to work out a good teaching plan, and then I will take it to you to look at!¡±


    With a sinking tone, Tang Xiu replied back, ¡°I want your best teachers. If any of you only masquerade as having an ability, it will ruin the reputation of your New Idea cram school!¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Having heard Tang Xiu¡¯s words, Li Liping almost thought that Tang Xiu intentionally wanted to make trouble. She took a deep breath and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Our teachers have outstanding qualifications, and I¡¯ll pick the best ones for you.¡±


    After saying that, she turned around and walked inside!


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes watched her back from behind as he saw the reception lady serve him a hot tea. He nodded and took out his cell phone and dialed Kang Xia¡¯s number.


    ¡°Boss, any instructions?¡±


    Kang Xia¡¯s voice came out of the phone along with a lot of messy sounds. Obviously, Kang Xia was now at a very noisy place.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I have something to talk to you, where are you now?¡±


    Kang Xia said, ¡°I¡¯m at the Job Fair, Boss! The company we¡¯re setting up needs a large number of employees and I¡¯m recruiting now. I only brought 3 people from Beijing, and it¡¯s far from enough. Ah, right. Tell me where you are, I¡¯ll pick you up myself.¡±


    Tang Xiu hesitated for a moment, and then said, ¡°It¡¯s alright! I¡¯m taking care of minor things now. I¡¯ll finish this and then look for you afterward. By the way, you do your things in the Job Fair. Ah, yes. Text me the address later.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    Kang Xia answered with a smile.


    Half an hour later.


    Li Liping with three middle-aged men and women came in front of Tang Xiu, and then handed over a set of their teaching plan to Tang Xiu, saying, ¡°This is the teaching plan we¡¯ve developed according to your request. But we need to explain in advance that your request is very tight and the time is too short. Daily courses have very wide contents so I hope you have yourself mentally prepared.¡±


    Tang Xiu read it as he nodded and said, ¡°Teaching is not something I¡¯m good at, so I¡¯ll accept your plan first like this! We¡¯ll look at the conditions later and make some adjustments again. Then, what is the cost I have to pay for you now first?!¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Li Liping hesitated.


    Such a rare and wonderful client like him was a first for her. His requests were also far beyond their ordinary teaching content and were much more different. For a moment, she was truly speechless and did not know what price she had to quote.


    Tang Xiu said with a puzzlement, ¡°How is it? Haven¡¯t you just discussed the service cost? Aren¡¯t you the boss here? Can¡¯t you decide how much I have to pay?¡±


    Li Liping let out a wry smile and said, ¡°Mr. Tang, your request is way one of a kind. So for now, I cannot tell you how much we should charge you for the service cost. If it¡¯s OK with you, let¡¯s arrange it this way; we¡¯ll start classes tomorrow, then we¡¯ll tell you the cost by the end of tomorrow¡¯s classes!¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Well, it¡¯s your call.¡±


    Li Liping promptly replied, ¡°However, can you pay part of the deposit first? By the end of tomorrow¡¯s courses, we¡¯ll quote our price. If you feel satisfied with it, then we¡¯ll sign the contract. If you¡¯re not, then tomorrow¡®s courses will be free of charge and we¡¯ll return the money back to you without a single dime subtracted.¡±


    ¡°How much?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    Li Liping was silent for a moment and then said, ¡°5,000 yuan, how about it?¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and took out his wallet and prepared to take his bank credit card out. But he suddenly found that the cash should be enough. So he pulled out all the cash out and counted them, and it happened that it was exactly 5,000 yuan.


    ¡°Please take it.¡±


    Li Liping received 5,000 yuans in cash. She watched Tang Xiu count the money before, so she did not re-count it in front of him, and instead said with a smile, ¡°Mr. Tang, please wait a bit. I¡¯ll let someone from the Finance Department give you a receipt.¡±


    Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°No need for the receipt. In addition, we don¡¯t need to sign any contract since I think that it¡¯s not necessary. You give the education service while I do this for the child. So, we should maintain the most basic trust between us. Tell me the price for the service tomorrow and I¡¯ll transfer the money to you directly. Later on, you send the teachers to teach the child there every day.¡±


    Li Liping asked, ¡°Your address is?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°It¡¯s nearby from your place here. It¡¯s the last number villa in South Gate Town. Anyway, I still have some other things, so I won¡¯t disturb you any longer. Farewell.¡±


    South Gate Town? The building with the last number?


    Li Liping¡¯s pupil shrunk as she looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s back. Her heart beat accelerated faster all of sudden. She had been in South Gate Town since her family had quite a rich and powerful relative living there. She knew that it was the most upscale luxurious villa complex in all of Star City.


    Moreover, when she visited her relatives, she heard them talk about one thing; that the best one was the King Mansion Villa in the deepest part of the complex, which had the last building¡¯s number.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, I¡¯ll send you out.¡±


    A few changes were revealed on Li Liping¡¯s face as she strode to catch up, leaving the other 3 middle-aged teachers behind her standing still on the spot as they looked at each other in dismay.


    Tang Xiu politely rejected, but Li Liping amiably insisted on sending Tang Xiu to the first floor of the office¡¯s entrance. Only then did she say with a smile, ¡°Mr. Tang, please have a safe trip.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded. Under Li Liping¡¯s gaze, he went to the roadside to intercept a taxi and quickly disappeared at the end of the street in the distance.


    _¡°What a weirdo! He¡¯s really strange! He can live in the most luxurious villa in South Gate Town, but he doesn¡¯t take his car to go out and even takes a taxi?!¡±_ Li Liping shook her head as her heart secretly grunted.


    At Star City¡¯s Talent Market¡­


    Inside a wide venue hall, hundreds of booths were crowded with people. Because the Job Fair this time was a country¡¯s large-scale affair, the Job Fair was held by the Shuangqing Province for major enterprises. The venue was established in Star City, so nearly 100,000 college graduates, unemployed people, and others were gathering there.


    The Magnificent Tang Corporation was preparing to organize their company structure. And it was quite coincidental to have met this large-scale job fair. So Kang Xia had the idea to set up a booth in a good location, she even personally came to manage it.


    By the time Tang Xiu arrived at the Star City Job Fair, he immediately got struck with surprise by the present scene. It was already the afternoon, but the inside was still overcrowded.


    ¡°Nowadays, even college students are becoming less valuable.¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly remembered someone surnamed Yuan complaining nearby his ear. Then, he nodded and immediately fell into a deep thought. A lot of students had persevered to study hard for several years, and in the end, they go from door to door to apply for work. Perhaps in the past, studying was the only way out; but at present, even if one had a high level of education, if they had no real ability, everything was quite useless.


    Following the exact location given by Kang Xia, Tang Xiu found the booth that belonged to The Magnificent Tang Corporation.


    Inside a few square meters booth, Kang Xia and another lovely, petite blonde girl was sitting at the desk and interviewing a young man who looked like a student. There were also 2 foreigner men inside, reorganizing the documents, whereas a long queue of people waited behind the young man who was being interviewed. Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes swept over and saw that the queue was at least 20 meters long.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    Kang Xia immediately called up when she saw that Tang Xiu arrived.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    That blonde Lolita girl also stood up and called out as she looked over and over again at Tang Xiu with a curious expression in her eyes.


    Tang Xiu nodded toward them, waving his hand and said, ¡°Kang Xia, give your work to the others first, I have something I want to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Kang Xia spoke to Andy at her side, and let a blonde young man with blue eyes take over her work. Then, she greeted Tang Xiu and ushered him to walk into the booth.


    ¡°Boss, what instructions do you have for me?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°There are two issues that I want you to manage. Firstly, Long Zhengyu will transfer me some money. Of course, it¡¯s money I¡¯ve gotten. Although I don¡¯t know how much in details, but when the money has been transferred, I¡¯ll transfer them to you immediately. Secondly, Long Zhengyu and his two friends from the capital will invest in a big project in Star City. They say that the total investment is 5 billion yuan and the additional funds would be added if there are to be financial problems later. They want me to design the architectural design and promised me 10% of the shares. After I give them the design, the following matters will be yours to manage.¡±


    ¡°10%?¡±


    Kang Xia looked at Tang Xiu with an inconceivable expression, for she was shaken by the news.


    A blueprint design could get 10% of the shares, and the investment funds were 5 billion yuan? She could barely imagine as to what kind of design could be valued at such a high price.


    ¡°Boss, are you sure that¡¯s the shares and not the net profit dividend earnings?¡±


    Kang Xia promptly asked.


    Tang Xiu was puzzled and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the difference between shares and profit dividends?¡±


    Kang Xia was secretly speechless. Only now did she find that her boss was really ignorant about doing business. After she organized her next words, she explained, ¡°After the building is built and if it isn¡¯t sold, you keep it as your own and you have 10% of the value. Later on, if the building is sold, them you can get 10% of the total amount of the selling price. If it is to be constructed later to be sold directly, this will be subtracted from the investment funds. While 10% of this is the project¡¯s profit, that is the dividends. I think you should ascertain about this matter first, and only then will I know how to talk with them.¡±


    Notes: The raws wrote South Gate Small Town, I don¡¯t know whether it was a typo by the author or not since it was written a few times in this chapter. However it was South Gate Town in the previous chapter. So, for the sake of consistency, i cut the ¡°small¡± word and keep South Gate Town name.

 Chapter 135

    Chapter 135: Managing People in the Right Way


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu took out his phone and called Long Zhengyu and asked that question. After getting the answer he said, ¡°I¡¯ll have time tomorrow, so we¡¯ll meet and talk about other things then.¡±


    ¡°OK, we¡¯ve already analyzed a plot of land for the building and will soon buy it. So, we¡¯ll go there tomorrow to take a look.¡± Long Zhengyu said.


    ¡°OK!¡±


    The call ended.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Long Zhengyu said that after the building is built, it won¡¯t be sold directly, but will be leased for renting and the rent dividends will be given annually. If someday the entire building needs to be sold, I still get 10% of the total selling price.¡±


    With a look of disbelief, Kang Xia said, ¡°Boss, why do I feel that Long Zhengyu and them are not buying a design from you, but rather giving you money intentionally?¡±


    Tang Xiu was surprised and said, ¡°You could tell?¡±


    Kang Xia was speechless and pressed further, ¡°Boss, I don¡¯t get you. Don¡¯t you know that Long Zhengyu and the bunch are intentionally giving you money?¡±


    A trace of a smiling expression was exposed on Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he said, ¡°Those two friends of his from Beijing are very interesting. I have yet to see them. I even know nothing about them. They only relied on Long Zhengyu¡¯s evaluation about me and want to befriend me. This 10% of the shares is their goodwill to approach me.¡±


    ¡°You what?¡±


    Kang Xia was dumbfounded. She looked at Tang Xiu with a disbelieving and preposterous expression. Even in her dreams, she never dreamed of having to even hear such a reply. Just wanting to make friends, with at least 500 million yuan for goodwill only?


    ¡°Holy Mother!¡±


    ¡°God!¡±


    Jack, the interviewing staff who had just replaced Kang Xia, turned his head and exclaimed with a worshipping expression on his face. While Kashif, who was reorganizing the documents at his side, also could not bear to exclaim in admiration.


    Andy, who looked like a foreigner-doll, turned over her delicate small face and was also dumbfounded and tongue-tied as lights flashed over from her round eyes.


    Little did these three know about Tang Xiu. They mainly knew him through the exchange between Tang Xiu and Kang Xia. But now, Tang Xiu shocked them so much, that even it birthed a strong admiration toward him inside their hearts.


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile and continued speaking, ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve told you the matter. How are things going with your job recruitment here?¡±


    Kang Xia shook her head and said, ¡°We are only recruiting ordinary employees now. It would be best if we also find a few Department Managers and Assistant Managers. As for each Department Manager and the company¡¯s other important positions, we have yet to recruit one. Andy can take charge of the Marketing Department, Jack is outstanding in managing the Planning Department, and Kashif is an expert at Logistics. They have been following me for several years and have made outstanding results. But for the amount of posts our company must have, it¡¯s still far lower in between and we still need more¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a laugh, ¡°Take it easy, no need to be anxious. As long as we give a high enough salary, I believe that there will be a lot of outstanding people with abilities who will offer their services and work for us.¡±


    Upon hearing it, Kang Xia¡¯s eyes quickly glanced outside for a few times and suddenly spoke in a low voice, ¡°Speaking about talented people, I think I¡¯ve found a good one. Take a look outside. Do you see that middle-aged-man with that down and out of expression? I know him, he¡¯s a person I once admired.¡±


    Tang Xiu said with astonishment, ¡°Who is he? If he¡¯s really good as you said, why would he come to the Job Fair to find a job?¡±


    Kang Xia said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard some news about him. In the past he was in the United States, and he¡¯s not only a genius in sales and marketing, but is also an IT expert. He once established a US high-end cosmetic brand and sold the product to the entire world and made the company¡¯s asset multiply by thousands of times in a short span of 6 years. However, 5 years ago, he broke into some IT company¡¯s internal system and stole the most confidential data the company had, and then got sentenced to prison. I don¡¯t know when he came back to the country, nor do I know why he came to this talent Job Fair.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows wrinkled as he replied in a low voice, ¡°Such a talented person, but why don¡¯t you directly invite him?¡±


    Kang Xia shook her head and said, ¡°I only know that he¡¯s really good, but since he has some problematic aspects, I have my worries. So I¡¯m going to clarify about those first before inviting him.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at the middle-aged man who lined up behind. He thought for a moment and slowly said, ¡°How about I interview him?¡±


    Kang Xia said with an astonishment, ¡°You know how to interview?¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a laugh, ¡°Nah, but I understand human nature.¡±


    Kang Xia shrugged her shoulders as she said with a smile, ¡°Since the Big Boss wants to act personally, then please be my guest. I hope you can get a good talent, Boss.¡±


    Time passed by.


    In a moment, 20 minutes had passed by. When the down and out-looking middle-aged man sat on the interviewee chair and saw that the interviewer was replaced by Tang Xiu and Kang Xia, a trace of astonishment was revealed on his face. Then, he nodded at Kang Xia and said, ¡°Chief Kang, have you been good?¡±


    Kang Xia replied with a surprised expression, ¡°You know me?¡±


    The middle-aged man nodded and said, ¡°I heard a business genius was leaving Wall Street, so I did pay a bit of attention and know something about you.¡±


    Kang Xia took the document holder handed by the middle-aged man. She handed it over to Tang Xiu as she said with a smile, ¡°Our country does produce talented people in each generation! Anyway, without further ado, the one who will do the interview for you is our boss, I¡¯m only a bystander.¡±


    Tang Xiu read the middle-aged men¡¯s data which was very simple. His name was Wei Zhongfeng, 42 years-old. Experienced in sales and marketing, married and settled down in Blue City¡¯s provincial capital.


    Tang Xiu put down the document, looking at Wei Zhongfeng and said, ¡°Three questions! If your answers satisfy me, I¡¯ll hire you.¡±


    ¡°Please ask!¡±


    The moment Tang Xiu carefully observed Wei Zhongfeng, he also did the same toward Tang Xiu. His purpose in coming to Star City, was mainly to apply for a position in The Magnificent Tang Corporation. He was interested because of the business world celebrity, Kang Xia, as well as the new boss Kang Xia was working for.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°First question. Since ancient times, it has been very difficult to satisfy both loyalty and filial piety. If you had to choose one, which one would you choose?¡±


    Wei Zhongfeng was stunned.


    He did not expect that Tang Xiu would ask such an unexpected question. He thought for a moment in his heart and then slowly said, ¡°I¡¯m just a little man, a nobody. Never can I do things like a saint. If anyone threatens me with my family¡¯s life, I will choose to betray loyalty and preserve my family.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and continued, ¡°Second question. Who do you think is the most important? Your mother or your child?¡±


    With a strange expression, Wei Zhongfeng looked at Tang Xiu and said resolutely, ¡°Both are important. I¡¯ll draw an analogy: if my mother and my children fell into the water at the same time, if you ask me which one I have to save, then I can tell you clearly¡ª I¡¯ll save whichever is closest to me. If I can, I¡¯d use my life to exchange it for another.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded again and said, ¡°The third question. You seem to be in awfully dire straits, so why did you choose the Magnificent Tang Corporation?¡±


    In his heart, Wei Zhongfeng intrinsically thought of something. Tang Xiu¡¯s third question was seemingly asking one point, but in fact, he also concealed another question; that was, why he seemed to look down and out?


    He deeply thought about it in his mind and replied, ¡°My answer for this question comes from two aspects. Firstly, I was just released from prison a year ago. My family has been through a storm and I was quite depressed for more than a year. I¡¯ve just recovered recently and actually got rejections from a lot of major enterprises since the domestic circumstances are much more different overseas. Secondly, I¡¯m interested about the famous Kang Xia, but more do I feel interested toward the person who could make such a proud person like her to willingly work for him. I need to seek work with a considerable income, and I also want to continue working hard for my career.¡±


    Tang Xiu applauded, ¡°I¡¯m satisfied with your answers. I welcome you in joining the Magnificent Tang Corporation and becoming our member. But, in the view of my first question, I have to tell you that if in the future, you encounter problems where you cannot satisfy both loyalty and filial piety, you can tell me and I can help you satisfy both.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Wei Zhongfeng¡¯s brows slanted as he looked at Tang Xiu with an astonished expression.


    Tang Xiu did not explain further as he continued, ¡°I¡¯ll give you two days to solve your personal problems. Two days later, go report to Kang Xia. As for your position, I think you should be a good sales staff. You must start from the bottom. And I¡¯d like to see your track records in working carefully, making steady progress to achieve the seat you want to get.¡±


    ¡°Ordinary salesman?¡±


    Wei Zhongfeng was shocked. And Kang Xia at the side was also stunned.


    They stared at Tang Xiu with puzzlement in their eyes.


    Tang Xiu asked, ¡°You¡¯re not satisfied?¡±


    Wei Zhongfeng paused for a moment before he shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s not it. It¡¯s just¡­ unexpected. Don¡¯t worry Boss, 2 days later I¡¯ll come back on time and find Kang Xia to report.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Tang Xiu said.


    Along with Wei Zhongfeng¡¯s departure, Kang Xia looked at Tang Xiu as she asked with a puzzled expression, ¡°Boss, Wei Zhongfeng¡¯s answers were to your satisfaction, right? Since you know his ability, why did you make him start from the bottom? We are now exactly in dire need of talented people, so he could be made into a Sales Manager. I think he will be able to competently achieve it.¡±


    Tang Xiu said indifferently, ¡°People often are unable to cherish things they receive too easily. And for ones that have gone through great tribulation, we only need to deepen his unforgettable memories.¡±


    With an astonished expression in her eyes, Kang Xia looked at Tang Xiu. She had always felt that Tang Xiu was unlike a 20-years-old young man, but instead looked like a mature and stable middle-aged man. But at the moment, she felt that Tang Xiu was like an astute scheming old fox.


    Tang Xiu stood up. He looked at Kang Xia and said, ¡°Anyway, I have some things to do so I¡¯ll go first. You do everything you see fit here!¡±


    Kang Xia secretly turned supercilious. Having such a ¡°do everything as you see fit¡± boss all the time, she really did not know whether she should be happy or worry. Before, the things she was most afraid of was that her boss would restrain her rights, but now, she felt that she really had too much liberty.


    ¡°Take care boss!¡±


    Andy looked at Tang Xiu as though she was looking at a Deity. It was as the saying goes, ¡°seeing is believing¡±. She knew a lot about Oriental cultures and she really thought that the sayings were too true. The Boss was so young and he already was this amazing, to what extent would the Boss go to in the future?


    He might be heaven-defying later, mightn¡¯t he?


    Kang Xia retracted back her sight from Tang Xiu¡¯s back. Upon seeing Andy¡¯s expression which was quite happy and in a good mood, she patted her shoulder as she said with a smile, ¡°Bad girl, quickly wipe off your saliva will you?¡±

 Chapter 136

    Chapter 136: Strange


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    At Star City Chinese Medical Hospital.


    Whilst carrying a thermostat, Tang Xiu arrived outside the VIP ward¡¯s door. After leaving the Job Fair, he went to the market to buy fresh vegetables and meat and went back home. After which he asked Mu Qingping to make a pot of chicken soup and added medicinal herbs that brought warming effects.


    In the ward¡¯s waiting area, Banshou and Dingzi were reading health articles as they tried to kill their boredom in every possible way. Although they were also injured, but such injuries compared to what they had before was just like a plain meal for them, and simply was not worth mentioning.


    On the sickbed.


    With a sad expression, Su Lingyun read the account book. The restaurant was smashed and it had been closed for 2 days. If she wanted to re-open it, it needed to be renovated. And with the medical expenses, the spending also amounted to tens of thousands of yuan. She was worried that the money would not be enough for a renovation. At the bedside, a delicate and pretty girl was sitting there, dressed in nursing clothes and cutting an apple gently.


    ¡°Boss! You came!¡±


    Seeing that Tang Xiu came, Banshou and Dingzi¡¯s spirit suddenly sparked up.


    Tang Xiu nodded at them and looked at the nurse. Only then did he show a bit of a smiling expression. He sat nearby the bedside as he asked with a smile, ¡°What¡¯s up Mom? Why are you frowning? I asked someone to make chicken soup for you and add medicinal herbs that can warm your body. This will be a good supplement for your body to recuperate.¡±


    Su Lingyun, with a surprised expression, said, ¡°Who did you ask to make hot pot chicken soup for me? Our smashed restaurant is in a mess and I have given the chefs a holiday.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Ah, don¡¯t ask too much Mom. I¡¯ll tell you later after the College Entrance Test.¡±


    ¡°Hmm!¡±


    The most concerning matter for Su Lingyun now was Tang Xiu¡¯s College Entrance Test, so she said, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, you should be at school right now, yes? How come you come to the hospital?¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a laugh, ¡°Evening is self-study session, so it¡¯s alright. Mom, you haven¡¯t told me, why were you frowning? Is there any problem you cannot solve?¡±


    Su Lingyun hesitated a bit as she said with a forced smile, ¡°Our family¡¯s business has just gotten better. And our income is much more than before. But who would have thought that guests would come smash it. So I began to calculate the remaining money in our hands right now. It¡¯s only tens of thousand of yuan, it wouldn¡¯t be enough to renovate the restaurant.¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed involuntarily and said, ¡°It turns out to be only this! Don¡¯t worry! Just give the renovation matter to Banshou again. He has a lot of connections and can buy the materials for renovation at a low price. Besides, the President of this Chinese Medical Hospital invited me to be a visiting doctor in this hospital. So, for fear that I won¡¯t comply with my promise, he gave an advance payment of 100,000 yuan. He said that it¡¯s half a year¡¯s salary. I¡¯ll give the money to Banshou and the others so you don¡¯t have to worry to about managing the renovation matter. When you¡¯ve been discharged from the hospital, you¡¯ll be able to reopen the business again.¡±


    Su Lingyun said, ¡°Son, the doctor said that it would take 2 or 3 months for my wounds to be completely healed. If we close the business for 2 or 3 months, I¡¯m afraid¡­ Anyway, I believe in Banshou, Dingzi, and the other children. Wait for them to recover from their wounds and give them the renovation matter, and I¡¯ll also give them some rights to handle the business in the restaurant.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows raised. He turned his head and looked at Banshou and Dingzi with a satisfied expression. Then, he said with a smile, ¡°Okay, since my mother is willing to give this matter to you, you take care of the renovation and the business, and upgrade the decoration and the scale a little higher.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Banshou and Dingzi immediately became overjoyed.


    Their hearts were particularly moved by the trust Su Lingyun gave them. And they secretly were determined that they must expand the restaurant size with more stylish decorations and operate it better than before.


    ¡°Knock, knock¡­¡±


    The door was knocked as the Inpatient Director with a few doctors in white coats came to inspect the ward. After he saw Tang Xiu, his eyes suddenly turned bright as he greeted with a smile, ¡°Mr. Tang, I didn¡¯t expect that you would be here! I¡¯ll tell the canteen to make some special meals immediately!¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a laugh, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The smile on the Inpatient Department Director¡¯s face became more brilliant. He waved and said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to be that polite Mr. Tang. This is the command from the President! How is it? There¡¯s nothing wrong with your mother?¡±


    Su Lingyun promptly replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine, thanks Director Wang.¡±


    The Inpatient Department Director said with a laugh, ¡°It¡¯s good to hear. Then, I¡¯ll let you back to your things. I have to go to other wards for an inspection!¡±


    Along with the departure of the Inpatient Department Director, with a bit of complicated expression, Su Lingyun looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, there are things I have yet to ask you. You have an acquaintance, no?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Yes, why?¡±


    Su Lingyun suddenly tensed up and asked once again, ¡°What¡¯s his name? Is he surnamed Tang?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Tang Xiu was quite baffled with his mother¡¯s question, but he still honestly replied, ¡°Mom, it¡¯s not surnamed Tang, but Long. He¡¯s the one who arranged for you to be able to move to the VIP ward.¡±


    The nervous expression on Su Lingyun¡¯s face slowly receded. She nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s not a surnamed Tang, that¡¯s good. Ah right. Before you said that you have read a medical book, yes? You also have cured the patient the President was unable to cure? Is it for real? Xiu¡¯er you have to be an honest child. If you don¡¯t have the ability, quickly return that 100,000 yuan to him and don¡¯t become a visiting doctor in this hospital.¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a laugh, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry! Ever since I was a child, have you seen me doing things I cannot handle?¡±


    Su Lingyun wanted to speak but hesitated.


    Tang Xiu said with a consoling tone, ¡°Mom, I indeed have read a lot of medical books after school. I also understand a lot about Chinese medicinal herbs properties. I did cure that little girl. Fine then, after I¡¯ve attended the College Entrance Test, I¡¯ll take you to visit her. Anyway, let¡¯s drop this topic. Quickly drink the chicken soup, Mom.¡±


    Half an hour later, Tang Xiu left the hospital. When he returned to South Gate Town, he ran across Yuan Chuling and Cheng Yannan, along with the other two girls. Tang Xiu was not familiar with the other two girls; he did not even know their names.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, you finally showed up! Are you really living in this place? Also, isn¡¯t this way too upscale? Since we don¡¯t live here, the security guards didn¡¯t want to even let us enter the front gate. So I was just about to call you!¡± Upon seeing Tang Xiu, Yuan Chuling immediately came up and greeted him with a happy expression.


    Tang Xiu said with a laugh, ¡°The security in this place is great. Since you have come, then just go with me! About Teacher Han, I also have contacted her, that later, you can come here every night.¡±


    Cheng Yannan looked at Tang Xiu a few times and asked with curiosity, ¡°Tang Xiu, I can tell that you seem to have changed.¡±


    With a confused expression, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°Changed? What do you mean?¡±


    Cheng Yannan said, ¡°I sure did remember that your skin was not that white before. And I think that you are a lot taller than before! Could it be that you¡¯ve eaten that body builder supplement stuff these past weeks?¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly understood. He had a cultivation breakthrough, and he indeed become taller. As for the skin, due to a lot of impurities inside his bode being discharged, his skin naturally became whiter than before.


    However, in order to divert Yannan¡¯s attention, he said with a smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that you really observed me that intensely. What is it? You have a crush on me?¡±


    ¡°Bah¡­¡±


    Cheng Yannan¡¯s charming face turned scarlet as she hurriedly threw her face over to the side.


    Yuan Chuling said with a smile full of surprise, ¡°Eldest Brother, saying that one day apart seems like 3 years is really true. I haven¡¯t seen you for a week or two, and your EQ just turned this high? Man, you even dare to tune and dally with a big beauty?¡±


    ¡°Tune your sister on will you?!¡±


    Tang Xiu glared at him snappily as he strode toward the villa complex.


    Swiping the card and having entered the villa¡¯s courtyard, Yuan Chuling was as if seeing a new continent. He constantly looked at the scene in the courtyard. When he followed Tang Xiu into the villa¡¯s hall, he suddenly exclaimed, ¡°Holy Heavens! Eldest Brother, did you really rob the bank? You even live in such magnificent place! I did hear that the villas in South Gate Town were damn expensive, but I didn¡¯t expect that it would luxurious to this degree! This villa should be priced at 9 digits, shouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°Somebody gave me it, I spent not a dime.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡±


    Yuan Chuling cried out in a strange expression, his saucer eyes stared as he asked, ¡°Someone gave you this? You couldn¡¯t be a gigolo some rich women are fostering, right?¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡±


    Cheng Yannan and the other two girls could not help but smile and laugh. Although they did feel shocked upon seeing that Tang Xiu was living in such a luxurious villa, but Yuan Chuling¡¯s teasing was really funny. However, they could feel that Yuan Chuling and Tang Xiu¡¯s relationship was really close.


    Tang Xiu ignored Yuan Chuling and looked at Mu Qingping, saying, ¡°They are my classmates. They will come here to study every night until the College Entrance Test. After 2 hours or so, please send us some supper.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Mu Qingping nodded with a smile.


    Yuan Chuling said with an astonished expression, ¡°Eldest Brother, having this villa with a nanny is way too extravagant, right?¡±


    Tang Xiu snappily said, ¡°She is my _housekeeper_. You can call her Elder Sister Mu. Good, I have told Sis Mu to clean up the meeting room, we¡¯ll make up your missed lessons there.¡±


    At the meeting room on the first floor.


    The room was 40 to 50 square meters big. It was oval-shaped with a conference table that was neatly placed with dozens of chairs. Before each of their seats there was tea waiting for them. The degree of luxury in this place made even Yuan Chuling, who was a Young Master of a rich family, become secretly tongue-tied, let alone the other two girls. It seemed that Cheng Yannan was accustomed to the situation since she did not look surprised.


    ¡°You first study on your own. I need to speak with Sister Mu first.¡±


    Tang Xiu called and greeted them. Then, he led Mu Qingping to the corridor outside and said, ¡°I¡¯ve talked with Yinyin. She said that she has dropped 2 years¡¯ worth of curriculum and she doesn¡¯t want to go to school for the time being. But I have hired private tutors from a cram school outside. They will come here every morning, afternoon, and evening to teach Yinyin. If she can make up for the dropped curriculum, I¡¯ll send her to school by September 1st, and I also will also be having campus life later.¡±


    With a grateful expression, Mu Qingping looked at Tang Xiu and quietly nodded her head. She could feel the love and care Tang Xiu had toward her daughter. Then, she said, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Tang.¡±


    Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°I will call you Sister Mu later, and you call me Tang Xiu. Ah right, text me your bank account number, I¡¯ll transfer some money to your bank account.¡±


    Mu Qingping quickly said, ¡°M-Mr. Tang¡­ Tang Xiu, I have some money.¡±


    * * *


    * * *


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 Chapter 137

    Chapter 137: Magical


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°That¡¯s your money, you can keep it. Since you want to be my housekeeper, I will naturally give you money for your living cost as usual. In addition, your salary¡­ you¡¯re to be paid 20,000 yuan a month temporarily! Wait till I become richer, I will raise your wage again.¡±


    For a moment, Mu Qingping was hesitant before she nodded silently.


    Tang Xiu looked at Mu Qingping¡¯s expression. He suddenly recalled the time when he was in the Immortal World and then thought that he must not buy people¡¯s heart just like before, for the results turned out that he was deserted by friends and allies. And now since he was back to the modern world, he decided to change himself, so he continued speaking, ¡°Sister Mu, since you want to be my housekeeper, then you are my family member. Much less that Yinyin is my apprentice. Therefore, wherever my home will be, it will be yours also. I hope that there wouldn¡¯t be much courtesy between us later. Later on, if you have no money or have anything you need, you can tell me freely. As long as I can do it, I¡¯ll definitely do it.¡±


    Family?


    Mu Qingping froze. A layer of mist slowly emerged in her eyes. Since her husband died in a car accident and her daughter contracted a strange illness, she sold her house afterward and no longer felt the warmth of home. And now, listening to Tang Xiu¡¯s words, happiness hit her heart at the moment.


    Having a home and also having a lot of loved ones!


    Mu Qingping whispered inside her heart. In this split second, she felt closer toward Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Mu Qingping¡¯s lips wriggled a few times as she replied with a low voice as though a mosquito¡¯s flapping wings.


    Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go to them for the missed lesson make up. You can rest first!¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    Mu Qingping nodded and turned away.


    After a moment¡­


    With his Spiritual Sense, Tang Xiu observed and found that Mu Qingping was back in her room and directly sat on the bed, held her knees and was crying.


    A poor woman!


    Tang Xiu secretly sighed in his heart. He suddenly thought of his mother as his heart turned sour immediately. At present, Mu Qingping was like this and what about his mother?! Mu Qingping only met him and he considered her as his family member, wasn¡¯t his mother would like this also?! She had brought him up through bitter hardships. And how many hardships had she gone through? How much pain has she suffered? How many times have she cried secretly?


    At this very moment, Tang Xiu secretly swore to never let his mother suffer even the slightest bit of grievance and feel wronged.


    Returning to the meeting room, Tang Xiu saw that 4 people were whispering at each other. He cleared his throat and said, ¡°Starting from tomorrow, bring all of your high school books year 1 and 2 here. My teaching method is simple. As long as you can master the skills, you will be easily able to learn all the contents inside the textbooks. Of course, after all we are facing a College Entrance Test. So I will extract all the important contents from the year 1, 2, and 3 textbooks for you and strive to make the results on your College Entrance Test significantly improve.¡±


    Cheng Yannan held little hope for Tang Xiu¡¯s method. Initially when Tang Xiu spoke in private with Yuan Chuling to make up for missed subjects and classes, she was brain incensed and put forward the words to study together. But, seeing such a confident expression from Tang Xiu, she did not feel that it was right to refute Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Then, what will we study today, Tang Xiu?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Today, since you haven¡¯t brought your year 1 and 2 textbooks, we¡¯ll discuss about the third year contents! Language and Literature for one, needs to be accumulated, but I can tell you the key points for the College Entrance Test. If my guesses are not mistaken, it should be helpful for you guys. As for foreign language and mathematics, physics, chemistry, these four subjects. You can ask me which part you don¡¯t understand or where you usually wrongly answer the topic in the test so I can point it out to you.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±


    The 4 of them opened their textbooks, and then asked out the topic they usually did not understand.


    With Tang Xiu¡¯s clear track of thinking method and structured words as well as his usage of the case analytical method, the topics they did not understand from the simplest to the most difficult, were explained to them layer by layer in reasoning.


    A full of 2 hours had passed by and everyone had lost track of the time. Whenever Tang Xiu explained the problem solving for the topic, they were pleasantly surprised as they suddenly were able to figure about it clearly at once for the topics they did not understand previously. So much that if they could grasp one fundamental point, the rest would be easier to understand.


    ¡°This is so magical! Before, teacher has repeatedly explained this math problem, and I didn¡¯t understand it. But after Tang Xiu¡¯s explanation, I unexpectedly and suddenly understood it. It¡¯s just like the clouds dispersed and I can see a bright sunny day. You are amazing Tang Xiu. I think your level compared to our math teacher must be way higher.¡± A girl named Xia Wanfen exclaimed her admiration.


    In addition, the girl called Li Xiaoqian also exclaimed in admiration, ¡°Tang Xiu has just explained a chemistry topic for me. And that¡¯s really skillful. According to his formula in explaining the analysis, it clears up my mind for a lot of related contents. If later I run across similar topics, I can easily answer them absolutely.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my Eldest Brother for you. He¡¯s indeed worthy to be my idol!¡±


    Yuan Chuling stretched out his thumb, and said with a face full of smiles.


    As for Cheng Yannan, the reserved contempt inside her heart had vanished at the moment. Each topic in each discipline, Tang Xiu had explained today, it had given her a great shock. Those topics, some of them she had found the solution to, but it could not be compared to the solution approaches as explained by Tang Xiu.


    It was simple and structured!


    With layer upon layer of logical reasoning and analysis, it was very quick to get the correct answers.


    Cheng Yannan looked at Tang Xiu and said earnestly, ¡°Originally, I thought that by relying on my results, passing the test for a second class university would be a narrow and difficult call. But after having gone through your counseling, I have the confidence to even pass the College Entrance Test¡¯s first class university. Tang Xiu, thanks a bunch!¡±


    Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, just wait until you get excellent results from the test and be admitted to a top university, just remember to treat me to a meal when you have time later.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing!¡±


    Cheng Yannan and the other 2 girls nodded repeatedly.


    Yuan Chuling touched his chin and said with a laugh, ¡°Eldest Brother, even if I don¡¯t get admitted to the top university, I¡¯ll treat you to a meal. Ah no, I¡¯ll even kowtow to you for many times. My Dad and Mom also said to take you to visit our home.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it later!¡± Tang Xiu said with a tranquil expression.


    He did not want to see Yuan Chuling¡¯s mother as of now. Otherwise, the matter that he had saved her and the killings would be exposed, completely. Although he was perfectly aware that Yuan Chuling¡¯s mother had probably guessed correctly that it was him, but she did not see him again after all. Even if she guessed, she would not be 100% sure.


    ¡°Are you ready for supper?¡±


    Mu Qingping in the apron came to the meeting room as she said with face full of smiles. At this moment, she seemed a few years younger with a radiant face.


    Tang Xiu was clear that Mu Qingping was crying when she returned back to her room before. It could be said that more than 2 years of depression and feeling wronged had all been vented. Even later on, she decided to start a new life.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat now.¡±


    Tang Xiu answered and led the other 4 to the dining room.


    ¡°Wow! This is really a supper? Isn¡¯t it too sumptuous?¡± Xia Wanfen looked the fine dishes on the table with such appetizing fragrance that hit the nose, as she stared with big eyes and exclaimed out loud.


    Yuan Chuling sat on the chair and exclaimed in admiration, ¡°Damn, what a luxury! Not only the color, flavor, and taste of the dishes are great, even just this hotpot soup, unexpectedly uses Chinese herbal medicine. I¡¯m so damn convinced. Eldest Brother, you are now just like an emperor! How about¡­ I move in to live with you!¡±


    ¡°Request denied! I¡¯m afraid I would be eaten thoroughly by you!¡±


    Tang Xiu smile to sit down.


    Yuan Chuling rolled his eyes and grunted twice as he began to eat.


    The 4 of them ate the supper with great appetite. Because the meal was very sumptuously prepared, although each of them ate a lot but more than half of the dishes were still left.


    Shortly after¡­


    A few of them rested for a while, after which Tang Xiu began to direct them again. Until it was before dawn did the 4 of them give up to continue studying.


    Looking at some weariness of the other 4, Tang Xiu asked faintly, ¡°It¡¯s already very late. Are you returning to school? Or will you spend the night here? If you spend the night here, you can go to the guest rooms to rest. I have got things to do tomorrow, so I can¡¯t go to school to attend class. And have your breakfast before all of you leave.¡±


    ¡°This is not good!¡±


    Cheng Yannan usually lived in school. This was her first time spending the night in a classmate¡¯s home and felt that it was inappropriate. The other 2 girls also showed a hesitating expression.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to spend the night here, you can go back! The Real Estate Management Office should have someone on duty now and I¡¯ll ask them whether they have a car to take you back to school.¡±


    Yuan Chuling said loudly, ¡°Hey, hey, it¡¯s so late. If we go back to school now, how many hours are we gonna sleep? Tonight I won¡¯t go back and sleep here. Eldest Brother, gimme a room. Later on after studying every night I¡¯ll sleep here.¡±


    Cheng Yannan looked at the other 2 girls as she finally nodded and said, ¡°Well, since it¡¯s so late, don¡¯t call people from the Real Estate Management Office. I¡¯ll stay here.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll stay also!¡±


    Seeing that Cheng Yannan agreed, the other 2 girls also nodded.


    ¡°As you wish! There are a lot of guest rooms here, enough for you to sleep. Sister Mu shouldn¡¯t be sleeping now, so I¡¯ll ask her to arrange them for you!¡±


    Half an hour later.


    Inside a guest room, Li Xiaoqian and Xia Wanfen who decided to stay in the same room took a bath, wearing their pajamas and sat side by side on the bedside, chatting.


    ¡°Xiaoqian, we have been misunderstood Tang Xiu before, big time. Unexpectedly, he let go of the past animosity, he not only helped us make up for the missed lessons, he even asked someone to prepare supper for us and let us to stay in his house. He¡¯s really good.¡±


    ¡°I also have never thought that Tang Xiu would have such a good disposition like this. At first, I was worried that Tang Xiu would bicker about the matter at school. But it seems my worries were unnecessary now since he¡¯s very amiable. That bastard Su Xiangfei has always been bad mouthing Tang Xiu behind his back. When we got back to school tomorrow we should tell everyone that those were Su Xiangfei¡¯s lies and Tang Xiu is not such a person!¡±


    ¡°Hmm. I used to think that Su Xiangfei was very graceful and his academic record is also good. Never did I expect that his character is that bad. We must let the class know his true face. Ah right. Today we gained something big. If we really got good results in the College Entrance Test, we have to express our thanks and treat him to a meal and ask him to sing.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡±


    * * *


    * * *


    TL Notes:


    It¡¯s fasting month, and I got a flu. The flu kinda gives me bad headache and watery eyes as I barely able to read and concentrate. But anyway, since I got nothing to do, I still manage to translate some chaps (4 chaps in 2 days¨Cnot my usual pace). However, for the Monarch of the Dark Nights and Great Dao Commander, hopefully I can translate some of them when I got better. I¡¯ve asked my friend to TLC chapter 137-140, so hopefully the accuracy won¡¯t be far off.


    Editor Announcement:


    Please check it out our . For every 5 new patreon donors, we will release one bonus chapter. Promo still ongoing.


    Udeze is sick, so chapters may be out slower than usual, but he will do his best to crank out chapters for this week.


    8/10 sponsored till 2 extra bonus.


    !


    Counter: 6


    These two chapters, 137-138 is our thanks to _Cody Tracy_ for his donations!!!! We appreciate that you enjoy our work and have supported us, and as a thank you, here is a little gift.

 Chapter 138

    Chapter 138: A Land with Precious Feng Shui


    There was an overgrown piece of land that had been undeveloped for a long time near Star City Development Zone. It was once auctioned by the City and was sold at a very good price. Unfortunately, the businessman who bought this land was caught up with his company management issues and finally got bankrupt and left, as the government then took the land back.


    Afterward, some people also wanted to buy this piece of land. However, whenever they invited those of the so-called Feng Shui Masters to help them look at the auspiciousness of the land, those people said that the Feng Shui of this piece of land was very poor.


    Since businessmen believed in Feng Shui, a lot of people who wanted to buy this piece of land finally left the matter unchecked and withdrew.


    In the early morning.


    The first ray of sunlight rose from the horizon when 2 off-road vehicles roared and stopped in the vicinity of this land as 3 men and a woman then got off from the cars.


    ¡°I¡¯ve handled the matters, so you can be at ease. This land is said to have a poor Feng Shui, but I don¡¯t give a thought nor do I believe about it. However, the City Hall is anxious to sell it off, that¡¯s the reason why I used my connections and easily bought the land at a very low price. The area is quite big, and it¡¯s more than enough to build 10 edifices here.¡± Long Zhengyu who walked in the middle of the 4, pointing at the overgrown uncultivated land in front and spoke.


    Chu Yi said with a faint smile, ¡°You said that you were at ease, eh? I believe that the Long Family didn¡¯t use substandard connections, no? Since I¡¯ve heard that you went to the City Hall and had a drink with the leader from the government until 2 PM last night.¡±


    Long Zhengyu said with a laugh, ¡°Having breakfast in order to get the written approval and at the same time hitting a deal with the transaction procedures, haven¡¯t I served them competently, right? Anyway, I¡¯ve assigned someone to handle it. At the latest of one week, this plot of land will really be ours.¡±


    Bai Tao said, ¡°What I¡¯m most concerned about is, when will Tang Xiu come? For this large business investment, I have used nearly all the reserve funds from my family. If it weren¡¯t for my Dad knew that I have some cooperation with you, he would¡¯ve simply rejected.¡±


    A smiling expression hung out on Ouyang Lulu¡¯s mouth as she said, ¡°Bai Tao, before I have yet to join, were you seemed like you¡¯re able to come up with more funds? Humph¡­ before, you looked well-behaved and prudent, never did I expect that your conscience would only be at such.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡±


    Bai Tao¡¯s looks froze before he immediately let out a forced smile out of embarrassment, ¡°Old friend, you can beat anyone without slapping their faces you know, you also can curse somebody without exposing their shortcomings. Damn, what you said, how could I endure this?!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha ¡­¡±


    The 3 others burst into a laughter.


    Long Zhengyu said with a smile, ¡°I called Tang Xiu in the early morning. And he said that he will rush over and catch up with us. Guys, as we have discussed about our agreement before. That 10% shares for Tang Xiu, even if later we will inject additional funds, we cannot dilute his shares.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The other three nodded in unison.


    After having gotten positive answers, Long Zhengyu smiled again and said, ¡°Our project this time, is only constructing an edifice. If we have more money in the future, we also can start another project. Tang Xiu can get the shares from this project, so he would also strive to have more other projects. Okay, let¡¯s come down and inspect this plot of land as to how many project we can make here. And if that guy wants to make money, it¡¯s necessary for us to tie him up onto our war chariot.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s eyes brightened up as she faced Long Zhengyu and raised her thumbs up, praising, ¡°I have long heard that the famous Young Master Long is resourceful, and is a rare outstanding talent of the business world. Today, I finally see and experience it myself. For my family, we are very much hoping that Tang Xiu and I would be able to have many cooperations.¡±


    What Ouyang Lulu said was not false.


    The night when Tang Xiu had left, she returned back to the Ouyang Family¡¯s ancestral home to see her father and grandfather. She even found that her often disappearing mother, was also at home. Even her mother and older brother also misunderstood that she and Tang Xiu had a special relationship.


    Even after she had explained it, her mother was still hoping that she and Tang Xiu would get closer.


    For Ouyang Lulu, it was crystal clear for the reason why her family was hoping that she became closer with Tang Xiu. On one hand, her mother hoped that she and Tang Xiu¡¯s relationship would develop, so that Tang Xiu would become the ideal son-in-law of the Ouyang Family. On the other hand, it was also inseparable with Tang Xiu¡¯s identity as a cultivator.


    In this world, cultivators were as rare as Phoenix¡¯s feathers and Qilin¡¯s horn. If any family could have a relationship with a cultivator, they would definitely benefit greatly from that. Their Ouyang Family had now been developed into one of the largest and the best families on Jingmen Island, but they also had come to a bottleneck. Thus, from Tang Xiu¡¯s identity, it was as if they were able to see the space for bigger development.


    Long Zhengyu said with a smile, ¡°In fact, as long as Tang Xiu is tied to our train, I believe that there will be more surprises. Such as some rich and powerful people are also considering to have business cooperation and want to do Real Estate business.¡±


    Chu Yi confused, ¡°Which rich and powerful person?¡±


    Long Zhengyu said with a smile, ¡°Chen Zhizhong, the Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical¡¯s Boss. Of course, he¡¯s also Tang Xiu¡¯s apprentice.¡±


    ¡°Say what?¡±


    Chu Yi and Bai Tao¡¯s complexion changed. They have sent someone to investigate Tang Xiu before and heard the rumors that he and Chen Zhizhong¡¯s relationship was unusual. Chen Zhizhong even publicly said he was worshiping Tang Xiu as a Master. But it turned out that this matter was even true?


    Ouyang Lulu squinted as she nodded and said, ¡°What an unusual and unconventional man! For me, Tang Xiu is unfathomably deep. I believe that the surprises he¡¯ll be giving to us, surely will be more than this.¡±


    Half an hour later¡­


    A taxi came roaring. When Tang Xiu got off from the cab and then saw Long Zhengyu and the others were nearby, one thing that he did not expect was the 3 people around him since he had seen them before.


    ¡°It¡¯s you?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes swept from the Ouyang Lulu, and eventually fixated on Chu Yi and Bai Tao.


    Chu Yi said with a smile, ¡°Hello Tang Xiu. We had small problems on Jingmen Island before. But I hope you don¡¯t mind and take that to your heart. In fact, before we went to Jingmen Island, we came to Star City first and heard about you from Long Zhengyu. I¡¯ve always wanted to see you, but never did I expect that I would run into you in Jingmen Island.¡±


    Bai Tao with his frank disposition was also smiled and said, ¡°Yes! At that time, we knew that you are Tang Xiu from Long Zhengyu, and want to send you that jade pendant that time.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded. He also knew that matter. In fact, Chu Yi and Bai Tao had no much intercross with him since the real opponent that time was Chen Kai and Ye Taifu. Moreover, in order to be on a good term with him, Chu Yi and Bai Tao sent him such big gift for him with hardships. So he did not want to pursue the past matter and put it down.


    Finally, his eyes fell on Ouyang Lulu and said with a forced smile, ¡°And, how did you get here? Long Zhengyu said the it¡¯s the cooperation with his 2 friends. That should be them, but how did you get together with them?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s charming face turned supercilious greatly as she looked at Tang Xiu and said with a resentful and dissatisfied expression, ¡°What¡¯s with how I have gotten here? That 2 guys are the one who invited me to invest here. Else, do you think I wanna see a guy without conscience like you?!¡±


    A guy without conscience?!


    Long Zhengyu, Chu Yi, and Bai Tao stared blankly for a moment and looked at each other immediately.


    This¡­ why did it sound that they were flirting with each other?


    After finished speaking, Ouyang Lulu also realized the problems with her words. Her graceful face turned scarlet immediately but she did not explain further.


    From the beginning, Tang Xiu did not have such the thoughts. Whilst looking at a resentful and dissatisfied looks from Ouyang Lulu, he smiled wryly in secret as he said, ¡°Forget it as to how and what you want to cooperate since I came to look at the place! Anyway, Is this the place? This place has a very good Feng Shui pattern. If we construct a large building here, no matter it is a transportation, convenient traffic and geographical position, it¡¯s very easy to develop this place into a bustling area. But¡­¡±


    Long Zhengyu promptly asked, ¡°But what?¡±


    Tang Xiu pointed to the immediate land, said, ¡°But if we only want an edifice here, I think it¡¯s quite wasteful. In my view, it¡¯s better to construct the edifice here and then surround it with a bustling commercial ring and a high-end residential area. Take a look at that side. Even though it¡¯s quite far away from the road to this place, the area there is bigger. If we can use it reasonably, it will boost the value of this place.¡±


    The other 4 looked at each other.


    Even in their dream, they had never thought that Tang Xiu¡¯s views would coincide with their ideas.


    Long Zhengyu probed further, ¡°Brother Tang, according to your words, the bustling commercial ring and high-end residential area could be built here. Can you design the entire area completely?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easy!¡±


    Too many magnificent and breathtaking buildings Tang Xiu had ever seen. Even if he was to design it on the scoop of a gourd, he could easily do it.


    Long Zhengyu immediately excited and spoke in a deep tone, ¡°Brother Tang, we¡¯ll go all out with your suggestion! However, our funds are limited and at the most we¡¯re only able to build one edifice only. If the following stage is fine, we can discuss the cooperation and develop this place together.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°If there is a follow-up project I will participate. Ah, right. I need money now. Has Tie Long given you the money?¡±


    Long Zhengyu said, ¡°I¡¯ve sent all Tie Long¡¯s assets to be evaluated. There are a total of more than 135 million yuans. His fixed assets will be taken by my Long Family! Later on I will ask the finance company to transfer the money into your bank account.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded.


    Although he had yet to reach the Late Stage of the Skin Strengthening Stage now, but for the future needs of medicinal herbs, precious minerals, and other things, he should prepare it. With money in his hand, if he came across them later, he would not miss it. Recalling that 1000 years-old wild ginseng before, Tang Xiu felt some sense of pity.


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu¡¯s face moved. He looked at the 4 rich people at the front and said, ¡°All of you should come from a powerful background and you should have a lot of channels and connections. I will send you a detailed list of medicinal herbs and precious minerals. If you would like to help, please help me find those medicinal ingredients I need. As for the price, you can say that to me.¡±


    Long Zhengyu said with a confused expression, ¡°Brother Tang, what are you buying medicinal herbs and precious minerals for?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu quickly said, ¡°I know that Tang Xiu is a very skilled Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor. So it should be used for medicine, no? But for those precious ores¡­ I don¡¯t know what he wanna do with them.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I have my own use.¡±


    Chu Yi said, ¡°Tang Xiu, I¡¯ll take your request and I give you my word to manage it. Once I have the news, I¡¯ll immediately inform you.¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡± Bai Tao said.


    A trace of smiling expression exposed on Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    In between their conversation, Tang Xiu¡¯s cell phone¡¯s ringtone sounded. When he took his phone out and saw the caller ID, his face suddenly changed. After he picked up the phone, he said, ¡°Gu Xiaoxue, it¡¯s you at last.¡±


    * * *


    * * *


    Announcement:


    Please check it out our . For every 5 new patreon donors, we will release one bonus chapter. Promo still ongoing.


    Udeze is sick, so chapters may be out slower than usual, but he will do his best to crank out chapters for this week.


    8/10 sponsored till 2 extra bonus.


    !


    Counter: 7


    These two chapters, 137-138 is our thanks to _Cody Tracy_ for his donations!!!! We appreciate that you enjoy our work and have supported us, and as a thank you, here is a little gift.

 Chapter 139

    Chapter 139: A Car Driver


    Gu Xiaoxue?


    The few people who paid attention to the contents of Tang Xiu¡¯s talk, stared blankly for a moment. Their vision concentrated on Tang Xiu in the instant. They were familiar with the name as a stunning and charming beauty who could topple a nation, could not help but emerge inside their mind.


    ¡°I got it. Wait for me there.¡±


    Tang Xiu said and then hung up the phone straightly.


    He looked at Long Zhengyu and said, ¡°I have a minor urgent matter so I need to leave immediately. This plot of land is good, you can buy this place and develop it. In addition, send me the data about this land¡¯s area, length, width, and other data after you¡¯ve surveyed it. Once you¡¯ve bought the land, I¡¯ll start drawing for the architectural design.¡±


    After having said that, he turned around and walked toward the distance.


    Ouyang Lulu watched Tang Xiu deeply. She strode over and blocked Tang Xiu as she asked quickly, ¡°Wasn¡¯t the one who called you Gu Xiaoxue? The Little Boss of the Everlasting Feast Hall in Jingmen Island?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Ouyang Lulu said, ¡°I and Gu Xiaoxue are good sisters. Since she came to Star City and I happen to be with you, I¡¯ll take you and meet her together.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Tang Xiu did not think further and directly refused.


    The topic he and Gu Xiaoxue were about to talk, were extremely confidential, and absolutely could not be spread to a third person¡¯s ear. Much less that he also had already prepared to face the danger after he decided to see Gu Xiaoxue this time. In the case that Gu Xiaoxue was involved with those of his inner circle who had betrayed and persecuted him and he needed to fight by then, for him to escape later would be a problem. So, how could he have the opportunity to help and save Ouyang Lulu?


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s complexion changed. Without her realizing, a trace of sour and acid expression and tone was brought out as she asked, ¡°Why not? Do you have a shameful shady business you don¡¯t want people to look at? And is it inconvenient if I¡¯m present?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s shameful.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said.


    As low his EQ as he always been, he did not listen clearly to Ouyang Lulu¡¯s words that contained deep meaning.


    Ouyang Lulu was dumbfounded. She did not expect that Tang Xiu would reply in a such a straightforward and direct manner, which made her directly aborted the words she already prepared to say. Even she found herself to be left speechless.


    ¡°Shameless!¡±


    After she held back for quite a long while, only then did she speak this word.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and ignored Ouyang Lulu. After he turned out and walked for a few steps, his pace suddenly stopped. With a bit of weird expression, he turned and asked, ¡°Do you really want to go with me?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu blurted out, but in her heart, she secretly regretted for losing her own manner and calmness. She could not figure out as to why would she have a crazy stressing feeling every time she faced Tang Xiu. In the past, she could control everything. But being together with Tang Xiu, the rhythm which they intercross each other, was controlled by Tang Xiu.


    This taste¡­ made her very depressed, and way much crashing and collapsing.


    Tang Xiu let out a smile but yet not a smiling expression as a light of deceitful expression flashed from his eyes. Then, he said with light smile, ¡°Since you want to go together with me, then let¡¯s go! But I don¡¯t have a car, so you take me for a ride!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu took out the car key and strode toward a with Land Rover, hurriedly started and headed toward the end of the road fast. She had always been wild and domineering toward others and that white Land Rover SUV truly matched her character.


    ¡°Vroom¡­¡±


    The roar of the engine echoed in the wilderness as the white Land Rover SUV was as though a white arrow as it rushed straight toward the far end of the road.


    At the roadside¡­


    Long Zhengyu, Chu Yi, and Bai Tao looked at each other with a strange expression on their faces.


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡±


    Bai Tao raised his thumbs up with a smiling expression. He exclaimed in admiration, ¡°Zhengyu, Tang Xiu is no longer your idol, but also this Bai Tao¡¯s idol! What a damn mother¡­ so damn amazing! He can even pack up Ouyang Lulu and tame this wild horse to become docile. Including Gu Xiaoxue, that ice and snow belle rushes from a far distance all the way to Star City to rendezvous with her lover! This guy is the lady killer of all single belles!¡±


    Chu Yi let out a strange smile, ¡°I thought that it was my guts that was mistaken. I didn¡¯t expect that you also aware about it Bai Tao! Did you see that our old friend¡ªLulu¡¯s face expression and tone?! It was really sour!¡±


    Bai Tao let out a mischievous laughter and said, ¡°Hehehe, I dare to swear that Ouyang Lulu will be planted in the hands of Tang Xiu, my idol. She has a keen eyesight and is a one of a kind woman. Rarely excited and unmoved, but once her true feelings are moved and aroused, tsk tsk¡­ she will be going one way to the end.¡±


    Listening to the two¡¯s dialogue, on the contrary, a forced smiling expression emerged out on Long Zhengyu¡¯s face as he said, ¡°Having love affairs often are meddlesome. And Tang Xiu, he might have good IQ, but I can tell that his EQ is not high. It¡¯s not necessarily a good thing for him to be hawked and entangled by so many women in the future.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Chu Yi and Bai Tao glanced at each other and then turned their heads toward Long Zhengyu with a huge supercilious expression.


    Bai Tao said with a ridicule, ¡°Big Young Master Long, you cannot say that the grapes are sour when you can¡¯t eat them. Whether it is Ouyang Lulu or that Gu Xiaoxue, they are exceptionally intelligent girls. It¡¯s because Tang Xiu¡¯s EQ is not high that attracts them to this big lady killer. If you don¡¯t believe me, just wait and see that Tang Xiu sooner or later will lay with the intoxicated beauties down his knees, waking up with the palm of the beauties, becoming a man who has the luck with romance and women without even lifting a finger.¡±


    ¡°Beat it! Leave me out of that topic.¡±


    Long Zhengyu was at a loss whether he had to laugh or cry as he said that.


    Speeding along the road, inside the Land Rover SUV, Ouyang Lulu was holding the steering wheel and seemed a bit absent-minded. She was thinking deeply about the relation between Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxue. She knew Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s personality, if there was no special relationship between the two, it was impossible for her to come all the way to Star City to find Tang Xiu. She almost would not come out of the Everlasting Feast Hall, even for a half step.


    ¡°Tang Xiu went to the Everlasting Feast Hall and broken through the Thousand Revolution Array, demonstrated his extraordinary skill and shone there. Could it be that they got hooked up at that time?¡± Ouyang Lulu thought in depression.


    ¡°Hey, concentrate on driving.¡±


    Tang Xiu took back his vision from the window and suddenly reminded as he found that Ouyang Lulu was absent-minded.


    Ouyang Lulu glanced at Tang Xiu from the side whilst focusing on driving and pretend to ask casually, ¡°Tang Xiu, we can be considered to have shared hardships. And also friends who lived together. Our relation should have reached the point for us to be able to ask about anything, no?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu turned his face toward the window since he was unwilling to respond to Ouyang Lulu. He really did not understand, just when had he shared hardships with her?


    And that living together¡­ that was totally wrong!


    That could not be considered as living together! It could only be regarded as living together under one roof. Staying inside 2 different room in one house. He even gave her the Tuina Massage for free, to help treat her wounds!


    Ouyang Lulu seemed to have long been used to Tang Xiu¡¯s indifferent and apathetic appearance. She did not angry and continued asking with a faint smile that looked like not a smile, ¡°Since we are good friends and can talk about anything, you should talk to me. What¡¯s your relationship with Gu Xiaoxue? Are you dating her?¡±


    _¡°Have a chat with your grandmother!¡±_


    These words had almost blurted out from Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth. He did not know what relationship he had with Gu Xiaoxue now. Perhaps they were mortal and sworn enemy!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s brows slanted and she said, ¡°Silent represents that it¡¯s a tacit approval. I didn¡¯t expect¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that you have a gossipy heart. Drive the car well! If you dilly dally again, I will throw you out.¡± Tang Xiu snapped.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Ouyang Lulu was furious. But looking at the impatient looks Tang Xiu had, she finally suppressed the depressed feeling in her heart as she looked at the front with a fierce expression and suddenly stepped deeper on the accelerator.


    ¡°You¡¯re over speeding, you will be fined and get a penalty!¡±


    Although he did not have a driver license, but Tang Xiu also knew this common knowledge.


    Ouyang Lulu angrily said, ¡°You want to drive?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a forced smile and sighed secretly in his heart. Woman¡¯s inner world was really a seabed of needles. He really did not understand what kind of thoughts were inside this woman¡¯s mind!


    Starlight Edifice.


    Gu Xiaoxue wore a white floating skirt as she carried along with her a white handbag. She was as though a fairy maiden who appeared in the mortal world, a being that was out of tune and incompatible with the noisy scenes in the surrounding. Her stunning and outstanding posture was as if a magnet that attracted all eyes of men in the surrounding, as well as sucked in the eyes of most women.


    However, a chilling aura exuded out of her body, causing countless men who wanted to come up and strike up at her shrunk back.


    Finally, a self-thought and feeling to be handsome and graceful guy raised his head up to strive in making his gesture to showcase his special charm as a man. He approached and said with a smile, ¡°Young Lady, is there anything I can assist you with?¡±


    ¡°Go away.¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s voice was very sweet, but the words she spat out made the handsome guy¡¯s face froze. A forced and wry smile occupied his face as he immediately stepped and hid to the side.


    ¡°Hahaha, what a self-thought guy who bites more than he can chew. A frog wants to eat a swan meat, and his results is disgracing himself, no?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s really a goddess, her sex appeal is way too strong. Even those women celebrities on TV are so far away from her. This goddess is simply could not be compared to anyone.¡±


    ¡°If I can marry such an iceberg beauty, even if I¡¯ll die sooner for 20 years, I¡¯m also willing to do that!¡±


    ¡°Let alone 20 years, even 30 years, I¡¯m more than willing.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s really so beautiful, she makes my heart beat so fast¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue wanted to turn away. But she waited for Tang Xiu to come so she fought back the urge and continued waiting. She rarely had contact with the outside world and extremely unfamiliar with the situation to appear amongst such a big crowd as well as not accustomed to be pointed by countless people.


    ¡°Creaaak¡­¡±


    The sudden brake sound echoed in the vicinity, attracting a lot of people¡¯s eyes.


    Tang Xiu looked at Ouyang Lulu on the passenger seat and lightly said, ¡°Thanks for sending me here. I have important things to discuss with Gu Xiaoxue. You can go now.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, Ouyang Lulu¡¯s eyes stared so big her eyes almost popped out. With a hard-to-believe expression, she raised her arms and used her point finger to point at her nose and asked, ¡°Do you mean¡­ you let me to come with you, is making me to be your driver?¡±


    ¡°Do you have a problem?¡±


    Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Fuck your own sister!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu no longer able to bear it anymore and could not help but burst out such profane and foul words.


    Tang Xiu replied muddily and carelessly, ¡°I am the lone son, I got no sister though. Anyway, take care. I won¡¯t send you off.¡±


    Then, he pushed the car¡¯s door, getting off and then walked toward Gu Xiaoxue nearby.


    With a fierce expression, Ouyang Lulu stared at Tang Xiu¡¯s back and immediately unlocked her seat belt and chased out in big strides. She did not believe that even if Tang Xiu did not welcome her, would her good friend, Gu Xiaoxue also refused her?


    ¡°Xiaoxue, I¡¯m so glad to see you.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu strode and sprinted to the front of Gu Xiaoxue and affectionately pulled her little hand and called out.


    * * *


    * * *


    Announcement:


    Please check it out our . For every 5 new patreon donors, we will release one bonus chapter. Promo still ongoing.


    Udeze is sick, so chapters may be out slower than usual, but he will do his best to crank out chapters for this week.


    8/10 sponsored till 2 extra bonus.


    !


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 Chapter 140

    Chapter 140: Solving the Doubts


    Gu Xiaoxue frowned. Although she was also very happy to see Ouyang Lulu, but the things she had to discuss with Tang Xiu today were extremely important. Moreover, she felt very strange as to why Ouyang Lulu and Tang Xiu would be together. Immediately, she looked at Tang Xiu with eyes full of questions.


    ¡°I pulled her on temporarily as my driver, and I cannot throw her out. So, it¡¯s your call.¡±


    Tang Xiu came to the front of the Gu Xiaoxue and lightly said.


    Gu Xiaoxue suddenly understood. With a bit of an apologizing expression, she looked at Ouyang Lulu and said, ¡°Lulu, I¡¯m also very happy to see you in Star City. But Tang Xiu and I have a very important matter to discuss, could you give us some time and leave? Yes, after this, I will return to Jingmen Island and then contact you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    A short-circuit happened inside Ouyang Lulu¡¯s mind. Never did she expect that Gu Xiaoxue would be this obedient to do what Tang Xiu asked! Was this her good sister?


    Could it be that¡­ Gu Xiaoxue was dead set, and really had fallen in love with Tang Xiu?


    Ouyang Lulu looked at Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxue. With a helpless and a quite desperate expression, she nodded and said, ¡°Then have your chats, I¡¯ll go first.¡±


    The onlookers nearby, were curious upon seeing the Land Rover SUV came over. When they saw Tang Xiu and Ouyang Lulu, they became dumbfounded immediately.


    Tang Xiu was directly ignored by them as 99% of their eyes fixated on Ouyang Lulu. Because this beauty, either it was her appearance or her makings, was almost comparable with that floating white skirt fairy!


    ¡°Damn! Such good cabbages are arched by the pig.¡±


    Only at this time did those people see Tang Xiu with eyes full of intense envy.


    However, they then saw Ouyang Lulu back to the Land Rover SUV, drove it and leave directly. With a blazing flame expression, they also saw Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxue walk toward the back of the building.


    ¡°Have I gone blind? Or have those 2 goddesses gone blind? How the hell are they related to that brat?¡±


    ¡°Fuck! From where does that brat come from? Even a goddess is following him?¡±


    ¡°Oh God. I¡¯m brokenhearted! My dream lover has gone with another man.¡±


    ¡°I wanna skin and cut that fucking bastard¡¯s flesh. Why does he have such good luck with women?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu walked along Gu Xiaoxue side by side as they tacitly understood and did not speak with each other. The 4th floor of the Starlight Edifice had a very famous viewing caf¨¦ in Star City as by sitting near the windows, one could see panoramic view of most of the city area.


    ¡°What are you two want to have?¡±


    An elegant and beautiful waiter came with a professional smile hung on her face as she asked.


    ¡°White water!¡±


    ¡°White water!¡±


    Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxue spoke in unison.


    With an astonished expression, the waiter looked at them. She did not understand as to why they came to this caf¨¦ only to have white water. However, the guests were Deity, so she must meet all the requests from the Deity. Then, she said without any changes in her smiling face, ¡°Then, please wait for moment.¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s beautiful eyes looked at Tang Xiu as she spoke with a sinking tone, ¡°On the phone, I remembered that you¡¯ve mentioned that you are the one who created the Water Block Dragon Pen and the Thousand Revolution Array, yes? Is it true?¡±


    With his Spiritual Sense, Tang Xiu checked the surrounding and found that there were no other cultivators within several hundreds of meters. Only then did he feel relieved a bit and replied lightly, ¡°Correct, it was I who created them!¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s body instantly stiffened as she said, ¡°As far as I know, the one who created the Water Block Dragon Pen and the Thousand Revolution Array was a Supreme from the Immortal World. He has the same name as you, Tang Xiu. Can you explain to me, what relationship the 2 of you have?¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a sigh, ¡°It seems like that you really know a lot. Originally, I didn¡¯t believe that some people from the Immortal World would come to Earth. But contrary to my expectation, the fact doesn¡¯t turn out to be so. However, before I answer your question, you must tell me, who¡¯s your Master? Why does your Everlasting Feast Hall have the Water Block Dragon Pen and the Thousand Revolution Array?¡±


    ¡°Gu Yan¡¯er. I¡¯ve said her name to you.¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue said.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said seriously, ¡°What I wanna ask is not only a name. I want to know her origin.¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue deeply looked at Tang Xiu. After having silent for a long time, only then did she reply slowly, ¡°Since you know about the Immortal World, then I¡¯ll tell you. My Master, she comes from the Immortal World.¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly stood up due to being struck with excitement from the innermost of his heart. With a slightly shivering body and his two hands on the tabletop, he tightly stared at Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s eyes and spoke word by word, ¡°You can eat random food, but never must you speak irresponsible words! There¡¯s a spatial barrier between Earth and the Immortal World. Moreover, there¡¯s no channel coordinate to Earth in the Immortal World. So how come your Master¡ªshe came to Earth?¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue refused to be condescendingly treated by Tang Xiu. She stared back at him and said, ¡°Naturally, my Master has her own methods. I already answered your questions, now is your turn to answer mine.¡±


    Tang Xiu fell into a silence. He sat back to his seat and slowly closed his eyes.


    After a long time¡­


    Tang Xiu opened his eyes again with bright light flashed from his eyes. Then he said indifferently, ¡°I want to ask you the last question. If your answers are to my satisfaction, I¡¯ll answer your questions.¡±


    ¡°Do ask!¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue knitted her brows, but still, she replied.


    Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Have you heard about the names of Fairy Wanhua, Great Emperor Danqing, and Zither Demon Jiuyao?¡±


    Fairy Wanhua?


    Great Emperor Danqing?


    Zither Demon Jiuyao?


    A cold murderous aura exuded from Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s body as she spoke in a sinking tone, ¡°For countless of times have I heard my Master says these names in her unconscious state. They are all damned, they are all must die!¡±


    They must die?!


    Tang Xiu¡¯s heart got struck with a tremor as he could feel the murderous aura from Gu Xiaoxue.


    In this split moment, he finally determined that his beloved apprentice was still alive. Not only was she alive, but she also knew what happened to him. More importantly, she hated those damned bastards who had betrayed him, even she had strong killing intention toward them.


    ¡°Huff¡­¡±


    The most worried things Tang Xiu had felt did not happen. This made his heart full of gratified feeling as the missing feeling he had toward his apprentice, the person he fostered and brought up, was also increasing.


    He looked at Gu Xiaoxue and seriously said, ¡°It was by chance and accident arising from many causes that went to the Immortal World. For 10,000 years living in the Immortal world and with a snap of the fingertips, it was gone. Perhaps my fate has nothing to owe as I did not vanish and my soul and consciousness returned back to Earth. In this very life of mine, I have people I abhor the most as well as have someone who I miss the most. I have once received a disciple. Her name is Gu Yan¡¯er and I¡¯m the one who bestowed her this name, and also fostered and brought her up. Unfortunately, ¡­¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue suddenly stood up. Her body trembled violently as she looked at Tang Xiu who was full of recollecting his memories. Disregarding the gaze of everyone¡¯s eyes inside the coffee shop toward her, she circled around the table and directly knelt and exclaimed with a trembling voice, ¡°Grand Disciple Gu Xiaoxue, pays respect to the Grand Master.¡±


    Tang Xiu hastily asked, ¡°Your master¡­ is she really my disciple?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s answer was particularly firm.


    Tang Xiu asked again, ¡°Where is she?¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue said, ¡°Everlasting Feast Hall.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s pupil shrunk. And without hesitation, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to Jingmen Island now! And immediately go to the Everlasting Feast Hall!¡±


    Time flew like an arrow!


    Being a Master and but also a father, he finally obtained the news of his disciple. He could not wait and wish that he could grow wings and immediately flew to the Everlasting Feast Hall in Jingmen Island to see his disciple. He wanted to ask, why there was no news from her in the past, and why was he unable to find her for thousands of years?


    Gu Xiaoxue stood up from the floor but she did not follow Tang Xiu to go outside. The hanging expression of wanting to speak could be seen on her face, but she hesitated to do so. Upon seeing that Tang Xiu had went out for a dozen steps, she said with a forced smile, ¡°Grand Master, could you please wait?¡±


    Tang Xiu stopped his pace as he turned around and asked with a surprised expression, ¡°How haven¡¯t you walked out?¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue calmly walked toward Tang Xiu¡¯s side as she smiled wryly, ¡°Grand Master, let¡¯s go back to our seat first. There are some things I have yet to tell you. When I have finished telling you those, you can decide whether we have to go to Jingmen Island now.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows knitted. He glanced at Gu Xiaoxue a few times, only then did he return back to the seat and sat down. Whilst looking at Gu Xiaoxue in front of him, he said, ¡°Tell me, I¡¯m listening.¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue nodded slightly. She sorted out her next thoughts and then said, ¡°Grand Master, have you heard about the Space Magic Array?¡±


    Space Magic Array?


    Wasn¡¯t this the thing that the Shade Demon Zhu Wushou had never been passed on and spread out? Zhu Wushou was one of the strongest Late Stage Supreme in the Immortal World who comprehended the mystery of time and space and created a powerful masterpiece of array, the ¡°Space Magic Array¡±. In the Immortal World, if ones were to ask whose speed was the fastest and who had always researched about the strangest things, the answer without a doubt would be this Demon Shade Zhu Wushou.


    ¡°I know!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said.


    Gu Xiaoxue slowly said, ¡°Thousands of years ago, my Master took a huge risk to infiltrate Time Island and thought of every means and effort to scheme against the Shade Demon Zhu Wushou, and became his direct disciple in order to obtain the array chart of this Space Magic Array from him there. She fully focused on comprehending this array for a number of millennium, and then, Zhu Wushou also chased her for thousands of years afterwards. Finally, she was able to thoroughly comprehend the secret of Space Magic Array. However,the last time she used this formation array, Zhu Wushou severely injured her with his Twilight Nightmare.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion greatly changed as all the suspicion and doubts within his heart all disappeared.


    He finally understood as to why his apprentice was able to come to Earth. Amongst all the Supremes in the Immortal World, if there was one person who had a glimmer of hope to arrive on Earth, the person undoubtedly was Zhu Wushou for he was the one who comprehended the secret of time and space. And if there was his involvement and Zhu Wushou had some accounts to settle with him, he might be able to find Earth. However, when Tang Xiu was in the Immortal World, he only had a few contacts with him and there was no debt to account between them.


    Moreover, if he wanted to calculate the Earth¡¯s space coordinate, he must possess an ability. That was, learning the ultimate secret of the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s Star Movement Divination Art, otherwise Zhu Wushou would not be able to come to Earth.


    Tang Xiu could confirm that his beloved apprentice not only had learned the Space Magic Array, but she also had learned the Heavenly Emperor¡¯s Star Advancement Divination Art there.


    ¡°Have you finished?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked deeply at Gu Xiaoxue as he asked with a sinking tone.


    Gu Xiaoxue nodded and said, ¡°Little do I know about my Master¡¯s matter. And those are everything I know of.¡±


    Tang Xiu got up again and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go! To Jingmen Island.¡±


    When they arrived at the airport by car, Tang Xiu was depressed. There were only 2 flights to Jingmen Island every day, and the last flight had already taken off 20 minutes ago. If he wanted to go to Jingmen Island today, he need to find another way.


    However, the time to take another way would take a lot of time. And this was an unbearable kind of suffering for Tang Xiu who was impatient.


    ¡°There¡¯s someone I could think of for the help!¡±


    With her floating white skirt, Gu Xiaoxue said with a thoughtful expression as she stood at Tang Xiu¡¯s side.


    ¡°Who can you think of?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    Notes:


    I translated the last 7 chapters in bad headache and watery eyes state due to my flu¡­ so I might change some terms or names in this chapter later after I got better and re-read the chapters.

 Chapter 141

    Chapter 141: Ouyang Lulu was Shocked


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    A trace of a smile was revealed on Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s face. In a flash, the image of her iceberg beauty collapsed as it was replaced by the gentle bearing of a beauty that could topple a nation.


    ¡°Ouyang Lulu is a rich woman and she also has. What she dislikes the most is to take a ride on someone else¡¯s vehicle, and spend money to take public passenger planes. If my guess is correct, since she drives her own car, that means that she has taken her own private jet in coming here from Jingmen Island.¡±


    Tang Xiu stared blankly and said, ¡°She must¡¯ve taken her own car? Today, she gave me a ride and acted as my driver with her own car, didn¡¯t she?


    Gu Xiaoxue hurriedly said, ¡°No, it¡¯s not. Her car has a license plate, but not that temporary license plate one. What she took today was only her temporary car.¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a surprised expression, ¡°You noticed it?¡±


    With a shallow smile, Gu Xiaoxue said, ¡°My observation skill has always been good.¡±


    Because she had determined Tang Xiu¡¯s identity, she was quite a bit closer to Tang Xiu. Gu Yan¡¯er adopted her since she was a child, brought her up, educated her, and instilled the concept of respecting and honoring her Master deep inside her innermost soul. She knew that Tang Xiu adopted her Master. If there was no Tang Xiu, her Master would not exist, and without her, she would not exist today.


    Tang Xiu took his mobile and dialed Ouyang Lulu¡¯s number.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s unhappy voice came out of the phone.


    Tang Xiu felt quite awkward. Somehow he felt like he was a man who only ¡°called someone in a time of need, and threw them out when he did not need them¡±. Therefore, his attitude now was much friendlier than before. With a particularly gentle tone, he said, ¡°Lulu, I wanna ask you something. How is it going with your matter in Star City?¡±


    Lulu?


    On that side, the anger on Ouyang Lulu¡¯s face instantly froze. It was the first time Tang Xiu called her like this. With eyes full of disbelief, she held the phone and asked, ¡°What kind of damn wacky plot do you have now? I will tell you, this lady absolutely won¡¯t work as your driver again!¡±


    She did bite this ¡°driver¡± word heavily.


    Tang Xiu said with a laugh, ¡°I do have something that needs your help. If you can help me, then you¡¯ll be my friend afterward.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu replied with a surprised tone.


    With an assuring tone, Tang Xiu gave his guarantee, ¡°It¡¯s true! Just like real gold!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu happily said, ¡°Then do say! What do you want my help for?¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a laugh, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s no big deal! I have an urgent matter and need to go to Jingmen Island. But the airport¡¯s last flight has already left today. I heard from Gu Xiaoxue that you have your own private jet. I wanna borrow your private jet to Jingmen Island. How about it? Can you help me?¡±


    ¡°Xiaoxue? You call her that intimate?! No, I won¡¯t help you!¡±


    A trace of sorrow and grief surfaced on Ouyang Lulu¡¯s heart as she pretended to yell out a resentful tone. After having realized that her mind was not on the right track, she promptly added, ¡°But if you tell me something nice and pleasant to hear, I¡¯ll immediately rush to the airport and take you to Jingmen Island right away, how about it?¡±


    Tang Xiu blinked. His mind was full of confusion.


    Was this girl mental?


    She wanted him to say something nice to her?


    Wasn¡¯t she called Ouyang Lulu? He called her Lulu once and she already became this intimate. Just because it was pleasant to hear? He must say something that pleasant to hear?


    ¡°Ouyang Lulu said that I must say something nice to hear! What should I tell her?¡± Tang Xiu turned to look at Gu Xiaoxue as he asked with a puzzled expression.


    In fact, Gu Xiaoxue could hear the contents of Tang Xiu and Ouyang Lulu¡¯s conversation. Upon seeing that confused expression in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes, she turned supercilious inside. She did not know whether Tang Xiu was silly or faking it. Ouyang Lulu was a young lady, her temper had come up and she deliberately teased him, but he actually could not realize it.


    However, Ouyang Lulu usually was a proud princess as she had always been. How could she create such difficulties for the Grand Master this time? Was it because Grand Master had made her his driver and that made her unhappy?


    Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s mind went blank. For quite a long time she thought, before she replied with a low voice, ¡°Grand Master, praise her saying she¡¯s beautiful and has a good bearing. Tell her that everyone loves her just like seeing a blooming flower¡­¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡±


    With a strange expression, Tang Xiu looked at Gu Xiaoxue and said on the phone according to her suggestion, ¡°Lulu, you are one of a kind beauty and very beautiful, you have a good bearing, and everyone loves you just like seeing a blooming flower to behold. You¡­ you have a Buddha¡¯s heart. Now you can take us to Jingmen Island, right?¡±


    At the other side¡­


    Gu Xiaoxue could only admire her Grand Master. She had never thought that Tang Xiu would exactly copy-paste the words she had just taught him. Couldn¡¯t he come up with something new and said something better to hear?


    She knew perfectly well about Ouyang Lulu¡¯s character. She believed that Ouyang Lulu definitely would not be satisfied with hearing such words, perhaps would even continue to make things difficult for Tang Xiu.


    At the other side, Ouyang Lulu¡¯s angry expression finally disappeared thoroughly. With a grin out of joy, she spoke through the phone, ¡°Consider that done! Since this great-aunt of yours feels happy now, I¡¯ll help you once this time, albeit reluctantly. Do bear in mind that you are this Ouyang Lulu¡¯s friend later. A kind of friend who you can never keep any secrets from and are able to tell me everything, yes?¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s reply was simple and clear.


    Ouyang Lulu said, ¡°Now wait at the airport, I¡¯ll immediately catch up.¡±


    Tang Xiu put away the phone as he looked at Gu Xiaoxue and said, ¡°Ouyang Lulu is immediately catching up. Let¡¯s wait for her here.¡±


    A short circuit happened inside Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s brain.


    With an inconceivable expression, she looked at Tang Xiu. Even as she racked her brain, she could not figure out as to why Ouyang Lulu¡ªsuch a proud and arrogant princess¡ªcould forgive Tang Xiu that easily. She even complied and promised so happily. She suddenly felt that she had entered some kind of illusion. What kind of magic did her Grand Master cast over Ouyang Lulu?


    Half an hour later.


    Ouyang Lulu, with her black leather boots, stepped forward and rushed. She was wearing shiny black leather clothing, even her cloak was also black.


    Tang Xiu looked at Gu Xiaoxue who was in full white attire. And then at Ouyang Lulu who was in a full black one. Despite everything that he had no potential of becoming such of ¡°a prodigal son¡±, he still felt that the present scene was bright, giving off a brave and stunning feeling.


    ¡°Do I look good?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu let out a gentle smile and turned around in a circle in front of Tang Xiu. Her black windproof cloak was fluttering. She looked very cool and graceful, giving off some kind of a natural wild and vigorous feeling that added to her charm.


    ¡°You look great!¡±


    At the moment, Tang Xiu did not say something against his feeling as he nodded and answered sincerely.


    Ouyang Lulu smiled with satisfaction. Then, she immediately walked toward Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s side and held her arm intimately, ¡°Xiaoxue, have you finished discussing your things?¡±


    ¡°Mmm!¡± Gu Xiaoxue gave a slight nod.


    Ouyang Lulu said with a laugh, ¡°Tell me if Tang Xiu dares to bully you! Although this guy usually acts like an annoying arrogant chap, he¡¯s warm-hearted. But since I¡¯ve become one of his circle of people, I have plenty of means to straighten him up.¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue quickly said, ¡°Lulu, don¡¯t say that to the Grand Master.¡±


    ¡°Your what?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s expression turned blank as she rubbed her ears hard.


    Was that a hearing hallucination?


    Yes! It must be, she only heard things!


    Ouyang Lulu said, ¡°Xiaoxue, Tang Xiu is really a good bully. As long as you have something wrong with him, you can tell me. I can make him beg for mercy.¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue glanced at Tang Xiu as she said with desperation, ¡°Lulu, Grand Master is broad-minded. He¡¯s really good to others. You cannot speak like that again later. Or else¡­ else I¡¯ll be angry with you.¡±


    With a shocked expression, Ouyang Lulu pointed at Tang Xiu and exclaimed, ¡°Y-y-you¡­ what did you call Tang Xiu? Did you call him Grand Master? Did I not hear you wrong? You really called him Grand Master? H-h-he¡­ H-h-how could he inexplicably become your Grand Master?¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue nodded and said seriously, ¡°He¡¯s really my Grand Master. My Master¡¯s Master. Lulu, if you wanna still be friends with me, you must respect my Grand Master.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu was stunned by Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s words. Never once had she ever dreamt that Tang Xiu would be Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s Grand Master, even her Master¡¯s Master.


    How old was Tang Xiu?


    Gu Xiaoxue was brought up by her Master. Her Master¡¯s age was at least twice her age, wasn¡¯t it? A 40-year-old woman, actually called Tang Xiu as Master?


    This¡­


    Since Gu Xiaoxue did not explain further, Tang Xiu naturally would not explain. They remained silent whilst watching Ouyang Lulu¡¯s shocked expression.


    ¡°Xiaoxue, you haven¡¯t answered my question.¡± After quite a long time, only then did Ouyang Lulu shake Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s arm and ask.


    ¡°I can¡¯t answer this question.¡± She said and continued, ¡°Except, I hope you won¡¯t tell this matter to another¡¯s ears, even if it¡¯s your family.¡±


    Only now did Ouyang Lulu realize that there were too many secrets between Gu Xiaoxue and Tang Xiu. She was struck by torrents of curiosity that was scratching her heart and strongly sparked her interest. However, she forcefully suppressed it due to Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s words. After having been silent for a long time only then did she slowly nodded, ¡°I promise that I¡¯ll bury this matter deep inside my heart.¡±


    Tang Xiu then said, ¡°Let¡¯s go now! I¡¯m really in a hurry.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu looked at him deeply. The more she knew him, the more she felt that she could not see through him. For her, Tang Xiu sent out a strong magnetic force, and her interest on him became more intense and she became more deeply attracted to him, causing her to want to reveal all layers of fog that shrouded Tang Xiu.


    At Star City Airport, Ouyang Lulu led Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxue and passed through the VIP passage, as the airport¡¯s personnel drove a car and took them to the airport apron. A small silver-colored private jet then appeared in front of Tang Xiu. It had a streamlined body, with red lines that formed a gorgeous pattern of a peony. Its pair of wings opened as though it was a big bird on the ground.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    A man with a mature aura exuded from his body held a stack of documents and waited under the ladder.


    Ouyang Lulu asked, ¡°Have you applied the taking off procedures to the airport management?¡±


    He respectfully replied, ¡°I¡¯ve submitted the application. They have given the approval; we can take off in 15 minutes. The pilot and stewardesses have been waiting in the cabin.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu replied and led Tang Xiu to board the ladder.


    The interior was luxurious, with a soft carpet, spacious leather sofa, and upscale furniture. Despite his ignorance for the value of this private jet. However, not only Tang Xiu secretly praised it, he also could see that it was absolutely luxurious by looking from the interior.


    ¡°What do you think? Is my private jet good enough?¡±


    With a slight proud expression hung on her face, Ouyang Lulu swept over toward Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu replied with a light reply, ¡°It¡¯s not bad.¡±


    In his eyes, a ¡°not bad¡± evaluation was already a hard-to-come-by evaluation. And Ouyang Lulu did not understand such a disposition he had. However, Gu Xiaoxue was crystal clear about it. Tang Xiu, after all, was but a Supreme in the Immortal World. He was above hundreds of millions of people and strong and powerful people at that. What kind of luxurious scenes had he yet to see?


    Notes:


    Well, having gotten sick due to fatigue and had appendectomy afterward sucks as hell¡­ I had to rest for almost a month.To all benevolent donors and readers, please don¡¯t sponsor any chapters again or become our patron for the time being ¡­ It¡¯s not because I hate money. But I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t fulfill the responsibility for now, especially because I¡¯m also being engaged in 2 important projects in real life (it¡¯s not translating the novel though, :D). I¡¯ve just quit one of the projects but I still have to take care of my health too for at least the next 2 months (my doc said so).Last but not least, I only have time to translate at most 2 hrs a day, I need to go back to a healthy life (as my doc said also) to have a sleep 6-8 hours a day instead of 4 hours as I used to be. 2 hours a day means that I only can tl 1 chapter a day, while I usually translate 14-20+ chapters/week before. Anyway, can¡¯t help it though. I can¡¯t die young since I still got 2 kids (+5 more) who still need their father.As of now, I¡¯m still seeing 2 sponsored chapters for RFTIW on Zenith site (rarely open the site, LOL). I do feel grateful and say thanks to whoever s/he is. However, since I don¡¯t want to accept donations and patreon for the time being due to the above reasons, Cherry will refund that. I¡¯m really sorry for this¡­ but you will still have the regular chaps, albeit a bit erratic for now.

 Chapter 142

    Chapter 142: At the Bottom of the Ocean


    Ouyang Lulu rolled her eyes at Tang Xiu as she heard his comment. Then, she took Gu Xiaoxue to enter her private jet with full enthusiasm. The interior of this private jet didn¡¯t only have a reception room, but also a bedroom, kitchen, restroom, cloakroom, and even a luxurious bathing room.


    Gu Xiaoxue had always kept her indifferent and light appearance despite seeing the luxurious cabin. Not even the slightest swings nor disturbed mood could be seen from her. It¡¯s just that she occasionally glanced at Tang Xiu with a reverent and awed expression in her eyes.


    In fact, it was not only Ouyang Lulu who was full of curiosity toward Tang Xiu, even Gu Xiaoxue was also the same. She really wanted to know as to how a Supreme who once stood aloof on the summit, above myriads of races and powerful celestial beings in the Immortal World would react? What kind of differences would such a person have, compared with ordinary people?


    At Jingmen Island Airport.


    It was already noon when the silver-colored private jet landed on the airport apron. The three of them went out of the airport as a big middle-aged man with a grim look then came over to greet them.


    ¡°Little Boss!¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue slightly nodded and pointed at Tang Xiu, ¡°Uncle ¨¡wen, Uncle ¨¡wu, he¡¯s Tang Xiu. From now on he will be the Master of Everlasting Feast Hall. Treat him just like you treat my Master. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Tang?¡±


    Both Mo ¨¡wen and Mo ¨¡wu looked at Tang Xiu with astonishment. They knew Tang Xiu, since he, after all, could be said to have created a huge sensation in the Everlasting Feast Hall a few days ago. They had a very deep reverence toward him. And now, although they did not understand upon hearing their Little Boss¡¯s remarks, they still chose to be obedient and spoke in unison with a respectful manner, ¡°Big Boss.¡±


    Tang Xiu turned toward Gu Xiaoxue as he frowned and said, ¡°What do you mean by this?¡±


    ¡°You are my Grand Master. This is what Master previously told me. I only carried out what Master had instructed me to do.¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a helpless, forced smile. He looked at Mo ¨¡wen and Mo ¨¡wu, and nodded to the two brothers even though he did not say anything.


    Mo ¨¡wen respectfully said, ¡°Big Boss, Little Boss, the car is ready. Do we go back to the Everlasting Feast Hall, or¡­?¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue said, ¡°Let¡¯s return to the Everlasting Feast Hall.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu looked at her and then looked at Tang Xiu. Although she really wanted to go with them to the Everlasting Feast Hall, but she realized that they must have some important things to do. Perhaps it would be inappropriate if she followed them there. After hesitating a bit, only then did she suppress the curiosity inside her heart.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll go back to the Paradise Club.¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue nodded and said, ¡°If you have the time, come look for me at the Everlasting Feast Hall.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu quickly complied.


    She stood still on her spot, watching Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s backs as a helpless feeling arose in her heart. Before, she solemnly vowed that she would never become Tang Xiu¡¯s ¡°coachwoman¡± again. But with some words of praises from Tang Xiu, she found herself turning silly and becoming his ¡°coachwoman¡± for a second time.


    At Everlasting Feast Hall¡­


    After the two cars had entered the parking lot, Tang Xiu, along with Gu Xiaoxue, walked side by side toward a distant cecum pathway. He could see that the direction in front was leading to the interior coastline of the sea.


    At the beach¡­


    Gu Xiaoxue untied the rope and boarded a small boat.


    Tang Xiu followed her, and after boarding it, he asked with a confused expression, ¡°We must go to the sea? Is Yan¡¯er in the sea?¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue nodded and replied, ¡°Grand Master, please come with me, you¡¯ll find it out clearly later.¡±


    The small boat had no paddle, but when the two stood above it, it moved automatically even though there was no wind. It slowly went toward the sea, and then stopped in the middle of the sea after having traversed a kilometer.


    Gu Xiaoxue lightly tipped her toe as her perfect and delicate figure floated mid-air up high, 10 meters away from the sea surface. Along with the wave of both of her arms, a powerful line of Qi created a pathway.


    ¡°Ah, an array pattern?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion moved as he spontaneously released his Spiritual Sense.


    ¡°Whizzz¡­¡±


    The sea surface was as though being split open by a sword as the seawater spread to the sides. Observing with his Spiritual Sense, Tang Xiu could see the fluctuation of an array pattern transmitted outward from the bottom of the sea.


    ¡°Heaven Earth Jadeite Ocean Array!¡±


    Tang Xiu sighed and lamented. He had this Heaven Earth Jadeite Ocean Array in his Library Pavilion before.


    Gu Xiaoxue floated down as she stood side by side with Tang Xiu. An excited expression flashed on her face when she spoke respectfully, ¡°Grand Master, this is precisely the Heaven Earth Jadeite Ocean Array that Master has arranged. And Master is 100 meters at the bottom of the sea. Please come along with me!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Tang Xiu followed behind her and jumped down to the seawater toward the channel pathways.


    100 meters at the bottom of the sea¡­


    An exquisite pagoda, with a height of more than 10 meters, exuded a shining and lustering light as the spiritual qi influx from all directions of the seafloor was as though the tides that overflowed toward its interior. With only a glance, Tang Xiu could recognize that this was a magical device he had granted to Gu Yan¡¯er in the past. It could be used to attack and also to guard the treasures of the Immortal World.


    Gu Xiaoxue stopped in front of the pagoda¡¯s door as she turned to look at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Grand Master, you are the one who granted this magical device to Master. You should know the method to open this pagoda¡¯s door. In that case, you can open it!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded. His fingers pinched the lotus flower engraving and shouted in a low voice.


    ¡°Of the Heaven and Earth Profound Emperors, Only I Alone Am the Sole Revered Sovereign!¡±


    However, the pagoda¡¯s door did not even produce the slightest sounds or movements after Tang Xiu¡¯s voice had fallen.


    Tang Xiu stared blankly as he only revealed a forced smile expression afterward. He shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯ve lost my magical power. My strength is far inferior than it used to be, so I can¡¯t open the door of this pagoda with the normal method.¡±


    After having said that, he went to the wall next to the pagoda¡¯s door as his fingers pinched the golden dragon carving on the wall in an orderly beating for nine times. Suddenly, the previously unmoved pagoda door, slowly opened.


    ¡°This is?¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s method with a surprised expression. She did not have any doubts for Tang Xiu¡¯s identity, but she did have a slight intention to test Tang Xiu when she asked him to open the exquisite pagoda¡¯s door. Besides, as people say, it was better to personally prove it.


    When Tang Xiu chanted the mnemonic chants, she perfectly knew that Tang Xiu¡¯s identity had been verified. But, what made her secretly surprised was that she did not know the other method Tang Xiu had shown her.


    ¡°Grand Master, how did you do that?¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m the one who gave this exquisite pagoda to Yan¡¯er in the past. Naturally, I have other means to open it, and Yan¡¯er also knows about it.¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue suddenly understood. With eyes filled with respect, she said, ¡°Grand Master, Let¡¯s go inside! Master, she¡­ she¡¯s in the inside.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and stepped through the pagoda¡¯s door.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    In the split second he entered, Tang Xiu felt a piercing cold bite from the air. The temperature inside the pagoda was ten times colder than the outside world. Despite also being a cultivator, he was still unable to endure it and could not help but tremble.


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    A voice full of vicissitude echoed inside the pagoda. An old woman in a golden cloak with a dragon figurehead walking stick, instantly appeared in front of Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Elder Ji, don¡¯t be rude.¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue floated forward and spoke with a solemn tone.


    The old woman¡¯s expression slightly changed. She faced Gu Xiaoxue and nodded as she spoke in a sinking tone, ¡°Young Master, Master has once said that aside from you, nobody can enter this exquisite pagoda. But you come with an outsider this time, what¡¯s your purpose?¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue pointed at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°He¡¯s the person Master has always been looking for!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The old woman¡¯s pupil contracted violently as she looked at Tang Xiu with an overwhelmingly shocked expression.


    Tang Xiu observed her a few times and said with an indifferent tone, ¡°The Mesmer Clan¡¯s bloodline dares to act unbridled in front of this Venerable? If I remember correctly, if this Anatta did not act to protect your clan in the past, the entire Mesmer Clan would have been completely massacred by Qian Yanshen Monarch without anyone of you left.¡± [1]


    ¡°Puff, puff¡­¡±


    The old woman¡¯s body trembled and directly knelt in front of Tang Xiu.


    Just like Tang Xiu had said, if it were not because the fortunate coincidence that he encountered the massacre toward the Mesmer Clan and helped to protect them, perhaps the Mesmer Clan¡¯s name would have been removed from the Immortal World. Not even a soul on Earth aside from her Master¡ªGu Yan¡¯er¡ªknew about this matter.


    ¡°Ji Chimei pays the respects to Venerable Lord.¡±


    Tang Xiu spoke indifferently, ¡°Stand up! Your injury is very serious. If you are not treated promptly, perhaps you won¡¯t last for more than a few years.¡±


    Ji Chimei replied with a bitter expression, ¡°This Junior knows. But Earth is scarce of resources and it doesn¡¯t have any panacea to take. To last until the present is already a huge blessing for this one. Young Master is really capable of being able to find the Venerable Lord. If Master is awake, she certainly will be very happy.¡±


    Wake up?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows slightly pressed as he asked with a sinking tone, ¡°How is Yan¡¯er now?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Ji Chimei¡¯s complexion slightly changed. She lowered her head and did not dare to speak even a word.


    With a bit of bitter and pained expression, Gu Xiaoxue said, ¡°Grand Master, Master¡¯s state of injury is much more serious than Elder Ji¡¯s. She has lost consciousness for numerous times in the past 10 years. Even if she is to waken, at the most, she can only hold up for half a day before she loses consciousness again.¡±


    The Twilight Nightmare?


    Tang Xiu recalled the time when Gu Xiaoxue said about it. His heart was struck with an earthquake and immediately dashed forward toward the stairs without hesitation.


    The exquisite pagoda had a total of 7 floors. Apart from the first layer which functioned as a vault to store a lot of refining materials, the remaining 6 floors were completely empty.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s speed was extremely fast. When he arrived and appeared on the 7th floor, the freezing air in the surroundings was much more severe. His eyes then fell on a jade-like body on the cold ice bed; with white skirt, black hair, and a heart-stirring beautiful face. Her appearance looked like she was in her 20s as she quietly lied on the bed.


    _¡®It¡¯s her!¡¯_


    After clearly seeing that stunningly beautiful appearance, the trembling and heartbeat that struck Tang Xiu¡¯s heart intensified for several folds. Even though Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s appearance was much different compared to the past, but that familiar appearance was not something he could ever forget even after a number of millenniums.


    ¡°Disciple!¡±


    Tang Xiu came next to the bed of ice. With trembling hands, he gently picked up Gu Yan¡¯er and carefully hugged her in his arms. Such a familiar face, familiar fragrance and flavor. Never once in his dreams had he ever expected that he would be able to see the disciple he had brought up again.


    Scenes of the past reappeared inside his mind:


    _¡ª¡°Master, Yan¡¯er is hungry. Could you pick that Green Jasper Immortal Fruit for me, please?¡±_


    _¡ª¡±Master, Yan¡¯er has learned the Flying Butterfly Fairy Dance, could you please to look at my dance?¡±_


    _¡ª¡±Master, Yan¡¯er has broken through a cultivation level, it won¡¯t be long before Yan¡¯er reaches the True Immortal Realm. By that time, Yan¡¯er would have the ability to protect you.¡±_


    _¡ª¡±Master, you bought me a beautiful streamlined fairy gauze which I¡¯m fond of, Yan¡¯er really likes white clothes¡­¡±_


    _¡ª¡±Master ¡­¡±_


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes turned a bit moist. He gently stroked Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s face and down to her cheek, after which, he slowly sat on the edge of the ice bed as he looked at Ji Chimei and Gu Xiaoxue and asked with a sank tone, ¡°Tell me everything.¡±


    * * *


    Note:


    [1] I used the term Mesmer Clan for Elder Ji¡¯s clan, because the word refers to some kind of forest demon/elf, for which the beings are the user of enchantments and illusions. I also used Buddhism¡¯s term of Anatta (selfless soul) which Tang Xiu used to refer himself in the dialog. The name of Qian Yanshen itself means Thousand Eyes Deity.

 Chapter 143

    Chapter 143: Being in a Stupor State


    Ji Chimei regarded Tang Xiu as if he was a Deity. She respectfully replied after hearing his question, ¡°Venerable Lord, only little does this subordinate know about it. What this one knows of is, she has been searching for you for thousands of years with countless hardships. Afterward, Master heard that you¡¯ve been schemed by others and not even your soul was left. Because she did not believe that, she even rushed through a journey to the Ninth Heaven and finally became an unofficial disciple of the Heavenly Emperor Tian Ji and learned the Stars Advancement Divination Art wholeheartedly. After Master had paid an outrageously miserable price, only then was she finally able to divine traces about you.¡±


    ¡°However, because it was not easy to find this place, Master sneaked into Time Island to scheme against the Shade Demon Zhu Wushou and became his successor disciple. She finally obtained the formation chart of the Space Magic Array. Master was done and spent countless efforts and riches before she was finally able to lay down the Space Magic Array. But at that time, the Shade Demon Zhu Wushou found us. He attacked and caused us heavy losses. Master was hit by Zhu Wushou¡¯s Twilight Nightmare.¡±


    A murderous intent flashed from Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. Then he continued to ask with a sinking tone, ¡°If I remember correctly, Gu Xiaoxue said that you arrived on Earth a few decades ago. But I have only returned to Earth for a year. How could this happen?¡±


    Ji Chimei replied, ¡°Master¡¯s comprehension in regards to Space Time Law has already reached a very profound level. But before we arrived on earth, Zhu Wushou hit us with his Twilight Nightmare, which led to the deviation in the Perpetual River of Time and caused us to arrive on Earth a few decades earlier.¡±


    The questions in Tang Xiu¡¯s heart when he got the answers, dispersed.


    He finally understood as to why the Everlasting Feast Hall would have the Water Block Dragon Pen and the Thousand Revolution Array. It turned out to have been arranged by Gu Yan¡¯er. She did everything she could and paid such extreme and painful price only to personally come to Earth.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s heart was not made of stone. He was emotionally moved, and the surging tides of emotions struck his heart. Having feelings of love and affections made him hate the Shade Demon Zhu Wushou. He vowed, that if one day he returned to the Immortal World, then Zhu Wushou had to pay the most miserable price.


    Standing beside whilst looking at Tang Xiu¡¯s appearance, Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s heart was filled with all sorts of various feelings. She knew the wishes of her Master. She also knew what obsessed her for thousands of years. And now, although her Master was still unconscious, but she was hugged by Grand Master in his arms. It made her wonder, could her losing consciousness Master feel happy?


    ¡°Yan¡¯er¡­ ¡­When can she wake up?¡±


    Tang Xiu turned to look at Ji Chimei and asked with a deep tone.


    Ji Chimei respectfully replied, ¡°The last time Master woke up was 3 months ago. According to the regular pattern in the past, she should wake up in 3 months also. Moreover, we are also running out of Soul Tranquilizer Stones, the remaining stones can only maintain Master¡¯s condition for two and a half years. If we can¡¯t obtain more Soul Tranquilizer Stone within this time window, I¡¯m afraid that Master, she¡­¡±


    Soul Tranquilizer Stone?


    The Soul Stone to calm down one¡¯s abnormal state of mind or soul, and to protect their life?


    Tang Xiu tightly gripped his fists while a firm glint flashed in his eyes. Not only did he have to think of every possible way to find Soul Tranquilizer Stones, but he must also do everything he could to seek Chrono Crystal and Demonic Revival Grass. The Soul Tranquilizer Stones were but only a temporary solution as it would not root out the core of the problem. Only after having found those two items or the other ones with the same effects would Gu Yan¡¯er be completely cured.


    ¡°Amongst the two of you, who knows about pill concocting?¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue and Ji Chimei glanced at each other. Then, Gu Xiaoxue immediately said, ¡°Only little do I know about it. Master knows about alchemy, and she taught me once in awhile. But I can¡¯t concoct any pills that are too precious.¡±


    Ji Chimei said, ¡°I can do that.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯ll stay with Gu Yan¡¯er for the rest of today and tonight. Tomorrow, you will accompany me to go back to Star City. I have a Blood Spiral Shell Flower that can be used as the main ingredient to concoct a Spirit Condensation Pill. As for the formula to concoct it, I will give it to you. If you need to find other medicinal ingredients, then you think up of every possible way to find them.¡±


    ¡°Spirit Condensation Pill?¡±


    A surprised and happy expression revealed in Ji Chimei¡¯s eyes.


    For thousands of years had she lived in the Immortal World, so she naturally knew about the preciousness and effects Spirit Condensation Pill had. If she really was able to concoct this pill, her Master¡¯s condition could be maintained for 3 to 5 years longer.


    ¡°Thank you so much, Venerable Lord.¡±


    Ji Chimei bent on her knees and kowtowed.


    Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°We¡¯re no longer in the Immortal World. From now on, be sure not to bow down and kneel to me in front of others. Besides, I¡¯m no longer the Supreme Tang Xiu from the Immortal World who was aloof and remote. I¡¯m now but a modern person who has to start over again from the beginning. Well, you can go out now!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Ji Chimei and Gu Xiaoxue replied respectfully.


    The temperature inside this exquisite pagoda was tens of degrees below zero. It was even colder several degrees compared to the cold storage warehouse. However, relying on his exuberant vitality and qi, Tang Xiu resisted it and stayed inside the exquisite pagoda for a whole day and a half. He had never seen her for thousands of years, and he could not bear to leave someone who had paid so much for him. Even though she was not conscious, but Tang Xiu still wanted to accompany her.


    In the next early morning¡­


    Tang Xiu went out of the exquisite pagoda and returned to the seacoast. Then, he saw Gu Xiaoxue and Ji Chimei who stood together as they had already waited for him for a long time.


    ¡°Grand Master, Ouyang Lulu has come.¡± Gu Xiaoxue respectfully said.


    Tang Xiu lightly said, ¡°Since she has come, she can save me a lot of trouble. Ji Chimei, do you have an ID Card?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Ji Chimei shook her head and said.


    Tang Xiu looked at Gu Xiaoxue and said, ¡°You help her get an ID card. Having it while we live on Earth will reduce a lot of trouble. Well, take me to see Ouyang Lulu.¡±


    ¡°Grand Master, do you want to make her your coachwoman again?¡±


    A full smiling expression was outlined on Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s mouth.


    Tang Xiu began to walk while he also asked back, ¡°Ji Chimei has yet to have ID card, don¡¯t you think that she can board her private jet and quickly rush with me to Star City?¡±


    ¡°As Grand Master says!¡±


    The smile on Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s face was getting thicker. She knew Ouyang Lulu¡¯s personality. She had long found and known that the spoiled little princess of the Ouyang Family was very proud and had a sky high pride, but her Grand Master was even able to tame her to be that docile. Was his charm that big? Or could he be the bane existence for Ouyang Lulu?


    A few minutes later¡­


    At the parking lot of the Everlasting Feast Hall, Ouyang Lulu¡¯s eyes opened wide as she stared with full of anger at Tang Xiu and shouted, ¡°WHAT? You want me to be your coachwoman again? In your dreams! This Great Aunt has always been the one who commands others, and never once have I let others command me! Tang Xiu, even if you say that you want to lay bare the great heaven, I will NOT do what you want!¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with a profound and meaningful tone, ¡°Lulu, I remember what you said before. We are friends. Shouldn¡¯t friends help each other? She doesn¡¯t have an ID card, and wanting to take a plane to Star City for her is an absolute nonsense. Otherwise, how about this time I, as a friend, sincerely asks you as my friend to rent your private jet?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡­¡±


    Ouyang Lulu did not expect that Tang Xiu would even use her words as a gun to strike at her. Her heart was full with unwillingness, but she was much more reluctant to lose Tang Xiu as a friend. Lacking other better options, she used her old trick again to struggle to get some of her face again, saying, ¡°Helping you actually can be done. But what I like the most is listening to praises. I can arrange your flight immediately and even personally escort you to Star City if I feel good enough with your praises.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Lulu, you are one of a kind beauty and very beautiful, you have a good bearing and everyone loves you, just like seeing a blooming flower to behold. You¡­ you have a Buddha heart. Now you can take us to Jingmen Island, right?¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue at the side could not help smiling as she made laughing sounds.


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s mouth twitched a few times as she said with a scowling anger, ¡°Tang Xiu! You are intentionally doing this, aren¡¯t you? You think that I have a bad memory, don¡¯t you? And playing as a slippery guy to trick me? I still clearly remember. Those are the words of praises you have said to me before! And¡­ those words are not bad.¡±


    She finally said ¡°those words are not bad.¡± And saying that with a very heavy tone.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent.


    Gu Xiaoxue then opened her mouth and said, ¡°Lulu, please don¡¯t make things difficult for Grand Master, would you? Besides, Elder Ji has important things to do with Grand Master in Star City. Come on, help them, okay?!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu gave Tang Xiu a big supercilious look as she said with a snort, ¡°Hmph, Consider it done. I won¡¯t bicker with you this time as to give Xiaoxue some face. Let¡¯s just go now! In any case, I still have unfinished discussions with Chu Yi, so I¡¯ve prepared to fly to Star City again; and bringing you along, is just convenient!¡±


    ¡°Thanks a lot!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said.


    It was already noon when Tang Xiu returned to Star City. He gave the Blood Spiral Shell Flower to Ji Chimei from his villa in South Gate Town and left her to find Ouyang Lulu on her own. Then, he took a cab to go to the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. He initially planned to go to Star City First High School early in the morning to report himself but decided to delay it. Moreover, since he was in Jingmen Island last night, he also missed the remedial plan for Yuan Chuling and the others.


    As he came to VIP ward, Tang Xiu looked at his mother who was about to eat her meal and asked, ¡°Mom, how¡¯s your body now? Do you still feel any pains or sores?¡±


    Su Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore. Xiu¡¯er how did you come? You¡¯re not busy with the school classes?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Actually, the curriculum at school has long been finished, and we¡¯re using the rest of the months for reviewing. My grades are quite good, and I have mastered the contents in the textbook. Also, teacher Han knows about your condition, so she thought that my study won¡¯t be delayed if I come out to the hospital to see you.¡±


    Su Lingyun smiled and said, ¡°Mmm, Mom knows. Yesterday evening your Teacher Han came here and also talked about your grades. She too raised her thumbs up for you! I know that my Xiu¡¯er has a promising future. Ah right, have you eaten yet? Care to have a meal with your Mom?¡±


    Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°I¡¯m not hungry Mom. Besides, I won¡¯t be long since I need to go back to school. I can eat later when I get there. Anyways, you said that Teacher Han came? But I didn¡¯t tell her your ward¡¯s number!¡±


    Su Lingyun said with a laugh, ¡°She should have asked around from the others!¡±


    Whilst they were speaking¡­


    The VIP ward¡¯s door sounded as President Li Hongji was standing there with a full smiling face. He was holding a documents¡¯ bag in his hand.


    ¡°Ah, President Li came! Please sit down quickly!¡±


    Su Lingyun did not have much time to eat, and she quickly struggled, wanting to get up.


    Li Hongji quickly said, ¡°Please, you need not such ceremony. Just sit well. Anyway, Tang Xiu, I have successfully managed to get you the permit for your medical practice certificate. The Health Bureau¡¯s higher ups were quite critical, though. But since I gave them my name as a guarantee, they happily gave their approval. Later on, you won¡¯t be just a doctor in a name but also in reality. So, when will you prepare to come and give medical service in our Chinese Medical Hospital?¡±


    Tang Xi took the portfolio. Then, he took and read the certificate from the inside and said, ¡°Wait until I¡¯ve finished taking my College Entrance Test first! Besides, Mom probably won¡¯t agree if I have to give any medical services now.¡±

 Chapter 144

    Chapter 144: Returning to School


    For Li Hongji, being able to hire Tang Xiu could be said to be already a good and happy occasion, a blessing that was bestowed by the heavens. He was quite satisfied after having gotten Tang Xiu¡¯s answer as he said with a nod, ¡°If anything, I¡¯ve already prepared an office for you, and you can use it after you come.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Li Hongji said with a smile, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll no longer disturb you.¡±


    Tang Xiu sent him off and asked his mother while holding the certificate portfolio, ¡°Mom, where are Banshou and the others? How come I haven¡¯t seen them?¡±


    Su Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°I told them to go back. I¡¯m a married woman here in this courtyard. It¡¯s quite improper if those big boys are to accompany me here everyday. Besides, the hospital sends two nurses to take care of me and my needs every day. They are already enough.¡±


    Tang Xiu released his Spiritual Sense and found that Banshou and Dingzi were still around and stayed in the nearby corridor which made him secretly feel satisfied. Then, he said, ¡°I got it. Since Mom is alright, then I¡¯ll go back to school now.¡±


    ¡°Well, Xiu¡¯er, you must study and review well. Do your best to pass the test to a famous university.¡± Su Lingyun quickly spoke. What concerned her the most was her son¡¯s study and academic issues.


    ¡°Rest assured, Mom!¡± Tang Xiu gave his guarantee and smiled. Then, he left the hospital.


    At Star City First High School¡­


    Han Qingwu was sitting in her office with an angry expression all over her face. By now, Tang Xiu¡¯s leave of absence had been due, and it was time for him to go back to school. However, that fellow had yet to come to school today. She really could not figure out as to why he hated to stay at school. Even if his grades were good, but he should also understand the truth that ¡°the weapons should be whetted before going into battle, and even if the weapons were dull, it would also be able to shine¡±.


    ¡°Um? Teacher Han, you didn¡¯t have lunch?¡±


    The other class¡¯s teacher-in-charge who came back to fetch his key, found Han Qingwu still in the room as he immediately smiled and asked her.


    ¡°I¡¯m already full with anger!¡± Han Qingwu replied with a foul mood.


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s the matter?¡± That teacher-in-charge was surprised.


    Han Qingwu knew that she was losing her manner when she spoke just now. She quickly said, ¡°It¡¯s not any important, it¡¯s just only one student. Teacher Li, you¡¯re going to have a lunch, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯ll go to the cafeteria and meet you there later.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    That teacher-in-charge could tell that Han Qingwu did not want to talk about this topic, so he immediately nodded and left.


    ¡°Knock, knock¡­¡±


    A few minutes later, the office¡¯s door was knocked¡­


    Han Qingwu looked up toward the door. She instantly jumped from her working chair as she saw that it was Tang Xiu who stood outside. She suddenly walked toward him and fiercely shouted, ¡°Tang Xiu, are you still a student or not? We have obviously agreed that you have to attend the class today, no? And you just came now? Do you know you were absent from morning class?!!¡±


    Tang Xiu helplessly said, ¡°Teacher Han, you¡¯re way too angry. Could you calm down and hear me out first? You can speak again after that, okay?¡±


    Han Qingwu angrily replied, ¡°What? You still got things to spit out to justify your class skipping? Break your fingers and count for yourself. Since the last time you were hospitalized to present, how many times have you attended the class?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Teacher Han, you put me in Class 10 because you trusted me. Certainly, that¡¯s also because we have some mutual affections. Have I ever shamed you ever since I entered Class 10? I did have very important things to take care of that made me unable to attend the classes. I know that I¡¯ll face the College Entrance Test soon; and I do know the priorities of the matters, which one is more important and which one is less important. Therefore, you don¡¯t need to always stress out that I was running away to ditch school.¡±


    Han Qingwu angrily snapped, ¡°Then, you used the trust I gave you, so you can indulge yourself?¡±


    Tang Xiu emphasized, ¡°If I were to condone myself, I could have asked the school for my leave of absence. Moreover, even the principal would have no reason but to approve if he knew the reasons for my leave of absence. Your heart is shrouded with your anger right now. That I can understand. But I hope you put it down and hear me out for my explanation. Besides, you¡¯re the teacher-in-charge; the one who are responsible for the class. Shouldn¡¯t you have this kind of spirit and conduct?¡±


    In her extreme anger, Han Qingwu was instead smiling as she pointed at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Well, well, well, since you said you got justified reasons, I¡¯ll hear you out. Do spit it out!¡±


    Tang Xiu raised the portfolio of documents in his hand and slowly said, ¡°I¡¯m too intelligent, and studying is way too easy for me. So, I¡¯ve been rummaging some medical books to pass the time. Some time awhile ago, when the school gave me a week of vacation, I went to Jingmen Island and accidentally saved someone due to circumstances. The person was a little girl with a strange illness, and that little girl¡¯s mother had taken her daughter to visit famous doctors everywhere. Even the President of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital was at a loss and was unable to cure her.


    During the time when my mother was hospitalized, the President of Chinese Medical Hospital, Li Hongji, knew the matter about me curing that little girl. He personally invited me, hoping that I would be able to work for the Chinese Medical Hospital. He even gave me extraordinary benefits for it. But since I have no intention to become a doctor for my future life, I declined and turned down his offer.¡±


    Han Qingwu said with a sneer, ¡°You fabricated it, again and again¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu forcefully handed the portfolio to Han Qingwu¡¯s as he said, ¡°Whether you believe it or not, I did turn down his offer. But he did not give up and pleaded repeatedly. Finally, I gave him my word that I¡¯ll give medical services in the Chinese Medical Hospital after I attend the College Entrance Test. But you do know that hospital doctors need to apply and be tested to have their medical practice certificate. And this, this is the certificate he helped me to get.¡±


    Han Qingwu opened the portfolio with a skeptical expression. But when she saw the seal on the certificate that was issued by the Health Bureau, a look of disbelief filled her eyes.


    ¡°You¡­ is this certificate real?¡±


    Tang Xiu took out his mobile phone and scrolled Li Hongji¡¯s number. Then, he handed it to Han Qingwu and said, ¡°This is the phone number of the Chinese Medical Hospital¡¯s President. If you don¡¯t believe it, you can call him now to confirm and verify my statement. In addition, if you have doubt about this number, you can look for his number through your contacts yourself to verify it whether it¡¯s the same or not.¡±


    Han Qingwu looked at the phone number and was silent for a moment. Her furious smile and face slowly faded as she looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°I won¡¯t make any calls to verify it. I choose to believe you. I won¡¯t delve more further into your class-ditching this time. But you are not to ask for any leave of absence again later, and stay honestly at school to study and review your schoolwork.¡±


    ¡°I promise!¡± Tang Xiu said without hesitation.


    Han Qingwu asked, ¡°Then your evening¡¯s¡­ ¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Two nights before, I have given Yuan Chuling and the others the remedial make up for their lessons. I believe you¡¯ve already asked them about that. If you think that I don¡¯t need to give them any more tutoring, I¡¯ll also comply to that naturally, so I won¡¯t have to leave and give them the tutoring at night.¡±


    Han Qingwu said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you the vacation.¡±


    She was not a fool. She did inquire about the result of Tang Xiu¡¯s private tutoring on the make-up lessons for Yuan Chuling and the other three students. The results made it hard for her to believe it, since the four of them praised Tang Xiu and stressed out that they benefitted greatly from it. The Class 10 that she was in charge, was not the class for top students, and their academic performances were also only average in general. If Tang Xiu¡¯s remedial plan was really effective for them to face the College Entrance Test, maybe their scores would really improve by a lot.


    Tang Xiu took back the portfolio from Han Qingwu¡¯s hands and spoke with a rising tone, ¡°Teacher Han, I just told you that the Chinese Medical Hospital¡¯s President originally invited me to have lunch together, but since I refused, I have yet to have a meal, so I¡¯m starving now! I¡¯ll leave you with your work as I¡¯ll go to the cafeteria to have lunch.¡±


    ¡°I am coming too!¡± Han Qingwu immediately said.


    Tang Xiu replied with confused expression, ¡°Didn¡¯t classes just end? Shouldn¡¯t you have already had your lunch?¡±


    Han Qingwu snapped at Tang Xiu and snorted, ¡°I was too full because of my anger for you, how could I have the mood to eat? But now after hearing your explanation, just say that I can accept those reason of yours, so my anger also has disappeared. Since I have yet to eat, don¡¯t tell me that I¡¯m not hungry too!¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­¡± Tang Xiu let out a forced smile and shook his head.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu and Han Qingwu arrived at the school¡¯s cafeteria. And they suddenly became the focus of attention of countless teachers and students, causing quite the sensation.


    ¡°Heavens! Isn¡¯t that Tang Xiu? He has skipped school for so many days and he unexpectedly came to school today? How come the school hasn¡¯t kicked him out? This bad rotten apple?¡±


    ¡°Man, I really wanna punch that kid. He even lines up with Teacher Han, and seeing that they brought their meal from the kitchen to the table, they should be having their lunch together, right? Damn, Teacher Han is my goddess, how could she have lunch with Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Although Yuan Chuling and Cheng Yannan have spoken a lot of good things about him, but I still think that this kid isn¡¯t that good. And Teacher Han is really blind to have lunch together with him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so damn envious. This is too hateful. Teacher Han has never had any meal together with any men in the cafeteria. This damn brat unexpectedly has such a good fortune. This really makes me furious. How come it¡¯s not me having lunch together with Teacher Han?!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    No matter in his previous life or in this life, for numerous times was Tang Xiu exposed and suffered from others¡¯ attention. Therefore, he just ignored those pairs of eyes with curiosity and anger. He looked behind him at Han Qingwu, who was busy carrying her meal from the kitchen to the table, and paid them. Naturally as it should be by rights, he chose to accept it.


    He just considered it that it was his compensation after she reprimanded him!


    Tang Xiu giddily sat at the opposite of Han Qingwu as at the same time he picked up the chopsticks and was about to eat, a lot of thoughts filled his mind.


    When he had only eaten half his meal, Yuan Chuling, Cheng Yannan, Xia Wanfen, and Li Xiaoqian rushed in a hurry to the cafeteria.


    ¡°Whoops! I did wonder who could have such a good fortune to have lunch together with Teacher Han! And it turned out to be you, Eldest Brother! I did say that you might have come back. Anyways, we went to your house yesterday, but you unfortunately weren¡¯t there and we couldn¡¯t even get through your phone. So, about tonight, you won¡¯t ditch us again to be hanged dry under the sun, right?¡± Yuan Chuling sat down next to Tang Xiu as he wrapped his hand around Tang Xiu¡¯s shoulder.


    Tang Xiu pushed his arm and lightly said, ¡°Yup, we¡¯ll continue our evening session.¡±


    A bright light flashed from Cheng Yannan¡¯s eyes as she excitedly said, ¡°It¡¯s good then! We¡¯ll be there on time. And we¡¯ve already prepared all the third years¡¯ textbooks this time.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Got it. If you have no other things to say, you first go back to the classroom! I¡¯ll be back after having finished my lunch.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Cheng Yannan nodded. Seeing that Yuan Chuling looked like he was about to talk again, she pulled him directly and walked toward the outside of the cafeteria in big strides.


    Han Qingwu¡¯s eyebrows were raised as she slowly said, ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯re quite welcomed and accepted! I hope that your tutoring to make up for their lessons is really effective!¡±

 Chapter 145

    Chapter 145: A Nobody


    After finishing his lunch, Tang Xiu returned back to his classroom.


    10 minutes before the first afternoon class began, Kang Xia called. She said that the recruitment for the company¡¯s staff had ended, and the overall framework organization for the company also had been completed. She also texted Tang Xiu the address of the rented building for the company office.


    Since it was very difficult for Tang Xiu to go out during the day, he told Kang Xia that he could only go out during the free time given by the school. After the call ended, the first thing he remembered in his mind was the issue with the health care products.


    He had the formula for the products. But if he wanted to manufacture those health care products, he needed to match those with Traditional Chinese Medicine ingredients as well as making the adjustment for the efficacy and effects. At present, it was not only Kang Xia who was waiting for the sample, but also Long Zhenglin. After all, only after the initial stage product development had been completed could they begin to start the entire production lines. Either it was packaging, marketing, sales, and the rest of the plans.


    Tang Xiu spent the three afternoon classes with his mind wandering. His brain constantly calculated the proportion and estimation of the health care products¡¯ formulas, the bottle capacity numbers, the would-be problems for the bottle packaging size and effects, and so on.


    ¡°Ring, ring, ring¡­¡±


    Along with the end of the last afternoon class, Tang Xiu packed up his things and prepared to go to the building Kang Xia had rented for the Magnificent Tang Corporation office. Although he had handed the authority to manage the company to Kang Xia, however, for whatever it is, he was the secret Big Boss behind Magnificent Tang Corporation. So it was unreasonable if he did not know about the company¡¯s location.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, I¡¯ll go with you. I wanna eat at your house.¡±


    A trace of an evil smile hung on Yuan Chuling face as he spoke and let out a mischievous laughter.


    Tang Xiu snappily spoke to him, ¡°Hey, my house is not a restaurant, go to your house if you wanna eat!¡±


    Thickening his face, Yuan Chuling said, ¡°Who says your house is not a restaurant? You do know I¡¯ve been there! Besides, your housekeeper¡­ ah, who is it again? Ah, that Elder Sister Mu. Her cooking skill is really damn good! If I don¡¯t crave the meals she makes, I surely will have wronged my mouth and stomach!¡±


    ¡°I am coming too!¡±


    Cheng Yannan, who had been hearing their conversation from the front row, turned around and said with a beaming smile.


    Tang Xiu let out a forced smile and said, ¡°You¡¯ll have to wait for me to take care of something. It will be quite a long time before I go home.¡±


    Yuan Chuling replied with a puzzled expression, ¡°Where are you going Eldest Brother?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the Medicinal Herbs Market first, and to another place afterward.¡±


    Yuan Chuling said, ¡°Eldest Brother, why do I feel like that your whereabouts and actions are very mysterious recently? Could it be that have you done something big in secret? That¡¯s not good! I must go with you. I¡¯m not afraid of not having any meals in the party, but having a meal while you are starving is much more appetizing.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I get the same feeling!¡± Cheng Yannan added.


    Tang Xiu helplessly said, ¡°The two of you are just like the dogskin plasters. I get it. If you really wanna follow me, then fine. But you must never tell even a soul about my business. I don¡¯t want anything to be spread out to other students.¡±


    ¡°Fine!¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡±


    Cheng Yannan and Yuan Chuling answered at the same time.


    After leaving the school, Tang Xiu caught a cab as the three of them rushed to the Star City Medicinal Herbs Market. He bought a lot of medicinal ingredients according to the composition of the Traditional Chinese Medicine¡¯s formula and prescriptions for the health care products.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, what are you buying so many medicinal herbs for? Are you gonna make some hot pot?¡± Whilst carrying a big bag full of medicinal ingredients Tang Xiu had bought, he asked with a confused expression.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Some are for the hot pot soup, and some are for other uses. Don¡¯t ask about this matter now, you¡¯ll know about this naturally later.¡±


    Yuan Chuling flipped his eyelids and snapped, ¡°Eh, Eldest Brother, you don¡¯t need to be that mysterious, okay? I could really be hooked by my curiosity, you know!¡±


    For a moment, Tang Xiu was silent and slowly said, ¡°If you wanna know the answer, then less asking, listen and watch more! Only then will you get the answer! Anyway, it¡¯s late already. Let¡¯s go back now!¡±


    Star City Oriental Gold Seat.


    The place was the most prosperous business and commercial center in the entire Star City, and it was only a block away from Long¡¯s Dining Hall. The high-rise building had nearly 50 floors, and most of the major group companies rented offices here. Even if they did not set up their General Headquarters here, they would also rent one floor as their Branch Offices.


    The Magnificent Tang Corporation rented the 41st and 42nd floor for a 2 years¡¯ contract with each floor¡¯s area about 6,000 square meters. Whether it was the offices or the public working area of the office, they were exceptionally bright and spacious.


    Inside the elevator¡­


    Yuan Chuling looked at Tang Xiu with a strange expression. His family also opened a Branch Office in this edifice. However, the subsidiary company was running a marketing business and not their core business. It was the advertising company which was set up by his mother.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, where do you wanna take us?¡±


    After hesitating for a while, Yuan Chuling finally could not endure it anymore and asked.


    Tang Xiu secretly turned supercilious inside. Yuan Chuling was truly impatient and he knew that he would not be able to hold his curiosity and ask. But, Tang Xiu neither had the plan nor intention to explain, and faintly reminded him, ¡°Do you remember what I¡¯ve said before? Less asking, listen and watch more.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Yuan Chuling raised his middle finger to him, and then turned to the side with a twisted face.


    The elevator quickly rose to the 41st floor. When the elevator¡¯s door opened, the delicate and lovely lolita¡ªAndy¡ªwas waiting just outside with a smiling expression. The instant she saw Tang Xiu, she gave a 90 degree bow, vividly revealing the deep curve of her chest¡¯s big weapons through her wide-open collar.


    ¡°Hi, Boss!¡±


    Tang Xiu slowly nodded. He stepped out of the elevator and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Kang Xia?¡±


    With sparkling eyes, Andy gave out a shallow smile and said, ¡°Chief Kang is in her office. We¡¯ve properly cleaned up and arranged this 41st floor, so we can use it temporarily. As for the 42nd floor, we¡¯ve just started to clean it up. We¡¯ll be able to use it in the next few days.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I feel relieved that you¡¯ve managed these things.¡±


    The little smile on Andy¡¯s small face was getting thicker as she cheerfully replied, ¡°Thanks for the trust, Boss! We¡¯ll definitely complete it!¡±


    Tang Xiu did not speak again. As for Yuan Chuling, he stared at Andy with eyes opened wide as a saucer, and then looked at his Eldest Brother with his mouth opened wide and a shocked expression. He did not pay even the slightly attention to the dialogue between Tang Xiu and Andy. But Cheng Yannan actually could hear their words clearly.


    Boss? Tang Xiu was actually the Boss here?


    Wasn¡¯t he obviously a high schooler? How come he suddenly became a Boss in this place?


    With a look of disbelief, Cheng Yannan looked at Tang Xiu as a familiar name then emerged inside her mind: _¡®Kang Xia?¡¯_


    _¡®Where have I heard that name before?¡¯_


    Cheng Yannan slightly glanced to the side and found that Yuan Chuling was in a daze as he stared at Andy without even blinking. She immediately hit him with her elbow fiercely. When he finally sobered up, she asked in a whisper, ¡°Have you heard this ¡®Kang Xia¡¯ name?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Yuan Chuling asked back with a confused expression.


    Cheng Yannan gave him a big supercilious look before she whispered again, ¡°I said that ¡®Kang Xia¡¯ name, have you heard about the name? It¡¯s somewhat quite familiar, I think.¡±


    Yuan Chuling quickly swallowed his saliva as his eyes swept over Andy¡¯s body again. He shook his head and said, ¡°No. There are so many people with the same name. Actually, I haven¡¯t heard about that name. What is it? Is there something wrong?¡±


    _¡®Pervert!¡¯_


    With her keen observation, Cheng Yannan could see to what direction Yuan Chuling¡¯s eyes stared at to. She grunted inside and spoke no longer.


    Inside the General Manager¡¯s Office¡­


    Kang Xia was sitting at her desk and looked at the documents in her hands. In front of her, Wei Zhongfeng was holding a stack of documents and said, ¡°As for the factory site, I¡¯ve sent some people to survey it. On the list, there are three factories, one of which was a private workshop, while the other two belong to a cosmetics company. From the survey results, I think that the private workshop is better than the other two. However, I haven¡¯t gone there to survey it myself on-site, so I¡¯m not sure about the details.¡±


    Kang Xia said, ¡°I¡¯ll go there tomorrow personally. As for you, you have other tasks to do.¡±


    Wei Zhongfeng asked with a puzzled expression, ¡°What tasks?¡±


    Kang Xia said, ¡°Although the Boss has assigned you to the Sales Department as a front basic-level sales staff, but we¡¯re precisely in need of more staff at present. So I think that the more capable people should do most work. Firstly, you are to help me manage something else. If the results of the investigation from those people I¡¯ve sent are valid, there should be a Silver Orchid Security Company in the provincial capital. Whether it¡¯s credibility or ability, they are extraordinarily good. Tomorrow you¡¯ll go to this Security Company and conduct an on-site survey. If you think that they are good, you¡¯re to hire 20 security personnel from them.¡±


    Wei Zhongfeng was puzzled and said, ¡°Hiring security personnel now?¡±


    Kang Xia nodded and said, ¡°We will soon establish a factory, so the security issues are our top priority. During daytime when we¡¯re still here, we won¡¯t have to worry about anything, but when we leave at night and someone breaks into our office to steal our company¡¯s important data, then our actions later will turn extremely passive.¡±


    ¡°Let me take care of this security issue!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s voice resounded from outside of the door.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu¡ªwith Andy behind him¡ªwalked into the office, followed by Yuan Chuling and Cheng Yannan.


    ¡°Boss!!¡±


    ¡°Hi, Boss!¡±


    Kang Xia and Wei Zhongfeng greeted.


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and saw that Kang Xia stood up from her desk. He bluntly sat on it and knocked on the table with his fingers, saying, ¡°Kang Xia is correct. The company¡¯s important and confidential data must not be stolen. And the most important for this issue is that we must have powerful security personnel. So, I¡¯ll handle those needed 20 security personnel.¡±


    With an astonished expression, Kang Xia asked, ¡°Boss, you can find people that are better than the Silver Orchid Security Company?¡±


    Tang Xiu took out his mobile, dialed a number and asked, ¡°Xiaoxue, how is the security team of the Everlasting Feast Hall? Are they credible and trustworthy?¡±


    ¡°Grand Master, half of our restaurant¡¯s security personnel are experts who are trained by Master. Although they are not people who take the cultivation path, however, their martial art¡¯s foundation is very deep. Each and every one of them is comparable with those of the martial art Grandmasters.¡±


    ¡°How many people do we have?¡±


    ¡°Half of them are trained by Master. As for the rest, they¡¯re trained by me.¡±


    ¡°Send me 20 men. Have them rush to Star City tomorrow and wait in the villa area of South Gate Town. I¡¯ve set up a company and need trustworthy security personnel.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Tang Xiu hung the phone as he looked at Kang Xia and said, ¡°I¡¯ll send those security personnel to you tomorrow. Give me the current progress report of the company.¡±


    Kang Xia looked at Tang Xiu deeply and said, ¡°Since we¡¯ve solved the security personnel issue, we are now lacking a factory. We¡¯ve investigated a dozen factories related to cosmetic businesses and finally have screened out three of them. I¡¯m preparing to survey those three tomorrow personally, after which, I¡¯ll make the plan accordingly¡­¡±

 Chapter 146

    Chapter 146: Enemies Are Bound to Meet Again


    Along with the reports Kang Xia gave him, Tang Xiu gradually understood the development progress of the Magnificent Tang Corporation. It made him quite satisfied since Kang Xia was truly a capable person. Only a short time had passed but the company was already ready to start the initial stage of the plan.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done a good job!¡±


    Tang Xiu praised her and then looked at Wei Zhongfeng.


    Kang Xia quickly said, ¡°Boss, since we are in dire need of staff now, I¡¯m planning to have Wei Zhongfeng help with some of the work. Once all the issues in the company have returned back to its track, I¡¯ll send him back to the Sales Department.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Wei Zhongfeng, do you understand the intention behind my decision for you before? If you really do understand it, maybe I¡¯ll change my decision and directly put you into the company¡¯s top management.¡±


    For a moment, Wei Zhongfeng was silent, and then respectfully said:


    ¡°It¡¯s to refine and temper myself.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°True. I¡¯m very pleased with your answer. It takes thousands of hammerings and refining to temper iron into steel. It seems that what Kang Xia has said was correct, you really are a talented person. Anyway, as such, Kang Xia will re-arrange your position.¡±


    A trace of happiness was revealed on Wei Zhongfeng¡¯s face as he quickly nodded and said, ¡°Thank you so much, Boss!¡±


    Tang Xiu waved, hinting for Wei Zhongfeng to leave. Then, he got up and went to sit on the office¡¯s sofa as he casually waved toward the dumbstruck Yuan Chuling and the frowned-in-a-daze Cheng Yannan. He then spoke to Kang Xia, who sat on the opposite side, ¡°I did hire you to work for me. And I also have given you the rights and privileges to manage the company according to your wishes. However, there are some requests I have for you. If you can do it, it will prove that my evaluation and judgements are not mistaken. If you can¡¯t, that means your ability is in question!¡±


    Kang Xia¡¯s expression changed and replied seriously, ¡°Please say!¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you 3 to 4 months of time before September 1st. You must complete all the preparations for the first stage of the company. The factory for the manufacturing line has to be completed and we must have a large number of products in stock. So, my first request for you is to have our products hit the sales network and markets nationwide in September.¡±


    ¡°So soon?¡±


    Kang Xia¡¯s face turned blank for a moment as she replied with an astonished expression.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I am short on money and am in a dire need of it.¡±


    For the next two minutes, Kang Xiu was thinking, as a firm expression then flashed from her eyes. She nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll do everything to achieve it according to your request!¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°My second request is: I hope we can have our own large-scale factory within six months. Not just only a cosmetics factory, but also for the health care product.¡±


    ¡°I can do it!¡±


    Kang Xia answered with a resolute tone.


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Third request: within 2 years, our Magnificent Tang Corporation must move from this edifice to our own building and establish our very own General Headquarters. And we must have at least have no less than 10 digits of liquidity in our company¡¯s public fiscal account.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡±


    Kang Xia nodded repeatedly


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Fourth request; which is also the last one; I want the Magnificent Tang Corporation to enter in the top 50 domestic enterprises and open the gateway to the international market within these 4 years.¡±


    4 years?


    Kang Xia was silent.


    She knew very well about how strong those enterprises in the top 50 domestic enterprises were. The probability for them being capable to become one of the top 50 domestic enterprises within the next 4 years, was nearly nil. However, the products Tang Xiu had given her were really defying common sense. She couldn¡¯t estimate as to what scale the company would develop to 4 years later.


    ¡°How is it? Can you achieve it or not?¡±


    Tang Xiu asked with a tranquil expression.


    Kang Xia shook her head and said, ¡°For a 100% guarantee, I cannot give you that. But as for going all out to achieve that, I will do my best. Also, I don¡¯t have the slightest worry for opening and entering the international market. When our products have been listed and create a huge sensation after they hit the market, I believe that those foreign major cosmetics enterprises will all be flocking to us when that time comes. Not only will they try to find every possible way to get the products from us to sell them, they will even try every possible means to annex our company.¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed with a sneer, ¡°If they really have the ability to do that, then bring it on!¡±


    Kang Xia hesitatingly said, ¡°Boss, if you insist on having our company not listed in the stock market, they won¡¯t have any means to get our company¡¯s shares. It will also be impossible for them to buy out our company.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Then, we won¡¯t list our company on the stock market.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    At the side, as Yuan Chuling was sitting on the sofa, his heart had long been moved from Andy to Kang Xia. He had a kind of feeling that coming to this place was as though coming to a country of women. Moreover, it was a country from the world of fairy maidens. That Andy was the most good-looking Lolita ever, and her western-foreigner looks was a big killer. But Kang Xia¡¯s beauty was stunningly breathtaking and could stir the soul. He had seen the first beauty in the capital, but even if that woman was to be compared with Kang Xia, she could not even reach half of her beauty.


    ¡°Pa¡­¡±


    The teacup in Cheng Yannan¡¯s hand, who was sitting next to him, fell to the floor and broke into pieces. However, she didn¡¯t seem to be aware of it as a look of disbelief hung over her beautiful face as she stared at Kang Xia. Her lips opened and closed for a few times, but not even the slightest voice came out.


    Tang Xiu frowned and asked her, ¡°Cheng Yannan, what happened to you?¡±


    Cheng Yannan turned her head with difficulty. After her sight moved and caught Tang Xiu within her line of vision, only then did she reply with a rushing breath, ¡°Only now have I finally figured it out, as to why I felt that Kang Xia¡¯s name sounds familiar. Isn¡¯t she that outstanding genius of the business world, the Kang Xia who came back from the World Financial Center, Wall Street?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded.


    With an interested expression, Kang Xia looked at Cheng Yannan as she said with a smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that my name would be that famous! Even this beautiful young girl also has heard my given name. I¡¯m extremely honored and flattered!¡±


    Cheng Yannan stood up suddenly as she shouted with a disbelieving expression, ¡°How could it be possible¡­ for you to work under Tang Xiu? A-aren¡¯t you the business genius a lot of domestic major enterprises have always been wanting to hire? But you, you¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu asked faintly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You think that I¡¯m not qualified enough to hire Kang Xia?¡±


    In that instance, Cheng Yannan immediately realized that her words were improper and quickly said, ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant! I was just shocked that Kang Xia would unexpectedly come to Star City, to even work for you, that is! Tang Xiu, you have no idea. Even my Second Uncle has repeatedly visited and personally invited her three times, only to get refused.¡±


    With a ruminating expression, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Who¡¯s your Second Uncle?¡±


    Cheng Yannan said, ¡°Cheng Jianguo.¡±


    Kang Xia said with a smile, ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re Cheng Jianguo¡¯s niece. Your uncle did visit me thrice. Hoping that I would go to your Cheng Family¡¯s Company Group to take over the CEO position. But your family intervenes too much in the company¡¯s matter and put a lot of constraint on me.¡±


    Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Is the Cheng Family very famous?¡±


    Kang Xia said, ¡°Yes. They¡¯re quite famous. The Cheng Family does have a spot amongst those big families in Beijing. Not only do they have quite a big influence in the political circle, they also have quite a particular standing in the business world. If my memory serves me correctly, Cheng Jianguo also acts as the Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce for the Northern Region.¡±


    With an astonished expression, Tang Xiu looked at Cheng Yannan and asked, ¡°Since your Cheng Family is so famous in the capital, how come you moved to Star City and are studying here? Also, why would your older sister work in the Star City¡¯s Criminal Investigation Division? By reason and your status background, you would have developed better if you stayed in Beijing.¡±


    Cheng Yannan was silent.


    As the saying goes, each and every family has to go through their own problems.


    The Cheng Family indeed was a big family with a big enterprise and a lot of assets. However, they too had a lot of family members that had the rights to speak. If it were not for the intervention from her grandfather, the Cheng Family could have been torn apart. There were a lot of schemes and underhanded conducts for the struggling of wealth and power within the family, all of which were particularly quite severe. Unwilling to become a sacrificial victim for political purposes, her older sister rejected an arranged marriage proposed by her family and moved to Star City, and got a job relying on her own ability. As for her, she followed her older sister to move here.


    Tang Xiu was not the kind of person who liked to get to the bottom of anyone¡¯s matters and secrets. Upon seeing that Cheng Yannan didn¡¯t want to say anything, he no longer pried further about it, and instead, got up and looked at Kang Xia. ¡°Anyway, I still have things to do tonight, so I¡¯ll go home first. About those words I¡¯ve said, I would feel at ease in giving this company to you to manage.¡±


    A few minutes later¡­


    Along with Yuan Chuling and Cheng Yannan, Tang Xiu left the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s office. Not only must he give tutoring courses to Yuan Chuling and the other three tonight, he also must use the time to study and prepare the health care products.


    At the gate of the Oriental Gold Seat¡­


    A Mercedes-Benz slowly stopped as a woman with black high-heels, silk stockings, floral skirt, and pink sunglasses came out from the back seat. On the other side of the car, a young man with a reluctant expression on his face also slowly got off.


    ¡°Big Sis, how many times do I have to tell you? I really neither have the talent nor the interest in business! I¡¯m usually fine in getting second-hand goods blindly, and selling them for some pocket money. But if I have to manage a big business of our family¡¯s, that¡¯s simply impossible! Please cut me some slack, will you? Besides, those two guys, Hu Wanjun and Xue Renfei, have been waiting for me at the Super 4S Auto shop!¡± Zhang Yongjin rubbed his shiny head as he spoke with a helpless and desperate expression.


    Zhang Deqin narrowed her eyes and said lightly, ¡°Fine! You can go to that Super 4S Auto shop. But within two minutes after you leave, I will cancel all the bank cards you have and cut you off from your sources of income. Besides, a few days ago a pregnant female college student came to our house and I¡¯ll disclose this news to our parents. And you, you gotta prepare yourself to become a groom!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Zhang Yongjin¡¯s body trembled, and he quickly pulled up a smiling expression, saying, ¡°Big Sis! My blood sister wouldn¡¯t do such dirty moves, would she? Fine then. I¡¯ll listen to everything you say. If I don¡¯t go to work for the company, then I¡¯ll stay at home. No problem. Now, what do you want me to do?¡±


    A smile outlined on Zhang Deqin¡¯s lips as she said, ¡°Remember, this is what you wanted. I have never forced you to do it, understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Yes! Yes!¡±


    Even though he secretly rained down criticism and curses inside his heart, Zhang Yongjin did not even dare to spit them out with his mouth. Ever since he was still an infant, his parents were too busy, and did not have much time to educate or control him. But his 7 or 8 year older Big Sis had become his important guardian, and the only one who was able to control all the things he had, either the important or minor matters.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Suddenly, Zhang Yongjin¡¯s eyes focused on one direction as his pace also abruptly stopped. His eyes fixated on Tang Xiu who had just come out from the inside.


    ¡°Enemies are really destined to meet again, huh!¡±


    Zhang Yongjin coldly snorted. Although he did have some fear toward Tang Xiu, but since his Big Sis was with him at this moment, his courage was boosted up.


    On the other hand, Zhang Deqin could keenly sense her younger brother¡¯s unusual acts. She followed his line of sight as her complexion also slightly changed afterward. Nowadays, there were only a few young men that could leave a deep impression on her, and Tang Xiu was definitely one of them. She also recalled the last gambling house she had with Long Zhengyu. If it were not because this young man in front of her, she definitely would have been the final winner.

 Chapter 147

    Chapter 147: A Loud and Clear Slap on the Face


    When he saw the Zhang Deqin and Zhang Yongjin siblings, Tang Xiu¡¯s expression was as tranquil as always. He just threw them a glance and directly chose to ignore them. He had taught Zhang Yongjin a lesson many times and believed that he had already given him a very big lesson. As long as they didn¡¯t provoke him, neither would he pay attention to this kind of Young Master playboy.


    Coming out to this world as an infant and becoming a man of the house was but a lesson about life skills in itself.


    Although the saying was true, however, even if ones had life skills, yet without diligently putting a great effort to create their own future, they would only turn up to be a good for nothing person, and ultimately would be very difficult for them to be a great person. And Zhang Yongjin, in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes, belonged to this group.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, right? We meet again.¡±


    Zhang Deqin walked forward a few steps, blocking the path of Tang Xiu and his two friends.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brow wrinkled and said with indifferent expression, ¡°Is there something you need?¡±


    Zhang Deqin said, ¡°I¡¯ve sent someone to investigate you. A chicken who flew from the coop as a phoenix just because you have some tricks. Even Long Zhengyu and Long Zhenglin think highly and look up to you. However, after I got the investigation report, it said that you have bullied my younger brother, is this true?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes swept at Zhang Yongjin and replied with an indifferent expression, ¡°Your parents have not taught him properly, so I taught him on their behalf. Got something wrong with that?¡±


    ¡°YOU¡­¡±


    Zhang Deqin was furious. The thing she disliked the most was to have others commenting that their parents did not teach them discipline. She knew that inside her younger brother¡¯s heart, it was also taboo words for others to say about them.


    As expected, a furious expression appeared on Zhang Yongjin¡¯s face. Rushing in big strides in front of Tang Xiu, he raised his hand and pointed at him as he threw out curses out of rage, ¡°Who the fuck do you think you are? Just because you¡¯re powerful in a fight do you think you got the rights to be so fucking arrogant? Not even you have the right to criticize anything about how my parents have taught me!¡±


    Tang Xiu secretly shook his head and said, ¡°To be honest, I really don¡¯t want to pay any attention to the both of you. So long as you don¡¯t provoke me, neither will I take on anything you throw at me. I politely advise you one thing: I¡¯ll walk on a single plank wooden bridge of mine, while you take your broad highway to walk on. Next time, just like the river water don¡¯t mix with the well water, we need not to cross with each other. Otherwise, even if from the little background you come from, I can make you regret it.¡±


    Zhang Deqin was extremely incensed as she laughed out of anger and coldly said, ¡°What a big tone you have! Even Long Zhengyu would never dare to say such a thing to me. I really wanna know, from where such a country bumpkin like you to have this courage?¡±


    With a hostile expression, Yuan Chuling took a step forward and looked at Zhang Deqin as he spoke with a cold snort, ¡°Hmph, the Big Sis of the Zhang Family does have an arrogant tone eh!? Tang Xiu is my brother. If you dare to make some trouble for him, don¡¯t blame I, your Father, if I hit you. Even your very parents will never know about it.¡±


    Zhang Deqin and Zhang Yongjin¡¯s attention was completely focused on Tang Xiu. They were not aware that behind him was Yuan Chuling. At the moment they recognized his identity, a trace of fear was revealed on their faces. However, since their Zhang Family was as powerful as the Yuan Family, they also did not fear as much.


    ¡°No wonder you dare to be so arrogant and domineering in front of me. It turns out that apart from the Long Zhengyu brothers, you still have the support from the oldest son of the Yuan Family eh?! Tang Xiu, are you only a turtle who forever stands behind others¡¯ back?¡±


    ¡°Pa¡­!¡±


    Tang Xiu moved a step and instantly appeared in front of Zhang Deqin and slapped her face.


    Zhang Deqin staggeringly stepped back a few steps. She raised her hands to cover her red cheek as a look of disbelief was cast on her face. Never once had she ever dreamt that Tang Xiu would unexpectedly be so overbearing. Without even words, he immediately moved to hit her. Only at this moment did she regretting not have taken any bodyguards with her.


    However, she reacted quickly. Her eyes immediately fixated toward the edifice¡¯s security personnel nearby and shouted, ¡°SECURITY! I¡¯m the Zhang Group¡¯s General Manager, Zhang Deqin. Some people have committed a violent crime here, why the hell are you standing still?¡±


    Upon hearing it, those few security guards immediately ran over to their position. They all knew Zhang Deqin¡¯s identity. Therefore, the 3 security guards quickly surrounded Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling with angry expressions.


    ¡°Who are you? Don¡¯t you know the rules in the Oriental Golden Seat? Squat down! Otherwise, don¡¯t blame us for being impolite to you!¡± A middle-aged man Security Captain pointed and shouted angrily at Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu smiled coldly and said, ¡°You got no rights to know our identity. If you don¡¯t want to court a disaster, get the hell out of my sight!¡±


    ¡°YOU¡­¡±


    The Security Captain was shocked. He didn¡¯t expect that Tang Xiu would be so rampant. However, he had been a security personnel for 5 or 6 years in the Oriental Golden Seat. He had met a countless number of people with high statuses, so he naturally knew that those people were the kind he couldn¡¯t afford to provoke. Since he didn¡¯t know who Tang Xiu was, for quite a while he didn¡¯t know how to act.


    Zhang Deqin angrily shouted, ¡°What the hell are you stunned for? They are the one who committed violence here. You¡¯re security guards, why the hell are you ignoring it? Break those brat¡¯s legs for me, I¡¯ll take the whole responsibility!¡±


    Those few security guards glanced at each other. Along with the silent nod from the Security Captain, those few men suddenly took their batons as they rushed over toward Tang Xiu.


    ¡°You are all overreaching yourselves!¡±


    Tang Xiu instantly moved forward the moment Yuan Chuling was about to rush, and took the lead to act. With a very fast punch, his fist struck. Even though he only used less than 10% of his strength, but the instant the Security was hit, he was sent flying upside down. At the same time, he kicked the other security at his side, as the latter screamed out miserably and then fell to the floor, fainted.


    ¡°Bang, bang¡­¡±


    The remaining 2 security guards were also overthrown by Tang Xiu within the short 2 breaths of time.


    ¡°You¡­¡­¡±


    With big, staring eyes and a hard-to-believe expression, Zhang Deqin looked at those four security guards who usually showcased decent and proper acts, were being hit as they fell to the floor by Tang Xiu within just a few seconds. In that split second, some fear struck her for she was afraid that Tang Xiu did not want to let them go and beat the siblings savagely.


    But Tang Xiu spoke with an apathetic expression, ¡°You¡¯re the ones who¡¯ve offended me first. I¡¯ll give you a chance to redeem yourself. Slap yourself three times and get the hell out. Otherwise¡­ I think you clearly know to what kind of fate you¡¯ll fall into.¡±


    Zhang Yongjin took a step forward as he stared and angrily shouted at Tang Xiu, ¡°Surnamed Tang, I know you are powerful, but don¡¯t be so damn arrogant. We did wrong you, and I shouldn¡¯t have provoked you in the first place. I¡¯ll take that 3 slaps on the face as well as take the other 3 for my older sister. How about it?¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with a sneer, ¡°You think you are in a position to bargain with me?¡±


    Zhang Yongjin shouted angrily, ¡°I¡¯ll slap myself 6 times!¡±


    Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa!


    The loud and clear slapping sounds echoed at the entrance of the Oriental Golden Seat with a lot of office workers in the surroundings witnessing it all.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows wrinkled. He looked at Zhang Deqin, who was full with fury on her face, then he looked at Zhang Yongjin also. After having been silent for a moment, he said, ¡°At first I thought that you were just a trash that is not even worth to speak about. But I never thought that you still have the blood of a man and courage within you as you did not abandon your older sister to run away. You were even willing to stand up for your older sister and protect her. Let¡¯s put an end to this now. But if you take the initiative to provoke me again, don¡¯t blame for being ruthless!¡±


    After having said that, he moved and walked toward the road outside.


    With an obvious admiring and expression of respect, Yuan Chuling looked at Tang Xiu. He did not expect that Tang Xiu would be that powerful, as he hit those 4 strong and powerful security guards and knocked them down to the floor within a few seconds. He quickly turned over toward Zhang Deqin and Zhang Yongjin siblings and gave a middle finger to them before he walked away in big strides with a contemptuous expression.


    Cheng Yannan had been silent the entire time, paying attention to the development of the situation. She also had never thought that Tang Xiu would unexpectedly take the initiative to hit them, even overbearingly becoming the final victor. However, although she didn¡¯t know Zhang Deqin and Zhang Yongjin siblings, but she believed that those siblings would never let him go, and perhaps they would sought revenge on Tang Xiu since they had been humiliated here.


    ¡°Haih!¡±


    She sighed inside her heart and pursued them half running.


    Zhang Deqin¡¯s face was ashen and unsightly. A look of hatred resurfaced on her face as she looked at the three people leaving. Then, she took her mobile out and dialed a number.


    ¡°Tianqiang! Someone has hit my little brother! He even almost hit me at the entrance of Oriental Golden Seat! Hmm? I¡¯ll be waiting for you in the company¡¯s office¡­¡±


    Zhang Yongjin¡¯s eyes immediately lit up upon hearing the contents her older sister was talking in her call. He was also full of hatred toward Tang Xiu and said with a pleasant surprise, ¡°Big Sis, you¡¯re making my future brother-in-law to act? If he were to act, that bastard Tang Xiu surely would be scared shitless; maybe he¡¯ll even cry and calls his parents.¡±


    Zhang Deqin only let out a cold smile. Then, she observed the swelling on his cheek and asked with a face full of concern and loving, ¡°Is it painful? Should we go to the hospital and check it?¡±


    Shaking his head, Zhang Yongjin replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine Sis.¡±


    Zhang Deqin nodded and said with a bitter expression, ¡°Making Tianqiang take care of him is but only the first step. He will have to taste the countless time of my revenge later until he leaves Star City! Just wait! He believes that with some petty abilities and friends, he has the capital to be a rampant and arrogant bastard. I will make him know what fate he will have by offending us.¡±


    Although Zhang Yongjin was a playboy, but he was not a fool. After hesitating, he spoke in a low voice, ¡°Sis, Long Zhengyu owes him a huge favor. And aside from him now, there¡¯s also Yuan Chuling. If the Long and Yuan Family join hands and come at us, we¡­¡±


    Zhang Deqin said with a jeer, ¡°Do you think that the two of them will dare to have a war with our Zhang Family because of that little bastard? Hmph¡­ if Long Hanwen and Yuan Zhengxuan are not fools, they are crystal clear about the consequences of having a fight with our Zhang Family. Even if they can defeat our family, but they will never be able to come out unscathed.¡±


    Zhang Yan was still hesitating and whispered, ¡°Sis, how about we send someone to re-investigate that brat¡¯s background again. We might as well prepare everything in advance.¡±


    Zhang Deqin said with a sneer, ¡°No need to investigate him further! I¡¯ve sent capable people for that. I know very well about that brat¡¯s background from the investigation. You can trust me on this!¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    After he heard this, Zhang Yongjin nodded.


    However, he still didn¡¯t feel relieved inside. Perhaps, it was because so many times Tang Xiu had taught him lessons that he had instilled some degree of fear inside his heart.


    ¡°Big Sis, we don¡¯t have to go to the company today, do we? If you want to give me those documents, then it¡¯s better to give them tomorrow. Since we have to deal with Tang Xiu, I think it will be better if we pull Hu Wanjun and Xue Renfei. Those two also hate Tang Xiu. If they know that you¡¯re personally acting against him, they definitely will help us.¡± Zhang Yongjin said in a low voice.


    Zhang Deqin thought for a moment as she gave her approval, ¡°Yongjin, you¡¯re right. If we can pull the Hu and Xue families into this issue, even the Long and Yuan Family will think twice if they want to stand up for that brat. Go now and find them. Take them to the company office to see me.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Zhang Yongjin complied as he covered his face and quickly left.

 Chapter 148

    Chapter 148: The Boundary Limit of Being Shameless


    The dinner had long been prepared and completed by the time Tang Xiu had returned to South Gate Town. To his surprise, not only were there some addition mouths who were eating, but he also saw an unexpected person.


    With a smiling expression hung on her face, Li Liping¡¯s vision swept from Yuan Chuling and Cheng Yannan, and then fell onto Tang Xiu. Then, she said with a smile, ¡°Mr. Tang, I took the liberty in visiting, I hope that I didn¡¯t disturb you. The reason I came is because I¡¯ve found something important and want to talk about it with you.¡±


    Tang Xiu asked, ¡°It should be related with Gu Yin¡¯s study, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Li Liping nodded and said, ¡°Yes! Three of our private tutors have had learning sessions with Gu Yin, and they found some important issues. Therefore, we¡¯ve worked out the teaching plan accordingly. Would you look at it now?¡±


    Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°Have you had dinner? Since you¡¯ve come then let¡¯s have dinner together.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Li Liping hesitated.


    Mu Qingping said with a smile, ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve made a lot of veggie dishes, if Boss Li and the three teachers don¡¯t mind, let¡¯s have dinner together! You¡¯re tutoring my daughter¡¯s schooling, and I¡¯m really grateful for it. So, consider this meal as how I express my gratitude for you.¡±


    Li Liping nodded and said with a smile, ¡°Then, we respectfully accept the invitation.¡±


    Gu Yin lightly ran toward Tang Xiu as she grabbed his hand and said with a grin, ¡°Master, I just found that I¡¯ve become very smart! I¡¯ve learned a lot of contents inside the textbooks by myself, and I can completely remember all the knowledge the 3 teachers have taught me!¡±


    With a smile, Tang Xiu stoke Gu Yin¡¯s small head and said, ¡°Great. For a reward, Master will give a set of exam papers each month to evaluate your progress speed.¡±


    ¡°Mmm!¡± Gu Yin complied with a grin.


    After the dinner¡­


    Tang Xiu took Yuan Chuling and Cheng Yannan to the conference room. He told the two of them to review on their own first while waiting for Xia Wanfen and Li Xiaoqin to arrive. Then, he went to Gu Yin¡¯s room on the 2nd floor. When he saw that a middle-aged teacher was still tutoring Gu Yin, he turned to Li Liping to finish the arrangement and then turned around to walk out of the door.


    In the living room, 1st floor¡­


    Tang Xiu and Li Liping sat on the sofa, savoring the fragrant tea Mu Qingping had served them. However, Tang Xiu was quite at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh, since he could keenly sense that in the corridor, Yuan Chuling and Cheng Yannan were gazing toward the living room with suspicious looks on their faces. Moreover, they were obviously trying to eavesdrop the conversation between Li Liping and him.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, this is the teaching plan we¡¯ve made. Originally, we wanted to give it to you yesterday. But since we were unable to contact you, I personally come here today.¡± Li Liping handed over a document folder and spoke with a soft voice.


    Tang Xiu took it over and read the plan. Then, he nodded and said, ¡°I have no opinion regarding your formulated teaching plan. Besides, these teachers are after all, teachers. What I want to ask is, how¡¯s the progress with Yinyin¡¯s study? Will she be able to adapt with this intensive learning course?¡±


    Li Liping let out a forced smile and said, ¡°If we have yet to talk with Yinyin¡¯s mother, we really cannot believe that she only has schooled to the 2nd grade before. She¡¯s way too smart. Even if I can¡¯t say that I¡¯ve seen tens of thousands of children or even less than that, but never once have I ever seen such a smart child as her. Her learning speed is extremely fast, even our tutoring teachers almost cannot keep up with her rhythm.¡±


    With a happy and satisfied smile, Tang Xiu said, ¡°That being the case, then I sincerely thank all the fellow teachers from your firm. But speaking about gratitude, I just recalled that I have yet to express that gratitude in practice. Please say the cost for your service! I¡¯ll transfer them to you now.¡±


    Li Liping said, ¡°For each month, each one of our 3 tutoring teachers will be paid 20,000, so it will be 60,000 yuan per month. From now to September 1st is 3 months, so the total fee would be 180,000. How do you look at the price¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu said quickly, ¡°No problem, as long as your tutoring is fine, I¡¯m fine with the price.¡±


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu had transferred 180,000 Yuan through his mobile to Li Liping¡¯s bank account.


    Li Liping got up and said with a smile, ¡°Mr. Tang, since we¡¯ve finished discussing the issues. We¡¯ll meet after we have the achievement result of this child¡¯s study later! Well, I will bother you no longer and take my leave.¡±


    Tang Xiu sent her off to the door, watching as she disappeared in the courtyard¡¯s gate. Then, he turned his head and said lightly, ¡°Hey, have you two heard enough? Come out now!¡±


    With a surprised expression, Yuan Chuling and Cheng Yannan came out as the latter curiously asked, ¡°Tang Xiu, how did you know we were secretly eavesdropping? Do you have X-Ray eyes? Or a preternatural hearing ability?¡±


    Tang Xiu snapped, ¡°I have 360 degree detectors with no dead angle! You can say that I also have X-Ray eyes. Wearing clothes or not, everything is just the same in front of me.¡±


    ¡°Go to hell!¡±


    Cheng Yannan¡¯s charming face flushed red as she let out a curse. After which, she bashfully turned around and ran to the conference room.


    Looking at the disappearing Cheng Yannan¡¯s back, only then did Yuan Chuling turn around and looked at Tang Xiu. He raised his thumb up and praised, ¡°So damn amazing. Eldest Brother, how come I haven¡¯t seen such amazing eloquence and intelligence from you before?¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a laugh, ¡°Same. So too have I yet to find that your kissing ass skill have reached the point of perfection before. Cut the crap will you? And quickly go back to your review. Teacher Han has issued a decree for me: that it will be considered as my failure if your results in the College Entrance Test are but only mediocre.¡±


    ¡°I give you my word, I¡¯ll live up to your expectation.¡±


    After knowing that his parents only had a fake divorce, Yuan Chuling had changed. He was much more motivated to to study now. Coupled with that particular method Tang Xiu taught him, his spirit was fully boosted.


    At Star City Chinese Medical Hospital¡­


    Inside the VIP ward, Su Shangwen and his wife¨CZhang Meiyun, were standing in front of Su Lingyun as they looked condescendingly at Su Lingyun on the bed with eyes full of ridicules. They originally had been preparing a scheme for her, but they didn¡¯t expect that even God saw that she was only a nuisance, giving her such an unexpected misfortune.


    ¡°Lil¡¯ Sis, haven¡¯t I told you so? Aren¡¯t you also an adult? How come you can¡¯t even make everyone free from worries? And look what has happened to you now! You were hit by others and got injured? I just went to your restaurant and saw that it has been smashed by someone! And seeing you now, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve spent quite a sum to be hospitalized here. Given your financial situation, I¡¯m afraid that you don¡¯t even have much left to renovate your restaurant, do you?¡± Su Shangwen spoke with a thick and strong sarcastic tone.


    With a schadenfreude expression, Zhang Meiyun also said, ¡°True, initially, Shangwen went to you, wanting to borrow some money. You said that you only had 100,000 yuan. And looking at you now, the state of your injury is quite severe and I don¡¯t know which Deity has poured down a blessing unto you, even making you stay in this luxurious ward. Surely you must spend a lot of money everyday. If you don¡¯t have money to renovate your restaurant, I think you might better transferring the restaurant ownership to us. It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t have any place to go! Anyway, after you¡¯ve recovered, you can cook for us in the restaurant and we¡¯ll pay you ¡­ erm¡­ 2,000 yuan, that¡¯s quite a sum, right?¡±


    2,000 yuan?


    With a painful expression, Su Lingyun looked at her older brother and his wife in front of her, being distressed as though she was on top of pincushion. For so many years ago had she known that her older brother and his wife disliked her. Moreover, they were even shameless. But even in her dream she didn¡¯t expect that they would be shameless to this point. And judging from their request now, wasn¡¯t it the same with looting?


    2,000 yuan might seem quite a lot. But the pay of the ordinary staffs in her restaurant was even higher than this.


    ¡°Get out.¡±


    Su Lingyun did think to drive them away. But she was now still injured. She knew that even if she got up, she would not be able to be their opponent.


    An ice-cold expression was cast on Su Shangwen¡¯s face as he stared at Su Lingyun and ridiculed her, ¡°Su Lingyun, you¡¯re really unable to distinguish between the good and bad! I can give you some money if you transfer that small restaurant ownership to me! That money will be enough for a widow and orphaned son of yours to live a smooth life. But if you are this stubborn, you¡¯ll have to eat sufferings in the future.¡±


    Su Lingyun was incensed, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you got no money? From where can you give them to me?¡±


    Su Shangwen said, ¡°I do have no money on me now. But I can borrow some! Naturally, I¡¯ll give you the money after I got them! Do you think I will lie to you?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ are shameless!¡±


    Su Lingyun was completely sure that Su Shangwen would never give the money to her in the future even if she transferred the restaurant ownership to him. He was clearly extorting her.


    He was using her emotional weakness!


    For so many times had she seen Su Shangwen do this. She was kindhearted, but it didn¡¯t mean that she was really stupid. For she was too clear about what kind of virtue and person her older brother was.


    ¡°Two guests, the patient needs to rest, I¡¯ll have to ask the two of you to leave.¡± The nurse at the said spoke.


    Zhang Meiyun stared and looked at the nurse and scolded her in a rage, ¡°Mind your own business! This is our family¡¯s issues. Do you even have the rights to meddle in-between? Get lost quickly and don¡¯t speak anything again!¡±


    The nurse turned angry and said, ¡°What did you say? If you don¡¯t go, I¡¯ll call the hospital¡¯s security guards to come here!¡±


    Zhang Meiyun said with a sneer, ¡°Wanna test me by calling the security guards? Whether you believe it or not, this old lady will not be driven away. I can even make you lose your rice bowl! A nobody like you is nothing but a damn worthless nobody! Giving you a small face to boot and you will overturn the heavens!¡±


    Su Shangwen also coldly said, ¡°Who do you think you are? Meddling in other families matter? I politely advise you to take your ass out; otherwise, you¡¯ll face the consequences you cannot afford.¡±


    The nurse had heard about the matters Su Lingyun had faced. She also had seen Tang Xiu and clearly knew as how the hospital¡¯s president attached great importance to him. If he knew about this matter, perhaps she would be the one who would be punished.


    Therefore, she simply ignored Su Shangwen and Zhang Meiyun¡¯s threats. Quickly taking out her mobile, she dialed the hospital security room¡¯s number.


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be there at once.¡±


    The phone was answered by the Security Captain, Chen Tao.


    The nurse hung up the phone and said angrily, ¡°I¡¯ve already informed the hospital security. If you don¡¯t go now, you will be kicked out by then.¡±


    Su Shangwen and Zhang Meiyun glanced at each other with a bit of worry on their expression. However, Su Shangwen was, after all, still the Shangwen Real Estate¡¯s Boss. Although a lot of his friends now had been avoiding him, but some people, such as this Chinese Medical Hospital¡¯s Vice President was still his acquaintance, and he still could contact him and ask for help.


    ¡°Hello, Old Liu! I¡¯m Su Shangwen from the Shangwen Real Estate! Well, how¡¯s your work at the hospital? I¡¯m taking along your sister-in-law now to visit my younger sister who¡¯s being hospitalized in your Inpatient Department¡¯s ward. But since I have a small argument with my sister because of our family issues, your hospital¡¯s nurse even dares to humiliate us; she even also called over the security guards to kick us out. Mmm¡­ sorry for troubling you. I¡¯ll be waiting in this VIP ward. Ah, right, the number is¡­¡±

 Chapter 149

    Chapter 149: Much More Powerful


    Su Shangwen ended the call and coldly looked at the name tag of the nurse, saying, ¡°If you apologize and obediently get out now, I¡¯ll consider that nothing happened. I¡¯ll even speak some good words when my friend¨Cthe Vice President comes. Otherwise, you¡¯ll pack up your things and got kicked out!¡±


    Relying on authoritative power?!


    The nurse was a straight and pure person. Seeing that Su Shangwen had called the Vice President, she immediately turned furious. She didn¡¯t believe that the hospital¡¯s Vice President would have more power than the President. She strode in a sprint to the door as she stood in the corridor and shouted, ¡°Director! Director, are you in? Some people are causing trouble¡­¡±


    The Inpatient Department¡¯s Director Office was only separated by three wards from Su Lingyun¡¯s. Because his office now was opened and he was currently reorganizing his documents, his face immediately changed when he heard the shout from the outside and rushed out of his office in big strides.


    One must know that this was the VIP ward. The people who could stay here were rich and powerful people with high statutes. If any accidents were to happen here, he would not be able to stomach it.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Upon seeing the nurse, the Inpatient Department Director¡¯s face greatly changed. He knew this nurse. She¡¯s the one who was responsible for taking care of Su Lingyun.


    The nurse loudly said, ¡°Director, some people are causing trouble in the patient ward. I¡¯ve asked them to leave, but they threatened me instead. They are very arrogant and even act domineering in front of me. Also, he called the hospital¡¯s Vice President Liu to fire me. Please help me and give me justice! They¡¯re bullying the patient and me¡­¡±


    A look of anger was cast on the Director¡¯s face. Even though those troublemakers had called the Vice President, but he wasn¡¯t even a bit afraid. Who was protecting Su Lingyun, to begin with? It was the President! If ones were to ask who had the highest authority in Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, then the person was naturally the President.


    However, he was not a reckless person nor was he a no brainy one; and he didn¡¯t want to casually offend the Vice President, so he took out his mobile and directly dialed the President Li Hongji¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°Who¡¯s this speaking?¡±


    Li Hongji¡¯s majestic voice came out of the phone.


    ¡°President, I¡¯m Xiao Wang, the Inpatient Department Director! I have important things to report to you, so I need to listen your opinion.¡± Said the Inpatient Department Director.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Asked Li Hongji.


    The Director quickly replied, ¡°President, I¡¯ve just received a report, some people have caused trouble in our VIP ward. They seem to have some background as he even shouted that he can dismiss our nurse! In addition, he also called Vice President Liu. How do you see¡­¡±


    Li Hongji turned angry, ¡°Causing trouble in the hospital? No matter if he¡¯s the Emperor or not, I, your Father, won¡¯t give a damn about him. Have you informed the security? Call them to rush there and deal with them!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    The Inpatient Department Director happily complied. Then, his eyes rolled and spoke once more, ¡°President, I¡¯ll carry out your order. But how about Vice President Liu?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll call him!¡± Li Hongji said in a sinking tone.


    The Director quickly said, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for troubling you President. Ah, right, those people are making a ruckus in Su Lingyun¡¯s ward.¡±


    ¡°OK, I got it!¡±


    Li Hongji impatiently hung up the phone. Just as he scrolled Vice President Liu¡¯s number, his face suddenly paused as a young face suddenly appeared inside his mind.


    Su Lingyun? Wasn¡¯t she Tang Xiu¡¯s mother?


    Li Hongji suddenly stood. He didn¡¯t even care to call again as he rushed in big strides toward the office¡¯s door.


    Inside the Inpatient Department VIP ward, Su Shangwen looked at the Inpatient Department Director with a crashing look. His brows were deeply wrinkled. But, he was someone who had always been bullying the weak and fearing the powerful. Relying on his friend, the Vice President as his backer, he didn¡¯t even put the Inpatient Department Director in his eyes and spoke with a sinking tone, ¡°Looking at the white coat you are wearing, you should be one of the higher ups of the hospital, right? What¡¯s with your hospital? Even your nurses are relying on the authority and power for this matter? My younger sister is being hospitalized here and I¡¯m her older brother. Since when I¡¯m forbidden to see her?¡±


    ¡°Sir, please do pay attention to your words.¡±


    With a cold expression, the Inpatient Department replied. After which, he turned toward the nurse.


    The nurse quickly said, ¡°Director, they have gone too far. Not only have they humiliated Ms. Su, they even also want to snatch her restaurant. I think Ms. Su needed to rest so I asked them to leave. But instead, they threatened me. You can see for yourself that now Ms. Su is even crying because of their bullying.¡±


    The Inpatient Department Director looked at Su Lingyun and was somewhat quite sympathized with her. Having such a shameless blood brother would only decrease ones¡¯ health and lifespan by 8 times.


    ¡°Sir, Lady, this place is a VIP ward. If the patient doesn¡¯t welcome you, then please leave now. I don¡¯t know what relation you have with Vice President Liu. But the most important person in this place is the patient.¡±


    Su Shangwen said with a sneer, ¡°If I remember correctly, shouldn¡¯t the position of the Vice President be quite powerful in your Chinese Medical Hospital? I don¡¯t think you have the right to drive me away. If anything, let¡¯s just wait for the Vice President Liu¡¯s words!¡±


    With indifferent expression, the Inpatient Department Director said, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be disappointed since Vice President Liu is very busy, and perhaps he won¡¯t have much time to even come here.¡±


    Su Shangwen frowned as he spoke coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t be such an arrogant prick. Whether he¡¯ll come or not, it¡¯s not for you to decide. I¡¯ve just called him and he has affirmed that he will immediately rush here. I really want to see if you really have the guts to say those words when Vice President Liu has come.¡±


    The Inpatient Department Director sneered inside his heart. He didn¡¯t want to respond again to this pestering pest who took advantages and used the position to bully Su Lingyun. He squeezed out a small smile as he came to the bed and inquired about Su Lingyun¡¯s well-being, ¡°Ms. Su, you are still injured. Please don¡¯t be too sad. You too know the saying that even if the sky is falling down, still you don¡¯t need to worry for such unrealistic things. Someone will always be standing up for you. Even if Mr. Tang isn¡¯t convenient to come here, our hospital will not sit idly by and do nothing.¡±


    Su Lingyun stopped crying and silently nodded.


    Mr. Tang?


    Su Shangwen and Zhang Meiyun looked at each other with a trace of confused expression on their faces. Who was the person spoken by this Inpatient Department Director? Was it Tang Xiu? Was it for real? He¡¯s just only a high schooler! Even if he had done something and had a relationship with the Long Group¡¯s Boss and was worshipped by the Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical¡¯s Boss because he had some ability. But by now, his true face should have been exposed already!


    Zhang Meiyun hesitated, and asked loudly, ¡°Director Wang, who¡¯s this Mr. Tang you¡¯ve spoken about? Is that the young bastard Tang Xiu?¡±


    Su Lingyun on the sickbed instantly turned as though an enraged lioness as she furiously shouted, ¡°I forbid you to curse my son! Get the hell out of my sight, NOW!¡±


    Zhang Meiyun ridiculed her, ¡°Or what? I just cursed on your mutant son didn¡¯t I? Such a cheap bastard who¡¯s brought up by a single mother without a father to teach him? You¡¯re really sick in the brain, you have no sense of dignity and is still defending him.¡±


    ¡°Which people who have caused trouble?¡±


    A shout suddenly came from the outside of the door as the Security Captain, Chen Tao, rushed in with three other security guards into the ward.


    With a disgusted expression, the Inpatient Department Director looked at Su Shangwen and Zhang Meiyun as he spoke with sinking tone, ¡°It¡¯s them. Take them out. If they dare to refuse, just beat them up! And directly throw them to the Orthopedic Department. As long as they don¡¯t die, I will take all responsibility!¡±


    Receiving the orders, Chen Tao immediately grabbed Su Shangwen¡¯s collar and fiercely slapped his face and then dragged him out of the door as though he was a dog.


    ¡°STOP!¡±


    Vice President Liu, with 2 middle-aged doctors, rushed in with big strides. When they saw the scene in front of them, he immediately turned angry and shouted loudly.


    Chen Tao stared blankly. He knew that he was Vice President Liu. But he didn¡¯t expect that such a high-level higher up would come over. He hesitated and turned around to look at the Inpatient Department Director before he finally released Su Shangwen.


    Vice President Liu stared angrily at Chen Tao before a trace of smile squeezed out on his face as he apologized, ¡°Boss Su, I¡¯m really sorry that the quality of our hospital security personnel is quite mediocre. I didn¡¯t expect that he even dares to hit you. You don¡¯t need to worry about this. I¡¯ll handle this matter seriously and give you a satisfactory answer.¡±


    The Inpatient Department Director strode out of VIP ward¡¯s door as a surprised expression flashed from his eyes upon seeing that Vice President Liu had come. He did not understand. The President told him that he would talk to Vice President Liu, but the latter still dare to come over. However, he still had the courage to say, ¡°Vice President Liu, I hope you won¡¯t intervene and get involved in this matter. This couple has caused troubles in the VIP ward, they have even seriously disturbed the patient¡¯s condition.¡±


    Vice President Liu turned angry and said, ¡°Boss Su has told me clearly on the phone. He took his wife to visit his younger sister who¡¯s being hospitalized here. Is that wrong? And where is that rash nurse? When did she have the rights to make things difficult for the patient¡¯s family member? What kind of place does she regard our hospital of?¡±


    The Inpatient Department Director argued, ¡°Vice President Liu, you mustn¡¯t just listen to one side¡¯s statement only. I¡¯ve witnessed everything personally, the couple has humiliated the patient, while being extremely arrogant and domineering. Moreover¡­¡±


    Vice President Liu snapped and scolded him, ¡°Don¡¯t talk back to me! IF the patients and their family members talk about their family¡¯s private affairs, do you think our hospital has the rights to meddle in between? You have no rights to even educate what I must say. Who are you to begin with?¡±


    Anger had filled his heart!


    As a Vice President, he was one of the best possible candidates for the Chinese Medical Hospital¡¯s next President. If there was no accident to happen, it would not be long for him to become this hospital¡¯s President. However, at this moment, someone even dared to challenge his authority, inciting resentment within his heart. He might as well punish this one as to give a warning to the others, as well as building a strong image for his own campaigned Presidency.


    ¡°Director Wang, it seems that you¡¯ve been staying for too long as the Director of this Inpatient Department. So I think it¡¯s time for you to move. I will personally report this matter to the President, and I hope you have psychologically prepared yourself.¡± Vice President Liu said with a sneer.


    For a moment, the Inpatient Department Director was silent before he slowly said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to personally report this issue to the President. I¡¯ve already done it.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Along with the ending of the Inpatient Department Director¡¯s voice, a majestic voice echoed in the corridor as 4 top leaders of the Chinese Medical Hospital rushed and arrived under Li Hongji¡¯s leadership. And the person who just spoke was precisely Li Hongji himself.


    ¡°Vice President Liu, you have yet to become a President but you already want to use the President¡¯s privileges and authority? Do you even have the rights to dismiss the Inpatient Department Director? At the very least, do it after you already sit on my position. Director Wang has already told me everything about the matter. No matter how and what kind of interests you have with the patient¡¯s family, the most important people in our hospital is our patients

 Chapter 150

    Chapter 150: Being Thoroughly Humiliated


    Vice President Liu¡¯s eyes shrunk. He didn¡¯t expect the President to personally come and deal with this matter. And his attitude was very obvious. He was standing with Director Wang and the patient¡¯s side.


    _¡®Damn! That Su Shangwen bastard has pushed me into a pit.¡¯_


    Vice President Liu secretly grumbled inside. But on his face, he showed a bitter expression and spoke, ¡°President, we really should investigate this case clearly. I suspect that the nurse has been telling lies left and right. There might be some arguments and conflicts happening between the patient and her family member. Maybe they can work it out by discussing it among themselves. At the worst, it¡¯s not a big problem.¡±


    With a cold expression, Li Hongji said, ¡°Even if there is some contradiction between them. Can you explain why should the hospital stay idly? The patient IS still being hospitalized, do you want to see the patient¡¯s condition worsen?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Vice President Liu was speechless and dumbfounded. The complaint he had inside his heart toward Su Shangwen was getting bigger.


    Li Hongji looked at Su Shangwen with an apathetic expression and said, ¡°Are you really the patient¡¯s family member? I¡¯ve seen insensible and mindless people, but never once have I ever seen such person like you! The patient is your family member and you, regardless of her condition, have caused her condition to be a lot worse. Is this what you call the conducts between family members? Now I will formally announce that our hospital will never accept visits from people such as you! I hope that you immediately leave, otherwise, our hospital security personnel will not stay idly by!¡±


    Su Shangwen¡¯s heart had already fallen into the pit when Li Hongji arrived. Upon hearing Li Hongji¡¯s words, his body went cold as a look of hard-to-believe expression hung over on his face. He could not figure out as to why Li Hongji, a President of this Chinese Medical Hospital would insist to protect Su Lingyun.


    Mr. Tang?


    Su Shangwen recalled the name the Inpatient Department Director had spoken. A gulping choked sound suddenly came out from his throat. He didn¡¯t believe that this Mr. Tang was referred to Tang Xiu because the latter was but only a high schooler. He couldn¡¯t have had any ability nor would he be able to make the President of Chinese Medical Hospital moved.


    Was it because of Vice President Liu?


    Could it be that the President wanted to rectify and give Vice President Liu a lesson, but yet hadn¡¯t found an opportunity to do that? Could it be that he took advantage of the issue to renovate Vice President Liu? If this was the case, then, wasn¡¯t he the one who got implicated by Vice President Liu?


    When Su Shangwen thought to this point, an apologizing expression began to emerge on his face as he said, ¡°President Li, I have long heard your distinguished name. You are a highly respected Divine Doctor in our Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. Vice President Liu and I are only ordinary friends. If he has been a nuisance to you, you might as well take him on directly, but please leave me out of this.¡±


    ¡°Su Shangwen! You bastard!¡±


    Even in his dream, Vice President Liu had never thought that Su Shangwen would even sell him this instant. Moreover, he just simply sold him, without any feeling whatsoever.


    Su Shangwen angrily spoke, ¡°Vice President Liu, a man has to be responsible for his own deeds. Since it¡¯s a business between you and President Li, do you even have to pull others into your problems? We¡¯re just ordinary people and we don¡¯t want to be involved with your problems. My wife and I came here to visit my younger sister. And since we¡¯ve seen her we¡¯ll soon be leaving. So, I bid you farewell.¡±


    ¡°Su Shangwen ¡­¡±


    Vice President Liu was madly furious as a burst of nefarious flame raged inside his mind. Even though he didn¡¯t wish it consciously, he bolted forward toward Su Shangwen who had just turned around and was about to leave as his fists severely hit Su Shangwen¡¯s head.


    Venting his anger was the need he must sate!


    The hatred and grievances in his heart must be vented out, and the target was neither the patient Su Lingyun, the nurse, the Inpatient Department, nor even President Li. But the treacherous bastard who just sold him out, Su Shangwen. His fists were as though the downpour raindrops that hit Su Shangwen. Even though the latter had fallen to the floor, he did not want to let him go as Su Shangwen who was being smashed, could only scream miserably.


    ¡°STOP! STOP!¡±


    The present scene in front stunned Zhang Meiyun. She never dreamt that the reinforcement her husband had invited would unexpectedly hit him instead. Even hitting him hard and ruthlessly. After she came back to her senses, she immediately rushed toward Vice President Liu and attempted to break him away from her husband.


    Chen Tao quickly acted and instantly obstructed Zhang Meiyun from the side and forced her down to the floor.


    Li Hongji was dumbfounded and tongue-tied as he looked at the present scene in front of him. He did not even expect it to happen whatsoever, that Vice President Liu would take the initiative to smash Su Shangwen. However, when he sobered up, he immediately felt that Vice President Liu was quite pitiful; for he anxiously ran over toward Su Shangwen, raising his head up to flatter him, as the latter turned his back to bite and gnaw him.


    ¡°Haih¡­¡±


    After sighing, Li Hongji motioned the security guards at the side as some of them quickly pulled up Vice President Liu from Su Shangwen.


    Li Hongji waved and commanded him, ¡°Take him to the emergency room and have him inspected. If there¡¯s nothing wrong with his body, take him out of the hospital. Later on, do bear in mind to directly drive him away if he dares to come to our hospital again. You can directly give him a hard warning if he doesn¡¯t comply.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Chen Tao said loudly.


    Accompanied by several hospital leaders, Li Hongji came to the VIP ward, and gave his condolences to Su Lingyun, only then did they leaving afterward. He also praised the Inpatient Department Director as well as the nurse. As for Vice President Liu, he decided that he would handle him and report him to the Health Bureau about the entire incident and then wait for the dismissal order from them.


    Inside the VIP ward¡­


    Su Lingyun¡¯s face was as though she was dying. Although the President and the hospital higher-ups had expressed their concern and condolences for her, however, the grieved feeling inside her heart had yet to even dissipate.


    Who was Su Shangwen? He was but her blood brother!


    Previously, she only knew that he was quite shameless, but to be this shameless to this extent never crossed her mind. From the nurse who took care of her, she also knew about everything that had happened outside the ward. When Su Shangwen was even gnawing back to Vice President Liu, she could only feel a deep shame and humiliation brought by having such a blood brother.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er has seen everything thoroughly. Su Shangwen and Zhang Meiyun are not human beings. Since they didn¡¯t even consider me as a family member, then strangers they will be in the future.¡±


    At this moment, Su Lingyun finally was able to steel her heart and resolutely decide to sever all communication with Su Shangwen.


    Some people who were hiding in the dark, Banshou and Dingzi, were able to clearly see everything that happened in the hospital. In fact, they had been staring from the beginning. However, since Su Shangwen and Zhang Meiyun didn¡¯t make any move that would physically hurt Su Lingyun, the two of them didn¡¯t come out.


    They also witnessed everything that happened next. After everything was settled, Banshou quickly dialed Tang Xiu¡¯s number and told him everything.


    At South Gate Town¡­


    Tang Xiu was still giving the remedial tutoring to Yuan Chuling and the other three. After receiving the call, he was silent for a long time. He had long known that the Su Shangwen couple was but a walking calamity. He had yet to act ruthlessly against them, for he took his mother¡¯s feeling into account. But now, again and again, they dared to provoke them, and he finally no longer was able to tolerate it anymore.


    Tonight, Tang Xiu made two calls. One was for Chen Zhizhong, and the other one was for Long Zhengyu. His intention was obvious. Not only did he want the Shangwen Real Estate to file bankruptcy, but he must also prevent Su Shangwen from having any chance in turning over in all eternity. And the best means for that was to make him spent the rest of his life behind bars.


    Before dawn¡­


    Yuan Chuling and the other three students had gone to sleep. Alone, he went to the warehouse and then locked the door from the inside. Then, he began to experiment on the composition formula for the healthcare products.


    Since it was intended for commercial sales, Tang Xiu had no choice but to be especially careful. He didn¡¯t dare to even make the slightest mistake. After having several experiments repeatedly, and unceasingly trying combinations of the compounds for 15 times, he finally succeeded in creating and adjusting the proper ingredient composition and the configuration for the healthcare products based on the Traditional Chinese Medicine. The efficacy of the medicine was one-tenth of the one he had given to Long Zhenglin, but the amount of the liquid was increased by dozens of times compared to it.


    For a moment, he made a calculation. 20 bottles of these health care products were equal to the one bottle Long Zhenglin had taken.


    And the way to accumulate wealth was exactly a steady flow of accumulation and minute by minute amassing.


    A radiance flashed from Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as a faint smile was sketched on his mouth. He could tell that once this health care product hit the market, it would create a big outbreak once it had been recognized by a small number of people. Its sales would explode and would be even better than the other two cosmetic products.


    Tang Xiu wrote the proportion of the medicinal herbs and ingredients on paper and then put the successfully experimented products into the bottles in advance. Then, he opened the warehouse¡¯s door and went back to the villa.


    Time passed by and the next day evening arrived in the blink of an eye¡­


    Tang Xiu had just returned from school and went back to South Gate Town. But the scene in front of him made him frown. More than 20 big men in black suits stood in an orderly row next to the gate, facing 30 security guards of the South Gate Town who stood in front of them. The scene was as though it was a critical situation where enemies were having a confrontation.


    The South Gate Town¡¯s Property Manager¡ªLong Xueyao¡ªwas frowning, looking distressed as she looked at those 20 grim looking, big men. At present, she really wanted to call the police, but she had no justified reason to do that. These people had an extremely high discipline and they neither entered the villa area nor were they causing any troubles.


    Even their leader said that they came here to wait for their Boss.


    Long Xueyao was really curious. What kind of powerful person or sacred being could become the Boss of these men?


    All of the security guards in this real estate complex were retired soldiers. They were highly capable and had high accomplishments in military aspects. Either discipline or combat strength, finding ordinary people who were able to contend with them was very difficult. However, they were simply not at the level that could be compared to these men.


    Suddenly, Long Xueyao¡¯s eyes turned bright as she saw Tang Xiu came. The troubles inside her heart were cast away as she said with a beaming smile, ¡°Mr. Tang, how have you been? You¡¯ve come back!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Mmm, I was just coming back from vacation given by the school.¡±


    Was he on vacation from school?


    Until just now, Long Xueyao still did not know that Tang Xiu was still a student. Upon hearing his reply, she was secretly astonished. However, she buried her astonishment deep within her heart. Then, she turned around and looked at the scene nearby. With a forced and wry smile, she explained, ¡°Mr. Tang, I¡¯m really sorry. I really don¡¯t know where these 20 men came from. They say that they¡¯re waiting for their Boss. But you don¡¯t need to worry, our villa area¡¯s security guards are here so the won¡¯t disturb the order in the villa area.¡±


    Looking at the straightened up, standing postures of those 20 robust men, Tang Xiu felt that they were just like big men statues. He was quite satisfied since he could see that these men were the said elite Gu Xiaoxue sent him from the Everlasting Feast Hall. He took back his vision and then looked at Long Xueyao as he spoke with a tranquil expression, ¡°I know, they will never disturb the order in the villa area since their Boss, is me.¡±

 Chapter 151

    Chapter 151: Security Guards Arrival


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°What?¡±


    Long Xueyao was struck dumb. With a dull expression, she looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s calm face as shock, as though a storm, struck her heart. Never once in her dreams had she ever imagined that those twenty big men were Tang Xiu¡¯s subordinates.


    He¡­ Who was he, really?


    This made Long Xueyao¡¯s curiosity toward Tang Xiu skyrocket to the highest degree. She was somewhat curious toward him ever since Long Zhengyu gave him the grandest villa in South Gate Town. Even though she had yet to meet and get along with him much, but her curiosity growed after each time she met him.


    She really wanted to know the identity and everything about Tang Xiu.


    ¡°They are my men, so I¡¯ll take them along with me. Anyways, I need to go back to my house and change clothes, so can I bring them now?¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Uh, Oh¡­ well, please!¡±


    Long Xueyao sobered up from her daze and quickly replied.


    After nodding to her, Tang Xiu walked to the front of those twenty big men and spoke seriously, ¡°The person you¡¯ve been looking for is me. Follow me!¡±


    He directly went into the inside area of South Gate Town after having said that.


    These twenty big men had already saw Tang Xiu¡¯s picture. And at the moment, they also recognized him, so no one spoke nor whispered. They only silently walked in a line and followed behind Tang Xiu as they headed toward the inside of South Gate Town.


    As they entered the villa, Tang Xiu looked at them and calmly said, ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu. I believe you already know me since some of you perhaps have seen me when I visited the Everlasting Feast Hall those two times. Anyways, starting from today, I¡¯m your Boss. The only request I ask of you is: Promptly obey my orders above everything else. Can you do it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, understood, Boss!¡±


    The twenty men shouted in unison.


    Nodding in satisfaction, Tang Xiu continued, ¡°I¡¯ll welcome all of you with a welcoming dinner this evening. However, since you¡¯ll stay in Star City for quite a long time, and as I also don¡¯t have the time to manage all of you, you¡¯ll be transferred to and work under my General Manager. She will be responsible to provide you all the basic necessities and your work arrangements. For which you will have to listen to her.¡±


    The Long¡¯s Dining Hall!


    Tang Xiu made a call to book a private room, but the staffer told him there was no room left, so he had no choice but call Chen Zhizhong to help him book it.


    From this, it was definite that people, as had always been, were divided into a low and high social caste.


    But Tang Xiu didn¡¯t care too much about it. He might be a nobody now, but later, he would be someone powerful. It¡¯s said that the world sometimes behaves like a river that flows East for 30 years and then West for the next 30 [1]. The wheel of fortune rises and falls with the changes of time. Maybe in the future, they would regard and give him the privileges of a VIP when he had meals in the Long¡¯s Dining Hall!


    After Chen Zhizhong reserved the private room and told its number to him, Tang Xiu ordered those twenty big men to go there first as he wanted to have a shower and change his clothes. It was also because he needed to complete the health care products he had concocted yesterday, as well as take the formula. At the evening when he met Kang Xia, he would give these stuffs and the twenty big men to her.


    Half an hour later¡­


    When Tang Xiu left the South Gate Town¡¯s gate, he could sense that some people were keeping an eye at him. He didn¡¯t pay attention to them and directly took the taxi to head to the Long¡¯s Dining Hall.; But after he entered the private room, Kang Xia greeted him with a strange expression.


    Whilst looking at the twenty men who were sitting in front of a long table in postures as though stone statues, also looking at Kang Xia¡¯s strange expression, Tang Xiu said with a light laugh, ¡°Huh? What?! Those men are not to your satisfaction?¡±


    With a forced smile, Kang Xia replied, ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m not content, but it¡¯s because I¡¯m way too satisfied! Boss, I¡¯ve seen the world¡¯s best security guards, and nearly all of them are retired members of special forces from all countries. Not only are they very well trained in military skills, but their individual combat capabilities are also outstanding. They will even brave the dangers to meet death with a straight back when they have to protect their clients. But, comparing them with these twenty men, those people seem to be quite subpar.¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with an astonished tone, ¡°Such big gap?¡±


    Kang Xia said with a nod, ¡°Absolutely. I¡¯ve been observing them for a full twenty minutes. And they haven¡¯t moved even slightly since they sat there. Even their eyes didn¡¯t blink. If I didn¡¯t see them walking into the room before, I would have thought that they were only stuffed dummies!¡±


    Tang Xiu swept over the twenty men and then lightly smiled, ¡°Everyone, tonight is the welcoming dinner reception for you. You can consider it as your free and leisure time, so you don¡¯t need to be that restricted and maintain such discipline. I¡¯ve seen a lot of brave and iron willed soldiers. They brave the battlefields with a such rigid and strict discipline and courageously kill their enemies. But they always open their mouth wide to eat and drink in their leisure and resting time, as well as having fun.¡±


    The twenty big men¡¯s eyes shone at the same time. They looked at each other and nodded repeatedly. After which, they got up together, faced Tang Xiu and cupped their fists over, saying, ¡°Thanks a lot, Boss!¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a laugh, ¡°Anyway, Yan¡¯er is my apprentice. She really did a good job in training all of you. If in the future I see that you have unwavering loyalty and dedication to your duty, perhaps I¡¯ll let you step on another path!¡±


    Another path?


    The twenty men¡¯s body trembled crazily with a frantic and zealous expression on their faces. Gu Yan¡¯er adopted them when they were six or seven years old and she personally trained them for these twenty or thirty years. It could be said that they were Gu Yan Er¡¯s trusted personnel. Similarly, they were also aware about Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s identity.


    Immortal cultivation! This path was a slow, solemn and lonely one.


    They were men who had been tempered into hard iron ones. Gu Yan¡¯er had trained them with extremely harsh and cold training since their childhood, as well as had spent a great price for them. She made them dive through chaotic, foreign war zones overseas, where they had to fight and survive there. Gu Yan¡¯er even sent them to stay on a vast isolated island, hunting and killing fierce and powerful ferocious beasts. It could be said that they were brought up and grew with hands covered with blood, with killings and slaughters that had long been instilled and carved into their bones.


    They didn¡¯t fear death. Neither were they afraid of being lonely or meet tragic ends. What they needed was stimulation, passion and fervor as they would use their blood to cast their future paths.


    The Immortal Path!


    Their lifespan would increase and it would open a new chapter to their life and world. They even hoped that one day, they would be able to fly just like Gu Yan¡¯er, free and unfettered.


    ¡°Thank you, Boss!¡±


    The twenty big men pushed the table and chairs as they knelt down with one knee and cupped their fists over and shouted with strong and deafening voices. Even the experienced Kang Xia was shocked and absent minded as she saw this. These twenty men appeared not as security guards, but strong iron blooded private soldiers that had been trained by Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Arrange the food and wine, will you?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at Kang Xia, who was dazed and lost in thought as he spoke with a smile.


    Kang Xia was as though being abruptly awakened from a dream, and promptly replied, ¡°Uh¡­ well, good. It turned out peacefully¡­ Ah, no. I¡¯ve already arranged that. I¡¯ve ordered the best food and wine the Long¡¯s Dining Hall has. It should be served soon.¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a laugh, ¡°Everyone, sit now! Don¡¯t restrain yourself for today and relax well. Also, have a good meal and drink, since after today, you¡¯ll have busy days ahead.¡±


    After the full two hours¡­


    Tang Xiu and Kang Xia accompanied the twenty big men to eat and drink happily and extravagantly. He could see that the forty bottles of spirits had been emptied, but they only had red faces and nobody was drunk. He was secretly satisfied. These men could drink and stomach it, good men indeed.


    However¡­


    When they were about to leave the Long¡¯s Dining Hall, Kang Xia came back with an unsightly expression after she paid the bill. As Tang Xiu asked her, only then was he told that the meals cost two million yuan. The Magnificent Tang Corporation was precisely short on money at present, and even though Kang Xia had seen much more money than that, she was still pained spending it.


    Near the front door of the Long¡¯s Dining Hall¡­


    Zhu Tianqiang, with four of his brothers, had been quietly watching the guests who were passing in and out of the Long¡¯s Dining Hall. Around them were dozens of bullies and criminal thugs with weapons hidden. His fianc¨¦e and his future brother-in-law were beaten; it was an extreme slap in his face, without a doubt. He was so filled with rage that he wouldn¡¯t forgive the culprit.


    ¡°Senior Brother, that punk has gone in for about two hours. Even if they only ate their meals slowly, they will finish it soon. Our brothers are all here already, so we can immediately act once he comes out. Since he dares to hit the Masters¡¯ future sister-in-law, he really wants to live a crooked life, it seems.¡± A monkey-faced middle-aged man spoke whilst stroking his chin.


    Zhu Tianqiang coldly said, ¡°We must catch him. But not in front of this Long¡¯s Dining Hall¡¯s front gate. There¡¯s a lot of people streaming nearby, and it will certainly cause panic once we gang up on him here; even the cops will be on us. Follow him for now and wait until that little punk is in a place with few people. We¡¯ll fuck him up then!¡±


    The monkey-like middle-aged man nodded and said, ¡°OK, we¡¯ll do as Senior Brother says. If today I don¡¯t make that punk a waste, I won¡¯t be able to sleep when I go back.¡±


    At this time¡­


    Tang Xiu and Kang Xia came out of the Long¡¯s Dining Hall¡¯s gate side by side.


    ¡°Are you not going with them?¡±


    With an astonished expression, Tang Xiu looked at Kang Xia. Those twenty big men had already gone to the basement parking lot, while Kang Xia was actually following him out.


    Kang Xia replied with a smile, ¡°Since you, the Boss, isn¡¯t going, how could I have the guts to leave?¡±


    Pondering for a second, Tang Xiu then lightly said, ¡°Ah, something you wanna ask me? Well, ask then! I¡¯ll answer.¡±


    Whilst raising her thumb up, Kang Xia exclaimed in admiration and said, ¡°You¡¯re really the Boss! You can even read my mind. Anyway, I wanna ask you one thing. Where did you get those twenty security guards from? They couldn¡¯t be mercenary soldiers, right? It¡¯s just that I accidentally found gunshot wounds on Zhong Tiekui¡¯s arm while we had the meal. He also got stab wound marks.¡±


    Zhong Tiekui! He¡¯s the captain of the twenty men. The most robust and muscular, as well as being quite the drinker.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Their origins are not something I know about, neither do I knew them before. But my most trusted person is the one who trained them, so I can trust these men. Since they will follow you later, not only must you treat them well, but you must also regard them as your most trusted people. Trust me, they are very strong. Let alone security guards, even if you want them to be hitmen, they will be much stronger than a lot of assassins.¡±


    With an astonished expression, Kang Xia said, ¡°You mean¡­ they have seen people¡¯s blood?¡±


    ¡°Not only have they seen blood, but they literally have climbed out a sea of blood and a mountain of corpses. I can be sure that they at least have killed more than a dozen of people. Well, do remember to put everything I¡¯ve told you inside your heart and don¡¯t speak about it with anyone.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°They¡­¡± Kang Xia was, after all, a fully serious and upright businesswoman. She suddenly grew frightened by Tang Xiu¡¯s words.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Kang Xia, care not for their past. Just remember, they are security guards now; you can even regard them as your trusted personnel.¡±


    * * *


    Note:


    [1] It¡¯s an ancient Chinese saying. Thirty years East of the river and thirty years West of it. The saying means that ¡°the pendulum swings both ways¡±. It literally means the world sometimes behaves like a river that flows east for 30 years and then west for the next 30.

 Chapter 152

    Chapter 152: A Good Play


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Whilst they were talking, Tang Xiu¡¯s expression suddenly changed. He was acutely aware that a lot of eyes with ill intentions constantly swept over him from the surroundings.


    _¡®What¡¯s happening here?!¡¯_


    He instantly released his Spiritual Sense and completely enveloped the scope of two hundred meters in the surroundings. His brows knitted as he could sense that a lot of people were indeed keeping eyes on him. There were even nearly thirty young thugs with knives and sticks hidden in their bodies.


    For a moment, Tang Xiu was silent. Then, he suddenly said, ¡°Kang Xia, you got other plans for this evening?¡±


    Kang Xia shook her head and said, ¡°Been busy all day long today. I¡¯m not an iron woman, so I¡¯ll head home to have some sleep, naturally. Anyway, what¡¯s up? Got something in mind?¡±


    ¡°Interested to follow me and see a good play?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    A good play?


    With raised brows, Kang Xia asked, ¡°What sort of good play?¡±


    With a calm tone, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°Well, you can see it for yourself! If you don¡¯t want to, you can go back now. If you do, then just follow me!¡±


    ¡°Fine with me!¡± Kang Xia nodded.


    Around ten minutes later, Tang Xiu and Kang Xia arrived at a park¡¯s side which was rarely visited by people. The shade of the moonlight was whirling and dancing along with the scorching heat brought by summer.


    Then, Tang Xiu stopped under a towering big tree.


    With a confused expression, Kang Xia said, ¡°Boss, what did you bring me here for?¡±


    A faint smile surfaced on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. With his Spiritual Sense he could see that those people quickly gathered and were headed for his position. Then, he loudly spoke, ¡°Yo people! It¡¯s really laborious of you to come all the way to this place. Since there are only two of us here, do you think you still need to hide?¡±


    ¡°Crazy punk!!¡±


    Leading four of his fellow apprentices, Zhu Tianqiang quickly appeared along in front of Tang Xiu and Kang Xia. And those nearly thirty young thugs pulled out sticks and knives as they surrounded the two.


    With a cold and detached expression, Tang Xiu looked at him. He took out his mobile, dialing a number and spoke, ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°Nearby.¡±


    Zhong Tiekui¡¯s cold voice came out of from the mobile.


    Then, Tang Xiu issued the order, ¡°Immediately come here and surround all of them. No one amongst these people who have come tonight can leave without bleeding.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Following the end of the call, twenty big guys quietly appeared behind the young thugs. Their expressions were cold and grim. But since Tang Xiu had yet to give his order, they didn¡¯t act. Yet.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Zhu Tianqiang¡¯s expression changed. The four fellow apprentices at his side also showed a surprised expression. They had never thought that their plan to intercept Tang Xiu would turn out in them being the ones surrounded instead. Those thirty youth thugs¡¯ complexions also greatly changed. They had always liked to bullying weaker people. But now, twenty big guys suddenly appeared. And it was obvious that those guys were not one of them.


    Upon seeing Zhu Tianqiang and his group, Tang Xiu spoke with a smile, ¡°I don¡¯t know who or what you are. But even so, I don¡¯t care what kind of background you have. I just wanna ask a question. I guarantee that your fate will be ten times much better than everyone else if you answer me.¡±


    A ridiculing expression was revealed in Zhu Tianqiang¡¯s eyes as he said, ¡°You¡¯re Tang Xiu, right? Just like from the investigation I got, you¡¯re really extremely unbridled and arrogant. You think that by relying upon your trivial kungfu you are much higher than others, eh? You think you can be arrogant in front of us? What a blockhead! We, from the Rising Dragon Martial School, have always been the ones to bully others, and not otherwise!¡±


    Rising Dragon Martial School?


    Tang Xiu frowned. He just found himself disliking the people from this martial school. The last time was Fei Qiang and his three fellow apprentices. And this time, some other bunch from this school appeared again.


    ¡°Tell me the reason as to why you sought me out.¡±


    Tang Xiu spoke with a tranquil tone.


    With a burst of laughter, Zhu Tianqiang then spoke, ¡°What? Feeling anxious after you heard that we are from the Rising Dragon Martial School? I, your father, will tell you! You dare to hit my woman! This alone condemned your fate to be extremely miserable. I care not how many people you have brought along. In my eyes, they are only just garbage!¡±


    ¡°And your woman is?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    Coldly snorting, Zhu Tianqiang replied, ¡°Zhang Deqin. Don¡¯t tell me you know nothing about her!¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly smiled and said, ¡°Well, looks like that she looked for you and asked you to avenge her! The sibling is no good, and I can tell that you are just as the same. Since you¡¯re also a garbage then I¡¯ll clean you up, and then pack them up again as well.¡±


    After having said that, he turned toward Kang Xia, who neither had the slightest fear or anxiousness as he asked with a smile, ¡°Well, tell me. You want me to let them play? Or should I personally act?¡±


    ¡°You can win against so many?¡± Asked Kang Xia


    Tang Xiu smiled as he replied with a nod, ¡°I got you! Stand here and don¡¯t move. See how this drama will be played today.¡±


    As his voice ended, Tang Xiu¡¯s instantly sprinted forward. And within a blink of an eye, he appeared seven or eight-meter distance near Zhu Tianqiang and his four brothers. The trajectory of his fist strikes was very strange as the instant movements hit Zhu Tianqiang¡¯s left lower ribs. But even so, his fist didn¡¯t pause even for a bit, as his fist also hit the next person on the man¡¯s right lower ribs.


    ¡°Aaaah¡­.¡±


    Piercing and miserable screams came out from Zhu Tianqiang and the other man.


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    A middle-aged man could feel that Tang Xiu¡¯s leg was about to hit him as he instantly raised his arms, trying to push Tang Xiu¡¯s leg out. However, the clear sounds of bones breaking were heard as his shoulder was severely split, followed by his body that fell on the ground in that instant.


    ¡°Bang, bang ¡­¡±


    A cold and grim smile could be seen on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. His moves were particularly ruthless and vicious. These five men were the instructors from the Rising Dragon Martial School. But within four or five breaths, he already knocked them down to the ground. His movements were as smooth as the passing clouds and flowing water, free and unhindered; along with the terrifying lethality it brought. Even those twenty big guys¡¯ complexions slightly changed upon seeing how Tang Xiu moved.


    ¡°Let¡¯s call it a day!¡±


    Tang Xiu patted his hands as he looked at Kang Xia and asked, ¡°How about it? Was my performance good enough?¡±


    A brilliant glint flashed in Kang Xia¡¯s eyes. She raised her thumb up and exclaimed in admiration, ¡°Beautiful! Never have I ever seen anyone as powerful as you; even those foreign boxers and the fighters in movies. I can say that in no way can they be compared with you. Even I got some kind of illusion that you were showing some kind of art when you hit them!¡±


    With an involuntary laugh, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°What eloquence. No wonder that you can be such outstanding person in the business world.¡±


    Kang Xia showed a faint smile and said, ¡°You¡¯re overpraising, Boss! Anyway, what¡¯s all this about? These people said that you hit his woman, and this was to seek revenge on you.¡±


    Tang Xiu lightly said, ¡°I got no problems with them whatsoever before. But this woman¡¯s younger brother is very arrogant, so I taught him a lesson a few times, for which he resents me afterwards. But that woman once had a gambling house with Long Zhengyu, while I was the one who helped him win the game. Therefore, when we met by chance a couple days ago, some cheap words bursted out from their mouth, so I slapped her. But I didn¡¯t expect that she would ask someone to retaliate, though!¡±


    Kang Xia suddenly said, ¡°Boss, more or less, I know your character. You are not the like to take the initiative to provoke others. So I can tell that the words from that woman¡¯s mouth were not the usual cheap ones.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled as he looked at the twenty to thirty young thugs whose complexions had greatly changed. Then, he shouted with a solemn tone, ¡°Hit them up and knock them down. Don¡¯t forget to break their legs. Young but don¡¯t learn from good role models, then we might as well prevent them from acting against ordinary people.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The twenty robust men replied in unison as they stormed over toward the thirty youth thugs like tigers and wolves. These men¡¯s attacks were very fast, ruthless, accurate and lethal at the same time. Within just half a minute, all of those bullies were knocked down with one of their their legs wasted.


    Tang Xiu looked at those youth thugs who let out howling and painful screams everywhere as he also looked at Zhu Tianqiang who was just like a dead dog after he hit him. Then, he shouted in a deep tone, ¡°Bring those five and follow me.¡±


    Immediately, five men picked up Zhu Tianqiang¡¯s group as they walked behind Tang Xiu toward the parked bus. The bus driver was a fat middle-aged man and was quite behaved. He also saw the fighting scene clearly from the distance a moment ago. And after Tang Xiu and the others walked toward his bus, he immediately stammered and spoke stutteringly, ¡°I, I, I¡¯m only a driver for the company, your problems have nothing to do with me.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t be related with this problem whatsoever. The only thing you need to do is drive the bus. If you think that our behavior is way too violent, you might as well resign this job tomorrow,¡± said Tang Xiu faintly.


    The fat driver promptly said, ¡°Ah, no, no, no¡­ I¡¯m very satisfied with the job, but I¡¯m afraid, ¡­.¡±


    Tang Xiu interrupted his words, saying, ¡°Then join the Magnificent Tang Corporation. You don¡¯t need to be afraid of anything if you¡¯re part of the Magnificent Tang Corporation. We never take the initiative to bully others, but when others dare to bully us, we will never we take the humiliation and stay in silence. Anyway, do you know where Rising Dragon Martial School is?¡±


    The fat driver asked in further doubt, ¡°You wanna go to the Rising Dragon Martial School? I know the place, but there are two sub-schools for this Rising Dragon Martial School. One is the main-head school, and the other one is the branch. Which one are you going to visit?¡±


    ¡°The main one!¡±


    Tang Xiu answered without hesitation.


    Kang Xia, who was at his side, was puzzled as she heard the answer. ¡°Boss, you¡¯re going to the Rising Dragon Martial School? What do you wanna do there?¡±


    ¡°Settling the account with their Martial School. Twice people from this school sought and created troubles for me, so I¡¯m quite pissed off. I must take advantage of today¡¯s opportunity and solve this.¡± Said Tang Xiu lightly.


    ¡°This is also part of the major drama tonight?¡± Kang Xia probed further.


    ¡°Correct!¡± Tang Xiu calmly replied.


    ****


    The main branch of the Rising Dragon Martial School was located in the West end of Star City, in the bustling area with a lot of high-rise buildings. The streets were pretty much heavy with traffic, and the continuous streams of lights in the streets at night were as though a glistening huge dragon.


    And now, Jiang Feng was very happy, since an old friend who had long been out of touch for so many years was visiting him. After serving his friend a satiating dinner, he also began to compare notes as he found that not only was his old friend¡¯s kung fu outstanding, but he particularly also had honed his legs techniques to the point of perfection, even though the fight was just like before, he coming out as the winner.


    ¡°Old Yang, this younger brother¡¯s kung fu hasn¡¯t decayed, right? Previously, I closed up and created this kungfu style in the Great Northwest region, and have defeated quite the number of people there. But even though you actually made great progress, but you still have no means to surpass me!¡± Said Jiang Feng with a smiling face whilst stroking the gray beard on his chin.

 Chapter 153

    Chapter 153: Knocking the School¡¯s Door and Fight


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Sitting at the opposite of Jiang Feng was Yang Xianyu. Just like him, he was also over his seventies, looking vigorous, buoyant and beaming with spirits. He didn¡¯t care even though he lost to Jiang Feng after comparing their kungfu.


    ¡°An old gramps like you unexpectedly still have such a soaring fighting spirit. Losing to you is kinda normal, you know. You¡¯ve always been well-known as a talented martial art genius since your childhood. So it¡¯s no shameful thing for me in losing to you!¡±


    Jiang Feng said with a laugh, ¡°This is what people say that the body may be old but not the heart. Anyway, for years I have not seen you, and I got no time to ask you something before we went to drink. So, why did you come to Star City this time?¡±


    Yang Xianyu¡¯s face instantly turned serious upon hearing Jiang Feng¡¯s inquiry as he replied with a deep tone, ¡°I heard that a few days ago a young Divine Doctor has cured a girl who was contracted with a strange illness in Jingmen Island. An illness for which quite a lot of well-known domestic doctors were unable to cure. So I rushed to Jingmen Island but came out empty-handed. After asking around, I heard that this young Divine Doctor comes from Star City.¡±


    With some doubt, Jiang Feng asked, ¡°What do you need that young Divine Doctor for? Who has contracted a serious illness?¡±


    Yang Xianyu replied with a wry, forced smile, ¡°It¡¯s the old lady of mine. She has been a vegetarian and a Buddhist follower the entirety of her life. She thought that doing that would garner her the blessing and protection from the Gods and Buddhas. Previously, she also doesn¡¯t close the door when she is going to sleep, so now she got some paralyzing stroke. The most nefarious thing is, not only is she got the stroke, but she also contracted a strange symptom for she¡¯s always shouting in her stupor, calling out that she¡¯s seeing some deities or something. So, I rushed to Star City personally to find that young Divine Doctor, wanting to ask him to treat my old woman.¡±


    Jiang Feng suddenly said, ¡°How much information have you got about that young Divine Doctor? I¡¯ve been in Star City for decades; I have quite a lot of personal contacts and network here. Perhaps, I can help you finding him.¡±


    Yang Xianyu said with a wry smile, ¡°I only know that he¡¯s called Tang Xiu; a 20 years-old young man. But I¡¯m totally clueless about other things. Look, the reason why I¡¯m visiting you today, was because I need you to accompany me to the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, to ask for his whereabouts from the people there.¡±


    Jiang Feng said, ¡°I do have an old friend, and he¡¯s exactly the President of the said hospital, so I¡¯ll call him and ask about it! Maybe he knows about the person you¡¯re looking for!¡±


    Yang Xianyu stared blankly for a moment, before immediately replying with a surprised expression afterward, ¡°Then, thanks a lot, Brother Jiang!¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    A faint smile appeared on Jiang Feng¡¯s face as he then prepared to dial Li Hongji¡¯s cell number. However, sounds of a ruckus bursted from the outside, followed by miserable, shrilling screams.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Jiang Feng put his mobile down as he looked and asked his youngest son, who was rushing inside.


    Jiang Xiang was a thirty years old man with a tall stature. He was wearing a black-colored training outfit as a slight alarmed and afraid expression was cast on his face as he replied, ¡°Dad, some people stormed over our hall!¡±


    What?


    Jiang Feng was struck with surprise for moment before his expression changed greatly.


    He clearly could remember that it was a decade ago the last time when someone stormed over and caused a ruckus at his school. Since he had great fame and reputation, besides also having taught a lot of disciples, nobody in the entire of Star City would have the guts to give him no face in the recent ten years! But now, some people unexpectedly came to storm and challenge his school when his old friend was visiting. Wasn¡¯t this playing with his old face?


    ¡°You go. I¡¯ll take a look as to who dares to come storming and challenge the Rising Dragon Martial School.¡± Jiang Feng took the lead with an angry face as he walked in big strides toward the front yard.


    The Rising Dragon Martial School covered quite a wide area, comparable with a public school. The front courtyard was the place where disciples practiced their kungfu, while the backyard was the living place for the school¡¯s instructors.


    At the kungfu training field in the front courtyard¡­


    Tang Xiu and Kang Xia were sitting since Zhong Tiekui had gotten them chairs, while the twenty men along with him were standing in two rows at both sides of Tang Xiu and Kang Xia, respectively.


    In front of Tang Xiu, Zhu Tianqiang along with the other four were lying on the ground, unconscious.


    When Jiang Feng arrived at the kungfu training field in the front courtyard, his face suddenly changed upon seeing such a scene, as suddenly a cold glint came out of his eyes. Along with the dozens of kungfu instructors around him, he came before Tang Xiu and he shouted with a deep tone, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Tang Xiu replied lightly, ¡°I heard that the martial arts society has the custom for accepting a challenge for hitting the school. But it seems that you regard me as a stranger, a passerby only. Then, I might as well challenge your hall! I don¡¯t like your Rising Dragon Martial School, so if possible I hope you can disband your school as to avoid your people bullying and hurting others in the future.¡±


    Whilst looking at Zhu Tianqiang and the other four deeply, Jiang Feng asked with a sinking tone, ¡°Your excellency, hitting the martial school also has another custom, that you must leave your name. And listening to your tone, it seems like the people from my Rising Dragon Martial School have offended you. Care to tell for what reason they did that?¡±


    Tang Xiu turned to Zhong Tiekui and spoke with an indifferent expression, ¡°Wake that guy up.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Zhong Tiekui went to Zhu Tianqiang¡¯s side as he picked him up, severely punching his face and knocking him down to the ground again. The acute pain woke Zhu Tianqiang up from his unconscious state, but he quickly howled a miserable scream due to the piercing pain he felt.


    About ten seconds later, after Zhu Tianqiang endured the pain, he looked up and around. His face suddenly changed greatly as he found himself back at the Rising Dragon Martial School, as well as clearly aware what kind of situation he was in.


    ¡°M-M-Ma- Master!¡±


    Fear struck Zhu Tianqiang¡¯s heart, but he braced himself and called out.


    With a sinking tone, Jiang Feng shouted at him, ¡°Tell me, what¡¯s all this about?¡±


    Zhu Tianqiang hesitated as he turned his head and looked at Tang Xiu with a frightened expression. Then, he replied with a bitter and astringent tone, ¡°Master, your disciple is no good. I have shamed you.¡±


    ¡°Straight to the point!¡±


    Jiang Feng scolded him and snapped.


    Zhu Tianqiang told the whole story again and finally said, ¡°Master, he hit my fianc¨¦e; I can¡¯t swallow this. So I only took the other four fellow disciples to seek him and avenge her. The whole problem is my mistake, but please don¡¯t blame the other four brothers. I admit my mistakes and am willing to receive any disciplinary punishments.¡±


    Jiang Feng looked at Tang Xiu as he said with a cold snort, ¡°Your excellency, you¡¯re rather too rampant, aren¡¯t you? It was you who hit someone first, and now you even dare to come to our Martial School. Do you really think that we¡¯re that easy to bully?¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand as he said with a dull and indifferent tone, ¡°I have no good impression toward your martial school, even a bit. This is already the second time. Last time some of your people accepted dirty money to waste me. But the outcome was me severely injuring them. But I think those four fellows are not in your school anymore, are they?¡±


    Four? Who were severely injured?


    Jiang Feng¡¯s mind quickly went back to the previous days, when Fei Qiang and the other three came back injured. Suddenly, he understood. When Fei Qiang came back, he said that he was provoked, challenged and tried to suppress it. And then, they got beaten and seriously injured. It turned out that the four of them received some dirty money from others against the moral and judicial code.


    However, since others were bullying them at their own turf, Jiang Feng also couldn¡¯t bear this tone. Whilst looking at Tang Xiu with a cold and detached expression, he spoke with a sinking tone, ¡°Since your excellency have come to challenge our hall, then let¡¯s cut the crap and begin! Since you can defeat my good-for-nothing apprentices, surely you have good kungfu.¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with a sneer, ¡°Hmph, your three feet cat¡¯s kungfu isn¡¯t good enough for me to take notice. But this time I brought some of my company¡¯s security personnel; I¡¯ll let them play with you.¡±


    Jiang Feng was angry, ¡°You¡¯re extremely arrogant!¡±


    ¡°Arrogant or not, you¡¯ll know after we play. Hey, amongst the twenty of you, who¡¯s willing to come out and accompany them to play?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡±


    One big man stood as he replied with a deep tone.


    Tang Xiu said with a nod, ¡°Remember, we¡¯re at home. Stick by the laws of the country and don¡¯t kill them.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The strong robust man nodded heavily.


    Jiang Feng looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes deeply. Then, he looked and sized up the strong man before he turned to his son, Jiang Xiang, and coldly said, ¡°Xiao Xiang, you go.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Jiang Xiang stepped forward in large strides.


    Tang Xiu looked at his watch and said, ¡°Finish this quickly, I still have things to do this evening. I don¡¯t have much time to waste here.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The strong man replied as he threw himself toward Jiang Xiang in large strides. His footsteps were steady and very fast. Even as he had yet to strike, his moves already emitted a fierce and ruthless flavor within it. He was once trained at some special forces training camp. What he had learnt was the killing style. And he was also a seasoned veteran soldier and had experienced hundreds of battlefields.


    ¡°The Eagle Spreads the Wings.¡±


    Jiang Xiang shouted loudly as both of his arms opened wide as though eagle claws, constantly attacking the strong man fiercely.


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡±


    The strong man coldly snorted. His fist aimed to hit Jiang Xiang¡¯s neck in an instant as his left leg also sent out a lightning kick to Jiang Xiang¡¯s shoulder. The moment his fist was blocked by Jiang Xiang, his left leg quickly hit Jiang Xiang¡¯s shoulder heavily.


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    Jiang Xiang¡¯s body was kicked and instantly sent him flying before he hit the ground heavily. Everyone present were all martial artists; they could see clearly that Jiang Xiang¡¯s shoulder which had been hit was different from before. Apparently, it was twisted to the rear by the kick.


    A middle-aged man around forty-years-old then stood up amongst the people from the Rising Dragon Martial School. His stature was thin, with an upward-shaped bridge nose and a frosty expression on his face.


    ¡°What a good, ruthless method, and a powerful force as well. I¡¯m Situ Lu, disciple of Master. Please give me some guidance.¡±


    The strong man was losing his interest. He previously thought that his opponent was powerful, but it turned out that the opponent was knocked down and got wasted the moment he hit him. Moreover, since the Boss had ordered to not kill the opponent as to avoid more troubles, he found it troublesome. If he was allowed to, he could have killed Jiang Xiang with a strike within half a second.


    Then, Tang Xiu spoke with an indifferent tone, ¡°Since the other side wants to play more, you accompany them to play. Let ten of them to stand to fight you. If those ten from this Rising Dragon Martial School are able to beat you, then I¡¯ll give them some countenance for their face.¡±


    ¡°What arrogance!¡±


    Jiang Feng shouted angrily upon hearing this. He then spoke with a sinking tone, ¡°Kid, you have yet to say your name!¡±


    While pointing at the strong man, Tang Xiu replied at him with a laugh, ¡°Send out ten more of your people. If all of them can beat him, I¡¯ll satisfy your curiosity. Else, your Rising Dragon School is much too disappointing for my taste; it will be equal to humiliate yourselves if you wanna know my name.¡±


    With a smile filled with extreme anger, Jiang Feng said, ¡°Fine! Such a big tone. But if that¡¯s the case; then, the request of your excellency will be satisfied. Ten of you, come forward and beat him down!¡±


    Instantly, ten Rising Dragon School¡¯s instructors rushed forward toward the strong man and surrounded him. An excited expression could be seen flashing from their eyes. It was as though this strong man was just like a lamb waiting to be butchered in their eyes.


    The strong man¡¯s spirit was also sparked. The look of being addicted to fight was seen flashing in his eyes. He knew that Tang Xiu still had some matters to be taken care of, so he didn¡¯t say more words and took the first initiative to attack.

 Chapter 154

    Chapter 154: Outcome


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The ten instructors from the Rising Dragon School were all fierce and powerful fighters. Either it was combat skills, actual combats, or experience to fight in teamwork, they all had them. With three people filling the upper and lower parts, their fists and kicks were crisscrossing, meeting the strongman head-on.


    ¡°Suicidal clowns!¡±


    The strong man knew no fear. He didn¡¯t even have the intention to avoid the clash and fiercely met the person in front with his fist head-on and sent him flying. After which, his body instantly dashed to the right and punched out as his fist and elbows struck at another man and sent him flying as well.


    While sitting on the chair, Tang Xiu turned and looked at Kang Xia as he asked with a smile, ¡°What do you think? Is their strength good enough?¡±


    Kang Xia raised four fingers next to her face and said, ¡°He has the chance to kill them four times. I can see clearly that there¡¯s a sharp tool peeking out a bit between his fingers. But the instant it was about to hit his opponent, he changed the trajectory of his attack.¡±


    With an astonished expression, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°You can see it so clearly?¡±


    Kang Xia replied with a proud smile, ¡°My eyesight is 2.5 times sharper than an ordinary person¡¯s. But his speed is very fast and he has already surpassed the limit of an average person. If it were not because of the moonlight reflection, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to see it.¡±


    Puzzled, Tang Xiu continued, ¡°Is your eyes¡¯ ability inborn, or did you develop it later on?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s innate!¡± Said Kang Xia.


    Tang Xiu nodded even though he was thinking about another similar thing in his mind. When he was in the Immortal World, he had met a genius in eye cultivation techniques. His eyesight was ten times stronger than ordinary people¡¯s, and he turned into an outstanding and famous Heavenly Eyes Great Emperor within a short 1800 years.


    In that case, Kang Xia¡¯s eyes were highly likely to be similar with the Heavenly Eyes Great Emperor¡¯s. That meant she was actually able to cultivate a special eyes cultivation technique and fostered her ability.


    As the two of them were chatting, the strong man had knocked all of the Rising Dragon¡¯s instructors down. Even though he didn¡¯t want to kill these people, his moves and strikes were extremely ruthless. Those ten instructors had either their legs or arms broken as screams molded into one in this kungfu training field.


    Tang Xiu looked at Jiang Feng, whose complexion flushed red, and lightly said, ¡°Well, the young ones have played their parts. Old man, shouldn¡¯t you act now? I heard that you¡¯re very strong. Wanna play with one of my people?¡±


    Jiang Feng took a step forward and said with a sneer, ¡°I have entered the Grandmaster Realm of martial arts for ten years. If you think your men can beat me, then bring it on!¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at Zhong Tiekui and said indifferently, ¡°Accompany him to practice. This old chap might have yet to teach his disciples much, but I heard that he¡¯s just and moral. Give him some mercy.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Zhong Tiekui replied as he walked to the open space in front.


    Jiang Feng narrowed his eyes. He might be old, but not only had his strength not regressed, but instead, his kungfu had reached the pinnacle after decades of hard training.


    Yang Xianyu, who was standing nearby, had already seen that Tang Xiu¡¯s men were powerful, so he was well aware that his old friend could be losing today. In his hesitation, he spoke to remind him, ¡°Be careful, even I cannot see the depth of your opponent.¡±


    Jiang Feng sneered, ¡°Bah, just look at his age. He¡¯s mostly only forty-years-old or so. Even if he began practicing kungfu inside his mother¡¯s womb, I don¡¯t believe that he already reached the Grandmaster Realm. It will be easy to pack him up.¡±


    A forced smile was revealed on Yang Xianyu¡¯s face as he replied, ¡°Even so, you better not to fall and capsized, otherwise, your name and reputation will be destroyed in a flash.¡±


    Jiang Feng suddenly turned cautious and discreet upon hearing this.


    Tang Xiu looked at Yang Xianyu and asked with an insipid expression, ¡°Are you from this Rising Dragon School? If not, you¡¯d better keep your mouth shut.¡±


    Yang Xianyu turned to see Tang Xiu as he shook his head and said with a sigh, ¡°Aii, young ones nowadays really don¡¯t know how to respect the elderly and care for the young. That aside, I hope your man does have some ability, else you¡¯ll lose today.¡±


    At the side, Zhu Tianqiang who was being propped up by some people, suddenly shouted, ¡°Master, the most powerful person is not the one in front of you. It¡¯s him! The one who¡¯s sitting there! We, five brothers, weren¡¯t able to hold out by even ten seconds and got knocked out by him completely.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    A disbelieving expression appeared on Jiang Feng and Yang Xianyu¡¯s faces as shocked looks could be seen in their eyes. In this moment, they knew it was definitely impossible for Zhu Tianqiang to lie to them. But, achieving the feat of knocking down Zhu Tianqiang along with his four fellow disciples within ten seconds was not something they could do. To what kind of terrifying degree could his strength be?


    Tang Xiu said with some ridicule, ¡°Aii, please, don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯m very weak. Just look at my age. Even if I began training since I was still my mother¡¯s womb, there¡¯s no way I can have such an illustrious achievement.¡±


    Jiang Feng¡¯s expression instantly turned into a red-pig liver color.


    He knew perfectly well that the other slap his face with his own words.


    Tang Xiu looked at Jiang Feng and said, ¡°The two of you need not dilly dally, please hurry to have your fight. I still have to go back home and help tutoring my classmates for extra lessons and school stuff. So I got no time to delay further.¡±


    Helping and tutoring his classmates for schoolwork?


    For a moment, Jiang Feng stared blankly. Everyone in the Rising Dragon School were all dumbfounded. They looked at Tang Xiu with a hard-to-believe expression. It was simply unimaginable, for such a young man to have a powerful group of men. Much less be a student.


    However, Jiang Feng was, after all, someone who had braved the stormy sea of life for years. He looked toward Zhong Tiekui, cupping his fist over at him and spoke, ¡°I¡¯m much older than you, and I also have reached the Grandmaster Realm. So I¡¯ll give you three chances to strike first. If you cannot beat me within these three strikes, you¡¯ll never have the chance to win me.¡±


    Zhong Tiekui replied with a sneer, ¡°No need. The Boss wants to see a good play, so you better give your best shot. Otherwise, even though the Boss told me to start off leniently, I will make you a eunuch and unable to get laid.¡±


    ¡°YOU¡­¡±


    Jiang Feng flew into a rage. His thought to give three strikes start to Zhong Tiekui instantly evaporated. With extremely calm footsteps, he stood still as though a pine and bent his body just like a bow ¨C showcasing a posture of a lion that was about to prey on a rabbit ¨C and went all out. Along with the tread of the tip of his toe on the ground, his body dashed toward Zhong Tiekui. His palms turned into fists and bombarded Zhong Tiekui for dozens of times in an instant.


    ¡°Bang, bang¡­!¡±


    Fighting for Zhong Tiekui was as though eating a plain meal. Meeting head-on with Jiang Feng¡¯s fists, both of his arms waved constantly from time to time, even his speed was faster than Jiang Feng¡¯s. With strange footwork, he moved and dodged Jiang Feng¡¯s fists bombardment. His body was as though it had no bones as it twisted and swayed from side to side. In an instant, Jiang Feng¡¯s head suddenly appeared under the lower right side of Zhong Tiekui, while the latter¡¯s fist hit him with a punch to his armpit.


    ¡°Pa!¡±


    Jiang Feng¡¯s right arm got dislocated in an instant as his body also staggered back for four or five steps.


    Zhong Tiekui didn¡¯t chase him, and instead, swayed to his side toward his neck. Along with the force of this body, a loud sound sounded as he sent a hook toward Jiang Feng.


    _¡¯What strength! He¡¯s much stronger and faster than me. His fighting experience is also very deep. This man is definitely a ruthless one and has killed people before. What¡¯s the background of these people? From where they came from and what identity does that young man have?¡¯_


    Jiang Feng couldn¡¯t help but think about it whilst enduring and suppressing the pain in his right arm. Then, he quickly swapped the position of his right arm with the left one. After that, he gently moved and spoke with a sinking tone, ¡°You¡¯re very strong indeed. A kind of expert I have yet to see in all my years. Then, I¡¯ll go all out. I hope you can keep up with me.¡±


    ¡°You talk too much!¡±


    Zhong Tiekui sneered as he dashed toward Jiang Feng. His speed and strength suddenly surged in an instant, as in a blink of an eye, his foot kicked Jiang Feng¡¯s arms that were in a defensive posture. Following that, his lightning kick flipped up and kicked Jiang Feng¡¯s cheek.


    ¡°Bang¡­¡­¡±


    The kick didn¡¯t break Jiang Feng¡¯s cheek bone, but his eyes turned black and almost lost consciousness for two seconds in an instant. However, in a fight between experts, let alone two seconds, even half a second was enough to decide the outcome of the battle. A seasoned fighter as he was, Zhong Tiekui naturally knew to seize such an opportunity and quickly sent out dozens of bombardments within a breath. There were no useless and fancy movements as each and every hit solidly smashed Jiang Feng¡¯s chest.


    Again¡­ and again.


    Dozens of hits repeatedly hit Jiang Feng¡¯s body as his body was pushed forcefully for about ten meters backwards, along with a mouthful of blood that bursted out from his mouth. Jiang Feng struggled a few times to no avail as he then crawled on the ground.


    As for Zhong Tiekui, he didn¡¯t even glance at Jiang Feng as he came before Tang Xiu, cupping his fists over and said, ¡°Boss, the task has been accomplished!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded with a smile whilst motioning him to head to the side. Then, his sight turned to Jiang Feng as he spoke with an indifferent expression, ¡°You lost. So, I won in kicking your martial school, didn¡¯t I? According to the custom of martial arts society, what should you do now?¡±


    Propped up by several instructors, Jiang Feng looked like he aged ten years in an instant. With an expression as though dying embers, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll take down my Rising Dragon Martial School¡¯s plaque and give it to you, your excellency. I indeed am admitted that my kung fu and techniques are much inferior to him, so it¡¯s my loss. Much less that I¡¯m also aware that if it weren¡¯t for him giving me mercy, I¡¯m afraid that I would have already been killed.¡±


    Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°I¡¯m not interested in your school¡¯s plaque. The only real purpose I have is to let my enemies pay the price. Not only Zhu Tianqiang and his other four fellow disciples sought revenge on me, but he also brought along dozens of thugs. So I think he¡¯s a rotten apple. I want you to order him to call his woman, and we¡¯ll call an end to this issue.¡±


    Jiang Feng turned toward Zhu Tianqiang.


    The latter quickly said, ¡°No, today is no good! Deqin is leaving for the capital today since she has to secure some important business deals there. Wait for her to come back from the capital, and then I¡¯ll personally take her to apologize.¡±


    For a moment, Tang Xiu was silent. But when he was about to respond, Kang Xia suddenly spoke, ¡°Since your woman can¡¯t come, let¡¯s change the method. A lot of our time has been wasted because of you. Our time is just like gold ¨C very precious. So, you can compensate for the loss of our spirit, with some liquid¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Jiang Feng and Yang Xianyu were stunned for a moment. The two men looked at each other with a clear expression on their faces. At this moment, they thought that the reason as to why Tang Xiu challenged them was not to take the school¡¯s plaque, but to make money.


    ¡°How much?¡±


    With a helpless expression, Zhu Tianqiang asked.


    Without even batting an eye, Kang Xia replied, ¡°One hundred million.¡±


    ¡°You what? It¡¯s daylight robbery!¡±


    Zhu Tianqiang was suddenly shocked as he immediately bursted out of anger upon hearing it. Although 100 million yuan wasn¡¯t that much for him and he also was barely able to provide such an amount, but still, he would have to tighten his belt and live quite meagerly later.


    A charming smile was revealed on Kang Xia¡¯s face as she looked at Zhu Tianqiang and said, ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard the saying that a woman¡¯s heart is even more poisonous than a hornets¡¯ tail needles? You know what? My Boss is way too kind-hearted, so he didn¡¯t want anyone¡¯s death. But as for me, my Boss has told me that he won¡¯t interfere with my matter once I solve it. So what now? You think that your life and the other four of your brothers¡¯ are not even worth a hundred million?¡±

 Chapter 155

    Chapter 155: Price


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Coldness struck Zhu Tianqiang¡¯s heart. He could see that each and every one of those twenty strong men Tang Xiu brought along were ruthless and powerful. Just like the martial arts contest a moment ago, although they didn¡¯t kill anyone, but the pain and injuries they inflicted to his fellow apprentices were all quite severe.


    In this case¡­


    If they didn¡¯t give them the money, would their Master be able to preserve their lives?


    When he thought up to there, Zhu Tianqiang couldn¡¯t help but shake his head in secret. As the saying goes: humans had no choice but to bow their heads under the eaves. In such a situation, he had no alternatives left, and could only spend money to avoid a disaster.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll pay you!¡±


    Kang Xiu applauded as she said with a smile, ¡°Wise men always know how to submit to circumstances. Money is a dead thing, and a gifted one won¡¯t be subjected to it. Besides, you can always earn more as long as you¡¯re alive.¡±


    With an ashen complexion, Zhu Tianqiang endured it and reluctantly replied, ¡°100 million is quite an amount for me. You need to give me some time to collect it. After which, I¡¯ll send it to you immediately.¡±


    Kang Xia¡¯s face changed, and then said with a cold and detached voice, ¡°Do you think we¡¯re only three years old children? Are we easily swayed by you? I give you half an hour. If you haven¡¯t sent the 100 million to our Boss within this time limit, there¡¯s no need for you to collect the money.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Zhu Tianqiang opened his mouth as he looked to Jiang Feng, seeking his help.


    Jiang Feng sighed inside. He knew that if he wasn¡¯t able to make Tang Xiu satisfied today, the matter wouldn¡¯t end peacefully. He immediately said slowly, ¡°I¡¯ll provide the money, and all the issues will have to end today.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at Kang Xia with a strange look. He secretly admired the smartness of this woman. Although she did extort these people relying upon others¡¯ strength, but it was really effective. A stream of words came out of her mouth, and one hundred million was obtained. The Magnificent Tang Corporation was in development and in dire need of liquid, but with this one hundred million, he believed that it would be sufficient to cover some of the more urgent needs.


    ¡°Kang Xia, give them our account number. I believe that they won¡¯t dare lie to me. Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ve wasted too much time today, and I don¡¯t know those friends of mine to still wait for me.¡± Tang Xiu got up and walked out in large strides without even glancing to Jiang Feng again.


    Jiang Feng¡¯s expression changed as he asked loudly, ¡°Your excellency, you haven¡¯t told me your name.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Tang Xiu. Do remember to tell your people, no one should dare to provoke me again, else I wouldn¡¯t mind killing all of you!¡± Replied Tang Xiu whilst walking.


    Tang Xiu!


    The name was deeply etched into Jiang Feng¡¯s mind.


    At the side, Yang Xianyu looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s back with a complex expression. He simply didn¡¯t recall and think about the name. Curiosity filled his heart as to what kind of background this youngster had. Not only did he have twenty martial arts experts as bodyguards, but even his own strength should be very terrifying.


    A few minutes later¡­


    Only a few handful of people were left at the kung fu training field of the Rising Dragon School. Jiang Feng then walked toward the place where Tang Xiu was sitting, as he looked down at Zhu Tianqiang and spoke with a sinking tone, ¡°If it was only an ordinary issue of comparing martial arts and you lost because you were not as good as your opponent, I wouldn¡¯t blame you. But you- you unexpectedly formed a gang to have your revenge on others. This won¡¯t do. I¡¯ll give that 100 million of yuan to the five of you, but you all are no longer the disciples of my Rising Dragon School anymore. If later you dare to use the school¡¯s name to break the law and commit crimes; there will be none but me who will get rid of you and even kill you personally. Wake those four up and get the hell out now!¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    Zhu Tianqiang¡¯s complexion was as though he suffered a disastrous incident, as he involuntarily exclaimed out in a sob.


    Jiang Feng shouted again with anger, ¡°Shut up! I¡¯m no longer your master! Were my words not clear enough? Get lost now!¡±


    Zhu Tianqiang¡¯s lips wiggled a few times. He finally kowtowed and knocked his head three times in front of Jiang Feng. Then, he stood up with his lame legs and walked toward his other four brothers, woke them up, and then left with their heads down.


    Jiang Feng looked at another disciple at his side and spoke with a solemn tone, ¡°Send some people to find Fei Qing and the other three to see me. Tell them, that even if they are in the ends of earth, they must see me now!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    That disciple complied as he greeted his other fellow apprentices and quickly left.


    Yang Xianyu looked at the angered Jiang Feng. After sighing secretly, he patted his shoulder gently and said with a forced smile, ¡°There¡¯s always a sky above the sky and a better man than us. We all understand these words. Although you don¡¯t know that young man and have yet to practice with him; but they are powerful indeed. So, it¡¯s kinda good since the other is willing to end this issue at this point.¡±


    Jiang Feng nodded as he said with a helpless expression, ¡°I admit that today I indeed have met with some powerful people, so it¡¯s no wonder that I lost. But why do I feel that his name sounded familiar?¡±


    Yang Xianyu was confused, ¡°What name?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you also hear that young man spell his name when he left?¡± said Jiang Feng.


    What was he called?


    Yang Xianyu slowly recalled the moment as his eyes suddenly turned round and wide. With a disbelieving expression, he exclaimed out loud, ¡°TANG XIU?! He said his name is Tang Xiu, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the name.¡± Jiang Feng said.


    Yang Xianyu¡¯s blinked and spoke no longer as he rushed toward the outside extremely fast. But when he arrived at the gate, Tang Xiu and his people were no longer there.


    ¡°What happened with you? You¡­¡±


    Jiang Feng asked in confusion.


    A wry and forced smile was revealed as Yang Xianyu replied to him, ¡°Do you remember what I told you before? The purpose of my visit to Star City, is to look for a young Divine Doctor called Tang Xiu. That young man called himself Tang Xiu, and his age is also about twenty years old. If my guess isn¡¯t wrong, perhaps the person I¡¯ve been looking for is him.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s him?¡±


    Jiang Feng looked at him with eyes turned and tongue-tied, as a hard-to-believe expression was drawn on his face.


    Yang Xianyu said, ¡°It should be right. Ah right, you are friends with the president of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, right? Try calling him. See if he knows about this Tang Xiu. If he does, ask him who and what kind of person this Tang Xiu is.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Jiang Feng dialed Li Hongji¡¯s cell number. After exchanging greetings, he asked, ¡°Old friend, the reason why I¡¯m calling you is because I got something I want to ask.¡±


    ¡°Alright, and that is?¡±


    Li Hongji¡¯s voice came out of his cell phone.


    Jiang Feng said, ¡°I just heard that a young Divine Doctor appeared in Jingmen Island a while ago. And he¡¯s called Tang Xiu. But I also heard that he¡¯s also from Star City. Since you¡¯re the president of the Chinese Medical Hospital, you should know about the news within the traditional medicine society. So, you must know him if that young man really comes from our Star City, right?¡±


    Li Hongji let out a crisp and clear laugh as he replied, ¡°You¡¯re really well-informed, eh? The number of people who know Tang Xiu as a young Divine Doctor apart from our hospital¡¯s people, is absolutely very few in the entire Star City! Anyway, why are you looking for him?¡±


    Jiang Feng was quite happy and quickly asked, ¡°Which hospital he¡¯s working with? He¡¯s with you, I suppose?¡±


    Li Hongji laughed, ¡°You¡¯re fast! But anyway, you still have to wait for half a month since he needs to attend a College Entrance Test first. Only then will you be able to come to our hospital and be examined by him. Old Jiang, you have no idea of how much effort I¡¯ve gone through to invite him to my hospital. That young man is simply a rare wonder-kid with a brilliant medical skill. But even so, he doesn¡¯t want to take a career as a doctor and is only willing to come to our hospital occasionally.¡±


    Jiang Feng, shocked, asked, ¡°He¡¯s a student? A high schooler who¡¯s about to take a College Entrance Test?¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡± Li Hongji said.


    After hesitating for quite a while, Jiang Feng then asked in a low voice, ¡°Old Li, do you have any means to contact him? My friend wants to see him, and ask him to treat a patient.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ alright! I¡¯ll give you his cell number later. But tell your friend that he mustn¡¯t mess up with his private number, else that kid will fly into a rage.¡± Li Hongji urged.


    ¡°Well, alright. Thanks, old buddy! I¡¯ll take you to drink some other day!¡±


    ¡°Good, I¡¯ll be waiting!¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Jiang Feng looked at Yang Xianyu as he said with a forced smile, ¡°Your guess, is apparently correct! That young man is indeed Tang Xiu, the young Divine Doctor!¡±


    Offending a doctor, especially such a young Divine Doctor, was absolutely not something that Jiang Feng would ever do. He even suddenly felt that the issue that happened today was a kind of unexpected misfortune to him.


    With a helpless expression, Yang Xianyu said, ¡°Aiii, it seems like I¡¯ve really provoked quite some trouble because of my intervention today. And if anything, I really don¡¯t know this young man¡¯s personality nor do I know his temperament. If I brave myself to visit him and ask for his help, I¡¯m afraid that he would ignore me straight.¡±


    An apologetic expression was revealed on Jiang Feng¡¯s face as he spoke, ¡°Old friend, it was my fault. I got you involved. If things go south, I will thicken this old face of mine to personally go to him, asking him with every effort within my power to meet his requests no matter what he wants.¡±


    Yang Xianyu shook his head and said with a helpless expression, ¡°Let¡¯s just think and talk about this later!¡±


    Jiang Feng¡¯s face suddenly changed as he quickly said, ¡°Li Hongji told me before that Tang Xiu will attend the College Entrance Test within a couple of weeks. After which, he will come to Star City Chinese Medical Hospital and give medical services after he finished it. How about taking your wife there? We can also ask which day he would come to the hospital and give the medical services, so we can directly register your wife to be examined by him. What do you think?¡±


    Yang Xianyu¡¯s eyes lit up and immediately nodded repeatedly, ¡°Great idea! If he can cure my wife, I¡¯ll prepare a lavish gift for him!¡±


    ****


    After taking the twenty men from the Rising Dragon Martial School, Tang Xiu and Kang Xia then took the bus toward the South Gate Town, since they needed to hurry and rest.


    Sitting together on the last row seats, Tang Xiu could smell a faint sweet fragrance from Kang Xia¡¯s body. His lips curved as a smile appeared on his face when he spoke to her, ¡°Well, the play tonight was quite good, wasn¡¯t it? Not only did we not need to buy the tickets, we even got 100 million.¡±


    Kang Xia replied with a soft smile, ¡°Yep, it was indeed cool. Having a boss such as you is really great. How about taking me to see this kind of play everyday in our free time when the company is closed? Then I can ask money everyday.¡±


    Tang Xiu was quite dumbfounded and didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry as he replied, ¡°You¡¯re silly. How come we can bump into this kind of matter everyday? People nowadays are much smarter, and coming across such fools is very difficult. Moreover, if people were to come finding me and cause trouble, I could die due to being sick of it.¡±


    A flowery smile blossomed on Kang Xia¡¯s face as she said, ¡°Well, feeling vexed is indeed an annoying point. But, don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s quite a joyful pain? Tsk, tsk¡­ just imagine, 100 million a day. And if it continues for three or five years, not only would you become the country¡¯s highest earner, but you¡¯d also become the richest man in the world. Even Bill Gates would have look up to you, right?¡±

 Chapter 156

    Chapter 156: Haggling over the Price


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu snappily said, ¡°The amount Bill Gates own isn¡¯t so few you know. Well, let¡¯s stop talking about this. Anyway, I¡¯m giving the men and the formula for the health care products to you now, since I wanna focus on dealing with the College Entrance Test first. So, you take care of matters and don¡¯t disturb me.¡±


    Kang Xia gave out a lovable and charming expression as though she didn¡¯t know what to do with Tang Xiu, as she said with a snort, ¡°Hmph. I have never seen a Boss like you before! You just directly and brazenly passed the job to others but do nothing yourself. But still, don¡¯t you feel at least happy that such an outstanding and beautiful mature woman like me is doing things for you?¡±


    Tang Xiu touched the bridge of his nose as he said with a pale smile, ¡°I just recalled that someone has said, that a woman¡¯s heart is even more poisonous than a hornets¡¯ tail needles. Just like flowers, the more beautiful and tender they are, the more lethal their poison is. Besides, don¡¯t you think that I¡¯m way too young to be attracted by such poison?¡±


    ¡°Pfft, haha¡­¡±


    Kang Xia couldn¡¯t help laughing, even bursting into laughter. Previously, she didn¡¯t know that Tang Xiu would be this eloquent. The more contact she had with him, the more she found Tang Xiu¡¯s mysteriousness. It piqued her interest. Her eyes turned as she suddenly leaned on him. As her sensual lips were getting closer to Tang Xiu¡¯s ear, her warm breath blew in his ear as she whispered:


    ¡°Boss, you¡¯re really mysterious. You¡¯re simply unlike a high schooler. Can you tell me from where you learned your powerful martial arts? Also, those security guards you¡¯ve brought, from what background are they anyway?¡±


    Tang Xiu pushed Kang Xia away and said snappily, ¡°Don¡¯t try to seduce me. I¡¯m young and my self-control is quite weak. If you dare to overstep for half a step more through the minefield, then I won¡¯t be able to restrain myself and force you do something we don¡¯t want to. About my martial arts and their origins, now it¡¯s not the time to tell you yet. Perhaps later on you¡¯ll know.¡±


    Kang Xia gave a supercilious look as she turned to look outside the window with a bitter expression.


    Her heart itched the more Tang Xiu shut it out from her, causing her to want to figure out about his everything. Moreover, she also realized that she got quite the sickness, and it wasn¡¯t just an ordinary one, for she was always thinking about Tang Xiu from time to time, thinking about how and what he was doing; wondering for when he would contact her; thinking about his mysteriousness; all of those drove her to want to unveil those layers of mysteries of his¡­


    _¡°Ah, how come my mind strayed and my imagination run wild?¡±_


    Kang Xia patted her forehead as she turned toward Tang Xiu, giving him another lovable and charming supercilious look again.


    Shortly after¡­


    Kang Xia arranged to have the twenty security guards settled. She also gave the captain- Zhong Tiekui a sum of money for their wages in advance. Then, after taking out her sports car, she drove Tang Xiu to South Gate Town.


    Whilst sitting on the driver seat, she looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s back when he entered the South Gate Town¡¯s front gate. Her eyes couldn¡¯t help but roll again as she clearly remembered that Tang Xiu had never raised the topic of ¡°asking her to visit his home¡±.


    _¡°Ah, what an insensitive person. He¡¯s unamenable to other¡¯s feeling. Isn¡¯t this the characteristic of someone on their way to spending the rest of their life in loneliness?¡±_


    Kang Xia couldn¡¯t help but secretly criticize him in her heart.


    ****


    After he returned home, Tang Xiu found that Yuan Chuling, Cheng Yannan and the other two were still waiting for him. He made up some lies to them, and then began to give the tutoring for their schoolwork.


    In the blink of an eye, time marched on as though a galloping white horse¡­


    Days passed on as Tang Xiu spent his days in boredom. And quickly, the College Entrance Test was only three days away.


    What made Tang Xiu happy was that his mother got discharged from the hospital and that her restaurant that also successfully expanded. Not only was it bigger by several fold, but it also had been decorated more luxuriously. His mother also decided that the restaurant would resume the business the second day after his College Entrance Test ended.


    In the recent days, he devoted himself on tutoring Yuan Chuling, Cheng Yannan and the other two in their study, causing the four¡¯s study to progress by leaps and bounds. Tang Xiu believed that their results would be greatly improved even if they had to do the test now, but he didn¡¯t know as to what extent their improvement would be.


    He also got news from Chen Zhizhong and Long Zhengyu. One of the them was that they joined hands to create the circumstances to aim at Su Shangwen and put him out of business. They believed that it wouldn¡¯t take long for his Shangwen Real Estate to go bankrupt as well as pushing him into jail.


    As for Long Zhengyu, Chu Yi, Bai Tao and Ouyang Lulu, for whom he had the partnerships to develop the building, the early stage for the plan had been properly prepared. Tang Xiu also had carefully drawn the overall blueprint of the architectural design and gave it to them. As for how they would manage the execution of the plan and how to build it later, it was up to them.


    At Star City First High School¡­


    Tang Xiu was quietly practicing inside the Class 10. Along with the passing of time, his cultivation level was rapidly progressing. His Star Force was also stronger by several points due to absorbing the power of the stars everyday. He was confident that it wouldn¡¯t take too long for him to achieve the Skin Strengthening Late Stage if he could maintain this pace. At that time, he would be able to breakthrough to the next stage.


    ¡°Tang Xiu! Teacher Han is looking for you!¡±


    Cheng Yannan, who had just entered the classroom, directly called him from behind the moment she saw him.


    ¡°Huh? What does she want from me now?¡± Tang Xiu looked up and asked with a confused expression.


    ¡°Should be related to us, I think. You too know that she made us come to school two hours earlier today. She gave us two exam papers after we arrived; one for Math and the other foreign language. But she didn¡¯t tell us about the results after we finished the test though. Instead, she told me to pass the message for you to go to her office.¡± Said Cheng Yannan.


    Tang Xiu stood slowly, patting the sleepy Yuan Chuling and asked, ¡°Hey, you did those tests too, how was it?¡±


    Yuan Chuling pursed his lips and groaned as he said, ¡°Damn good I say! The tests were much easier compared to the previous ones I¡¯ve had. Anyways, why don¡¯t you hurry and go? Teacher Han is calling for you. And don¡¯t disturb my dream, will you?¡±


    Tang Xiu was speechless.


    After leaving the classroom, he directly headed to the office, and he could see that there was only Han Qingwu inside. He then greeted with a smile, ¡°Teacher Han, is there something you need from me?¡±


    Han Qingwu¡¯s mood was obviously quite bright today as she waved to Tang Xiu and said with a smile, ¡°Tang Xiu, you really didn¡¯t reveal your true nature eh? Previously I thought that Yuan Chuling and Cheng Yannan, at the very least, would only get a small improvement in their study even though you are giving them supplementary lessons and tutoring them. So, I asked those four to do a test for two subjects this morning. Can you guess what results they got?¡±


    ¡°Definitely good, I¡¯m sure of it! Otherwise, you would be giving me long and angry looks, criticizing my tutoring.¡± Tang Xiu answered.


    Han Qingwu snapped with a smile, ¡°What smelly boy. I¡¯ve been that unreasonable, haven¡¯t I? Anyway, just like you guessed, the results of the four are really progressing by leaps and bounds. Also, there are some questions in the Math test that are on an Olympic level and are extremely difficult. But those four correctly answered the problems.¡±


    _¡°Those who trust me will gain eternal life.¡±_


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu recalled the time when he was in the Immortal World. There was a demonic sect with such a slogan, for which they used to attract the cultivation talents. Whilst revealing a smile that didn¡¯t look like a smile, he looked at Han Qingwu and immediately said, ¡°Teacher Han, won¡¯t you gimme some kind of reward for helping those four improving their results?¡±


    Han Qingwu laughed involuntarily and said, ¡°What reward do you want?¡±


    ¡°Give me a day off! I need to get out and get some fresh air to vent out things.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Han Qingwu was stunned. From Tang Xiu¡¯s high tone, how come she felt that schooling was just like a prison for him?


    ¡°I won¡¯t have you give a holiday since all the third year students will all be having a holiday tomorrow. They¡¯ll have two days of rest before the College Entrance Test. So, you must stay honestly at school for all day today.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± It was quite a pleasant surprise for Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Did you see that I was joking with you?¡± Han Qingwu scolded him in reply.


    ¡°Nope!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    Then, Han Qingwu waved and said, ¡°Well, the reason why I called you up is that I wanna praise you for your efforts. And since we¡¯ve passed that part, quickly go back to your classroom and review your schoolwork! If these four classmates of yours have good results in the College Entrance Test and make me happy, I¡¯ll treat you to some western food in summer vacation.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a deal!¡±


    Tang Xiu quickly answered, and then left the office.


    ¡°Ring¡­ ring¡­ ring¡­¡±


    Just when Tang Xiu was about to enter the Class 10¡¯s door, the mobile in his pocket ringed. Looking around and ensuring that nobody was around, he walked away. Accepting the call, he said, ¡°Long Zhenglin, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Eldest Brother, I¡¯m in the Star City Medicinal Herbs Market and I found an excellent medicinal ingredient here. Wanna take a look at it yourself?¡± Long Zhenglin¡¯s excited voice came out from the phone.


    ¡°What herb?¡± Tang Xiu asked with some doubt.


    ¡°The shop owner said that the herb is extremely rare, and it was picked from the snow-capped mountain in the Western Region. It¡¯s fully matured, and he put it inside a warm jade box.¡± Long Zhenglin replied.


    ¡°You mean, it¡¯s a Tianshan Snow Lotus?¡± Tang Xiu asked with astonishment.


    Long Zhenglin laughed as he replied, ¡°That¡¯s it. It¡¯s Tianshan Snow Lotus. Moreover, it¡¯s a thousand years old one. I wanted to buy it for you, but it¡¯s extremely pricey. The owner won¡¯t even hand it over if I don¡¯t give him nine digits of money. So, are you gonna look at it or not? If you don¡¯t, I won¡¯t be able to prevent him from selling it to others.¡±


    ¡°Wait for me, I¡¯ll rush over there!¡± Tang Xiu said without hesitation.


    ¡°Sure!¡±


    Long Zhenglin complied and then hung up the phone.


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment. He didn¡¯t go to Han Qingwu to request leave as he sneaked out of the school¡¯s wall and left the school. He directly stopped a taxi and rushed toward the Star City Medicinal Herbs Market. A little more than half an hour later, he finally arrived at the Herb Market from his school.


    After rushing and arriving at the shop Long Zhenglin told him, a lot of people had already gathered around it. However, since this big fellow¡ªLong Zhenglin went all out to guard this Tianshan Snow Lotus, the shop owner was unable to sell it, even if he wanted to.


    _¡°It¡¯s really that herb!¡±_


    Tang Xiu was quite surprised secretly.


    In the eyes of ordinary people, the value of this Tianshan Snow Lotus might only be a nine digits¡¯ worth of money. But in his hands, its value would be hundreds of times that.


    He didn¡¯t need the Tianshan Snow Lotus for his cultivation. But Gu Yin very much needed this medicinal ingredient. If he could buy this herb and refine it, he definitely would be able to make Gu Yin breakthrough to a very high cultivation realm within a short time.


    ¡°Boss, how much is it?¡±


    After pushing the crowd and entering the frontmost, Tang Xiu directly asked.


    ¡°100 million! Less than that by even a dime, not selling!¡±

 Chapter 157

    Chapter 157: An Unexpected, Pleasant Surprise


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The shop¡¯s owner was guarded by the four staffers as he stood at of the counter. His reply to Tang Xiu was as though he had answered the same question for many times, carrying along with it his resolution and decisiveness.


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment as he nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take it. Give me your bank account and I¡¯ll transfer the money in the next few minutes.¡±


    The shop owner looked at him with a disdaining expression when he spoke, ¡°Little Brother, you don¡¯t need to casually boast. The price is 100 million, and not a thousand.¡±


    ¡°Whether I¡¯m able to afford the price or not, it¡¯s my problem. You only need to tell me your bank account. If within the next few minutes the money has been transferred to your account, then our deal is concluded. The money is yours and you give me this Tianshan Snow Lotus. If the money isn¡¯t there, that means that I have no money to pay you. Besides, you got nothing to lose either way.¡± Said Tang Xiu


    The shop owner thought for a moment, and he too felt that Tang Xiu¡¯s argument was reasonable. He immediately ordered one of his staffs to tell his bank card number to Tang Xiu.


    Squeezing out of the crowd, Tang Xiu then dialed Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°You¡¯re looking for me, Grand Master?¡±


    The surprised and pleasant voice of Gui Xiaoxue came out of the phone.


    ¡°Yes, I need one hundred million yuan right now, do you have some money there?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Gu Xiaoxue replied with a laugh, ¡°I do. if one hundred million is insufficient, I¡¯ll transfer one billion to you!¡±


    One billion?


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes. He just realized that he was really poor. Even his grand disciples could casually provide one billion, while one hundred million already gave him quite a headache.


    However, he had no choice but ask Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s help as his last resort. The Tianshan Snow Lotus was, after all, very important. If he could get it, not only would it make Gu Yin¡¯s cultivation level increase greatly, it would also greatly benefit Gu Yan¡¯er who was still unconscious.


    ¡°No need. I only need one hundred million. I¡¯ll text you the bank account and you must transfer the money within the next several minutes to this account.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue replied.


    A few minutes later¡­


    The shop owner looked at Long Zhenglin with a desperate look, saying, ¡°Little Brother, your friend hasn¡¯t come back. He simply cannot afford to provide one hundred million, right? Please don¡¯t make things more difficult for me; I also need to sell this Tianshan Snow Lotus! Take a look at those people. They also have been waiting.¡±


    He knew who Long Zhenglin was, as well as was acutely aware of his identity. Otherwise, he could have kicked him out a long time ago.


    ¡°Old¡­ err¡­ Boss, the money has just been transferred. I just counted the amount. It¡¯s exactly one hundred million.¡± The shop staff who had been staring at the phone screen received a notification from a text message that the money had been transferred, as he immediately called out with an excited expression.


    The shop owner stared blankly for a moment before a look of disbelief was cast on his face as he exclaimed, ¡°T-That¡­ that Little Brother¡­ How many minutes has it been? He really has transferred one hundred million? Take a look and verify it again, is the amount correct?¡±


    The shop staff read it again. After verifying it, he said, ¡°Yes Boss, it¡¯s correct. It¡¯s exactly one hundred million. Take a look at it!¡±


    At this moment¡­


    Tang Xiu squeezed back into the crowd and came over again. Then, he looked at the shop owner and asked, ¡°Well, has the money been transferred?¡±


    The shop owner nodded and replied, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°So, this Tianshan Snow Lotus should be mine, yes? If you have no more things to say, can I take it now?¡± Tang Xiu said.


    The shop owner¡¯s lower lip wiggled before he replied with a nod, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s yours.¡±


    Tang Xiu revealed a faint smile as he glanced at Long Zhenglin¡ªwho was also quite surprised¡ªwith a grateful expression. He received the jade box and after covering the lid, he and Long Zhenglin squeezed out of the crowd and left the Medicinal Herbs Market as fast as possible.


    In the cab, on the way back to Star City First High School¡­


    Long Zhenglin looked at Tang Xiu and said with a beaming smile, ¡°Eldest Brother, I did something good this time, didn¡¯t I? I know that you¡¯ve been looking for precious medicinal ingredients everywhere. Therefore, I have been strolling around the Medicinal Herbs Market regularly. I didn¡¯t expect that I would come across such a precious load today though. So, how would you reward me?¡±


    Tang Xiu said while laughing, ¡°How about¡­ I give you my kiss? You want it?¡±


    ¡°Hell, fuck!¡±


    Long Zhenglin showed his middle finger.


    Tang Xiu looked at the jade box in his hand. After being silent for a long while, he then slowly said, ¡°Give me some time for your reward, I assure you that you¡¯ll get some big surprise from me.¡±


    ¡°What surprise? What is it?¡± Long Zhenglin replied with a surprised expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s a secret for now, though. Well, let¡¯s change the topic. You know I still need to go back to school; so, are you gonna follow me or what?¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Shrugging his shoulders, Long Zhenglin let out a smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine with me! Besides, I have always been strolling around without plans recently, and I got nothing to do anyway.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Do you still want to continue like this? Man, you¡¯re not a kid anymore you know. I think you gotta have something to do. Even if the goal is only a small one, but at the very least, you gotta have some ability to support your own ass. I know that the Long Group will be taken care of by your big brother, so you don¡¯t need to worry about your future. But with such a fortunate starting circumstance, why don¡¯t you start pursuing your own dream?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    Long Zhenglin opened up his arms and said, ¡°My dream is only to sleep and wake up naturally, and then counting the money I succeeded in obtaining until my hands cramped. I got the first one, so it¡¯s the second dream I¡¯m hoping to achieve now.¡±


    Tang Xiu said with an indifferent tone, ¡°Since you haven¡¯t achieved your second dream, then fight. Struggle for your own success. Besides, I think you should leave Star City to roam the outside world and strive hard to work your way out there. You too know the saying that a tiger father won¡¯t beget a dog son, right? Your father is a great man. He has been working hard to support your family, and he has been successful to make such a family fortune. And I think that his sons are not a waste either.¡±


    Going to the outside world and working hard?


    With an astonished expression, Long Zhenglin looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Why should I go to the outside world and work hard there if I wanna make money? I have the support of my Long Family here. Either a social network and business channels, I can have those easily. Making money here will be much easier than in outside world, right?¡±


    ¡°Forever being sheltered under the eagle¡¯s wings, the fledgling eaglet will never be able to soar and fly in the sky! Lemme give you an analogy. Just imagine, what if one day your Dad and your big brother weren¡¯t there for you? To whose shoulders would you cling yourself onto then? I¡¯ll make this short for you. The ones who are relying on their parents, the heavens and the places, they never had and never will be real strong and courageous men! There will come a time in one¡¯s life that a boy will have to leave and live his own life. Don¡¯t tell me that you don¡¯t wanna be a real man; a genuine REAL man just like your father and grandfather used to be?¡± Tang Xiu gave his speech.


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    As shaken as he was, Long Zhenglin was blown up by Tang Xiu¡¯s words. Never had he thought about this issue before, and no one questioned him before.


    Thus, Tang Xiu¡¯s words were as though heavy blows to his head, causing him to suddenly wake up.


    For a long time, Long Zhenglin was silent. Eventually, after the taxi was about to arrive at Star City First High School, only then he slowly asked, ¡°Eldest Brother, tell me, what should I do now?¡±


    ¡°Ask your heart as to what you wanna do! Money isn¡¯t a problem for you now. So, not only can you pursue anything you like, but you also can use it to make money. Star City, for me, is only a small place and a starting point. I¡¯ll definitely get out of this place to go to the outside world and develop myself in much bigger stages. Therefore, I also don¡¯t want my friend to have a mediocre future.¡± Tang Xiu said indifferently.


    With a sinking tone, Long Zhenglin said, ¡°I got your point and thoughts Eldest Brother! Don¡¯t worry, gimme some time to clear up my head and you¡¯ll be the first one I¡¯ll tell you about my plan.¡±


    After that, he asked the taxi driver to stop and directly left alone.


    Looking at Long Zhenglin¡¯s shoulders, Tang Xiu was secretly sighing inside. It was not in his intention to stimulate Long Zhenglin in the first place. But looking at him being idle and doing nothing all day, was not something he could stand to see. Because, with such behavior, what¡¯s the difference between him and those second-generation nouveau-riche, famous playboys and young masters?


    Quickly, Tang Xiu crossed the top of the school¡¯s wall to slip in and return back to his school. What made him quite relieved was that Han Qingwu didn¡¯t return to the class. His classmates also thought that he was away because Han Qingwu called him and had yet to come back.


    This one day had finally been endured!


    And after Han Qingwu announced that they would have a holiday for the second and third day, the class suddenly turned noisy and boiled up.


    ¡°Hehehe, Eldest Brother, can we stay in your house in the next two days?¡± Yuan Chuling revealed a ¡°sucking up¡± expression with a mischievous laugh.


    ¡°Staying at my house? What for? Don¡¯t you have to go back to your own home?¡± Tang Xiu confused.


    Cheng Yannan turned around and said with a beaming smile, ¡°Well, we plan to spend these last two days fully studying the rest of the subjects we have yet to understand. So, we¡¯ll completely rely on you to teach us. Teacher Tang, you wouldn¡¯t be thinking of ditching us in the last critical moment, would you?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Tang Xiu was stunned. In fact, he was also planning to spend these two days to take a good rest, and also accompany his mother in the restaurant. But upon hearing Yuan Chuling and Cheng Yannan¡¯s words, he immediately felt as though his head would explode. It was as if they were pasted on him just like the dogskin plasters.


    After hesitating for a moment, Tang Xiu said, ¡°How about this¡­ You don¡¯t need to stay, but you can come to my house every morning. I¡¯ll continue giving you the tutoring and you are free in the afternoon. Besides, I wanna rest well at nights too you know.¡±


    ¡°Deal!¡±


    Yuan Chuling joyfully replied with a laugh.


    A cunning glint appeared in Cheng Yannan¡¯s eyes as she said, ¡°Tang Xiu, one more thing. We too are planning to show our thanks to you for tutoring us all these times. I, Yuan Chuling, Xia Wanfen, and Li Xiaoqian have talked about it, and we want to treat you to a dinner and a karaoke tonight. And¡­ you are not allowed to refuse!¡±


    Dinner and karaoke?


    Having a dinner wasn¡¯t a problem for him, but he was curious about singing. He too had been to a KTV before, albeit only once. And the last time he was in the KTV, was helping Ouyang Lulu to solve some troubles. Thus, he was also curious, how good a singer was he?


    ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll consider it as a relaxation before having the College Entrance Test.¡±


    The smile on Cheng Yannan¡¯s face got thicker as she replied with a beaming smile, ¡°Thanks a bunch for your presence Teacher Tang. We¡¯ll look forward to it. Farewell then.¡±


    ¡°See you later!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ****


    The five had dinner in a fairly good restaurant. And after a great ¡°thanks¡± dinner, they took a taxi and went to an upscale KTV.


    Nowadays, was the time of feasting, pleasure-seeking, and indulging life in luxury. Thus, it made the KTV¡¯s business very hot as countless of blue and white-collars turned crazy as the nightlife began. All day long they had been working; they needed to vent at night. And choosing to have a karaoke at KTV was quite good a choice.


    The five people arrived at one box with the guidance of the attendant. The box could be said to be quite luxurious as the four people pushed Tang Xiu to sing on the stage.


    ¡°No, no. I really can¡¯t sing. I usually don¡¯t listen to any songs and neither do I know how to sing! How about I request a song from you all and I¡¯ll be drinking and listening to you singing.¡± Said Tang Xiu with a forced smile.


    Xia Wanfen, the shy one, looked at Tang Xiu with a disbelieving expression. ¡°You really can¡¯t sing and seldom listen to any songs?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Tang Xiu said.


    * * *


    Notes:


    Man¡­ that was quite a speech Tang Xiu said to Long Zhenglin. FYI, this chapter was written when the author had to deal with some issues with his family¡­

 Chapter 158

    Chapter 158: Singing


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Xia Wanfen¡¯s mouth slightly tilted as she said, ¡°Since you can¡¯t sing the pop songs, then how about singing our national anthem?! Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t even sing it!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face was heavy and full of black lines¡­


    With a laugh, Yuan Chuling followed, ¡°Eldest Brother, you¡¯re very smart, and your ability to learn is great. Well, it doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t hear pop songs, though. Let¡¯s do this then. We¡¯ll sing a few songs, and you listen and focus on our singing. By your intelligence and ability, you may be able to sing after listening to us for a few times.¡±


    ¡°You see me too highly, don¡¯t you? If I were really that good, I could have been a big star, you know!¡± Revealing a forced smile, Tang Xiu replied.


    ¡°Come on! Try it!¡± Chen Yannan added to the fire.


    Such a warmth was really difficult to refuse¡­


    Finally, Tang Xiu nodded and complied. Following that, Yuan Chuling and Cheng Yannan each chose a song, and their singing was quite good. Xia Wanfen and Li Xiaoqian also tossed aside their usual shyness as they requested songs and also sang. They even touched the bottle and drank their beers with everyone.


    ¡°So, what do you think? Is there any song you wanna try?¡± After singing with Li Xiaoqian, Cheng Yannan asked Tang Xiu with a smiling face.


    With a forced smile, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Err¡­ none? I haven¡¯t listened to even one song.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, though. But if you don¡¯t sing, that means you don¡¯t give us face since we invited you here to have a karaoke. So, we won¡¯t speak anything about the songs you choose.¡± Cheng Yannan said.


    ¡°Any song will do, right?¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Yup!¡± Cheng Yannan replied with a nod.


    Tang Xiu stood as he took the microphone on the table and said, ¡°Okay, since you said that anything will do, then I¡¯ll sing the song I¡¯ve learnt before! The tone of the song I¡¯m about to sing is quite strange so I hope you can bear if it. But, I would be able to sing better if you can provide me a zither.¡±


    A zither?


    The four of them looked at each other with a strange expression.


    ¡°Aih, Eldest Brother, what kind of jokes are you playing? You know that we¡¯re in KTV, right? You go to use the KTV to sing, so aren¡¯t you just wantonly playing nonsense here?! Besides, where should we find a zither now?¡± Yuan Chuling snapped as he cried out.


    Tang Xiu said with a forced smile, ¡°Well since there¡¯s no zither, I¡¯ll just hum a few words casually then. This first song¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Xia Wanfen suddenly interrupted him and said, ¡°If my memory serves me right, the Proprietress of this KTV has a zither. My family and I had come to sing in this KTV once, and I saw her sitting in the hall outside, playing zither. The tone was very beautiful and elegant.¡±


    ¡°Huh? You know the Boss of this place?¡± Yuan Chuling was surprised.


    ¡°No, no. I don¡¯t know her, but my aunt does. And they are also good friends! So, should I try and ask her?¡± Xia Wanfen answered with a smile.


    Cheng Yannan said, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    Whilst looking at the two girls leaving, an expression of being at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh was drawn on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. He had never thought that these two girls were even this earnest, giving not even a chance for him to sing casually! They even felt that it was imperative to run and try finding a zither?


    Inside the Westland KTV¡¯s General Manager office¡­


    Chen Xiaofen quietly read a zither chord book in her hand. Although she managed her KTV family business, learning about musical instruments in her spare time was her hobby. She also liked to collect various musical instruments, albeit that she preferred to use those various musical instruments to create a symphony that could move people¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Knock¡­ knock¡­ knock¡­¡±


    Her door was knocked and abruptly stopped her train of thoughts.


    Chen Xiaofen¡¯s black eyebrows slightly tilted as she spoke with quite a resent, ¡°Come in!¡±


    A waiter came opening the door as she looked at her and said, ¡°Boss, there are two guests who are looking for you. They said they know you.¡±


    ¡°Where are they?¡± Chen Xiaofen asked.


    ¡°Outside the door.¡± Replied the waiter.


    ¡°Let them come inside!¡± Chen Xiaofen said.


    After a moment, Xia Wanfen and Cheng Yannan entered the office. When they saw Chen Xiaofen, Xia Wanfen stepped forward a few steps as she stood in front of her and said, ¡°Hello Aunt Chen. I¡¯m Xia Wanfen, Xia Shishi¡¯s niece. I once visited you with my aunt and parents before.¡±


    A smile was revealed on Chen Xiaofen¡¯s face as she said with a nod, ¡°I remember you. But that was like a few years ago, right? That time I told your aunt to take you over to play here. Anyways, you need something from me?¡±


    Xia Wanfen said, ¡°Ah, yes! We have a classmate, but since he can¡¯t sing contemporary songs, he wants to sing a very special song, but he said that he needs a zither. And I recalled that you should have one here, so I came to find you.¡±


    A zither?! And sing with it?


    Chen Xiaofen was at a loss and dumbfounded before she replied, ¡°I suppose your classmate is very interesting, right? But, why would he come to a KTV and then play zither for?¡±


    An awkward expression was revealed on Xia Wanfen¡¯s face. She too felt that Tang Xiu¡¯s request was kinda ridiculous, so she replied while blushing, ¡°Aunt Chen, about my classmate¡­ he¡¯s kinda¡­ ugh, weird.¡±


    Chen Xiaofen said, ¡°Okay, it¡¯s alright. It¡¯s a visitor¡¯s request after all, so I¡¯ll naturally try to meet the request as best as I can. However, I also have a request, and if you can comply with it, I will lend my favorite zither to you.¡±


    ¡°Please do tell!¡± Xia Wanfen promptly nodded.


    Chen Xiaofen said with a smile, ¡°I want to see your classmate, and also want to listen to his zither play.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Xia Wanfen and Chen Yannan looked at each other as hesitation was revealed on their expressions. They didn¡¯t know what Tang Xiu would think about it. If they complied with the request and Tang Xiu wasn¡¯t happy because of it, what should they do then?


    However, Cheng Yannan, who wanted to hear Tang Xiu sing, was quite resolute as she too was interested in hearing him singing with a zither in a KTV. So, she said, ¡°Okay, we agree, Aunt Chen.¡±


    Chen Xiaofen¡¯s eyes suddenly turned bright and said, ¡°Then, how about I arrange the largest box for you and listen to the song there? Some of my friends happen to be visiting soon. I might as well tell you that they¡¯re the big shots from the Music Academy in the provincial capital. If your talent in music and songs are good, they might invite you to enter the Music Academy after you have your College Entrance Test!¡±


    Xia Wanfen¡¯s eyes turned bright, as even Cheng Yannan¡¯s face also moved. The two whispered to each other and finally agreed to Chen Xiaofen¡¯s proposal.


    A few minutes later¡­


    Tang Xiu, Yuan Chuling, and Li Xiaoqian were brought to the VIP box. Upon seeing that Xia Wanfen and Cheng Yannan were already inside, Yuan Chuling then immediately asked out of curiosity, ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up? Was our previous box not good enough so you wanna change the place?¡±


    Whilst glancing at Tang Xiu, Cheng Yannan replied with a smile, ¡°You know what? We got quite lucky. I and Xia Wanfen have been wanting to take the test for the Music Academy in the provincial capital. So, when we were trying to borrow the zither, we exactly came across some leaders from the said Music Academy. They¡¯re the friends of this KTV¡¯s Proprietress. And she¡¯s really kind, she wants to help us and move us to this box for our singing. As well as showcase those big shots our singing.¡±


    ¡°For real?¡±


    A delicate and pretty Li Xiaoqian suddenly called out excitedly, ¡°I also love to sing and wanna take the test for the Music Academy. Yannan, you might not know, but I¡¯ve been dreaming to become a singer ever since I was a child. This is really great. If the leaders from the Music Academy take a liking to us, they could make an exception for us to enroll in their school.¡±


    Tang Xiu knitted his brows even though he stretched it back the moment after. Although he had never liked being with unfamiliar people while he was having his relaxation time, seeing the excited looks from Li Xiaoqian and the other girls, he also didn¡¯t want to sweep out their excitement. Perhaps, today would be a chance for them to make their dreams came true to enter this Music Academy.


    His vision finally moved to the tea table.


    An interesting and appealing antique zither was on the tea table with a vivid and lifelike carving of the soaring Phoenix and Dragon pattern on it.


    At the front door of the Westland KTV¡­


    With a smiling expression, Chen Xiaofen was looking at a black Mercedes-Benz that slowly stopped as three mature and beautiful women came out from the inside.


    ¡°Boss Chen, sorry for disturbing you!¡±


    One of the mature beauties smiled and rushed forward as she gave Chen Xiaofen a big hug.


    Chen Xiaofen said with a laugh, ¡°It¡¯s too late not to be happy since the three of you have come visiting me! So how could it be called as disturbing me? Besides, it has been more than half a year for we, sisters, gathering together, right? The three of you really have no conscience. While you are enjoying your life in the provincial capital, you toss me here alone in Star City.¡±


    Huang Jie, who was precisely the mature beauty who threw herself at Chen Xiaofen, hugged Chen Xiaofen¡¯s shoulders as she said with a beaming smile, ¡°If your family and your hubby are willing to let you leave, we can arrange everything in the provincial capital for you. Including working with us in the Music Academy along with a proper and suitable position.¡±


    With a helpless expression and tone, Chen Xiaofen said, ¡°Aih¡­ please don¡¯t tempt me. You know my family and my hubby¡­ Ah, just forget it. Don¡¯t raise the topic about him. Anyways, I¡¯ve prepared a show for you tonight. And, it¡¯s a quite unexpected and accidental one, though. But I hope you¡¯ll like it.¡±


    ¡°What show?¡± Huang Jie asked curiously.


    Chen Xiaofen let out a smile that was not like a smile as she replied, ¡°You¡¯re all musicians. So I wanna ask you. Have you seen any guests that come to a KTV and not sing? But want to borrow and play a zither and sing with it? And you know what? The said person should be a high schooler!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    Huang Jie and the two others couldn¡¯t help laughing and smiling.


    Going to the KTV only to play zither and sing with it? Wasn¡¯t this a big scene that must be investigated in entire China to find?


    Huang Jie said with a laugh, ¡°Xiaofen, is this the wonderful marvel you said to be a special program you¡¯ve arranged for us? That reminds me, we haven¡¯t had some fun for a while, have we? It¡¯s been very difficult for us sisters to gather together, so we had better have some fun ourselves when we¡¯re together!¡±


    Chen Xiaofen also replied with a laugh, ¡°Ah, Jie dear, don¡¯t you think that this is kinda novel too? Just imagine, the scene of playing zither in a KTV and singing a song with it. I couldn¡¯t help but laugh imagining it. Ah, right. I seem to have done it once too. That was when I just bought the zither.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    The three mature beauties laughed upon hearing it.


    For a moment, Huang Jie hesitated as she then said with a smile, ¡°Since Xiaofen has specifically arranged this special program for us, then let¡¯s see it. Besides, speaking about it, there¡¯s only a handful of students who are interested in learning the zither nowadays. I have no idea if her level would be quite good, but I think Xiaofen also can give some pointers to her.¡±


    Chen Xiaofen said with a laugh, ¡°But anyways, I heard that the student who will be playing and singing with a zither, is not a she, but a he. He¡¯s a schoolboy.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    The three mature beauties were immediately shocked.


    A male student, playing the zither in the KTV? And even singing with it?


    A male student who didn¡¯t like playing guitar and acting cool?


    Huang Jie said with a laugh, ¡°Xiaofen, such specific details you¡¯re telling us, kinda sparks my curiosity, and that boy really piqued my interest.¡±

 Chapter 159

    Chapter 159: Ideal Mood Realm


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Inside a luxurious box of the Westland KTV¡­


    Tang Xiu sat cross-legged in front of a zither. His hands gently caressed and stroked the zither made of the best quality Yellow Rosewood material. The zither¡¯s body was shining with a delicate ornate carving and meticulous workmanship. It also had its seven strings already deployed properly.


    The zither was highly regarded in Chinese culture and considered as the noblest instrument. There was even a saying that, ¡°wherever the gentleman is seated, there must be a zither to the left and books to the right¡± [1]. It was also included as the first in the Four Arts of Chinese culture: which were the zither, Go, calligraphy and painting; as most of the refined scholars also regarded it as the most elegant representative of all.


    Previously¡­


    Tang Xiu also had a zither. It was one of the top-notch immortal devices in the Immortal World. Its wooden body was made of Phoenix tree with strings made of the tendons of the Five Clawed Golden Dragon. After which, it was nourished with the blood essence of certain Supremes in the Immortal World for nearly ten thousand years; and was also tempered within the Nine Dark Ice Pool and Earthly Fire Source for a few hundreds of years. Even if it were ordinary Immortals, they would be able to kill high-level celestial beings if they could get their hands on the zither.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, can you really play the zither?¡±


    Cheng Yannan came over in front of the zither as she asked with a curious expression on her beautiful face.


    Tang Xiu came back from the recollection of his memories and said softly, ¡°Ah, I did learn some before.¡±


    A trace of doubt and contempt was revealed on Cheng Yannan¡¯s eyes as she said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Even if you can¡¯t play and sing well with the instrument, we won¡¯t laugh at you.¡±


    Yuan Chuling also followed the noise and said, ¡°Yep, we won¡¯t mock you, Eldest Brother. Absolutely! Besides, you¡¯ll still be regarded as a multi-talented person even if your play isn¡¯t good enough. It¡¯s just kinda a pity that you don¡¯t play guitar, though. Else, you could¡¯ve been able to charm those eye-catching and elegant pretty chicks.¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡±


    ¡°Hehehe¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    Cheng Yannan, Xia Wanfen, and Li Xiaoqian were amused and burst into laughter by Yuan Chuling¡¯s comments.


    Then, the door to the box was pushed open from the outside.


    ¡°Well, well, all of you look very happy. Any happy things you¡¯re talking about?¡±


    Chen Xiaofen smiled and looked at the five people inside the room. There was also a bit of scrutiny in her eyes as her sight finally fell on Tang Xiu who sat cross-legged.


    Xia Wanfen approached to greet as she said with a smile, ¡°Aunt Chen, we were talking about Tang Xiu¡¯s skill with the zither! But well, he¡¯s acting modestly even to us¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that Tang Xiu whom you told me about? Well, he¡¯s quite young. Nowadays, the people who can play the zither are getting fewer, it¡¯s much scarcer for boys. Come here, I¡¯ll introduce you to some people. These three are my good sisters. They¡¯re teachers from the Regal Classical Music Academy in the provincial capital.¡± Chen Xiaofen said with a faint smile.


    ¡°How do you do teachers!¡±


    The three girls along with Yuan Chuling greeted them.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t get up. He just nodded slightly toward Chen Xiaofen while his eyes only swept over Huang Jie and the other two women. Tonight, he was just out to have some leisure and entertainment; he was quite reluctant to join in the fun with strangers. However, Chen Xiaofen was the Proprietress of this KTV, and it would be rude if he refused.


    _¡°I should leave as fast as possible.¡±_ Tang Xiu thought.


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s attitude, Huang Jie and the two others slightly knitted their brows. They were accustomed to having students treating them with respectful manners. And they felt Tang Xiu wasn¡¯t pleasant to the eyes after seeing such indifferent manner from him. However, Tang Xiu was but only a passer-by in their eyes, while they were only here just to join in on the fun.


    The three then sat on the other side of the sofa. Huang Jie glanced at Tang Xiu before she called out to Chen Xiaofen, ¡°Haven¡¯t you said that some people will play an instrument and sing in your KTV? How haven¡¯t you started now? We sisters are musicians ourselves, so we can give some pointers to these students.¡±


    Upon hearing the words of her sisters with some flavor of mockery and teasing in it, Chen Xiaofen was secretly amused inside. She also felt that Tang Xiu¡¯s indifferent attitude was quite inappropriate. At the moment, she too could feel the dissatisfaction from her sisters as they prepared to give some lessons to Tang Xiu, which was probably to bring him down a notch.


    In other departments, perhaps these sisters of hers couldn¡¯t teach Tang Xiu. But in the music department, they were absolutely the ones with the authority to do that at the moment.


    Cheng Yannan, Yuan Chuling and the other two also understood the meaning behind Huang Jie¡¯s words as they turned around to look at Tang Xiu.


    However, Tang Xiu still wore his indifferent expression. But in the end, he didn¡¯t look at Huang Jie and the other two women, even once. Along with the quiet atmosphere inside the box, he looked down to face the zither in front of him.


    ¡°Ding¡­¡±


    A clear zither¡¯s sound came out as his slender fingers fiddled with its string.


    In the next moment¡­


    The flashing radiance in his eyes disappeared as he closed them. With his right hand on the strings and his left one forming the chord, the tips of his fingers moved in an unusual fingering style. His right hand moved on the strings; picking, releasing, scraping, beating, plucking, rubbing, locking¡­ while his left hand moved up and down; advancing and returning back, moving back and repeating, reciting and scratching, fomenting and bending his finger, pulling, strapping, clawing, knocking, drawing, hooking; as his fingers continued fiddling with the strings.


    Within the haziness of the mood¡­


    All of Tang Xiu¡¯s fingers stroke the zither, giving off the charming rhyme as though running water. From the zither, desolate and dreary symphony came out, leaving the flavor of trembling autumn wind behind. The rhythm was slow, and yet, it gave off the feeling of melancholic and desolateness.


    A few seconds after the zither¡¯s sound came out, Huang Jie who was feeling quite the antipathy toward Tang Xiu was shocked. The Proprietress of the KTV¡ªChen Xiaofen¡¯s body turned stiff, as though being struck with electricity; while the eyes of the other two teachers of the Regal Classics Music Academy, were contracted. Their eyes were locked on Tang Xiu and didn¡¯t move, even a bit.


    It was a soul-touching symphony. The four of them had high attainments in the musical department and were specialists in the field. The mellow melody of the zither stirred up their hearts with the feeling of anxiousness as it pulled them in into the world filled with melancholic autumn wind and fallen leaves everywhere.


    The feeling of yearning¡­


    Of homesickness¡­


    And the longing to see his own parents¡­


    They were as though seeing themselves drifting, floating along with the current and traveling far away from home; as they were standing at the end of a narrow-winding path in the late autumn, looking into the distance from a higher ground toward the direction of their hometown. They were as if good, well-behaved children who looked at a certain place with their hearts filled with filial-piety. And yet, the desolate world forced them to turn direction; while they were worrying about their warm, caring mothers in their hometown.


    _¡±The autumn rain is falling with the missing of the beloved one, worrying about the son in the remembrance¡­_


    A deep and low hoarse voice, along with the symphony of the zither lingered around. There was no towering and abrupt feeling within as everything harmoniously blended into one, creating a kind of sorrowful atmosphere as though the air was gradually filled with a floating, greenish black mist.


    _ ¡°The journey to immortality is never-ending, with an undecided will and faltering¡­_


    The scene changed as if they were now seeing a vast path that led to an extremely high mountain summit. A young man with an Immortal sword stood there, struggling to advance forward; and yet, stopped advancing for each step forward as he turned his head, looking at a certain distance from the high place.


    _¡°To the sky, I looked up and asked; to the earth, I looked down and talked; as ten thousands of years unhindered I walked. The Underworld of Hades I trampled on; The Highest of the Heavens I stamped on; for the path to the Gate of Heaven, I bitterly sought to knock on. The regrets inside the soul linger, longing for the wish so difficult to appear, for returning back to those moments I deeply desire¡­_


    For a moment¡­


    Huang Jie, Chen Xiaofen, and the other women¡¯s hearts trembled. It was as if they were inside a dreamland; within the embodiment of the Yellow Springs of the Underworld, with the Supreme Immortals of the Ninth Heaven above them. Painfully, they were seeking the path to Heaven¡¯s door, only wanting to find a beacon light and be able to find the path that led home.


    The sadness and the sorrows, the sufferings and the longings¡­


    Hundreds ups and downs turned into thousands of anxiety and worries as the feelings lingered inside their souls. Along down their cheeks, two lines of tears flowed down and wetted their front clothes.


    Yuan Chuling was shaken; while Cheng Yannan, Xia Wanfen and Li Xiaoqian, were as though struck with goosebumps. As though being hypnotized and dazed, they listened to the zither music that was gradually getting faster from slow, and from the slow play to the stormy one. They listened to Tang Xiu¡¯s singing from the beginning of the deep and hoarse voice to the venting-like screaming roar.


    Sitting in front of the zither, Tang Xiu¡¯s fingers that fiddled with the strings were getting faster and faster. It was as though he returned back to the time when he was playing the zither in the Immortal World. His feelings and emotions were blended into it. The emotions of the arduous and difficult Immortal Path and the longing feeling to be with the parents were the most vivid emotions that blended into his zither play.


    Gradually, the sound of the zither subsided along with the passing time¡­


    Tang Xiu slowly raised his head and slowly opened his eyes, as a trace of warm, sparkling and translucent tears dripped down from the corner of his eyes. His blurred sight gradually became clear. As he saw the people inside the box with each and every one of them had tears streaming down their faces, his heart was filled with happiness.


    Yes, he felt happy inside!


    He was once a Supreme in the Immortal World. However, if he were to be given choices, he¡¯d rather choose to give up such an aloof and remote standing, as well as abandon his heaven-shaking strength. He¡¯d rather turn back into an ordinary person and return to his mother¡¯s side. Helping and accompanying her, serving her before she went to bed when she grew older, taking care of her in her aged time, and arranging a proper burial after she died.


    After a long while¡­


    Chen Xiaofen finally sobered up from the world made of the zither music. With her blurred vision, she watched Tang Xiu who was not only with tears but also slightly smiling. Her heart suddenly throbbed. The zither music touched her, as each and every tone within held her heart captivated. Never had she thought that such a wonderful zither play would exist in the world. It was as though filled with mesmerizing charm, and she couldn¡¯t help but immerse herself within.


    She looked at him, but nothing came up as how to express her feeling. Of countless words she could say, eventually manifested into only two words: ¡°Thank you!¡±


    After Huang Jie came out of the aftereffect of the music, she looked at Chen Xiaofen who was looking at her with a somewhat angry expression. She turned around toward Tang Xiu¡ªalbeit reluctantly; as a deep sense of shame made her almost find a hole to hide.


    A moment ago, she was boasting that she would give some pointers to Tang Xiu. However, within just a blink of an eye, Tang Xiu¡¯s zither play subdued her. She was a professional musician as well as a specialist in the field. A Music Academy¡¯s teacher who should¡¯ve acted by example. And as a teacher, she actually judged a zither Grandmaster with contempt. Such a narrow-minded thought was something she deeply regretted.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry!¡±


    Huang Jie walked forward for a few steps as she faced Tang Xiu and apologized with a deep bow.


    At this moment¡­


    The other people inside the box also sobered up as though they were just woken up from a dream. They looked at Tang Xiu with a shocked expression as if they were coming across something inconceivable.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, you¡¯re¡­¡±


    Yuan Chuling¡¯s lips wiggled a few times. His voice stopped in his throat, as even he didn¡¯t realize that his attitude toward Tang Xiu became more respectful. It was a kind of respectful gesture and expression from the manifestation of worship that came from the heart.


    The tears from Cheng Yannan, Xia Wanfen, and Li Xiaoqian¡¯s faces had already disappeared. But it was as though their tears had washed their eyes as it turned particularly bright at the moment. Previously, they were also full of contempt, doubting Tang Xiu¡¯s skill in playing the zither because they had never listened to his zither play before.


    At this time, they looked at Tang Xiu as if they were looking at an Emperor or a superstar.


    ¡°This song must be belonged to heaven. Where would one be able to hear it in the human world?¡±


    One of the teachers of the Regal Classical Music Academy looked at Tang Xiu with a complex expression as she said with a deep sigh.


    Tang Xiu stood up slowly and said with a tranquil expression, ¡°It¡¯s quite late, I should go back home now.¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Chen Xiaofen and Huang Jie called out at the same time.


    After they said it, the two women realized that they were losing their manners and quickly wiped the tears from their eyes.


    Huang Jie stood in front of Tang Xiu as she carefully looked at him and said with a sincere expression, ¡°Your name is Tang Xiu, a student from Star City First High School, correct? Are you going to attend the College Entrance Test soon?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded.


    Huang Jie hastily responded, ¡°You don¡¯t need to take the College Entrance Test. Just directly come to our Regal Classical Music Academy! My husband is a Vice President there and he has a special quota privilege to invite some students. You don¡¯t need to take any tests, just come to our Regal Classical Music Academy and you can directly study there. I can vouch and guarantee for you, and it absolutely won¡¯t be a problem¡­¡±


    * * *


    Notes:


    [0] A Chinese ancient zither is called Guqin. I chose to translate it to zither not ancient zither or guqin for the sake of localization and simplicity, even though I know that a Guqin is kinda different than a zither¡­


    [1] Well, the paragraph kinda makes me ponder for quite a while. But I came up with such a line that wherever a gentleman was seated there must have a zither to the left and the books to the right; even though the raws said that there was no reason for a gentleman to remove the zither and lute for no reason¡­¡±. It¡¯s much closer to the meaning than the literal translation.


    [2] This is one hell of a chapter¡­ The feeling and the nuances¡­ the lyrics¡­ don¡¯t ask me how I came up with such a rhyme for the song¡¯s lyrics, though¡­ took me 3 hours for the lyric alone.

 Chapter 160

    Chapter 160: Declining the Offer


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The other female teacher interrupted Huang Jie as she said with a serious expression, ¡°Huang Jie, you spoke incorrectly. He can never become our Music Academy¡¯s student.¡±


    For a moment, Huang Jie stared blankly as she immediately blurted out, ¡°What do you mean? He¡¯s fully qualified to become a student of our Regal Classical Music Academy!¡±


    ¡°Just think, if he becomes a student in our Music Academy, you tell me who has the qualifications to teach him? I think he can directly become a teacher in the Regal Classical Music Academy. As long as he stays for a few years, to be nominated for the professorship is completely no problem for him.¡± The female teacher replied with a sank tone.


    Becoming a teacher? A professor?


    Huang Jie patted her head and quickly said, ¡°Yes, yes. His level is indeed not suitable for students. If so, Tang Xiu, are you willing to come to our Music Academy? I guarantee that I can make you become a zither teacher smoothly. If your performance is good, you could become a music professor a few years later without any problems.¡±


    Yuan Chuling, Cheng Yannan and the other two were dumbfounded and tongue-tied. They looked at the two female teachers who wore serious expressions, as well as looked at Tang Xiu with his tranquil expression. It shocked them greatly, and the shock was too extreme.


    What was the so-called ¡°reaching the heavens in a single bound¡±? This was what it meant!


    With only the symphony of a zither music, several teachers of the nationwide-renowned Regal Classical Music Academy were conquered. He didn¡¯t even need to take the College Entrance Test and directly jumped to become a teacher there. Even more so, by listening to their words, Tang Xiu definitely would have a bright future, as he would become the youngest music professor in the country.


    It¡¯s just so godly and awesome!


    In this world, could there be any person more amazing than Tang Xiu?


    Tang Xiu looked at the several female teachers who had an anticipating expression on their faces. He slowly shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I¡¯m not interested.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The female teachers exclaimed out loud involuntarily; even a look of disbelief was cast on Chen Xiaofen¡¯s face.


    He refused?


    He easily gave up such a huge opportunity and immeasurable future?


    Chen Xiaofen was afraid that Tang Xiu was clueless as to what it meant to become a teacher of the Regal Classical Music Academy, and quickly said, ¡°Tang Xiu, each and every teacher of the Regal Classical Music Academy has high social status. They also have prominent reputations in the music industry. But becoming a professor of this Music Academy, you will be regarded as a Maestro of Music nationwide. Be it treatment, wealth, or social status; everything is what countless of musicians have been longing for in their dreams!¡±


    ¡°Wealth and status, I will fight and strive for them in the future. But music, it will never be the path I take. I do love music; however, it is but only a mere interest. Therefore, either it¡¯s becoming a teacher or professor, I have not the slightest interest to become one.¡± Tang Xiu replied with an indifferent expression.


    Chen Xiaofen¡¯s mouth was opened wide, but no words came out as she didn¡¯t know what to say. Even the three female teachers of the Regal Classical Music Academy were also struck dumb. Nothing in their minds came up as how to persuade him.


    Yuan Chuling and Cheng Yannan were one of the well-off as well as not originated from ordinary families. They also knew that Tang Xiu had set up his own company. But aside from them, Xia Wanfen and Li Xiaoqian didn¡¯t know about his circumstances. In particular, was Li Xiaoqian who dreamed in becoming a star as she quickly said, ¡°Tang Xiu, if you can enter the Regal Classical Music Academy, it means that you¡¯re half a step into the entertainment world. Are you not interested in becoming a star?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t have any interest to become one.¡±


    Li Xiaoqian said with an inconceivable look, ¡°How so? What¡¯s not good about a star? Your musical skill is so high. And you¡¯re highly likely able to become a superstar, an Emperor-like figure in the music industry! Just comply with the three teacher¡¯s suggestion, I believe that they can get it done with everything they promised you.¡±


    Tang Xiu still shook his head and said with a dull expression, ¡°I¡¯ve said that I¡¯m not interested. Well, the night is late, I still have things to do for tomorrow, and I need to rest early.¡±


    After having said that, he took the lead and walked toward the private box¡¯s door.


    ¡°Hey, Eldest Brother, wait for me!¡±


    Yuan Chuling chased him and went out in big strides.


    After Tang Xiu left the Westland KTV, he saw that Cheng Yannan and the other two girls didn¡¯t come out. Then, he said to Yuan Chuling, ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, it¡¯s better for you to go back first since I¡¯ll go to the restaurant and then home.¡±


    Yuan Chuling hesitated for a moment. But he didn¡¯t rush to leave, and asked, ¡°Eldest Brother, in the College Entrance Test, to which university are you going to register?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Haven¡¯t thought about a suitable one. Will have to wait and see after the College Entrance Test.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I think you won¡¯t have any problems to enter any domestic universities with your results. I was thinking to enter the same university you¡¯re gonna pick if your choice isn¡¯t one of the top universities in China. But if you¡¯re planning to enter one of those top universities, I¡¯m afraid that it would be very difficult for me to pass the College Entrance Test.¡± Yuan Chuling said with a nod.


    Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Attending school anywhere is basically the same. Mainly, it would depend on how many things you can learn. Besides, you might be able to follow me for a while, but you can¡¯t follow me for your entire life. As for whichever university you¡¯re going to enter to pave the sort of path you¡¯re going tread on, you need to decide it for yourself. On the other hand, your family has quite a big business, so I think that you should ask your father¡¯s advice too.¡±


    Yuan Chuling said with a forced smile, ¡°I did discuss this with him when I went home a few days ago. He wishes that I could study in Beijing and take Economics.¡±


    Tang Xiu was quite astonished and said, ¡°And you don¡¯t like the idea?¡±


    Yuan Chuling shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m against it. It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t wanna leave Star City. I always feel that my parents are hiding something important from me. So I couldn¡¯t help but feel that there¡¯s a profound meaning in his advice in making me study in the capital.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before he slowly asked, ¡°Your parents still haven¡¯t told you the reason for the divorce?¡±


    Yuan Chuling shook his head and said, ¡°Nope. Even a bit. I think they have some difficulties to bring up this issue; but still, they don¡¯t want to tell me the reason for now. Studying in the university will take four years, and I¡¯m afraid that something would happen in this time period.¡±


    _¡°Each and every family does have to go through their own problems!¡±_


    Inside, Tang Xiu secretly sighed.


    He patted Yuan Chuling¡¯s shoulder and said with a smile, ¡°Your Dad can survive so many years in the business world, that means he has the capability. So I believe he can solve any problems he comes across. Besides, you and I are good friends. He can contact me whenever he comes across some difficult problems later.¡±


    ¡°Contacting you?¡± Yuan Chuling stared blankly.


    ¡°What? You don¡¯t think I can help your Dad?¡± Tang Xiu said with a laugh.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, I know that you¡¯ve established your own company. But the thing is, the problems my Dad has to face aren¡¯t something you can solve for the time being. But anyways, having an Eldest Brother like you saying these words, I¡¯m really grateful and moved.¡± Yuan Chuling said with a forced smile.


    Tang Xiu shrugged his shoulders and said, ¡°Well, you can interpret my words any way you like. OK, I gotta leave now. See you later!¡±


    The River Street of the Old Town¡­


    Tang Xiu took a taxi and went to his family¡¯s restaurant. After he arrived there, he was quite amazed upon seeing the surging number of people at the entrance. The number of guests who came in and out of the restaurant was unusually high. It was originally but a small cafeteria. And after having undergone expansions twice, the shop front at both sides of the restaurant had been successfully rented; even the second floor also had been opened up. The small two-storied building might have no distinct and unique style, but after having gone through renovations for two times, it seemed that the site now gave off a kind of interesting and appealing antique charm.


    There was even something that made Tang Xiu feel somewhat, amused. That was the two security guards at both sides of the entrance. They were unexpectedly wearing a full-suit of a black tuxedo. He also remembered these two guys. They were the ones who caused troubles for the restaurant before with their thuggish appearance and behavior. But now, they actually had a face-lift and appearance changes as they looked decent and honest.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu, the eyes of the two young men who acted as security guards suddenly brightened up as they greeted him with flattery. After the incident with Tie Long who caused troubles back then, their faith in Tang Xiu became much deeper and they were more hell-bent on following him. After all, Tang Xiu was even able to pack up the kind of powerful people such as Tie Long. In this Star City, what kind of things was Tang Xiu unable to deal with?


    ¡°Well, is everything good with the restaurant?¡±


    Whilst walking toward the inside, Tang Xiu asked them.


    The young man nodded and replied with a smile, ¡°Everything is great. The business is even hotter when we reopened the restaurant. Whether it¡¯s in the noon or evening, we¡¯re always full of guests. I even heard from Brother Banshou that people have to book in advance if they want to have seats here. And they have to book at least a day earlier.¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with an astonished expression, ¡°It¡¯s that good?¡±


    The young man said, ¡°Certainly. The prices in our restaurant are reasonable and inexpensive. The delicacies and foods we have are also delicious. So the guests really loved it. In particular, we also have quite a lot of regulars now.¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a laugh, ¡°I got you.¡±


    After having entered the restaurant entrance, as Tang Xiu was looking at the busy staffers, he found that there were a lot of new attendants he hadn¡¯t seen before. Obviously, they were the new recruits. He also saw dozens of men and women with impatient looks in front of the counter that were apparently waiting for vacant tables.


    ¡°Ah, you came. I¡¯ll get the Boss.¡±


    Upon seeing him, the attendants who knew who Tang Xiu was immediately called out in a pleasant surprise.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright!¡±


    Tang Xiu walked over with a smiling face.


    ¡°Hey, what does it mean? Don¡¯t you know that the ones who come first should get the first service? We¡¯ve been waiting for almost ten minutes here! Even if you call your Boss out, you still must serve us first!¡± An ugly and fierce-looking middle-aged man shouted as he stared with his big eyes.


    ¡°Pfft, haha¡­¡±


    The waiter couldn¡¯t help laughing.


    Tang Xiu turned and looked at more than a dozen of visitors who cast a sidelong glance at him and said with a smile, ¡°Please be relieved! I won¡¯t fight over the tables with all of you.¡±


    The middle-aged man snorted coldly and said, ¡°Hmph, you said you won¡¯t fight over the tables with us. But you¡¯re rushing inside? Don¡¯t think that I know nothing how restaurants work. They¡¯re always currying favor with people who have some statuses. No matter, in any case, I don¡¯t give a damn about it. As long as there are any vacant tables, I want them to be given to us first!¡±


    Another middle-aged woman also followed, ¡°Yes! We can be considered as regulars of this restaurant. This is even our third visit this month. So you must give us the seat first!¡±


    The staffer looked at Tang Xiu who wore a forced smile as he smiled and explained, ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, you misunderstood something here. He¡¯s our Young Master, our Boss¡¯s son.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The ugly and fierce-looking middle-aged man was paused and stared blankly. An awkward expression was immediately drawn on his face when he spoke, ¡°That¡­ ugh¡­ Hehehe¡­ Little Brother, I didn¡¯t know that you¡¯re the Boss¡¯s son. I, I apologize! It¡¯s just that, we¡¯re impatient. We¡¯ve been here for almost ten minutes, watching people eat, drink and chat while laughing¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡±


    Then, he turned around and walked inside.


    ¡°Please wait!¡±


    A voice resounded from behind him.


    Tang Xiu turned his head and looked at a fat middle-aged man who came out of the crowd. Then, he asked with a puzzled expression, ¡°Is there something you need?¡±


    The fat middle-aged man blinked as he said with a smile, ¡°Idol, it turns out to be you! I felt that you are somewhat pretty familiar. Hey, do you remember me? You took my taxi, gave me the directions for the road, and we¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mind revolved and suddenly remembered this fat middle-aged man¡¯s identity. Then he immediately interrupted him and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s originally you! Ah, I haven¡¯t said my thanks to you before!¡±

 Chapter 161

    Chapter 161: Giving Someone a Favor with a Small Price


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Upon seeing that Tang Xiu recognized him, the plump middle-aged man immediately felt somewhat special as he smiled ear to ear and said, ¡°You¡¯re most welcome! I did what I was supposed to do since it¡¯s my work. Idol, I thought I would never be able to see you again for the rest of my life! So I didn¡¯t expect that today I would come across with you here. Even I didn¡¯t expect that this restaurant belongs to your family. But the news about your family¡¯s restaurant has entered my ears so many times before. Your family¡¯s restaurant is truly great. The meals are sumptuous, the prices are cheap and the tastes are also wonderful.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the kind words of praise.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and smiled. And then, he turned again toward the inside.


    For a moment, the plump middle-aged man stared blankly as he watched Tang Xiu walk away. He was somewhat quite clueless and thought that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t like some of the words he said.


    ¡°What was that? Trying to worm your way in to get close to a woman by approaching her child? Is she ignoring you? Those warm feelings of yours are clearly meeting with the cold rebukes from them, aren¡¯t they?¡± The middle-aged woman who talked a moment ago, looked at the plump middle-aged man with a contemptuous expression on her face as she ridiculed him.


    In just a split second, the face of the plump middle-aged man turned crimson.


    Tang Xiu, who just walked for a few steps, could clearly hear the ridicules from the middle-aged woman behind him. His brows were slightly wrinkled as he stopped walking and looked back slightly. Then, he looked at the familiar attendant and said, ¡°I just recalled that Mom said that she must keep one or two of the most luxurious boxes to entertain the distinguished guests. Do we still have them?¡±


    The attendant said, ¡°Yes, we still have two of them.¡±


    ¡°Is there anyone using the box now?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    The attendant said, ¡°Yes, one of them is being used by the City Leaders. But the other one is empty!¡±


    ¡°Since there¡¯s still an empty box, I presume it¡¯s fine if I take it! This Fatty Big Brother is my acquaintance. He¡¯s a good man!¡± Tang Xiu said


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    The attendant respectfully nodded.


    In this instant, the plump middle-aged man was shocked. Tang Xiu¡¯s praise for him made his anger instantly turn into happiness as he cast a grateful expression toward him.


    As for the middle-aged woman, her breathing slightly paused, with an angering expression immediately drawn on her face. She pulled the fierce-looking middle-aged man¡¯s hand, dragging him to leave. However, that middle-aged man sized up the plump middle-aged man with an astonished expression. Then, he turned toward the middle-aged woman and spoke in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t create trouble deliberately. Our family finally can get together today. The others have scheduled us the best room in this restaurant with great difficulty. And this is already giving us a face, greatly.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡±


    The middle-aged woman obviously was afraid of this fierce-looking middle-aged man. She snorted coldly and then turned her head with an obvious resentful expression on her face.


    Tang Xiu no longer paid attention to these trivial matters anymore and headed straight to his mother¡¯s office. When he saw that his mother was doing some accounting with a calculator and seeing her smiling expression, Tang Xiu also felt warm and comfortable inside.


    ¡°Mom, your restaurant is doing great. I think you can afford to hire someone to help you manage the finances.¡±


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu, Su Lingyun¡¯s eyes immediately brightened up. She put down the account book from her hands and said with a smile, ¡°Sonny, don¡¯t be silly! We can¡¯t hand over the accounting to others. What should I do if they report dummy accounts? Your mother might be old, but my brain is still fine in dealing with calculations. So I can still deal with this.¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a laugh, ¡°Who dare say that Mom is old? You are and you will always be forever young and beautiful in my heart. Ah, right, the school is on holiday so I don¡¯t need to go to school for tomorrow and the day after. Four days later I¡¯ll attend the College Entrance Test, and the test itself will be held in our school.¡±


    Su Lingyun said with a deep concern expression, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, you don¡¯t need to feel pressured. Consider it as an ordinary exam. Even if you can¡¯t get the admission to enter a top university, Mom will still feel happy even though you can only enter an ordinary one.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I have the confidence that I can give you the provincial top scorer for this test.¡±


    Su Lingyun was amused by his words and said with a tease, ¡°Smelly boy, you do know how to coax you Mom to be happy, don¡¯t you? Ah, right. Have you eaten yet? I¡¯ll go to the kitchen to cook some food for you¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu promptly replied, ¡°It¡¯s ok, Mom. I had already eaten. Recently, I¡¯ve been tutoring some classmates of mine for supplementary lessons and they just treated me to dinner this evening.¡±


    Whilst looking at the gray hairs on his mother¡¯s temples, Tang Xiu thought for a moment and decided to not go back to South Gate Town tonight, but to his real home. Spending time and accompanying his mother was, after all, his lifelong greatest wish.


    At early hours¡­


    Tang Xiu accompanied Su Lingyun to shut the shutters and close the restaurant. Then, they walked home together. The streetlights outside were dim and there was only a handful of pedestrians on the street, while vehicles were still converging on the road as though a dragon and steadily flowing.


    ¡°Mom, do you always go home at this time, every day? Alone?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s expression was a bit unsightly. With his Spiritual Sense, he had observed the surroundings and he didn¡¯t find Banshou and the others around.


    Su Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Ah, yes! Our home is very near from here, and it only takes ten minutes on foot. Take a look at those street lights. The light is so bright and the ground is well-illuminated, so you don¡¯t need to worry to step on something and sprain your legs.¡±


    Tang Xiu continued, ¡°And, what time the restaurant is open for business every day?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I can only come over at 9 AM every morning. As for buying vegetables and meats, Banshou and the others are doing the job. If not, I could have died due to fatigue.¡± Said Su Lingyun.


    Tang Xiu nodded and no longer said anything. However, he was actually thinking about it inside. His mother went back home at this very late hour every night, that was too unsafe. He must assign someone to protect her in secret. Nowadays, it was better to be safe than sorry and be prepared just in case. If something unfortunate occurred to her, he would regret it for the rest of his life.


    After arriving at home¡­


    Whilst lying on a familiar bed, Tang Xiu looked at the familiar scenes in the room with quite a headache as he felt that he was lacking in manpower. When he was in the Immortal World, he commanded a large number of loyal and devoted subordinates who were always ready to do each and every bidding he threw at them. As long as he issued any orders, some Immortals would carry them out.


    But now, he had just only returned back to Earth recently and he must do a lot of things by himself. He lacked abilities and was weak; he wanted to do his own things, wanting to make money for his cultivation practice, going to college to fulfill his mother¡¯s wishes. But then, he wouldn¡¯t be able to protect his own mother.


    ¡°Should I train some trusted subordinates?!¡±


    The thought popped up inside his mind. However, in this age where wealth was of the most import, he found himself really too poor. Although he got a lot of money recently, he only had a few million on him right now. Such as the money he got from Tie Long as well as the compensation from the Rising Dragon Martial School, all of them had been taken by Kang Xia to develop the company. Moreover, the recent purchases of medicinal herbs and ingredients also cost him quite a sum.


    ¡°I owe Chen Zhizhong 2.5 billion yuan, and also 100 million to Gu Xiaoxue. What should I do to get my hands on some big money again?¡±


    For a long time, Tang Xiu was thinking. But he finally tossed aside the idea of ¡°training subordinates¡± inside his heart.


    ¡°Bam, bam¡­¡±


    The dull knocking sounds on the door woke Tang Xiu, who had slowly fallen asleep. When he dressed up and looked at the time, it was at a very late 2 o¡¯clock at night.


    ¡°It¡¯s so late. Who¡¯s knocking on the door?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows deeply wrinkled. He went out of his room and saw his Mother also had dressed up and came out.


    ¡°It¡¯s in the middle of the night. How come someone in knocking our door this late?¡± Su Lingyun hesitated. She wasn¡¯t sure whether she should open the door or not. After all, the door had no peephole and she didn¡¯t know if it was a good or bad people outside.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯ll take a look at it.¡±


    After having said that, he strode to the door. After he opened it, the very first thing that came in was a fluttering pungent smell of liquor, and quickly followed with Su Shangwen with his messy clothes and red eyes who crashed and fell inside.


    Seeing that, Tang Xiu quickly moved. He reached out and grabbed Su Shangwen¡¯s collar, throwing him directly out of the door. With a cold and detached expression, he watched him fall heavily and smash on the ground.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡±


    Su Shangwen struggled and crawled, trying to get up from the ground. After he flung his head and could clearly see that the one standing in front of him was Tang Xiu, he immediately threw a rain of curses, ¡°YOU FUCKING DAMN LITTLE BASTARD! IT¡¯S BECAUSE OF YOU! Because you want to¡­ if it weren¡¯t for you, do you think I¡ªYour Father, will be so miserable now? You gotta fucking pay me¡­ compensate for my company, my money¡­¡±


    ¡°Pa¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu pulled him up and slapped his face, causing him to sit with his ass down on the concrete floor in front of the door. Then, he spoke with a cold and detached expression, ¡°Did you not hear clearly what I¡¯ve said before? If you drink too much and get drunk, get the hell out of my face and go sleep in your house! Don¡¯t act crazy because of liquor here! Otherwise, it won¡¯t be as simple as losing your company, you also won¡¯t be able to guarantee your own safety!¡±


    Su Shangwen covered his face with his palm as he then spurted out a strong and disgusting smell of alcohol and cursed, ¡°You¡­ you damn little bastard. You¡¯ve just barely grown up¡­ a-and you even dare to hit¡­ to hit this FATHER? HOW DARE YOU? IF IT WEREN¡¯T FOR I¡ªYOUR FATHER¡ªDO YOU THINK YOUR FAMILY CAN BE BETTER NOW? IF IT WEREN¡¯T FOR ME¡­ Your mother¡­ your mother could¡¯ve been become a beggar and die in the corner of an unknown alley a long time ago!¡±


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath. He turned around and looked at the door. Su Lingyun was there with a miserable expression. Then, with a deepened tone, he said, ¡°Mom, if you trust me, let me solve this problem. You go to rest!¡±


    Su Lingyun hesitated for a moment and then replied in a low voice, ¡°But, Xiu¡¯er, he¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°My people will do something about this. But you don¡¯t need to worry. I guarantee that there will be no problem with his personal safety.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Su Lingyun stared in a daze at Tang Xiu. She suddenly realized that her son had really grown up and no longer needed to be protected by her. Moreover, she also found that her son was as though he became a lot more mature in the last two months; even becoming somewhat mysterious.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Su Lingyun had already been disappointed thoroughly by this blood brother. She then shook her head, turning around and went back to her room.


    Tang Xiu went out of the door and closed it from the outside. His hand grabbed Su Shangwen and dragged him downstairs in big strides. As he arrived at the roadside, he fiercely slapped his face again, making him faint. Then, he stopped a taxi, throwing two hundred yuan to the driver, he gave him Su Shangwen¡¯s home address.


    After the taxi had gone quite far, Tang Xiu stopped looking and dialed Chen Zhizhong¡¯s cell number. Although it was very late at 2 AM, he had no choice but disturb Chen Zhizhong. His mother must no longer receive any harassments again whatsoever, and he wanted to solve the problems with Su Shangwen as fast as possible.


    He was really glad he went home tonight. Otherwise, judging from Su Shangwen¡¯s character, he would absolutely insult his mother and likely beat her.


    ¡°Master, you¡¯re looking for me?¡±


    Chen Zhizhong¡¯s voice came out of the phone.


    ¡°Were you sleeping just now?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m still taking care of something at the moment. Anyway, do you have any commands for me, Master?¡° Chen Zhizhong said.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°About Su Shangwen¡¯s matters. How¡¯s the progress now?¡±


    Chen Zhizhong said, ¡°We¡¯ve started to pull him into the net. The Shangwen Real Estate company owned by Su Shangwen has a lot of problems and also many black debts. At the most, five days later, he will be arrested. Even if he won¡¯t be imprisoned for life, he will be behind bars for at least ten or twenty years.¡±


    Tang Xiu asked: ¡°What else?¡±


    * * *


    Notes:


    Too many errors in the raws for the last chapter, causing me to ask the author¡­ But only a few for this chapter.

 Chapter 162

    Chapter 162: College Entrance Test


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Chen Zhizhong said, ¡°Two and half a year ago, his wife once had a hit-and-run case, but she got away from the charges. But I¡¯ve sent some people to investigate it even though the charges against her have been dropped. Are you intending to¡­¡±


    ¡°Send them together.¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a dry and cold tone.


    It wasn¡¯t that he was a cold person. But he was acutely aware of one thing: an anxious rabbit could and would bite. People who didn¡¯t belong together wouldn¡¯t get to live together, and they were married because they had something in common. Su Shangwen and Zhang Meiyun had the same morality and conduct. They were narrow-minded, with a sharp and unkind mouth. In the case that Chen Zhizhong was to send her to prison, then it meant that she wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything crazy.


    As for their children, Tang Xiu had long made up his mind. If they were able to turn a new leaf and make a fresh start, he would let them go. But if they were stubborn and refused to repent, then, he would also clean them up in the future.


    Familial affection?!


    For Tang Xiu, it was all a joke! Aside from his mother, it could be said that in his heart, family affection no longer existed whatsoever in this mortal world! The kindness as small as a water drop had to be recompensed with a gushing spring?! They did kindly treat the mother and child for once. And for that, he felt grateful. But if they dared to bring troubles to his mother, then, he would fully remove all of these threats.


    ¡°Master, do you have any other commands for me?¡±


    Chen Zhizhong¡¯s voice came again from the cell phone.


    Tang Xiu said with a calm tone, ¡°Send some people to conduct a surveillance on the Su Shangwen couple. I don¡¯t want them to harass my mother again before they go to jail. In addition, if you have time these days, come to South Gate Town at night.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The call ended.


    Tang Xiu put back his cell phone into his pocket as the ruthless glint in his eyes gradually disappeared. And yet, he was still suppressing the wisp of flame inside his heart. Su Shangwen was none other but the one person he most loathed and hated after he returned back to Earth. And now, he finally learned through his own experience the meaning behind the sayings that close neighbors were much better than relatives so distant and afar.


    Neighbors at the very least would smile, nod, and greet each other. But the ice-cold blood relatives would only create constant troubles for the family.


    Within the vast and obscure dim light of the night, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t rush to go back home.


    He was contemplating, questioning his own conscience.


    After returning back to Earth, he found himself coming across problems that tied his hands and bound his feet. He was fettered by family affection and kinship, as well as being constrained by laws and regulations. Had it been in the Immortal World, he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to dispose and kill those who dared offend him. But in this world, there would always be various kinds of scruples in every case.


    He was not a ruthless and merciless person, but to have troubles emerging one after another was also something he had never wished for. Thus, completely eliminating the source of the problems was the best choice in his view. And yet, these constraints actually chained him, causing him to be unable to act and move freely.


    ¡°Nevertheless, I¡¯m still too weak.¡±


    Tang Xiu secretly sighed inside.


    For him, laws and regulations were enacted for those who were weak. He just had to transform himself and became stronger, either his cultivation strength or his wealth accumulation. For these two were the symbols of one¡¯s status and position.


    Half an hour later.


    Tang Xiu returned home and found that the light in the living room was still lit. His mother was wearing a coat as she sat on the sofa with traces of dry tears still hung on her cheek.


    ¡°Mom, please go rest!¡±


    Tang Xiu sighed slightly as he spoke softly to her.


    Su Lingyun raised her head. She looked at Tang Xiu and asked nervously, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, you didn¡¯t put him¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu interrupted her and said earnestly, ¡°Mom, I stopped a taxi and had the driver send him back. Moreover, I hope you can forget him later. Otherwise, not only will you be pained and sad, even I also won¡¯t have a good end. Please don¡¯t forget how he treated us before.¡±


    Su Lingyun hesitated, ¡°B-but, after all, he¡¯s¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu directly put out his trump argument and said with a deep tone, ¡°Mom, I know that there¡¯s still a chance for Su Shangwen to mix in and behave better even if his company doesn¡¯t go out of business and he doesn¡¯t go broke. But he hates us so much that he doesn¡¯t want us to have easy times and feel better! Do you want to wait for the future when he¡¯s richer and more powerful and then force you to transfer the ownership of the restaurant to him? Don¡¯t tell me you want him to force me to drop out of school and go home? Or just like before, finding a group of thugs to smash our restaurant, beating and sending us to the hospital?¡±


    Su Lingyun¡¯s pupils contracted as the past events hit her heart. She was kind-hearted by nature. Yet, being forced and pressed would also make her extremely tough and unyielding. She gave a heavy nod and said, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, you¡¯re right. You said he doesn¡¯t want us to feel better and have easy times. if so, then we¡¯ll give him the hard times. Mom won¡¯t ask you what and how you handle this matter. But you must never break the laws in handling this!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Mom!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded as he propped her up from the sofa and walked her to the bedroom.


    The next morning¡­


    Tang Xiu stayed at home until his mother left. And then quickly went out of the house to rush toward South Gate Town as he still had to give the tutoring and supplementary lessons for Yuan Chuling, Cheng Yannan, and his two other classmates. Moreover, the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people from Jingmen Island had also arrived and been waiting for him.


    After he bought the Tianshan Snow Lotus yesterday, he had been thinking carefully, and he thought that he was not yet ready to concoct pills by himself. His cultivation level, after all, was limited, and refining best quality pills would consume huge mental and physical energy. Although Ji Chimei was still injured, however, she also knew alchemy, and it would also benefit her injuries, once it had been refined.


    _¡°The most important thing to do after having the College Entrance Test is to find precious ores. I already have the Void Crack Stone. So long as I have the materials to refine an interspatial container, I should quickly refine it. Purchasing things carrying them with his own hands isn¡¯t very convenient.¡±_


    Tang Xiu took the Tianshan Snow Lotus when he returned to South Gate Town, and gave it to Ji Chimei who had arrived. After sending her away, he stood before the window of his bedroom and thought deeply.


    Human¡¯s desire, as always, truly was never-ending.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s heart had gone through countless mental and psychological tribulations. He practically had reached the point of having it tempered into a steel. But even so, he somewhat still cherished the memory of having those treasures he had in the Immortal World.


    Two days had just passed by in a flash¡­


    The College Entrance Test that came slowly, now was at the footsteps, at last.


    At Star City First High School¡¯s gate¡­


    Tang Xiu arrived in a taxi. He saw that all of his classmates had arrived, as the teacher-in-charge¡ªHan Qingwu was counting the students present.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you finally came.¡±


    Han Qingwu finally felt relieved upon seeing Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, there was a bit of a traffic jam on the way, so I came late.¡± Tang Xiu replied with a smile.


    Han Qingwu snapped, ¡°Bah, then why didn¡¯t you come earlier?! Anyways, our turn to enter the school will come soon. But you mustn¡¯t be nervous when you enter the exam room. Give everything you got and strive to get outstanding results!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, will do!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Shortly¡­


    The Class 10 students lined up to enter the school gate. After having gone through the inspection of their ID and admission cards, they went inside and then separated to look for each one¡¯s exam rooms.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, I¡¯m in the 36th Exam Room. What¡¯s yours?¡± Whilst holding his stationery bag, Yuan Chuling walked closer to Tang Xiu and asked.


    ¡°18.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    A bit of regret was revealed on Yuan Chuling¡¯s face as he said, ¡°Duh, it¡¯s a pity that we¡¯re not in the same exam room. Else, I would have more confidence to pass this College Entrance Test and be admitted to one of the best universities in the country.¡±


    Tang Xiu snapped despite being in a good mood, ¡°You know that the College Entrance Test is different from our previous tests! It¡¯s highly unlikely that you¡¯ll be able to cheat this time. So you better toss out those crooked thoughts of yours and do the tests with your own ability!¡±


    However¡­


    He was secretly happy. Because he just thought that even though it would be inconvenient for others to cheat, but for him, it was very easy. So long as he released his Spiritual Sense, he could ¡°see¡± the other examinees¡¯ test papers and answers in the classrooms.


    If the answers were very few, comparing the answer and copying it wouldn¡¯t have much effect. But if he got hundreds of answers, and coupled with his own knowledge, Tang Xiu felt that if he couldn¡¯t get any good results out of it, then it would mean that his ability was but only making him a fool.


    The exam papers had all been sent down and distributed.


    Tang Xiu skimmed through all the questions from the beginning to the end. Then, he took the pen and wrote the answers at a very fast speed. About half an hour later, he had already finished answering all the questions in the exam paper. This was the first time he didn¡¯t hold back. Ten years of bitter and hardship life study, only to win the top marks in the exam. And this very College Entrance Test was but only to inspect and verify the results of more than ten years¡¯ studying.


    Tang Xiu checked his answers again. It was, all in all, just the boring time. Making use of his Spiritual Sense, he began to ¡°peep¡± on the answers from the other examinees. After looking, he was at a loss whether to cry or laugh. The rate of the correct and accurate answers from the examinees around him was surprisingly low. There was even a guy who was only able to write obscure answers for the most basic essay questions.


    ¡°Time is up! Hand over your exam papers!¡± The proctor said.


    The test for this morning was for Language and Literature. Mathematics would follow in the afternoon. While the other tests would continue in the next day for this two-day long exam. The examinees and their guardian passed the days with concern and anxiety.


    Tang Xiu faced the test very smoothly. And in particular, he was in a very good mood. It was because he, at last, didn¡¯t have to waste time in the classroom anymore. With two months of the holiday also in front of his eyes, everything gave him a freedom feeling, as though a bird flying in the sky.


    After going back to school, Tang Xiu, with his Class 10 classmates, took a picture together as he immediately left in a flash. He only had a few friends at school. Even amongst his classmates, he only had a handful of people he had a good relationship with, such as Yuan Chuling, Cheng Yannan, and a few others.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, I¡¯m under a command decree from my Dad. He said that no matter what and how I must take you to visit our home by all means necessary. So, can you go with me now?¡± While passing through the school gate, Yuan Chuling who was walking along with Tang Xiu asked him with a beaming smile on his face.


    Tang Xiu swept over at the Mercedes-Benz that was parked on the roadside outside the school with a driver who standing near its door. After being silent for a moment, he said, ¡°Have you decided to which university you¡¯re going to?¡±


    ¡°Yep. Already thought and made up my mind about it. I¡¯ll go to Shanghai.¡° Yuan Chuling nodded.


    Tang Xiu was quite surprised and said, ¡°Eh? Didn¡¯t your Dad want you to go to Beijing? What did you run up to Shanghai for?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because I don¡¯t think my nature is suited to study in the capital. The public security is way too strict and way too many silk pants playboys there. If I were to study in Beijing, maybe one day I would mix with those playboys, and fuck up there. I never speak about it! I might be a strong dragon who¡¯s able to keep the lowly snakes under pressure in Star City, but I¡¯ll be nothing but a fart in Beijing. Going to the capital and suffer there? Hell no!¡± Yuan Chuling spoke seriously.


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing involuntarily as he then said, ¡°Hahaha, I never thought you could be this thoughtful and full of consideration. Anyways, going to Shanghai is fine as well. The city, after all, is the financial center and one of the most prosperous cities in the country. If you study well, you¡¯ll be able to run and snap as you want to, maybe you can even start your career there.¡±


    Yuan Chuling said with a smile, ¡°Aii, Eldest Brother. Let¡¯s cut the crap and don¡¯t play dumb again, will you? In the end, are you going with me or not? Gimme a quick and straight reply so I can prepare myself in advance. But I gotta tell you one thing, my old man definitely will whip me out if I don¡¯t bring you with me.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded with a smile.


    He was acutely aware of the intention behind Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s invitation to visit him. It had been a month since the kidnapping case, and the police didn¡¯t visit him again. This meant that Yuan Zhengxuan and Zhao Jing kept their mouth shut about his involvement with the case. He also knew that some people would keep thinking and remembered the graciousness they owed from others, even if they didn¡¯t say it.

 Chapter 163

    Chapter 163: Secrets


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu had his reasons for agreeing to visit Yuan Chuling¡¯s home. One was to make Yuan Zhengxuan and Zhao Jing feel relieved. And the other was wanting to figure out and clarify the reason as to why they were faking their divorce. After all, Yuan Chuling was the one who had been having unwavering faith in him and he didn¡¯t mind to push anything that could help him at home.


    ¡°Great.¡±


    Yuan Chuling was perfectly aware of Tang Xiu¡¯s character. He was actually prepared to be rejected. And what he said to Tang Xiu was actually a lie. He had grown up, and his father naturally wouldn¡¯t whip him just because of this matter. But even so, he was very happy that he could accomplish the request from his parents.


    Half an hour later¡­


    The Mercedes-Benz had already entered Golden Emperor Villa area. This complex was also one of the high-class villa complexes. And even though it couldn¡¯t be compared with South Gate Town, the people who lived here were all also wealthy and respectable people.


    Inside the luxurious villa¡­


    Yuan Zhengxuan was sitting in his study room whilst looking at the financial statement report. His expression, in particular, was quite solemn; as a middle-aged man in a suit stood in front of him.


    ¡°Boss, unidentified people have intruded our research lab for three times. Even the recent two intrusions were done in a row even though our security system is very tight, and we also have tried to intercept them for many times. Therefore, I think the more we delay it, the more problems will arise. And I¡¯m also afraid that these people will use these loopholes and cause a huge loss for us. Would you please consider to move the core classified data in our current research lab to the new one earlier than planned?¡± A forced smile hung on the middle-aged man¡¯s face as he spoke with a helpless expression.


    Yuan Zhengxuan didn¡¯t promptly answer him, and still carefully read the financial statement report. Then, he put it on the table in front of him. After staying silent for a moment, he said, ¡°Since they are keeping an eye on us, then now is not a good time for us to move. Besides, we haven¡¯t done our best in our actions since those people could get and take advantages of the loopholes once we make our moves. In this sense, you don¡¯t understand the point that the slightest negligence is exactly the point we should take a very careful consideration for. Therefore, for now, just increase the security force.¡±


    The middle-aged man said hesitatingly, ¡°But, most of our trusted security personnel have already been assigned to the research lab. How would we reinforce more security force there?¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan said, ¡°To begin with, we are a defense contractor company. And I¡¯ve passed this problem to the military top brass. So, I believe they will help to solve this problem. If they didn¡¯t make any moves at all, then I will spend a large sum of money to hire the best professional security personnel from the domestic private security companies.¡±


    The middle-aged man asked with a confused expression, ¡°We¡¯ve spent some money to hire those security guards, but their loyalty is questionable. If those forces offer them a huge sum of money, I¡¯m afraid that they can¡¯t resist the temptation.¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan asked, ¡°How about the progress with the investigation for the information I gave you? About the military¡¯s secret task force that will soon be decommissioning some of their special force members. Is there any news about it now?¡±


    The middle-aged man answered, ¡°We have been in touch with the military HQ, and they have sent us the list of names for the batch of secret special forces¡¯ soldiers who are about to retire. Our people also have contacted them, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But what?¡± Yuan Zhengxuan slanted his brows and asked.


    The middle-aged man continued, ¡°But, not long after that group of special force soldiers had been decommissioned, it was as if they were somewhat, repelling us. Furthermore, they also proposed to have a contest between our people and them, and the result was that our men weren¡¯t even able to withstand a single blow. That time, I looked for the opportunity to find some information about them. They seem to be very respectful of their special force¡¯s team leader with Wolf Head codename. Some of them have even indicated that if we can obtain this Wolf Head¡¯s consent, they would agree to work for us.¡± [1]


    ¡°Wolf Head?¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan inquired further, ¡°And? Have you investigated this Wolf Head codename?¡±


    The middle-aged man shook his head and said, ¡°The investigation is of no use. This man is simply doesn¡¯t exist in this world. No file, no data, no information, everything is a blank. I¡¯ve asked the military to help to investigate this man, but yet, there¡¯s no result.¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan said, ¡°If so, I¡¯ll visit the military top brass to find the identity of this Wolf Head. For now, leave the list of names here, you can go back!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The middle-aged man took out the list of names from his briefcase. After placing it on the table, he then turned around and walked out of the room.


    At this time, Zhao Jing appeared from the door as she said with a bit of excitement on her face, ¡°Honey, Little Ling just texted me. He said that their car has entered the villa complex. Let¡¯s quickly greet them at the door!¡±


    For a moment, Yuan Zhengxuan was surprised, and then immediately got up in a flash.


    Tang Xiu. He was really curious about this classmate of his son. If he was just only the person who saved his wife, he wouldn¡¯t have wanted to deign himself to greet him personally. However, recently, he was quite close with the Big Bosses of the Long Group and the Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical, Long Hanwen and Chen Zhizhong. From them, he knew quite a lot of things about Tang Xiu. But even in his dreams, the fact that Tang Xiu was Chen Zhizhong¡¯s master, was beyond his imagination. Up until now, he hadn¡¯t clearly investigated as to why Chen Zhizhong worshipped Tang Xiu as his Master as well as what he wanted to learn from him.


    Lying low and hiding his abilities, as well as shrouded in unfathomable mysteries!


    This was Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s real appraisal toward Tang Xiu.


    Outside, at the front courtyard¡­


    The Mercedes-Benz stopped at the parking space. After the car doors were opened, Zhao Jing¡¯s eyes turned bright with excitement, gratefulness, and¡­ a trace of fear on her face. Even until now, she was unable to forget the scene when she witnessed Tang Xiu killed the kidnapper who was about to rape her. [2]


    _¡°IT¡¯S REALLY HIM!¡±_


    Even though Zhao Jing had seen Tang Xiu¡¯s photo numerous times, but only after she saw Tang Xiu in the flesh did she finally confirm with 100% certainty that he was her savior.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression was very calm. And after seeing Yuan Zhengxuan and Zhao Jing, he let Yuan Chuling grab his arm to drag him over to them.


    ¡°Dad, Mom, I¡¯ve succeeded in inviting Tang Xiu. So, my mission has been accomplished!¡± Yuan Chuling reported with a laugh.


    Ever since Tang Xiu got off from the car, Zhao Jing¡¯s vision hadn¡¯t even moved from him. Only after her son spoke did she finally bowed and spoke with a grateful expression, ¡°Tang Xiu, thank you.¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with a pale smile, ¡°Please don¡¯t be too polite. Besides, it should be me who should be thanking you.¡±


    ¡°Thanking me?¡±


    For a moment, Zhao Jing stared blankly. Her expression remained puzzled even though she tried to figure it out.


    As a wise person, Yuan Zhengxuan could understand the meaning behind Tang Xiu¡¯s words in an instant. He pulled Zhao Jing and said with a smile, ¡°Tang Xiu, that case, after all, was quite big. Since you were keeping it under the radar, we thought that you didn¡¯t want anyone to find out about your involvement. Even if we also wanted to repay our gratitude to our savior, we also felt that we mustn¡¯t make this issue public. This was what we felt we should do.¡±


    Tang Xiu slightly nodded and said, ¡°Let¡¯s just forget it, this matter is already in the past, after all! I¡¯d like to say thank you for the invitation, and I¡¯m really sorry for disturbing your time today.¡±


    Zhao Jing was also a smart woman. However, she was too excited and couldn¡¯t catch the meaning behind Tang Xiu¡¯s words before. Only after she heard the response from her husband did she immediately realize it and said with a smile, ¡°Tang Xiu, we feel honored to have you visit us at our home. How come you say you¡¯re disturbing us? Anyway, let¡¯s go inside quickly. I have personally cooked some dishes and prepared them on the table. So let¡¯s chat while having a meal!¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan also said with a smile, ¡°Tang Xiu, let¡¯s have a chat inside.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Tang Xiu complied, and then followed the family of three into the villa. Soon after, while having a chat with Yuan Chuling¡¯s parents, they arrived at the dining room.


    Yuan Zhengxuan took a bottle of wine and opened it as he spoke with a smile, ¡°Tang Xiu, normally I don¡¯t drink, but I actually love collecting wines. And this bottle of wine is one of my valuable collections for more than twenty years. It was fermented from hundreds of flowers and the taste is excellent. You try the taste yourself and tell me.¡±


    Tang Xiu recalled the best wine he enjoyed in the Everlasting Feast Hall when he became an honorable guest there. Then, he said with a pale smile, ¡°Since Uncle Yuan loves to collect wine, I will send you two bottles of good wine some other day.¡±


    Yuan Chuling replied with a smile, ¡°As far as I know, Chen Zhizhong has collected a lot of excellent wines. If you can bring me two bottles of them, it would really¡­¡±


    He abruptly stopped speaking and paused.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression moved. Whilst letting out a smile that was yet unlike a smile, he said, ¡°It seems that Uncle Yuan is very concerned about me. You even know that Chen Zhizhong is my apprentice.¡±


    The moment Yuan Zhengxuan spoke candidly, he secretly regretted it inside. But after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s response and didn¡¯t find any profound meaning behind his words, he let out a forced smile. ¡°Tang Xiu, you are my son¡¯s classmate as well as the person who rescued my wife. That made me want to know more about you. It¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t expect that the results of the investigation about you were very hard to believe. But I can tell that you¡¯re not an ordinary youth, so you should be able to understand my thoughts. And hopefully, you don¡¯t feel offended by it.¡±


    ¡°I understand!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Yuan Chuling said, ¡°Dad, there¡¯s no way someone who I regard as my Eldest Brother can be ordinary! I might as well tell you that not only is Tang Xiu very good in academics, he¡¯s also an awesome and powerful martial arts expert. Ah, right, I gotta tell you this also, he has just started his own business. And comparing me to him, I¡¯m just lame!¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan and Zhao Jing glanced at each other with astonished expressions on their faces.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, haven¡¯t you just attended the College Entrance Test? What line of business are you setting up? I didn¡¯t know that you unexpectedly have started your own business. Anyhow, you can tell this Uncle Yuan if I can help you with anything.¡± Yuan Zhengxuan asked.


    ¡°Thanks for the concern and the kind offer, Uncle Yuan. It¡¯s just only a small business, I don¡¯t need to bother you for the time being. But if one day in the future I need your assistance, I won¡¯t hesitate to speak about it to you, though.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Yuan Zhengxuan said with a smile, ¡°So be it then. I give you my word that if you need anything that requires my assistance in the future, speak freely to me. As long as it¡¯s within my power, you can count on my words that I will give a hand, absolutely.¡±


    ¡°Hey Dad, don¡¯t look down on my Eldest Brother! He¡¯s much more amazing than you think! Even the famous Kang Xia¡­¡± Yuan Chuling said.


    ¡°Hey, Yuan Chuling!¡±


    Tang Xiu used his hand to touch and shout at him with a low voice.


    Yuan Zhengxuan looked at his son and then shifted his vision toward Tang Xiu before he asked with a puzzled expression, ¡°Kang Xia? Are you referring to Kang Xia, the business genius, who has just set up the Magnificent Tang Corporation in Star City?¡±


    Yuan Chuling cast a glance toward Tang Xiu. Upon seeing that his face turned quite unpleasant to look at, he cried out petulantly, ¡°Eh? Eldest Brother, is there a need to conceal it from my parents?¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but sigh inside. He looked at Yuan Zhengxuan and said, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m the owner of the said Magnificent Tang Corporation. However, I¡¯m rarely there. I leave the management and issues in the company to Kang Xia to take care.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan suddenly got up as a shocked expression burst out on his face.


    Who in the business world didn¡¯t know Kang Xia? She was a business genius who had once caused a worldwide sensation. Since she left the Wall Street of the World Finance Center and returned back to China, everything she had done had proved that she truly deserved her reputation. And this very same business genius also had refused numerous offers and invitations from major companies, breaking the hearts of lots of ultra-rich and powerful people as a result. She came to Star City, set up a corporation, but turned out to work for Tang Xiu?


    This¡­ how could this be possible?


    Zhao Jing¡¯s face was also fully covered with a disbelieving expression.


    She had an advertising company and had an office in the same building as the Magnificent Tang Corporation. She knew some information about this company, but it was beyond her imagination that Tang Xiu owned this Magnificent Tang Corporation. Much less thought that Kang Xia turned out to work for him.


    * * *


    Notes:


    There was no word for codename in the raws. I added the word to this Wolf Head character since each and every member of special force unit usually has their own unique codename.The word in the raws was offend, but I chose to use rape since it was the true scene in Zhao Jing¡¯s kidnapping event (Chapter 60)

 Chapter 164

    Chapter 164: Mutual Cooperation


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The lunch with fine dishes and great taste had been finished, and the collection of more than twenty years old good wine also had all been drunk up. Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling had eaten and drunk to their heart¡¯s contents, but for the couple Yuan Zhengxuan and Zhao Jing, even after the lunch had ended, they were somewhat still in a daze and weren¡¯t yet able to fully recover from their shock.


    ¡°Uncle Yuan, do you have a moment for us to talk alone?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at Yuan Zhengxuan and said.


    Yuan Zhengxuan was silent for a moment. Then, he nodded and said, ¡°Come to my study room! Jing honey, please make a pot of tea for us and send it to my study room!¡±


    With an astonished expression, Yuan Chuling asked, ¡°Eh? You got something to talk with my Dad, Brother? So confidential and mysterious that even I can¡¯t listen?¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t answer.


    Yuan Zhengxuan replied to him with a deep tone, ¡°Little Ling, go watch TV in the living room.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine!¡±


    With a helpless expression, Yuan Chuling shrugged and headed to the living room with lack of interest.


    Yuan Zhengxian¡¯s study room was antiquely designed and full of literary atmosphere. A lot of precious calligraphies and paintings hung on the wall. Aside from the notebook on the table, there was also a set of the ¡°four treasures of the study¡±¡ª pens, ink, paper and ink-stone, with the bookshelves around filled with a variety of books.


    Yuan Zhengxuan motioned Tang Xiu to came to the coffee table. After the both of them took a seat on the sofa, Yuan Zhengxuan asked, ¡°Tang Xiu, you want to talk to me alone, what is it you want to ask me about?¡±


    ¡°There are two things I want to ask you. Firstly, is there anything that makes Uncle Yuan unable to speak freely about why you husband and wife took the decision for the divorce?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s face slightly changed as he asked with a deep tone, ¡°Little Ling even told you this matter?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Yes! Before, he was very disturbed and pained due to this. He was depressed, behaving bad, and hated you; so I was often at his side, talking to him to lighten his mood. Then, he discovered that you two were faking your divorce, but didn¡¯t want to tell him the difficulties you were facing; it made him kind helpless inside. Of course, you also may not tell me about the reason, though. Also, the second thing I want to tell you is that you can tell me if you come across some troubles you¡¯re unable to solve later. And I¡¯ll help you once.¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan silent.


    If he hadn¡¯t known that Tang Xiu was Chen Zhizhong¡¯s Master and also the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, he might have laughed and scoffed at his promise.


    But at the moment, he couldn¡¯t.


    After Yuan Zhengxuan was silent for a few minutes, Zhao Jing brought a fragrant teapot and left the study room afterward. Then, he slowly looked up and stared at Tang Xiu as he asked cautiously, ¡°How do I believe you?¡±


    ¡°You may choose not to believe me. If you think you can face it yourselves then you need not look for me later. Besides, I also don¡¯t like to have many troubles. If you weren¡¯t Yuan Chuling¡¯s father, even if you were a rich Big Boss, I would not even spare you a glance.¡± Tang Xiu said indifferently.


    Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s brows slightly slanted and slowly said, ¡°I do have some troubles right now. But I think I can handle it for now. The things I do, I mean the business, are confidential and it¡¯s not for me personally, but for the entire country. So I can¡¯t tell you about this.¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°I understand.¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s face slightly moved and asked, ¡°Anyways, I heard that you¡¯re very good in martial arts, is that right?¡±


    ¡°I know a little.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    With a forced smile, Yuan Zhengxuan said, ¡°Young men like you are already few, to begin with, it¡¯s even extremely rare finding one with a low-profile. From our talk now, I simply can¡¯t feel that you¡¯re a youngster, but it¡¯s like I¡¯m talking with someone on the same level of status and age.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°You should be glad that you are Yuan Chuling¡¯s father. If we didn¡¯t meet today, maybe eight to ten years later you might need to look up to me.¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan involuntarily laughed and said, ¡°Kid, you really speak grandiosely!¡±


    Tang Xiu confidently replied, ¡°The strong and powerful need not to boast; and even though the road to the future is very long, yet we¡¯re still going forward to see and try ourselves.¡±


    _Going forward to see and give it a try?_


    Yuan Zhengxuan narrowed his eyes as a thought suddenly crossed his mind. Then, he probed, ¡°Tang Xiu, since you can kill five or six A-class wanted criminals, that proves that you¡¯re very strong. If I ask you to help me now, can you do that?¡±


    ¡°What kind of help?¡± Tang Xiu asked with a tranquil expression.


    ¡°My company has a laboratory and we need to divide the core data and information into two parts and send them to the newly established secret laboratory. This information is very important. No, it¡¯s of the extremely, utmost importance. Not only is this related to the success or failure of my business, but it¡¯s also related to a national secret. If I let you go with the escort, can you guarantee that nothing will go wrong?¡± Yuan Zhengxuan said.


    For a moment, Tang Xiu was silent and slowly said, ¡°If it¡¯s related to a state¡¯s secret, why didn¡¯t you ask the escort from the police force or, the military?¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan said, ¡°Like I said, this is a top secret information. I don¡¯t want other people, or forces to get a sniff of it. Otherwise, my business will have no way to continue.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Okay, the first batch of the materials, will be free of charge. The second batch will cost you quite a sum, 10 million. If you agree to my condition, I¡¯ll come to help you with the escort. However, if there is some problem midway, I¡¯ll have to charge you 100 times the basic payment.¡±


    A hundred times?


    1 billion?


    Yuan Zhengxuan stared blankly and looked distracted. Then, he patted his thigh and said, ¡°No problem, it¡¯s a deal. Give me three days. The first batch of information will be sent out three days later. I¡¯ll have to explain in advance that my people will be responsible for the delivery, while you will be responsible for escorting.


    Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Can I ask you the person or the force who want to snatch this information?¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan said seriously, ¡°The only thing I can tell you about them, is that there isn¡¯t only one of them. But more than one power who want to get it.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Anyway, three days later I¡¯ll also lead my own people. But you can rest assured that these people are absolutely trustworthy and reliable.¡±


    ¡°What people?¡± Yuan Zhengxuan was startled and asked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to care who they are. You only need to remember that we will be responsible for ensuring the safety of the confidential information.¡±


    Suddenly, his expression moved as if he recalled something in his mind and said, ¡°Uncle Yuan, your business should be related and involving the military, yes? I presume that you have some personal network with the military. If so, I want to ask your help for something.¡±


    ¡°Do say!¡± Yuan Zhengxuan nodded.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I just bought an isolated island overseas, and I¡¯ve been preparing to set up a security force there. I think the military has quite a bunch of capable people. So, could you help me ask them a list of veteran-retired soldiers? What I need is retired special soldiers as I don¡¯t have much hope for ordinary retired soldiers. Also, I don¡¯t need too many people, thirty people are enough.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan didn¡¯t expect that the help Tang Xiu was seeking turned out to be this kind of matter. He subconsciously turned his head to look at his desk as he couldn¡¯t help smiling wryly inside.


    A piece of cake, surely never enough for two people to eat!


    If it was only ordinary retired soldiers, it wouldn¡¯t be much a problem. But Tang Xiu, after all, was the benefactor who saved his wife. If he were to hide it from him, it couldn¡¯t be justified.


    So, tell him about the list, or¡­?


    And thinking about his capital, perhaps, it would also be very difficult for him to recruit these rebellious retired special soldiers to work under him, of which, even he couldn¡¯t do it. By that time, he¡¯d still able to recruit them again. And not only could he follow his own conscience, he would also have done the right thing by him.


    After Yuan Zhengxuan thought up to there, he immediately got up and walked over to the table. He took the name list, handed it over to Tang Xiu and said, ¡°My subordinate has spent a lot of effort for this one, but even so, he could only get a batch in this name list. The special soldiers in this list have just recently retired this year. I was planning on recruiting them myself to work for me. If you can recruit them yourself, then take them. If you can¡¯t do it, then I¡¯ll recruit them to work for me. So, you can¡¯t complain and blame me later.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at the names on the list a few times. After he memorized the names as well as the means to contact them inside his mind, then, he gave the list back to Yuan Zhengxuan as he nodded and said, ¡°Thank you very much, Uncle Yuan. If they are not interested to work for me after I invited them; naturally, I won¡¯t have any bad thoughts for you if you can get them to work for you.¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan loudly laughed with a clear and resonant voice as he said, ¡°Tang Xiu, you give me the feeling as if you¡¯re the kind of ¡®rear waves of the Yangtze River that drive on the waves before, as I am as the first wave who will end up in the sandy shore¡¯ [1]. How true this saying is. And speaking about it, the clouds and winds will indeed have to change if they ever meet with a dragon. You know, you¡¯re already this capable at present, and I¡¯m totally clueless as to how high your achievements would be in the future. Just like you have just said, maybe I really will have to look up to you ten years later.¡±


    Tang Xiu faintly smiled and naturally accepted Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s praise.


    Shortly after¡­


    They chatted for a short while as Tang Xiu then got up and left.


    At South Gate Town¡­


    After Tang Xiu arrived at home, he saw that Gu Yin was leaning on the sofa and sleeping soundly. The house was very quiet, but he couldn¡¯t see Mu Qingping inside.


    Tang Xiu then went upstairs to take a wool blanket and then gently covered Gu Yin¡¯s body. Then, he personally boiled a pot of tea and drank it in the living room whilst waiting for Gu Yin to wake up. After thinking about many things, he just remembered that he had promised Gu Yin he would take her out to play for a full day after he took his College Entrance Test. Thus, he called the New Idea¡¯s private tutor, informing her to take the afternoon off.


    He liked this little apprentice of his. Even more so, it could be said that he was really fond of her. After all, being capable of enduring the suffering with the kind of physique she had for two years and don¡¯t even dying, was tough. He could tell that had it been himself in her shoes and with the same age, perhaps, he would have long been unable to endure any longer and died already.


    Moreover, she was very sensible and very filial.


    Tang Xiu also had doted on Gu Yan¡¯er once. It was because she experienced a painful and pitiful life. She was as though a lonely, solitary wild grass in the wild, withstanding the severe test of strong winds and storms, but in the end, was still alive and strong.


    Gu Yin and Gu Yan¡¯er were very much similar.


    And at present, Gu Yan¡¯er was suffering a tribulation. As she risked her life, braving the danger and traveling through time and space to come to earth, for him. This greatly touched his heart.


    Therefore, he believed that with the kindness he gave to Gu Yin, she wouldn¡¯t let him down in the future.


    Half an hour later¡­


    Mu Qingping had just arrived from the outside. For a moment, she was slightly surprised upon seeing Tang Xiu in the living room. But when her vision landed on her daughter, warmness immediately filled her heart.


    ¡°Tang¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand to interrupt her as he got up, went over and said, ¡°Yinyin is still sleeping and seems very tired. Let her sleep for a while! I just called her private tutors to cancel this afternoon¡¯s course. It¡¯s just that I have promised to take her out to play.¡±


    Mu Qingping could feel Tang Xiu¡¯s concern and affection for her daughter. She almost didn¡¯t hesitate as she nodded and said, ¡°Then, you two go! I¡¯ll be at home, doing the housework.¡±


    * * *


    Notes:


    [1] The saying means that the old generation will be replaced by the new generation who excels the previous. I translated the idioms fully, albeit with a slight modification to retain the nuances in the dialog.

 Chapter 165

    Chapter 165: It¡¯s for You Sweetheart


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    At Star City Zoo¡­


    Tang Xiu was holding Gu Yin¡¯s small hand as they strolled on the bypath in the zoo¡¯s bamboo groove. In the afternoon, Tang Xiu told Gu Yin that he would take her out to play, for which, she instantly happily agreed. However, she didn¡¯t like amusement parks but preferred going to the zoo. And naturally, Tang Xiu went along with her wish to make her happy.


    ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡±


    A smile hung on her delicate, small face as Gu Yin answered, ¡°Master, please do!¡±


    ¡°The other children like amusement parks, but why do you like the zoo? Those small animals are indeed very cute and lovable, but I don¡¯t see much differences seeing them on TV with looking at them in person.¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    The smile on Gu Yin¡¯s small face quickly disappeared as a sad and sorrowful expression flashed from her eyes. However, she then replied with a strong voice, ¡°Dad once promised me that he would take me to zoo someday. However, he already died, so he couldn¡¯t take me.¡±


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu gently squeezed her little hand to show his consolation and to comfort her.


    Gu Yin looked up as a smile returned to her small face. ¡°Master, there¡¯s an old saying that a Master for a day is equal to a father for life. You¡¯ve become my Master for a while now, and inside Yinyin¡¯s heart, you¡¯re my father. Besides, you take me to the zoo now, so the regret in my heart is also gone.¡±


    Warmness struck Tang Xiu¡¯s heart as he hold her up, and said with a smile, ¡°My family¡¯s Yinyin is really sensible and thoughtful, then¡­ come here, let this teacher¡ªfather hug you.¡±


    ¡°Tee hee¡­ it¡¯s itchy!¡±


    Gu Yin¡¯s laughter was very sweet as though a silver bell as it reverberated in the bamboo forest.


    ¡°Ring, ring, ring¡­¡±


    Inside his pocket, Tang Xiu¡¯s mobile phone ringtone suddenly ringed.


    Whilst still holding Gu Yin with one arm, Tang Xiu took the mobile with his other hand as he looked at the caller ID number on the screen with a sudden surprised expression on his face.


    ¡°Hello, Tang Xiu speaking.¡±


    Miao Wentang¡¯s voice came out from the mobile, ¡°Tang Xiu, remember you asked my help for something? Well, I¡¯ve already managed it, and I should be arriving at Star City at the most by noon tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°You mean, it¡¯s about the steward instructor tutors I asked you to look for?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°Yes, they are.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    After saying his thanks, Tang Xiu was prepared to hang up the phone; however, Miao Wentang¡¯s voice came out again, with a slightly hesitating tone.


    ¡°Anyways, Tang Xiu, can I ask for your help? I have come across some troubles recently; otherwise, I could have finished managing what you¡¯ve asked earlier.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    Miao Wentang said, ¡°I and Shao Mingzhen have found a Sky Cavern, and we suspect that there are special ores there. We¡¯ve explored a layer of the cavern for a few times, but we came back disappointed every time, we also even got injured. We also tried to bring some people there, but the losses were quite serious.¡±


    ¡°Sky Cavern? What¡¯s that?¡±


    Tang Xiu was somewhat confused.


    Miao Wentang explained, ¡°The Sky Cavern is a very deep big hole created by meteorites that fell from the space and crashed on the ground on Earth. However, finding this place is quite troublesome. It¡¯s located in the Spring Forest Mountain Range in Dongyuan Province. The terrain is quite rough, as vipers and fierce beasts roam around here and if we aren¡¯t cautious, we¡¯ll be dumped in the swamps. The most important thing is that the place also seems to have a formation array. We went to this Sky Cavern a few times, and even have successfully arrived at the edge of this Sky Cavern. However, it¡¯s located at a precipitous mountain massif. Even more so, there are a large number of tunnels in the interior of this mountain massif. In short, the situation in this place is very complicated.¡±


    Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes. At present, he was indeed eager to find the ore materials to refine interspatial rings, and now the news about special ores came to him. Thus, he didn¡¯t hesitate any longer and asked, ¡°Where are you now?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re now in Cangbei County of Dongyuan Province, in a small town called Qingshan Town, located nearby this Spring Forest Mountain Range.¡± Miao Wentang said. [1]


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll settle down those foreign steward instructors first, then I¡¯ll immediately catch up with you. But I need to tell you in advance that I have to get a share of the precious ores if we can get them!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°No problem!¡±


    Miao Wentang was greatly overjoyed as he promised without hesitation.


    After the call ended, Tang Xiu put down Gu Yin as he said with a smile, ¡°It seems that not only did you become a student, but your Mom is also going to become a student, since I have hired very good teachers for her from abroad.¡±


    Gu Yin laughed. ¡°Mom certainly won¡¯t be as smart as me, though.¡±


    Tang Xiu pinched Gu Yin¡¯s small face as he said with a smile, ¡°Yup, our family¡¯s Yinyin is the smartest in the world. Anyways, there¡¯s a lion enclosure there, let¡¯s see those lions.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    In afternoon¡­


    Tang Xiu lingered around the zoo along with Gu Yin as they played and enjoyed themselves to the fullest. As the evening came, he took Gu Yin to eat at McDonald¡¯s and only after then did they return to South Gate Town.


    At night¡­


    Tang Xiu called Long Zhengyu. After he got to know that the latter was drinking in the Long¡¯s Dining Hall, he immediately went there to see him. Some foreign steward instructors were about to arrive tomorrow and he needed to arrange the accommodation for them in advance. Moreover, it was also best to find them a proper villa in South Gate Town.


    The night in the Long¡¯s Dining Hall was filled with flashing neon lamps, giving off the scene as though a group of stars was falling to Earth. Tang Xiu himself had come to this place a few times, so it could be said that he was the regular for this place as the security guards also remembered him and directly let him pass after recognizing him.


    ¡°Huh? Boss, is that you?¡±


    Suddenly, a bewildered voice came from the inside of the hall.


    Tang Xiu followed the direction of the voice, and found that it turned out to be the young Lolita, Andy. He nodded to her slightly as he went over and asked, ¡°You came here to dine?¡±


    Andy¡¯s dress tonight was very attractive with a floral skirt, a hanging loose long hair, high-heels and also wore a slightly pale makeup on her face. She laughed playfully upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s question and said, ¡°Chief Kang invited me here to attend a charity party. And since she doesn¡¯t like to bring along male companions, she wanted me to accompany her. By the way, are you also going to attend the charity party?¡±


    ¡°Nope, I¡¯m looking for someone here.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said.


    ¡°Aiih, Boss, are you looking for a woman or a man? You¡¯re one hell of an outstanding man. If you ever find yourself a woman, I¡¯ll surely be very jealous of her.¡± Andy said with a smile.


    Tang Xiu faintly smiled. He also had heard about the straightforwardness foreign girls had, so he didn¡¯t mind Andy¡¯s remarks. Then, he said with a smile, ¡°He¡¯s a man, a friend of mine. Anyways, what are you doing outside? Aren¡¯t you attending the charity party? Is the party over already?¡±


    ¡°Nope, the charity party hasn¡¯t yet started! I came early and am waiting for Chief Kang.¡± Andy replied.


    ¡°That being the case, you can wait for her here! Anyways, I still have some things to take care of, so I¡¯ll go inside first.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Andy quickly said, ¡°Ah, can you take me in Boss? The security did let me in but I¡¯m actually not a member of this place so they just let me wait here. And before Chief Kang comes, they won¡¯t let me in.¡±


    Tang Xiu was surprised as he asked, ¡°Huh? They let you pass through the entrance, but they didn¡¯t permit you to go inside?¡±


    Andy nodded as she showed a pitiful appearance, saying, ¡°Yeah, they didn¡¯t let me in. And even more so, I¡¯m starving right now, I got my lunch too early before.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked toward the security guards who were unceasingly patrolling as he waved his hand toward a familiar one he had seen before. The security guard then quickly came over as he greeted respectfully and said, ¡°Is there anything I can help you with, Sir?¡±


    Tang Xiu pointed to Andy as he said with a smile, ¡°She¡¯s an employee in my company. I¡¯ll take her inside with me.¡±


    The security was hesitated and said, ¡°Sir, you have visited this place a few times, so I know you and I can let you go inside. But, if you want to bring other people, I¡¯ll have to consult this¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu lightly said, ¡°The person I¡¯m going to meet is Long Zhengyu.¡±


    The security guard was surprised for a moment before a more respectful expression quickly revealed itself on his face. ¡°Sir, since you are our Chief Long¡¯s friend, then you are our honorable guest. Please do come in!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded along with Andy beside him. However, he had never thought that Andy would unexpectedly took his arm and even make ¡°a face¡± toward the security.


    _¡°She¡¯s such a childish woman!¡±_


    Tang Xiu was somewhat feeling slightly amused upon seeing Andy¡¯s nature.


    Shortly after.


    Tang Xiu took Andy along with him to the main hall. Whilst looking at the well-dressed visitors inside, he was secretly sighing in his heart. For ordinary people, they could only enter the Long¡¯s Dining Hall if they knew some powerful people and followed them inside. Otherwise, let alone dining inside, even those ordinary people would find it very difficult to even pass through the front entrance.


    The two of them took the elevator to the sixteenth floor as Tang Xiu then looked at Andy and asked, ¡°Wait for me and my friend finish our talk, then you are free to find a place to eat.¡±


    Andy smiled even as her eyes narrowed when she asked, ¡°Err, Boss, what about the reimbursement?¡±


    Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he to laugh or cry before he replied, ¡°No need for that. Eat to your heart¡¯s content. That friend of mine is very rich, just add the bill on his tab. Besides, I¡¯ll ask someone handling this place for a membership card for you. Then, you can come this place whenever you want later.¡±


    Andy blinked her eyes. Then, she tightened her legs as she bent down and instantly jumped up toward Tang Xiu¡¯s face. Since Tang Xiu was caught unprepared, he was straightly kissed on the face. As Andy¡¯s feet landed on the floor, only then she laughed, saying, ¡°Hehehe, I knew it. I knew God sent you to save me. You even let me become your sweetheart! Well, I¡¯m going to serve you well later.¡±


    Tang Xiu was stunned and dumbfounded. He looked at the extremely cute little face Andy had, but this boldness and directness of hers truly made him shocked. After hesitating for a moment, he raised his hand and stroked her forehead as he muttered a few seconds after, ¡°Huh? You don¡¯t have a fever, but why are you talking such nonsensical things?¡±


    Andy stared with a pair of big saucer eyes and exclaimed, ¡°Boss, I do really want to be your lover. Don¡¯t think that I¡¯m very casual. You know what? I¡¯m still a virgin! If you don¡¯t believe me, you can try me yourself!¡±


    Her voice was a bit loud as a lot of people in the surrounding immediately cast a sidelong glance over them one after another. After they looked at Tang Xiu and Andy, they were shaken as they saw the cute and lovable appearance Andy had as though they were seeing an angel. And then, they immediately cast their sight over toward Tang Xiu with a shocked expression. They truly couldn¡¯t figure out as to why such an angelic-looking girl would unexpectedly shout and want to be this young fellow¡¯s lover? Who was he? What kind of charm and capital did he have?


    Nearby.


    A elegant-looking young man with a jade-like face, who was just coincidentally passing by the two of them, suddenly stopped upon hearing the conversation between Andy and Tang Xiu. The pair of his eyes avariciously stared at the two big lethal weapons that burst out on Andy¡¯s chest as he immediately looked at her and said, ¡°Little Sis, this young fellow is too insensitive and unromantic. You¡¯ll be bored as hell if you want him to be your lover. How about you become this big brother¡¯s lover? I assure you that you¡¯ll be happy ever after!¡±


    ¡°You immoral hoodlum!¡±


    Andy turned her head and angrily glared at the young man.


    * * *


    Notes:


    [1] I can¡¯t pinpoint which Qingshan Town written by the author here. There are a lot of places with Qingshan name in China mainland. Either it¡¯s Qingshan District in Wuhan, Baotou; or the Qingshan in Shandong (Wendeng) as there are also quite a ton of townships called Qingshan.

 Chapter 166

    Chapter 166: Being Forced to Suffer in Silence


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The young man was called Huang Xu, the eldest son of the renowned Huang Family from the provincial capital of Blue Town. He was also famous as the hedonist young master of the rich family. This was his first time coming to Star City to visit his old friend as well as seeing someone of a great talent that came to light recently.


    And upon hearing Andy cursing at him, a look of disbelief was cast on his face as he pointed to his nose and asked, ¡°What did you say what I am? A hoodlum? How am I a hoodlum? You yourself shouted at this young fellow, wanting to be his lover. This in itself is unbecoming to say already. I did say that I¡¯ll let you be my lover, and you say that I¡¯m a hoodlum? If I were a hoodlum, then what would he be?¡±


    After having said that, his hand pointed at Tang Xiu with a heart full of depressing feelings.


    Andy turned her head to look at Tang Xiu. Her eyes were flashing as though small stars as she spoke without batting an eye and didn¡¯t even try to gloss over her words, ¡°He¡¯s my Boss, of whom I¡¯m about to target as my lover. I don¡¯t give a damn who you are, but I can be sure that you¡¯re not in any way around one hundredth of my Boss¡­ Ah no, you¡¯re not even one thousandth of him!¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡±


    The visitors in the surrounding who stopped and were ready to watch the fun couldn¡¯t help laughing the instant they heard Andy¡¯s words.


    Huang Xu¡¯s expression was somewhat embarrassed, but he still straightened up his chest and said, ¡°Pretty girl, you¡¯ve got to have your eyes opened wide. This Big Brother simply isn¡¯t as simple as you thought, judging by the fact that I can enter to this Long¡¯s Dining Hall only. I¡¯m not afraid of telling you this. Go to provincial capital Blue City and ask about my name there. You¡¯ll find that there is no one there who doesn¡¯t know about me! If you follow me, you¡¯ll absolutely become very popular. Even after you sleep, when you awake you can count the number of money until your hands are cramped. How about it? Isn¡¯t that good enough?¡±


    With a contemptuous expression, Andy looked at Huang Xu and ridiculed him, ¡°Want to show off how much dirty money you have there? Who the hell do you think you are? A country leader? The richest man in the entire world or something? Eh, you said the entire people in Blue City know you, don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re a sweet-looking transgender, do you?¡±


    It was sour and harsh!


    Andy¡¯s words were as though a knife that pierced through Huang Xu¡¯s heart. Even his face instantly turned crimson. Never in his wildest dream had he ever thought that a delicate and lovely angelic-looking girl would unexpectedly say such sour, harsh and mean words.


    Tang Xiu who stood at the side, gently patted Andy¡¯s shoulder as he looked at Huang Xu and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to invite troubles and disaster upon you, you should immediately leave, as we ourselves also have something to do. In case you want to find someone to accompany you and have some fun, I might have an idea to help you.¡±


    Huang Xiu might be a playboy. But he wasn¡¯t stupid enough to the point that he thought Tang Xiu was someone that was easy to bully. After all, as someone who was able to come to this Long¡¯s Dining Hall, this meant that he was not a casual person who was easy to be trifled with. In particular, this was Star City and not his Blue City. As people say, the strong dragon could be kept in check by local snakes. And if by chance the identity of the young man in front of him was not ordinary, he also would probably suffer a heavy loss.


    However, as far as he was concerned, a wise man knows better than to fight when the odds are against him.


    With this in mind, Huang Xu very cautiously looked at Tang Xiu as he asked, ¡°Your excellency, care to share who you are? As you have quite a big tone in you!¡±


    Tang Xiu lightly said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to know who I am, but if today¡¯s matter is resolved, then you and I are just passersby only, and no longer have any issues whatsoever.¡±


    Huang Xu pricked his brows as he asked with a deepened tone, ¡°Then, tell me this idea of yours!¡±


    ¡°Say if your hormone is excessively abundant, just don¡¯t harass others¡¯ girls as you wish. Take a look by yourself around you, find yourself nearby beauty parlors or pedicure salons. The price is cheaper and even you¡¯ll be served better by the ¡®senior old hands¡¯ there.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Huang Xu was stunned.


    He stared at Tang Xiu with a look of disbelief as he almost couldn¡¯t hold his urge to punch him. Who was he to begin with? Serving his needs with those in beauty parlors or pedicure salons at the roadside?


    If even he ever wanted a woman, with only a flick of his finger, a group of belles would rush to him, asking to be his ¡®pets¡¯. Did this fellow have no eyes? Or was there something wrong with his head? Did he even use his head to think before he spoke?


    Tang Xiu no longer paid any attention to Huang Xu again as he took Andy to walk down the corridor toward the box where Long Zhengyu was in. Huang Xu was but only a passerby to him, and speaking a few words to him was already a lordly treatment he could give.


    Inside A1608 suite¡­


    Long Zhengyu was hugging a young and beautiful girl as he chatted with another young man who wore a florid sleeveless cloth, big pants and flip-flop sandal beside him. There were also several beautiful girls inside the room as some of them were playing and laughing, some others were holding microphones to sing, while some others acted as though young maids who were unceasingly mixing and blending foreign wines.


    And these dozen pairs of eyes then immediately cast their sight on Tang Xiu the moment he opened the door.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s very lively here!¡±


    Whilst leading Andy through the door, Tang Xiu looked at Long Zhengyu who was getting up and said with a smile.


    Long Zhengyu waved to the singing girl while smiling, motioning her to stop. After the room quieted down, only then he spoke with a smile, ¡°Some friends from Blue City came to visit today, so I invited them to drink some wine and have some fun. It¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t expect that you would come, and unexpectedly with a beauty also! Tsk, tsk¡­ this little angel of yours is truly a beauty. No wonder she can enter your eyes!¡±


    ¡°Bah, no good words are to be expected from a scoundrel!¡±


    Tang Xiu snappily cursed.


    Long Zhengyu laughed loudly as he turned toward the lazy sitting young man and said, ¡°Fei Shan, he¡¯s Tang Xiu, the one I¡¯ve told you about. Tang Xiu, this is Fei Shan, the second son of Fei Family from Blue City. A wild and unyielding person, but even more so, a very lazy chap. But nevertheless, his nature is kinda go-in-between, though; and worthy to be a long and close friend.¡±


    If it wasn¡¯t called as cold, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t have much interest toward Long Zhengyu¡¯s friend at all. However, he slightly nodded at him since he took Long Zhengyu¡¯s face into account.


    Fei Shan himself didn¡¯t show any arrogance as he even laughed with an easy-going attitude, saying, ¡°How do you do, Tang Xiu? I¡¯ve been looking forward to meeting you for a long time. This time the purpose of us visiting Star City, firstly is to see this famous Young Master Long and secondly, we also wanted him to introduce us to a well-known reputed person, which is you.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Is there something the matter with me?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    Ugh!


    Fei Shan was quite dumbfounded with Tang Xiu¡¯s question. Whilst wryly smiling inside, he replied, ¡°It¡¯s nothing important. Anyways, it¡¯s still alright if I were to introduce myself to you, isn¡¯t it? ¡°


    Upon seeing this, Long Zhengyu quickly followed with a smile, ¡°Yo, yo people, it¡¯s alright. It¡¯s me who told them about you, so they came here and wanted to know you better. And Tang Xiu, if you ever visit and have something to do in Blue City later, you may contact him. This fellow is kinda a local boss in Blue City; he can do quite a lot of things over there.¡±


    Personal contacts?


    Tang Xiu could tell the meaning and purpose behind Long Zhengyu¡¯s reminder. Then, he faced Fei Shan as he nodded and said, ¡°Anyways, there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to talk with Long Zhengyu today. So we¡¯ll have our chat afterward.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡± Fei Shan said with a smile.


    At this moment, the door was pushed open again as Huang Xu, with an embarrassed expression, entered the room dejectedly. But when he saw that Tang Xiu and Andy were inside the room, he stared blankly for a moment before an angry expression then was instantly drawn on his face. He glared angrily at Tang Xiu and shouted, ¡°Hey punk! You did walk quickly. But I¡¯ve never thought that you¡¯ll unexpectedly appear here. Don¡¯t think that I can¡¯t teach you a lesson even if I¡¯m in Star City!¡±


    Tang Xiu glanced at Huang Xu before he turned over toward Long Zhengyu and asked, ¡°You know him?¡±


    Long Zhengyu quickly said, ¡°Tang Xiu, is there any misunderstanding here? He¡¯s also my friend. Huang Xu, a young master from the renowned Huang Family in Blue City.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Long Zhengyu, I have always believed that similar things will group up together as similar people will also fit together. I used to think that this line has its own truth. But it seems that today, I was wrong. This guy is not a good thing; and you¡¯re actually befriending him? Anyways, let¡¯s just forget it. Enjoy your fun time, I¡¯ll leave first!¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t leave!¡±


    With a forced smile, Long Zhengyu stopped Tang Xiu as he glared fiercely at Huang Xu and shouted angrily, ¡°What the hell is happening with you? You wanted me to introduce you to Tang Xiu, and yet, you actually have your eyes and still failed to recognize Mt. Tai? Tang Xiu has never provoked trouble on his own initiative, and this character of his, I know perfectly well. So it should be you that should have done something untoward to provoke Brother Tang and made him unhappy, shouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    As surprised as he was, Huang Xu¡¯s eyes turned saucer and asked, ¡°He¡¯s Tang Xiu?¡±


    Long Zhengyu angrily replied, ¡°Of course he is! Haven¡¯t I told you before that Brother Tang will come tonight?¡±


    An embarrassed expression was revealed on Huang Xu¡¯s face as he recalled all the things that had happened between him and Tang Xiu. Forcing himself to smile all over his face, he said, ¡°Brother Tang, it¡¯s my bad for being rude to you before. It¡¯s just I didn¡¯t know that you were Tang Xiu. I¡¯ve heard so much about your deeds from Long Zhengyu, and in fact, I really admire you from the bottom of my heart. I failed to recognize a familiar person, thus led to the dispute. It¡¯s kinda the same with the fact that we can¡¯t recognize all the family members we have, isn¡¯t it? Haha¡­¡±


    In the end, Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Huang Xu¡¯s character, that very easily invited troubles and disaster, was something he had never liked. After all, had it been in the Immortal World, such person would have already been smashed into a pulp for hundreds of times. However, since he was Long Zhengyu¡¯s friend as well as the fact that he also wanted to ask some help from Long Zhengyu, he also didn¡¯t want to get to the heart of the matter and let it go.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just forget it and consider that the things that happened before didn¡¯t happen. But you should pay attention to this point; it¡¯s best to inquire about the others¡¯ details before you do something to provoke them. Otherwise, it would be very easy to have troubles upon you.¡±


    Tang Xiu critics caused Huang Xu¡¯s mood to turn slightly bad, but he still nodded his head nonetheless.


    With a smiling face, Long Zhengyu then pulled Tang Xiu to sit down on the sofa as he also ordered the girls to get out of the room at the same time. Only then did he continue asking, ¡°So, Brother Tang, you said that you need something from me before, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Firstly, please get some food since Andy is quite starving.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Long Zhengyu pressed the bell button and an attendant arrived shortly after. After he ordered Tang Xiu¡¯s request and selected special dishes the Long¡¯s Dining Hall had, then, he looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Yup, everything¡¯s done. So, can you tell me now about the matter?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve asked someone to invite some steward instructors from abroad, and they should arrive at Star City by tomorrow. So I was thinking to prepare accommodation for them in South Gate Town. That¡¯s your place, after all, so I want to ask for your help if there¡¯s anyone who is willing to lease their villa for rent. Also, I¡¯ll be using the villa for a few months.¡±


    With a strange expression, Long Zhengyu looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Huh? Buddy, you¡¯re not doing this intentionally, are you? Did you figure out that I just bought a villa in South Gate Town?¡±


    ¡°Did you? In South Gate Town?¡± Tang Xiu asked back with a confused expression.


    Long Zhengyu said with an intentionally forced smile, ¡°I did! I preserved one lot for my own use, not the one I¡¯ve given to you, though. By chance, a friend of mine who already bought a villa in South Gate Town was preparing to immigrate abroad, so he wanted to sell it. Likewise, I was about to spend some money and renovate that place!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed heartily as he looked at the depressed expression on Long Zhengyu¡¯s face. Then, he said with a smile, ¡°If so, rent the villa to me for a couple of months, and I¡¯ll give it back to you after those foreign steward instructors leave.¡±


    Long Zhengyu shook his head as he said with a sigh, ¡°Aii¡­ you¡¯re simply like my ill-fated match you know. But, you can have it, as I haven¡¯t had the place renovated yet. If you want to use it, I¡¯ll ask my female cousin to send the key to your house this evening.¡±


    ¡°Your female cousin?¡± Tang Xiu asked with a confused expression.

 Chapter 167

    Chapter 167: Forgetting the Previous Discord


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Whilst looking at Tang Xiu¡¯s confused expression, a smile emerged on the corner of Long Zhengyu¡¯s mouth as he said with a smile, ¡°You didn¡¯t know that Long Xueyao is my elder cousin?¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with an astonished expression, ¡°She turns out to be your cousin? I really didn¡¯t know that. But nevertheless, I¡¯m the one who ignored this point, though. Not too many people have your Long family¡¯s name, to begin with. Your family name is Long, as well as hers; while she¡¯s also the Property Manager of South Gate Town, so it¡¯s no wonder that she¡¯s your relative.¡±


    Long Zhengyu replied with a laugh, ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s an unpleasant thing to have, no? Anyway, in order not to make me a lot more depressed, you¡¯ve gotta stay here and drink a few glasses with us tonight.¡±


    Tang Xiu shifted his sight at Andy as he nodded and said, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll stay and accompany you to drink a few cups. Anyways, this is Andy, Kang Xia¡¯s right-hand woman. She¡¯s actually here waiting for Kang Xia to attend a charity auction party and got starved waiting. That¡¯s why I ordered the dishes for her to eat first.¡±


    With an amazed expression, Long Zhengyu said, ¡°Andy? The extraordinarily ¡®big¡¯ famous succubus, Andy?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Long, the words you said, was that supposed to be a praise or a curse? I might not be too proficient in Mandarin, but savoring the taste of your words, it seems like the flavor is kind of unbecoming, don¡¯t you think so?¡± Andy said with her lovely smile.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Long Zhengyu¡¯s complexion was strangled as he secretly rolled his eyes inside. A foreign girl who said she wasn¡¯t particularly proficient in Mandarin but yet was able to understand the subtle meaning behind his words? As he shook his head, Long Zhengyu let out a forced smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s my bad to have misspoken out of indiscretion. Those people who say that you¡¯re a succubus are truly blind. You¡¯re very lovely as though a fairy that descended to the mortal world. If later on there are still people speaking that you¡¯re like a succubus, those people are complete and total jerks.¡±


    ¡°Hee hee¡­¡±


    Andy let out a laugh that reverberated as a pair of her two big lethal weapons on her chest waved and surged forth. All the young men present, including Tang Xiu, couldn¡¯t help but secretly swallow their saliva upon seeing it.


    It was seductive and way too tempting!


    As young and vigorous as they were, the four young men couldn¡¯t help but whisper inside their hearts one after another: _¡®You¡¯re neither a succubus nor an angel, but a seductive-coquettish young demoness who can wreck a country and bring ruin to the people!¡¯_


    ¡°Cough cough¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu coughed to conceal the awkwardness inside his heart as he spoke to divert the focus, ¡°Long Zhengyu, I just recalled that your little brother hasn¡¯t come to harass me recently. Do you know where he is?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Long Zhengyu shook his head and said with a smile, ¡°He¡¯s leaving for Blue City. I don¡¯t know what that kid is thinking. He unexpectedly spoke to my father and said that he wanted to set up his own enterprise. He said he¡¯d mix in first in Blue City before going to Shanghai to develop himself further, as well as asked five million yuan from my father. It¡¯s been a couple of days since he has gone to Blue City, and he hasn¡¯t contacted me since.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it turns out that he¡¯s really leaving Star City?¡± Tang Xiu was astounded.


    ¡°Huh? You seem to know about it. Care to tell me?¡± With a curious expression, Long Zhengyu asked.


    ¡°Well, I can say that he left because of me. I told him that he won¡¯t have a bright future if he¡¯s always under the shelter of you and your parents¡¯ wings. Even though he¡¯s very smart and has a keen sense of business. However, he lacks ambition. I did stimulate him, but I never imagined that he¡¯d really go to the outside world, though.¡± Tang Xiu replied with a smile.


    Fei Shan and Huang Xu glanced at each other. The both of them knew Long Zhenglin¡¯s character inside out. As surprised as they were, for Long Zhenglin to listen to Tang Xiu and adhere to his opinions was something that they had never imagined, causing their impression toward Tang Xiu to deepen a bit at this instant.


    Huang Xu said, ¡°Young Master Long, your second brother ran away to Blue City, and he didn¡¯t even contact me? Man, did we not have enough camaraderie? Ah, whatever. I¡¯ll look for him when we go back there. Regardless of any businesses he wanna do, I¡¯m gonna help him and give him green lights to open his way.¡±


    Fei Shan also said with a smile, ¡°I might not be able to help in anything if he¡¯s in other places. But in Blue City, our words are quite useful. I know your little brother. He¡¯s kinda, well, quite wild and unruly, and it will be inevitable for him to come across some of the Blue City¡¯s local bullies. That reminds me of something, what line was it? Ah, that¡¯s right, there¡¯s a common saying that a wicked person will be bedeviled by another of the same ilk. But heck, you can rest assured that we¡¯ll be looking after him in Blue City!¡±


    Long Zhengyu grabbed the blended imported fine wine on the table and poured it into Tang Xiu¡¯s cup. Then, he raised his own cup and said, ¡°To express my thanks and respect to all of you. Let¡¯s drink¡­¡±


    As the wine entered his stomach, Tang Xiu squished his lips as he shook his head and said, ¡°I have heard about these imported wines, but never had a chance to drink any. But, the taste is quite unpleasant! As I recall, we also have quite strong liquors brewed in our country, don¡¯t we?¡±


    Fei Shan¡¯s eyes lightened up as he immediately walked toward a cabinet at the side. Then, he grabbed a bottle of wine that was still wrapped in it¡¯s package and went back to his previous position. As he handed the bottle to Tang Xiu, he said, ¡°Brother Tang, you¡¯re also a man. You know that men like us like to drink strong liquors. So, you wanna try tasting this wine I brought from Blue City?¡±


    Tang Xiu took the bottle as his sight landed on a sticker with the written slogan: ¡°Serve the People!¡± on top of the bottle. As he also saw the yellowish glutinous rice wine inside the bottle, he said with astonishment, ¡°Isn¡¯t this the legendary special wine supply?¡±


    Fei Shan gave his thumbs up and exclaimed, ¡°You do have good eyes, Brother Tang! This indeed is a special good wine supply for PLA military district. My big brother is a Chief of Staff in the Northern Theater Command and he brought back this wine to give my grandfather, while I just happened to sneakily get my hands on it. I heard him saying that this wine is nearly thirty years old as it has been cellared in the Northern Theater Command¡¯s cellar and only just came out six months ago.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly. Let alone drinking good wines that merely aged for three decades, he had even drunk quite a lot of good wines that had been cellared for thousands of years. However, on Earth, the thirty years old cellared wines were already considered quite good wines.


    He opened the bottle and poured the wine into four cups.


    As he drunk up the wine from the cup, he immediately felt a strong fragrant and mellow taste lingering on his tongue. It was as though there was a fire that went down through his throat and finally burst out inside his chest, as the strong heat flowed and quickly entered his stomach and spread out to his limbs and skeletal bones.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s really great and comfortable!¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but exclaim in praise. He felt that this wine was even better than the wines the Everlasting Feast Hall had.


    In this moment, he had quite an impulse. He wanted to homebrew a number of good wines himself. After all, a lot of people loved wine on Earth. And if he found someone who could truly appreciate the taste of good wine- moreover, tasting the wine he brewed himself- it would definitely be a joyous thing.


    And not only did Tang Xiu himself had a good winemaking technique, even the end product of his home-brewing wine was of the absolute best quality.


    And at this moment, Fei Shan¡¯s eyes were especially bright. He was as if meeting a soul-mate as he felt a little closer to Tang Xiu when he said with a smile, ¡°It seems that it was really worth it to steal this bottle of wine since I can get Brother Tang¡¯s appreciation. But I never expected that Brother Tang was also a wine lover. It¡¯s just a pity that I have too few of this good wine, otherwise, our drinking time could have been more joyous.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. If you want to drink a good wine, just wait for some time. I¡¯ll bring some when I go to the university in Blue City. I¡¯m sure the wine I bring will keep you satisfied.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    Since he had the idea, then he might as well put it into motion.


    Tang Xiu decided to brew some good wines, since he thought that the materials to brew the wine was very easy to find, while the production cost was also very low. Not to mention that he also had a summer vacation coming, and he could take some time to brew it. Even if he couldn¡¯t drink it all, he could send them to his mother¡¯s restaurant.


    With a curious expression, Fei Shan asked, ¡°Brother Tang, you also have some good wines?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, not any yet. But I¡¯m preparing to brew some.¡± Tang Xiu said with a laugh.


    ¡°Wow! You also know how to brew wine?¡± Fei Shan was astounded as he replied.


    ¡°I did brew once. And the taste is kinda good.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    Fei Shan clapped his hands and said with a laugh, ¡°Hahaha, Brother Tang, it seems that not only are you an aficionado, but you also have already arrived at the point of becoming an oenophile yourself! I¡¯m really looking forward to your homebrewed wine! I¡¯ll be waiting for you to go to Blue City, and treating you with a welcoming reception dinner in Blue City¡¯s best restaurant!¡±


    Huang Xu patted Fei Shan¡¯s shoulder as he said with a smile, ¡°No can do. How could it be your turn to treat Brother Tang a welcoming dinner? I¡¯m the one who has misspoken to him, and I can¡¯t just walk away without washing my wrongdoings, no? Brother Tang is much more mature than me, and he didn¡¯t lower himself to act like me. But I¡ªHuang Xu, put this matter seriously in mind. So, Brother Tang, I gotta be the host for you when you come to Blue City. Of course, that means I¡¯ll also be tasting the homebrewed wine you¡¯ve personally made. Hahaha¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded with a smile.


    He might particularly don¡¯t like Huang Xu. But as people say, hit not the people who are smiling at you and reach out your hand toward them. So, as Huang Xu repeatedly expressed his goodwill toward him, it was a necessity to give him some face.


    Not to mention that he also perfectly realized the truth that having personal contacts in society was absolutely equal to having divine armament. If he could use it perfectly, it would be very helpful in dealing with a lot of things in the future.


    As for Andy, she didn¡¯t have much interest in wine. However, she was actually listening to the conversations with full enthusiasm. In particular, she could see as how Long Zhengyu and the two others wanted to be on good terms with Tang Xiu. This made her feel good inside as she felt that her judgment toward the man she was eyeing was really correct.


    In actuality, the made up words she said to Tang Xiu that she wanted to be his lover, was 20% true, while the rest 80% was but only a joke. Although she had a small figure, however, she still had what a normal person had with seven apertures on her head and also a brain. She knew perfectly well about the nature of people. She was the kind of person who was keen in reading the intention within the words people said, as well as the expression whether ones were lying, or being sly and crafty to conceal their true intention in a mishmash speech.


    However, after having gone through things tonight and had a closer contact with Tang Xiu quite a lot, Andy could perceive and realize that not only was Tang Xiu an upright gentleman, he was also not the type of person who was fickle in love.


    She was just only eight when her parents took her to China. After having lived here for six years, only then did they return back to the United States. In particular, after she returned back to the States, she made friends with a lot of Chinese descent people there, so she had a very deep knowledge about domestic customs. If it weren¡¯t for her Westerner looks, perhaps, nobody would have believed that she was a foreign girl.


    ¡°Ladies, Sirs, the dishes have been served.¡±


    A middle-aged manager entered the box along with dozens of waitresses carrying a trolley of dishes. Although everyone couldn¡¯t see the dishes, for it were still covered, everyone could still smell the fragrance fluttering into their noses.


    Long Zhengyu looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°So, how about we have the meal now?¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Good wine has always been added with fine delicacies. So let¡¯s have a meal now.¡±


    Immediately, everyone headed to the dining room. As they looked at the row of dishes lined up on the table, their appetite was sparked up. And just when some of them were ready to eat the meal, Andy¡¯s mobile phone ringed.


    ¡°It¡¯s the call from Chief Kang!¡±


    Andy took out her mobile as she looked at the Caller ID number on the screen.


    Tang Xiu asked, ¡°What time the charity auction start?¡±


    ¡°At 8:30 PM, twenty minutes from now,¡± Andy replied.


    ¡°If so, then ask her to come here to have a meal first! Tell her later that after being busy at work all day long, use the rest of the time to relax and rest. Create a balance between work and relaxation, and you¡¯ll be able to bring about more wealth and riches.¡±


    Andy let out a sweet-bright smile as she replied, ¡°Having such a kind Boss as you, is truly a blessing for us.¡±

 Chapter 168

    Chapter 168: A Fly


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Upon hearing Andy¡¯s praise, Huang Xu couldn¡¯t help but cast a glance and curled his lips as he secretly whispered: _¡°Such a good sweetheart like you truly can make a man happy. I really don¡¯t know how Tang Xiu could have such achievement. Not only he had such awesome abilities, even such a peerless beauty took the initiative to run into his embrace.¡±_


    Shortly after discovering that Andy was accompanying Tang Xiu, Kang Xia came to the A1608 suite. She had met Long Zhengyu before, and even though she didn¡¯t know Huang Xu and Fei Shan, she still plastered a smile on her face as she greeted everyone. Finally, she glanced at the smiling Andy and sat beside her.


    ¡°Hey, Boss! It¡¯s really unfair, you know. I¡¯m working hard dealing with the company and you¡¯re actually having fun here?! How about you accompany me to attend the charity auction?¡± Kang Xia looked at Tang Xiu with a beaming smile.


    Tang Xiu shook his head.


    Just when he was about to respond, he heard Long Zhengyu speak, ¡°Is this charity auction the one arranged by Yang Weilan? Actually, I was also going to attend it, but since these two friends of mine came, I didn¡¯t prepare myself to go there. Anyways, Fei Shan, Huang Xu, since the two of you have come, why don¡¯t we go to this charity auction? Even though Star City¡¯s auction can¡¯t be compared to your Blue City¡¯s, maybe you can still come across something that interest the both of you.¡±


    Fei Shan and Huang Xu nodded with a smile.


    Tang Xiu looked at these people as he finally let out a wry smile and said, ¡°Such being the case, then I¡¯ll also attend it to broaden my knowledge. To tell you the truth, I¡¯ve never had the chance to attend any upper-class charity party before.¡±


    Fei Shan stood up and said with a smile, ¡°Actually, this kind of charity party has two main purposes. The first is the charity auction, which in fact, is supposed to gather donations. The second one is, quite a lot of big names in business society, as well as a lot of scions from major respected and renowned families, will be attending this level of charity party. In itself, the event is also used by the young masters and ladies to get to know each other and have closer exchanges, as it¡¯s best to directly meet the people in the interest of whom they would set their eyes on marriages.¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly lost his interest upon hearing this. However, since he had already promised, it would be awkward to go back on his word.


    ¡°Anyways, you all have a meal first as I gotta change my clothes. Otherwise, people would blast me out of the party if they see me dressed up like this.¡± Fei Shan said with a laugh.


    Ten minutes later¡­


    After everyone had eaten, they waited until Fei Shan returned and then headed together to the hall on the eighteenth floor, where the charity party was being held. Since Kang Xia had the invitation, while a lot of people also knew Long Zhengyu¡¯s status as the Long Family¡¯s young master, nobody stopped their group as they entered the spacious and bright party hall.


    The glowing, crystalline lamps illuminated everyone with its soft light as the party hall was already jam-packed with people. There were at least nearly a hundred people that had already arrived inside. Each and every one of the guests was well-dressed and had elegant looks. Even if an ordinary person wanted to imitate such elegance, they would find it very difficult to do so with natural looks.


    As their group arrived, they attracted the attention of a lot of people; as they were also approached by a lot of people with beaming smiles whilst carrying a cup of red wine. Although Long Zhengyu was the Star City¡¯s Long Family¡¯s successor and also had quite a reputation in the business society, Kang Xia¡¯s fame was far above his. However, Tang Xiu had told Kang Xia and the others to keep his identity a secret before they entered, so even though Kang Xia greeted all courteously, she didn¡¯t disclose Tang Xiu¡¯s identity.


    Taking advantage of this, Tang Xiu, Fei Shan and Huang Xu went over toward the sofa at the side as the three of them then sat down.


    ¡°This is almost no different from the soap opera series on TV.¡±


    Tang Xiu commented as he sat down.


    Fei Shan and Huang Xu glanced at each other with looks of being at a loss whether to cry or laugh drawn on their faces. Only at this moment did they finally believe that this was Tang Xiu¡¯s first time attending an upper-class charity party.


    ¡°Brother Tang, there are a lot of famous young ladies coming tonight. The organizers also invited a lot of actresses and female celebrities. Take a look at that side, that person is a small star who has performed in some TV series. Although she can¡¯t be regarded as even a second-tier actress, however, it¡¯s obvious that someone wants to hook her up, see?¡± Huang Xu was much very fond of females with sex appeal as his pair of greedy eyes also always cast their sight on the female¡¯s body inside the party hall.


    Tang Xiu followed the direction pointed by his finger, but he didn¡¯t recognize the pointed young star who was said to have performed in some TV series. He shook his head and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m still at school and have little interest with females¡¯ charm. If you like them, why don¡¯t you hook up some of them? But I politely advise you, though; never look for ones who have male companions, else you¡¯ll be incurring their rage.¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang, I do like beauties, but it¡¯s not like I always straightly hit on the girls the moment I see them, you know. The thing is, when we just met tonight, it was because your girlfriend is way too¡­ too beautiful. I¡¯ve seen innumerable femme fatale beauties, but I gotta admit that not even one of them is at the same level.¡± With a somewhat embarrassed expression, Huang Xu explained with a wry smile.


    Tang Xiu only gave a smile and shook his head.


    He had seen a lot of femme fatales before. Even the fairy maiden maidservants he had in his Immortal Palace had an appearance that was on par¡ªor even more beautiful than Andy¡¯s. The one he chose as a partner was mainly because he looked at the person¡¯s cultivation level as well as her character.


    Unfortunately, his judgment turned out to be gravely mistaken as he had never thought that the woman he chose betrayed him at the end!


    This was precisely the reason as to why Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to involve himself with too many women. Had he ever had such a sexual drive, he would have just chosen to have sex with women with only mutual consent between him and the said women; albeit he didn¡¯t want to be attached to emotional and sentimental feelings between them. Perhaps¡­ he would find himself a fairly pleasing-to-the-eyes woman for him to marry in the future. But that would be in order to satisfy his mother¡¯s wish of being a grandmother only.


    Ten minutes later¡­


    When Tang Xiu felt bored and wanted to leave early, Andy came over while carrying a dessert and sat next to him. Her pair of bright and smart eyes looked at him as she said affectionately, ¡°Boss, take this dessert, it¡¯s the best one I chose for you.¡±


    Nodding, Tang Xiu picked it up and ate it. Then, he said, ¡°How come you aren¡¯t accompanying Kang Xia, and instead running here?¡±


    ¡°Well, I often attend this kind of party, and it kinda makes me bored. Those men are way too avaricious! They¡¯re always looking at me with those greedy eyes of theirs. Honestly, it¡¯s truly annoying. Besides, I¡¯m your sweetheart, Boss. No matter what, I won¡¯t have them look at me like that.¡± Andy replied.


    ¡°Cough¡­ cough¡­¡±


    Fei Shan, who just drank his second red wine cup, choked upon hearing this. His face flushed red as he looked at Tang Xiu and Andy with an inconceivable expression.


    As for Huang Xu, he secretly rolled his eyes. It reminded him of the things that had happened between him, Andy and Tang Xiu before. With a bit of a worshipping expression reflected in his eyes, he said, ¡°Brother Tang, you¡¯re simply the reincarnation of the Saint of Love. If this femme fatale Lolita is willing to throw herself in my embrace, I won¡¯t even mind having my lifespan shortened for three years, truly.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, no no, Andy was just joking. You don¡¯t need to take it seriously.¡± Tang Xiu said with a laugh.


    ¡°Brother Tang, you really don¡¯t know that you¡¯re blessed and really lucky, right? Just get lost and take her to bed already, will you? Don¡¯t get me all stimulated and aroused here.¡± Huang Xu replied with a depressed expression.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t reply and looked at somewhere else.


    With a puzzled expression, Fei Shan looked at Tang Xiu and Andy as his sight then turned toward Huang Xu and asked with a confused expression, ¡°Ugh¡­ I don¡¯t get it. What situation is this in the end?¡±


    Huang Xu said with a forced smile, ¡°What do you think it could be? Andy, this femme fatale, was crying and shouted that she wanted to be Brother Tang¡¯s lover. While he- he just shut her out. Perhaps, the only person in this world who would refuse such good thing is but the one and only Brother Tang.¡±


    Fei Shan looked at Tang Xiu with a look of disbelief as an expression of respect was cast on his face when he exclaimed, ¡°Wow! Brother Tang, you can still keep your composure even with this temptation? You¡¯re truly an upright gentleman. I might not be in the same rank as you, but I really worship you! Oh Deity, please accept my knowtow!¡±


    Tang Xiu involuntarily laughed. He suddenly realized that being with Huang Xu and Fei Shan turned out to be quite refreshing. The more familiar he became with them, the more he was able to enjoy this kind of relaxed and fun feeling.


    ¡°Miss, may I invite you to a drink?¡±


    A voice abruptly came from the few people around as a young man in a white suite and well-done hairdo came to stand before Andy with a face full of a confident smile as he spoke.


    Andy just glanced at him and replied indifferently, ¡°I don¡¯t drink, thank you.¡±


    Tang Xiu glanced at the crystal cup in her hand as his mouth severely twitched twice when he saw the cup was filled with a dark blood-red wine.


    What would the lying through one¡¯s teeth look like? This was it! And in particular, the way she refused the man, was truly one of a kind on its own.


    Even in his wildest dream, the young man surely never expected that Andy would even use such an excuse to refuse him. A look of humiliation and and anger was immediately revealed on his face as he said, ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, you¡¯re Kang Xia¡¯s personal servant, aren¡¯t you? If you were Kang Xia, I might actually think to win your friendship. But you! You¡¯re just her subordinate and you¡¯re even so arrogant? Who gave you the confidence? Do you believe that I can make Chief Kang kick you out of the Magnificent Tang Corporation with only a word?¡±


    With an expression as though looking at an idiot, Andy looked at the young man and intentionally directed her mumble toward Tang Xiu, ¡°Trust me, I don¡¯t believe it even a bit! Why don¡¯t you try it?¡±


    The young man was infuriated. He quickly waved to an attendant and whispered a few words to him. The attendant nodded and walked toward Kang Xia. After spending some effort to release herself from the crowd, Kang Xia came over to the group with a surprised expression.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    The young man quickly said, ¡°Chief Kang, do you remember me? I¡¯m the Vice General Manager of the Meisya Cosmetics. We¡¯ve met about the deal with our companies for the upcoming sales of your cosmetic products to the market. We also had a dinner before.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I remember you. You¡¯re Chief Wu.¡± Kang Xia nodded and said.


    A glint of surprise emitted out of Wu Changqing¡¯s eyes, as if to be remembered by Kang Xia was a great honor for him. Then, he glanced at Andy and said, ¡°Chief Kang, I¡¯ve helped you with your request before. And now, could you do me a favor?¡±


    Kang Xia¡¯s brows slanted and inquired, ¡°And what¡¯s the favor?¡±


    Whilst pointing at Andy, Wu Changqing spoke with a proud expression, ¡°Can you dismiss her? This staff of yours can¡¯t even understand the importance of the matter. So I think keeping her will only be courting a disaster. If only because of her the sales of your company would be affected later, the gains you¡¯d have wouldn¡¯t equal to the losses.¡±


    Kang Xia¡¯s face turned cold and said dimly, ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±


    ¡°No, no. Chief Kang misunderstood. I just asked for your help.¡± Wu Changqing quickly replied.


    ¡°You¡¯re way too busy, it seems. I can¡¯t help you with this. In fact, even if I fire her it won¡¯t change anything. Besides, she¡¯s also a shareholder in the Magnificent Tang Corporation. Moreover, I have to tell you this, the Magnificent Tang Corporation has just made a decision that our company is about to be listed in the cosmetic market and we will no longer use the Meisya Cosmetic Group¡¯s channel. Tell my message to your General Manager when you go back.¡±

 Chapter 169

    Chapter 169: Courting Trouble


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    As surprised as he was, Wu Changqing froze as his face immediately changed tragically.


    Even in his wildest dream, he had never thought that it would unexpectedly turn into such a situation. He knew that the talks and negotiations between their companies, more or less, had already been done. And even though the Magnificent Tang Corporation was the one that took the initiative to find his company, however, the profit they would get, was extremely huge!


    In the case¡­ that all the deals fell through because of this; then perhaps, he would no longer be able to keep his position as the Vice General Manager anymore.


    Upon figuring out this point, cold sweat emerged on his forehead. He quickly let out an obsequious smile and said, ¡°Uh, this is only a misunderstanding. Truly a misunderstanding. Actually, I was only joking with this lovely and beautiful lady. Chief Kang, you¡¯ve more wisdom than me, surely you¡¯ll understand. I give you my guarantee that our business relation will be very smooth. Moreover, I¡¯m going to report to the General Manager to give you some benefits and concessions after I go back.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked up at Kang Xia and slowly asked, ¡°Anyway, if we set up our own chain stores in every big city in the country, how much investment should we prepare?¡±


    For a moment, Kang Xia stared blankly as she then replied with a wry smile, ¡°We¡¯d need quite a huge sum! And spreading out specialized chain stores to sell the products all over the country within a short time, will be quite difficult.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Since it¡¯s a cosmetic business, we¡¯ll take a high-end route. Firstly, open our own exclusive stores in the biggest cities and then continue expanding to the second-tier cities! After the funds return, we¡¯ll continue to the lower-tiered cities. Do bear in mind that this is the sale of our cosmetics products. We must hold an absolute right to speak for ourselves.¡±


    Kang Xia¡¯s expression changed as she nodded repeatedly, saying, ¡°Understood! I¡¯ll revise the plan after I go back and modify it as per your request. However, about the preparation funding¡­¡±


    ¡°Give me some time. At most up to one month, I¡¯ll give you the necessary funds needed for the early investment.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Pleasantly surprised, Kang Xia replied, ¡°Great, if we have enough funds, I believe the time for our products to be listed on the market will be greatly shortened.¡±


    ¡°Do remember, we might not make luxurious jewelry, but it¡¯s imperative for us to take the high-end route. As long as our cosmetic products are good enough, selling the products is not the aspect we should worry about.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Understood!¡± Kang Xia nodded with a smile.


    Upon seeing as how Tang Xiu and Kang Xia were related to each other, Wu Changqing was at a complete loss as his mind was messed up. He just found out that the famous General Manager of Magnificent Tang Corporation¡ªKang Xia, turned out to accept orders from someone else. Even more so, Kang Xia was just like a wage earner, an employee who listened to her Boss¡¯s instructions.


    Who was this young man? How would he be able to give the orders to Kang Xia?


    Could he be¡­


    Wrong guesses out of his shock popped out inside Wu Changqing¡¯s mind, but he dismissed all of them the instant they appeared. He just simply didn¡¯t believe that Kang Xia would work under a twenty years old young man. What was most unacceptable for him was that the Big Boss who recently invested an enormous investment for the Magnificent Tang Corporation turned out to be a young man!


    ¡°You are¡­¡±


    Finally, Wu Changqing was unable keep the doubts and questions inside his heart.


    As for Andy who had an angelic appearance but an extremely sharp mouth, she gave out a big supercilious look toward Wu Changqing as she snapped at him, ¡°Are you really an idiot? Our Magnificent Tang Corporation luckily hasn¡¯t done any business cooperation with your company! Otherwise, we would surely have been implicated by a dead no-brainer idiot like you! I thought Chief Kang had obviously shown her stand, but you are so stupid that you still asked?! If I were you, I would¡¯ve simply left to look for a block of tofu and hit myself to death and be done with it. It¡¯s better than hiding myself from the world because I¡¯ve made myself a disgrace!¡±


    ¡°WOW, that was harshly AWESOME!¡±


    Huang Xu secretly raised his thumb with a face full of a schadenfreude.


    His heart could be described as shattered to pieces when Andy humiliated him. The anger even almost drove him crazy. And now, upon hearing how Andy humiliated others, he felt somewhat comfortable. Even the feeling of shame he got from her before was dispelled.


    As words could say, Huang Xiu might be a lustful and lascivious person, but he was somewhat mindless in nature.


    With a face as white as wax paper, Wu Changqing looked at Tang Xiu with disbelief. He then shifted his sight toward Kang Xia. Still attempting to reconcile and redeem the situation, he squeezed out a smiling expression that was even more unsightly than crying, saying, ¡°Chief Kang, this¡­ Brother, I humbly admit that I¡¯m at fault here. Please don¡¯t lower yourselves to my level, and I swear that there won¡¯t be any next time for what I¡¯ve done! Our company needs this deal. If anything, we can have any matters settled through discussion.¡±


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    Tang Xiu wanted no more explanation from him at this moment as he detested Wu Changqing¡¯s arrogant and domineering attitude from before.


    ¡°Vice Chief Wu, I¡¯ve clearly told you about how I vision this matter already. No matter how hard you try to redeem this act of yours, this won¡¯t affect anything whatsoever. Please leave now! Don¡¯t make your company lose face here.¡± Kang Xia said.


    Wu Changqing¡¯s lips twisted a few times. Upon knowing that he really couldn¡¯t save the day, he immediately turned hostile as he glared furiously at Kang Xia and Tang Xiu, saying, ¡°What good people you all are! You have gut and courage eh? Just wait later, I hope you won¡¯t regret this when the time comes!¡±


    Huang Xu raised his leg and curled it up on top of the other as he raised his palms and shouted, ¡°Yo, punk retard! You talk too much. Do you believe that I, your Big Daddy, won¡¯t be able to drag you out? Brother Tang has told you to get the fuck out. Save your chirping somewhere else!¡±


    Wu Changqing¡¯s neck shrunk as he left with a dejected look.


    Whilst slowly standing up, Tang Xiu then spoke, ¡°Kang Xia, I¡¯ll leave everything here for you to handle. I¡¯m not used to this kind of atmosphere, so I¡¯ll go home first. Anyways, Andy has drunk some wine tonight, so you should send her back.¡±


    After having a guarantee from Tang Xiu about the provided funds, Kang Xia was in quite the good mood as she replied happily, ¡°Boss, do you want me to send you back? Well, let¡¯s just say, I¡¯m used to entertaining courtesy with courtesy as well. As for this auction, it¡¯s just for raising donations. Besides, we¡¯re too poor now, and I won¡¯t pretend to be a generous person here. So it won¡¯t be a problem if I take my leave either way.¡±


    ¡°Is it okay if you leave now?¡± Tang Xiu asked with hesitation.


    ¡°Yup, no problem.¡± Kang Xia nodded heavily.


    ¡°Alright. If so, then drive me back home! Having said this, you also have to go home and rest as fast as possible.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Shortly after¡­


    Tang Xiu bade farewell to the trio Long Zhengyu, Huang Xu, and Fei Shan, as he then left along with Kang Xia and Andy.


    At the entrance of the party hall¡­


    Looking at the three¡¯s backs, Huang Xu spoke with a sour expression, ¡°Tang Xiu¡¯s luck with chicks is really way too awesome! Kang Xia alone is an outstanding belle, she could even overcome the light of the most beautiful woman in the capital. And that angelic looking XXX Lolita¡ªAndy doesn¡¯t lose to her. She also belongs to the rank of a rarely found most beautiful-looking women in the world. I think that on the surface, Kang Xia is going to send Tang Xiu back home, but I highly suspected that will go to bed and have an XXX, surely!¡±


    With an expression of being at a loss whether to cry or laugh, Long Zhengyu replied to him, ¡°Hey, Big Young Master Huang, how the hell those words come out of your damn mouth? Since when have you changed your skin? I tell you, Tang Xiu is not that kind of person. He¡¯s not like you who will do XXX tricks.¡±


    ¡°No, no. Young Master Long, I gotta rebuke what you just said. Haven¡¯t you heard the common saying that even heroes have a weakness for the charms of beautiful women? Kang Xia and Andy belong to the ranks of the most beautiful women, and you can only pick one of this kind of woman out of the thousands, no? Tang Xiu might have good self control, but tell me, can he stay firm and able to withstand their enticements?¡± Fei Shan shook his head and said.


    ¡°You two are really have a dirty mind!¡± Long Zhengyu cursed as he said with a laugh.


    However, he deeply admired Tang Xiu as much as them inside. He was a smart person and had a good ability to observe and judge people¡¯s feelings and their mood. He could see that Kang Xia and Andy had deep impressions toward Tang Xiu. Once this kind of feeling was nurtured to a certain point, the feeling probably would change in essence and turn into a dead-set diehard love.


    The next day¡­


    Kang Xia sent the company¡¯s car to pick up the four steward instructors from Great Britain who already arrived at the airport. She then drove them to South Gate Town¡¯s villa.


    Each of the four instructors had their own unique ability, and they were also very famous amongst the British aristocrats.


    After seeing these four he had spent quite a sum of money to hire, Tang Xiu directly sent them to Mu Qingping. As for what kind of skills she could learn from them, it depended entirely on her.


    At the evening, the same day¡­


    Tang Xiu took a high-speed train to Dongyuan Province. There was no direct passenger flight from Star City to Cangbei City. But the railway line was highly developed. It took him only three hours by high-speed train to get there. At 10:00 PM, he finally arrived at Cangbei City. At first, he intended to catch a cab outside after he left the train station. However, he was quite desperate afterward. There were a lot of taxis, but when he told the drivers the destination ¡°Qingshan Town¡±, not even one of those drivers was willing to take him there.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you willing to go there?¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but ask the woman driver.


    The woman driver let out a forced smile as she replied, ¡°Little Brother, it¡¯s not that we don¡¯t want to take you there. It¡¯s just the distance from this train station to Qingshan Town is kinda distant, while the pay we got is also, well, not enough. Besides, it¡¯s very late and the location is very remote and it¡¯s very dangerous on the way there. Even if our customers are good people, but in the case we happen to bump into highwaymen¡­ we¡¯ll surely be miserable!¡±


    ¡°Road robbers?¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to give up in vain, and asked curiously, ¡°We are highly likely to encounter road robbers on the way from here to Qingshan Town? Shouldn¡¯t the law reach this place too? Besides, the police force should handle this problem, shouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    The woman driver replied with a sigh, ¡°Take care of this problem huh? It¡¯s not like the cops haven¡¯t tried to handle this problem. But those road toll brigands are just like rats. They are familiar with the surrounding topography. Not to mention that that there are also quite a ton of paths to remote areas where you will rarely find people from the surroundings for dozens of miles. Even if the police want to arrest these brigands and bandits and stop them by force, it would still be very difficult to apprehend them. Every time these brigands see that the situation is not right, they will quickly drill into the roadside toward the forested mountain. It¡¯s hella difficult to catch them even if the police deploy a lot of manpower.¡±


    Suddenly, the woman driver¡¯s voice quieted down a lot. She then turned and looked around. After she confirmed that no one was paying attention to her and Tang Xiu, she whispered, ¡°Little Brother, I advise you to spend the night in Cangbei City. You can still rush to Qingshan Town tomorrow. Those highwaymen and road toll brigands are way too rampant and wild. I also heard that they have connections with some dirty cops in this city. So, it¡¯s better safe than sorry. We¡¯ll be out of luck if we come across these scourges.¡±


    After hesitating for a moment, Tang Xiu let out a forced smile and said, ¡°That being the case, then take me to Cangbei Hotel. It¡¯s the hotel my friend suggested me to go.¡±


    Seeing that Tang Xiu accepted her suggestion, the woman driver smiled all over as she replied immediately, ¡°Good good, then get on board, Little Brother. I¡¯ll take you to the best five-star hotel in Cangbei City. Ah right, do you need me to pick you up and drive you directly to Qingshan Town tomorrow morning?¡±


    ¡°You also have this service?¡± Tang Xiu was astonished.


    The woman driver said with a laugh, ¡°Well, you can say this as a big job scheduled in advance anyhow! You know, we¡ªthe taxi drivers of this Cangbei City, can in no way be compared to those black limousine chauffeurs. So you¡¯ve gotta know how to work your way through if you wanna keep your rice bowl, if you ask me!¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a laugh, ¡°So be it then. Come and pick me up in the early morning.¡±


    * * *


    Notes:


    Uh, well¡­ XXX is censored in the raws with asterisks¡­ ah well, you guys won¡¯t have to be a genius to figure it out, though. But I myself was wondering whether it was a threesome, gangbang or not¡­ lol. And no, I¡¯m not a porn lover¡­About Dongyuan Province, there should be a Dongyuan County in Guangdong. But the story doesn¡¯t seem to refer to this one though.

 Chapter 170

    Chapter 170: Traveling Across the Road Ruled by Might


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The economic development of Cangbei City was ordinary. Although it should be at the same urban classification level with Star City, the development and construction of its urban area and districts were far inferior than Star City. Even though the woman driver took Tang Xiu to the city¡¯s best five-star hotel, but after he entered the hotel, he felt that the hotel was not even up to the four-star standard.


    Certainly, the price here was also a lot cheaper.


    Both sides of Cangbei City were encircled by hills as well as water. Obviously, this caused its geographical location in the mainland to be slightly remote. In the early morning of the next day, Tang Xiu had a breakfast in the hotel¡¯s dining hall after he took a bath, after which, he met the woman driver¡¯s taxi who came to pick him up.


    ¡°How long do we need to travel to Qingshan Town from here?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°Nearly two and a half hours. Although the distance isn¡¯t that far, the road is quite rough. The government has been shouting all day, saying that a road from here to there will be built. It¡¯s been a couple of years already, I think. And yet, they haven¡¯t done anything. If the road is smooth, such a distance of a hundred to two hundred kilometers should be easy to reach within a little more than an hour¡¯s driving.¡± The woman driver said with a smile.


    Tang Xiu nodded slightly. After he thought for a moment, he suddenly asked, ¡°I heard that there¡¯s a Sky Cavern there, is it real?¡±


    For a moment, the woman driver was surprised. Then, she seemed to immediately awaken as she scrutinized Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes afterward. With a beaming smile, she then said with a smile, ¡°Little Brother, I presume you¡¯re going to Qingshan Town in order to visit the Sky Cavern, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯ve got to listen to Big Sis, don¡¯t throw yourself into danger there! This Sky Cavern is located in the remote area of the mountains and ancient forest. The mountain pathway is very steep, with vipers and beasts preying around as well as filled with miasma and swamps. A lot of people had ventured into the mountains, and they never came out! And every year, the next visitors find the bones of the dead, a lot.¡±


    Tang Xiu curiously said, ¡°This Primeforest Mountain Range is a kind of large mountain range in the country, then why the local government hasn¡¯t thought to develop it into a scenic site? Nowadays, in every part of our country, if one place has only a bit of scenic site, the authority wantonly builds tourist attractions there. In the hope to attract a large number of home and foreign tourists to help improving the economic development of the region. Why wouldn¡¯t Cangbei City exploit this capital they have?¡±


    The woman driver replied with a forced smile, ¡°Well, I tell you three words that would be the most appropriate to describe the authority in Cangbei City.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Which three words?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°DO NOT ACT!¡±


    The woman driver bluntly said.


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh. The woman driver said it in a simple manner, but the meaning brought along with her expression was very vivid and made him lament. In regard to this point, he recalled the remark Yuan Chuling had told him, for which he could clearly remember it vividly until now:


    _¡°In regards to government officials, they¡¯re not worried having voracious corrupt acts. Just like all the crows in the world, they¡¯re all sort of blackened as this is what is required to be promoted in their organization. If one wanted to stay clean and not become corrupted themselves, whoever they are, they would find themselves in difficult predicament. Some of these corrupt officials are but only executing the orders of their bosses, while some others are doing it out of their own interests. Of these two types of bureaucrats, the latter is the most loathsome.¡±_


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to continue chatting about the issues with the local government, so he smiled and shook his head as he shifted his vision to the outside of the window. The taxi drove very fast, and it only took half an hour to leave Cangbei City downtown into the country road. Without spending much effort, they already arrived at the end of the fairly wide road, as the rough graveled road was seen in front.


    ¡°Ugh, every time I take this road, it gives me a headache.¡±


    The woman driver clearly wasn¡¯t the solitary type. Not long after their conversation ended, she started talking again.


    Tang Xiu, on the other hand, didn¡¯t want to chat anymore. As he sat in the back row and looked at the woman driver driving, he said, ¡°I want to rest for a while. Wake me up when we have arrived at Qingshan Town.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re going to sleep? You didn¡¯t have a good rest last night?¡± The woman driver was surprised and asked.


    ¡°Mmm!¡± Tang Xiu hummed, confirming it.


    The woman driver said with a laugh, ¡°Ah, right. It was already past 10 PM when you arrived in Cangbei City last night. Checking into the hotel, having a bath and then hitting the bunk, you were only able to sleep till 12 AM. And you had to get up early in the morning as well, so it would be strange if you don¡¯t feel sleepy. Anyways, take your rest until this Big Sis shouts to wake you up, Little Brother!¡±


    ¡°Thanks a bunch!¡±


    Tang Xiu replied and then slowly shut his eyes.


    He did sleep very late last night. It wasn¡¯t at 12 AM but around 2 or 3 AM. After all, no matter how busy he was everyday, he was determined to allocate some time to cultivate. Although the increase of Star Force inside his body wasn¡¯t too much, he could still accumulate it, albeit quite slowly. One day, as the conditions were ripe, he would naturally be successful and breakthrough to the Skin Strengthening Late Stage.


    Time passed by¡­


    The sudden sound of brakes made Tang Xiu abruptly awake from his deep sleep.


    ¡°Ugh, what happened?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s body was thrown to the front. If it weren¡¯t for his fast reaction, he would¡¯ve had his head bump into the back of the front seat. After opening his eyes, he frowned and immediately asked.


    The woman driver¡¯s complexion had turned white as a restless expression could be seen from her eyes. With an astringent expression, she turned her head and replied, ¡°We¡¯re in bad luck! I didn¡¯t expect that we¡¯d encounter road robbers in this broad daylight.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at the outside through the window. He immediately saw that three vans were surrounding the taxi after it stopped. There were also four or five big stones blocking the road about seven or eight meters in front of the taxi.


    Looking at the surrounding environment, Tang Xiu quickly figured out. The road had a three fork junction in front and the three vans should have long been parked on both sides of the junction, waiting for the passing cars. As soon as the car passed by, they would immediately drive inside and outflank the car to stop it. And those four or five stones were probably thrown on the road for this temporary use.


    It was just that he didn¡¯t expect that these people would be so bold and go as far as waylaying in the road, robbing in broad daylight when the earth and the sky were so clear. From this only, it could be seen as how rampant these people were.


    _¡°The local government really doesn¡¯t act!¡±_


    Sighing inside, Tang Xiu was in fact, not feeling very anxious. As he watched brawny men rushing out of the three vans with knives in their hands, he calmly said, ¡°You wait in the car, I¡¯ll go out and see them.¡±


    The woman driver hastily said, ¡°Little Brother, don¡¯t rush at them. These people usually only want money. As long as you give them money, your safety will be guaranteed. But if you resist them, they won¡¯t hesitate to ruthlessly smash you!¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t reply. He opened the door and got off. And then looked at the fierce looking big men as he said, ¡°You¡¯re waylaying the road, playing the robbers?¡±


    In front of more than ten big men was a bald man with a thick gold chain around his neck and a grim knife scar on his left cheek that looked like a centipede. He was holding a mountain knife, as he grimly laughed and said, ¡°Hehe, you kid knows our business eh? Since you know that we¡¯re waylaying here, then be obedient and take out all of your money and valuables. Perhaps, you¡¯ll make us brothers happy and you¡¯ll save yourselves from broken legs!¡±


    For a moment, Tang Xiu was silent. Then, he slowly said, ¡°Have you ever heard the saying that, the wicked will be grounded by the evil?¡±


    The bald big guy stared blankly for a second, and then burst into laughter immediately before he replied, ¡°You mean, you¡¯re also the evil? And you must give us the lesson or something?¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his thumb up and praised with a sigh, ¡°Ah, since you can understand it well, so I presume you¡¯re a smart one. But it¡¯s a pity, though. The path you took is not a good one, and your brain is filled with crooked ideas. Today, on the behalf of your parents, I will help them educate you well. So as to make you completely redeem your wrongdoings and help their prodigal sons turn a new leaf in life.¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­ Hahaha¡­¡±


    The dozens of big men and the baldy big guy were laughing wildly. Even some big men around were also smiling amidst their laughter, looking at Tang Xiu as if they were looking at an idiot.


    After a long while, the baldy big guy stopped laughing. He watched Tang Xiu while hooking his fingers and said with a smile, ¡°Kid, do you know what people call me? The Scarblade Qiang! Even the people on the street call me Big Brother Qiang! How is it? Have you heard the name of this Big Brother?¡±


    Whilst shaking his head, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°I¡¯m just a country bumpkin and have shallow experience. The name doesn¡¯t ring a bell, truly. Are you that famous?¡±


    One of the big guys grinned and said with a smile, ¡°Famous? Far more than famous! Brother Qiang absolutely has a reputation outside. You¡¯re very tactful kid. You know yourself as being a country bumpkin so it¡¯s natural that you didn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I gotta refute your words. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s really famous. You wanna know why?¡± Tang Xiu said and shook his head.


    ¡°Huh? Why?¡± The big guy replied with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°So to speak, the shot will hit the birds that poke its head out. Thus, if he¡¯s really that famous, the cops probably had him apprehended already. The public security here might be bad, but I don¡¯t think that the police will tolerate notorious people who act too rampant, don¡¯t you think so?¡± Tang Xiu replied with an unenthusiastic response.


    ¡°You punk! You¡¯re specially courting your own death!¡± The big guy flew into a rage and pointed his knife toward Tang Xiu.


    The Scarblade Qiang waved his hand to stop the big guy. As he narrowed his eyes to scrutinize Tang Xiu, he lightly said, ¡°Kid, I admire your balls, really. Facing and talking so frankly with us with such confidence, that means you¡¯re not ordinary. Are you also one of us? Tell these Brothers your name.¡±


    ¡°I told you that I come from the countryside, didn¡¯t I?¡± Tang Xiu said.


    The Scarblade Qiang looked deeply at Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. As a bit of fiendish-looking grin appeared on his face, he said, ¡°You had the opportunity, but you didn¡¯t take it. If so, we brothers will be polite no longer. Take out all of your belongings, and drag out that driver in the cab also! All of you must take out all of your money to pay out. Else, you¡¯ll have yourself drown in a bloody disaster today!¡±


    With a cold and detached expression, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°I throw these words back to you! Gimme all of your riches, else don¡¯t blame me if I fuck you up! Also, take off the dog chain on your neck, your wrist watch, and give all of your money and valuables to me!¡±


    Scarblade Qiang blankly stared for a moment, and even the ten big men around were also dumbfounded.


    However, within just a few seconds later, they reacted. As anger hung on the face of each and every one of them, they aggressively swarmed over toward Tang Xiu.


    A cold and grim expression emerged on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. Looking at the slashing knife that was coming at his face, his feet flashed and instantly avoided it by a hair. His fist at the same time hit the bridge of the man¡¯s nose. Even though he didn¡¯t use much strength, but the punch was enough to smash the man¡¯s nose.


    ¡°Peng, peng¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu was as though a brave tiger, whilst those big men were as soft as lambs. When a tiger ran into a flock of lambs, the end result was naturally obvious.


    Within just seven or eight breaths, the dozens of big men had already been knocked down by Tang Xiu. Each and every one of them was as though a curling shrimp on the ground, wailing and screaming in pain.


    Scarblade Qiang hadn¡¯t yet acted. Now, he was the only one who was still perfectly intact and standing. His pupils were contracted, while an expression of disbelief flashed from his eyes as he stared tightly at Tang Xiu as if he was looking at a terrifying monster.


    He had seen a lot of martial arts masters, but such a frightening one he had never seen before! At this moment, he even suspected himself that if he wasn¡¯t dreaming right now, then, could it be Tang Xiu in front of him was a retired special forces¡¯ soldier? A super soldier commando?

 Chapter 171

    Chapter 171: Easily Solved


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Without him realizing, Scarblade Qiang took back two steps. He looked at Tang Xiu restlessly as he gripped the hilt of his knife. He knew the combat strength of his other brothers, and they were not easy stubbles to deal with. They were seasoned fighters and had rich fighting experience.


    However, within just seven or eight breaths, the young man in front of him was able to knock them down! He just realized that he kicked a solid boulder this time. If the card in his hand was good enough, he could solve this young man. But if it didn¡¯t work, he would fall into a damned bad luck.


    After a moment of silence, Scarblade Qiang pulled out a gun from his waist. Taking off the safety lock, he pointed the dark muzzle at Tang Xiu as he shouted with a stern voice, ¡°Kid, you think with your kungfu you can clean up all of us? You can try attacking me, but can you be faster than my bullets?¡±


    Still with a tranquil expression, Tang Xiu said indifferently, ¡°I give you three seconds to put down your gun! What I dislike the most is being threatened. But what I hate more is having a gun pointed at me! Those who pointed guns at me before are either dead or gravely injured.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    Scarblade Qiang¡¯s heart shivered. He didn¡¯t realize that he had lowered his muzzle down by now. He had been roaming around this road for not only one or two days. He had encountered a lot of ruthless people and hardships all this time. But only at this moment facing Tang Xiu did he find himself with this kind of terrified feeling. He might be holding a gun, but in this instant, he believed Tang Xiu¡¯s words.


    To begin with, someone with such a frightening combat strength shouldn¡¯t be exaggerating their words, he thought.


    ¡°You¡­ Who the hell are you?¡±


    Tang Xiu dully replied, ¡°Who I am is not for you to know. You only need to know that I will educate you on the behalf of your parents today. So you can mend your own life and have a fresh start in the future.¡±


    For a moment, Scarblade Qiang was silent, as he then raised the muzzle at Tang Xiu once again and replied with a sinking tone, ¡°Kid, I¡¯m not scared of you! I¡¯ll never believe that you can be faster than my gun. Neither do I believe that your flesh is able to escape bullets. I give you my words, if you can best me, I¡¯ll have you teach me. And I promise that I won¡¯t do anything illegal later. But if you lose, you¡¯ll be gravely injured, so you can¡¯t blame me.¡±


    Tang Xiu snorted coldly as he gave a crooked finger at him and said, ¡°Try then. Shoot me!¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯T!¡±


    The woman driver who was always hiding in the taxi had seen the entire scene of how Tang Xiu overthrew the dozens of big men. She never dreamed that the amiable and sociable Tang Xiu would have such a terrifying ability. She even believed that this time, they would be safe and sound. However, she actually didn¡¯t expect that Scarblade Qiang would even bring out a pistol.


    She could clearly hear the conversation between Tang Xiu and Scarblade Qiang. She was afraid, as well as restless. Tang Xiu was way too arrogant, as he was still unruly and didn¡¯t know the good and bad even though he was aimed with a gun.


    The common says, forbear for when the breeze was still and the waves are quiet, as then paces back a step to open the brighter future of the vast world!


    The worst thing that could happen to them today, was but only losing their money. But still, it was better than losing their life!


    She pushed the door open and strode over. Then, she looked at Scarblade Qiang and spoke with a nervous expression, ¡°Big Brother, my younger brother isn¡¯t sensible and thoughtful. Please be more kind and thoughtful. I¡¯ll give you all of our money, but I ask you to let us go.¡±


    Scarblade Qiang squinted his eyes as he snorted coldly and said, ¡°Hmph, he¡¯s your little brother eh? Aren¡¯t you the taxi driver, and he¡¯s only your passenger? Do you really wanna stand up for him?¡±


    The woman driver replied with a forced smile, ¡°No, I¡¯m not standing up for him. I just don¡¯t want to make things bigger than this. We both have hard lives. It¡¯s hard for all of us to seek a livelihood. As long as we can get ourselves some money, having fewer accidents are far better than having more. Moreover, if you kill him, won¡¯t it be the same as inflicting a homicide case upon yourselves? Oftentimes people say that we must be able to stand on the riverside without getting our shoes wet. If such a case were to be exposed one day, you¡¯d have to pay it with your life!¡±


    Her words paused. As she looked at the cold and detached expression on Tang Xiu¡¯s face, she forcefully pulled his sleeve, squeezing out a smiling face, she spoke again, ¡°Big Brother, what you said just now wasn¡¯t mistaken. He¡¯s indeed only my passenger. But I believe you also have seen his ability, haven¡¯t you? And with such a terrifying kungfu, is there any chance an average person could ever achieve it? You can shoot him now, and you might even be able to kill him. But I think you forgot one thing. As extremely powerful as he is, have you ever thought what kind of family and background he has? Do you know for what reason he came to this place?¡±


    Scarblade Qiang was startled. Tang Xiu¡¯s terrifying ability indeed shocked him. He didn¡¯t think much about it before, but after the driver reminded him, he woke up in an instant.


    That¡¯s right! This young man¡¯s appearance was but only about twenty years old!


    And a young man with such a terrifying kungfu must have much more powerful figures behind him. In the case that he really provoked the powerful character who he must never annoy, he probably would meet his end without a burial place. Even more so, he would court a disaster upon his own family!


    Upon thinking up to this point, Scarblade Qiang slowly put his gun down as he looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Fine! I admit that I don¡¯t want to get into more troubles. I can tell this Little Brother is also not ordinary. Let¡¯s call everything to an end today! You give me a few thousand yuan. Consider it as the medical expenses for my brothers, and we¡¯ll keep this matter closed. Later on, you¡¯ll walk on the highway of yours, while I¡¯ll be walking on my single-plank bridge, and we won¡¯t mix with each other just like the river water don¡¯t mix with the well one.¡±


    Tang Xiu coldly shouted, ¡°Lift your gun up!¡±


    Scarblade Qiang frowned and instantly aimed the muzzle at Tang Xiu.


    Whisssh!


    A shadow flashed through. Instantly, Scarblade Qiang¡¯s right wrist was twisted and broke. Following that, his gun appeared in Tang Xiu¡¯s hand as the latter¡¯s foot flew and fiercely kicked his face, directly smashing him to the ground.


    ¡°Solving everything just like what you wanted? I tell you. It¡¯s a big NO! You should be glad that you didn¡¯t take your shot at me just now. Else, it wouldn¡¯t be as simple as having your hands broken by me. You can count yourselves lucky that it won¡¯t take more than a few hours for a bunch of scums like you to be fed to the wild beasts in this mountain.¡±


    As shocked as she was, the woman driver was flabbergasted and tongue-tied as she saw that the situation had been reversed 180 degrees. It made her brain stop working for quite a while as she could only watch with a silly expression when Tang Xiu pulled Scarblade Qiang with blood overflowing from his mouth from the ground.


    At this moment¡­


    Scarblade Qiang was full of chilling ice inside as his body turned cold. He forgot to feel the acute pain in his wrist and even forgot the burning pain in his face.


    It was fast, way too fast!


    He could only feel a blossoming scene in front of him. His wrist twisted and broken, the pistol exchanged hands, and he couldn¡¯t see clearly as for how did Tang Xiu¡¯s foot kick him, causing him to directly smash to the ground.


    At this moment, he came to a sudden realization that even if he were to use his gun and pull the trigger, perhaps, he still wouldn¡¯t be able to harm this young man, even his fate would be extremely miserable.


    Tang Xiu slowly squatted as he patted Scarblade Qiang¡¯s face, saying, ¡°Remember what I just said. Unless you make a fresh start in life, I won¡¯t mind erasing all of you earlier and prevent you harming other people in the future.¡±


    Scarblade Qiang¡¯s lips twisted a few times. With a look as though dying embers, he said, ¡°I admit, I lost to you. The line that we should stand on the riverside without getting our shoes wet, is indeed very true. Then, we won¡¯t operate on this road again later.¡±


    ¡°Pa¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu pulled him and slapped him in the face as he snorted coldly and said, ¡°You won¡¯t be waylaying in this road only, but everywhere, ever again! The Heaven¡¯s Law is revolving, and karma will have its due retribution of justice. Ones certainly must repay all the evil deeds they have done in their life. The retribution might not fall upon you, but you must give your descendants justice and do good deeds for them.¡±


    ¡°I promise!¡±


    Scarblade Qiang¡¯s reply was this simple.


    Tang Xiu nodded. He got up and kicked him as he said, ¡°Tell your brothers to get up. Don¡¯t just lie down on the ground and pretend to die. Make them stand in a line, get rid of those stones in front of the car, and move those vans away!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Scarblade Qiang struggled, trying to get up from the ground. As he saw dozens of his brothers curling up on the ground, he didn¡¯t dare to delay and shouted, ¡°All of you, get up! Do as this Little Brother ordered!¡±


    The dozen big men looked at Tang Xiu with trepidation and dread. After getting up, they removed the stones and the vans. Tang Xiu stretched out his hand toward Scarblade Qiang and said lightly, ¡°Now, take out all of your money and give it to me! I was in a hurry when I went out this time, so I didn¡¯t bring much cash. Since you¡¯ve lost to me, consider it as your tribute!¡±


    ¡°Take out the money!¡±


    Scarblade Qiang¡¯s voice was full of bitterness, as he shouted with a low voice and a sullen expression.


    Shortly after¡­


    A thick stack of one-hundred-yuan paper money, as well as a small amount of folded ones, changed hands to Tang Xiu. Estimating it with his eyes, Tang Xiu found that these big men really had a lot of cash, as the added amount was up to ten to twenty thousand yuan.


    ¡°Now, get lost! Don¡¯t make me see you again!¡± Tang Xiu waved and said.


    Scarblade Qiang and the dozen of his brothers were long wishing to anxiously run away. The instant they heard Tang Xiu¡¯s words, they couldn¡¯t help but curse inside, _¡°Who the hell with the right mind wants to come across such an evil star like you again?!!¡±_


    They left very quickly!


    They came like the wind, and disappeared just like it.


    As Tang Xiu looked at the woman driver, he lightly said, ¡°So, can we go now?¡±


    The woman driver was as though being woken up from a dream as her body trembled and quickly said, ¡°Ah, we¡¯ll leave. We¡¯ll go, immediately!¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile. As he got into the car, he handed two stacks of money to her and lightly said, ¡°Consider this money as my fare.¡±


    The woman driver hastily said, ¡°No, no. This is way too much. This should be one or two thousand yuan! If it weren¡¯t for you, I would¡¯ve been robbed clean by them today. How could I still want your money?¡±


    ¡°Just take it as my gift for you. Anyways, I didn¡¯t expect you would be so upright and stick by me. You even dared to help and stand up for me even though that man was holding a gun. We can be considered as having gone through a situation where a friend in need is a friend indeed, no?¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    The woman driver herself was also a straightforward person. She just hesitated for a moment upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words before she received the stack of the two-thousand-yuan. With a grateful expression, she said, ¡°You know, Little Brother, coming across powerful people with good hearts such as you, is extremely unlikely to happen nowadays. If you visit Cangbei City again in the future, gimme a call if you need a cab. But this Big Sis won¡¯t accept your money.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t pretend as he nodded and complied with a smile.

 Chapter 172

    Chapter 172: Dangers Lurking on Every Side


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Located in the middle, with the mountain on one side and the river on the other, Qingshan Town had a beautiful scenery and fresh air. The town itself had few residents, totaling only more than one thousand families living here.


    Even though there were only had a handful number of shops in the town, but yet, they provided everything, albeit small in numbers. There were also convenience stores that sold daily necessities, teahouses and also a hotel on the busiest block of the town.


    After Tang Xiu got off at the hotel entrance, he saw a middle-aged man with a big stature wearing black-colored working clothes striding over to greet him.


    ¡°Hello, are you Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°I am!¡± Tang Xiu replied.


    The middle-aged man respectfully replied, ¡°Mr. Tang, our Boss and Mr. Shao have been waiting for you for a long time, please come with me.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded as he followed the big middle-aged man into the hotel. As he arrived in the spacious and bright room on the second floor, he saw Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen there. With his acute sight, he could see that they were injured with only a glance. Although the injuries were not too serious, it still made their appearance quite miserable.


    ¡°You finally came, Brother Tang. Well, it could be said that we¡¯ve suffered quite disastrous losses this time. If you weren¡¯t willing to come, we were actually prepared to go home right away.¡± Miao Wentang approached in stride as he said with a bitter smile.


    Tang Xiu said with a faint smile, ¡°It¡¯s alright. We¡¯re all cultivators, and I also happened to have a need of a number of precious ores recently. So I¡¯m quite grateful that you remembered to call me about this good thing.¡±


    Shao Mingzhen said with a helpless tone, ¡°Brother Tang, the thing is, about this good thing we told you about, we have yet to figure out clearly about it! We did get information that there are precious ores inside that cavern, but we haven¡¯t yet been able to verify it. We also have tried to go there repeatedly, but we haven¡¯t ventured much deeper into the interior of this Sky Cavern.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯m well aware of your situation. However, the both of you are cultivators with formidable strength; and even I am not necessarily a match for any of you. So when you called me before, something was holding you back, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, something is indeed stopping us. Brother Tang, I hope you won¡¯t see it as a strange thing. We¡¯ve encountered a very powerful baneful creature nearby the forested mountain in this Primeforest Mountain Range. That thing resembles a tiger and leopard, but yet isn¡¯t either. Its body is much smaller compared to a common cheetah, but its speed is extremely fast. That thing is also highly intelligent. We thought of every means to contain that thing, but even so, we paid quite a price as we got injured in the end. As for that thing, it merely only got minor wounds. Moreover, that creature left toward the natural maze in that Sky Cavern as if it knew that we are unfamiliar with the place. In the end, we ended up suffering quite a big loss because of that baneful thing. Of the dozen trusted men I brought at that time, five of them died inside.¡± Miao Wentang said.


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and slowly said, ¡°You haven¡¯t seen that baneful creature before? You haven¡¯t even found its records in the ancient book?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± Both of them shook their heads.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Well, if so, since you¡¯re wounded, take a rest for today. And early in the next morning, we¡¯ll set out to Primeforest Mountain Range.¡±


    Miao Wentang rubbed his hands and said with a laugh, ¡°Hehehe, Brother Tang, our injuries are already nothing. We previously bought a precious prescription from you when we came back from the Evil Dragon sea territory, remember? After we took it, it didn¡¯t take two days for our injuries to be completely healed. Two days ago, before we came back here, we picked a lot of traditional Chinese medicinal herbs and ingredients according to your prescription. And after taking the medication, our internal injuries have nearly convalesced, and the trauma on our skin and flesh also healed in these two days.¡±


    ¡°You were picking herbs there?¡± Tang Xiu asked in surprise.


    ¡°Yeah, we did pick up those herbs! This Primeforest Mountain Range is almost undeveloped and still preserves its primeval state; so there are a lot of precious herbs to grow here. A lot of people from the medicine business in the country will come to this place once in awhile to buy some herbs and medicinal ingredients from the local residents.¡± Miao Wentang said.


    Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°So this place is just like a treasure mountain. Alright, we¡¯ll look for our chances and pick some herbs when we go back there.¡±


    Miao Wentang said, ¡°I¡¯ve already ordered some men to prepare some suitcases, so we can bring them when we leave for the mountain.¡±


    In the next day¡­


    The injuries on Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen¡¯s bodies had been healed and no longer affected their strength. When dawn had just come, the group left the town on foot to the forested mountain.


    The mountain forest was luxuriantly flourished with vegetation and had countless blooming flowers. It was really a beautiful sight to behold. The mountain pathway itself was very rough, but everyone walked on it as though it was a plain, flat ground. Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen brought only a few people; a total of six middle-aged men with big builts. Even though they were not cultivators, but their foundation and skills in martial arts were also very deep.


    The next day.


    Evening.


    After having traversed through the hills and dales, they finally arrived near the Sky Cavern. They didn¡¯t encounter much danger along the way, and only suffered some attacks from some wild beasts, for which they killed all of them. After all, Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen had passed this pathway a few times already, so they were quite familiar with the route.


    Halfway up to the mountainside.


    Miao Wentang began to set up a camp and prepared to spend the night in this place. Shao Mingzhen then came toward Tang Xiu. He looked over toward the distance, seeing the laid up mountain range from above. Then, he said with a sigh, ¡°This Primeforest Mountain Range truly resembles a beautiful picturesque painting. But in actuality, it¡¯s filled with grave dangers hidden within. If it were average people, perhaps, it would be very difficult for them to come here.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°This place indeed lurks with dangers on every side. According to what you said, the distance to our destination is very close from here. So the men under you and Miao Wentang should stay here! They¡¯re not cultivators. Not only will they be unable to help us, they will even become a burden and implicate us.¡±


    ¡°I also think the same. We¡¯ve lost too many people already, so we can¡¯t afford to continue losing more people.¡± Shao Mingzhen said.


    ¡°You take a rest after dinner. I¡¯ll be taking the night watch.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Shao Mingzhen quickly said, ¡°Brother Tang, I think it¡¯s better to let others take the night watch duty while the three of us take a good rest to recover our spirits. So tomorrow when we enter the Sky Cavern, we can fully showcase our best abilities.¡±


    ¡°No, I have a hunch that the baneful creature you told me about will perhaps appear tonight. If we can¡¯t deal with it, our later days will be very tough to bear!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said.


    Shao Mingzhen replied with a helpless expression, ¡°But that baneful thing is extremely fast! We simply have no way to kill it!¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll handle it. As long as it dares to come back, I¡¯ll let that thing come, but it won¡¯t be able to get away.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Brother Tang, you have a way?¡± Shao Mingzhen asked with a surprise.


    ¡°Yes, using a formation array!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Shao Mingzhen¡¯s eyes shone as he immediately clapped his hands and applauded, ¡°Right, if you can set up a trapping array, not only will that mysterious creature be trapped in the formation array, we can kill it easier. If so, begin to lay that formation array immediately! I¡¯ll go tell Miao Wentang and let those men prepare to capture and kill that baneful creature!¡±


    Tang Xiu stopped him as he shook his head and said, ¡°No need. I alone am enough to deal with this thing. You take a good rest tonight. If everyone is involved, it might become problematic later.¡±


    The one day when he stayed in Qingshan Town, he actually didn¡¯t stay idle and bought a lot of things. Not only did he bought good quality jade stones, he also bought charm paper and ink, for which he drew a Lightning Symbol. He was worried that the men under Shao Mingzhen and Miao Wentang would see him using this Lightning Symbol.


    Keeping a low profile would lead to fewer incidents!


    About his ability to refine Lightning Symbols, aside from Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen, perhaps only Dao Master Ziyi knew about it. So he couldn¡¯t let this matter to be exposed and keep the number of people who knew it to as few as possible.


    Shao Mingzhen asked with a hesitation, ¡°You¡¯ll go alone? How about I go with you?¡±


    For a moment, Tang Xiu was silent. Then, he said, ¡°You stay here. I¡¯ll arrange the formation array in another place and try to find a way to lead that baneful creature to the array. I¡¯ll take along Miao Wentang with me, while you stay here to protect the others.¡±


    Shao Mingzhen said, ¡°Alright. If you need my help, find a way to send me a message. I¡¯ll immediately caught up with you.¡±


    Late at night.


    Tang Xiu and Miao Wentang hid in the dense thicket grove with some open space in the middle of the trees. After igniting a fire, Tang Xiu scattered the Snake Aromatic Herb he picked up along the way onto the bonfire. The herb itself had a good effect on health and was usually used for blood tonics. However, its major function was that it was able to attract a lot of wild animals.


    After he returned back to Earth, Tang Xiu intentionally read ¡°The Herbal Guide Compendium¡±, ¡°Chinese Herbal Medicine Comprehensive Collection¡°, ¡°The Yellow Emperor¡¯s Internal Canon¡±, ¡°Bian Que Pharmacological Compilation¡±, as well as other traditional Chinese medicine books. Therefore, he had a deep knowledge about the medicinal ingredients on Earth.


    Early hours before dawn¡­


    Miao Wentang, who was also hiding in the grove, whispered, ¡°Brother Tang, you said that the baneful creature will be attracted to this thing?¡±


    Tang Xiu pressed down his voice and said, ¡°Since that thing took the initiative to attack you, that means the creature is aggressive in nature. If the bonfire here is within its territory, it should cause that thing to pay attention. In addition, the smell of this Snake Aromatic Herb is drifting around the radius of kilometers. If it is also a carnivorous beast, it wouldn¡¯t be able to bear the temptation. Just be patient, we wait until it got on the hook.¡±


    Miao Wentang nodded silently.


    He was a cultivator, and the aspect he didn¡¯t lack was patience. Upon seeing how confident Tang Xiu was, his confidence also increased a lot.


    In a short moment!


    Two wild wolves appeared in the surrounding and then looked up and let out a howling call. Half minute later, various pairs of green and clear eyes appeared in the thick patch of grasses. There were at least dozens of wild wolves that seemed to be attracted by the bonfire and circled around it.


    ¡°Auoooo¡­¡±


    Suddenly, the alpha wild wolf began to howl as the other wolves that followed it also looked up to the sky and howled as they quickly rushed to one direction extremely fast.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Miao Wentang asked in a whisper.


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes. He released his perception to all directions. After he enveloped the radius of two hundred meters, his expression slightly changed and whispered back, ¡°It¡¯s here.¡±


    With his spiritual perception, he could clearly ¡°see¡± that baneful creature¡¯s appearance. The creature was indeed just like what Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen had described. It resembled a tiger and leopard, but yet wasn¡¯t either. The most conspicuous thing was its back. There was unexpectedly an inch long raised thorns on it.


    ¡°It¡¯s bigger than a cat and smaller than a leopard. It has a vigorous build and an extremely high vigilance.¡±


    Through his observation, Tang Xiu evaluated the creature inside his heart.


    He was as though an experienced hunter; patiently observing the baneful creature that was slowly approaching and would soon arrive at the edge of the formation array he had deployed. If it approached another ten meters, the creature would enter the array, and it would be very difficult for it to escape and run away.


    However, just when Tang Xiu thought that the baneful creature would enter the formation array, it suddenly changed its direction.


    * * *


    Notes:


    I was thinking to change Qingshan Town to Greenhill Town, but I chose to retain the original name since the place refers to a real place in China. However, I can¡¯t pinpoint which Qingshan Town though.

 Chapter 173

    Chapter 173: Rogue Strategy


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    A strong and muscular Siberian tiger suddenly came from the lush and dense forested mountain. In the wake of the tiger¡¯s roar in the mountain forest, the burst waves of its voice spread in all directions. And the baneful creature that was about to enter the formation array suddenly turned around. With its extreme speed, it disappeared from Tang Xiu¡¯s perception range in just a two or three seconds.


    ¡°Damn!¡± Tang Xiu cursed in a whisper, but he still kept lurking in the grove.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Miao Wentang whispered.


    ¡°I just noticed that baneful creature was about to approach the formation array I¡¯ve deployed, but a Siberian tiger suddenly came, causing this baneful creature to be startled. This thing is very timid and extremely cautious. I can tell that it¡¯s also highly intelligent.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°How come it¡¯s able to do that? Does it mean that we¡¯ve waited in vain today?¡± Miao Wentang said.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°If it is you, when you have something extremely tempting in front of you, and then something suddenly scared you away, are you just going to give up?¡±


    ¡°Definitely not!¡± Miao Wentang shook his head.


    ¡°Since you won¡¯t give up, I think that creature is also the same. Let¡¯s just wait here! I believe that thing is suspicious of an ambush, and it will be back after it clearly figures out the situation.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Half an hour later.


    The Siberian tiger that was rushing over, arrived near the bonfire. From time to time, it approached the fire as though wanting to see clearly whether the bonfire had any delicious things.


    ¡°It came back!¡±


    A satisfied smile appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. That creature entered the scope of his perception again. He found that this mysterious creature was becoming more cautious, even its speed was much slower than before. That baneful creature only used a few minutes to traverse a two-hundred-meter distance before it appeared in the thick patch of grasses near the bonfire.


    A faint blue ray of light glinted from its eyes. Through the opening slit amidst the grasses, it looked at the tiger by the bonfire. Its body immediately shrunk, and suddenly flashed in the next moment. It was as though a hunter that lurked in the dark and only moved when the time was right. Along with the backlash of its powerful bipedal legs, its vigorous body instantly flashed in towards the Siberian tiger. Its extreme speed was even ten times faster than Tang Xiu¡¯s.


    Within an instant, the baneful creature suddenly revealed four sharp claws from its hairy feet when it was about three or four meters away from the Siberian tiger. As it then fiercely slashed at the neck of the tiger.


    ¡°Hiss¡­.¡±


    The Siberian tiger¡¯s fur was easily torn open by the ominous thing¡¯s claws as blood dyed its hair in the next moment. The creature didn¡¯t stop its action. After its strike succeeded, it slashed its sharp claws one after another, ripping the Siberian tiger¡¯s body.


    ¡°Roar¡­¡±


    Traces of bloodstains continued appearing on the Siberian tiger¡¯s body. Such acute, piercing pain caused the tiger to roar. Although its movement was also very swift and vigorous, however, it was much weaker compared to that baneful creature. It desperately tried to fight back and counterattack, but it could only touch the hair of that mysterious creature.


    It¡¯s time!


    Tang Xiu, who was hiding amidst the trees, suddenly flashed forward. He instantly sent his Star Force to the piece of jade in his hand and quickly threw it to the core of the formation array.


    In that instant, the entire formation array was activated.


    Miao Wentang also quickly came out of the trees as he stood beside Tang Xiu. He looked at the two creatures fighting inside. But now, the mysterious creature was as though a fly that flew around the Siberian tiger. With a pleasantly surprised expression on his face, he quickly asked, ¡°Brother Tang, you¡¯ve already activated the formation array and trapped them inside?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± A smiling expression was outlined on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Since they can¡¯t escape, they will have to fight with each other inside. I can tell that that Siberian tiger will surely die. You can see that thing¡¯s speed. Even if I joined hands with Brother Shao, we can only inflict minor wounds to that thing, while it¡¯d give us heavy injuries. Brother Tang, don¡¯t be deceived by its small build. Its strength could be said as horrifying. If it fully unleashes its strength, even if I and Brother Shao join our strength, we¡¯ll still be no match for that thing.¡±


    ¡°So powerful?¡± Tang Xiu was secretly surprised.


    Miao Wentang said, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s really that powerful. This mysterious creature is just playing on that Siberian tiger intentionally. It simply didn¡¯t put forth much effort. So you know that if that thing fully unleashes its full strength, and that Siberian tiger can last for ten seconds, that means that tiger is already very powerful.¡±


    For a time, Tang Xiu was silent. Then, he said, ¡°You wait outside the array! I¡¯ll go inside to help that Siberian tiger. If it could injure this baneful creature, it will be easier for us to deal with it.¡±


    After having said that, he stepped into the array and hid in the core position. Then, he took dozens of Lightning Symbol drawn charms from his pocket.


    ¡°Bzzt¡­¡±


    As he waved two Lightning Symbol charms to the air, the yellow paper charm runes burst open and bombed the mysterious creature from above. Then, it turned into a line of lightning the size of a finger as it zapped toward the creature¡¯s head.


    ¡°Zap! Zap! Zap!¡±


    The lightning path split as it struck the baneful creature, causing its body to turn stiff. Its scurrying speed suddenly dropped. Its hair and skin were torn and charred and even blood stains appeared faintly on its body.


    ¡°Roar¡­¡­¡±


    The Siberian tiger suddenly charged toward the baneful creature. Its sharp claws finally swept over the ominous creature¡¯s body, leaving a few bleeding wounds on it.


    Tang Xiu secretly sneered and unceasingly threw the Lightning Symbols in his hands. A lightning line condensed as though a condensing gust of wind as it continued its downpour and zapped the baneful creature¡¯s body.


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡­¡±


    After repeatedly being zapped by lightning for several times, the baneful creature was finally suffocated. It laid prone on the ground without moving. However, Tang Xiu still didn¡¯t cease attacking and continued using the Lightning Symbol charms again and again. He only stopped after there were only ten Lightning Symbol charms left in his hand.


    Outside the array.


    Miao Wentang¡¯s mouth twitched upon seeing this scene. His eyes were full with an inconceivable expression. He did heard a tactic called ¡°Rogue Strategy¡±, but it was his first time seeing it applied today. And what Tang Xiu had just used was this very Rogue Strategy!


    For such a fierce and ominous creature end up broken in Tang Xiu¡¯s hand, he felt quite some pity toward the mysterious creature.


    ¡°Brother Miao, your cultivation is quite high, so get into the array and check that baneful creature- whether it¡¯s really dead.¡± Tang Xiu was even more careful and discreet than this baneful creature. He decided to let Miao Wentang check on it before he removed the array.


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Miao Wentang was also extremely careful. After he entered the formation array, he immediately felt that he was not inside the forest and instead, it was as though he was inside a corrugated energy wall. Coming inside was very easy, but it would be difficult to go out.


    He came over with a measured pace, with hands still holding a sharp dagger. As he came near the bloody body of the creature, he could smell the charred flesh and blood exuding from the mysterious creature¡¯s body. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, he pierced its body with the dagger in his hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s no longer moving?¡±


    Miao Wentang raised his brows. He reached out his hand to touch the baneful creature¡¯s body, and then loudly spoke, ¡°It¡¯s been hit badly. It should be dead already!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and prepared to remove the array. As he suddenly looked at the last remaining lightning zapping the Siberian tiger, his complexion suddenly moved and immediately gave up his idea to remove the array. Then, he came out from the core of the array and came over beside Miao Wentang. Just when he was about to touch the mysterious creature, suddenly, the baneful creature¡¯s eyes opened, as its sharp claws instantly slashed toward Miao Wentang¡¯s wrist while its body instantly dashed toward the outside.


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡±


    Miao Wentang covered his wrist and called out in in shock, ¡°It hasn¡¯t died? Damn, this thing is as tenacious as a cockroach!¡±


    Tang Xiu was also secretly startled. However, he had seen a lot of fierce beasts with tenacious life in the Immortal World. Thus, he didn¡¯t lose his calm upon seeing this. He quickly retreated to the core of the array and released five Lightning Symbol charms at once, and directed the lightning zap to strike at the baneful creature¡¯s body.


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡­¡±


    The mysterious creature was hit and laid on the ground. It was still alive, but its pair of blue eyes now turned dim. As if it knew who was attacking itself, the creature faced Tang Xiu whilst enduring the baptism of lightning as it knelt down toward Tang Xiu and nodded repeatedly.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Tang Xiu slanted his brows and shouted with a deep tone, ¡°You want to submit to me?¡±


    The baneful creature nodded faster.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t speak for a while. Along with the end of the lightning charges, he pondered for a moment and slowly said, ¡°Since you¡¯re able to understand human the language and want to submit to me, I¡¯ll spare your life. But we must sign a contract. I believe you have practiced a cultivation technique and have your own inner core, right?¡±


    The menacing creature struggled to stand up. Although its body was still shivering, it still opened its mouth and released out a glass sphere the size of a bead. The sphere then floated in front of it.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s vision moved, looking at the inner core of the baneful creature. He conjured the Lightning Symbol near it. After he was only two meters away from the creature, he released his Star Force to his left hand and made a dozen seals with his fingers aided by the lightning on top of the creature¡¯s inner core.


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡±


    The baneful creature howled. Its body trembled violently for a while before it gradually calmed down. With its faint and dim blue eyes, it looked at Tang Xiu with awe and fear, for it could clearly feel that there was a sort of magical link between itself and Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Take back your inner core and swallow it!¡±


    Only now did Tang Xiu felt completely relaxed and calmly spoke.


    The mysterious creature opened its mouth to swallow it. It quickly realized that inside its inner core, there were many dark red inscriptions. The pattern was as though a time bomb. If Tang Xiu willed it, he could make its inner core explode with only a thought and kill it.


    With a shocked expression, Miao Wentang watched the scene between Tang Xiu and the baneful creature. His lips twisted a few times as he exclaimed, ¡°B-Brother Tang, what did you do to that thing? It¡¯s, it¡¯s¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu tranquilli said, ¡°I have a kind of secret art to subdue spirit beasts. Since this creature is willing to submit to me, I accepted it. Rest assured, it won¡¯t dare hurt me. Because, as long as I will it, its inner core will explode and it will have a very miserable death.¡±


    ¡°Ah, this magical and mysterious?!¡± Miao Wentang asked out of shock.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s that real!¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said.


    Miao Wentang¡¯s mouth was opened wide. As he finally decided inside, he asked with a face full of hope, ¡°Brother Tang, this secret art to subdue spirit beast of yours, can you teach me? You can rest assured that I won¡¯t take it cheaply. If anything, you can tell me any requests, I¡¯ll be sure to find every possible way to meet it.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment and then slowly asked, ¡°Are you very rich?¡±


    Miao Wentang nodded heavily and said, ¡°I can say that I have quite a bit of wealth.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°One billion. I¡¯ll sell it to you. If you can¡¯t provide the amount, you can find someone else to share the price. If Shao Mingzhen wants to learn it too, the two of you can join hands and contribute to buy it.¡±

 Chapter 174

    Chapter 174: Miserable Ends


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Miao Wentang was ecstatic and replied without hesitation, ¡°I believe Brother Shao will be pleasantly surprised and certainly will agree. Anyway, wait until we return back to Qingshan Town, I¡¯ll transfer the money to your account.¡±


    Tang Xiu was satisfied and nodded as he asked, ¡°Anyways, you still have the medicine for your wounds from before? This thing¡¯s injuries are quite severe. It needs that medicine to heal it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I still have it!¡± Miao Wentang cautiously took out a small porcelain vase from his arm.


    Tang Xiu received it. He poured out a pill from the small porcelain vase as he stuffed it into the baneful creature¡¯s mouth. Then, he gave the rest back to Miao Wentang, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll remove this array now and then we¡¯ll go back! Tomorrow, we¡¯ll enter the Sky Cavern, and hopefully, we can have a good harvest there.¡±


    Miao Wentang said with a smile, ¡°Being able to buy this secret art to subdue spirit beasts is already the biggest harvest I can get. No matter what kind of harvest we get tomorrow, I¡¯m already content!¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile and no longer talked.


    Miao Wentang might feel satisfied, but he didn¡¯t. Although he got a spirit beast by accident, he also had to sell the Spirit Beasts Subduing Secret Art for one billion yuan. But now, what he wanted the most was those precious ores.


    After returning to the camp, Shao Mingzhen welcomed them extremely fast. He loudly shouted from far away, ¡°How was it? Have you killed that¡­¡±


    He was as though being his neck was suddenly grabbed by a big invisible hand. His throat emitted choked sounds a few times and was unable to let out any clear words. It was because he could clearly see that the baneful thing he hated was in Tang Xiu¡¯s embrace.


    Miao Wentang quickly explained everything to him from the beginning. As he teased Shao Mingzhen¡¯s shocked expression, he finally said, ¡°How is it? Do you also want to learn this Beasts Subduing Secret Art or not? If you want it, then we¡¯ll take out 500 million yuan each.¡±


    Shao Mingzhen¡¯s breath turned rapid. He replied without a moment¡¯s hesitation, ¡°Definitely! I¡¯ll be a fool if I don¡¯t want it! When we get back to Qingshan Town, I¡¯ll have the money transferred to Brother Tang!¡±


    He was acutely aware how powerful spirit beasts such as this baneful creature was. Regarding Tang Xiu who was able to get one, he was already beyond envy. One must know that the ominous spirit beast¡¯s combat strength was extremely terrifying. At least, with his strength now, he was not its opponent. If he could get one, then it¡¯d be the same as making him more powerful!


    ¡°Well, since the danger has been lifted, we can relax and sleep now. Tomorrow we¡¯ll enter that natural maze inside the Sky Cavern and look whether it has anything inside.¡± Miao Wentang said.


    Tang Xiu, who stood beside the two of them and was silent all this time, finally spoke, ¡°In fact, I suddenly have quite the urge of not going to this Sky Cavern.¡±


    ¡°Huh? How so?¡± Miao Wentang was surprised and asked.


    Tang Xiu let out a forced smile and said, ¡°Before I made this beast submit to me, I faintly sensed a trace of menacing aura. At first, I thought that it was brought by this beast. But after it submitted to me, the feeling didn¡¯t go away, and instead, it turned more intense. Remember when we were in the Evil Dragon sea territory? I have the same kind of feeling when I faced that three islands.¡±


    ¡°Ah, could your perception be mistaken, Brother Tang? So, you¡¯re going to back down now?¡± Miao Wentang asked in a surprise.


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t back down. Since I¡¯ve already come, no matter what kind of existence in the Sky Cavern would be, we¡¯ll still go. But I want to stress out that we definitely have to pay more attention to our safety. Otherwise, the probability of us dying there will be very high.¡±


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen looked at each other as the two then discreetly nodded their heads.


    Tang Xiu gave them an extraordinary mysterious and profound feeling. Not to mention that when they were together with him, they had always gotten a great harvest every time. Thus, they seriously paid attention to his words and deeds.


    In the next day¡¯s early morning¡­


    As the first ray of sunshine shone down from the back of the mountains, Tang Xiu came out of his tent. He secretly sighed inside upon seeing the six big middle-aged men preparing food. He felt somewhat jealous inside. Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen¡¯s men could definitely be regarded as outstanding people in today¡¯s society. They were elites amongst elites. But still, they were working under the two of them and brought quite a lot of convenience.


    It was all about money!


    Tang Xiu secretly felt helpless. Although he did sell the Beasts Subduing Secret Art for an outrageous price of one billion yuan, however, his company was still in need of money. Kang Xia herself literally always asked him for funds everyday. Not to mention that he also owed Chen Zhizhong 2.5 billion yuan. For this one billion yuan, he decided to give 500 million to Kang Xia and pay Chen Zhizhong back another 500 million.


    In the end, he had no money left. Before he came to Qingshan Town, he actually had a few million yuan. But after paying the expense for the four steward instructors, as well as buying five or six jade materials from the jade shop in Qingshan Town, all of his money had been spent.


    At Star City Airport.


    Long Zhengyu was leaning on the front of his Hummer. As he saw Chu Yi coming out of the airport entrance, he waved his hand. Behind Chu Yi, two men were carrying a black suitcase with solemn expressions on their faces.


    ¡°Young Master Chu, why did you want me to pick you up when you came to Star City? I was just sleeping before dawn last night. I even almost fell asleep driving on the way here.¡± Long Zhengyu yawned and snapped at him.


    With a forced smile, Chu Yi replied, ¡°Well, I¡¯m also doing a chore for someone else. If I don¡¯t drag you along with me, I won¡¯t feel comfortable you know. Anyways, do you see those two black suitcases? Those suitcases are loaded with valuable things!¡±


    ¡°What things?¡± Long Zhengyu asked in surprise.


    ¡°Do you remember what Tang Xiu asked us before? He gave me a list of medicinal ingredients. There was a full one hundred types of herbs. I found a couple of dozens of types of herbs for him. But I didn¡¯t expect that these things would be so expensive. These medicinal ingredients in these two suitcases cost me nearly 200 million yuan.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Long Zhengyu didn¡¯t know much about the price of medicinal herbs. But with 200 million yuan as the price, how precious would they be?


    ¡°Chu Yi, when you were with Tang Xiu, didn¡¯t you ask him why he¡¯d need so many medicinal ingredients?¡±


    Chu Yi shook his head and said, ¡°This is his private business. I didn¡¯t have the luxury to ask about it. In short, I just tried to help as best I could within my capabilities.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re flattering him, aren¡¯t you?¡± Long Zhengyu said with a laugh.


    Chu Yi showed his white eyes as he ridiculed back, ¡°Haven¡¯t you done the same? If you didn¡¯t flatter him, why did you give him the grandest King Villa in South Gate Town?¡±


    Long Zhengyu waved repeatedly and immediately changed the topic, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll call Tang Xiu and ask him where he¡¯s now. Let¡¯s send these stuff to him directly.¡±


    ¡°I tried calling him, but he shut down his mobile.¡± Chu Yi replied with a forced smile.


    Long Zhengyu hesitated, ¡°Then, how about we send these to South Gate Town? If he¡¯s not at home, we can hand it over to his housekeeper!¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu actually has a housekeeper?¡± Chu Yi was astounded.


    ¡°Well, you didn¡¯t imagine that he has a lot of things, did you? Anyways, let¡¯s go to South Gate Town now, we¡¯ll chat slowly on the way there.¡± Long Zhengyu replied with a smile.


    At one upscale neighborhood in Star City.


    Su Shangwen was lying on the sofa with eyes that had lost its luster. Nobody knew what he was thinking inside. His wife, Zhang Meiyun, was sitting on the opposite sofa, crying. As their children, Su Xiangfei and Su Yanning, they didn¡¯t say a word as they wore expressions filled with anger.


    The Shangwen Real Estate had been driven out of business.


    It was as though a shocking punishment from the heaven, causing the whole family to be like fools.


    They were perfectly aware that Su Shangwen had fallen to someone else¡¯s machinations. The purpose was definitely to make the Shangwen Real Estate collapse and drive their family to poverty.


    ¡°This is definitely because of that Tang Xiu punk! He should¡¯ve made this bastard named Chen hammer our family¡¯s company!¡± Su Yanning suddenly cried out angrily.


    Zhang Meiyun stopped crying. As an expression of hatred appeared on her face, she angrily shouted, ¡°Right! This is exactly what that bastard has done to make us suffer! I¡ªthis old lady will find him now and rip him alive!¡±


    Su Shangwen looked up and roared, ¡°SHUT THE HELL UP! Do you think that I¡ªYour Father didn¡¯t know that this bastard Tang Xiu has instructed Chen Zhizhong to fuck me up?! Give me the evidence! Do anyone of you can speak with evidence?¡±


    Zhang Meiyun furiously glared at Su Shangwen as she scolded back, ¡°What the hell are you shouting at us for? If you really have the balls, why don¡¯t you go out and look for that damned bastard Tang Xiu? You¡¯re already hopeless. I thought I could live happily if I were with you. But where did I end up now? Not only have we got no money, we even owe our own asses and are drowned in debt! If we can¡¯t provide 80 million yuan by tomorrow evening, then our family will be doomed!¡±


    Whilst pointing at Zhang Meiyun, Su Shangwen cursed in a rage, ¡°You fucking bitch! Do you blame me for all this? If it weren¡¯t for your instigation to invest in that big project, this Big Daddy wouldn¡¯t have sacrificed everything and gone bankrupt! And now you want to go just because of a banknote? You even dislike this Big Daddy because I have no money? Why the hell isn¡¯t you getting fucking lost now?!¡±


    Zhang Meiyun jumped up from the sofa and stood. With one hand on her waist and the other pointed at Su Shangwen, she screamed, ¡°You bastard! You blame me because you lost your money? This old lady has always let you do anything you like, and now you also want me to suffer? These days I¡¯m always at a loss. This old lady can¡¯t endure much longer for your persistent and pointless impetuous behavior. Divorce! I want divorce!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Su Shangwen looked at Zhang Meiyun with disbelief. He suddenly felt that his wife at present was just like a stranger. Zhang Meiyun had always been obedient to him before Shangwen Real Estate went out of business. Always sticking around and coaxing him all day. But now, she turned her face and didn¡¯t recognize him after he had no money?


    Also¡­ she wanted a divorce?


    ¡°Ding, dong¡­¡±


    The doorbell sounded.


    With anger covering her face, Su Yanning ran to the door and forcefully opened it. The anger on her face froze as she saw several policemen standing in front of the door.


    ¡°You¡­ who are you looking for here?¡±


    One of the policemen spoke with a deepened tone, ¡°Does Zhang Meiyun live here?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Su Yanning replied in hesitation.


    The policeman pushed her. After entering the living room and seeing Zhang Meiyun with her angry face, he directly took his police officer card and spoke with a sinking tone, ¡°Zhang Meiyun, we¡¯ve received a report. Two and half a years ago you were suspected to be involved in a hit-and-run case. We ask you to go with us for the investigation!¡±


    Zhang Meiyun was stunned, and Su Xiangfei and Su Yanning were also taken aback.


    Su Shangwen, who stood at the side, suddenly burst into laughter and loudly spoke, ¡°Hahaha, Zhang Meiyun, Zhang Meiyun, never thought that you¡¯ll also have your day huh? Hahaha, you turned your back on this Big Daddy eh? So this Big Daddy will also turn my back to you. The hit-and-run case is a grave crime! To think that you want to divorce me. Fine! I¡¯ll give what you want! I divorce you! Later on, when this Big Daddy go to jail and look at you, I won¡¯t feel bad anymore!¡±


    Zhang Meiyun¡¯s face instantly turned pale as paper. A fearful expression flashed from her eyes as she strode fast in front of Su Shangwen and burst into tears, bitterly speaking, ¡°Husband, I was wrong. I did wrong just now. I shouldn¡¯t have lashed out my anger and talked some rubbish. Please don¡¯t blame me. Tell these policemen that this is a mistake, a misunderstanding. I¡¯ve never been involved in a hit-and-run case¡­¡±

 Chapter 175

    Chapter 175: Guilty and Deserves to be Punished


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    Looking at Zhang Meiyun¡¯s frightened face, an intense relieved feeling suddenly gushed inside Su Shangwen¡¯s heart. He just saw her true face. Such a lame woman who despised the poor and favored the rich whom he had been living together for more than twenty years. But only now did he realize this.


    Su Yanning had fallen to tears. Never in her dreams had she ever thought that such a good family as hers would turn out like this. She looked at her father¡¯s cold and grim expression. She watched at her mother¡¯s panicked expression as she wept and cried, ¡°Dad, Mom just said that out of anger. You don¡¯t have to put it into your head and be angry like this. Please tell the police that it was a false accusation. Mom has been wronged. She didn¡¯t have a hit-and-run accident. Please tell them quickly!¡±


    With a flabbergasted look, the policeman looked at Su Shangwen¡¯s family. After staying silent for a while, he spoke seriously, ¡°You don¡¯t need to say anything right now. We wouldn¡¯t come here if we didn¡¯t have definite evidence. Zhang Meiyun, come with us now!¡±


    After having said that, he turned toward Su Shangwen and spoke indifferently, ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, you should be Su Shangwen. The Shangwen Real Estate owner. Although your company has been declared to be closed down due to a contract fraud, the other party is accusing you of fraud with the amount up to 80 million yuan. If you can¡¯t pay this 80 million by tomorrow evening, you¡¯ll probably have an imprisonment order waiting for you.¡±


    Su Shangwen¡¯s body trembled as the despair inside his heart grew bigger.


    He was finished! He knew it was game over for him!


    Let alone 80 million, he didn¡¯t even have 80 thousand. Much less that the friends he had in his circle must have known the closing down of his company also. Just like rats abandon a sinking ship, in this society where opportunist people would abandon an unfavorable cause such as him, who would be willing to lend him money?


    Su Shangwen could only watch as his wife was taken away by the police with a foolish expression, as he looked at the tearful appearances of his children. He suddenly felt his strength leave his body as he sat down on the sofa as though he was paralyzed and without bones.


    ¡°Dad! Look for my cousin! He definitely has some means.¡±


    Su Xiangfei suddenly stopped crying and spoke hastily.


    Cousin?!


    Looking at his son with a blank expression, Su Shangwen didn¡¯t understand who was the person his son referred to.


    Su Xiangfei shouted, ¡°Dad! What are you waiting for? Find my cousin¡ªTang Xiu quickly! He knows a lot of Big Bosses, so he must have some means! If he¡¯s really the instigator behind this, it must be because he hates us for looking down on him. As long as we bow our heads and admit our mistakes, he surely will let us go!¡±


    Tang Xiu?


    A mirthless smile appeared on Su Shangwen¡¯s face. Looking at his own son with a disappointed expression, he suddenly had the impulse to strangle him to death.


    He felt very funny inside. Ever since his son was still an infant till he had grown up to now, this was his first time he heard him calling Tang Xiu as a cousin, ever.


    Su Yanning also hurriedly said, ¡°Yes! Dad, let¡¯s find cousin together! Or, aunt. Auntie has a soft heart. She definitely will ask him to save Mom. Maybe they will also help us and lend you the money to pay the debt.¡±


    Su Shangwen had just given up all hope. There was not even a trace of spirit left in him.


    In his mind, he recalled all the scenes of how they got along with the mother and child¡ªhis younger sister¡ªSu Lingyun and her son. Just like how shameless his own children were acting at present in front of him, he suddenly realized how he was the same.


    ¡°Just like the sky will bring down the rain, a young girl will have to marry and leave to follow her husband.¡± [1]


    Rigidly standing up, Su Shangwen mumbled as he walked as though a walking corpse into the room. After locking the door from the inside, he went over toward the bedside cabinet, pulled its drawer to take a handcrafted knife, and fiercely cut off an artery on his wrist.


    His world began to blur as his consciousness turned hazy.


    The last thought lingering inside his mind¡ª ¡°If I ever have the chance to go back, never will I wish to become such a bastard again.¡±


    At Primeforest Mountain Range.


    Halfway up the mountain, was a smooth contour terrain. After Tang Xiu, Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen had their breakfast, with light hearted feelings, they rushed toward the destination. The natural maze wasn¡¯t enough to pose a problem for Tang Xiu. Even if he had to compare notes with an array great master in the Immortal World, he could crack it to the finest details. If his cultivation was still like before, no matter how profound an array was, he would probably be able to pass it through casually.


    Smoothly, the three of them traversed through the natural maze, as they then arrived on the hilltop at the edge of the Sky Cavern.


    The Sky Cavern was about tens of meters deep, with a width of more than ten meters. It was very likely that a meteorite from outer space had fallen here. The three of them looked downward, and they could clearly see a few black cave mouths at the bottom. Even though the distance was tens of meters from above, it was very likely that there was a cave there.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go down!¡±


    Tang Xiu spoke with a sinking tone.


    Miao Wentang hurriedly stopped him as he said with a forced smile, ¡°We can¡¯t! Our men had used a rope tied to their waist and then slowly went down before. But when they were only halfway there, a lot of vipers appeared¡ª there were also large pythons several times thicker than a man¡¯s thigh. The second time we got here, we brought a lot of arsenic powder, but it simply didn¡¯t work. The vipers in this place have extremely potent poison¡ª I even suspect that they¡¯ve gone through mutation.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brow wrinkled. He looked at the spirit beast under his feet and found that most of its injuries had been healed. Then, he asked it with a deepened tone, ¡°Little Beast, is it very dangerous down there?¡±


    Little Beast! It was the name given by Tang Xiu to this spirit beast.


    Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s inquiry, it quickly nodded its head with eyes full of fear.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows twisted. After pondering for a moment, he said, ¡°Since the two of you know about the threat of these snakes and still want to venture into this place again, this means that both of you already have some ways around it, haven¡¯t you? Tell me, how do we go down?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll find another path to get there.¡± Miao Wentang said.


    Tang Xiu asked, ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°This place has a lot of underground passages. So I believe that this mountain definitely has some passages to enter the cave¡¯s mouth. If we look around, maybe we can find it. But if we can¡¯t find any, we also have prepared some petrol barrels to make some fire. Those snakes are not afraid of arsenic powder, but they should be afraid of fire.¡± Miao Wentang said.


    ¡°That¡¯s also a way!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    The three of them explored a lot of places to look for the passage the entire morning. They even examined each and every opening in the surrounding, even though the mountain was very steep. However, much to their disappointment, they couldn¡¯t find any traces of the entrance to the cave.


    The three converged again above the Sky Cavern.


    Tang Xiu grabbed a thick rope and tied it to his waist. Then, he tied the other end of the rope to a tree trunk as he said with a deepened tone, ¡°Give me the torch! I¡¯ll try to go down there.¡±


    Miao Wentang hesitated, ¡°Tang Xiu, it¡¯s really dangerous down there, you gotta be careful! If those vipers pose a threat to you, give us a call immediately and we¡¯ll pull you up at once.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tang Xiu replied.


    Whilst holding a torch, Tang Xiu slowly went down the rope. Shortly after, he reached about 20 meters, with 20 meters left to the bottom.


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡±


    The sound of snakes¡¯ hissing entered Tang Xiu¡¯s sharp ears.


    Tang Xiu had long released his perception earlier and found that this Sky Cavern had a total of five cave mouths. Four of which were at the bottom and one that was about 10 meters down from his position. This cave entrance was as though it was attached to the inside, and the passage was dark. It was also very wide¡ªit wouldn¡¯t be a problem for a few people to enter it at the same time.


    The mountain walls of this Sky Cavern were covered with green vines, and there were at least a hundred of vipers on it. However, several hundreds of vipers as well as dozens of pythons could be seen in those five cave passageways.


    ¡°This place is simply a snake pit.¡±


    Tang Xiu secretly sighed inside. As he tried to get close to the snakes with the torch, he was satisfied to see that the snakes immediately followed along the green vines to avoid the high temperature.


    Within a short moment, Tang Xiu went through a daunting experience without having any mishap as he went to the bottom of this Sky Cavern. As he took a Luoyang shovel from his waist, he spent thirty minutes to dig the ground until he had dug more than two meters deep. However, he didn¡¯t find any trace of meteorites here. With his perception, he traced all the five cave passageways and continued spreading his perception range. However, even after it was nearly at the two-hundreds meter range, he still had no harvest.


    ¡°Could this place have no precious ores?


    Tang Xiu stopped digging. He looked up at Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen, who were standing at the edge of the Sky Cavern, and loudly shouted, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the cave¡¯s passageway and take a look. If there¡¯s any danger, I¡¯ll immediately run back. You two be prepared to aid me from above.¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang, I¡¯ll also go down!¡±


    Shao Mingzhen shouted back. Just like Tang Xiu, he held a torch and used the rope to come down the bottom of the pit.


    Shortly after, the two of them walked down the passageway and quickly entered the cave.


    With the aid of Tang Xiu¡¯s spiritual sense, although they saw a lot of poisonous creatures such as vipers, scorpions, and centipedes, but these poisonous creatures were afraid of fire, causing the two of them to safely avoid them. After they smoothly traversed for two to three hundred meters, suddenly, Tang Xiu stopped walking.


    ¡°Brother Tang, what is it?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s heart palpitated and sped up. He could feel a terrifying aura that made the hairs in his whole body rise. The aura came from the depths of the cave. He couldn¡¯t find any ominous danger through his perception. But he could clearly feel this particularly huge aura.


    ¡°Can you feel it?¡±


    Shao Mingzhen nodded and said, ¡°Yes. It¡¯s one hell of a terrifying aura! What should we do now? Should we continue venturing inside?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll continue forward! No matter what ominous thing is inside, we won¡¯t lose our lives as long as we can escape in time.¡± Tang Xiu clenched his teeth and replied.


    Timely escaping?


    Shao Mingzhen secretly smiled wryly inside. But he still followed Tang Xiu¡¯s idea and continued moving forward.


    Having walked forward for a hundred meters, Tang Xiu stopped again as a look of disbelief revealed itself on his handsome face.


    Using the searchlight and the light from the torch, Shao Mingzhen was keenly aware of the changes in Tang Xiu¡¯s face and quickly asked, ¡°What is it?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth twitched a few times as he suppressed the shock inside his heart. Then, he spoke with a sinking tone, ¡°If you were to be given choices with 50% probability of us dying here but also with a heaven-shaking treasure inside, what would you choose: Continue fighting or immediately retreat?¡±


    Shao Mingzhen pondered for a moment before he seriously said, ¡°I¡¯ll take the risk! You won¡¯t get the tiger¡¯s cub if you don¡¯t enter the tiger¡¯s den. And oftentimes riches and honor can be sought for within dangers.¡±


    ¡°That being the case, then we go back now.¡± Tang Xiu said with a deep tone.


    ¡°Go back?¡± Shao Mingzhen was confused and asked.


    Still with a deep tone, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll go back. If we continue going forward, it might be a narrow escape, but we¡¯ll absolutely die! We better go back first and prepare some things. When we come back here our chance of survival should be around 50%.¡±


    Shao Mingzhen followed Tang Xiu and walked down along the same way back. Then, he asked, ¡°Brother Tang, what have you found inside the cave?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a Fire Qilin!¡± Tang Xiu replied in a sinking tone.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡±


    Shao Mingzhen exclaimed out loud and continued, ¡°In this era we¡¯re living, how come such a legendary divine beast exist? Are you sure you¡¯re not mistaken?¡±


    * * *


    Notes:


    ÌìÒªÏÂÓ꣬ÄïÒª¼ÞÈË¡£ËæËûÈ¥°É. This line is a story about a scholar named Zhu Yaozong. I¡¯m kinda too lazy to include the story in this chapter but you can google it. But in short, it can be summarized that everything developed out of ones¡¯ control and led to desperate and helpless circumstances. This line is also often cited when someone encounters difficult things s/he cannot solve or when people found that the situation is irreparable.

 Chapter 176

    Chapter 176: Seeking Riches and Honor Amidst Danger


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°No, I¡¯m mistaken, absolutely. This aura definitely comes from a Fire Qilin! You can trust my guts on this, I¡¯m a 100% sure of it.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t tell Shao Mingzhen that he had a powerful spiritual sense. Neither could he tell him that he had investigated to the end of the passageway of the cave with his perception and saw a Fire Qilin in deep slumber inside an enormous space. There were even several hundreds of sharply square-shaped sky sandstones neatly placed nearby the Fire Qilin, with each one of them weighing around a hundred pounds.


    He also saw that there were also a small bed and a wooden table inside that cave¡¯s space, while a glittering and translucent carved jade box rested on top of the table along with an ancient sword.


    He had a lot of fortuitous encounters in the Immortal World, adventuring into a lot of Immortal Caves left by other Immortals and obtained a lot of treasures. But he never imagined that he would also come across such Immortal Cave on Earth.


    However, he didn¡¯t know whether or not it was a cultivator who left those down there.


    As they retreated back above the Sky Cavern, Miao Wentang quickly asked, ¡°How is it? What kind of harvest have you got down there?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°We haven¡¯t got any for now. But we need to prepare something, so we gotta go back to Qingshan Town first. After everything is ready, we¡¯ll enter the cave together- the three of us.¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang, what should we prepare?¡± Shao Mingzhen asked.


    ¡°Both of you, if you really want to brave the danger and hardships with me, you must listen to my arrangement. I can¡¯t guarantee we¡¯ll be able to come out alive from there. But if we are able to get out of there alive, I dare say that our harvest will be huge!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll listen to you!¡±


    Shao Mingzhen and Miao Wentang replied in unison.


    Tang Xiu nodded and told his instructions, ¡°Okay, it¡¯s imperative that we think how will we handle this. Firstly, we need some explosives, but we don¡¯t need too many. If we can¡¯t find it, we can buy some fireworks, that will do. In addition, we also need more ropes and some boulders to quietly close the four entrances of the cave. But, we need to secretly deploy some traps inside before closing the entrances.¡±


    Tang Xiu himself had already brewed the plan inside his mind. But the things that had to be prepared were quite a lot. It would be quite difficult to complete it within a couple of days once he carried out the plan.


    However, he was determined to get those sky sandstones. He had once obtained this ore in the Immortal World, the stones were definitely the perfect material for refining tools. This kind of ore was very rare and was even usually regarded as treasures by the Immortals who could acquire them.


    The next day. Evening.


    Everyone returned back to Qingshan Town. Tang Xiu had written all the required materials on the list and handed it over to Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen¡¯s men to buy them. Because some of the materials couldn¡¯t be bought in Qingshan Town, they rushed to Cangbei City in the same night.


    In the meantime, Tang Xiu also ordered some other men to buy the remaining materials that could be bought in Qingshan Town, as he then waited for them to return.


    ¡°Knock, knock¡­¡±


    Someone knocked the door to the hotel¡¯s room where Tang Xiu was staying.


    As Tang Xiu opened it, he looked at Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen in front of the door with a puzzled expression, ¡°Huh? You haven¡¯t rested?¡±


    Miao Wentang said with a smile, ¡°Nope, we¡¯re not tired since we¡¯ve had our rest earlier! Anyways, we¡¯re going downtown to have a meal and grab a drink, are you coming with us?¡±


    Shao Mingzhen also followed and smiled, ¡°I heard that the food stall downtown serves meat of wild games from the mountain. This place is close to the mountain and has a lot of wild games, so the taste should be quite good.¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a laugh, ¡°Hahaha, then what are we waiting for?¡±


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu recalled that his mobile was out of battery yesterday and he charged it when he got back to Qingshan Town. Up until now, he hadn¡¯t booted up his mobile, so he took the phone and followed the two men to the food stall.


    On the road.


    As he turned the phone on, missed calls and text messages¡¯ sound notifications immediately rang continuously.


    Tang Xiu looked at the screen. Aside from missed calls from Chu Yi and Long Zhengyu, his mother¡ªSu Lingyun also called him. The text itself was sent by Ouyang Lulu, asking what he was doing right now.


    _¡±Adventuring!¡±_


    After replying and sending the text to Ouyang Lulu, Tang Xiu then dialed his mother¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°Hello? Xiu¡¯er?¡±


    An anxious voice that belonged to Su Lingyun came out of the speaker.


    Tang Xiu said with a laugh, ¡°Hello Mom, sorry for not accepting your phone before. Anyways, did anything happen for you to call me?¡±


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, you told me that you were going to travel, where are you? Can you come back now? Mom has to talk to you about something urgent!¡± Su Lingyun quickly spoke.


    Tang Xiu was startled and then replied with a deep tone, ¡°Mom, calm down a bit first. What happened?¡±


    Su Lingyun¡¯s tone was particularly low and deep as she replied, ¡°It¡¯s your uncle. He had an accident at his house. Both of your cousins came to me, they¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu abruptly interrupted her and said, ¡°Mom, you don¡¯t need to say more. I know that. The police have apprehended Su Shangwen and Zhang Meiyun and they are now facing years of imprisonment, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, how did you know about this? Did you¡­¡± Su Lingyun hastily asked.


    ¡°Yes, Mom. I have instructed some people to do that. Su Shangwen and Zhang Meiyun have had their own good days. But when they went to the hospital to humiliate you, I really couldn¡¯t stand them any longer. They have crossed my bottom line since I¡¯ve sworn in my heart that whoever dares to disrespect you, I¡¯ll make it so they no longer have any good days! I did promise you that I can guarantee Su Shangwen¡¯s life and safety, but I didn¡¯t say anything as to what kind of life he will have in the future.¡± Tang Xiu said


    For a long while, Su Lingyun was silent. As she spoke after, her tone was bitter and astringent, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, even if Mom did feel bad and disheartened, but he¡¯s still my blood brother! Ah¡­ in fact, it¡¯s Zhang Meiyun who has been arrested. As for Su Shangwen, he attempted to commit suicide. Fortunately, he was discovered quickly and can still be rescued in the hospital. But it won¡¯t be long before he will also be arrested.¡±


    Committing suicide?


    Tang Xiu frowned and said, ¡°He can¡¯t stand the blow and wants to die?¡±


    Su Lingyun said, ¡°Yes. Although he¡¯s been rescued, he hasn¡¯t passed the dangerous period. Xiu¡¯er, Mom begs you¡­. your uncle¡­ he, can¡¯t you help him out? He was at the point of death once, maybe he¡¯d change and redeem his mistakes and becomes a better man later!¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t speak.


    Ever since she brought him up, it was the first time his mother asked him something. He wanted to refuse, telling her that even though Su Shangwen might have died once, but as persistent as a dog could be, he couldn¡¯t, and wouldn¡¯t, change. However, as the words were at the tip of his tongue, he swallowed them back inside.


    After a long while, Tang Xiu replied with a wry tone, ¡°Mom, this will be the last time. If he really changes, then that would be for the best. But if he doesn¡¯t or stays a bastard as he¡¯s always been, don¡¯t stop me by then.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Su Lingyun quickly gave her word.


    Tang Xiu took a sigh and then said, ¡°Mom, I¡¯m in Dongyuan Province now, and it will still be a couple of days before I go back. As for this matter with Su Shangwen, I¡¯ll make some calls to handle it.¡±


    Su Lingyun replied with a hesitating tone, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, I¡¯ve been having a feeling that you¡¯ve been concealing something from me. I remembered you telling me to wait after the College Entrance Test, only then would you tell me about it.¡±


    ¡°Wait until I got back and I¡¯ll tell you everything, Mom!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    After the call ended, Tang Xiu was struck with quite a headache as he rubbed his forehead. Soon after, he contacted Chen Zhizhong and told him to give Su Shangwen a way out.


    As for the rest of the time, he also called back Long Zhengyu and Chu Yi respectively. He was especially happy that Chu Yi had sent him a number of precious herbs from the capital, but then began to worry as he knew the sum of money involved.


    Chu Yi himself didn¡¯t tell him as for how much he had spent for those precious medicinal herbs. But Long Zhengyu told him that the total value of those medicinal herbs was nearly 200 million yuan.


    It was money again!


    Tang Xiu smiled wryly as he put his phone back. Without him realizing, he, Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen had arrived at the food stalls as the other two had already ordered a la carte. Shaking his head in secret, Tang Xiu casually looked for an open-air table and sat there.


    ¡°I, this old man, have really decided to mend my own life and make a new start. And you know what? The line as for how we should be able to stand next to the riverside without wetting our own shoes, truly has given me a fierce, unforgettable lesson this time. Today, after we finish this wine, I¡¯ll go to a big city. If I can¡¯t make my way around there on the outside, I¡¯ll go home and continue making wine.¡±


    A loud and clear voice was heard from ten meters away.


    Tang Xiu felt this voice sounded somewhat familiar. He followed the voice¡¯s direction and looked at the back as he recognized the person who spoke. He was precisely the man he had given a lesson to, the Scarblade Qiang. And satting with him on the table, were not the dozens of big guys he encountered before, but new faces of seven or eight middle-aged men with big builds.


    ¡°Big Brother Qiang, we¡¯ve long advised you to not indulge yourself in such things. We¡¯re, after all, no longer able to eat to the full alone while we leave our family starved. If you¡¯re going to do something, you must take sister-in-law and your children into account and think about them. Since you¡¯ve come to your senses, we¡ªbrothers, show respect to you with a toast.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! You¡¯ve always been a smart one and have upright manners, Big Brother Qiang. Even if you do honest business, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be successful in the future. A toast to you!¡±


    ¡°Brother Qiang, if you can¡¯t work your way out in the outside, just come back and brew wine again. Besides, your winemaking skill is great, and we¡ªbrothers know it very well. At the worst, I can do a side job as well while you brew wine. So if the sale isn¡¯t good, I can travel to some cities and help you sell them.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Scarblade Qiang looked at these several brothers he grew up with an expression of being moved. He raised his wine cup and spoke spiritedly, ¡°You¡¯re all truly my good brothers, and brothers won¡¯t say thanks with words. Come! In regards to your kindly wishes and wines, let¡¯s dry our cups!¡±


    At the side, a tinge of a smile emerged on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. Such a scene of a prodigal son returned back home was worth more than gold. Scarblade Qiang turned out to have good nature, and the fact that he could win over a gang of brothers and friends explained that he was a capable man. if he was truly able to make a fresh start in life, he believed that he would certainly be successful in the future.


    That aside, winemaking indeed was a good business.


    Tang Xiu nodded whilst smiling. But quickly, his expression paused. An idea suddenly appeared in his mind. Wasn¡¯t he himself preparing to brew wines after he returned to Star City? If Scarblade Qiang was also going to brew liquor, how about he take him along to help him brew his wine? He could also open a wine business as a whole! As long as this Scarblade Qiang made wines according to his wine recipe, he would definitely be able to brew good wines and simply won¡¯t have to worry about selling them once it hit the market.


    Besides, the wine business didn¡¯t need much investment funds, and he was fully able to make one. In the case that Scarblade Qiang wasn¡¯t suited for management, Kang Xia was still able to handle this aspect.


    As Tang Xiu thought up to there, he looked back to Scarblade Qiang.


    ¡°Brother Tang, the food and wine in this food stall are truly great. We have so many options!¡± Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen came back cheerfully as they sat down beside Tang Xiu.

 Chapter 177

    Chapter 177: He¡¯s that Demonic Star


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu wasn¡¯t paying any attention to any delicacies right now. His mind was fully occupied with two kinds of thoughts. Firstly, he wanted to snatch the ¡°food¡± from the Qilin¡¯s mouth and take out the sky sandstones from the cavern. Even if he could only get a few pieces out, it was enough for his uses for a long time. Secondly, he needed to make money. And with the addition of nearly 200-million-yuan new debt, it made him be more determined to do it.


    ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ve already received your money. But can I ask you something? Are the two of you quite rich?¡±


    Whilst looking at the two men¡¯s smiling faces, Tang Xiu shifted his attention toward them. He had a lot of good things which were ten thousand times better than the Beast Subduing Secret Art. He thought that as long as Shao Mingzhen and Miao Wentang could provide the sum, he could sell them something. At least for a sum that would enable him to clear his current debt.


    Miao Wentang asked with a confused tone, ¡°Huh? We can say we have some. But anyway, are you in a very dire need of money, Brother Tang?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Miao Wentang said with a smile, ¡°How much do you need? As long as we have the amount you need, you can take the money first.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Nah, I thought to have some deals with the two of you if you have a lot of money. But the premise is that you _do_ have enough money for it.¡±


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen glanced at each other as they replied one after another:


    ¡°Well, I can take out 1.5 billion without a problem.¡±


    ¡°1 billion for me.¡±


    A smile revealed all over Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he said, ¡°You¡¯re lucky that I¡¯m in debt now. I¡¯ll sell a set of Immortal cultivation technique to you for 2.5 billion, how about it?¡±


    An Immortal cultivation law and technique?


    A trace of awkward expression revealed on Miao Wentang¡¯s face as he replied with a forced smile, ¡°Brother Tang, if it¡¯s something else, perhaps we¡¯re happy to accept it. For instance, that Beast Subduing Secret Art of yours. But you too know that we are also cultivators ourselves and we have our own inheritances of cultivation laws and techniques. Even if you sell us another set of cultivation technique, we won¡¯t be able to cultivate it, will we?¡±


    Shao Mingzhen also nodded and said, ¡°Practicing two kinds of cultivation techniques simultaneously is a no-no since I think it¡¯s a much better choice to focus on practicing one type of cultivation technique. Besides, we also have limited energy, to begin with.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°No, if you heard me clearly, what I offered you is not a Daoist cultivation technique, but an Immortal cultivation one.¡±


    Involuntarily laughing upon hearing this, Miao Wentang then said, ¡°Brother Tang, what nonsensical things are you speaking? Where would such Immortal cultivation technique exist in this world?¡±


    Tang Xiu turned his head and waved to the staffer of the food stall, asking to lend him a paper and pen. After that, he wrote a set of ordinary cultivation technique on the paper as well as adding clear and detailed annotations and illustrations to practice it. Then, he gave it to Miao Wentang and lightly spoke, ¡°Read this set of cultivation technique exercises, if you feel that it isn¡¯t worth 2.5 billion yuan, I¡¯ll talk no longer.¡±


    Miao Wentang received it with a skeptical expression, while Shao Mingzhen gathered up with him. The two of them then read the written Immortal cultivation technique Tang Xiu gave them with serious expressions.


    Half a minute later.


    An astonished expression revealed on their faces.


    A minute later.


    Their expression changed into a flabbergasted one.


    Two minutes later.


    They stood with trembling bodies and their eyes tightly stared at the Immortal cultivation technique in their hands without them realizing it.


    Five minutes later.


    They turned their head with difficulty and looked at Tang Xiu with shocked expressions, and were unable to express anything for a long time.


    ¡°You¡­ d-do you really want to sell this for 2.5 billion yuan?¡± Finally, Miao Wentang asked with a shivering voice.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with a calm tone.


    Miao Wentang pounded the table and exclaimed loudly, ¡°DEAL! 2.5 billion yuan then. We are willing to even sacrifice everything for this one! Wait for a few days and I¡¯ll transfer the money into your account!¡±


    Shao Mingzhen also loudly said, ¡°NO, no need for a couple of days later! I¡¯ll contact the General Manager of my company to transfer the money to your account ASAP! I and Brother Miao will share the pay!¡±


    Ten meters away from the outside.


    The group of people who were drinking with Scarblade Qiang was startled upon hearing the sudden shouts from Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen.


    One of the big men, who was already red drunk, exclaimed resentfully, ¡°Those people in that table are really damn idiots! Those idiots made this Big Daddy startled and almost made me wet my pants. I¡¯m a timid person, you scared me out, so you¡¯ll truly get your share!¡±


    Another man also said loudly, ¡°Yes! Our hearts are not strong enough to be startled by you! And what¡¯s this 2.5 billion bull? Even if you wanna show off, you gotta look around you! Don¡¯t you fear that some ghosts will blow you out? If you got 2.5 billion, why the hell are you eating in a bird shit food stall like this huh?¡±


    Scarblade Qiang also fiercely turned his head as he stared angrily at Shao Mingzhen and Miao Wentang. However, when his vision inadvertently swept toward the smiling Tang Xiu, his vision suddenly froze.


    In a split second after, Scarblade Qiang jumped up from his chair as he fiercely slapped the head of his two brothers and cursed, ¡°Is there nothing you can do but make a racket when drinking? Those two brothers were just speaking a little loud, what the hell is wrong with that? I wonder if I can scare you to the death!¡±


    The two big men were dumbfounded. They couldn¡¯t figure out as to why Scarblade Qiang did that and what his intention was.


    Scarblade Qiang ignored them and ran to the food stall¡¯s owner. He took two bottles of the most expensive liquor. He held them with his uninjured hand and came over toward Tang Xiu with a smiling face as he bowed and said, ¡°Brother, I¡¯m really sorry. These brothers of mine have drunk quite a lot, I hope you won¡¯t take their attitudes to heart. Please consider this two bottles of wine as an apology. I hope you can enjoy your drink.¡±


    One of Scarblade Qiang¡¯s brothers could only look at his actions with a dumbfounded expression. As he sobered up after his daze, he called out with a forced smile, ¡°Brother Qiang, your intention to turn a new leaf in life, is kinda way too fast, no? You were a hot-headed real guy before, how come you¡¯ve turned a counselor now? What did you apologize to them for? It should be them coming to our table and apologize. By rights, they should be the one who proposes the toast to us!¡±


    ¡°Shut the hell up!¡±


    Scarblade Qiang raised his newly treated right hand as he shouted angrily at him.


    As for Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen, what Scarblade Qiang had done got them confused. They too realized that they lost a bit out of their self-restraint, so they spoke with louder voices. But how come this injured big guy with a knife scar on his face would dash over and apologize with a look of trying to please them with everything he got? And the look in his eyes, it was as though he was seeing something horrible.


    Tang Xiu said indifferently, ¡°Well, nothing¡¯s happened, and it¡¯s no big deal either, so let¡¯s forget it. You did good and I¡¯m very happy for you.¡±


    Scarblade Qiang was immediately ecstatic upon hearing this. He repeatedly nodded and said, ¡°Brother, thanks for the understanding and kind words. These brothers of mine are kinda dense and careless. How about I drag them here to show respect to you with a few cups?¡±


    He said this, but he was actually anxious to immediately run and get out of this place. He had seen how frightening Tang Xiu could be. In his heart, Tang Xiu was an existence of a vicious and merciless demonic star!


    But much to his shock, Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Those brothers of yours need not propose a toast to me, but you. I need to discuss something with you. After you finish your chores, wait for my call.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, what?¡±


    Scarblade Qiang was stunned. He tried to squeeze out a trace of a smile, but his expression was even more unsightly than crying. He really wanted to run, but he didn¡¯t have the guts to disobey Tang Xiu. In the end, he could only nod and reluctantly promise with a desperate feeling inside.


    As he returned to the table, one of the big fellows who was confused, asked, ¡°Brother Qiang, who is that kid? Why did you look like you bumped into a ghost and even need to prostate and be scared shitless in front of him?¡±


    Scarblade Qiang swallowed the saliva in his mouth. He turned and glanced at Tang Xiu. As he saw that he didn¡¯t see him, he felt a bit relieved. Then, he stuck his head and whispered, ¡°Shut the hell up, will you? Don¡¯t you see this broken wrist of mine? This was done by that expert. Him! He knocked me and dozens of my men down quickly and easily. He even casually snatched the gun in my hand when I pointed it at him. Do you think the lot of you are his match?¡±


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡±


    The other big fellows on the table sucked deep breaths of cold air one after another.


    They heard what had happened to Scarblade Qiang before, that he unexpectedly encountered a vicious and ruthless person. Instead of robbing the person, it was him and his boys who got robbed by the said fierce fellow in the end. The two big fellows who were just speaking had their foreheads slowly suffused by cold sweat as they glanced at Scarblade Qiang with a grateful look.


    ¡°I also have seen those two friends of his. They¡¯re staying in our town¡¯s hotel. And I tell you, they got a lot of bodyguards around. But¡­¡± A big guy began to speak but hesitated afterward.


    ¡°But what?¡± Scarblade Qiang followed with a confused expression.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of people they are. But they are definitely not your casual ordinary people! Those two men¡­ along with their bodyguards, were as if just had ventured to the Primeforest Mountain Range, but they came back with quite the casualties afterward. You all know that my wife is an attendant in that hotel. She witnessed everything! Those who died were carried off by an off-road vehicle, and those two were also severely injured and unable to even walk. But the most mysterious thing is, their injuries were nearly healed completely within just two or three days!¡±


    ¡°So scary?¡±


    Scarblade Qiang and the other fellows were shocked. Such a matter was truly inconceivable.


    But, they were secretly happy that they didn¡¯t make the Tang Xiu trio enraged.


    After an hour.


    After the Tang Xiu trio had sated their hunger to the full and was about to pay the bill, the food stall¡¯s owner told them that Scarblade Qiang had paid their bills.


    Tang Xiu looked at the other table and saw that Scarblade Qiang was sitting and waiting there alone. Then, he spoke to the Miao Wentang duo, saying, ¡°You two go back first! I have some private matters I need to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen quickly complied as they took a stroll toward the hotel. Tang Xiu had powerful abilities and they didn¡¯t worry that he would fall into accidents.


    In the food stalls.


    Tang Xiu waved to Scarblade Qiang. After he came over, he pointed to the opposite chair as he said with a smile, ¡°Sit down!¡±


    Scarblade Qiang sat down with an obedient smile even though he was actually restless inside as if he was sitting on a pincushion. Then, he asked, ¡°Brother, you asked me to stay behind, what instructions do you have for me?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯m really happy looking at your performance today. Being able and determined to turn a new leaf in life showed that you really adhered to my advice. So I want to give you a chance.¡±


    ¡°A chance? What kind of opportunity?¡± Scarblade Qiang asked with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°I overheard that you¡¯re good in brewing liquor and you also have a good craftsmanship, do you not?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    Scarblade Qiang quickly replied, ¡°I did inherit winemaking techniques from my old man. Before I was 25, I helped my old man brew liquors. After he passed away and returned to the Western Paradise, I gave up and abandoned my family¡¯s distillery and then spent my time fooling around with a group of local ruffians. After I mixed with them for quite a while, I racked up quite a reputation and became, well, their Boss. Ugh, Big Brother, I also kinda let those successes get into my head. If it weren¡¯t for you giving me such a fierce lesson, I would still have repeated the same wrong deeds over and over again even if I know that I might have big troubles upon me in the future.¡±

 Chapter 178

    Chapter 178: Snatching the Treasures


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Calmly looking at Scarblade Qiang¡¯s wry smile, Tang Xiu was actually quite satisfied. He nodded and said, ¡°I heard that you¡¯re already married. Do you and your wife already have a child?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we have a son, and he¡¯s already in primary school. I want him to have a good education so I send him to a prestigious primary school in the city. As for my wife, she followed him there to take care of him.¡± Scarblade Qiang replied.


    With a smile, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Since you sent your wife and child to settle properly, then, you do want to have a stable and promising business in the future, don¡¯t you? If you want it, I can give you a way out.¡±


    ¡°What way?¡± Scarblade Qiang asked with a surprised expression.


    ¡°I have an ancient recipe for winemaking. If you can adhere to the requirement I gave you and ferment good wines I need, I can build a winery and give it to you to manage. It¡¯s also fine if you only want to only brew wines, I can give 10% of the shares and you can become the Master Distiller there.¡±


    Out of his curiosity, Scarblade Qiang asked, ¡°You¡­ how much money are you going to invest to set up this winery?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say the exact number right now. But I want to set up at least one big winery. As long as the production line can keep up, the sales won¡¯t be a problem. Also, you¡¯ll take the role as its director to manage this winery as a subsidiary company under my company group.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°Your company group is¡­¡± Scarblade Qiang asked again.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Magnificent Tang Corporation.¡± Tang Xiu replied.


    Scarblade Qiang hadn¡¯t heard the name, but he nodded and said, ¡°Can you give me some time to think about it? This is a big and important matter to me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you my cell number. I¡¯ll be staying here for the next few days, so I hope you can give me the answer before I leave. Ah, right. If you decide to go with me, you must follow me back to Star City. The Magnificent Tang Corporation resides in Star City, and the winery I¡¯m going to set up, will be there also.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Alright!¡± Scarblade Qiang nodded.


    Noon of the next day.


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen¡¯s men had purchased the needed things from Cangbei City and returned to Qingshan Town. They were unable to find explosives, but got a lot of fireworks.


    The group consisted of nine people ventured into the Primeforest Mountain Range once again.


    This time, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t instruct Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen¡¯s men to stay in the mountainside. He also brought them to the Sky Cavern and let them help with the boulders, prepared the needed things and delivered those things down with the ropes.


    Within a full two days, everything was ready under Tang Xiu¡¯s arrangement.


    Whilst standing next to the Sky Cavern, Miao Wentang asked, ¡°Brother Tang, everything¡¯s ready. The men are also done with all of the arrangements you¡¯ve instructed. So, what will the three of us do now?¡±


    ¡°We wait.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°We wait?¡± With a puzzled expression, Miao Wentang asked.


    ¡°I can feel the changes in your and Shao Mingzhen¡¯s aura these days. You¡¯ve begun to practice the set of Immortal cultivation technique I sold you, haven¡¯t you? It¡¯s a pity that your foundations are not that good. Perhaps, it would take quite a long time for you two to upgrade your True Qi into True Essence. Anyways, we¡¯ll have to take a rest from now until tomorrow morning to restore our condition to the peak. Whether we¡¯ll be dead or alive tomorrow, it will depend entirely on ourselves.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Understood!¡± Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen nodded in unison.


    The next day.


    Just as dawn came, the Tang Xiu trio arrived at the bottom of the Sky Cavern. They were wearing helmets with searchlight and held a torch in hand. Three ropes had been laid down from the top of the Sky Cavern, which they prepared for the escape, and they also carried along nylon bags on their waists.


    ¡°Brother Miao, after we go inside two minutes later, ignite the gunpowder train. The exploding sounds of the fireworks will lure the Fire Qilin from the inside, that will be our chance to snatch the things inside. Remember, you¡¯re responsible to aid us. Wait for us here and prepare a big bamboo basket, tie it up with the ropes above and be ready to pull us at once when we give you the call!¡± Tang Xiu instructed.


    ¡°No problem! I¡¯ll bear it in mind!¡± Miao Wentang said.


    Tang Xiu and Shao Mingzhen glanced to give a sign to each other. Then, they raised their torches and walked toward the cave entrance. After two minutes, they heard the exploding sounds of the fireworks clearly.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    Tang Xiu had been using his perception to observe the Fire Qilin in the space inside the cave. He could see that the Fire Qilin instantly flashed towards the direction of the explosion, so he and Shao Mingzhen instantly rushed inside.


    ¡°Grab those things quickly!¡±


    After Tang Xiu arrived in the large space inside the cave, he immediately ran to the wooden table, grabbing the jade box and ancient sword on it, and hastily stuffed them into the prepared bag. Then, he sprinted toward the sky sandstones and stuffed two pieces weighing a hundred pounds each and also stuffed them into the bag.


    His strength was quite powerful, but Shao Mingzhen was even stronger.


    He didn¡¯t have a minute¡¯s hesitation in grabbing these things. Fast as though lightning, his body then flashed and rushed out toward the passageway. Shao Mingzhen, on the other hand, also acted very fast. He quickly loaded three sky sandstones into the nylon bag while also grabbing one with his hand as he followed Tang Xiu to rush outside through the passageway.


    The time spent from the beginning to the end was not more than ten seconds.


    After they sprinted and arrived at the Sky Cavern¡¯s bottom, Tang Xiu immediately threw the nylon bag onto the big bamboo basket that had been tied up with a rope. Then, he took the piece of sky sandstone weighing a hundred pounds from Shao Mingzhen¡¯s hand and clamped it with his armpit as he began to climb up.


    Shao Mingzhen also moved very quickly. He tied up the nylon bag around his hand and quickly climbed up to the trench above.


    They were racing against time, struggling to snatch their own life from the Grim Reaper.


    Just as they climbed up to the top of the Sky Cavern, Miao Wentang had already pulled up the big bamboo basket.


    At this moment, a deafening roar came out from the cave entrance at the bottom of the Sky Cavern.


    ¡°Run now and do your best to escape! As long as we escape from this natural maze, we¡¯ll be safe!¡± Whilst holding the piece of sky sandstone, Tang Xiu released everything he had and ran.


    Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!


    As though ghosts, three figures flashed through within the forested mountains.


    ¡°Roar¡­¡­¡±


    Just as the trio burst into the maze, a terrifying heat wave surged forth. As the roaring sounds became louder, it shook their eardrums, as they could feel a faint, dull pain inside their ears.


    Whilst running, Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen took a moment to turn their heads and take a glance back. But what they saw immediately shook their hearts violently. They clearly saw a four or five-meter-high Fire Qilin with blazing flame all over its body that had just jumped out from the Sky Cavern.


    ¡°RUN¡­¡±


    With such a soul stirring stimulation, their potential was also stimulated, as at the same time also boosted up their speed. They were even twice faster than Tang Xiu. They sprinted and caught up with him. With extremely tacit understanding, they grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s shoulders with their empty hands from both sides.


    ¡°Whoosh¡­¡±


    As the trio was about to rush out of the natural imaginary array, they felt a burst of blazing heat from their back. In a split second, the back of their clothes was burnt to ashes. The heat also burned their back¡¯s skin, as a smell of burning skin and meat emitted out from it.


    Run! Run! Run!


    At the moment, it was the one and only thought that occupied Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen¡¯s heart. It was this very moment that they were wished they had a few more legs, so as to make them run better and faster; for Tang Xiu had said that as long as they could escape this natural maze, they would be safe and could completely forget everything behind.


    Only after they had sprinted to the mountain foot were they able to sober up from the running away thought. As they stopped running, they looked to the back and felt greatly relieved from the tense feeling as they didn¡¯t see the Fire Qilin chasing them anymore.


    ¡°Huff, huff¡­ damn¡­ we almost died.¡±


    They put Tang Xiu down as Miao Wentang said and panted with a pale look.


    Tang Xiu looked at the both of them with a grateful expression and said, ¡°Thanks for the rescue, both of you. If you didn¡¯t grab me, I would have died by that Fire Qilin!¡±


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen paused and glanced at each other as the two suddenly burst into a happy laughter.


    They just survived a disaster! So they were especially ecstatic. They could feel that after having gone through such experience, their relationship with Tang Xiu got much closer.


    Miao Wentang said with a laugh, ¡°Hahaha, Brother Tang, if it weren¡¯t for your planning, we simply wouldn¡¯t have been able to snatch those things from the inside. I can even say that we¡¯d meet our maker there! So we don¡¯t need to say thanks to each other. But damn! The flame sprayed by that Fire Qilin was so damn terrifying. My back is really hurting!¡±


    Shao Mingzhen also said with a smile, ¡°It really is painful. But it¡¯s worth the price though. Let¡¯s take these things and get the hell out of this place. If that Fire Qilin comes out of that natural imaginary array and chases us, we might not be able to escape later.¡±


    At the moment, Tang Xiu also felt the pain from his back. But he didn¡¯t pay much attention to it and said with a smile, ¡°No, that Fire Qilin won¡¯t be able to come out from that natural imaginary array. The might of that array is ten times more powerful than its cultivation. If it was able to come out, maybe it¡¯d have already left a long time ago. Anyways, let¡¯s leave here quickly, and go back with these treasures.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡±


    The trio no longer stayed as they rushed as though the wind and lightning toward Qingshan Town¡¯s direction.


    Even after a long one-day of traversing through the hills and dales, the trio still hurriedly rushed back to Qingshan Town even though they were already exhausted. Their pace was even twice faster compared to when they went.


    In the hotel.


    Tang Xiu quickly took a bath. After he changed and put on clean clothes, he came out of his room and saw that Shao Mingzhen had also just come out from his room. The two looked and smiled at each other as they then knocked Miao Wentang¡¯s door.


    ¡°Come here quickly!¡±


    Miao Wentang opened his door. He spoke whilst wiping his wet hair with a towel.


    After the two of them went inside, their eyes fell onto the two nylon bags with the sky sandstones above them.


    Tang Xiu walked toward it. He took out six pieces of sky sandstones from the two bags, as well as an ancient sword and a crystalline jade box.


    The sky sandstones then divided as each one of them got two pieces.


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen said they had no interest in the ancient sword. So their eyes focused on the jade box. Only Tang Xiu who took the ancient sword, as he looked at it with a trace of smile on the corner of his mouth.


    It was not an Immortal sword!


    But it was actually a flying sword used by a Daoist cultivator. Although he didn¡¯t know how did this flying sword was left behind inside the cave, Tang Xiu gladly accepted it. He was confident that after he re-tempered it, he would definitely be able to refine it into a top-notch quality flying sword. In the Immortal world, a top-notch flying sword was perhaps considered as garbage, but on Earth, it was a rare and hard-to-come-by treasure.


    Finally, his vision shifted toward the crystalline jade box. The jade box was 30cm long, 15cm wide and 10cm in height, with a beautiful carving pattern on it.


    ¡°Open it and take a look what¡¯s inside!¡±


    Miao Wentang said with a low tone.

 Chapter 179

    Chapter 179: Returning Home


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Just as the lid of the crystalline jade box was opened, a refreshing fragrance immediately fluttered, assailing their nostrils and filling the entire hotel¡¯s room. Tang Xiu, Miao Wentang, and Shao Mingzhen¡¯s spirits immediately startled as they felt a comfortable feeling as the pores of their bodies opened.


    Inside the jade box, two scarlet-colored concocted pills were lying there. The fluttering rich fragrance was emitting out from these two pills.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    Miao Wentang looked at Tang Xiu at his side. In his mind, Tang Xiu was too mysterious. He even had an Immortal cultivation technique and sold them a Beast Subduing Secret Art conveniently. So he thought that Tang Xiu was also well-informed about this thing.


    But this time, he was actually mistaken!


    Tang Xiu himself frowned. He shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯ve seen myriads of concocted pills. But I can¡¯t identify what kind of pill this is and what effect it has.¡±


    Miao Wentang said with hesitation, ¡°Since we don¡¯t know what kind of pill and its efficacy, how would we dare to take it?¡±


    Shao Mingzhen also nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s right! From the fragrance of these pills only, I know that it¡¯s extraordinary. But if we don¡¯t know what effect it has and take it rashly, maybe there will be side effects. If it isn¡¯t helpful and instead brings harm to us, what we get won¡¯t be equal to the losses.¡±


    ¡°Give me a knife.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s the knife for?¡± Miao Wentang asked with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to taste this pill.¡± Tang Xiu replied.


    Taste the medicine?


    Miao Wentang stared blankly for a moment before he immediately took a sharp knife.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s control over his strength for doing any subtle motoric actions was extremely accurate. He used the tip of the knife to scratch a tiny piece of the pill and tasted it with his tongue. After that, he slowly closed his eyes and silently savored the composition of the ingredients in the concocted pills as well as figured out its efficacy.


    ¡°So? What effect does it have?¡±


    Upon seeing that Tang Xiu opened his eyes again, Miao Wentang hurriedly asked.


    Tang Xiu let out a forced smile and said, ¡°I took this kind of pill once. It¡¯s called Myriad Bestial Pill. This kind of pill is figuratively composed from ten thousand kinds of blood essence of spirit beasts, added with ten thousand kinds of medicinal herbs and with the time-consuming refinement of nearly a hundred years for it to become an elixir. It has the effect of improving one¡¯s cultivation level and making their cultivation improve greatly. Even though the pills from this jade box are just like comparing the day and night with the Myriad Bestial Pill, but it should still have an excellent effect on your cultivation.¡±


    Ten thousand kinds of spirit beasts¡¯ blood essences?


    Ten thousand kinds of medicinal herbs?


    And nearly a hundred years of refinement?


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen looked at Tang Xiu with a strange expression. They thought that Tang Xiu was overly supercilious. They had seen people boast, but not to such outrageous degree! They were also cultivators, and they also knew that along with the increase of a cultivators¡¯ cultivation level, so too would their lifespan increase. But for a person who could do alchemy and refine a pill for an entire hundred years, was unheard of.


    It was simply an Arabian Night¡¯s tale!


    Then, Miao Wentang asked, ¡°This really can increase our cultivation?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Tang Xiu gave a matter-of-factly answer.


    ¡°No side effects at all?¡± Shao Mingzhen asked.


    Tang Xiu hesitated for a moment before he replied slowly, ¡°It maybe has a little side effect for you.¡±


    Shao Mingzhen quickly asked, ¡°What side effect?¡±


    A smile and yet unlike one, was revealed on Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he replied, ¡°Well, with your cultivation level now, if you dare to take it directly, you¡¯ll probably die with your body exploding due to your body being unable to contain the huge energy from this pill.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The two were astounded.


    At present, their cultivation level had reached a high level. But still, they would have their bodies exploded by merely taking this pill? What efficacy could this pill have to even have such a strong energy?


    Miao Wentang swallowed his saliva and asked, ¡°Brother Tang, so, when will it be appropriate for us to take this pill?¡±


    ¡°Wait until your cultivation level improves at least two levels more.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    The two men smiled wryly in secret. With their current cultivation realm, wanting to breakthrough to the next stage would be very difficult. It would probably take a few years or even decades. If they wanted to take this pill they had to improve their cultivation at least two levels more; then, wouldn¡¯t they have to wait for only God knows when?


    ¡°Anyways, the two of you take one pill each! This pill doesn¡¯t have any uses for me. But I will take the jade box since I can use this thing to store concocted pills later.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Is that okay with you?¡±


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen glanced at each other as a bit of hesitation revealed on their faces.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯ll take the ancient sword. This is already a good harvest. Besides, even if I take the concocted pills, I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ll have to wait to take it.¡±


    The two men thought that Tang Xiu¡¯s words were reasonable. If they had to promote their cultivation base two stages more to take this pill, then, with Tang Xiu¡¯s current cultivation base, it would perhaps take decades for him.


    However, this concocted pill was, after all, a treasure! Even if their bodies couldn¡¯t support it and may explode if they took it now, but all in all, wasn¡¯t it still considered as a very valuable medicine?


    _¡°This fellow is really neither selfish or greedy!¡±_


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen sighed secretly inside. Even if Tang Xiu was younger and around half of their age, but they truly respected him.


    Shao Mingzhen carefully took the pill which Tang Xiu had scrapped a tiny piece from and said, ¡°Brother Tang, since you¡¯ve said so, we won¡¯t hesitate and be hypocrites. But later on, if there¡¯s anything you need, speak to us feely! You can say that I and Brother Miao owe you a favor!¡±


    Miao Wentang also nodded and said, ¡°Yes! If it weren¡¯t for you, we simply wouldn¡¯t have been able to get this marvelous medicinal pill. We¡¯ll take this favor into our tab.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°No, we cooperated to get these. It¡¯s just only a matter of harvest distribution, no more. However, you need to pay more attention for the money you¡¯ll send me! As I¡¯ll go back to Star City tomorrow, and I need that money to handle a lot of things.¡±


    Upon hearing this, they simultaneously took their mobile.


    With 1 billion from before, they added 1.5 billion now. The two of them gathered the funds quickly. After finishing the arrangements, they told Tang Xiu that the money would be in his account before tomorrow evening.


    ¡°Brother Tang, about these ores we snatched from the Sky Cavern, what kind of material these ores are? I have some knowledge about precious ores, but I¡¯ve never seen this one. These ores are symmetrically cut, and neat. So this should be a good thing, right?¡± After he received the concocted pill, Shao Mingzhen shifted his vision toward the sky sandstones and inquired about it.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Two of you, do bear in mind what I tell you today. These ores are much more precious compared to these pills. If news got out about these sky sandstones and discovered by those powerful cultivators who know about the uses of this ore, I¡¯m afraid that it would attract their jealousy and they would be highly likely to find you to rob this stuff.¡±


    Shao Mingzhen exclaimed in alarm, ¡°It¡¯s even more precious than the pill? How could it be? It¡¯s just only an ore! At most, it can only be refined into weapons and won¡¯t be give much benefit to the people who get it, right?¡±


    Tang Xiu lightly replied, ¡°What if this ore falls into the hands of a supreme expert who can forge divine artifacts or tools?¡±


    Shao Mingzhen¡¯s pupils shrunk as Miao Wentang also couldn¡¯t help but shudder.


    Divine tools and artifacts?


    Could this ore be refined and forged into divine tools and artifacts?


    They knew the classification of weapons from the lowest ordinary weapons to artifact weapons that even could cut iron like it was tofu. Those weapons even had its own spiritual nature and were treasures that could be placed within one¡¯s body. It was just like in the fable where celestial beings used their immortal tools or deities that used their divine armaments.


    If they could get their hands on such treasures, perhaps, they would be able to laugh at their dreams as they awake. Let alone the divine armaments that were used by deities.


    ¡°Brother Tang, you seem to know a lot of things?¡±


    After hesitating for a moment, Shao Mingzhen spoke tactfully.


    Tang Xiu realized that he had revealed too many things to them, sparking their interest and curiosity toward his identity. However, his return from the Immortal world was his greatest secret. Aside from Gu Yan¡¯er and Ji Chimei, he mustn¡¯t let another soul on the entire Earth know about this matter.


    ¡°Like the proverb says, ¡®In order to attain wisdom, it¡¯s not enough to read only books, but you must be well-travelled as well¡¯. Later on, you¡¯ll still have much time to read the records of some ancient books, maybe it will benefit you in your cultivation later.¡±


    It was a lie.


    But lying sometimes was not used as a tool to fool others, but as a means of self-protection.


    After having distributed the harvest, Tang Xiu returned to his room. He turned on the phone and saw that aside from dozens of text messages from Ouyang Lulu, there was no missed calls.


    He felt somewhat disappointed as well as helpless!


    He was waiting for Scarblade Qiang¡¯s call, because he needed someone to help him in brewing wines. Along with the passing time, he would have to face bigger issues and would be in dire need of money, which he was seriously lacking. He lived in the mortal world now, and he could see that the wine market provided a huge opportunity for profits. If he could build a large winery, he was certain that he could make a lot of money out of it.


    He firmly believed that just like fragrant wine fears no dark alley, quality goods need no advertising.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m really in short of talented people!¡±


    Tang Xiu rubbed his forehead. Since he was not yet sleepy, he came over to the window and looked at the outside toward the distance amidst the dimly illuminated dark night. With his good eyesight, such darkness didn¡¯t hinder his vision. He clearly saw a few stray cats roaming on the street, wandering around the trash can nearby.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Suddenly, he recalled about the name list Yuan Zhengxuan gave him, along with the information from the retired special forces soldiers.


    ¡°If I recall, there¡¯s a man named Wang Ming who lives in Cangbei City.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes blinked and made a decision in a moment. He would see this Wang Ming, and if his character was good enough, he would take him for his uses.


    The next morning.


    The dawn had just come. Tang Xiu carried his carrier and walked to the hotel¡¯s entrance. As he looked outside, he saw Shao Mingzhen and Miao Wentang and asked, ¡°Are the two of you also leaving today?¡±


    Miao Wentang seemed to be in low spirits as he nodded and said, ¡°Yes. Our purpose in coming here has been achieved, so we¡¯ll return back home. Although we did have got great harvests, we also got heavy losses. After we go back, we¡¯ll have to take care of the families of those fallen men of ours.¡±


    ¡°Give them compensation. Also, take a really good care of them in the future!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Miao Wentang said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll do that as we¡¯re also well aware of it. Anyways, since you¡¯ll also go to Cangbei City, we¡¯ll ride you there.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded. He looked at Miao Wentang¡¯s men opening the SUV¡¯s trunk, so he took his carrier and put it into the trunk.


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    From a nearby corner, Scarblade Qiang¡¯s voice came.


    Tang Xiu looked at the voice¡¯s direction. He saw Scarblade Qing pulling out his cigarette, throwing it to the ground and fiercely stamping on it. Then, he dashed toward him in big strides. There were dozens of cigarettes¡¯ butts on the spot he was standing. Obviously, he had stayed there for a very long time.


    ¡°Have you thought about it?¡± Tang Xiu asked with a tranquil expression.


    Scarblade Qiang said, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve thought about it well. But I wanna know what my salary would be.¡±


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and then slowly said, ¡°You¡¯ll have 10% shares plus an annual salary of one million yuan. But it is under the condition that not only you assume as the director of the winery, you¡¯ll also responsible as a technician.¡±

 Chapter 180

    Chapter 180: Parting Ways


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Scarblade Qiang exclaimed, ¡°One million yuan annual salary? Also with 10% shares? How much money will you invest actually?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how much, but I don¡¯t think I can allocate much for the early investment.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    At the side, Miao Wentang said with a confused expression, ¡°Brother Tang, we¡¯ve transferred one billion to you before and 1.5 billion just now. How come you say you don¡¯t have much money? Besides, listening to your talk just now, you seem to be preparing to settle up a new business. What type of business is it?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s winemaking. I want to build winery.¡± Tang Xiu said calmly.


    Scarblade Qiang was shocked as he watched Tang Xiu and Miao Wentang with a look of disbelief. One billion plus 1.5 billion was 2.5 billion. Such amount was still not enough to be considered a lot?


    Looking at Scarblade Qiang¡¯s expression, Tang Xiu understood what he had in mind as he said lightly, ¡°Anyway, I have a 2.5 billion yuan debt, while I also have just started my company and am in need of additional investment. So I won¡¯t be able to invest much funds for the early phase of building a winery. But at least, it would be around 100 million yuan.¡±


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡±


    Scarblade Qiang sucked in cold air upon hearing this.


    An early investment of 100 million was just only a small investment? How big the winery this Boss wanted to build, and how large this liquor business he really wanted?


    Miao Wentang looked at Tang Xiu with a strange expression and probed, ¡°Brother Tang, if you¡¯re really short on money, I¡¯ll think of a way. Gimme a couple of days so I can gather several hundred million yuan. Anyways, how about I buy some of the shares from you? I won¡¯t meddle with the management, and will only get my dividends from the shares. How about it?¡±


    Shao Mingzhen quickly said, ¡°I¡¯ll also prepare one hundred million to buy shares.¡±


    Scarblade Qiang¡¯s body was trembling. He was thinking about the promise Tang Xiu gave him about 10% of the shares. Such an amount was enough for him to have a well-off life for good. 10% of 100 million was 10 million, and if it was added with several hundred million again, then he would become a millionaire quickly.


    This¡­ could this be what the Heavens say that good people will have good retribution?


    However, the reply from Tang Xiu astounded him.


    ¡°Both of you, you can always contact me at any time if there are other adventures in the future. But you can forget about things related to business. I¡¯m a businessman myself.¡±


    Looking at each other with dismay, Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen could only smile wryly. They had a hunch that the winery Tang Xiu was planning to build was definitely not simple. He was highly likely to have many means that could make this liquor business bigger and great. And such a kind of opportunity apparently had just slipped away from them.


    Tang Xiu looked at Scarblade Qiang and said, ¡°Anyways, what¡¯s your name? I don¡¯t know how I should address you!¡±


    Scarblade Qiang quickly said, ¡°Boss, I¡¯m called Dai Qiang. But you can also call me Scarblade Qiang or Little Qiang if you want.¡±


    Tang Xiu casually replied, ¡°Since people in your circle have been calling you Scarblade Qiang when you were socializing with them, so I¡¯ll call you the same! Anyways, I will soon leave Qingshan Town and go to Cangbei City as I still have something to take care of there, and then go back to Star City afterward. So, are you going to go with me now or you still have to take care of your things first?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve arranged everything yesterday. I¡¯ve also talked to my wife. Once I¡¯ve settled in Star City, I¡¯ll be taking her and our child there and let my son study in Star City.¡± Scarblade Qiang replied.


    ¡°Okay, when your son has arrived there, I¡¯ll help you arranging the school for him.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    With a grateful expression, Scarblade Qiang said, ¡°Thanks a lot, Boss.¡±


    Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go now!¡±


    Looking at Miao Wentang, Shao Mingzhen, as well as their men, Scarblade Qiang was secretly feeling timid and dread. He indeed was used to robbing others, and his hands were even covered with blood. But he didn¡¯t know as to why Tang Xiu, Miao Wentang, Shao Mingzhen or even those strong men gave him a dangerous feeling.


    As he looked at Tang Xiu who was about to board the car, he spoke with a low voice, ¡°Boss, should I drive my car and follow you from behind?¡±


    ¡°You have a car?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    Scarblade Qiang pointed to a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado that was parked on the nearby roadside and said, ¡°That¡¯s my car.¡±


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment as he looked at Miao Wentang and said, ¡°Since he has a car I¡¯ll take a ride on his! Let¡¯s drive to Cangbei City and part ways there.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen nodded.


    Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, Scarblade Qiang immediately became a bit attentive to please him. He ran to the SUV¡¯s trunk with one of the strong man as he reached out his hand to take Tang Xiu¡¯s travel bag.


    ¡°Let me do it!¡± Tang Xiu also came to the trunk and calmly said.


    Scarblade Qiang forced out a smile and said, ¡°Boss, let me do the little things such as carrying your bag!¡±


    After having said that, his hands moved to carry the travel bag.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ what¡¯s this?¡±


    Scarblade Qiang was stunned. He had exerted quite a bit of strength and even tried lifting the bag twice. At this moment, he even used all of his strength, but he could only lift the bag a few centimeters high. Since he released his grip, the bag fell again onto the trunk.


    Tang Xiu patted his shoulder as he said with a smile, ¡°Well, let me do it!¡±


    Swish!


    Scarblade Qiang¡¯s face instantly turned square, red and full of embarrassment upon seeing Tang Xiu carrying the bag easily, as though it was as light as a feather. He wanted to be attentive, wanting to flatter him, but he ended up ridiculing himself big time, just like a foolish person who made a fool of himself.


    However, he was secretly shocked inside. Even though he didn¡¯t know what was inside the travel bag, but the strength Tang Xiu showed him made him secretly flabbergasted. As he watched as for how Tang Xiu did that effortlessly, he daresay that Tang Xiu was definitely a few times stronger than him- he could even be compared to Hercules!


    ¡°Boss, what did you put in the bag? How could it be so heavy?¡± Scarblade Qiang asked with a stammering manner to conceal his embarrassment.


    Tang Xiu replied lightly, ¡°Only two stones.¡±


    Stones?


    Scarblade Qiang stared blankly and simply couldn¡¯t say anything inside. He was truly unable to think of anything as to why these rich, Big Bosses would have such a distinct hobby. They certainly had a well and good daily life, but they ran to Qingshan Town only to get two stones back home? Did these people had nothing to do in their idyllic life and wanted to have some fulfillment in doing so?


    In Cangbei City¡­


    Stone Road of Banner Pass District. At Grand Fortune Auto Garage¡­


    Wang Ming took the envelope the Boss handed him. He didn¡¯t see the amount of money inside and stuffed it into his greasy auto workwear. After he retired from the army, just like his other comrades-in-arms retired, he declined the job arrangement provided by the country and returned to his hometown. He was not without family, and had a younger brother who had just grown up.


    Unfortunately, his younger brother was neither well-educated nor was had any skills whatsoever. Ever since their parents died in a traffic accident a few years ago, nobody managed this younger brother of his, so he frequently hung around with some delinquents and thugs. Because he ditched school for too many times, the school expelled him and he ended up becoming a rascal and unemployed vagrant.


    He already did what he could to teach him. Scolding, and even hitting him, but to no effect. Now, he could only force him to work in the same place and became mechanics in this auto garage. Now that he could put him under his eyes, it became easier for him to control his attitude.


    ¡°Big Brother, give your money to me.¡±


    After Wang Xiang stuffed his share of payment into his pocket, he took a plier and came over in front of Wang Ming as he stretched his hand directly and asked the money.


    Wang Ming frowned and replied dimly, ¡°What do you need the money for?¡±


    ¡°I wanna buy a new phone.¡± Wang Xiang said.


    For a moment, Wang Ming was silent. He glanced at Wang Xiang¡¯s pocket and said, ¡°I recall you already bought a new phone last month. That was more than 3000 yuan.¡±


    Wang Xiang snorted coldly and said, ¡°That one isn¡¯t up-to-date! Can I not buy a new, good one? So, will you give the money or not? You never give me other alternatives to make some money!¡±


    Wang Ming sighed inside. He took the payment he just received from his pocket and gave it to him. He was sure that his younger brother¡ªWang Xiang definitely wouldn¡¯t use the money to buy a new phone, but hang around having meals and drinks.


    ¡°I¡¯ll request a day off today.¡± Wang Xiang left these words and prepared to leave after taking the money.


    At this moment¡­


    A Toyota Land Cruiser Prado stopped and parked in front the auto garage. Tang Xiu got off and recognized Wang Ming, who was standing in front of the garage. He had seen Wang Ming¡¯s photo on the name list Yuan Zhengxuan had shown him before.


    ¡°Wang Ming.¡±


    Tang Xiu came over and called him.


    With indifferent expression, Wang Ming glanced at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°I am. Who are you?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯m looking for you. I know your past so I hope you can work under me. About the treatment, I can assure that you won¡¯t be disappointed.¡±


    Wang Xiang, who was about to leave, suddenly asked quickly with bright eyes upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, ¡°What treatment can you give to my brother? How much money can you give monthly?¡±


    ¡°Wang Xiang, shut up!¡±


    Wang Ming shouted at him in a low voice.


    Wang Xiang let out a resentful snort and said, ¡°Big Brother, do you know how much money we get as mechanics in this garage? The pay¡¯s not even enough for me to drink a few wines! For whatever it¡¯s worth, you were a soldier who had carried a gun, don¡¯t you think you deserve to have a good life? Maybe you never thought to have one, but I do!¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at him and said indifferently, ¡°So, you turn out to be his good-for-nothing younger brother eh? But what you said have its own truth. You can live and abide by the rules, but oftentimes doing so will only make the talented people successful. Even if you were once a soldier who carried a gun, killed people and had your hands covered with blood, but it doesn¡¯t mean that you must live in the past. After all, life will still force you to look back to face it.¡±


    Wang Ming¡¯s brows wrinkled deeply. He stared at Tang Xiu and asked with a sinking-deep tone, ¡°Who the hell are you?¡±


    ¡°A businessman! Someone who can give you a different life. So, should we talk about the conditions?¡±


    With a cold and detached expression, Wang Ming shook his head. Then, he said dully, ¡°No matter what conditions you spit out, you won¡¯t have what you want, neither will I work for you. Leave now.¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a ruminating tone, ¡°I thought that real soldiers know how to seize and cherish the opportunities. I used to think that they are mature and stable, having meticulous ways of thinking, with excellent forbearance and vision. But since you don¡¯t even want to hear the conditions I¡¯m about to give you, it means that you don¡¯t even have any good spirit nor have a great goal in life. Your eyes have been shrouded by glory and pride. And that very pride of yours has been etched deep in your bones, causing you to handle matters with a rigid and stupid manner just because you heard lines that are not pleasant to your ears.¡±


    Wang Ming said with a sneer, ¡°What the hell do you know about me?¡±


    Some disappointment revealed on Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he shook his head and said, ¡°I indeed know nothing about you. To tell you the truth, I originally had high expectations of you, but the facts now are much to my disappointment. It seems that I don¡¯t need to find your team leader¡ªthat legendary Wolf Head. Since he takes a person like you under his wings, that means that he¡¯s also a waste.¡±


    Suddenly, green veins protruded on Wang Ming¡¯s forehead as he furiously glared at Tang Xiu and shouted, ¡°SHUT THE FUCK UP! Chief Wolf is not someone you can humiliate!¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with a sneer, ¡°What? Did you feel wronged being addressed as a trash by me? Shame? Do you even deserve to be humiliated?¡±

 Chapter 181

    Chapter 181: Chief Wolf


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    A cold glint flashed from Wang Ming¡¯s eyes. He stepped a step forward and said with a stern tone, ¡°You can humiliate me, but if you dare to humiliate our Chief Wolf once again, do you believe that I won¡¯t fuck you up?¡±


    ¡°What a blockhead!¡±


    Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°Society is run by law, and you want to make me a waste? Do you think you¡¯ll end up better? Much less that you¡¯re just an ant in my eyes. You think you can waste me relying on your trivial, useless martial art? Are you joking with me?¡±


    At this moment, Scarblade Qiang, who was in the driver¡¯s seat, quickly came over after hearing the quarrel outside. He glared angrily at Wang Ming. Even though he knew that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t need his protection, but he still stared and shouted angrily regardless, ¡°Who the hell are you? Do you dare to be arrogant before my Boss? Do you believe that I can¡¯t fuck you up dead?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Wang Xiang¡¯s expression suddenly changed, his eyes were a bit shocked as he looked at Scarblade Qiang, and called out, ¡°Y-you, you are¡­ are you Big Brother Qiang? Boss Scarblade Qiang?¡±


    Scarblade Qiang¡¯s brows pricked as he glanced at him and replied, ¡°You know me?¡±


    Wang Xiang, who was not sure about Scarblade Qiang identity, quickly revealed a panicked expression as Scarblade Qiang personally admitted it. He pulled Wang Ming¡¯s hand as he squeezed out an obsequious smile, saying,¡°Big Brother Qiang, I really never thought that it¡¯d be you. I was with my Boss¡ªCrippler Liu when I first met you. Anyways, it should be a misunderstanding. My older brother doesn¡¯t know that he¡¯s your Boss. Let me advise my older brother to let him join and follow your Boss also.¡±


    Scarblade Qiang replied, ¡°So you¡¯re one of Crippler Liu¡¯s boys. That kid has gone astray recently, and I heard that he will run into bad luck soon. But since my Boss took a liking to your older brother, I¡¯ll tell you now in advance, quickly take your time to prepare and leave this place, otherwise¡­¡±


    Wang Xiang¡¯s expression turned pale and hastily asked, ¡°B-big Brother Qiang, what do you mean? C-could you tell me¡­ about the specifics?¡±


    Scarblade Qiang sneered, ¡°You heard me clearly. Crippler Liu¡¯s lover is involved with some shitty powder behind his back, but that thing surely will be his downfall! I heard that some of his boys are also involved with it secretly. I have some connections in the Police department¡ªmy drinking buddies. They told me this when we had a drink.¡±


    Wang Xiang¡¯s body shivered. However, he understood what Scarblade Qiang said. If Crippler Liu¡¯s lover was met with some bad luck, then all shit deeds he had done would also come to light. He and some other boys also had committed some crimes when they were following Crippler Liu. And if¡­


    Tang Xiu glanced at Scarblade Qiang¡¯s eyes and said indifferently, ¡°Cut it off. Don¡¯t scare him! At first, I thought the army had made a man out of him. But I didn¡¯t expect that he would be such a good-for-nothing trash. Let¡¯s leave!¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu was about to turn around and leave, Wang Ming suddenly shouted with a deep tone.


    Tang Xiu turned back and sneered, ¡°What is it? You wanna have some practice?¡±


    Wang Ming said with contempt, ¡°You want to exchange blows with me with your frail body? I warned you! I told you that no matter who you are, if you dare to humiliate Chief Wolf, I will make you pay the price.¡±


    Tang Xiu gave him a crooked finger and sneered, ¡°I¡¯ll give you an opportunity. You and I will spar. If I win, you¡¯ll go with me and tell me the whereabouts of this Chief Wolf of yours. But if you lose, not only I won¡¯t kick your little brother¡¯s problem to the pit, I also won¡¯t let him be dumped into jail for the entire of his life. I can even straighten him out.¡±


    Wouldn¡¯t make the problem more severe and help him avoid prison for life?


    Wang Ming instantly understood the meaning behind Tang Xiu¡¯s words as he shouted angrily, ¡°Are you threatening me? You¡¯re shameless and despicable!¡±


    With an apathetic expression, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°Talking with you made me realize some problems. You might be a retired special force member, but you¡¯re not really one of the elites. But it¡¯s fine with me. Those soldiers who are involved in secret ops missions in foreign countries putting their life on the line and facing death back and forth¡ªthey are the true elites and the real soldiers! I¡¯ll cut the crap with you now, do you dare to have a bet with me or not? You decide!¡±


    Shaking his head, Wang Ming said, ¡°I can promise you that I¡¯ll work for you if I lose. But I can¡¯t tell you anything about Chief Wolf. Moreover, I won¡¯t do anything against the law.¡±


    ¡°Coward!¡±


    Tang Xiu ridiculed him as he turned toward the SUV and left.


    Wang Ming gripped his fists tightly as anger flashed from his eyes. Just as Tang Xiu walked for three or four steps, he instantly dashed, and within a short two breaths, he blocked Tang Xiu¡¯s way. His legs fiercely swept toward Tang Xiu¡¯s cheek.


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu moved as fast as lightning. He accurately caught Wang Ming¡¯s bare feet without mistake. Along with pulling him closer, his palm instantly hit Wang Ming¡¯s chest. With the tip of his toe, he lightly picked Wang Ming¡¯s other naked foot and instantly took him down.


    ¡°Is this all you can do?¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t continue attacking but asked with contempt.


    Wang Ming was actually astounded with Tang Xiu¡¯s strength. It deterred him, but the humiliation and anger in his heart were much stronger. He leaped up from the ground as though a carp and violently sent a barrage of fists toward Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Pa¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu used his hand to catch his fists. As he shook his head, his feet flew and kicked Wang Ming¡¯s chest, sending him flying backward. Then, he indifferently said, ¡°You¡¯re not at the same level as me. To average people, you might be considered to have some ability, but in front of me, you¡¯re not even as good as ants. If I were not in dire need of manpower, I wouldn¡¯t have tried to look for you.¡±


    Wang Ming was completely flabbergasted.


    The pain in his chest made him sober up. He realized that what this young man said was true. Compared to this young man, he truly couldn¡¯t be considered as an ant. He had faced countless of opponents in his entire life, but to have lost so miserably against one was the first time. He also had never come across such a strong expert like him.


    In his heart, Chief Wolf was very strong. Even if three or five people, along with him, had to face Chief Wolf, they wouldn¡¯t be his match.


    However, he was certain that Chief Wolf also wouldn¡¯t be able to make them unable to fight back and lose strength like this. This young man was even more terrifying than Chief Wolf.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Wang Ming covered his chest as he looked straight at Tang Xiu, and asked.


    ¡°If you wanna know who I am, you have to follow and work for me. You have my word that in regards to committing crimes, I have had and never will touch that on my own initiative. But if there are any who resort to crimes to offend me, never will I give them mercy. Loyal men are what I need, and they have to firmly obey my commands.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Wang Xiang, who was near Scarblade Qiang, could see that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t even use his full strength. He was worried for his big brother, but he held back his urge to help him. He was extremely shocked, because he knew what his big brother¡ªWang Ming¡ªwas capable of. A few days ago, he and his friends were being ganged up and beaten by another group of thugs, but his big brother then came and beat a dozen gangsters armed with knives bare handed, and only got a few bruises.


    But now, this powerful brother of his was beaten up by this young man easily without even being able to fight back? What kind of strength this young man had?


    ¡°Big Brother Qiang, what¡¯s your Boss line of business? How could he be so powerful?¡± Wang Xiang asked with a low voice.


    Scarblade Qiang glanced at him and said indifferently, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know?


    Wang Xiang was astounded, saying, ¡°How come you don¡¯t know? You work for him, but you don¡¯t know what he does? Big Brother Qiang, are you joking with me?¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know. I only know that my Boss is very powerful and rich. He¡¯s the Boss of a large corporation. But other than this, I know nothing about him.¡± Scarblade Qiang said apathetically.


    ¡°But, you still dare to follow and work for him?¡± Wang Xian was surprised and continued asking.


    Scarblade Qiang squinted his eyes and lightly said, ¡°The Boss is very generous and also a good man. I can tell that my future will be promising if I follow him.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Wang Xiang was stunned with his answer.


    Tang Xiu looked at Wang Ming and calmly said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to answer me now. What I need is not one or two men. I need a team. If you comply, take along your Chief Wolf to Star City to find me. I live in South Gate Town. Do bear in mind that you only have three days. Passing three days, even if you come, I won¡¯t accept you anymore.¡±


    After having said that, he turned around and walked toward the Toyota. The moment he had boarded it, he suddenly paused and turned his head, saying, ¡°Well, I seem to have not spoken my condition. If you work under me, I¡¯ll give your brother a stable life and your own place to live. I can even guarantee both of you a future.¡±


    The off-road car¡¯s engine was started.


    Wang Ming and Wang Xiang looked at the leaving SUV with complex expressions. Wang Xiang actually didn¡¯t mind everything Tang Xiu had said, but Wang Ming fell into silence. He was struggling inside. He used to live with guns and spilling human blood. He was 30 years old. And every day now felt like years. He felt really uncomfortable living as a commoner. He had been struggling and suppressing this feeling in the last few months, but to live each and every day that felt like years was truly nothing but a torture.


    _Should I contact Chief Wolf?_


    _What¡¯s the origin of this young man?_


    Wang Ming¡¯s expression was constantly changing.


    Wang Xiang elbowed him and said, ¡°Big Brother, I dare say, if we go work under that Big Boss, later on, we really can live a good and colorful life. I know that Scarblade Qiang, he¡¯s a ruthless and merciless big brother in Cangbei City¡¯s streets. But now, he¡¯s following that person, so I think we should also give a shot.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Wang Ming scolded him with a low voice.


    With a resentful expression, Wang Xiang replied, ¡°Big Brother, take a look at our shitty looks! Our bodies are full of dirt. We also have shitty pays. Don¡¯t you want to live a dignified and good life too? Besides, I¡¯m still young and I don¡¯t have anything. But you- you¡¯re more than 30 years old now, and you don¡¯t even have a wife. Do you want me to be just like you and still a bachelor when I¡¯m 30 years old?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Wang Ming hesitated.


    He knew very well that his younger brother was right. But he didn¡¯t know the background of this young man. He also realized that the other party goaded him, trying him to move him with promises. But still, with such a powerful martial arts foundation, he still wanted to employ him?


    ¡°Big Brother, if you don¡¯t agree, I¡¯ll go to Dad and Mom¡¯s graves and complain!¡±


    Wang Xiang glared angrily at Wang Ming and shouted.


    For a moment, Wang Ming was silent. Then, he slowly replied, ¡°Gimme some time, I¡¯m going to find some of my comrades and then go to Star City. Even if I ever work for him, it will be after I¡¯ve clearly investigated his background.¡±


    ¡°Great, then I¡¯ll go with you!¡± Wang Xiang was overjoyed and blurted out without thinking.


    Wang Ming looked at him coldly. He shook his head and said, ¡°No. You can¡¯t go. I¡¯ll find my comrades, they¡¯re the ones who¡¯ll go with me. And you- you¡¯ll stay obediently in Cangbei City. If I find you didn¡¯t listen to me, you can be sure I won¡¯t take you with me after I work for that rich boss.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±

 Chapter 182

    Chapter 182: Paying Debts


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Star City Train Station.


    Ouyang Lulu was wearing a black-colored leather attire, black duckbill cap and big black sunglasses that blocked part of her beautiful face. Holding her own arms, she leaned on the pillar near the stopping platform in the station, watching the visitors going out unceasingly. Her mind was occupied with the thought as to how to bring Tang Xiu along with her to Jingmen Island.


    A few days ago, her mother, who she had not seen for all year around, returned home. She stayed at home and had a chat with her. Her mother even knew that Tang Xiu went adventuring in Primeforest Mountain Range and told her to invite him as a family guest.


    She knew that Tang Xiu had just finished his College Entrance Test. And she also knew that Tang Xiu would return to Star City today, so she hurriedly rushed to the train station right after she arrived at the airport.


    ¡°This great lady has personally come to Star City to invite him. If he dares to refuse I surely will bite him a few times!¡±


    As she thought about it, a tinge of a smile was revealed on her face.


    Suddenly, she left the stopping platform as she found Tang Xiu¡¯s figure amidst the crowd that was going out. Her eyes immediately shined and quickly greeted him.


    ¡°Eh? How are you here?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at Ouyang Lulu with her cool appearance. Even though she was using a duckbill cap along with big sunglasses that covered almost half of her face, he still could recognize her with a glance.


    Ouyang Lulu took off her sunglasses, revealing the looks of a beauty that could bring disaster to a nation and its people. A curved outline was drawn on her mouth as she said with a charming smile, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s to see you! Anyway, how about it? Are you surprised? A big, pleasant surprised?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed a pleasant surprise. I was thinking to catch a cab or a bus to go home!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    The smile on Ouyang Lulu¡¯s face froze as she kicked Tang Xiu¡¯s foot and angrily said, ¡°Are you still thinking to make me your coach woman again?¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t dodge nor he felt pain. He smiled and looked at Ouyang Lulu as he said, ¡°Well, if you want to know, being able to be my coach woman is truly an honor for you, don¡¯t you think so? A lot of people cry bitterly just wanting to become my driver and I refused all of them. Anyways, let¡¯s go, you¡¯ve got yourself a lot of eyes looking at you!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu turned and looked around. She did see that a lot of visitors looking at her. To be precise, looking at her breathtaking looks. However, she also found that Scarblade Qiang behind Tang Xiu was also the same. Her brows pricked as she asked, ¡°Tang Xiu, who¡¯s he?¡±


    Tang Xiu turned his head and looked at the dumbstruck Scarblade Qiang. He was obviously charmed by Ouyang Lulu as he lightly laughed and said, ¡°Well, he¡¯s a talented man I came across in Cangbei City, so I brought him back to Star City to work for me.¡±


    Scarblade Qiang furiously swallowed his saliva with eyes reluctantly parting from Ouyang Lulu¡¯s face. He was quite a serious and famous boss in Cangbei City, but at the moment, he was actually defeated by Ouyang Lulu¡¯s appearance. It made him embarrassed as an awkward expression was drawn on his face.


    If he was in awe toward Tang Xiu because of his martial skills and financial resources before; then at this moment, that awe turned into respect and worship. He had seen numerous women, but he had never seen such a beautiful girl like Ouyang Lulu. Even this femme fatale unexpectedly rushed to the train station to pick his boss.


    And surprisingly, the Boss was making this belle his coach woman?!


    Outside a high-end hotel in Star City.


    Tang Xiu sent Scarblade Qiang off. He arranged for him to stay at this hotel for a few nights and told him that he would pick him up tomorrow. Then, Tang Xiu himself went with Ouyang Lulu, who drove her car toward South Gate Town.


    On the road¡­


    Tang Xiu dialed Chen Zhizhong and Kang Xia¡¯s numbers and told them to visit his villa in South Gate Town. The harvest he got from this adventure was quite a lot. He had received a text message notification that 2.5 billion yuan had been transferred to his account. He also had made the arrangement as for how to allocate this sum of money.


    At the courtyard of his villa in South Gate Town.


    Ouyang Lulu parked her car in the parking spot as she asked curiously, ¡°Is this your home? Quite classy!¡±


    Tang Xiu opened the trunk and took a big black travel bag from the inside. Then, he said, ¡°Long Zhengyu gave me this villa.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu smiled. ¡°Long Zhengyu truly has good vision. Well, the rate return of his investment is absolutely great, I think. I heard you helped him with a big one, giving his family¡¯s company quite a fortune, no?¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled but didn¡¯t pick the topic up.


    After entering the villa, he saw that Mu Qingping was busy in the kitchen. Then, he came directly to the kitchen door and said, ¡°Big Sis Mu, we¡¯ll have some guests tonight so prepare more meals for later.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Mu Qingping revealed a smile upon seeing that Tang Xiu had come back. When she saw Ouyang Lulu behind him, she smiled all over her face, saying, ¡°Ah, it turns out to be Miss Ouyang. Welcome Miss.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu said with a smile, ¡°Hello, Sister Mu! Where¡¯s Yinyin, I haven¡¯t seen her around?!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s in the conference room with her course tutoring! Looking at the time, it should be finishing soon.¡± Mu Qingping replied.


    Watching Ouyang Lulu entering the kitchen, Tang Xiu no longer spoke. Then, he went to the study room on the second floor and took out the two blocks of sky sandstones from his bag and placed them on the topmost rack of the bookshelves.


    _¡°I don¡¯t have a safe box.¡±_


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and made up some decisions in his mind.


    He went back to the first floor.


    Ouyang Lulu was still in the kitchen, helping Mu Qingping with the cooking, while Chen Zhizhong had arrived and was waiting in the living room.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    After Chen Zhizhong acknowledged him as a Master, he was very respectful toward Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and motioned him to sit on the couch, saying, ¡°Tell me your bank account number. I just got some money recently so I¡¯ll pay you back first.¡±


    ¡°Master, I consider that money as my filial piety to honor you. By principle, in no way must it be returned! Besides, I¡¯m not short on money.¡± Chen Zhizhong hastily said.


    Tang Xiu replied, ¡°I¡¯ll give you the money nevertheless, and I¡¯ll keep some of it for emergency uses. Don¡¯t you also have a medicine business yourself?! Later on, you also have to send me some medicinal herbs from the list of medicinal herbs I¡¯ll give you. Those herbs will be used to make some concocted pills that will aid you.¡±


    Concocted pills?


    Chen Zhizhong¡¯s eyes shone as he respectfully replied, ¡°Thank you, Master!¡±


    Immediately after, Tang Xiu transfer 2 billion yuan with e-banking to Chen Zhizhong¡¯s account, and then asked, ¡°How¡¯s your cultivation practice recently? Have you transformed all of your True Qi into True Essence?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve already transformed it completely, thanks to the recent intake of medicinal herbs soups, but I still have to forge ahead diligently. Master, my strength is at least twice as strong as before.¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Your cultivation level is just barely a step onto the Immortal cultivation threshold. It¡¯s still far away from the future path! Respectively, until you have reached the Golden Core Stage and the Nascent Soul Stage, it would be just a small and great accomplishment for you. Only after you¡¯ve reached the Immortal Stage will you be considered to have met my minimum requirement.¡±


    A longing expression was revealed on Chen Zhizhong¡¯s face as he firmly said, ¡°Master, this disciple will do everything to meet your requirements in cultivation. I¡¯ll never dare to neglect it. I¡¯ll also wholeheartedly find those medicinal herbs you need.¡±


    ¡°Ring, ring¡­¡±


    Chen Zhizhong¡¯s mobile ringed.


    As he took out his mobile and saw the transfer remittance notice, he looked up at Tang Xiu and asked with astonishment, ¡°Master, you¡­ you just transferred 2 billion yuan to my account?¡±


    ¡°I did. You received so quickly?¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Still shocked, Chen Zhizhong replied, ¡°No, not yet. But I just received a remittance transfer notice that the money should arrive in my account tomorrow. Anyways, Master, what did you do that you can make so much money within such a short time?¡±


    Tang Xiu lightly said, ¡°I just sold some things to two cultivators.¡±


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡±


    Chen Zhizhong was astounded. ¡°What did you sell that¡¯s worth so much money?¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s not that valuable. One is a set of Immortal cultivation technique, and the other is a Beast Subduing Secret Art. Unfortunately, those two cultivators are too poor as they can only come up with a few billion. Otherwise, I could have gotten a few more billions.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and replied.


    A few billions¡¯ worth was still considered as too poor?


    Chen Zhizhong could only smile wryly inside. The total net worth of his wealth was only around 10 billion yuan. But in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes, this was not necessarily at the level of the well-off!


    Ten minutes later.


    Kang Xia had arrived at the villa. Upon seeing that aside from Tang Xiu there was also Chen Zhizhong, she nodded at him and then looked at Tang Xiu, asking, ¡°Boss, is there something you¡¯re seeking me for?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Well, isn¡¯t the company short on liquid money?! Anyway, I got some money recently, so I¡¯ll transfer 300 million to you. You can use the fund for now. Call me again if it¡¯s insufficient.¡±


    ¡°You have 300 million? That¡¯s great.¡± Kang Xia was pleasantly surprised.


    Tang Xiu replied snappily, ¡°It was not easy to make that money you know! So you must give your best to save and fully utilize it. Manage the company to the right tracks as soon as possible.¡±


    Kang Xia laughed. ¡°Boss, since I got this 300 million from you, I guarantee that before September 1st, our company¡¯s initial stage will be completely implemented. Also, I have already contacted some banks in Star City. As long as we can show them some legal proof about our company¡¯s health and strength, we should be able to borrow quite a big sum of loan from them.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Bank loan? We also need to borrow some loans from the bank?¡± Tang Xiu knitted his brows and asked.


    ¡°Yes, according to my business plan, the estimation of the investment funds we would need is at least 3 billion yuan. And the liquid funds our company has at present is far less than this number. So, we will need the loans from the bank to implement the plan.¡± Kang Xia nodded and explained.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Alright, you¡¯ll handle and arrange this issue! Also, are you still busy right now?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much! I must go back quickly after this!¡± Kang Xia replied.


    ¡°Well, forget it then. It¡¯s just that I still have another project that I¡¯m preparing. Originally, I was going to give this project to you as well, but since your hands are still full, I¡¯ll find another person to handle it! Alright, since everyone has arrived, let¡¯s have some dinner first and then you can get to your work again.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Kang Xia quickly said, ¡°Boss, you have another project? What project?¡±


    It should be a good project!


    She had never expressed, but all the projects she had right now, such as the health care products, clearly had an obvious huge profit. Even if it gave her quite the hardship and was quite tiresome, but she was willing to do her best. In addition, she was also deeply impressed by Tang Xiu, and she believed that every project Tang Xiu thought would certainly be very good.


    ¡°Well, I want to build a winery, producing and selling wines.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Wines and liquors?


    For a moment, Kang Xia stared blankly. Then, she asked, ¡°Eh, Boss, do you have a recipe and formula to brew wine? How¡¯s its flavor?¡±


    ¡°I have a recipe and formula. You can be sure that it should be a very good wine! Also, I want this drink to be considered as the world¡¯s best wine.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    The best in the world?


    It was the word Kang Xia liked the most. Her laughing expression and beautiful eyes turned crescent shaped as she said, ¡°Boss, the mark hung on the winery¡¯s name must be our Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s! Also, I can make it as a subsidiary company, so I can still control its general management- we can pass the minor things to the lesser management under us.¡±

 Chapter 183

    Chapter 183: Small Gathering


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Looking at Kang Xia¡¯s high fighting spirit and the happy expression on her, Tang Xiu asked with astonishment, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say your hands are full already? And you still want to manage this?¡±


    ¡°Well, just say the word and I¡¯ll squeeze some time for it. It should be fine.¡± Kang Xia said.


    Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he had to laugh or cry. ¡°You won¡¯t get burnt out?!¡±


    With a high spirited manner, Kang Xia replied, ¡°Boss, you can rest assured. I¡¯m well aware of my own well-being and the situation. I know I have to ensure my own health to do my job to the best of my abilities.¡±


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment, then slowly asked, ¡°Anyway, do you mind if I ask you something private?¡±


    ¡°What private question? You can ask me anything¡­¡± Kang Xia replied with a puzzled expression.


    Tang Xiu asked, ¡°I¡¯ve never asked about your family, do you have family members?¡±


    For a moment, Kang Xia looked distracted as a touch of desolation and grimness flashed from her eyes. But then she shook her head and replied, ¡°I was brought up by my American foster parents. But they have passed away a few years ago in a plane crash. I do still have a maternal grandmother- she¡¯s married a foreigner old man. It¡¯s been nearly a year since I visited her for the first time.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and made a decision in his heart. Then, he said, ¡°In order to ensure your health, I¡¯ll teach you a set of cultivation exercise. But do remember that you are the only one who can practice this cultivation technique, and not in any way must you pass this to someone else. Also, you¡¯re not to tell anyone that you¡¯re also a practitioner!¡±


    Exercising a cultivation technique?


    Kang Xia was quite dumbfounded as she replied, ¡°Uh, Boss, you¡¯re kidding me, aren¡¯t you? You think we¡¯re still in ancient times, exercising cultivation practice, using True Qi and becoming a martial world¡¯s expert?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows slanted. His body then instantly appeared at her side. With a lightning fast move, he grabbed Kang Xia¡¯s shoulders and threw her to the air. Along with the turning of his wrist, Kang Xia also rotated in the air. She screamed, but Tang Xiu ignored it. In next to no time, he already flashed and took along Kang Xia as they appeared outside the front gate of the villa¡¯s courtyard.


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu put Kang Xia down. Her body staggered and then fell down with her bottom on the ground.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    After she fell down, Kang Xia looked dizzy and distracted, but there was not the slightest anger on her face. Instead, her face was full of shock. She looked at the surroundings while her delicate body slightly trembled.


    She was frightened! Yes, what she had experienced just now was as though a dream. If she hasn¡¯t experienced it first hand, she simply wouldn¡¯t have believed it.


    Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°You see that we¡¯re at the courtyard outside?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Kang Xia nodded with a dull expression.


    Tang Xiu grabbed her shoulders once again. He raised his speed to the limit. And within just two breaths, they had returned back to the villa¡¯s hall as he even had Kang Xia back on the sofa.


    ¡°Now you believe that the martial experts still exist in the world?¡±


    Kang Xia straightened up her sitting body and looked around. An alarmed and frightened expression was revealed on her eyes. After looking dumbstruck and tongue-tied for a while, only then was she able to speak. ¡°Boss, I know that you¡¯re a powerful martial art expert when you took me to kick the plaque of the Rising Dragon Martial School. But¡­ to be this powerful was beyond my imagination. I can tell that even those martial world¡¯s experts can¡¯t achieve such a level.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°You do have a good vision and judgment. I indeed am not a martial art expert, but an Immortal cultivator. Perhaps, you haven¡¯t seen such people in reality, but you must have seen these Immortals in Xianxia TV series or in the movies. But, the real Immortal cultivators are much powerful than those in the movies. They can control the forces of nature and can fly with flying swords. The truly powerful ones are even literally able to pick the stars and the moons and easily traverse everywhere in the starry sky without problem.¡±


    ¡°Immortal?¡± Kang Xia exclaimed out loud in disbelief.


    ¡°Correct. Gaining enlightenment and becoming Immortal isn¡¯t a difficult matter. I¡¯ll teach you an Immortal cultivation technique. If you practice well, you have the possibility to ascend and become an Immortal in the Immortal World.¡±


    With a shocked expression, Kang Xia asked, ¡°Boss, does our world really have the Immortal World just like the one that¡¯s passed down in the fairy tales?¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°The Immortal World in fairy tales is way too small. Wait until you obtain enlightenment and become an Immortal if you wanna see what would the real Immortal World looks like. You will see what kind of marvel and magnificence it has. By the way, I¡¯ll teach you after the dinner. And do bear in mind to never mention about this to anyone, ever.¡±


    Kang Xia nodded. Suddenly, her expression moved as she asked in a whisper, ¡°Boss, you just asked about my family, are you afraid that I¡¯ll tell this to my friends and family members?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Tang Xiu continued tranquilly, ¡°I want you to become my true subordinate instead of an employee who just seek wages. I can assure you that your world will be unceasingly expanded. If you follow me, in the future, even if you want to tread into the void and adventure in the vast and boundless universe, it will be easy.¡±


    Kang Xia furiously swallowed her saliva down as her breath turned faster. Then, she asked, ¡°Boss! Can you teach Andy too? She has been following me for years, and she¡¯s absolutely worth the trust. Also, her background is much pitiful than mine. She has no family left. And she has no other friends aside from me, Jack, and a handful of others.


    Andy?


    Tang Xiu recalled the beautiful angelic-looking girl as he slowly nodded and said, ¡°Call her then!¡±


    He didn¡¯t ask more details about her case. Even though he had heard from Andy that she and her parents had once lived in China for a few years, but just like the changes in fate and time, people had their own fortunes and misfortunes. Since Kang Xia said that Andy was also an orphan, perhaps, her parents also encountered unexpected misfortunes.


    Chen Zhizhong was sitting quietly on the side with a smile on his face. Tang Xiu was pulling Kang Xia to be his direct subordinate. This made him quite happy as Kang Xia, after all, had quite formidable capabilities. She was definitely one of the proud women that could lift her head up high in the business world. If she could be made dead set on following Tang Xiu and worked for him to the best of her abilities, Chen Zhizhong believed that Tang Xiu could make a lot of money. Which, in the end, will become the tool for an endless stream of access for cultivation resources. [1]


    Suddenly, his expression moved as he glanced at his mobile screen and asked, ¡°Master, since you want to build a winery, could you let me invest in it also?¡±


    ¡°You have your own medicinal herbs business, what do you want to invest in the winery for?¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Chen Zhizhong let out a forced smile and said, ¡°Actually, I think my Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical has already expanded to the limit. I have long planned to expand to other fields, but I haven¡¯t found any suitable targets for investment. This is why I have quite a lot of spare liquid funds. If I don¡¯t invest in your winery, perhaps, I¡¯ll invest in other projects.¡±


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment before he slowly nodded and replied, ¡°Take out 500 million, I¡¯ll give you 10% of the shares. You don¡¯t need to worry about the management since I¡¯ve found the manager for the winery. So you¡¯ll have the dividends every year. If you still have some spare cash and you¡¯re interested, you can contact Long Zhengyu. He and I have a cooperation in a little real estate business. I believe the prospect is good and can make quite a fortune.¡±


    Originally, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t have the intention to let other people be involved in his winery business. After all, he was very optimistic about its prospect. However, he was short of money right now. If even Chen Zhizhong was going to invest, giving him the shares was truly not a problem also since he was, after all, his own in-name disciple. So to say, it could be said that the water and the fertilizer wouldn¡¯t flow to the outsiders¡¯ fields.


    Chen Zhizhong was overjoyed. He realized that acknowledging Tang Xiu as a Master was truly worth it. Not only would he be able to tread on the path to Immortality, but he was also able to gain harvest in business. Without a minute¡¯s hesitation, he nodded and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll contact Long Zhengyu then.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°About the matters related to business, you can directly contact Kang Xia. I have too many things at hands- I have no time to manage the businesses.¡±


    At this moment, Ouyang Lulu came out of the kitchen wearing an apron. When she saw Chen Zhizhong, her eyes brightened up slightly. After all, she had seen him quite a lot from his interview in Financial Magazines. However, when she saw Kang Xia, her brows slightly pricked.


    It was because she was beautiful, to the point of extreme.


    She had no choice but to admit that whether it was the bodily figure, looks, or even bearing, Kang Xia was not bellow her. A few days ago she also had heard that Kang Xia was working for Tang Xiu- he even handed over his newly set up company to be managed by her. But this was her first time meeting Kang Xia here.


    ¡°Boss, this one is?¡±


    Looking at Ouyang Lulu, particularly seeing her in an apron, Kang Xia couldn¡¯t help but have an inconceivable irritated feeling without her realizing.


    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s Ouyang Lulu, the gal who, well, ignores the proper occupation in Jingmen Island. But anyhow, she¡¯s my friend. Lulu, she¡¯s Kang Xia. My right-hand woman.¡± Tang Xiu introduced each other.


    Ouyang Lulu rolled her eyes at him. If it wasn¡¯t for Tang Xiu¡¯s remark of ¡°my friend¡± as well as ¡°Lulu¡±, she would have snapped already. However, she was also quite happy inside even though she still pretended to look dissatisfied and resentful. She snorted and replied, ¡°Hmph, what¡¯s not a proper business here? My Paradise Club is a decent and honest business, okay?¡±


    ¡°Opening a casino is a decent business?¡± Tang Xiu said with a bit of surprise.


    Ouyang Lulu replied, ¡°Of course it is. Every time they gamble, we¡¯re in international waters. So we don¡¯t violate any country¡¯s laws, no? Also, you know that gambling is legal in Taiwan too, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Tang Xiu secretly shook his head. He was too lazy to refute Ouyang Lulu¡¯s glib rationale. But for Kang Xia herself, she was quite curious toward her upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s explanation.


    ¡°How do you do, Miss Ouyang.¡±


    ¡°How do you do, Chief Kang.¡±


    The two women shook hands for the first time. With a trace of peculiar thoughts in their minds.


    On the dining table.


    Gu Yin had just finished her tutoring course. Tang Xiu also invited the tutor to have dinner together, while also asking the progress of Gu Yin¡¯s learning once in awhile.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, Gu Yin is truly very smart. She has an eidetic memory and good comprehension. This is the first time I¡¯ve met such a student like her. About the Second Grade Curriculum, we¡¯ll have it finished in the next two days, and we also have started preparing the Third Grade one. However, the teachers for the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Grade Curriculum won¡¯t be handled by the three of us anymore.¡± The middle-aged female teacher showed a bit of a forced smile. Then, she continued, ¡°It¡¯s not because we can¡¯t teach the curriculum for the Fourth Grade and above, but it¡¯s because we have come to our limit and are too tired after preparing the first two Grade Curriculums.¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a light laugh, ¡°Hahaha. It¡¯s alright, as long as the next teachers are also as excellent as you, I¡¯m content.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu looked at the both of them and asked with astonishment, ¡°The speed of the lesson prepared by the teachers cannot follow the student¡¯s learning speed? What¡¯s this fallacy?¡±


    The teacher smiled wryly and said, ¡°It¡¯s because her learning speed is really too fast. Judging from her current learning speed, if we keep going like this, perhaps she really can complete all the courses from the Second to Sixth Grade before September 1st.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu looked at Gu Yin with disbelief, and asked with astonishment, ¡°She has yet to finish the Second Grade Curriculum now, no? How come she could finish all the contents for next four grades within two or three months? Even the other child prodigies wouldn¡¯t be able to do it, right?¡±


    * * *


    Note:


    I don¡¯t like the literal phrase of heaven¡¯s proud daughter in this paragraph since it¡¯s not suitable for the line. So I changed the line a bit as one of the proud women who can lift her head up high. It¡¯s because everything she has gotten was not taken for granted because of her origin and such, but because of her efforts. Thus, it¡¯s fit better with her background and abilities also.

 Chapter 184

    Chapter 184: Fight


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Gu Yin¡¯s tutor could only say helplessly, ¡°Those child prodigies might be unable to do that, but Gu Yin is the exception. I¡¯ve been in the education world for more than 20 years and naturally, I also have seen quite a few gifted students. But even the smartest one is not one tenth of her.¡±


    ¡°Teacher Huang, you need not praise her. You need to be careful, lest she becomes prideful and complacent.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    Gu Yin replied with a grin, ¡°Master, I won¡¯t become arrogant and complacent!¡±


    Master?


    Surprised as he was, Chen Zhizhong spoke, ¡°Master, is she¡­ also a disciple you accepted?¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a nod, ¡°Yes, she¡¯s my direct disciple. You can call her Junior Sister later.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong furiously swallowed his saliva as he looked at Gu Yin with a shocked expression for a long while. When he acknowledged Tang Xiu as a Master, he didn¡¯t have any disciple at that time, but now he even had a Junior Sister? Also, he was well aware of the meaning behind ¡°direct disciple¡±.


    He was but only Tang Xiu¡¯s in-name disciple, while this little girl in front of Tang Xiu was a direct disciple. The difference in status was truly quite far!


    Hesitating for a moment, Chen Zhizhong watched Gu Yin as he then nodded at her and said, ¡°Junior Sister, we just met today for the first time. This Senior Brother didn¡¯t know about you before, so I didn¡¯t prepare any gifts for you. But I promise I¡¯ll give you a gift next time we meet to make up for this.¡±


    Gu Yin happily laugh and replied, ¡°Thanks, Senior Brother!¡±


    On the other hand, Ouyang Lulu looked at Tang Xiu with a peculiar expression and asked, ¡°Tang Xiu, you accepted so many apprentices, what kind of things are you teaching them?¡±


    ¡°Well, I have a lot of abilities. As long as I can teach those, then I¡¯ll teach it to them. Why? Do you also want to acknowledge me as a Master? But I have a very strict standard in accepting apprentices, so you must take the test.¡±


    ¡°Bah, only ghosts want to acknowledge you as a Master!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu snapped and rolled her eyes. However, she realized the moment after and quickly looked at Chen Zhizhong, saying, ¡°Mr. Chen¡­ about that, I didn¡¯t mean it. I¡¯m really mad and confused by this fellow, so I blurted out improper words. Please don¡¯t be offended by my words.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong shook his head whilst smiling. He watched Tang Xiu and Ouyang Lulu¡¯s expressions whilst feeling strange inside.


    The dinner had ended.


    Chen Zhizhong and the tutor then bade farewell and left. Ouyang Lulu didn¡¯t want to stay in the hotel, so Tang Xiu let Mu Qingping arrange a guest room for her. There were only him and Kang Xia in the living room as Tang Xiu then spoke to her, ¡°Come to my room! After Andy has arrived, I¡¯ll teach the both of you together.¡±


    Kang Xia looked at him with a limpid expression and slightly nodded.


    If it was another man wanting her to go to his room, she would definitely turn around. But it was different with Tang Xiu. She could see from his eyes and expression that there was not even a trace of feeling between man and woman. She was even quite angry inwardly, for she believed that she was very charming; but how come her charm had no effect on Tang Xiu?


    In the main room of the second floor¡­


    Kang Xia followed behind Tang Xiu. She looked at the room with astonishment. She thought that a man¡¯s room would be a mess, and it would be no different with pig¡¯s nest. But Tang Xiu¡¯s room was particularly clean and neat. The quilt was stacked very neatly, and all the things here were arranged in order.


    She could even smell a faint fragrance of Jasmine Flower!


    ¡°Take a seat here and call Andy asking where she is right now. I¡¯m gonna take a bath and change clothes first.¡± Tang Xiu spoke and pointed at the sofa in the corner.


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Kang Xia took out her mobile as she watched as Tang Xiu took out some clothes from the cloakroom and then walked into the bathroom. Then, she could clearly hear the sound of a door being locked from the inside.


    ¡°He locked the door¡­ from me?¡±


    An expression of being at a loss whether she had to be angry or amused was revealed on her face. More or less, she was also a femme fatale. If it was another man, perhaps they already couldn¡¯t hold the urge to quickly throw themselves at her. But her own Boss unexpectedly locked the door because of her? Was she a tigress? A hypersexual woman who was hungry for sex?


    Kang Xia shook her head and then dialed Andy¡¯s number.


    After knowing that Andy would arrive at South Gate Town ten minutes later, Kang Xia put her mobile back and carefully observed Tang Xiu¡¯s bedroom, as her eyes finally rested on his clean bed.


    A woman¡¯s inner heart truly was a seabed of needles.


    It was her first time entering Tang Xiu¡¯s bedroom. Curious as she was, she slowly walked to the bed and carefully swept over the bedding. The result made her satisfied that there was not even a trace of long hair belonging to women. She couldn¡¯t find any single short hair.


    ¡°He¡¯s really a good man who knows his place¡­ ah, no. He should be a good boy.¡±


    Kang Xia revealed a faint smile. Her eyes then landed on the photo frame on top of the bedside table. The picture on it was Tang Xiu with a middle-aged woman.


    ¡°Knock, knock¡­¡±


    The bedroom¡¯s door was knocked as Ouyang Lulu then walked inside. As she saw that Kang Xia was sitting on Tang Xiu¡¯s bedside whilst holding a photo frame, she suddenly frowned, showing a displeased expression. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, this should be Tang Xiu¡¯s room, so why are you here?¡±


    Feeling the cold remark from Ouyang Lulu, Kang Xia was also incensed and replied apathetically, ¡°You think I¡¯m not allowed here?¡±


    ¡°YOU¡­¡±


    Ouyang Lulu was angry. But she didn¡¯t know as for how should she refute it. After hesitating, she coldly snorted and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Tang Xiu? I want to ask him about something.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s taking a bath now.¡± Kang Xia pointed to the bathroom door and said.


    Ouyang Lulu stared in disbelief and stutteringly said, ¡°Y-you¡­ D-did you¡­¡±


    Kang Xia calmly said, ¡°Think whatever you want. But he¡¯s not a womanizer if you want to know. The bathroom¡¯s door is locked from the inside.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu shouted in anger, ¡°How the hell are you so shameless? Tang Xiu is your Boss, and you¡¯re his subordinate. Your thoughts are really immoral!¡±


    Intentionally showing an astonished expression, Kang Xia then asked, ¡°What is wrong with Boss and subordinate? You think that a Boss and his subordinate cannot stay together?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Ouyang Lulu was speechless.


    She had a good impression toward Tang Xiu. She also realized family¡¯s intentions, so she was always acting as though a delicate and dainty girl every time she faced Tang Xiu. But now, upon seeing Kang Xia¡¯s expression as well as her words, Ouyang Lulu suddenly felt that she was just like a wife that had her man being robbed by another woman. Wild and coarse as her nature was, her heart blazed. She directly kicked her slippers and jumped on Tang Xiu¡¯s bed- she even started drilling into the bed¡¯s quilt. Then, she raised her chin and snapped, ¡°IN NO WAY can be you together with him. Tang Xiu is my man! He won¡¯t be able to escape from me for the rest of his life. The one and only person he can keep in his bedroom is me!¡±


    Kang Xia, on the other hand, was also incensed. She originally didn¡¯t have any intention about this ¡°issue¡± toward Tang Xiu, but looking at the Ouyang Lulu¡¯s provocation, the reasoning in her also faded by half in this instant. She directly took off her coat and only wore a small tank top, saying, ¡°Then let¡¯s compete and see who can get him! Since you don¡¯t believe me, you wanna watch me go to the bathroom and have a happy bath together with him?¡±


    ¡°YOU DARE¡­¡±


    Ouyang Lulu instantly sat straight and glared furiously at Kang Xia.


    ¡°Click¡­¡±


    The bathroom¡¯s door was opened as Tang Xiu came out. A confused expression quickly appeared on his face upon seeing the two women inside his room.


    Within a split second, Kang Xia and Ouyang Lulu¡¯s faces turned crimson through and through; along with dense ashamed feelings, as though spring water rippling and gushing inside their hearts.


    It was truly embarrassing!


    The two women secretly regretted it. Regretting that they shouldn¡¯t have competed with each other.


    Ouyang Lulu lifted the quilt and jumped out of the bed. Trying hard to suppress the embarrassed feeling inwardly, she pretended to say in all seriousness, ¡°Uh, I tried whether your bed be comfortably slept on. Not bad. But the bed in the guest room is much better though.¡±


    Kang Xia picked up her coat and then awkwardly said, ¡°It¡¯s kinda hot here.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°I know, the weather is very hot now. You can find the A/C remote control in the bedside cabinet and turn on the A/C. Anyway, anything you need for coming to my bedroom, Lulu?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu glared at Kang Xia first and then replied, ¡°I need to talk to you about something.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Ouyang Lulu said, ¡°It¡¯s private. Kinda inconvenient with an outsider here.¡±


    With a surprised expression, Tang Xiu looked at her eyes. Then, he turned toward Kang Xia and said, ¡°Alright, Kang Xia, you go to my study room and wait for me there! There¡¯s a mannequin on the table, and there are some clear marks on top of it. Memorize those acupoints, and if Andy arrives, tell her to memorize it also.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Kang Xia gave supercilious looks toward Ouyang Lulu and casually walked out.


    Ouyang Lulu asked quizzically, ¡°Tang Xiu, what did you tell her to look at a mannequin for? Why did you tell her to memorize the marks? I know you¡¯re a Chinese Medicine doctor. Is that woman surnamed Kang got a strange disease or something? So she needs your treatment? Also, you mentioned about another one, Andy. Who is she?¡±


    Tang Xiu knitted his brows. After pondering for a moment, he then told a lie, ¡°Kang Xia has been working days and nights. She¡¯s very busy managing the business- her health condition is indeed not quite good. So it¡¯s nothing wrong to give her the treatment. As for Andy, she¡¯s also one of the top management in the company. She also needs to recuperate her body.¡±


    Suddenly, a smile emerged on Ouyang Lulu¡¯s face as she said, ¡°So you let Kang Xia wait in your room because you will treat her?¡±


    ¡°Of course, what else did you think I¡¯d do?¡± Tang Xiu replied.


    Ouyang Lulu waved her hands over and over, and then said with a smile, ¡°I thought that she wanted to seduce you! It seems I was worried for nothing.¡±


    ¡°Huh? She won¡¯t do that. And why should you worry that she will seduce me? Just hurry up! What did you want to speak to me about?¡±


    _PIG HEADED! STUPID!_


    The instant Ouyang Lulu said it, she secretly regretted it. But as dumbfounded as she was, Tang Xiu was even more unable to figure out the meaning behind her words.


    She had seen unromantic and insensitive men, such as those in the TV series. But a dense man such as Tang Xiu was really one of a kind.


    _¡°¡­ Is he¡­ have he still not developed it yet?¡±_


    Ouyang Lulu couldn¡¯t help but glance at a certain spot on Tang Xiu¡¯s body. Her mouth couldn¡¯t bear to twitch a few times. Aware that Tang Xiu was watching her, she quickly tossed away the ¡°wretched thoughts¡± and said with a smile, ¡°Uh, actually, it¡¯s not a big deal. I just want to ask whether you have the time to go with me to Jingmen Island.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡± Tang Xiu asked with a confused expression.


    ¡°My parents want you to visit our family. So they asked me to invite you.¡± Ouyang Lulu said.


    After involuntarily laughing, Tang Xiu then said, ¡°Are you sick? I¡¯m a Chinese Medicine doctor, I can treat you. Why would your parents be that good to invite me? I don¡¯t know them.¡±


    Before she went to Star City, Ouyang Lulu had long prepared a good reason for this, so she replied with a smile, ¡°Have you forgotten what had happened in the KTV before? Had you not come in time to rescue me from those bad guys, perhaps, I wouldn¡¯t be able to protect my chastity and dignity. So my parents want to thank you for this directly.¡±

 Chapter 185

    Chapter 185: Genuine and Honest Thoughts


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°That¡¯s already in the past, but thanks anyway. Also, I don¡¯t have much time, and in the near future¡­¡±


    He suddenly stopped talking.


    Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s pale face as though paper, suddenly appeared inside his mind and pained his heart. After being silent for a moment, he changed the subject. ¡°In the near future I will go to Jiangmen Island. But I¡¯ll have to squeeze some time for it. Anyway, we¡¯ll talk about this later, after the time comes.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu, who previously thought that Tang Xiu would refuse, suddenly showed a happy smile upon hearing the following reply. ¡°Okay then! We¡¯ll go to Jingmen Island tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t have time tomorrow. Wait for a few days. If you have nothing else to do here, go back first. After I find some time I¡¯ll contact you when I¡¯ve arrived in Jingmen Island.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Ouyang Lulu replied, ¡°Ah, the reason why I came to Star City is to take you there, to begin with. If you don¡¯t want to go tomorrow, then I¡¯ll stay in Star City and wait for you. Besides, it¡¯s not like I have nothing to do in Star City.¡±


    ¡°Eh? You got something to do here?¡± Tang Xiu asked in surprise.


    Ouyang Lulu raised her small face and proudly said, ¡°Did you forget that Long Zhengyu and I have a joint venture for the project? I heard that recently Long Zhengyu has been trying to buyout some plot of lands around the building. Surely I¡¯ll involve myself in this. Besides, I delegated the management for Paradise Club to my subordinate, since I also want to have my own legal business. So, I have to consider the site for the business and also the concrete preparations.¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re really a rich young woman. You need not worry though! I assure you that cooperating with Long Zhengyu will only give you profit, you won¡¯t have any losses.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so confident?¡± Ouyang Lulu asked with a smile.


    Tang Xiu replied, ¡°Don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m the one who drew the blueprint design for the building as well as the business district and residential area in the surrounding! If those buildings cannot become the landmark of Star City, I won¡¯t have the face to receive that promised 10% share from this project.¡±


    Immediately after¡­


    Tang Xiu sent off Ouyang Lulu to the guest room to rest, as he then headed toward the living room in the first floor. From Mu Qingping, he found that Andy had arrived and was in the study room with Kang Xia. He didn¡¯t hurry to see them, but headed to the storehouse. Chu Yi had found a batch of precious medicinal herbs for him, so he needed to look at their grade.


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu was standing in the storehouse with a satisfied smile. The medicinal herbs Chu Yi had helped him to find were truly good. A lot of them were wild herbs, and the ages were also satisfactory. With these batches of herbs, it was sufficient for his cultivation in the Skin Strengthening Stage, and even enough for the Flesh Strengthening Stage.


    ¡°I have to cultivate and reach the peak of Skin Strengthening Stage as soon as possible. I¡¯ll have to register to the university before September 1st, so I have to break through from this stage to the Flesh Strengthening Stage.¡±


    A resolute expression was revealed in his eyes after he looked at these herbs.


    In his mind, he could refine several concocted pills from these. The pills won¡¯t have much effect for his cultivation, but rather will give him a very strong foundation, solidifying his spirit and body. Thus, he wanted to break through from the Skin Strengthening Stage to the Flesh Strengthening Stage earlier. However, he also needed to find a place with rich spiritual qi, so it would be easier to absorb the force from the stars.


    Not only did spiritual qi act as a medium for Star Force, but it could also be fused within. The more solid his spiritual qi, the smoother and easier the absorption of Star Force would be. Also, spiritual qi would bring a good effect on him. It would nourish his internal organs, to be fused with his Star Force and speed up his cultivation practice. However, the efficacy of concocted pills wouldn¡¯t give much effect to his cultivation, it would benefit his body. The stronger his body, the faster he would be able to absorb the force of the stars.


    After leaving the storehouse, Tang Xiu returned to the second floor and went straight to the study room. As he saw Kang Xia and Andy seriously trying to identify and memorize the acupoints on the mannequin, he asked them, ¡°How is it? Have you looked at it?¡±


    Kang Xia turned and smiled, ¡°Boss, there are too many acupoints in the human body. Even if you give us a few days more, I don¡¯t think we can identify them completely. Besides, we only just tried it a moment ago.¡±


    ¡°Come, I¡¯ll teach you then! The cultivation technique I¡¯m about to teach you would only need to pass through a few meridian channels. All in all, it would be 108 channels only. These 108 points in a whole are called as the Great Heavenly Circuit, while the smaller ones that branches out of it is called as the Lesser Heavenly Circuit. I¡¯ll explain these to you in detail when I have the time later.¡±


    Two hours later¡­


    Tang Xiu taught the two women about the acupoints as well as the cultivation technique. Certainly, the both of them became the human body models, as his finger touched their bodies¡¯ acupoints many times. There were also some points located on some sensitive spots of their bodies, but Tang Xiu didn¡¯t stop because of it- there was not the slightest ripple in his heart. As for Kang Xia and Andy, these two couldn¡¯t help but blush and tremble for numerous times while in the learning process.


    ¡°Alright. Both of you put away those dirty thoughts and follow the meridian channels according to the cultivation technique I¡¯ve taught you. Slowly and quietly let it wander and float in your chest. Keep this in mind. Imagine that you¡¯ve already produced this qi and now are going to induce and sense its flow. After you can control and sense the qi flow, circulate it slowly everywhere according to the route in the cultivation technique.¡±


    Dirty thoughts?


    Kang Xia and Andy glanced at each other. This remark caused them to be at a loss whether they had to laugh or cry inside. They couldn¡¯t help but roll their eyes. Their bodies were constantly being stroked as well as ignited them. And the one who did that was also a grownup man. How would they possibly not feel embarrassed? Who wouldn¡¯t have ¡®ideas¡¯ when those spots were being stroked?


    However, these two women also perfectly realized that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t have such thoughts toward them. Otherwise, they would have left full of anger already.


    In accordance with the instructions given by the cultivation technique, the two women slowly imagined it. After a full of ten minutes, they opened their eyes at the same time as they turned toward Tang Xiu and nodded.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Keep in mind these meridian channels. Later on, practice it at least ten times a day. Also, since the two of you are still unable to sense your qi; therefore, I¡¯ll have to teach you the method as for how to perceive and sense it first. Only then will you try to control it again. According to your aptitudes, it would take perhaps two to three months at least, before you¡¯re able to perceive the existence of qi.¡±


    ¡°Two or three months?¡± The two women exclaimed.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°What? Are you not determined enough? Alright, I¡¯ll tell you this. If you can¡¯t persevere, you¡¯ll only be an average person in the future. You must have the dream to achieve the Dao and become an Immortal first at least. Only from then on will you be able to reach an end.¡±


    Kang Xia and Andy looked at each other. Both of them especially had firm determination, to begin with, so they gave their assurance in unison, ¡°You can be certain that we will get through this.¡±


    Tang Xiu replied, ¡°This is your matter either way. I¡¯ve taught you the cultivation technique as well as instructed you. So I hope that you two would really be able to become my right hands later. Therefore, the final result will be depend on your efforts and good fortunes only. Ah, right, it¡¯s already quite late, so you should go back now.¡±


    With a smile that was yet unlike one, Kang Xia said, ¡°Eh, Boss, you don¡¯t want us to stay overnight here?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°You have your own place, why should you stay here for? Go home. Besides, we all have things to do tomorrow.¡±


    Kang Xia replied with some dissatisfaction, ¡°Boss, are our charms really unable to make you interested? Could it be that these two great beauties are unable to make you aroused or moved?¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a confused expression, ¡°Why would I have to be aroused? I admit that the two of you are very attractive, but what I need are subordinates, not women to warm my bed! Anyway, it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t let your minds run wild. If such thoughts control your mind over and over, how will you be able to help me make money?¡±


    ¡°Boss, are you telling me that we¡¯re just tools for you to make money?¡± Kang Xia angrily spoke.


    Andy also spoke resentfully, ¡°Boss! Men can¡¯t wait to pull us to their bed when they see us. But you, how come you¡¯re like¡­ a stone? Yes¡­ you¡¯re just like a stone!¡±


    Tang Xiu calmly said, ¡°No, I have never thought of you as tools to make money. But I regard you as my subordinates, my own people. I do need a woman, but not now. In the future, maybe I¡¯ll find a woman for myself, a woman that¡¯s nice to look at for me to marry. But that would only be to fulfill my mother¡¯s wish and to carry on the family line. But don¡¯t talk to me about feelings and love, for I don¡¯t need it.¡±


    Listening to Tang Xiu¡¯s reasoning fallacy, Kang Xia refuted with unfathomable disbelief, ¡°You don¡¯t want to talk about affections and feelings. But then, what would be that marriage for? Even if you want descendants to carry on the family line, it mustn¡¯t be like this, no? It should be perfectly justified, right and proper. How come you¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu apathetically said, ¡°In the future, fidelity and chaste love will fade away and then disappeared along with time¨Ceven soulmates most intimate with each other will betray the other. I need a woman. But love¡­ I don¡¯t need it. And if I don¡¯t accidentally die, my lifespan will be very long. In the long years of life, having a woman at my side will mean nothing but trouble.¡±


    Kang Xia and Andy looked at each other in dismay.


    The two of them were exceptionally intelligent. Even though they had never been in love before, but it didn¡¯t mean that they never heard nor were unable to understand it. They were acutely aware of something. Tang Xiu seemed to have been hurt by a woman, for which the wound and pain inside his heart were way too dark and deep.


    Who was she?


    And judging from Tang Xiu¡¯s age, shouldn¡¯t he¡­?


    Suddenly, Andy showed a smiling expression as she looked up and stare at him, saying, ¡°Boss, do you see me as a woman who¡¯s nice to look at?¡±


    Tang Xiu stared blankly. Even Kang Xia couldn¡¯t help but have a strange expression.


    ¡°You look good!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Andy said with a grin, ¡°Boss, since you see me as pleasing to the eye, if you wish to find a woman who will give you a child in the future, then find me, okay! Although I¡¯m much shorter than Big Sis Kang Xia, I¡¯m very cute and lovable. So I believe the child we¡¯ve should also be very cute. Our little baby.¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°Before I graduate from college, I don¡¯t wanna talk about this. Anyways, you¡¯d better hurry! I also have to rest early.¡±


    Shortly after¡­


    Kang Xia and Andy left South Gate Town after Tang Xiu drove them away. He didn¡¯t take the jokes from the two women seriously. But what he had said was the true feeling from his soul. He didn¡¯t dare to invest any affection whatsoever regarding women, for the betrayal he suffered was something he never wanted to experience again, ever.


    In the first floor corridor¡­


    Ouyang Lulu was standing before the window, watching Kang Xia and Andy through the curtain as they walked to the courtyard. Looking at them, they boarded a Lamborghini and quickly left. Only after they left did she finally relax.


    She was quite shocked after seeing Andy¡¯s delicate and lovely looks. But she was also startled upon seeing as how Tang Xiu was still able to control himself. She had never thought that Tang Xiu would be able to stay firm and not succumb to the beauties, Kang Xia and Andy¡¯s temptation. He even asked them to leave later on.


    However, she was really satisfied and very happy inside.


    _¡°Damnit. How come I let my imagination run wild? Tang Xiu is very good, but he¡¯s a few years younger than me. If I ever marry him in the future, it would also be a few years later. Bah, pooh!¡­ What the hell is going on with me? Why do I want to marry him¡­¡±_

 Chapter 186

    Chapter 186: Telling the Truth


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The wisp light of dawn shined from the East horizon.


    Tang Xiu got up early since he had planned to go to a driving school today, and then went to see his mother to tell her about his matter. He believed that because of his excellence, his mother would accept it, albeit requiring a little persuading. But as time passed, she would feel happy for having a good and outstanding son.


    After eating breakfast, he left the villa and walked toward the villa complex¡¯s entrance. After nodding and greeting the two security guards, he walked to the sidewalk and calmly waited for a taxi.


    ¡°Honk honk¡­¡±


    A car¡¯s horn sounded.


    Tang Xiu looked at the Porsche Supercar and saw Long Xueyao on the driver¡¯s seat. Then, he immediately said with a smile, ¡°Are you going out too?¡±


    ¡°Yup, gotta take care of something. Anyway, where¡¯re you heading? Want a ride?¡° Long Xueyao replied and asked with a smile.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°No need. You already have something to do. Besides, I¡¯m just going to find a driving school and use this summer vacation taking the driving license test.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. My matter it¡¯s not that urgent. Besides, there are few taxis passing in this area. If you wanna catch a cab this early, you¡¯ll have to walk about a kilometer to the commercial street. Come onboard! There¡¯s a big driving school nearby the place I¡¯m heading. It¡¯s a good one, too.¡± Long Xueyao said with a smile.


    Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°The Tax Bureau.¡± Long Xueyao said.


    Tang Xiu nodded, opened the door and sat on the co-pilot¡¯s seat. A fragrance smelling of jasmine floated inside as the interior was lovely decorated. Then, he said, ¡°I know that your family name is Long, but I never thought that you¡¯re actually Zhengyu¡¯s cousin. I only just heard it from him two days ago when we were drinking.¡±


    Long Xueyao started the car. Whilst driving with one hand, she said with a smile ¡°I thought you already knew! By the way, if you need a driver license, I have a way to help you get one directly. So you needn¡¯t go there every day.¡±


    ¡°Eh? This could be done through the back door also?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised.


    Immediately, Long Xueyao couldn¡¯t help laughing, saying, ¡°What back door? It¡¯s just that you needn¡¯t go to the course everyday and can directly take the exam. If you feel that you can¡¯t pass, you can have someone else take the exam on your behalf. As long as there¡¯s some incentive, the official examiner will turn a blind eye.¡±


    _¡°As always, it¡¯s the sinful, money-oriented society!¡±_


    Tang Xiu shook his head with a sigh before he said, ¡°If so, then I¡¯ll have to trouble you to find someone! Well, consider it as me owing you a favor for this one. To be honest, I really have a lot of things to do in this summer break, so I don¡¯t have much time for studying.¡±


    Long Xueyao said with a smile, ¡°No prob. Anyhow, we¡¯ll go to another driving school. I have an acquaintance there.¡±


    ¡°As you wish!¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with a nod.


    Half an hour later.


    Tang Xiu and Long Xueyao came out from the driving school. After he paid the registration fee, Long Xueyao helped him find the driving school¡¯s principal. Now, for the following activities, he wouldn¡¯t need to take the classes and the driving school would inform him the date of the exam later.


    ¡°Everything¡¯s done, all thanks to you. If you got time later, I¡¯ll treat you to a meal!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Long Xueyao replied with a tender smile, ¡°You¡¯re my cousin¡¯s friend, so you needn¡¯t be that polite with me. But since I¡¯m quite free these days, I¡¯ll take the offer.¡±


    Tang Xiu pondered a moment, and then said, ¡°Alright then, how about tomorrow? I¡¯ll call you by then.¡±


    Long Xueyao picked up the phone, saying, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll wait for your call.¡±


    Tang Xiu saved her cell number. After getting a taxi in front of the driving school¡¯s entrance, he rushed to his family¡¯s restaurant, since he calculated that his mother should also have arrived there.


    As he had expected, he saw his mother and several waiters placing tables and chairs when he arrived. He felt quite happy as he saw them chat and laugh.


    ¡°Mom¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu called out.


    Su Lingyun turned around and was pleasantly surprised upon seeing him, ¡°Xiu¡¯er! You¡¯re finally back! How was it? Had a good time travelling?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Well, it was good. Mom, let Banshou take care of the restaurant today! I wanna take you to a place today.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯re you gonna take me?¡± Su Lingyun asked with a confused expression.


    Tang Xiu said with a faint smile, ¡°Well, weren¡¯t you puzzled by why I became quite mysterious recently? I¡¯ll tell you everything today!¡±


    Su Lingyun hesitated for a moment as she nodded and said, ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡±


    At South Gate Town.


    As Tang Xiu and Su Lingyun got off from the taxi, she looked at the front entrance of South Gate Town and said with a somewhat timid expression, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, why did you brought me here? I know this place. This is South Gate Town. And from the ads, I know this place is the most high-end villa complex, where only the powerful and rich can live. Just look at the security guards at the entrance, they¡¯re just like the police standing guard there. Let¡¯s leave before they get rid of us.¡±


    Tang Xiu only smiled as he pulled Su Lingyun toward the entrance.


    The two security guards saluted Tang Xiu. The other two security guards inside the post also stood up upon seeing him.


    Su Lingyun looked at them with astonishment, as she then asked with curiosity, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, looking at their appearance, they seem to know you? You¡¯ve been here before?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Mom. I¡¯ve been living here for a while. Come on! I know you¡¯re very surprised inside. Wait until we arrive home. I¡¯ll tell you about everything.¡±


    Owing a house here?


    Su Lingyun was quite scared upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s reply.


    If they bought a house here, how much would it cost?


    Along the way.


    The security patrols unceasingly saluted Tang Xiu and Su Lingyun- even the employees of the Property Management Complex also greeted Tang Xiu respectfully. Su Lingyun, who had never seen such a scene, was shocked as though in a trance. Only after she and Tang Xiu arrived in front of the villa¡¯s entrance did she sober up, as though waking up from a dream.


    Looking at the grand and beautiful villa that stood magnificently in an excellent location, Su Lingyun subconsciously grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s arm and whispered, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, you wouldn¡¯t be joking with Mom, right? Even when your uncle was still rich he couldn¡¯t afford such a big villa!¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Mom, let¡¯s go inside, then you¡¯ll know understand everything.¡±


    Tang Xiu took her through the villa¡¯s door and went straight to the hall. He saw Mu Qingping ready to go out as he called her and said, ¡°Big Sis Mu, this is my mother, it¡¯s her first time coming here. Mom, she¡¯s Big Sis Mu, our housekeeper. And her daughter is my apprentice.¡±


    Housekeeper? Apprentice?


    Su Lingyun was stunned. She had been working for her entire life, but she could never afford a housekeeper. And¡­ what was this apprentice about?


    Mu Qingping looked at Su Lingyun for a while as she said with a smile, ¡°Hello. I¡¯ve seen your photo in Tang Xiu¡¯s bedroom. Anyway, you can call me Little Ping.¡±


    Due to their age, Mu Qingping didn¡¯t know how to address Su Lingyun. After all, Su Lingyun was much younger than her, at least 10 years. Her daughter was Tang Xiu¡¯s apprentice. So, if she called her Big Sister, she missed the rank by a generation. And if she called her Aunt, it was definitely improper.


    Su Lingyun stared at Mu Qingping blankly before turning to Tang Xiu. Only after a long while was she able to speak, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, Mom still can¡¯t understand everything. Tell me everything. What is all this about in the end?¡±


    Tang Xiu led her for a tour of the villa before bringing her back to the living room. After sitting down, he said, ¡°Mom. Recently, I wasn¡¯t just spending my time only studying. I also did some business. Firstly, you don¡¯t need to be mad and worried. The College Entrance Test is already over, and I assure you that this won¡¯t disturb my studies.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re doing a business? What business? Xiu¡¯er, you mustn¡¯t do anything against the law!¡± Su Lingyun was astounded.


    Tang Xiu let out a wry smile and said, ¡°Mom, what kind of person do you see me as? I have a lot of businesses, for instance: cosmetics and healthcare products. As the capital for the investment, I¡¯m also drawing architectural designs for others. I know that I¡¯ve been hiding the truth from you and you¡¯re afraid, worrying about my study. I assure you that once the result of the College Entrance Test has been announced, I¡¯m sure that I¡¯ll eligible to enroll in a top university.¡±


    Su Lingyun was confused, ¡°You also draw architectural designs? How don¡¯t I know about this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an after-school hobby, Mom. Just like how I know about Chinese medicine as well.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Su Lingyun was silent. She still couldn¡¯t fathom what her son had done, for her experience couldn¡¯t afford it. After a long while, she looked at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Son, with this business of yours, you can afford to buy a villa in South Gate Town. How much money do you have now?¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t buy this villa. I helped my friend solving a big matter, so he gave me this villa! As for the sum of money I currently have, I don¡¯t know at the top of my head. But I estimate that I¡¯ve at least have several hundred million yuan.¡±


    ¡°How much?¡±


    Su Lingyun jumped up from the sofa as she called out in alarm and disbelief.


    ¡°At least several hundred million.¡± Tang Xiu replied.


    Su Lingyun swallowed a mouthful of saliva. She was truly shocked upon hearing such astronomical number. Even if her restaurant was very good and had a daily income of nearly ten thousand yuan; however, compared to several hundred million, it was just like comparing the day and night!


    Tang Xiu continued with a smile, ¡°Mom, we no longer have to worry about money anymore. I have grown up. Not only can I finish my studies with excellent results, I¡¯m even able to create an enterprise. If you don¡¯t want to manage the restaurant anymore, you can sell it. But it¡¯s also fine if you want to continue managing it. In short, you can live however you wish. I only hope that you can live a well-off, good and happy life in the future.¡±


    Su Lingyun looked dazed as she looked at Tang Xiu. She suddenly realized that her son truly had grown up and no longer needed her protection. He now truly had the ability to support and take care of himself.


    ¡°Woo, woo, sob¡­¡±


    Sitting on living room¡¯s sofa, Su Lingyun was holding her arms, crying. She recalled her husband, reminiscing the bitter life they had gone through all these years, the grievances¡­


    ¡°Mom¡­¡±


    Just as Tang Xiu was about to speak, Mu Qingping stopped him.


    Mu Qingping then sat down beside Su Lingyun. She held Su Lingyun as she said in a low voice, ¡°I, more or less, understand the situation in your family. I also know that you and I are the same. We¡¯re mothers who brought up our children alone. I know the sadness and loneliness which only mothers like us feel. I also understand why you¡¯re crying. As a mother, you¡¯re very happy to see your child having such a good life. But in front of our child, we should smile, we shouldn¡¯t cry. Besides, it¡¯s a big event, we should celebrate. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±

 Chapter 187

    Chapter 187: The Closed Down Winery


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Su Lingyun looked up with dim and teary eyes as she nodded repeatedly. A mother¡¯s love was as like a mountain. Which mother who didn¡¯t hope for their children to have a successful life when they grow up? Each and every one of them would look forward to their children¡¯s achievements in the future. And today, despite his young age, her son even had laid down a career for which an average person couldn¡¯t achieve for a lifetime, causing her to feel so happy and sweet inside.


    ¡°You¡¯re right!¡±


    Su Lingyun wiped away her tears. She looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, Mom is very proud of you.¡±


    Tang Xiu cast a grateful look toward Mu Qingping before he replied with a smile, ¡°Mom, I¡¯m also very proud of you.¡±


    The entire morning was spent with Tang Xiu accompanying Su Lingyun, telling her as to why he hid things from her. However, he still hid the matter of his return from the Immortal World as well as his Immortal cultivator identity. He didn¡¯t dare to reveal the total assets he had, much less about Immortal matters.


    He also hadn¡¯t estimated the wealth he had before. And now, as he recalled, even the value of the isolated island in the Pacific Ocean was around 2-3 billion yuan.


    Shortly before noon¡­


    Tang Xiu had lunch with Su Lingyun. Looking at Su Lingyun doting on Gu Yin, he smiled and said, ¡°Mom, have you decided to move in with me? If you don¡¯t want to sell our old house, it¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll still take care of the house later. Also, if you don¡¯t want to take the test for a driver license, I¡¯ll help you find a driver so you can have someone to send and pick you up to work every day.¡±


    Su Lingyun shook her head and said, ¡°No, I¡¯m used to live there. I definitely won¡¯t be able to get used to living here! Son, I won¡¯t move for now. Only after you¡¯ve enrolled in the university will I consider moving! Later on, if you still want to live here, you can. But if you want to, you can also stay there. It¡¯s just that the restaurant is much closer from there, so I won¡¯t need to take a driver license test or look for a driver.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to go against his mother¡¯s will, but he was also quite reluctant to let her live in their previous house. After hesitating for a while, he then slowly said, ¡°It¡¯s alright! I¡¯ll arrange a room for you here. So you can come and stay here at any time you want.¡±


    In the afternoon, he sent Su Lingyun back to the restaurant. When he looked at her smiling face before leaving, she looked several years younger, causing his heart to be particularly satisfied.


    Tang Xiu arrived at the hotel where Scarblade Qiang was staying and just happened to see Kang Xia also arriving.


    ¡°I just called you about ten minutes ago, how can you be here so soon?¡± Tang Xiu asked with a smile.


    Kang Xia replied, ¡°I just happened to be working on something in the vicinity when you called. Anyway, Boss, this manager you¡¯ve found for the winery, on what basis did you pick him?¡±


    Tang Xiu himself had heard directly from Scarblade Qiang. After telling everything from the beginning, he finally said, ¡°He can change his way and turn a new leaf in life. He¡¯s a real man. Thus, when I knew that he was also skilled in winemaking, I gave him a chance. If he¡¯s able to grasp this chance, naturally, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to have a rapid advancement in life. If he can¡¯t fully utilize this chance and his performance is bad, you, as his direct superior, have the right to dismiss him directly.¡±


    Kang Xia said with a smile, ¡°Since you gave me the rights and privileges, I¡¯m very relieved. Ah, right. I¡¯ve looked over some information this morning about some wineries in Star City. I think one of them is quite good, but I haven¡¯t had the time to have a thorough investigation as well as going to the site. But this winery is going to be closed down soon, so if we can have a buyout for it, it will save us quite the trouble.¡±


    ¡°You and Scarblade Qiang take care of this matter. I have very important things to take care in the next few days, so I can¡¯t be bothered with the setting of the winery as well as managing the business. If you¡¯re short on money, give me a call, and I¡¯ll find some way to work it out.¡±


    Kang Xia let out a tender smile and said, ¡°I won¡¯t need the funds for some time. But you truly have the ability, Boss. I can see that you actually don¡¯t even need me to run the company since you can think of a way to when we¡¯re short on money. You can even get quite a lot of it.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°No, I¡¯ll need quite a huge sum of money. Let alone a billion, even tens of billions yuan won¡¯t be enough for me! In short, I have to make money as much as possible since it would greatly affect my cultivation practice.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re thinking up of every possible means to make money only for your cultivation later?¡± Kang Xia was astounded.


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Yes, my cultivation speed will be faster when I have enough resources. I¡¯m now in a dire need of cultivation resources. Fortunately, my cultivation level isn¡¯t yet high for now, I can barely gather it up. But after my cultivation realm has reached higher levels, the resources I¡¯ll need will increase. So, without huge financial support, it will be difficult to speed up my cultivation.¡±


    ¡°Okay then, I¡¯ll work hard.¡± Kang Xia nodded and said.


    ¡°I believe you!¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a confident smile.


    With a confused expression, Kang Xia asked, ¡°Why do you have so much confidence in me?¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with a smile, ¡°Of course I do. You¡¯re helping me make money. For that, I even gave you the shares as well as urged you to start cultivating. So naturally you¡¯ll also need a lot of resources. If you want to become stronger, you must have massive cultivation resources, which in turn, we also have to make money faster.¡±


    Kang Xia couldn¡¯t help but feel at a loss whether she had to be amused or cry as she said, ¡°So you taught me a cultivation technique, just for that purpose? Aii, you truly boarded me on a pirate ship.¡±


    Tang Xiu teased her, ¡°But still, you have the opportunity to disembark.¡±


    Kang Xia firmly shook her head and replied, ¡°No, disembarking will not prevent me from dying. I want to be the celestial being as in fables!¡±


    Tang Xiu called Scarblade Qiang in the lobby¡¯s hall, telling him that he was waiting for him there. Shortly after, Scarblade Qiang had rushed down from upstairs. However, when he saw Kang Xia, he fell into a daze once again upon seeing such a beauty. He was as though someone who was having a hard time as he looked at her foolishly. Only after a while did he finally recover with an embarrassed and awkward expression.


    ¡°She¡¯s Kang Xia, the General Manager of my company. She¡¯ll be your direct superior. Do bear in mind that her words will be my words. And she will delegate every task on my behalf. If your performance isn¡¯t good enough or she¡¯s not satisfied with your work, she has the right to dismiss you.¡±


    Everyone loves beauties, even heroes would find it difficult to pass through them. Scarblade Qian was enchanted by Kang Xia¡¯s beauty, but Tang Xiu didn¡¯t bother to care about it. He only told him about Kang Xia¡¯s identity with a tone of warning in his words.


    Scarblade Qiang¡¯s face turned solemn as he said seriously, ¡°Worry not, Boss. Since you gave the chance and brought me here from a faraway place, I assure you that I won¡¯t make you lose face.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Kang Xia, we¡¯ll go to the winery you told me! If it¡¯s really good and we can buy it with a low price, then we¡¯ll set up our winery there. As for the recipe, I¡¯ll tell Scarblade Qiang directly. I¡¯ll buy the machinery for wine production after the site has been determined.¡±


    Kang Xia asked, ¡°Boss, have you considered about the sales aspect for the wines we¡¯re going to produce?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll take the same route with our cosmetics and healthcare products. Open our exclusive chain stores in each city and take the high-end line. As for the price per bottle, it must be set at above five digits.¡±


    Kang Xia exclaimed, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be too high a price?¡±


    Tang Xiu replied confidently, ¡°It won¡¯t be. You¡¯ll find out later.¡±


    At present¡­


    Kang Xia was not driving her Lamborghini, but a Mercedes-Benz, while Scarblade Qiang acted as a driver, causing the latter to smile wryly inside.


    Cistern Mire Winery.


    It was an old winery in Star City, and was a state-owned enterprise. Because of the poor management, it was sold to the private sector by the government. The winery was located in the Old Riverstreet District. Except for the recycling center in the vicinity, the surrounding itself was a cropland, while the road leading this place was supposed to head to this winery.


    After the Mercedes-Benz parked in front of the winery, they got off from the car and walked toward the door.


    ¡°It¡¯s locked?¡±


    After looking at the big rusty iron lock, he looked at Kang Xia with a confused expression.


    Kang Xia¡¯s brows also deeply wrinkled as she said with a puzzled expression, ¡°I found about this winery from the Internet and haven¡¯t investigated this site before. So I don¡¯t know much about the situation. Should we find someone to inquire about it?¡±


    The exact moment she said that, a plump-bellied old man wearing big pants and a singlet, was taking a stroll whilst carrying a big pipe. Kang Xia quickly walked toward him and asked, ¡°Uncle, do you know why this Cistern Mire Winery is locked?¡±


    The old man stopped walking. He glanced at the Kang Xia trio a few times before snappily replying, ¡°What other reason can it be. That wretched boss pocketed the worker¡¯s wages and even made bad wines. So the business was just dumped. This old man was a guard here before, and he still owes me almost half a year¡¯s wage!¡±


    ¡°Since the winery has been closed, then, who¡¯s the owner now?¡± Kang Xia asked with a puzzled expression.


    The old man let out a curse, ¡°That bastard ran away! He was so much drowned in debt that, before he ran away, someone killed! The government has taken over the winery, but only God knows when someone will buy this winery.¡±


    Kang Xia was surprised. ¡°The government has taken the winery back? Was it because the last owner owed the government?¡±


    The old man said, ¡°The last winery¡¯s owner evaded tax, to begin with. After he went bankrupt, only then the government found about it, so the authorities confiscated it. Ah right, what¡¯s your business here?¡±


    Kang Xia said, ¡°We¡¯re investigating the situation with this winery since we¡¯re planning to invest in the liquor business. So we¡¯re taking a look at this Cistern Mire Winery! But we didn¡¯t expect that everything to be gone when we came here. Anyways, thanks for telling us, Uncle.¡±


    The Old Man waved his hand and took his big pipe away.


    Kang Xia then looked at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Well, what should we do now, Boss? Shall we negotiate with the government?¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Yes, negotiate with the government and try to buy this winery under the market price. If your personal network is not enough, contact Long Zhengyu. He¡¯s the local boss here. It would be wasteful if I can¡¯t use this resource.¡±


    Kang Xia covered her mouth as she laughed and replied, ¡°Hahaha. To think that Long Zhengyu would have such a friend. It¡¯s truly his bad luck! But what you said makes sense. I¡¯ll call him now and try to buy this winery at the lowest price. However, this winery is very old, and even though it¡¯s very large, it¡¯s quite dilapidated. I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to renovate and even rebuild it if we¡¯re going to use it.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Then push the reconstruction for the site! Use everything remaining that can still be used and deal with the rest that can¡¯t be recovered! After everything has been completed, we¡¯ll think about the issue with the wine sales later.¡±

 Chapter 188

    Chapter 188: Crisis¡¯ Foreboding


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t bother himself with the winery issue. However, he had bought a number of materials to make wine in the storehouse. His winemaking method was very special since he used a lot of herbs and fruits aside the grains. But the main problem in brewing wines, was time. It took at least several days only to ferment the grain, making the fruit into jams and boiling the herbs before the truly good wines could be brewed


    However, after everything had been bought, he realized that he had no money left. The first day he got the 2.5 billion, he paid the 2 billion debt to Chen Zhizhong and gave 300 million yuan to Kang Xia, while the remaining 200 million was given to Chu Yi to pay the medicinal herbs he bought.


    ¡°I have to think of a means to raise money!¡±


    The early work for winemaking had been completed. Tang Xiu was standing in the storehouse, thinking with a helpless expression. Recently, he had to take care of a lot of things, but each and every matter needed money. He had the thought of selling a cultivation practice, but he also had dug out nearly all the money Shao Mingzhen and Miao Wentang had. Even if he wanted to sell it, he couldn¡¯t find a suitable buyer. The other cultivator he knew was Dao Master Ziyi, but he was a penniless Daoist- even if he sacrificed everything, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t know as for how much money he could squeeze out!


    Borrow some money?


    The thought popped up inside Tang Xiu¡¯s mind, but he straightly tossed it away.


    ¡°Knock, knock¡­¡±


    The storehouse¡¯s door was knocked as Gu Yin came inside with an anticipating expression. She looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Master, Yinyin needs a tutorial and a working note book, so I need to go out to buy them. But Mom is still attending her course class and has no time to accompany me. Could you go with me to the stationery shop?¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll go now.¡±


    He had no money right now, but it was enough to buy tutorial and homework books. Also, Gu Yin¡¯s study was important, while he was also waiting for the fermentation process to be finished. Temporarily, he couldn¡¯t continue the winemaking process, so he had nothing to do for now.


    Tang Xiu left South Gate Town along with Gu Yi. Just as he came out of the villa complex¡¯s entrance, his keen sense perceived a menacing feeling. The feeling gave him a kind of faint restlessness. It was as if there was a pair of eyes that was tightly locked and staring at him from a dark corner.


    _¡°Have I offended anyone recently?¡±_


    Tang Xiu frowned. He glanced around with a casual manner a few times and pulled Gu Yin closer to him. No matter what danger would come, he could never let Gu Yin be injured even if he himself would be injured.


    A few minutes later when Tang Xiu and Gu Yin arrived at the nearby commercial street, the feeling disappeared without a trace. However, he didn¡¯t put down his vigilance. After accompanying Gu Yin to buy the tutoring and homework book, he quickly walked her back home.


    Half an hour later, Tang Xiu quietly left the villa. He didn¡¯t go out from the main entrance but from the back entrance and straightly headed to the small hillside. He bypassed the complex in a circle and came out quietly from the woods.


    With his sharp eyes, he constantly observed the surroundings. Tang Xiu changed his clothes and quickly appeared again near the front entrance of South Gate Town. However, he quickly hid behind a tree and quietly searched the unknown enemies.


    Inside a building, a kilometer away from Tang Xiu¡­


    Two men were standing before the window and holding a military-grade binocular, observing the buildings in South Gate. One of them was Wang Ming, and there were four other men who were drinking and chatting behind them.


    Wang Ming put his binocular down as he looked at the leaning man, saying, ¡°Chief Wolf, we already investigated the other party¡¯s identity. He¡¯s not an evil man. And even though he¡¯s young, he has such big business and also very powerful abilities. Is it still necessary to keep monitoring him? Besides, he only gave us three days.¡±


    Wolf Head said, ¡°We did investigate him. But the information is not accurate. Don¡¯t be deceived by his appearance, he¡¯s very sophisticated and out of ordinary. When he took that little girl out of South Gate Town¡¯s front entrance before, he had already sensed that some people were monitoring him. I¡¯m not sure whether he perceived our presence or sensed the presence of another group.¡±


    Wang Ming was surprised. ¡°There are also other people surveilling on him?¡±


    Wolf Head pointed to the Northwest direction and replied lightly, ¡°Do you see that small stall on the street selling Liangpi? [1] I bought the noodles from that stall this morning. The seller looks very ordinary, but I¡¯m sure he¡¯s a ruthless person. Also, according to my observation, there were only three people who bought from it yesterday even though the stall was opened all day. Two of them casually took some but they didn¡¯t even pay for it. As for the other one, it was a middle-aged woman with her child, but she didn¡¯t buy anything.¡±


    Wang Ming¡¯s mind worked and quickly asked, ¡°You mean, they are in disguise and will do something against Tang Xiu?¡±


    Wolf Head nodded and said, ¡°If my deduction is correct, they should be. I want to see this show. I don¡¯t know whether he will die or those assassins will encounter bad luck.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t help him?¡± Wang Ming asked.


    Wolf Head replied with a sneer, ¡°If he can¡¯t solve this little problem, what qualification does he have to become our superior?¡±


    Wang Ming said, ¡°So, if he really can drive away these enemies, are we really going to follow and work for him?¡±


    ¡°These assassins are lurking in and from the dark. They are very dangerous. If we¡ªBrothers were to come across them, we would also die if not careful enough. _If_ he can solve this, it explains that he¡¯s very powerful. So it¡¯s possible for us to work for him. However, I still can¡¯t figure out why and what for he wants us to work him.¡±


    Wang Ming nodded and no longer spoke.


    He was also anticipating, looking forward to Tang Xiu¡¯s next actions and performance.


    Wolf Head lifted his binocular again. When he looked at the outside, toward the front entrance of South Gate Town, his brows raised immediately and said with a low voice and strange expression, ¡°Take a look and pay attention to the big tree on the left side, around 65 meters from the complex¡¯s front entrance. I¡¯ve never thought that he would slip out of the villa complex quietly and observe the enemies in secret. Well, he also should¡¯ve realized that there¡¯s something wrong with the Liangpi stall.¡±


    Wang Ming quickly raised his binocular and could clearly see Tang Xiu moving from the tree to the sideways and heading straight toward the Liangpi stall.


    ¡°Stupid! He already went this far, and if the other party take a direct shot at him, he¡¯ll be dead even if he has ten lives.¡± After Wang Ming saw the situation, he immediately spoke in a low voice.


    Wolf Head said, ¡°Continue observing.¡±


    Near the front entrance of South Gate Town.


    Tang Xiu came over to the stall that sold Liangpi noodles. As his sharp eyes looked at the middle-aged owner, he lightly said, ¡°Give me two Liangpi, and pack them.¡±


    The middle-aged man said with a smile, ¡°Alright, please wait a bit.¡±


    He glanced quickly to the distant corner as he lifted his left hand to scratch the back of his head. Then, he slowly worked to make Liangpi noodles.


    Tang Xiu himself had released his perception to envelop the radius of 200 meters. He only looked at the middle-aged man¡¯s action, but in the radius of his perception, a man and a woman disguised as a couple quickly appeared within his surveillance scope.


    _¡°Assassins? Three of them?¡±_


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes narrowed. He was already prepared to act. Regardless of whoever wanted to kill him, he wouldn¡¯t show mercy.


    ¡°Boss, I won¡¯t buy the Liangpi!¡±


    After having said that, Tang Xiu turned around to leave.


    The middle-aged owner frowned as a dangerous glint flashed from his eyes instantly. In the next split second, his hand grabbed a gun on his waist and aimed the muzzle at Tang Xiu.


    As the finger pulled the trigger¡­


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    A gunfire sounded. But the middle-aged owner¡¯s face changed greatly in an instant, because his shot that was supposed to hit, didn¡¯t even hit the target, as even his sight was blurred and lost sight of Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡­¡±


    Along with the whooshing sound, the middle-aged owner could only feel a cold breath on his neck, as his neck had already been pinched.


    Tang Xiu stood behind him as he whispered near his ears, ¡°Don¡¯t act rashly or I¡¯ll immediately break your neck. Tell me, who the hell wants me dead?¡±


    The middle-aged owner¡¯s body turned stiff. He wanted to turn around but found that he couldn¡¯t move his neck, causing him to panic. His lips shivered a few times as he replied astringently, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m just a hitman. As long as I¡¯m contracted, I receive information on the target, finish them off and take the money.¡±


    ¡°I believe you. Don¡¯t move. I can tell that the couple over there should also be your comrades, yes? They¡¯re also armed, so that means some people really take me seriously, to think that they even send three assassins to kill me. Tell me, how much did they pay for my head?¡± Tang Xiu said with a sneer.


    ¡°Five¡­ five million! We were paid five million each. A total of 15 million.¡± The middle-aged owner replied in a panic.


    ¡°There should also be a middleman between you and your employer, no? Since the three of you got 15 million, I can tell that my head is much more valuable. Gimme the contact of your middleman!¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said.


    ¡°13814¡­¡±


    The middle-aged owner blurted out a cell phone number.


    Tang Xiu casually broke the middle-aged owner¡¯s neck as he used his hand to prop up his shoulder whilst watching the man and woman who were getting closer without batting an eye.


    At the moment, the man and woman were seemingly aware that something was amiss as they directly stopped 20 meters away from the stall.


    ¡°Good vigilance!¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled coldly. He took the middle-aged owner¡¯s pistol and shot a few bullets toward the man and woman, who were still 20 meters away, without a moment¡¯s hesitation. He hadn¡¯t used a gun before, but since he had his spiritual sense locked on them, his finger pulled the trigger as the bullet instantly hit them.


    Blood sprayed out as though a blooming peach blossom, as bright red flowers bloomed from the man and woman¡¯s foreheads.


    Two shots and two dead.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t leave the pistol and straightly stuffed it into his jacket¡¯s pocket. He used his sleeves to cover his face and quickly disappeared to a nearby stall lightning fast.


    ¡°Ah¡­ MURDER!¡±


    Screams resounding in the vicinity. A young beautiful woman who was carrying a bag heard the gunshot and then saw a man and woman drowned in a pool of blood, causing her to fall into panic. The moment after she shouted, she quickly run away.


    The four security guards at the front entrance of South Gate Town hurriedly rushed out the instant they heard the gunshot sound and flashed toward the direction of the Liangpi stall.


    * * *


    Notes:


    [1] Liangpi: it¡¯s a cold skin noodle.

 Chapter 189

    Chapter 189: Threats


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    In the building a thousand meters away, Wolf Head and Wang Ming could see clearly what was happening in the Liangpi stall through their binoculars. They had never thought that Tang Xiu would kill very decisively, he even dared shoot and kill in today¡¯s society which was governed by law.


    ¡°He¡¯s good and very smart!¡±


    A splendor flashed from Wolf Head¡¯s eyes, looking at Tang Xiu¡¯s back as he disappeared.


    ¡°Huh? Why do you say that?¡± Wang Ming asked with knitted brows.


    Wolf Head said indifferently, ¡°He broke the neck of that stall¡¯s owner, grabbing his pistol, shooting and killing the other two hitmen. But he didn¡¯t throw the pistol away but took it with him. Also, did you see his footsteps? He¡¯s running with the tip of his toes, which means he¡¯s perfectly aware that once the cops arrive at the scene they will carry out the investigation. And the most basic step of investigation is to scan the footprints on the ground. In addition, the fact that he was seen going out of the front entrance of South Gate Town before will be found in the police¡¯s investigation. And if his footprints were to be compared with the ones at the scene, then he will be exposed.¡±


    Wang Ming nodded and exclaimed in admiration as he said, ¡°Damn, to think that he didn¡¯t enlist in the army, it¡¯s really a waste of talent.¡±


    Wolf Head shook his head and said, ¡°No, he¡¯s not suitable to be a soldier.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡± Wang Ming asked in surprise.


    Wolf Head replied, ¡°He¡¯s too ruthless, and won¡¯t stop at nothing. As such, he¡¯s not suitable for the military discipline. Once he joined the army and become a soldier like us, he will create big troubles.¡±


    Wang Ming nodded and continued asking, ¡°Then, what should we do next? Cooperate with the police to arrest him?¡±


    Wolf Head looked deeply at Wang Ming and replied with a cold and detached expression, ¡°Why should we? We¡¯re no longer the government¡¯s tools. We¡¯ve been stripped off our uniform, there¡¯s no need to involve ourselves with this. Don¡¯t forget that we have shaken off the people who were tailing us, which even made us enter Star City secretly. Do you want to expose our whereabouts again?¡±


    For a moment, Wang Ming fell into silent as he replied with a bitter expression, ¡°I know. If we are to appear, we will definitely become the target of the state¡¯s monitoring!¡±


    Wolf Head said with a sneer, ¡°We¡¯ll see Tang Xiu¡¯s next moves. If he can get through this hurdle perfectly and there¡¯s no more trouble following, then it proves that he has the capital and abilities, and is worthy of us following him. If he gets into trouble and cannot meet my expectations, then every one of us will go home.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Wang Ming nodded silently


    Wolf Head was also silent for a moment. Then, he turned around as he put his binocular on the table. With a deep tone, he said, ¡°Continue the surveillance here, I¡¯ll go out first.¡±


    ¡°Chief Wolf, you¡¯re personally going to investigate him, aren¡¯t you? This guy is ruthless and merciless, if something goes wrong and he acts against you¡­.¡° Wang Ming quickly said.


    ¡°If he misunderstood me and I don¡¯t even have the ability to defend myself, I suppose that he won¡¯t be in need of such garbage like us to begin with. Alright, wait here until I come back.¡± Wolf Head replied with indifference.


    The trees might long for peace, but the wind will never cease, just like the world will change whether one wants it or not.


    Tang Xiu himself was also unable to clearly figure out the people who hated him to the bones, whom even sent three powerful assassins to kill him. But he was no pushover. He had always lived with the creed that if someone didn¡¯t mess with him then he also would do the same toward them. After he left the Liangpi stall, he didn¡¯t return to South Gate Town, but circled around to the other place and hid. Then, he took out his cell phone and dialed the number the Liangpi stall¡¯s owner gave him.


    ¡°Tut, tut¡±


    The call was connected but the other side didn¡¯t speak.


    After ten seconds of silence, only then did Tang Xiu slowly speak, ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu, I¡¯ll give ten times the payment of whoever gave you for the answer I want.¡±


    ¡°They¡­ are they dead?¡± A low and deep voice finally came out of the phone.


    ¡°Yes! All of them.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    The man on the phone fell silent again. This time, he was silent for half a minute before he slowly said, ¡°Transfer 200 million yuan to my account. I don¡¯t want more trouble, so I want you to sort this out properly. The number of the account is¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and then dialed Kang Xia¡¯s number. He just gave her 300 million, and the money hadn¡¯t been used yet. Then, he immediately said, ¡°Transfer 200 million to this account immediately, and fast!¡±


    Kang Xia smiled wryly and said, ¡°Huh? What do you want it for, Boss? We only have a little money and it¡¯s already very difficult, and you¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu interrupted with a deep tone, ¡°No more talk and don¡¯t ask, just immediately send the money.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Kang Xia complied quickly and sent 200 million yuan into the bank account according to Tang Xiu¡¯s order.


    In the afternoon.


    The Property Management Office just sent an express delivery to the villa. Tang Xiu, who was waiting for the news, quickly took the delivery and then read it. The contents caused a dense murderous intent inside his heart to arise.


    Zhang Deqin?


    Tang Xiu remembered this woman¡¯s appearance. When he went to kick the Rising Dragon Martial School¡¯s plaque and took 100 million yuan. The next day, Zhang Deqin also sent a video, saying she was not in the town so she really couldn¡¯t see him. She solemnly apologized to him and guaranteed that she wouldn¡¯t cross with him again.


    It was only a small grudge!


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t take it seriously and didn¡¯t put it to the heart. Since the other party had apologized he also didn¡¯t want to go further as to clean up the siblings. But he had never thought that this Zhang Deqin would unexpectedly seek revenge over small grudges. To think that she even spent 20 million to hire assassins to kill him¡­


    That night.


    Tang Xiu quietly went to Long Zhengyu¡¯s residence. The night was already late, but since the entire building was still brightly lit, he was sure that Long Zhengyu hadn¡¯t slept yet. As he released his perception, he was at a loss whether he should be amused or cry upon seeing that Long Zhengyu was ¡°working¡± on the bed with more than one opponent at this moment.


    ¡°Damn, this guy ¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu was hiding under the dark shade of the tree in the villa¡¯s courtyard. After staying motionless for ten minutes, he saw that Long Zhengyu¡¯s fight had been finished, only then did he pick up a stone and strongly threw it toward the bedroom¡¯s window on the second floor.


    ¡°Kacha¡­¡±


    The bedroom¡¯s window glass on the second floor was smashed.


    On the soft bed, Long Zhengyu had just stood up with a satisfied expression and was about to take bath. When he suddenly saw that his bedroom¡¯s window glass was smashed, his complexion changed greatly and quickly pulled over his pajamas and put them on. He ran to the window and looked outside and shouted at the same time, ¡°WHO IS IT?!¡±


    Tang Xiu came out of the shade as he faced him and waved, and then quickly retreated.


    After seeing Tang Xiu clearly, Long Zhengyu¡¯s complexion was blank for a moment. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever expected that the one who would smash his villa¡¯s window turned out to be Tang Xiu, because he had never told him this address.


    However, he still went out quickly. As he looked at Tang Xiu under the shade of the tree, he said with a wry smile, ¡°Brother Tang, have I ever done anything that offended you? It¡¯s very late. You don¡¯t sleep, yet you come to my house only to break my window, what¡¯s up with you?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I have something that needs your help with.¡±


    Long Zhengyu rolled his eyes and snapped, ¡°Instead of smashing my house¡¯s windows, why didn¡¯t you call me directly? What¡¯s that for? Damn. Fortunately, you smashed it just now. If it were a few minutes earlier I could¡¯ve ended up being impotent because of fright.¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with light laugh, ¡°Well, I still have the drugs to treat impotence.¡±


    Long Zhengyu was at a loss whether he had to be angry or laugh as he said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s cut the crap. Don¡¯t boast. Quickly tell me, what is it that you want my help?¡±


    A colorful glint flashed from Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he asked, ¡°It¡¯s about your Long Family and this Star City¡¯s Zhang Family. Do you have some discord or grudge with them?¡±


    Zhang Family?


    For a moment, Long Zhengyu stared blankly. Then, he shook his head and said, ¡°We have no grudges, and it could be said that we¡¯re only rivals even though there have been some small frictions between us in secret.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before he asked, ¡°What will the Zhang Family do if Zhang Deqin and Zhang Yongjin die?¡±


    Long Zhengyu froze, and then asked with a horrified expression, ¡°What do you wanna do exactly?¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with a cold and grim expression, ¡°The siblings must die! So, answer me.¡±


    With a disbelieving expression, Long Zhengyu looked at Tang Xiu and spoke in a low voice, ¡°Brother Tang, you¡¯ve got think this through carefully. The Zhang Family has resided in Star City for decades and has deep roots here. Even if my Long Family wants to affront them, we¡¯ll also pay quite the price. Once you killed them, the Zhangs surely will go all out to retaliate.¡±


    Tang Xiu replied, ¡°The reason as to why I come to you is also considering the consequences of suffering retaliation from the Zhang Family. I only want to ask you now, if Chen Zhizhong and your Long Family were to join forces in this, will you able to deal with them, or not?¡±


    Long Zhengyu thought for a moment as he said with a wry smile, ¡°That will be very difficult also. At the most, we¡¯ll only be able to beat them.¡±


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and then slowly said, ¡°What if external forces were to be involved? Is it possible?¡±


    Long Zhengyu was surprised, and said, ¡°You mean other forces from outside of Star City? Such as Chu Yi¡¯s and Bai Tao¡¯s families, or the Ouyang Family?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Yes, if they can also be counted.¡±


    Long Zhengyu was excited inside and quickly said, ¡°If they¡¯re willing to join hands in this, the Zhang Family will surely be exterminated. However, Chu Yi¡¯s and Bai Tao¡¯s families are from Beijing. They also have a lot of hostile forces who are vying at them. If their two families are on the big move, the other families who are in hostile relationship with them surely will seize the chance. The Ouyang Family might be able to participate. But do you think Ouyang Lulu will be able to call the shots?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°We needn¡¯t bring Chu Yi and Bao Tao in his matter. I¡¯ll deal with the Ouyang Family, but I need you to gather a thorough information about the Zhangs in these 2 days. I¡¯ll see you in the next two days and we¡¯ll talk about this again.¡±


    ¡°No problem, I¡¯ll give you the complete information as fast as possible. But you must not, by any means, make a move on them earlier. If the Zhangs have really provoked you, I¡¯ll send some people to pack up the Zhang siblings, to make them properly apologize to you, and then you can vent your anger on them.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°No need.¡±


    After having said that, Tang Xi no longer stayed as he jumped over the wall under Long Zhengyu¡¯s gaze.


    At the dusky trail in the spacious block.


    Tang Xiu had left Long Zhengyu¡¯s residence, but the foreboding crisis inside his heart was yet to disappear. Although he had killed three hitmen, but he still sensed that someone was watching him in the dark. However, even after he used his perception to envelope the surrounding, he still couldn¡¯t find the enemy¡¯s presence.


    _¡±It¡¯s an expert!¡±_


    Tang Xiu was sure that the other party was absolutely an expert in surveillance. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t be able to keep a constant distance from the beginning and secretly spying on him.


    Was it in the park?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s footsteps stopped at the front entrance of the park. His mind and perception was racing; and along with it, he leaned on the side wall and immediately climbed over it and entered the park to disappear amidst the woods. He needed to pull out this person who was hiding in the dark or else he wouldn¡¯t be freed from worries and unable to have a peaceful time.

 Chapter 190

    Chapter 190: Front


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Hundreds of meters away¡­


    Wolf Head put down his binoculars as a glint of vigilance flashed from his eyes. He could tell that Tang Xiu had realized something but was unsure if he himself had been found or not. Cautiously, he quickly circled to the other side of the park and quietly approached


    A few minutes later¡­


    Wolf Head appeared in the grove. As though a shadow in the dark, he quietly arrived at the wall where Tang Xiu was moments before. As he squatted on the ground, he quickly observed the footprints on the ground. It seemed to be heading to another direction.


    ¡°Huh? It¡¯s gone?¡±


    He lost Tang Xiu¡¯s footprints under a tree. Just as he turned to search again, his complexion greatly changed as he suddenly dashed to bolt away.


    Whoosh¡­


    A figure fell from above in front of him.


    With a cold and detached expression, Tang Xiu looked at Wolf Head. Even though he had a gun strapped on his waist, he didn¡¯t have the intention use it. To him, his own martial strength was his biggest tool for killing.


    ¡°Following me all the way here was quite hard, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Wolf Head instantly retreated a few meters back. But he didn¡¯t turn around to run away, instead, he stared at Tang Xiu as though a hungry wolf as he said with a sinking tone, ¡°Only a few people are able to track me back in the entire world. I don¡¯t know how you were able to find me!¡±


    ¡°Someone who has experienced many life and death situations will develop a particularly keen sense of danger. The murderous intent within you is very heavy, which says that the number of people who have died in your hands was at least 100. Judging from your reaction when you observed the footprints and retreated back at the same time, I can tell that you¡¯re also someone who has been walking on the path of death.¡± Tang Xiu said apathetically.


    ¡°I¡¯ve investigated you. You¡¯re just an ordinary student from the information I¡¯ve gotten. Even if you have some powerful aspects compared to others, you just graduated from high school and have just started your own business. But, I can¡¯t fathom your skills as well as how you can kill without even batting an eye. I¡¯ll never believe that someone is born with such great strength nor I believe that one could have such inborn cold-blooded disposition. Can you explain this to me?¡± Puzzled, Wolf Head replied.


    ¡°You¡¯re not qualified.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said.


    Wolf Head squinted his eyes. His body tightened instantly as he spoke with a sinking tone, ¡°Regardless of if I have the qualification or not, it¡¯s still unbeknownst to us. If you can win me, I¡¯ll consider agreeing with your condition.¡±


    _My condition?_


    Tang Xiu was surprised and distracted for a moment.


    At this moment, Wolf Head suddenly moved as his fist flew at him. As he lifted his arms, his fist flew, creating sharp and whooshing sounds of wind and instantly smashed at Tang Xiu¡¯s face. His speed already surpassed that of a human¡¯s- even Tang Xiu himself dared not to take it lightly.


    ¡°Go back!¡±


    However, Tang Xiu¡¯s speed also some points faster than him. Using his fist to meet head-on with Wolf Head¡¯s, his body shook, but it didn¡¯t push him back, whereas Wolf Head stepped back for 7-8 steps. Only after retreating staggeringly was he able to stabilize his body.


    ¡°What a strength!¡±


    Wolf Head¡¯s right hand was trembling as he looked at Tang Xiu with disbelief and exclaimed in astonishment.


    ¡°Your strength is also quite powerful. I didn¡¯t expect yours also exceed a thousand pounds. If my guess is right, you should be a Qigong practitioner, right? In addition, you also have cultivated your True Qi and reached the Small Accomplishment level. Even those so-called martial arts grandmasters could die within a short time if they were to have a life-and-death fight with you.


    Wolf Head admittedly smiled. His body dashed again toward Tang Xiu. And this time, he was still waving his fist as before and punched at Tang Xiu¡¯s face. However, his footwork and stance were different from before. The moment his fist was about to hit Tang Xiu, he instantly rotated his footwork and changed into a peculiar direction as his punch swung toward Tang Xiu¡¯s left next in a strange trajectory.


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu coldly snorted, his hands moved lightning fast and instantly blocked Wolf Head¡¯s strike. Either close combat fight or fighting experience, he was thousand times stronger than Wolf Head, for he had experienced countless battles. The neurons and nerves all over his body had all entered a combat state.


    Along with the retracting movement of his footwork, Wolf Head tried to strike again, but ultimately could resist no longer. He had no choice but to go all out to withstand and dodge Tang Xiu¡¯s attack.


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    Wolf Head¡¯s arms were dislocated with Tang Xiu¡¯s Shadow Kick. He paled as an acute burning pain assaulted him as he staggeringly moved backward and shouted loudly, ¡°Stop!¡±


    Tang Xiu stopped attacking. He stood about 4-5 meters away from him as he said indifferently, ¡°You still have your Mitsubishi army knife no? Why don¡¯t you use it and then talk?¡±


    Wolf Head forced out a smile and shook his head with a sigh, ¡°Wang Ming said that you¡¯re very strong and he had no chance to even fight back. He was trained personally by me, so I know what he¡¯s capable of. I didn¡¯t believe him at first, but now I have to admit that you¡¯re very strong. My arms are dislocated, I¡¯m not able to fight anymore.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re the Wolf Head?¡± Tang Xiu asked with knitted brows.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Wolf Head replied with a wry smile.


    ¡°Very punctual you¡¯re for coming to Star City within the three days deadline. I want to ask you. Are you related with those assassins?¡± Tang Xiu relaxed his nerves and asked.


    ¡°No. After we investigated you, we discovered that you were also under the surveillance of another group. Those people are clearly well-trained assassins, two of them were not even from our country. We¡¯ve investigated about them. They came from abroad with the sole purpose of killing you.¡± Wolf Head shook his head and replied.


    ¡°So, your intention was to use them to test my strength, yes?¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°I did. If you can¡¯t even solve this hurdle, what qualifications do you have to become our superior?¡± Wolf Head admitted and said.


    ¡°Then, what do you think after you¡¯ve personally experienced my strength?¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said.


    ¡°I only have one request. If you can find the mastermind behind this and thoroughly solve this problem, our team will work under you.¡± Said Wolf Head.


    ¡°So be it!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°However, I ought to tell you beforehand. We might bring some troubles once we join you. We have quite particular identities, and it¡¯s very difficult for average people to face us, so we¡¯re also under surveillance- some people started spying on us the moment we came to Star City. We too have the intention to shake off these people and quietly finish them off.¡± Wolf Head replied with hesitation.


    ¡°People from the state?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s brow pricked and inquired further.


    ¡°Yes, special task force.¡± Wolf Head nodded and said.


    ¡°No problem for me. You all have already been stripped off from your previous identities. Besides, your assignment won¡¯t be in the mainland.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°We¡¯ll go abroad?¡± Wolf Head asked with a surprised expression.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve bought a private island in the Pacific Ocean. And I need some people to protect the fort there. You have sufficient strength and should be capable enough of keeping the security there.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    With a surprised expression, Wolf Head looked at Tang Xiu and said with a low voice, ¡°Are you going to create your own private armed forces?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Tang Xiu nodded with a deadpan expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine with us! This is our specialty to begin with. But, can you tell me what kind of treatment you¡¯ll give us?¡±


    ¡°It depends on the type of relation you¡¯ll have with me! If you truly become my people, and if you can become a death squad hell-bent on following my orders, whatever it is, naturally, you¡¯ll have the best treatment you can think of. You can be sure to even have your dreams come true. But it¡¯s also fine if you want to become one of the ordinary ranks under me. You¡¯ll have good treatment, but surely, with some disparities with the previous ones.¡± Tang Xiu said lightly.


    ¡°You¡¯re very ambitious, it seems. Your condition and your ambition kinda makes me scared.¡± Wolf Head replied with a deep tone as he looked at Tang Xiu deeply.


    Tang Xiu replied with a sneer, ¡°If that¡¯s not enough for you, then, when you¡¯re able to destroy this planet with only one punch, nobody will be able to threaten you by then.¡±


    Wolf Head couldn¡¯t help but shake his head and smile.


    Destroying Earth with only one fist? What was this? A damn joke? If one is able to destroy the Earth with only a punch, isn¡¯t he able to traverse the universe freely?


    After chiding him inside a few times, he looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°For now, what kind of troops we want to be is not important, for you must first prove your strength before we talk again.¡±


    ¡°Well, just wait for the show.¡± Tang Xiu turned around and walked toward the park¡¯s fence.


    Half an hour later¡­


    Inside a building a kilometer away from South Gate Town. The door was knocked gently seven times in a rhythmic sound. After that, the door was opened from the inside.


    Inside the room¡­


    Wang Ming was still with the binoculars in his hand as he looked at Wolf Head, who was coming inside with a pale face, and then asked with a surprised expression, ¡°What happened to you, Chief?¡±


    ¡°I just exchanged some blows with Tang Xiu. You did say the truth, he¡¯s truly powerful. The one and only expert I¡¯ve never seen in my life. Alright, help me fix my dislocated arms now!¡± Under the gaze of the five men inside the room, Wolf Head said with a bitter and astringent smile.


    The rest of the men inside the room were greatly taken aback. They looked at Wolf Head¡¯s dislocated arms with disbelief, and their heartbeat sped up as well as palpitated. Wolf Head was the strongest amongst them, but he was also unable to contend with Tang Xiu- even have his arms were dislocated by him. Then, to what extent Tang Xiu¡¯s strength reached?


    At present¡­


    Amongst them, perhaps only Wang Ming knew Tang Xiu¡¯s strength. He forced out a bitter smile and quickly helped Wolf Head connect his arms¡¯ bones and said, ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve already guessed that Chief Wolf isn¡¯t Tang Xiu¡¯s opponent. That fellow¡¯s speed, strength and reaction speed can only be called as terrifying. Even if I go all out I¡¯m still unable to touch his sleeves.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s very strong!¡± Wolf Head said.


    With hesitation, Wang Ming asked, ¡°Chief Wolf, what have you discussed with him?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve explicitly told him that if he can completely solve this problem and prove his strength, then we¡¯ll follow him later. If he can¡¯t, then it¡¯s not worth it for us to do so. Also, he told me that we won¡¯t stay in the mainland once we work under him.¡± Wolf Head replied.


    ¡°Uh, we won¡¯t stay in the mainland? Where will we go then?¡± Wang Ming asked with a confused expression.


    ¡°He said that the he had bought a private island in the Pacific Ocean, so he wants us to keep the security of the island. He wants to set up his own private army.¡± Wolf Head said.


    ¡°Private armed force? What is he planning to do?¡± Wang Ming asked in wonder.


    Wolf Head shook his head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know about it either.¡±

 Chapter 191

    Chapter 191: The Surging Tide in the Dark


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu quietly went back to South Gate Town and didn¡¯t disturb anyone. As he went to his room, he immediately took his mobile and dialed Miao Wentang¡¯s number.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t slept, Brother Tang?¡±


    Miao Wentang¡¯s cheerful laughter came out of the phone.


    ¡°Not yet. I need to talk to you about something.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°What¡¯s up? Tell me!¡± Miao Wentang replied.


    ¡°Are you short on money right now? And do you want to get your hands on some?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°I do. Never been like this before. But anyway, what kind of good business are you offering me?¡± Miao Wentang replied with a light laugh.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯m preparing to pull out the roots of my personal enemy. I have contacted some people and am now preparing to act in the next few days. Do you have any interest in joining?¡±


    ¡°Which family?¡± Miao Wentang asked.


    ¡°The Zhangs, Star City.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Miao Wentang was silent for a moment before he slowly spoke, ¡°Never heard of this family. It should be a big, respected family in the country. But regardless of any family, since Brother Tang has openly spoken about it, naturally, I¡¯ll join the fray. By the way, do you want me to call Brother Shao also?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll call him myself. If you want to join, then come to Star City tomorrow, we¡¯ll meet in the Long¡¯s Dining Hall.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    After Tang Xiu hung up, he dialed Shao Mingzhen¡¯s number, and just like Miao Wentang, he also agreed to join.


    ¡°Now, the Ouyang Family!¡±


    Tang Xiu paused. He was somewhat hesitating. His plan to remove the Zhang Family was definitely a big move. Even though he had invited four forces consisting of the Long Family, Chen Zhizhong, Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen to join this endeavor, but the Zhang Family was a local tyrant in Star City and had deep roots here, so they might still be able to counterattack before dying. He could tell that their resistance before death would be very powerful. He was hesitating whether to pull the Ouyang Family in this, as he would then owe them a favor.


    Owing money was still okay, but owing a favor of gratitude was very difficult to repay. As reluctant as he always was to have it, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to owe any gratitude from others.


    Finally, he decided to talk with Ouyang Lulu first in order to sound out this problem.


    Tang Xiu looked through the window, watching the white Land Rover in the parking lot. Then, he turned around to leave his room. As he arrived at the guest room where Ouyang Lulu was staying, he knocked the door.


    ¡°Click¡­¡±


    The door was opened from the inside as Ouyang Lulu, in her sexy pajamas, stood at the door with sleepy-watery eyes. She muttered out of discontent and said, ¡°What do you want from me in the middle of the night? This young lady came to your home and is only spending the night here temporarily, I won¡¯t give up my chastity for you!¡±


    Tang Xiu passed by her toward the sofa. As he sat down, he said, ¡°I need to talk to you about something important. Wash your face first to sober up!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu rolled her eyes at him as she went to the bathroom to wash her face. She came back more spirited afterward, even though there was still a trace of dissatisfaction on her face. She then snorted and said, ¡°What is this serious business that you can¡¯t even wait until tomorrow? Don¡¯t you see what time it is now?¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with a straightforward manner, ¡°The deal is big, are you interested?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu confused, ¡°What big deal?¡±


    ¡°To tell you the truth, it¡¯s not a serious business, but you can be sure that it will bring you money. Some people from a certain family in Star City have crossed my line and I¡¯m preparing to remove them. This family is very rich and powerful. I¡¯ve already contacted some people and will act in the next few days. Even though your Ouyang Family isn¡¯t based in Star City, you have deep capital. So, if you want the share of this endeavor, I can let you join on this.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu asked curiously, ¡°Which family?¡±


    Tang Xiu lightly said, ¡°It¡¯s the Zhangs.¡±


    ¡°Zhengyu told me that his family has some friction with this Zhang Family. The people you¡¯ve contacted should also include the Long family, shouldn¡¯t it?¡± Ouyang Lulu said.


    Tang Xiu replied with a nod, ¡°Yes. If the Zhang Family is to be completely destroyed, the Long Family will have the biggest benefits. This is a heaven-sent opportunity. If Long Hanwen and Chen Zhizhong are not stupid, I¡¯m sure they will join.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu pondered for a moment. As she sat at the opposite side from Tang Xiu, she asked, ¡°Can you tell me as how the Zhangs have offended you?¡±


    ¡°I once gave a lesson to the Zhang¡¯s arrogant princess, Zhang Deqin. I also taught their young master twice before. And yesterday, when I brought Yinyin outside to buy some books in the bookstore, I was being spied on by three assassins. Even though I¡¯ve killed those three assassins, but I also have spent quite a lot of money to find out that Zhang Deqin is behind this. You tell me. She wants me die. Should I not kill them also?¡± Tang Xiu said with a tranquil expression.


    Ouyang Lulu was surprised, ¡°You¡¯re the one who killed those three people at the front entrance of South Gate Town today? Those three were actually assassins? Ah right, I heard that there were firearms found at the scene, so it turns out that those people are the evil kind. But this is kinda a big issue, so I have to discuss this with my family.¡±


    ¡°If your family join in, then we¡¯ll meet tomorrow night at the Long¡¯s Dining Hall with the others.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t told me who are the others who¡¯ll join aside from the Long Family.¡± Ouyang Lulu said.


    ¡°It the Longs, Chen Zhizhong and my other two friends. They have their own forces, but I don¡¯t know about their strength in detail.¡± Answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t invite Chu Yi and Bai Tao?¡± Ouyang Lulu asked with surprise.


    ¡°No, their family in Beijing perhaps have their own hostile adversaries, so I don¡¯t want them to participate in this.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Since Ouyang Lulu herself was the eldest daughter of an affluent family, she was also well aware about this problem as she nodded and said, ¡°I know. The Chu and Bai Families are very close, but they too have some respected families that pose a threat to them. If their actions catch the attention of their enemies, perhaps they will also face some big troubles.¡±


    At Jianning District, Star City.


    Inside a three-storied building, Zhang Deqin was sitting on the soft sofa with a cup of red wine in her hand. However, there remained more than a half of it. Her expression was unsightly as anxiousness and worry could be seen on her face. In front of her, Zhang Yongjin was walking back and forth restlessly whilst glancing from time to time at Zhang Deqin¡¯s mobile.


    They were waiting for news about the removal of their enemy.


    However, even after late in the night, there was not even the slightest bit of news.


    ¡°Can you just calm down? If you can¡¯t stomach it, just go sleep! I¡¯ll handle everything myself!¡± Zhang Deqin snapped with an irritated expression.


    Zhang Yongjin stopped, then sat opposite her. He took a cigarette, lit it and puffed a few mouthfuls as he spoke, ¡°Big Sis, could it be something happened? It¡¯s already the middle of the night, but how come there¡¯s not even a bit of news at all? These assassins you¡¯ve hired, aren¡¯t they very good?¡±


    ¡°You ask me, but who should I ask?¡± Zhang Deqin replied angrily.


    ¡°The murders in front of the entrance of South Gate Town, could it be related with that surnamed Tang? I heard that three people died there, maybe there¡¯s someone named Tang, his friends or relatives?¡± Zhang Yongjin hesitated as he said.


    Zhang Deqin herself had heard the news, but she was unsure as who the victims were. She had spent 20 million to hire assassins from the Philippines. The other party only told her that they would do the job but didn¡¯t say as to how many they would send.


    What made her restless was not Tang Xiu getting killed. She was worried that the middleman would sell her if the assassins were killed. If Tang Xiu didn¡¯t die and he figured out that she was the one who hired them, her fate would definitely be very miserable.


    ¡°Ring¡­ ring¡­ ring¡­¡±


    Her mobile sounded, shocking the siblings.


    Zhang Deqin quickly grabbed it and immediately pressed the answer button upon seeing the caller ID. She then asked with a sinking tone, ¡°Have you clearly investigated the three people who were killed in front of South Gate Town¡¯s entrance?¡±


    ¡°Their identities are unidentified. But they are not from our country.¡±


    A low and deep voice came out of the phone.


    The phone was hung up!


    The phone was dropped from Zhang Deqin¡¯s hand, but it was as though she didn¡¯t realize it. If these three killed people were not domestic, then they should be the assassins she had hired.


    But they¡­ wouldn¡¯t sell her out, would they?¡±


    No! They shouldn¡¯t be!


    The one she contacted were not them, but a middleman. As long as the middleman didn¡¯t sell her out, she would be absolutely safe.


    She quickly picked the mobile back and dialed the middleman¡¯s number. However, she was at a complete loss and restless as the other party unexpectedly shut his phone down.


    What was happening exactly?


    Zhang Deqin looked at Zhang Yongjn¡¯s eyes with a restless expression. A few minutes later, she suddenly stood and quickly spoke to him, ¡°Leave Star City tonight. Do remember that, even if something huge happens here, you mustn¡¯t come back to Star City for a short while. You must go to¡­. Northern Jiangsu. I have a friend there, she¡¯ll take care of you for a while.¡±


    ¡°Big Sis, what¡¯s happened exactly? We¡¯re the one who hired the assassins, but why do I feel that we¡¯re the ones being targeted?¡±


    ¡°I have a bad premonition that this will create a big trouble. Look, don¡¯t think and don¡¯t ask. Leave Star City tonight and go to my friend¡¯s in Northern Jiangsu. Pack up your things and prepare, NOW!¡± Zhang Deqin replied with a bitter expression.


    ¡°But Sis, how about you?¡± Zhang Yongjin hurriedly asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t go anywhere. Firstly, we aren¡¯t sure whether Tang Xiu has figured out that we¡¯re the masterminds. Secondly, our family has our own shelter here, so I¡¯ll be alright. Also, I will try to appear amidst the public in the next few days with more bodyguards around me. Thirdly, even if Tang Xiu knows that I¡¯m the one who hired those assassins, he won¡¯t be so brazen and reckless as to act against me, for he¡¯s also well aware that our Zhang Family will absolutely retaliate without mercy.¡±


    ¡°No, Sis! I don¡¯t wanna go. If Tang Xiu can¡¯t do nothing to you, then he also won¡¯t dare strike me! Going or staying, we must stay together!¡± Zhang Yongjin replied.


    Zhang Deqin felt warm inside, but she still shouted angrily, ¡°Cut the crap. I said you must go tonight. I¡¯ll tell Dad and Mom about this.¡±


    ¡°NO! I don¡¯t need you to tell me what to do. And don¡¯t threaten me! I¡¯m a man. I must stay here!¡± Zhang Yongjin talked back angrily.


    ¡°You want me to tie you up and send you there, or do you want go there obediently yourself? Choose!¡± Zhang Deqin replied with a sneer.

 Chapter 192

    Chapter 192: Lack of Evidence


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Star City, Police Department, Criminal Division.


    The entire building of the Criminal Division¡¯s offices was still brightly lit even though morning had already come. A lot of police officers were passing in and out of the building, while police cars also came and left with their flashing lights on.


    On the second floor of the building.


    The office was filled with curling smoke, the pungent smell irritating people¡¯s noses. Deng Jianmin¡ªthe director of the City Public Security Bureau, clamped his cigarettes and deeply frowned as he looked at more than 20 police officers of the Criminal Division.


    ¡°Our superiors have decreed that we must solve this case within three days. I don¡¯t care what methods, get me the murderer as soon as possible!¡± Deng Jianmin spoke with an unsightly expression.


    Cheng Xuemei forced out a smile and said, ¡°Director, we too want to solve this case ASAP. But this case is way too special, while we don¡¯t have the files of these people in our archives. If we really can determine that they are foreigners, then we can contact the Interpol. Only then can we get more clues.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve reported this situation, and I believe we can get in touch with the Interpol soon. As long as we can be sure that they¡¯re foreigners, it means that these people are international assassins as suspected. I think their target is living in South Gate Town since they died nearby its front entrance. Have you copied the CCTV footage for the residents who have gone out of the complex?¡± Deng Jianmin said.


    ¡°We already did that, Sir!¡± Cheng Xuemei replied.


    ¡°Then play and put it on the screen for the suspicious target.¡± Deng Jianmin said.


    ¡°Understood!¡± Cheng Xuemei complied.


    The monitor screen played the footage. Since the video was set to fast play, ten minutes later, the image of Tang Xiu and Gu Yin leaving the complex was played on the screen.


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Cheng Xuemei¡¯s face slightly changed and immediately shouted with a deep tone.


    ¡°Captain Cheng, did you find anything?¡± Deng Jianmin asked with a confused expression.


    Cheng Xuemei spoke to the person who played the footage, ¡°Rewind the video, and focus on the two who just came out before.¡±


    Deng Jianmin watched the screen as his brows knitted a few seconds after and said, ¡°That young man is kinda family, where have I seen him before?¡±


    ¡°Chief, he¡¯s Tang Xiu.¡± Cheng Xuemei spoke with a deep tone.


    Deng Jianmin¡¯s pupils shrunk as he suddenly stood and spoke with a deepened tone, ¡°That major case before, the killing of those A-level wanted criminals, he was suspected to be involved. In the kidnapping case at school, he was the one who acted and killed the criminal. But how can he also appear in this South Gate Town case?¡±


    Cheng Xuemei shook her head and replied, ¡°He lives there. And it looks like the little girl he was holding should also live together with him. The time on the footage is only half an hour from when the three assassins were killed.¡±


    ¡°Continue playing the surveillance footage.¡± Deng Jianmin said with a deep tone.


    Along with the playing back of the video on the screen, everyone present frowned. Not long after, Tang Xiu walked with the little girl back to the villa complex, as they then watched the footage until the three assassins were killed, but Tang Xiu himself didn¡¯t come out again.


    ¡°It¡¯s not him?¡± One of the Criminal Police officers shook his head.


    ¡°As far I know, Tang Xiu is an expert martial artist. He can climb up the wall to leave the villa complex. Who can be sure that he¡¯s not the one who killed those three assassins?¡± Cheng Xuemei replied with a sneer.


    The other member of Criminal Police said, ¡°Chief, we¡¯ve gotten all CCTV videos for the entire area of South Gate Town. And according to the people in charge from the Property Management Office, there is nearly no black spots in the monitoring scope. And Tang Xiu wasn¡¯t seen in the video leaving the villa complex in all of the footages, so we can exclude him from the suspect list.¡±


    ¡°Just keep watching.¡± Deng Jianmin said deeply.


    3:30 AM


    All of the monitoring video footages in South Gate Town had been played. In the end, Tang Xiu indeed didn¡¯t leave South Gate Town.


    ¡°If Tang Xiu isn¡¯t involved in this case, then who is it? We¡¯ve screened all the residents that came out of the complex and excluded nearly everyone.¡± Cheng Xuemei said with a puzzled expression.


    Deng Jianmin tapped the table with his fingers for a long while as he then slowly spoke, ¡°Captain Cheng, go to South Gate Town tomorrow, ask Tang Xiu to work with us and gather information from him.¡±


    Cheng Xuemei forced out a smile and said, ¡°Director Deng, Tang Xiu¡¯s disposition is¡­ Well, he¡¯s quite hard to get along with. Also, we have no evidence that he¡¯s the one who did it. So I think that it¡¯s quite improper if we rashly ask him to coordinate with us. The most important thing for us now is to gather some clues. Once we¡¯ve determined the target, we can continue the investigation further.¡±


    She hadn¡¯t forgotten the previous case where she asked Tang Xiu to cooperate with her investigation, only to find nothing. And this time, she also had the same hunch, that even if she was to find Tang Xiu, she still wouldn¡¯t get any useful information from him.


    ¡°No matter what, you¡¯ll go there; regardless of he¡¯s the murderer or not! More or less, he¡¯ll still be intimidated. There have been too many major cases in Star City recently. If this keeps going like this, not only will I not last any long in my Bureau Director position, even all of you will also be punished severely!¡± Deng Jianmin said.


    Cheng Xuemei couldn¡¯t help but rub her forehead out of a headache. But she could only nod under Deng Jianmin¡¯s order.


    ****


    Life oftentimes feels bleak and uneventful by many. But for some others, they find that life was exciting and colorful in particular fashions. They could be successful, experience failures, fortunes and misfortunes, as everything was to fulfil and enriched life as it could be.


    It¡¯s already been two months after Tang Xiu returned from the Immortal World. But too many things had happened that he had to pass through. Sometimes, he also wanted to stop and take a break, but the turning wheel of fate was beyond what he could control. It pushed him forward, dragging him to advance without him being able to resist. However, as brave as he always was, the 10,000 years of life he had lived through in the Immortal World had tempered his heart as though it was a stone.


    Inside the villa¡¯s storehouse¡­


    Tang Xiu was refining one medicinal drug, Corpse Dissolver.


    In the Immortal World, this type of drug was used to completely destroy corpses and left no trace. A drop of it could destroy the corpse into a puddle of foul water, even the clothes wouldn¡¯t remain.


    Only after early morning did Tang Xiu come back to his room and slept until noon. After he woke up and took a bath, he went to the living room in the first floor and found Long Hanwen sitting there whilst drinking tea. Quietly sitting at his opposite side was Long Zhengyu, who was reading documents.


    ¡°Ah, when have you arrived, Uncle Long?¡± Tang Xiu approached and greeted them.


    Long Hanwen narrowed his eyes as he looked at Tang Xiu, saying, ¡°I just got here, since I had to collect some information first. Anyway, this house is very good. Got yourself comfy here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Long Zhengyu kept the documents in his hands. He handed it over to Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Never thought that my father would send people to gather the things you asked. It¡¯s very thorough, so it can add to the information I¡¯ve gotten this morning. Anyways, my father also wants you to see the contract we agreed to last night.¡±


    Tang Xiu took the documents about the Zhang Family and read them carefully. He had no choice but admit that he was very insignificant compared to the Zhang Family. The assets calculation alone, the Zhangs had more than 20 billion and also had some trump cards within their arsenal. But even with the information provided by Long Hanwen, there was nothing about their home or their hidden trump card.


    Shortly after, from Long Hanwen, Tang Xiu also read the contract that was made last night. His expression turned particularly strange after reading it as he chuckled, ¡°Ah, opportunities truly can only be grasped by people who already prepared themselves. It seems that Uncle Long has prepared it quite well! I don¡¯t know much about this contract, but I can see the problem within it. If the Zhang Family were to sign this contract and are short of liquid funds, I think they will run into a big trouble.¡±


    ¡°You can figure it out?¡± Long Hanwen¡¯s brows slanted as he asked.


    ¡°Yea, I¡¯m talking about this contract. I have nothing to say about the other clauses though. But there¡¯s something bothering me. Your Long Family and the Zhangs are rivals; there are even some friction between your younger generation. Do you have any assurance that the Zhangs will sign this contract?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    Long Hanwen said with a light laugh, ¡°Hahaha. Regardless of the world being at peace or chaotic, people will always chase profits and benefits. And what¡¯s a businessman to begin with? They are nothing but people who¡¯ll pursue profits. Zhang Fengxian, the head of the Zhang Family, is a fickle man. He has no friends. He can even sell his family members if it can give him some interests and profits. And from this contract, presuming that it can be completed, this would net a profit of at least one billion yuan for the Zhangs. Do you think Zhang Fengxian won¡¯t be tempted by this? Also, this contract only includes the first phase of the joint cooperation, while there will also be subsequent projects following this. With such a huge prospect of profits, Zhang Fengxian would be a fool if he doesn¡¯t sign this.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense. But there¡¯s one more critical problem as of now. It¡¯s about the Hu and Xue Families. I heard some news that the Hu and Xue Families¡¯ strength are not as strong as the Zhangs¡¯. But if the two were to join forces with them, I¡¯m afraid that it will become quite troublesome.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°This problem is also a concern that I¡¯m worried about. So, the reason as to why I wanted to see you this time is that I wanted to hear your opinion on this. Since you want to set a trap, you might have a plan ready.¡± Long Hanwen said with an unflinching expression.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°I know nothing about business wars. But I do have a short term plan to smear the Zhangs¡¯ reputation. Anyways, the Zhang Group have been listed in the stock market, haven¡¯t they? If their corporation¡¯s reputation is damaged, I think their stock price will depreciate big time. Also, I can guarantee that at the beginning of the execution of the plan, the head of the Zhang Family, Zhang Fengxian, as well as some other important figures of the group will be missing. In this situation, where corporation big shots are missing, I believe that our plan will run smoothly.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Long Hanwen asked with a deep tone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a 100% assurance, but 99% is a sure shot.¡± Tang Xiu said without hesitation.


    With a sinking tone, Long Hanwen replied, ¡°That being the case, we¡¯ll agree to the deal. Now tell me, are there any forces joining us in this aside from our Long Family and Chen Zhizhong?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure whether the Ouyang Family will join or not, but for now, we have four forces in this. Your Long Family, Chen Zhizhong, and my two friends- Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Long Hanwen was shocked, ¡°You¡¯re friends with Miao Wentang? The Miao Family¡¯s head of Haiqing Province and the Big Boss of Miao Group?¡±

 Chapter 193

    Chapter 193: Long Hanwen¡¯s Thoughts


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Yes, I know him. We¡¯ve been through thick and thin together and finally become friends. I called him last night and he agreed to participate.¡± Tang Xiu said with a nod.


    ¡°I have a friend in Haiqing Province also, he¡¯s a great businessman. But he¡¯s not worth mentioning compared to the Miao Group. Although Miao Wentang is very mysterious, but he¡¯s very well-known. He is someone who has a very big influence in Haiqing Province.¡± Long Hanwen replied with disbelief.


    ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s that famous.¡± Tang Xiu said


    Long Hanwen laughed and said, ¡°Hahaha. Seems like my worry is unfounded. Tang Xiu, originally, I was worried that the people you invited have no weight. If so, my Long Family, added with Chen Zhizhong and Miao Wentang, our three forces alone are able to suppress the Zhang Family and will make them unable to even breathe. As for the other one¡­ umm, Shao Mingzhen, I¡¯ve never heard of him, what kind of business does he do?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s from Northern Jiangsu, he runs a venture company. But I don¡¯t know his other identity nor if he has any other companies. But he and Miao Wentang are friends for decades, and I can tell that he¡¯s Miao Wentang¡¯s brother through life and death.¡±


    ¡°To be able to become Miao Wentang¡¯s brother means that this Shao Mingzhen is also someone who has a great background. Anyways, when will they come here?¡± Long Hanwen said with a sigh.


    ¡°We agreed to meet tonight in the Long¡¯s Dining Hall. When we¡¯re all together, we¡¯ll work out the plan.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Long Hanwen¡¯s brows wrinkled as he pondered for a moment, and then said, ¡°If possible, I think we best not to meet in the Long¡¯s Dining Hall. Don¡¯t forget that the place is the most prestigious restaurant in Star City, there should be a lot of eyes staring at the place. If so many important people gather there, the Zhang Family will certainly hear the news.¡±


    ¡°Where should we meet then?¡± Tang Xiu asked


    ¡°To keep everything confidential and in check, we should meet in Lakeview Manor! This place belongs to me and my life and death brother. I also own the shares there. Also, the place only has a few guests usually, while it also has a high security system.¡± Long Hanwen said.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll inform them about this.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said.


    ¡°What about the Ouyang Family? When can they give us their reply?¡± Long Hanwen asked with a smile.


    Tang Xiu looked toward the kitchen as he got up and went over, asking, ¡°Big Sis Mu, when did Ouyang Lulu leave?¡±


    ¡°She left very early in the morning, and said she¡¯ll go back to Jingmen Island; she even forgot to bid farewell!¡± Mu Qingping replied with a smile.


    Tang Xiu nodded. He took his mobile and dialed Ouyang Lulu¡¯s number. Ten seconds later, the call was connected and Ouyang Lulu¡¯s voice came over:


    ¡°Wait two hours for me, my brother and I are coming. Talk again later.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Tang Xiu hang up the phone. He came back to the living room and said, ¡°Ouyang Lulu and her brother will arrive in Star City in two hours.¡±


    The smiling expression on Long Hanwen¡¯s face became a lot thicker as he said, ¡°Ouyang Lei is the successor of the Ouyang Family. He¡¯s also the rising star in the business world since he did quite a few big deals after he took over the Ouyang Family¡¯s businesses. And all the deals he did brought quite a lot of income for the family. Since he¡¯s also coming, it can be assumed that the Ouyang Family is also boarding our ship.¡±


    Long Zhengyu suddenly interrupted, ¡°With the joint cooperation of these five forces, the Zhangs are sure to die. I don¡¯t think the Zhangs will be able to last even if the Hu and Xue Family come help them.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°You¡¯re wrong. There¡¯s the sixth force also.¡±


    ¡°Who is it?¡± Long Zhengyu was surprised.


    Pointing to himself, Tang Xiu said with a faint smile, ¡°You think that my Magnificent Tang Corporation is a pushover? We might not have much money as of now, but we still have our own force! Besides, I want my people in the key part of the plan.¡±


    Long Zhengyu laughed involuntarily and then said, ¡°Dang it. My bad, Brother Tang! I, too, heard that you have a group of powerful men- even the security personnel of South Gate Town are not their match.¡±


    ¡°Long Xueyao told you, did she? That¡¯s right. I do have a group of men, and they will also be the ones taking care of this matter.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Long Zhengyu asked, ¡°Anyway, may I know who they are, Brother Tang? How come you¡¯re able to win them over?¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled. He didn¡¯t answer Long Zhengyu¡¯s question since he didn¡¯t want outsiders to know his secret with the Everlasting Feast Hall. In fact, he could have pulled the Everlasting Feast Hall to deal with this matter, but the Hall was built as a cover for Gu Yan¡¯er, so he didn¡¯t want to create trouble for it.


    Suddenly, Long Hanwen said, ¡°Tang Xiu, have you considered pulling Yuan Zhengxuan over? I heard you also have quite a good relationship with him!¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before he shook his head and said, ¡° Yuan Zhengxuan and I don¡¯t have much of a relationship, but his son is my best friend! Besides, his business is very special, so I don¡¯t want to pull him over for this matter.¡±


    Long Hanwen nodded and said, ¡°I know. His business is related to the military, and it¡¯s indeed not suitable for this. However, as long as we give him some hints he will catch the wind, and perhaps he can help deal with some issues also.¡±


    ¡°With so many people involved in this matter right now, you¡¯re still thinking we won¡¯t able to remove the Zhang Family?¡± Tang Xiu asked in reply.


    Long Hanwen stared blankly for a moment, then he shook his head and no longer spoke.


    In actuality, he too had long wanted to remove the Zhang Family. As long as the Zhang Family collapsed, he would be able to dominate the real estate business in Star City. He realized that Tang Xiu had seen through him. But even though Tang Xiu was taking the lead for the plan, he would be happy as long as the Zhang Family was ruined.


    However, he was quite shocked inside. He didn¡¯t expect that Tang Xiu, who had just participated in College Entrance Test, could have such powerful personal contacts. From this aspect only, he was inferior. Otherwise, he would have dealt with the Zhang Family by himself.


    Lunch time had come, but Long Hanwen and Long Zhengyu didn¡¯t stay. They hurriedly left to rush to Lakeview Manor to arrange for the secret meeting tonight.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, policemen are visiting outside.¡±


    Mu Qingping came to Tang Xiu¡¯s bedroom and whispered.


    The police?


    Tang Xiu had long expected the police would come, but he didn¡¯t expect it would be this fast. However, nowadays everything needed definite evidence. Moreover, he also believed he killed those three assassins cleanly. As long as Wolf Head didn¡¯t sell him out, the police wouldn¡¯t be able to find his involvement in the case.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see them!¡± Tang Xiu quickly answered.


    At the hall on the first floor.


    Cheng Xuemei and a young police officer of the Criminal Division were sitting in the living room, waiting. The tea had been served, but they didn¡¯t take it.


    ¡°Captain Cheng?¡±


    Tang Xiu pretended to be surprised upon seeing Cheng Xuemei.


    Cheng Xuemei stood up and looked at Tang Xiu with an indifferent expression as she said, ¡°Mr. Tang, we¡¯re sorry to disturb you. We¡¯re investigating a homicide case that happened in front of South Gate Town¡¯s front entrance. When we saw the CCTV footage, we found that you¡¯re also living here. We want to find out the situation from you, so I hope you can cooperate with us.¡±


    ¡°Certainly.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°We¡¯ve seen from the footage that you left the villa complex yesterday afternoon and quickly came back. May I ask whether you came out again after that?¡± Cheng Xuemei asked.


    ¡°No. After going out and coming back yesterday, I read some books and slept. I didn¡¯t go out of the villa even a half step after that.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said.


    ¡°May I ask for what purpose did you go out yesterday?¡± Chen Xuemei asked.


    ¡°I accompanied my apprentice to buy tutoring and homework books. The stationery shop¡¯s owner nearby the commercial street can prove my testimony.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Cheng Xuemei knitted her brows as she asked again, ¡°You haven¡¯t heard that there was a murder in front of the villa complex¡¯s entrance?¡±


    ¡°I heard it from a friend who came visiting and stayed here yesterday. Three people were killed by gunshots, right? But, I¡¯m really clueless though. You¡ªthe police force, should have been a deterrent force, but how come you¡¯re stooping so low now? There have been a lot of murder cases recently in Star City, and this big responsibility is yours to take.¡±


    Cheng Xuemei was truly helpless inside. She already knew that finding Tang Xiu wouldn¡¯t result in any effect whatsoever, not even the tiniest clues or tracks could be gotten from him.


    This guy¡­ was unlike a young man, but more like a cunning old fox.


    Soon after, Cheng Xuemei asked a few more questions, only to turn more desperate, since there was nothing to find. She looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m done with the questions. Thank you for your cooperation. Anyway, we bid you farewell as we still have more work to do.¡±


    ¡°Ah, why the hurry, Captain Cheng? How¡¯s about having dinner first? I guarantee that my housekeeper¡¯s culinary skills are first-class. Her cooking will make your appetite go wild and drive you to eat greedily.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    Cheng Xuemei was quite incensed and amused at the same time as she said, ¡°You think I still have the time to stay here for dinner? The case is beating me black and blue, and I even got no time to sleep since yesterday. But to think that you have a housekeeper, the changes you have undergone in the last two months are really great.¡±


    ¡°People need to move forward. The small business I¡¯ve made recently got me some money. Otherwise, what you see me now wouldn¡¯t make you feel this is the first time we meet each other, no?¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    Cheng Xuemei recalled the scene when she first met Tang Xiu. She immediately nodded and said, ¡°You¡¯re good. You can share your mother¡¯s worries and do everything you can to be successful. Anyways, thanks for tutoring my younger sister.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re classmates, we ought to love each other.¡± Tang Xiu waved and replied.


    Love each other?


    Cheng Xuemei stared at Tang Xiu with a strange look. She kind of had the feeling that there was another meaning in this line. Could there be something between him and her little sister¡­


    Her heart jolted and sped up. She stared at Tang Xiu seriously and asked, ¡°You and my sister, shouldn¡¯t the two of you be related as pure classmates only?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said.


    Chang Xuemei¡¯s complexion changed, and her tone became stern and severe as she asked with a sinking tone, ¡°What¡¯s your relationship with her? My sister is still young, it¡¯s not the time for her to have such a puppy love!¡±


    Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he had to laugh or cry, ¡°Huh? I said we¡¯re not just classmates because we¡¯re friends, comrades. What do you think we¡¯re doing? Even if I ever liked a woman, I wouldn¡¯t be interested in such a little girl like her, no? But you, you actually fit my standard though. What if you wait for me a few years, until I graduated from the college, to marry me and give me a child?¡±

 Chapter 194

    Chapter 194: Gathering


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Damn!¡±


    Cheng Xuemei realized she misunderstood his words and intended to apologize. But after she was struck by the following lines, she was at a loss whether to cry or laugh. She couldn¡¯t help but smile and scolded.


    As Tang Xiu observed her, only then did he realize that, even if Cheng Xuemei was in her police uniform, she had a beautiful face and indeed was a bit seductive. What made him quite interested was that Cheng Xuemei¡¯s buttocks were quite big. It was said that women who had big buttocks were fertile and able to have children. Marrying her in the future, he wouldn¡¯t worry not having children.


    ¡°Well, if there¡¯s an opportunity to introduce you to my mother, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be very happy to see you.¡±


    Tang Xiu said half serious.


    Cheng Xuemei rolled her eyes at him as she shook her head and went toward the hall¡¯s door. She was truly curious about Tang Xiu, wishing to crack open his head to see what was inside. But to think he would say he wanted to take her to see his parents¡­ what a joke!


    With a smiling expression, Tang Xiu send Cheng Xuemei and her colleague off with his eyes. After the two figures went through the door and disappeared, the smile faded and his expression turned dark.


    He took out his mobile. After he called Kang Xia and Chen Zhizhong to ask them to come to South Gate Town, only then did he return to the second floor.


    After an hour, Kang Xia and Chen Zhizhong arrived at the villa. Tang Xiu took them to his study room and closed the door after Mu Qingping served tea. Then, he said, ¡°Chen Zhizhong, Long Hanwen should¡¯ve contacted you, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he called me last night! I¡¯ve begun to prepare my own side so we can go all out once we begin to move.¡± Chen Zhizhong nodded and said.


    ¡°Anyways, some people have come by today, I¡¯ll introduce you to them tonight.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Boss, what¡¯s this all about? What¡¯s this starting to move and going all out? I don¡¯t get it.¡± Kang Xia said with a confused expression.


    ¡°I conjoined five forces, we¡¯re preparing to storm over Star City¡¯s Zhang Family.¡± Tang Xiu said indifferently.


    ¡°Why?¡± Kang Xia was surprised.


    ¡°You should know about the murder case in front of South Gate Town¡¯s entrance today, yes?¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Yes, I heard that three people died.¡± Kang Xia nodded and replied.


    ¡°I killed those three people.¡± Tang Xiu said with a grim smile.


    ¡°You what?¡± Kang Xia was shocked and scared.


    ¡°Those three were assassins sent by the Zhang¡¯s princess¡ªZhang Deqin to kill me. You also know the grudge between me and them, Kang Xia. I have always lived with a creed. I won¡¯t violate others if they do the same. Since the princess of the Zhangs wants me to die, then I won¡¯t give any mercy either.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°How come that Zhang Deqin dared to do that?¡± Kang Xia angrily said.


    With a grim laugh, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t she? I can tell that she has done it before. You wanna know what for that 200 million yuan I asked you before? It was the price I paid to buy the information from the middleman about the mastermind behind this. You think I¡¯ll swallow this in silence and do nothing?¡±


    ¡°Then, what do you want me to do, Boss?¡± Kang Xia suddenly realized it as she nodded and replied after hesitating for a moment.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be my spokesperson in the deals with the other five. When the Zhang Family has been removed, their assets will be divided to all of us. Also, I will call those 20 men I gave you earlier to deal with some things.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Which five people?¡± Kang Xia asked.


    As he pointed at Chen Zhizhong, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°Him, the Long Family, Ouyang Family and my other two friends. You will see them tonight.¡±


    A glint flashed in Kang Xia¡¯s eyes as she asked, ¡°Boss, are you the one who is leading this endeavor?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Tang Xiu replied.


    A smile revealed on Kang Xia¡¯s face as she nodded and said, ¡°Understood Boss, I know what to do.¡±


    Shortly after.


    Ouyang Lulu and Ouyang Lei arrived at South Gate Town. As they came to the villa and saw Tang Xiu, Ouyang Lei approached him and gave a big hug as he said with a smile, ¡°My future brother-in-law, since our family knows that you¡¯re going to do a big move, we also have prepared to join in. So my family send me here. Since we¡ªbrothers have joined, the Zhangs are as sure as fallen already.¡±


    Tang Xiu stepped back and released himself from Ouyang Lei¡¯s hug. With a weird expression, he looked at Ouyang Lulu who was blushing and forced out a smile as he said, ¡°Brother Ouyang, right? I think you made a mistake, I¡¯m not your future brother-in-law. What you said can stain the reputation of your sister.¡±


    Ouyang Lei was struck with surprise as he stared blankly. The smile on his face quickly faded away as he shouted angrily at Tang Xiu, ¡°What the hell? What nonsense did you spit out? My sister has slept with you, and you don¡¯t want to admit your mistakes and clean your mouth after you eat something?¡±


    Tang Xiu was struck dumb.


    _Has she even slept with me?_


    _I ate up something and not cleaned up my mouth?_


    _When did I eat her up anyway?_


    After coming to his senses, Tang Xiu forced out a smile and said, ¡°Ugh, there should be a misunderstanding here, no? Ouyang Lulu and I are only friends, we did not¡­ ¡°


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡±


    Ouyang Lei shouted. He turned his head and glared sternly at Ouyang Lulu, saying, ¡°What do you want me to say about you? That you¡¯re getting dumped by him? Go home with me now and see if I don¡¯t tell this to Mom and Dad. I¡¯ll just let them fix you up.¡±


    With a quite humiliated and angered face, Ouyang Lulu loudly said, ¡°Brother, what the hell are you talking nonsense here? I told you many times already that I and Tang Xiu are only friends. Well, slightly better than ordinary friends. It was you who misunderstood this, and you wanna lecture me because of this?¡±


    Ouyang Lei knitted his brows as he looked at her. Then, he turned and looked at Tang Xiu. After hesitating for a while, he asked again, ¡°So, you really didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Yea, we really didn¡¯t do it.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Ouyang Lei rolled his eyes and snorted, ¡°Hmph, even if not now, then let it happen tomorrow. In any case, my parents have regarded you as our Ouyang Family¡¯s son-in-law. So you can never escape from this identity. Tang Xiu, my sister has a high standard and she rarely likes anyone, so you must never abandon her.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu could only sigh helplessly. Trying to reason with an unreasonable and misfit guy such as Ouyang Lei gave him a headache. If he was not Ouyang Lulu¡¯s big brother, he really would have kicked this guy out.


    To no longer be pestered with this subject, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Anyways, did your Ouyang Family really decided to join in the action?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Since a member of our family has been bullied by others, how can the family overlook it? Worry not! In the next two days, a lot of our men will come to Star City gradually. I came in advance to prepare the accommodations for them. In addition, our family has prepared five billion for fund, so once we execute the plan, we can immediately use the money.¡±


    Really generous!


    Tang Xiu could only smile wryly inside.


    As for Ouyang Lei¡¯s warmhearted display to regard him as his own family, he really couldn¡¯t stand it. But it was also improper to not give face to someone who was smiling and offering him a hand, lest that he couldn¡¯t drive him away.


    Standing next to Tang Xiu, Kang Xia looked at Ouyang Lei with displeasure. If not for realizing that flaring up was bad, she would have scrapped this guy¡¯s ears and slapped his face. Her boss had no intimate relationship with Ouyang Lulu whatsoever, and he dared to spit out such rubbish talk.


    Somehow, ever since the fight with Ouyang Lulu previously, she couldn¡¯t stand to see her flirt with Tang Xiu. The more aggressive Ouyang Lulu acted, the more she incensed felt inside. If there were no outsiders this time, she would have held Tang Xiu¡¯s arms and showcased it to this Ouyang sibling.


    At the evening, a group of five drove to Lakeview Manor. The manor¡¯s owner was a rich-looking, plump middle-aged man. He was surnamed Sun, with straight eyebrows and a mustache shaped like °Ë and somehow looked quite comical.


    ¡°Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen. The Old Man Long has ordered to take you directly to the meeting room in the innermost manor. If you have any requests you can always call the staffers. Tonight, all the staffers here are our own people.¡± Sun Zhengquan motioned from the side whilst smiling.


    Chen Zhizhong was a regular patron here so he also handed over the issue to him.


    Soon, Tang Xiu and the other four arrived at the meeting room as they saw Long Hanwen and Long Zhengyu there. After some courtesies, everyone sat down. Then, Long Hanwen asked, ¡°Tang Xiu, when will your other two friends come?¡±


    ¡°They should be coming soon.¡± Tang Xiu looked at his watch and said.


    As expected, the moment Tang Xiu finished speaking, Sun Zhengquan, who had not yet left, received a notice from a security guard, saying that Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen had arrived.


    ¡°We apologize for coming late.¡±


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen apologized after entering the meeting room.


    Tang Xiu was the first to stand up. He looked at them and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. We also have just arrived. Anyways, let me introduce you to everyone, this one is¡­¡±


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu had introduced the two of them to everyone. After some small courtesies, everyone finally talked about today¡¯s main purpose.


    ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen, today¡¯s issue was initiated by me. I proposed to uproot the Zhang Family since I don¡¯t want to be bothered to be bugged by them anymore. So I¡¯m very grateful for everyone¡¯s assistance. If anyone of you needs my help in the future, you can speak to me freely.¡± Tang Xiu said first.


    ¡°Well, the Zhang Family has long been having disputes and has quite a deep hatred with the Long Family. I wished to uproot them from a long time now. Since the opportunity has arisen, naturally, we won¡¯t give this up. Tang Xiu, everyone here is our own people. So tell us about the first move you already have in mind.¡± Long Hanwen said with a smile.


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll tell you about the ideas I have in mind first. Then, we¡¯ll discuss and have a brainstorming about it to make a perfect plan. The Zhang Family has deep roots in Star City and they have stayed here for decades. The first step we¡¯ll do is to tempt them with profit prospects. As long as the gains are big enough, the Zhang Family naturally will bite the hook and want it for themselves. A few days ago, I, Long Zhengyu and Ouyang Lulu have agreed to a joint venture to buyout a plot of land and are preparing to build an edifice there. So, for the following¡­¡±


    Along with Tang Xiu¡¯s explanation, everyone nodded repeatedly. After he had finished explaining, Long Hanwen said with a smile, ¡°Everyone¡¯s knowledge about the Zhang Family, perhaps is not as deep as mine. It¡¯s true that the one who understands us the most is not your friend, instead, it¡¯s your enemy. Now, since I¡¯m the one who¡¯s their opponent, I¡¯ll speak about my idea¡­¡±


    A full two hours passed by.


    Everyone discussed in the meeting room and quickly made a good plan. Following that, each and every one of them also spoke about the money they could contribute to the plan. Long Hanwen agreed to provide 5 billion, while Chen Zhizhong would come up with 2 billion. Ouyang Lei himself brought 5 billion, so the total now reached 12 billion. Unbeknownst to all from where Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen got the money, they also brought 3 billion.


    Even so, they also had arranged a lot of manpower, so, whether it was force or business warfare, everything was ready to be set in motion.

 Chapter 195

    Chapter 195: Trap


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Noon of the next day¡­


    Long Hanwen contacted four bank¡¯s leaders in Star City. He invited them to Long¡¯s Dining Hall and revealed his purpose of getting a loan from them.


    Since the four banks also wanted to cooperate with the Long Group, they officially expressed that there was no problem with their side. But when they heard the sum of the loan Long Hanwen wanted, each and every one of them gave up.


    Five billion from each. Altogether it was 20 billion yuan.


    The leaders of these Star City¡¯s four banks were frightened by Long Hanwen¡¯s ambition. And when they heard that Long Hanwen had gathered 8 billion yuan and learned that he was ready to develop a huge project, instead of feeling happy, they were worried about it.


    Tens of billions worth of investment in a project was by no means something to joke about. If the progress of the project ran smoothly, then it would be fine; but if the project ended up badly, they simply couldn¡¯t afford to lose five billion. Therefore, they could only promise Long Hanwen that they would give the answer later after thorough consideration.


    At night.


    Long Hanwen also invited numerous government officials to dine in Long¡¯s Dining Hall, during which he tried to build a bridge with them and exploited his connections. He also faintly revealed that he was preparing to carry out a big project. And it was expected that the project plan should be completed in the next few days. When the time came, he said he hoped to get official approval from the government.


    These officials naturally hoped that Star City could have better development. As Long Hanwen himself had good reputation and personal contacts, they promised to give a lot of care to the project.


    The third day.


    Long Hanwen and Long Zhengyu separately contacted several rich Big Bosses in Star City, proposing and wishing to cooperate with them. However, the conditions they gave were not particularly appealing.


    Those several Big Bosses didn¡¯t give clear answers, but they told Long Hanwen and Long Zhengyu that they would consider it first and would then give their answers after a few days.


    Whilst Long Hanwen¡¯s side carried out the plan, Tang Xiu and the others were also not idle. Chen Zhizhong stood up and was reported to be willing to invest 200 million. On the other hand, the people brought by Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen were scattered nearby the Zhang Family¡¯s industrial sites throughout Star City.


    Ouyang Lei himself went to Blue City in these two days, and after having some talks with several friends who were very famous and powerful there, he then met with Long Hanwen at Long¡¯s Dining Hall. As for the specific details of the talks between the two parties, a lot of Big Bosses from the business circle seemed to be well aware and showed their interests on it.


    Following that and unbeknownst to all, a set of building architectural design had been photographed with mobile phones by someone and spread out everywhere.


    At the Zhang Family, in Star City¡­


    Zhang Fengxian was sitting upright in his study room, listening to the report from his secretary in front of him. His eyes glinted as he looked at the architectural design spread out in front. The design was printed, and each and every design in this architectural complex design was truly almost perfect.


    ¡°That¡¯s all?¡±


    Whilst listening to the report from his Secretary, Zhang Fengxian¡¯s eyes finally landed on the architectural complex design in front of him as he asked quietly.


    ¡°Yes. We¡¯ve investigated these. Ouyang Lei from the Ouyang Family is now with Long Hanwen in Long¡¯s Dining Hall. The development of the Ouyang Family¡¯s businesses in Jingmen Island has reached the limit and they want to expand further. It¡¯s a necessity for them to seize others¡¯ businesses. For this purpose, Ouyang Lei went to Blue City to have a meeting and presentation with several people before he directly came to Star City. Their talks seemed to have gone very good, and I think it¡¯s highly likely that they will reach cooperation.¡±


    ¡°How about the state of the Long Group¡¯s stock price?¡± Zhang Fengxian asked thoughtfully.


    ¡°It has risen in today¡¯s closing session.¡± The young secretary replied.


    Zhang Fengxian stood up slowly whilst carefully rolling up the architectural complex design. Then, he said, ¡°Call Deqin here, I¡¯ll go with her to visit Long¡¯s Dining Hall.¡±


    The young secretary complied and left the study room.


    Two minutes later, Zhang Deqin arrived in the study room with a pale complexion. After which, she asked Zhang Fengxian, who was standing motionlessly and watched through the window, ¡°Dad, is there something you need me for?¡±


    ¡°Have you heard the recent moves from the Long Family?¡± Zhang Fengxian said.


    ¡°Yes. In fact, I heard that Long Zhengyu had bought those plot of lands as early as half a month ago. I know that the Long Family is preparing a big move, but I didn¡¯t expect that they would act this fast.¡± Zhang Deqin nodded and said.


    ¡°Have you looked at the architectural complex design that has been leaked? Tell me what you think about it,¡± said Zhang Fengxian.


    ¡°I can say that this is truly an exquisite workmanship. If the Long Family is able to build all the requirements in the design and build all of the buildings drawn there, it will create a huge sensation throughout the country. No, it should be able to create a stir worldwide. However, the funds needed for the constructions would be astronomical. Let alone one Long Family, even if there are ten of them, perhaps, they wouldn¡¯t be able to provide such a huge sum.¡± Zhang Deqin nodded and said.


    ¡°The Long Family can¡¯t provide such astronomical sum now, that¡¯s for sure. But the project can be done separately. If the building clusters in this design are to be divided into 10 or 20 clusters, it won¡¯t be a problem to complete the project despite taking a long time. Once this blueprint design is known to the public and the project begins to construct the business district and residential area, I can tell that all real estate prices will skyrocket greatly. Do you think our Zhang Family will be able to join in and take shares in this project?¡± Zhang Fengxian said indifferently.


    ¡°Dad, you want to cooperate with the Long Family?¡± asked Zhang Deqin as her eyes brightened up.


    ¡°It¡¯s a must! If we let the Long Family freely raise the capital to fund this project, it will be inevitable they will surpass our family in the future. We are businessmen. For us, profits will always be our purpose. Since the benefits and profits are there, why can¡¯t we cooperate?¡± nodded Zhang Fengxian as he said.


    In this instance, Tang Xiu¡¯s face appeared in Zhang Deqin¡¯s mind. She recalled the complicated relationship between them with Tang Xiu and the Long Family. After hesitating for a while, she said, ¡°Dad, could this be a trap?¡±


    ¡°A trap? By all means, with only Long Hanwen¡¯s abilities, there¡¯s no way he can set a trap for us. Otherwise, he must have been preparing to build up resources and move. Come with me to the Long¡¯s Dining Hall now.¡± Said Zhang Fengxian with a sneer.


    ¡°What are we gonna do there?¡± asked Zhang Deqin with a confused expression.


    ¡°Jingmen Island¡¯s Ouyang Family wants to expand their business. They originally wanted to target Blue City. But after having talks with some of their friends there, they now have arrived in Star City and are talking with Long Hanwen. In business, everyone will have to cooperate to make money and riches. But even if the Long and Ouyang Families were to cooperate, they wouldn¡¯t be able to gather such big capital on their own!¡±


    Zhang Deqin herself was quite alerted inwardly. But she was also well aware of her father¡¯s disposition. Once he decided something, no one could stop him him, even though there were also others with authority in the family.


    However, using the excuse to change her clothes, she dialed someone¡¯s number and asked to investigate Tang Xiu¡¯s whereabouts in the last two days.


    Just as she followed her father to Long¡¯s Dining Hall, she received a report that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t go out even half a step from South Gate Town in the last two days. The message gave peace of mind to her.


    At Long¡¯s Dining Hall.


    Holding a glass of red wine and smoking a cigar in the bright and spacious presidential suite, Long Hanwen was chatting and merrily laughing with Ouyang Lei while a set of architectural designs drawn by Tang Xiu was placed in front of them.


    ¡°Ding, dong¡­¡±


    The doorbell sounded.


    Ouyang Lei opened the door. After seeing it was Long Zhengyu, he nodded his head and let him enter the room.


    ¡°Dad, I¡¯ve received calls from two banks. Both of them said they can only give the loan for a maximum of two billion, so the total would be four billion. However, the interest is not low.¡±


    ¡°And the term?¡± Long Hanwen squinted his eyes and asked.


    ¡°Two years.¡± Replied Long Zhengyu.


    ¡°Tell them to either increase the term to three years or reduce the rate. Otherwise, I¡¯ll take the loan from the other banks.¡± He said.


    Long Zhengyu nodded. He cast a sidelong glance at the door and toned down his voice, ¡°I just received a report that Zhang Fengxian and his daughter¡ªZhang Deqin, along with some high-level members of the Zhang Family, have arrived in Long¡¯s Dining Hall. If they¡¯re coming to see us, they should be here shortly.¡±


    Long Hanwen and Ouyang Lei looked at each other.


    Ouyang Lei said with a laugh, ¡°Hahaha, the fish has taken the bait.¡±


    ¡°Considering the fly-like character he has for profits¡¯ opportunities, Zhang Fengxian surely will chase every chance he can see. We have spread out so much rumors about this. If he doesn¡¯t catch the drift, then he isn¡¯t himself.¡± Long Hanwen said with a sneer.


    ¡°Damn! My brother-in-law is truly amazing. He created so many movements that will create a big stir, but he unexpectedly stayed in South Gate Town in these two days. It¡¯s as if he simply has no concerns whether this will be successful or not. But a young man will always think as a young man. He turned out to have secretly hired a number of Internet Water Army. Once we carry out the next stage of the plan, perhaps, there will be overwhelming reports and information on the Internet that will discredit the Zhang Family.¡± Said Ouyang Lei with a laugh.


    ¡°Well, the Internet propaganda is definitely a very influential way of spreading information. My men are also all trying out to investigate the evil deeds the Zhang Family had done recently. So long as they find evidence, they will feed those Internet mercenaries this information.¡± Replied Long Hanwen with a nod.


    ¡°If I were to have children such as Zhang Deqin and Zhang Yongjin in the future, I would make sure to choke them to the death as early as I could. Having such children will only court a disaster for the family.¡± Ouyang Lei replied with a laugh.


    ¡°You can find various kinds of birds in a forest. It¡¯s just like people say- It¡¯s easy to attack a country, but much more difficult to defend one. When troublemakers appear in the family, the entire family will be implicated by them. And these years, the wicked deeds the Zhang Family has done are many, so it should also be the time for their retribution to come.¡± Long Hanwen replied indifferently.


    ¡°Ding dong ¡­¡±


    The doorbell sounded again.


    Long Hanwen nodded to Long Zhengyu as he watched him go to the door and open it.


    ¡°Ah, Uncle Zhang?! What brings you here?¡± Seeing the five people outside the door, Long Zhengyu¡¯s eyes finally landed on Zhang Fengxian as he greeted with a smile.


    ¡°Well, I heard that your father was here drinking. How couldn¡¯t this old friend of his not come to join the ride? Anyhow, won¡¯t you let me in?¡± Zhang Fengxian asked with a smile.


    ¡°This¡­¡± Long Zhengyu hesitated as he then said, ¡°Uncle Zhang, please enter.¡±


    Zhang Fengxian nodded. After entering the living room of the presidential suite, he then saw Long Hanwen and Ouyang Lei chatting on the sofa.


    ¡°Ah, it seems like Brother Long is in good spirits, yes? Anyways, we took the liberty to visit you, we¡¯re not disturbing you entertaining your guest, are we?¡±

 Chapter 196

    Chapter 196: Making Someone Taste His Own Medicine


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Long Hanwen got up and greeted him with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Nephew Ouyang and I have almost finished talking. Besides, old brother Zhang and I haven¡¯t drank together for a long time, have we? So, how about we have dinner together?¡±


    ¡°No problem. But I¡¯ll play the host. Anyhow, this should be the business genius from Jingmen Island¡¯s Ouyang Family, yes? Truly, heroes have always sprouted from the young, and seeing you in person is much better than hearing from rumors.¡± Zhang Fengxian said.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re overpraising me.¡± Ouyang Lei replied with a smile. Then, he immediately turned to Long Hanwen and said, ¡°Uncle Long, this is?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s also one of the great figures in Star City. You have heard about the Star City¡¯s Zhang Group, haven¡¯t you? He¡¯s the Boss, Zhang Fengxian.¡± Long Hanwen replied.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been looking forward to meeting you for a long time now.¡± Ouyang Lei casually nodded and said with a smile.


    After some courtesies, everyone then sat on the sofa.


    Zhang Fengxian clearly saw that there was the original drawing of architectural complex design on the coffee table. However, Long Zhengyu hastily rolled up the design paper and put it into the box. He then said with a smile, ¡°Brother Long, I¡¯ll be frank with you. The reason I came to see you this time is to buy this design blueprint. You say the price.¡±


    Long Hanwen¡¯s expression changed. The smile on his face faded as though receding tides. With a bit of hazed expression, he forced out an insincere smile and said, ¡°To think you know I have this blueprint design, Brother Zhang truly the means! It seems there¡¯s a traitor close to me. But since I have carried out the legal filing for this design, I¡¯m the owner of this blueprint. I won¡¯t sell it!¡±


    ¡°Brother Long, you misunderstood me. Someone has taken this architectural design of yours with a mobile phone and leaked it on the internet. There should be a lot of people know that about it now. And I myself came to know about it by chance.¡± said Zhang Fengxian.


    Long Hanwen¡¯s complexion changed again as he shouted with a sinking tone, ¡°Zhengyu! How could this happen?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know! I¡¯m the one who kept this blueprint. And I can guarantee that nobody has seen it aside from you and brother Ouyang.¡± Shaking his head, Long Zhengyu replied.


    ¡°If this didn¡¯t leak out from you, then from who? Could it be¡­¡± with a sinking tone Long Hanwen asked.


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be! The expert who drew this design has a good and reliable reputation. He spent six months to help us design this architectural complex blueprint.¡± Replied Long Zhengyu with a forced smile.


    ¡°Hahaha, Brother Long, nobody is accountable; and nowadays, accountability is literally useless. Since you¡¯re the owner of this design, nobody can take it away from your hands even if it¡¯s been spread out throughout the world. Since you don¡¯t want to sell it, could it be that you want to start the project yourself? Furthermore, I¡¯ve heard that you also have called several banks presidents and even met the top leaders from the government?¡± Zhang Fengxian laughed and said.


    Long Hanwen snorted and said, ¡°Hmph, it seems that the world truly has no wall without cracks. I¡¯ve done everything as carefully as I can, but I didn¡¯t expect that ambitious people still sniffed this out.¡±


    ¡°Brother Long, you need not hold any hostility toward me. In all due honesty, the reason I came to see you is to offer a win-win solution. I already saw this architectural design blueprint, and the amount of work is quite huge since it includes a commercial district as well as a residential area. Not to mention that some buildings with a few hundred-meter-high height are also quite big projects in itself. What I¡¯m saying is, we should cooperate.¡± Zhang Fengxian said with a smile.


    ¡°So, you want your share of the cake too, huh?¡± Long Hanwen frowned and replied.


    ¡°Brother Long, a project as huge as this one is not something that can be swallowed solely by your Long Family. I believe that this project will run smoothly if we cooperate. You too know that we both are the main leaders of the real estate business in Star City. It will bring about great benefits for the both of us once we cooperate.¡± Zhang Fengxian categorically said.


    ¡°What you say is true. I also know that my Long Family doesn¡¯t have the means to monopolize this big cake. But, Jingmen Island¡¯s Ouyang Family also wants to cooperate with me. I know it will take more time if we begin the project and build per clusters and phases, but still, the profits are also quite considerable. So¡­¡± Long Hanwen replied with a dry smile.


    Zhang Fengxian waved his hand to interrupt Long Hanwen¡¯s speech as he said with a sinking tone, ¡°Brother Long, time is money. The earlier the project is completed, the faster the investment will return. I don¡¯t have any problem with the Ouyang Family cooperating in this, since we can still sign a tripartite agreement to co-fund the project. Fortunately, my Zhang Group has sold several estates recently and we have received our investment also. So it won¡¯t be a problem for us to provide dozens of billion in liquid funds.¡±


    Long Hanwen knitted his brows and looked at Ouyang Lei. The latter pondered for a moment before he slowly said, ¡°Our Ouyang Family also has no problem with it, provided that the Zhang Group has enough funds. However, I have a request. We must start this project within a short time. In addition, with the co-funding of the three of us, I want the leadership of the venture to be taken by the one who contributes the most.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Long Hanwen and Zhang Fengxian looked at each other with hesitation.


    ¡°My family will invest 5 billion and I also have brought the money, I can invest it at any time into the project. The two of you are the local businessmen in Star City, so I need to take precautions in this cooperation. That¡¯s why I suggested our three parties to deposit the funds and sign an agreement that anyone cannot withdraw the fund if the projects have yet to complete. I myself don¡¯t hope such a situation to occur, for it will affect the entire implementation of the plan.¡± Ouyang Lei slowly explained.


    ¡°Then, your meaning is that our three parties will provide staff to form a management team? I see. This approach itself does sound reasonable, but a team without a leader will inevitably affect the project in itself.¡± Long Hanwen said with a surprised expression.


    Zhang Fengxian himself also understood the reasoning behind this approach. He nodded and said, ¡°Nephew Ouyang hasn¡¯t had engaged with real estate business, yes? A management team consisted of three parties would have quite a troublesome situation; particularly when the project has been started and encounters some problem, whereas each and every party would propose their ideas and nobody is agreeing with anyone. So I suggest that we should elect a CEO who is solely responsible for the project.¡±


    Ouyang Lei thought for a long while as he then said slowly, ¡°If you want to appoint a CEO, I should be the one to find the person. You can rest assured, I won¡¯t use someone from my Ouyang Family, I will hire a reputable and highly-renowned manager for this. If you agree to my request then we¡¯ll shake hands; but if you don¡¯t, Ouyang Family will recede from the cooperation.¡±


    Long Hanwen glanced at Zhang Fengxian as he replied with sinking tone, ¡°I can agree to this condition, but on the premise that I also have the rights to voice my opinion on the candidates. If I think the professional manager you hire is not qualified, then your candidate will be overruled.¡±


    ¡°I agree to this condition!¡± Zhang Fengxian quickly said.


    ¡°I believe you heard of this friend of mine. Kang Xia! As early as tomorrow morning, I¡¯ll go to the Capital to invite her. What do you think?¡± Ouyang Lei said slowly.


    Kang Xia?


    A strange expression passed on Long Hanwen and Zhang Fengxian¡¯s face, while there was also a trace of pity in their eyes.


    Zhang Deqin, who was at the side, felt somewhat familiar with the name, but she couldn¡¯t remember where she heard it. After trying to recall for a moment, she asked with a low voice, ¡°Dad, who¡¯s this Kang Xia, is she very famous?¡±


    ¡°Famous?! This name shook the business world! You haven¡¯t assumed the authority position in the family so you don¡¯t know much about the topmost Gold Medal Managers in the world. However, it¡¯s a pity though¡­¡± Zhang Fengxian said with a sigh.


    ¡°Why is it a pity?¡± Zhang Deqin asked with a confused expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pity that Kang Xia no longer wants to become a CEO for other corporations, for she herself has established her own company. She even chose our Star City as the base. You have heard about the Magnificent Tang Corporation, haven¡¯t you? This corporation has just been established in Star City recently, and Kang Xia is exactly this company¡¯s CEO.¡± Zhang Fengxian forced out a smile as he replied.


    Zhang Deqin suddenly realized as to why she felt that the Kang Xia name was quite familiar when she heard it. The said person was a CEO of a newly formed corporation. She also remembered that the recent financial and economic magazines often reported her interview.


    Being surprised after hearing the talk between the father and daughter, Ouyang Lei asked, ¡°Did you say that Kang Xia is in Star City and has established her own company?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s called Magnificent Tang Corporation.¡± Zhang Fengxian nodded and said.


    Ouyang Lei took out his mobile and dialed a number. After the call was connected, he quickly spoke, ¡°Kang Xia, it¡¯s Ouyang Lei here. Is it true that you¡¯ve established your own company? I just heard about it.¡±


    ¡°Ah, old friend, aren¡¯t you kinda late on the news? I did have set up a company, but I¡¯ve just built its framework for now and it will take quite a long time to have it on the right track. Anyways, is there something you want?¡± Kang Xia¡¯s laughter and voice came out of the phone.


    ¡°Damn. I caught the news way too late. Anyways, where are you now? Are you in the capital or in Star City?¡± Ouyang Lei forced out a smile and said.


    ¡°Star City!¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m also in Star City, you got time for us to meet?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re also in Star City? Of course! We¡¯re old friends. It¡¯s been almost a year since we met, right? Where are you now? I¡¯ll catch up with you now.¡±


    ¡°Long¡¯s Dining Hall!¡±


    ¡°Ah, the world¡¯s really small. You¡¯re here too, huh? Tell me your box¡¯s number, I¡¯ll be there shortly.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    Ouyang Lei hang up the phone. With an expression as though he was talking to himself, he forced out a smile and said, ¡°To think that she actually established her own company, this is truly unexpected. I met her in the United States around seven or eight years ago, helping her settle some little problems back then. She told me she would return the favor in the future. To be honest, I want to use this favor and make her the CEO for this project. But it seems there¡¯s no hope.¡±


    Long Hanwen¡¯s expression moved as he said, ¡°In fact, I think it¡¯s not that bad since Kang Xia is still willing to see you. As far as I know, Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s framework and structure have been completed. Apparently, they will take the cosmetic business, but their progress in setting up the manufacturing line isn¡¯t doing well. So it¡¯s still unknown when they¡¯ll be able to begin producing the products. On the other hand, since we have undertaken the early stage of the project, we might still be able to pull her to supervise this project. Besides, she herself resides in Star City and it will be very convenient.¡±


    ¡°I wonder whether she would agree to work with us. I have heard some news about her character.¡± Zhang Fengxian forced out a smile as he replied.

 Chapter 197

    Chapter 197: Exorbitant Demands


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Whilst pointing at Ouyang Lei and trying to suppress his excitement, Long Hanwen said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear clearly that Kang Xia owes him a favor? Do you think she¡¯ll refuse if he wants her to repay it? Lest that Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s business could be said as only a minor one, the capital being invested in it also not worth mentioning. So, if we can pull her company in this, I believe Kang Xia will also be willing to be the CEO.¡±


    ¡°Kang Xia is someone who lives up to her words and I¡¯m sure that she will definitely comply if I ask; albeit perhaps we will have to pay quite the price.¡± Ouyang Lei said confidently.


    ¡°Price? With all due respect, I truly want to know how much she¡¯d demand. We all know who she is and how much money we can get by relying on her if she becomes the CEO!¡± patting the table, Long Hanwen loudly spoke.


    At the moment, Zhang Fengxian was also excited. He knew that a lot of domestic major corporations had tried to hire Kang Xia, only to receive her refusal. And now, the fact that she owed Ouyang Lei a favor, and in the case that he was really able to invite her, it meant that they only needed to open the mouth, whereas the money would come to them by itself.


    ¡°Whatever demands she has, we¡¯ll comply.¡± Zhang Fengxian said with a firm tone.


    A few minutes later.


    The doorbell of the presidential suite sounded. Long Zhengyu opened the door as he quickly and politely welcomed Kang Xia inside.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s very lively here! I¡¯m not disturbing everyone with my visit, am I?¡± Looking around everyone inside the room, Kang Xia asked Ouyang Lei with a beaming smile.


    Whilst smiling, Ouyang Lei also got up as he gently hugged her. After loosening his hug, he said, ¡°No, no. We were just talking about you! Anyhow, you didn¡¯t tell me you set up your own business even though we¡¯re old friends, it¡¯s kinda unbecoming of you to look down on me, no?¡±


    ¡°How so? You¡¯re in Jingmen Island, not Star City. It¡¯s not like I ought to wait for you to come from Jingmen Island, right? Anyways, why are you in Star city today? Any important business here?¡± Kang Xia said with a smile.


    ¡°The old gentleman of my family said to open new businesses for the Ouyangs. He also promised me that, if the next investment project I manage bring about a lot of profits, then the position of the Family Head will be mine. What do you think? I¡¯m pretty good, aren¡¯t I?¡± Ouyang Lei replied with a smile.


    ¡°Ugh, even with strangers around, you still fart with that smug smelly look, eh!?¡± Kang Xia chided.


    Ignoring the remark, Ouyang Lei waved and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright, they¡¯re not strangers. Old friend, when we were in the US before, you said you owed me a favor. Isn¡¯t it about time you settle the account?¡±


    Kang Xia was distracted for a moment. Her expression immediately turned serious as she nodded and said, ¡°Each drop of graciousness shall and ought to be paid. If it weren¡¯t for you, I would¡¯ve already died in that car accident. So tell me, what do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°I want you.¡± Ouyang Lei replied with a chuckle


    Kang Xia¡¯s face turned red as she chided, ¡°Go to hell. Don¡¯t talk such a rubbish.¡±


    Pretending to look serious, Ouyang Lei said, ¡°Well, I do really want you. Uncle Long, Uncle Zhang and I have been preparing a joint venture for a construction project, and I want you to become our manager.¡±


    Kang Xia¡¯s brows wrinkled. She pondered for a while before she forced out a smile and said, ¡°Old friend, if you told me about this a few months back, I may have agreed with you without hesitation. But now¡­¡±


    ¡°Chief Kang, as far as I know, your Magnificent Tang Corporation is doing cosmetics business, yes? But you¡¯ve yet to buy your own factory, much less having your products hit the market. I think you aren¡¯t that busy right now. Furthermore, if you want your company to join in the project, the four of us can cooperate as well. We¡¯ve been preparing to invest quite a lot of funds in this project and I can assure you that the profits are extremely high. Do you have any interest?¡± Long Hanwen said quickly.


    ¡°Not interested.¡± Kang Xia replied and shook her head.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    Long Hanwen forced out a smile as he raised his hand and touched his bridge nose. However, he winked at Zhang Fengxian the moment Kang Xia didn¡¯t pay attention to him.


    Zhang Fengxian nodded whilst keeping his composure as he said with a smile, ¡°Chief Kang, capable persons can do and handle more jobs. We¡¯re all business people and we always pursue high the profits, the more the better. I believe you¡¯ll be interested if you know about our project. Besides, we won¡¯t treat you badly if you become our professional manager.¡±


    ¡°What project?¡± Kang Xia replied with a curious expression.


    Ten minutes later.


    Through the presentation, Kang Xia knew the whole project¡¯s blueprints. Her eyes turned particularly bright, before a somewhat struggling expression appeared on her face.


    Upon seeing it, Zhang Fengxian immediately said, ¡°Chief Kang, now you already know about the whole plan, considering your ability in business analysis you should be able to see the huge profits it could bring about. So, what do you think? Are you willing to cooperate with us?¡±


    Kang Xia¡¯s face changed continuously. After quite a long while, only then did she shake her head and said bitterly, ¡°To tell you the truth, the kind of project that can pique my interest are only a few. But I admit that I¡¯m tempted by this project. However¡­ I don¡¯t have the money. Even if I want to invest in this project, the most I can invest is only a few hundred million yuan; whereas this project of yours is a huge one.¡±


    Long Hanwen quickly asked, ¡°Chief Kang, how much can you invest?¡±


    Kang Xia thought for a moment as she stretched out two fingers and said, ¡°At the most, I can only cut 200 million from the non-essential investment fund in my Magnificent Tang Corporation.¡±


    ¡°If you can invest 200 million and you become our CEO, I promise to give you 10% of the shares. What do you think?¡± Long Hanwen spoke with a resolute and decisive tone.


    10%?


    Zhang Fengxian stared blankly as a look of slight astonishment was revealed on his face. He didn¡¯t expect that Long Hanwen would be this generous. With Ouyang Lei¡¯s five billion, the amount of investment from he and Long Hanwen should also be no less than that. This meant that the total investment from the three of them would be 15 billion yuan; and 10% was equal to 1.5 billion!


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about profit shares!¡± Long Hanwen added.


    In the next moment, Zhang Fengxian calmed down. If it was only the shares from profit, then he had no objection.


    Ouyang Lei looked fervently at Kang Xia and said, ¡°Old friend, take it! No one in the country is more competent and suitable than you to take this position.¡±


    Kang Xia didn¡¯t answer right away. She quietly thought deeply for a few minutes before she looked up and asked, ¡°How much is the total investment for this project?¡±


    ¡°I can come up with eight billion, which is all the money I can use including loans from the banks.¡± Said Long Hanwen with a deep tone.


    ¡°I can put out five billion.¡± Ouyang Lei said.


    Kang Xia then turned to see Zhang Fengxian.


    Zhang Fengxian thought for a moment and slowly said, ¡°I also can put out five billion. And if the later stages of the project still need some funds, I also have no problem with that.¡±


    Kang Xia slowly nodded. After thinking about it, then, she said seriously, ¡°I want 15% of the shares. If you agree, then I¡¯ll join. If not, then take it that today¡¯s matter never happened.¡±


    15%?


    Long Hanwen and Zhang Fengxian exchanged a look before immediately nodding quietly, whereas Ouyang Lei also nodded and didn¡¯t object upon seeing it.


    Late at night. At South Gate Town¡¯s villa complex. Tang Xiu was sitting near the window while reading the financial report in his hands. At this moment, the lights from the distant came over, so he raised his head and looked toward the outside.


    ¡°Screech!¡±


    A Lamborghini stopped at the courtyard as Kang Xia came out of it.


    ¡°Up here!¡±


    Tang Xiu motioned his hand at her.


    Kang Xia gave an OK gesture and then went upstairs toward Tang Xiu¡¯s room. After she arrived, she said with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re really carefree, Boss! While we carry out the plan and rack our brains, you take everything leisurely.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a given, I cannot rush to the front in order to not alert the enemy. By the way, how¡¯s today¡¯s results?¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    Kang Xia, ¡°Well, we¡¯ve invited the gentleman to the boiling pot, and now we¡¯re waiting to sign the agreement. Ouyang Lei did a good performance. They have agreed to sign the deal two days later in the Long¡¯s Dining Hall.¡±


    ¡°Long Hanwen has said it correctly. Regardless if the situation is chaotic or peaceful in this world, everyone will still pursue profits and benefits. Zhang Fengxian has a good sense in business opportunities, but it¡¯s a pity that he hasn¡¯t seen through everything, that this move is but only a trap for him. Otherwise, his Zhang Family would surely will rise to a higher level once this project is completed.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°Hahaha, that¡¯s why the Bible has stated that Greed is one of the Original Sins.¡± Kang Xia laughed and said.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Human have endless desires, as they always have. As long as they can see the benefits, pursuing it they dare and will. Ah, right. Did you bring the information I need?¡±


    Kang Xia handed over a document holder to Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Our men have been tracking them and clearly investigated all the movements from every member of the Zhangs. But someone is missing and we can¡¯t find him for now.¡±


    Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°Zhang Yongjin!¡± Kang Xia said.


    ¡°Find him! No matter what means, we must find his whereabouts. Exterminating the grasses without removing the roots will only leave a disaster for us later.¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s brows wrinkled as he said with sinking tone.


    ¡°We¡¯re already on the move. However, I suspect that Zhang Yongjin is not in Star City.¡± Kang Xia said.


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment before he slowly said, ¡°When you see Long Hanwen and Ouyang Lei tomorrow, tell them to move their men to help search. Contact Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen also. No matter in which rat hole Zhang Yongjin hid himself, even if we have to dig three feet deep, we must dig him out.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Kang Xia nodded.


    At Star City Chinese Medical Hospital.


    The hospital building was brightly lit and illuminated. At the door of the operating theater room in the 4th floor, the family members of several patients were anxiously waiting. When the operating room¡¯s door was opened from the inside, two doctors with surgical masks came out with their bodies sweating profusely.


    ¡°How¡¯s my wife, Doc?¡±


    A middle-aged man immediately rushed to ask upon seeing them.


    ¡°We have tried, but we still have no means to take out the steel nail from her body. The location of the nail is too close to the artery and the heart. Any slight mistake and she¡¯ll die on the operating table. Although she¡¯s still alive from the wounds for now, but it will threaten her life at any time.¡± The doctor forced out a smile and replied.


    ¡°Then, what¡¯s to be done? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s going to end like this?¡± The middle-aged man impatiently said.


    ¡°We¡¯re really helpless. The Dean spoke to us about this also, so we¡¯ll naturally do our best.¡± Forcing out a smile, the doctor replied to him.

 Chapter 198

    Chapter 198: Divine Doctor


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Li Hongji didn¡¯t leave the hospital last night because the daughter-in-law of his old comrade was injured and hospitalized. And now she was in the operating room. In order to console his old comrade, he stayed in the hospital to accompany him.


    At present, he and his old comrade came to the operating room¡¯s door. As he saw that the surgery had already ended, he quickly asked, ¡°How is it? Have you taken out the steel nail from inside of her body?¡±


    The doctor shook his head and said, ¡°The nail is stuck in a very particular position. We¡¯ve tried a variety of methods but we still couldn¡¯t take it out. She has been given a blood transfusion, but her condition isn¡¯t stable yet.¡±


    Li Hongji frowned deeply. Looking at the pale complexion of his old comrade, he also didn¡¯t feel better. Even if he wanted to console him, he didn¡¯t know what he should say.


    ¡°Dean, how about we transfer her to another hospital? If we send her to the Capital now¡­¡± The doctor said.


    He stopped talking midway and couldn¡¯t go on. Because he was well aware that such internal injury was not suitable to be moved. If the steel nail in her body was touched in the transferring process, her condition would perhaps worsen, and there was a possibility that she could die at any time.


    Li Hongji spoke with a sinking tone, ¡°We must not move her body easily. It¡¯s best to invite the best doctor from other local hospitals, I¡­¡±


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu¡¯s face emerged in his head. His eyes turned bright immediately as he quickly took out his phone and called Tang Xiu¡¯s number.


    At South Gate Town.


    Tang Xiu and Kang Xia were still talking when his mobile phone suddenly ringed, interrupting their chat. After he took out his phone, Tang Xiu suddenly frowned when he saw that it was a call from Li Hongji.


    ¡°Is there something up?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, our hospital has a patient with a serious wound; even our most able doctors don¡¯t have the means to treat her¡­ ¡­ can you come and save the patient?¡± there was a slight begging from Li Hongji¡¯s tone.


    ¡°What about the patient¡¯s situation?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s a steel nail between the heart and the artery.¡± Li Hongji said.


    ¡°Wait for me there!¡± Tang Xiu sighted secretly and then hung up the call.


    Kang Xia asked with a confused expression, ¡°Boss, are you going out this late?¡±


    Tang Xiu forced out a smile and said, ¡°Well, for an inexplicable reason, I¡¯ve became a doctor in Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. There¡¯s a seriously wounded patient in need of treatment there now, but the hospital¡¯s best doctors were helpless to treat her. So the President called me. Anyways, since you have a car, you take me there!¡±


    Kang Xia knew that Tang Xiu was also skilled in medicine because she heard that he also had treated Gu Yin¡¯s strange disease. However, she didn¡¯t expect that the best doctors in Star City Chinese Medical Hospital were also unable to cure the patient, as even the President had to call Tang Xiu personally. Could it be that his medical skill was much more powerful than the best doctors in Star City Chinese Medical Hospital?


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll drive you there!¡± Kang Xia nodded and replied.


    Shortly after, they had arrived at Star City Chinese Medical Hospital.


    ¡°Boss, I¡¯ll go with you. I only knew that you¡¯re also skilled in medicine before, but I¡¯ve never seen it, so I want take a look.¡± Kang Xiu said with a beaming smile.


    ¡°Are you not tired?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°Well, even if I¡¯m tired, I don¡¯t feel it since I¡¯m with you.¡± Kang Xia said with a smile.


    ¡°What a bootlicker!¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a smile as he walked toward the hospital¡¯s main building in large strides. Kang Xia locked the car¡¯s door and followed him from behind.


    At the door to the operating room in the 4th floor.


    Li Hongji constantly looked at the time, whereas the his old comrade next to him asked with a worried expression, ¡°Old Li, the doctor you¡¯ve invited, how good is he?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a great master in Chinese Medicine, his level is way above mine. I don¡¯t know about surgical problems though, but he should be able to remove the nail from inside the body.¡± Li Hongji said.


    A Chinese Medical doctor?


    The worried expression in the old man¡¯s face was getting thicker.


    When Tang Xiu¡¯s figure appeared in Li Hongji¡¯s line of vision, he came running to him quickly despite his old age as he greeted excitedly, ¡°Tang Xiu, the wounded patient is in the operating room. Our hospital¡¯s doctors have performed the surgery on her, but they have no means to take out the steel nail. Do you have any way out to take it?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen the patient and her injuries¡¯ condition, so I don¡¯t know for now. Take me there!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Come with me!¡± Li Hongji nodded and said.


    As Tang Xiu and Li Hongji went into the operating room, Kang Xia and the patient¡¯s family members were stopped at the door. In the operating room, Li Hongji told the other doctors who had stayed inside to take care of matter to remove the thin cover on the wounded patient.


    Tang Xiu inspected the patient as his brows wrinkled deeply, ¡°How did the nail pierce into her body?¡±


    The doctor who knew about the cause said, ¡°She was passing by a construction site and was hit by an air-gun about 7-8 hours ago.¡±


    ¡°Help me sit her up.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said.


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    The several doctors showed hesitating expressions as they looked at Li Hongji.


    ¡°Do according to what Dr. Tang says!¡± Li Hongji said with deepened tone.


    The doctors helplessly nodded and carefully held the woman to sit up.


    Tang Xiu took a sharp scalpel from the surgery table. After the woman¡¯s clothes were lifted, he inspected the suture position left from the previous surgery. In the next moment, the scalpel in his hand moved across the stitched wound, and instantly broke open the suture line.


    Blood quickly poured as though a spring!


    With an exceptionally calm expression, Tang Xiu quickly opened the flesh. After seeing the end of the steel nail clearly, he grabbed the woman¡¯s shoulder and pulled her down from the operating table, while his other hand punched her back. At the same time, he flowed his Star Force into the woman¡¯s body through his fist.


    Star Force was just like True Essence. But it was much purer and a level higher. Just like True Essence energy could be used to heal, so did Star Force. Tang Xiu seeped his Star Force inside the woman¡¯s body regardless of her wound¡¯s bleeding. The few doctors were dumbstruck and tongue-tied. He reached out to her back to control the strain of Star Force that seeped into the woman¡¯s body and quickly protected her heart.


    Ten seconds later, Tang Xiu put the woman back on the operating table and then injected his finger with Star Force, which slowly entered the wound inside. At the same time, his other hand inserted on the wounded place. Nobody could see Tang Xiu using his Star Force to support the blood vessels nearby the wound, whereas his finger caught the end of the nail and abruptly pulled it out.


    ¡°Ting¡­¡±


    A few centimeters¡¯ long steel nail was thrown into the mug.


    Looking at the dumbstruck doctors, Tang Xiu said with a deep tone, ¡°My task is completed. Her blood vessels didn¡¯t move, neither did it touch her heart. You do the rest, to stop her bleeding and stitch her suture! Ah right, don¡¯t forget to disinfect it.¡±


    Li Hongji was frightened upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s method; even his heart nearly stopped beating. At the moment, only after Tang Xiu spoke did he sober up as though awakened from a dream. Looking at the shocked expressions from the few doctors around, he shouted with a sinking tone, ¡°Hey, what are you stunned for? Do as Dr. Tang says immediately!¡±


    ¡°¡­ Ah ¡­OK!¡±


    The other doctors finally came to their senses and immediately disinfected the woman¡¯s wound and stitched it. At the same time, they also reattached the oxygen tube to her as well as various instruments to her body.


    The metrical data from the medical devices showed that everything was normal.


    When the several doctors and Li Hongji saw the data, their tensed hearts were finally relieved. And at this moment, their shocked expressions finally calmed down. They looked at Tang Xiu, who was washing his hands, and turned speechless for a long time.


    The method just now was truly unthinkable!


    If it were them, they would never dare to do that even if they were give 100 points of courage!


    Li Hongji followed behind Tang Xiu to leave the operating room. As he looked at the family members with their worried expressions outside, with the pale complexion on his old comrade; he looked at Tang Xiu deeply as he turned around and said, ¡°Worry not, everyone! Dr. Tang has already taken out the nail from the wound. The medical instruments also indicated that there won¡¯t be any serious matter happening to the patient even though she has yet to recover her consciousness. I will tell the doctors to prepare a 24 hours care for her.¡±


    The old man¡¯s eyes stared wide as he asked with an inconceivable expression, ¡°It¡¯s really been taken out?! Old Li, don¡¯t dare lie to me. This¡­ this young doctor has just entered and did some big things? But, it¡¯s only 5 minutes! How did he take the nail out of my daughter-in-law¡¯s body so quickly?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Tang is actually a Divine Doctor. However, he acts as our last resort, so we usually don¡¯t call him since he¡¯s very busy. This time, the person that deserves the most gratitude from you for saving your daughter-in-law, is him.¡±


    Divine Doctor?


    The old man¡¯s lips twitched a few times as he looked at his son, crying, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you kneeling down to the young Divine Doctor, thanking him for saving your wife?¡±


    As the middle-aged man heard him, he immediately kowtowed toward Tang Xiu, however, Tang Xiu stopped him as he glanced at Li Hongji and spoke, ¡°I¡¯m a doctor, saving the patient from dying as well as treating the wounded is my duty. So you don¡¯t need to thank me as this is what I should do!¡±


    At the side, Kang Xia was struck dumb as she looked at Tang Xiu with her tongue tied. She suddenly realized that she knew very little about Tang Xiu. The Star City Chinese Medical Hospital was more famous than the first Public Hospital of Star City. Even the best doctors in this hospital were unable to cure the injury of the patient, but Tang Xiu only came here for a few minutes, and was able to cure the patient. This was truly amazing.


    She looked at Tang Xiu and felt that there was a halo aura shrouded on top of his head- that was a divine aura.


    Tang Xiu took out his mobile. He looked at the time and said, ¡°Anyways, if there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll be going first!¡±


    Li Hongji quickly stopped him as he asked with anticipation all over his face, ¡°Tang Xiu, since you¡¯ve already attended the College Entrance Test, is it possible for you to come to the hospital and give your medical service earlier? I¡¯ll prepare your consultation room in advance, so you can use it in your free time!¡±


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment before he shook his head and said, ¡°I have no time for now. At the fastest, I can only give medical services next month.¡±


    Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s guarantee, Li Hongji suddenly lightened up and smiled. He said cheerfully, ¡°Well, since you say so, then I¡¯m very assured. Let¡¯s walk, I¡¯ll send you out myself.¡±


    ¡°No need. You¡¯re an old man, you should go rest early.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and replied.


    After having said that, he left with Kang Xia.


    After they arrived at the outside of the hospital¡¯s main building, Kang Xia looked at Tang Xiu with extraordinary splendor in her eyes as she asked, ¡°Boss, how did you do it? You know, it was only a few minutes after you entered the operating room.¡±

 Chapter 199

    Chapter 199: The Rule of the Powerful


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu was somewhat speechless upon facing Kang Xia¡¯s inquiry.


    How did he do it?


    As a matter of fact, pulling out a steel nail, for him, was but only a trivial act. He had received numerous grave injuries in the Immortal World before, and for countless of times he had to take care of it himself. It was much more difficult than saving others.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just leave!¡±


    Tang Xiu face was tranquil as he continued to walk outside.


    Kang Xia was tempted to follow her impulse to ask more. However, as she looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s calm expression, she eventually suppressed her intense curiosity inside. Tang Xiu was unpredictable and truly as deep as a well. Before she knew Tang Xiu, she never imagined that she would encounter someone like him in her life. He was younger than her, but he amazed her, she even felt that he was someone that she needed to look up to.


    After going back to the car.


    Kang Xia started the car and spoke, ¡°Boss, I¡¯ll drive you to South Gate Town first, then I¡¯ll go home afterwards!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°After you go back, keep your vigilance sharp; and if there¡¯s no important things, we should not meet with each other for the time being. I can tell that the Zhangs will send some people to keep an eye on you to observe your every action and movement. If because of our meeting it causes Zhang Deqin¡¯s suspicion, then everything will come to naught.¡±


    ¡°I know!¡± Kang Xia nodded and replied.


    Time slipped away and passed quickly.


    The scheme for the Zhang Family, as expected, was carried out smoothly and progressed very quickly. A large sum of funds had been injected to the collective account, whereas Kang Xia also had taken the office and acted as the interim CEO for the project. Furthermore, all four parties also signed a strict and harsh agreement.


    Zhang Fengxian himself was a cautious and cunning person in nature. But still, he also decided to take the chance upon facing such a huge profit to be made. However, for insurance¡¯s sake, he also made a contingent plan unbeknownst to the others and privately signed a cooperation plan with the high-level people of the Star City¡¯s Hu and Xue Family. The agreement was that he was willing to transfer some part of the profits to the two parties in exchange for a private capital of two billion liquid funds.


    A week later, at the South Gate Town villa complex.


    Tang Xiu was wearing a loose bathrobe as he quietly looked at the information in his hands. The information was sent by his 20 men who were investigating the whereabouts of high-level members of the Zhangs. It was very detailed and comprehensive and only need the order from Tang Xiu to make the high-level members of the Zhangs to disappear within ten minutes.


    At the opposite side of him, Ouyang Lulu was sitting on the sofa with a lazy expression. She wore a short denim jeans, with a small vest and cool crystal shoes whilst holding her chin as she looked at Tang Xiu without blinking.


    Staring all the time at a person might be boring, but looking at someone that made one interested actually didn¡¯t tire at all, instead, it would only make strengthen it.


    The longer Ouyang Lulu knew Tang Xiu, the more she felt his fierceness. Previously, she only thought that the people Tang Xiu knew was but only the Long Family, Chen Zhizhong and the most mysterious one was the little boss of the Everlasting Feast Hall, Gu Xiaoxue. However, when she passed the news to her parents about Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen, the results shocked her, because the identity of the two was unusual.


    Mysterious and inconceivable mysterious aura! It was the feeling Ouyang Lulu had toward Tang Xiu. She even felt that Tang Xiu was more mysterious than the countless unsolved mysteries all over the world.


    ¡°Hey, is there a flower on my face?¡± Tang Xiu finally put the information in his hand as his eyes landed on Ouyang Lulu¡¯s face.


    Ouyang Lulu said with a light laugh, ¡°Hehe. Well, your face hasn¡¯t been plowed, but there seems to be a flower on your head, so I want to pull its petals apart to see what¡¯s inside.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re bored, aren¡¯t you?¡± Tang Xiu chided and shook his head.


    ¡°Observing you isn¡¯t much of a boring thing to do, though. But I¡¯m very curious, however. Aren¡¯t you worried about this scheme against the Zhangs?¡± Ouyang Lulu replied with a tender smile.


    ¡°What should I worry about?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°About some accidents that could happen midway, no?! The Zhangs have deep roots in Star City, and perhaps they have some trump cards in their hands. If they suddenly reveal their cards when the time comes and disrupt our plan, what should we do then?¡± Ouyang Lulu said.


    With a grim expression, Tang Xiu said, ¡°All the accidents and changes will be easily solved in the face of absolute force. It¡¯s not in my intention to exterminate all the family members of the Zhangs as the final solution, however. But if there¡¯s unpredictable changes, I also won¡¯t overrule this method.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, the society as of now is ruled by the government laws. Are you not afraid that too many murders will cause unnecessary troubles?¡± Ouyang Lulu asked.


    ¡°The laws, as it has always been, are formulated and enacted for the weak- the people with power can just ignore it. Even though I don¡¯t want to challenge the bottom line, but so too others, for they must never cross my bottom line also. If she wants to kill me, then I will kill her first. Even if I have to cut off all the roots to stamp out the troubles, I won¡¯t leave anything behind so as to avoid any causes for later disasters.¡± Tang Xiu spoke with indifferent expression.


    Ouyang Lulu clapped her hands and said, ¡°True, this is the truth. Previously, my Ouyang Family had an enemy family in Jingmen Island. They even hired a group of international mercenaries to sneak into Jingmen Island to strike our Ouyang Family. As a result, all the international mercenaries left Jingmen Island, whereas that family was also removed. But that time, my Ouyang Family suffered quite a great loss and it took us several years to handle it.¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a pale smile, ¡°It seems like your Ouyang Family also has a deep family heritage. At least, your family¡¯s enemy was unable to figure out your family¡¯s trump card and rashly acted against you.¡±


    With a surprised expression, Ouyang Lulu said, ¡°How did you know that my Ouyang Family has a trump card?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s only a few foolish people in the world. Those who can govern big and respected families are never fools. I can tell that before they acted against your family, the Ouyangs perhaps had already investigated their strength on the surface. This is what the so-called ¡®knowing thy enemies and know yourself and only then will you be ever-victorious in every battle¡¯.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Ouyang Lulu said with a smile, ¡°What you said is spot on. Our Ouyang Family does have a trump card, that was my grandfather from my mother¡¯s line. It can be said that our family has relatives from a mysterious clan. Tang Xiu, I have absolute trust in you, so I can tell you about this. Even though my maternal grandfather¡¯s clan is very low key and lives in a remote mountainous area, however, they are valiant people and they live by martial arts¡¯ codes. There are a lot of people who are martial art experts from there, even us Ouyangs also hired a group of experts from there.¡±


    ¡°I know that. Some of the people your Big Brother takes along, are quite good.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Knock, knock¡­¡±


    The door was knocked as Gu Yin entered the room with a smiling face and said, ¡°Master, there¡¯s a guest visiting you.¡±


    A guest?


    ¡°Who is it?¡± Tang Xiu asked with a smile.


    ¡°He came here once before. The one who sent you medicinal herbs. I think he¡¯s surnamed Chu.¡±


    Chu Yi?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression moved as he got up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go see him.¡±


    At the living room in the 1st floor.


    Chu Yi sat on the sofa, fiddling with his mobile, whereas a big black-leather suitcase stood next to him. A bright smile hung on his handsome face, obviously revealing his joyful mood.


    ¡°Chu Yi!¡±


    Tang Xiu came to the living room and then sat on the sofa at the opposite side. Ouyang Lulu herself acted as though a behaved young wife as she directly sat next to him.


    Chu Yi put away his mobile, and for a moment, was quietly surprised upon seeing Ouyang Lulu who followed behind Tang Xiu. But his complexion immediately turned into an inconceivable expression when he saw Ouyang Lulu¡¯s sitting position. He raised his arm and pointed at the two and said with a hesitating expression, ¡°Are the both of you¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Tang Xiu said with a confused expression.


    Ouyang Lulu rolled her white eyes as she harrumphed and said, ¡°What¡¯s with the both of us? If you have anything to say, then spit it out clearly and don¡¯t hide it. Besides, Tang Xiu and I haven¡¯t done any shameful things.¡±


    Chu Yi forced out a smile and said, ¡°Well, old fellow classmate, your words are filled with guns and sticks though, so I have no courage to spit it out. But I¡¯m really curious, however. How are you here too?¡±


    ¡°Well, you can come here, so why can¡¯t I?¡± Ouyang Lulu said.


    ¡°Lulu has something to take care of in Star City, so she¡¯s staying in my place for now. Anyway, are you bringing me medicinal herbs again?¡±


    Chu Yi looked at the two with a strange expression. Only after a while did he replied with a smile, ¡°Well, I¡±ve got two things to attend to in Star City this time. Firstly, bring you these medicinal herbs. And secondly, Long Zhengyu said that there¡¯s someone who wants to be involved in our project, so I came here to ask him about the specific details.¡±


    ¡°Well, you need not ask Zhengyu about this matter. We have a much bigger plan, you¡¯ll naturally know about it when this plan ended.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Chu Yi frowned as he asked with a confused expression, ¡°Brother Tang, I don¡¯t get what you¡¯re saying. Since I can¡¯t ask Zhengyu, how about you tell me what¡¯s this about?¡±


    ¡°The plot of land we¡¯re going to use, as well as the architectural design I have drawn personally, are now being used for another plan. In my estimation, it would only take 10-15 days before we got the results. I know that you and Bai Tao have the shares in this project, but since Zhengyu obtained the entire plot of land, we¡¯re using this block to build the office. It also won¡¯t be a problem if you want to participate in this project later, but the premise is that we have to remove some people first.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°You have enemies? Why didn¡¯t you call me?¡± Chu Yi said with a shocked expression.


    Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Well, we originally wanted to involve both you and Bai Tao. But since I considered that the both of you also have your own adversaries in the Capital, I didn¡¯t call you. The plan itself is very tight and strict, and you¡¯re the first one who knows about this even though you¡¯re not involved in this plan. So I hope you can keep this a secret.¡±


    Chu Yi narrowed his eyes and slowly asked, ¡°Is there nothing I can do to help? For example¡­ money?!¡±


    ¡°Nah, we won¡¯t need it temporarily, but I¡¯ll be sure to call you if we need it later!¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ll discuss about this matter with Bai Tao! Of course, it will be only between the both of us and we won¡¯t tell anything to our family! If you need money later, do call us! Even though most of our money have been invested in the building that we¡¯re going to develop, but we can still amass some money through private means.¡± Chu Yi nodded and said.


    Tang Xiu was distracted for a moment as he suddenly asked, ¡°If¡­ I mean, if your Chu and Bai Families don¡¯t raise the suspicion from the enemy, how much funds can you come up with?¡±


    Chu Yi pondered for a moment before he said, ¡°Four billion, this is the limit. I think it¡¯s also the same with Bai Family.¡±

 Chapter 200

    Chapter 200: Playing with a Big Gambit


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Pa¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu slapped his palms and said with a smile, ¡°Alright! That will beat them on their own game! So we might as well make the game bigger. Anyways, return to Beijing and look for your elders. If they want to play in a much bigger game, send someone with authority to speak to Star City and come to South Gate Town.¡±


    With a dull and blank face, Chu Yi looked at Tang Xiu who was full of spirit. Then he probed, ¡°Brother Tang, can you tell me about the plan first? This is not by any means a small matter to begin with. And I¡¯m afraid it will be very difficult for Bai Tao and I to convince our family elders to come here without good reason.¡±


    Tang Xiu thought for a while. Finally, he spoke about the grudges between him and the Zhangs as well as the preparation to exterminate the Zhang Family by joining the four forces. After he told everything, he finally said with a sinking tone, ¡°If the two of you can come up with eight billion in secret, it would be very easy to strike the Zhangs later. Once we get rid of the Zhang Family, we can fully start to develop and build according to my architectural building designs. And I believe you also know the profits it will bring about once the project is successful.¡±


    ¡°Do you really want to play it big?¡± Chu Yi was shocked as he asked with widened eyes.


    ¡°Since I must play, that play it big I will. In addition, Star City¡¯s Hu and Xue Families will also take huge damage if they participate in this matter. And I was thinking that all the architectural design I¡¯ve drawn will be fully completed within three years.¡±


    Three years?


    Chu Yi¡¯s heartbeat sped up.


    He himself knew that constructing the buildings in the architectural design drawn by Tang Xiu was uncertain to be completed within 8-10 years according to the previous agreement.


    A glint flashed in Chu Yi¡¯s eyes, as his expression turned very serious in particular. He immediately got up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go back to the Capital now, and I¡¯ll call you about the reply in the next evening at the most. I¡¯ll also call Bai Tao about this. You needn¡¯t worry about this, I give you my guarantee that I will not disclose this matter to anyone.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes swept over the black suitcase. As he sent out Chu Yi, then, he asked, ¡°How much money have you spent for these medicinal herbs?¡±


    ¡°80 million. Well, leave the money be for now. We¡¯ll talk about this later.¡± Chu Yi said.


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    A splendor flashed in Ouyang Lulu¡¯s eyes. She followed Tang Xiu after he sent Chu Yi away and asked, ¡°Are you really sure to carry on this big project after exterminating the Zhangs?¡±


    ¡°You tell me, how much of the total profits can we get if this big project is completed?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°Well, according to the building constructions drawn in your design, the profits it will bring about would be around tens of billions, if not 100 billion. Solely from the business district and residential area, the profits will be huge. I dare say that, once the construction plans have been advertised, perhaps when we begin to sell the houses, the price will rise greatly. And to my estimation¡­ it won¡¯t be less than the most prosperous area in Star City.¡±


    Suddenly, Ouyang Lulu¡¯s eyes turned bright as she immediately continued with full enthusiasm, ¡°Tang Xiu, I know very well about the plot of land that has been bought out by Zhengyu. If we really want to go all out, why don¡¯t we buyout all the lands in the surroundings? Even if we do nothing to the land, its price will surely be rising in the future and it will give us quite a fortune.¡±


    Tang Xiu spread out his hands as he said in a bachelor-ish manner, ¡°I got no money.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s eyes twinkled as she replied, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you got no money right now since my Ouyang Family can lend you some first. When you¡¯ve solved the Zhang Family, perhaps our four forces can get a lot of income, and you can pay us back by then.¡±


    ¡°Even if I get some benefits from the collapse of the Zhangs, that money will also be invested for this big project¡¯s development. I¡¯m afraid that I can¡¯t pull it out either.¡± Tang Xiu said


    Ouyang Lulu stared blankly for a moment before falling into silence immediately.


    Tang Xiu himself thought for a moment. The idea proposed by Ouyang Lulu itself was quite good. In particular, the idea of ¡°borrowing the chicken to lay the eggs¡± was much suited to his style. However, if he were to do that, it would also mean that he would be more indebted to the Ouyang Family.


    After he thought about it a bit more, only then he slowly said, ¡°Then, how about we do this. Your Ouyang Family contact the local government first. After you selected the plot of lands, then you calculate as to how much money it will take as well as the amount you can come up with. At that time, I¡¯ll also provide 40% of funds whereas your Ouyang Family will provide 60%. So the future income will be divided into 4 to 6.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you have no money?¡± Ouyang Lulu said with a confused expression.


    ¡°I¡¯ll find a way. However, I¡¯ll only provide the money and won¡¯t involve myself in other things.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Upon hearing his words, a satisfied smile emerged on Ouyang Lulu¡¯s face. She herself had indescribable trust toward Tang Xiu, so she nodded and said, ¡°So be it then. I¡¯ll go back to Jingmen Island now to discuss this with my father. And considering his judgment ability, I believe that he¡¯ll agree to this one.¡±


    After having said that, she immediately returned to her room and packed up her things. Then, she hurriedly drove and left South Gate Town.


    Her swift and decisive nature, as well as her intelligence, was much to Tang Xiu¡¯s liking, since he felt that it was very easy to cooperate with someone with such nature.


    As for the money, he also had made a decision in his mind.


    ***


    Star City. Zhang Group¡¯s Headquarter building.


    Zhang Deqin was frowning deeply in her Vice General Manager¡¯s office. A bit of agitated mood could be seen in her eyes. Her mobile was unceasingly making sounds of dialing a number, but for each and every time, the only reply she got was ¡°the number you have called is currently unavailable.¡±


    ¡°Knock, knock¡­¡±


    The office¡¯s door was knocked. In front of the wide opened door, Hu Wanjun and Xue Renfei were standing outside with a smile hung on their faces.


    Upon seeing the two, Zhang Deqin immediately strode forward and asked with a deep tone, ¡°You two just came at the right time, I was just about to call you! Anyways, where¡¯s Yongjin? He isn¡¯t with you?¡±


    Hu Wanjun was surprised and said, ¡°Big Sis Deqin, we¡¯re also looking for Yongjin! It¡¯s been more than a week and we haven¡¯t seen him at all; neither have we received any calls from him. We¡¯ve tried to call him for many times, but our calls can¡¯t get through. Uh, speaking about it¡­ you also can¡¯t find him?¡±


    Zhang Deqin¡¯s complexion turned gloomy as though water. The restlessness inside her heart grew even more. She took her brother¡ªZhang Yongjin to Northern Jiangsu to let him stay with her bosom sister. The first day he got there, he was okay, well-behaved and obediently followed her bosom friends, having good meal and manners. However, ever since two days ago, not only did she lost contact with him, she couldn¡¯t even call her bosom girl-friend.


    She had even sent someone to Northern Jiangsu, but there was still no result neither any messages sent to her. There was literally no one at all in her sister¡¯s house.


    Xue Renfei said, ¡°Big Sis Deqin, the last time Yongjin contacted me, he said that he¡¯ll stay in Northern Jiangsu for some time, vowing that he¡¯ll be back a week later at the most. Is he still in Northern Jiangsu now?¡±


    Zhang Deqin shook her head and replied, ¡°He did go to Northern Jiangsu, but I lost contact with him now. I sent him to stay with my good sister there, but now, I can¡¯t even contact her. I suspect that someone is investigating his whereabouts as well as kidnapped him and my good sister.¡±


    Hu Wanjun and Xue Renfei looked at each other in dismay.


    ¡°Which bastard did this?¡± Hu Wanjun quickly asked.


    ¡°I suspect that it¡¯s Tang Xiu¡¯s people¡¯s deeds. Because he¡¯s the only one that has hatred with us.¡± Zhang Deqin coldly said.


    ¡°Tang Xiu? He dares to do this? He only has a trivial martial arts and relies on the Long Family.


    Zhang Deqin didn¡¯t utter any words.


    She had sent people to do surveillance in the vicinity of South Gate Town. They found that for more than a week, Tang Xiu hadn¡¯t left South Gate Town. She had determined that the three people that were killed outside South Gate Town were indeed assassins coming from abroad. She even suspected that the one who killed those three assassins was Tang Xiu himself.


    She had tried to contact the middleman, but she couldn¡¯t get it through. She suspected that the other party had an accident. However, as for specifically what it could be, it was definitely not a good thing for her.


    ***


    Star City, at Public Security Bureau.


    The office of the Criminal Police squad was very busy as police officers constantly came in and out of the office with documents. Inside one of spacious offices, Deng Jianmin was puffing his cigarette in a jittery manner with an extremely gloomy expression. At the opposite of him, Cheng Xuemei was holding a teacup, looking to be in deep thought.


    ¡°The top brasses have strictly urged us to catch the murderer within three days before. How many days have passed now? But still, not even a clue can we find! What and how should we report about the progress? Captain Cheng, it¡¯s imperative for us to change our way of thinking. We can no longer pay attention to the people we¡¯re suspecting and being monitored. More importantly, we¡¯ll focus our attention toward the one who hired those foreign hitmen.¡± Deng Jianmin pinched the cigarette butt as he spoke with a sinking tone.


    Cheng Xuemei forced out a smile and said, ¡°We already know about these foreign hitmen from the Interpol. They belong to a small killer organization, and there¡¯s only a few dozen people in the entire organization. And this time, three of them suddenly died, that also closed the chance for us to find the person who pulled the strings behind the scene. The manipulator himself suddenly disappeared into hiding. Even if we want to investigate starting from them, we won¡¯t be able to get any useful information!¡±


    Deng Jianmin shook his head and said, ¡°No, I think we¡¯ll some clues from it.¡±


    ¡°Director Deng, what clues?¡± Cheng Xuemei¡¯s spirit sparked as she quickly asked.


    ¡°How did they sneak into the country and come to Star City smoothly?¡± Deng Jianmin said.


    ¡°You mean¡­ the black-hand who hired these hitmen should be someone from Star City? This person helped these three hitmen enter the country and then helped them come to Star city?¡± Cheng Xuemei¡¯s eyes brightened up as she immediately got up and replied.


    ¡°Correct. These hitmen are hired guns and they will get their payment for killing. Since there¡¯s a target, there should be an employer who hired them. We can¡¯t find the person who killed these hitmen and neither can we find any valuable clues from him. So, we might as well change our way of thinking and focus our attention on the employer. Thus, immediately send someone to the airport, bus terminals and any of the transit channels from the outside to Star City. As long as we can figure out as to how these hitmen entered Star City, we can find the about their employer.¡± Deng Jianmin said.


    Cheng Xuemei put down her teacup as she replied with a deep tone, ¡°I¡¯ll lead the men personally.¡±


    ¡°Wait! You must contact the Interpol. Clarify to them from which city these hitmen embarked from. Only by taking this approach will our investigation be quicker.¡± Deng Jianmin said.

 Chapter 201

    Chapter 201: Good News


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The noon of the next day.


    Tang Xiu quietly left South Gate Town to meet the two top brasses sent by the Chu and Bai Families. After having a secret negotiation for half an hour, the two then went back to Beijing.


    The answer from the both of them was that they agreed to the deal!


    The ones who were the happiest was not Tang Xiu, but Chu Yi and Bai Tao, who then rushed to Star City in a hurry. From both parties, Tang Xiu learned that their families had decided to nurture them as the future heads of the families; even their arrival to Star City this time also brought along eight billion yuan with them.


    Late at night, a Mercedes-Benz car drove toward South Gate Town as Tang Xiu then met with the travel-worn Shao Mingzhen on the first floor of his villa.


    ¡°I heard that you just went back to Northern Jiangsu two days ago, how did you come back today?¡±


    A happy expression could be seen from the corner of Shao Mingzhen¡¯s eyes as he said, ¡°Brother Tang, you should have heard the saying, ¡®you¡¯re trying to find something wholeheartedly with no success, but then you found it by accident without even sweating¡¯. Well, the reason I hurried back this time is to tell you good news.¡±


    ¡°What good news?¡± Tang Xiu asked with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°Take a look at this recorded video I¡¯ve taken, then you¡¯ll know.¡± Shao Mingzhen played a video on his mobile phone.


    Tang Xiu took his mobile and watched a man and a woman being tied up in the video. What he didn¡¯t expect was that the man turned out to be Zhang Yongjin. He informed the other forces to help to find Zhang Yongjin¡¯s whereabouts with no result, that was why he didn¡¯t expect that Shao Mingzhen was the one who found him.


    ¡°How did you find him? And who¡¯s the woman beside him?¡±


    Shao Mingzhen received his phone back with a cheerful mood as he then happily said, ¡°Well, four days ago a small team leader for my people was set up and arranged a gambling joint which can give a big winning prize. That woman is called Sun Hong and she¡¯s a famous gambling addict from Northern Jiangsu¡¯s Peng City. In that gambling joint, she won two million yuan while Zhang Yongjin who was with her lost more than ten million. Afterward, the both of them borrowed six million high-interest loans from the casino. After the following gamble on the table, Sun Hong was found cheating on the gambling, so that small team leader under me tied up the both of them.


    ¡°Originally, according to the casino¡¯s customs, they should call and inform their families to get ransom money. But since this team leader of mine saw that Sun Hong is beautiful, he wanted her to accompany him for half a month, which she agreed to. However, that Zhang Yongjin didn¡¯t have such a good luck as he was tied up in the casino¡¯s room and left starving for two days.¡±


    ¡°The reason as to why I went to Northern Jiangsu two days ago, was because an old friend of mine from Great Northwest came looking for me to talk about the old days. It happened that this old friend of mine also likes to gamble once in awhile, so I accompanied him to this casino. Eventually, I found this matter by chance and felt that this Zhang Yongjin name was somewhat familiar. At that time, I didn¡¯t take it seriously, only later did I hear that he comes from a rich and respected family from Star City, so I immediately acted afterward.¡±


    Shao Mingzhen spoke happily whilst taking out a cigarette from its pack and lit it up. Then, he continued with a smile, ¡°We¡¯ve been searching for him in Star City as well as in nearby cities for quite a long time, and not even a trace of him could we found. To think that he turned out to be hiding in my turf and happened to fall into such a pit. Well, Brother Tang, since I¡¯ve found the person you¡¯re looking for, it¡¯s your call what to do with him.¡±


    ¡°Kill him!¡± Tang Xiu said without hesitation.


    ¡°OK. And that Sun Hong woman?¡± Shao Mingzhen nodded and asked.


    ¡°Have you clearly investigated her? What¡¯s the relationship between her and Zhang Yongjin?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve ascertained that. Sun Hong is a widow and was Zhang Deqin¡¯s classmate. She¡¯s still a good sister of hers until now. The reason as to why Zhang Yongjin went to Northern Jiangsu was to seek asylum with Sun Hong.¡±


    ¡°Seeking asylum?¡± Tang Xiu asked with a puzzled expression.


    Shao Mingzhen said with a smile, ¡°Hey, it was you who frightened them! You¡¯re the one who killed those three hitmen, Zhang Deqin is scared the hell out of it. Since she¡¯s afraid of your revenge, she sent her younger brother to her good sister in Northern Jiangsu. But anyway, this Sun Hong is not a pure and chaste woman. She also slept with Zhang Yongjin when he took shelter with her there.¡±


    ¡°Then kill her also! I don¡¯t want this matter to be spread out.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Shao Mingzhen nodded as he took out his mobile and dialed a number. After giving some commands, he hung up the phone and then said, ¡°By the way, when I was on the way to Star City, I called Brother Miao and he told me that the plan here is almost finished.¡±


    ¡°Yes. The Zhangs have been snared into the trap and it will be too late for them if they want to withdraw. Long Hanwen and Miao Wentang indeed want to finish things off. However, I don¡¯t have much knowledge with business matters, though; as I¡¯m only responsible to send people to capture those high-level clansmen of the Zhangs.¡±


    Shao Mingzhen narrowed his eyes. Along with a glint that flashed from them, he spoke with a deep tone, ¡°I also have sent my men to keep an eye on them, they¡¯re ready to move at any time.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, the Zhang Family has a lot of industries, one of which are entertainment venues. The Ouyang Family and you are in this business field, so it¡¯s up to the both of you to share them.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to take over Star City, just give them to Ouyang Family!¡± Shao Mingzhen said with a light laugh.


    Two days later.


    As per order from the project¡¯s chief in charge¡ªKang Xia, a comprehensive attack was carried out on the Zhangs¡¯ businesses. In particular, some people were arranged in advance to start making troubles for the housing quality in real estate business. At the same time, all the entertainment venues belonging to the Zhangs were also troubled with foreign staffs¡¯ issues. Furthermore, many employees from the Zhang Group also left all of a sudden.


    In addition, a lot of bad deeds done by the top executives of the Zhang Family in the past were also reported. Even the Public Security Bureau was also involved in the investigation. The news on the Internet was overwhelming, discrediting the Zhang Family, erupting in major forums as the news then was passed around at an overwhelming speed across the country.


    At the Zhang Group¡¯s HQ.


    Inside the General Manager¡¯s office, after the series of attacking, getting scorched by the flames and badly battered, green veins protruded on Zhang Fengxian¡¯s forehead as his face reddened with rage. He brutally smashed several quilts as he looked as though a wolf toward several top leaders in front of him, shouting, ¡°Who the hell can tell me what¡¯s going on? Who¡¯s aiming at my Zhang Family? Who¡¯s targeting my Zhang Group?¡±


    Several top leaders could only lower their heads, afraid, and didn¡¯t utter even a word.


    They didn¡¯t know. It was the general findings between them.


    The situation developed and changed too quickly. It was as if everything had been prepared in advance. The Zhang Group¡¯s real estate business, several Branch Offices, as well as other running business; all of them were blocked on the same day. Major business partners contacted and informed them that they cut off all of their cooperation in the future. The news was as though the falling snowflakes, catching them unprepared.


    ¡°Knock, knock¡­¡±


    At the moment, the office¡¯s door was knocked as Zhang Deqin strode inside. Looking at her furious father¡ªZhang Fengxian, her complexion turned ashen as she quickly said, ¡°Dad, the bank has just called. They want us to repay the due loan that has expired. Previously, the President Liu had agreed for the delayed payment, but now¡­¡±


    Zhang Fengxian¡¯s breath paused as a hard-to-believe glint flashed from his eyes. He had an excellent personal relationship with President Liu. The number of loans from others couldn¡¯t be compared with his Zhang Group.


    Why did he also¡­


    Zhang Fengxian grabbed his mobile and dialed President Liu¡¯s number. After a long while, his call was connected as a low and deep voice then came out:


    ¡°Hello, Liu Changjian speaking.¡±


    Upon hearing his tone, the bad premonition inside Zhang Fengxian¡¯s heart grew more intense. He took a deep breath and tried hard to calm down as he replied, ¡°Brother Liu, what happened? I just heard from my daughter¡ªDeqin, that our loan must be repaid as fast as possible? Haven¡¯t we brothers had an agreement before? That we have six months to return the loan along with all the interests?¡±


    ¡°Brother Zhang, to tell you the truth, this is an order from above, so my hands are also tied. Therefore, your Zhang Family must pay back the money as soon as possible! Otherwise, I¡¯ll really be in a tight situation.¡± A voice with a dry and wry tone came out of the phone.


    ¡°Brother Liu, I believe you also heard that I¡¯ve just invested in a huge project recently, so a huge number of my funds has been injected into it. Can you help me find a solution? As long as the project run on the right track, I¡¯ll immediately return the bank loan. Besides, I¡¯ll also double the what I promised you before!¡± Zhang Fengxian said.


    ¡°Brother Zhang, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want it. But I really can do nothing about it. Oh, right. I¡¯ll have to take care of another matter, so let¡¯s end our chat here. I hope you can return the money before the end of this month.¡±


    Upon hearing the mute-ending call sound, an alarmed and scared expression could be seen on Zhang Fengxian¡¯s expression.


    He could tell that there was absolutely a problem with the bank. Even if he gave more benefits to President Liu, the loan perhaps could never be delayed any further. However, he was not afraid, because he still had nearly five billion at hand that was still unused. Much less that he still had another four billion from the Hu and Xue Families.


    At present, what he really wanted to know, was figure out exactly what forces were against his Zhang Family.


    Could it be the Long Family?


    Zhang Fengxian frowned. Just as he was about to call Long Hanwen, his mobile phone suddenly rang.


    _¡±Kang Xia?¡±_


    Zhang Fengxian¡¯s heart moved as he immediately pressed the answer button and spoke with a deep tone, ¡°Zhang Fengxian here. Chief Kang, is there something up?¡±


    Kang Xia¡¯s cold and detached void came out of the phone, ¡°Boss Zhang, the director of Property Department in our project is your second brother, Zhang Fengming, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    A bad premonition gushed again inside Zhang Fengxian¡¯s heart as he quickly asked, ¡°Yes, Zhang Fengming is indeed my second younger brother. Why is Chief Kang asking about this matter all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Yesterday, several key staffs of the Finance Department who are Zhang Fengming¡¯s associates, a total five of them, have transferred all the money in our collective account to a Swiss Bank account. All of them now have disappeared without a trace. I suspect they have absconded the money and run away. I also have reported this to the police. But I wonder, do your Zhang Family want to keep that 1-2 billion yuan to yourselves?¡± Kang Xia said coldly.


    ¡°What?¡± Zhang Fengxian¡¯s body shook, even his eyes almost popped out.


    Fear invaded his heart.


    Zhang Fengming? Why did he dare to do that?


    Zhang Fengxian¡¯s body crooked as he sat down in the boss chair, paralyzed. Suddenly, he quickly grabbed the phone and dialed Zhang Fengming¡¯s private number. But he only heard a notification that his phone had been shut down.

 Chapter 202

    Chapter 202: The Ending


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Looking at the frightened expression on Zhang Fengxian¡¯s face, Zhang Deqin hurriedly came at his side and asked, ¡°Dad, what happened?¡±


    Zhang Fengxian struggled to look up. As he looked at Zhang Deqin¡¯s nervous expression, his lips creeped out a few times as he said with a bitter tone, ¡°Kang Xia just called me. She said that your Second Uncle absconded 1-2 billion funds from the collective account. All of the money has been transferred to a Swiss bank account. And now, he and several staffs of the Finance Department ran away. Kang Xia accused me as the one who gave the order behind this fa?ade and reported this to the police.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!¡± Zhang Deqin was so scared that even her legs felt numb and almost fell to the floor.


    The sky collapsed!


    She was very well aware that if her Second Uncle really did that, it would only mean that their Zhang Family was as good as finished. Either the Long or Ouyang Family, they definitely would never let the Zhang Family go.


    ¡°NO! IT¡¯S NOT RIGHT!¡±


    Although her heart was full of fear, however, she wasn¡¯t scared silly because of that. Her eyes stared tightly at Zhang Fengxian and spoke with a deep tone, ¡°Dad, I believe there¡¯s no way in hell Second Uncle would do this! Everything is machinated and definitely a conspiracy! I suspect that the ones who schemed against us are not only the Long Family but also the Ouyang. I even dare say that Kang Xia herself is also involved in this conspiracy. Thus, they also must be the one who transferred the money¡­ And Second Uncle, perhaps¡­ perhaps he has encountered an unexpected accident!¡±


    Upon hearing this, Zhang Fengxian¡¯s face suddenly changed greatly. He suddenly jumped up from his chair and immediately shouted, ¡°Quickly contact Long Hanwen. Tell him I want to see him, NOW!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± The young secretary immediately answered.


    Shortly after, the young secretary said, ¡°Boss, Long Hanwen is at the Long¡¯s Dining Hall. He said that he¡¯s currently accompanying a few important guests so he doesn¡¯t have time to see you. if you really have an urgent matter, he said to go to the Long¡¯s Dining Hall.¡±


    Zhang Fengxian gripped his fists tightly. In this split moment, he was sure that everything was set up by the Long and Ouyang Families, whereas his Zhang Family was the sole target of their machinations. Everything that happened now was definitely their conspiracy.


    ¡°Prepare the car to the Long¡¯s Dining Hall!¡± After Zhang Fengxian figured out everything, a murderous intent to kill Long Hanwen and Ouyang Lei gushed out inside his heart, as he immediately called out.


    Zhang Deqin quickly followed him and exclaimed, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you, Dad!¡±


    A few minutes later, three cars quickly drove off from the Zhang Group HQ¡¯s underground parking lot and traveled toward Long¡¯s Dining Hall.


    Inside a dozen-storied building at the opposite side of the Zhang Group¡¯s HQ, a tall and sturdy man holding a binocular was observing the Zhang Group¡¯s HQ¡¯s underground parking lot¡¯s exit. After he confirmed the license plate, he immediately grabbed his phone and dialed a number.


    ¡°The snake is out of the hole, be prepared to commence the follow-up plan!¡±


    ¡°Roger that!¡±


    Ten minutes later.


    There were only a few cars on the road, but there was a traffic accident which blocked the three cars¡¯ path. Zhang Fengxian, who was sitting in the middle seat of the Mercedes-Benz, frowned and said, ¡°Go there and take a look, tell them to make way and open the road!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The young secretary who was sitting on the co-pilot seat complied as he opened the door and got off.


    After several seconds, six vans which were on the three lanes of the roads drove fast as braking sounds hurriedly sounded, disgorging a dozen or so big men who quickly rushed out and surrounded the three cars in extremely fast movements. The car¡¯s doors were pulled open as they grasped 6-7 people from the inside.


    Zhang Fengxian¡¯s pupils contracted. Whilst facing the tall and burly man who pulled out his collar, he struggled and shouted loudly, ¡°Who the hell are you?! I¡¯m Zhang Fengxian, the boss of the Zhang Group. Do you know the consequences of offending me?! LET! ME! GO!¡­ LET ME GO!¡±


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    A fist fiercely punched out and directly hit his forehead, causing him to faint. Zhang Deqin was also stunned by another big guy as the latter directly held her and dragged her into the van.


    At the same time, in other eight places, another eight important clansmen of the Zhangs were also captured by mysterious big guys lightning fast.


    They moved extremely fast and chose extremely hidden places, so nobody noticed them.


    At South Gate Town.


    Tang Xiu put down his phone as the ruthless glint in his eyes faded away gradually. A total of 12 high-level clansmen of the Zhang Family had been captured. In addition, nine more people, the staffs who were working in Zhang Group, also had been grasped and were hidden in a safe place. The call just now was from Long Hanwen, asking him as how to deal with these people.


    If it were according to his previous style, he would naturally kill all of them.


    However, the Zhang Family was, after all, a well-respected family in Star City, and there are a lot of people who pay attention to them. It would be inevitable that numerous forces would pay attention to such big happenings. If the news that a large number of their family¡¯s corpses were to be reported in the headline news, this incident would be very difficult to end.


    Furthermore, this matter had yet to conclude.


    When the Zhang Group had been annexed, then, it would be the perfect time to deal with the high-level clansmen of the Zhangs.


    Tang Xiu left his villa and came to the Property Management Office. After he met with Long Xueyao, he said, ¡°Could you take me to Lakeview Manor?! I have no car, so it¡¯s inconvenient to go out.¡±


    ¡°Is it very urgent? If not, please wait for a while. I still have things to deal with. Wait until I take care of a few things, then I¡¯ll speak with you again.¡± Long Xueyao said with a smile.


    Tang Xiu nodded.


    He was no stranger to the Property Management Office. After he came to the rest area, the staff of the office sent him a hot tea enthusiastically, whereas he¡ªhimself was thinking as for how to deal with the Zhangs and what he needed to do afterward.


    The College Entrance Test would soon be releasing the scores.


    He wasn¡¯t worried about his performance. But now, he needed to think about what school to enroll. The Blue City University was a good choice. It was located in the provincial capital and was also one of the top universities in the country. However, Tang Xiu also thought that Shanghai University was also a good one. Shanghai was the most developed city in the country and had good transportation means. It would be very easy for him to go abroad as he didn¡¯t need to transit from Star City or other places to Shanghai.


    The island he had purchased was in the Pacific Ocean, and he hadn¡¯t seen it yet. After he finished registering, he planned to take a trip there. Although he had no money currently, which meant that he had no means to rebuild the island. However, he still had to go there in advance and make some arrangements as well as find some people to take care of it.


    ¡°Ring, ring¡­¡±


    His mobile phone¡¯s ringtone sounded, abruptly interrupting his train of thought.


    Tang Xiu took out his mobile. As he looked at the caller ID and found that it was Mu Qingping, he immediately received the call and asked, ¡°Big Sis Mu, is there something?¡±


    ¡°Your mother is here, at home!¡±


    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll be back right away.¡±


    After ending the call, he looked at Long Xueyao, who was still busy. He didn¡¯t greet her and directly walked toward his villa. Inside, he saw Mu Qingping chatting with his mother.


    ¡°Hi, Mom!¡± Tang Xiu smile as he greeted her.


    Seeing Tang Xiu, Su Lingyun¡¯s eyes suddenly brightened up as she said with a smile, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, tomorrow is the day for applying and registering to university, isn¡¯t it? Mom came this time to ask you. Have you picked a university yet?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, Mom. I haven¡¯t thought it through.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and answered.


    Upon hearing this, Su Lingyun suddenly said anxiously, ¡°How so? The application must be filled out tomorrow. If you haven¡¯t thought it well, then you¡¯ll only waste time. Tell Mom which university you want to enter. Have you thought about the university which your College Entrance Test results can pass its passing grade?¡±


    ¡°Mom, I can guarantee that my scores can pass any university¡¯s passing grade in the country. If you really want to know, I have two choices now. The first one is the Blue City University in our provincial capital. The reason I picked it is that it¡¯s in our province as well as quite close to Star City and you. So if you don¡¯t want to leave your restaurant business, I can always come back here to see you at any time. The other one is Shanghai University. Shanghai has the fastest economic development as well as is the most prosperous city. By studying there, I¡¯ll have more convenient means of transportation to the outside world in the future.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Su Lingyun¡¯s eyes turned a bit nervous before she asked, ¡°You¡­ have you considered entering Beijing University?¡±


    ¡°I did, but I don¡¯t want to go there!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and answered.


    Upon hearing his answer, Su Lingyun suddenly relaxed as a smile reappeared on her face. Then, she said with a smile, ¡°Although Beijing is our country¡¯s capital, if you go study there, you¡¯ll be bound to face fast rhythm and high pressure after you¡¯ve graduated. So Mom thought that you should go to Shanghai.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows slightly pricked.


    _¡°Fast pace and high pressure? This kind of situation is indeed the case with Beijing, but isn¡¯t Shanghai also the same? Mom seemed to not want me to go to Beijing. And the way she spoke before, she seemed to be very anxious, especially when she spoke about Beijing. Is there a secret here?¡±_


    Tang Xiu probed out, ¡°Mom, if I were to choose study in Beijing, will you not object to it?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Su Lingyun hesitated.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes slightly narrowed before he returned to normal. Then, he said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m kidding you, Mom! Even if you let me go to Beijing, I won¡¯t go there either! So be it then. If you¡¯re willing to close your restaurant and go with me to Shanghai, then I¡¯ll fill the application to enroll Shanghai University. If you¡¯re not willing to, then I¡¯ll apply for the Blue City University.¡±


    Su Lingyun quickly said, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, our restaurant business is very flourishing at present. So it¡¯s kinda a pity to close down the business for now. You needn¡¯t mind me about this. Star City is, after all, our home. I¡¯ll be staying here and you will apply to Shanghai University! After all, the institution is a first-class university. so you need to study well there, so you¡¯ll certainly become more skillful in the future. Besides, the transportation means are very developed nowadays, so if Mom misses you, I also can visit you there at any time! You can also come home on Sunday or other holidays.¡±


    For a moment, Tang Xiu was silent, as then he slowly nodded and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll listen to you, Mom! However, I¡¯ll buy a property in Shanghai, nearby Shanghai University, so if you¡¯re bored in Star City, you can go and stay there for a while. In addition, you also have to move to this villa after I go to Shanghai University! Such a big villa surely cannot be left empty.¡±


    ¡°Okay, if your College Entrance Test grades can pass Shanghai University, I¡¯ll come and live here.¡± Su Lingyun said with a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s a deal, Mom!¡± Tang Xiu finally made up his mind, causing his mood to be very good as replied with a smile.

 Chapter 203

    Chapter 203: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes moved to Mu Qingping as he said, ¡°Big Sis Mu, there are two dirty clothes yet to be washed in my room. Could you help me wash it?¡±


    Mu Qingping¡¯s eyes flashed, reflecting her understanding. She said with a smile, ¡°Alright. The two of you talk while I¡¯ll go wash the clothes.¡±


    After Mu Qingping left, Tang Xiu¡¯s gaze landed on his mother. The smile on his face slowly faded away and his expression became more serious. He said, ¡°Mom, I¡¯ve made up my mind, there should be no more secrets between us. I¡¯ll tell you my secret, but you must also tell me yours.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Su Lingyun asked with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve spent some money to buy a private island in the Pacific Ocean. I¡¯m going to make it a paradise in the future so you can go there if you¡¯re bored with life outside.¡±


    ¡°Huh? A private island? Xiu¡¯er, how much money did you spend on it?¡± Su Lingyun asked with a disbelieving expression.


    Tang Xiu said with a-matter-of-factly manner, ¡°2.5 billion.¡±


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡±


    Despite knowing that her son also had several hundred million in properties, Su Lingyun still couldn¡¯t help but inhale a deep, cold breath upon hearing the sum.


    ¡°Originally, I borrowed the money, but because of some reasons afterward, I made a lot of money and had paid it back. So you don¡¯t need to worry about the origin of the money. It¡¯s not a dirty one.¡± Tang Xiu explained.


    Su Lingyun was still absent-minded and said, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, you¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes suddenly turned ablaze as he quickly asked, ¡°Mom, I¡¯ve told you my secret. And we, mother and son, should have no secret between each other. Can you tell why you don¡¯t want me to study in Beijing?¡±


    As though in a trance, Su Lingyun blurted out, ¡°That¡¯s because your father¡¯s family is¡­¡±


    She abruptly stopped speaking! Her face instantly turned pale as though a wax paper.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes turned cold.


    Father? What a strange word!


    He did ask his mother about his father when he was small for many times. However, not even an answer could he get. As he grew older, he gradually became sensible and thoughtful to never ask about it again. He knew that each and every time he asked about it, his mother would look very pained. And on some occasions, he had seen his mother hold the yellowish, black and white photo whilst wiping her tears secretly.


    He never knew whether that man was dead or alive; neither did he care about it whatsoever. Such a man who never raised his son ever since he had been born, never deserved to be a father.


    Sighing inside his heart, Tang Xiu came over as he sat next to Su Lingyun. He smiled, pulling her hands he said, ¡°Mom, I know clearly about the answer, so you don¡¯t have to say more. You need not worry though! I¡¯ll fill the application to apply tomorrow and I¡¯ll go study in Shanghai. Besides, I¡¯m already a man and I have the ability to look after you. I only hope that you can be healthy, having a good and fortunate life in the future.¡±


    Tears overflowed from Su Lingyun¡¯s eyes as she repeatedly nodded.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu accompanied his mother as they chatted for a while. After Mu Qingping came back to the living room, then, he gave the task of accompanying her to Mu Qingping and left his home alone. He then went again to the Property Management Office, meanwhile Long Xueyao also had almost finished her work.


    ¡°Ready to go?¡±


    Wearing a decent professional attire, Long Xueyao asked whilst smiling.


    ¡°Okay, Lakeview Manor.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°What are you gonna do there? That place has quite a strict and high threshold. You can¡¯t go there if you don¡¯t book the seats in advance.¡± With an astonished expression, Long Xueyao asked.


    ¡°Long Hanwen is waiting for me there.¡±


    ¡°My uncle? Since when did you have a good relationship with him?¡± Long Xueyao was surprised.


    Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°There are a lot of things you don¡¯t know. Anyways, no need to ask that much. Let¡¯s just go! I¡¯m in a hurry.¡±


    Long Xueyao gave Tang Xiu charming white eyes. Driving her sports car, she took Tang Xiu out of South Gate Town quickly. As they arrived at Lakeview Manor, she wasn¡¯t stopped and directly allowed to enter, she was clearly a regular patron here.


    After getting out from the Lakeview Manor¡¯s parking lot, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Well, your mission has been accomplished, but I still have things to do, so you can go back first!¡±


    ¡°Wait! I have something to tell you!¡± Long Xueyao quickly said.


    Tang Xiu reluctantly replied, ¡°All the way here you just idled, why didn¡¯t you talk about it before? Fine. What¡¯s up?¡±


    Long Xueyao snapped humorlessly, ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m here for you, you know. It¡¯s the driving school principal. He asked me when will you go there. An exam for the next batch of students is only a few days away. He can let you attend it ahead of schedule but on the premise that you need to be adept and familiar with the car to try it out.¡±


    Tang Xiu immediately realized as he said with a smile, ¡°Okay. Tell the driving school principal I¡¯ll go there tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Alright. If you can attend the test a few days later, the driving school principal will arrange you in it in advance. You only need to try and fill your documents when the time comes, and then wait to take your driving license.¡± Said Long Xueyao with a smile.


    ¡°How long will it take to get this driver¡¯s license?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°Well, it should at the most half a month, you¡¯ll definitely get your driver¡¯s license.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± After saying that, Tang Xiu turned around and rushed to the appointed place with Long Hanwen.


    Standing before the car¡¯s door, Long Xueyao looked at Tang Xiu back with an irritated expression whilst muttering, ¡°This fellow really doesn¡¯t have any courtesy at all. I¡¯ve contacted some people to get his driver¡¯s license, but he didn¡¯t say even a word of thanks?¡±


    Ten meters away¡­


    Tang Xiu suddenly stopped as he turned around and said, ¡°Long Xueyao, thanks a bunch!¡±


    ¡°Huh!¡± Long Xueyao¡¯s expression dulled as a weird expression then suddenly appeared on her beautiful face.


    _¡°He¡­ could it be that he heard what I just said? But it¡¯s impossible. My voice was very low and it was more than ten meters away. Unless he¡¯s a person who can hear from that far away, there¡¯s no way he can hear it!¡±_


    Long Xueyao comforted herself, and then facing Tang Xiu, she waved her arm before she immediately drilled into the driver¡¯s seat, started her car and quickly left.


    Whilst looking at the disappearing car, a smile outlined on Tang Xu¡¯s mouth. He indeed just heard Long Xueyao¡¯s muttering. His hearing was, after all, very sharp. Average people might be unable to hear it, but it was not difficult for him.


    Inside a teahouse in the deepest part of Lakeview Manor.


    Long Hanwen, Chen Zhizhong, Kang Xia, Miao Wentang, Shao Mingzhen, Ouyang Lei, Chu Yi, Bai Tao, Long Zhengyu and some others had gathered.


    The strike against the Zhangs had now nearly ended. This time, everyone came in preparation for the distribution of the benefits they obtained from the Zhang Family. From the calculations, they found that the Zhang Family indeed had a deep foundation, for the total assets they had truly surpassed more than 20 billion yuan.


    ¡°I apologize, something was up and got me delayed.¡± After Tang Xiu arrived, everyone¡¯s attention immediately attracted to him.


    Long Hanwen said with a smile, ¡°No problem. Anyway, the things we should do have been done. Now it¡¯s the time for the finishing touch. Tang Xiu, as far I know, you have to fill in the registration to apply for your schooling tomorrow, don¡¯t you? Have you thought which university you¡¯re going to register?¡±


    ¡°Shanghai University!¡± Tang Xiu said with a pale smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s indeed one of the best universities. Considering your character, I believe you have full confidence since you dare to apply for this university. Come on, I¡¯ll toast to you with my tea on behalf of the wine. I wish you congratulations in advance for getting into the higher education and further your studies. May your dream come true.¡±


    ¡°Come, let¡¯s toast!¡± Miao Wentang also stood up, all smiling as he said.


    At this moment, everyone¡¯s mood was very good. This time, had it been not for Tang Xiu, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to make such a huge amount of money. With 20 billion, even if it were to be divided into many forces, each party would still have a share of billions of yuan.


    Billions! Even though each and every one here also came from a big family, rich and powerful people, however, even if they spent 8-10 years, such an amount was only something that could be done within 8-10 years.


    After the cup of tea had been drunk up, Long Hanwen looked at Tang Xiu with a pensive expression when he asked, ¡°The Zhangs have been doomed to collapse, so now we¡¯re carving up their properties. Tang Xiu, since the Zhangs¡¯ clansmen have been grasped by us, it¡¯s your call how to deal with them.¡±


    ¡°Zhang Deqin and Zhang Fengxian have to die, no doubt. However, I haven¡¯t thought well about the others aside from them. Anyways, where are they? I¡¯ll go see them now.¡± Shaking his head, Tang Xiu replied.


    ¡°I¡¯ve sent some people to bring them here, and now, they are being locked in the Longhu Villa¡¯s underground secret chamber.¡± Long Hanwen said.


    Tang Xiu nodded as he looked at Kang Xia and said, ¡°As for how to divide the money, you discuss it with them. Furthermore, aside from the 200 million money I used to buy the information, take all the remaining money you have and invest it into the preparation for this big project!¡±


    After having said that, led by Long Zhengyu, he quickly rushed to the underground chamber of Longhu Villa.


    Inside the underground chamber.


    Of all 21 family members of the Zhangs that were tied, all were important high officials of the family. All of whom had fallen into silence. Even though they suspected who were the ones who sent people to tie them up, however, since they had yet to see the mastermind, they also didn¡¯t dare to determine it.


    ¡°Creak¡­¡±


    The door to the underground chamber was pushed open, with four big men with knives entering the chamber with grim expressions.


    ¡°Who are you, people?!¡±


    Zhang Deqin¡¯s hands and feet were tied up. She was sitting and leaning on the wall in the corner and shouted loudly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you.¡± Tang Xiu entered through the door and looked at the angered Zhang Deqin. His expression was cold and detached. However, Long Zhengyu, who followed him behind, was holding his arms with an expression as though he was looking at a good show.


    ¡°IT¡¯S YOU¡­¡±


    Zhang Deqin¡¯s pupil contracted as she screamed out.


    Zhang Fengxian frowned and coldly looked at Long Zhengyu before his vision landed on Tang Xiu. After he stared at him for a few times, only then did he turn his head and shouted, ¡°Deqin, you know him?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at the strong and muscular man to move a chair. After he sat on it, he lifted up his leg on top of the other and said with a smile, ¡°She knows me, of course. That¡¯s for sure! I¡¯m afraid that even if I¡¯ve turned into ashes, she will still know me! Isn¡¯t that right, Miss Zhang?¡±


    A frightened expression was revealed on Zhang Deqin¡¯s eyes. The moment Tang Xiu appeared, she knew she was finished. She had witnessed how ruthless he was, even the three hitmen also died in his hands. Such a person would never let her go.


    ¡°So, now you know what¡¯s being scared shitless, do you? Initially, I had forgiven you and your younger brother. But you unexpectedly dared to hire foreign hitmen to kill me. Solely just because of your unreasonable hatred toward me, is enough for you¡ªsiblings to go see the King of Hell!¡±

 Chapter 204

    Chapter 204: Psychological Torture


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Zhang Deqin shivered. The panicked expression in her eyes turned more intense as her voice became more and more high-pitched as she screamed out, ¡°TANG XIU¡­ D-DID YOU KILL MY BROTHER?¡±


    ¡°Zhang Yongjin truly has bad luck. Yes, he indeed has died! But he¡¯s not alone, for your good sister also accompanied him. Worry not though, you¡¯ll soon be able to see him, I¡¯ll even let the whole lot of your family be reunited in the netherworld.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    Large drops of tears fell down from Zhang Deqin¡¯s eyes as she staunchly stared at Tang Xiu, screaming with a piercing-miserable howl, ¡°WHY? YOU DAMN BASTARD! WHY THE FUCK DID YOU KILL MY BROTHER? IF YOU GOT THE GUTS, WHY DIDN¡¯T YOU KILL ME? YOU FUCKING BASTARD¡­¡±


    ¡°Curse whatever you want while you still can! Let all the resentments inside your heart come out! Otherwise, you¡¯ll turn into an evil spirit after you die, and you won¡¯t be able to be reincarnated forever!¡± Tang Xiu mocked.


    Zhang Fengxian and the other members of the Zhang Family who had been listening to Tang Xiu and Zhang Deqin¡¯s conversation, finally came to a realization at the moment as to whom was the mastermind behind the scenes that abducted them all. The young man in front of them turned out to be the culprit who even wanted to ruin their Zhang Family. They even heard that there was such a deep hatred between Zhang Deqin with this young man.


    Looking at Tang Xiu with a desperate expression, Zhang Fengxian turned his head and chided, ¡°You bastard! Tell me, what¡¯s really happened? Why did you and your younger brother have this hatred with him?¡±


    Zhang Deqin¡¯s eyes abruptly stopped chiding after getting scolded, but despair had already shrouded her eyes.


    Tang Xiu sneered, ¡°Masters from all school of thoughts said that all fetus would be born with skills to live! And it seems that giving birth to children is also a life skill in itself! You¡¯re Zhang Fengxian, yes? I¡¯ve read the information from the investigation with your picture on it. It says that you¡¯re a smart and astute man. But how come you gave birth to such idiotic children? Your children, except literally able to court disasters to your family, what other uses could they have?¡±


    ¡°DID YOU REALLY KILL MY SON?¡± Zhang Fengxian shouted angrily.


    ¡°I did! And his death should have been very miserable!¡± Tang Xiu answered.


    Zhang Fengxian painfully gripped his fists tightly. But then, he released them as he glared straight at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Tell me how deep the hatred you have for them to even drive you to exterminate the entire Zhang Family.¡±


    ¡°Your treasured children truly have done some good deeds. They even spent money to hire foreign hitmen and sneaked them into the country only to kill me! You should have heard about the three people killed outside South Gate Town, yes? Those assassins were the ones hired by your children. It¡¯s just a pity that they were too weak. With such a trashy strength, instead of them killing me, it was me who killed them personally.¡± Tang Xiu said grimly.


    Zhang Fengxian was shocked and said, ¡°So you¡¯re the one who murdered those people outside South Gate Town? To think it¡¯s connected to my Zhang Family, it looks like that you¡¯re right, I did birth a pair of children who bring calamity.¡±


    ¡°To tell you the truth, I did consider as for how to solve this problem with your Family. But since I¡¯ve told you everything, I don¡¯t want any unnecessary troubles in the future, for which all of you can no longer live. Zhengyu, tell your men to kill all of them and throw them in the sea.¡± Tang Xiu sneered.


    ¡°Worry not, Brother! My Dad has properly arranged it in advance, so we¡¯re ready to throw their corpses in international waters.¡± Long Zhengyu said with a smile.


    Zhang Fengxian watched Long Zhengyu deeply as he said with a bitter expression, ¡°I truly have never thought that your Long Family found such a good helper. Your father ordered him and made him an enemy of my Zhangs just to drive us out of Star City? Those three assassins were but a turning point, wasn¡¯t it? But what I don¡¯t get, is how your family can achieve this. To achieve this is highly improbable even if you join forces with the Ouyangs.¡±


    Long Zhengyu laughed involuntarily, ¡°Hahaha, Zhang Fengxian, do you really think that the main mastermind in this is my Long Family? Do you think my family is really that powerful to pit against your Zhang Family that have been rooted in Star City for so many years?¡±


    ¡°Then, who is it?¡± Zhang Fengxian stared blankly for a moment before he asked with a confused expression.


    Pointing at Tang Xiu, Long Zhengyu replied with a chuckle, ¡°Even if your Zhang Family have thousands of people, you shouldn¡¯t have provoked this person, him. But now, since we¡¯ve reached this far, I¡¯ll let you die in content. Do you know how many forces have acted against your family?¡±


    ¡°How many?¡± Zhang Fengxian asked.


    Long Zhengyu replied with a smile, ¡± First is my Long Family. Second, his apprentice¡ªChen Zhizhong. Third, the Jingmen Island¡¯s Ouyang Family. Fourth, Miao Wentang from Haiqing. Fifth, Shao Mingzhen from Northern Jiangsu. Sixth and seventh, Chu and Bai Families from Beijing. And there¡¯s also the eighth one¡­¡±


    Zhang Fengxian¡¯s complexion turned deathly pale as a layer of fear glittered in his eyes. Upon hearing so many forces from Long Zhengyu, he knew that his Zhang Family was doomed. With shivering lips and disbelief, he looked at Long Zhengyu and asked with a trembling voice, ¡°Who¡¯s the eighth one?¡±


    Long Zhengyu pointed at Tang Xiu and said with a chuckle, ¡°The Magnificent Tang Corporation, which is his own company. I¡¯m afraid you would never expect that Kang Xia¡¯s boss turns out to be him, would you?¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    This time, more shouts followed Zhang Fengxian, even Zhang Deqin, who wore fear all over her face, as well as the top leadership and other members of the Zhang Family, were shocked.


    Kang Xia unexpectedly worked for Tang Xiu?


    The secret Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation turned out to be Tang Xiu?


    Who was he? What and how was he able to make Kang Xia willingly work for him?


    Zhang Fengxian quivered, ¡°All these forces involved in this machination, are all because of him?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s all because of Tang Xiu. Had it been me or someone else, we simply wouldn¡¯t be able to rally so many forces to deal with your Zhang Family.¡±


    ¡°Zhengyu, why are you saying so much nonsense? They¡¯re already dead. Kill them quickly and annex their assets as fast as possible so everyone can go back to their own business. Besides, I have a lot of things to do and I¡¯m too lazy to spend more time and worry about this small Zhang Family.¡±


    Small Zhang Family?


    The complexion of each and every member of the Zhang Family turned into dying embers whilst fear engulfed their innermost feelings.


    Suddenly, one of the Zhang Family members looked up. His eyes stared at Tang Xiu and asked anxiously, ¡°Mr. Tang, there¡¯s a misunderstanding between us. The ones who wanted to harm you are Zhang Deqin and her younger brother. Even their father didn¡¯t know about this. I know him. If he knew it, he would¡¯ve prevented the siblings, absolutely. You cannot blame others who know nothing. We didn¡¯t participate in it, neither have we any grudges with you. Could you let us go? If you want to take over all the assets of the Zhang Family, then take them. I also have money I¡¯ve saved for many years. I can give you all.¡±


    Another one also quickly said, ¡°I also have money. I¡¯m willing to give all of it to buy my life. Don¡¯t kill us. If our Zhang Family collapses, we will also become poor and penniless people, and certainly will hide from you to a faraway place. We might never see each other again. If you want to vent your anger and hatred, just kill Zhang Deqin! She¡¯s the culprit, and the one who must die!¡±


    ¡°YOU¡­¡±


    Zhang Deqin looked at her two kin with disbelief. One of whom was her uncle and the other was her aunt. She never dreamt they would betray their own niece only save their own lives.


    Zhang Fengxian could only look at his own younger brother and sister painfully. He was so distressed he nearly stopped breathing. However, he also didn¡¯t want to die. He wanted to go on living.


    His son had died! If he also died, then he would die without heirs.


    Zhang Fengxian¡¯s eyes slowly turned crimson. He stared at Zhang Deqin fiercely as he turned his head and spoke full of solemness, ¡°Tang Xiu, the heavenly orders turn in cycle whereas karma has its own retributive justice. Zhang Deqin is my daughter, and it¡¯s her mistake in hiring assassins to kill you. You should think it as her fate for the failure and defeat. This is the so-called ¡®a person must be held responsible for their own deeds¡¯. You have ruined our Zhang Family, and if your anger has yet to be vented, then kill her! But as for the others, I hope you can let us go. We¡¯ll leave Star City and go to faraway places. We¡¯ll never meet you again in the future.¡±


    ¡°Dad¡­¡±


    Zhang Deqin¡¯s blood boiled as she crazily spurted out a mouthful of blood. She didn¡¯t wipe the blood around her mouth and only looked at her father with disbelief. She could understand if her uncle and aunt gave her up and used her as a shield, for she knew that they were selfish, to begin with.


    But! Zhang Fengxian was her father! It was said that even a tiger wouldn¡¯t kill its own cubs, but he- he actually wanted her to die for him to keep his own life?


    The despair made her so distressed, it was hard for her to breathe.


    Suddenly, she felt a deep sorrow, the sudden sadness of having such family members. They were afraid of dying, coveted life, and knew no shame.


    As afraid as she was of dying, Zhang Deqin was perfectly well aware that she was without a doubt in a situation that she must die. Her hatred for her family was so intense it even made her instantly flare up as she bellowed, ¡°Tang Xiu! I¡¯ll die. But I tell you, the people who want to kill you is not only me! But also them! They wanted to kill you when you helped the Long Family win the Walled Hill Village. I don¡¯t have much ability, neither can I contact assassins from abroad. It was them who told me the contact information and instigated me to find people to kill you!¡±


    ¡°Bastard, you¡¯re talking rubbish!¡±


    ¡°This is pure slander!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking shit, shameless!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so fucking damned¡­¡±


    The complexion of each and every one of the Zhangs greatly changed and went pale, angry with Zhang Deqin¡¯s roar.


    Zhang Fengxian himself didn¡¯t utter any words but looked at his daughter with a cold and detached expression


    Tang Xiu looked at the dog-eat-dog situation of the Zhang Family members as he shook his head with a cold expression. Never had he expected that such a situation would emerge. It was to the point that his intention to completely exterminate all the core clansmen of the Zhangs grew more intense.


    ¡°Zhengyu, you take care of this.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured! I¡¯ll absolutely handle it perfectly. I¡¯ll leave nothing that can create disasters later.¡± Long Zhengyu said with a smile.


    ¡°WAIT!¡± Zhang Fengxian growled.


    ¡°You still have anything to spit out?¡± Tang Xiu stopped as he looked at Zhang Fengxian and asked.


    Zhang Fengxian took a deep breath and spoke with a deep tone, ¡°Tang Xiu, let us live. I¡¯ll give you a huge sum of money.¡±


    Tang Xiu was indeed short of money, but he had no intention to let Zhang Fengxian go. But he also had no problem squeezing money from people who were about to die. With an expression full of interest, he asked, ¡°Tell me, how much do you value your life?¡±


    ¡°Three billion. I¡¯m willing to buy our lives with three billion yuan. This is the remaining money I have in my possession. Aside from me, nobody from my family knows about this. As long as you¡¯re willing to let us go, the three billion is yours.¡± Zhang Fengxian spoke with all seriousness.

 Chapter 205

    Chapter 205: Sensation


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu was startled. He didn¡¯t expect that Zhang Fengxian would still have so much money. After thinking for a moment, he looked at Long Zhengyu and said, ¡°Collect the money and release them.¡±


    ¡°Do you really want to let them go?¡± Long Zhengyu looked distracted for a moment and hesitated.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Tang Xiu said with a firm expression.


    ¡°You¡¯re not afraid that it will leave trouble for the future, letting the tigers loose in the mountain?¡± Long Zhengyu asked with a helpless expression.


    Tang Xiu sneered, ¡°Are they tigers? If they still dare to offend me, let alone in China, even if they fled to any country abroad, I have means to track them and make them unable to beg for their lives.¡±


    The Zhang Family kinsmen were struck with cold sweat down their spines as each and every one of them lowered their heads and didn¡¯t utter a word.


    At this moment, Tang Xiu motioned Long Zhengyu and then turned to leave the chamber.


    After returning to the teahouse, Tang Xiu¡¯s gaze swept over at everyone who looked at him, and said with a faint smile, ¡°Well, we¡¯ve gotten quite a harvest. Zhang Fengxian is willing to buy his entire family with another three billion.¡±


    ¡°You agree to it?¡± Long Hanwen asked.


    ¡°Why should I? But, we¡¯ll get the money first, and after we get it we¡¯ll discuss it later, whereas Zhengyu stays there to take care of it. Anyone has any idea to completely uproot the Zhang Family but keep those important members of the Zhangs alive?¡±


    ¡°I have a way.¡± Shao Mingzhen said.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s expression moved and asked.


    ¡°Let them kill the other members of their own family. And then find ways to send them as well as their family members abroad! Although we¡¯ll be the ones who persecuted them to kill their own people, they also won¡¯t be able to avoid the responsibility. When the time comes, they will keep their own mouths shut in this matter. Furthermore, since they¡¯re not in the country, they won¡¯t be able to create any storm either. Let me take care of this, you can be sure that it will be completed.¡± Shao Mingzhen sneered.


    ¡°If so, do it!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    The next day.


    Tang Xiu left South Gate Town and took a cab to Star City First High School. Today was the day to fill the application to register to a university, so he naturally wouldn¡¯t miss it. Furthermore, he also had decided the school he would enter and only needed to go there and fill the application. Then, he could go home and wait for his test¡¯s score to come out.


    _¡°Flashing News: The Zhang Group suddenly collapsed along with the disappearance of a group of their top executives. Rumor has it that the Long Group, the Ouyang Group, and the Magnificent Tang Corporation issued a joint statement that a senior executive of the Zhang Group¡ªZhang Fengming was found stealing from these three major corporations, worth of tens of billions yuan of funds, which were soon to be used in the ¡°Paradise on Earth¡± project. Being afraid of the repercussion, the suspect has fled¡­¡±_


    A news came out from the radio in the taxi.


    The cab¡¯s driver was a young man. After hearing the broadcast content, he turned his head to glance at Tang Xiu who sat on the co-pilot seat and exclaimed, ¡°This truly fulfills the saying that _¡®humans will die for riches, just as birds will for food¡¯._ The Zhang Group is a major enterprise and has a lot of assets, but even their top management executives are unexpectedly greedy to steal the project funds and run away. They¡¯re truly depraved and starved people, just like snakes wanting to swallow an elephant! I dare say there should be someone from the Zhang Family pulling the strings since they also disappeared, no? It¡¯s an ironclad truth that they must be running away together!¡±


    Without being salty nor cynical, Tang Xiu replied back, ¡°Well, let¡¯s just say that you can find all sorts of birds in the forest.¡±


    The young driver patted the steering wheel and said approvingly, ¡°True enough. This time, the Zhang Group is as good as finished. Those who work with them are truly unlucky, though. And the people who have business cooperation with this company will also collapse just like the falling bloody fungus.¡±


    _¡°Unlucky?¡±_ Tang Xiu secretly laughed inside.


    Not only did they suffer no loss, but they even annexed the Zhang Family¡¯s assets. How could it be said to be unlucky?


    ¡°Brother, I believe you also have heard the news, no? The scandals committed by the Zhang Group exploded in the news channels recently. They are accused of inciting local ruffian and gangsters to rob the project as well as engaging in garbage projects. But heck! Anyways, they persisted in evil deeds, that brought about them their own destruction. The closing down of this corporation, for common people like us, is kind of a huge celebration.¡± The cab¡¯s young driver continued saying.


    ¡°Huh? The Zhang Group has no good reputation?¡± Tang Xiu asked with doubt.


    The young driver rolled his eyes and snorted, ¡°What good reputation? They¡¯re simply notorious! Even some of the Zhang Group¡¯s employees began whispering about how bad their projects are. They said there are shady schemes inside their company; and there¡¯s a lot of them! In short, now, either in the newspaper, television, the Internet, all are cursing the Zhang Group with inhumane words.¡±


    Upon hearing it, Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but secretly admire Long Hanwen, Chen Zhizhong and the others who came up with such methods. Although he did take the lead in this motion and he knew clearly about most of the machinations, however, in the real operation, there was really too much knowledge included within, whereas the effects it produced were also amazing.


    At the same day, each major media corporation in Star City, even the headlines in the country, were all about the news of the Zhang Group. Even the Supreme Prosecutor Office had been involved in the investigation. Once the investigation was clarified, the Zhang Group would probably disappear forever from Earth.


    Furthermore, the naked reality was that, once again, verified the common saying that, _¡°nobody would support an unfavorable cause such as them, and no one would want to stand for the falling wall¡±._ At present, the Zhang Group had already arrived at a precarious juncture, it was only a matter of time before the closure.


    After Tang Xiu came to Star City First High School, he directly went to the Class 10. Because it was the last time all the students could meet with each other, and they probably wouldn¡¯t be able to see the other for the rest of their lives, therefore, everyone was very much cherishing the moments of friendship and affection toward the other classmates. Those students who used to look at Tang Xiu as someone who was not pleasing to the eyes didn¡¯t even show any hostility toward him.


    Yuan Chuling, Cheng Yannan, Xia Wanfen and Li Xiaoqian were talking in whispers. When they saw Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival, Yuan Chuling directly pulled him to their group.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, have you decided to which university you are going to enroll?¡±


    ¡°Yep, I¡¯m going to Shanghai Uni.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and answered.


    Yuan Chuling said with a smile, ¡°Well, I know clearly about my scores. Even after you gave me those tutoring courses, I¡¯m afraid that the score I got from the College Entrance Test might not be enough for me to enter Shanghai University. But heck, since I also intend to go studying in Shanghai, I¡¯ll also apply there. Besides, this university is one of the top universities.¡±


    ¡°As for me, I¡¯m going to study in Beijing. My sister has been transferred back there, so I can only go back with her. Xiaoqian is quite good, though. You can go study in the Regal Classical Music Academy in Blue City. Previously I didn¡¯t know that she has a very good talent in music, even Teacher Huang Ji took her as her student.¡± Cheng Yannan said.


    ¡°Congrats Xiaoqian!¡± Tang Xiu looked at Li Xiaoqian and said with a smile.


    Li Xiaoqian replied in a humble manner, ¡°Tang Xiu, I¡¯m just taking the account in your light, to be honest. Teacher Huang Ji originally really wanted to pull you into the Regal Classical Music Academy as a professor, but you didn¡¯t want it. Afterward, I maintained contact with them and then got one seat from Teacher Huang Ji¡¯s quota.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not interested in music, to begin with, so I¡¯m not going to take that path; neither do I want to enter the Regal Classical Music Academy. By the way, how about you, Wanfen? Where are you going to study later?¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°I want to apply for Jiangnan University, but I don¡¯t know if my CET score will pass, though. If I can¡¯t be admitted with the first choice, I think I¡¯ll apply for the Blue City Institute of Technology.¡± Xia Wanfen said.


    ¡°I really wish you all success in advance, may we all pass our CET and enter the ideal universities we want! Anyways, Teacher Han arrived, let¡¯s go back to our seats!¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    With a smile hung on her face, Han Qingwu stood at the door. She took a quick glance at everyone in the class and paused for a second as her vision landed on Tang Xiu. Then, she walked toward the podium, all smiling and said, ¡°Everyone, today is the day for you to fill in the application and complete your CET. I believe that you all have estimated the scores you got from the test, which is the reason why it¡¯s very important in picking the choice in your application, so I hope you¡¯ll take this seriously. The application forms are on my table and I¡¯ll distribute to all of you now.¡±


    After Tang Xiu got the application form, in the first column of the form, he filled Shanghai University. He didn¡¯t even fill in the second and third choices because he felt that it was not necessary.


    Han Qingwu came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side. Looking at the form filled by him, she knitted her brows and said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you fill in the second and third choices?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m confident,¡± Tang Xiu said self-confidently.


    ¡°I know that you have the confidence. But you also know the saying that there have always been unexpected things that are hard to avoid, no? Look, fill the other two school choices. If you CET score passes your first choice, the next ones won¡¯t be taken into account either.¡± Han Qingwu humorlessly said.


    Tang Xiu forced out a smile. He knew that Han Qingwu had no confidence in him. However, he didn¡¯t want to quibble with her and directly put the application form into her hand. He got up and said, ¡°Teacher Han, I still have some other things to do, can I go first?¡±


    Han Qingwu stopped him and said, ¡°Wait a minute. Wait for me to finish receiving the forms from the class. I have something to talk about with you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up exactly?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°Just wait first!¡± Han Qingwu answered.


    Tang Xiu felt helpless. He had complicated feelings toward Han Qingwu. She looked very much like his partner in the Immortal World; and solely by this aspect, he was quite repelling her. However, she was also the one who stood up for him in the most difficult time and even braved herself to help him when the school was about to expel him and put him into Class 10.


    Thus, he could keep his student status here.


    He might not care about this status, but his mother was all he cared about. If she knew that the school expelled him, she might die from sadness.


    _¡°Ah, forget it! Besides, after today, I¡¯ll have nothing related to her again. Maybe, this will also be the last time I meet her in this life. So I¡¯ll wait!¡±_


    Upon thinking up to there, Tang Xiu then stayed in the classroom, waiting.


    After more than an hour, all of Class 10 students had left, including Yuan Chuling, Chen Yannan, and the others. After there were only Tang Xiu and Han Qingwu left in the classroom, only then did Tang Xiu ask, ¡°Teacher Han, can you say now what exactly do you want from me?¡±


    Han Qingwu hesitated before she forced out a smile and said, ¡°I actually want to ask for your help! That¡­ if it¡¯s convenient for you, that is.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Tang Xiu asked with a confused expression.


    ¡°Like I said, if it¡¯s convenient and you can help for sure!¡± Han Qingwu said.


    ¡°If you won¡¯t say it, then forget it. I still have something to do, so I¡¯ll go first.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Han Qingwu immediately stopped him, saying with a forced smile, ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll tell you. It¡¯s my good sister. She¡¯ll come to Star City tonight, whereas I¡¯ll go to Shanghai for about two days. At the most, I can only come back four days later. So I thought, can you accompany her on these two days?¡±


    Tang Xiu snapped humorlessly, ¡°You need me for this kind of thing? You can let her find a hotel and stay there and just go, no? Just find someone looking for a job in Star City and arrange that person to stay for two days and wait until you come back. That should do the job, no?¡±

 Chapter 206

    Chapter 206: A Rare Annoying Woman


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Han Qingwu replied with a helpless expression, ¡°I did have considered it, you know. But this good sister of mine has just come from abroad. It¡¯s been five years since her last time the country. She¡¯s not familiar with Star City, so I¡¯m afraid she¡¯ll come across many accidents.¡±


    ¡°Since she¡¯s coming from overseas, why don¡¯t you take her with you to Shanghai?¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°She¡¯s already on the plane, and I can¡¯t contact her for now. Besides, I have important things to take care of in Shanghai, so it¡¯s really inconvenient to let her accompany me there.¡± Han Qingwu said.


    ¡°Am I the only acquaintance you have in Star City?¡± Tang Xiu said with a reluctant expression, ¡°I¡¯m just a student, how can I have time to accompany her?¡±


    Han Qingwu laughed involuntarily and said, ¡°Don¡¯t say it like you¡¯re a busy man. Your CET has just passed, and except playing, what else you do anyway? Look Tang Xiu, I helped you by opening the back doors for many times in the last two months, so help me this once!¡±


    Opening the back door?!


    Tang Xiu looked at Han Qingwu with an inconceivable expression as he said, ¡°Teacher Han, one can eat random food, but you cannot speak nonsense irresponsibly. When did you open the back door for me?¡±


    ¡°Did you forget your school ditching for so many days? Have I ever held you responsible for that? Afterward, I also complied to your plea to go home every night, didn¡¯t I?¡± Han Qingwu said.


    ¡°This also counted as opening the back door?¡± Tang Xiu asked with a strange expression all over his face.


    ¡°Of course!¡± Han Qingwu replied with all seriousness.


    Smiling wryly, Tang Xiu said reluctantly, ¡°Fine! Just count it as my bad luck for knowing you. Tell me, what¡¯s your friend called and how do I contact her when she arrives in Star City? We need to reach a consensus first that it¡¯s my business as to how I entertain her, so don¡¯t look for me to settle the account after you come back from Shanghai.¡±


    ¡°Great! You don¡¯t have to contact her, she¡¯ll call you instead when she arrives.¡± Han Qingwu was pleasantly surprised and continued, ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ll go first. I need to catch up the noon flight to Shanghai.¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and also prepared to leave the classroom.


    Suddenly, as if remembering something, Han Qingwu opened her bag and took a stack of money from the inside. She then handed it over to Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Here is five thousand yuan. Use it to entertain my sister. If it¡¯s not enough, call me anytime.¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t refuse it. He would handle the matter for Han Qingwu, so the money was supposed to be part of the service also. After putting the money into his pocket, he then directly left the classroom.


    At noon.


    After having lunch in his family restaurant, Tang Xiu decided to go to the Star City¡¯s Antique Goods Market. He had long wanted to forge an interspatial ring and was delayed until now because of the ore needed to refine it. Going to the Antique Goods Market was but only trying his luck. If he was lucky, perhaps he could find some precious ores.


    However, after strolling around the entire Antique Market the whole afternoon, he couldn¡¯t find any precious ores. He also found quite a good antique, but since the price was way too expensive, whereas he also had no hobby in collecting antiques, he didn¡¯t spend his money on it.


    After catching a cab and on the way back to South Gate Town, he received a call from an unfamiliar woman, and after the inquiry, he found out that the woman was Han Qingwu¡¯s good sister who came from abroad.


    ¡°After you arrive at Star City downtown, feel free to find a hotel first. I¡¯ll look for you later.¡± Tang Xiu said his command and hung up the phone.


    At Star City Airport.


    The tall figure of Chen Wei attracted the attention of numerous travelers outside as she came out of the airport exit. She wore a short, T-shirt and a platinum necklace along with pink sunglasses on her face. The most attractive was her blazing red lips.


    Aside from the latest limited edition of Louis Vuitton bag, she also carried along a delicate white leather suitcase.


    ¡°How could Qingwu do this? She put her student to accompany me, she didn¡¯t even say that this student of hers doesn¡¯t even have any basic courtesy at all. He surely knows that I¡¯d arrive in Star City at night, but he didn¡¯t come to the airport to pick me up?¡±


    Chen Wei stamped her foot bitterly. Then, she turned around and walked toward the taxi parking area.


    Caesar Grand Hotel.


    The hotel was one of the 5-star hotels in Star City. Although it was not the best, it was upscale enough. The entire hotel building was around 40-50 meters high and had a particularly majestic and extraordinary style.


    Chen Wei opened the door to the 1st class suite. After she took a comfortable bath, she put on refreshing casual wear before she heard her suite¡¯s doorbell ring.


    ¡°He¡¯s really so damn late!¡±


    Chen Wei grunted in dissatisfaction. If it weren¡¯t that she felt a bit hungry, she was really too lazy to open the door. Because she knew nobody would come here except the student Han Qingwu sent to her.


    The door was opened, whereas Chen Wei only glanced at Tang Xiu, who stood outside, before turning around. With a slightly disgruntled voice, she said, ¡°You¡¯re finally here. If not because I¡¯m starving, you can just scram out of here. Get inside!¡±


    Tang Xiu himself had imagined various scenes of the meeting between him and Chen Wei. However, he never dreamed that it would be like this. Despite being quite stunned, he secretly shook his head. After entering the room, he walked straight to the sofa and directly sat on it as he grabbed the magazine on the table and begun reading it.


    Chen Wei ignored him. Although shouting that she was starving, however, putting on her own makeup was kind of taking quite a long while. After having spent an hour to finish her makeup, she then picked up her Louis Vuitton bag and said, ¡°Yep, I¡¯m good. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Where to?¡± Tang Xiu looked up and asked.


    Chen Wei replied with a foul mood, ¡°Of course it¡¯s to have a meal, what do you think it is? Don¡¯t you see the time? It¡¯s almost 9 o¡¯clock and I have yet to have dinner. Midnight snack doesn¡¯t count as dinner.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t utter a word.


    He came to the hotel before 8 o¡¯clock, whereas she spent an hour putting on her make up. She even blamed for his coming here?


    But he¡¯d rather forget it, good men wouldn¡¯t pick a fight with women.


    She was Han Qingwu¡¯s bosom sister, whereas he also only needed to deal with her for two days. So when Han Qingwu had come back, he could immediately say goodbye to her and wouldn¡¯t see her again for the rest of his life.


    Upon thinking up to there, Tang Xiu walked toward the bedside cabinet and took the landline phone to dial a number.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Chen Wei asked with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s late already?! You need not go out to have dinner because the hotel also provides it. Just let the hotel send the attendant to deliver the dinner. After you finish your meal, you might as well rest earlier since I also have to go back quickly.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    With an inconceivable expression, Chen Wei said, ¡°No! Don¡¯t call to order a meal. Don¡¯t you know that the hotel¡¯s meals are not delicious? You take me out for a meal, and I want to eat and taste the most famous delicacies in Star City!¡±


    Tang Xiu knitted his brows and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know the most famous or the best delicacies in Star City. If you really don¡¯t want to eat the meals provided by the hotel, then we¡¯ll look for a casual small restaurant outside and fill your stomach. You just had a long flight, so you¡¯d better take a rest early. Tomorrow you¡¯ll be more spirited if you want to stroll around everywhere.¡±


    ¡°No no no! I¡¯m not tired. I fully rested on the plane. I don¡¯t have jet lag and need not adjust to the time difference. Your task is to accompany and guide me. Anything I wanna eat, you must accompany me.¡±


    _¡°I¡¯m not your damn father!¡±_


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but whisper inside before he turned around and followed Chen Wei out of the door.


    Caesar Hotel was located in the most bustling block of Star City. There was an upscale residential area on the East side nearby, a commercial street to the West, and a famous street lined with food and dining courts to the South.


    Tang Xiu took Chen Wei to the dining street. But he was also somewhat confused with the places. He had been here before but only for a few times and only passed through this street and never ate anything at all. He realized that there were not only upscale restaurants here but also a lot of snack stalls on the lane.


    ¡°What do you wanna eat? You say. It¡¯s on me.¡±


    Following beside Chen Wei, Tang Xiu found that she was constantly glancing around as he then asked with an indifferent expression.


    ¡°Hey, I know nothing about this place, how do I know what to eat?¡± Chen Wei was dissatisfied and grunted as she continued, ¡°You take me to eat something unique with good taste and flavor. You can pick whatever you want, either it¡¯s an upscale restaurant or the snack stall on the roadside.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°I also don¡¯t know much about this place. Don¡¯t forget my identity. I¡¯m just a student so I didn¡¯t have chances to come and spend time here.¡±


    As astonished as she was, Chen Wei then said, ¡°Ehh, students shouldn¡¯t¡­ Oh, I get it. Here is not the United States, and the students here are good mommy boys and well-behaved. Well, forget it. Since we both know nothing here, then I¡¯ll taste the cuisines stall by stall.¡±


    Tang Xiu secretly sighed inside. Chen Wei truly was resembling the haughty and arrogant princess type that he loathed the most. However, since he only needed to follow her for two days, he would just need to fool about and it would pass, eventually.


    Finally, after Chen Wei had tasted a lot of cuisines, they entered a Hunan restaurant. Tang Xiu followed her along and also ate some cuisines while convenient. But he was really struck with astonishment. Chen Wei herself had a good figure, but her appetite was unexpectedly big. The food she ate was twice the amount he had, at the least. Tang Xiu himself felt full, but she was still able to eat more.


    Shortly after, Chen Wei had ordered a table full of meals and then asked another two bottles of beer.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you just eaten? You¡¯re not afraid of your stomach bursting?¡±


    Tang Xiu was somewhat dumbfounded as he asked.


    Chen Wei rolled her eyes and said with contempt, ¡°Are you not a man? A good man will eat everywhere. And your appetite is kinda shameful, you know. Although I¡¯ve eaten some cuisines before, I¡¯m only 40% full. I have a habit. Before I¡¯m a 100% full, I feel like I haven¡¯t really eaten to the full.¡±


    _¡°What a marvel!¡±_


    One truly can¡¯t pass judgment on a person¡¯s life, until the lid covers the coffin. This was the final conclusion Tang Xiu had toward Chen Wei.


    Two bottles of beer had been gulped down and the sumptuous meals on the table were all nearly wolfed down. Only then Chen Fei felt satisfied as she patted her bulged belly and exclaimed, ¡°Homeland cuisine is truly great! In that damn country overseas, I can only drink milk and eat bread and barbecue, which even makes me vomit quickly after I eat it.¡±


    Deep inside, Tang Xiu gave a ¡°rice barrel¡± nickname for Chen Wei. Then, he asked, ¡°Alright, since you have eaten to the full, isn¡¯t it time for you to rest?¡±


    Chen Wei picked up her bag and said, ¡°Now? Going back to the hotel and sleep, I¡¯d just be wasting your good time of youth! Besides, only pigs go to sleep after having eaten to the full! Let¡¯s stroll around and look for a bar with me. Today, this Big Sis invites you to drink in the pub, and let¡¯s watch some pole dance there.¡±


    Tang Xiu knitted his brows and said, ¡°I¡¯m not interested.¡±


    Chen Wei replied with a jeer, ¡°What is this? You¡¯re still young, but you act so decently and solemn, eh? Are you afraid of me talking about this to Han Qingwu? Don¡¯t worry, boy! This sister guarantees, I won¡¯t sell you out! Go, let¡¯s go to the pub!¡±


    With all seriousness, Tang Xiu said, ¡°I really don¡¯t like going to the bar!¡±

 Chapter 207

    Chapter 207: The Exotic Flower¡¯s Style


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Chen Wei angrily said, ¡°Hey, are you a man or not? Are you really still a boy that hasn¡¯t grown hair? If so, then just hurry back to your home and sleep! This great aunt will go even if you don¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Damn! This father is an old monster who has lived for 10,000 years!¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but curse inside. But he intentionally showed a look of helplessness as he said, ¡°The pub is kinda unsafe at night, especially the local ones. There are a lot of sexual harassers and they are jam-packed with local thugs and ruffians. If you don¡¯t want to have accidents, you better listen to me and go back to your hotel and rest.¡±


    Chen Wei said with contempt, ¡°Are you taking me for a fool and trying to coax me? Even though I left the country for so many years, it doesn¡¯t mean I know nothing about the law and order here! Fine! Are you coming or not?! Don¡¯t get long-winded with me. If you¡¯re not coming, then scram quickly.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before he nodded and said, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go.¡±


    Chen Wei happily replied, ¡°Hehe, that¡¯s more like a man!¡±


    Three Feathers Pub! It was the most luxurious and the most visited bar nearby the dining street. Neon signs were flashing as the sound of rock and roll music could be heard even before entering. After entering the pub, the sound was much more deafening and extremely noisy.


    Tang Xiu had never liked such places. But since he was here to guarantee Chen Wei¡¯s safety, he couldn¡¯t immediately leave; he could only endure the chaos inside as he followed Chen Wei into the pub.


    ¡°Did you see it? That¡¯s an on-the-spot live pole dance performance. That girl¡¯s body is very good and sexy. Such a woman is very attractive to any men, a rare extraordinarily belle. Take a look at that side! Those two girls dancing on the dance floor with two tattoos on their neck? They¡¯re definitely one hell of underbrush flowers. They¡¯re specifically very good on ganging up men¡¯s ¡°stuff¡±. Their characteristics are kinda good, but I dare say their p*ssies surely already have very rich experience.¡± Chen Wei moved closer to Tang Xiu¡¯s ear and spoke loudly. [1]


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu was really speechless. Facing an exotic flower marvel like Chen Wei who was resembled a fighter jet, it drove his mental nerves to always be ready to receive the challenge.


    Chen Wei didn¡¯t seem to realize Tang Xiu¡¯s frowning expression. She stretched out her hand to the bartender, who handed her a cocktail. After drinking a mouthful of it, she wiped the liquor mark on the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand and said enthusiastically, ¡°The local pubs are truly better than the ones abroad. But it¡¯s a pity that there are only a few sexy people that can be asked to dance with. Or else, tonight would be very eventful and colorful. Ah, look! Look at the 3 o¡¯clock! That man is very hot! Great body, good skin, gorgeous looks. Damn! He surely has great ¡°stuff¡± too. Erm¡­ how about I gang up on him to the hotel tonight?¡±


    Tang Xiu straightly turned his face, expressing that he was unfamiliar with this marvel creature.


    Chen Wei, on the other hand, finally sensed Tang Xiu¡¯s strange manners. She grabbed him and made him face her as she burst into laughter and loudly spoke, ¡°Ehh, you¡¯re still a little boy, aren¡¯t you? Haven¡¯t you had any girlfriend yet? Ah, how about this sister teach you some tonight? So you can hook up a girl and take her to the hotel? Worry not, boy. I¡¯m a woman and naturally, I know what¡¯s inside a woman¡¯s mind. Even though you look average and your clothing is kinda ordinary, but if you use my teaching, you¡¯ll definitely be able to easily score.¡±


    ¡°Nope. Not interested!¡± Tang Xiu said indifferently.


    Chen Wei stared with widened eyes. Because after drinking her face was a bit red, it was adding some points of beauty to her. However, at the moment, an inconceivable expression shrouded her whole face as she stared at Tang Xiu and exclaimed, ¡°You¡¯re not interested in women? Are you a gay?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you who is a homosexual!¡± Tang Xiu retorted with a foul mood.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with being homosexual? I tell you, this young lady is not only a lesbian but also bisexual. I like strong men and I love beautiful women! It¡¯s a pity that this great aunt has a kinda thieving mentality, though. I have no guts to even carry out my indecent intentions. Up until now, I only kissed my boyfriend a little. And that man of mine is kinda useless too. He¡¯s very timid, as though a rabbit!¡± Chen Wei happily spoke.


    A woman¡¯s inner world is truly as deep as an ocean!


    At this moment, Tang Xiu finally understood the meaning of this line. He really couldn¡¯t understand her. This woman pricked his nerves as though she was a neuropathy, but before, as she was putting on makeup in the hotel, she was quiet and looked like a well-behaved baby.


    ¡°I see. You¡¯re not only bisexual, but you¡¯re also schizophrenic.¡±


    Astonished, Chen Wei replied, ¡°Ehh? How did you know? You can say I¡¯m like a princess during the day, but I¡¯m just like a hooker at night! Don¡¯t you guys love women like me?¡±


    Tang Xiu grabbed the liquor handed over by the bartender and gulped it down in one stroke. Then, he turned his head back to her.


    Chen Wei¡¯s face was full of boredom as she rolled her white eyes. Whilst carrying a crystal cup and drinking her cocktail, she looked enthusiastically to the dance floor, at the body of men and women that swayed from side to side. Such debauched pleasure-seeking, and the atmosphere of debilitating love scenes, embracing each other and the restless body rubbings. The pub was full of men and women who were seeking for pleasure with only a wisp of careful thoughts.


    A few minutes later.


    Chen Wei waved at Tang Xiu. Her slender waist swayed side to side, dancing on the dance floor. Shortly after, several handsome young men came over and bounced together. Tang Xiu only cared about her safety and didn¡¯t care about her self-demise bohemian attitude. As long as she didn¡¯t bring the man back to the hotel and didn¡¯t force him to squat and stand guard in front of her door, he didn¡¯t want to even care about such behavior.


    Having been inside the pub for half an hour, Tang Xiu found several pairs of drunk men and women who he didn¡¯t know before, leaving with arms on each other¡¯s shoulders. Those men and women, if not for wanting to play one-night standings, they might want to take advantage of taking it for granted. However, he also realized from some scenes, that someone was selling drugs here.


    His curiosity was sparked. He had no intention to leave Chen Wei alone, but Tang Xiu was suddenly struck with inspiration. A wonderful plan appeared in his mind. Along with a curving smile on his mouth, he went out of the pub, took out his mobile, and then dialed a number in a nearby hidden corner.


    At Star City Public Security Bureau, inside the meeting room of the Criminal Investigation Division.


    Cheng Xuemei and a dozen officers were simultaneously analyzing the case. Up until now, the shooting case that took place near South Gate Town was yet to find its murderer. Yet, it was followed by the collective disappearance of the Zhang Family members, the corruption case in the tripartite joint venture¡¯s collective funds of the construction project by the Long Family, the Ouyang Family and the Magnificent Tang Corporation by the Zhang Family, as well as the incidents with internecine strife in a lot of entertainment venues in Star City. Such rush of incidents caused her to be quite badly battered and busy.


    ¡°I believe that there are absolutely a handful of black hands pulling the strings behind the Zhang Family¡¯s case- we must investigate this case clearly. Otherwise, our superiors will never let us live good, peaceful lives anymore.¡±


    ¡°Ring, ring, ring¡­¡±


    A mobile phone¡¯s ringtone interrupted Cheng Xuemei¡¯s words.


    She knitted her brows and grabbed her mobile. As she looked at it, an astonished expression could be seen on her face, since the caller ID turned out to be Tang Xiu, which she regarded as a very mysterious person in her heart, whereas he himself looked like a very ordinary fellow. After a moment of hesitation, she finally accepted the call and spoke with a deep tone, ¡°Tang Xiu, is there something you need?¡±


    ¡°Captain Cheng, I have important findings I want to report to you. If this matter is true, will there be any rewards?¡± Tang Xiu melodious voice came out of the phone.


    ¡°Say it! I need to know what kind of report first!¡± Cheng Xuemei said.


    ¡°I¡¯m now at Three Feathers Pub! You should know the place, yes? It¡¯s near the Star City Food Court area. I saw some people selling drugs here, and the volume is kinda huge! I¡¯ve been staying here for more than half an hour, and I can tell that they have sold at least several tens of thousands of units. I suspect that¡­¡±


    ¡°You suspect that it¡¯s psychotropic-narcotics?¡± Cheng Xuemei said with a deep tone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s narcotics or not. How about you guys check this out? If it¡¯s really narcotics, you can also track the clues and arrest the traffickers.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    For a moment, Cheng Xuemei was silent. Then, she said, ¡°Continue watching. Don¡¯t alert their them. And do pay attention to your own safety! We¡¯ll immediately send people!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Tang Xiu quickly complied and happily hung up the phone.


    As he went back inside, Tang Xiu was struck dumb and speechless, because Chen Wei now was unexpectedly hugging a 17-18 years old girl, drinking and chatting merrily. Looking at their intimacy, even if someone was ignorant, they would think that the two were a lesbian couple.


    ¡°Another round of wine!¡±


    Even though Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t drink the cocktail well; however, he must do as the Romans do in Rome. He ordered another cup and gulped it down again as though he was thirsty.


    Chen Wei turned her head. Upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s appearance, she said with a beaming smile, ¡°Hey handsome, where did you just go? I thought you dumped me back then! Just look at this young sister at my arms, what do you think? She¡¯s the type I like. Cute, smart, sweet, and her mouth smells good.¡±


    Tang Xiu glanced at the smiling girl. He shook his head and said, ¡°If you like her, just continue hugging and kissing her!¡±


    Chen Wei smiled tenderly and said, ¡°Why? Don¡¯t you to taste this young sister¡¯s small mouth also? It¡¯s really very sweet! I promise you she¡¯ll definitely make all your desires come true.¡±


    ¡°Nope. Not interested!¡±


    Although Tang Xiu also admitted that the lass was quite pretty, however, the thick makeup she had on her face didn¡¯t give him a favorable impression. If he ever wanted to taste a woman¡¯s mouth, he might as well look for the little enchantress, Ouyang Lulu! Or, the Lolita¡ªAndy who smelled good all over her body; she even had many points with her two proud big rabbits!


    Chen Wei cast aside curling lips and harrumphed, ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re really not a man! People say that young men are impulsive and easily aroused in that area. You¡¯re just a loony!¡±


    Tang Xiu was way too lazy to respond. What he wanted to see now was how efficient the City¡¯s Criminal Police Division was, so he silently counted the time inside his mind.


    15 minutes later.


    A dozen of Criminal Police squads as well as a large number of police officers from the Public Security Bureau arrived. Cheng Xuemei took the lead and commanded overall situation, and quickly blockaded all the passages to the pub. When the rock and roll music stopped playing, along with the disappearance of the flashing lights, the light was replaced by a bright crystal lamp as Cheng Xuemei then shouted:


    ¡°EVERYONE! TAKE OUT YOUR ID CARD! THE POLICE HAVE RECEIVED A REPORT SAYING THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE SELLING DRUGS HERE. IF YOU DON¡¯T WANT TO GET IN TROUBLE AND DRINK TEA IN OUR POLICE STATION. DO COOPERATE WITH US!¡±


    Drugs!


    This was the taboo word everyone avoided in their hearts.


    Upon hearing Cheng Xuemei¡¯s words, the discontented expression on the visitors¡¯ faces immediately turned into a well-behaved one. However, there were still 4-5 young men carrying packages, who hastily stuffed them into the couches.


    Tang Xiu could see everything clearly and secretly typed a message on his mobile and sent it to Cheng Xuemei. After doing that, he looked at Chen Wei with a joyful mood. He knew that the trip to the pub tonight had come to an end.


    * * *


    Notes:


    [1] The raw said underbrush flower and Black Fungus. The first is the slang for girls who have slept with many men, and the latter is the slang for girls whose [sorry if it sounds offensive] vaginas have rich experience. For virgin girls, the slang is Pink Fungus. Welp, I don¡¯t know how to translate this line in a much ¡°nobler¡± way. Don¡¯t ask me more though, I¡¯m a married man, so I know nothing much. LOL. Chinese slang is not my forte, to begin with.

 Chapter 208

    Chapter 208: Digging the Pit


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Sure enough! Chen Wei angrily glared at Cheng Xuemei and the other police officers. While taking out her ID Card from her bag, she muttered, ¡°It¡¯s so fucking annoying! These cops truly have nothing else to do but eat to the fullest. You¡¯re really messing with this great aunt¡¯s good time. I thought I could enjoy myself to the full today.¡±


    The girl in her embrace, however, had a somewhat tense expression. She quickly looked at Chen Wei and whispered, ¡°I need to go to the restroom.¡±


    ¡°You want me to go with you?¡± Chen Wei asked.


    ¡°No need!¡± The girl¡¯s answer was fast.


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes. Looking at the back of the girl leaving hastily, he said with a thoughtful expression, ¡°Big Sis, the girl you hooked up with, looks like she has an unusual identity! She looks very nervous, and if she hasn¡¯t done anything illegal, then her identity is surely very sensitive.¡±


    ¡°How do you know?¡± Chen Wei was surprised.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a guess.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Chen Wei grunted, ¡°What guess?! Are you a ghost or something? Quickly, take your ID Card out. You should be considered as an adult, no? I remember Qingwu is a 3rd-year teacher, and her students have already taken the CET. Since you¡¯re her student, you should also have taken the CET and have an ID Card.¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed without wanting to, and then said, ¡°What you say does have a strong logic as well as accurate reasoning. But I have always had a face that even the police won¡¯t check my ID Card. Do you believe me?¡±


    Chen Wei laughed with ridicule, ¡°You followed me for a night, but only now did I found out you love bragging!¡±


    With an uncanny tone, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°How about we bet? Not only will the cops not check my ID, I even dare to tease a policewoman officer. Did you see the one who spoke before? She¡¯s very imposing, yes? She should be an officer with quite a high position.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, relying on you? Your balls are even smaller than a rabbit¡¯s; you¡¯re even afraid to approach a girl. Saying that you dare to tease a female officer is kinda a lame joke, no?¡± Chen Wei said with contempt.


    ¡°Answer me, you wanna bet or not!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Chen Wei snorted and replied, ¡°Hmph, bet with you? Why not? If the cops don¡¯t check your ID and you dare to tease that female officer, I¡¯ll do anything you tell me!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°Sure as hell I do!¡±


    Tang Xiu clapped and said with a smile, ¡°Then, you wait and see!¡±


    After having said that, he grabbed the cocktail on the table and gulped it down cleanly. After that, he walked in large strides toward Cheng Xuemei. To witness it first hand, Chen Wei followed behind him closely as they quickly came to Cheng Xuemei¡¯s side.


    ¡°Hello Princess, you read the text message I sent you, yes?¡±


    Cheng Xuemei, who had just seen Tang Xiu, nodded and said, ¡°I did. Some officers have gone over there to search it. I really should thank you for this.¡±


    ¡°Well, keeping peace and order is always the responsibility of us, dutiful citizens. By the way, you haven¡¯t told me what kind of reward I¡¯ll receive from this, have you?¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°Hey! Be more decent and serious, will you?!¡± Cheng Xuemei angrily replied.


    ¡°Ehh? Haven¡¯t I always acted properly and decent enough? Don¡¯t tell me that a person doing good deeds has no right to get some good payback, no? If so, why should I cooperate with the police in handling the cases in the future.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    With a helpless expression, Cheng Xuemei said, ¡°Then tell me, what reward do you want?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression slowly turned serious, saying, ¡°How about my previous proposal? You wait for me for a couple of years, then, you¡¯ll marry me after I graduate from college! And when the time comes, you give birth to a few kids for me. As for how many kids you should give birth to, you should ask my Mom. If she wants a few, then you give birth to a few kids, whereas I¡¯ll be sure to cooperate with the both of you!¡±


    ¡°Pffft¡­¡±


    Chen Wei, who was behind Tang Xiu, couldn¡¯t help but be amused and laughed. Although she already knew that Tang Xiu was just goading her to dig her own pit to jump into, she wasn¡¯t angry at all. She realized that she unexpectedly couldn¡¯t figure out the big boy who was following behind her butt for this one night.


    As for Cheng Xuemei, her complexion came to a halt for a moment. Her heart was filled with the feeling of being at a loss whether she should laugh or cry. She quickly glanced at Chen Wei, before she intentionally showed an angry expression as she stared at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that you mustn¡¯t spit out such rubbish? Watch it, or I¡¯ll beat you up and drag you to drink some tea at the police station!¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Ouch! Fighting and cursing and then making up is the proof of love, no? Although I don¡¯t quite understand this line, I think if you really take me to the police station to drink some tea, that means that what I¡¯ve hinted is spot on, yes?!¡±


    ¡°YOU¡­¡±


    Cheng Xuemei helplessly shook her head before she said with a sigh, ¡°Your glib talk truly is much more difficult to deal with than facing you in person. Anyways, I heard that you¡¯re going to apply for Shanghai Uni, are you sure your CET¡¯s score can be accepted?¡±


    ¡°Yep! I¡¯m sure of it!¡± Tang Xiu raised his head up spiritedly.


    ¡°I too wish you can be accepted. Alright, it¡¯s already very late, and even if you¡¯ve just finished your CET and wanted to indulge yourself, don¡¯t come to this messed up place. Go home now and rest early. If the investigation really founds what you¡¯ve reported, I¡¯ll treat you to a meal the next day.¡± Cheng Xuemei nodded and said.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to treat me to a meal before returning to the Capital?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    Cheng Xuemei frowned as she quickly glanced around. After she found that there were no other colleagues listening, only then did she feel a bit relieved and said with a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t say it here. I¡¯ll call you myself a few days later after I handle this matter!¡±


    ¡°Deal!¡±


    Tang Xiu promised with a chuckle. Then, he quickly turned to Chen Wei, giving her a provocative look, and left the Three Feathers Pub quickly! On the way back to Caesar Grand Hotel, he said, ¡°Well, you remember the bet between us, right? The fact is, you lost!¡±


    ¡°No, it didn¡¯t count as one. You cheated.¡± Chen Wei shook her head and said.


    ¡°When did I cheat?¡± Tang Xiu glanced at her with a contempt and asked.


    Chen Wei angrily chided, ¡°YOU! You knew that police officer. Besides, it¡¯s you who brought those cops! You clearly knew that and you intentionally set up a trap for me to jump into. Like hell, I¡¯ll accept that!¡±


    Tang Xiu said indifferently, ¡°Without having full confidence, would I even make a bet with you? Let¡¯s cut the crap here. Do you accept that you lost the bet or not? If not, well, I have nothing to say. I can only say that your character is messed up.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one whose mental! Fine! I accept that I lost! What do you want me to do? This great aunt has long been ready for any sacrifice tonight. You scared away my young belle before, even if you want me to serve you all night long, I¡¯ll do that!¡± Chen Wei angrily roared.


    Tang Xiu shivered with fright down to his spine. He waved his hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s forget it! I¡¯m not interested in your body. My request is very simple though. For tomorrow and the day after, you must obediently stay in your hotel room. You¡¯re not to get out even half a step. If you¡¯re bored, just play with your mobile phone or watch TV. If you¡¯re hungry, just call the hotel cafeteria and they¡¯ll send the meal to your room.¡±


    Chen Wei¡¯s stared with wide eyes. So much so that she straightened up her chest. Even though she had a good figure, a guitar-like slender waist as well as long legs, however, her chest was quite flat. She did want to show off her capital, but she was finally unable to come to and eventually snorted twice with a resentful expression.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this request of yours. I¡¯ll make sure to complain to Han Qingwu when she comes back!¡±


    ¡°That means you don¡¯t want to accept your loss.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°YOU¡­¡±


    Chen Wei was angry. However, recalling Tang Xiu¡¯s line just now, she swallowed it back. Her eyes rolled as she spoke forthrightly, ¡°You want me to agree to your request, that¡¯s fine with me. But since Han Qingwu entrusted me to you, you should be responsible for this. If you want me to stay in the hotel room, you also have to accompany me. I¡¯m afraid of being alone.¡±


    ¡°Who would believe you, eh!¡±


    Tang Xiu recalled all sort of things Chen Wei had done. She was extremely bold in the pub, flirting with the others, either men or women. Would she even be afraid of being alone in the hotel room?


    However, as long as Chen Wei didn¡¯t go out of the hotel and not make some trouble for him, it could be said that it was a satisfactory result. So as to complete Han Qingwu¡¯s request, he nodded and said, ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll come every morning and go back at night. But, are you really not afraid of me eating you?¡±


    ¡°Do you even have the balls?¡± Chen Wei sneered.


    Tang Xiu no longer spoke. He realized that a person with a thick face as though a wall such as Chen Wei would turn a corner in dispute. And the one who would eventually be defeated would be himself. She was as though a strong, high-spirited horse and needed someone else to conquer her. However, he had not the least bit of interest doing that.


    After escorting Chen Wei back to the hotel room, Tang Xiu then bade farewell to leave.


    ¡°You really won¡¯t stay?¡± Chen Wei leaned on the room¡¯s door as she looked at Tang Xiu whilst smiling a smile that was yet unlike a smile.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s already too late. Have a good rest! Do remember the agreement between us. You are not to leave your room¡¯s door even half a step without my permission.¡±


    ¡°Bang!¡±


    Chen Wei fiercely closed the door from the inside angrily.


    Tang Xiu smiled smugly. He secretly felt wonderful for having brewed up such a plan tonight. After he left the hotel and was about to catch a cab, a police car slowly stopped at his side. When the car¡¯s window was opened, Cheng Xuemei spoke with all seriousness, ¡°Get in the car!¡±


    Tang Xiu hesitated for a moment before he circled the car¡¯s front and went straight toward the co-pilot seat, opened the door and sat.


    ¡°Something¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Yes, important and urgent. I just came from the Three Feathers Pub! We did find a batch of drugs just after you left. Also, there are more than a dozen people in the pub who attacked the police blockade. Not only they had controlled-authorized cutting weapons and firearms, even two of our comrades were wounded and taken to the hospital. However, we also caught those criminals.¡± Cheng Xuemei answered seriously.


    ¡°Since you already caught them, why did you look for me? It¡¯s already very late, I have to go back and sleep.¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°I know that you¡¯re very skillful. Can you help us arrest several other major drug dealers? We¡¯ve just gotten the intelligence that there¡¯s a group of drug dealers from outside of China, and they are staying in some rooms of this Caesar Grand Hotel. One of them is a young man called ¡®Crown Prince¡¯ who comes from the Jinshan region of South-Eastern Asia. Not only does his family have a private army, they also have a guarded wide expanse of poppy opium plantation, which is absolutely a vicious figure.¡±


    Tang Xiu snapped with a foul mood, ¡°Great Lady Cheng, aren¡¯t you making a mistake here? I¡¯m only a third-year student who just graduated and not even entered a university, yet you unexpectedly want me to act with you in such big case? Just in case something happens to me, can you even afford to be held responsible for it?¡±


    * * *


    Notes:


    I used an abbreviation for College Entrance Test to CET. Kinda lazy to type it since it¡¯s too long and mentioned in the raws for too many times.


    About drinking tea in the police station, you can read this article.

 Chapter 209

    Chapter 209: Capture Operation


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    A disappointed expression could be seen on Cheng Xuemei¡¯s face. She shook her head and said, ¡°I know I can¡¯t. OK. If you don¡¯t want to help us, then forget it and get off! We¡¯re deploying our forces in hopes of successfully capturing the drug dealers.¡±


    Looking at Cheng Xuemei¡¯s face, Tang Xiu Wei slightly frowned. He didn¡¯t get off, but was silent for a while as he asked, ¡°Why did you choose me?¡±


    ¡°Because I think if you¡¯re nurtured, then you¡¯ll definitely become an excellent police officer. What I mean is your skill as well as your detection and observation ability. From our analysis in Three Feathers Pub, you have a strong and keen sense of observation toward the surrounding environments. For average people, the first time they go to a pub, it would be very hard for them to find someone selling drugs. In your case, not only were you able to find it, you also contacted us afterward and keenly observed those people¡¯s actions when selling drugs; that helped us greatly.¡± Cheng Xuemei said seriously.


    Tang Xiu shook his head as he wryly smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s kinda embarrassing to be complemented by you. Alright, so be it then. Looking at your uneasy expression, I¡¯ll help you again. Tell me who are the drug dealers and in which rooms they¡¯re staying. I have some methods to help you clarify the situation inside their rooms.¡±


    ¡°You do? How?¡± Cheng Xuemei was surprised.


    ¡°It¡¯s my personal secret. I can¡¯t tell you that.¡± Tang Xiu replied humorlessly.


    Cheng Xuemei was doubtful as she replied, ¡°Tang Xiu, this is not a joke. A slight carelessness will cost you your life. Those drug dealers are ruthless, and I even heard that this Crown Prince is someone who can kill without batting an eye. Not to mention that the police also have yet to complete the preparations for the deployment since we also have to avoid arousing their suspicion.¡±


    ¡°Relax! I¡¯m well aware of the situation. I¡¯m only responsible to observe the situation in their rooms- this is my specialty. The capture operation is yours.¡± Tang Xiu said indifferently.


    Cheng Xuemei hesitated for a moment and said, ¡°It¡¯s the room #806, #807 and #808. According to the people in Three Feathers Pub who gave the information, there are a total of six people there.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and opened the car¡¯s door. After he got off, he said just before leaving, ¡°Wait for my text message!¡±


    A few minutes later.


    Tang Xiu arrived at the eighth floor of the Caesar Grand Hotel. After looking for the #806 room, he released his perception and found that the number of people inside was not six, but eight. One of whom was a naked young man with bleached white hair who was having sex with a woman.


    However, to hide his spiritual sense existence, he opened #805 room and quietly climbed out from the window and quickly and sharply appeared next to #806 room¡¯s windows. After feigning an act as though he was observing something, he continued climbing toward the window outside room #807 and #808.


    Shortly after, he took the elevator and directly dialed Cheng Xuemei¡¯s number and told her about the situation. Then, he finally said, ¡°Do pay attention toward the white-haired guy in the room #806. Not only are there firearms in his bedside cabinet, but also a sniper rifle. It¡¯s similar to the guns I¡¯ve seen on TV.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure there¡¯s no error in your surveillance?¡± Cheng Xuemei asked with an anxious tone.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    After Cheng Xuemei said thanks, she then hung up the phone.


    Tang Xiu put his mobile away. After leaving the Caesar Grand Hotel, he didn¡¯t directly leave but went to the opposite building. After he found an empty room that was not locked, he stood before the window as he quietly watched the movements in the opposite direction.


    He could see that two snipers had already sneaked into the building he was in, whereas in the opposite building, a lot of Criminal Police members wearing casual attires were also quietly lurking inside. There was even a large number of armed police forces surrounding Caesar Grand Hotel.


    ¡°They came very fast!¡± Tang Xiu secretly sighed.


    However, just after he had just spoken, his complexion slightly changed as he quickly found that at the opposite Caesar Grand Hotel¡¯s room #808¡¯s windows, a middle-aged man appeared and held a mini-binocular in his hand whilst taking a look below.


    They had been found!


    Tang Xiu quickly grabbed his mobile and dialed Cheng Xuemei¡¯s number. After she answered, Tang Xiu spoke with a deep tone, ¡°If my inference is correct, they must have found your police force deployment! They are using binoculars to observe through the windows, and they surely saw a large number of cops. Move and act now to save time.¡±


    At this moment, Cheng Xuemei had already arrived at the Caesar Grand Hotel¡¯s 8th floor. Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s report, her face instantly turned unsightly. Without her realizing, she had some kind of inexplicable trust toward Tang Xiu inside. So she shouted sternly with no hesitation, ¡°Move and arrest them now! Immediately counterattack if there¡¯s any resistance! Do beware of the three people in room #808. They¡¯re aware there¡¯s something amiss!¡±


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    The three rooms¡¯ doors were separately blasted open by two police officers. The other well-trained armed police forces coordinated with each other and swarmed into the room with their guns¡¯ muzzles readily aimed.


    ¡°Bang, bang, bang¡­¡±


    Intense gunfire sounded from room #806 and #808. At the same time, the two snipers in the opposite building had also already aimed at their target and took a shot. As for the three men in Room #807, the moment the police rushed inside, they were already aimed by guns and didn¡¯t dare act rashly.


    Tang Xiu, who was standing before the windows in the opposite building, watched the shootout battle of the modern world whilst secretly shaking his head. Such a trivial slapstick case really couldn¡¯t even change his mood. Under such circumstances with great disparity in strength between the police force and those drug dealers, even if there were any resistance, it would only be a dead end for them. As for the police, there might be some officers who injured or sacrificed, but in the end, those drug dealers would still be completely arrested or killed.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll go back now!¡±


    Just as Tang Xiu was about to leave, he suddenly caught a figure in his sight that ran from the room #808 of the hotel in front. The man was even holding a rope he hadn¡¯t noticed before. Furthermore, his movements were very agile as though an Ape Spirit Beast as he surfed down the rope and rappelled down extremely fast.


    ¡°It¡¯s that white-haired youth.¡±


    The darkness of the night couldn¡¯t block his sharp eyes as he instantly recognized the other¡¯s identity.


    ¡°It¡¯s not right. The room¡¯s windows two floors below Room #808 are still open and there¡¯s still someone inside. Ah, it¡¯s that woman¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu observed and found that the white-haired youth used the rope and surfed down toward the room¡¯s windows two floors below as he immediately kicked the window with his feet. From the inside, a 30 years-old-woman grabbed him and pulled him into the room.


    This time, even Tang Xiu himself couldn¡¯t help but admire their good plans and ability. That rope should have long been prepared in advance as an escape route in case they came across dangerous situations, and they used it to flee directly. And that woman also had been arranged to stay there in advance by them, their partner in crime.


    ¡°Ah! As long as these two are still in the hotel, the guests will still be at risk. That annoying marvel¡ªChen Wei is still in her room. If she were to meet bad luck, there¡¯s no way I can answer to Han Qingwu.¡±


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and left the building quickly.


    ¡°Sorry, Sir! The Caesar Grand Hotel is locked down, no one is allowed to enter or leave.¡± By the time Tang Xiu wanted to enter the hotel, he was stopped by the police officer who was responsible to guard and block the hotel¡¯s entrance.


    ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu and I also participated in this operation. Call Cheng Xuemei, she¡¯ll tell you.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    The police officer was surprised. After hesitating for a moment, he directly took his intercom and reported to the operation leader. Half a minute later, he received an order to let Tang Xiu go inside.


    At the hallway on the 8th floor.


    Cheng Xuemei was directing the cleanup of the shootout scene. Upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival, she quickly asked, ¡°Why did you come back?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me yet. Quickly send some people to check the room two floors below the room #808! That white-haired youth had just escaped. He rappelled down two floors with a rope. There¡¯s also a woman in her thirties or so who¡¯s also with them. If your police force¡¯s blockade is very tight, then¡­ those two must still be in the hotel?¡±


    ¡°How do you know this?¡± Cheng Xuemei was shocked.


    ¡°I just came from the building across the hotel, so I saw everything clearly.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Cheng Xuemei nodded. With this information, she immediately issued orders, she even didn¡¯t consult the Public Security Bureau Director¡ªDeng Jianmin who had just arrived.


    Tang Xiu and Deng Jianmin finally met face to face, but taking advantage when Cheng Xuemei was busy, he quickly left and went to Chen Wei¡¯s room. Shortly after he rang the doorbell, the door was opened as he saw Chen Wei with her all-white pajamas, hanging loose long hair and bare feet, standing on the carpet.


    ¡°Hey, haven¡¯t you left already? Why did you come back?¡±


    Chen Wei¡¯s facial expression was a bit pale. Even though she said that, but she quickly walked toward Tang Xiu and pulled him into the room as she then forcefully closed the door and locked it from the inside.


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous here, so I came back.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°I think I really have bad luck. To think that the public security in the homeland isn¡¯t as good as the foreign countries¡¯. For fuck¡¯s sake, this is my first day back in Star City! And here I am, coming across a shootout between cops and bandits. Tell me, do this shit occur in Star City frequently?¡±


    ¡°It used to be very good, actually. But in the past two months, there have been too many homicides occurring. If you¡¯re afraid, you should quickly leave Star City tomorrow.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°Who the hell is scared? This Great Aunt is just not accustomed to this. Besides, it¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t expect to come across this situation in the homeland. I tell you I, your grandmother, am from abroad, I also have come across such gunfights before. Furthermore, I forgot to tell you that I have a black belt in Taekwondo; three or five big guys are not my match at all.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at her thin arms and legs. He was too lazy to bicker with her and walked straight to the window to watch the scene outside. At the same time, he also released his perception quickly. As long as that white-haired youth was still in this hotel, his spiritual sense would be able to cover everything; and it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to catch him.


    ¡°Huh? Strange. Why is he not here?¡±

 Chapter 210

    Chapter 210: Anger


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Within the range of his perception, nothing can escape from Tang Xiu¡¯s observation. Either a rat¡¯s hole or even an ant on the floor, he could find it clearly. However, he couldn¡¯t find the white-haired youth and the woman in the hotel¡¯s building.


    ¡°They vanished?¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t believe that their speed would be so fast, because the entire hotel was, after all, being blocked by the police now. Even if they wanted to run away, it was impossible to do so in such a short time.


    However, where were they?


    Tang Xiu carefully looked for a few times before he finally decided to investigate each and every person. He knew that there was an easy technique that can change one¡¯s appearance easily. The white-haired youth had an obvious and unique characteristic that his perception would be able to discern even if he wanted to run away without being noticed.


    Sure enough, after careful investigation, Tang Xiu finally found two suspicious persons. Although their appearance had changed, he was sure that the two now were wearing cleaning staff attire. The white-haired youth and the woman were now pushing trolleys.


    Tang Xiu took out his mobile and was about to make the call. But he suddenly remembered the spot where the police had them surrounded. Each corridor had a surveillance camera, including the room where he was in. If he was to send the message to Cheng Xuemei, she would definitely find his secret after viewing the surveillance video afterward.


    ¡°Well, it seems like I have to personally act. Anyway, it can be considered as removing evil people.¡±


    Tang Xiu secretly sighed. He then turned around and walked toward the door.


    Chen Wei had already gone back to bed as she pulled over the quilt that covered her body. As she sat down and watched Tang Xiu leaving, she quickly asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going out to take care of something. You stay here and don¡¯t go anywhere. Do remember that it¡¯s still dangerous out there. If you run around, it¡¯s very likely that those drug dealers will grab someone as a hostage.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Drug dealers?¡± Chen Wei¡¯s brain was quite fast and immediately associated what had happened before in the Three Feathers Pub and asked anxiously, ¡°You¡¯re involved in this, aren¡¯t you? These drug dealers are related to the ones in the Three Feathers Pub, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The police knew that the drug dealers were staying in this Caesar Grand Hotel; because those who were caught in the Three Feathers Pub told them. Do bear in mind, you¡¯re not to get out! These drug dealers are killers and very ruthless. They come from the Jinshan Region. Not only do they have pistols, they also have machine guns.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Chen Wei¡¯s complexion turned pale as she hurriedly jumped off the bed and grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s arm, shouting, ¡°You can¡¯t go.¡±


    ¡°I have a serious matter to take care of.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Chen Wei said loudly, ¡°I don¡¯t care! You must stay in the room. You just graduated high school. Don¡¯t think to show off your ability to that beautiful officer. Han Qingwu sent you to me, you¡¯re only responsible for my safety.¡±


    Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°As long as you don¡¯t leave the room, I¡¯ll be able to keep you safe. Moreover, I know what¡¯s going on outside, so you¡¯d better not stop me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stop you!¡± Chen Wei shouted angrily.


    Tang Xiu sighed and moved lightning fast as he stunned Chen Fei in an instant. He quickly held her waist and directly put her on the bed. Only then did he turn to leave the room.


    At the second floor¡¯s corridor.


    Taylor was pushing a small trolley. He wore cleaning staff attire and had his hair covered as he moved forward slowly. Next to him was a woman wearing makeup. Whenever the two found an officer, they moved quickly and intentionally stopped outside a room, acting as though they were going to clean the room.


    ¡°I have a feeling we¡¯re being watched.¡±


    Taylor¡¯s footsteps suddenly stopped as a cold glint flashed in his eyes. His Chinese was very fluent and wasn¡¯t much different than the locals, even though he was a foreigner.


    The woman said with an unfazed expression, ¡°It¡¯s a given. There are surveillance cameras in the corridor. And those cops should be searching our trail from the monitoring room. I¡¯ll go to the 20th floor to destroy the surveillance equipment there. Crown Prince, you find the chance to run away!¡±


    Taylor chided with a low voice, ¡°Shut up! Once you destroy the surveillance cameras, it¡¯s the same as exposing our position. Follow me! As long as we can successfully get to the underground parking lot, we¡¯ll be safe.¡±


    The woman shook her head and said, ¡°No. The cops are not stupid. They blocked all the entrances and exits to the underground parking lot. Even if we forcefully break through their blockade, I¡¯m afraid we still can¡¯t get out. Prince, your life is much more important, so you must escape successfully. As long as you can get out of this hotel, I believe that with your ability, those cops won¡¯t be able to get you! After you go back, send my regards to the general on my behalf.¡±


    Taylor looked at the woman deeply and said, ¡°If you die, I¡¯ll find a way to get your bones back and give you a proper burial. If you live and escape, I¡¯ll guarantee you a good and happy life for a lifetime.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember that!¡±


    The woman then took the mop and carried a bucket. She separated from Taylor in the elevator door. She was quite courageous as she took the elevator, directly heading to the 24th floor. After leaving the elevator, she met two attendants in the corridor. And almost without hesitation, with a sharp dagger in her hand, she sliced off their throats the moment she passed by them.


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    She moved very quickly. After killing the two attendants, she immediately destroyed the surveillance cameras above the corridor¡¯s corner. Then, she easily kicked the door and killed the man and woman inside.


    Within just a short two minutes, the woman had killed a total of 11 people and destroyed 4 surveillance cameras.


    At the control room on the 4th floor of Caesar Grand Hotel, Deng Jianmin and Cheng Xuemei were coordinating the forces. By monitoring the screen, they were constantly looking for suspicious persons. However, as soon as one of the screens suddenly went dark, the security guards¡¯ complexion who was responsible for the monitoring, changed greatly.


    ¡°We got the suspicious criminal! She killed two attendants before she destroyed the surveillance camera. Fuck! She¡¯s on the 24th floor,¡± the security guard shouted loudly.


    Deng Jianmin and Cheng Xuemei quickly came in front of the screen. The four screens continued to disappear one by one. From the last footage, they were sure that there was a drug dealer on the 24th floor. And not only the other party destroyed the surveillance camera, but she also randomly killed the hotel staff and the guests.


    Cheng Xuemei grabbed her intercom and shouted, ¡°The drug dealer is on the 24th floor. All teams pay attention and quickly block the 23rd, 24th, and 25th floors as fast as possible. Do remember that the drug dealers are destroying the surveillance cameras and wantonly killing the hotel staffs and guests. She¡¯s wearing cleaning staff attire and carrying a dagger and guns.¡±


    The police moved quickly and rushed to the 23rd, 24th, and 25th floors one after another. Within just a few minutes, they had blocked the exit of the three floors.


    However, as a large number of police officers began raiding these three floors, the other surveillance cameras up to the 40th floor were continuously being destroyed. She even deliberately killed the hotel¡¯s guests before she destroyed those surveillance cameras.


    Tang Xiu was continuously monitoring the white-haired youth and that woman with his perception. And the woman¡¯s action made him thoroughly enraged. He had guessed her intention, but her unceasing murdering was something that he couldn¡¯t stand idly by because the victims who died in her hands numbered almost 20.


    The moment when she destroyed the last surveillance camera on the 40th floor, she suddenly saw a young man coming toward her with a deadpan expression on his face. She rushed toward him without a moment¡¯s hesitation.


    ¡°Die¡­¡±


    A sharp dagger fiercely slashed toward the other¡¯s neck. At first, she was sure that the blow would hit, but the moment it was about to hit, she was struck with disbelief because she failed.


    What happened?


    The woman¡¯s complexion changed and she lifted her leg to kick while her other hand quickly grabbed a pistol and aimed at him. However, before she could even pull the trigger, the flying kick she threw was as though hitting a hard rock, giving her an incomparable shock.


    Whoosh!


    A hand¡¯s shadow flashed through, and she could only feel that her hand turned numb as the pistol in her hand suddenly appeared in the man¡¯s hand.


    The woman¡¯s pupils contracted. She staggeringly stepped backward and shouted sternly, ¡°Who the hell are you? You¡­¡±


    Naturally, the opponent who was the first to arrive at the 40th floor was none other than Tang Xiu.


    A cold killing intent could be seen on Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he spoke with an awe-inspiring tone, ¡°I originally wanted to catch that white-haired youth, not you. But since you continued killing the hotel¡¯s staffs and guests, I can no longer watch and stand idly by, so you have to die!¡±


    The moment his voice fell, Tang Xiu¡¯s figure flashed forward instantaneously as he moved in an instant in front of the woman. His fist moved with uncanny trajectory and hit the woman¡¯s neck, while his foot kicked her stomach.


    Tang Xiu was very well aware of his strength. He didn¡¯t use all of his strength because even an ox would be killed instantly by him on the spot. So his punch wouldn¡¯t kill her.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Tang Xiu frowned. The range of his perception had been extended to the underground parking lot. And he could see that the white-haired youth had already got there unimpeded, he had also discarded the trolley he was pushing before.


    ¡°He wants to run away by driving?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mind relaxed. He knew that the exits and entrances of the underground parking lot had been blocked. Even if this white-haired youth was powerful, it was impossible for him to drive a vehicle and run away. However, just at the moment, he took a relieved breath, his expression changed again.


    ¡°No. He isn¡¯t going to run away with a car. Is he going to escape from the air ventilation? Damn! There should also be a lackey waiting at the air ventilation exit for him. These fucking damned bastards are truly cunning and have prepared more than one escape route¡­¡±


    Sure enough, as Tang Xiu guessed, the white-haired youth easily opened the vent and climbed into it within a short time. Then, he quickly moved forward along the pipeline. When he opened a manhole lid and climbed out of it, he was already in the alley behind the hotel as two black cars were parked there in the nearby alley.


    ¡°Damn! I can¡¯t catch up with him!¡±


    Tang Xiu secretly shook his head and gave up the idea to pursue him.


    * * *


    _This note from Udeze was attached to chapter 217. But as it was written on November 7th, I thought it would be better to put it here._


    Notes:


    7 Nov 17. Been trying to translate 4-6 chapters a day for a week now. It¡¯s quite taxing I admit, since it¡¯s for 2 series, and considering my activities in real life. And to all readers, I apologize if I can¡¯t reply much to the comments or communicate through discord channel. I rarely connect to the Internet and only doing so before I go to sleep or work to upload the chapters on the gdrive.

 Chapter 211

    Chapter 211: Outstanding Merit


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu left the 40th floor, but he didn¡¯t return to Chen Wei¡¯s room and headed toward the control room on the 4th floor instead. Under the astonished gazes of Deng Jianmin and Cheng Xuemei, he calmly said, ¡°I met the woman from the pair of drug dealers and made her faint because she was going to kill me. In addition, the white-haired guy has already escaped from the hotel. I saw him from the window.¡±


    Deng Jianmin angrily spoke, ¡°Who the hell are you? How can you be so sure that the main culprit has run away?¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with a cold expression and tone, ¡°I don¡¯t need you to believe my words. My task has been completed, and the rest is your responsibility. If there¡¯s nothing else, don¡¯t bother me anymore.¡±


    After having said that, he left the control room.


    Cheng Xuemei quickly stopped him as she winked at Deng Jianmin. She forced out a smile and said, ¡°Tang Xiu, Director Deng don¡¯t know you, so he didn¡¯t recognize you. I believe you, but we still have to continue the search and hunt for them. Find a place to rest first, and wait for us to take care of the matter in the hotel. We¡¯ll talk about this again later.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before he told Chen Xuemei about Chen Wei¡¯s room number. Then he left directly.


    ¡°Ugh, I don¡¯t have the room card.¡±


    Upon arriving at the door, only then did Tang Xiu realized that he hadn¡¯t brought the room¡¯s card. After hesitating for a moment, he kicked open the door. Chen Wei still fainted inside. He then used his backhand to close the door and then walked to the sofa and sat.


    Two hours later. Tang Xiu was sitting drowsily on the sofa when the doorbell rang. Since the door was badly battered by Tang Xiu, Cheng Xuemei opened with a surprised expression hung on her beautiful face as she walked inside.


    ¡°You guys are¡­¡±


    With an indifferent expression, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°She¡¯s the friend of my teacher and just arrived in Star City. I was asked to accompany her strolling around the city. You also saw her last night in the Three Feathers Pub. Originally, I was going to go home, but I didn¡¯t expect that when I was about to leave, the matter with those foreign drug dealers broke out, so I came back here.¡±


    ¡°What happened to her?¡± Cheng Xuemei immediately asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s her mistake for not letting me out. So I made her faint. Anyways, let¡¯s stop talking about her. There¡¯s some matter between us I need to discuss with you¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Between them?


    Cheng Xuemei had gotten used to the confusing tone and words Tang Xiu used. However, since she was also a tenacious and determined woman, she shook her head and said whilst smiling, ¡°I came here to thank you. Tonight, if it weren¡¯t for you, I¡¯m afraid we wouldn¡¯t catch those drug dealers and we also would have suffered grave casualties. Furthermore, the woman you defeated, she died.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I want to form an agreement with you. You know I just graduated from high school and am going to Shanghai to attend college. So I want you to not disclose my involvement in this case.¡±


    ¡°How can we do that? The Bureau Director¡ªDeng Jianmin already knows about your deeds. He has decided to give you a model citizen reward for this important report. He wants the public to learn from your deeds and encourage them to be law-abiding citizens in order to support the police wholeheartedly¡­¡±=


    Tang Xiu waved his hand to interrupt her and said with a deep tone, ¡°Keep me out of it. I don¡¯t want to become famous; it will only bring about a lot of troubles to me. If you want to create a model figure, pick someone else. I don¡¯t care about it.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way we can lie that blatantly, no?¡± Cheng Xuemei let out a forced smile as she replied.


    ¡°If you insist to publicize me, then it¡¯s fine with me. But if the media happens to interview me, I¡¯ll say that the police are doing nothing and they¡¯re useless to even use threats for my help in catching those drug dealers. In short, I will discredit your police force. How about I say that?¡± Tang Xiu replied with a cold expression.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    As dumbfounded as she was, Cheng Xuemei looked at Tang Xiu and was at a loss whether she had to cry or laugh. She had never seen such person. He could obviously obtain fame and fortune for doing such a good deed. But he unexpectedly refused the reward for his own efforts. Furthermore, this guy even dared to threaten her?


    ¡°Forget it then. I won¡¯t report your involvement in this case. But, I really don¡¯t get why would you refuse such a good deed like this. Had it been others, I¡¯m sure they take it without thinking.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think this is a good thing?¡± Tang Xiu replied with an indifferent expression.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± Cheng Xuemei asked back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that one of those drug dealers run away. If I guess correctly, that guy is highly likely the most important person. That woman destroyed the surveillance cameras up to the 30th and 40th floor. She also intentionally committed murder wantonly. She was using her life to attract the police forces to give that white-haired guy a chance to run away.¡± Tang Xiu explained.


    Cheng Xuemei stared blankly for a moment and instantly understood it.


    A bitter expression was revealed on her beautiful face as she nodded and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. According to the confession from the drug dealers, the one who escaped was Taylor. The only son of a big shot drug dealer in the Golden Triangle. He is nicknamed ¡®Crown Prince¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Thus, if I go forward and receive the attention from thousands of people, do you think that guy won¡¯t harbor any grudges toward me? If he wants revenge, then the first one he will come for would be me, no?¡± Tang Xiu said.


    At this moment, Cheng Xuemei finally understood everything.


    With a bit of complicated expression on her face, she then nodded and said, ¡°I understand your concern. This is truly a poor consideration from our side. Please be rest assured that I will make sure to press down on this matter. We¡¯ll never reveal the slightest hint of your involvement.¡±


    ¡°Do me a favor, would you? I must go home now, so send some police officer to stay guard here. I¡¯ll come again tomorrow morning.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Alright!¡± Cheng Xuemei nodded.


    Tang Xiu left the Caesar Grand Hotel. But he somewhat regretted not asking Cheng Xuemei for someone to send him home. Feeling vexed, he waited for a long time on the roadside before he caught a taxi.


    After coming back to South Gate Town, Tang Xiu found that Mu Qingping hadn¡¯t rested yet. She was sitting in the living room, reading a book. Recently, he realized that Mu Qingping had changed a lot compared to the past. She was quite different from before, either her manner, speech or habits.


    ¡°Big Sis Mu, you haven¡¯t rested yet?¡± Tang Xiu asked casually.


    Mu Qingping looked up. She immediately got up upon seeing Tang Xiu and said with a smile, ¡°Those instructors recommended me a few books, so I took the time to read them. By the way, have you eaten yet? You want me to prepare a midnight snack for you?¡±


    ¡°No need, thanks. I had dinner this evening. Anyhow, how¡¯s your training course with those instructors? Good?¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s great. They are indeed worthy of their internationally renowned reputation. Everything in regards to their teaching is very good. Tang Xiu, can I discuss something with you?¡± Mu Qingping said with a smile.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°Some of the instructors intend to take me to the outside for a week to learn more comprehensive contents, such as management and maintenance of private aircraft, yacht¡¯s staff arrangement, the layouts, and¡­¡± Mu Qingping said.


    Tang Xiu interrupted her, ¡°Just go! I¡¯ll take care of Yinyin. I¡¯ll get a driver¡¯s license in the next few days, so I can pick up Mom; she also can take care of Yinyin while convenient.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Mu Qingping replied with a grateful expression.


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°I¡¯m her Master, this is what I should do. Also, please don¡¯t always say thanks, will you? We¡¯re a family, it¡¯s unnecessary.¡±


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed as an upset look could be seen on his face.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Mu Qingping was keenly aware of Tang Xiu¡¯s changing expression and asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that I had to go to the driving school today. I¡¯d forgotten about it.¡± Tang Xiu answered with a wry smile.


    ¡°Hahaha, it turns out to be this matter! Just go there and see the school¡¯s instructor. It will be fine.¡± Mu Qingping replied and laughed.


    Tang Xiu said reluctantly, ¡°It¡¯s because the South Gate Town¡¯s Property Manager, to be frank. She¡¯s the one who helped me find a driving school and see its principal. So I must go to see him and¡­ Ah, forget it. I¡¯ll go there tomorrow.¡±


    The next morning.


    Rays of sunshine had risen from the Eastern horizon.


    Tang Xiu woke up and took a short bath. After having breakfast at home, he went out and bought breakfast for Chen Wei, as he then went in a hurry to Caesar Grand Hotel.


    At the hotel.


    Chen Wei was still sleeping soundly. Upon seeing her sleeping form on the bed, Tang Xiu knew that she must have woken up last night. He put the breakfast package on the tea table casually and then booted the computer and began to browse the internet. He rarely touched a computer. He went to the Internet caf¨¦ very few times as he usually only went there for his computer class from school.


    Shortly after, he found a lot of news on the Internet that covered the news about Star City¡¯s Zhang Group. Along with it, there were all types of curses and slanders, which especially flamed the Zhang Family.


    ¡°Ah, right. I can also search for precious ore news on the Internet, can¡¯t I?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression moved and immediately began to use the mighty Baidu as he searched information related to ores. Browsing through the text information and pictures, Tang Xiu did find several good ores. Unfortunately, since he was not skilled in computers, he didn¡¯t know how to access the link to the ores¡¯ addresses.


    ¡°Ah! Precious ores¡¯ trading network?¡±


    Tang Xiu clicked the hyperlink as his eyes turned bright in the next moment.


    ¡°Wintertide Fluorite? Star Fragment Stone?¡±


    After browsing for more than half an hour, Tang Xiu found these two precious ores. Especially the Star Fragment Stone, he didn¡¯t even dare to imagine that such a precious ore existed on Earth. One must know that this precious ore was extremely rare even in the Immortal World. It was a treasure of which every Master Refiner could only dream about.


    Tang Xiu took out his mobile and typed the number on the page as he dialed it.


    ¡°Who¡¯s speaking?¡± A voice belonging to an old person came out of the mobile.


    ¡°I saw something on the Ore Trade Network. Do you still have this Star Fragment Stone? If you still have it, I¡¯ll buy all the stock.¡±


    ¡°How much do you want?¡±


    Tang Xiu replied, ¡°Just like I said before, all of the stock.¡±


    ¡°Since it¡¯s a bulk trade, come to Tianjin City!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows raised and spoke in a deep tone, ¡°I still have something to take care of in these two days, so I can¡¯t go there now. At the latest, I can go three days from now. I hope you can preserve it for me.¡±


    ¡°Alright, rest assured!¡±


    Tang Xiu hung up the phone and dialed another number on the page. What made him frown was that the same old person turned out to be the one who answered his call, even though the number was different.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you in Tianjin City within three days.¡±


    After he finished speaking, he then directly hung up the phone.


    Tang Xiu was quite puzzled. Since the other party was selling the Star Fragment Stone and the Wintertide Fluorite, why would he give two different phone numbers on the network?

 Chapter 212

    Chapter 212: Car Training at the Driving School


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Inside a VIP room of the Caesar Grand Hotel.


    Chen Wei¡¯s eyelids fluttered as she slowly opened her eyes on the soft and cozy bed. After she sat up with her sleepy eyes, Tang Xiu¡¯s shadow entered her blurry vision as anger suddenly boiled up from her stomach up to her brain. Her tender body bounced up from the bed as she threw herself forward threateningly as though a hungry tiger toward Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Surnamed Tang bastard! This ancestress will fight with you¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s thoughts were abruptly interrupted. He turned around and saw Chen Wei, who was storming over at him. His eyes slightly paused, because Chen Wei was wearing loose pajamas and the belt tied around her waist was already loosened. The pajamas split open in the middle, and due to Chen Wei¡¯s movements, not only did he see those snow white big buns, he could also see its two little red cherries atop it.


    This¡­ Was this the legendary¡­ exposed chest?


    A short-circuit happened inside Tang Xiu¡¯s brain when Chen Wei flew in front of him. Just as the small pink-colored fist was about hit his nose, he reacted in an instant. Whilst feeling the heat from the lower part below his abdomen, he quickly moved lightning fast and instantly grabbed Chen Wei¡¯s waist and avoided her small fist. Then, he forcibly grabbed her big chest from the left side and threw her back to the bed as though garbage.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get up before you take care of your clothes first. I didn¡¯t expect you wanted to show off those impressive rising blobs of yours, though. The weather heated up, and you gotta put down the fire and anger within you. Do take care not to burn your body, so you don¡¯t die in vain. Oh, that¡¯s right, I almost forgot to tell you. It actually felt pretty good.¡± A smile outlined itself on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth as he then turned around to the sofa and sat down.


    Chen Wei, who was thrown back to bed, struggled to get up again. However, she suddenly stopped upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words. When she looked down at her chest, she suddenly screamed and quickly pulled on her pajamas to cover up her sensitive parts. Then, she grabbed a pillow and threw it at Tang Xiu, cursing, ¡°You damn little pervert! Y-y-you bastard, what the fuck did you grab it for?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s lower part was heated up. However, he never had the intention to give his first time to Chen Wei. So, he maintained his calmness and replied indifferently, ¡°If I were a pervert, you would have long been eaten by me on the spot, I¡¯d even dare say that you wouldn¡¯t be able to crawl out of the bed now.¡±


    Chen Wei raised her right arm as she pointed at Tang Xiu and angrily chided, ¡°You¡­ Y-you¡­ Y-you¡¯re shameless.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m really shameless, I¡¯m afraid you wouldn¡¯t even be able to move your fingers, let alone open your mouth and curse me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Wei looked at Tang Xiu with an expression of wanting to cry but wasn¡¯t able to. Yesterday, she found that Tang Xiu was just like a good, well-behaved mommy boy. Although he was cunning and fierce at the most, it was only his glib talk, and not his martial arts ability. But who would have thought that in just a mere one night, she suddenly found that she was not his opponent?


    Tang Xiu said with a dull expression, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to get cold, hurry to take a bath and wear your clothes. I¡¯ve brought you breakfast. After you finish eating, obediently stay in the hotel, I have to go out to take care of something.¡±


    ¡°Why the hell must I listen to you? I haven¡¯t settled the score with you yet! Why did you suddenly knock me out last night? Didn¡¯t you repaid my good intentions with an evil one?¡± Chen Wei said angrily.


    ¡°I¡¯ve to point two mistakes. Firstly, you should remember that if you were not stupid enough to be fooled by me, you wouldn¡¯t have taken the bet yesterday. Secondly, you have done more misdemeanors compared to me. I hope you will use your brain better in the future and not spit out more garbage from your mouth.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Chen Wei was so mad even her body was trembling. But as much as she wanted, she could do nothing. She could only glare angrily at Tang Xiu, bellowing with a trembling voice, ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, I¡¯ll call Han Qingwu immediately and tell her that you molested me.¡±


    Tang Xiu took his phone and picked Han Qingwu¡¯s number. ¡°You can call her now. If Han Qingwu believes you, I won¡¯t say anything and leave immediately. In any case, she gotta do what she gotta do anyway. If she chose to believe me, I¡¯m sure the friendship between the both of you will certainly be affected.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Wei was silent.


    After staying silent for a few minutes, only then did the anger on her face slowly disappeared. When she looked up again, a trace of smiling expression was revealed on her face, even an intense curiosity filled her eyes as she asked, ¡°Tell me, how long do your ¡°night skill¡± ability last?¡±


    ¡°Yesterday I was polite to you because I took Han Qingwu¡¯s face into account. But since you¡¯re really a marvel-annoying woman, being polite to you is useless; I can only treat you with my own style. How was it? Did you think my style is useless?¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Chen Wei raised her thumb up and exclaimed, ¡°It¡¯s very good! To be frank, yesterday, I didn¡¯t like you even for a little bit. But today you got my admiration, even though for a bit. You know what? I¡¯m kinda interested in you now.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Please be prudent, will you? A woman who¡¯s curious about a man wouldn¡¯t be far from falling in love with him. And I have no interest in you whatsoever.¡±


    Chen Wei laughed heartily and said loudly, ¡°You¡¯re truly one to have people shower their affection onto, without you even being interested in them. But heck, even if I were to fall in love with you, this great aunt¡ªI, am not afraid. At the worst, I¡¯ll only give myself up to seduce you into my arms. I don¡¯t believe you can maintain your composure and stay calm just like the willow tree under the blow of the waves.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t happen, trust me. I never, and won¡¯t ever be like this Brother Willow, to begin with. If I had to describe myself in words, not even a chance I¡¯ll be disturbed with a woman in my lap? But if I were to aim you, at the most, I will only have sex with and dump you afterward.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said.


    ¡°YOU¡­¡±


    Chen Wei was incensed. But her anger turned into a smile, which was even faster than turning a book¡¯s pages. She then snorted coldly and said, ¡°Hmph. You just said that I¡¯m a marvel-annoying woman, no? Even if I were not a chaste woman, don¡¯t ever dream of having sex first and dump this beauty either. This great aunt¡ªI, will be like a superglue when I love someone. Wanting to break up with me, then I¡¯ll skin a layer of that person at the least.¡±


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes. He suddenly felt that if he were to continue staying here, he would definitely go straight into a wrong direction, so he got up and lightly said, ¡°I still have something to do, so I¡¯ll go first. Do remember that you¡¯re not to leave the room even a step. Otherwise, if you fall into an accident, I won¡¯t take any responsibility whatsoever.¡±


    Chen Wei jumped again from the bed and quickly blocked the way in front of Tang Xiu as she quickly asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°That¡¯s my private affair, I believe.¡±


    ¡°Your private affair is to keep me accompany! If your reason doesn¡¯t satisfy me, I¡¯ll follow you everywhere you go.¡± Chen Wei said with a resented expression.


    Tang Xiu was helpless and replied reluctantly, ¡°I must go to the driving school. I had an agreement to see the principal yesterday. But I forgot it because of you. So it would be very rude if I don¡¯t go today.¡±


    Chen Wei rolled her eyes and opened the way as she said, ¡°What a wimpy kid. You just thought to have your driver¡¯s license now? Bah! Forget it. Even if you¡¯re spitting out such rubbish, I¡¯m too lazy to delve into it. Fine! I¡¯m telling you. If you don¡¯t come for me until noon, I¡¯ll go and eat outside by myself.¡±


    Be back at noon?


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll try to get back in time.¡±


    After leaving the Caesar Grand Hotel, Tang Xiu looked at the time. It was still early in the morning; he still had time to go his family¡¯s restaurant and explain to his mother about Yinyin. After he asked her to take a rest for a couple of days, only then did he took a taxi and went to the driving school.


    The driving school principal¡¯s name was Zhao Dequan. Although he was already past middle-age, he was still spirited and had a good health. Coupled with his extraordinary manliness, he gave off the vibe of a successful figure.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, Long Xueyao told me about your situation. Chief Long also specifically called me, so you need not worry. I have properly arranged all the following issues regarding this matter. But since I have yet to know whether you can drive or not, as well as your knowledge with cars, I was thinking to ask you to come here. Anyways, I¡¯ve arranged the best instructor and also the special treatment for you, so you can familiarize yourself with the car properly.¡± Zhao Dequan spoke with an I-have-handled-everything manner along with a particularly amiable expression.


    Tang Xiu replied with curiosity, ¡°Chief Long? Who are you talking about, Long Zhengyu or Long Hanwen?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Long Hanwen.¡± Zhao Dequan said.


    ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t expect that he also heard that I want to take the driver¡¯s license test. Principal Zhang, I haven¡¯t had the chance to drive a car before, so I don¡¯t know much about driving. It seems that I¡¯ll have to trouble you. Anyway, wait for me to obtain a driver¡¯s license and I¡¯ll treat you to a meal to express my gratitude.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°Hahaha, you¡¯re flattering me. Thank you.¡± Zhao Dequan said with a light laugh.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu then followed Zhang Dequan to see the special instructor who would give him the training. The instructor¡¯s surname was Li, so Tang Xiu directly called him Instructor Li.


    Instructor Li was standing in front of the car as he said with a smile, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start with familiarizing yourself with the car, and then I¡¯ll teach you the essential points of driving. The first thing to do this morning is practicing. If we still have time in the afternoon, we¡¯ll go outside and ride a few laps.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Ten minutes later.


    Tang Xiu had familiarized himself with the car parts. As he looked at Instructor Li in the co-pilot seat, he asked, ¡°I¡¯ve memorized all of them. Shall we try driving to the venue?¡±


    Instructor Li said with a smile, ¡°No hurries. You must remember all sort of rules I teach you as well as memorize the points in driving skills clearly.¡±


    Tang Xiu instantly realized that this Instructor Li didn¡¯t believe that he had memorized everything he just taught him. After hesitating for a moment, Tang Xiu then said, ¡°I do have memorized everything, truly. Let¡¯s give it a try then. If there¡¯s a mistake, then correct me.¡±


    Instructor Li knew that Tang Xiu¡¯s identity was unusual. So he agreed after hearing his request. However, he was still unsure and said, ¡°When you¡¯re driving, do pay attention when you¡¯re shifting gears as well as using the clutch and brake cautiously and reasonably. You must not step on the throttle pedal too deeply.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Tang Xiu put on his seat belt, putting down the handbrake and following the order of the process taught by Instructor Li. He slowly started the car and began driving the car slowly on the open training grid. Ten minutes later, he had smoothly executed all the essential points as well as sensed the path in driving skill control. Furthermore, he had done it in very standard orders, even the Instructor Li who sat on the co-pilot seat found it impeccable.


    ¡°Awesome! You¡¯re truly amazing! You¡¯ve just practiced for a few times. You know, a lot of our students practice for many days and are still unable to do this. If I didn¡¯t know that you haven¡¯t driven a car before, I would have thought you¡¯re an experienced driver.¡± Instructor Li said with a sigh.


    ¡°It¡¯s very easy. I happen to be able to learn things faster, though.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°Well, good for you. However, you must not pursue speed only, but also things that affect your state of mind. One has to have a stable and steady state of mind. You must neither be impatient nor can you let your state of mind be affected by your emotions. There¡¯s a common saying that said: ¡®the more capable one is, the more likely he would be negligent and make mistakes¡¯, which is also the principle that applies in driving. Experienced drivers rely on their rich experience whereas reckless and arrogant people want to overtake another vehicle, speeding and so on; for which, they eventually make mistakes, resulting in their own death.¡±

 Chapter 213

    Chapter 213: A Top-Notch Skill


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu himself understood this principle so he nodded and said, ¡°Worry not, Instructor Li! I¡¯m sure I can control my emotional state. However, I¡¯m afraid I have something to take care of this afternoon, so I can¡¯t come. How about you let me practice for a while and we¡¯ll give it a go on the road afterward?¡±


    ¡°If you can maintain this kind of state, I can let you try to drive on the road. But if you can¡¯t, I won¡¯t permit it.¡± Instructor Li said.


    ¡°No problem!¡± Tang Xiu replied and continued the driving practice around the storehouse, doing parallel parking, and even an uphill and fixed-point parking, for which he did everything smoothly.


    Instructor Li originally wanted to pick on Tang Xiu¡¯s mistakes, as to make him give up the idea of having a test drive on the road this morning. However, he was quite astonished since he couldn¡¯t find any mistakes.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, is this really your first time driving a car?¡± Finally, he couldn¡¯t help but ask in astonishment.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°It¡¯s indeed my first time. If I want to go somewhere, I just get a ride. So I didn¡¯t expect that driving a car is quite interesting.¡±


    Instructor Li forced out a smile and said, ¡°Well, I¡¯m really speechless. Let¡¯s try to go straight on the road then! There¡¯s a circle on the road section outside which is used especially for a test drive before trying on the traffic road. Aside from the other instructors who are coaching in other cars, there will be no danger.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded.


    With the guidance and directions from Instructor Li, he drove the car gently. From the first gear to the second, third, and the fourth, he continuously drove the car until he reached the fifth gear after doing a few laps of the test drive.


    After the upshift of the gear now was the downshift one, in which he also did smoothly. Even under the awkward instruction given by Instructor Li, he was still able to switch gears in accordance with the instructions.


    More than an hour later, Instructor Li looked at Tang Xiu with a complex expression, as he said with a wry smile, ¡°I¡¯ve taught many students in my life, one of whom is even a professional car racer. But never once have I ever met an amazing one such as you. You did it with almost zero mistakes. And seeing your driving skill, it¡¯s like you¡¯re a senior driver with years of experience. Well, let¡¯s call it a day! The task given by the Principal to me can be considered to have been accomplished.¡±


    Tang Xiu stopped the car as he unlocked his seatbelt and said with a smile, ¡°Thanks a lot, Instructor Li.¡±


    Instructor Li shook his head and said, ¡°Being able to teach a trainee such as you kind of makes me happy, that¡¯s enough. You don¡¯t need to thank me. Well, after you¡¯ve gotten your driver¡¯s license, do be careful when you¡¯re driving later.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I got it!¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    After leaving the training venue, Tang Xiu then went to the principal¡¯s office and found that Zhao Dequan wasn¡¯t in the office, so he left directly.


    Several minutes later, Zhao Dequan returned to his office and found that Instructor Li was waiting for him. He was surprised and immediately asked him, ¡°Aren¡¯t you still supposed to be teaching Tang Xiu? How come you¡¯re here?¡±


    ¡°The training is done, so I come report.¡± Instructor Li said.


    ¡°Huh? Is it done already? What do you mean? That Tang youth is bad at learning?¡± Zhao Dequan was confused.


    ¡°He¡¯s not bad! On the contrary, he¡¯s way too good. If I didn¡¯t know he had never driven a car before, I would¡¯ve thought that he has years of experience in driving. I had observed him in the 2-3 hours of his training today, and I was kinda terrified of his learning capability. His driving skill can be called as top-notch. And most importantly, do you wanna know about it?¡± Instructor Li forced out a smile and asked.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Zhao Dequan asked with astonishment.


    ¡°From the beginning, I began teaching him until he left, not even a mistake he made. Can you imagine that? A new trainee who¡¯s started to learn usually do a lot of mistakes, many times. But he didn¡¯t commit a single one. He¡¯s simply a monster, the reincarnation of the God of Driving!¡± replied Instructor Li. [1]


    Zhao Dequan was shocked and speechless. People said that everyone would make mistakes when they learned to ride a horse, and it was inevitable for one to commit mistakes when they just learned something new! However, someone who didn¡¯t even make a single mistake even with a couple hours of training was something he had never seen. This was his first time to hear it.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s forget it. It¡¯s a good thing that he¡¯s a fast learner, though. I was actually afraid since he got a driver¡¯s license through an informal method, for which he would happen to meet accidents when he¡¯s driving! Well, you¡¯ve done well so I¡¯ll take a note of this. Go and do your job first!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Instructor Li complied and then left the Principal¡¯s office.


    Zhao Dequan took out his mobile phone from his pocket and dialed Long Hanwen¡¯s phone. After the call was connected, he then said with a light laugh, ¡°Ah, Boss Long, I didn¡¯t disturb you, did I?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Principal Zhao, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s alright. The reason you called me is¡­¡±, Long Hanwen¡¯s voice came out of the phone.


    Zhao Dequan said with an obsequious laugh, ¡°Chief Long, I¡¯ll report about the matter you wanted me to handle! Tang Xiu came to the driving school this morning, and I¡¯ve specially arranged the best instructor to teach him driving skills and sense. The instructor just left. He said that Tang Xiu just left and he was the reincarnation of the God of Driving. He only practiced this morning and didn¡¯t make even a single mistake. So I think that with his level of skill, even becoming an instructor in our driving school is no problem for him.¡±


    ¡°I got it. Sorry for troubling you.¡± Long Hanwen said.


    Zhao Dequan said with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re most welcome, this is what I¡¯m supposed to do anyway. Chief Long, I¡¯ve done the best I can and I even had some dinners with my friends in the Department of Transportation. If nothing happens, Tang Xiu certainly will get his driver¡¯s license at the most in 10 to 15 days.¡±


    Long Hanwen was silent for a moment and then slowly said, ¡°Principal Zhao, I¡¯ve taken notice about what you¡¯ve done, so I¡¯ll do my best to handle the matter with your son. If there¡¯s no accident within these 10 days to half a month, I¡¯ll be able to get him out of the district prison. However, after he comes out, I hope you use informal means to secretly send him abroad as fast as possible. The crime he had committed, after all, is not a minor matter.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! I¡¯ll be sure to remember your words.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good. Farewell!¡±


    The call ended.


    Zhao Dequan forced out a smile as he hung up the phone and rubbed his forehead hard. He had broken his own bottom line for his son. Originally, he still slightly condemned himself inside, but when he heard that Tang Xiu¡¯s driving skill was very good, he finally felt much better.


    Shortly before noon, Tang Xiu arrived at Caesar Grand Hotel. Yesterday¡¯s case led to the loss of a large number of guests for the Caesar Grand Hotel. The originally lively hotel was now deserted, as there were only a handful of attendants and environmental protection workers who were still doing their jobs.


    ¡°The security guards increased everywhere!? It seems the Caesar Grand Hotel¡¯s business has been seriously hit.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly. Under the gazes of the staff, he took the elevator and headed to Chen Wei¡¯s room. He didn¡¯t expect that even though it was already noon, Chen Wei was still sitting on the sofa with one of her legs on top of the other and wearing a facial mask that covered her face. Upon seeing the black-colored medicinal plaster that resembled a mask on her face, Tang Xiu smiled wryly inside.


    ¡°Hello, outlandish lady! Clean up your facial mask and change your clothes. I¡¯ll take you out for lunch.¡±


    Chen Wei blinked and snorted, ¡°Hmph, It¡¯s still early, why should we eat now? It¡¯s just only ten before 12. Besides, I just put on this facial, it¡¯s only been ten minutes. So take a sit and wait!¡±


    ¡°I know from the mark on your makeup. But I will only wait for you until 12:30. If you¡¯re not ready by then, I¡¯ll have lunch by myself. I¡¯ve spent the entire morning in the driving school, so you might not be hungry, but I¡¯m!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°You¡¯re so petty, you know that?!¡± Chen Wei gave a sidelong glance and curled her lips as she closed her eyes slowly.


    It was 1 o¡¯clock in the afternoon. Tang Xiu followed behind Chen Wei with a blackened face as they left the Caesar Hotel¡¯s entrance very slowly. Although he already said that he would only wait until 12:30, but Chen Wei¡ªthis outlandish woman, truly dragged her feet until it was nearly 1 o¡¯clock. Even when they were about to go out, she even went to the bathroom to pee.


    ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± Tang Xiu asked after they came to a nearby street.


    ¡°Hmph, anything of the highest quality.¡± Chen Wei replied with a snort.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help you with that. But for the second one, I can take you to try them.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°The highest one or I won¡¯t go!¡± Chen Wei turned a blind eye and said.


    ¡°The best one are the meals made by mother.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Chen Wei¡¯s breathing came to a halt. She then immediately let out an awkward smile and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s go the second grade! I¡¯m actually a person that¡¯s easy to compromise!¡±


    Tang Xiu directly caught a taxi and said the to the driver after he boarded it, ¡°Uncle, go to Long¡¯s Dining Hall, please.¡±


    The cab driver was surprised as he turned around to look at Tang Xiu and hesitantly said, ¡°Do you really want to go to Long¡¯s Dining Hall? The prices there are quite unusual! Besides, there¡¯s a strict requirement for people to eat there. I heard that they use a membership system, and if you¡¯re not a member, I¡¯m afraid you can¡¯t even enter.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a member.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    The cab driver turned his head with amazement on his face. For one to become a member of the Long¡¯s Dining Hall meant that their identity was not simple. One must know that the spending there was not solely covered with money since one also must have a certain status. However, he didn¡¯t know that Tang Xiu was able to get membership of the Long¡¯s Dining Hall entirely due to his relationship with Long Zhengyu.


    With an astonished expression, Chen Wei asked, ¡°Uncle, this Long¡¯s Dining Hall you said, does it really have very high requirements?¡±


    ¡°High? It¡¯s simply outrageous! Only if you spend a huge amount of money, which I heard one has to spend at least one million yuan, only then are you qualified to become a member there. Only the big shots in Star City as well as from the surrounding cities are able to get a membership. Being able to enter the Long¡¯s Dining Hall is taken as a pride for a lot of wealthy bosses.¡± The cab driver forced out a smile and answered.


    Chen Wei turned to look at Tang Xiu as she said with an astonished expression, ¡°Listening to Han Qingwu, your family only has a restaurant, how did you gain membership there?¡±


    ¡°You know that curiosity kills people, don¡¯t you? You can freely open your mouth when you eat, but make sure you control your mouth when you speak. Just remember that today, I¡¯ll let you satiate your hunger and thirst to the full.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°Hmph, you really can act and show your image upside-down eh? But I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll be unable to even take a step into that place¡¯s entrance when we get there. I¡¯m telling you now, I¡¯ll definitely pretend not to know you by that time and just turn around to leave.¡± Chen Wei cast him a glance and curled her lips as she said with disdain.


    Tang Xiu looked outside through the windows, to the buildings that were passing by quickly. Without being salty nor weak, he said, ¡°if you want, you can open the car¡¯s door and leave now, though.¡±


    ¡°Hell no. I still wanna live.¡± Chen Wei rolled her eyes.


    * * *


    Notes:


    I was tempted to use Phaethon instead of God of Driving here. Phaethon was the son of the Sun God¡ªHelios with a mortal woman¡ªClymene, and he was responsible to drive the horse chariot that carried the Sun all along the sky which was how the Sun would rise and set in Greek mythology. However, I refrained myself and used God of Driving instead. I might be wrong about this, though.


    The taxi driver usually called S¨©j¨©, or driver literally. But I use uncle here out of my own habit. Certainly, I use that if I think that the driver is older than me, though.

 Chapter 214

    Chapter 214: The Broadening Experience


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    As high as its 49 floors, the Long¡¯s Dining Hall¡¯s shape resembled two Golden Dragons, whereas the middle arch was used for the anteroom with a sphere-like shape, which was the manifestation of two dragons playing with a bead. From afar, its majesty and grandiosity gave everyone who looked at it a sense of oppression. Four security guards stood straight as spears outside the entrance, whereas a welcoming lady in formal attire kept smiling while checking out the guests¡¯ VIP membership cards.


    At the entrance, a limousine stopped and left again. However, when a taxi stopped before the entrance, eyes were immediately attracted to it, with despise and contempt within them.


    Tang Xiu got off the car along with Chen Wei, who looked somewhat unnatural. As he came to the welcoming lady, he said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Miss, I forgot to bring my membership card.¡±


    The welcoming lady showed an apologetic expression as she said, ¡°Sir, Long¡¯s Dining Hall needs a membership card to enter. Unless you¡¯re a regular patron here. You¡¯ve to look¡­¡±


    Chen Wei¡¯s expression instantly turned a bit ugly. After hesitating for a moment, she repressed the urge to turn around and leave.


    It was a disgrace. Shameful! Because she found that Tang Xiu basically had no membership card here, whereas he was acting as though he was someone who had the rights to enter, wanting to join in.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brow rose. His vision shifted toward the four securities and found one he saw previously. He faced the security guard as he waved and said, ¡°Hey you. Come here.¡±


    The four security guards looked at Tang Xiu. The one who Tang Xiu knew and was called, immediately approached with a respectful expression, saying, ¡°Hello, Mr. Tang, is there anything I can do for you?¡±


    ¡°Can you tell her that I¡¯m a regular patron here?¡± Tang Xiu said.


    The security guard then spoke to the welcoming lady, ¡°Mr. Tang has been here many times and he¡¯s also VIP, as well as Young Master Zhengyu¡¯s friend.¡±


    The welcoming lady¡¯s eyes flickered. Her face turned respectful as she said with a nod, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for just now, Mr. Tang. Please come inside.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and turned around, looking at Chen Wei¡¯s surprised expression as he then walked through the entrance.


    Even in her dreams, Chen Wei had never thought that everything would turn 180 degrees. Looking astonished, she hurriedly followed Tang Xiu through the entrance.


    ¡°Oh my God! This place is way too luxurious, isn¡¯t it? Much more than those foreign 5-star hotels.¡± Chen Wei looked around for a while and asked with a dropped jaw, ¡°Tang Xiu, are you really a member here?¡±


    ¡°Do you think we would be able to enter if I was not a member?¡± Tang Xiu asked back.


    ¡°B-But, the taxi driver said that only the wealthy and powerful can dine here.¡± Chen Wei replied and asked curiously, ¡°How did you¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think I¡¯m a big shot, do you?¡± Tang Xiu sneered.


    ¡°Hmph. What big shot, eh?!¡± Chen Wei snapped and said. ¡°At the most, you¡¯re just only a smart high school graduate, nothing else!¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and sighed, ¡°Just forget it. You also have a backward IQ, it seems!¡± Then, he continued, ¡°Aside from your fierce mouth, I really have no expectation from your brain. Let¡¯s just go. And please, less nonsense and less asking, will you? Just fill your belly with whatever you want.¡±


    Chen Wei angrily glared at Tang Xiu. But finding him headed inside directly, she swallowed her anger and followed him inside.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to take the presidential box because he thought that there was no need for him to expend much on entertaining Chen Wei. After all, the presidential box was astronomical and he didn¡¯t want to waste his money, even if he could afford it. Therefore, he took the standard box and walked behind the attendant.


    ¡°WOW! It¡¯s really luxurious!¡± Chen Wei was just like Granny Liu who visits the Grand View Garden, with a dropped jaw, she said, ¡°We can also see half of Star City from here.¡±


    Tang shook his head. Whilst glancing at the attendant who was chuckling and covering her mouth, he said, ¡°Get us a few of your specialties, four meat dishes, and two staples. Ah, a pot of soup also.¡±


    ¡°OK, please wait!¡± The waiter quickly complied, and soon, another one came to serve tea.


    Chen Wei stood before the window, looking at the outside city landscape, exclaiming, ¡°Damn! The rich really have a good life! This great aunt¡ªI, socialize well, I¡¯ll simply find a wealthy second generation nouveau-riche and marry him. Spending my time drinking and seeking pleasure and partying every night.¡±


    ¡°And I dare say you¡¯ll be beaten by your man, since you don¡¯t do your responsibilities to take care of him,¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°In life one gotta have the ability to take care of themselves, no?!¡± Chen Wei talked back, and then asked, ¡°Ah, right, where¡¯s the restroom? I need to fix my makeup and then wait for the grand meal.¡±


    ¡°Go out and ask the attendants, they¡¯ll take you there.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Alright!¡± Chen Wei complied loudly, walking lively out of the box.


    4-5 minutes later.


    The cell phone in Tang Xiu¡¯s pocket rang. When he took it out and saw the caller ID, he suddenly frowned, since the one calling was Chen Wei.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you in the restroom? Don¡¯t tell me you forget your aunt¡¯s towel. I¡¯m telling you, I¡¯m a gentleman, and I never strolled into the women¡¯s restroom!¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help teasing her.


    ¡°T-Tang¡­ Xiu, I seem to be in trouble! Come here quickly and help me.¡± From her voice, Chen Wei was somewhat panicked.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face turned cold and asked with a deep tone, ¡°What happened? Where are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in the corridor outside the restroom. I¡­ I just accidentally hit the bonsai porch in the hallway and it hit someone else. And he wants me to pay compensation.¡± Chen Wei said.


    ¡°Wait for me there.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    After he hung up the phone, Tang Xiu quickly went out of the box and asked the attendant outside about the restroom location as he quickly headed toward the corridor on the left.


    ¡°You must pay the damages. My clothes are worth 58 thousand, 26 thousand for my shoes, for a total of 84 thousand yuan. You must also pay my medical expenses because my leg hurts because of you. I¡¯ll give you a small account with the interest of 16 thousand. So you must pay me 100 thousand yuan. If you can¡¯t pay it, it won¡¯t be as simple as a slap in your face.¡± An arrogant voice reverberated in the hallway.


    ¡°Can I wait for my friend first? He¡¯s coming here!¡± It was Chen Wei¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Waiting for someone, eh? I tell you, I don¡¯t give a damn even if an Emperor comes, you still must compensate me. Not a dime less, otherwise I won¡¯t end things here. Fuck, it¡¯s so fucking bad luck.¡± The man¡¯s voice and tone were even more arrogant.


    Tang Xiu was just only ten meters away from them. He could clearly see the man¡¯s appearance and didn¡¯t expect the world to be so small that he could bump into the guy he had given a lesson before.


    ¡°What a big tone eh! Just give it a try. I wanna see what you¡¯ll do if she doesn¡¯t want to pay you,¡± Tang Xiu spoke whilst approaching.


    Anger was written on Hu Wanjun¡¯s face. When he turned around and saw Tang Xiu, his pupils suddenly shrunk, as fear could be seen in his eyes. He heard Zhang Deqin and Zhang Yongjin¡¯s plan before and he even had the intention to join them. However, the Zhang Family had fallen now, even the sibling¡¯s whereabouts were unknown. He also suspected that Tang Xiu was related to that matter.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Sneering, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Why can¡¯t I? She¡¯s my friend and I just heard that someone is looking to trouble her.¡±


    Hu Wanjun was someone who relied on his family background. Even though he knew that Tang Xiu was a powerful martial artist, he didn¡¯t want to lose face, saying, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with what I said? To begin with, it¡¯s her who¡¯s in the wrong, not me. She¡¯s the one who bumped into the porch and injured me. It¡¯s perfectly justified if I want her to pay damages.¡±


    ¡°How much do you want for the compensation?¡± Tang Xiu said indifferently


    Hu Wanjun stared at Chen Wei as he proudly said, ¡°100 thousand.¡±


    Tang Xiu took his bank card and handed it to him, saying, ¡°There¡¯s 1 million in this card. Ten times the compensation. Are you satisfied?¡±


    Hu Wanjun blankly stared for a moment. He thought that Tang Xiu was afraid of him. A bit of a smiling expression was revealed on his face as he said with a nod, ¡°Well, consider this matter finished.¡±


    ¡°You are satisfied, aren¡¯t you? But I¡¯m not. If I¡¯m not wrong, the mark on my friend¡¯s face should be from your slap, shouldn¡¯t it? Her body is very precious and expensive. Whoever moves even a strand of her hair, I won¡¯t let them go, let alone slapping her. So, you gotta pay the medical expenses for her, am I right?¡±


    The smile on Hu Wanjun¡¯s face coagulated. He looked at Tang Xiu with disbelief and shifted his vision toward the bank card in his hand. He suddenly sobered up and bellowed, ¡°You want to kill me?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, if I wanted to kill you, your corpse would long be floating in the Pacific Ocean already. I¡¯m giving you a chance to pay my friend¡¯s medical expenses and end this matter. Else I will never let you go!¡± Tang Xiu sneered.


    Hu Wanjun¡¯s face flickered. He looked at the box at the distance, took a deep breath and asked, ¡°How much do you want?¡±


    ¡°11 million,¡± Tang Xiu said lightly.


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡± Hu Wanjun sucked cold air, whereas disbelief was written on Chen Wei¡¯s face.


    ¡°An hour. If you don¡¯t send me the money within this time window to my dining box, I will consider your Hu Family to be just like the Zhang Family. You will forever disappear from Star City and even the world. Do remember, this is a threat.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    After having said that, he grabbed Chen Wei¡¯s wrist and walked toward the box.


    As dumbstruck as she was, Chen Wei could only let herself be pulled by Tang Xiu. Had it been before, she¡¯d probably have shaken off Tang Xiu¡¯s hand, but now, warmness filled her heart even though there was an intense sense of crisis also mixed within.


    Having gone back to their box, Chen Wei asked with a somewhat pale complexion, ¡°Tang Xiu, do you think they will pay the compensation? You just gave him 1 million! That¡¯s 1 million!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way he¡¯ll give it back. Of course, I also don¡¯t want him to give it back either.¡±


    Chen Wei swallowed her own saliva and no longer spoke.


    At the hallway.


    Hu Wanjun held the 1 million bank card in his hand and suddenly felt that it turned into a hot potato. Originally, he was thinking to completely ignore Tang Xiu¡¯s threat. However, what made him tremble down to his core and panic was that Tang Xiu mentioned the Zhang Family. What did he mean by saying it? Was the Zhangs¡¯ fall¡­ because of him?

 Chapter 215

    Chapter 215: Paying Compensation


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Impossible! That¡¯s absolutely impossible! For decades the Zhangs have managed to stay in Star City and are deeply rooted here. How could it be shaken by one young man?¡±


    Hu Wanjun returned to the box he just looked at with a distraught appearance. After entering it, he returned back to his seat with a dazed look and didn¡¯t even glance at the people on the table.


    Hu Xinmin frowned as he looked at his son¡¯s dull face with displeasure. He was entertaining the shareholders of his company and his son¡ªwho was the first heir to the family, unexpectedly showed such lack of manners. This was the same as shaming him!


    ¡°Wanjun! What happened to you?¡±


    Upon hearing his father¡¯s voice, Hu Wanjun suddenly quivered. He squeezed out a smile and said, ¡°I¡­ I-I seem to have made a big trouble!¡±


    ¡°What trouble? Tell me!¡± Hu Xinmin asked with a deep tone.


    Hu Wanjun told everything that happened outside and finally said, ¡°Dad, that surnamed Tang kid said I must pay 11 million yuan of compensation if our Hu Family doesn¡¯t want to suffer the same fate as the Zhangs and disappear from Star City or even the world!¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    Hu Xinmin¡¯s face instantly turned unsightly. The shareholders present were also looking at each other in dismay, aghast.


    ¡°Does this Tang Xiu young man has any grudges with the Zhangs?¡± a middle-aged man asked.


    ¡°Yes, Tang Xiu has once hit Zhang Deqin and Zhang Yongjin. So Zhang Deqin took revenge on him, asking her fianc¨¦e to lead some people to strike Tang Xiu. Her fianc¨¦e was an instructor at Rising Dragon Martial School back then. But not only did they fail to clean him up, Tang Xiu even tidied them up instead. He even sent them back to their school hall and humiliated the Rising Dragon Martial School as well. In the end, the Schoolmaster compensated him with 100 million yuan, only then the matter ended. However, later on, Zhang Deqin still wanted revenge, so she hired three assassins from abroad. But the result was that not only they failed to kill him, they even died outside South Gate Town instead.¡± Hu Wanjun said.


    At present, seven or eight major shareholders of the Hu Group turned aghast and horrified. They also heard about the murder case outside South Gate Town, but they never imagined that the meat of the matter turned out to be like this!


    Hu Xinmin¡¯s face now also turned extremely ugly as his body shivered. After taking a deep breath, he said in a deep tone, ¡°Where¡¯s Tang Xiu now?¡±


    ¡°He seems to be in a box on this floor.¡± Hu Wanjun answered.


    ¡°Take me to see him.¡± Hu Xinmin said with sunk tone.


    ¡°Dad¡­¡± Hu Wanjun quickly cried.


    With a sunk tone, Hu Xinmin shouted, ¡°GO!¡±


    Hu Wanjun quickly lowered his head and then took the lead out of the box.


    In the hallway, Hu Xinmin rushed and blocked Hu Wanjun. He fiercely slapped his face and snapped with a stern voice, ¡°Tell me, what grudge do you have with that surnamed Tang kid?¡±


    Hu Wanjun covered his face on pain and said, ¡°We had some conflicts before. But those matters are already over. I wasn¡¯t involved in the conflict between him and the Zhang siblings.¡±


    Hu Xinmin heaved a deep breath. He took out a checkbook and wrote 21 million yuan on it and ordered Hu Wanjun to ask Tang Xiu¡¯s box number and rushed there. Although he was quite reluctant to part with 21 million yuan, however, he had no other choice. He saw the Zhang Family¡¯s fate, and Tang Xiu must also be one of many behind the incident. Even if he didn¡¯t want to, he also didn¡¯t want his Hu Family to end up collapsing just like the Zhangs.


    In his heart, the ones he most hated were not those masterminds, but the Zhang Family, especially Zhang Fengxian. The Hu Family amassed two billion yuan and gave it to Zhang Fengxian as to join in the project¡¯s preparation and share the cake. They had even signed a contract in private.


    In the end, not only did the chicken fly the coop and the eggs break, they even suffered a loss of two billion yuan.


    Not only that! Even the members of the Zhang Family disappeared collectively. He could only swallow his own suffering without being able to speak it out. Therefore, he didn¡¯t want to make the slightest mistake now. Even if Tang Xiu was just merely related to the Long Family.


    Inside a spacious box.


    Chen Wei savored the fragrant meal absentmindedly. She wasn¡¯t even tasting its flavor as her eyes couldn¡¯t help but always look at the box¡¯s door.


    Finally, she put down the chopsticks in her hand, turned to Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Tell me, will they come here?¡±


    ¡°They will!¡± Tang Xiu said calmly.


    ¡°How can you be so sure?¡± Chen Wei asked.


    ¡°Because they¡¯re afraid of me!¡± Tang Xiu replied indifferently.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s reply amused Chen Wei. Her disturbed mood gradually disappeared. She shook her head and said, ¡°I really can¡¯t figure you out! Han Qingwu told me that you¡¯re just an ordinary student. Except for your good achievements in school, she said that there¡¯s nothing else special. But now, I beg to differ. The things you did yesterday and today are kinda giving me a feeling that you¡¯re very mysterious.¡±


    Tang Xiu involuntarily laughed, ¡°Hahaha, You¡¯re not Conan, you shouldn¡¯t be overly suspicious like that! Just take it easy and eat. I believe we¡¯ll get an answer soon.¡±


    Chen Wei nodded and grabbed the chopsticks again. The moment she was about to continue eating, the box¡¯s door was knocked as the attendant outside came inside and said, ¡°Hello, Mr. Tang. Hu Xinmin¡ªthe owner of the Hu Group and his son, they are outside. Do you want to receive them?¡±


    ¡°Let them come in!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Understood!¡± The attendant turned around and left the box.


    Shortly after, Hu Xinmin took Hu Wanjun into the box. His eyes glanced at Chen Wei for a moment before landing on Tang Xiu. He quickly walked a few steps before Tang Xiu and said while smiling, ¡°I have heard much about the distinguished name of Mr. Tang, I finally can see you today. Truly, you¡¯re a promising young man! I¡¯m Hu Xinmin, the Head of the Hu Family.¡±


    Looking at his stretched out hand, Tang Xiu ignored it as he said with a dull tone, ¡°I know why you came. Leave the compensation and get out.¡±


    Hu Xinmin¡¯s complexion was stiff as he took back his hand with an awkward expression. He pulled a check out of his pocket and put it on the table in front of Tang Xiu and said with a wry smile, ¡°Mr. Tang, this son of mine is na?ve and insensible, he offended you and your friend thoughtlessly. I hope you accept my apology. Here¡¯s a 21 million check and your bank card, 22 million yuan altogether. Please consider the money as the apology of our Hu Family, I hope it¡¯s not lacking.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said with a dead-pan expression, ¡°I know your Hu Family signed an agreement with the Zhangs and you suffered quite a loss. But I politely advise you to pay more attention in making friends as well as involving yourselves in schemes. It¡¯s the same with your son. You need to teach him well and not let him use his family background to commit evil deeds. Oftentimes one¡¯s entire family is implicated only because of a trivial matter, just like what happened with the Zhang Family siblings. Alright, since I¡¯ve said everything, you can go!¡±


    Hu Xinmin¡¯s pupils shrunk. Dreadful raging waves surged inside his heart upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words. Before, he wasn¡¯t sure Tang Xiu was the main mastermind behind the scheme against the Zhang Family. But to think that he knew the clandestine agreement signed by the Hus and the Zhangs; then, perhaps, the clansmen of the Zhangs had died and been destroyed by his hands.


    ¡°Yes. I understand!¡± Hu Xinmin replied with an obsequious smile.


    Immediately after, he fiercely glared at Hu Wanjun as he turned around and left the box.


    At this moment, Chen Wei was dumbstruck. Not even in her wildest dreams had she ever imagined that Tang Xiu¡¯s words would come true. Not only did the other party paid the compensation, they even gave several folds more compared to the amount Tang Xiu had given before.


    When there were only the both of them inside the box, Chen Wei quickly grabbed the check and carefully read it. Then, she said with a flabbergasted look, ¡°This Hu Family truly paid?! And it was the Head of the family himself?! Didn¡¯t you tell them you wanted only 11 million in compensation? Why did they pay you 22 million?¡±


    ¡°That means that Hu Xinmin is a sensible and thoughtful person. About this matter, gimme your bank card, I¡¯ll give you two million yuan as your medical expenses. I¡¯ll take the rest.¡± With a pale smile, Tang Xiu said.


    Chen Wei stared blankly for a moment. Then, she shook her head and said, ¡°No no no. I can¡¯t take it! They definitely didn¡¯t want to give the compensation to me, it¡¯s all because of you.¡±


    ¡°Well, I take back my words.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°What?¡± Chen Wei was puzzled.


    ¡°That you have a backward IQ?!¡± Tang Xiu said


    Chen Wei froze. She finally couldn¡¯t help smiling as she cursed, ¡°Damn you! You even dare to tease me! Anyways, who are you really? Why would such a big respected family¡¯s Head come apologize to you personally? To think that he even apologized with such fearful expression? And, the Zhang Family you mentioned, were they very powerful?¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a pale smile, ¡°I¡¯m just me, an ordinary high school graduate, no more no less. As for why they came to apologize, that was because they were repenting for their wrongdoings. It¡¯s the truth, honest! About the Zhang Family, I don¡¯t want you to ask about it again, as well as forget everything I¡¯ve said today.¡±


    Chen Wei cast him a sidelong glance and said with dissatisfaction, ¡°Hmph, virtue and morality wise eh?! If you don¡¯t want to say it, then so be it. This Miss doesn¡¯t want to know it either.¡±


    ¡°Knock, knock¡­¡±


    The door was knocked.


    Tang Xiu looked and immediately saw Long Zhengyu leaning on the door, beaming a smile with his arms folded. Tang Xiu smiled back as he waved at him and asked, ¡°How did you know that I was having a meal here?¡±


    Long Zhengyu chuckled, ¡°How could I not know? You made quite a ruckus.¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap, just say it!¡± Tang Xiu snapped.


    Long Zhengyu laughed, ¡°Hahaha, I just happened to bump into Hu Xinmin. His face is so black! He looks like he bathed in black charcoal. I greeted him back then, only then did I know that his son Hu Wanjun offended you, saying he came to pay you compensation!¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled indifferently and said, ¡°Since God can forgive sinners, why can¡¯t we do the same? This Hu Xinmin is also a flexible person and knows how to adapt to the situation. That¡¯s why the matter ended like this. Anyways, have you had lunch? If not, care to join us?¡±


    Long Zhengyu was a bit curious as his eyes fell on Chen Wei and asked, ¡°This is¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, she¡¯s just a passerby, Stranger A. Wait until tomorrow and you won¡¯t see her again in your entire life. Don¡¯t ask what and how.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re the Stranger A!¡±

 Chapter 216

    Chapter 216: Sorted Out


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Chen Wei whispered resentfully. She stood up to give Long Zhengyu a handshake and said with a smile, ¡°Hello handsome. I¡¯m Chen Wei. You can call me Weiwei.¡±


    ¡°Hi too, Weiwei!¡±


    Long Zhengyu and Chen Wei shook hands. However, his expression slightly flickered upon feeling that Chen Wei was using her small finger to scratch his palm.


    Tang Xiu was keenly aware of Long Zhengyu¡¯s expression, he couldn¡¯t help but be amused and stared at Chen Wei as he said, ¡°I tell you, you can never tease him! He has women all over Star City, they can¡¯t fit inside this box. Also, you¡¯d better restrain yourself. And don¡¯t¡¯ mess around chasing men everywhere. You gotta be careful not to catch an STD later.¡± [1]


    ¡°Tang Xiu, how can you undermine me like this? No matter what you say, we are friends that have shared trials and tribulations together, haven¡¯t we?¡± Chen Wei resentfully retorted.


    ¡°Uh, have we shared any hardships at all? When was that?¡± Tang Xiu said and surprised.


    ¡°Last night in the pub?! Also in the hotel?!¡± Chen Wei spoke forcefully with conviction.


    Rolling his eyes, Tang Xiu snapped, ¡°You call that sharing trials and tribulations? Bah! You old woman, your preposterous argument is truly crooked. Hey, Zhengyu, why on earth are you stunned for? If you don¡¯t want to eat with us and already had your lunch, just go take care of your own business!¡±


    Long Zhengyu actually had already had his lunch and didn¡¯t plan to stay for a meal either. However, Chen Wei¡¯s nature and her relationship with Tang Xiu sparked his curiosity. Immediately, he pulled a chair and said with a smile after he sat down, ¡°Did the both of you book a room in the hotel last night? Damn, you truly have good fortune, Miss Weiwei. But you¡¯re also very unlucky!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Chen Wei was puzzled and asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Long Zhengyu chuckled, ¡°I¡¯m saying that you have good fortune since I¡¯ve never heard that Tang Xiu would prostrate himself under a woman¡¯s skirt. As for bad luck, you have so many love rivals. Moreover, each and every one of them is very extraordinary and outstanding. Some of them can even make my heart palpitate unceasingly.¡±


    ¡°Ehh? He also has a woman he likes?¡± Chen Wei was flabbergasted, and said, ¡°What joke is this? Aside from acting cool and his venomous vile tongue, how can any woman fall for him?¡±


    ¡°Speaking about that, it¡¯s also a coincidence. There¡¯s a very beautiful woman two boxes away from this room who¡¯s wishing to devote her life to him.¡± Long Zhengyu chuckled.


    ¡°Where?¡± Chen Wei quickly asked.


    ¡°To the left side.¡± Long Zhengyu answered.


    Chen Wei got off her chair and quickly ran outside.


    Upon seeing this, Tang Xiu immediately shouted, ¡°Hey, where are you going? Don¡¯t mess around and create trouble. Come back and eat your meal quickly!¡±


    However, Chen Wei simply ignored him. After leaving, she then ran to the left corridor.


    Tang Xiu turned his head as he glared at Long Zhengyu and said, ¡°What rubbish did you injected into her eh? That woman is a rare marvel. She just came back from abroad and arrived in Star City last night. Originally, she was to stay with her friend, but since her friend had something important to take care of, she entrusted her to me, wanting me to look after her for two days.¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡± Long Zhengyu spoke with a weird tone, ¡°Which friend of yours is she? To think that she even can make you act so meticulous like this?¡±


    Tang Xiu reluctantly replied, ¡°Ah, forget it. I¡¯ll tell you the truth! She¡¯s my third year¡¯s teacher in charge.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s how it is!¡±


    Long Zhengyu said with a smile, ¡°You have an indifferent nature, if not cold and detached that is. Wanting to be your friend truly is difficult as reaching the sky, so I was really curious about someone who has the ability to even make you regard them as a friend! That reminds me, however. I heard that your teacher-in-charge is a very beautiful woman, yes?¡±


    ¡°Damn, you don¡¯t have anything else except beautiful women in your mind, do you?¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Intentionally showing a loving look, Long Zhengyu said with a tender and soft voice, ¡°I still have you in my eyes!¡±


    ¡°Fuck you!¡± Tang Xiu shivered down his spine and snapped with fright.


    Inside another box.


    Kang Xia was having lunch, accompanying several top brasses from the city authority, whereas Jack was throwing some Chinese jokes charmingly, teasing the several city leaders to burst into laughter. The wine in their glasses also reduced at a fast rate.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Miss, you can¡¯t go in.¡± An attendant¡¯s voice was heard.


    Even when she was speaking, Chen Wei had already squeezed into the box. When her eyes looked at the people on the wine table, her sight finally landed on Kang Xia¡¯s face, as she immediately stared blankly afterward.


    Beautiful! She¡¯s really gorgeous!


    She had seen numerous beauties, but not even one of them could be compared with this woman! Even her good sister¡ªHan Qingwu was slightly worse.


    However, why would this super beauty look somewhat familiar?


    Chen Wei shook her head. She didn¡¯t believe that Kang Xia would know Tang Xiu. After all, Tang Xiu, in front of Kang Xia, was just like a toad wanting to have a go at a swan.


    However, she also wanted to confirm whether Long Zhengyu¡¯s words were true or not. So she asked, ¡°Hello beautiful woman, might I ask whether you know Tang Xiu?¡±


    On the other hand, upon seeing that a stranger suddenly broke into the box all of a sudden, Kang Xia herself was quite displeased and was about to question Chen Mei. However, upon hearing the inquiry from her out of the blue, she immediately stood up and waved to the attendant and asked back, ¡°I do know him, and you are?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you know him?¡± Chen Wei was surprised and then continued, ¡°This Tang Xiu I¡¯m speaking about is very young, less than 20, and just attended the CET!¡±


    ¡°The person you said and the one I know of, should be the same person,¡° Kang Xia said with an ascertaining tone.


    Astonished, Chen Wei said, ¡°That means what Long Zhengyu said is true? Do you like Tang Xiu and is one of his pursuers?¡±


    Kang Xia looked at Chen Wei with a strange expression. A few seconds silence later, she probed, ¡°Did Tang Xiu listen to Long Zhengyu¡¯s words and admit it?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, knowing that Tang Xiu chap who¡¯s always reluctant to admit anything, how can he confirm it?¡± Chen Wei said.


    Kang Xia was secretly relieved. A smile crept up on her face. She then turned around, looking at the few city leaders on the table, and then said with a smile, ¡°Gentlemen, I have a small private matter I have to deal with, so I¡¯ll have to leave you to your drink fist. Jack, please entertain these leaders well. If they don¡¯t enjoy their drinks to the full, I won¡¯t forgive you!¡±


    ¡°Understood, Madam!¡± Jack laughed.


    Kang Xia let out a faint smile and left the box along with Chen Wei. After they were in the corridor outside, she asked, ¡°Is Tang Xiu also here?¡±


    ¡°Yup! He¡¯s the one who brought me here!¡± Chen Wei nodded.


    ¡°Alright. I haven¡¯t introduced myself. I¡¯m Kang Xia, the General Manager of Magnificent Tang Corporation. By the way, might I trouble you to take me to him?¡± Kang Xia said with a smile.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Chen Wei curiously replied, ¡°Why do I feel like I have heard your name somewhere?¡±


    ¡°Well, my name sounds familiar to a lot of people since it¡¯s very common, to begin with.¡± Kang Xia said with a smile.


    Chen Wei shook her head to suppress the doubt in her eyes before she replied, ¡°Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll take you to see him. Long Zhengyu said there¡¯s a lot of beautiful women who like Tang Xiu and there¡¯s one of them in the box here. I didn¡¯t believe him at first. But after coming here, what he said is true. You¡¯re the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the compliment!¡± Kang Xia said with a faint smile.


    After they arrived at the box where Tang Xiu was in, Kang Xia saw that Tang Xiu was chatting with Long Zhengyu as she greeted with a smile, ¡°Boss, I¡¯m disturbing your lunch, am I?¡±


    ¡°I just heard from Zhengyu that you¡¯re drinking with several city leaders in the next box. How is it? You drank a lot?¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°I still have some work in the afternoon so I only drank a little. Besides, it¡¯s Jack who¡¯s accompanying them.¡± Kang Xia said with a smile.


    Nodding, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Gimme a few years and I guarantee that you won¡¯t have to entertain people in drinking parties to secure business deals for our company. It will be others who will beg to do that for us. In addition, if someone dares to disrespect you, you don¡¯t need to care about their faces and you can directly slap them. Anyone who dares to backstab us, you tell me and I¡¯ll fix them up.¡±


    ¡°Having a Boss like you is so rewarding,¡± Kang Xia said with a smile.


    ¡°Ehh? Wait, wait!¡±


    Chen Wei walked to Kang Xia. Both of her hands stretched between Kang Xia and Tang Xiu as a look of disbelief was written all over her face, ¡°Chief Kang, what did you just call him? Boss? You said you¡¯re the General Manager of Magnificent Tang Corporation, then that means he¡¯s the Big Boss of the company?¡±


    ¡°Yes! He¡¯s the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation!¡± Kang Xia nodded with a smile.


    As shocked as she was, Chen Wei looked at the two. After a moment of hesitation, she asked, ¡°Then¡­ how many assets do the Magnificent Tang Corporation have?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a business secret, so it¡¯s inconvenient to tell you.¡± Kang Xia shook her head and said.


    ¡°You tell me!¡± Chen Wei¡¯s sight shifted toward Tang Xiu and shouted.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t directly answer her question. But he looked at Kang Xia and asked, ¡°That matter should be almost over, right? How many shares we got from it?¡±


    ¡°Well, it could be said so. After the finishing touch has been handled, we¡¯ll obtain the result soon. About the amount, it should be around four billion yuan after dividing it between everyone.¡± Kang Xia answered.


    With a satisfied look, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Spending 200 million and earning 4 billion. It¡¯s worth it.¡±


    Chen Wei was flabbergasted as he watched the two. Her jaw dropped opened so wide that even a big goose egg could be stuffed into her mouth.


    ¡°You- you- Who are you exactly?¡± Chen Wei pointed at Tang Xiu.


    ¡°You are you, who are you?¡± Chen Wei didn¡¯t wait for Tang Xiu as she cried out.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t he just say it? He¡¯s the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation. I even dare say that with the well-renowned Kang Xia working for him, the total assets of the company will be rising from a hundredfold to a thousand-fold in the future. Maybe they¡¯ll even surpass Bill Gate.¡± Long Zhengyu answered her with a sour tone.


    Chen Wei¡¯s eyes blinked. Her body suddenly shook as she almost fell to the floor. As shocked as she was, she looked at Kang Xia and involuntarily shouted, ¡°Oh my God! I remember now! You¡¯re Kang Xia, the business genius from the Wall Street who shook the entire world, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Kang Xia said with a smile, ¡°I dare not accept that my name has shaken the world, though. But I indeed came from Wall Street.¡±


    Chen Wei staggered before she sat down on her original seat. She covered her chest with her hands and was speechless for a long period of time.


    It was a great shock! She was shocked down to the core way too much today!


    The shock this time was not because of Kang Xia at all, but it was because of Tang Xiu! Even in her dreams, she had never expected that the fellow who accompanied her this time, who ridiculed her with his sarcasm, turned out to have such a terrifying identity.


    Who was Kang Xia? She was the most brilliant genius in the business world. An outstanding talent that numerous super consortiums wanted to hire. However, she actually returned back to her homeland and unexpectedly became Tang Xiu¡¯s subordinate.


    That¡¯s right! Long Zhengyu had just said before that Kang Xia was interested in Tang Xiu? Was it true as well?


    Chen Wei¡¯s reaction was somewhat ridiculous for Tang Xiu. However, he didn¡¯t say anything more due to the presence of Kang Xia and Long Zhengyu. Instead, he spoke to Kang Xia, ¡°Anyways, if you don¡¯t have to entertain them anymore and have nothing left to do, you should go back and rest earlier!¡±


    ¡°I still have to return since it¡¯s not over yet. I left Jack as the host there to accompany them! It¡¯s not convenient for me to leave them for too long, so I¡¯ll go back there first!¡±


    ¡°Alright then!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    * * *


    Notes:


    Another filler chapter to be honest. LOL.


    STD: sexually transmitted disease

 Chapter 217

    Chapter 217: Accomplishing the Task


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The lunch was over.


    After parting ways with Long Zhengyu, Tang Xiu took Chen Wei to a nearby bank to change the 20 million check and gave 2 million to Chen Wei, who was hell-bent on refusing it.


    After leaving the bank, the duo stood on the heavy traffic road as Tang Xiu asked while smiling, ¡°Lunch is done, and we also got some money, so you can stay obediently in the hotel this afternoon, can¡¯t you? I¡¯m afraid I have no time to stay with you since I have something to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Chen Wei asked.


    ¡°Do something important.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Chen Wei hesitated before she finally nodded and said, ¡°Well, go then! I¡¯ll just go back to the hotel myself. As for tonight¡­ are you still gonna accompany me to dinner?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t. But if you can keep your word to stay in the hotel obediently, I will come over at noon tomorrow. Han Qingwu will come back to Star City tomorrow noon. So I¡¯ll say to her that I¡¯ve done her errand and send you back to her.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    With a somewhat complex expression, Chen Wei replied, ¡°You¡¯re anxious to send me to Han Qingwu, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°The two of you are good sisters, so naturally, I want you two to meet earlier.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t stay with me, I¡¯ll stroll around myself.¡± Chen Wei said.


    Tang Xiu was surprised for a moment before he forced out a smile and shook his head.


    The day passed quickly.


    Chen Wei was as though a dog plaster as she didn¡¯t let Tang Xiu leave for whatever reason. Even at night, she didn¡¯t want Tang Xiu to go back to South Gate Town. She said she was afraid that something just like last night would occur again and wanted him to accompany her to the hotel. Tang Xiu was fuming with anger and almost knocked her out.


    The noon of the next day.


    Tang Xiu received a call from Han Qingwu when Chen Wei was wolfing down snacks and drinks as much as she wanted in the streets. After Han Qingwu arrived, Tang Xiu bluntly said, ¡°Teacher Han, for this kind of annoying task, please don¡¯t bother to look for me again later. Well, since I¡¯ve done my task, I¡¯ll go first.¡±


    Han Qingwu quickly pulled him. With an expression of being at a loss whether she had to cry or laugh, she said, ¡°Tang Xiu, didn¡¯t you just accompanied Chen Wei for two days? How can you look bitter like this? Did that girl harass you? I knew her character. She does have indecent thoughts but she isn¡¯t evil and has no courage; she even had no boyfriend up until now.¡±


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes, ¡°Hmph, she¡¯s simply a big crook! Were it not for me making some ruckus back then, I¡¯m afraid she would have had a go with a pretty lass in the hotel merrily.¡±


    Han Qingwu involuntarily laughed, ¡°Hahaha, did that girl tell you she¡¯s bisexual? Ignore her rubbish talk! Her sexual orientation is normal.¡±


    Tang Xiu blankly stared for a moment. Looking at Chen Wei who was immersing herself in gorging out her snacks, he almost had the urge to tear her mouth. This woman¡¯s inner world was true as though a seabed of needles. He truly had been fooled by her thoroughly.


    ¡°I gotta go, bye!¡± said Tang Xiu as he strode away.


    Han Qingwu looked at his back as she shook her head with a wry smile. Then, she sat down next to Chen Wei and said with a smile, ¡°What did you do to make him look like as if he¡¯s been tortured?¡±


    Chen Wei looked up, watching at the direction toward Tang Xiu¡¯s back who had just left. A touch reluctance flashed from her eyes as she concealed it by raising her hand in front of her forehead and caressing her long hair to the side. After that, she pretended to look calm when she spoke, ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not a vixen. How can I do things like that to him? I tell you, this student of yours is a marvel. He¡¯s simply a deity. Following him to drink and have meals even earned me some money. If it wasn¡¯t for him hitting and knocking me out, these days could be said as very great.¡±


    A strange expression was written all over Han Qingwu¡¯s face as she looked at Chen Wei. She suddenly felt a feeling as if the last two days for her were very splendid! However, her complexion flickered upon hearing that Tang Xiu hit her.


    ¡°Weiwei, did Tang Xiu hit and knock you out, for real?¡±


    Chen Wei harrumphed and said, ¡°Hmph, he did, and it was kinda heavy as well.¡±


    Han Qingwu asked, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just like the dog that bites Lu Dongbin, paying my good kindness with ill reward. It was very dangerous two nights ago; and out of my kindness and good intention¡­¡± Chen Wei said resentfully.


    Along with her narration, Han Qingwu figured out the whole story. Despite being informed about it, she was also shocked by the story and was even unable to speak for quite a long while.


    ¡°You¡­ you mean that Tang Xiu was the one who called the police to come to the pub, in order to make you go back to the hotel obediently and then found some people selling drugs there? And then he also tracked the following clues up to Caesar Grand Hotel? Which then the shootout happened and a lot of people died?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But it was more amazing in the reality version than the movies, though. So, that Tang kid didn¡¯t listen to my advice and was against it. Not only did he knock me out, he also went out and successfully became a hero. Fortunately, he was alright. Or else, it would have been me who had to take care of him, instead of the other way around.¡±


    A trace of envy appeared on Han Qingwu¡¯s face as she said, ¡°You truly had splendid times. Had I known about it, I wouldn¡¯t have gone to Shanghai in the first place. Ah right. You just said that you also got some money when you were out with him, what do you mean by that?¡±


    A bright smile suddenly surfaced on Chen Wei¡¯s face as she belched and said, ¡°Nope, I can¡¯t tell you this one since I gave my word to him not to tell this to anyone. But I can tell you that your student is truly awesome. Even after living in the United States for so many years and also seeing a lot of gifted people, geniuses, clever individuals and devilish talents, there¡¯s no one who can compare to his fierceness. Just wait! In the future, he will absolutely exude a golden light all over his body, just like the dazzling deity in his war armor!¡±


    ¡°Pfft, hahaha¡­¡± Han Qingwu couldn¡¯t help laughing and then said with a smile, ¡°Weiwei, the way you¡¯re speaking isn¡¯t describing a great man, but it¡¯s like you¡¯re describing a bridegroom! Tell me honestly, you took a liking to my student, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Chen Wei rubbed her belly and joked back, ¡°I do have fallen for him. But if I marry him, then it means I have to follow him in calling you Teacher Han also!¡±


    ¡°Damn you¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    After laughing merrily for a while, Han Qingwu asked, ¡°Weiwei, you haven¡¯t answered my question!¡±


    Chen Wei stopped laughing and replied, ¡°I can answer you about one topic. As for the other questions, you have to find that student of yours if you really wanna know.¡±


    ¡°Which one?¡± Han Qingwu asked with doubt.


    ¡°It¡¯s about his awesomeness. So to speak, is the Long¡¯s Dining Hall a very high-grade restaurant in Star City?¡± Chen Wei said.


    Han Qingwu replied seriously, ¡°It is. If it was said as the second, no others can be said as the first.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu is a member of this Long¡¯s Dining Hall and even a VIP there. As for the rest, figure it out yourself!¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu is a member of the Long¡¯s Dining Hall?¡±


    Han Qingwu said with a look of disbelief, ¡°Who are you joking at? Tang Xiu is only a student, and the situation of his family is not particularly good either. How could he get the Long¡¯s Dining Hall¡¯s membership? Weiwei, you must be joking with me.¡±


    Chen Wei raised two fingers, ascertaining it, ¡°If I were to say a lie, may I won¡¯t marry anyone else but you in this entire life of mine.¡±


    ¡°Hey! That¡¯s so damn indecent.¡± Han Qingwu was amused and burst into laughter.


    At Star City Airport.


    After Tang Xiu bade farewell to Han Qingwu and Chen Wei, he took a cab and rushed here. Yesterday he had made an appointment with someone to go to Tianjin City to buy Wintertide Fluorite and Star Fragment Stone.


    Since there were still nearly two hours before the flight took off, Tang Xiu casually looked for a caf¨¦, drinking coffee while killing time. However, he inadvertently found a woman who was trying to be secretive. She was wearing a sun hat, big black sunglasses, black trench coat, and was quietly slipping into the caf¨¦.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s face suddenly flickered, he found that the woman looked very alike a famous female singer.


    Zhang Xinya?


    After entering the caf¨¦, the woman looked around and glanced over toward the vacant seat next to Tang Xiu. Since the spot was located at the corner of the caf¨¦, it was relatively remote and quiet.


    ¡°Miss, can I take your order?¡± A staffer asked politely.


    A clear voice, as though a silver bell, came out of the woman¡¯s mouth, ¡°One cup of Mocha, please. And thank you.¡±


    ¡°Please wait a bit!¡± The staffer answered and then turned away.


    Tang Xiu looked at her. She now took off her big sunglasses gently, which then made him immediately recognize her. She was indeed the popular singer in Asia who was moving toward the international stage, Zhang Xinya.


    He wasn¡¯t a fan of hers. Although Zhang Xinya¡¯s facial features were indeed extremely beautiful, he only glanced at her twice before he lowered his head to take out his mobile phone. Recently, he just realized that it was very convenient to browse the Internet using a mobile phone. Not only was he able to read all kinds of news, but he can also search everything he wanted to know.


    Ten minutes later.


    When Tang Xiu was fiddling with his mobile, the silver bell¡¯s voice sounded again, ¡°Sir, may I borrow your mobile phone? I need to make a phone call.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked up and saw that Zhang Xinya was carrying a cup of coffee as she approached and then sat down on the opposite sofa. After a moment of silence, Tang Xiu said indifferently, ¡°If you want my cell number, I¡¯m sorry; I can¡¯t give it to strangers. If you really want to answer a phone call, 100 yuan per minute.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Zhang said angrily, ¡°I¡¯m not interested in your cell number, I just want to borrow your mobile phone. You want to rip me off?¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re mistaken. My mobile is my personal belonging. There are many confidential things inside that need to be kept secret and are not for others to see. If you want to borrow my mobile phone, you gotta pay for it. Do you think 100 yuan is too much?¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Your argument is preposterous. It¡¯s simply crooked. Your confidential things are useless to me. Besides, do you know who I am?¡± Zhang Xinya was incensed.


    ¡°Should I know you?¡± Tang Xiu asked back.


    Astonished, Zhang Xinya said, ¡°You really don¡¯t know me?¡±


    Tang Xiu snapped humorlessly, ¡°Are you going to use the phone or not? If not, then shut up.¡±


    Zhang Xinya couldn¡¯t utter any words. Ever since she was 18 and joined the entertainment industry, it had been six years since her name became famous. With her good singing voice and extremely beautiful looks, she had attracted a large number of fans; and she was confident that the children of several years old or the elderly in their 70s or 80s across the country, 99% of them would probably have seen her, either through the TV, Internet or even other media channels.


    ¡°Could it be that this chap just came out of the mountain region¡¯s ravine? But even if that¡¯s the case, as a man, he also ought to respond to such a very beautiful woman like me, no?¡±


    Zhang Xinya also observed Tang Xiu just now. What made her astonished was that Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes were very clear, as though the eyes of a newborn child with no impurity in them; of which she had never seen from other men.

 Chapter 218

    Chapter 218: Closely Related


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Zhang Xinya took a deep breath as she suppressed the anger in her heart and said, ¡°Deal. 100 yuan per minute, Now lend me your phone!¡±


    ¡°Take it!¡± Tang Xiu handed over his mobile.


    Zhang Xinya took it. She got up and walked to the side and quickly dialed a number. After she whispered with the other side for a while, she then hung up the phone. Just as about to go back to her seat, she suddenly turned, recalling Tang Xiu¡¯s words about some secrets on his phone. Then, she immediately checked the phone¡¯s contents.


    Two minutes later, just as she opened the call log, several familiar names reflected in her eyes.


    Ouyang Lulu?


    Chen Zhizhong?


    Chu Yi?


    Bai Tao?


    She remembered Ouyang Lulu¡¯s cell number and had even memorized it perfectly. When she opened the name ID and saw the number, an incredible expression was cast on her face.


    The number was¡­ real?


    Zhang Xinya turned and carefully looked at Tang Xiu over. Then, she returned back to the seat at Tang Xiu¡¯s opposite side. Swaying the mobile phone in her hands, she asked, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you introduce yourself in a polite manner when you¡¯re asking someone else¡¯s name?¡± Tang Xiu said indifferently.


    Zhang Xinya paused. She forced out a smile and said, ¡°You¡¯re really a freak, you know that? Alright, I¡¯ll introduce myself. I¡¯m Zhang Xinya, a singer star. And you?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, a student!¡±


    ¡°Looking at your young appearance, I know that you should be a student. But how do you know Ouyang Lulu? She¡¯s an islander of Jingmen Island. Are you from there also?¡± Zhang Xinya said.


    ¡°Nope, we¡¯re just friends.¡± Tang Xiu answered.


    As curious as she was, Zhang Xinya asked, ¡°You are her friend? How haven¡¯t I heard of you from her before?¡±


    ¡°She might feel no need to say it since I¡¯m not someone important to her. Well, questioning time is over, shouldn¡¯t you give me back my phone? Also, you just used it for four minutes, that should be 400 yuan, thank you.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Zhang Xinya handed the phone back to Tang Xiu. After a moment of hesitation, she spoke in a low voice, ¡°About that¡­ can we talk about it? I¡¯m Ouyang Lulu¡¯s friend. So are you. So let¡¯s just forget about the money, OK? Since we also introduced each other, it can be regarded as fate, right?¡±


    ¡°No, that is that, and this one is another matter! Just give me the money!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said.


    ¡°Why are you so hell-bent on money?¡± Zhang Xinya replied angrily.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°You know that money is a good thing. You can buy food, drinks, clothes. In addition, for the parents, they can bring up their children. For a young man, it can be used to marry a wife in the future, raising children¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop, stop, stop!¡±


    Being at a loss whether she had to laugh or cry, Zhang Xinya said, ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know the usefulness of money? But we¡¯re both Ouyang Lulu¡¯s friends. I also know Bai Tao and Chu Yi. That¡¯s right, I¡¯m an acquaintance with Chen Zhizhong also. With so many layers of closely related personal contacts between us, how about we exempt money in this? You too know that the friends of our friends are my friends too, right? Since we¡¯re friends, always talking about money will hurt the sentiments and feelings between us.¡±


    Despite being incensed, Tang Xiu smiled, ¡°Do we even have any sentiments?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Zhang Xinya was speechless.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to befriend me. You owe me money and that¡¯s that. Pay it!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Zhang Xinya stared angrily at Tang Xiu. Forcing out a smile, she said, ¡°I have no money on me. I lost my wallet and all my luggage. Or else I wouldn¡¯t be hiding here.¡±


    ¡°So basically, you don¡¯t want to pay your debt?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    Zhang Xinya fumed with anger, ¡°Do I look like a person who will renege on a debt?¡±


    ¡°Looking at your behavior, that would be very likely.¡± Tang Xiu said with a deadpan expression.


    Zhang Xinya was so angry that she breathed heavily for a while. After thinking deeply for a moment, she reached out her hand and said, ¡°Gimme your phone, I must call someone.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t paid for the previous one, why should I lend you my phone now? You also just peeked on my phone¡¯s information. And I haven¡¯t settled the score with you about that!¡±


    Zhang Xinya flared up again, ¡°Who the hell wants the information on your phone? Just gimme quickly. If you want your money, lend me the phone.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment and then handed his phone over again.


    Zhang Xinya took it. She picked Ouyang Lulu¡¯s number and directly called it. After a few seconds, Ouyang Lulu¡¯s voice came over. Since Zhang Xinya pressed the loudspeaker, Tang Xiu could also hear it.


    ¡°Honey, do you miss me? In fact, I also miss you! Our hearts, at last, are linked as one, yes?¡±


    Zhang Xinya was stunned. Tang Xiu was also helpless and rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡± Zhang Xinya coughed dryly a few times and probed, ¡°Lulu, it¡¯s Zhang Xinya.¡±


    ¡°Ah? Xinya? Y-y-you, are you¡­ How come you¡¯re using Tang Xiu¡¯s phone to call me? You¡­ Whoops, so fucking damn! Don¡¯t take what I just said seriously! I¡­ I was just joking!¡± From the phone, Ouyang Lulu¡¯s shocked and awkward voice came out.


    ¡°Relax! We¡¯re good sisters, so I won¡¯t laugh at you! Anyways, you really know this Tang Xiu? Judging from your words, you seem to be very close to him, no?¡± Zhang Xinya smiled softly and replied.


    ¡°You can say that. I know him inside out. I even know which direction his bedside is turned to¡­ ¡­¡± Ouyang Lulu said before she abruptly stopped speaking. She realized that there were some subtle meanings in her words that would easily be misunderstood.


    A strange expression was written on Zhang Xinya¡¯s face. She glanced at Tang Xiu a few times before she said with a smile, ¡°Since your relationship is at the ¡®candidly sharing everything¡¯ stage, he will give you face, yes? Do me a favor, would you? I just borrowed his mobile and he wants to rip me off. Help me convince him I¡¯ll pay the debt when I meet him again later.¡±


    As ashamed and angry as she was, Ouyang Lulu shouted, ¡°Xinya, don¡¯t¡¯ talk nonsense, will you? My relationship with him is but a pure chaste friendship. But heck, how do you know about this anyway? Alright, where are you now?¡±


    Zhang Xinya said, ¡°Star City Airport, I just came here by chance.¡±


    ¡°And why would Tang Xiu also be at the airport?¡± Ouyang Lulu was surprised.


    ¡°Even if you ask me, how would I know? Just talk to him quickly, that I¡¯ll pay him later.¡± Zhang Xinya said.


    ¡°Give the phone to him! I¡¯ll speak with him.¡± Ouyang Lulu chuckled.


    Zhang Xinya directly handed the phone to Tang Xiu and said, ¡°She wants to speak with you!¡±


    Tang Xiu took it and rolled eyes with a foul mood to Zhang Xinya before he spoke, ¡°Lulu, do pay attention to what you speak later. Don¡¯t make others misunderstand. Also, I have heard what you just said, and since she¡¯s really your friend, I won¡¯t bother with it again! Alright, if there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll hang up!¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait! Why are you at the Airport? Are you coming to Jingmen Island? If you are, I¡¯ll go to the Jingmen Island¡¯s Airport and wait for you.¡± Ouyang Lulu quickly called out.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m going to Tianjin City!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°What are you gonna do there? Is there anything good there?¡± Ouyang Lulu asked doubtfully.


    ¡°Yes, there are some good things I wanna buy there!¡± Tang Xiu answered.


    ¡°You want me to go with you?¡± Ouyang Lulu hesitated and asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re in Jingmen Island, while I¡¯m in Star City. How come you want to go with me? Alright, take care of your business, and if you¡¯re done with it, we¡¯ll talk again later! Do remember to contact Kang Xia. She¡¯s the one who handles every issue related to the business aspect. She can make any decisions on my behalf.¡± Tang Xiu replied snappily.


    Ouyang Lulu cried out, ¡°Can I not see her? That woman has no good intentions toward you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiu was quite puzzled, and asked, ¡°Why would she have no good intention toward me?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Ouyang Lulu hesitated. Then, she hummed and said, ¡°Mhm, I think she has some, well, bad intentions in following you. She¡¯s a capable woman and her beauty isn¡¯t any worse than mine. But she¡¯s too false, a hypocrite.¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed involuntarily, ¡°Hahaha, why do I feel like you¡¯re a concubine in a harem who¡¯s fighting for a favor?¡± Then, he continued, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll hang up the phone, I¡¯m about to board my flight.¡±


    Zhang Xinya, who sat at the opposite side of Tang Xiu, could hear their conversation. She was keenly aware that her good sister had definitely fallen for Tang Xiu. It had been 7-8 years since she knew Ouyang Lulu, and it was her first time seeing Ouyang Lulu acting like a young spoiled girl when she talked with a man.


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu hung up the phone, her curiosity toward Tang Xiu was piqued all of a sudden as she then asked enthusiastically, ¡°Wow. I didn¡¯t expect that that proud sister of mine would even curl up her tail, she surely has a soft spot for you. Tang Xiu, what are you gonna do in Tianjin City? I also have to go there, but unfortunately, I lost my ID card and personal documents. Or else I could have gone there with you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not, though. Your identity is way too piercing for the eyes. I¡¯m a low profile person, and I have never liked to be stared at by people wherever I go!¡±


    Zhang Xinya was utterly speechless. She really couldn¡¯t utter anything at all toward a rare marvel such as Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve gotta board my flight, so I¡¯ll go first!¡± Tang Xiu stood up and said. After having said that, he took 200 yuan out of his wallet and put it on the table, ¡°I¡¯ve paid the bill for your coffee too. If we meet again in this life, do remember to pay your debt.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    After seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s manner, Zhang Xinya was also quite grateful. She stood up and asked, ¡°Can I ask you one last question?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Ask!¡±


    ¡°I saw Chen Zhizhong¡¯s number in your mobile phone a moment ago. Are you very close to him?¡± Zhang Xinya said and asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re close!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Zhang Xinya hesitated and said, ¡°Since you¡¯re very close to him, can you do me a favor? I have an urgent matter that I need to find him for. However, I¡¯m unable to find him, since he seems to be very busy recently. Even if I make an appointment, I¡¯ll have to wait for many days.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you know him? Just call him directly.¡±


    ¡°I did call him, and he also picked up my call. But he said that he had no time at present.¡± Zhang Xinya forced out a smile and said.


    ¡°Why do you want to see him?¡± Tang Xiu asked again.


    ¡°I know that he owns the Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical which runs the Chinese herbal medicine business. I need a very valuable medicinal herb and am hoping to buy it from him. To be frank, my father contracted a strange disease, which exactly needs that kind of herb.¡± Zhang Xinya said.


    ¡°What medicinal herb?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°Lone Riverserpent.¡± Zhang Xinya said.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face flickered, as he asked with astonishment, ¡°This medicinal herb is the key ingredient to treat the Virtual Fire Deficiency disease. Did your father contracted this Virtual Fire Deficiency disease?¡±


    * * *


    Notes:


    There are a couple of types of this virtual fire deficiency disease according to Traditional Chinese Medicine. You can read this article about a complete description.

 Chapter 219

    Chapter 219: Demon Stone


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Astonishment was written all over Zhang Xinya¡¯s beautiful face. She didn¡¯t expect that Tang Xiu could correctly guess the type of disease her father contracted by merely knowing the medicinal herb¡¯s name she gave out.


    ¡° _Is he¡­ a Divine Doctor?_ ¡± The idea appeared inside her mind, even though she quickly cast it aside.


    If it was someone else who said it, she might believe he was a Divine Doctor! But when it came to Tang Xiu, she wouldn¡¯t believe it even if she was to be beaten to death. Tang Xiu was, after all, too young. Weren¡¯t all the Chinese Medical doctors who were very proficient in Chinese Traditional Medicine, all of the old age?


    ¡°It¡¯s as you say, he contracted the Virtual Fire Deficiency disease.¡± Zhang Xinya nodded with an agonized expression.


    ¡°Lone Riverserpent is indeed a good medicinal herb to treat this disease. The effect would be even better if it¡¯s added to the Silver Bluegrass. Alright, since Ouyang Lulu has spoken for you, I might as well help you to the end.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    After having said that, he dialed Chen Zhizhong¡¯s number.


    ¡°Master, you¡¯re looking for me?¡± Chen Zhizhong¡¯s voice came out of the phone.


    ¡°Yes. I have some trivial things to ask you. Do you know Zhang Xinya?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°I do.¡± Chen Zhizhong replied.


    ¡°I see. She needs a Lone Riverserpent herb. Help her to look for it, give a discount if you can. She¡¯s Ouyang Lulu¡¯s friend.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Without hesitation, Chen Zhizhong said, ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll contact her later.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s with me now, you can speak to her!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    After having said that, he handed the phone to Zhang Xinya and said lightly, ¡°It¡¯s Chen Zhizhong, you talk to him.¡±


    Zhang Xinya was pleasantly surprised. She thanked gratefully as she took the phone and said, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Zhang Xinya. You¡¯re Uncle Chen?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me. My Master has just told me about your situation. I¡¯ll try to find this Lone Riverserpent herb to the best of my abilities, and I¡¯ll immediately inform you after I found it.¡±


    ¡°Your Master?¡± Zhang Xinya was dumbfounded. A confused expression filled her eyes as she subconsciously asked.


    ¡°So you actually didn¡¯t know that the person who owns this mobile phone is my Master?! Alright. Since Master has told me to take care of this matter, you can consider it done. Anyways, since I wouldn¡¯t have to talk to him over the phone again, I¡¯ll hang up.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    Zhang Xinya answered. Then, the muted beeping sounds came out of the phone. A shocked expression was written on her face as she looked at Tang Xiu as though she was looking at an alien.


    _¡°Master? Tang Xiu is Chen Zhizhong¡¯s Master? Heavens! How is this possible?¡±_


    Who was Chen Zhizhong? He was the Big Boss of the Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical, a powerful billionaire with ten billion worth of assets. How was it possible that he worshipped a young man in his 20s given his elated status?


    Zhang Xinya swallowed a mouthful of saliva and asked with a trembling voice, ¡°T-Tang¡­ Tang Xiu, are you really Boss Chen¡¯s Master?¡±


    ¡°Is there a problem with that?¡± Tang Xiu calmly asked.


    ¡°N-no problem, of course, there¡¯s no problem¡­ it¡¯s just¡­ that¡­ I was a little surprised.¡± Zhang Xinya shook her head and waved her hands repeatedly and said, ¡°Oh, right. Thanks. Thanks a lot. If it was me, calling Boss Chen would¡¯ve been extremely difficult.¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a pale smile, ¡°You¡¯re welcome, and no need to be that polite. So long as you see Ouyang Lulu later and don¡¯t say anything bad about me in front of her, I¡¯m content enough. Alright. Since I¡¯ve done all I can, I¡¯ll be boarding my flight. Farewell.¡±


    ¡°Wait! I¡¯ll send you off!¡± Zhang Xinya quickly said.


    Tang Xiu stopped her, and said straightforwardly, ¡°No. I don¡¯t want tomorrow¡¯s news headline to be _¡®A Big Pop Star Zhang Xinya Is On an Intimate Secret Date with A Mysterious Young Man at The Airport¡¯_. So please, just stay where you are.¡±


    After having said that, he took his black travel bag and walked to the door toward the departure gate.


    Zhang Xinya stared at Tang Xiu¡¯s back, dazed. Her heart was as though being turned upside down; with a mix of sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and hot feelings inside. Even in her dreams, she didn¡¯t dare to think that she would come across such a bizarre encounter, of having met an amazing person!


    Originally, it was simply a mere coincidence. She lost her luggage. Then, a trivial matter of borrowing a mobile phone happened. Following that, everything accidentally led to the completion of her purpose in visiting Star City. Not only did she meet a friend of her good sister, the other party even seemingly was a practitioner who had high attainments in Chinese Medical science.


    ***


    Tianjin City!


    Since its location was very close to Beijing, Tianjin City developed extremely fast. A large number of towering high-rise buildings were built along with row after row of shops with its dazzling lineup of merchandises. The transportation network was also extensive as it was accessible from all directions, with an unending flow of traffic that looked as though the full convergence body of a dragon.


    The night had almost fallen when Tang Xiu arrived in Tianjin City. Just as he arrived at Tianjin City Airport, he dialed the mysterious old man¡¯s number. He then rushed toward the Antique Trading Market of Tianjin City after asking about the address.


    ¡°Desolate Origin Ancient Gate.¡±


    The shop had a strange name and its decoration style gave off a gloomy vibe.


    Carrying his travel bag, Tang Xiu entered the front door of the most remote store in this Antique Trading Market. A sense of repression floated inside as well as shrouding his mind. The big rafters, the walls, including all furniture inside were all black. The different colors he could see were only the rows of curios and antiques on the black shelves.


    At present, there wasn¡¯t anyone on the first floor. Aside from two visitors who were looking at the curios and antiques here, there was no one else. Tang Xiu was secretly surprised and wondered, was this shop owner not afraid that the visitors would steal the merchandise? However, in order to find the old man he just talked with on the phone, he released his perception and immediately found him in a private room on the second floor. Aside from a white-haired old man wearing reading glasses, there were also a couple of middle-aged man and woman there. The trio was currently staring at a foot length and a half-foot height finely carved coffin on the table in front of them.


    ¡°That is¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s pupils flickered. Along with the expanding of his perception, he focused his attention on the coffin. He didn¡¯t expect that he would find a Demon Stone on Earth.


    Demon Stones were necessary treasures needed by Demon cultivators from the Demon Realm. It contained a great amount of demonic force inside, for which it could enhance their cultivation bases and strength after they absorbed and refined it. It had the same usefulness as the Immortal Stones used by the Immortals in the Immortal Realm; whereas for the Immortals, they absorbed the immortal force from the Immortal Stones to enhance their strength.


    ¡°I have to obtain it!¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes flashed.


    For Tang Xiu, at present, unlike the Immortal Stones that would only bring about ordinary effects for him, Demon Stones were different. It was because of his cultivation technique¡ªthe Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis was actually a cultivation technique to refine the body into that of a Demon and God¡¯s Divine Body. In the case that he was to absorb its demonic energy, it would be a great boon for him in molding a Divine Body.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and then walked to the second floor. He stopped at the door and knocked it.


    ¡°You are?¡± As the door was opened, the silver-haired old man looked at him curiously.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, from Star City.¡± Tang Xiu answered.


    The silver-haired old man suddenly realized. However, he immediately frowned because he didn¡¯t expect that Tang Xiu would be so young. After hesitating, he said, ¡°You see, this old man is kind of a dotard. You¡¯re the one who called me, right? That¡­ ah please wait a bit! Some people came to me to sell an old object. I have to entertain them first.¡±


    ¡°An old object? Can I take a look at it?¡± Tang Xiu pretended to be surprised and said.


    The silver-haired old man actually wanted to refuse it. However, recalling that Tang Xiu was here to buy his precious stones, he nodded as to avoid other difficulties later.


    After entering the room, the silver-haired old man was as though he forgot Tang Xiu¡¯s presence. He quickly went back to inspecting the small coffin with the middle-aged man and woman, constantly moving back and forth.


    ¡°I can¡¯t open it! Didn¡¯t you say that this was passed down from your ancestors? Could it be that nobody among your ancestors was able to open it?¡± Finally, the silver-haired old man couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    The middle-aged man was plainly dressed and looked simple and honest. Upon hearing the question, he immediately shook his head and said, ¡°Originally, the elders of the family thought that opening this coffin would be¡­ ominous, thus they put it in the family¡¯s ancestral shrine. Recently, there was a fire in our village. Dozens of houses were burnt, including our family¡¯s ancestral shrine. At first, we thought that everything had been burned to ashes, but we didn¡¯t expect that after we cleaned up the ruins, we¡¯d found this coffin still intact. We also wanted to open it, however, no matter what means we tried, either smashing it with a hammer, burning it, nothing could damage this coffin, even a bit. This object is extremely hard. Even though I don¡¯t know how hard a diamond is, but I¡¯m definitely sure that this coffin is harder than a diamond.¡±


    The silver-haired old man nodded and said, ¡°Yes, this object is indeed extremely hard. I just used an electric drill and cutting machine before, but I can¡¯t destroy it. Also, this is the first time I saw this object and I can¡¯t identify the material and its quality. I¡¯m not sure about the origin of this object, from which dynasty era. As for the valuation of this object¡­ It¡¯s really hard for me to estimate it.¡±


    The middle-aged man and woman glanced at each other as disappointment could be seen on their faces.


    They had visited more than a dozen antique stores. Neither of those shopkeepers or antique experts was able to figure out the value of the coffin. Even the highest price they were willing to offer was but only a mere 50 thousand yuan.


    The middle-aged man asked, ¡°Old man, just say your price. If we feel that it¡¯s okay, we¡¯ll sell this thing to you. If not, then we¡¯ll leave.¡±


    The silver-haired man had obviously considered the issue of the price for a long time. Upon hearing the middle-aged man¡¯s question, he stretched his finger and said, ¡°I¡¯ll buy it for 100 thousand.¡±


    Upon hearing the offer, the middle-aged man and woman¡¯s faces were still full of disappointment. The middle-aged woman then asked again with anticipation on her face, ¡°Can you give a higher price? We¡¯re really in need of a lot of money, but we can¡¯t sell it for only 100 thousand!¡±


    For a moment, the silver-haired old man was silent. After that, he slowly said, ¡°120 thousand yuan. This is the highest price I can offer. It¡¯s because I¡¯m also taking a great risk in buying this object! If you can accept it, then we¡¯ll conclude the deal now. But if you can¡¯t, I won¡¯t raise my offer again.¡±


    The middle-aged man said with a bitter expression, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we can¡¯t sell for 120 thousand yuan.¡±


    After having said that, he wrapped the coffin with the yellowish cloth again, looking down and dejected.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Tang Xiu suddenly spoke.


    That middle-aged man was surprised for a moment, even the middle-aged woman and the silver-haired old man were astonished.


    Looking at the middle-aged man, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Can you tell me what happened to your family?¡±


    ¡°Ah, alright. A big fire broke out in our home. Not only was the house all burnt, even my father got severe burn injuries. In order to treat our old father, we, husband and wife, have borrowed a lot of money. So, if this object is sold for less than 300 thousand, we can¡¯t even pay our debt.¡±

 Chapter 220

    Chapter 220: Geologist


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    With a compassionate expression, Tang Xiu solemnly nodded and said, ¡°Filial piety is the most important of all virtues. So you have done the right thing. Even though I don¡¯t know what the object is, however, this object should be a good thing since this elder offered 120 thousand yuan. Then, I¡¯ll give you 300 thousand. Sell it to me.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± The eyes of the middle-aged man and woman brightened up and looked excited.


    Tang Xiu took out his mobile and calmly said, ¡°Tell me your bank account number so I can transfer the money to you. Remember, the most important virtue one should have is to be filial to our parents. No matter if we have to sacrifice everything or lose the family fortune, we have to make our family¡¯s aged parents have a good and comfortable life.¡±


    The middle-aged man said with a grateful expression, ¡°Thank you, thank you.¡±


    After Tang Xiu got the middle-aged man¡¯s bank account, he thought for a moment and then transferred 320 thousand yuan. After that, he calmly spoke, ¡°I added 20 thousand more. Use the money to buy nutritious food for your old father.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± The middle-aged man and woman looked at each other.


    For a moment, they almost kneeled out of gratefulness. They were really in dire need of money. Not only did they need it to pay their debts, but also to rebuild their house and their children¡¯s tuition. Back then, they said that they had a little more than 200 thousand yuan in debts, and now they had an excess of nearly 100 thousand yuan, which can be used to rebuild their house and for their children¡¯s tuition.


    This sum of 20 thousand yuan was definitely not a small amount for them.


    A few minutes later, the middle-aged man and woman left. There were only the silver-haired old man and Tang Xiu inside the room. The old man narrowed his eyes, carefully looking at Tang Xiu for a long period of time. Only after a while did he slowly spoke, ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, you bought the object for 320 thousand yuan not solely because of their filial piety.¡±


    As always, ones who came across something worth celebrating would look spirited and happy.


    ¡°Indeed. Since you didn¡¯t want to buy such a good object, naturally, I had to act. Of course, even if you eventually bought this object, I¡¯d still think up every possible means to get it, no matter the price.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    The silver-haired man¡¯s face flickered. He propped up his glasses and asked with a deep tone, ¡°That means you know about this object, yes?¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded.


    However, he actually didn¡¯t want to talk about this topic anymore. After all, the Demon Stone was not something that could be understood by the silver-haired old man, to begin with. After he received and wrapped it, he said, ¡°The elder¡¯s surname is?¡±


    The silver-haired old man said, ¡°My family name is Hu. You can call me Professor Hu.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Hu, I believe you already know the purpose of my visit from Star City. I want to buy the ores we spoke about. How many do you have?¡± Tang Xiu said.


    The silver-haired old man¡¯s eyes flickered, ¡°There are two Wintertide Fluorite and one Star Fragment Stone. All of which are at the size of an adult¡¯s fist. Since you know about these two ores, I believe you know their value.¡±


    ¡°May I see the ores first?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    The silver-haired old man walked downstairs followed by Tang Xiu. After passing through the corridor, they arrived at a small courtyard in the back. Much to his surprise, Tang Xiu found that the yard had no plants whatsoever. Aside from the cold, hard concrete pavement, there was only a black painted house, giving off a vibe of repression and gloominess even if one was merely standing.


    ¡°Please wait a bit!¡±


    The silver-haired old man spoke as he entered the partial room. Without much effort, he came back with two small black suitcases.


    ¡°The ores you want are inside the suitcases. Open it.¡±


    Tang Xiu opened the suitcases and saw the Wintertide Fluorite and Star Fragment Stone inside. After analyzing them for two minutes, he slowly nodded and said, ¡°These indeed are the Wintertide Fluorites and Star Fragment Stone. Professor Hu, say the price!¡±


    ¡°For the two Wintertide Fluorites, 5 million each, and 10 million for the Star Fragment Stone. Altogether is 20 million yuan. If you want them, pay it directly. If you don¡¯t want it, please leave.¡± The silver-haired old man said.


    ¡°20 million?¡± Tang Xiu frowned. He only had a few million now and couldn¡¯t pay 20 million. However, he wanted these Wintertide Fluorites and Star Fragment Stone, so he dialed Kang Xia¡¯s number, asking her to transfer 20 million to pay these three ores.


    A few minutes later, the silver-haired old man had received a transfer of 20 million yuan.


    ¡°Might I ask what are you going to do with these two ores? Of course, if it¡¯s not convenient for you to answer, you can forget it.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and answered, ¡°Forge some tools!¡± Then, he took the two small suitcases as well as the Demon Stone coffin which was wrapped in a yellow cloth.


    The silver-haired old man quickly asked, ¡°You have the technology to forge them? What can you forge out of them?


    While walking, Tang Xiu answered, ¡°I do have some forging skills and techniques. As for what I want to forge, it¡¯s not convenient to say it. By the way, since we¡¯ve concluded our deal, I¡¯ll go back now. If you¡¯re able to get these ores in the future, please remember to contact me. I¡¯ll take as much as you have.¡±


    The silver-haired old man didn¡¯t speak for a few seconds before he slowly spoke, ¡°Although I only have these many, I know someone who has several Wintertide Fluorites and Star Fragment Stones. It¡¯s just, I don¡¯t know if he wants to sell it or not!¡±


    ¡°Someone else also has them? Who is it?¡± Tang Xiu stopped walking and asked in astonishment.


    ¡°He¡¯s my best friend, Le Baiyi. He¡¯s a geologist in Shanghai University¡¯s Department of Archeology. I¡¯d be able to help if you want to find him, he¡¯s also in Tianjin City right now.¡± He said.


    Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Professor Hu, have you had dinner yet? How about we dine together?¡±


    A surprised glint flashed from the silver-haired old man¡¯s eyes. He nodded and said, ¡°Well, let¡¯s consider it as me giving you a welcoming dinner as well. So we can also meet with my old friend.¡±


    The night in Tianjin city was as though within the blue dome of heaven with falling stars. It was filled with bright colorful lights which illuminated everything along with flashing neon lights, leading to a flowing river of lights.


    Lotus Blossom House.


    This name was famous among the upscale restaurants in Tianjin City and was considered as the best, either for its cuisines or the environment. It was a three-storied restaurant. The first floor was an open hall without tables and chairs with a variety of inlay mosaic paintings and calligraphies on the surrounding walls. Each and every painting had its own title and autograph, whereas the painting patterns were all related with lotus flowers.


    Tang Xiu was following the silver-haired old man¡ªProfessor Hu to Lotus Blossom House. After arriving, only then did he knew that dining in this place turned out to have a very demanding requirement, for one had to have left behind at least one painting in the hall on the first floor. As for Professor Hu himself, he also had left one painting in the hall.


    Tang Xiu used his perception to look around and found that there were a total of more than 200 paintings, which meant that this place only had a little more than 200 patrons. However, one could bring their friends to dine here.


    ¡°This custom is truly rare and wonderful!¡± Following behind Professor Hu, Tang Xiu walked upstairs and exclaimed.


    Professor Hu said indifferently, ¡°Some people do have this kind of hobby. As for how they manage and run it, it¡¯s naturally their own business to take care of. There are a total of 24 boxes on the second and third floors. In the case that all of them are fully occupied with guests on the same day, it¡¯s impossible for others to dine here. Needless to say, this method is truly effective as this place is practically fully occupied almost every day.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Hunger Marketing tactic!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded slowly. It reminded him of the marketing model for Apple¡¯s iPhone. This model was especially focused on the psychological aspect of the consumers in regards to the rarity of consumer goods which would result in the rising of its value. So to speak, as long as the food and wine were that of good quality, the business would be guaranteed to flourish.


    ¡°Professor Hu, since Lotus Blossom House is running this type of business concept, wouldn¡¯t they only get a few profits?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s the contrary. Their profit is very big.¡± Professor Hu shook his head and answered.


    Tang Xiu was surprised, ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°The rarer the goods are, the more expensive they become. And in this case, the emphasis is on the ¡®expensive¡¯ word.¡± Professor Hu said.


    Tang Xiu understood it in a flash. Even if there were only 24 boxes and a total of fully occupied tables were just 24; however, if the price was extremely expensive, then the profit margin was quite big.


    Numerous boxes here were separated by partitions and divided into dining rooms and small drawing rooms. Since Professor Hu¡¯s old friend hadn¡¯t yet arrived, both of them sat on the couch in the small drawing room as the waiter assigned to them handed over the menu for the tea, beverages, and desserts.


    Shortly after, a pot of Scarlet Oolong Tea and four desserts had been placed on the tea table in front of them.


    ¡°It¡¯s really expensive, truly. 2800 yuan for a pot of Scarlet Oolong Tea and 1200 yuan for four desserts. Even before the main course, we have already spent 4000 yuan. It seems the owner of this restaurant truly has applied the essence of ¡®the rarer the goods the more expensive the value¡¯ without restraint. All in all, the requirement to dine here is truly high since people also have to understand about paintings, but they also have to be wealthy and respectable.¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but sigh.


    ¡°You yourself are still very young, but you can come up with 20 million to buy a few stones. I believe your identity and background is also unusual, yes?¡± Professor Hu said with a pale smile.


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but reply in contrast, ¡°I¡¯m only a student who just attended the CET.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Professor Hu stared blankly for a moment as he said with astonishment, ¡°You¡¯re still studying?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s still studying?¡±


    A waiter opened the box¡¯s door as a half-bald old man dressed in a Chinese tunic came in from the outside. The most eye-catching was his eyes, which were full of spirit and extremely bright. Following behind him was a graceful, fairy-like girl. Despite being used to see beautiful women, Tang Xiu himself was somewhat moved upon seeing her.


    ¡°Old Le, you¡¯re late.¡± Professor Hu stood up and said with a smile.


    Le Baiyi forced out a smile and said, ¡°This Tianjin City of yours is way too cramped. It¡¯s almost catching up with Shanghai.¡±


    Professor Hu involuntarily laughed. He then spotted the girl as he said with a pale smile, ¡°Ah, it¡¯s the famed first beauty in the capital, Mu Wanying! I heard that a few days ago you painted the ¡®Playing White Crane and Lotus¡¯ painting, yes? The news about it quite resounded in the Lotus Blossom House!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re overpraising me, Professor Hu.¡± Mu Wanying humbly replied.


    Professor Hu faintly smiled. While pointing at Tang Xiu, he spoke to Le Baiyi, ¡°Old Le, the person who wants to see you today is him.¡±


    ¡°How do you do Professor Le, I¡¯m Tang Xiu.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°You want to see me?¡± Le Baiyi was puzzled.


    ¡°Yes, Professor Le. I heard from Professor Hu that you have several precious ores. Might I ask whether you¡¯re willing to sell them?¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Le Baiyi looked at Tang Xiu with astonishment. He then shifted his vision with a look of inquiry toward Professor Hu.


    Professor Hu said, ¡°I¡¯ve sold the two Wintertide Fluorites as well as my Star Fragment Stone to this young man. However, his appetite is quite the big one.¡±


    Le Baiyi understood in a flash. His expression turned more apathetic as he looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°I understand your intentions, but those several stones of mine are not for sale.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pity!¡±


    Tang Xiu secretly sighed inside and nodded silently. As the common saying says, a noble person doesn¡¯t rob others¡¯ favorite things.


    He was already content to buy two Wintertide Fluorites and one Star Fragment Stone from Professor Hu. If he could buy more, it would naturally be a good thing. But since the other party didn¡¯t want to sell it, he also didn¡¯t want to force him.

 Chapter 221

    Chapter 221: Disappointment


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    A surprised glint flashed from Mu Wanying¡¯s eyes. She knew that this professor had a few precious ores he got from an ancient tomb many years ago. Those objects were regarded as his treasured collection.


    Thus, she was very curious. Tang Xiu was very young, why would he want to buy those few precious ores?


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s have dinner!¡±


    Professor Hu himself didn¡¯t care whether Le Baiyi was willing to sell the ores or not. His purpose was simple- clarify Tang Xiu¡¯s identity, and meet his old friend while convenient.


    After they sat, Le Baiyi asked in a seemingly inadvertent manner, ¡°Anyways, your name is Tang Xiu, isn¡¯t it? You too know that the values of the Wintertide Fluorite and the Star Fragment Stone are extremely high. Might you tell me for what purpose you¡¯re buying them?¡±


    ¡°To forge some tools.¡± Tang Xiu said calmly.


    For a moment, Le Baiyi stared blankly. Following that, he laughed involuntarily, ¡°Hahaha, are you kidding me?¡± Then, he immediately continued, ¡°For the Wintertide Fluorite I can believe that, since it¡¯s structure is easy to melt and cut. But the Star Fragment Stone has a degree of hardness that can be compared to diamond! This joke¡¯s not funny at all.¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t explain. Others might be unable to forge tools from the Star Fragment Stone, but he can easily melt it. Would ordinary people even be able to understand his refining technique, to begin with?


    Professor Hu¡¯s curiosity was sparked once again. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, ¡°Tang Xiu, you said you want to forge tools. Can you tell me about the forging methods? Also, what kind of object are you going to forge from it?¡±


    Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°It¡¯s just some small objects and not worth mentioning, to be honest. However, as for the forging method, you won¡¯t be able to understand it even if I say it.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ¡­¡±


    Professor Hu and Le Baiyi looked at each other and paused before they secretly shook their heads.


    Extremely arrogant!


    Tang Xiu was way too arrogant in their minds. What he said making them incensed. Even Mu Wanying also felt that Tang Xiu was arrogant and couldn¡¯t help but have some contempt for him.


    Looking at Mu Wanying, Professor Mu asked, ¡°I heard that you just graduated from Beijing University and are preparing to take your Master¡¯s Degree at Shanghai Uni.¡±


    ¡°I did. I was majoring in Law, but I don¡¯t like it. I love traveling as well as archeology so I¡¯m preparing to follow Teacher to the Shanghai University and take Archeology.¡±


    Archeology?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows raised as a surprised expression glinted from his eyes.


    He just finished his CET and filled his application form to enroll there. He also chose Archeology. The reason being, he mainly wanted to find precious ores, as it would be helpful for his cultivation.


    Professor Hu sighed, ¡°Archeology is indeed the gate to the greater knowledge. It¡¯s necessary for us to explore the traces of five millenniums of culture and civilization left behind in China, excavating the historical data that has yet to be recorded in intellectual literature. It has a great influence and will be very helpful for the future generation. This Old Le is a Geology Professor as well as the Vice President of the Archeologist Association, you really can learn a lot from him.¡±


    Mu Wanying gently nodded and replied, ¡°Teacher is indeed very knowledgeable. He has taught me a lot of things and I also benefited greatly even though I learned from him for just a few days.¡±


    ¡°Knock, knock¡­¡±


    The box¡¯s door was knocked as the waiter entered and smiled, ¡°Lady and Sirs, our Lotus Blossom House is welcoming a VIP today. He has successfully passed the test in painting skills and is using his right according to our old custom. He wishes to come to this box and have a toast here.¡±


    ¡°Ah, the Lotus Blossom House has been very lively in the last few days! In just 10 days, four to five people have succeeded in becoming VIPs through the painting test. Who¡¯s the person who passed today?¡± Professor Hu spoke with astonishment.


    ¡°Zhu Xiang!¡± The waiter said with a smile.


    Professor Hu¡¯s brows pricked and said, ¡°Ah, it turns out to be that arrogant prick. A rampant youth and someone who thinks he¡¯s unrivaled in the world. I was originally too lazy to see him. But since it¡¯s the custom of your Lotus Blossom House, then let him come!¡±


    Le Baiyi was surprised and asked, ¡°Old Hu, you have such a bad evaluation of him? Who¡¯s that kid and what¡¯s his background?¡±


    Professor Hu shook his head as he sighed, ¡°Aii, he¡¯s indeed a genius in painting and calligraphy. But his family spoils him too much, turning him into a young man without a hint of modesty; people would only be able to see his arrogance and rudeness. You heard about the Shanghai Golden Duck Exhibition two years ago, right? This kid reached the height in a single bound in that art exhibition and numerous people know him ever since.¡±


    Le Baiyi suddenly said, ¡°Oh, it turns out to be him! He¡¯s indeed a proud little chap. But I know nothing much about calligraphy and painting, though. So it didn¡¯t catch my attention.¡±


    ¡°I too have heard of him. He¡¯s notorious and has ruined a lot of girls¡¯ chastity.¡± Mu Wanying said.


    ¡°How come you know that?¡± Professor Hu was stunned.


    ¡°At first, I also liked his paintings, I even collected one of his works. But I accidentally heard from a friend of mine that he¡¯s notorious for ruining the chastity of a lot of girls in Shanghai as well as dumping them afterward. One of whom was even was pregnant and then committed suicide by jumping from a dozen-storied building, claiming two lives. Since his family has quite a few connections, the case was put down. However, since I wanted to find out whether the case was true or not, I asked my friend in Shanghai to investigate it, and it turns out that everything is true.¡±


    ¡°What a bastard!¡± Le Baiyi¡¯s face changed as he loudly cursed.


    Tang Xiu had no interest in these matters. He silently ate his meal, thinking whether he should go back to Star City immediately after dinner or spend the night in Tianjin City and go back in the morning.


    He still had something to do as fast as possible- set up the winery!


    Even though he had taught the recipe and its process to Scarblade Qiang, but he couldn¡¯t tell whether Scarblade Qiang would be able to produce the delicious fermented wine after the rebuilding of the winery.


    And at the moment, along with the increasing need for resources, he would also need more money. If he didn¡¯t think of a way to speed up the speed in making money, he would definitely be unable to support his and Gu Yin¡¯s cultivation.


    Furthermore, he also had to take a trip to Jingmen Island in the near future to see Yan¡¯er¡¯s condition. The longer he delayed, the more severe her injuries would be. He already asked everyone he knew of to help him find the Chrono Crystal as well as the Demonic Revival Grass. Although there was only a minute possibility of finding them on Earth, he didn¡¯t want to give up even if the chances were very low.


    ¡°Excuse me. I¡¯m Bai Yu, the General Manager of this Lotus Blossom House.¡±


    The box¡¯s door was knocked as a middle-aged woman in a blazer approached the box along with a proud and arrogant looking young man.


    Professor Hu stood up. He didn¡¯t like this youth, but he had no choice but to give a face to Bai Yu. After all, the Bai Family had an aloof status in Tianjin City. Even though Bai Yu referred herself as the manager of the Lotus Blossom House, but regular patrons here knew that she was actually the owner of this place.


    ¡°Congratulations, Manager Bai. Your restaurant has added a VIP yet again.¡±


    Bai Yu smiled, ¡°Thank you, Professor Hu. I haven¡¯t seen you for quite a while in our Lotus Blossom House. Could it be that our service here is too poor so it doesn¡¯t meet your elderly satisfaction?¡±


    Professor Hu waved his hand and said, ¡°Nah, I was just very busy lately so I rarely had the chance to come by.¡±


    Bai Yu nodded, ¡°Professor Hu and everyone. I will introduce you a distinguished VIP of our Lotus Blossom House, Zhu Xian. Zhu Xian, this one is Professor Hu, he once served as a Professor in the Department of History at Tianjin University.¡±


    Zhu Xian went into the box. His eyes swept over at everyone before his sight finally landed on Mu Wanying. All of his attention was fully focused on her as even his expression froze. He didn¡¯t hear anything spoken by Bai Yu and Professor Hu.


    As a son of an influential family in Tianjin City and also having studied in Shanghai University for four years, he had seen numerous beautiful women already, but he could hardly find one of them to be compared to Mu Wanying.


    ¡°Zhu Xiang¡­¡± Bai Yu knitted her brows and called out again.


    This time, Zhu Xian finally was able to get back his composure. He looked at Bai Yu and immediately walked toward Mu Wanying. Trying to look as amicable and graceful as he could, he shoved a handshake and smiled, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Zhu Xiang. Might I ask this young lady¡¯s surname?¡±


    At this moment, Professor Hu¡¯s face blackened as an awkward expression was written all over Bai Yu¡¯s face as she angrily glared at Zhu Xiang.


    Mu Wanying didn¡¯t get up nor even looked at him. She sat still in her seat and quietly savored her dishes. Tang Xiu also didn¡¯t get up. He had no interest at all toward this Zhu Xiang or the Lotus Blossom House. The purpose of his visit here was to buy the Wintertide Fluorite and Star Fragment Stone from Le Baiyi, even though it was a pity that it was a wasted trip. Therefore, he had decided that he would find a hotel to spend the night after the meal and return back to Star City tomorrow.


    Zhu Xian frowned. Looking at Mu Wanying who was ignoring him, despite being angry inside, he still pretended to not care about it as he still held his amiable smile, ¡°Miss, by virtue of my painting skill, I got the VIP membership of this Lotus Blossom House. Might I ask whether Miss knows about paintings? I also brought along my work with me, would you like to appreciate it?¡±


    Mu Wanying finally looked up slowly. She coldly looked at him as she shook her head and said, ¡°No. Unless it¡¯s the work of a famous expert, I won¡¯t see it. Furthermore, I offer you an advice, we¡ªChinese have a traditional virtue, that is, respect for the elderly and care for the young. The manager of dining hall just introduced you to Professor Hu, but you blatantly ignored him. I really want to know whether you were educated or not. If not, I know a place that might make you educated and cultured.¡±


    At the opposite of her, Tang Xiu looked up and thought that Mu Wanying¡¯s line was quite interesting. A smile outline revealed itself on the corner of his mouth as he asked, ¡°Where is it?¡±


    ¡°Juvenile Correctional Center.¡± Mu Wanying glanced at Tang Xiu and lightly said.


    Tang Xiu looked at her with an odd expression. Inside, he was at a loss whether to cry or laugh. The words she spoke were truly venomous. The correctional institution was actually enough to express it, but she still added ¡°juvenile¡±. This meant that in her eyes, Zhu Xian wasn¡¯t a grown up!


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Anger finally filled Zhu Xiang¡¯s face. But he suppressed the flames of anger in an instant. He couldn¡¯t get the subtle meaning behind Mu Wanying¡¯s line. But facing Mu Wanying who was really too beautiful, he only put the hatred inside and decided to teach her well after he successfully hooked her up.


    Zhu Xiang secretly heaved a breath. He turned around and looked at Professor Hu, saying, ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t expect to see Professor Hu here. Have you been well? My grandfather previously said that you¡¯re in a poor health, so you should take care of yourself better.¡±


    Professor Hu¡¯s face became darker. The meaning behind Zhu Xiang¡¯s words was as if he deliberately made his health deteriorate. He snorted coldly as he silently sat back in his seat.


    Le Baiyi looked at his old friend¡¯s expression and secretly sighed inside. He turned toward Bai Yu and said, ¡°Manager Bai, right? I¡¯d have to trouble you to help us send the visitor off!¡±

 Chapter 222

    Chapter 222: Too Conceited to Differentiate Good from Bad


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Bai Yu was also annoyed by Zhu Xian at this moment. But in the presence of other visitors, she couldn¡¯t flare up and could only suppress her anger inside her heart. She nodded and looked at Zhu Xian, ¡°Since the guests don¡¯t welcome you. You can go now!¡±


    Zhu Xiang frowned. He snorted coldly and said, ¡°Hmph, Manager Bai, what¡¯s the meaning with this? I¡¯m your Lotus Blossom House distinguished VIP. How can you dismiss me with such manner?¡±


    Bai Yu had never thought that Zhu Xian was so conceited and unable to differentiate good from bad. Although she was fully angered, she still contained it and wanted him to leave first. However, this person turned to be unable to accept the good intentions of others, and in turn, even bit her.


    Under such blazing anger, Bai Yu didn¡¯t even care about him anymore as she said icily, ¡°Mr. Zhu. The others clearly said for the visitor to leave and you still want to stay here? Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t differentiate between good and bad. Do you want others to kick you out, only then will you be content? Furthermore, even though you¡¯ve become our Lotus Blossom House VIP, but you still have to behave yourself. If you want to make trouble in our Lotus Blossom House, then leave. I¡¯ll revoke your VIP status.¡±


    Zhu Xiang flew into a rage. This kind of feeling of being berated and aimed at was not something his self-esteem could stand. His face flickered unceasingly. He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Manager Bai, words have been said and you have to stay true to your own words. I gave my painting to your Lotus Blossom House, and you actually want to drive me away? Do you want to destroy your own reputation? Also, I¡¯ve looked at the paintings on the wall downstairs. Most of them are garbage. I endured having my painting being hung along with the other trash paintings in the same place. And you¡¯re still so dense despite my good intentions?¡±


    Despite her fury, Bai Yu smiled as she stared at him and sternly said, ¡°Very good. I really never thought that you¡¯d turn out to be such a character. I¡¯ll hold to my words. But starting from today, if you dare step into my Lotus Blossom House even half a step, I will consider it as a provocation to us. I want to see what ability you or even your Zhu Family have.¡±


    Professor Hu and Mu Wanying also looked angry at the moment. The paintings hung downstairs, some of them were also their work. And now Zhu Xiang called them garbage, this greatly annoyed them.


    ¡°Pa¡­¡±


    Professor Hu slapped the table. He stood up and shouted, ¡°What a rubbish talk! You are just a boy who hasn¡¯t fully grown your hair. You have a little ability, but your arrogance is truly boundless. If our paintings are garbage, then what rank are your paintings? A treasure? Hmph. You just want knowledgeable people to make you a laughingstock.¡±


    ¡°Professor Hu, you¡¯re a historian, you dare to compare yourself to me in painting and calligraphy? I do respect your trivial knowledge of history and literature. But please don¡¯t disgrace yourself in the painting field. And to be honest, your painting hung on the wall downstairs, is indeed garbage. If you¡¯re unable to accept it, let¡¯s compare yours with mine and let all the guests of the Lotus Blossom House appraise and comment on them.¡± Zhu Xiang sneered.


    Professor Hu was so enraged even his lips shivered. His raised arms also trembled slightly. He already knew that Zhu Xian was very rampant, domineering and uninhibited. But he had never imagined that he would be arrogant to this extent. Did he really have no respect whatsoever for the elderly?


    Mu Wanying stood up and coldly looked at Zhu Xiang, ¡°Using your strong point to attack the others¡¯ weak point, eh? You know, seeing this attitude of yours, I really beg to differ. Since you want to compare yourself, I¡¯ll accompany your play. Let¡¯s have a bet!¡±


    Zhu Xiang was surprised for a moment before proudly replying, ¡°Relying on you? It¡¯s not that I¡¯m looking down on you or Professor Hu, but do you really think that you¡¯re better than me?¡± Suddenly, his eyes turned. An excellent idea sprouted inside his mind as a deceitful smile revealed itself on his mouth. He cleared his throat and said, ¡°However, if you want to bet with me on Professor Hu¡¯s behalf, it¡¯s fine. But since it¡¯s a gamble, a stake must be put onto it. What kind of stake do you dare to bet in this gamble?¡±


    Mu Wanying¡¯s brows slightly pressed. Zhu Xiang¡¯s meaningful glance disgusted her deeply. After a short moment of silence, she replied slowly, ¡°I have a set of precious calligraphy created by Grandmaster Wang Xizhi. If I lose, I¡¯ll give it to you. But if I win, what will you put out as a stake?¡±


    Zhu Xiang¡¯s brows wrinkled. He then sneered, ¡°Hmph, Wang Xizhi¡¯s calligraphy can be said as a priceless treasure, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s enough. If you lose, you have to comply with a condition, whatever it is. But If I lose, I will give you the ¡®Sailboats and Pavilions¡¯ painting by the famous painter in the Tang Dynasty, Li Sixun, while I¡¯ll also agree with your condition.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Mu Wanying hesitated. She cared about the set of Wang Xizhi¡¯s treasured calligraphy, but losing it would only make her distressed for a few days. But, she was afraid that Zhu Xiang would ask an excessive condition she couldn¡¯t accept. Furthermore, she also realized that although Zhu Xiang¡¯s attitude was bad, his painting skill was very good. She knew that she wouldn¡¯t be able to win him convincingly. At the most, it would only be a tie.


    _¡°What should I do? Should I give up?¡±_


    If she was to give up, it wouldn¡¯t only show that she was timid and admitting that her ability is inferior to his.


    For a while, Mu Wanying was as though riding a tiger and hard to get off. It was impossible for her to stop here.


    Tang Xiu, who was quietly savoring his dishes, finally put down the chopsticks in his hands. He shook his head and sighed, ¡°Aiii, I have seen too many fake and shameless bastards, but only a few can match your shamelessness, Zhu Xiang. I can tell that the condition you¡¯re going to propose is, in fact, to let her dig the pit and jump into it on her own, no? Actually, you don¡¯t need to admit it. I know perfectly well about your idea. It¡¯s nothing more than you want to use the condition as a constraint that after you win, you want her for you. Am I correct?¡±


    In a split second, everyone¡¯s expression greatly changed.


    As blazing furious as he was, Zhu Xiang, who was seen through, suddenly hated Tang Xiu and at the same time, immediately shouted in a stern voice, ¡°It¡¯s you who¡¯s a shameless bastard! Don¡¯t you dare slander me! I admit I really like her, but in no way will I use that condition to force her. A graceful lady is there and a gentleman comes to court her, but still, he will respect her right to pursue her own choice. If I can get her heart, I¡¯ll marry her.¡±


    Marry? Wasn¡¯t this also counted as having a hidden intention?


    Everyone present inside the box revealed a look of disgust, as Mu Wanying had a terribly blackened face.


    Tang Xiu laughed involuntarily and said, ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯ve seen shameless people, but never have I ever seen a truly shameless one such as you! Fine! How about I accompany you to play? If I lose, say whatever condition you want. But if you lose, I don¡¯t want whatever calligraphy or painting you have, just get your damn ass out of here.¡±


    Flames of anger were almost blazing out from Zhu Xiang¡¯s eyes. He glared angrily at Tang Xiu and snapped, ¡°Who the fuck are you? Why the hell are you meddling in someone else¡¯s business?¡±


    Tang Xiu pointed at Mu Wanying and plainly said, ¡°You just said yourself that you¡¯re a gentleman who is trying to court a graceful lady. You can take me as her envoy or guardian. How about it? Didn¡¯t you dare to bet with her? And now, do you dare or not to play and bet with me?¡±


    Zhu Xiang clenched his fists. If he didn¡¯t strongly restrain himself, he really would have fiercely punched Tang Xiu¡¯s face. Looking at Mu Wanying¡¯s blackened face, he said, ¡°Fine! Since you want to insult yourself, I¡¯ll help you. But I don¡¯t like a gambling without stakes. I¡¯ll use my ¡°Sailboats and Pavilions¡± painting and you bet your collection.¡±


    ¡°My collection?¡± Tang Xiu rolled his eyes and turned toward Mu Wanying. He then said lightly, ¡°Do you dare to lend me your treasured set of Wang Xizhi¡¯s calligraphy?¡±


    Mu Wanying took a deep breath and spoke with a deep tone, ¡°I¡¯ll lend it to you.¡±


    Tang Xiu shrugged his shoulders and said, ¡°Did you hear it? The set of Wang Xizhi¡¯s treasured calligraphy should be enough, no?¡±


    Despite his fury, Zhu Xiang smiled as he clapped his hands and said, ¡°Alright. Since you wanna bet, then bet we will! Say! You wanna do it here or in another place?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at Bai Yu and peacefully asked, ¡°Manager Bai, right? Since your Lotus Blossom House has a painting custom, you should have prepared paintbrush and papers, right? May I trouble you to provide the painting tools as well as make an appraisal committee consisted of the guests of your restaurant?¡±


    Bai Yu looked at Tang Xiu deeply. She then nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll immediately pass the orders as per your request. The contest will be held half an hour later in the first floor¡¯s hall.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tang Xiu replied calmly.


    Bai Yu looked at Zhu Xiang with a bad expression, saying, ¡°Now, come with me!¡±


    Zhu Xian snorted coldly and glanced provocatively at Tang Xiu as he then turned around to leave.


    Inside the box.


    The anger on Professor Hu¡¯s face slowly faded away and was replaced with a bitter expression. He looked at Tang Xiu, shook his head and sighed, ¡°Young man, you shouldn¡¯t have let your decisions be affected by your emotions! I know you did that out of good intentions. Yet, on-the-spot painting is not something you can fake! The set of Wang Xizhi¡¯s treasured calligraphy might not reach the point of being priceless, yet it¡¯s still very valuable. It¡¯s a collection everyone who loves calligraphy and painting long for even in their dreams.¡±


    At the moment, the contempt Le Baiyi had toward Tang Xiu got more intense. He believed that Tang Xiu was just jealous toward Zhu Xiang because of Mu Wanying. He even thought that Tang Xiu was very stupid. He knew that Zhu Xian was very skillful in painting, but still, Tang Xiu gave his face to be slapped by him. The most annoying thing was that Mu Wanying would also lose her precious set collection.


    Mu Wanying was also a bit bitter and annoyed. Even though Tang Xiu did it to help her, but to think that she had to lose her calligraphy collection made her quite distressed. One must know that it was given by her grandfather, of whom he spent quite a big effort to find and buy it at a sky-high price.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you really can paint?¡± After hesitating for a moment, still, Mu Wanying couldn¡¯t help asking.


    ¡°A little.¡± Tang Xiu lightly replied.


    ¡°You know a little about it?¡± Mu Wanying couldn¡¯t feel more disappointed anymore.


    Professor Hu took his eyes back from Tang Xiu and said with a wry smile, ¡°Ah, how I wish Yang Qing was here. He¡¯s acclaimed as the most outstanding genius of the new generation in the painting and calligraphy world. His skill in painting is extremely high and only a few of the great painters of the older generation are more skillful than him.¡±


    Le Baiyi nodded upon hearing this, saying, ¡°I also have heard about this Yang Qing name. He¡¯s indeed a very skillful young painter. He started to learn painting at the age of five and was able to paint good works at the age of ten. Between the age of 16 and 26, a mere ten years, he won hundreds of awards.¡±


    Professor Hu nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. If there wasn¡¯t the sudden emergence of a certain painting recently, I originally believed that he could win the first place in the next Asian Painting Competition with his ¡®One Hundred Birds Turn Toward the Phoenix¡¯ masterpiece!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Le Baiyi was surprised and asked, ¡°A sudden emergence? What painting is that?¡±


    ¡°Accurately speaking, it¡¯s a grand and majestic large-scale architectural design, and was manually hand-painted by someone.¡± Professor Hu exclaimed.

 Chapter 223

    Chapter 223: Contest


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Le Baiyi was astonished and Mu Wanying was curious. On the contrary, Tang Xiu¡¯s face flickered upon hearing Professor Hu¡¯s story.


    Architectural design drawing? Was it¡­ his drawing?


    ¡°Old Hu, tell me the details. Why would this architectural design be eligible to win the prize in the Asian Painting Competition?¡± Le Baiyi inquired.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t it?¡± Professor Hu asked back, and said seriously, ¡°You haven¡¯t seen the drawing, I presume. If you see it, you¡¯ll definitely have your jaw dropped. I have many famous and highly respected painter friends. They even admitted inferiority upon seeing it. The creator of that architectural design has a superb painting technique, it¡¯s very exquisite. That architectural design is a masterpiece, and looks like it imitates and gives off the majestic aura of the palatial heavenly palace.¡±


    Suddenly, Professor Hu¡¯s eyes turned bright. He took out his mobile, opened a mail and its picture attachment. He handed it over to Le Baiyi and said, ¡°I just remembered that my friend sent this architectural design to me. Unfortunately, it¡¯s just a picture and I can¡¯t see the original one.¡±


    Le Baiyi took the phone. After looking at for a few seconds, his pupils suddenly contracted as disbelief burst from his eyes. Despite his trivial knowledge about paintings, he could see that the architectural design was unusual. The lines were boldly drawn with incisive technique, giving off a unique charm. The picture was simply the paradise.


    The thing that shocked him the most was not only this but the design of the architectural buildings itself. The edifice drawn on it looked extremely palatial and majestic. The style was strange and uncanny and it seemed like it reflected the incisiveness of the author.


    He dared say that once someone constructed the edifice in this architectural design masterpiece, it would definitely become the most famous landmark in China. Not only would it be famous throughout the country, it would also be well-known worldwide.


    ¡°It¡¯s so amazing. This old man, I, have seen a lot of paintings in my life, including many masterpieces of famous painters. But absolutely none of them can be compared to this painting.¡±


    Mu Wanying, who had yet to see the picture, had her curiosity greatly sparked by looking at the shocked expression on her teacher¡¯s face. She stood up gracefully and came over to Le Baiyi¡¯s side. Her eyes fell on the picture on the mobile screen as her bent waist slightly trembled.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    Mu Wanying was shocked. She hardly believed her eyes. She couldn¡¯t believe that there would be someone in the world who was able to paint such a divine masterpiece. She had once seen the incomplete picture of the ¡°Along the River During the Qingming Festival¡± painting and she dared guarantee that even a complete version of the painting couldn¡¯t be compared to this one.


    This painting¡­ this painting should have existed only in heaven. Why would it appear in the human world?


    Le Baiyi handed the mobile phone to Mu Wanying. The shock on his old face hadn¡¯t yet faded away as he sighed, ¡°Ahh, someone who can draw this painting can be called the God of Painting. I really can¡¯t imagine now as to how huge the sensation would it create if the buildings in this painting are really built.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. If the buildings on this painting were really built, I¡¯ll make sure to go to the residential area and buy a house there.¡± Professor Hu said with a straight approving expression.


    Le Baiyi said categorically, ¡°You can count me in as well.¡±


    Mu Wanying took the mobile and went back to her seat. Her eyes full shock, she even didn¡¯t hear the conversation of the two old men. Her sensual lips slightly opened and muttered, ¡°If the author of this painting is willing to accept apprentices, I¡¯ll definitely be the first one.¡±


    Her voice wasn¡¯t loud. Yet, Professor Hu and Le Baiyi, including Tang Xiu, could clearly hear it.


    Professor Hu and Le Baiyi glanced at each other with a forced smile on their faces. They also had the same kind of impulse!


    Tang Xiu reached out his hand to Mu Wanying and said, ¡°Show me.¡±


    Mu Wanying came back to her senses and handed over the phone to Tang Xiu with a complex expression. Her eyes were blurred, and nobody knew what she was thinking.


    Tang Xiu took the phone and saw the picture on the screen. Then, a wisp of a smile revealed itself on his face. He didn¡¯t expect that the architectural design that was praised by Professor Hu, Le Baiyi, and Mu Wanying turned out to be the one he painted.


    Immediately after, he returned the phone to Professor Hu.


    Looking at Tang Xiu¡¯s manners, Professor Hu and Le Baiyi secretly despised him. Thinking that Tang Xiu simply had no enthusiasm toward it. That made them even worried about the upcoming contest.


    Shortly after, a waiter of the Lotus Blossom House came to their box, inviting everyone to the painting exhibition hall downstairs. When the four came to the base floor, dozens of guests had surrounded the two tables in the middle of the hall; they could clearly hear their voices.


    ¡°We¡¯re so lucky to be able to see the contest between two talented young painters today. Speaking of painting, I also have learned it in the past for a period of time. But it¡¯s a pity that I¡¯m not talented, so I gave it up. Fortunately, I followed Old Wang visiting this Lotus Blossom House today, so I can see the contest between the two evenly matched painters.¡±


    ¡°I also have heard about Zhu Xiang¡¯s name. He¡¯s a quite famous skilled young painter. But as for Tang Xiu, I¡¯ve never heard of him. He should be a junior who remains low profile!¡±


    ¡°Zhu Xiang is a very arrogant person. A moment ago, when he was introduced and had a toast in the box, his attitude is not friendly nor does he have a shred of modesty in dealing with things. Such a person, even if he has excellent painting skills, perhaps won¡¯t have much charm in his works. But I¡¯m really curious about the young man who¡¯s his opponent in this contest.¡±


    ¡°Tianjin City is very big, and having a Zhu Xiang emerge here is kind of a given. Could anyone else be more skillful than him? But in any case, I think Zhu Xiang will surely win tonight.¡±


    ¡°I think so too.¡±


    ¡°Well, I look forward to seeing a good show, though.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu secretly smiled as he heard these discussions. He indeed had no reputation in Tianjin City, let alone in the painting world. So it wasn¡¯t a wonder that everyone present was full of confidence in Zhu Xiang.


    However, if one couldn¡¯t handle the pressure, one shouldn¡¯t try to be in a position to deal with the problem.


    He was confident in his painting skill. Let alone Zhu Xiang who was his opponent now, even if the other party was a master painter, he was not afraid at all.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, let us begin now.¡±


    Upon seeing that Tang Xiu and the others had arrived, Bai Yu announced, as everyone immediately came into the large platform in the hall. She then approached Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Are you confident?¡±


    ¡°Rest assured.¡± Tang Xiu could see Bai Yu¡¯s mind as he replied with a nod.


    Bai Yu nodded and said, ¡°If you¡¯re confident, please do the best you can. I look forward to your performance.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you down!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    After having said that, he walked to the center of the hall. Looking at Zhu Xiang indifferently, he said, ¡°Bring everything you got, so you won¡¯t say that I¡¯m bullying you when you lose.¡±


    Zhu Xiang sneered, ¡°Relying on you? Hmph¡­ if you had decades of experience in this field, maybe you¡¯d be qualified to say this. Let¡¯s cut the bullshit, actions speak louder than words. Let¡¯s see what you can showcase!¡±


    Tang Xiu no longer paid attention to him as he looked at Bai Yu and calmly asked, ¡°Are there any requirements or rules for this contest?¡±


    Bai Yu brought along ten men and women among the onlookers. Only two of them were still young, whereas the rest were middle-aged or elderly. Bai Yu pointed to the ten people and said, ¡°These ten are our distinguished VIPs and have their paintings being exhibited in this hall. I can guarantee their fairness to be the appraisal committee for this contest. Furthermore, after they assessed your works, the other guests will also take a vote. As for the rule of this contest, it¡¯s very simple. Draw your paintings with a Lotus-related landscape theme within half an hour. Your painting brush, paints, and painting papers have all been prepared.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Zhu Xiang said with unfazed expression, ¡°It¡¯s also fine with me.¡±


    Bai Yu nodded and looked at her watch and then said, ¡°It¡¯s 8:28 PM now, so the end time is at 8:58 PM. I hereby announce that this contest is started¡­ Now.¡±


    Zhu Xiang showed Tang Xiu a ridiculing look. He quickly grabbed the painting brush on his table. After pondering, he started to slowly paint on the canvas.


    Tang Xiu was different.


    At the moment when Bai Yu announced the start of the contest, he slowly closed his eyes, imagining the painting he was about to paint. After a few seconds passed, he quickly grabbed the painting brush, identifying all available paints, and then began drawing. His painting speed was a lot faster than Zhu Xian, and quickly, his brush moved as though a dragon serpent as each and every pattern began to take shape on the canvas.


    ¡°Ah, he must be lost!¡±


    A touch of bitterness appeared on Mu Wanying¡¯s mouth upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s painting speed. She was well aware of the main essence of painting. Unless one was a maestro, whoever dared use the dragon-serpent technique and rapid painting movements, definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to draw a genuine masterpiece.


    There was a line in the painter circle that the essence of carving and painting was to slowly carve out finely particulate lines without being affected by appearance and shape.


    Mu Wanying herself had never heard Tang Xiu¡¯s name before, so he should have no reputation in the calligraphy and painting world. He was but only a nameless youth. Even if he had some skills, he wasn¡¯t someone at Zhu Xiang¡¯s level.


    Professor Hu secretly shook his head. While looking at Tang Xiu from afar, he smiled bitterly, ¡°Mu Wanying, you shouldn¡¯t have agreed before. Looking at his performance, it seems like you¡¯ll lose that Wang Xizhi¡¯s calligraphy of yours.¡±


    Mu Wanying was a bit down. But she was still able to stomach it as she slowly replied, ¡°If I have to lose it, then lose it I will! What is lost is lost, no need to cry over spilled milk.¡±


    Professor Hu lamented, ¡°It seems you can remain positive in this situation. However, I feel that Tang Xiu himself is someone with an unusual identity. Even if you lose your treasured calligraphy, perhaps he has thought of something to compensate you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s his background?¡± Mu Wanying was surprised.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Professor Hu shook his head. ¡°But have you seen an ordinary student who just finished his CET be able to pay 20 million for only a few stones? Yet he still wants to buy Old Le¡¯s ores. His funds are definitely big, much more than 20 million yuan.¡±


    Mu Wanying replied in astonishment, ¡°Did he buy the two Wintertide Fluorites and the Star Fragment Stone from you with a sky-high price?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Professor Hu nodded. ¡°Old Le knows very well about the value of these two ores. The price I gave him is only the floor price, but this fellow accepted happily and didn¡¯t even haggle over it, directly transferring me the money. Also, there¡¯s an object wrapped with yellow cloth inside the travel bag he just handed me; of which, he just recently bought it. Speaking the truth, I can¡¯t tell his origin, neither can I see through him.¡±

 Chapter 224

    Chapter 224: Inciting Awe


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Le Baiyi unenthusiastically said, ¡°Hmph, anyone can act decent and solemn! Even if he has a bit of status and background, but perhaps he¡¯s just so-so in painting. As spirited and vigorous as a young man could be, he¡¯s just intentional, wanting to show off by challenging a love rival in exchange for his love interest¡¯s attention. Just wait when he loses, only then will he know that he¡¯s just disgracing himself.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really a pessimist, aren¡¯t you?¡± Professor Hu chuckled.


    Sneering, Le Baiyi said, ¡°Why should I feel optimistic about him? What qualification does he have for me to feel optimistic about him? If he really can win against Zhu Xiang, I¡¯ll agree to sell him my Wintertide Fluorite and Star Fragment Stone! No¡­ I¡¯ll give them to him for free!¡±


    Professor Hu forced out a smile and said, ¡°Old Le, you shouldn¡¯t let yourself be affected by your emotions in taking a decision.¡±


    Le Baiyi sneered, ¡°Old Hu, you know me. I always mean what I say. If he really wins against Zhu Xiang, I¡¯ll immediately return to Shanghai and take my two ores and give them to him.¡±


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s rapid painting appearance, Bai Yu and the ten painting experts of the appraisal committee also shook their heads. They thought that Tang Xiu was only putting on an act, trying to look mysterious, but in fact, had neither truly learned nor was genuinely talented.


    The balance of victory in their mind was inclined toward Zhu Xian, including Bai Yu, who was very sick of him along with several other painting experts.


    Around a quarter of an hour later.


    Tang Xiu put his painting brush away and lightly drew two patterns on the landscape painting. He then pulled out a piece of white paper and tiled it on top of the painting scroll.


    ¡°I¡¯m done!¡± Tang Xiu looked around, his eyes finally landing on Bai Yu¡¯s face.


    ¡°The time isn¡¯t up yet. We¡¯ll wait for Zhu Xiang.¡± Bai Yu nodded and said.


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tang Xiu replied and then stood in front of the table, waiting quietly.


    After nearly 30 minutes, Zhu Xiang finally painted the scenery he wanted to draw. He raised his hand to erase the sweat on his forehead, showing a contented smile on his handsome face. He then said with a clear voice, ¡°I¡¯ve painted a good one. This painting can definitely be called as one of my best works.¡±


    ¡°Two of you, which one who will take the first chance to show your painting to everyone?¡± Bai Yu nodded and asked.


    Zhu Xiang answered haughtily, ¡°I¡¯ll showcase my painting to these experts first! Wait until I show mine. I want to make him realize the truth, that looking at paintings is as much the same as eating food. After you eat the good one and then eat the poor one, you¡¯ll absolutely feel bored and feel that¡¯s not worth it.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Tang, how about you?¡± Bai Yu asked.


    ¡°Have it your way!¡± Tang Xiu said indifferently.


    Bai Yu nodded and brought the ten judges to the center. They stood in a circle around Zhu Xiang¡¯s drawing table and began to appraise his painting.


    ¡°The skill¡¯s basic foundation is solid. The lines are very clear, with distinct and clear textures. The green mountains and waterfalls are beautiful, with birds springing up and standing on the branches. The most distinguished and best part of all is the deep lake at the foot of the hill in which a beautiful lotus is in full bloom. Looking at this painting can suck people into a world of imagination of the landscape in this beautiful scenery.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Take a look at the color gradation and assortment. It¡¯s delicate and exquisite; the tone is especially dazzling. The birds on the branches have their beaks opened, giving off the vibe of singing folk songs. I¡¯ve seen a lot of paintings, and only a handful are better than this one. If I have to mark it with a number, I can give this one at least 80 points.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s elegant. This painting unexpectedly gives me a sense of elegance. It¡¯s really great. I¡¯ll give it 81 points.¡±


    ¡°80 points!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Bai Yu¡¯s face showed a complex expression along with the judges¡¯ evaluations. Zhu Xiang¡¯s character might be very poor, but the foundation of his painting skill was truly solid. There were a lot of paintings in her Lotus Blossom House, but no more than ten could be said as better than this painting.


    At this moment, she couldn¡¯t help but secretly feel worried for Tang Xiu.


    Bai Yu secretly sighed inside. She then looked at Zhu Xiang and said, ¡°Take your painting and let everyone else to have a look! Wait until everyone has seen your work and the one done by Tang Xiu. Only then will we give you the assessment of the outcome of this contest.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Zhu Xiang picked up his painting and slowly walked in front of the onlookers. It took a few minutes as he returned back to the table and put back his landscape painting on the table. He looked at Tang Xiu with ridicule and said, ¡°No matter how bad your painting is, it has to be revealed, because any attempt to hide it will be futile in the end. I have showcased mine in front of everybody. Now is your turn. Of course, if you really feel that you have no chance to win, I¡¯m willing to give you some face. If you directly admit that you lost to me, we won¡¯t see your painting.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and smiled, ¡°Zhu Xiang, I¡¯m really clueless as to where you got your confidence from. Have you learned the common principle of truth?¡±


    Zhu Xiang raised his brows and sneered, ¡°What truth?¡±


    ¡°The higher you stand, the harder you¡¯ll fall. You¡¯re clamoring in jubilation now. But in case that you lose, the shame you will face might even be beyond redemption!¡±


    Zhu Xiang contemptuously replied, ¡°Hmph, wanting to defeat me relying on only you? Dream on! Cut the crap and take out your painting. Let everyone take a look at it!¡±


    Tang Xiu paced backward. He turned toward Bai Yu and made an ¡®invitation¡¯ gesture.


    Bai Yu came to the front of Tang Xiu¡¯s table and gently lifted the white paper that was covering the canvas. When her eyes fell on the painting, her eyes froze and her hand trembled. Her pupils suddenly contracted and shrunk as disbelief flashed from her eyes.


    ¡°T-this painting¡­¡±


    At the moment, no one could understand her shock. Her eyes were glued to the canvas. Her heart jolted and throbbed faster than usual.


    The ten judges, who saw her expression, each and every one of them revealed puzzled expressions. They approached the table. But when they saw the painting on the table, similar expressions as Bai Yu¡¯s immediately appeared on their faces.


    It was a deathly stillness! The whole scene turned extremely quiet that everyone present could hear if a needle fell on the floor at this moment. However, the ten judges and Bai Yu were all trembling at this moment, with disbelief bursting out from their eyes.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Finally, a middle-aged man asked aloud amid the waiting onlookers outside the platform.


    In a split second, the trembling bodies of the ten judges and Bai Yu turned more intense, even though they also came up to their senses again after the daze. These eleven people, as though they had a tacit agreement between them, glared angrily at the man who just spoke a moment ago.


    That middle-aged man was bewildered. He raised his hand and scratched the back of his head. He was clueless as to how he offend the ten judges and Bai Yu. Why would they look at him with such angry expressions?


    Bai Yu took a deep breath and looked at Tang Xiu with a complex expression. Then, she said, ¡°It¡¯s truly unexpected. Never in my dreams have I ever imagined of being able to see such a landscape painting! I dare say that it¡¯s not a shock I¡¯ve gotten from this, but a fright. I¡¯m pretty much shivered down to the core because of your painting.¡±


    One of the ten judges, also with the same bitter expression, said, ¡°I¡¯m also frightened! I can¡¯t believe that anyone in this world would be able to draw such a landscape painting.¡±


    Zhu Xiang was bewildered upon seeing the ten judges and Bai Yu¡¯s reactions. He didn¡¯t even hear anything as to whether Tang Xiu¡¯s painting was good or bad in the end. After hesitating for a moment, he said aloud, ¡°Manager Bai and ten judges, is this kiddo¡¯s painting so appalling to look at? If so, loudly announce it and let him disgrace himself!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± A judge angrily shouted.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Zhu Xiang¡¯s face froze. A bad premonition spontaneously rose in his heart.


    Bai Yu looked at Tang Xiu deeply and asked, ¡°Mr. Tang, can you let me showcase your painting to everyone?¡±


    ¡°Please, and I¡¯m sorry for the trouble!¡± Tang Xiu answered with a nod.


    Bai Yu nodded. She carefully picked the picture scroll of Tang Xiu¡¯s painting as she walked slowly step by step. Not only that, she slowly walked and stopped for every two steps for half a minute. It took her a full seven to eight minutes for her to finish showcasing it around.


    Everyone present turned extremely silent after they saw the landscape painting drawn by Tang Xiu. They even looked at Zhu Xiang with complex expressions on their faces.


    Professor Hu, Le Baiyi, and Mu Wanying¡ªthe first famed beauty in the capital, were also no exception!


    Eventually, Bai Yu carefully put back the landscape painting on the table in front of Tang Xiu. After a moment of hesitation, she asked, ¡°Mr. Tang, might I ask if you¡¯re willing to sell this painting? Please open your price. As long as I can afford it, I won¡¯t haggle over it with you.¡±


    Tang Xiu indifferently shook his head. He looked at Mu Wanying and said, ¡°Since she chose to trust me and willingly lent me Wang Xizhi¡¯s authentic work for this contest¡¯s bet, I would like to give this painting to her and put a closure in this contest. Actually, it¡¯s very easy for me to draw this kind of painting; I can draw thousands of them if I want to. However, I¡¯m very lazy and moody. So my paintings are very few and rare, not only for the time being but also in the future.¡±


    Mu Wanying was struck dumb, ¡°Y-you¡­ y-you want to give this painting to me? N-no, no. This¡­ t-this is too precious!¡±


    Tang Xiu said with calm and tranquil expression, ¡°Expressing the mood by the brush and playing with the inks to express it elegantly. This is what I understood in accordance with those scholars. That¡¯s why painting is just the spice of life. But don¡¯t let it become the main path in life, much less become obsessed with it. Otherwise, the rest of your life will be very plain and boring. Take it! Everything this Tang has given is not supposed to be taken back.¡±


    A splendorous light flashed from Mu Wanying¡¯s eyes. Tang Xiu¡¯s remark caused an indescribably jolt inside her heart. After a few moments of silence, only then she nodded and slowly said, ¡°Thank you very much!¡±


    Standing at the side, Zhu Xiang, that hadn¡¯t yet seen what kind of landscape painting was drawn by Tang Xiu, had a bad feeling at this moment, which was getting even more intense. He took a deep breath, looking at Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying who basically ignored him. Fuming with anger, he suddenly snapped, ¡°Who is the loser and the winner have yet to be decided, what the hell did you clamor for? I want to see what kind of trashing junk you have painted!¡±


    Having said that, he strode to the table in front of Tang Xiu as his eyes landed on the painting he had drawn.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± Coldness struck down his heart the moment he saw the painting. The chill came not from the outside, but rather deep down from his innermost soul.


    It was a good painting! Perfecto!


    He had seen thousands of paintings, but he had never seen a better one.


    The towering mountain peak was as though a giant dragon, endless and spreading across, with a palatial palace on the summit. The magnificently decorated palace was shrouded in faint mists and clouds, with cranes dancing and white-feathered birds chirping and jumping ecstatically under the white clouds in the blue sky.


    A leaf boat drifted along the stormy surging river, whereas an elegant young man sat alone in its bow, quietly reading a book as he traversed downstream.


    * * *


    Notes:


    When translating Chinese literature, sometimes I translate the true meanings of the idioms, proverbs, common sayings, whereas sometimes, I also include part of the literal ones into the line. Oftentimes the meaning behind those lines changes (either small or big) because of the nuances of the situations.

 Chapter 225

    Chapter 225: Heavy Blows


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The end of the river was not connected to an endless ocean but ended at a clear, sparkling lake with a pavilion that gave off an elegant ancient charm. A barefooted girl splashed her foot on the lake water, drenching near a lotus.


    Suddenly, looking closer, Zhu Xiang found himself in the picture, in the celestial world. He no longer looked at the picture, as if he was seeing this world with his naked eyes.


    He was part of this place! He was summoned to this place!


    Such sensation was he was experiencing at this very moment.


    The onlookers at the first-floor hall of the Lotus Blossom House looked at Zhu Xiang in contempt. They had seen many shameless people, but never once had they seen someone as shameless as him.


    Of the two paintings, which was the better one and the most lacking one?


    Without needing a brain, even with their toes, they could see it clearly. Zhu Xiang¡¯s painting was good, but compared with Tang Xiu¡¯s, the difference was the contrast between day and night, there was no need to compare them.


    ¡°Hey¡­ that surname Zhu surely has learned that there will always be someone better, huh? If I were you, I¡¯d quickly take off my pants to cover my head, running from this place. So I can stop disgracing myself again.¡± Mocks and jeers burst out from the crowd, immediately inciting laughter.


    Another one, also with a look of contempt, said in disdain, ¡°Surnamed Zhu, you¡¯ve lost. So you must honor your promise and give the painting you promised! The result has been announced, you won¡¯t be such a bastard who will renege on a debt, will you?¡±


    ¡°Right! Good or bad, you¡¯re the second young master of Zhu Family in Tianjin City. Don¡¯t be a sore loser who takes defeat with bad grace. You don¡¯t want to discredit your family, right?¡±


    Among the onlookers, Professor Hu¡¯s mouth severely twitched. Only at this moment did he recover from his shock. The expression in his eyes when he looked at Tang Xiu was completely different from before. He even began to rebuke himself for underestimating him. He was also a painter, but he had judged the book from its cover by looking down at Tang Xiu solely by his age.


    ¡°Today is the first time in my life that I committed such a mistake!¡± Professor Hu couldn¡¯t help but force a smile and heave a deep sigh.


    Then, he began to feel sympathy for Le Baiyi. Because he clearly remembered what Le Baiyi said before.


    The Wintertide Fluorites and the Star Fragment Stones!


    However, he knew very well that the number of ores Le Baiyi had, was more than him, they were worth twice his selling price.


    Le Baiyi was taken aback. It was as if a pair of invisible hands grabbed his neck. He flushed red and couldn¡¯t even speak for a long period of time.


    He was as though a frog looking at the sky from the bottom of the well! So bitter and astringent, he wanted to vomit.


    Curiosity was written all over Mu Wanying¡¯s face. Prior to this, Professor Hu had said that this young man¡¯s identity was mysterious, and now she believed that. Even before, she thought she could read through Tang Xiu, what a joke.


    But, she was excited. Because Tang Xiu clearly said that he rarely painted, which meant that this painting would definitely be priceless in the future.


    Zhu Xiang finally sobered up under everyone¡¯s ridicule. He looked around with a vacant expression as his face began to change, from red to white, white to green, green to purple, finally changing into a pale white as though a wax paper.


    He had lost! As reluctant as he was, but the fact was shown in front of him, and he had no choice but to admit it.


    Suddenly, Zhu Xiang looked at Tang Xiu with bloodshot eyes. With a stern tone, he shouted, ¡°Who are you really?¡±


    Tang Xiu replied indifferently, ¡°I¡¯m just an ordinary person. A student who just attended the CET. You don¡¯t need to care about me. I¡¯m neither famous in the painting industry nor do I want to be. Fame will only bring about trouble; there¡¯s no benefit gained from it.¡±


    Zhu Xiang choked upon hearing his words and couldn¡¯t utter anything for quite a long while. He had thoroughly lost in the hands of a student who had just finished the CET!


    Only now did he realize that Tang Xiu¡¯s remark made sense. The higher one stood, the harder one would fall. He was too arrogant, too domineering; he thought that he was unequaled in the world. But at present, he had disgraced himself to such an extent that he ended up miserable!


    Bai Yu looked at him and sneered, ¡°If my memory doesn¡¯t fail me, prior to this you¡¯ve said that you¡¯d give Mr. Tang the authentic work of the famous painter, Li Sixun¡¯s ¡°Sailboats and Pavilions¡± painting. Since you¡¯re a local, I suppose it won¡¯t take long to take it from your home and bring it here, yes?¡±


    Zhu Xiang stared at her with eyes blazing. Then he looked at Tang Xiu with hatred, saying, ¡°Willing to bet means that I dare to lose. I¡¯ll go bring the painting now!¡±


    Having said that, under numerous contemptuous eyes, he ran out of the Lotus Blossom House with an ashamed face.


    At this time, a middle-aged man in the crowd shouted loudly, ¡°Say, today that surnamed Zhu has lost so miserably, do you think he still has the face to come back? I dare say he will only send someone to deliver the painting.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    A burst of laughter immediately followed from the crowd.


    Bai Yu was in a very good mood now. Not only had she vented the foul mood inside her heart of having Zhu Xiang kicked out; moreover, she even saw such a peerless-unique painting. Once this painting was known to the outside world in the future, the reputation of her Lotus Blossom House would also rise.


    She could already see the magnificent scene that would happen in this Lotus Blossom House in the future.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, thank you for giving me the chance to see such a good painting. Your bill today is on me. Furthermore, from now on, I guarantee that all your expenses also will be free.¡± Bai Yu said earnestly.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment. He then nodded slowly, ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll write a few words for you! Please do appreciate it well!¡±


    When ones give me a peach, I give him a plum. And since Bai Yu treated him well, Tang Xiu felt that he also should give something in exchange. He didn¡¯t want to give a painting but rather wanted to write a few words of calligraphy in return.


    Bai Yu was startled. In ecstasy, she repeatedly thanked, ¡°Great, thanks. Thank you, Mr. Tang.¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and, under the watchful eyes of the onlookers, he picked up the brush and wrote scroll, writing six words in a bold and cursive style.


    Elegance Paintings of Lotus Blossom House.


    The characters were written in a vigorous and powerful style, giving off the vibe and charm of the elegance of an emperor and the joy of life.


    The elegance itself brought about the charm of the imperial aura. Decisive and hard, along with the nuance of chivalry and tenderness.


    ¡°What good characters!¡±


    An old man who was not only an excellent painter but also a calligrapher, widened his eyes and shouted loudly.


    The moment Bai Yu saw the calligraphy, she immediately loved it. Having drowned herself in paintings and calligraphies for so many years, she naturally could distinguish the quality of the works. Although she couldn¡¯t be said to be an expert, she could see that these six characters were truly written superbly.


    ¡°One mi¡­ no. Five million! I¡¯ll buy this calligraphy for five million!¡±


    The old man who spoke just now blinked at Bai Yu, full of expectation.


    Bai Yu¡¯s heart jolted and hurriedly shook her head, saying, ¡°Not selling. Let alone five million, even if it¡¯s 50 million, I won¡¯t sell it!¡±


    Disappointment was written on the old man¡¯s face. He turned and looked at Tang Xiu. With a look of expectation, he said, ¡°Little Brother, might I ask¡­ can you also write me a few characters? I¡¯ll buy it from you.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Feeling odd, Tang Xiu asked.


    The old man nodded seriously, ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked around and loudly said, ¡°Who else wants me to write some characters? Five million each. And I¡¯ll only write four pieces.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll buy one!¡± Mu Wanying took a step and said without hesitation.


    Astonished, Tang Xiu glanced at her. He then nodded and said, ¡°Anyone else?¡±


    Professor Hu squinted his eyes and smiled, ¡°Coming across such a good thing today, I¡¯ll also buy one.¡±


    At this moment, a middle-aged woman stood up and shouted, ¡°I¡¯ll also buy one!¡±


    Tang Xiu immediately said, ¡°Alright! The four drawings have been sold out. After this, no matter who they are, I won¡¯t write anymore.¡±


    Having said that, he immediately wrote six characters on each scroll. Soon, he had finished writing on the four scrolls. Tang Xiu then looked at the four people and directly told them his bank account.


    The money came by itself.


    Tang Xiu nodded contently and suddenly had an impulse. What if he wrote and painted hundreds of calligraphies and paintings on his free time and sold them? If all of them were sold out, he would become a rich man in an instant.


    But that was just a passing idea. Since he also understood the profound truth that when one thing was rare, it would become very precious. If he were to draw hundreds of calligraphies, perhaps his works would become too common.


    Bai Yu looked at him as she said with a smile, ¡°Mr. Tang, do you want to return to your box? I¡¯ve sent someone to clean up the dishes and sent tea and dessert there. Please wait there until Zhu Xiang sends the ¡°Sailboats and Pavilion¡± painting to you.¡±


    Tang Xiu turned around to look at Professor Hu, whereas the latter said with a smile, ¡°Let¡¯s go back and have a chat.¡±


    Le Baiyi was somewhat quite depressed at the moment. Upon seeing Professor Hu nodding at him, he originally wanted to tell Tang Xiu that he would give him his Wintertide Fluorites and Star Fragment Stones. However, since they had to go back to their box, he decided to say it later.


    Right at this moment, two women came walking through the Lotus Blossom House¡¯s front entrance. Dressed in the latest stylish fashion with famous brand bags, they still gave off a graceful charm despite being in their mid-30s. Suddenly, one of the women¡¯s smile elapsed, replaced by a surprised expression.


    ¡°Tang Xiu?¡±


    It was someone that Huang Jie couldn¡¯t forget. After a short moment of hesitation, she exclaimed aloud.


    Upon hearing that someone suddenly called him, Tang Xiu, who was about to walk upstairs with the others, was astonished. He turned around and saw Huang Ji. His mouth couldn¡¯t help twitching a few times. If not taking courtesy into account, he really wanted to leave this place immediately.


    As astonished as she was, Huang Jie was also quite pleasantly surprised. She took her companion and strode quickly toward Tang Xiu, saying excitedly, ¡°Tang Xiu, is it really you? Great! I originally intended to go to Star City to look for you!¡±


    Forcing out a smile, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Please never say that you¡¯re looking me, would you. What I¡¯m most afraid of is being misunderstood by people due to that.¡±


    Exposing a lamenting expression, Huang Jie smiled, ¡°You¡¯re the second man who made this Huang Jie keep thinking on him aside from my husband. Anyways, I personally don¡¯t think that this is a coincidence. The thing is, I think you really don¡¯t know what you want!¡±

 Chapter 226

    Chapter 226: Proficient in Numerous Skills


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t mention that request again, I¡¯m fine with whatever you want to say. But if you ask me again, we might as well be strangers.¡±


    Huang Jie was angered. ¡°Why are you so stubborn? I offered you a professor position at our Regal Classical Music Academy. This is a position that many long for even in their dreams. Why do you always refuse it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already answered this question. So I¡¯ll repeat it again, and this time is the last time. I really am not interested in music. I may play music occasionally when I¡¯m the mood, but immersing myself in music for my entire life, is something that I can¡¯t do. I have my own dreams. I hope you can respect this choice of mine.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Huang Jie was short of breath.


    The woman beside her was astonished. Sizing up Tang Xiu, she pulled Huang Jie¡¯s sleeves, ¡°Sister-in-law, is he the musical genius you told me about?¡± And then said with a smile, ¡°Hello Tang Xiu, I¡¯m Zhu Xinmei, Huang Jie¡¯s husband is my big brother. I¡¯ve heard a lot about you since she talks about you all day every day recently. I didn¡¯t expect to encounter you in Tianjin City as well.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded at her indifferently and then said, ¡°Huang Jie, I¡¯ve given you my answer. Anyways, I have to bid you farewell. Professor Hu, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Professor Hu looked at him with a strange expression, whereas Le Baiyi and Mu Wanying also stared at him with foolish expressions. Even in their dreams, they had never imagined that Tang Xiu would so blatantly refuse such a good offer of becoming a professor in the Regal Classical Music Academy. They all knew this famed institution, for it could be ranked in the first three music academies throughout the country. Numerous singers had graduated from there, many of whom were greatly famous.


    To think he was offered a professor position! Could it be that his accomplishments in music were as equally high as his painting skill?


    Bai Yu squinted her eyes and said with a smile, ¡°Mr. Tang, Zhu Xinmei is our Lotus Blossom¡¯s VIP. She¡¯s also very knowledgeable in painting just like her brother. Since her sister-in-law is your friend, how about also inviting her to sit with you? Ah, please wait a bit. I also have something I need to talk to her.¡±


    Tang Xiu frowned. He looked straight at her and asked, ¡°Her Brother? She¡¯s surnamed Zhu, and the guy before also has the same family name. Is she Zhu Xiang¡¯s sister?¡±


    Zhu Xinmei was surprised. ¡°Tang Xiu, do you know my little brother?¡±


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes and averted his head.


    Bai Yu hesitated for a moment, as she then told everything that happened before. In the end, she solemnly emphasized, ¡°Xinmei, I know you. You have a good integrity and attitude, but your little brother¡¯s character is kinda very difficult to deal with. That¡¯s why I already announced that he¡¯s forbidden from visiting our Lotus Blossom House again in the future.¡±


    ¡°What a damn prick! I knew that he¡¯d cause trouble because of his attitude sooner or later. Manager Bai, Tang Xiu, I really must thank the both of you for what happened, giving him a lesson today. This will blow his arrogance greatly, saving him from future trouble. Don¡¯t worry though. If he doesn¡¯t send the ¡°Sailboats and Pavilion¡± painting, I¡¯ll make sure to break his legs when I go back home.¡±


    Upon seeing Zhu Xinmei¡¯s sincerity, Tang Xiu also earnestly nodded. But, he shook his head and sighed, ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter if something is good or bad, it takes all kinds to make the world. This remark is indeed justified! Please don¡¯t thank me. As long as your little brother keeps his promise to send the painting, everything is fine!¡±


    Zhu Xinmei nodded and looked at Huang Jie.


    At this time, Huang Jie simply didn¡¯t care about the problems between her broken brother-in-law and Tang Xiu. She was more concerned about Tang Xiu¡¯s skill in painting since she was aware of her proud brother-in-law¡¯s painting skill. She didn¡¯t expect that Tang Xiu was even better than him.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, are you really proficient in drawing?¡±


    Tang Xiu indifferently said, ¡°I¡¯m just ordinary, enough to abuse the mediocre! Well, we still have other matters to attend, so we¡¯ll end it here.¡±


    Having said that, he quickly gave Professor Hu a glance.


    Professor Hu took the hint and smiled, ¡°Both of you, we do have matters to attend to, so we can¡¯t accompany you! If you want to chat with Tang Xiu alone, please choose some other day.¡±


    Huang Jie was quite reluctant. However, she felt that it was no good to keep insisting because she knew that her brother-in-law had offended them.


    Looking at their backs, Huang Jie said with a trace of resentment, ¡°Xinmei, we really should teach Zhu Xiang some manners. If his disposition doesn¡¯t change, he will no longer be able to take a foothold in society.¡±


    As bitter as she was, Zhu Xinmei replied, ¡°You think I don¡¯t want to do that? I taught him many times already, but it didn¡¯t work at all. Furthermore, his proudness and superciliousness are¡­ Ugh. Alas, our family has done much all his wrongdoings; otherwise, he would have been notorious already.¡±


    Pondering for a moment, Huang Jie slowly said, ¡°How about, I tell your brother about today¡¯s matter? Your little brother fears nobody. I believe he¡¯ll change if your big brother acts.¡±


    Zhu Xinmei shook her head. ¡°No Sis, you can never tell big brother of this. Otherwise, he¡¯ll surely break Xiang¡¯s legs.¡±


    ¡°Then what should we do? Let him off that easily?¡± Huang Jie forced a smile and said.


    Zhu Xinmei thought for a long time. After following an attendant and arriving at the box, only then did she speak, ¡°We¡¯ll look at the situation again! After today¡¯s lesson, if he still doesn¡¯t change, I¡¯ll tell big brother about this matter!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Huang Jie nodded and said.


    Inside another box.


    After everyone had taken their seats again, Bai Yu stayed for some small talk and then left. She wasn¡¯t familiar with Tang Xiu after all. And even if she wanted to stay and befriend him, she was afraid that he would dislike it.


    At this moment, there were only four people. Professor Hu, who kept his curiosity in check all the time, looked at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Tang Xiu, aside from painting, do you really understand music?¡±


    ¡°Just a little!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    A little?


    Professor Hu, Le Baiyi, and Mu Wanying recalled Tang Xiu¡¯s reply before, he also said ¡°just a little¡±.


    With such a godly skill in painting, can it really be called just ¡°a little¡± skilled?


    At the moment, the trio had already determined that Tang Xiu was really proficient in keeping his temperament. Otherwise, that woman a moment ago would¡¯ve never asked Tang Xiu to become a professor in the Regal Classical Musical Academy.


    Professor! Wanting to become one was not something that someone could easily achieve. Moreover, it was the famous Regal Classical Music Academy.


    Professor Hu pondered for a moment before he asked, ¡°Tang Xiu, we just learned that you¡¯re from Star City and only a student who just attended the CET.¡±


    Tang Xiu understood Professor Hu¡¯s thoughts in a flash. ¡°Please. You don¡¯t need to beat around the bush. I¡¯m just an ordinary person, nothing more, nothing less. But I do have a little business in my spare time after school. But, as for you, I feel you¡¯re kinda strange.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Professor Hu was confused. ¡°What¡¯s strange about me?¡±


    Tang Xiu said faintly, ¡°The first time I saw you, I felt a very strong death aura from you. You¡¯re either working in a funeral parlor or a crematory, or you¡¯re probably a grave robber. I can see that there¡¯s a long scar on your left neck. If I¡¯m not mistaken, you¡¯ve encountered a zombie, yes?¡±


    Bam¡­


    Professor Hu suddenly stood up with an incredible light in his eyes as he stared at Tang Xiu. After taking deep breaths, he asked with a deep tone, ¡°How did you know?¡±


    At the side, Le Baiyi¡¯s face also changed drastically.


    ¡°Sit down!¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and said lightly.


    Professor Hu was aware of losing his manners. He sat back in his seat but still stared at Tang Xiu, wanting to obtain the answer from him.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Nowadays, with this peaceful age, ordinary people rarely deal with corpses anymore. People who just died have only low quantities of death qi in their bodies, and even if living people do stay with them for 10-15 days, they would only become a little contaminated. You¡¯re a living person, but you have death qi inside you. That means that you¡¯ve been dealing with the bones of the dead for many years. And I think that scab on your neck must have been left behind by a zombie¡¯s claw. Furthermore, the scar has been lacquered black, which is the result of the residual corpse poison.¡±


    ¡°Did you deduce from these?¡± Professor Hu asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°In fact, the first time I went to your shop, I¡¯d already noticed that something was not right. Your place is painted black everywhere, which proves that you like to stay in gloomy and dark environments. I¡¯m sure you were not like this before.¡±


    Professor Hu¡¯s face was solemn. ¡°Indeed, I wasn¡¯t like that before.¡±


    ¡°Do you wonder about it?¡± Tang Xiu said lightly.


    ¡°Why?¡± Professor Hu asked with a sank tone.


    Tang Xiu pointed at his heart¡¯s position and lightly said, ¡°Although I don¡¯t know what method you used to eliminate part of that deadly corpse poison, however, some of it is still inside your body. At that time, although it didn¡¯t claim your life, it has given you a hidden danger deep inside your body. Give me your hand and I¡¯ll check the condition of your body.¡±


    ¡°You know medical skills?¡± Professor Hu hurriedly asked.


    ¡°I know a little!¡± Tang Xiu said faintly.


    Again?


    At the side, Le Baiyi and Mu Wanying looked at each other in dismay. At this moment, they looked at Tang Xiu as if he was an omnipotent God!


    Was this also only knowing a little?


    His line of slightly knowing something was definitely a deep attainment on that subject.


    Le Baiyi said deeply, ¡°Old Hu, let him check you!¡±


    Professor Hu gave him his wrist.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s finger checked Professor Hu¡¯s pulse. First was his left hand, and then the right one. A minute later, he took his hand back. Shaking his head, he said, ¡°It looks like it¡¯s more serious than I thought. Are you having nightmares and waking up every night recently? Having poor sleep quality and constantly sweating, as well as spitting out black viscous sputum after coughing for a while whenever you wake up?¡±


    Aghast, Professor Hu was overwhelmed with shock as his pupils contracted fiercely. ¡°That¡¯s exactly my condition!¡±


    ¡°The corpse poison has invaded the arteries in your heart and is corroding it, slowly. As short as six months and as long as a year, your death¡¯s time is imminent!¡±

 Chapter 227

    Chapter 227: Like a Deity


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Professor Hu¡¯s face instantly turned pale upon hearing it.


    Worry was written all over Le Baiyi¡¯s face as he hastily asked, ¡°Tang¡­ Younger Brother Tang, since you can check Old Hu¡¯s condition, do you have any way to treat him? Please help cure him. No matter what the price is, we¡¯re willing to pay!¡±


    Tang Xiu glanced at him and asked, ¡°Are you willing to give me your Wintertide Fluorites and Star Fragment Stones?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± Le Baiyi shook his head.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face turned cold.


    Le Baiyi paused for a moment before speaking again, ¡°Brother Tang, before going to the first floor, I talked some nonsense with Old Hu, that if you can win against Zhu Xiang, I¡¯m willing to give those two ores to you. So you don¡¯t need to request this condition at all.¡±


    _¡°Give it to me?¡±_


    Tang Xiu looked at him with astonishment, as the cold expression on his face gradually receded. After a moment of silence, he slowly said, ¡°Find the Golden Cicada Grass and the Night Lily. For the best treatment, you also need to find some Caterpillar Fungus of top quality as well as 500 years-old Chinese Knotweed. Find me after you get those herbs.¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang, where do I find these herbs? I have heard about the Chinese Knotweed, but I never heard about this Golden Cicada Grass and this Night Lily.¡±


    ¡°Go to Star City and find Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical¡¯s Chen Zhizhong. He sells Chinese herbal medicines, so he should be able to find them.¡± Tang Xiu didn¡¯t speak for a moment, as he then slowly replied.


    ¡°You know Chen Zhizhong?¡± Professor Hu said.


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s my apprentice.¡± Tang Xiu said lightly.


    ¡°What?!!¡±


    Professor Hu and Le Baiyi exclaimed at the same time. They looked at Tang Xiu with disbelief. It was as though they had auditory hallucinations and heard wrong.


    Looking at their inconceivable expressions, Mu Wanying was confused. ¡°Who¡¯s Chen Zhizhong? Is this Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical business very big?¡±


    Nodding, Professor Hu pressed down the shock inside his heart and replied, ¡°Yes, Chen Zhizhong is the owner of this company, which mainly engages in Chinese herbal medicines. It¡¯s a major company, and if I remember correctly, the total assets of his Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical surpass 10 billion.¡±


    Mu Wanying was surprised. ¡°So to say, this means that Tang Xiu¡¯s apprentice turns out to be a billionaire big boss?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just an in-name disciple of mine. Wanting to be my direct disciple has harsh requirements. Alright, let¡¯s us not discuss this matter. In short, you need to hurry. The longer you delay this, the more difficult your predicament will be. If you can¡¯t find those herbs within two or three months, the poison will flow and spread all over your body. Even the Gods won¡¯t be able to save you by then.¡± Tang Xiu said indifferently.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go to Star City tomorrow morning.¡± Professor Hu quickly said.


    Tang Xiu raised his brows. ¡°Since you want to go to Star City tomorrow, then you might as well go together with me! I was in a hurry coming to Tianjin City, and since my business here has been taken care of, I also have to go back.¡±


    Le Baiyi said in a low voice, ¡°Younger Brother Tang, give me your address! I¡¯ll send someone to deliver the Wintertide Fluorites and Star Fragment Stones to Star City tomorrow. Moreover, you haven¡¯t mentioned about your condition for treating Old Hu!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really a good old friend! Since you¡¯re willing to stand up for your old friend, then please take care of me at Shanghai University.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Le Baiyi was puzzled. ¡°Shanghai Uni? You want to be admitted to Shanghai Uni?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tang Xiu said. ¡°I have filled my application form and also chose the Department of Archeology at Shanghai University. By September 1st, I¡¯ll have to go there and register myself.¡±


    ¡°The CET¡¯s results and admission grade have yet to be released, yes? Such confidence. Are you really sure that you¡¯ll pass the passing grade for Shanghai Uni?¡± Mu Wanying asked curiously.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯d say this if I had no assurance?¡± Tang Xiu asked back.


    ¡°This¡­¡± Mu Wanying was at a loss for words.


    Although today was her first time seeing Tang Xiu and had not much contact with him, she actually realized that Tang Xiu was very skillful. Most importantly, he was extremely low-key and modest. Looking at his self-confident appearance, she suddenly felt that she would be able to see him in Shanghai University this September.


    After nearly an hour, the box¡¯s doorbell was sounded, as a middle-aged woman then entered. Her eyes swept over everyone inside before landing on Tang Xiu. She then asked, ¡°Are you Mr. Tang Xiu, Master Tang?¡±


    ¡°I am!¡± Tang Xiu calmly nodded.


    The middle-aged woman handed a long box to Tang Xiu, saying, ¡°Mr. Zhu send me to give this to you! Since I¡¯ve done my errand, I¡¯ll leave if you don¡¯t have any other orders for me.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded. After the middle-aged woman left, he directly opened the box and took out the painting scroll from the inside.


    Le Baiyi, Professor Hu, and Mu Wanying were also approaching to have a look.


    After appraising it, Professor Hu exclaimed with a sigh, ¡°This is indeed the authentic work of the famous painter Li Sixun of the Tang Dynasty era. It seems that even if Zhu Xiang has a poor disposition, but he still has some conscience.¡±


    Tang Xiu himself didn¡¯t much knowledge about domestic paintings. But he could see that it was a hundred of years¡¯ historical painting. After keeping it, he got up and said, ¡°Alright, since I¡¯ve received the painting, I should bid farewell to all of you.¡±


    Professor Hu quickly asked, ¡°Brother Tang, where are you going?¡±


    ¡°I need to find a hotel to spend the night. Then I¡¯ll go back to Star City early in the morning tomorrow.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Younger Brother Tang, I¡¯ll arrange accommodations for you.¡± Professor Hu said.


    Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°No need, thanks! Since you¡¯re going to Star City with me tomorrow, you should also go back and pack up early! Let¡¯s meet at the airport tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Professor Hu nodded.


    Le Baiyi quickly said, ¡°Younger Brother Tang, if you don¡¯t mind, please just follow us! We¡¯re also staying in a hotel nearby.¡±


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment and then nodded.


    Tianjin City¡¯s 5-Star Sheraton Hotel.


    Tang Xiu followed Le Baiyi and Mu Wanying here, while Le Baiyi personally ordered the presidential suite for him.


    Originally, Le Baiyi also wanted to talk more, however, Tang Xiu refused him and said that he needed to rest early. He wanted to take a good look at the Demon Stone coffin he purchased from Professor Hu¡¯s shop. The Demon Stone coffin¡¯s lid was closed, but it was able to be opened. But, since he had no time to study it before, he didn¡¯t know what object that was stuffed inside.


    However, just after he had a shower and was about to study the Demon Stone coffin, his room¡¯s door was knocked.


    _¡°Le Baiyi?¡±_ A cold glint flashed from Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. He walked toward the door to open it. It was not Le Baiyi, but Mu Wanying, faintly smiling, as though a beautiful fairy that had descended to Earth.


    ¡°Is there something you need?¡± Tang Xiu stood at the door and asked.


    A certain expression flashed from Mu Wanying¡¯s eyes. Tang Xiu didn¡¯t even seem to have the intention to ask inside and sit. She smiled, ¡°Won¡¯t you ask me to come inside?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s late. It¡¯s not good for a single man and woman to stay together inside the room. If you have something to say, do tell me now, since I must rest!¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    As dumbfounded as she was, Mu Wanying looked at Tang Xiu at without knowing whether to laugh or cry. If not because of the exceptionally limpid and clear expression in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes, she would¡¯ve thought that Tang Xiu was acting on purpose. However, since she indeed had her reasons to see him this late, she said, ¡°I¡¯m a girl and I don¡¯t have any fear, what are you afraid of? Anyway, I do have something to talk to you.¡±


    Tang Xiu hesitated for a moment, only then did he give way. As Mu Wanying entered the room, he closed the door, pointing to the sofa at the corner. ¡°Please have a sit!¡±


    Mu Wanying herself had a noble young lady¡¯s mannerism. She slowly sat down and looked at Tang Xiu who sat in front of her, smiling. ¡°Frankly speaking, a young man such as you, is really rare.¡±


    ¡°And a woman such as you, I¡¯ve seen quite a lot, actually.¡± Tang Xiu replied.


    Mu Wanying stared blankly for a moment before she involuntarily laughed. ¡°You¡¯re really one of a kind. Actually, my purpose to see you is that I heard you don¡¯t like painting and calligraphy, so I want to buy that ¡®Sailboats and Pavilion¡¯ in your hand. Say your price!¡±


    Tang Xiu turned his head to look at the painting he had put on the cabinet. He then calmly said, ¡°You quote the price. If I¡¯m content with it, then I¡¯ll sell it. If not, then you can leave.¡±


    Mu Wanying seemed to have long thought the price she could afford. ¡°I know that this painting is very precious, but I¡¯m kinda limited on money. I can only give you 6 million yuan at the most!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised. ¡°Antique paintings are really that valuable?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know the value of antique calligraphies and paintings at all?¡± Mu Wanying was astonished.


    ¡°Nope.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°I rarely studied it, so I¡¯m really clueless.¡±


    With a strange expression, Mu Wanying looked at him and said, ¡°It seems that I put the price way too high then. Alright, how is it? You want to sell it?¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°Take it away! This thing is useless to me anyway. It¡¯s better to exchange it for real money.¡±


    ¡°OK. I¡¯ll transfer the money to you,¡± Mu Wanying said.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu received the six million transfer text message notification.


    When he came to Tianjin City, he only had a few million yuan. He spent several hundred thousand to buy the Demon Stone coffin. Added with the Wintertide Fluorites and the Star Fragment Stone, he had to ask Kang Xia to transfer the money to him. After selling four calligraphies, he made 16 million. And counting money, he already had 19 million yuan now.


    And now, his ¡®Sailboats and Pavilion¡¯ painting was sold for six million, so he had a total of 25 million.


    Tang Xiu directly transferred 20 million back to Kang Xia without hesitation and sent her a message. Then, he looked at Mu Wanying, saying, ¡°You got what you wanted, right? So please leave.¡±


    With an odd and strange expression and tone, Mu Wanying asked, ¡°Do you really want me to leave, so quickly? Tang Xiu, you have no problem with your sexual orientation, right? You don¡¯t even feel attracted to my beauty?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m a normal man. Even for me, you¡¯re indeed very attractive. I won¡¯t refuse you if you want to warm my bed. However, having a one-night stand with no feelings and sentiments attached truly has no meaning and is actually very boring. Of course, there¡¯s also an exception.¡±


    Listening to Tang Xiu¡¯s argument, Mu Wanying was puzzled. ¡°What exception?¡±


    Tang Xiu said apathetically, ¡°It¡¯s your kind, a virgin. You want your first time, but then annoying troubles would come to me afterward. I¡¯m a man who is not afraid of anything, but I don¡¯t like to have annoying troubles.¡±

 Chapter 228

    Chapter 228: Runic Fiend Bone


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Mu Wanying was dumbstruck as she looked at Tang Xiu. Never did she expect that Tang Xiu would actually have such argument. Furthermore, as indifferent as she was, this was her first time hearing such words from a male.


    It was a novel feeling! She was somewhat embarrassed and shy!


    Her pure white oval face blushed. She quickly stood up and strode toward the door. She was afraid of Tang Xiu seeing her shy and embarrassed expression.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want the painting?¡± Tang Xiu looked at her back, his mouth slightly tilted up.


    Mu Wanying halted. She could feel that her face was a bit hot. She turned around almost instantly, rushing toward the cabinet and picking up the Sailboats and Pavilion. Then, she rushed to the door, opened it and ran away.


    After returning back to her room, she closed the door and leaned on it, blushing ear to ear and covered her chest.


    She didn¡¯t know why, but her heart was beating fast. Perhaps it was because Tang Xiu said that she was a virgin. Maybe the subject was just beyond the scope of her ability to accept. In short, she was kind of flustered. After a long period of time, only then did she calm down.


    ¡°That guy is truly eccentric!¡±


    Mu Wanying gently heaved a sigh and walked inside with a bit of a shy expression.


    Inside Tang Xiu¡¯s hotel room.


    Tang Xiu gently opened the yellow bag and took out the Demon Stone coffin. After fiddling with it for a while, he found that the coffin lid was inseparably attached. If he didn¡¯t use his perception to analyze it, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to find the slit between the two. Furthermore, the Demon Stone itself had the characteristic to block spiritual sense. Thus, he couldn¡¯t find out what was inside.


    Finally, Tang Xiu stopped observing it and silently released his star force.


    ¡°Click¡­¡±


    The slit was cracked open. Just as Tang Xiu recovered his hand lightning fast, the lid gently floated up.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s pupils contracted. He could hardly believe what he saw. Despite his firm and tough personality, only a few things could make him shocked. Yet, the object inside the coffin gave him a huge tide of shocks. Accurately speaking, it was not only shocking but much closer to a horror.


    What was placed inside the coffin, was a Runic Fiend Bone!


    Tang Xiu knew clearly that this was the Runic Fiend Bone of the Great Fiend King. Moreover, it was none other but the Great Fiend King, Ha Silu, who pestered him for thousands of years.


    And this Runic Fiend Bone was precisely the one that he had taken from the chest of that fiend¡¯s body.


    ¡°How is this possible? Ha Silu was originally the one who refined this Runic Fiend Bone. Given his lone wolf disposition and eccentric personality in his 20 thousand years of life, he didn¡¯t even have any disciples. How could this possibly appear on Earth? Could it be¡­ that he died already? But, if he had died, who brought his Runic Fiend Bone to Earth. Could it be, Yan¡¯er?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face constantly changed. He forcefully suppressed the shock and horror in his heart, trying hard to calm his surging mood.


    No matter what, this Runic Fiend Bone was not from the Ha Silu, this object was too important for him. Tang Xiu was even sure that, with this Runic Fiend Bone in hand, his cultivation base would be comparable to an Initial Stage Immortal within a few years.


    _¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m too weak and my cultivation base is not enough. I can¡¯t withstand the energy contained within this Runic Fiend Bone and it¡¯s impossible for me to refine it unless my cultivation of the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis technique has reached the great circle perfection of the first stage of Stars Tyrannical Body.¡±_


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and firmly pressed the coffin¡¯s lid with his finger to close it. While holding the Demon Stone coffin gently, he quietly absorbed the demon force contained within.


    At present, he was neither able nor had the means to absorb the demon force contained in the Runic Fiend Bone into his body, more¡¯s the pity. But since he had the Demon Stone, he could siphon the demon force contained in the coffin to temper and strengthen his body while increasing his cultivation base realm.


    Using the cultivation technique¡¯s route in accordance with the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis, Tang Xiu quietly circulated the star force inside his body. At the moment, the slightly bright heavenly circuit stars instantly dimmed as the star force flowed in all directions as though the surging tide. At the same time, the demon force contained inside the Demon Stone coffin flowed through his palm into his body.


    The moment the demon force came in contact with the star force, it didn¡¯t cause any conflict, instead, it blended and fused with it like water. Then, it changed into a transparent liquid that surged toward his body.


    Tang Xiu keenly felt that his physical strength was rising at an astonishing speed. The transparent liquid unceasingly rinsed his body, washing and quenching it. It was as though blacksmithing, forcing out the impurities of his body continuously and repeatedly tempered it.


    Precisely because of this transparent liquid, it caused the star force to flow in all directions. The surging flow increased by dozens of times more than before as it instilled itself into his body, while part of it was converted into his cultivation base.


    It was painful, yet also comfortable! Tang Xiu clearly felt the contrast. And gradually, his consciousness fell into darkness as he sat there, motionless.


    Time went by.


    Tang Xiu maintained the same posture until the first ray of sunshine shined in the early morning. As he opened his eyes, he felt that he was full of energy and couldn¡¯t hide his smile.


    He could clearly feel the width of his skin. It had been pulled to the limit as a strong stream of star force surged between the layers of his skin. His star force had undergone an essential change; it felt like it was part of his body now. At the moment, he had the feeling that even if someone were to shoot him, the bullets would probably be unable to pierce his skin.


    ¡°At last. I¡¯ve finally reached the Great Circle Perfection in the Skin Strengthening Stage. I¡¯m only a step away from breaking through this stage and entering the Flesh Strengthening Stage. Furthermore, the strength of my physique has probably already surpassed the Flesh Strengthening Stage. I wonder, how powerful my constitution would be once I reach this stage?¡±


    Inwardly, Tang Xiu was looking forward to it.


    Suddenly his brows wrinkled, a foul body stench drifted into his nostrils. Looking at the thin layer of black-grayish material on his skin, he shook his body. There were surprisingly more impurities excreted out of his body than before.


    He went to the bathroom and comfortably took a bath. Only after the stench of his body was completely cleansed was he contented and finished bathing. After putting clothing, he went out of his room spiritedly. Since he didn¡¯t know Le Baiyi and Mu Wanying¡¯s room numbers and didn¡¯t have their contact numbers, he decided not to greet them. He directly left the hotel and took a taxi to the airport.


    Much to his surprise, he unexpectedly saw Professor Hu already at the airport ticket lounge, waiting for him.


    ¡°Ah, so early?¡± Tang Xiu approached him and asked.


    Forcing out a smile, Professor Hu replied, ¡°We only agreed to meet at the airport, but we didn¡¯t set the time. I did plan to go to the hotel to find you, but since I was afraid you¡¯d leave early in the morning, I came earlier here and waited for you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s walk. I haven¡¯t bought a ticket, though. Let¡¯s buy a ticket first and then find a place to eat something.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    At Tianjin¡¯s Sheraton Hotel.


    Wearing a long skirt and elegant loose long hair, Mu Wanying came to Tang Xiu¡¯s hotel room and knocked the door. After waiting for a long time and having no response, she then went to the hotel¡¯s front lobby and discovered that Tang Xiu had checked out and left.


    ¡°What? He left?¡± Le Baiyi was surprised.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Mu Wanying nodded as she forced out a smile. ¡°He just checked out an hour ago.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s normal though. We forgot to exchange contact numbers yesterday, and he also didn¡¯t know where we were staying. Anyway, I¡¯ll call Old Hu, they agreed to meet at the airport today, so I will ask him to send me Tang Xiu¡¯s contact number.¡±


    However, when he dialed the number and spoke a few words, he took back his phone and wryly smiled, ¡°Youngsters nowadays are awfully lazy, but this Tang Xiu is quite an amazing youngster. He got up early and rushed to the airport. I¡¯ve told Old Hu to ask Tang Xiu¡¯s cell number. After returning back to Shanghai, I¡¯ll send the Wintertide Fluorites and Star Fragment Stones to Star City.¡±


    ¡°Teacher, you seem to care about this Tang Xiu now, eh?¡± Mu Wanying chuckled.


    Le Baiyi sighed, ¡°I can¡¯t help it. He piqued my curiosity. Although we just only met him last night, haven¡¯t we also realized that he¡¯s very mysterious? Are you not curious about him too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s indeed very mysterious. And I¡¯m also curious about him,¡± Mu Wanying responded.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, we still have a lot of time to know him. Being able to draw a painting that can dazzle someone to the point of being lost in thought, writing valuable and noble calligraphies, good temperament, and a youngster that can be a professor easily. You said right that I¡¯m really curious about him.¡± Le Baiyi smiled.


    Mu Wanying replied with a slight smile, ¡°You missed two things, Teacher.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Le Baiyi was puzzled. ¡°What did I miss?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a proficient medic and also the Master of the Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical¡¯s Big Boss, Chen Zhizhong.¡±


    Le Baiyi patted his forehead and smiled, ¡°Ah, I¡¯m really old and forgetful¡­ Yes. This young man is full of secrets. I really want to know him thoroughly. To be honest, my whole life I¡¯ve been immersing myself in the world¡¯s geography, and I¡¯ve met numerous outstanding geniuses while conducting archeological researchers in Shanghai University. But only now did I realize that nobody is more outstanding than him.¡±


    Mu Wanying lightly smiled, ¡°He¡¯s indeed very outstanding, but also quite¡­ a marvel!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Le Baiyi was confused. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Mu Wanying¡¯s charming face blushed recalling Tang Xiu¡¯s nonsensical argument last night. She shook her head and said, ¡°Teacher, we¡¯ve finished our work here in Tianjin City, are you going back to Shanghai? Or are you staying here with me in Beijing for a while? My Grandpa has been wanting to talk with you for a long time now.¡±


    Le Baiyi hesitated for a moment before he replied, ¡°I¡¯ll go back to Shanghai first! I need to deliver the Wintertide Fluorites and the Star Fragment Stones to Tang Xiu. Then I¡¯ll go to Beijing and see your Grandpa.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll be waiting for you in Beijing.¡± Mu Wanying replied in a soft voice.


    Le Baiyi smiled, ¡°Okay. Tell your Grandpa. He¡¯d better prepare a good bottle of wine in advance for me. I¡¯m going to get drunk with him.¡±


    ¡°No worries, Teacher. I¡¯ll convey your message to Grandpa.¡± Mu Wanying covered her mouth and lightly laughed.

 Chapter 229

    Chapter 229: A Very Busy Person


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Star City.


    After Tang Xiu and Professor Hu arrived at the airport, Chen Zhizhong was personally waiting for them since Tang Xiu had notified him in advance.


    ¡°Master, you¡¯re back!¡± Chen Zhizhong respectfully greeted Tang Xiu and then glanced at Professor Hu immediately afterward.


    ¡°Hmm! Since the matter has been handled, I rushed back to save time. By the way, about the following issues, Kang Xia has told me that you¡¯re doing well. As soon as its concluded, quickly invest the capital on the upcoming project. I¡¯m very short on money, I¡¯ll be relying on the project¡¯s conclusion to recover my funds.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong forced out a smile and said, ¡°I¡¯ll bear your message in mind, Master. I¡¯ll urge Long Hanwen and the others.¡±


    Tang Xiu then introduced, ¡°He¡¯s called¡­ ah, forget it. You can call him Professor Hu directly! I just went to Tianjin to see him, whereas he needs to see you to find medicinal herbs. Help him find them as fast as possible. After all, he doesn¡¯t have much time.¡±


    ¡°After you called me last night, I¡¯ve instructed my subordinates to search them. So the results should be coming out in these few days.¡± Chen Zhizhong replied.


    ¡°Alright, you manage this matter! I have to go back to South Gate Town first, so you arrange for his accommodation! If he wants to stay in Star City, find a place for him to stay. And buy him a ticket if he wants to go back.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Chen Zhizhong respectfully nodded.


    Professor Hu was shocked inwardly upon seeing Tang Xiu and Chen Zhizhong¡¯s exchange.


    He knew Chen Zhizhong¡¯s identity and his lofty status in the country. When he came home last night, he carried an investigation on Chen Zhizhong and his Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical. From that, he found that his company¡¯s assets were estimated to be at 10 billion yuan, two or three times more compared to him.


    At present, he was truly filled with intense curiosity toward Tang Xiu¡¯s identity!


    At South Gate Town.


    When Tang Xiu came back, he found his mother¡ªSu Lingyun chatting with Gu Yin, whereas a middle-aged woman and a young girl in aprons did the cleaning in the hall.


    ¡°Hi, Mom. Has Sister Mu left already?¡± Tang Xiu put his luggage on the sofa and asked with a smile.


    Su Lingyun smiled, ¡°Son, I just knew last night that you were actually outside the town. So, I stayed here with Little Yin. Your Big Sis has already left. She said that she¡¯ll be out of town with her four instructors for a week. Before she left, she also entrusted the staff of the Property Management Office to help us find two nannies.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and saw that the two nannies had stopped working. Then he lightly said to them, ¡°There are two places in the villa that don¡¯t need to be cleaned up. One is my study room and the other one is the storehouse at the outside.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    The two nannies nodded and replied.


    Tang Xiu turned to look at Gu Yin as he smiled, ¡°And you? How come you¡¯re not studying today?¡±


    ¡°The morning¡¯s course has already ended. The teacher said that studying in the early morning is the time when we can grasp things very clearly. So now we have the courses very early every day. Anyways, Master, can you give me some money?¡±


    ¡°What do you want to do with the money?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised.


    ¡°I heard that the course¡¯s Math teacher said that there¡¯s a sick student in their class. And their sickness is very serious as well, whereas his family doesn¡¯t have enough money. A lot of students in the class have donated. I¡­ I also want to donate some money.¡± Gu Yin said.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell your mother about it?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°I did.¡± Gu Yin¡¯s expression turned gloomy, saying with a low voice, ¡°But Mom didn¡¯t want to give me! She said that I need to handle my issues by myself. If I want to help others, then I must work hard to learn from Master. She said I can only help others after I have the ability in the future.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Your Mom has said a lot of things, it seems. But goodness has to be trained from early age too. Anyways, it¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll give you some money.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Yin¡¯s eyes brightened up, surprised.


    Tang Xiu lightly laughed, ¡°When did Master cheat you?¡±


    ¡°Never.¡± Gu Yin immediately shook her head and said seriously, ¡°Master has never fooled me!¡±


    Tang Xiu pinched her pink little face with a contented expression. Then, he looked at Su Lingyun, saying, ¡°Mom, please stay here! I still have a lot of things to take care of, perhaps I won¡¯t return home until later.¡±


    Su Lingyun smiled, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll take care of Yinyin here.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to stay here all the time, though. If you don¡¯t feel relieved leaving the restaurant, you can go there anytime. You can take your time taking Yinyin to play in the restaurant after she finished her morning course. Besides, it¡¯s also no good if she feels bored staying at home all the time.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°I know. You can rest assured, Son!¡± Su Lingyun said with a smile.


    Tang Xiu nodded. He then grabbed the things he brought to the study room on the second floor. There was a lot of precious objects in his study room. After hesitating for a moment, Tang Xiu decided to buy a large safe box.


    The internet was very convenient. Tang Xiu also adapted to use the internet service more recently. After browsing the internet, he chose a half a man¡¯s height large safe. After paying it through the online transaction, he put away his mobile.


    After lunch.


    Tang Xiu left South Gate Town and drove to the abandoned winery he had bought. The site had changed greatly as a lot of broken machinery had been pushed out to the trucks that came and left unceasingly from the winery¡¯s door.


    ¡°Given this scale, I might as well buy a newly built winery!¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and smiled wryly before dialing Scarblade Qiang¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°Hello, Boss?¡±


    Scarblade Qiang¡¯s voice came out.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me! I¡¯m at the winery¡¯s front entrance. Where are you?¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°I¡¯m inside! Wait a bit, Boss, I¡¯ll go out immediately.¡± Scarblade Qiang said.


    A few minutes later.


    With dirt all over his body and drenched in sweat, Scarblade Qiang dashed from inside, whereas two men wearing safety helmets, of whom Tang Xiu wasn¡¯t familiar with, followed behind Scarblade Qiang.


    ¡°Boss, you came to inspect the work?¡± Wiping the sweat from his face, Scarblade Qiang laughed.


    ¡°Yes, I want to have a look at the progress. By the way, who are they?¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Scarblade Qiang quickly introduced them, ¡°They¡¯re the master technicians Chief Kang sent. This is Li Yang and the other one is Lu Wei. They¡¯re really great! Without their help, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to renovate the winery and would only get a headache!¡±


    ¡°Hi, Boss. It¡¯s a pleasure to see you!¡±


    Li Yang and Lu Wei greeted him at the same time.


    A shocked expression could be seen on their faces. They had never thought that the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation would be this young.


    ¡°Nice to see you, too! Anyway, how is the progress of the winery? Tell me when the winery will finish the renovations. Has the initial work been completed?¡± Tang Xiu nodded and asked.


    Lu Yang said, ¡°The initial stage will be completed in around two months at the most. After that, we¡¯ll test the machinery and the production line.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment. He then slowly shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s too slow. Tell Kang Xia to add another engineering team. The winery¡¯s renovation must be completed within half a month. And the first batch must be produced in a month. Tell her to not be afraid of spending money in this initial stage. Once the first batch has been produced, I can recover all the funds invested.¡±


    Li Yang and Lu Wei looked at each other, doubting Tang Xiu¡¯s words.


    Scarblade Qiang, on the other hand, trusted Tang Xiu a lot. Looking highly spirited, he seriously said, ¡°Boss, I¡¯ll pass your message to Chief Kang and we¡¯ll also firmly obey your order to finish it at the scheduled time.¡±


    ¡°Take me inside and show me around!¡± Tang Xiu patted his shoulder.


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    For an hour, accompanied by Scarblade Qiang and the other workers, Tang Xiu inspected the winery. He was also fairly content with it. Most of the machinery in the winery had been demolished, with a few parts still usable. Even the office building and the staff quarters could also be utilized.


    Finally, the four came to a stop at the unmodified plant.


    ¡°Boss, this one is the original machinery of the winery. Although it looks shabby from the outside, the inside has been cleaned up, we¡¯ll have no problem using them for another eight years. As per your request, recently, Chief Kang has also purchased a number of wine-producing machinery, while I have also practiced the winemaking technique you taught me, as well as experimented with the wine recipe dozens of times. That brewed wine is truly great.¡± Scarblade Qiang explained.


    ¡°You still have samples?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    Scarblade Qiang said, ¡°Yes. We still have two casks inside this plant!¡±


    ¡°Take me there. I want to test the flavor.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Scarblade Qiang complied and took the lead into the workshop. After that, he quickly took out a cask of wine and opened the sealing and cautiously poured him a bowl. He handed it over to Tang Xiu, saying, ¡°This the result after dozens of tries, Boss. Please, taste it!¡±


    Tang Xiu took the bowl and tasted it a sip. He shook his head and said, ¡°The flavor is good, but it¡¯s far from my expectations. Did you really follow the recipe I gave you?¡±


    Scarblade Qiang nodded, ¡°Exactly the same.¡±


    Tang Xiu said in a strange tone, ¡°It¡¯s strange. If you followed the recipe exactly, the brewed wine¡¯s flavor should be better than this, by many times. What could the problem be?¡±


    Scarblade Qiang replied with a puzzled expression, ¡°Boss, this liquor you said, how could it exist in this world? I think apart from the heavenly Jade Nectar Wine, there¡¯s simply no other wine like that, no?¡±


    Jade Nectar Wine?


    Tang Xiu keenly caught the name from Scarblade Qiang as his eyes suddenly turned bright. He turned to around to send Li Yang and Lu Wei away. After they left, he said with a deep tone, ¡°Replace the grain used to brew the wine and try experimenting with glutinous rice. Then, find some fresh bamboo leaves and soak them in the brewing water. Remember, the bamboo leaves must be fresh, be sure to wash it cleanly before you put them into the brewing water.¡±


    Scarblade Qiang nodded, ¡°Understood! I¡¯ll do it later and try it a few times after I buy something.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, saying seriously, ¡°Scarblade Qiang, my other business will be very difficult to make a lot of money in a short term. This period is precisely when I need money the most, so you must be very meticulous. I promise you that I¡¯ll definitely make you a millionaire if you follow me.¡±

 Chapter 230

    Chapter 230: Acting Like a Snob


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Boss! This Scarblade is your follower; even if I die, I¡¯ll become your ghost. Tell me what do, I¡¯ll give my best.¡± Scarblade Qiang nodded.


    Tang Xiu nodded contentedly. ¡°I just found that nobody guards the storehouse in front of the door. Bear in mind that the recipe I gave you must be kept a secret. Also, the production process of the fermented wine must be done in a separate plant. The workers you hire must be responsible for only one process. Wait until you¡¯ve rebuilt the winery. By that time, you¡¯ll be producing wine on a large scale. Then I¡¯ll order Kang Xia to hire a large number of security guards. Everything must be done in absolute secrecy.¡±


    ¡°I got it, Boss. I won¡¯t let another soul aside from me know the winemaking process, as well as the recipe. I¡¯ll arrange some people to stand guard here and absolutely won¡¯t let anyone come in.¡± Scarblade Qiang said.


    Tang Xiu patted his shoulder and said, ¡°Good. I have said everything I should tell you. As for the rest, do your best to manage it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send you out!¡± Scarblade Qiang quickly said.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t refuse him, allowing Scarblade Qiang to escort him out. Only, he suddenly realized that there was no transportation in this block. But he didn¡¯t let Scarblade Qiang give him a ride. After having walked for two kilometers, he happened to see a taxi.


    ¡°Little Brother, where are you going?¡± The taxi driver asked.


    ¡°Go to Star City Chinese Medical Hospital.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    The taxi driver replied and started his car. Tang Xiu quickly arrived at Star City Chinese Medical Hospital¡¯s entrance. After having paid the fare, he didn¡¯t go to the hospital directly, instead, heading to a bank nearby.


    He promised to give Gu Yin some money, but he didn¡¯t have much cash on him, so Tang Xiu decided to make sure to stash some cash at home to prepare for a rainy day.


    Inside the bank.


    There were a lot of people inside, withdrawing and depositing money. After taking a number, Tang Xiu stood in a corner and waited quietly. It was a small bank, having only three counters.


    After an hour, Tang Xiu frowned deeply. He realized that his number was big and there were still 23 people in front of him. However, the numbers were preceded by the A and V labels. There was only one counter for the A label, whereas the V one had two counters on service. Most of the time, there was nearly nobody handling the service for one of them.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost 4 PM and there are only five people in front. I don¡¯t know how long I should wait!¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled wryly and shook his head. He felt that waiting here was a waste of time. He planned to come to the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital to see Li Hongji today, having a look at his office and treat a few cases. But who could have thought that he would be delayed in the bank for this long?


    At this time, a young man with sunglasses came to the number machine. After taking the number, the number was immediately called, whereas the young man directly went to the V counter.


    Tang Xiu frowned, puzzled. After hesitating for a moment, he quickly recognized someone with a manager badge in the lobby. Then, he went over and asked, ¡°Hello. Might I ask something? That person has just arrived, why would he get the service directly? Whereas my turn hasn¡¯t come even though I¡¯ve been waiting for an hour?¡±


    The lobby manager was a middle-aged woman. Upon hearing his inquiry, she said, ¡°Show me your number, please!¡±


    Tang Xiu handed it over.


    The lobby manager looked at it. She then gave the number back to Tang Xiu, saying, ¡°Your number is an ordinary one and that person is a VIP client, so he can go directly to the VIP counter. If you want to be the same as him and not have to line up, you can upgrade your account and become our bank¡¯s VIP member.¡±


    ¡°How can I become your bank¡¯s VIP member?¡± Tang Xiu was puzzled and asked.


    ¡°Your account should be no less than 100 thousand, with the deposit period being more than two months. May I ask about the recent transactions in your bank account in the last two months? Do you have more than 100 thousand yuan of deposit every day?¡± The lobby manager said.


    Tang Xiu stared blankly for a moment. Then, he shook his head, saying, ¡°No.¡±


    A bit of contempt was revealed in the lobby manager¡¯s eyes as she said indifferently, ¡°If not, then please wait! The others are waiting, so you also have to do the same!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face changed slightly, as he then spoke with a deep tone, ¡°I think your bank also has more than one way to become a VIP client, yes?¡±


    Impatience could be seen on the lobby manager¡¯s face. ¡°Of course this is not the only way. But do you have 1 million in your account? Or a transaction of more than 1 million yuan? Well, if you do, you can also enjoy the VIP treatment.¡±


    Having said that, she didn¡¯t give any more chances for Tang Xiu to speak and strode to the other side.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and strode over to catch up with her. Then, he said with a deep voice, ¡°You just said that I can get a direct service if the transaction is more than 1 million.¡±


    The lobby manager sized Tang Xiu up before replying, ¡°Then take another number and replace it to a V label. But I might as well tell you that if your transaction is less than 1 million, the VIP counter won¡¯t give you any services.¡±


    The young man who just came had already finished his service. As he was passing by Tang Xiu and the lobby manager, he heard their conversation. A bit of disdain was revealed on his face as he berated, ¡°Buddy, don¡¯t act like you have money so brazenly. At your age, you are transacting more than 1 million? Bah, it¡¯s a lame joke¡­¡±


    Having said that, he shook his head and walked toward outside with contempt on his face.


    Being despised?


    Inwardly, Tang Xiu secretly smiled.


    Shortly after, he went to the number machine and took the V label. After his number was announced, Tang Xiu immediately went to the VIP counter. Then, he spoke to the staff in front of him, ¡°Hi, I want to withdraw some money.¡±


    The staff took Tang Xiu¡¯s bank card and asked, ¡°How much would you like to withdraw?¡±


    ¡°1 million, cash!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°I beg your pardon? How much?¡± The staff stared blankly for a moment, before immediately turning surprised.


    ¡°1 million!¡± Tang Xiu confirmed.


    The staff turned his head to a middle-aged man, the top leader of the office, and spoke a few words. The latter then turned toward Tang Xiu and said, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Sir. The amount of money you want to withdraw is rather big; we haven¡¯t prepared that much in cash. Therefore, I¡¯d have to trouble you to make an appointment in advance and wait until tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°But your bank¡¯s lobby manager told me that this VIP counter only handles the transaction of more 1 million yuan for non-members of the bank. And now, I want to withdraw 1 million. But you tell me that I have to make an appointment first. Isn¡¯t this too ridiculous?¡±


    The staff forced out a smile, ¡°Sir, I hope you can forgive us. We only work here, while the rules and regulations of the bank are like this. So we have no choice on this either.¡±


    Tang Xiu knitted his brows and said, ¡°Then you tell me, how much can you provide if I want to withdraw now?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to withdraw at least 500 thousand, you should make an appointment in advance.¡± The staff hesitated before answering.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll take 500 thousand.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    The staff spoke again with the middle-aged leader. Then, he got up and said, ¡°Sir, I¡¯d have to trouble you to enter the VIP private room next door. Since you want to withdraw a large amount of money, we¡¯ll handle the business inside as to avoid any accidents.¡±


    ¡°So troublesome!¡±


    Tang Xiu sighed. He now had the urge to establish a bank of his own. But although China gave permission to open private banks, there were many problems and numerous issues that were interlinked with the government. The relationship was inextricably linked, so he could only wish.


    Carrying a black bag provided by the bank, Tang Xiu gave up on his plan to go to Star City Chinese Medical Hospital and directly rode back to South Gate Town. After returning back home, he called Li Hongji and told him that he would go to the hospital to give medical services tomorrow. Naturally, Li Hongji was overjoyed and repeatedly promised that he would be waiting for him in Chinese Medical Hospital early in the morning.


    In the evening, after Gu Yin¡¯s course tutor had finished teaching her, she and Tang Xiu chatted for awhile before he gave her 20 thousand yuan as Gu Yin¡¯s donation.


    Star City¡¯s Baishi Hotel.


    Yang Xianyu was holding a book, reading it quietly next to the room¡¯s window, whereas a frail, crooked old lady was asleep on the bed near him.


    ¡°Ring, ring, ring ¡­¡±


    His mobile phone¡¯s ringtone interrupted his reading. He looked at the time and saw that it was already 8 PM. He didn¡¯t know who would call him at this time. Taking up his mobile and seeing the name ID on the screen, his face suddenly changed, as he immediately pressed the answer key.


    ¡°Hello, President Li, Yang Xianyu here.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Yang. I didn¡¯t disturb your rest by calling this late, did I?¡± Li Hongji¡¯s laughter came out of the phone.


    Yang Xianyu quickly said, ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t sleeping. Ah, President Li, the reason for your call, could it be that Tang Xiu is preparing to give medical service in your hospital?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He just called me and said that he¡¯ll come tomorrow morning. If you¡¯re still in Star City, please come! Yang old fogy, Jiang Feng has mentioned me about it every day recently.¡± Li Hongji said.


    Yang Xianyu laughed, ¡°Haha, I know. And President Li, thanks. Despite you being so busy, you still remember my wife¡¯s matter. I want to invite you to a drink after Tang Xiu treated her.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡±


    The phone was hung up.


    An excited expression could be seen on Yang Xianyu¡¯s face. These days were quite hard, bringing him suffering. He had visited a number of hospitals in Star City with his wife, but there was no hospital that could treat the strange disease his wife contracted. So now he placed all his hopes on Tang Xiu.


    Immediately, he began to call his children, telling them to rush to Star City tonight no matter how busy they were. After that, he called Jiang Feng, thanking him unceasingly.


    ¡°Old Li, we¡¯ve been friends for many years, so you don¡¯t need to be that polite. Take a rest earlier. I¡¯ll accompany you to Star City Hospital tomorrow.¡± Jiang Feng spoke on the phone.


    ¡°Old Jiang, are you going too?¡± Yang Xianyu stared blankly for a moment and hesitated as he asked.


    Jiang Feng was also surprised. He immediately laughed bitterly, saying, ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me, I won¡¯t forget about that. Besides, I also had some matters with him before. Well, forget it then. I won¡¯t go tomorrow.¡±


    After hesitating for a moment, Yang Xianyu said, ¡°That¡¯s not necessary. You must come! The matter between you and Tang Xiu had been written off. I can tell that he¡¯s not a petty and narrow-minded person, so he won¡¯t mind.¡±

 Chapter 231

    Chapter 231: Being Doubted


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Summertime, early in the morning. The heatwave still surged on in the entire world as if it was woken up along with the elapsing curtain of the night. After having breakfast, Tang Xiu rushed to Star City Chinese Medical Hospital.


    ¡°You finally came, Tang Xiu!¡±


    With a bright expression on his face, Li Hongji stood outside the main building of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. At his side were several important leaders of the hospital as he took the lead to greet Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s not 8 AM yet, I think. I didn¡¯t come late, did I?¡± Tang Xiu smiled.


    Li Hongji shook his head, ¡°No, you¡¯re not late. It¡¯s just me who is impatient. Let¡¯s walk. I¡¯ll take you to your consultation room for you to take a look. If there¡¯s something not to your satisfaction, I¡¯ll order someone to change it.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tang Xiu replied. ¡°President Li, I came to give medical service in the clinic, not to inspect the work. So you can let these leaders take care of their own work.¡±


    Li Hongji had met Tang Xiu a few times, and he knew that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t like to show off and being in the limelight. With a smile, he then told the other leaders to leave and took Tang Xiu by himself to the consultation room to have a look.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good place. But I need your help to arrange a medical staff to directly assist me if there¡¯s something I need.¡± After seeing the consultation room, Tang Xiu nodded and said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll personally help you. So I can learn while convenient by following you.¡± Li Hongji said with a smile.


    ¡°No can do. You¡¯re the distinguished President of the Chinese Medical Hospital. If you become the saddle horse for me and the news spreads out, it would create a disturbance, wouldn¡¯t it? Please quickly arrange it!¡± Tang Xiu said humorlessly.


    Hesitating, Li Hongji nodded and said, ¡°Then you wait here for a while. The service in the hospital will begin at 8:30. I¡¯ll go to arrange someone over here now.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Tang Xiu went to the examination table and sat down beside it. He looked at the stethoscope and the other medical instruments placed above, and then straightly stuffed everything into the drawer. He didn¡¯t use Western medical devices and had no need of them. Traditional Chinese medical practitioners paid particular attention to the close observation of the patients¡¯ words and appearances, as well as diagnosing their sickness through pulse-checking to trace their conditions.


    A few minutes later.


    Li Hongji came to the consultation room with a middle-aged woman that still looked a little attractive. The middle-aged woman wore a white coat with both hands placed in the pockets. The appearance of a well-known doctor.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, I have found someone to help you. She¡¯s called Sun Wenjing, an extraordinarily skilled doctor in our Chinese Medical Hospital. She¡¯s also very good in medicinal ingredients as well as medical skills. I¡¯ve ordered her to assist you when you give consultation to the patients. If you have anything you need, tell her, she¡¯ll definitely do it right away,¡± said Li Hongji with a smile.


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°That¡¯s great. Alright, you can take care of your work now.¡±


    Sun Wenjing frowned. After she saw Tang Xiu¡¯s appearance, she felt that it was quite absurd. And now, upon hearing Tang Xiu speaking to the President with such manner, she suddenly couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°President, don¡¯t go first, please. Are you joking with me? You want me to stop my work to do miscellaneous jobs for this boy?¡±


    Li Hongji¡¯s expression slightly changed as he sternly replied with a low voice, ¡°Shut up! Tang Xiu is a Chinese Medical doctor with outstanding skills that I hired myself. Your job is to follow the tasks assigned to you by the hospital. If you can¡¯t do it, do tell me now and I¡¯ll take it back.¡±


    Sun Wenjing reluctantly said, ¡°President, I can comply with your order resolutely. But, you want me to do miscellaneous jobs here for this a young man; isn¡¯t this the same as wasting my time? He¡¯s very young, even if he learned from a famous teacher and has been taught by an extremely skilled Grandmaster Chinese Medical doctor, he couldn¡¯t have learned many things within such a short time period, right? Don¡¯t stare at me like that, you know that I¡¯m speaking the truth!¡±


    Li Hongji stared at Sun Wenjing with an unsightly expression. He then immediately looked at Tang Xiu with an embarrassed smile. ¡°Tang Xiu, I know that you¡¯re big-hearted, so you mustn¡¯t take her remark into account. This woman only knows how to judge a person by their appearance. Forget it. I¡¯ll take her back and give you another excellent doctor.¡±


    Tang Xiu himself was quite unsatisfied with Sun Wenjing. This woman ought to have some abilities as well, or else she definitely wouldn¡¯t dare to contradict the president. However, he only needed someone to do miscellaneous jobs, someone who would execute his command unconditionally. So he nodded and said, ¡°Then replace her with someone else! This person is shortsighted, she wouldn¡¯t be able to be entrusted with a job with heavy responsibilities either. I¡¯m here to give medical service, not to make trouble.¡±


    Sun Wenjing¡¯s face changed greatly. She angrily glared at Tang Xiu and scolded, ¡°What did you say? You¡¯re the one who¡¯s shortsighted and can¡¯t take jobs with huge responsibilities! You¡¯re still young, but is actually so arrogant and domineering! Our president is very polite with you because¡­ because our President is gentle and friendly.¡±


    Li Hongji looked at Sun Wenjing with a foolish expression. Never had he ever dreamed that Sun Wenjing, who was usually enthusiastic and well-versed in social interaction, could turn out to look to be possessed today. Every line she spoke made him a bit angrier. He politely treated Tang Xiu but she couldn¡¯t even tell what was the problem therein.


    ¡°Sun Wenjing, if you don¡¯t want to be suspended, just shut up! Hmph¡­ no matter what you do today, if you dare to offend Tang Xiu, it¡¯s equal of offending me! I remember clearly that I¡¯ve told you that I¡¯ve spent great effort to invite Tang Xiu, only then this Chinese Medical Grandmaster doctor agreed to come here. And I forgot to tell you one thing. Even my medical skills are far inferior to his.¡±


    ¡°What? Impossible!¡±


    Sun Wenjing was shocked. She looked at Li Hongji and Tang Xiu with disbelief. But even so, she sneered as she glanced at Tang Xiu with disdain, before she turned around and left the consultation room.


    She was in an extremely bad mood today. Her good-hearted mother-in-law was suddenly found to have a medium-stage hepatic cancer; the cancer cells had even spread. It was impossible to completely eliminate it. Her colleague who checked her mother-in-law told her that she perhaps only had six months to a year time left.


    Therefore, she was really hating herself for having poor medical skills, helpless to deal with her mother-in-law¡¯s liver cancer. She also hated those doctors who weren¡¯t really well-learned and talented but actually wore a white coat attire. Tang Xiu¡¯s age, was likely only in his early 20s. And she didn¡¯t believe that Tang Xiu was a very skillful Chinese Medical doctor, let alone that he was much more skilled than the President. In her view, the reason why the President tried to flatter him was definitely for another reason.


    She was only a doctor, but there was no need for her to curry favor with a young man who had no real talent and knowledge.


    Looking at Sun Wenjing¡¯s back, Li Hongji could only smile wryly inwardly. After giving Tang Xiu an apologetic look, he strode out of the consultation room.


    As he came outside, he quickly caught up with Sun Wenjing. He called out to her and scolded, ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you today? As I usually favor you, I was hoping that you could help Tang Xiu and learn a number of powerful medical techniques from him. But you ruined such a good thing!¡±


    Sun Wenjing didn¡¯t dare to contradict him, but still, she replied, ¡°President, please don¡¯t joke with me. If that young man is really skillful, why would he need my help in the first place?¡±


    Li Hongji was fuming with anger as he shouted, ¡°SHUT UP! Do you think with my character I would have to spend great efforts to prepare a consultation room for him to give medical services in our hospital if he didn¡¯t have deep knowledge and skill? If his medical skill wasn¡¯t that good, would I even try to be polite to him and do my best to make arrangements for him? I used to think that you were clever and well-versed in social interactions, but what¡¯s going on with you today?¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re not joking with me? He¡­¡± Sun Wenjing was confused.


    Li Hongji replied in a deep tone, ¡°Do you remember a woman surnamed Mu who once came to our hospital to treat her daughter¡¯s strange disease?¡±


    Sun Wenjing nodded, ¡°I heard about her! Not even you yourself managed to treat that little girl¡¯s disease. That surnamed Mu woman took her daughter along, running all over the country, and no one could cure her daughter¡¯s strange illness. President, why did you suddenly mention this issue?¡±


    Li Hongji sneered, ¡°That¡¯s right. That woman surnamed Mu had visited hundreds of thousands of doctors from all the major hospitals, even the Chinese Medical and the Western Medical hospital. No one could cure her daughter¡¯s strange illness, but Tang Xiu did. She¡¯s healed now!¡±


    ¡°For real? You¡¯re not faking it?¡±


    Sun Wenjing¡¯s first response was that Li Hongji was lying.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m lying?¡± Li Hongji sneered.


    Sun Wenjing quickly shook her head. She knew clearly well about the President¡¯s character. Her abrupt reaction was driven by the contempt she had toward Tang Xiu. She didn¡¯t think the President would joke about such issues.


    Li Hongji continued with a cold expression, ¡°Moreover, you also know about the six or seven doctor experts in orthopedic and cardiology that were carrying out a surgery in a wounded patient. The patient had a steel nail lodged near the heart. You also have heard about this matter, no?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t on duty that night, but I also heard about it. Don¡¯t tell me¡­ that the person who rushed to our hospital that night and removed the nail from the patient¡­ was him?¡± asked Sun Wenjing.


    Li Hongji sneered, ¡°Aside from him, who has such great abilities? You¡­ ah¡­ I really don¡¯t know what to say anymore! Such a great opportunity and you wasted it for nothing. Forget it. The matter has gotten to this point, there¡¯s no use even if I lecture you anyway. You go back!¡±


    Having said that, Li Hongji crossed his hands behind his back and lamented. Heaving a sigh, he walked toward the side corridor.


    Sun Wenjing was stunned and tongue-tied as she looked at the back of the leaving Li Hongji. Suddenly, regret sprouted up inside her heart.


    In the case¡­ if President Li didn¡¯t lie, that Tang Xiu was really a very powerful Chinese Medical Grandmaster. Didn¡¯t she just miss an opportunity in vain? But even so, he was very young. Even if he began studying Chinese Medical skills ever since he was in his mother¡¯s womb, that would mean that he spent only 20 years studying, wouldn¡¯t it? Even if his medical skill was powerful, could it be powerful to that extent?


    Thinking up to here, Sun Wenjing stopped thinking and curled her lips. She didn¡¯t go back to her office directly, but came to the Inpatient Department, looking at her mother-in-law who was receiving an intravenous infusion. At present, her mother-in-law¡¯s cancer cells were spreading, worsening her condition. If she didn¡¯t have prompt medication, let alone being able to live for a year or a half year, her time would be limited to three to five months.

 Chapter 232

    Chapter 232: Giving Medical Treatment


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Half past eight in the morning.


    Putting on the white coat Li Hongji personally gave him, Tang Xiu sat calmly at the consultation table, waiting for the first patient to come. At his side, a young girl in her early twenties was constantly looking at him with a curious look on her face. Dai Xinyue was a newcomer in the hospital pharmacy, a college graduate who was hired just a few months ago.


    However, she also had a Traditional Chinese Medical practitioner background. Her grandfather was a Traditional Chinese Medical senior doctor, while her parents also engaged in medical work. Therefore, she also had some skills due to the influence of her family.


    Dai Xinyue was very curious about Tang Xiu and even worshipped him a bit because he was of a similar age with her. But he was unexpectedly able to become an on-duty doctor; which was definitely an amazing feat.


    ¡°Knock, knock¡­¡±


    The consultation room¡¯s door was knocked, revealing several family members pushing a patient inside. Tang Xiu frowned. He knew the person who took the lead; he was originally the old man he saw when he kicked the plaque of the Rising Dragon Martial School, Yang Xianyu.


    ¡°Hello, Dr. Tang.¡±


    Yang Xianyu bowed very low with a smile hung on his face.


    Nodding lightly, Tang Xiu got up and looked at the eyes of the old lady who was on the stretcher. His brows suddenly wrinkled. He walked forward and took the old lady¡¯s wrist to check on her pulse. After checking it quietly for half a minute, only then did he turn to look at Yang Xianyu, saying, ¡°Have you checked her before? What did the other doctors tell you?¡±


    Yang Xianyu replied truthfully, ¡°They said that she suffered a stroke. But I don¡¯t believe it.¡±


    ¡°Why did you say that?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°Although my wife¡¯s symptoms are similar with a stroke¡¯s, she can speak clearly, and the contents of her speech are about gods, buddhas, and ghosts. It¡¯s very odd. I think she didn¡¯t suffer a stroke, more like she was bewitched,¡± said Yang Xianyu.


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°You¡¯re right, she¡¯s being possessed!¡±


    Yang Xianyu was surprised for a moment, his complexion then immediately changing. He quickly said, ¡°Dr. Tang, since you can see that my wife is being possessed, I believe that you must have a cure for it? I offended you in Raising Dragon Martial School before, I hope you can forgive me with your big heart.¡±


    ¡°Let bygones be bygones! Your wife¡¯s Dangyang point on her forehead is being invaded by Evil Qi. But fortunately, she has a strong fire essence in her body that is keeping the Evil Qi unable to invade her sea of consciousness. Otherwise, she would have turned into an idiot already,¡± saying Tang Xiu faintly.


    ¡°Hey! How can you say that?¡± Yang Zhenting, who stood behind Yang Xianyu, spoke in anger.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Yang Xianyu¡¯s face changed, rebuking him in a deep tone.


    ¡°Father, this kid is talking irresponsibly. How come he says that Mother is being possessed? The hospital has diagnosed a stroke! So we only need to follow the treatment and slowly nurture Mother back to health. I believe she¡¯ll be alright!¡±


    ¡°Pa¡­¡±


    Yang Xianyu slapped Yang Zhenting¡¯s face and snapped sternly, ¡°If you dare to say one more word, you¡¯re not my son anymore! You won¡¯t see me again later.¡±


    Upon hearing it, Yang Zhenting turned timid. He lowered his head and no longer spoke.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said lightly, ¡°All of you, go out!¡±


    Misunderstanding Tang Xiu¡¯s meaning, Yang Xianyu hurriedly said, ¡°Dr. Tang, please don¡¯t take my son¡¯s remark to heart. It¡¯s because of my improper teaching. In any case, you must save my wife. Please!¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°What I meant was for you and the other family members to leave. I will treat her now.¡±


    ¡°Ah, alright!¡± Yang Xianyu was overjoyed and immediately left with all of his children.


    Tang Xiu looked at Dai Xinyue and said serenely, ¡°Take the silver needles you brought a moment ago and disinfect all of them with cotton and ethyl alcohol.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Dai Xinyue obediently took a box of silver needles and sterilized them, and then put them back to the box.


    Tang Xiu propped up the old lady and said, ¡°Untie her coat and take off the rest except her underwear.¡±


    Dai Xinyue hesitated before doing it right away, according to what Tang Xiu had ordered. Soon, the old woman was undressed. Tang Xiu then turned her around with her back facing him. He then took out a few silver needles and quickly pierced the acupuncture points on her back.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s fingers gently pressed the location of the silver needles as his fingers constantly moved along the body¡¯s meridian channel¡¯s line.


    Two minutes later.


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡±


    The old lady woke up from her deep slumber. She coughed for a while before opening her eyes.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes flashed. He pulled out the silver needles lightning fast and quickly pierced the Dangyang point on her forehead. His needle piercing technique was extremely strange. He pierced on three points and pulled out one point; punctured another point and pulled it out again and punctured another three points.


    Twisting, pulling, and piercing.


    After having repeated this nine times, Tang Xiu quickly pulled out all the silver needles.


    ¡°Uh, what a stench!¡±


    Dai Xinyue, who had been standing beside the old lady, suddenly smelt a foul stench when Tang Xiu pulled out the silver needle from the old lady¡¯s Dangyang point. She could even clearly see a trace of gray-black gas drifting from the acupuncture point.


    Tang Xiu put down the silver needles and then gently held the old lady¡¯s face. With his five fingers, he exerted some effort to massage it, as the old lady¡¯s mouth askance and crooked appearance then began to change. Certainly, nobody knew that he was using star force to massage the old lady¡¯s facial muscles to fix her face.


    From the beginning of the treatment to the end, Tang Xiu only spent a total of ten minutes. When Tang Xiu took back his hands, the old lady¡¯s appearance was almost the same as a normal person¡¯s. After taking out the silver needles on her back, Tang Xiu commanded, ¡°Help her dress up! Then tell the patient¡¯s family to enter.¡±


    At this moment, Dai Xinyue looked at the old lady¡¯s face with a blank expression and was startled upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words. After that, she hurriedly asked, ¡°Tang¡­ Dr. Tang, what did you just say? I¡¯m really sorry, I was just distracted.¡±


    Tang Xiu repeated what he had just said and then walked to the washbasin. He washed his hands before sitting behind the examination table.


    Shortly after, Yang Xianyu and some of his children came inside. When they saw the appearance of the old lady, each and every one of them exposed a look of disbelief.


    ¡°Dr. Tang, my wife, she¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I have treated her. This is just a minor problem, so I will give you a few auxiliary Chinese medicine prescriptions. After you boiled the medicines, give them to her. She¡¯ll fully recover after resting for a few days. However, I think that you should check the objects around her. She must have a few objects with Yin and Evil Qi. If you don¡¯t pay attention to it, if later the Evil Qi invade her body again, treating her won¡¯t be this easy.¡±


    Yang Xianyu was shocked, ¡°She¡¯s alright already?¡±


    ¡°What? You don¡¯t believe me?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    Yang Xianyu immediately shook his head and said seriously, ¡°I believe you, Divine Doctor Tang. I have been with my wife in Star City for a long time, waiting for you to give medical service in this Chinese Medical Hospital. Thank you, thank you very much.¡±


    Tang Xiu was surprised, ¡°Then, the last time I saw you in Rising Dragon Martial School was because¡­¡±


    Forcing out a smile, Yang Xianyu said, ¡°Last time, I came to Star City was to find you. I heard the news that you treated a little girl¡¯s strange illness on Jingmen Island, so I know that you are an amazing Divine Doctor. Afterward, I¡¯ve been asking around everywhere, only then did I know that you live in Star City. Jiang Feng, the Schoolmaster of Rising Dragon Martial School, is my long-time friend. I happened to see him that day, and then I met you by chance¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly realized as he nodded and said, ¡°If you see Jiang Feng again, please tell him that opening a martial school is a good deed for people to train a strong and healthy body, as well as defend the homeland. But if it¡¯s to be used to bully the common people, he should simply close his martial school earlier!¡±


    Yang Xianyu said, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang. You actually didn¡¯t know. My old friend is an upright and just person. He hates people who uses martial arts and force to bully others; he¡¯ll even severely teach them a lesson. He was also furious that some crooks emerged in his martial school. He already disciplined and expelled them. He also has increased the supervision of the school.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I got it.¡±


    Having said that, he quickly wrote a prescription and handed it over to Yang Xianyu, saying, ¡°Now, go buy the items in this prescription! I¡¯ve already written the ingredients that are needed to make the medicine. Do remember it well.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, thank you, Divine Doctor Tang,¡± said Yang Xianyu gratefully.


    Tang Xiu shook his head as he watched them leave. He then looked at Dai Xinyue and asked lightly, ¡°And you, what kind of impression do you have?¡±


    The shock on Dai Xinyue¡¯s face hadn¡¯t yet subsided. Upon hearing his inquiry, a bit of admiration revealed on her face. ¡°Dr. Tang, you¡¯re really amazing! But, the evil qi you said before, I didn¡¯t get it.¡±


    Tang Xiu replied faintly, ¡°If you want to be an excellent Chinese medical doctor, not only do you need to understand the patient¡¯s condition and, to some extent, understand about their injuries and feelings, you also must understand that some ordinary people might be in difficult situations. Such as the patient I just treated who was possessed! This world has spiritual qi, life qi, death qi, corpse qi, as well as baleful qi. If you encounter similar patients in the future, don¡¯t just analyze the symptoms of the patients, you also have to consider some unscientific issues; those things really exist.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember your teachings, Dr. Tang.¡± Dai Xinyue nodded repeatedly.


    Tang Xiu was quite content with Dai Xinyue¡¯s performance. Compared to Sun Wenjing who judged a person by their appearance, he thought that replacing her was really a good choice. Therefore, he decided to teach her as much as possible in his consultation time.


    ¡°Knock, knock¡­¡±


    The door was knocked again as a young man that was covering his stomach entered the ward. After he sat down on the chair in front of the consultation table, he said with a pained expression, ¡°Hi, Doctor, I¡­ I have a very painful stomachache.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Give me your wrist!¡±


    As the young man extended his wrist, Tang Xiu checked it. As a slight smile appeared on his mouth, he got up and walked behind the young man, grabbing his shoulder with one hand while the other patted his back.


    ¡°Pa, pa, pa¡­¡±


    A series of beatings made several patients and their families who were waiting in front of the door look at each other in dismay. Even Dai Xinyue also showed a puzzled expression.


    Tang Xiu glanced at her, ¡°Can you pulse-check to diagnose the state of a disease?¡±


    Dai Xinyue quickly said, ¡°A little. I learned from my grandfather. I can diagnose the general state of an illness through observation.¡±

 Chapter 233

    Chapter 233: Reputation Spread Out Far


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Since you can do that, then bear in mind that if you come across patients with blood and qi deficiency and shortness of breath, check them in accordance with their pulse beating to determine whether the qi in their meridian channels are clogged up. This will result in convulsions in their appendixes, causing severe abdominal pain. Pay attention to my hands¡¯ movements and remember the locations and the frequency of my beatings.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    Upon hearing it, Dai Xinyue instantly realized that Tang Xiu was directing her in the medical techniques. She was immediately overjoyed and repeatedly nodded while attentively watching Tang Xiu¡¯s beating technique.


    Two minutes later, the young man coughed a few more times before releasing a big, smelly fart, while the pained expression on his face disappeared.


    Tang Xiu loosened the young man and returned back to his examination table as he smiled, ¡°Being young is a good thing. But you should also pay attention to your body. After all, a healthy body is your capital to a good life. In this way, you will only empty your body prematurely, very likely suffering in your sex life.¡±


    The young man instantly understood Tang Xiu¡¯s meaning. An awkward expression was cast on his face as he said, ¡°Thank you, doctor. I¡¯ll remember it. You¡¯re really a divine doctor. My stomachache was really bad just now, but after your beating, it unexpectedly doesn¡¯t hurt anymore. I can even feel that my body became comfortable and warm.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled, ¡°You¡¯re welcome. This is what I should do! You should go now, there are other patients behind you!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡±


    The young man came covering his stomach but now he left with a straight waist and back.


    Several patients and their family members who were at the door looked at each other. They were just in front of the consultation room¡¯s door, a bit disappointed. But they didn¡¯t expect that Tang Xiu would be this skillful; he was even able to cure a patient with such a bad stomachache quickly and easily.


    ¡°Awesome! We really can¡¯t judge a person solely by looking at their appearance, just as you can¡¯t measure the sea with a pint pot! This young doctor unexpectedly has such amazing medical skill. He might become a world-renowned divine doctor in the future!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really amazing! I¡¯ve heard of quite a few skillful doctors, but none of them are so young. Coming for medical treatment in this Chinese Medical Hospital, it seems that this was the right choice.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my turn¡­¡±


    As a middle-aged woman walked into the consultation room, she handed over the registration form to Tang Xiu, saying, ¡°Hi, Doc. I¡¯ve been in a dizzy sate lately. Sometimes I feel nauseous and often suffer from insomnia at night. Could you examine me and tell me what kind of problem I have?¡±


    Tang Xiu sized her up, noting that she looked pale with lips that a bit purple. Moreover, her forehead was also sweating, so he immediately replied, ¡°I¡¯ll check your pulse first before talking about your condition.¡±


    The middle-aged woman quickly extended her wrist.


    After checking her pulse, Tang Xiu found that her problem was not small. Not only there were problems with her kidney¡¯s function, but also some symptoms of kidney failure. She also had severe anemia, and if it continued unattended, her body would collapse in two months at the most.


    After a moment of silence, Tang Xiu loosened the middle-aged woman¡¯s wrist and said, ¡°Take off your shoes and socks. Move the chair over and sit in front of me.¡±


    The middle-aged woman looked confused, but she still followed Tang Xiu¡¯s instructions. She sat in front of Tang Xiu and took off her shoes and socks.


    Tang Xiu took the middle-aged woman¡¯s bare feet and put them on his leg. Then, he rubbed and pinched several important acupuncture points on her feet as well as massaged them. The middle-aged woman exposed a pained expression as he then asked her lightly, ¡°Does it hurt?¡±


    With a pained expression, the middle-aged woman nodded heavily, ¡°It¡¯s very painful!¡±


    Tang Xiu sighed, ¡°You neglected your body too much. You have severe anemia and the beating of your pulse is very weak. In addition, your kidney¡¯s function is the most serious one, there are even some symptoms of its failure. If you don¡¯t treat it immediately, the consequences will be very serious. I¡¯ll give you some massage on your acupuncture points to relieve the uncomfortable feeling you have in your body. But if you want to be fully cured, you need to recover slowly. I¡¯ll give you some Chinese herbal prescriptions. After you buy them, boil the medicinal herbs and take it in the morning and evening every day for a month.¡±


    The middle-aged woman asked, ¡°Can I get well after taking the medicine for a month?¡±


    ¡°You will. And you should become stronger.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    The middle-aged woman was overjoyed. But she then hesitated, ¡°But Doc, are the prescribed medicines¡­ expensive? I¡­ my family is quite poor, if it¡¯s too expensive, I can¡¯t afford to buy them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not expensive, you¡¯ll only spend tens of yuan for the medicinal herbs.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    Upon hearing it, the middle-aged woman was finally relieved and gratefully said, ¡°Thanks a lot, Doc.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and gave her a massage for a few minutes. After that, he let her put on her socks and shoes. He then washed his hands and wrote a prescription to her. ¡°Do remember to be sure to take the medication every day. Otherwise, your body will collapse.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember it!¡± The middle-aged woman seriously nodded.


    Standing at the side, Dai Xinyue¡¯s eyes flashed. She had never thought that Tang Xiu¡¯s medical treatment would be this amazing. Three patients came for treatment. Two were consecutively cured on the spot, while he gave massage to the third one. But a trace of a rosy color appeared on her pale face, as even her expression, as well as the tone of her speech, was stronger than before.


    ¡°Next patient!¡±


    As the middle-aged woman left, Tang Xiu called out.


    This morning, Tang Xiu examined a total of dozens of patients. A small part of them was cured on the spot, while the remaining patients were treated with simple prescriptions to ease their illness¡¯ condition.


    At this time, the entire Star City Medical Hospital¡¯s leadership, doctors, nurses, including a lot of patients who came to the hospital heard that a divine doctor had appeared.


    Inside the hospital¡¯s conference room.


    Li Hongji and dozens of specialists and doctors of the hospital were all sitting on the conference table. They looked at a big LCD screen on the back of the room. On the screen, there was a video showing Tang Xiu¡¯s consultation room. For three and a half hours, no one left the table for even half a step nor there were too many words spoken. All of their attention was focused on the screen while a shocked expression covered on their faces time and time again.


    ¡°Huff¡­¡±


    After seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s successful treatment of a patient through the screen, Li Hongji finally took a deep sigh. He turned to the dozens of doctors and specialists in the conference room and asked, ¡°What do you think? He¡¯s the doctor that I personally hired. His level is surely able to enter your eyes, right?¡±


    Dozens of doctors and specialists looked at each other with bitter expressions on their faces.


    An old Chinese medical doctor forced out a smile and said, ¡°President, you¡¯re joking with us. How can this young doctor be unable to enter our eyes? His medical skill is simply magical. I have been in the medical field for 40-50 years now and there are so many patients and so many illnesses I have treated and seen¡­ I have also met a lot of skillful Chinese medical practitioners, but I¡¯ve never seen such skillful Chinese medical doctor such as him.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s simply a divine doctor. His attainments in medical skills are beyond doubt. Even now, I¡¯m suspecting that there are no illnesses he can¡¯t cure in this world.¡± Another old Chinese medical doctor sighed deeply.


    The corner of Li Hongji¡¯s mouth outlined a smile on his face. Looking content, his eyes swept everyone who was nodding and said with a smile, ¡°As the saying goes, there will come out talented people on behalf of the country with each more excellent in leading for several decades. All of us are old timers, and the world will belong to the young in the future. It¡¯s just a pity that Tang Xiu doesn¡¯t have any ambition in the medical field. Otherwise, I genuinely wanted to make the masses feel happy with this.¡±


    The old Chinese medical doctor who was the first to speak a moment ago replied, ¡°President, we must keep such a powerful young Chinese medical doctor like him! Let him say his conditions freely. As long as he can stay in our hospital, I believe that our hospital will be very famous.¡±


    Li Hongji replied helplessly, ¡°Do you think that I don¡¯t want him to stay in our hospital? I tried to the best of my abilities. When his mother was hospitalized here, I sent people to take good care of her with the best possible treatment in exchange for his consent to give medical services in our hospital. But he only agreed to do it in this summer vacation. After this summer vacation is over, he¡¯ll go to university. It would be difficult to make him come and give medical service in our hospital later!¡±


    The dozens of doctors and specialists went silent.


    Li Hongji sighed, ¡°Just forget it for now. If something is not meant to be, it¡¯s no use trying to force it to happen. I¡¯ll do everything I can to make him come to our hospital and give medical service here later. Furthermore, once the time is determined that he would give medical service here, we¡¯ll announce the news to the public at once. Tang Xiu¡¯s medical expertise is brilliant, so in the afternoon, you go to the Inpatient Department to select a few patients who are seriously ill or nearly incurable and have their relatives send them to Tang Xiu¡¯s consultation room. If he can solve it, we will immediately announce that we have a divine doctor on duty in our hospital.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Everyone nodded.


    Shortly before noon.


    Tang Xiu was at the hospital at lunch hour. Li Hongji personally invited him with Tang Xiu¡¯s assistant, Dai Xinyue, following them to lunch. However, for Dai Xinyue, being able to have a meal with the President gave her quite an awe feeling and trepidation.


    After lunch, Tang Xiu returned to the consultation room. He knew that there was a surveillance camera inside, but he didn¡¯t care about it. Even when the patients consulted with him as well as when he was treating them, he deliberately let the camera focus on them.


    In the afternoon, Tang Xiu diagnosed a lot of patients with serious illnesses. Although he couldn¡¯t cure them immediately, he gave them treatment to alleviate their condition. As long as they followed his follow-up instructions, he believed that these patients would be completely healed quickly.


    Tang Xiu had decided to give medical service at this hospital until tomorrow. After all, he had promised Li Hongji, but it was delayed for many days. And now, after giving medical services for a few days, he would also be quite busy later and perhaps would have no time to come here anymore.


    In the afternoon of the next day.


    Tang Xiu was in his consultation room giving medical service and teaching Dai Xinyue a lot of medical knowledge. He himself had a deep knowledge of various symptoms of illnesses of the human body. After he returned back to Earth, he had read a large amount of Chinese medical books, so the knowledge of a large number of illnesses and medical conditions gave him a base to his practical level and medical expertise.


    ¡°Knock, knock¡­¡±


    The door was knocked as a young man along with a middle-aged woman came into the consultation room.


    When Tang Xiu saw the young man¡¯s face, his brows slightly wrinkled because he had seen him before outside the Chinese Medical Hospital two days ago. The young man was ridiculing him back then.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    As the young man saw Tang Xiu, he blankly stared for a moment before saying with astonishment.


    Tang Xiu replied indifferently, ¡°Why can¡¯t I? Rich people also get sick and also need a doctor! What? Do you think I have no money and there¡¯s no way for me to work as a doctor?¡±

 Chapter 234

    Chapter 234: Regrets


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The youth¡¯s expression changed, looking awkward. He was secretly regretting inwardly, knowing that his mouth ran cheaply yesterday, offending a Chinese Medical Hospital¡¯s doctor. Furthermore, based on rumors, the said doctor was even an amazing divine doctor.


    He smiled obsequiously saying, ¡°Doctor, I¡¯m really sorry for being arrogant before. A great person such as you, please don¡¯t mind and ignore the offense of a lowly person like me. Yesterday, I heard that an amazing divine doctor came to this Chinese Medical Hospital who often gives good consultations and cures illnesses quickly.¡±


    Tang Xiu was not a narrow-minded person. Hearing the young man¡¯s apology, he slightly nodded and looked at the middle-aged woman sitting in front of the consultation table. ¡°Which part of your body feels uncomfortable?¡±


    The middle-aged woman answered, ¡°It¡¯s my back!¡±


    Tang Xiu checked her pulse. Her pulse indicated that her body was in good condition, only, there was a symptom clogging up blood in her waist. Therefore, he got up and said, ¡°Get down on the sickbed over there. I¡¯ll give you a Tuina massage once. You should have strained the muscles in your lower back.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    The middle-aged woman followed Tang Xiu¡¯s instructions and lied down on the sickbed.


    After Tang Xiu traced the middle-aged woman¡¯s waist, he shook his head and said, ¡°It looks like your condition is not as simple straining your lumbar discs muscles. It¡¯s much more serious, the lumbar disc in your waist is dislocated. If you want to fix the bones¡¯ position, I¡¯m afraid that it will be very painful. Can you withstand the pain?¡±


    The middle-aged woman quickly asked, ¡°Can it be completely cured?¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°No problem. But it will take a few days to complete the treatment. You have to come twice a day, in the morning and evening, at the same hour! Three days should be enough.¡±


    The middle-aged woman nodded earnestly, saying, ¡°I can bear it. I¡¯d have to trouble you for it, Doc!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and started the Tuina massage on the middle-aged woman. As he began to increase his strength, his fingers massaged across the middle-aged woman¡¯s waist bones therefrom.


    Once and twice, each and every time was stronger than the last!


    A painful expression was written on the middle-aged woman¡¯s face. The more strength Tang Xiu exerted, the thicker the pained expression on her face. And even afterward, she repeatedly screaming again and again.


    Ten minutes later, when the middle-aged woman was almost at her limit, only then did Tang Xiu stop. ¡°Lie on the bed for now. Wait until the pain in your waist subsides.¡±


    Immediately after, Tang Xiu called another patient in. After the patient was treated, only then did the middle-aged woman get up from the sickbed. After getting up, a surprised expression appeared on her face as she said, ¡°It really doesn¡¯t hurt anymore! Even my waist feels warm and comfortable.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Do remember what I told you. Come back in these three days. If nothing happens, I¡¯ll be here for three days.¡±


    ¡°Alright! Thank you, doctor!¡± The middle-aged woman said gratefully.


    Seeing such an amazing ability from Tang Xiu, the young man sincerely admired him. He faced Tang Xiu and said, ¡°I really have to thank you, Doc! My mother¡¯s lumbar disc has been disturbing her for a few years, often feeling pain while she¡¯s sleeping. If you can completely cure her, no matter how much money you request from us, we¡¯ll pay you!¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu was surprised, ¡°Is your family very rich?¡±


    The young man hesitated for a moment, ¡°We¡¯re not too rich. But I can say with certainty that our financial state is much better compared to the average family.¡±


    ¡°If so, then you can give them to charity! That can be considered as thanking me!¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Giving it to charity?


    The young man was surprised for a moment. He originally intended to donate the money via the red envelope to Tang Xiu, yet he was refused. He could feel that Tang Xiu was definitely saying it from his heart. For a moment, he was quietly ashamed inwardly for his superficiality and his previous arrogance.


    Inside the Inpatient Department.


    Accompanied by the Inpatient Department¡¯s head, Li Hongji came to a VIP ward. When he saw that a hospital doctor, Sun Wenjing, was in the ward next to the patient¡¯s bed, he immediately asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Seeing the President¡¯s arrival along with the Inpatient Department¡¯s head, Sun Wenjing quickly replied, ¡°President, my work is done for the day, so I come here to take a look at my mother.¡±


    ¡°This patient is your mother?¡± Li Hongji was surprised.


    Sun Wenjing nodded, ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s her illness?¡± asked Li Hongji.


    With a bitter expression, Sun Wenjing answered, ¡°She has a medium stage liver cancer, and is undergoing the hospital treatment.¡±


    Medium stage liver cancer?


    Li Hongji secretly sighed. If it was an early stage cancer, it¡¯d be possible to cure it. But after the cancer cells had spread, it¡¯d be simply as difficult as reaching the blue sky! He wanted to say a few words to console Sun Wenjing, but didn¡¯t know what to say. After secretly shaking his head, he said, ¡°Take good care of your mother! If you¡¯re too busy with your work in the hospital, I¡¯ll give you a holiday.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, President. I have many relatives, so my job won¡¯t be affected!¡± shaking her head, Sun Wenjing replied.


    Li Hongji nodded. When he was about to leave, he suddenly recalled something. With a strange expression on his face, he said, ¡°Your mother¡¯s illness is very difficult to cure. How about you take her to Tang Xiu and let him examine her?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu?¡±


    Sun Wenjing stared blankly for a moment before her expression immediately changed.


    In the last two days, a divine doctor was widely rumored to be giving medical consultation and treatment in the hospital. After she asked around, she knew that the widely rumored divine doctor turned out to be Tang Xiu. Now, she was deeply regretting her judgment of him which was solely based on his appearance, even refusing to become Tang Xiu¡¯s assistant.


    However, even if Li Hongji said it, she was nevertheless somewhat unable to believe it. Because she didn¡¯t believe that Tang Xiu could treat her mother¡¯s medium stage cancer. Furthermore, she didn¡¯t give Tang Xiu face before, and now, if she asked for Tang Xiu¡¯s help, she would die due to embarrassment!


    Looking at Sun Wenjing¡¯s expression, Li Hongji could tell her thoughts. He then faintly said, ¡°Go and try! Tang Xiu¡¯s medical expertise is very powerful. Also, remember what I told you before. His medical expertise is better than mine. A lot of strange illnesses I can¡¯t tell heads or tails, but he¡¯s able to cure them. Perhaps he really has a way to treat a medium stage liver cancer patient. If you think you can¡¯t lose your face, ask your relatives to take your mother to him.¡±


    ¡°President, is he really that powerful just like in the rumors?¡± Hesitating, Sun Wenjing asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s amazing! The reason why I asked you to take your mother and find him, is actually that of my own selfishness. I expect him to create a miracle in the medical field.¡± Said Li Hongji.


    Sun Wenjing¡¯s face constantly changed. Finally, a firm expression could be seen on her face as she said with all seriousness, ¡°President, I¡¯ll take my mother to see him!¡±


    Li Hongji nodded, ¡°Go! He has a very good character. When facing patients, he won¡¯t even care about your actions toward him before.¡±


    An awkward expression was revealed on Sun Wenjing¡¯s face once again as she lowered her head and didn¡¯t utter another word.


    Time flew by quickly.


    Tang Xiu got quite a headache. It was almost lunch break, but the queue outside was still quite long. He didn¡¯t expect that today¡¯s patients would unexpectedly increase. This morning, he already treated 40-50 people, whereas the rest who were waiting in line outside was perhaps double that.


    After hesitating, he turned to Dai Xinyue and said, ¡°Go outside and ask whose illness is rather urgent. I will only treat three more patients before taking a rest. The consultations will resume again at 2 o¡¯clock.¡±


    Dai Xinyue complied quickly and walked outside.


    Shortly after, three emergency patients were taken to the consultation room. After Tang Xiu treated them, one was cured on the spot, whereas the other two¡¯s illness had turned for the better.


    ¡°Give way please!¡±


    When Tang Xiu was about to take his white coat off and go to the cafeteria for lunch, noises came from outside. As the crowd made way, four or five people with pennants, who were possibly the patients¡¯ relatives, came to the consultation room. Someone who was at the forefront was the family of Tang Xiu¡¯s first patient, Yang Xianyu.


    ¡°What are you people doing here?¡± Looking at their pennants as well the five people, astonishment was drawn on Tang Xiu¡¯s face.


    Yang Xianyu smiled, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, you¡¯re a highly respected divine doctor. We know that you don¡¯t care about money, so we¡¯re too much embarrassed to give you red envelopes. Therefore, a family member of the patient who knows that you also have cured my wife contacted me. Each one of us wants to give you this pennant to express our respect and gratitude.¡±


    Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he had to laugh or cry, ¡°My current status is a doctor. It is my duty to save people from impending death and help the patients. Your actions¡­ Ah, forget it. I accept these pennants. And thank you for your good intentions.¡±


    Yang Xianyu and the others immediately revealed smiles, saying a deeply grateful word of praises and then leaving.


    ¡°Collect them and put them away!¡± said Tang Xiu to Dai Xinyue.


    ¡°Ah?¡± Dai Xinyue was astonished. ¡°We won¡¯t hang them on the wall?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head, saying, ¡°No need. The patients and their families sent the pennants to express their gratitude. We¡¯ve received them, so we don¡¯t need to care about these external objects.¡±


    Awe and respect were written all over Dai Xinyue¡¯s face as she nodded heavily. It was only a short one to two days ever since following Tang Xiu, but her medical expertise had been rapidly improving and she had learned too many things. She even hoped that it would keep going.


    She had an idol, who was her grandfather. A quite famous Chinese medical senior doctor who dedicated his life to save the dying and heal the injured and had done good deeds for the entirety of his life.


    But in all fairness, she thought that her grandfather¡¯s medical expertise wasn¡¯t as good as Tang Xiu¡¯s, even much inferior. Therefore, her new idol now was Tang Xiu. Even in her heart, she already considered Tang Xiu as her teacher.


    Half an hour later, at the Chinese Medical Hospital¡¯s cafeteria.


    Tang Xiu and Dai Xinyue were having lunch whilst chatting about topics regarding medical treatment. Tang Xiu thought that she was really good. And in particular, he really liked her diligent, studious and modest attitude. Therefore, he was also willing to teach her as much as he could.


    In these two days, he saw a lot of patients in the hospital as well as their relatives. Looking at their distressed expressions when they arrived and their overjoyed expressions leaving, it caused his heart to be full of satisfaction. Ever since he returned to Earth, he found himself having a distinct mentality that was completely different than when he was in the Immortal World.


    At present, he was a full passion for life, with fighting spirit filling his being. Whether it was making money, taking care of family or practicing cultivation, he felt that this kind of life was also another kind of happiness in itself.


    ¡°Excuse me!¡± A female voice was heard.


    Tang Xiu stopped. As he turned his head, his expression suddenly became cold, because the person coming was Sun Wenjing.

 Chapter 235

    Chapter 235: Spirited


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Sun Wenjing looked a bit awkward. But for her mother, she braved herself forward even if she had to disgrace herself. She smiled, ¡°Dr. Tang, I¡¯m really sorry for what I did before. I¡¯m too shortsighted and judged you by your appearance. In these two days, I¡¯ve heard that your medical expertise and ethics are equally good, so please don¡¯t stoop yourself down to my level.¡±


    A surprised expression was revealed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes when he heard it. He originally thought that Sun Wenjing came to pick a quarrel, but she unexpectedly came to apologize. Since she sincerely apologized, it was not good for him to give a cold face. As the saying goes, hit not the people who are smiling at you, instead reach out your hand to them. Therefore, he waved and said, ¡°Let the bygones be bygones. But pay attention to it later.¡±


    Sun Wenjing was secretly relieved. ¡°I must keep this lesson in mind, to not judge people by their appearances, and strive to face everything with an amiable and modest attitude.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve received your words of apology. Take a seat and have lunch with us!¡±


    ¡°Dr. Tang, actually, there¡¯s one matter that I want to ask you,¡± said Sun Wenjing.


    ¡°What?¡± knitting his brows, Tang Xiu asked.


    Sun Wenjing said, ¡°well, recently I¡¯m in a bad mood because my mother is ill and hospitalized in our hospital.¡±


    Tang Xiu asked with a puzzled expression, ¡°What¡¯s her illness?¡±


    Sun Wenjing looked pained, ¡°Liver cancer, medium stage. The cancer cells already spread out.¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his brows, ¡°And your meaning is, you want me to treat her?¡±


    Nodding, Sun Wenjing answered, ¡°Rumors have it that you¡¯re a divine doctor. Even President Li admits that he¡¯s inferior to you. He said to me that if anyone in this world can save my mother, that person must be you. Also, President Li told me out of his own selfishness, since he wants to witness a miracle occur in the medical field.¡±


    For a moment, Tang Xiu fell into silence. He then slowly shook his head, saying, ¡°I¡¯m not as good as people say in the rumors. I¡¯m afraid that I can¡¯t do anything for your mother¡¯s illness. I¡¯m really sorry to disappoint you and President Li.¡±


    Sun Wenjing begged, ¡°Would you please give it a try, Dr. Tang? Please! No matter what requests you put forward, I¡¯ll try my best to fulfill them. Rather, we¡ªbrothers and sisters, will fully cooperate to meet your requests. My mother has brought us up, the four siblings, by herself until we grew up. She spent her whole life taking care of us and our children. You can say that she has yet to enjoy her life, and now, she has cancer. I really don¡¯t want to see her leaving us in pain and suffering from illness. So please, I beg you, try it!¡±


    Looking at Sun Wenjing¡¯s desperate begging as well as taking a glance at Tang Xiu, as kindhearted as she was, Dai Xinyue hesitated for a moment before speaking in a low voice, ¡°Dr. Tang, would you give it a try? The elderly are quite pitiful. Even if you can¡¯t cure her, the doctor won¡¯t blame you either.¡±


    Tang Xiu sighed inwardly. He didn¡¯t like Sun Wenjing, but her filial affection touched his heart. After staying silent for a moment, he slowly said, ¡°I have three requirements.¡±


    ¡°Please tell me!¡± Sun Wenjing¡¯s eyes brightened up and quickly replied.


    ¡°Firstly, no matter what it is, the matter of me treating your mother must not be disclosed to anyone, not even Li Hongji. You must keep it confidential.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I can do that!¡± Sun Wenjing nodded heavily.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Secondly, prepare 100 thousand yuan and donate it to the hospital for poor patients. As for the people you want to donate to, find them yourself!¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± said Sun Wenjing without hesitation.


    Tang Xiu continued, ¡°Thirdly, discharge your mother from the hospital and return home. I¡¯ll come to your house every night afterward. If there are any medical instruments needed, you must buy them.¡±


    Sun Wenjing hesitated a moment, asking, ¡°Dr. Tang, how long will you need for the treatment?¡±


    ¡°My time is limited. If I can¡¯t cure her within 10 days, continuing the treatment is no longer necessary.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    After thinking for a few seconds, Sun Wenjing said, ¡°I¡¯ll prepare the discharge procedure for my mother this afternoon and we¡¯ll be waiting for you at home in the evening. As for my home address, I¡¯ll text it to your mobile phone!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tang Xiu told her his phone number and sent her away.


    Dai Xinyue looked at Tang Xiu curiously and whispered, ¡°Dr. Tang, I know you for only a short time, but I can tell that you¡¯re a very confident person. Since you asked that doctor to take her mother back home, could it be that you have the confidence to cure her mother¡¯s cancer?¡±


    Smiling mildly, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much!¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m not thinking too much. I really admire your medical expertise. I can even say that you¡¯re simply omnipotent in the medical science area. From yesterday until today, I¡¯ve been counting. There were a total of 168 patients that came to see you for consultation and treatment. 57 of whom had been cured on the scene, whereas the rest had their condition turned for the better. I myself believe that it wouldn¡¯t take long for their condition to be fully restored.¡± Dai Xinyue shook her head and replied.


    ¡°You remember that clearly?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised.


    With a light smile, Dai Xinyue said, ¡°The subject I¡¯m actually most interested in is numbers, to begin with. I was applying for a math-related major in college when I was taking my CET. But my grandfather didn¡¯t want me to take it. Instead, he wanted me to take the medical school. So, I took math as a hobby and I¡¯m very good at remembering numbers.¡±


    ¡°I got you. But since you¡¯re that confident in me, I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll let you down if I fail to cure her mother¡¯s illness. But be at ease! I¡¯ll try my best to treat her mother for you to keep your amazement toward me.¡± Tang Xiu said with a laugh.


    A splendor flashed from Dai Xinyue¡¯s eyes. At the same time, a cunning light also flashed from her eyes as she smiled, ¡°If you can cure that doctor¡¯s mother, I¡¯ll worship you as a teacher and I¡¯ll study medical skills from you with all seriousness.¡±


    Wanting to be an apprentice to study medical skills?


    A strange expression was cast on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. He did take some disciples, but those apprentices of his were learning cultivation from him. It was the first time someone asked him to be his apprentice just to learn medical skills!


    Suddenly, his interest was piqued. He suddenly imagined his apprentice eventually becoming a prominent great figure in the medical field. The thought was really interesting.


    Looking at Dai Xinyue¡¯s elegant face, Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°To be honest, I have never had any thoughts on receiving a disciple in this field. Alright. If I can cure Sun Wenjing¡¯s mother, that will prove that my medical expertise is good. By that time, I¡¯ll take you as a disciple and teach you my medical skills.¡±


    Dai Xinyue, who was originally probing, was suddenly pleasantly surprised upon hearing his reply. ¡°Thanks, teacher. I believe you¡¯ll be able to do it.¡±


    Waving his hand, Tang Xiu said, ¡°No need to be that anxious to call me teacher. You still have to wait until I cure the patient before you address me like that. Also, the address should change.¡±


    Changing the address?


    ¡°How should I address you as then?¡± Dai Xinyue asked curiously.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Master!¡±


    Dai Xinyue¡¯s eyes turned bright. She was so excited she almost jumped. As intelligent as she was, how could she have never heard the profound meaning of the word ¡®Master¡¯?


    A person, especially from the modern era, might have many particular teachers; however, the number of Masters was but very few. To be a genuinely formal disciple to a Master, that meant that one would become a direct, successor disciple.


    ¡°Hurry up and finish your meal! We still have to give medical services in the afternoon.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    In the evening.


    Tang Xiu had just finished the consultation of the last patient. He hurriedly left the hospital, with Dai Xinyue tagged along like his shadow behind his back, rushing toward South Gate Town.


    ¡°Master, your family lives here?¡± Dai Zinyue¡¯s face was full of shock as she visited the villa.


    ¡°You came inside with me. If this place wasn¡¯t my home, someone would have already reported to the cops. Anyway, take a sit. I¡¯ll get something first.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    As he came to the second floor, Tang Xiu took the Body Refining Liquid he concocted before. He had learned about the conditions of the various cancers and the Body Refining Liquid definitely had a magical effect on the illness. While this liquid could strengthen the patient¡¯s body, on the other hand, it could also exterminate the cancer cells inside the patient¡¯s body.


    However, the efficacy of Body Refining Liquid was rather too strong and not something ordinary people could withstand. Due to this reason, he needed to dilute the liquid, only then would he bring it to Sun Wenjing¡¯s house. The silver needle he brought from the hospital would also be of great use as complementing silver needles with Body Refining Liquid would be more effective.


    Back to the first floor, Tang Xiu then saw Gu Yin standing in front of Dai Xinyue with curiosity drawn on her face.


    ¡°Yinyin!¡± Tang Xiu called her.


    Gu Yin turned around. As she saw Tang Xiu, she immediately ran over. Grabbing his hand, she said, ¡°Master, she said that she¡¯s also your disciple. Is it true?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s going to be! She hasn¡¯t yet formally become a disciple, though. But I¡¯m preparing to accept her as my disciple.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Are you going to teach her a cultivation technique too?¡± asked Gu Yin.


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°No, she¡¯s going to learn something different from you. She wants to learn medical knowledge, to become a great expert in traditional Chinese medicine in the future.¡±


    ¡°Master, the people I like the most are people who learn medicine. Being ill is very uncomfortable. And it¡¯s a good deed being able to cure patients.¡± Gu Yi suddenly understood and said with a smile.


    Having said that, she followed Tang Xiu in front of Dai Xinyue. Raising her small face, she said, ¡°Big Sis, my name is Gu Yin. You can call me Yinyin later. Since we¡¯re apprentice sisters and you¡¯re my Junior Sister, you can tell me if someone bullies you. I¡¯ll help you to vent back at them. Ah, right. I haven¡¯t given you any gifts yet!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    As surprised as she was, Dai Xinyue was dumbfounded, looking Gu Yin ran off. Her mouth twitched fiercely a few times. Why would she have to call that little girl call Senior Sister? What was this? A joke?


    Tang Xiu serenely said, ¡°What she said is right. You¡¯ll be studying under me later than her, so it¡¯s right that you¡¯re only a Junior Sister. But since you have yet to officially acknowledge me as your Master, you still have a chance to withdraw.¡±


    Dai Xinyue replied with a peculiar tone, ¡°Master, just now she¡­ Senior Sister said something about cultivation technique. What does it mean? Are you teaching different subjects to the both of us?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s different. You don¡¯t need to ask what I teach your Senior Sister. If you perform well in the future, I¡¯ll tell you, and perhaps I¡¯ll teach you that subject as well. But if you don¡¯t, then you can only learn medical skills from me.¡± With a calm expression, Tang Xiu replied.


    While suppressing her curiosity, Dai Xinyue nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll bear it in mind, Master.¡±


    Amidst the chatter, Gu Yin returned to the living room, holding a picture scroll in her hand and handing it over to Dai Xinyue, saying, ¡°Junior Sister, I have nothing good to give you for now. But I¡¯ll give you my own painting! Please don¡¯t refuse it!¡±

 Chapter 236

    Chapter 236: Treating Cancer


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Dai Xinyue shook her head and smiled, ¡°How could I do that? Little Senior Sister¡¯s gift is surely something I like.¡±


    Having said it, she gently untied the rope. As her eyes landed on the painting, her expression turned slightly surprised, with amazement immediately following.


    Initially, with Gu Yin¡¯s age, even if she painted something, how good could it be? However, the painting was really good. The painting theme was a landscape of a green hill and a stream with a very familiar villa at the foothill. After carefully analyzing it, she realized that the villa on the painting was this exactly same villa she was in.


    ¡°It¡¯s a great painting!¡± Dai Xinyue sincerely exclaimed.


    Tang Xiu was also startled upon seeing the painting. With astonishment in his eyes, he asked with a smile, ¡°Yinyin, you copied the background from our villa, right?¡±


    Gu Yin laughed, ¡°Master, usually, when I don¡¯t have any classes, I get bored and try to find things to pass the time. Then I realized that painting is kinda exciting.¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll teach you how to paint when I have free time later.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Gu Yin nodded, smiling.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Mom? Why isn¡¯t she at home?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Grandma went to the restaurant, she said she will come back quite late.¡± Answered Gu Yin.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°By the way, a few days later, I¡¯m going out of town, and I¡¯m gonna take you with me.¡±


    Gu Yin was pleasantly surprised, ¡°Really? Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you to see your Senior Sister.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Yin was curious. ¡°Master, I have a Senior Sister? Why didn¡¯t I hear you speak of her before?¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t answer her question, instead went to the kitchen and saw that the nanny was making dinner. Then, he decided to go to Sun Wenjing¡¯s house after having supper.


    Star City¡¯s upscale residential area, the Amethyst Gold Garden.


    Inside of a more than 160 square meters¡¯ house with exquisite decoration, with high-end furniture placed in an orderly manner. At the moment, Sun Wenjing was sitting on the sofa, facing her two big brothers and younger sister¡¯s questioning. In particular, the expression on their faces was gloomy.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, Tang Xiu is the most skillful doctor in my Chinese Medical Hospital. He¡¯s even hailed as a Divine Doctor. Even the hospital¡¯s president has admitted that his medical skill is far inferior to his. If he can¡¯t cure our mother¡¯s illness, nobody in this world could do it. So you don¡¯t need to say anything anymore, just let him try to cure Mom.¡± Said Sun Wenjing with all seriousness.


    Sun Jianhai was the deputy director of Star City Finance Bureau and was the eldest son of the family. At this time, he deeply looked at his sister, Sun Wenjing, and said, ¡°Did Li Hongji really say that even his medical skill is not as good as Tang Xiu¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Initially, President Li arranged me to be his assistant. But I judged him solely by his appearance then. I thought that even if his medical expertise is very good, but how powerful could he be at such a young age? But only later did I know how outrageous my thought was. He¡¯s very skillful. Three out of four patients that came to our hospital for treatment were healed on the scene by him. As for the other patients, their condition also eased greatly after his treatment. As far as I know, ever since yesterday when he began to give medical service in Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, he has received more than 20 pennants sent by the family members of the patients.¡±


    ¡°More than 20?¡±


    Sun Jianhai was shocked, even Sun Jianjun and Sun Wenmin were also astonished. They all knew that when the patients¡¯ family members gave pennants to doctors, that meant they were showing their wholehearted gratitude.


    Sun Wenjing continued, ¡°There¡¯s also another thing that you don¡¯t know. There was a mother with her sick six or seven-year-old daughter. They traveled to each major hospital across the country and even visited Chinese and Western medical doctors. But no doctor was able to cure her. Finally, Tang Xiu, who came across them by chance, cured that child¡¯s strange illness! Therefore, when Dr. Tang comes, do not treat him with contempt. I myself am unable to cure Mom, so our last chance is on him.¡±


    Sun Jianhai spoke deeply, ¡°If he can really cure Mom, I¡¯ll do anything he wants. Second Sister, arrange 200 thousand yuan. If he can cure Mom, give him the money as a thank you gift.¡±


    ¡°No! We can¡¯t give him money!¡± Sun Wenjing angrily said.


    Sun Jianhai was surprised, asking with a puzzled expression, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu agreed to treat Mom under three conditions. One of which, is that he wants us to come up with 100 thousand yuan to be donated to the hospital¡¯s patients who come from destitute families. He himself doesn¡¯t want money.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Sun Jianhai and the others were stupefied. This era they lived in, money seemed to have become a yardstick for measuring everything. Nowadays, would even there be someone of noble character and unquestionable integrity, let alone a kindhearted youngster?


    Sun Wenmin asked, ¡°Big Sis, what are the other two conditions Dr. Tang stated?¡±


    At the moment, Sun Jianhai and Sun Jianjun were also curious.


    Sun Wenjing said, ¡°One of the conditions is that I have to take Mom out of the hospital and bring her back home, while he¡¯ll come to our home and treat Mom here. The other one is, that no matter if he cured Mom or not, our family must never disclose this matter. And we¡¯re not in any way to talk about it to anyone.¡±


    Sun Jianhai slowly said, ¡°I understand his concern. There¡¯s no medical service all over the world that can cure medium stage liver cancer. So he doesn¡¯t want to cause a sensation. I didn¡¯t expect that so young a doctor with such superb medical expertise would be this low-profile. To be honest, I¡¯m really anticipating him now.¡±


    Sun Wenmin said, ¡°Eldest Brother, I¡¯ll provide the 100 thousand yuan! Regardless of whether he can cure Mom or not, I¡¯m willing to provide the money and donate it to the Chinese Medical Hospital¡¯s patients with destitute family conditions.¡±


    A trace of a smile was revealed on Sun Jianhai¡¯s face as he nodded silently.


    Half an hour later, the bell rang. Sun Wenjing dashed to the door and opened it, seeing Tang Xiu and Dai Xinyue standing outside.


    ¡°Dr. Tang, Dr. Dai, sorry for troubling you.¡± Sun Wenjing said politely.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and entered the hall. Then, he saw Sun Wenjing¡¯s brothers and sister. After a brief introduction, he exchanged a few pleasantries with the others and finally said, ¡°Where¡¯s the patient? Take me to her to have a look at her condition.¡±


    Sun Wenjing said, ¡°Come with me!¡±


    In a spacious and bright room, Sun Wenjing¡¯s mother leaned on the bed, watching TV. As she saw her children coming with Tang Xiu and Dai Xinyue, she immediately sat up and smiled, ¡°Child, is this the Dr. Tang that you and President Li have talked about?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mom. He¡¯s Dr. Tang.¡± Answered Sun Wenjing.


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile. While looking at the elderly woman¡¯s slightly pale face, he said with a gentle expression, ¡°Elderly lady, I¡¯ll have to check the condition of your body first. And when I begin to treat you, perhaps you¡¯ll have to endure very painful aches. Would you be able to endure it?¡±


    The old lady smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, doctor! What painful things have this old woman not taken in life anyway? There are a lot of knife marks on my body, however much it hurts, I can endure it all.¡±


    ¡°You have a lot of knife marks?¡± Tang Xiu was puzzled.


    The old lady laughed, saying, ¡°Before I got sick, I undergone several surgeries. Also, I¡¯m a woman with children, shouldn¡¯t giving birth be the most painful? Whatever the pain is, you can rest assured that I can bear it, Dr. Tang!¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly understood. He smiled as he nodded and said, ¡°In this world, mothers are truly the greatest existences. The saying is really justified. That¡¯s why filial affection is the most important of all virtues. Your children are truly good, elderly lady!¡±


    Having said that, he took the old lady¡¯s wrist. Through sensing her pulse, he immediately discovered that there were indeed many noxious existences inside her body. This kind of toxin should be called ¡°cancer cells¡± by the medical community. Moreover, most of the toxin was in her bloodstream!


    ¡°Doctor Tang, what have you found from your examination?¡± Sun Wenjing quickly asked nervously after seeing Tang Xiu take back his hand.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have 100% assurance to cure her, but there¡¯s hope. Help me prepare a basin of warm water and a few clean towels. The two of you, come and help the elderly lady take her clothes off, leaving only her underwear.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    Warm water! Towels!


    Sun Wenjing and the others prepared them quickly. After the old lady¡¯s coat had been taken off, she laid on the bed.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Go and pour another half a cup of warm water again. Do remember that it¡¯s best to keep the temperature between 30 to 40 degrees.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Sun Wenjing quickly poured another cup of warm water and handed it to Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu took the bottle of diluted Body Refining Liquid from his pocket. He dropped three drops of it into the cup and handed it to Sun Wenjing to let the old lady take it.


    The Sun siblings didn¡¯t ask Tang Xiu about what he put into the water. They stood with a fully trusting attitude and quietly watched from the side!


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°You¡¯d better hold the elderly lady¡¯s arms and legs, and immediately put the towel in her mouth to let her bite it. Or else, she¡¯ll move her body due to the acute pain when I begin using the silver needles.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The Sun brothers acted accordingly to Tang Xiu¡¯s instructions.


    A few minutes after the old lady had taken half of the cup of warm water mixed with Body Refining Liquid, her body began to slightly shiver. Furthermore, with the passing time, the pain became more intense. If it weren¡¯t for her four children holding her arms and legs, perhaps she¡¯d have already curled up and convulsed.


    Whilst watching sweat overflow from the pores all over the old lady¡¯s body, her color gradually becoming red, Tang Xiu immediately took the silver needles and quickly pierced nine big acupuncture points on her body.


    After having finished everything, Tang Xiu stood still at the side, waiting for the old lady¡¯s response.


    The shivering body of the old lady turned more intense. The pain made her faint and sober up repeatedly, founding herself still alive. Sun Jianhai and Sun Jianjun complexions turned unsightly to the extreme, yet an extremely loving and distressed expression was also there, whereas Sun Wenjing and Sun Wenmin had tears flowing down their faces unceasingly.


    Looking at their appearances, Tang Xiu secretly appreciated them inwardly. To have such filial children, this old lady¡¯s whole life truly was worth it.


    ¡°Ah? What smell is this?¡± Sun Jianjun suddenly frowned as he covered his nose and asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s foul stink!¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Sun Jianjun was puzzled, ¡°Foul stink? From where is this foul stink coming? Mom¡¯s body¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu explained, ¡°In my opinion, the cancer cells inside her body are toxins that are harmful and detrimental to her body. It mixed with her sweat, emanating the foul stench. You must endure it and make sure she lies flat. Or else, if the silver needles on her body are moved, it will be very dangerous.¡±

 Chapter 237

    Chapter 237: Remarkable Effect


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The Sun siblings were pleasantly surprised upon hearing it. If the discharged substances were really cancer cells, it meant that their mother¡¯s condition was highly likely to be cured


    Half an hour later, the twitching of the old lady¡¯s body had greatly reduced, but the stench coming out of her body was disgusting. Black viscous substances were discharged o all over her body¡¯s surface, her face and hair was no exception.


    ¡°Let go of her! Wait for a few minutes and then clean her body.¡±


    Having spoken, Tang Xiu pulled out the nine silver needles from the old lady¡¯s body. After disinfecting them with alcohol cotton, he then turned around to leave the room.


    Following him out of the room, Dai Xinyue asked curiously, ¡°Master, what method of treatment did you use? You dropped a few drops of medicinal liquid and pierced nine silver needles. That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°The medicinal liquid I gave her is very special. Only very few people in this world aside from me can make it. As for the nine silver needles, I just sealed the vital acupuncture points in her whole body to prevent the spreading of the toxins as well as reducing the amount of the discharged substances.¡± Answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What will the effect be?¡± asked Dai Xinyue.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t diagnosed her, so how would I know! Just wait until her children wash and clean her body, then I¡¯ll examine her condition again.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    Shortly after, Sun Jianhai and Sun Jianjun came out of the room. Looking at Tang Xiu who was sitting on the living room¡¯s sofa, Sun Jianhai hesitated for a moment before asking, ¡°Dr. Tang, my mother, she¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu interrupted him, shaking his head, ¡°I don¡¯t know yet. Wait until I check her, only then will we know about the effects of the medicine. Don¡¯t worry, though. Just sit down and wait for a while.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Sun Jianhai nodded.


    After sitting in front of Tang Xiu, he asked curiously, ¡°Dr. Tang, have we met before? It¡¯s just that I somehow feel that you¡¯re familiar. Please don¡¯t misunderstand. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m intentionally doing this to become friends with you. It¡¯s just that I have a particular skill that allows me to memorize people¡¯s face well. I¡¯m definitely sure that I¡¯ve seen you somewhere before.¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°Well, I¡¯m also good at remembering people, but I don¡¯t recall having met you before.¡±


    Involuntarily laughing, Sun Jianhai said, ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s my memory failing me! But, as young as you¡¯re, yet you can become an on-duty medical expert in our Star City¡¯s Chinese Medical Hospital. Truly, heroes come out of the young!¡±


    ¡°I just hung my name there and rarely give medical services, neither am I an official doctor.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What?¡± As surprised as he was, Sun Jianhai said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you start working yesterday? How would¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a student. And I just finished my CET and happened to have some time on this summer vacation. Back then, it was difficult to turn down Li Hongji¡¯s passionate offer, so I agreed to give medical service in Chinese Medical Hospital until I begin university in September. Perhaps, I¡¯ll have to go to Shanghai University by then,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Sun Jianhai looked at Tang Xiu with disbelief. Even in his dreams, he didn¡¯t expect that such a superb medical expert would unexpectedly be a student who just finished his CET. Hesitating for a moment, he then asked curiously, ¡°Dr. Tang, with such superb medical expertise, why didn¡¯t you apply to any medical colleges or universities?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and replied, ¡°No. I have never thought of becoming a doctor in my whole life. I have a lot of things to do. Whether it is my academic life, running my small business, all of them makes me busy.¡±


    Amazed, Sun Jianhai asked, ¡°You also run a business? Could you tell me what business it is?¡±


    Silent for a moment, Tang Xiu shook his head, saying, ¡°It¡¯s just some cosmetics and health products. The company has just recently set up, it¡¯s inconvenient to tell you the name.¡±


    Sun Jianhai nodded. Suddenly, his expression changed greatly, exclaiming involuntarily, ¡°AH! I remember! No wonder! It¡¯s no wonder that you seemed familiar before. Yes, your name is Tang Xiu, the legal owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation as well as the big boss, am I right?¡±


    ¡°How do you know?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised.


    Shocked, Sun Jianhai asked back, ¡°You¡¯re really the big boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation?¡±


    ¡°I am!¡± Tang Xiu concealed it no longer as he saw that Sun Jianhai could guess it.


    Forcing out a smile, Sun Jianhai said, ¡°Young and promising, truly! Anyways, I work in the Finance Bureau as a Deputy Director. A while ago the Bureau of Industry and Commerce¡¯s director¡ªmy old classmate, had a drink with me and mentioned you. Out of curiosity, I asked information about your company and saw your name and photo on the documents. But, I really have never thought that the divine doctor of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital is unexpectedly the big boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation.¡±


    Dao Xinyue at the side was looking at Tang Xiu, dumbfounded. Although she knew that Tang Xiu¡¯s family was rich to be able to live in South Gate Town, which was the most upscale villa complex in Star City, she had never thought that Tang Xiu would be the big boss of the recently greatly famed Magnificent Tang Corporation.


    Heaven! In the end, did she just come under a powerful Master?


    At this moment, Dai Xinyue inwardly rejoiced. Feeling fortunate of becoming Tang Xiu¡¯s assistant as well as rejoicing that she put forward a plea to worship him as a teacher. Having such an amazing Master, a lot of people probably would wake up from their dreams laughing!


    Vaguely smiling, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Well, the director of your Bureau of Industry and Commerce leaked my information, shouldn¡¯t I sue him?¡±


    Sun Jianhai stared blankly, an embarrassed expression donned on his face. He quickly said, ¡°Doc,¡­ Dr. Tang, please don¡¯t! He can tell me because we¡¯re bros. We grew up together and were classmates from our childhood until becoming adults. Afterward, as we entered the bureaucracy, we advanced and retreated together. He will never tell anything if it were other people.¡±


    Smiling, Tang Xiu said, ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯m just joking. However, please tell your classmate to not disclose my situation to anyone. Although I¡¯m the boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, I don¡¯t like to be in the limelight. I also have given full authority of managing the company to General Manager Kang Xia, so I usually don¡¯t meddle with the management.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to convey your message,¡± Sun Jianhai nodded and said.


    Very quickly, Sun Wenjing and Sun Wenmin had helped their mother shower and put on clean clothes. Sun Wenjing then came to the living room with a peculiar expression, saying, ¡°Dr. Tang, would you come inside and have a look? My mom, she¡­¡±


    ¡°How is she?¡± Standing up, Tang Xiu asked.


    Sun Wenjing replied, ¡°She said that her body is very comfortable; like she became tens of years younger. Although her limbs are still weak, the pain caused by her cancer cells has completely disappeared.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and walked into the room as he saw the old lady leaning on the bed with a rosy complexion.


    ¡°Elderly lady, I¡¯m going to check your pulse to examine the condition of your body.¡±


    The old lady replied gratefully, ¡°Thank you, Dr. Tang. I feel much better now.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly and checked her pulse. Using his spiritual sense to observe her, he found that two-thirds of the cancer cells inside the old lady¡¯s body had been eliminated, with one-third still remaining inside. Furthermore, her physical fitness at this time was no less vigorous than a young person.


    _¡°It¡¯s quite unexpected. The effect of the Body Refining Liquid turned out to be so big for ordinary people! If I were to sell this liquid, wouldn¡¯t even a drop be sold for a huge sum of money?¡±_


    Tang Xiu secretly shook his head. But his action caused the Sun siblings to turn anxious and tensed up.


    Sun Jianhai quickly asked, ¡°Dr. Tang, how is she?¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Two-thirds of her cancer cells have been killed and excreted. As for the other one-third, I think they need to be eliminated slowly. Hence, I¡¯ll give a bottle of this medicinal liquid to you. Follow my instructions from before, taking three drops and mixing them with water for her to drink. After the medicinal liquid in this bottle runs out, I think the cancer cells inside her body will be completely eliminated, but¡­¡±


    The Sun siblings were immediately overjoyed.


    ¡°But what, Dr. Tang?¡± asked Sun Wenjing.


    ¡°But, you have to be mentally prepared. Once the cancer cells inside her body have been completely removed and she returns to a normal condition, I¡¯m afraid she¡¯ll be able to live for 20 years more at least. So the four of you should do your best to be filial to the elderly lady.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°T-T¡­ twenty years?¡±


    Sun Wenjing stutteringly asked. She knew that her mother was nearly 80 years old. If she could live for more 20 years, wouldn¡¯t she be able to live to 100 years?


    Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°Yes. At least 20 years more.¡±


    Sun Wenjing swallowed her saliva. Looking at the bottle handed by Tang Xiu, she hesitated for a moment and asked, ¡°Dr. Tang, might I ask you about this medicine¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°This is my secret medicinal liquid which will be very hard for outsiders to get it. Making this secret medicinal liquid in itself is a very daunting task. So I don¡¯t want your mother¡¯s treatment to be disclosed to anyone. Otherwise, it will only bring about great troubles for me!¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t do that, absolutely!¡± The Sun siblings quickly promised.


    Sun Wenjing spoke again, ¡°Dr. Tang, about your visiting fee¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand, saying, ¡°About the money, just keep in mind my conditions. Alright. If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll go back now. Do remember to wait for a few days. If you don¡¯t feel relieved about the old lady¡¯s condition, you can take her to another hospital for an examination.¡±


    Another hospital?


    The Sun siblings instantly understood Tang Xiu¡¯s meaning as they nodded and replied in unison.


    After leaving the Sun¡¯s residence.


    Tang Xiu, along with the not yet recovered from shock Dai Xinyue, just left the complex¡¯s entrance. They stood on the roadside, waiting for a taxi. Tang Xiu then said, ¡°Well, you¡¯ve seen the treatment today. As for the effect, you should also pay attention to it closely. Also, you must never tell about the old lady¡¯s cancer to anyone. I want you to promise me.¡±


    Dai Xinyue finally sobered up and promised with all seriousness, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master! This matter will absolutely never come out of my mouth.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I can only give medical services in Chinese medical hospital for three days more at the most. Afterward, I won¡¯t go there again. As for teaching you medical skills, you must use the next three days to seriously study. Later, after I have free time, I¡¯ll teach you again.¡±


    A bit of disappointment showed on Dai Xinyue¡¯s face upon hearing it. But she nodded and said, ¡°Master, I know that you¡¯re a busy man. Don¡¯t worry, though. I¡¯ll definitely seriously learn from you.¡±

 Chapter 238

    Chapter 238: Other Relatives


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    In the following days, Tang Xiu still gave medical services in the hospital. The number of patients he treated also increased. His fame spread rapidly, and it was not only limited to Star City. Even throughout the country, his fame attracted a lot of patients.


    Furthermore, as he gave medical services in Star City Chinese Medical Hospital these days and was able to cure a lot of very difficult and incurable illnesses, his reputation greatly spread in the medical community, even Presidents from several major hospitals in Beijing and Shanghai contacted Li Hongji, inquiring about Tang Xiu.


    At dusk.


    As Tang Xiu left the hospital¡¯s consultation building, he saw Long Zhengyu leaning on his car and smiling at him.


    ¡°Why did you come?¡± Curious, Tang Xiu asked.


    Long Zhengyu patted the car¡¯s door, saying, ¡°CET¡¯s results will come out tomorrow. But I¡¯m not here to congratulate you in advance, though. Anyways, I heard that you¡¯ve been giving medical services in Star City Chinese Medical Hospital these days and have received hundreds of pennants?¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°Yeah. But forget about those pennants. Those things are not useful, just the grateful regards of the patients¡¯ relatives that matters, so I gave them to Li Hongji. It¡¯s up to him what to do with them.¡±


    Long Zhengyu gave a thumb up and exclaimed, ¡°To be honest, I really have to thank my good-for-nothing little brother. He did the rightest thing in his life for taking you to me. Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ve booked an anteroom in Long¡¯s Dining Hall. The two boys¡ªBai Tao and Chu Yi just got there. Let¡¯s have a drink tonight, not going home until we¡¯re drunk.¡±


    Tang Xiu was about to sit on co-pilot seat, but Long Zhengyu stopped him and took a document folder out of the driver¡¯s seat. He handed it over to Tang Xiu, saying, ¡°You drive. Let me test your driving skills.¡±


    Puzzled, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°But I haven¡¯t gotten the driver¡¯s license yet, and you want me to drive?¡±


    ¡°Open the document folder and have a look!¡± Long Zhengyu laughed.


    Opening the document folder, Tang Xiu found his driving license inside, along with two keys. Taking the keys, he then asked, ¡°What are these?¡±


    ¡°Well, I gave you the house, so you can consider it as me supporting you, no? Gifting you the house without a car, it won¡¯t do. I don¡¯t know what kind of car you like, however. So I just bought the same car as Lulu¡¯s. Well, you can consider it as lover¡¯s model anyway.¡±


    ¡°Land Rover¡¯s Range Rover type?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised.


    ¡°It seems you really know Lulu¡¯s disposition well. Yup. The color is exactly the same as hers, white! And it looks great too. The car is parked in the Long¡¯s Dining Hall¡¯s underground parking garage.¡± Long Zhengyu said with a smile.


    Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he had to be happy or cry, saying, ¡°You¡¯re really taking us as a couple, aren¡¯t you? I tell you, my relationship with Lulu is pure. But, I do like that car a lot. Thanks a bunch for gifting and sending it to me! Anyway, let¡¯s go, tonight¡¯s drinks are on me.¡±


    ¡°Well, since the famous Young Master Tang wants to bleed, then I¡¯ll be sure to be blunt.¡± Long Zhengyu said with a laugh.


    Tang Xiu sat in the driver¡¯s seat. He took the time to feel and familiarize himself with the features of the car before he started it, and then started driving. At first, he wasn¡¯t skilled at it, but after a few minutes of attunement, he gradually grasped it.


    He didn¡¯t violate any traffic regulations even though it was his first time and drove to the Long¡¯s Dining Hall¡¯s underground parking lot. Satisfied, he patted the steering wheel, nodding, ¡°A good car is a good car indeed. This one is a lot cooler than the car for driver training!¡±


    ¡°Do you like my Maserati? How about I give it to you?¡± Long Zhengyu.


    ¡°Nope. Forget it! You got a strange smell inside your car.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said.


    ¡°Strange smell?¡± Long Zhengyu was puzzled. ¡°No way! My car¡¯s cologne is the best in the world. It¡¯s priced at several hundred thousand per bottle! Except for its fragrance, where would have any strange smell?¡±


    Tang Xiu teased him, ¡°Who knows how many women have you played with in this car? It¡¯d be damn strange if there¡¯s no strange smell at all! Let¡¯s go, take me to see my car!¡±


    ¡°Damn you, buddy!¡±


    Long Zhengyu didn¡¯t know whether he had to laugh or be angry as he then got off from the co-pilot seat.


    Quickly, he took Tang Xiu to a brand new white Land Rover SUV, saying, ¡°Well, you wanna try it and have a lap since you didn¡¯t drink anything yet?¡±


    ¡°Forget it! But, isn¡¯t it way too good a license plate you got here? Three sixes is kinda showing off, isn¡¯t it?¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and lightly laughed.


    Smiling, Long Zhengyu said, ¡°The car was purchased with your ID card, and the car¡¯s license plate was also done with your ID card. Six six six, go go go. I think it looks good, no big deal.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°Let¡¯s go upstairs and drink. Anyways, for those two guys to come to Star City, that matter is over, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, completely. 90% of the Zhangs¡¯ assets have been divided by us, whereas the leftover 10% went to some unimportant chaps of the Zhangs and to the banks. This time, all of our parties have eaten to the full. Bai Tao and Chu Yi joined late, so they only got a little, but they had gotten down their capitals as well. They also have added several billion in investment into the big project¡¯s preparation. A few days later, every group leader of our clique will gather to divide the shares.¡± Whilst walking, Long Zhengyu spoke.


    Tang Xiu, ¡°Bai Tao and Chu Yi are scions from respected families, but they don¡¯t give off the vibes of hedonistic scions from rich families whatsoever. That¡¯s why I like them. Especially Chu Yi, he¡¯s very smart and reliable. Damn! If you didn¡¯t mention it, I would have forgotten it. I still owe him some money!¡±


    ¡°You owe him money? For what?¡± Long Zhengyu was puzzled.


    Tang Xiu smiled, ¡°Chu Yi sent me a box of precious medicinal herbs and I haven¡¯t paid him for it yet. Well, forget it. I won¡¯t mention this matter for now since I¡¯ll pay it back a while later after I got some money. Besides, he¡¯s a rich boss, he¡¯s not short of money.¡±


    Long Zhengyu laughed, ¡°That¡¯s true. But, are you short of money recently? I bumped into Kang Xia a few days ago when you called her to transfer you some money.¡±


    A few days ago?


    Tang Xiu understood in a flash, asking, ¡°You mean that 20 million?¡±


    ¡°Yea!¡± Long Zhengyu nodded.


    ¡°I was going to buy something and needed 20 million. I only had a few million so I called Kang Xia to send more! Actually, it¡¯s real. I¡¯m really poor, having no money and can only become a freeloader. But you¡¯re the famous Young Master Long, young and rich, would you please give me some pocket money? You don¡¯t have to give much, though. If you have the nerve to give me 1.8 billion yuan, I¡¯m sure I won¡¯t refuse it.¡± said Tang Xiu. [1]


    ¡°Go to hell!¡± Long Zhengyu laughed and cursed.


    The two laughed merrily and finally arrived at the presidential suite of Long¡¯s Dining Hall. Seeing Bai Tao and Chu Yi, the four young men gathered and begun drinking.


    ¡°Ring, ring, ring¡­¡±


    Just as Tang Xiu was about to double up the foreign wine into his stomach, the mobile in his pocket rang. He took out the phone and saw the caller ID. It turned out to be his mother. He immediately made an excuse to the others. Whilst walking outside, he answered the phone and said with a smile, ¡°Hi Mom, something up?¡±


    Su Lingyun¡¯s slightly crying voice came out of the phone, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, can¡­ can you come back now? Your grandma¡­ your grandma is injured. I want you to accompany me back home to see her!¡±


    Grandmother?


    An honest, genial face appeared in Tang Xiu¡¯s memory. Although 10,000 years had lapsed, he still clearly remembered his grandmother¡¯s face. He also remembered how she deeply cared for him in his childhood, more than she cared about the Su siblings.


    ¡°Mom, no need to worry. Can you tell me what¡¯s going on exactly? Grandma is in the countryside, how was she hurt?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Su Lingyun answered, ¡°I don¡¯t know the details. But it looks like some people bullied your grandma and beat her. It¡¯s your second Aunt next door who called me. Your grandma has been sent to the county hospital by them, but I don¡¯t know anything else.¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with a deep tone, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom! I¡¯ll go back to South Gate Town immediately to pick you up. We¡¯ll go to ancestral home tonight! Trust me. As long as I¡¯m there, grandma won¡¯t have any troubles!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Su Lingyun replied.


    Tang Xiu hung up the phone and went back into the room. He then spoke with a heavy tone, ¡°Something happened in my ancestral home, so I have to leave now. Please continue your fun and put the bill on me since the Long¡¯s Dining Hall¡¯s membership seems to provide this service.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, what happened? Do you want our help?¡± Long Zhengyu was confused and asked.


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°No need for now. I¡¯ll contact you if it¡¯s necessary later! Well, I gotta go now!¡±


    Having said that, he picked up the document folder and quickly left the presidential suite.


    Coming down to the underground parking lot, ignoring that he had just drunk a lot, he drove the SUV and quickly returned to South Gate Town.


    At this time, with worry all over her face, Su Lingyun was standing in front of the villa¡¯s courtyard entrance, waiting. Upon seeing a car stopping in front of her and Tang Xiu getting out from it, she was astonished and immediately asked, ¡°Sonny, where did you get this car from? Also, when did you learn to drive?¡±


    ¡°I went to a driving school to take the driver¡¯s license test some time ago, and I just got it today. The car was gifted by my friend! Mom, take your things. We¡¯ll go to our ancestral home tonight.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you¡¯ll drive us there? Are you sure you can do it?¡± Su Lingyun said.


    ¡°Mom, I have a driver¡¯s license, so naturally it won¡¯t be a problem,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Su Lingyun nodded, ¡°My luggage is already packed up. Pack your stuff first, perhaps we¡¯ll have to stay there for some time.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment. Then, he dialed Kang Xia¡¯s cell number. After she picked it up, he said, ¡°Can you do me a favor? It¡¯s private!¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± asked Kang Xia.


    ¡°My mother and I need to go to our ancestral home. Although there are nannies here to look after Yinyin, I don¡¯t feel relieved. Can you stay in my house in South Gate Town while I¡¯m away to take care of her?¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Kang Xia said, ¡°No problem.¡±


    Tang Xiu thanked her and then entered the villa to pack his things. A few minutes later, he casually grabbed several sets of clothes. Then, along with his mother¡ªSu Lingyun, he drove the car toward his ancestral home¡¯s direction. Since he only got his driver¡¯s license, he didn¡¯t drive too fast and could only use the navigation system to find the road there.

 Chapter 239

    Chapter 239: The Causes of the Matter


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Qinghe County was the most remote county in Star City. Its economic development was also the most backward with a population of hundreds of thousands of people and nearly a hundred kilometers from Star City.


    A Land Rover SUV was traversing on the bumpy roads with dim street lights, driving fast toward the county¡¯s hospital.


    12 o¡¯clock, midnight.


    The SUV went to county¡¯s hospital¡¯s entrance. The two lazy security guards at the entrance were shocked, even modestly saluting.


    ¡°Mom, we¡¯ve arrived.¡±


    Tang Xiu was weary as he called out to the drowsy Su Lingyun with a low voice.


    Su Lingyun sobered up. She looked at the scene under the dim light outside and was surprised, ¡°We arrived so quick?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Qinghe County isn¡¯t far from Star City, and I had driven for more than two hours. If the road was good, perhaps it wouldn¡¯t take one and half an hours. Mom, call the neighbor¡ªSecond Aunt to ask which ward grandma is in.¡±


    Su Lingyun was as though waking up from a dream. She took out her mobile phone, dialed a number and spoke with the other side for a while. Her expression turned very ugly as she looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Your grandma, she¡­ she¡¯s still waiting for the doctor in the ward for surgery! It seems that her leg is broken.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at Su Lingyun with disbelief. It was already three to four hours that his grandma got injured, and it takes only half an hour from the village to the county. Why hadn¡¯t she had the surgery until now?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression was grim. He said with a heavy tone, ¡°Mom, let¡¯s go in now.¡±


    Su Lingyun nodded heavily. She opened the door and got off the car, hurriedly running toward the treatment building. A few minutes later, the mother and son then arrived in front of the operating room¡¯s door on the fourth floor of the treatment building. In the corridor outside the operating room¡¯s door, he saw his grandmother lying on a wheeled stretcher, along with her neighbor Second Aunt and her son, Su Ben.


    ¡°Sis Lingyun, you finally came. Auntie, she¡¯s heavily injured but now there¡¯s no queue for the surgery!¡± Upon seeing Su Lingyun, Chen Huiying was pleasantly surprised and greeted immediately her.


    Su Lingyun quickly asked, ¡°Huiying, what happened? Are there a lot of people having surgery today?¡±


    Forcing out a smile, Chen Huiying said, ¡°I dare say that except for the few doctors in this operating room, there¡¯s no patient undergoing surgery. They¡¯re just intentionally delaying. There¡¯s a total of six people wounded from our village. The others have been taken away by their families, saying that we must change hospitals. But Little Ben had just called them and found that the other hospitals are also deliberately delaying. So they sent them to Star City under desperation.


    ¡°Why? Isn¡¯t it the hospital¡¯s duty to help the dying and heal the wounded? Is it because it¡¯s too late¡­¡±


    Chen Huiying interrupted her, wryly smiling, ¡°Someone brought trouble to our village. He¡¯s also the one who injured the villagers, at the same time also injuring two others more. I heard he¡¯s from a rich and powerful family. No matter if it¡¯s the Public Security Bureau or the Health Bureau, they¡¯re their people. So they must be the ones pulling the strings.¡±


    Tang Xiu interrupted, ¡°Second Aunt, what¡¯s the reason for the conflict?¡±


    Looking at Tang Xiu, Chen Huiying squeezed out a smile, saying, ¡°The government wants to levy our village¡¯s land, saying that they will build an industrial park. It was a good thing initially, but¡­ but it turns out that each household and family¡¯s land, it¡¯s only priced 20 thousand yuan per Mu. Tang Xiu, you¡¯re educated and can think clearly. You tell me, would 20 thousand yuan be enough for anything nowadays? We¡¯re just ordinary people relying on farming to eat. With that amount of money, once we¡¯ve spent them, we can only drink and eat the wind later!¡±


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath with anger suffusing in his eyes.


    He knew his aunt was right. People in rural areas depended on their lands. If they didn¡¯t have their lands, how would they live in the future?


    20 thousand yuan?


    Houses in Qinghe County were already priced two to three thousand per square foot. Would 20 thousand yuan even be sufficient to buy a house? It wouldn¡¯t be enough! Furthermore, the price for the expropriated land and indemnity was definitely a dozen times or even a hundred times more than 20 thousand yuan.


    Looking at his grandmother on the stretcher with a tight frown, his murderous intent raised upon seeing her pained expression.


    Taking a deep breath and repressing the hatred inside of him, he lifted the thin quilt covering his grandmother. Gently holding and placing her on the chair, he then looked at Su Ben, saying, ¡°Brother Ben, help me hold grandma. I¡¯ll examine her injury.¡±


    Chen Huiying anxiously said, ¡°Tang Xiu, don¡¯t do unnecessary things. Your grandma not only has a broken leg, that bunch of bastards also kicked her a few times. We don¡¯t know whether her bones are dislocated.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at her and shook his head. As Su Ben propped up his grandmother, he gently ripped her trouser leg. After it was torn up to the leg bend, the swelling looked to have subsided, and it was obvious that the bone was fractured, causing Tang Xiu turn a bit distressed.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s¡­ you, Xiu¡¯er!¡±


    Zhang Shi woke up in pain. When she saw that the one squatting in front of her was her grandson, Tang Xiu, a smile was squeezed out on her wrinkled face. As she spoke, she also stroked Tang Xiu¡¯s head with her skinny palm.


    Tang Xiu began to act supinely as he looked up and smiled, ¡°Grandma, please endure the pain while I examine your injuries. Mom knows that I learned a medical skill recently and am also a skilled doctor at Star City Chinese Medical Hospital.¡±


    Su Lingyun came to Zhang Shi¡¯s side and said with worry all over her face, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, can you do it? Don¡¯t let your grandma¡¯s injuries worsen.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom!¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Having said that, his palms gently pressed Zhang Shi¡¯s swelling leg and found that her leg bone was fractured. If other doctors were to treat it, perhaps it would be very troublesome. After all, grandma was old and it would be very difficult for her bone to be healed. But, this state of injury was not a problem for him.


    ¡°Auntie, how did you come here?¡± Tang Xiu looked up and asked.


    Chen Huiying said, ¡°Su Quan brought us here with his car. He drove the others to Star City.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and looked at the operating room. He knew clearly well that a few doctors in white coats were inside. As Chen Huiying said, there were no patients in the operating room, only three doctors playing Dou Dizhu.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Tang Xiu propped Zhang Shi up and spoke with a heavy tone.


    Su Lingyun hurriedly asked, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, where are we going? Aren¡¯t we going to wait for your Grandma¡¯s surgery?¡±


    Tang Xiu sneered, ¡°Don¡¯t you see it, Mom? Someone bought the people in this hospital, they won¡¯t perform the surgery on grandma. I¡¯ll settle the account with them later. We¡¯ll take Grandma and go home first. I have a way to cure her injury.¡±


    ¡°You really have a way?¡±


    Although Su Lingyun knew that the President of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital personally hired Tang Xiu, but she had never seen her son treat patients, so she was a bit apprehensive.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I can it, Mom, don¡¯t worry! I won¡¯t joke with Grandma¡¯s injuries.¡±


    Su Lingyun nodded. She looked at Chen Huiying and said, ¡°Huiying, let¡¯s go! Since Xiu¡¯er can cure Mom¡¯s injuries, then we¡¯ll leave.¡±


    Chen Huiying hesitated for a moment. She looked at Tang Xiu and then at Su Lingyun, only then did she nod with a wry smile. She was actually a bit annoyed toward Tang Xiu because he knew the situation. He was obviously only a high schooler, where would he have any medical skills? Even if he had studied it from others, wouldn¡¯t it better to stay and wait for treatment in the hospital?


    However, since Su Lingyun said to go, she also couldn¡¯t say anything.


    Tang Xiu held Zhang Shi, leaving the hospital and going straight toward the parking lot.


    Su Ben quickly said, ¡°Tang Xiu, we¡¯re going the wrong way. That way is the parking lot. Let¡¯s go back and head outside to get a car.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and went straight to the parking lot. He told Su Lingyun to take out the car key from his pocket and taught her how to unlock it. Then, after the door was opened, he carefully put Zhang Shi in the back seat, saying, ¡°Mom, you and Second Aunt seat at grandma¡¯s sides. Brother Ben, you take the co-pilot seat.¡±


    Upon seeing Su Lingyun taking the car key from Tang Xiu¡¯s pocket, Chen Huiying and Su Ben were dumbfounded as the car¡¯s lights flashed. The car in front of them was really too luxurious. Su Ben, in particular. He was 23 years old now. Although he usually tagged along with the construction team to build houses everywhere, he still knew that this car, the Land Rover Range Rover.


    ¡°Tang¡­ Tang Xiu, is this car¡­ yours?¡±


    Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, only then did Su Ben awake from his dazed state and asked stutteringly.


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s mine!¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Su Ben swallowed his saliva and said with shivering lips, ¡°This Land Rover¡­ is from the Range Rover series, isn¡¯t it? I saw a big boss driving this kind of car and he¡¯s very rich, with tens of millions in assets. This car, at the cheapest, costs more than 1 million, right?¡±


    Tang Xiu said indifferently, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about the car, we¡¯ll go back first.¡±


    Su Ben hesitated for a moment and clenched his teeth as he opened the co-pilot¡¯s door and quickly drilled into it. Feeling the spacious space and cozy seat, he felt like he was dreaming; he had never taken a ride in such a good car. He didn¡¯t even know where to put his hands and feet.


    Tang Xiu started the car, driving out of the hospital skillfully and heading toward the Songlou small town, to the Su family village. The Su family village was not far from the center of the county, taking only a dozen minutes to get there. However, due to the bad road, Tang Xiu drove slowly in order to prevent his grandmother receiving too many tremors.


    A dilapidated house with a shabby courtyard.


    Zhang Shi lived here. Even the Su Family had lived here for generations. All the villagers of the Su Village, aside from the wives they married, were all surnamed Su. Almost every family was related in kinship and was regarded as their own family.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get grandmother inside first. I need to prepare something,¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    Puzzled, Su Lingyun said, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, what needs to be prepared? Tell me, I¡¯ll go find it.¡±

 Chapter 240

    Chapter 240: Back Home


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu rejected Su Lingyun¡¯s proposition. What he needed to find were medicinal herbs and silver needles. Because he came in a hurry and didn¡¯t know what exactly happened to his grandmother, he didn¡¯t bring anything to treat her injuries.


    ¡°Big Brother Ben, are you sleepy?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Su Ben shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then come with me! I need to find some things as fast as possible and then come back to treat grandma¡¯s injuries.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Su Ben nodded.


    Tang Xiu knew Su Ben very well. He was simple and honest ever since he was small until he grew up. Usually, he rarely spoke. But no matter which family faced hardships in the village, he would lend them a hand. This trait was inherited from his father, the honest and considerate Second Uncle who died young. A typical peasant who was resigned to his plot of land and toiled over it with his back to the sky.


    In fact, even though Tang Xiu lived his childhood in Su family village for ten years, he didn¡¯t have the same family name. It was reasonable to say that he should address Chen Huiying as maternal Second Aunt and address the elders in the village as maternal uncles and aunts. Yet, in order to prevent Tang Xiu feel he didn¡¯t belong, Su Lingyun made him address them in accordance with the Su family members¡¯ names, and address everyone as paternal uncles and aunts, or paternal grandfather or grandmother. [1]


    Apart from this, all of his relatives had the same surname as his maternal grandparents and maternal uncles.


    Tang Xiu led Su Ben back to the car and quickly drove out of the village. To the north of the Su family village were the Yuzhou Ridge and a tens of meters wide large river. The land was considered to be located on a mountain on one side and water on the other. A typical fertile land.


    Seeing Tang Xiu not going into the town nor taking the county road, instead of moving toward the mountain north of the village, Su Ben was confused and suddenly asked, ¡°Tang Xiu, why are we going there?¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled, ¡°Do you remember when you took us to the mountains to pick wild fruits when we were small? I saw a lot of wild medicinal herbs in the mountains before. But at that time, I didn¡¯t know about them and thought they were weeds. Now, since I have studied medicine, I can accurately pick them out. So we¡¯ll go the mountains to get some herbs and then come back.¡±


    Su Ben understood in a flash. He raised his thumb and said, ¡°You¡¯re really good, Tang Xiu. Haven¡¯t you gone to study in Star City for just six years? But not only did you came back driving a Land Rover SUV, you have also learned medical skills. If I knew, I would have gone to Star City earlier.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly and no longer spoke. It was a fact that he studied in Star City. But his abilities, if not for the car accident and great fortuitous events, he¡¯d perhaps still be an ignorant student now, studying step by step every day and waiting for his CET¡¯s results.


    Fate was truly mysterious sometimes.


    After Tang Xiu became a Supreme in the Immortal World, he never believed in fate again, because he thought that he could control his destiny and the heavenly law. But fate and the heavenly law did have supreme influence and power over ordinary people.


    The night was pitch black.


    Feeling the cool breeze of the late summer night, Tang Xiu felt that his foul mood had faded lot. He would investigate the beating of his grandmother. No matter what background the other party had, he would never forgive them, for they had hurt the people he cared about.


    ¡°I¡¯ll park the car, and then we¡¯ll go uphill!¡±


    At the foot of the hill, after calming down, Tang Xiu opened the car¡¯s door and calmly said.


    Su Ben hesitated, ¡°Tang Xiu, you¡¯re not afraid of someone stealing the car?¡±


    With a pale smile, Tang Xiu said, ¡°It¡¯s the middle of the night. Who in their right mind would run up to the mountain at this time? Besides, who would have the ability to steal it anyway! Alright, finding medicinal herbs is more important, we don¡¯t need to think about other things.¡±


    Su Ben nodded. It was, after all, Tang Xiu¡¯s car. Only, he was now very curious about him. From where he had the money to buy such a luxurious car as well as curious about how good his medical skills were.


    The winding, rugged mountain pathways were as though flat land to Tang Xiu and Su Ben as they shuttled back and forth in the wooded mountain. After 20 minutes, they had already hiked halfway up the mountain.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, careful now! You also know about this wooded mountain. There are a lot of wild animals appearing, especially at night. If we bump into wolves and bears, it will be troublesome.¡± Sun Ben was simple and honest, but he was also a meticulous and cautious person.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Tang Xiu nodded casually. If it was before, he would be more cautious than Su Ben. But the present him was no longer weak. He could easily get rid of ordinary wild animals with his fists and legs.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, I know that you¡¯re smart since you were small. But now, is different from the past. A few days ago a very ferocious leopard appeared on this mountain. Genzi¡¯s father came to this mountain to hunt game, but he died here. At that time, the villagers organized tens of people to go looking for him in the mountain and only found his clothes and his remnant gnawed bones. Furthermore, we also bumped into that cow-sized leopard. If not for me carrying a gun, perhaps dozens of our people would have died.¡±


    Tang Xiu was astonished, ¡°The leopard is cow-sized? Are you kidding me? If there¡¯s really such a big leopard, wouldn¡¯t it have successfully become a spirit?¡±


    Su Ben forced a smile, ¡°I suppose so. That leopard might have really become a spirit. It was at least two times faster than that tiger we saw when we were young. Furthermore, Genzi and I sneaked back in the mountain and saw that leopard easily killing a few wolves. And you must know, there were dozens of wolves besieging it!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes turned bright. Through Su Ben¡¯s description, he was certain that the leopard was surely a fierce beast that had spiritual wisdom. Although he had no shortage of fierce beasts¡¯ bones materials, hunting and killing it was a good thing. All in all, the more of them the better!


    ¡°Tang Xiu, we have to quickly find them. My cell phone is almost out of power, the phone¡¯s light won¡¯t last long.¡± Seeing the thoughtful expression on Tang Xiu¡¯s face, Su Ben urged in a low voice.


    Tang Xiu nodded. He actually didn¡¯t need the cell phone¡¯s light. His eyes could see everything in the surrounding, even in this darkness. Moreover, he didn¡¯t rely on his eyes in finding the medicinal herbs, but his spiritual sense.


    He released his perception and covered the plant and trees within the radius of 200 meters. Only in this way would he be able to find the medicinal herbs in the shortest possible time.


    ¡°Found it.¡±


    Ten minutes later, Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes turned bright. He quickly found the needed herb in a cliff crevice. It was the Silver Dragon Grass.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, what are you looking for exactly?¡± Su Ben¡¯s expression was a bit strange. He stared at the herb in Tang Xiu¡¯s hand and observed it for a while before he asked curiously.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°This one is a Silver Dragon Grass. Aside from eliminating silt blood, it can also nourish the bones. This herb is not easy to find. The reason I came looking for it is that I remember having seen it when we hiked up this mountain when we were small.¡±


    Su Ben touched his nose and said with a wry smile, ¡°If I knew that you needed this herb earlier, we wouldn¡¯t have tired ourselves running here. A few days ago when I was cutting grass to feed the sheep, I cut a lot of these¡­ medicinal herbs. Some of them are still in the shed now!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at him with disbelief. One must know that if these medicinal herbs were to be sold in the medicinal herbs market in the city, the Silver Dragon Grass could fetch a price of 1000 yuan each. But Su Ben turned out to be feeding them to the sheep?


    This¡­ was way too extravagant and wasteful, wasn¡¯t it?


    Tang Xiu secretly shook his head and said with a dry smile, ¡°Big Brother Ben, when we go back, quickly pick out those Silver Dragon Grasses. Bear in mind, this medicinal herb is very valuable. If you can find a lot of them, I¡¯m willing to buy them for 1000 yuan each.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Su Ben stared. He was almost scared to death.


    1000 yuan?


    The livestock he raised at home and the wage he got from the construction team, how much money would he get for the whole year? It was only a mere 20,000 yuan! This Silver Dragon Grass is worth 1,000 yuan. With those 23 strains left, it was equal to his hard-earned annual income!


    ¡°Tang Xiu, are not you kidding me?¡± Sun Ben asked seriously.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± Tang Xiu said. ¡°If you can find more Silver Dragon Grasses, I will buy them for 1,000 yuan each. However, this mountain has wild animals. If you come pick them, you would likely enter their territories and court danger.¡±


    Su Ben said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know a good deal about it. So after I go back, I¡¯ll search and see how many Silver Dragon Grass are left there.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    The two no longer stayed on the mountain. Tang Xiu was a bit regretful since he didn¡¯t encounter any fierce beasts, but grandma¡¯s injuries were more important, he couldn¡¯t delay here for too long.


    Back to the place where he parked the car, Tang Xiu drove back to the Su family village and dropped Su Ben in front of his house. Su Ben told him that the village chief had silver needles, so Tang Xiu didn¡¯t need to go elsewhere to find it.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, have you found what you needed?¡± Seeing that Tang Xiu had come back, Su Lingyun asked.


    ¡°Yes, Mom.¡± Tang Xiu said. ¡°Big Brother Ben also had some with him, so I can treat Grandmother¡¯s injuries.¡±


    Although Chen Huiying was very sleepy, she didn¡¯t go home to sleep. She was concerned about Zhang Shi¡¯s injury and her son had left with Tang Xiu, so she waited. As she heard Tang Xiu¡¯s words, she curiously asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t Ben go out with you? Where¡¯s he?¡±


    ¡°He went to the village chief. He said that the chief has silver needles.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Ah, right.¡± Chen Huiying nodded, ¡°The village chief used to be a barefoot doctor. If it wasn¡¯t because that accident several years ago, with some people dying, our village would have a senior doctor now!¡±


    At this moment, Zhang Shi finally awoke. She also just talked to her daughter a lot. Upon seeing Tang Xiu had come back, she waved and called him, saying, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, grandmother is useless. That man just gently beat me twice, but my leg broke.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°Grandma, you¡¯re old. But in my heart, you¡¯re actually a capable person. When I was small, what I liked the most was eating your sweet-scented Osmanthus cake.¡±


    Although Zhang Shi was feeling pain, she still smiled, ¡°If grandma¡¯s leg gets better, I¡¯ll make Osmanthus cake for you.¡±


    Tang Xiu said laughed, ¡°Thanks, grandma. I know that aside from Mom, you¡¯re also very good to me.¡±

 Chapter 241

    Chapter 241: Moving Problems


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Zhang Shi smiled, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, your mother has told me about an affair between you and your uncle. Grandma doesn¡¯t blame you. Shangwen, he¡­ he indeed has changed. Do you know what your grandpa hoped the most before dying?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s smile slowly disappeared as he asked in a low voice.


    ¡°He hoped for Shangwen to go bankrupt,¡± said Zhang Shi as she sighed.


    Puzzled, Tang Xiu¡¯s brows raised, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°His disposition was good, he was gentle and polite to anyone when he had no money back then. But after he got rich, he offended the young and the elderly in the village. Furthermore, he hasn¡¯t visited the village for three years. Your mother and you must have endured a lot of pain all these years in Star City. But he¡­ Ohh!¡±


    Upon hearing it, Tang Xiu¡¯s heart warmed. However, he keenly felt his grandmother¡¯s bitter feelings. After all, Su Shangwen was her biological son, how would she not want her son to be good?


    After pondering for a short moment, Tang Xiu slowly said, ¡°Grandma, let him stay in prison for a few years! When he¡¯s been whetted sufficiently, able to turn a new leaf and become more humane, I¡¯ll think of ways to get him out.¡±


    Zhang Shi¡¯s eyes suffused with excitement and silently nodded.


    Tang Xiu spoke again, ¡°Grandma, after I heal your legs, how about you come to Star City to live with us? Our family¡¯s living conditions have gotten a lot better. Mom opened a restaurant and her business is very good. Although I just graduated and finished my CET, I also run some businesses and make a lot of money. You should come with us to enjoy your life in the future.¡±


    Zhang Shi laughed, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, Grandma thanks you for your filial piety. But grandma has to decline. My body is already half buried in the grave. If I were to go, wouldn¡¯t I become more trouble for you? Let¡¯s forget it! I¡¯ve lived here for a lifetime, I¡¯ll live here until the end of my days. Why should I toss myself blindly?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Grandma, you still have me and you can still live quite long. Relax! Just come with us to Star City. You won¡¯t trouble us. I myself have to go to study in Shanghai soon, so Mom will live alone there. If you go with us, you can also accompany her.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± with a bit of hesitation, Zhang Shi looked at Su Lingyun who was full of anticipation all over her face.


    Su Lingyun quickly said, ¡°Mom, I really don¡¯t feel relieved leaving you here alone. Please listen to Xiu¡¯er! Come with us to Star City. We mother and daughter can live together. Our conditions weren¡¯t good in the past, but now it¡¯s better. We also have a big villa and a big restaurant. Xiu¡¯er also has a big company there.¡±


    Zhang Shi took a deep breath. She shook her head, ¡°Little Yun, Xiu¡¯er. Don¡¯t urge me. I¡¯ve been living here for years. I won¡¯t get used to it if I changed the environment all of a sudden. Our village¡¯s neighbors are good to me and they usually take care of the things when I got them. You take care of your life, you don¡¯t need to worry about me.¡±


    Su Lingyun¡¯s expression turned grim. She knew her mother¡¯s disposition very well. Once she made a decision, she probably wouldn¡¯t change her mind even if her argument was solid.


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment and said, ¡°Grandma, since you really don¡¯t want to go to Star City, you can stay here, but we should repair this house. I¡¯ll take some money to rebuild the house. Furthermore, I¡¯ll hire two nannies in Star City to stay here to accompany and look after of you.¡±


    Zhang Shi waved her hand, ¡°No. I live here, there¡¯s no need to rebuild the house. It will take a lot of money! Besides, I¡¯m just a poor old lady, why would I need nannies to serve me? Although I¡¯m old, my legs are still fast. I don¡¯t need people to take care of me!¡±


    Standing on the side, an astonished expression suffused in Chen Huiying¡¯s eyes as she asked, ¡°Lingyun, was what you said just now true? Your restaurant is flourishing, you live in a big villa and Tang Xiu also has a company?¡±


    Nodding, Su Lingyun said, ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. The business has been good for the last two months. As for the villa and the company, it¡¯s Xiu¡¯er¡¯s hard work.¡±


    Chen Huiying¡¯s expression when she looked at Tang Xiu was suddenly different. She recalled the car Tang Xiu used and felt that Su Lingyun didn¡¯t lie to her.


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes turned bright. He looked at Chen Huiying and asked, ¡°Second Aunt, can we have a chat outside?¡±


    Chen Huiying replied with a confused expression, ¡°Chat outside? Why do want to chat outside? If you want to tell me something, you can speak it here!¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°I need to tell you something private. I also told Big Brother Ben that I want to buy the herbs he collected. A special kind of grass was mixed with the grasses your family feed the sheep; this kind of grass is actually a very good medicinal herb.¡±


    Chen Huiying hesitated for a moment. She then nodded and said, ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s talk outside.¡±


    The two went to the courtyard. Then, Tang Xiu spoke, ¡°Second Aunt, about that medicinal herb, I have already told Big Brother Ben. The grass is called Silver Dragon Grass. It¡¯s 1,000 yuan each. I¡¯ll buy them from you for any amount you sell me. But the reason I want to talk to you here outside is something else.¡±


    Chen Huiying knew nothing about medicinal herbs, so she didn¡¯t ask. Then, she replied, ¡°OK. Tell me!¡±


    ¡°Second Aunt, you too know about grandma¡¯s disposition. Since she doesn¡¯t want to come with us to Star City, would you please look after her later?¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Chen Huiying involuntary laughed, saying, ¡°What are you talking about, kid? If we didn¡¯t care about her, would we even take her to the county hospital? Don¡¯t worry, kiddo! With us here, your grandma won¡¯t have any trouble.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that, Second Aunt. So to speak, how much money do you make from farming annually?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Chen Huiying was puzzled, ¡°Why are you asking about this?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°You¡¯ll know it later, please answer me first.¡±


    Chen Huiying hesitated for a moment. She silently calculated it. Then, she stretched out a finger and said, ¡°Should be around 10,000 yuan? I have a lot of sheep and my family also have some fruit trees.¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°What if I hire you to take care of grandma and give you 20,000 yuan annually? Are you willing?¡±


    Chen Huiying knitted her brows, ¡°Tang Xiu, why are you speaking such nonsense? Even if you don¡¯t give me a dime, I¡¯ll still take care of Auntie! Alright. I know what you meant. I assure you that as long as I can walk and stay healthy, I won¡¯t let your grandma suffer hardships.¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his thumb up, saying, ¡°Auntie, you¡¯re a good person. If you don¡¯t want to ask for money, I won¡¯t insist. But firstly, I¡¯ll still have to thank you.¡±


    Chen Huiying patted Tang Xiu¡¯s underarm as she smiled and cursed, ¡°Little bastard, you¡¯re like seeing me as an outsider.¡±


    ¡°Second Aunt, could you give me your bank account number?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Chen Huiying stared blankly. Then, her face immediately turned cold and angrily said, ¡°Tang Xiu, what¡¯s the matter with you? Do you see your Second Aunt as someone greedy for money? If you do this again, I won¡¯t care about your grandmother later.¡±


    Tang Xiu quickly said, ¡°Second Aunt, that¡¯s not what I meant. Asking your bank account number, is indeed that I want to send you money. But it¡¯s not for you, it¡¯s for grandma. Please think! Wouldn¡¯t you have to spend money on either her clothes, food and some other matters when you take care of her? I want to transfer 100,000 yuan to you to buy more clothes for grandma and for the food she wants to eat. When the money has been spent, you can call me and I¡¯ll send more money.¡±


    100,000 yuan?


    Chen Huiying¡¯s heartbeat accelerated. But after several seconds, she shook her head and said, ¡°Tang Xiu, I really don¡¯t want this money. Otherwise, everyone in our village will point at my back and scold me. As for her welfare, you don¡¯t need to worry. Our family won¡¯t let your grandma suffer hunger and cold. I give you my word, your Second Aunt will take care of your grandma¡¯s welfare.¡±


    Tang Xiu forced out a smile. After hesitating for a moment, he then said with a helpless expression, ¡°Since Second Aunt really doesn¡¯t want the money, then let¡¯s forget it. But you have to let Big Brother Ben go with me!¡±


    ¡°Go with you? Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯ll go study in Shanghai soon? Little Ben only knows how to farm and build houses. What would he do there?¡± Puzzled, Chen Huiying asked.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯ll arrange a decent work and good salary for him. If he works diligently and earnestly, I assure you that he will have the money to buy a house in Star City within several years. I think you also hope for Big Brother Ben to be successful and get out of our small village, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Chen Huiying¡¯s eyes turned bright.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s words truly represented what was inside her heart. Her family didn¡¯t have much money and her son was unskilled. It was the reason for him not marrying since they couldn¡¯t afford to build a new house. When she saw the other youngsters of the same age, they all live in new houses, are married, and even had children several years old. This was also the cause of her unceasing worries.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you really¡­ can you really arrange a job for Little Ben that has a decent income?¡± asked Chen Huiying. She was somewhat unconvinced.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Second Auntie! As long as he works hard, he will certainly make a lot of money in the future. But I¡¯ll take him to work in my company. It won¡¯t be a problem to give him a wage of nearly 10,000 yuan a month.¡±


    Chen Huiying clapped and said with excitement, ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll have to thank you for it. And I¡­ I¡¯ll certainly take a good care of your grandmother. I¡¯ll regard her as my mother-in-law and take care of her.¡±


    Tang Xiu finally felt relieved upon hearing Chen Huiying¡¯s promise. He then said with a smile, ¡°Second Aunt, you must never tell others about our conversation, including Big Brother Ben.¡±


    Chen Huiying nodded heavily, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll keep it rotten in my stomach.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, I got them!¡±


    As they finished chatting, Su Ben rushed in a hurry toward them. He also raised a small box in his hand as he shouted. Behind him, the village chief, carrying his over 70 years old body, Su Changhe slightly ran to follow him.

 Chapter 242

    Chapter 242: Mysterious Medical Skill


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Su Changhe had high prestige in Su Village. These years, he led the locals in planting fruit trees, growing grains and was the first to help any families that had problems or difficulties. He always lent a hand without complaining or regrets. Even his son, the current chief of the Su Village, admired him endlessly and was very filial.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, do you remember me?¡±


    Su Changhe was a gentle person. The wrinkles on his face immediately stretched upon seeing Tang Xiu, a thick smile blossoming on his old face.


    Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°The old village chief grandpa.¡±


    Heartily laughing, Su Changhe replied, ¡°Mmm. Not bad, you¡¯ve grown up into an adult. Hasn¡¯t it been two years since you last came back? And you look taller now.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I haven¡¯t come back for nearly two years. If not for the accident I had before, perhaps I would have come back earlier,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Su Changhe nodded, ¡°Even though you¡¯re not surnamed Su, but you¡¯re the child of our Su family village. I just heard from Little Ben that you brought your grandma back to treat her wounds yourself. Tang Xiu, treating an old person¡¯s broken leg isn¡¯t a minor matter. It would be fatal if your treatment isn¡¯t good. Do you have confidence?¡±


    Tang Xiu assertively said, ¡°I¡¯m confident, old village chief grandpa. I¡¯ve been acting as an on-duty doctor at Star City Chinese Medical Hospital recently, and I can also be considered as a doctor now.¡±


    Su Change was shocked, ¡°You¡¯re working at Star City Chinese Medical Hospital? That¡¯s not right! You should only be a high schooler now¡­ and just attend CET this year! How would¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled, ¡°Old village chief grandpa, your memory is pretty good. It¡¯s true that I really just finished my CET, and you can check my CET¡¯s scores by dawn. As for the why I¡¯m giving medical services at Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, the hospital¡¯s President was the one who invited me.¡±


    At the side, Su Ben suddenly spoke, ¡°Tang Xiu, you know someone with authority in Star City Chinese Medical Hospital? The other wounded from our village were sent to Star City. Just when I got to the old village chief grandpa¡¯s house, Genzi called me saying that they had just arrived at Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, but¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu knitted his brows, ¡°But what?¡±


    Su Ben forced out a smile, ¡°They heard that a divine doctor emerged there recently, and caused a large number of patients across the province to flock to Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. There are indeed doctors on-duty now, but no wards available.¡±


    Tang Xiu took his mobile and dialed a number.


    ¡°Hello, Master?¡±


    Dai Xinyue¡¯s voice came out of the phone. It seemed very chaotic there, as it was pretty noisy.


    ¡°Are you in the hospital?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Yes, Master. There are too many patients tonight, it¡¯s quite busy. Is there something you need, Master?¡± said Dai Xinyue.


    ¡°I need you to check if there are five injured people surnamed Su from Qinghe County that are waiting for treatment. After you find them, arrange several wards for them.¡±


    ¡°Master, I¡­ I don¡¯t have that authority,¡± Dai Xinyue hesitated.


    Tang Xiu smiled, ¡°It¡¯s alright. If you can¡¯t, go to Sun Wenjing. And if she also can¡¯t do it, go directly to Li Hongji. In any case, help me arrange it tonight.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Dai Xinyue put down her mobile with a distressed expression.


    Tang Xiu glanced at Su Ben and Su Changhe, saying, ¡°Please don¡¯t worry! I called someone to arrange it, so it should be done quickly. Big Brother Ben, keep contact with them for the updated situation over there. Let¡¯s go inside now! I¡¯ll treat grandma.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside!¡± Su Change waved and quickly said.


    The dim light was swaying inside the dilapidated roof of the house. The rope-tied light bulb kept swinging by the wind as light and shadow repeatedly changed. Squatting at Zhang Shi¡¯s side, Tang Xiu gently lifted her leg, saying, ¡°Grandma, it will be slightly painful when I treat you, so please bear it for a while. I¡¯ll be able to treat your injury soon.


    Zhang Shi smiled, ¡°Go on! I can bear it.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded. He took the silver needles from the box and quickly sealed the acupoints nearby the broken bone. His fingers rubbed in-between the silver needles in a constant rhythm. Soon, the purplish-red swollen area on Zhang Shi¡¯s leg turned into purplish-black, the swollen area turning bigger.


    About half a minute later, Tang Xiu¡¯s finger slowly took one silver needle. In a split second, black blood spurted out. After all the silver needles were removed, black blood also spurted out from the areas not pierced by silver needles.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er¡­ this¡­¡±


    Su Lingyun¡¯s pupils contracted, fear gushing from her eyes.


    Tang Xiu serenely said, ¡°Her bone is fractured, and the broken pieces pierced the capillaries, resulting in internal congestion. So we must clear up the congestion first.¡±


    Su Lingyun suddenly understood, her anxiousness a bit relieved.


    Tang Xiu pinched a silver needle. By the time the black blood stopped flowing, his hands held the broken bone area as he exerted strength on both of his hands, adjusting back to the bone¡¯s positions. Controlling his Star Force, he restored the fractured bones to its previous positions. Tang Xiu also adjusted the two granule sized bone sediments into its original location accurately.


    ¡°It¡¯s painful¡­¡±


    Thick sweat overflowed from Zhang Shi¡¯s forehead, falling down on her wrinkled face.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s hands were entirely covered with Star Force. Even though he knew his grandmother had to endure great pain at the moment, Tang Xiu grew a bit uncomfortable. But he repressed it since he had to treat her leg injury. He reduced his strength slowly and used Star Force to seep into his grandmother¡¯s leg injury. Star force could nourish and repair bones and muscles, taking the role of accelerating the healing.


    A few minutes later, some of the pained expression on Zhang Shi¡¯s face disappeared, as the tightened brows of hers eased a lot.


    After ten minutes, Zhang Shi looked at Tang Xiu with astonishment. She could only feel a weak pain from her leg now; she couldn¡¯t even feel it if she didn¡¯t pay attention.


    Half an hour later, the pained expression on Zhang Shi¡¯s face completely disappeared and was replaced with a thick sense of comfort. All the pain in her leg completely disappeared. Instead, it felt cool afterward, along with a feeling of warmth. It was as if her insides were being warmly roasted.


    After an hour, Tang Xiu loosened his hands and looked at his grandmother. She was sleeping soundly now. Motioning the others into the room to keep silent, he then pulled the quilt over, covering her and hinting at everyone to leave the room.


    At the courtyard.


    Su Lingyun asked hastily, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, how¡¯ your grandma¡¯s injury now?¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly, ¡°I¡¯ve handled it. Grandma will be able to recover in a week. But she probably can¡¯t walk around much within this time. Ah, right. We also have to find two planks and tie them to her broken leg, lest a secondary fracture happens.¡±


    Su Lingyun immediately replied, ¡°I¡¯ll go get it now!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded with a smile. He looked to the old village chief, Su Changhe, Chen Huiying and Su Ben as he said, ¡°It¡¯s late. All of you should take a rest now! We¡¯ll chat after dawn.¡±


    Su Changhe, Chen Huiying and Su Ben didn¡¯t move. They stared straight at Tang Xiu with a somewhat disappointed feeling inside. Yet¡­ they were also curious.


    Chen Huiying, who was someone who couldn¡¯t keep the matter in heart, spoke, ¡°Tang Xiu, you aren¡¯t joking with us, are you? Even for children that grow their bones the fastest, it¡¯s impossible to recover from a broken leg in a week, no? It takes at least 100 days for one to recover from serious injuries, but you¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu interrupted her and said with a smile, ¡°Second Aunt, I won¡¯t explain how, neither can I change your old ideas. Let¡¯s see a week later. I assure you that you¡¯ll be surprised.¡±


    Su Changhe¡¯s lower lip twitched, but he eventually didn¡¯t speak. He only shook his head and sighed before turning around and leaving. Chen Huiying also shook her head and turned away.


    Su Ben was silent for a few seconds. His fist gently punched Tang Xiu¡¯s chest as he smiled and said, ¡°Tang Xiu, I believe in you. You¡¯re smart since childhood, and you almost never lie. Since you said you can make your grandma can recover as before, then it will surely happen.¡±


    The feeling of being trusted¡­ was really good!


    Tang Xiu smiled and patted his shoulder, saying, ¡°Are you sleepy now? If not, care to have a chat with me?¡±


    Su Ben looked at the back of his mother. He then pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and asked, ¡°Do you want one?¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before taking it. The years when he was muddle-headed, he also experienced drinking and smoking. He lit it up, taking a deep puff as he then said slowly, ¡°Big Brother Ben, how about you come with me to Star City?¡±


    Staring blankly, Su Ben replied with a confused expression, ¡°What will I do there?¡±


    ¡°Help and work for me,¡± said Tang Xiu smiling.


    Pondering for a moment, Su Ben then shook his head and said, ¡°Tang Xiu, I know that you¡¯re a skilled person, setting up your own company. But I know nothing except farming and building houses. I won¡¯t be of any use to you, so forget it. I won¡¯t go with you!¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled, ¡°It¡¯s not like you can¡¯t learn, right? If you¡¯re willing to work hard, I promise you that you¡¯ll have a very good progress. Big Brother Ben, our ancestors are typical peasants who are resigned to their plot of lands, toiling over it with their backs to the sky. They get up early in the morning, living a life from nine to five for every sunrise and sunset for generations. Don¡¯t you want to change this predicament?¡±


    Su Ben hesitated, ¡°Then what are you going to arrange for me to work on?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll become a security guard!¡± said Tang Xiu.


    A disappointed expression was written on Su Ben¡¯s face. He forced out a smile, ¡°How much money can a security guard earn? A few villagers, who left the village to work as security guards in Shanghai, only get 5,000 to 6,000 yuan a month. But after subtracting their food expenses, they don¡¯t even have 2,000 yuan left for a monthly salary.¡±


    ¡°They are they, you are you. If you work hard and can bear hardships, let alone 5 to 6 thousand yuan a month, you can earn 50 to 60 thousand.¡±


    Su Ben asked with a foolish expression, ¡°Where and how would a security guard earn so much money?¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled, ¡°That depends on for who you work for. So let¡¯s decide! You come with me to Star City and work as an ordinary security guard. You¡¯ll earn five thousand yuan a month with accommodation and meals included. If your performance after three months is good, I¡¯ll promote you as security captain. By that time, you¡¯ll be paid ten thousand yuan. How is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± Su Ben¡¯s eyes lit up as he replied without hesitation.


    Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°Alright. We grew up together. Although you¡¯re a few years older than me, you and I know each other deeply, so I can feel at ease if you learn some important business secrets.¡±


    ¡°Just leave it to me, I¡¯ll do it well.¡± Su Ben laughed.

 Chapter 243

    Chapter 243: The Fast Change in Attitude


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Star City Chinese Medical Hospital.


    Feeling uneasy inside, Dai Xinyue found the five patients from Su Village. After grasping their conditions, she then rushed to the Inpatient Department Director¡¯s resting room.


    ¡°Knock, knock¡­¡±


    ¡°Come in!¡±


    The Inpatient Department Director¡¯s voice came out from the room.


    Pushing the door, Dai Xinyue entered the room and saw the director seating on a single bed, fixing his coat.


    ¡°You are?¡±


    The Inpatient Department¡¯s Director didn¡¯t pay much attention to Dai Xinyue. He just felt that she was somewhat familiar and curiously asked.


    ¡°Director, I¡¯m Dai Xinyue, an intern. There¡¯s a little matter that I need to speak to you about,¡± she said.


    The director was a bit annoyed. He had been busy for a day and night. He had only slept for 2-3 hours before being woken up. But he didn¡¯t reveal it on his face, nodding, ¡°Tell me!¡±


    ¡°Director, five patients have just arrived. Although they received medical treatment, they haven¡¯t been admitted to their wards. For now, they are staying on the corridor¡¯s floor. Might you help arrange them a few wards?¡±


    Upon hearing it, the Inpatient Department¡¯s Director angrily replied, ¡°Our hospital is simply too crowded. We don¡¯t have enough wards and you still want me to arrange wards for them?¡±


    Dai Xinyue replied with a low voice, ¡°Yes, I want to speak to you about this.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡±


    The director angrily said, ¡°You¡¯re also a doctor in our hospital, don¡¯t you also know the current situation the hospital is in? You directly looked for your superior, have you learned the hospital¡¯s regulations? Everything must be done orderly according to normal procedures. Tell me, from which department are you?¡±


    Dai Xinyue hesitated, replying in a low voice, ¡°I do miscellaneous jobs and assistant work for the outpatient service.¡±


    ¡°Outpatient Clinic Building?¡±


    The director¡¯s brows raised. He then snorted coldly, saying, ¡°Then do your miscellaneous job properly. Don¡¯t come looking for me for this kind of matter in the future. Also, tell your superior¡­, ah right, who¡¯s your superior?¡±


    Dai Xinyue said bitterly, ¡°Tang Xiu!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± The Inpatient Department¡¯s Director cried out, ¡°Then tell to this Tang Xiu to manage his subordinates well, not bothering me with unimportant matters¡­¡±


    His voice came to a halt. As though recalling someone, the anger on his face froze. He then looked at Dai Xinyue and asked, ¡°¡­ You¡­ who did you just say is your superior?¡±


    Dai Xinyue said, ¡°Tang Xiu. He gives medical services in the Outpatient Clinic Building. He came to our hospital recently.¡±


    Various expressions passed on the Inpatient Department¡¯s Director¡¯s face. Finally, a trace of a smile was revealed on his face as he said, ¡°You¡¯re Tang Xiu¡¯s assistant, yes? What¡¯s your name? Dai¡­¡±


    ¡°Dai Xinyue!¡±


    The director nodded repeatedly, the smile on his face becoming thicker. ¡°Ah right. You¡¯re Dai Xinyue. I heard that Tang Xiu received an apprentice a few days ago and her name is Dai Xinyue. I never thought that it would be you! So you looked for me because of Tang Xiu¡¯s order?¡±


    Dai Xinyue truthfully said, ¡°Yes, he ordered me. Those patients seem to be from his hometown.¡±


    The Inpatient Department¡¯s Director immediately stood. He then said with a deep tone, ¡°Come with me! I just remembered that our hospital still has two other wards that are reserved for acute patients. Since those patients are Tang Xiu¡¯s distant relatives, then I¡¯ll arrange it for them.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t stupid!


    The present Star City Chinese Medical Hospital¡¯s standing couldn¡¯t be compared with the past! Either the hospital¡¯s or Tang Xiu¡¯s reputation, it spread out far and wide. Not to mention the large number of patients that came from across the province, even the patients throughout the country also had heard the news about them.


    Moreover, a few days ago, journalists from the TV station wanted to do an interview. The President knew that Tang Xiu was reluctant to be in the limelight so he declined. Although he was the Inpatient Department¡¯s Director and seemed to be getting promotions quickly, he also had his own self-awareness. He was not someone to be compared with Tang Xiu at all. Even the President must be polite toward that young ancestor. He didn¡¯t have to recall that Tang Xiu just came to the hospital for less than a week, but the President himself accompanied him on meals for a few times already.


    Ten minutes later, the patients from Su Village were placed in two spacious wards. Temporary wards were added with three sickbeds each! Even so, the room was still spacious even though there were seven or eight villagers from the Su Village plus the patients already inside.


    ¡°All of you stay here. The hospital¡¯s leaders have told me that you¡¯re exempted from fees and your medical expenses will also be reimbursed. Since you have family members, I won¡¯t send nurses to look after you. In short, you can contact me if there¡¯s anything you need. I¡¯m the director of this Inpatient Department, so I¡¯ll definitely complete the service.¡± The Inpatient Department¡¯s director spoke, all smiling.


    The patients and their relatives in the wards showed grateful expressions. But they were also deeply confused and puzzled inwardly. In particular, Su Quan. He was usually the typical smart person who was adept at discerning people¡¯s thoughts from their body language. Recalling the attitude and manners they displayed before and comparing it with the present, he immediately understood the problem.


    After hesitating, his eyes landed on Dai Xinyue. Although she was a beauty and her attitude very amiable, she was unlikely to be someone of great standing. So he went to her and asked in a low voice, ¡°Pretty doctor, might I ask what¡¯s happening here? We, the patients¡¯ relatives, are also aware that the hospital is in a shortage of wards. But how could we suddenly be given such good wards? Even all five patients were completely admitted here?¡±


    Dai Xinyue lightly smiled, ¡°My Master asked me to look for the Inpatient Department¡¯s Director.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s your Master? Does he know us?¡± Su Quan¡¯s got more confused and asked again.


    ¡°My Master is Tang Xiu. He¡¯s also a doctor in this hospital,¡± said Dai Xinyue.


    Tang Xiu?


    Su Quan was surprised and stared blankly. A disbelieving expression immediately appeared on his face as he asked, ¡°Your Master wouldn¡¯t be the same Tang Xiu who¡¯s schooling in Star City First High School, would it?¡±


    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s right!¡± Dai Xinyue laughed, ¡°My Master was indeed schooling in Star City First High School before. Also, he just attended this year¡¯s CET.¡±


    Su Quan¡¯s lips twitched a few times. He suddenly realized that the small boy in his childhood memories seemed to be different now. Not only did he become a doctor in this Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, he even had a beautiful apprentice now. Much to his surprise, even the director of this Inpatient Department personally arranged wards for everyone.


    Looking at the shocked Su Quan, Dai Xinyue chuckled and said softly, ¡°Actually, the reason as to why you can¡¯t find wards here is mainly my Master¡¯s fault. If it wasn¡¯t for him, you would have directly been admitted to the wards when you come to our Star City Chinese Medical Hospital.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Su Quan was surprised again, asking with a confused expression, ¡°What does it mean?¡±


    Dai Xinyue laughed, ¡°Do you know why our hospital is in a shortage of wards now?¡±


    Su Quan nodded, ¡°I asked around. I heard that an extraordinarily skillful Divine Doctor appeared here. No matter what illnesses the patients contracted, that Divine Doctor is able to treat them within a short period of time. So a large number of patients across the country also heard about him. Then, what you mean¡­ you mean¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re smart! That¡¯s right. The person who created the current situation is my Master, Tang Xiu!¡± Dai Xinyue laughed.


    Su Quan¡¯s lips twitched a few times, unable to utter any words. Yet, the warmth and gratitude that filled his heart didn¡¯t diminish. He knew that if it wasn¡¯t for Tang Xiu, perhaps his fellow villagers would still be lying in the corridor.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your Master? Can I see him?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where Master is right now!¡± replied Dai Xinyue.


    Su Quan was disappointed. Suddenly, his face flickered. He recalled that Tang Xiu¡¯s grandmother was also injured because of this incident. Since he knew about the matter with the villagers of the Su Village, he must have made a trip to Qinghe County. Quickly, he took out his mobile and dialed Su Ben¡¯s number.


    ¡°Hey, Big Brother Ben. Have you seen Tang Xiu?¡±


    At the Su Village.


    Su Ben was chatting with Tang Xiu when he received Su Quan¡¯s call. Upon hearing his question, he said, ¡°Yup. We¡¯re chatting right now.¡±


    Su Quan immediately said, ¡°Quickly give him your cell phone! I want to talk to him!¡±


    Su Ben ¡®okayed¡¯ him and then handed the mobile to Tang Xiu, laughing, ¡°Well, the one in the phone is looking for you.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly. He and Su Ben had a good relationship because his grandmother¡¯s and Su Ben¡¯s houses were only separated by a wall, so Tang Xiu usually liked to follow Su Ben playing when he was a child. He also had a good relationship with Su Quan because they were of similar age and hang out together when they were children. Catching fishes in the river, climbing trees to scoop birds¡¯ nests¡­. They were very close childhood friends.


    ¡°Quan, you¡¯re looking for me?¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, it¡¯s really you? You also arranged the matter with Star City Chinese Medical Hospital?¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡± Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°Have you settled down? I called them before.¡±


    Su Quan said with astonishment, ¡°Damn, amazing. You kid is so amazing now! With a call from you, even the Inpatient Department¡¯s Director was alarmed, personally arranging two wards for us. What is most unbelievable is that you¡¯re the mysterious Divine Doctor of the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital.¡±


    Tang Xiu teased him, ¡°Okay, okay. You, kiddo, don¡¯t cry alright? When will you come back from Star City?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back tonight! The five wounded folks have their families to look after, I was only responsible to escort them. Wait for me there! It¡¯s been two years since I have seen you, we gotta drink a few bottles!¡± said Su Quan.


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be waiting for you!¡± Having said that, Tang Xiu gave the phone back to Su Ben.


    Su Ben put away his mobile and laughed, ¡°Well, you two were inseparable back then, playing and growing up together. You and Quan are the smart ones, and the two of you are the most kindred spirited children in our village as well as best buddies.¡±


    ¡°Big Brother Ben, you¡¯re wrong. Didn¡¯t I also play with you?! I still remember, we always followed behind your ass all over the place back then,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Su Ben involuntary laughed.


    Being together with Tang Xiu, he smiled and laughed a lot more than he used to.


    Taking out the cigarette from his mouth, Tang Xiu then changed the topic, ¡°Big Brother Ben, tell me. What has happened to the village? Who¡¯s the culprit behind the troubles in our village? They are so rampant and arrogant, yet they can also get the government¡¯s approval. They seem to have a very powerful background?¡±

 Chapter 244

    Chapter 244: Devastating Oppression


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°He¡¯s Hong Changyin, the boss of Imperial Water Royal View City Real Estate in our county. A few days ago he and the businessmen from Blue City wanted to build an industrial city in our place. I don¡¯t know how he got the government¡¯s approval as well as dragged the government¡¯s participation in this, but the government issued a land requisition.¡± Su Ben forced a smile and said.


    ¡°What¡¯s this Hong Changyin¡¯s background?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Su Ben said, ¡°He¡¯s Mr. Hong¡¯s nephew, the head of the county¡¯s commissioner court.¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly realized. He finally understood that Hong Chanying¡¯s big influence, to even be able to buy the county hospital¡¯s doctors. But no matter the other party¡¯s background, he didn¡¯t care. Since they dared hurt his grandmother, he would definitely make them pay a bitter and painful price. Not only just Hong Changyin, even that Commissioner Head, Mr. Hong, as well as the county hospital¡¯s leadership would have to pay a painful price.


    Tang Xiu took his mobile and opened a webpage using 3Gnet, searching information about this Imperial Water Royal View City Real Estate in Qinghe County. And soon, he quickly found Hong Changyin¡¯s personal data.


    ¡°Big Brother Ben, go rest! Remember to give me the Silver Dragon Grasses tomorrow.¡±


    Su Ben nodded and left.


    Tang Xiu took a blanket from the car and went back to his grandmother¡¯s room. He found his mother, Su Lingyun, sitting in a daze on the bed, whereas his grandmother was still asleep.


    ¡°Mom, please go sleep!¡± Tang Xiu said softly.


    Su Lingyun looked up. A smile emerged on her face as she gently shook her head, ¡°I just tidied up the room next door for you and made up the bed. It¡¯s very late now, so you have to rest. I¡¯ll call you again later at breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m not sleepy now. But you obviously look tired, why would you still force yourself? I promise you that grandma¡¯s injuries will really be okay,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Su Lingyun hesitated before nodding, ¡°OK. I¡¯ll sleep for a few hours.¡±


    A few minutes later, after seeing his mother sleeping on the sofa, snoring, Tang Xiu quietly walked out of the house and got into his car. He drove directly to the Qinghe County¡¯s center. Since he had already found Hong Changyin¡¯s information and also had identified his face from his photo, he decided to collect the interest tonight.


    At Qinghe County Hospital!


    Due to Hong Changyin¡¯s background, he could make the doctors in the hospital refuse to treat the wounded villagers of the Su Village. He was also injured in the conflict and was hospitalized here.


    However, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t directly drive to Qinghe County Hospital but parked his car before the shopfront nearby the hospital. He then slipped into the nearby alley quietly, a few minutes later silently sneaking into the hospital.


    Tang Xiu slipped into a dark corner under the hospital building. Using his perception to scan the surroundings, he easily found the sleeping Hong Changyin in the Inpatient Department¡¯s ward on the third floor. In another bed lied a young girl.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t take the stairs since the hospital¡¯s stairs and elevators had surveillance cameras. He moved vigorously to climb the pipeline outside the building up toward Hong Changyin¡¯s window. He quietly opened the unlatched window and entered the ward.


    ¡°Plop¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu quickly moved to pinch the sleeping girl¡¯s acupuncture point on her head. Then, he punched Hong Changyin, causing him immediately fainted. As though carrying a dead dog, he shouldered him out of the window and left the hospital in the same way. When he returned to the car, he directly stuffed Hong Changyin into the trunk and drove away toward the village¡¯s foothill.


    ¡°Dump¡ª¡±


    As he arrived on an uncultivated land, Tang Xiu parked his car and took Hong Changyin out of the trunk, throwing him directly on the ground.


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡±


    The unconscious Hong Changyin woke up due to the acute pain. When he found himself in the countryside and felt pain after being thrown to the ground, he thought that it was a dream. He rubbed the pain away, cursing and muttering, ¡°What the hell? How would this Father have this ridiculous dream? Who were the fucking idiots that said people don¡¯t feel pain in their dreams? Fuck¡­ why aren¡¯t there several top beauties to accompany me playing¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu grabbed his shoulder from behind, turned him around and fiercely slapped him. After directly pumping him about five to six meters away and having blood and two teeth spurted out, he smashed him to the ground.


    ¡°Do you still think you¡¯re dreaming now? There¡¯s no way in hell you¡¯ll find top beauties here. Rather, you¡¯ll have a lot of wild animals like wild boars and jackals. Or, you want me to find some of them for you to release your excessive hormones?¡± Tang Xiu walked to him, as he held his shoulder and sneered.


    The fierce slap, the burning pain and the thick smell of blood made Hong Changyin suddenly awaken. He was not dreaming. He was sleeping in the hospital ward before, and someone had gotten him out of there.


    In a split second, Hong Changyin felt cold all over his body. It was as if an iceberg had fallen to his heart. Struggling to get up, he glared at Tang Xiu and snapped, ¡°Who the fuck are you? Why am I here? Do you know who I am?¡±


    Tang Xiu sneered, ¡°Hong Changyin, since I kidnapped you, it means that I know who you are. But I don¡¯t give a fuck. Of course, I didn¡¯t take you for a drink, but to kill you. Good will be rewarded, and evil will be put to justice. You also know this line. You have done a lot of evil, and it¡¯s time for the retribution. Now, do you have anything to say before dying?¡±


    Fear was cast on Hong Changyin¡¯s face. He paced backward a few steps and stared vigilantly as he asked Tang Xiu, ¡°Little Brother, do I know you?¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with a dull tone, ¡°No. We haven¡¯t met before!¡±


    Hong Changyin suddenly recalled something as he hastily asked, ¡°What¡¯s your surname? Is your family name Su, from the Su Village?¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled, ¡°Hong Changyin, since you have correctly guessed who I am, then your chance to live is nil. What I fear the most are annoying troubles, fearing someone else would be inflicted later. So you can go to hell!¡±


    Having said that, Tang Xiu dashed toward Hong Changyin lightning fast. Hong Changyin had just started running when Tang Xiu¡¯s fist hit his back, causing him to spurt out a mouthful of blood and fall to the ground. Tang Xiu¡¯s punch didn¡¯t claim his life.


    Because he felt that there were a lot of ways to vent his hate in exchange for his life.


    ¡°Get up! It¡¯s fucking lame if you play dead. You gotta resist, struggle and howl in sorrow! Only by killing you in this way will make me happy. If I¡¯m happy, I will make you die slowly, to taste the feeling and pleasure of being alive, which is better than dying again and again.¡±


    Tang Xiu kicked his waist and shouted.


    In this open country field, the echo of his shout was as though a death incantation, causing Hong Changyin to despair. He suddenly regretted provoking the Su Village, provoking this madman.


    That¡¯s right. In his eyes, Tang Xiu was a madman! Because only a lunatic would kill using brutal and cruel methods, enjoying the struggling, mirthless and sorrowful screams of his prey.


    ¡°B-B-B¡­ B-Brother, why don¡¯t we make a deal?¡±


    Hong Changyin struggled to stand up. Seeing that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t continue to hit him, he quickly shouted in panic.


    Tang Xiu deliberately made a menacing gesture, but after hearing his words, he pretended to be interested as he smiled and said, ¡°Ehh, you want to make a deal? You¡¯re a dead man. What can you offer me? Do you want to use the money to buy your life? Hahaha¡­ that¡¯s so fucking impossible. Today¡¯s next year will be your death anniversary. Even if the Heavenly Emperor comes, I¡¯ll still kill you!¡±


    Hong Changyin¡¯s expression collapsed. But still, he cried out, ¡°No no no, if you don¡¯t want money, I can give you other benefits. H-How about you come with me? If this Changyin is successful, you¡¯ll be the same, enjoying wealth and glory with me. I can let you have everything you want in Qinghe County.¡±


    ¡°Pa pa pa¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu flashed and fiercely slapped him several times, causing his mouth to be full of blood. Then, he stopped and sneered, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a lunatic? A fucking idiot? Hehe¡­ if I let you go today, I probably won¡¯t have the time to enjoy those pleasures, wealth and glory. You¡¯ll probably have me killed, no?¡±


    Hong Changyin did have this thought just now. But when he heard Tang Xiu¡¯s reply, he instantly despaired. Due to the fear, pained waist and acute pain all over his body, he almost cried as he replied, ¡°B-Brother¡­ t-then, what do you want? Tell me, I¡¯ll give it you.¡±


    Tang Xiu punched him again and smashed him on the ground. He walked toward him, stepped on his head and sneered, ¡°Tell me, who¡¯s your accomplice in the county hospital who refused to treat the Su villagers?¡±


    Hong Changyin instantly realized that the man in front of him was really someone from the Su Village. However, he had no choice but to bow under the eaves. He was really scared, fearing that Tang Xiu would kill him in this wilderness, throwing his body to feed the wild animals.


    ¡°It¡¯s Zhong Tao, the County Hospital¡¯s Vice President. He became the Vice President due to my uncle¡¯s help. I-If there¡¯s anything you want to know, I-I¡­ I¡¯ll tell you.¡±


    Zhong Tao?


    Tang Xiu memorized the name. He lifted his foot from Hong Changyin¡¯s head and snorted coldly, ¡°Hmph. I won¡¯t kill today, but I have to find a way to make you remember today for the rest of your life! That¡¯s right. You said that you love women eh? I¡¯ll just have to cut your fucking dick, so you¡¯ll be a eunuch.¡±


    Hong Changyin¡¯s pupils contracted. Without him realizing, he curled up and begged, ¡°B-Brother, please don¡¯t! I¡¯m only 32 years old. I don¡¯t even have a child. Brother, please spare me and don¡¯t punish me too severely. If I become a eunuch, my family line will be cut and over!¡±


    Tang Xiu sneered, ¡°Don¡¯t you still have that county¡¯s Head Commissioner, your uncle? He must have a son!¡±


    ¡°No, he only has a daughter!¡± Hong Changyin quickly replied.

 Chapter 245

    Chapter 245: Resolving the Problems with Violence


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu trampled Hong Changyin¡¯s body, again and again, causing him to scream out repeatedly. Then he made him sit on the floor, sitting in front of him and saying with a beaming smile, ¡°I don¡¯t think the Hong Family line will be cut off. Do you know why?¡±


    At the moment, Hong Changyin was thoroughly terrified of Tang Xiu. Never once had he ever seen such a ruthless and lunatic person like him. He was extremely worried about his own life. However, he didn¡¯t dare to resist nor struggle. He could only squeeze out a stiff smile, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because you still have your father! If I¡¯m not wrong, your father and uncle are still alive, yes? Even if you¡¯re no longer a man, they can still find a woman to give birth to their children at their age. If there¡¯s no child conceived, then that will be your Hong Family¡¯s bad luck.¡±


    The more anxious Hong Changyin was, the more tears were revealed. He desperately shook his head and cried, ¡°B-Brother, your hands are too noble, please spare me! Please tell me what you want, I¡¯ll do it without batting an eye.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, ¡°How¡¯s your acting level?¡±


    Hong Changyin stared blankly. Then he immediately nodded happily, ¡°Good. I¡¯ll definitely be able to make you satisfied. What do you want me to perform?¡±


    ¡°Call the County Hospital¡¯s Vice President, Zhong Tao. Tell him to come here. Do remember to tell him he must come alone. If there¡¯s anyone else, I¡¯ll immediately kill you and go to a faraway place,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Hong Changyin was stupefied. Then he nodded his head.


    At Qinghe County¡¯s Water Cube upscale residential area.


    Zhong Tao was awakened by his mobile¡¯s ringtone. He looked at the time as anger was revealed on his face. He picked up the phone and saw a strange number. He hesitated a moment before answering it. He then asked with a heavy tone, ¡°Zhong Tao speaking, who¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me, Hong Changyin.¡± Hong Changyin¡¯s voice came from the mobile.


    Zhong Tao replied with a puzzled expression, ¡°Boss Hong, it¡¯s very late now. Is there something you need?¡±


    ¡°Boss Zhong, do you remember about the matter I asked your help with today? It caused big trouble. I can¡¯t go to Qinghe County now, so you have to prepare yourself. Don¡¯t ask too many questions. In short, I¡¯ve offended a great figure. And¡­ I also want to apologize to you. Perhaps, you might be implicated by me.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Zhong Tao¡¯s drowsiness vanished in an instant. He suddenly jumped out of the bed and quickly asked, ¡°Boss Hong, what has happened exactly?¡±


    Hong Changyin laughed bitterly, ¡°The specific circumstances can¡¯t be talked on the phone. In short, even my uncle won¡¯t be able to help me, lest implicate him. So your dream to become President of the County Hospital might be crushed. Perhaps, you¡¯ll also be thrown into jail. Alas¡­ this is my mistake. If I have a chance next life, I¡¯ll pay you back.¡±


    Having said that, he directly hung up the phone.


    Zhong Tao was struck dumb and tongue-tied as he listened to the muted sound of his mobile. His eyes blinked and then dialed the Inpatient Department¡¯s director, speaking with a heavy tone, ¡°Zhong Tao here, is Boss Hong Changyin still in his ward?¡±


    ¡°Please wait a bit!¡±


    A few minutes later, the caller was back.


    ¡°Yes? Is Boss Hong still there?¡± Zhong Tao asked again with a heavy tone.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t there, only his girlfriend is sleeping in the ward,¡± the voice came again.


    In this split second, Zhong Tang felt a chill down to his spine. He desperately wanted to figure out what really happened, so he called the number that called him before. A few seconds later, his call was picked up.


    ¡°Boss Hong, please tell me clearly! What the hell is going on here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve to discard this number immediately, so don¡¯t call me again,¡± said Hong Changyin.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Zhong Tao shouted, ¡°Boss Hong, where are you now? I¡¯ll come over immediately.¡±


    Hong Changyin bitterly replied, ¡°I just came out from the Su Village and am preparing to hide in the mountain next to the village first until tomorrow morning, then I¡¯ll be away from this place as fast as possible.¡±


    ¡°Wait for me, I¡¯ll go there immediately,¡± shouted Zhong Tao.


    Hong Changyin didn¡¯t hang up the phone. After staying silent for a minute, he then slowly said, ¡°President Zhong, I trust you won¡¯t betray me! Since you want to know the big trouble this matter has caused, then seize the time. I¡¯m still on the mountain foot next to the Su Village. Also, remember. You must make sure that nobody except you know where I am. And don¡¯t bring anyone with you.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Zhong Tao complied. He hung up the phone and got dressed in a hurry, grabbing his car key and rushing out.


    At the mountain foot next to Su Village.


    Tang Xiu patted Hong Changyin¡¯s swollen cheek and praised, ¡°Damn, your acting skills are really good. It looks like your pitiful begging before, to spare your life, was also fake, eh?¡±


    Hong Changyin¡¯s pupils contracted. He desperately shook his head, ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t. Absolutely not!¡±


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment and then said slowly, ¡°Words can¡¯t be trusted. Prove it to me.¡±


    ¡°How I should prove it to you?¡± asked Hong Changyin.


    ¡°Break one of your legs.¡± Tang Xiu said indifferently.


    ¡°WHAT?¡± Hong Changyin trembled as panic covered his face.


    Tang Xiu replied lightly, ¡°If you¡¯re afraid to do it yourself, I¡¯ll help you. A good trait of mine is that I love to help others.¡±


    Hong Changyin replied with a shivering voice, ¡°B-B-Brother¡­ please spare me! If you break my leg, I¡¯ll be crippled for life. You¡¯re a great man, please forgive me this time. I won¡¯t dare to bully others due to my status, and I also won¡¯t do bad deeds again later. I promise you that I¡¯ll immediately shy away from you when I come across you in the future.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°I¡¯ll let you live this night, but you won¡¯t live past dawn. I¡¯m giving you the choice to break your leg, but you can never leave safely if you don¡¯t do so. This is your last chance to live. If you won¡¯t take it, it¡¯s your choice. I give you a minute. If you don¡¯t act within this time, you¡¯ll enjoy your fucking life in hell!¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Hong Changyin cast a glance at Tang Xiu¡¯s grim expression. The despair in his heart grew thicker. In his mind, Tang Xiu was a devil, a vicious and ruthless demon.


    He didn¡¯t want to die! He was rich and had a good life, he could live a squandering life for decades.


    ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯ll break it.¡±


    Hong Changyin glanced around quickly. As he saw a stone a few meters away, he immediately crawled over, lifted it up and fiercely smashed his calf.


    ¡°Uwaaa¡­¡±


    A piercing and miserable scream howled, echoing at the mountain foot.


    Tang Xiu nodded in satisfaction. His grandmother¡¯s leg was fractured. If not for his superb medical skill, she would likely to have a sequela. Even if she was healed, she would even become a cripple. Therefore, he must make Hong Changyin who did the evil deed to taste how it felt to become a cripple.


    However, Tang Xiu hated Hong Changyi¡¯s pained and anguished scream. He walked toward him, held his thigh and quickly pressed several acupoints in his calf.


    Suddenly, Hong Changyin¡¯s pitiful scream came to halt.


    ¡°W-Why¡­ doesn¡¯t it hurt?¡±


    Hong Changyin¡¯s face twisted, slowly coming back to normal. He was dumbfoundedly looking at his blood-covered leg. It was obviously broken! He then looked up at Tang Xiu with disbelief.


    It didn¡¯t hurt! Not even a little bit of pain could be felt now. If not for the blood on his calf, he would have thought that he was dreaming.


    ¡°There are things called acupoints in this world¡¯s kung fu. I sealed the acupoints on your thigh injury. One is to help stop your bleeding, and the other is to make the pain disappear. So if you dare to let out another howling ghost again, I¡¯ll stitch your mouth,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently.


    Hong Changyin looked at him with disbelief, as horror and shock overwhelming his eyes. He the replied, ¡°You know acupoints?¡±


    Tang Xiu coldly glanced at him but didn¡¯t answer. He needed to calm his mind and wait for the County Hospital¡¯s Vice President, Zhong Tao to arrive. Hong Changyin was admittedly hateful, but Zhong Tao was even more disgusting. He was a hospital doctor as well as had a good standing as a hospital¡¯s leader, yet he turned out to make things worse for the patients and colluded in evil deeds with villains. If he didn¡¯t make him pay, then who?


    Twenty minutes later. A Volkswagen sedan slowly parked nearby the Land Rover as Zhong Tao got off from the driver¡¯s seat. He then looked around and saw that nobody was here.


    Just as he walked a few steps forward, a ghostly figure silently appeared behind him, punching his head, making him faint.


    Tang Xiu grabbed his hands and brought him to a place a hundred meters away as he stopped and put him down in front of Hong Changyin who was sitting exhausted on the ground. He said indifferently, ¡°Wake him up! And you better smash his leg with a stone!¡±


    Hong Changyin hesitated for a moment before following Tang Xiu¡¯s order. He took the stone and fiercely smashed Zhong Tao¡¯s left leg. The fractured bone produced great pain, causing Zhong Tao to wake up from his stupor. He let out a pig-like scream, echoing in the wilderness.


    ¡°Hong¡ªHong Changyin!¡±


    Zhong Tao could only see starlight and then looked at Hong Changyin who was sitting exhausted in front him. Disbelief suffused in his eyes since Hong Changyin¡¯s appearance at the moment was really very miserable.


    Hong Changyin bitterly said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Vice President Zhong.¡±


    Zhong Tao stared at him blankly. After several seconds later, only then did he realize that someone else was behind him. He turned and looked at Tang Xiu as his expression suddenly changed.


    ¡°You¡¯re Zhong Tao, yes? The Vice President of Qinghe County Hospital? You¡¯re a doctor, yet you cling to a powerful official to cause misfortune for the patients. You¡¯re pretty good!¡± Tang Xiu came before him and spoke without being salty nor insipid.


    Zhong Tao exclaimed involuntarily, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Tang Xiu sneered, ¡°Who am I? I¡¯m the executioner who enforces justice on behalf of Heaven. A butcher who punishes evil and uphold justice. You don¡¯t need to blame Hong Changyin. It is I who forced him to deceive you! Because if he didn¡¯t, he would die today. And you, your fate probably won¡¯t be much better than his.¡±

 Chapter 246

    Chapter 246: The Killer Under the Pain


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Zhong Tao suddenly turned his head to look at Hong Changyin, his sight then immediately turning to look at Tang Xiu. His lips squirmed a few times as he said with a bitter expression, ¡°I understand! Sir, you deceived me and also smashed my leg. I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re getting revenge for the matter with the Su villagers, right?¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled, ¡°Correct! This is indeed revenge. You have to know that if not for rushing here from Star City, my grandmother would¡¯ve to continue to suffer. She would¡¯ve to continue staying outside the hospital¡¯s operating room, waiting for those damned respected doctors for the surgery. And those respected doctors turned out to be playing ¡®Fight the Landlord¡¯.¡±


    Intense regret welled up inside Zhong Tao¡¯s heart, regretting getting involved with Hong Changyin¡¯s matter. He initially hoped to get along, kissing him up. He could obtain a lot of benefits from him on one hand, while he also could draw support from Hong Changyin, speaking for him in front of the County¡¯s commissioner court¡¯s head. Everything was to give him a chance at a promotion to the Presidency of the County Hospital.


    But in the end he didn¡¯t gain any benefits but actually provoking troubles for himself.


    He was a doctor, and he knew that with his leg¡¯s condition, perhaps he would become a cripple for the rest of his life.


    Tang Xiu looked to Hong Changyin and said indifferently, ¡°Do what I tell you and I¡¯ll let you go.¡±


    Hong Changyin produced a pleasantly surprised expression and hurriedly asked, ¡°What is it? Please tell me!¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯ve badly beaten you, turning you very miserable this time. Now you can see and taste it for yourself. When others see you, they will remember it for a lifetime. So I want you to do the same with this surnamed Zhong. Don¡¯t worry about him fighting back. If he does, I will use this stone to smash his other leg.¡±


    ¡°YOU DARE!¡± Zhong Tao glared at Hong Changyin.


    Instead of answering, Hong Changyin grabbed the branch Tang Xiu threw to him. He sat and maliciously slumped towards Zhong Tao. Every man was for himself, and the Devil would take the hindmost. In order to escape danger, let alone hitting Zhong Tao ruthlessly, he wouldn¡¯t even hesitate if Tang Xiu told him to kill him.


    ¡°Pa Pa Pa¡ª ¡±


    Hong Changyin hit Zhong Tao as the latter rolled about on the ground, screaming. After beating him for two or three minutes, Zhong Tao was heavily bruised and extremely miserable, only then did he stop. He then looked at Tang Xiu with anticipation.


    Tang Xiu faintly smiled. He raised his thumb up and said, ¡°Excellent! You¡¯re cruel enough! You even dare to beat him into such miserable state to keep your poor life. Alright, both of you can leave! But bear in your mind. If you want to retaliate, you can find me. My name is Tang Xiu, a very ordinary and amiable person. Of course, you must be prepared of dying if you want to have your revenge on me.¡±


    Having said that, he started the Land Rover and drove away. After traveling for two kilometers, Tang Xiu stopped his car on the roadside and turned it off. He then quietly returned back to where Hong Changyin and Zhong Tao were, seeing them quietly lying on the grass.


    He wasn¡¯t afraid of their revenge. But he was afraid they would implicate his grandmother, so he wanted to hear what they would conspire after he left.


    Looking at the disappearing Land Rover, Zhong Tao looked at Hong Changyin with hatred. He loudly shouted, ¡°Surnamed Hong, I helped you in your damned matter and you unexpectedly pay me back like this! Great, you¡¯re great! If I don¡¯t settle the score today, even if you¡¯re rich and powerful I¡¯ll also drag you back even if I die. Just you fucking wait for me, idiot!¡±


    Hong Changyin looked at him and didn¡¯t speak for a long time as his expression constantly changed! Murderous intent filled his eyes.


    He suddenly felt that what Tang Xiu had said was true. Such a miserable state would certainly make others remember him for a lifetime. He didn¡¯t want to be remembered by anyone in such miserable state like today. He didn¡¯t want others to know that he had once betrayed the person who helped him.


    ¡°Vice President Zhong, let¡¯s talk!¡±


    Finally, he spoke.


    Zhong Tao bitterly shouted, ¡°Is there anything good left for us to talk about? You¡¯re so fucking afraid of death. To keep your damn life, you even hurt me so badly! If I turn a cripple later, everything is over. Not only can I not become the County Hospital¡¯s President, I¡¯ll even be kicked out from my job! It¡¯s all because of you, bastard!¡±


    Hong Changyin sneered, ¡°Vice President Zhong, shut it. You sure as hell know the saying that every man is for himself, and the devil takes the hindmost. I¡¯m still young and haven¡¯t had enough to live. I admit wronging you, but I will compensate you later.¡±


    Zhong Tao raged, ¡°Compensate me? What the fuck are you going to compensate me with? My leg has just been smashed by a stone. Even with my years of medical experience, no matter how well-developed the medical technology is, my leg won¡¯t be like before. Do you fucking understand? I¡¯LL BECOME A CRIPPLE!¡±


    Hong Changyin said with a heavy tone, ¡°Then what do you want? You want me to compensate you with my leg?¡±


    Zhong Tao clenched his fist and shouted, ¡°You¡¯ll compensate me with your leg? You only have one leg now, bastard! And you think you still have the qualifications to say that? I, Zhong Tao, have done a lot of wrongdoings for evil people. But I¡¯ve never done something so excessive to deserve such a wretched end!¡±


    Hong Changyin stared at him and was silent for a long time. He then looked at the furious expression on Zhong Tao¡¯s face as he nodded slowly and said, ¡°I got it! Since I owe you one, it won¡¯t matter if I owe you once again. Then, you can go to fucking hell!¡±


    Having said that, Hong Changyin picked the stone beside him and smashed it toward Zhong Tao¡¯s head. Although he was hurting all over his body, the surging murderous intent gave him surprisingly enormous strength. The stone accurately smashed Zhong Tao¡¯s head, causing him to fall with his face down. He dragged his broken leg, picked up the stone and used both his hands to smash Zhong Tao¡¯s head once again.


    ¡°Huff¡ª¡°


    After Hong Changyin directly smashed Zhong Tao¡¯s head for several times in one breath, only then did he take a long sigh of relief. Blood got all over his grim face after he smashed Zhong Tao to death.


    ¡°Clap, clap, clap!¡±


    Tang Xiu, who was hiding in the thick patch of grasses, didn¡¯t stop Hong Changyin¡¯s murder. At the moment, he even stood while applauding as he swaggeringly came before Hong Changyin and exclaimed in admiration, ¡°It was just, wow! Boss Hong is really ruthless! It¡¯s no wonder that you dared to put your hands on such an ordinary boss. The scene of you killing him just now was really wonderful, so I got you tapped on video. Just imagine if I upload it to the internet. It¡¯ll surely cause a great sensation.¡±


    Hong Changyin looked at Tang Xiu with a disbelieving expression. He kept quiet after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s speech, not having the guts to retaliate. It was just that, he didn¡¯t expect that not only had Tang Xiu beaten him so badly, he also had taken the evidence of his murder.


    He nearly fainted.


    Tang Xiu smiled, ¡°What? Never expected that I would come back, eh? You never thought I¡¯d finally see your ruthless side?¡±


    Hong Changyin scowled miserably and said, ¡°Brother¡ªBoss, I beg you. Can you forgive me? I really have no guts to get revenge on you, truly. I killed him because he had malicious intentions toward me, and I also don¡¯t want anything that happened tonight to be known to anyone else.¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his thumb up and exclaimed in admiration, ¡°Sure enough, you¡¯re really good at scheming. It seems like you¡¯re not just a sissy who clings onto your uncle and bully the weak. Alright. I said I won¡¯t kill you. Naturally, I won¡¯t claim your life. But, after pondering for a moment after leaving, I feel I¡¯ve yet to vent all of my anger, so I wanted to break your other leg. But now I have changed my mind.¡±


    ¡°T-T-Then, you¡­ are you letting me go?¡± Hong Changyin¡¯s heart turned cold and asked carefully.


    Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°You can leave anytime. But on the condition that you compensate all the injured villagers later! And the sum money must be good.¡±


    Money?


    Hong Changyin was secretly relieved. He patted his chest and promised, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitely personally¡­ No. I¡¯ll definitely send people to pay compensation to those villagers. I¡¯ll also stop the project immediately. In the future, I guarantee that anyone who dares to make trouble for the Su Village will have to cross over this Hong Changyin first. A-Are you¡­ satisfied with this?¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in satisfaction. He reached his hand out to lift Hong Changyin up, saying, ¡°Your leg is broken. If you leave it like that, people will find out about it. Also, to help you take care of the dead body, I¡¯ll send you back to Qinghe County Hospital and come back here to clean up the mess.¡±


    Hong Changyin probed, ¡°A-Are you really¡­ not going to disclose the murder?¡±


    ¡°As long as you keep your word, I¡¯ll hide it for you,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently.


    ¡°Thank you, thank you, Brother!¡± said Hong Changyin gratefully.


    Tang Xiu glanced at him with a ridiculing expression. He carried him to the parked car and then drove with the quickest speed and quietly sent him back to the County Hospital¡¯s ward.


    ¡°Brother, you¡­ are you going to take me out like this?¡±


    Hong Changyin was sent back to the hospital¡¯s ward and found that his girlfriend was not there. He immediately asked Tang Xiu, who was about to leave.


    Tang Xiu turned around and lightly said, ¡°What? Is there a problem with it?¡±


    Hong Changyin swallowed his saliva desperately. He shook his head heavily. Tang Xiu easily climbed up to the Inpatient Department on the third floor and easily sent him back through the window. He was shocked to the extreme, but he didn¡¯t dare to reveal it.


    He was fearsome! A monster!


    Tang Xiu said indifferently, ¡°Either the 3rd or 13th floor you said, I can take you out and send you back easily if I want to. You won¡¯t dare to imagine what my abilities can do. Alright, take care of your problems, and I¡¯ll think about the solution to solve your other matters.¡±


    Having said that, his figure instantly slipped away through the window and disappeared into the darkness of night.


    Hong Changyin walked to the window with his crippled leg, looking at the pitch black sky outside. The fear inside his heart didn¡¯t diminish even a bit. He was afraid of the unknown, fearing that Tang Xiu would take go back on his words and give the evidence of his murder to the police or uploaded it on the internet.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the luxury to think so much. I gotta take care of my injury and find an excuse to get through this.¡±


    After thinking for a few minutes, Hong Changyin dialed a cell number and spoke with a deep tone, ¡°Huzi, get up. Get your ass here immediately. Alone. Also, bring a stone with you and head directly to my ward. Quickly¡­¡±

 Chapter 247

    Chapter 247: The Su Village Big Event


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu drove back to the mountain near Su Village. He then threw Zhong Tao¡¯s dead body to feed the wild animals in a remote part of the mountain. He then returned back to where his car was parked and frowned.


    He took care of the dead body! But how should he take care of the car?


    After hesitating for a long period of time, he decided to drive the car far away. He remembered that there was a small lake about several kilometers away. So it shouldn¡¯t be a problem throw the car into the lake.


    The dawn came after more than an hour later, as Tang Xiu finally finshed erasing all the traces and then drove his car back to Su Village.


    ¡°Yo, aren¡¯t you Little Xiu?¡±


    Just as Tang Xiu stopped his car, an uncle passed by and approached. He circled around the car twice as his eyes then landed on Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu knew this man so he smiled, ¡°Uncle Danian, you wake up so early!¡±


    Su Danian looked at him with a surprised expression. He also glanced at the Land Rover SUV a few times, then speaking curiously, ¡°It¡¯s pleasantly cool in the morning, so it¡¯s a good time to uproot the weeds from the land. Anyway, when did you learn to drive, Little Xiu? You also have such a good car. This is a baby, I can tell. Although your Uncle Danian only knows a little about cars, I can see that this car is quite expensive, right?¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled, ¡°Uncle Danian, cars are just means of transport. It¡¯s nothing surprising!¡±


    Su Danian nodded as he exclaimed in admiration, ¡°People in our country love to drive good cars, and they all like to pretend to be big shots, comparing themselves with others. You have a good disposition, just like when you were still a child.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Danian is overpraising me!¡±


    Tang Xiu and Su Danian chit chatted for a while before he returned to the courtyard. He didn¡¯t expect that his mother, Su Lingyun, had woken up and was washing her face and rinsing her mouth right there.


    ¡°Mom, why don¡¯t you rest more!¡±


    Su Lingyun smiled, ¡°Your grandma woke up and said she¡¯s hungry, so I couldn¡¯t sleep much longer. I got up to make her breakfast. Xiu¡¯er, I didn¡¯t see you at home, what were you doing?¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to tell her that he got revenge on Hong Changyin and Zhong Tao because he knew his mother¡¯s character. If he told her, she would be anxious and scared for a long time. So he lied, ¡°I just drove around in the vicinity. It¡¯s been nearly two years. There¡¯s not much change in our hometown, it seems.¡±


    Su Lingyun shook her head, ¡°People here are too poor, so it isn¡¯t strange that there¡¯s not much change here. Alright, you go sleep now, Mom will prepare food immediately.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Mom!¡±


    Tang Xiu replied and soon came to his old room.


    The walls and furniture were familiar. He lived here for several years. The memories of those years were unforgettable; even comparing what he experienced in his 10,000 years in the Immortal World.


    ¡°This place truly gives off a homey feeling!¡±


    Tang Xiu sighed deeply inwardly. Warmness filled his chest as he felt slightly tired. Contemplating for a moment, he then laid down on the bed without changing his clothes and slept.


    Two hours later, more than half of the village¡¯s folks flocked to the Su family¡¯s dilapidated courtyard. Some of them looked curiously at the Land Rover SUV parked outside the courtyard, whereas some others looked gratefully as they talked to Su Lingyun.


    ¡°Little Yun, Quan has told us about the matter when he got back. We¡¯re really thankful, especially to Tang Xiu. If it wasn¡¯t for him, perhaps Fourth Uncle would still be in the Inpatient Department¡¯s corridor in Star City Chinese Medical Hospital!¡±


    ¡°Lingyun, you really have a good son! He has grown up and has a good future ahead of him. This time, if it wasn¡¯t for him, those folks who went to Star City would have suffered.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu is still young, yet he¡¯s so reliable. He¡¯s really the pride of our whole village. I have heard that he¡¯s also skilled in medical skills, a Divine Doctor who¡¯s in charge of the Outpatient Department in Star City Chinese Medical School. Young, promising and amazing!¡±


    ¡°Lingyun, you¡¯ve taught your son well¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As shocked as she was, Su Lingyun listened to everyone¡¯s praises with happiness. Having her son praised by her fellow villagers made her happier.


    Just as she was happily replying to them, two black cars arrived. Every Su villager looked at those two cars curiously.


    ¡°Creak¡­¡±


    The two black cars stopped nearby the crowd.


    As four big and burly men came out of the car, a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses followed. It was a middle-aged man who looked refined in his manners as he slowly came out of the car.


    After seeing the middle-aged man, the villagers of the Su Village had a great change in their expressions. Some young villagers even began to prepare some handy weapons, preparing to fight.


    The middle-aged man¡¯s expression slightly changed. He quickly let out an amiable smile and said, ¡°Folks, please don¡¯t be so tense. We¡¯re not going to cause you trouble this time. Our boss knows we were too excessively aggressive, so he specifically sends me to apologize to you.¡±


    As the old village chief, Su Changhe was quite brave. He paced a few steps to the front of the middle-aged man and growled, ¡°We don¡¯t need your apologies. Our fields will never be sold to you, so I advise you to spare the effort and just get the hell out.¡±


    The middle-aged man forced a smile, ¡°Elder, please don¡¯t be angry. This time, I¡¯m under the imperial order from my boss. If I just leave and go back without a good result it won¡¯t be good for me. This time, not only am I here to apologize to the Su Village, I¡¯m also here to compensate the families of the injured from yesterday¡¯s conflict.¡±


    ¡°Compensation?¡±


    The Su villagers glanced at each other in dismay, wearing uncanny expressions on their faces. They didn¡¯t know what kind of medication the other party had taken. It was perhaps another scheme of theirs!


    The middle-aged man continued, ¡°Everyone, our boss suddenly had a nightmare last night. In his dream, he was being punished for the evil deeds he committed before. Finally, a subordinate who worked for our boss a year ago suddenly broke into the hospital and injured him. If not for being seriously injured, he would have come to personally apologize to you.¡±


    A strange expression was written on the faces of the Su villagers.


    ¡°How are you going to compensate us?¡±


    Su Changhe asked with a heavy tone, along with a disdaining expression.


    The middle-aged man quickly motioned the middle-aged strongman and received a black bag from him. Then he raised it and said, ¡°Our boss said that for each injured villager, we will pay 100 thousand yuan as compensation. Since there¡¯s six injured, we¡¯ll give 600 thousand yuan altogether as compensation.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    All the villagers were shocked. They never dreamed that this matter would unexpectedly be reversed so greatly.


    Could it be that the Boss of Imperial Water Royal View City, Hong Changyin, had his head broken by someone?


    The middle-aged man said loudly, ¡°For the families of the six injured, is there anyone present now? If so, please come forward to receive the compensation.¡±


    The Su villagers looked at each other. Most of them suddenly felt envious of the wounded villagers. Had they known that the Imperial Water Royal View Real Estate would give so much money, they would have come forward to be beaten before!


    100 thousand!


    It was a huge sum of money for the Su Village¡¯s folks. With 100 thousand yuan, they would definitely be the richest here.


    ¡°Me! My mother was injured.¡±


    Su Lingyun braved herself as she stood and spoke.


    100 thousand for her, at present, was a very ignorable amount, because the net monthly profit from her restaurant exceeded 100 thousand yuan. But her mother was, after all, wounded. Since the other party was willing to pay compensation, why wouldn¡¯t she accept it?


    The middle-aged man asked, ¡°Is there anyone else?¡±


    Su Change said, ¡°The other injured and their relatives have gone to Star City. If you sincerely want to compensate them, just give the money for the other five to me. I¡¯ll give it to them when they come back.¡±


    The middle-aged man hesitated, ¡°This¡­ would this be alright?¡±


    In a split second, all the Su villagers voiced their trust in the old village chief, saying he was an extremely honorable person and that everyone was relieved entrusting the money to him.


    The middle-aged man nodded. He took 100 thousand from the black leather bag and handed it over to Su Lingyun and gave the remaining 400 thousand yuan to Su Changhe.


    ¡°Everyone! We have given you the compensation money, but there¡¯s another thing our boss wants to tell all of you. The plan to levy your farmland and the establishment of the industrial site will also be abandoned. We will no longer trouble you in the future.¡±


    Su Changhe glanced at the money in his hand and looked at the sincere look of the middle-aged man. Then, he spoke with a deep tone, ¡°Each and every one of us here is only ordinary people. If you don¡¯t provoke us, we naturally won¡¯t bother you on our own initiative.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    The middle-aged man replied. Then he boarded the car and quickly left.


    The Su Village¡¯s folks talked about what happened outside the courtyard. Su Lingyun herself held the 100 thousand yuan and walked into the courtyard in a hurry. There was no established bank in a rural village so there were no means to guard the money. Su Lingyun then came to Tang Xiu¡¯s room and saw that he was sleeping. After hesitating for a moment, she put the money into the desk drawer.


    At noon, Tang Xiu woke up from his sleep. He found that the Imperial Water Royal View City Real Estate¡¯s people had come over and compensated the injured people. He was quite satisfied with this conclusion. He then went to the county downtown to deposit the 100 thousand yuan into his grandmother¡¯s bankbook. He had originally planned to leave a sum of money for his grandmother, but since she gained 100 thousand yuan, Tang Xiu gave up on this idea for the time being.


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡±


    Su Ben and Su Quan came to the courtyard. Seeing that Tang Xiu was chatting with Zhang Shi, they immediately called him out enthusiastically. There was a bag in Su Ben¡¯s hand. He was usually reserved and rarely speaking. But now he was somewhat smiling.


    Tang Xiu came forward and hugged Su Quan. He then smiled, ¡°Quan, I heard that you sent my grandma to the County Hospital. Thanks, brother.¡±


    Su Quan replied with a smile, ¡°Why are you thanking me? No need for that between us. Besides, I originally intended to send your grandma to Star City, but she refused and said that she didn¡¯t want to give you trouble.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded slightly. He then looked at the bag on Su Ben¡¯s hand and asked, ¡°Big Brother Ben, could it be there¡¯s Silver Dragon Grass inside that bag?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I just went home and searched around and found 16 strains of Silver Dragon Grass. Also, Su Quan and I went to the mountain in the morning and found a dozen strains more. There are a total of 28 strains in this bag,¡± said Su Ben.

 Chapter 248

    Chapter 248: College Entrance Test Scores


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu took the bag and looked at all the Silver Dragon Grasses inside. After observing for a few seconds, he nodded, ¡°28 strains of Silver Dragon Grass, totaling 28 thousand yuan. Big Brother Ben, please give me your bank account number, I¡¯ll transfer the money to you now. As for how Quan¡¯s share, it¡¯s up to you.¡±


    Su Ben and Su Quan were a bit excited.


    A few minutes later, 28 thousand yuan had been transferred to Su Ben¡¯s account.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, you found seven strains last night, so I¡¯ll give you another seven thousand.¡± As honest as he was, Su Ben immediately transferred the money to Su Quan.


    Tang Xiu put the Silver Dragon Grass into his car and then looked at Su Quan, saying, ¡°Quan, I¡¯ve talked to Big Brother Ben. He¡¯s preparing to follow me to Star City. What about you? Do you want to go with me to Star City too?¡±


    Without hesitation, Su Quan replied, ¡°Big Brother Ben also talked to me about that. I¡¯ll go.¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°That¡¯s great! When the time comes, I¡¯ll arrange to put the both of you together. Big Brother Ben is an honest person and good for safety works. You have got a pretty good head on you, so I¡¯ll arrange another position for you in the future.¡±


    ¡°Well, I feel good following you,¡± said Su Quan smiled.


    ¡°Ring, ring, ring¡­¡±


    Just as Tang Xiu was about to reply, his mobile suddenly rang. As he took out his cell phone and looked at the number on the screen, he saw that it was Han Qingwu calling.


    ¡°Hello, Teacher Han!¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, quickly check your score. Oh my god! The total score of the CET test is 750 points. You, you¡­ you unexpectedly got a score of 746 points! It¡¯s amazing and unbelievable! You only missed 4 points for the perfect score!¡± Han Qingwu¡¯s shivering voice came out from the phone.


    Tang Xiu was surprised for a moment. He suddenly recalled that today was the release of the CET scores. As he heard the news from Han Qingwu, he knew that she had his CET admission card number and checked the result for him. He then laughed and said, ¡°Teacher, haven¡¯t I told you that I¡¯d make you proud of this year¡¯s College Entrance Test? Anyways, what about Yuan Chuling and Chen Yannan¡¯s test scores?¡±


    Han Qingwu quickly replied, ¡°I haven¡¯t checked theirs yet. But now I¡¯m confident about their results as well. Tang Xiu, congrats!¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°I also want to say thanks for you sparing no effort to take care of me from the beginning!¡±


    Han Qingwu laughed and replied, ¡°It¡¯s good that you know. But anyways, where are you now? I want to treat you to a meal to celebrate your good test result.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in my hometown. There was an accident here. Alright, I¡¯ll call you when I¡¯m back in Star City,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Alright!¡± said Han Qingwu.


    Han Qingwu hung up the phone. Tang Xiu then searched his admission card number to check on his test result. He was quite satisfied. Aside from Literature and Language which he had 4 points off from the perfect result, all other subjects were perfect.


    ¡°Ring, ring, ring¡­¡±


    Just as he was checking his results, his mobile rang again. This time it was Ouyang Lulu calling.


    ¡°What¡¯s up, Lulu?¡±


    Feeling good, Tang Xiu asked with a laugh.


    Ouyang Lulu quickly asked, ¡°Tang Xiu, the CET results have come out. How many points did you get?¡±


    ¡°746,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What¡¯s the total score? And how are your results?¡± Puzzled, Ouyang Lulu asked again.


    ¡°Apart from Literature and Language missing four points from the total score, which should become from the essay writing section, I got a perfect score on all other subjects.¡±


    ¡°WHAT? You meant that you only missed 4 points to get a perfect score in the CET?¡± Ouyang Lulu¡¯s scream came out of the phone.


    Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu was shocked, ¡°T-Tang Xiu, y-you¡­ you aren¡¯t lying to me, right? Oh, Heaven! This is so amazing. Hey, I remember you seem to like science, right? To get such a high score is truly unexpected. Perhaps the CET top scorer for the science subjects in Shuangqing Province is none other but you.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. As long as I can pass and enter Shanghai University, it¡¯s fine,¡± said Tang Xiu laughed.


    Ouyang Lulu exclaimed in admiration, ¡°Tang Xiu, I always knew that you were good! But never did I expect that you would be this amazing. Anyways, when will you come to Jingmen Island? I¡¯ll take you to dinner to celebrate.¡±


    Tang Xiu hesitated as he wryly smiled, ¡°When I¡¯m done with the matters here, I¡¯ll go there to find you.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Ouyang Lulu laughed happily.


    Standing at his side, Su Ben and Su Quan were shocked and dumbfounded ever since Tang Xiu checked the CET scores. As Tang Xiu and Ouyang Lulu finished talking on the phone, the both of them still hadn¡¯t recovered from the shock. They were students before, so they naturally understood the meaning of getting 746 points in the CET.


    ¡°Tang¡ª¡°


    Just as Su Quan was about to speak, Tang Xiu¡¯s mobile rang again.


    Tang Xiu looked at the phone¡¯s screen. A wry smile appeared on his face. He looked at Su Quan, shook his head and answered the phone, saying, ¡°Zhengyu, something¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, the CET scores have come out, have you checked yours? How many points did you get?¡±


    ¡°746.¡±


    ¡°How many?¡±


    ¡°746!¡±


    ¡°OH GOD ¡­¡±


    Within the next forty minutes, Tang Xiu received more than 20 calls. All of them, with no exception, were only to ask about Tang Xiu¡¯s test scores. Even the President of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, Li Hongji, also called to ask about it. When they heard that he got 746 points in his CET, each and every one of them was shocked to the point where it was hard for them to recover from it.


    They all knew that Tang Xiu was amazing. Amazing in every aspect!


    But not even in their dreams had they ever thought that Tang Xiu¡¯s good academic performance would be so terrifying to this extent!


    However, Tang Xiu also knew from Yuan Chuling and Cheng Yannan about their CET results. Yuan Chuling scored 663 points, and according to the previous year undergraduate passing grade, it would be easy for him to pass a university entrance exams¡¯ undergraduate course. Even if he couldn¡¯t take the test for a top university, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem for him to enter the second-grade ones. As for Cheng Yannan, her CET result was 674 points, she was more likely to be able to enter a top university than Yuan Chuling.


    At this time.


    Su Lingyun came out from the kitchen. As she saw Tang Xiu speaking with Su Ben and Su Quan, she immediately smiled, ¡°Su Ben, Su Quan, both of you stay for lunch. Also, Xiu¡¯er, I just recalled that there¡¯s something very important happening today, yet I forgot what it is. You said that our family¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu interrupted her with a smile, saying, ¡°Mom, I just checked my CET score. From the total score of 750 points, I got 746 points.¡±


    Su Lingyun stared blankly for a moment as her eyes turned sauce-like immediately after. Disbelief burst out from her eyes. Her hands quickly rubbed her apron as she dashed toward Tang Xiu, grabbed both of his arms and hurriedly shouted, ¡°How many? How many points have you got on your test?¡±


    ¡°746, mom! It¡¯s just four points off the perfect score.¡±


    Su Lingyun stared at Tang Xiu in a daze. Her two eyes were brimming with tears. As she loosened his arms, she squatted on the ground and cried.


    Tang Xiu squatted down and gently hugged her shoulders. He knew that his mother was crying out of extreme happiness. He didn¡¯t say anything to console her and gently hugged her, letting her vent everything she had inside.


    Su Ben and Su Quan looked at each other and quietly left.


    Only after a minute only did Su Lingyun stop crying. She looked up with a hazy face full of tears and said excitedly, ¡°Sonny, you¡¯re the best!¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°Mom, you¡¯re the best one in my heart!¡±


    At Star City First Public Hospital.


    Sun Wenjing was holding the examination report in her hands. She went out of the hospital building in a daze. Outside the building, all the Sun family¡¯s members were standing and waiting. All eyes firmly watched her, staring at the copy of the report in her hands. Looking at her expression, a bad feeling aroused inside the hearts of the whole Sun family.


    ¡°Wenjing, what¡¯s the result?¡± Sun Jianhai strode to her and anxiously asked.


    Sun Wenjing handed the examination report to him and replied with a blank expression, ¡°Take a look at it yourself, Big Brother.¡±


    Sun Jianhai quickly took it. A disbelieving expression was written on his face when he read it. The expression lasted for a few seconds before a look of ecstasy took over his face.


    ¡°There¡¯s no cancer cells! Her cancer has been cured!¡±


    The same disbelieving expression was also cast on Sun Jianjun, Sun Wenmin, and the old lady¡¯s face. They quickly dashed to read the report as looks of great happiness immediately appeared on each and every one of their faces.


    At this moment, Sun Wenjing finally woke up from her shock. Tang Xiu¡¯s handsome face appeared in her mind. She clenched her fists strongly as she called out, smiling, ¡°Our entire family has to thank Tang Xiu very well! People say that he¡¯s a divine doctor, but even though I know he¡¯s very skillful, I didn¡¯t believe it completely before. But now, I truly believe that he¡¯s a Divine Doctor, one that is much more powerful than ordinary Divine Doctors.¡±


    Sun Jianhai solemnly nodded, ¡°Indeed. Being able to cure a middle stage liver cancer, he¡¯s definitely the world¡¯s most powerful Divine Doctor. However, he doesn¡¯t want us to publicize this matter and must keep it confidential for him. To be honest, I agree with his decision, because if this matter is spread out, that he can cure cancer, great benefits will come to him, yet it will also bring along it huge trouble.¡±


    Sun Wenmin said, ¡°I know that Tang Xiu doesn¡¯t want anything from us, but his benevolence of saving our mother¡¯s life is not something that we can fail to pay! Oh, right. Didn¡¯t Big Sis say that even though he gives medical services in Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, yet he¡¯s also a student that just participated in the CET? Well, the CET scores just came out today. If he didn¡¯t get a good result, I¡¯ll call my contacts to let him enter one of the top universities. I have an old friend, a classmate. She teaches in one of the top universities in Beijing, with her husband being the Dean of that university. So he should have a special quota.¡±


    Sun Jianhai thought for a moment before nodding, ¡°Wenjing, call Tang Xiu and ask him how many points he got in his CET. If his score is not high enough, then let Wenmin call her friend to take care of it.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Sun Wenjing nodded and dialed Tang Xiu¡¯s number.


    About two minutes later, a shocked expression covered her face as she hung up the phone.


    Sun Jianhai frowned. He then asked with a deep tone, ¡°What is it? Is his result very poor?¡±


    Sun Wenjing looked at her family members as she shook her head and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s not poor, on the contrary, it¡¯s way too good! If it¡¯s not because I believe that Tang Xiu won¡¯t lie, I really wouldn¡¯t believe that he would get such a high CET score. He got 746. Four points off from the total score.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    Each and every one of the Sun family members was stupefied upon hearing it. This news shocked them greatly.


    After a long period of time.


    Sun Jianhai let out a forced smile, ¡°Since we can¡¯t help him in this aspect, let¡¯s think about another way! We¡¯ll just have to bear in mind his benevolence to our Sun Family.¡±

 Chapter 249

    Chapter 249: The Cry for Help


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    It was late at night and the vault of the heaven was full of flickering stars. The intermittent breeze was blowing, delivering a bit of coolness to the scorching summertime. Due to the mountain nearby, the countryside of Qinghe County had a fresh air, the spiritual qi between heaven and earth was richer than in the city.


    Tang Xiu was sitting cross-legged on the roof of his ancestral home as he bathed in the starlight coming from everywhere, cultivating his Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis. At present, he already reached the pinnacle of the Skin Strengthening Stage and might break through to the Flesh Strengthening Stage at any time. Hence, he didn¡¯t want to delay his cultivation even if he was busy every day.


    ¡°Ring, ring, ring¡­¡±


    His mobile phone¡¯s ringtone rang loudly, abruptly awakening him from his cultivation state.


    Tang Xiu took out his mobile, turning slightly surprised as he saw the number. He suddenly recalled promising Yuan Zhengxuan a favor that he had yet to fulfill it until now.


    ¡°Uncle Yuan!¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s urgent voice came out of the phone, ¡°Tang Xiu, where are you? Can you rescue Little Ling?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed and he hastily asked, ¡°What happened to him? What has happened exactly?¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s voice was very low yet still clear, ¡°An accident just happened in my business. I didn¡¯t expect that those foreign forces eyeing our core scientific and technological data would be this crazy. They even went so far as to attack my other businesses. Apart from Little Ling, they even killed two other high-level executives. Those people are too powerful, I can¡¯t withstand their attacks.¡±


    Tang Xiu asked in a heavy tone, ¡°Uncle Yuan, where are you now? I¡¯ll look for you immediately.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, don¡¯t come here now, there are too many of them. You¡¯ll only lose your life if you come,¡± said Yuan Zhengxuan urgently.


    Tang Xiu jumped down from the roof and dashed toward the door while replying in a deep tone, ¡°Tell me the address, quickly!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in Jinfeng District, in an abandoned used car dealer.¡±


    Hesitating for a moment, Yuan Zhengxuan then replied with a heavy tone.


    Tang Xiu hung up the phone. He immediately called Zhong Tiekui and commanded him to lead a few of his subordinates to rush to the rescue. He then started his Land Rover and drove fast toward Star City.


    Even though he had no experience driving through the highway, he didn¡¯t care. Rescuing someone was the same as fighting fire! Relying on his skillful driving, his car speed quickly exceeded the speed limit.


    Star City, at the Jinfeng District¡¯s used car dealer.


    Yuan Zhengxuan was holding a pistol as he erased the bloodstain on the corner of his mouth. He was bleeding, a bullet having pierced his shoulder. There was also a knife cut on his left cheek. He looked particularly grim. Around him, more than ten big, strong-looking guys with numerous scars on their bodies, some of them holding guns and some others armed with knives. They hid in a dark corner whilst vigilantly observing the surroundings.


    ¡°Boss! Let¡¯s rush out. We¡¯ll cover you!¡±


    A tough, big guy in his middle-aged years, holding a gun, spoke with murderous intent.


    Yuan Zhengxuan shook his head bitterly. He lowered the pitch of his voice and said, ¡°We have too few people. If we rush out recklessly, more than half of us will die. We¡¯ll drag for more time. Those assholes want to catch me, but I won¡¯t give them what they want. As long as we can drag this for a long time, the situation will be against them and they will back out.¡±


    Another big man frowned and said, ¡°Boss, why don¡¯t we call the cops? If the cops come, we¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Yuan Zhengxuan shouted in a low voice, ¡°Did you forget what we¡¯ve been researching and developing? If the cops find out about this, the military will surely know too. If that happens, do you think we can live? Even if¡­ we will sell the results of this experiment to the military, but now is not the time yet.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± That big man nodded and grit his teeth.


    ¡°Pats¡ª ¡±


    At this very moment, a bullet pierced the glass and hit the big guy¡¯s forehead, killing him instantly.


    Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s complexion changed. He shouted in a heavy tone, ¡°Be careful, the enemy snipers have a good marksmanship. Who dares to stick out their head will surely be killed. Remember to stay put in your position and your fixed shooting sight. Don¡¯t move recklessly and stay on alert!¡±


    Forty to fifty black-suited big guys surrounded the used car dealer, coordinating their advance to storm inside. Each one of them was armed with firearms. Shielded by the curtain of the night, they looked for available shooting targets.


    Behind them, a Volkswagen pickup truck with two big foreigners was parked nearby. They were using binoculars to watch over the used car dealer building.


    Finally, one of the foreigners put down his binocular and spoke in English, ¡°The Chinese have the saying that the struggle of a trapped beast is futile. Yuan Zhengxuan is already trapped and he can¡¯t escape. As long as we catch him, we can torture the core information about the biochemical weapon out of him. Jeff, be prepared to destroy the plan of these islander dwarfs and get out of this place ASAP after we got the core information.¡±


    ¡°The plan was to act in conjunction with those islander dwarves, but they didn¡¯t show up tonight. I suspect they want us and Yuan Zhengxuan to kill each other while they pick up the spoils. The Chinese also have some sayings about this. Just as the mantis stalks the cicada, it might be unaware of the oriole behind. The Boss said that these islander dwarves are the most cunning and unreliable things in this world. I¡¯m afraid the previous evacuation route we prepared is no longer safe. So, Tagore, I have drawn a new evacuation route. It will be absolutely safe.¡±


    Tagore frowned and said coldly, ¡°My responsibility is to get the core information for the biochemical weapon. As for how to transport it back, it¡¯s yours. Once I handed over the information to you, I no longer have any relation to this matter whatsoever.¡±


    Jeff shrugged and picked up his binoculars again.


    ¡°Puff, puff¡ª¡°


    Muffled gunshot sounds could suddenly be heard.


    The firearms used by both sides were all equipped with mufflers. So even in this intense gunfight, it didn¡¯t attract the attention of outsiders. In addition, this used car dealer had been relocated around six months earlier and it had scrapped cars here.


    On the pickup truck, Tagore sneered, ¡°The experts I brought along come from the Grim Reaper Scythe Mercenaries. They¡¯re seasoned veterans of numerous battles, whereas those chaps under Yuan Zhengxuan are just mantises trying to stop a chariot, wanting to bite off more than they can chew. I recall someone saying that the people of this country are a peaceful sleeping lion, but to me, they¡¯re just well-behaved mommy kids. Look, Jeff, you must know that we¡¯ve killed more than ten of Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s men, with only two of my men dying so far. Gimme ten minutes, we¡¯ll be able to finish off all of Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s men and catch him for sure.¡±


    Jeff shrugged his shoulders and said indifferently, ¡°I¡¯ve heard about the Death Scythe Mercenaries. Even though they¡¯re not listed in the top ten mercenaries, their combat abilities are amazing. Well, I¡¯m looking forward seeing you deal them within these ten minutes.¡±


    Tagore revealed his white teeth and grinned fiendishly as he said, ¡°Do you wanna bet with me? If my men can¡¯t deal them within ten minutes, I¡¯ll give you 100 thousand USD. But if I do, then you gotta give me that pretty Japanese chick of yours.¡±


    Jeff rolled his eyes and said coldly, ¡°Tagore, oftentimes conceited people die quickly. I¡¯m telling you, be more cautious. Fine, don¡¯t swallow your words. I¡¯ll take that 100 thousand USD of yours.¡±


    Tagore replied confidently, ¡°I¡¯m Blood Lion Tagore. I¡¯ve never taken back my words. I¡¯ll take that pretty Japanese chick of yours.¡±


    Both of them had yet to realize that a ghostly figure a few hundred meters away from their place was silently advancing toward them. From time to time, the figure appeared and disappeared in the veil of the night. If one wasn¡¯t cautiously paying attention, they wouldn¡¯t be able to detect it.


    Half a minute later, a flying knife pierced Jeff¡¯s neck as a gold wire strangled Tagore. A powerful punch then heavily hit Jeff¡¯s temple, whereas the one who was so full of himself was directly knocked out.


    ¡°Split into two-person teams and clean up these ants.¡±


    Zhong Tiekui issued his order quickly through the wireless earphone. Along with his hand sign, eighteen of them quickly divided into nine teams and quietly slaughtered the members of Death Scythe Mercenary in a fan-shaped line.


    They weren¡¯t armed with firearms. Instead, they used cold daggers.


    Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!


    The sounds of daggers cutting off and piercing throats had yet to disturb the others. Within just two minutes, dozens of the Grim Reaper Scythe Mercenary members became ghosts under the knives, while their firearms were also obtained by Zhong Tiekui and his men.


    ¡°ENEMIES!¡±


    Suddenly, an angry roar came out from a Grim Reaper Scythe Mercenary member. But quickly after, his throat was cut off and the dagger pierced his heart. The machine gun in his hand also fell in his adversary¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Captain, there are at least 30 people on the enemy¡¯s side. We¡¯ve been exposed, how should we carry out the next step of the operation?¡± The voice of a team member came from the earphone.


    Zhong Tiekui thought for a moment and then replied with a deep tone, ¡°Looking at the situation, they haven¡¯t caught Yuan Zhengxuan yet. All teams, head to the eleven o¡¯clock direction. We¡¯ll blaze a trail of blood inside and gather up with Yuan Zhengxuan there. The Boss has commanded. We must guarantee his safety no matter the cost.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Several replies came out of the earphone.


    Zhong Tiekui glared at the stunned Tagore. The dagger in his hand instantly cut off his hamstring, the moment of pain awaking Tagore as he stunned him again. He then put his body in a hidden corner and shielded it with the other member in turn as they dashed toward the eleven o¡¯clock direction.


    Tagore was perfectly aware of the Grim Reaper Scythe Mercenary members¡¯ strength. But he never expected that twenty shadows would suddenly rush to the killing, their strength even more fearsome.


    If he knew the nicknames of these twenty shadows, he would probably issue a retreat order and flee immediately!

 Chapter 250

    Chapter 250: Test


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    It had to be known that Zhang Tiekui and the nineteen others had received devilish-like training since a very young age as they grew up and were sent abroad to be placed within various terrifyingly dangerous organizations.


    They had gone through numerous battles and were baptized by the flame of wars as well as the scouring dead sea of blood of the battles. If anyone of them were to be drafted into the army, they might have become the king there.


    And now! The Grim Reaper Scythe Mercenary members were already perplexed by the sudden surprise attack. They called Tagore through the earphones but nobody responded.


    ¡°Retreat!¡±


    ¡°Retreat!¡±


    The voices of their companions were constantly being transmitted to each member of the Grim Reaper Scythe Mercenaries. One of the strong and vigorous figures no longer thought of prolonging the combat and quickly retreated. As they passed by a certain spot, they found the dead bodies of their companions.


    Puff! Puff! Puff!


    In half a minute, the body of seven or eight Grim Reaper Scythe Mercenaries fell, whereas the remaining were wounded and fled.


    Zhong Tiekui and his men didn¡¯t chase them. He only sent two people to quickly track those fleeing Grim Reaper Scythe Mercenary members. As for the remaining men, they quickly rushed inside. At the same time, Zhong Tiekui dialed Tang Xiu¡¯s cell number in a hidden corner.


    Inside the used car dealer building, Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s brows slightly wrinkled. There were no sounds of firing from the enemies in the last few minutes, and even the situation outside was very quiet and there was no slightest movement whatsoever. The quietness amidst the dangerous situation made his heart more restless and anxious.


    ¡°Buzz, buzz, buzz¡­¡±


    His expression changed as he found that his mobile vibrating. He quickly grabbed it and saw an unfamiliar number. After thinking for a moment, he resolutely picked the call and spoke in a low voice, ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Zhong Tiekui. My boss sent us to support you. The enemy has retreated. We must gather up with you immediately!¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s your boss?¡± Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s face flickered as he asked hastily.


    ¡°Tang Xiu,¡± said Zhong Tiekui.


    After a few seconds of silence, Yuan Zhengxuan then asked, ¡°Why should I believe you?¡±


    Zhong Tiekui replied with a deep tone, ¡°Call my boss, he¡¯ll tell you!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan hung up the phone and dialed Tang Xiu¡¯s cell number.


    On the highway.


    Tang Xiu was driving his Land Rover SUV. The car¡¯s speed had exceeded 180 km/h. There were only a few cars on the highway in the night and he also passed by some, scaring the drivers by his car¡¯s speed.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, did you send someone to back me up?¡±


    Tang Xiu received Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s call and heard his inquiry from the phone.


    ¡°Yes. There should 20 people. The team leader is Zhong Tiekui.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Thank you!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome!¡±


    After ending the call, Yuan Zhengxuan quickly called a dozen of his men and then dialed Zhong Tiekui¡¯s cell number to let them come inside.


    Shortly after, both sides met with each other.


    Zhong Tiekui quickly arrived in front of Yuan Zhengxuan, asking in a heavy tone, ¡°Are you injured?¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan nodded bitterly, ¡°I got shot in the shoulder and lost quite a lot of blood.¡±


    ¡°Please endure it for a moment, I¡¯ll help you remove the bullet,¡± said Zhong Tiekui.


    Yuan Zhengxuan quickly said, ¡°Please don¡¯t be such in a hurry. I can still bear it. Where are those foreigners? Have they really backed out?¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, the first two we dealt with were the commanders of this foreign team. Since they¡¯re without leaders and we also killed some of them, they retreated. Don¡¯t worry, I also have sent some men to track them. We¡¯ll wait for our Boss before talking about how to deal with the remaining survivors.¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s eyes flickered as he looked at Zhong Tiekui and the several strong men with a panic-stricken look. He had personally experienced how powerful the enemies were. Of his originally thirty trusted subordinates, half of them died after a night of combat, and the rest were all injured; whereas these strong looking guys at present, they were unscathed. Moreover, the ice-cold aura emanating from them sent a chill down his spine.


    ¡°Go outside and have a look at the situation!¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan calmed down his emotions with quite an effort. He let Zhong Tiekui tear his clothes as he turned to some of his men who only had light injuries and ordered them.


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    They looked at each other and carefully lurked toward the outside.


    Zhong Tiekui ripped Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s clothes and took a lighter from his pocket. He lit it up and unceasingly burned the point of his knife. After half a minute, he said deeply, ¡°Please endure it.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± said Yuan Zhengxuan as he nodded.


    Zhong Tiekui¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly. Using the tip of his knife, he tore open the flesh near the bullet¡¯s entrance as Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s complexion turned very ugly. The bullet¡¯s head was pulled out very fast as Zhong Tiekui quickly took a needle and thread from his bag and stitched Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s wound. He also took a roll of gauze from the bag and wrapped it up.


    ¡°Huff¡­¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan felt acute pain but was greatly relaxed inwardly. He exclaimed in admiration, ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect that you would be carrying even needles, thread, and gauze. You have learned professional medical aid, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Zhong Tiekui said coldly, ¡°We got injured practically every day in the past. If we didn¡¯t bring these life-saving stuff, I¡¯m afraid that all of us might have already died countless over.¡±


    Injured every day in the past? Life-saving equipment?


    Yuan Zhengxuan looked at his grim expression. He palpitated and his heartbeat sped up. A deep curiosity toward who Zhong Tiekui and his men were, suddenly arose inside his heart. He wanted to know how Tang Xiu could have such a group of men.


    As Zhong Tiekui dealt with Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s wounds, he also ordered his men to treat Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s subordinates. He then called Tang Xiu, asking for the next instructions. He was ordered to stand by and wait for him.


    At Star City highway intersection.


    Tang Xiu quickly drove toward the tollgate. After he paid the fee, he left the toll station as two police cars lit up their sirens and pursued him.


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡±


    Naturally, with important things to manage, Tang Xiu was disinclined to deal with the cops. He accelerated his car and quickly threw off the police cars. As soon as he entered downtown, he parked his car in a remote place and left quickly.


    Inside a dark alley.


    Tang Xiu dialed Wolf Head¡¯s cell number. After it sounded thrice, his call was connected.


    ¡°Wolf Head?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me!¡±


    Wolf Head¡¯s voice came.


    ¡°Since you want to pledge allegiance to me, I¡¯ll give you a test. And do bear in mind that everything I¡¯ll be telling you now must be kept strictly confidential,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Understood!¡± Wolf Head replied with a deep tone.


    ¡°A businessman friend of mine was hunted down by a group of foreign assassins. My other men have rescued him, but more than 20 of them escaped. Quickly rush to the Whitesand River ferry crossing. There¡¯s an abandoned factory nearby. Get rid of them for me.¡±


    ¡°Foreign assassins?¡±


    Wolf Head knitted his brows as hesitation was written on his face.


    Tang Xiu said in a heavy tone, ¡°I can assure you that they¡¯re definitely foreign assassins, even though I have yet to verify their specific identities. But they have scythe signs. My men told me that they should the Grim Reaper Scythe mercenaries from abroad. Also, they are heavily armed, so you have to pay attention to your safety.¡±


    Grim Reaper Scythe Mercenaries?


    A thick murderous look glinted from Wolf Head¡¯s eyes. He knew that mercenary group as well as was aware of its reputation in the mercenary world. They had committed grave crimes and killings for countless of times. Members of this mercenary group were also listed in the Interpol as well as on the clean-up list of peacekeeping forces.


    Moreover, even though he had never personally fought the members of the Grim Reaper Scythe Mercenaries during his missions abroad, but two of his comrades-in-arms had died in their hands.


    ¡°I guarantee you, we¡¯ll accomplish the task!¡± Wolf Head replied.


    Tang Xiu ended the call. He didn¡¯t hurry to converge with Yuan Zhengxuan and Zhong Tiekui. Instead, he stopped a taxi in the roadside and then rushed toward the Whitesand River ferry crossing.


    The total number of retired soldiers who came to Star City along with Wolf Head was only 12. Despite his idea to test them out, Tang Xiu also wanted to ensure that they would be safe. This world was no better than the Immortal World. Let alone ordinary people, even the powerhouses in the Immortal World would have to face the possibility of death at any time.


    But on Earth, one¡¯s life was very important. Especially for Wolf Head and the other retired soldiers, for the special department of the country must be monitoring them in secret. And in the case that they all died under the enemies¡¯ hands, perhaps, trouble would also come to him.


    In addition, Yuan Chuling was kidnapped. If his guess was correct, then these people should be the culprits. Thus, if he could solve these people in time, he would also be able to find Yuan Chuling¡¯s whereabouts and rescue him at the same time. This was, all in all, the most important purpose he had in mind.


    ¡°Creak¡­¡±


    The taxi stopped around two kilometers away from the ferry crossing.


    The middle-aged driver took the money Tang Xiu handed and asked curiously, ¡°Little Brother, this a desolate place. What are you going to do here in the middle of the night?¡±


    Tang Xiu took the change from the taxi driver and said lightly, ¡°I lost something here during the day, so I wanna search it and see if I could get it back.¡±


    ¡°Is it a very important thing?¡± the taxi driver asked in surprise.


    ¡°Extraordinary!¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It looks like that thing you lost is indeed very important, or else, you wouldn¡¯t have run over here in the middle of the night. Anyway, I wish you good luck.¡± The taxi driver suddenly realized and said with a sigh.


    As the taxi left, Tang Xiu clarified the direction and dashed quickly towards it. Soon, his eyes were fixated at the abandoned factory in the dark. Instead of moving down the road, he slipped into the overgrown thick patches of grasses and weeds in the surrounding.


    Two minutes later, Tang Xiu could clearly sense that four sneaking silhouettes were lurking toward the abandoned factory about five to six hundred meters away from him. The four of them were wearing black clothes and were as though blended into the darkness. If not for his sharp vision as well as keen observation, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to find them.


    _¡°They were surely the ones who were fighting his and Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s men, and they also had been terribly defeated. They must be in high vigilance. So Wolf Head and the others would perhaps suffer heavy losses if they move recklessly.¡±_


    Tang Xiu silently thought deeply.

 Chapter 251

    Chapter 251: The Reek of Blood Enveloped the World


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Under the stars, the night was quiet and peaceful, yet a murderous aura was hidden within. The gently blowing breeze was as though having a faint reek of blood therein.


    Wolf Head and eleven veteran soldiers divided into three groups as they moved closer to the abandoned factory. With their mouths biting Mitsubishi army knives, they advanced forward, creeping as though wolves in the thick patches of grasses. They didn¡¯t sense Tang Xiu following them behind nor they were aware of his presence in the surrounding. But the two who were lying amidst the grasses already found a few big guys.


    ¡°Eight o¡¯clock direction, two sentries, white males. Another black one is guarding 12 meters behind the holed wall. Two groups, get closer and take care of them.¡± Wolf Head was lying in a thick patch of grasses. He issued an order after having observed through his binoculars for a long time.


    ¡°Roger that!¡±


    The groups¡¯ members replied to him through the wireless earphone.


    Very quickly, the four war veterans quietly lurked as though leopards in the night. Having spent half a minute, they appeared near the two white guards. One of them was biting the Mitsubishi army as he moved more vigorously along the wall, crossing to the other side and quietly appearing behind a black guard.


    Puff!


    The knife slashed the black guard¡¯s throat as his hand filled with calluses covered his mouth. The movement of his knife changed direction and then deeply pierced the black guard¡¯s heart. The Grim Reaper Scythe mercenary struggled a little before laying still.


    ¡°Scythe tattoo?¡±


    The retired soldier opened the black guard¡¯s collar. After he saw the scythe tattoo on it, he finally determined the other party¡¯s identity.


    At the same time, the other three war veterans began their attacks as if thunderbolts. Their moves were neat and clean, quickly slaying the other two black guards within two short breaths.


    ¡°Wolf Head, they¡¯re members of the Grim Reaper Scythe Mercenaries. I¡¯ve identified them.¡±


    A voice transmitted through Wolf Head¡¯s wireless earphone, rising his murderous intent.


    Wolf Head took his binoculars as he hid in a dark corner and issued another order, ¡°Observe the surrounding for any guards left and clear all the enemies in the periphery.¡±


    A few minutes later.


    All six sentry guards had been removed. After which, Wolf Head and the other men got two sniper rifles and four light machine guns. They were slowly moving toward the deepest wall of the factory when the mobile in his pocket suddenly vibrated. He quickly hid and grabbed his phone. His brows deeply furrowed as he saw the message on the screen.


    On his mobile screen, an open text message showed: ¡°There are two people coming behind you, they are our allies. They will assist you in this operation.¡±


    Wolf Head turned around. Just as he was ready to observe the rear with his binoculars, two figures silently emerged at both of his sides.


    ¡°Don¡¯t, they are allies!¡±


    Wolf Head¡¯s face changed greatly. He immediately shouted with a low vice through his wireless earphone.


    As he leaned against the wall, he looked at two grim-looking strong men as shock spasmed his heart. It must be known that he had been on guard and vigilant, and was carefully watching his rear and front at all times. But, he didn¡¯t expect that someone could appear at his sides without him realizing it.


    Experts! They were definitely fearsome experts!


    ¡°What¡¯s your name!¡±


    Wolf Head repressed his shock inwardly and whispered.


    ¡°Shark!¡±


    ¡°Jungle Wolf!¡±


    The two big strong men answered coldly as they quoted the nicknames they had used when fighting abroad.


    Wolf Head was surprised for a moment. The two names were somewhat familiar to him.


    Suddenly, his expression changed drastically as his breathing became more rapid, ¡°You¡¯re Shark, an international mercenary? The same Shark who slew the rebel army leader Hagenda in Africa, destroying nearly a hundred of his soldiers and escaping unscathed? And you¡¯re Jungle Wolf, the Gold Medal God Assassin from the Wolf Mercenaries?¡±


    Shark and Jungle Wolf glanced at each other as they looked at Wolf Head with some astonishment.


    ¡°Do you know us?¡± Shark asked in a whisper.


    Wolf Head looked at them incredulously. He didn¡¯t expect that it would really be them. One must know that these two were fearsome people in the world, as one of them could cause great turmoil. But how could they be in China now? Why would they become Tang Xiu¡¯s men?


    Could it be? They were Tang Xiu¡¯s men then and what they did overseas were all also by Tang Xiu¡¯s orders?


    In an instant, Wolf Head became more curious about Tang Xiu¡¯s identity.


    Shooo!


    A shadow quietly appeared around them, causing their bodies to tense up for a moment, as Tang Xiu¡¯s voice then reached their ears, ¡°It¡¯s me!¡±


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    As they saw Tang Xiu, they immediately relaxed.


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°I¡¯ should tell you a bad news. We¡¯re being surrounded now.¡±


    Wolf Head was startled and asked in a low voice, ¡°How could it be? Won¡¯t we make the other people inside alarmed? Besides, when we lurked here, we also observed the back and we didn¡¯t find¡­¡±


    He stopped speaking abruptly because even though they had observed the surrounding, they weren¡¯t even aware of Tang Xiu, Shark and Jungle Wolf¡¯s presence.


    ¡°These people came after we arrived! A total of more than 40, with black night-coats and fully armed. We have two choices now. First, we commence the raid and get rid of those people inside first and then strike back later. Second, we solve those outside first and clean up those inside later. Choose.¡±


    Wolf Head looked at Shark and Jungle Wolf, not uttering a word. Although he was powerful, he had no assurance in a full victory against them.


    Shark thought for a moment and then slowly said, ¡°Boss, you decide. We¡¯ll definitely obey your orders.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°If we solve the ones outside first, I¡¯m afraid that the enemies inside will be alarmed. Our main target for this operation is to kill the enemies, but more importantly, is to save my friend. I suspect that my friend was kidnapped by someone inside. So, I¡¯ll sneak inside first and deal with the enemies there, and then go outside to clean up the newcomers.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the operation plan, Boss!¡± said Wolf Head.


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°Wolf Head, I¡¯ll leave the commanding of the team to you. These two will be under you, while I¡¯ll be responsible for the assassination and rescue. You don¡¯t need to manage me.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Wolf Head was slightly excited. Shark and Jungle Wolf were experts, after all, and putting them under his command boosted his confidence in this battle.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°This factory is quite large and there is a total of 22 people inside. There are two men at the door who are responsible to warn the others inside of there¡¯s an attack. I¡¯ll take the responsibility to kill those two sentries while you guys will take care of the rest.¡±


    Wolf Head was astonished, ¡°Boss, how did you know¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu interrupted him and said indifferently, ¡°You don¡¯t have to know how I know about the situation. You just need to know that I¡¯m not mistaken.¡±


    Wolf Head recalled Tang Xiu¡¯s strength and nodded slowly. He then re-analyzed the ad-hoc combat plan he had brewed and planned inside his mind. He then issued the strike orders.


    The factory¡¯s gate was made of two detachable thick iron gates.


    At this moment, the large iron gate was closed and two foreign mercenaries, armed with light machine guns, were chatting in low voices, talking about what was happening tonight. Their commander was missing, maybe killed along with their other superiors, causing all of them to be at a loss and tensed up.


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu darted very fast and heavily trampled on the two detachable heavy iron gates. This time, he used all of his strength, so the two detachable iron gates crashed down, smashing the two foreign mercenaries that were caught off guard. Even if they didn¡¯t die, these two foreign mercenaries would be ruined.


    ¡°Ratatat¡­¡±


    Four light machine guns and two sniper rifles opened fire nearly at the same time. Inside the factory, more than ten Grim Reaper Scythe mercenary members who were gathered together had yet to react to what happened when they were shot.


    At the other side, Tang Xiu had already gone into hiding. He had already used his spiritual sense to observe the factory; there was an office in the factory where Yuan Chuling was tied up inside. A black man was also there wiping his dagger as he sat on the couch.


    Furthermore, there was also one foreign mercenary in the toilet who had escaped the killing as well as another four mercenaries inside. At this time, the four mercenaries already responded and counterattacked.


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    The window glass of the factory was shattered. Tang Xiu instantly passed through and dashed toward the toilet¡¯s direction. At that moment, the foreigner inside the toilet held his gun and walked toward the toilet¡¯s door, but by the moment the door was opened, a sharp Mitsubishi army knife pierced his heart.


    Immediately.


    Tang Xiu appeared outside the office door and observed the surrounding with his perception. The foreigner mercenary expert holding a knife had already grabbed a pistol and got up quickly as he dashed toward the door at the side.


    ¡°Bang¡ª¡°


    Tang Xiu chased after him. Just as the man affixed his body to the door, Tang Xiu fiercely punched the door, his fist hitting the foreign mercenary¡¯s body, causing him to fly out upside down. He then opened the door and sprinted inside, catching his body that was about to land on the floor.


    Tang Xiu then slashed the knife up and down, slaying him.


    Yuan Chuling, who was tied up on a chair, secretly saw the scene. He was so shocked that his eyes almost popped up. Tang Xiu¡¯s storming violent strength and ruthless actions made him look at Tang Xiu as if looking at a strange monster.


    If his mouth wasn¡¯t sealed up with a tape, he would¡¯ve interrogated Tang Xiu loudly- Is this the real you?


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly. He looked at Yuan Chuling¡¯s shocked expression and walked toward him to tear open the tape on his mouth. He then used the Mitsubishi army knife to cut off the rope tying him, saying, ¡°Wait here. There¡¯s still a fight at the outside, so you¡¯ll be in danger if you go out rashly now. If you want to say anything, wait until the enemies outside have been solved.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Yuan Chuling hesitated for a moment and nodded silently.


    Tang Xiu grabbed the pistol on the floor. He then moved out of the office through the side door and found the four foreign mercenaries resisting stubbornly. Two of them had been killed, whereas the other two were hiding in the corner and counterattacking.


    ¡°Hmph!¡±


    The two men¡¯s position was completely exposed in front of him. So, without a moment¡¯s hesitation, Tang Xiu fired twice at the two men, blasting their heads.


    ¡°Shoo! Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!¡±


    Lines of silhouettes quickly shot toward Tang Xiu.


    Wolf Head glanced at the foreigners who were shot dead and exclaimed in admiration, ¡°Boss, if you were to enter the army, you¡¯d definitely become the most powerful marksman there.¡±

 Chapter 252

    Chapter 252: The Japanese


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu faintly smiled, ¡°You¡¯re good enough. The enemies were very fierce, yet they were unable to fight back against you. Anyway, be prepared and take their guns! Wait outside for the upcoming attack.¡±


    Wolf Head hesitated before saying, ¡°Boss, it¡¯s better to take the initiative to attack rather than passively remain on the defensive.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head. He then took out his mobile and dialed Zhong Tiekui¡¯s number, asking, ¡°How much time do you need?¡±


    ¡°Ten minutes at the most.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Tang Xiu ended the call. A thick murderous glint shot out from his eyes as he said with a heavy tone, ¡°The enemies will come rushing in ten minutes. We¡¯ll defend first, and then counterattack. I hate those who intrude our land and kill our people. All the invading enemies must leave their lives here.¡±


    Wolf Head said, ¡°Boss, the Grim Reaper Scythe Mercenaries have a total of more than 40 people in their ranks. They have been maintaining this number for more than a decade, whereas we¡¯ve killed more than 20 of them. But you say there are more than 40 behind us¡­ I suspect they¡¯re another force, coming behind the Grim Reaper Scythe Mercenaries.¡±


    Shark also said with a heavy tone, ¡°The people from the Grim Reaper Scythe Mercenaries should have died. We killed 20 of them before, also killing the other 20 here. So the people outside should be from another force.¡±


    Tang Xiu replied indifferently, ¡°No matter who they are, as long as they dare to shoot at us first, we¡¯ll claim their lives. Do remember my words, I¡¯ve never have taken action against those who don¡¯t attack me, but if they do, I¡¯ll make them pay hundreds of times the price.¡±


    Wolf Head licked his lips. He suddenly felt that his future life would be extraordinarily splendid if he followed Tang Xiu. He was used to his blades, shedding blood and dodging bullets. Having experienced six months of ordinary life made him uncomfortable and tortured. And tonight was his starting point to return to those splendid days.


    At the periphery of the abandoned factory.


    Ichiro Yamamoto took his binoculars and observed the situation inside the factory. Next to him was a fabulous body of a masked woman, exuding a chilling aura into the air. While behind them, were four masked men in black carrying Western knives, as if they were the Japanese Ninjas in TV series.


    ¡°Kuwako, your target is Tagore. I want him alive, he absolutely mustn¡¯t die.¡± Said Ichiro Yamamoto as he retracted the binoculars and spoke in a deep tone.


    The masked woman replied in a cold voice, ¡°I¡¯ll commit suicide if I can¡¯t accomplish the task.¡±


    Ichiro Yamamoto shook his head, ¡°You don¡¯t have to make such a promise! Do remember that you¡¯re the sole heir of the Yamamoto clan as well as the future Schoolmaster of the Northstar One Blade School. Anyone can die, but you mustn¡¯t.¡± [1]


    The masked woman was silent, yet the firmness in her eyes was extremely thick.


    Ichiro Yamamoto secretly sighed. He waved and ordered, ¡°Attack and kill those Grim Reaper Scythe Mercenaries and grab Yuan Zhengxuan.¡±


    Instantly, the silhouettes in the surrounding dim lights of the night silently infiltrated the interior of the factory. Their movements were very strange. There were three in the group moving in coordination as they soon arrived at the deepest part of the factory.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    Ichiro Yamamoto stopped his pace around tens of meters away from the factory and ordered the halt through his wireless earphone. In front of him, the dead bodies of two members of the Grim Reaper Scythe Mercenaries had yet to become cold.


    ¡°They died from the wound on their necks and their pierced hearts. They were killed by someone wielding a Mitsubishi army knife. Judging from the footprints on the ground, their number should be two or three people. The other party is very strong. At the least, they are experts in the assassination, because these two should be the sentry guards.¡± The masked woman spoke in a deep tone.


    Ichiro Yamamoto said with a heavy tone, ¡°Check the perimeter and see if there are other dead bodies of the Grim Reaper Scythe Mercenaries.¡±


    ¡°Report, one dead body found.¡±


    ¡°Report, two dead people here.¡±


    ¡°Report, a dead body here.¡±


    Reports were transmitted to Ichiro Yamamoto¡¯s ears through his wireless earphone.


    His face turned a bit unsightly. The people he sent to monitor the members of the Grim Reaper Scythe Mercenaries had given him a report saying that they had returned with only 20 remaining. He thought they had grabbed Yuan Zhengxuan and was about to seize the chance of them having suffered serious losses and then launching a surprise attack. He would then exterminate these people and became the final winner.


    However, this sudden development made him at a loss and didn¡¯t know how to react.


    After half a minute of thinking deeply, Ichiro Yamamoto quickly hid behind a big tree and shouted, ¡°Tagore, are you still alive? This is Ichiro Yamamoto!¡±


    Inside the factory.


    Tang Xiu furrowed his brows deeply as he heard the voice coming from outside. He turned to look at the others and asked, ¡°Ichiro Yamamoto? Japanese?¡±


    A cold glint flashed in Wolf Head¡¯s eyes as he said with a heavy tone, ¡°He¡¯s the patriarch of the Yamamoto clan from Japan. A very distinguished and high standing figure. Also, he has another identity. He¡¯s a Master in Northstar One Blade School.¡±


    Tang Xiu had a bad opinion of the Japanese. The people from this country had a very strong and aggressive attitude; it could be said that it was the venereal disease of attitude. Throughout history, their nation bullied the weak and feared the strong. They had also invaded and encroached upon China once and left their bloody reign of terror on this land.


    Tang Xiu took out his mobile and called Yuan Zhengxuan. He then learned from him that these Japanese were one of the forces that had tried to snatch the core data and information from him.


    ¡°Get ready to leave none of them behind!¡±


    Tang Xiu ordered with a grim tone and expression.


    At the outside, Ichiro Yamamoto¡¯s furrowed his brows deeply. There was no reply from the inside, giving him a bad premonition. However, he had an arrogant attitude, and the manpower he brought along this time were all Northstar One Blade experts. Therefore, after waiting for two minutes, he immediately issued the order to advance.


    Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!


    Tongues of flame were shot out as four Northstar One Blade ninjas were directly killed by sniper rifles.


    ¡°Fuck! Be careful!¡±


    Ichiro Yamamoto cursed. He took out his pistol from his waist holster and then continued to advance toward the factory.


    The gunfight started.


    Both sides were firing, but the situation remained at a stalemate. The people inside the factory didn¡¯t come out, yet the experts brought by Ichiro Yamamoto couldn¡¯t break through the net of fire and were unable to storm into the factory. Ichiro Yamamoto was angry at the moment as the two ninjas besides him suddenly fell to the ground, their heads pierced by bullets.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Never in his dreams had he ever expected to there be still enemies behind. At the moment, fear sprouted up inside his heart. Before he could issue the retreat order, a ghost-like figure rushed out from the factory, the gunfire instantly becoming several times more intense.


    ¡°FUCK! Retreat quickly! Kill and blaze out our path with blood!¡±


    Ichiro Yamamoto fell into a panic. He recalled the ancient saying of the Chinese that they were like turtles in a jar, completely stranded and trapped. He felt that they were the ones in such situation.


    Shoo!


    A strange silhouette appeared next to Ichiro Yamamoto. It was the masked woman. She said with a heavy tone, ¡°Master, leave with me.¡±


    Ichiro Yamamoto rejected the masked woman¡¯s suggestion and scolded, ¡°Idiot! Woman, you¡¯re so timid and afraid of danger! Even if the enemy has us surrounded, we¡¯ll blaze out our path with blood. Everyone! Move your ass to me. Move closer!¡±


    ¡°Stupid!¡±


    The masked woman shouted as her figure disappeared instantly.


    At this moment, Tang Xiu had already darted out from the factory. He fired three consecutive shots and killed three Japanese ninjas. As he looked at the enemy leader, he suddenly tightened his brows. In his spiritual sense, he found that those ninjas were all moving in a certain direction, whereas a vigorous figure was rushing to the side. Furthermore, the figure¡¯s speed was extremely fast. In addition, he hadn¡¯t seen anyone amongst cultivators apart from him who could have such a fast speed.


    ¡°Want to escape, eh?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s shadow flashed as he rushed toward the masked woman.


    About ten seconds later, Tang Xiu had blocked the masked woman¡¯s path. The gun in his hand was also aimed at her. He pulled the trigger.


    ¡°Bang, bang, bang¡­¡±


    The three bullets were blocked by a half-moon blade, causing sparks to flash everywhere. The masked woman moved with a strange footwork as her body flashed constantly. A moment after, she was already seven or eight meters away.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face turned more serious. The other party was able to catch the trajectory of the bullets and was even able to escape the moment she blocked them. This indicated that the strength of the other party was even more powerful than he had thought.


    ¡°You can never escape. If you don¡¯t want to die, obediently surrender!¡±


    Tang Xiu stuffed the pistol into his pocket and took out the Mitsubishi army knife, rushing toward the masked woman. His speed was almost twice faster than hers. Within just a few breaths, he blocked her path once again.


    ¡°Hai yah¡­¡±


    The masked woman shouted loudly in a tender voice. The half-moon shaped blade in her hands created layers upon layers of blade shades as it tried to slice off and hack toward Tang Xiu. Her blade play was extremely uncanny as it attacked in a straight course and aimed at all vital points on Tang Xiu¡¯s body.


    ¡°Clang, clang, clang¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu evaded the attacks and continued using his dagger to block it. In a blink of an eye, he took back his dagger, seven or eight cracks appearing on it.


    ¡°Hmph!¡±


    Tang Xiu circulated the star force throughout his body and stopped the blade slashed at him by the other party in an instant. His body dashed toward the masked woman and moved as though a shadow following her body, whereas the Mitsubishi army knife in his hand blocked her attacks toward his vital points and then pierced her left shoulder. Tang Xiu¡¯s another hand formed a fist and exploded into the woman¡¯s abdomen severely.


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    The masked woman¡¯s body flew upside down, blood spraying from her mouth as she then smashed to the ground heavily. Tang Xiu¡¯s body flashed and appeared in front of her, quickly sealing several of her acupoints in a very fast movement and picking her up.


    ¡°I told you, you can never escape.¡±


    Tang Xiu reached out toward the masked woman¡¯s mask, turning quite surprised immediately after. The masked woman had a breathtaking beauty, and there was also a fingernail-sized butterfly pattern between her eyebrows. The pattern coupled with her beauty caused her to look devilishly enchanting.


    ¡°Kill me!¡±


    The masked woman spoke in an ice-cold voice. Even though she was shocked to find that she couldn¡¯t move her body, but she felt that falling to the enemy¡¯s hand was no different than death. At this point, what she most regretted was that the poison capsule in her teeth had already been forcefully taken out by her father a year ago.


    Tang Xiu coldly smiled, ¡°You wanna die? Even if you want to, wanting to die is very difficult after falling into my hands. I forgot to tell you, I¡¯m also a doctor. Even if one were to bite their tongue in front of me, trying to commit suicide, cutting off their own throat or stabbing their own heart, I can still make them live for hours. So you can give up on killing yourself, else, I¡¯ll make you taste the most vicious and painful torture in this world in the last hours of your life.¡±

 Chapter 253

    Chapter 253: Tang Xiu¡¯s Intentions


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The masked woman closed her eyes slowly. As confident as she was in her own strength, but Tang Xiu defeated her with very strange methods. She was really clueless whether what he said was true or false.


    It was shameful! Shame was burning her heart like a fiery flame. To be captured and being a captive was the most painful thing she ever experienced in life.


    At the other side, the fighting ended at a very rapid rate. Ichiro Yamamoto was shot dead and more than 40 Japanese ninjas lost their ability to fight back. Apart from four or five injured amongst them, the rest were all killed, whereas Tang Xiu¡¯s subordinates, except for two wounded, all came out unscathed.


    ¡°How should we deal with them, Boss?¡±


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival, Zhong Tiekui¡¯s eyes swept over toward Kuwako¡¯s body on his shoulder before asking with a deep tone.


    Tang Xiu replied with an indifferent expression, ¡°Kill them all!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Zhong Tiekui replied in a high tone.


    As he was about to kill the assassins¡­


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Kuwako, who had her eyes closed, suddenly opened her eyes and cried out.


    Tang Xiu motioned Zhong Tiekui and threw her to the ground as he then spoke lightly, ¡°What do you want to say?¡±


    Kuwako glared at Tang Xiu and asked with a deep tone, ¡°Who are you people?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know who we are. You only need to know that we¡¯re your enemy. Yuan Zhengxuan is my friend. You wanted to deal with him, so you will naturally become my enemy.¡±


    Kuwako nodded. Her gaze swept over the four or five severely wounded ninjas. After thinking for a few seconds, she looked at Tang Xiu again and said, ¡°I¡¯ll agree to one of your conditions, but you have to let them go.¡±


    Tang Xiu sneered, ¡°Conditions? What can you give me?¡±


    ¡°You have two options, for which you can choose one. Firstly, I can ransom them. Secondly, I¡¯ll become your slave for three years if you let them go.¡±


    Ransom money or becoming a slave?


    Tang Xiu replied with an inconceivable expression, ¡°I can understand ransom money as you should be a Yamamoto clan member. These ninjas should be from the Northstar One Blade School. But, I¡¯ve never heard of becoming a slave nowadays.¡±


    Wolf Head suddenly frowned as he quickly came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side and spoke, ¡°Boss, I know about the Northstar One Blade School. This school has a very unusual custom and each and every person there is very ruthless, yet they also have an iron law that, if the successor of the Schoolmaster of the Northstar One Blade School were to fall into the hands of the enemy, they would agree to become their enemy¡¯s slave for three years in order to live. But three years later, the opposite party must return them back. Otherwise, the Northstar One Blade School will put everything on the stake to get revenge on the opposite party even if their school must face destruction.¡±


    ¡°This Northstar One Blade School is kind of strange, aren¡¯t they?¡± replied Tang Xiu with astonishment.


    Wolf Head forced a smile, ¡°It¡¯s the sick mentality of the Japanese, I think. How could ordinary people be able to understand them! I think that since we¡¯ve killed so many people from their side, it¡¯s best to just kill them all! Lest we leave future troubles behind!¡±


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment before looking at Kuwako and saying, ¡°How much ransom money will your Yamamoto clan and the Northstar One Blade School be willing to pay?¡±


    Kuwako replied, ¡°My life is worth 300 million USD, whereas their lives are worth 50 million USD. The five of them altogether would be 250 million USD. So the total ransom money is 550 million USD.¡±


    550 million USD? More than 3 billion RMB?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes flickered as he looked at Kuwako with a hard-to-believe expression. Although he was also rich and had total assets of more than 3 billion RMB, if he could get the money, he would be able to directly solve his financial crisis at present.


    ¡°Pa¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu pulled out a cigarette from his pocket. The team leader quickly took his lighter to help him ignite it. After deeply inhaling, he then said slowly, ¡°You¡¯re the heir of the Yamamoto clan and also the future Schoolmaster of Northstar One Blade School?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± answered Kuwako.


    ¡°Alright, how about we change the condition?¡± asked Tang Xiu laughed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll only accept one of these two conditions. Anything else, you¡¯d better kill us now!¡± Kuwako frowned and replied.


    ¡°Just listen to my words first and then decide whether you¡¯ll comply or not,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Kuwako didn¡¯t speak.


    Tang Xiu then continued, ¡°Be my subordinate. Later on, after you become my subordinate, this Tang Xiu will never limit your freedom and will also let you go back to Japan. However, you must carry out my orders in the future.¡±


    ¡°Dream on!¡± replied Kuwako in a cold voice.


    Tang Xiu said indifferently, ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to be my subordinate in vain, I¡¯ll give you benefits. The benefits are something that countless of people can never imagine even in their dreams.¡±


    Kuwako shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t lack anything. Give up thinking of buying me!¡±


    Tang Xiu motioned the other people around them and they immediately scattered. After there was only Kuwako and him, Tang Xiu then slowly asked, ¡°What do you think about my strength?¡±


    Kuwako¡¯s pupil shrunk as she nodded, ¡°You¡¯re very strong. Even my Schoolmaster perhaps won¡¯t be more powerful than you.¡±


    ¡°I can make your strength to surge up greatly if you become my subordinate. I guarantee that if you practice according to my methods for three years at the most, your strength will soar by tenfold,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Kuwako sneered, ¡°Is your strength even ten times stronger than mine? Impossible.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re mistaken. My ability is not limited to just straight up killing. If you didn¡¯t come that fast and gave me enough time to arrange a good formation array, I dare say I¡¯d be able to wipe out all those 40 plus people of yours within half a minute.¡±


    ¡°You know about formation arrays?¡± Kuwako was overwhelmed with shock as she asked with a flabbergasted expression.


    ¡°I know a lot of things, formation array is just only one of them. I¡¯ll offer you again. If you can completely pledge your allegiance to me, I can help you in secret so it will be easier for you to become the head of the Yamamoto clan as well as the Schoolmaster of the Northstar One Blade School. I can even help you develop these two powers to become the most powerful forces in Japan.¡±


    Kuwako stared at Tang Xiu and asked with a deep tone, ¡°Who are you in the end?¡±


    ¡°If you want to know my identity, you have to agree to my conditions. After you go back, you can investigate about me slowly. But the premise is that you are alive and able to go back,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing that can make me believe you,¡± said Kuwako whilst shaking her head.


    Tang Xiu pointed at Kuwako and said, ¡°Do you think I need to lie to you?¡±


    Kuwako was silent. She wasn¡¯t repugnant of submitting herself to a powerful expert, but she always felt that if she decided it now, it would be too hasty and careless. After half a minute of pondering, she then asked slowly, ¡°Are you not afraid of me betraying today¡¯s oath after I leave?¡±


    ¡°Why should I? You won¡¯t dare violate it,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°From where this confidence of yours come from?¡± replied Kuwako with a sneer.


    Tang Xiu said indifferently, ¡°So long as you do as I say, I guarantee that you¡¯ll believe it!¡±


    ¡°Do what?¡± asked Kuwako.


    Tang Xiu grabbed her palm and used the Mitsubishi army knife to make a bloody scar. Then, he also bit his finger and dropped a drop of his blood on her palm. He then said with a deep tone, ¡°Don¡¯t reject. Be quiet and don¡¯t move. Receive the sensation that will enter your body, you¡¯ll find out the benefits you¡¯re about to get later.¡±


    Kuwako instinctively wanted to reject it, yet, upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, she thought that Tang Xiu was about to scam her. In order to find out about what Tang Xiu would do, she then slowly relaxed.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s finger pressed the wound on Kuwako¡¯s palm. Along with the control of his mind, the drop of blood on her palm gradually seeped into her body and slowly moved through her blood vessels and fused inside her heart.


    ¡°Soul Ruling Spell!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s fingers pinched a series of imprints on Kuwako¡¯s palm as he tapped the star force condensation at the tip of his finger on Kuwako¡¯s palm, controlling it to flow into her heart along with her blood vessels, entering her heart and fusing with the drop of his blood therein.


    ¡°Boom¡­¡±


    At present, Kuwako felt that there was only darkness in front of her. A sweet taste invaded her throat as she spurted out a mouthful of blood. If Tang Xiu didn¡¯t move to the side to avoid it, the blood would¡¯ve sprayed onto his body.


    Tang Xiu panted heavily in secret. The requirement for the Soul Ruling Spell was extremely harsh. If the other party had the thought to repel it, he would simply be unable to do it with his current cultivation base. Fortunately, Kuwako didn¡¯t repel it and relaxed her mind entirely.


    Standing in the dark, he was already able to feel Kuwako¡¯s body condition. He was sure that if he wanted her to die, he could make her heart explode if he willed it.


    ¡°Y-You¡­ what did you do to me?¡± Kuwako erased the blood on the corner of her mouth, looking at Tang Xiu with an aghast expression.


    Tang Xiu said indifferently, ¡°It¡¯s a Soul Ruling Spell. It rules over your life. If you dare to betray my orders and intentions, as long as I will it, your heart will explode and you¡¯ll die a tragic death directly.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    She also had the feeling of her life force being controlled by another. She now realized that she could even ¡°see¡± the situation inside her own body. She could even see the bloody archaic runes above her heart that was more bright and colorful than her own heart.


    ¡°My body!¡±


    Kuwako slowly felt the unusualness and the abnormality of her body. Even though she couldn¡¯t move at present, she could clearly feel that an amazing and mysterious power was bursting out from the blood. A layer of glimmering luster slowly gushed out from the blood vessels and was integrated into her internal organs, fusing into her muscles and tendons, finally settling in the bones.


    Her constitution was getting stronger.


    Tang Xiu said indifferently, ¡°You can feel it now? Like I told you, I will give benefits if you become my subordinate. Likewise, the benefits you can have later are far more than these. Say the oath and pledge your allegiance to me and I¡¯ll teach you one cultivation technique. Later on, if you cultivate diligently, your strength will certainly soar for more than tenfold within three years.¡±


    Kuwako swallowed her saliva desperately. She looked at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Are you a Sorcerer? And you just cast a black magic on me?¡±


    ¡°A sorcerer?¡± Tang Xiu replied with a disdaining expression and continued, ¡°People who call themselves sorcerers are nothing but trivial conmen! If I continue cultivating for a few more years, my cultivation will breakthrough substantially, even the most powerful sorcerer on Earth will be no more than the tip of my finger.¡±


    Kuwako¡¯s heart throbbed and palpitated faster.


    She clenched her teeth and then said with a heavy tone, ¡°Please give me back my ability to move.¡±


    Tang Xiu stretched his hand to relieve the seals on Kuwako¡¯s acupoints and didn¡¯t even to put his guard up, as he didn¡¯t believe that Kuwako thought to move against him this fast.


    Kuwako moved her body up and down. Following that, she then knelt in front of Tang Xiu with her right fist on top of her left chest, whereas her left hand made a special hand seal and vowed, ¡°I, Kuwako Yamamoto, swear an oath to serve the man in front of me as my Master starting from today. His command is my wish, and I shall never betray him. If I were to violate this vow, let me be forever imprisoned in the thousand cold pools.¡±

 Chapter 254

    Chapter 254: Smooth Solution


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Seeing Kuwako¡¯s oath to the end, Tang Xiu then said serenely, ¡°Get up!¡±


    Kuwako stood up and asked, ¡°Master, are you really able to make me strong?¡±


    ¡°If in the future, your way of handling my matters and your performance pleases me, I¡¯ll make you very powerful, to the extent that you¡¯ve never dreamed of. Don¡¯t doubt my capability nor question my words. I might be unable to accomplish it now, but you will see for yourself later,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Kuwako nodded and suddenly asked, ¡°Master, you¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu interrupted her and spoke with a deep tone, ¡°Don¡¯t call me Master, just call me Boss.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Kuwako answered immediately.


    ¡°Alright. Now tell me what you wanted to say,¡± said Tang Xiu


    Kuwako asked, ¡°Boss, can you also use the controlling arts on those five? I think they also have heard the contents of our conversation. I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill them,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Shaking her head, Kuwako said, ¡°They are the experts that have been painstakingly nurtured by my school. It would be a pity if they were killed. If you can control them and let them follow my commands later, I¡¯ll have trusted subordinates.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°Perhaps they are experts in your eyes, but they are just trash to me. They¡¯re not worth the consuming of my mental power to control them. However, I¡¯ll impart my Soul Ruling Spell to you, so you can cast it on them.¡±


    ¡°I can learn it?¡± Kuwako quickly asked.


    ¡°You can¡¯t learn it for now, but after you cultivate and have inner qi inside your body and then turn it into True Essence, you can cast this Soul Ruling Spell fully. Alright, I¡¯ll impart to you the cultivation technique now,¡± replied Tang Xiu.


    Having said that, Tang Xiu arbitrarily taught Kuwako a set of a very ordinary immortal cultivation technique from the Immortal World. Two hours later, Kuwako had been able to grasp it completely. She was even able to convert the True Qi into True Essence in her first try. Although the amount of True Qi she converted was less than 1%, she clearly felt herself becoming stronger.


    ¡°Your aptitude is quite good and you¡¯re still young. If you cultivate well, you¡¯ll have limitless achievements in the future,¡± said Tang Xiu calmly.


    A pleasantly surprised expression suffused inside Kuwako¡¯s eyes. Even though she was a bit uncomfortable of becoming Tang Xiu¡¯s subordinate all of a sudden, but the benefits she obtained balanced the uncomfortable feeling inside her heart.


    ¡°Thanks a lot, Boss!¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and also imparted the Soul Ruling incantation to her, saying, ¡°What purpose did you have in coming to China this time? Was it in order to rob the scientific and technological information from Yuan Zhengxuan?¡±


    Kuwako nodded, ¡°Recently, Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s laboratory developed a biochemical bacterium. If these biochemical bacteria are used as weapons, it will have a very powerful effect. A few years ago, a professor from his laboratory was bought by an American arms dealer, of whom he got the information from. Later on, many forces in various countries in the world also learned about this news. Therefore, we came to China in an attempt to obtain the core data and information about the biochemical bacterium from Yuan Zhengxuan.¡±


    Tang Xiu instantly understood, ¡°Alright, I got it. Now, go and subdue those ninjas. Then take them and leave China! As for robbing the biochemical bacteria as well as its research and developments into weapons, keep out of it and don¡¯t participate in this business again in the future. Also, if you encounter any problems after you go back, contact me as fast as possible. If I can help you, I¡¯ll send some people to assist you.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± nodded Kuwako.


    Under Tang Xiu¡¯s instruction, the five ninjas were taken to the factory by Kuwako. Tang Xiu then stood outside the factory as he saw Yuan Zhengxuan rushing toward him in a hurry.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, I already learned about the situation here. Thank you. I¡¯m really thankful. If it wasn¡¯t for you, I¡¯m afraid that Little Ling and I would have died. And perhaps, even¡­ even the core data and information my company has would also have been seized by them.¡± Yuan Zhengxuan said with gratitude all over his face.


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. This is what I should do. In fact, I¡¯m the one who made a mistake here if I must say. I did promise you to deliver the core information, but since I was occupied by many things, I forgot about it. I have yet to carry out my promise.¡±


    As Yuan Zhengxuan heard it, he immediately laughed, ¡°It¡¯s alright. As long as this core information can be preserved, I feel relieved. I also have made up my mind after this incident. Even though I can¡¯t get the money, I¡¯ll end the experiment thoroughly. I¡¯ll directly sell all the research materials that can be used as a weapon to the military and I¡¯ll change my business orientation to other fields.¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and asked, ¡°Uncle Yuan, might I ask you how much this biochemical bacteria developed in your laboratory can sell for?¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan stared blankly for a moment. His face changed immediately and asked, ¡°How do you know it¡¯s a biochemical bacterium?¡±


    Tang Xiu pointed to the factory building and said, ¡°That woman is my subordinate now.¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan suddenly realized. A forced and bitter smile hung over his face as he said, ¡°It¡¯s actually not worth much, it should be around¡­ 1 billion USD.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face changed a bit. He then nodded and said, ¡°Well, it¡¯s indeed very valuable. Alright. I¡¯ve done everything I could, so I¡¯ll leave the collateral and aftermath to you!¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan nodded, ¡°My men have already sent the dead bodies to the crematorium; I have a contact there. I¡¯ll also call some people to clean this place up. In short, however, I owe you a great favor; I¡¯ll bear this in my heart. If you need anything in the future, feel free to call me.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded slowly. Suddenly, his face changed slightly as he recalled something. He then immediately forced out a smile and said, ¡°Uncle Yuan, now that I recall, I do have one matter that needs your help.¡±


    Puzzled, Yuan Zhengxuan asked, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Do you know someone at the Bureau of Transportation, Uncle Yuan?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I do! The Chief of the Bureau of Transportation is my buddy. I also have some contacts in the traffic police division,¡± said Yuan Zhengxuan.


    Tang Xiu said reluctantly, ¡°When I received your call, I was in Qinghe county at my ancestral home. Because I tried to rush here earlier and as fast as I could, I was speeding all the way here, and I just got my driver license. The most important thing is that I was truly speeding very fast. Even if I didn¡¯t reach 200 km/h, it shouldn¡¯t be far from that. So as to avoid trouble, I parked my Land Rover in a remote urban area.¡±


    Warmness filled Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s. He laughed loudly, ¡°Tang Xiu, this is just a trivial matter. Leave it to me! I guarantee that nothing will implicate you when you¡¯re driving your car later. Tell me the address and I¡¯ll send someone to pick up the car tomorrow and send it to you.¡±


    Just as Tang Xiu said his thanks, he looked at Yuan Chuling who was somewhat in a daze at Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s side. He punched his chest gently and laughed, ¡°How was it? Were you scared shitless? You didn¡¯t expect that I¡¯d kill the enemies by myself, did you?¡±


    Yuan Chuling came back to his senses, the complicated expression suffusing his eyes slowly disappearing as it was then replaced by admiration and worship as he looked at Tang Xiu and cried out, ¡°Eldest Brother, you gotta teach me your Kung Fu! I must be as good and powerful as you!¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed involuntarily, ¡°If you can swallow the bitterness and the pain, I can let others teach you, but it seems that you must go to college. So just enjoy your college life well!¡±


    Yuan Chuling shook his head, ¡°Even if I go to College, I can still practice martial arts. So let¡¯s quickly decide it. I¡¯ll be following you to practice martial arts later.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly, ¡°Got no problems with that. But before I teach you martial arts, you gotta get up at 5:30 AM every morning, squat for an hour and run 10 kilometers. Then, you also have to run 10 kilometers in the evening. If you can persist until September the 1st, I¡¯ll teach you martial arts then.¡±


    ¡°For real?¡± Yuan Chuling¡¯s fighting spirit soared.


    Tang Xiu looked at his round stomach as he laughed involuntarily and said, ¡°Real!¡±


    Immediately after, he turned toward Yuan Zhengxuan and said, ¡°Uncle Yuan, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to deal with the aftermath. We¡¯ll leave first! Please do contact me if you need anything!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Yuan Zhengxuan nodded.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t bid farewell to Kuwako Yamamoto, instead, he left with Zhong Tiekui and Wolf Head, altogether 32 people quickly leaving the abandoned factory.


    Since Wolf Head and the other eleven retired special forces had promised to follow him, he had let them go their own ways. And, as they had completed his test, Tang Xiu was thinking what to do with them. Suddenly, his complexion flickered as a plan sprouted inside his head.


    ¡°Wolf Head, you guys did a good job this time. It can be said that you got my recognition. So I¡¯m going to let you spend a few days freely in Star City first. Wait there until I handle some issues here, and then I¡¯ll take you to the island I bought in the Pacific Ocean. After that, you will stay there,¡± said Tang Xiu slowly.


    The twelve men, including Wolf Head, looked at each other and nodded in unison.


    Tang Xiu then looked at Zhong Tiekui as he smiled, ¡°Tonight all of you have done a good job; I saw your abilities. Alright, this will conclude everything for this matter. You¡¯re all dismissed!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    It was 4:00 AM.


    Tang Xiu returned to South Gate Town. He hurried back to Star City overnight and didn¡¯t tell this matter to his mother. Therefore, he decided not to return to Qinghe County for the time being. The matters there should almost be solved, and he wanted to handle some issues in Star City before going to Jingmen Island and then rushing to see the island he bought.


    At the second floor of the villa.


    Tang Xiu gently opened the door to Gu Yin¡¯s room. As he saw her soundly sleeping inside, he nodded with satisfaction. He then went to his own room, pushing its door and turned on the lights conveniently.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s face was solidified as a dull expression filled his eyes.


    On his bed laid a woman wearing only underwear on her fabulous body. The woman¡¯s sleeping position was very attractive. Delicate and exquisite contours, along with bewitching and seductive vibes. Despite his perfect self-control, Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but have his imagination running wild at this very moment.


    _¡°There are so many rooms downstairs and Kang Xia is actually sleeping in my room. This woman¡­ could it be that she isn¡¯t afraid that I would come back suddenly and then do something untoward to her?¡±_


    Tang Xiu shook his head and was about to turn off the lights, going to the guest room. But on the bed, Kang Xia suddenly moved and opened her eyes.


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    Kang Xia, who had good alertness, suddenly grabbed the cool summer quilt to cover up her body and then jumped from the bed.

 Chapter 255

    Chapter 255: The Charm of Romance


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Looking at Kang Xia¡¯s reaction, Tang Xiu was at a loss whether to cry or laugh. The vigilance in Kang Xia¡¯s eyes was like she was looking at a pervert.


    ¡°Have you woken up?¡±


    After clearly seeing that it was Tang Xiu, only then Kang Xia¡¯s vigilance disappeared slowly, replaced by an awkward and embarrassed expression, making her blush.


    ¡°B-Boss, you¡­ you¡¯re back!¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°Yeah, I just came back and wanted to rest, but I didn¡¯t expect¡­¡±


    The embarrassed expression on Kang Xia¡¯s face was getting thicker. She knew what Tang Xiu would say. Yet, however, she was here in his room. Last night, after she accompanied Gu Yin to sleep, she had a sudden impulse to go to Tang Xiu¡¯s room. She only intended to play in his room for a while as she later stumbled with drowsiness and fell asleep there.


    More importantly, she only put on underwear without covering herself with a quilt. Didn¡¯t this mean that he had already seen almost everything?


    Looking at her expression, Tang Xiu only smiled, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Since you feel more comfortable sleeping in my room, sleep here tonight! I¡¯ll go sleep in the guest room.¡±


    Having said that, he then turned around to leave.


    Kang Xia was surprised for a moment and promptly called out, ¡°Boss, I¡¯ll return to the guest room. Y-You¡­ you rest here!¡±


    She immediately ran off the bed, putting her slippers and dashing to the door. Yet, when she ran to the door, only then did she realize that she also threw the thin quilt that covered her body in Tang Xiu¡¯s room. She wanted to take the blanket back, but because she was only wearing underwear, for a moment, the usually smart and intelligent woman was unexpectedly caught at a complete loss, embarrassed.


    Tang Xiu smiled as he shook his head and said, ¡°Just sleep here!¡±


    Leaving his bedroom, Tang Xiu picked one of the guest rooms. There were bloodstains on his clothes, and though it was not very obvious, he couldn¡¯t wear it anymore. After going to the bathroom and taking a bath, he suddenly realized that he didn¡¯t bring a change of underwear. Without any other choice, he walked out of the room stark naked, sit on the bed and covered himself with a blanket, and then dialed Kang Xia¡¯s number whilst half-leaning on the bed.


    ¡°Yes, Boss?¡±


    In the master bedroom on the second floor, Kang Xia had put on pajamas as she sat on the bed, her imagination running wild. As she heard her mobile ringing, she took it and saw that it was a call from Tang Xiu. A slight blush covered her face, but she still quickly answered it.


    ¡°Erm¡­ I forgot to get clean underwear and clothes. Can you send them over? I¡¯m on the first floor,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Alright!¡± replied Kang Xia.


    Two minutes later, she knocked on the guest room¡¯s door and heard Tang Xiu¡¯s voice, permitting her inside. She opened the door cautiously and saw Tang Xiu¡¯s naked upper body as he sat in the bed head position. With a slight blush on her face, she said, ¡°Boss, your clothes.¡±


    Tang Xiu pointed the end of the bed and said, ¡°Put them there!¡±


    Kang Xia quickly put the clothes on the end of the bed, but a strange thought popped inside her mind, ¡°He obviously had just finished bathing and had yet to change clothes and underwear. Then¡­ he¡¯s stark naked now?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s naked appearance involuntarily popped out inside Kang Xia¡¯s mind. For a moment, her face turned hotter, blushing as though a sunset glow crawling up on her face.


    Looking at the dazed expression on Kang Xia¡¯s face, Tang Xiu secretly sighed inside. At the moment, Kang Xia looked especially attractive to him. After all, her thin pajamas were basically unable to cover her perfect delicate body. Even the color of her underwear could be seen clearly under the bright lights.


    He wasn¡¯t a wicked and perverted man, yet his body was young and he was in the prime of his youthfulness. It was very easy to fall into impulsiveness. However, he couldn¡¯t give Kang Xia any responsibilities, so he must restrain himself.


    ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    After having been silent for more than ten seconds, Tang Xiu slowly asked.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Kang Xia came back to her right mind. She shook her head with a shy expression. There was panicked look in her eyes as she replied, ¡°Uh, no, nothing. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a laugh, ¡°If there¡¯s nothing, go back and rest! Dawn soon will come, and if you don¡¯t have a good sleep, you won¡¯t be spirited in work tomorrow.¡±


    Work?


    As she heard Tang Xiu mentioning this word, her heart was as though poured by a bucket of cold water. Suddenly, a bad mood filled her, feeling as though she wasn¡¯t really attractive enough for Tang Xiu, not able to tempt him. Had it been other men seeing her with only pajamas on her body and sitting on their beds, perhaps they would be already unable to endure it, throwing themselves at her. But Tang Xiu¡­


    He simply turned a blind eye!


    Anger was breeding fast inside Kang Xia¡¯s heart as she thought about it. Suddenly, she looked up at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Anyway, am I really that unattractive to you, just an employee that can make money for you?¡±


    For a moment, Tang Xiu stared blankly. As low as his emotional intelligence was, he really didn¡¯t understand why Kang Xia suddenly asked him this question. After staying silent for a moment, he then said indifferently, ¡°For any men, you have a strong attraction and allure. As for me, I don¡¯t want to be trapped within the sentiment of love. So I can¡¯t give any you responsibilities. Hence, apart from regarding you as my employee, I really don¡¯t know how to regard you otherwise.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Kang Xia¡¯s beautiful eyes stared wide as she looked at Tang Xiu.


    He¡­ does he really think of her as only his staff? A money-making tool for him?


    Tang Xiu said with all seriousness, ¡°Responsibility is not something I can give to any women whatsoever. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m inconstant in love nor such relationships, rather, I don¡¯t want to be hard-pressed with the feeling. I admit that you¡¯re an extraordinary, perfect woman, yet I can only regard you as my subordinate.¡±


    Kang Xia was quite irritated upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s argument. Anger and a feeling of loss mixed in her heart at the same time, causing her to turn incensed. Under Tang Xiu¡¯s gazing eyes, she gritted her teeth, taking off her pajamas as she stood in front of him and said, ¡°If- what if I don¡¯t want you to be held responsible for me?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu was at a complete loss, looking awkward.


    Coldly watching him, Kang Xia lifted her legs onto the bed and straightly uncovered the quilt on her body. Just as she looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s stark naked body, her expression dazed for a moment, yet she still pressed herself onto him directly.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s body turned stiff. He felt Kang Xia¡¯s lips kissing his chest as a sudden stream of heat flowed from the place under his abdomen. Facing such temptation, all the idealistic thoughts inside his mind sunk as he only pondered for a few seconds before standing up and pressing his body to hers.


    ¡°It hurts¡­¡±


    Along with tender and delicate cries, the bedroom suddenly plunged into a charming and romantic atmosphere.


    An hour later, Tang Xiu¡¯s sweat dripped as Kang Xia¡¯s body was all tired and devoid of strength. Tang Xiu felt helpless, yet he had done it. But he didn¡¯t regret it. He might be unable to give any responsibility to her, but he could give her atonement through other means, such as giving her money, or cultivation resources¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s your first time, isn¡¯t it?¡± asked Tang Xiu suddenly.


    ¡°Hmm!¡±


    Lying down under Tang Xiu, Kang Xiu nodded silently.


    ¡°You don¡¯t regret it?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Kang Xia¡¯s heart was struck down with all kinds of emotions. The feeling was so complicated that it was hard for her to describe it. She didn¡¯t know how to answer Tang Xiu¡¯s question.


    Did she regret it?


    If truth be told, she did, a little! Yet, things had already gotten to this point and she could only choose to accept what happened. She constantly consoled herself that it was only a one-night stand with Tang Xiu, nothing ever happening after dawn.


    Tang Xiu no longer asked. He knew nothing about women¡¯s thoughts and way of thinking. Moreover, he didn¡¯t want to delve into the bottom of it seriously. What was done had already been done, and it was unnecessary to ask about regret again.


    Regardless of Kang Xia¡®s reluctance, Tang Xiu hugged and picked her up, bringing her to the bathroom. He cleaned her body and then put her back on the bed. After he covered her with the blanket, Tang Xiu put on his clothes and straightly left the room.


    Inside the room, it was filled with a deadly stillness!


    Kang Xia could hear her own heartbeat. She could feel a pleasurable feeling as well as a lingering pain after what had happened. In the truest sense, a woman¡¯s first time was a kind of mesmerizing experience, for the ecstatic emotion was as though the taste of flying high in the clouds. It made her cheek feel hot.


    ¡°His disposition¡­ it seems like, he isn¡¯t totally irresponsible?¡±


    Imaginations ran wild inside her mind as she gradually fell asleep.


    Tang Xiu returned back to his room. He immediately went to bed. He might have an excellent physique, but after fighting and working in bed for an hour, he almost couldn¡¯t bear it anymore.


    Shortly before noon.


    Tang Xiu was awakened by his mobile¡¯s ringtone. As he took his mobile and looked at it, finding that it was a call from his mother. He took the call and said with a smile, ¡°Hi, Mom. Something happened last night, so I drove back to Star City. I didn¡¯t tell you because it was late night.¡±


    Su Lingyun¡¯s voice came, ¡°Indeed. I was wondering why you hadn¡¯t gotten up, so I went to your room and you weren¡¯t there, even your car wasn¡¯t in front of the house. Anyways, when will you come back, Xiu¡¯er?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t go back there for a while, Mom. Anyway, I¡¯ll call Su Ben and Su Quan to come to Star City since I promised them a job. Also, I might be out of town not long from now and I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll be back. But please don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be back before school starts,¡± said Tang Xiu


    Su Lingyun was surprised, ¡°Out of town? Are you going traveling or is it a business trip?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of a business trip. But I also plan to go out and play. Ah, right. I¡¯ll also take Yinyin with me, so you don¡¯t need to worry about her,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Su Lingyun laughed, ¡°Alright. If there¡¯s anything, call me. I¡¯ll be taking care of your grandmother for a few days more before going back to Star City. That¡¯s right, Su Xiangfei is also coming back.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face changed as a chilling light burst out from his eyes. Su Xiangfei never went back to school after his family had an accident nor did he participate in the CET. Tang Xiu also knew that something happened with the Su family. After their assets were confiscated, Su Xiangfei and Su Yanning¡¯s traces disappeared.


    And now, he was back to their hometown in Qinghe County. What was he going to do?


    ¡°Mom, did that guy trouble you?¡±


    ¡°No. He seems to have changed into a different person. He¡¯s very sensible and thoughtful now. Not even half a word did he mention about what you did to his family. Don¡¯t you worry, Xiu¡¯er! Although Xiangfei was spoiled by his parents, his nature is good. As long as he thoroughly repents for his mistakes and becomes a better person, it¡¯s no problem for me. Besides, he¡¯s my own nephew, after all,¡± said Su Lingyun.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Mom, I know he¡¯s your nephew. But the only person in this world who will never hurt you is me! We mustn¡¯t lose our guard as we don¡¯t know people¡¯s hearts, so you must pay attention to your safety. How about I help you find two bodyguards later to protect your safety. And please don¡¯t object this, Mom. Later on, when I run my business, I might offend some people. The business world is no different than a battlefield, and you¡¯re my biggest weakness. I want to guarantee your safety so I can do my things without worries.¡±

 Chapter 256

    Chapter 256: Making a Clean Break with the Past


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Su Lingyun said, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, I understand your concern and I agree with you. But I believe that Xiangfei¡¯s basic nature isn¡¯t absolutely bad. Even your uncle¡­ Su Shangwen lost his basic nature because of money. He used to be a good person before, very kind, and used to take care of the family. He also really helped us a lot all these years living in Star City. So, Xiu¡¯er, you have to find a way to save him if he repent in prison.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Mom!¡± Tang Xiu complied.


    At Qinghe County, Su Village.


    Su Xiangfei quietly leaned on the courtyard wall whilst smoking a cigarette. He clearly heard the conversation between Su Lingyun and Tang Xiu.


    He felt hatred! Yet, he didn¡¯t know for whom he should point his hatred to.


    He experienced too many things in these couple of months. Despite considering himself very strong in bearing pressure, yet hid in the home of his sister¡¯s classmate for many days. Smoking and drinking every day, living a life that was even worse than death.


    Tang Xiu was was the one he wanted to hate because he knew that Tang Xiu was the one who harmed his family. However, as he pondered and recalled everything that had happened, he suddenly realized that his family was indeed the one that pretty much bullied his aunt and cousin using their riches and powerful status.


    As he recalled about that time, if not for the police finding that evidence, it would¡¯ve been Tang Xiu going to jail instead of his parents.


    Two lines of tears fell down from Su Xiangfei¡¯s eyes as he heard his aunt¡¯s words. Prior to this, he used to think that his aunt was a very weak person and easy to bully. He used to watch his parents bully her, yet he acted as though he was watching a drama play. But now, after he heard his aunt, all sort of mixed feelings filled his heart.


    ¡°Pa¡­¡±


    He threw the cigarette butt to the ground and fiercely extinguished it with his tiptoe. He then turned around and went straight to Su Lingyun and knelt.


    ¡°Auntie, I¡¯m really sorry.¡±


    Su Lingyun was shocked by Su Xiangfei¡¯s action. She looked at him with disbelief as she opened her mouth but not knowing what to say. She lifted her phone but didn¡¯t end the call, whereas her son at the other end of the phone was also silent.


    After a long period of time, Su Lingyun sobered up from her daze. She quickly propped Su Xiangfei up as she sighed and said sincerely and earnestly, ¡°Xiangfei, no matter how bad our discords, we¡¯re relatives, after all; family members. Xiu¡¯er was only afraid of me being bullied. You¡¯re older than him so you should be able to understand more about this, so don¡¯t blame him.¡±


    Su Xiangfei said bitterly, ¡°Auntie, I don¡¯t blame him. Just like what you just said, it was because my father¡¯s mind was muddled by wealth, whereas I was also too full of myself. I did frame him initially. If it wasn¡¯t discovered, perhaps he would be the one in jail now, not my parents. So I don¡¯t hate him.¡±


    A happy expression was revealed on Su Lingyun¡¯s face. She gently patted his shoulder and said, ¡°Xiangfei. It¡¯s good that you don¡¯t hate him. Don¡¯t you worry though! Xiu¡¯er is someone who lives up to his word. He said to your grandmother that after two years, he will certainly get your father out of jail.¡±


    Su Xiangfei nodded heavily and said, ¡°Auntie, the reason I came to my senses and woke up is actually due to my father. When he tried to commit suicide before he was arrested, he was hospitalized and I heard him shouting your name in his coma, apologizing to you. At that moment I knew that father regretted for everything he did to you.¡±


    Sparking and translucent tears overflowed from Su Lingyun¡¯s eyes. For her blood brother, if he could wake up and treat her as a relative and then become a good person, even if she had to pay a huge price, she was willing.


    ¡°Xiangfei, stay with your grandma at home. Wait for a few days, and then we¡¯ll go back to Star City together to see your father!¡±


    ¡°Alright, Auntie!¡± Su Xiangfei nodded heavily.


    However, the trace of a smile that had just appeared on his face quickly dissipated. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, he said in a low voice, ¡°Auntie, if my older sister can¡¯t think this through and continue hating you and Tang Xiu, please don¡¯t blame her. She¡­¡±


    Su Lingyun shook her head as she sighed, ¡°I can understand if she hates me and Tang Xiu. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m, after all, her aunt. I¡¯ll talk to her well when I see her.¡±


    ¡°She left for Shanghai!¡± said Su Xiangfei.


    ¡°What will she do there?¡± asked Su Lingyun with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°She said that she would live with her classmate, find a job and settle there,¡± said Su Xiangfei.


    Su Lingyun was silent for a moment. Then, she nodded and said slowly, ¡°Your cousin will also go study in Shanghai soon. After he has settled there, I¡¯ll ask him to find your sister.¡±


    Su Xiangfei was silent for a moment before he nodded and slowly replied, ¡°Thank you, auntie. Please tell my cousin that I indeed behaved badly before.¡±


    At this time, Tang Xiu¡¯s voice came through the phone, ¡°Mom, please pass cell phone to Xiangfei.¡±


    As Su Lingyun heard it, she quickly handed her mobile to Su Xiangfei, saying, ¡°Your cousin wants to talk to you!¡±


    A complex expression was revealed on Su Xiangfei¡¯s face. He took the phone but didn¡¯t speak.


    Then, Tang Xiu¡¯s voice was transmitted, ¡°Xiangfei, I don¡¯t care whether you¡¯re truly sincere in repenting or faking it. Do remember, if you dare to do something that hurts my mother, I¡¯ll make you experience the most miserable taste in this world. But, if you¡¯re truly able to turn a new leaf in life and kindly treat our relatives, I can promise to give you a rapid progress in your life.¡±


    Su Xiangfei replied in a bitter tone, ¡°Having a rapid progress in life? I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯d be just like my father, losing myself after progressing rapidly. Cousin¡­ Tang Xiu, I¡¯d rather write off everything that happened before. Auntie has treated me kindly, so I won¡¯t let her down. Also, I¡¯ll be taking out my time to come back, staying with grandma and looking after her.¡±


    ¡°Remember your own words,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Having said that, Tang Xiu hung up the phone directly.


    He wasn¡¯t someone who was over suspicious of anyone, yet he still couldn¡¯t trust Su Xiangfei fully. Therefore, after thinking for a moment, he dialed the number Kuwako Kitamiya had given him.


    ¡°Kuwako Kitamiya speaking, may I ask who is this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ Boss?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Kuwako Kitamiya¡¯s tone immediately turned more respectful as she asked, ¡°Do you have any command for me, Boss?¡±


    ¡°Have you returned to Japan?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Kuwako Kitamiya shook her head and said, ¡°Not yet, Boss. Their injuries are serious. We are still somewhere in Star City. We¡¯re preparing to go back in two days.¡±


    ¡°Are there any female ninjas in your Northstar One Blade School? Ones that are loyal to you?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Kuwako Kitamiya replied confidently, ¡°I have four attendants who have accepted severe training from Northstar One Blade School. But I didn¡¯t bring them along with me this time. Also, I¡¯ll use the Soul Ruling Spell on them when I go back, to make them more loyal.¡±


    ¡°Do they speak Mandarin?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Yes! They are fluent in Japanese, Mandarin, English, French, and German,¡± said Kuwako Kitamiya respectfully.


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°In that case, after you use the Soul Ruling Spell, send two of them to Star City to protect my mother secretly. I¡¯ll send my mother¡¯s information to you later.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Kuwako Kitamiya said respectfully.


    Tang Xiu hung up the phone. He edited the information about his mother and then sent it to Kuwako. After that, he got dressed, brushed his teeth and washed his face as he went to the hall on the first floor.


    A faint scent of food came from the dining room.


    ¡°You woke up? It¡¯s lunchtime.¡±


    Kang Xia carried tow dishes from the kitchen and showed a sweet smile when she saw Tang Xiu.


    Looking at her, Tang Xiu realized that Kang Xia was walking in an awkward manner. He suddenly understood the reason, yet, he had no choice but lament about the mysteriousness of the creatures called humans. Kang Xia was so tired she could barely move a finger and had no strength before this, yet she was so energetic now. Looking at her bright and spirited appearance, she seemed more beautiful and breathtaking.


    _¡®Yuan Chuling was right! There are only dead-tired cows on Earth, and no land has ever gone bad after being plowed.¡¯_


    Tang Xiu secretly sighed as he walked to the dining room, smiling.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    Gu Yin had sat at the dining table and looked full of joy as she saw Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival.


    Tang Xiu stroked her small head and said with a smile, ¡°Let¡¯s eat! Also, a few days later, I¡¯ll take you along with me to Jingmen Island.¡±


    ¡°Hmm!¡±


    Gu Yin didn¡¯t care about where they would go, she only cared about being together with Tang Xiu.


    Jingmen Island?


    Kang Xia, who was just put the dishes on the table, suddenly had a change in expression upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words. The both of them had just an intimate event, so she became especially concerned about Tang Xiu. If Tang Xiu was to go somewhere, she might not care about it. But she was a bit worried if he went to Jingmen Island.


    It was because Ouyang Lulu lived there, and she was on Jingmen Island now!


    Kang Xia tried hard to make her expression look normal as she asked, ¡°Boss, what are you taking Yinyin to Jingmen Island for? Is it to play or there¡¯s something else?¡±


    Clueless about her thoughts, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°I¡¯m gonna take her to see her Senior Sister as well as take her on a trip abroad along the way. I had bought an island in the Pacific Ocean before, of which I hadn¡¯t seen it yet. So I¡¯m going there before college starts. Ah, right. I don¡¯t have a passport either. Can you help me handling the passport applications for me and Yinyin?¡±


    Kang Xia secretly relaxed. Yet, she was secretly astonished when she heard that Tang Xiu also had another apprentice that turned out to be a woman. Then, she said, ¡°Boss, you need to apply for a passport by yourself, and it also takes a bit of time to get it. But if you find Long Zhengyu, he should be able to get it.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°Then I¡¯ll ask his help. Come sit down and let¡¯s eat! We gotta take care of our bodies.¡±


    Take care of the body?


    Suddenly, Kang Xia recalled what happened between the two of them. A charming, shy expression was instantly revealed on her face as she lowered her head and sat down in front of the table.


    Gu Yin raised up her small face and asked, ¡°Master, is Senior Sister¡¯s temper good? Would she take a liking to Yinyin?¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled, ¡°Your Senior Sister is injured and in a coma. Her temper is very good, however. Besides, you look like her when she was small. I think she¡¯ll certainly like you.¡±


    ¡°Hmm!¡± Gu Yin nodded cutely.


    Kang Xia then asked with a confused expression, ¡°How many apprentices do you have exactly, Boss?¡±


    ¡°There are four presently!¡± replied Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Kang Xia continued, ¡°I only know Chen Zhizhong and Gu Yin, and the one who¡¯s working in the hospital. Who¡¯s the other one? Why haven¡¯t I heard it from you before?¡±


    Tang Xiu answered with a pale smile, ¡°Some things are kinda inconvenient to say. Wait until later, then you¡¯ll know about her.¡±

 Chapter 257

    Chapter 257: First Meeting


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    After lunch, Kang Xia left South Gate Town in a hurry. The Magnificent Tang Corporation was exactly at the initial stage and there was a lot of things she had to manage personally. Even if Tang Xiu gave her a day off, she wouldn¡¯t agree to it.


    Tang Xiu left his villa¡¯s courtyard and found his Land Rover parked on the roadside outside. He went back to the villa and took the car keys. After that, he drove to Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. His fellow villagers came to be hospitalized in Star City and even though he made a call to arrange everything for them, he still had to go there and see them. They watched him as he grew up, after all.


    At Star City Chinese Medical Hospital.


    Tang Xiu parked the car in the parking area and walked toward the Inpatient Department. On the way there, he called Dai Xinyue and asked her the ward number for the five injured villagers.


    At the President¡¯s office.


    As Li Hongji was reviewing the documents he was suddenly struck with happiness as well as feeling quite regretful. It was regretful that the hospital only had a few rooms, whereas there were a lot of patients being admitted every day. It was joyful because Star City Chinese Medical Hospital became quite famous now, even the big and more famous hospitals in the country had contacted him.


    ¡°If only¡­ Tang Xiu could forever stay, it would¡¯ve been great. Sigh! If he was willing to stay I¡¯d really willing to give the president position to him.¡±


    As he finished reading the documents, Li Hongji shook his head and sighed.


    ¡°Ring, ring, ring¡­¡±


    As his cell phone rang, his brows furrowed. He took the mobile and saw the caller ID. His eyes suddenly turned bright. After he answered the call, he spoke with a very amiable tone, ¡°Hello Xinyue! Is there something you need? Is your Master coming to our Star City Chinese Medical Hospital?¡±


    ¡°Yes! My Master is going to the Inpatient Department to visit his fellow villagers there.¡± Dai Xinyue¡¯s voice came through the phone.


    A happy expression was written on Li Hongji¡¯s face as he immediately said, ¡°Did you tell him my request to report if he came to the hospital?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did!¡± said Dai Xinyue.


    The smile on Li Hongji¡¯s face became thicker. Since Tang Xiu didn¡¯t disagree, that meant Tang Xiu wouldn¡¯t mind seeing him. When he thought up to there, he immediately said it to Dai Xinyue as he hung up the phone and came out of the President¡¯s office.


    Inside the Inpatient Department ward.


    Su Jiande was half-leaning on the sickbed while eating a piece of an apple peeled by his daughter. At the same time, he spoke to the patient on the next bed who was just being admitted with a joyfully satisfied expression, ¡°The Divine Doctor you just mentioned, I know who he is. Not only do I know him, I also know where his family lives!¡±


    The patient on the next bed was a white-haired old man with a son and daughter at his bedside. Upon hearing Su Jiande¡¯s words, the old man¡¯s daughter replied quickly, ¡°You know where he lives? Really? I heard that this Divine Doctor comes and goes without giving notice. He also has no fixed time for his medical service in Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. My dad has asked the hospital¡¯s president, and he didn¡¯t even know when Divine Doctor Tang would come over to give medical services.¡±


    Su Jiande smiled at her, replying, ¡°Considering that you know the president, I can tell that you¡¯re not an ordinary person. Do you know why we can stay in this ward? It¡¯s because Tang Xiu made a phone call to the hospital¡¯s leader. Also, I watched him grow up. That child is sensible, thoughtful and intelligent, so it¡¯s no wonder that he became a Divine Doctor. Hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°Uncle Jiande, you¡¯re overpraising me way too much. It kinda makes me embarrassed.¡±


    A voice came from the outside as Tang Xiu¡¯s figure appeared at the door.


    A pleasantly surprised expression was immediately written on the faces of Su Jiande as well as the other Su villagers. Su Jiande was struggling to get up, but Tang Xiu stopped him.


    ¡°Uncle Jiande, you¡¯re injured, so don¡¯t get up. We¡¯re relatives, after all, so we can cut ceremonies between us. How is it? Have your injuries recovered?¡± Tang Xiu smiled at him and asked.


    Su Jiande said excitedly, ¡°The recovery is great. The doctors said I only need ten to fifteen days before I can leave the hospital. Tang Xiu, it¡¯s really you! But, weren¡¯t you going to Qinghe County? How come you¡¯re back in Star City now?¡±


    ¡°Everything has been handled well at home, and the culprit who injured you has apologized and admitted their mistakes. They also paid compensation. So that¡¯s the end of the incident. As for me, I have things to take care of, so I came back to Star City.¡±


    Immediately after, Tang Xiu greeted the other villages inside the ward. Although he was rich and powerful at present, as well as being hailed as a Divine Doctor in this hospital, he didn¡¯t act arrogant and his attitude was as modest as always.


    On the next sickbed, the white-haired old man who was half-seated on the bed head was looking at Tang Xiu with a curious expression. His children were also doing the same. They had heard that Divine Doctor Tang was very young, but it was out of their imagination that he would be this young.


    Seeing Tang Xiu and the fellow Su villagers greeting each other, the old man then smiled and said, ¡°Heroes truly come from the youth! I have heard that Divine Doctor Tang is a young man, but to be this young is beyond my imagination. Divine Doctor Tang, you come and leave as if it¡¯s a coincidence, might I ask you to check my sickness right now?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at the old man with a slight vigilance in his eyes. Just when he came to the Inpatient Department, he realized something unusual. In the entire Inpatient Department, there were at least 20 men in casual suits watching the stairs and elevators. There were also several stern-looking men at the ward corridor who seemed to be martial arts experts who were also intentionally watching the ward.


    Hence, he already guessed that the old man¡¯s identity was definitely extraordinary. Furthermore, he felt that the old man was somewhat familiar, but he couldn¡¯t remember where he had seen him.


    After a moment of silence, he asked, ¡°What is your illness?¡±


    The old man smiled wryly, ¡°It¡¯s asthma, a chronic one for many years. It¡¯s getting more and more serious nowadays. Hence, when I heard that Star City Chinese Medical Hospital has a Divine Doctor on duty, my children brought me here from Beijing.¡±


    ¡°How should I address you?¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    The old man laughed, ¡°My family name is also Tang, our whole family should come from the same line about 500 years ago.¡±


    Family name Tang, from Beijing?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows furrowed. Although Su Lingyun didn¡¯t disclose too much information about his father to him, yet she had told him that his father came from Beijing and was also surnamed Tang. However, he shook his head secretly, because he didn¡¯t believe that such coincidence could happen in the world.


    Furthermore, that father who had no affection for him whatsoever should have nothing to do with them. This family¡¯s background wasn¡¯t simple. If he was related to this family, would he even possibly take a liking to his mother who was only an ordinary woman from the countryside?


    Tang Xiu looked at the old man¡¯s smiling face and lightly said, ¡°To be honest, I have no good impression on the people surnamed Tang. If I could, I really wanted my surname to be Su. Anyways, asthma is very easy to treat. The illness¡¯ problem is inside the lungs. Please wait until your family takes you to the consultation room and I¡¯ll treat you there.¡±


    ¡°Knock, knock¡­¡±


    The door was knocked as Li Hongji, accompanied by two hospital¡¯s leaders, strode inside. When he saw Tang Xiu, he immediately spoke excitedly, ¡°Tang Xiu, you really came! You know, I¡¯m really excited as well as in distress right now. If you didn¡¯t come, I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯d have to visit you.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Tang Xiu said with a puzzled expression, ¡°Is there something you need me for?¡±


    Li Hongji forced a smile, ¡°Of course there are matters that need you! Because of you, our Star City Chinese Medical Hospital has become well-known throughout the country. You¡¯ve cured those hard-to-treat internal illnesses and also treated a lot of patients who came from other regions of the country, who can¡¯t be treated by the outstanding doctors from many large hospitals. Hence, you¡¯re the most dazzling supernova in the medical world. Don¡¯t tell me that you didn¡¯t realize it when you come to the hospital? This Inpatient Department is already filled with patients coming from all over the country, even each corridor on every floor is temporarily filled with sickbeds. The 50 beds we bought yesterday are far from adequate; there are a lot of patients lying in the corridors.¡±


    Tang Xiu was dazed and said with disbelief, ¡°The fame of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital has really become so big?¡±


    Li Hongji forced out a smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s absolutely true!¡±


    Tang Xiu touched his nose and said lightly, ¡°It seems that I ought to lessen the number of times I give medical service here. Tall trees attract the wind, whereas I myself never liked to stand in the limelight.¡±


    He then turned his head and spoke to the old man, ¡°How about this, let your children take you to the consultation room? I¡¯ll examine you there. Afterwards, you can save the time and leave right away.¡±


    Li Hongji looked at the old man as an unusual light flashed in his eyes. He then quickly said, ¡°Senior Chief, since Tang Xiu is willing to give you treatment, you¡¯ll finally be able to be cured of your asthma!¡±


    He believed in Tang Xiu because he knew one thing- Sun Wenjing¡¯s mother. She was an old lady who was suffering of a middle stage liver cancer and was cured by Tang Xiu!


    It¡¯d simply be a joke if a divine doctor who had been able to cure a middle stage liver cancer of an old woman was unable to cure asthma. Hence, he was pretty confident in Tang Xiu.


    Senior Official?


    Tang Xiu frowned. A picture suddenly flashed inside his mind. He suddenly understood as to why he felt that this old man looked somewhat familiar. He was one of the top leaders of the country and could be grouped within the top 10 influential figures throughout the country. He used to watch him on TV news before.


    The old man frowned and replied in a low voice, ¡°President Li, haven¡¯t I told you to not call me that? It¡¯s fine calling me Old Tang.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, yes, yes!¡±


    Li Hongji quickly let out an obsequiously smile and said.


    The old man looked at Tang Xiu as he smiled and said, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, I¡¯ll have to trouble you then. If there¡¯s anything to be prepared in advance, you can tell President Li directly.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded slightly, ¡°Prepare a basin of warm water and clean towels. Also, prepare for me some medical alcohol along with alcohol cotton.¡±


    The hospital leader who accompanied Li Hongji behind immediately said, ¡°I¡¯ll go prepare them at once.¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand as he then spoke to Li Hongji, ¡°I must take a trip abroad for a few days. If I can handle the matters ahead of schedule, I¡¯ll still have some time before college starts, so I¡¯ll come to the hospital and give medical services for a few days. But if I come back late, I won¡¯t be able to give medical services here anymore! I¡¯ll only have time again when vacation comes. About those patients coming from all over the country, the hospital still has other doctors, so you can let them handle it!¡±


    As Li Hongji heard it, a bitter and sour expression immediately covered his face. The hospital had received so many external patients. If Tang Xiu was to put down his workload, perhaps he, as the top leader, would be unable to withstand it! After all, there were a lot of people among the patients that had extraordinary backgrounds. Even though they paled in comparison with the one in front of them, some people were really not good to offend.

 Chapter 258

    Chapter 258: An Unexpected Turn of Events


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Li Hongji hesitated for a moment before carefully asking, ¡°Tang Xiu, you don¡¯t need to wait for a few days before going abroad! Can you spare two days before you leave? Besides, those patients are kinda pitiful, and they come from faraway places! If they can¡¯t see you, they will be very disappointed! You can rest assured that, after you¡¯ve given medical service for two days, I¡¯ll immediately announce your leave because of an important matter, saying you won¡¯t come back to our Star City Chinese Medical hospital within a short time.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before nodding, ¡°So be it then! I have something to do tomorrow, but after I¡¯m done with it I¡¯ll come here give treatment for two days.¡±


    Pleasantly surprised, Li Hongji said, ¡°Great! I¡¯ll inform everyone immediately!¡±


    ¡°Knock, knock¡­¡±


    The ward¡¯s door was knocked.


    As he looked at the crowd of people outside who were about to enter the room, Tang Xiu stared blankly for a moment as a surprised expression filled his eyes. It was because he knew someone from among them, the Seaside Strait Manor¡¯s owner in Jingmen Island, Tang Dong.


    The expression on the old man¡¯s face on the sickbed turned gloomy as he asked with a heavy tone, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Tang Dong himself was obviously surprised upon seeing Tang Xiu here. He faced Tang Xiu and nodded at him. Forcing out a smile, he then replied to the old man, ¡°Uncle, my father heard that you¡¯re visiting Star City for treatment, so he wanted me to come and see you. Moreover, I also have acquaintances in Star City. Hence, my visit this time is also to deliver a number of goods to him ready to trade.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± The old man snorted coldly, ¡°It¡¯s damn rare for your father to remember me, eh?! So be it. Since you have come and have also seen me, just go and take care of your business!¡±


    Tang Dong smiled wryly, ¡°Uncle, even if I want to take care of my business, I¡¯ll still have to find my acquaintance first! If I leave now, I won¡¯t be able to conclude the business transaction.¡±


    The old man shouted angrily, ¡°Whether you¡¯re able or unable to do your business, how the hell would it be related to this place? You¡¯re an adult, yet how could you be so frivolous? Would it be even possible for you to do your business transaction here? Hmph¡­¡±


    Tang Dong forced out a wry smile, ¡°Uncle, the person I¡¯m gonna have a transaction with, is exactly here.¡±


    The old man was surprised for a moment before he flew into a rage.


    At this moment, a trace of smile revealed on Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he said, ¡°Tang Dong, how many cargoes did you bring this time?¡±


    Tang Dong extended his fingers as he smiled, ¡°Five.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°Where are they?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve sent some people to escort them to the previous place we had a transaction. I originally wanted to see my uncle before calling you! But I never thought I would bump into you here. How is it? You also have relatives or friends being hospitalized here?¡±


    Tang Xi pointed to the two villagers on the sickbeds and replied, ¡°Yes, they are injured, so I came to see them. It¡¯s the same for me. I didn¡¯t expect such a coincidence, this elderly turning out to be your uncle. President Li, even if I don¡¯t speak, perhaps your hospital is even afraid to charge him for the hospitalization and medical treatment fees, right?¡±


    Li Hongji let out an embarrassed smile, ¡°Of course, of course!¡±


    The old man partly sat on the sickbed head as he looked at Tang Dong and Tang Xiu with astonishment. He didn¡¯t expect that his nephew would know Tang Xiu and even had business deals with him. Out of curiosity, he asked, ¡°Tang Dong, your cooperation with Divine Doctor Tang, what kind of business is it?¡±


    Divine Doctor Tang?


    Tang Dong looked at Tang Xiu with a strange expression and replied truthfully, ¡°Uncle, you too know about our family¡¯s manor! Tang Xiu bought those fierce beasts¡¯ bones as well as the other materials from its body for a high price. I already sold him four dead fierce beasts and its bones, and this time I brought five.¡±


    The old man was astonished, ¡°Doctor Tang, what are you making in the end? Aside from being a doctor in this hospital, you seem to also be a student. Have you started your own business?¡±


    Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°I do have a little business that makes some money and support my family. You have a distinguished status, so you don¡¯t know the hardships of little people like us!¡±


    The old man was speechless.


    He was surnamed Tang and was called Tang Guosheng, whereas his children at the bedside were Tang Yunpeng and Tang Min.


    At this moment, Tang Yunpeng frowned, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, although my father has a high status, he still understands the hardships of the people! If you know nothing about him, I ask that you don¡¯t talk irresponsibly like this!¡±


    Tang Xiu shot a cold glance at him and didn¡¯t reply.


    Tang Guosheng scolded in a low voice, ¡°Yunpeng, don¡¯t talk rubbish!¡±


    Despite scolding, he was secretly surprised inside. He could tell that Tang Xiu had correctly guessed his identity, yet he didn¡¯t have the slightest fear of him. It was as if his status and identity was nothing. He knew that if ordinary people knew his identity, he was certain that they would be greatly shocked and would immediately start acting respectfully in front of him. For example, the President of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, Li Hongji.


    Tang Yunpeng showed a slightly forced smile as he got scolded. He intended to give Tang Xiu a lesson, but the latter was, after all, a divine doctor, and his father¡¯s illness also needed his treatment. So he could only repress the idea inside his heart.


    Looking at Tang Xiu, Tang Guosheng laughed, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, I made you laugh at me. These children of mine are good for nothing and love to talk rubbish, so please ignore them. It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve never thought that you¡¯d have such a great ability despite being so young.¡±


    Tang Xiu said indifferently, ¡°No problem.¡±


    Tang Dong, on the other hand, could see the indifference on Tang Xiu¡¯s expression. He quickly said, ¡°Tang Xiu, I really never knew that you¡¯d unexpectedly be a Divine Doctor. Had I known it earlier, I would¡¯ve already asked you to examine my uncle.¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°Treating it now isn¡¯t too late! Even though he has some breathing problems, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem for him to live for more eight to ten years! After I¡¯ve cured his asthma, he could still live for more than ten years.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Tang Dong was pleasantly surprised.


    Tang Dong¡¯s complexion suddenly flickered. He suddenly recalled something and quickly said, ¡°Tang Xiu, since you¡¯re hailed as a Divine Doctor that even my uncle flew from thousands of miles to Star City for your treatment, then, could¡­ could it be possible for you to treat my Third Brother? If you can treat him, I¡¯ll give all the fierce beasts¡¯ bodies and bones to you for free, I¡¯ll not ask a dime for them!¡±


    Tang Guosheng on the sickbed, Tang Yunpeng and Tang Min at the bedside, all of them had their spirits startled as their eyes instantly stared at Tang Xiu intensely.


    All would be delivered for free?


    Tang Xiu looked at Tang Dong with astonishment. One must know that the price of a fierce beast¡¯s body and bones was around five million yuan, and it would continue rising later on! And this man said he would send all of them to him for free? The price itself, wasn¡¯t it rather too big a number?


    ¡°What¡¯s his illness?¡±


    Tang Dong replied with a heavy tone, ¡°His brain was hit hard and he has been in a coma for 19 years. The most famous medical experts throughout the world have determined that he is in a vegetative state.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°If there¡¯s an opportunity, I¡¯ll try it. But I¡¯m very busy for the time being, so I have no time.¡±


    Tang Guosheng asked anxiously, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, y-you¡­ you can treat someone in a vegetative state?¡±


    Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°Whether or not I can treat it, I can only tell after I examine him. He has been in a coma for 19 years, yet he¡¯s still alive until now. It seems that you have spent quite the laborious efforts!¡±


    A painful expression flashed on Tang Guosheng¡¯s face. He tightly gripped his wrinkled palm. After a few seconds of silence, he said bitterly, ¡°He¡¯s my youngest son. He was 25 years old when he entered into a vegetative state, and coincidentally, he was injured in this Star City.¡±


    Star City?


    Tang Xiu was stupefied as his heart turned tense all of a sudden.


    After being silent for a moment, Tang Xiu asked with a deep tone, ¡°What¡¯s the name of your youngest son?¡±


    ¡°Tang Yunde!¡± Tang Guosheng answered in a low and deep tone.


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion changed greatly and turned pale, disbelief showing in his eyes.


    Tang Yunde?


    It was a familiar name yet an unfamiliar one, for which he firmly carved it inside his hear for twenty years. And for all these years the owner of this name was also the target of his hatred.


    Tang Guosheng was flabbergasted as he looked at Tang Xiu, ¡°Divine doctor Tang, how come you¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu glared at Tang Guosheng with a coldness suffusing inside his eyes as he asked a series of question, ¡°Tang Yunde? Did he live in seclusion 19 years ago in Star City? 25 years old at that time? Comes from Beijing? And was once a famous soldier?¡±


    Tang Guosheng was astonished, ¡°How did you know about that?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s unsightly face turned grimmer. He understood in an instant. He then turned to look at Li Hongji and snapped with a stern tone, ¡°GET THEM OUT OF STAR CITY CHINESE MEDICAL HOSPITAL, AND GET THE HELL OUT OF STAR CITY. I WILL NEVER TREAT HIS ILLNESS EVEN IF HE DIES!!¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    Li Hongji was shocked. He was dumbstruck and stupefied as Tang Xiu suddenly raged violently.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes were as though a wolf¡¯s, watching Tang Guosheng, Tang Yunpeng, Tang Min as well as Tang Dong with icy, deadpan eyes. He turned around and rapidly left. Only when he was on the stairs did he stop. Leaning his back against the wall, he panted roughly.


    Tang Yunde!


    How he used to hate the owner of this name. He originally thought he would no longer hate him after he had grown up, even believing that any contact between them would never occur.


    Yet, he suddenly heard this man¡¯s name and even saw his father and siblings. The accumulation of hatred that had been buried deep inside his heart for so many years erupted once more.


    This hatred was not for himself, but it was for his lonely and forsaken mother who brought him up.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s hands were trembling. He took out a cigarette pack from his pocket, lit it up and deeply sucked it twice. Slowly, the anger inside his innermost world returned back to normal.


    Inside the ward.


    The Tang Family was shocked by Tang Xiu¡¯s reaction. They were clueless as to why Tang Xiu would show them such an intense hatred. Tang Xiu¡¯s expression just now, it made them think they were his mortal enemies.


    What happened?


    Tang Guosheng¡¯s lips shivered and wriggled a few times. He looked at the door in a daze. Suddenly, he seemed to realize something as his eyes turned wide with disbelief. He then shouted with a stern voice, ¡°Quickly catch up to him! Find him and bring him back!¡±


    Tang Yunpeng awoke from his daze, asking with a confused expression despite sobering up, ¡°Father, what kind of situation is this?¡±


    Tang Guosheng was as if unable to hear his son¡¯s question. Inside his mind, he repeatedly recalled the call from his youngest son before he turned into a vegetative state:


    ¡°Father! You will be a grandfather again. Little Yun is pregnant now, it¡¯s been three months already¡­¡±


    Could it be¡­


    Tang Guosheng¡¯s old body was slightly trembling. He knew that he had a missing grandson or granddaughter that he had never seen. 19 years ago, he had sent a large number of people to find his youngest son¡¯s wife¡ªhis daughter-in-law whom he had never met before.


    However, he only knew that his youngest son¡¯s wife was called Little Yun, there was no other information. Therefore, they were naturally unable to find anything from the investigation. He always imagined that his youngest son would wake up one day, and then he would hear from him about his daughter-in-law and his granddaughter or grandson.


    Unfortunately, he was struck with disappointment.

 Chapter 259

    Chapter 259: Only as Strangers


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Yunpeng watched his father¡¯s constantly changing expression with eyes full of curiosity, whereas Tang Min and Tang Dong looked confused, as they were clueless about what kind of situation they were in.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you chasing him!¡±


    Tang Guosheng came out from his daze and immediately called out as he saw that his children were still there.


    Tang Yunpeng hesitated for a while. Then, he turned around and walked out of the ward. As he entered the corridor outside, he was still figuring out the whole process. He waved to a bodyguard in casual attire and asked, ¡°The young man who just came out of the ward, where did he go?¡±


    The guard pointed to the stairs, ¡°There!¡±


    Tang Yunpeng nodded and strode toward the stairs. Just as he reached there, he saw Tang Xiu leaning on the wall, looking gloomy and smoking a cigarette.


    ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, I want to know the reason you acted like that.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at him with a cold and detached expression, ¡°You have neither the right nor the qualification. Even your father doesn¡¯t have that right either. If I¡¯m not mistaken, at that time, Tang Yunde was expelled from your family and then came to Star City alone, am I right?¡±


    Tang Yunpeng knitted his brows as he asked, ¡°How do you know so much about my youngest brother¡¯s situation?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°I know very little, but these are enough for my family to detest your Tang Family. So I¡¯m telling you to not provoke me. Your Tang Family might be big and powerful, but if I want to destroy you, it¡¯s still within my capabilities.¡±


    The frown on Tang Yunpeng¡¯s face grew deeper as he continued asking, ¡°You seem very hostile toward us. Do my Tang Family and yours have any hatred and grudges?¡±


    Tang Xiu sneered, ¡°A grudge? How I wish that it was only a grudge! Just forget it, I already told you that I cannot treat your father¡¯s illness. Do your best to deal with it yourself.¡± Having said that, he walked downstairs.


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    A loud voice reverberated. It wasn¡¯t Tang Yunpeng but Tang Guosheng who came with someone propping him up.


    Tang Xiu stopped and looked at him coldly.


    Tang Guosheng stopped in front of Tang Xiu. He prudently looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s features for a long while before muttering, ¡°You look like him, at least 60 percent! Twenty years ago, I almost turned Star City inside out, but still, I failed to find my youngest daughter-in-law, a woman called Little Yun. Since Yunde suddenly got injured and turned into a vegetative state, it¡¯s already been twenty years that I¡¯ve been hoping for him to wake up, so he that can tell me personally that woman¡¯s full name. At that very same time yesteryear, he told me that she was already pregnant and lived here!¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    Tang Yunpeng and Tang Xiu exclaimed out in alarm without them realizing. Even Tang Dong¡¯s eyes turned wide, disbelief shooting out from his eyes.


    They all knew about this matter, and it had been a long time they had been seeking for the answer!


    Could it be¡­


    The three people¡¯s eyes looked at Tang Xiu intensely.


    Tang Xiu was silent. He knew nothing of the actual facts that had happened that year. If that man suddenly went missing because he was severely injured and turned into a vegetative state and then was brought back to the capital, should he hate him for this?


    Finally, Tang Xiu slowly raised his head and looked at the excited Tang Guosheng, saying indifferently, ¡°That¡¯s your family¡¯s problem, nothing of it is related to me whatsoever. I may help and treat your illness, but I want you to never again appear in Star City afterward.¡±


    Tang Guosheng walked forward a step and said with all solemnness, ¡°If you¡¯re my¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand to interrupt him and said with a cold and detached expression, ¡°No! The more I hear that hated name, the more extreme I¡¯ll respond to it. Furthermore, I¡¯m already twenty-two and I shall have nothing whatsoever related to you. So, just go to the ward and I¡¯ll treat you there.¡±


    Twenty-two years old?


    Tang Guosheng frowned deeply. If Tang Xiu¡¯s age became the reference, he couldn¡¯t be his own grandson, yet his response and appearance were too unusual. Even if he wasn¡¯t his grandson, perhaps there was an unseparated relationship between him and his daughter-in-law.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you know about my youngest son¡¯s situation and your response is way too unusual. So, I¡¯m very sure you must know something. Please tell me, my Tang Family will certainly thank you for this.¡±


    While walking toward the ward, Tang Xiu replied with a cold and detached voice, ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less about the gratefulness of your Tang Family. You¡¯d better not to think about this messed up shit and rather focus on your asthma. If you want me to treat you, then cut the crap. If you don¡¯t want me to treat you, then don¡¯t shit much longer here and go the hell back to Beijing.¡±


    Tang Guosheng wore a complicated expression on his face. The more unusual Tang Xiu acted, the more he was certain about his suspicion. Tang Xiu must know a lot about his youngest son and his wife. Yet, with the apparent hostile attitude Tang Xiu had toward him, he felt that he must not act with undue haste.


    A strange light glinted from Tang Dong and Tang Min¡¯s eyes even though they kept silent. Tang Yunpeng, however, frowned and said with a heavy tone, ¡°Tang Xiu, you¡¯d better pay attention to your attitude.¡±


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Tang Xiu snorted coldly, ¡°You think that my attitude isn¡¯t good enough? If you feel so, then get the hell out.¡±


    Tang Yunpeng was incensed. He was a man with a prominent position and also a high-ranking official of the region. No one dared to speak to him with such attitude for many years. Furthermore, his father had a more distinguished status and was someone of equal status with the few senior statesmen of the country. Now, however, a 20-year-old young man humiliated him, causing him to want to act against Tang Xiu at once.


    Tang Guosheng raised his hand to stop Tang Yunpeng as he glared at him. Only then did he look at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to trouble you for this, Divine Doctor Tang.¡±


    After returning to the ward.


    Su Jiande saw Tang Xiu returning and quickly asked, ¡°Tang Xiu, are you alright?¡±


    Tang Xiu squeezed out a smile as he shook his head, ¡°Uncle Jiande, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Su Jiande calmed himself down from his tensed-up state.


    He was a typical countryside layman. All of his relatives were also local farmers there. They also thought that Tang Guosheng looked somewhat familiar before, and at present, they suddenly realized they had seen him on TV. He was one of the bigshot leaders of the country.


    As good-hearted as he was, he wished to urge Tang Xiu to not offend this kind of bigshot. But then, he swallowed the line that was already on the tip of his tongue.


    Tang Xiu pointed the to the sickbed and spoke with a deep tone, ¡°Take off your coat and get down with your face to the floor.¡±


    Tang Guosheng did as he was told and lied at the end of the sickbed. Although he didn¡¯t know how Tang Xiu would treat him, with the title of Divine Doctor, then it surely wouldn¡¯t be a prank.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s fingers pressed Tang Guosheng¡¯s chest center acupoints and rubbed it for half a minute. Then, he took the alcohol and alcohol cotton handed over by Li Hongji and rubbed that acupoints over and over again while his fingers pressed all the acupoints on Tang Guosheng¡¯s lungs.


    Asthma was also known as bronchial asthma. It was a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs, which involved a variety of cells and respiratory parts. If the conditions become more serious, it could lead to pneumonia.


    The chronic airways inflammation oftentimes was accompanied by the increasing of hyper-responsive respiratory tracts, leading to repeated wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing. If one wanted to cure it, besides treating the bronchial obstruction, on the other hand, one would have to ease the inflammation of the lungs.


    Tang Xiu actually had a more effective treatment method. However, Tang Guosheng¡¯s age was, after all, already advanced and not suitable for quite radical treatments, even though the effect of such treatment method was extremely excellent. Therefore, Tang Xiu could only choose the gentle method with a slightly worse effect than the first method. Yet, despite the method being gentle, it still frightened the people around.


    As one of Tang Xiu¡¯s hands took the alcohol and alcohol cotton from Li Hongji, he also took back his other hand from Tang Guosheng¡¯s lungs¡¯ acupoints. Along with the flow of his star force into the palm of his hand, Tang Xiu began to hit Tang Guosheng¡¯s back repeatedly.


    Each and every hit he did it, it caused his star force to enter Tang Guosheng¡¯s body, as he controlled the surging force toward the internal organs, lungs, and trachea until his star force gradually seeped into them.


    ¡°Cough, cough, cough¡­¡±


    A severe cough made Tang Guosheng¡¯s body tremble. His eyes turned bloated and his face turned red. Even the green veins on his forehead protruded.


    The crowd around were trembling as they watched the scene scared shitless. The Tang Family, in particular, had a thought sprout in their hearts: Tang Xiu had said that he wouldn¡¯t treat this old man, yet, would he be possible to take the chance to retaliate at this time, and then cause the old man to suffer?


    About ten minutes later, Tang Guosheng was no longer coughing. Tang Xiu slowly retracted his hands. He then washed his hands with the warm water and said indifferently, ¡°Let the senior Chinese medical doctor from the hospital make a Chinese herbal medicine prescription to raise the qi and moisten the lungs. Drink the medicine for three to five days. Anyways, President Li, he¡¯s fine now, he can already be discharged! The hospital has insufficient wards, so we might as well have it unoccupied and not delay the other patients.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Li Hongji hesitated.


    Tang Guosheng slowly got up from the sickbed at this time as he sat there, stroking his chest. A faint excited expression was revealed on his old face. He could clearly feel that his breathing was particularly smooth, very different from his usual struggle to breathe. Even his brain was much soberer and clearer than before.


    The effect that satisfied him the most was that he could feel that his body was very comfortable, as though he got a few decades younger. His body now felt a lot more relaxed.


    ¡°Leave the hospital and take care of the administration formalities immediately!¡±


    At the moment, Tang Guosheng¡¯s voice brought with it a lot more strength than before.


    Li Hongji dared not to offend Tang Xiu or Tang Guosheng. And now, he immediately felt relieved inwardly upon seeing Tang Guosheng compromising. However, his eyes had a lot more admiration when he looked at Tang Xiu now.


    Who was Tang Guosheng?


    He was one of the senior statesmen of the country! Someone with an honorable status and above hundreds of millions of people.


    Yet, Tang Xiu dared to have such attitude toward him, even Li Hongji couldn¡¯t help but slightly worship him!


    After Tang Xiu had treated Tang Guosheng, he no longer stayed at the Chinese Medical Hospital. By now, he only had one thought, that was, to immediately rush to his hometown in Qinghe County to see his mother. Prior to this, his mother had never wanted to tell him anything about this and he also didn¡¯t want to disturb and make her awkward about the matter. Yet, now was different. Since that man was still alive and also in a vegetative state, for whatever it could be, he must tell this issue to his mother.


    As for what his mother would do, he could only respect her decision.


    On the way back, he called Su Ben and Su Quan, telling them to not leave for Star City as he wanted the both of them to wait for him in the Su Village.


    Two hours later, Tang Xiu had driven back to the Su Village. When he had just parked his car outside his grandmother¡¯s courtyard, Su Ben and Su Qian came out from the house.


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡±


    Su Quan called him out.


    Tang Xiu waved at him and said, ¡°You two wait for me outside. I have something important to discuss with my mother. After we talk, I¡¯ll chat with the both of you.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Su Ben and Su Quan nodded at the same time.

 Chapter 260

    Chapter 260: The Not Unexpected Decision


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Star City, at Long¡¯s Dining Hall.


    Inside the luxurious presidential suite, Tang Guosheng sat uprightly on the living room¡¯s couch. He had stopped smoking for decades, yet he was smoking right now. Even though his children had tried to stop him, they were unable to do so. At this time, the eyebrows on his old face were deeply wrinkled as he looked at his mobile on the coffee table in front of him from time to time.


    He was waiting, waiting for the investigation result which he had ordered to be carried out after he left Star City Chinese Medical Hospital!


    ¡°Ring, ring, ring¡­¡±


    His mobile¡¯s ringtone finally sounded. The call Tang Guosheng was anxiously waiting.


    ¡°Report.¡±


    Tang Guosheng extinguished his cigarette with quite an effort as he grabbed the mobile and answered the call. His expression and voice were extremely serious.


    A voice then transmitted through his phone, ¡°Senior Chief, we¡¯ve investigated Tang Xiu¡¯s information clearly. He¡¯s 20-years-old this year, with excellent academic performance and the top scorer of science subjects for Shuangqing Province this year. Hometown is the Su Village in Qinghe County, no father, was brought up by his mother¡ªSu Lingyun. He also still has a grandmother in his hometown¡­¡±


    When Tang Guosheng heard that Tang Xiu was really 20-years-old, he suddenly stood up. His old body couldn¡¯t help but tremble upon hearing the name ¡°Su Lingyun¡±.


    He was now completely sure that Tang Xiu was his grandson!


    His age fit. Single parent. Everything fit!


    Su Lingyun, with the last character of Little Yun, also coincided with the name said by his youngest son.


    Tang Guosheng didn¡¯t believe that existed so much coincidence.


    After listening to the report.


    A long period of time passed before he slowly sat back on the sofa. His eyes were somewhat wet, a complex expression within. He was perfectly aware of Tang Xiu¡¯s hatred and anger, as well as understood why he was like that. The incident that happened to his youngest son was too sudden, so sudden that he hadn¡¯t been able to confess to Su Lingyun.


    However, he neither had a clue nor understand why Su Lingyun didn¡¯t go to Beijing to find the Tang Family after so many years. Could it be that she wasn¡¯t sure she had borne the descendant of the Tang Family, meaning she already became the daughter-in-law of the Tangs?


    Tang Yunpeng, who stood at the side, could see the complex expression on his father¡¯s face. After hesitating for a long period of time, he finally couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Father, what¡¯s the result?¡±


    Tang Guosheng slowly raised his head as he looked at his children and nephew in front of him. He then nodded and said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t wrong. Tang Xiu is really the son of your youngest brother, my grandson.¡±


    Tang Yunpeng quickly replied, ¡°But his age¡­¡±


    Tang Guosheng said, ¡°He didn¡¯t want to recognize us and used it as an excuse. His real age is 20-years old and he lives with his mother and has no father. He grew up in the Su Village from childhood with the family from his maternal line.¡±


    At this moment, Tang Yunpeng, Tang Min, and Tang Dong understood.


    Tang Yunpeng said in a heavy tone, ¡°Father, since he¡¯s the descendant of our Tang Family, we can¡¯t ignore him. No matter what he wants, we must take him back to Beijing with us to kowtow before our ancestral shrine and recognize his ancestors and family line. Besides, he also has superb medical expertise; he could even cure your chronic asthma you had endured for so many years. Perhaps, he really has the confidence to save Yunde from his coma.¡±


    Tang Guosheng shook his head with a pained expression, ¡°Sigh, for him to recognize his ancestors and family line is necessary, that I know. Yet, I¡¯m afraid that it could be a very difficult process. You also saw how deep the resentment he showed when he identified our identities. The accumulation of resentfulness for 20 years, is not something that could fade away within a short while. Furthermore, let alone the fact that he has cured my asthma, just solely the lonely and forsaken life those mother and son had gone through, which I believe it¡¯s our sin, for they have suffered so many hardships and sufferings for so many years; our Tang Family indeed have no qualifications and right to ask him anything.¡±


    ¡°Then, how should we proceed with this, father?¡± After pondering for a moment, Tang Min asked.


    Tang Guosheng replied with a heavy tone, ¡°I¡¯ll go to Qinghe County personally. Go and prepare the car for me.¡±


    ¡°I am coming too!¡±


    ¡°I am coming too!¡±


    Tang Yunpeng and Tang Min shouted in unison.


    Tang Dong also opened his mouth, yet, for fear that his uncle¡ªTang Guosheng would reprimand him, he strongly held back the urge.


    Tang Guosheng shook his head, ¡°Little Min, you¡¯ll go with me. As for you, Yunpeng, since our Tang Family has been in a very unstable situation due to my sickness, you must go back to the capital and help your Third Uncle stabilize the situation there. Furthermore, the matter with Little Tong must be carried out as fast as possible. Even if we must trade it with some of the interest the opposite party wants, she has to take that position. This retreat, all in all, would be very helpful for our Tang Family¡¯s layout plan in advance.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ Understood!¡±


    Tang Yunpeng hesitated for a moment before reluctantly agreeing.


    At the Su Village, Qinghe County.


    Tang Xiu entered his grandmother¡¯s house courtyard and he saw his mother washing his grandmother¡¯s clothes while Su Xiangfei helped her with the laundry.


    ¡°Hmm? Xiu¡¯er, didn¡¯t you tell me that you wouldn¡¯t come back for the time being? How come¡­¡± A surprised expression was suddenly revealed on Su Lingyun¡¯s face as she saw Tang Xiu.


    Looking at Su Xiangfei with the back of his eyes, Tang Xiu then replied to her, ¡°Mom, I have something important to talk to you. Let¡¯s find a quiet place.¡±


    ¡°What important thing?¡± asked Su Lingyun with a puzzled expression.


    Tang Xiu walked to the side room where he stayed and said, ¡°Mom, please follow me and you¡¯ll know it. But you have to be mentally prepared. And please don¡¯t be agitated regardless of anything you hear from me.¡±


    Su Lingyun laughed involuntarily, ¡°You, sonny, how come you¡¯re acting so mysterious? Alright, I promise you that I won¡¯t get agitated.¡±


    Inside the side room.


    Tang Xiu closed the door from the inside as he released his perception and found that Su Xiangfei didn¡¯t come over to secretly eavesdrop, but sat on the spot where his mother just left and continued to dry the washed clothes. He then nodded his head as he turned around to look at Su Lingyun, saying, ¡°Mom, I just met some people today.¡±


    Su Lingyun was as at a loss whether to cry or laugh, ¡°Uh, you just met some people, why would you even need to report to me? Right, were those people from the top universities in China wanting to throw you an olive branch because you¡¯re the top scorer for the science subjects in Shuangqing Province this year? I too have heard that numerous universities would rush and struggle to receive the CET¡¯s top scorer from each province every year!¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with all solemnness, ¡°Mom, the people I met were not those from the top universities. They¡­ they were all surnamed Tang!¡±


    Su Lingyun stared blankly for a moment as her complexion changed greatly and turned pale.


    Tang Xiu continued with a heavy tone, ¡°There was also an old man. He¡¯s called Tang Guosheng, as well as his eldest son, Tang Yunpeng, his daughter, Tang Min, and his nephew, Tang Dong, who came from the capital. They are the Tang Family of Beijing.¡±


    Su Lingyun¡¯s body trembled. If not for her quickly supporting herself on the wall, she would¡¯ve fallen to the floor. Her face turned extremely desolate, with fear glittering inside her eyes.


    Tang Xiu held her arms, taking her to sit on the edge of the bed. Only after that did he continue, ¡°Mom, I think you need to tell me something about this. Certainly, I still have many things that I have yet to tell you, such as¡­ the news about¡­ him!¡±


    His¡­ the news about him?


    Su Lingyun¡¯s eyes contracted violently, with an inconceivable expression bursting from her eyes.


    He¡­ was still alive?


    Tang Xiu no longer spoke. He knew that his mother would need some time to digest the news.


    After a long period of time, an agitated and disturbed expression covered Su Lingyun¡¯s face, along with some expectations within it as she whispered, ¡°He¡­ where¡¯s he?¡±


    ¡°Beijing,¡± answered Tang Xiu faintly.


    A thick sense of loss was revealed on her face while translucent crystal tears spun inside her eyes. She bit her lower lips as she murmured, ¡°H-he didn¡¯t¡­ die¡­ w-why didn¡¯t he come find us? H-he obviously knew that I was pregnant that time¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu interrupted her, ¡°He has been in a coma for twenty years, in a vegetative state.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Su Lingyun was shaken and shocked by Tang Xiu¡¯s news. Looking at him in a daze, she looked as though she couldn¡¯t believe what she heard.


    In a vegetative state?


    For twenty years?


    He¡­


    In an instant, Su Lingyun broke into tears. A thick remorse rose inside her, regretting not going to the capital. She clearly knew that his family was there, but why didn¡¯t she go there to look for him?


    Tang Xiu held her gently as he patted her back and said, ¡°Mom, I always knew that you¡¯re a strong woman ever since I was small. You might look soft on the outside, but you have a tenacious and strong heart. Please don¡¯t cry, and tell me everything about that year¡­¡±


    Su Lingyun wept bitterly for a while. After that, only then did she raise her hazy and tearful face, speaking in a bitter and painful tone, ¡°In the past, he got a call from his comrades to go out. So he said that he would go out drinking. At that time, I didn¡¯t take him seriously but waited for him. I then waited for a day, two days, three days¡­¡±


    ¡°He was then missing, without even any news. I reported to the police, yet there were no results whatsoever. I always believed he wouldn¡¯t abandon us, so I thought that he had died in some dark alley. Afterward, Su Shangwen took me back home and I lived there until you were born. After giving birth to you, I didn¡¯t give up hope and wanted to go to the Capital to find him and his Tang Family. But, I didn¡¯t dare. I was afraid¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu sighed secretly, ¡°You were afraid that I would be taken away by the Tangs, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    Su Lingyun nodded silently and replied amidst her crying, ¡°The Tang Family of Beijing is a wealthy family and has fearsome power and influence. If they knew that I had Tang Yunde¡¯s son, I was afraid they¡¯d snatch you away from me. I¡¯ve already lost a husband, I can never bear to lose my own son!¡±


    ¡°So all these years, you never thought of going to Beijing?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, do you remember before you entered Junior High School? Every year I said I had to go to the neighboring city to see our relatives. In fact, where would I have any relatives in the neighboring cities! I basically spent all the little bit of money I saved to find news about your Dad. For more than a decade I went there every year, I even went to the old residence of the Tangs hundreds of times, yet I only dared to secretly observe the place from far away. However, I¡¯ve never heard anyone mention about your Dad and never once have I ever seen him,¡± said Su Lingyun with a bitter and agonized expression.


    Tang Xiu suddenly realized and said earnestly, ¡°Mom, I think you¡¯ve done the right thing. I felt happy being raised up by you, receiving and feeling motherly love. But¡­¡±


    ¡°But what?¡± Su Lingyun finally stopped crying and asked.


    Tang Xiu replied, ¡°But, what do you intend to do now?¡±


    Su Lingyun answered without thinking, ¡°I¡¯ll go see your father! I believe him. As long as he doesn¡¯t die, there will be no difficulties. He has been in a coma, lying on the cold bed for twenty years, without me staying at his side to take care of him. Therefore, as long as he¡¯s still alive, I¡¯ll stay with him for the rest of my life and look after him.¡±

 Chapter 261

    Chapter 261: Visiting and Inviting Personally


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu said with a serene expression, ¡°Mom, I respect your choice and I¡¯ll recognize that man as my father. But you know clearly well that I don¡¯t have an ounce of familial affection toward the Tangs whatsoever. My family and roots are in this place.¡±


    For a long time, Su Lingyun was silent before she nodded silently.


    Tang Xiu spoke again, ¡°Then, when will you see him?¡±


    As if realizing something, Su Lingyun then suddenly grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s arms with a nervous and agitated expression on her face, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, Mom knows that you¡¯re a doctor, and I also heard that you¡¯re extremely skillful at that. You¡­ you, are you able to cure your dad?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t know anything specific about the condition he is in, so I¡¯m gonna jump into wild conclusions now.¡±


    A trace of disappointment was revealed in Su Lingyun¡¯s eyes. But still, she nodded and said, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, let Xiangfei take care of your grandma at home. We¡¯ll go to Beijing now.¡±


    Twenty years had passed, and never once had she ever seen her husband! Hearing the news that her husband was still alive, Su Lingyun wished she could have wings to immediately fly to Beijing to see him. The more she delayed, the more her suffering.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and slowly said, ¡°Mom, I think we still have to wait for awhile, because I feel that some people will come to invite us to Beijing!¡±


    Su Lingyun blankly stared at him and asked with a confused expression, ¡°Who would want to invite us there?¡±


    ¡°The Tang Family,¡± replied Tang Xiu.


    Su Lingyun¡¯s expression changed. She harbored a wariness toward the Tangs for two decades along with the fear of them taking her son away. She was afraid that her son wouldn¡¯t be close to her any longer. Yet, she wasn¡¯t afraid now. Her son had grown up, and the affection between them would never be snatched away neither by fame nor fortune.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, why are you so sure that the Tangs will come to invite us?¡±


    Tang Xiu replied faintly, ¡°Mom, they want us to recognize the ancestors, and they also want me to save him.¡±


    Su Lingyun thought for a while before slowly saying, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, you¡¯re their descendant after all, and of the Tang Family¡¯s bloodline. So you¡¯re supposed to recognize your ancestors!¡±


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Tang Xiu sneered, ¡°Why should I? Because the Tang Family¡¯s blood flows through my veins? If I ever had a choice, I would rather have the Su blood flowing within me. Mom, they are nothing but strangers in my eyes, whereas I have always been reluctant to relate to any strangers. And Mom, I respect your choice, so I wish that you can also respect mine.¡±


    Su Lingyun opened her mouth, yet she couldn¡¯t find any words to refute her son. Eventually, she could only helplessly nod and let Tang Xiu follow his decision.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, please go out! I want to calm myself first. If¡­ if the Tang Family don¡¯t come today, we¡¯ll go to the capital tomorrow,¡± said Su Lingyun.


    Tang Xiu nodded and went out of the room. As he saw Su Xiangfei doing the laundry at the courtyard, he was silent for a moment before approaching him. He then took out half a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and pulled out one to give to him. He lit their cigarettes and puffed deeply. After that, he leaned on the tree beside Su Xiangfei and said serenely, ¡°Can you tell me how you figured things out?¡±


    Su Xiangfei pinched the cigarette with his wet hand as he then forced a smile, ¡°It was not me that figured things out. It was my father that made me realize it. Virtues will be rewarded and retribution shall also befall onto the wicked, whereas some people are bound to be held responsible for everything they did. I see that as akin to what I did to you once. Had it been not for the awesome police work, perhaps it would¡¯ve been you in jail now.¡±


    ¡°Just these?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a tranquil expression.


    Su Xiangfei shook his head, ¡°No. In fact, I did resent you before I came back. After all, you were quite ruthless; you ruined my family and also destroyed my father¡¯s remaining life. But when I secretly eavesdropped the conversation between you and Auntie, only then did I realize how ridiculously absurd I was.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded. After a moment of silence, he then said slowly, ¡°Go repeat your high school¡¯s third year again! After that, take the CET next year. You don¡¯t need to worry about your welfare, my mother will look after you.¡±


    Su Xiangfei suddenly smiled, and it was particularly bright. He then shook his head and said, ¡°With my academic grades, I¡¯m afraid that I can only be admitted to an ordinary university; it¡¯s impossible for me to enter the top universities even if I have to repeat my third year of high school again. I¡¯ve been thinking quite thoroughly, and I¡¯ll be staying here until grandma¡¯s injuries fully recovered. Then, I¡¯ll leave Qinghe County and go outside to live on my own, relying on my ability. Regardless of how well I fare with life later, I will eventually return to the Su Family, to my roots.¡±


    ¡°Then write my cell number. I hope you contact me only if you¡¯re forced by circumstances,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Su Xiangfei nodded silently.


    Tang Xiu spoke no longer. He took a deep puff and then walked toward the outside of the courtyard.


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡±


    Su Ben and Su Quan, who saw Tang Xiu coming out, quickly called out to him.


    ¡°Anyways, you two will have to stay at home for a few more days! For the time being, I can¡¯t return back to Star City, I will have to go to Beijing to deal with some matters. When I come back to Star city from the capital, I¡¯ll contact you again.¡±


    Su Quan replied with a smile, ¡°That would be great! Originally, Big Brother Ben and I also planned to leave for Star City a few days later! Because you need that Silver Dragon Grass, we also want to get some of them!¡±


    Tang Xiu said quickly, ¡°I advise you not to do that. Even if you take more people, you can only look around the outer periphery of the mountain. You said yourselves that that fierce beast is very dangerous, and ordinary people are basically unable to injure it. So, you would most likely have casualties occurring on a trip deep in the mountain.¡±


    Su Ben knew Tang Xiu¡¯s nature and disposition. Upon seeing him speak with all seriousness, Su Ben immediately replied, ¡°Then we¡¯ll listen to you. We¡¯ll tell the other fellow villagers to only go uphill, and no matter how many Silver Dragon Grasses we find, we won¡¯t traverse deep into the mountains.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°Please remember. Before summer vacation ends, I¡¯ll make a trip back here to solve that fierce beast. Anyways, you two can go take care of your work! And wait for my call!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Su Ben and Su Quan replied as they walked toward Su Ben¡¯s house next door.


    Two hours later, two black Audis slowly parked outside the courtyard. Four bodyguards in casual attire then dispersed as Tang Min opened the door and helped Tang Guosheng out.


    ¡°Are they here?¡±


    Tang Guosheng looked at the shabby wooden doors as well as the dilapidated courtyard.


    Tang Min nodded, ¡°Father, according to the information sent to me, they live here. I also used GPS. This place is where their family lives.¡±


    Tang Guosheng looked at the four bodyguards and spoke with a deep tone, ¡°You¡¯re all to stay outside, and no matter what happens, you must never step into the courtyard.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The four bodyguards immediately saluted as they received the command.


    Tang Guosheng walked through the front gate. As he entered the courtyard and saw Su Xiangfei, an astonished expression flashed from his eyes as he asked him, ¡°Young man, might I ask whether Su Lingyun and Tang Xiu live here?¡±


    Su Xiangfei stood up from the chair and asked back, ¡°Yes, they do. And you are?¡±


    Tang Guosheng nodded, ¡°I¡¯m Tang Guosheng. Are they here now?¡±


    Su Xiangfei turned his head and shouted, ¡°Auntie, someone is looking for you!¡±


    Su Lingyun and Tang Xiu came out of the house. As Tang Xiu saw Tang Guosheng and Tang Min, he sighed to himself. He could guess as to why they came, but he didn¡¯t expect that it would be this fast. Perhaps, after he left Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, Tang Guosheng had sent people to investigate him.


    With a cold and detached expression, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Why did you come here? I told you that we have no relationship with the Tangs whatsoever.¡±


    Tang Guosheng replied bitterly, ¡°Xiu¡¯er¡­¡±


    ¡°My name is Tang Xiu!¡± growled Tang Xiu.


    Tang Guosheng was silent for a moment. He then replied helplessly, ¡°Tang Xiu, this is your mother, my daughter-in-law, right?¡±


    Su Lingyun was dumbfounded. Even though she heard from Tang Xiu that some people from the Tang Family would be coming, but she had never thought that Tang Guosheng would personally come. She knew him. Not only was he the Senior Official of the State, he was also her husband¡¯s father, her nominal father-in-law.


    ¡°You¡­ I¡¯m Su Lingyun.¡±


    Tang Guosheng walked toward Su Lingyun and Tang Xiu as he said bitterly, ¡°I sent people and almost swept over the entire Star City twenty years ago. But it was very unfortunate that I couldn¡¯t find the both of you, mother and son. Yunde only told me that you¡¯re called Little Yun. Thus, I didn¡¯t know your full name without further information. Twenty years ago, after I personally went to Star City to fetch Yunde, I couldn¡¯t find you, so all these years I¡¯ve let you¡ªmother and son suffer hardships.¡±


    Tears burst out from Su Lingyun¡¯s eyes as she heard it.


    Tang Min came to her side and spoke to her all smiling, ¡°Sister-in-law, why don¡¯t you call him father?¡±


    Su Lingyun opened her mouth, yet, her voice couldn¡¯t get out as it was stuck in her throat. She knew why her husband came alone to Star City that year. He was driven out by his family, and that year, she had just left from her countryside village, working as a nurse in a hospital in Star City. At that time, nobody was taking care of Tang Yunde. Slowly after, they then fell in love and lived together.


    Afterward, she got pregnant, but she had yet to have a marriage certificate. But her husband told her his true identity and also learned that a huge crisis befell the Tang Family at that time. Tang Guosheng was forced by circumstances and had to expel her husband from the family and announced that he cut off the relationship between father and son.


    At first, due to the anger her husband harbored, he cut off any contacts with his family. But when she got pregnant, driven by excitement and joy, he called Tang Guosheng.


    She had seen this father-in-law on TV, but this was her first time seeing him in person.


    Hence, she couldn¡¯t call him father as of now.


    Tang Guosheng forced a smile, ¡°Little Yun, I know that it¡¯s quite awkward for you to call me father-in-law. However, you¡¯re, after all, my son¡¯s wife, and you¡¯ve given birth to the bloodline of the Tangs. I don¡¯t want to force you to recognize me as your father-in-law if it¡¯s against your will. I only hope that I would be able to compensate you¡ªthe mother and child in the future.¡±


    Su Lingyun raised her head and looked at Tang Guosheng as she said, ¡°I must see Yunde.¡±


    Tang Guosheng replied without hesitation, ¡°The reason I came here, is that I want to invite you¡ªthe mother and child to Beijing. Before I arrived here, I also learned that your mother is injured. If you want to, you can also take her along.¡±


    Su Lingyun turned to Tang Xiu.


    With a tranquil expression, Tang Xiu said, ¡°The purpose of my mother going to Beijing is to see him, but our family doesn¡¯t belong in Beijing. If you may, I hope you let us see him, for we¡¯re a family in the truest sense. But the Tangs, to us, are nothing but strangers.¡±

 Chapter 262

    Chapter 262: The Tang Family Members


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Guosheng watched Tang Xiu calmly as a light of wisdom flashed in his eyes. He had experienced countless hardships in life, and he was good at identifying people¡¯s characters. Thus, he was able to distinguish Tang Xiu¡¯s disposition to some extent after a brief contact.


    Hence, he didn¡¯t feel angry about Tang Xiu¡¯s remark. Certainly, had it been others daring to speak to him with this attitude, he would have flown into a rage already. But toward Tang Xiu, he owned him far too much.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, if you can treat your father, he would be free wherever he goes. If you can¡¯t treat him and insist to take him back to Star City, I would also agree with that. But I have a condition. The medical facilities in Star City are incomparable to the facilities in Beijing. Thus, if you want to take him over I need to send specialists and professional medical staffs along with him.


    ¡°As for your remark just now, I know very well about the resentment inside your heart. It was indeed my failure in not finding the both of you¡ªmother and son that year, causing the both of you to endure hardships and suffering all these years. But, you¡¯re surnamed Tang, the bloodline of the Tangs, and the Tang Family is also your family.¡±


    Tang Xiu snorted coldly and spoke no more.


    Tang Min looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes before her vision landed on Su Lingyun. She then said with a smile, ¡°Second Sister-in-law, I think you should go to Beijing with us. I believe that Second Big Brother has told you about the situation in our family. Even though the Tangs are a wealthy and powerful family, yet the elders have never intervened much in their children¡¯s marriages, they won¡¯t look down at you. And father, he personally rushed to Star City and stayed here for some days in the past. Even since Second Big Brother has been in a coma, for several years, Eldest Brother took some time to come to Star City to find you.¡±


    Having said that, Tang Min walked toward Su Lingyun. She then grabbed Su Lingyun¡¯s hands as the smile on her face disappeared, replaced with some bitterness, ¡°Second Sister-in-law, do you know the most disturbing thought Mother has always been carrying with her all these years? It¡¯s about the missing grandson she has outside. Oftentimes, when people mention about the Second Big Brother, she would fall into tears, being distressed by her beloved son, yet she also misses her own grandson.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Su Lingyun¡¯s heart was shivering, a warm feeling gushing inside. Her resentment toward the Tangs reduced a lot. All these years, she had always been thinking and wanting to seek for her husband, yet it was out of her imagination that the Tangs also felt the same for them.


    Tang Min spoke again, ¡°Second Sister-in-law, please come with us to Beijing now! Our family is there. If you don¡¯t want to live in the old grand residence of my parents, I will buy you a villa. And if my nephew wants to study, he can study at Beijing University, I will fully support your every need.¡±


    Su Lingyun opened her mouth as her sight fell on Tang Xiu with the intention of asking for assistance.


    Tang Xiu said indifferently, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we¡¯re not accustomed to life in Beijing. Also, we don¡¯t need even a dime from the Tangs. My wealth might be incomparable to the Tangs, but it¡¯s enough for me and my Mom to have a rich life.¡±


    Su Lingyun then added, ¡°Yes! We have a good life here. Xiu¡¯er has grown up now and he also has some abilities, whereas my restaurant business is also very good. So we really have no intention to live in the capital.¡±


    Tang Guosheng said with a heavy tone, ¡°Little Yun, Tang Xiu, no matter where you want to live, I¡¯ll approve. But you can freely speak to me your needs, as long as it is within my abilities to provide. Even if it would heavily damage the welfare of my Tang Family, I¡¯ll do it. You can bear in mind that the Tang Family owes you¡ªmother and child, and we shall compensate you from now on.¡±


    Tang Xiu was startled inwardly. An inconceivable expression flashed in his eyes. He didn¡¯t expect that Tang Guosheng would make such a big commitment. At this moment, his sealed heart slightly cracked a bit, yet for now, he couldn¡¯t make himself feel close and intimate with the Tangs.


    ¡°Bring the stuff inside.¡±


    Tang Min shouted toward the entrance of the courtyard before turning around and speaking to Su Lingyun with a smile on her face, ¡°Second Sister-in-law, Father heard that your mother is injured, and he has specially arranged some people to buy some nutrition and supplements. Also, since it¡¯s our first meeting, we couldn¡¯t be careless about the etiquettes, could we? As for those people who wounded her relatives, apart from the County Hospital¡¯s Vice President who disappeared, they will immediately be punished.¡±


    Immediately, the four bodyguards in front of the courtyard quickly carried over a dozen boxes.


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Su Lingyun was quite at a loss and didn¡¯t know how to respond.


    Tang Xiu then spoke faintly, ¡°Mom, since they have shown good intention, we¡¯ll accept them. Also, we¡¯re don¡¯t hit people smiling at us. They are not looking for trouble, so we shan¡¯t ignore them. Please let them enter the house!¡±


    Su Lingyun sobered up and quickly said, ¡°Ah, you¡¯re too kind, please come inside. My mother is there.¡±


    A while after, Tang Guosheng and Tang Xiu met Zhang Shi. After Zhang Shi learned their identities, she threw curses at them at first, but after she understood the whole story, only then did she show a bit of happiness. She felt happy for her daughter as well as excited knowing that her son-in-law was still alive.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, grandma knows that your medical expertise is very good, so you have to cure your father. His disappearance for so many years was caused by special reasons, so you can¡¯t blame him any longer. Go to the capital and heal him! Grandma wants to see my son-in-law while I¡¯m still alive.¡± As Zhang Shi learned about the situation, she called Tang Xiu and advised him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best, grandma!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Ten minutes later, Su Lingyun was done with the packing and left the house¡¯s courtyard.


    ¡°You drive the car and lead the way. Mom will sit in my car.¡± Tang Xiu put their suitcases into the trunk as he spoke to Tang Guosheng and the others.


    Tang Min quickly said, ¡°I¡¯ll also take your car so I can chat with Second Sister-in-law on the road.¡±


    A trace of a smile showed on Su Lingyun¡¯s face, ¡°Alright!¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t prevent her. All in all, for whatever Su Lingyun decided, he wouldn¡¯t object to it. After getting in the car, he saw Tang Min affectionately holding his mother¡¯s arm as they chatted in the back seat. He then started the car and followed the two black Audis as they quickly left the Su Village. Although he just got his driver license, he followed the two cars at high speed and drove northward.


    Beijing, Famous Garden Villa Complex.


    At this time, the third elder of the Tangs, Tang Guoshou, was reading the information in his hand. In front of him, two middle-aged men in military uniforms were standing straight, with one and two stars¡¯ ranking on their shoulders.


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    The door was thrust open forcefully as Tang Guoshou¡¯s son, Tang Yunqingm strode inside the room in a rush. Panting and short on breath, he shouted, ¡°Father, it¡¯s a big event!¡±


    Tang Guoshou¡¯s brows knitted as he snorted coldly, ¡°Even if the sky is falling down, you still must be reverent and steady as Mt. Tai. Look at yourself now, what¡¯s got into you to act improperly like this?¡±


    Tang Yunqing replied urgently, ¡°No, father. It¡¯s really a very important matter. Uncle and the others are coming back to the capital in a hurry. I just received the call from the eldest brother saying that we must rush to the ancestral residence within four hours.¡±


    Tang Guoshou was startled, ¡°We need to rush to the ancestral residence? Did Yunpeng tell you what happened?¡±


    Tang Yunqing said, ¡°The Second Big Brother¡¯s son has been found, and now they¡¯re returning with the mother and son to Beijing. Also, most importantly, this time uncle went secretly to Star City to seek for the Divine Doctor surnamed Tang, and the said doctor turned out to be the Second Big Brother¡¯s son, Tang Xiu.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Tang Guoshou¡¯s expression changed, a light bursting out from his eyes. He didn¡¯t expect that his direct nephew would be found. The person that the old madam of the family had been missing the most all these years, the one and only grandson who lived outside the family whom they never knew if he was still alive or died.


    ¡°Great! Yunqing, quickly informs the others and tell them to hurry to the ancestral residence in four hours. I really didn¡¯t expect that the missing grandson turned out to be a Divine Doctor! If¡­ if he can cure Yunde¡¯s sickness¡­¡±


    As Tang Guoshou thought up to there, the excitement on his face grew more intense.


    Tang Yunqing quickly said, ¡°Father, I¡¯ll immediately go inform everyone.¡±


    Beijing, Royal Dragon Club.


    Tang Wei was holding a crystal bottle as he savored red wine. Around him, two young men hugged an attractive girl each as they drank and had fun joyfully. The two young men, one was called Zong Lu and the other Zhang Hongnian. Both of them were scions from giant families in the capital as well as Tang Wei¡¯s best buddies since childhood.


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    The deluxe box¡¯s door was kicked open from the outside as a lovely girl in a dress strode inside. As she saw the people sitting on the sofa, particularly the two attractive girls accompanying Tang Wei, her expression changed immediately. She sprinted toward Tang Wei and, under everyone¡¯s surprised gaze, she grabbed Tang Wei¡¯s arm and quickly spoke, ¡°Big Brother, quickly come. Grandpa has decreed that all family members must return to the ancestral residence. We just had a major event.¡±


    Tang Wei was at a loss as it was both funny and embarrassing. He rolled his eyes as he replied, ¡°Tang Tang, the sky has yet to collapse; it¡¯s still atop of our head. What are you anxious for? Besides, hasn¡¯t grandpa just gone outside of the city? What kind of matter would happen anyway? Ah right, how did you know I was in this place?¡±


    Tang Tang quickly pulled him out the box. After that, she quickly spoke, ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. Come with me now, the Second Uncle¡¯s son has been found, and now he¡¯s on the road back to the capital along with Grandpa. Hurry up, will you! If we arrive late and Grandpa arrives and find that we¡¯re not in the ancestral residence, he will be angry with us!¡±


    Second Uncle¡¯s son?


    Tang Wei fell into a daze as his expression suddenly changed.


    He broke from Tang Tang¡¯s hold and went back into the box. He looked at Zong Lu and Zhang Hongnian as he said, ¡°You should¡¯ve heard it, yes? There¡¯s an urgent matter, so I gotta get back home. You just continue playing here, I¡¯ll look for you after I got time.¡±


    Zong Lu and Zhang Hongnian looked at each other and nodded. They knew Tang Wei¡¯s Second Uncle who had been in a vegetative state due to an accident twenty years ago. But they didn¡¯t expect that he had a son outside.


    ¡°Big Brother Tang, off you go, quickly!¡±


    Beijing, in a PLA military unit.


    Inside an olive-green barracks, the commander of the Special Forces Unit, Tang Ning, was supervising the drill in the shooting range. At this moment, a young man in military uniform ran toward him and handed a mobile phone, saying, ¡°Commander, it¡¯s a call for you.¡±


    Tang Ning took the mobile over expressionlessly. He then spoke with a deep tone, ¡°Tang Ning speaking.¡±


    ¡°Return to the family¡¯s ancestral residence at once.¡±


    Tang Yunqing¡¯s voice transmitted through the phone.


    Tang Ning frowned, ¡°Fourth Uncle, I¡¯m still training my team members, what matter could it be that you can¡¯t say it on the phone?¡±


    ¡°Your Second Uncle¡¯s son has been found and Old Father is bringing him home from Star City now.¡±


    ¡°What? I¡¯ll go back immediately!¡±

 Chapter 263

    Chapter 263: Everyone Gathered at Once


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Beijing, Fairview Lane.


    Tang Ying was standing in front of a big desk, looking at an unfolded landscape painting with a shocked expression. Beside her, Mu Wanying was showing a shallow smile, ¡°At first, I didn¡¯t have much hope for this Tang Xiu. The reason he agreed to the contest was that he didn¡¯t want to comply with that bastard¡¯s request. Who would have thought that Tang Xiu would be even more skillful, turning my misfortune into a blessing, getting me such a peerless painting with no cost at all.¡±


    With envy, Tang Ying exclaimed in admiration, ¡°Amongst the many masterpieces and peerless ancient paintings I have seen and admired, none of them can be compared with this painting. If I have the chance, I must ask him to paint one for me too.¡±


    Mu Wanying laughed lightly, ¡°He said he wouldn¡¯t paint that easily, and even though I think his painting technique is godly, he¡¯s really not that enthusiastic about painting.¡±


    Tang Ying said, ¡°You don¡¯t know what he¡¯s thinking! But then, you can help me by telling him something good about me!¡±


    ¡°If something like that worked, it would¡¯ve been good. But¡­ Tang Xiu, that person¡¯s personality¡­ is kinda weird.¡± Mu Wanying forced out a smile and replied.


    ¡°Weird?¡± Tang Ying was surprised, ¡°In what way?¡±


    Mu Wanying raised her lily-white slender hand and gently spun her beautiful hair down in front of her forehead, showing various kinds of flirting gestures as she smiled, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m beautiful?¡±


    ¡°Beautiful, you¡¯re really beautiful.¡± Tang Ying was feeling funny and at a loss, ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know you¡¯re hailed as Beijing¡¯s first beauty? Amongst all the handsome princes in the entire Beijing, who doesn¡¯t want to get close and have a beauty like you in their embrace? I dare say that of all men with normal sexual orientation all over the world, there will be none who don¡¯t want to get you.¡±


    Mu Wanying laughed, ¡°Yet, Tang Xiu is the only one who doesn¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Tang Ying stared blankly before shaking her head, ¡°No, I don¡¯t buy it. Unless he¡¯s not a man, otherwise he won¡¯t give a blind eye to you.¡±


    Mu Wanying said, ¡°I did test him, and he gave me a very direct answer. Do you know what he told me?¡±


    ¡°What did he say?¡± asked Tang Ying curiously.


    ¡°That time I asked him whether he has a problem with his sexual orientation, or my beauty doesn¡¯t attract him.¡± Said Mu Wanying with a smile and continued, ¡°Guess what he told me? He said that he has a normal sexual orientation, and if I¡¯m willing to sleep with him he also won¡¯t refuse. Yet, he said that it would only be a one-night stand, without any feelings attached, thus it would be very boring, meaningless! Furthermore, he also told me that I¡¯m the type of woman he doesn¡¯t feel like bothering.¡±


    Tang Ying¡¯s eyes stared wide. It was like hearing a joke. However, Mu Wanying¡¯s story deeply attracted her, as she couldn¡¯t wait to hear of what kind of woman was the said man was too disinclined to bother.


    Mu Wanying then continued, ¡°The kind of woman he doesn¡¯t feel like bothering is someone like me, a virgin. He said that he doesn¡¯t fear anything, yet he fears to be followed with troubles; and for him, it will be very troublesome later if he takes my first time.¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­ hahaha.¡±


    Tang Ying couldn¡¯t help laughing without her wanting to.


    ¡°Damn, he¡¯s really way too weird. This is the most unfathomable thing I have ever heard in my life! What kind of man who doesn¡¯t like pure women giving them their virginity nowadays? This person is truly good. Because he¡¯s afraid trouble, he doesn¡¯t want to bother touching a pure innocent woman? It¡¯s really¡­ damn, I¡¯m speechless.¡±


    Mu Wanying covered her mouth as she chuckled, but afterward, she said slowly, ¡°But I could feel that the reason he doesn¡¯t want to touch a virgin is not that he doesn¡¯t want to, but it¡¯s because that he doesn¡¯t want to take the responsibility.¡±


    ¡°Could it be that he¡¯s an irresponsible man?¡± said Tang Ying with a surprised expression.


    Mu Wanying replied to her, ¡°It¡¯s not like he¡¯s an irresponsible man, I think. It¡¯s because he doesn¡¯t want to take the responsibility, hence, he doesn¡¯t want to bother touching a pure virgin maiden.¡±


    The smile on Tang Ying¡¯s face gradually faded away. After staying silent for a long period of time, she then raised her thumb and exclaimed in admiration, ¡°Damn, I really admire him; perhaps even worship him. Firstly, he¡¯s able to keep his composure in the face of your temptation. From this only, he¡¯s an upright gentleman. Secondly, because he knows that he won¡¯t be able to take the responsibility, he won¡¯t touch a pure maiden. Such a man is definitely a good man.¡±


    Suddenly, a strange expression was revealed on her face as her hand pulled Mu Wanying and circled around her twice, lamenting, ¡°Tsk, tsk, it¡¯s really unexpected that Miss Mu¡ªthe dignified first beauty of the capital has been shot by the God of Love! Don¡¯t deny it. I know you. You would never have tried to entice him if you didn¡¯t have the thought, no?¡±


    Mu Wanying¡¯s charming face blushed as she rolled her eyes and snapped, ¡°Don¡¯t spit out such nonsense! It¡¯s just that I couldn¡¯t bear¡­ about his hell-bent attitude to drive me out. Did you think¡­ bah! A girl doesn¡¯t mind being with a man together in the room, yet, he cares about that. And I just wanted to probe him whether he was really for real or just a hypocrite.¡±


    Tang Ying replied to her in a disdaining manner, ¡°Don¡¯t make excuses, girl. I know you since you were a baby until you grew up. How many boys have been trying to do everything they could to court you? How many people do all kinds of ridiculous things merely because they want you to glance at them? But you, you¡¯re always looking at them from the summit and has never even bothered to care about them. Yet, this Tang Xiu is certainly has made you impressed.¡±


    Mu Wanying corrected her once again, ¡°I¡¯m not impressed. It was just out of my curiosity. Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re not curious about him? After all, he¡¯s a young man who possesses great abilities, yet his low profile gives people goosebumps.¡±


    Tang Ying hesitated before laughing, ¡°I¡¯m indeed very curious about him after I heard this matter from you. But, it¡¯s way different in essence compared to you. You¡¯re attracted to him, whereas I only heard about him from hearsay. Beautiful girl, you too have heard the saying that, once a woman is curious about a man, that is exactly the prelude of falling in love with that woman.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Mu Wanying gaped.


    ¡°Ring, ring, ring¡­¡±


    A mobile¡¯s ringtones sounded from Tang Ying¡¯s bag beside her.


    Tang Ying gave Mu Wanying a teasing look. She took her mobile, connected the call and laughed, ¡°Fourth Uncle, are you looking for me?¡±


    After a moment, Tang Ying¡¯s smile froze as her beautiful eyes stared wide, an incredible light flashing from them. As she listened to the other party, she involuntarily exclaimed out loudly, ¡°You mean, the¡­ the Second Uncle¡¯s biological son has been found and is now on the way to the Capital along with Grandpa? Great, I¡¯ll immediately return to the ancestral residence and wait there.¡±


    After the call ended, Tang Ying quickly stuffed her mobile into her bag as she then looked at Mu Wanying and said, ¡°Wanying, things happened at home, I gotta get back quickly. I¡¯ll see you again after I got more time.¡±


    Mu Wanying raised her brows and asked curiously, ¡°Big Sis Ying, if I remember correctly, isn¡¯t your uncle in a vegetative state since twenty years ago? His son¡­¡±


    An excited expression glittered from Tang Ying¡¯s eyes as she nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right. Before my uncle fell into a coma, he indeed already had a woman, and the woman also gave birth to a child. Twenty years ago, the elders had sent a large number of people to search them in Star City, but unfortunately, they failed. It¡¯s unexpected that we found him twenty years later. If my Grandma knows about this, she will be pretty excited.¡±


    Mu Wanying suddenly understood, ¡°Then go, quickly! I¡¯ll be here until the start of classes at Shanghai University. You can come here if you have free time.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    All the directly-related family members of the Tangs in the entire Beijing had all received a call from Tang Yunqing as dozen members of the family quickly went to the Tang Family¡¯s ancestral residence.


    The Tang Family¡¯s ancestral residence. It was a manor with a fully enclosed courtyard that occupied a big area in Beijing.


    Under the grapevines frames, a silver-haired old lady was holding a pure white Persian cat in drowsiness. In front of her, the tea on the table was cold.


    She was Qing Changyue, Tang Guosheng¡¯s wife.


    ¡°Mother, why are you sleeping here?¡±


    Tang Yunpeng¡¯s wife, Cai Xinru, carried a bag of fresh vegetables. A nanny of the family followed her as they came to the courtyard.


    Qing Changyue opened her eyes and immediately sat a bit straighter upon seeing Cai Xinru. She then waved and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s alright. The weather is hot right now, so I won¡¯t catch a cold. I originally wanted to drink tea here and listen to the songs on the radio. But somehow the radio broke and I almost fell asleep.¡±


    Cai Xinru laughed, ¡°Mother, that is father¡¯s broken radio. Earlier he told me to throw that out, but I forgot about it. Let¡¯s forget it, I¡¯ll buy you a new one.¡±


    Qing Changyue laughed, ¡°That won¡¯t do. This radio is your father¡¯s baby. Even though it has been repaired many times, but you can still fix it every time.¡±


    ¡°Alright then. Do you want to change clothes? This evening our family will have an important event. Look at these fresh vegetables and meat, as well as the seafood. I just bought them from the market with Big Sis Wang. I guarantee that all of them are fresh and delicious.¡±


    ¡°What important thing has happened? What event is worth cooking so many food?¡± asked Qin Changyue, surprised.


    ¡°Grandma, you didn¡¯t know?¡±


    At the courtyard entrance, Tang Wei was half striding as he said aloud.


    Qin Changyue was surprised as she watched Tang Wei and Tang Tang coming inside. Then, she asked with a confused expression, ¡°What should I know about?¡±


    Tang Wei said, ¡°Your grandson, whom you¡¯ve been missing for twenty years, has been found, and grandpa is bringing him back! Ah, right. What¡¯s his name? Tang¡­ Tang Xiu! Yes, that¡¯s his name.¡±


    Qin Changyue was stupefied and her expression changed greatly. Even though she was already old, she had a strong and healthy body, hence, she stood up directly from the chair and asked urgently, ¡°What did you say? Yunde¡­ Yunde¡¯s son? My grandson¡­ has been found?¡±


    Tang Tang walked toward her side, grinning. She held her arms as she smiled and said, ¡°Grandma, we¡¯ve found him, truly! I got a call from dad to drag my brother over here.¡±


    An intense excitement could be seen on Qin Changyue¡¯s face. Her body trembled. Immediately after, she saw that her eldest son, Tang Yunpeng, came from outside, followed by her grandson Tang Ning.


    ¡°Yunpeng, you also know about it?¡±


    Tang Yunpeng nodded, ¡°Ah, it seems that they have told you, Mom. Actually, I was in Star City accompanying Father to seek treatment when I got the news. The person who cured Father is your own grandson, Tang Xiu. I also had gotten a call that Father and Tang Min are bringing Tang Xiu and his mother, Su Lingyun. And they are on the way to Beijing. Furthermore, I also have sent some people to fetch Second Brother from the rehabilitation center.¡±


    Qin Changyue fell into tears. Her lips quivered as she spoke out of excitement, ¡°Great, it¡¯s so great that we¡¯ve found him. We¡¯ve found him!¡±


    Immediately after, the other members of the Tang Family arrived one after another.

 Chapter 264

    Chapter 264: The Rejection from the Heart


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Ring, ring, ring¡­¡±


    Tang Yunpeng¡¯s mobile rang. As he answered the call, he said a few words and then put the mobile away, ¡°Mother, Second Uncle, Tang Dong and Tang Yan are in Beijing Airport, they will arrive an hour later at the latest.¡±


    The smile on Qin Changyue¡¯s face was getting bigger. She then sighed, ¡°Your Second Uncle is staying in Jingmen Island and hasn¡¯t returned for a full five years already. I didn¡¯t expect that because of Xiu¡¯er¡¯s matter, he would also take a special trip here. Finally, our Tang Family have all been gathered together.¡±


    Tang Guoshou at the side snorted coldly, ¡°Hmph, Second Big Brother hid in Jingmen Island all these years and enjoyed a peaceful life, leaving me and Eldest Brother to deal with the terrible mess in Beijing. This time he¡¯s coming to Beijing, so I have to make him bleed and give me a few slaps.¡±


    Qin Changyue laughed, ¡°Third Brother! You and your Eldest Brother are actually well aware inwardly, right? Even though Second Brother lives in Jingmen Island, but he has brought us, the Tangs, many benefits all these years. But alas! You don¡¯t want to give him face. Besides, the waters in Beijing are too deep, so if our Tang Family is defeated one day here, we¡¯ll have Jingmen Island as our retreat point.¡±


    Tang Guoshou was silent for a moment before he forced a smile and said, ¡°Sister-in-law, I actually understand what you¡¯re saying. It¡¯s just that, when I think about how Second Brother enjoys life in Jingmen Island while Eldest Brother and I are being kept busy in Beijing, it kinda makes me quite vexed! Bah, let it be. I won¡¯t grumble in front of so many juniors.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°Hehehe¡­¡±


    The other Tangs couldn¡¯t help laughing.


    Quickly, Tang Guoxing, along with Tang Dong, Tang Yan and the other four or five other family members arrived. Tang Guoxing¡¯s body wasn¡¯t in a good condition. He was quite frail, looking sick and pale, yet, he was particularly in high spirits when he bickered with his Third Brother, Tang Guoshou.


    At the highway intersection in Beijing.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s Land Rover was stopped by the police because of his license plate¡¯s number limit. As a result, the highway police patrol was examining Tang Xiu¡¯s driving time and discovered that his length of experience as a driver was in violation of traffic regulations.


    ¡°Officer, could you get around the regulations this once?¡±


    Sitting in the driver seat, Tang Xiu asked the traffic police officer.


    The expression of the several traffic police officers was serious. One of them shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sir. I¡¯ll have to ask you to get off the car.¡±


    At this moment, Tang Min, who was sitting in the back seat, slowly opened the rear window. She handed out a credential document and said lightly, ¡°Stretch the rules. We have important matters.¡±


    The traffic police took the document. As he eyed it, his complexion changed greatly and immediately saluted toward Tang Min and respectfully spoke, ¡°Hello, Minister Tang, I didn¡¯t know that you were in the car, so I hope you can forgive us. Please¡­¡±


    Having said that, the traffic police officer returned the document to Tang Min.


    Tang Min nodded. She then faced Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go! It¡¯s alright.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes swept traffic police officers outside. He started his car and drove toward the two Audis that were parked on the roadside two hundred meters in front. He secretly lamented inwardly: _¡°Authority is really a good thing. If it was ordinary people, perhaps not only would they have to accept fines and have penalty points on their driver¡¯s licenses, they also might have to face an administrative detention.¡±_


    At Tang Family¡¯s ancestral residence.


    Tang Xiu parked the car as his eyes flashed. Just as he entered the entrance to the lane, he saw four armed security guards standing guard over there. Along the way, at least a dozen or so guards were pacing back and forth in the vicinity, either the ones that were in the open or hidden. At the front door of the Tangs¡¯ ancestral residence, there were also two guards in military uniform with white gloves and armed firearms.


    However, the sight that attracted his attention was not those guards but the dozens of members of the Tang Family that were standing outside the courtyard. The first one who caught his eyes among the crowd was the silver-haired old lady who was in front.


    ¡°Second Sister-in-law, Tang Xiu, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Tang Min smiled.


    Tang Xiu nodded calmly. He then turned around and looked back. He saw that his mother was somewhat restless and anxious. He then spoke to her, ¡°Mom, let¡¯s get off!¡±


    Su Lingyun hesitated before she nodded silently.


    Qin Changyue¡¯s vision had been staring at the three cars. When she saw her husband, Tang Guosheng, she rushed excitedly and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s my grandson and my Second daughter-in-law?¡±


    With a smile hung on his face, Tang Guosheng pointed at the Land Rover Tang Xiu and Su Lingyun were getting out from.


    Qin Changyue¡¯s eyes instantly locked on Tang Xiu. She walked toward them staggering somewhat. As she arrived in front of Tang Xiu, her quivering hands grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s arms with a face full of excitement as tears broke down from her eyes as she sobbed, ¡°Y-you¡­ you¡¯re my grandson, my dear grandson?¡±


    Tang Xiu frowned and somewhat had the urge to repel the old lady, as well as rejecting the other Tangs. After a moment of silence, he said slowly, ¡°I am, nominally.¡±


    Qin Changyue forcefully hugged Tang Xiu with tears flowing down. She wailed and cried.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t struggle. His expression was tranquil as ever and was quite helpless as he felt Qin Changyue¡¯s tears wetting his clothes.


    He could really feel the familial affection!


    This kind of stirring emotions, this kind of excitement, the feeling of crying tears of joy, it caused him to be in a particularly complicated mood.


    Only after a long period of time did Qin Changyue release Tang Xiu after Tang Min persuaded her, yet her hands were still grabbing Tang Xiu¡¯s hands tightly. Then, she looked at Su Lingyun and said excitedly, ¡°You¡¯re Little Yun, the one Yunde said? My Second daughter-in-law?¡±


    Su Lingyun was very emotional. The familial affection shown by the Tang Family touched her heart. She nodded, ¡°Yes. I¡¯m Su Lingyun, Yunde¡¯s wife.¡±


    Qin Changyue¡¯s other hand grabbed her and said with tears flowing down her face, ¡°Child, our Tang Family didn¡¯t do right by you all these years, hence, the both of you¡ªmother and child, have been living outside the family. I believe that you must have endured a lot of pain and hardship. But you can rest assured that after we found you, we¡ªthe Tang Family will never let you receive a little bit of bitterness ever again. Whoever dares to bully you later, tell this old woman, then I¡¯ll sacrifice everything in my short remaining life to fight them.¡±


    Su Lingyun¡¯s eyes were also filled with sparkling crystalline tears as she nodded repeatedly and heavily. She enjoyed the feeling of being recognized by her husband¡¯s family as well as enjoying the sudden atmosphere of affection.


    Qin Changyue pulled Su Lingyun and Tang Xiu. As the came in front of the other members of the Tang Family, she said, ¡°I¡¯m introducing you to them. They are all part of our Tang Family¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu abruptly interrupted her and said indifferently, ¡°There¡¯s no need to introduce us. I still have important things to do later on, so take me to see Tang Yunde! If I can cure him then it would be for the best, but if I can¡¯t, that means his fate isn¡¯t good.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    Apart from Tang Guosheng and Tang Min, a dozen members of the Tang Family looked at each other in dismay. It was as if they couldn¡¯t believe their ears!


    This¡­ what was this nonsensical remark?


    Tang Xiu finally broke from Qin Changyue¡¯s grasp as he spoke to Tang Guosheng, ¡°You should still remember what I¡¯ve said to you before. You have your Tang Family, whereas we have ours. The Tang Family¡¯s distinguished status is not for us¡ªthe common people. Thus, you don¡¯t need to waste the time and feelings. Take me to see Tang Yunde, otherwise, my mother and I will leave immediately.¡±


    Tang Yunpeng shouted out of anger, ¡°Tang Xiu, why did you say that? Even if you think that we¡¯re only strangers, but we are still your relatives after all. In the presence of so many of your elders, how could you¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hands to interrupt him and said with a cold and detached expression, ¡°Don¡¯t use the elders to pressure me. I was born and grown up in the Su Family. If not for my mother insisting on it, I don¡¯t even want to be surnamed as Tang. So leave the familial affection out when you talk to me. I¡¯ll ask you one last time, where¡¯s Tang Yunde?¡±


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, you shut up!¡±


    Su Lingyun was angry as she scolded him.


    For a moment, Tang Xiu was silent. After that, he stepped back and said, ¡°Mom, I respect your decision, but I also hope you can understand my choice. I have no feelings toward the Tang Family members whatsoever. No, not at this moment. And I¡¯m afraid that it¡¯s very hard to have in the future. And truth be told, I actually didn¡¯t want to come to Beijing, but I have given a promise to you and grandmother to cure Tang Yunde, which is also the promise I gave when I attended to his father¡¯s illness.¡±


    At this moment, all Tang Family members¡¯ faces had turned quite unsightly.


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t care less about them. During the 10,000 years, he was in the Immortal World, the only people he remembered were only his mother and maternal grandmother, who occasionally doted on him. People that were tied through blood to him, yet without emotional attachment, were unable to hold him. This time, his mother was the sole reason he chose to come to Beijing.


    Su Lingyun fell into silence. She had experienced very few dramatic scenes and she didn¡¯t know how to deal with the situation at present. Her son refused to recognize the Tang Family, so she was having a complicated and mixed feeling inside, but she also didn¡¯t want to force him.


    Tang Guosheng sighed to himself. He then spoke to break the deadlock, ¡°Tang Xiu, it doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t want to recognize us. I know and understand why you deny these family members inside your heart. But even so, I believe that even if your heart is made of stone, everyone will still be able to melt your heart with our conducts and deeds hereafter. The offspring of the Tangs are the Tang Family¡¯s descendants. We have never cut off our familial affection nor have we ever abandoned and left our own blood behind. Let¡¯s go! Your father should have been sent here, I¡¯ll take you to see him personally.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and grabbed Su Lingyun¡¯s hand. On one hand, he wanted to give her courage, and on the other, he also wanted to show the Tang Family that, at present, he had the ability to protect his own mother as well as telling them that he didn¡¯t need anything from them.


    A few minutes later, the Tang Family members took Su Lingyun and Tang Xiu to the deepest parts of their ancestral residence. As Su Lingyun looked at Tang Yunde that was lying on the bed, big teardrops fell down from her eyes.


    ¡°Yunde!¡±


    Feeling sorrowful and sad, she cried and flew toward the edge of the bed. Her hands that were full of calluses tightly grasped Tang Yunde¡¯s skinny palms.


    Twenty years. It had been twenty years thinking every day and night, dreaming of seeing her husband again. Today, the dream finally turned into reality. She cried and wept bitterly. Telling all the thoughts and missing feelings, venting all the grievances and sorrows she endured all these years.


    At this moment, even if she had to die, she¡¯d die with a smile on her face.


    Tang Xiu, who stood at the side, looked at the unconscious man on the bed, the skinny Tang Yunde, who looked as though firewood. He sighed inwardly. He had never thought that by the time he saw this man, it would be in this situation. After calmly waiting for several minutes, waiting for his mother¡¯s emotions to stabilize, he gently patted Su Lingyun¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Mom, let me have a look! If I can cure him, you can be sure that I¡¯ll do everything I can.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    A strong and intense expectation burst out from Su Lingyun¡¯s eyes as she quickly retreated to the side.

 Chapter 265

    Chapter 265: Cousin


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Under everyone¡¯s watchful gaze, Tang Xiu grabbed Tang Yunde¡¯s wrist and his fingers pressed at his pulse, quietly feeling it. What made him rather grateful was that, while Tang Yunde¡¯s pulse was rather weak and suffered severe loss of vital energy, it was still sufficient to support his bodily functions.


    Furthermore, even in this condition, he could still live eight to ten years more!


    Releasing his wrist, Tang Xiu pulled him up and set his body sitting straight. Whilst pressing his five fingers on Tang Yunde¡¯s head, he directed his star force and released his spiritual sense.


    Brain domain. It was the most mysterious part of the human body. When Tang Xiu became a Supreme in the Immortal World, he had been able to utilize and control 60% of his brain area, whereas the rest 40% he had never been able to develop or use it.


    As Tang Xiu examined him, his face turned unsightly. He found that Tang Yunde¡¯s brain nerves had been severely atrophied with blood congestions in the neuronal nodes. The congestion had even coagulated, and there were signs that it had blocked the blood supply to the brain. Furthermore, the part of brain ventricles connected to the mind sea had been cut off, leaving a particular ash-grey substance blocking it. It was precisely this ash-grey substance that trapped his consciousness in the mind sea, causing him to be unable to perceive the outside world.


    Trapped consciousness- Tang Xiu had experienced it once before.


    When a wisp of his soul crossed over to the Immortal World in the past, whereupon it emerged on someone else¡¯s body there, it was trapped therein for three months, and eventually came out of the predicament by chance to become the owner of that body.


    The feeling of having one¡¯s consciousness trapped was very depressing as well as painful! Wanting to rest yet unable to sleep, floating and drifting in the endless darkness, driving one to wish for death. If one¡¯s mental constitution was tough, they might be able to persist for a long time, otherwise, they would be driven to insanity, mentally disoriented and devoid of any strength and capability of thinking.


    Four or five minutes later.


    Tang Xiu slowly retracted his palm and quickly kept his spiritual sense. He would still be able to save Tang Yunde, but the process would be very dangerous. The danger was not just applied to Tang Yunde, but to him as well.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, how is it?¡±


    Standing at the side, Su Lingyun asked with anticipation.


    Looking at his mother¡¯s expression, Tang Xiu sighed inwardly. While he had low emotional intelligence, with his superb intelligence, how couldn¡¯t he be able to feel his mother¡¯s anticipation at this moment?


    ¡°Mom, is he really important to you?¡±


    After staying silent for a moment only then did Tang Xiu speak.


    Resolutely replying, Su Lingyun said, ¡°Very. The both of you, father and son, are very important to me.¡±


    Equals?


    Tang Xiu savored her answer inside before he finally made a decision. His gaze turned to Tang Guosheng and spoke in a heavy tone, ¡°I dare not guarantee to have 100% chance of curing him. But I¡¯m willing to give it a try. Prepare a spacious place where nobody can¡¯t disturb us. Also, find me a set of silver needles.¡±


    Tang Guosheng¡¯s eyes lit up as he asked in a deep tone, ¡°I¡¯ll arrange it immediately. Aside from silver needles, what else do you need?¡±


    ¡°If your Tang Family has the ability, go to the medicinal herb market or herbs shops and buy a lot of Dragonfume Grass. Bear in mind that this herb is extremely scarce and very expensive. However many you can find, buy them.¡±


    Dragonfume Grass?


    Tang Guosheng turned and shouted sternly, ¡°You all heard it. All of you look for it, and be quick about it. Within three hours, all that Tang Xiu needs must be found.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    A dozen Tang family members rushed outside.


    Tang Guosheng then gave Tang Xiu and his mother a look whilst secretly sighing. Having been silent for a moment, he said mildly, ¡°Tang Xiu, it would perhaps take some time to find the medicinal herb you need. It¡¯s night already, so let¡¯s have dinner first! Even if you¡¯re not hungry, your mother is.¡±


    Tang Xiu took a look at his mother who grabbed Tang Yunde¡¯s hand as he silently nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll cook. I¡¯ll cook for you myself,¡± said Qin Changyue quickly as she hurried to leave the room after saying that.


    A warm feeling sprouted inside Tang Xiu¡¯s heart when he looked at her back. He indeed rejected the Tang Family¡¯s members, but seeing Qin Changyue¡¯s actions, he could see that each and every expression and action brought along a deep affection and love within.


    He was not someone whose heart was made of stone. Qin Changyue spoke a few words and hurriedly left; it touched his heart. He even began to silently recognize this paternal grandmother of his for the first time.


    ¡°We¡¯re also going out!¡±


    Tang Xiu turned to Tang Guosheng and said.


    At the main hall of the residence.


    Tang Xiu sat leaning on the sofa and closed his eyes. He had decided to treat Tang Yunde, for which he had to conserve his strength and maintain his spiritual force at the peak.


    It was because he¡¯d have to use his spiritual sense if he wanted to clean up the ash-grey substance blocking the brain ventricles and the mind sea. If he was an Immortal and used his spiritual sense, it would be a cinch. But the present him was too weak, not even having the confidence to clear those ash-gray substances in one go as well as clearing the blood congestion and nourishing the atrophied brain nerves along the way.


    The human brain was very complex. He was perfectly aware that he only had one chance. If it couldn¡¯t be done at once and in the case that other problems cropped up with Tang Yunde¡¯s brain, it would likely claim Tang Yunde¡¯s life.


    If his mother was willing to wait, he¡¯d rather do that. If he was stronger he¡¯d be much more confident. But, he didn¡¯t want to do it. His mother had waited in suffering for her husband for twenty years, waiting to serve him after she saw him.


    After nearly an hour.


    Qin Changyue entered the main hall in an apron. With an expression full of affection, she looked at Tang Xiu and said softly, ¡°Grandson, the meal is ready. Call your mother and let¡¯s have a meal together!¡±


    Tang Xiu opened his eyes and nodded to her amiably. He got up and went to the next room, finding his mother holding Tang Yunde¡¯s hand and telling him all her thoughts and feelings in the last twenty years. Tang Xiu once again sighed inside before his hand touched his mother¡¯s shoulders, saying, ¡°Mom, let¡¯s eat! Eat and drink to the full to raise your spirit, so you can better chat with him.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Su Lingyun turned around with a trace of a smile on her face.


    It seems to her that at present, the sweetness of life had come to her after having gone through bitterness. Her two biggest wishes for two decades, one was to have her son to pass the CET smoothly and be successfully admitted to a prestigious university, and the second was to find her missing husband. She got both wishes now, making her quite content. Although her husband was still in a coma at present, if her son could really cure him, she would no longer complain even if she died.


    There were only four people on the table for dinner.


    Tang Guosheng, Qin Changyue, Tang Xiu and Su Lingyun.


    The dining table was full of fragrant dishes as Qin Changyue constantly served the mother and son the veggie dishes. She wore a bright smile on her face, causing Tang Xiu to have a good appetite. He wolfed down two full bowls of rice and also ate a lot of dishes.


    At this moment, Tang Xiu could finally feel that the Tangs truly cared about his mother and him as well as clearly felt the atmosphere of familial affection. With only a word from Tang Guosheng, a dozen members of the Tangs, including their daughter-in-laws who were holding children, left their ancestral residence to find Dragonfume Grass.


    ¡°This family¡­ is very good.¡± Lamenting inwardly, Tang Xiu put down the chopsticks after eating to the full.


    ¡°Grandpa, grandma!¡±


    At this time, a voice came from outside the dining room as a young man strode inside. After he saw Tang Xiu, he fell into a daze, wearing a hard-to-believe expression on his face.


    Tang Xiu was also astonished, for he didn¡¯t expect that it turned out to be Chu Yi. More so after Chu Yi called Tang Guosheng and Qin Changyue maternal grandfather and grandmother. So to say, that meant he was his¡­ cousin?


    ¡°Tang Xiu, how¡­ are you here?¡±


    Chu Yi stared at Tang Xiu with a silly expression as he murmured.


    Faintly smiling, Tang Xiu got up and replied, ¡°Surprised?¡±


    ¡°What surprise? It¡¯s a shock! I just can¡¯t believe, that you¡­ you turned out to be my cousin.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t speak about being relatives yet. Are you hungry? Have a meal first,¡± said Tang Xiu faintly.


    The smile on Chu Yi¡¯s face finally faded away as he rubbed his hands and smiles, ¡°I just had a meal. I was managing something in Tianjin City recently so I didn¡¯t know about this. Fortunately, my mother called me, so I hurried back from Tianjin City. Anyways, I¡¯ve sent some people to find the Dragonfume Grass you need. However many they can find, I¡¯ll have them delivered shortly.¡±


    Curiosity hung on Tang Guosheng¡¯s old face as he asked, ¡°You knew each other prior to this?¡±


    Chu Yi chuckled and smiled, ¡°Yes, Grandpa. And we kinda have a strong relationship. Tang Xiu was my brother prior to this, but never would I have thought that he turns out to be my cousin. If Bai Tao and Long Zhengyu knew about this, they would have been shocked.¡±


    Astonishment suffused Tang Guosheng¡¯s eyes. He knew very well about his grandson¡¯s personality. Intelligent, sensible, thoughtful, as well as prudent and possessing keen foresight. Ordinary people simply wouldn¡¯t enter his eyes. He didn¡¯t know as to how would this grandson of his know Tang Xiu.


    Qin Changyue, however, didn¡¯t notice nor mind this. She just smiled upon seeing Chu Yi¡¯s arrival, yet her vision was reluctant to part from Tang Xiu.


    After hesitating for a moment, Tang Guosheng then asked again, ¡°How did met him?¡±


    Chu Yi smiled, ¡°I was in Star City with Bai Tao. The famous young master of the Long Family in Star City, Long Zhengyu, is our friend. We met Tang Xiu through him. Grandpa, you don¡¯t know that this cousin of mine possesses superb abilities, even Bai Tao and I truly admire him.¡±


    Staying silent for a moment, Tang Guosheng then said, ¡°I had arranged people to investigate him, yet we only know that he did have a friend called Long Zhengyu, but we actually never thought that you also know him. He¡¯s indeed very capable; my asthma has been cured by him.¡±


    Chu Yi grinned, ¡°Grandpa, he¡¯s not only amazing in the medical field! He¡­¡±


    ¡°Chu Yi!¡±


    Tang Xiu frowned and growled at him.


    Even though Tang Guosheng did send someone to investigate Tang Xiu, but after all, the time was too tight, so the information was not thorough and complete. Therefore, when he heard his grandson¡¯s remark, he became more curious, ¡°Chu Yi, tell me! I really want to know what other aspects this grandson of mine has!¡±

 Chapter 266

    Chapter 266: Addressing Name


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Chu Yi was stunned, giving Tang Xiu a ruminating look. Yet he still spilled it out, ¡°He¡¯s very capable in many aspects. Good academic performance; top scorer of the science subjects in the entire Shuangqing Province; martial arts expert that even eight to ten people wouldn¡¯t be able to fight against; superb painting skills with nobody in the world being his match; skilled businessman that made even me worship him¡ªsimply a money-making machine. And what¡¯s so superb about him is his personal network of contacts which makes me feel inferior.¡±


    Tang Guosheng was silent yet again before he asked the question he was most concerned with, ¡°Personal contacts? What contacts?¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, I believe you also know what I do in Star City, right?¡± said Chu Yi.


    Nodding, Tang Guosheng said, ¡°I do know a little from your mother.¡±


    Chu Yi pointed to Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Our big moves in Star City were all because of Tang Xiu. The Big Boss of Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical, Chen Zhizhong, is his apprentice. In short, he¡¯s an amazing figure.¡±


    Tang Guosheng was deeply shocked inside. He knew that his grandson was very outstanding, yet he didn¡¯t think that he would be excellent to this extent. He heard the news about the collapse of the Zhang Family in Star City, but never would he have thought that it was Tang Xiu who led it. He also knew about Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical. It was regarded as a major company in the country, mainly operating in the medicinal herbs business as well as research and development of many drugs. He also heard about Chen Zhizhong, the big boss of the Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical. A man of courage, bold as well as a powerful figure. But unexpectedly, the said person was the apprentice of his own grandson.


    ¡°He¡¯s the son of the Tangs, so naturally he¡¯s amazing.¡±


    A bright smile appeared on Tang Guosheng¡¯s old face as he exclaimed in praise.


    Stared at by Qin Changyue, Tang Xiu himself was rather uncomfortable by Tang Guosheng¡¯s remark. He was also disinclined to refute him. Nominally, he was indeed his grandson, and no matter how many times he refuted, he still couldn¡¯t deny that he was of their blood and flesh. As long as his mother wasn¡¯t bullied by the Tangs, he didn¡¯t care.


    After an hour, a lot of people had returned. What made Tang Xiu disappointed was that they only found a few Dragonfume Grasses despite using their vast connections. After counting, there were only 12 strains in total.


    ¡°Grandpa, I found eight strains of Dragonfume Grass.¡±


    Outside the room, a light and lively voice sounded. Tang Ying strode into the door, carrying a black suitcase.


    Eight?


    The Tangs looked at each other with a hard-to-believe expression. They had asked to their friends and connections to inquire the whereabouts of the Dragonfume Grass, even offering a high price to buy it. As a result, they could only buy 12 strains despite there being so many people at it, yet Tang Ying alone bought eight of them?


    Tang Guosheng asked out of curiosity, ¡°Tang Ying, where did you find that many?¡±


    ¡°I sent a message in the WeChat group of my circle of friends saying that I¡¯m looking for Dragonfume Grass. It just happened that one of my friends was in possession of eight strains and gave them all to me. My friend said that burning the Dragonfume Grass can raise one¡¯s spirit. Even tired people will regain their spirit after inhaling the fragrance of the fumes. However, it also has very strong side effects, for it can cause excessive dizziness and nausea, and in severe cases, will make people unconscious.¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes as he looked at Tang Ying, asking, ¡°Few people know about the Dragonfume Grass. Your friend is kinda amazing. Might I know who she or he is?¡±


    Tang Ying turned to Tang Xiu. Hesitating for a moment, she didn¡¯t answer him, instead asking back, ¡°Can you answer my question before I answer yours?¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded before thinking for a moment.


    ¡°The friend who gave these Dragonfume Grasses said that she knows a strange person. But the said person is undeniably capable and is a master painter, the best in the world! In Tianjin City, that strange person gave my friend his painting for free and also had sold some calligraphies for a sky-high price. The name of that strange person is Tang Xiu. Do you have any relationship with that person?¡± asked Tang Ying.


    Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°So it¡¯s Mu Wanying. That¡¯s right. I was indeed the one who gave her that painting as well as sold several calligraphies.¡±


    Surprised, Tang Ying replied, ¡°You¡¯re really the weirdo Mu Wanying spoke about? Seems like my guess is right, after all. Cousin, since we will become closer later, I¡¯ll tell you that Mu Wanying and I are sisters from childhood, genuine best friends. If you need my help, just tell me, I assure you that I can help you pursue belle.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes. He felt so funny as well as amused. He was disinclined to pursue Mu Wanying. Even the thought of pursuing the belle had never crossed his mind. But, this female cousin of his was truly interesting. However, to think that she would sell her best friend to him in an instant.


    Qin Changyue, who sat at the side and listened to their conversation, was rather astonished. She then smiled, ¡°That Mu Family¡¯s girl is a good child, she¡¯s a match for our Xiu¡¯er. Ying, since you already said it, you have to help your younger brother. To be honest, I also like that girl of the Mu Family.¡±


    Tang Ying laughed, ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m afraid that he doesn¡¯t need my help in this. She has a little crush on him already. But, this younger brother of mine is really amazing. Mu Wanying desperately adores him, wishing to give her heart to him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good!¡±


    A smile on blossomed on Qin Changyue¡¯s face.


    Sometimes, enthusiasm is also a burden.


    Tang Xiu could feel the enthusiasm as well as cordiality from the Tangs, causing the majority of indifference as well as the cold and detached feeling he felt for them almost fade away.


    He suddenly realized what Tang Guosheng had said prior to this was right:


    _¡°Tang Xiu, it doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t want to recognize us. I know and understand as to why you deny us inside your heart. But even so, I believe that even if your heart is made of stone, everyone will still be able to melt your heart with our conducts and deeds hereafter. The Tangs¡¯ offspring are the Tang Family¡¯s descendants. We have never cut off our familial affection nor have we ever abandoned and left our own blood behind.¡±_


    It was these words.


    Prior to this, Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t care less and somewhat held disdain and contempt toward them. But at this moment, all sorts of feelings mixed inside him as his mood turned particularly complicated.


    The thought to sever the relationship and return unceasingly mixed up.


    While waiting, the Tangs chatted livelily and jokingly, most of which revolved around Tang Xiu and Su Lingyun. The praises, goodwill and affectionate words they showcased made Tang Xiu finally accept them silently.


    Finally, when all Tangs returned, Tang Guosheng put all the Dragonfume Grasses in front of Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Here¡¯s a total of thirty-six strains of Dragonfume Grass.¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t speak for a moment before slowly saying, ¡°It already exceeded my expectations to be able to find this many. It¡¯s sufficient! However, when I¡¯m in the middle of treatment, everyone is strictly forbidden to make any disturbance. Even if the sky is collapsing, no one is to disturb us.¡±


    In all seriousness, Tang Guosheng solemnly replied, ¡°I¡¯ll mobilize the guards immediately to seal up the entire courtyard. Whoever dares to disturb you will be shot to death.¡±


    Nodding, Tang Xiu took the Dragonfume Grasses and went to a spacious hall. Aside from the bed, there was nothing else in the entire hall. Tang Yunde was lying on the bed still in a coma as his mother, Su Lingyun, sat on the bed, whispering something.


    ¡°Mom, you need to go out too.¡± Tang Xiu said in a low voice.


    Su Lingyun stood up and said, deeply concerned, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, you must do everything you can. He¡¯s your father, and blood is thicker than water.¡±


    ¡°Rest easy, Mom!¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod.


    For awhile, Su Lingyun was silent. She looked at Tang Guosheng who was standing outside the door as well as the other Tang family members. With a look of hope, she said, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, before you treat your father, can you do one thing for me?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Tang Xiu was puzzled.


    Su Lingyun said with all seriousness, ¡°I want to hear you call him father.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu fell into silence. The word was otherworldly strange to him.


    Su Lingyun said bitterly, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, Mom knows that you don¡¯t want to. But do it for me, please! He disappeared all of a sudden in the past because he suffered heavy losses and has been in a coma. I believe that if he¡¯s well, he will never leave or abandon us, absolutely. Your father is not in the wrong, it has always been Mom. If in the past I had the courage to bring you to the Tang Family to see him, I believe that you could see your Dad since you were a child.¡±


    Tang Xiu slowly turned around as his eyes landed on Tang Yunde¡¯s thin body. He knew that his mother was right. Perhaps if Tang Yunde didn¡¯t fall into a vegetative state suddenly, he wouldn¡¯t have abandoned them.


    He had never been in the wrong!


    But that word, was actually very difficult for him to say.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er!


    The longing and anticipation on Su Lingyun¡¯s face increased.


    Tang Xiu sighed inside. He looked at Tang Yunde on the bed and called out, ¡°Father¡­¡±


    Instantly, a bright smile bloomed on Su Lingyun¡¯s face along with a thick excitement. Glistening tears filled her eyes as she grabbed Tang Yunde¡¯s hand, tremblingly saying, ¡°Yunde, did you hear it? Your son called you father! So you must be strong for me and your son. You must wake up.¡±


    At the room¡¯s door¡­


    Tang Guosheng and the Tangs also showed joyful smiles. Since Tang Xiu called him father, it explained that the relationship between him and the Tang Family was undeniable.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath as he put his hands on Su Lingyun¡¯s shoulders and said, ¡°Mom, I need to start the treatment. If I can save him, you¡¯ll be able to tell him when he wakes up!¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Su Lingyun loosened Tang Yunde and hurriedly walked toward the door.


    ¡°Let Chu Yi inside. I need his help in the treatment,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Chu Yi squeezed out from the crowd as he rubbed his hands and smiled, ¡°Cousin, what do you want me to do?¡±


    Cousin?


    Once again, Tang Xiu heard him call himself with such a remark. But he didn¡¯t correct his address, instead, said serenely, ¡°I will start the treatment. If I don¡¯t finish the treatment within six hours, you come inside and lit a Dragonfume Grass. Do remember, after you lit the first one, you have to come inside and lit another one every half an hour and leave after you lit it.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it better if I stay here?¡± asked Chu Yi.


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°The fragrance of the Dragonfume Grass¡¯s smoke will be harmful to you. You¡¯ll fall unconscious if you inhale it too much.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so potent?¡±


    Although Chu Yi also heard Tang Ying say that, but he didn¡¯t expect that the effect would be so potent. He could doubt Tang Ying, but he¡¯d never doubt Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Rest easy! I¡¯ll do it according to your instructions.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded. After all the Tangs left and the door was closed, he took off his shoes and got on bed. Then he supported Tang Yunde to sit cross-legged in front him.

 Chapter 267

    Chapter 267: Exchanging Life for Life


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu was well aware that treating Tang Yunde would heavily consume his mental force. In particular, the removal of those ash-gray substances blocking his mind sea and the brain ventricles, as well as the mass of coagulated blood, would require the complete coordination of his star force and spiritual sense. He was required to stay focused all the time, controlling the input of his star force and spiritual sense. All in all, the task was an enormous demanding necessity in itself.


    Success meant that Tang Yunde would wake up and survive, and failure would result in his death.


    Disappointing his mother was something that he never wanted. After all, for twenty years she had been suffering, and the good days she had always been painstakingly hoping for, had approached. Even if he had to brave the danger, Tang Xiu had to go all out.


    Instantly piercing the silver needles on the acupoints in the middle of Tang Yunde¡¯s head, Tang Xiu¡¯s fingers pinched the needles and carefully inserted his star force into the acupuncture point. Along with the injection of star force, he guided his star force to enter Tang Yunde¡¯s brain. The coagulated blood must be cleared out first, and the nourishment to repair Tang Yunde¡¯s brain nerves must also be commenced afterward. Then he could eliminate that ash-grey substance slowly.


    A thread, silk-like star force, under Tang Xiu¡¯s spiritual sense control, slowly seeped into the coagulated blood. It pierced and recovered as the process repeated itself. Every time he took back his star force and spiritual sense, a trace of coagulated blood was extracted out.


    Time passed by.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mental force had been concentrated to the limit, carrying the coagulated blood time and time again. An hour passed and one-fifth of the coagulated blood had been removed. Immediately after, Tang Xiu recovered his star force and spiritual sense and quickly pulled out the silver needles on top of Tang Yunde¡¯s head. He then released his spiritual sense to seep into the brain once more, wrapping the coagulated blood and extracting a little more.


    Subsequently, he pierced the silver needles again in an instant, commencing the same previous procedures, and clearing up a little bit of the coagulated blood. Yet, along with the increase of speed, the cleaning of the coagulated blood congested inside Tang Yunde¡¯s brain had consumed a full four hours. Repairing Tang Yunde¡¯s brain nerves was as slow as before. While star force had a strong nourishing function, yet, Tang Xiu had spent another two full hours and could only repair 60% of the atrophied part of the brain nerves.


    ¡°It¡¯s about there!¡±


    Thick sweat beads rolled down Tang Xiu¡¯s forehead, yet he didn¡¯t notice it. At this time, he could feel a burst of intermittent fatigue in his soul, causing him an enormous burden. However, he knew very well that the more critical the moment, the more he couldn¡¯t relax. It was because the removal of the coagulated blood and the repairing of the brain nerves would lead to enormous burden to Tang Yunde¡¯s brain if his consciousness couldn¡¯t be released as fast as possible. The problems created in the past 20 years would bring about that heavy burden to the brain due to the sudden change.


    Suddenly, a wisp of fragrance drilled into Tang Xiu¡¯s nose. Quickly, his spirit startled. He knew that Chu Yi had lit the Dragonfume Grass. As his spirit slowly recoverded, he began to slowly remove the ash-gray substance that blocked Tang Yunde¡¯s mind sea and brain ventricle veins. These ash-gray substances were much more troublesome to clean up compared to the removal of the coagulated blood. It was inherently thicker, stickier and viscous. The process of removing these substances would require more effort and multiply the amount of mental force.


    Half an hour later, Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion had already turned paler, as though a paper, while the removal of the ash-gray substances was less than one-twentieth done.


    The door was gently pushed open as Chu Yi came inside soundlessly. His vision landed on Tang Xiu as his complexion slightly dazed, along with an aghast expression. Prior to this, although he saw that Tang Xiu looked to be straining a bit when he pinched the silver needle on the top of Tang Yunde¡¯s head to treat him, however, he didn¡¯t look as he was right now. Sweating all over his face, pale, lips turned purple and brows knitted together.


    Having been silenced for a moment, he lit the Dragonfume Grass again and left the room.


    Half an hour later, when Chu Yi came inside again, he found that Tang Xiu was not only sweating, looking pale again, even his body was somewhat shivering now. Worry and concern instantly grew inside his heart and could be seen on his face.


    After he kindled another Dragonfume Grass, he left the room. At the outside, the members of the Tang Family were still waiting. Despite the tiredness that could be seen on their faces, yet no one left to rest.


    As Tang Guosheng saw Chu Yi come out and readily shut the door, he asked with a heavy tone, ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but¡­¡± Chu Yi hesitated for a moment and replied with an astringent expression.


    ¡°But what?¡± asked Tang Guosheng. His complexion slightly changed.


    ¡°Tang Xiu¡¯s condition is quite bad. He has sweat all over his face, he¡¯s pale and his body is trembling. It is as if he¡¯s in a very uncomfortable state,¡± answered Chu Yi.


    Instantly, all Tang Family members showed a look of worry and concern.


    Su Lingyun asked hurriedly, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, he¡­ he isn¡¯t in a dangerous state, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± shaking his head, Chu Yi replied.


    Time fleeted by quickly.


    Four hours later.


    After Chu Yi lit the eleventh Dragonfume Grass, Tang Xiu¡¯s slightly hoarse voice entered his ears, ¡°Lit a strain for every ten minutes later.¡±


    Chu Yi didn¡¯t answer, but he firmly remembered it. This time his worry for Tang Xiu was raised to the extreme. At present, Tang Xiu hadn¡¯t just sweat covering his face, there was no longer any rosiness on his complexion. The veins on his forehead protruded and his lips were no longer purple as there were a few cracks on them; there was even blood seeping from it. The trembling of his body was twice worse than before, looking as if he would fall into a coma at any time.


    After hesitating, he quietly took out his mobile, taking a picture of Tang Xiu and Tang Yunde before he left the room quietly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not finished yet?¡±


    Tang Guosheng asked with worry all over his face


    Shaking his head, Chu Yi took his mobile and said, ¡°Grandpa, this is the picture I just took. Have a look at it!¡±


    Tang Guosheng took the mobile. His body trembled as he saw Tang Xiu¡¯s appearance, disbelief appearing in eyes.


    It was a very wretched and miserable appearance!


    Never would he have thought that Tang Xiu would fall into such a miserable state in order to cure his son. In particular, blood was also seeping from Tang Xiu¡¯s dry and cracked lips, causing him to be slightly distressed.


    ¡°Let me see!¡±


    Su Lingyun quickly grabbed the phone. When she saw Tang Xiu¡¯s appearance, it was as though her heart was pierced by a knife. Two lines of tears couldn¡¯t help rolling down. She wanted to rush inside and stop her son to stop the treatment, for fear that she would lose her son.


    However, a wisp of reason told her to not to be impulsive. If she were to disturb her son, not only could her husband not be saved, her son would also be implicated.


    The mobile was passing to the others Tang Family members. As they saw the picture, each and every one of them fell into silence. At the beginning, they showed approval for Tang Xiu because he was one of their blood. But speaking about familial affection, truth be told, there was not that much.


    However, they no longer had such a thought at the moment. The reason as to why Tang Xiu asked them to find the Dragonfume Grass in advance, was perhaps because he already knew that he would face such a situation. Yet, he didn¡¯t hesitate to treat Tang Yunde with everything he got. This in itself showed that he was a genuine descendant of the Tang Family with heavy affections.


    ¡°Grandson!¡±


    Seeing the picture, tears couldn¡¯t stop flowing from Qin Changyue¡¯s eyes. Her heart was as if twisted by a knife. 20 years had passed with this grandson of hers missing and she finally could see him, but never would she ever expected that he would fall into such a state.


    Inside the room.


    Tang Xiu had cleared up four-fifths of the ash-gray substances inside Tang Yunde¡¯s brain. However, he also had reached the limit as his mental force had been consumed. If he persevered, his mental force would be greatly implicated in a detrimental way. Yet, his tenacity and will had been tempered for 10,000 years, causing him to insist and persevere as before.


    It was either he didn¡¯t do it or completely finish it, there was no other choice!


    Tang Xiu bit the tip of his tongue. The tingling pain made him sober up again. However, the speed for the removal of the ash-gray substances would be slower later.


    When Tang Xiu had treated Tang Yunde for about 27 hours, there was only one-tenth of the ash-gray substances left. At this very moment, he found that Tang Yunde¡¯s consciousness had broken through into his mind sea and regained control of his body.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move yet.¡±


    With a hoarse and weak voice, Tang Xiu spoke to him.


    At this moment, Tang Yunde felt that he was in a dream. He didn¡¯t know how much time had passed in the outside world. What he felt was that he had been trapped inside the endless darkness for a very long time. So long a time that he had forgotten how long, even nearly forgetting who he was. All these years, there had only been one obsession holding him together, supporting him as not to let his consciousness break apart and disperse, turning it into a mass-energy inside him.


    The voice he heard, was a voice from a very young person!


    The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Tang Xiu in a particularly miserable appearance sitting cross-legged in front him. As his eyes turned, he also saw the scene inside the room.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Tang Yunde¡¯s throat wriggled a few times as he spoke in a weak voice.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s hoarse voice sounded again.


    Tang Yunde went silent. Even though he didn¡¯t know Tang Xiu, but he also realized that he was treating him. The endless darkness he had woken from was also the merit of the young man in front of him. Grateful, he kept silent and sat motionlessly.


    32 hours passed.


    The moment Tang Xiu cleared out the last remaining ash-gray substance, he finally couldn¡¯t suppress the flaring up blood inside as a mouthful of blood spurted out crazily. At the same time, all of his mental force and star force were thoroughly consumed. Blackness enshrouded his consciousness as his body fell to side the moment after and fell into a coma.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Tang Yunde¡¯s clothes were stained red with Tang Xiu¡¯s blood. Yet, he was more worried about Tang Xiu¡¯s safety. After all, this person was the one who had saved him. He wanted to help support Tang Xiu, but his body was rigid, causing his movement to be very slow. This sort of weak feeling coming from his soul also made him feel quite dizzy and blackout.


    Finally, the moment he touched Tang Xiu¡¯s arm, darkness filled his mind as he also fainted.


    Outside the room.


    The Tangs were finally unable to wait any longer. Some of them had gone to rest elsewhere, whereas some others sat directly on the bench, asleep. Tang Guosheng had rested for a while, and his eyes, that had been through the weather and storms of life, stared at the door. But at the side, Su Lingyun, who hadn¡¯t rested for more than 32 hours, had her eyes turned scarlet, looking very miserable. However, she still waited and prayed.


    ¡°Grandpa, shall I go inside again?¡±


    Chu Yi squatted beside Tang Guosheng. He was also waiting in anxiousness and finally couldn¡¯t bear but ask.


    After staying silence for a moment, Tang Guosheng nodded, ¡°Remember, do not interrupt him.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Nodding, Chu Yi got up and rubbed his numb legs. Then, he walked toward the door. When he gently opened the door and saw the situation inside, his complexion changed instantly. He swiveled his head and said, ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s not good!¡±

 Chapter 268

    Chapter 268: His Life is not Guaranteed


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Guosheng quickly stood up from the chair with a pale complexion. He ran to the door and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Chu Yi pointed inside and said tremblingly, ¡°The treatment seems to have been finished, but Tang Xiu, he¡­¡±


    Looking at the direction Chu Yi¡¯s finger pointed at, Tang Guosheng saw that both Tang Yunde and Tang Xiu fainted on the bed. His heart pounded as he rushed into the room. After hearing it, Su Lingyun¡¯s heart and throat were also stumped as she also rushed into the room, as did several other Tang Family members.


    ¡°He fell into a coma?¡±


    Seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s appearance, even though Tang Guosheng had a firm will, sparkling tears still fell down his eyes. The miserable condition Tang Xiu was in, it extremely distressed him.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, Xiu¡¯er, what has happened to you?¡±


    Su Lingyun dashed to the bed, involuntarily bursting into tears.


    The Tang Family members were also restless upon seeing that Tang Xiu had fallen into a coma. Never would they have expected that because Tang Xiu treated Tang Yunde, the both of them would fall into the same predicament. However, recalling how the treatment had lasted for more than thirty hours, admiration towards Tang Xiu surged in their hearts.


    Suddenly, Tang Guosheng turned around as he shouted sternly, ¡°Invite Master Chen, quickly!¡±


    Instantly, two members of the Tang Family ran outside.


    Having a moment of silence, Tang Guosheng then stared at Chu Yi and asked, ¡°Do you have Chen Zhizhong¡¯s number?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± said Chu Yi quickly.


    ¡°Call him. I¡¯ll talk to him personally,¡± said Tang Guosheng.


    Star City.


    Chen Zhizhong was accompanying several clients to a meal. Recently, the medicinal herbs business had been on fire, which made him quite happy every day. What made him happier was that his cultivation had been progressing rapidly.


    ¡°Ring, ring, ring¡­¡±


    As his mobile rang, he grabbed it. Seeing that the caller was Chu Yi, he immediately let out a smile to his business clients and spoke, ¡°All of you please have a drink first, I need to pick up this call.¡±


    Having said that, he stood up and picked up the call, laughing, ¡°Chu Yi, do you need something from me?¡±


    ¡°Tang Guosheng from Beijing¡¯s Tang Family is speaking here.¡±


    Tang Guosheng of the Tang Family?


    Chen Zhizhong was stupefied and his complexion changed greatly. He strode out of the box and spoke in a respectful tone, ¡°Old Sir Tang, I¡¯m Chen Zhizhong. Do you have any instructions for me?¡±


    ¡°I heard that you¡¯re Tang Xiu¡¯s apprentice, yes?¡± asked Tang Guosheng in a low, deep tone.


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± replied Chen Zhizhong.


    ¡°If you can, I hope you can rush to the capital immediately. My grandson fell into a coma after treating and curing a patient. His physical condition appears to be in a bad state. You run a medicinal herbs business, so I think I may need your help later,¡± said Tang Guosheng.


    ¡°Your grandson?¡±


    Chen Zhizhong replied in a confused tone. How would his Master be related to Tang Guosheng¡¯s grandson? Could it be that his Master¡¯s elder was looking for him?


    Tang Guosheng spoke in a deep tone, ¡°Tang Xiu is my grandson. My biological grandson.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Chen Zhizhong¡¯s pupils contracted as he exclaimed without him realizing it. A disbelieving expression was cast on his face as his heart pounded and his heartbeat accelerated.


    Tang Xiu is Tang Guosheng¡¯s biological grandson? Heaven!


    That said, is Tang Xiu then a descendant of the Tang Family from Beijing?


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± asked Tang Guosheng in a deep voice.


    Awoken from his shock, Chen Zhizhong quickly replied, ¡°I¡¯ll rush to the capital immediately. The matter with my Master is more important than mine!¡±


    Hanging up the phone, Chen Zhizhong ran to the box. Looking at his several business partners, he said, ¡°Gentlemen, I really apologize. Some private matters arose and I need to leave for Beijing in a hurry. It¡¯s of the utmost importance and grave matter as it involves someone¡¯s life. All of you please have a drink here, and wait until I have dealt with this matter. I¡¯ll treat you again later to make up for this time.¡±


    They nodded after hearing him.


    On the way to the airport, Chen Zhizhong dialed Long Zhengyu and Ouyang Lulu¡¯s numbers. He knew that the both of them were Tang Xiu¡¯s best friends. As for Kang Xia, Chen Zhizhong didn¡¯t tell her, for he thought that she should have known the news about Tang Xiu¡¯s situation.


    Star City, the Long Family¡¯s residence.


    Long Zhengyu was accompanying his family for lunch. After receiving a phone call from Chen Zhizhong, even though he was shocked, worry about Tang Xiu filled his heart. He spoke to his parents and hurriedly rushed to the airport.


    Jingmen Island.


    Ouyang Lulu was in her sojourn in the Everlasting Feast Hall. Eating cakes and pastries in the pavilion, she happily watched Gu Xiaoxue play the zither in front of her.


    ¡°Ring, ring, ring¡­¡±


    Her mobile rang and interrupted Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s zither play.


    Ouyang Lulu knitted her brows in displeasure. Giving Gu Xiaoxue an apologizing expression, she then took her mobile. Seeing that it was Chen Zhizhong, most of the displeasure on her expression disappeared, laughing after picking up the call, ¡°Uncle Chen, are you looking for me?¡±


    A moment after, Ouyang Lulu hang up the phone with a blank expression, dazed.


    Smiling, Gu Xiaoxue said softly, ¡°What happened? You suddenly picked up the phone, how come you¡¯re looking just like you just lost your soul?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu shuddered. She suddenly jumped up from the stone bench and quickly called out, ¡°It¡¯s Tang Xiu! He has been injured and seem like that he has fallen into a coma. I gotta go to Beijing, now!¡±


    Shocked, Gu Xiaoxue stared blankly before also standing up immediately. Her figure flashed toward Ouyang Lulu and asked anxiously, ¡°What did you say? How is Grand Master injured and in a coma? Where is he right now?¡±


    Suddenly, Ouyang Lulu remembered that Tang Xiu was also Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s Grand Master. Without any hesitation, she quickly replied, ¡°He¡¯s in Beijing. Chen Zhizhong just called me, saying that Tang Xiu fell into a coma after having saved someone. That¡¯s right. He¡¯s also Tang Guosheng¡¯s biological grandson of Beijing¡¯s Tang Family.¡±


    Tang Guosheng?


    Gu Xiaoxue felt that the name was somewhat familiar, but she couldn¡¯t care less about it. What concerned her the most was the safety of her Grand Master. Immediately, she spoke, ¡°Lulu, let¡¯s go to Beijing together.¡±


    In Beijing.


    The entire Tang Family was shocked due to Tang Xiu falling into a coma.


    All Tangs contacted everyone in their network one after another as well as invited a lot of medical experts. But those medical experts could only shake their heads after examining Tang Xiu. Even the renowned sage Chinese medical doctor, Grandmaster Chen Tianhe, could only figure out the cause of Tang Xiu¡¯s coma due to him using and greatly consuming his mental force.


    ¡°Master Chen, you have to save my grandson. No matter how great the price, the Tang Family will pay it.¡± Suppressing his sorrow, Tang Guosheng stared at the gray-robed old man in front of him.


    Chen Tianhe forced a smile and replied, ¡°Old Tang, I know what you¡¯re thinking. But I can¡¯t do anything about his condition. His qi is been too weak and his vitality is also leaking out. If it continues like this¡­ he will only live for a day at the most.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything else to alleviate it?¡± asked Tang Guosheng urgently.


    For a moment, Chen Tianhe fell into silence, before he slowly said, ¡°I do have a method of using acupuncture needles with moxibustion to stimulate his vital potential and arousing his qi. But this method is but only a temporary solution and can¡¯t eliminate the root problem. At best, it will only allow him to live for two days more. If we can¡¯t find a solution in three days, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    Tang Guosheng was about to speak as rapid footsteps outside the room came approaching. Then, Tang Yunpeng rushed into the room and shouted, ¡°Father, Yunde has awoken.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Tang Guosheng shuddered. But a trace of joy couldn¡¯t surpass the bitterness and pain inside his heart. His son had woken up at the price of exchanging the life of his own grandson. This was a price he could never afford. He turned around, looking at Su Lingyun that had fainted. He truly felt that this mother and son had truly lost for far too much.


    ¡°Master Chen, if we can keep him for two days then let¡¯s do it. I will find a way to cure my grandson no matter what it takes.¡±


    Chen Tianhe gently nodded. He took the silver needles and quickly started injecting them into Tang Xiu.


    Sure enough, after executing the method, Tang Xiu¡¯s leaking out vitality slowed down.


    Inside another room.


    More than a dozen Tang Family members looked at the awakening Tang Yunde with excited expressions. Qin Changyue had fallen to tears, pulling Tang Yunde into her embrace and didn¡¯t want to release him.


    ¡°Mother, I¡¯m really fine. Please don¡¯t cry anymore. You can see that I¡¯m awake now!¡± Tang Yunde squeezed out a smile. He slightly his body and could feel that his body was a lot better now.


    Tang Min¡¯s eyes turned very red as she spoke in a low voice, ¡°Second Big Brother. You¡¯ve woken up. It¡¯s great, really great.¡±


    At this time, Tang Yunde already knew that he had been in a coma for twenty years. Even though he felt that it was rather a miracle that he was awake, the excitement from his family members filled him with happiness. Suddenly, he recalled the young man who had saved him and quickly asked, ¡°Ah, right. When I woke up, I saw the young man who saved me vomiting a mouthful of blood and fainting. How is he right now?¡±


    In an instant, the Tang Family members looked at each other in dismay, but nobody knew how to respond.


    Qin Changyue wept yet again for a while. She wiped her tears and sobbed, ¡°Son! D-Do you know that the person who has saved you is your own son? B-but he¡­ he¡¯s in a very very bad condition now.¡±


    ¡°What? He¡¯s¡­ my¡­ my son?¡±


    Tang Yunde recalled. He remembered that his wife had been pregnant before he fell into a coma. But never would he have dreamt that the first person, the young man he first saw after he woke up from his coma turned out to be his son.


    ¡°Mother, h-he¡­ what happened to him?¡±


    Tang Yunde asked with a somewhat shivering voice.


    Tang Min replied instead of his mother, ¡°Our family has invited a lot of well-known doctors, yet they are also helpless about his condition. They said that¡­ due to excessive consumption of his mental force, his life is in grave danger.¡±


    ¡°Take me to see him.¡±


    Tang Yunde struggled to stand up.


    Two minutes later.


    Being propped by his relatives, Tang Yunde came to the room where Tang Xiu fell into a coma. When he heard from his father, Tang Guosheng, and the sage Chinese medical doctor, Chen Tianhe, about the situation his son was in, he wept into tears. He also hugged the fainted Su Lingyun along with tears that couldn¡¯t stop flowing from his eyes.


    In Beijing, all the big respected families, all the rich and powerful great figures, even those who were at the topmost pyramid of power and authorities, had all received the news that the Tang Family had just found the grandson they had been missing for 20 years. Just as they were amazed that the Tang Family secretly added another member to their ranks, a heavy news spread out yet again: The descendant of the Tang Family who was a divine doctor working at the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, had rescued his own father who had fallen into a coma for 20 years, and now he himself fell into a coma while his own life was also in question.


    Right at this time, those in the topmost of power in the country, one after another, had all contacted Tang Guosheng to inquire about Tang Xiu¡¯s condition, conveying their condolences and comfort. At the same time, a lot of top-famous doctors across the country had also received invitations from the Tang Family to rush over to Beijing.

 Chapter 269

    Chapter 269: Martial Arts Master


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Beijing, Tang Family¡¯s residence.


    Full of expectation, Tang Guosheng welcomed the famous doctors that came one after another, yet disappointment covered his face as he sent them off later, including sage Chinese medical doctor, Chen Tianhe.


    In the courtyard of Tang Family¡¯s residence.


    Chen Zhizhong and Long Zhengyu looked at the eager yet restless expression on the faces of Tang Family¡¯s members. The sight made them sigh inwardly. After they arrived, they finally learned everything, that Tang Xiu had just recently discovered his identity as a descendant of the Tangs.


    At this time, Su Lingyun had already awakened and tightly walked arm in arm alongside Tang Yunde. A tense and restless expression could be seen on her face. Inside her heart, she was deeply regretting letting her son treat her husband. If not for her son treating her husband, he wouldn¡¯t have fallen into such a grave danger, while her husband, even though he was in a coma back then, but at least he would still be alive.


    ¡°Continue spreading the news that whoever can cure my grandson, my Tang Family will give a reward of one billion Yuan.¡± Tang Guosheng pinched off the cigarette butt as he shouted with a heavy tone.


    All the Tang Family members who were inside the courtyard had solemn expressions. No one dared to go against Tang Guosheng¡¯s words. Even they themselves thought that if they had to choose between one billion yuan and Tang Xiu¡¯s life, they would also choose the latter.


    At the lane¡¯s entrance in front of the courtyard.


    Gu Xiaoxue and Ouyang Lulu¡¯s car was intercepted. Four soldiers in military uniforms and fully armed were looking at them with an extremely cold and indifferent expression.


    ¡°We¡¯re Tang Xiu¡¯s friends. Please open and make way for us quickly.¡± Ouyang Lulu stood in front of the four soldiers and cried out in anger.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss. No one can enter without the chief¡¯s order!¡± One of the soldiers shook his head and replied coldly.


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you quickly rush inside and tell them that we¡¯re Tang Xiu¡¯s friends. We must see him!¡± said Ouyang Lulu.


    Coldness flashed inside Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s eyes. She didn¡¯t want to lose time. Even if the people in front were from the army, she couldn¡¯t care less. Her figure flashed and appeared in front of two soldiers. Her palm striked out as though a blade. The two soldiers could only see blackness in front of them, fainting in an instant.


    ¡°Motherf*cker!¡±


    The other two soldiers reacted very fast upon seeing Gu Xiaoxue move. They immediately opened the bolt. Just as they were about to pull the trigger, Gu Xiaoxue had already flashed in front of them and hit their foreheads lightning fast, causing them to faint.


    ¡°Enemy assault!¡±


    In the alley, the complexions of the other two soldiers in uniform changed greatly. Flashing toward Gu Xiaoxue and Ouyang Lulu, they loaded bullets into their guns and aimed the muzzles at the two women.


    However, even though the distance between these two soldiers and the other two fainted ones were more than ten meters, darkness also befell unto them, instantly making them faint. Yet, their roars alarmed a lot of guards nearby. Within just a few breaths, more than ten security guards quickly rushed there.


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    In between the turn of her hands, a soft sword suddenly appeared in Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s hand. Along with the movement of her footsteps, she moved unceasingly. Her soft sword moved in a trajectory and speed that surpassed the ability that naked eyes could capture. It moved as though a spirit snake, striking at the guards¡¯ wrists. By the time their wrists were scratched, the guns in their hands were also seized by her as she threw them into the distance.


    ¡°Bang, bang¡­¡±


    Dozens of shots were fired.


    Inside the courtyard.


    Tang Guosheng¡¯s complexion changed greatly as everyone else in the courtyard was also shocked. Never did they expect that someone would dare to make a ruckus in the Tang Family¡¯s residence, even making the guards outside fire their guns.


    ¡°Yunpeng, see what¡¯s happening.¡±


    Tang Guosheng looked grim and shouted sternly.


    Tang Yunpeng complied and ran toward the outside. As he came to the front courtyard, he saw two guards in military uniform flying into the courtyard from the outside as their bodies smashed down heavily on the hard concrete floor.


    ¡°I¡¯m Tang Yunpeng, who are you?¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue snorted coldly. Her figure vanished instantly. As she appeared again, she was in front of Tang Yunpeng. Her onion-white slender fingers grabbed Tang Yunpeng¡¯s throat and said in a cold voice, ¡°No matter who you are, take me to see my Grand Master immediately. Otherwise, I¡¯ll kill without mercy!¡±


    Tang Yunpeng, who had his throat grabbed, was horrified and panicked. A chill struck his heart. The girl was twenty meters away from him, but she was able to move in a flash, appearing in front of him. It was like god¡¯s ability in the myths- Teleport.


    ¡°Y-you¡­ who is your Grand Master?¡±


    Knitting her brows, Gu Xiaoxue replied in a cold voice, ¡°Tang Xiu!¡±


    Tang Yunpeng could feel the power in her hand reduce a lot and quickly said, ¡°Tang Xiu is your Grand Master? I¡¯ll immediately take you to see him!¡±


    For a moment, Gu Xiaoxue was still. She then released Tang Yunpeng, waving toward Ouyang Lulu who was running toward the entrance, ¡°Let¡¯s go! They will never be able to hurt you.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    It was the first time Ouyang Lulu saw Gu Xiaoxue act. Her lightning fast speed and ruthless actions had greatly shocked her. She knew that Gu Xiaoxue was a martial artist, yet she had never thought that Gu Xiaoxue would be this fearsome.


    This¡­ was just like the martial arts masters in the TV series.


    ¡°Clomp, clomp, clomp¡­¡±


    Rapid footsteps approached quickly as dozens of armed soldiers in camouflage uniforms rushed into the courtyard with dark muzzles aimed at Gu Xiaoxue and Ouyang Lulu.


    Tang Yunpeng took a deep breath and shouted in a heavy tone, ¡°DON¡¯T SHOOT!¡±


    An officer ran toward Tang Yunpeng and saluted, ¡°Chief, we did poorly in protecting you. They broke into the courtyard. Please punish us!¡±


    Tang Yunpeng had seen how fearsome Gu Xiaoxue was. Despite there being dozens of soldiers armed with guns pointing at her, yet he still didn¡¯t have the slightest sense of feeling secure. After staying silent for a moment, he growled, ¡°Go out and continue standing guard. As for you two, please follow me!¡±


    Quickly, Gu Xiaoxue and Ouyang Lulu followed Tang Yunpeng to the backyard.


    ¡°Ouyang Lulu? How are you here?¡±


    Seeing her, Long Zhengyu was astonished and greeted her.


    With a bit of worry on her face, Ouyang Lulu quickly asked, ¡°Zhengyu, how is Tang Xiu? I heard he¡¯s injured. How is he now? Where is he?¡±


    Looking at her anxious expression, Long Zhengyu turned and looked at Tang Guosheng, saying bitterly, ¡°He¡¯s still in a coma and have yet to come out from danger.¡±


    Seeing the two girls coming inside, Tang Guosheng¡¯s brows wrinkled as he growled at Tang Yunpeng, ¡°What happened outside just now?¡±


    A slightly wry and forced smile appeared on Tang Yunpeng¡¯s face. He glanced at the cold and detached Gu Xiaoxue and said, ¡°It¡¯s because of the both of them. They rushed inside forcefully, wounding a dozen guards.¡±


    What?


    Right at this moment Tang Guosheng thought that his ears were having problems. Everyone else in the courtyard also looked at each other in dismay, disbelieve on their faces.


    These two belles so outrageously broke inside and also injured a dozen guards?


    What joke was this?


    How could it be possible that such delicate and weak-looking girls were able to injure dozens of guards? One must know that those guards were armed with guns, and the series of gunshots just now had absolutely scared them!


    Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s cold and detached vision swept over at everyone, saying with a cold voice, ¡°Tell me, where is my Grand Master?¡±


    Grand Master?


    The complexion of a dozen Tang Family members changed as the astonished and shocked expression on their faces turned thicker.


    Chen Zhizhong¡¯s expression changed and quickly replied, ¡°Who are you? I¡¯m Chen Zhizhong, Tang Xiu¡¯s disciple.¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s brows pricked. A slightly respectful expression emerged on her face as she cupped her fist and said, ¡°Xiaoxue sees Martial Uncle.¡±


    ¡°Your Master is?¡± puzzle, Chen Zhizhong, asked.


    Shaking her head, Gu Xiaoxue said, ¡°If Grand Master has yet to tell you, it¡¯s not in my rights to say it. Where¡¯s Grand Master now? I need to see his condition.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong turned to Tang Guosheng.


    Although Tang Guosheng didn¡¯t understand why Chen Zhizhong acknowledged Tang Xiu as a Master as well as was clueless as to how Gu Xiaoxue became his grandson¡¯s grand disciple, yet he still replied in a deep tone, ¡°Tang Xiu is in the side hall. I¡¯ll take you to see him. Everyone else, you are to wait outside.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu quickly said, ¡°I¡¯m going too.¡±


    Glancing at her deeply, Tang Guosheng then nodded.


    A moment after, Tang Guosheng along with Gu Xiaoxue and Ouyang Lulu arrived at the side hall. As the two woman saw Tang Xiu lying in a coma on the bed, Ouyang Lulu quickly rushed to the bed and shouted, ¡°Tang Xiu, wake up!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t shout, it¡¯s useless!¡±


    Tang Guosheng shook his head and spoke whilst suppressing the sorrow inside his heart.


    Grabbing Tang Xiu¡¯s wrist, Gu Xiaoxue checked his pulse. Half a minute later, her complexion turned unsightly, ¡°Exhausting his mental force and excessive consumption of his spiritual force. His vitality and qi are also leaking out.¡±


    ¡°Miss, you learnt medical skills?¡± eyes turning bright, Tang Guosheng asked quickly.


    Gu Xiaoxue was silent for a moment and then said, ¡°All of you go out and do not let anyone disturb me. Do remember that nobody is allowed to come inside before I go out.¡±


    ¡°Understood! We¡¯ll immediately leave,¡± said Tang Guosheng quickly on hearing it.


    Ouyang Lulu hurriedly asked, ¡°Sister Xue, can you heal Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be a problem,¡± replied Gu Xiaoxue serenely.


    A pleasantly surprised expression immediately appeared on Ouyang Lulu¡¯s face as she then followed Tang Guosheng out.


    Outside the room.


    Tang Guosheng shouted in a heavy tone, ¡°Listen up everyone. Without my order, no one is allowed inside. Only that young lady is allowed there. She¡¯s going to treat my grandson.¡±


    ¡°Can she treat him?¡± Su Lingyun suddenly sat up and asked nervously.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but she said that it won¡¯t be a problem for her,¡± shaking his head, Tang Guosheng replied.


    Clenching her fist tightly, Su Lingyun¡¯s tears fell again. She was praying inwardly for the blessing of God. If her son could awake and recover, even if she had to die, she was willing to accept it.


    Suddenly, her eyes landed on Ouyang Lulu. She then probed, ¡°Miss, what¡¯s the relationship between you and my son?¡±


    Son?


    In an instant, Ouyang Lulu knew who Su Lingyun was. Her face blushed as she hurriedly bowed, ¡°Hello Auntie! I-I am¡­ Tang Xiu¡¯s friend. We have a good relationship.¡±


    Nodding and giving her a grateful look, Su Lingyun said, ¡°Thank you for being able to come over. My son is really blessed to have a friend like you.¡±


    She didn¡¯t notice that everyone else in the courtyard looked somewhat strange upon seeing Ouyang Lulu¡¯s appearance. Just now, they clearly saw Ouyang Lulu acting like a daughter-in-law.

 Chapter 270

    Chapter 270: Awakening


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Inside the room, Gu Xiaoxue took off her shoes and sat cross-legged behind Tang Xiu, putting her hands on his back and transferring her True Essence into his body.


    ¡°Huh, what happened?¡±


    After transferring her True Essence energy for half a minute, Gu Xiaoxue retracted her hands. Tang Xiu¡¯s body was actually repelling her True Essence energy. Originally, she wanted to use True Essence to heal Tang Xiu. But not only it had been ineffective, it even backfired, worsening Tang Xiu¡¯s condition.


    ¡°Could it be that Grand Master¡¯s cultivation technique doesn¡¯t cultivate True Essence? But if it¡¯s not True Essence, how can I save him? By using the Blood Sacrifice Art on him?¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s complexion changed constantly as an hesitating expression flashed in her eyes. The Blood Sacrifice Art could indeed treat Tang Xiu, but it would be greatly detrimental to her. Not only would it reduce her lifespan, her cultivation speed would also be affected.


    After pondering for a while, Gu Xiaoxue finally made up her mind and used the Blood Sacrifice Art to treat Tang Xiu. After all, Tang Xiu was her Grand Master and the person her Master cared the most.


    ¡°Heaven and Earth bestow the profoundness. Devour the blood to revive life.¡±


    Biting her fingertips, Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s ten fingers made several finger seals. Forcing out a drop of blood essence from her body, she imprinted the blood along with the finger seals onto the spot between Tang Xiu¡¯s eyebrows. A profound and mysterious aura arose between the Heaven and Earth as it fused into the drop of blood essence forced out by Gu Xiaoxue and seeped into the middle of Tang Xiu¡¯s eyebrows.


    Immediately, her body floated in midair and instantly appeared on top of Tang Xiu¡¯s head. Along with the turning of her body upside down, her palm pressed on Tang Xiu¡¯s top of the head as a thread of her innate qi was as though crossing over into Tang Xiu¡¯s body.


    After doing all these, her complexion turned a bit pale. Her figure instantly flashed and appeared in front of Tang Xiu. Sitting cross-legged, she closed her eyes and adjusted her breathing. At present, she had surpassed the path of the Golden Core but had yet to break the core and birth a Nascent embryo. However, forcing out a drop of her blood essence and using the Blood Sacrifice Art was rather a great loss for her because, at the least, more than ten years of her lifespan had been reduced.


    At this time, Tang Xiu¡¯s life force that had been leaking out suddenly had a mass of strong life force burst out from his heart. Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s life force from her drop of blood essence contained a huge energy and was much stronger than all the energy from Tang Xiu¡¯s cultivation.


    Thump!


    Thump, thump!


    As the strength of his heartbeat was getting stronger, the force of the stars and the sun from the distant blue dome of heaven began to drift away from all directions and fused into his body. The originally dried up star force began to condensate a bit as Tang Xiu finally recovered little by little.


    Yet, the profound and mysterious aura rapidly left the drop of life and blood essence and fused into Tang Xiu¡¯s mind sea. Right at this moment, Tang Xiu¡¯s consciousness, that had fallen into the darkness, finally woke up from the chaos. As his consciousness recovered and proliferated throughout his body, he found the drop of lifeblood essence, his complexion suddenly changing.


    He knew perfectly well about the condition of his body.


    But that drop of lifeblood essence came from the outside, and he knew that someone had used the Blood Sacrifice Art to save his life. Not having enough time to ponder on whom had saved him, his consciousness began to settle down as Tang Xiu silently circulated his cultivation technique, the ¡°Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis¡±.


    Time fleeted and three days had passed.


    When Tang Xiu¡¯s eyelids jittered and he opened his eyes, he saw one person sitting cross-legged in front him, holding her chin without blinking an eye- Gu Xiaoxue.


    Was she the person who had saved him?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s facial expression slightly moved. His face was somewhat still pale, but he showed a slight faint smile and blinked at Gu Xiaoxue. Speaking in a hoarse voice, he asked, ¡°Did you use the Blood Sacrifice Art to save me?¡±


    Seeing Tang Xiu opening his eyes, Gu Xiaoxue dazed a bit. When she saw Tang Xiu blink and speak, she immediately called out in pleasant surprise, ¡°Grand Master, you¡¯ve finally awoken? I thought it¡¯d take a long time for you to wake up! Yes. I did use the Blood Sacrifice Art because I found that Grand Master¡¯s body refuses True Essence energy.¡±


    It was really her!


    Secretly sighing, Tang Xiu then smiled, ¡°My cultivation technique is somewhat special so it will reject the others¡¯ True Essence energy. Thus, it would be useless for you try to heal me with True Essence energy. Xiaoxue, I really have to thank you for this time. If you didn¡¯t use the Blood Sacrifice Art to treat me, I might have died already.¡±


    Raising her small face, Gu Xiaoxue smiled, ¡°This is what I¡¯m supposed to do, Grand Master!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and looked at the surrounding, realizing that he was still inside the side hall Tang Guosheng provided him for the treatment. But at the moment, there was no trace of Tang Guosheng. The smile on his face faded away as he asked in a low voice, ¡°Where are we now?¡±


    ¡°Beijing, Tang Family¡¯s residence,¡± answered Gu Xiaoxue.


    Tang Xiu asked in astonishment, ¡°How did you find me?¡±


    ¡°The Tang Family spread the news all over the country, inviting numerous doctors to treat you. They promised to pay no matter the cost whoever was able to heal you. The Chen family head, Martial Uncle Chen, called Ouyang Lulu. At that time she was sojourning in the Everlasting Feast Hall, hence I also got the news.¡±


    The Tang Family¡­


    Tang Xiu¡¯s browed knitted as it then smoothed a moment after.


    They would pay whatever the price?


    Such a commitment was truly heavy!


    Despite Tang Xiu still having some feelings of rejection toward the Tang Family, but at this moment, he had to admit that the Tang Family had indeed treated him as a genuine family member. Now, he finally believed that everything that Tang Guosheng had said was truly true, that they had indeed attempted to find them.


    _¡°It¡¯s a pointless insistence, and no longer makes sense._


    _Since the Tang Family really treats mother and me as family members, then let nature take its course._


    _It¡¯s too short a time to tell, but I¡¯ll see it later on._


    _It doesn¡¯t matter what we call each other, the most important thing is to see how we get along in the future._


    _I shouldn¡¯t make Mom feel awkward and embarrassed.¡±_


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Ideas crossed Tang Xiu¡¯s mind one after another. After getting out of the bed and wearing his shoes, he looked at Gu Xiaoxue and asked, ¡°How did you and Ouyang Lulu come here?¡±


    ¡°Via Lulu¡¯s private jet,¡± answered Gu Xiaoxue.


    Tang Xiu asked again, ¡°Ouyang Lulu? Where¡¯s she now?¡±


    Shaking her head, Gu Xiaoxue said, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I never left this side hall on these three days. However, she¡¯s very worried about you, so she should still be in this Tang Family¡¯s residence.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded. When he opened the door along with Gu Xiaoxue, in an instant, dozens of Tang Family members gathered ecstatically. Su Lingyun rushed over and flew herself to him as she fell into tears out of extreme happiness.


    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m fine,¡± slightly smiling, Tang Xiu patted her back gently and comforted her.


    At the side, sitting in a wheelchair as his mobility was still somewhat inconvenient, a look of excitement emerged on Tang Yunde¡¯s face. His eyes tightly locked on Tang Xiu, observing him closely. Nobody had a more complicated mood than he had. All sorts of feelings, all joys and sorrows of life, all of them bubbled up and filled his heart and mind.


    However, as emotional as he was, Tang Yunde was mostly feeling ashamed and guilty.


    He had never been a father. He didn¡¯t raise him up!


    If it was merely this, that was it. But in order to save him, his son almost lost his own life. As tough as he was, he couldn¡¯t speak even after opening his mouth a few times.


    Standing at Tang Yunde¡¯s side, Tang Guosheng patted his shoulder. As his vision shifted from Tang Xiu to the slim Gu Xiaoxue, he said gratefully, ¡°Miss Gu, I truly have to thank you for everything. You have saved my grandson¡¯s life. No matter what you wish for, the Tang Family will absolutely fulfill it as long as it is within our abilities.¡±


    ¡°Saving my Grand Master is my duty. I don¡¯t wish for anything, and the Tang Family need not repay me,¡± Gu Xiaoxue replied serenely.


    Tang Xiu pushed Su Lingyun away gently, wiping the tears from her face. He then looked at Tang Guosheng and Tang Yunde. His sight finally landed on the excited and tearful Qin Changyue, ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m hungry. Please ask someone to cook something for me!¡±


    Grandma?


    Qin Changyue was stunned. A hard-to-believe expression appeared in her tearful eyes, but in an instant, it was replaced with an ecstatic expression. It was the feeling of being in a dream for her, since her grandson¡ªTang Xiu, who had always rejected recognizing the Tang Family unexpectedly called her ¡®grandmother¡¯.


    ¡°Alright, G-grandma¡­ grandma will cook for you myself.¡±


    The other Tang Family members also showed pleasantly surprised expressions. This represented Tang Xiu¡¯s willingness, finally accepting the Tang Family and recognizing all of them and himself as a Tang Family member.


    As Qin Changyue left, Tang Xiu then looked at Tang Yunde and said calmly, ¡°Father, since you have woken up, let¡¯s go back to Star City after dinner! Mom has waited for you for twenty years, I hope you won¡¯t disappoint her later.¡±


    Being called ¡®father¡¯ by Tang Xiu, a warm feeling filled Tang Yunde¡¯s heart as tears streamed down his face. Nodding heavily, he replied with all seriousness, ¡°Rest assured, son. I¡¯ll use the rest of my remaining years in life to compensate you and your mother.¡±


    Half an hour later, Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxue had eaten and drunk enough.


    Qin Changyue, who sat beside him, looked quite satisfied as she saw that the food she cooked had nearly been cleaned up by Tang Xiu. The moment Tang Xiu put his chopsticks down, she quickly asked, ¡°Grandson, are you full already?¡±


    ¡°Yes, grandma!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Pleased, Qin Changyue nodded in satisfaction and smileed, ¡°If you like grandma¡¯s food, I¡¯ll do the cooking for you every day later.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°Grandma, I still have important things to do. I need to go to Jingmen Island and following that, I¡¯ll also go abroad. I¡¯ll be back here when Shanghai University¡¯s classes have started.¡±


    Qin Changyue was surprised, ¡°You will go abroad?¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and didn¡¯t give more explanation. He then turned toward Tang Guosheng, ¡°Grandpa, we¡¯ll go first.¡±


    ¡°Can it be delayed?¡± asked Tang Guosheng.


    Tang Xiu asked back, ¡°Is there something else?¡±


    Tang Guosheng said, ¡°Since you¡¯re here, I already planned to let you pay homage to the ancestors tomorrow as well as include you and your mother in the family tree. If you have something thing to do, you can leave after paying homage to the ancestors tomorrow.¡±


    Pondering for a moment, Tang Xiu then slowly nodded, ¡°Alright! I will have to trouble you to arrange rooms for Xiaoxue and Lulu.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡±


    Tang Guosheng replied immediately with a happy expression.


    At night!


    Tang Xiu, Gu Xiaoxue, Ouyang Lulu, and even Zhizhong and Long Zhengyu were all staying in the Tang Family¡¯s residence. But Tang Yunpeng himself booked a dining hall in an upscale restaurant nearby and prepared eight tables to celebrate Tang Yunde having regained consciousness as well as Tang Xiu¡¯s safety and speedy recovery.

 Chapter 271

    Chapter 271: Settling Placement


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The next day.


    Tang Guosheng personally presided over the process of ancestors¡¯ veneration for Tang Xiu and Su Lingyun, arranging the ancestors¡¯ worship position as well as recording the names of both of them in the Tang Family tree.


    Immediately after, Tang Xiu took his parents to board Ouyang Lulu¡¯s private jet and directly flew to Star City. Chen Zhizhong and Gu Xiaoxue were also coming together with them. But Tang Xiu and Long Zhengyu drove his Land Rover SUV back to Star City at high speed while Tang Xiu drove all the way to Qinghe County toward the Su Village, checking on his grandmother and fetching Su Ben and Su Quan, then going back to Star City again.


    South Gate Town.


    When Tang Yunde entered the grand villa, he was shocked. Although he knew from his wife that his son, Tang Xiu, made a lot of money and now lived in a large villa, but he was still stupefied, because he had never imagined that the villa would turn out to be so luxurious.


    ¡°Grandma!¡±


    Gu Yin was sitting on the sofa in the living room, listening to music. As she saw Su Lingyun entering the living room, she was pleasantly surprised and quickly removed her headset and ran over.


    At the opposite side of the sofa, Kang Xia was also there. She was reading a financial magazine when she heard Gu Yin¡¯s shout and was also surprised. She knew from Gu Yin that the one she called grandmother was none other than Tang Xiu¡¯s mother.


    Looking ahead, Kang Xiu realized that a lot of people were entering the living room.


    Smiling, Su Lingyun loosened her hands pushing the wheelchair. She directly hugged Gu Yin, ¡°Yinyin dear, have you been a good girl?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Yinyin is always a good girl. Grandma, I missed you,¡± Gu Yin laughed.


    Su Lingyun stroked her hair, smiling. After that, she put her down on the floor. Pointing at Tang Yunde on the wheelchair, she spoke, ¡°Yinyin, he¡¯s your Master¡¯s father. You may call him Grandpa.¡±


    Gu Yin was stunned, observing Tang Yunde curiously. She then called out in a well-behaved manner, ¡°Grandpa, have you been good? I¡¯m Gu Yin, you can call me Yinyin.¡±


    Tang Yunde had long since learned about Gu Yin and replied with a smile, ¡°Hi, Yinyin. Later on, we¡¯re all one family.¡±


    Gu Yin looked up and then gazed back at Su Lingyun.


    Su Lingyun nodded to her and then greeted Kang Xia. It was her first time seeing Kang Xia. After hesitating for a moment, she said, ¡°And you are¡­¡±


    Recalling what had happened and the relationship between her and Tang Xiu, Kang Xia was felt somewhat disturbed. However, at this moment, she also saw Ouyang Lulu and Gu Xiaoxue behind, her mood turning complicated. She knew that Ouyang Lulu liked Tang Xiu, but she had never thought that aside from her, there was also another more fairy-like woman. Slightly hesitating, she quickly calmed herself and put away her complicated emotions, replying with a smile, ¡°Hi, Auntie. Hi, Uncle. I¡¯m Kang Xia.¡±


    Su Lingyun suddenly understood and seized her hands quickly as she smiled, ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re Kang Xia! Xiu¡¯er and Yinyin often tell me about you, but I¡¯ve yet to see you. You¡¯re truly beautiful and thoughtful. My son told me that you¡¯re the one who manages the business, making you very busy. It¡¯s really laborious for you, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Feeling Su Lingyun¡¯s amicable demeanor, Kang Xia¡¯s smile got brighter. ¡°This is what I¡¯m supposed to do, Auntie!¡±


    ¡°About the business issues, it¡¯s your and Xiu¡¯er¡¯s matter. But we¡¯ve left Star City for so many days, while you¡¯re apparently also taking care of Yinyin. In this regard, I really can¡¯t thank you enough.¡±


    Kang Xia modestly returned the pleasantries.


    Immediately after, Su Lingyun also introduced her to Ouyang Lulu and Gu Xiaoxue. When she learned that Kang Xia and Ouyang Lulu already knew each other, she no longer said anything.


    Originally, as Kang Xia saw that Su Lingyun had come back, she was ready to leave. But then, after Su Lingyun learned that she was having her day off, she insisted on her staying. With such intimate and warm manner, Kang Xia was unable to refuse it.


    In the afternoon, Tang Xiu had returned to South Gate Town and found that aside from Chen Zhizhong, everyone else was in his home. After chatting with everyone for a while, he then called Kang Xia to his bedroom on the second floor.


    ¡°Boss, I¡¯m not happy with you.¡±


    As Kang Xia closed the bedroom¡¯s door, she spoke with a bit of dissatisfaction on her beautiful face, pouting as though a young girl.


    ¡°How so?¡± asked Tang Xiu, puzzled.


    ¡°I already know that you treated Uncle Tang, and you almost lost your life. But the others, including Ouyang Lulu, knew about it, but I heard nothing.¡±


    Shaking his head, Tang Xiu smiled, ¡°It was too sudden a matter, whereas you yourself have a lot of things to manage in Star City. Hence, they didn¡¯t tell you. But anyways, I¡¯m okay now, so you can put down your worry.¡±


    Kang Xia scoffed. She then came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side, held his arm and said, ¡°Later on, you¡¯re not allowed to encounter any dangers again. Even if you don¡¯t care, but please do it for me¡­ for the sake of our Magnificent Tang Corporation also. You¡¯re the Big Boss, what will happen if you got on an accident? How will I manage it?¡±


    Tang Xiu and Kang Xia had gotten into an intimate relationship, so he didn¡¯t reject her intimacy. Instead, he patted her arm and laughed, ¡°Rest easy! I¡¯ll certainly pay attention to my safety in the future. Anyways, the reason I called you is that I need to tell you something.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± asked Kang Xia curiously.


    ¡°Firstly, I¡¯ll be going to Jingmen Island and then abroad directly from there. If all goes well, I¡¯ll be back within 10 to 15 days. If there are special circumstances, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll have to wait until September 1st for the Shanghai University starting classes,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Kang Xia had already known that Tang Xiu was going to the private island he had bought. Thus, she nodded, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take good care of the company, Auntie and Uncle. I¡¯ll be there if there¡¯s anything they need.¡±


    Nodding, Tang Xiu then asked the matter he wanted to know the most, ¡°What about the winery? Is Scarblade Qiang done with the winemaking?¡±


    Upon hearing it, Kang Xia¡¯s eyes turned bright immediately and said happily, ¡°He¡¯s done brewing, and the taste is better than the previous ones. That good wine¡­ absolutely can be called the world¡¯s finest. Also, I¡¯ve thought of the brand name for the wine. It will be called ¡°Gods¡¯ Nectar¡±. The other company leaders and I have also discussed the fixed price for it, 18888 yuan per bottle.¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°The price is just. We have just set up the winery. The scale is too small and the wine production will be limited. Thus, we have to take the high-end route. In addition, of our company¡¯s several products, the drinks will be the most profitable products entering the market. As for the promotion, marketing and sales, it will be yours to manage.¡±


    Hearing that, Kang Xia also laughed happily, ¡°Anyways, by September 15th this year, a three-years event of domestic Wine Tasting Conference will also be held in Shanghai, so I¡¯ll be taking our Gods¡¯ Nectar to participate in the event. I¡¯m sure that it will be a sensational blockbuster. Also, I¡¯ve decided to set the sales date for the Gods¡¯ Nectar on September 18th.¡±


    Whilst walking toward the cloakroom, Tang Xiu then said, ¡°You call the shots for this decision.¡±


    Having gotten Tang Xiu¡¯s approval, Kang Xia felt happy and sweet. She followed him to the cloakroom. As she saw that Tang Xiu was about to change clothes, she quickly asked, ¡°Boss, when will you go to Jingmen Island?¡±


    ¡°After the dinner. I¡¯ll also bring Yinyin with me. Ah, right. I also have brought along Su Ben and Su Quan from my hometown, Qinghe County. Put them to work as security guards on the winery first. I grew up with them so I know their personalities. Su Ben is an upright and honest, consistent and diligent person. He¡¯s a good candidate to be trained as a Security Captain. As for Su Quan, he¡¯s a smart, creative one. Place him in the security corps first. After a period of time, transfer him to the company¡¯s Sales Department and let him start from the bottom. If his performance is good, promote him properly.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± replied Kang Xia with a nod.


    Tang Xiu swiftly picked a few pieces of underwear and a casual jacket and stuffed them into his suitcase as well as putting a few pairs of shoes and socks into it and pulled the zipper. He then turned around to look at Kang Xia, saying, ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, you can go down! I wanna take a bath and change my clothes.¡±


    A smile was revealed on the corner of Kang Xia¡¯s mouth. She moved away from the door and asked, ¡°Do you want me to rub your back for you?¡±


    ¡°You wanna bath with me? No problem. Buy some clothes for changing over, so when you want to have a couple¡¯s bath, then come to find me,¡± said Tang Xiu with an odd expression.


    ¡°Bah¡­ who the hell wants to have a couple¡¯s bath with you?¡±


    Kang Xia¡¯s attractive face blushed as she quickly turned around and left.


    In fact, she was indeed tempted. After they had slept together, that taste of climaxing kept appearing inside her. However, there were Tang Xiu¡¯s parents, Ouyang Lulu and Gu Xiaoxue downstairs. Even if her skin turned thicker, it was impossible for her.


    At evening, Tang Xiu and everyone else had dinner at home. Then, he took Gu Yin along with Ouyang Lulu and Gu Xiaoxue to Star City Airport and boarded Ouyang Lulu¡¯s private jet to Jingmen Island.


    Counting the days, he hadn¡¯t been back to Jingmen Island for about one or two months, and he also didn¡¯t see Yan¡¯er in this period of time. Sitting comfortably on the private jet¡¯s couch, Tang Xiu looked through the windows the dark sky outside. An eager and anxious mood suddenly emerged inside his heart as he wanted to see Gu Yan¡¯er as well as accompanying her to chat.


    It was 9PM when the private jet landed at Jingmen Island¡¯s Airport.


    Having exited from the Airport, Tang Xiu suddenly stopped. Looking at Ouyang Lulu, he then said, ¡°Lulu, thanks for going to the Capital to see me. I won¡¯t say anymore thanks, but I will treat you to a meal after getting back from abroad.¡±


    After hesitating, Ouyang Lulu suddenly asked, ¡°Tang Xiu, what is the relationship between you and Kang Xia?¡±


    With a serene expression, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°It¡¯s just a relationship between a boss and his employee.¡±


    Even though Ouyang Lulu somewhat didn¡¯t believe it, but she still nodded. Her mood was quite bad since she saw Kang Xia in Tang Xiu¡¯s home in South Gate Town. She always wanted to find an opportunity to ask about it but held it back until now, as she then finally asked him.


    After having parted ways.


    A car from Everlasting Feast Hall came to fetch them. When Tang Xiu, Gu Yin, and Gu Xiaoxue had boarded, Gu Xiaoxue then spoke with a strange expression flashing in her eyes, ¡°Grand Master, Lulu likes you.¡±

 Chapter 272

    Chapter 272: The Feelings Between Master and Disciple


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Whilst hugging Gu Yin and gently stroking her supple beautiful hair, Tang Xiu calmly said, ¡°A lot of women have crushes on me. Don¡¯t tell me that you don¡¯t know that an outstanding man will attract women just like flowers attract bees and butterflies?¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue was amused. She suddenly found that this enigmatic and profound Grand Master of hers unexpectedly had a humorous side.


    Tang Xiu looked through the window and slowly asked, ¡°What Ji Chimei did recently? I had ordered her to find some herbs to concoct the Spirit Condensation Pill, how¡¯s the progress?¡±


    Holding back her smile, Gu Xiaoxue replied, ¡°All the herbs needed have been gathered. Elder Ji is about to refine the medicinal pill. If all goes well, she should have refined that Spirit Condensation Pill by now.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face flickered. He nodded and said, ¡°The Spirit Condensation Pill has a great effect on me, Yan¡¯er and Ji Chimei. It will even have a good effect on you. Also, I have prepared a list of medicinal ingredients, with a total of 3650 types of herbs, of which I¡¯ll hand over to you later. You have to find all these herbs with your every power. However much you can find, buy them all. I also told Chen Zhizhong about this. He¡¯s running a medicine business, so you can contact him after you get the list.¡±


    Surprised, Gu Xiaoxue asked, ¡°Grand Master, with so many medicinal herbs, would it all be used to concoct pills?¡±


    Nodding, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°Those 3650 kinds of medicinal herbs altogether can be refined into seven types of pills. Each type has a wonderful effect for all of us. One of which is the Nascent Amassare Pill. It will help you to break your Golden Core, breaking through to the Nascent Soul Stage.¡±


    Nascent Soul Stage?


    Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s eyes turned bright. She firmly decided inwardly that she must find all the necessary medicinal ingredients needed to refine the Nascent Amassare Pill. She determined to refine the pill as fast as possible and breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Stage.


    ¡°By the way, did the people I sent have arrived?¡± asked Tang Xiu suddenly.


    ¡°You mean, the Wolf Head team?¡± asked Gu Xiaoxue back.


    Nodding, Tang Xiu said, ¡°It seems they are here in the Everlasting Feast Hall.¡±


    ¡°They had already arrived before I went to Beijing. I already arranged for them to stay there and wait for your arrival. But Grand Master, I don¡¯t understand. Our Everlasting Feast Hall has a lot of experts, yet why did you still recruit Wolf Head and his team, these retired soldiers?¡± asked Gu Xiaoxue


    ¡°How many people do we have? Don¡¯t forget. One day I¡¯ll return to the Immortal World, and the enemies that I¡¯ll be facing there, are the Supremes. Although they don¡¯t feel like deliberately training their henchmen, them how many hundreds of millions powerful lackeys do they have around them? Who amongst them don¡¯t have troops of Immortal legions to guard their territories?¡± said Tang Xiu calmly.


    Gu Xiaoxue held her breath and immediately understood Tang Xiu¡¯s intention.


    Indeed! These Supreme Immortals were beings at the apex who stood at the summit and presided over trillions of Immortals. It would be strange if they didn¡¯t have a large number of subordinates.


    Sighing, Tang Xiu continued, ¡°Once, I also thought that my own strength was sufficient enough. That no one could shake me until I was¡­ But from thereafter, only then did I understand one tough truth; a pair of fists will never be able to face four hands. Having formidable strength is no doubt important, but having a group of loyal, devoted and powerful subordinates around you is no less significant. That time in the past, if I had a group of loyal subordinates to protect me, even if my enemies wanted to get rid of me, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to do so so easily!¡±


    With a dignified expression, Gu Xiaoxue replied, ¡°Grand Master, I understand your thoughts. The Everlasting Feast Hall only trained twenty well-qualified children in the last decade. It appears this number is far from enough.¡±


    Surprised, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Twenty children?¡±


    ¡°For the last ten years, every year I left the Everlasting Feast Hall for a period of time, going outside to broaden my experience as well as looking for some well-qualified children. All of them are orphans from the streets who are suitable to learn cultivation techniques and were selected by me. I adopted them when they were very young; the oldest one is only six years old while the youngest is one or two years old.¡±


    Frowning, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°You teach them cultivation techniques?¡±


    Shaking her head, Gu Xiaoxue replied, ¡°No. I don¡¯t teach them cultivation techniques. I teach them only basic Body Tempering techniques for cultivation. On one hand, it can help them to change their physique; on the other hand, it will also make them accumulate their foundation from an early age. Hence, by the time they reach the peak of Body Tempering Stage, I can pick out the outstanding candidates and teach them more advanced cultivation techniques. Actually, this is also on behalf of Master¡¯s orders.¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly understood, ¡°If so, I¡¯ll teach cultivation techniques to the experts trained by the Everlasting Feast Hall after I have some free time later. Anyways, put their names on a list and give it to me later. Do remember, I don¡¯t care if they have a heaven-defying aptitude nor do I require them to be powerful. What I care about are their nature and loyalty.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± replied Gu Xiaoxue with a nod.


    The big guy from the Everlasting Feast Hall who was driving the car was crazily startled upon hearing Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s conversation. A longing and surprised expression burst intensely from his eyes.


    They were all orphans and lone children Gu Yan¡¯er had brought up. They had been through brutal training by experts. Having an absolute loyalty toward Gu Yan¡¯er, they would even immediately draw their blades to commit suicide or break the enemy lines if Gu Yan¡¯er willed it. Likewise, they also knew that neither Gu Yan¡¯er or Gu Xiaoxue were ordinary people. The path they had taken was the bloody and thorny one, however it also was the path for them to become extremely powerful experts.


    In particular, he could hear clearly the conversation between Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxue. The most shocking to him was the place mentioned by Tang Xiu, the Immortal World.


    The Supremes of the Immortal World, as well as the hundreds of millions of Immortal Legions.


    This was a world he had never once imagined existed, making him passionate and not being able to wait to become a super-strong expert immediately. He wanted to go to the Immortal World, experience the grand, magnificent scene of the Immortal World as well as fight with the powerful experts there.


    ¡°About those twenty adopted children you have trained, take me to see them once we¡¯ve arrived in the Everlasting Feast Hall. I¡¯ll bring ten of them with me,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Surprised, Gu Xiaoxue asked, ¡°Master, where do you want to take them?¡±


    ¡°I bought a private island and am preparing to develop it into a blessed land for cultivation. Thereafter, it will be our main headquarters. Anyways, there are two guys I remember, Mo ¨¡wen and Mo ¨¡wu. I¡¯ll also take them with me! I¡¯ll give the place to both of them to manage,¡± said Tang Xiu faintly.


    ¡°Alright!¡± replied Gu Xiaoxue with a nod.


    At the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    After the car entered the parking lot, Tang Xiu took Gu Yin out and then looked at Gu Xiaoxue, saying slowly, ¡°I¡¯ll see her now.¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue nodded. She motioned several security guards that greeted them and then walked toward the sea along with Tang Xiu and Gu Yin.


    ¡°Master, it¡¯s the sea.¡±


    Even though Gu Yin was more mature than her peers. But she was, after all, still a child. Seeing the gleaming reflection of the sea waves in the sunlight, she was immediately excited.


    Faintly smiling, Tang Xiu lifted her up and jumped onto the boat anchored to the shore, whereas Gu Xiaoxue floated midair as the boat automatically sailed toward the sea.


    ¡°Open it!¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Gu Xiaoxue nodded and unceasingly pinched her fingers, forming seals. The seawater in front of them separated, revealing a passage leading to the seabed.


    ¡°Wow! It¡¯s so magical!¡±


    Gu Yin¡¯s eyes stared wide as she exclaimed.


    Smiling, Tang Xiu said, ¡°If you practice hard, you can also do this later.¡±


    Wearing a dignified look, Gu Yin nodded heavily and said seriously, ¡°Master, I must cultivate seriously. I have to be as powerful as Martial Niece Xiaoxue.¡±


    Martial Niece?


    A helpless feeling rose inside Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s heart as her mouth twitched. She was indeed a Martial Niece to Gu Yin according to seniority. However, it was Gu Yin¡¯s age that made her rather depressed.


    After the blue sea opened, Tang Xiu and them came to the seabed. Whilst looking at the exquisite pagoda that effused golden light, Tang Xiu spoke, ¡°Open it!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue quickly made a seal and shouted in a deep tone:


    ¡°Of the Heaven and Earth Profound Emperors, Only I Alone Am the Sole Revered Sovereign!¡±


    The golden light bloomed over and the pagoda¡¯s door slowly opened.


    Handing over Gu Yin to Gu Xiaoxue, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Her cultivation is still low and cannot withstand the chilling atmosphere inside. Use your True Essence to protect her.¡±


    Two minutes later, Tang Xiu arrived next to the ice bed on the seventh floor. He looked at the coma induced Gu Yan¡¯er laying on top of it. His expression turned soft as he lifted her up gently and hugged her silently.


    Seeing her yet again calmed Tang Xiu¡¯s heart. Either the good and bad emotions he experienced after meeting his grandmother or paying homage to the Tang Family¡¯s ancestors, all of them disappeared at this moment.


    Mentioning about affection, Tang Xiu also had received a lot of apprentices, but the one that was very close to him was Gu Yan¡¯er. She was like a daughter to him, for he personally brought her up, teaching her martial arts and directing her to the cultivation path. In the past, his mother was the person he had always been missing, this was the reason as to why he devoted himself to take care of her after his mother, shifting all the affection he had toward Gu Yan¡¯er.


    ¡°Yan¡¯er. Master is seeing you again.¡±


    Caressing her beautiful hair that covered her face, Tang Xiu said softly.


    At the side, Gu Yin looked at Gu Yan¡¯er with a curious look. Clever as she was, she realized that her Master really cared about Gu Yan¡¯er and was rather feeling at a loss inwardly, but she stood still beside Gu Xiaoxue, waiting in silence. She had already guessed that the woman in the arms of her Master was her Senior Martial Sister.


    For Gu Xiaoxue, she actually felt contented and satisfied at this moment.


    She could feel the concern and affection Tang Xiu had toward her Master. Prior to this, she thought that her Master had suffered so much for her Grand Master that she felt it wasn¡¯t worth it.


    Yet, at present, she finally understood. She realized that the feelings and affection that her Master and Grand Master had toward each other truly came from their true nature, for every word and deed was just following the genuine intention inside their hearts.


    _¡°Master, please wake up quickly! Xue¡¯er has found Grand Master. You¡¯ll certainly be very happy after you see him!¡±_


    Gripping her fist, Gu Xiaoxue prayed secretly inside her heart.


    Turning and looking at Gu Yin, Tang Xiu said, ¡°She¡¯s your Senior Martial Sister, Gu Yan¡¯er. Because of me, she has suffered a lot of hardships. She is seriously injured now and continuously falls unconscious from time to time. Later on, you must respect your senior sister just like you respect me.¡±

 Chapter 273

    Chapter 273: Strength Demonstration


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    It was dawn. The sparkling, gleaming waves reflected under the sunlight when the first ray of sunshine rose from the east. Tang Xiu, Gu Xiaoxue, and Gu Yin emerged from the seabed, returning back to the small boat as the split sea closed again.


    After returning to the shore.


    Ji Chimei had been waiting for a long time, standing on the shore. She then saluted Tang Xiu.


    Nodding to her, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°How¡¯s the refining of the Spirit Condensation Pill?¡±


    Turning her hands, Ji Chimei took seven jade bottles and replied, ¡°All the medicinal ingredients have been used and refined into seven bottles of Spirit Condensation Pill.¡±


    Receiving three of them, Tang Xiu then said, ¡°Take a bottle and give it to Yan¡¯er. You and Xiaoxue also take one each. As for the last one, give it to Xiaoxue for future needs.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Ji Chimei gave three bottles to Gu Xiaoxue and kept one for herself. After putting it away, she said, ¡°Venerable Lord, I got news yesterday that there will be an auction in Hong Kong tonight. I also found an item on the auction list which looks like a Soul Tranquilizer Stone, so I intend to leave for Hong Kong and participate in the auction.¡±


    Soul Tranquilizer Stone?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed and almost without hesitation, he replied in a deep tone, ¡°Soul Tranquilizer Stone is a not an ordinary matter. The more of it you can find, the more time we can give Yan¡¯er. So I¡¯ll go with you.¡±


    Ji Chimei nodded.


    Looking at Gu Yin, Tang Xiu thought a bit and said, ¡°Xiaoxue, I had planned to bring along Yinyin to the private island and let her have some fun there. But the plan has to change now because I don¡¯t know how much time will it take. Thus, I¡¯ll leave her with you and let her play here for a few days. After that, have someone escort her back to Star City.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± replied Gu Xiaoxue with a smile.


    Pouting her lips, Gu Yin didn¡¯t utter a word. She wanted to follow Tang Xiu, but remembering she had to attend her course, she could only give up.


    Having finished breakfast, Tang Xiu let Gu Xiaoxue take Gu Yin to rest as he returned to the exquisite pagoda in the seabed. Accompanying Gu Yan¡¯er gave him peace of mind. He sat in meditation until morning and not only didn¡¯t he feel tired, he was full of energy.


    After Gu Xiaoxue used the Blood Sacrifice Art for him and he rested for one or two days, his mental force and star force that had been completely consumed had recovered; now there was even faint signs of improvement.


    He had prepared to refine an interspatial ring in taking a trip to Jingmen Island this time. He brought the precious ores here and was prepared to refine the ring. After all, it was inconvenient to carry a baggage each time he went out without an interspatial ring.


    After lunch, Tang Xiu saw Wolf Head and his team. The serious expression on their faces made him secretly amused. He could see that Wolf Head and his team¡¯s attitude was somewhat different than before. Perhaps, after they had gone through the battle in Star City back then as well as seeing the many experts from the Everlasting Feast Hall stimulated the huge changes in their proud attitude.


    ¡°Tell me what you think,¡± having carefully observed the twelve men for a while, Tang Xiu said lightly.


    Wolf Head said, ¡°Boss, I¡¯m a bit puzzled here.¡±


    ¡°Say it!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that you obviously have a lot of experts under you, Boss. Why would you still accept us? Either those twenty experts in Star City or the guards from the Everlasting Feast Hall, nobody is weaker than me. For the past two days ever since I arrived here, I had compared notes with several guards here, and lost miserably.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think that the experts under me are really many?¡± asked Tang Xiu lightly.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it so?¡± asked Wolf Head with doubt.


    Sneering, Tang Xiu answered, ¡°This means that you know nothing. How could it be called many? Countless in number, endless and exhaustible. That is what the so-called having experts as many as clouds are. The Everlasting Feast Hall may have a lot of guards, but it¡¯s far pitiful a number to me. It¡¯s far from sufficient. The people I want to cultivate are the elites among the elites; the strong among the strongest. Let alone you, even the guards from this Everlasting Feast Hall are just ants in my eyes.¡±


    Wolf Head had indeed seen how strong Tang Xiu was. Yet, listening to as how Tang Xiu regarded the guards of the Everlasting Feast Hall as ants, it somewhat left him quite vexed and irritable inside. He thought that Tang Xiu was too arrogant. The other eleven men also had the same thought as they looked at Tang Xiu with a different expression.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows slanted and said indifferently, ¡°You don¡¯t believe it?¡±


    ¡°Boss, I admit that you¡¯re indeed very strong. But how could these guards of Everlasting Feast Hall be weaker than you? If they were ants, nobody in this world can be called as a powerful expert.¡±


    Tang Xiu frowned. He then turned his head to Ji Chimei at the side and said lightly, ¡°What do you think about her strength?¡±


    Staring blankly, Wolf Head was surprised and laughed involuntary before he immediately said, ¡°Boss, could the elderly also be a martial arts expert? She might not even be able to beat us, right?¡±


    Answering in a cold voice, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°Ji Chimei, those few trees a hundred meters away outside are nuisances to my eyes.¡±


    Ji Chimei finally looked up. Her cold eyes swept Wolf Head and the others. She waved the walking cane in her hand higher and swept toward the woods a hundred meters away outside. Along with a suffocating aura bursting out from her body, invisible blade waves straightly flew toward the dozen trees that were as thick as a waist and cut them off.


    ¡°Bam, Bam, Bam¡­¡±


    Dozens of big trees crashed to the ground loudly, creating a wave of dust.


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    Wolf Head and his team were dumbstruck and aghast, looking at the dozens of trees a hundred meters away that were cut. Their bodies shivered violently. They horrified and shocked to the extreme. As they turned to look at Ji Chimei, it was as if they were looking at a fearsome monster.


    Retracting back her aura, Ji Chimei put away her walking stick and said indifferently, ¡°The Venerable Lord¡¯s power is not something ordinary people like you can ever fathom. Although I can destroy the entire Jingmen Island with a fist, but compared to the former Venerable Lord¡¯s power, I¡¯m nothing but lower than an ant. You coming across the Venerable Lord and he valuing you, that¡¯s your good luck. Do remember. Whoever amongst you dare to doubt the Venerable Lord again, I¡¯ll kill him first.¡±


    Inadvertently releasing her killing intent, Ji Chimei made Wolf Head and his team turn deathly pale. Their bodies were shrouded by a chilling-cold aura in the air as they wanted to retreat, yet losing their abilities to move and act. It was as though their bodies were no longer in their control anymore.


    Terror! This elderly was too terrifying. Could she be still a human being?


    Wolf Head and the others shifted their visions toward Tang Xiu. At the moment, their thoughts of Tang Xiu being too arrogant vanished instantly. Seeing Tang Xiu lifting his head, they suddenly felt their bodies becoming lighter as they regained their control over their bodies.


    ¡°You¡­ you just said that you can destroy the entire Jingmen Island with a punch?¡± asked Wolf Head, shivering.


    Letting out a mocking laugh, Ji Chimei said, ¡°The entire Jingmen Island? Is this place even big enough to be in my palm? If for not because of scaring you, let alone destroying Jingmen Island with only a punch, I can even blow this whole planet and come out unscathed.¡±


    ¡°How could this be?¡± Wolf Head exclaimed in fright.


    With an indifferent expression, Tang Xiu said, ¡°She said correctly. A lot of people are able to destroy a planet with a snap of their fingers. You¡¯re just ordinary people, there¡¯s a lot of things you don¡¯t know of. For now, you don¡¯t need to understand it. But remember my words. Perform well. If you do, I can train you so that in the future you can step into the air and traverse the universe.¡±


    Wolf Head swallowed his saliva desperately. If not because Ji Chimei showcased such unfathomable might just now, they would have never believed Tang Xiu and Ji Chimei. But seeing is believing, and they finally realized that they were probably much weaker than ants in front of them.


    Loyalty and performance!


    Only now did Wolf Head and his team feel clear about this. They heard that Tang Xiu could make them very strong, but they had never seen him showcasing such an unfathomable method. But through Ji Chimei, they could see it at the moment.


    This was the true ability they wanted to learn from Tang Xiu. To learn such fearsome power that no ordinary person could ever have. For this, they were willing to pledge their loyalty to Tang Xiu as well as working for him loyally.


    ¡°Good. I will no longer speak on this matter anymore. Everything you saw today, I want it to rot inside you, to never be disclosed to anyone else,¡± Tang Xiu ordered. ¡°In addition, as I¡¯m leaving for Hong Kong, the twelve of you will go directly to that private island I bought! I¡¯ll text the coordinates to Wolf Head¡¯s mobile. Remember, you are free to find a place to settle there before I arrived. I¡¯ll contact you later after I get there.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±


    Wolf Head and the others saluted respectfully.


    The twelve men left. Looking at the Mo brothers, Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°Follow me. We¡¯re going to Hong Kong for the auction. All the issues there will be under you two brothers to take care of. I¡¯ll send someone else by September.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Mo ¨¡wen and Mo ¨¡wu replied respectfully.


    Tang Xiu then looked at Ji Chimei and lightly said, ¡°Let¡¯s go! We can¡¯t be late for the auction. That¡¯s right, did you bring money? I¡¯m tight on money right now.¡±


    ¡°The young lady gave me 10 billion. If it¡¯s really the Soul Tranquilizer Stone, she will transfer more if it¡¯s not enough,¡± answered Ji Chimei.


    10 billion?


    Lifting his brows, Tang Xiu asked curiously, ¡°How much funds does the Everlasting Feast Hall have currently?¡±


    Ji Chime shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I never ask about business issues.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled and boarded the car directly.


    Four people boarded two cars and quickly drove toward Jingmen Island Port. They must travel by water from Jingmen Island to Hong Kong since the two places were quite near in distance and could be reached within a few hours. What surprised Tang Xiu was that Everlasting Feast Hall didn¡¯t have a private jet, but had a super-luxurious cruiser. Even though the cruiser was not larger, but it could board hundreds of people on it.


    ¡°Boss, Little Boss bought this since she usually explores the nearby islands every two years,¡± Mo ¨¡wen, who was following at Tang Xiu¡¯s side, explained in a low voice as he saw his astonished expression.


    ¡°This cruiser is quite good. Let¡¯s go! I want to reach Hong Kong as fast as possible.¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod.


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Mo ¨¡wen led the way to board the cruiser.

 Chapter 274

    Chapter 274: The Mansion in Hong Kong


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Hong Kong Island was one of the most prosperous cosmopolitan cities in the world and was known as the Pearl of the Orient. Along with the passing time and development, it had become an expensive place, the haven of the world¡¯s gourmet, a shopping paradise and the cradle of dreams.


    Luxurious cruise ships anchored in the Victoria Harbor and attracted a lot of eyes on the shore. After all, the price of this luxurious liner surpassed most of the other luxurious cruisers in this port.


    ¡°Boss, the car is here.¡±


    After making a phone call, Mo ¨¡wen was following Tang Xiu toward the shore as he whispered.


    ¡°The Everlasting Feast Hall has people in Hong Kong?¡± asked Tang Xiu in surprise.


    ¡°We have a branch here. The Everlasting Feast Hall has a total of five branches in the country. Apart from Jingmen Island¡¯s branch, we also have branches in Hong Kong and Macau. Before coming to Hong Kong I called the head of the restaurant here,¡± replied Mo ¨¡wen.


    ¡°I see!¡± Tang Xiu nodded. Considering that the Everlasting Feast Hall had such a huge amount of funds, it indicated that their business was not only limited to Jingmen Island. After a moment of silence, he asked, ¡°Aside from the restaurant business, what else do we have?¡±


    ¡°Jewelry, antiques, and real estates,¡± answered Mo ¨¡wen.


    ¡°We have so many businesses? Does Xiaoxue manage all of them?¡± asked Tang Xiu in surprise.


    Mo ¨¡wen laughed, ¡°No, Boss. The Little Boss only controls the overall management. Each business of our Everlasting Feast Hall is managed by a special head. Such as the one in Hong Kong, Macau, Beijing and Shanghai, Tian Li is the one who manages them, whereas Hao Lei takes care of the jewelry business and Chen Shaohua takes care of the antique business management. As for the real estate business, it¡¯s being managed by Jin Cheng.¡±


    Quickly, Tang Xiu saw Tian Li, the head manager for the restaurant business. She wore a professional blazer, an elegant loose long hair, was wearing gold-rimmed glasses and looked to be in her 40s. All in all, she gave off the aura of an accountant.


    ¡°Hi, Boss.¡±


    Whilst Tang Xiu was looking at her, Tian Li also did the same. But she was quite shocked since Tang Xiu was so young.


    Tang Xiu nodded lightly, ¡°Work hard. First, arrange accommodations for us! We will be staying here today and leaving tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°The mansion has been arranged, Sir.¡±


    Tian Li opened the car¡¯s door for Tang Xiu and replied respectfully.


    ¡°Ah, Chief Tian?¡±


    Suddenly, a surprised voice sounded nearby, followed by a middle-aged man suddenly running over followed by several men and women behind him.


    Tian Li turned around and her brows slightly slanted when he saw the man. It was Hongfeng Advertising big boss, Hong Fu, and also a Hong Kong¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s regular patron. She smiled slightly and nodded, ¡°Hello, Boss Hong.¡±


    Hong Fu laughed, ¡°It¡¯s quite unexpected that I¡¯d bump into Chief Tian here. Yesterday, I invited you to play golf, but it¡¯s a pity that you had no time. Anyways, these people are¡­¡±


    Turning around and looking Tang Xiu in the eyes, Tian Li hesitated before she replied, ¡°Boss Hong, this is my Boss. As for playing golf, we¡¯ll talk about it later. My Boss has just arrived in Hong Kong and is tired, so I can¡¯t accompany you. Let¡¯s talk later.¡±


    Hong Fu was stunned as his eyes landed on the calm Tang Xiu. He knew a lot about the Everlasting Feast Hall, but he didn¡¯t expect that its Boss turned out to be such a young man. A few seconds later, he promptly pulled out a business card from his pocket as he approached Tang Xiu and smiled, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Hong Fu. The owner of Hongfeng Advertising. I¡¯m honored to meet you today¡­ might I know the gentleman¡¯s surname?¡±


    Tang Xiu took the card and swept his eyes over it, saying faintly, ¡°I¡¯m surnamed Tang. I apologize, I have no business card.¡±


    The smile on Hong Fu¡¯s face froze before his expression went back to normal instantly. He was a business veteran and believed that Tang Xiu must also have a business card. This excuse meant that not only the other party didn¡¯t want exchange business cards, but he also didn¡¯t want to associate with him.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Mr. Tang is the boss of the Everlasting Feast Hall and is quite a mysterious figure in our business circle. For a long time now we¡¯ve wanted to know who the owner of the Everlasting Feast Hall is, but I didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯d be so young. Since Boss Tang just arrived in Hong Kong then I won¡¯t disturb you. But if you have free time later, you can call me and have some drinks,¡± with his smooth personality, Hong Fu said with a smile.


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and then quickly boarded the car.


    The two-car started and quickly disappeared at the far end of the road.


    The several men and woman behind Hong Fu arrived as one of the middle-aged men looked at him and said indifferently, ¡°Old Hong, that young man is crazy! He¡¯s just the little boss of the Everlasting Feast Hall, why did you need to be so polite to him?¡±


    Hong Fu turned around and forced a smile, ¡°Do you really think that he¡¯s just the little boss of a restaurant? Hahaha, the Everlasting Feast Hall is not your ordinary restaurant!¡±


    The middle-aged man was confused, ¡°What¡¯s unusual about it?¡±


    ¡°The headquarters of the Everlasting Feast Hall is on Jingmen Island. I¡¯ve been in Jingmen Island for many times and also visited the headquarters. Speaking of the restaurant, the Everlasting Feast Hall also has an upscale villa there. They also have branches in Hong Kong, Macau, Beijing, and Shanghai. So, the annual income is huge.¡±


    That middle-aged man said, ¡°But even if the Everlasting Feast Hall is not a small enterprise, but it couldn¡¯t be bigger than your Hongfeng Advertising, no?¡±


    Shooting him a glance, Hong Fu shook his head, ¡°Did you not hear what I said, that the boss of the Everlasting Feast Hall is very mysterious? Do you really think that he only has a culinary business? I have learned about this culinary enterprise and found that this Everlasting Feast Hall also has deep relations with Grand Fortune Jewelries. In other words, the two enterprises belong to the same owner. Do you think my advertising company can be compared to Grand Fortune Jewelries?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The middle-aged man¡¯s face slightly changed as even the other men and women were also surprised.


    They knew about the Grand Fortune Jewelries. The enterprise had billions of assets at least. Its head was Hao Lei, a renowned businesswoman. A lot of businessmen in Hong Kong were curious about the secret boss of the Grand Fortune Jewelries whom the famous Hao Lei worked for.


    ¡°If the boss of the Grand Fortune Jewelries and the Everlasting Feast Hall is the same person, that means the identity of that young man is rather extraordinary,¡± said the middle-aged man who had just spoken said with a change in tone and attitude.


    Hong Fu sighed, ¡°China is a big country and has numerous generations of powerful figures hidden. A lot of them are not open to public yet have a lot of power. It¡¯s kinda a pity though. That young man surnamed Tang is reluctant to have a close relationship with us!¡±


    The middle-aged man laughed, ¡°It¡¯s kinda a given, though. It¡¯s our first time meeting, after all. The more frequent we see him, the more chances we have to establish a friendship. Anyhow, let¡¯s go to my place and have an afternoon tea. We also have to attend the auction tonight!¡±


    ¡°OK, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Hong Fu turned his head and replied with a smile.


    Qianshui Bay Road 13, Hong Kong.


    Here lied a grand and luxurious mansion, covering an area of 18,000 square feet that was valued in the hundreds of millions. Aside from the three-storied main building villa, there was also an independent warehouse, gym, teahouse, sauna room, and indoor swimming pool.


    When two luxurious cars arrived in front of the courtyard front entrance, two security guards in black uniforms saluted and opened the electric gate with a remote control.


    In front of the main building¡¯s door.


    In addition to a garden, there was also an outdoor swimming pool. Ten men and women stood at both sides along the wide pathway leading to the main villa as they focused their attention on the coming cars.


    ¡°Boss, we¡¯ve arrived,¡± Tian Li, who was sitting on the co-pilot seat, got off and opened the rear door and respectfully spoke.


    Out of the car, Tang Xiu saw the standing men and women on both sides and asked slowly, ¡°Where¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°This is the real estate bought by Little Boss in Hong Kong. She came to Hong Kong twice in the recent years and stayed here. Yesterday I received news that Elder Ji will come to Hong Kong, so I tidied up this place in advance. Except for the maids who are in charge of daily maintenance, there¡¯s no one else living here,¡± replied Tian Li respectfully.


    Tang Xiu nodded and walked toward the villa¡¯s main building.


    The villa was luxurious and had an impressive interior decoration. Looking around, Tang Xiu quite liked this villa since this was more luxurious than his villa in South Gate Town.


    ¡°Do you want to rest or is there anything else you need, Boss?¡±


    Following beside him, Tian Li asked softly.


    Tang Xiu sat down on the sofa and lightly replied, ¡°I¡¯ll take a rest and go to the auction later. You can go busy yourself, I¡¯ll call you if there¡¯s anything I need.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Tian Li nodded and turned away.


    Looking at the standing Ji Chimei and the Mo Brothers at the side, Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°Chimei, there¡¯s still time. Teach cultivation techniques to the both of them! I¡¯ll take a rest first, call me when it¡¯s the time to go.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lord!¡± Ji Chimei nodded respectfully.


    Joyful expressions burst out from Mo ¨¡wen and Mo ¨¡wu¡¯s eyes. The brothers suddenly felt fortunate of having Tang Xiu as their Boss. Perhaps, if they were to follow their original life, they probably wouldn¡¯t be taught cultivation techniques for a short period of time.


    ¡°Thank you, Boss!¡±


    The two knelt and couldn¡¯t repress the excitement on their faces.


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°No need to thank me. You know what I think. Loyalty is of the utmost importance. Xiaoxue has told me about your performances as well as how dedicated you have been all these years. She¡¯s very satisfied and I hope you can make me satisfied later.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± The two answer solemnly.


    Waving his head, Tang Xiu motioned the three to manage their business as he went to the second floor. As he came to the main room, he found that the decoration inside had a feminine touch. There were also a lot of woman¡¯s clothes inside the cloakroom, which made him realize that Gu Xiaoxue should have used this room before.


    Immediately after, he looked for another room next door and took the documents of the purchased private island from his suitcase. All the legal and relevant documents had been taken care of and given to him when he bought the island, but he had yet to read it carefully due to a lot of matters. Thus, taking the time before he went out, he decided to familiarize himself with it thoroughly so he could have a better understanding of the situation there.

 Chapter 275

    Chapter 275: Traffic Accident


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    After taking out the documents, the first thing Tang Xiu took out was a stack of photos. He didn¡¯t read the documents in a hurry but instead picked up the stack of photos and looked at them carefully.


    In the photos was a very large island amid a blue ocean, along with intertwining hills and lush trees. It was very beautiful to behold. There lied a magnificent European style castle on the central peak of the island, along with a flat and smooth road that branched out to three directions. One was leading to the castle, one to the parking lot nearby and the last one to the aircraft apron.


    Nine hills were spreading toward the sea along with a European small pavilion on each hill. A road lied downhill toward the sea area whereby some cruisers were anchored on the private pier.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Nine Dragon Island. The Nine Dragons Spitting Pearl!¡±


    He gazed at the pictures. The more he looked at them, the more content he felt. The blessed land he used to cultivate in the Immortal World was called the ¡°Nine Dragons Spitting Pearl Secret Area¡±. Merely looking at the exterior landscape, it was similar to the one inside his mind. The only difference was that the Nine Dragons Spitting Pearl in the Immortal World was a hundred times bigger than the Nine Dragons Island.


    ¡°After I have fully taken over this Nine Dragons Island, the first thing I must do is to contact the closest real estate company and develop it as fast as possible. It¡¯s a pity that the Long Family¡¯s real estate company doesn¡¯t operate in the region, or else it would¡¯ve been easier,¡± after sighing inwardly, Tang Xiu then read the detailed information. However, he didn¡¯t trust the reliability of the information since the documents themselves were not too detailed.


    ¡°Knock, knock, knock¡­¡±


    Whilst reading the documents and analyzing them, the door was knocked.


    ¡°Come in!¡±


    Tang Xiu put the documents down and spoke lightly.


    The door was opened as Ji Chimei spoke to him, ¡°Venerable Lord, it¡¯s time to go.¡±


    Nodding, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°Wait for me. I¡¯ll be there shortly.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lord!¡±


    After Ji Chimei left the room, Tang Xiu packed up the documents and put them into the document holder. He then went to the bathroom to wash his face and then came to the villa¡¯s courtyard. To his surprise, the two cars parked there were not the previous ones Tian Li used to pick him up, but a Rolls-Royce limousine and a Hummer.


    ¡°Where are the cars we came in?¡± Tang Xiu asked in surprise.


    Mo ¨¡wen who stood in front of the Rolls Royce limousine¡¯s door, replied with a smile, ¡°They are parked in the garage. A few years ago, the Little Boss liked to collect all sort of cars; I ordered it from abroad.¡±


    ¡°How many cars are in the garage now?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Four. Except those two there are also two sports cars,¡± answered Mo ¨¡wen.


    ¡°Taking this car is kind of exaggerated, no?¡± Tang Xiu forced out a wry smile.


    Mo ¨¡wen laughed, ¡°Boss, this is Hong Kong, there are a lot of luxurious cars here.¡±


    The wry smile on Tang Xiu¡¯s face immediately disappeared. Upon thinking about it, expensive places such as Hong Kong had a lot of rich people. It was even reported in the news, on the internet and TV that the rich in Hong Kong were also particularly fond of buying all sorts of luxurious cars.


    _¡°It looks like the richest man, Li Juren, is also in Hong Kong.¡±_


    The thought crossed Tang Xiu¡¯s mind as he boarded the car through the door opened by Mo ¨¡wen. This was his first time riding on a Rolls-Royce limousine. The interior design was super luxurious and was especially comfortable to ride on. There were sofas, small tables, LCD TVs and a refrigerator inside.


    _¡°The life of the rich is truly extravagant!¡±_ Tang Xiu sighed in his heart.


    Twenty minutes later, as Tang Xiu was feeling drowsiness, he suddenly felt the car shaking and its body quickly swayed to the side, hitting the fence on the roadside.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Tang Xiu woke up suddenly and growled.


    Mo ¨¡wen had stopped the car at this time. He turned around and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s a few sports cars; one of them crossed over despite the red light and hit our car.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked through the window and saw a red car nearby that had also hit the curb. A young man and woman came out from the car. The young man was wearing earrings and had his hair dyed purple, looking handsome, and had an angry expression on his, whereas the girl was wearing sexy clothes and looked a bit pale.


    ¡°Creak¡­¡±


    At the moment, three other sports cars stopped in the vicinity. Even though nobody came down from the three sports cars, but they were honking their horns.


    Looking at Mo ¨¡wen and knitting his brows, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Go out and see them. We have limited time, we can¡¯t be delayed here.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    After he got off, the purple-haired young man angrily raised his arm and shouted, ¡°What the hell is wrong with you? Do you feel so awesome driving a Rolls-Royce that you dared to block my car? Do you know who I am?¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Mo ¨¡wen looked grim as he asked.


    The young man slapped the cover of the Rolls-Royce and loudly said, ¡°Jiang Yu. Have you heard of me?¡±


    Mo ¨¡wen replied in a cold and detached manner, ¡°Never heard of you. It was you who hit my car. This matter will be taken care of by others and you¡¯ll have to discuss the compensation with them.¡±


    Having said that, he dialed Tian Lie¡¯s cell number.


    Jiang Yu sneered, ¡°I must compensate you? What damn joke is this? Who are you people? What great person is inside, hah? Come out and see me.¡±


    Mo ¨¡wu and Ji Chimei came out from the Hummer. The short tempered Mo ¨¡wu snorted coldly and growled, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a chance to get the fuck out of here. I don¡¯t give a damn who you are, some people will check on your identity later and they will take care of the compensation matter with you.¡±


    Jiang Yu frowned. He knew that he mustn¡¯t fight if the odds were against him. However, he couldn¡¯t accept being scolded by others. Immediately, he waved to the other sports cars to stop by.


    ¡°A Yu, you can¡¯t solve such a trivial matter?¡±


    Three young men hugging a sexy girl each came to Jiang Yu, smiling. They glance at the Mo Brothers before their eyes finally landed on Ji Chimei. One of the youths mocked, ¡°A Yu, like I said, you¡¯re too careless. Our car¡¯s speed is fast, isn¡¯t it? When you were driving, were you kissing your pretty girlfriend? Hahaha¡­ take a look, the old woman is so old, it¡¯s your fault if you scared her.¡±


    Jiang Yu sneered and pointed to the Mo brothers, saying, ¡°These two fellas offended me. I¡¯m kinda unhappy with it. Whoever among you help me teach them a lesson, I¡¯ll take you to have a ¡®blissful¡¯ time tonight.¡±


    The young man rolled his eyes and cursed, ¡°You damn idiot! Don¡¯t you know a smart man doesn¡¯t fight when the odds are against him? Take a look at them! They are so damned sturdy and tough. You¡¯re only courting trouble if you fight them. Alright, I¡¯ll take care of this; some people will take care of them later. We gotta go hurry! In case the traffic cops come here, we will spit out some bullshits again later.¡±


    Whilst pointing at the Mo Brothers, Jiang Yu stepped back and roared, ¡°You two wait. I¡¯ll remember you! Wait for this father, I, to make you kowtow and apologize to me!¡±


    ¡°What a big tone!¡±


    Tang Xiu got off the car and swept over the several youths with a cold and detached look and said indifferently, ¡°Did the two of just hear what he said? For such a rampant kid, don¡¯t tell me that he¡¯s unworthy to be cleaned first and kowtow to you?¡±


    The Mo brothers were startled for a moment. Then, Mo ¨¡wu smiled widely and moved in an instant as he appeared in front of Jiang Yu and fiercely slapped him.


    Just with a slap in the face, he sent Jiang Yu flying for four to five meters before he hit the ground outside heavily, whereas Mo ¨¡wen fluttered and kicked the young man who had just spoken.


    Shaking his head, Tang Xiu turned and walked toward the Hummer. He didn¡¯t want to waste his time on these trivial silk pants.


    ¡°FUCK! STOP IT!¡±


    The other two youths¡¯ faces changed greatly as one of them roared loudly.


    Mo ¨¡wu shot a grim smile, punching him and sending him to the ground as he stood still there and asked in a stern tone at the pale youth, ¡°Tell me, who are these bastards?¡±


    The youth¡¯s legs were somewhat trembling, but he still growled, ¡°You¡¯re in bad luck. Jiang Yu is the eldest son of the Jiang Group¡¯s boss, Chen Fei is the heir of Wanyuan Real Estate, and Du Yang is the young master from Du Kang Winery. Whoever you are, you just hit the three of them, you will pay a terrible price for this.¡±


    ¡°And you? Whose family¡¯s young master are you?¡± Mo ¨¡wen asked and mocked.


    The youth stepped back unconsciously and growled, ¡°I-I didn¡¯t offend you, so you don¡¯t need to hit me. I-I am from the Qis, Qi Changqing.¡±


    Glancing at him with cold and detached look, Mo ¨¡wen said indifferently, ¡°Count yourself tactful enough. Take them and get the hell out of here. If any of you appear before me again, you¡¯ll end up worse than this. Tell the elders of that surnamed Jiang that he must pay compensation for hitting our Boss¡¯s car.¡±


    Having said that, he, Mo ¨¡wu and Ji Chimei turned around and walked toward the Hummer.


    Shortly after, the Hummer started and left, leaving the Rolls-Royce there. As for the aftermath of the matter, Tian Li would rush here later, they didn¡¯t need to take care of it.


    Qi Changqing and the four sexy girls supported Jiang Yu, Chen Fei, and Du Yang up. Qi Changqing shook his head and said, ¡°Jiang Yu, Chen Fei, you were really too rash this time. The price of this Rolls-Royce limousine is at least tens of millions of Yuan and I¡¯m afraid that the people who own such a car are not simple. However, I have never seen that young man in Hong Kong before. If my guess is right, he should be coming from outside Hong Kong.¡±


    Jiang Yu¡¯s cheek was swollen. There was also a bloodstain on the corner of his mouth. He was thrown and had his head hit the ground heavily. He covered his swollen cheek and roared with hatred, ¡°I don¡¯t give a fuck about who he is. Daring to hit me- they must prepare for retaliation. If I don¡¯t make them kowtow and apologize to me, I¡¯ll change my surname to his.¡±


    With the same hatred and anger, Chen Fei also shouted, ¡°There are a few untouchable people we can¡¯t afford to mess with in Hong Kong. But that kid is absolutely not one of them. I will send some people to find and kill him.¡±

 Chapter 276

    Chapter 276: Malicious Intention


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The accident was but only a small episode for Tang Xiu. With his current strength, he was fearless even if the enemy was of a great force. If the other party pay compensation sincerely then all was well, but if they dared to provoke him again, he didn¡¯t mind cause them injuries that they would remember for the rest of their lives.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t like your performance just now,¡± seating on the Hummer¡¯s rear seat, Tang Xiu spoke in a cold and detached expression. ¡°I never provoke others, but I¡¯ll strike whoever dares to attack me. Do remember these words as well as the following. Whoever dares to be unbridled in front of us, strike them to death, force them to apologize, hit them to kowtow and admit their mistakes. Do this regardless of their identities.¡±


    Overbearing! Tyrannical!


    At this moment, Tang Xiu showed the domineering manner that was engraved deep into his bones.


    Mo ¨¡wu replied in a deep tone, ¡°We¡¯ll engrave your words in our hearts, Boss.¡±


    Looking at Mo ¨¡wen, Tang Xiu said indifferently, ¡°Call Tian Li later to investigate those kids¡¯ backgrounds. Looking at their attitudes, they won¡¯t let this go. Be prepared in a timely manner, and counterattack if they still dare to provoke us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll inform her immediately,¡± said Mo ¨¡wen.


    Sitting at Tang Xiu¡¯s side, Ji Chimei hesitated for a moment before asking, ¡°Venerable Lord, do you want me to take care of those kids¡¯ families personally?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°Your task is to participate in the auction. If that thing is really the Soul Tranquilizer Stone, obtain it no matter what the cost. After that, return to Jingmen Island as fast as possible.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± said Ji Chimei.


    Rainbow Auction House.


    It was one of the largest auction houses in Hong Kong. Either in terms of size and fame as well as the auctioned goods, this auction house enjoyed a good reputation over the past decades. Apart from the wealthy and powerful in Hong Kong, there were also a lot of those from the mainland and abroad that took their time to come to the Rainbow Auction House in Hong Kong, hoping to buy and obtain goods they liked.


    According to Tang Xiu¡¯s knowledge, the Rainbow Auction House had a lot of shareholders, and they were the renowned, super-rich people; even Li Juren also possessed shares of this auction house.


    ¡°Please show the invitation.¡±


    Eight guards in black suits stood on both sides of the styled entrance of the auction house, whereas two beautiful females in cheongsams checked the guests¡¯ invitations.


    Walking with her stick, Ji Chimei handed the invitation over. After it had been checked, the four got their seat numbers and passed the door smoothly. The welcoming lady inside then led them to the auction venue inside. The venue was large enough to accommodate nearly a thousand people.


    At this time, the number of guests that had arrived already reached the hundreds, yet a steady stream of guests was still coming in. The four then sat on a sixth-row seat in the auction venue according to their seats¡¯ numbers.


    ¡°How long until it starts?¡± Turning to look at Ji Chimei, Tang Xiu asked.


    Looking at the time, Ji Chimei replied, ¡°It will begin at 6 PM. It¡¯s 5:38 PM now, so it will start 22 minutes from now.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded. He had once participated in the auction in Jingmen Island before and spent a lot of money there. He also had seen how those wealthy people competed over the goods they liked, as well as saw how they went all out to throw money.


    Binhe Road, at the corner of the Zhu¡¯s residence.


    Jiang Yu, Chen Fei, and Du Yang were smoking with grim expressions with more than twenty burly men scattered around. They had been beaten and lost face, so they didn¡¯t want to let the matter stop there.


    ¡°Qi Changqing, if you don¡¯t want to join us then quickly scram. What the fuck are you watching here for? This Young Master is in a damn bad mood, you¡¯d better get the fuck out to avoid being beaten by me,¡± Jiang Yu blew out a smoke, cursing at Qi Changqing who was leaning on the Porsche in front of him.


    Staying silent for a moment, Qi Changqing slowly shook his head and said, ¡°Jiang Yu, I know that you¡¯re angry, but I gotta tell you to investigate these people first before retaliating. You too know that knowing your enemy will grant you victory, these words are not meant to be taken lightly!¡±


    ¡°SCRAM!¡±


    Chen Fei scolded him with a cold expression.


    Looking at his three buddies, Qi Changqing suddenly felt that they were really retarded. At this moment, he also felt that he was also an idiot for fooling around with them for so many years. He had a faint feeling that the owner of that Rolls-Royce was not an ordinary man. Thus, he didn¡¯t want to get involved in this. In the case that it would lead to trouble, his position in his family would also be greatly affected.


    After a moment of silence, he waved toward two big men and entered his Porsche. Starting the car, he quickly left.


    However, he didn¡¯t really leave, and instead turned around the building in front for a half-turn and then parked near the building. After he entered the building, he and the two big men entered the room and looked down through the glass windows, watching Jiang Yu and the others.


    Gloomy and grim, a cold glint flashed in Jiang Yu¡¯s eyes as he spoke in a sinking tone, ¡°That surnamed Qi has left. After this, he¡¯s no longer one of us. Whoever dares to have a relationship with him later will have a fallout with me, Jiang Yu.¡±


    Chen Fei sneered, ¡°That fucker just wanna look decent and proper eh. But he¡¯s just as coward as he used to be. I knew that he was a timid one, but I never expected that he¡¯d be this damn cowardly. After we finish that kid, we gotta look for an opportunity to push Qi Changqing into the pit later. We gotta let him know that he¡¯s nothing but a fart if he doesn¡¯t join us brothers.¡±


    The solemn and traumatic Rolls-Royce event hovered inside Du Yang¡¯s eyes. He had sent someone to check on the owner of the car, yet there was no news until now.


    He had a very keen intuition about the danger, of which he obtained when he was eight years old after being kidnapped. The same feeling arose inside his heart when he saw that young man. Being beaten was humiliating, but he probably wouldn¡¯t want to join in this if he hadn¡¯t been beaten.


    ¡°I think we gotta fully investigate their backgrounds before we retaliate. The three of us are indeed quite powerful in Hong Kong, but still, it¡¯s hard to say if we can become the real masters of our three families in the future. If we make a mess this time, our positions in our families will be greatly affected. Especially for you, Jiang Yu. Even though you are the eldest son of the Jiang Group, but your old man favors your younger brother more,¡± Du Yang extinguished his cigarette butt and spoke in a heavy tone.


    Upon hearing it, Jiang Yu fell silent immediately.


    He may be arrogant, egotistical and unruly, but he was not a fool. The person who could own a Rolls-Royce, if he hadn¡¯t rented it or wanted to show off, that person probably really possessed a big power. His current position at home was rather awkward. So, if he really poked a big basket, perhaps it would be his younger brother that would take over the position as the head of his family.


    After staying silent for half a minute, Jiang Yu slowly said, ¡°You¡¯re right. But I absolutely can never let go of today¡¯s matter. Didn¡¯t that kid said he¡¯d send someone to deal with it? Let¡¯s wait and see who will take care of this matter. Also, Du Yang, haven¡¯t you already called someone to investigate the owner of this Rolls-Royce? How long till you get the news?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. It should be fast, though,¡± said Du Yang while shaking his head.


    Just as these people were having a chat, three Audis stopped near the Rolls-Royce. The cars¡¯ doors opened as Tian Li, looking cold and grim, got off the car along with six big men in black suits.


    Looking at the three youths coldly, Tian Li walked straight to them and spoke, ¡°Who hit my Boss¡¯s car?¡±


    Upon seeing Tian Li, the Jiang Yu trio were slightly surprised for a moment. They often visited Hong Kong¡¯s Everlasting Feast Heal to meals, thus they naturally knew who Tian Li was. Every time they saw her, she always greeted them with a smile. This was the first time they saw her looked so indifferent and cold.


    ¡°Tian Li, you¡¯re saying that the owner of this Rolls-Royce is your boss?¡± Jiang Yu felt relaxed at this moment. In his eyes, the Everlasting Feast Hall was but only a simple, pure restaurant business. Even if its business was very good, but it paled in comparison to the Jiang Group.


    Tian Li said coldly, ¡°Tell me. Who hit my Boss¡¯s car?¡±


    ¡°It was me. What do you want to do now?¡± Jiang Yu snorted coldly out of anger.


    Hearing it, Tian Li strode in front of him. Without saying a word, she fiercely slapped his face. Her force was quite heavy as the other side of Jiang Yu¡¯s swollen cheek became red and swollen. The latter staggered backward a few steps before heavily falling on the ground.


    ¡°Tian Li, you¡¯re looking for death!¡±


    Chen Fei was shocked and instantly became furious. He swiftly motioned the big men around him and shouted to the back.


    Tian Li snorted coldly. Her figure instantly flashed in front of Chen Fei. She raised her hand and fiercely slapped his face. The force she used this time was even greater as Chen Fei was directly sent flying.


    ¡°Kill this slut!¡±


    Jiang Yu crawled up from the ground with difficulty and angrily roared.


    In an instant, more than twenty big men around and the six brought by Tian Li clashed. At the same time, they also wielded knives and sticks they were carrying on their waists and sleeves.


    ¡°Idiots!¡±


    Retreating two steps, Tian Li held her arms and glanced at the fighting around, cursing in disdain.


    Coldness flashed in the six big men¡¯s eyes she brought. Their wrists fluttered as sharp daggers appeared in their hands. Almost without hesitation, they quickly greeted the twenty big guys.


    ¡°Bam, bam, bam¡­¡±


    ¡°Puff¡­¡±


    The six big men of the Everlasting Feast Hall moved extremely fast. Their martial arts were many times stronger compared to those twenty big guys. In just half a minute, they had completely steamrolled them to the ground.


    Sweeping the swollen Jiang Yu and Chen Fei who had a shocked expression on their faces, Tian Li¡¯s eyes finally landed on Du Yang, saying coldly, ¡°Originally, I thought you and Qi Changqing were the most intelligent amongst the four of you. But now it seems that he¡¯s smarter than you as he doesn¡¯t mix with you in this incident.¡±

 Chapter 277

    Chapter 277: Bidding


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tian Li¡¯s imposing manner was especially overbearing and powerful at the moment. She always had a smiling face, welcoming guests from all over the world, because those people came to spend their money. But now, offending her Boss was a more serious implication, offending her.


    She was an elite that had been trained by Gu Yan¡¯er personally. She was once sent abroad and had gone through a life and death training. It could be said that the people she had killed exceeded three digits. Her usual amicable appearance was only a camouflage.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a chance to scram now. Ask your elders to apologize to my Everlasting Feast Hall, otherwise, your fate will not be much better off than either of them.¡±


    A frightened and alarmed expression hung on Du Yang¡¯s face. He desperately swallowed his saliva, watching the fallen twenty big men. He looked at the six big men brought by Tian Li. After staying silent for a moment, he then said slowly, ¡°Since I had already messed up big time today, I¡¯m afraid that only the elders of my family can come forward. As to whether they¡¯ll come to apologize, I can¡¯t say it for sure. I bid you farewell for now.¡±


    Inside the building nearby, Qi Changqing was dumbstruck as he looked at more than twenty big men that had been beaten savagely. He looked at Jiang Yu and Chen Fei who had been beaten yet again. He also knew who Tian Li was, but never had he ever expected that she actually possessed such a grim side. Those six big guys, he also had seen them as the security guards of the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    It¡¯s just that he didn¡¯t expect that these six security guards would have such powerful skills.


    How much time did they spend just now? It was only half a minute and mostly only a minute!


    Six people had actually knocked out more than twenty people in just half a minute. Were they all retired soldiers from army¡¯s special forces?


    Suddenly, Qi Changqing felt that he was quite fortunate inwardly as he didn¡¯t involve himself in this matter. Otherwise, wouldn¡¯t he also get beaten savagely by now?


    _¡°However, Tian Li dared to beat Jiang Yu and Chen Fei. Wasn¡¯t the Everlasting Feast Hall afraid of the retaliation from the Jiang Group and Wanyuan Real Estate? Everyone knows that these two forces are much stronger than the Everlasting Feast Hall,¡±_ Qi Changqing was somewhat puzzled.


    On the street nearby.


    ¡°Take them both. If the rest of you can still get up, go back immediately to find your employers. Tell them to come to my Everlasting Feast Hall within two hours. Otherwise, I can¡¯t guarantee that these two chaps¡¯ limbs will still be intact by then,¡± said Tian Li in a cold and detached tone.


    Having said that, she looked at the distance and waited calmly. She then waved toward two traffic police officers who had just arrived.


    ¡°Hello, Ma¡¯am.¡±


    The two traffic police hesitated a bit, but they eventually chose to come.


    ¡°I believe that you will also investigate this traffic accident clearly. Do remember to not act as if you don¡¯t know. Don¡¯t even think treating us unfairly because you know the background of these two kids. Now, call someone to take the car. I¡¯ll send someone to contact the police authorities later,¡± said Tian Li indifferently.


    ¡°Understood, Ma¡¯am!¡±


    The two traffic police subconsciously looked at the six big men and nodded in consent.


    6 PM.


    Inside the Rainbow Auction House¡¯s venue. Hundreds of guests had already come to attend tonight¡¯s auction. The front entrance was closed as most of the lights inside were being turned off, leaving only the bright light shining on the auction block.


    ¡°Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.¡±


    A young woman with light makeup and dressed in cheongsam walked casually to the auction block. With a bright smiling face, she spoke, ¡°Does everyone think that me being the auctioneer presiding over for tonight¡¯s auction is rather accidental? Actually, while I¡¯m a singer, I was also an auctioneer in some auction houses abroad for half a year. I¡­ am certified!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so unexpected that a big star would preside over tonight¡¯s auction. It seems the auction house has spent a lot of money!¡±


    ¡°Wow! So eye-catching! The longer I look at this girl the more beautiful she looks!¡±


    ¡°Ah, the auctioneer is unexpectedly her!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    In the following seat, Tang Xiu was a bit surprised as he didn¡¯t expect that he would come across an acquaintance while attending this auction.


    This acquaintance had once borrowed his mobile and owed him some money which- Zhang Xinya. Undeniably, Zhang Xinya was very beautiful tonight; even comparable to Ouyang Lulu, Kang Xia, as well as Mu Wanying.


    Wearing a smiling expression, Zhang Xinya gently raised her white-gloved palm and laughed, ¡°I know that everyone wants to snatch the valuable goods tonight. So, without further ado, I announce that tonight¡¯s auction starts now! The first item to be auctioned is a tea set of ceramic ware from the Royal Kiln of the Ming Dynasty. It is confirmed that this ceramic tea set was once used in the Royal Palace, making this a collection item for everyone who loves tea parties.¡±


    ¡°The reserve price is 5 million, with the bid increment of at least 100 thousand. Now, let the auction begin.¡±


    Immediately, a lot of people began to bid:


    ¡°5.1 million!¡±


    ¡°5.5 million!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    In just a few minutes, the price of this ceramic tea set from the Royal Kiln of Ming Dynasty had risen to 8.8 million. Eventually, the ceramic tea set was bought by an old man with a bid of 8.8 million yuan.


    Zhang Xinya laughed, ¡°Congratulations to the #0246 gentleman. You can now go to the backstage to carry on the transaction, or you can wait for the auction to end before going there. Next, we¡¯ll auction the second item. It is¡­¡±


    Under Zhang Xinya¡¯s auspicious ceremony, the auction was carried out in full swing. She possessed excellent eloquence and was good at inciting everyone¡¯s emotions. So almost every item had been sold at a very high price.


    Two hours later.


    After having auctioned an antique calligraphy and painting, Zhang Xinya said with a smile, ¡°The next item to be auctioned is a mysterious ore. This mysterious ore is very unusual, even our appraiser experts were unable to identify it. What I can tell everyone is, this ore has a magical effect for whoever wears it. It will have a kind of peaceful and serene feeling and even make them feel comfortable. Originally, our auction house¡¯s Big Boss wanted to keep this ore, but this item belongs to the consignor who entrusted us to auction it, after all. Hence, we can only do what the client wants. So, if the Big Boss wants it, I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll have to buy it through the auction.¡±


    ¡°The reserve price is 1 million, with a bid increment of at least 100 thousand yuan for each bid.¡±


    At this moment, Tang Xiu had released his perception and quickly wrapped the ore on the tray held by Zhang Xinya. Along with his sensing, he already determined that this ore was indeed the Soul Tranquilizer Stone and also of the best quality.


    _¡°Earth certainly has a deep connection with the Immortal World, or else it¡¯d be impossible to have so many valuable treasures from there.¡±_


    Thinking and sighing inwardly, Tang Xiu immediately bidded. He had once participated in an auction and knew perfectly well that if someone really wanted to buy something they liked, they would only begin to show their capital later.


    ¡°1.1 million!¡±


    ¡°1.2 million!¡±


    After the bid from two visitors, the venue went quiet.


    Seeing this situation, Zhang Xinya didn¡¯t lose heart and rather smiled, ¡°Well, as the ancients said, jade can nourish people. Our auction house¡¯s appraiser experts believe that his ore is also able to nourish and keep people healthy. So, I hope everyone bids enthusiastically. After all, the things that can bring good benefits for us are really scarce and rare.¡±


    ¡°2 million!¡±


    As she finished speaking, someone immediately bid.


    ¡°2.5 million!¡±


    ¡°2.8 million!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°8 million!¡±


    In just a few minutes, the price had raised to 8 million. Eight times more than the floor price. Finally, the people participating in the bidding were far fewer and there were only two to three people still raising the price.


    Tang Xiu turned and nodded to Ji Chimei. Then, she raised her placard and spoke in a deep tone, ¡°10 million.¡±


    ¡°11 million!¡± a voice sounded.


    ¡°20 million!¡± Ji Chimei lifted her placard again.


    ¡°50 million!¡±


    The other party voiced his bid again in a deep tone. At the same time, the old man who just bid in the front row turned his head to look at Ji Chimei.


    As indifferent as always, Ji Chimei lifted her placard again and said, ¡°100 million.¡±


    The old man¡¯s complexion changed slightly, looking upset. After staying been silent for a moment, he lifted his placard and said, ¡°200 million!¡±


    ¡°500 million,¡± Ji Chimei lifted her placard and bid.


    Suddenly, the whole venue burst into an uproar, all looking toward Ji Chimei. Originally, they couldn¡¯t care less about a piece of ore as the reserve price was only 1 million. But in just a short time, its price had risen to 500 million. This kind of capital was the first time to occur in this auction until now. The most incredible fact was that the current bidding was no longer within hundreds or millions yuan increment in the bids, but soared to hundreds of millions!


    ¡°Ah, it that stone really a treasure?¡±


    Many people secretly guessed.


    At the moment, the old man showed a forced and wry expression. A lot of people knew him. He was one of the rich big bosses in Hong Kong. The entertainment bigwig, Gu Weidong. He was also one of the shareholders of the Rainbow Auction House. He didn¡¯t expect that that for such a bizarre, mysterious ore, someone would spend so high a price to compete with him.


    500 million was nothing to him, but he could see that the other party¡¯s manner was to absolutely win it. Hence, he was perfectly aware that even if he increased the bid, the other party would bid higher. And perhaps, because of this auction, he would have a fallout with them.


    Then let it be! It looked like he wasn¡¯t fated with that piece of ore!


    Gu Weidong shook his head and gave up.


    At this time, Zhang Xinya¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t lock on Ji Chimei but looked at the direction of the voice as she saw Tang Xiu sitting there. She didn¡¯t expect that she would see Tang Xiu here.


    When she discovered that Tang Xiu was also looking at her, the smile on her face turned more brilliant. Unnoticed, nodding slightly at Tang Xiu, she said with a smile, ¡°It seems that someone has a keen perception to identify a pearl! The #0125 lady has bidden 500 million. Is there someone else who wants to bid higher? If not, this precious ore will belong to the #0125 lady!¡±

 Chapter 278

    Chapter 278: Successfully Obtaining the Items


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The several hundreds of guests in the auction venue fell silent. They thought it wasn¡¯t worth it buying a piece of ore for 500 million.


    Everyone looked at Ji Chimei with a slightly strange expression.


    Even many people libeled inwardly, ¡°Is this the extravagance of multi-millionaire people?¡±


    On the other hand, as the auctioneer, seeing that nobody wanted to increase the bid, Zhang Xinya immediately smiled and said, ¡°Since there¡¯s no one amongst the ladies and gentlemen that wants to increase the bid, then this ore will go to the #0125 lady. Are you going to carry out the transaction in the backstage or wait until the auction ends?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go now!¡±


    Ji Chimei stood up, nodding slightly toward Tang Xiu she then straightly left.


    However, her action made most people¡¯s eyes turn toward Tang Xiu.


    Even Zhang Xinya was flabbergasted. She had asked Ouyang Lulu, her boudoir friend about Tang Xiu. Even though Ouyang Lulu didn¡¯t tell much about him, but what she did tell was enough to shock her secretly.


    The auction thereafter was carried out as per usual.


    A few minutes later Ji Chimei returned with the Soul Tranquilizer Stone. After she handed it over to Tang Xiu, she whispered, ¡°Venerable Lord, we¡¯ve successfully obtained what we need to buy. Shall we leave or continue bidding?¡±


    Pondering for a moment, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°You go first and take this Soul Tranquilizer Stone! Take ¨¡wen with you. I¡¯ll stay here to see if there¡¯s anything else good enough to buy.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Lord!¡±


    Ji Chimed complied as she looked at Tang Xiu as he observed the Soul Tranquilizer Stone before giving it to her. As though recalling something, she quickly took out a bank card and handed it to him, ¡°Lord, there¡¯s still 9.5 billion yuan in this card. If you see something you like, you can buy it freely.¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t refuse it since he really didn¡¯t have money. After taking it, he looked at the departing Ji Chimei and lamented that she was really thoughtful and sensible.


    Money, wealth¡­ it was merely worldly possessions.


    He cared not about wealth, however, he was in a shortage of resources for his cultivation. He wanted to train a group of trusted subordinates immediately. Subsequently, it would need a lot of resources. If he had no money, it would indeed be difficult for him to handle a lot of matters. Had it been before, he would feel awkward to take the money from the Everlasting Feast Hall. But now, he didn¡¯t have this kind of feeling since he also had given the ingredients to Ji Chimei to refine pills, which itself was a priceless treasure.


    However, just two minutes after Ji Chimei left, Zhang Xinya, at the auction block, said with a smile, ¡°The next item to be auctioned is a millennium ginseng. As far as I know, there was an auction held in Jingmen Island that also auctioned a millennium ginseng. So, adding this piece now, we have two cases emerging this year, whereas we hadn¡¯t seen such an item being auctioned in our country within the last three years. This strain of millennium ginseng will be sold at the reserve price of 100 million, with a bid increment of no less than 5 million. Now, let the auction start.¡±


    A burst of light shot out from Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. He hadn¡¯t read the auction catalog before so he didn¡¯t know anything else that this auction would sell apart from the Soul Tranquilizer Stone. When his perception enveloped the strain of millennium ginseng on the tray, his expression changed slightly.


    ¡°It¡¯s a three thousand years old wild ginseng?¡±


    After an instant judgment, Tang Xiu quickly grabbed his mobile and dialed Mo ¨¡wen¡¯s number.


    ¡°Yes, Boss!¡± Mo ¨¡wen¡¯s voice came through the phone.


    ¡°Tell Ji Chimei to come back,¡± said Tang Xiu in a deep tone.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    After ending the call, his eyes firmly locked on the three thousand years old wild ginseng.


    ¡°150 million!¡±


    After ten seconds of silence, someone directly raised the price by 50 million. Many knew that person, the Eyeglasses Magnate of Hong Kong, Ke Zhentao.


    ¡°160 million!¡±


    Even though many people knew Ke Zhentao, but a lot of them were also determined to obtain this millennium wild ginseng. Hence, they also didn¡¯t want to back out this time.


    ¡°200 million!¡± Ke Zhentao increased the bid.


    ¡°210 million!¡±


    ¡°250 million!¡±


    ¡°260 million!¡±


    ¡°270 million!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    More than a dozen of people increased the price constantly and the millennium wild ginseng¡¯s price continued rising. In just five to six minutes, it had exceeded 350 million. Yet, the one who was bidding the price was still Ke Zhentao.


    Looking at Ji Chimei who had just returned, Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°A wild ginseng is being auctioned now. No matter how high the price is, we must buy it. It will greatly benefit Yan¡¯er.¡±


    Ji Chimei¡¯s expression changed and she asked quickly, ¡°Lord, what¡¯s the price now?¡±


    ¡°350 million!¡±


    She nodded, raised her placard and called out, ¡°500 million!¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    The entire auction venue turned into turmoil yet again by Ji Chimei¡¯s call. Several hundreds of riches that came to the auction talked in whispers.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that old lady? She just spent 500 million to buy a stone and now she increased the bid by 150 million at once. Does she want to burn her money?¡±


    ¡°The value of that strain of millennium ginseng is at most 1.2 billion, right? But it¡¯s rather extravagant to spend 500 million on this thing!¡±


    ¡°What is her identity and how have I never seen her before?¡±


    ¡°Send someone to investigate her. We must know her background before the auction ends.¡±


    ¡°Tonight there is really a good show to see! But wanting me to spend 500 million to buy a millennium wild ginseng is a big no no! I can only give up!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°600 million!¡±


    In the back corner of the hall, a man wearing reading glasses and dressed in a Chinese tunic suit suddenly raised his placard. When everyone¡¯s eyes shifted to him, their expressions changed greatly.


    Li Juren?


    Nobody thought that the one who increased the bid turned out to be Li Juren. They didn¡¯t know when Li Juren had arrived at the auction venue!


    Tang Xiu turned his head. When he saw Li Juren, his brows wrinkled slightly. He didn¡¯t know much about the super billionaires in Hong Kong, but he knew who Li Juren was. After all, this person was the legendary richest man in Asia, and he often saw his photos.


    Ji Chimei turned around to look at the back. She raised her placard once again and called out in a deep tone, ¡°1 billion!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The guests in the entire venue were all dumbfounded. They didn¡¯t expect that Ji Chimei dared to compete with Li Juren for the strain of millennium ginseng, even raising the price by 400 million.


    In the back row, Li Juren himself was astonished. He never thought that someone would raise the bid to 1 billion. He originally believed that after he bid 600 million it would be a sure shot that the millennium wild ginseng would be his.


    He was silent for a moment before he raised his placard again and lightly said, ¡°1.1 billion.¡±


    ¡°2 billion!¡±


    Ji Chimei didn¡¯t care about money. Even if she had to burn it, she had to obtain that more than 3,000 years old ginseng strain. After all, there were only a few things that could give benefits to her master. Once she found one, let alone spending money, even if she had to rob it forcefully and kill, she would still go all out.


    Li Juren was stunned. He then shook his head. He was indeed a rich man and 2 billion was but only a small change to him. But it wasn¡¯t worth spending it to buy the millennium ginseng.


    He was a businessman. He standards spending money. He wouldn¡¯t compete to buy things that were not worth to buy.


    Hundreds of riches in the auction venue were at a loss and didn¡¯t know what to say. They only looked at Ji Chimei with strange expressions.


    Nobody thought that Ji Chimei would dare to compete with Li Juren. More so that she even raised the bid by 900 million all of a sudden, so the millennium wild ginseng¡¯s price reached 2 billion yuan.


    At this moment, Zhang Xinya also was shocked. She never thought that the price of this millennium wild ginseng would actually reach 2 billion yuan. Originally, she thought that a price of 500 million yuan would be its limit. But now, it seems that it was 4 times higher than she expected!


    However, she still felt happy inwardly. According to the agreement between her and the auction house, she would get one thousandth commission fee for each item sold in the auction. If the auctioned items could reach ten times the reserve price, she would get a commission fee of two thousandths.


    _¡°For tonight¡¯s commission fee, it wouldn¡¯t be less than 8 digits, right?¡±_


    Zhang Xinya couldn¡¯t help but feel happy inside.


    Immediately after, she noticed that Li Juren didn¡¯t seem to want to increase the bid again as she said, ¡°Is there any higher bid? If not, this strain of millennium wild ginseng will belong to the #0125 lady.¡±


    After asking for a few more times and having nobody call out, Zhang Xinya knocked the wooden mallet and said with a smile, ¡°Congratulations to the #0125 lady. You¡¯ve won this strain of millennium wild ginseng. Might I ask whether you want to go to the backstage to carry out the transaction or wait until the auction ends?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go now!¡±


    Ji Chimei stood up as she nodded again toward Tang Xiu before she left.


    As for the next auction, Tang Xiu no longer followed.


    10 PM.


    The auction had ended. The guests had gotten up and were ready to leave. Smiling, Zhang Xinya put off her white gloves as she appeared in front of Tang Xiu. Her gaze swept away from Ji Chimei and then shifted toward Tang Xiu. She then said with a smile, ¡°Hello, Mr. Tang. We meet again.¡±


    Whilst nodding at her, Tang Xiu realized that a lot of people around were looking at her. He then immediately replied, ¡°Has your family member gotten well? I heard from Chen Zhizhong that he already found the medicine you need.¡±


    Zhang Xinya nodded solemnly and replied gratefully, ¡°He¡¯s already fine. Anyways, thank you, Mr. Tang. If not because of you, I¡­¡±


    Raising his hands to interrupt her, Tang Xiu then turned around as he looked at Ji Chimei and said, ¡°¨¡wen will escort you to Victoria Harbor! Immediately go back to Jingmen Island and take this wild ginseng. Wait for me to come back before giving the medication to Yan¡¯er.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Showing respect on her old face, Ji Chimei complied and left with Mo ¨¡wen, whereas Mo ¨¡wu was left standing beside Tang Xiu as though a spear.


    Surprised, Zhang Xinya looked at the leaving Ji Chimei, astonished. When she looked back to him, she asked curiously, ¡°Tang Xiu, you know that old lady? Listening to your conversation with her, it seems that you¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s my subordinate,¡± said Tang Xiu calmly.

 Chapter 279

    Chapter 279: Li Juren¡¯s Invitation


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Shocked, Zhang Xinya looked at Tang Xiu tongue-tied as she could hardly believe what she heard. Her heart throbbed faster than before.


    His subordinate?


    The elderly who bid billions of yuan that shocked the audience and even didn¡¯t give Li Juren face turned out to be Tang Xiu¡¯s subordinate? In other words, she buying that piece of ore and wild ginseng was in fact for her master, Tang Xiu?


    Looking at her, Tang Xiu felt funny. He found that her dumbfounded expression was quite cute, especially her bright black eyes and her charming fazed look was as if a cute kitty.


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu¡¯s face flickered as he smiled and asked, ¡°Do you have anything else to do later?¡±


    Swallowing her saliva and waking up from her daze, Zhang Xinya then shook her head and said, ¡°After presiding over this auction, I got nothing to do.¡±


    ¡°Are you familiar with Hong Kong?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Of course! I¡¯m a native here!¡± answered Zhang Xinya.


    ¡°If so, do you have time now? It¡¯s my first time in Hong Kong and I must leave tomorrow. The night is still young and I haven¡¯t had time to stroll around here, so how about finding a place and have some snacks?¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving tomorrow?¡± surprised, Zhang Xinya asked.


    ¡°Yea, I¡¯m going abroad to take care of something,¡± said Tang Xiu


    ¡°Please wait a while, I¡¯ll go get my bag! Hong Kong is well-known as the gourmet paradise. I¡¯ll take you to taste the local unique delicacies.¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted as he saw some people behind Zhang Xinya.


    Though Li Juren was elderly, his body was still healthy and vigorous and didn¡¯t need a helper. His pace was still steady and calm. But beside him, two middle-aged bodyguards that looked like bouncers accompanied him.


    ¡°Little Brother, may I ask your surname?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Tang. Tang Xiu!¡±


    Li Juren nodded slowly as he stood before Tang Xiu. Smiling, he asked, ¡°If my guess is correct, you should know the old lady who competed with me for the wild ginseng, or you should have a deep relationship with her, yes?¡±


    ¡°Your guess is correct. She¡¯s my subordinate,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly.


    Li Juren stared blankly for a moment. He didn¡¯t expect that that old lady turned out to be a subordinate of the young man before him. He immediately smiled, ¡°Little Brother Tang, it seems like you¡¯re a very interesting young man, a really rare one at that. If that¡¯s true, then you might have abused her¡ªthe elderly¡ªsince she¡¯s old already. She should have been in her retirement and enjoying life, no?¡±


    Shaking his head, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°How about you? Does Li Juren himself wants to retire and enjoy the rest of his life?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡­¡±


    Stunned and staring blankly for a second, Li Juren laughed involuntarily the moment after, saying, ¡°Little Brother Tang is truly interesting. Anyways, do you have time to have a dinner together?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I just invited her,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    Yet again, Li Juren got surprised for a moment, for he didn¡¯t expect that Tang Xiu actually would refuse him.


    Aside from the dear beauty Kang Xia who also rejected his invitation, it had been many years that nobody refused him.


    At this time, Zhang Xinya was also shocked since she had never imagined that Li Juren would come here personally. More so that his purpose was to invite Tang Xiu to dinner, and the most shocking thing was the latter actually rejected it. Recalling how powerful Li Juren was, she quickly asked, ¡°Mr. Tang, it¡¯s fine with me!¡±


    After being silent for a moment, Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°Since you don¡¯t mind, let¡¯s have dinner together! You¡¯re the local host here, so it¡¯s your call.¡±


    Zhang Xinya looked at Li Juren, silent. The latter then said with a smile, ¡°Well, Little Brother Tang is not a native of Hong Kong. In that case, might I play the host? I went to Beijing a few days ago and my old friend gave me some good tea. How about we taste it together?¡±


    ¡°Please lead the way!¡± said Tang Xiu calmly.


    At this time, a voice came over as Ke Zhentao arrived before them and said with a smile, ¡°Uncle Li, Little Brother, may I join you?¡±


    ¡°Zhentao, since you couldn¡¯t buy that wild ginseng then you want to know the buyer¡¯s identity, huh?¡± Li Juren laughed.


    Being seen through, Ke Zhentao looked awkward, but in a moment after, his expression turned normal and smiled, ¡°Yea! Spending 2 billion yuan for a wild ginseng made me very curious about the buyer.¡±


    Toward Ke Zhentao, Tang Xiu also didn¡¯t have a suspicion at all because it was an auction after all; the highest bidder would win. Whereas Li Juren and he had also spent more than a billion.


    Turning and shaking hands with Tang Xiu, Ke Zhentao then said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m Ke Zhentao.¡±


    Accepting his handshake, Tang Xiu then said, ¡°Shall we go?¡±


    A car had been waiting outside as they went out of the auction house. There were still a lot of guests that had yet to leave as they chatted in smalls group of two or three. Seeing Li Juren and Ke Zhentao coming out, they approached to greet them. Li Juren himself greeted them cordially and responded to everyone with a smile. After they boarded the car and left, the crowd that greeted Li Juren and Ke Zhentao broke into chatter:


    ¡°The young man that was followed Li Juren and Ke Zhentao, who¡¯s he? I recall he was the one seating with the old lady who bought the wild ginseng at the auction.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that young man¡¯s identity? How could he leave with Li Juren?¡±


    ¡°That famous singer¡ªZhang Xinya seems to have a rather unordinary relationship with that young man. They just boarded the same car.¡±


    ¡°Have you seen that young man before? From which family he comes from?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Deepwater Bay 79, Li Juren¡¯s mansion.


    As five cars arrived slowly at the mansion¡¯s entrance and parked in the interior parking lot, Tang Xiu and Zhang Xinya got off from the Hummer. Tang Xiu was somewhat curious about Li Juren¡¯s mansion. After all, his mansion had always been very mysterious all these years as no one amongst the paparazzi in Hong Kong was able to take a picture of its interior.


    ¡°Little Brother Tang, is my place good enough?¡±


    Greeting them into the main hall, Li Juren then sat in the sofa of the first floor¡¯s living room and asked with a smile. He could feel an extraordinary bearing exuding from Tang Xiu. Such an aura could only be seen from those who had high status. Hence, he was very curious about him.


    ¡°It¡¯s good. The construction, the style of interior design and decoration, the furniture¡¯s placement- the most particular and important thing is, the Feng Shui here is excellent. You should have asked someone to manage it for you, no?¡± said Tang Xiu calmly.


    Surprised, Li Juren stared blankly for a moment as he asked in astonishment, ¡°Little Brother Tang actually knows about Feng Shui?¡±


    ¡°I know a little about it,¡± Tang Xiu laughed.


    A profound respect immediately revealed itself on Li Juren¡¯s expression. He firmly believed in Feng Shui, and those masters who had knowledge about Feng Shui had a high status either in Hong Kong or all over the world.


    ¡°May I know who Little Brother Tang¡¯s teacher is?¡±


    Shaking his head, Tang Xiu answered, ¡°I apologize, I can¡¯t say. It¡¯s kind of inconvenient.¡±


    A tinge of regret could be seen on Li Juren¡¯s face as he then put the thought to the back of his mind. This time he invited Tang Xiu over in order to find out what uses did Tang Xiu had for that wild ginseng for him to spare no expense to buy it.


    ¡°Where are you from, Little Brother Tang? Listening to your accent, you shouldn¡¯t be a native, right?¡±


    ¡°Shuangqing Province,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°The development in the Mainland is very fast now. I had traveled to Shuangqing Province before and it has a lot of wealthy families there. But I¡¯ve never heard¡­ about a Tang Family there. Yet, being able to come with such a huge amount of money to buy the ore and the ginseng, I presume that it should be a family with a profound background, no?¡±


    ¡°Ring, ring, ring¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mobile suddenly rang. As he took it out and saw the caller¡¯s number, his brows slightly furrowed as he pressed the answer button and spoke, ¡°Tang Xiu speaking.¡±


    ¡°Boss, it¡¯s Tian Li. A huge number of people showed up near our restaurant in Hong Kong. If my guess is correct, they should be related with the Jiang Group, Wanyuan Real Estate, and Du Kang Winery. Hao Lei has already brought the Grand Fortune Jewelries¡¯ guards here. What do you command, Boss?¡±


    A killing intent glinted from Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as his expression turned cold and replied in a deep tone, ¡°I¡¯ll be there shortly. If they dare to attack the restaurant before I get there, fight them back.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± said Tian Li respectfully.


    After hanging up the phone, Tang Xiu looked at Li Juren and Ke Zhentao who looked surprised and said, ¡°Gentlemen, I have a small matter to deal with. If there¡¯s an opportunity, we¡¯ll gather again later! Also, about the question from Mr. Ke, I must tell you that it¡¯s better to rely on oneself rather than rely on the heaven and place. If you have some time in the future, please visit and look after my enterprise here, the Everlasting Feast Hall.¡±


    Having said that, he turned to Zhang Xinya and said, ¡°It seems that having you as a tour guide tonight must be canceled. I¡¯ll contact you again the next time I visit Hong Kong.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you,¡± Zhang Xinya said quickly.


    Staying silent for a moment, Tang Xiu then nodded.


    Getting up and looking at Tang Xiu, Li Juren said with a bit of surprised expression, ¡°Little Brother Tang, I know about the Everlasting Feast Hall. Its headquarters is on Jingmen Island. But I have never imagined that you¡¯d turn out to be the big boss of the enterprise though. That call before, there seems to be some trouble in the Everlasting Feast Hall, yes? I have some connections in Hong Kong, would you like me to lend a hand?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°No, I¡¯ll resolve it myself.¡±


    Li Juren and Ke Zhentao watched as Tang Xiu and Zhang Xinya got on the car and quickly left. Li Juren then turned around and said to a big bodyguard, ¡°Send someone to investigate Tang Xiu¡¯s identity. Also, find out about what¡¯s happening there.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The big bodyguard replied and left.


    ¡°Uncle Li, you seem to value Tang Xiu? It¡¯s not like your style.¡± Ke Zhentao said with a smile.


    ¡°I just feel that this young man is very mysterious. He has an aura of someone that has been in a high position for a long time. I find it hard to believe that a young man in his early 20s can actually develop such an imposing manner; unless, he has been in a superior position above anyone else since childhood and has a huge power and privileges. Hence, I¡¯m a bit curious about him.¡±

 Chapter 280

    Chapter 280: The Shocking Past Events


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Nodding, Ke Zhentao replied, ¡°He spent 2.5 billion in tonight¡¯s auction. Despite my knowledge, it¡¯s my first time seeing a young man in his 20s who can do something so extraordinary. That Everlasting Feast Hall seems very mysterious and also has a deep relationship with the Grand Fortune Jewelries.¡±


    Laughing, Li Juren said, ¡°Actually, the Grand Fortune Jewelries is one of the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s industries.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Ke Zhentao¡¯s expression changed and looked shocked.


    The smile on Li Juren¡¯s face disappeared, replaced by a slightly dignified expression as he slowly said, ¡°You might not know, but I had been to Jingmen Island 20 years ago. At that time, I had some problems with my business and was in need of a fleet of ships to transport a number of goods. At that time, the Everlasting Feast Hall already had a sizeable fleet and a very mysterious woman surnamed Gu was the sole owner of the enterprise. I sent someone to investigate her, however, not only the there were no results, even the people I sent disappeared out of thin air.¡±


    Shocked and aghast, Ke Zhentao replied, ¡°Uncle Li, you mean¡­ those people you sent had been done in by the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people?¡±


    ¡°No, they did not die, but they were captured and escorted to a mining area somewhere in Africa and became coolies there. That time, the owner of that mining area was the former owner of the Everlasting Feast Hall. She complied with my pleas that time, but I had to promise her two things in exchange.¡±


    Listening to the behind the scenes secret story of that year, Ke Zhentao asked, ¡°What did you promise?¡±


    With all seriousness, Li Juren solemnly said, ¡°First, she forbade me to investigate the Everlasting Feast Hall further, otherwise, I and my company group would disappear from Earth. Secondly, she wanted me to help her find someone surnamed Tang¡ªTang Xiu.¡±


    Ke Zhentao suddenly said, ¡°So, it turned out that the reason why you invited him over is that he¡¯s someone that the Everlasting Feast Hall wanted you to find him!¡±


    ¡°No. I didn¡¯t recall that matter at first. It¡¯s just that I felt that he¡¯s very special; thus, I invited him over. But, when he said he¡¯s the Boss of the Everlasting Feast Hall, then I remembered what happened that year.¡±


    Smiling, Ke Zhentao said, ¡°Uncle Li, you are really someone with keen perception! However, the Everlasting Feast Hall seems to be kinda very arrogant to even dare to threaten you.¡±


    ¡°Zhentao, remember my words. You must never become an enemy of the Everlasting Feast Hall!¡± said Li Juren solemnly.


    ¡°Your meaning is¡­ the Everlasting Feast Hall is very powerful; even on par with the current you?¡± Ke Zhentao asked in astonishment.


    Falling into silence for a moment, Li Juren then slowly said, ¡°Perhaps the wealth of the Everlasting Feast Hall is on par with me, but they possess fearsome power, for which I can never able to contend with! For the rest of my life, I¡¯m afraid that I can never forget the scene 20 years ago when I shipped those cargos and was attacked by pirates.¡±


    ¡°What scene?¡± asked Ke Zhentao quickly.


    Overlooking the Dongsha Islands, Li Juren said word by word, ¡°The Black Shark Pirates had once been a scourge in Dongsha Islands for decades and they were all composed of vicious and ruthless pirates. They boasted of more than 200 heavily armed pirates and their military strength was very strong. Yet, those 20 guards from Everlasting Feast Hall who were protecting the ships destroyed them. Completely.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Ke Zhentao involuntarily cried out in fright.


    Taking back his vision, Li Juren looked at him deeply and said, ¡°You didn¡¯t hear it wrong. Those pirates were completely annihilated by those guards without using firearms. They only carried a dagger each, disappearing and appearing mysteriously near those pirates. More than 200 pirates were killed, but only six men got minor injuries and one was heavily injured amongst those 20 guards; no deaths.¡±


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡±


    Ke Zhentao shivered and couldn¡¯t help but take a cold breath.


    Gently patting him on the shoulder, Li Juren seriously said, ¡°So, remember my words. Do not become an enemy of the Everlasting Feast Hall; they are too fearsome and horrifying. Even if my guards are very powerful and I train a lot of powerful individuals, but I can never be compared with them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bear that in mind, Uncle Li,¡± Ke Zhentao nodded heavily as different color glinted in his eyes.


    Hong Kong, Kowloon Bay.


    The Everlasting Feast Hall covered a very wide area whereby four antique towering restaurants with five floors each stood, along with a seven-story towering pavilion that was located between the four restaurants. Normally, the center restaurant of the Everlasting Feast Hall was not opened to the public unless a VIP visited the venue, which it then would be opened officially.


    Each of the four restaurants had its own manager, whereas Tian Li was the General Manager.


    ¡°Chief Tian, what should we do now?¡±


    On the third floor window of the northern restaurant building, a gentle middle-aged man who was standing beside Tian Li softly asked. He was Deng Zhen¡ªthe manager of the North restaurant.


    ¡°Boss will be here shortly. If those people dare to attack the restaurant, we¡¯ll fight back immediately. But don¡¯t kill them, it¡¯s fine disabling them.¡± Tian Li said in a cold and detached tone.


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Though Deng Zhen was curious about the fabled Big Boss, he didn¡¯t dare to show it. Becoming a manager of the North restaurant of the Everlasting Feast Hall in Hong Kong was already considered as a high-level position, yet he still only saw the small Boss before and had never seen the Big Boss.


    Behind them was the sexy Hao Lei, nesting on the sofa lazily with a cigarette between her fingers. She smirked, ¡°It seems that our new Boss is kind of a ruthless figure too! Is it because Elder Ji is with him?¡±


    Turning her head to her, Tian Li said calmly, ¡°Elder Ji left Hong Kong half an hour ago to return to Jingmen Island.¡±


    A tinge of astonishment could be seen on Hao Lei¡¯s face as she puffed out and said, ¡°Tian Li, how much do you know about our new Boss.¡±


    Looking at her, Tian Li shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I know less than you.¡±


    Rolling her eyes, Hao Lei hummed, ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re playing modest huh? You did intelligence in the past and it seems that aside from getting news and all, you¡¯re also the strongest amongst us. Come on, hurry and tell me what you know!¡±


    ¡°Boss is very easy going and young. Elder Ji told me when she left that Mo ¨¡wen and Mo ¨¡wu¡¯s opportunity came; and its due to the order from Boss.¡±


    Opportunity?


    Hao Lei was stunned and suddenly jumped from the sofa with glittering lights in her eyes, growling, ¡°You mean that they have learned¡­¡±


    With slight envy in her eyes, Tian Li said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Hence, we can also take our chances. If we could get it, then, we will ascend; but if not, we may have to wait for a very long time.¡±


    Hao Lei took a deep breath and replied in a heavy tone, ¡°I gotta take this opportunity. Even if Boss wants me to serve him, I¡¯ll sacrifice everything.¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡±


    Tian Li couldn¡¯t help laughing as she glanced at her and humorlessly said, ¡°We only need to do one thing in front of our Boss.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Obedience. Absolute obedience. Even if Boss wants us to die, you must never shrink back,¡± said Tian Li with a revered expression.


    Rolling her eyes, Hao Lei sat back on the sofa as she moved her leg on top of the other and said, ¡°You still need to say that? The former Big Boss in the past¡­ in any case, our lives belong to Big Boss, same for the new Big Boss.¡±


    Standing beside Tian Li, an intense curiosity budded out inside Deng Zhen¡¯s heart when he listened to their conversation. He was clueless about the meaning of their conversation, but he had already guessed that the opportunity they talked about should be the core secret in the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    Others may not know how strong Tian Li and Hao Lei were, but he knew perfectly well about it. When Tian Li rescued him in the past, the military strength shown by her could be called as terrifyingly fearsome.


    _¡®They said they could get an opportunity. Could I get it also?¡¯_


    Secretly, Deng Zhen lamented and was also full of expectation.


    As he turned his head and looked out of the window, he suddenly shook and said in a deep tone, ¡°Chief Tian, those Bosses are coming.¡±


    Turning her head, Tian Li looked down and immediately saw more than ten black cars approaching quickly, stopping in front of the North restaurant. More than 20 big men also got off, whereas three people came out from three cars. She had seen those three men; the Big Boss of Jiang Group¡ªJiang Ba; the Big Boss of Wanyuan Real Estate¡ªChen Jianye; and the Du Kang Winery¡¯s Big Boss¡ªDu Changze. Following them was Du Yan whom she had beaten before.


    ¡°Deng Zhen, let¡¯s greet and take them to the second floor¡¯s hall.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± replied Deng Zhen as he nodded with a tinge of worry inside.


    Though he knew that the Everlasting Feast Hall possessed many powerful soldiers, however, they had provoked three big forces this time. He was worried that the Everlasting Feast Hall wouldn¡¯t be their opponents if their faces were really torn.


    Turning her head and looking at Hao Lei, Tian Li said, ¡°Let¡¯s not be idle waiting for them on the second floor. If they don¡¯t settle the account today, no matter what, we¡¯ll slaughter them.¡±


    Hao Lei replied with a smile, ¡°We really know each other, eh. If the Boss really order us to slay them all, you¡¯ll snatch this chance from me. All these years, I could only grab some time every year to move my hands and feet when going to the gold and diamond mine in Africa. So I got a really bad mood!¡±


    Tian Li snorted coldly, ¡°Good for you. You can move your hands and feet every year. As for me? It¡¯s been a few years that I haven¡¯t seen blood. I gotta shift the place with the others when I get back to Jingmen Island. How about I propose to Boss to exchange our positions?¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Hao Lei¡¯s face changed and quickly shouted.


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡± Tian Li couldn¡¯t help laughing and gave a teasing smile before she turned and walked toward the door.


    Within the second floor of the North restaurant there was a hall big enough to accommodate hundreds of people. However, the tables and chairs there had been removed by the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s staff as only a chair remained on the bright red carpet in the innermost hall. There, Jiang Yu and Chen Fei, who were brought back by Tian Li, knelt in front of the chair with four big men guarding them.


    Shame and anger!


    The both of them grew up with golden spoons since childhood. They used to drown themselves in a life of luxury, being superior to many, where others usually acted humble despite their unruliness, smiling and flattering them. Yet, why would they encounter such a disaster today? How could they be beaten so savagely by others, being forced to kneel here and wait for their parents?

 Chapter 281

    Chapter 281: The Hit


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Disdain glittered in Tian Li and Hao Li¡¯s eyes as they came to the second floor¡¯s hall and saw Jiang Yu and Chen Fei kneeling and fuming with anger. If these two fellas hadn¡¯t a big background, they would have been killed for daring to offend the Boss.


    ¡°Tian Li, let me free!¡±


    Seeing Tian Li, Jiang Yu suddenly tried to jump from the floor, but two big men held his shoulders tight, one of them punching him fiercely.


    Tian Li sneered, ¡°Don¡¯t try to struggle if you don¡¯t wanna enjoy more pain. Your parents will be here shortly. If they don¡¯t wanna discipline you, I¡¯ll do the task. Don¡¯t force me to become a killer thoroughly. Remember that!¡±


    Dizzy after getting punched, Jiang Yu no longer dared to struggle.


    Kneeling, Chen Fei¡¯s eyes were ablaze. If he had not seen Jiang Yu being beaten, he¡¯d have long since got up. Panting heavily, he glared and sternly spoke to Tian Li, ¡°Tian Li, your Everlasting Feast Hall may be very famous and has good business in Hong Kong; but you dare act against me. Just wait! You¡¯ll get fucked up! When that time comes, I¡¯ll make you kneel before me, screaming and wailing!¡±


    ¡°What an idiot!¡±


    Disinclined to bother with him, Tian Li held her arms and waited.


    In front of the entrance of the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s North restaurant, ten men in a black suits and grim looks confronted Jiang Tianba, Chen Jianye, and Du Changze who brought along 20 big men with them. The other men who were lingered around the vicinity also moved closer, and the number was nearly a hundred.


    ¡°Step aside!¡±


    Growling, Deng Zhen appeared with two big guards behind the two security guards.


    Suddenly, the ten big men opened a path.


    Ruthless, cold light glinted in Jiang Tianba¡¯s eyes along with a tinge of killing intent within. He coldly looked at Deng Zheng and said, ¡°Never had I expected that this small Everlasting Feast Hall would go so far to be as crazy as this. This is Hong Kong, not Jingmen Island. Do you wanna die for provoking us here?¡±


    Deng Zhen sneered, ¡°If you think we¡¯re tired of living, just tell your men to act. Since you already made such a big fuss, surely you wanna make trouble here, no?¡±


    Fuming with anger, Jiang Tianba gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Cut the crap, where¡¯s my son?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s inside,¡± said Deng Zhen.


    ¡°Take us to see Tian Li,¡± said Jiang Tianba coldly.


    Indifferent, Deng Zhen replied, ¡°You can come inside, but those men gotta stay outside. Jiang Tianba, Chen Jianye, Du Changze, each of you can take two of your men inside. Otherwise, I¡¯ll see it as you acting against us.¡±


    Stepping forward, Chen Jianye said coldly, ¡°You know who we are, yet you still dare to be so arrogant. It looks like the Everlasting Feast Hall has big guts, eh! But I wanna see whether you really have the ability.¡±


    Having said that, he nodded to the two big men behind him and took the lead to enter.


    Clashing with the people of the Everlasting Feast Hall was not something Jiang Tianba wanted at this moment. After all, his son was still their hands. He went inside along with his two bodyguards as the anger inside him blazed ever more fiercely.


    Following him, Du Changze took along Du Yang and one of his bodyguards and said indifferently, ¡°Though my son is not in your hands, I also want to see whether your place is a tiger nest or not.¡±


    Deng Zhen didn¡¯t reply. He turned around and took them toward the second floor. After opening the room to the hall, he walked straight toward Tian Li and stood there silently.


    When Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye saw that their sons were forced to kneel on the floor and had obviously been beaten in the face, their anger immediately turned evident.


    ¡°Good. It¡¯s really great. You¡¯re Tian Li, right? I really didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯d have such a big courage! It seems that this matter can no longer end peacefully, ¡°Jiang Tianba sternly spoke.


    Indifferent, Tian Li said, ¡°Just as well. Peaceful or not is not something you can decide. Were it for the Boss having the final say, your son wouldn¡¯t be kneeling here right now, he¡¯d have long been a cold, dead body.¡±


    ¡°You dare!¡± Jiang Tianba shouted furiously.


    Looking grim and cold, Chen Jianye glared deeply at Tian Li. His gaze then turned to Hao Lei who let out a smile that was yet unlike one, and coldly said, ¡°Chief Hao also wants to be involved in this?¡±


    Laughing, Hao Lei said, ¡°If I don¡¯t join in, our boss will kick me! There¡¯s no way I can ask the Boss for a favor, so I can only run over here.¡±


    Brows furrowed, Chen Jianye asked, ¡°Your boss? That means the Grand Fortune Jewelries and the Everlasting Feast Hall is owned by your Boss?¡±


    Hao Lei smiled, ¡°You¡¯re so smart, eh! But how did you give birth to such idiot son? Tsk, tsk¡­ don¡¯t tell me that your wife cheated on you and he¡¯s not your biological son?¡±


    ¡°Asshole!¡± Chen Jianye was shocked inside, yet he still angrily shouted.


    Seemingly not hearing Chen Jianye¡¯s shout, Hao Lei smiled and muttered to herself, ¡°Eh, it can¡¯t be right, though. If he¡¯s not your son, you wouldn¡¯t be running here to save him now. That¡¯s right. I believe that you¡ªfather and son should have taken a DNA test.¡±


    Looking at her angrily, Chen Jianye¡¯s vision turned to Tian Li and growled, ¡°What do you want for my son to be released?¡±


    Shaking her head, Tian Li replied, ¡°It¡¯s not our place to say. Our boss is on the way here. So we have to wait for him about that.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s your boss?¡± asked Chen Jianye coldly.


    Tian Li mocked and sneered, ¡°You wanna know about him? Then you gotta wait!¡±


    Right at this moment, Du Yang, who was behind Du Changze, was looking at the miserable looking Jiang Yu and Chen Fei. He secretly felt fortunate that he didn¡¯t affronted Tian Li further back then, or else he would be kneeling there as those two.


    His father¡ªDu Changze, however, had his brows furrowed deeply as he came in and saw Hao Lei. Never did he expect that the Everlasting Feast Hall and the Grand Fortune Jewelries belonged to the same Boss. He knew about the Grand Fortune Jewelries, for it had quite the power and even monopolized some gold and diamond mines in Africa. The enterprise may look to have only a few billions of assets on the surface, yet no one knew as how much wealth they really possessed in the back.


    Astute as he was, Du Changze could see how fearless Tian Li and Hao Lei were. Watching as Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye fumed in anger yet couldn¡¯t do anything, he wisely chose to stay silent.


    He had learned about what had happened today and it was evident that he could retreat. In the case he followed and Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye couldn¡¯t do anything to the Everlasting Feast Hall and Grad Fortune Jewelries, he could draw back and apologize directly. As for the case of his son being beaten, there was nothing he could do but to swallow it silently.


    More than ten minutes later, Tang Xiu along with Mo Awen, Mo Awu, and Zhang Xinya arrived at the Hong Kong¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall site. The ten security guards didn¡¯t know him but knew the Mo Brothers as they saluted them and let them pass directly.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Tian Li?¡±


    Looking at one of the guards, Tang Xiu asked in a deep tone.


    That guard glanced at Mo ¨¡wen and Mo ¨¡wu. He instantly knew that the person should be their new boss as he quickly replied, ¡°She¡¯s in the second floor¡¯s hall.¡±


    Nodding, Tang Xiu walked upstairs under the guidance of a few big men. As he came to the side hall, his vision swept the situation inside before landing on Jiang Tianba and the others. He then walked toward the chair between Tian Li and Hao Lei and sat there.


    ¡°You¡¯re the boss of the Everlasting Feast Hall and Grand Fortune Jewelries?¡±


    Coldly sizing up Tang Xiu, Chen Jianye asked in a sinking tone. He was secretly at ease since he had never seen Tang Xiu, thinking that Tang Xiu was not someone from some of the untouchable forces in Hong Kong.


    Tang Xiu took a cigarette from his pocket, igniting, sucking and puffing it out, without even paying attention to him. He turned around to look at Zhang Xinya and asked, ¡°Do you want to wait in another room? If you stay here, I¡¯m afraid that you won¡¯t be able to stand it! But don¡¯t worry, though. The Everlasting Feast Hall has good cuisines and drinks to serve; they should be able to fill your tastes.¡±


    Coming along with Tang Xiu and even seeing such a scene here, it was out of Zhang Xinya¡¯s imagination. She knew a lot of people present here such as Jiang Tianba, Chen Jianye, Du Changze, and even Tian Li and Hao Lei. She also clearly knew the true face of the kneeling silk pants¡ªJiang Yu and Chen Lei.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here with you.¡±


    Thinking that Tang Xiu had once helped her, Zhang Xinya replied without thinking.


    Nodding at her, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t mind if she stayed. Right after, he turned around and looked at Jiang Tianba, Chen Jianye, and Du Changze as he pointed at the kneeling Jiang Yu and Chen Fei, asking, ¡°Who are their parents? Stand up!¡±


    Walking two steps forward, Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye shot a cold glance at Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°I believe you already know everything about the matter. Hence, I won¡¯t say it again. Give me your solutions!¡±


    Sneering, Jiang Tianba replied, ¡°We naturally know about everything regarding this matter. I admit that it was my son¡¯s fault for accidentally hitting your car, yet you¡¯ve gone too far! Let my son go and confess to us. Otherwise, this won¡¯t end peacefully.¡±


    Nodding heavily at his answer, Chen Jianye said coldly, ¡°The only one who has the rights to teach my son is me. Whoever hits my son must pay with broken limbs and then apologize to him.¡±


    ¡°Break his son¡¯s hands!¡± Turning his head, Tang Xiu said indifferently.


    ¡°Crack. Crack¡­¡±


    The two big guys standing beside Chen Fei moved swiftly. With one holding his shoulders, the other hit Chen Fei¡¯s wrist. Such explosive strength directly smashed both of Chen Fei¡¯s wrists.


    ¡°Bastard!¡±


    Chen Jianye violently raged as he dashed toward Chen Fei.


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    A sharp dagger instantly appeared in the big guy¡¯s hand beside Chen Fei and placed it on his neck. His eyes were icy, showing that he would unhesitatingly cut Chen Fei¡¯s throat if Chen Jianye dared to rush over.


    Chen Jianye¡¯s breath came to a halt and abruptly stopped his dash.


    Behind him, Jiang Tianba who had his eyes bursting out with shock and fright. Even in his wildest imagination he had never thought that Tang Xiu would be so rampant and ruthless despite his young age. Just a word from Chen Jianye resulted in his son¡ªChen Fei¡¯s wrist to be broken.


    In an instant, he felt somewhat lucky inside that he didn¡¯t say such words, otherwise, the one who would have his wrists broken now would perhaps be his own son.

 Chapter 282

    Chapter 282: A Silent and Cold Massacre


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Angrily laughing, Chen Jianye¡¯s eyes glared at Tang Xiu with blazing intent to kill. He raised his thumb and shouted, ¡°Great. It¡¯s just great. For many years now nobody dared to humiliate me like this. Don¡¯t use my son if you really got the ability.¡±


    Indifferent, Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°Let them go.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The four big guys picked Chen Fei and Jiang Yu up and pushed them towards Chen Jianye.


    ¡°Ouch¡­¡±


    ¡°Aaah¡­¡±


    With two screams, Chen Fei and Jiang Yu tumbled, hiding behind them, hatefully glaring at Tang Xiu.


    Chen Jianye snarled, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Slow down!¡±


    ¡°Do you think the Everlasting Feast Hall is someplace you can come and go so freely? Before you give me a confession, not one of you can leave this place!¡± Tang Xiu sneered.


    Jiang Tianba stepped back and mocked, ¡°What? Because this is your turf you want to bother us? You can believe me or not, but I can demolish your Everlasting Feast Hall within half a day.¡±


    Giving a gesture to invite him, Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°If you have the ability, bring it on! I saw the crowd you brought here when I came in. Call all of them inside. I wanna have a look at what kind force you have.¡±


    Staring blankly for a moment, Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye nodded to each other and quickly gave a command to their bodyguards. Within just a few minutes, nearly 200 big men rushed into the front door of the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    Only now did Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye feel relieved. They already had their sons protected and had their henchmen surrounding them. As long as they issued the order, those on the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s side would be miserably beaten to a pulp. Furthermore, their henchmen were also armed with guns. Once they acted, the bullets would be enough to kill them all.


    Du Changze¡¯s dozens of subordinates had also come inside. However, unknown to himself, he subconsciously put some distance between himself and Jiang Tianba and Chen Fei, joining his men.


    _¡®There¡¯s something wrong here!¡¯_


    As careful as he had always been, Du Changze was a discreet man. He had been keenly observing all the time. Either Tang Xiu, Tian Li or Hao Lei, there was not the slightest fear on their faces; they even showed disdaining expressions. This fact made him secretly vigilant. Furthermore, it was simply unfathomable seeing the guards in the hall only wielding daggers without even a hint of panic or fright. Rather, it faintly seemed that they were impatient to act.


    That¡¯s right! It was just like a war! But, 34 people fighting against 100 to 200 people?


    Instantly, Du Changze made a judgment. The Everlasting Feast Hall absolutely had skills which were yet to be seen, and it was perhaps not simple either.


    _¡®I can¡¯t take action easily.¡¯_


    Having decided inside, he retreated two steps backward.


    ¡°Tang Xiu¡­¡±


    Standing beside Tang Xiu, Zhang Xianya fell into a fright upon seeing such a battle-ready parade. She stepped back half a step and grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s shoulders.


    Patting her back, Tang Xiu looked at Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye and serenely said, ¡°This is your last chance. If you don¡¯t have any assurance, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be regretting this decision for the rest of your life.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Jiang Tianba burst into laughter, ¡°I¡¯ve met a lot of idiots in my life, but such an idiot like you never once I¡¯ve seen one. Can you see the situation you¡¯re in now? It¡¯s simply very easy for us to kill you if we want to.¡±


    Laughing and sneering, Chen Jianye said, ¡°That¡¯s true. We had no choice but to come here since you took our sons as hostages before. But now, what else are you relying on?¡±


    As the two spoke, their henchmen took out their guns and knives one after another, fiercely eyeing Tang Xiu and his men, just waiting their bosses give the order to attack.


    ¡°Clap. Clap. Clap¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu clapped and smiled, ¡°This is great. Your courage is praiseworthy. What about the other one¡ªthe Boss of the Du Kang Winery. Du Changze, how about you?¡±


    Being silent for a moment, Du Changze quickly grinned, ¡°As the father whose son had been beaten, naturally I can¡¯t stay indifferent. However, solve the matter between the two of you first, then we¡¯ll talk about the matter between us.¡±


    Having said that, he gathered his troops and retreated more than 10 meters from both sides, showing that this was none of his business.


    ¡°Du Changze!¡±


    ¡°Surnamed Du!¡±


    Both Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye were furious since they didn¡¯t expect that Du Changze would actually flee at such a critical point, pushing them to probe Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu smiled, ¡°You¡¯re still smart enough compared to these two idiots¡­ Anyways, you¡¯re Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye, yes? Since you wanna play, I¡¯ll keep you accompany. Except for the four of them, kill everyone else!¡±


    The moment his voice fell, four figures belonging to Tian Li, Hao Lei, Mo ¨¡wen, and Mo ¨¡wu instantly dashed towards Chen Jianye and Jiang Tianba. Their speed was exceedingly fast as the distance of more than 10 meters passed in nearly a blink.


    ¡°Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof!¡±


    The four people wielding their daggers dashed in front of Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye and pierced their shoulders. In almost a blink of an eye, Tian Li and Hao Lei caught them as they moved to the side and retreated, whereas Mo ¨¡wen and Mo ¨¡wu moved smoothly as though passing clouds and flowing water, unhindered. Their sharp daggers reflected the streaks of cold light which slashed the wrists of several big men accurately, causing their guns to fall.


    ¡°KILL!¡±


    The dozens of guards of the Everlasting Feast Hall instantly dashed from the surroundings with each wielding a sharp dagger as though tigers rushing into a flock of hundreds of enemies. Sinister fire blazed in their eyes, locking onto the men with guns; their first target.


    Some enemies caught with friendly fire from their companions who were positioned backward as bullets pierced their bodies.


    ¡°Bang. Bang¡­¡±


    The noisy sound of gunfire sounded in succession.


    Tang Xiu sat in a calm manner, whereas Zhang Xinya looked pale at his side with fear in her eyes, tightly gripping Tang Xiu¡¯s shoulders. At both sides, Tian Li and Hao Lei grabbed Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye with daggers on their throats.


    The one-sided fight carried on, bringing along pitiful screams.


    Blood splashed as bullets flew to all directions.


    Hundreds of men of Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye were as though straws being cut by harvester as more than 20 strongmen with guns had all been completely slain within just half a minute whereas the rest were seriously injured.


    ¡°Puff¡­¡±


    The relentless and ruthless killing shocked Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye to the core as they looked aghast. Seeing the fighting scene, it exceedingly increasing their heartbeats.


    ¡°How can this be?¡±


    Whilst enduring the pain from his shoulder, Jiang Ye muttered to himself as he felt shivers running down his spine. As frightened and scared out of his wits as he was, never would he ever imagined that the dozens of security guards of the Everlasting Feast Hall could be this powerful. Nobody amongst the subordinates he brought along were normal people or rookies; any one of them could fight against two or three people. Yet, they couldn¡¯t even defend themselves from the security guards of the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    These¡­ what and who are these people? How could they have such a powerful combat force as well as being ruthless and merciless?


    Some distance from the scene, the boss of the Du Kang Winery¡ªDu Changze had fallen into a shocking fright due to the scene. Turning wide-eyed, he staggered backward with a terrified look.


    Never did he expect that Tang Xiu would be so unbridled and domineering to even order to kill right away. His men were simply inhumane as each and every one of them was exceedingly powerful as even guns meant nothing to them.


    _¡®This matter is way too big.¡¯_


    Swallowing his saliva in desperation, Du Changze turned to the surroundings as the others were also dumbstruck and aghast. Glaring fiercely at his son, who had long turned pale, his focus went back to the fighting scene.


    Two minutes later, only 30 men remained from all of Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye¡¯s henchmen. Terrified as they were, only fear could be seen on their faces as they rushed toward the door to escape from this living hell.


    As for Tang Xiu¡¯s side, only one of his subordinates died, whereas several of them were injured.


    However, right at this time, Mo ¨¡wen and Mo ¨¡wu had blocked the hall¡¯s entrance along with other four men. Holding their daggers backhandedly, they glared ruthlessly at the fleeing 30 henchmen.


    ¡°KILL!¡±


    The six figures gave them a fierce greeting.


    ¡°STOP! STOP!¡±


    Terror and panic had devoured Jiang Tianba as only fear painted his face when he shouted aloud.


    A tinge of sneer and mockery emerged on Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he waved to Tian Li. The latter immediately shouted, ¡°STOP!¡±


    As she spoke, nearly ten men amongst the thirty big men had already been slain.


    The killing had stopped. Tang Xiu flicked his cigarette butt, accurately entering the pot on the corner ten meters away. He gently lifted Zhang Xinya¡¯s hands from his shoulders and slowly stood.


    ¡°Are you scared?¡±


    Standing in front of Jiang Tianba, He asked with a smile that didn¡¯t look like one.


    Jiang Tianba trembled and shouted angrily, ¡°You¡¯re dead! You¡¯re so dead! You just killed so many people, don¡¯t you fear the law?¡±


    ¡°The law?¡± Mockery and disdain were outlined on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth, ¡°I dared to order the killing, yet you think I fear the consequences? What is it? Your men can¡¯t resist and now you¡¯re using the law to scare me? Hahaha¡­¡±


    At the side, Chen Jianye took a deep breath. Looking at Tang Xiu, he said, ¡°You win. We¡¯ve lost. Say your condition and we¡¯ll end the matter today.¡±


    Looking at his eyes, Tang Xiu let out a sigh before he turned to the 20 strongmen who were being besieged. He walked and looked at them, saying, ¡°You¡¯re all unlucky to follow these stupid bosses of yours. I am quite a benevolent person so I¡¯ll give you a chance to live. Do you want it, or not?¡±


    ¡°We want it!¡±


    Trembling with fear, those more than 20 strongmen hurriedly replied and nodded. They were afraid, so much so that they wished that what was happening was nothing but a nightmare.

 Chapter 283

    Chapter 283: The God of Killing


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Waving toward everyone around, motioning them to retreat, Tang Xiu then gently moved his hands and feet as he smiled and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t had a chance to work out for some time, so I¡¯ll accompany you to play today. Anyhow, there are more than 20 of you, I¡¯ll be taking all of you by myself. If you can beat me, then you can live. But if you can¡¯t beat me down, you will die. Hence, I hope you can display your real abilities.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Everyone was stupefied, looking at Tang Xiu with an indescribable expression.


    Pointing toward Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye who had knives at their necks, Tang Xiu continued, ¡°I give you my word that my subordinates won¡¯t bother you any longer if you can kill me; even your bosses will be fine and safe. They¡¯re so filthy rich, they surely won¡¯t treat you badly later. Come at me! I¡¯m giving you an opportunity, so you gotta try and see whether you can seize it or not.¡±


    Greed was one of human¡¯s nature, whereas the instinct to survive would drive one to bring out their potential to the fullest.


    The 24 big strongmen quickly exchanged looks and nodded. Right at this moment, circumstances had forced them into a hopeless situation. The next fight would determine whether they lived or died.


    ¡°GO!¡±


    The 24 men dashed toward Tang Xiu aggressively, as though a pack of wolves. Pairs of big fists whooshed and punched, hoping to kill Tang Xiu directly.


    ¡°Humph¡­¡­¡±


    Instead of retreating, Tang Xiu entered the fray as his right leg moved like a whip, crushing one of the strongmen¡¯s fist and breaking his hand with a kick; following by hitting another man¡¯s hand and forcing him to stagger down to the other¡¯s body.


    ¡°Peng, Peng¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu moved and acted very fast, with a speed at least several times faster than the enemies. In an instant, he had kicked five times and punched seven times. Along with the sound of breaking bones, seven or eight strongmen screamed out and flew upside down.


    At this time, Tang Xiu¡¯s figure suddenly appeared as his pair of fists changed into fingers and seized the throats of the other two men, directly crushing them.


    It was simply a massacre. A one-sided slaughter!


    As though a tiger rushing into a flock of sheep, for each time Tang Xiu moved, it resulted in dead or disabled enemies.


    In the entire hall, everyone was aghast and stupefied watching Tang Xiu moving everywhere; even the powerful Tian Li and Hao Lei were no exception. They possessed powerful strength and experienced countless fights since the brutal training in childhood, yet Tang Xiu was still in his 20s?


    Such powerful young man at his 20s was exceedingly beyond their expectations.


    ¡°Amazing!¡±


    Tian Li exclaimed wholeheartedly.


    At this moment, a solemn expression could be seen on Hao Lei¡¯s face as she said in a heavy tone, ¡°Boss possesses a powerful strength. Were it myself fighting him, I¡¯d only last three moves before he killed me!¡±


    Turning her head, a faint smile was outlined on Tian Li¡¯s mouth as she said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget who he is. For Boss, he needs not give his all to kill these ants.¡±


    Relieved, Hao Lei forced out a smile, ¡°That¡¯s true. How could Boss be compared to the average people? If Little Boss was also here, I¡¯m hella sure she would be able to kill them in a flash.¡±


    At present, the both of were impatient to get an opportunity, since once they could get that chance to get a peerless divine cultivation technique, they would also become a carp who would leap through the dragon gate.


    In a stark contrast with the thoughts of the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people, Jiang Tianba, Chen Jianye, as well as Jiang Yu and Chen Fei, the four of them were already deeply drowned in fear. They knew they were finished. Because the present Tang Xiu and those security guards of the Everlasting Feast Hall were simply not humans.


    Not only was their combat force exceedingly powerful, but they were also ruthless. Now that the situation had come to this, they perfectly aware that their lives would come to an end.


    They could only regret, regret provoking them. Had they known that Tang Xiu and the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people were this terrifyingly powerful, never would they dare to provoke them even if they possessed thousands of points of courage.


    ¡°May the heaven over us and the earth be my witness. If I don¡¯t die today, I must strangle this good-for-nothing son to death myself,¡± Chen Jianye slowly closed his eyes as he whispered.


    ¡°Done!¡±


    After having killed the last strong big guy, Tang Xiu flung the blood on his hand before he turned around and looked at Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye. Then, his vision shifted to Jiang Yu and Chen Fei.


    ¡°Are you both mad now?¡± asked Tang Xiu smiled faintly.


    At this time, Jiang Yu and Chen Fei were already frightened and weakly slumped on the floor. They were Hong Kong¡¯s playboys; arrogant, domineering and acted unbridled. But at this time, watching the death of hundreds of people, they were truly frightened and scared shitless. Where would they dare to be arrogant any longer?


    ¡°Puff¡­¡±


    Suddenly, Chen Fei was as if filled with strength. He got up and knelt toward Tang Xiu, repeatedly kowtowing and crying, ¡°Brother, I was wrong. Please have mercy and spare me! I promise I¡¯ll cross the street immediately when I see you later. I beg you. Please don¡¯t kill me.¡±


    Jiang Yu kept still, but he was also crying just like Chen Fei, kneeling and begging for mercy.


    Tang Xiu shook his head. These silk pants hedonistic sons of rich parents who lived in extravagant life since childhood were only chaps who had nature of fearing the strong and only dared to bully the weak. If you didn¡¯t hit them fiercely, they would never know what pain was.


    Yet, in actuality, the reason as to why Tang Xiu acted was not to kill, but to frighten, detering his subordinates from the Everlasting Feast Hall. Looking at Tian Lei, Hao Lei, and the Mo Brothers who watched him in respect and worship, he knew that his purpose had been achieved.


    Thus, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t plan on killing Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye. After all, too many people had died today. He had almost no personal contacts in Hong Kong and he didn¡¯t have the means to handle the collateral aftermath, as he was also too disinclined to waste time here.


    Before heading back to the chair, Tang Xiu looked at Zhang Xinya who was frightened and looked pale, asking, ¡°How was it? Are you afraid?¡±


    She stepped back half a step, lowered her head and didn¡¯t reply.


    Shaking his head, Tang Xiu calmly said, ¡°I asked you to leave before, yet you didn¡¯t want to. I¡¯m afraid that you are not suited to see this kind of situation. Anyways, I¡¯ll send you back!¡±


    Zhang Xinya slowly looked up as her eyes fell on Tang Xiu. After being silent for a moment, she said, ¡°Tang Xiu, killing people is not something good to do.¡±


    Tang Xiu turned around and pointed the dead bodies everywhere and said, ¡°These people are damned and evil. Were it not because I¡¯m strong enough, the one to die would be me instead of them; even you¡¯d also become a victim. Don¡¯t tell me that we¡¯re in a peaceful era, yet the law of jungle where the weak are the prey for the strong would still be there no matter what time it is. This path is the road that I will walk in the future, so don¡¯t use the concept and thoughts of ordinary people when you look at me.¡±


    Zhang Xinya opened her mouth yet didn¡¯t know what to say.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send someone to escort you back! It¡¯s already late and I think you no longer have the appetite to eat. Forget what happened tonight. Have a good sleep after you go home, there still a new day tomorrow.¡±


    After a moment of silence, Zhang Xinya silently nodded.


    Afterward, Tang Xiu sat back on the chair, receiving a clean towel handed by a big guy. He wiped his face, his hands and looked at the pale Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye, saying with a smile, ¡°How about you two? Is there anything you wanna say?¡±


    Chen Jianye didn¡¯t say anything.


    Slight bitterness painted Jiang Tianba¡¯s face and sighed, ¡°The winner is the king, and the losers will always be the villains. We have lost, and the loser must accept the defeat. If you want to kill, then kill us!¡±


    Raising his thumb, Tang Xiu praised, ¡°Good. You have self-awareness. You obviously know that you must die today. It¡¯s good to be tough in the face of death. However, I don¡¯t want to make your wish come true. And sometimes, even if one wants to die, it would be very difficult for them to get their wish!¡±


    Coldness filled Jiang Tianba¡¯s heart as he growled, ¡°What do you want then?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not much. I¡¯m going to let you go,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Letting them go?


    Jiang Tianba dazed with disbelief in his eyes; even Chen Jianye looked at Tang Xiu with an indescribable expression, thinking that he misunderstood what he heard.


    ¡°It¡¯s actually very simple. As long as you accept several conditions, not only will you avoid the suffering of being beaten, you will also keep your life. And you¡¯ll have your old and comfortable life you¡¯re used to have.¡±


    Taking a deep breath, Jiang Tianba asked in a heavy tone, ¡°What conditions?¡±


    Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°49% shares of the Jiang Group and Wanyuan Real estate are the first conditions!¡±


    ¡°Agree!¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡±


    Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye answered without hesitation.


    Wealth was but merely worldly possession compared to life. Let alone the shares in their enterprises, everything would be gone once they died.


    ¡°The second condition is: their death has no relation to us. You¡¯ll have to take care of the collateral aftermath as well as put the news to the void. If any of this is leaked and there are any slightest mistake, I¡¯ll send some people to massacre all of your families,¡± satisfied with their answers, Tang Xiu continued.


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye looked at each other and unanimously replied.


    ¡°If the Everlasting Feast Hall and the Grand Fortune Jewelries need some help from you in the future, you must do everything you can to help them. The time limit is ten years. If you do well within these years, not only will I write off everything that happened today, I will also give you some rewards.¡±


    ¡°Agree!¡±


    ¡°Agree!¡±


    Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye replied again.


    ¡°The fourth and the last request is: send your two good-for-nothing sons abroad, staying in the country will only make them waiting disasters!¡±


    He waved his hand and looked at Tian Li, ¡°Assist them to dispose of the dead bodies. As for the aftermath, you¡¯re also responsible in assisting them. Also, you are to take care of the deal about the shares with the both of them. You will also decide whether to sell the shares or take the annual dividends.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll sell them!¡±


    Tian Li said without hesitation.


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly, ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s your call.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±

 Chapter 284

    Chapter 284: Paying a Visit


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The law of the jungle. The strong preying on the weak.


    Having lived in the Immortal World for 10,000 years, Tang Xiu knew very well about the profound meaning of this rule. Though the present time was not the era of being conquered and prospering and perishing when resisting, yet the essence of the principle that one should not provoke and attack others to avoid being attacked was still necessary to be held.


    He was not a ruthless butcher, but he killed without mercy. Firstly, he perhaps would be the one dying today had he not killed them. Secondly, they were not a good people as they had done numerous wicked deeds. They were untouchable by the law due to the formidable umbrella provided by their formidable background. Hence, he had to become a necessary devil who punishes evil, becoming the Punisher to settle their evil deeds.


    Someone said that killing a bad guy may be the salvation of the common people.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s conscience was clean when killing bad guys, for the life of good people had its value, whereas the evil ones¡¯ were worthless.


    However, he also found some interesting facts tonight. Tian Li and Hao Lei, seemingly delicate and weak, were also experts Gu Yan¡¯er had nurtured.


    Financial resources were the basic foundation for one¡¯s forces!


    The fact that Gu Yan¡¯er had the both of them managing the Everlasting Feast Hall and the Grand Jewelries showed that she had absolute trust on them, so Tang Xiu didn¡¯t question anyone Gu Yan¡¯er had given her trust to.


    ¡°You did well tonight. Call Chen Shaohua who is responsible for the antique business as well as Jin Cheng who takes care of the real estate business. Tell them that the four of you are to go back to Jingmen Island and see Ji Chimei! Tell Ji Chimei that under my command, she is to teach the four of you what she taught Mo Awen and Mo Awu!¡± said Tang Xiu as he slowly stood from the chair with a faint smile.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Tian Li and Hao Lei startled, a disbelieving light bursting from their eyes. A few seconds after, the disbelief turned into an intense ecstasy.


    They were excited!


    The both of them had always dreamed to learn the cultivation technique to obtain immortality. Finally, this dream had come true!


    Ignoring them, Tang Xiu lit up a cigarette as he walked to toward the panicked father and son of the Du Family and said lightly, ¡°Since you chose to wait for me to solve the other two before you speaking, then, do you want to speak now?¡±


    His mouth twitched a few times as Du Changze fiercely slapped Du Yang¡¯s face and bellowed, ¡°Kneel!¡±


    Panicked and scared, Du Yang immediately knelt in front of Tang Xiu.


    While wiping cold sweat from his forehead, Du Changze said bitterly, ¡°You¡¯re surnamed Tang, right? That big star seemed to call you that name before. Boss Tang, my son has made a mistake, which is very unusual indeed. Yet I want to ask your forgiveness, please spare his life. I have many businesses, so it¡¯s difficult for me to decide which company¡¯s share I should give you. How about I pay you 2 billion as a token of apology?¡±


    ¡°Three billion. Then you can get the hell out.¡±


    Inside, Du Changze was secretly relieved, since he could solve the problem with money, which in itself was not a big deal. His wealth was worth tens of billions, and even though three billion yuan was an enormous sum, he could still afford it. In regard to this, the 49% shares of Jiang Group and Wanyuan Real Estate were basically the root capital of Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye.


    ¡°Might I ask you to give me some time, Boss Tang? I can come up with three billion, but the time is too short.¡±


    ¡°Three days, that¡¯s all I can give you,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently.


    ¡°Alright, three days is enough,¡± said Du Changze hastily.


    Tang Xiu waved his hand, ¡°Alright, you can leave. Do remember. You may favor your son, but watch him lest he repeat his crime.¡±


    Hastily replying, Du Changze said, ¡°I¡¯ll certainly discipline him after I go back, to ensure that he will no longer do any kind of evil deeds as well as provoke the right and do the wrong.¡±


    Looking at Du Changze and his dozens of frightened men leaving, he suddenly spoke, ¡°Leave all of your guns here.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Without waiting for Du Changze¡¯s command, seven or eight big guys carrying guns hurriedly dropped them on the floor. For them, Tang Xiu was a fiend, the cruel and ruthless God of Killing. If they dare to go against his wishes, they would perhaps be unable to get out of the Everlasting Feast Hall alive.


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu and the Mo bothers left the Everlasting Feast Hall on the Hummer back to Qianshui Bay Road 13th. He still had to leave for the Nine Dragon Island, so he needed to have a good rest.


    At Deepwater Bay 79th Road.


    Sipping their teas, Li Juren and Ke Zhentao were having a chat.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    A big bodyguard came before Li Juren with a queer expression on his face.


    Li Juren furrowed his brows and asked, ¡°How¡¯s the result of the investigation?¡±


    ¡°We have yet to investigate Tang Xiu¡¯s identity for the time being, but I have already talked with my contacts in Shuangqing Province, so we should get the results shortly. However, there was a situation in the Everlasting Feast Hall. According to our findings, Tang Xiu clashed before with a group of young masters. The eldest son of the Jiang Group¡¯s owner¡ªJiang Yu; the heir of Wanyuan Real Estate¡ªChen Fei; the young boss of Du Kang Winery¡ªDu Yang; and Qi Changxing from Kangyong Electric Appliances.¡±


    ¡°When Tang Xiu was attending the auction, the General Manager of the Everlasting Feast Hall¡ªTian Li, took Jiang Yu and Chen Fei away. After Tang Xiu rushed thereon, the Boss of the Jiang Group¡ªJiang Tianba, the Wanyuan Real Estate¡¯s boss¡ªChen Jianye, as well as Du Changze from the Du Kang Winery brought along 100 to 200 men to the Everlasting Feast Hall site. Afterward, Tang Xiu also arrived there.¡±


    Li Juren squinted his eyes and slowly asked, ¡°And the result?¡±


    The big bodyguard forced a smiled, ¡°Jiang Tianba, Jiang Yu, Chen Jianye and Chen Fei left the Everlasting Feast Hall first with some injuries, but their men who had followed them inside didn¡¯t come out with them. As for the father and son¡ªDu Changze and Du Yang, they also brought dozens of men there, but all of them came out from the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s front door. And¡­ Du Changze hit his son, and seemingly quite hard at that.¡±


    Li Juren¡¯s brows furrowed deeply and asked in a heavy tone, ¡°So your point is, the Everlasting Feast Hall have Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye¡¯s men as hostages, no?¡±


    The big bodyguard said, ¡°No. They died.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Li Juren and Ke Zhentao suddenly stood, looking shocked.


    All of them died?


    100 to 200 men entered the Everlasting Feast Hall and, aside from Du Changze¡¯s men who came out, did the the over a hundred men die inside the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s site?


    ¡°Knock, knock¡­¡±


    The door was knocked. A panicked big middle-aged man strode into the room and said hastily, ¡°Boss, the dozen men we sent to the Everlasting Feast Hall to monitor the situation there, just cut off their communication with me. However, before I lost contact, one them told me two words.¡±


    ¡°What are those two words?¡± asked Li Juren in a deep tone.


    Ke Zhentao asked: ¡°What two words?¡±


    ¡°Save me!¡± said the big middle-aged man in a sinking tone.


    Li Juren took a deep breath as he smiled bitterly and shook his head, ¡°This is the same with the situation in the past. I didn¡¯t expect to repeat the same mistake again. It seems I¡¯ve to make a trip there yet again.¡±


    Having just woken up from his shock, Ke Zhentao quickly said upon hearing it, ¡°Uncle Li, you mean that you will go see Tang Xiu personally to ask him to release your men?¡±


    Forcing out a wry smile, Li Juren said, ¡°Except for that, what else can I do? The former Boss Gu was powerful, but she rarely commanded a wanton slaughter. Tang Xiu actually¡­ Alas! I should do everything I can!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you, Uncle Li,¡± Ke Zhentao said quickly.


    ¡°No.¡± Li Juren shook his head, ¡°I better go there myself! It won¡¯t be good if you follow me. Send someone to find out Tang Xiu¡¯s residence.¡±


    The big bodyguard said, ¡°We have found his residence. It¡¯s the Qianshui Bay Road 13th.¡±


    Nodding, Li Juren brought along two big bodyguards, boarded the car and left quickly, quietly followed behind by several cars.


    At Qianshui Bay Road 13th.


    After coming back, Tang Xiu took a shower and changed his clothes. Just as he prepared to immerse himself in cultivation, his room¡¯s door was knocked.


    ¡°Is there something?¡± asked Tang Xiu after he opened the door.


    Mo Awen respectfully said, ¡°Boss, Li Juren is visiting.¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and instantly understood the reason and intention of his arrival. However, Li Juren¡¯s status alone was rather distinct. Despite having no interest in his wealth, Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Take him to the living room, I¡¯ll be there shortly.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Mo Awen replied and left.


    Pondering for a moment, Tang Xiu then put on his shoes as he turned and walked out of the room. It wasn¡¯t easy to conceal what had happened in the Everlasting Feast Hall today. After all, a series of gunshot sounds would surely attract others¡¯ attentions; it may even have alerted the police. Li Juren, who had been living in Hong Kong for most of his life, must have a personal connection in the political field, and it was surely because he wanted to preserve the lives of those subordinates under his command.


    After having ordered the nanny to prepare good tea, Tang Xiu went to the living room.


    ¡°Little Brother Tang, we meet again.¡±


    Having just sat on the sofa, Li Juren stood again as he smiled upon seeing Tang Xiu.


    Letting out a light smile, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°It seems the fate between us runs rather deep since we¡¯re meeting twice within this short night.¡±


    Forcing out a smile, Li Juren said, ¡°It¡¯s quite deep indeed. Not only with you, I¡¯m also fated with your Everlasting Feast Hall! Anyways, I sent some people to investigate the Everlasting Feast Hall in Jingmen Island in the past. The result was that those men of mine had all been captured and sent to a mining area somewhere in Africa, becoming coolies there.¡±


    ¡°So, you know what happened tonight?¡± asked Tang Xiu lightly.


    Nodding, Li Juren replied, ¡°Yes, I heard about it, so I came to ask if Little Brother Tang needs my help. Either business or politics in Hong Kong, I do have some means to get through.¡±


    The corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth slanted as he smiled, ¡°It seems that Elder Li came for my help! Such being the case, I¡¯ll take your kindness! Come, let¡¯s have some tea.¡±


    Glancing at the nanny who came to serve the tea, Li Juren hesitated for a moment before speaking in a low voice, ¡°Little Brother Tang, my men¡­¡±


    Waving his hand, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Elder Li, my tea may not be as good as yours, but please don¡¯t refuse it. After you have tasted this tea and then returned back to your home, I¡¯m sure those men of yours should have returned already.¡±


    Taking the hint and understanding its meaning, Li Juren felt happy and laughed, ¡°Little Brother Tang, to be frank, I also still owe a favor to the Everlasting Feast Hall. It¡¯s been more than 20 years since the last time I saw Boss Gu. Has she been well?¡±

 Chapter 285

    Chapter 285: Wasting Money


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu raised his brows, ¡°You know Yan¡¯er?¡±


    Yan¡¯er?


    Stunned, Li Juren stared blankly and confused, ¡°Little Brother Tang, who¡¯s Yan¡¯er?¡±


    Tang Xiu calmly replied, ¡°Gu Yan¡¯er.¡±


    Surprise flashed in Li Juren¡¯s eyes. He had never thought that Tang Xiu actually called Gu Yan¡¯er like his children. It had to be known that more than 20 years ago Gu Yan¡¯er looked like she was in her 20s. Thus, wouldn¡¯t it mean that she was more or less around 50 years old now?


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s Gu Yan¡¯er, Boss Gu! More than 20 years ago something happened, an accident in my side that I needed to transport one batch of imported goods from abroad, hence I thickened my face to ask Boss Gu¡¯s help.¡±


    Tang Xiu surprised, ¡°Did she help you?¡±


    Nodding, Li Juren said, ¡°Yes, she did, and it saved me from a huge loss. But she didn¡¯t want to be paid, she just requested two things of me.¡±


    ¡°What did she ask of you?¡± asked Tang Xiu curiously.


    ¡°First, I must not send people to investigate the Everlasting Feast Hall ever again. Secondly, she wanted me to find a man named Tang Xiu and even gave me his picture. Even though you¡¯re also called Tang Xiu, but his appearance is somewhat different from yours.¡±


    Tang Xiu?


    Inside, Tang Xiu secretly sighed. The appearance of the man in the picture was certainly different from his. How could his appearance in the Immortal World be alike with his at present?


    ¡°It seems Yan¡¯er has really done a lot for me. Elder Li, I hope you no longer send people to investigate me if possible, because even if you do, you probably won¡¯t find anything. Also, it¡¯s been ten years Yan¡¯er is not in a good condition. Hence, she no longer manages the Everlasting Feast Hall. The one who is managing the enterprise is her apprentice, Gu Xiaoxue. Anyways, I might have to trouble you to look after the Everlasting Feast Hall in the future,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile after he sighed emotionally.


    Li Juren¡¯s expression flickered and replied hastily, ¡°Taking care of the Everlasting Feast Hall, please consider it done. However, how about Boss Gu? Do you need my help to find a doctor? I heard that a divine doctor appeared in Shuangqing Province¡¯s Star city. If you like, I¡¯ll go there myself to invite that divine doctor to Jingmen Island.¡±


    Looking at him with a strange expression, Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he should be amused or upset, saying, ¡°The news about the divine doctor in Star City spread out this fast, even reaching Hong Kong?¡±


    Li Juren laughed, ¡°Recently, I also heard from my old friend in the capital. He said that Tang¡­¡±


    Suddenly, the smile on his face froze as disbelief filled his eyes.


    ¡°What¡¯s with this Tang?¡± asked Tang Xiu, confused.


    Staring blankly at Tang Xiu, Li Juren then asked, ¡°As far as I know, the divine doctor in Star City Chinese Medical Hospital is also called Tang Xiu. That old friend of mine in the capital said that the head of the Tang Family of Beijing, that man¡­ not only had his asthma cured by Tang Xiu, this Tang Xiu is also his biological grandson. You come from Shuangqing province, don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°Please say no more, it doesn¡¯t matter. Now you know much more than those subordinates you sent to investigate me. Yes, the Tang Xiu in Star City Chinese Medical Hospital is indeed myself. But my present status there is not of official doctor. As for the Tang Family, Tang Yunde is my father and Tang Guosheng is my grandfather.¡±


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡±


    Li Juren was shocked and terrified by Tang Xiu¡¯s identity.


    If Tang Xiu was only the descendant of the Tangs, even Tang Guosheng¡¯s grandson, he would probably not be shocked. But to think that he was also a divine doctor! More importantly, Tang Xiu was also the owner of the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    With so many identities lumped together, despite he himself possessing extraordinary status, he was still frightened somehow.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so surprised. If I could cure Yan¡¯er, I would have already done it. After all, she¡¯s my favorite apprentice,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly.


    Nodding and recovered from his shock, Li Juren said, ¡°Since you¡¯re also a divine doctor, naturally¡­¡±


    Once again, his words came to a halt.


    An apprentice? Did Tang Xiu just say that? Gu Yan¡¯er is his favorite¡­ apprentice?


    Wha¡­ What kind of joke is this?


    Tang Xiu explained no further and only watched Li Juren¡¯s shocked expression. He shook his head, ¡°Anyhow, I want you to keep my relation with Yan¡¯er confidential. Also, if you nothing else to say, you can return.¡±


    Li Juren didn¡¯t move. His eyes fixated on Tang Xiu. This young man before him was as though a mysterious being that was shrouded in obscurity.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll take my leave, ¡± seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s intention to send him out, Li Juren got up and replied.


    Sending him off, Tang Xiu then turned back and went upstairs. Today¡¯s killing didn¡¯t have any negative impact on him thus far. Hence, he sat cross-legged on the bed and began his cultivation.


    Persevering in his cultivation, he could, at any time, break through the Flesh Strengthening stage. As long as he reached this stage, his strength would soar exponentially. He might not be able to call himself invincible all over the world, but there would only be a few people that could be his match.


    Tsim Sha Tsui residential area, Hong Kong.


    Within a hall of a European-style luxurious villa, Du Yang knelt in front of Du Changze with a face full of regret and remorse. Because of a small conflict, their family must pay a compensation of three billion. Though he used to be arrogant and uninhibited, right at this moment, he fully realized he had committed a big mistake.


    Prior to this, he had been punished and was forced to kneel. It made him angry and though he admitted his mistakes, yet it was on the surface and insincere inside. But at this time, he didn¡¯t have any complaints.


    ¡°Do you know your mistake?¡±


    No longer beating Du Yang again after dozens of hits, Du Changze sat straight on the sofa with coldness gleaming in his eyes, whereas his wife¡ªBai Yueqin, looked at Du Yang¡¯s swollen face in distress, wanting to speak yet keeping silent.


    ¡°Yes, father. I know my mistake,¡± looking up, Du Yang said bitterly.


    ¡°If you know your mistake then redeem yourself. Otherwise, by the time you manage our family¡¯s businesses in the future, all of it will only be wasted by you sooner or later. If it¡¯s like this, I might as well donate the money to charity before I die. Doing this will at least maintain our good reputation.¡±


    Du Yang took a deep breath and replied solemnly, ¡°Father, had this incident not happened today, I might still do the same things like I used to, but now it¡¯s different. What I saw today was the most terrifying and frightening thing in my life. I swear to you that I will no longer blend in with those bunch of hoodlums and neither will I waste time and stay idle anymore. I will help with the work in the company. and even if you throw me to start from the bottom, I¡¯ll accept it.¡±


    Watching the serious and solemn appearance his son put on, Du Changze finally felt gratified somehow. Yet, the three-billion-yuan compensation was something that would create a tremendous impact on his business once he collected the money and gave it to the other party.


    ¡°Get up!¡±


    Slowly standing up, Du Yang spoke after being silent for a while, ¡°Father, how much do you know about the Everlasting Feast Hall? What¡¯s this surnamed Tang person¡¯s background and how could he be so terrifying?¡±


    Letting out a bitter and forced smile, Du Changze said, ¡°You ask me, but whom I should ask? Had I known they were this powerful, would I ever take you there? Alas, let¡¯s forget it. At least our family is still fine and kept the majority of our industries and saved dozens our subordinates. But Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye kicked a sheet of iron since they lost at least two-thirds of their family¡¯s assets. You all really can¡¯t let anyone feel relieved.¡±


    Du Yang lowered his head before suddenly looking up, staring blankly for a moment and saying, ¡°Father, there was someone else who was involved in today¡¯s matter aside from me, Jiang Yu and Chen Fei. I still remember Tang Xiu saying that he wanted his elders to come and apologize.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s he?¡± surprised for a moment, Du Changze asked.


    ¡°Qi Changxing,¡± said Du Yang.


    Blinking his eyes, a stream of light suddenly flashed from Du Changze¡¯s eyes as he asked in a deep tone, ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me. Was Qi Changxing really involved in this matter?¡±


    ¡°Yes! But he hadn¡¯t got beaten,¡± said Du Yang with all seriousness.


    Du Changze hummed coldly. He took his mobile and dialed number.


    Tsim Sha Tsui, at Beverly Hotel.


    Holding a crystal cup, Qi Chengshan was attending a banquet of his friend in a luxurious spacious hall. A gorgeous crystal chandelier illuminating soft light with each angle reflected light as though a imaginary kaleidoscopic light in a dream. Stylish European-style tables and chairs and small exquisite bars were painted with a pure white color, exuding an aristocratic ambiance and atmosphere.


    ¡°Ring. Ring, ring ¡­¡±


    His merry chat abruptly stopped by the ringtone of his mobile. Giving an apologetic expression to the people around him, he took his mobile and quickly left his seat after he saw the caller ID on his mobile¡¯s screen. He walked to the outside and laughed, ¡°Brother Du, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°I have a news to sell you,¡± a solemn voice belonging to Du Changze came out of the phone.


    Surprised, Qi Chengshan stared blankly for a moment as his pace abruptly stopped, asking in wonder, ¡°What news?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask for now. If you want to buy it, you must transfer 500 million yuan to me. After you find out about the matter, you must transfer another 500 million again. I don¡¯t think 1 billion would be too expensive for this news,¡± said Du Changze deeply.


    As Qi Chengshan looked cloudy, he lightly said, ¡°Brother Du, how do I know if this news is worth 1 billion yuan if you don¡¯t tell me about it first?¡±


    ¡°Brother Qi, how many decades has it been since we know each other? Do you really think that I¡¯m the kind of person who likes to cheat and con others? I can tell that if you¡¯re left in the dark tonight and don¡¯t do anything, you¡¯ll probably end up badly, so will your Qi Enterprise. The price you will pay would perhaps exceed 1 billion later.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Startled, Qi Chengshan knew Du Changze¡¯s disposition for he had never talked without weight.


    ¡°Now tell me, will you buy it or not?¡± said Du Changze.


    After being in silent for a moment, Qi Chengshan slowly said, ¡°I¡¯ll agree if the news you provide is truly worth such a high price. But if it¡¯s not, I want my 500 million yuan returned to me, Brother Du. You¡¯ll have the money in your account shortly.¡±


    ¡°Deal!¡±


    The call was ended.


    ### Qi Chengshan frowned and his brows formed a ´¨ character, as deep concern sprouted inside. Though he was clueless what the problem was, Du Changze evidently knew about some negative news pertaining to his Qi Enterprise, and a serious one at that.

 Chapter 286

    Chapter 286: Terrified


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Being friends for decades and having so many contacts, Qi Chengshan knew Du Changze from the bottom up. However, both of them were businessmen. If it was a business negotiation, it was only normal if Du Changze asked him some money; that he could accept and understand.


    Only, what important news was it for it to be 1 billion yuan worth?


    After transferring the money to Du Changze¡¯s personal account, his mobile rang again. Qi Chengshan then stood in a quiet corner and pressed the answer button.


    ¡°Brother Qi, you¡¯d better come to me if possible since it¡¯s inconvenient to speak on the phone. But be quick as time is racing against you,¡± Du Changze¡¯s voice passed from the phone.


    ¡°I¡¯m going now!¡± said Qi Chengshan heavily.


    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t hang up your phone. It¡¯s best to take your son along since the matter is related to him.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask. Just come and I¡¯ll tell you.¡±


    As the call ended, Qi Chengshan frowned deeply. After pondering for a moment, he called Qi Changxing¡¯s cell number. Knowing that he was in the vicinity, he told his son to come to him.


    At the entrance of the Beverly Hotel.


    A Bentley slowly parked outside the entrance as Qi Chengshan stood next to it, gazing at the distance toward a Porsche that was fast approaching. Coldness flashed in his eyes. He could faintly guess that the bad news Du Changze would tell him was probably because a big mess his son had made.


    ¡°Dad, you told me to hurry here, is there anything up?¡±


    A faint smell of alcohol emitted from Qi Changxing¡¯s body. After having seen today¡¯s matter, he was shrouded with restlessness, thus he asked some of his friends to accompany him to drink to overcome the feeling. Yet, the call from his father disturbed him somewhat.


    Boarding into the car, Qi Chengshan then said heavily, ¡°Get into the car. You must go with me to someplace.¡±


    Giving his Porsche¡¯s key to the entrance security, Qi Changxing entered the car and curiously asked, ¡°Where are you going to take me, Dad?¡±


    ¡°Du Changze called me just now, saying that he wants to sell me some critical news. Do you know how much the news is worth?¡± Qi Chengshan snorted to him coldly.


    Du Changze? Du Yang¡¯s father?


    The restlessness inside him grew more intense as Qi Changxing shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°1 billion!¡± said Qi Chengshan.


    Qi Changxing stunned as his eyes turned saucer instantly, exclaiming, ¡°Dad, did you agree?¡±


    ¡°I know Du Changze very well. If the news was not valuable, he would never play a prank on me. But before I go see him, I want to ask you. Was it you who did a big mess?¡±


    The already anxious Qi Changxing had his face turn unsightly. After hesitating for a moment, he thought he could hide the truth no longer, saying bitterly, ¡°Dad, I probably made a big mess. Today¡­¡±


    Telling everything about today¡¯s matter, Qi Changxing finally said, ¡°Though he told me to take you to apologize to him, I think it¡¯s not necessary. I wasn¡¯t the one who caused this matter. I just spoke some things to support them.¡±


    The cold glint inside Qi Chengshan¡¯s eyes grew thicker as he asked in a heavy tone, ¡°Did you really see those two kids¡ªJiang Yu and Chen Fei being captured by the general manager of the Everlasting Feast Hall¡ªTian Li?¡±


    Quickly nodding, Qi Changxing replied, ¡°It¡¯s absolutely true. But I was very curious since Du Yang didn¡¯t get seized that time.¡±


    Slowly closing his eyes, Qi Chengshan¡¯s mind constantly pondered about the incident. He knew about the Everlasting Feasts Hall; he was even a regular patron when entertaining his friends there. He also knew a little about Tian Li and met her several times. The woman was warm and approachable, humble and prudent.


    The one thing he couldn¡¯t figure out was, why Tian Li had a stark contrast to her usual style, even daring to forcefully take Jiang Yu and Chen Fei away. It had to be known that these two young men possessed unusual backgrounds, with a strength much powerful compared to the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    Could it be that Tian Li had no fear of losing her foothold in Hong Kong for the Everlasting Feast Hall?


    A few minutes passed by. Qi Chengshan decided to call Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye, asking them about the specific situation. After dialing Jiang Tianba¡¯s cell number, a long time passed before his call was accepted by the other party.


    ¡°Brother Jiang, it¡¯s Old Qi. Did I disturb your rest?¡±


    ¡°If you wanna say something, do it quick!¡± A blunt voice mixed with an angry tone belonging to Jing Tianba came from the phone.


    For a moment, Qi Chengshan was startled and confused, as he then asked, ¡°Brother Jiang, I just heard from my kid that your son had a conflict with the people from the Everlasting Feast Hall. What was the matter exactly?¡±


    ¡°Find it out yourself.¡± The call was dropped immediately after.


    Stunned and staring blankly, he listened to the beeping sound of the phone as a thick fog shrouded Qi Chengshan¡¯s heart, causing him to be unable to think it through. He had a good relationship with Jiang Tianba, but what happened to him today? It was like he just ate some gunpowder.


    It wasn¡¯t like¡­ he had wronged him, no?


    After recollecting himself, Qi Chengshan shook his head and dialed Chen Jianye¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± The low and deep voice of Chen Jianye passed from the phone.


    Qi Chengshan laughed, ¡°Old Chen, this tone of yours, you seem to not be in a good mood, no? What happened?¡±


    Fuming with anger, Chen Jianye replied, ¡°Had it been you that had lost half of your family¡¯s assets after decades of hard and bitter effort, would you feel happy about it?¡±


    Startled, Qi Chengshan was dumbfounded, because Chen Jianye also ended the call after he said that sentence.


    What was it? Losing most of the family¡¯s assets that were obtained with hard and bitter effort for decades all of a sudden?


    Suddenly, a chill invaded his heart as his eyes instantly focused. A ridiculous thought appeared inside his mind: Did Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye suffered a loss in the hands of the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people?


    The idea fleeted inside his mind for a few seconds before he tossed it away. He thought that it wasn¡¯t possible. Though the Everlasting Feast Hall may have a bit of ability, it would be very difficult for them to face both Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye at the same time.


    At Tsim Sha Tsui.


    Qi Chengshan took Qi Changxing and arrived at the Du Family¡¯s residence. After he saw Du Changze, he immediately asked loudly, ¡°Brother Du, can you say it now?¡±


    As they shook hands, Du Changze looked at Qi Changxing behind. He then shook his head and said, ¡°Follow me to my room! Speaking about it outside is not convenient.¡±


    Inside the study room, after motioning Qi Chengshan to take a seat, Du Changze began speaking with a bitter expression, sighing, ¡°Brother Qi, I¡¯d never have asked you money had it been before. But the situation is different now, I hope you don¡¯t blame me. The good sons we have raised turned out to have invited trouble and calamity upon us!¡±


    ¡°Tell me!¡± said Qi Chengshan with a frown.


    Speaking in a heavy tone, Du Changze replied, ¡°Since you brought your son over, you should know that these four kids just had a conflict with the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s boss, no?¡±


    ¡°I heard a little about that,¡± said Qi Chengshan with a nod.


    Du Changze shook his head, ¡°Tian Li seized Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye¡¯s sons in the Everlasting Feast Hall. So, they immediately contacted me. The three of us brought nearly two hundred people and prepared to teach the Everlasting Feast Hall a lesson. But the result was, more than 100 men under Jiang Tianba and Chen Fei were all decimated. They also got extorted as they had to give up 49% of their companies¡¯ shares, whereas I must pay three billion in compensation to keep the lives of us¡ªfather and son, as well as dozens of my men¡¯.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    Qi Chengshan suddenly stood with a horrified look on his face.


    Shock! The news was simply like a thunderclap to him!


    He knew perfectly well about the inside story of the trio¡ªDu Changze, Jiang Tianba, and Chen Jianye. They were of the wealthy and people with influence. If they were to join forces, they would be able to contend with Li Juren for Hong Kong, albeit being slightly weaker. What sort of existence was the Everlasting Feast Hall? How could the three of them joining up still be unable to contend with it?


    ¡°Brother Du, don¡¯t plays a joke with me!¡±


    Twitching his lips a few times, Qi Chengshan asked in a trembling voice.


    With all seriousness on his face, Du Changze shook his head and said, ¡°Look at me. Do you think I¡¯m joking with you? Most of the thugs and henchmen Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye had painstakingly nurtured, had all been decimated. They also lost over two-thirds of their wealth. Call them if you don¡¯t believe me.¡±


    Suddenly, Qi Chengshan finally understood as to why Jiang Tianba and Chen Jianye replied to him with such manner and attitude when he called them.


    They had just fallen into a miserable state!


    Just as the thought crossed his mind, Qi Chengshan¡¯s face turned pale as though paper. He suddenly realized something as his eyes violently contracted and hastily asked, ¡°You mean¡­ the other party will also hit me?¡±


    Forcing out a smile, Du Changze said, ¡°Brother Qi, you didn¡¯t see the scene that time yourself. Over a hundred dead bodies with blood covering the floor. The other party is exceedingly ruthless; even the words cruel and merciless are not enough to describe them. Especially the boss of the Everlasting Feast Hall. He was but only a young man in his 20s yet he slew more than 20 people. Do you think your family can walk away while the three of us have paid such an enormous price?¡±


    Qi Chengshan¡¯s mouth twitched a few times. As he turned around, he slapped Qi Changxing¡¯s face as his son staggered backward and nearly fell on the floor.


    ¡°Brother Du, I¡¯ll transfer the remaining 500 million to your account after I take care of this matter. I¡¯ll take my leave now.¡±


    Having said that, Qi Chengshan dragged Qi Changxing and left.


    At the north wing of the Everlasting Feast Hall, over a hundred dead bodies had been disposed off while the blood-covered floor had also been washed clean, yet a faint smell of blood was still lingering inside the hall.


    ¡°Will we return to Jingmen Island tonight?¡± Looking happy, Hao Lei asked after seeing that the cleaning staff and security guards had left the restaurant.


    Tian Li shook her head and smiled, ¡°There¡¯s one other small thing that has yet to be resolved.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Hao Lei was puzzled, ¡°There¡¯s still something else? What is it?¡±


    The corner of Tian Li¡¯s mouth formed a smile as she slowly said, ¡°Some people didn¡¯t come. So I intend to visit them myself to collect the debt if they don¡¯t come today.¡±


    ¡°Who is it?¡± asked Hao Lei, surprised.


    ¡°Qi Chengshan,¡± said Tian Li.


    Hao Lei¡¯s brows furrowed, ¡°Was Qi Chengshan also involved in tonight¡¯s incident?¡±


    Shrugging her shoulders, Tian Li smiled, ¡°Well, he brought up his good son who turned out to mess up big time, bringing a calamity, so he naturally can never escape from his responsibility.¡±


    Nodding and looking thoughtful, Hao Lei suddenly said, ¡°Tian Li, do you have the feeling that our current boss is kinda like a money-making machine? Only one night of income yet the amount is more than 10 years of the Everlasting Feast Hall and Grand Fortune Jewelries combined together.¡±

 Chapter 287

    Chapter 287: An Astronomical Price for a Lesson


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    A smile was outlined on Tian Li¡¯s mouth as she said, ¡°What is it? Do you think it¡¯s too bad or the boss is way too ruthless?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with him being ruthless, or else how could we fight against so many opponents? It¡¯s been several years since Big Boss last appeared, leaving the Little Boss to take care of the business. You know how she was rather indifferent in matters of important and necessary issues. Regardless of the matter, she delegated most of the jobs to us. I was kinda worried that her indifference would hamper the later expansion and development of the Everlasting Feast Hall if it continued like that. Now it seems that my worry was unfounded,¡± said Hao Lei with a laugh.


    Nodding in approval, Tian Li said, ¡°I thought the same as you. I¡¯m content with the current boss, especially his way of doing things which kinda suits my appetite. I believe our Everlasting Feast Hall will get better under his leadership.¡±


    Taking back her smile after there were only the two of them inside the hall, Hao Lei whispered, ¡°Are you curious about our new boss?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m dead curious,¡± said Tian Li slowly after a moment of silence.


    ¡°Yea! He¡¯s unfathomably mysterious. He appeared all of a sudden and suddenly became the boss of our Everlasting Feast Hall. Though he¡¯s very young, yet we know nothing about who and where he is from. I have a hunch that he comes from the same place as Big Boss.¡±


    Faintly smiling, Tian Li looked at her and asked, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you know where Big Boss comes from?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± said Hao Lei as she shook her head.


    Tian Li took a deep breath and spoke in a deep tone, ¡°Regardless of Boss¡¯ origin, we only need to remember that our lives were bestowed by Big Boss, so we must carry out her every command unconditionally. Also, our current Boss may look amicable on the surface, yet he is cruel and ruthless in his bones. So we gotta keep our respectful manner toward him at all times.¡±


    ¡°But of course! Boss gave us that opportunity, even if he wants me to stake my life, I will never shrink bank. Also, we¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t finish her words since a big, strong guy appeared at the hall¡¯s door in a hurry.


    ¡°General Manager, Chief Hao, the Qi Enterprise¡¯s CEO¡ªQi Chengshan, came with his son¡ªQi Changxing. They are waiting outside now,¡± said the big guy in a deep tone.


    Tian Li raised her brows and sneered, ¡°Did this father and son came by themselves?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They are alone!¡±


    ¡°He heard the news, it seems. Let them in!¡± said Tian Li lightly.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The big strong guy complied and quickly left.


    Hao Lei shrugged and laughed, ¡°I¡¯ll leave this matter for you to deal with! I¡¯m going back to get some rest and take care of things in Grand Fortune Jewelries tomorrow. We¡¯ll leave for the Headquarters in Jingmen Island the day after tomorrow. Oh god! I¡¯m excited.¡±


    Nodding, Tian Li said, ¡°Boss will leave tomorrow, so we can go back the day after.¡±


    Two minutes after, Tian Li sat alone in the hall, wearing a cold and detached expression as she looked at Qi Chengshan and Qi Changxing.


    ¡°Chief Tian!¡±


    Forcing out a wry smile, Qi Chengshan came before Tian Li.


    ¡°Is there something?¡± asked Tian Li lightly.


    Qi Chengshan took a check from his pocket and handed it to Tian Li, saying, ¡°I just heard about the matter tonight, Chief Tian. Please accept this 1 billion check as a token of apology to your Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s Boss.¡±


    ¡°Who told you the news?¡± Tian Li didn¡¯t receive the check but asked instead.


    ¡°Du Changze told me and asked me 1 billion yuan for the news,¡± said Qi Chengshan.


    Tian Li slanted her brows and sneered, ¡°Du Changze just ripped you off, eh?! Anyways, since you bought the news for such a high price, I believe you already know the about the aftermath, no? Do you think our Everlasting Feast Hall cares about a mere 1 billion?¡±


    ¡°Chief Tian, I can¡¯t come up with more money for now. Prior to this, I paid 500 million yuan to Du Changze. I¡¯ll borrow the remaining 1 billion from my friend to pay the rest. The Jiang Group and Wanyuan Real Estate have more capital than me, so coming up with this amount of money is the limit of my capabilities.¡±


    ¡°Consider this over. You can go!¡± upon hearing it, Tian Li replied and received the check.


    Secretly relieved inside, Qi Chengshan hastily said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll no longer disturb you. I¡¯ll take my leave, farewell.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Tian Li suddenly smiled, ¡°Remember to convey my message to Du Changze after you leave. For him to gain 1 billion with no reason at all, it¡¯s atypical.¡±


    Qi Chengshan¡¯s eyes flickered as he immediately took the hint, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll convey your message.¡±


    As he left the Everlasting Feast Hall, a sneer was revealed on Qi Chengshan¡¯s face. He took out his mobile after sitting in his car and dialed Du Changze¡¯s cell number. After his call had connected, he bluntly spoke, ¡°Brother Du, thanks for the information you gave me. Because of it I resolved the matter. However, as I was about to leave, Tian Li wanted me to convey a message to you.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Du Changze in an urgent tone.


    ¡°She said that you don¡¯t have to eat such poor food alone.¡±


    Keeping the food for himself?


    Du Changze hadn¡¯t rested yet and his complexion turned unsightly. After falling into silence for a long period of time, he slowly said, ¡°I know what to do.¡±


    ¡°See you again later!¡±


    As he ended the call, Qi Chengshan turned his head to look at his son¡ªQi Changxing, who sat next to him. Were he not his son, he would have choked him to death himself for having to waste 2 billion in just one night.


    It was 2 billion yuan! Though the Qi Family had a big enterprise and possessed a lot of assets, taking out 2 billion all of a sudden would still create a lethal effect!


    ¡°Dad, I made mistake. I promise I won¡¯t cause any more troubles in the future,¡± knowing his father¡¯s temper, Qi Changxing quickly spoke.


    Qi Chengshan took a deep breath, repressing his anger.


    Obtaining a lesson by spending money. If by spending 2 billion yuan his son could get rid of his bad habit and then study well to take over the family¡¯s business, it would be fine. However, it was too huge a price!


    The next morning, Tang Xiu woke up. He meditated for four hours last night and then went straight to sleep. With his current cultivation level, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem for him to stay awake for fifteen days. Still, he chose to sleep for several hours to rejuvenate his spirit.


    Having finished his shower and leaving his room, he went to the hall on the first floor and found Tian Li waiting for him there.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    Getting up from the sofa, Tian Li greeted him respectfully.


    ¡°Have you handled the matter last night thoroughly? Did anything else happen?¡±


    ¡°Everything has been taken care of. Also, Li Juren called me last night and with his help, we hadn¡¯t encountered any problems thus far! As long as Jiang Tianba and the others don¡¯t babble about it, everything is on track,¡± said Tian Li.


    Tang Xiu sneered, ¡°They will never speak even half a word about it, unless they¡¯re tired of their lives. Anyways, have you had breakfast yet?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, Boss,¡± said Tian Li and shook her head.


    ¡°Come and have breakfast with me! I will catch the plane after the meal.¡±


    Complying, Tian Li then followed Tang Xiu to the dining room.


    The villa had many maids and the meals had been prepared as they served the dishes on the table after Tang Xiu and Tian Li sat down.


    ¡°Boss, Qi Changxing¡¯s father¡ªQi Chengshan, came to the Everlasting Feast Hall after you left last night. He brought his son to apologize and gave me 1 billion yuan as a token of apology,¡± said Tian Li while eating.


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°Take the compensation money to Jingmen Island and give it to Gu Xiaoxue. I have many things to take care of, so I¡¯ve little time to manage things in the Everlasting Feast Hall. You can find her If anything comes up later. Only call me if you can¡¯t manage the issue.¡±


    Tian Li was surprised for a moment as she then said, ¡°Boss, that means you will not manage the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s issues as per normal?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still a student and just finished my CET this year. My score is rather acceptable as well as the top scorer for the science subjects in Shuangqing province. Also, I¡¯m going to Shanghai University to study.¡±


    Tian Li¡¯s eyes stared wide, almost popping out. The fact that Tang Xiu was a student who just graduated and became a freshman was out of her imagination. More unthinkable was that Tang Xiu even earned first place for the CET science subjects in Shuangqing province.


    ¡°Boss, is it necessary for you to go to college in your mind?¡± probed Tian Li cautiously.


    Forcing out a smile, Tang Xiu said, ¡°If you ask my thoughts about it, it¡¯s unnecessary. Yet, my mother¡¯s greatest dream has always been me being admitted to a prestigious university. For her, it¡¯s an imperative wish.¡±


    A light burst out from Tian Li¡¯s eyes. She lowered her head to conceal it and spoke again, ¡°Boss, might I ask you something? You may ignore my question if you don¡¯t want to answer it, though.¡±


    ¡°Just ask! You don¡¯t need to put on such a cautious look before me. I may create rivers of blood and leave countless dead bodies for my enemies, but it would be absolutely unlikely for the people under me. Have a little confidence,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Big Boss raised us since childhood, Boss. If she was not there we definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to live now. Big Boss has told us ever since our childhood to seek someone called Tang Xiu regardless of anytime or anywhere. I think that person should be you, no?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s me!¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Then, your relationship with Big Boss is¡­¡± asked Tian Li.


    ¡°Yan¡¯er is my apprentice,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly.


    ¡°What?¡± Tian Li suddenly stood with disbelief all over her face.


    Letting out a light smile, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Some things are meant to be kept a secret, for you don¡¯t have the qualifications to know about them as of now. Someday in the future, when your cultivation can follow me to another world, you will understand.¡±


    Another world?


    Astonishment covered Tian Li¡¯s face as she looked at Tang Xiu, aghast. It was as though a storm rose inside her heart, because she had never thought that there existed another world besides Earth.


    ¡°B-Boss¡­ what and where is that other world you¡¯re talking about?¡±


    With a serene expression, Tang Xiu said, ¡°For now you don¡¯t need to know. When you reach the realm of immortals I¡¯ll naturally tell you. Anyways, let¡¯s stop here. You¡¯re not to tell another soul about what I just told you.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± said Tian Li respectfully.


    Waving his hand, Tang Xiu motioned her to sit down and continued eating breakfast.

 Chapter 288

    Chapter 288: Retention


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The beautiful sunshine shone on the very Earth. It was nine o¡¯clock in the morning when Tang Xiu, along with the Mo Brothers, arrived at Hong Kong Airport. Mo Awen had booked tickets with scheduled flight at 9:30 AM, so there was half an hour left before they took off. The flight to Nine Dragon Island would require one to transit Saipan before they took a sea route from Saipan to Nine Dragon Island.


    Tang Xiu brought some books in his suitcase for this trip. The Yellow Emperor¡¯s Canon of Medicine, the Fundamental Theories of Businesses, the Nanotechnology, and the Theory of Laser Instrument Development.


    Recently, Tang Xiu was particularly keen on reading some books on science and technology since modern technology had never existed in the Immortal World yet each and every civilization possessed its essence.


    Through the present science and technology, Tang Xiu wanted to verify some of his ideas. What made him somewhat content was the fact that the present science and technology were really powerful in which what seemed like ordinary knowledge actually contained profound laws.


    After killing some time, the three boarded the plane soon after. As the plane took off, they arrived at Kobler International Airport in Saipan by noon. The moment Tang Xiu came out from the plane, his spirit was aroused. The air was fresh, and along with the blue sky, it gave him a complete relaxed feeling.


    ¡°Boss, are we heading straight to Nine Dragon Island by ship or do you want to rest in Saipan for a day?¡± Mo Awen, who had been to Saipan and was rather familiar with the place asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Rent a boat, we¡¯ll go straight to Nine Dragon Island!¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Mo Awen quickly took his mobile and dialed a cell number.


    A few minutes later, he ended up the call and spoke to Tang Xiu, ¡°We have rented a cruiser in Redsand Bay Port, Boss. However, we need to buy some supplies before we set sail because it will take around two days to sail to Nine Dragon Island.¡±


    Such a trivial matter was something Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to bother with. After he sat on the taxi parked on the roadside, he said, ¡°These kind of things will be your duty to take care of.¡±


    Immediately after, he spoke in English, ¡°Redsand Bay Port.¡±


    At Redsand Port.


    A big black man¡ªTom Reggie was smoking a thick cigar with a yellow sun hat, plaid casual short, big red trousers and slippers. He stood on the quayside and shouted, ¡°Get a move on! Take out your chicks strength and get my Kerry to the sea! This Big Daddy is kinda happy today so don¡¯t fuck it up! Whoever screws up I swear I¡¯ll smash your balls off¡­¡±


    On the beach, over a hundred big guys revealed their fine muscular bodies as they operated pulleys to move a brand new cruiser to the sea. The Kerry cruiser was 80 meters in length and looked particularly luxurious.


    ¡°Boss, those people are here,¡± a man came before him and spoke respectfully.


    Tom Reggie turned around and looked at the three men tens of meters away before his eyes finally fixated on Mo Awen. He walked toward them and made a strange hand sign after he was several meters away from Mo Awen.


    With the same hand signal, Mo Awen responded back to him.


    ¡°Yo buddy, it¡¯s been eight years since our last meet, no?¡± Tom Reggie spoke in fluent English, all smiling.


    Mo Awen laughed, ¡°Yep. It¡¯s been eight years and six months. I thought you were dead so it¡¯s surprising to see you now.¡±


    ¡°Your country has an old saying that good people don¡¯t live long while calamity lasts for millennia. I guess I¡¯m kinda a calamity in your custom eh?! Anyways, is this¡­ your Big Boss?¡±


    ¡°Yep. He¡¯s my Boss,¡± said Mo Awen.


    Extending his hand, Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu.¡±


    Tom Reggie shook hands with Tang Xiu and laughed, ¡°Well, I kinda admire you, Mr. Tang. Rather, I¡¯m quite curious about what sort of abilities you have for being able to make Mo Awen your subordinate. How about we exchange some blows? I¡¯m quite strong myself.¡±


    ¡°Boss, Tom is very powerful, he had once killed an adult African elephant with his bare hands,¡± said Mo Awen.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and laughed, ¡°You have to be prepared to die if you want to confront me. But you can try now if you wish to.¡±


    ¡°No no no. We are friends. How can we have a life-and-death contest? Besides, Mo Awen is my friend and comrade-in-arms. You¡¯re his boss, he¡¯ll surely come with everything he has against me if I kill you. And to be honest, I¡¯m not even his match,¡± Tom Reggie waved his hands repeatedly.


    ¡°Tom, I¡¯m not even a match for Boss,¡± Mo Awen calmly said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Tom Reggie was surprised for a moment as his eyes stared wide, astonishment sprouting inside him. He knew Mo Awen¡¯s character; he never lied. Such being the case, was this young man¡ªMr. Tang really a powerful individual?


    Tang Xiu was reluctant to get tangled in such trivial matter. He looked to the shore and asked, ¡°Is that cruiser the one you¡¯re renting to us?¡±


    Nodding, Tom Reggie said, ¡°This Kerry cruiser was just shipped here yesterday, but her crew had all been trained well, so they can definitely control the ship. Also, the service staff have arrived so we can set sail at any time.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t set sail tonight?¡± asked Tang Xiu with knitted brows.


    Tom Reggie shrugged his shoulders, ¡°We could set sail at night, but the meteorological bureau just spread out the news that a small tsunami is predicted to occur tomorrow morning. For safety¡¯s sake, I suggest we wait it out before leaving.¡±


    Tsunami?


    After being silent for a moment, Tang Xiu then nodded and slowly said, ¡°In that case, we can only wait for a day here. Awen, book some rooms in a nearby hotel.¡±


    ¡°I have arranged the hotel accommodation. It¡¯s an upscale resort nearby. I also have prepared an appropriate banquet tonight as a welcoming dinner for you,¡± said Tom with a smile.


    A hint of a happy smile was revealed on Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he nodded, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Who made me owe my life to this Awen guy a few times anyway? Well, I¡¯ll go get them to prepare the ship first before I take you to rest in the resort,¡± Tom Reggie said with a smile.


    On their way to the nearby resort, Tang Xiu asked Mo Awen, ¡°The two of you were comrades-in-arms?¡±


    Mo Awen nodded, ¡°We were under the same organization in the past, so he and I had performed some missions together. The missions were very dangerous and we fought side by side for many times and almost died in the process. He¡¯s one of the people I trust the most aside from our own people. I originally intended to invite him to work for the Everlasting Feast Hall, but he refused.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°He¡¯s a man with ambition, and it looks like he happens to have a good life.¡±


    ¡°Boss, though it¡¯s been more than eight years since the last time I saw him, but I still learned some news about him. A few years ago he lived rather bad days since he offended the local tyrants. He was chased for more than two years and I once thought that he surely died. I didn¡¯t expect he would return and secretly slew his mortal enemies. He also made use of another force to decimate them. All the while his mortal enemies were fighting for power and profit, he finally set up his foothold and stood firm here,¡± said Mo Awen.


    Curious, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Since you¡¯re comrades of life and death, why didn¡¯t you lend him a hand?¡±


    ¡°One¡¯s life can only be preserved by oneself. I¡¯d avenge him if he died, but if he wants to set up his foothold between the sky and earth, he must rely on himself. Not to mention that I¡¯m a member of the Everlasting Feast Hall, so I can never bring any trouble to my own home,¡± said Mo Awen.


    Tang Xiu slowly nodded, ¡°It seems that whoever is trained by Yan¡¯er is very good.¡±


    ¡°Big Boss fostered and brought us up. She rescued our lives from human traffickers, providing us with all the basic necessities of life as well as spent a lot of resources to train us. Our lives will always belong to the Everlasting Feast Hall,¡± said Mo Awen.


    Tang Xiu fell into silence.


    Many people had once been trained by him, but eventually, only a remaining few survived. Those who survived also scattered throughout the Immortal World and rarely moved around in peacetime. They only appeared to pay homage to him every hundred years.


    Having human resources was a powerful strength. At this point, he was more certain now how wrong he was before. At the same time, his thought of nurturing a large number of loyal subordinates with strong convictions and dreadful strength was becoming firmer.


    At Saipan¡¯s Lao Bay Resort.


    When they arrived there, Tom Reggie¡¯s subordinate¡ªa very graceful young woman, waited there.


    ¡°Are you Mr. Tang?¡±


    Wearing a dozen centimeters¡¯ high heels, Ai Jasmine strode over. Her slender waist swung by. Attractive and beautiful, she had fair white skin, was blonde-haired and had blue eyes, giving off a typical exotic vibe.


    ¡°I am!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Ai Jasmine smiled lightly, ¡°Our Boss ordered me to lead Mr. Tang to the residence after you arrived. Also, I have arranged a number of programs which you can choose freely at any time should you wish to. The cost will be on our Boss.¡±


    ¡°Lead the way, please!¡±


    The program said by the other party piqued Tang Xiu¡¯s curiosity. He followed Ai Jasmine to the interior of the resort where a villa resided in the landscape with the best ocean view.


    ¡°Well, this is the program list, Mr. Tang. Would you wish to have the whole service, or choose a few types from it?¡± asked Ai Jasmine with a smile.


    When he saw the program list, Tang Xiu¡¯s expression suddenly changed. He wasn¡¯t sure about most of the listed programs. He had heard of several programs amongst those, which were the Thai Massage, Seabed Diving, and Surfing.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try the Thai Massage! The Seven Goddesses Dance sounds interesting. As for the rest, I¡¯ll pass,¡± having finished talking, Tang Xiu gave the program list to Mo Awen and said with a smile, ¡°Let¡¯s consider it a relaxation in our trip. You two also pick a few.¡±


    Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s pick, especially the Seven Goddesses Dance, Mo Awen suddenly let out a slight smile. However, he gave the program list to Mo Awu and said with a smile, ¡°Boss, I¡¯m not interested in these programs. Besides, we¡¯re in an unfamiliar place, so I need to prevent any strangers from disturbing you. But Awu likes such kind of plays, though. So let him choose one.¡±


    Mo Awu didn¡¯t refuse and deftly selected a few programs.


    Looking at Tang Xiu, the smile on Ai Jasmine¡¯s face turned into a crescent shape.


    ¡°Alright, please follow me, Mr. Tang! As for Mr. Awu, please wait a bit. Someone will guide you later.¡±

 Chapter 289

    Chapter 289: The Slob¡ªWretched Fat Man


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Lao Bay Resort was very large and had a impressively elegant interior construction design. The architecture was exotic, with each villa constructed on a wide area along with numerous precious vegetation as well as colorful blooming flowers everywhere.


    There were even many well-dressed handsome men and beautiful women, possessing the bearing of nobles. In just ten minutes, Tang Xiu saw dozens of luxury cars rarely seen in China such as the Bugatti Veyron¡ªthe world¡¯s limited edition that was priced at tens of millions of yuan.


    ¡°If my guess is correct, Mr. Tang should be from China, right?¡± Jasmine was rather friendly toward Tang Xiu. As she guided Tang Xiu through the hallway, she explained the landscape of the resort and kept a smile on her face all the while.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod.


    ¡°China¡¯s economy has been growing rapidly nowadays, and the people in your country are becoming wealthier. At least one-fifth of the tourists staying in Lao Bay Resort come from your country,¡± said Ai Jasmine with a smile.


    ¡°That many?¡± asked Tang Xiu in astonishment.


    ¡°Perhaps Lao Bay Resort¡¯s reputation has spread to your country. Hence, many of the guests from your country like to stay here. Though the prices here are rather high, they don¡¯t seem to care about it. The casino is one of the most visited sites for the guests from your country,¡± said Ai Jasmine with a laugh.


    A casino?


    A strange expression appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s face upon hearing it. He recalled his endeavor in helping Long Zhengyu and Jia Ruidao¡¯s gambling bet. From two games of gambling, he got a lot of benefits from them.


    Since he had come, should he play a few games?


    The thought crossed his mind as Tang Xiu quickly made up his mind that, after he got some free time after finishing the project, he would visit a casino to play some games. He wanted to experience the gambling scene in a foreign country as well as make some money while convenient.


    The current him had money; he was much richer than in the past!


    The bank card Ji Chimei gave him still had 8 billion in it. He originally planned to give it back to Gu Xiaoxue, but after the incident in Hong Kong with Jiang Tianba, Chen Jianye, Du Changze and Qi Chengshan, he obtained a huge fortune eclipsing the 8 billion yuan in his hands.


    Hence, he decided to use it for the rebuilding project in Nine Dragon Island. However, the island was very large and, according to the rebuilding plan he had in mind, let alone 8 billion, even 80 billion yuan wouldn¡¯t be enough. Thus, he would be more relaxed in the future if he could win some money from the casino.


    At the health club.


    Four beautiful young ladies appeared as Ai Jasmine took Tang Xiu inside. Wearing nightgowns and soft sandals, they bowed toward Tang Xiu. One of the girls then said in fluent English, ¡°We welcome you, Sir. Might I ask what service you picked?¡±


    Ai Jasmine was the one to reply, ¡°This is Mr. Tang, he needs a Thai Massage. Arrange it for him, I¡¯ll be waiting in the rest area. Remember to inform me after you finished the service.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    As the vice president of the resort, the four girls naturally knew Ai Jasmine; they being particularly respectful toward her was a given.


    ¡°Please come with me, Mr. Tang.¡±


    A beautiful girl made an invitation gesture and took Tang Xiu toward a exquisitely decorated corridor inside. After having passed two corridors and through the beautiful environment around the hall, she guided Tang Xiu to another room at the side and then asked, ¡°Mr. Tang, do you need a private room or a public one? The private room has one bed and, aside from the massaging staff, two girls are ready for service, whereas the public room has three beds with three massaging staff and three attendants.¡±


    Pondering for a moment, Tang Xiu slowly said, ¡°Take me to the public room, the private one is too extravagant.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    The beautiful girl then took Tang Xiu to another hall and opened one of the rooms. Inside there was already a guest enjoying a Thai Massage at the moment. The guest was a chubby middle-aged man full of fat with big ears and short hair whose thick neck had a thick gold necklace that was glittering under the crystal chandeliers¡¯ light.


    The chubby middle-aged man apparently sensed Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival since he turned his head and threw a glance to size up Tang Xiu while enjoying the Thai Massage from a beautiful masseuse. Then, he groaned, ¡°A Japanese?¡±


    ¡°Chinese,¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s brow pricked and replied in Mandarin.


    The fatty middle-aged man was stunned for a second as a hint of a smile appeared on his face. He raised his lying hand to Tang Xiu and smiled, ¡°I thought you were a Japanese, but I didn¡¯t expect you to be a fellow countryman! Hey Little Bro, come and take the bed next to me.¡±


    Putting on a light smile, Tang Xiu looked at the beautiful girl and said, ¡°It¡¯s my first time enjoying a Thai Massage. Is there anything I need to do before the service?¡±


    The pretty girl said, ¡°You need to go to the dressing room to change your clothes. If you want to take a bath, there¡¯s a bathroom next to it, Mr. Tang. Someone will guide you here and give you a Thai Massage. If there¡¯s anything you need, you can also call the attendants, they will do their best to meet your needs.¡±


    ¡°I understand!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, motioning the beautiful girl to leave. He then turned toward the dressing room, changed his clothes and put on pajamas, and then went to the bathroom for a shower. After he put on the pajamas back, he then came to the public room.


    ¡°Sir, I¡¯m your masseuse and she is your hostess. You can tell us if there¡¯s anything you need. Might I ask whether you want to start now?¡± Another girl with beautiful looks comparable to the previous girl Tang Xiu had met before came in front of him, followed by another girl in yellow uniform.


    Nodding to her, Tang Xiu then looked at the middle-aged man who was only wearing underwear. He also took off his bathrobe and lied on the next single bed.


    The fat middle-aged man squinted his eyes, watching Tang Xiu¡¯s actions. He asked all smiling, ¡°Little Bro, it¡¯s your first time having a Thai Massage, isn¡¯t it? Are you anxious? Relax buddy. Just enjoy it, we are the Gods here. Even if you say you¡¯re their biological father, they won¡¯t deny it.¡±


    Rolling his eyes inside, Tang Xiu felt quite amused toward the fat middle-aged man who spoke with a Northeasterner accent.


    The masseuse took off her bathrobe on the bedside of the single men, leaving only three pieces of underwear on her body. She then began to prepare her props such as the massaging oil, clean towels and other things.


    Shortly after, the masseuse¡¯s white hands gently stroked Tang Xiu¡¯s body, causing him to feel somewhat nervous. At this time, he was somewhat secretly regretting. Had he known about it earlier, he would have ordered a private room.


    A Thai Massage indeed could make someone relax and feel comfortable.


    Tang Xiu could clearly feel that this female masseuse was truly skillful. She had a very deep comprehension pertaining the human body. He could even faintly tell that she had a deep knowledge of acupuncture points and meridians of the human body. Though her Thai Massage was somewhat unusual, yet it could make people feel relaxed and comfortable.


    The chubby middle-aged man apparently was slightly excited about having bumped into his fellow countryman here. While resting his head on his arms, he looked at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Little Bro, you haven¡¯t told me your name yet, and from which region you come from! My name is Li Laoshan, my buddies used to call me Geezer Li¡ªthe Fatty. I come from the Northeast of China, Fucheng.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu, from Star City of Shuangqing province.¡±


    Somehow, Tang Xiu was reluctant to speak. But, since the man was, after all, his fellow countryman, he also didn¡¯t want to appear exceedingly indifferent.


    Geezer Fatty Li apparently knew Star City since he praised with a sigh, ¡°Ah, Star City is a good place! I had been there a few times. To Long¡¯s Dining Hall, in particular. I had once stayed in its presidential suite for a night, but it gave me such a firm impression right away.¡±


    ¡°I really never thought that you actually had once stayed in the Long¡¯s Dining Hall. It seems you have a friend in Star City, right?¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Geezer Fatty Li chuckled, ¡°But of course! Though I run a steel business, I have a lot of friends and other whatnot in the domestic business circle. For example, the Big Boss of Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical in your Star City. Old Chen is my long time buddy, of whom was the cause of my visit to Star City twice before.¡±


    Old Chen?


    Tang Xiu was surprised, ¡°You mean it¡¯s Chen Zhizhong?¡±


    ¡°Yea, Chen Zhizhong. Ah, Little Brother, you also heard about him?¡± Geezer Fatty Li nodded and smiled.


    ¡°Yes!¡± replied Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Geezer Fatty Li chuckled and laughed, ¡°No wonder, though. The Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical¡¯s HQ is in Star City, whereas that Old Chen is kinda a celebrity in the business world, so it¡¯s not strange if you know him too. The story of meeting him is kinda a fantasy saga in itself. We were both members of a martial arts society and he beat me badly back then. Afterwards, I went to Star City twice, finding him for a fight. My grandma, that guy¡¯s strength is darn good. Every time I feel that I made progress and look for him, he¡¯s always a step ahead of me.¡±


    The smile on Tang Xiu¡¯s face was getting thicker. This Geezer Fatty Li was mocking himself without the slightest embarrassment, yet it caused Tang Xiu to have some favorable impression of him. Oftentimes, those who were telling the truth about their weaknesses to others were the sort of people who had frank and good characters.


    ¡°Chen Zhizhong indeed has a good strength. You will perhaps be beaten by him more miserably if you go to Star City now,¡± said Tang Xiu whilst letting out a faint smile.


    The Geezer Fatty Li stared blankly for a second as he asked in amazement, ¡°Do you know him?¡±


    ¡°Yea, I know him!¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod.


    Sizing up Tang Xiu yet again, Geezer Fatty Li probed, ¡°To be acquaintances with Chen Zhizhong is not something someone who has simple capital can do. Little Bro, your background is kinda unusual, no? Tell this Old Bro of yours, what does your family do in Star City?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only a student who was just admitted to university. I¡¯ll have to register myself to university in September. Only, I have set up a small business there and usually tamper with some medicinal herbs. Hence, the reason I know him,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Geezer Li understood in an instant. Still, he was surprised as he let out a sigh and exclaimed in praise, ¡°You¡¯re amazing, Little Bro! You started your own business at such a young age? Damn, when I was at your age, I only knew how to flirt with chicks and hang out with my buddies to drink, playing with them every day.¡±

 Chapter 290

    Chapter 290: Profiting from the Relationship with Someone


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu smiled and no longer spoke. He didn¡¯t show off neither did he say that Chen Zhizhong was his apprentice. After all, he only just me Geezer Li today, boasting was unnecessary; even though he liked Geezer Li¡¯s personality.


    Geezer Li¡ªthe Fatty also seemed reluctant to mention the topic about Chen Zhizhong and Tang Xiu again. He changed the topic to the local condition and customs in Saipan as well as the favorite entertainments there.


    ¡°Little Bro, you should have picked the program list when you came here, right? Tell this Old Bro, what did you pick?¡± Geezer Fatty Li suddenly asked with a smile.


    ¡°I only picked two. One is the Thai Massage, and the other one is the Seven Goddesses Dance.¡±


    Geezer Li fell into a daze, his eyes almost bulging out from its sockets. He shouted, ¡°What did you say? You picked the Seven Goddesses Dance? I¡¯m damned! It¡¯s great! So great! Hella grandma, this Geezer Li is rather old and can no longer have this kind of excitement.¡±


    Shortly after, a bit of an envious look was reflected on his face, saying, ¡°It¡¯s great to be young! If I were to return to the past, even though I dared not pick this Seven Goddesses Dance, but I still wanna experience it.¡±


    At the side, either it was Tang Xiu and Geezer Li¡¯s masseuses, even the other two young female attendants changed their expressions when they looked at Tang Xiu. Blazing fiery lights filled the four girls¡¯ eyes.


    Confused, Tang Xiu asked in puzzlement, ¡°What sort of program is this Seven Goddesses Dance exactly?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Geezer Li asked in astonishment.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°Nope! I just thought it sounded good, so I picked it on a whim.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    Geezer Li burst into loud laughter as even tears fell amidst his laugh. His expression when he looked at Tang Xiu was full of teasing flavor. As his laugh turned milder, he said, ¡°Little Bro, rarely did this Old Bro have been had, yet I got struck by you today. You know nothing about what sort of program the Seven Goddesses Dance is, yet you unexpectedly dared to pick it? Point is, if anything, I won¡¯t tell you what it is, you might as well wait to know it yourself! Hahaha¡­ let¡¯s exchange our cell numbers, I wanna see your appearance after you¡¯ve enjoyed the Seven Goddesses Dance¡­ Hahaha¡­¡±


    Looking at his expression, Tang Xiu became more curious about the Seven Goddesses Dance. However, since the old man kept him guessing, he was also reluctant to ask again. Didn¡¯t the service need to be enjoyed? He had requested it, and regardless whatever the service was, he should enjoy it.


    After enjoying the Thai Massage, Tang Xiu put his clothes back on and found that Geezer Li, who had finished his Thai Massage half an hour earlier than him, hadn¡¯t left yet. He was now drinking flavored tea in the side hall and smoking a cigar while half-leaning on the resting couch.


    ¡°Oh, Little Brother. What do you think about that Thai Massage?¡± seeing Tang Xiu coming out, Geezer Li immediately smiled and asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not bad!¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod.


    Geezer Li stood up and smiled, ¡°Little Bro, the Seven Goddesses Dance is usually more fun to play at night. How about we go play somewhere else now?¡±


    Puzzled, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Where?¡±


    Geezer Li chuckled and smiled, ¡°The Casino.¡±


    Tang Xiu was dazed for second. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, he nodded and slowly said, ¡°OK. Let¡¯s play in the casino then. However, I¡¯m a poor man and only have a little money.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Us¡ªbrothers, are fated to meet. I¡¯ll help you out today. Your old brother may not be very rich, but taking out 1.8 million for fun and play isn¡¯t a problem.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that.¡±


    Geezer Li waved his hand, ¡°It¡¯s your call. You can buy the chips if you have the money. You can tell me if you¡¯re short on money. We¡¯re here on vacation, to play and enjoy ourselves.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled and nodded. He could feel a faint superior imposing aura from Geezer Li. The man was not someone from the political world, so he was probably someone influential in the business world. 1.8 million yuan was perhaps only a small sum and not worth mentioning to him.


    Knowing how to restraint oneself in gambling! From this only, this Geezer Fatty Li was not your usual layman.


    Sighing inside, Tang Xiu walked outside alongside him. When the both of them arrived at the outermost hall, Jasmine and Mo Awen came.


    ¡°Did the Thai Massage conform to your satisfaction, Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°Not bad. My body feels kinda comfortable right now,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Glancing at Geezer Fatty Li, Jasmine smiled and asked again, ¡°Then, are you going to try the Seven Goddesses Dance now?¡±


    ¡°No need to hurry. I want to follow this old brother to play in the casino first. Awen, you can go rest now, you don¡¯t need to follow me,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Yes!¡± replied Mo Awen immediately when he heard it.


    Looking at Jasmine and glancing at Mo Awen, Geezer Fatty Li seemed surprised, ¡°Little Bro, they are¡­¡±


    ¡°She seems to be a staff. As for him, he¡¯s my subordinate,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Amazed, Geezer Fatty Li replied in astonishment, ¡°Your man is kinda unusual! Looking at his steady footsteps and strong physique, he should be a martial expert! I never thought you also brought your bodyguards when you come out to play, Little Bro.¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t explain, only letting out a faint smile.


    Jasmine took out a business card from her pocket, handed it over to Geezer Li and said with a smile, ¡°Hello, Sir. I¡¯m the Vice President of Lao Bay Resort, Ai Jasmine. You can call me Manager Jasmine. Mr. Tang is our distinguished guest, so I¡¯m here to ensure the service myself.¡±


    A Vice President? And he¡¯s a VIP?


    For the first time, Geezer Fatty Li was piqued by Tang Xiu¡¯s identity. The Lao Bay Resort was an upscale and luxurious holiday resort, and he also heard that the force behind it was rather powerful. Someone who could become a Vice President here certainly possessed unusual identity. While she personally accompanied Tag Xiu and even said that he was a VIP, this was evidence that Tang Xiu himself had an extraordinary identity, far more than the person himself had said?


    ¡°I¡¯m Li Laoshan, this is my business card!¡±


    Geezer Fatty Li also gave his business card to Jasmine.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll inform the Reception Manager of the Resort about you, Mr. Li. Since you are a friend of Mr. Tang¡¯s, then I¡¯ll call him to give you a 40% discount for any of your expenses. This is the maximum rights I can give under my privileges.¡±


    Looking at Tang Xiu with a strange expression, Geezer Fatty Li couldn¡¯t help smiling, ¡°Well, having taken a Thai Massage and met you¡ªLittle Brother, it¡¯s rather unexpected it would also drag me into the limelight as well. I gotta say thanks.¡±


    Jasmine nodded and smiled.


    ¡°Anyways, Jasmine. You don¡¯t need to escort me. You can take care of your work! Also, if Tom comes at dinner, please inform me,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Roger that!¡± Jasmine chuckled and nodded.


    Along with Jasmine¡¯s departure, Geezer Fatty Li embraced Tang Xiu¡¯s shoulders. Letting out mischievous chuckle, he said, ¡°Little Bro, you were hiding something, eh? Having the Vice President escort you personally, is not something possible for a student who has a small business, no? Tell me quickly, from which influential force are you?¡±


    Shrugging his shoulders, Tang Xiu smiled, ¡°Nope. I¡¯m kinda benefitting from my subordinate, to be frank. He and Jasmine¡¯s Boss are friends, a life and death comrade-in-arms to be precise. So, you know the rest.¡±


    Geezer Fatty Li instantly understood as he said with a smile, ¡°Just wow! It looks like the both of us got the limelight from others then. Anyways, shall we go to the casino? I¡¯m sure luck is upon us today, so my luck in gambling should be very good.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    Shortly after, under Geezer Fatty Li¡¯s leading, the duo went to the Lao Bay Resort¡¯s casino.


    The two-storied casino was built in a large area. The first floor was a big hall, providing gambling establishments for the public. Inside there lots of people encircling various gambling establishments. The second floor was for private boxes. Unless the gambling bouts were over a billion gambling stake, no one was eligible to enter it.


    Geezer Fatty Li, who seemed familiar with the place, brought Tang Xiu to a counter at the innermost to exchange money to chips. He only exchanged 1 million, as did Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Little Bro, what do you wanna play?¡± Geezer Li asked curiously.


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t know much about the rules and customs for gambling in casinos. You play first! I¡¯ll observe and study the gambling machines here. I¡¯ll try to play some games after I got a hint of it.¡±


    Geezer Fatty Li shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s kinda boring if I play alone. Anyways, I¡¯ll help you explaining whatever you wanna know! Let¡¯s see who among us¡ªbrothers will have more wins.¡±


    ¡°Are you not afraid to lose all of your money?¡± Tang Xiu laughed.


    Geezer Li raised his brows and grinned, ¡°If I¡¯m gonna lose it all, then let it be. Consider it as payment for picking the Seven Goddesses Dance. Alright, let¡¯s go stroll around!¡±


    The atmosphere inside the casino was lively and noisy. Many gamblers were betting. Those who won were overjoyed with ecstasy all over their faces, whereas those who lost looked dejected with bitterness on their faces.


    As a regular patron of the casino, Geezer Fatty Li knew the gambling machines here inside out. He even acted as the gambling guru as he taught Tang Xiu some know-how and gambling tips.


    After having circled around, Geezer Li, who had his mouth parched for doing some explanations, conveniently picked up a glass of red wine from the tray brought by a waiter. He drank it and then asked, ¡°So, what do you wanna play, Little Bro? I¡¯ll be accompanying you today and playing the same games with you. Let us compete!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s play dice!¡± Tang Xiu laughed.


    Nodding, Geezer Li said, ¡°Let¡¯s go! Betting big or small numbers, you place your bet and that¡¯s it. It¡¯s kinda a good one as simple and crude games are what this Geezer Li excels at.¡±


    As they came to the dice games¡¯ spot, a lot of people had already gathered there.


    The dealer was a middle-aged woman and various gamblers were already on the table.


    ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen, please take your time to place your bet.¡±


    As the dealer¡¯s voice sounded, the gamblers around put their chips representing the amount of money on the spots they wanted.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t hurry to place his bet, instead watching it quietly. In stark contrast, Geezer Li, who found that Tang Xiu showed no intention to bet, casually put out two 10K chips.


    He bet on a big number.


    It was 4, 5 and 6. A total of 15 points.


    If 15 points were out, then he would get ten times the bet. If the dices were not 4,5,6, then he would lose 20 thousand.


    The dealer¡¯s dice shaking technique was very fast and also rather had a lot of frequency.


    Having learned how to listen to the dice shaking technique from Jia Ruidao back then, Tang Xiu shook his head after the dealer pressed the dice cover on the table. He knew that Geezer Li had just lost his 20K bet.

 Chapter 291

    Chapter 291: Envy and Jealousy


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    As expected, when the dealer opened the dices¡¯ cover the number of the three dices were: 2, 3, and 4 respectively. It was a small number. Apart from one person who won a small amount of money, the remaining ten or so gamblers all lost.


    ¡°Well, an expert won¡¯t win before the third game!¡±


    Fatty Li had just lost 20 thousand within a minute, yet he didn¡¯t care about it, instead, he looked at Tang Xiu cheerfully. Such amount of money to him was perhaps the price of a meal, not even enough to buy famous brand clothes.


    Watching as he was about to place another bet, Tang Xiu pulled his hand and calmly said, ¡°Let¡¯s go somewhere else. I don¡¯t wanna play dice anymore.¡±


    ¡°What? Do you think it¡¯s hard to win here? In actuality, it¡¯s hard to win a gambling in the casino. Have you heard the saying that nine out of ten gamblers will lose?¡± Fatty Li stared as he immediately let his hand free and said with a smile.


    Tang Xiu replied with a smile, ¡°Nine out of ten losing means that nobody wins, no? People who have a mentality of leaving things to luck and chance are in essence greedy inside their hearts. Like this, only the casinos will prosper.¡±


    Fatty Li nodded and praised with a sigh, ¡°You said it well. Every person has greed inside them. They can see it yet are unable to control it. They know the principle that betting small is meant for enjoyment, and gambling big is just feeding their vice, yet such greed is something so difficult for gamblers to handle. For example, there are also a few local bosses who are gambling on the second floor tonight! They, alas¡­ perhaps they¡¯re losing their hard-earned capital there.¡±


    The local magnates were gambling here?


    Tang Xiu was stunned and asked in amazement, ¡°Isn¡¯t this resort a place for recreation? How come people are here to gambling?¡±


    Fatty Li snorted, ¡°What else can they do aside from wasting their money since they haven¡¯t eaten to the full and have noone important to support and nothing to do? However, I also heard that there is a bit of grudge between them, though. Besides, it¡¯s a given that some conflicts would arise after they met here anyway. Also, I heard that someone from Qingcheng Mountain was invited. He¡¯s a direct disciple of the Saint of Gambler in Las Vegas and he even won big tonight!¡±


    ¡°Someone from Qingcheng Mountain? Who¡¯s he?¡± asked Tang Xiu, surprised.


    Fatty Li turned and looked around as he whispered, ¡°He¡¯s a small fish conman who used to be a scammer. Later on, he entered the business world, using his once-accumulated personal connections to obtain several good-producing coal mines in Northwest China, from which he got quite a fortune these years. Little Brother, you gotta remember, this guy is kinda crafty and devious, so you gotta keep your vigilance and be cautious when you bump into him later.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and looked pensive.


    Amid their chat, they finally arrived at the roulette machines spot. Playing was as simple as inserting a chip, which it would then be identified by the machine. Were a chip with a 10K value be inserted into it, it would be exchanged for 1000 points by the machine, whereas each point was equal to 1 dollar. In other words, inserting the chip into the machine would have a value that was equivalent to one-tenth of the original.


    However, the roulette wheel was divided into multiplier areas with the lowest being at 0 times. If the arrow pointed at the 0 times area in the wheel disk, then one would lose with not even a dime back. In addition, the multipliers from low to high respectively were: 0, 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, and 1000 times.


    There were two areas between 0 to 50-multipliers while there was only one area from 100 to 1000-multipliers.


    At this time, only three gamblers were playing in front of the six roulette machines. Tang Xiu let out a slight smile as he looked at Fatty Li, ¡°How about we play this one? It¡¯s simple and crude, while winning and losing will all be decided by luck.¡±


    Fatty Li hesitated, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s as simple as being decided by luck, though. Gambling machines such as these are almost always tampered. It will be very difficult to hit the areas above 100-multiplier.¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a slight smile, ¡°Even if so, it¡¯s still possible, no? Besides, we are playing with machines, it¡¯s better than playing with those controlled by the dealers, right?¡±


    Upon hearing it, Fatty Li nodded and smiled, ¡°You¡¯re right. Anyone who can be a dealer in this casino is no doubt an expert. Were they intending to cheat, I¡¯m sure no one would know. Alright then, let¡¯s play this. Let¡¯s see who will get the biggest win!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly and stood before an unoccupied roulette machine. He took out a 10K chip and inserted it into the machine¡¯s slot, and then pressed the start button.


    ¡°Buzz¡­¡±


    The roulette machines¡¯ wheel began to rotate violently. Ten seconds later, the arrow then pointed to 10-multiplier area, which meant that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t lose or win.


    Fatty Li, who was standing in front of another roulette machine, also inserted a 10K chip just like Tang Xiu. After pressing the start button, the arrow then ended up pointing at the 50 times multiplier area.


    ¡°Hahaha! I did say that my luck is good. I just got 5 times the bet directly.¡±


    Glancing at Tang Xiu, Fatty Li, who was paying attention to Tang Xiu¡¯s gambling result, immediately let out a proud expression when he found he had won after comparing his result with Tang Xiu¡¯s.


    ¡°Old Li, didn¡¯t you say that an expert won¡¯t win before the third game?¡± Tang Xiu laughed.


    Rolling his eyes, Fatty Li chuckled and laughed, ¡°What? Did you believe that? I can¡¯t wait to win all the bets from the first to the last one.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing. A burst of light flashed in his eyes as he pressed the start button, releasing his mental force at the same time, fusing it into the machine. As the indicator rotated fast, Tang Xiu deliberately controlled the machine¡¯s arrow as its speed gradually decreased and pointed toward the 100-multiplier area.


    Right at this time, Fatty Li also had his result. When he saw that the arrow ended up in the doubled area, the smile on his face turned brighter and he burst into laughter. At the same time, he also looked at the machine in front of Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What?¡±


    The smile on his face instantly froze. He no longer cared about the roulette machine before him as he darted in front of Tang Xiu with eyes staring wide and exclaiming loudly, ¡°1000 times? How much did you insert into the machine? 1000 times¡­ means¡­ 1 million?¡±


    ¡°Yup! You got that right,¡± said Tang Xiu, nodding and smiling.


    Fatty Li seemed about to blow up. He grudgingly went back to his roulette machine and groaned, ¡°Bah, you¡¯re so damn lucky! Though mine is not as good as yours, I also hit double this time. My 50K is now 100K.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled. He realized that his spiritual sense turned out to be able to control the wheel disk arrow. Hence, he decided to keep his good luck. Furthermore, he only just played once and didn¡¯t need to place another bet.


    He pressed the start button again. As the wheel¡¯s indicator began to rotate, Tang Xiu wrapped the rotating wheel with his spiritual sense once again. Controlling it, it finally stopped in the 1000-multiplier area.


    ¡°Fuck it, I lost! I got the zero!¡±


    Fatty Li cursed. Wearing a resentful expression, he turned his head and looked at the roulette machine in front of Tang Xiu as well as the red-colored numbers that were displayed on the roulette wheel. When he saw a series of zeroes on it, he was dumbstruck immediately.


    ¡°Sorry, the machine can¡¯t put out the number of chips of the relative values due to the huge amount of gambling stake you have won. Please contact the casino¡¯s staff.¡±


    A mechanical voice resounded from the roulette machine.


    In an instant, the men and women in front of three roulette machines nearby looked toward Tag Xiu. When they approached and saw the numbers displayed on the roulette machine Tang Xiu was facing, each and every one of them stared with eyes wide in disbelief.


    ¡°Hey, come here!¡±


    As Tang Xiu turned around and saw a middle-aged man with the casino¡¯s staff uniform, he waved to him.


    ¡°Is there anything you need, Sir?¡± the middle-aged man politely asked, all smiling.


    Pointing at the numbers displayed on the roulette machine, Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, I think I got the 1 billion prize, no?¡±


    When the middle-aged man looked at that string of red-colored numbers, he was shocked. He counted the numbers and found it was indeed 1 billion. Cold sweat instantly came out from his forehead. Whilst maintaining his polite manner, he hastily said, ¡°Please wait a bit, Sir. I have to call our Manager. You have just won too big a gambling stake, I don¡¯t have the authority to handle this.¡±


    ¡°Alright, please do so!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Noise and clamor started from the gamblers around, many of whom also heard what the staff just said. When they saw the red-colored numbers displayed on the roulette machine, all were shocked. Within just a short half a minute, dozens of people had gathered around.


    Furthermore, due to the loud noises here, it attracted the attention of the gamblers in the entire casino hall as one after another approached, wanting to find out what had happened.


    ****


    The casino manager of the Lao Bay Resort¡ªTagger, was rather a powerful figure. Immediately after he got the call from his staff, he rushed there without stopping while contacting Jasmine¡ªthe Vice President of the resort on the way there.


    ¡°Hello, Sir. I¡¯m the manager of this casino. Since you have won a huge gambling prize, please come with me to the VIP lounge to discuss it in detail,¡± said Tagger right after he arrived in front of Tang Xiu.


    At the side, Fatty Li, who could tell there was a subtle meaning behind Tagger¡¯s words, spoke in a deep tone, ¡°Tang Xiu is my little brother and we¡¯re together in this. You invited him to the VIP lounge yet you didn¡¯t say as for how you will handle the payment procedure. Please explain what¡¯s all this about? Does it mean your casino is unwilling to pay?¡±


    Tagger did have this thought in mind. He first wanted to clearly investigate Tang Xiu¡¯s background. Were Tang Xiu only an ordinary tourist without formidable forces backing him, he wouldn¡¯t spare efforts to make him disappear from this world forever. 1 billion was, after all, not a small amount of money.


    However, Fatty Li could keenly perceive his idea and even revealed it in front of the crowd. It made him secretly furious. Yet, he still maintained his polite manner on the surface as he shook his head, ¡°Please don¡¯t misunderstand it, Sir. Our meaning is to elaborate and discuss this in detail as how would to handle it. I have also informed the Resort¡¯s Vice President; she¡¯s on the way here. I believe she will receive you shortly.¡±


    The Vice President? Wasn¡¯t it Jasmine?


    Fatty Li¡¯s nervourness was immediately gone after he heard it.


    With a tranquil expression, Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Well, we¡¯ll discuss it in the VIP lounge then. I believe you won¡¯t disappoint me.¡±


    Despite sneering inside, Tagger still kept his amicable attitude and turned even more submissive, ¡°You can rest assured that we won¡¯t let you down, Sir.¡±

 Chapter 292

    Chapter 292: A Good Attitude


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Inside the VIP lounge on the second floor.


    Tagger warmly greeted Tang Xiu and Fatty Li and offered them a seat. At this time, Fatty Li himself had a particularly complicated mood inside. He had never thought that his actions to invite Tang Xiu to play in the resort¡¯s casino would unexpectedly end up with Tang Xiu winning 1 billion.


    One billion! The net annual income of his big business was perhaps even less than this. Feeling envious and jealous was mostly the genuine portrait of the emotions inside his heart now. Yet, he could also faintly feel that this matter would somehow turn troublesome. After all, the people who opened casinos were not some friendly bunch, they would never hand over such a huge sum of money, more so in such a submissive manner.


    _¡®Alas. Tang Xiu is still too young. He shouldn¡¯t be able to see the crucial issue here,¡¯_ sighing inside, Fatty Li secretly decided that, were the other party really unwilling to pay, they also wouldn¡¯t make their moves here. A powerful dragon couldn¡¯t pressure the local snake, after all. Cheaply gaining profits inside another¡¯s turf would prove exceedingly difficult.


    ¡°Gentlemen, how should we discuss it?¡±


    Sitting in front of the two, Tagger lit a cigarette and put one of his legs atop the nother.


    ¡°What do you want to discuss exactly?¡± asked Tang Xiu back with a tranquil expression.


    ¡°We are all smart people. I don¡¯t want to beat around the bush with you. Our casino business is excellent, and we also make quite a fortune annually. Yet, 1 billion is too big a number, I¡¯m even suspecting that you have tampered with the machine. Hence, you won¡¯t take that 1 billion,¡± said Tagger with a smile.


    ¡°Then, you meaning is¡­ you want to renege on the pay, yes?¡± said Tang Xiu lightly.


    The smile on Tagger¡¯s face turned brighter, but the coldness in his eyes turned chillier. He looked at Tang Xiu, shook his head and said with a smile, ¡°What¡¯s your surname, Sir?¡±


    ¡°Tang,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Still smiling, Tagger continued, ¡°I think you¡¯re a wise man despite your young age, Mr. Tang. Some money is meant to be taken, while some others are not. Though we may give you that 1 billion, I¡¯m afraid you wouldn¡¯t be able to enjoy it either. It¡¯s better if you accept 10 million from our casino and this issue will be settled privately by us. What do you think?¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled and sighed in praise, ¡°You¡¯re rather a ruthless man, Mr. Tagger. Taking out 99% for yourself and leaving only 1% for me. Do you think I look like someone who needs 10 million?¡±


    For a moment, Tagger stared blankly before his brows furrowed, ¡°Did you not understand what I just said, Mr. Tang? Some people would kill for this amount. Do you think after you obtained such a huge sum of money you can still leave Saipan?¡±


    Full of self-confidence, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°I think I can!¡±


    The smile on Tagger¡¯s face disappeared completely and was replaced with a bit grim expression. He deeply smoked his cigarette, observing Tang Xiu with squinted eyes. There was not a chance that Tang Xiu would be able to leave Saipan alive after he got 1 billion; it was impossible for him to leave the city with the money.


    He knew who his boss was. A rich and powerful man with evident ruthlessness.


    More so that several shareholders behind this Lao Bay Resort were also powerful characters in Saipan, with each possessing formidable strength and energy. It could be said that nobody in Saipan dared to mess with them were they to join forces.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the man?¡±


    Outside the opened VIP lounge, Jasmine¡¯s voice transmitted to the inside.


    ¡°They are in this VIP room,¡± the low and deep voice of a man replied.


    As Jasmine¡¯s figure appeared in the door, a faint smile appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s face while Fatty Li looked somewhat worried since he didn¡¯t know whether Tang Xiu¡¯s face was big enough to make Jasmine let him get that money despite regarding him as a distinguished guest.


    When Jasmine entered the VIP room and her eyes landed on Tang Xiu and Fatty Li, she looked slightly surprised for a moment. She immediately approached Tang Xiu and said with a smile hung on her face, ¡°Were you the one who just won 1 billion in the casino, Mr. Tang?¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a light smile and said, ¡°When luck comes, even if one wants to stop it, they can¡¯t block it. It¡¯s kinda accidental, though. Yet, the people in charge of this resort are rather amazing! To think that the casino manager himself wants to renege on the debt. Also, if I¡¯m not misunderstanding it, he¡¯s also threatening me.¡±


    As for Tagger, who saw Jasmine¡¯s arrival, he immediately stopped smoking and stood up with a respectful expression. However, he stared blankly and was slightly surprised for a moment after he heard Jasmine and Tang Xiu converse. He didn¡¯t expect that Jasmine would know Tang Xiu.


    Jasmine slightly frowned. She turned and looked at Tagger, speaking in a heavy tone, ¡°Apologize to Mr. Tang.¡±


    Tagger knew who Jasmine was, and he was afraid of her since she was one of the Boss¡¯s woman and also his most trusted confidante.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Tang.¡±


    Letting out a faint smile, Tang Xiu then shifted his sight to Jasmine, ¡°May I ask whether I¡¯m entitled to receive the money I just won?¡±


    For a moment, Jasmine fell into hesitation before she respectfully said, ¡°Mr. Tang, I also don¡¯t have the authority over this issue. Could you give me some time to ask instructions from my boss?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, please do,¡± replied Tang Xiu and made a ¡®please, after you¡¯ gesture.


    At Redsand Bay Port.


    Tom Reggie was wiping off beads of sweat on his forehand, overseeing the laborers who were pushing the cruise liner into the sea. He could finally feel relieved. Right at this moment, his mobile suddenly rang.


    ¡°Yup. What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Boss, Mr. Tang is in our casino and just won 1 billion. What instructions do you have regarding this?¡±


    Tom Reggie had a change on his expression and fell into silence.


    He didn¡¯t tell Tang Xiu and Mo Awen that the Lao Bay Resort was one of his businesses, of which he owned 51% of the shares. Hence, Tang Xiu shouldn¡¯t be intentionally winning money in his casino.


    Furthermore, he was very curious about Tang Xiu¡¯s true identity. He believed that his identity was by no means simple for him be able to take Mo Awen as his subordinate. He knew perfectly well who Mo Awen was. Compared to him, Mo Awen was a character who was much more terrifying. There was once a time when their strength was equal; that was when they first met each other. But Mo Awen got more powerful a few years later, to the extent that he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to yield and give up.


    Not to mention that the moment he saw Tang Xiu and the others, he found something that made him faintly restless and disturbed. There was another big guy beside Mo Awen who looked like Mo Awen, with a dense aura exuding from his body, which made him feel apprehensive secretly.


    He could tell that the man was also a formidable individual.


    He didn¡¯t care about the money. What he cared about was Mo Awen¡¯s friendship as well as Tang Xiu¡¯s identity.


    For half a minute, Tom Reggie was lost in his reverie, before he slowly said, ¡°Give him the money. If he still wants to keep playing in the casino, let him.¡±


    ¡°But Boss, how would we explain this to the others?¡± asked Jasmine with knitted brows.


    ¡°I¡¯ll inform them that this 1 billion is on me,¡± said Tom Reggie heavily.


    Jasmine was startled inside as a shocked expression burst out from her eyes. She never thought that her Boss would make such a decision.


    What identity did Tang Xiu possess to even make her boss spare no effort to send 1 billion?


    ¡°Got it, Boss!¡±


    Jasmine replied and then went back to the VIP room. The smile on her face turned thicker as she spoke to Tang Xiu in a more respectful manner, ¡°Mr. Tang, our Boss has told me that if you still want to keep playing in the casino, you can enjoy yourself there to your heart¡¯s content. Also, please give me your account number, I¡¯ll have someone transfer 1 billion dollars to your account later.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Shocked, Tagger was shaken, looking at Tang Xiu in disbelief along with fear inside. Never did he ever thought that the Big Boss would actually give the money to the other party, more so in such a submissive manner¡­ Who was this young man in the end? Did he have a terrifying identity and background?


    ¡°Look for Mo Awen and transfer the money to his account later! But I¡¯m not playing in the casino anymore. Also, please convey my message to Tom Reggie: He¡¯s not bad.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Jasmine nodded and smiled. Suddenly, her expression changed and spoke softly, ¡°Mr. Tang, since you like gambling, why don¡¯t you stay and watch the unrestrained gambling later? It seems one of them is someone from your country.¡±


    Unrestrained gambling?


    Recalling what Geezer Fatty Li had said before, Tang Xiu suddenly showed a bit of interest. Meanwhile, Fatty Li himself had his curiosity toward Tang Xiu¡¯s identity soared to the extreme. Were he not in front of Jasmine and Tagger, he would have inquired about it again. At this moment, when he heard Jasmine speaking about the unrestrained gambling, his eyes turned bright and quickly said, ¡°Brother Tang, an event such as this unrestrained gambling is a rare show to behold. Especially with that guy from Qingcheng Mountain participating in this, which is a rarer occurrence. So, shall we take a look at it?¡±


    After pondering for a bit, Tang Xiu then nodded and said, ¡°Let¡¯s have a look then!¡±


    Jasmine smiled, ¡°There¡¯s still half an hour left before the unrestrained gambling begins. Would the two of you want to have a meal first? If so, I¡¯ll let the kitchen arrange it.¡±


    Recalling that he had a dinner appointment with Tom Reggie tonight, Tang Xiu immediately shook his head, ¡°No, thanks. It¡¯s just half an hour, I¡¯ll just accompany Fatty Li playing down there.¡±


    ¡°Fine, then!¡± said Jasmine. ¡°When the gamble is about to begin, I will send someone to fetch and guide you to the VIP lounge.¡±


    As Jasmine and Tagger left, Fatty Li immediately stared at Tang Xiu with an unusually serious expression as he asked solemnly, ¡°Brother Tang, this old fatty brother of yours has been sincere with you, yet you¡¯re still holding back? Tell me, who are you exactly? Why did the Big Boss of this Lao Bay Resort seem to fear you?¡±


    ¡°Like I said to you, the owner of this Lao Bay Resort is a life-and-death friend of my subordinate,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Shaking his head, Fatty Li said, ¡°People who would give hundreds of millions to their friends in present society are only a few, I think.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°Well, if you¡¯re really sincere to your friend, will you give him 1 billion?¡±


    ¡°But of course!¡± Fatty Li replied without hesitation.


    Shortly after, he dazed for a moment and then let out a wry and bitter smile, saying, ¡°Bah, forget it. Since you don¡¯t wanna say it, then I¡¯ll give up. In any case, I thought you were just a young fellow countryman on vacation when I got acquainted with you the first time. So our revolutionary friendship is very pure. Very, very pure.¡±


    ¡°It is indeed a pure one. However, I seem to recall that someone wanted to compete with me in the casino back then. Besides, you wouldn¡¯t be giving up so easily, would you, Fatty Li? Of course, someone like you who¡¯s frank and straightforward would freely admit defeat if you really lost, right?¡± said Tang Xiu with a faint smile.

 Chapter 293

    Chapter 293: Provocation


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Brat, you know I can¡¯t win 1 billion in this casino, but you still deliberately set me up. Holy mother, I admit I lost. I don¡¯t even have your deterrent. If I were to win 1 billion and take it, my dead body would probably be thrown into the sea to feed the sharks tonight,¡± rolling his eyes, Fatty Li snapped with a self-deprecating smile.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t doubt what Fatty Li just said. He knew perfectly well about the characters of these casino owners. Be it on Earth or in the Immortal World, those who ran gambling establishments were used to do some evil matters, where killing people and plundering their money and wealth was common.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get down, I¡¯ll accompany you to play.¡±


    As they walked to the hall downstairs, many eyes instantly landed on Tang Xiu. Though many of them were envious and jealous of him for winning 1 billion, the number of people who were full of pity and sympathy were even more.


    It was evident that they also knew some unspoken rules of the casino!


    Ignoring them, Tang Xiu walked alongside Fatty Old Li as he smiled and asked, ¡°What are you gonna play? I still have 990,000 chips left, so I¡¯ll play with you.¡±


    ¡°I can play anything,¡± Fatty Li smiled. ¡°Though I can play any game, I can¡¯t play too well in any of them.¡±


    After half an hour, Fatty Li lost all his 1 million chips and most of the 990 thousand chips on Tang Xiu were also spent. After having converted the remaining chips into 300-400 thousand dollars, he received a leather suitcase from the casino.


    ¡°Hello Sirs, our vice president ordered me to guide you to the VIP lounge on the second floor,¡± a handsome foreigner young man with a well-proportioned physique approached Tang Xiu and Fatty Li and spoke respectfully to them.


    ¡°Please lead the way!¡±


    After two minutes, they arrived at a spacious VIP lounge on the second floor. Dozens of people were already there at this time, standing on both sides of the railing outside the hall, watching the gambling table inside with four people, one man standing behind each one of them.


    Of the four were two men around their 30s, a 50-year-old man and a beautiful blonde with blue eyes whose age couldn¡¯t be discerned.


    Fatty Li gently touched Tang Xiu¡¯s arm and whispered, ¡°Do you see that flat head¡ªmonkey-like guy? He¡¯s Wang Rui from Qingcheng Mountain. He turns 34 this year and has a wealth of tens of billions.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s sight landed on Wang Rui for a while before glancing at the other two, finally fixating on that blonde belle. He slightly pursed his brows and had his vigilance slightly aroused, since he could keenly perceive a peculiar aura exuding from the woman. It was a type of aura which neither Daoist or immortal cultivators could have, but rather, the aura of the Whitewing clan members in the Immortal World.


    _¡®She¡¯s rather quite powerful, and I¡¯m afraid the current me is not her opponent.¡¯_


    Realizing that the beautiful belle seemed aware of him looking at her, Tang Xiu retracted his gaze back immediately and was secretly startled inside.


    Right at this time, the game just begun. Each one of them had a stack of chips in front of them while the one who acted as the dealer was a foreign middle-aged man.


    ¡°They are playing blackjack?¡± raising his brows, Tang Xiu whispered.


    Fatty Old Li nodded, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s blackjack. I don¡¯t like Wang Rui, but I hope he can win since his opponent is a Japanese. At least he can give honor and glory to our country and fiercely smash the arrogance of this Japanese.¡±


    Though Tang Xiu also had no favorable impression toward the Japanese, he was also disinclined to care about his fellow countryman. The one who piqued his attention was that blonde belle.


    The gambling house started.


    Wang Rui didn¡¯t bet many chips at the start. It was exactly because of this that the Japanese man became very arrogant as he taunted and mocked Wang Rui; even the foreigner old man also backed out. Yet the belle still held her smiling face regardless of her big or small cards, as if she belittled it. She even acted like Wang Rui and started betting small.


    Finally, after a dozen rounds, Wang Rui suddenly increased his bet, placing tens of millions chips. Though the Japanese man was loudly clamoring, but as a shrewd and astute man, he didn¡¯t raise the bet and chose to give up. The blond belle herself also chose the same.


    However, the foreigner old man pushed tens of millions of chips with disdain and followed the call. In the end, it Wang Rui¡¯s win.


    Twenty minutes later, the game had progressed to a more intense stage. Wang Rui constantly whispered with the middle-aged foreigner behind him. The Japanese man also refused to be outdone as he followed the call of the foreigner old man. In stark contrast was that blonde belle who gave up early.


    ¡°Brother Tang, the chips on the table just exceeded 500 million. Who amongst them can win this game according to you?¡± Fatty Old Li softly touched Tang Xiu and whispered.


    ¡°That Japanese man,¡± said Tang Xiu slowly.


    ¡°Definitely¡­¡±


    A middle-aged man beside Tang Xiu and Fatty Old Li, who heard their conversation, smirked at the duo.


    Tang Xiu glanced at him before his eyes went back to the gambling table. He just observed the three people¡¯s cards with his spiritual sense and found that the Japanese man was the one who held the biggest cards. Unless Wang Rui did something, this game was his loss.


    However, outside of everyone¡¯s expectations, Wang Rui suddenly gave up. Finally, the foreigner old man also lost to the Japanese man.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ Wang Rui, you¡¯ve lost most of your chips. If you keep going like this, it won¡¯t be long before you leave the casino with your ass naked,¡± the Japanese man taunted and mocked Wang Rui arrogantly.


    Wang Rui only let out a cold smile and didn¡¯t respond.


    The next game began. Wang Rui straightly pushed all of his chips and lightly said, ¡°I have 200 million left here! If I lose again this time, it means my skill is worse than yours. Begin!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in!¡±


    After looking at his cards, the Japanese man immediately smiled and pushed 200 million chips, followed by the foreigner old man. The belle also pushed 200 million chips.


    The game ended with Wang Rui¡¯s win. Not only did he win back the 300 million he had lost before, he even won more than 300 million.


    ¡°Baka! Continue!¡± The Japanese man angrily fumed.


    The next game started again. Wang Rui straightly pushed 400 million and said lightly, ¡°Each of you doesn¡¯t have enough chips on the table. Still, I want to bet my 400 million with you. If any of you win, you can have these 400 million chips. But if you lose, unless you exchange for more chips, this gambling house will be concluded.¡±


    The belle raised her brows as she suddenly turned her gaze to Tang Xiu, who was also looking at her. She immediately nodded to Tang Xiu before getting up and saying, ¡°I give up, you can continue playing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in!¡± (¡°I¡¯m in!¡±)


    The Japanese man and the foreigner old man spoke at the same time.


    The result of the game was a win for Wang Rui yet again. He completely swept the two men¡¯s chips clean. When Wang Rui mocked the Japanese man to his heart¡¯s content, the belle came before Tang Xiu. Under everyone gazes, she didn¡¯t speak and only looked at Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Is there something, beautiful lady?¡± asked Tang Xiu while letting out a tranquil and calm smile.


    The belle smiled softly, ¡°I like talented young men, especially a powerful one such as you. If you don¡¯t mind, how about playing with me?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°Small gambling is an enjoyment, but a big one will only harm you. I don¡¯t like gambling, so I can¡¯t accompany you.¡±


    The belle laughed, ¡°Since you don¡¯t want a big gamble, shall we find a quiet place and have a few cups together? To be honest, I¡¯m curious about you.¡±


    Tang Xiu fell silent for a moment and then slowly said, ¡°It¡¯s the same for me too. Anyways, I will have a private party myself. You can join me if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    The belle gave a gesture and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go back and change my clothes first. Tell me where you¡¯re staying, I¡¯ll find you later.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Telling her the villa¡¯s number where he was staying, Tang Xiu then spoke to the Fatty Old Li, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Looking at the departing belle¡¯s back, Fatty Old Li said in astonishment, ¡°Brother Tang, do you know that rich woman?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    A strange look covered Fatty Old Li¡¯s face as he said, ¡°Brother Tang, you¡¯re amazing. Not only is your good luck heaven-defying, even such a rich pretty belle throws herself to you. But alas, how come this Fatty Old Li¡¯s turn didn¡¯t come to get such a good thing? Damn! God is really unfair!¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°Do you think that woman is good? How about I send her to your room later?¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t! A gentleman never snatches anything a man¡¯s fond of. You keep that woman and have fun with her!¡± Fatty Old Li waved his hand repeatedly before he continued in a low voice, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not by myself in this trip to Saipan. My wife and my daughter are also with me. So, you know¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help bursting into laughter. He nodded and said, ¡°If so, bring big sis-in-law and niece to drink a few cups at my place this evening.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Fatty Old Li nodded with a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s a small world, eh. I didn¡¯t expect to bump into you, Boss Li. It¡¯s really my good luck!¡± Wang Rui, who had also discovered Fatty Old Li at this time, approached and greeted all smiling after he exchanged his chips with the casino staff and accepted his money.


    Rolling his eyes at him, Fatty Old Li snorted, ¡°Don¡¯t give me such entrained words, kiddo! You just won big tonight, shouldn¡¯t you be the one to treat me?¡±


    Wang Rui laughed, ¡°No probs. Let¡¯s have the Seven Goddesses Dance later. I promise to let you play and enjoy yourself to the full tonight.¡±


    Fatty Old Li replied in a mocking tone, ¡°Fuck that. Look at my body, can¡¯t you see that I can¡¯t play? Come here, I¡¯ll introduce you to my Little Bro I just met when I had a Thai Massage today. He¡¯s surnamed Tang, Tang Xiu.¡±


    A brilliant light flashed in Wang Rui¡¯s eyes. He didn¡¯t show any contempt nor belittlement just because he didn¡¯t know Tang Xiu¡¯s identity as he said with a smile, ¡°Brother Tang, it¡¯s my pleasure to meet you! Fatty Old Li may have a careless and blunt personality, though that mouth of his usually speaks nonsensical things, yet he has keen eyes for people! So I¡¯m sure you, Little Brother, must also be someone excellent.¡±


    ¡°Brother Wang also has a rather skillful means. That ¡®replacing the original with a fake¡¯ technique of yours is superb and has reached perfection. Had I not witnessed it myself, I wouldn¡¯t have expected that the trusted adviser at your side was but only a guise. The real amazing person turns out to be you,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Wang Rui¡¯s complexion changed. He quickly turned and glanced around. Finding that although there were many people around observing, nobody was actually able to hear Tang Xiu¡¯s words.


    ¡°Is Brother Tang also good in gambling?¡±

 Chapter 294

    Chapter 294: Giving Directions


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°I rarely play, though. I¡¯m not interested in the gambling itself,¡± said Tang Xiu whilst shaking his head.


    Wang Rui smiled, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s the same for me. I¡¯m not into gambling myself, but I like the challenge and love to feel the adrenaline rush. I play a lot of things that challenge my limits; I¡¯d be going nuts if I had no means to solve it. You know what? That Japanese man is kinda timid.¡±


    Coward?


    Inside, Tang Xiu begged to differ. Some of the Japanese were indeed timid and cowards. Yet, there were also some of them whose dispositions were extreme and bold. Though Tang Xiu disliked this nation and its people, yet he clearly knew that even despicable ethnic groups and nations would also possess some good points and traits.


    It seemed like¡­ this man undertook such actions to have a strong and unyielding awareness!


    It was obvious that Geezer Fatty Li knew this Wang Rui a lot since he quickly spoke, ¡°Wang Rui, don¡¯t contaminate Brother Tang with your bad influence. He¡¯s a good little brother and not like you, who likes to play those extreme challenges; he won¡¯t seek the feeling of adrenaline rush for no reason either.¡±


    Wang Rui shrugged his shoulders as he replied with a smile, ¡°Since Fatty Li cares a lot about Brother Tang, then forget it. I thought I just bumped into someone interesting. An expert is really lonely!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression flickered. Watching at Wang Rui¡¯s posture that indicated he was about to leave, he said, ¡°If you want to find more adrenaline rush actions, I¡¯ll give you a suggestion.¡±


    Wang Rui was stunned, yet there was contempt flashing in his eyes. Still, he casually asked, ¡°What do you suggest?¡±


    ¡°Two men under me are martial arts experts who have gone through many fights with other masters. With your strength, are they sufficient to accompany you playing? Let¡¯s have an agreement first. You need stimulation and the rush of adrenalin. So don¡¯t bear a grudge against me if you¡¯re devastated by them.¡±


    Wang Rui couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°Would I be devastated? Those who can devastate me have yet to be born! Great. Since you¡¯re Geezer Fatty Li¡¯s little brother, I¡¯ll accompany your two men to play!¡±


    Tang Xiu told him the villa number he was staying and then said, ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting outside my villa 12 o¡¯clock tonight.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    Giving an OK gesture, Wang Rui then left leisurely.


    After Wang Rui turned around and left, Tang Xiu keenly noted that four inconspicuous-looking men nearby, with exceptionally calm and steady paces, quietly followed him along the way. The four men seemed not disturbed and instead, seemed to maintain their composure, protecting him quietly.


    Geezer Fatty Li looked at him and asked in astonishment, ¡°Brother Tang, why did you make this agreement with him? As far as I know, Wan Rui is a martial arts expert, and it seems that his kung fu is also good. There¡¯s a powerful and formidable individual in the Northwest called Yang Xianyu, and I heard he has reached the realm of martial arts grandmaster. Yet, rumors said that he and Wang Rui had once compared notes and Wang Rui didn¡¯t lose.¡±


    Yang Xianyu?


    Surprise flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. He met Yang Xianyu from the Northwest in the Soaring Dragon Martial School. He also met him at Star City Chinese Medical Hospital to cure his wife¡¯s strange illness.


    However, he secretly scoffed inside. With Yang Xianyu¡¯s kung fu, how could he be compared to Wang Rui? This man may look sluggish, sloppy and uncoordinated, but his pace was steady with a measured distance for each step. Even during walking, his posture automatically formed a defensive stance. Such performance explained that he experienced numerous extremely dangerous situations. Those who could display such a state were formidable experts.


    Hence, Yang Xianyu was not Wang Rui¡¯s opponent.


    Perhaps, even if there were three to five Yang Xianyus, they were not necessarily Wang Rui¡¯s match.


    Ten minutes later, Tang Xiu and Geezer Fatty Li parted ways. As he left the casino, he saw a sightseeing car and rode it back to his villa. There, he saw Mo Awen sitting cross-legged on the balcony of the second floor of the villa, facing the ocean and immersing himself in cultivation silently. He secretly nodded.


    Diligence! It was the most important attitude one must have as a immortal cultivator.


    Cultivating oneself toward immortality was like a boat sailing against the waves and currents. Were one unable to move forward, one would inevitably be left behind. If Mo Awen could persevere and constantly improve his strength, someday in the future he would perhaps really be able to reach the realm of immortals. To traverse through the void and ascend to the Immortal World.


    ¡°You¡¯re back, Boss!¡±


    With his keen hearing, Mo Awen could hear Tang Xiu¡¯s footsteps as he immediately stood after opening his eyes, speaking respectfully.


    Waving his hand, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Has Awu come back yet?¡±


    Forcing out a wry smile, Mo Awen replied, ¡°Every time he goes to relax, he won¡¯t finish it before spending several hours. Unless something dangerous occurs.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s forget him then. Anyways, the arranged banquet this evening by Tom Reggie is about to begin. Let¡¯s wait for dinner and have a chat. I may have to leave earlier, though. There are some matters to attend to.¡±


    Surprised, Mo Awen asked, ¡°Is there anything you wanna do, Boss? Do you need me to take care of it?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°You just need to eat and drink well at tonight¡¯s banquet so you can keep your spirit high. However, I¡¯ve found a good opponent for you at midnight to fight. I hope you can win against him.¡±


    ¡°Is the man an enemy?¡± inquired Mo Awen.


    ¡°No, he¡¯s not an enemy. He¡¯s just a proud and conceited guy. You don¡¯t have to slay him, though. Just teach him a lesson to make him realize the truth, that there¡¯s another sky above and there will always be someone else who is better than him.¡±


    ¡°I assure you that I¡¯ll accomplish the task.¡±


    Mo Awen¡¯s spirit aroused as he replied in a deep tone.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to take this contest as an assignment, though. The man didn¡¯t let out the slightest clue about his strength, so you can regard him as your opponent in a chess game. It will be a good sharpening stone to strengthen your martial path. I believe that, if you can win against him, you will accumulate a lot of experience from actual combat against powerful experts.¡±


    ¡°But my experience is rich enough,¡± said Mo Awen confidently.


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°Awen, you may have very rich combat experience and had once gone through numerous life-and-death situations and eventually survived. Yet, this is not the same. Back then, what you have gone through were the baptism of bullets and the easy killings of enemies with weak combat strength, whereas you have little experience fighting powerful experts who possess a strength almost equal to yours, am I right?¡±


    Mo Awen fell into deep thought for a while before he nodded and said, ¡°You¡¯re right, Boss. Ever since my strength started to progress by leaps and bounds seven or eight years ago, I rarely encountered equals. Hence, my strength has been slowly progressing since then. But after Elder Ji taught me an immortal cultivation technique, the True Qi in my body has gone through a qualitative change, and it¡¯s all been transformed into True Essence. Thus, I felt that my strength once again increased immensely and became several-fold stronger than before. Furthermore, I haven¡¯t encountered any opponents at my level.¡±


    ¡°Battle against formidable experts always have moments where they put their lives on the stake. It will arouse their potentials, thus, they can advance and progress afterward. It¡¯s not in my intention to see you put your life on the stake, but I hope you can comprehend its essence in the fights between powerful experts through combats,¡± said Tang Xiu


    ¡°I understand your meaning and intention, Boss,¡± said Mo Awen.


    Patting his shoulder, Tang Xiu then turned around, looking through the darkness outside toward the dark sky. A smile was outlined on his mouth yet chilling coldness filled the air.


    No pain, no gain. One cannot achieve glory and wealth without going through trials and tribulations.


    Cultivating oneself and treading the path to immortality had always been thorny and rough. If one wanted to go further, one had to become stronger. And it was inevitable for one to fight against the Heaven, the Earth and all walks of life. Back then in the Immortal World, which powerful expert who rose above others and seized the Supreme throne didn¡¯t step on the bodies of countless people?


    The words he had just said to Mo Awen, wasn¡¯t it also the words he said to himself? He had tasted the feeling of having fallen to the Earth from the sky, enduring the pain of losing his strength. Someday in the future, he would return to the Immortal World to seek his mortal enemies, stepping on their dead bodies and completing his journey to immortality to step into the portal of the God World.


    _¡®All of you should keep yourselves well to wait for me. Just wash your necks clean and wait for my return to the Immortal World.¡¯_


    Tang Xiu gripped his fists tightly as green veins protrude on his arms. His killing intent made Mo Awen shiver inside as he staggered backward for half a step unconsciously.


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu turned around and looked at the apprehensive-looking Mo Awen. He pointed at the vast and endless ocean and said in a heavy tone, ¡°Tell me, what do you see there?¡±


    Mo Awen thought for a while and said, ¡°It¡¯s the sea.¡±


    ¡°What else?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Is there anything else?


    Frowning, a look of being in hard and deep thought flashed in Mo Awen¡¯s eyes. Eventually, he shook his head, ¡°Except for the sea and the night, I can¡¯t see anything else, Boss.¡±


    ¡°Awen, do you know why I like you?¡± asked Tang Xiu lightly.


    ¡°Why?¡± asked Mo Awen back as his look changed.


    ¡°Because you¡¯re intelligent and astute. You know that oftentimes, wisdom and intelligence are more fearsome than combat strength. I asked Gu Xiaoxue about you, and she told me a lot,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Boss, I don¡¯t get what you mean,¡± said Mo Awen.


    ¡°I want to tell you that the path of cultivation is not to blindly pursue power, but also to improve your attitude, your inner self. You and Awu possess strong willpower, but you have yet to really comprehend anything pertaining to what a true cultivator is. I have encountered a lot of people, and they were blindly pursuing strength and neglecting to nurture their state of mind, resulting in them failing to cross their tribulations since they couldn¡¯t overcome their mental demons. In the end, they ended up dying and vanished,¡± said Tang Xiu faintly.


    Mo Awen inquire further, ¡°What is this crossing tribulation you just said, Boss? Is it like in the Xianxia novels?¡±


    ¡°There are some differences, but only a little,¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod.


    Once again, Mo Awen asked, ¡°Then, how should we practice our state of mind at the same time, Boss?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°Cultivating your mental state is to pay attention to your senses. I¡¯ll use the simplest example to explain it to you. For instance, the question I just asked you about what you can perceive when you see outside. You said that you only see the sea and the night sky. Do you know what I saw there?¡±


    Puzzled, Mo Awen asked again, ¡°Then, what did you see, Boss?¡±


    ¡°I saw a vastness and broadness, the boundlessness mixed within; sensed the meaning of the boundless ocean¡¯s existence; and finally, I saw the beauty and mysteries of the curtain of night in the vault of heaven,¡± said Tang Xiu in a deep tone.


    Astute and intelligent as he was, Mo Awen instantly comprehend the meaning behind Tang Xiu¡¯s words, ¡°Boss, your meaning is to explore and learn as well as to think and pursue knowledge?¡±

 Chapter 295

    Chapter 295: Viviani


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Mo Awen¡¯s perception satisfied Tang Xiu, feeling that what he had just said was worth it. Finally, he concluded, ¡°Describing it as exploration and learning as well as thinking about ideas and pursuing knowledge is also right. But to cultivators, there is a more comprehensive summary. Perceiving the inclusiveness of myriads of lives between the Heaven and Earth, which carried along profound virtues along the path, and transforming one¡¯s state of mind.¡±


    Hearing these words, it as if a bright beacon light pointed the right direction as it lingering inside Mo Awen¡¯s sea of mind and heart.


    A world of flowers and trees where one¡¯s heart and soul learned to feel.


    Moving with the feelings, learning by the heart.


    As Mo Awen felt all this, his heart suddenly palpitated, causing him to sit cross-legged on the balcony and slowly close his eyes.


    For a moment Tang Xiu was dazed, as a strange expression then was revealed on his face. He hadn¡¯t expected that his words would actually touch and stir Mo Awen¡¯s heart. With his extremely keen senses, Tang Xiu could perceive that some Heaven and Earth spiritual qi began to drift and gather toward Mo Awen. His expression immediately turned happy as he quietly left the balcony.


    Half an hour later, Mo Awen, who looked highly spirited and vigorous, came along with Tom Reggie who looked surprised. Tang Xiu gestured him to keep silent as the three then walked to the first floor¡¯s hall. Afterward, Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Awen can¡¯t be disturbed for the time being. By the way, how come the two of you came together?¡±


    Forcing out a wry smile, Tom Reggie replied, ¡°Mr. Tang, I just learned that Mo Awu is Awen¡¯s biological brother. These brothers are really amazing!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re referring to¡­ their combat strength?¡± asked Tang Xiu, surprised.


    Whilst shaking his head, Tom Reggie replied, ¡°Combat force? I wouldn¡¯t be this shocked if it was only this. What I¡¯m talking about is his strength as a man. Three long hours. He was in the room for three hours and made four women unable to crawl out from the bed. I¡¯ve seen a bunch of men who are powerful in this aspect, yet nobody is stronger than him.¡±


    Intense envy covered his face as he talked.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s lips twitched violently a few times as he flung his face straightly to the side. He had never thought that Mo Awu turned out to be a sturdy, valiant stud. Tang Xiu could consider himself as being not bad in this aspect. But compared to Mo Awu, was he better? He was simply¡­ a jet fighter in the shell of a man.


    ¡°Well, come and sit down. Let¡¯s chat.¡±


    Shifting the topic, Tang Xiu motioned the two to sit down.


    ¡°Boss, Awen, he¡­¡± inquired Mo Awu.


    Tang Xiu lifted his hand to interrupt him and said with a slight smile, ¡°He¡¯s good; better than he was before. Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯ll come down after a while.¡±


    ¡°En!¡±


    Mo Awu knew Tang Xiu wouldn¡¯t deceive him. Hence, he nodded and no longer asked.


    Looking at Tom Reggie, Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Anyways, I have some friends attending tonight¡¯s banquet, is that fine with you?¡±


    ¡°No probs. Your friends are also my friends. Besides, I only have a few friends anyway,¡± said Tom Reggie with a smile.


    An inexplicable feeling surged inside Tang Xiu¡¯s heart when he looked at him.


    Friends?


    It was because of his friends that he had to suffer many pains. Though the current him seemed to have a lot of friends, the ones who were really sincere were but only a few. Even he himself was still keeping his vigilance toward them. It was unlikely he would ditch his friends, but making friends was something he was very careful towards.


    People said that one should refrain from hurting others, yet one must guard against those trying to hurt them.


    He himself was indeed considered as someone who had once been bitten by a snake and became a person who feared a good rope ten years afterward.


    For instance, was Fatty Li whom he just got acquainted with today. The man had a straightforward and forthright personality, a character he liked. Yet, there¡¯s no knowing what is in a man¡¯s heart. Who could guarantee that Fatty Li wasn¡¯t concealing malice inside? Tang Xiu believed the saying that there had never been such a thing called as reliable in this world, for there was only the weight of interests and benefits which could transform trust unreliable.


    He had once read such a post on the internet. There was a pair of twin brothers. The eldest brother was honest and considerate, looking after his younger brother dearly and wholeheartedly. But then, in his drunken time, he spat out the truth in his post: _If anyone gives me 100 million to make me get rid of my younger brother, I¡¯ll be sure to stab my him¡­ I will think over and consider it if anyone gives me 1 billion to make me sell out my brother¡­ Whoever gives me 10 billion to make me sell my brother, I¡¯ll take the money and scatter them around._


    While betrayal itself was not by means impossible, yet the price was far too high.


    Just like Du Changze and Qi Chengshan in Hong Kong. The two had been friends for decades, either in business cooperation or personal friendship they were well-known as best buddies, yet, after Du Changze paid three billion in compensation, he took advantage from Qi Chengshan by selling the information only to alleviate some of his loss.


    Looking at Tang Xiu who fell into a daze, Tom Reggie frowned and asked, ¡°Mr. Tang, is there anything wrong with my words?¡±


    Getting back to his senses, Tang Xiu shook his head and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Sometimes, having a lot of friends is rather meddlesome. The world is big and there are many means to make friends. So, prudently making friends is a must.¡±


    Tom Reggie clapped, ¡°Be cautious in making friends¡­ Mr. Tang is a young man, yet you can understand thoroughly about the nature of worldly wisdom. Well, it¡¯s not bad.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled and no spoke longer.


    Shortly after, dozens of Lao Bay Resort¡¯s staff came with sumptuous dishes and fine wines. Since the Big Boss here¡ªTom Reggie would like to entertain his friends, they were instructed to bring the best wines and dishes from the resort¡¯s collections.


    During their busy bustle, Tang Xiu and Tom Reggie chatted in the first floor¡¯s hall. As for Mo Awu who had just finished a ¡®marathon¡¯, he was smiling ear to ear with a red face as he ran upstairs to sleep.


    Quickly, Fatty Li arrived, bringing along his wife and daughter. What surprised Tang Xiu was that his wife looked young, appearing in her 40s, while his daughter was unexpectedly a year younger than Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Uncle Tang.¡±


    Li Wenwen called out, albeit looking slightly reluctant.


    She was quite angry and felt awkward for being forced by her father to address a young man who was as young as herself as ¡°uncle¡±. Were they related by blood and seniority in generation existed between them, she actually wouldn¡¯t mind. Yet, prior to this, she and Tang Xiu were but only strangers. They were not related at all. Hence, addressing him as such was really depressing for her.


    Tang Xiu himself knew very well about the ideas of the old traditional customs. Watching Li Wenwen, who looked reluctant, he shook his head and smiled, ¡°You don¡¯t need to care about the address. Let Wenwen call me Tang Xiu or Brother Tang. It¡¯s fine either way. Besides, we are living in a new era, Fatty Li, we don¡¯t need to use these old traditions to bind the youngsters. Each idea is fine as it is!¡±


    Fatty Li¡¯s wife, a gentle and experienced woman halfway to her middle-age, also felt that it was rather inappropriate for her daughter to address a young man as ¡°uncle¡±. Thus, she said, ¡°Indeed, youngsters can get along with each other.¡±


    Fatty Li stared blankly and chuckled to himself, saying, ¡°Since Brother Tang said so, I¡¯ll become a joke if I insist. Have it your way, then.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled and pointed to Tom Reggie, ¡°He¡¯s Tom Reggie, the friend of my man and a local boss here.¡±


    Letting out a smile, Tom Reggie shook hands with Fatty Li and laughed, ¡°Mr. Li, I welcome your family to Saipan. Since Mr. Tang has introduced you, no matter how long you¡¯re staying and whatever services and needs you wish to have, you can freely ask the resort¡¯s staff. I will also inform the resort to exempt you from the expenses.¡±


    ¡°Exempted from expenses?¡± Fatty Li stared blankly.


    Prior to this, the vice president of the resort¡ªAi Jasmine had given him a discount, and it was a big surprise to him. He didn¡¯t expect that he would even be exempted from expenses.


    Could he be¡­ the big boss here?


    Fatty Li glanced at Tang Xiu and gently blinked his eyes.


    ¡°Tom Reggie is Jasmine¡¯s Boss,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    In an instant, Fatty Li understood. It seemed that this Tom Reggie was really the Boss of this Lao Bay Resort. After all, the vice president of Lao Bay Resort was Ai Jasmine, and her boss was Tom Reggie. Hence, he could clearly realize right away that this identity was not mistaken.


    ¡°Thank you! Please contact me at once when you visit our country. I¡¯ll be sure to put everything aside to accompany you there,¡± said Fatty Li with a smile.


    Tom Reggie nodded with a smile.


    Right at this time, a beautiful young woman arrived. She was wearing a white dress and several centimeters high heels, carried a white bag in her hands, and her loose graceful hair was blonde. Her each and every movement gave off a strong and intense feminine vibe.


    ¡°Good evening. Did I come late?¡±


    Her beautiful voice reached everyone¡¯s ears.


    Tang Xiu raised his brows with a stunned expression in his eyes. However, before he could reply, Tom Reggie, whose complexion slightly changed, strode forward to greet her, ¡°Welcome, Ms. Viviani. Does our Lao Bay Resort live up to your satisfaction?¡±


    Viviani nodded and replied with a smile, ¡°You have a great place here.¡±


    Her single sentence made Tom Reggie smile as he nodded repeatedly, ¡°It¡¯s great if you feel that way.¡±


    Tang Xiu and Fatty Li glanced at each other. They could tell from Tom Reggie¡¯s behavior and demeanor that Viviani¡¯s identity was unusual to even make a rich and powerful man such as him to treat her with a hint of flattery and such.


    What kind of identity did she have to even make Tom Reggie treat her like that?


    ¡°Your name is Viviani?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    She laughed lightly, ¡°Of course. I haven¡¯t had the chance to learn your name, though!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Tang Xiu. Tang for magnificence and abundance, and Xiu for learning and cultivating,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Viviani smiled and replied, ¡°Tang Xiu, it¡¯s a good name. Are you Chinese? It¡¯s a great country. Mystical oriental ancient kingdoms with a long history and culture, which is my favorite subject to study.¡±


    ¡°Where are you from?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Rome!¡± answered Viviani with a smile.


    Tang Xiu raised his brows. He had some guesses about Viviani¡¯s origins. The Church of Rome was also known as the Holy See of Vatican. Her mysterious force should originate from the cultivation system of the Vatican. However, he had no knowledge about this system.


    ¡°Well, all roads lead to Rome. It¡¯s a Holy Land inside countless people¡¯s heart. A great place,¡± said Tang Xiu serenely.


    Viviani replied with a smile, ¡°Tang Xiu, can we find a place to chat alone? Frankly, I¡¯m quite interested in you.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before he nodded, ¡°I¡¯m equally interested in a beautiful woman such as you. Please come with me!¡±

 Chapter 296

    Chapter 296: A Ridiculous Request


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    A gentle, cool breeze was blowing on the coastline. Tang Xiu folded his arms, standing there as though a sculpture. He looked at Viviani, who had taken off her shoes and was running barefoot on the beach. Viviani¡¯s exotic beauty gave him a kind of pleasant and wonderful feeling, just like the exotic beauty of a fairy maiden he once saw in the Immortal World.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, do you like the sea?¡±


    In her fluttering white dress, Viviani¡¯s arms were moving as though in a dance, as its owner then suddenly turned and shouted loudly.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and calmly replied, ¡°People have seven emotions and six sensory pleasures, whereas the sea is a representation of the capricious state of mind. I myself am not someone who is fond of things that are beyond my control.¡±


    Viviani came floating as her gem-like eyes gazed at Tang Xiu, asking curiously, ¡°You can¡¯t control the sea?¡±


    ¡°The current me is indeed unable to do so,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Then, what can you control now?¡± asked Viviani with a laugh.


    ¡°What I can control at present, is perhaps my own destiny,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°You¡ªChinese people, do you not think that all the things regarding life are a subject that has been foreordained by the Heaven? Why would you say that you can control your own destiny? To my knowledge thus far, there has never been one who can really control their own destinies. After all, the distinction between the standings of life; the social hierarchy and the situation and policy of a country; each and every one of them pose their own strong restrictions,¡± said Viviani.


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°Your argument is quite justified, but it¡¯s not entirely correct either. For example, yourself. You can go anywhere in the world whenever you wish to, and you can survive wherever you are. The very thing that binds you is your own state of mind. Nothing else.¡±


    ¡°Why would you say so?¡± asked Viviani, surprised.


    ¡°Because you¡¯re strong enough! Powerful people are and will always be placed above all else,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Viviani was silent. Tang Xiu¡¯s words stirred up her emotions. She thought Tang Xiu¡¯s argument was reasonable since ever since she was born, her body appeared to have different changes and transformations compared to ordinary people. She couldn¡¯t tell whether these changes were good or bad, but she was aware that she possessed stronger strength, spirit, health, learning speed, and survival abilities far more than that of an ordinary person¡¯s.


    Hence, she was recruited by a transcendental organization, from whereupon she was trained. Thereafter, she had long since become a special existence; the only god-like existence in the entirety of Holy See. She was thereupon canonized as a saintess who was thought as unlikely to become the next Pope, yet she possessed equal standing and privileges just like the Pope.


    It was because she possessed strength!


    Yet, even though she directly left the Vatican when she was 14 years old and had been wandering around like a rootless duckweed ever since, still despite this, she didn¡¯t dare say that she was in control of her own destiny.


    ¡°You¡¯re an arrogant person!¡±


    After dazing for a long period of time, Viviani looked at Tang Xiu and spoke. However, her eyes shot out an indescribable splendor in the dark night.


    Tang Xiu replied with a smile, ¡°It is not that I¡¯m arrogant. It¡¯s because I¡¯m strong enough. Though I can tell your body contains a force stronger than mine, but if we really fight each other, you are not my match. If I really have to use everything I got, I have at least a dozen means to kill you.¡±


    Viviani smiled brilliantly, ¡°Why would I fight you? It¡¯s been hard for me to find an interesting person, to begin with. So it¡¯s a given that I will get along with you well. Anyways, I heard you won 1 billion in the casino?¡±


    ¡°It was just an accident, and perhaps it was due to my good luck. But you yourself seemed to have lost a lot,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Spreading out her hands, Viviani replied, ¡°Actually, for people like us, money is something that should be easy to get, no? One of my abilities grants me the ability to cheat in gambling. But I detest cheating since I will easily lose interest.¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his thumbs up and praised with a sigh, ¡°You¡¯re far better than me. As for me, the speed I spend money is way faster than the the speed I use in making it. Hence, I¡¯m a poor man.¡±


    ¡°Tee¡­ hee¡­ You¡ªChinese like modesty huh? You just said that both of us are very powerful, how about we have a casual fight? Ever since I turned 16, never once have I ever met anyone stronger than me. Even those who are very powerful in the eyes of ordinary people cannot withstand a slap from me.¡±


    Tang Xiu himself indeed wanted to compare notes with Viviani. But when he heard that she hadn¡¯t encountered any experts ever since she turned 16, the thought disappeared. He shook his head and said, ¡°You have a little combat experience. Fighting you won¡¯t have any significance at all. Forget it!¡±


    Viviani¡¯s brows turned crisscrossed as she said resentfully, ¡°Tang Xiu, do you think I can¡¯t hit you?¡±


    For a second, Tang Xiu blankly stared, before he burst into laughter, ¡°Well, I gotta admit that you can indeed beat me. Is this alright with you, though? Let¡¯s just go back and eat something inside.¡±


    Viviani didn¡¯t say anything. She instantly moved and appeared at Tang Xiu¡¯s side as her pair of white slender hands slapped toward Tang Xiu.


    Her speed was fast, even faster than Tang Xiu¡¯s best speed. Just as her palm was about to slap Tang Xiu¡¯s shoulder, Tang Xiu quickly dodged and evaded it.


    ¡°Haia¡­¡±


    Shouting delicately, Viviani¡¯s body suddenly shot up high for about seven to eight meters¡¯ mid-air. Her body rotated while flapping her arms down.


    Tang Xiu knitted his brows. He found that Viviani was simply clueless about how to fight. Though she was extremely fast, she revealed many flaws he could exploit at any time.


    ¡°Move back!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s toe forcefully tossed the ground and evaded Viviani¡¯s whipping palms in an instant. His body appeared at her side as his hands moved lightning fast, grabbing her supple and slender waist in an instant. As his wrist raised and moved, he instantly caught her in his arms.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Losing her balance, Viviani could feel warmness coming from Tang Xiu¡¯s hands as well as felt his thick, strong chest as Tang Xiu pulled her into his embrace.


    ¡°Do you get it now? Your speed and strength are better than mine. But you know nothing about combat skills. I can easily defeat you if I wish to. Hence, comparing notes between us is useless. If you wanna see what a combat scene looks like, you can see it later since there will be a fight tonight,¡± said Tang Xiu whilst smiling.


    Viviani¡¯s hands were hooked on the back of Tang Xiu¡¯s neck. Her fair white face blushed as the brilliant splendor of her eyes turned more intense. Just as Tang Xiu finished talking, her arms, which were hooked on the back of Tang Xiu¡¯s neck, suddenly exerted a pulling force, causing her sensual red lips to be pasted directly on Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes turned saucer and dazed for a short while. He had calculated everything, but he hadn¡¯t predicted that Viviani would unexpectedly take the initiative to kiss him; her speed didn¡¯t allow him to avoid it.


    ¡°STOP IT!¡±


    He directly put her down and broke out from her arms while being at a loss whether he had to feel amused or embarrassed.


    Viviani pursed up her lips and then stretched out her pink-colored tongue to lick them as if tasting the aftertaste of the kiss just now. She then giggled and said, ¡°Our kiss was just so-so. It¡¯s like those ordinary lovers¡¯ acts on TV. Had it been real lovers, the kiss would have been a French kiss, no? Anyways, I feel good toward very few men since I was small until I grew up, so I never knew what a French kiss felt like. How about you let me try it?¡±


    What a ridiculous request!


    Never once had Tang Xiu ever heard such an absurd, ridiculous request. Viviani was still a woman regardless. From her behavior, it was evident that she was definitely a woman who had few experiences in human affairs.


    ¡°Viviane, you may have not experienced it, but it doesn¡¯t mean you have never seen people do it, no? Those shown on TV series are all closely related to reality. Thus, you should realize that only people who are mutually in love can kiss each other. Otherwise, it means that you¡¯re behaving indecently. Do you want to be an immoral woman and become an object of mockery by others?¡± In order to stop her ridiculousness, Tang Xiu spoke quickly.


    Viviani was stunned and in a daze. Immediately after, she laughed back and forth, even finally clutching her stomach. She pointed at Tang Xiu as she said with a smile, ¡°Pfft¡­ I never thought¡­ I really have never thought that you¡ªMr. Tang would actually be this interesting. Do you really think I¡¯m just a child who knows nothing? Pfft¡­ Hahaha¡­ to be frank, I was just teasing you!¡±


    Feeling secretly relieved, Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°I¡¯m relieved since you were just teasing me. Anyways, let¡¯s go eat something and drink a good wine inside.¡±


    Viviani ran to the side to grab her high heels and carried it by hand. She then followed Tang Xiu walking back to the villa. However, her mouth didn¡¯t stay idle, ¡°May I ask something, Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°What do you wanna ask?¡±


    ¡°Do you have a girlfriend? Or¡­ are you married?¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before he replied, ¡°It seems like it¡¯s a no and yes. Alas, feelings and sentiments are complicated. It¡¯s kinda unclear to speak it out in a short sentence, though.¡±


    Surprised and astonished, Viviani replied, ¡°So to say, you can be counted as having been taken and yet you¡¯re also a free man, right? Then let¡¯s employ a more practical action here. You got problems with your girlfriend, no? You¡¯re lucky I chose to eat some losses to try to be your girlfriend. After all, you are one of the extremely few men I don¡¯t dislike.¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand, ¡°No need, thanks. Maybe I¡¯ll have one immediately anyway.¡±


    Viviani snapped humorlessly, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that I¡¯m not as good a woman as her? Why do I feel you seem to be excluding me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m repeling you. It¡¯s merely because I don¡¯t plant to be burdened with affections. Got it?¡± said Tang Xiu


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t get it!¡± replied Viviani.


    After pondering for a moment, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Let me say it this way! The affections between a man and a woman are precisely a burden, and I hate to have this kind of burden. This is the reason why I¡¯m unlikely to find a girlfriend. In the case that I feel like having descendants to carry on my ancestral line, then I¡¯ll just casually try to find a woman to marry. I only need her to bear my child. There¡¯s no need to think and talk about affections whatsoever.¡±


    Marveling with a sigh, Viviani exclaimed, ¡°It¡¯s a very peculiar way of thinking you have there. You¡¯re really strange. I just said those words to tease you because it¡¯s also impossible for me to fall for you in our first meeting. It¡¯s just that, I felt the necessity to entangle you; hence, I spoke about sentiments. Only, I now find you to be more and more interesting.¡±


    Forcing out a wry smile, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not a toy. To think that you regard me as interesting, I don¡¯t know whether I have to cry or laugh. Well, put on your shoes quickly. Let¡¯s go eat something.¡±


    Complying, Viviani then suddenly said, ¡°By the way, do you wanna know why one of the bosses here¡ªTom Reggie knows and respects me so much?¡±

 Chapter 297

    Chapter 297: The Mingled Grief and Hatred.


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Hearing Viviani¡¯s sudden revelation, a confused look appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s handsome face as he asked in surprise, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m rich!¡± Viviani proudly smiled.


    Struck dazed, Tang Xiu rolled his eyes immediately. He was indeed puzzled by the attitude shown by Tom Reggie toward Viviani. Now, he understood. Viviani, inside Tom Reggie¡¯s mind, was but someone with more money than sense.


    ¡°It¡¯s not only because I¡¯m rich, though. I also saved him! I coincidently helped him solve some troubles when he offended some people in Latin America a few years ago. Hence, he has been very respectful to ever since.¡±


    Tang Xiu understood in a flash and forced a smile, ¡°Can¡¯t you finish talking at one go? I also think that Tom seems to treat you like a hillbilly money-bag and wants to get more profits from you!¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Viviani snorted. ¡°The Chinese call it spendthrift and foolish, no? But don¡¯t take it for granted, though. Unless I want to throw my money, nobody will get even a dime from me.¡±


    ¡°Where did you get so much money from? Care to teach me your money-making secret?¡± asked Tang Xiu curiously.


    Without any concern at all, Viviani said, ¡°I got no problem teaching you! You just need to fiercely beat those who provoke you and force them to pay, that¡¯s all. Those dark forces who kick people around and have ill-gotten wealth are holding money that shouldn¡¯t belong to them. So I pack them up fiercely and make them pay a big price.¡±


    A weird expression appeared Tang Xiu¡¯s face as his mouth twitched a few times. It was truly a miracle for Viviani to survive until now, since she had poor combat experience despite her powerful strength.


    However, Tang Xiu admitted that this method was indeed a good way to make money fast. For instance, those four big shots in Hong Kong who provoked him. Wasn¡¯t the profit he¡¯d gotten from them only a little more than 10 billion?


    As he thought up to there, Tang Xiu shook his head, for he couldn¡¯t approve such a method of committing an offense and offending people.


    Nowadays, thieves who stole were not that fearsome, but instead were those thieves with scheming minds that you needed to look out for. Though he was powerful, but were he to offend too many dark forces, he would have to face numerous enemies dealing with him. He may slay one or two bunches, but could he be able to do the same against 100, 200 parties?


    Furthermore, there were still friends and relatives he must take into account, since troubles would descend upon those he cared if those people were to retaliate.


    ¡°Vivi, you had better not do this kind of thing again in the future. You can invest in businesses, spending money to make money, since you¡¯re rich now. If you keep offending those dark forces and they get thoroughly angered, they might desperately take revenge on you. I¡¯m afraid you will have to face unexpected mishaps. If by chance they retaliate on your family, you might be able to protect yourself, but will you be able to protect your loved ones?¡±


    Viviani was stunned and dazed as her pace abruptly stopped. Her mouth opened, yet not the slightest sound came out.


    Seeing such abnormal reaction from her, Tang Xiu was confused, ¡°Hey, what happened to you?¡±


    Viviani didn¡¯t respond. Her eyes blanked out as though she was devoid of her soul, standing there like a statue. The reflecting moonlight on her golden hair made her look dazzling.


    ¡°Murderous aura?¡±


    Tang Xiu had a change in his expression. The murderous aura he could feel from Viviani was not only strong, but a real one.


    As Viviani eventually overcame her daze, a chilling light filled her eyes as she forced herself to look to Tang Xiu and speak with an cold-ice tone, ¡°I finally figured out as to why my father had a sudden, unexpected car accident that claimed his life seven years ago; why the electric wire was broken and my mother was electrocuted to the death in her bathtub at home five years ago. I finally know why the house suddenly collapsed and killed my only younger brother inside three years ago. I finally realized why uncle got conned and was ripped off from his wealth, finally forcing him to commit suicide¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu was stunned before he said with disbelief on his face, ¡°Are you suspecting all those weren¡¯t a coincidence, but were the retaliation from someone?


    Whilst tightly gripping her fist, the murderous intent glowing in Viviani¡¯s eyes intensified. Fury filled her eyes as she spoke, ¡°I¡¯m sure it was their revenge, because not even one of my family members remains¡ªall of them had died. Even our kind neighbor¡ªGrandma Bessie died by a stone thrown from the footbridge when she went out to the grocery.¡±


    _¡®It truly is not far out from that!¡¯_ sighed Tang Xiu inside.


    Quickly putting on her shoes, Viviani then turned around and ran away.


    ¡°Hey, where are you going?¡± asked Tang Xiu loudly.


    ¡°I will kill them! They will pay the most painful price no matter who they are!¡± replied Viviani loudly.


    Knitting his brows, Tang Xiu wanted to remind her not to act out of emotions. Even if she wanted to find the murderer who killed her relatives, still, she had to investigate it slowly. The incidents happened many years ago, after all. But he eventually gave up when he recalled the extent of his relationship with her.


    He just only met her today. Only because they chatted a bit and a joke that ended up with a kiss, still, all those couldn¡¯t be considered of them having a close relationship whatsoever.


    _¡®I have to follow her! I too hope she can find the murderer who killed her family members and survive,¡¯_ secretly sighing inside, Tang Xiu then turned around and walked into the villa.


    Inside, Tom Reggie was holding a crystal cup and chatting with Old Fatty Li. Behind them was Mo Awen who had just woken up from his meditation; and it was evident that his cultivation was improved. At this time, he was carrying cakes and quickly eating them.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, where¡¯s Ms. Vivi?¡±


    ¡°She has an urgent matter, so she left,¡± replied Tang Xiu, smiling lightly.


    Puzzled, Tom Reggie asked, ¡°Ms. Vivi has left? Did she return back to her villa? Or¡­¡±


    ¡°She should be returning back to her villa, but she may leave the resort soon,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Curious, Tom Reggie asked, ¡°You seem to know the reason why Ms. Vivi left, Mr. Tang. Could you tell me about it?¡±


    Tang Xiu thought about it for a moment and felt it was fine to tell Tom Reggie. After all, Vivian was Tom Reggie¡¯s benefactor. Recalling her personality, the sudden realization that her family members died due to murder and not accident would certainly drive her into anger and affect her judgment. If Tom Reggie met and assisted Viviani on his behalf and then helped her, it would be good.


    ¡°She¡¯s going to have her revenge! She just found that her relatives were murdered.¡±


    Stunned, Tom Reggie nodded, ¡°I know Ms. Vivi is very strong as I witnessed how she hit several ruthless individuals half-dead once. She should be able to get revenge for her family members easily.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too optimistic. Though I don¡¯t know her much, her hatred seems to be shrouding her reason, which may render her vulnerable this time,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Tom¡¯s expression changed. He was fully aware how vulnerable people could be without having a clear mind. In this age, force and wisdom were equally important. If someone secretly attacked her while she was unprepared, she would easily be killed!


    After thinking up to there, Tom Reggie quickly said, ¡°Mr. Tang, I intended to accompany you in tonight¡¯s banquet, but I¡¯m rather worried about Viviani. So I would like to see her if you don¡¯t mind it.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Go!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Tom Reggie quickly left after replying.


    Looking at Mo Awen who was wolfing down and gobbling up something, Tang Xiu was rather surprised as he approached him and asked, ¡°Why are you behaving like you¡¯re the embodiment of a hungry devil? I saw you eating since I came back, and yet you haven¡¯t eaten to the full till now?¡±


    Gulping down everything, Mo Awen laughed, ¡°Boss, I don¡¯t know what happened. After I finished cultivating, I found my that cultivation seemed to have improved greatly and felt very hungry¡ªso hungry I could devour a fat cow.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t bear laughing, ¡°So, you¡¯re much stronger than before now?¡±


    ¡°I should be 50% stronger. Maybe twice stronger if you give me two days more,¡± said Mo Awen confidently.


    ¡°Good!¡± Tang Xiu nodded in satisfaction.


    Lao Bay Resort.


    Inside one of the visitor villas, Viviani was smashing everything inside while rummaging her belongings. Though she was clueless who the murderers behind-the-scenes were, but she firmly believed she could find them; killing them and having her revenge.


    ¡°I will kill them, whoever they are!¡± shouted Viviani in anger as she stuffed her things into the opened suitcase.


    ¡°Knock, knock¡­¡±


    The door was knocked as Tom Reggie¡¯s voice came through it, ¡°Ms. Vivi, it¡¯s Tom here. I need to talk about something with you.¡±


    Walking to the door and opening it, she then asked with a frosty expression, ¡°What are you here for? Anything you want to tell me?¡±


    Wearing respectful expression, Tom Reggie replied, ¡°I just met Mr. Tang and he told me about your matter. Ms. Vivi, you¡¯re my benefactor, so I must repay your kindness. However, I think you ought to listen to me pertaining your endeavor to seek your mortal enemies and have your revenge.¡±


    ¡°Say it!¡± Viviani said with heaviness in her voice.


    ¡°There¡¯s an old proverb in China that ten years are not too long a time for a gentleman to exact his revenge. At present, you don¡¯t know who your mortal enemies are and on whom you should exact your revenge. Hence, I think what you need to do now is to use everything you have in store to find those murderers, investigate their backgrounds and then devise a plan,¡± said Tom Reggie.


    ¡°NO! I can wait no longer!¡± shouted Viviani angrily.


    Sighing inside, Tom Reggie then said solemnly, ¡°Ms. Vivi, Mr. Tang just told me that anger and hatred may have shrouded your state of mind. I somewhat didn¡¯t believe it at first, because in my eyes you are a noble, elegant, graceful and resplendent Goddess who is full of wisdom. But now I have to believe Mr. Tang¡¯s judgment. You have really been blinded by anger and hatred, thus will lose your rationality over things.¡±

 Chapter 298

    Chapter 298: Going to the Appointment


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Viviani dazed as the furious expression on her face disappeared. She admitted that anger and hatred were indeed clouding her judgment since she was impatient to get revenge for her relatives.


    Realizing that his words were rather effective, Tom Reggie spoke again quickly, ¡°Ms. Vivi, please think about it. Revenge is a must, but it¡¯s imperative to calm yourself down before you do so. The people who dared to kill your relatives presumably are those with unusual backgrounds. And those who have great influence are all ruthless and will resort to all means. If your judgment is clouded, not only will the progress of your investigation be affected, unexpected mishaps would also occur, resulting in the failure of your revenge. Even you yourself will also be in danger.¡±


    Viviani calmed down. Though anger and hatred were still fully packed inside her, what Tom Reggie had said was reasonable. Calming down she would be able to remember those whom she had offended in the past that presumably killed her relatives.


    ¡°Go! I need to be alone!¡± Viviani waved and sat down on the sofa.


    Secretly relieved inside, Tom Reggie then said, ¡°Ms. Vivi, you are my benefactor. If you want to, I¡¯ll send some people to help investigate and gather news on your enemies. I¡¯ll also bring some manpower to help you in your revenge when the time comes. Your enemy is my enemy.¡±


    Looking up, Viviani looked at the serious-looking Tom Reggie as she finally nodded and said, ¡°Thanks, Tom.¡±


    Shaking his head, Tom Reggie replied, ¡°Ms. Vivi, you¡¯re forever the most dazzling and honorable person inside my heart. So you don¡¯t need to be this polite to me. Well, please rest first. I must go to Mr. Tang now. If he had not told me about this, I¡¯m afraid I would be in the dark about this matter.¡±


    ¡°Go!¡± Viviani waved.


    After Tom Reggie left, Viviani nested herself on the sofa as tears broke out, flowing and rolling down her skin, wetting her lapels. She kept recalling all the forces and people she had offended all these years before her family members died one after another.


    Gradually, with her outstanding memory, she finally had dozens of suspects in her mind and secretly made a decision that, regardless of who killed her family members, she must completely decimate them.


    _¡®Mr. Tang?¡¯_


    After wiping the tears from her face, Viviani stood from the sofa and walked to door. She had to see Tang Xiu. She found that the man was a genuine matured person and someone who could see through the nature of things.


    If, if it wasn¡¯t for him telling Tom Reggie about this, she would have been blinded by her anger and hatred now, becoming a headless fly wandering around.


    At the seaside villa.


    Tang Xiu was conversing with the Old Li couple when he saw Tom Reggie coming back. From him he knew that Viviani had calmed down and the tinge of worry he had toward her immediately disappeared. However, he hadn¡¯t thought she would actually come back to the party without being asked.


    ¡°It seems you now understand that being impulsive is a devil in itself!¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said slowly.


    ¡°Thanks, Mr. Tang. I will offer you fine gift after my revenge as a token of gratitude,¡± said Viviani with a nod.


    Tang Xiu waved his hand, ¡°No need.¡±


    Viviani no longer spoke as she walked straight to the stairs. She wasn¡¯t in the mood to stay in the party anymore, but she recalled Tang Xiu saying that there would be a fight between powerful experts in the evening. She now also realized how inexperienced she was in combat.


    Hence, she must learn to become stronger!


    Only when she became stronger could she get revenge for her relatives as well as better being able to protect the people she cared about in the future.


    As the evening banquet ended, Tom Reggie bade farewell and left, while Fatty Li escorted his wife and daughter back and then rushed back, as he also knew that Wang Rui had a scheduled fight with Tang Xiu¡¯s subordinate.


    At the second floor¡¯s balcony.


    Tang Xiu, Viviani, and Fatty Li were sitting before a small round table, sipping tea while calmly waiting. As for Mo Awen and Mo Awu, they were now sitting cross-legged in the back of the house, quietly cultivating.


    ¡°How come that Qingcheng Mountain kiddo isn¡¯t here yet?¡±


    An hour passed in waiting and Fatty Li was a bit impatient.


    ¡°The appointment between us is at 12 AM. It¡¯s 11:30 now, so there are 30 minutes left. Just be patient,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°I just wanna see the fight earlier. I can¡¯t wait for your show,¡± hummed Fatty Li.


    ¡°Huh, my show?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised. ¡°What show?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you forgot? You gotta¡­¡± Fatty Li cried out. He abruptly came to a halt. When he found that Viviani was in a daze and wasn¡¯t pay attention them, he shot Tang Xiu a teasing look and then pursed his lips whilst facing Viviani, hinting that it was inappropriate to mention the program show before another woman.


    Tang Xiu slightly furrowed his brows before a thought crossed his mind. He then laughed and said, ¡°Ah, you¡¯re talking about the upcoming program I picked, aren¡¯t you? Umm, what was it, ah, Seven Goddesses Dance, right? Right, it¡¯s this one. Fatty Li, you¡¯ve kept me guessing as to what exactly the Seven Goddesses Dance is until now!¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang, this program is meant to be interpreted in our minds, it cannot be talked about. Only after you enjoy it will you understand what it is! It¡¯s a pit I¡¯m rather old¡ªmy limbs are no longer fast to insist such a long time, or else, I really wanted to join in the fun.¡±


    ¡°Could this program require a lot of exercises?¡± asked Tang Xiu, surprised.


    Fatty Li affirmed, ¡°Very much! Most people are simply unable to endure it.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it turns out to be so! But I¡¯m not your average man, though. So there should be no problem,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Right at this time, Mo Awen, who sat cross-legged on the floor, suddenly jumped up. When he looked downstairs, he saw that a man with two bodyguards had arrived and immediately called out, ¡°Boss, the guests are here.¡±


    Looking at the stair¡¯s direction, Tang Xiu saw Wang Rui with a cigarette clamped by his lips. His expression was frivolous as he came toward him.


    ¡°Wow, Brother Tang is truly great! You even charmed this beautiful woman who was gambling with me?¡± Wang Rui said with a smile that yet unlike one.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk such nonsense! Viviani is just a friend of mine. But you still didn¡¯t abstice even though you clearly know that you¡¯d fight my man. You¡¯ve just wasted your strength on a women¡¯s belly, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°How did you know?¡± asked Wang Rui in astonishment.


    ¡°Your vitality seems a bit faint; far worse than when we met back then. If you didn¡¯t get sucked by a fabled vampire then you should have wasted your physical strength on women,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly.


    Whilst raising his thumb up, Wang Rui exclaimed in praise, ¡°Brother Tang is amazing. You can see through my body! I suddenly feel that rather than playing with your subordinate, it¡¯ll be more interesting to play with you! How about fighting me?¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°I will naturally accompany you playing if you can beat my man. But before that, you had better rest for two hours in order to not feel that my subordinate¡¯s victory was due to that and not because of his combat strength.¡±


    Wang Rui waved his hand, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t need to rest.¡±


    ¡°Then please have a sit and drink a cup of tea! There¡¯s still half an hour to the agreed time. We¡¯ll have the bout outside on the beach. How about it?¡± said Tang Xiu after a moment of silence.


    ¡°Let¡¯s decide so,¡± said Wang Rui with a smile.


    After taking a seat, Wang Rui squinted his eyes at Tang Xiu, asking with a smile, ¡°Brother Tang, I only know your name, but I don¡¯t from where you come from! I have seen some information about those big respected families¡¯ scions, such as their photos and names, but I haven¡¯t heard about you at all.¡±


    Lightly smiling, Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯m just a nobody, not worth mentioning.¡±


    Wang Rui shook his head, ¡°No. it¡¯s not a simple feat to be able to invite such powerful bodyguards. Say something and I¡¯ll give it a try. I might be able to know something about you depending on the pointer.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment and suddenly grinned, ¡°I¡¯m actually a student who¡¯s about to to enter university. In addition, I¡¯m also half a doctor who worked at Star City Chinese Medical Hospital for a few days before.¡±


    A student and unofficial doctor?


    From the beginning, Wang Rui didn¡¯t buy Tang Xiu¡¯s words at all. Because he immediately sent some people to investigate Tang Xiu when they parted ways in the casino. But he didn¡¯t get the news from the mainland but rather from Saipan, from which he heard that Tang Xiu had just won 1 billion in the casino. It was a much faster and bigger win compared to his victory in the gambling table.


    However, what surprised him was that Tang Xiu was still safe and sound now even though he won that 1 billion.


    ¡°Brother Tang, you¡¯re not being honest! Perhaps Fatty Li has told you about me? I asked your identity but you still concealed it. It¡¯s kinda boring.¡± Wang Rui put one leg over the other and casually lit up a cigarette.


    Furrowing his brows, Tang Xiu said in reply, ¡°I didn¡¯t lie. I really am about to enter University as well as am an unofficial doctor. You can investigate it if you don¡¯t believe me. However, I¡¯m someone who hates being investigated by others; I will make them pay a price if I found out about it.¡±


    Wang Rui was silent for a moment and suddenly laughed, ¡°Since Brother Tang doesn¡¯t want to say it, I¡¯m also someone who doesn¡¯t want to force anyone against their will! Well, I won more money than you this time, hence I¡¯m inviting you to a sumptuous banquet after we return home.¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t take such pleasantries seriously and simply replied with a few words. He then looked at Mo Awen and said calmly, ¡°Give your best strength and do not lower your guard, or you¡¯ll fail miserably.¡±


    Mo Awen glanced at Wang Rui and continued to carefully comprehend the changes of a martial artist¡¯s state of mind. Tang Xiu¡¯s directions had enlightened him, resulting in his great improvement. Hence, he came to a realization that, once he could comprehend some of a cultivator¡¯s state of mind, it would be a turning point for him to advance. He now understood the significance of the state of mind to cultivators. If he could, he wished to have dozens of enlightenments every day.


    Time flew by. Tang Xiu then suddenly stood and slowly said, ¡°It¡¯s about time. Awen, you and Mr. Wang go to the beach! Don¡¯t disappoint Mr. Wang and the others.¡±


    ¡°I guarantee you it won¡¯t happen!¡±

 Chapter 299

    Chapter 299: Shape Without a Soul


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    As the bright moonlight shone on the sea surface, bringing about gleaming reflections of the waves amid the powerful wind, two ghostly silhouettes silently appeared at the seaside beach.


    ¡°In regards to speed, you¡¯re better than me.¡±


    In the speed contest just now, Wang Rui, who looked down on Mo Awen, lost badly. Even though he went all out and sped up to his limit, Mo Awen could still follow beside him, neither too fast nor too slow and didn¡¯t fall behind in the slightest, even seemingly holding back.


    ¡°Give me your best shot. Don¡¯t let me down,¡± Mo Awen replied with a light laugh.


    Don¡¯t let you down?


    Coldness glowed inside Wang Rui¡¯s eyes. He once said to Tang Xiu that he was someone who loved challenges. But to think that his bodyguard would actually challenge him?


    He was quite resentful, and the consequences for that would be dire.


    ¡°I will defeat you with everything I got, making you admit your defeat thoroughly. Then I¡¯ll weigh your boss as how much pounds he got in store.¡±


    Mo Awen crackled his fingers as he smiled, ¡°You have no way to find out my Boss¡¯s weight. Come, give me all you got. I¡¯ll use strength to convince you.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡±


    Forming a palm, Wang Rui moved and appeared in front Mo Awen, his hand slashing toward Mo Awen¡¯s neck as though a blade. The speed of his palm blade was fast. So fast it brought about a whooshing sound and the air surge.


    Using his tiptoe to tap the ground, Mo Awen instantly moved backward to avoid Wang Rui¡¯s palm chop. He jumped up and flipped his legs, sending Wang Rui a fierce kick. The continuous images of the trajectory of his kicks were unending, causing one to be unable to discern whether they were real or illusory.


    ¡°Bam, bam, bam!¡±


    Failing, Wang Rui quickly whipped out his leg. In a flash, dozens of kicks had been exchanged between them. Legs were countered by legs and calves collided with calves, bringing about an immense vibrating wave force, causing their complexion to slightly change at the same time. Yet, Wang Rui felt like he was kicking an iron stake. The impact force brought about incomparable pain to his right leg, causing him to be in constant retreat. In stark contrast, Mo Awen only had a slight change in expression, but his formidable aura did not weaken in the slightest. He was like a maggot feeding on a corpse that clung onto him as his legs were as though long whips, thrashing again in sequence.


    On the villa balcony, Tang Xiu stood as though a spear with his hands folded, overlooking the two fighting men on the beach. Beside him were Viviani and Old Fatty Li watching intently the fighting figures on the beach, looking somewhat shocked.


    For Viviani, who possessed formidable strength and speed, yet didn¡¯t know how to utilize them, Mo Awen and Wang Rui, who were much inferior to her in terms of speed and strength, yet were performing sophisticated combat skills despite the seemingly simple moves¡­ It left her dazed and shocked inside.


    A strong desire to learn from them surged up inside her heart, wanting to enrich her combat experience.


    Shocks also struck Old Fatty Li. He was also someone who was skilled in martial arts. Though he was fat and his abilities couldn¡¯t be compared to his past years, he was still agile. Fighting against three to five thugs by himself, he would still come out as the victor. However, the fight between Mo Awen and Wang Rui was an eye-opener for him.


    It was much more striking than watching Chinese Kung fu movies.


    In his eyes, the fight on the beach was a combat between two experts in the martial arts society. Those formidable styles and exquisite moves dazzled him. Hence, he came to the realization that were he to fight any one of them, he would perhaps be knocked out in a flash.


    ¡°Chinese Kung fu is really broad and profound.¡±


    Shock and excitement struck Fatty Old Li as he sighed wholeheartedly.


    Glancing at him, Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°Fatty Li, your strength is commendable! Though you have a fat body, an average person won¡¯t be able to fight you, no? What is it? You haven¡¯t seen a fight between experts at this level before?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing it,¡± Fatty Li shook his head and forced out a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s understandable, though. There are so many people practicing martial arts in the world, but true experts are very rare. Being able to see two experts at the same time as well as watching them fight is indeed a scene very difficult to happen. Anyways, who do you think will win?¡±


    Without hesitation, Fatty Li replied, ¡°Mo Awen.¡±


    Raising his eyebrows and smiling, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Why are you so sure?¡±


    Fatty Li pointed at the two men and said, ¡°Though Wang Rui¡¯s kung fu is powerful, it¡¯s evident that he¡¯s somewhat straining. But take a look at Mo Awen, his attacks are steady, neither too fast nor slow, yet each move makes Wang Rui constantly retreat. He occasionally blocks and evades, immediately counterattacking afterward.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, praising, ¡°It seems your eyes are good, Fatty Li. Though Wang Rui is also an expert and is experienced in combat, there¡¯s still a big gap between them. If there¡¯s no accident, Wang Rui will be defeated within ten moves.¡±


    Suddenly, Viviani asked, ¡°Mr. Tang, if I had Wang Rui¡¯s combat experience and skills, do you think I could defeat your bodyguard?¡±


    Rolling his eyes, Tang Xiu humorlessly replied, ¡°Were you to have rich fighting experience, let alone Mo Awen, perhaps even I myself would not be your opponent.¡±


    Fatty Li himself was clueless about Viviani¡¯s strength. He thought that Tang Xiu was flirting with her. With a teasing look, he said, ¡°Brother Tang, you won¡¯t hit her since it¡¯s evident that you clearly have a soft heart toward her and don¡¯t want to hurt a belle, no? Only, do you really know kung fu?¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°I know a little about kung fu. I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m good at it, though. But I can say that it¡¯s enough for self-defense.¡±


    Despite knowing Tang Xiu for a short period of time, Fatty Li could tell that Tang Xiu was an extremely low-key young man. He felt that the Tang Xiu¡¯s words were overly humble. His kung fu skill might be under his bodyguards but perhaps was still a lot stronger than him.


    On the beach.


    Wang Rui moved fast as though lightning. Most of his techniques were killing moves. Unfortunately, even if he raised his strength a level higher, he still couldn¡¯t do a thing to Mo Awen. He even faintly felt that he was in constant retreat while Mo Awen himself was seemingly holding back.


    Yes. He had done his best, but Mo Awen had not!


    This feeling somewhat shocked to him, but it vexed him more.


    During the exchange of fists and kicks, Wang Rui finally ceased his footsteps forcibly. He staked everything on heavy strikes, frantically sending a bombardment of dozens of fists. Blurred shadow paths, along with sonic booms, caused one¡¯s heart to shiver.


    ¡°Originally, I thought you were much stronger since Boss wanted me to compare notes with you. It turns out that even using 70% of my strength is useless since you actually had been forced to such a desperate strait. If so, I might as well end it earlier!¡± As Wang Rui sent out dozens of fists toward Mo Awen and staggered backward, Mo Awen suddenly appeared behind him as his fists moved in a strange trajectory, seemingly about to bombard Wang Rui¡¯s back. But due to Wang Rui¡¯s sudden and hasty avoidance, it ended up hitting his shoulder instead. Along with the sound of dislocated bones, Wang Rui¡¯s body was as though a fallen leaf as it advanced and smashed toward the beach seven to eight meters away.


    ¡°Bam¡­¡±


    With a muffled sound, Wang Rui smashed on the beach with a pale face before jumping up as though a carp. A shocked look flickered in his eyes as he stood there seven or eight meters away looking at Mo Awen, a strong bitterness surging in his heart.


    He lost! He knew he had been defeated, thoroughly.


    Mo Awen was too strong, the toughest one he had ever seen in his life. He had fought numerous martial arts grandmasters across the country and won against all with absolute strength. He also had met many experts from foreign countries, whether the one who once won the King of Fighter title, Muay Thai experts, Taekwondo or Judo masters¡­ nobody could beat him.


    Eventually¡­ he lost to someone¡¯s bodyguard.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it. With your strength, it would be easy for you to dominate the film industry, yet why would you choose to work as someone else¡¯s bodyguard?¡± said Wang Rui slowly.


    ¡°Do you think being a bodyguard isn¡¯t a good job?¡± asked Mo Awen with a smile.


    ¡°If you really want to be a bodyguard, how much does Tang Xiu pay you? I can offer you ten times his offer,¡± Wang Rui frowned and said deeply.


    Mo Awen shook his head, ¡°You can¡¯t give me what I want. Besides, I¡¯m not Boss¡¯s bodyguard, but his subordinate. Whoever dares to harm my Boss, even if I have to trade my life with his, I won¡¯t bat an eye. Besides, you can¡¯t even beat me, so you definitely aren¡¯t his opponent.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Wang Rui¡¯s expression changed and he breathed faster. He stared at Mo Awen tightly and quickly asked, ¡°You mean Tang Xiu is even more powerful than you?¡±


    ¡°Is Boss more powerful than me? Even if there are ten of you, I¡¯m afraid you are still not Boss¡¯s opponent,¡± said Mo Awen lightly.


    Having said that, he turned around and walked toward the villa.


    Wang Rui¡¯s expression constantly changed. He recalled what he said to Tang Xiu in the casino as well as when he arrived at the villa, acting arrogantly in front of him. Shame and embarrassment quickly climbed up to his face. He felt like he was trying to teach a fish how to swim, displaying his poor skills before an expert, unaware of how much he was disgracing himself.


    _¡®For these many years, how long has it been for me to lose this much face?¡¯_


    Whilst shaking his head, Wang Rui smiled bitterly before he followed behind Mo Awen toward the villa. His right arm was dislocated and he had no way to fight anymore. Hence, he needed to quickly find someone to fix it.


    On the villa balcony.


    Looking at the two, Tang Xiu, Viviani, and Fatty Li already knew the result of the fight, yet they didn¡¯t show Wang Rui any ridiculing look.


    If he wanted to blame someone, blame Mo Awen for being too strong!


    Yet, Tang Xiu was the one who was the most depressed among them, because he thought that Wang Rui and Mo Awen were fairly equal in terms of strength. Hence, he let them fight so that Mo Awen would reap benefits from it. However, Mo Awen progressed by leaps and bounds due to his sudden epiphany, causing Wang Rui to simply not be his opponent anymore.


    Thus, apart from striking Wang Rui¡¯s acute and sharp disposition, there was no other effect whatsoever.


    ¡°Boss!¡± Mo Awen was respectful as always.


    ¡°You did well. It¡¯s a pity my purpose hasn¡¯t been achieved, though. However, since your strength has improved, it is still a good thing,¡± said Tang Xiu with a laugh.

 Chapter 300

    Chapter 300: Plea


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Looking at the downcast and embarrassed Wang Rui, Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t be discouraged. There¡¯s no end in the path of martial arts. Sometimes having a setback is a good thing, and martial artists must guard against arrogance and impetuosity. One must know that there¡¯s always someone better and there¡¯s a heaven beyond the heaven. I¡¯m waiting for you to challenge my subordinate again when you become stronger.¡±


    Wang Rui took a deep breath and sternly said, ¡°I will challenge your man again, but my ultimate goal is you. I hope I can challenge and defeat you one day.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    At the sided, with an unusual light in her eyes, Viviani suddenly came in front of Mo Awen and said, ¡°Teach me your Kung Fu! I want to acknowledge you as my Master.¡±


    Acknowledging a Master?


    Mo Awen was stunned and immediately looked at Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t look at me. Keep me out of it,¡± Tang Xiu waved and said.


    Thinking for a moment, Mo Awen looked at Viviani and said slowly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I have no intention to accept disciples.¡±


    Viviani quickly said, ¡°As long as you can make me become as powerful as you, I¡¯ll pay any price. How about I pay you with money? I¡¯m rich and have lots of money.¡±


    Mo Awen shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m not short on money. Even if you give me a mountain of gold, I will still not accept you as a disciple since I don¡¯t have much time.¡±


    Viviani turned to look at Tang Xiu with pleading eyes.


    Tang Xiu was silent before he shook his head and said, ¡°Since he doesn¡¯t want to accept you as a disciple, I also don¡¯t have any means. He may be my subordinate, but I will never force him to do what he doesn¡¯t wanna do. Also, he isn¡¯t suited to be your teacher. What he excels at is killing skills. For example, the fight between him and Wang Rui just now. Were it a frontal combat, Wang Rui would be killed by him in the exchanges at the most.¡±


    Shocked, Wang Rui was stupefied. With anger in his eyes, he said, ¡°Wasn¡¯t it kinda overboard, Tang Xiu? Even if I¡¯m weaker than Mo Awen, can he kill me within 10 moves?¡±


    Mo Awen interrupted, ¡°Ten moves are too many. I can kill you within five moves.¡±


    Wang Rui¡¯s lips twitched a few times, but no sounds came out of it. However, the look of disbelief on his face fully expressed his feelings.


    Right at this time, Tang Xiu moved and grabbed Wang Rui¡¯s arm lighting fast. Before the latter reacted, he shook Wang Rui¡¯s wrist while his other hand held Wang Rui¡¯s shoulder. With a ¡®crack¡¯ sound, Wang Rui¡¯s expression greatly changed; his dislocated arms had been fixed.


    Retracting back his hands, Tang Xiu then said calmly, ¡°You don¡¯t need to doubt it. When Awen fought you, he had many good chances to kill you directly. But since he knew that you¡¯re not an enemy, hence he didn¡¯t do it out of mercy. Also, he didn¡¯t use his full strength when he fought you.¡±


    Wang Rui waved his arm. As he felt only faint pain from his dislocated arm and no other symptoms, the anger in his eyes slowly faded, replaced by a bitter smile. He then nodded and said, ¡°I know that he didn¡¯t go all out!¡±


    Tang Xiu turned around and looked toward the unhappy-looking Viviani and immediately said with a smile, ¡°Actually, I have a way to make you stronger, but it¡¯s kinda dangerous.¡±


    Viviani¡¯s spirit was roused. She was full of hatred, wanting to find the people who killed her relatives and avenge them. Hence, she asked quickly, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this matter later,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Having said that, he looked at Fatty Li and Wang Rui and said with a faint smile, ¡°The two of you, today¡¯s matter has been concluded. Shouldn¡¯t you go back to rest?¡±


    Cupping his fists, Wang Rui then turned around and left with his two men.


    As for Fatty Li, he didn¡¯t move and cheerfully looked at Tang Xiu as he smiled and asked, ¡°Brother Tang, you have yet to enjoy the Seven Goddesses Dance, no? Since there¡¯s a beauty accompanying you tonight, you shouldn¡¯t go. But won¡¯t you still let it pass tomorrow? If you can complete the whole course of the Seven Goddesses Dance, I¡¯ll treat you to a feast.¡±


    ¡°I need to look at the situation first! I plan to leave tomorrow, but if the storm at the sea isn¡¯t over yet by then, I¡¯ll stay for another day, and then experience this Seven Goddesses Dance!¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°You wanna leave? Where to? Are you going back home?¡± asked Fatty Li, surprised.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m going on an expedition,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    With a strange expression, Fatty Li looked at Tang Xiu. He shook his head and said with a smile, ¡°Youngsters nowadays have good ideas. But if you go adventuring, don¡¯t tell that Qingcheng Mountain kiddo. Or else he will surely follow you like a plaster; you won¡¯t be able to shake him off.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    He didn¡¯t have the intention to tell others about the private island he had purchased except to those close to him. After all, he was going to build a site that really belonged to him there as a base to train his army. Hence, it absolutely couldn¡¯t be exposed.


    Along with Fatty Li¡¯s departure, Tang Xiu hinted Mo Awen and Mo Awu to go back and rest. He then took Viviani to the living room. ¡°If you want to become stronger, you can train in some training camps and have your revenge afterward. I heard Mo Awen speak about them. There are many training camps in the world specialized in training experts. If you want to go there, you can quickly rise above others.¡±


    A training camp?


    Viviani remembered that Tom Reggie had such experience once and silently nodded. Prior to this, she was always merciful and softhearted. Even to those who did evil, she wouldn¡¯t kill them and only gave them some fierce lessons, and then extorted a large sum of money from them to solve it.


    Only now did she realize that her soft heartedness killed a lot of her family members.


    ¡°Thanks, Tang Xiu,¡± Viviani spoke and then turned to leave.


    Looking at her back, Tang Xiu secretly sighed in his heart. He couldn¡¯t tell whether what he did would be good or bad for her. But he thought that her special force would be wasted if she didn¡¯t get stronger.


    ¡°Um, the Seven Goddesses Dance?¡±


    Recalling the program he picked before, Tang Xiu shook his head secretly. Fatty Li was deliberately making it look mysterious, causing a strong curiosity to sprout inside his heart. In any case, he also couldn¡¯t sleep now, so he decided to experience this program, finding out what its magicalness was exactly.


    ¡°Please arrange the Seven Goddesses Dance for me.¡±


    After using the landline phone in the building to call Jasmine, Tang Xiu straightforwardly spoke.


    ¡°Alright. Someone will take you there shortly.¡±


    A few minutes later, a seductively dressed girl in a nightgown arrived at Tang Xi¡¯s residence and said in fluent English, ¡°Are you, Mr. Tang? Vice President Jasmine ordered me to guide you to the pleasure center.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Whilst following behind the girl, Tang Xiu asked curiously, ¡°Beautiful Miss, can you tell me in advance what sort of program the Seven Goddesses Dance is? It¡¯s just that my friend always looked mysterious and secretive speaking about it.¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡±


    The lass couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter before she asked with a smile, ¡°You don¡¯t know what sort of program the Seven Goddesses Dance is, Sir?¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    The lass said with a smile, ¡°Since you don¡¯t know, you might as well come with me! Wait until you have clearly experienced it. You will definitely enjoy it greatly as long as you stay alive and well.¡±


    Alive and well? What does it mean?


    A puzzled expression hung on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. Looking at the lass who no longer wanted to explain, he could only stuff it inside his heart as he proceeded forward alongside her.


    Seven or eight minutes later, they came to a European-style building.


    Taking a broad look around, Tang Xiu found that this building was rather peculiar. Firstly, not to mention its outward wall being painted red, each window had its curtain pulled open, which revealed its interior painted with the scarlet, orange, vermillion, green, dark green, indigo and purple colors.


    ¡°Welcome, honored Sir!¡±


    Four beautiful girls in seductively long skirts stood in front of the building, greeting Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu nodded and followed the girl into the building. He then realized that the interior design and decoration was full of a dubious atmosphere as there was a shiny steel tube erected in the middle of the hall surrounded by walls with flashing gold lightings illuminating it. The compelling design itself not only had a slightly bizarre model of a beautiful woman, there were even many which were supposed to be handsome or cool and strong men.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, we have seven-storied pleasure centers altogether here. Might I ask what floor you wish to go?¡± The girl brought Tang Xiu to the elevator door and inquired with a smile.


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°The higher the floor, the more beautiful the girl there is and the more expensive the price. However, Vice President has explained that you are completely exempted from expenses, hence you can choose any floor you wish,¡± said the girl.


    ¡°To the seventh floor, then!¡± said Tang Xiu without thinking.


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    As the elevator door opened, the girl took Tang Xiu along. When they arrived at the seventh floor, Tang Xiu then saw a woman in exposed dressing. She had an extremely hot and provocative figure as she stood outside, a dazzling smile on her face.


    The girl who guided him introduced, ¡°Mr. Tang, she¡¯s Reval, the one in charge of the seventh floor. Since I¡¯ve escorted you here, I¡¯ve accomplished my task. I wish you a pleasant stay here.¡±


    Having said that, she slightly bowed toward Tang Xiu, returned to the elevator and directly left.


    ¡°Please lead the way!¡±


    Faintly, Tang Xiu could guess something, but wasn¡¯t sure of it yet. Hence, he said directly to Reval.


    ¡°Please¡­¡±


    Reval guided Tang Xiu walking under the purple lights. They passed across two corridors and then arrived at a well-decorated, yet still ambiguous-styled room. She then smiled and said, ¡°Mr. Tang, please rest for a bit. There are fruits and desserts on the table as well as a variety of drinks inside the refrigerator. If you want to take a shower first, you can go to the bathroom in the side room. Please pardon us, we¡¯ve to prepare for about 20 minutes. The program will formally start afterward.¡±


    ¡°Is this program rather troublesome?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not. As long as your ability is good, it definitely is the best enjoyment in the world. If you have no other instructions, please pardon my leave first,¡± said Reval with a smile.


    Tang Xiu waved as his vision then observed this 200-300 square meters room.


    It was luxurious and extravagant!


    In front of a long leather sofa was a long table filled with all kinds of desserts and fruits; even many exquisite side dishes were on it. There was even a locker next to the sofa with a stack of fashion magazines. On the wall was hung a sixty inches LCD TV. The TV was muted, but it was displaying photos of beautiful women.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take a shower!¡±

 Chapter 301

    Chapter 301: I¡¯m Not Into It


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The door to the bathroom was in the side corner as Tang Xiu walked there. His travel to Saipan had rather worn him out, so he really needed a relaxing bath.


    However, the moment he entered the bathroom, he got slightly surprised as a weird appeared in his eyes. Inside the bathroom were two beautiful girls wearing maid attire and possessing nearly identical facial features; evidently twins.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised.


    ¡°Hello, Sir. We¡¯re going bath you,¡± The beautiful twin sisters smiled and said in unison.


    Awkward and embarrassed, Tang Xiu waved his hand, ¡°No need. I¡¯ll bath myself! I don¡¯t need your service, so you two can go out!¡±


    One of the girls smiled faintly, ¡°Sir, we are here to bath and dress you. If you refuse our service, our Manager will think that we aren¡¯t doing our job well and will punish us, since he¡¯ll think the guests are not satisfied.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll call your manager. Please go out!¡± said Tang Xiu.


    The twin sisters glanced at each other. Then, both of them nodded and turned around to leave the bathroom.


    Watching them leave, only then did Tang Xiu feel relieved. Though he didn¡¯t mind having a threesome in foreign places, he didn¡¯t have such a though at the moment. The Seven Goddesses Dance piqued his interest, and he was eager to know what exactly it was.


    After taking off his clothes, he relaxed in the bath. After that, he then put on the already prepped nightgown and went to the hall outside. But then he came to a halt and fell into a daze.


    Inside the hall were seven girls standing there in thin d¨¦collet¨¦ muslin. Each one of them was a la cr¨¨me de la cr¨¨me belle, with feminine charms exuding from each and every one of their gestures. Right at this moment, they stood there by the wall, quietly waiting. What made Tang Xiu crumble was that he could clearly see that these seven girls only wore a thin layer of muslin with different colors: scarlet, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet¡ªseven colors. However, there was no other cover behind their thin muslins.


    With his sharp and keen eyes, Tang Xiu could clearly see the ¡®mysterious and profound¡¯ areas of these seven girls.


    ¡°Hello, sir!¡±


    Words in fluent English came out from the mouths of the seven girls.


    Shortly after, a fragrant breeze arrived as the seven girls came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side. They were like orioles, swallows, and butterflies¡ªas some of this bevy of enchanting young girls grasped Tang Xiu¡¯s arm while others gently pushed his back toward the sofa.


    ¡°Would you like to rest first and watch us dance, or go straight to the point?¡± a girl in white muslin with a lovely oriental look, asked Tang Xiu cheerfully.


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡± after dryly coughing a few times Tang Xiu said, ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡±


    The girl in white muslin smiled faintly as she walked to the side, picking up a remote control and pressing a button on it. Immediately after, the sofa Tang Xiu was sitting on automatically separated as the wall split open into a few openings with muslin curtains and silk-like steel ropes. The sofa itself constantly changed and soon formed a bed large enough to accommodate ten people.


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Shocked by the sight and despite the fact that he was experienced and knowledgeable, still, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t expect such a scene just now, completely changing the appearance of the room within just half a minute.


    Except for the re-assembled bed, even the bedsheet and bedding had been automatically changed and neatly placed in bed. The thin muslin curtains had the seven colors of the rainbow, which all had been tied up with Tang Xiu¡¯s sitting position at the end of the bed.


    Across from him, was also a large bed covered with white gauze curtains, all of which were being laid down at the moment with the seven girls all in the big bed.


    On both sides of the hall, a metal sink raised as a stream of water then sprayed out from it. As the lighting in the room dimmed and was replaced with kaleidoscopic lights, the room was then decorated with dreamlike scenes.


    ¡°That is¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s vision fixated on the floating multi-colored lights and shadows all over the place. Those lights projection were all the ¡®fighting¡¯ postures between men and women on the bed in action.


    ¡°Ding¡­¡±


    A jingle was heard, followed by an echo of melodious music. The covering thin curtains at the opposite side to the seven girls began to move as their soft and tender bodies constantly changed postures and formed extremely alluring images.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, I¡¯m the First Goddess Scarlet Baby in need of your love.¡±


    Just as the melodious music ended, the girl in red muslin came out barefoot from the opposite thin curtain as she walked forward step by step. Her slender white fingers gently untied the thin string on her chest. Immediately, her fair white chest with its proud twin peaks and alluring clavicle were all presented in front of Tang Xiu¡­ even the lower part¡­


    Deeply furrowing his brows, the more Tang Xiu looked, the queerer he felt. As the girl¡¯s topless breasts appeared, he sighed inside, for he finally understood what exactly the Seven Goddesses Dance was.


    Shoo!


    His figure flashed and instantly appeared in front of the girl, taking the untied red string on the thin red muslin and re-tying it again. He then shook his head and said, ¡°Let¡¯s stop here today! I suddenly remembered that I still have things left to do, so I gotta leave now.¡±


    The girl in red muslin was stunned as her limpid eyes looked at Tang Xiu without blinking, clueless as to why he was in such a hurry to leave.


    From the thin curtain, the other six girls also appeared one after another, looking at Tang Xiu with puzzled expressions, also clueless as to why Tang Xiu must leave in a hurry as the program had just started.


    Could he¡­ suddenly have felt that he wasn¡¯t good in that ¡®aspect¡¯?


    However, they had been trained to satisfy all the guests¡¯ requests as much as possible and to treat the guests as Gods. Hence, they untied their front clothes¡¯ strings and stood stark naked before Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu deeply frowned and growled, ¡°All of you go back to bed.¡±


    Puzzled, the girl in white muslin asked, ¡°Sir, could it be that our services didn¡¯t meet your satisfaction, or is it because you¡¯re not content with our appearances?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°It has nothing to do with you. I didn¡¯t know what the program was before I came here to enjoy this Seven Goddesses Dance. Only after I saw your appearances did I finally figure it out. I don¡¯t need such a service.¡±


    After having said that, Tang Xiu strode into the bathroom and put on his clothes back, leaving the hall under the the seven girls¡¯ weird gazes.


    In the corridor outside, Reval¡¯s graceful posture moved away from the wall as her slender fingers clamped a cigarette. Her expression was somewhat hard to make out distinctly as it was slightly lax. However, when the door on the opposite room was opened and Tang Xiu came out from the inside, her expression looked dull as she quickly put out the cigarette and watched Tang Xiu with a puzzled expression.


    Normally, she was not supposed to smoke here, because some guests didn¡¯t like the smell of cigarette smoke. But she relaxed because she thought Tang Xiu wouldn¡¯t come out and was in the middle of enjoying the Seven Goddesses Dance at this moment.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, you¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand to interrupt her and said, ¡°Can you tell me what nature this Seven Goddesses Dance program is?¡±


    The nature of this program?


    Reval thought for a moment and then replied, ¡°We provide you with the best service and the best girls to satisfy any of your needs. However, any guests who dare to pick the Seven Goddesses Dance also must be very powerful in bed. Not only can he satisfy himself, he must also be able to satisfy these seven girls. We also have special rules here. If the guest can satisfy all seven girls, we will only charge for the already set fee. But if the guest is only able to satisfy one girl, he must pay six times the cost; five times for two satisfied girls; and so on¡­ But if the guest is unable to satisfy even one girl, he must pay seven times the cost.¡±


    While looking at Reval with a tongue-tied and dumbfounded expression, Tang Xiu finally understood why did Fatty Old Li showed that weird expression upon hearing that he picked the Seven Goddesses Dance program. He also finally understood the meaning of what he said about the particular requirement of being ¡®strong¡¯.


    _¡®That goddamn bastard!¡¯_


    Secretly cursing inside, Tang Xiu then looked at Reval and said lightly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know that the Seven Goddesses Dance was this sort of program before. I picked it because I thought it was just an ordinary dance. But now, I won¡¯t continue it. Call Jasmine and tell her that I¡¯m not a casual man that will go for any kind of woman.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Reval was dumbfounded. Even in her dreams, never did she thought that Tang Xiu would actually speak such to her. Looking at Tang Xiu¡¯s departing back, she opened her mouth but didn¡¯t know what to say.


    If he was only an ordinary guest, she would have never let him leave so easily. He had picked the program, and even though he didn¡¯t play, he was supposed to pay seven times the cost due to failing to satisfy the seven girls. But Tang Xiu was not an ordinary guest. He was exempted from paying.


    Reval¡¯s expression changed a few times before she hurriedly took her mobile and dialed Jasmine¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°Vice President Jasmine, Mr. Tang said that he didn¡¯t know the content of the Seven Goddesses Dance before, so he picked the program to find out what it is. But now he left after learning about it.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t play?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He just left.¡±


    ¡°I see!¡±


    As Tang Xiu came to the first floor, he suddenly frowned when his sight fell onto a foreign man who was hugging two alluring girls and entering through the front door. He was not the sort of man who visited a woman and then walked away without doing nothing, nor did he like women who had been used by others. Therefore, he just glanced at the foreign man with indifference and walked to the door.


    ¡°Mr. Tang!¡±


    Outside the front door, driving a roadster, Jasmine stopped in front of Tang Xiu, opened the car¡¯s door and blocked Tang Xiu¡¯s path.


    ¡°You just received a call from someone inside, didn¡¯t you? I don¡¯t like the Seven Goddesses Dance program, so I¡¯m going back.¡±


    Jasmine lightly laughed, ¡°You¡¯re our VIP, Mr. Tang. So we will respect any of your decisions and will do our utmost to satisfy you. Since you don¡¯t want to play, please let me escort you back!¡±

 Chapter 302

    Chapter 302: Traveling to the Sea


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu glanced at the roadster and nodded, circling around the car and then sitting on the front seat. He then looked at Jasmine and said lightly, ¡°This resort of yours has a casino as well as this place. Are you not afraid of the local authority¡¯s inspection?¡±


    Looking at Tang Xiu with a strange expression, Jasmine lightly laughed, ¡°Mr. Tang, you don¡¯t know, but the bigwig who has real power in local government also owns shares in the resort, from which he can get a lot of dividends annually.¡±


    _¡®So that how it is!¡¯_


    Nodding and secretly sighing inside, Tang Xiu himself didn¡¯t feel like saying anything about the situation where such officials held protection umbrellas over the matters. This phenomenon was, after all, so pervasive that, let alone speaking about foreign countries, it was even a normal issue domestically.


    Two minutes later, the roadster had been parked in front of the beach villa Tang Xiu was staying at.


    ¡°Well, good night, Mr. Tang!¡± said Jasmine with a smile.


    Nodding to her in reply, Tang Xiu was about to enter the courtyard entrance when he suddenly remembered something, ¡°Ms. Jasmine, you should be paying attention to the sea meteorological news, right? Will there be a storm at sea tomorrow?¡±


    Jasmine said, ¡°Tonight¡¯s marine meteorological forecast reported that the sea will have calm weather tomorrow. Yet, I think this report is rather unreliable because of the rapid climate change in the ocean. Perhaps the weather is quiet for the moment, but then a big storm might occur a while after.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that the ocean climate is capricious?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Jasmine assented with a nod, ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I mean!¡±


    Thinking for a moment, Tang Xiu then said in a deep tone, ¡°Since the ocean climate is capricious, I need not stay here for long. Please tell Tom that we¡¯ll leave early tomorrow. Also, we¡¯ll be staying here after taking care of business.¡±


    ¡°Copy that.¡± Jasmine nodded.


    The next morning, Tang Xiu and the Mo Brothers left Lao Bay Resort along with someone who was sent by Tom Reggie to escort them to the Redsand Bay. By the time they arrived there, a temporary deck had already been built, extending for dozens of meters away from the seawater with the luxurious cruise liner parked there.


    There, Tom Reggie had long arrived and been waiting for Tang Xiu. Reckoning their arrival, he laughed and said, ¡°Everything¡¯s been set up. I¡¯ve sent people to sail for dozens of miles to the sea and everything is normal. Also, the crew, food, and drinks you need on your way have all been readied on the ship, enough for a week¡¯s sailing.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Tang Xiu smiled.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Tom Reggie grinned and accompanied the trio to board the ship. As they arrived there, Tang Xiu suddenly asked, ¡°Tom, how much would you sell me this cruiser for if I wanted to buy it?¡±


    Surprised for a moment and appearing reluctant, Tom Reggie then slowly said after a few seconds of silence, ¡°I ordered this cruiser from abroad, and the ship designer is the best in the world. The total cost of the purchase was 160 million USD.¡±


    ¡°Sell it to me for 200 million USD,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    As Tom Reggie¡¯s face flickered, he glanced at the silent Mo Awen at the side, nibbled his teeth for awhile and then finally said, ¡°If so, it¡¯s yours.¡±


    ¡°Then prepare the selling papers, please. I¡¯ll pay you after we come back and sign the contract,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°No problem!¡± Decision made, Tom Reggie immediately complied happily.


    Though the price offered by Tang Xiu was rather high, he still had eaten a loss. After all, Tang Xiu won 1 billion in his casino last night. The money was in RMB, still, it was around 100 million USD approximately. In other words, Tang Xiu only spent tens of millions USD to buy his cruiser.


    The ship then set sail after Tom Reggie disembarked.


    The blue sky and the dark blue ocean echoed with each other as it stretched vast as far as the eyes could see. On the front deck of the ship, Tang Xiu stood, braving the wind and waves of the seascape along with a faint expectation inside. He looked forward to arriving at the Nine Dragon Island.


    As of now, the island was still under the management of the seller. However, news came more than a month ago that the other party was prepared to move the people there, while it was his issue about when would he receive the island. Prior to this, Tang Xiu had no free time. Thus, there should be nobody managing the island now.


    _¡®Nine Dragon Island is located in a very particular location in the ocean where only a few people are supposed to be nearby. So I suppose there¡¯s no one there now!¡¯_


    Upon thinking up to there, Tang Xiu faintly smiled.


    Regardless whether there was nobody in the island at present, even if there was any, he must drive them away from there. He was the owner of the island and nobody was allowed to there without his permission.


    ¡°Boss! A call for you.¡±


    Behind him, Mo Awen arrived and handed him a satellite phone.


    After Tang Xiu took it, he then spoke in a deep tone, ¡°Tang Xiu speaking.¡±


    A voice belonging to Gu Xiaoxue then transmitted from the phone, ¡°Grandmaster, are you on the way to Nine Dragon Island? I didn¡¯t disturb you, did I?¡±


    Hearing Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s voice, Tang Xiu immediately let out a smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. The ship just set sail. Is there something?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Grandmaster! Tian Li, Hao Lei and the other two have come back and told Elder Ji about your command. Also, they came back and brought a total of 28 billion. Would you like me to transfer the money to your account, or should I wait for you to come back later?¡± asked Gu Xiaoxue.


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment and said with a smile, ¡°Keep 18 billion and send me 10 billion! It would probably take a huge sum of money to transform the Nine Dragon Island. Also, for the remaining 8 billion, after buying the ginseng, I¡¯m going to keep it.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then I¡¯ll have someone send the money to your account later. Also, Grandmaster, what do you want me to do to assist your transformation of the Nine Dragon Island?¡± said Gu Xiaoxue with a smile.


    Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Does the Everlasting Feast Hall have a reliable construction company in Saipan? I am talking about a very large construction company here.¡±


    ¡°No, Master¡¯s operations were only limited to the country before. But I¡¯ll ask some people in our Everlasting Feast Hall and if anyone knows someone there, I¡¯ll have them look it for you,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue.


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tang Xiu replied.


    After ending the call, Tang Xiu handed the satellite phone to Mo Awen and said with a smile, ¡°I never expected that those four Hong Kong billionaires would actually give us so much cash. I originally thought that the money would be insufficient to reconstruct Nine Dragon Island, but now it looks like the difference won¡¯t be too much.¡±


    Mo Awen¡¯s expression moved as he said, ¡°Boss, you just said you¡¯re looking for a big construction company here in Saipan, didn¡¯t you? Tom is the local snake here. He must know about it.¡±


    ¡°I did consider this issue, but I¡¯m not planning to tell Tom as I¡¯m not sure of who he is exactly as of now,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Boss, there¡¯s no problem with Tom himself since it¡¯s impossible for him to mix with others considering his character. Unless he can learn the abilities we learnt, I think it¡¯s unnecessary to hide it from him. Besides, it¡¯s a due course that a lot of building materials would pass from Saipan once the reconstruction of Nine Dragon Island commenced. When the time comes, it¡¯s inevitable for him to know about it since he¡¯s a local snake here.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment and then slowly said, ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see first. We¡¯ll look for it from the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people if there¡¯s anyone amongst them who knows about a large construction company here. If there¡¯s any, we don¡¯t need to bother him, if not, then I¡¯ll talk to him again!¡±


    Mo Awen nodded and no longer said anything.


    After two and half a days of voyage, the ship finally arrived on Nine Dragon Island at sunset. As the ship stopped at an extended marina port, Tang Xiu ordered Mo Awen to stay aboard while he brought Mo Awu to land on the Nine Dragon Island. They climbed all the way and quickly approached the palatial manor on the hill.


    ¡°Boss, something¡¯s not right!¡±


    Overlooking the brightly illuminated castle, Mo Awen¡¯s brows deeply furrowed. He and Tang Xiu possessed keen eyesight and could clearly see that a lot of people were in the building a kilometer away from them. They also saw several people armed with guns in the periphery of the building along with some brawny men in camouflage attires.


    Tang Xiu nodded as his face suddenly moves when he was about to reply. He then shouted, ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me, Boss!¡±


    Wang Dong and another man quietly appeared from a huge boulder and came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side. He quickly looked toward the castle and whispered, ¡°Special circumstances happened here, Boss. We can¡¯t go in there temporarily.¡±


    ¡°What happened? Who are those inside the castle?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a frown.


    Forcing out a smile, Wang Dong said, ¡°We arrived here a few days earlier than you did, Boss. By the time we got here, we found that a group of pirates had occupied this place and most importantly, they also kidnapped hundreds of civilians; all of them are detained here.¡±


    ¡°How many people do these pirates have?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°There are more than 200 people,¡± Wang Dong said. ¡°Each one of them is armed with a gun. Wolf Head has investigated the situation in the vicinity yesterday, and a pirate found him, so Wolf Head killed that pirate. He then led us to hover nearby the nine ports to wait for your arrival, Boss.¡±


    ¡°Contact Wolf Head and the others. Tell them to come here immediately!¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Copy that, Boss!¡±


    Wang Dong replied and quickly took a satellite phone.


    Half an hour later, Wolf Head and the other ten arrived.


    ¡°Boss, has Wang Dong told you the situation here?¡± asked Wolf Head.


    ¡°He has. Have you asked clearly from where this group of pirates came from?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I have, Boss. These pirates are the ones who operate in the nearby waters and have no fixed base. They have been here for several years and are barely able to get enough food and such because there have been few ships passing through this area. This pirate group is called the Bloodfish Pirate group and is led by a man called Duffsky¡ªa ruthless wanted international criminal. After they arrived at Nine Dragon Island a few days ago, they massacred the people who stayed behind in the castle and successfully seized it.¡±

 Chapter 303

    Chapter 303: Capture the Thieves by Capturing its Leader First


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°You heard they kidnapped a group of civilians?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Yes, I squeezed it out from a pirate¡¯s mouth. Because their operations recently are very bad, they secretly infiltrated Wake Island to get some fortune there as well as kidnapping over a hundred civilians; and most are women.¡±


    A cold light flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. He knew perfectly well what kind of treatment and suffering the women who had been kidnapped would receive. Rarely did he have urge to kill, yet he would be merciless toward these pirates who committed many imaginable evils.


    ¡°These pirates must all be exterminated.¡±


    Wolf Head said solemnly, ¡°Boss, we have no weapons. And if we do fight them we¡¯ll suffer some losses even if they are completely decimated. I think we need to devise a plan and then act accordingly.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been here for so many days, what plan do you have in mind?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°We scouted the situation here. All members of the Bloodfish Pirate group are in the palace and its surrounding and some pirates are guarding several places. I think we must remove these guards at maximum speed once we act, seizing guns from their hands, and then quietly sneak into the palace. It is best to find the ringleader¡ªDuffsky first. As long as we can capture him, it will be easier for us,¡± said Wolf Head.


    ¡°Catching a bunch of thieves by capturing their leader first- it¡¯s not a bad plan. But after seizing this Duffsky, kill as pirates as you can without being exposed. The more they die, the less danger we¡¯ll have to face later. Awu, you and Wolf Head form a team with Duffsky as your target. As for the others, wait for action according to the plan,¡± said Tang Xiu coldly.


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Tang Xiu then glanced at Mo Awu and said, ¡°Go and call Awen here. Not even one of these pirates can leave here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go now!¡± said Mo Awu heavily.


    Soon, a plan had been devised and after repeated simulation to ensure there were no flaws in it, Tang Xiu ordered the attack after Mo Awu and Mo Awen arrived.


    Instead of joining Wolf Head, Mo Awen, and the other 12 men, Tang Xiu quietly approached the castle as though a ghost. Due to his spiritual sense ability that covered a 200 meters¡¯ radius and coupled with his keen eyesight, he soon came to the castle walls.


    _¡®It looks like these pirates are ready to settle down in Nine Dragon Island! They have installed surveillance cameras in many places of the castle.¡¯_


    The coldness inside Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes was getting thicker and concentrated. He quickly hid in the groves after silently entering the wall. Right at this time, a drunk pirate carrying a gun came out of the building and walked towards his hiding spot.


    _¡®You¡¯re courting your own death!¡¯_


    Tang Xiu coldly snorted inside. As the other party drew near six or seven meters away from him, took off his pants and was about to pee, a sharp dagger ripped his throat, blood splattering as his heart was stabbed.


    Quickly, Tang Xiu deftly moved and pulled the body into the grove.


    Near the palace.


    Two pirates armed with guns were chatting and yawning. One of them took out a cigarette and lit it. After deeply inhaling and puffing it out, he muttered downcastly, ¡°Fuck! It¡¯s so good a night, yet we brothers can only stay here on night watch while everyone else can fuck those women inside. I gotta look for Second Chief and tell him that I wanna change our shift to daytime.¡±


    Another pirate grinned, ¡°Be content with your lot! Those chicks have been terribly tossed about by us in the daytime. Even if you don¡¯t have night duties, will your stuff still be able to charge and strike?¡±


    ¡°Who says I can¡¯t? Even if I already scored twice, I still can¡­¡±


    He had yet to finish his words when a pair of big hands covered his mouth along with a sharp Mitsubishi army knife behind him that straightly cut his throat. As he saw his pirate brother dying, he also similarly had his mouth covered and his throat cut by the same knife, which then stabbed his heart, his consciousness then blurring.


    Wang Ming sent an ¡®OK¡¯ signal to his comrade as they then immediately took the two rifles from the dead bodies and quickly lurked to the inside.


    At the same time, six other pirates who were on the night watch in three other places were also mercilessly slain. Their dead bodies were placed in a standing position on trees or on the wall, while all their firearms were taken away.


    In the grove behind the palace. Tang Xiu arrived here after circling around. With his spiritual sense, he could only cover one-fifth of the area of this magnificent palace. However, maybe due to his good luck, he had found Duffsky¡¯s location along with a stark naked woman beside him.


    He was sure that this man was Duffsky because Wolf Head had secretly taken a photo of him; the appearance in the photo was the same with the man.


    Whoosh!


    As though an agile Spirit Ape, Tang Xiu silently climbed up to the second-floor window and then quietly entered the palace. The room was a gym with a lot of fitness equipment inside. Evidently, it was left behind by the previous owner. Inside the gym was a pirate with a body full of scars hugging a sleeping woman with tears on her face.


    ¡°Puff¡­¡±


    The pirate¡¯s throat was easily ripped open by a dagger as Tang Xiu then quietly opened the door and walked out without disturbing the woman.


    Soon, Tang Xiu killed the two passing pirates at the corridor and then smoothly snuck into Duffsky¡¯s room.


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    Vigilant as he was, the weak sound of the door opening awakened Duffsky from his sleep as his hands moved under the pillow in a flash.


    ¡°Puff¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu threw the dagger in his hand and precisely hit Duffsky¡¯s hand as his figure dashed and appeared in front of him, punching his head fiercely and covering his mouth at the same time.


    ¡°Bam¡­¡±


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu felt a punch hitting his back, causing him to let out a muffled hum due to the immense force. He instantly jumped out of the bed and saw that the stark naked woman had also jumped from the bed and made a fighting pose.


    She was also an enemy!


    Chilling light gleamed inside Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he dashed toward the woman. He wouldn¡¯t act and kill her if she was an ordinary woman who was taken captive, but never would he show mercy to the pirate because she was female. He shot without using his hand and knocked her down lightning fast, killing her easily.


    He then looked back toward the stunned Duffsky and secretly let out a forced and wry smile. He had just neglected the woman, abruptly coming to a realization. It was not only the man who was a threat to him, even the woman was also very dangerous. It was fortunate that the woman had no weapon, otherwise, he would have been shot by now. Perhaps he wouldn¡¯t die, but being caught off guard and getting shot in such a close quarters would make him injured.


    Furthermore, although getting injured was a trivial matter since bullets couldn¡¯t pierce his body easily, but as soon as the gunshot was heard, it would be very loud in the silent night and all the pirates in the entire palace would have been alerted.


    After looking for a rope, Tang Xiu then tied up the fainted Duffsky and directly left the room. By now, he could sneakily attack those pirates independently. The more he killed them the less dangerous for them later.


    Ten minutes later. Dozens of pirates were killed in their sleep. There were also dozens of pirates in the palace who were mercilessly killed during their farming work on women. As for these captured women who were almost all in a pitiful state, Tang Xiu and his men didn¡¯t kill them and directly knocked them out.


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    The silent, quiet night was finally broke by a gunshot.


    Immediately after, undressed pirates roared and rushed out one by one, grasping their guns and shouted loudly, asking what exactly had happened and who had shot.


    During the confusion, Tang Xiu and the other 14 people struck and killed more than 20 pirates by surprise.


    ¡°Strike back!¡±


    After Tang Xiu appeared beside Wolf Head and Mo Awu, he issued an order without hesitation.


    Fierce gunfight commenced inside the castle. The coordination between Tang Xiu and his men made these pirates vulnerable, collapsing at the first blow. After they took their shots, over a hundred pirates had been killed since the beginning.


    Right at this moment, Mo Awu learned from Tang Xiu about Duffsky¡¯s room and brought him over as he then woke Duffsky up.


    ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡±


    Duffsky immediately shouted after he woke up and found himself tied up with a Mitsubishi army knife pressed on his neck.


    ¡°I¡¯m the owner of this island. Tell your henchmen to put their guns down and go the square outside the castle. Otherwise, I¡¯ll kill you first.¡± Tang Xiu sneered.


    A glittering light suffused in Duffsky¡¯s eyes. He had been risking his life and had gone through numerous hopeless situation, but never was he in a more dangerous situation such as now. After staying silent for a moment, he then roared at the dozens of pirates who had been in the corridor, ¡°All of you go to the square outside and drop your guns!¡±


    The pirates looked each other in dismay. They hesitated, because they knew that they would probably be killed once they dropped their guns.


    ¡°Bang, bang ¡­¡±


    A bearded pirate paced two steps forward and fired his guns twice toward Tang Xiu¡¯s direction. The target was neither Tang Xiu and the others, but the hostage Duffsky. His marksmanship was very accurate as one shot hit Duffsky¡¯s heart and another one hit his forehead, killing him instantly.


    ¡°Dodge!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s body flashed into the nearby room as the rest quickly hid in other nearby rooms, quickly opening the windows without hesitation and going out through the windows quickly.

 Chapter 304

    Chapter 304: They¡¯re Devils


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    A roar came from the corridor, followed by fierce gunshots immediately afterward, ¡°DON¡¯T LET THEM RUN! KILL THEM!¡±


    Dozens of pirates rushed in, but after the door was kicked open, nobody was found inside and all the windows were opened.


    Two minutes later.


    Tang Xiu and the others gathered in the lush woods behind the castle. Apart from one man who had a bullet wound in his arm, the rest were uninjured.


    Patting the injured man, Tang Xiu whispered, ¡°How¡¯s your injury? Is it serious?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± the man shook his head.


    Turning his head to Wolf Head, Tang Xiu asked in a deep voice, ¡°Who is that pirate who dared to kill Duffsky? Is he not afraid of the other pirates killing him?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the second leader of the Bloodfish Pirates. This accident is due to my poor plans since I forgot that these pirates are a ruthless and heartless bunch. The other pirates won¡¯t blame him for killing Duffsky. They are not idiots, they surely know that they will likely be killed by us after surrendering,¡± said Wolf Head.


    ¡°Tonight¡¯s action has failed, so we¡¯ll withdraw immediately. I can¡¯t afford to lose our people to some pirates. If they have the courage, they will continue staying inside the castle. But in any case, we¡¯ll continue the attack in the early morning,¡± assented Tang Xiu with a nod.


    ¡°Boss, your next plan is¡­.¡± Said Wolf Head curiously.


    ¡°My plan is very simple,¡± said Tang Xiu and grimly smiled. ¡°We¡¯ll find every opportunity to sneak raid those pirates constantly. Kill them one by one and as many as we can. All in all, I will kill them and make them so terrified that they¡¯ll run away. As long as they come out from the castle, they¡¯re dead.¡±


    The rest looked at each other and assented with nods. They similarly loathed these evil pirates and had no hesitation to slay them.


    Late at night.


    Two kilometers away from the castle. Tang Xiu and the rest hid amidst the boulders and trees, quietly watching the castle. They heard sounds of gunfire coming from that side and the roar of the pirates.


    The sounds were getting closer and closer.


    ¡°Ten men with submachine guns about 650 meters away are searching for us,¡± standing behind the boulder, Wolf Head poked his head out to probe and whispered.


    Tang Xiu motioned the Mo brothers as the two quietly slipped into nearby trees immediately. He then said, ¡°Wolf Head, immediately attack them once they reach the vicinity. Do keep in mind to assign the task well and strive to decimate them completely.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Wolf Head replied in a low voice.


    Seven or eight minutes later.


    Ten armed pirates had caught up to them, but they didn¡¯t use flashlights because the enemies were hiding and they didn¡¯t want to be attacked in the dark.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Several silhouettes silently appeared near the ten pirates. As daggers stabbed into their bodies, more ferocious attacks were launched as they screamed.


    Within just five or six seconds, the ten pirates didn¡¯t even have time to shoot and were all killed, giving ten submachine guns to Wolf Head and the others.


    Tang Xiu kicked the corpse of one of the pirates to the side and coldly looked toward the castle. According to Wolf Head¡¯s number count, the number of pirates in the castle should have fallen to less than 100. With ten more of them killed now, the number of pirates lessened yet again.


    Soon, the two brothers¡ªMo Awen and Mo Awu returned with ten guns. They dropped the guns around Tang Xiu and then wiped the blood off their faces, saying, ¡°We also found ten pirates in another direction, so we cleaned them up and also robbed their guns. Anyways, Boss. Should we rush ahead again?¡±


    A smile appeared on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth as he shook his head and said, ¡°No need to hurry. We¡¯re now in the dark while the enemies are in the light. We just need to monitor the entire castle. Once some people came out, kill them. I must make those remaining bastards scared shitless, letting them know what fear is.¡±


    ¡°How about me and Awu secretly sneak into the castle to kill some more tonight?¡± asked Mo Awen.


    Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°No problem. Of course, I will also sneak in to kill some of them. Wolf Head, you¡¯ll be responsible for monitoring the entire castle. Can you do it?¡±


    Forcing out a wry smile, Wolf Head said, ¡°This castle is rather large and there are a lot of spots we can use to sneak in. We¡¯ll try our best though.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they won¡¯t dare to come out so easily either. Even if they do, they will probably come out together,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be a problem then. The twelve of us will hold one spot each and seal off all the easy paths down the roads descending from the hill,¡± said Wolf Head.


    Inside the castle.


    Ingelund was holding a submachine gun as he quietly sat in the palatial hall. On the floor in front of him were 78 dead bodies into a pool of blood. Those were the male civilians caught by them. He was in a dire urge to kill, for only blood could stimulate him so that he wouldn¡¯t fall into fear.


    The number of pirates in the castle which numbered 242 men had been reduced to only 96 after several losses, while the other party were but only a dozen.


    They were experts. And powerful ones at that!


    He was also once an expert¡ªan ace of the United States¡¯ marine corps. As a result of having a conflict with someone in the army and due to him killing the other party, he deserted and escaped the army. Years after escaping he eventually took shelter under Duffsky.


    However, he had never once seen such intrepid team. Even the top-notch soldiers in the Marine Corps he was enlisted in that year perhaps couldn¡¯t be compared to the other party.


    ¡°Second Chief, the Third Chief¡ªHutu sent two searching teams, a total of 20 men, and they haven¡¯t come back until now. Could they gotten in an accident?¡± A burly, ugly and ferocious looking man strode in from the outside carrying a submachine gun and dozens of magazines on his waist.


    Ingelund stared blankly before he suddenly jumped up from the sofa with eyes almost able to kill. He grabbed the big man¡¯s clothes and angrily shouted, ¡°What did you say? Hu Tu sent 20 brothers to seek the enemies?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± the burly man was somewhat frenetic and quickly replied.


    ¡°How long has it been?¡± Ingelund roared.


    ¡°About an hour,¡± said the burly guy.


    Releasing the burly man, Ingelund paled and slightly shivered inside. He had once undergone regular army training and went to many countries to carry out secret missions. Many times had he survived through the forest of guns and hail of bullets, so he knew perfectly well¡­ what the true strength of an elite was.


    These enemies were fearsome!


    Sending out 20 brothers; Hutu had just sent them to die.


    Fuming with anger, Ingelund said, ¡°Where the fuck is Hutu?¡±


    The burly man said, ¡°The third leader is deploying a defensive perimeter and assigning some brothers to stay hidden and some to stay visible as sentries outside. Thus, we¡¯ll be able to discover the enemies once they approach this area.¡±


    Clenching his fist, Ingelund strode out of the hall and quickly found Hutu. Without any words, he dashed toward Hutu and grabbed his ionized-scalding long hair, forcefully pulling it down and knee kicking Hutu¡¯s abdomen, directly sending him into a shrimp-like shape as his body curled up and twitched on the ground.


    Following that, he ferociously kicked Hutu¡¯s body several times and angrily cursed, ¡°You¡ªfucking goddamn idiot, didn¡¯t you see the strength of the enemy clearly? We have more than 200 people, yet with only a dozens of men they killed more than 100 of us. Now tell me, have you seen this kind of enemy before, huh?


    ¡°Yet, you unexpectedly sent 20 brothers without my permission. You¡ªfucking bastard just sent those brothers to die. I dare say those 20 brothers have already been killed near the castle by now.


    ¡°What a fucking stupid pig! You know nothing about tactics because you¡ªasshole decided to send out the remaining brothers, causing us to receive great casualties yet again. You¡¯re no longer the Bloodfish Pirate¡¯s third leader henceforth.


    ¡°All of you, listen to me. Nobody is ever to listen to him again unless you want to be killed by him.


    ¡°Did you all hear me?¡±


    The dozens of pirates nearby watched as Hutu curled up and screamed on the ground. After which, they glanced at the furious Ingelund and finally replied loudly, ¡°Yes. We heard it!¡±


    Ingelund took a deep breath, grabbed Hutu up and said, ¡°If you weren¡¯t the only sniper in our Bloodfish pirates and because your loyalty to me, I would really have fucking killed you already. Do remember to stay with me from now on.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Hutu knew how fearsome Ingelund¡¯s strength was, as well as his ruthlessness. Though he was somewhat resentful inside, he was still respectful toward the man.


    As Ingelund dropped Hutu, he then spoke in a heavy tone, ¡°Call all of our brothers back to the castle and pack up everything. Collect all the weapons in the castle. We can¡¯t stay here any longer or else we¡¯ll be killed by the enemies.¡±


    ¡°S-second Chief, do you mean¡­ we¡¯re running away?¡± An ordinary pirate leader asked aloud.


    Ingelund said in a heavy tone, ¡°Though speaking about ¡®running away¡¯ is rather humiliating to us, that¡¯s the truth. The enemies are way too powerful. I had once served in the United States¡¯ Marines Corps and fought numerous top fighters from various countries in the world, so I know very well the strength of our enemies. Small in numbers, they are only a dozen people. Yet, be it their individual capabilities or teamwork, they are of the best and the most formidable bunch I¡¯ve ever seen in my life. We¡¯ll die here if we don¡¯t run. And they will continue to sneak-raid and kill us. Now tell me, do you¡­ want to die here?¡±


    ¡°NO. I DON¡¯T WANT TO DIE HERE!¡±


    All the remaining pirates shouted loudly.


    ¡°Then run from this place since you don¡¯t wanna die! We¡¯re pirates. Encountering a powerful bunch, we immediately run; meeting weak prey, we squeeze them out of all they have! So get your asses ready to leave this island!!!¡±


    ¡°YES!¡±

 Chapter 305

    Chapter 305: Constant Harassing


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Dozens of pirates returned to the castle and began packing up all the weapons and ammo as well as preparing enough food for the trip. Desperate criminals they might be, but dying was never something they wanted. They were pirates. They committed the most heinous crimes and were wanted by the Interpol. Yet, looting and plundering were what they felt to be in line with their work style.


    If someone could live, who the hell would want to die? For dying meant that there would be nothing left for them.


    A burly man came to Ingelund and croaked, ¡°Second Chief, what should we do with all the captives? Kill them?¡±


    Knitting his brows, Ingelund asked in a deep voice, ¡°How many of them are left?¡±


    ¡°Except for the seven you just killed, there are still 126 left. Our brothers have them locked up. We can kill them all at once as long as you issue the order,¡± said the burly man.


    ¡°How much food is left in the castle exactly?¡± asked Ingelund once again.


    ¡°It should be enough for two months¡¯ provisions for our brothers,¡± said the burly man.


    A brilliant spark glinted in Ingelund¡¯s eyes as he said in a deep voice, ¡°Take ten people and keep the rest here. And do remember to take all the food in the castle. Humph¡­ those people said that this place is theirs. I wanna fucking see how they deal with the rest of the captives.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± the burly man was puzzled. ¡°Second Chief, why are we leaving them here? Almost all the remaining captives are women, even our brothers have yet to farm dozens of them! Leaving them to the enemies is way too cheap, no?¡±


    ¡°You know nothing, idiot,¡± Ingelund smiled grimly. ¡°We¡¯re taking all the food and leaving the captives here, but they too have to eat. If those people don¡¯t care about the life and death of these captives, they will not give their food to these women and thus will starve them to death. But if they do give some of their provisions to these women, humph¡­ would their provisions be able to support that?¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­¡± the burly was astonished, ¡°You want to drag down the enemies with the women?¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± said Ingelund proudly.


    The burly man hesitated for a moment and then said, ¡°Then why don¡¯t we leave all the women behind instead of taking only ten of them?¡±


    Ingelund slapped the burly man¡¯s head and cursed angrily, ¡°Are you a fucking idiot? Nobody can say if we can escape safely! For now, we can only expect that they won¡¯t ignore the captives. If they do, we can use those ten as hostages to get away scot-free!¡±


    ¡°I see!¡± the burly man scratched his head as his rough face grinned hideously.


    The Bloodfish pirates moved very fast, which was something they rarely did. Within a short half an hour, all the weapons and foodstuffs in the castle had been packed up. Each and every one of them now carried a large bag as they quietly left the castle from the back under the protection of 20-30 armed pirates.


    As for the civilian they held captive, all of them were locked up in the hall, as even all the windows were tightly nailed with planks.


    Halfway up the hillside behind the castle, Wang Ming and his comrade were hiding amid the thick patches of grass with mini binoculars in their hands, watching all the movements in the castle¡¯s surroundings.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s coming!¡± Wang Ming suddenly whispered.


    The other man observed for several seconds and then whispered back, ¡°It¡¯s the pirates in the castle. They are seemingly about to flee.¡±


    Wang Ming nodded, took out a satellite phone and dialed a number.


    ¡°Wolf Head, the pirates are about to flee. They¡¯re carrying a large number of arms and foodstuff and are also holding ten civilians. They are heading up toward the back hill.¡±


    ¡°Copy that! Be careful and take cover!¡±


    Wolf Head¡¯s voice came from the satellite phone.


    In another direction.


    Taking back the satellite phone, Wolf Head looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Boss, those pirates are about to run away and heading toward Wang Ming¡¯s position. They should be taking down the trails there. And I suspect that their ships are also hidden there.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s catch up and find the right time to strike and kill them. Tell the rest to prioritize their safety first,¡± said Tang Xiu with a sneer.


    ¡°Roger that!¡±


    Wolf Head immediately used the satellite phone and typed a message to the group.


    Ten minutes later, Tang Xiu led Wolf Head and the others to Wang Ming¡¯s location. Watching the leaving pirates on the curving hill road below through mini binoculars, Tang Xiu coldly smiled and said in a deep voice, ¡°Awen, Awu. How many people can you kill without injuring the civilians if you were to ambush them?¡±


    ¡°At least ten,¡± said Mo Awen after pondering for a moment.


    ¡°Then go! Also, throw them into confusion and make some trouble for them to slow down their escape.¡± Tang Xiu approved with a nod.


    ¡°Roger that!¡±


    Mo Awen and Mo Awu replied and soon disappeared into the nearby woods.


    Turning to look at Wolf Head, Tang Xiu then said, ¡°Take your men and cross to the side. Try to set some traps in front of them within 20 minutes, and then kill as many pirates as you can.¡±


    ¡°Copy that!¡±


    Licking his lips, Wolf Head replied and immediately left with the other eleven men.


    Tang Xiu stepped on the boulder and quickly chased downwards. He moved fast and as smooth as usual. Within just two minutes, he had caught up hundreds of meters behind the fleeing opposite party. Without being discovered by them, he then went into hiding.


    ¡°Bang, bang, bang¡­¡±


    A series of gunshots were heard as several pirates in the forefront fell to the ground one after another. Two submachine guns¡¯ licking flames were as though harvesters that claimed the lives of the pirates in the forefront as though they were wheat. As for Ingelund who was in the forefront, were it not because of his fast reaction to instantly grab a pirate near him to block the line of bullets, he would have also been shot dead.


    ¡°SCATTER AND STRIKE BACK!¡±


    Ingelund pushed the pirate¡¯s sieved dead body and retreated into the bushes nearby like a cheetah. After rolling for several times and positioning himself there, he aimed the muzzle of his submachine gun at the direction of the shots.


    ¡°Bang, bang¡­¡±


    As the dark muzzled aimed to the front and the trigger was pulled, bullets sprayed as though a torrential downpouring. Branches were sent flying and rocks were scattered around. Yet, the sound of gunshots had stopped and the two enemy men had already left that position.


    Right at this moment, the other pirates who were carrying guns also began to counterattack toward the direction where the gunshots started. After half a minute of shooting, some people even had changed to their second magazine.


    ¡°STOP FIRING AND SAVE YOUR AMMO!¡± Ingelund growled.


    Immediately, the pirates no longer fired, but they still hid in the surrounding thicket, looking for the enemies through the slit of branches and leaves. Unfortunately, no matter how they looked for them, they couldn¡¯t any of their traces.


    This waiting game was exceptionally terrible!


    Intense fear engulfed the heart of every pirate, for they couldn¡¯t even see a shadow of the enemies who had ruthlessly shot dozens of their brothers. Looking through the branches and leaves at those who had fallen in a pool of blood, their hearts fell into the abyss.


    ¡°S-second Chief, what should we do?¡±


    Armed with a sniper rifle, Hutu had been observing for quite a long time through his sniper scope, yet he couldn¡¯t find even a trace of the enemies. He carefully turned back and asked Ingelund who was a few meters away from him.


    With coldness suffused in his eyes, Ingelund shook his head and looked at the back. He then spoke in a heavy voice, ¡°Tell someone to use those civilians to block the guns, making them our human shields. If those bastards hiding in the dark were to open fire, let them kill those civilians first!¡±


    Quickly, seven or eight pirates crawled up from the thicket and quickly came in front of the ten civilians who were lying on the ground. After beating them for a while, they picked them up from the ground and pushed their backs.


    ¡°Take the lead!¡±


    The ten civilians, six of whom were men and four were rather pretty women were forced to help the pirates to carry the food and medicines.


    At this moment, they looked deathly pale with frightened expressions. Two quite timid women even had their legs trembling.


    ¡°P-please, I beg you. Don¡¯t kill us.¡±


    A tall and big man suddenly wept like a little girl out of fright. His legs were trembling, lips shivering, and there even was a watermark in his crotch.


    ¡°You fucking asshole. You got scared and peed yourself?¡±


    The pirate behind him who just smelt his pee smashed the tall man¡¯s head fiercely, causing the badly beaten man to straightly fall to the ground.


    After that, he then grabbed the man again, pushing his gun against him to make the man lead the way in front.


    ¡°Tak¡­¡±


    A stone suddenly came shooting from the distant thicket and accurately hit that pirate¡¯s temple. A bloody was hole created, directly killing him.


    Quickly, the leaves and branches of that thicket swayed as a man¡¯s silhouette flashed.


    Down the middle of the pirates, Ingelund, who found that another man was killed, wasn¡¯t startled as he shouted loudly, ¡°All you lot be alerted! Be careful not to be caught in a sneak attack by the enemy again. If those bastards dare to attack again and kill one of our brothers, just kill one civilian.¡±


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    A gunshot sounded as the badly beaten man¡¯s head was shot in the head by Ingelund and died on the spot.


    Hopelessness and despair filled the hearts of the other nine civilians upon hearing Ingelund¡¯s words. They knew they were as good as dead. This place was a battlefield and not under the rule and law of the society. In this hellish place, a human could die at anytime.


    Hiding amid the thicket, Tang Xiu¡¯s eyelids slanted after hearing it, the murderous intent inside him getting thicker. He just identified Ingelund. It was the man who shot and killed the Bloodfish Pirates¡¯ leader¡ªDuffsky, the second leader of the Bloodfish Pirates¡­ Ingelund.


    _¡®This bastard is ruthless and merciless; he must be the first one to be killed. The other pirate members will collapse at once without their leaders. However, the problem is the remaining nine civilians over there.¡¯_


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment and faintly felt that the situation was somewhat tricky.

 Chapter 306

    Chapter 306: Annihilated


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Under the dark night¡¯s obscure moonlight, Tang Xiu quietly left as though a ghost and soon appeared at a dark secluded thicket. He took out a satellite phone and then called Wolf Head.


    ¡°The pirates are using hostages to threaten us. How can we get rid of all the pirates while ensuring the safety of the hostages?¡± Tang Xiu whispered.


    ¡°It¡¯s very difficult to achieve, unless we wait and retreat.¡±


    ¡°Wait and retreat?¡± Tang Xiu was somewhat puzzled.


    ¡°As long as they are on the island and holding the captives, we can achieve nothing if we want to kill them as well as ensure the safety of the hostages. Unless they board the ship and set sail, only then can we sneak into their ship and assassinate them,¡± said Wolf Head.


    ¡°What you proposed is also a solution. But if they board the ship, it will be very hard for us to slip into the ship to assassinate them without us being spotted. Also, we gotta decimate the second leader of this Bloodfish Pirates as soon as possible. Otherwise, they will still have a backbone, greatly increasing the difficulty for us to assassinate them,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Wolf Head was silent for several seconds before he then slowly said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll assassinate this Ingelund.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s very easy for me to kill him, but I fear those hostages will be killed if I rashly kill him,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I have observed the remaining pirates. They have a total 61 people left now. If all of us were to coordinate and ambush them in a strategic terrain, shooting at them in a close distance, we should be able to kill more than half of their numbers. Also, we need to assign four of our people to stay on guard to especially observe those pirates. whoever amongst them shoots the hostages in the forefront, they must kill them in advance. However, I can¡¯t guarantee that all the hostages will survive, though,¡± said Wolf Head.


    Tang Xiu silently analyzed Wolf Head¡¯s proposal in his mind. If he let those pirates leave, the remaining nine hostages would highly likely be killed. But if he carried on the killing and rescue on Nine Dragon Island, some of the hostages would probably die.


    After measuring and weighing the whole situation, Tang Xiu made up his mind and said in a heavy voice, ¡°We¡¯ll do it according to your suggestion. Killing these pirates is a risky and dangerous act in itself and dying is but also a possibility. We¡¯ll do our best even if those hostages are in a dangerous situations.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Tang Xiu watched the pirates¡¯ advancing direction. He circled from the flank as though a fast wind or a electrical spark. After four to five minutes, he approached Wolf Head and the others¡¯ hiding place.


    ¡°Have you informed Awen and Awu?¡± Tang Xiu took the binoculars handed by his man and whispered.


    ¡°They have been informed and should be here soon,¡± said Wolf Head.


    Nodding in reply, Tang Xiu then used the binoculars to observe, finding that the pirates were holding the remaining nine hostages and walking toward this direction. At this time, they looked frightened and constantly moved their guns¡¯ muzzles around.


    ¡°Boss, considering their speed, it should take about four minutes for them to arrive at our position. Are you thinking to make this spot as an ambush point?¡± asked Wolf Head in a whisper.


    Looking at the surrounding, Tang Xiu assented with a nod, ¡°Yes. Though we are in a disadvantageous position because of the inclination, our tracks are completely concealed. Unless they climb the boulders on both sides, they won¡¯t be able find us. Also, we mustn¡¯t open fire before they¡¯ve arrived and we can¡¯t accidentally hurt the hostages in the forefront. Hence, we must wait until they passed, shooting them in the back.¡±


    ¡°Boss, I think it¡¯s not quite right. We should put a few people here while the rest circle to the back. But the four men staying here, their main purpose is to monitor those pirates who are very close to the hostages and can freely kill them. If they find that their muzzles are aimed at the hostages, they will shoot them immediately,¡± said Wolf Head.


    ¡°OK!¡± After thinking, Tang Xiu directly approved it.


    He didn¡¯t have knowledge about military tactics and devising battle plans. But Wolf Head was once the top ace of the country¡¯s special forces and had undertaken numerous missions and devised numerous battle plans by himself. Thus, his opinion was worth employing.


    Shortly after, the Mo brothers also quickly arrived and approved with a nod upon hearing Wolf Head¡¯s idea.


    ¡°Awen, Awu; both of you, along with Wolf Head and Wang Ming, will team up. Your main purpose is to kill those pirates who are close to the hostages. I will kill Ingelund first while the rest will slay the other pirates as fast as you can. We must be fast, ruthless and accurate. If any pirates escape, you don¡¯t need to chase them down, kill most of the pirates first instead,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°No problem!¡± Everyone nodded.


    Time flew by.


    Quickly, those pirates holding the hostages were about a hundred meters away from Awen, Awu, and the others¡¯ ambush point. Behind them were Tang Xiu with five of his men, following along quietly. The distance was only 40-50 meters away from the pirates in the forefront.


    ¡°Keep yourselves concealed and approach them as close as you can,¡± Tang Xiu ordered in a whisper.


    A minute after, Tang Xiu climbed up a big tree and looked through the branches and leaves. The pirates were about 20-30 meters away as his vision swept at them and then finally locked on Ingelund, aiming his muzzle at him.


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    A gunshot was sound as a bloody hole was created on the back of Ingelund¡¯s head. His eyes stared wide as he turned his head with difficulty to look at Tang Xiu¡¯s direction. His vision turned blurred as he lost his consciousness and died on the spot.


    ¡°Bang, bang, bang¡­¡±


    ¡°Rat-tat-tat¡­¡±


    Intense gunfire broke out as tongues of flames burst in and out.


    Bullets poured out as though raindrops, aiming toward the pirates, while submachine guns¡¯ shots also barked from both sides of the pirates.


    ¡°RUUUN! AAAAH!¡±


    A pirate who was scared to death screamed sharply as he snowballed himself to avoid the bullets fired into the nearby thicket. Unfortunately, bad luck befell unto him as a bullet made a hole on his head and he finally dropped down on the thick patches of grass, motionless.


    Of the more than 60 pirates, except for those who were shot dead, all fled to every direction. They didn¡¯t have the capacity and reaction a regular army possessed, neither they possessed the loftiness to be valiant and fearless. They were pirates, hoodlums, and thugs who would even betray their souls for money and benefits. When they were powerful, they would ruthlessly bully and massacre others, but in the face of more powerful and vicious enemies, they would fall into fear and run away.


    After half a minute, except for dead bodies everywhere, only seven or eight pirates who were lucky enough to quickly flee into the bushes by the side of the road were left. The rest all died a horrible death. But four among the nine hostages were shot and killed during the counterattack of the pirates, along with two injured.


    Tang Xiu strode into the middle of the dead bodies and released his spiritual sense to cover the area.


    ¡°Bang, bang¡­¡±


    As his fingers pulled the trigger, he directly shot and killed four or five severely wounded pirates who were not directly killed and pretending to be dead.


    Retracting his spiritual sense, Tang Xiu looked at the frightened hostages on the ground and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Tell me who you are!¡±


    A white-haired Caucasian man with an injured leg who sat slumped on the ground answered, ¡°We are the residents of the Southern Bird Island who got caught and held captives by them! Who are you guys?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the owner of this island,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°You lie. The owner of this island is James¡ªJames Bond. I once helped him construct the buildings here. He¡¯s a good rich man,¡± said the Caucasian man whilst shaking his head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know that he¡¯s sold this island? I¡¯m the one who bought this island! Do remember later, my Chinese name is Tang Xiu and I¡¯m the owner of this place,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly.


    The man gulped down his saliva and said in a bit of awe, ¡°I¡¯ll remember your name.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and then said to Wolf Head and his men around, ¡°Two of you stay here and dress up their wounds. The rest will chase down and kill the rest of the pirates. Do remember to kill them completely or as many as possible. If they run too fast and you can¡¯t find them, then let them be. In short, I don¡¯t want any pirates on Nine Dragon Island before dawn.¡±


    ¡°Roger that, Boss!¡±


    Wolf Head motioned two men as the rest then ran toward the forested hills around. But Mo Awen and Mo Awu entered the woods to chase down the pirates.


    Then, Tang Xiu looked at the Southern Bird Island¡¯s residents and calmly said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be afraid. I¡¯m the owner of this place and not one of these vicious pirates. Not only will I guarantee your safety, I¡¯ll also ensure your safe departure of this island. For now, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to return to the castle with us. Then I¡¯ll send some people to escort you back to Southern Bird Island after you have a good rest tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you very much!¡±


    Upon hearing it, the five people immediately looked ecstatic.


    ****


    Inside the castle, over a hundred residents from Southern Bird Island were tied and locked up in a spacious hall. Each and every one of them had panicked expressions on their faces and were desperately struggling. Of the more than 100 of them, only six were men and the rest were women, mostly pretty young women.


    These women, many of them wore clothes that were unable to cover their figures and apparently had received severe abuse.


    ¡°Mayor Oshima, you gotta find a solution fast. If we can¡¯t escape, we¡¯ll all die here!¡± With panic filling her eyes, a slightly fat woman quickly spoke with a tone of anxiousness and restlessness.


    In front of her was the mayor of Southern Bird Island, Kawasaki Oshima.


    Southern Bird Island originally had a small area, and the highest point on the ground didn¡¯t even exceed ten meters above the sea level. However, due to the earthquake a few years ago, leading to the increase of the surface level of the Southern Bird Island, the area also increased two or three times. From thereon, many immigrants had set up their home on this island.


    The entire Southern Bird Island only had a small town with a total population of no more than 1,000 people. Because Kawasaki Oshima had a high status there, everyone voted him as the mayor. In actuality, he was a mayor under the jurisdiction of the Japan government. After all, several thousand kilometers around the Southern Bird Island and dozens of islands there were under Japan¡¯s jurisdiction.


    He was already over his 40s and it didn¡¯t betray Kawasaki Oshima¡¯s old state. He desperately struggled in an attempt to break the ropes on his body, but his futile efforts amounted to nothing. Those pirates¡¯ skill in tying up and binding were truly excellent. He worked hard for half an hour, yet there was no sign of it loosening.

 Chapter 307

    Chapter 307: Liberators


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Time passed by and the over hundred people in the hall were getting more desperate. Except for a few who knew the existence of Nine Dragon Island, the rest had never even heard of this place. Such foreign environment, brutal pirates and, coupled with the burst of gunfire sounding from time to time, it were as though a Taoist voodoo spell was hastening them to their deaths and scaring them.


    In the corner, Yi Lianyan had already severed the rope that tied her hands behind her back. However, she didn¡¯t get up yet and even pushed her back to the corner and maintained the same posture. But her hand tightly held a folding fruit knife.


    She loved the ocean and used her summer vacation from Shanghai to visit the Southern Bird Island. Savoring the taste of the customs and visiting the beautiful environment there, even the only hotel where she stayed was facing the ocean. It was as though a warm spring with blooming flowers everywhere.


    Unfortunately, after having stayed in Southern Bird Island for more than half a month, when she was about to go to the other islands near Southern Bird Island, the pirates that had snuck into the island began their plunder. Thanks to her life in Sichuan Opera family who possessed magical changing appearance techniques for generations, hence, she hastily used the cosmetics she brought to change her appearance when the pirates weren¡¯t paying attention to her.


    She actually possessed a beautiful face, but as the result of her efforts, she looked extremely ugly. It was precisely because of this that she was lucky enough to escape the abuses and ravages of those pirates and was locked up with a few others.


    ¡°Everyone please think of a solution! We can escape even if only one person has untied his or her rope,¡± Kawasaki Oshima was restless as he sweated profusely.


    After half a minute, nobody responded. No one got up.


    Yi Lianyan¡¯s expression constantly changed. She didn¡¯t know whether there were still pirates outside. Were they still there and learned she was the first to untie her rope, they would probably kill her.


    _¡®What should I do?¡¯_


    Inside her innermost heart, a fierce battle commenced, causing her expression to constantly change.


    _¡®I gotta go ahead regardless. Even if there¡¯s only a slim chance of survival, I must get a hold of it. It¡¯s better to act rather than resign myself to death and do nothing.¡¯_ A determined expression finally appeared on Yi Lianyan¡¯s eyes as she removed the ropes from her body and suddenly stood.


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    The muffled sound of a gunshot sounded.


    Yi Lianyan¡¯s face greatly changed. She instantly judged that someone had just shot the lock on the hall¡¯s door. Almost in a flash, she squatted on the floor, scrambling to grab the ropes and casually wrapped it back around her body.


    In the next moment, the hall¡¯s door was trampled open as several men in casual attire with submachine guns rushed into the hall. Upon seeing the situation inside, they instantly aimed their muzzles at the people inside.


    ¡°The hostages are here, Boss!¡± A man turned his head and shouted toward the outside.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s figure appeared at the door as his eyes swept toward the crowd in the hall with anger suffused in his eyes. The vast majority of these hostages were women, most of whom were in a very pitiful and embarrassing state and had apparently been raped and ravaged.


    In the corner, Yi Lianyan¡¯s eyes instantly stared wide-eyed with an ecstatic expression in her eyes. The big man who just spoke was neither using English or Japanese. It was pure Mandarin.


    _¡®Mandarin? Are they from China?¡¯_


    Her breathing turned faster. After firming her heart, she immediately stood and shouted, ¡°Hey, I¡¯m Chinese, and you are?¡±


    Tang Xiu was stunned, looking at Yi Lianyan¡¯s extremely ugly changed face and found that her clothes were still intact with only some scratches on her face. He immediately approached her and said, ¡°Yes, we¡¯re Chinese. I didn¡¯t expect that these pirates also had kidnapped one of our fellow countrymen. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Yi Lianyan!¡±


    ¡°How did you get caught?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I was visiting this place, making use of my summer vacation after the CET. I eventually got captured and was transported with them here,¡± said Yi Lianyan.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and sighed, ¡°You luck is not good, but it¡¯s not bad either. Congratulations. You¡¯re free now.¡±


    Several men with submachine guns put their muzzles down and began to untie the hostages. After everyone stood, Kawasaki Oshima came before Tang Xiu with a face full of excitement and then respectfully said, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Kawasaki Oshima. Thank you for saving us. You¡¯re our savior and liberator, we will remember you.¡±


    Tang Xiu knitted his brows and asked lightly, ¡°You¡¯re all Japanese?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± said Kawasaki Oshima.


    ¡°Take a rest first then! I¡¯ll send some people to escort you back after dawn. Also, I hope you won¡¯t spread what happened here,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Dear Sir, we must try our best to publicize this act of kindness. After all, you drove away those pirates and you¡¯re also our hero. It is only right if everyone all over the world knows your heroic deeds,¡± said Kawasaki Oshima.


    Tang Xiu indifferently looked at him and said lightly, ¡°We are no heroes nor was it necessary for us to save you. It¡¯s just that I have bought this island, whereas those pirates happened to be occupying it, so it was necessary for us to drive them away. Hence, rescuing you was just a passing incident. Not to mention that once the matters here were to spread out, it would only bring us a lot of troubles.¡±


    The over hundred rescued people looked at each other. They didn¡¯t understand what Tang Xiu was saying. However, Tang Xiu was the one who rescued their lives, they didn¡¯t want to bring trouble for him. Hence, they promised not to disclose anything that happened in this place.


    Certainly, the majority of them were women, to begin with. So they were naturally very satisfied with Tang Xiu¡¯s request to keep the matter confidential. After all, they were just violated by the pirates, which was severely detrimental to their reputations.


    Tang Xiu then said in a deep voice, ¡°Anyhow, it is not particularly safe outside, though. Some pirates have escaped and I can¡¯t guarantee they won¡¯t be back sneaking here again to avenge their comrades. Thus, you have to stay here until we make sure that all the remaining pirates have left.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and was ready to leave as Yi Lianyan quickly rushed over and grabbed his arm. She then shook her head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to stay here. Can I go with you?¡±


    ¡°You are the only Chinese here?¡± asked Tang Xiu after a moment¡¯s hesitation.


    ¡°There¡¯s only me,¡± said Yi Lianyan with a nod.


    ¡°Come then! Hopefully the scene outside won¡¯t scare you off too much,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    After leaving the hall, Tang Xiu then said to several of his men who just came out, ¡°Pile up all the dead bodies and then wait for Wolf Head and the others to come back.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± the several men immediately dispersed upon hearing it.


    Half an hour later, Wolf Head, the Mo brothers, and the others arrived back and brought along six dead bodies. After throwing the corpses at the square outside the castle, Wolf Head respectfully said, ¡°Boss, we only caught six, a few of them have escaped. After we caught up to them, we found that those several pirates had been long gone by ship.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°Since they have escaped, just count it as their good luck. Anyways, pile up all the corpses! After burning them, we¡¯ll clean up the castle.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Wolf Head respectfully replied.


    Tang Xiu then looked to Mo Awen and said, ¡°After dawn, take some men and escort those civilian captives to Southern Bird Island. After you got there, warn them to keep it all confidential.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Mo Awen replied with a nod.


    After the fierce and intense night battle, only a few of the more than 200 pirates escaped as all others were killed here, making Tang Xiu rather satisfied with the victory. None of his men died and only a few were injured.


    However, the damage to the castle was not small due to the gun battle. However, since Tang Xiu had planned to rebuild the place, he didn¡¯t seriously mind it. With Mo Awu accompanying him, he visited the entire castle and strolled around for several hours before returning to the square outside the castle with satisfaction.


    Yi Lianyan, who had been following Tang Xiu, tried to ask him questions many times, yet, seeing as how Tang Xiu was full of enthusiasm, she repressed her questions inside.


    At this moment, she finally couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Big Brother Tang, did you really buy this island?¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± Tang Xiu laughed.


    Once again, she asked, ¡°Who are you really? What are you gonna do with such an isolated island? To my knowledge, it would perhaps take 24 hours to sail from here to Southern Bird Island. Also, this place is very difficult to find if you have no precise sea route navigation.¡±


    ¡°Have you read Tao Yuanming¡¯s Peach Blossom Spring?¡± Tang Xiu laughed.


    Yi Lianyan¡¯s eyes stared wide, astounded, ¡°I have. It¡¯s the lore in the textbooks of junior high school. You mean¡­ you want to build a paradise here?¡±


    ¡°Yup. I want to build a paradise here,¡± Tang Xiu laughed.


    Yi Lianyan¡¯s mouth twitched a few times as she said with a strange expression, ¡°Rich men such as you have very particular hobbies. But how would your men be so powerful? They killed those ferocious pirates without batting an eye. Also, those pirates had more than 200 people, yet only a few of them escaped, while the rest were all killed by you and your men. Isn¡¯t this rather too much?¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly, ¡°I don¡¯t want to answer this question. But I can give you some words for free, though.¡±


    ¡°What words?¡± asked Yi Lianyan, puzzled.


    Letting out a smile that was yet unlike one, Tang Xiu said, ¡°A genuinely smart person is someone who knows how to feign ignorance. But someone who knows nothing yet wants to know the bottom of the matter would be just like the saying ¡ª ¡®curiosity killed the cat¡¯.¡±


    Yi Lianyan was stupefied for a moment as she then instantly lowered her head and fell into silence.


    Letting out a faint smile, Tang Xiu then turned to Wolf Head and said, ¡°I give you ten days to investigate the whole Nine Dragon Island. I must make sure that nobody except us are in this place. Besides, I¡¯ll also draw architectural designs and decide the construction company that will cooperate with me before I return to the mainland.¡±


    ¡°Boss, I think the constructions here are rather fine! Why do you want to rebuild it?¡± said Wolf Head.

 Chapter 308

    Chapter 308: Heavenly Blessed Land


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t explain to Wolf Head his plan to make Nine Dragon Island into a Heavenly Blessed Land¡ªthe world¡¯s most suitable land for cultivation. Even if he told Wolf Head, the man wouldn¡¯t be able to comprehend it.


    After having landed on Nine Dragon Island, Tang Xiu keenly perceived that the concentration of heaven and earth¡¯s spiritual qi here was at least five times richer than in other places. When one take a deep breath, their body would feel comfortable. Were the Nine Dragon Spitting Pearl¡¯s secret area build completely here, the concentration of spiritual qi in the island would be a dozen times richer than the outside, even possible reaching 100 times.


    However, he didn¡¯t dare do it, for common people would perhaps choke to death were the concentration of spiritual qi in this place reach hundreds of times than that of the outside world.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask so many questions. You¡¯ll understand it after this place has been rebuilt.¡±


    Waving his hand and hinting at him to busy himself with other things, Tang Xiu then turned and headed toward the edge of the square. Looking down to the land below, his eyes finally landed on a hundred of meters wide prominent area bordering the woodland and the beach.


    The sun was rising.


    The moment the red glowing sun rose, Tang Xiu could clearly see a mass stream of purple qi descending from the sky to the earth as it stretched out to reach the highest point of the land.


    _¡®Purple Qi of Supreme Emperor? How is it possible for a Supreme Emperor Purple Qi to appear on Earth?¡¯_


    Tang Xiu¡¯s body greatly shook as a shocked expression burst out from his eyes. One must know that the Purple Qi of Supreme Emperor was the most distinct characteristic of the Purple Yang Star domain in the Immortal World. The domain only had nine regions, with each having a stream of Purple Qi descending every year, and every stream of Purple Qi would bring enormous benefits for the Immortals.


    When Tang Xiu was in the Immortal World, he had once obtained two streams of Supreme Emperor Purple Qi after paying a great price. But he never imagined that it would also exist in this place.


    _¡®If I can fuse this Purple Qi of Supreme Emperor into my body, it will definitely bring me enormous benefits. Perhaps I¡¯d be able to break through to the Flesh Strengthening stage.¡¯_


    Excitement! Ecstasy!


    It was rather hard to express Tang Xiu¡¯s mood at this moment. He had returned from the Immortal World for a short time and his cultivation was still progressing slowly, hence, he had to find a shortcut if he wanted to get stronger.


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu appeared at the spot where the Purple Qi of Supreme Emperor dissipated. He didn¡¯t give special attention to this place when he disembarked from the ship. At this time, he released his spiritual sense and had his star force surge in his meridians. He immediately sensed that the spiritual qi in this spot was very thin, yet he could feel a strong fluctuation of spiritual force under his foot.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiu was dumbfounded and astounded, ¡°There¡¯s a¡­ Spirit Spring underneath?¡±


    This discovery astounded him to the point that it was hard for him to recover. He had speculated that the entire Nine Dragon Island must have a Spiritual Vein, yet he never imagined that not only did this place possess a spiritual vein, even a Spirit Spring existed here.


    A land featuring spiritual force would have an impact on a Spirit Spring, making the land accumulate a huge spiritual force. Were a cultivator to practice in such a place, not only would he be able to absorb the spiritual qi between heaven and earth, he could also draw the spiritual force within the Spirit Spring, resulting in double the result with half the effort. [1]


    _¡®Could there be other Spirit Springs?¡¯_


    Recalling the other eight roads that extended to the seaport, Tang Xiu immediately flashed toward the nearest road to the seaport. Ten minutes later, he stood there, releasing his spiritual sense as his star force inside revolved crazily. Immediately after, a look of ecstasy covered his face.


    It was there! He could clearly feel the Spirit Spring!


    _¡®Could it be that all the end-point of the nine roads to the seaport have a Spirit Spring?¡¯_


    To confirm this marvelous thought, Tang Xiu began to survey around the entire Nine Dragons Island without stopping. The excitement on his face turned slightly thicker every time he arrived at another road. When he had completely verified all the nine roads to the seaport, his excited face couldn¡¯t be brighter.


    Each endpoint of the nine roads to the seaport had a Spirit Spring.


    Nine Spirit Springs!


    With the existence of these Spirit Springs, Tang Xiu could foresee his training of a large number of experts in the future with ease. Even after the Nine Dragons Spitting Pearl¡¯s secret area had been built, cultivating a large number of people into Immortal Realm experts would also not be a problem.


    _¡®It¡¯s a must to make the best of the time for the reconstruction of this place.¡¯_


    After pondering for a moment, Tang Xiu suddenly decided not to use overseas construction companies. He quickly took a satellite phone and dialed Long Zhengyu¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°Hello, Long Zhengyu speaking. Who am I speaking with?¡± a deep voice belonging to Long Zhengyu was transmitted from the phone.


    ¡°It¡¯s me, Tang Xiu!¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Star City. At the Director¡¯s Office of the Long Group.


    For a moment Long Zhengyu dazed, as a smile then immediately appeared on his face, saying, ¡°Tang Xiu, I¡¯ve been calling you these days but was unable to get through you. Where are you now?¡±


    ¡°Is there something you¡¯re calling me for?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. I just wanna ask whether you are in need of medicinal herbs. It¡¯s also related to the list of herbs you gave Chu Yi. My dad met with his old buddy a couple days ago, and his buddy has a medicinal herbs business in Haiqing Province. That time, I was accompanying my dad and spoke to him about it, but I never thought he¡¯d have so many good stuff there,¡± Long Zhengyu laughed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it, as many as possible,¡± said Tang Xiu immediately.


    ¡°OK. Then I¡¯ll contact him later. I promise to get you a number of good quality medicinal herbs. Ah, right. Something¡¯s up?¡± said Long Zhengyu with a smile.


    ¡°Yup, and it¡¯s very important. I really want to talk to you in person, though. But I¡¯m abroad now, so I can only speak about it on the phone,¡± said Tang Xiu in a deep voice.


    ¡°Tell me!¡± replied Long Zhengyu with a serious tone.


    ¡°I have bought an island overseas and want to develop it, but I need a trusted and reliable construction company for it,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    A hard to describe expression appeared on Long Zhengyu¡¯s face as he wryly smiled and said, ¡°Brother Tang, it¡¯s not an matter to handle! We don¡¯t have a construction company abroad, and we know nothing about the specific situation overseas.¡±


    ¡°Can you register a company here? It¡¯s better to bring all the construction team from the mainland. It¡¯s fine even if I have to spend more money,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Forcing out a smile, Long Zhengyu said, ¡°This is not a problem that spending more money will solve. It¡¯s rather very troublesome to register a construction company overseas if the project is small.¡±


    ¡°Zhengyu, you¡¯re mistaken. The island development I¡¯m talking about is definitely not a small project. The sum I¡¯m going to invest in it is at least 20 billion,¡± said Tang Xiu in a deep voice.


    ¡°How much?¡± Long Zhengyu jumped from his chair and shouted.


    ¡°20 billion. And that¡¯s the minimal estimation.¡±


    Long Zhengyu breathed faster. A big project with over 20 billion funds was something he hadn¡¯t heard many times in the country. If his Long family could undertake such a huge project, they could still make a lot of money even though they wouldn¡¯t be able to take other projects for two or three years.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it!¡± Long Zhengyu shouted with slightly red eyes.


    ¡°No problem. Since you wanna do it, you¡¯d better come to my place tomorrow. I¡¯ll send someone to Saipan to pick you up there,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°There¡¯s a slight concern from me, though. If we can solve it, I can even begin to make arrangements for the construction team and equipment and get ready to go to your island,¡± said Long Zhengyu quickly.


    ¡°What concern do you have?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s about the situation in Saipan. I¡¯m not familiar with that place as well as things related to the government, so it will be troublesome. You, on the other hand, have broad contacts. Do you have someone reliable who can help me over there?¡± said Long Zhengyu.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before slowly said, ¡°There should be one.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s the person?¡± asked Long Zhengyu quickly with a slightly happy expression revealed on his face.


    ¡°He¡¯s a friend of my man and seems to be someone with a quite powerful influence in Saipan. I can ask him for help if you have anything you can¡¯t handle on your end,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°No probs. Well, I¡¯ll be going tomorrow¡­ No, I¡¯ll rush to Saipan today. Tell me where to meet your men there,¡± said Long Zhengyu in a deep voice.


    ¡°Lao Bay Resort,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    After hanging up the phone, Tang Xiu pondered for a moment. With that done he must leave for Saipan to have a good chat with Tom Reggie. If the man wanted to join them in this venture, then he would give him some benefits.


    Not to mention that if the reconstruction in Nine Dragons Island had been completed and this place becomes his supreme headquarters, the frequency of his travels to Saipan would increase, thus it¡¯d be necessary to have a good relationship with the man.


    ¡°Big Brother Tang!¡±


    A hundred of meters away on the coastline, Yi Lianyan, who had removed the makeup on her face, turned into her former beautiful appearance.


    Tang Xiu put the satellite phone away as he looked at Yi Lianyan in front of him. Astounded, he said, ¡°Your face¡­¡±


    Yi Lianyan laughed, ¡°It¡¯s just a trivial means to make myself look ugly so that those pirates shut me out.¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly realized as he secretly admired this girl¡¯s astuteness inside.


    ¡°Anyways, is there something you need from me? Didn¡¯t I tell my men to escort all of you back?¡±


    ¡°The others have been sent off, but I don¡¯t want to go. I think this place is good and it¡¯s rather safe to be here with you! So I want to stay here for some time,¡± said Yi Lianyan quickly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not good for you to follow us. We¡¯re a bunch of men,¡± said Tang Xiu with a wry smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine! You¡¯re a bunch of ¡®good¡¯ men, so I can stay here. Besides, you also need to eat, don¡¯t you? I can cook for you! My cooking is rather good as well! I can also do the laundry as well as do the cleaning. In short, you won¡¯t lose out in having me stay here,¡± said Yi Lianyan.


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°Fine. Since you wanna stay, then stay! But I¡¯ll leave Nine Dragons Island today to Saipan to take care of something. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll only be back a few days later.¡±


    ¡°What are you gonna do in Saipan?¡± Puzzled, Yi Lianyan asked.


    ¡°Work stuff,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    After hesitating for a moment, she asked, ¡°Can I go with you?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°Nope. If you wanna go with me to Saipan, then you can no longer follow me back. After I bring my friend here, then you can leave with him.¡±


    Hesitating for a moment, she then said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll stay! I just realized that this island has a great environment. Not to mention that I can stay in that luxurious castle. To be honest, I¡¯ve never seen such a luxurious palace in my life! Big Brother Tang, you¡¯re really filthy rich.¡±

 Chapter 309

    Chapter 309: Breakthrough


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Rich?


    The thing Tang Xiu most lacked right now was exactly money. Rebuilding Nine Dragon Island itself required a terrifying sum. Yet, the amount he had in hands was not sufficient. Hence, his mind was filled with ideas where he could obtain more when he called Long Zhengyu.


    However, rebuilding Nine Dragon Island was not a project that could be completed within a short time. Given some time, his Magnificent Tang Corp might possibly start making a profit. With a steady flow of financial support, maybe he wouldn¡¯t need to worry about money later.


    ¡°So, what do you need me for?¡± said Tang Xiu to change the topic.


    ¡°If It¡¯s not for a meal, then what?¡± said Yi Lianyan with a smile. ¡°I was trying to find you to eat breakfast, but I couldn¡¯t find you anywhere. It¡¯s noon, so I tried my luck coming here. Never thought you¡¯d really be here, though.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back and have breakfast then,¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod.


    At this time, all the dead bodies in the castle had been gathered and burnt. Those who were captured by the pirates had been sent back while the dead were taken away. As for how those who left would resettle and what they wanted to do, it was up to them.


    As Wolf Head and the rest had been cleaning up the castle the entire morning as well as dealing with the broken things, it now looked a lot neater and orderly.


    After lunch, while watching Yi Lianyan who was quickly cleaning up the tableware, Tang Xiu gave Wolf Head a hand signal as the duo then headed toward the castle¡¯s gate.


    ¡°What¡¯s your order, Boss?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m about to leave Nine Dragons Island to go back to Saipan and handle some stuff there. So this place will be yours to manage,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Boss!¡± said Wolf Head.


    ¡°If that girl¡ªYi Lianyan wants to stay here, let her be and take care of her. She will also do the laundry and cooking. Also, you are to investigate the entire island while I¡¯m away. If there are other people here, immediately apprehend them and wait for me to come back to handle it. If not, then you are to stay on guard. I believe that it will take a while before the construction project team arrives here,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll be stationed here, but it will be quite difficult to guard the entire island since we have too few personnel,¡± said Wolf Head.


    ¡°I know, I have too few people under me,¡± said Tang Xiu with a sigh.


    Wolf Head¡¯s face flickered as he quickly said, ¡°Boss, aren¡¯t you going back to the mainland to pick a bunch of people? If so, I know some powerful ones from the special forces who just retired in the last one or two years. Their strength can continue to improve if they are properly trained.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression moved, ¡°How are they compared to you?¡±


    ¡°A few of them are not weaker than me! And the rest are on par with those of my team,¡± said Wolf Head.


    ¡°Good. Then, you¡¯ll take care of this issue and assign the defense task to the others. I don¡¯t mind if the people you bring here are slightly weaker, but I need them to have good characters. Also, I request absolute loyalty from my subordinates.¡±


    ¡°I can assure you about this point. But, about the pay¡­¡±


    For a moment, Tang Xiu looked distracted as he sized up Wolf Head with a strange expression. He then let out a wry smile and said, ¡°The first time we met, I recall that we did talk about this issue? It seems like I haven¡¯t offered you a penny, right? So be it then! I¡¯ll pay the twelve of you 500 thousand each annually! As for those you will bring, each of them will be paid 300 thousand per year. If their first year¡¯s performance are good, then tell them they will have the same treatment as yours from the second year on.¡±


    ¡°Roger that,¡± Wolf Head chuckled.


    ¡°I¡¯ll withdraw 20 million when I¡¯m to Saipan for you to manage. You can call me when the money runs out. And if there is equipment you need to purchase, you can also freely tell me and I¡¯ll spare no effort so long as it is necessary,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    The smile on Wolf Head¡¯s face turned thicker. He suddenly found that following Tang Xiu was a wise choice. The days after following him had been very splendid and exciting. Be it being able to kill criminals, slaughtering pirates, and living under guns and raining bullets, it let him resurrect the warm-blooded life he once had yesteryear. More so with sufficient funds available to them now.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Boss. I will help you train a group of elite warriors.¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand, ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem regarding the discipline according to military custom, but leave out the training of martial arts. For that, you¡¯ll be under Mo Awen¡¯s management. He¡¯s strong and smart enough, so I will assign him to manage this place.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Regarding Tang Xiu¡¯s arrangement, Wolf Head himself had no objection. He had seen Mo Awen¡¯s strength and knew how fearsome he was. Hence, he was wholeheartedly convinced.


    ¡°By the way, I trekked around the island this morning but I couldn¡¯t see any pirate ships. Where are the ships left by those pirates?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Wolf Head laughed, ¡°They didn¡¯t anchor their ships in the harbor, but in a certain spot of the deep water bay. When those pirates came here, they didn¡¯t dare land here blatantly, for fear that there would be dangers on the island. We have checked it, though. There are a total of three ships, one of which is an outdated warship that we don¡¯t know where they obtained. Each ship is equipped with weapons.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°As a pirate, more so for being one for many years, such a capital isn¡¯t bad. I¡¯m afraid that it wouldn¡¯t be easy to kill them if we run into them at sea. Perhaps we¡¯d even be wrecked and sunk by them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. For pirates, being able to cross unhindered into the sea showed that they do have the capital. Anyways, Boss, the cruise liner you used to sail to Nine Dragons Island is now being used to transport the residents of Southern Bird Island. So it might not be easy for you to go to Saipan since the pirate ship¡¯s log is way too obvious. If you do take it, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to reach Saipan due to being attacked and sunk by the patrol warships.¡±


    Tang Xiu slightly frowned. After hesitating for a moment, he then slowly said, ¡°Can you temporarily modify those ships?¡±


    Wolf Head shook his head, ¡°It won¡¯t be easy. They are equipped with a lot of weapons. It will take a few days to remove them.¡±


    Forcing out a wry smile, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Then forget it. I¡¯ll wait for two more days for the cruise liner to come back before going Saipan.¡±


    At night.


    Atop the castle, Tang Xiu sat cross-legged and quietly cultivated. The star force accumulated in his body was getting stronger and he could make a breakthrough to the Flesh Strengthening stage at any time. However, no matter how hard he tried, he always failed at the last hurdle.


    He was there until 4AM and then left the top of the castle to the end-point of the road leading to the harbor. There, he sat cross-legged right at the Spirit Spring position.


    Yesterday he found the existence of the Supreme Emperor Purple Qi here. Hence, he wanted to try and see if it would also appear today for him to absorb it.


    Time passed by. When the glowing red sunrise came and the first ray of sunshine fell into the sea, a stream of Supreme Emperor Purple Qi descended from eastern horizon and instantly fused into Tang Xiu¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°Boom¡­¡±


    Sitting cross-legged and cultivating, Tang Xiu¡¯s body jolted. His sea of consciousness seemed to have been split by an invisible force. Shortly after, the Supreme Emperor Purple Qi channeled itself into his sea of consciousness and flowed downwards. Within a short dozen breaths, it had circulated within Tang Xiu¡¯s meridians for a few times.


    _¡®Give in to me!¡¯_


    Tang Xiu¡¯s consciousness could hardly contain this Supreme Emperor Purple Qi within. Relying on sheer tearing effort, only then was it drawn into his dantian, the star force inside his dantian steadily approached this Supreme Emperor Purple Qi, attempting to wrap and refine it.


    However, the Supreme Emperor Purple Qi gave off a very strong repulsion force as it struggled and resisted time and time again, almost breaking the enveloping star force several times. Gradually, as though adapting to the star force¡¯s presence, the struggling Supreme Emperor Purple Qi became milder. Along with the encroaching star force, the stream of Supreme Emperor Purple Qi shrunk into a thumb-sized ball.


    _¡®Fuse!¡¯_


    Clenching his teeth, Tang Xiu controlled his star force and went all out to squeeze this mass of Supreme Emperor Purple Qi. After spending more than ten minutes, the star force and the Supreme Emperor Purple Qi came into contact thoroughly as its repelling force eventually dissipated and fused into his star force.


    ¡°Buzz¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu felt as though his body was ignited. All the blood inside his body¡ªfrom head to foot¡ªwas boiling hot while an invisible energy washed and quenched his internal organs. The energy in his skin layer turned more compact and its toughness became stronger despite becoming thinner.


    With his spiritual sense, Tang Xiu then examined his body¡¯s internal state.


    Much to his ecstasy, his body was in the middle of an insane transformation due to the Supreme Emperor Purple Qi. His internal organs were constantly being quenched and rejuvenated, becoming more powerful. His tendons and bones became more tenacious and solid while all his body muscles began to fission unceasingly.


    Each cell split into two and then split into four. The weak cells were ruthlessly expelled from his body while the strong ones remained. Even the number of cells in the muscles layer began its increasing cell division.


    Each cell became stronger and each of its layers turned thicker than before; the number of cell layers had doubled in just half an hour.


    Though Tang Xiu¡¯s body didn¡¯t seem to have changed looking from his outward appearance, the intensity and strength of his body had violently increased for several times. Were someone to shoot him, perhaps it wouldn¡¯t be able to pierce his skin and could only leave mark on it at the most.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    A carefree laugh came out of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth the moment he opened his eyes. As his body jumped, he was already stepping on the sea surface in an instant.


    Churning, tapping and spraying the ocean!


    Tang Xiu indulged himself for a few minutes in the joyous feeling of a breakthrough as he then returned, wet and damped, to the Spirit Spring. He found that, while cultivating, the spiritual force within the Spirit Spring would be drawn into his body continuously. Furthermore, due to the extraction of spiritual force, his absorption speed of star force was faster than before.

 Chapter 310

    Chapter 310: Highest Existence


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    On the way back to the castle, happiness still filled Tang Xiu¡¯s mind. He had, after all, been stuck in the Skin Strengthening stage for a long time and finally had a breakthrough now with the help of the Supreme Emperor Purple Qi. His strength soared by several times as his overall strength became twice as powerful than before at the least.


    Prior to this, when he first met Viviani, he felt that he wasn¡¯t her opponent. After all, she possessed an unusual terrifying aura. But now, he had the confidence to fight her even if Viviani was an expert martial artist. He might not be able to beat her, but he still could injure her if he paid a price.


    _¡®If I were able to absorb this Supreme Emperor Purple Qi every day, wouldn¡¯t I probably be able to advance to the peak level of the Flesh Strengthening stage?¡¯_


    Tang Xiu then made up his mind to cultivate in this place every day before he left, striving to have an early breakthrough to the peak level of the Flesh Strengthening stage.


    Three days later, just as Tang Xiu finished drawing the sketch for the reconstruction of Nine Dragons Island, the cruise liner that carried the residents of Southern Bird Island back returned.


    ¡°Awen, accompany me to Saipan. We might need Tom Reggie¡¯s help to reconstruct Nine Dragons Island,¡± said Tang Xiu in a deep voice while taking the reconstruction drawing.


    ¡°We can trust him, Boss. I will fix him myself if he dares to mess up,¡± said Mo Awen with a nod.


    Tang Xiu smiled, ¡°Let¡¯s go! The rest of you will stay here. I planned to look for a construction team in Saipan, but I changed my mind now. I called a friend of mine who¡¯s in the real estate business in the mainland, and he has agreed to bring his construction team here. I hope Nine Dragons Island¡¯s reconstruction can be carried out smoothly.¡±


    Two days later, the cruise liner docked at Saipan port.


    After assigning the docking procedures to the crew, he and Mo Awen then headed to Lao Bay Resort.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in Seaview Villa #17.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    After contacting Long Zhengyu, Tang Xiu immediately went to Seaview Villa #17. Tang Xiu gave Long Zhengyu a big hug after seeing him and then said in a deep voice, ¡°Let me introduce you. He¡¯s Mo Awen, my man. Awen, this is Long Zhengyu, my friend.¡±


    The two men shook hands as Mo Awen then immediately said, ¡°Boss, Tom in on his way. He should be here soon.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait for him. Anyways, you wait for him outside, Zhengyu and I need to discuss something!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Immediately after, Tang Xiu and Long Zhengyu went inside. After taking a seat, Tang Xiu straightforwardly said, ¡°Tom Reggie is Mo Awen¡¯s friend, a fierce and experienced character who has gone through life and death situations. He¡¯s also this Lao Bay Resort¡¯s majority shareholder and kinda has a big influence in Saipan. He can help with the reconstruction of the island I bought.¡±


    Squinting his eyes, Long Zhengyu said, ¡°I can let him buy some shares.¡±


    ¡°I know you will make money, but I¡¯ll be struggling and short on it. Nine Dragons Island¡¯s reconstruction is a huge project, and I have to invest a huge sum on it.¡±


    After hesitating for a moment, Long Zhengyu then seriously asked, ¡°Tang Xiu, we¡¯re brothers nevertheless, but I still wanna know what kind of concept you have devised to reconstruct Nine Dragons Island?¡±


    Tang Xiu handed the reconstruction design plan he brought to Long Zhengyu and said, ¡°Nine Dragons Island already has some buildings, but I need to expand the area and build more buildings¡ªwhich has a lot of special requirements. Have a look, you¡¯ll get it.¡±


    Opening the reconstruction design plan, Long Zhengyu spent a few minutes observing it as a burst of shock suffused in his eyes. After a long while, he then looked at Tang Xiu, yet the shock still hadn¡¯t left his expression, ¡°I wanna know something. Why are you spending so many funds in this project?¡±


    ¡°This place is gonna be my domain later. A domain that truly belongs to me, where I¡¯m the highest existence there,¡± Tang Xiu laughed.


    Long Zhengyu forced a smile and said, ¡°Say, Brother Tang, you want to found a state, eh!¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°Build a fart country? Bah, it¡¯s just dozens of square kilometers!¡±


    Long Zhengyu asked, ¡°Tang Xiu, I know you have a lot of money, though I don¡¯t know how much. But you don¡¯t have enough, right? Also, this project is rather huge, so how much do you need to invest for the initial period? First of all, us being brothers aside, business is still business. The best I can do for you is by taking only the minimal earnings in the construction project, but I can¡¯t provide the funds for the advance payment. You already know that my Long family has nearly spent all our funds in the joint cooperation project.¡±


    Stretching out a finger, Tang Xiu lightly said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you 10 billion in advance for you to manage. Contact me again when the money runs out.¡±


    Astounded, Long Zhengyu asked in astonishment, ¡°Where did you get so much money from?¡±


    ¡°I bumped into some trouble in Hong Kong but also got an unexpected fortune. I won¡¯t tell you the details, though. In short, I can transfer you the money anytime, but you must guarantee the quality of the project,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Sure!¡± said Long Zhengyu solemnly.


    ¡°I won¡¯t have much time to stay and inspect the reconstruction of Nine Dragons Island. So if you also don¡¯t have much time, it¡¯s best to send your most trusted man to take the helm and stay there. Also, you don¡¯t need to worry about trouble since some of my men will be responsible for the security there,¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod.


    ¡°Got it!¡± Long Zhengyu nodded.


    Moments after, Tom Reggie and Mo Awen arrived.


    ¡°I¡¯m really glad to know that you came back, Mr. Tang! By the way, this friend is¡­¡± Tom Reggie warmly shook hands with Tang Xiu as he then turned to look at Long Zhengyu.


    Tang Xiu introduced, ¡°He¡¯s a friend from my country. I especially called him here to discuss a business cooperation for a certain project. It¡¯s also exactly why I invited you to come since I¡¯m going to ask you whether you¡¯re interested to earn some money from me.¡±


    ¡°From you?¡± a puzzled expression appeared on Tom Reggie¡¯s face.


    Tang Xiu explained the matter and then finally said, ¡°You¡¯re a local tyrant here in Saipan, you can handle things more conveniently than Long Zhengyu. So if you wanna join us in this, you gotta make a decision now.¡±


    Shock suffused in Tom Reggie¡¯s eyes as he inquired, ¡°But can you really¡­ come up with more than 20 billion funds, Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°20 billion may be a huge sum of money, but it¡¯s not a problem for me. What I care about is the progress of the work and the quality. I can get the money as long as you have the ability,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s all right.¡± Tom Reggie nodded heavily, ¡°I¡¯m interested in this profitable project anyway. What¡¯s more, I¡¯m doing a business with a big boss such as you, Mr. Tang. Anyways, Mr. Long, since this is Mr. Tang¡¯s project, do you have any ideas in mind for cooperation?¡±


    ¡°About the earning share issues, let¡¯s have a separate negotiation later,¡± said Long Zhengyu.


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tom Reggie nodded and laughed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to know about the issues between the two of you, so you can discuss it between yourselves,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°In short, you just need to handle the project quality and its progress for me. By the way, do you both want to see the island I bought?¡±


    ¡°Certainly. Besides, we don¡¯t know the current situation on the island yet. So we can arrange the specific and concrete construction project after we have finished the fieldwork survey,¡± said Long Zhengyu.


    ¡°How about now? This matter shouldn¡¯t be delayed, right?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Long Zhengyu looked at Tom Reggie.


    The latter had a difficult to describe expression as he said, ¡°Would you please wait for a while, Mr. Tang? I have some important things I have yet to deal with. Give me half a day. After I have finished handling my matters we¡¯ll leave early in the morning tomorrow. Is that fine with you?¡±


    ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll be resting here today!¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Tom Reggie immediately said, ¡°I¡¯ll arrange accommodations right away.¡±


    Waving his hand to him, Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯ll stay here. Long Zhengyu is one of us anyway, no need for the civilities. You can go busy yourself! Let¡¯s have dinner after you¡¯re done with your things.¡±


    ¡°If so¡­ I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡±


    With Tom Reggie leaving, Long Zhengyu squinted his eyes and said, ¡°This Tom Reggie is not bad, Tang Xiu. Seemingly a straightforward man to me.¡±


    ¡°If he has no boldness and resolution, how can he do a big business? Tom Reggie has an unusual identity and used to be a very fierce man. His mind and decision making abilities are good, so get along and speak openly about whatever you have in mind with him,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Relax! Besides, the most important thing in a cooperation is integrity and trust, which I can vouch for myself. Anyhow, have you contacted your family since you left Beijing? I heard from Ouyang Lulu that your paternal aunt was looking for you, but she couldn¡¯t contact you.¡± Long Zhengyu laughed.


    Paternal aunt?


    Tang Min¡¯s face appeared in Tang Xiu¡¯s mind as he then shook his head and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t contacted anyone. Aside from contacting several important people after I came abroad, I haven¡¯t called too many people. But, what did she contact me for?¡±


    ¡°I dunno,¡± Long Zhengyu shook his head. ¡°Call and ask Ouyang Lulu if you want to find out about it. Or you can call her directly.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment as he nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll contact her later. Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll take you to a Thai massage. This place has a good one. That¡¯s right, I also made an acquaintance here, a very vigorous and heroic-spirited person as well as generous and loyal.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± asked Long Zhengyu.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what he does since I didn¡¯t ask him.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°But he should be a Big Boss, though. He called himself Old Fatty Li, so I called him likewise.¡±


    ¡°Old Fatty Li?¡± astonishment covered Long Zhengyu¡¯s face. ¡°Are you saying he¡¯s the Northeast Steel Magnate¡ªLi Laoshan?¡±


    ¡°Yea, he seems to be called Li Laoshan,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Raising his thumb up, Long Zhengyu exclaimed with a sigh, ¡°Damn, I really didn¡¯t expect you would meet and make acquaintances with Li Laoshan here. That fella is a terrific guy, notoriously proud and haughty in the country. Unless you can fascinate him with your skill, otherwise he would have normally ignored you.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Surprised, Tang Xiu said in astonishment, ¡°You mean¡­ he¡¯s crazy?¡±

 Chapter 311

    Chapter 311: Enjoying Familial Affection


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°He¡¯s more than crazy, he¡¯s practically beyond that. His Li family is a very affluent and powerful family in the Northeast, and Li Laoshan is a fierce character among the fiercest characters. He has a very crazy character yet does things in a very low profile. If he recognizes someone he will treat them with sincerity, but if not, he will definitely hold them in contempt,¡± forcing out a smile, Long Zhengyu explained.


    Tang Xiu understood in a flash and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll call him to join us.¡±


    Ten minutes later, Tang Xiu and Long Zhengyu met Old Fatty Li in the Thai Massage hall. This time he was wearing an unlined long gown with big pants, flip-flop sandals and a big cigar in his mouth, resting one of his legs atop the other inside the resting area of the massage hall, looking carefree and content.


    ¡°Old Fatty Li!¡±


    Tang Xiu called out to him as he approached.


    Old Fatty Li waved and grinned immediately as he lazily stood.


    ¡°Yo, Long¡¯s kiddo! Never thought you¡¯d actually know my Brother Tang! I saw your old man when I dueled Chen Zhizhong in Star City back then. How¡¯s Long Hanwen? Has he been good?¡± Fatty Li immediately said with a smile the moment he saw Long Zhengyu.


    With a bit of respect on his face, Long Zhengyu faced Fatty Li and said, ¡°Hi, Uncle Li. My father is good.¡±


    Fatty Li stared blankly and hummed, ¡°Why the hell did you address me like that, huh? Do you think I¡¯m that old already? You gotta learn more from Tang Xiu! You¡­ bah¡­ don¡¯t take it after your old man and take everything seriously, will you? You¡¯re Tang Xiu¡¯s buddy so you can call me Old Fatty Li later, got it!¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Long Zhengyu hesitated.


    ¡°Well, respect his wish! He¡¯s a straightforward Northeasterner, and not a man who will stick to the formalities and trivia,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Hearing it, Fatty Li immediately patted Tang Xiu¡¯s shoulder and heartily laughed, ¡°Did you hear that? Did you hear that? O, my mother and father who have given birth to me, let it be known to you that he¡¯s my Brother Tang! Goddamnit! Sadly this place is Saipan, the Gods in our country don¡¯t seem to appear here, or else I¡¯d drag you¡ªkiddo to burn yellow papers and sacrifice chicken and sheep, for us to kowtow and become sworn brothers.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing.


    Looking at Old Fatty Li and Tang Xiu, Long Zhengyu eventually spoke, ¡°If so, then I¡¯ll address you as such. But Old Fatty Li, you gotta help me if my father beat me up because of this later.¡±


    ¡°Relax! If your old man still dares to fix you up after you tell him that it was me who made you do it, I¡¯ll go to Star City to beat him up. Hehe, anyways, if you see Chen Zhizhong training, tell him that I¡¯ll beat him so much next time that he won¡¯t be able to tell what hit him,¡± said Fatty Geezer Li with a smile.


    A strange expression flashed on Long Zhengyu¡¯s face as he replied, ¡°Fatty Li, if you beat Chen Zhizhong so much, Tang Xiu would act and pack you up himself.¡±


    ¡°Zhengyu!¡± Tang Xiu growled.


    With a confused look, Fatty Li asked, ¡°What do you mean? Why would Brother Tang pack me up if I beat up Chen Zhizhong? He and Chen Zhizhong¡­¡±


    Sighing inwardly, Tang Xiu knew that he had no more excuses to conceal it this time. With a wry smile, he said slowly, ¡°Fatty Li, if you can beat up Chen Zhizhong, I¡¯ll keep out of it, though he¡¯s actually my disciple.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    Fatty Li was stupefied as his eyes stared at Tang Xiu without blinking as though he was seeing the most inconceivable thing in the world. He even began to wonder whether he was having hearing problems.


    While pointing at Tang Xiu, Long Zhengyu said, ¡°Fatty Li, you didn¡¯t hear it wrong. Tang Xiu is really the big boss of Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical¡ªChen Zhizhong¡¯s master.¡±


    Staggering backward and looking at Tang Xiu with disbelief, Fatty Li asked, ¡°Are you really Chen Zhizhong¡¯s master? Are you both not kidding me?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± said Tang Xiu firmly.


    Fatty Li¡¯s lips shivered a few times, after which he quickly asked, ¡°How could this be possible? Chen Zhizhong¡¯s Kung fu has always been powerful since he was young; I¡¯ve been competing with him since young and never defeated him even once. Tang Xiu, you were not even a grown man when Chen Zhizhong was still young, right?¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a pale smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t teach the basic skills he possesses, but real kung fu cultivation! Hence, like I told you before, if you were to look for him now, I¡¯m afraid you will be badly beaten by him.¡±


    Fatty Li stayed silent for a while, trying to digest this stirring news. He then looked at Tang Xiu, raise his thumb up and sighed in praise, ¡°Brother Tang, I¡¯m getting more and more curious about you. You just casually strolled in the casino and got 1 billion, and you even know the big boss of this place. Especially with that kiddo¡ªWang Rui, your man even bullied him until he cried. Brother Tang, you gotta tell me, from which Daoist immortal lineage are you exactly?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just me! How did immortals get into this? Anyways, let¡¯s stop talking about boring things and go have a Thai massage,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    A strange light glinted from Fatty Li¡¯s eyes. Tang Xiu being unwilling to say it, he was also not in the mood to insist. However, he had secretly decided inside that he would send some people to investigate Tang Xiu¡¯s identity and background after he returned to the mainland.


    While looking at Tang Xiu who was in front, Long Zhengyu then walked closer to Fatty Li and whispered, ¡°Fatty Li, I advise you not to investigate Tang Xiu¡¯s identity secretly. To be honest, you will naturally know about it if he¡¯s willing to tell you. But if he¡¯s not and you rashly investigate him, it will not be helpful, instead it will be harmful to you.¡±


    Would it bring more harm than good?


    Fatty Li was astounded, ¡°Could he be, the son of the country¡¯s leader?¡±


    For a moment Long Zhengyu was surprised as he looked at Fatty Li. He didn¡¯t expect that Fatty Li¡¯s guess would be this close.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask. No external issues are required in making friends,¡± said Long Zhengyu spoke what he had thought well before.


    Eventually, Old Fatty Li rather approved and gave up his idea to send some people to investigate Tang Xiu¡¯s identity and background. He then followed Tang Xiu inside.


    Two hours later the trio came out, looking relaxed and comfortable. After having the Thai massage, Fatty Li and Long Zhengyu had turned into merry friends they and neglected Tang Xiu, only occasionally speaking a few words to him. Tang Xiu himself naturally felt happy regarding this situation.


    While feeling the light sensation within their bodies, Tang Xiu, Long Zhengyu, as well as Fatty Li, who was invited by Long Zhengyu, went to the villa Long Zhengyu was staying.


    ¡°You two can chat, I¡¯ll have some rest.¡±


    Having said that, Tang Xiu then went to the second floor. He casually picked a room, took off his clothes and sat on the bed. He had been diligently cultivating these days, and even though his cultivation was improving every day, he hadn¡¯t had a good sleep.


    ¡°Tang Min is looking for me?¡±


    While sitting on the bedhead and falling into silent, Tang Xiu then took out a satellite phone and dialed Ouyang Lulu¡¯s number, of whom he got Tang Min¡¯s cell number. He had spent little time in the Tang family and had yet to speak with anyone there. Hence, he didn¡¯t have their cell numbers; including Tang Min¡¯s.


    However, he was caught by Ouyang Lulu and spent a long time chatting with her when he asked the cell phone number.


    ¡°Tang Min speaking. Who¡¯s this?¡±


    After dialing Tang Min¡¯s cell number, Tang Xiu heard a cold and dignified voice from the phone.


    ¡°It¡¯s Tang Xiu. Are you looking for me?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    At this moment, in an important office building in the capital, Tang Min revealed a slightly happy expression and said with a smile, ¡°Ah, it¡¯s you, Tang Xiu! Yea, I¡¯m looking for you. I even asked several people. But nobody knew how to contact you. Anyway, where are you now? When will you return to the mainland?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in Saipan now,¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that it will have to wait until I return since I have yet to deal with matters here.¡±


    ¡°Dear nephew, what are you handling exactly?¡± asked Tang Min curiously. ¡°Little Yi did tell many things about your matters, and this paternal aunt of yours truly admires you for that.¡±


    After a moment of silent, Tang Xiu said, ¡°I have bought a private island in the Pacific Ocean two months ago and recently have been occupied in its reconstruction. Anyway, you haven¡¯t told me why you¡¯re looking for me, auntie.¡±


    ¡°You bought an island in the Pacific Ocean? Why did you buy an island for?¡± Tang Min was astounded. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re going to study in Shanghai this September, are you not? That¡¯s why I¡¯m looking for you since I just bought a villa for you there. It¡¯s very close to Shanghai University campus, and I¡¯ve sent the key to Star City¡ªto Second Brother and second sister-in-law.¡±


    A villa?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s lips twitched a few times as he instinctively wanted to refuse it. But after a moment¡¯s hesitation, he felt that refusing it wouldn¡¯t be good, for he could clearly sense the kindness the Tang family had shown to him when they got along. If he had to be honest with himself, he didn¡¯t feel like repealing the Tang family now, and even somewhat enjoyed having this kind of familial affection.


    Furthermore, Tang Min was also Chu Yi¡¯s mother; she had even delivered the key to Star City. Were he to refuse it, it would probably be too unreasonable and hurtful to her.


    ¡°Thanks, Auntie!¡±


    After a few seconds of silence, Tang Xiu finally accepted it.


    In her office, a bright smile blossomed on Tang Min¡¯s face. It was her first time listening to Tang Xiu calling her Aunt. The feeling of happiness and satisfaction immediately made her eyes moistened.


    ¡°I¡¯m your paternal aunt, Tang Xiu. I never had the chance to love and dote on you when you were young. But now that we finally found you, Auntie naturally must compensate you for those years. Hence, gifting you this villa is what Auntie should do! In short, no matter what you need later, you can freely speak about it to me. As long as Auntie can do it, even if I have to pick the moon for you, I¡¯ll definitely do it.¡±


    Warmness filled Tang Xiu¡¯s heart as he finally produced a happy smile and said, ¡°I got it, Auntie!¡±


    Out of her contentment, Tang Min smiled and said, ¡°Having heard you address me as aunt today made me happy, so very happy. Ah, right. I think you¡¯re still lacking many things¡­ House, cars, clothes¡­ right, that¡¯s right. Shanghai has a lot of cars and clothes to buy, so I¡¯ll arrange someone to put more clothes in your villa, and the car is rather poor too. Just wait, Auntie will help you order a car now.¡±


    Having said that, Tang Min directly hang up the phone.

 Chapter 312

    Chapter 312: Good Suggestion


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu himself was not interested in a sports car and wanted to refuse it instinctively. Yet a dull sound came out of his phone as he then forced out a wry smile on his handsome face.


    This familial affection was as though a blazing fire that melted the ice block inside Tang Xiu¡¯s heart.


    Just as distance tests a horse¡¯s stamina, so does time reveals a man¡¯s heart. Not only did the Tangs did not seem indifferent, excluding and distancing themselves from him, they instead had shown their familial affection and care to him again and again.


    The sun rose and set as three days had passed in an instant. When Tang Xiu went with Long Zhengyu, Tom Reggie, and their assistants to Nine Dragons Island, the duo was immediately attracted to the majestic palace as well as the stunning surroundings.


    ¡°What a great place!¡± Long Zhengyu took a deep breath, feeling the comfort all over his body, and couldn¡¯t help gasping in praise, ¡°When I get older, I¡¯ll definitely spend my retirement here.¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile and didn¡¯t respond. This place was the most important cultivation land for him, of which would be his base to train talents. How would he possibly allow outsiders to retire here? Though he was friends with Long Zhengyu, it was due to his capital that made Long Zhengyu regard him rather especially. Otherwise, how could he and Long Zhengyu become friends to begin with?


    Nowadays, friends are but only friends, whereas trusted aides are the only people that can be trusted. They should be treated separately. For true friends, he could pay a great price to help them, but he would fight for trusted confidantes regardless of anything and take the matter as his own.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll take you above to have a look.¡±


    Standing on the Spirit Spring, Tang Xiu could feel the fluctuation of the spiritual force of the land as he said with a smile.


    Soon, the group of people arrived at the square in front of the castle. Two men in hardcovers appeared and quickly retreated after saluting Tang Xiu as Mo Awu then strode out of the castle.


    ¡°You¡¯re back, Boss.¡±


    ¡°They are my friends and will stay here for two days. You are to arrange their accommodation.¡± Tang Xiu nodded to him in response and said, ¡°Also, what is Yi Lianyan doing right now? Tell her to take a few people to the cruiser liner since we also have brought a lot of foodstuff and daily necessities, enough for everyone¡¯s uses for some time.¡±


    Mo Awu nodded and led the crowd into the castle. After seeing it, Long Zhengyu and Tom Reggie were gasping in admiration.


    ¡°I also wanna buy an island if I¡¯m rich,¡± said Long Zhengyu with a sour expression.


    Taking a deep breath, Tom Reggie sighed with emotion, ¡°The value of this island is definitely not small. Though I have some money in hand, buying this kind of island and reconstructing such a castle will definitely clean me of all my capital; perhaps it won¡¯t even be enough. Otherwise, I also want to buy it.¡±


    ¡°Well, I had good luck since I only spent 2.5 billion for this island,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Only?¡±


    Long Zhengyu and Tom Reggie exchanged looks, shook their heads and forced out wry smiles. They knew clearly well that Tang Xiu was filthy rich, but never thought that 2.5 billion in his eyes was but only a small amount of money.


    However, recalling his investment of 20 billion to reconstruct the island, it caused the duo to turn crestfallen. For them, let alone 20 billion, even 2 billion would make them broke! The Long family might be rich, but it was not solely Long Zhengyu¡¯s, whereas Tom Reggie¡¯s wealth didn¡¯t reached 2 billion.


    ¡°The comparisons are odious!¡±


    Long Zhengyu let out the sentence in a groan before he turned to look at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Let¡¯s not rest first, take us to circle around the island! We¡¯ll spend the night here and immediately go back tomorrow to complete the prepping work. We must complete the prepping work as much as possible within these two months so we can officially begin investing in the reconstruction.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve marked a few spots in red labels in the reconstruction drawing design; these spots are not to be changed. I will also send some people to guard these places by that time. Even the workers in the island are not allowed to enter it. As for the rest of the island, try not to destroy the trees on the island too much. In the later period of the reconstruction I will ask you to transplant a lot of precious trees from other places here,¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod.


    ¡°Rest assured!¡± Long Zhengyu nodded.


    As dusk came, Tang Xiu took everyone to a Spirit Spring on the coastline. Long Zhengyu looked surprised when he saw the three ships anchored at the bank, whereas Tom Reggie looked in a daze and called out in alarm when he saw the outdated warship among the three ships, ¡°Mr. Tang, why do you have a warship here? Looking at its worn out degree, this old warship should still be usable.¡±


    ¡°When we came here to receive the island a few days ago, a group of pirates had occupied the island. So my men and I had to kill them pirates and recapture this place. The three ships are our spoils,¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°Pirates? There are indeed some pirates in nearby waters, but they are very strong, even the Japan and U.S governments had tried to jointly encircle and annihilate them several times, yet they failed to do so. A certain pirate group even expanded to more than 200 members within a short dozen years. They are the absolutely hegemon of this sea region with their sufficient firepower. By the way, Mr. Tang, which pirate group have you decimated?¡±


    ¡°The Bloodfish Pirates!¡± said Tang Xiu calmly.


    ¡°What?¡±


    With a huge change on his face, Tom Reggie exclaimed in amazement, ¡°You actually decimated the Bloodfish Pirates? That was the biggest pirate group in this sea region! Oh my God! That Duffsky was a notorious pirate leader, cruel and merciless as well as beyond crazy. But the second leader¡ªIngelund was more ruthless and cruel than him. I had once fought Ingelund in Africa¡¯s rainforest when he was an elite soldier of the U.S. Marine Corps back then.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised and asked, ¡°You¡¯re very familiar with them?¡±


    Killing intent burst out from Tom Reggie¡¯s eyes as he nodded, ¡°Beyond familiar, I hated and loathed them the most. Duffsky killed the woman I liked the most. She had followed me for years during my fugitive time, but the bullet hole mark on my chest was left by Ingelund. Half a centimeter more and it¡¯d have hit my heart.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all dead already. We kidnapped Duffsky, but then Ingelund shot and killed him, while I killed him myself,¡± said Tang Xiu slowly with a nod.


    Bowing deeply toward Tang Xiu, Tom Reggie then said, ¡°Mr. Tang, you have killed them, that can be considered as helping my revenge. Count that as this Tom owing you a favor. I decided to help you reconstruct this island for free. I won¡¯t take your money from it.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± shaking his head in response, Tang Xiu smiled, ¡°Personal friends aside, we are business partners, and we must get the money we should earn. Besides, though this place is rather far from Saipan, it¡¯s also the nearest one. If my men are in transit to Saipan and are in need of your help later, don¡¯t refuse them.¡±


    Tom Reggie nodded, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯re not only Mo Awen¡¯s Boss but also a friend. With such a favor, you can freely call me if you need something later.¡±


    Tom Xiu revealed a faint smile and looked at Long Zhengyu who was lost in thought, saying, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s wrong for us to slaughter them?¡±


    Forcing out a wry smile, Long Zhengyu said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what it feels like to kill people, to be honest! I grew up under the red flag and lived in the middle of the modernization process. [1] At the most, I¡¯m usually a rebellious, silk pants son of the rich who raises some arrogant villains. In contrast with you, I feel like a flower inside a greenhouse.¡±


    Feeling good after hearing that the Bloodfish Pirates had been decimated, Tom Reggie made fun of his comment with a smile, ¡°Being a flower in a greenhouse feels too womanly. For me, I think a man is like a little baby if he has yet experienced the darkness of the world or hasn¡¯t gone through bloody and cruel battles.¡±


    A little baby?


    Touching his nose, Long Zhengyu looked a bit awkward and helpless.


    Tang Xiu chuckled and smiled as he directly changed the topic of the conversation. He pointed to the nearby sea and said, ¡°Tell me, how much would cost if I wanted to build an apron at the beach and a runway for landing aircraft?¡±


    Shaking his head, Long Zhengyu replied, ¡°I can¡¯t answer that since I have yet to do such a project.¡±


    Tom Reggie stroked his chin as light glittered in his eyes. After half a minute, he slowly said, ¡°If we are using steel construction materials to build an Airport runway hundreds of meters away from the beach as well as a large sized apron, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯d need to increase several billion from the initial estimation. My first estimation should be more than 3 billion; the larger part of the cost would be for the workers¡¯ wages.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment and then slowly said, ¡°The reconstruction of the entire Nine Dragons Island will take place first! After it has been completed, we¡¯ll discuss building the apron and the runway again.¡±


    Tom Reggie shook his head, ¡°Mr. Tang, I actually want to say that it¡¯s best to build the apron and runway first.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± asked Tang Xiu, puzzled.


    ¡°Once the reconstruction begins, the number of building materials that needs to be delivered is likely to be very large. If it were to be delivered by ocean freighters alone, the shipping cost per trip would be very huge, and it will take a long time. But if we use air transport, we can speed up the delivery of the materials and reduce the shipping cost,¡± said Tom Reggie.


    Tang Xiu was stunned as he clapped his hands and said, ¡°You¡¯re right, Mr. Tom. Air transport is indeed more suitable than the marine ones. If we set sail from Saipan, will it take a few hours to get here? We can shuttle a few times a day by airplane and the shipping speed will definitely be many times faster than using marine transport.¡±


    Quickly, Tang Xiu turned toward Mo Awen and asked,¡± Do you have any means to order several cargo planes? The sort of good quality cargo planes that can deliver reinforced concrete?¡±


    ¡°The Sacred Paramita Aviation Tech company is in a business of airliners and cargo planes and I happen to have a contact with Blayne Dunn¡ªthe company¡¯s vice president,¡± said Mo Awen.


    ¡°How much is the price approximately?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Mo Awen shook his head. ¡°I haven¡¯t purchased a cargo plane before. How about I call Blayne Dunn?¡±

 Chapter 313

    Chapter 313: Purchasing Airplanes


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before he slowly said, ¡°Don¡¯t ask him yet, first contact and tell him to come to Saipan. It would be more convenient for us and save a lot of time if we can buy a few cargo planes before we begin the project.¡±


    After nodding in response, Mo ¨¡wen distanced himself and dialed a cell number.


    A few minutes later, he returned to Tang Xiu¡¯s side and reported respectfully, ¡°I have called the vice-president of the Sacred Paramita Aviation Tech Company¡ªBlayne Dunn. He¡¯s happy to do business with us. He said he must handle an imminent important matter shortly, but he¡¯ll try his best to catch up with us and should arrive in Saipan within a week.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°In that case, you¡¯ll be keeping in touch with him. Zhengyu, since it¡¯s decided that we¡¯ll build the apron and the runway first, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to find the engineers in this field for the construction design! Once it¡¯s been finished, you can start immediately¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure! I¡¯ll find someone to get it done and send it to you afterward ASAP,¡± said Long Zhengyu and then asked,¡±Anyways, I gotta ask you in advance, how big is the apron and how many runways do you wanna build?¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment and then slowly said, ¡°It should be able to serve four landing planes and about a dozen helicopters. As for the runways, three would suffice!¡±


    ¡°Copy that!¡± Long Zhengyu nodded.


    The next day, Long Zhengyu and Tom Reggie left the island with their assistants after fully surveying the Nine Dragons Island, whereas Tang Xiu completely immersed himself and wholeheartedly cultivated.


    Along with his daily cultivation, his cultivation base steadily improved; especially when he was sitting atop a Spirit Spring to absorb the Supreme Emperor Purple Qi when the sun was rising. In just a short five to six days of cultivation, his cultivation speed rapidly increased by more than ten times compared to before.


    He estimated that it would only take up to three to five days to reach the middle stage of the Flesh Strengthening Stage. It might even possible to breakthrough to the later stage or even the peak stage of the Flesh Strengthening Stage by the end of August.


    Originally, he had planned to cultivate well during his summer vacation and break through the Flesh Strengthening Stage before September 1st when school started. Even reaching the initial stage of the Flesh Strengthening Stage would already be ideal. Yet, with the discovery of the Spirit Spring and the assistance of the Supreme Emperor Purple Qi, it made his cultivation progress by leaps and bounds.


    Early in the morning.


    Tang Xiu was sitting cross-legged above the Spirit Spring while refining the Supreme Emperor Purple Qi which he had just absorbed into his body. While at the same time drawing the support of spiritual force from the land, he absorbed the unending stream of star force and solar energy from the cosmic stream.


    _¡®It can no longer be refined?¡¯_


    Furrowing his brows, Tang Xiu opened his eyes and secretly smiled wryly inside. He had absorbed Supreme Emperor Purple Qi to the limit of what his body could contain, and he would need some time to refine it slowly before he continued further. Hence, he could only absorb the Supreme Emperor Purple Qi and seal it in his Dantian.


    _¡®My cultivation is still too weak! Were my cultivation twice as powerful as of now, I would have been able to completely absorb the Supreme Emperor Purple Qi today.¡¯_


    Sighing inwardly, Tang Xiu looked up to the sky.


    On the hill road.


    Mo ¨¡wen approached in fast strides as he then came before Tang Xiu and respectfully said, ¡°Boss, the vice-president of the Sacred Paramita Aviation Tech Company¡ªBlayne Dunn is currently on the way to Saipan. When are we going to leave?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows raised and then replied, ¡°Go back and prepare things, we¡¯ll leave immediately! The earlier we can get the cargo planes ahead of schedule, the more relieved I¡¯ll be after leaving. Also, I¡¯m prepared to order a number of helicopters, and it¡¯s best to get the advanced military ones. Can the Sacred Paramita Aviation Tech Company provide it?¡±


    ¡°The organization I was part of had once ordered two military helicopters from that company, and those choppers were of advanced tech. Back then, I was also the one who contacted Blayne Dunn,¡± said Mo ¨¡wen with a nod.


    ¡°Do you think we need a few military choppers?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    After hesitating for a moment, Mo ¨¡wen forced a smile and said, ¡°Boss, I don¡¯t know the answer to such a question.¡±


    Thinking for a moment, Tang Xiu then smiled, ¡°Well, since you don¡¯t know, you don¡¯t know. Alright, I¡¯ll decide it then. I¡¯ll first order four cargo planes from the Sacred Paramita Aviation Tech, along with four military choppers! We have limited funds, so we must save money whenever we can. When we are not lacking in funds we¡¯ll order again if the planes are not enough.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s also good!¡± Mo ¨¡wen nodded.


    Two days later.


    Tang Xiu and Mo ¨¡wen arrived in Saipan. According to the address Mo ¨¡wen got from Blayne Dunn, the duo then headed to see him in Lao Bay Resort. The man was tall and burly, slightly fat middle-aged man with long curly blonde hair, wearing a western suit and tie, along with four cold-looking bodyguards around him.


    ¡°We meet again, dear Mr. Mo.¡±


    Blayne Dunn and Mo Awen hugged and exchanged warm smiles.


    ¡°Mr. Dunn, this is my Boss. He also comes from China like me. You can call him Boss Tang,¡± said Mo ¨¡wen with a smile.


    Blayne Dunn raised his brows and gently hugged Tang Xiu. He then smiled and said, ¡°Boss Tang, you¡¯re really an amazing man, you can even make Mr. Mo be your staff. It¡¯s simply more fortunate than picking up a mountain of gold. Anyway, Mr. Mo said to me on the phone that you want to order a cargo plane from our Sacred Paramita Company?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I need to order cargo planes. But if your price is higher than the other aviation companies, I can only order it elsewhere,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± replied Blayne Dunn and then continued with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s not the first time Mr. Mo and I are doing business, so the price will definitely be very reasonable. May I ask how many cargo planes are you going to order?¡±


    ¡°Four cargo planes and four military helicopters. Also, I need the most advanced and best models you have,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Blayne Dunn was astounded, ¡°You also need military helicopters?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the four military helicopters are only the first batch. After some matters are resolved I¡¯ll also purchase more military helicopters. If the funding allows it, I¡¯ll also buy fighters should you have them,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Blayne Dunn was shocked inside. The way he looked Tang Xiu instantly changed from just a moment ago. As the vice-president of the Sacred Paramita Aviation Tech, he didn¡¯t need to give services by himself. But he knew perfectly well how unordinary Mo ¨¡wen¡¯s identity once was, thus he came here personally.


    Furthermore, who wouldn¡¯t want to obtain such a huge business deal?


    After a moment of silence, Blayne Dunn pulled out a piece of paper from his suitcase and handed it over to Tang Xiu, saying, ¡°Mr. Tang, this is the list of our Sacred Paramita Aviation Tech Company¡¯s plane types as well as the specific information for each. After having your pick, I can give you 10% discount on the price indicated.¡±


    Tang Xiu took the paper. After reading it, he then slowly said, ¡°The prices are really not low. To my knowledge, there are several airplane manufacturers who can give more preferential benefits than yours.¡±


    Squinting his eyes, Blayne Dunn smiled and said, ¡°Mr. Tang apparently doesn¡¯t know that our Sacred Paramita company¡¯s cargo planes and military helicopters are among the best in the world, thus have high manufacturing cost. I hope Mr. Tang respects our technology as well as our company¡¯s strength.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°I do respect you but the price you¡¯re giving me is rather too high. So be it. You and ¨¡wen can discuss the negotiation and bargain the specific price.¡±


    Blayne Dunn shifted his vision toward the silent and reticent Mo Awen at Tang Xiu¡¯s side as he shrugged his shoulders and said, ¡°Not a problem.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you both discuss it! I¡¯ll be seeing a friend of mine first. Also, I invite vice-president Dunn to dine and have several cups with me tonight,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Alright!¡± Blayne Dunn replied with a smile.


    Quickly, Tang Xiu met Tom Reggie in a large warehouse in Saipan who was currently in command of the workers, transporting cargoes. Looking at the busy scene, Tang Xiu found that the goods transported by those workers, aside from wooden boxes, almost all of the rest were reinforced concrete and some building materials.


    ¡°The preparation started?¡±


    Tang Xiu himself could affirm Tom Reggie¡¯s ability.


    ¡°After you transferred ten billion yuan to Long Zhengyu, he directly sent me two billion to buy the construction materials here, whereas he¡¯s currently negotiating a batch of construction machinery. At most half a month later we¡¯ll be able to stockpile a large number of construction materials and purchase a large number of construction machinery. After that, we¡¯ll start to arrange people to send the first batch of the goods to Nine Dragons Island,¡± said Tom Reggie with a smile.


    Tang Xiu raised his thumb up and exclaimed in praise, ¡°My choice in choosing you to join the project was correct. Anyways, let¡¯s have dinner tonight after you¡¯re done with your work.¡±


    ¡°I have men to supervise here, so I can leave at any time. It will be no problem,¡± said Tom Reggie with a smile.


    ¡°Show me those building materials then,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Follow me!¡±


    Two hours later, Tang Xiu and Tom Reggie left the large warehouse. After returning to Lao Bay Resort, they then took a shower and changed to clean and suitable clothes as they then rushed to the banquet hall of the resort.


    The evening banquet had been prepared sumptuously.


    After Tom Reggie learned Blayne Dunn¡¯s identity, he also took two bottles of wine from his wine collection. In short, the evening banquet was merrily carried out as all the guests and Blayne Dunn himself also felt relaxed like at their homes.


    After everything had been concluded, Tang Xiu and Mo ¨¡wen came to the villa they were staying. The latter then reported the negotiation from the beginning to the end, ¡°Boss, I did my best and secured a 18% discount from the catalog¡¯s prices, and I have also picked the best specifications and types for the cargo planes and the military helicopters. After the discount, we need to pay them 1.45 billion, but we need to pay an extra 20 million to Blayne Dunn.¡±


    ¡°He took a commission?¡± Tang Xiu frowned.


    He had previously heard about businessmen who took ¡°commissions¡±. But he didn¡¯t expect that a well-known character such as Blayne Dunn would also unexpectedly care about sales commission.

 Chapter 314

    Chapter 314: Wolf Head Returns


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    People are always selfish and they also have their own desires. Though they may have distinguished status, many of them would also choose to receive commissions should additional benefits appear.


    A smile outlined on the corner of Mo ¨¡wen¡¯s mouth as he said, ¡°This Blayne Dunn is a very greedy man, wishing to stuff all the wealth in the world into his pockets. He ¡®accidentally¡¯ took our order and got 20 million in sales commission from us. Plus the deduction percentage he gets, he made 50 million at least; he also got some shares in Sacred Paramita Aviation Tech. Albeit a small one, that should be rather a handsome income too.¡±


    ¡°It seems arms production and sale is really profitable,¡± Tang Xiu laughed.


    ¡°Boss, if you want to engage in the arms business, we can designate a plan to get rid of some arms traders and replace them.¡±


    ¡°Nah.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Forget it! I¡¯m not interested in it. What interests me the most is opening a bank. Later on, when we have money, we can open our own bank and play in the business.¡±


    Mo ¨¡wen nodded with a smile.


    He would support Tang Xiu unconditionally regardless of whatever decisions he made because, in his eyes, Tang Xiu was someone of superior and aloof status, as though a deity in the eyes of people. Ever since he learned that cultivation practice, his overall strength had rapidly soared several folds within a short period of time.


    At this time, he was confident that he could easily beat the other experts in the Everlasting Feast Hall who were his match in strength before.


    The next day.


    Blayne Dunn left Saipan with his bodyguards. When he came back to the headquarter of Sacred Paramita Aviation Tech, he received a report from the Treasury Department that a 450 million down payment had been transferred to the company¡¯s account.


    As for Tang Xiu, he was eager to return back to Nine Dragons Island to cultivate. Hence, he and Mo ¨¡wen went back to Nine Dragons Island after sending Blayne Dunn off.


    In the next days, nearly every day he spent cultivating in Nine Dragons Island. His cultivation base, which was in the initial stage of the Flesh Strengthening Stage, had broken through to the middle stage and had only a step left before he broke through to the late stage.


    Gradually, time passed by and in an instant, September 1st was only a week away.


    Standing above the castle, Tang Xiu used binoculars to observe a large number of workers on the distant coastline, watching the bustling scenes of them building the apron and runways. He then secretly sighed inside, _¡®Being rich really helps get things done.¡¯_


    Along with the large sums of funds to fund the project, the construction of the apron and airport runways had started and the progress was rather fast. With means unknown, Long Zhengyu had dug up several medium-sized construction teams consisting of more than a thousand people from the mainland, whereas Tom Reggie also took more than a few hundreds of people of the best construction company in Saipan. Coupled with a large number of newly bought construction machinery, the initial work had been successfully completed.


    _¡®At this rate, the construction of the apron and runways will be completely finished two months later at the most.¡¯_


    As he put down the binoculars, Tang Xiu heard someone shouting underneath as his vision suddenly shifted toward Yi Lianyan on the square in front of the castle. He came down easily and after circling around, he then went in front of her and asked, ¡°Is there something?¡±


    With a bit of reluctance in her eyes, Yi Lianyan said, ¡°I¡¯m going back to the mainland. The new term is getting closer; I won¡¯t be able to catch up with the University¡¯s military training if I don¡¯t go back.¡±


    Nodding slightly in response, Tang Xiu then said after thinking deeply for a moment, ¡°I¡¯m also going back home. If you can wait, we¡¯ll go back together three days later and I can look after you on the way there.¡±


    Yi Lianyan nodded repeatedly with a happy expression on her face.


    She stayed in Nine Dragons Island for a month and established a good relationship with Tang Xiu¡¯s men. Furthermore, this place had a beautiful environment and, aside from doing the cooking and laundry, she had a leisure and carefree life here. She oftentimes even visited the construction sites, though it was rather far, because most of those people were Chinese.


    She liked to be here. Were it not for fear that her education would be affected, making her parents angry, she really wanted to stay here forever, living a carefree life.


    ¡°Big Brother Tang, can I come here again later?¡± Looking up toward Tang Xiu who was half a head higher than her, Yi Lianyan asked.


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and then said, ¡°This is the last time in your life you can get on this island. After the reconstruction of the Nine Dragons Island is finished, no outsiders will be allowed to come here. Unless¡­¡±


    ¡°Unless what?¡± asked Yi Lianyan quickly.


    ¡°Unless you sign a lifetime contract with stating that you will work for me forever. Otherwise, you can never come back here,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    _¡®A slave contract?¡¯_ Yi Lianyan¡¯s mouth twitched a few times and replied with an unwilling expression, ¡°Bah, you¡¯re a slaver eh; but I want my human rights.¡±


    ¡°I have the right to do that in this place,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Frowning resentfully, Yi Lianyan snorted and walked toward the castle. She then shouted toward Tang Xiu¡¯s back, ¡°Hey, I won¡¯t do any breakfast. I¡¯m very upset now!¡±


    A slight smile appeared on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth. He had a rather good impression toward Yi Lianyan. The girl grew up in modern society, yet she was very kind and diligent. After getting along for more than a month, Tang Xiu could see clearly the temper and character of this girl.


    She was cheerful, bold, mobile and could act.


    He too genuinely hoped inside that she could stay in Nine Dragons Island, helping him take care of things here. After Mu Qingping comes, she could also help share some of Mu Qingping¡¯s work.


    Coming back to the castle, Tang Xiu found that Yi Lianyan had actually made breakfast. However, because the Mo brothers and the other eleven men were supervising tasks, only he and Yi Lianyan were having a breakfast.


    ¡°How about we discuss a deal?¡±


    After finishing the food, Tang Xiu looked up and asked.


    ¡°Whatever for?¡± snapped Yi Lianyan, sulking.


    ¡°Well, you can work for me and become one of my people after you graduate from University if you want to. The salary will definitely be better than the outside too,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Yi Lianyan rolled her eyes and snorted, ¡°Humph¡­ This young lady doesn¡¯t lack money. Unless you give me annual salary, wanting me to stay here is useless.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll give you an annual salary of 300 thousand yuan with a probationary period of three years. Should you show a good performance in those three years, I¡¯ll double it. Likewise, your salary in later years will have to see the level of economic consumption in the outside world. Plus, if you can work here for over five years and eventually agree to work for me forever, I¡¯ll also gift you something.¡±


    300 thousand? And then it would be doubled¡­ to 600 thousand?


    Though Yi Lianyan knew that Tang Xiu was rich, she had never thought that he would give her such a high treatment. One must know that even those major companies¡¯ white-collars in the country didn¡¯t have such a high income.


    ¡°What gift?¡±


    ¡°You are not entitled to know about it for now,¡± said Tang Xiu as he shook his head.


    Yi Lianyan frowned, ¡°The salary you offered is really good, but I still need to study for four years in University. Who knows what will happen in the future? Anyways, forget it. Let¡¯s talk about this later.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no hurry. Think about it well and tell me after you have considered it,¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod.


    Yi Lianyan chuckled, ¡°If I agree now, can you pay me a year of salary in advance?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Tang Xiu shook head and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t pay, never will you be able to make a return. If you want it, you gotta have decided that you¡¯ll work for me for a lifetime and, after that, you can come here on vacation too. The salary will be 10 thousand a month.¡±


    ¡°Boss Tang¨C nope, Big Boss Tang, you¡¯re really like Zhou the exploiter eh? [1] Alright, I¡¯m full. I¡¯ll leave these plates and bowls for you to clean.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled and shook his head. After washing the plates and all the tableware, someone¡¯s figure quickly appeared beside him. It was Mo ¨¡wen, who whispered to him, ¡°Boss, Wolf Head is back. And he brought a lot of men.¡±


    ¡°How many?¡± asked Tang Xiu in amazement and slanted brows.


    ¡°Almost thirty,¡± said Mo Awen.


    After wiping and cleaning his hands, Tang Xiu then replied, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go and see.¡±


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu saw Wolf Head in the square outside the castle. Standing behind him, three rows of big strong men stood in line. They were all shaved flat, wearing military vests and looking grim and cold.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    Wolf Head respectfully shouted.


    Nodding to him in response, Tang Xiu said, ¡°They are the veterans you¡¯ve found after more than a month?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I spent quite a lot of effort finding them, and some of them I can¡¯t even beat. Also, boss, if you want to take them in, you gotta show your own ability,¡± said Wolf Head.


    The corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s lips tightened while sending off a sort of provocation look in his eyes. He then waved to Wolf Head, hinting at him to come to his side.


    Afterward, he stood in front of all the thirty men, chuckled and said, ¡°You think I¡¯m not qualified to be your boss after you met me, eh?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Orderly and loud voices replied to him.


    Tang Xiu clapped and applauded as he exclaimed in praise, ¡°Your voices are loud, clear, and full of spirit. Also, your footsteps are steady. You¡¯re all evidently not some average layman. Were you all to be trained well, you¡¯ll be able to be good subordinates. Yet, why did you come over with Wolf Head if you¡¯re not satisfied and refuse to accept me?¡±


    ¡°Report!¡±


    A slender, grim-looking big man shouted loudly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the army here, nor are you a soldier at the moment, so you don¡¯t have keep this up. If you want to say something, then say it!¡± said Tang Xiu.


    The grim big guy replied loudly, ¡°We came here because we¡¯re curious as to why this unruly wild wolf¡ªWolf Head accepted to become someone else¡¯s pawn? Hence, it piqued our curiosity. We want to see what sort of powerful person you are. If you can¡¯t satisfy us, we¡¯ll leave.¡±


    While looking at the other men, Tang Xiu then asked in a deep tone, ¡°Are all of you also of the same mind?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The other 29 men shouted in unison.


    Raising his thumb up, Tang Xiu exclaimed and praised, ¡°What good men! In that case, I¡¯ll play with you. Come! All 30 of you.¡±


    The big man sneered, ¡°You¡¯re arrogant, way too arrogant. No need to take all the thirty of us, for I myself am enough to knock you down.¡±


    Having said that, he walked out of the crowd.

 Chapter 315

    Chapter 315: Proper Placement


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Squinting his eyes, Tang Xiu smirked at the proud expression on the big man¡¯s face. He then shook his head and said, ¡°You were once a soldier. Moreover, you were an elite soldier. So you should¡¯ve known better than anyone the fate that awaits you if you look down on your opponents. All of you better come at me together and put out all of your abilities.¡±


    The big man clenched his fists and growled, ¡°Unless you can defeat me, you¡¯re not entitled to waste everyone¡¯s time. I have to tell you in advance that I was the fighting tournament champion in the entire XX military region four years ago.¡±


    Looking at his serious expression, Tang Xiu sighed, ¡°Let¡¯s cut the crap, shall we? Since you¡¯re hell-bent on fighting me one-on-one, then I¡¯ll break you as an example. Come!¡±


    ¡°Humph!¡±


    The burly man coldly snorted as he dashed and arrived in front of Tang Xiu two seconds later. His big callused fists sent out whirring wind sounds as it smashed Tang Xiu¡¯s face.


    His speed almost reached the limit an average person could achieve! His strength was evidently able to smash a big cow!


    However, what was beyond his expectation was that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t even dodge it, and just seemingly casually extended a hand to catch his fist.


    _¡®How could this be?¡¯_


    The burly man¡¯s eyes stared wide. He had the sensation that his punch didn¡¯t simply get caught by Tang Xiu¡¯s palm, but was pinched by an iron plier. Furthermore, he couldn¡¯t even pull it back after trying his best.


    Each and every one of 29 men around were also astounded, because they were perfectly clear about who the big man fighting Tang Xiu was. Not only was he the champion of the fighting tournament four years ago in the entire XX military region, he also possessed an inborn superhuman strength, as each punch he sent out was nearly a thousand catty in weight.


    However, how could his fast and powerful punch be so easily caught by the other party?


    Tang Xiu indifferently smiled, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that you¡¯re just an ant trying to shake a giant tree? You¡¯re over-confident, trying to bite off more than you can chew. Come!¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, Tang Xiu kicked the burly fella¡¯s chest and loosened his grip on the man¡¯s fist just before the big man had time to avoid it. As a dampened sound was heard, the burly guy was heavily thrown and smashed to the ground four to five meters away. Though he possessed a rather strong physical resistance and was not directly knocked down, he constantly shook his head. Only after a long period of time was he finally able to get up.


    A deathly silence engulfed the whole scene.


    The other 29 men stared dumbstruck as a shock that hit their hearts reached its apex. Never in their wildest dreams did they expect that this would be the outcome. They never thought that the very champion of the fighting tournament in entire XX military region, as well as an elite of the special forces, would unexpectedly go straight to the ground without even being able to act.


    In the case Tang Xiu wanted to kill the guy, wouldn¡¯t he easily become a corpse?


    After looking at their shocked expressions, Tang Xiu¡¯s gaze then finally landed on the big man, who looked alarmed and afraid. He then said to him with a smile, ¡°Originally, I purposefully wanted to use my strength as a warning to the others, yet you wanted to beat me up as a warning as well. How is the taste of being defeated? Does it feel good?¡±


    ¡°I was too negligent!¡±


    The big fellow bitterly replied.


    The smile on Tang Xiu¡¯s receded as though a tide as he coldly replied, ¡°That¡¯s not it, it¡¯s due to your arrogance. I originally thought that you understood the truth that there is always a sky beyond the sky, a human beyond another; but now I finally realize that you¡¯re just conceited and arrogant! You might have thought that you¡¯d only experience some pain because it was me you were facing, but if I were the enemy, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯d already be dead by now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s my mistake!¡±


    An ashamed expression was painted on the big fellow¡¯s face as he lowered his head.


    After taking a glance at him, Tang Xiu then crooked his fingers toward the other 29 men and shouted in a heavy voice, ¡°He knows his mistake because he tasted the taste of failure, but you all haven¡¯t yet. So, all of you, come at me at once! If you can win against me, I¡¯ll give you the best treatment; but if you can¡¯t, you gotta be well-behaved and do well in every work I give you as well as accept the designated people that will drill you in your training.¡±


    ¡°UP!¡±


    The big fellow shouted loudly and strode out.


    At this time, the rest of the men also knew how terrifying Tang Xiu was, so they no longer kept bickering. At a breakneck speed, they swiftly encircled Tang Xiu and launched fierce attacks.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s feet was as though rooted on the ground as he waved his arms. His palms blocked all the storming attacks and, though those men possessed a very strong individual strength and also had tacit understanding in coordinating attacks; yet, in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes, their coordination was way too flawed. Even the lowest level of joint attack techniques in the Immortal World was hundreds of times better than them.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t touch me, then I¡¯ll fight back.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s feet finally began moving. After treading out half a step, his hands had already accurately caught two flying kicks as he pulled them out one by one, causing the bodies of the two men to collide while at the same time, his palms instantly shot at the two men and directly sent them out.


    His speed was several times faster than theirs, to the extent that these men couldn¡¯t see clearly how Tang Xiu acted as they flew upside down and were thrown out everywhere in succession. All the twenty-nine men were hit by Tang Xiu.


    ¡°My God, is he still a human?


    ¡°How can his abilities be so fearsome?¡±


    ¡°How can he be so amazing?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not at the same level at all!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    While enduring the pain on their bodies, the twenty-nine people crawled up from the ground one after another. But they didn¡¯t dare to act again since Tang Xiu¡¯s strength was not something that they could go against.


    Tang Xiu flung his wrists and felt rather content inside. His strength had risen sharply since he had broken through to the Flesh Strengthening Stage; facing average people was not a problem anymore. Back before his breakthrough, were he to face twenty-nine men, though he would still be able to completely knock all of them down, he would perhaps still have gotten some injuries.


    But now, he could easily steamroll them all!


    ¡°All of you are not bad seeing as I spent a total of half a minute to finish my counterattack. Were you all ordinary people, I¡¯m afraid it would be less than 10 seconds,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    _¡®Monster!¡¯_


    The same thought emerged within all the men¡¯s hearts.


    At the side.


    Wolf Head was also shaken to the core after seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s strength. When he first fought Tang Xiu in Star City¡¯s park, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t show him such terrifying strength. He even had experienced several battles with Tang Xiu and yet he didn¡¯t find that his combat power would unexpectedly this strong!


    _¡®Don¡¯t tell me that boss has always been hiding his power?¡¯_


    After thinking such, Wolf Head¡¯s heart suddenly tightened.


    ¡°Line up in formation!¡±


    The big fellow who was the first get beaten by Tang Xiu was now looking at Tang Xiu. There was no longer fear or provocation in his eyes. In his expression, there was only worship and fanaticism.


    Strong experts were to be revered and respected!


    In particular, he himself had gone through hailstorms of bullets. As a special soldier that had desperately experienced the carnage of death, he knew perfectly well as how important the capacity of a strong powerhouse was.


    While watching the thirty men rearranging themselves into three teams, Tang Xiu then lightly said, ¡°Now tell me, are you willing to follow me in the future?¡±


    ¡°WE ARE!¡±


    The thirty men shouted in reply.


    ¡°I have conditions for you to follow me. Once you become my follower, you then will forever be my people. And this is different than when you were in the army. I will give you very good treatment as well as arrange your livelihood properly, including your families. I will take care of your wives and children, making them receive a good education and enjoy more benefits compared to what the average people can have. All in all, you can become strong by following me without any anxiety, restlessness and no looking back. What I need from you is your loyalty as you enforce all of my orders. Can you do it?¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°WE CAN!¡±


    The thirty men answered again.


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll send a housekeeper over after a period of time. She will handle all your basic necessities when I¡¯m away. She will also analyze your families¡¯ situations and report it to me. If your families have any difficulties or have any needs that require my assistance, you can also tell me. From today on you¡¯ll be stationed here and are responsible to guard this place.¡±


    ¡°UNDERSTOOD!¡±


    The crowd replied yet again.


    Then, Tang Xiu looked at the man who was the first to fight him and asked in a deep voice, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°REPORT SIR! MY NAME IS WE CHANGXIONG!¡±


    The big fellow unconsciously saluted, but his hand was stiff and unable to move when it was half raised.


    ¡°Your strength is quite good and, just like Wolf Head, I¡¯ll make you a squad leader! Do you see him? He¡¯s called Mo ¨¡wu and he¡¯s also a squad leader, but the three of you must obey Mo ¨¡wen¡¯s commands, for he will command you on my behalf when I¡¯m not here,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°YES!¡±


    The four men answered at the same time.


    Tang Xiu then looked at Mo ¨¡wen and said, ¡°I¡¯m going back to China three days later, everything in this place will be handed over to you. Do keep in mind that this place will be our supreme headquarters in the future, so you must protect it at all cost! In the next three days, I will draw the forbidden zones in Nine Dragons Island, so you must rotate and assign two men to be stationed in each restricted area. The workers are absolutely forbidden to enter those areas, nor let anyone destroy even a rock of the restricted areas.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Mo ¨¡wen nodded.


    Tang Xiu said again, ¡°You will also do the supervising of the reconstruction! You already have the backup for the reconstruction blueprint I designed. If you don¡¯t understand the architectural construction, go ask a skillful engineer to help you with the supervising. All in all, the project must be carried out in accordance with the reconstruction blueprint I¡¯ve designed.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured, Boss. I¡¯ll go to a professional engineer, but I¡¯ll not allow him to intervene in the project¡¯s issues. I¡¯ll only let him oversee the quality of the project and all aspects of problems in the reconstruction,¡± Mo ¨¡wen could feel that Tang Xiu was putting a heavy attention toward the reconstruction, so he replied solemnly.


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    In the next three days, Tang Xiu, Mo ¨¡wen, and the three squad leaders had drawn eleven restricted areas; which were the nine trails to the nine ports surrounding Nine Dragons Island, the castle, as well as the core of the dragon¡¯s vein on the island. As for Long Zhengyu and Tom Reggie, Tang Xiu also gave them a call to restrict the workers under them.


    Three days flashed by, and finally, Tang Xiu and Yi Lianyan boarded the cargo ship, sailing to Saipan at the beginning of the new day. Ever since the project started, many cargo ships started shuttling back and forth between Nine Dragons Island and Saipan every day.

 Chapter 316

    Chapter 316: Stopping Over Hong Kong


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Hong Kong International Airport.


    Carrying travel bags, Tang Xiu exited the airport after Yi Lianyan and saw Hao Lei waiting outside. The present Hao Lei looked even more beautiful and attractive; however, what Tang Xiu cared about was the faint fluctuation of true essence coming out from her.


    _¡®That¡¯s a very fast progress!¡¯_ Tang Xiu secretly praised inside, as he then approached.


    ¡°Boss, it¡¯s been laborious for you!¡±


    Hao Lei looked at Tang Xiu, while her eyes only swept over Yi Lianyan. She smiled and respectfully said.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been waiting for long, haven¡¯t you? Anyway, I¡¯ll be staying in Hong Kong for the night, please arrange accommodations. And, remember to book me an early morning flight to the mainland,¡± said Tang Xiu as he nodded to her.


    Hao Lei nodded with a smile.


    Then, Tang Xiu turned to look at Yi Lianyan, asking, ¡°Are you going back today or tomorrow?¡±


    Hesitating for a moment, Yi Lianyan then whispered, ¡°Big Brother Tang, is the hotel you¡¯re going to stay particularly expensive? If it¡¯s too expensive, I may not be able afford staying there.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha,¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing. ¡°I¡¯m not going to stay in the hotel. I¡¯ll stay in my own place.¡±


    ¡°You have real estate in Hong Kong?¡± Yi Lianyan was astounded.


    ¡°You can say that!¡± Tang Xiu chuckled.


    Yi Lianyan quickly said, ¡°Then I presume I¡¯ll be staying overnight in your place! Are there enough rooms?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Secretly relieved inside, Yi Lianyan then said with a smile, ¡°Being in a trip for two or three days rather makes me worn out, so it¡¯s great to rest for the night. Right, I think it will be great to go straight home tomorrow, have a day off and then register myself for school afterward.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, I haven¡¯t asked you about it. How were your CET scores? Which university you applied to?¡± Asked Tang Xiu curiously.


    ¡°Shanghai Uni. It¡¯s fantastic, right?¡± said Yi Lianyan with a proud expression.


    Such coincidence?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth twitched a few times as he forced out a wry smile. However, looking at her proud expression, he smiled and raised his thumb up exclaiming in praise, ¡°Yup, that¡¯s amazing!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know who I am,¡± said Yi Lianyan with a gentle smile. ¡°Once we get there, you¡¯ll know that I am entirely worthy to be a Goddess of the top students. Though I didn¡¯t get the top scorer in the CET¡¯s science subject, I¡¯m still in the top ten.¡±


    ¡°You are hella amazing!¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with a smile as he turned and walked toward the outside.


    As the duo followed Hao Lei to the parking lot, Yi Lianyan¡¯s eyes instantly stared wide with shock. She pointed at the Rolls-Royce limousine, asking, ¡°T-this car¡­ is here to pick us up?¡±


    At this moment, Hao Lei had already opened the door for Tang Xiu. Upon hearing Yi Lianyan¡¯s question, she smiled and said, ¡°Of course, why the question?¡±


    Yi Lianyan hurriedly nodded.


    She knew that Tang Xiu was filthy rich. Because he was, after all, someone who could buy the entire Nine Dragons Island, thus he was definitely someone with money. But she didn¡¯t expect that Tang Xiu would even have a house in Hong Kong. Even the car that picked him up was worth at least thousands of luxurious cars.


    At this time, her curiosity toward Tang Xiu¡¯s identity was really piqued.


    After very carefully sitting on the car, she was seemingly afraid of dirtying it, looking uncomfortable and uneasy. Yi Lianyan stealthily glanced at Tang Xiu, trying to look calm as she spoke, ¡°Big Brother Tang, what business are you in exactly? And this¡­ beautiful big sis driver, what is she to you?¡±


    ¡°My business is rather mixed to speak about, so I can¡¯t say anything about it specifically. As for who she is, you can ask her yourself. Anyways, I¡¯ll take a nap for a while,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Having said that, he directly closed his eyes.


    Hao Lei, who was driving, turned around as she revealed a charming smile. She gently used her hand to caress the hair on her forehead and then said with a slight smile, ¡°I¡¯m the general manager of Grand Fortune Jewelries, you can call me manager Hao. Or you can directly address me by my name, Hao Lei.¡±


    ¡°How do you do, Big Sis Hao Lei!¡± Yi Lianyan hurriedly cried.


    Immediately after, she stealthily took out her phone and browsed the information about Grand Fortune Jewelries online. A few minutes later, an extreme shock covered her face as her eyes turned saucer and jaw-dropped. The information she got from Baidu said that the Grand Fortune Jewelries possessed total assets of over 10 billion yuan, whereas its general manager¡ªHao Lei herself was touted as a successful and strong business woman in the business world, with distinguished social status, beauty and intelligence mixed into one¡­


    _¡®Heavens! Such a great person turns out to be¡­ Tang Xiu¡¯s employee? She even does such trivial matter as going to the airport to pick him up by herself? No¡­ it isn¡¯t right. Could it be Tang Xiu is originally the big boss of Grand Fortune Jewelries?¡¯_


    Deepwater Bay Road 13, Hong Kong.


    As the Rolls-Royce limousine entered the villa courtyard and parked in the parking lot, Hao Lei then got off to open the car¡¯s door for Tang Xiu as she said softly, ¡°Boss, we¡¯ve arrived.¡±


    Tang Xiu opened his eyes and stretched out his body after getting out, saying, ¡°You¡¯re not bad. Where are Tian Li and the others?¡±


    Hao Lei could clearly grasp the meaning behind Tang Xiu¡¯s sentence and quickly said, ¡°They are still in Jingmen Island. I was ahead of them a step, so I returned to Hong Kong to deal with the work here. I¡¯m also acting as ad interim.¡±


    Nodding in response, Tang Xiu then said, ¡°It¡¯s been laboring for you. Anyway, you can go back, I¡¯ll be fine here by myself! I¡¯ll be leaving Hong Kong tomorrow, but you don¡¯t need to send me off. I¡¯ll be just fine with a taxi.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Hao Lei bowed slightly, and then went to another sports car, opening its door and driving away.


    Having gotten off from the Rolls-Royce, Yi Lianyan felt as if she was in a dream. Being able to ride in such a luxurious car was already quite shocking, but it never came to her that Tang Xiu¡¯s house would be such a large mansion. Though this place was comparable and had no difference with the castle in Nine Dragons Island, Hong Kong was a place where the land price was astronomical; such a mansion was absolutely priceless!


    ¡°You¡¯re really filthy rich, Big Brother Tang!¡±


    Yi Lianyan thought it was enough for her to inquire about Tang Xiu at the airport, yet now her charming face turned slightly red as even her ears faintly felt hot.


    ¡°Work hard and you¡¯ll be very rich in the future,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Will do, absolutely! Even if what I earn might be less than you, but I must surpass the others,¡± said Yi Lianyan resolutely.


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help bursting into laughter.


    He then commanded a maid and ordered them to take Yi Lianyan to rest. Tang Xiu then went to the room on the second floor. He wanted to call his mother back in the car but recalled that he was going back tomorrow, so he was prepared to give her a pleasant surprise.


    _¡®I have to visit Li Juren!¡¯_


    In actuality, Tang Xiu himself didn¡¯t feel tired. Given his physical condition, he wouldn¡¯t feel tired even if he had to travel for a year or so. The reason why he wanted to stop over in Hong Kong for a night was that there were some things he needed to discuss with Li Juren.


    ¡°Hello, may I ask who I am speaking with?¡±


    After calling Li Juren¡¯s private number, the one who answered his call was a woman.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for Li Juren. May I trouble you to call him over?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°May I ask your name, Sir?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Tang, I¡¯m really sorry. Our boss is having a midday rest and is temporarily unable to answer. I will inform him after he wakes up.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Tang Xiu saw the time¨C 2PM. He immediately went downstairs and told the maids to prepare lunch. To his surprise, Yi Lianyan, who was originally yelling that she was tired, was unexpectedly full of spirit as she fiddled with her tablet in the hall.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired?¡± asked Tang Xiu curiously.


    ¡°I was. But my tiredness went out when I arrived here. Big Brother Tang, do you have anything to do in the afternoon? If it¡¯s fine with you, how about accompanying me shopping?¡± said Yi Lianyan with a laugh.


    ¡°No,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°I have some matters to take care of.¡±


    ¡°You just came back, and you already have things to do?¡± asked Yi Lianyan, astonished.


    ¡°I need to see someone.¡±


    Yi Lianyan suddenly understood as she nodded and said, ¡°Well, since you don¡¯t have time, then I¡¯ll go shopping myself. I originally intended to fly straight to the mainland from abroad, but I didn¡¯t expect that I would actually run to Hong Kong. I heard the place is a shopping paradise, so I must experience it well.¡±


    ¡°Pay attention to your safety. If you have trouble, call Hao Lei! I¡¯ll give her cell number to you later,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle.


    ¡°OK!¡± Yi Lianyan replied with a smile.


    Deepwater Bay 79th.


    Li Juren had just woken up from his sleep. The older he got, the lesser his energy day by day. Although he maintained his condition well, yet he couldn¡¯t resist his old age sapping away his vitality.


    A few minutes later, he went out of his bedroom and intended to read a book in his study room. But his coadjutress was sitting on the front seat in the corner of the corridor, reading a document.


    ¡°Was there something?¡±


    The coadjutress got up and respectfully replied, ¡°You missed two calls.¡±


    ¡°Who were they?¡± Li Juren came over and asked.


    ¡°One is Boss Ma¡ªMa Kaiwen from the mainland, and the other one is Tang Xiu,¡± said the coadjutress.


    Tang Xiu?


    For a moment, Li Juren was surprised, as his expression then changed. He didn¡¯t care about Ma Kaiwen¡¯s phone call, but Tang Xiu¡¯s call made him concerned. Due to the mysteriousness of the Everlasting Feast Hall, he had no choice but be very prudent and careful in dealing with its Boss¡ªTang Xiu.


    He then looked at the call log and then dialed Tang Xiu¡¯s number.


    ¡°Little Brother Tang, were you looking for me?¡± Li Juren said with a smile.


    The coadjutress, who stood at his side, had yet to see Tang Xiu. Seeing that Li Juren didn¡¯t call Boss Ma¡ªMa Kaiwen first and instead called Tang Xiu, whose voice was very young, made her secretly surprised.


    ¡°Yes. I wanna talk to you about some things. Do you have some time for us to meet?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Li Juren laughed, ¡°Were you someone else, I may not have the time. But for Little Brother Tang, I have time to spare! Anyways, pick the place, I¡¯ll be there shortly.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with Hong Kong, it¡¯s your call!¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Pondering for a moment, Li Juren then said, ¡°Then let us meet in Purple Bamboo Teagarden! I¡¯ll send you the address later.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Li Juren abandoned his intention of reading a book and said, ¡°Tell someone to prepare a car, I¡¯ll be going out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll arrange it now!¡±


    Half an hour later.


    Purple Bamboo Teagarden was a rather remote place in Repulse Bay. There were no high-rise buildings in the area, only a lush bamboo forest. After Tang Xiu arrived there, he was stopped by the guards at the sentry post.


    ¡°Hello, Sir. Please show your membership card.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a membership card here,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°But I have an appointment to meet a friend here. He¡¯s Li Juren, you should you know about him, no?¡±


    The security guard was slightly surprised for a moment before he replied with a much more respectful attitude, ¡°Ah, you¡¯re Mr. Tang? Elderly Li has been here for a while. He¡¯s waiting for you inside.¡±

 Chapter 317

    Chapter 317: Return Trip


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    As he entered the bamboo grove, Tang Xiu saw a European-styled three-storied small building. As he parked the car, Li Juren¡¯s coadjutress greeted him, asking his identity and then led him to one of the small buildings inside.


    ¡°Little Brother Tang, we meet again.¡± Li Juren got up and greeted him with a smile.


    Tang Xiu faintly smiled and shook hands with him as he said, ¡°I¡¯m really troubling Elderly Li running here especially. In fact, my trip to Hong Kong this time is about a small business deal I want to negotiate with you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, what kind of business deal?¡± asked Li Juren curiously after motioning for Tang Xiu to sit down.


    ¡°To my knowledge, one of your companies seems to be a shipping company. Hence, I want to rent some cargo ships from you. I can¡¯t determine for how long, but I¡¯ll pay you on a monthly basis,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Little Brother Tang, what will you do with the ships?¡± asked Li Juren, confused.


    ¡°I bought an island in the Pacific Ocean and am having some work done on the island. The project itself has quite a large amount of work being done on it and needs cargo ships to transport goods and cargoes. I have actually ordered several cargo planes from abroad and also rented some cargo ships from Saipan, yet the number is far from enough,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°How many ships do you need?¡± asked Li Juren.


    ¡°About twenty ships!¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Li Juren was secretly startled inside as he gasped in admiration, ¡°Little Brother Tang truly has a big capital! Alright, I¡¯ll rent you twenty ships, and it doesn¡¯t matter how long you will use them. As for the rental fee, it¡¯s free. I owe your restaurant a favor, so it¡¯s rather unjustified were I to collect fee.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°In business negotiations, money is the thing we mustn¡¯t do without. Quote your price, else I¡¯ll rent the ships from someone else.¡±


    ¡°Well, since you insist on paying, then I¡¯ll accept it¡­¡± Li Juren forced a smile and said,¡± ¡­ as for the price, you quote it.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment and then slowly said, ¡°If so, I¡¯ll call my friend who contracted my project later. He¡¯ll come to Hong Kong to handle the rental formalities with you.¡±


    Li Juren nodded and curiously asked, ¡°Little Brother Tang, the purchase of the private island and its reconstruction should have cost you a lot, no? I don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s inappropriate to ask; why did you buy an island? Could it be that you want to retire and seclude yourself from the rest of the world?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing like that,¡± Tang Xiu laughed. ¡°It¡¯s not to seclude myself from the outside world. Besides, the transportation means is so advanced¡­ It¡¯s just my selfish dream of building my own Shangri-La! But what can be built in the future, I don¡¯t know about it yet!¡±


    ¡°Spending a lot of money for the sake of personal dreams. You¡¯re also a willful and unrestrained man!¡± Li Juren laughed. ¡°Come¡­ let us taste the tea, it is really great!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    For more than half an hour, Tang Xiu and Li Juren chatted in the Purple Bamboo Teagarden before he then left in a hurry. He then called Hao Lei¡¯s number, asking her to check the renting price for a cargo ship. When he got the reply, he transferred a sum of money as a charter deposit to Li Juren¡¯s company account.


    At night, Tang Xiu met Yi Lianyan, who was carrying a large bag and coming back to Deepwater Bay Road 13th. Looking at her panting appearance, he smiled and said, ¡°What a great harvest, eh!¡±


    Yi Lianyan threw her things on the sofa and then wiped off the sweat on her face before she replied with a forced smile, ¡°I regret strolling out and shopping. This damn weather is awfully hot! Do you see that white box? Inside is a gift for you, you can regard it as my thanks for spending more than half of my summer vacation freeloading in your place.¡±


    A gift?


    Tang Xiu rarely received gifts from others, so he was curious. What would Yi Lianyan gift him? However, when he opened the white box, he was quite dumbstruck and tongue-tied before he asked, ¡°Are you sure this is my gift?¡±


    In the white box was a very cute fist-sized purple-colored lucky doll.


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s your gift,¡± said Yi Lianyan, continuing, ¡°I spent quite a long time in the novelty shop before I picked it up. Big Brother Tang, the aura of killing surrounding you is rather too heavy. You don¡¯t talk and smile happily at your normal times. If any strangers see you in the city they will surely get the hell away from you. So a thought crossed my mind that it¡¯d be interesting to tie a lucky doll on your arm. It should make others feel that you¡¯re very easy to approach.¡±


    Tang Xiu stared blankly for a moment before he asked in astonishment, ¡°Did you just say my murderous intent is heavy?¡±


    Yi Lianyan recalled the first time she saw Tang Xiu. He was covered by blood, wearing a grim and cold expression on his face. She nodded, ¡°Though I know that killing pirates is a good deed, you have, after all, killed people. Bah, it¡¯s not like I fear you¡¯ll have a shadow within your heart, though. Like I said, it¡¯s my gift to you. If you don¡¯t like it, I¡¯ll get it back.¡±


    ¡°I like it, thanks a bunch,¡± Tang Xiu laughed.


    Yi Lianyan nodded with a contented expression.


    The next day, Tang Xiu gazed after Yi Lianyan as she entered the departure gate. He could see that she looked somewhat dismayed as he shook the mobile in her hand. Half an hour later, he also took a plane; however, his destination was not Blue City, but Jingmen Island. As he arrived at Jingmen Island¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall, it was already 10AM.


    ¡°Grandmaster, are you going to see Master now?¡± asked Gu Xiaoxue after she saw Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Yes, I must go see her now. Also, get me the wild ginseng I bought in Hong Kong, I¡¯ll concoct a medication for her,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Elder Ji brought the wild ginseng. She has been accompanying Master in the exquisite pagoda after she came back. At this time, she should be cultivating inside the exquisite pagoda,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue.


    Quickly, the two people went inside the exquisite pagoda. After seeing Ji Chimei, Tang Xiu then asked her the strain of wild ginseng then went to the sickbed on the seventh where Gu Yan¡¯er was laying in lethargic slumber.


    ¡°How long has it been since Yan¡¯er last woke up?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been five months and nine days.¡±


    ¡°According to the previous regular pattern, how long does she still need to wake up,¡± asked Tang Xiu once again.


    ¡°It should take another month or so. But she might wake up earlier since she has taken the concocted pill,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue.


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment before he said, ¡°I¡¯ll be returning to Star City today since Shanghai Uni will begin a new term by early September and I have to go there to register myself. I¡¯ll stay here, so look for Ouyang Lulu to borrow her private jet. Afterward, you have to call me once Yan¡¯er wakes up, I¡¯ll be here as fast as possible.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Gu Xiaoxue nodded.


    Tang Xiu asked Ji Chimei a knife and cut a piece from the wild ginseng and fed it to Gu Yan¡¯er. Immediately, he put his hand on her chest center acupoints, gently rubbing it for half a minute.


    ¡°Every seven days, cut a piece of wild ginseng and feed it to Gu Yan¡¯er, and then rub her chest center acupoints by half a minute to help her absorb the medicine.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Gu Xiaoxue nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself.¡±


    ¡°You go out!¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be here accompanying Yan¡¯er.¡±


    After Gu Xiaoxue and Ji Chimei left, Tang Xiu gently hugged Gu Yan¡¯er and let her lean on his arms as he spoke softly, ¡°Yan¡¯er, I can¡¯t always be with you as your Master as I have a lot of things to do. Not only do I have to go to college to fulfill my mother¡¯s wish, I also have to make a lot of money to buy massive cultivation resources for cultivation. However, you don¡¯t need to worry, I¡¯ll cultivate hard and wait until my cultivation is strong enough, so I can find a way to find the cure for you.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, I found an island on Earth that is very similar to the one we once lived, the Nine Dragons Spitting Pearl Secret Area. I¡¯ll bring the exquisite pagoda there myself after finishing the reconstruction. I¡¯ll think about every means possible to place you there when the time comes.¡±


    ¡°Also, Master has found the Supreme Emperor Purple Qi there. Once I move you there, I¡¯ll try to find a way to infuse the Supreme Emperor Purple Qi into your body. Your physique will be improved and would be very good for you.¡±


    ¡°Please, wake up faster! Master really wants to see your happy and smiling expression!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu rambled until night fell as he then left the exquisite pagoda. As he was dining at the restaurant, Ouyang Lulu came.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, I heard you want to borrow my private jet?¡±


    She sat down at Tang Xiu¡¯s opposite side. Without even the slightest politeness, she grabbed a dish among the tableware on the other side to try it out as she asked.


    ¡°Yup! I need to borrow your private jet,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Ouyang Lulu gave him big rolling eyes and snapped, ¡°NOPE, I won¡¯t lend it to you!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiu stared blankly as he then immediately laughed, ¡°We are friends, right?¡±


    ¡°Humph,¡± Ouyang Lulu snorted and said, ¡°Don¡¯t use our friendship identity to threaten me. You haven¡¯t fulfilled your promise yet, I¡¯ve been nagged for a long time.¡±


    ¡°I promised you something?¡± Tang Xiu was puzzled and asked, ¡°What did I promise?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu heavily slammed the chopsticks as she used her arms on the table to support her standing. She bent down and angrily said, ¡°You promised me that you¡¯ll go to my home and see my parents, didn¡¯t you? And what happened then? It¡¯s been two months, right? Yet you haven¡¯t gone to my home until now!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu was struck speechless.


    He had forgotten his promise to Ouyang Lulu due to the successive encounters with various issues. After hesitating, he probed, ¡°How about going there tonight?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu raised her chin and hummed, ¡°Humph, not tonight. My parents are not on Jingmen Island, it¡¯s useless even if you visit now. Bah, forget it. Considering you¡¯re willing to see my parents for my sake, I¡¯ll no longer bicker with you. That private jet of mine is parked at the airport, you can use it at your will. I¡¯ll send the order to the pilot and the cabin attendants¡¯ cell numbers to you so you can contact them when you need them.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Ouyang Lulu rolled her eyes. She then picked up the chopsticks and said, ¡°Knowing you is really bad luck, you know that? Every time you call me you¡¯re playing abroad, but you don¡¯t even take me with you! I don¡¯t care about it anymore. Let¡¯s have a good talk. You¡¯d better make sure to bring me along should you got out again in the future!¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡± Tang Xiu laughed and promised.


    After the dinner, Tang Xiu got up and said, ¡°I¡¯m leaving now! I¡¯ll go back to pack my things and return to Star City tonight. I¡¯ll have to go to Shanghai Uni to register myself the day after tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve decided something,¡± said Ouyang Lulu quickly.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiu was puzzled and asked, ¡°What did you decide?¡±


    ¡°Humph, I won¡¯t tell you,¡± Ouyang Lulu hummed and said, ¡°I¡¯ll only tell you later!¡±

 Chapter 318

    Chapter 318: Excellence


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The night in Star City was resplendent as though an illusion. The hanging specks of starlight in the night sky were as though the extension of a painting scroll. Shooting stars occasionally descended as if adding radiance to this painting.


    At the main entrance of South Gate Town¡¯s security post.


    The newly appointed security captain¡ªHu Sicheng was dressed in a brand new security uniform and was chatting with the vice-captain of the security team.


    ¡°Old Yang, I used to be a security team captain in the headquarters. Every day we were hella busy there; we were oftentimes on duty at night and even often did a variety of things in the daytime, as well as spent a lot of time drilling. Working here is really relaxed and idle, kinda like a fish out of water all of a sudden,¡± With a smile, Hu Sicheng spoke with satisfaction for his current state.


    The vice-captain¡ªYang Bing replied with a smile, ¡°Almost all the heads of households living here are rich and powerful people. They are of distinguished status as well as good natured; they rarely give us trouble. Also, our security team has a large number of men with strict surveillance and monitoring, so we usually have no problems for a year or so.¡±


    Hu Sicheng turned to look to the villa complex front gate and sighed with a bit of envy, ¡°True that! Those who can live here are surely the ones who are not short on money. I don¡¯t know whether I¡¯ll ever be able to live in such a luxurious villa.¡±


    Yang Bing smiled and didn¡¯t reply. But inwardly, he secretly held Hu Sicheng in contempt. Though the man was a captain of the Long Group¡¯s security team who had been assigned on duty here, his maximum wage would be at most at the level of those gold collars. Wanting to buy a villa here with such a level of salary ¡ª even the worst villa ¡ª even if he spent 100 or 200 years, was simply a dream!


    ¡°Screech¡­¡±


    A taxi stopped in front of the villa complex entrance gate.


    Carrying a travel bag, Tang Xiu got off from the taxi and received the change from the driver. Afterward, he strode toward the security post at the entrance gate. He hadn¡¯t come back here for a month or two, and the feeling of coming back home made him happy.


    ¡°Stop! Who are you looking for?¡±


    Hu Sicheng used to work in the headquarters, so he still used a stiff tone and blunt attitude. It had become his habit to carefully scrutinize everyone.


    With a knitted brows, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°I live here.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Hu Sicheng wanted to speak but was quickly pulled by Yang Bing. With a smiling face, Yang Bing acted cordial as he smiled and said, ¡°Ah, you¡¯re back, Mr. Tang! It¡¯s been a long time since I last saw you.¡±


    Tang Xiu gave him a trace of a smile as he nodded and said, ¡°There were things I needed to deal with outside the city. I just returned.¡±


    Having said it, he shot a glance at Hu Sicheng and strode inside the villa complex.


    Waiting until Tang Xiu¡¯s back disappeared at the corner inside, Yang Bing then secretly wiped off the cold sweat on his face as he forced a smile and said, ¡°Captain, you gotta change your attitude, really! This place is a luxury villa complex in Star City, not our Long Group¡¯s Headquarters. The people living here are great figures we can¡¯t afford to provoke.¡±


    Frowning, Hu Sicheng replied, ¡°What do you mean? That kiddo said he lives here? Have you seen him before?¡±


    Albeit reluctantly, Yang Bing said, ¡°Captain, it¡¯s not only me who have seen him. The entire security team¡¯s members of the villa complex have also seen him. Were he someone else, I wouldn¡¯t have talked to him all smiling. He¡¯s Tang Xiu, and he lives in the grandest mansion in this villa complex.¡±


    ¡°What did you say? That grandest Kingview villa is his?¡± asked Hu Sicheng incredulously.


    Looking around and finding no one nearby, Yang Bing then nodded and whispered, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s his! Also, I¡¯ve heard a trusted news. He didn¡¯t buy that villa, it was our famous Young Master Long who gifted it to him! You don¡¯t know it yet, but Tang Xiu and our Young Master Long have a very, very good relationship!¡±


    Shocked and surprised, Hu Sicheng hastily asked, ¡°Are you talking about Chief Long¡ªLong Zhengyu?¡±


    Yang Bing nodded, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s him. Chief Long¡ªLong Zhengyu. And captain, you just came to assume office here, there are many things you don¡¯t know yet. Tang Xiu has very powerful people in his personal connection circle. The powerful characters I know of that have come to South Gate Town to find him were no less than five.¡±


    ¡°Who are they?¡± asked Hu Sicheng curiously.


    Yang Bing whispered, ¡°Our Big Boss¡ªLong Hanwen; the Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical¡¯s Boss¡ªChen Zhizhong; the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s General Manager¡ªKang Xia; also several people with bodyguards, whose statuses are evidently not lower than our Big Boss who also came here to find Tang Xiu.¡±


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡± Hu Sicheng suddenly heaved in a cold breath upon hearing it.


    All of a sudden, he secretly worried about his own attitude just now, for fear that Tang Xiu would be a narrow-minded person and bear a grudge. Were he to talk about it casually with the big boss, or with Chief Long Zhengyu, his position as South Gate Town¡¯s security team¡¯s captain most likely would be lost.


    ¡°Troublesome!¡± said Hu Sicheng bitterly.


    ¡°Captain, you need to find your cousin! As far as I know, Manager Long and Tang Xiu have a good relationship,¡± said Yang Bing whispered.


    For a moment, Hu Sicheng stared blankly, as he then asked in amazement, ¡°Do you mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡± Yang Bing gave a direct reply.


    ¡°I got it,¡± said Hu Sicheng with a nod.


    Inside the Kingview Villa of South Gate Town, Mu Qingping was hugging Gu Yin as they read a book, while Gu Yin was wearing earphones and looked like a quiet kitty.


    At this time, even though Mu Qingping sat casually, yet she exuded a special bearing and aura. Be it her movements or her expression, they faintly exuded a ¡®noble aura¡¯.


    ¡°Big Sis Mu!¡±


    Seeing the mother and daughter in the hall, Tang Xiu immediately revealed a faint smile.


    Mu Qingping looked distracted and surprised for a moment. When she saw Tang Xiu, a look of joy was immediately revealed on her face. She gently pushed her daughter, stood and bent slightly as she then said with a smile, ¡°You¡¯ve come back, and you look so tanned. Yet you seem to be healthier and more macho.¡±


    ¡°The sunlight has been rather full, getting tanned is kinda inevitable,¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile. ¡°By the way, how was the training outside? Have the four instructors left already?¡±


    ¡°They have left,¡± Mu Qingping nodded. ¡°They¡¯re really great instructors and have taught me a lot of things in this period of time. Back then, I always thought managing the family¡¯s chief daily necessities and other small things were what was required of the job, but little did I know that the world¡¯s top steward would simply be a multifunctional server. Yeah, that¡¯s the private title to the world¡¯s top chamberlains.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter. He shook his head and said, ¡°Big Sis Mu, I just came back from Nine Dragons Island and started its reconstruction. The area is rather large and there are a lot of issues to manage. Therefore, you need to plan and coordinate the whole situation rather than manage trivial matters. I¡¯ll also find some reliable aides for you and then send them abroad for training for a period of time before I send them to you to manage them.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Mu Qingping nodded with a smile.


    At this time, Gu Yin had removed her earphone as a brilliant smile emerged on her small face. Opening her arms and hugging Tang Xiu, she grinned, ¡°Master, you finally came back. Grandma has been talking about you everyday. And I¡¯m sure she¡¯d look for you if you had not come back.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Tang Xiu laughed and said, ¡°Your grandmother has called me a lot.¡±


    Immediately after, Tang Xiu looked to Mu Qingping and asked, ¡°Has my mother come back yet?¡±


    ¡°She hasn¡¯t,¡± Mu Qingping replied with a smile, ¡°They are busy at work in the restaurant and rarely stay here. At most, they stay here for two days in a week.¡±


    Tang Xiu was stunned for a moment as he then nodded and said, ¡°I see. Yinyin, play with your Mom for a while. I¡¯m gonna have a shower and change clothes first, then I¡¯ll take you to our family¡¯s restaurant to have a delicious meal.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡±


    Gu Yin immediately replied in a pleasant surprise.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Mu Qingping quickly said, ¡°I still have something to report to you.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Asked Tang Xiu, puzzled.


    ¡°It¡¯s the chief of Star City Medical Hospital,¡± Mu Qingping said, ¡°He came here nearly every day and seemed to be in a hurry. He wanted me to tell you to contact him the moment you came back.¡±


    Li Hongji?


    Recalling what he had promised to him, Tang Xiu forced a smile inwardly. The day after tomorrow was September 1st, and he would leave for Shanghai by tomorrow evening at the latest. How would he still have time to visit the hospital?


    After pondering for a moment, Tang Xiu took his mobile and dialed Li Hongji¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°Tang Xiu?¡± Li Hongji¡¯s pleasantly surprised voice came out of the phone.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s Tang Xiu, President Li,¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°I came back late to the mainland due to circumstances. I know you want me to give medical service in the hospital, but I¡¯ll be leaving for Shanghai the day after tomorrow for the registration to Shanghai University. So I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have much time. How about I first register to Shanghai University and then come back in October¡¯s holiday to give medical service?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Li Hongji hesitated for a long time before he forced a wry smile and said, ¡°Since it¡¯s the case then I¡¯ll drag it! Tang Xiu, you may not retract the appointment again. I¡¯ll be waiting for you on October 1st at the Chinese Medical Hospital.¡±


    ¡°Deal,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    After hanging up, he then went to the second floor to have a shower, changed his clothes and then brought Gu Yin to his family¡¯s restaurant. He wanted to give a surprise to his mother; hence, he didn¡¯t notify her.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m so damn bored!¡±


    At the restaurant¡¯s entrance, Banshou stood in a black suit with a shiny hairdo, looking listless. Standing in front of him was similar bored Dingzi with a toothpick between his lips.


    ¡°If you¡¯re that bored, shall I help you find some fun?¡±


    While holding Gu Yin, Tang Xiu appeared in front of the duo.


    Banshou and Dingzi stared blankly for a moment. As they turned around and saw Tang Xiu, their eyes instantly turned bright as they shouted simultaneously, ¡°BOSS, YOU¡¯RE BACK!¡±


    ¡°I just came back,¡± Tang Xiu laughed and said, ¡°Where¡¯s my mom?¡±


    ¡°Your parents are here. I¡¯ll go call them now,¡± said Banshou quickly.


    ¡°We¡¯ll go in ourselves,¡± Tang Xiu waved to him. ¡°Ah, right. If you feel bored in the restaurant, I¡¯ll give you a new job. I¡¯ll also double your pay if you two do well.¡±


    ¡°What new job do you want us to do, Boss?¡± asked Banshou and Dingzi quickly as their eyes turned bright.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see my mom first and then I¡¯ll talk to you about it in detail later,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.

 Chapter 319

    Chapter 319: Recalling Past Events


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The restaurant was doing good; it was jam-packed with visitors. The food was cheap and fine, causing many regular customers to come back. Coupled with favorable public praise that quickly passed from mouth to mouth, a lot of new customers came after hearing it.


    At this time, Su Lingyun could be said to be half-worried and half-pleasantly surprised because of successive expansion of the restaurant, sill unable to accommodate all the coming guests. Tables were booked every day, and within the span of two hours after the restaurant was opened, all the tables and boxes had been reserved for noon and evening.


    ¡°Yunde, how about we get a few other stores next door?¡± asked Su Lingyun with a frown inside the office.


    After a month of rest and recovery, Tang Yunde¡¯s body had recovered well and was almost similar to a normal person¡¯s at present. Upon hearing his wife¡¯s words, he smiled and said, ¡°If you want it, then let¡¯s get it. The restaurant is doing great, and making a little bit more of money is always good.¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡±


    Su Lingyun couldn¡¯t help laugh, shooting white eyes at her husband as she said all smiling, ¡°You¡¯re rich, I know that. And you may not have a liking to the restaurant business. But I can never get used to the life of a rich lady. I feel more secure making money by doing down-to-earth hard work.¡±


    ¡°Little Yun, we are husband and wife, the closest person to each other in this world. I have given you all my bank cards as well as my stocks. What else is making you feel insecure? Besides, I have promised to never leave you again, so you can put your heart at ease. Having a steady and secure life and enjoying it. I¡¯ll support you unconditionally in whatever you wanna do.¡±


    Warmness filled Su Lingyun¡¯s heart upon hearing it, as her eyes filled with tenderness. Suddenly, she said, ¡°Tell me, if I did my hair and such, would I look younger?¡±


    Caught by surprise, Tang Yunde was at a loss whether he should feel amused or cry, ¡°Even without it, you¡¯re always the most beautiful in my eyes. But if you wanna do it, I¡¯ll accompany you.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t need to be accompanied.¡±


    Though she said it like that, yet her heart was somewhat moved. But since she hadn¡¯t ever done such a thing, as well as knowing that it was rather expensive, she decided against it.


    She had tasted living in hardship and being poor!


    However much money she made, she didn¡¯t want to waste a penny for it.


    ¡°Knock, knock¡­¡±


    The office¡¯s door was knocked and opened from the outside. As Tang Xiu entered holding Gu Yin, he could see Su Lingyun and Tang Yunde sitting on the sofa chatting.


    ¡°Grandpa! Grandma!¡±


    Gu Yin broke away from Tang Xiu¡¯s hand and ran over cheerfully.


    Su Lingyun was pleasantly surprised the moment she saw Tang Xiu. After hugging Gu Yin and kissing her delicate, cute little face, she then looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Brat, you unexpectedly came back without noticing me in advance. Ah, look at your skin color. You¡¯re so dark and thin. You must have gotten into some hardships outside, right?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get into any hardships, mom,¡± Tang Xiu faintly smiled and said, ¡°I just got tanned by sunlight. It¡¯s normal.¡±


    Having said that, he then looked at Tang Xiu, nodding to him and said, ¡°Dad!¡±


    Seeing Tang Xiu back, Tang Yunde was somewhat excited inwardly. Especially when Tang Xiu called him ¡®Dad¡¯, it made him excited inside. With a smile, he replied, ¡°It¡¯s great that you came back! Your mom has literally been talking about you every day recently, for fear that you suffered some hardships out there.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head, expressing that he was fine, as he said, ¡°Mom, let¡¯s go home! I already told Big Sis Mu to prepare a meal. Just leave the restaurant business to the others.¡±


    ¡°Okay. My son came back, so I gotta make time for him even if the business is busy,¡± Su Lingyun nodded with a smile and said,¡± Ah, right sonny. I put your university admission notice inside your bedroom¡¯s drawer.¡±


    ¡°I plan to go to Shanghai tomorrow night and register two days later,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, your auntie sent some things a few days ago. They were put in your bedroom drawer. If you don¡¯t want to stay in a college dormitory in Shanghai, you can stay in the villa outside. I¡¯ve also bought some real estates in Shanghai, you can find the deeds, keys, and whatnot in your drawer also. You can stay in any villa you pick,¡± said Tang Yunde.


    Buying villas in Shanghai?


    Somehow, Tang Xiu was bit surprised. Everyone knew that the housing prices in Shanghai were astronomical, for which a lot of people couldn¡¯t afford. After hesitating, he asked, ¡°Dad, listening to you, you¡¯re rather rich, no?¡±


    Tang Yunde was silent for a moment before he nodded and said, ¡°I had been harmed by someone and fell into a stupor all of a sudden. I haven¡¯t fulfilled my responsibilities to your mother, or else, the both of you wouldn¡¯t have had suffered so many hardships for so many years. Anyways, let¡¯s talk while having the meal.¡±


    Tang Xiu knew Tang Yunde had a story to tell. Even as how he had turned into a vegetative state, he wasn¡¯t yet clear about it.


    ¡°Pack up first, mom. I¡¯m going to see Banshou and Dingzi and discuss something with them.¡±


    ¡°Go!¡±


    Tang Xiu left Gu Yin there and left the office alone. After he found Banshou and Dingzi, he brought them to a secluded place on the roof of the restaurant.


    ¡°Boss, could you tell us about our change of work now?¡± asked Banshou curiously.


    ¡°The both of you are the men I subdued the earliest. I¡¯ve been keeping an eye on you both for a long time, and compared with before, you¡¯re now a lot mature. So, I¡¯m prepared to give you a very important and challenging work,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Banshou and Dingzi exchanged looks as happy expressions filled their eyes. Tang Xiu¡¯s approval and recognition made them very excited.


    ¡°I¡¯m planning to adopt a group of orphans, but it¡¯s evidently unrealistic if I myself go to the orphanages to adopt them. Hence, I want you two to form two teams and find me good-natured kids across the country. Their ages are best around two to eight years old,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Confused, Banshou asked, ¡°Why do you want to adopt so many children, Boss?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask,¡± said Tang Xiu faintly, ¡°I want you to find street children, and they should be of good character. I¡¯ll send some people to check later. If you do this job well, let alone doubling your salary, rising it ten times higher isn¡¯t a problem.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Dingzi¡¯s eyes stared with eyes wide, looking ecstatic.


    ¡°Absolutely!¡± Tang Xiu laughed and said, ¡°Before you two set up a team, I¡¯ll give you a sum of money each. I¡¯ll give an extra reward to anyone who does the job well. I assure you that this reward will be even better than money.¡±


    ¡°Boss, how big is the team you need?¡± asked Banshou quickly.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t need to have a lot of people. Each of you can only take up to six people. I have to tell you, there are millions of street urchins in this world, but don¡¯t pick everyone you find. What I want is the kind of smart, sensible and good-natured children. Do keep in mind that I want the best, don¡¯t make up the numbers with inferior ones.¡±


    Banshou and Dingzi instantly understood Tang Xiu¡¯s meaning. The duo nodded and indicated that they understood it clearly.


    ¡°Later on, I¡¯ll transfer five million yuan to each of your bank accounts. However you spend it, it¡¯s your call. But remember- each of you has to find twenty street children within two months,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Two months?


    Banshou and Dingzi exchanged looks yet again, a strong fighting spirit igniting inside them.


    Tang Xiu said again, ¡°Two months later, some people will contact you, and you will have to hand over forty street children to them. Wait until they take the street children, after which a series of tests will be conducted to screen out some of them. Between the street children you found, whoever has more children staying will prove which one of you did a better job.¡±


    ¡°Boss, about the street urchins who get screened out, what are you going to do with them?¡± asked Banshou.


    ¡°For them to be found by you is also a kind of fate. So I naturally will not allow them to be alone, forsaken and living a precocious life just like before. As for the arrangements, you don¡¯t have to think about it,¡± said Tang Xiu faintly.


    ¡°Understood!¡± The duo replied at the same time.


    Several minutes later.


    While holding Gu Yin¡¯s hand, Tang Xiu left the restaurant along with his parents. As they returned to South Gate Town, it was already 9AM.


    On the table, fine dishes had been personally served by Mu Qingping; of whom, under Su Lingyun¡¯s request and insistence, also joined the dinner. Then, Su Lingyun helped Mu Qingping pick up the leftovers dishes, whereas Tang Xiu and Tang Yunde went to the study room on the second floor.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, I¡¯ve been to this study room, but I didn¡¯t touch anything inside.¡±


    From the maids, Tang Yunde knew that Tang Xiu forbade anyone to enter his study room. He woke up and found he already had a grown-up son for whom he especially treasured. Hence, he explained about it for fear that Tang Xiu would be unhappy.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Dad. It¡¯s for the employees,¡± Tang Xiu said and continued, ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s talk about your matters! We haven¡¯t had a chance to chat since you woke up.¡±


    Tang Yunde forced a smile and said, ¡°Listening to your tone, I kind of have a feeling that you¡¯re the father and I¡¯m the son.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked distracted and stared blankly for a moment as he didn¡¯t know what to say.


    He wasn¡¯t used to having a father since he used to have only a mother before. All of a sudden, he got a father, hence, it was beyond his control when his habit took off.


    ¡°Let¡¯s chat, Dad!¡±


    Tang Xiu sat on the sofa and casually took a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket.


    ¡°Pass me one!¡±


    Clamping it on his fingers, Tang Yunde lit it up and slowly said after a few puffs, ¡°Actually, before I became a vegetable, I was already rich. It¡¯s been 20 years now, and my identity and status were rather sensitive back then. Even the Tangs who knew my other identity were very few, amounting to, perhaps, no more than ten.¡±


    ¡°What was your other identity? A soldier?¡±

 Chapter 320

    Chapter 320: The Details of the Event


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The years and months full of uncommon events, splendid and colorful to the utmost.


    Tang Yunde¡¯s eyes were a bit blurred as past events and scenes moved as though clips flashing inside his mind. Heroic and unyielding men, an incessant hail of bullets in the flames of war, signifying the ¡®loyal soul¡¯ of hot bloodedness and perseverance.


    After a long period of time, only then did Tang Yunde wake up from his reverie. A forced, wry smile was outlined on the corner of his mouth as he sighed, ¡°Yes, I was in China¡¯s special forces¡ªthe captain of Dragonsoul Special Corps that year, who shouldered the responsibility of protecting and defending the homeland. Our Dragonsoul Special Corps were the elites of the elites amongst the national special force troops. To enter, every individual was required to have strong combat capability as well as excellent teamwork awareness. We rarely stayed in the country and most of us were around the world¡ªusually in one battle zone after another to carry out some extremely dangerous missions.¡±


    ¡°Twenty-two years ago, in my third year of duty as the captain of Dragonsoul Special Corps, my team members and I were trapped in a desperate and hopeless situation due to intelligence mistake. Eventually, six of my brother-in-arms were killed in battle, whereas I and two others broke through the tight encirclement. Afterward, the three of us went into hiding.¡±


    ¡°We had to continue the mission and avenge the death of our brothers. When we received yet another intelligence, we moved in action again, falling yet again into the enemy¡¯s trap. That time, we were quite lucky, for we escaped by jumping into the river. However, one of my teammates got his leg shot, leading to its nerve necrosis, turning him into a cripple.¡±


    As he spoke up to there, Tang Yunde stopped. He then looked at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°You should¡¯ve been able to correctly guess it, no?¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°I can infer some things. The one who fed you the intelligence should be a traitor, right? Or, someone or some people intentionally wanted you to die abroad.¡±


    A murderous glint flashed inside Tang Yunde¡¯s eyes as he muttered, ¡°Exactly. They can¡¯t be counted as traitors, though; but it¡¯s true that some people did want me to stay abroad for good since the Tang family had two political enemies at the time, one of which possessed great power. After we escaped, I didn¡¯t let the other two brothers return to the homeland with me, because I already suspected that there was something wrong. When I returned back to the country, the military immediately apprehended me.¡±


    During the explanation, Tang Yunde¡¯s intense killing intent was evident.


    After quietly listening to him, Tang Xiu finally figured out the whole story.


    In the past, after returning back to China, the military headquarters apprehended Tang Yunde and handed him over to the military court. He was accused of improper leadership and directing, leading to the devastation of the country¡¯s topmost special forces team. Thus, Tang Yunde concealed the news of his other two surviving teammates.


    Later on, after the Tang Family paid a rather big price, only then did the military court release Tang Yunde. However, they kicked him out of the service in the end. The Tangs¡¯ political enemies, however, forced the Tang family¡¯s head¡ªTang Guosheng to banish him from the Tang family, or else, it would taint the Tang Family¡¯s influence and presence in the domestic political arena, leading to public outrage.


    Forced by the pressure, Tang Guosheng discussed with his son¡ªTang Yunde overnight. Finally, filled with grief and abjection, Tang Yunde left and distanced himself from his family, going to one of his comrades¡¯ hometown¨C Star City.


    ¡°That was the reason you were living in Star City that year?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a frown.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tang Yunde nodded and said, ¡°My comrade-in-arms died in a foreign country and I knew he only had one elderly mother at home. Hence, I stayed in Star City to take care of her. In the third month, after I settled down in Star City, the elderly woman died. Due to the pain and sorrow, I fell into depression and became a drunkard to forget it all for a period of time. Eventually, I got gastrorrhagia and was hospitalized. It was there that I got acquainted with your mother, who was a nurse in the hospital.¡±


    ¡°How did you turn into a vegetative state back then?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Tang Yunde sighed, ¡°When carrying out missions abroad, we once dealt with an organization called Ashura Hell, a mysterious organization with horrifying members. Those days, we killed their vice-leader in order to rescue a hostage, which incited their crazy retaliation. We were entangled and trapped in two battles that time, both of which were orchestrated by that organization as well as the Tang Family¡¯s political enemies. I presume they were collaborating because they shared the same interests.¡±


    Ashura Hell?


    Tang Xiu secretly took a mental note of this name.


    Tang Yunde continued, ¡°I initially forbade my two brothers to come back to China with me because on one hand, it was necessary to clearly investigate why traitors would appear in the military intelligence system. On the other hand, I wanted those two brothers of mine to play dead in order to prevent the Ashura Hell organization to continue hunting them.¡±


    ¡°However, that Ashura Hell organized people through various channels and finally found that I was in Star City. On that day, five people appeared, one of whom was the Ashura Hell¡¯s Gold-robe Assassin, whereas the other four were Silver-robe Assassins. According to my knowledge, the Ashura Hell organization is graded into ranks. From the lowest to the highest are: Black-robe, Silver-robe, Gold-robe and Purple-robe Assassins.¡±


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, you gotta run if you encounter this Ashura Hell organization in the future. These people¡¯s means are extremely cruel. My strength was also considered as very formidable in the country back then, yet I was barely able to kill a Gold-robe Assassin and four Silver-robe Assassins with difficulty and, eventually, fell into a coma due to severe injuries.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the nature of this organization exactly?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Tang Yunde shook his head and said, ¡°Though I had access to very high-level military secrets in the past, I still couldn¡¯t find out the type of existence and organization Ashura Hell was. Or, it could be that the country¡¯s leaders were also not sure what kind of nature or existence the Ashura Hell was exactly.¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and silently nodded. He could understand it. There were, after all, many special existences in the world. To outsiders, they were definitely regarded as a colossus, monsters whose strength was extremely terrifying.


    For instance, the existence of the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    Tang Yunde said, ¡°When I left the army to live in Star City for a while, I secretly kept in touch with those two brothers of mine. The three of us formed a corporation which is run by my brothers. I have 40% shares of the company, and now the group has total assets of 10 billion USD in Hong Kong. The general headquarters is in Macao and it¡¯s called Flamespirit Group.¡±


    Tang Xiu himself didn¡¯t know much about those large groups, and he didn¡¯t know any corporation in Macao in particular.


    However, for a corporation to be able to amass 10 billion USD in assets proved its evident strength. His father possessing 40% of shares meant that he also had billions in total assets.


    Tang Yunde took a deep breath and bitterly said, ¡°I was actually feeling uneasy and restless even before someone from Ashura Hell found me back then. Hence, not only did I not held a wedding with your mother, I was even afraid to register our marriage certificate. I was really afraid that I would have an accident, then there would be nobody to take care of your mother. Thus, I secretly helped Su Shangwen to establish the Shangwen Group with a registered capital of two million yuan, which I gave him. But I never imagined that, after I got into an accident, not only did he failed to comply with the agreement to support your mother, allowing her to have a comfortable and rich life, he instead made all sorts of difficulties for the both of you!¡±


    ¡°Do you mean¡­¡± Tang Xiu was startled. ¡°You gave the venture capital to Su Shangwen and had an agreement with him?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Tang Yunde nodded and said, ¡°Think about it. How would a countryside young man who came to work in Star City possibly come up with a large sum of money and registered a company otherwise? I even helped him win his first few small projects.¡±


    Tang Xiu slowly closed his eyes as the last bit of resentment in the bottom of his heart toward Tang Yunde disappeared without a trace.


    ¡°So, have you seen him now, Dad?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Tang Yunde nodded and said, ¡°I visited him in jail. Nevertheless, he¡¯s your mother¡¯s blood brother, and blood is thicker than water. Though I hate him,¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve said everything I wanted to know, Dad,¡± Tang Xiu silently nodded and said, ¡°Now, I just want to tell you one thing: Mom has been suffering for two decades and gave half of her life for you. So I hope you can make her happy.¡±


    Tang Yunde couldn¡¯t help burst into laughter, saying, ¡°She¡¯s my wife. Of course, I¡¯ll make her happy. Not only her, but also you¡ªmy son; I¡¯ll also make you happy. I¡¯ll spare nothing to give you anything you want as long as it¡¯s within my ability. I¡¯ll also support you unconditionally in whatever you wanna do.¡±


    A trace of a smile emerged on Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he said, ¡°It¡¯s not good for a man to rely on his parents and the heavens, Dad. I will conquer a piece of the world with my own bare hands. Like father, like son; besides, the son of a hero must become a strong man too. You should understand these words, right, Dad?¡±


    ¡°I do!¡± said Tang Yunde with a laugh.


    Tang Xiu nodded and then suddenly asked, ¡°What are your future plans now?¡±


    ¡°The most important thing is to accompany your mother. I¡¯ve handed over all of my belongings to her, after which, I¡¯ll follow her in the future.¡±


    ¡°What about your revenge?¡± asked Tang Xiu lightly.


    Tang Yunde was silent for a moment before he slowly said, ¡°The enmity of that year will certainly be carried out, but not now. I¡¯ve waited for two decades, I can wait a little more.¡±


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and said in a cold voice, ¡°When you got your revenge, let me know.¡±


    Tang Yunde gave a faint smile and said, ¡°Well, I¡¯ve told you everything about me. Now, it¡¯s your turn. What have you done in all this time?¡±


    After organizing the words inwardly, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°I¡¯ve established the Magnificent Tang Corp. It¡¯s a small enterprise, though. Also, I bought an island in the Pacific Ocean and now am sending some people to reconstruct it. It will be our family¡¯s supreme base in the future. In addition, I also have another identity, but mom doesn¡¯t know about it yet. I¡¯m the boss of the Everlasting Feast Hall in Jingmen Island.¡±


    The Everlasting Feast Hall?


    Tang Yunde was puzzled, ¡°How do you have a business in Jingmen Island?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you everything about this matter. I¡¯ll tell you later when the time is right. You only need to know that the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people are our own.¡±


    Tang Yunde nodded, ¡°I understand.¡± He pinched the cigarette butt off in the ashtray. After which, he asked, ¡°It¡¯s quite expensive buying an island in the Pacific Ocean, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°It is. I spent 2.5 billion yuan for it. I borrowed the money from Chen Zhizhong, but I have paid it back to him already.¡±

 Chapter 321

    Chapter 321: A Woman¡¯s Feelings Toward Her Lover


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Yunde looked a bit surprised. As he watched his son¡¯s calm expression, he curiously asked, ¡°2.5 billion is not a small sum. Where did you get so much money? As far as I know, the Magnificent Tang Corp has been investing all their time in production and hasn¡¯t made any profits yet.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dad!¡± said Tang Xiu and continued, ¡°The money is clean. But I have one more thing to tell you, and it¡¯s not about the money.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Tang Yunde, puzzled.


    ¡°Are you not curious about why I have apprentices?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Tang Yunde was surprised for a moment as his expression turned serious immediately. He nodded and said, ¡°I am indeed puzzled by this. That little girl¡ªYinyin¡¯s mouth is way too tight, she doesn¡¯t tell me a thing. If she is your only apprentice, then it¡¯s understandable. But for the boss of Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical¡ªthe dignified, rich and affluent person with 10 billion in assets¡ªChen Zhizhong to even worship you as Master and even revere you just leaves me perplexed despite much thought.¡±


    ¡°I have sort of cultivation techniques, the sort of thing like you heard in fables and myths ¡ª cultivation to become immortal. They accepted me as their Master to cultivate to immortality,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Tang Yunde laughed involuntarily, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, you¡¯re not bluffing and deceiving me, are you? Where in the world would this immortality cultivation exist?¡±


    Tang Xiu said solemnly, ¡°Dad, believe it or not, the world is big and nothing is too strange within it. There are all sorts of inconceivable things that ordinary people are unable to come in contact with. Besides, I¡¯m not the only one, there are also other cultivators like me in the country. Just look at my age, how can I otherwise have the ability to rescue and wake you up from a coma?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s real?¡±


    The smile on Tang Yunde¡¯s face finally froze as he asked in astonishment.


    ¡°It¡¯s true. However, you¡¯re already old, and excessively lost your spirit and vital force for two decades. I¡¯m going to give a diet medication prescription for you and mom to eat every day. Six months later, I can teach you how to practice immortal cultivation,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What do you mean by practicing immortal cultivation, what is the effect exactly? Can I really become immortal?¡± asked Tang Yunde.


    Tang Xiu slanted his brows as his figure instantly disappeared in front of Tang Yunde. In the next moment, his body appeared in the door as he said, ¡°What do you think about this speed?¡±


    ¡°So fast?¡±


    Shaken, Tang Yunde was startled inside and could only see the shocking scene in his sight. As Tang Xiu then sat the opposite him, the wave tides inside his heart were still raging endlessly and he couldn¡¯t calm himself for a long time.


    ¡°My speed and strength are a hundred times that of average people. But even in this state, my cultivation base is still very low. If I¡¯m able to achieve the great accomplishment level, toppling mountains and overturning seas would be a cinch for me,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Tang Yunde¡¯s mouth twitched a few times. With a fiery look in his eyes, Tang Xiu said, ¡°I have to learn it. You must teach me six months later.¡±


    Prior to this, he didn¡¯t have much hope of revenge since the enemies were simply too powerful. Powerful to the extent that he even dreaded it inside. However, if he were to practice immortal cultivation technique and it really greatly increased his strength, by that time his revenge would be much easier.


    After the conversation ended, Tang Xiu and Tang Yunde went to the living room together.


    Showing keen insight, Su Lingyun could clearly feel that her son and husband seemed to be a lot closer, making her very happy.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, you must leave for Shanghai tomorrow. What else you need to prepare?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and laughed, ¡°There¡¯s nothing to prepare, Mom. I just need to bring some clothes. Besides, if I lack anything, I can buy it myself.¡±


    Su Lingyun nodded and then took a bank card from her pocket. She handed it to Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, mom is giving you this for your living expenses. There¡¯s 100 thousand yuan here. Use it if you lack anything, and if it¡¯s not enough, tell me!¡±


    Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he had to be amused or cry, ¡°Mom, I have money! You¡­¡±


    Su Lingyun interrupted him, ¡°I know that you have money, but Mom has prepared it for you, so you must accept it! You must study hard in Shanghai, and learn many things while you¡¯re still young.¡±


    ¡°I know, mom!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ****


    The next day, Tang Xiu was dragged by his mother to go shopping as she bought him a lot of clothes to wear. Slowly, the trunk of the Land Rover SUV was stuffed. Were it not for Tang Xiu persuading her to stop, Su Lingyun wouldn¡¯t have stopped!


    In the afternoon.


    Tang Xiu came to the Magnificent Tang Corp HQ and directly passed the gate since the security outside already knew him. When he came to the General Manager¡¯s office, he heard some people arguing inside.


    ¡°Chief Kang, you gotta give me this chance! I assure I can manage this handsomely.¡±


    ¡°You can for everything else, but not this one. The winery needs you there, so you gotta stay. I¡¯ll take Su Quan with me. He¡¯s very clever and he works smoothly anyways.¡±


    ¡°Chief Kang, I don¡¯t get it. You need to deal with a lot of stuff for our Magnificent Tang Corp. Why did you have to leave for Shanghai yourself? You see, I had people prepare me a speech, and I¡¯ve already memorized it.¡±


    ¡°I have my own intentions in going to Shanghai.¡±


    When Tang Xiu heard up to there, he revealed a faint smile. He knocked the door and then pushed it open. After entering, he saw Kang Xia sitting by her desk while Scarblade Qiang stood in front of her, looking distressed.


    ¡°Boss?¡±


    The moment she saw Tang Xiu, Kang Xia¡¯s eyes suddenly turned bright and leaped up from the sofa as she strode in a rush toward Tang Xiu along with tenderness that suffused inside her eyes.


    It¡¯s been more than a month! She missed Tang Xiu so much that she couldn¡¯t taste any food.


    Were it not because the Magnificent Tang Corp required her attention, she would have really rushed to Nine Dragons Island to see Tang Xiu.


    Scarblade Qiang also looked a bit surprised upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival. However, when he saw Kang Xia looking like a young girl in love as she quickly ran toward Tang Xiu and intimately held his arm, his smile immediately coagulated.


    ¡°You gotta go to Shanghai for the Wine Tasting Conference yourself?¡± laughed Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t come back to Star City and would directly go to Shanghai to study directly after coming back from abroad! So, I wanted to go to Shanghai to see you!¡± said Kang Xia with a laugh.


    Faintly smiling at her in response, Tang Xiu then looked at Scarblade Qiang and said, ¡°Alright, Kang Xia will go to Shanghai for the Wine Tasting Conference! We have brewed fine wine so we gotta make it explode in the domestic circle. And the Wine Tasting Conference is the perfect event to do that.¡±


    As for Scarblade Qiang himself, his sight exchanged from Kang Xia to Tang Xiu as a forced, wry smile appeared on his rough face. He now understood the reason why Kang Xia refused him leaving for Shanghai. It turned out that she wanted to go there no just to attend the Wine Tasting Conference, but the more important purpose was to see her lover!


    ¡°I got it, Boss!¡±


    Though he was rather depressed inside, since Scarblade Qiang learned Kang Xia¡¯s true purpose, he knew that he had no chance to go to Shanghai.


    ¡°How¡¯s the winery?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ve done everything you¡¯ve told me, Boss. The number of bottles in our winery inventory has reached a full 20 thousand. Though we only have two production lines now, we¡¯ll have it increased to five production lines within up to two months. The wine can be sent out from the storehouse once Chief Kang orders it, so we can immediately ship them to the major stores across the country for external sales,¡± said Scarblade Qiang.


    ¡°Remember. Our winery produces fine wine, so we can¡¯t throw too much of the product into the market. I¡¯ve been reading marketing books recently and I found a very interesting marketing method,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What marketing method?¡± asked Scarblade Qiang, confused.


    ¡°Hunger Marketing,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    At the side, Kang Xia looked surprised, ¡°Boss, you mean to learn from Apple¡¯s marketing method¡ªthe limited sales?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Our wine annual sales mustn¡¯t exceed 100 thousand bottles. According to our previous fixed pricing, with 10 thousand per each bottle, we¡¯ll get one billion in revenue from 100 thousand bottles.¡±


    Kang Xia forced a smiled and said, ¡°Boss, though it¡¯s a lot of revenue,¡­¡±


    ¡°I know. One billion of revenue is too few for us. But we have to look into long-term profits. I think you should also understand about some know-how and whatnot. Since we¡¯ll do limited sales and the market is really in short supply, the price could be doubled. By that time, we¡¯ll throw some more products from our winery. This will be our very objective!¡±


    Kang Xia¡¯s eyes lightened up as she said with a smile, ¡°I got it.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and then looked at Scarblade Qiang, asking, ¡°Do you have any other matters?¡±


    Scarblade Qiang shook his head, ¡°No.¡±


    Having said that, he suddenly realized that Tang Xiu was hinting for him to leave! A look of understanding immediately appeared on his rough face as he chuckled with a smile and then left.


    After Tang Xiu sat down on the sofa, he looked at Kang Xia who sat at the opposite and asked, ¡°How is the company? What about the cosmetics and the healthcare products?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve amassed the products, but our company is low on liquid funds at the moment,¡± said Kang Xia.


    Tang Xiu took out his mobile phone and directly transferred one billion to the company¡¯s bank account and then said with a smile, ¡°I told you to tell me if there¡¯s no money. I may have no other abilities, but nevertheless, I¡¯m still able to make some money. Anyways, I¡¯ve transferred one billion to the company¡¯s account. It¡¯s your call how you¡¯re going to spend it.¡±


    1 billion?


    Kang Xia¡¯s eyes turned bright and was pleasantly surprised when she replied, ¡°With one billion, I can assure you that our cosmetics and healthcare products will be out of inventory and shipped to the major stores across the country before October 1st. We can also start selling on the same day.¡±


    ¡°You call the shots. Alright, I just heard Su Quan being mentioned when I was in front of the door! Is he doing well?¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Kang Xia exclaimed in praise, ¡°He¡¯s a very clever young man. He knows how to read people¡¯s gestures and weigh up their words as well how to behave. When he first worked as a security guard in the winery, he solved two problems by himself. I then appointed him as vice-director of the winery and he showcased very strong capabilities. Scarblade Qiang is very dependent on him now. If he is to be trained well, he will be a very important senior executive in our Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s management in the future.¡±


    ¡°That kiddo has always been a smart one ever since he was a child,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    In reply, Kang Xia said with a smile, ¡°Some people have entrepreneurial talent from their childhood. Yet, he¡¯s among the best of them. To tell you the truth, if he had capital to run his own business, he¡¯d probably have great achievements.¡±


    ¡°You have a very high evaluation of him! Since he¡¯s that good, then entrust him with more responsibilities. In short, I know his nature and character rather well, and he¡¯s reliable and can be trusted!¡± said Tang Xiu.

 Chapter 322

    Chapter 322: Bikini Girls


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Having an absolute trust in Tang Xiu, Kang Xia laughed upon hearing it and said, Rest assured! As long as Su Quan works diligently, I¡¯ll naturally put him in an important position. But you, who is going to study in Shanghai, should better not be corrupted and contaminated by Shanghai¡¯s big materialistic, pleasure-seeking and debauched society.¡±


    Hearing it, Tang Xiu involuntarily laughed as he shook his head and said, ¡°There¡¯s no place in this world that can really corrupt me, you can count me on that! Anyhow, I¡¯ll be leaving for the airport, so I can¡¯t stay here for long. Gimme a call if there¡¯s anything!¡±


    Kang Xia was dismayed since she had yet to dine together after seeing Tang Xiu. However, recalling that she would be going to Shanghai five or six days later, the feeling of loss instantly disappeared.


    She and Tang Xiu already were in an intimate relationship. Though Tang Xiu didn¡¯t confirm what was their status, she already regarded herself as Tang Xiu¡¯s woman even if they were not official lovers.


    While standing before the office window, Kang Xia watched as Tang Xiu walked out of the edifice¡¯s front door carrying his travel bag and boarded the taxi. The corner of her mouth gently rose and formed an enchanting smile.


    ¡°Low-key as always. A dignified big boss yet he often takes taxi; he even doesn¡¯t want to look for a driver!¡±


    10 PM.


    Taking the private plane he borrowed from Ouyang Lulu, Tang Xiu went straight to Shanghai Airport. There was also a branch of the Everlasting Feast Hall in Shanghai and its manager, but he didn¡¯t want anyone to notice him and took a cab to a villa complex near Shanghai University.


    Bluestar Villa Complex.


    Hongpu District was the most upscale villa complex and was only five kilometers away from Shanghai University, with bustling commercial streets nearby, hospital, hotels, entertainment areas, snack bars and other places that were jam-packed with people.


    Getting off the taxi, Tang Xiu took his travel bag and went straight toward the southern gate entrance.


    ¡°Hello, Sir. Please show your pass.¡±


    Several security guards stopped Tang Xiu¡¯s path.


    Tang Xiu took out his villa¡¯s door card as he then shook his head and said, ¡°I have no pass, but I have this door card here.¡±


    When one of the security guards took over the door card from Tang Xiu, his gaze fell on the ¡®9¡¯ number on it. His expression suddenly changed and asked respectfully, ¡°Sir, is it your first time here?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, today¡¯s my first time here. And I should be staying here often in the future,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    The security guard took out his phone to access the internal system. After looking through some information, he quickly smiled, ¡°Are you Mr. Tang who¡¯s living in Vila No. 9? By the way, our Villa Complex¡¯ Property Management Office has recommended several housekeepers for you. The person who bought the villa has told us that you are free to pick the housekeeper as per your liking to take care of your daily life.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before he slowly shook his head, ¡°No need for a housekeeper. I¡¯ll hire one myself if I need it. Anyways, can I go in now?¡±


    The security guard nodded, ¡°Please come in, Mr. Tang. Ah, right, it¡¯s a little bit far from here to Villa No.9, would you like us to drive you there?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll have to trouble you!¡± After hesitating, Tang Xiu nodded and replied.


    A few minutes later, taking a ride in the security guards¡¯ patrol car, Tang Xiu arrived in front of Villa No. 9. To his surprise, from the dozens of villas he passed by, only this No. 9 villa was the most luxurious and located in the innermost place. There were also more security patrols here than anywhere else.


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Sir. It¡¯s our job.¡±


    Watching as the security patrol car left, Tang Xiu then turned around to open the gate to the villa¡¯s courtyard. He went inside and swiped the card to enter the villa. As he turned on the villa¡¯s lamp, he found that this villa was slightly worse than the one he had in South Gate Town. However, such a luxurious villa in Shanghai probably had a higher value.


    Immediately after, Tang Xiu wandered around in the villa and found that this three-storied villa not only had six bedrooms, but also a study room, a gym, a chess room, a conference room and even a private cinema. Looking at its cleanness, the place was evidently cleaned every day.


    At the second floor, Tang Xiu chose the most luxurious master bedroom. He then took a comfortable bath, took out the new pajamas of the cabinet and put it on, preparing to rest.


    Tang Min had prepared things sufficiently. There were at least a dozen sets of various types of clothes. Each suit was also rather expensive and even provided underwear and socks as well as various types of shoes.


    ¡°I gotta sleep!¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t cultivate and went directly to sleep.


    The next morning.


    Tang Xiu washed his teeth and face as he went downstairs to the first floor and opened the garage door. His expression paused when he saw the four cars parked inside.


    An Audi A8; a BMW 7 Series; a Ferrari Supercar; and a Bentley Bentayga.


    Finally, when Tang Xiu came to himself again, he forced out a wry smile. He felt that his Land Rover Range Rover series whose worth was over a million was a little shabby compared to these.


    ¡°Ah, forget it. I¡¯ll just take the bus!¡±


    Looking too high profile was something Tang Xiu was reluctant to do, so he closed the garage door and left the villa courtyard.


    At the front entrance of the Shanghai University campus.


    When Tang Xiu arrived there, only then did he realize how mistaken he was. He found a lot of students driving luxurious cars. The most unbridled scene was on the eastern side of the campus gate as seven or eight expensive sports cars parked side by side, along with seven or eight young men in gaudy clothes. They were smoking cigarettes while pointing and commenting on the female students who came to register.


    _¡®Those should be the silk pants of Shanghai, right?¡¯_


    Tang Xiu disliked these silk pants young masters the most. But he directly ignored them since they did not provoke him and directly entered the campus gate.


    The campus was very lively and jam-packed with the aura of youth. Walking in twos or threes, everyone was wearing joyful smiles on their faces. Yet there were also many students who were accompanied by their guardians.


    Quickly, after asking around, Tang Xiu came to the freshman registrar office.


    Department of History¡¯s Registrar Office.


    Looking somewhat bored, Wen Haijie watched the lively scene at the other registration booths. Apart from feeling bitter inside, he also forced out a wry smile. It was because the enrollment to the Shanghai University¡¯s Department of History was very small, with only a little more than 40 people altogether. Hence, she was the only one responsible for receiving freshmen and so far, there were only four freshmen registered for the Department of History.


    ¡°Hello, is this the new student registrar for the Department of History?¡±


    Tang Xiu went in front of Wen Haijie and asked aloud.


    Wen Haijie was startled from her reverie as she quickly smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, this is the Department of History¡¯s New Student Registration. Are you this year¡¯s new student?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Tang Xiu took out his admission notice and handed it over.


    Taking it with a smile, Wen Haijie then opened it, looking a bit surprised a moment after. Shen then looked up and carefully observed Tang Xiu for a while and curiously asked, ¡°You¡¯re Tang Xiu?¡±


    Tang Xiu was surprised for a moment, as he then asked in puzzlement, ¡°You know me?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t know you,¡± laughed Wen Haijie. ¡°But your name is already like thunder in the ears. The top scorer in the CET science subject of Shuangqing province; the most dazzling genius CET scorer who almost got the full score of all subjects out of the exam. And most importantly, you didn¡¯t choose Beijing University, but chose our Shanghai University. Yet, what made people puzzled was that you chose the Department of History as your major, for which only a few people register to. And¡­¡±


    Seeing her pause, Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°And what?¡±


    ¡°And our Department of History¡¯s vice-president has reminded many times in the recent days to immediately inform him once you came to register,¡± said Wen Haijie.


    Pondering for a moment, Tang Xiu then slowly asked, ¡°Are you talking about Le Baiyi?¡±


    ¡°What Le Baiyi, you should call him Vice-President Le, or Professor Le,¡± laughed Wen Haijie.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll have to trouble you for assisting me with the admission procedures then,¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod.


    ¡°No problem. Give me your ID card. Anyway, our campus¡¯ registration date will be held from 1st to the 7th of this month, whereas the campus military drill will begin on the 8th and will last two weeks. After the drill ends, the new term will formally begin. Also, you¡¯re exempted from your tuition fee and other miscellaneous fees. Vice President Le has helped you over this,¡± said Wen Haijie.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised and said, ¡°Vice President Le helped me pay it? Why?¡±


    ¡°You ask me, but to whom should I ask?¡± Wen Haijie shook her head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you know him?¡±


    ¡°I do!¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Since you know him, then it doesn¡¯t matter, no?¡± said Wen Haijie.


    A few minutes later.


    Having finished the enrollment procedures for Tang Xiu, Wen Haijie then gave Tang Xiu a copy of the receipt and a key, saying, ¡°This is the key to your dormitory. But your dorm mates haven¡¯t arrived yet.¡±


    Tang Xiu took the key and inquired, ¡°Are you a teacher in the Department of History?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Wen Haijie with a smile, ¡°You can call me Teacher Wen, or you can also call me Big Sister Wen. I¡¯ve been teaching here for two years now.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll call you Big Sis Wen!¡± replied Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°No problem,¡± Wen Haijie laughed and said, ¡°You can put your things in the dorm first, and then report to your class¡¯ teacher in charge. The classroom for the Department of History is the Block B on the fourth floor.¡±


    ¡°Alright, see you later!¡±


    Carrying his travel bag, Tang Xiu then left the registrar office and went to the campus dorm. Though he had a villa outside, he didn¡¯t know whether he can live outside the campus, so he planned to first stay in the campus dormitory and then look for the class¡¯ teacher in charge to ask about it.


    At the dormitory room.


    Tang Xiu used the key to open the door. He went in and found that the environment inside was good. There were four beds all in the upper, with a bookcase underneath each. Obviously, the janitors had cleaned them in advance since there were not much dust and dirt. However, he was at a loss whether he had to be amused or cry since all the posters left on the wall, including several large posters, were all portraits of exposed bikini girls.


    Looking at the beds¡¯ numbers, Tang Xiu then found his name written on the bed on the left side. He then put his travel bag into the cabinet. After looking and asking around, he then got the bedding, washbasin bucket and mats from the logistics office.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    As he carried the things back to his dorm, he found that the room¡¯s lock and the door had been opened.

 Chapter 323

    Chapter 323: Jaw-Dropping Surprise


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    As he entered the dorm, Tang Xiu saw a beautiful-looking¡­ youth wearing earrings and a shawl hairdo, as well as a middle-aged couple.


    ¡°Hello, how do you do!¡±


    Tang Xiu greeted them with a smile.


    The young man jumped up from the chair as he darted before Tang Xiu, smiling, ¡°Are you my dorm mate? By the way, I¡¯m Yue Kai.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Yue Kai said with a smile, ¡°Nice to meet you. We¡¯ll be fellow students as well as good friends later. Mom, Dad, do you see? This fellow student of mine looks handsome and very honest. Surely he wouldn¡¯t give me any bad influence, no? You can go now, right?¡±


    The middle-aged couple exchanged glances as the middle-aged man then said with a smile, ¡°Little Tang, right? My son¡ªYue Kai used to be naughty. Since you¡¯re going to be his fellow student for a few years, I hope you can take good care of him. And, do call me directly if he makes trouble on the campus.¡±


    Having said that, he took a name card from his pocket and handed it to Tang Xiu.


    Reading the name card, Tang Xiu saw that there was nothing else but the man¡¯s name and his cell number on the card. He immediately put the man¡¯s name card into his pocket and said with a smile, ¡°Rest assured, Sir! Looking at his good facial features, Yue Kai is not crafty and evil. I¡¯m sure we can help each other.¡±


    Astounded, Yue Changqing asked, ¡°Little Tang also knows physiognomy?¡±


    Tang Xiu only smiled, staying quiet.


    The middle-aged woman pulled Yue Changqing¡¯s hand as she smiled and said, ¡°Little Kai, we¡¯re sending you to school, so you must study hard. Don¡¯t hang out with bad friends. If I learn you¡¯re skipping classes or playing on the campus, be careful, or else I¡¯ll block all your bank cards.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know, Mom.¡±


    Yue Kai glanced at Tang Xiu, looking a bit embarrassed and angry.


    Shortly after, the Yue Changqing couple left.


    The smile originally written on Yue Kai¡¯s face instantly vanished, replaced by a bored expression. He then sat back on the chair, raised his leg atop the other and then looked at Tang Xiu as he groaned, ¡°What¡¯s your name again? Tang¡­ umm, Tang Xiu. Worry not, buddy! We¡¯ll be often together, so we gotta keep our relationship. I¡¯ll cover up for you in school.¡±


    While making the bed, Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°Have you reported yet? You gotta seize the time and go to the logistics office to take your things. There are many people there, so you better be fast as to avoid that all the good stuff be taken by others.¡±


    Waving his hand, Yue Kai said, ¡°No, I won¡¯t use them, the things sent by the school are garbage. Anyways, do you have time after we see the class¡¯ teacher in charge? Care to accompany me outside to buy something? I¡¯ll treat you at the restaurant for lunch.¡±


    Hesitating for a moment, Tang Xiu replied with a smile, ¡°OK! I also have to buy something.¡±


    Yue Kai stood up and went to the bathroom. After coming out, he saw that Tang Xiu had properly packed up and immediately asked, ¡°Shall we go? I don¡¯t know when our other two roommates will arrive, so we won¡¯t wait for them. Alright, I¡¯ll leave a note for them so they can directly go to the restaurant to find us.¡±


    ¡°Do you know them?¡± asked Tang Xiu, surprised.


    ¡°Nope!¡± replied Yue Kai as he shook his head.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t know them, will they even catch up with us if we leave a note here?¡± said Tang Xiu with a forced smile.


    Yue Kai shrugged his shoulders and replied lightly, ¡°It¡¯s up to them whether they wanna go or not. Come on, don¡¯t be like a chattering chick, will you? Let¡¯s go to the classroom first.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but chuckle to himself. He realized that Yue Kai was just a spoiled little boy. Before his parents just now, he showed himself to be close buddies with him on purpose. Apparently, it was just an act he showed to his parents.


    At the Department of History¡¯s classroom on the fourth floor of Block B.


    When Tang Xiu and Yue Kai arrived there, they found that there were only four or five students in the classroom chatting. As they saw the duo, one of them¡ªa tall and gentle-looking male student immediately smiled and said, ¡°Ah, there¡¯s another two new classmates. Hi, I¡¯m Zhao Liang from Jingmen Island.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡± ¡°Yue Kai!¡±


    The duo spoke out their names.


    Zhao Liang laughed mischievously and said, ¡°Two brothers, you don¡¯t know yet, do you? Our teacher in charge turns out to be a great beauty; a young and stunning beauty. I¡¯ve seen lots of belles, yet the ones who are prettier than her are very few. Anyways, she¡¯s currently out, but she¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    As far as beauty was concerned, Tang Xiu himself possessed a strong immunity toward the it. In a stark contrast, Yue Kai looked like his spirit was startled upon hearing it. He approached Zhao Liang and sat directly on the desk and curiously inquired, ¡°Is she really beautiful? Is she very young? You got any photos of her?¡±


    Zhao Liang¡¯s eyes turned bright, as if he found a soulmate. He put his hand on Yue Kai¡¯s shoulder and deftly took out his mobile, opening several photos, and then said, ¡°Of course I got her photos. Take a look at these candid photos which I strongly asked Teacher Han for the group. How is it? Isn¡¯t she beautiful?¡±


    After looking at it, Yue Kai nodded and said with a smile, ¡°Beautiful, so damn beautiful. This teacher is many times more beautiful than all the belles I¡¯ve ever seen. She shouldn¡¯t be much inferior compared to those super beautiful women. It¡¯s decided then! My first target in the university is our Teacher Han!¡±


    Zhao Liang dazed for a moment. He then raised his thumb and immediately exclaimed in praise, ¡°You¡¯re so amazing, Brother. I myself am already satisfied with being able to find a campus flower as a girlfriend. I didn¡¯t expect that your ideal is much bigger than mine. We gotta have some drinks this noon, buddy!¡±


    With a smile hanging on his face, Yue Kai heartily said, ¡°No prob. Well, do you have time after Tang Xiu and I report to Teacher Han? We¡¯re going out to buy something, so let¡¯s go to a restaurant and have a drink there. Today is my treat.¡±


    ¡°Count me in!¡± Zhao Liang nodded and said, ¡°I just arrived in Shanghai this morning, and I haven¡¯t gone out to experience the style and vibe of Shanghai! That¡¯s right, if you got time, accompany me to buy a car! Having no car is kinda depressing and rather inconvenient.¡±


    At the side, Tang Xiu secretly smiled wryly inside upon hearing Zhao Liang¡¯s words. He just didn¡¯t expect that he would meet such rich young masters the moment he arrived at university. It seemed like university life would be lively.


    As he shifted his vision, he suddenly sensed that someone was approaching. When he looked up and saw the person, his expression slightly froze as he instantly exclaimed, ¡°You¡­ how can you be here?¡±


    Holding a stack of documents in hands, Han Qingwu said with a dazzling smile on her face, ¡°Why can¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°The Big Beauty Han,¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, ¡°Would you pinch me to see whether or not I¡¯m dreaming?¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡±


    Han Qingwu couldn¡¯t help chuckle as she then said with a smile, ¡°Tang Xiu, you didn¡¯t expect that I would come work as a teacher at Shanghai University, did you? You never imagined that I¡¯d also become your class¡¯ teacher in charge for the next four years, right?¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡­ You ran to Shanghai University to teach?¡± Tang Xiu stared blankly as his eyes instantly turned turned saucer and exclaimed in alarm, ¡°And also become my class¡¯ teacher in charge in the university for the next four years? Are you kidding me?¡±


    ¡°Nope, I¡¯m not kidding you¡­¡± said Han Qingwu as she continued, ¡°Do you remember that I went to Shanghai on summer vacation, and I asked your help to entertain that good sister of mine? I went to Shanghai that time for a job transfer. But teaching in the Department of History was the the school¡¯s arrangement, though.¡±


    Yue Kai, Zhao Liang, and the other four students had weird expressions on their faces as they watched Tang Xiu and Han Qingwu. They didn¡¯t imagine that the two people would actually know each other.


    Zhao Liang gently touched Tang Xiu and curiously asked, ¡°You know her? You seem quite familiar with her.¡±


    Tang Xiu forced out a smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s not just being familiar. She was my teacher in charge in high school.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Everyone in the classroom was immediately dumbstruck.


    Han Qingwu laughed, ¡°Yes, Tang Xiu was my student in high school, and will become my student yet again in university. This explains that we¡¯re fated, no? Anyways, relax. You will feel very fortunate of having me as your class¡¯s teacher in charge for the next four years. Besides, you¡¯re my student and the top scorer for the CET science subjects in Shuangqing Province. Having an outstanding student is evidence that I¡¯m also an amazing teacher, no?!¡±


    The CET top scorer of Shuangqing Province?


    As though having a new understanding about Tang Xiu, Yue Kai raised his thumb up and exclaimed in admiration, ¡°The Student King, bravo! Ah heck, I gotta pull myself back.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Zhao Liang was puzzled and said, ¡°What pullback?¡±


    ¡°What else can it be?¡± Yue Kai humorlessly said, ¡°Did you hear her words? Don¡¯t you see a deep fate between these two? Even if I do everything I can, I¡¯m afraid I can never win her over. Besides, I¡¯ll become Tang Xiu¡¯s dorm mate, a fellow classmate for four years. No way in hell will I cheat my brother¡¯s wife!¡±


    ¡°You got it an instant!¡±


    Zhao Liang burst into laughter.


    Listening to their conversation, Tang Xiu immediately forced a smile and said, ¡°Yue Kai, no rubbish talk, will you? The relationship between me and Teacher Han is purely between a teacher and a student. If you got the ability, you can freely pursue her.¡±


    As for Han Qingwu, she was at a loss whether she had to be amused or cry seeing them. She gave white eyes and snappily said, ¡°Hey, no rubbish talk. I¡¯m your teacher, were I to find any of you blindly making trouble, I can make your life difficult!¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Despite having big courage, Yue Kai couldn¡¯t help but shrink his neck at this moment.


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu and Yue Kai signed their names in the name register.


    ¡°Teacher Han, we need to buy some things. We¡¯ll go first if there¡¯s nothing else!¡± said Yue Kai as he gave the pen back to Han Qingwu.


    ¡°You can go!¡± Han Qingwu nodded and said, ¡°And Tang Xiu, you didn¡¯t change your cell number, did you? I¡¯ll call you in the afternoon, we¡¯ll have a meal together at night.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and then left the classroom followed by Yue Kai.


    At the corridor.


    Zhao Liang said with a deadpan expression, ¡°Yue Kai, I dare bet that Teacher Han absolutely has a crush on Tang Xiu; to think that she even applied to transfer from high school to our Shanghai University. Damn, this brother Tang¡¯s charm really almost makes me kneel to him.¡±


    Yue Kai nodded, ¡°True that. Otherwise, how could a high school teacher transfer thousands of miles away to Shanghai University to teach? And I dare say that Teacher Han¡¯s family must have a great personal network and contacts. They must also have spent great efforts for this, or else, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to be promoted to Shanghai University.¡±


    ¡°Have you finished spitting out your rubbish? Teacher Han and I are only have a pure teacher-student relationship,¡± said Tang Xiu with a forced smile.


    ¡°Only ghosts will believe you!¡±


    The duo simultaneously shouted in response.


    Immediately, Yue Kai said, ¡°Tang Xiu, you¡¯re the eldest brother later, our eldest. As long as you give us tips about flirting with chicks, we¡¯re willing to serve you tea and attending you as our master.¡±


    ¡°Get lost¡­¡±

 Chapter 324

    Chapter 324: Magical Object for Chasing After Hot Chicks


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Having left the school building, the trio returned to the dorm and then went downstairs. Yue Kai took out his BMW car key and pressed a button on it. Zhao Liang then nearly popped his eyes out as he looked around the corner and saw the lights of a BMW 525 Sedan lit up.


    ¡°Good baby! You are a local rich redneck!¡±


    Zhao Liang fixated his eyes on Yue Kai as he gasped in admiration.


    With a bit of proud expression on his face, Yue Kai replied with a smile, ¡°Rich redneck? Not really. But we¡¯re studying in Shanghai and we better ride a car instead of stroll around by foot, no? I have a better one at home, but crowing over for myself is not my style. Anyways, I just bought this car on summer vacation. How is it? This car is not bad, right?¡±


    Raising his thumb, Zhao Liang lamented, ¡°¡®Not bad¡¯? This is simply a magical object for chasing after hot chicks. All the hot chicks surely will be happy riding on a BMW and Mercedes Benz. I was planning on spending 200 thousand yuan to buy a car and show off! But now, I find it embarrassing to buy it after looking at your car.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± laughed Yue Kai. ¡°We¡¯re all buddies, my car is your car. If you wanna drive it to flirt with chicks, you can tell me. So long as you don¡¯t have sex on it, you can use the car as you like, to pick up chicks or go for a ride!¡±


    Having sex on the car?


    Stunned, Zhao Liang then immediately exclaimed, ¡°Yue Kai, I only heard about it, but haven¡¯t tried it yet! Don¡¯t tell me you have done it before. If you did, then later you¡¯re my eldest brother.¡±


    Yue Kai coughed dryly as he chuckled to himself, ¡°Nope, I haven¡¯t done it actually. I usually take the girls to a ride and then to the hotel. But having sex in the car, I really never tried it.¡±


    Immediately, Yue Kai looked at the all smiling Tang Xiu. He rolled his eyes and said, ¡°But Big Brother Tang must have tasted it. Just look at his frivolous and fresh appearance. Recalling as how Teacher Han¡¯s attitude of traversing a great distance to pursue him, he¡¯s absolutely an expert on this kind of endeavor. Eldest Brother Tang, your body is neither fat nor thin, having sex in the car should be done in a pulled open posture, right?¡±


    Tang Xiu replied in a complaint tone, ¡°Never tried it.¡±


    Shooting Tang Xiu a contemptuous look, Yue Kai then groaned, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, you¡¯re not right! We¡¯re all brothers, why would you hide it from us? I called you eldest brother, didn¡¯t I? Just say it! How¡¯s the taste of having sex in the car?¡±


    ¡°I really haven¡¯t tried it yet,¡± said Tang Xiu reluctantly.


    Letting out a dull look, Yue Kai then waved and said, ¡°Let¡¯s get on board and go shopping. We¡¯ll straightly go to the restaurant after buying the things.¡±


    After entering the car, Tang Xiu looked as Zhao Liang drilled himself on the copilot seat and smiled, asking, ¡°Yue Kai, you should be a local, right? Listening to your parents, they had a strong accent of Shanghai locals.¡±


    ¡°Yup, I¡¯m a local,¡± said Yue Kai with a smile.


    ¡°No wonder you¡¯re familiar with Shanghai, so it turns out that you¡¯re a local! Then, you lead the way for us!¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Crying out in response to a strange accent, Yue Kai started the car and drove out. He showed off, speeding up with a proud expression, which made Tang Xiu frown. This place was, after all, the interior of the university, and there were many pedestrians carrying big bags due to the new students¡¯ arrival for registration.


    ¡°Hey, slow down and be careful not to hit people,¡± Reminded Tang Xiu out of good intention.


    Yue Kai rolled his eyes and hummed, ¡°Relax, dude! This is my driving skill, I¡¯m not joking. I raced with a few dudes of mine in Changxi, the neighboring city. I suppose you don¡¯t have a driver license yet!¡±


    Tang Xiu sighed inside. Though he didn¡¯t like Yue Kai¡¯s young frivolous attitude, he was not his father, thus it was naturally inconvenient to control him. Not to mention that he also knew very well the rebellious mentality young men had, as well as was aware of how young men were concerned about face. Let alone controlling him, even if he continued persuading him, he would perhaps only make Yue Kai livelier.


    He didn¡¯t feel like trying so hard for such a thankless job!


    When the BMW drove out of the campus gate, through the glass windows, Tang Xiu saw the supercars lined in a row still there, whereas those six or seven young men stood around them, surrounded by several girls.


    While pointing to that side, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Do you know those kids, Yue Kai?¡±


    Turning his head to look, Yue Kai¡¯s expression instantly turned ugly. After being silent for a moment, he bitterly said, ¡°I know. Of course, I know them. They are a group of trash. When my Eldest Brother was not in jail, they were like babies in front of him. Now they are so unbridled and arrogant. But when he comes out, we will clean them up sooner or later.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and sighed inside. He suddenly realized that it was a wrong choice of his coming out with Yue Kai. This fellow was evidently not someone easy to deal with. It was no wonder that his parents wanted him to control and take care of this guy.


    Quickly, the BMW was parked in the underground parking lot a few kilometers away from a large shopping mall. The trio got off and bought a lot of things in the mall. After a short half an hour, Yue Kai had spent hundreds of thousands yuan, with Zhao Liang also spending more than ten thousand.


    Tang Xiu himself didn¡¯t say anything, even though he didn¡¯t approve of their extravagant spending. He only bought some toiletries.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, if you have no money, just tell these buddies of yours and we¡¯ll buy the things you like. We¡¯re dorm mates, so we don¡¯t have to regard each other as strangers,¡± said Yue Kai in a stylish manner.


    ¡°I don¡¯t lack anything, what I wanted to buy was just these toiletries,¡± laughed Tang Xiu.


    Yue Kai no longer spoke. He didn¡¯t care about money anyway. Whatever Tang Xiu wanted to buy, and didn¡¯t want him to pay for it, he didn¡¯t bother to stress himself over it.


    After buying everything, Yue Kai smiled and said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go. I just called and booked a box at Riverwood Restaurant. Let¡¯s drink fine wine there this noon. That reminds me, I don¡¯t know whether those two dorm mates of ours arrived, but if they do it will be livelier.¡±


    ¡°If they have arrived and want to get along well later, I believe they will catch up with us after reading the note you left behind,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    11 AM.


    The Riverwood Restaurant was particularly hot as its first floor was almost jam-packed. When the trio arrived there, they found that there were many people still entering.


    Zhao Liang sighed, ¡°This is an upscale restaurant and should be rather expensive, right?¡±


    ¡°Yup. Even though I have some money, I¡¯m afraid I can only have a round of sumptuous meal here every few weeks. Although this restaurant can¡¯t compare with Yueyang Edifice, Taihe Restaurant and Everlasting Feast Hall, of which are true upscale restaurants, but at least it can be ranked as an upper class one,¡± said Yue Kai.


    ¡°Shanghai also has an Everlasting Feast Hall?¡± asked Zhao Liang, astounded.


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®also¡¯? Does your Jingmen Island also have a Everlasting Feast Hall there?¡± asked Yue Kai back, surprised.


    ¡°It does, and it has a rather high threshold also. I used to go there with my old man. It¡¯s a pity my old man is not a VIP there, though. Otherwise, he could have enjoyed a kingly treatment,¡± said Zhao Liang.


    Laughing involuntarily, Yue Kai then said, ¡°I¡¯ve also been to Shanghai¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall a couple of times and the place is indeed great, though it¡¯s a pity that it¡¯s a bit far from here. If it were not due to the consideration of our other classmates¡¯ arrival, we could have gone there.¡±


    Everlasting Feast Hall?


    The corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth curved as a slight smile was painted on his handsome face. He didn¡¯t expect that he would hear this name from his fellow students¡¯ mouths when he just arrived in Shanghai. He did have the intention to visit and have a look at Shanghai¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall.


    Ten minutes later, the trio had taken a seat in the box. The food and wine had also been served. At that time, Yue Kai¡¯s mobile rang.


    ¡°Yue Kai here.¡±


    ¡°Hi, it¡¯s Hu Qingsong here. I live in the Shanghai University¡¯s male student dormitory #428. I saw the note you left here,¡± a voice with thick Northeasterner accent was heard from the phone.


    Yue Kai¡¯s brows raised as he said with a smile, ¡°We¡¯re in Riverwood Restaurant. After you leave the campus, call a taxi and you¡¯ll be able to get here after a short while.¡±


    ¡°Wait for me there!¡±


    The phone was hung up.


    After putting away his mobile, Yue Kai then said with a smile, ¡°Our dorm mate¡ªHu Qingsong has arrived. He said that he will catch up with us here. Judging from his accent, he seems to be a Northeasterner. Alright, open the wine first. In celebration of our encounter out of millions of people and becoming buddies, let¡¯s start by drying our first cup!¡±


    Zhao Liang raised his glass and laughed, ¡°Though you and I are not in the same dormitory, our dorms are only separated by a corridor in the opposite entrance. So we¡¯re brothers in the trenches as well. Yue Kai is treating us this time, so I won¡¯t snatch this honor from him. When our dorm buddies finally arrive this evening, in addition to your dorm mates, both of our dorm buddies should gather together and I¡¯ll treat you to a party.¡±


    ¡°Cheers!¡± Exclaimed Yue Kai with a smile.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t say anything. He just raised his glass, toasted and gulped it down.


    ¡°Is the wine good? It¡¯s just that I stole my old man¡¯s fine wine when I came over and hid it in the trunk. You two are you lucky to have a chance to taste such a good thing!¡±


    ¡°Wait for a while. I¡¯ll give you two bottles of wine better than this,¡± laughed Tang Xiu.


    Staring blankly for a moment, Yue Kai immediately smiled. He thought that Tang Xiu was not a scion of a rich family since he was so economical in the shopping mall before. Hence, he treated Tang Xiu¡¯s words as a saving-face act only and didn¡¯t put it in his heart.


    Half an hour later, when all the dishes were nearly up, Yue Kai looked at the time and appeared puzzled as he said, ¡°How come Hu Qingsong didn¡¯t arrive yet? Even if he came by foot, he should¡¯ve arrived by now.¡±


    ¡°Knock, knock¡­¡±


    As he finished speaking, the box¡¯s door was knocked and quickly, a dark-skinned, strong and muscular young man opened the door as he looked at the trio inside the box and grinned, ¡°Yo, I¡¯m Hu Qingsong. Did I come late?¡±


    Yue Kai and Zhao Liang got up, wearing weird expressions in their eyes, whereas Tang Xiu was frowning with a puzzled light in his eyes, because there was a green-purple bump on Hu Qingsong¡¯s face. Even his clothes were dirty with footprints on it. Obviously, the fellow had just fought with some people.


    ¡°I¡¯m Yue Kai. Hey dude, who were the people you just played with?¡± asked Yue Kai as he waved and pointed at Hu Qingsong¡¯s face.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± chuckled Hu Qingsong as he said, ¡°I just encountered a small trouble on the way here. It¡¯s been solved, though.¡±


    Zhao Liang put out his hand and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m Zhao Liang, from Jingmen Island. I live in the dorm on the opposite side and am classmate of yours.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, from Star City,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.

 Chapter 325

    Chapter 325: Chaotic Fight


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The two young men and Hu Qingsong shook hands as they laughed and smiled, ¡°We are brothers from now on and predestined friends that gathered here, so let¡¯s get along well. I¡¯m a northeasterner, and like most of them, I¡¯m a straightforward person. As long as you guys bare open your heart and are forthright, I won¡¯t be false with you all.¡±


    ¡°I know the forthrightness of the northeasterners since I have made friends with someone from the northeast a while ago. He¡¯s also straightforward one,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Wiping the bloodstain on the corner of his mouth, Hu Qingsong said with a smile, ¡°I was originally worried that I wouldn¡¯t get along with my fellow students in the university as well as with my dorm mates. Seems like my worries were unfounded. It turns out that you guys are merry and outgoing buddies. Come, let¡¯s have a toast. Anyway, who¡¯s the entertainer today? Do we have enough booze?¡±


    Apparently, Yue Kai also liked Hu Qingsong¡¯s straightforwardness. He patted his chest and said, ¡°The booze is absolutely enough. I dare order it so long as you can drink it. Only, the two bottles of wine I stole from home had just been drunk up. But there are other fine wines in the restaurant; you¡¯re free to pick them.¡±


    Raising his glass, Hu Qingsong exclaimed in praise, ¡°Brother Yue Kai is generous. Come, let¡¯s finish this cup and have a chat.¡±


    ¡°Cheers!¡±


    Another glass of wine was transported into their stomachs.


    While looking at the purple bruises on Hu Qingsong¡¯s face, Yue Kai asked him, ¡°Old Hu, tell me, what kind of shits did you bumped into on the way here? We drank together, so we¡¯re buddies. Who the hell dares to mess with us, we gotta pay them back!¡±


    Showing uncaring expression, Hu Qingsong said, ¡°It¡¯s just a small matter. I had just left the campus when I bumped into a few bastards harassing a female student, so I just casually solved those chaps for the girl by myself ¡ª one against four ¡ª and beat the crap out of them. But¡­ Hehehe, I also got some licks for it, though.¡±


    ¡°You alone against four?¡± asked Yue Kai, amazed.


    ¡°Of course! I was a sports team¡¯s member in high school, after all!¡± Hu Qingsong laughed and said, ¡°Anyways, when I was waiting for the CET result for the north region, my old man kinda insisted in not letting me study anything else aside from history. You might not know, but ever since my family couldn¡¯t find the specific location of my ancestor grandfather¡¯s tomb, my old man has been kinda bewitched. He thought of all sort of methods, including looking for some archaeologists from Beijing. Yet, nobody has been able to find it. Hence, for fear that the future offspring of my family can¡¯t find my father¡¯s grave after he died, he decreed that every generation of my family must study two things: a specialty in history and a minor in archeology.¡±


    ¡°Your old man is really absurd,¡± laughed Zhao Liang.


    ¡°Who says he is not?¡± Hu Qingsong patted his thigh approvingly and said, ¡°Also, a Feng Shui master said that it was due to the Feng Shui of our ancestors changing. He also said that there had been changes in the tomb¡¯s geomancy. What bullshit! I almost asked my old man: ¡®why did you let me go study at the university instead of letting me follow that demigod Mr. Feng Shui?¡¯.¡±


    _Pfft¡­_


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong burst into loud laughter.


    Even though Tang Xiu also revealed a faint smile, yet he also thought about what Hu Qingsong said about ¡°the changes in geomancy¡±.


    He knew array techniques, and naturally understood what geomancy transposition of the tomb was. It was because the natural environment could lead to changes in the land¡¯s Feng Shui. The changes would lead to either greatly ominous omens or auspicious omens.


    After waiting for a moment of silence, Tang Xiu then asked, ¡°Qingsong, may I ask you something?¡±


    Waving his hand, Hu Qingsong said, ¡°You can ask me freely.¡±


    ¡°What kind of important matters happened to your family ever since your grandfather lost the location of your ancestral tomb? Have you had good luck or bad luck?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Stunned and dazed for a moment, Hu Qingsong frowned as he thought for a few seconds and then said, ¡°Nothing bad happened. But, some joyous occasions did happen at home several times. My brother married a very beautiful wife who then gave him twin boys, while those two little tigers also grew up strong and look great. They will definitely be like me, becoming tough and able men in the future. Another thing is, my old man¡¯s business got slightly better recently. Hehehe, by the way, I was planning to hang out with my fellow students today, with me as the entertainer. But I didn¡¯t expect that Yue Kai would swiftly snatch it, though.¡±


    Inwardly, Tang Xiu was perfectly clear that the result of ¡®the tomb¡¯s geomancy change¡¯ seemed to lead to auspicious omens, not ominous ones.


    _Bang!_


    The box¡¯s door was trampled from the outside, followed by more than a dozen youths in outlandish attire, as they carried steel pipes and knives in their hands. They blocked the path out and quickly, several young men with bleeding noses and swollen faces came in behind a middle-aged man.


    ¡°Brother Hu, that¡¯s the punk. The one who has a bruise on his face,¡± shouted one of the youths angrily.


    The middle-aged man looked at Hu Qingsong and sneered, ¡°Little punk, was it you who injured these little bros of mine?¡±


    Hu Qingsong looked at them and then shifted his eyes toward the dozens of young thugs, suddenly slapping the table. Pointing at Yue Kai and the others, he cursed at them, ¡°Fuck, this father wondered who was calling me here! It turns out that it was you hoodlums who were calling me! What? I have yet to beat the crap out of the three of you, and now you want to shit on me after seeing that others are looking for me too?¡±


    Yue Kai and Zhao Liang were shocked.


    Quickly, Yue Kai grabbed a bottle in front of him and angrily fumed, ¡°Damn Qingsong, what the hell is wrong with you, idiot? You just told us that we¡¯re brothers, and now you don¡¯t even recognize us? I told you that after we become dorm mates, this Big Daddy will beat the crap out of anyone who dares to shit on you.¡±


    Despite the obvious fear on his face, Zhao Liang walked toward Yue Kai¡¯s back while conveniently grabbing a bottle.


    Seeing Hu Qingsong still trying to speak, Tang Xiu secretly sighed inside. He patted his shoulder and said, ¡°Alright, no more playing, will you? I know you said that on purpose since you don¡¯t want to implicate us. But, since we¡¯re all classmates, we¡¯ll naturally act together. We¡¯re not some hoodlums, to begin with. Let¡¯s just handle them and send them off!¡±


    _Clap, clap, clap¡­_


    The middle-aged man applauded, ¡°Not bad, not bad. Little Brothers, such a loyal brotherhood is rare these days! Only, one has to pay the price for being loyal. Do you believe you can get out of this box relying only on the four of you?¡±


    ¡°Humph,¡± Hu Qingsong snorted coldly and said, ¡°Whether or not we can get out of here is not for you to say! Any fucking idiot who wants to start, I¡¯ll definitely kill him.¡±


    _Sigh¡­_


    The middle-aged man sighed and said, ¡°I still wanted to talk to you, but I didn¡¯t expect that you were unable to appreciate it. Do it! Beat them to death!!!¡±


    In a flash, more than ten young thugs wielded their steel pipes and knives, striking at Hu Qingsong and Tang Xiu who were at the forefront, whereas another five or six young thugs attacked Yue Kai and Zhao Liang.


    Sighing inside, Tang Xiu instantly grabbed Hu Qingsong¡¯s shoulder and pulled him back to trade positions with him. He then sent out a kick and directly trampled the youth thug¡¯s belly in the forefront, sending him flying and heavily smashing the other two young thugs behind him.


    _Bam, bam!_


    After snatching a steel pipe, Tang Xiu used it, heavily beating a young thug. Most importantly, he raised up the dining table and smashed it toward the other five or six young thugs surrounding Yue Kai and Zhao Liang.


    The middle-aged man¡¯s expression changed. He took out a dagger from his waist and darted toward Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Roll!¡±


    Tang Xiu fiercely kicked the man¡¯s chest and punched his arm. The dagger in the middle-aged big man¡¯s hand dropped to the floor as Tang Xiu then slapped him down.


    ¡°ALL OF YOU, STOP!!!¡±


    Five or six young thugs that had gotten up from the floor slowed down their movements after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s shout.


    While stepping on the middle-aged man¡¯s face, Tang Xiu sneered, ¡°You can¡¯t go. You disturbed our mealtime today. If you don¡¯t compensate us, I¡¯ll break both of your legs and make you leave by crawling. Either you compensate us for our losses today, or apologize!¡±


    The five or six young thugs looked at the middle-aged man under Tang Xiu¡¯s foot. They then looked to the other seven or eight comrades who had been badly beaten. They suddenly felt somewhat helpless.


    Glancing at Zhao Liang, Tang Xiu then said in a deep voice, ¡°Go look for the restaurant¡¯s management staff. We got surrounded by strangers when having a meal in their restaurant, so they must take the responsibility.¡±


    ¡°OK. I¡¯m going.¡±


    Zhao Liang thought that they would be so badly beaten today that they¡¯d have to be hospitalized. Thus, such invincible might shown by Tang Xiu made him ecstatic. He quickly dashed out of the box and ran to find the management staff.


    Two minutes later, Zhao Liang brought a middle-aged woman along with four security guards.


    After seeing what happened inside the box, the middle-aged woman stared blankly for a moment, as she then looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°I just heard that some people caused trouble here?¡±


    ¡°You just heard it?¡± Tang Xiu sneered and said, ¡°It was a big fight and quite noisy, how come not even one of your restaurant¡¯s personnel heard it?¡±


    The middle-aged woman forced a smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Sir. It¡¯s because the boxes are installed with soundproof panels, so we really didn¡¯t know. I did see them when they came in, but I thought they were here to have a meal. Let me introduce myself. I¡¯m the manager of the restaurant, surnamed Xue.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in your family name whatsoever. But I want to ask you. We were having a meal in your restaurant and a gang of local thugs surrounded and ganged up on us. You tell me, are you going to take responsibility for this or not?¡± said Tang Xiu.


    The middle-aged woman nodded, ¡°Sure, we¡¯ll take the responsibility. Give them to our security guards! I¡¯ll call the police, and I may have to trouble you when they come. Also, I¡¯ll exempt all your spending here today as compensation.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°That¡¯s not necessary.¡±


    Having said that, he kicked the middle-aged man to the side and coldly glared at him as he crawled. He then indifferently said, ¡°You disturbed our meal, so you¡¯ve to pay for all the meals!¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll pay!¡±


    The middle-aged man had just been miserably beaten, and he could still feel the acute pain in his chest now. He could barely breathe smoothly. He never imagined that this skinny and tanned youth was so powerful. He was also someone who could beat four people by himself, yet the young man before him was even more powerful.


    He was cursing his younger brothers inside his heart, yet he didn¡¯t dare to show it before Tang Xiu and the others.

 Chapter 326

    Chapter 326: Expert


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Good. Then I don¡¯t have to call the cops,¡± said Tang Xiu, ¡°But if they dare to trouble us again, I¡¯ll clean them up myself. Now, give us another box and serve a table with food and wine. Let them pay for it.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    The middle-aged woman never imagined that Tang Xiu would be so easy to talk to, as she immediately cast him a grateful expression. One must know that, were this incident to be reported to the police, it would certainly impact their restaurant¡¯s reputation. On one hand she said she would call the police and tried to compensate Tang Xiu and his friends. While on the other hand, she had also intended to invite Tang Xiu have a private talk, to see whether she could reduce and melt this big problem into a minor matter.


    A moment after, the badly beaten middle-aged man left with his underlings, whereas Tang Xiu and the others moved to another bright and spacious box. After taking a seat, Zhao Liang raised his thumb and exclaimed with an excited expression, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, you¡¯re just so great! I was preoccupied with how to ward off those guys, but without me realizing it, you had unknowingly knocked them down.¡±


    Also wearing an excited look on his face, Yue Kai spoke while rubbing his arm that got hit by a steel pipe, ¡°True that! I was preparing to a desperate fight and got preoccupied with the other people, so I couldn¡¯t see clearly what you were doing. Eldest Brother Tang, how did you do that? You can¡¯t be a martial arts expert like those in wuxia novels, can you?¡±


    ¡°Nope. I¡¯m not martial arts expert,¡± shaking his head, Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯m just practicing some flowery boxing; I¡¯m not an opponent for true experts. But, beating some gangsters isn¡¯t a problem for me. They wanted to beat us, hence we can use everything we have for self-defense, like smashing plates at them. So, naturally, we can beat them with a clear conscience.¡±


    Hu Qingsong¡¯s face flickered. He patted Tang Xiu¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Since they call you the Eldest, I¡¯ll call you that too! I won¡¯t say thanks for this great favor. But since you, the eldest, has stood up for me today, I, Hu Qingsong, will engrave this favor in my mind. If you have some problems in the future, whatever it is, just look for me. I will do my best to help out.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a trivial thing. Never mind it,¡± laughed Tang Xiu.


    ¡°No,¡± Hu Qingsong shook his head and said, ¡°Were it not because of you, perhaps I would have ended up badly today. It was my carelessness. I never thought that after I beat them, they would secretly follow me here. Come on, I won¡¯t say thanks. Though the food have yet to come, let¡¯s get these two bottles of wine first. Let me thank you with a toast.¡±


    ¡°Come!¡±


    ¡°Cheers!¡±


    Yue Kai and Zhao Liang also got up.


    The unexpected fight, sharing hardship in the crisis, it made the relationship between the four much closer. Furthermore, for youngsters hanging out together, random topics were endless.


    After the meal, the four young men left the restaurant with arms around each other¡¯s shoulders after getting a little drunk.


    Quite a drinker himself, Hu Qingsong had drunk a bottle of booze by himself, yet he was more sober than Yue Kai and Zhao Liang. Looking at the both of them swaying, Hu Qingsong looked at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, where are we going now?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back to campus and send them directly to the dormitory to sleep,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°That¡¯s the only option left,¡± Hu Qingsong nodded and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Yue Kai to have such a good liquor capacity, though. Yet, Zhao Liang didn¡¯t even drink half a bottle and still turned out like this.¡±


    ¡°People say that northeasterners can drink well. I did experience it today,¡± chuckled Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, don¡¯t flatter me. Though I can drink more than a bottle of booze and still stand up, I¡¯m far worse compared to you. I paid attention when we were drinking; you drank more than me, yet it did nothing to you. I suspect that you won¡¯t get drunk even if you drink one more bottle.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing, saying, ¡°If I really gulped down another bottle, I¡¯m afraid that you won¡¯t have to support only two people, but three.¡±


    ¡°If we get another idle day again, let¡¯s have a battle,¡± laughed Hu Qingsong.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and grabbed the car key from Yue Kai¡¯s pocket. After opening the door and forcefully stuffing the two young men into the back seat, he then sat in the front seat and said with a smile, ¡°Hey, what are you dazing for? Get on board!¡±


    ¡°Is this your car?¡± asked Hu Qingsong aloud as he sat on the copilot seat with astonishment.


    ¡°Nope, it¡¯s Yue Kai¡¯s!¡± said Tang Xiu, ¡°He¡¯s a second generation nouveau-riche.¡±


    ¡°It seems like these brothers of ours can go flirting with chicks everywhere smoothly. It¡¯s a BMW, dude! Holy cow, a student riding on BMW¡­ tsk, tsk!¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled as he started the car and quickly left.


    The duo had been sent back to the dormitory. Tang Xiu¡¯s last dorm mate had yet to come, however, the other three students from the opposite dorm had all arrived. Tang Xiu and the three students greeted each other, and after a short introduction, they returned to their dormitory.


    ¡°Brother Tang, do you have any plans this afternoon?¡± asked Hu Qingsong curiously.


    ¡°I do. I¡¯ll go out and stroll around. It¡¯s my first time in Shanghai, so I¡¯m gonna take in the view. There won¡¯t be much time to go out and stroll around when the new term begins,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, I heard you¡¯re the CET science subject¡¯s top scorer in Shuangqing Province. The top student level protagonist, eh. Seems like you¡¯re ready to take the military drill subject ahead of time and then transfer to Shanghai all the way through. I presume you¡¯ll be staying on campus afterward?¡±


    ¡°It should be, if there¡¯s no accident,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll accompany you strolling around! I got nothing to do in the afternoon anyway,¡± said Hu Qingsong.


    After a moment¡¯s silence, Tang Xiu slowly said, ¡°Yue Kai said before that he and Zhao Liang would gather in their dormitory this evening. I myself will be doing something at that time, so I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t participate. If you go with me, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t have the time to attend the party.¡±


    Hu Qingsong hesitated for a moment and then said, ¡°I won¡¯t attend it then. Anyhow, it¡¯s still early and there is much time left. It¡¯s alright to drink together all day. Let¡¯s stroll outside first and get some fresh air. Eldest Brother Tang, you know what? Since I boarded the train to Shanghai, I felt like I was flying high in the sky, like a fish swimming in the ocean; no longer feeling controlled by my old man.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at him and calmly said, ¡°Having someone always looking after you is better than having nobody who is always concerned and asks you to strive to better yourself. Be content, buddy!¡±


    Hu Qingsong stared blankly for a moment as he stared at Tang Xiu with a strange expression. He suddenly pointed at Yue Kai¡¯s car key and asked, ¡°Won¡¯t we take the car?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s Yue Kai¡¯s car. He might go out when he wakes up in the afternoon, and will probably need it when he goes out in the evening. Let¡¯s take a cab.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡± Hu Qingsong nodded.


    Tang Xiu and Hu Qingsong strolled around for the whole afternoon. The duo went to the Bund, visited Huangpu River, and climbed up the Oriental Pearl Tower. They drank coffee in Nanjing Road and then went to the City God Temple to burn incense, and then visited the Yu Garden and the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum.


    As evening arrived, Tang Xiu received a call from Han Qingwu.


    ¡°Where are you, Tang Xiu?¡± Han Qingwu¡¯s voice came out of the phone, sounding particularly joyful.


    ¡°I¡¯m with a classmate, as well as dorm mate, at the entrance of the Science and Technology Museum! We have been strolling around Shanghai and lost track of the time,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Science and Technology Museum? I know the place. Are you gonna wait for me there? Or shall we meet at another place for our dinner tonight?¡±


    ¡°Go to Shanghai¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall! We¡¯ll take a cab to catch up with you.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± replied Han Qingwu.


    After putting away his mobile, Tang Xiu spoke to Hu Qingsong, ¡° Teacher Han and I have a dinner tonight. I have already picked the place, so let¡¯s go there now!¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s Teacher Han?¡± asked Hu Qingsong, confused.


    ¡°It¡¯s our class¡¯ teacher in charge, Han Qingwu.¡±


    Hu Qingsong was stunned. He looked at Tang Xiu with disbelief, exclaiming, ¡°The class¡¯ teacher in charge, Han Qingwu, is having dinner with us? You¡­ are you kidding me?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to joke about? It¡¯s just dinner, what¡¯s the fuss for?¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°What? This is not worth the fuss? It¡¯s only the first day, yet you acted so fast! And your target is unexpectedly our Teacher Han? Man, she¡¯s a hella beauty; even my eyes were nearly unable to look straight the first time I saw her,¡± said Hu Qingsong.


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°Han Qingwu was actually my high school class¡¯ teacher in charge. But I never imagined that she would suddenly transfer to Shanghai University; even also becoming our class¡¯s teacher in charge. In any case, we¡¯re just having dinner.¡±


    With an inconceivable expression, Hu Qingsong said, ¡°I finally figured out why Yue Kai and Zhao Liang insisted to call you Eldest Brother Tang. It turns out that your flirting skill is so marvelous. Man, I never thought that even such a stunning beauty such as Teacher Han would have her heart captured by you. What a marvel. O, Hail Eldest Brother Tang!¡±


    ¡°Get lost!¡± Tang Xiu cursed.


    At Shanghai¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall.


    In front of the five-storied octagonal restaurant was a large, well-maintained parking lot. There were four big men guarding the entrance of the Everlasting Feast Hall. Before the four big men, a welcoming lady in cheongsam warmly greeted each arriving guest.


    Inside the restaurant.


    The first floor had a novel and interesting interior, with each area partitioned by screens and carved wood, along with a dining table inside each partition. On both sides were waterspouts with sprinkled water being illuminated with seven colored lights. A beautiful scene that was a sight to behold.


    Shanghai¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall was under Tian Li¡¯s management. However, since she needed to shuttle back and forth between Jingmen Island, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing, a deputy manager was appointed to manage the Shanghai and Beijing branches on her behalf. The deputy manager was also a core member of the Everlasting Feast Hall ¡ª Chi Nan.


    At present, Chi Nan had just come back from the outside and was watching the bustling scene in the restaurant while feeling rather helpless inside. She envied those companions of hers who stayed in Jingmen Island, since they were able to stay and cultivate with ease, as well as had occasional chance to carry out missions abroad.


    ¡°Chief Chi, the VIP lounge on the fourth floor has been opened; Miao Wentang from Haiqing came with a few of his friends. I have also sent the order to deliver all the good dishes and fine wines to him,¡± said the hall manager as he greeted respectfully.


    VIP? Miao Wentang?


    Chi Nan was silent for a moment as she nodded and said, ¡°I see. Go busy yourself! I¡¯ll be there to have a toast with him shortly.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±

 Chapter 327

    Chapter 327: VIP Among VIPs


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    As Chi Nan left the first floor hall, Tang Xiu and Hu Qingsong appeared at the entrance of the Everlasting Feast Hall. Hu Qingsong¡¯s bleeding nose and swollen face caused the four security guards of the Everlasting Feast Hall to focus their sights on them especially.


    ¡°Welcome, Sirs. May I ask how many people are coming?¡±


    A waitress greeted them, smiling.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s vision slowly cast a glance toward the interior and immediately nodded inwardly. The environment there was great, with a luxurious interior design and decoration. It appeared to be two grades higher than the Riverwood Restaurant.


    ¡°Three.¡±


    ¡°The boxes upstairs are nearly full. Would you like to have a seat on the first floor?¡± asked the waitress with a smile.


    ¡°No problem!¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    The duo quickly came to the dining table on the quiet side of the interior under the waitress¡¯s guidance. Though there were many visitors dining inside their separated boxes, it was rather quiet. Only faint cheering and toasts were heard from the lively banquets.


    ¡°Sirs, would you like to order the course now?¡±


    ¡°No need. Please give us the special cuisines of the house. Four non-vegetarian dishes and two veggies with soup would be fine,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Does you have any dietary restrictions?¡± asked the waitress with a smile.


    ¡°No!¡± said Tang Xiu.


    The waitress slightly bowed and said, ¡°Alright. Please wait for a while.¡±


    As the waitress left, Hu Qingsong raised his thumb toward Tang Xiu and sighed in praise, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang is truly impressive. This restaurant¡¯s grade is so high, yet you didn¡¯t ask for the menu and directly ordered special dishes. It seems you have deep pockets to win Teacher Han.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°Who said I have a deep pocket? We¡¯re all poor students. After we eat enough, the one paying should be Teacher Han, no?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Hu Qingsong stilled with a disbelieving expression, saying, ¡°How can we make a woman treat us for a meal? Though she¡¯s a teacher and we are her students, we¡¯re only separated by a few years. Eldest Brother Tang, if you don¡¯t have enough money, tonight¡¯s meal is on me.¡±


    Male chauvinism!


    Tang Xiu secretly forced out a wry smile. What made him most speechless was that he didn¡¯t know he looked like someone who was short on money. Yue Kai, as well as Hu Qingsong, all thought he was poor!


    He didn¡¯t like to display a high profile; and he liked to show off his money even less. Hence, he didn¡¯t rectify Hu Qingsong¡¯s mistaken opinion about him. Instead, he said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m just joking with you. How can I allow Teacher Han to treat us? Anyhow, you don¡¯t have to pay. Just eat to your heart¡¯s content.¡±


    ¡°OK! In any case, just tell me if you need money,¡± Hu Qingsong straightly replied and no longer mentioned about it.


    His family was made a lot more money than before, but it was his first time visiting such an upscale restaurant. Therefore, he didn¡¯t speak loudly and restrained his rough personality.


    Inside a VIP lounge on the fourth floor.


    Miao Wentang was drinking with some colleagues of his business circle. As they talked to each other, they were unlike laymen in the marketplace, who spoke in a blow-sky-high manner. Instead, they exchanged business information in a jovial mood.


    _Knock, knock!_


    The door was knocked, interrupting their conversation. Following that, the door was opened and Chi Nan came inside with a bright smile on her face carrying two bottles of wine.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t disturb everyone, did I?¡± asked Chi Nan with a smile.


    Upon seeing her, several Shanghai local businessmen exchanged dismayed looks, as astonishment was immediately cast on their faces. With the same amount of astonishment, Miao Wentang asked, ¡°You are?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Chi Nan, the deputy manager of the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s Shanghai branch. According to our Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s custom, the person in charge must toast with every honorable guest who comes to dine at the restaurant. And Boss Miao, you¡¯re a VIP among VIPs here,¡± said Chi Nan with a smile.


    Miao Wentang himself knew what the toast was. However¡­


    As he got up and shook hands with Chi Nan, he asked with a puzzlement, ¡°Chief Chi, what¡¯s the meaning with this VIP among VIPs? I only know that the Everlasting Feast Hall does have honorable guests, but I don¡¯t understand about this VIP among VIPs thing.¡±


    ¡°Our HQ in Jingmen Island has relayed the news that you and Boss Shao Mingzhen are our Everlasting Feast Halls¡¯ special honorable guests since you both are our Boss¡¯s friends,¡± said Chi Nan with a smile.


    ¡°Your Boss? Gu Xiaoxue?¡± asked Miao Wentang, astounded.


    ¡°No,¡± Chi Nan shook her head and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s our Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s new Boss, Tang Xiu.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu?¡±


    His tone increased in volume as a burst of disbelief shot out from his eyes. He knew perfectly clear about what kind of existence the Everlasting Feast Hall was. He couldn¡¯t figure out the depths of Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s strength. However, Tang Xiu did break through the Thousand Revolution Array of the Everlasting Feast Hall. But, how would he inexplicably become its owner?


    Miao Wentang suddenly realized that what he knew about Tang Xiu was unexpectedly minute. Yet, at the moment, he at last realized as to why he could somehow become a VIP among VIPs in the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    After opening a bottle of wine, Chi Nan filled up their glasses and said with a smile, ¡°Boss Miao and other bosses, I propose three cups of toast to all of you. I hope that you can enjoy your time here in our Everlasting Feast Hall.¡±


    ¡°Cheers!¡±


    ¡°Come!¡±


    After finishing three glasses of wine, Miao Wentang forced a smile and said, ¡°Ah, I never imagined that Brother Tang would become the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s Boss. Prior to this, I already knew that he was very powerful and mysterious. Yet, it seems I have underestimated him way too much. I dare not think what kind of high achievements he will achieve in the future.¡±


    ¡°Our Boss is naturally a dragon amongst men; it¡¯s guaranteed that he¡¯ll have high achievements in the future,¡± said Chi Nan with a smile.


    Zhang Yueming was the Boss of Shanghai¡¯s Xinyang Group, with total assets of tens of billions, and the vice-president of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce. He was someone of a very high status. At this time, with an astounded expression, he inquired, ¡°Chief Chi, we have been in Shanghai for a long time, yet we weren¡¯t particularly aware of the Everlasting Feast Hall. Could you please tell us what this Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s VIP among VIPs is all about?¡±


    ¡°About this issue, Boss Miao himself would be better to tell you! Anyway, I still have other things to attend to, so I won¡¯t disturb your dinner any longer. Please excuse me.¡±


    Having said that, Chi Nan smiled and turned around to leave.


    ¡°Old Miao, care to tell me about it?¡± asked Zhang Yueming as he looked at Miao Wentang.


    ¡°You all only know me as businessmen, but neither of you knows that I¡¯m also a martial artist, right? The Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s HQ is in Jingmen Island, and even though the enterprise is usually low key, however, it has a solid foundation and is unfathomably deep. Their HQ¡¯s manor resort is equipped with formation array called Thousand Revolution Array. This array¡­¡±


    A few minutes later, the other three men understood the bottom of the story from Miao Wentang. They were astonished and filled with a keen interest toward the mysterious Everlasting Feast Hall.


    Looking at the three men¡¯s expression, Miao Wentang laughed, ¡°It¡¯s fine for you to know this, but please never spread it out. Although it¡¯s not really a secret, in the case that a lot of martial artists jack of all trades and master of none are attracted and try to break through the array, their lives will be easily ruined.¡±


    ¡°Relax, we understand. But this Tang Xiu¡ªthe owner of this Everlasting Feast Hall, who¡¯s he exactly? Listening to your conversation with Chief Chi, your relationship with him is rather unordinary!¡± said Zhang Yueming.


    Looking solemn and staying silent for a moment, Miao Wentang then seriously said, ¡°Gentlemen, Tang Xiu is indeed a friend of mine. We met in Jingmen Island and then went through several matters together, for which we then developed a very good friendship. But in a few words, he saved my life. We have known each other for two decades, so I¡¯ll give you a thorough understanding of the true story.¡±


    ¡°Please do tell!¡± said Zhang Yueming.


    ¡°Tang Xiu is a very powerful person. As to how powerful he is, even I have some dread of him. He¡¯s also very mysterious, and each contact with him always gives me a great shock. As far as I know, he will be studying at Shanghai University this year, so he should be in Shanghai by now. I hope all of you, as Shanghai¡¯s local bosses, don¡¯t provoke him, or else I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll face a miserable fate,¡± said Miao Wentang.


    Zhang Yueming was stunned as he couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°I say, Old Miao, you¡¯re kidding me, right? This Tang Xiu you just told me about is only a freshman student?¡±


    Gu Changmin, the Boss of Dingshen Media, also laughed, ¡°That¡¯s right! Old Miao, you¡¯re speaking like that for fun, right? How powerful can a high schooler be? The powerful ones are the elders of his family, right?¡±


    Looking at the both of them, Miao Wentang was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh. He slightly frowned upon seeing their disbelieving expressions. However, when he looked at his other old friend, the boss of Jinda Estate¡ªJin Xingkui, he was a bit surprised, because Jin Xingkui looked pensive and was frowning tightly at the moment.


    Suddenly, Jin Xingkui said, ¡°Brother Miao, since you are friends with Mr. Tang, is there any of you introducing us? Don¡¯t worry, though. I won¡¯t let you down. I¡¯ll give you my Qilin Jade when you visit my place later.¡±


    Miao Wentang waved his hand, ¡°Although I do covet your Qilin Jade, I can¡¯t accept it for this matter. We have been friends for many years, so I¡¯ll help introduce you to him should the chance arise later.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± said Jin Xingkui seriously.


    Zhang Yueming stared blankly, whereas Gu Changmin revealed a puzzled expression as he said, ¡°Brother Jin, you are¡­¡±


    ¡°No asking, please. Besides, I dare not tell you about this. You two don¡¯t believe Brother Miao¡¯s story. But if one day you or someone in your family provokes Tang Xiu, I¡¯m really afraid that you¡¯ll meet a very miserable fate.¡±


    Zhang Yueming exchanged looks with Gu Changmin as both revealed shocked expressions at the same time. Were it only Miao Wentang saying this they may not believe it, but coupled with Jin Xingkui, they¡¯d rather believe it than not.


    With all that said, then that young man was truly frightening?


    The two men fell into silence for a period of time as they then nodded in succession, indicating that they would pay attention to the matter in the future.


    As for Miao Wentang, he was very curious as to how Jin Xingkui knew about Tang Xiu. He secretly made up his mind to find a chance to ask Jin Xingkui after the dinner was over. After all, it was about Tang Xiu; and he really wanted to know more about him.


    ¡°Alright. Come, come. Let¡¯s drink!¡±


    After putting the idea in the back of his mind, Miao Wentang smiled and raised his glass.

 Chapter 328

    Chapter 328: Acting According to the Circumstances


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    At the first floor hall of Everlasting Feast Hall, Tang Xiu and Hu Qingsong had yet to enjoy their meal. Shortly after, Han Qingwu arrived carrying a bag. She was prettily dressed up in a floral dress, high heels, and light makeup.


    ¡°You unexpectedly picked good dishes,¡± Han Qingwu smiled and sat beside Tang Xiu.


    ¡°We just arrived and ordered the dishes after calculating the time of your arrival,¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Teacher Han, you haven¡¯t told me. How did you suddenly transfer to Shanghai University?¡±


    ¡°My father had a job transfer to Shanghai, and it¡¯s been two months already. So my family followed him and moved to Shanghai,¡± laughed Han Qingwu, ¡°Staying by myself in Star City was boring, so I asked my father to use his personal network. Coupled with my outstanding performance of teaching the CET¡¯s top scorer this year, my transfer to Shanghai University was very smooth. Hence, I more or less benefited from your limelight!¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t say anything. Because he knew that it was just excuses. For her to be able to work in Shanghai University meant that she was outstanding, whereas she also didn¡¯t have to use her family¡¯s connections.


    ¡°Damn, Eldest Brother Tang is really lucky to continue with your teacher in charge in Shanghai University,¡± Hu Qingsong turned rather jealous, saying, ¡°I can tell that it won¡¯t long before these ¡®fine deeds¡¯ will be known to the class.¡±


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t let your imagination run wild and talk irresponsibly, it will be fine,¡± said Tang Xiu humorlessly.


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Han Qingwu said with a smiling expression, ¡°The relationship between Tang Xiu and me is a pure teacher-student relationship. Whoever let their imagination run wild and speak irresponsibly are those who have way too many impure thoughts. Besides, I¡¯m way older than you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s needless to say that, Teacher Han. The relationship between you two is way too special, so it¡¯s normal that others would find it intriguing,¡± Hu Qingsong giddily said, ¡°Moreover, marrying an older woman is just like holding a gold brick. Besides, looking at your appearance, regardless of how old you are, your real age won¡¯t differ much from ours, no? So it¡¯s kinda appropriate if a student marries you. You don¡¯t know it yet, but I heard that Yue Kai even declared to pursue you when he first saw you.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha,¡± Han Qingwu couldn¡¯t help chuckling as she said with a smile, ¡°You boys truly must study well on campus and not lose yourselves in wild thoughts.¡±


    ¡°Teacher Han, entering university is equivalent to stepping into society,¡± Hu Qingsong replied in all seriousness, ¡°Have you ever heard that university is like a miniature society, where one begin their new starting point in life? Not only that, they will also experience the endpoint when they finished it. It seems that even university students are eligible to marry, right?¡±


    ¡°Without a career, do you want to rely on your parents to support your wife?¡± retorted Han Qingwu with a smile.


    ¡°Ugh!¡± Hu Qingsong¡¯s expression froze as he no longer spoke, embarrassed.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s cut this topic,¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°Let us have a meal while chatting.¡±


    Halfway through the dinner, ten minutes later, Han Qingwu seemed tired as she put down her chopsticks, rubbed her shoulders and then said, ¡°Prior to this, I felt that being a university teacher was very relaxed. Having very few classes weekly, and most of the rest of the time was free. But since I¡¯ve been to the office, I just realized that it was not all. Preparing content for university classes are way more difficult than preparing high school lessons. Moreover, I¡¯ve been busy trying to find a house, wandering around Shanghai every day. It¡¯s been more than a month and it¡¯s my first time eating in an upscale restaurant in Shanghai.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re looking for a house?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t your family move to Shanghai? You don¡¯t live with them?¡±


    ¡°Nope. I¡¯m a grown-up,¡± Han Qingwu shook her head and said,¡± I don¡¯t want to live with my parents.¡±


    Hearing it, Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°So, you haven¡¯t found a house yet?¡±


    ¡°How can it be that easy?¡± Han Qingwu forced a smile and said, ¡°House prices in Shanghai are way too high. An ordinary single room flat or a house cost several thousand yuans monthly. It¡¯s somewhat cheaper if we pick somewhere remote, but it¡¯ll be rather far from Shanghai University and inconvenient for work. Besides, we also have to pay water, electricity, gas, and phone monthly bills, etc¡­. Mix those altogether and I won¡¯t have much left of my monthly salary.¡±


    ¡°But the salary of Shanghai University¡¯s teachers shouldn¡¯t be low, right?¡± asked Tang Xiu, astonished.


    Han Qingwu forced a wry smile and said, ¡°What is not low? It¡¯s just 10 thousand yuan monthly. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t survive living in this place.¡±


    After doing some calculations, Tang Xiu could tell that the matter was really true. With several thousand for rent, plus all sorts of miscellaneous expenses, living here did require a lot of money. Not to mention that women had to buy clothes and whatnot. There really wouldn¡¯t be much left from the 10 thousand yuan.


    Thinking up to there, he recalled that he also had several real estates in Shanghai. Excluding the villa in Bluestar Villa Complex, there was another real estate not too far away from Shanghai University. The distance was only little more than 20 kilometers away.


    After pondering for a moment, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Teacher Han, how about I give you a hand? I happen to have a friend who just bought a house in Shanghai. But he must go abroad, so the house is currently unoccupied. He won¡¯t sell the house for the foreseeable future since he wants to wait for the house¡¯s price to rise in value before selling it. Do you want to live there?¡±


    Han Qingwu was surprised for a moment, before quickly asking, ¡°Is it near Shanghai University? How much is the rent?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little more than 20 kilometers away from Shanghai University. About the distance, it¡¯s not far considering it¡¯s in a big city like Shanghai. As for the rent, it doesn¡¯t matter since I have a good relationship with him, so I can do whatever I want,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite close,¡± said Han Qingwu as she probed, ¡°But can I pay three thousand for the rent? I can¡¯t afford it if it¡¯s more than that.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± laughed Tang Xiu as he said, ¡°He actually wanted to find someone to look after the house for him. It¡¯s fine however much money you want to pay. If you really decided to take it, I¡¯ll ask the keys from him tomorrow, and I¡¯ll take you there tomorrow afternoon. If you¡¯re content with the place, you can stay there later!¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you¡¯re really my lucky star!¡± Han Qingwu slapped her thigh and cheerfully said, ¡°Ah, right! What about the house? How big and how many rooms does it have?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the details,¡± laughed Tang Xiu as he said,¡± We¡¯ll find out tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Han Qingwu quickly said.


    The Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s Shanghai branch business was booming. Chi Nan was in the office for a while and she couldn¡¯t sit still. She was a very mobile and active woman. Nesting herself in Shanghai¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall made her body very uncomfortable, and staying in the office was like a torture.


    She wandered and circled around twice upstairs before coming back to the first floor. Shaking her head in front of the bar and looking at the busy staff, she then picked her mobile out of boredom and dialed her immediate superior¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°Lili Sis, are you busy?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± Tian Li¡¯s voice was heard on the phone.


    While leaning on the bar, Chi Nan yawned and said, ¡°Lili Sis, if you¡¯re not busy, why don¡¯t you come back to Shanghai? I¡¯m bored here.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to stay in Shanghai, then I¡¯ll send someone to take over your job,¡± Tian Li said, ¡°Regardless of our Jingmen Island¡¯s HQ, Hong Kong, and Beijing, some people have secretly contacted me, wanting to transfer to Shanghai.¡±


    Chi Nan stared blankly for a moment, confused, ¡°They want to transfer to Shanghai? Do they have any problem? I¡¯ve spent three years in Shanghai and my body and bones are almost rusty. If it continues like this, I dare say I¡¯m going to fall into depression here.¡±


    ¡°If you feel like that, it¡¯s decided then,¡± Tian Li slightly laughed and said, ¡°I¡¯ll have you transferred within a few days and leave the great opportunity in Shanghai to the others!¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait, Lili Sis! What¡¯s this great opportunity you¡¯re talking about?¡± asked Chi Nan quickly.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± laughed Tian Li, ¡°It¡¯s just that Boss has gone to Shanghai University to study. He should have arrived in Shanghai recently and will inspect our Everlasting Feast Hall. The four of us have already had our opportunity, and now my strength increased. Originally, I was thinking that if you can serve the boss, you could perhaps obtain a chance too. But heck, since you want to transfer, then I can only leave this opportunity to the others.¡±


    ¡°AH! I really have a pig¡¯s brain! No, no, Lili Sis, don¡¯t transfer me. Though this place is boring and drives me crazy, I¡¯ll keep staying here. Right, no problem. I¡¯ll definitely manage the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s affairs and organize it well. By the way, Sis, I saw a new Hermes bag a few days ago. I feel that it will look good on you, so I¡¯ll take the time to buy and send it to you,¡± said Chi Nan in a obsequious tone.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Tian Li smiled and laughed, ¡°I love Hermes bags.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll certainly buy it for you¡­¡± Chi Nan quickly said. She had yet to finish her words when she saw two young men and a woman coming closer as her vision eventually fixated on the handsome youth.


    In a flash, she raised her hand to rub her eyes and murmured, ¡°Lili Sis, I¡¯m gonna see Boss first!¡±


    ¡°What did you say? Boss is going to the restaurant?¡± Tian Li quickly asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± said Chi Nan quickly, ¡°I¡¯ll hang up first and contact you later.¡±


    Having said that, she quickly ended the call and then opened the photo gallery on her mobile. After enlarging and contrasting it, she immediately determined that the young man was her boss.


    At the corridor.


    While maintaining her smiling expression, Han Qingwu said, ¡°You two don¡¯t have to snatch the honor for paying the bill today. If you want to invite me to a meal later, let¡¯s have it in the campus cafeteria.¡±


    ¡°No, Teacher Han,¡± Hu Qingsong shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s not appropriate for you to say that! Though we are poor students, it¡¯s fine with us to pay. Besides, we are men. How can we allow a lady to spend her money?¡±


    ¡°Leave that male chauvinism of yours, will you?¡± laughed Han Qingwu and continued, ¡°I¡¯m the one who invited you to dinner, so it¡¯s no problem. If you wanna show off, wait until you start working and make some money later. Then you can treat me in a place of your picking.¡±


    ¡°OK, say no more you two!¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile, ¡°I picked this place, so I¡¯m the one who¡¯ll pay the bill! Although I¡¯m quite poor, I can still afford it!¡±


    ¡°Hi, Boss!¡±


    A smell of perfume drifted over as Chi Nan appeared with a bright smile on her face.

 Chapter 329

    Chapter 329: Just This Once


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu slightly frowned, since he didn¡¯t expect someone from Shanghai¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall would actually recognize him. Though he knew the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s HQ in Jingmen Island should have forwarded his photo to the core members, but this was way too coincidental, right?


    Han Qingwu glanced at Tang Xiu and Chi Nan. With a bewildered look on her beautiful face, she asked, ¡°What did you call Tang Xiu? Boss?¡±


    ¡°Teacher Han, many restaurant¡¯s attendants call their guests Boss,¡± Hu Qingsong grinned, ¡°I often encounter this situation. By the way, pretty woman, we are students, not Bosses.¡±


    Chi Nan was startled for a moment. With her smooth and slick nature in dealing with all social situations, she was exceptionally astute. Judging from the slight frown on Tang Xiu¡¯s face, she knew she had misstepped.


    It seemed like her boss didn¡¯t want the two to know his identity.


    Therefore, she swiftly responded with a smile, ¡°In our eyes, every visitor who comes to our Everlasting Feast Hall is a Boss. The reason why I stopped you was because I wanted to inform you something. We have a custom here: the 201st guest of the day gets a discount. Congratulations, you¡¯re our 201st visitor today.¡±


    ¡°You have this kind of custom?¡± Hu Qingsong was astounded.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Inadvertently glancing at Tang Xiu, Chi Nan found that Tang Xiu was no longer knitting his brows and immediately replied with a smile.


    Taking out his wallet, Tang Xiu took a bank card and gave it to Chi Nan and said with a smile, ¡°Seems like our luck is rather good. Please swipe this card for the bill.¡±


    ¡°Alright! Everyone, please wait a bit.¡±


    Taking the bank card, Chi Nan turned around and walked toward the counter.


    ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, hanging out with you is quite lucky,¡± Hu Qingsong exclaimed, ¡°We even chanced upon such a good discount in this upscale restaurant. Later, when we don¡¯t have money to eat, we gotta run to this Everlasting Feast Hall and squat down in front of the entrance. We gotta carefully count the visitors. After the 200th guests pay up, we then pay our bill and leave.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha,¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°Ain¡¯t it the same as filling your belly for free? I estimate that even with the discount, it would be more expensive than buying tow pancakes and a pack of pickles.¡±


    Hu Qingsong chuckled to himself, ¡°That¡¯s true!¡±


    As for Han Qingwu, she looked at Chi Nan¡¯s back with a strange expression before her sight fell on Tang Xiu¡¯s calm face. Inside, she suddenly recalled her bosom friend¡¯s remark.


    Could it be that¡­ Tang Xiu¡¯s identity was really not simple?


    However, she knew his family situation! In particular, she had investigated it for a long period of time more than a year ago. She even realized that Tang Xiu¡¯s family was rather destitute. Hence, she and her colleagues secretly went to visit and eat in Tang Xiu¡¯s family restaurant, ordering a lot of food on purpose and helping their family business.


    But that woman just now was unlikely to be just an attendant.


    Even after pondering about it for a while Han Qingwu was still baffled. She shook her head and no longer kept such wild thoughts.


    Unaware of what was inside Han Qingwu¡¯s mind, Tang Xiu looked at Chi Nan and said, ¡°Teacher Han, you and Hu Qingsong go over first. I¡¯ll be signing the bill.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay with you,¡± said Han Qingwu quickly.


    ¡°No,¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll sign the bill and then we¡¯ll leave together.¡±


    After hesitating for a moment, Han Qingwu nodded, ¡°Alright!¡±


    After that, Tang Xiu went to the counter, entered the PIN and signed the bill. Then he calmly said, ¡°Are you the manager here?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± answered Chi Nan softly.


    ¡°They are my classmate and teacher who come out together with me tonight,¡± said Tang Xiu and continued, ¡°Fortunately, you reacted quickly, or else my identity would¡¯ve been exposed.¡±


    Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, Chi Nan immediately felt happy. She quickly glanced at Han Qingwu and Hu Qingsong as she slightly moved her body, and then spoke the moment she obstructed Tang Xiu, ¡°Do you have any instructions, Boss?¡±


    ¡°No instruction. Just do what you usually do.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Anyhow, your friend is currently dining in the VIP lounge on the fourth floor,¡± said Chi Nan.


    ¡°Friend? Who is it?¡± asked Tang Xiu, surprised.


    ¡°Miao Wentang,¡± said Chi Nan.


    After thinking for a moment, Tang Xiu said in low voice, ¡°Is he alone or is he with friends?¡±


    ¡°With friends. Some Shanghai bigwigs,¡± said Chi Nan.


    ¡°If so, I¡¯ll send off my classmate and teacher first. Go greet Miao Wentang after his party¡¯s over and tell him to wait for me. If it doesn¡¯t end soon, tell him I¡¯ll visit him later, since I need to discuss something with him,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Shall I tell him about it in advance?¡± asked Chi Nan.


    ¡°No,¡± said Tang Xiu


    Quickly, Tang Xiu put his bank card into his pocket and then returned to Han Qingwu and Hu Qingsong. Then, he said with a smile, ¡°The meal is rather affordable, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Just at this moment, he got a text message on his mobile. Chi Nan charged 1 yuan from his card.


    A moment after, as the trio left the restaurant, Han Qingwu smiled and said, ¡°I drove a car here, so I can send you back to campus. Right, you just arrived in Shanghai today, right? Have you seen the night view of the Huangpu River?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Hu Qingsong shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen it.¡±


    ¡°Since we¡¯ll happen to pass it by, I¡¯ll take you there to see it,¡± said Han Qingwu with a smile.


    ¡°Teacher Han, I¡¯ve seen it last night so I won¡¯t go today. Also, I have an elder in Shanghai and I promised him to stay at his place tonight. So you just send Qingsong back to campus. I¡¯ll take a cab and go straight to my relative¡¯s home.¡±


    A relative?


    Han Qingwu looked at Tang Xiu in astonishment. She then nodded and said, ¡°Be careful then. Although Shanghai has good public security, but going alone outside, especially at night, some unexpected accidents somehow still happen.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡± Tang Xiu laughed and said, ¡°I¡¯m not a kid anymore, so don¡¯t worry!¡±


    In next to no time, Han Qingwu drove away with Hu Qingsong as Tang Xiu walked toward the other side. In order to avoid encountering Han Qingwu from returning, he deliberately circumnavigated the Everlasting Feast Hall before coming back.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    Chi Nan respectfully called Tang Xiu upon seeing him back.


    Nodding to her in response, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Get me two bottles of fine wine and take me to the VIP lounge on the fourth floor.¡±


    ¡°Okay, please wait!¡±


    Chi Nan strode toward the elevator. Two minutes later, she came back carrying two beautifully packaged wine bottles, as she then said with a smile, ¡°This is the finest wine in my collection. It¡¯s much better than wine I sent to the fourth floor lounge before.¡±


    Having a look at it, Tang Xiu nodded and laughed, ¡°This will do. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    _Knock, knock!_


    The VIP lounge¡¯s door on the fourth floor was knocked by Chi Nan. After that, she gently opened the door. Looking at Miao Wentang who was chatting with his three friends, she then chuckled and said, ¡°Gentlemen, I apologize for disturbing you again.¡±


    Miao Wentang stood up and was about to speak when he saw Tang Xiu coming inside behind Chi Nan. A pleasantly surprised expression showed on his face as he smiled, ¡°Brother Tang, we were just talking about you. I didn¡¯t expect for you to come here! Come in, quickly!¡±


    ¡°Did I disturb you?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°No, no.¡± Miao Wentang laughed and said, ¡°These three are my old buddies, and they also want to get to know you! They will be very happy knowing you¡¯re here. Come, I¡¯ll introduce you to them. This is Zhang Yueming, the Xinyang Group¡¯s Boss; this one is Gu Changmin, the Dingshen Media¡¯s Boss; and this one is Jin Xingkui, the Jinda Estate¡¯s Boss. We are old buddies for more than two decades.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled and shook hands with the three men before taking a seat under Miao Wentang¡¯s warm greeting. In contrast, Chi Nan was like an attendant as she personally opened the bottle of wine and filled Tang Xiu¡¯s glass to the full.


    ¡°I welcome you to the Everlasting Feast Hall today. It was destined meeting you, so we can say that there is a fate between us. This banquet will be on me. I hope you can come and support our Everlasting Feast Hall later,¡± Tang Xiu raised his glass and said with a smile.


    ¡°Boss Tang is polite!¡±


    Jin Xingkui was the first to speak.


    Nodding and smiling at him in response, Tang Xiu looked at Miao Wentang and said, ¡°I originally came to have a meal here tonight, but didn¡¯t expect that you would also be here. How are you suddenly in Shanghai?¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang, it¡¯s like you don¡¯t know me. There¡¯s a several years¡¯ event of Wine Tasting Conference here. For such important event, I naturally must attend it hopes of tasting a new fine product. Anyhow, how did you turn into the restaurant¡¯s new owner?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story. We¡¯ll talk about it some other time. But speaking about that Wine Tasting Conference, I can assure you that you will chance upon a new good one this year.¡±


    Surprised, Miao Wentang said, ¡°What do you mean? Don¡¯t tell me you know that a new good product will appear there?¡±


    ¡°I set up a winery recently. Although I delegated the management to another person, I personally made the formula. Just wait until the Wine Tasting Conference, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be pleasantly surprised.¡±


    With a strange tone, Miao Wentang said, ¡°I did hear you saying you would brew wine. But I never thought that you would actually set up a winery, though. If the wine produced by your winery is really good, I¡¯ll help you contact a few wine wholesalers, so you don¡¯t have to worry about the sales issues.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°I have to decline your offer. We¡¯ll distribute our wine with our own exclusive agents that will be opened in the major cities in the country.¡±


    ¡°You seem very confident, Brother Tang!¡± laughed Miao Wentang.


    Jin Xingkui suddenly interrupted, ¡°Brother Tang, since you have a wine business, whereas I myself am a good wine lover, I would like to order a batch of it in advance from you! As for the amount¡­ how about 50 million.¡±


    What?


    Miao Wentang was stupefied. Zhang Yueming and Gu Changmin were also dumbfounded.


    What was this? How and where would Jin Xingkui sell it? This was obviously a naked attempt to¡­ curry favor?


    Tang Xiu fell into silence for a moment, before he grinned and replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t originally have this intention. But since Boss Jin has spoken, it would be rude of me to refuse it. The price per bottle is 10 thousand yuan, but I¡¯ll make an exception and give you a 20% discount! We¡¯ll have an agreement first, just this once!¡±

 Chapter 330

    Chapter 330: Ordering in Advance


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Jin Xingkui didn¡¯t care about the price. What he cared about was building a good relationship. The others might not know how horrifying Tang Xiu was, but he knew perfectly well that, for him, having a good relationship with Tang Xiu wouldn¡¯t be harmful to him even if he couldn¡¯t get any benefits from it.


    ¡°OK! Let¡¯s do it according to Boss Tang¡¯s call.¡±


    ¡°Boss Jin is truly straightforward. I never imagined I would get acquainted with such a frank person when I just arrived in Shanghai. If you don¡¯t mind, just call me Tang Xiu! Or just like Brother Miao calls me will do.¡± Laughed Tang Xiu.


    Overjoyed, Jin Xingkui quickly got up and grabbed a wine bottle. He filled Tang Xiu¡¯s glass and amiably laughed, ¡°Well, thanks for regarding me this high, Brother Tang. This might be our first time meeting each other, but I had the feeling of meeting an old friend the first time I saw you, Brother Tang. Come, let¡¯s drink a cup!¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t refuse. He toasted with Jin Xingkui and gulped his wine down.


    Regarding Jin Xingkui¡¯s naked flattery, Zhang Yueming and Gu Changmin were bewildered. They truly couldn¡¯t see through as to why Jin Xingkui, who was a very affluent figure in Shanghai, would unexpectedly show such good will toward Tang Xiu. He even seemed to be lowering himself in doing it.


    He¡­ Did he know something?


    They were both perceptive persons. Even though it was hard for them to guess it, but inside, they decided to observe Tang Xiu more intensely.


    While holding up his glass, Zhang Yueming said, ¡°Boss Tang, Brother Jin has always been someone with vision. Since he has ordered a lot of wine from you, he should be benefitting from your limelight. I also want to order 50 million, would it be fine with you?¡±


    ¡°I also want to order 50 million in advance,¡± said Gu Changmin.


    ¡°No problem,¡± laughed Tang Xiu and said, ¡°The three of you can contact Kang Xia, the General Manager of our Magnificent Tang Corp. I will call her about this in advance.¡±


    ¡°The Magnificent Tang Corp?¡±


    ¡°Kang Xia?¡±


    Zhang Yueming and Gu Changmin exclaimed in alarm. Even Jin Xingkui was stunned, disbelief showing on his face.


    They all knew the famous business genius Kang Xia who suddenly went to Shuangqing Province¡¯s Star City to set up a corporation. Allegedly, the capital investment was not small either. Yet, they never imagined that Kang Xia turned out to be working for Tang Xiu. They were very sure that, if this news were to come out, perhaps tomorrow¡¯s headlines of major financial and economics medias would definitely cover this young man¡¯s profile.


    ¡°It seems you didn¡¯t know about it!¡± laughed Miao Wentang and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, this Brother Tang is simply someone who asks others to work but does nothing himself. He doesn¡¯t manage the issues in the Magnificent Tang Corp normally. You all know about my investment in the new city development in Star City, right? In fact, the development project coordinator is Brother Tang himself, whereas the rest are just shareholders who are making money alongside him to support their families.¡±


    Stunned, Zhang Yueming, Gu Changmin, and Jin Xingkui were once again hit by heavy news. They naturally knew the large-scale construction project in Star City, especially that complex architectural design. They had their eyes straight when they looked at it, wishing that they could put all of their capital to participate in it to grab some of the cake.


    What were their identities?


    What kind of insight and vision did they have?


    But how could they not be able to foresee the huge profits contained in such a big project?


    Only, they never imagined that such a big project, with allegedly 100 billion of total investment, which they couldn¡¯t participate in, turned out to be coordinated by this young man before them.


    Zhang Yueming¡¯s lips twitched a few times as he raised his thumb and exclaimed, ¡°Boss Tang, you really make us feel ashamed! We¡¯ve been painstakingly working hard for decades, and even though we did have accumulate a lot of money, yet we are not as daring as you to play in such a big way!¡±


    ¡°Gentlemen, let¡¯s not talk about business. I¡¯m actually a newborn calf who isn¡¯t afraid of a tiger. Even if I were to fail, I can start all over again. Come, let me toast a cup to show my respect to you!¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Come!¡±


    ¡°Cheers!¡±


    The five gulped down the wine in their glasses.


    Immediately after, Tang Xiu stood up and said with a smile, ¡°Gentlemen, I still have other things to do, so I won¡¯t disturb your party. Thank you for joining in today. I¡¯ll make sure to instruct Chi Nan to send you the best wine. Big Brother Miao, please come to the restaurant office after you¡¯re done. I have something to discuss with you.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡± said Miao Wentang with a smile.


    After that, Tang Xiu and Chi Nan left the VIP lounge and headed straight to the restaurant¡¯s General Manager Office. When he sat down on the sofa, Chi Nan, who had a very good eye for good tea, personally served a pot of tea to Tang Xiu.


    After he drank the tea, Tang Xiu waved his hand, hinting for her to sit on the sofa, and asked, ¡°I haven¡¯t asked. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Chi Nan, Boss. Chi for ¡®arriving late¡¯ and Nan for chinese cedar tree,¡± said Chi Nan respectfully.


    ¡°It seems that you¡¯re also a core member of the Everlasting Feast Hall, right? Otherwise, you shouldn¡¯t have seen my photo,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Chi Nan said, ¡°Although I joined the Everlasting Feast Hall a few years later than Tian Li and Hao Lei, but I was also brought up by the Boss and she also imparted me my martial skills.¡±


    ¡°You seem to be afraid of me?¡± laughed Tang Xiu.


    ¡°You¡¯re the Boss, the one who we pledged our loyalty to,¡± said Chi Nan as she hesitated, ¡°So it¡¯s a given that I¡¯m afraid of you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be. I¡¯m not a big tiger nor am I an evil murderer,¡± laughed Tang Xiu and said, ¡°In fact, I also hope to become friends with you so we can become close comrades.¡±


    Chi Nan lowered her head and didn¡¯t speak.


    Tang Xiu looked at her and said, ¡°Well, you don¡¯t need to wear such a cautious and solemn face in front of me. I always treat my own people sincerely since I want to be their close comrade. Hence, I¡¯ll sincerely regard you as my closest comrade as long as you do the same.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡± asked Chi Nan as she looked up.


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s true!¡± Said Tang Xiu with a smile, ¡°Although I have always been merciless and ruthless to my enemies, I always treat my own people sincerely. The world is way too complicated as it is, and it¡¯s not easy having my own people. Hence, I cherish talented people very much. As far as it¡¯s concerned, you¡¯re a very smart and talented person.¡±


    Feeling happy inside, Chi Nan smiled, ¡°Praising me like this will make me proud, Boss.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re proud, but don¡¯t become arrogant.¡±


    ¡°No worries, Boss. I know it well,¡± said Chi Nan with a smile.


    Nodding to her in response, Tang Xiu then waved his hand, ¡°Alright, go busy yourself! I¡¯ll be here for a while. After Miao Wentang is done with his stuff, guide him here directly.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Chi Nan nodded as she got up and left the office.


    At the VIP lounge on the fourth floor.


    After Tang Xiu left, Zhang Yueming finally couldn¡¯t help looking at Jin Xingkui and asked out of curiosity, ¡°Brother Jin, why did you act like that? I know that you wanted to get acquainted with Tang Xiu, yet it shouldn¡¯t be that obvious, no?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand,¡± said Jin Xingkui with a smile out of his good mood.


    ¡°Brother Jin, we¡¯re not strangers. You¡¯ve just seen that Tang Xiu has a good personality and is easy to get along with. So, tell us! What reason did you have to even make to so anxiously build a good relationship with Tang Xiu?¡±


    Hesitating, Jin Xingkui looked at Miao Wentang.


    The latter was silent for a moment, as he then then slowly said, ¡°Brother Jin, since Brother Zhan asked about it, just tell him! I might know a lot about Tang Xiu, but I don¡¯t know that much. We promise you that we will never disclose half a word of anything you say today.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Zhang Yueming quickly nodded and said, ¡°We¡¯ll absolutely keep it to ourselves. Only the four of us who will know this matter.¡±


    Gu Changmin, who was also eager to know the whole story, followed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry buddy, I¡¯m not a talkative person.¡±


    A forced wry smile appeared on Jin Xingkui¡¯s face as he said, ¡°Since you all said so, I won¡¯t conceal it anymore. However, this is a very important matter. If it were to be spread out, I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be able to trust you again later.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured!¡± said Miao Wentang.


    With a solemn face, Jin Xingkui said, ¡°You should all know Wanyuan Estate¡¯s Boss¡ªChen Jianye in Hong Kong, right?¡±


    ¡°I know him.¡± Said Miao Wentang, ¡°He¡¯s a rather affluent figure.¡±


    ¡°Brother Jin, isn¡¯t he your cousin?¡± asked Zhang Yueming, surprised.


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s indeed my cousin from my paternal aunt. But a month ago in Hong Kong, he had an accident.¡± Laughed Jin Xingkui bitterly.


    ¡°Was it related with Tang Xiu?¡± asked Zhang Yueming with a flickering expression.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jin Xingkui nodded and said, ¡°It was because of my nephew. He offended Tang Xiu and was beaten up as a result. The Everlasting Feast Hall there even caught him. That cousin of mine, as head-strong as he is, had a conflict with the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people, and Tang Xiu was also there at that time. It was what he did back then that makes me scared.¡±


    ¡°What happened exactly?¡± asked Zhang Yueming hastily.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious, will you?¡± Jin Xingkui growled in a low voice and said, ¡°Just listen and I¡¯ll tell you slowly. The ones who offended Tang Xiu were originally four young men, namely¡­¡±


    About four or five minutes later, Jin Xingkui had told the whole story. At the end, he smiled bitterly and said, ¡°The Wanyuan Estate had to pay 49% of their shares as compensation, and most of my cousin¡¯s underlings, who he had painstakingly nurtured, were killed, whereas the others were just as bad. You tell me, is Tang Xiu a fearsome character or not?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s horrifying!¡±


    Zhang Yueming and Gu Changmin gulped down a mouthful of saliva. Their voices quivered a bit.


    Even in their dreams, never did they thought that the Everlasting Feast Hall would have such powerful force. Moreover, they never imagined Tang Xiu would be so ruthless. It was hundreds of lives! He also killed many people just by ordering it.


    ¡°If it was only the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s security guards, I wouldn¡¯t have been so afraid of him,¡± Jin Xingkui sighed and said, ¡°But according to my cousin, Tang Xiu also acted and killed more than twenty by himself. A single man against than twenty people!¡±


    ¡°So terrifying?¡±


    Zhang Yueming and Gu Changmin were already shaken to the point that it was hard for them to digest more.


    Yet, Miao Wentang was only a bit surprised. He knew about Tang Xiu¡¯s strength. Even though he didn¡¯t know how much progress Tang Xiu had in the last two or three months, but considering his previous ability, killing twenty ordinary people was a cinch for him.

 Chapter 331

    Chapter 331: Gu Needles


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Except for Miao Wentang, who knew Tang Xiu fairly well, the others in the VIP lounge only heard about Tang Xiu from hearsay. But they fell into silence after hearing Jin Xingkui¡¯s story.


    Terrifying! Ruthless! Merciless!


    Henceforth, their opinion of Tang Xiu utterly changed.


    _Cough, cough!_


    Coughing twice, Miao Wentang then lightly said, ¡°I cooperated with Tang Xiu in a matter awhile ago, so I can say that I know him quite a lot. He¡¯s ruthless and merciless to his enemies, but to his friends, he¡¯s extraordinarily sincere. Hence, as long as you don¡¯t act against him deliberately, he won¡¯t act against his friends. Anyhow, Brother Jin displayed a good performance today! Tang Xiu has surely recognized you for it. If you get along well with him in the future, it will be easy to make friends later.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s expressions instantly relaxed.


    A smile appeared on Jin Xingkui face as he nodded and said, ¡°I was worried of not getting along with Tang Xiu well before. But after seeing him, I¡¯m relieved. He¡¯s not the sort of fiendish and evil person I was afraid of.¡±


    Yet, shortly after, the smile on his face slowly disappeared, replaced by a solemn expression, as he said, ¡°You must never disclose what I just said to anyone else. Or else, not only will Tang Xiu bear a grudge, even my cousin will face a bad end!¡±


    ¡°Rest assured!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    The others nodded and expressed their compliance.


    Half an hour later, Miao Wentang sent them off, as he then went back inside. He headed straight to the General Manager¡¯s Office under Chi Nan¡¯s lead.


    _Knock, knock!_


    The sound of the door being knocked awakened Tang Xiu from his sleep.


    ¡°Brother Miao, come in!¡±


    Tang Xiu stood up from the sofa and called out with a smile.


    With a smiling expression, Miao Wentang said, ¡°Brother Tang, do you a important matter to discuss with me? Tell me about it. Could it be that this important matter is a plan to make a fortune and you want me to join in?¡±


    ¡°Hehehe,¡± Tang Xiu laughed involuntarily and said, ¡°How could there be such a good thing, eh? Anyhow, the reason that I wanna talk to you, is that I need your help!¡±


    ¡°What is it? Tell me!¡± said Miao Wentang.


    ¡°You¡¯re a cultivator, so you should know about cauldron furnaces, right? It¡¯s not the kind used to refine pills, though. It¡¯s a type to refine weapons. I¡¯m preparing to craft a small tool, but I don¡¯t have a suitable furnace. So I wanna ask your help, about where I can find it.¡±


    Miao Wentang frowned, ¡°Cauldron furnace to craft weapons? Even if such a thing can be found, it¡¯s unlikely that someone will sell it, no? I do know someone who has this type of cauldron, but I¡¯m not sure whether he would be willing to sell it or not.¡±


    ¡°Who is it?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s expression moved as he quickly asked.


    ¡°You too know him. He¡¯s Dao Master Zi Yi.¡±


    ¡°Dao Master Zi Yi actually has a weapon¡¯s cauldron furnace?¡± Tang Xiu was astonished, ¡°It seems like I gotta call him. If he¡¯s willing to sell me the cauldron, I¡¯ll give him a fair price for it.¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang, money to Dao Master Zi Yi is nothing but dirt,¡± Miao Wentang shook his head and said, ¡°If you want to buy it, you must be mentally prepared to get rejected. Anyhow, I know what he doesn¡¯t have, though. But that thing is rather hard to find and extremely rare in this world.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Tang Xiu quickly asked.


    ¡°Gu Needles. And the best one is an entire set of 18 Gu needles.¡±


    What is that?


    A bewildered look emerged in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he asked, ¡°Brother Miao, I¡¯ve never heard of this thing. What is its shape like? What is its uses?¡±


    ¡°Of these 18 Gu Needles, each one differs from the other by either its shape, length, circular measure, as well as the barbed hook and the lines on the surface are completely different. You should have heard about Gu Poison too, right? These Gu Needles are a treasure used to treat this Gu Poison.¡±


    ¡°I do know about Gu Poison. It¡¯s a poison akin to the witchcraft poison inside a human body, which contains an extremely potent toxic venom. What does Dao Master Zi Yi needs these Gu Needles for?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for his successor disciple,¡± Miao Wentang sighed and said, ¡°The little guy was a smart and quick-witted kid since childhood. But more than half a year ago he went traveling in the Miao ethnic region and inadvertently offended a Gu Poison expert there. Hence, that expert poisoned him with a kind of extremely rare and extremely potent Gu Poison. Even though Dao Master Zi Yi has done everything he could, he still couldn¡¯t get rid of the poison inside the little guy¡¯s body. Brother Shao and I also have tried helping before, yet we couldn¡¯t do nothing.¡±


    ¡°I see!¡± A sparkling light flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. Since Dao Master Zi Yi and Miao Wentang couldn¡¯t do anything about it, that meant his chance to get rid of the poison was also small. After all, many methods would need the support of cultivation base, whereas his cultivation base was rather too low at present. At present he couldn¡¯t even compare with them.


    Suddenly, his expression flickered as he recalled one thing. He immediately looked at Miao Wentang and said, ¡°Brother Miao, I didn¡¯t keep Dao Master Zi Yi¡¯s contact before. I think you should be able to contact him, no? Maybe there¡¯s someone who can get rid of the Gu Poison in his disciple¡¯s body.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Miao Wentang quickly asked.


    ¡°An old friend of mine,¡± laughed Tang Xiu and said, ¡°But I have to trouble you to contact Dao Master Zi Yi for this! If possible, tell him to bring his disciple to Shanghai.¡±


    ¡°Dao Master Zi Yi has a mobile phone, but he rarely uses it,¡± Miao Wentang nodded and said, ¡°Moreover, he lives in the middle of the mountains and there¡¯s no signal there. Hmm, I¡¯ll send someone to contact him there and tell him to immediately bring his disciple to Shanghai.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to mention about that cauldron furnace!¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± laughed Miao Wentang and said, ¡°If your old friend really can heal his disciple, let alone that cauldron furnace, Dao Master Zi Yi would give you even more precious things if you wanted.¡±


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu and Miao Wentang chatted for a while. After Miao Wentang bade his farewell and left, Ji Chimei appeared inside Tang Xiu¡¯s mind. She was a member of the Mesmer Clan, and the very thing Mesmer clansmen excelled at was exactly this ¡°witchcraft¡± heritage, as well as being experts in relieving Gu Poison. For Ji Chimei, this kind of witchcraft thingy on Earth was probably a cinch.


    Today, the reason he had a private talk with Miao Wentang in order to get a furnace was because he already had the ores to refine the interspatial ring prepared. The reason he delayed was because he had no cauldron furnace.


    ¡°Boss, your next¡­¡± Chi Nan stood beside Tang Xiu and softly asked.


    ¡°I need nothing else,¡± said Tang Xiu and continued, ¡°The restaurant seems to be well managed and the business looks great. Anyway, it¡¯s not that late, so I should go back.¡±


    ¡°Do you need me to send you back?¡± Chi Nan quickly asked.


    Tang Xiu hesitated before he nodded, ¡°Then, drive me back! Although I have nothing else to do for the next few days, I still have to adjust and adapt myself to the life of a university student.¡±


    A trace of a smile appeared on Chi Nan¡¯s face as she said, ¡°Boss, I don¡¯t understand why do you want to go to university. In actuality, considering your identity, not to mention becoming a university student, you could have built your own university, and a high class one at that.¡±


    Tang Xiu forced a smile, ¡°I¡¯m in fact, I¡¯m not interested in attending university, but my mother has a wish: for me to study in the university, and I don¡¯t want to disappoint her. However, attending university is not necessarily a bad thing either. Because, after all, more learning will bring more advantages to me.¡±


    Chi Nan slightly smiled, ¡°Boss, you really don¡¯t look like a young man, but rather like a scholar.¡±


    Tang Xiu involuntarily laughed as they continued chatting while walking. Soon, they came out of the Everlasting Feast Hall. Under Chi Nan¡¯s guidance, the two then stopped in front of a black Lamborghini.


    ¡°Good car!¡± The car¡¯s shape piqued Tang Xiu¡¯s interest as he couldn¡¯t help praising it.


    ¡°You can drive it at any time you like, Boss,¡± said Chi Nan with a tender smile, ¡°If you don¡¯t like it because it¡¯s a used one, I¡¯ll order you a new one.¡±


    ¡°Nah, forget it!¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°Though I quite like cars, there are already a few cars in my place. Besides, this is Shanghai, a metropolis city. Even if I do have great sports cars here, I will still have to abide by the traffic rules and speed limit regulation, no? Driving a sports car here feels like a waste.¡±


    ¡°Boss, you didn¡¯t know?¡± Chi Nan covered her mouth as she chuckled and said, ¡°Shanghai actually has a lot of second generation nouveau-riches who love drag racing! This place is indeed very strict in enforcing the speed limit, but there¡¯s Changxi City, about an hour distance by driving through Laoshan Highway. It¡¯s the heaven for drag racing enthusiasts. There are drag races happening there almost regularly. Moreover, today seems to be having a car race there. It should be very exciting.¡±


    ¡°Car racing in Laoshan Highway should be very dangerous, right?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised and asked, ¡°The traffic authorities don¡¯t care about it?¡±


    ¡°Logically speaking, car races aren¡¯t allowed there,¡± laughed Chi Nan as she said, ¡°But some people have access to the highest authorities, so the traffic authorities turns a blind eye to it. The people who can participate there are nearly all riches. Hence, even if there¡¯s an accident, someone will take care of it.¡±


    Tang Xiu hesitated and then asked, ¡°Is this car race really exciting?¡±


    ¡°It is. I¡¯ve been there to play a few times. I¡¯ve even suppressed Mu Zi¡ªthe King of Racing. I bought this car from the winning money. As for the time, it usually starts at 10 PM.¡±


    Looking at his watch, Tang Xiu found that it was only thirty minutes to 10 PM. He then shook his head and smiled, ¡°Though I really want to see it, it seems it¡¯s too late. Forget it.¡±


    ¡°Boss, I¡¯ll call Mu Zi if you wanna join the game,¡± said Chi Nan quickly, ¡°The race is often postponed due to special circumstances, anyway. Besides, Mu Zi also owes me a big one. So he surely will able to do it if I call him.¡±


    ¡°Exactly what¡¯s this Mu Zi¡¯s background?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°He¡¯s Changxi City¡¯s local snake, and his family is very affluent there. Either in politics or business, there¡¯s always some of his family elders there. Thus, Laoshan Highway¡¯s car race has been running smoothly for six or seven years due to his arrangements and management.¡±


    Tang Xiu was surprised for a moment, as he said hesitatingly, ¡°If he can do it, then call him!¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡± Chi Nan nodded with a smile.


    Having said that, she quickly took out her mobile and dialed a cell number.

 Chapter 332

    Chapter 332: Car Race


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Changxi City.


    Halfway up a hill on Laoshan Highway was a developed large and wide square, surrounded by dozens of searchlights, illuminating the entire square.


    On the square, hundreds of young men and women in gaudy clothes wandered around the long tables, which were temporarily placed in rows. The long table was filled with all kinds of booze and delicacies. The young men and women were enjoying them while hanging around and chatting; it was very lively.


    And in the surrounding square, aside from cars of various designs, there were super luxurious supercars parked a little further in some places, whereas some people were sitting on them with glasses of wine in their hands, while some others embraced hot girls as they leaned on the cars¡¯ doors.


    In front of one of the long tables, a 30-year-old man was hugging a hot young girl, merrily laughing and chatting with several young men. He was Ji Mu, nicknamed Mu Zi.


    _Ring, ring, ring!_


    Ji Mu¡¯s mobile rang, but he didn¡¯t hear its sound because of the clamoring in the surrounding. But the mobile¡¯s vibration was sensed by him. As he took the phone out and saw the caller ID on the screen, he looked a bit surprised. Then, he released the hot young girl from his embrace and motioned for the other young men to be silent as he spoke, ¡°Hello, Big Sis Nan. How come such a busy person like you remembers to give me a call?¡±


    ¡°Is there a car race on Laoshan Highway tonight?¡± Chi Nan¡¯s voice was heard from the phone.


    ¡°Yup!¡± Ji Mu laughed and said, ¡°It will start about half an hour from now. Anyhow, are you gonna join the game tonight, Big Sis Nan?¡±


    ¡°Postpone the race and start it about an hour later! I¡¯m going there with a very important person to join the game, and we¡¯ll be arriving there at nearly 11 PM.¡±


    A very important person?


    Ji Mu was stunned as he laughed, ¡°Then I look forward to it, Big Sis Nan. I hope you can join the game and spice it up. And don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll tell the others that tonight¡¯s game will be postponed for an hour. Right, can I ask you who¡¯s the VIP you¡¯re bringing tonight?¡±


    ¡°No need to ask. In short, you gotta treat him better than you treat me!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Ji Mu¡¯s handsome face changed a few times after he heard the hanging sound from the phone. He knew that Chi Nan was the deputy manager of Shanghai¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall. She was a capable woman. And in particular, her car racing skill was not something he could hold a candle to.


    A few professional racers from Hong Kong had once come and suppressed the enthusiast amateur car racers from several cities nearby. Back then, they were miserably suppressed. Even he, who was known as the King of Racing, lost miserably. They utterly lost face, and he had to call Chi Nan for help. After some effort, Chi Nan was finally able to defeat those Hong Kong¡¯s professional racers, saving their faces.


    To sum it up, he really owed Chi Nan a big one!


    ¡°Hou Zi, tell the others that tonight¡¯s race will be delayed for an hour,¡± taking out a cigarette and lighting it up, Ji Mu said after taking a deep puff.


    The one who was called ¡®Monkey¡¯ was a thin youth. He looked somewhat excited as he asked, ¡°Boss Ji, was it Big Sis Nan who called you just now? Is she going to join the game today?¡±


    ¡°Yup, she¡¯s coming,¡± Ji Mu nodded and said, ¡°I heard she¡¯s also bringing a VIP to join the game. So tell the others that we¡¯ll begin the race by 11 PM.¡±


    ¡°Boss Ji, Li Zhen wouldn¡¯t be enraged because of this, right?¡± Hou Zi forced a smile and said, ¡°I believe you too know why he came today. He must want to wash away his defeat more than a month ago. I heard he invited a professional racer from Hong Kong who won the Asian Racing Championship.¡±


    With a solemn expression, Ji Mu said, ¡°I did hear about the guy Li Zhen invited. He¡¯s well-known as Junior Racer God in Hong Kong. His record is only a bit worse than the crowned Racer God, who has won the World United Racing Championship seven times. I originally had the intention to lose, but I didn¡¯t expect that Big Sis Nan would suddenly come. Maybe, if Big Sis Nan were to play, we should have a 50% chance of winning.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I hope she can win,¡± said Hou Zi.


    A few minutes later, a group of young men and women surrounding a young man with bleached hair and explosive hairdo in front of Ji Mu and the others.


    ¡°Ji buddy, I heard you have to postpone the game for an hour, eh? Are you afraid of losing miserably, thus you tried finding outside help? Hahaha, I gotta tell you one thing dude. I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s only one outcome for you: failure. You¡¯ll utterly and miserably lose today.¡± The youth gave Ji Mu a provocative look with a rampant and arrogant tone.


    With a cold and detached expression, Ji Mu said, ¡°You win some, you lose some. It¡¯s just a common occurrence for me. Even if we lose today, it¡¯s only our first loss. But if you were to lose yet again today, that¡¯s another shame for you. Li Zhen, if I were you, I¡¯d better wait honestly for the game, since acting too rampant and arrogant will only more seriously disgrace me once I lost the game.¡±


    ¡°Humph,¡± Li Zhen gave white eyes and sneered, ¡°It¡¯s not in my fucking intention to lose again. If you can win again this time, I will never step here again.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve prepared 20 million,¡± Ji Mu nodded and said, ¡°You can take it if you can win.¡±


    ¡°Ji Mu, I have a condition since you changed the time,¡± Li Zhen rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Double the bet!¡±


    Ji Mu chuckled, ¡°Doubling it is only 40 million. Easy.¡±


    ¡°If so, then you had better prepare the money and give it to me obediently!¡± Li Zhen proudly said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell the other participants. If they want to follow the bet, they must also bet 20 million. And if they can win, they will get 80 million from both of us.¡±


    Money was not something Ji Mu lacked. Running car races here gave him a billion annually. Added with him betting and playing from time to time, he had won a fortune. 40 million was only a small sum for him. There was not much difference between 20 or 40 million, as both were only a small sum of money.


    Yet, for people like them who were of big background and status, oftentimes money was less important than face. Especially in their young masters¡¯ circle, their faces was the most important of all.


    Time passed by.


    At 10:40 PM a black Lamborghini roared into the square, displaying wonderful drift and attracting almost everyone¡¯s attention.


    A group of young men and women under Ji Mu quickly walked toward it, as they then saw Chi Nan in the driver seat. The latter quickly opened the door and got off, as she slightly ran to the copilot door and opened it personally. Immediately, everyone saw a young man with a smiling expression coming out from the car.


    ¡°Who is he?¡±


    Of the hundreds of people present, seventy to eighty percent of them knew who Chi Nan was, as well as learned that she was the deputy manager of Shanghai¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall. But the most inconceivable thing for them was that, the usual proud and elegant Chi Nan unexpectedly became someone else¡¯s driver. She even personally opened the door for that young man under everyone¡¯s watchful gaze with an assistant-like behavior.


    Li Zhen, on the other hand, also knew who Chi Nan was. He also knew that Chi Nan had once participated in the game here and defeated several professional racers from Hong Kong. Yet, he was still very confident toward the Junior Racer God he had invited, so he didn¡¯t pay much attention to Chi Nan.


    ¡°Who are they?¡±


    A young man standing beside Li Zhen asked with a cool tone.


    Li Chun, standing among the young people, asked coolly.


    ¡°She¡¯s the woman I have told you about, Huan Yu. The one who has defeated some skillful professional racers from Hong Kong. But as for that guy beside her, I¡¯ve never seen him before,¡± said Li Zhen.


    ¡°I did have a match with those guys who competed with Chi Nan. They are indeed very good; I even had to go all out to defeat them. Since this Chi Nan can defeat them, I¡¯m afraid that her skill is not much lower than mine. However, don¡¯t worry. I have received your money, so I¡¯ll help you win this game tonight,¡± Hong Yu nodded and said.


    ¡°You¡¯re a powerful figure touted as the Junior Racer God,¡± said Li Zhen with a smile, ¡°So I¡¯m confident that you¡¯ll win this race. Come on, I¡¯ll treat you to a drink after the game is over.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡± said Huan Yu in a cool voice.


    Leading a group of young men and women, Ji Mu came in front of Chi Nan and Tang Xiu. With an amiable and warm expression on his face, he called out, ¡°Big Sis Nan, how have you been? This one is¡­¡±


    Taking a step forward, Tang Xiu extended his hand and smiled, ¡°Hi, my name is Tang Xiu. You can regard me as a bystander here. I just came to play here. I didn¡¯t disturb you, did I?¡±


    After having a handshake, Ji Mu laughed, ¡°Of course not! You¡¯re Big Sis Nan¡¯s friend, so you¡¯re this Ji Mu¡¯s friend also. I¡¯m very glad you came today!¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I had only seen car races on TV before; it¡¯s my first time seeing it in real life. May I participate in the game?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t seen a car race once in real life?¡±


    For a moment, Ji Mu was stunned, as a strange expression was cast on his face.


    He originally expected that Chi Nan would bring a skillful racer. Even if he were to thicken his skin or pay a price, he intended to ask the other party to win tonight¡¯s gamble. But he didn¡¯t expect that the other party was not even a player.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Ji Mu let out a hollow laugh and then said, ¡°Never mind. Let¡¯s just focus on partaking the game.¡±


    Having said that, he turned to look at Chi Nan as he smiled and said, ¡°Big Sis Nan, are you going to join in the game tonight? Someone came with the purpose of smashing our gathering field. If you don¡¯t go on stage, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯re gonna lose.¡±


    Before replying, Chi Nan glanced at Tang Xiu, and then said, ¡°I came here today as a guest, not for the gamble.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    With a somewhat awkward expression, Ji Mu looked at Tang Xiu, since he found that Chi Nan seemed to very much heed Tang Xiu. Hence, if he wanted to make Chi Nan participate in tonight¡¯s gamble, perhaps the only chance was to ask Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Since he requested you, then let¡¯s play!¡± laughed Tang Xiu and said, ¡°However, it seems like we don¡¯t have enough cars to participate in the race.¡±


    ¡°Big Sis Nan can take my car,¡± said Ji Mu quickly.


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll play,¡± Chi Nan nodded and said, ¡°But I don¡¯t care about winning or losing. I will only do my best.¡±


    Ji Mu laughed, ¡°I feel relieved if Big Sis Nan is gonna do her best. Don¡¯t worry, though. I¡¯ll give you the stake money if you win. I¡¯ll also take the full responsibility if you lose.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a gambling stake? How much is it?¡± asked Tang Xiu, surprised.


    Ji Mu said with a smile, ¡°The set stake was supposed to be 20 million per person, but since Li Zhen insisted to raise the stake against me, the stake went up to 40 million, while the stake for the rest is still 20 million.¡±

 Chapter 333

    Chapter 333: Arrogance


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu was a bit surprised, since it was needless to say that Ji Mu was an affluent character in Changxi City. But how would someone dare to make trouble in his event? As he asked it out, only then did he understand the whole story and suddenly laughed, ¡°It¡¯s kind of normal for people to gamble with small stakes when there¡¯s a competition. Anyhow, we won¡¯t let you lose vain, though. If we lose, we¡¯ll also put out 20 million like everyone else. But if we win, the gambling stake will be ours.¡±


    Ji Mu was slightly surprised.


    Was it just a small bet? 20 million was only a small gamble?


    Such a remark suddenly piqued his interest toward Tang Xiu¡¯s identity. As he inquired Chi Nan about it, the latter only laughed, ¡°I don¡¯t have any say on it.¡±


    ¡°In that case, it¡¯s decided!¡± Ji Mu nodded and said, ¡°Brother Tang, since it¡¯s your first time coming here, don¡¯t you want to get familiar with the race track? How about you familiarize yourself with the track first and then we begin the game?¡±


    ¡°Do we still have enough time?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°To complete the track length of the entire Laoshan Highway, one would only need to spend a dozen minutes if their speed is fast enough,¡± said Ji Mu.


    ¡°Alright. Then I¡¯ll go for a lap,¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Chi Nan, accompany me!¡±


    ¡°OK!¡± Chi Nan nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s 15 minutes to eleven now. I wonder if you can finish a lap within the set time. Were you to affect the race, I¡¯m afraid the others won¡¯t be happy,¡± Li Zhen came, surrounded by a group of people, with a ridiculing look on his face. He observed Tang Xiu for a few moments before his sight finally landed on Chi Nan.


    ¡°Chi Nan, you once played here. What is Laoshan Highway¡¯s fastest record?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s 11 minutes and 45 seconds.¡±


    ¡°That should be about the same. Well, if I can¡¯t lap around Laoshan Highway within 15 minutes, I¡¯m afraid participating in this race is meaningless. Right, looking at you, you should be the one calling the shots of these chaps. How should I call you?¡±


    ¡°Li Zhen!¡±


    ¡°Got your name. If I were to lose the game today, I¡¯ll give you 40 million! But do you dare to accept my demand if you were to lose?¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said.


    Frowning, Li Zhen then asked, ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°If I win, you will have to stay away from me when you see me later.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    Raising his brows, a burst of light flashed from Li Zhen¡¯s eyes as he could vaguely feel the subtle meaning behind Tang Xiu¡¯s words. It seemed like that there was a grudge between them.


    ¡°Do we know each other?¡± asked Li Zhen.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°I never met you before.¡±


    Li Zhen frowned, ¡°Then why you¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently, ¡°I am someone who doesn¡¯t like trouble, yet bossy young masters like you are very easy to provoke troubles. So you had better stay away from me so that we won¡¯t have a conflict later.¡±


    With mock and ridicule on his face, Li Zhen said, ¡°You are a farsighted person, eh. OK, I¡¯ll be staying away from you when I see you in the future if I were to lose.¡±


    Slightly nodding in response, Tang Xiu then gave Chi Nan a hand signal as they walked toward the Lamborghini. After familiarizing himself with the car, he started it up!


    Though Tang Xiu got his driver license just recently and only had a short time driving, yet he was pretty good at it. As long as he could familiarize himself with the control, it was easy to drive a car at high speeds. After all, his vision and reaction rate was far beyond ordinary people. Hence, the Lamborghini¡¯s engine roared as it flashed out in an instant.


    ¡°Chi Nan, you know this road well. Tell me what I need to pay attention to.¡±


    Sitting on the copilot seat, Chi Nan nodded, ¡°No problem. After exiting at the front, we¡¯ll enter the road and circumnavigate the Laoshan Highway. As long as we don¡¯t speed up directly, we won¡¯t fall off the cliff due to the guardrail at the edge of the road. Boss, though you¡¯re speeding up, I¡¯ll tell you in advance when we turn around a curve or a sloping ramp.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    With one hand on the steering wheel, Tang Xiu¡¯s other hand manually moved the gear, and deeply pressed the accelerator pedal each time he shifted gears. Under the dim lights, the Lamborghini soon reached 100 km/h. After maintaining this speed for two minutes, he began speeding up again.


    ¡°Boss, a U-turn is up ahead,¡± Chi Nan quickly reminded.


    Tang Xiu nodded. Though the lights were dim, his eyes were very sharp. In the same pace as he familiarized himself with the controls, the car¡¯s speed rapidly reached 160 km/h.


    ¡°I saw cars drifting on TV, how do I do that?¡± Tang Xiu suddenly asked.


    Astonished, Chi Nan was startled for a moment, as she then asked, ¡°Boss, you don¡¯t even know how to drift?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been in a car race before, how would I know how to drift?¡± laughed Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Besides, I just got my driver¡¯s license about two months ago. I¡¯m only familiar with a few types of cars. Like this sports car, it¡¯s my first time driving it!¡±


    Chi Nan was somewhat speechless.


    She was puzzled. Since Tang Xiu had never drove a sports car before, why did he make a bet with Li Zhen, anyway? Even if 40 million was only a small sum of money, but wasn¡¯t it better not to lose money?


    ¡°Boss, drifting is kind of a driving technique. It¡¯s also known as ¡®skidding¡¯, ¡®over-steering¡¯ or ¡®drifting¡¯. The driver over-steer the wheel and uses the handbrake and foot brake at the same time. It will then cause the direction of the car¡¯s steering wheel to sharply change. When you¡¯re about to drift, you must precisely judge the road ahead. Your feet¡­¡±


    While driving, Tang Xiu listened to Chi Nan¡¯s explanation and gradually gained a certain understanding of how to drift. Just as he bypassed the U-turn, he sped up again and prepared to attempt drifting.


    _Screech!_


    The car¡¯s rear rapidly whipped as its tires violently drifted with the road, causing the car to move sideways. In just a few seconds, Tang Xiu finished a less than perfect drift; even almost hitting the side of a mountain wall in the process.


    ¡°Holy cow!¡±


    Chi Nan sincerely sighed even though her complexion turned somewhat pale. After all, it was Tang Xiu¡¯s first time driving a sports car; his first time practicing a drift, and even doing it in such a dangerous mountain road. It was already extraordinarily hard to believe that they didn¡¯t get into an accident.


    Tang Xiu himself was somehow nervous. But after the car completely stopped, his anxiousness disappeared. However, he was a bit ashamed upon hearing Chi Nan¡¯s praise. After starting the car again, he tried again four or five times.


    ¡°Amazing!¡±


    After Tang Xiu¡¯s last attempt, Chi Nan couldn¡¯t help but gasp in amazement. She was also someone who possessed a keen sense to capture dynamic movements. Yet, Tang Xiu¡¯s every attempt was much better than the last. This time, Tang Xiu even almost perfectly drifted the car.


    After that, Tang Xiu sped up to 200 km/h as he said with a smile, ¡°Ah, my skill isn¡¯t good enough. Maybe I can fully adapt to it after a few more laps, since this drifting technique is very simple. You only need precise calculation, coordinating the brake and speed with the steering wheel rotation.¡±


    In admiration, Chi Nan exclaimed, ¡°Boss, if I did not know that you had never been drove a sports car and drifted before, I would have thought that you were a racing expert judging from your last attempt! This learning speed of yours is way too powerful. I¡¯ve never seen anyone who can progress as fast as you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t flatter me,¡± laughed Tang Xiu involuntarily as he said, ¡°How much time do I have?¡±


    The smile on Chi Nan¡¯s face got thicker. She looked at her watch and said, ¡°It¡¯s 10:57. Three minutes to the agreed time. Boss, it¡¯s kinda impossible to complete the remaining track with your current speed within three minutes. Unless¡­¡±


    ¡°Unless what?¡± Tang Xiu immediately asked as he pushed the throttle pedal slightly.


    ¡°Unless you speed up to the peak.¡± Said Chi Nan.


    ¡°Sit tight!¡±


    Tang Xiu growled in a low voice as his foot pushed the throttle pedal to the most bottom. The car¡¯s sped soared in an instant. At this moment, Tang Xiu¡¯s mental state was highly focused as he instantly released his perception to perceive 200 to 300 meters ahead.


    The car was lightning fast!


    A distance of 200 to 300 meters could be passed in a blink; yet, being able to perceive the road ahead in a speed race was an absolute advantage.


    In the Laoshan Highway square, halfway up the hill, everyone was looking up, waiting.


    ¡°Boss Ji, do you think Tang Xiu can return within the fixed time? There¡¯s only two minutes left to eleven now,¡± the skinny, monkey-like faced Hou Zi whispered, showing a worried look on his face.


    ¡°You ask me, but who should I ask?¡± said Ji Mu slowly, ¡°If Tang Xiu didn¡¯t really car raced before, it¡¯ll be close to impossible for him to return within the allotted time. And this is also his first-time drag racing on Laoshan Highway, so I don¡¯t have much hope.¡±


    With a puzzled expression, Hou Zi asked, ¡°I really don¡¯t get it. Why would he bet against Li Zhen, anyway? Do they have any grudges before?¡±


    ¡°There should be no conflict between them that I can tell.¡± Ji Mu glanced at him and said indifferently, ¡°But didn¡¯t you hear Li Zhen¡¯s question before? I can tell that he doesn¡¯t like Li Zhen!¡±


    ¡°But just because he doesn¡¯t like him, he didn¡¯t have to lose his money, right?¡± Hou Zi whispered, ¡°It¡¯s like he¡¯s giving money to be slapped by others. Could he be that stupid?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a big world. There¡¯s nothing strange even if things like this happen. Some weirdos appearing amongst youngsters is a normal occurrence, anyway,¡± said Ji Mu.


    Weirdo?


    Hou Zi let out a hollow laugh and no longer spoke.


    At the other side, a smile that didn¡¯t look like a smile hung on the corner of Li Zhen¡¯s mouth. He raised his wrist and looked at the time on his watch. He was curious as to whether Tang Xiu would be able to come back within the allotted time.


    ¡°Young Master Li, I think we don¡¯t have to wait any longer.¡±


    Still, with a cool expression on his face, Huan Yu stuffed both of his hands into his trousers and spoke.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Li Zheng laughed and said, ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember back then when I spent a full 14 minutes to circumnavigate this track the first time I got here? If that guy really can return within the allotted time, it means that his driving skill is comparable to mine.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Li Zhen shook his head and smiled, ¡°In fact, it¡¯s possible for him to return within the allotted time. Because¡­¡±

 Chapter 334

    Chapter 334: Rescuing Someone¡¯s Life


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Huan Li slightly knitted his brows as he saw Li Zhen keeping him guessing. In actuality, he didn¡¯t like him, but Li Zhen found him and promised to give him a rather significant amount of money. Hence, he agreed to come to Changxi City to help him win the game. He may not like the man, but he liked money.


    Thus, he asked, ¡°Because of what?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t sobered up yet?¡± laughed Li Zhen as he said, ¡°If he knows the track, why would he want Chi Nan to accompany him? Tell me, if he drives for a few kilometers and then Chi Nan replaces him, and then quickly change places again before coming back, can he get here in time?¡±


    Astonished, Huan Yi stared blankly for a moment and then said, ¡°You mean they¡¯re cheating? But if they do, what¡¯s the point with familiarizing himself with the race track?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know some people are just like that, do you?¡± laughed Li Zhen and said, ¡°Many people simply don¡¯t care that much, as far as their faces are concerned. If he can return within the allotted time, it¡¯s like he can prove to everyone else that he got great driving skills. Hence, he naturally can garner people¡¯s admiration. But if he were to fail, he can easily find an excuse, such as not feeling well, a little problem with his car, anything¡­ Cutting it short, telling he wants to familiarize himself with the track is just a means to prove his strength, while winning or losing may be unimportant to him.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s way too retarded if he really does that,¡± Huan Yi couldn¡¯t help retorting.


    ¡°But this kind of idiocy is exactly why I like that punk!¡± Li Zhen grinned, ¡°Not only will he give us a lot of money, but he¡¯ll also give us a chance to step on him and get more attention. Where else can we chance upon this kind of good thing, of having double benefits at one strike?¡±


    ¡°True that!¡± Huan Yu nodded slightly.


    Time passed and there was only half a minute left to 11:00 PM. Yet, there were headlights appearing at the distance in Laoshan Highway.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t come back in time!¡±


    The same thought filled everyone¡¯s mind at present.


    However, at this moment, at the end-point of the U-curve in the distance, two headlights beamed out and approached lightning fast.


    ¡°No shit! He¡¯s back in time?¡±


    ¡°Well, well, he came back. And his speed is so fast!¡±


    ¡°This Tang pretty boy is quite good, isn¡¯t he? The number of those who often car race here and can return within 15 minutes are perhaps no more than twenty.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t cheat, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Some people marveled in wonderment while some others questioned it.


    Missing eight seconds to 11:00 PM, the black Lamborghini burst into the square as though a lightning bolt and then stopped with a beautiful drift and rapid braking.


    Tang Xiu then opened the door as he looked at Ji Mu, Li Zhen and the others who were coming over. He then laughed and asked loudly, ¡°I¡¯m not late, am I?¡±


    ¡°Humph,¡± Li Zheng coldly snorted and said, ¡°You aren¡¯t. But you still have delayed the game time. It¡¯s exactly 11:00 PM now. If we want to guarantee the game time to be finished in an hour, I suggest we start in 10 minutes.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine whatever time it is.¡±


    Raising his thumb, Ji Mu exclaimed in praise, ¡°You¡¯re really great, Brother Tang! You can complete a lap within 15 minutes in your first time on Laoshan Highway. Even for me, my first time here wasn¡¯t as good as yours!


    ¡°That¡¯s overpraising,¡± laughed Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s take a break and get ready.¡± Said Ji Mu.


    There were a total of seven people participating in tonight¡¯s racing. Apart from Tang Xiu and Chi Nan, there were Li Zhen and Huan Yu, whereas the other three people were unknown to Tang Xiu. Originally, Ji Mu was also one of the contenders, but since he lent his car to Chi Nan, therefore, he was acting as a referee.


    Seven luxurious supercars lined up, each worth more than several million. It looked rather spectacular when the cars stopped in a horizontal line.


    ¡°GET READY!¡±


    While holding a colored flag, Ji Mu blew a whistle and waved the colored flag in his hand.


    In a flash, the seven supercar roared and darted as though arrows released from its bows toward the exit in front of the square.


    Driving the black Lamborghini, Tang Xiu¡¯s initial speed was not fast, coming seventh out of the square exit. However, since he had memorized the roads of Laoshan Highway, coupled with the high-end configuration of Chi Nan¡¯s sports car, he directly powered up and sped up the moment he entered Laoshan Highway.


    ¡°I must get at least in the first three before the first U-curve.¡±


    Squinting his eyes, Tang Xiu controlled the steering wheel and switched gears with sheer accuracy. As he pushed to the highest gear, he pressed the accelerator pedal sufficiently. Half a minute later, he had bypassed the Porsche in front of him and overtook another supercar two minutes after.


    ¡°Chi Nan¡¯s driving skills are quite good!¡±


    While watching the other four supercars ahead of him competing, a smile outlined on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth. He rapidly speed up as two sides of the terrain brushed backward. Quickly, at the moment he was about to pass the U-curve, he fiercely controlled the steering wheel, releasing the hand on the gear to grab the handbrake and then pressed the brake with his foot. After a beautiful drift, he counter-steered the wheel as his foot deeply pressed the accelerator to slip through the space between another supercar and the cliff.


    Ahead of him, Li Zhen was driving a red Ferrari and going all out to chase the two cars in front. He knew that the two racers ahead were Huan Yu and Chi Nan. At this time, Huan Yu was first and Chi Nan second.


    ¡°I gotta catch up with them. Even if I can¡¯t win against Huan Yu, but I must overtake Chi Nan.¡±


    Li Zhen gritted his teeth and moved the steering wheel, pressing the accelerator deeper. However, just as he went all out to overtake Chi Nan, a black Lamborghini had beautifully counter-steered and appeared at his rear.


    Furthermore, what made him slightly lose his concentration was that, the speed of the black Lamborghini on the curved arc of the road was even faster than his. Within just two seconds, he was overshadowed and overtaken.


    ¡°FUCK! The one driving it is Tang Xiu!¡±


    Li Zhen was furious inside. He pressed the accelerator pedal to the maximum.


    Time fleeted by.


    Relying on his skillful driving control technique, precise judgment and extraordinary reaction rate that was beyond that of an ordinary person¡¯s, Tang Xiu had shaken off Li Zhen in just five minutes. The Lamborghini he was riding also began biting Chi Nan¡¯s tail.


    ¡°The road ahead was an S-shaped one. It will be a good chance to overtake her. After the end of the S-shaped road, there are still two small U-curve arcs. This means I only have three chances to overtake the two cars in front.¡±


    Tang Xiu had just relaxed pressing the accelerator pedal when he forcefully stepped on it deeper. Chi Nan and Huan Yu¡¯s cars were chasing each other, continuing their sprint and blocking each other, while Tang Xiu was precisely calculating their car¡¯s driving direction and its routes.


    ¡°Dash!¡±


    Stepping on the accelerator pedal, Tang Xiu instantly slipped through the space between the two cars and placed his car in a straight line with Huan Yu¡¯s at the forefront. Furthermore, his black Lamborghini was on the side of the mountain wall, while Huan Yu¡¯s sports car was closing right up against the cliff¡¯s guardrail.


    ¡°Except for that last U-curve, there is no need to slow down even if it¡¯s an S-curve road.¡±


    Tang Xiu revealed a slight smile. After sprinting with Huan Yu for half a minute, he finally overtook him on the S-curve road. However, he was a bit helpless at the small U-curve ahead as Huan Yu exerted his superb driving skills to overtake him.


    ¡°I only have one last chance!¡± As Tang Xiu slightly narrowed his eyes as at this moment, Chi Nan¡¯s sports car abruptly caught up and maintained its side-by-side position with the Lamborghini.


    Inside the sports car, a worried look was written on Chi Nan¡¯s face. Tang Xiu¡¯s speed was too fast, and she could barely catch up even though she went all out; even though the configuration of this sports car was slightly better than her Lamborghini.


    One must know that Tang Xiu was the owner of the Everlasting Feast Hall¡ªher Big Boss. As far as she was concerned, she preferred Tang Xiu losing the game than getting into an accident. And at Tang Xiu¡¯s current speed, it was very easy for him to have an accident.


    She could never let Tang Xiu have an accident. Were it to happen, not only would she ruin her chance, she would also be severely punished by the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s higher-ups, perhaps even losing her own life.


    _Gotta think of a solution! Even if that sports car in front runs out of the cliff, but I must never let Boss have an accident._


    Thinking up to there, Chi Nan steeled her heart. She pressed the accelerator to the deepest. After she overtook Tang Xiu, her car began to close on Huan Yu¡¯s supercar.


    At the front was the largest U-curve, and also the spot that was much easier for an accident to happen. However, as Chi Nan realized that Tang Xiu was not slowing down his speed in the slightest, a cold light shot out from her eyes.


    _Screech!_


    The car rubbed and squeezed the guardrail on the cliffside.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes suddenly shrunk as he clearly saw the situation of the two supercars racing in front. He could vaguely guess Chi Nan¡¯s intention the moment Chi Nan overtook him, as Huan Yu was now in a dangerous situation.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Sighing inside, Tang Xiu pressed the accelerator yet again. Just as Huan Yu¡¯s sports car was braking and deviated from the track and quickly about to hit the cliffside guardrail, Tang Xiu¡¯s car severely hit the right side of Huan Yu¡¯s sports car, causing him to turn and rotate. At the same time, Tang Xiu frantically released his spiritual sense to wrap his Lamborghini and instantly pulled it over. Although it was only able to alter the risk of his Lamborghini to roll over, he quickly seized the moment to dash through the channel gap and slipped out.


    The tires rolled and frictioned the ground.


    The moment Huan Yu stepped on the brakes, after his sports car sled for more than ten meters, it finally stopped and leaned against the mountain wall. At this time, his complexion faintly paled. It was a crisis and a near-death experience, giving him cold sweat.


    He was a professional racer, thus he was perfectly aware of the car¡¯s speed and terrain he just passed. He knew that Chi Nan, who had just squeezed out to overtake him, would make him drive out of the guardrail and fall into the cliff had nothing else happened. Whereas the sports car that Tang Xiu drove accidentally hit his car, rotating it and making him come back to the road.


    Chi Nan intended to kill him! Whereas Tang Xiu wanted to save him!


    As skillful as he was in driving, Huan Yu could only force a bitter smile out. He was in the game just for the money, yet never did he expect that a fatal disaster would almost befall upon him. He suddenly regreted promising Li Zhen to take part in the game.

 Chapter 335

    Chapter 335: Surprising Result


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    _Whoosh¡­_


    A sports car stopped in front of Huan Yu¡¯s car. Li Zhen¡¯s eyes stared with disbelief as he saw the car stopped at the side, seeing the pale Huan Yu at the driver seat.


    What situation was this? Shouldn¡¯t Huan Yu be the first place? How did he stop here?


    Could it be¡­ a problem with his car?


    Looking to the front and finding that Tang Xiu and Chi Nan¡¯s cars were nowhere to be seen, Li Zhen¡¯s heart sank. He opened the door furiously and ran toward Huan Yu¡¯s car. He pulled its door open and bellowed, ¡°What the fuck happened here? Why did you stop midway?¡±


    After getting out of the driver seat, Huan Yu pointed at the tire marks on the asphalt and dully said, ¡°Were it not because of Tang Xiu, I would¡¯ve already died by now.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Startled, Li Zheng looked the tire marks around. After carefully observation, his face turned aghast as he found the rotating traces from Huan Yu¡¯s car. The tire¡¯s friction on the ground evidently showed that his car was thrown tens of meters away before finally stopping.


    Seeing from the marks¡­ could it be he started from the cliffside guardrail?


    Li Zhen ran around to see the car¡¯s front. As he saw traces of damage due to the crash with the guardrail, his complexion changed greatly.


    ¡°Huan Yu, was it due to your driving skill¡­¡±


    ¡°No, the problem was not with my skill,¡± Huan Yu shook his head and said, ¡°I never thought Chi Nan would be so ruthless. She wanted to kill me.¡±


    Shaken, Li Zhen was startled with disbelief on his face. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I dunno,¡± Huan Yu let out a bitter smile and said, ¡°If I had to guess the reason, then I¡¯d say she wants to win.¡±


    Li Zhen turned silent.


    In the case that he had to choose between losing the game and Huan Yu dying, it was probably a 50-50 split. Thus, he was really at a loss at this moment, and felt contradicted inside.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    With a complicated mood, Li Zhen turned toward his car and left.


    On the square, several hundreds of car racing fans were waiting. Groups of young men and women gathered in threes or fours as they clamored about who would lose or win.


    ¡°I think Huan Yu will win. He¡¯s a pro driver and has won the Asian Racing Championship many times. He¡¯s also the runner-up at the world level.¡±


    ¡°I also think so. Huan Yu has the biggest probability to win. There¡¯s a big difference between pros and amateurs, especially for racers. Chi Nan may have defeated several pro racers, but those had small reputation. She won¡¯t be able to defeat this Junior Racer God.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Chi Nan¡¯s hope to win is bigger.¡±


    ¡°What do you think of that Tang Xiu? The last or the second position from the bottom?¡±


    ¡°Well, he spent nearly 15 minutes to finish the lap before. Though he may be familiar with the track, I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll necessarily be that good on the second lap!¡±


    ¡°That fella is a fool. It will be more shameful when he eventually loses his money!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where he comes from!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Amid the chatters, two headlights beamed out in the distance. The entire square turned utterly silent in an instant as everyone¡¯s eyes tightly stared at the approaching cars.


    ¡°It¡¯s Boss Ji¡¯s sports car! Chi Nan is driving it. Holy shit! Big Sis Nan got the first place!¡± One of the youths around Ji Mu immediately yelled after identifying the racing cars.


    In an instant, the entire square exploded.


    Those who were confident that Chi Nan was inferior to Huan Yu had their complexions turn unsightly. Thinking that they had shamed themselves because of their own comments a moment ago.


    ¡°Look, there¡¯s another one quickly arriving from behind!¡±


    All eyes looked at the second car. As they saw the black Lamborghini, they were dumbstruck as disbelief burst out from their eyes.


    Tang Xiu?


    The one driving that black Lamborghini was none other but Tang Xiu!


    All eyes stared wide. They really couldn¡¯t believe that the second place turned out to be Tang Xiu.


    ¡°How can it be?¡±


    A lot of people shouted. They could barely accept Chi Nan taking first place. But for Tang Xiu to take the second place, it was nearly impossible for them to accept.


    As far as they were concerned, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t come here to race, he was just becoming familiar with the race track. But to think that he could defeat the Asian¡¯s Junior Racer God, wasn¡¯t this too outrageous?


    Two minutes later, Li Zhen and Huan Yu¡¯s sports cars came back. Both of them looked a bit unsightly. As they got off, they both looked at Chi Nan and Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Why the fuck did you do that, Chi Nan?¡±


    With fury hanging on his face, Li Zhen shouted.


    With an apathetic expression, Chi Nan said, ¡°What¡¯s with me? Are you refusing to admit your defeat?¡±


    Furious, Li Zhen angrily shouted, ¡°We are only car racing, not killing. Did you know you almost drove Huan Yu out of the cliff and killed him?¡±


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Chi Nan sneered and said, ¡°Car racing itself is dangerous. Don¡¯t race if you¡¯re afraid of death.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Huan Yu raised his hand to interrupt Li Zhen speaking. He looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Back then¡­ thanks!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and dully said, ¡°I just don¡¯t want anyone getting killed because of a car race. However, after this game, you gotta race as little as you possibly can! After all, we only live once. We better don¡¯t wet our shoes when walking in the riverside.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bear that in mind,¡± Huan Yu nodded and said, ¡°I owe you a favor this time. Let¡¯s exchange our numbers. You contact me if you have any need of me in the future.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s better not to have any relationship between us in the future,¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s forget exchanging numbers! Honestly, car racing is indeed very exciting and soul-stirring. But I won¡¯t play this dangerous game again later.¡±


    Having said that, he looked at Chi Nan and lightly said, ¡°Settle the account. I¡¯ll be waiting in the car.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Tang Xiu was unhappy with her, and Chi Nan keenly aware of it. But she didn¡¯t regret her actions back then. Though she was quite shocked seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s driving skill; even saving Huan Yu in such a dangerous situation. But, despite making Tang Xiu unhappy, she would still do it for his safety.


    To her, at that time, as far as Boss¡¯s life was concerned, it was above all else.


    Tang Xiu then looked at Li Zhen and indifferently said, ¡°Do you remember our bet before the race? You¡¯ve lost, and you¡¯d better stay away from me when you see me later.¡±


    A bluish-white color flashed on Li Zhen¡¯s complexion as he angrily stared at Tang Xiu and growled, ¡°Tell me, did we have any grudges between us before?¡±


    ¡°No grudges. I just have seen you and¡­ I just don¡¯t like your domineering and arrogant attitude,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly.


    For a moment, Li Zheng stared blankly as he creased his brows and asked, ¡°Where did you see me before?¡±


    ¡°At the entrance of Shanghai University.¡±


    ¡°You mean, this morning¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s cut the crap. Let the bygones be bygones. If anything, I just don¡¯t like you and you will not appear before me in the future. Hence, farewell,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently.


    Finished saying that, Tang Xiu straightly went back to the black Lamborghini.


    Ji Mu, who wanted to chat with Tang Xiu, gave up as he saw him entering the car. But he planned to wait for the chance to see him again later.


    ¡°Big Sis Nan, who¡¯s Tang Xiu and what¡¯s his background exactly? To even make you accompany him here personally?¡± Ji Mu curiously whispered.


    ¡°It¡¯s best you don¡¯t ask about his background,¡± said Chi Nan lightly, ¡°Also, handle things for me here since I gotta get back immediately!¡±


    ¡°Big Sis Nan, you don¡¯t have to be so confidential like this!¡± Ji Mu self-deprecatingly smiled and said, ¡°Please tell me exactly what Tang Xiu¡¯s background is, so I can have a good idea as to how to conduct myself when dealing with him.¡±


    ¡°Like I said before, you¡¯d better not loot into his background unless he¡¯s willing to get acquainted with you,¡± said Chi Nan indifferently,¡± Ji Mu, it¡¯s not like I want to scare you off. But if you dare to secretly investigate his identity, you will only have big troubles waiting for you. If he so orders it, even I myself will have to deal with you, including your family. So don¡¯t bother with it so as to avoid inviting a calamity for your own family.¡±


    Ji Mu¡¯s complexion slightly changed. He didn¡¯t think that Chi Nan would say these words to frighten him. So to say, didn¡¯t this meant that Tang Xiu had a terrifying identity? So much so that even his Ji Family couldn¡¯t afford to provoke him?


    He asked no longer and quickly paid the money.


    Ten minutes later, Chi Nan took a bank card and went back to the Lamborghini. As she sat in the driver seat, she respectfully handed the bank card to Tang Xiu, saying, ¡°Boss, this is tonight¡¯s gambling stake.¡±


    With an indifferent expression, Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°You¡¯re the champion, so it¡¯s yours.¡±


    ¡°Boss, I¡¯m only accompanying you today. The money should be yours,¡± Chi Nan hesitated.


    Tang Xiu creased his brows and said, ¡°I don¡¯t need this money. But I just wanna tell you a thing.¡±


    Seeing that Tang Xiu¡¯s adamant refusal, Chi Nan put the bank card away. She then respectfully said, ¡°Please tell me!¡±


    ¡°Before that, I gotta ask you one thing about the race back then. Did you do it intentionally?¡±


    As clever as she was, Chi Nan was naturally aware what Tang Xiu was asking about. After hesitating for a moment, she nodded and said, ¡°Yes. It was intentional!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s expression turned a bit frosty!


    ¡°That time, your car¡¯s speed was way too fast, Boss. I mustn¡¯t let you fall into danger. And in order to win, you had to shake that guy off. But there was only one way for that, that was, to let him die!¡± said Chi Nan solemnly.


    ¡°So to say, you did it all for me.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± replied Chi Nan with a straight expression.


    A trace of a forced smile appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s handsome face as he shook his head and said, ¡°Let¡¯s drop it. I don¡¯t have any say in it since you have this kind of mentality. But do bear in mind that you¡¯re not to hurt anyone and endanger their lives like this later. I know you experienced extreme and strict training. I also know that you have killed a lot of people. As far as it¡¯s concerned, you have to bear in mind that each and every human¡¯s life has its own meaning of existence. Being benevolent to others is always better than being evil.¡±

 Chapter 336

    Chapter 336: Good and Evil


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Be benevolent to others? And be evil to others?


    This concept was crystal clear to Chi Nan, yet she didn¡¯t care about it whatsoever.


    In her world, every threat to the Everlasting Feast Hall and to herself were nothing but enemies. Hence, she would never be fainthearted and hesitant against any enemies. For those who were neither enemies nor her own people, their life and death had nothing to do with her.


    She also learned some things about Tang Xiu. She felt that Tang Xiu spoke somewhat insincerely and didn¡¯t match his own working style.


    ¡°Can I ask you a question, Boss?¡± After hesitating for a moment, Chi Nan couldn¡¯t bear asking.


    ¡°Ask!¡±


    ¡°Boss, you also know that good and evil have never coexisted since time immemorial. Can you tell me what is good and what is evil exactly?¡±


    ¡°The subtle distinction between good and evil is what¡¯s inside one¡¯s heart. When one¡¯s heart is filled with benevolence and goodness, one would do good deeds. When one¡¯s heart is filled with maleficence and wicked thoughts, one would do evil deeds. Humans as individuals are always contradictory living beings, for they have both good and evil inside them. But hearts, in particular, are always the source of one¡¯s conduct and deeds, for which is the essence to distinguish between good and evil,¡± said Tang Xiu faintly.


    ¡°But I wanna know something. Are you good or evil, Boss?¡± asked Chi Nan once again.


    Tang Xiu glanced at her and calmly said, ¡°I¡¯m an evil one when dealing with my enemies, and I¡¯m a good one when treating my own people. Let me give you an analogy. I had killed a lot of people when I was in Hong Kong, but those people were not the good kind. I wouldn¡¯t have bothered about them were it not for their provocations. But they did provoke me, wanting put me down. Naturally, I had to fight back and even kill them. But to those ordinary people who treat me without evil intention and don¡¯t harm me, I¡¯ll always be benevolent to them. I will help those who are good within my power. For instance, my other identity as a doctor in Shuangqing Province¡¯s Star City Chinese Medical Hospital.¡±


    Looking at Tang Xiu in a daze, Chi Nan had never imagined that Tang Xiu, who was just admitted to university, turned out to be a Chinese Medical Hospital¡¯s doctor.


    ¡°I got it, Boss.¡±


    Having deeply analyzing Tang Xiu¡¯s disposition, Chi Nan finally concluded that her boss was a good man.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand,¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°We will be very powerful in the future; it¡¯s inevitable. But even so, we must never regard ordinary people as ants. In actuality, even in the martial arts realm, the highly respected and noble figures of true martial arts experts do not only cultivate their martial skills, but also temper their self-conscience. There¡¯s a good saying to express this, that is, Martial Virtue (Wu De).


    ¡°If you ask what Martial Virtue is; ¡®Wu¡¯ as in Martial is the boldness and strength to ward off the fight, to stop any hostilities and wars; and also the underlying idea to strengthen one¡¯s body. While ¡®De¡¯ as in Virtue, is by means of benevolence, which is the core concept of righteousness. Taken together with the word ¡®to stop¡¯ mentioned before, one had to have a set of upright code of conduct and personal integrity for each word, action, and mien. To sum it up, Martial Virtue is the code of conduct for people who practice martial arts with the principle of benevolence and righteousness.


    ¡°The Chinese civilization has five thousand years of history as well as a long history of martial arts heritage. Martial artists must temper their temperament to have a stable mind. Only then will they have the confidence to attain a higher level, even attaining a guru level. They can even make steady and continuous progress to break through the limitation of ordinary people¡¯s boundary.¡±


    As Tang Xiu explained it, he turned his head to look through the car¡¯s window and lamented, ¡°Every living being is not equal, for they have different strengths and weaknesses. Using strength to overlook the weak will only bring about trouble for ourselves. Only by showing benevolence will one be able to maintain their conscience as well as will able to go further in their road. With this, it will reduce the troubles in one¡¯s cultivation path.¡±


    Chi Nan said approvingly, ¡°What you said is very reasonable, Boss. In a word that¡¯s easier to understand, having many friends is better than having a lot of enemies. I¡¯ll firmly bear these words in mind. I won¡¯t kill anyone as long as they don¡¯t harm our Everlasting Feast Hall and the people I care about.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you can understand it!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    With a trace of a smile on her face, Chi Nan asked, ¡°Anyway, Boss, you really don¡¯t want tonight¡¯s gambling stake money?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your win, not mine,¡± Tang Xiu laughed and said,¡± If you have to give it to me, then I¡¯ll give it back to you. Consider it as a welfare gift for an outstanding subordinate.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re generous, Boss. Working for you is really my luck,¡± said Chi Nan as she smiled tenderly.


    ¡°No bootlicking. Just focus on driving!¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing and said, ¡°Also, contact Tian Li after you get back. If she has left Jingmen Island, tell her to come to Shanghai.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll contact her later.¡±


    Bluestar Villa Complex.


    The security guards stood guard seriously at the entrance sentry post. Every vehicle that went out and came in must swipe their access card. For those without access cards, they must first register themselves.


    _Screech¡­_


    A black Lamborghini stopped at main entrance post.


    ¡°Hello, if you do not have an access card, you need to register to enter.¡± One of the security guards saluted and said respectfully. Anyone who became a security guard in this upscale villa complex naturally knew that only the filthy rich could live in this luxurious villa complex. Some of them often came in and out with multimillion sports cars.


    ¡°Give me an access card!¡± said Tang Xiu after he opened the door and got off.


    The security guard stared blankly for a moment. He had seen Tang Xiu yesterday and he knew Tang Xiu was the owner of #9 villa. But he didn¡¯t expect that Tang Xiu, who left by cab this morning, would come back in the evening with a strikingly beautiful woman who drove him back in a Lamborghini.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Tang. Would you like to register this car¡¯s license plate for your access card?¡±


    Tang Xiu was surprised for a moment. He shook his head and said, ¡°This is my friend¡¯s car. Mine are inside the villa, but I didn¡¯t pay attention to their license plates, though.¡±


    The strange look on the security guard¡¯s face got weirder as he said, ¡°Mr. Tang, we need to register the car¡¯s license plate to give the access card.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s like that!¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, ¡°Can you go with me? There are a few cars in my garage. You help me handle more cards for them!¡±


    ¡°This ¡­ alright!¡±


    The security guard complied. After speaking with the other security guards behind him, he then turned back to Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Mr. Tang, please ask the young lady to register first so you can go ahead! I¡¯ll be catching up with you on the patrol car later.¡±


    Tang Xiu hesitated. He then turned his head to Chi Nan and said, ¡°You can go back now! I¡¯ll go directly on the patrol car.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Chi Nan replied as she turned the car over under Tang Xiu¡¯s watch. After taking a U-turn, she then drove into the road nearby.


    ¡°Well, I have to trouble you then!¡± laughed Tang Xiu and said, ¡°I¡¯ll cooperate for any kind of information you need.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    The security guard didn¡¯t imagine that Tang Xiu would be so easy-going, the smile on his face getting brighter.


    Upon their arrival at #9 villa, Tang Xiu then opened the door with his door card and brought the security guard to the garage. As the electric door slowly opened and the lights were brightly lit, four cars appeared in front of the security guard.


    _Hiss¡­_


    The security guard was a well-informed person. He often saw luxurious cars coming in and out of the villa complex. But despite that, he couldn¡¯t help but breathe cold air upon seeing the four cars parked inside the villa¡¯s garage.


    Shock!


    Even in his wildest dreams, he never imagined that Tang Xiu would actually have so many luxurious cars. The garage itself only had four parking spaces, but he simply didn¡¯t dare to imagine that there would be a few more luxurious cars parked in this villa¡¯s garage.


    An Audi A8 series; a BMW 7 Series; a Ferrari Supercar; and a Bentley Bentayga.


    These four cars, each one of them was worth millions!


    The security guard turned to look at Tang Xiu. He forced a wry smile and said, ¡°Mr. Tang, you have so many cars. But why did you take a cab when you came the first time and then left in the morning?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a student at Shanghai University. It¡¯s nearby, so driving these cars is kinda making myself too conspicuous,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    A student?


    The security guard¡¯s lips quivered. Shocked, he couldn¡¯t speak any words in response.


    A few minutes later, the security guard had been registered the four car¡¯s license numbers and Tang Xiu¡¯s ID card.


    But even before he left, the shock on his face had yet to completely subside.


    Tang Xiu pressed the button to close the garage door. He then went straight to the second floor. After taking a bath and putting on his pajamas, he dialed Mu Qingping¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡± Mu Qingping¡¯s laughter came out of the phone.


    ¡°Have you packed up yet?¡± asked Tang Xiu. ¡°When will you go Nine Dragons Island?¡±


    ¡°I have packed up everything I need,¡± said Mu Qingping with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll be going early in the morning. I¡¯ll fly to Hong Kong with Yinyin and then transit to Saipan from Hong Kong.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s like this, I¡¯ll send you a cell number. Contact the number before you take off. Tell him to see you and some people will fetch you up in Saipan, sending you directly to Nine Dragons Island. There¡¯s a construction project in the Island currently; you have absolute rights to manage it.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured! I¡¯ll do it,¡± said Mu Qingping seriously.


    ¡°Anyway, are my parents still in South Gate Town?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°No,¡± said Mu Qingping, ¡°They did eat dinner here, but they hurriedly left and didn¡¯t finish their meal. It seems like there was an accident or something.¡±


    An accident?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed, ¡°If so, I¡¯ll call them to ask about the situation.¡±


    Having said that, Tang Xiu hung up the phone and directly dialed his mother¡¯s cell number.


    After half a minute, his call was connected as Su Lingyun¡¯s voice came out of the phone, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, how come you¡¯re not resting this late?¡±


    ¡°Mom, Big Sis Qingping said that there was an accident at home. What was it?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Su Lingyun was silent for a few seconds before she replied with a forced smile, ¡°I¡¯ll let you speak with your Dad! He knows more than I do.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Xiu¡¯er!¡± Tang Yunde¡¯s voice came from the other side of the phone.


    ¡°Dad, what happened?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°A hostile family attacked our family¡¯s business in the south. The impact is very serious; even your second grandpa¡¯s manor business line has been cut off by them. Three people trained by our family also died in the conflict, while more than ten others were severely injured. By now, your big uncle should have rushed over there.¡± Tang Yunde said with a forced smile.


    ¡°Where are you and Mom now?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°We¡¯ve just arrived in Beijing by plane. But we haven¡¯t seen your grandpa yet!¡±

 Chapter 337

    Chapter 337: The Troubles Upon the Tang Family


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Tell me the details! Maybe I can do something,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, though the Tang family is currently unstable, but be we can still deal with it, albeit barely. At the worst we¡¯ll only suffer some losses, since the enemy won¡¯t dare to launch an all-out attack. After all, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. They will suffer heavy losses if they want to uproot the Tangs.¡±


    What does it mean, ¡°a lean camel is still bigger than a horse¡±?


    Tang Xiu creased his brows as he asked, ¡°Dad, I don¡¯t get what you mean. What¡¯s this lean camel is still bigger than a horse? To my knowledge, the Tangs are still a major family in Beijing. Although we might not be ranked first, we can still be considered to be in the top three, right?¡±


    ¡°Had it been ten years ago, the Tangs would perhaps still be ranked in the top three.¡± Tang Yunde replied in a self-deprecating tone, ¡°But since your grandpa¡¯s asthma flared up with more frequency, plus the changes in the top leadership, our Tang Family has been weakened by a great deal. The problems in Beijing being complicated as they are, our enemies took advantage of your grandpa¡¯s poor health to incite many issues to pressure our Tang family harder and harder. Now, though the Tang family is still in the top ten major families of Beijing, we¡¯re far from being qualified to be in the first three anymore.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ currently, the enemy is strong and we¡¯re weak?¡± asked Tang Xiu, frowning.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the situation,¡± Tang Yunde wryly replied, ¡°When we were both safe, we each developed our own families. But recently, a family hostile to us suddenly gained the support from a medium-sized force, so their forces increased a lot. Hence, they are now getting ready to move against us. Though they dare not lose all decorum with us so brazenly, they didn¡¯t stop inciting several small conflicts.¡±


    ¡°Which family?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°The Yao Family.¡±


    Taking a note of the family name, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Dad, I may not be involving myself in the family matters as of now, but should the family need me, just tell me right away. The power I wield, regardless of force or financial resources, is bigger than you know.¡±


    ¡°What force? You didn¡¯t tell everything to me?¡± Tang Yunde bewildered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask, Dad. Shortly put, let¡¯s keep in touch. Contact me at once should a problem occur. Right, I haven¡¯t asked you. In which city our Tangs and the Yaos have clashed?¡±


    ¡°Guangyang and Fukang.¡±


    ¡°I see. But Dad, you and Mom must pay attention to your own health and safety.¡± Said Tang Xiu with a nod.


    ¡°Rest assured, son!¡±


    ****


    As he hung up the phone, a chilling light flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. He may have little affection for the Tangs. But they were, after all, his own blood. He knew well how the Tangs felt about him, for which he could accept and recognize a lot of them. If the enemy acted really rampant, he didn¡¯t mind utilizing the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s strength.


    Furthermore, it was doomed to be a bloody scene when he used the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s forces.


    Dressed in pajamas, he stood up from the bed and walked to the wine cabinet at the side. He opened it and took out a bottle of red wine. Though he wasn¡¯t particularly fond of red wine, he felt like it wouldn¡¯t hurt taking a little. After pouring the wine, he carried the crystal glass and went to the balcony.


    He sighed inside while watching the swaying shadows of the trees outside. His forces were still too small. Were he to be given a few more years, let alone the Yaos, he was confident that he would be in an invincible position if he had to contest against all families across the country.


    ¡°Talented people and experts!¡±


    A cold light flashed from Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he thought deeply about it. Where should he go looking for a group of talented people? A few minutes later, after he gulped down the red wine, a vague smile appeared on his handsome face.


    The Immortal World was a huge world, whereas Earth was a small one in comparison. Yet, regardless of how big or small it was, they shared the same characteristics.


    Through great undertakings and battles in the Immortal World, he ruled an enormous domain and recruited a lot of subordinates. Although he delegated the management and control of the domain to his subordinates after his strength reached the Supreme level. When all is said and done, he had experienced it personally.


    Hence, inside his heart, he already paid attention to the prisons and the black market! He believed that there would be many capable individuals in these places.


    When he was in the Immortal World, Tang Xiu trained a group of experts in order to help him gather intelligence across the realm and secretly selected a group of people from several large countries¡¯ prisons. Those people were ruthless, whereas each and every one of them had their own skills and abilities. Despite their problematic natures and mentality, but he could control and govern their life and death with his magical powers.


    Thus, he had once covered most of the Immortal World realm with his intelligence network organization. Many of its member even became powerful existences under his training. Although they may not have reached the Supreme level, the talent and strength showcased by some of them was also dreaded by millions of celestial beings.


    Since the Immortal World had black markets, so would Earth he believed. Although the black markets on Earth were not as insane as the ones in the Immortal World, where good and evil people mixed up, however, he could recruit some capable people with good martial arts from the underground black markets¡¯ fighter rings.


    Half an hour later, Tang Xiu had made up his mind about it. But he could only put the idea to to the back of his mind, since he had just registered himself to Shanghai University, while the other reason was that Gu Yan¡¯er may awaken at any time.


    _I¡¯ll have to seize the time to stroll around many places after everything has returned to normal and stabilized. Aside from the from the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people, I have no other experts available to deal with other situations, which makes me rather paralyzed in doing anything_ , thought Tang Xiu inside his mind.


    Beijing.


    Inside the Tang Family¡¯s ancestral house, Tang Guosheng deeply frowned as he read the documents in his hands, whereas Tang Guoshou, who was sitting across him, had anger on his face.


    ¡°Father, the Yao Family has cut off our Starlight Group¡¯s business channels¡¯ goods supply lines in Guangyang and Fukang. They also violently ambushed the Bai Family attached to our Tang Family. The Bai¡¯s family head¡ªBai Yang has already stopped the investigation, and if we don¡¯t fight back immediately, I¡¯m afraid that Bai Yang won¡¯t be capable of holding it.¡± Tang Min, who stood next to the two men, spoke with blazing anger in her eyes.


    Slowly raising his head, Tang Guosheng then said, ¡°The Yao Family has been setting up their machinations in secret in Guangyang and Fukang for several years now. Except for the two largest families which are maintaining their neutral position, several other major forces have been secretly colluding with the Yaos. Hence, it will be very difficult for us to fight back unless the largest families in these two provinces stand up to help us.¡±


    ¡°Acting openly is out of the question, but we can resort to violence in secret.¡± Said Tang Min with a grim expression, ¡°I have trained a lot of people all these years, and each of them has disguised their identities. Hence, it¡¯s highly unlikely that anyone can look into the relationship with our Tang Family if they act.¡±


    ¡°The Yao Family in Guangyang and Fukang are not stupid.¡± Tang Guosheng shook his head and said, ¡°Even if there¡¯s no direct evidence, I¡¯m afraid they will still be able to guess correctly that our Tang Family is the one attacking them. Once they use their intelligence network, it won¡¯t be too difficult to investigate the relationship between you and your people.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, even if they can investigate, so what?¡± Tang Min snorted coldly and said, ¡°We must let them know that our Tang Family is not that easy to mess with. If they really want to lose all decorum with us, we¡¯ll accompany them in the fight.¡±


    At the side, though Tang Guoshou was quite furious inside, he could still keep his head cool as he said, ¡°Tang Min, remember the saying that lack of forbearance in small matters will upset the great planning. If we and the Yaos were to lose all decorum now and struggle to death, we won¡¯t be able to hold a bargain. Moreover, it¡¯s highly likely that other families will cast their eyes covetously at us. At that time, even if the Yaos are unable to exterminate our Tang Family thoroughly, the other families will rob us while our family is down.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! What we must do for now is to slowly develop and strengthen our own forces,¡± Tang Guosheng nodded and said, ¡°I was sick back then and had no time to manage a lot of things. All of our enemies believe that I won¡¯t last any longer so they are eager to trouble us. But now, my illness has been cured and I can still hold on for another decade. Why did you think I hid the fact that my illness has been cured? It¡¯s because I want to patiently win more time for our Tang Family. We already began to implement our secret plan last month. After we allocate such huge resources under these circumstances, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll certainly be able to overtake the Yao Family by then.¡±


    ¡°But the Yao Family¡¯s forces in those two southern provinces are way too tight!¡± Tang Min forced a wry smile and said, ¡°If it were to continue like this, they will completely decimate our forces in those two provinces.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll contact Second Brother. He¡¯s been enjoying himself in Jingmen Island for so many years, so he gotta come out for a little walk! Even if our forces in those two southern provinces were to be uprooted completely, we¡¯ll make sure that the Yao and those several small families are unable to feel better,¡± said Tang Guosheng.


    ¡°Do you want me to go?¡± asked Tang Min quickly.


    ¡°For the time being, no!¡± Tang Guosheng shook his head and said, ¡°Your elder brother has gone there personally. He should be able to buy some time. That¡¯s right. I have also told Yunde about our family situation. I didn¡¯t expect that he actually had left behind some hidden chess pieces in the past. If the situation worsens, it¡¯s possible for us to use some of his hidden forces.¡±


    ¡°Second brother? Didn¡¯t he¡­¡± Tang Min stared at him blankly and asked in astonishment.


    ¡°There are some things out of your knowledge. Your Second Big Brother and his wife are now on the way to Beijing; they should be arriving soon. You¡¯ll know about it clearly after they get here.¡±


    Tang Min somewhat was curious as she didn¡¯t know as to why her second big brother would straightly fall into a vegetative state in the past, yet he was still able to arrange some hidden moves in secret.


    _Ring, ring, ring!_


    On the table, Tang Guosheng¡¯s mobile phone ringed all of a sudden.


    Tang Guosheng narrowed his brows as he grabbed the mobile and said, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Father, some people have just burned our Starlight Group¡¯s HQ in Guangyang. The fire is very fierce and several security guards inside were unable to escape. The person in charge over there has already reported the fire to the fire department, but the firemen have been delayed and it¡¯s been nearly twenty minutes already since the fire started.¡± Said Tang Yunpeng in an angry voice.

 Chapter 338

    Chapter 338: Grave Situation


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Guosheng¡¯s expression changed drastically as anger was cast on his face. Starlight Group was a corporation belonging to the Tang family, and it brought billions of revenue to the Tang family annually. It could be said that the Starlight Group was one of three major sources of wealth for the Tangs. It would bring tremendous losses to the Tang family once it was destroyed.


    ¡°Who did it?¡±


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been investigated clearly. The security guards who were trapped in the HQ building have contacted the security guards in the control room. But they have yet to find out who did it. Also, if the firemen don¡¯t arrive soon, the entire Starlight Group HQ will be burnt down. By that time, the security guards trapped inside will also be buried inside.¡±


    Tang Guosheng took a deep breath and replied in a low voice, ¡°Contact the security guards inside immediately. Leave two people inside to continue finding clues, whereas the rest must immediately find a way to escape. Also, tell those staying behind that we will provide their family members the best treatment and livelihood.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Tang Yunpeng replied and immediately hang up the phone.


    Putting back the mobile on the tea table, Tang Guosheng then fell into silence. His eyes flashed as he silently thought as to solve the problem.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, let me go there!¡± said Tang Guoshou in a deep voice.


    Slowly raising his head, Tang Guosheng shook his head and said, ¡°You and I can¡¯t go. The enemies will think that we can¡¯t afford to lose it if we couldn¡¯t sit still here. By that time, their attacks will be more rampant.¡±


    At this time, two people came inside. It was Tang Yunde and Su Lingyun.


    ¡°Father, how¡¯s the current situation?¡± As Tang Yunde came in, he straightly approached Tang Guosheng and rapidly asked.


    ¡°Some people have just started a fire on our Starlight Group¡¯s HQ. If my guess is correct, it¡¯s them who did it!¡± said Tang Guosheng in a deep voice.


    ¡°Do you want me to go there?¡± asked Tang Yunde, his expression changing.


    ¡°For the time being, no.¡± Tang Guosheng shook his head and said, ¡°Your eldest brother is already taking care of the situation there. By the way, you told me you arranged some hidden chess pieces back then. How big is it right now?¡±


    ¡°The one in Saipan is inconvenient to be moved since it¡¯s currently a crucial time for him to be promoted. Once he¡¯s successfully promoted, he¡¯ll become Saipan¡¯s top leader. In due course, some others will even be able to have several other distinguished identities. This will bring about huge benefits when the time comes. However, we can use the one in Macao. After many years of development, the company there already owns nearly a hundred billion in capital, while also training a lot of loyal and devoted subordinates.¡±


    Tang Guosheng¡¯s eyes squinted as he inquired, ¡°Let your big brother deal with the problem first. If he can¡¯t solve it, then you can use your people from Macao! The force that has been secretly trained by our Tang family must not act rashly for the time being. They must stay hidden if there¡¯s no life and death crisis.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± Tang Yunde nodded and said, ¡°But how should we manage the Starlight Group¡¯s situation? Since the HQ is burned, I¡¯m afraid business will be delayed for quite a period of time even if we move to a new office.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s really no good, we¡¯ll just commence a full withdrawal from Guangyang and Fukang. Although the Starlight Group¡¯s HQ resides in Guangyang, there are also several Starlight Group¡¯s branches in several neighboring provinces. We can first use a branch as the temporary Starlight Group¡¯s HQ when the time comes.¡±


    Tang Yunde nodded.


    Suddenly, his expression slightly flickered. He remembered what his son just told him on his way here. After hesitating, he then spoke it out, ¡°Father, Xiu¡¯er had just contacted me.¡±


    ¡°You told him about our family¡¯s situation?¡± Tang Guosheng frowned and asked in a heavy voice.


    ¡°Yes. He¡¯s also a member of our Tang family.¡± Tang Yunde nodded and said, ¡°Since he took the initiative to ask, I didn¡¯t think it unnecessary to hide it from him. He has grown up, and I don¡¯t want to hide it from him either!¡±


    ¡°Hmph, he indeed has grown up, but he¡¯s still a child in our eyes.¡± Tang Guosheng snorted and said, ¡°I want him to finish his studies well and not be concerned about our difficulties. We, the Tang family, owe him way too much. We only want the best for him in everything, whereas we will shoulder the other problems by ourselves.¡±


    For the first time, Su Lingyun interrupted and said, ¡°Father, I think Yunde is right. Xiu¡¯er may be still very young, but he¡¯s very sensible and thoughtful. There¡¯s no need to hide this from him. Since he¡¯s also has the blood of the Tangs, he must advance and retreat alongside the Tang family. Also, I heard him saying that he¡¯s made a lot of money now and he wants me to tell him should the family need his assistance.¡±


    A trace of anger flashed on Tang Guosheng¡¯s face even though he finally did not flare up. If it were his son¡ªTang Yunde speaking, he would have scolded and cursed him. But the one speaking was the Tang¡¯s daughter-in-law whom they had abandoned for two decades. Hence, he didn¡¯t feel right being angry with her.


    Only after suppressing his anger did he reply, ¡°It¡¯s true that Xiu¡¯er is also one of the Tangs, but he¡¯s still studying now. It¡¯s also true that he must advance and retreat with the Tang family. But not at this time. We¡¯ll wait until he finishes his studies. After he graduates from university, I will arrange the best path for him regardless of anything he wants to do. If he wants to enter the family business, then I will also slowly hand over the authority of our Tang family¡¯s business to him. I will also pave the way for him if he wants to take part in politics and the government. But remember, not now!¡±


    Tang Yunde and Su Lingyun exchanged glances. They could feel the favor and love in their father¡¯s tone toward their son. However, tough and unyielding a man as he was, Tang Yunde¡¯s courage and boldness of vision didn¡¯t wear off despite having been comatose for two decades.


    Furthermore, despite being in comatose for two decades and having gone through loneliness in the darkness that could make anyone insane, he survived it with his unyieldingness. Hence, he was very much tranquil at present.


    ¡°Father, you¡¯ve spoken your mind. But I must tell you what Xiu¡¯er has been thinking about.¡± Said Tang Yunde seriously.


    Tang Guosheng was dazed for a moment before he asked, ¡°What Xiu¡¯er has in mind?¡±


    ¡°He told me to inform him right away should the Tangs need anything. He also told me he has the power I do not know about. Though, frankly speaking, I myself am quite shocked by what I already know.¡±


    ¡°What power could Xiu¡¯er possibly have? Is it his business in Star City?¡± asked Tang Guosheng with creased brows.


    Tang Yunde forced a smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s more than that! Though I don¡¯t know how much wealth Xiu¡¯er has in detail, but it should be no less than three to four billion, I suppose.¡±


    Tang Guosheng and Tang Guoshou blankly stared for a moment. Even Tang Min was also dumbfounded, an incredulous look on her face.


    Three to four billion? How could it be possible?


    Tang Guosheng had sent some people to investigate the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s assets. At the most, the enterprise only had one billion. How could it be possible for it to have several times more all of a sudden?


    Suddenly, Tang Guosheng realized something as he said, ¡°You mean¡­ aside from the three or four billion worth of assets Xiu¡¯er has, that you know of¡­ He still has forces you don¡¯t know about?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Tang Yunde nodded.


    ¡°Then tell me, what other assets does Xiu¡¯er have beside Magnificent Tang Corporation?¡± asked Tang Guosheng in a deep voice.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er bought an island in the Pacific Ocean for 2.5 billion yuan. He initially borrowed the money from his disciple¡ªChen Zhizhong. However, I don¡¯t know from where he got 2.5 billion yuan to repay Chen Zhizhong. Also, he recently went abroad to rebuild the island. I supposed he must have spent quite a lot of money in the project!¡±


    Shocked, Tang Guosheng asked, ¡°He actually bought an island in the Pacific Ocean? For what purpose?¡±


    ¡°He said that the island will be our Tang family¡¯s supreme base in the future,¡± said Tang Yunde.


    An island in the Pacific Ocean as a supreme headquarters?


    Tang Yunde¡¯s word shocked not only to Tang Guosheng but also to Tang Guoshou and Tang Min. Tang Xiu said that he would make a supreme headquarters for the Tang family? Would there be a time that the Tang family would be unable to stay in their home country and must hide in the vast sea?


    After a long period of time, Tang Guosheng beckoned and said in a heavy voice, ¡°Regardless of Xiu¡¯er¡¯s power, he¡¯s still too young and won¡¯t be able to help much for now. Hence, we must first resolve the immediate crisis.¡±


    Shanghai, Bluestar Villa Complex.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t immediately rest, nor did he cultivate. After pondering for quite a long time, he then dialed Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°Are you looking for me, Grand Master?¡± Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s light and lively voice was transmitted from the phone.


    ¡°Xiaoxue, I have some issues I need to ask you.¡±


    ¡°Please do say, Grand Master!¡±


    ¡°Are there any branches of our Everlasting Feast Hall in Guangyang and Fukang?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°We have Grand Fortune Jewelries and True Faith Real Estate Group branches there. But our Everlasting Feast Hall only has a small of number people in those two provinces.¡±


    ¡°How many Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s experts can be moved currently?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°All of them can be moved out at any time. Grand Master, I can immediately send them to Guangyang and Fukang should you order me so. That¡¯s right, I also recalled that some people in Fukang owe our Everlasting Feast Hall a favor.¡±


    ¡°Who are they?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Huang family of Fukang. Master had once saved the Huang¡¯s family head. Also, the reason why he was able to become the Huang¡¯s family head was also part of it; due to some assistance from Master. So the Huang family will fully support you should you have any need there.¡±


    ¡°Does this Huang family has a big influence in Fukang?¡±


    ¡°If they can¡¯t be ranked as the first, they should be second. In the past ten years, the family head of the Huang family has visited our Jingmen Island¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s HQ every year. He always wanted to see Master but went back disappointed every time. But¡­¡±


    ¡°But what?¡±


    ¡°To make the Huang family feel grateful to our Everlasting Feast Hall, I had once issued a decree that the Huang family can send three of their most outstanding family members to study at our Jingmen Island¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall every three years. We can say that we have trained a lot of their experts in these ten years.¡±


    ¡°Since we have the Huang family there, then we don¡¯t need to send our Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people to act. My family has encountered some troubles and I need some people to act in Guangyang and Fukang. Send me the Huang family¡¯s head contact number!¡±


    ¡°At once, Grand Master!¡±

 Chapter 339

    Chapter 339: Traces and Clues


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Having received Fukang¡¯s the Huang¡¯s family head¡¯s number, Tang Xiu fell into deep thought and didn¡¯t immediately contact him nor gave it to the Tang Family.


    At present, he was clueless as to what extent the circumstance had developed into. Hence, he chose to act cool-headedly instead of recklessly getting himself involved.


    Furthermore, the Tangs and the Yaos were not just clans of business. Most importantly, both families had ties in the political field. With high-level political contests coming into the field, it would lead to all sorts of trouble once he intervened.


    Just like using the best steel to make the knife¡¯s edge, he was indeed the best resource at the moment! But the conflict between the Tangs and the Yaos was only at the initial stage, far from the life and death stage. Unless the Tang family was about to suffer massive losses, which could seriously hamper the Tang Family, only then would he act without reserve.


    However, he actually still had time to visit the Huang family¡¯s head since the Huang family head and the Everlasting Feast Hall had a deep relationship.


    After analyzing the situation, he decided to contact the Huang family head tomorrow. He then put away all his thoughts to the back of his mind and he went back to his bed, sitting cross-legged and began cultivating.


    At present, his cultivation had drastically progressed and reached the peak of the Flesh Strengthening Stage. There was only a step left before he made the breakthrough to the Bone Transformation Stage. He fortunately didn¡¯t get stuck in the Flesh Strengthening Stage for a long time due to his fortuitous encounter in Nine Dragons Island.


    Sitting cross-legged in cultivation, layer upon layer of star force from the stars in the sky surged in as though tide waves toward Tang Xiu. His star force¡¯s absorption speed now was several times faster compared with when he was in the Skin Strengthening Stage. Unfortunately, the heaven and earth Spiritual Qi in Shanghai was extremely scarce, causing his cultivation speed to be far worse than when he was cultivating in Nine Dragons Island.


    The Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis was divided into three realms. The first: Stars Tyrannical Body Realm, was divided into nine stages, which were the Vitality Tempering, the Skin Strengthening, the Bone Transformation, the Meridian Transformation, the Marrow Transformation, the Viscera Transformation, the Blood and Qi Circulation, and the Nine Cores Phase Forming.


    By now, he was at the peak of the Flesh Strengthening Stage. Though it couldn¡¯t be compared with the Golden Core Stage, it didn¡¯t have much difference. He had the confidence to have comparable strength to a initial level Golden Core Stage expert once he broke through to the Bone Transformation Stage.


    The more his cultivation advanced, the more secret arts he could use. However, in today¡¯s modern society, he didn¡¯t have much opportunity to use them.


    _It seems I need to cultivate in Nine Dragons Island if I want to increase my strength quickly._


    After cultivating for four hours, Tang Xiu slowly opened his eyes, his handsome face showing a wry smile. The result of his four hours of cultivation were only comparable with half an hour of practice in Nine Dragons Island.


    At 8:00 AM.


    Woken up from his sleep, Tang Xiu washed his face and rinsed his mouth. After refreshing himself, he went downstairs and then realized that there was nobody in this villa aside from himself. There was no housemaid here to help him make breakfast unlike in South Gate Town.


    _Should I hire a domestic worker?_


    Tang Xiu hesitated for a moment. He then decided to take the time to find a housekeeping service company and choose a good-natured and diligent domestic worker.


    ¡°I gotta go to the campus and buy some food on the way!¡±


    Tang shook his head and forced out a wry smile. After leaving the villa complex, he bought some food in a shop near the business district and didn¡¯t take a cab as he ate while walking.


    Though the student¡¯s military training would begin on the seventh of this month, Tang Xiu himself didn¡¯t want to attend it. The university¡¯s military training subject was simply a child¡¯s play for him. Attending it would only be an utter nuisance. Hence, he had long decided to find Le Baiyi after going to the classroom today. Since the man was the Vice Dean of the Department of History at Shanghai University, he should have the ability to help him withdrawal from the military training subject.


    The B Building¡¯s classroom, on the fourth floor.


    As Tang Xiu arrived at the classroom, there were twenty to thirty people scattered around the classroom. Yue Kai, Hu Qingsong, Zhao Liang and two other students who had a party yesterday were gathered together as they laughed and chatted.


    ¡°Eldest Brother Tang!¡±


    Seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival, Hu Qingsong¡¯s eyes immediately turned bright as he waved and shouted. With his loud voice, the other twenty to thirty students in the classroom all looked at Tang Xiu almost in an instant.


    They heard about Tang Xiu¡¯s name when they came to the campus. Not only they learned that Tang Xiu was the top scorer of the CET¡¯s science subject in Shuangqing province, they also learned that Tang Xiu¡¯s former class¡¯ teacher in charge was also their current class¡¯ teacher in charge.


    Smiling at all of his classmates, Tang Xiu then strode toward Hu Qingsong¡¯s side and said with a smile, ¡°Doesn¡¯t it say that the class begins at 9:30? Why are you here so early?¡±


    ¡°What else but to meet and greet?! It¡¯s the first day where all classmates meet each other, dude. Although nearly half of our classmates have yet to arrive, but we still wanna know whether we have striking belles in our class. But heck, it¡¯s really a pity¡­¡± said Yue Kai.


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing. When he entered the classroom, he saw that their class only had six girls, and their appearances were very ordinary.


    ¡°We are here to study, mate. If you wanna chase after girls, you¡¯d better go to the bar outside the campus. But seeing your circumstance, it should be easy for you to pick up some paid hot chicks who fool around in nightclubs,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m not interested in the king that casually invite men to their rooms.¡± Yue Kai waved his hand and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you think enjoying that kind of chick is kinda like scavenging junk?¡±


    Scavenging junk?


    Everyone burst into laughter.


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes. Feeling amused yet feeling ridiculous, he said, ¡°You think you¡¯re picking up junk, but others may find it cheaper, no? You, ah¡­ a man who has eaten to the full has no idea how hungry starving men could be. If you don¡¯t believe me, ask Hu Qingsong. If it was him, would he think that it was only scavenging junk?¡±


    ¡°Nope. I absolutely won¡¯t feel like that,¡± replied Hu Qingsong immediately, ¡°I will feel that I¡¯m a very handsome and charming man. I would¡¯ve been very glad if those hot chicks drag me to their rooms.¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡± Rolling his eyes, Yue Kai groaned, ¡°If you really wanna have these paper chicks, let¡¯s go to a few nightclubs later. I¡¯ll help you hook up with some of them. Anyhow, Eldest Brother Tang, will you teach us your flirting skill?¡±


    ¡°I really know nothing about flirting with girls,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°If you really want to learn, I¡¯ll buy some love secret manuals to read later. After I learn some flirting skills from them, then I¡¯ll immediately teach you. Of course, if you find it too troublesome, I¡¯ll buy it for you.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding me, dude?¡± said Yue Kai resentfully, ¡°If you really don¡¯t have real skills to flirt with chicks, how can Teacher Han possibly do everything she could to teach in Shanghai University only to chase you? Besides, I dare say that she must have used her network to enter our Department of History and become our class¡¯ teacher in charge.¡±


    Tang Xiu flung his head to the side. Since explaining wouldn¡¯t clear the idea, why would he bother to explain? It was Han Qingwu¡¯s life, whereas he himself also his own. Their relationship was only between a teacher and student, how would such a relationship appear in the middle, to begin with?


    Although her looks was very much like his wife in the Immortal World, yet it was but only appearances. He didn¡¯t believe that Han Qingwu and that woman had the slightest relationship whatsoever.


    Hu Qingsong also picked up the topic as he said deceitfully, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, you may not believe me, but when I came back with Teacher Han last night, I realized a very peculiar situation.¡±


    Staring blankly at the comment, Tang Xiu was confused, ¡°What situation?¡±


    ¡°When we came back last night, Teacher Han¡¯s eyes were flashing and she always had a bright smile on her pretty face every time your name was brought up. I dare say that Teacher Han really has a crush on you. Even if you two are not together now, but as long as you¡¯re bold enough to confess your love, you can definitely hug her in your arms.¡±


    ¡°Screw off!¡± Tang Xiu snapped and cursed in reply.


    ¡°Tsk, tsk. Did you hear it? Did you hear what Qingsong said, Eldest Brother Tang?¡± Yue Kai clicked his tongue as he sighed, ¡°Teacher Han has a crush on you. You won¡¯t be able to pretend regardless of how much you try. At least not in front of us. You don¡¯t know how many people want to hold the likes of such a strikingly beautiful women such as Teacher Han in their arms!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly realized that these guys were regarding him as the reincarnation of a fucking stud horse. There was nothing but lust, passion, and love in their brains! Didn¡¯t they know that there was something outside those things, like the many feelings between two persons?


    Speak of the devil and he doth appear¡­


    When they were talking about Han Qingwu, the beautiful figure of the person herself appeared outside the classroom. Her elegant hair floated in the breeze as she clapped her hands, causing everyone¡¯s eyes to fall on her in an instant.


    In an attractive one-piece dress that served as a perfect foil for her delicate and tender figure, coupled with her striking looks, she was simply like a goddess in the mind of numerous male students.


    Gently caressing her long hair in front of her forehead, Han Qingwu smiled and said, ¡°Our class has 48 students altogether. From the total, 28 have come, whereas the other 20 have yet to arrive. However, I believe that the others will come soon on this second day of registration. Now, for the students who have arrived, go to the podium and introduce yourselves respectively!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go first!¡±


    Yue Kai raised his hand and then strode to the podium.


    As bold and open as he was, he smiled and swept his gaze over all the students. He cleared his throat and said, ¡°Hi classmates, my name is Yue Kai. I¡¯m a native of Shanghai, age 21 and have never been married until this year¡­ and no girlfriend either. So if any of you have any beautiful women in your hometown, or beautiful friends or relatives, you gotta spontaneously introduce them to me. Anyways, I have a wide range of hobbies. I love playing funny games, so all of you can find me later to play often¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    Amidst the laughter, Yue Kai carried through his self-introduction. His speech was very amusing and won favorable impression from the vast majority of the classmates.


    Nearby, Han Qingwu was at a loss whether she had to cry or laugh. She gently raised her hand and laughed, saying, ¡°Why do I feel like you¡¯re not in University to study but to find a blind date? You don¡¯t think our Shanghai University is a marriage agency, do you?¡±


    ¡°Ugh, how did you know, Teacher Han?¡±


    Yue Kai deliberately showed a shocked expression.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    The students underneath the podium laughed yet again.


    However, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t laugh. He had hardly paid any attention to Han Qingwu before. But today, unbeknownst to him, or maybe because of what Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong said left something inside his heart, he paid some more attention to Han Qingwu today.


    But precisely because of paying more attention to her, he caught the sight of Han Qingwu cascading her fingers and glimpsed at her fingers¡¯ flicking motion. The sight made Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion immediately change.

 Chapter 340

    Chapter 340: D¨¦j¨¤ Vu


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes sparkled as his sight fixated on Han Qingwu¡¯s cascading fingers. It was a shocking discovery. Han Qingwu¡¯s movement was¡­ It was _her_ ¡­ most habitual action in the Immortal World.


    Back then, although Tang Xiu drowned himself in cultivation and somewhat neglected her, but when all was said and done, he lived together with her for millenniums. He was perfectly aware of this habitual action of hers.


    At this time, Tang Xiu recalled that, after his return to Earth, he came across Han Qingwu many times; for which, he suddenly came to a realization. That was, he had never paid attention to her words, actions and demeanor before. And now, clues appeared one by one in Han Qingwu¡¯s actions.


    The mannerism and the changes in demeanor!


    Her little actions were extremely similar with¡­ _her_ ¡­ in the Immortal World.


    _This is impossible!_


    Tang Xiu suddenly stood, attracting the attention of Han Qingwu and the other students. He didn¡¯t go to the podium but turned to the back door and left the classroom. Yet, the restlessness inside his heart didn¡¯t reduce in the slightest after he came out of the classroom. Instead, it got more intense.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Suddenly, he smelled smoke in the air. He immediately followed the smoke trail to the stairwell. There, he saw two young men squatting in the stairwell, smoking while chatting. Tang Xiu walked over and then said, ¡°Brothers, could you give me a cigarette? I was in a hurry when I came outside and forgot to bring mine.¡±


    The two young men were startled for a second, as one of them smiled and took out half a pack of cigarettes. He pulled out one and handed it over to Tang Xiu together with his lighter. He then laughed, ¡°We originally thought that students who can be admitted to Shanghai University were only the goody two shoes and don¡¯t like smoking. Never thought I would find another smoker buddy here. Anyways, I¡¯m Tang Chao from Western Prairie; and he¡¯s Wu Dong from Northeast. We both are freshmen in the Department of Finance.¡±


    Tang Xiu lit up his cigarette and took deep puffs. After the restless feeling inside his heart disappeared, he said, ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu from Star City and also a freshman, albeit in the Department of History. You two continue chatting, I still have to go downstairs. We¡¯ll chat some other time.¡±


    ¡°OK, go!¡± The two young men could also feel Tang Xiu¡¯s restlessness as they nodded and replied.


    Smoking his cigarette, Tang Xiu went out of the building and headed straight to a small grove nearby. He then sat himself down on a stone bench by the sidewalk trail, while two identical faces kept appearing in his mind.


    Han Qingwu! Xue Qingcheng!


    His wife in the Immortal World was called Xue Qingcheng.


    Their slightest facial expressions, words, and actions, as well as their bearings, ceaselessly turned his mind upside down as he compared and contrasted them. Yet, the more he compared, the more he could tell that there were too many similarities between them.


    _This is highly improbable! Xue Qingcheng ought to be in the Immortal World. At the most, she would only have trouble cultivating the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis. But it¡¯s absolutely impossible for her to come to Earth. Even if she wanted to, she doesn¡¯t have the ability to send her Avatar embodiment here._


    _Only, they are clearly people from two different worlds. I couldn¡¯t care less whether they are alike. But, why do they have some resemblances to their bearing, words, and actions? Is this just a mere coincidence?_


    Inside the Department of History¡¯s classroom.


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu leave without a word, the 20 students and Han Qingwu had bewildered expressions on their faces. Han Qingwu herself wanted to chase after Tang Xiu, asking for the reason. But she didn¡¯t feel right to leave out the other students here. Hence, she could only smile and explain, ¡°Well, maybe Tang Xiu is not feeling well. We don¡¯t need to worry about him. Anyways, let¡¯s continue with the self-introductions!¡±


    ¡°My turn!¡± Hu Qingsong got up.


    Han Qingwu nodded. While listening to the student¡¯s self-introductions and dealing with everyone inside, she came before the classroom¡¯s windows at the front row without herself realizing it.


    She knew Tang Xiu rather well. She was clear that Tang Xiu was definitely not someone who would easily display such a rude gaffe. She had never seen Tang Xiu as silent as a grave and with such an unsightly face.


    After the students finished introducing themselves, her eyes glanced out of the window. But at this moment, she could clearly see Tang Xiu sitting alone smoking on a stone bench on the sidewalk in the small grove near the classroom building.


    That¡¯s right! He was smoking!


    Han Qingwu was stupefied. She didn¡¯t know when did Tang Xiu learn to smoke!


    _Something must have happened!_


    She deeply thought inside in silence. She wasn¡¯t aware of the fact that she herself had become somewhat preoccupied since Tang Xiu left the classroom.


    ¡°Hey, did you noticed? Teacher Han seems absent-minded.¡±


    ¡°When Tang Xiu was still here, Teacher Han was very energetic. But after he inexplicably left, she became somewhat inattentive. Don¡¯t tell me what everyone said is true, that Teacher Han really came to Shanghai University to pursue him?¡±


    ¡°No shit! Does Teacher Han really like Tang Xiu? She smiled a lot less ever since he left the classroom.¡±


    ¡°Man, Tang Xiu is too cool, isn¡¯t he? He even can make Teacher Han be deeply in love with him! I gotta consult and ask his guidance another day to learn his experience of picking up hot chicks!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The students gossiped in whispers so as to avoid being heard by Han Qingwu. But she herself barely registered the students introducing themselves on the podium. After all the students had finished with their introductions, she laughed spiritedly and said, ¡°Well, I believe we all know each other now! There¡¯s nothing much to do this morning, so you all can chat with your classmates here. I¡¯ll come back to the classroom at 2:00 PM and we¡¯ll elect the interim class president then. After that, you will receive the list for textbooks and teaching materials; you can find them later in the bookstore.¡±


    ¡°Teacher Han, does the University have many courses for us to attend?¡± asked Zhao Liang.


    ¡°Not too many. But you still have to study many subjects, though.¡± Han Qingwu shook her head and said, ¡°Although you are all Department of History¡¯s students, you also need to select some elective courses. You can choose what you like and what you want! By the way, I also have received a notice from the campus that we also have a lot of student societies here. You can sign up for any societies you like, but it will have to wait until you¡¯ve finished your military training subject.¡±


    ¡°Teacher Han, can we apply to establish a new society?¡± Yue Kai suddenly asked.


    ¡°Applying to establish a new society is rather troublesome,¡± Han Qingwu shook her head and said, ¡°This must wait after the student military training finished.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Yue Kai nodded.


    Han Qingwu stayed in the classroom for a few more minutes before she casually found an excuse to leave. When she quickly came to that small grove where Tang Xiu was sitting motionlessly on the stone bench, as if being in deep thought about something, she secretly sighed inside and inquired, ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked up. A complicated mood flashed in his eyes as he saw Han Qingwu. He then shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just felt upset all of a sudden, so I came out to have some fresh air and vent it out.¡±


    Han Qingwu stamped on Tang Xiu¡¯s cigarette butt on the ground and said, ¡°Your worry seems quite heavy since you¡¯re smoking, doesn¡¯t it? Can you tell what matter is concerning you? Perhaps I can help you to dispel it.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment. He slowly shook his head and said, ¡°No, you can¡¯t help me!¡±


    ¡°How do you know I can¡¯t help you?¡± Han Qingwu lightly laughed and said, ¡°Tell me, perhaps I can help! Don¡¯t forget, I¡¯m a teacher and you¡¯re a student.¡±


    After thinking deeply for a while, Tang Xiu then said, ¡°If you really want to help, then I¡¯ll ask you something. If ¡ª I say if ¡ª if there are two worlds, one being our planet and the other one is another world; tell me, will the same identical person appear in both worlds?¡±


    Han Qingwu involuntarily laughed, ¡°How can two worlds exist? Even if there is, the same identical person is impossible to appear! Is it even possible for a person to have doppelgangers? I may not know much about physics, but a lot of physicists have been trying to study it, but they have never found any places in the outer space like our Earth; or such as the positive and negative of the north and south poles. Even after having spent so many years researching it, they haven¡¯t found it yet.¡±


    ¡°Nobody not being able to study it, doesn¡¯t mean that it doesn¡¯t exist.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°I was quite restless since I had some questions in my mind that I could not answer. Don¡¯t worry, though! I¡¯m fine already¡­ perhaps after a while.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know what goes on inside your head!¡± Han Qingwu forced a smile and said, ¡°Well, forget it. You had better not to lose yourself in various fancies, conjectures, and whatnot. Besides, you haven¡¯t introduced yourself to your class yet!¡±


    ¡°Forget it! Even if I don¡¯t introduce myself, I¡¯m afraid that everyone already knows me!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°After all, the fact that we¡ªteacher and student, entered the same university simultaneously and continued our teacher-student relationship has been publicly known by them already.¡±


    Han Qingwu placed her finger ring on her pinkie, pressing her middle finger on top the ring finger, and the forefinger atop it. She then lifted her hand and gently caressed her long hair as she said with a smile, ¡°In this case, you must thank me for making you famous, no? How about treating me to a meal today since there¡¯s nothing to do this noon?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t. I have something to do at noon,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    ¡°What are you gonna do?¡± Han Qingwu was puzzled and said, ¡°Are you not willing to treat me to a meal?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to look for someone at noon. He¡¯s our Department of History¡¯s Vice Dean.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    Han Qingwu was startled for a moment and asked with a puzzled expression, ¡°What are you seeking the Vice Dean for?¡±


    ¡°To request a leave of absence!¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Han Qingwu was stunned. She never imagined that Tang Xiu wanted to find the Vice Dean in order to ask a leave of absence. It could be said that she was crystal clear about Tang Xiu¡¯s ability for asking leaves of absence. During his study in Star City First High School, Tang Xiu was still asking for leaves of absence even in his final period of study; even the number of days he asked for was very long.


    He used to ask for a leave before very frequently, but why did he also want ask a leave of absence now? He did say in Star city that he had a lot of businesses that needed to be done, but after he came to Shanghai, did he still have other important things to do?


    ¡°Tang Xiu, what are you requesting a leave of absence for?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to attend the military training. I feel that it will be very boring. So, while others are taking military training, I want to study the whole freshman¡¯s curriculum! Thus, I will be very relaxed when the new term officially starts.¡±


    Han Qingwu suddenly understood. She let out a smile and said, ¡°Ah, it turns out that you don¡¯t want to participate in the military training! I can understand it. But when I was in the university back then, I also thought of every possible means to not participate in the subject. Even though I didn¡¯t get a holiday or a leave of absence, I also tried various means and excuses to reduce my time attending the military training. Anyways, would the Vice Dean even approve your request?¡±


    ¡°I know the Vice Dean of Shanghai University¡¯s Department of History¡ªLe Baiyi.¡±


    ¡°You know Vice Dean Le?¡± cried Han Qingwu with an incredulous expression.

 Chapter 341

    Chapter 341: A Belle Visits


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    It was unexpected for Tang Xiu that Han Qingwu would get excited over such a little thing. But still, he nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯m friends with him! When I went to Tianjin City before I met him there and hang out together a bit.¡±


    ¡°Just because you you know him a little you think you can ask for a leave? Vice Dean Le is an old school person to my knowledge; someone very difficult to speak to.¡± An incredulous expression hung on Han Qingwu¡¯s face. She evidently knew a little about Le Baiyi. Moreover, she shouldn¡¯t be on good terms with him.


    ¡°You¡¯re also familiar with him?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not. My transfer to Shanghai University was very smooth originally. But he¡­ actually¡­¡± said Han Qingwu.


    Seeing Han Qingwu stopping her explanation, Tang Xiu immediately revealed a slight smile as he asked, ¡°What did he do?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not to talk about this topic anymore.¡± Han Qingwu shook her head and continued, ¡°If anything, you must find a good excuse when asking him for leave. I can help you ask the other leaders in the department. However, as far as I know, the teachers and professors in our department have no rights to decide whether a new student can ask for a leave of absence during military training.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± asked Tang Xiu in a puzzled expression, surprised.


    ¡°The current military training subject is different from the past. In particular, regular military training in university is very strict. Generally speaking, for students who are used to fake excuses for leave of absence, they must participate in the military training, unless they are really sick or not fit to participate.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silence for a moment, before he slowly said, ¡°I¡¯ll still try it! If I can get it then it would for the best, but if not, then I¡¯ll attend the military training.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡± Han Qingwu nodded and then asked, ¡°Then what are you gonna do next? Are you going back to the classroom? Or¡­¡±


    ¡°Are we still going to have class today?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°For the time being, no.¡± Han Qingwu shook her hand and replied.


    ¡°If so, then I¡¯ll go first. I¡¯m going to the campus library to borrow some books. That¡¯s right. Is it possible for me to borrow books from the campus library now?¡±


    ¡°It should be,¡± said Han Qingwu with a smile.


    Tang Xiu then stood up as he beckoned and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go the library. You can go busy yourself!¡±


    Twenty minutes later, when Tang Xiu arrived at the library, he was rendered speechless. Shanghai University¡¯s library was very large; it was at least a dozen times larger than Star City First High School¡¯s. Just merely walking from the main classroom building to the library, it took him twenty minutes. Nevertheless, it was after he took the unnecessary long way and asked directions.


    At this time, a few students were going in and coming out of the library¡¯s entrance. The site itself was rather deserted compared to other places. When he went inside, he was immediately shocked upon seeing rows upon rows of bookshelves lined with books inside a spacious hall.


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m this year¡¯s freshman. I want to borrow a few books.¡±


    Tang Xiu went to the work area where several staffs were located and spoke to one of the middle-aged women.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, new students are not yet able to borrow books from the library,¡± said the middle-aged woman with a smile, ¡°Although you already have your university card, but you have yet to apply for a library card. If you plan to borrow books frequently, you need to submit your ID card as well as other information. Then we¡¯ll handle your library card application.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll submit all the information you need now!¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile after having been silent for a moment.


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu had submitted all the required information. He then walked into the library. Knowledge was like nourishment. The more knowledge one learned the more one could think and understand things out. Although in the truest sense one couldn¡¯t truly grasp geography by only knowing astronomy; yet, having more knowledge in one¡¯s mind could make one¡¯s path in life be faster, easier and steadier.


    It was 11:00 PM. He left the library after reading a book and then found Le Baiyi¡¯s office after asking around.


    Inside the office, Le Baiyi was holding a magnifying glass to observe the lines of a stone. Upon hearing the door being knocked, he put down the magnifying glass and looked up.


    ¡°Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Ah, Professor Le, I¡¯m disturbing you, am I?¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Le Baiyi quickly came out of his desk. He let out a smile and then said, ¡°No, no. I¡¯m glad you came looking for me! Tang Xiu, it¡¯s been two months since we last met, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, nearly so!¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.¡±


    Gesturing for Tang Xiu to sit down, Le Baiyi then personally brewed a pot of tea and poured a cup for Tang Xiu. After that, he smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s kinda fortunate that I met you in Tianjin City before. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have known that a genius would be coming to our campus. Well, have you registered yet? Or is there anything you haven¡¯t completed? Tell me and I¡¯ll help you handle it immediately.¡±


    ¡°Actually, my coming here this time is because I need Professor Le¡¯s help for two matters.¡± Said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°So? Do tell me! As long as I can help, you can rest assured that I won¡¯t refuse.¡± Laughed Le Baiyi happily upon hearing it.


    ¡°Professor Le, I have some important things that need to be handled. Thus, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t have time to attend the military training. Could you open a back door for me?¡±


    Surprised, Le Baiyi frowned and said, ¡°What do you have to do?¡±


    ¡°I have to leave for Jingmen Island for a few days. I have some important matters to do there.¡±


    ¡°I have a good solution for that.¡± Le Baiyi nodded and said, ¡°I have been researching a subject that requires me to explore and observe some islands¡¯ terrains in the South China Sea. When the time comes, I¡¯ll put your name in the exploration member list, so you won¡¯t need to participate in the military training. I¡¯ll handle the formalities with the campus. So, what about the other matter?¡±


    ¡°I heard that freshmen must stay in the campus. Can I get an exception for this? Of course, I¡¯ll also stay on the campus often, but¡­¡±


    Le Baiyi waved his hand and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to live inside the campus, you can apply to live outside! These are only trivial matters. Just give it to me to handle it.¡±


    Tang Xiu said gratefully, ¡°Thanks a lot, Professor Le. Anyway, do you have some free time at noon? I want to invite you to have lunch with me.¡±


    Clapping his hands, Le Baiyi replied with a contented expression, ¡°No problem. However, I should be the one treating you. After all, since you¡¯ve come to me, I¡¯m afraid that old geezer in Tianjin City would stab my spine if I not invited you to a meal. Anyways, let¡¯s go to the Tongfu Restaurant outside the campus. I¡¯m a regular there.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly.


    Treating him for a meal?! He was naturally unable to let Le Baiyi treat him today. After all, he was the one asking for his help, to begin with!


    After lunch, Tang Xiu refused Le Baiyi¡¯s invitation to drink tea. After parting ways, he went straight to the campus library again. After spending more than an hour reading a book there, he then went to the classroom.


    At this moment, the students present were obviously a lot more than in the morning. It was more than 30 students altogether, and there was only 10 left remaining for the full class. Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival, in particular, attracted everyone¡¯s attention, as many of them whispered about some topics Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t hear.


    ¡°Yo, Brother Tang. Come here!¡±


    Zhao Liang stood as he faced toward Tang Xiu and waved.


    Tang Xiu walked there and sat himself down. Only then he heard Zhao Liang¡¯s willy voice, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, now our classmates have really seen it. Our class¡¯s teacher in charge¡ªTeacher Han really came to Shanghai University just for you. When you left the classroom in the morning, it was just like her spirit had left her body. It wasn¡¯t long after meeting the other new freshmen that she went out to chase you.¡±


    Tang Xiu creased his brows slightly as he shook his head and said, ¡°She might have had her own matters! Alright, let¡¯s change the topic. Who among you knows any fellow senior students here?¡±


    ¡°Why do you?¡± Yue Kai was puzzled.


    ¡°Our fellow senior students should be able to borrow books from the campus library. I was planning to borrow a few books there to read. If I can¡¯t borrow them, I wanna know a place outside the campus where I can buy them.¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Why borrow them? Might as well buy them directly. Tell me what books you wanna buy. But it¡¯s best for you to make a list of them, though. I¡¯ll drive you out to buy them after we finished everything this afternoon.¡± Said Yue Kai with a smile.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s buy it then!¡± Laughed Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go out this afternoon and then stroll around after that. I¡¯ll treat you to dinner tonight.¡±


    Yue Kai raised his thumb and exclaimed, praising, ¡°Woot, Eldest Brother Tang is really impressive. But where are we going to eat tonight?¡±


    ¡°I just had lunch in Tongfu Restaurant outside the campus this noon. Their dishes are not bad,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°No problem.¡± Yue Kai nodded and said, ¡°Anyways, are your pockets full? If it is, let¡¯s call Zhao Liang and his dorm mates! The seven of us having a drink will surely create a good atmosphere!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°That¡¯s fine with me! Call everyone.¡±


    Yue Kai nodded contentedly, but he suddenly whispered, ¡°Have you heard something? The last guy in our dorm who has yet to arrive was injured by some hoodlums because of his heroic acts. He¡¯s hospitalized in Shanghai Hospital now! I heard his injuries are not severe. Nevertheless, it¡¯s impossible for him to come to school during this period. And heck, I¡¯m really envious of him! He doesn¡¯t have to participate in the military training.¡±


    Acting heroically and getting injured?


    ¡°What happened exactly?¡± asked Tang Xiu, puzzled.


    ¡°This buddy came across some robbers. Precisely, he helped an old lady get her wallet back. But then he got stabbed by the hoodlums¡¯ knife. But man! He¡¯s quite strong-willed. For fear of delaying his registration to the campus, he pressed and covered his wound, came out of the subway entrance and ran for a few kilometers to our campus. The teachers in the registrar office learned about the situation and reported it to the cops. Later on, they learned after the police investigation that he got stabbed by the hoodlums because of his heroic act. That¡¯s right, the children of that old lady also sent him a pennant flag. Our campus will surely become famous because of this.¡± Said Yue Kai.


    A trace of smile was revealed on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth as he nodded and said, ¡°It seems like we have more brothers in our dorms now. Well then, how about we go to the hospital to visit him?¡±


    ¡°Some of us has discussed it too, and we¡¯re ready to go to the hospital in the afternoon! Zhao Liang¡¯s dorm brothers also want to go.¡± Said Yue Kai.


    ¡°Alright, then we shall go together!¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    At this time, Han Qingwu entered the classroom. As she looked around the classroom and saw Tang Xiu, a trace of a smile immediately appeared on her face as she said, ¡°The students who have just registered, come to me to fill your registration. I¡¯m Han Qingwu and I¡¯ll be your class¡¯ teacher in charge for the next few years.¡±


    Immediately, more than ten students who had just registered themselves went to Han Qingwu to write their names and phone numbers.


    _Knock, knock!_


    The classroom¡¯s door was knocked and everyone¡¯s eyes looked at the door¡¯s direction. However, after they saw the girl in front of the classroom, each and every one of them stared blankly in a daze one after another.


    A beauty! A strikingly gorgeous belle!


    She was a very beautiful belle never before seen by almost all of the students in the class.


    ¡°You are?¡± Han Qingwu was the fastest to react as she asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for Tang Xiu!¡± said the gorgeous belle with a smile unfolding on her face.

 Chapter 342

    Chapter 342: Who are you Exactly?


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    In a flash, everyone¡¯s eyes, including Han Qingwu¡¯s, were fixated on Tang Xiu. Envy and jealousy filled their eyes, crying inside as to why such a striking beauty who could topple a country didn¡¯t look for them.


    Han Qingwu looked at Tang Xiu with slightly creased brows and asked, ¡°Do you know her?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Tang Xiu stood up slowly as a trace of smile appeared on his handsome face. As he walked toward the door, he said, ¡°Teacher Han, I¡¯m going out. I¡¯ll be back shortly.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    Han Qingwu¡¯s expression looked a bit strange as she nodded silently.


    A moment after, Tang Xiu walked alongside the belle to the corridor and said with a smile, ¡°Wanying, I did hear you would come to Shanghai University to attend the graduate program, but I never thought you¡¯d really come. Seems like you¡¯re an alumnus here as well.¡±


    ¡°Since I¡¯m a graduate program student and you¡¯re a freshman, then shall I call you junior fellow student Tang?¡± said Mu Wanying and lightly laughed.


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°Well, might as well call me by my name. Anyhow, is there something you need from me?¡±


    ¡°Is it not alright for me to look for you?¡± said Mu Wanying with a smile, ¡°Anyhow, I heard from my teacher that you invited him for lunch outside this noon.¡±


    Teacher? Le Baiyi?


    ¡°I was asking for Professor Le¡¯s help. It was just time for lunch, so I asked him to have lunch together with me,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Yea, I did hear teacher say it,¡± Mu Wanying nodded and then said, ¡°Do you have time this evening? How about having dinner?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t. I promised my classmates to treat them to a meal this evening.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°You can come too, or else we can mark for another day.¡±


    Mu Wanying hesitated for a moment before she shook her head and said, ¡°I won¡¯t go. I don¡¯t know your classmates. How about tomorrow evening? Let¡¯s meet at the campus gate.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°I was very worried that you were not someone easy to get along with.¡± Said Mu Wanying with a smile,¡± But since I know from Tang Ying that you¡¯re her younger brother, I feel completely at ease.¡±


    Tang Ying?


    ¡°You know her?¡± asked Tang Xiu, puzzled.


    ¡°We¡¯re boudoir friends.¡± Laughed Mu Wanying as she said, ¡°We¡¯ve been playing together since childhood.¡±


    ¡°Ah, the world really is a very small place!¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, ¡°Anyways, I gotta get back to the classroom. Let¡¯s exchange our numbers and meet again tomorrow evening.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    After exchanging cell numbers, Mu Wanying left with a smile on her face.


    As Tang Xiu returned to the classroom, everyone¡¯s vision was immediately attracted to him. Han Qingwu didn¡¯t say anything, but Yue Kai, Hu Qingsong, and the others immediately approached him when he sat himself back in his seat.


    ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, my dear Brother, who was that breathtakingly beautiful belle?¡± With a voice filled with a Northeast accent, Hu Qingsong hugged Tang Xiu¡¯s shoulder affectionately as he asked.


    Following that, Zhao Liang also hurriedly echoed, ¡°Yeah! You mustn¡¯t hide it, Eldest Brother Tang. That kind of stunning beauty is just¡­ really¡­ really drop-dead gorgeous. Man, I¡¯d be content to have my lifespan lessened by 10 years if I had such a breathtaking gorgeous belle as my girlfriend.¡±


    Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh upon seeing them. He could only reply helplessly, ¡°Nope, I¡¯m not that familiar with her since we only had a meal together before. But back then, after she heard that I would study at Shanghai University, she then came visiting me to have some chats. Anyhow, if you really wanna chase after her, I can help you build the bridge.¡±


    Yue Kai rapidly echoed, ¡°Then she¡¯s mine! You must not compete with me! Eldest Brother Tang, can you give me her number? I¡¯ll treat you to a big meal tonight!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you her number that easily, mate.¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing and said, ¡°But I¡¯ll ask her tomorrow about it. Regardless, I¡¯ll give you her number if she¡¯s willing to know you. After all, it¡¯s her number, to begin with.¡±


    ¡°Damn, it¡¯s just so right to call you Eldest Brother Tang. You really know how to respect a beautiful woman.¡± At this time, Yue Kai showed a magnanimous verve as he raised his thumb and sighed, ¡°Well, I got no problem with that, so I¡¯ll be waiting for the good news from you tomorrow. Since you¡¯re going to treat us tonight, I won¡¯t snatch the honor. But after filling our bellies, I want everyone to accompany me to the best KTV in Shanghai.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe. Eldest Brother Tang, you mustn¡¯t favor one and leave out the others, no?¡± Laughed Hu Qingsong as he said, ¡°You gotta give us her number too.¡±


    ¡°Yea,¡± Zhao Liang nodded and said, ¡°A graceful young lady is a good match for a gentleman. All of us here have no girlfriend. So we¡¯ll pursue the lady together! Whoever can hug the belle will depends on each one¡¯s ability! Besides, even if we brothers don¡¯t act, I¡¯m afraid countless cheap men on the campus will go signing up dauntlessly, wave upon wave.¡±


    Yue Kai thought about it and he also thought that what Zhao Liang said was true. As far as men were concerned, a woman at such a level would always attract them. Not to mention that there were a lot of men with courage nowadays, so it was inevitable that many flies would revolve around her.


    ¡°Okay! But we brothers gotta have an agreement first. Nobody can play shady here. If anyone of us can really win the heart of the belle, all of us will have to give him our faithful blessing.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡±


    ¡°Deal!¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    The seven or eight guys around Tang Xiu echoed and nodded with satisfaction.


    Observing them, Tang Xiu was secretly speechless inside. He then noticed that Han Qingwu was paying attention to him. Pretending not having seeing anything, he said in a low voice, ¡°Brothers, look. Teacher Han is kinda displeased seeing us gathered and talking here. Let¡¯s talk about how you¡¯ll chase the belle thingy after we leave the classroom, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Everyone looked at Han Qingwu. They could see that her expression was kind of unsightly as they then immediately sat straight.


    Yue Kai then raised his hand to cover his mouth as he spoke, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, it¡¯s really a pity, though. You already have such a striking beauty in Teacher Han. So you mustn¡¯t compete with us for that belle. But worry not, though, for us brothers will compensate you for that. Hu Qingsong will surely wash your socks for the next several months.¡±


    Hu Qingsong who could hear Yue Kai¡¯s words, albeit vaguely, quickly lowered his head and growled, ¡°Screw off, Yue Kai. Why don¡¯t you wash Eldest Brother Tang¡¯s socks for months, huh?¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m the one who¡¯s gonna treat him to a meal!¡±


    ¡°I can also do that!¡±


    Tang Xiu, who sat between them and listened to their whispered quarrel, immediately extended his hand to twist their waists. He looked at their faces and spoke in an undertone voice, ¡°If you two keep bickering, I won¡¯t give you the number!¡±


    There were only a few things to do left in the afternoon class, one of which was the election of the interim class president.


    What made Tang Xiu unable to utter any words was that he was unanimously voted and elected as the class president despite his unwillingness to participate in the election. Following that, a female student was then appointed as the class vice president.


    Quickly, the other student body class¡¯s members were also elected, although it was only temporary. Afterward, Han Qingwu took everyone to get their books and dismissed the class after everyone obtained their textbooks.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you stay!¡± Han Qingwu cried out to stop Tang Xiu, who was about to leave.


    Yue Kai, who stood beside Tang Xiu, quickly pulled out his BMW car keys and threw it to Tang Xiu. He then winked at him and called out, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, drive my car when you go out to our appointment. If you don¡¯t come back tonight, I¡¯ll host the dinner. Also, I won¡¯t lock the door for you.¡±


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    Tang Xiu grabbed the key and threw a curse back to him. Not only that, Yue Kai and the gang also helped him take his textbooks back to their dormitory.


    Angry and amused at the same time, Han Qingwu stared at Yue Kai. She had been in college before, so she naturally knew what Yue Kai meant.


    ¡°Talk any rubbish again and I¡¯ll make you fail in your English course.¡±


    ¡°BROTHERS, WITHDRAW!¡±


    Upon hearing it, Yue Kai ran like hell at once.


    Walking down the boulevard in the campus, Han Qingwu kept silent, and Tang Xiu also wasn¡¯t anxious to speak. The two walked without destination as Han Qingwu eventually turned her head to look at Tang Xiu, asking, ¡°Who was the belle that came looking for you before?¡±


    ¡°I thought you couldn¡¯t bear to hold any longer.¡± Said Tang Xiu with a smile, ¡°She¡¯s Professor Le¡¯s student who¡¯s attending the graduate program at Shanghai University this year. I met her in Tianjin City when I got to know Professor Le.¡±


    Realization dawned upon Han Qingwu as she immediately smiled and said, ¡°Little did I think that you would have such an edge on beautiful women! I recall that, when we were in Star City, there was also a gorgeous woman who came looking for you, right?¡±


    ¡°How come I have an edge with women?! I¡¯ve always been busy with many things that need to be dealt with, tiring me out to death.¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t intend to fall in love for the time being. I even got depressed every time Yue Kai teases me.¡±


    Surprised, Han Qingwu stared at him blankly and said in astonishment, ¡°Why don¡¯t you want to fall in love? Isn¡¯t being in the university the best time to fall in love?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m very busy and I also have to allocate much time for study.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Love between a man and woman doesn¡¯t have any meaning to me.¡±


    ¡°Why do I taste the vicissitudes of life hearing from you?¡± Han Qingwu was at a loss whether she had to cry or laugh, ¡°You couldn¡¯t be a hundred-year-old geezer or someone who transmigrated and reincarnated into a new body, right?¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled and replied, ¡°What¡¯s with transmigration and reincarnation¡­¡±


    Suddenly, his body quivered in an instant as his facial expression changed as though having a thunderbolt blasted inside his heart.


    Transmigrating and being reincarnated?


    Realization dawned on him all of a sudden. If Xue Qingcheng were to die in the Immortal World, could she possibly be transmigrated and reincarnated on Earth?


    It had to be known that the Immortal World was only one of the myriad realms. Whereas the Abyssal Hell of Samsara was the place that governed the cycle of Samsara. For individuals who died in the Immortal World, as long as their souls didn¡¯t scatter and disappear, it was possible for them to be reincarnated in the Immortal World or in one of the myriad small worlds. And Earth was also one of those myriad small worlds.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, what happened to you?¡± Han Qingwu could acutely sense Tang Xiu¡¯s unusual reaction as she asked.


    After falling into silence for a while, Tang Xiu suddenly asked, ¡°Do you have three red birthmarks on your left shoulder?¡±


    Stunned, Han Qingwu fell into a daze. With disbelief and astonishment, she asked, ¡°How did you know? Even when the weather is hot, I have never once showed my shoulders, no?¡±


    ¡°You really have them?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s pupils shrunk.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been there since I was born. There are three small red birthmarks shaped in triangular patterns.¡± Said Han Qingwu, ¡°My parents once told when I was a child that these three birthmarks look like a very beautiful pattern, so I don¡¯t need any tattoos.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face turned somewhat pale. He stared at Han Qingwu tightly as he asked word by word, ¡°Who. Are. You. Exactly?¡±


    Shocked and stupefied, Han Qingwu¡¯s pace came to a stop in an instant. With a bewildered expression, she asked, ¡°Why are you asking this? I¡¯m me!¡±

 Chapter 343

    Chapter 343: Utterly Confused and Bewildered


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    While looking at Han Qingwu¡¯s bewildered expression, Tang Xiu¡¯s heart was completely chaotic at this moment. He was sure that she should be Xue Qingcheng, albeit vaguely.


    Yet, there was something he was unable to figure out. How would Xue Qingcheng have an accident not long after his tragic death in the Immortal World? Logically speaking, they must have snatched his interspatial ring and obtained massive treasures from inside. He himself had even given them the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis cultivation technique. Shouldn¡¯t they be celebrating their victory and immersing themselves in practicing it?


    What the hell had happened in the Immortal World in the end? Why did Xue Qingcheng transmigrate and reincarnate here?


    ¡°What happened to you, Tang Xiu?¡± Han Qingwu grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s hand with an expression full of concern.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and temporarily suppressed his chaotic feelings. He shook off Han Qingwu¡¯s hand as he shook his head and said, ¡°Teacher Han, I just recalled that I still have some things to do. If you don¡¯t have anything else to say, I can no longer accompany you chatting. So I¡¯ll take my leave.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Hey¡­¡±


    Ignoring Han Qingwu¡¯s shouts, Tang Xiu strode toward the campus gate.


    He needed to calm himself! He dared not say with 100% assurance that Han Qingwu was Xue Qingcheng, yet they were way too much alike. Be it their appearances, words, actions, demeanors and also the same three red birthmarks on their left shoulders. Xue Qingcheng had once told him that her three birthmarks would forever accompany her regardless of herself being reincarnated anywhere.


    And now, he didn¡¯t know how he should face her!


    _Should I kill her?_


    However, looking at her bewildered expression just now, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t have the heart to do it.


    _Should I get her back?_


    Yet, recalling his death in the Immortal World, his heart was torn by a tearing pain. How could it be possible to get together with her again? How could it be possible to love and have affection for her again?


    He was at a loss.


    With such a chaotic mood, Tang Xiu returned to Bluestar Villa Complex. He took a bath, put on pajamas and sat on the bed. Right now, he needed to calm himself.


    After a very long period of time, he gradually calmed down, albeit slowly. He already made up his mind. If Han Qingwu was really Xue Qingcheng, he would definitely kill her personally. However, before he was 100% sure, what he needed to do was distance himself from her.


    _I gotta vent this feeling!_


    Tang Xiu dressed up and then dialed Yue Kai¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°In the dormitory. We¡¯re about to go to the hospital.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you at the campus gate. Hurry up. We¡¯ll go to the hospital together.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    Yue Kai fussed, ¡°Aren¡¯t you dating Teacher Han? How¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t shit about me dating Han Qingwu anymore. I really don¡¯t have anything to do with her. If you say any shit again, I won¡¯t give you the belle¡¯s number.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°No, no. I promise you I won¡¯t say anything! Wait for us there!¡± said Yue Kai as he then hung up the phone.


    Tang Xiu went out of his villa. He took a glance at the garage door and was somewhat at a loss inside. He didn¡¯t want to be too high-profile, but the four cars in the garage really made it inconvenient for him to take them out; especially to see his classmates. Thinking about it, should he buy a cheap car?


    Ten minutes later, Tang Xiu arrived at the campus gate. Yue Kai hadn¡¯t come out yet, so he went to a small supermarket nearby to buy a pack of cigarettes. He took one, lit it up, and pulled a few puffs.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Tang Xiu creased his brows. Someone he didn¡¯t want to see was caught in his line of sight, along with a bunch of hoodlums around him.


    ¡°This damn bunch of second-generation nouveau-riches¡­ Can¡¯t you live normally once? Living and spending your youth in stupid idly life like you were drunk all day, really meaningless.¡± Tang Xiu looked at them from afar, watching them standing beside supercars as he shook his head secretly.


    Two minutes later, a BMW came out of the campus. When it stopped at the corner of the campus gate, Yue Kai, Hu Qingsong, Zhao Liang and some others got off the car.


    ¡°Woot, isn¡¯t this the famous Young Master Yue? Tsk, tsk¡­ It¡¯s so unlike you to be admitted to Shanghai University, huh. Especially, this taste of yours. Seems like you¡¯re getting trashier; you¡¯re even hanging out with a bunch of hillbillies now.¡± With a cigarette clamped in his lips, Li Zhen leaned on his supercar while shouting aloud with squinted eyes at Yue Kai, who was a few meters away from him.


    ¡°Hahaha. He¡¯s really hopeless! Had it not been because Yue Yan covered his ass before, could he even be able to enter the count?¡± Another yellow-dyed haired youth loudly echoed, full of sarcasm.


    As Yue Kai saw Li Zhen¡¯s gang, his expression immediately changed. Anger was written on his handsome face as he shouted back, ¡°Li Zhen, Qin Yusheng. You wanna have a fucking brawl here, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Rolling his eyes in response, Li Zheng taunted, ¡°What if this Big Daddy wants to have a brawl, huh? You wanna play with us?¡±


    Hu Qingsong strode out and looked at Li Zhen and his gang, saying, ¡°You wanna brawl, we¡¯ll accompany you. This Big Daddy has never been afraid of anyone other than my own old man.¡±


    Li Zhen¡¯s complexion changed and waved his hands. Following him, several people walked toward Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong!


    Standing in the distance, Tang Xiu watched them. A helpless expression emerged on his face. The reason why he made a bet with Li Zheng before was not entirely because Li Zhen was a sore in his eyes. The main reason was that he would have to get along with Yue Kai in the future. Hence, he hoped that Li Zhen would be far away from him. Thus, he got rid of him to solve the problem beforehand, as to avoid a conflict between these two.


    Yet, now, they unexpectedly ran into each other at entrance of Shanghai University.


    While stuffing one of his hands in his trousers¡¯ pocket and the other holding a cigarette, Tang Xiu walked toward the two gangs. When he was ten meters away from them, he dashed and traversed four or five meters forward in an instant.


    ¡°Bugger off!¡±


    Tang Xiu glared at Li Zhen and indifferently said.


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu, Li Zhen¡¯s complexion abruptly changed. Next to him was a young man who had never seen Tang Xiu, who then rolled up his sleeve and cussed, ¡°Who the fuck are you jumping in here? Why don¡¯t you mind your own fucking business? You wanna get trashed?¡±


    _Pa!_


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t stop his pace as he strode before that youth and fiercely slapped him. The slap was fast and also exerted a bit of strength, causing the youth to be thrown four or five meters away before heavily slamming on the ground and fainting.


    ¡°Are you not going to get the fucking lost?¡± Tang Xiu glared at Li Zhen again.


    Li Zhen and the seven or eight youths around him had their facial expressions turn unsightly. However, they didn¡¯t make impertinent remarks like the beaten youth and just angrily glared at Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get the hell out of here!¡±


    Gritting his teeth, Li Zhen quickly walked to the fainted youth¡¯s side. After he pulled him up from the ground, he then gave the youth to his gang and left.


    ¡°What the heck is this?¡±


    Yue Kai was dumbfounded. Hu Qingsong was stunned, whereas Zhao Liang and the others were left dumbstruck.


    The gang that was about to clash with them unexpectedly looked walked away with their tails between their legs?


    What was that ¡°we¡¯ll get the hell out¡± for?


    Turning his head to look at Tang Xiu, Yue Kai asked with difficulty, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, what the heck just happened? That son of bitch Li Zhen¡­ seemed afraid of you?¡±


    Zhao Liang nodded and echoed, ¡°Yeah, how come he was like a mouse bumping into a cat when he saw you?¡±


    ¡°Never mind it.¡± Tang Xiu let out a pale smile and said, ¡°Maybe I look scarier or something. Or maybe it was because there was another person coming to aid you, so they could only leave with their tails between their legs.¡±


    ¡°No way. Eldest Brother Tang, we are brothers who sleep next to you, so don¡¯t try hiding it from us,¡± Yue Kai shook his head and said, ¡°I grew up knowing Li Zhen and his gang. This bunch of bastards are not pushovers. Even if someone helped us, they wouldn¡¯t be afraid like that. Besides, apart from that kiddo who was hit by you, it was not only Li Zhen who was afraid of you, so were his other gangs.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, ¡°I was idle and got bored last night, so I went to Laoshan in Changxi City. I bet a wager with him before the race. That was: he must immediately avoid me like the plague were he to see me later. He lost, so he just straightly left. That¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ you competed with him in a car race in Laoshan Highway and won?¡± asked Yue Kai, astounded.


    ¡°You can say it was my win. But I was not the champion, though.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I only got the runner-up.¡±


    Yue Kai¡¯s lips quivered before he suddenly said, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, you really lie low. I only got know this now. You should be very¡­¡±


    Raising his hand to interrupt him, Tang Xiu then said, ¡°Well, I¡¯m very capable. For you to worship me is normal. Anyways, let¡¯s go to the hospital! Also, your car won¡¯t be able to take all of us.¡±


    Yue Kai¡¯s mouth opened a few times, wanting to say something, yet he gulped the words back. He was not a brainless person; otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to enter Shanghai University. From Tang Xiu¡¯s reaction, he could infer that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want him to speak out the following words.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll ride a cab with Eldest Brother Tang! If you arrive at the hospital before us, remember to wait for us at the gate!¡± said Hu Qingsong.


    ¡°Alright!¡± After a slight hesitation, Yue Kai nodded.


    As the BMW left, Hu Qingsong turned his head to Tang Xiu and said with a smile, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, I know that Yue Kai wanted to say that you were also very rich, right? I was indeed unable to see that you just kept yourself under the radar. It turns out that you¡¯re a second generation nouveau-riche as well.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help chuckle to himself, ¡°I¡¯m wealthy? I always thought that having money from your family is not as interesting as making money yourself. Hence, apart from the money my family gave me, the rest of the money I spent was earned by myself.¡±


    ¡°You earned it? How?¡± asked Hu Qingsong, astounded.


    ¡°Setting up my own enterprise, selling calligraphies and paintings, and also working as a doctor. Shortly put, I do what I can to make money.¡± Laughed Tang Xiu.


    Hu Qingsong rolled his eyes. He was simply unable to believe everything Tang Xiu said from the start. He just smiled and cussed, ¡°Eldest Brother, I just realized that your big talk is the most powerful amongst us!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, don¡¯t you think that bragging is also a good skill in itself?¡± Laughed Tang Xiu and said, ¡°There¡¯s a good saying for that: Having good intentions is not as good as having a silver tongue. You too know that a silver-tongue people is very popular nowadays, no?!¡±


    ¡°What an absurd fallacy!¡± Hu Qingsong said, ¡°Those whose mouths are hyping about something are people who are usually up to no good. That¡¯s not a good thing at all.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    Not wanting to talk about this topic anymore, Hu Qingsong then said, ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s not have Yue Kai and the others wait for us for too long.¡±


    They quickly caught a cab and rushed towards Shanghai Hospital.

 Chapter 344

    Chapter 344: Giving a bit of Advice


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Shanghai, Dynasty Clubhouse.


    An expensive supercar roared as it entered the clubhouse entrance and then stopped in the parking lot. Following that, several security guards hurriedly opened the car¡¯s doors.


    ¡°Get Yu Zhi inside.¡±


    Li Zhen got off and said with a cold and detached expression.


    Li Zhen¡¯s gang quickly entered the main hall. They then took the elevator straight to the third floor to a magnificently decorated and spacious lounge. The several security guards who followed them then put the fainted youth on the sofa before leaving one after another.


    ¡°Fuck! He¡¯s too rampant. Too arrogant! Brother Zhen, I can¡¯t stomach this insult!¡± A young man dressed in outlandish clothes cried out angrily.


    Li Zheng coldly stared at him and then asked, ¡°You can¡¯t stomach this insult, but do you think we can? The fucking damned thing is that we can¡¯t. And we have no means to retaliate.¡±


    That youth¡¯s brows creased and indignantly replied, ¡°Why can¡¯t we? Does that punk have some underlings with real abilities or something? Yu Zhi was beaten by him and hasn¡¯t woken until now. I¡¯m afraid he got a brain concussion.¡±


    While looking at Yu Zhi who was lying down on the sofa in front of him, Li Zhen lit up a cigarette and sat on the sofa in silence. If he not met Tang Xiu in Changxi City beforehand and competed with him in the race, he would have retaliated without hesitation.


    However, he absolutely couldn¡¯t dare to do that right now.


    ¡°Brother Zhen, you actually say that! Are we really unable to break off from the bet that time and must avoid him at all costs? From when we were still kids until now, since when anyone who dares to shit on our head ends up well?¡± That youth furiously cried.


    Taking out a deep breath, Li Zhen forced a smile and said, ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t wanna trash that punk? But if we do exact our revenge and fail and then he figures out it was us, I¡¯m afraid that we will be dead meat.¡±


    The youth was stunned. He then asked with a confused expression, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Like the saying goes, know thy enemy and know yourself, only then will you be victorious in battle.¡± Li Zhen replied in a heavy voice, ¡°Let me ask you, do we know this surnamed Tang¡¯s background? Were we to provoke a terrifying figure rashly, only bad luck will be waiting for us. Besides, there¡¯s another thing I didn¡¯t tell you. Last night in the car race, Chi Nan almost had Huan Yu killed. If not for Tang Xiu, Huan Yu would be dead.¡±


    The youth was confused, ¡°I did hear Huan Yu mentioning this after the car race yesterday. Turns out this is for real?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s real.¡± Li Zhen nodded and said, ¡°I saw the accident site. I also took a look at Huan Yu¡¯s car. It was indeed like what he said. If not for Tang Xiu, he would¡¯ve died in Chi Nan¡¯s hands back then. This explains that Chi Nan is a vicious and merciless woman who sees lives as worthless things. Yet, she¡¯s unexpectedly very reverent and respectful toward Tang Xiu. From this, can¡¯t you figure out the crux of the problem?¡±


    ¡°Brother Zhen, you mean that Tang Xiu has a terrifying identity and background?¡± The youth was shocked.


    ¡°The Everlasting Feast Hall is an upscale restaurant in Shanghai. So I can tell that the Big Boss behind it is perhaps very extraordinary.¡± Li Zhen sneered and said, ¡°I suspect that Tang Xiu and this Everlasting Feast Hall have a deep relationship. Thus, if you want to deal with him, you gotta thoroughly investigate him first. Otherwise, you will highly likely be out of luck were you to act rashly.¡±


    In an instant, the other five or six people fell into silence. If Li Zhen¡¯s analysis was correct, then they really couldn¡¯t act against Tang Xiu that easily. After all, someone who could make Chi Nan keep acting respectfully toward him was evident that the person possessed an extraordinary background. In the case that they provoked him, the other party would send someone to kill them.


    ¡°Just wait until he wakes up and we¡¯ll talk about it again!¡±


    Li Zhen sighed inside, feeling slightly vexed. He then grabbed the beer on the table, opened it and gulped it down without reservation.


    At Shanghai First Public Hospital.


    Tang Xiu and Hu Qingsong got down from the taxi. There, Yue Kai and several others were already waiting for them at the entrance. The group of six then bought a basket of fruits in the vicinity and then rushed to the hospital¡¯s Inpatient Department¡¯s ward Yue Kai had asked around.


    Inpatient Department, ward #608.


    Xue Chao leaned on the bedhead, feeling all bored while rotating the mobile phone in his hand. However, he didn¡¯t even glance at it. After coming out from a backwoods region, he originally intended to go around the metropolis and see the world, as well as learn some useful things. Yet he didn¡¯t expect that he would get injured right on his first day in Shanghai.


    _Damn! I was way too careless! Those little bastards only knew trivial Kung Fu, yet I got stabbed by their knives. If that old man of mine were to know about this, he would have jumped out of his grave out of fury to beat me violently, no? Holy fucking shit! I must never mention anything about this shit. Otherwise, my precious son will surely be laughing at me¡ªhis father in the future._


    Xue Chao yawned and became more and more listless.


    However, saving others also gave him some benefits. Recalling the promise from the campus that he was exempted from tuition fee, a smile was revealed on his face. He didn¡¯t much money at home. He did leave a big sum of money money there, but it was only sufficient for his son¡¯s milk money.


    _I gotta make money! I have to!_


    _That old man of mine didn¡¯t have any skills. So I won¡¯t let my son think the same in the future; that his father also has no skills. So be it. I¡¯ll take any work when I¡¯m not busy with my studies. Carrying bricks, moving cement¡ªI, this father, have done it for some time! So it won¡¯t be a problem. I walked in the mountain back at home since I was a small child and I¡¯m the son of a hunter, so it will definitely not be a problem._


    Amid his thoughts, he glanced at the sickbed next to him. A young man about his age, looking refined with his delicate, fair skin and wearing glasses, was surrounded by his parents and grandparents. Even his aunt stayed there for a couple of hours.


    Suddenly, he was somewhat envious of that pampered kid. The kiddo merely broke his leg after falling accidentally. Just because of that, his entire family ran over here to ask how he was?


    _Aaaah, I¡¯m so damn bored!_


    Sorrowfully screaming and crying deep down inside, he then turned his head to look out of the window.


    ¡°Who here is named Xue Chao?¡±


    A loud voice with a thick Northeast accent came from the ward door.


    For a moment, Xue Chao stared blankly, surprised. As he saw a group of young men about his age coming into the ward, his complexion abruptly changed. His hand instantly grabbed the steel nail hidden under the pillow.


    _Don¡¯t tell me these punks are the comrades of those criminals and came to the hospital to retaliate against me?_


    He whispered to himself inside as a cold light instantly flashed in his eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s me!¡±


    Hu Qingsong strode forward. When he looked at the grim looking Xue Chao as well as saw the particularly obvious lump of muscles all over his body, he immediately cried out, ¡°Wow, so you¡¯re Xue Chao, eh? Not bad, not bad. Though you don¡¯t look as handsome as me, your physique is quite great. Well, I gotta introduce myself. I¡¯m Hu Qingsong, you can call me Old Hu, Qingsong, or of course, you can call me Brother Hu as well.¡±


    Xue Chao¡¯s gaze shifted from Hu Qingsong when he saw someone behind him carrying a basket of fruits. The restlessness inside his heart relaxed a lot as he then asked, ¡°Pardon me, who are you?¡±


    Surprised for a moment, Hu Qingsong suddenly realized that he had just spouted many nonsensical things. With an embarrassed expression on his face, he said, ¡°We¡¯re students from Shanghai University! This is Yue Kai and he¡¯s Tang Xiu; the three of us are dorm mates. That one is Zhao Liang, Yang Hu, and Sun Xiaoquan. Their dorm is right in front of ours. Ah, that¡¯s right. We¡¯re all your classmates.¡±


    Fellow students?


    Observing and sizing them up, Xue Chao then extended his hand with the steel nail under the quilt and said with a smile, ¡°Great fellow students¡­ I never expected that all of you would actually come to see me here.¡±


    Yue Kai sat next to the bedside and said with a smile, ¡°Well, you¡¯re a big hero in our eyes. Ever since we heard about your glorious and honorable deeds, we decided to visit you! Anyways, we¡¯ll become comrades for the next four years.¡±


    Echoing him, Hu Qingsong also followed, ¡°That¡¯s right. Once fellow students, brothers for life. We¡¯re not only fellow students, but we¡¯ll also stay together later. So to say, the relationship is doubled. But it¡¯s a pity that I¡¯m not a woman, though. Otherwise, I¡¯d let you brother have some straightforward pleasure!¡±


    _Cough, cough!_


    Xue Chao was choked by a mouthful of his own saliva as he looked at Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong with a weird expression. Inwardly, he secretly lamented, _What kind of ghosts are these fellow students of mine?_


    Tang Xiu walked a few steps toward Xue Chao and said, ¡°How can you be here by yourself? Is there no one looking after you?¡±


    Waving his hand, Xue Chao replied, ¡°I came to university by myself, how would I have someone to look after me? It¡¯s just a small wound, so I¡¯ll be discharged after two days. Besides, I gotta get back to the campus!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll contact the nurse in the hospital later so they will take care of your food well. We¡¯ll be coming often to visit you here since we got nothing to do for this period of time. If you have anything you want, don¡¯t hesitate to tell us.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    After staring in a daze at Tang Xiu for a long while, only then did Xue Chao shake his head and said, ¡°No need. It¡¯s alright, my injury is nothing to be concerned of. You don¡¯t need to waste your money. It¡¯s not easy to make money nowadays.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about it. You just need to recuperate from your injury. If you have any problems, let us know immediately. And don¡¯t refuse it. If you do, that means you regard us as strangers.¡± Said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    After a slight hesitation, Xue Chao eventually nodded.


    ¡°Xue Chao, I heard you knocked down three criminals by yourself? Have you practiced any martial arts before?¡± asked Yue Kai.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s just that my family lives on a mountain. My family has been hunters for generations. Although I¡¯ve never practiced any martial arts since I was small, I¡¯m a mountain¡¯s monkey, nevertheless. If it were not for me spending my time desperately studying in the past few years, let alone three criminals, even if three more were added to them, I could still kill them.¡±


    Hunters family?


    Yue Kai¡¯s eyes brightened up as he exclaimed in admiration, ¡°Holy cow! That¡¯s amazing! I heard that hunters are very strong. I never thought I would finally witness it today. So to say, our gang totally consist of powerhouses. When Old Hu had just arrived at the campus to register, he became the hero who saved the belle by beating several small scoundrels. As a result, those little hoodlums retaliated against him, whereas Eldest Brother Tang then used his invincible might to scare the shit out of them. And with you added to the gang, our dormitory, more or less, has Four Heavenly Guardians now.¡±


    Four Heavenly Guardians?


    Tang Xiu took a step back and flung his face aside. Expressing that he didn¡¯t know him.


    With a contemptuous look, Hu Qingsong spoke to Yue Kai, ¡°Hey Old Yue, don¡¯t speak shit so carelessly. Four Great Heavenly Kings? It¡¯s okay for us three to stand up and clean up a few small thugs and hoodlums. But with that face of yours that looks even more beautiful than women, I¡¯m afraid that you will be just like all show and no go, right? Hmph¡­ what Heavenly King, eh. I think you¡¯d better be called as the Imperial Concubine.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you wanna fight with me?!¡± roared Yue Kai angrily.

 Chapter 345

    Chapter 345: Emergency Situation


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Shanghai, Dynasty Clubhouse.


    Inside the resplendent and magnificent lounge on the third floor, Li Zhen and his gang drank and chatted while a group of beautiful girls surrounded them, as if they had completely forgotten the previous humiliation.


    In the sofa at the corner, Yu Zhi regained consciousness as an unbearable headache struck him. He had to use his arms to support himself for awhile before slowly changing to a sitting position. A wave of anger burst inside his heart when he caught sight of his brothers all fine and drinking.


    _This is so wrong! These bastards are not my brothers!_


    _I got beaten up and they neglected me. But they got so far as having a party?! Motherfuckers¡­ you¡¯re all heartless shits!_


    Clenching his fist, Yu Zhi didn¡¯t flare up. He stood still, and then went toward the door step by step.


    ¡°Huh? Yu Zhi woke up?¡±


    Accidentally seeing Yu Zhi standing up, one of the youths immediately cried out.


    Li Zhen raised his head. As he saw the scowling expression on Yu Zhi¡¯s face, he quickly released the girl in his embrace. He then stood and blocked Yu Zhi¡¯s path, asking with a puzzled expression, ¡°Hey, Yu Zhi, where are you going?¡±


    Yu Zhi stopped walking. His eyes swept over Li Zhen with a cold and detached expression and asked indifferently, ¡°I¡¯m sure I got fucking beaten up. Tell me, what happened afterward?¡±


    Li Zhen¡¯s complexion turned stiff. He turned around to look at the others, waved his hand and said, ¡°Women, all of you out!¡±


    After a short while, all the women left, leaving only Li Zhen and his gang.


    ¡°Yu Zhi, this punk, the one that beat you has quite a background. Do you remember me saying that I lost a bet with someone in the car race in Changxi City? The person who defeated me was that punk. I gave him my word that I¡¯d stay the hell away from him when I see him. So¡­¡± Li Zhen forced a bitter smile and didn¡¯t finish his words.


    Squinting his eyes in response, Yu Zhi indifferently said, ¡°In other words, you remained faithful to your brother thus you brought me back. Regardless, you avoided him like a plague and ran with your tail between your legs, am I right?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Li Zhen and the others exchanged dismayed looks. They wore awkward and embarrassed expressions on their faces.


    ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s not raise this shit for now! You continue playing, I¡¯m leaving. I still got something to do.¡± Said Yu Zhi.


    Having said that, he bypassed Li Zhen and walked out.


    With a slightly unsightly expression, Li Zhen watched Yu Zhi¡¯s disappearing back. He suddenly had a hunch that he just lost a brother yet again. It was just like in the past. Those goddamn traitors who became Yue Yang¡¯s underlings and cut off any relations with them.


    His expression fluctuated. Jolted by his thoughts, he turned around shouting, ¡°Go! Bring him back to me.¡±


    The several youths glanced at each other before immediately chasing after Yu Zhi. Quickly, Yu Zhi was dragged back to the lounge.


    ¡°Yu Zhi, we are brothers. Don¡¯t pretend to be stupid. I know that punk beat you, and we naturally won¡¯t leave it like that. But before we act, we must investigate his background and identity. Only after we know our enemy¡¯s capital can we work out a revenge plan.¡± Li Zhen clamped a cigarette and spoke seriously.


    Staring at Li Zhen with a cold and detached expression, Yu Zhi indifferently said, ¡°My head hurts. Staying here doesn¡¯t feel good for me. Since you don¡¯t want to send me to the hospital, then I¡¯ll go myself. Can I?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Li Zhen and the others instantly realized his meaning. Their complexion turned unsightly. When all was said and done, they truly didn¡¯t thought to send Yu Zhi to the hospital before.


    ¡°This negligence is our fault. Accept this glass of wine as an apology on behalf of our brotherhood.¡± Li Zhen forced a wry smile and said.


    Yu Zhi took the glass of booze, yet wasn¡¯t in a hurry to drink it. Rather, he calmly said, ¡°Li Zhen, I now finally understand why Huan Zi betrayed us back then. I don¡¯t wanna say it too clearly, for it won¡¯t look good for us. I¡¯ll drink this glass of wine and then go to the hospital to check my injury. You can continue playing here.¡±


    Having said that, he drank the booze, put the glass down and turned around to leave.


    This time, Li Zhen didn¡¯t stop him. The unsightliness on his face turned to the extreme. He sat back on the sofa and fell into silence, slowly closing his eyes.


    He was never a brainless man. He knew perfectly well what Yu Zhi was implying with his words. Although Yu Zhi didn¡¯t say it straightforwardly, yet it was highly likely that he would no longer hang out with them.


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±


    The instant Li Zhen opened his eyes, he grabbed the glass in front of him and fiercely threw it on the floor.


    The other youths exchanged looks in dismay, but no one said anything.


    Taking a deep breath and pacifying himself for a while, Li Zhen then said in a heavy voice, ¡°Rain must fall down from the sky, while women will also have to marry someday. So let¡¯s just live with it! You all have seen Yu Zhi¡¯s actions recently. This guy is usually very crazy and never eats any losses. Were he to go after that surnamed Tang, just observe it quietly. I have no means to test out the weight this surnamed Tang possesses. Since he¡¯s going to test the waters for us, we¡¯ll just wait and see.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    The others felt cold inside as they quickly glanced and each other and didn¡¯t utter any words.


    Shanghai First Public Hospital.


    At the Inpatient Department downstairs, Tang Xiu, Yue Kai, and the others bade Xue Chao farewell and were about to head home. Thought it was but only a short meeting, Xue Chao gave them a good impression.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not go back to campus first. Accompany me to buy a car!¡±


    Zhao Liang was very envious of Yue Kai¡¯s car. Though he couldn¡¯t afford such an expensive car, but a car priced at ten thousand yuan was not a problem for him.


    ¡°OK! We¡¯ll go together. Besides, we don¡¯t have anything to do in the afternoon.¡± Laughed Yue Kai.


    ¡°You guys go! I still have things to do. If anything, I¡¯ll call you all tonight. I¡¯ll treat you to dinner.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, what are you gonna do?¡± asked Yue Kai, puzzled.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a trivial private matter,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Upon hearing it, Yue Kai silently nodded. Since Tang Xiu said it was a private matter, he didn¡¯t want to pry.


    As the gang quickly left, Tang Xiu heaved a sigh inside. He was having a headache as for how to clear the issues with Han Qingwu. He now regretted his promise to house her earlier.


    That woman was someone he wanted to keep his distance with. Even if she would become his teacher in charge for the next four years and he couldn¡¯t really avoid her, but still, he must reduce any chance of being together with her as far as he could.


    _Since I¡¯ve promised her, I¡¯ll just let her live there! Besides, I don¡¯t care about a house anyway_ , Tang Xiu sighed inwardly and then walked toward the outside.


    In front of the Emergency Room.


    A few ambulances arrived sounding their loud ear-piercing sirens and entered the hospital gate. Dozens of doctors and nurses that were waiting in front of the Emergency Room quickly pushed out trolleys and quickly surrounded them.


    _Accident?_


    Tang Xiu creased his brows as he saw the ambulances¡¯ doors being opened. Following that, the doctors and nurses lifted injured people with blood covering their bodies from the inside, as they then put them on the trolleys.


    ¡°Call Dr. Pan quickly! Damn, there are too many victims. The number of doctors and operating rooms in our hospital is far from enough. Call the other nearby hospitals and immediately transfer the wounded. Also, notify the ambulances behind and tell them to take the victims to the other nearby hospitals directly.¡± Shouted a middle-aged man in a white coat and gold-rimmed glasses after he saw more than twenty severely injured people carried out from the seven ambulances.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression slightly changed. From that doctor, he could deduce a few issues.


    Firstly, there were too many victims and more would follow. Secondly, the hospital didn¡¯t have enough doctors and operating rooms. Thirdly, the victims must be transferred. Hence, it would delay their treatment, which may result in the death of the seriously wounded victims.


    While sighing inwardly, Tang Xiu strode toward the chaotic scene. Were he still a Supreme in the Immortal World, he wouldn¡¯t have bothered himself with such small and trivial matters. But the present him was not yet in the immortal path. He was but only a living person true to life.


    Hence, ignoring and disregarding the matter at present was not something he could do!


    Had he not encountered this matter and only heard about it elsewhere, he might have ignored it. But since it happened right before him and he could help, he wouldn¡¯t sit idly by and do nothing.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    Tang Xiu stopped a trolley.


    On the trolley was a badly wounded man. His right leg was bleeding and, although the wound had been bandaged, it was obvious that it couldn¡¯t stop the blood from flowing out. The blood had thoroughly dyed the bandage and the overflow filled the trolley¡¯s surface at this time. There was also blood on the hair ends on his head while his face was torn and bleeding. Reason being that a thin, thumb-sized steel bar had pierced his chest.


    ¡°What are you doing? Make way, quickly!¡± The doctor beside the trolley scowled.


    Tang Xiu casually held the victim¡¯s wrist as he pressed his finger to check his pulse while replying in a deep voice, ¡°I¡¯m also a doctor. Since your hospital doesn¡¯t have enough doctors and operating rooms, I¡¯ll give him treatment first.¡±


    The middle-aged doctor was stunned for a moment before angrily scowling, ¡°You¡¯re a doctor? How come I haven¡¯t seen you in the hospital before? This patient is badly injured and needs to be promptly sent to the operating room. Don¡¯t delay the treatment and step aside!¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t answer. He used his spiritual sense to cover the wounded and pushed the middle-aged doctor aside to examine the injuries on the victim¡¯s body.


    _Rip!_


    Tang Xiu ripped the wounded man¡¯s tattered clothes as his fingers quickly sealed several acupoints around the steel bar. After that, he tore his thigh¡¯s pants and sealed its blood vessels to stop the bleeding. Then, he held the wounded man¡¯s body and reached out for the steel bar that pierced his chest ten centimeters deep.


    ¡°W-What are you gonna do? Y-You¡­ you.. Murder!¡±


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s actions, the middle-aged doctor immediately roared, while two nurses, as well as other staff, were also dulled.


    Ignoring him, Tang Xiu pulled the steel bar out. He then inserted his finger into the bloody hole and released his star force. After washing out the broken pieces of the bones inside and leaving a trace of his star force inside, he then turned to one of the nurses and shouted, ¡°Dress up his wound!¡±


    Having said that, he reached out to the wounded man¡¯s head. He started with pressing the Dang Yang point, and continuing with the Tai Yang, Yang Bai, Si Bai, Tian Chuang, and Lian Quan points. Along with black blood gushing out from the wound, Tang Xiu¡¯s fingers pressed the Lian Quan point several times before striding toward the other victims.


    ¡°What are you doing? Get the hell out!¡±


    Another doctor at the side furiously looked at Tang Xiu, who had blocked his path. Saving people was like fighting fire. Thus, he was furious toward this young man who was delaying his treatment. The victim was at their dying point. If it were to be delayed any further, they may die at any time.

 Chapter 346

    Chapter 346: Magical Medical Skill


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°His breath is weak, his complexion is pale-white and his pupils have indication of disorganized movements. I¡¯m afraid he can¡¯t wait to be sent to the operating room. Please step aside, I have to treat him first.¡± Said Tang Xiu in a deep voice.


    The doctor growled angrily, ¡°Who are you? Why do you want to treat him? Who¡¯ll take responsibility if an accident were to happen?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take responsibility.¡±


    Tang Xiu growled coldly as he pushed the two nurses aside and quickly examined the victim¡¯s injuries.


    ¡°It¡¯s bad! The broken bones have pierced the lungs, causing massive internal hemorrhage. The excess blood must be taken out and the broken bones that pierced his lungs have to be cleared.¡±


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu turned his head and looked at one of the doctors and shouted, ¡°Two minutes! If you can¡¯t give me a set of silver needles within two minutes, then this man will have been killed by you! Go quickly, find me silver needles!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s happening here?¡±


    The previous doctor who roared at Tang Xiu because of his initiative to help out with the treatments realized that that the two trolleys had stopped. He then immediately ran over and shouted.


    The doctor who had just been chided by Tang Xiu quickly said, ¡°Director Hu, this bastard is obstructing us. He even spit out nonsensical things.¡±


    The man called Director Hu saw the victim¡¯s condition and was shocked inwardly. When his eyes landed on Tang Xiu, who was checking the victim¡¯s pulse, he asked in a heavy voice, ¡°Who are you? Why are you obstructing our treatment? Don¡¯t you know that treating patients is like fighting with fire?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also a doctor. I just heard you saying that the hospital don¡¯t have enough doctors and operating rooms, so I come to help.¡± Tang Xiu replied in a deep voice, ¡°I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re a director, let¡¯s cut the crap here. I already examined him; he only has two minutes left. If you can¡¯t find me a set of silver needles, he¡¯ll die!¡±


    Upon hearing it, Director Hu was stunned. He immediately told the doctor who just reported to him, ¡°Find silver needles. Quickly!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Although he was reluctant, the doctor ran in large strides.


    Shifting his vision to Tang Xiu again, Director Hu asked, ¡°You aren¡¯t a doctor from our hospital, right? Where do you work? I just saw you checking the victim¡¯s pulse. Are you a TCM doctor?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu. I work at Star City Chinese Medical Hospital!¡± said Tang Xiu in a deep voice.


    _Star City Chinese Medical Hospital?_


    _Isn¡¯t this hospital the one that gained fame recently? The one that¡¯s rumored to have a young Divine Doctor? And this name; doesn¡¯t it sound familiar?_


    Director Hu raised his head and suddenly asked, ¡°Are you that rumored young Divine Doctor from Star City Chinese Medical Hospital?¡±


    Tang Xiu quickly glanced at him and lightly said, ¡°It¡¯s not the time to talk. Send all patients with serious injuries here immediately. Moreover, make everyone around spread out to ensure that the air can circulate. Also, help me prepare a few basins of water and clean towels. Order the other doctors to bring surgery tools and work with me.¡±


    Director Hu hesitated.


    He didn¡¯t know whether he should believe in Tang Xiu. After all, Tang Xiu looked too young. He himself was a senior doctor, yet he really didn¡¯t know how to deal with this unexpected emergency.


    ¡°I need to report to President Zhuge immediately!¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t reply to him. Instead, he quickly treated the victim¡¯s trauma, stopping the bleeding.


    Inside the Emergency Room, the hospital¡¯s president¡ªZhuge Wenfeng led several hospital¡¯s leaders as they strode toward the outside. He had just received a call from the Fire Department and immediately issued a preparation order to receive the victims. Dozens of workers were seriously injured due to the collapse of the construction site floor. For such big accident, he¡ªas the hospital president¡ªmust rescue as many victims as possible. Even though he hadn¡¯t entered the operating room for the last six months, he was preparing to do the surgery personally.


    ¡°What happened? Why did you stop?¡±


    After he arrived at the Emergency Room and saw the present scene, he immediately shouted aloud.


    Hu Qiubo¡¯s eyes brightened up. He strode forward and reported everything Tang Xiu had said from the beginning. Following that, he finally said, ¡°President. I think he¡¯s very likely to be a TCM doctor. So¡­¡±


    ¡°So what? Do you want to make fun of this kind of matter? Take him¡­¡±


    ¡°Heaven! The wounds of this man are no longer bleeding! What did that man just do?¡± A nurse near the trolley suddenly called out loudly. Her voice directly interrupted Zhuge Wenfeng¡¯s words.


    Zhuge Wenfeng¡¯s expression changed and he strode over. He then asked in a deep voice, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Seeing the president himself coming over, the nurse¡¯s nervousness looked obvious as she stutteringly replied, ¡°P-President¡­. President, he just treated the victim¡­ a-and his wounds are no longer bleeding.¡±


    Suddenly, Zhuge Wenfeng turned his head to Tang Xiu and loudly asked, ¡°Did you say you¡¯re a doctor in Star City Chinese Medical Hospital and your name is Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Tang Xiu, who was in front of the patient and stopped his bleeding, gave a simple reply.


    Zhuge Wenfeng quickly took his mobile and dialed a cell phone number. After his call connected, he quickly asked, ¡°President Li Hongji? I¡¯m the Shanghai First Public Hospital¡¯s President¡ªZhuge Wenfeng. We¡¯ve met before in the Medical Exchange Conference in Beijing.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ it¡¯s President Zhuge! What kind of wind brought your voice to me today? Anyhow, is there something you need from me?¡± Li Hongji¡¯s voice came out of the mobile.


    ¡°Yeah. I want to ask you about someone.¡± Said Zhuge Wenfeng, ¡°Does your Star City Chinese Medical Hospital have a young doctor called Tang Xiu?¡±


    Li Hongji was surprised and asked back, ¡°What are you asking about Tang Xiu for? He¡¯s really a doctor in my hospital, though.¡±


    ¡°There was an accident at a construction site in Shanghai, resulting in a lot of seriously injured victims. He stopped the doctors in my hospital in doing their duty and dealt with the victims himself.¡± Said Zhuge Wenfeng.


    ¡°Let him do it!¡± replied Li Hongji without hesitation.


    ¡°Is his medical skill that good?¡± Zhuge Wenfeng asked in astonishment, ¡°President Li, you must know that the victims¡¯ conditions are very serious. If we don¡¯t perform the surgery promptly, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    ¡°President Zhuge, if my memory serves me right, you contacted me more than a month ago wanting to see the young Divine Doctor from my hospital, right?¡± said Li Hongji in a deep voice, ¡°Tang Xiu is that young Divine Doctor. You should be happy with your luck since he¡¯s able to help treat the victims in your hospital.¡±


    ¡°What? He¡¯s that young Divine Doctor?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±


    Shocked and astonishment covered Zhuge Wenfeng¡¯s face. After hanging up the phone, he turned his head to look at the victims around and suddenly shouted, ¡°Get all the victims inside for examination. Also, the doctor who will treat them is Dr. Tang. I¡¯ll take responsibility should any problems arise later.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Hu Qiubo and the other hospital leaders, as well as nurses, carried out his order conscientiously, despite being unable to understand why the President assigned the duty to Tang Xiu.


    Following that, Zhuge Wenfeng turned to look at Tang Xiu and exclaimed, ¡°I had never thought that the young Divine Doctor from Star City Chinese Medical Hospital would be you. What Li Hongji has said was true. Seeing you here is really fortunate.¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t say anything and only looked at him with a dull expression.


    He never liked any troublesome matters. And he feared that this Zhuge Wenfeng would be someone like Li Hongji who always annoyed him!


    He came to Shanghai to study. He didn¡¯t want to be invited to work at Shanghai First Public Hospital.


    ¡°The silver needles are here!¡±


    The doctor in white coat returned quickly.


    After receiving the silver needles, Tang Xiu said in a deep voice, ¡°Tell the others to disperse as far as possible. Moreover, order the doctors in the hospital to be prepared and leave the victims with the most severe injuries to me. As for the other victims, bring them to the operating rooms to be treated by your hospital¡¯s doctors.¡±


    Zhuge Wenfeng nodded immediately and conveyed Tang Xiu¡¯s orders down.


    Using the silver needles to seal off the blood vessels and stop the victim¡¯s internal bleeding, Tang Xiu transferred his star force and then carefully guided the extravasated blood into the throat.


    _Cough, cough!_


    Two minutes later, the victim coughed and simultaneously spat out large mouthfuls of black blood.


    After the victim coughed the black blood out for the sixth time, Tang Xiu held him up to a sitting posture and used his palm to hold the victim¡¯s back.


    ¡°Scalpel!¡± Tang Xiu said in a deep voice.


    At this time, the hospital had prepared a set of clean surgical tools. After a doctor opened the toolbox, Tang Xiu glanced at it and took a very sharp-looking scalpel. Without hesitation, he used it to cut the man¡¯s chest right at his lungs.


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Shocked, Zhuge Wenfeng was dumbstruck. So were the First Public Hospital¡¯s leaders, doctors, and nurses in the surrounding. Never had they imagined that someone would perform a surgery under public eyes. Even the act looked so crude and brutal.


    Putting away the scalpel, Tang Xiu than took the tweezer and directly inserted it into the wound.


    Two seconds! That¡¯s right! It was definitely only two seconds!


    Zhuge Wenfeng and the others witnessed it with their own eyes. After Tang Xiu inserted the tweezer into the victim¡¯s wound, he took it out quickly along with a piece of a rice-like sized bone clamped by the tweezer.


    ¡°Heaven, how did he know that there was a bone inside?¡±


    At the side, Hu Qiubo stared wide-eyed as he exclaimed out in disbelief.


    His shock and disbelief was also felt by the others.


    As for Tang Xiu, he ignored Hu Qiubo and continued inserting the tweezer into the victim¡¯s wound to remove the broken bones inside ceaselessly. Finally, he took a deep breath to focus his energy before inserting the tweezer into the wound yet again. Under the observation of his spiritual sense, he took the broken pieces of bones with extreme caution.


    ¡°Your hospital should have cardiotonic, yes? You must inject it into the man¡¯s body within five minutes. Also, tell one of your doctors to suture the man¡¯s wound.¡±


    Leaving a trace of star power inside the victim¡¯s lungs, Tang Xiu turned his head and spoke.


    Zhuge Wenfeng immediately ordered someone to bring cardiotonic. After that, he asked with a confused expression, ¡°Is it done?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I have removed all the pieces of broken bones that pierced his lungs.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°It won¡¯t be a problem, you only need to suture the wound. However, his heartbeat is slowing down very fast. Even though I have done all I can, I only alleviated it a bit. He will probably be in a comatose state for a long time after you inject the cardiotonic, but his life is no longer in danger.¡±


    Zhuge Wenfeng¡¯s eyes blazed as though a torch as he stared deeply at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°How did you do it?¡±


    ¡°Well, every doctor has his own talents and abilities, and these are mine. Anyway, let¡¯s not waste any more time. Take me to the other severely injured victims.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Zhuge Wenfeng no longer asked.


    Suddenly, a nurse spoke in undertone voice, ¡°Did you noticed that the victim¡¯s wound wasn¡¯t bleeding when Dr. Tang was treating him?¡±

 Chapter 347

    Chapter 347: Startled by an Outstanding Man


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The nurse¡¯s remark caused everyone who was about to leave to instantly halt. Then, a group of leaders led by Zhuge Wenfeng, two doctors, and many nurses fixated their eyes on the previous patient.


    The man wasn¡¯t bleeding?


    A shocked expression could be seen on everyone¡¯s faces.


    Observing for more than ten seconds, Zhuge Wenfeng watched Tang Xiu¡¯s back as the latter strode into the Emergency Room. He was shocked to the extreme. During his career of tens of years as a doctor, he had seen countless small and big cases as well as innumerable surgeries. Yet, never once had he ever seen such a case where the patient¡¯s wound didn¡¯t bleed.


    In particular, back when Tang Xiu cut open the victim¡¯s muscles to extract the broken bones from the lungs, it was definitely devoid of blood that normally should be gushing out.


    Hu Qiubo¡¯s lips quivered a few times as he murmured, ¡°Back then, I saw him pressing on some spots around the patient¡¯s wound. Could it be¡­ he was using the Bloodstream Acupoints Sealing method?¡±


    The Bloodstream Acupoints Sealing method?


    Zhuge Wenfeng¡¯s expression changed. He quickly asked, ¡°Are you sure he pressed some acupoints around the victim¡¯s wound?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was not the only who saw it, so were many others,¡± Hu Qiubo nodded solemnly.


    Zhuge Wenfeng looked at the others and saw them nodding. He immediately chased after Tang Xiu. He wanted to observe Tang Xiu¡¯s treatment methods, to verify how he did it.


    In front of the operating room¡¯s door on the second floor.


    Seven or eight migrant workers gathered around a dozen nurses and argued loudly. They followed their workmates to the hospital and had been waiting anxiously, but the hospital didn¡¯t have enough operating rooms. What made them the most furious was that the doctors only took the workers with light injuries into the operating rooms, while the other four workers with the most severe injuries had to wait outside.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t get agitated! The order was issued by the hospital president himself. A very skillful doctor has come to our hospital and he will treat these last four patients personally. Also, please step back. If you gather around here, it will disturb the doctor¡¯s treatment.¡± Said a nurse loudly.


    A dark-skinned, thin middle-aged man shouted, ¡°You¡¯re not deceiving us, are you? Our brothers have the most serious injuries. Who¡¯s this skillful doctor? Don¡¯t you know that saving people is like fighting fire? If by any chance¡­¡±


    ¡°No, there¡¯s no ifs!¡±


    A cold voice sounded behind them.


    Tang Xiu broke open the crowd blocking him. Quickly circling around the patients on the four trolleys, he vision finally landed on one of the victims.


    _Cough, cough!_


    The wounded man coughed two mouthfuls of blood and suddenly sat up. A steel bar had pierced his chest, with about twenty centimeters of it exposed on the outside. The man then shouted with a strenuous effort, ¡°¡­Z-Zhu Zhi¡­ Z-Zhu Zhi!¡±


    ¡°Brother Daquan, I¡¯m here!¡±


    The dark-skinned, thin middle-aged man rushed over and quickly said, ¡°Brother Daquan, please don¡¯t speak. The doctor will be here right away.¡±


    Bluish-green veins protruded on Daquan¡¯s forehead. He tried hard to squeeze out a smile and said with extreme difficulty, ¡°Z-Zhu Zhi¡­ I¡­ know¡­ about¡­ my injury¡­ P-Please¡­ promise¡­ me¡­ to take¡­ care¡­ of¡­ my family¡­¡±


    Big beads of tears uncontrollably gushed out from Zhu Zhi¡¯s eyes, dripping down and wetting his clothes. He raised his hand to wipe his tears and loudly replied, ¡°I know, I know, Brother Daquan. Please don¡¯t worry. Your parents will be my parents from now on. I¡¯ll definitely look after them until they grow old and arrange them a proper burial after they die¡­ Xiu Lan and I will also help to look after elder sister-in-law and your child. You can rest assured¡­¡±


    ¡°T-Thanks ¡­ Brother¡­T-Thanks¡­¡±


    Daquan coughed another mouthful of blood as his body softly fell down on the trolley.


    Tang Xiu grabbed Daquan¡¯s wrist. He could feel the life force quickly leaving the man¡¯s body. Under his spiritual sense, he had already examined the man¡¯s internal body condition. He saw that the man had a broken bone piercing his heart.


    While shaking his head, Tang Xiu turned away to another wounded man at the side.


    ¡°Doctor! Where the fuck did that doctor go?¡±


    Zhu Zhi¡¯s eyes turned bloodshot and growled furiously.


    Tang Xiu was examining another wounded man when Zhu Zhi roared. He shook his head and said, ¡°There¡¯s no way to save him. A piece of broken bone has pierced his heart.¡±


    ¡°Who the fuck are you, idiot?¡± Zhu Zhi howled.


    ¡°I¡¯m saddened to say, but your brother has already passed away.¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s expression turned cold, ¡°But if you dare to speak insulting words at me again, I don¡¯t mind watching the rest of your brothers die. Step aside, please. Otherwise, nobody else will treat them.¡±


    Zhu Zhi¡¯s breathing paused before he replied, ¡°Are you the doctor?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Tang Xiu said with a cold and detached tone.


    Zhu Zhi waved to his other workmates, hinting to all of them to move backward.


    The diagnosis and treatment kept Tang Xiu busy for twenty minutes before he completely treated the other three severely injured victims. What he could do was preserve their lives. Hence, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to leave their post-treatment recuperation and rehabilitation to the hospital.


    ¡°You¡¯re President Zhuge, right? Their lives are no longer in danger, so I¡¯ll hand over the post-treatment issues to your hospital. Also, I¡¯ll take my leave since I still have another matter to attend to.¡±


    After having observed all the diagnosis and treatment methods performed by Tang Xiu, Zhuge Wenfeng was still unable to make sense of what he had witnessed. It was too mysterious. The treatment used Traditional Chinese Medical methods; this field was not within his expertise. Thus, upon hearing that Tang Xiu was about to leave, he hesitated for a moment before he finally replied, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, could you wait a bit longer? Many wounded are currently undergoing surgery in the operating room now. I¡¯m afraid of some problems arising.¡±


    ¡°The surgeries are currently being handled by the other doctors. But you want me to deal with the problem again should something go wrong? President Zhuge, you¡¯re just talking in a roundabout way, aren¡¯t you?! I know what you¡¯re worried about. You¡¯re afraid that I didn¡¯t cure them and am only wasting time for them to be saved, no? Hehe¡­ Fine, I¡¯ll give you my number. You can contact me directly should any problems arise.¡±


    Having his thoughts nakedly exposed, Zhuge Wenfeng looked a bit awkward and embarrassed. However, as experienced as he was, his awkward expression quickly disappeared as he forced a smile and said, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, please don¡¯t misunderstand me. You have superb medical skills, while I also have observed your treatment methods you performed on the victims. How can I think that? The reason I wanted you to stay was that I once thought of visiting you in Star City Chinese Medical Hospital before. But President Li Hongji denied me back then.¡±


    ¡°Why did you want to see me?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a doubtful expression.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know that you¡¯re already quite famous as a Grandmaster in the medical field? It was not only me. Lots of others also went to Star City personally, only to return disappointed.¡±


    ¡°President Zhuge, I hope you won¡¯t spread the matter about me treating the victims here at First Public Hospital.¡± Tang Xiu creased his brows and said, ¡°I¡¯m currently studying at Shanghai University, so I don¡¯t have time to receive anyone, nor I want any burden and troublesome matters.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Zhuge Wenfeng nodded and said, ¡°Our hospital¡¯s doctors and nurses absolutely won¡¯t disclose anything about this matter. You can rest assured!¡±


    Nodding to him in response, Tang Xiu gave his cell number to Zhuge Wenfeng and quickly left the hospital.


    Half an hour later, the five victims who had been treated by Tang Xiu had been examined using medical instruments. The doctor in charge of the examination put the medical reports on Zhuge Wenfeng¡¯s desk. However, the shocked expression on his face hadn¡¯t yet subsided.


    ¡°Those seriously injured victims¡¯ conditions are stabilizing and their injuries are no longer life-threatening. There¡¯s one thing beyond comprehension, though. It¡¯s about the victim with the lungs trauma. His wound is actually in the process of being healed at a very fast rate.¡±


    Zhuge Wenfeng picked up the examination reports. After reading it slowly and carefully, he couldn¡¯t help sighing in praise, ¡°He indeed deserves to be called as the young Divine Doctor who has created a sensation in the medical world. Even his methods of treating those victims are not something I can hope to achieve! The most obvious characteristic of those five victims is their excessive blood loss. If our doctors performed surgery on them, I¡¯m afraid that their chance of living would be no more than 10%!¡±


    The doctor sighed in approval and praise, ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s very fortunate to have him act today. Or else, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    Zhuge Wenfeng waved his hand, ¡°Do you remember what he said before he left? Nevertheless, since he doesn¡¯t want to be famous in our place, then we mustn¡¯t do anything against his will and make things difficult for him. In any case, don¡¯t announce the content of these reports to the others. And notify the other doctors and nurses to not talk too much about this matter.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± The doctor complied and then turned to leave the office.


    While sitting in his office chair, Zhuge Wenfeng thought for a while. He then took out his mobile and dialed Li Hongji¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°Hello, President Li! It¡¯s Zhuge Wenfeng.¡±


    ¡°Ah, President Zhuge, how is the situation over there?¡±


    ¡°President Li, I have to say something. The medical skills of that young Divine Doctor¡ªTang Xiu, are really amazing. Never have I seen the likes of it in the entirety of my life. I finally understood now why he caused such a big sensation even though he only worked at your Star City Chinese Medical Hospital for a short time.¡±


    Li Hongji laughed, ¡°Of course I know that his medical skills level is amazing. To be honest with you, I¡¯m even willing to give him my hospital president seat if he could work at our Star City Chinese Medical Hospital every day.¡±


    Zhuge Wenfeng¡¯s expression changed. He smiled and said, ¡°President Li, how about having a small talk between us? You know Tang Xiu is currently studying at Shanghai University, right? Since our First Public Hospital is near his campus, could you let Tang Xiu come to work at our hospital? You can count it as Zhuge Wenfeng owing you a big a favor as long as you agree.¡±


    _Poaching?_


    Li Hongji fell into silence for a while before he replied in a bitter tone, ¡°President Zhuge, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t want you to owe me a big favor. But I can¡¯t do that. The reason as to why Tang Xiu was willing to come and give medical services in our Star City Chinese Medical Hospital was because I begged him over and over. So, if he¡¯s willing to go to Shanghai First Public Hospital and work there, I naturally have nothing to say about it.¡±


    ¡°President Li, you mean the initiative is in Tang Xiu¡¯s hands? Hahaha¡­ I see.¡± Laughed Zhuge Wenfeng in a clear voice. ¡°Anyway, I have to say thanks to you, President Li! Anyhow, when you have some time, please come to Shanghai. I¡¯ll invite you to drink some nice wine.¡±


    ¡°No problem! No problem!¡± Said Li Hongji with a few words.


    In the President Office of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, Li Hongji¡¯s expression turned gloomy after he hung up the phone. He was quite depressed since Zhuge Wenfeng basically wanted to poach Tang Xiu. But he also knew that he didn¡¯t have any rights to restrain Tang Xiu¡¯s choice. Despite the fact that Tang Xiu could be considered as a Star City Chinese Medical Hospital¡¯s doctor, it was because he used both hard and soft means to beg and pester Tang Xiu until he came to work there.


    He was a bit worried.


    If by any chance Tang Xiu were to be poached by Zhuge Wenfeng, would Tang Xiu still want to stay at Star City Chinese Medical Hospital later? How many times would he be able to come and give medical services by then?

 Chapter 348

    Chapter 348: Dire Situation


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    After a long while, Li Hongji dialed Tang Xiu¡¯s cell number. After Tang Xiu answered his call, he quickly laughed, ¡°Hi, Tang Xiu! Zhuge Wenfeng told me about your actions in Shanghai First Public Hospital. It¡¯s really great, you¡¯ve brought glorious honor to our Star City Chinese Medical Hospital.¡±


    At the moment, Tang Xiu was on the way back to Bluestar Villa Complex. Hearing Li Hongji¡¯s words, he calmly said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing but a coincidence encounter and luck, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, if by any chance Zhuge Wenfeng offers you a chance to work in Shanghai First Public Hospital, are you gonna take it?¡± probed Li Hongji.


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you that I don¡¯t want to be a genuine doctor, haven¡¯t I?¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°I originally promised to give medical services in your Chinese Medical Hospital due to the concern of my mother being hospitalized there. Since you did well in looking after her, I owed you a favor. So no, I won¡¯t go to Shanghai First Public Hospital.¡±


    Secretly relieved inwardly, Li Hongji laughed, ¡°I see. Since you don¡¯t want to go, no one will dare to force you. Anyhow, if Zhuge Wenfeng looks for you, just turn him down. He just called me and wanted to poach you. I told him straightly that you¡¯re the only one who has the rights to decide.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re calling me for this reason, aren¡¯t you President Li?¡± Laughed Tang Xiu.


    ¡°But of course. I¡¯m urging you to come back, though.¡± Li Hongji laughed and said, ¡°Let¡¯s put off our discussion about this matter until you come back on October 1st, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± replied Tang Xiu.


    Bluestar Villa Complex.


    When Tang Xiu arrived at the villa complex entrance, the previous security guard, whom he was a bit familiar with, saluted him and warmly said, ¡°You¡¯re back, Mr. Tang! Anyways, some friends of yours came. They said they¡¯d be waiting for you in the nearby shopping street¡¯s Starbucks.¡±


    _Friends?_


    ¡°Are you not mistaken?¡± Tang Xiu was puzzled and said, ¡°I came to Shanghai just recently, and only a handful of people know that I live here. So how can there be any friends of mine coming look for me here?¡±


    Tang Xiu was silence for a moment. After nodding and saying thanks, he didn¡¯t hurry to enter the villa complex. Instead, he walked toward the nearby shopping street. He knew the Starbucks¡¯ location there, since it was on the way to Shanghai University.


    At the Starbucks.


    The interior was spacious and exquisitely decorated, fully showcasing itself as a premium upscale sit. At the moment, there were only a few visitors in the caf¨¦, except for a young man who was currently typing on his laptop keyboard with four middle-aged men sitting around him.


    After entering the caf¨¦, Tang Xiu saw the person who was typing on his laptop. It was Tang Wei, who now wore a solemn expression.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Tang Xiu sat down and calmly asked.


    Tang Wei looked up and his eyes brightened up when he saw Tang Xiu. He directly closed his laptop and said with a smile, ¡°I was just passing by here. I know you¡¯re studying at Shanghai University, so I came to see you. Anyhow, how are you faring here? Tell me if you lack or need anything.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m poor?¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and smiled.


    ¡°I already know that you¡¯re not poor, brother.¡± Tang Wei grinned and said, ¡°But it¡¯s not like a big brother can¡¯t give a bit of affection, no? By the way, Auntie knew I would pass by in Shanghai, so she wanted me to bring you something.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    Tang Wei looked around and replied, ¡°It¡¯s kinda inconvenient to give it to you here. Shall we go to your house and have a chat there?¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    After the duo got up and left, the four middle-aged men following behind them. Tang Xiu inquired secretly and learned that these four middle-aged men were Tang Wei¡¯s bodyguards.


    As they arrived at the villa in Bluestar Villa Complex, the four bodyguards stayed in the courtyard, while Tang Xiu and Tang Wei entered the first floor hall. After taking a seat, Tang Wei handed over a leather suitcase and said, ¡°The things Auntie Min wanted me to give you are inside.¡±


    Tang Xiu took the suitcase and opened it. A moment after, he was startled.


    A silver pistol, four fully loaded bullet clips, and a particularly sharp-looking dagger.


    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning with this?¡± Tang Xiu looked up and asked with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°Our Tang Family is in trouble now.¡± Tang Wei said with a bitter smile, ¡°Auntie Min is afraid you would be in danger since you¡¯re alone in Shanghai. So she wanted me to give you these things for self-protection. Two of the four bodyguards outside will be assigned to you after I leave. But don¡¯t worry. They will only protect you in the dark and won¡¯t affect your normal life.¡±


    Tang Xiu creased his brows. After being silent for a long time, only then did he ask, ¡°Does the situation is very serious now?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± Tang Wei shook his head and said, ¡°Only Guangyang and Fukang are in a terrible mess right now. This time, I¡¯m precisely leaving Beijing for Guangyang.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about the current situation.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Uncle has brought some people to Guangyang and the crisis has been suppressed for the time being.¡± Tang Wei said with a smile, ¡°Only, the Starlight Group, which is secretly under the control of our Tang Family, had been burnt down by some people. While a large number of the Starlight Group¡¯s HQ¡¯s staff have been transferred to the neighboring city.¡±


    ¡°The situation has developed to this point?¡± asked Tang Xiu, frowning.


    ¡°The Yao Family has been secretly devising their schemes for several years, to begin with. They had been reluctant to act because they hadn¡¯t reached agreements with the other families in Guangyang and Fukang. Recently, a certain powerful figure of the Yao Family, who had just come back from abroad, brought back several ruthless individuals, all of whom are experts in combat and assassination. Hence, unbeknownst to us of what means he used, the Yao Family has finally reached a cooperation agreement with the Guangyang and Fukang¡¯s families.¡±


    ¡°What is his name?¡±


    ¡°Yao Xinhua.¡±


    Tang Xiu closed the suitcase and pushed it back to Tang Wei, saying, ¡°Take these things back! I don¡¯t need it. Also, you don¡¯t have to assign any bodyguards to me. Let alone the Yao Family, even those so-called martial arts grandmasters won¡¯t be able to deal with me. So be it. I¡¯ll go with you to Guangyang.¡±


    Tang Wei was stunned for a moment. He quickly waved his hand and said, ¡°No, no, no. That won¡¯t do. It¡¯s fine if you really don¡¯t want to take them, but it¡¯s a big no no for you to go with me to Guangyang. If Grandpa knows I dragged you into this, he will surely break my legs. He has decreed that he must make you at ease while studying in Shanghai. Even if the sky is falling, the Tang Family must give you the best of everything.¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his brows and didn¡¯t express his warm feeling inside. He said, ¡°Big Brother, don¡¯t you think that I also have some duties when an accident befalls the family? Besides, I think that staying and studying at school is not that useful. Only going through thick and thin can we grow rapidly.¡±


    ¡°But Grandpa already sent out¡­¡± Tang Wei raised his hand to touch his nose and smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell Grandpa about this myself.¡± Tang Xiu interrupted him and said seriously, ¡°The schooling hasn¡¯t yet started formally, while I also have asked for a leave from the military training subject. Using this time, I¡¯ll go with you to Guangyang to see what the enemy¡¯s methods are.¡±


    ¡°Then you call Grandpa yourself.¡± Tang Wei lifted his hand and said.


    Tang Xiu took his mobile and dialed a cell number.


    ¡°Hello, Xiu¡¯er?¡± Tang Guosheng¡¯s voice came out of the phone.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me, Grandpa!¡±


    ¡°Is there something, Xiu¡¯er?¡± said Tang Guosheng with a smile.


    ¡°I just met Tang Wei. He said he¡¯s going to Guangyang and I want to go with him. I won¡¯t act recklessly there, so you don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, the situation there is very chaotic. Just last night, some of our trusted men who have been trained by us were attacked in the hotel. Although the ones who did it seem to be a group of local ruffians on the surface, it¡¯s that little bastard¡ªYao Xinhua of the Yaos who pulled the strings. It¡¯s too dangerous for you to go to Guangyang.¡± Tang Guosheng replied in a wry tone.


    ¡°I have the ability to protect myself. I won¡¯t be careless.¡±


    Tang Guosheng was silent for a moment before he asked, ¡°Are you sure with your decision?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure!¡± said Tang Xiu seriously.


    ¡°Since you insist, then go! Give the phone to Tang Wei.¡± Tang Guosheng sighed.


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Tang Xiu handed the phone over.


    Taking the phone, Tang Wei then spoke a few words with Tang Guosheng. After he hung up the phone, he said, ¡°Grandpa commanded me. It¡¯s not impossible for you to go with me to Guangyang. But he said that you must be with me 24/7.¡±


    ¡°Wait a bit. I¡¯ll pack my things.¡± Tang Xiu admittedly nodded.


    Ten minutes later, Tang Xiu carried a simple bag and then left with Tang Wei.


    ¡°We need to stop by at Shanghai¡¯s Kanghong 4S Shop first. I have to give something to my classmates.¡±


    Tang Wei nodded and used the GPS to locate Kanghong 4S Shop.


    At the shop, Yue Kai and Zhao Liang were commenting and circling around an Audi A4, while a staff member explained each function of the Audi A4¡¯s features to them.


    ¡°Yue Kai!¡±


    Tang Xiu called out as he entered.


    Yue Kai had received a call from Tang Xiu beforehand. Slightly running with a beaming smile, he then said, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, what do you want me to deliver to Teacher Han?¡±


    Tang Xiu took out two keys and some documents. As he handed it over to him, he said, ¡°Give these to her and help me request a leave of absence. I won¡¯t attend the military training, but I have requested a leave of absence for this too. I¡¯ll be back before the military training is over.¡±


    ¡°You can actually get a leave of absence and skip the military training?¡± Yue Kai was stunned for a moment and said in astonishment, ¡°Wow, that¡¯s so amazing, dude! But, Eldest Brother Tang, that means you¡¯re about to leave Shanghai?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I must leave Shanghai for some time to handle some matters.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What happened?¡± asked Yue Kai.


    ¡°Some things happened in my family,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll deliver these things to Teacher Han. But don¡¯t forget, mate, you have to make up for the dinner since you can¡¯t do so tonight.¡± Yue Kai nodded and said.


    ¡°Sure!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Immediately afterward, Tang Xiu greeted Zhao Liang, Hu Qingsong, and the others. After that, he left Kanghong 4S Shop to gather with Tang Wei, who was waiting outside, and quickly rushed to the airport.


    On the taxi.


    ¡°I¡¯ve just checked something.¡± Tang Wei frowned, ¡°Our flight to Guangyang is about an hour after the last work hour. Now is precisely the rush hour, as the work hour just ended. If we get trapped in a traffic jam on the road, I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t get to the airport in time.¡±

 Chapter 349

    Chapter 349: Unforeseen Circumstances


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Shanghai Airport.


    Even after they arrived there, Tang Wei still remained puzzled even after pondering for a long time as he followed Tang Xiu straight through the VIP pathway and then to the apron. Tang Wei was utterly shocked as he looked at the private jet in front, with two men and four women dressed as pilots and flight attendants standing under its ladder.


    Nowadays, along with the growth and improvement in the living standard and the emergence of a large number of billionaires in the country, only bigwigs could afford to purchase private planes. As a scion from a big respected chinese family himself, he also knew a number of billionaires who owned private planes.


    The limit was around 1500 individuals!


    And he dared to guarantee that those powerful billionaires who owned private jets in the country would not exceed 1500. It had to be known that China was a great power, with a population of more than one billion. Thus, 1500 was a small number.


    And speaking about it, how could Tang Xiu¡­


    ¡°Welcome, Mr. Tang. We submitted an application to take off to Shanghai Airport and they have already confirmed that we can take off in about 35 minutes.¡± The private jet pilot said respectfully.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go aboard!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Walking alongside Tang Xiu, Tang Wei still wore a shocked expression on his face as he asked whispered, ¡°Brother, what¡¯s all this about? Where did you get this jet?¡±


    While climbing the ladder, Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°I borrowed it from a friend of mine.¡±


    ¡°What kind of friend it is to be so generous? To think that he¡¯d directly lend his private jet for you to use at will so casually?¡± Tang Wei said with an incredulous look, ¡°Besides if my guess is correct, this private jet should also have been parked in Shanghai Airport, right?¡±


    ¡°This friend of mine is from Jingmen Island. I have had quite a lot matters to deal with recently, so I directly borrowed it. Regardless, I¡¯ll give it back after I¡¯m no longer busy.¡±


    ¡°Seems like your relationship with this brother is really great. This brother of yours is worth making friends with.¡± Tang Wei exclaimed in admiration.


    _Brother?_


    Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh, ¡°Well, she¡¯s a she!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, a woman?¡± Tang Wei was stunned and asked in disbelief, ¡°Then, she and you¡­¡±


    ¡°A friend!¡± Tang Xiu replied straightforwardly.


    Tang Wei slightly creased his brows. After thinking for a moment, he probed, ¡°As far as I know, there are only a few families in Shanghai who own a private jet, and probably only two women among them possess a private jet. One of whom is the Madame of the Huang Family. But I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s very difficult to borrow it from her. Did you say she¡¯s your friend? Could she be the succubus who came to our ancestral house in Beijing back then?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiu replied in an odd expression, ¡°Succubus?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that hag¡ªOuyang Lulu!¡± Tang Wei heavily nodded and said, ¡°Barbaric, crude, supercilious, cocky, and proud like a peacock ¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he had to laugh or cry upon listening all the adjectives Tang Wei spouted. After they entered the cabin, he grinned and asked, ¡°Do you and Lulu have a grudge or something?¡±


    ¡°Heck, it¡¯s really her!¡± Tang Wei took a deep breath and forced a smile, ¡°No, there are no grudges between us, but I did eat some losses in her hands. Of course, it¡¯s not like I love to quarrel with women, to begin with. So I just let her off. Besides, our cousin¡ªChu Yi is her old classmate, and they have a good relationship. So I don¡¯t want to shame her!¡±


    ¡°Actually, Lulu is a rather good person!¡± Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°She¡¯s not as exaggerated as you say, though. She¡¯s indeed a bit unruly and naughty. Rather, she¡¯s very clever and kinda easy to bully.¡±


    _Easy to bully?_


    Tang Wei was at a loss for words.


    When the duo sat themselves down at the plane, Tang Xiu showed a standby hand signal to the four bodyguards who came with them before speaking, ¡°Anyways, we didn¡¯t talk back when Ouyang Lulu came to our ancestral home, but I can tell she likes you.¡±


    Tang Xiu stared blankly for a moment and rolled his eyes.


    He really didn¡¯t get it. Why so many people like to guess and speculate? In Shanghai University, Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong said that Han Qingwu had a crush on him. Now, Tang Wei also said that Ouyang Lulu liked him. How come he himself didn¡¯t know that he was so attractive and charming?


    ¡°Nah, stop talking nonsense! We¡¯re just good friends and business partners.¡±


    Tang Wei only gave Tang Xiu an enigmatic and unfathomable smile in response and then turned his head.


    7:30 PM.


    The private jet landed at Guangyang¡¯s Guan City Airport.


    Hearing the news that Tang Wei would come, Tang Yunpeng had arranged some people to fetch them. When Tang Xiu and Tang Wei came out of the airport with four bodyguards, a middle-aged woman with six strong men in black suits quickly greeted them.


    ¡°Little Wei!¡±


    The middle-aged woman looked at Tang Xiu and then shifted her vision to Tang Wei as she said with a smile.


    ¡°Auntie Xue, how come you¡¯re picking us up yourself?¡± asked Tang Wei with a smile.


    ¡°Guan City is a bit chaotic now. Your uncle is afraid that the Yao, Sun, and Yang Families would secretly send some people to deal with you. Ever since they began attacking us, we have already lost more than twenty people.¡± Said Xue Jie.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s only the Yaos since they were always our enemy from the start.¡± Tang Wei scowled as he growled, ¡°But I never thought that even the Sun and Yang Families dared to join the fray! This time, even if we have to risk a big loss, we must give them head-on blows.¡±


    Xue Jie bitterly smiled inside. Tang Wei might not be clear about the situation. But she, being the General Manager of the Starlight Group for several years, how could she possibly not know about the current situation? Let alone giving them a head-on blow, even protecting their own people was pretty problematic.


    ¡°Who is this?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s Tang Xiu, my younger cousin.¡± Said Tang Wei promptly.


    Xue Jie looked surprised. She carefully observed Tang Xiu before showing a trace of a smile, ¡°I heard that the Tang Family had found their missing child. Anyhow, I didn¡¯t expect you would come to Guan City, though. How do you do, Tang Xiu? I¡¯m Xue Jie, the General Manager of the Starlight Group. You can call me Aunt Xue.¡±


    ¡°Brother, Auntie Xue is the sister of Uncle Tang Dong¡¯s wife.¡± Said Tang Wei quickly.


    Tang Xiu suddenly understood and called out, ¡°How do you do, Auntie Xue!¡±


    Nodding with a smile, Xue Jie then said, ¡°Let¡¯s go! Your big uncle is currently waiting in Red Maple Villa Complex!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tang Wei nodded.


    More than twenty minutes later, as the car arrived at Red Maple Villa Complex, Xue Jie¡¯s mobile phone rang. After she accepted the call and chatted with the caller, her face immediately turned grim.


    Waiting until Xue Jie hang up the phone, Tang Wei then asked quickly, ¡°Something happened, Auntie Xue?¡±


    ¡°The deputy director of our Starlight Group¡¯s Finance Department has been seized by some people.¡± Xue Jie nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s an intentional provocation from the other party, causing the deputy director to push the other party. And then¡­ the other party acted like they were seriously injured and demanded compensation from the deputy director¡¯s family.¡±


    ¡°Is this the Yao Family¡¯s doing?¡± asked Tang Wei indignantly.


    ¡°The Yao Family is surely related to this.¡± Xue Jie said, ¡°After all, at this juncture, only the Xue, Sun and Yang Families are the ones who will direct people to do so. Just now your big uncle told me to send some people to rescue this deputy director by any means necessary. The deputy director of our Starlight Group¡¯s Finance Department knew the company accounts, and if the Yao Family gets our business secrets, it will be very detrimental to us.¡±


    ¡°Where did that Finance Department¡¯s deputy director got caught?¡± asked Tang Xiu quickly.


    ¡°Changbu Town, the Earth Cabinet Factory.¡± Said Xue Jie.


    ¡°Shall we change our destination to Changbu Town?¡± asked Tang Wei.


    ¡°We¡¯re going there now.¡± Xue Jie nodded and said, ¡°We must rescue that deputy director in the shortest possible time. Additionally, your big uncle has also sent a group to Changbu Town as well.¡±


    ¡°Is the source reliable? Have our people looked into the information? We had better¡­¡± Tang Xiu suddenly asked.


    Xue Jie looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°The people who seized the deputy director told his family to deliver the compensation money there.¡±


    ¡°If my guess is correct, I¡¯m afraid this is a trap.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Nevertheless, it¡¯s an open trap. We know that it¡¯s a trap, but we still have no choice but to jump into into. I¡¯m sure that the deputy director is not in Changbu Town¡¯s Earth Cabinet Factory.¡±


    ¡°Care to tell the reason?¡± Xue Jie slightly creased her brows and asked.


    ¡°Since the other party wants to get the Starlight Group¡¯s financial information from the Finance Department¡¯s deputy director, they won¡¯t let us save him that easily. Nevertheless, they clearly knew that we¡¯d save him. So, even if he is bait, they won¡¯t rashly take any risks like leaving the deputy director there. Hence, they sent us a message. That¡¯s enough to lead us.¡±


    Xue Jie squinted her eyes. Her being able to control the entire Starlight Group was due to her extraordinary wisdom and ability, to begin with. Thus, she had actually already thought of this. Only, she had no other way but to send people to Changbu Town.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, since you can infer this kind of possibility. Then, do you have any way around it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. We must still go to Changbu Town. However, we must do things carefully.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°We must first inquire about the internal situation of the Earth Cabinet Factory, and then devise a plan. Moreover, we have to mobilize all of our power in Guangyang to find the place where the deputy director is being held.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    Xue Jie smiled forced a smile and said, ¡°Our intelligence network in Guangyang has been nearly cut off. Although we still have a lot of manpower, without knowing the complete picture, we¡¯ll be just like headless flies scattered about, no?¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before he took out his mobile and dialed a cell phone number.


    ¡°Who am I speaking with?¡± a low and deep voice came out from the phone.


    ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu. Gu Xiaoxue gave me your number.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    The other party quickly replied with an excited tone, ¡°Gu Xiaoxue? The Little Boss of the Everlasting Feast Hall?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see. So you¡¯re the new boss of the Everlasting Feast Hall, Mr. Tang, right?¡±


    ¡°Correct, it¡¯s me!¡±


    ¡°¡­ For you to look for me¡­ you have a command for me?¡±


    Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Does your family have a intelligence network in Guangyang? I¡¯ll have to trouble you to help me investigate something!¡±


    ¡°Which city?¡±


    ¡°Guan City!¡±


    ¡°I have a network there!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll text you about the person I need you to investigate later. The man was captured, and the other party may have relations with the Sun and Yang Families. Please do bear mind that you have to keep your tracks hidden in this investigation.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll rush to Guan City immediately. Wait for the news.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have act personally. It¡¯s fine for you to send out the order. I¡¯m afraid that I still have some things that might inconvenience you later.¡±


    ¡°No problem. It¡¯s not a hassle at all. This is what we should do!¡±

 Chapter 350

    Chapter 350: Information


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu hung up the phone and asked Xue Jie about the deputy director¡¯s information. After that, he compiled it into an SMS and sent it to the other party. Then, he looked at Xue Jie and said:


    ¡°We¡¯ll go to Changbu Town and wait for the news from the intelligence. If they can provide us the location where the deputy director is being held, we¡¯ll immediately rush there to save him. If they can¡¯t find it, then we can only think of ways around to find out the actual situation in the Earth Cabinet Factory. If we can bite those tough nuts, we¡¯ll demand interest first.¡±


    Looking at Tang Xiu with a strange expression, Xue Jie silently nodded.


    With a curious expression hanging on his face, Tang Wei inquired, ¡°Brother, who did you ask for help? You have acquaintances in Guangyang?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any acquaintances in Guangyang that I know of.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°But I have some friends I know quite well in Fukang. Let¡¯s wait and see! I hope they can help us find the place where that deputy director is being held.¡±


    Seeing that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want disclose the other party¡¯s identity directly, Tang Wei no longer asked. Regardless of who it was, it¡¯d already be a pleasant, unexpected surprise if they could get the intelligence information through Tang Xiu.


    ****


    Changbu Town was the second largest town in Guan City. With factories in its every corner, it raised Changbu Town¡¯s economy to a high level, while a large number of migrants caused the city to have prosperous and thriving scenes everywhere.


    Earth Cabinet Factory itself produced high-class furniture products that were exported abroad.


    The industrial plant had two courtyard walls. The outer courtyard wall and the inside wall were separated by 50 meters with a workshop in the middle for the workers to make furniture. Aside from the two office buildings inside, there was also another workshop to store the finished cabinet furniture.


    In the past, the Earth Cabinet Factory was very bustling, with busy workers at every corner, forklifts selecting the planks that shuttled between the workshop. Today, however, it was deserted and devoid of any activities except for some occasional sounds.


    On the roof of one of the three-storied office buildings, a stalwart foreign man stood between the solar water tanks holding a binocular, watching the scenario outside the factory. Behind him were dozens of armed men. Some of them were wiping their firearms with icy glints in their eyes.


    ¡°Ai Murui, how¡¯s the situation outside?¡±


    The stalwart foreign man¡ªTopherson, came out and spoke.


    ¡°The enemy has yet to show up. We¡¯re still on the lookout.¡±


    ¡°Okay, keep in touch!¡±


    Having said that, Topherson stuffed the mobile into his pocket. He then turned to look at a big man tens of meters away from him with a bit of contempt in his eyes. These strong men who were seemingly vicious and fierce, in his eyes, were but only waxy heads with silver guns¡ªlooked impressive, but were useless.


    ¡°Bracing yourselves up, eh! When the enemies come and you can¡¯t do your job, I¡¯ll cut your fucking head off myself.¡±


    A middle-aged man coldly harrumphed, ¡°Topherson, my family¡¯s young master may have ordered us to listen to your commands, but don¡¯t be too crazy. You may have your martial arts, but are you faster than a bullet?¡±


    Giving him a hideous grin in response, Topherson revealed his white teeth and said, ¡°You wanna try?¡±


    ¡°Humph¡­¡±


    The middle-aged man did want to give him a shot, yet he didn¡¯t dare to. He could clearly see this foreign man¡¯s importance in the eyes of his young master. Were he to start against this man, he would perhaps die miserably later.


    Ten minutes later, the phone Topherson stuffed in his pocket suddenly vibrated.


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡±


    ¡°Four suspicious cars were seen on the outside. There are four men in each car, for a total of 12. No one got off, and someone is using a binocular to observe the entrance of the cabinet factory.¡± Ai Murui¡¯s voice was heard from the phone.


    ¡°Don¡¯t alarm them. The Chinese have an old saying, let these gentlemen come into the trap themselves. We¡¯ll attack them after they entered the factory from both the inside and the outside. We must wipe out the enemy by all means necessary.¡±


    ¡°Topherson, I know you want to kill people, but Captain commanded that if we can catch them alive, then keep their lives if possible. There could be high-level figures among the enemy. So we can get useful information from them.¡±


    ¡°I know!¡±


    Topherson coldly replied and hung up the phone.


    Near the Earth Cabinet Factory.


    Four SUVs quietly parked at the roadside. In front of the car, Li Xiaojie put away the binoculars. He turned his head toward the youth on the front seat and said, ¡°Notify the others. Nobody is to leave the car without permission. Chief Xue said that we must wait for them to arrive and then act together.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    The youth on the front seat nodded and immediately grabbed his mobile phone.


    Time passed by.


    Changbu Town, Flat-Out Skating Rink.


    Recently, Jiang Xiaohu felt confident and at ease. He became the younger brother in charge of the public venue¡ªFlat-Out Skating Rink. A few days ago he helped the Flat-Out Skating Rink¡¯s owner in solving a thorny issue because of his fighting skills. Hence, he was promoted into the little gang leader in charge of the site.


    However, today, which was the day for weekend money share, he returned from the outside with his four little brothers and found no visitors when he took a stroll around the skating rink.


    ¡°What the heck is happening today? We usually have so many visitors. But how come no one came today?¡± Jiang Xiaohu turned his head and asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, either. I haven¡¯t heard about the site being closed today,¡± a young man who had been hanging out with him for a long time shook his head and said, ¡°Eldest Brother, look over there, near the ice skating shoes¡¯ storage room door¡­ What are those two guys doing there?¡±


    Jiang Xiaohu was stunned and stared blankly. When he looked toward the direction, he suddenly creased his brows and walked over with his four little brothers, shouting, ¡°Hey, what the hell are you doing here? This place is our Flat-Out Skating Rink business, you¡­¡±


    A dark muzzle was aimed at them in response.


    One of the burly guys growled with killing intent glinting in his eyes, ¡°Get the fuck out if you don¡¯t wanna die!¡±


    Jiang Xiaohu¡¯s complexion changed, while the four youths behind him looked alarmed and afraid as they retreated two steps. Jiang Xiaohu took a deep breath and asked in a heavy voice, ¡°I¡¯m here to see the site. I¡¯m not afraid of you even if you have a gun. I wanna know, what the hell are you doing in our turf? Also, where¡¯s our boss?¡±


    Immediately, two people came out of the skate shoes¡¯ storage room. One of whom was a chubby middle-aged man who was the Boss of Flat-Out Skating Rink. The man looked a bit bitter and astringent as he waved his hand and said, ¡°Xiaohu, our skating rink is closed today. You don¡¯t need to busy yourself here anymore. You can go back first!¡±


    Looking at the middle-aged man at the side and then to his boss, Jiang Xiaohu then replied after a moment of silence, ¡°Boss, we need the money. And you must give it to us today.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you tomorrow!¡± The fatty Boss replied in a deep voice.


    Jiang Xiaohu forced a smile and said, ¡°Boss, it¡¯s no good! I owe money to Big Brother Huzi. He said he will hack my hands off if I don¡¯t give him the money today. How about you give me some money first? I guarantee that I¡¯ll immediately get my ass off here after I got it.¡±


    The fatty boss looked at the middle-aged man.


    ¡°Are they reliable?¡± asked the middle-aged man.


    ¡°They are very reliable. Xiaohu has been working here for four to five years and he¡¯s a professional bouncer. His Boss is also one of the very powerful figures in Changbu Town and he has been with him since he was a teenager.¡±


    ¡°Then give it to them,¡± the middle-aged man nodded and said.


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes!¡±


    The fatty boss waved at Jiang Xiaohu and said, ¡°Tell the other four to wait outside while you come with me to get the money. Bloody hell, you¡¯re good, but you love gambling way too much. Sooner or later you¡¯ll die as a poor bloke with your gambling debt.¡±


    A strange light glinted in Jiang Xiaohu¡¯s eyes. He raised his head as to cover up his eyes and intentionally revealed an embarrassed look, saying, ¡°Who doesn¡¯t have hobbies?! Don¡¯t worry, though! I know my limit, so I won¡¯t join the game if the stake is too high.¡±


    A minute later, Jiang Xiaohu got himself a fat envelope. He glanced around and found that the previous middle-aged man was gone. Then, he whispered, ¡°Boss, who are these people? They even dare to carry guns¡­ Are they not afraid of¡­¡±


    The fatty boss¡¯s face changed as he growled in an undertone voice, ¡°Don¡¯t ask so carelessly. This is not something for you to know!¡±


    ¡°Hey, what do you mean, Boss?¡± Jiang Xiaohu deliberately showed an angry expression as he growled back.


    The fatty Boss was about to reply. But recalling that he¡¯d have to rely upon Jiang Xiaohu and his little brothers later, he toned down his expression and whispered, ¡°Xiaohu! I treat you as my own people, so I don¡¯t want you to ask around carelessly, since you¡¯ll be dead once you know more. Since you¡¯re not an outsider, I¡¯ll tell you a bit. These people are from the Sun Family from Guan City. They kidnaped a guy here to interrogate him. The one behind me is also from the Sun Family.¡±


    Startled inside, Jiang Xiaohu also felt joyful shortly after. He knew that he got a big harvest this time. He even had the possibility of leaving this small place¡ªChangbu City.


    Nevertheless, he kept his composure on the surface and whispered back, ¡°Boss, you did say you were someone from the Sun Family. But I thought you were just bragging! I didn¡¯t expect that it turned out to be real. Don¡¯t worry, Boss! I never heard anything here, and you told me nothing as well. Anyhow, I¡¯ll go to Big Brother Huzi and give the money. While for the rest¡­ I¡¯ll use it to drag these brothers of mine to have a merry night.¡±


    ¡°Go!¡± The fatty boss nodded.


    Seven or eight minutes afterward, Jiang Xiaohu left the Flat-Out Skating Rink along with his several brothers. He then immediately dialed a cell number.


    ¡°Brother Huang, I¡¯m Jiang Xiaohu from Changbu Town. Big Boss has commanded all brothers to pay attention to any movements in Changbu Town! I just found a situation in the Flat-Out Skating Rink. The people from the Sun Family are probably holding someone in the Flat-Out Skating Rink. He¡¯s being tightly guarded¡­ Yes, yes¡­ I see. Okay, don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll be hiding in the hideout and keeping a watch there¡­ mmm¡­ good¡­ yes¡­ Alright, I¡¯ll secretly show them the direction when they come¡­ Okay, thanks, Brother Huang¡­¡±

 Chapter 351

    Chapter 351: Rescue


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The call ended.


    An ecstatic look was revealed on Jiang Xiaohu¡¯s face. He had good information, and if it proved correct, he would become the hero of the Huang Family. Not only would there be a handsome reward for him, he would also be promoted to a higher position.


    He was, in fact, one of the intelligence personnel of the Huang Family assigned to Guan City.


    On the road, about ten kilometers away from the Earth Cabinet Factory, four cars advanced forward speedily. In the third car, Tang Xiu was sitting with his eyes closed, while Tang Wei and Xue Jie were talking about the situation in Guangyang.


    _Ring, ring, ring¡­_


    The phone inside Tang Xiu¡¯s pocket rang. When he took the mobile and saw the caller ID on his mobile screen, he immediately accepted the call and asked, ¡°Is there any news?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Tang, one of our intelligence personnel assigned by our Huang Family to Guan City has just conveyed an important news. He said that the Guangyang¡¯s Sun Family is holding someone inside Flat-Out Skating Rink in Changbu Town. But since the opposite party is guarding the place tightly, our intelligence personnel has yet to find out any details about the kidnapped person¡ªWan He¡¯en. If you want to go there, I¡¯ll send you the cell number of my intelligence personnel; so you can contact him.¡±


    ¡°I see. Thanks.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Mr. Tang. It¡¯s what I should do. Do you another order for us?¡±


    ¡°For the time being, no. But if there¡¯s any need, I¡¯ll contact you again.¡±


    ¡°Yes, alright. I¡¯ll have my mobile on all the time.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Tang Xiu said in a deep tone, ¡°Change the direction. If the intelligence is correct, your deputy director, Wan He¡¯en, is in Flat-Out Skating Rink.¡±


    Xue Jie hesitated for a moment before she looked at the driver and said, ¡°Listen to Tang Xiu and immediately go to Flat-Out Skating Rink.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    The driver searched in the GPS and quickly located the Flat-Out Skating Ring¡¯s location.


    ¡°Xue Jie, this Flat-Out Skating Ring is only six kilometers from here. We¡¯ll be able to arrive there quickly.¡± Said the driver.


    ¡°OK!¡±


    Xue Jie replied and then glanced at Tang Xiu.


    She didn¡¯t know whether the information Tang Xiu had obtained from other party was accurate or not. If the information was not accurate, then they would waste some time. But if it was¡­ the party Tang Xiu asked for help might have quite the background.


    _Who could they be?_


    Xue Jie thought inwardly.


    The four cars quickly arrived and parked near Flat-Out Skating Rink. Tang Xiu then dialed the intelligence personnel¡¯s cell number given by the Huang Family¡¯s head. Not long after, his call was connected.


    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Jiang Xiaohu. May I ask who is looking for me?¡±


    ¡°Someone has just given me your cell number. We have now arrived at the Flat-Out Skating Rink. Where are you now?¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I¡¯m inside the barber shop at the left side across Flat-Out Skating Rink. Where are you? I¡¯ll immediately catch up with you now,¡± said Jiang Xiaohu.


    Tang Xiu looked at the vicinity and saw the place around 600 to 700 meters away. As he saw the little barber shop, he said. ¡°Come out and walk to the right side about 600 or 700 meters. There are four cars parked here.¡±


    ¡°Please wait a bit!¡±


    Having said that, Jiang Xiaohu hung up the phone. Maintaining his composure and saying farewell to the barber shop¡¯s owner, he then quickly walked toward Tang Xiu¡¯s location.


    While sitting in the car, Tang Xiu looked at the approaching Jiang Xiaohu, who was very recognizable. He didn¡¯t let Tang Wei and Xue Jie get off the car as he opened the car¡¯s door and got off alone.


    ¡°Are you Jiang Xiaohu?¡±


    Jiang Xiaohu looked at Tang Xiu and then glanced at the four cars parked on the roadside. His keen eyes could see that there were four men inside the first car.


    ¡°I am. May I know how to address you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu. Tell me the situation inside the Flat-Out Skating Rink.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    Although he didn¡¯t know Tang Xiu¡¯s and the others¡¯ identities, Jiang Xiaohu had received an order from his immediate superior, after all. Hence, he quickly told Tang Xiu everything he knew and finally probed, ¡°Do you want me to bring you in?¡±


    ¡°Are you familiar with the opposite party?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m the one in charge of the site.¡± Said Jiang Xiaohu.


    ¡°So you know the boss of this Flat-Out Skating Rink?¡± asked Tang Xiu as he knitted his brows.


    ¡°Of course I know him. I¡¯m way too familiar with him, I may say! Besides, I was just inside and saw the Sun Family¡¯s men with my Boss.¡±


    ¡°Such being the case, lead us inside! You don¡¯t need to worry. We¡¯ll guarantee your safety.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Did you bring guns? I saw that they have guns, and I think that they¡¯re using silencers as well.¡± Jiang Xiaohu whispered.


    Tang Xiu patted his shoulder before walking back into the car. He then spoke in a low voice, ¡°This is the correct place. That man called Jiang Xiaohu is the gang leader who¡¯s in charge of the Flat-Out Skating Rink. He learned from the site¡¯s boss that there are some people inside from Guangyang¡¯s Sun Family. So we must have found the right place. Anyhow, Auntie Xue, what is your plan now?¡±


    Xue Jie squinted her flickering eyes as she then said, ¡°Tang Xiu, I¡¯m afraid I know nothing about the situation here. How about you take the role of commander?¡±


    Tang Xiu shifted his vision to Tang Wei.


    ¡°Brother, Auntie Xue is right. You should be competent enough to be the leader, yes?¡± said Tang Wei.


    ¡°Do you not feel confident to direct the action?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I¡¯m indeed not fully confident. I may have experience and ability in running a business, but rescuing hostages is not something I¡¯m experienced at. Since you have the ability to find Wan He¡¯en, I believe your ability is better than mine.¡± Said Xue Jie.


    Falling into silence for a moment, Tang Xiu then nodded and said, ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll take charge of the operation. We¡¯ll bring ten bodyguards with us. I¡¯ll leave two men here to protect you while the other eight will come with me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going with you!¡± said Tang Wei quickly.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, I have no ability to fight and I¡¯ll only cause trouble if I follow you, so I won¡¯t go. I heard Little Wei is practicing Taekwondo, so you can take him with you!¡± said Xue Jie.


    Looking at Tang Wei, Tang Xiu then nodded and said, ¡°Then, come! But after entering the site, you must pay attention to your own safety. The enemies have guns. I¡¯m afraid it will be very dangerous.¡±


    With a solemn expression, Tang Wei nodded and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll certainly pay attention.¡±


    Tang Wei immediately ordered eight bodyguards to get off as the group then followed Jiang Xiaohu and quickly entered Fast-Out Skating Rink.


    ¡°Brother Tang, if we enter the place swaggeringly, the people inside will see us from a distance. I¡¯ll lead you to the side and slip in quietly! There are public toilets over there; we need turn over to approach the skate shoes¡¯ storage room.¡± Jiang Xiaohu stopped his pace in the corridor and spoke in a low voice.


    At this time, Tang Xiu had released his spiritual sense and observed the situation inside. In the doorway of the skate shoes¡¯ storage room, two stalwart men vigilantly observed the surroundings. While inside a room, there was a middle-aged man with his hands tied up together with three men and a woman. The fat man should be the one Jiang Xiaohu described as the fatty boss, while the other two men and the woman should be the Sun Family¡¯s men.


    ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s turn over from the public toilets.¡±


    Using his spiritual sense to sweep over the area, Tang Xiu found that Jiang Xiaohu¡¯s information was right. There was a circle around the end point of the corridor which was where the public toilets were located. Both sides of the public toilets¡¯ walls weren¡¯t sealed. There was a space of nearly a person¡¯s height above it that could be entered by anyone with good agility.


    A minute after, they had quietly entered the Flat-Out Skating Rink from the public toilets. The distance from there to the skate shoes¡¯ storage room was only a little more than twenty meters away.


    ¡°Wait here for me. I¡¯ll take care of the two men at the doorway. Immediately catch up with me afterward.¡± Whispered Tang Xiu.


    Tang Wei¡¯s complexion changed as he grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s hand and whispered back, ¡°No. Let the others do it. You¡¯ll be in grave danger if those two men have guns.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook him off. He then shook his head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I wouldn¡¯t say it if I couldn¡¯t do it. Taking care of those two guys is not a problem for me.¡±


    Having said that, using the garden as a shield, he quietly approached the two men and hid behind a pillar about seven or eight meters away from the two men. Taking a deep breath, Tang Xiu then extended his hand to his waist and took out a Mitsubishi army knife. He gripped it tightly and darted toward the skate shoes¡¯ storage room.


    _Shoo¡­_


    An extremely quick figure instantaneously appeared in front of a stalwart man, a sharp Mitsubishi army knife then immediately piercing his throat. In the next moment, Tang Xiu appeared in front of the other big man and covered his mouth, cutting off his throat with the knife.


    His movements were as smooth as passing clouds and flowing water; and the sounds of his footsteps were very light. After he sliced the big man¡¯s throat, he pulled him to the other big man and grabbed the other man¡¯s throat as well. With his absolute strength, he quickly dragged their bodies twenty meters outside.


    _Bam! Bam!_


    The two big men covered their throats with their hands and had their eyes staring wide while blood unceasingly gushed out from their mouths and necks as Tang Xiu quietly released their twitching bodies on the floor.


    Tang Wei, Jiang Xiaohu, as well as the eight bodyguards looked at the two big guys dumbfounded with eyes full of shock and disbelief.


    He disposed the two guys guarding the door so¡­ easily?


    Tang Xiu spoke in a low voice, ¡°All of you follow behind me. By the time I kick the door, immediately take control of the people inside. Remember! They are very likely to have guns, so you must never give them any chance to use them.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Everyone nodded.


    From the two big men¡¯s waists, Tang Xiu pulled out two pistols and gave them to two bodyguards. He then dashed toward the office¡¯s door. After everyone was near the door, Tang Xiu then fiercely kicked the door.


    _Bang!_


    The door was trampled open, as the eight bodyguards dashed to the front with their firearms and daggers and rushed inside. The fatty boss, the two men and the woman inside didn¡¯t have time to react as muzzles were pointed at them. The moment their bodies turned stiff, daggers had already been placed on their necks.

 Chapter 352

    Chapter 352: The Mantis Stalking the Cicada


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Who was the hunter? Who was the prey?


    The two men and woman from the Sun Family were originally confident that they were hunters who had captured their prey. But never did they expect that their roles would turn into prey even before they could squeeze out any information.


    The change in the situation chilled their hearts.


    ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± The Sun Family¡¯s middle-aged man growled.


    ¡°Are you still asking in this situation?¡± Tang Xiu glanced at him with a cold and detached expression and then said lightly, ¡°You¡¯re about to be a dead man, why the hell are you still so muddleheaded?¡±


    Having said that, Tang Xiu went toward the bound man. He looked at his surprised face and asked lightly, ¡°Are you Wan He¡¯en?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me!¡± The tied man excitedly said, ¡°I¡¯m the deputy director of the Starlight Group¡¯s Finance Department¡ªWan He¡¯en! You¡­ are you here to save me?¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly revealed a sharp Mitsubishi army knife, causing Wan He¡¯en¡¯s complexion to change. While cutting off the ropes tying him, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Tell me something. What have you told them?¡±


    Wan He¡¯en shook his head and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t said anything.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and then said in a cold and detached voice, ¡°Kill them all!¡±


    _Pu! Pu! Pu! Pu!_


    The eight bodyguards didn¡¯t hesitate and killed the four people right away. They had already been ordered to obey Tang Xiu¡¯s commands, so they followed Tang Xiu¡¯s order.


    With a dazed look, Tang Wei stared at the four dead bodies forming a pool of blood. He swallowed back the words he was about to speak, disbelief filling his eyes. He had never thought that Tang Xiu would actually order their deaths.


    It had to be known that he had always thought that Tang Xiu was only an ordinary person. How would an ordinary person dare to kill people?


    However, when they were outside the room just now, Tang Xiu used his terrifying skills to kill the two guards by himself, and now he ordered the killing of the four people of the Sun Family. Right at this moment, he suddenly realized that what he knew about Tang Xiu was close to zero.


    Jiang Xiaohu was also shocked and dumbfounded. Never had he imagined that Tang Xiu would be so ruthless and merciless. Within this just a short time, six people had died in his hands; directly or indirectly.


    _This god of killing¡­ what was his background?_


    While patting Wan He¡¯en¡¯s shoulder, Tang Xiu turned his head and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go! The rescue mission was a success, but there are still some people we have to exterminate. Since the enemy wants to set a trap for us, then we¡¯ll thwart their plans. I¡¯d like to see what kind of tricks they can devise.¡±


    Tang Wei quickly followed him and rapidly asked, ¡°Brother, you mean¡­ we¡¯ll continue to Earth Cabinet Factory?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They have provided such a good opportunity for us, why should we miss it?¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°But we don¡¯t know anything about the situation over there?¡± Tang Wei hesitated.


    ¡°We indeed know nothing, so we have to get there first. In the case that the enemy is too strong, we¡¯ll immediately leave. But if the enemy is weak, why not give them a ticket to hell? I believe that the enemy has set a trap in that place, and I can tell that they have definitely assigned a lot of manpower there. If we can decimate them, maybe we can cut down one of the enemy¡¯s arms.¡±


    ¡°True that!¡± Tang Wei nodded.


    Tang Xiu turned his head to Jiang Xiaohu, who was closely following him, and said, ¡°Those six dead bodies are for you to deal with! I believe you should be able to deal with them!¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Jiang Xiaohu quickly said, ¡°I guarantee that these six dead bodies will quietly disappear. It will definitely cause no trouble.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re good! I¡¯ll help you and speak something good about you to your Boss,¡± Tang Xiu laughed.


    Upon hearing it, Jiang Xiaohu was ecstatic. He gratefully looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Tang.¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand, hinting for Jiang Xiaohu to stay behind, while Tang Xiu, Wan He¡¯en, and the eight bodyguards quickly left the Flat-Out Skating Rink. As they returned to the car, Xue Jie, who was full of worry, strode over to greet them. She quickly relaxed after seeing Wan He¡¯en.


    ¡°Auntie Xue, we have rescued him and also have killed six men of the Sun Family. Shall we continue to Earth Cabinet Factory?¡±


    With a strange expression, Xue Jie said, ¡°Tang Xiu, you¡¯ve done very well. But we¡¯ve already rescued him, so we don¡¯t have to go there, right? A lot of our people are being transferred now, so the earlier we leave Guangyang, the less danger our people will be in.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows raised as he asked, ¡°Are we not going to get back some interest before we leave?¡±


    ¡°But there should be a trap there. If we don¡¯t get the interest and suffer massive losses instead, the losses will outweigh the gains.¡± Xue Jie frowned as she replied.


    Tang Xiu was silent. He realized that Xue Jie didn¡¯t want to go to the Earth Cabinet Factory. But he could understand her thought since she was not good at killing after all.


    Tang Wei looked at Tang Xiu and quickly said, ¡°Auntie Xue, why don¡¯t you bring the deputy director and go back first while Tang Xiu and I go over there to see the situation? If there are a lot of enemies there, we won¡¯t act recklessly. But if there are only a few of them, then we¡¯ll wipe them out!¡±


    ¡°¡­ But, your big uncle over there¡­¡± Xue Jie hesitated.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have to worry about anything. I¡¯ll take the responsibility for any accidents. Since the Yao Family and us have lost all decorum in Guangyang and Fukang, I¡¯m afraid they¡¯ll be pressing us if we retreated. In the end, we¡¯ll completely lose every inch of ground in these two provinces.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    Pondering for a moment, Xue Jie then nodded and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go with you. But I¡¯ll have to report this matter to your big uncle and listen to his opinion first.¡±


    ¡°Then report to him on the way there!¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Red Maple Villa Complex.


    Dozens of big men with cold expressions were resting in the villa¡¯s courtyard while many others were standing guard in the vicinity of the villa. Inside the villa, Tang Yunpeng was sitting inside the room on the second floor as he quietly read the information report in his hands. However, he kept raising looking at the time on his watch from time to time.


    _Ring, ring, ring¡­_


    As his mobile¡¯s ringtone rang, it caused Tang Yunpeng¡¯s expression to change. As he grabbed the mobile and saw the caller ID, he immediately pressed the answer button and asked in a deep voice, ¡°What is it? Has he been rescued?¡±


    ¡°We have rescued him, but Wan He¡¯en wasn¡¯t detained in the Earth Cabinet Factory, but in another place in Changbu Town. Tang Xiu asked his friend to help investigate about the situation here. The Sun Family¡¯s men who detained Wan He¡¯en have been killed by Tang Xiu and Tang Wei. A total of six men.¡± Xue Jie¡¯s voice was heard on the phone.


    Overjoyed, Tang Yunpeng exclaimed, ¡°Well done! Quickly withdraw now. Most of our people in Guangyang Province have been transferred. You, as the general manager of the Starlight Group, must also evacuate immediately.¡±


    ¡°But, Tang Xiu and Tang Wei intend¡­ to go to the Earth Cabinet Factory.¡± Said Xue Jie.


    ¡°Our men are not there. What do you wanna do there?¡±


    Tang Yunpeng¡¯s expression slightly changed as he asked in a heavy voice.


    ¡°Their intention is that, since we know that the opposite party has arranged a trap there, they might as well beat them in their own game and get some interest back. If they can make the Yao and the Sun Families suffer massive losses, it can be considered that we¡¯ve recovered some of the interests.¡± Said Xue Jie.


    ¡°That¡¯s simply making trouble!¡± Tang Yunpeng angrily said, ¡°Our forces here are simply not on par with them. The enemy has set up a trap and they highly likely have assigned a lot of manpower there. We know perfectly well that it¡¯s very dangerous, yet they want to deliver themselves to their door? This is simply courting death! Tell them to immediately retreat!¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    On the car, Xue Jie turned her head to look at Tang Xiu and Tang Wei. She then forced a smile and said, ¡°Your big uncle wants you to go back at once!¡±


    Tang Xiu reached out his hand and said, ¡°Give me the phone!¡±


    Hesitating for a moment, Xue Jie then handed him her mobile.


    ¡°Uncle, it¡¯s Tang Xiu here.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, I know you¡¯ve just rendered a meritorious job, but you must never be bloated with pride.¡± Tang Yunpeng replied with a wry tone, ¡°The Yao Family started their scheme in Guangyang several years ago. That little bastard from the Yao Family has brought back a few experts from abroad, causing our Tang Family to get caught unprepared. We¡¯re simply not their opponents. So you have to come back now. Come over and meet me here, we¡¯ll leave Guangyang temporarily.¡±


    ¡°Big Uncle, I wouldn¡¯t say it if I couldn¡¯t do it. Since I have the confidence to give them a blow, I only ask you for support. I have the ability to ask someone to investigate the real place where Wan He¡¯en was being detained. This indicates that I can also accomplish the following matter. Of course, we won¡¯t act rashly nor blindly, since I too know that knowing our enemy and knowing ourselves is the way to victory. Hence, we¡¯ll be sure to find out about the strength of the enemy before we act. If the investigation is unclear or our strength is inferior to them, we won¡¯t act rashly and we¡¯ll return back immediately.¡±


    Never did Tang Yunpeng thought that Tang Xiu would say such words. He didn¡¯t know much about Tang Xiu. He only knew that this once lost nephew of his did have some abilities. Yet, nevertheless, he was still a bit worried about him joining the family¡¯s dangerous actions.


    Tang Xiu said once again, ¡°Big Uncle, let¡¯s get it done. We¡¯ll give them a head-on blow if there¡¯s a chance. And if not, we¡¯ll immediately withdraw.¡±


    Having said that, Tang Xiu directly hung up the phone.


    Listening to the mute sound from the mobile, Tang Yunpeng¡¯s mouth gaped as he finally shook his head and helplessly forced a smile. He quickly strode out of the villa and then looked at the dozens of big men in the courtyard, shouting in a deep voice, ¡°We¡¯re going to Changbu Town!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The dozens of big men immediately stood up and mobilized.


    At Changbu Town.


    Nearby the Earth Cabinet Factory, Ai Murui motionlessly stood before the window on the third floor of the three-storied building, while holding a binocular to observe the four SUVs. Behind him, two bleach-haired youths wearing casual clothes were playing with the daggers in their hands.


    ¡°Ah Li, go down and inform the others to circle around quietly and cut off their retreating path without alarming them. Regardless of who they may be, we must never let them leave today.¡± Ai Murui turned his head and spoke in a deep voice.


    A hungering look flashed in the eyes of the youth called Ah Li as he got up and walked out.

 Chapter 353

    Chapter 353: Blitzkrieg Attack


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Time flew by.


    Four SUV cars were parked near Changbu Town¡¯s Earth Cabinet Factory. Li Xiaojie looked icy as he received a phone call. After getting further instructions, a smile finally emerged on his cold face.


    ¡°What¡¯s the news, Captain?¡± A youth on the front seat asked.


    ¡°The deputy director has been rescued. This Earth Cabinet Factory is, in fact, a trap; they hid the man in another place. The enemy must have assigned tons of manpower inside and are waiting for us to jump into their trap!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been rescued? Who did it?¡± The youth asked, astonished.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Chief Xue didn¡¯t tell me.¡± Said Li Xiaojie.


    The young man nodded and asked, ¡°Then what should we do next? Shall we retreat?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t.¡± Li Xiaojie shook his head and said, ¡°Chief Xue said to wait here. She will catch up with us and then we¡¯ll begin an attack on this place.¡±


    ¡°We clearly know that this is a trap. Why we must jump into it?¡± asked the young man, puzzled.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard the saying of the mantis stalking the cicada, yet unaware of the oriole behind? I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ve already been exposed the moment we arrived here. So we can only act as bait. After the following force arrives, only then can we start to act.¡±


    _Ring, ring, ring¡­_


    The moment Li Xiaojie finished speaking, his mobile¡¯s ringtone sounded. After answering it, as he spoke some words with the caller, the smile on his face got thicker, ¡°Big Boss has just phoned. He is bringing some people and rushing over here. Additionally, there¡¯s two more coming alongside Chief Xue; one of which is Tang Wei, and the other one is Tang Xiu.¡±


    ¡°I know Tang Wei, but who¡¯s this Tang Xiu?¡± Asked the young man, confused.


    ¡°Have you forgotten that the Tang Family found their missing child? That person is exactly this Tang Xiu. As far as I know, this person is very powerful; he was even able to revive a person in a vegetative stage.¡± Said Li Xiaojie.


    Realization suddenly dawned upon the young man, ¡°From the looks of it, our mission will be quite heavy! We must attack the enemy on one hand, while we must also protect these two young masters.¡±


    Though keeping silent in response, Li Xiaojie had the same thought. After all, the direct line of the Tang Family members, especially the younger generations, were only pampered scions who did not have experience in a battle such as this.


    Perhaps, to make the Big Boss personally bring people, wasn¡¯t this obvious that he was worried about Tang Wei and Tang Xiu¡¯s safety?


    Meanwhile, four cars parked at the corner of the street behind the Earth Cabinet Factory. Giving Tang Wei a look, Tang Xiu then said seriously, ¡°I¡¯ll take a few people to scout the situation first. You¡¯re to wait outside and keep in touch through the phone.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going with you!¡± Said Tang Wei quickly.


    ¡°We can¡¯t have too many people, lest we alert the enemy. Stay here and keep in touch with the vanguard group. I believe the enemy has set a trap here, so it¡¯s evident that they should have the manpower to stay in the vicinity aside from the group in the inside. They¡¯ve surely been monitoring our people who arrived earlier. Thus, we may have many enemies on the periphery.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    Tang Wei hesitated for a moment, before nodding and saying, ¡°Then you gotta be careful.¡±


    Smiling at him in response, Tang Xiu patted his shoulder and quickly opened the car¡¯s door. He then went to the car behind them and knocked on its window, saying, ¡°Three of you follow me. We¡¯ll sneak into the cabinet factory.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m coming too!¡±


    ¡°Count me in!¡±


    Aside from the driver, the other three opened the doors and came out. They were once soldiers. Thus, they had experienced special training and possessed very good abilities; hence, they were willing to follow Tang Xiu to investigate the situation. They considered themselves very strong, yet they dared not to think that they were on par with Tang Xiu.


    They had witnessed Tang Xiu¡¯s swiftness in killing. That smoothness, passing cloud and flowing water-like movements, killing techniques, as well as ruthlessness was something they admitted was unachievable for them.


    A few minutes afterward, the four men silently appeared in the back wall of the Earth Cabinet Factory. Releasing his spiritual sense, Tang Xiu found no enemies nearby. He immediately jumped on top of the wall and quickly entered inside. The other three also moved very fast as they agilely jumped off the wall and then hid behind a few piles of boards.


    ¡°All of you wait here. You must not leave this place without my command. I have a small target, so I¡¯ll join with you after scouting a bit.¡±


    Having whispered his command, he silently passed through a large pile of boards and quietly moved forward. About four to five minutes later, he observed through his spiritual sense and found a few groups of enemies consisting of ten people in each group hiding in a more concealed spot inside the warehouse.


    Moreover, what made his brows furrow was the situation in front, nearby the office building. There were dozens of big men armed with firearms and machetes there. Many people were also on the roof; while the one that aroused his killing intent was unexpectedly the presence of a big foreigner.


    Tang Xiu had heard that a powerful character of the Yao Family, the guy called Yao Xinhua, had just come back from abroad and brought back with him a few foreigner experts. He guessed that this big foreigner was also one of the experts Yao Xinhua had brought back from abroad.


    _There¡¯s no feasible way to take care of the enemies inside the office building and on the roof in advance. But those three squads hiding inside the warehouse can be wiped out ahead of time. However, it¡¯ll probably be very difficult if I have to take care of those ten by myself silently._


    Tang Xiu thought for a while as he maintained high vigilance and quietly return to the hiding spot where the three bodyguards he had brought with him were.


    ¡°One of you return and tell the others to come inside. Do remember to quickly jump over the wall. There¡¯s someone holding a binocular observing the outside on top of that office building¡¯s roof. Were he to catch a sight of you accidentally, I¡¯m afraid our raiding plan will fail.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± Said a middle-aged man.


    Seven or eight minutes afterward, Tang Wei, quietly leading the other five bodyguards, arrived at Tang Xiu¡¯s side. After hiding themselves, he whispered, ¡°Brother, how is the situation inside?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve scouted the situation inside the two workshops on the left and right sides. There are ten people inside each building while another group of ten men is hiding behind the pile of boards over there. Two men in each of these three groups are armed with guns while the rest are armed with blades and sticks. However, there are dozens others inside the office building and on its roof. We have to take care of these three groups first and immediately inform the rest of our people outside to quickly come in and surround them. Regardless of how many people the Yao Family has made arrangements for, we can aim the spearhead toward the enemy outside at once as long as we can take care of all the enemies inside the cabinet factory.¡±


    ¡°Brother, you have investigated it so clearly? Did you used to be a scout before?¡± asked Tang Wei, astounded.


    ¡°I might be even stronger than a scout. Well, all of you follow me and do pay attention to hide yourselves. Let¡¯s finish the enemy group inside the factory on the left side first.¡± Said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Go!¡±


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu and Tang Wei as well as the eight bodyguards carefully emerged outside the side door of the workshop on the left side. Since the workshop¡¯s front door was the place where ten enemy men were hiding, hence, through the observation of his spiritual sense, Tang Xiu chose to enter through the side door and rush behind the enemies from the inside, killing them in surprise.


    ¡°After the nine of you have approached them, begin immediately and do it fast! I will personally take care of those two guys with guns. Accomplish this operation swiftly, we must never let those ten people inside send out any warnings!¡± Tang Xiu commanded in a whisper.


    ¡°Roger that!¡± Everyone replied with hand signals.


    Quickly, with the aid of the obstruction from the furniture, all of them approached and stopped near the ten big men who were at the workshop¡¯s entrance. Two among them were quietly watching any movements outside while the rest were sitting in their chairs, cleaning up their guns or playing with their machetes and sticks.


    ¡°Go!¡±


    Tang Xiu shouted in a low voice. With the sudden flick of the tip of his toe, he rushed over as though a tiger pouncing on its prey. Within just two seconds, before the ten enemies were able to react, he dashed in front of the two men armed with guns as the Mitsubishi army knife in his hand pierced a big man¡¯s throat. His body appeared in the back of another big guy the moment after, grabbing the man¡¯s head and easily breaking his neck.


    ¡°Enemy!¡±


    A big man jumped up from his chair while brandishing his machete.


    _Puff¡­_


    A sharp dagger pierced the big man¡¯s heart from the back.


    Tang Xiu flashed to the side. The moment he appeared in front of another big man, his Mitsubishi army knife pierced the man¡¯s throat. Taking the knife out the instant after, he then stabbed the throat of another man on the left side.


    _Puff! Puff! Puff!_


    Knives slashed up and down. Tang Wei and the eight bodyguards moved extremely fast and striked the ten unprepared enemies. In just a few seconds¡¯ time, the ten enemies inside the workshop were all killed. However, four of them were killed by Tang Xiu while the other six were jointly killed by Tang Wei and the others.


    ¡°It was so damn smooth!¡± Tang Wei said with a smile with satisfaction.


    ¡°It was indeed very smooth. But we have two group of enemies left in the next place.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I hope we can also kill all of them easily! However, we must keep one of them alive for the third group. I need to know how many people the enemy has assigned for us in this trap.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ there are also others outside aside from the ones inside the cabinet factory?¡± asked Tang Wei.


    ¡°I already scouted the enemy inside, but I don¡¯t know how many enemies are outside. So we have to figure it out.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Brother, your Kung Fu is awesome. Just kill them right away, leave the task of having one of them alive to me!¡± said Tang Wei.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lower your guard! Work with the others and try to come out unscathed in the following two battles.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Let¡¯s proceed to the next one. Shall we go to that workshop?¡± asked Tang Wei.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Quickly, two bodyguards took the pistols from two enemies¡¯ hands. Back when they were in the Flat Out Skating Rink, they had killed six people and acquired four pistols. They now got two more, totaling six pistols altogether. With the gun Tang Min had gifted Tang Xiu, they now had seven pistols in their possession.


    Four of Xue Jie¡¯s bodyguards also held a gun each, so now their group of ten had eleven pistols.

 Chapter 354

    Chapter 354: Cleansing Autumn Wind


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    While handing Tang Xiu a pistol, Tang Wei whispered, ¡°Brother, I know your Kung Fu is amazing, but no matter how powerful it is, you can¡¯t avoid bullets. Take this gun. We can¡¯t afford to lose, neither can we let you have any accidents.¡±


    Tang Xiu took the pistol. After inserting it to his waist, he then nodded and said, ¡°All of you, remember. We¡¯re carrying out a sneak raid, so don¡¯t open fire as far as possible. The guns do have silencers, but many experts are still able to hear it.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Everyone accented and grabbed the machetes on the floor.


    Seven or eight minutes afterward, they appeared in another factory and successfully killed the ten men inside.


    On the roof of the office building.


    Topherson was frowning deeply. He put away the binoculars and gave it to the big man beside him, hinting him to observe the surroundings. He then sat, taking out a cigarette.


    Unbeknownst to him, he was feeling somewhat restless. It was as if something bad would happen. He had felt this kind of feeling twice in the past. Each time, due to his vigilance that alerted him in advance, he eventually survived.


    ¡°Contact the others and tell them to maintain their vigilance! Once the enemy strikes, we¡¯ll face a life-and-death battle!¡± Topherson said in a low voice.


    ¡°Copy that!¡±


    The big man took his mobile and dialed a number.


    Outside the workshop.


    Between a two meters high pile of boards, a mobile phone in a big man¡¯s hand vibrated. He then narrowed his eyes and looked at the caller ID on the screen. As he accepted the call, he said, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Keep your vigilance. The enemy didn¡¯t attack during the day, so they will probably attack at night. If we can¡¯t stay alert, I¡¯m afraid that will be our death.¡±


    ¡°Roger that!¡±


    The big man nodded and replied while looking at the door through the holes on the board.


    ¡°OK! That¡¯s it!¡±


    As the caller hung up, the big man spoke in a low voice, ¡°Brothers, keep your vigilance up. As long as we can kill the enemies this time, the Young Master will give us a handsome reward after we get back. When the time comes, we can have a big party with plenty of hot chicks!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    The other nine men happily smiled. They began fantasizing how happy they would be after succeeding in killing the enemy.


    _Puff!_


    A sharp Mitsubishi army knife stabbed the big man¡¯s back that had answered the phone. As he turned his head, he could only see splashing blood in front as his brother standing next to him had his head exploded. The blood and white fluids of the brain splashed onto his face.


    Holding a machete in hand, Tang Wei fiercely hacked a big man¡¯s neck. The latter screamed out miserably, as another man then stabbed him in the stomach.


    Suddenly, one of the besieged enemies noticed that his comrade was being attacked and was about to roar loudly, ¡°The ene¡­¡±


    _Puff¡­_


    His voice had yet to get out as Tang Xiu¡¯s knife sliced his throat, followed by a fist blow to finish him.


    ¡°Discard all the machetes and take their guns. We¡¯ll use guns in the next battle.¡± Tang Xiu solemnly commanded.


    ¡°Copy that!¡±


    At this time, the nine men, including Tang Wei, had already been completely convinced by Tang Xiu. They had seen Tang Xiu¡¯s methods in killing people as well as experienced success due to Tang Xiu¡¯s leadership.


    Twenty-nine people! All of them armed with guns and blades! And they had been killed within just twenty minutes. One of them was knocked unconscious and was now lying at their feet. Nobody in the team was even injured.


    It was smooth, extremely smooth!


    They used to be soldiers in the past. Several of them were trained by the Tang Family since childhood, while the rest were retired soldiers who pledged loyalty to the Tang Family after being bought by them. Nearly all of them had killed people before, but never once had they experienced such easy killing raid nor had obtained such overwhelming results.


    ¡°Brother, what should we do next? Should we inform our men outside to enter and join the raid?¡± asked Tang Wei.


    ¡°No, not yet.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°We¡¯ll proceed to the workshop on the right side. You set up an ambush there while I sneak into the office building and kill them stealthily¡­¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Tang Wei shook his head and said, ¡°Absolutely not. Even if you are very strong, I cannot let you take the risk alone. It¡¯s difficulty for two fists to fight against four hands. There are dozens of enemies over there, and many of them must have guns. If by chance you suffer an accident, I¡­ Shortly put, I¡¯ll have to follow you everywhere since we¡¯re already at this point.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu was about to speak when Tang Wei waved his hand to interrupt him and said with a staunch and stern expression, ¡°Brother, I don¡¯t want Big Grandpa and my Grandpa to break my legs because you got into an accident. I don¡¯t want to feel guilty for the rest of my life. So, please don¡¯t say anything anymore.¡±


    Tang Xiu forced a smile as he helplessly shook his head and said, ¡°Alright, forget it then. We¡¯ll quietly turn around¡­ Ah, no. Dammit. Those people in the office building must have found out.¡±


    ¡°How did they find out?¡± Asked Tang Wei quickly.


    Tang Xiu knitted his brows and said, ¡°Just as we killed these people before, didn¡¯t one of them get a call? If my guess is correct, someone phoned the people in the workshops on both sides. Pity that nobody answered him. Hence, it wouldn¡¯t be hard to infer that the people inside these workshops had already come across an accident.¡±


    _Ring, ring, ring¡­_


    Just as Tang Xiu finished speaking, the mobile phone in the hand of the big man who was first killed by Tang Xiu rang.


    Tang Xiu and Tang Wei exchanged looks.


    ¡°Sure enough!¡± Tang Wei forced a smile.


    Pondering for a moment, Tang Xiu then said, ¡°From the looks of it, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s now impossible for us to sneak attack the enemy in the office building! Anyway, we gotta retreat at once. Let¡¯s join with our men outside and retreat as fast as possible. If anyone dare to stop us, kill them.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve killed so many of them; it¡¯s enough already.¡± Tang Wei nodded and said, ¡°But what should we do with this chap?¡±


    Tang Xiu glanced at the unconscious man. After a moment¡¯s silence, he said, ¡°It¡¯s already useless to keep him. Kill him!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tang Wei slashed his machete and straightly killed the unconscious big guy.


    Immediately after, the group quickly left. They left through the backyard wall back to the cars.


    ¡°How was it?¡±


    Xue Jie, who had been waiting outside, quickly asked upon seeing Tang Xiu and Tang Wei coming back.


    Wiping the blood on his face, Tang Wei chuckled and smiled, ¡°Auntie Xue, we did great due to my brother¡¯s lead! But we didn¡¯t completely decimate them, though. We only killed thirty of them before they discovered us, so we had to draw back!¡±


    Shocked and terrified, Xue Jie said, ¡°But weren¡¯t you in there for just half an hour? You¡¯ve actually killed thirty of them? You¡­ how did you do that?¡±


    ¡°Ask him!¡± Tang Wei pointed at Tang Xiu and laughed.


    ¡°It was a sneak attack. I had them scouted, so I knew where they were hiding. Thus, we acted together and without alarming the rest and then decimated three groups of enemies in hiding. Anyhow, let¡¯s get out of here and join the men in the front entrance.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°OK!¡± With a shocked expression still hung on her face, Xue Jie nodded in response.


    A moment after, Xue Jie phoned Li Xiaojie, telling them to be ready to leave. As the four cars drove fast toward the Earth Cabinet Factory¡¯s vicinity, Li Xiaojie saw them and immediately commanded the rest to leave, joining the four cars.


    The eight cars then left extremely fast!


    Between the pile of boards inside the cabinet factory, Topherson looked hideous and savage. A thick murderous intent was exuding from him, causing dozens of big men around to turn a bit scared.


    Shameful! He felt a hellish deep shame, since the manpower he had assigned to this place had been stealthily killed by the enemy. And that happened without him discovering it in the slightest.


    ¡°Report! The two other groups have also been killed!¡±


    A big man rushed in big strides. There was a bit of fear on his face.


    ¡°Motherfucker!¡±


    Topherson fiercely punched the top of the boards. Suddenly, as if realizing something, he then dialed a cell number and growled, ¡°Ai Murui, what¡¯s the situation outside?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s still no movements. The enemies are still inside the cars¡­ Ah, that¡¯s not right. Four cars are coming.¡± Ai Murui¡¯s voice came out from the phone.


    With a change on his expression, Topherson immediately said, ¡°Don¡¯t stop them! If they attempt to rush into the Earth Cabinet Factory, let them in, and then follow them inside. But if they¡¯re leaving, let them be.¡±


    ¡°Why? It¡¯s not according to the plan!¡± Ai Murui questioned.


    Topherson gritted his teeth and said, ¡°The enemy just sneaked into the cabinet factory, and the three groups I had arranged inside have all been decimated. We lost thirty people!¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡± Ai Murui exclaimed out involuntarily.


    ****


    On the highway about more than ten kilometers away from Changbu Town, a dozen cars were passing fast. Inside the Audi in the middle, Tang Yunpeng looked gloomy as he recalled the words from his old father:


    _¡°Regardless of how big the price we must pay, you must ensure Xiu¡¯er and Wei¡¯er¡¯s safety. If the worst comes to the worst, we¡¯ll just back out from both Guangyang and Fukang Provinces. If the Yao Family still dares to contend with our Tang Family in other provinces, we¡¯ll fight them out regardless of the outcome!¡±_


    Tang Yunpeng rubbed his temples and suddenly regretted his decision to agree with Tang Xiu¡¯s proposal.


    He knew that Tang Xiu was a child full of abilities. A capable man who had worked hard and undertook impressive enterprises at a young age without anyone¡¯s help. That, in itself, was already amazing and extraordinary!


    In the case that Tang Xiu was given several years of time or even a decade to develop himself, Tang Xiu¡¯s strength would turn even greater. If it was added with the Tang Family¡¯s assistance, he could hardly imagine how high Tang Xiu would go.


    He had even already imagined to the extent that if Tang Xiu really regarded himself as one of the Tangs in the future, the family¡¯s forces would also progress by leaps and bounds. Maybe it would only take a few years for the Tang Family to return to the power of its heyday.


    When that time comes, which family in the country would still dare to rashly oppose them?


    _In the entirety of Beijing and even in the whole country, there¡¯s no other young man more outstanding than Tang Xiu. For the sake of the Tang Family¡¯s future, but also to make up for all the bitterness and hardships this child has gone through, I must ensure his safety even if I have to sacrifice this short remaining life of mine._


    Tang Yunpeng narrowed his eyes and silently thought inwardly.

 Chapter 355

    Chapter 355: The Good Fortune of the Tang Family


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    While Tang Yunpeng was lost in contemplation, a phone call came from Xue Jie. However, shock and astonishment immediately covered his square face right after hearing her report.


    ¡°Did you verify it? You have really decimated a group of the Yao Family¡¯s manpower?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true!¡± Xue Jie said, ¡°Tang Xiu personally investigated and led the raids. They killed 30 people of the enemy altogether and seized six pistols. Anyhow, we¡¯re now on the way back and will arrive at Red Maple Villa Complex in an hour at most.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Having said that, Tang Yunpeng directly hung up the phone.


    A moment after, shock and ecstasy emerged on his usually dignified facial expression. He then said in a deep voice, ¡°Inform the others that we¡¯re not going to Changbu Town anymore. We¡¯re returning to Red Maple Villa Complex.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± a middle-aged man on the front seat nodded and said.


    Tang Yunpeng turned his head to look out of the window. If by chance someone was paying attention to him, they¡¯d see that he was slightly trembling and had his fists clenched tightly.


    _Thirty?!_


    _One raid and thirty enemy men were unexpectedly killed. Our family has been under the Yao Family¡¯s suppression at every step, and many of our people have been attacked by their men. Yet, it didn¡¯t surpass twenty casualties, while Tang Xiu¡¯s first attack on them had killed thirty of their men!_


    _No, not thirty. He also seemed to have killed six enemy men when he rescued the deputy director. Which means this time, though the enemy seized one of our people and prepared a trap for us, not only did they not get any information from the deputy director, they instead suffered a double loss after trying to trick us!_


    _Good, it¡¯s really great!_


    _Tang Xiu! Tang Xiu! You¡¯re the good fortune of the Tang Family! Our fortune bringer!_


    After a long period of time, Tang Yunpeng took a deep breath, as a smile couldn¡¯t help appearing on his face. However, he didn¡¯t make a phone call to report immediately and put away his mobile after hesitating for a moment.


    _Reporting to Father will have to wait after having thoroughly learned about the matter._


    Guangyang¡¯s New Age Group.


    Lazily sitting on a soft sofa, Yao Xinhua quietly read a pile of information. The information was about the distribution of manpower the Tang Family had in Guangyang and Fukang. At present, the Bai Family¡¯s head, who was the appendage of the Tang Family in Guangyang, had been designed by him and was temporarily seized, while the Starlight Group also had been burnt down. It could be said that the two fingers of the Tang Family in Guangyang had been severed.


    _After learning the financial situation of the Starlight Group, we might as well seize the money source of the Tang Family and completely destroy the Starlight Group as well. Thus, another finger of the Tang Family will be cut off yet again._


    A smile emerged on Yao Xinhua¡¯s face.


    _Ring, ring, ring¡­_


    The mobile phone¡¯s ringtone rang.


    Taking out the phone, as he looked at the caller¡¯s ID on the screen, the smile on his face immediately turned thicker, ¡°Topherson, got any good news to report?¡±


    ¡°Old Wolf, something went wrong.¡± Topherson¡¯s voice, filled with murderous intent, came out of the phone.


    The smile on Yao Xinhua froze as his body sat up straight in an instant. He asked in a heavy tone, ¡°What happened?¡±


    In the same heavy tone, Topherson replied, ¡°The traps we¡¯ve arranged at the Earth Cabinet Factory have been broken by the enemy. They used a deceptive tactic by sending out a group of people outside the cabinet factory while the rest of the group stealthily sneaked into the Earth Cabinet Factory. Thirty of my people in the three groups were all killed soundlessly. Additionally¡­¡±


    Yao Xinhua abruptly stood as killing intent burst out from his eyes. He asked in a deep growl, ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°I had just contacted Yao Xinyu, who was responsible for Wan He¡¯en¡¯s custody, but nobody answered. I¡¯m afraid that he also met with mishap.¡±


    ¡°Damn!¡±


    Yao Xinhua roared furiously. He hung up the phone and immediately called Yao Xinyu¡¯s number. Nobody answered him. He even called the other numbers of the Yao Family but got the same result.


    After a long period of time, wearing an indignant expression, Yao Xinhua dialed Topherson¡¯s number back and said in a heavy voice, ¡°Bring your men to Flat Out Skating Rink immediately to have a look on the situation there.¡±


    ¡°I already did. We should be receiving the news shortly!¡±


    Yao Xinhua punched the table and growled, ¡°Since we failed at the Earth Cabinet Factory, take our men and withdraw immediately as to prevent any accidents from emerging. I¡¯ll be waiting for you in Guan City.¡±


    An hour later.


    Guan City, Red Maple Villa Complex.


    Tang Yunpeng had already returned. His body was akin to a spear as he stood at the villa¡¯s front gate. Four strong men surrounded him looking grim as they looked around.


    ¡°They¡¯re here!¡± A middle-aged man at his side whispered.


    At this moment, Tang Yunpeng saw eight cars driving fast toward the villa complex entrance. The eight cars then parked in front of him and its doors opened.


    ¡°Elder Brother Yunpeng!¡± Xue Jie was the first to come before Tang Yunpeng, saying smilingly.


    ¡°Big Uncle!¡±


    ¡°Big Uncle!¡±


    Tang Wei and Tang Xiu also came out from the car and called out.


    A bright smile appeared on Tang Yunpeng¡¯s face as he said, ¡°Xue Jie, you¡¯ve done well this time!¡±


    Having said that, he looked at Tang Wei and Tang Xiu as he slowly nodded and smiled, ¡°Brothers working as one got advantages. You two brothers have done a very good job! Tang Xiu, I knew that you were skillful, but I didn¡¯t think you were this fierce.¡±


    Letting out a pale smile, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just a minor thing!¡±


    Tang Yunpeng laughed involuntarily, ¡°What a mind! It¡¯s a great matter for me, but it¡¯s just a trivial thing in your eyes. Good, good. With a talent with such outstanding abilities in our Tang Family, I¡¯m sure that my Tang Family will be able to return to the peak in the future.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll achieve that!¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Tang Yunpeng laughed heartily and then said loudly, ¡°Well, you¡¯ve worked hard. I¡¯ve ordered good food and wine to be prepared while waiting for you to come back. Alright, let¡¯s go inside and have a talk.¡±


    As they entered the villa¡¯s courtyard, the bodyguards took the initiative to leave. Tang Yunpeng, Xue Jie, Tang Xiu, and Tang Wei walked to the lounge on the second floor of the villa.


    ¡°Xue Jie, tell me about the situation in detail.¡±


    After everyone took a seat, Tang Yunpeng asked impatiently.


    ¡°Well, Tang Xiu was the one who supervised the operation. He was also responsible for the intelligence and leading of the operation. Let him answer it!¡± Xue Jie laughed.


    Tang Yunpeng shifted his vision to Tang Xiu.


    ¡°The man I assigned to investigate found the place where the deputy director of the Starlight Group¡¯s Finance Department was secretly being detained. It was in the Flat Out Skating Rink in Changbu Town. Therefore, we first rescued the deputy director, then we rushed to the Earth Cabinet Factory to strike at the enemy. After I¡¯ve clearly scouted the situation inside, we jumped through the rear wall, ambushing and killing the enemies. We could¡¯ve gotten rid of all the enemies there, but it¡¯s a pity that we got into an unforeseen situation that alarmed the rest. Hence, we could only decisively withdraw, joining with the rest of our men and directly evacuate.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Tang Yunpeng was astounded.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s it,¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Tang Yunpeng nodded heavily. Though Tang Xiu spoke about it lightly, he was able to feel the danger contained inside. In particular, they didn¡¯t lose a single man while killing 30 enemies under such circumstances. He had also observed just now that even not even one of them got injured.


    This success was far beyond his imagination!


    However, a question still lingered inside Tang Yunpeng¡¯s mind. Gazing back at Tang Xiu, he slowly asked, ¡°Tang Xiu, can you tell me who was the person you asked to investigate the whereabouts of the captured deputy director?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not someone from Guangyang, but from Fukang.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Who is he?¡±


    Tang Yunpeng was startled. Someone from another provinces could conduct intelligence in Guangyang Province¡­ He could tell that the identity of the other party was extraordinary.


    ¡°He¡¯s the head of the Huang Family in Fukang Province, Huang Fu.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    Tang Yunpeng abruptly stood with a shocked expression and asked rapidly, ¡°You say that the one who helped us with the intelligence is Huang Jinfu? How did you know him?¡±


    ¡°I myself am not acquainted with Huang Jinfu, but my subordinate knows him and has a very deep connection with the Huang family,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Tang Yunpeng¡¯s lips wriggled a few times as the shock inside his heart intensified.


    The Huang Family! One of the top-ranked big families in Fukang. Although the Huang Family¡¯s head¡ªHuang Fu was not politically active, more than a dozen of the Huang Family¡¯s members were important political officials in the Fukang Province. Among them was Huang Jinfu¡¯s younger brother, Huang Jingmin, who was the number two figure in Fukang Province.


    Suddenly realizing the situation, Tang Yunpeng then asked in a deep tone, ¡°Tang Xiu, suppose that our Tang Family fights with the Yao Family in Fukang Province, the Huang¡­¡±


    ¡°The Huang Family will stand on our side. Unconditionally,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Overjoyed, Tang Yunpeng quickly asked, ¡°Are you really sure?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely. Though I¡¯m not familiar with them, the Huang Family owes a great favor to my subordinate. Even if they can¡¯t take out every ounce of strength to help us, they should be able to support us with a lot of manpower.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    Tang Yunpeng took a deep breath and suddenly said, ¡°Well, if we ask for help from Huang Fu, will he refuse us? I mean, Huang Jinfu has the ability to influence the politicians in Guangyang.¡±


    ¡°Big Uncle, please speak it out more clearly!¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Part of the reason our Tang Family could develop in Guangyang was because the Bai Family is our family¡¯s appendage. The Bai Family¡¯s head¡ªBai Yang is Father¡¯s favorite apprentice. With our Tang Family¡¯s help, his family has already climbed to the top four families in Guangyang. Only, the Yao Family aimed at Bai Yang when we began our clash some time ago. Thus, he¡¯s now detained and under investigation. I was wondering whether we could ask Huang Jinfu to help us rescue Bai Yang.¡±


    Tang Xiu knitted his brows and said, ¡°But the Huang Family only has influence in Fukang, they shouldn¡¯t have any influence in Guangyang, right?¡±


    ¡°Wrong!¡± Tang Yunpeng shook his head and said, ¡°As far as I know, Huang Jinfu and the number one leader of Guangyang Province, Zhou Guanfeng, are old classmates. Furthermore, they have a deep relationship, since Zhou Guanfeng married Huang Jinfu¡¯s younger cousin. Hence, if Huang Jinfu were to come forward, Zhou Guanfeng wouldn¡¯t refuse it.¡±

 Chapter 356

    Chapter 356: Transfer of Authority


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment, before he slowly nodded and said, ¡°Since the Bai Family is our people, we can¡¯t sit idly by and do nothing. I¡¯ll go to Fukang to visit the Huang Family personally. Wait for my news.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you!¡± Tang Yunpeng quickly said, ¡°Though I have no friendship with Huang Jinfu, I¡¯m, after all, the governor of Xusu, so he would at least give me a little face.¡±


    ¡°Big Uncle, how long have you been in Guangyang?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Tang Yunpeng was surprised for a moment as he said, ¡°It¡¯s the third day today.¡±


    ¡°Big Uncle, if you trust me, I think you should go back to Xusu. The Yao Family only sent Yao Xinhua while our Tang Family made you come here personally. Thus, I feel like we¡¯re thinking too highly of them. Since we and Yao Xinhua are the younger generations of our respective families, then let it be our contest.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Tang Yunpeng¡¯s mouth opened, yet he swallowed back what he was about to say.


    ¡°I¡¯m not proud nor impudent, neither am I taking the enemy lightly.¡± Tang Xiu confidently said, ¡°The Yaos and the Tangs have yet to fully lose all decorum. I believe they also have some scruples since they opted to hit us in Guangyang and Fukang. Hence, let¡¯s think of these two provinces as a battlefield. If we fail, it shows that we do have some shortcomings. But if we win, on the one hand, we can crack down the Yao family; and on the other hand, we can also prove that the younger generation of our family are better than the Yao¡¯s.¡±


    Frowning, Tang Yunpeng said, ¡°Tang Xiu, I don¡¯t know how much you know about the top families in the country, but the manpower and businesses in Guangyang and Fukang are very important to our Tang Family. Were we to be defeated here, the strength of our Tang Family will be weakened to one-fifth.¡±


    ¡°If the Yao is the defeated?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°If the Yao is defeated, their situation would about the same as ours. The Yao family is more powerful than our Tang Family; hence, their actual strength is several times of ours.¡± Said Tang Yunpeng.


    ¡°So, if the Yao is defeated, our Tang Family can tie them up?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Tang Yunpeng contemplated for a while before saying, ¡°Even if we can tie them up, there¡¯s not much difference I think. As long as those figures with real power in the Yao Family are not stupid, they wouldn¡¯t act against us again temporarily. What our Tang Family really needs the most now is time. If we can have some more time, our strength will drastically increase.¡±


    ¡°Big Uncle, you appear to be very confident. Why?¡± asked Tang Xiu as he knitted his brows.


    ¡°It not stem from my self-confidence. It¡¯s because of our old head¡¯s sickness. The reason as to why the Yao family moved on our Tang Family now was like casting stone to clear the road to probe us. When father¡¯s sickness was cured by you, only a few people learned about it. Hence, outsiders are clueless about the old man¡¯s recovery. A few days ago, father personally ordered the core members of our family to start a development plan for the next five years. Once the plan succeeds, the strength of our Tang Family will go back to the top, and we¡¯ll be in the top three families of the country.¡±


    ¡°How do we start the development?¡± asked Tang Xiu, surprised.


    A smile outlined on Tang Yunpeng¡¯s mouth as he said, ¡°By pouring the money we¡¯ve accumulated for the past decades into the plan.¡±


    Startled inwardly, Tang Xiu contemplated for a while as he slowly said, ¡°Let¡¯s first not speak about the family development for now. Just leave the battle for Guangyang and Fukang to me! I can¡¯t guarantee a steady victory, but if we were to defeat them, I have the confidence to make the entire manpower of the Yao family in these two provinces to completely disappear.¡±


    Tang Yunpeng stared blankly.


    _Completely disappear?_


    _If all of the Yao Family¡¯s manpower here were to disappear, isn¡¯t it tantamount to having them as mutually defeated and wounded as the Tang family?_


    As Tang Yunpeng thought quietly, all sort of thoughts were churning in his mind. After a long while, he then slowly said, ¡°Go out first! I¡¯ll give you the answer after dinner.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Tang Xiu got up. He knew that Tang Yunpeng wanted to report to his grandfather¡ªTang Guosheng for instruction, thus he didn¡¯t give him the answer now. However, Tang Xiu was confident that the old head of the Tang family would agree. After all, he had revealed a lot of the cards in his hand already.


    Quickly, Tang Xiu, Tang Wei, and Xue Jie went to the first floor.


    With a curious face, Tang Wei finally found the opportunity to ask, ¡°Brother, you said that the Huang Family¡¯s head owes your subordinate a big favor. Is your subordinate a great figure or something?¡±


    Xue Jie also perked up her ears.


    ¡°I told you that I don¡¯t know about it, no? Just wait until the time is ripe, then I¡¯ll explain it to you.¡± Tang Xiu laughed.


    A tinge of disappointed on his face, Tang Wei didn¡¯t give up and asked, ¡°But you can say what he does, right? Someone who¡¯s able to make the Huang Family¡¯s head owe them a favor should be someone remarkable. Could it be Kang Xia?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not her.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Rather, it¡¯s the one managing the restaurant business.¡±


    Restaurant business?


    Tang Wei didn¡¯t believe Tang Xiu¡¯s words. But since Tang Xiu really didn¡¯t want to tell him, he had to hold down the question in his heart.


    Beijing, Tang Family¡¯s ancestral house.


    Tang Guosheng was enjoying the cool air outside. Beside him were Tang Yunde and Tang Min.


    ¡°Yunde, we won¡¯t stop Xiu¡¯er from going to Guangyang since he wants to do so. Besides, it¡¯s a good thing for the young to have experience. I believe you also have seen his actions before. He¡¯s skillful and fierce. After having gone through this family¡¯s battle, it will make him mature faster.¡± Tang Guosheng smilingly said while holding a teacup.


    ¡°That kid seems to be like me,¡± Tang Yunde nodded and smilingly said, ¡°If he decides to go, go he will! He can set up an enterprise by relying on himself and his own hard work. Evidently, he has the brains for that. He hopes he can give us a little hand in Guangyang Province.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking him to help out, though.¡± Tang Guosheng laughed, ¡°As long as he doesn¡¯t come across any danger, it¡¯s fine with me. As our Tang Family is battling with the Yao family, he can stay in the back to see and smell the bloody battles. That in itself will let him know the cruel and brutal game between the big families.¡±


    ¡°Well, I think Tang Xiu isn¡¯t bad already.¡± Tang Min laughed and said, ¡°I¡¯ve sent someone to buy a real estate in Shanghai for him. He stayed there for two nights, but I got the news that he didn¡¯t drive those four luxury cars to his campus. He didn¡¯t act arrogantly like those arrogant silk-pants young masters in campus. On the contrary, he played very low key, and got along well with his new classmates.¡±


    ¡°You sent someone to investigate him?¡± Asked Tang Guosheng with knitted brows.


    ¡°It was not to investigate him, but to protect him in secret. However, when I sent someone to to Shanghai, he and Tang Wei went to Guangyang Province. The news I got was sent by the man I sent through the investigation, and I slowly learned about it from him.¡± said Tang Min.


    Tang Guosheng nodded silently.


    _Ring, ring, ring¡­_


    At this moment, a mobile phone¡¯s ringtone rang.


    Tang Guosheng¡¯s brows raised. He took out his mobile, look at the screen and directly pressed the answer button. He then said in a deep voice, ¡°What¡¯s up? Have you rescued the man?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s been rescued, Father. Also, we won big.¡±


    ¡°Tell me!¡±


    ¡°Well, this rescue operation was, in fact, under Tang Xiu¡­¡±


    As Tang Guosheng quietly listened to this son¡ªTang Yunpeng¡¯s report, the more he listened, the more intense the astonishment on his face grew. In the end, his astonished expression become a shocked one.


    ¡°Agree!¡±


    After hearing Tang Yunpeng¡¯s report, Tang Guosheng replied resolutely.


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll go back to Xusu Province. Then Tang Xiu will be taking full authority here.¡± Said Tang Yunpeng.


    ¡°OK!¡±


    Tang Guosheng replied and hung up the phone. Yet, the shocked expression on his face didn¡¯t fade away for a very long time.


    Tang Min and Tang Yunde glanced at each other as she immediately inquired, ¡°Father, what happened? Has the deputy director of the Starlight Group been rescued? What did eldest brother tell you?¡±


    Tang Guosheng¡¯s facial expression slowly changed, as a smile climbed up on his face. He then extended his hand and heavily patted Tang Yunde¡¯s shoulder, earnestly saying, ¡°Yunde, you gave life to a good son, and you have given me a good grandson!¡±


    Puzzled and confused, Tang Yunde asked, ¡°What did Xiu¡¯er do, father? What happened?¡±


    Tang Guosheng laughed loudly and then said, ¡°The Yao family have been suppressing our Tang Family in Guangyang so much that we were unable to gain ground there, nearly abandoning it completely. I¡¯ve never thought that Xiu¡¯er, who just arrived there, would be able to achieve a great accomplishment within just one night!¡±


    Quickly, he told the matter in Guangyang Province and finally sighed, ¡°Were it only these matters, I absolutely wouldn¡¯t agree nor allow Yunpeng to leave. But¡­ the cards in Xiu¡¯er¡¯s hand, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s much powerful than we had thought.¡±


    With a shocked as well as ecstatic expression, Tang Min quickly asked after hearing her father¡¯s last sentence, ¡°Father, what kind of card does Tang Xiu have in hand?¡±


    ¡°Do you know about Fukang¡¯s Huang Family?¡± asked Tang Guosheng.


    ¡°I know! They are one of the big families in Fukang Province.¡± Tang Min nodded and said, ¡°They are independent and neutral, rarely involved in family battles. Additionally, the old head of the Huang Family is also still alive. It seems he¡¯s 106 years old now! He¡¯s also a hero who has rendered a meritorious service for the country in the past.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I used to a member of the Huang Family when I was in the army. His name is Huang Jinming.¡± Tang Yunde also nodded.


    ¡°This Huang Jinming you know of is also a great figure with high rank now. He could shake the entirety of Fukang Province were he to stamp his feet.¡± Tang Guosheng exclaimed.


    ¡°Father, listening to your words, it seems like there¡¯s a bit of relationship between Xiu¡¯er and the Huang Family?¡± asked Tang Yunde.


    Tang Guosheng laughed, ¡°It¡¯s much more than simply related. Rather, they have a deep relationship. Xiu¡¯er told your eldest brother that the Huang Family¡¯s head owes a favor to Xiu¡¯er¡¯s subordinate. Think, what kind of identity does the Huang Family¡¯s head have? Yet, he unexpectedly owes Xiu¡¯er¡¯s subordinate a favor. I¡¯m now getting more and more curious about the cards in Xiu¡¯er¡¯s hand.¡±


    Tang Yunde and Tang Min stared blankly for a moment after hearing it, as a pleasantly surprised expression was immediately written on their faces.


    The Huang Family was very powerful! Though they were not on par with their Tang family, if the Huang family were to help the Tang family in the fight against the Yao family in Guangyang and Fukang Provinces, their odds of victory would be greatly increased.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er wants your eldest brother to leave. He wants to take the authority of the battle between the Tangs and the Yaos. And I have agreed.¡± Tang Guosheng laughed.


    ¡°Father, this is no trifling matter.¡± Tang Yunde promptly said, ¡°Xiu¡¯er is still young. Can¡¯t you consider it more carefully?¡±


    ¡°No need!¡± Tang Guosheng laughed and said, ¡°The Yao Family didn¡¯t sent their core members. They only sent that kid, Yao Xinhua! Since Xiu¡¯er is confident, then let him do it. Even if we were to lose the battle over there, I¡¯ll accept it as long as it can make him grow up quickly.¡±

 Chapter 357

    Chapter 357: Restless and Flustered


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Guan City, Red Maple Villa Complex.


    As flavorful meals were put on the dining table, Tang Yunpeng came down from the second floor with a faint smile on his face. Xue Jie helped him sit on the chair as Tang Yunpeng then waved his hand, motioning everyone to sit down.


    ¡°A sumptuous meal! It¡¯s just as well since I have a good appetite today. Anyways, you want to drink with me?¡± said Tang Yunpeng smilingly.


    ¡°Do you have good wine, big uncle?¡± Tang Wei¡¯s eyes shone as he replied with a smile.


    ¡°Any liquor is good for me right now.¡± Said Tang Yunpeng smilingly.


    From his words, they could tell that he was in a good mood, causing them to immediately smile. Tang Wei run to the kitchen and ordered the maid to bring two bottles of wine.


    While looking at Tang Xiu, Tang Yunpeng smiled and said, ¡°Father has agreed to give you the sole authority to handle the matter in Guangyang. Hence, I¡¯ll go back to Xusu Province tonight and give the matters here to you.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured.¡± Tang Xiu said with a nod.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, to be frank, it would have been better if we could have found you earlier.¡± Tang Yunpeng sighed.


    ¡°It¡¯s not too late now, no?¡± Tang Xiu gave a pale smile.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not too late now. Anyhow, when will you be going to Fukang?¡± Said Tang Yunpeng with a smile.


    ¡°Early in the morning. I will have to analyze our strength in Guangyang and Fukang first. That¡¯s right, since the Bai Family¡¯s head¡ªBai Yang is being detained, who¡¯s in charge in the Bai Family now?¡±


    ¡°His younger brother, Bai Tao.¡± Said Tang Yunpeng.


    Tang Xiu nodded.


    After dinner, Tang Yunpeng left with six Tang Family¡¯s trained bodyguards, leaving only Tang Xiu, Tang Wei, Xue Jie and Li Xiaojie.


    ¡°Auntie Xue, tell me all the forces belonging to us in Guangyang and Fukang! Only by knowing our strength will I be able to make good arrangements for the next step of the plan,¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Aside from Starlight Group, we are also in control of several small companies, several projects in apparel business, and an advertising company. However, the apparel business¡¯s manager, Li Yuansheng, has passed away in a car accident five days ago. It should be a set-up from the Yao Family. The one managing the advertising company, Wei Yuan, has also encountered attacks. He survived. However, he has to be hospitalized¡­¡±


    ¡°As for the Fukang Province, our Tang Family has secretly established a security company there. It¡¯s called Jinchen Security Company. The scale is small, but all the security guards there were all trained and nurtured by our Tang Family. They number nearly 120 people; Li Liwei is in charge over there. We also have hardware and real estate businesses in Fukang; they are managed by another person on the surface. But it¡¯s actually controlled by Li Liwei in the shadows¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Along with Xue Jie¡¯s explanation, Tang Xiu finally had a clear understanding of the Tang Family¡¯s strength in Guangyang and Fukang. Aside from Starlight Group, the rest of Tang Family¡¯s businesses were small ones. However, in the military force aspect, the Jinchen Security Company was actually a very good one.


    Additionally, Tang Yunpeng also left more than forty people in the villa. Half of them were transferred from Jinchen Security Company, while the other half were responsible for the safety of the Starlight Group¡¯s members.


    ¡°Auntie Xue, come with me to the Bai Family! At present, their hearts should be restless and shaken, so we need to appease them.¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°But, your big uncle, he has already¡­¡± Said Xue Jie.


    Raising his hand to interrupt her, Tang Xiu seriously said, ¡°Auntie Xue, big uncle is big uncle, while I am me. Since the authority for Guangyang and Fukang has been transferred to me, I must take a stand toward the Bai Family. That is¡­ to win their hearts!¡±


    Startled inwardly, Xue Jie nodded silently. At the moment, she was getting more and more curious about Tang Xiu. She now realized that the young man before her not only possessed a fierce military force, but was also very intelligent.


    Tang Xiu then looked to Tang Wei and said, ¡°Brother, you stay here! Take a break early, but do pay attention to your safety. Command our men to keep their vigilance. The Yao Family has just suffered a big loss today, perhaps this will drive them to take desperate actions. They might take advantage of the darkness in the night to retaliate.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Tang Wei nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll arrange things here properly. But you have to take more people since you¡¯ll go to the Bai Family.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°If my guess is correct, the Yao Family¡¯s men are definitely monitoring this Red Maple Villa Complex. If we leave here in such a conspicuous manner, they will know about it. Auntie Xue and I will leave this place in order to appease the Bai Family. On the other hand, we¡¯ll also find more covert and safer places for tonight. After which, we¡¯ll leave.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± said Tang Wei with a nod.


    Immediately after, Tang Xiu and Xue Jie left, taking only two of Xue Jie¡¯s trusted bodyguards. They turned around and secretly left through a secluded wall of the villa, catching a taxi on a nearby street and then quickly leaving.


    Guan City, Bai Family¡¯s residence.


    With a gloomy expression, Bai Tao and several core members of the family were inside their family¡¯s residence. Bai Yang was being detained. They didn¡¯t have much hope, although the man had yet to go to trial.


    Originally, they would have been assisted by the Tang Family in such an accident! But now, the Tang Family was unable to protect themselves in Guangyang Province; hence, they had no spare time to pay attention to their Bai Family.


    ¡°Second Elder Brother, we have to think of a way! Eldest Brother is being interrogated now. Let alone trivial problems, even if there isn¡¯t any, the Yao and Sun Families will direct the problems to us. We can¡¯t rely on the Tang Family now, but we have to find ways to help Eldest Brother.¡± Bai Bing furrowed his brows deeply and spoke with an impatient tone.


    ¡°Wait for a while more.¡± Bai Tao shook his head and said, ¡°The investigation team still wants to investigate the results. They just partly completed it. Besides, we have yet to receive any notification as of now, so we still have time. I¡¯ll go see Tang Yunpeng tomorrow night. If the Tang Family has any solutions, we¡¯ll see them. But if they are also at a loss and unable to do anything, we will begin transferring our assets and moving our family members.¡±


    ¡°But Second Elder Brother, are you going to give up all the Bai Family¡¯s industries?¡± Bai Bing was shocked.


    Forcing out a smile, Bai Tao replied, ¡°If Eldest Brother is really going to trial, do you think we won¡¯t give them up? You¡¯re also a government official, you should also be very clear that, if our eldest brother were to be on trial, what kind of fate would our Bai Family have? At least¡­ at least, five or six people of our Bai Family members might be put on the investigation list, to be removed from their positions, or¡­ to be demoted to insignificant posts and rot there until retirement.¡±


    Bai Bing fell into silence, as did several core members of the Bai Family. They too realized that Bai Tao¡¯s argument made sense. It was a common happening in China. If the highest-ranked person in their family was brought down, perhaps the other members of the Bai Family would suffer the same fate.


    Suddenly, one of the Bai Family members said, ¡°Second Elder Brother, what if we switch our allegiance to the Yao Family? Eldest Brother, he¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    A burst of anger shot from Bai Tao¡¯s eyes as he growled deeply, ¡°Don¡¯t even say that! We have no chance of taking refuge under the Yao Family. Even if there is, we can never do that! Betrayal is the most taboo for all big families in China. We and the Tang Family are tied in one rope. Unless the Tang Family is destroyed, our Bai Family won¡¯t collapse as well. Furthermore, even if we do switch sides, do you think they will treat us well? The Yaos will attempt every means to drink our blood, eat our flesh and swallow up our Bai Family cleanly.¡±


    The facial expression of that member of the Bai Family was disastrous as he eventually lowered his head, ashamed.


    At this time, a strong big man strode from the outside as he said in a deep tone, ¡°Brother Tao, there are four people outside, one of whom is Xue Jie, the Starlight Group¡¯s general manager, while the other one is said to be one of the Tang Family¡¯s member, Tang Xiu.¡±


    Bai Tao¡¯s expression changed. He immediately got up and said, ¡°Follow me to greet them.¡±


    Quickly, Bao Tao and several members of the Bai Family greeted Tang Xiu and Xue Jie. However, they didn¡¯t know Tang Xiu and were somewhat curious about him.


    ¡°Hello, Chief Xue.¡± Bai Tao greeted.


    Xue Jie smiled faintly and said, ¡°Bai Tao, let me introduce you to Tang Xiu, the son of the Tang Family¡¯s Tang Yunde. According to the Old Master¡¯s oerder, elder brother Yunpeng has transferred the sole authority of the matters in Guangyang and Fukang Provinces to him.¡±


    Bai Tao¡¯s expression changed. He didn¡¯t know anything about Tang Xiu¡¯s identity before. However, it was rather unexpected that the Old Master of the Tang Family would assign a young man to deal with such a big matters.


    _Could it be¡­ the Tang Family is going to abandon these two provinces?_


    Tang Xiu extended his hand and said, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Tang Xiu.¡±


    While worried and heavy-hearted, Bai Tao stretch out his hand, squeezed out a smile and said, ¡°How do you do, Mr. Tang? I¡¯m the second son of the Bai Family, Bai Tao.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded slowly. He could guess Bai Tao¡¯s thoughts by looking at his expression, saying, ¡°You seem to be at the same age as my father. So I¡¯ll call you Second Uncle Bai if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Bai Tao stared blankly for a moment, feeling a bit comfortable afterward. The smile he squeezed out turned brighter as he nodded and said, ¡°Tang Xiu, good nephew, you came late at night. May I ask what is your purpose in coming here?¡±


    ¡°Shall we have a talk?¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Bai Tao suddenly realized and promptly said, ¡°Ah, my bad. Everyone, please come. Let¡¯s talk inside.¡±


    Immediately, Bai Tao led Tang Xiu¡¯s group into the house. After taking a seat in the living hall of the first floor, Bai Tao quickly ordered the others to serve tea.


    ¡°Second Uncle Bai, please, there¡¯s no need for so much trouble! The reason we came to the Bai Family is because I have something to tell you! Besides, we must leave right after.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Asked Bai Tao.


    ¡°I know that the Bai Family should be feeling anxious and restless now. But I must tell you that it isn¡¯t necessarily so. The Tang Family won¡¯t give up the Guangyang Province neither will we abandon the Bai Family¡¯s head. Since my grandfather has delegated the full authority of the issues in Guangyang and Fukang Provinces to me, I will take care of it. Furthermore, you have yet to learn about some matters. The deputy director of Starlight Group¡¯s Finance Department had been seized by the Yao and Sun Families today. I just arrived here today, but not only did I rescue him, I also got rid of more than thirty of their lackeys. Similarly, I want you to give me some more time since I will also rescue the head of your Bai Family.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Several members of the Bai Family members had a change in their complexions. They knew perfectly well how the Tang Family had been forced to retreat in defeat repeatedly in Guangyang Province. They had even lost more than twenty people altogether, including people from their Bai Family.


    But the thing they didn¡¯t expect was that Tang Xiu, that had just arrived today, had gotten rid of thirty people from the Yao and Sun Families¡­


    This¡­ wasn¡¯t this way too amazing?

 Chapter 358

    Chapter 358: Layout


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Hope! Through Tang Xiu¡¯s words, several core members of the Bai Family suddenly saw hope.


    This made their previous restless mood calm down.


    ¡°Second Uncle Bai, please give me some time, I¡¯ll use my network to save the Bai Family¡¯s head. Were our Tang Family to fail in the dispute with the Yao Family in Guangyang Province, I assure you that we will never abandon the Bai Family¡¯s head and we¡¯ll prevent him from being imprisoned at all costs. This¡­ is the least I can guarantee you.¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, Bai Tao¡¯s heart was touched.


    It was, in fact, what he wanted to hear from Tang Yunpeng. However, the latter didn¡¯t give any speak about anything the matter for a long time. Such a situation actually made him a bit resentful, but Tang Xiu¡¯s words made the resentment inside his heart to completely vanish.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, I¡¯ll remember your promise in my heart. I also want to say to you that my Bai Family will never separate from the Tang Family. Regardless of any plan you have later, you¡¯ll have unconditional support from us. Whether you want money or manpower, you¡¯ll have it.¡± Bai Tao firmly said.


    Nodding in satisfaction, Tang Xiu then got up and said, ¡°We¡¯ll mutually hold to our own pledges as gentlemen. As of now, we temporarily won¡¯t be needing assistance from the Bai Family, so what you have to do is to increase your vigilance as to prevent against moves by the Yao and Sun Families. By the way, we can¡¯t stay here much longer. Wait for my good news.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll send you out!¡± Bai Tao nodded.


    As they came out of the building, Tang Xiu suddenly said, ¡°Second Uncle Bai, I¡¯d have to trouble you to get us a car! We covertly left Red Maple Villa Complex for fear of being detected by the Yao and Sun Families.¡±


    Bai Tao waved his hand to Bai Bing.


    Immediately, Bai Bing went back inside. A minute later, she came back with a few car keys, handed it over to Tang Xiu and said with a smile, ¡°These are for the cars in the courtyard. Take whichever you like.¡±


    Tang Xiu glanced at it and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take the Volkswagen Tiguan! It¡¯s not expensive and won¡¯t attract attention.¡±


    About two minutes later, Tang Xiu, Xue Jie, and the two bodyguards left quickly.


    On the car.


    With an astonished expression, Xue Jie asked, ¡°Tang Xiu, since we want to change our hiding place, why don¡¯t you ask for help from the Bai Family? They have been here for so many years, I believe we can get many covert places that are suitable for us to hide from them.¡±


    Letting out a pale smile, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°Auntie Xue, at this crucial time, it¡¯s best to let them know as little as possible, unless they are truly our own people. Who can guarantee that the Yao and the Sun Families haven¡¯t bought someone from the Bai Family¡¯s members?¡±


    Xue Jie was stunned and froze. She looked at Tang Xiu in a different light now.


    Low-key and cautious!


    Originally, for Tang Xiu to take over the command in Guangyang Province, she did have some confidence that he would defeat the Yao Family. But this time, a hay of hope was raised inside her heart. Furthermore, through what Tang Xiu did tonight, especially in the Bai Family, she could see that Tang Xiu¡¯s stratagem was very astute. At the very least, the Bai Family¡¯s people who were previously restless had now been pacified and soothed.


    From the looks of it, Tang Xiu had even successfully bought their hearts.


    ¡°So, where are we going now?¡± asked Xue Jie.


    ¡°We¡¯ll look for a place in Guan City that is very chaotic. What I¡¯m talking about is a place with tons of non-natives, where people come and go frequently. We will move with a lot of people from now on, so we must have a place suitable to conceal ourselves as to prevent any accidents.¡±


    Xue Jie was surprised, ¡°Tang Xiu, finding such a place¡­ Are you not afraid that news will be leaked with so many people mixed in?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be afraid of!¡± Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°Provided we¡¯re careful enough, I¡¯m confident that we can conceal ourselves well. I¡¯ll think of a way!¡±


    Despite knowing nothing of what Tang Xiu meant by ¡°think of a way¡±, Xue Jie still chose to trust Tang Xiu. After all, what he did today had made her sincerely convinced.


    ¡°We can go to Hongpo District.¡± Xue Jie¡¯s bodyguard on the driver seat spoke.


    ¡°Where¡¯s this Hongpo District?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Hongpo District is located in the southwest of Guan City. There are a lot of industrial parks, small projects, and small individual workshops there. Many migrants go there every year. The clothing factory under the Tang Family is also there. Although continuous reforms and development were conducted over the place in the past few years, still, there are many shabby places. So it¡¯s a suitable place to hide many people.¡± Said Xue Jie.


    Tang Xiu nodded. He then dialed the Huang family¡¯s head cell number. From him, he learned that the Huang also had a intelligence network in Hongpo District. After which, he asked the contact of the intelligence personnel from him.


    Guo Sen.


    He was the owner of an Internet caf¨¦ in Yueyang Street, Hongpo District. He had been on the Internet caf¨¦ business here for more than ten years and had a complex relationship with the local thugs. He also had another identity in this place: An intelligence personnel of the Huang Family and also the person in charge.


    After the Family¡¯s head personally phoned him, Guo Sen became quite excited. He secretly decided that he must cooperate with the other party well. Whatever request the other party asked of him, he would try to meet it as far as possible.


    He quickly received a call from Tang Xiu and told him the address of his Internet caf¨¦.


    Jingying Internet Caf¨¦.


    With his two trusted confidantes, Guo Sen was squatting in the corner of the street near the Internet caf¨¦, waiting for Tang Xiu and the others¡¯ arrival. Beside him, a calm-looking youth extinguished a cigarette butt as he looked up and asked, ¡°Eldest Brother, who¡¯s that man? To think that even he¡¯s worth the Big Boss personally issuing a command for us and sparing no effort to work with him?¡±


    Shaking his head, Guo Sen said, ¡°I don¡¯t know. But since the Big Boss personally commanded it, then we must complete this task. Big Boss has promised to give us a very handsome reward if we do a good job. Perhaps we will be transferred to a bigger stage as well.¡±


    The facial expression of the youth changed as he firmly said, ¡°I¡¯m not that good in terms of intelligence compared to you, but I will be the first to act should he need someone.¡±


    For a moment, Guo Sen was silent, before suddenly asking, ¡°Qiang Zi, where did Boss send you three years ago? How come you became so strong after you came back?¡±


    ¡°Eldest Brother, don¡¯t ask.¡± Shao Qiang shook his head and said, ¡°I really can¡¯t say anything about it. Else, I¡¯ll be violating the big taboo of the family. Not to mention you, even I would be killed as well. That ancestor who taught the Huang Family not only gave this instruction to the Huangs, but also to us. You should be very clear about this matter as well.¡±


    Forcing a smile, Guo Sen replied, ¡°Well, since you don¡¯t wanna say, then I won¡¯t ask about it.¡±


    Shao Qiang no longer spoke. But he reminisced about the inhuman torments of that year inside his mind. It was a devilish training which could claim lives. That place was a sacred ground to train powerhouses, but also the place where a group of devils lived. He was quite vexed inside. He wanted to go there for training again, but he was afraid that he couldn¡¯t bear it and would die in vain.


    Originally, if he hadn¡¯t secretly fallen in love with that suffocating, beautiful girl because of that one glance, as well as not wanting her to look down on him, he would¡¯ve been unable to endure and would have died in that place.


    However, he knew the gap between himself and that girl¡¯s identity. He knew that they were people from different worlds. He was just akin to a toad while that girl was a white swan.


    No¡­ she was not a white swan. She was a fairy maiden.


    _Hong, hong!_


    A car¡¯s horn sounded, abruptly dragging Shao Qiang from his reverie. As he looked up, he found his Eldest Brother and the others running toward a SUV on the roadside.


    ¡°Are you Guo Sen?¡±


    As he got down from the car, Tang Xiu looked to Guo Sen and asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m. Are you Mr. Tang?¡± Replied Guo Sen promptly.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°You should¡¯ve received a call from Huang Jinfu, yes?¡±


    Guo Sen¡¯s mouth twitched a few times. He didn¡¯t expect that Tang Xiu would dare to address his Big Boss by name. Nodding, he cautiously said, ¡°Big Boss has commanded us to help you to the best of our abilities. Whatever you need, we will try to meet it.¡±


    ¡°I need to find a safe place since we¡¯ll have a lot of people coming. Hence, the place must be large enough, but it mustn¡¯t be easily found by outsiders.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    A surprised expression flashed from Guo Sen¡¯s eyes as he asked, ¡°Mr. Tang, would you mind telling me in advance how many people will be coming?¡±


    ¡°At the most, perhaps 100. Or around 40 to 50 at the very least.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    Thinking for a moment, Guo Sen then said, ¡°I know a very covert place and it¡¯s also very suitable for your request. But¡­¡±


    ¡°But what?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°But it¡¯s quite messy and chaotic there. There are many migrant workers and some gangsters and thugs who also often especially appear there. Also, the Boss in that place is the head of the gangsters. He¡¯s called Hei Long; he¡¯s very powerful and influential there. He also has some intelligence network. If we were to be found by his people, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    ¡°I would¡¯ve been more worried if that place had no head at all.¡± Tang Xiu said smilingly, ¡°Take me there to have a look. If it¡¯s good, I¡¯ll take it.¡±


    ¡°Qiang Zi, drive.¡± Said Guo Sen promptly.


    Shao Qiang nodded and quickly ran.


    Squinting his eyes toward Shao Qiang¡¯s back, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Is he your man? He¡¯s quite skillful, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Staring blankly at Tang Xiu for a moment, Guo Sen then said with amazement, ¡°Mr. Tang, you¡¯re really amazing. Big Boss sent Qiang Zi to me, and his skill is indeed extraordinary. Just seven or eight ordinary local ruffians or gangsters are not his match.¡±


    ¡°What you¡¯re talking about is his strength. But what I meant is his skill in killing. He has seen blood and also possesses a vicious aura inside his heart.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    Guo Sen was dazed. He had never expected that this little brother of his who had followed him for nearly two years would be this strong. However, as he recalled that he was sent by the Big Boss, he felt relieved.


    Soon, a car stopped in front of the two men.


    Tang Xiu ordered one bodyguard to sit on Shao Qiang¡¯s car and let Guo Sen sit in the Tiguan SUV¡¯s front seat. With Shao Qiang as the guide, the two cars quickly drove toward an abandoned factory.


    ¡°What do you want here?¡±


    An old man guarding the entrance ran out of the sentry box and shouted loudly.


    Getting off the car, Guo Sen then came before the old man. He took out a stack of hundred-yuan paper money, stuffed it into his hand and said, ¡°Gramps, do you remember me? I¡¯m the owner of the Internet caf¨¦. You once visited my Internet caf¨¦ to bring your grandson back home.¡±

 Chapter 359

    Chapter 359: Coercion Business


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The old man guarding the abandoned factory suddenly realized something and said, ¡°I know you. What¡¯s your name again? Err, Guo¡­¡±


    ¡°Guo Sen!¡±


    Nodding, the old man then grabbed the money and asked, ¡°Right, right. It¡¯s Guo Sen. But what did you come here for? You¡¯re giving me so much money, what¡¯s this for?¡±


    ¡°Gramps, we want to rent the factory. We¡¯ll start a business after renovating this place. You should be able to contact the owner, right? Can you call him now? If he agrees, we can pay him tonight as well.¡±


    The old man hesitated for a moment while looking at the stack of money in his hand. He eventually nodded and said, ¡°Alright. Wait a minute, I¡¯ll give him a call.¡±


    A few minutes later, the old man returned and cheerfully said, ¡°I just made the call. The Boss is immediately coming after hearing that you want to rent the factory. Anyhow, are you going to wait here? Or¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have a look at it first, gramps. You don¡¯t mind, do you? Anyways, only after we see the condition of the workshop will we be able to discuss about renting.¡±


    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll take you there!¡± The old man said happily.


    The workshop was small in size, more or less the size of a regular soccer field. From the old gatekeeper, Tang Xiu knew that this factory produced home textiles in the past. Since the owner managed the factory poorly, it eventually led to heavy debt and bankruptcy.


    After wandering around for a while, the factory¡¯s owner then arrived.


    ¡°Do you want to rent this factory?¡± The factory owner looked at Tang Xiu and the others as he asked curiously.


    ¡°We¡¯ve just seen the condition of the factory. It¡¯s not bad. But may I ask how much is the rent?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    The factory owner asked in reply, ¡°What business are you preparing to do?¡±


    ¡°A clothing business.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    The factory owner suddenly understood and then said with a smile, ¡°The leasing would be at least five million for a year. My factory is quite large, and a year rent should be around eight million. However, since I¡¯m rather anxious to rent it, I¡¯ll ask six million a year. If you agree, let¡¯s sign the contract. But if you don¡¯t, I can¡¯t give you any more leverage.¡±


    Tang Xiu put out a number of fingers and said, ¡°Five million! If you agree, I¡¯ll rent it. And if you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll go somewhere else. To be honest, I¡¯ve seen some other abandoned factories before coming here.¡±


    The factory owner startled. He furrowed his brows and hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Five and a half million! I can¡¯t agree to less than this. If you don¡¯t want it, perhaps there will be someone else coming tomorrow.¡±


    After a moment of silence, Tang Xiu then slowly said, ¡°Five and a half million is rather unacceptable, to be honest. But I¡¯ll agree to it if you can meet my two conditions.¡±


    The factory owner quickly asked, ¡°What conditions? Tell me!¡±


    ¡°The first condition is that we can¡¯t make a 100% decision before renting the factory.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Hence, I can give you a 500 thousand deposit first. If by a month later we don¡¯t rent your factory, the deposit is yours. If we rent it, then we¡¯ll pay you another five million, and then we¡¯ll sign the contract.¡±


    After contemplating for a moment and finding nothing bad, the factory owner then said, ¡°I agree. But you have to pay me today.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I can transfer it to you online.¡±


    ¡°Then tell me the second condition.¡± Said the factory owner.


    ¡°Well, to be honest, we come from the north.¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile. ¡°We¡¯ve been staying in a hotel for more than a week, and the hygiene is rather bad. So we want to temporarily stay in the factory.¡±


    ¡°With the deposit, this factory is temporarily rented to you,¡± the factory owner smilingly said. ¡°Anyhow, it¡¯s fine if you want to stay here! But the place is dirty and messy, so you need to clean it up.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Immediately after, Tang Xiu transferred 500 thousand yuan through online banking to the factory owner¡¯s account. The latter looked satisfied and then left. Tang Xiu then shifted his eyes to the old gatekeeper as he then smiled and said, ¡°Gramps, can I ask how much is your monthly salary?¡±


    ¡°2,500 yuan.¡± Said the old man smilingly.


    ¡°Gramps, I¡¯ll give you ten thousand yuan for you not stay here this month.¡± Said Tang Xiu, ¡°You too know that since we want to stay here and start business later, we must find some young and strong men as security guards.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± The old man hesitated upon hearing it and said, ¡°Managing a business is not easy, but that ten thousand yuan¡­¡±


    ¡°Gramps, please don¡¯t refuse it.¡± Tang Xiu said smilingly, ¡°Consider it as our compensation. If we do really rent the factory, I¡¯ll invite you back.¡±


    ¡°Alright then!¡± The old man nodded his head.


    When Tang Xiu took out his wallet, he then asked Xue Jie some cash. After collecting ten thousand yuan, he then gave it to the old man and sent him off.


    Guo Sen, who followed alongside him, whispered, ¡°Mr. Tang, isn¡¯t it too much money for a month¡¯s rent? Actually, I have a few ways to give some benefits to the factory owner, so that he will lend the site to us for some time.¡±


    ¡°I suppose you were talking about the place we saw on the way here, right? Anyhow, that place is really good and there are several large factories around. Coupled with tons of people shuttling on the street, this makes this place a good place.¡±


    ¡°Then, what shall we do next? What do you need me to do?¡± Asked Guo Sen after hearing it.


    ¡°Take me to see Hei Long.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Why do you want to see him?¡± Guo Sen was surprised and said, ¡°That guy is a bad news. Deceitful, domineering, greedy¡­ It will be quite troublesome coming in contact with him.¡±


    _Troublesome?_


    Tang Xiu grinned, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t see him if he was a good man! Anyways, let¡¯s go. You should know where he is, yes?¡±


    ¡°Hei Long usually stays in his bar at night. I¡¯ll take you there,¡± said Guo Sen.


    Black Dragon Bar.


    When the two cars parked on the street nearby the bar, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Auntie Xue, stay here and wait for me! I gotta solve this hidden danger so we can station our men in this place.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to¡­¡± Xue Jie was startled.


    ¡°No. I won¡¯t kill him.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°I want him to work for me.¡±


    ¡°Is his background and identity clean?¡± Xue Jie hesitated.


    Tang Xiu turned his gaze to Guo Sen.


    ¡°Hei Long is like a fish in the water in this chaotic place.¡± Guo Sen promptly said, ¡°It¡¯s because he can stake it all to play hard and has been exploiting it over twenty years to elevate himself. He¡¯s kind of the undisputed gang leader here.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded upon hearing it. Accompanied by Guo Sen and Shao Qiang, he got off the car and walked toward Black Dragon Bar, the other person brought by Guo Sen staying in the car.


    The Black Dragon Bar was quite lively at night, with deafening metal music that faintly hurt one¡¯s eardrums. Aside from a numerous crowd dancing crazily from side to side in the bar, there were also many people in the seats huddling with girls.


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it Brother Guo? What wind blew you here today?¡±


    A young man with earrings and yellow-dyed hair giddily greeted them.


    ¡°Take me to Hei Long.¡± Said Guo Sen loudly, ¡°I wanna talk about some business with him.¡±


    The youth was startled for a moment, as he then looked at Tang Xiu and Shao Qiang. He then waved his arms and shouted, ¡°Come with me! Brother Long is playing inside!¡±


    Inside the bar were more than ten boxes.


    In one of the largest boxes, Hei Long was hugging a pretty girl he just hooked up with, holding a microphone and singing. The pretty girl picked up pieces of fruit once in a while and stuffed it into Hei Long¡¯s mouth. On the other sofa, his two right-hand men were also embracing a woman each and drinking wine.


    ¡°Big Brother Long, Guo Sen wants to see you. He said he wants to talk about some business!¡±


    The yellow-haired youth pushed the door open and came in as he approached Hei Long and spoke to his ear.


    Hei Long was stunned and asked in wonder, ¡°Guo Sen? Who the heck is he?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the owner of Jingying Internet Caf¨¦, Big Brother Long!¡± Said the yellow-haired youth.


    Hei Long frowned as a trace of dread flashed from his eyes. He had a dealing with Guo Sen more than a year ago when his underlings demanded protection money from Jingying Internet Caf¨¦. The result was that Guo Sen¡¯s little brother acted and beat them up. Later on, he and Guo Sen met in private and had a fight. He took dozens of his brothers, yet Guo Sen and his little brother beat them up miserably. Were it not because he finally put out his gun, Guo Sen would perhaps not lower his head.


    After that incident, however, Guo Sen took out a sum of money and they solved the ridge between them. But they didn¡¯t interfere with each other from thenceforth.


    Hei Long patted the pretty girl and spoke loudly, ¡°Go out and play. I¡¯ll look for you after I¡¯m done with business.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    The three girls stood and walked outside.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu, Guo Sen and Shao Qiang entered the box. They saw a man sitting on the sofa with one leg atop the other, a cigarette on his mouth and a body full of black dragon tattoos. Tang Xiu then said with a pale smile, ¡°You¡¯re Hei Long?¡±


    After glancing at Tang Xiu, Hei Long¡¯s eyes then fell on Guo Sen, dully saying, ¡°Guo Sen, is this your little brother? Does he not understand the custom or something?¡±


    Guo Sen stepped back and stood behind Tang Xiu, keeping silent.


    Hei Long stared blankly for a moment upon seeing that. He looked at Guo Sen and sized up Tang Xiu as he nodded and said, ¡°I got it. It turns out that you¡¯re the master. So, Brother, what¡¯s your distinguished name? Are you also one of the mobsters?¡±


    Tang Xiu waved to the other two big men on the sofa. After receiving a hint from Hei Long to stand up, Tang Xiu walked to the sofa in front and sat down. He then took out a cigarette and lit it up. After having a puff, he said, ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu. You don¡¯t need to bother whether I¡¯m a hoodlum or not. I got a business deal for you. If you¡¯re interested, everybody¡¯s happy. If not, I¡¯ll leave immediately.¡±


    Hei Long squinted his eyes and asked, ¡°What business deal?¡±

 Chapter 360

    Chapter 360: One More Time


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°The deal is about your life. You join me and you live.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Refuse and you¡¯ll die a tragic death. Then I¡¯ll prop up another man as the boss of this place.¡±


    _Pfft¡­_


    Hei Long couldn¡¯t help chuckling as he stared at Tang Xiu as if looking at an idiot. He had heard many jokes before, but none of them was funnier this one.


    ¡°Tell me, little brother, are you fucking stupid? This Hei Long has been here for a long time, and I always get whatever I want. This place is nice and cozy. Moreover, I¡¯m a local tyrant. Why the hell should I join you? And how old are you, anyway?¡±


    ¡°So, you don¡¯t want to?¡± Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes.


    The smile on Hei Long¡¯s face quickly vanished. A cold light shined in his eyes as he growled, ¡°Get the hell out and go back to where you spawned. This Big Daddy is in a good mood today. I won¡¯t bicker with you.¡±


    Pointing to the two men around Hei Long, Tang Xiu indifferently asked, ¡°Are those two your men?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± replied Hei Long with a cold expression.


    Tang Xiu nodded his head as a Mitsubishi army knife appeared in his hand in an instant. His figure flashed as a dazzling cold light flashed. The two big men¡¯s bodies turned stiff as they quickly grabbed their own throats.


    Blood splashed out!


    Their eyes glared wide along with disbelief within. They could feel their life rapidly draining away.


    Standing beside Guo Sen, Shao Qiang¡¯s body slightly quivered as his pupils instantly flashed. Tang Xiu¡¯s speed made all the fine hair all over his body to stand.


    Too fast! Way too fast!


    The time Tang Xiu spent since his bottom left the sofa, dashed to strike Hei Long¡¯s two men in front, and then returned to the sofa again, was no more than two seconds.


    This speed¡­ was simply frightening!


    Shao Qiang could say that his speed was pretty fast. But he was horrified to find out that his speed was like day and night compared to Tang Xiu¡¯s. If Tang Xiu wanted to kill him, he was simply powerless to resist.


    Hei Long abruptly stood, his complexion drastically changing. He took out his pistol from his waist and aimed its muzzle at Tang Xiu. While glancing at the miserable appearances of his two men whose throats were sliced off, his heart convulsed violently several times as roared, ¡°Who the fuck are you?!¡±


    Deep fear was bred inside his heart! He couldn¡¯t see clearly any of Tang Xiu¡¯s actions. It was almost an instant¡¯s effort as Tang Xiu cut off the throats of his two men. With such a speed, if Tang Xiu wanted to kill him just now, he would¡¯ve ended just like his two men.


    ¡°Do you really think the gun in your hand is a threat to me?¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Put it down and join me! You have one last chance to submit to me. Be my underling and you may live. Perhaps you¡¯ll have good fortune in the future if you accept it. Refuse, and I don¡¯t mind sending you along with these two brothers of yours.¡±


    Recalling the moment Tang Xiu acted just now, Hei Long was aghast and overwhelmed with shock. The terrifying speed of this young man before him would perhaps enable him to avoid bullets!


    In an instant, he watched the two men falling to the floor. Ten seconds after, they stopped breathing and died.


    ¡°You have yet to choose! Live or die, choose!¡± said Tang Xiu said indifferently.


    Hei Long¡¯s wrist shivered as he quietly stuffed the pistol back at his waist. With an indignant expression, he stared at Tang Xiu and growled lowly, ¡°You killed my brothers. I may submit to you outwardly, but are you not afraid that I¡¯ll get revenge on you from behind?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t and you won¡¯t!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Though you may be ruthless, yet you¡¯re afraid of death. Killing you is as easy as pinching an ant if I want to. Even my men can easily kill you without me lifting a hand. Of course, that also includes all of your brothers; one night is enough to make them see a bloodbath.¡±


    While pointing at the Guo Sen duo, Hei Long asked in a deep tone, ¡°You mean them?¡±


    ¡°These two are not my people.¡± Tang Xiu said dully, ¡°Though the big boss behind them can also kill you easily. But since he¡¯s not a native here, he simply won¡¯t bother. The reason why I came to find you is due to a special reason. Else, let alone with your strength now, even if your forces get a hundred times stronger, I wouldn¡¯t have even bothered looking at you.¡±


    Hei Long¡¯s breathing came to halt as he contemplated for a moment before solemnly saying, ¡°I must know your background, else I can¡¯t join you.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a while. After which, he slowly said, ¡°In actuality, given your status and capacity, I¡¯m afraid such a nobody like you wouldn¡¯t know me even if I told you. However, I can tell you a fact. You watch TV news like the first channel of China TV, yes?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less about the state affairs.¡± Hei Long shook his head and said, ¡°Besides, what am I gonna see it for? I did see it when I was a child, though.¡±


    ¡°I also saw it when I was small.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Anyhow, I come from Beijing, and Tang Guosheng is my grandfather.¡±


    Beijing? Tang Guosheng?


    His eyes suddenly staring wide, Hei Long¡¯s body swayed as he collapsed on the sofa, stunned. How could he not know about Tang Guosheng? The man was one of the bigwigs of the country¡­ a grand figure¡­


    A tinge of a smile was revealed on Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he said, ¡°Seems like you know the identity of my grandfather. Though I don¡¯t rely on him, it¡¯s rather useful to prove my background. So, how about it? Are you willing to join me?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Jumping up from the sofa, it was as though he had forgotten that Tang Xiu had just killed two of his trusted men. With a face full of excitement, he said, ¡°I¡¯m very willing to join you.¡±


    He realized that he had just hit big luck.


    A young master from Beijing! A figure that numerous people want to bootlick. Though he was clueless why would Tang Xiu¡ªsuch a dignified scion of a respected big family¡ªrun to a small place such as Guan City, he wouldn¡¯t give up on such an opportunity.


    ¡°You¡¯re not afraid I¡¯m deceiving you?¡± Said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you will.¡± Said Hei Long seriously, ¡°After all, you want me to work for you, so you won¡¯t lie. Nonetheless, lying is very easy to be exposed. I can easily figure it out if I conduct a bit of investigation.¡±


    ¡°Well, looks like you¡¯re really smart.¡± Said Tang Xiu smilingly, ¡°No wonder you can spring up in this place. Anyways, get some people to clean up these two and then come with me!¡±


    ¡°Where?¡± Asked Hei Long.


    ¡°Ask what you should ask, but don¡¯t ask what you don¡¯t need to ask.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Shortly put, do bear in mind that you must execute anything I command you. If you do well, you¡¯ll have great progress in the future and you won¡¯t have to drown yourself as a local tyrant in this place. Perform mediocrely, and I¡¯ll directly abandon you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep it in mind,¡± Said Hei Long with a vivid respect.


    Two minutes afterward, Hei Long brought several of his trusted men and ordered them to secretly pack the two dead bodies and covertly destroy them. After finishing it, he then came before Tang Xiu respectfully.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± said Tang Xiu lightly.


    When this group of people left Black Dragon Bar, Tang Xiu looked at Guo Sen and said, ¡°I need to borrow your intelligence network for the time being to help me monitor Hongpo District. Report to me immediately if any suspicious people arrive.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Tang, there are many suspicious people in this place.¡± Guo Sen forced a smile and said, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we have a specific target?¡±


    After being silent for a moment, Tang Xiu lightly said, ¡°Look out for the Sun Family¡¯s people of Guangyang.¡±


    _The Sun Family?_


    Guo Sen¡¯s eyes flashed, ¡°I¡¯ll need to report this matter to the big boss first. After all, my rank is very low and I don¡¯t have much knowledge about the Sun Family in Guangyang. I need a member of a higher rank to coordinate with me!¡±


    ¡°Report it then. I¡¯ll personally visit your big boss tomorrow.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Alright!¡± Guo Sen nodded.


    ¡°Leave your car to us! Additionally, get some men to clean up some rooms in the factory. Also, help me buying some daily necessities while convenient. Keep in mind that you must not attract any attention.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°No problem,¡± said Guo Sen with a smile.


    Tang Xiu waved toward Hei Long, motioning for him to sit with the other bodyguards in another car. After which, he entered the SUV.


    At this time, Hei Long¡¯s mood was quite complex. He was tensed up yet excited. He didn¡¯t know what destiny awaited him in the future, but still, he wanted to fight for it. If his choice were correct, he would have a bright future ahead, but if it was wrong¡­ worst come to worst, he would die. After all, he would have become a corpse today if he had declined Tang Xiu¡¯s offer.


    Red Maple Villa Complex.


    As the two cars parked a kilometer away from the Red Maple Villa Complex, Tang Xiu and Xue Jie had a discussion as to decide whether they¡¯d withdraw to Hongpo District, taking advantage of the curtain of the night.


    ¡°Auntie Xue, wait for me here! I¡¯ll go inside!¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    Tang Xiu jumped over the wall alone and quickly returned to the villa.


    At this time, Tang Wei hadn¡¯t rest yet. He was worrying about Tang Xiu¡¯s safety, so he sat before the window on the second floor, smoking. He was startled upon seeing a silhouette jumping over the wall into the courtyard and dozens of men quickly pulled out their guns to aim at the figure.


    ¡°It¡¯s me!¡± Tang Xiu called out in a sinking tone.


    After more than the dozens of big men could see Tang Xiu clearly, they immediately put their guns away and scattered to various sides.


    ¡°Everyone, pack up! We¡¯ll leave this place tonight.¡± Said Tang Xiu in a deep tone.


    ¡°Understood!¡± Replied several big men.


    Following that, Tang Xiu went to the first floor of the villa as Tang Wei rushed down the stairs.


    ¡°How was it, Brother?¡±


    ¡°Everything¡¯s done. I¡¯ve visited the Bai Family¡¯s people and also have found another hiding place for us to stay there for a while. Clean and tidy up, we¡¯ll be leaving shortly.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°With you handling the matter it makes me feel at ease.¡± Tang Wei nodded.


    A smile outlined on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth as he smilingly said, ¡°Do you wanna have another go?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± asked Tang Wei, puzzled.


    While pointing toward the villa complex gate, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Should my guess be correct, someone must be monitoring our villa. We left by jumping over the wall before, so they unable to find us. Since we¡¯ll move on a large scale, it won¡¯t do without cars! Hence, we need to clean up the enemies monitoring us.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too difficult!¡± Tang Wei shook his head and said, ¡°We are in the open, while those monitoring us are in the dark. Wanting to find them is very difficult!¡±

 Chapter 361

    Chapter 361: Cutting off the Tails


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    With spiritual sense in his arsenal, Tang Xiu was like a gamer who had a cheating tool when playing games. Under the cover of his spiritual sense, he could observe anything within the radius of a few hundred meters.


    Hence, as long as he spent some time to circle around the villa¡¯s surrounding area, he could find the trails of suspicious people. However, with the great effect binoculars provided nowadays, if those monitoring them were too far away, there may be some fishes that could avoid it.


    ¡°Still, we must search them.¡± Tang Xiu said with all seriousness, ¡°When we start to clean up the suspicious people following us, I¡¯ll take up the rear.¡±


    ¡°Being discrete and careful is always good.¡± Tang Wei nodded and said, ¡°So, how should we do it?¡±


    ¡°Just pretend that we¡¯re going out to get some fresh air,¡± Tang Xiu said. ¡°If we find any suspicious people, we have to figure out their identities. If they are enemies, then straightly kill them; if they are not, we¡¯ll go back and organize our retreat.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tang Wei nodded as he touched the pistol in his waist.


    The duo then openly went out of the villa¡¯s front entrance and straightly went toward the villa complex gate. Releasing his spiritual sense, Tang Xiu then observed the situation in the surrounding.


    What Tang Xiu didn¡¯t expect was that his spiritual sense already caught traces of the enemy the moment he came out of the villa. It was from atop the roof of another villa a few hundred meters away from their villa. There were two young men with binoculars quietly monitoring any movements in their villa.


    But Tang Xiu didn¡¯t act rashly. After he and Tang Wei arrived outside the villa complex, the duo pretended to take a stroll, smoking cigarettes and puffing out rings of smoke from time to time.


    ¡°If my memory serves me right, the SUV parked on the left side of the road in front of us should¡¯ve been there for several hours, right? I saw it already parked there when we came back from Changbu Town.¡± The pale-yellow dim-light of the night couldn¡¯t obstruct Tang Xiu¡¯s sharp eyesight.


    Back when he just returned from Changbu Town, though he noticed that SUV, he just glanced at it and didn¡¯t find anyone in the car. But at present, there were two men inside. One of them was in the back seat and silently smoking by the car window.


    Tang Wei¡¯s vision was not as sharp as Tang Xiu¡¯s. Since the distance between them and the car was about three to four hundred meters away, he couldn¡¯t see anyone in the car. Tang Wei then shook his head and said, ¡°Well, a car parked on the roadside is normal to me! But I didn¡¯t notice that car before, though.¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s normal for a car to park on the roadside. But what if someone is inside?¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    Witn slight a change in expression, Tang Wei then said, ¡°At such a crucial time like this, I¡¯m afraid that the problem is not as simple as it looks if some people are camping inside cars for several hours.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s have a look!¡± Said Tang Xiu as he walked toward the car.


    At this time, a young man who was sitting in the driver seat of the SUV was currently looking toward the villa complex gate. At the time Tang Xiu and Tang Wei walked out of the villa complex, the youth had already noticed the duo. What made this rather accidental was that the duo actually came out to take a stroll.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    When he realized that the duo was walking toward his position, he immediately turned his head and spoke to the man in the back seat, ¡°Elder Brother Hu, according to the intelligence, from these two guys coming out of the villa complex, one of them is a junior of the Tang Family, Tang Wei.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re looking for death!¡± The man pulled out a pistol as a cold light flashed in his eyes.


    The youth was startled, ¡°Elder Brother Hu, our task is to monitor those Tang Family¡¯s people in Red Maple Villa Complex. If we were to kill them now, wouldn¡¯t the young master punish us?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± The man sneered, ¡°If we can kill a direct member of the Tang Family, not only young master won¡¯t punish us, he¡¯ll probably give us a reward. You didn¡¯t know, but we got news from Changbu Town before. We¡¯ve lost many people and the young master is extremely furious due to that. If we kill Tang Wei, that will surely make young master satisfied.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡± The young man also pulled out a pistol from his waist.


    The distance between both sides was getting closer.


    With his spiritual sense already released, Tang Xiu had already covered the two men inside the car. He could clearly see that both of them were holding pistols with killing intent covering their faces. At this instant, he had determined the identity of these two men. They were either from the Yao or the Sun Families.


    Likewise, they were enemies.


    ¡°Elder Brother Wei, be careful. They should have guns.¡± Tang Xiu whispered.


    ¡°Rest assured. They won¡¯t shoot us easily since they are currently monitoring us.¡± Said Tang Wei.


    Tang Xiu sighed inwardly. From their actions, how is it that they wouldn¡¯t shoot? They perhaps wished that they could shoot them right now, no?¡±


    ¡°Give me your gun.¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s pace came to a halt as he stopped before Tang Wei and spoke.


    Tang Wei hesitated for a moment before he took out his pistol and handed it over to Tang Xiu.


    After receiving the pistol, Tang Xiu instantly stuffed it into his pocket and then moved to the sideway. He then slowly walked toward the other side. As the distance was getting closer and was only about thirty meters away from them, Tang Xiu suddenly stopped and moved lightning fast. The instant he took out the pistol, he released the gun¡¯s safety lock and aimed the muzzle toward the two men in the SUV.


    _Bang! Bang!_


    The sounds of gunshot sounded. The bullets hit the windscreen, hitting the youth¡¯s head in the driver¡¯s seat and the other one hit the heart of the man in the back seat. Tang Xiu never had any firearms training, yet his marksmanship was extremely accurate. In his eyes, shooting a gun was akin to using a concealed weapon; he could easily do it.


    Tang Wei¡¯s complexion changed. He could see that the man in the driver¡¯s seat was hit. He quickly dashed toward Tang Xiu and rapidly said, ¡°Brother, why did you shoot so anxiously?¡±


    Patting his shoulder, Tang Xiu¡¯s action warmed his heart. He then smilingly said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back!¡±


    Puzzled, Tang Wei pointed at the SUV and said, ¡°Then, their¡­¡±


    ¡°Some people will come to gather their dead bodies. We should circle around the villa complex now. If we don¡¯t find any other enemies, then we¡¯ll clean up those two enemies inside the villa complex and then evacuate immediately.¡± Tang Xiu let out a pale smile and replied.


    ¡°There are two enemies inside the villa complex?¡±


    Tang Wei was stupefied, his expression when looking at Tang Xiu getting more and more strange. He had been with Tang Xiu all along and also quietly observed all the way. Yet, how could he not find any enemies at all?


    After they returned to the villa complex ten minutes later, Tang Xiu stopped in a secluded corner and said, ¡°Wait for me here. I¡¯ll be back fast.¡±


    Tang Wei opened his mouth, wanting to follow Tang Xiu. But he didn¡¯t know the situation and was afraid he would implicate Tang Xiu. Eventually, he could only nod silently.


    A short while after, Tang Xiu returned to Tang Wei¡¯s side and smilingly said, ¡°I¡¯ve taken care of those two guys. Let¡¯s go and tell everyone to evacuate immediately!¡±


    Tang Wei silently nodded.


    Such a gap! Ever since Tang Xiu came with him to Guangyang, from each issue handled by Tang Xiu, he realized that there was a big gap between the two of them.


    Quickly after, more than a dozen vehicles rapidly left Red Maple Villa Complex like the wind. After converging with Xue Jie and the others outside the villa complex, they then headed toward Hongpo District¡¯s direction.


    However, the car rode by Tang Xiu stopped on the roadside after driving for a dozen kilometers. He then released his spiritual sense and quietly observed the following vehicles. After he stalled for several minutes and found no vehicles following them, only then did he accelerate and catch up with the others.


    Twenty minutes later.


    At a place some distance away from Hongpo District, the cars parked on the roadside. Except for those driving, everyone got off one after another to change directions, taking buses or taxis, and then rushed toward the factory in Hongpo District.


    Nowadays, electronic eyes were present on the road everywhere. With the abilities possessed by the Yao and Sun Families, it was very easy to find their cars¡¯ whereabouts from the Transportation Department. Hence, it was necessary for them to abandon the cars halfway and then take other means of transportation.


    2 AM.


    Inside the worker living quarters in the rented factory, the lights in a dozen rooms had been lit. A few hours ago, Guo Sen had personally led some people to buy a large amount of bedding, pots, pans, and other articles of daily use. Accordingly, they joined up with Tang Xiu and the others to clean up the place.


    ¡°Young Master Xiu, we¡¯re done.¡±


    Li Xiaojie, together with several strong men, reported to Tang Xiu who was inside a smoke-filled conference room.


    Nodding to him in response, Tang Xiu then pointed to the chairs, motioning them to sit down. He then slowly asked, ¡°How did you deal with the cars?¡±


    ¡°We abandoned them near Guan City¡¯s traffic police squad.¡± Said Li Xiaojie.


    A touch of a smile appeared on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth as he nodded and said, ¡°Well done! This time we¡¯ll take the initiative to launch a strike. All of you take a good rest today, and at most at noon tomorrow, I¡¯ll devise the operation plan.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Inside the conference room, Xue Jie, Tang Wei, and Li Xiaojie nodded in unison.


    ¡°Auntie Xue, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to work hard. I need to know the details about the businesses belonging to the Yao and the Sun Families in Guangyang. That will include their company¡¯s address and the list of their staffs. I want it done before 2 PM tomorrow.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    Xue Jie nodded, ¡°I¡¯m good in this regard. Leave it to me!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and then looked at Tang Wei, ¡°You¡¯ll in charge of this place. Immediately capture any suspicious person who approaches the factory. Should they resist, don¡¯t hesitate to shoot them.¡±


    ¡°Copy that!¡± Tang Wei nodded.


    Then, Tang Xiu looked to Li Xiaojie, ¡°You¡¯ll go with me to Fukang tomorrow. I must personally visit the Bai Family¡¯s head.¡±


    ¡°Roger that!¡± Said Li Xiaojie immediately.


    After Tang Xiu¡¯s arrangements, the trio left the conference room.


    In the corridor outside the conference room, Hei Long was smoking while leaning on the wall. He now fully realized that what Tang Xiu told him before was true. Killing him was easy as pinching an ant if Tang Xiu wished it.


    He had secretly observed. Those forty to fifty strong men were professionals. Furthermore, he could tell that they were once soldiers.


    However, worries still lingered inside his heart. From Tang Xiu and these people¡¯s actions, he could tell that Tang Xiu was going to make a great move and highly like start a war with someone else. Though he couldn¡¯t guess who the other party was; however, they were definitely very powerful given that they could drive the Tang Family into a critical situation.


    Additionally, till now he was still clueless as to what Tang Xiu picked him for. What would be his role?


    ¡°Hei Long, Tang Xiu wants you to come inside.¡±


    As Xue Jie came out of the conference room, her eyes fell on Hei Long.

 Chapter 362

    Chapter 362: Tang Xiu¡¯s Visit


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Hei Long startled inwardly. He quickly nodded and walked toward the conference room. As he entered the room and saw Tang Xiu sitting in a chair and smoking, the then asked cautiously, ¡°Young master Tang, what¡¯s your command?¡±


    ¡°Sit!¡± Tang Xiu pointed to the chair at the side and said.


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    With a straight and tightened body, Hei Long took a seat and then asked, ¡°Young master Tang, I already resolved myself. After joining you, I will never turn south if you order me east. Likewise, I will never dare to fall to the ground after you tell me to go up to the sky. Whatever your command, please order me. As long as this Hei Long can do it, I¡¯ll absolutely do it, even if I have to throw my life.¡±


    ¡°I need you to do a simple thing.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°This Hongpo District is your turf and you¡¯ve been here for many years. I believe your intelligence network should be good, yes?¡±


    Hei Long confidently replied, ¡°Yes. Though I have only a little more than twenty trusted men, there are still many little brothers following me. Plus, there¡¯s still many small forces that have very complex relationships with me. I can easily inquire some news for you.¡±


    ¡°Then your task is to assign some people to each street within a radius of ten kilometers surrounding the factory. Report to me immediately should any situation arise.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°To be frank with you, though I¡¯m a junior of the Tang Family, this is my second time facing our adversary. The enemy¡¯s strength is very substantial and is on par with ours. Hence, our Tang Family is about to contend with the other party here in Guangyang, exactly in this Guan City. Our main base, later on, will be in Hongpo District.¡±


    A light flashed in Hei Long¡¯s eyes as he asked, ¡°Could you tell me who our enemy is, Boss?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Yao Family from Beijing and the Sun Family from Guangyang.¡± Said Tang Xiu indifferently.


    _Hiss¡­_


    Hei Long couldn¡¯t help but take a cold breath. He had never heard of the Yao Family of Beijing, but he was crystal clear about the Sun Family of Guangyang. The latter was a family with huge power and influence that definitely ranked in the top five families among the major families of Guangyang.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be that shocked.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Though our Tang Family is contending against these two families, it¡¯s limited to just the Guangyang and Fukang Provinces. Nonetheless, it¡¯s only a small-scale game; the outcome won¡¯t affect our family too much. And you, since I¡¯m the one who picked you, I¡¯ll guarantee your safety. And, regardless of the outcome, I¡¯ll give you a lot of benefits when I leave this province.¡±


    The worries inside Hei Long¡¯s heart eased down a lot. He straightened up his chest and said, ¡°Young master Tang, after this Hei Long becomes your underling, I¡¯ll still become a ghost under you even after I die. Please command me!¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re confident, then show me a stellar performance.¡± Said Tang Xiu with a smile, ¡°Your influence in Guangyang will be no longer limited to just a small place such as this Hongpo District. Do you understand my meaning?¡±


    Hei Long¡¯s eyes shined as he heavily nodded and replied, ¡°I understand!¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°Go then! After you go back, start on my order at once. I must ensure the security of our main base, and your people will play an important role for that.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Standing up, Hei Long then prepared to leave. But his pace suddenly came to a halt as he hesitated for a moment before asking, ¡°Young master Tang, would you mind if I ask you about that Jingying Internet Caf¨¦¡¯s owner¡ªGuo Sen, he¡­¡±


    ¡°To tell you the truth, he¡¯s the man of the Huang Family from Fukang Province. Not only that, he¡¯s also a intelligence personnel trained by the Huang Family. I have a special relationship with the Huang Family, so I asked for their assistance. If you wanna prove your ability, then do better than Guo Sen.¡± Said Tang Xiu dully.


    Instantly, Hei Long felt the pressure on him.


    What Tang Xiu meant was something he was very well aware of. Aside from his people who were responsible for monitoring Hongpo District, there were also the intelligence people from the Huang Family. He knew what kind of existence the Huang Family was in Fukang Province. It was a big family ranked at the top one there. The details revealed by Tang Xiu gave him pressure; yet, at the same time, he was also somewhat excited. After all, the chance for the Tang Family to win would increase by several times with assistance from the Huang Family.


    ¡°Young master Tang, I won¡¯t let you down!¡±


    Along with Hei Long¡¯s departure, Tang Xiu walked out of the conference room. He then faced Li Xiaojie who had been waiting outside and said, ¡°Send some of our men to observe him closely! I don¡¯t want any complicated matters to arise because of him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send my best scout to observe him closely,¡± said Li Xiaojie with a nod.


    The night passed with nothing more happening.


    Early in the morning.


    Tang Xiu and Li Xiaojie left the factory to head toward Fukang Province. On the way there, he contacted Guo Sen and told him to buy a dozen used cars.


    Fukang Province, Zhou City.


    It was Tang Xiu¡¯s first time visiting the city. He found that the city was not inferior at all compared to Shanghai with its high-rise buildings and continuous streams of traffic in its wide streets.


    10 AM. Tang Xiu arrived at the Zhou City¡¯s Huang Family.


    With the Huang Family boasting a very strong force in Fukang Province, they owned a land encompassing a large area where they built their family manor. When the car arrived at the front gate of the Huang Family¡¯s residence, they were stopped by the security guards at the main gate post.


    ¡°May I ask who you are? This is a private residential area. Outsiders are not allowed to enter.¡±


    As the security guard saw Tang Xiu and Li Xiaojie caming out of the taxi, he suddenly said in a deep tone.


    Sending the taxi away, Tang Xiu then looked at the security guard and said, ¡°Tell Huang Jinfu that Tang Xiu came visiting.¡±


    That security guard furrowed his brows as he stared at Tang Xiu with a somewhat ugly expression. There were not many people in the Fukang Province who addressed the family¡¯s head by his name. However, he could vaguely feel a peculiar aura from Tang Xiu and a military-man flavor from Li Xiaojie. He then immediately said, ¡°Please wait!¡±


    Having said that, he picked up a walkie-talkie and contacted the security captain of the Huang Family¡¯s Manor.


    Five or six minutes afterward, Huang Jinfu along with four or five core members of the Huang Family rushed to the front gate in a hurry. When he saw the two men outside the gate, he instantly judged that one of them was Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Are you¡­ Tang Xiu¡ªMr. Tang?¡± Bowing very low, Huang Jinfu¡¯s tone was full of respect.


    ¡°Ah, the Huang Family¡¯s head is too polite. Yes, I¡¯m Tang Xiu.¡± Tang Xiu said smilingly.


    Huang Jinfu¡¯s eyes turned bright and he couldn¡¯t hide the excitement in his face. He respectfully said, ¡°I¡¯ve received a report from Guo Sen yesterday and I knew you¡¯d come today. Please come inside quickly. I¡¯ve prepared some tea.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and walked through the front gate of the Huang Family¡¯s manor.


    Each and every one of the four security guards at the gate havd dumbstruck expressions as they looked at Tang Xiu and Huang Jinfu as they walked inside. Never once had they ever dreamed that the young man who arrived by taxi could make their family¡¯s head treat him with such an attitude.


    ¡°Who¡¯s this young man? Isn¡¯t this way too strange for the family¡¯s head to be that respectful before him?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I never dreamed there could be anyone in this world who could make our family¡¯s head treat them with such an attitude. What sacred being this young man could be?¡±


    ¡°A powerful figure with such a low-key manner¡­ Consider me having experienced it today. It was fortunate that we didn¡¯t treat him with disrespect. Else, we could have been severely punished by the family¡¯s head.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Two sightseeing cars were parked in front of the Huang Family¡¯s manor entrance. Under the warm greetings of Huang Jinfu, the two boarded the sightseeing car while Li Xiaojie and several other members of the Huang Family took the other car.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, your personal visit to our humble home is really an honor. I already called all the core members of our family yesterday. All of them are waiting inside.¡± Huang Jie said with a smile.


    ¡°Family Head Huang, please don¡¯t stand on ceremony. We¡¯re not outsiders.¡± Tang Xiu said smilingly.


    Huang Jinfu¡¯s eyes brightened as he nodded, ¡°Yes, yes. We¡¯re not outsiders at all. Since I heard that the Everlasting Feast Hall has a new boss, I actually wanted to visit you. But I didn¡¯t expect that you would come to visit our Huang Family yourself.¡±


    ¡°Well, my visit to the Huang Family is because I have a request that I need your help with.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°No, Mr. Tang. It¡¯s not correct for you to say that.¡± Huang Jinfu replied with a severe countenance. ¡°Please ask anything you need without any hesitation. First of all, needless to say, Boss Gu is my lifesaver. Merely by the present situation of we¡ªthe Huang Family, we truly owe the Everlasting Feast Hall way too much. I once told Boss Gu that without the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s assistance, there would be no Huang Family. Whatever you command, as long as you order it, our Huang Family will fully aid you even if it would exhaust our strength.¡±


    ¡°If so, I would like to thank you first.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°After this, I¡¯ll tell Xiaoxue to foster a closer relationship between the Everlasting Feast Hall and the Huang Family.¡±


    Huang Jinfu¡¯s body trembled as ecstasy filled his heart. Yet, he couldn¡¯t help thinking about the subtle meaning from Tang Xiu¡¯s words.


    _Xiaoxue?_


    _What kind of relationship is there between Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxue?_


    The two sightseeing cars quickly arrived at the main building of Huang Family¡¯s residence. A group of core members of the Huang Family welcomed Tang Xiu as they then went inside.


    After introducing the Huang Family¡¯s members, Tang Xiu then straightly said, ¡°Family Head Huang, shall we find a quiet place to talk?¡±


    Knowing that Tang Xiu wanted discuss an important matter with him, Huang Jinfu immediately replied, ¡°Let¡¯s head to my study room! No one will disturb us there!¡±


    The study room was interesting and appealing, with refined and elegant decorations. Aside from a large number of books on the bookcase, there were also a writing-set, paper, ink, and an inkstone on the table. When Tang Xiu¡¯s vision shifted from the bookshelves and then fell on a shelf with handicrafts on its rack, his eyes suddenly fixated on it.


    _That is¡­ an Inferno Stone?_


    Tang Xiu¡¯s heart suddenly jolted. He came before the shelf and reached out his hand to take the lion carving Inferno Stone.


    ¡°Do you find this lion carving stone good? It was carved by Grandmaster Huang Baiqing from our country.¡± Said Huang Jinfu with a smile.


    Gently stroking the Infernal Stone, Tang Xiu then slowly turned his head to look at Huang Jinfu and seriously said, ¡°How about doubling the number of men the Huang Family can send to the Everlasting Feast for every three years in exchange for this lion carving stone?¡±


    Huang Jinfu¡¯s eyes shined as he replied without hesitation, ¡°Well, since Mr. tang likes it, please take it as you will.¡±


    He was really ecstatic and happy at this time!


    It was because he didn¡¯t ever dream that such a fine lion carving stone would give his Huang Family a chance to double the number of men they could send to the Everlasting Feast Hall for every three years. Back then, they could only send three people every three years. Doubling the number meant they could send six people! Although there were deaths in almost every batch, the remaining people were the elites who then became the pillars of their Huang Family.

 Chapter 363

    Chapter 363: Private Talk


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Both sharing the same good and satisfied mood, Tang Xiu and Huang Jinfu sat on the sofa in the study room. Tang Xiu then put away the Inferno Stone and began speaking about the important matter, ¡°Family Head Huang, you already know that I¡¯m the boss of the Everlasting Feast Hall. I believe you have also guessed my other identity as well.¡±


    A peculiar color flashed in Huang Jinfu¡¯s eyes as he said, ¡°You and the Tang Family of Beijing¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m also a member of the Tang Family.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°When you asked my help to investigate the whereabouts of the deputy director of Starlight Group¡¯s Finance Department, I had already somewhat guessed. The Tang Family and the Yao Family are having a battle for Guangyang and Fukang at present, and the Starlight Group HQ was burnt down by some people. According to the results of the investigation done by our intelligence, it was done by the Sun Family.¡± Said Huang Jinfu.


    ¡°Yes, it was the Sun Family. Moreover, the battle between the Tang and Yao Families put my family in disadvantage as of now, so I personally came to Guangyang and Fukang to personally deal with the issues here.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Tang, please freely tell me your thoughts! I had guessed that you were a member of the Tang Family, so I already ordered an assemble of the Huang Family¡¯s forces. We¡¯ve also prepared our major group companies, so you only need to say a word for our Huang Family to fight side by side with the Tang Family.¡±


    Tang Xiu stood up and seriously said, ¡°Thank you, Family Head Huang. I won¡¯t say more. Our coming days will be long, but I won¡¯t let the Huang Family pay everything in vain.¡±


    ¡°This is what we should do.¡± Huang Jinfu also stood up and smilingly said.


    As the two men sat down again, Huang Jinfu continued, ¡°So, what are your instructions for us, Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°I need detailed information about the Yao and Sun Families in Guangyang and the Yang Family in Fukang. Additionally, since we are stationed in Guangyang, I hope the Huang Family¡¯s intelligence network there would provide all the information I need and keep in touch with me at all times.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send the command down.¡± Huang Jinfu nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you the contact details of the person in charge of the Huang Family¡¯s intelligence in Guangyang.¡±


    ¡°For the time being, I only need assistance from the Huang Family¡¯s intelligence.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°How about the armed forces, Mr. Tang?¡± Huang Jinfu promptly said, ¡°According to the information I have, Fukang¡¯s Yang Family has trained a lot of martial arts experts; they have established several dojos for this purpose. Aside from the person in charge of each dojo, they also have a lot of martial arts trainees who are important components of the Yang Family¡¯s forces.¡±


    ¡°The Yang Family did not send many manpower to Guangyang according to the information I¡¯ve received thus far.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°The leading person from the Yao Family has probably planned to remove all of the Tang Family¡¯s forces in Guangyang by using the Yang Family¡¯s power as well, following which they want to eliminate the Tang Family¡¯s power in Fukang Province. However, as of now, the Sun Family is the target of utmost priority that must be dealt with in advance.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Huang Jinfu nodded and said, ¡°In short, you¡¯ll notice our Huang Family when you need us to strike!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s also another thing that I must trouble Family Head Huang with.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said.


    ¡°Please do tell!¡± Said Family Head Huang.


    ¡°As far as I know, Family Head Huang and the number one figure in Guangyang Province should be old classmates, yes? Likewise, I heard that your relationship with him is also good?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Said Huang Jinfu.


    ¡°The close partner of my Tang Family, the Bai Family¡¯s head in Guangyang, is currently arrested for investigation by government officials under the Yao and Sun Families. I hope Family Head Huang can contact your old classmate to help me save him. At present, the investigation results on him haven¡¯t come out yet. I hope that he can be reinstated to his former position.¡±


    Huang Jinfu frowned as he forced out a smile and said, ¡°This matter is very difficult to deal with. Unless¡­¡±


    ¡°Unless what?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Unless I promise him to give his family a quota of people to the Everlasting Feast Hall every three years.¡± Huang Jinfu said, ¡°In the recent years, he has been intensely asking me about the forces the Huang Family¡¯s experts have been trained under. I didn¡¯t dare disclose anything about the Everlasting Feast Hall, so I never answered him.¡±


    ¡°Promise him!¡± Tang Xiu touched his chin and said.


    Huang Jinfu¡¯s expression straightened as he nodded and said, ¡°I dare guarantee that with this promise, he and his family will exert all of their power to preserve the Bai Family¡¯s head. Despite having very strong power and influence in Guangyang Province, his family lacks genuine experts. Else, his family would have surpassed my Huang Family.¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be waiting for your good news, Family Head Huang.¡± Tang Xiu stood up and said.


    Seeing Tang Xiu preparing to leave, Huang Jinfu promptly said, ¡°Mr. Tang, I¡¯ve already instructed the servants to prepare lunch. How about you¡­¡±


    ¡°I have to decline your goodwill.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Time is very critical now, so I have to go back to Guangyang earlier.¡±


    Seeing that Tang Xiu had decided to leave, Huang Jinfu no longer tried to keep him. However, he had some puzzles he had yet to unravel inside. Looking at Tang Xiu who was about to leave, a thought crossed his mind as he accompanied Tang Xiu out, saying in an undertone voice, ¡°Mr. Tang, may I ask about you and Boss Gu, your relationship with her is¡­¡±


    ¡°Someday in the future, Family Head Huang perhaps will know about it.¡± Said tang Xiu calmly.


    Secretly forcing a smile, Huang Jinfu knew that it was a tactful reply from Tang Xiu. It was clear that he didn¡¯t want to tell him about it. Regardless, he didn¡¯t dare to continue asking given Tang Xiu¡¯s identity. Other people may not know how terrifying the Everlasting Feast Hall was, but he was crystal clear about it. The Huang Family may be the topmost family in Fukang Province, but compared to the Everlasting Feast Hall, the difference between them tenfold.


    In the case¡­ that the Everlasting Feast Hall wanted to exterminate the Huang Family, all the members of the Huang Family would probably be completely killed overnight even if they only sent a small number of people.


    Despite getting no answer, Huang Jinfu was still very satisfied and happy by Tang Xiu¡¯s promise. He could already imagine that the number of experts under the Huang Family would be many times over several years later.


    What was the most important for a family? The answer was their military forces, of course!


    Although power and wealth were very important, they were not beyond the importance of military force. In today¡¯s era, the genuine wealthy and powerful families must have absolute military force, only then could they be regarded as a genuine powerhouse and not in name only.


    Shortly before noon.


    Tang Xiu returned to Guan City¡¯s Hongpo District and headed straight to the factory. There, Tang Wei quickly met up with him and said, ¡°Brother, there¡¯s an outsider visiting us. He said the Huang Family¡¯s head ordered him to come here to see you.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°He¡¯s called Huang Bingcheng.¡±


    A peculiar light flashed in Tang Wei¡¯s eyes as he asked, ¡°Brother, how exactly did you do it? Why the Fukang¡¯s Huang Family men would come to find us here? What exactly is the relationship between you and them, anyway?¡±


    ¡°I have some background story with the Huang Family¡¯s head.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°You also know that I¡¯ve visited the Huang Family¡¯s head personally today. Hence, I¡¯ve already borrowed the Huang Family¡¯s intelligence network in Guangyang for the time being.¡±


    Tang Wei raised his thumb and exclaimed in admiration, ¡°Brother, I admire you more and more. I know you¡¯re resourceful, even grandpa gave you the full authority to deal with the issues in Guangyang and Fukang. To be honest, I was a bit surprised at that time, but now I understand. You¡¯re even more useful than Big Uncle!¡±


    ¡°Speak less nonsensical things, will you?¡± Tang Xiu involuntarily laughed and said, ¡°Anyways, where¡¯s this Huang Bingcheng? Take me to see him.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Tang Wei grinned.


    Immediately after, Tang Xiu met Huang Bingcheng in the conference room. The middle-aged man appeared to be gentle and brought along a scholarly aura with him.


    ¡°Are you Huang Bingcheng? The chief supervisor of the Huang Family¡¯s intelligence network in Guangyang? I¡¯m Tang Xiu, I¡¯ve phoned you before.¡±


    Showing a respectful look, Huang Bingcheng said, ¡°I¡¯m Huang Bingcheng, Mr. Tang. We¡¯ve already mobilized all of our intelligence network in Guangyang Province under the Family Head¡¯s command and are currently monitoring all the movements of the Yao and Sun Families here. Though we dare not say that we can promptly discover they slightest sign of trouble, they absolutely can¡¯t escape the eyes of our intelligence personnel should they make any big moves.¡±


    ¡°So, what are you going to do next?¡± Tang Xiu nodded and let out a trace of a smile, ¡°Are you going to stay here? Or will you stay elsewhere and keep in touch through the phone?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay in our original place!¡± Huang Bingcheng said, ¡°But I¡¯ll notify you the instant we receive any information.¡±


    ¡°Sorry for the inconvenience.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said.


    ¡°No problem. It¡¯s what we should do.¡± Huang Bingcheng promptly replied with a smile.


    After Tang Xiu sent Huang Bingcheng off, Xue Jie gave the information she had sorted out to Tang Xiu. She fully understood all the information, as they were all the data of the Yao and Sun Families¡¯ businesses she had sent people to investigate. As a matter of fact, it also contained specific lists of the Sun Family members, people who were in charge of their businesses, official figures under them, and so on.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression turned somewhat solemn after reading it. He found that the Sun Family¡¯s strength in Guangyang was really powerful. First of all, it was needless to say about their military forces. Just their three listed companies in Guangyang was a shocking solid strength in itself.


    ¡°Brother, I¡¯ve read it. Taking care of the businesses mentioned above would be very great should we utilize cruel means and disturb the Yao and Sun Families¡¯ businesses. But the military forces of the Sun Family doesn¡¯t give the slightest chance for us to even peep on them. Coupled with the Yao Family¡¯s forces, we are simply not their opponent should we rely only on our people here.¡± With a somewhat dignified expression, Tang Xiu caressed his chin and spoke in an undertone voice.


    ¡°True that.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Not to mention this is just their apparent military force that Auntie Xue had investigated. Who knows how many armed forces they are hiding in the shadows? From the looks it, I still have to find some other helpers!¡±


    Tang Wei¡¯s expression moved as he promptly asked, ¡°Where are you going to find more helpers?¡±


    Showing a faint smile in response, Tang Xiu took his out mobile and dialed a cell number. After it was connected, he spoke in a deep voice. ¡°I need ten experts. Send them to Guan City¡¯s Hongpo District immediately. I¡¯ll text you the specific address later.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Boss!¡± The other party replied lightning fast.

 Chapter 364

    Chapter 364: A Bloody Night


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    After Tang Xiu hung up the phone, he looked at the curious expression on Tang Wei and Xue Jie¡¯s faces. He showed a pale smile and said, ¡°Relax! Though I only called ten individuals, they are comparable to fifty or even a hundred people. Our next operation must be successful.¡±


    ¡°Are they the Huang Family¡¯s people?¡± Xue Jie probed.


    ¡°No.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°They are my men.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand what you mean, Tang Xiu.¡± Xue Jie was perplexed and said, ¡°Did you say that they are your men? Do you train some people as well?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I indeed have been training some people.¡± Tang Xiu said with a pale smile, ¡°I already started my own business before I recognized the ancestors of our family. Without picking up my own people, continuing the business would be a very difficult thing to do.¡±


    ¡°You actually have been running your own business?¡± Xue Jie was astonished.


    Tang Wei chimed in, ¡°Auntie Xue, this matter is only known by a few in the family. As a matter of fact, this brother of mine had already set up a company and started a business when he was still in high school, before the family found him. Don¡¯t look down on him. Even the renowned Kang Xia, the world¡¯s most amazing gold manager, is the one helping my brother¡¯s work.¡±


    ¡°Kang Xia?¡± Xue Jie cried out involuntarily, ¡°Tang Xiu, that means, you¡¯re the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s¡­ Boss?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said, ¡°The Magnificent Tang Corp is indeed my company. But I just started it and have invested a lot of capital. So it hasn¡¯t had any profit yet.¡±


    At this moment, the way Xue Jie looked at Tang Xiu was completely different than before.


    She admitted and admired Tang Xiu for his strategy, resourcefulness, and military force. But in regard to business, she thought that she was more skillful than him. However, never once did she imagine that Tang Xiu was actually the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corp; even Kang Xia agreed to work for him.


    Who was Kang Xia? She was the gold manager whom all businessmen in China longed for in their dreams. Her reputation in the business world was more resounding than any Big Bosses of the listed companies.


    ¡°Amazing!¡±


    Even though Xue Jie had a thousand words she wanted to say, she eventually could only speak this out.


    Tang Xiu only let an indifferent smile in response and then said, ¡°All of you go rest. I need to think about the operation plan. We¡¯ll act tonight should there we receive any information from the Huang Family.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to take the initiative?¡± Xue Jie was astonished.


    ¡°The best form of defense in the world is always offense, to begin with.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°We did obtain a victory yesterday, but the Yao and Sun Families won¡¯t buy it. Thus, we shall take the initiative to strike in this kind of situation. And this is exactly the best time.¡±


    Xue Jie and Tang Wei exchanged looks as they nodded in unison. They could tell that Tang Xiu¡¯s argument was reasonable. In war, one should catch one¡¯s enemy with a surprise attack.


    Two hours later, Tang Xiu came out of the room. He had devised a combat plan according to his knowledge about the situation of the Yao and Sun Families¡¯ forces. He dared not say the plan was perfect. Yet, he had confidence that, as long as the operation plan was executed well, it would bring about an enormous blow to the Yao and Sun Families.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, the ten men have arrived.¡± After seeing Tang Xiu coming out, Xue Jie, who had long been waiting outside the room, quickly reported.


    Nodding and handing over the operation plan to her, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Have a look at this first. If you think there¡¯s no problem with it, we¡¯ll commence the action according to this plan. All right, I¡¯ll see them first.¡±


    Tang Xiu then left the building. As he arrived outside, he saw a row of ten men standing straight as javelins. He secretly nodded inside.


    ¡°Who among you is Gu Lang (Lone Wolf)?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Gu Lang. Reporting to the Boss!¡± A lean man took a step forward and respectfully said.


    ¡°I¡¯m very satisfied in your speed.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Go rest now and wait for the next order tonight.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Gu Lang replied in a deep tone.


    As dusk descended, Huang Bingcheng sent someone to deliver the collected information gathered by their intelligence, which was more detailed than Xue Jie¡¯s. After Tang Xiu and the others read them, he made some revisions to the previously devised combat plan.


    ¡°Brother, everything has been set. We¡¯re now awaiting your order.¡±


    Tang Wei strode in from the outside as he spoke in a deep tone.


    Tang Xiu nodded. As he came outside the building and saw the five rows of men with ten men in each row, he then nodded with satisfaction and said, ¡°You¡¯ve already seen the combat plan devised by me. Tonight, we¡¯ll be divided into three squads. One squad of 20 men will be led by Li Xiaojie to attack the first and second targets. Gu Lang will lead another squad of 20 men to strike the third and fourth targets. While I will personally lead a squad of ten men to strike the fifth and sixth targets. Tonight¡¯s mission is to capture these six strongholds of the Yao and Sun Families and destroy their family businesses with lightning speed.


    ¡°The cars and weapons have all been prepared. In order to reduce casualties, we¡¯ll employ sneak attacks. Try not to use the guns as far as possible if the enemy has yet to detect us.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll begin the operation at ten hundred sharp. After you have arrived at your target location, clearly scout the specific situation of the targets and report to me at any time should there be any unusual situation!¡±


    Immediately after, Tang Xiu waved his arm as Li Xiaojie and Gu Lang¡¯s squads quickly drove away from the factory.


    Standing beside Tang Xiu, Tang Wei seriously said, ¡°Brother, I must take part in the battle. I¡¯ll follow your squad. You and I both are members of the Tang Family! If you can go forth to battle, likewise, I can do it too.¡±


    ¡°Then who will take charge of this place if we are all going?¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, let Tang Wei go with you! Leave this place to me!¡± said Xue Jie.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before he nodded and said, ¡°In that case, come with us! But you must stay with me and immediately retreat should you come across any dangerous situation.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡± Tang Wei let out a satisfied smile.


    Guan City, Imperial Nightclub.


    The younger brother of the Sun Family¡¯s head, Sun Feilong, was drinking with several of his friends while a bevy of young girls hang around them giving extravagant services.


    ¡°This Guan City is truly a good place! It¡¯s much better than our place in the Northwest. Boss Sun, we¡¯ve been friends for more than ten years, right? We told you many times that we wanted to come here, but you always said that you¡¯re occupied with something. But coming to Guan City this time really didn¡¯t make us disappointed!¡± A bald middle-aged man, with a gold chain hanging around his neck, laughed loudly while embracing a girl.


    A trace of a smile outlined on the corner of Sun Feilong¡¯s mouth as he said, ¡°It¡¯s been more than ten years indeed. But all of you are busy men, when can you take the time to look after me, anyway?! Were it not because our Sun Family joined the Yao Family to fight against the Tangs, even if I thickened my face to ask you to come and help, you wouldn¡¯t be here now!¡±


    ¡°Haha ¡­¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­¡±


    Several big men invited by Sun Feilong laughed as they drank a glass of wine.


    _Bam!_


    The door was kicked open as six burly men armed guns burst inside and opened fire. The big middle-aged man in the forefront was a good shooter and his firing speed was extremely fast. He killed two men among the four inside the room. Even those four men around Sun Feilong had no chance to fight back and all of them were killed.


    The six big men left the women alive.


    After they quickly killed Sun Feilong and the others, they immediately left the room. At the outside, four corpses fell in the corridor, while dozens of others were killed throughout Imperial Nightclub. Most of them were killed by knives.


    ¡°Retreat! Let¡¯s rush to the second target!¡±


    While glancing at the big man who killed the most people, Li Xiaojie said in a deep, low voice.


    Guan City, Redstar Bath Center.


    Bath entertainment centers were good business nowadays, and many visitors came to find women. The Sun Family¡¯s manager in charge was sitting in the office. A pretty girl sat beside him, stirring a cup of coffee while smiling at the manager.


    It was 10 PM. A lot of visitors plunged toward the thugs around the venues nearby the bath center. Their actions were especially ruthless as almost anyone who met their knives died a violent death. Within just a minute or two, dozens of thugs had already been killed.


    _Bam!_


    The office¡¯s door was trampled open.


    Someone¡¯s shadow flashed inside. The dagger in Gu Lang¡¯s hand accurately pierced the Sun Family¡¯s manager in charge, as the girl inside screamed. Gu Lang directly knocked her unconscious. Following which, he turned around and left.


    Guan City, Golden Inn.


    It was a small private club encompassing an area that was controlled by the Sun Family. The one in charge of the site was an outstanding junior of the Sun Family, Sun Xiaoyu.


    However, in this place, there were many armed forces belonging to the Sun Family. Most of them were experts trained by the Sun Family who possessed real martial arts skills. The backyard of the clubhouse was a living quarter as well as the usual training place for those experts which was not opened to the public.


    Tonight, the place was very quiet and peaceful. Due to the recent alliance between the Sun and the Yao Families¡¯ forces against the Tang Family, this group of martial arts experts under the Sun Family had rested earlier to recuperate and build their energy while waiting for orders.


    Sun Xiaoyu hadn¡¯t rested yet, as he was having an intercourse with a woman at the moment.


    _Puff¡­_


    A sharp Mitsubishi army knife was stabbed into his back. The moment the knife was pulled out, Sun Xiaoyu¡¯s complexion turned ghastly pale. When he abruptly looked up, he was overwhelmed with shock as he discovered that the one standing near the bedside was very youth.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    He flipped over extremely fast and involuntarily exclaimed in alarm.


    A touch of a smile was revealed on Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth as he used his spiritual sense to observed the dozens of martial arts experts under the Sun Family in the surroundings being killed one by one in their sleep. He let out a cold and detached smile and said, ¡°Sun Xiaoyu, you¡¯re the first batch of the dead members of the Sun Family. But you can rest assured, for there will be more of your clansman joining you on your travel. I guarantee that your Sun Family will soon vanish from Guangyang Province and will never reappear again.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s voice had yet to fade away as the Mitsubishi army knife in his hand pierced between Sun Xiaoyu¡¯s eyebrows lightning fast. At the same time, Tang Xiu kicked the abdomen of the naked woman who attempted to pull out the gun under the pillow. After kicking her, Tang Xiu moved to the side to grab the Mitsubishi army knife on Su Xiaoyu¡¯s eyebrows and stabbed the woman¡¯s heart.


    An enemy was enemy, regardless of men and women! And Tang Xiu was very well aware that women were sometimes more terrifying than men!


    His face suddenly changed. Under the observation of his spiritual sense, the two men under him who were carrying the assassinations were found by one of the enemies after slaying the people in one room. The man sensed the sneak attack and was about to take out his gun to counterattack.

 Chapter 365

    Chapter 365: Wailing and Despairing


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The loud gunshot had woken up the remaining martial arts experts of the Sun Family. Tang Xiu moved at an extremely fast speed between the opened rooms in the corridor. Each and every strong man that came out from the rooms would be killed in an instant.


    Like the saying that killing one man for every ten steps, not only did Tang Xiu achieve it, he even did it much better.


    The corridor was tens of meters long. As he sprinted from one end to the other, the enemies that died in his hands amounted to a total of twelve.


    The fierce combat ended in a short period of time.


    After all the enemies in the clubhouse backyard were slain, Tang Xiu and his entourage poured the already prepared gasoline in the spots that were easy to set on fire. The entire backyard of the clubhouse was set ablaze.


    ¡°Brother, it¡¯s done.¡± Tang Wei came before Tang Xiu with two bodyguards, grinning from ear to ear.


    ¡°Well done.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°The most important thing in this operation is not to expose our identity, so we must first destroy all the surveillance equipment. Let¡¯s hurry up! We gotta make the best time for the sixth target.¡±


    Tang Wei was startled as he asked, perplexed, ¡°We won¡¯t burn the front office of the clubhouse?¡±


    ¡°There are many guests in the clubhouse.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°A lot of outsiders will be implicated if we burn the clubhouse now. Besides, even if we don¡¯t burn it, few people will visit this place after tonight.¡±


    Tang Wei nodded smilingly after hearing it, ¡°You¡¯re right. Fire is something taboo everyone avoids. If I were to spend my time here and experience fire and murder, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯d not come here again in the future.¡±


    Immediately after, the group of twelve quietly left through the wall.


    A faint smell of blood fluttered in the air as dark clouds had unknowingly covered the sky-filled stars. It was like the whole world had fallen into slumber.


    From these six locations, over 200 experts trained by the Yao and Sun Families were brutally killed. Of the four locations, three Yao and Sun Families¡¯ group companies and an important warehouse had been completely burnt.


    Guan City, Riverbay Manor.


    In front of the window on the second floor of the villa, Yao Xinhua fiercely smashed a crystal cup with a ferocious expression.


    A man and a woman standing in front him didn¡¯t even dare to breathe heavily due to the atmosphere, whereas Topherson and Ai Murui just smoked their cigars on the opposite sofa while fiddling with the firearms in their hands.


    _Bam!_


    The door was forced open as a pale-looking young man strode into the room and quickly called out, ¡°Young Master, the Ming Ding Group¡¯s HQ was set on fire. Four security guards in the monitoring control room were killed. All the samples stored by the company inside were also burned. The most important thing¡­ is that the new product¡¯s samples and data were inside. This time¡­ our losses are huge.¡±


    Yao Xinhua¡¯s pupil contracted and his body suddenly trembled. He knew the new product that was researched and developed by the Ming Ding Group. It was a new drug for urethritis. This afternoon, the R&D Chief researcher of this new product had just sent the samples and R&D data to the headquarters and even explained to him the details of the product.


    ¡°Shit! Why did I put those things in the company headquarters?!¡± Full of regret and fury, Yao Xinhua¡¯s fierce expression became twisted.


    _Ring, ring, ring¡­_


    The ringtone of a mobile on the table was sounded.


    Yao Xinhua grabbed the mobile, yet didn¡¯t see the caller ID. He snapped in a stern voice, ¡°What happened now?¡±


    ¡°Young master Yao, a big incident! Unidentified people just attacked our Sun Family¡¯s nightclub and bath center. A large number of our armed personnel in the Golden Inn Clubhouse were killed and the clubhouse was burned down. The company group headquarters was also burned down and many security guards were killed. My¡­ my younger brother¡ªSun Feilong also died.¡± The voice of the Sun Family¡¯s head, Sun Feilei, came out from the phone.


    Despite opening his mouth, Yao Xinhua couldn¡¯t say anything. After feeling stifled for quite a long time, only then did he bitterly say, ¡°Come to the Riverbay Manor immediately. I¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Sun Feilei replied and directly hang up the phone.


    Yao Xinhua fell into silence. The fierce expression on his face slowly subsided. A trace of a smiling expression suddenly appeared on his face as he sat back on the sofa and muttered, ¡°Interesting. This is very interesting. This kind of style and ability is not Tang Yunpeng¡¯s. He¡¯s the governor of Xusu Province, hence, he can¡¯t something crazy like this. Who is it? Tang Wei? That kiddo does have powerful capital, but how can the Tang Family¡¯s intelligence investigate us so clearly?¡±


    Nested in the sofa, Topherson suddenly lifted his body and asked, ¡°Captain Yao, do you know about this Tang Wei well? Has he experienced any harsh military training or something?¡±


    ¡°Where could he have received any military training?¡± Yao Xinhua shook his head and said, ¡°He¡¯s a playboy of Beijing. He does run some businesses for the Tang Family, but he¡¯s not someone who can do something like this. He just practices Taekwondo, so he¡¯s just a bit stronger than an average person.¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be him.¡± Topherson shook his head and said, ¡°There had to be an expert among the ones who attacked our people at the Earth Cabinet Factory in Changbu Town. That guy is very powerful, and I¡¯m afraid that I don¡¯t have such amazing skills. I¡¯ve checked all the wounds on bodies of the dead. Many of them were killed by knife.¡±


    Yao Xinhua¡¯s expression flickered. He was very aware of Topherson¡¯s abilities. If even he felt inferior to the enemy, that meant he had to be vigilant.


    Time fleeted by.


    Half an hour afterward, Sun Feilei arrived at the Riverbay Manor with a dozen bodyguards.


    ¡°Family Head Sun, please take a seat!¡± Yao Xinhua pointed to the sofa in front and said calmly.


    With a bitter expression, Sun Feilei said, ¡°Young master Yao, my Sun Family has suffered a massive loss tonight! The Tang Family has gone crazy. They have no scruples in attacking our Sun Family¡¯s businesses. What is most difficult for me to accept is that they know the sites in our Sun Family¡¯s turf like the palm of their hands. The surprise attacks were very fast and they quickly retreated after succeeding. I had no time to rescue anyone.¡±


    ¡°Two sites belonging to my Yao Family had also been attacked and we¡¯ve lost a lot of people too. Our Ming Ding Group¡¯s HQ, just like the Starlight Group of the Tang Family, isn¡¯t a place where anyone can go and leave easily either.¡± Yao Xinhua calmly said, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you¡¯ve received this news before coming here?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Sun Feilei nodded and said, ¡°But what did the Tang Family¡¯s people do, anyway?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Yao Xinhua shook his head and said, ¡°Tang Yunpeng is already back at Xusu Province. They were originally stationed at Red Maple Villa Complex, but that place is deserted now. The people I sent there to secretly monitor them had been killed too. I don¡¯t know where¡¯s their nest now.¡±


    ¡°Then, what should we do?¡± Sun Feilei furrowed his brows and anxiously asked, ¡°We just ate so many losses, do we just sit and wait to die?¡±


    ¡°Do you think sitting and waiting for death is within my disposition?¡± Yao Xinhua¡¯s expression turned cold and snarled, ¡°We¡¯ve lost their trails. The most important thing now is to find them and then gather up all of our forces to decimate them!¡±


    ¡°I have the order to spare no effort on finding those murderers!¡± Sun Feilei solemnly said, ¡°My Sun Family¡¯s intelligence network is currently operating at maximum speed, so we¡¯ll be able to find them as long as they are still in Guangyang.¡±


    ¡°The Tang Family had prepared to strike us a heavy blow this night.¡± Yao Xinhua nodded and said, ¡°Let¡¯s analyze our losses first before focusing on mobilizing our military force. As long as we can find their traces, I¡¯ll personally lead the attack. All the Tang Family¡¯s forces must no longer be in Guangyang Province.¡±


    ¡°We must uproot the Tang Family¡¯s power and influence in Guangyang.¡± Sun Feilei said, ¡°Else, I¡¯ll have sleepless nights and will be unable to eat peacefully later. Young master Yao, wait for my good news!¡±


    ¡°I understand your anger since I am also very angry.¡± Yao Xinhua nodded and said, ¡°But now is not the time for us to be muddle headed. The Tang Family has a powerful figure. Though I don¡¯t know who the person is, I really want to play this game with him. Sometimes, playing with too weak an opponent is very boring.¡±


    ¡°But this price is way too big for only having fun.¡± Sun Feilei forced a bitter smile.


    ¡°Tonight was but only an accident.¡± Yao Xinhua confidently said, ¡°The opposite party has gained a big advantage tonight. Therefore, they will probably retreat and stay put for the time being. By the way, tell those government officials you¡¯ve grasped to find any means to convict Bai Yang. As long as he¡¯s found guilty of his criminal charges, it will be easier to clean up and eliminate the Bai Family. It can be considered as cutting off one of the enemy¡¯s arms.¡±


    ¡°Young master Yao, it would¡¯ve been very easy to convict Bai Yang before tonight. It could have been done within a few days as long as we continued pressing.¡± Sun Feilei helplessly said, ¡°However, what happened tonight is too big. I believe it will definitely cause a stir in the entire Guangyang Province. I¡¯m afraid that even those big forces in the country will know exactly what happened. This time, let alone my Sun Family, even the people above won¡¯t be paying any attention to the Bai Family¡¯s matter.¡±


    Furrowing his brows, Yao Xinhua then slowly said, ¡°Since we have no way to convict Bai Yang for the time being, then we¡¯ll buy some people in the prison to make him suffer. If that still doesn¡¯t work, then kill him directly. Use any means to forge a scene of him committing suicide and announce it. I believe I don¡¯t have to teach you how to do this, right?¡±


    ¡°Young master Yao, rest assured!¡± Su Feilei¡¯s eyes turned bright as he nodded and said, ¡°I guarantee that Bai Yang won¡¯t be alive by tomorrow night.¡±


    Before dawn.


    Guan City, Hongpo District.


    Not long after Tang Xiu led his squad back to the factory, Li Xiaojie and Gu Lang¡¯s squads also came back. Including Tang Wei and Xue Jie, the five then gathered in the conference room.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s talk! How was the completion of the operation?¡± Tang Xiu was smiling as he lit up a cigarette and took a deep puff.


    Li Xiaojie grinned, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I had a happy killing. Tonight, we¡¯ve eliminated 62 enemies. Two men died and four are wounded. But the injured brothers are not in a life-threatening condition.¡±


    Gu Lan dully said, ¡°We¡¯ve exterminated 74 people, with only three of our people injured. None died.¡±


    Li Xiaojie fell into a daze for a moment as he then forced out a bitter smile.


    He thought that his group had done the best, but compared to this mysterious Gu Lang, he turned out to be a bit worse.

 Chapter 366

    Chapter 366: Excited


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°You guys did a good job. You¡¯ve killed many enemies at a very small price. This is truly a great merit.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°In my end things also went very smooth and we¡¯ve killed nearly a hundred of enemy¡¯s men without any casualty. We removed probably one-third of the Yao and Sun Families men in Guangyang.¡±


    ¡°If we report this victory tonight to our family in Beijing, grandpa will be ecstatic.¡± Tang Wei laughed.


    Light rippled in Xue Jie¡¯s eyes as worship rose inside her heart. Only a handful of people could make her worship them nowadays. Yet, after tonight¡¯s actions, she had this kind of feeling toward Tang Xiu.


    Amazing and valiant! Using these words to describe Tang Xiu was too little.


    Xue Jie took a deep breath and said smilingly, ¡°You all did a great job. The result is ten times better than my expectations. I originally thought that we¡¯d have to completely withdraw from Guangyang Province. But I didn¡¯t expect that with just two operations under Tang Xiu¡¯s leadership, the Yao and Sun Families would suffer such a heavy blow. So, Tang Xiu, what should we do next?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll lay low and go hunting.¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said.


    ¡°I understand laying low, since tonight¡¯s battle was really big.¡± Xue Jie was puzzled and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid the top leaders in Guangyang Province won¡¯t be able to sit still; they will suppress us should we show up again tonight. But what do you mean by hunting?¡±


    ¡°Assassination!¡± Said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    With a slight change in expression, Xue Jie asked, ¡°Who¡¯s the target? The Yao and Sun Families¡¯ people?¡±


    ¡°I need your help to make an assassination list containing the Yao and Sun Families¡¯ people who come to Guangyang.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°If we want to finish the battle in Guangyang earlier, we have to kill the enemies and instill fear in them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Since they start this then we¡¯ll give them a heavy blow as payback.¡± Tang Wei nodded solemnly, ¡°I¡¯m now actually hoping for the Yao Family to send a large number of men so that we can kill more of them.¡±


    ¡°What I hope is that we can grab ample advantage under this kind of situation and finish this game earlier.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°I believe you also know very well what kind of situation our Tang Family is in at present. If our family were really to lose all decorum with the Yao Family, I¡¯m afraid our family would also suffer a heavy blow even if we could completely destroy them. Once we arrive at that point I¡¯m afraid that the other families in the country wouldn¡¯t miss this chance to take advantage of us, right?¡±


    Tang Wei was dazed for a moment, as he silently nodded afterward, ¡°Like grandpa said, what our family needs the most now is time. As long as we¡¯re given three to five years, by that time, let alone the Yao Family, our family won¡¯t even be afraid of the top families in the country.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, what we need is exactly time.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°As a matter of fact, this game between us and the Yao Family is simply the case of harming others without benefitting ourselves. Hence, when we commence the hunt, not only must we kill as many enemies as possible, but we must also obtain advantages. Furthermore, this was also the reason why I decided to call Gu Lang, to begin with. But Brother Wei, you¡¯ll have to stay here and wait for my orders.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Tang Wei somewhat hesitated upon hearing it.


    ¡°Tang Wei, since Tang Xiu already said so, you gotta listen to him!¡± Xue Jie said, ¡°I believe you know what he¡¯s capable of. Nothing will happen to him.¡±


    ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll stay here and take care of this place.¡± Tang Wei nodded helplessly.


    ¡°Then, what about me?¡± Xue Jie looked at Tang Xiu as she smiled and said, ¡°Should I continue staying here? Or¡­¡±


    ¡°Auntie Xue, though the Starlight Group HQ has been destroyed, there are still many issues in the company, so, you staying here is rather problematic.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Hence, I suggest that you also come with me to Fukang. You¡¯ll take full responsibility for the management of the company¡¯s affairs in the branch office there. Don¡¯t worry, though. I¡¯ll send four experts to protect you aside from your current bodyguards. I believe they can protect you even in the face of a large-scale sneak attack.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine with me!¡± Xue Jie said with a smile.


    Immediately after, Tang Xiu worked out a hit list with Xue Jie¡¯s assistance based on the Huang Family¡¯s intelligence. Aside from the Yao and Sun Families¡¯ people, this assassination list also included the Fukang¡¯s Yang Family¡¯s people. Furthermore, Tang Xiu had decided to immediately start the clean-up in Fukang Province after finishing the assassinations in Guangyang Province.


    Beijing, at the Tang Family¡¯s ancestor home.


    The two brothers¡ªTang Guosheng and Tang Guoshou¡ªwere discussing some issues, while Tang Min was serving tea at the side, adding some words to the conversation once in a while.


    _Ring, ring, ring¡­_


    With furrowed brows, Tang Guosheng¡¯s mind instantly shifted to the problem in Guangyang Province. Almost without hesitation, he grabbed the mobile and immediately pressed the answer button after seeing that it was a call from Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, why aren¡¯t you resting this late at night?¡±


    ¡°I have some things I need to tell you.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What happened? Something happened in Guangyang?¡± Asked Tang Guosheng.


    ¡°Two hours ago I brought our people to attack the Yao and Sun Families¡¯ industries in Guangyang as well as raid their military forces. Thus far, we¡¯ve destroyed nearly one-third of their forces in Guangyang.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Tang Guosheng abruptly stood, disbelief bursting from his eyes.


    Shocking! Simply too shocking!


    He simply couldn¡¯t believe his ears. It must be known that even though the Yao Family¡¯s forces in Guangyang was not big, but the Sun Family was a local tyrant there! How many manpower would it be needed to destroy one-third of their forces at the same time?


    Tang Guosheng¡¯s lips quivered as he asked in a stuttering voice, ¡°X-Xiu¡¯er, how did you do it exactly?¡±


    ¡°Our Tang Family was supported by intelligence from the Huang Family. I also called some of my men. Thus, we attacked six different places belonging to the enemy. Didn¡¯t they burn our Tang¡¯s Starlight Group HQ? Hence, I also burned both the Yao and Sun Families¡¯ company group headquarters here. Rest assured, though. It was cleanly done. They won¡¯t be able to find any pieces of evidence even if they know it was our doing.¡±


    ¡°Great, that¡¯s very well done! Since you have full authority of our Tang Family in Guangyang and I just got the news, I think that old fogey from the Yaos should also be receiving the news now. Hahaha¡­. I¡¯m happy, very happy!¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, Xue Jie will compile a report with the details of the action here and she will send it to you by mail. By the way, I¡¯ll have to hung up now.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Tang Guosheng quickly called out.


    ¡°Do you have something else to say?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, though you¡¯ve obtained a remarkable victory tonight, you must not underestimate the enemy. Should anything go wrong, you and Little Wei must retreat immediately. It¡¯s fine if you have to abandon Guangyang and Fukang.¡± Said Tang Guosheng.


    ¡°I understand.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    Tang Guosheng thought for a moment and then spoke again, ¡°Then, what are your next plans?¡±


    ¡°I made a list of assassination targets.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°A very small part of the targets are the Yao and Sun Families¡¯ people in Guangyang, with most them being in Fukang. At the latest of two days I¡¯ll be leaving for Fukang Province to contend with the Yao, Sun, and Yang families there.¡±


    ¡°What about the Huang Family in Fukang? Are they going to help?¡± Asked Tang Guosheng.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want the Huang Family to join in, unless as the last resort.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°But if I can¡¯t shoulder it, the Huang Family will give their all to help us.¡±


    ¡°Is that for real?¡± Tang Guosheng was shocked, ¡°They will give their all to help us? How could this be possible?¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, I can¡¯t tell you some things for the time being.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°I believe you¡¯ll learn about it when the time is ripe.¡±


    ¡°All right, I see.¡± Said Tang Guosheng.


    After the phone call ended, Tang Min quickly asked, ¡°Father, what happened in Guangyang? Your mouth is kinda crooked!¡±


    With joy on his face, Tang Guosheng smilingly said, ¡°Wait. Wait until you hear it! Ah, Xiu¡¯er is really worthy as the offspring of the Tang Family. Amazing¡­ Awesome!¡±


    Tang Guoshou and Tang Min glanced at each other. The former forced a smile and said, ¡°Eldest Brother, don¡¯t keep us guessing, will you? What exactly happened there in the end?¡±


    Grinning ear to ear, Tang Guosheng said, ¡°Just tonight, Xiu¡¯er brought his forces to decimate one-third of the Yao and Sun Families¡¯ forces in Guangyang.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Heavens!¡±


    Tang Guoshou and Tang Min abruptly stood up with hard-to-believe expressions on their faces. They stared at Tang Guosheng without blinking.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t lie to you. Xiu¡¯er himself phoned me, and I believe he wouldn¡¯t lie to me.¡± Said Tang Guosheng with a smile.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, if what Xiu¡¯er said is really true, then¡­ our Tang Family in Guangyang can be considered to have gotten the upper hand on the situation?¡± Tang Guoshou was excited. ¡°We also know that the machinations of the Yao and Sun Families had originally been laid out for many years. Their power over there is at least twice of ours. To think that they suffered such a big loss now¡­ I¡¯m afraid that old geezer of the Yaos should be distressed to death by now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Tang Guosheng nodded and said smilingly, ¡°Even if we have to fully abandon Guangyang, it¡¯s worth the loss with the Yao and the Sun Families suffering such a heavy blow.¡±


    Beijing, at the Yao Family residence.


    The barking sounds of several dogs occasionally sounded in the secluded courtyard. Inside the main house, the sound of falling things was particularly loud.


    Anger marked Yao Qingzun¡¯s old face. In front of him were three men and two women who looked similarly furious as they stood in silence.


    ¡°Father, the statistics of our losses has come out.¡± Said Yao Chengqing after he strode into the room with a thick stack of documents in his hands.


    Grabbing that stack documents, Yao Qingzun then quickly read them, his complexion getting uglier the longer he read. When he finished reading the last page, he fiercely dropped the documents stack on the table and furiously roared, ¡°Did Xinhua not detect any of the Tang Family¡¯s movements at all? That damned Sun Family, are they not the local snake in Guangyang? How can they not be aware of any traces given their strong intelligence network?¡±


    Yao Chengqing forced a wry smile and said, ¡°The Tang Family¡¯s forces in Guangyang Province all vanished without a trace. Xinhua thought that they went into hiding and absolutely wouldn¡¯t make any moves temporarily. Who would have thought that¡­¡±

 Chapter 367

    Chapter 367: Hunting


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°He thought? His underestimating the enemy is because he¡¯s too conceited.¡± Yao Qingzun angrily fumed, ¡°Earlier we had strongly suppressed the Tang and Bai Families and decimated their forces. Yet, the losses were not as bad as tonight¡¯s. Didn¡¯t Tang Yunpeng leave Guangyang? Who was the one leading the operation tonight?¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t investigated it yet.¡± Yao Chengqing shook his head.


    _Bang!_


    Yao Qingzun smashed everything on the table and lividly roared, ¡°You haven¡¯t investigated it? The enemy has driven us to such a state, yet you haven¡¯t even investigated the identity of our enemy?¡±


    Lowering his head without speaking, Yao Chengqing and the others didn¡¯t dare to breathe too heavily in such an atmosphere.


    Shameful! They were deeply ashamed.


    After a good long while, only then did Yao Qingzun took a few deep breaths and snapped, ¡°Get Liang Teng to take some men there. Tell Xinhua that, if he doesn¡¯t make any progress, then get the hell out of there and stop disgracing himself further.¡±


    Liang Teng?


    The expressions on Yao Chengqing and several others¡¯ faces changed.


    ¡°Father, Liang Teng is our family¡¯s strongest secret expert.¡± Yao Chengqing hesitated, ¡°If we send him to Guangyang Province, isn¡¯t it akin to treating a major issue lightly? Besides, he¡¯s currently leading our people to guard against the Tang Family in Beijing. If he were to leave and the Tang Family¡­¡±


    ¡°What would the Tangs do, anyway?¡± Yao Qingzun waved his hand to interrupt him and harrumphed coldly, ¡°They are nothing but a paper tiger now. They may be able to scare those small families, but will they dare to strike our Yao family so brazenly? Hmph¡­ it¡¯s not like I¡¯m looking down on them, but they wouldn¡¯t dare to attack us even if they had more courage.¡±


    Staying silent for a moment, only then did Yao Chengqing slowly nodded, ¡°All right! I¡¯ll notify Liang Teng to delegate the security work to the others tonight, and then to rush here tomorrow morning.¡±


    Shanghai Airport.


    Wearing casual wear, Kang Xia led several employees of the Magnificent Tang Corp to leave the exit gate. A lean statured Su Quan, who looked very intelligent, was tightly carrying a combination-lock black briefcase in his hand.


    ¡°This ain¡¯t right.¡± Glancing around a few times, Su Quan complained to Kang Xia at his side. ¡°Big Boss Tang didn¡¯t even come pick us up?¡±


    Glancing at him, Kang Xia let out a slight smile and said, ¡°We didn¡¯t contact him before coming, to begin with. Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ve booked rooms at the Kapur Hotel, so let¡¯s have a good rest tonight. We¡¯ll participate in the Wine Tasting Conference tomorrow. I¡¯ve spent quite some effort to get our place, so I won¡¯t allow any mistakes to happen.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured, Chief Kang!¡± Sun Quan said with a smile.


    Kang Xia nodded slightly. The group took a taxi and then arrived at the five-star Kapur Hotel. After settling themselves, Kang Xia took a shower and changed her clothes to a beautiful dress before dialing Tang Xiu¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°You¡¯ve arrived in Shanghai, Kang Xia?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s voice was transmitted from the mobile after the call was connected.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve already settled in the hotel. Anyways, where are you? Are you free now? I wanna see you.¡± Kang Xia said with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m currently in Guangyang. I got an important matter to deal with here.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯ll go back after finishing it.¡±


    ¡°Guangyang?¡±


    A disappointed expression appeared on Kang Xia¡¯s face. After hesitating for a moment, she then asked, ¡°Boss, what are you doing in Guangyang? The Wine Tasting Conference will be held tomorrow. Can you attend it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Dealing with the matters here won¡¯t give me any spare time at all.¡±


    ¡°Then your school¡­¡± Kang Xia said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve properly arranged it, so I don¡¯t need to participate in the military training.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°The new term should be start by the 20th. It should be fine if I go back before class starts. Thus, I¡¯ll have to rely on you to oversee the Wine Tasting Conference¡¯s matter.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll manage it well.¡± Kang Xia forced a smile.


    ¡°All right. That will be all.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Kang Xia hung up the phone and put down the handbag she just picked up. She then walked toward the window to the see night scene of Shanghai as the feeling of loss inside her heart intensified. She had put down a lot of work this time to leave for Shanghai and personally attend the Wine Tasting Conference. But the main reason was, in fact, because Tang Xiu was here. She wanted to take advantage of the conference to stay with him for a while.


    But then, why did he go to Guangyang?


    Shaking her head and secretly sighing inside, Kang Xia realized that Tang Xiu was becoming busier to the point that she often couldn¡¯t see him for long periods of time.


    Guangyang Province.


    Tang Xiu put down the phone and let out a forced, wry smile. How could he not understand what was in Kang Xia¡¯s mind? Were it not because of the Tang family¡¯s matter, he would have had to meet Kang Xia and have a midnight snack.


    _Having a beautiful day in such lovely scene with delicacies and a beauty is surely much better than racking my brains to scheme on the enemy here in Guangyang!_


    Shaking his head, the anger in Tang Xiu¡¯s heart toward the Yao and Sun Families swelled. He then strode out of the room after a moment of silence and shouted, ¡°Gu Lang, come see me now!¡±


    _Shoo!_


    A silhouette came out of another room as Gu Lang appeared in neat clothes. He then respectfully said, ¡°Boss, do you have orders for me?¡±


    Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯m in a bad mood and I can¡¯t sleep. Wanna go out and do some hunting with me?¡±


    Gu Lang¡¯s eyes shined. He nodded without hesitation and said, ¡°I¡¯ll absolutely follow your orders, Boss!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so serious.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go! Staying idle here means we¡¯re doing nothing. Let¡¯s give the Yao and Sun Families another scare. Ah, right. Call Li Xiaojie, too. Let him be our driver.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Gu Lang replied and immediately walked toward the next door.


    ¡°Boss, I¡¯ll bring the car right away.¡±


    Without waiting for Gu Lang to approach the door, Li Xiaojie quickly opened the door as he strode out and grinned ear to ear. He imitated Gu Lang¡¯s address.


    A few minutes later, an SUV drove out of the factory¡¯s front gate. While driving, Li Xiaojie asked with a smile on his face, ¡°Boss, where are we going hunting?¡±


    ¡°Head to the Sun Family.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    _Screech¡­_


    Braking, Li Xiaojie was appalled as he called out, ¡°B-Boss? W-we¡­ we¡¯ll go hunting the Sun Family? Are you not joking with me?¡±


    ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m joking with you?¡± Tang Xiu calmly replied.


    ¡°Nope. You don¡¯t look like you¡¯re cracking a joke!¡± Li Xiaojie forced a smile and said, ¡°But still, there are only three of us. If we are to break into the Sun Family¡¯s main base, then we¡­ we¡¯re just courting death!¡±


    ¡°Regardless of courting death or not, we¡¯ll know after we get there.¡± Tang Xiu said indifferently, ¡°No more nonsensical talk. You must know where the Sun Family¡¯s main base is located, no? Just drive there.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Despite hesitating for a moment, Li Xiaojie still drove ahead conscientiously. He always thought that Tang Xiu was mature, steady, and resourceful; a very outstanding scion of the Tang Family. Hence, he had never thought that Tang Xiu would devise a spur of moment plan and unexpectedly execute it in such a crazy manner.


    Hunting the Sun Family in their main base?! This was not a joke at all!


    The Sun Family¡¯s manor was very big, and one-third of their forces protected it. It was nearly impossible for three hundred people to lay waste to the Sun Family¡¯s manor, let alone the three of them.


    Li Xiaojie secretly sighed and advertently glanced at Gu Lang. He shivered inside, however, because he found that not only the man did not show the slightest fear, his eyes even brightened up, looking highly spirited.


    _Freak! The Boss is a freak, and so are his men!_


    Groaning inside, Li Xiaojie could only focus on driving the car.


    Guan City, at the Sun Family Manor.


    The Sun Family manor resided on the bank of an autumn water lake with beautiful surroundings at an excellent geographical location. With the lake at the front and a hill behind, it was situated at the foot of the hill and beside a stream. There were all kinds of flowers and luxuriant greeneries around; even the night was unable to conceal its beauty.


    A few kilometers away from the Sun Family Manor was a road fork, as Li Xiaojie parked the car on the roadside.


    ¡°Boss, you really don¡¯t want me to go with you?¡±


    ¡°Only Gu Lang and I will sneak inside.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Drive the car a bit far from here as to prevent the Sun Family¡¯s men from finding it.¡±


    ¡°Roger that. But Boss, please pay attention to your own safety.¡± Li Xiaojie said.


    Giving an ¡®OK¡¯ gesture as response, Tang Xiu and Gu Lang silently approached the Sun Family¡¯s Manor under the concealment of the dim light of the night. Subsequently, Tang Xiu released his spiritual sense to cover a radius of two to three hundreds meters around the surrounding area. With this, he could clearly observe if the slightest sign of trouble appeared.


    ¡°Gu Lang, were you brought up by Yan¡¯er as well?¡±


    As they approached the outside of the Sun Family Manor¡¯s courtyard wall, the duo didn¡¯t jump over the wall directly but leaned on the bottom of the wall and whispered.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Gu Lang said.


    ¡°As far as I¡¯m awared, Yan¡¯er has bestowed her surname to six people altogether. Aside from Xiaoxue, you¡¯re the first person I meet with the surname Gu. Looking at your appearance, you should be less than 30, right?¡±


    ¡°29.¡± Said Gu Lang.


    Tang Xiu shook his head. Such a short interchange made him a bit helpless. He found a patrol of ten men passing by the wall with the observation of his spiritual sense; thus, he wanted to kill time and chat¡ªdespite in whispers¡ªwith Gu Lang. Yet, he had never thought that his disposition was unexpectedly true to his surname: solitary and unsociable.


    Several minutes later, the patrol left the scope of Tang Xiu¡¯s spiritual sense. He then pointed to the power grid on the wall and whispered, ¡°I¡¯ll throw you up there. It¡¯s a bit high so you gotta be careful to pick your landing spot and not fall to the ground.¡±


    Looking at the nearby three or four meters high courtyard wall and the power grid about a meter from the wall, Gu Lang nodded and said, ¡°A four to five meters height is not a problem for me. I once jumped from the third floor and was safe and sound.¡±


    Jumping from the third floor?


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help looking at him with a strange expression, admiration emerging inside. Even the present him would probably get injured if he were to jump from the third floor without caution.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    Tang Xiu shouted in an undertone voice as he grabbed Gu Lang¡¯s waist and strongly flung him above. A slight falling sound was heard afterward. Through his spiritual sense, he observed Gu Lang as he borrowed the leverage force and moved akin to an agile leopard cat into the nearby woods and immediately exclaimed in admiration inwardly.


    The next moment.


    By using his tiptoe to step on the wall, Tang Xiu¡¯s body dashed upward while his fingers grabbed the power grid under the wall. With the force of his fingers, he uplifted his body mid-air and then tipped his toe to the spot his finger just grabbed. Although it was only a slight touch, this slightest force pulled his body up more than a meter high as he easily entered the manor¡¯s courtyard.

 Chapter 368

    Chapter 368: Assassination and Extortion


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu¡¯s movements were as smooth as the passing clouds and the flowing water. The instant his feet stepped on the ground, he shuttled into the bushes as though a cheetah. With a bit of effort he dashed into the woods in the blink of an eye.


    ¡°The Sun Family is very cautious. Pay attention to your safety.¡±


    While looking at the flashing lights from the distance that were getting closer, Tang Xiu whispered.


    ¡°Roger that, Boss.¡± Said Gu Lang.


    While pointing at several garden houses covered by his spiritual sense, Tang Xiu whispered, ¡°Our plan today is rather hasty, so we neither know the situation of this place nor their armed forces. Hence, we¡¯ll hit the names on the list; the others are optional. As far as possible, don¡¯t kill the elderly, children or women if they don¡¯t resist.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± An unusual glint appeared on Gu Lang¡¯s eyes as he silently nodded.


    When the flashlights of the patrol disappeared at the end of the alley in the distance, Tang Xiu led Gu Lang through the dead angle of several surveillance cameras. They silently approached the nearest garden house. With his spiritual sense, Tang Xiu ¡°saw¡± the situation inside the house. Aside from a woman and two children, there was also a middle-aged man sitting in the study room fiddling with a pistol.


    _Li Yi, the Sun Family¡¯s son-in-law, an expert fighter with a smart mind and a lot of contributions._


    After clearly ¡°seeing¡± the man¡¯s appearance, data from the investigation emerged inside Tang Xiu¡¯s mind. That middle-aged man¡¯s photo was included in the information.


    Inside the study room.


    A touch of a smiling expression emerged in Li Yi¡¯s eyes as he fiddled with his pistol. He was currently thinking deeply about something.


    _That guy, Sun Feilong, has died. The Sun Family¡¯s control will be greatly reduced and the available manpower will be lesser as well. Then¡­ won¡¯t I be able to be in charge of more businesses?_


    _Hmph¡­ someone outside the family will have a different heart?_


    _So what if I don¡¯t have the Sun Family¡¯s blood? The more of you die, the bigger the authority I can get. At that time you won¡¯t even be able to find someone else even if you don¡¯t want to take me in._


    As he put down the pistol, Li Yi was unaware of the shadows flickering outside his window. He reached out his hand to dial a number and said in a deep tone, ¡°Big Baio, take good control of our people since the Sun Family doesn¡¯t know about your existence yet. They are now just a running dog of the Yao Family and they are in a life-and-death struggle with the Tang Family. The more the Sun Family¡¯s people die the more authority and wealth we can get from them later. Preserve our forces. We must not miss the chance should an opportunity arise in the future.¡±


    ¡°Copy that!¡±


    Li Yi hung up the phone and grabbed the pistol again.


    Outside the window, Tang Xiu could clearly hear Li Yi¡¯s words as an unusual glint flashed in his eyes. He didn¡¯t do anything to alarm the man and quietly left. In a dark corner after joining with Gu Lang, Tang Xiu smiled slightly as he said in an undertone voice, ¡°It¡¯s very interesting. Some people in the Sun Family who are not of the same surname seem to have a different mind. We shall keep him, I¡¯ll have a great use for him in the future.¡±


    Clueless as to what Tang Xiu meant by that, Gu Lang still obediently nodded and said, ¡°Then, shall we go elsewhere?¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡± Tang Xiu replied and slowly fluttered toward the nearby garden house.


    In the darkness, Tang Xiu and Gu Lang sneaked into the garden house. Nearly without wasting any strength, they arrived at the bedroom on the second floor. At this time, a man and a woman were asleep inside. Tang Xiu had identified the man as one of the Sun Family¡¯s branch.


    _Bam!_


    _Puff¡­_


    As Gu Lang hit the woman and made her unconscious, the Mitsubishi army knife in Tang Xiu¡¯s hand sliced the man¡¯s throat, directly claiming his life.


    ¡°Next building.¡±


    The duo didn¡¯t linger and vanished without a trace. They soon appeared in another garden house. With his clear sense of perception, Tang Xiu easily observed the situation in each garden house and was able to find the enemy¡¯s position right away.


    Though Gu Lang didn¡¯t possess Tang Xiu¡¯s cheat ability, he had been through numerous fights and was very experienced in assassinations. Therefore, with their teamwork, they had already swept six garden houses, either stunning or killing the people inside. As of now, the number of people that died in their hands amounted to a total of eight.


    At the Sun Family Manor, inside another garden house.


    Sun Feiwu hadn¡¯t rested yet. Standing in front of him were two big burly men reporting tonight¡¯s losses as they discussed how to solve tonight¡¯s issues.


    He was the third son, a younger brother of the Sun Family¡¯s head, Sun Feilei, and a man with full authority. Furthermore, he alone controlled one-third of the armed forces of the Sun Family and nearly one-tenth of their wealth. It could be said that losing him was akin to losing one of their fingers.


    ¡°A Qiang, my second brother has been killed, so I¡¯ll give you an ad-hoc authority to control all the family¡¯s businesses he managed. I¡¯ve discussed it with eldest brother and he already gave his approval. Remember, I¡¯ll send you 20 experts, and you have full authority to command them. Don¡¯t hesitate to kill the enemies once you found them.¡± Sun Feiwu¡¯s vision landed on a tall burly man as he said with all seriousness.


    ¡°Rest assured. I¡¯ll shoot those Tang Family¡¯s dogs and make sure they die a very¡­¡±


    _Puff¡­_


    A Mitsubishi army knife fiercely stabbed his heart from the back as slender fingers then covered his mouth. From the door¡¯s direction, a figure holding a dagger backhandedly dashed as though lightning. In a span of a short breath the figure sprinted to another burly man¡¯s side as the dagger hacked down and slashed the man¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Who the hell are you?¡±


    With a drastic change in his expression, Sun Feiwu reacted extremely fast to open the drawer and grabbed a pistol from inside, aiming the muzzle toward Gu Lang, who was sprinting towards him. However, Tang Xiu, who was the first to dash inside, had already moved to the side and slashed his knife to hack Sun Feiwu¡¯s hand which held the pistol.


    ¡°Be quiet!¡±


    Tang Xiu grabbed Sun Feiwu¡¯s neck and covered his mouth while pressing the Mitsubishi army knife onto his neck.


    The pain turned Sun Feiwu¡¯s face crimson and his body twitched. He didn¡¯t have any strength to make the slightest sound. He could only watch as his trusted confidants were killed in front of him as they fell into a pool of their own blood. His heart turned as though ice.


    Tang Xiu smirked and lightly said, ¡°Well, life is always the most important thing regardless of how much wealth is under your control. Once you die, however, there¡¯s nothing you can carry with you. So, staying alive is of the utmost importance. Give me your money and I¡¯ll spare your life.¡±


    Suppressing the aching pain, Sun Feiwu¡¯s lower lip twitched, hinting that he wanted to speak.


    Loosening his hand on Sun Feiwu¡¯s mouth, Tang Xiu then coldly said, ¡°Don¡¯t even think to call for help. The moment you speak out loud my knife will slice off your throat. Take your money and buy your own life. I wanna know how much money you¡¯ll give for your own life.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Sun Feiwu could feel his own blood dripping from his wrist as he rapidly asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother with our identities. We brothers just arrived at Guangyang, and we quickly found that we are unable to eat.¡± Tang Xiu let out a pale smile and said, ¡°But then we heard that your Sun Family is very rich. We originally wanted to snatch your wife to demand some ransom. But since she¡¯s been staying in your house these two days, we could only take the risk to get some money from you.¡±


    With his pupils contracted, Sun Feiwu growled, ¡°You¡¯re not the Tang Family¡¯s people?¡±


    Raising his brows and pretending to be surprised, Tang Xiu asked back, ¡°The Tang Family? Who are they?¡±


    Startled inside, Sun Feiwu croaked, ¡°You¡¯re not the Tang Family¡¯s men, but you have the balls to rush into my Sun Family¡¯s manor? Are you not afraid of not being able to leave? You must know that our manor has patrols everywhere. You¡¯ll die without a burial place once you are found.¡±


    ¡°Do you even have patrols in this broken manor of yours?¡± With an odd expression, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°How come we didn¡¯t bump into any when we sneaked here? I did see a few guys, though. They were entered inside and then left again, hence leaving the three of you here.¡±


    _Damn it!_


    Sun Feiwu was truly furious inside. Never in his wildest dreams did he thought that these two bastards were not the Tang Family¡¯s men. They were just after his money, and were extremely fortunate to not bump into the patrols when they snuck into this place.


    This was truly bad luck, however he had encountered it numerous times. But he dared to swear that this bad luck was one he had never come across in the entirety of his life.


    ¡°How much do you want? I¡¯ll give it to you.¡± Sun Feiwu croaked.


    ¡°Well, I heard that your Sun Family is very rich and your wife seems to manage a big company.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°You should have lots of money, no? Name your price. How much your and your wife¡¯s life are worth? Do remember, though. If you¡¯re bold enough to cheat us and don¡¯t dare give us your wealth, then you¡¯ll die very miserably. You can be sure we¡¯ll shame your wife and then kill her afterward.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Killing intent gushed out inside Sun Feiwu¡¯s heart. However, he was akin to a fish on a chopping block at the moment. Though he really wanted to kill them, he dared not to act.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you the money. 10 million.¡±


    ¡°10 million? You¡¯ll really give us 10 million?¡± Tang Xiu said in a pleasantly surprised expression.


    ¡°Your life is only worth 10 million? That¡¯s way too little!¡± Gu Lang said.


    ¡°Gu Lang, did you say 10 million is too little? Does their family have more money?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Yup. I heard that their big company is worth more than a billion.¡± Gu Lang coordinated.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face changed as he stabbed Sun Feiwu¡¯s thigh while covering his mouth and snapped, ¡°You damn peckerhead! You actually wanted to give 10 million to dismiss me?! Do you think this Big Daddy is an idiot? Give me more.¡±


    ¡°I think he can take out 200 million.¡± Gu Lang said.


    ¡°200 million? Will he really take it out?¡± Tang Xiu exclaimed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just see his ability. If he can¡¯t give us 200 million, just kill him and let¡¯s find his wife.¡± Gu Lang said.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, women are very timid, to begin with.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°So, how about we kill him now? I heard his wife is quite a beauty, we can¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    The moment Tang Xiu loosened his grip, Sun Feiwu broke free and abruptly growled.

 Chapter 369

    Chapter 369: Cashing in and Calling it a Day


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu looked at Sun Feiwu with a satisfied look. The Tang Family had suffered heavy losses. He didn¡¯t mind to simultaneously cashing-in while killing the Sun Family as to make up for his family¡¯s losses.


    The conversation with Gu Lang just now was, in fact, a play. They had killed a good deal of high-ranked members of the Sun Family before coming to Sun Feiwu¡¯s place, and they had done the same thing before killing them.


    ¡°Gu Lang, give him your bank account.¡±


    Upon hearing it, Gu Lang immediately told Sun Feiwu his bank account.


    A few minutes later, after Gu Lang had verified receiving the money, he indifferently said, ¡°You preserved your life, but not your wife¡¯s yet. Gimme another 200 million, only then will we let you couple off.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Sun Feiwu was furious.


    Raising his dagger Gu Lang only replied lightly, ¡°Decide. You don¡¯t wanna pay for your wife¡¯s life. So you¡¯ll get knocked out while your wife will end up with a miserable fate.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have that much money. I should have only 100 million in my account now. That¡¯s the total sum of my and my wife¡¯s savings, while the rest are in the family¡¯s businesses.¡± Said Sun Feiwu bitterly.


    ¡°Check your account balance and transfer all there to me.¡± Said Gu Lang indifferently.


    ¡°All right!¡±


    Though hesitating for a moment, Sun Feiwu quickly checked his account balance and then told the number to Gu Lang.


    Gu Lang looked at it and said indifferently, ¡°There¡¯s more than 100 million. Transfer it all to me!¡±


    Sun Feiwu kept silent. After transferring all the money he then said, ¡°Can you let us go now? Also, the money is all yours, I won¡¯t tell anyone if you accept my condition.¡±


    ¡°What condition?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Join me. I guarantee to make you rich and prosperous; to have a worry-free life for the rest of your life.¡± Said Sun Feiwu seriously.


    Loosening his grip on Sun Feiwu, Tang Xiu came before him and said with a smile, ¡°Your condition is very tempting. If I were not surnamed Tang, I would have taken it without consideration.¡±


    _Puff¡­_


    The knife in Gu Lang¡¯s hand pierced Sun Feiwu¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Bastard. You guys are really the Tang Family¡¯s people. But you obviously said if I give the money¡­¡± Sun Feiwu¡¯s pupil shrunk as he called out angrily.


    Tang Xiu interrupted him as he smiled and said, ¡°I said that _I_ wouldn¡¯t kill you if you give me the money.¡±


    Gu Lang continued stabbing before finally piercing Sun Feiwu¡¯s neck. He then looked at Tang Xiu and said smilingly, ¡°We made quite a harvest today, Boss.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Much more than I¡¯d expected.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°It seems like raiding and plundering truly make people rich. What was that proverb again? Just like horses won¡¯t become fat without night grass, so won¡¯t men become rich without dishonest money. Anyhow, keep the money for now and then transfer it to a Swiss Bank account later.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Gu Lang nodded.


    Half an hour afterward, as Tang Xiu and Gu Lang killed the 21st Sun Family member, a furious roar came out from the garden house in the distance.


    ¡°MURDER! ENEMIES!¡±


    Inside the garden house, Tang Xiu and Gu Lang exchanged looks as they nodded to each other. Without looking at the man in a pool of his own blood, they quickly dashed toward the outside.


    Under the surveillance of Tang Xiu¡¯s spiritual sense, he could clearly observe anything within the scope of two to three hundred meters. His complexion slightly changed after seeing the squads that were previously out of his scope of perception turning back.


    ¡°The reaction speed and mobility of the Sun Family¡¯s patrol squads are very good. We¡¯ll encounter a patrol squad of ten men in front. Don¡¯t get entangled in a fight with them. We can kill as many as we can, but the most important thing for us now is to escape.¡± Said Tang Xiu whisper after hiding in the bush.


    ¡°Roger that!¡±


    Murderous intent glinted in Gu Lang¡¯s eyes. Such a situation was something he had gone through numerous times. He didn¡¯t fear it, and instead was somewhat excited since he could brave the danger and follow Tang Xiu. He was akin to a fish that struggled in the stream of a river, wanting to be a carp that leaped through the dragon gate and obtain the chance to turn into a dragon who can move unhindered in the ocean.


    ¡°Go!¡±


    As Tang Xiu shouted lowly, the duo proceeded forward side by side. 20 seconds later they came across the patrol squad of ten men. Without demur Tang Xiu and Gu Lang mounted a fierce assault. A middle-aged man who had taken out his pistol didn¡¯t even have the chance to shoot as he had his throat sliced and his heart stabbed. At this critical time, Gu Lang, with his deft skill, struck and killed two other men.


    ¡°Be careful!¡±


    Suddenly, Gu Lang¡¯s complexion drastically changed as he flung his body toward Tang Xiu in an instant. By the time he hit Tang Xiu, a bullet pierced his right arm, blood splashing right after.


    A sniper?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s facial expression greatly changed. Within the scope of his spiritual sense, aside from the two patrol squads who were rushing at them at a very fast pace, there was no sniper presence at all. Which meant that the sniper aiming at them was in a much further place.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Brandishing his knife and killing a member of the patrol squad, Tang Xiu grabbed Gu Lang¡¯s other arm and dashed lightning fast toward the manor¡¯s courtyard wall.


    ¡°Be ready!¡±


    As the distance to the courtyard wall was about ten meters away, Tang Xiu growled. He sprinted forward, his figure akin to lightning, and got closer to the courtyard wall. About four to five meters away from it he forcefully flung Gu Lang while using his feet and hands to jump over the electrified cable and successfully rush out.


    _Puff¡­_


    The moment Tang Xiu¡¯s leg dashed away, a bullet hit where his feet were just at.


    ¡°Boss, look out!¡±


    Slowing down his pace, Gu Lang was easily overtaken by Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t speak. He reached out to grab his shoulder and accelerated once more. Pushed his speed to the limit, he ran away as though a ghost.


    In the Sun Family Manor, inside a garden house, Su Feng observed through his sniper rifle¡¯s telescope. He shot twice, one of which hit the arm of the enemy, and yet failed the second time.


    But at this time, nobody knew how panicked and terrified he was. Because amongst all the powerful foes he had met, no one had such an extreme speed.


    That speed¡­ had already broken through the limit of what a human being could burst out. Even if he was very far away from them and was aided by the sniper rifle¡¯s sighting telescope, he could only catch a tad of the man¡¯s trajectory.


    _Is he still human?_


    Bitter and astringent, Sun Feng could only watch them disappear in the distance. He put his sniper rifle away and quickly ran downstairs.


    On the roadside four or five kilometers away from the Sun Family Manor, Li Xiaojie was sitting in the driver seat, smoking and observing the surroundings. Suddenly, his expression slightly moved, his complexion changing after seeing Tang Xiu sprinting back from tens of meters away.


    _Fast!_


    Li Xiaojie¡¯s heart trembled. With his sharp eyes he could see Tang Xiu bringing Gu Lang along, whose clothes had already been dyed red.


    _Bam!_


    The door was opened and closed quickly.


    ¡°Go!¡± shouted Tang Xiu in a heavy and deep tone.


    Li Xiaojie started the car and quickly drove out. After driving away for more than ten kilometers, he then asked, ¡°Boss, is Gu Lang all right?¡±


    At this time Tang Xiu had ripped open the clothes on Gu Lang¡¯s wound and sealed his acupoints to stop the bleeding. As he listened to Li Xiaojie¡¯s question, he shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s not fatal, but we have to go back to Hongpo District as fast as possible. I need to remove the bullet on his arm.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Li Xiaojie replied quickly.


    ¡°Boss, this kind of injury is nothing.¡± While grinning, Gu Lang smilingly said, ¡°We can¡¯t go back to Hongpo District directly, we must abandon the car midway. Else, the Sun Family will be able to catch it on the surveillance video of the road we just passed. Wherever it appears, they will also find the factory in Hongpo District.¡±


    Pondering for a moment, Tang Xiu immediately took out his mobile and dialed Tang Wei¡¯s cell number. As Tang Wei¡¯s blurry voice came out, Tang Xiu said in a deep voice, ¡°Don¡¯t sleep yet. Come fetch us up. I won¡¯t tell you the address yet, but we¡¯ll keep in touch.¡±


    ¡°Hey, what do you mean? You are not¡­¡± Tang Wei sobered up and curiously asked.


    ¡°Well, we got bored tonight, so we went to visit the Sun Family and carried out a few assassinations. Gu Lang is injured and we gotta get back quickly to treat him. Just hurry up and don¡¯t let anyone trace you.¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°All right!¡±


    Though Tang Wei was shocked to learn that Tang Xiu and Gu Lang left to assassinate the Sun Family late at night, he also knew that it was not yet the right time to understand the situation. After replying, he dressed up and dashed outside.


    Tang Wei arrived half an hour later. The trio abandoned the previous car and Li Xiaojie shot its fuel tank as the car exploded and burned down. Following which, the four left at an extremely fast speed.


    ¡°Though the license plates are fake, still, we can¡¯t let leave them.¡±


    Putting down the license places into the car and then sitting down, Li Xiaojie then moved his eyes toward the grim-looking Tang Wei.


    At present, Tang Wei was truly livid. He was angry because of their boldness, even daring to run up to the Sun Family to carry out assassinations at this time. He had heard about the Sun Family¡¯s armed defense force. The defense was very tight and formidable. Yet, all three of them came back alive, leaving him feeling somewhat disbelieving.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, if Big Grandpa knows about this matter he¡¯ll be very furious, that I can be certain of. You were way too bold. It wouldn¡¯t be a problem If it somewhere else, but you dared to run up to the Sun Family? Are you tired of living or something?¡±


    In the end, Tang Wei still couldn¡¯t hold it. He growled furiously as he looked at Tang Xiu through the rearview mirror.


    A slight smile appeared on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth as he said, ¡°Brother Wei, I know you were worried. But haven¡¯t we just escaped? Besides, business tonight was quite great!¡±


    ¡°Boss, you were inside for only a little more than an hour, how many people could you kill?¡± said Li Xiaojie with a forced smile.


    ¡°You sneaked inside for more than an hour? And you even managed to escape?¡± Said Tang Wei with knitted brows.


    ¡°If we don¡¯t count the time we killed those few patrol squads, we killed a total of 21 members of the Sun Family. All of whom were members in the hit list and were also the backbone of the Sun Family. Pity that we didn¡¯t find the Sun Family¡¯s head, though. Otherwise, tonight¡¯s attack would have been a complete success.¡±


    ¡°What?!!¡±

 Chapter 370

    Chapter 370: A Few Families Rejoice While a Few Others are Anxious


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Wei greatly changed his complexion, as even Li Xiaojie wore a incredulous expression.


    21?


    The backbone clansmen with authority in the Sun Family probably amounted to a dozen people or so. Added with the top-level executives, the number was probably less than thirty. Prior to this they had already killed a few of them, yet, tonight Tang Xiu and Gu Lang had killed 21 of them in just under an hour?


    Such being said! Wasn¡¯t this akin to nearly all members of the Sun Family being killed?


    Gulping down his own saliva, Tang Wei probed, ¡°Brother, you¡­ you didn¡¯t lie, right? You¡¯ve really killed 21 members of the Sun Family in the name list?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s true. I made that list myself. So it¡¯s a given that I know the people I killed tonight!¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Furthermore, I also found an interesting thing. The Sun Family will probably no longer be our enemies after tonight.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Tang Wei asked, puzzled.


    ¡°Just wait! You¡¯ll soon know.¡± Tang Xiu let out a mysterious smile.


    At this time, the Sun Family Manor had turned into a complete mess. Those who were old, frail, ill or disabled came out of the garden houses one by one, loudly crying out. Patrol squads constantly run between the garden houses as people cried and howled when dead bodies were brought out.


    Leading two members of the patrol squad, Li Yi looked pale as he commanded for the dead bodies to be carried to the central square of the Sun Family.


    He couldn¡¯t help but feel fortunate at this time, because he found that the enemy had snuck in from the wall nearest to his residence, yet, the enemy didn¡¯t get rid of him and only killed the Sun Family¡¯s people living near him instead.


    Guan City, Riverbay Manor.


    Sun Feilei and Yao Xinhua were devising the next action plan, sharing the two parties armed forces currently available to them. Though tonight¡¯s heavy losses had given the Sun Family a heavy blow, Sun Feilei was confident that they would be able to completely defeat the Tang Family. Following which, with the aid from the Yao Family, his family would thus become the biggest family in Guangyang Province in the future.


    _Ring, ring, ring¡­_


    The mobile¡¯s ringtone interrupted the two men¡¯s conversation.


    Frowning, Su Feilei saw that it was a phone call from his wife. A trace of anger immediately flashed in his eyes. After pressing the answer button, he said in a heavy, firm tone, ¡°I have important matters to deal with now and will go home late. Don¡¯t disturb me if there¡¯s no important thing.¡±


    ¡°Husband, something happened!¡± A woman¡¯s crying voice came out from the mobile.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Sun Feilei¡¯s expression changed as he abruptly stood.


    ¡°Our Sun Family is finished.¡± The woman sobbed.


    ¡°Hey, this old father has yet to die. There¡¯s no way the Sun Family would end. Tell me quickly, what happened, exactly?¡± Sun Feilei thundered angrily.


    ¡°Husband, enemies sneaked into our Sun Family Manor and killed a lot of our family members.¡± The woman cried tearfully, ¡°Feiwu, Sun Wei, Qianjin, and nearly all direct offsprings of our Sun Family died. All members who held important positions in our Sun Family have also been killed. Excluding the members of the patrol squads, 21 people died.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!¡±


    Sun Feilei¡¯s pupils dilated as he furiously roared.


    He couldn¡¯t believe his ears. His dignified Sun Family Manor had extremely formidable armed forces defending it¡­ how could the enemy possibly attack it?


    Moreover¡­ the high-level clansmen of the Sun Family were also killed by them?


    ¡°Bitch, are you joking with me? This is no fucking funny at all!¡±


    The woman cried even more, ¡°I¡¯m not joking. It¡¯s true! All of them died and our Sun Family is finished.¡±


    Sun Feilei¡¯s body shivered as his mobile phone dropped to the floor.


    ¡°Family Head Sun, what has happened?¡± Yao Xinhua asked in a heavy tone.


    Raising his head to look at the concerned Yao Xinhua, Sun Feilei seemed to have lost his soul as he slumped down on the sofa, murmuring, ¡°Everyone¡¯s dead. The core members of my Sun Family are all dead!¡±


    Yao Xinhua¡¯s face changed. He grabbed Sun Feilei and indignantly shouted, ¡°What nonsensical shit are you talking about? Who could possibly have the ability to kill all the core members of your Family?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It was my wife who phoned me.¡± Sun Feilei shook his head and said, ¡°Excluding the dead patrol men, merely the core members of my family who died amount to 21.¡±


    Releasing Sun Feilei, a horrified expression painted itself on Yao Xinhua¡¯s face as he furiously gulped down his own saliva. The Sun Family was a local tyrant in Guangyang and the high-level, core members who controlled the real power in the entire family were about 30 people. A few of them had died before and now 21 more followed.


    _That¡­ how many top level members who are still alive does the Sun Family still have now?_


    Yao Xinhua took a deep breath and suppressed the terrified feeling in his heart. He then shouted sternly, ¡°Let¡¯s head to the Sun Family Manor immediately.¡±


    Fukang Province, at the Huang Family.


    Huang Jinfu had fallen asleep but was awakened by his mobile ringtone. As he finished the call, a shocked expression was painted on his square face.


    Yes! The information he just received shock him to the core.


    The dignified Guangyang¡¯s Sun Family had their core members killed overnight. The number of enemies had yet to be investigated clearly, but it was said that the number was very few; only two people were seen.


    ¡°The Everlasting Feast Hall! Haha¡­ with the Everlasting Feast Hall as the enemy, the Sun Family is probably done for. And the Yao Family¡­ tsk, tsk¡­ If the Everlasting Feast Hall were to mobilize all of their people, even they should also be able to¡­ annihilated them overnight without a problem, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    Taking a deep breath, Huang Jinfu immediately dialed a cell number.


    ¡°Old buddy, you had better speed up. Bai Yang had better be able to return to the Bai Family by tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°I know. But I just¡­¡±


    ¡°You got the news too?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Now you should realize how terrifying the strength the Everlasting Feast Hall possesses, yes?¡± Huang Jinfu forced a smile and said, ¡°Let alone the Sun Family, even if it were my Huang Family¡­ I¡¯m afraid we¡¯d also be annihilated overnight.¡±


    ¡°Brother Jinfu, care to enlighten me as to what kind of power and influence this Everlasting Feast Hall possess precisely?¡± A middle-aged man¡¯s was voice transmitted from the phone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I really know nothing.¡± Huang Jinfu forced a smile and said, ¡°They are very mysterious and very terrifying. But most importantly, their people are very low profile.¡±


    ¡°I understand. You can rest assured that I¡¯ll never send anyone to investigate this Everlasting Feast Hall. Also, I¡¯ll try my best to build relationships with the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people. Oh, if you meet that person again¡­ I must trouble you to ask him whether the Everlasting Feast Hall is willing to open a branch in Guangyang Province. My Chu Family will definitely spare no effort to help with them.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    The call ended.


    Huang Jinfu¡¯s face looked somewhat complex. Dressing up and walking toward the window, he then watched the scenery outside covered by a profound silence. Inside, he secretly sighed, _Who could have thought that such an unprecedented blow would hit the Sun Family in this tranquil night? More so that the Chu Family would help at once when they were asked for help. If the Chu Family was able to build a good relationship with the Everlasting Feast Hall, that would mean that the Huang Family would also reach a secret alliance agreement with the Chus as well._


    Beijing.


    Noises awakened Tang Guosheng from his sleep. After he listened to the phone call, he laughed wildly thrice and immediately called Tang Xiu.


    Compared to Tang Guosheng, the Yao Family¡¯s head, Yao Qingzun, was struck with a psychosomatic silence. He fell into silence for a good deal of time. He also dialed Yao Xinhua¡¯s number and only said a few words: _change from offensive to defensive._


    The next morning, two Audis drove into Guangyang Province¡¯s South River Prison. Several middle-aged men then went inside as they left in a hurry a few minutes after.


    Inside one of the detaining rooms in the prison, Bai Yang was looking at the walls, smoking a cigarette and looking dispirited. The cigarette was given to him by the prison warden. The man once owed him a favor.


    He knew that he was finished! Perhaps, even his Bai Family was also highly likely to be finished.


    He felt somewhat resentful. Resenting his own father from picking the wrong side, and resenting choosing to stand on the Tang Family¡¯s side in the past. He could consider himself as very clear about what kind of situation the Tang Family was in nowadays. They may still have a high reputation and could be regarded as one of the top families in Beijing, but they were no longer on par with their past self.


    _With the current Tang Family¡¯s power and influence in Guangyang, defending themselves is rather impossible, isn¡¯t it? Seems like staying safe and sound¡­ would be difficult._


    Bai Yang sighed inside.


    _Creak¡­_


    _Bam!_


    The iron door outside sounded. Warden Jiang Yangwen brought several police officers to Bai Yang¡¯s prison room.


    ¡°Warden Jiang, are all of you¡­?¡± Bai Yang¡¯s heart sank as he asked aloud.


    A thick smile hung on Jiang Yanwen¡¯s face as he said, ¡°Brother Yang, I just received the order to release you. Furthermore, the order was simultaneously issued by the province¡¯s number 1 and number 2. Oh, number 1 also said to make the best use of your time to go home this noon. He invites you to have a lunch together at Cuiwei House.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Shocked, Bai Yang doubtfully asked aloud.


    Jiang Yangwen repeated himself and then laughed, ¡°Brother Yang, all is well. Everything has been clearly investigated, and the person who framed you has been arrested. He¡¯s a member of the Sun Family who wrote that anonymous letter and spread the rumors. Nevertheless, the guy will be sent here for detention soon.¡±


    Gulping his saliva, Bai Yang¡¯s eyes glanced over at the several police officers.


    Seeing this, Jiang Yangwen instantly understood Bai Yang¡¯s thoughts. He turned toward the police officers and waved his hand, hinting for them to leave. When there was only two of them left inside the room, he said, ¡°Brother Yang, is there anything you wanna know?¡±


    ¡°Warden Jiang, what was the reason for all of these?¡± Asked Bai Yang.


    Jiang Yangwen stepped back to look through the door outside. After he found nobody there, he came before Bai Yang and whispered, ¡°Brother Yang, something big had just happened in Guangyang. Originally, it was only the Tang Family¡¯s Starlight Group HQ that got burned, right? But last night, some people burned the company headquarters belonging to the Yao and Sun Families. Furthermore, 200 to 300 people from these two parties died. I heard that they were assassinated.¡±


    ¡°Yet, this is not the most startling news. The most startling news is that the Sun Family met a disastrous end. Late last night, some people sneaked into the Sun Family Manor and most of the high-level members of the family were killed. As of now, aside from the Sun Family¡¯s head, Sun Feilei, their remaining core members are in other provinces.¡±


    An ecstatic look emerged on Bai Yang¡¯s face.


    Suddenly, he had a deep understanding, that there was always a way out for somebody, as every cloud also had a silver lining.


    The miserable fate of the Sun Family; the losses of the Yao Family; the first thing to come to his mind was the Tang Family. He was sure that the party who was able to create such a major cause as this was absolutely the Tang Family.

 Chapter 371

    Chapter 371: The Yao Family¡¯s Reaction


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Beijing, at the Tang Family¡¯s residence.


    Normally, it was difficult for the core members of the Tang Family to get together outside holidays. However, today, except for those who were outside of town and couldn¡¯t catch up, the rest had gathered here. Even Tang Xiu¡¯s parents who had yet to return to Star City also came here.


    ¡°Have you heard the news? Our family has just bullied the Yao and Sun Families in Guangyang. They just suffered enormous losses in merely one night.¡±


    ¡°Yup. I got the news as well. Tang Xiu is indeed worthy as the offspring of our Tang Family. His methods were truly sound. Even last night, I heard father laughing for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Yunde, Lingyun, you two really have a good son! If it were not for him, I¡¯m afraid that our family¡¯s business in Guangyang would have been completely driven out.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Yunde¡¯s smile was extraordinarily bright upon listening to the relatives who were amiably talking to him. On the contrary, Su Lingyun¡¯s smile was rather forced, yet, she still forced herself to smile at everyone after taking Tang Yunde¡¯s face into account.


    ¡°Little Yun, are you not happy?¡±


    After discovering his wife¡¯s expression, Tang Yunde pulled her to a corner and whispered.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that. I¡¯m just a bit worried.¡± Su Lingyun shook her head and said, ¡°With so many relatives involved in the family¡¯s important matter, I just can¡¯t understand why did Xiu¡¯er run to Guangyang to take charge of the overall situation. Though I don¡¯t know anything about disputes between big families, but I heard it¡¯s very gruesome. With so many people from the Yao and Sun families dead, I¡¯m afraid Xiu¡¯er would suffer an unexpected mishap. I¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Xiu¡¯er has done very well in Guangyang.¡± Tang Yunde gently hugged Su Lingyun and whispered, ¡°It shows that he has grown up. Besides, there are things that he must go through sooner or later; he just encountered it ahead of time. Don¡¯t you see that he¡¯s well and good now? He called father just last night! I can¡¯t say for sure, but last night, he led some people to scare off the Yao family.¡±


    ¡°Will the Yaos really be frightened?¡± Su Lingyun hesitated, ¡°If they did, would the dispute between both parties be over?¡±


    ¡°It can be said that they wouldn¡¯t for now. But I think it should be about the same.¡± Tang Yunde said with a smile, ¡°The Yaos have no intention of losing all decorum with our family for now. The matters in Guangyang and Fukang are just they testing the waters to probe the cards in our hands.¡±


    ¡°Yunde, tell me. Should we go to Guangyang to support Xiu¡¯er?¡± Su Lingyun was a bit relieved as she nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. He¡¯s smart and brave.¡± Tang Yunde shook his head and said, ¡°If he really can¡¯t shoulder it, he will never force himself to do it in spite of adversity. Do you not see that everyone in the family looks happy? That shows that we have snatched a victory. Anyhow, I¡¯ll ask father later to let Xiu¡¯er go back to Shanghai right away after the matter has been concluded.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you must ask him.¡± Su Lingyun hurriedly nodded and said, ¡°Xiu¡¯er is a college student. Shanghai University is a good university, so he mustn¡¯t delay his schooling.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Tang Yunde comforted.


    Inside the ancestral residence, the two brothers¡ªTang Guosheng and Tang Guoshou were sitting face to face separated by a tea table. At this time, a slight smile was hunging on their old faces.


    ¡°Amazing, awesome!¡± Tang Guoshou exclaimed.


    ¡°Back when I agreed for him to take in charge in Guangyang, I actually didn¡¯t have much hope.¡± Tang Guosheng nodded and said, ¡°Even though the plan had already been completed and we expected to lose Guangyang, then so be it! Consider it tempering him. I didn¡¯t expect that he would give me such a pleasant surprise. Unexpected¡­¡±


    _Ring, ring, ring¡­_


    A mobile phone¡¯s ringtone sounded.


    Connecting the phone, Tang Guosheng then heard the caller¡¯s words. He suddenly stood in response and asked hurriedly, ¡°Is that real? Bai Yang has been released? The first and second man of Guangyang Province signed and authorized it? Great, hahaha¡­ I see.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Tang Guosheng joyfully said, ¡°The Bai Family¡¯s head, Bai Yang, has been released. It¡¯s truly unexpected! I really didn¡¯t expect it! What Xiu¡¯er did yesterday shocked the number one and two. They probably did it as not to let any conflict resurgence between us, the Yao and Sun families yet again. Thus, they released Bai Yang!¡±


    ¡°First Brother, don¡¯t get muddle-headed due to the pleasant surprise.¡± Tang Guoshou squinted his eyes and slowly said, ¡°I think the matter is not as simple as it looks. Logically speaking¡­. The number one and two men of Guangyang Province are not our people, though they are not the Yao¡¯s either. Shouldn¡¯t they also hope that we and the Yaos struggle to death?¡±


    Tang Guosheng was briefly startled as the smile on his face quickly receded. After hesitating for a moment, he doubtfully asked, ¡°Could it be that they don¡¯t want a large-scale strife to emerge yet again in their region?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite unlikely, I think!¡± Tang Guoshou shook his head and said, ¡°The Chus are the biggest family in Guangyang Province, while they and the number one figure in Guangyang have a close relationship with the neutral camp. They should not easily meddle in this matter. I actually thought¡­ Does this matter have anything to do with Xiu¡¯er?¡±


    ¡°Third Brother, aren¡¯t you thinking too highly of Xiu¡¯er?¡± Tang Guosheng shook his head and laughed, ¡°He¡¯s outstanding, I admit. But there¡¯s no way he has the means to intervene in the bureaucracy, right? You, ah¡­¡±


    Tang Guoshou was silent for a moment. He then took out his mobile and said, ¡°I¡¯ll call him and ask.¡±


    Startled, Tang Guosheng involuntarily laughed and immediately said, ¡°Since you think so, I¡¯d like to hear about it as well. Call him!¡±


    Half a minute later, Tang Guoshou dialed Tang Xiu¡¯s number. He then smiled and said after Tang Xiu connected the phone, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, Third Grandpa here, where are you now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m on the way back to Fukang Province.¡± Tang Xiu answered.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er I just got the news of what you did. It¡¯s great and amazing.¡± Tang Guoshou smiled and said, ¡±The rampant and arrogant Yao Family could be said to have been knocked down by you.¡±


    ¡°Third Grandpa, you can¡¯t be calling just to praise me, right? Please tell me if you have anything to say.¡± Said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re really smart, kiddo¡­¡± Tang Guoshou laughed, ¡°Anyhow, I have a small thing to ask you. The Bai Family¡¯s head has been released this morning. He personally called your first grandpa. But, I¡¯m very curious. Did it have anything to do with you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I made a deal with the Huang Family¡¯s head in Fukang when I met him back then. As for the deal, Third Grandpa doesn¡¯t need to ask. I guarantee that it won¡¯t be detrimental to the Tang Family. It¡¯s¡­ just my other business deal, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Astounded, Tang Guoshou said, ¡°The Huang Family¡¯s head, Huang Jinfu, is able to influence the Chu Family¡¯s top figure?¡±


    ¡°It was not only the Huangs I talked with, but also the Sus.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°I don¡¯t have a direct relationship with the Chus, though. So the best choice was to relate though Huang Jinfu, the Huang¡¯s head.¡±


    ¡°How true is that heroes always come from youth since ancient times.¡± Tang Guoshou¡¯s lips wriggled and sighed, ¡°I¡¯m impressed. Not many people in the world can make this old man impressed, but you did it. You¡¯ve done things beautifully, truly great. Let¡¯s have a drink when you come back to Beijing.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    Hanging up the phone, Tang Guoshou then looked at Tang Guosheng¡¯s strange expression and said, ¡°First Brother, you just heard it, yes? I activated the speaker. It was indeed Tang Xiu¡¯s doing for Bai Yang being able to come out. As for the deal between him and the Chu Family, I didn¡¯t ask much since he didn¡¯t want to say it.¡±


    ¡°Third Brother, did you realize something? Xiu¡¯er is really too mysterious.¡± Tang Guosheng¡¯s eyes sparkled as he muttered, ¡°I suddenly have a hunch that he has many other secrets hidden from us.¡±


    ¡°Let him do as he wants!¡± Tang Guoshou grinned, ¡°Regardless of how many secrets he doesn¡¯t want us to know, he¡¯s still an offspring of our Tang Family. He will never do anything to harm the family. I believe no one in our family will oppose even if you directly pass the head position of the Tang Family to him, so long as he has the ability and he¡¯s willing to accept it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. If he has the ability, the authority of the Family can be handed over to him in the future.¡± Tang Guosheng laughed, ¡°How can he do something harmful to his own family, anyway? Well, let¡¯s forget about it. If anything, don¡¯t send anyone to investigate it. I believe he¡¯ll tell us about it one day.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    Meanwhile, at the other side, while the Tang Family was celebrating, the Yao Family was in a gloomy mood.


    Yao Qingzun looked ashen as silently sat in his study room for a few hours. It was not until noon that he finally strode out of the room.


    ¡°Chengqing, notify Liang Teng to come back. Also, send someone to visit the Tang Family. Tell them that we¡¯re sending some tonics since the Tang¡¯s old bastard is unwell.¡±


    ¡°Father, isn¡¯t this just akin to admitting defeat?¡± Yao Chengqing¡¯s face drastically changed as he hurriedly said, ¡°Our losses in Guangyang are not large despite the Sun Family losing quite a great deal. Besides, we haven¡¯t used our forces in Fukang yet. So, once we launch an assault from there, the odds of the Tang Family preserving their assets in Guangyang and Fukang Province are slim.¡±


    ¡°Yet, until now, you haven¡¯t clearly investigated who took charge of Guangyang for the Tang Family.¡± Yao Qingzun snorted coldly and said, ¡°With us knowing nothing about the enemy circumstances, how can we calculate our chances of victory if we continue to fight?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Yao Qingcheng didn¡¯t know how to answer.


    Suddenly, Yao Qingcheng¡¯s mobile¡¯s ringtone rang. As he connected the call and listened to the other party¡¯s words, he fell into silence.


    ¡°Really now. What happened again?¡±


    Seeing his son¡¯s silent expression, foreboding arose inside Yao Qingzun¡¯s heart as he sonorously said.


    ¡°Bai Yang has been released.¡± Yao Qingcheng said bitterly, ¡°The first and second figures of Guangyang signed and authorized it simultaneously. Furthermore, there were also some people speaking for him in Beijing.¡±


    Yao Qingzun¡¯s expression changed. He fell into silence for a good deal of time before he suddenly smiled, though rather unsightly, ¡°What a good Tang Family, eh. Little did I think that they would conceal themselves so deeply. I¡¯m afraid it would be a bit difficult to bring them down as long as that Tang¡¯s old geezer has yet to die. Forget it! We¡¯ve already tested the waters, anyway. Just do what I¡¯ve told you before.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Yao Chengqing nodded silently.


    As he was about to leave, Yao Qingzun shouted imposingly, ¡°Remember, even if the battle over there is over, you must investigate clearly who was the person in charge of Guangyang Province.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative! I¡¯ll do it according to your instructions.¡±

 Chapter 372

    Chapter 372: Small World


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Two cars drove fast on the provincial highway connecting Guangyang to Fukang. While sitting on the second car, Tang Xiu quietly read the information about the Yang Family.


    This time he didn¡¯t bring a large number of men to Fukang, only bringing six experts from the Everlasting Feast Hall. The reason being that the operation plan he had devised was to first carry out assassinations, while the operation itself could be described as the men¡¯s quality was being more important than quantity.


    Each of the six experts from the Everlasting Feast Hall was able to work independently. Hence, Tang Xiu was confident that the seven of them would be able to set off a bloody festival of carnage in Fukang Province.


    ¡°Boss, Instructor Chen from Fukang said he wants to see you.¡±


    A man in the front seat turned his head to speak after hanging up the phone.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Puzzled, Tang Xiu raised his brows, ¡°Who¡¯s this Instructor Chen?¡±


    ¡°Chen Shaohua!¡± The man replied in a low voice.


    Tang Xiu was slightly startled as he then asked, ¡°Where¡¯s he now?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s at the Emerald Hotel.¡± The man said.


    ¡°Since we have yet to decide where to stay, head to Emerald Hotel directly!¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said.


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± The man nodded.


    Half an hour later, the two cars arrived at the underground parking lot of the Emerald Hotel in Zhou City, Fukang Province. After parking the cars, the group of seven took the elevator to the 18th floor. Tang Xiu then saw a gentle middle-aged man wearing eyeglasses standing outside.


    ¡°Hi, Boss!¡± Upon seeing Tang Xiu, Chen Shaohua¡¯s eyes immediately lit up as he bowed.


    ¡°You¡¯re Chen Shaohua?¡± Tang Xiu sized him up, nodding in response.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me!¡± Chen Shaohua said with a smile.


    Waving his hand, Tang Xiu then walked toward the corridor and asked, ¡°Why are you in Fukang? Is it because our Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s antique business in Zhou City?¡±


    While walking alongside Tang Xiu, Chen Shaohua replied, ¡°Our Everlasting Feast Hall indeed has a few antique shops in Zhou City. But the reason I came this time is that I need to consult some things with you, Boss.¡±


    ¡°And that is?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get to the room first, Boss! I¡¯ve been waiting for your arrival and I have already prepared the tea!¡± Chen Shaohua said.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes flashed as he nodded. Soon, Tang Xiu entered a presidential suite under Chen Shaohua¡¯s lead, while the six men he brought stayed in the corridor.


    ¡°The tea should be a cover, right? Let¡¯s see what kind of drugs are sold in your gourd, shall we?¡±


    ¡°First of all, I¡¯ll report about the cultivation situation to you, Boss.¡± Chen Shaohua stood in front of Tang Xiu and said with a smile, ¡°The True Qi inside my body has been completely converted to True Essence and my strength has been increased by a level. Thus, I want to thank you for your trust in cultivating me. You have my word that I¡¯ll seriously carry out your orders in the future, Boss.¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand, hinting for him to sit down.


    After Chen Shaohua sat in front of Tang Xiu, he continued, ¡°Boss, what I want to consult you about is what you said about the existence of other worlds outside our own. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes as he nodded.


    With a startled expression, Chen Shaohua said, ¡°Boss, please check this thing.¡±


    Having said that, he took a piece of stone from his pocket and then, bowing, he handed it over to Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Multicolored Luan Phoenix Stone?¡±


    After having a clear look at the stone, Tang Xiu¡¯s face drastically changed. He looked excited as he saw a stream of multicolored halos on the stone. The colors were: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. He quickly grabbed it and released his spiritual sense to wrap around it. After his inspection, he discovered that the multicolored stone was only of ordinary quality. Though its quality was ordinary, yet countless powerhouses in the Immortal World would fight for it; even Supreme celestial figures would covet it.


    Multicolored Luan Phoenix Stone ¡ª It was the best material to craft immortal tools, and a fist-size of it could be refined into a top-grade immortal tool.


    In the past Tang Xiu also possessed several top-grade immortal tools. Two of which were refined and mixed with Multicolored Luan Phoenix Stone. The power it could burst out when used was much more powerful than other top-grade immortal tools.


    ¡°Shaohua, where did you get this stone?¡±


    With all seriousness, Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes stared at Chen Shaohua as he asked.


    ¡°From the West.¡± Chen Shaohua¡¯s expression slightly changed as he said, ¡°The Longquan Mountain.¡±


    ¡°Tell me how you got it.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Boss, you know that I¡¯m the manager of our Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s antique business.¡± Chen Shaohua said, ¡°Due to particular reasons I heard that there were quite a lot of precious antiques in the Western region, so I brought some people there. About two months ago, when we arrived at Longquan Mountain, we found that the place had a beautiful environment. There was a village with more than a hundred villagers living there, and they held some old objects left from ancient times.


    ¡°I spent some money to buy those old objects. However, because the arduous and difficult paths in Longquan Mountain, we had to spend the night there. Thus, several of us then went to the mountain to hunt for something in order to kill time. And the result was that we got lost.


    ¡°Despite its seemingly beautiful environment, the Longquan Mountain turned out to be fraught with dangers. That night we encountered terrible fierce beasts that almost killed us on several occasions. Due to that we then entered a forest area by chance with very fresh and cleaner air than anywhere else. Even breathing a strand of it made our bodies very comfortable.


    ¡°However, a very terrible fierce beast was also there and forced us to go deeper and deeper and after that, we found a grave with its entrance opened. Out of desperation, we had to dash inside. After we got inside, it was as though we had arrived at another world.


    ¡°Inside, there were flowers, grasses, a blue sky and white clouds. And most importantly, we had never seen about 80% of the vegetation and wild animals and there were tons of fierce beasts inside. Even¡­¡±


    After speaking up to there, Chen Shaohua came to a halt as some lingering fear flashed in his eyes.


    ¡°Even what?¡± Tang Xiu asked in a deep tone.


    ¡°We even found a dragon figure¡­ Its whole body was pitch-black.¡± Chen Shaohua continued in a low voice, ¡°It was a five meters long five-clawed black dragon that could release black flames. It was extremely horrible and scary. We witnessed it releasing black flames at a boulder weighing about 5 tons and melting it into liquid.¡±


    ¡°Continue!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Since it was a dead end, we didn¡¯t venture too deep inside. Hence, we hurriedly returned to the old path we had taken previously. It took a huge effort to get out of there alive.¡± Chen Shaohua said, ¡°After that, I went back to Jingmen Island and reported this matter to Little Boss. She then ordered me to keep it confidential.¡±


    Tang Xiu frowned. He had never heard Gu Xiaoxue mentioning this matter before.


    ¡°It was not until we learned the cultivation technique from Elder Ji Chimei that I suddenly realized something about that place. It turns out that the exceptionally fresh air there was because it was filled with rich heaven and earth Spiritual Qi. I mentioned this matter to Little Boss again after I converted my True Qi into True Essence. Then she finally let me come here to tell you everything I know. But¡­¡±


    ¡°But what?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°But Little Boss wanted me to convey some words. She said that that place is fraught with dangers, so she hopes that Boss will be cautious. It would be best to not go there for the time being.¡±


    Tang Xiu finally understood why Gu Xiaoxue didn¡¯t tell him about this matter. She knew his strength and she was afraid that he would rush to that small world after hearing about it and disregard the dangers.


    ¡°Shaohua, except for you and Xiaoxue, you must never tell anyone else about this matter. We indeed can¡¯t enter that place for now, unless we¡¯re tired of living. Nevertheless, I¡¯ll take you there someday in the future after becoming stronger.¡±


    ¡°I got it, Boss. Don¡¯t worry about that!¡± Chen Shaohua nodded.


    ¡°Give me this Multicolored Luan Phoenix Stone!¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Tell me the type of weapon you like, I¡¯ll help you refine a top-grade artifact weapon.¡±


    Chen Shaohua¡¯s eyes lit up and immediately replied, ¡°A dagger would be the best.¡±


    ¡°I realized that all of you like to use daggers.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Wait until I use this piece Multicolored Luan Phoenix Stone, then I¡¯ll refine you a dagger while convenient. By the way, is there anything else you took from that small world beside this Multicolored Luan Phoenix Stone?¡±


    ¡°Back then I only realized that the stone was out of the ordinary since it seemed a precious ore.¡± Chen Shaohua forced a wry smile and said, ¡°So I only brought this thing out.¡±


    ¡°I gotta say that your luck is really good for being able to come out of there alive.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°All right. Let¡¯s stop speaking about this. Go back and tell Xiaoxue to rest assured, I won¡¯t go to that place within a short time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember it.¡± Chen Shaohua nodded.


    ¡°Anyway, are you free this noon? Let¡¯s have lunch together.¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°All right!¡± Pleasantly surprised, Chen Shaohua¡¯s attitude turned more respectful.


    After lunch, Chen Shaohua left Emerald Hotel. Naturally, the presidential suited he booked became Tang Xiu¡¯s accommodation.


    However, he had yet to settle himself when his his grandfather called.


    ¡°What are you talking about, Grandpa? The matter is going to be finished like this?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows furrowed deeply. He was was a bit vexed. He had already devised the next operation plan, but his grandfather unexpectedly notified him that the Yaos took the initiative to admit defeat and wanted to end the games in Guangyang and Fukang.


    ¡°It¡¯s a temporary pull back! As of now, what our family needs the most is time.¡± Tang Guosheng seriously said, ¡°According to my plan, our Tang Family has invested a wealth accumulation of a decade to train more talented people in these three to five years. I want the Tang Family to return to its heyday, and even beyond it in the next 10 years.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before he helplessly said, ¡°All right! All right! Since Grandpa has decided, I¡¯ll obey it. But it¡¯s kind of a pity, though. I thought we could make a huge fortune from the Yao, Sun, and Yang Families! Besides, the outcome seem to have turned out quite good.¡±


    ¡°What huge fortune?¡± Tang Guosheng asked, confused.

 Chapter 373

    Chapter 373: Going Home


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu took his phone back upon hearing Tang Guosheng¡¯s inquiry. He then let out a pale smile and said, ¡°When carrying out the assassinations, we threatened the Sun Family members to transfer some money to me before we killed them. The amount is not much, about 600 to 700 million yuan. Thus, I had devised a plan to continue launching assaults on the Yaos and have them pay some ransom money. But alas, you actually called for a truce, Grandpa.¡±


    _Cough, cough!_


    Being at a loss whether to cry or laugh, Tang Guosheng could only cough a few times. He was truly impressed by this grandson of his since he unexpectedly didn¡¯t forget to fish for some profits while carrying out the assassinations.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, our Tang Family is inferior to the Yao Family in the end. We¡¯ll wait until we¡¯ve truly developed our force. But we¡¯ll absolutely never let this go. Anyways, as for the money, just take it as your spending money.¡±


    ¡°Well, since the matters here have been concluded, then I¡¯ll return to Shanghai tomorrow. By the way, who should I give the authority to manage the issues here?¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°Give it to Little Wei!¡± Tang Guosheng said.


    ¡°All right, no problem. If you don¡¯t have any other instructions, I¡¯ll hang up the phone.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°OK!¡±


    The call ended.


    While fiddling with his mobile, Tang Xiu shook his head, a helpless expression hanging on his face. Immediately after he phoned the Huang Family¡¯s head, Huang Jinfu, to tell him that the matter had been finished and he no longer needed help from the Huang Family¡¯s intelligence network.


    In the evening he brought Tang Wei to the Huang Family and enjoyed dinner together with the Huangs, deepening their friendship, and then returned to Emerald Hotel.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    Hei Long stood outside the Emerald Hotel. He immediately greeted him with a joyful expression when he saw Tang Xiu.


    Nodding to him in response, Tang Xiu then went upstairs to his presidential suite with Hei Long. After sitting on the sofa, he calmly said, ¡°Hei Long, you¡¯re really lucky. The Yao Family has just admitted defeat, bringing an end to our conflict. Anyhow, you have done well in Hongpo District and I¡¯ll honor my promise to give you a good future.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Boss!¡± Hei Long was excited.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving Guangyang tomorrow and Tang Wei will be in charge here for the time being.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°He¡¯ll help you to expand your turf. So, provided that you really have the ability, it won¡¯t be impossible to make you the kingpin of the underground forces in Guangyang Province in the future. However, there¡¯s something you must swear to me.¡±


    ¡°Please, tell me, Boss. I¡¯ll definitely comply.¡± Hei Long¡¯s body trembled violently as he quickly said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t agree so fast.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°My request is very simple. You must absolutely not involve yourself with drugs, forcing women into prostitution, and you can¡¯t operate a casino. I don¡¯t care what kind of businesses you do, but if you go against these three conditions of mine, I¡¯ll personally cut your head off without waiting for the cops to clean you up!¡±


    ¡°Boss, I can comply with your demand.¡± Hei Long hesitated and said, ¡°But¡­ I have limited manpower and financial resources. Thus, if I want to control the entire Guangyang, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you the money and the manpower.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Hei Long¡¯s spirit startled and he immediately said, ¡°I got it, Boss. Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll work hard. Regardless of what happens in the future, two-thirds of the income will be transferred to you every year for all the businesses I manage.¡±


    ¡°Very astute, eh.¡± Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°But I¡¯m a bit worried now. Would I be fostering a tiger and inviting a calamity?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re teasing me, Boss.¡± Hei Long forced a smile and said, ¡°With your strength alone or the Tang Family¡¯s forces, let alone becoming a big force in Guangyang, I will never be able to oppose you, even if my underlings were to be spread out all over the country! I heard that even the Sun Family¡­ ended up very miserably.¡±


    ¡°All right, I was just joking with you!¡± Tang Xiu smiled as he waved his hand and said, ¡°As for the money, take one-third and send it to the person in charge installed by the Tang Family in Guangyang. This¡­ just think of it as my Tang Family¡¯s investment in you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes!¡±


    Feeling happy, Hei Long repeatedly nodded.


    ¡°All right. I have nothing else to tell you, so you can go back first!¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°Wait until Tang Wei finishes all the issues here and he¡¯ll find you later.¡±


    After Hei Long left, Tang Wei entered the room. Tang Xiu then told him about Hei Long and instructed him to take care of the issue.


    ¡°Brother, that Hei Long is not a good chap.¡± Tang Wei forced a smiled and said, ¡°From what I can tell, he¡¯s not only ruthless and merciless, but also ungrateful. You personally killed his two trusted underlings, yet he didn¡¯t show any resentment at all. This kind of man only sees benefits as the most important thing. I¡¯m afraid he will be troublesome after we restrain him.¡±


    ¡°Well, this kind of talent is, in fact, the best type to control.¡± Tang Xiu let out a pale smile and said, ¡°With the Tang Family as a deterrent, he won¡¯t dare to do anything outrageous. He likes benefits, so we¡¯ll give him that. We can use him well in the future as long as he has the ability; he will our Tang Family¡¯s sharp knife. Nonetheless, the support from our family must only be done in the dark.¡±


    ¡°I understand!¡± Tang Wei nodded and continued, ¡°Anyways, do you still have to leave for Guangyang tomorrow even though you already got your leave of absence?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I still have things to do in Shanghai.¡± Tang Xiu said with a pale smile, ¡°Since the matter here has been concluded temporarily, it¡¯s kinda meaningless for me to stay. So I had better go back earlier so I can take of my own things.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Tang Wei was astonished and said, ¡°How did I not hear you talk about it before?¡±


    ¡°Well, I have a winery in Star City and today is the annual Wine Tasting Conference.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°The wine produced by my winery has been sent to the Wine Tasting Conference. So I¡¯m looking forward to this event since it can become a promotion and publicity for my business.¡±


    ¡°Brother, you really run quite a lot of businesses.¡± Tang Wei involuntarily laughed and said, ¡°All right! Leave this place to me. Don¡¯t worry about it!¡±


    Guangyang Province, Guan City Airport.


    Yao Xinhua quietly waited with a few of his trusted men in the airport¡¯s waiting room. His mood was extremely terrible. Originally he took a group of elite experts of the family to team up with the Sun Family in order to destroy the Tang Family¡¯s businesses. He even nearly forced the Tang Family to abandon Guangyang Province.


    However, the situation didn¡¯t proceed along with his expectations. Even the Tangs¡¯ counterattack unexpectedly gave him a heavy blow, while the Sun Family was almost ruined.


    Shame! This result was truly shameful for him.


    He actually didn¡¯t want to go back to Beijing dejectedly. However, the family¡¯s head had decreed that he must go back, so the contest between the Yaos and the Tangs in Guangyang had probably been concluded. This made him quite depressed and wanting to vomit blood.


    ¡°Young Master!¡±


    A burly man strode into the waiting room.


    Slightly frowning, Yao Xinhua growled, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Young Master, we finally discovered it.¡± The burly man whispered, ¡°The one in charge for the Tang Family since Tang Yunpeng left Guangyang is called Tang Xiu. He¡¯s the person who led the Tang Family¡¯s experts to attack us.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°I know more or less about the members of the Tang Family.¡± Yao Xinhua knitted his brows and said, ¡°But is there there such a figure in the Tang Family? Where did this person come from?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s Tang Yunde¡¯s biological son. He was missing and lived outside the family for years. About two months ago the Tang Family found him and took him back to the family. They also held a ceremonial ritual to recognize the ancestors. He¡¯s 20 years old this year, and I heard that he had just been admitted to university. Furthermore, he was the CET¡¯s top scorer for the science subjects in Shuangqing Province. Tang Wei went to find him in Shanghai a few days ago. Following that the Tang Family gave him the full authority to deal with the issues in Guangyang.¡±


    ¡°You mean my real opponent is this Tang Xiu?¡± Yao Xinhua¡¯s face changed color as he grimly said, ¡°He¡¯s 20 years old and a baby boy who has just been admitted to college?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±


    Despite sensing Yao Xinhua¡¯s anger, the big man still answered truthfully.


    Yao Xinhua was silent for a brief moment. He suddenly grinned as he shook his head and said, ¡°I never thought the Tang Family would conceal this so deeply. To think that they even pushed a baby boy to the front desk to hide it. What fucking pricks! I can tell that this is only their poor attempt to conceal it, yet it reveals their scheme. In my opinion, this Tang Xiu is not the real leader of the Tang Family assigned to Guangyang, but someone else. Otherwise, relying on a baby boy to defeat me, heh?¡±


    ¡°Young Master, I also thought likewise after I got the information! Anyways, I sent some people to check on Tang Xiu¡¯s situation in Star City. He¡¯s ordinary, extremely so. But his luck is quite good since he got acquainted with some people with a bit of power.¡±


    ¡°What kind of people?¡± Yao Xinhua asked.


    ¡°The Long Family¡¯s young master in Star City¡ªLong Zhengyu; and the Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical¡¯s Boss¡ªChen Zhizhong.¡± The big man said, ¡°Ah, right. He¡¯s also a classmate of Yuan Chuling, the son of the Yuan Family¡¯s Big Boss¡ªYuan Zhengxuan.¡±


    ¡°That kiddo indeed has a bit of skill then. Regardless, his luck is too heavy, so he¡¯s not worth paying attention.¡± Yao Xinhua shook his head and said, ¡°Forget investigating this Tang Xiu! Continue to investigate the real commander-in-chief of the Tang Family.¡±


    Shanghai, Forest Park Residential Estates.


    Driving a red Audi A4, Han Qingwu registered at the main gate¡¯s post and then slowly drove inside. Tang Xiu entrusted the house key to Yue Kai and she already received it. However, she hadn¡¯t visited the house since she had yet to give the money to Tang Xiu. Because she happened to have free time and the idea suddenly came to her mind, she then rushed here to see the house.


    _I hope that kiddo found a good house for me. Else I¡¯ll make him look good when he comes back!_


    Han Qingwu parked the car downstairs a residential building according to the address of the house. She then took the key and entered the building.


    _The quality is not bad? Can I really rent with so little money?_


    Inside, Han Qingwu actually found a Property Management Office. Furthermore, there were also a few well-dressed men and women bustling about. Even the decoration of this building gave a high-end atmosphere to her.


    _27th floor!_


    Riding the elevator, Han Qingwu arrived at the 27th floor. She stood in the corridor to take a look at the two flats doors on the floor. After that, she immediately took out the key to open the door¡¯s number according to the address Tang Xiu gave her.


    _My God. Isn¡¯t this too exaggerated?_


    Han Qingwu strode through the door. But she then gaped with eyes staring wide after seeing the situation inside.

 Chapter 374

    Chapter 374: Wine Tasting Conference


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The magnificent living room had a extremely luxurious decoration style. The wooden floor was covered with beige carpet, and the variety of home appliances were all high-end foreign brands. Even the sofa in the living room was made of expensive leather. The most exaggerated was the 60¡± LCD TV that could be used to watch movies directly at home.


    _Too extravagant._


    Han Qingwu took off her shoes and looked elsewhere. She couldn¡¯t help exclaiming with a resentful as well as shocked expression.


    She roughly estimated that this flat was, at least, 250 square meters wide. There were five rooms and three living rooms; a kitchen and two bathrooms. Even the balcony was more than ten square meters.


    She knew the housing prices in Shanghai. In this metropolis where an inch of land was worth a bar of gold, such a building was definitely priced at more than 10 million.


    After looking around, Han Qingwu forced a smile and took out her mobile to dial Tang Xiu¡¯s cell number. After a while, her call was connected.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, are you kidding me? Your friend¡¯s house is too¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not satisfied with it?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s voice came out of the mobile.


    ¡°I¡¯m satisfied, but it¡¯s way too much.¡± Han Qingwu forced a smile and said, ¡°This house is simply a mansion. The house should be around 250 square meters or more. And the decoration¡­ is too luxurious. Tell me, will your friend really agree to rent this place for a few thousand yuan a month?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good if it meets your satisfaction!¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Like I said, the person himself doesn¡¯t want to leave the house empty. He doesn¡¯t care how much rent you can pay either. If you don¡¯t want to stay there, then just forget it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay. Who says I won¡¯t take it?¡± Han Qingwu quickly called out, ¡°Why would I not take it if the chance is given to me? So be it then. I¡¯ll be waiting for you to come back, and then I¡¯ll give you six months of rent.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Tang Xiu replied and directly ended the call.


    While holding her mobile phone, Han Qingwu couldn¡¯t help rolling her eyes as she heard the beeping blind sounds from the mobile. However, she let out a smile as she looked at the luxurious and beautiful house.


    The next day, radiant and enchanting sunlight shined on the whole world.


    Shanghai World Trade Exhibition Center.


    Hundreds of brands of wine from across the country were placed on the counters. On the corridor outside the counters, liquor wholesalers, who came from all over the country, strolled around, looking at the variety of wines on the counter.


    In counter #246.


    While sitting quietly in a chair, Kang Xia watched the streams of people coming and going. The Gods Nectar produced by Magnificent Tang Corp winery had no fame and was unknown. Thus, many people looked at it, yet no one showed any intention to order. Numerous people even jeered because of the price displayed on the sign.


    ¡°How come I have never heard about this Magnificent Tang Corp? They only offer one type of wine, yet the price is 18,888 yuan. Is this a joke or something? I really don¡¯t know whether the boss of this company is stupid or not, but to think that it¡¯s being sold with such a sky-high price without any fame at all is unexpected.¡±


    ¡°There are indeed many expensive domestic wines, but what¡¯s exactly is this Gods Nectar? They don¡¯t fear being laughed at, eh! The owner of this liquor is just a money grubber.¡±


    ¡°18,888 per bottle? Isn¡¯t this like a scam? Is it possible that this drink is a Gods Nectar?¡±


    ¡°Really now. All kinds of birds can be found in a big forest. This company is surely scamming. To think that they deliberately out such a high price.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Kang Xia listened to the voices of the passing people with a calm expression. So did Su Quan as he kept his smiling face, not the slightest bit concerned with their opinions.


    ¡°Oh? Grandpa, this wine is rather interesting! I¡¯ve never heard of its name, but the price is unexpectedly 18,888 yuan. Is this wine better than the best Wuliangye?¡± A clear voice belonged to a girl sounded.


    Two people, one old and one young, came before the counter. After the old man observed the four bottles of Gods Nectar on the counter, he looked quite astonished. After he hesitated for a moment, he looked at Su Quan and curiously asked, ¡°Little Brother, from where does this wine originates? Also, the other counters give a chance to taste the wine, how come you don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Uncle, our wine is from Star City, Shuangqing Province.¡± Su Quan replied with a smile, ¡°As for why we don¡¯t allow anyone to taste it, it¡¯s because we¡¯re afraid that people who can¡¯t judge the quality would spoil this good wine. Besides, we don¡¯t need favors from those wine wholesalers. The second reason why we¡¯re participating in this conference is that we want to introduce this Gods Nectar to the market.¡±


    ¡°Courage and self-confidence, you have both.¡± The old raised his thumb and exclaimed in praise, ¡°Such being said, I¡¯ll look forward to taste your wine. Since you don¡¯t allow it, how about I buy a bottle? To be frank, few things can make this old man curious these years, but this wine piqued my curiosity.¡±


    Su Quan turned his head to Kang Xia.


    The latter stood up and sized up the old man. She then smiled and said, ¡°Uncle, we only brought these four bottles of wine. We prepared two bottles for the Wine Tasting Conference, but we can use the remaining two at will. Since you want to taste it, we¡¯ll give you a bottle for free! If you think the wine is good, I hope the elderly would help in publicizing it.¡±


    The old man stared blankly for a moment, as he then nodded and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s very good of you to say so!¡±


    Having said it, he took a bottle of Gods Nectar, and then said to his granddaughter, ¡°Little Ying, take out my wine glass.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    The 17 or 18 years old girl carefully took out a four-angle crystal cup from the bag and handed it over to the old man.


    The old man opened the bottle, poured the liquor into the four-angle crystal cup until it was half full. He immediately looked astonished as his eyes stared wide.


    ¡°This mellow fragrance is intoxicating. Though this old man have yet to taste it, this wine commands me to do so.¡±


    He took a deep breath and then gently sipped a mouthful. A few seconds later, his expression turned stunned, followed by redness coloring his old face with an intense shocked expression at the same time. While Kang Xia and Su Quan smiled, the old man slowly closed his eyes.


    ¡°Hey, Grandpa, don¡¯t keep me guessing. How¡¯s the wine?¡±


    The girl pulled the old man¡¯s sleeves, a dissatisfied expression hanging on her small, delicate face.


    The old man opened his eyes instantly and couldn¡¯t bear to exclaim in praise, ¡°Good wine, great wine! This old man drank many good wines in his life, yet there¡¯s only one wine that can be compared to this one.¡±


    ¡°Uncle, are you not kidding me?¡± Su Quan grinned ear to ear and said, ¡°I have drunk a lot of wines, but not even one of them tasted better than this one.¡±


    ¡°More than 40 years ago I went to Shennongjia and found a group of monkeys there. Have you heard about Monkey Wine? It¡¯s a pity that I was only lucky enough to drink a few mouthfuls of it since those monkeys attacked me, so I had to flee to the wilderness. The taste of that Monkey Wine is something I can never forget. Thus, I didn¡¯t expect to there really exist such a great wine besides Monkey Wine in this world.¡±


    Su Quan suddenly understood and then said with a smile, ¡°I heard about Monkey Wine, but I have never drank it. Uncle, since you liked our Gods Nectar, you must help us publicize it.¡±


    ¡°Worry not, young man!¡± The old man laughed and said, ¡°This old man will keep his word. Anyhow, can I order a few bottles in advance? The price will be according to your tag.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the patronage, Uncle.¡± Kang Xia lightly smiled and said, ¡°However, we can¡¯t do a private sell. If you like it, you can buy them in our store. We¡¯ll deliver it to our exclusive stores in various cities after the conference.¡±


    ¡°Your company opened your own exclusive stores?¡± The old man asked in astonishment.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Kang Xia replied with a smile.


    ¡°Impressive!¡± The old man raised his thumb and exclaimed in praise, ¡°Nowadays, breweries send their produced wines to the wholesalers. Thus, the latter monopolize it in every part of the country. But you actually invested to hold the monopoly and sell it directly to the customers. It¡¯s great!¡±


    ¡°Well, it was Boss¡¯ request.¡± Kang Xia smiled and said, ¡°We can only follow his instructions.¡±


    ¡°And your Boss is?¡± The old man nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Uncle. Our Boss seldom intervenes in company issues.¡± Kang Xia said, ¡°He¡¯s also the type of person who doesn¡¯t like to show his face in public. Hence, we can¡¯t announce his information to the public as well. Perhaps, the elderly would have a chance to know him in the future.¡±


    The old man couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°From the looks of it, your boss must be a great person. Anyways, how about we discuss something else? I like this wine very much. Since we met here, can you sell it to me in advance? I don¡¯t need too many of it, though. It will be fine if you sell me ten boxes. I¡¯ll buy the wine later in your shop after I have finished it.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Kang Xia hesitated.


    The old man took a business card from his pocket and handed it to Kang Xia, ¡°Little girl, this is my business card.¡±


    After receiving it, Kang Xiu¡¯s eyes swept over the card as her expression immediately changed.


    ¡°You¡¯re the owner of the Weide Group, elderly Du Kun?¡±


    ¡°I never thought you would actually recognize me.¡± Du Kun said with a smile, ¡±It seems that I am the same as your Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s Boss who hardly appears on stage, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Kang Xia then took out a business card and handed it to Du Kun, saying, ¡°Elderly Du, we actually met before.¡±


    Du Kun stared blankly. As he took Kang Xia¡¯s business card, his brows furrowed. He thought for a long time, and then said in puzzlement, ¡°Kang Xia? This name I know as being the world¡¯s most famous gold manager. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re¡­¡±


    ¡°There being no mistakes, that should be me.¡± Kang Xia said with a smile, ¡°I dare not accept being called the world¡¯s most famous gold manager, however.¡±


    Du Kun¡¯s expression changed. He looked deeply at Kang Xia and curiously said, ¡°I still remember inviting you to be the CEO of our Weide Group, yet you refused.¡±


    ¡°Well, I had just resigned from my previous company.¡± Kang Xia said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s been so many years, so I just wanted to have a good rest.¡±


    After finally recognizing Kang Xia¡¯s identity, respect appeared on Du Kun¡¯s face. He then nodded and sighed, ¡°I never thought that the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s Boss would actually be able to get you. His luck is truly good!¡±


    ¡°Elderly Du, since you want to buy our wine, then I¡¯ll take the responsibility to sell ten boxes to you.¡± Kang Xia laughed, ¡°Only, we didn¡¯t bring more aside from these four bottles, so I¡¯m afraid you need to send someone to Star City.¡±


    Du Kun said with a smile, ¡°No problem.¡±

 Chapter 375

    Chapter 375: Gods Nectar


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    With Du Kun¡¯s departure, without too many efforts, many people learned from him that there was a wine called Gods Nectar with great flavor and mellow taste in this year¡¯s Wine Tasting Conference.


    In the case that it was someone else praising Gods Nectar, they would have probably believed and ridiculed it. But Du Kun, however, was someone influential whether in the business world or his other secret identity.


    He was, in fact, one of the judges of this conference!


    ¡°Old Du, you¡¯re not someone who boasts. Is that Gods Nectar really that exaggerated just like you say?¡± The host of the Wine Tasting Conference, the vice-chairman of China Wine Industry Association¡ªQin Changlin, asked with curiosity.


    Several other judges also curiously looked at Du Kun, waiting for his reply.


    ¡°I can guarantee that the Gods Nectar from the Magnificent Tang Corp will surely make you praise it. How about I pour you a cup for you to smell it?¡± Du Kun laughed and said.


    ¡°Old Du, don¡¯t kid with me.¡± Qin Changlin couldn¡¯t help laughing and said, ¡°You want us to smell it? Tasting their wine before the official opening is already giving them face.¡±


    Du Kun hinted at his granddaughter behind him with his finger. The girl swiftly pulled out the Gods Nectar bottle and poured a cup.


    The wine fragrance fluttered out. It was only a few seconds, yet Qin Chanling and the other five judges had their eyes lit up in an instant. They couldn¡¯t help but gulp down their saliva.


    The aroma! It was truly appetizing!


    They couldn¡¯t believe that such a thick, pure wine flavor would come out from just pouring a cup.


    ¡°Let me try it!¡± Qin Changlin quickly stretched his hand out.


    With a quick movement, Du Kun grabbed the four-angle crystal cup from his granddaughter¡¯s hand, quickly gulping it down. Shortly after, an intoxicating expression was revealed on his old face.


    ¡°This wine should only be found in the heaven. Only a few people in the human world can taste it.¡±


    Once again, Du Kun couldn¡¯t help but sigh.


    _Pfft¡­_


    Looking at the six people swallowing their saliva, the girl couldn¡¯t help laughing.


    Qin Changlin grabbed the empty cup and blinked at the girl. Immediately, the girl smiled and poured him a cup.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try it!¡± Qin Changlin placed it before his nose and sniffed it. An intoxicated expression appeared on his face before he gently sipped a mouthful of it. A moment after, his expression turned shocked and disbelieving.


    ¡°Chairman Qin, how is it?¡± One of the judges quickly asked.


    While looking at the remaining Gods Nectar in the cup, Qin Changlin¡¯s expression turned a bit helpless. He forced a wry smile and said, ¡°I regret it. I really shouldn¡¯t have drunk it!¡±


    The judge stared blankly as he then looked at Du Kun and said with a smile, ¡°Old Du, this rumor should¡¯ve been seen through, don¡¯t you think? This wine may smell good, but I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not much after drinking it, no? Hahaha¡­¡±


    While glancing at Du Kun who smirked strangely, Qin Changlin forced a smile and said, ¡°Little Li, I have yet to finish my sentence! What I mean by regretting drinking this wine is because I¡¯m afraid that I can¡¯t drink it again. What Old Du said is true. This wine should only be found in the heaven, and only a few people can taste it in the human world. This is a wonderful, peerless wine. Perhaps you¡¯ll be unable to sleep if you don¡¯t drink it a few times a day.¡±


    That judge was shocked and quickly grabbed the empty cup and stretched his hand out to the girl. Several others were astonished and also follow in the queue.


    A minute later the five had the same expression as Du Kun and Qin Changlin¡¯s a moment ago. They shocked as well as a bit incredulous.


    ¡°Old Du, tell me quickly. Where did you get this wine? Quickly! I have never drunk such a fabulous wine in my life. This truly satiates my craving. Tell me quickly. Regardless of the price, I must buy it!¡± A judge quickly called out.


    ¡°Yes, Old Du!¡± Qin Changlin rapidly echoed, ¡°Quickly tell us, from where did you buy this wine? I must buy it.¡±


    ¡°This wine isn¡¯t cheap. It¡¯s priced at 18,888 a bottle.¡± Du Kun grinned, ¡°Do you really want to buy it?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all wine lovers.¡± Qin Changlin said without hesitation, ¡°I¡¯d buy it for 188,888 yuan, let alone 18,888 yuan.¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡± The others echoed.


    ¡°Even if you guys give that much, I¡¯m afraid the seller still won¡¯t sell it.¡± Du Kun shook his head and laughed, ¡°I can tell you the counter that¡¯s selling it, though. It¡¯s the #0246 counter. You guys can go there!¡±


    Qin Changlin hurriedly put down the empty cup in his hand and strode outside. The other five followed him.


    At #0246 counter, Kang Xia hung up the phone and looked happy. She rapidly left the counter toward the entrance of the hall, leaving Su Qian and several others surprised and astonished.


    ¡°Strange, what¡¯s wrong with Chief Kang?¡±


    ¡°Who called to Chief Kang for her to make a blunder like this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s odd!¡±


    As several people chatted, Su Quan seemed to realize something and secretly made a guess, _Could it be that Tang Xiu is coming? He¡¯s the only who can make Chief Kang behave like this¡­_


    Outside the main entrance of the conference venue.


    Tang Xiu forced a smile at the four security guards who stopped him. He had spent some time to talk his way out with them, yet the four of them were unmoved and hell-bent on not letting him in. Helpless, he had no choice but to call Kang Xia.


    After he returned to Shanghai he went back home to take a shower and change clothes then rushed here. All for the sake of the Wine Tasting Conference.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    Bringing a fragrant breeze with her, Kang Xia appeared in front of Tang Xiu, her whole face filled with joy.


    When the four security guards saw Kang Xia, they looked slightly dazed. Thought they had seen her before, but they were still stunned yet again by her soul-stirring beauty.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a pass, so they didn¡¯t allow me to enter.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can only ask you to bring me in.¡±


    ¡°Hello, guys!¡± Kang Xia looked at the four security guards with a smile and said, ¡°He¡¯s the boss of our company, he should be allowed to enter, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Ok, Ok!¡±


    The security guard whom Kang Xia looked at and talked to immediately nodded and felt extremely flattered.


    Kang Xia faced him again and gave a charming smile. She then faced toward Tang Xiu and invited him, ¡°Boss, let¡¯s go inside!¡±


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the progress?¡± Tang Xiu smiled and asked after he went in, ¡°I just got off the plane and caught up with you here.¡±


    ¡°Today is just to publicize our booth. Tomorrow will be the official opening of the Wine Tasting Competition.¡± Kang Xia said with a smile, ¡°Our Gods Nectar is priced rather too high. Many people made jokes about it the whole morning.¡±


    ¡°Well, 10,000 yuan per bottle is, of course, a very high price.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°Boss, wasn¡¯t our Gods Nectar priced at 11,000 before?¡± Kang Xia stared blankly for a moment, looked confused, ¡°Ah, I haven¡¯t told you about it yet! Its tagged price now is 18,888 yuan per bottle after the high-level management had a discussion about it!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked dazed as he suddenly recalled something. He then patted his head and forced out a smile, ¡°It¡¯s a loss. I made it a loss. I drank with several friends a couple days ago in a restaurant in Shanghai. I told them it was priced at 10,000 yuan per bottle. Eventually, they¡¯ll want to order some bottles from our winery.¡±


    ¡°Ehh, it turned out like this!¡± Kang Xia couldn¡¯t help laughing and said, ¡°It¡¯s all right. Since they are your friends, Boss, selling it a bit cheaper is normal. However, we can¡¯t set this kind of precedent again.¡±


    ¡°If it was only 10,000 per bottle, it would be fine.¡± Tang Xiu reluctantly said, ¡°But I also gave them a discount.¡±


    _Cough! Cough!_


    Kang Xia was choked by Tang Xiu¡¯s words. She didn¡¯t know whether to cry or laugh as she looked at Tang Xiu and curiously asked, ¡°Boss, are you regretting it?¡±


    ¡°More than regretting it. My intestines turned green because of it!¡± Tang Xiu forced a bitter smile and said, ¡°Damn, it¡¯s 50% cheaper than the direct price. Ah, let bygones be bygones. I must not give face to those so-called friends again in the future. This is money! A lot of it!¡±


    ¡°Well, they haven¡¯t contacted me, yet.¡± Kang Xia laughed, ¡°So you don¡¯t need to worry. Let¡¯s just wait until our Gods Nectar hit the market. They will also know about the selling price. And so they will know Boss¡¯s great spirit; a friend worth making.¡±


    Tang Xiu wryly smiled and shook his head. That night, outside Miao Wentang, there were several other people he considered as friends! This cheap profit turned out to be a gift to them.


    The duo returned to counter #0246 while chatting.


    ¡°Huh? What happened?¡±


    Kang Xia¡¯s footsteps came to a halt as she caught sight of the counter that was completely surrounded by people. The sight made her confused.


    ¡°Those people are gathered around¡­ our counter?¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Kang Xia nodded and said, ¡°The counter was still empty when I came out to greet you. How come it was surrounded by people within this short time?¡±


    ¡°All right, let¡¯s go!¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Let¡¯s have a look at the cause.¡±


    The duo had yet to squeeze into the crowd as they heard Su Quan¡¯s voice from the inside, ¡°Gentlemen, we really don¡¯t sell out Gods Nectar. Besides, we only brought four bottles. Our General Manager has just gifted a bottle while the rest will be used tomorrow. So we must apologize for this inconvenience. If you want to buy it, you¡¯ll have to wait for a few days when we¡¯ll open our exclusive stores in Shanghai as well as in the major cities across the country. Please go to our stores to buy it then.¡±


    In the innermost circle.


    ¡°Little Brother, please sell me a bottle!¡± Qin Changlin forced a smile and said, ¡°Only two bottles will be used for tomorrow¡¯s entry, I want to buy the remaining bottle. We have tasted the Gods Nectar brought by Old Du a moment ago. It¡¯s simply¡­ fabulous. If my wine addiction flares up and I can¡¯t drink such a good wine, I¡¯m afraid I will be unable to sleep after I go back.¡±


    ¡°Elderly, I really can¡¯t sell it.¡± Su Quan said, ¡°I¡¯m only an errand boy and our superior is currently not here. How about you wait for her?¡±


    With Tang Xiu¡¯s support, Kang Xia squeezed inside. She then looked at the surrounding crowd in front of the counter. After she and Tang Xiu entered the counter, she said, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Su Quan¡¯s eyes turned bright immediately upon seeing Tang Xiu. He quickly said, ¡°Chief Kang, they want to buy our Gods Nectar. They even threatened to buy however many bottles we have.¡±


    While looking at Qin Changlin and the rest, Kang Xia said with a smile, ¡°Gentlemen, my subordinate said it crystal clear. I ask everyone to please go back! Our Magnificent Tang Corp will hold a press conference a few days later. After the press conference, our fifty exclusive stores for Gods Nectar in twenty-five cities across the country will open at the same time. By then, I hope all of you come and support our exclusive stores.¡±

 Chapter 376

    Chapter 376: Establishing a Good Reputation


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Standing on the inside the counter, Tang Xiu watched the anticipating Qin Changlin and the others outside. He also looked at many others who wore a surprised expressions on their faces. He was very contented. Though he was clueless as to why Qin Changlin and the others wanted to compete to buy Gods Nectar, he believed they were not faking it.


    ¡°Chief Kang, could you bend the rules, please? It¡¯s just a bottle. Besides, only two bottles are needed for the Wine Tasting Conference. In any case, this one bottle would remain. Isn¡¯t it better to sell it to me? I¡¯ll pay a double¡­ no, ten times the price.¡± Qin Changlin said, ¡°Old Brother Du Kun got a bottle from you and we have tasted it. The flavor is truly world-class. I don¡¯t want to drink another wines after I drank this Gods Nectar.¡±


    ¡°Uncle, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to sell it. But please look at the others beside you. They also want to buy it.¡± Kang Xia forced a smile and said, ¡°If I were to sell it to you, I¡¯m afraid they won¡¯t be happy about it. So, for fairness sake, please wait for the Wine Tasting Conference to finish. Our exclusive stores are to be opened after that, so you can go there to buy it when the time comes!¡±


    Qin Changlin looked at the others. He lowered his head and muttered. After that, he raised his head and said, ¡°Chief Kang, we just had a chat. Please sell us a bottle and we¡¯ll drink it together this evening. We¡¯ll pay what I told you before, ten times the price. What do you think?¡±


    After a moment¡¯s pondering, Kang Xia then nodded and said, ¡°Since you really like it, I can¡¯t make you overpay it. The price is 18,888 a bottle. Please pay the bill and take a bottle.¡±


    ¡°Good, good, good!¡±


    Qin Changlin opened his wallet without hesitation. But he was startled as he only found a few thousand yuan inside it. The other five also took their wallets and quickly collected 18,900 yuan. Since Kang Xia didn¡¯t want to receive the change, she gave them back 12 yuans.


    ¡°Gentlemen, since you really like the Gods Nectar produced by our Magnificent Tang Corp, I hope you can help publicize it. Though a good and fragrant wine indeed fears not a dark alley, with you helping with the publicity, we will benefit from it, causing the Gods Nectar to hit the domestic market very quickly.¡± Kang Xia said with a smile.


    Nodding in a response, Qin Changlin then turned around. He raised the Gods Nectar and loudly said, ¡°I¡¯m one of the judges of this Wine Tasting Conference, and also the vice-chairman of China Wine Industry Association. These five gentlemen around me are also judges of this year¡¯s Wine Tasting Conference. We just had the honor of tasting this Gods Nectar in advance. The flavor is unusually mellow and it was the best wine we¡¯ve ever had. Thus, I hope you all can help in publicizing it as well. While the wine is priced at 18,888 yuan, it¡¯s absolutely worth the money.¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    The crowd suddenly boiled as shocked expressions covered their faces as they stared at the bottle of Gods Nectar in his hand.


    Today, the people who came to the Wine Tasting Conference were people who had a deep knowledge of the wine industry. Most of them knew who Qin Changlin was. They also knew that these elderly people were always fair and had a reputable attitude. Thus they can become the six judges of this Wine Tasting Conference.


    If it were others speaking they might not believe it. But numerous people were convinced because it was Qin Chanling. Furthermore, the other five judges of the Wine Tasting Conference had also tasted countless good wines. They also had deep knowledge of each type of wine.


    Since they were all of one voice saying that this Gods Nectar was a rare, unusual wine in the world, this meant that it should be absolutely true!


    ¡°This years¡¯ Wine Tasting Conference seems to have a blazing dark horse! I¡¯m really curious about the flavor of this Gods Nectar.¡±


    ¡°The judges¡¯ words and expressions really piqued my curiosity. To think all of them said that this wine is unusual, how wonderful is this Gods Nectar¡¯s taste?¡±


    ¡°Ah, pity that there are only two bottles left. I really want to buy a bottle. Well, I gotta wait for the Magnificent Tang Corp to open their exclusive stores. I¡¯ll go there at once to buy and taste it on the scene. If the wine is top-notch just like what the judges said, I must order it in large quantities.¡±


    ¡°So many judges are giving a full praise and recognition, this is something we¡¯ve never seen at any previous Wine Tasting Conference! There are seven judges at each Wine Tasting Conference. If the rest would also give a full praise, I¡¯ll order it in large quantities now!¡±


    ¡°Have you not heard it just now? These six judges had tasted the Gods Nectar and they learned about the wine from elderly Du Kun, the seventh judge.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Amidst the buzzing chatters, a middle-aged man struggled to squeeze himself into the innermost spot. He looked at Kang Xia and said, ¡°Chief Kang, I want to order 200 boxes of your Gods Nectar. Yes, 200 boxes.¡±


    Another person didn¡¯t want to be left behind and echoed, ¡°I¡¯m also ordering 200 boxes.¡±


    Kang Xia didn¡¯t know whether to be amused or cry as she looked at them. She then said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry to inform you that our Magnificent Tang Corp don¡¯t provide pre-order sales.


    ¡°The wine will only be sold in the stores we set up. So if you want to buy it, you can only go to our stores. Furthermore, due to the limited production of our Gods Nectar, each patron is not allowed to buy more than 2 boxes, or 12 bottles.¡±


    The man stared blankly for a moment and exclaimed, ¡°Is this your way of doing business? Someone wants to buy your wine, yet you actually want to limit the purchase? What kind of manners are these?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s our Boss¡¯ decision.¡± Kang Xia said with a smile, ¡°We have no authority to call the shots, we¡¯re only implementing his decision.¡±


    ¡°Chief Kang, may I ask who the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corp is?¡± asked Qin Changlin, confused.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Our Boss doesn¡¯t like to show himself in public. So he told us not to expose his identity.¡± Kang Xia said with a smile.


    ¡°This Magnificent Tang Corp of yours is really¡­ ¡­surprising!¡± Qin Changlin forced a wry smile and said, ¡°Anyhow, why do I feel that this name seems a bit familiar? Like I¡¯ve heard of it somewhere.¡±


    Many people around him also looked confused upon hearing it. Because many of them also felt that the name Magnificent Tang Corp was somewhat familiar.


    ¡°As I recall¡­ its General Manager should be the famous gold manager Kang Xia¡­ Then you¡­ you are¡­ Chief Kang?¡± The middle-aged man exclaimed.


    In an instant, everyone¡¯s eyes fixated on Kang Xia. Some wore curious looks while some others were shocked.


    ¡°I never thought I was so famous. To think that someone would recognize me while participating in this Wine Tasting Conference.¡± Kang Xia chuckled and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m Kang Xia. But I don¡¯t know anything about this gold manager title, though.¡±


    ¡°No wonder. It¡¯s no wonder that the name of the Magnificent Tang Corp would ring a bell.¡± Qin Changlin said in astonishment, ¡°It¡¯s because this is the company group Chief Kang is working at now. I thought that this company was established by Chief Kang. But it turns out to have its own Boss.¡±


    Kang Xia inadvertently glanced at the faintly smiling Tang Xiu. She then said with a charming smile, ¡°I had no choice, though. It seems like I was born to work for others. To be frank, it¡¯s even worse with my current boss. He is a boss who asks others to do the job, but he himself does not work. Thus, I¡¯m responsible for everything.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not a good thing!¡± Qin Changlin with a clear and loud laugh, ¡°An able person should do more work, to begin with. This shows that your boss has great eyes and insight. He doesn¡¯t want to let someone as talented as you buried and waste your talent. We are really envious of him!¡±


    Shortly after, after some exchanges, Qin Changlin and the others dispersed and left. But many liquor wholesalers and executive officers of wine businesses came to participate in the Wine Tasting Conference after catching wind of the news about Gods Nectar. Many people wanted to place advance order, but eventually, each and every one of them was turned down by Kang Xia.


    Some with high aspirations and well intentions quietly observed that Kang Xia had declined more than 20 liquor wholesalers within just over an hour.


    A little before noon.


    Kang Xia smiled as she sat across from Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Boss, we¡¯ll soon hit lunchtime. Shall we order meals to lunch here while working? Or have lunch outside to console and encourage us?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s have lunch while working!¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll pick a restaurant in the evening to reward you.¡±


    While leaning on the wall nearby, Su Quan grinned, ¡°Big Boss Tang, I really admire you more and more! Why did I not find you so skillful in your childhood? If I knew it before, I would have held your thigh tightly and followed behind your butt earlier.¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap!¡± Tang Xiu laughed and said, ¡°You¡¯re not a god, how can you know what will happen in the future? Regardless, it¡¯s not too late now, though. I¡¯m someone who will ensure that all the buddies I hang out with have a good life in the future; provided that you do well, that is.¡±


    ¡°You said it!¡± Su Quan grinned, ¡°I¡¯ll definitely make you satisfied with my performance.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m very satisfied now.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°By the way, Kang Xia, send someone to order two houses after you go back to Star City. Each house shall be no less than 2 million. Give them to Su Quan and Su Ben each. Just consider it as their welfare treatment!¡±


    ¡°No, no, no!¡±


    Su Quan quickly waved his hand and said, ¡°Tang Xiu, though we¡¯re brothers, you don¡¯t need to give us special treatment. I¡¯m totally fine if you give it to me. But how come you don¡¯t know about Brother Ben¡¯s disposition? He surely won¡¯t accept the house without good reason. If he won¡¯t accept it, how can I feel all right accepting it either? Nevertheless, you can make Chief Kang raise our salaries and give rounds of benefits later. But leave out this housing issue!¡±


    Tang Xiu was stunned. As he recalled Su Ben¡¯s upright, honest and stubborn personality, he immediately let out a wry smile and said, ¡°Brother Ben¡­ Ah, forget it, forget it. Kang Xia, you also heard, right? Just give them more rewards if they perform well later.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡±


    Kang Xia could feel the brotherhood between Tang Xiu and Su Quan and nodded with a smile.


    After lunch, Tang Xiu continued staying there. Though he was the Boss and there was no need for him to stay, he had nothing else to do. He stayed there to have a look at the situation as well as accompany Kang Xia and Su Quan. Chatting merrily together was also a happy thing to do.


    This afternoon, the Gods Nectar of the Magnificent Tang Corp caused a huge sensation and became instantly famous. All the guests who came to the Wine Tasting Conference went to their booth. Dozens of them even wanted to place advance orders on the spot, though they were all declined by Kang Xia. Regardless, through today¡¯s situation, whether it was Kang Xia, Su Quan, or Tang Xiu, they were aware of one thing. The fame of Gods Nectar had hit the roof.

 Chapter 377

    Chapter 377: Reward


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The night had fallen.


    The bustling Shanghai was a city of a myriad of twinkling lights. At the Everlasting Feast Hall Shanghai Branch, Chi Nan leaned motionlessly on the counter, lazily fiddling with her mobile phone.


    ¡°Chief Chi, someone is looking for you.¡± A waiter came by.


    Chi Nan looked up lazily and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s looking for me?¡±


    The waiter pointed to the back and said, ¡°He¡¯s a male student who said he wants a box. But the boxes in our restaurant are fully occupied now.¡±


    Looking around, Chi Nan¡¯s look slightly changed as a bright smile appeared on her gorgeous face. After clearing seeing that the student was Tang Xiu, she said to the waiter, ¡°Go to clean up the VIP lounge on the fourth floor immediately. Prepare the best drinks and dishes as per VIP treatment. Go quickly.¡±


    ¡°VIP?¡± The waiter was stunned and stared blankly before she turned around to look at Tang Xiu and the others and departed in large strides.


    With a smiling expression, Chi Nan came before Tang Xiu and the others. Though she had already seen Kang Xia¡¯s stunning appearance, she was somewhat still startled by it. She then smiled and said, ¡°Welcome. How many boxes do you need, Boss?¡±


    ¡°Chi Nan, arrange the VIP lounge on the fourth floor for us! They are all our people.¡± Said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Chi Nan was startled. She then smiled and said, ¡°I have people preparing it, Boss.¡±


    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll introduce you to them. She¡¯s Kang Xia, the General Manager of Magnificent Tang Corp. This one is Su Quan, a brother I grew up with and now also works in the Magnificent Tang Corp.¡± Tang Xiu let out a slight smile and said, ¡°She¡¯s Chi Nan, the Shanghai Branch Manager of the Everlasting Feast Hall.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Kang Xia.¡± Chi Nan smiled as she put out her hand and said, ¡°Since we¡¯re in the same side, please call me Sister Nannan! How about I call you Xiaxia?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Kang Xia hesitated before she shook hands with Chi Nan and nodded. She then looked at Tang Xiu and asked in puzzlement, ¡°What is this, Boss?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corp.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°But I¡¯m also the owner of the Everlasting Feast Hall.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s Boss?¡± Kang Xia was startled and asked, ¡°How is this possible? To my knowledge, the Everlasting Feast Hall has existed for decades. How come you¡­¡±


    Waving his hand to interrupt her, Tang Xiu let out a slight smile and said, ¡°There are some things you¡¯re not privy to know. Maybe you¡¯ll know about it later. Anyways, our Gods Nectar has caused a huge sensation in the Wine Tasting Conference. This will make the wine famous sooner, so I think I¡¯ll give you due congratulations and a celebration in advance.¡±


    Seeing that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to elaborate further, Kang Xia held herself back and no longer asked. It was already a pleasant surprise for her to be together with Tang Xiu now.


    At the VIP Lounge on the fourth floor.


    They were led by Chi Nan into the spacious VIP lounge. Su Quan¡¯s eyes stared wide after he looked inside. He then came to the window, watching the scenes on the lively, bustling streets outside. He couldn¡¯t bear to blurt out, ¡°This is so luxurious. I¡¯ve been to many restaurants, yet this is my first time in such a luxurious restaurant.¡±


    ¡°This is the VIP Lounge of our Everlasting Feast Hall.¡± Chi Nan laughed, ¡°It¡¯s not usually open to the public. Outside of a few VIPs and our own people, outsiders are not allowed here.¡±


    ¡°It seems like we¡¯re in the limelight due to Big Boss!¡± Su Quan said with a smile.


    The other employees of the Tang Magnificent Corp were also shocked. Though all of them knew that Tang Xiu was the company¡¯s Big Boss, they knew that he was someone who asked others to work but did nothing himself. But now, they finally realized that their Big Boss, who usually did not bother with the company¡¯s situation, turned out to have more businesses outside the Magnificent Tang Corp. He simply had his hands full.


    ¡°Take your seats!¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and said.


    Kang Xia quickly moved and personally pulled a chair for Tang Xiu. After that, she smiled and sat at his side.


    As for Chi Nan, she didn¡¯t take a seat and instead spoke, ¡°Boss, Elder Ji has come to Shanghai. But I didn¡¯t inform you since I learned you went to Guangyang Province a few days ago. Could you see her when you have the time?¡±


    After ruminating for a moment, Tang Xiu then replied, ¡°Let her wait. The person I¡¯ve been waiting for has yet to come to Shanghai. So I¡¯ll contact her after that person arrived.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± Chi Nan smiled faintly and nodded.


    Quickly, the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s special great dishes and fine wines had been delivered. The fragrant dishes aroused everyone¡¯s appetites. It took a full two hours before the dinner was over. During the feast, Kang Xia only drank a bit of wine, yet a rosy redness was painted on her stunningly beautiful face, making her look a bit cuter and lovelier.


    ¡°Boss, can you accompany me to have a look at the night scenery of Shanghai?¡±


    After leaving the restaurant, Kang Xia walked alongside Tang Xiu and spoke in an undertone voice.


    ¡°All right!¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t refuse her. Kang Xia was a friend he trusted and liked. Thus, he wanted to make her contented. After sending off Su Quan and the rest, Tang Xiu then looked at Chi Nan and said with a smile, ¡°You go back to take care of your matter! I¡¯ll take Kang Xia to stroll around.¡±


    Chi Nan looked at Kang Xia with a strange expression. She then smiled and asked, ¡°Boss, do you want to use my car?¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand said, ¡°Though I¡¯ve no problem driving after drinking, it¡¯s still regarded as driving while drunk. So we¡¯ll take a cab!¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Chi Nan replied as she turned around and walked toward the restaurant.


    Tang Xiu then looked at Kang Xia and asked with a smile, ¡°Where do you want to go? When I first arrived in Shanghai I wandered around with my classmates. After all, this metropolis is very good.¡±


    ¡°How about we head to the Bund?¡± Kang Xia said with a smile, ¡°I wanna see the night view of Huangpu River. Ah, right, if we can take a ride on the night passenger ferry in Huangpu River it would be even better.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded. After catching a cab, they quickly arrived at Huangpu River¡¯s ferry ticket office. Tang Xiu bought the tickets and then accompanied Kang Xia to a tour of Huangpu River and then returned to the shore. Kang Xia and Tang Xiu walked side by side amidst the crowd. Finally, after hesitating for a moment, Kang Xia reached out her hand and grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s hand.


    Glancing at her, Tang Xiu slightly smiled and said, ¡°You seem to have some things you¡¯ve been wanting to ask. You also want to know how I became the owner of the Everlasting Feast Hall, right?¡±


    ¡°What I wanna ask is not how you became the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s owner.¡± Kang Xia said with a smile, ¡°But it¡¯s about Chi Nan. Your relationship with her seems a bit unusual.¡±


    Tang Xiu stared blankly for a moment before he immediately burst into laughter, ¡°You couldn¡¯t be thinking that our relationship is like between a man and a woman, right?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that. So to speak, you two seem very close, but she respects you very much.¡± Kang Xia said, ¡°It¡¯s unlike a perfunctory fake respect. But it¡¯s from the heart. Even despite her attempts to conceal it, she occasionally revealed it a bit¡­ like she¡¯s flattering you.¡±


    The smile on Tang Xiu¡¯s face slowly receded as he stood near Huangpu River. Overlooking the reflection of the reversed images of the dim lights on the surface of the river, he serenely said, ¡°Kang Xia, you observed her very carefully. But have you not discovered that she also finds an exceptional and particular manner from you?¡±


    ¡°I figured it wasn¡¯t her first time seeing me.¡± Kang Xia said, ¡°But it was rather like an affectionate sentiment between old friends or something, which is a point I can¡¯t figure out, to be honest.¡±


    Turning around, Tang Xiu then looked at her face. Watching her sparkling eyes with rippling watery and bright halos he then seriously asked, ¡°I¡¯ve taught you a cultivation technique, how is your practice?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t felt internal Qi yet.¡± Kang Xia said.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t felt internal Qi, but she has been practicing and cultivating True Qi.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Though she has yet to embark on the genuine cultivation path, she may be able to learn it in the future. All the core members of the Everlasting Feast Hall are my own people, for whom my orders are above all else. Even if I order them to commit suicide before me, they will carry it out at once.¡±


    Kang Xia¡¯s heart startled. He looked at Tang Xiu with an incredulous expression and asked, ¡°Boss, such loyal people¡­ could they really exist in this world?¡±


    ¡°They are different! Their lives are not only just for themselves.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Boss, I gotta say that I disagree.¡± Kang Xia shook her head and said, ¡°Their lives are in their hands to control. As for how they walk it through in the future, they have their own path to go, how could you say it like that¡­¡±


    ¡°Their paths have actually come to an end.¡± Tang Xiu interrupted her words and confidently said, ¡°Unless they grow old and die in obscurity, they will vigorously follow my footsteps. The path they have to take in the future will be given by me. Thus, their lives are something they must use to give their loyalty to me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s given by you?¡± Kang Xia was surprised and said, ¡°How do you give it to them?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you forgot what I told you when I imparted you your cultivation technique? _¡®Become stronger and continue to live on¡¯_.¡± Tang Xiu lightly smiled and said, ¡°If they can cultivate to a certain realm, they will have a long life ahead. It¡¯s not just them, even you have also learned a cultivation technique from me, so your life is mine.¡±


    Kang Xia fell into silence for a moment. A smile suddenly unfolded on her face as she said with a smile, ¡°Well, my soul and body are yours, to begin with.¡±


    ¡°Ehh¡­¡± Tang Xiu was startled for a moment and suddenly recalled his tumble with Kang Xia. The part under his abdomen turned hot.


    ¡°Kang Xia, I¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu opened his mouth to speak.


    Kang Xia lifted her jade-like fingers and gently covered Tang Xiu¡¯s lips as she lightly laughed, ¡°I know you said we can¡¯t be a normal couple. However, I don¡¯t mind that. As long as I can occupy some space in your heart, I¡¯m satisfied.¡±


    Tang Xiu sighed inside. He then put his arms around her shoulders and said, ¡°Let¡¯s not speak about that and go somewhere else!¡±


    Kang Xia nodded and didn¡¯t say anything else. A different light flashed from her eyes. No one knew what she was thinking.


    After a long period of time, only then did Kang Xia softly said, ¡°I know a store nearby. Care to join me to buy a few pieces of clothes?¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Is this shop selling other things besides clothes? I want to buy a laptop. Nowadays, someone who has no knowledge about computers can be regarded as an illiterate person.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how to use a computer?¡± Kang Xia was surprised.


    ¡°I can use it for simple operations.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°I had a computer class in the middle of my junior high. But what I learned were very simple things. In fact, I just began using a smartphone recently.¡±

 Chapter 378

    Chapter 378: One Can¡¯t Avoid One¡¯s Enemy


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡± Kang Xia said with a smile, ¡°If you want to learn more advanced operations I can teach you later. Ah, right, do you want to buy a computer to play games or for work? There are many models of laptops and configurations. I need to know what you wanna do with it first.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be using it for study and work!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Giving an ¡°OK¡± gesture, Kang Xia then held Tang Xiu¡¯s hand and walked toward a nearby store.


    Shopping! As always, it was in a woman¡¯s nature. Though accompanying a woman shopping was a dream of numerous bachelors, but Tang Xiu himself didn¡¯t like shopping. He would directly find out where to buy the things he wanted and straightly buy them.


    However, Kang Xia was, after all, someone who in a relationship with him. Moreover, she was his right-hand woman. So Tang Xiu absolutely wouldn¡¯t want to disappoint her and tried to satisfy her as much as possible.


    ¡°Have you ever been here before? I¡¯ve been here twice, but I didn¡¯t find such a big mall in this place.¡± As the duo entered the shop¡¯s front door, Tang Xiu curiously asked while looking at the shops around and the dazzling goods.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been here at least ten times.¡± Kang Xia said with a smile.


    ¡°Shopping is kinda a woman¡¯s nature. It seems that you¡¯re no exception either.¡± Tang Xiu suddenly understood and said with a smile, ¡°Anyways, you can buy anything you like. I may be a miser, but to reward you, I¡¯ve prepared to bleed tonight.¡±


    ¡°For real?¡± Kang Xia was pleasantly surprised and said, ¡°Don¡¯t take your words back or regret it later.¡±


    ¡°A word of a gentleman is more forthright than a horsewhip.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    A smile outlined on the corner of Kang Xia¡¯s mouth as she nodded heavily. Suddenly, her face slightly dazed and her brows furrowed instantly, a loathing and disliking expression flashing from her eyes.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go there!¡±


    She pulled Tang Xiu towards another direction.


    ¡°Hold on, Miss Kang!¡±


    A hearty laughter sounded nearby. Shortly after, two youths strided over.


    Tang Xiu and Kang Xia halted. Kang Xia forced a smile and said, ¡°Boss, we¡¯ve bumped into trouble. This fly is a rather special one.¡±


    _A fly?_


    Tang Xiu stared blankly for a moment. What he didn¡¯t expect was that the two striding over were unexpectedly acquaintances.


    ¡°Miss Kang, I didn¡¯t expect to actually meet you here. My older sister did mention you yesterday, though! I heard that you came to Shanghai to handle some business, so I must entertain you well.¡± As always, Li Zhen still looked elegant as a brilliant smile hung on his handsome face. His eyes stared at Kang Xia and didn¡¯t even spare a look toward Tang Xiu beside her.


    ¡°Thanks for your sister¡¯s good intention.¡± Kang Xia said with a smile, ¡°But my visit this time is strictly for business. I¡¯ll see her later if time allows. Anyways, we have something else to take care of, so I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡±


    Having said that, she pulled Tang Xiu and was about to leave.


    ¡°Miss Kang, it¡¯s already rare to bump into you here. May I invite you¡­¡± Li Zhen hastily cried out.


    His words suddenly came to a halt because at this moment as his eyes caught Tang Xiu. This was the reason as to why he swallowed back the words he was about to say.


    Looking at Li Zhen with an indifferent expression, Tang Xiu slowly said, ¡°There¡¯s indeed a proverb saying that enemies would cross each other in a narrow path. I never believed it before, but now I must say that it¡¯s true. Heed my advice, will you? Kang Xia is my person. If you don¡¯t have any proper matters to discuss with her in the future, you had better not chaotically fly around her. Conduct yourself well.¡±


    Li Zhen¡¯s face turned particularly unsightly. Startled, he looked at Tang Xiu and lividly said out of embarrassment, ¡°Tang Xiu! How can you be everywhere? Don¡¯t ever think that because of the agreement I must walk around when I see you. Whether you believe me or not¡­¡±


    ¡°Why should I believe you? Do you want to force me to act against you and your Li Family or something?¡± Tang Xiu interrupted him and lightly asked, ¡°Judging from your age, you¡¯re not a child, so you had better think hard. Don¡¯t invite trouble that will attract disaster to your Li Family.¡±


    Having said that, Tang Xiu grabbed Kang Xia¡¯s hand and walked away.


    Li Zhen¡¯s face constantly changed before he finally looked at Tang Xiu and Kang Xia¡¯s back as they departed. A look of unwillingness emerged on his face. He hadn¡¯t yet clearly investigated Tang Xiu¡¯s background and identity, so he didn¡¯t dare to act rashly.


    ¡°Little Ya, call Yu Zhi and tell him you saw Tang Xiu. Perhaps due to his hatred toward Tang Xiu he¡¯ll rush over without thinking to exact his revenge.¡± Li Zhen loosened his fists and immediately whispered after thinking to kill with a borrowed knife.


    ¡°All right!¡± the youth nodded.


    On the second floor of the shopping mall, at the electronic stores.


    Tang Xiu calmly held Kang Xia¡¯s hand and asked, ¡°Judging from your words before, you should know Li Zhen¡¯s older sister, right?¡±


    The smile on Kang Xia¡¯s face didn¡¯t recede since Tang Xiu grabbed her hand. Especially when she heard him saying ¡°Kang Xia is my person¡±. It made her feel like when she ate sweet honey. Upon hearing his inquiry, Kang Xia said with a smile, ¡°Mmm. I do know his older sister.¡±


    ¡°You called him a fly before. Is he chasing after you or something?¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°Many men are pursuing me, but I never spare them a glance.¡± Kang Xia said with a smile, ¡°I don¡¯t think there will be a man more outstanding than you in the world. Boss, looking at you and Li Zhen back then, do you know each other before? Moreover, there should be a conflict between you, right?¡±


    ¡°It was just a little conflict, not a big deal.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°Can you elaborate?¡± Kang Xia curiously asked.


    ¡°When I first came to Shanghai, I got bored after dining in the Everlasting Feast Hall with some friends. Then, I followed Chi Nan to a neighbor city and took part in an underground car racing.¡± Tang Xiu shot a glance at her and said, ¡°The opponents were Li Zhen and a professional racer invited by him from Hong Kong. At the end of the day, I won. Not only did he lost money, he also accepted my condition to avoid me whenever and wherever he meets me later. Another thing is that he and my classmate also had a conflict, to begin with. A couple days ago they bumped into each other and quarrelled, and I gave a lesson to his lackey due to his own impertinent remark.¡±


    ¡°Well, the Li Family is quite powerful in Shanghai. Though they are not among the top ten, their power can be considered as quite good.¡± Kang Xia suddenly understood and said with a smile, ¡°After Li Dan, Li Zhen¡¯s older sister, took charge of their family businesses, they have been thriving ever since. But on the contrary, this Li Zhen is a typical second-generation nouveau riche. A good-for-nothing young master. Even his older sister is worried about him.¡±


    ¡°I already knew that he¡¯s a good-for-nothing young master the first time I saw him.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°His kind exude an air of money around them. Even though I don¡¯t know much about luxurious jewelry and such, but from what he wore only, I dare say they¡¯re worth tens of thousands yuan.¡±


    ¡°Boss, you¡¯re mistaken.¡± Kang Xia couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°Everything he was wearing was worth hundreds of thousands yuan, at least. That¡¯s even excluding the Vacheron Constantin watch he wore on his wrist, that is worth more than 1 million yuan.¡±


    ¡°Well, it seems that I still have more to learn about common knowledge.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ll teach you since you¡¯ve served me tonight!¡± Kang Xia said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m an expert in this area, to begin with.¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­¡±


    Listening to the word ¡°serve¡± made it so Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but recall about that night of passion. Physiologically, he was still a normal man and naturally had his needs in that aspect as well. However, he was someone who got along with nature and he didn¡¯t like to be restrained. Not to mention that his woman betrayed him in the Immortal World, causing him to have a repulsive instinct toward women.


    _I shall just do whatever I feel like doing. Why on earth should I care about so many things?!_


    The thought emerged in Tang Xiu¡¯s heart. He immediately looked at Kang Xia with a few faint changes in his expression.


    Immediately afterward, Kang Xia led Tang Xiu to have a look at several laptops in the electronic stores. She eventually bought one laptop that was to Tang Xiu¡¯s liking. It was a laptop with the highest specifications and priced at five digits. The duo immediately took the laptop bag and strolled to the fourth, fifth and sixth floors.


    The clothing stores here were of the high-class. Many of which were world famous brands whose prices made Tang Xiu quite depressed.


    At the end of the day, Tang Xiu¡¯s ostensible purpose of buying some clothes for Kang Xia changed to her actually buying him many goods; several sets of clothes and even shoes, socks, and underwear. While she herself surprisingly bought nothing after strolling around for a good deal of time. Kang Xia even didn¡¯t let him pay the bills. He argued and disputed, but ultimately, the endeavor ended in failure as Tang Xiu went along with her.


    ¡°Hey, look at the women¡¯s wear shop in front. Let¡¯s go to have a look!¡± Tang Xiu hastily said upon seeing that Kang Xia looked like she still wanted to continue buying clothes for him.


    Kang Xia didn¡¯t say anything as she glanced at the bags in Tang Xiu¡¯s hands. Furthermore, she seemed to ignore him as she nodded, smiled and said, ¡°Boss, you know what? Your body is just a natural clothes rack. You always look good no matter what clothes you wear.¡±


    ¡°Can you please stop fawning upon me?¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, ¡°I guarantee you that I can never put on children¡¯s attire.¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­¡±


    Kang Xia charmingly laughed.


    Half an hour later, when Kang Xia finally picked a beautiful dress, Tang Xiu then paid the bill as she then pulled him downstairs.


    ¡°Already? But you only bought one!¡± Tang Xiu was surprised.


    ¡°One is enough.¡± Kang Xia said with a smile, ¡°In fact, I don¡¯t lack clothes, to begin with. Though I pulled you over to go shopping, it¡¯s no different than having you accompany me as I please. It doesn¡¯t matter if I don¡¯t buy anything!¡±


    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go!¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    At the entrance to the mall.


    Yu Zhi was standing not far away from the street corner while leaning on the wall and smoking a cigarette. His eyes suffused with coldness and constantly swept over the building¡¯s entrance. Behind him were four big men with bulging muscles and all were carrying knives.


    ¡°Cheng Ye, do remember that I don¡¯t want his life. But I must see his blood, and it¡¯s best to slice his hand and bring it to me.¡± Yu Zhi turned his head as he growled and looked at a big man wearing a gold chain.


    ¡°Young master Yu, you can rest easy! That punk dared to offend Young Master Yu, that means he¡¯s asking for it. I¡¯ll make sure to bring his hand so that Young Master Yu can vent your anger.¡±


    ¡°Though there are many people outside the building, you don¡¯t need to worry about that. There won¡¯t be a problem if you act a bit faster. Besides, I have an acquaintance in the police station should any problem arise.¡±

 Chapter 379

    Chapter 379: Assault in the Middle of the Street


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    At the building¡¯s entrance. Tang Xiu and Kang Xia had just come out and realized that something was amiss. Some eyes harboring evil intentions were constantly vying for him. With just a few glances, he could tell that there were at least twenty youths in outlandish attires slowly approaching him.


    ¡°Follow me closely. You must not get scared no matter what happens.¡± Tang Xiu pinched Kang Xia¡¯s hand and said with a serene expression.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Kang Xia asked, confused.


    ¡°Some people have narrow minds and want to find trouble with me.¡± Tang Xiu pursed his lips and lightly said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid this matter is related with that punk named Li.¡±


    ¡°Li Zhen?¡±


    Turning to the direction Tang Xiu was looking, Kang Xia immediately discovered that four or five youths dressed in outlandish attires were staring at them. There was also the same number of youths in several other directions closing up on them.


    ¡°Boss, this block is very crowded. They shouldn¡¯t be that bold, right?¡± Kang Xia was somewhat afraid.


    ¡°They are not the main instigator.¡± Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°Someone must have pulled the strings from behind. So it¡¯s quite likely they dare to act in this environment because of backing. Hence, you must follow at my side. These local thugs are not worth of me paying attention to.¡±


    At this moment, Tang Xiu released his spiritual sense. Within a radius of 200-300 meters, he could clearly observe every person¡¯s actions and movements.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s brows furrowed, because he found an acquaintance he once met at Shanghai University¡¯s entrance. It was a youth who was with Li Zhen at that time, who made impertinent remarks and was hit by him.


    Moreover, through the observation of his spiritual sense, there were also four big men behind him who were also quickly coming toward them.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Once again, Tang Xiu found other acquaintances. They were Li Zhen and a youth who looked happy seeing others¡¯ misfortune. They had just bumped into him and Kang Xia before. This duo was hiding on the third floor of the opposite building instead of being together with the fellow he had hit before.


    _What a poor and pitiable guy. He is the cannon fodder, eh._


    The thought appeared inside Tang Xiu¡¯s mind. He then took out his mobile phone and said, ¡°Chi Nan, investigate Shanghai¡¯s Li Family. The more detailed the investigation, the better. Tonight will be a good time to visit the Li Family. Besides, Kang Xia is a good sister of Li Dan, the Li Family¡¯s Miss.¡±


    At the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s Shanghai Branch, Chi Nan was watching two Arowanas in the aquarium out of boredom. When she received Tang Xiu¡¯s call and heard his chilling voice, her eyes suddenly lit up and replied loudly, ¡°Boss, wait for my news. I¡¯ll have the details of the Li Family clearly investigated at about ¡­ half an hour at the latest. Anyhow, are you coming here or am I look for you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll find you!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°All right!¡±


    Chi Nan hung up the phone enthusiastically. Shortly after, she called everyone in the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s intelligence network and began the operation. All core members of the Everlasting Feast Hall began to gather intelligence about Shanghai¡¯s Li Family through various channels and networks.


    On the bustling street.


    Tang Xiu looked around at the youths who were approaching from the four directions. His eyes finally fixated on Cheng Ye and the three big men beside him. His eyes particularly locked on Cheng Ye and the man next to him. What they carried at their waists were not knives, but guns.


    ¡°Before you start, can you tell me the name of the guy at the corner of the street?¡± Tang Xiu looked at Cheng Ye and lightly asked.


    Cheng Ye was dazed for a moment. Following that, he raised his brows and jeered, ¡°Wow kiddo, you¡¯re quite awesome, aren¡¯t you? You even know that Young Master Yu wants to fix you up, eh! Since you already know, I presume you also know that he¡¯s the eldest young master of Shanghai¡¯s Meidu Group, yes? Since you¡¯re that tactful, how about you come with us?¡±


    ¡°I thought you wanted to act! It¡¯s not a problem with me!¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you, and the place had better be quiet.¡±


    The smile on Cheng Ye¡¯s face vanished, replaced by a dignified expression. As he looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s serene expression, a bit of fear budded inside his heart.


    ¡°Kiddo, are you someone from our world as well?¡±


    ¡°Well, it seems that you¡¯re not stupid since you know to ask about me first.¡± Tang Xiu let out a slight smile and said, ¡°But that Yu Zhi doesn¡¯t even dare to come. That shows he¡¯s afraid of me, yet you aren¡¯t? Alas, you don¡¯t seem to know about me.¡±


    Cheng Ye frowned. He subconsciously looked at the place where Yu Zhi was hiding. After a moment of silence, he sneered, ¡°Kiddo, don¡¯t try to act. You¡¯ve provoked Young Master Yu, so you¡¯ll end up with a bad life. Additionally, we won¡¯t do anything to the woman beside you. But tell her to be careful and don¡¯t anything she mustn¡¯t, such as calling the police¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at Kang Xia as he smiled and asked, ¡°Do you believe me?¡±


    Kang Xia herself was a bit worried. But after seeing that the other party were not in a hurry and apparently had a trace of fear, she immediately revealed a smile. She shook her head and said, ¡°Of course I¡¯m not afraid. Besides, I¡¯ve witnessed the scene when you took your men to visit the Rising Dragon Martial School before. Relying on these chaps, I¡¯m afraid they won¡¯t end up as good as those people from the Rising Dragon Martial School.¡±


    _Boss? Rising Dragon Martial School?_


    Cheng Ye¡¯s brows furrowed yet again. At this moment, his fear toward Tang Xiu increased a bit more. Being able to take root in a metropolis such as Shanghai meant that he was no a fool. He knew whom he could provoke and those that were untouchable. Otherwise, he would have faced a great calamity already.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s talk elsewhere!¡± After weighing the matter for a moment, Cheng Ye thought that he got scared over nothing and immediately felt somewhat ashamed and angry.


    ¡°Take the lead!¡± Tang Xiu calmly said.


    In a nearby street corner, Yu Zhi frowned and looked livid. What he wanted was Cheng Ye to hit Tang Xiu immediately the moment he saw him, discarding Tang Xiu and immediately leaving. However, he actually chatted with Tang Xiu and didn¡¯t act at all.


    A few minutes later, the crowd came to a very quiet block compared to the street a moment ago. Yu Zhi tagged along carefully from behind. However, unbeknownst to him, two figures stealthily followed them, staring at him, Cheng Ye, Tang Xiu and the others.


    ¡°Kiddo, tell me! What sacred being are you?¡±


    As Cheng Ye and the others led Tang Xiu and Kang Xia here, he still didn¡¯t hurry to act. As discrete and cautious he was, he asked.


    ¡°Even if I tell you my identity, you still won¡¯t know me.¡± Tang Xiu said faintly, ¡°If you¡¯re afraid, you had better get the hell out immediately. But you can try me, if you want to. Regardless, that Yu Zhi kid has been secretly following behind us. Make him come here if you don¡¯t dare to act.¡±


    Cheng Ye frowned yet again. He took a fast glance behind, but he didn¡¯t find Yu Zhi¡¯s figure. After thinking for a moment, he nodded to a big man next to him. The later dashed toward the back and quickly found Yu Zhi in the street corner. He then strode toward him and respectfully said, ¡°Young Master Yu, the Boss is asking for you.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Yu Zhi¡¯s face changed and sonorously asked.


    ¡°That Tang kiddo seems to have an uncommon identity.¡± The big man said, ¡°The Boss is kinda afraid of him. Furthermore, that Tang kiddo also found out that you were following us from behind and he wants you there.¡±


    With a change in expression, Yu Zhi took a deep breath before striding over.


    ¡°Cheng Ye, is this how you do things? I wanted you to fuck him up! Why are you still chirping and yapping about?¡±


    Cheng Ye glanced at Tang Xiu, yet didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°You¡¯re called Yu Zhi? The eldest young master of the Meidu Group?¡± Tang Xiu smiled lightly.


    ¡°How the hell do you know me?¡± Yu Zhi¡¯s face changed as he snorted coldly.


    ¡°They told me!¡± Tang Xiu smiled lightly.


    Yu Zhi glared angrily at Cheng Ye.


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°Yu Zhi, let¡¯s have a talk about our issues. In the first place, you¡¯re just like a lapdog, always following behind Li Zhen. Getting hit by me hurt, didn¡¯t it? Yet you even dare to provoke me now?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re fucking court your death!¡± Yu Zhi scowled.


    Tang Xiu fiercely kicked him, sending him to fly five meters away. Yu Zhi then sat on the ground for a while and spurted out a mouthful of blood.


    At the side, Cheng Ye¡¯s and his 20 underlings¡¯ expressions drastically changed. Cheng Ye didn¡¯t think that this matter would actually involve Li Zhen. One must know that Li Zhen¡¯s background was even more powerful than Yu Zhi¡¯s. Yet this fellow seemed to not be afraid of Li Zhen at all.


    _What is his origin, exactly? To think that he even dares to beat Yu Zhi? And he even dares to fight against Young Master Li?_


    Tang Xiu came before Yu Zhi and gently kicked him. He lightly smiled and said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry. This kick of mine won¡¯t kill you. But I wanna know about tonight¡¯s matter. Did you send people at me? Or it was Li Zhen who sent you?¡±


    While suppressing the uncomfortable feeling from his internal organs, Yu Zhi lividly shouted, ¡°This father has broken ties with Li Zhen. He is himself, and I¡¯m me.¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly realized something. He then said with a smile, ¡°Then how did you know that I was in the mall before? It¡¯s impossible for you to follow me since I would have long discovered you. It seems someone called you, right? Even if it was not Li Zhen, it should be someone around him.¡±


    Yu Zhi¡¯s complexion changed as he angrily shouted, ¡°How the hell did you know that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty much obvious!¡± Tang Xiu casually said, ¡°I bumped into him and another youth today. If it was not them, then I¡¯ll have to admire your superb ability.¡±


    Frowning deeply, Yu Zhi then thought for a moment. Recalling something, he got up from the ground and wiped the bloodstain on the corner of his mouth. He took a fast glance around and yelled, ¡°Li Zhen, I, Yu Zhi, has broken off all relations with you, yet you motherfucker has done such a shady thing. This matter hasn¡¯t finished, I¡¯ll settle the score with you later.¡±


    Tang Xiu released his spiritual sense and clearly saw that Li Zhen and that youth were secretly hiding in a place about 100-200 meters away from them. However, he didn¡¯t have the intention to deal with Li Zhen now. He would personally visit the Li Family. If the Li Family¡¯s people didn¡¯t control him, he would teach him in front of his parents when the time came.

 Chapter 380

    Chapter 380: Settling a Trivial Matter


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    With a bored look, Tang Xiu looked at Yu Zhi. He really didn¡¯t like being bothered with trivial matters. However, the taste of being concerned was not a good feeling to have. Especially from the likes of Li Zhen.


    He stared at Yu Zhi and lightly asked, ¡°Firstly, let¡¯s leave out Li Zhen since he can¡¯t run away from this. How about we first settle our issues now? You sought these chaps and wanted to trash me up. But I¡¯m not someone that easy to bully.¡±


    Yu Zhi stepped back. He looked at Cheng Ye and yelled, ¡°Cheng Ye, what are you stunned for? Beat him up! I want to see his blood. I must make him know that he¡¯ll end up miserable after messing with me.¡±


    While looking at Tang Xiu, Cheng Ye forced a wry smile and said, ¡°Young Master Yu, we are better not involving ourselves in the enmity between big shots like you two, no? This brother isn¡¯t even afraid of Li Zhen. We¡¯re just like ants in his eyes. It would be well of you if you leave right away, so please be magnanimous and forgive us!¡±


    Cheng Ye¡¯s words almost caused Yu Zhi to vomit blood.


    _Pfft¡­_


    Looking at wonderful expression on Yu Zhi¡¯s face, Kang Xia couldn¡¯t help but laugh loudly.


    At this moment, everyone looked at Kang Xia¡¯s blossoming smiling face. All of them were unable to restrain themselves, looking foolish and dazed.


    While suppressing his smile, Tang Xiu looked at Cheng Ye and said, ¡°You¡¯re indeed clever and cautious. Regardless of the time and place, only cautious people live longer. As a matter of fact, due to your attitude today, you may be exempted from the capital offense, but you can never escape from your crime. However, since I feel quite good because you didn¡¯t want to make things difficult for her, I can forgive you this time. But do bear in mind, don¡¯t mess with me later. Otherwise, I won¡¯t mind sending you to your death early.¡±


    Having said that, his figure flashed and appeared in front of Yu Zhi. Despite using less than half of his full strength, Yu Zhi screamed continuously due to the pain. Finally, Tang Xiu¡¯s foot stamped on Yu Zhi¡¯s right hand and broke his wrist. Amidst his screams, Tang Xiu kicked him to the side and lightly said, ¡°This is your last chance. The next time you mess with me, you must first properly think about the consequences of failing in your revenge. Your Yu Family¡­ Hehe¡­¡±


    Yu Zhi scowled, ¡°What is remarkable about you having a bit skill in martial arts, to begin with? Don¡¯t be a fucking lunatic, you¡¯ll feel very good later!¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head. He took Yu Zhi¡¯s mobile phone and forced him to tell the password. After finding Li Zhen¡¯s cell number and taking note of it, Tang Xiu then threw it back to Yu Zhi and then turned around to leave.


    As for Cheng Ye and his men, they only watched Tang Xiu beating Yu Zhi. A trace of fear budded inside their hearts. However, what scared them the most was not the savage beating, but rather the ghostly speed Tang Xiu had shown, as well as his smile when he stepped on Yu Zhi¡¯s wrist.


    That was someone with a ruthless character! Definitely a ruthless and merciless figure!


    Cheng Ye suddenly felt fortunate and rejoiced inside for not having acted tonight.


    His eyes followed Tang Xiu and Kang Xia as they left until he couldn¡¯t see their figures anymore. He then came to Yu Zhi¡¯s side. He propped him up on the ground and then asked with concern, ¡°Young Master Yu, are you¡­ all right? I¡¯ll take you to the hospital myself.¡±


    ¡°Go the fuck away!¡±


    Yu Zhi fiercely pushed Cheng Ye with his left hand. He furiously bellowed, ¡°Cheng Ye, Boss Cheng, you¡¯re really great! You betrayed me before, yet you hypocritically ask about my well-being? Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t think that you look disgusting? Just go away! Get lost, I never want to see you again.¡±


    Cheng Ye¡¯s complexion turned a bit unsightly. He could be said as a well-respected figure in Shanghai¡¯s underworld. If he didn¡¯t see Yu Zhi as the Yu Family¡¯s eldest young master, he wouldn¡¯t have put him in his eyes. Furthermore, there were also many of his brothers around, and having them watch him being chided was something that made him unable to remain calm.


    ¡°Young Master Yu, we brothers already gave you a face. Hence, we were willing to come help you. But it turns out that you¡¯re really too spoiled. The background and identity of that surnamed Tang is, perhaps, not inferior to your family, right? You wanting us to beat him up¡­ doesn¡¯t this meant that you wanna push us brothers to the abyss? I don¡¯t want to haggle over today¡¯s matter, neither will we disclose anything about what happened here. So do take care and conduct yourself well.¡±


    After having spat out a few polite words, Cheng Ye and his brothers marched off, ignoring him.


    While clutching his stomach, a blazing fury was reflected in Yu Zhi¡¯s eyes. He walked a few steps and supported himself on a nearby tree. He then took his mobile and dialed a cell number.


    ¡°You¡¯re really good, Little Ya! You wanted show yourself to Li Zhen and used me as a knife, eh? Do remember what you¡¯ve done to me. This account between us has yet to be settled!¡± After the other party received his call, Yu Zhi immediately roared.


    ¡°Don¡¯t scare me, Yu Zhi, I¡¯m so timid¡­ Hahaha¡­ Are you feeling better after tasting the pain of getting your ass kicked? If you have the time to impose yourself on me, you had better seize the time to drag yourself to the hospital to treat your wounds! Else, your parents will be brokenhearted if you become disabled and unable to take care of yourself in the future. Lemme put in another way. If you were to die, we, brothers, will raise money to buy a wreath for you. What a waste!¡± A youth¡¯s voice came out of the phone and ridiculed him, as if he didn¡¯t seriously take Yu Zhi¡¯s threat at all.


    Yu Zhi angrily growled, ¡°Fucking Little Ya, you just wait for me!¡±


    After speaking, he fiercely smashed his mobile.


    Not far away from him, Li Zhen turned his body and took back his vision from Yu Zhi. He then looked at the smiling youth beside him and lightly said, ¡°Little Ya, you were a bit excessive. We were indeed using Yu Zhi, but still, we have been friends with him for many years. I¡¯m afraid that Yu Zhi will become muddle-headed due to anger now. So you gotta remember, the anxious hare would also bite a person.¡±


    The smile on the youth¡¯s face quickly vanished. He silently nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll bear it in mind. Don¡¯t worry, though. I¡¯ll guard against Yu Zhi.¡±


    Li Zhen stroked his chin. He looked thoughtful before saying, ¡°Yu Zhi is nothing but a waste. Not only did he fail to figure out Tang Xiu¡¯s background, he even shifted the target toward us. This matter may turn a bit troublesome. It seems we must really send someone to carefully investigate Tang Xiu¡¯s identity, else I won¡¯t be able to sleep peacefully.¡±


    ¡°We already sent someone to investigate him before, right?¡± The youth was puzzled and said, ¡°He¡¯s just a hillbilly who comes from a small place and has a little ability for being admitted to Shanghai University. Must we fear him because of that?¡±


    ¡°Have we really investigated him fully?¡± Li Zhen scornfully said, ¡°Then tell me about Chi Nan of the Everlasting Feast Hall, what is her relationship with him? Why would she dare to kill Huan Yu at the car race for him? Lemme tell you about this. I¡¯m afraid this punk is not so easy and simple, so we had better be careful.¡±


    The youth hesitated before nodding. He then suddenly said, ¡°Brother Zhen, I don¡¯t understand something, though.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Li Zhen asked.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t get it. Why would Cheng Ye bring so many people but didn¡¯t dare act against that punk?¡± The youth said, ¡°Logically speaking, the original script should be Cheng Ye appearing with his men to trash that Tang punk!¡±


    ¡°The Cheng Ye I know of is someone with a cautious personality. He will never do anything he is unsure about.¡± Li Zhen scornfully said, ¡°He didn¡¯t act because, firstly: he doesn¡¯t know Tang Xiu¡¯s background; secondly: perhaps it was because of Kang Xia. After all, for a man who can obtain a top woman such as Kang Xia is perhaps not a simple character.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The youth said, ¡°For a superior woman like Kang Xia, more likely than not, if the man doesn¡¯t have hability, he won¡¯t be able to keep her. Even if she liked him, she would only bring trouble. But why did I never heard of this Tang Xiu before?¡±


    ¡°Originally, I didn¡¯t want to use my connections in Shuangqing Province¡¯s Star City. But now, it seems I must use it.¡± Li Zhen said, ¡°I have some relationships with a few boys over there. If Tang Xiu is famous in Star City, perhaps those guys in Blue City will know. But if they know nothing about him¡­ _snort_.¡±


    _Ring, ring¡­_


    From Li Zhen¡¯s pocket, an SMS notification sounded.


    When he took out his mobile, he immediately furrowed his brows. It was a short message sent from an unknown cell number. The message said: _I¡¯ll personally visit your Li Family¡¯s Head in an hour. I urge you to go back now. So you can explain yourself to your elders at home._


    Li Zhen¡¯s expression turned incomparably grim. After pausing to ponder for a moment, he spoke in an undertone voice, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s leave first.¡±


    Shanghai¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall.


    Chi Nan was holding a pile of information while smiling and standing at the entrance. Behind her, four big men dressed in black tuxedos were glancing around, looking cold and grim.


    Within less than an hour, she already found everything there was to know about the Li Family through the intelligence network channels of the Everlasting Feast Hall. Even information about the two young mistresses of the Li Family¡¯s Head and about one of them who had given birth to an illegitimate child, all of them was written clearly.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    Upon seeing a taxi with Tang Xiu and Kang Xia inside, Chi Nan slightly strode over.


    ¡°How is the investigation?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s done. Everything¡¯s here.¡± Chi Nan said, ¡°Additionally, we have also prepared the car, so we can leave at any time.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll read the information on the way.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡±


    Chi Nan quickly gave a gesture. Immediately, three black Audis came over and stopped near them.


    After boarding the car.


    Tang Xiu was sitting in the back seat and quietly reading the information. But Kang Xia was curiously observing Chi Nan in the front seat. Given Chi Nan¡¯s age, she should be a little more than 30 years old. But due to her beauty, she was a bit worried that Chi Nan would have an effect on Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Xiaxia, are you curious about me?¡± Chi Nan looked back and saw Kang Xia¡¯s eyes as she asked with a smile.


    A trace of embarrassment and awkwardness appeared on Kang Xia¡¯s face. It was like she was caught red-handed when stealing something. After hesitating for a moment, she said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s right, Sister Nannan is very attractive and capable. I¡¯m now a bit worried that the boss will give my job to you in the future.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Though I don¡¯t know what you do, I can¡¯t take over your job.¡± Chi Nan laughed and said, ¡°Unless you can go overseas often to perform various missions.¡±


    ¡°Missions overseas?¡± A puzzled and confused expression appeared Kang Xia¡¯s face.

 Chapter 381

    Chapter 381: Fierce Guest Knocking at the Door


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Looking up at Chi Nan, Tang Xiu lightly said, ¡°Kang Xia, you don¡¯t need to listen to Chi Nan¡¯s nonsensical words! She and the others are accustomed to seeking the living from the heap of the dead. There¡¯s nothing but objectives and missions in their eyes. Thus, no one can snatch your job.¡±


    _What?_


    Shocked by Tang Xiu¡¯s words, Kang Xia looked at the fashionable, gorgeous and beautiful Chi Nan. It was quite difficult for her to think that Chi Nan would have such an aspect. She had been abroad for many years. She was naturally aware of information that ordinary people didn¡¯t know.


    These type of people could be called hitmen, and were also known as criminals. But people mostly called them mercenaries.


    Could it be that¡­ that was Chi Nan¡¯s background?


    Chi Nan had a smile hanging on the corner of her mouth as she said, ¡°Boss, you seem to really trust this female subordinate of yours! Nobody else knows my identity except the core members of the Everlasting Feast Hall. But you told her my identity?¡±


    ¡°She has gotten that opportunity.¡± Tang Xiu calmly replied.


    The smile on Chi Nan¡¯s face froze. Her eyes shifted to Kang Xia. She couldn¡¯t help but have a look of envy in her eyes. That ¡°opportunity¡± was something she always dreamed of. But the internal rules of the Everlasting Feast Hall had decreed that, unless they made a great contribution to the restaurant, nobody would have a chance to be taught.


    However, there were only seven people out of a hundred who managed the feat to this day. Beside the Little Boss¡ªGu Xiaoxue and the four business executive figures Tang Xiu entrusted with that, only two others got that opportunity, Light and Dark. But she also speculated that the two brothers, Mo ¨¡wen and Mo ¨¡wu, had probably gotten that opportunity as well.


    Such being said, in the entire Everlasting Feast Hall, the number was only up to ten people aside from Big Boss Gu Yan¡¯er and the mysterious Elder Ji.


    But now there was actually another one.


    While quietly observing Chi Nan¡¯s expression, Tang Xiu said, ¡°So it is that whenever Heaven invests a person with great responsibilities, it first tries his resolve, exhausts his muscles and bones, starves his body, subjects him to extreme poverty, and confounds his every endeavor. In this way his patience and endurance are developed, and his deficiencies are overcome. This sentence from The Works of Mencius is the one I like the most.¡±


    Chi Nan looked thoughtful for a moment before she slowly nodded, ¡°I understand what you mean, Boss.¡±


    Giving a slight nod in response, Tang Xiu then read the documents in his hands again.


    Shanghai, Puning District.


    Zhenfan Villa Complex, Villa B-12.


    Li Haoran was dressed in pajamas as he quietly leaned on the sofa while reading a copy of documents. Lately, he had a very comfortable life ever since he gave most of the Li Group¡¯s businesses to his daughter, Li Dan. Furthermore, the company was also thriving and progressing day by day, making him feel very relaxed.


    However, though his daughter was particularly competent, nevertheless, he must control the emerging issues of the overall situation in the province.


    ¡°Dad, you haven¡¯t slept yet?¡±


    Li Zhen fiddled with his car keys as he walked in.


    Li Haoran flipped his eyelids and felt a slight headache coming. He was filled with helplessness when it came to this son of his. His mother spoiled him since childhood. And now, he didn¡¯t study and did nothing with his life. He even treated all the reprimands he threw at him like waters off a duck¡¯s back.


    ¡°Little Zhen, come and sit.¡±


    Nevertheless, Li Haoran still wanted to have a good chat with his son. If things continued this way, he was afraid that his baby boy would be ruined.


    Li Zhen sat at the opposite side of Li Haoran, lifted one leg atop the other and said, ¡°What do you wanna talk about, Dad?¡±


    ¡°What I want to talk to you about is your work.¡± Li Haoran said, ¡°Our Li Family has a big enterprise and lots of assets, while your young and old uncles are vying for us! Though your sister is working hard, she is, after all, only a girl. So all of our family business will be handed over to you sooner or later.¡±


    ¡°Dad¡­¡± Li Zhen opened his mouth.


    Li Haoran waved his hand to interrupt him, ¡°Little Zhen, I know what you want to say. But you can¡¯t always laze away all day, don¡¯t you think? I was thinking to give you an advertising company under our Li Group. I want you to manage this company. Regardless of how you manage it, the main thing is to temper you, so that you can become a useful talent in the future.¡±


    ¡°Dad, back then I made that home appliance company you gave me to close down.¡± Li Zhen forced a wry smile and said, ¡°And now you want to give me an advertising company? Granted, our family enterprise is indeed very big, but I¡¯m unable to handle it, then I would repeat it over and over again, don¡¯t you think? Besides, I¡¯m aware of my own situation. I¡¯m not someone suited to manage businesses at all.¡±


    A scowling expression appeared on Li Haoran¡¯s face as he growled, ¡°You can ask if you don¡¯t know about something. Your big sister will help you in dealing with the big stuff, and you will personally experience the other small things. With your big sis helping you, I believe you¡¯ll be able to suceed.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Li Zhen hesitated for a long time before he wryly smiled and said, ¡°Since you want me to go to that whatever advertising company, then I¡¯ll go. But you must spend some time with me. I got into trouble and need to solve it for good.¡±


    ¡°What trouble?¡° Li Haoran¡¯s brows raised.


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not a big deal. It was a Shanghai University¡¯s student. But his origin and identity are very mysterious.¡± Li Zhen said, ¡°I¡¯ve sent some people to investigate him a few days ago, but I have yet to clearly know his true identity. Tonight I used some tricks to instigate Yu Zhi to probe that fellow. But at the end of the day, not only was that waste Yu Zhi unable to probe any deep details about him, he was even savagely beaten.¡±


    ¡°You kids are just like us when we were juveniles. You can¡¯t stay still and behave quietly.¡± Li Haoran shook his head and smiled, ¡°All right, I¡¯ll tell Little Li to investigate that fellow tomorrow morning. I¡¯ll also help you settle this matter if possible.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll handle this small stuff myself, Dad!¡± Li Zhen said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t take it lightly! Besides, this shall be the time I prove my own ability, right?¡±


    Li Haoran couldn¡¯t help laughing. When he was about to reply, his mobile phone suddenly rang.


    ¡°Hello? Why are you calling me so late, Old Gu?¡± Li Haoran spoke in an undertone voice after answering the phone. A smile appeared on his face as he said, ¡°You also haven¡¯t rested yet, Brother Gu?¡±


    ¡°Brother Li, you have great wits, but you have a short memory! We, brothers, had an appointment to play mahjong, but you actually never came. You are not asleep yet, are you?¡±


    ¡°Oh my! You have to forgive me. I was quite nervous and in a hurry lately, so my brain isn¡¯t work well. All right, I¡¯ll go over right away.¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯ll go to your house! Get you chess room clean and prepare some tea for us.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    The call ended.


    While looking at Li Zhen, Li Haoran said with a smile, ¡°Your Uncle Gu and several others will be playing mahjong here. Go clean the chess room since the maids have already gone to rest! Also, take good tea leaves from my study room and make a pot of tea for us.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Li Zhen replied with a smile.


    He got up and walked toward the stairway. After a few steps, he suddenly remembered something and his pace came to halt. He then turned around and said, ¡°Dad, I forgot to tell you about one thing. That fellow found out that I used Yu Zhi to fix him up. Thus, he sent me a text message.¡±


    ¡°What did he say?¡± Li Haoran knitted his brows.


    Li Zhen came before Li Haoran, took out his mobile and showed the text message. He then said, ¡°This is his message.¡±


    After he finished reading it, Li Haoran let out a sneer and faintly said, ¡°Since he wants to visit our home, then let him come! Call the complex¡¯s security guards and tell them¡­ to let that fellow passes directly if he comes later.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    Li Zhen obeyed and put his mobile phone away and then quickly walked toward the second floor.


    While looking at Li Zhen¡¯s back as he departed, Li Zhen secretly shook his head. However, he paid no attention whatsoever to Tang Xiu¡¯s threat. In his eyes, Tang Xiu was only bluffing. If he dared to come to his Li Family, that fellow would find it difficult to leave this place safely.


    Twenty minutes later, the complex¡¯s security guards, who already learned about Tang Xiu¡¯s identity, straightly allowed him to enter. The cars quickly arrived outside the B-12 Villa.


    The car¡¯s door was opened by Chi Nan as Tang Xiu came out and took a glance at the surroundings and secretly nodded. This villa complex was indeed an upscale neighborhood. The surroundings were not only beautiful, but it also had surveillance cameras installed everywhere along with many patrolling security guards.


    ¡°Knock the door!¡± Tang Xiu calmly said.


    After Chi Nan¡¯s instruction, a big man immediately went to the door and rang the bell.


    A moment after, the electric gate to the villa¡¯s courtyard was opened. Two men in suits, one of whom was a stern-looking middle-aged man, came out. Seeing the parade outside, one of them slightly furrowed his brows and shouted, ¡°Who are you people?¡±


    Chi Nan coldly snorted and said, ¡°Tell Li Haoran that our Boss is visiting.¡±


    That middle-aged man frowned and said, ¡°Your Boss is surnamed Tang?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Chi Nan said.


    The middle-aged man directly moved and made way. He then said lightly, ¡°Our boss has commanded us to let you inside directly if you come.¡±


    Tang Xiu shot him a glance. When he entered the courtyard, he saw four strong men inside maliciously staring at him. However, after seeing the people around Tang Xiu, those four strong men¡¯s complexion changed and turned solemn.


    Striding forward, Tang Xiu instantly saw Li Haoran sitting in the living room¡¯s sofa. The old man had replaced his pajamas to casual wear.


    ¡°Boss Li is really refined! You even still have time to drink tea this late!¡±


    After sizing up Tang Xiu, Li Haoran¡¯s brows furrowed when he saw Kang Xia and Chi Nan and the four big men in black suits who came along with him. While he was trying to figure out Tang Xiu¡¯s identity, he stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯m waiting for several friends of mine who will come later to play mahjong. Anyways, are you called Tang Xiu?¡±


    Instead of hurrying to answer him, Tang Xiu stood in the hall while glancing around. After one or two minutes had passed his vision then returned to Li Haoran as he sighed, ¡°What a good house! This place is not inferior compared to the place I live. Boss Li is a man with abilities, but it¡¯s rather unfortunate that you¡¯ve given birth to a prodigal son.¡±


    Squinting his eyes, Li Haoran said with a cold and detached tone, ¡°You have yet to answer my question.¡±


    Pointing his finger to himself, Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Me? What matter do you want me to answer to you?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Li Haoran was incensed. He never thought that Tang Xiu would be so arrogant.

 Chapter 382

    Chapter 382: Perplexed


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Looking at the incensed Li Haoran, Tang Xiu intentionally revealed a sudden understanding look. He then straightly sat on the sofa right in front of him and said with a smile, ¡°I recall that you asked me whether or not I¡¯m called Tang Xiu. You¡¯re right, I¡¯m exactly called Tang Xiu, for I don¡¯t need to change my name nor my surname.¡±


    Li Haoran let out a cold smile and gestured to a big man standing behind him. The big man took a cup and poured another one for Tang Xiu.


    ¡°You¡¯re a guest. Please have a tea.¡±


    After glancing at the teacup, Tang Xiu raised his thumbs and exclaimed in praise, ¡°Family Head Li truly has a good demeanor. I was so arrogant and domineering, yet you¡¯re actually willing to invite me to drink tea. It seems I have to interact more with Family Head Li later so I can learn your efforts at self-control!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Tang is kidding me.¡± Li Haoran said lightly, ¡°I don¡¯t deserve to call myself a Family Head. I¡¯m nothing more than someone whose words only have some weight in the Li Family.¡±


    ¡°You actually don¡¯t dare to hold the title of Family Head?¡± Tang Xiu said with amazement, ¡°Is it because I looked too highly at you in your Li Family? As far as I know, all the genuine big families in the country have a family head.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Tang, there is a good proverb that it¡¯s better to get rid of an enmity than keep it alive.¡± Li Haoran sneered, ¡°I know the purpose of your visit and I also learned about the contradiction between you and my son. I want to have a talk between gentlemen, so leave out the dripping acid and the sarcasm. If my son is in the wrong, I¡¯ll make him bow down to admit his mistakes. But if you were the one who bullied him, I won¡¯t let this matter go.¡±


    With a change in expression, Tang Xiu sat straight and sneered back, ¡°I praised your demeanor just now, yet you turned into an angry lion in an instant? Let alone saying that this matter was caused by your son¡¯s mistake, even if I were the one who bullied him, what can you do to me?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Li Haoran was furious.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with me? You think that just because your Li Family possesses a big enterprise and great assets you can condone your eldest son being arrogant, domineering, and let him bully others?¡± Tang Xiu sneered, ¡°This time, the one he provoked was me. Had it been others, I¡¯m afraid that your Li Family would be in a complete mess, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, don¡¯t be insolent!¡±


    Li Zhen indignantly shouted as he walked down from the second floor and strode over.


    While sizing up Li Zhen, Tang Xiu clicked his tongue and sighed, ¡°Well, well. The main character has come, eh! Your big daddy is supporting you, so it¡¯s a given that I¡¯m unhappy with it. Tell me, Li Zhen, was killing with borrowing a knife tonight interesting enough? If it does, I gotta learn it from you since I¡¯m quite bored now!¡±


    Playing the fool, Li Zhen replied, ¡°Hell if I know what you¡¯re talking about!¡±


    ¡°Do you know why I didn¡¯t call you out when I beat Yu Zhi?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s said lightly, ¡°It was because I wanted to visit and have a look at your family and your big daddy. I wanna know what great figure he is since he can actually give birth to such a stupid son.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Li Zhen was furious.


    Raising his hand to interrupt him, Li Haoran¡¯s eyes glared at Tang Xiu and deeply said, ¡°Mr. Tang, do speak with prudence. Don¡¯t think you can act arrogantly in my house just because you brought a few people here. I only heard part of the truth from my son about the enmity between you and him. Then tell me, what was it that caused your resentment?¡±


    From Tang Xiu¡¯s words just now, he heard something that made him secretly scared!


    _Eldest son?_


    There were only five people in this world who knew that he had two sons. He couldn¡¯t figure out how did Tang Xiu found out about it!


    ¡°Li Haoran, right? Don¡¯t pretend you know nothing in front of me.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°You clearly know everything your son has done. This time I came here to demand an explanation. If you can¡¯t satisfy me, humph¡­¡±


    ¡°What can you do to me, even if I don¡¯t make you satisfied, huh?¡± Li Haoran sneered.


    ¡°Who is so bold to run up and cause trouble in the Li Family¡¯s residence this late at night?¡± A voice came from the front door. Shortly after, three middle-aged men entered the living room with five or six bodyguards around them.


    Li Haoran slightly furrowed his brows. He looked a bit embarrassed and angry. His old friends came to play mahjong and they ultimately saw him facing someone that came to find trouble with him. This made him lose face.


    ¡°Brother Gu, Brother Chen, Brother Gao; I didn¡¯t expect that you would come so soon. It¡¯s just a trivial matter. I¡¯ll dispatch them shortly after. You can just go to the chess room and play, or do you want to wait for me first in the chess room?¡± Li Haoran got up and greeted them.


    The three middle-aged men¡¯s eyes landed on Tang Xiu at the same time.


    At the moment, one of the middle-aged man¡¯s expression changed. He was as though unable to hear Li Haoran¡¯s words as he strode over toward Tang Xiu. With a smile on his face, he stretched out his hand and said, ¡°I never thought that I would actually meet Brother Tang in Brother Li¡¯s place today. No wonder the Magpies have been calling out all day!¡±


    Tang Xiu slightly knitted his brows. He hadn¡¯t thought that he would unexpectedly meet an acquaintance here. It was Gu Changmin, the Dingshen Media¡¯s boss who ordered the Gods Nectar in advance though he didn¡¯t even know about the wine.


    After standing up, Tang Xiu shook hands with Gu Changmin. He lightly chuckled, ¡°I¡¯m also a bit surprised. I didn¡¯t expect that Brother Gu would actually visit the Li Family¡¯s residence to play mahjong this late at night either. What a good spirit!¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve had nothing to do recently. I have a bit of money in my hands, but I don¡¯t know what to do with it.¡± Gu Changmin laughed and said, ¡°Brother Tang, how about you bring me along and let me make a bit of money?¡±


    ¡°Brother Gu is joking with me. You own a big business, how can my small business enter your eyes?¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°You¡¯re too modest, Brother Tang. Brother Miao told me a lot about you.¡± Gu Changmin sonorously said, ¡°Only few people can make me admire them. But you, I genuinely admire you! Needless to say about anything else, just that big project in Star City is something that I can¡¯t catch up with.¡±


    Tang Xiu gave out a faint smile. Nonetheless, he knew a bit about Miao Wentang¡¯s character. He believed the man wouldn¡¯t say anything about his identity as a cultivator.


    ¡°Old Brother Gu is overpraising me. Since you¡¯re going to play mahjong here, please go to the chess room to wait for this Li Haoran! I promise he¡¯ll be safe tonight.¡±


    Gu Changmin¡¯s expression changed slightly. He turned around to look at Li Haoran. His complexion turned more solemn as he said in a deep voice, ¡°Li Haoran, what is going on exactly? Brother Tang is an easygoing man. For him to personally come to you means that someone in your Li Family has caused trouble. What are you stunned for? Apologize to Brother Tang!¡±


    Shocked, Li Haoran could hardly believe his ears. His old friend wanted him to apologize to a kid who had yet to grow his hair?


    Furthermore, what did he mean by winking at him?


    Suddenly, he recalled what his son had said before. His son had yet to clearly investigate Tang Xiu¡¯s identity until now. Could it be that¡­ his background was really not simple?


    As he thought up to there, he turned around and fiercely glared at his son, Li Zhen. A very ugly smile appeared on his face as he said, ¡°Mr. Tang, I really didn¡¯t know that you and Brother Gu knew each other. More so that I¡¯ve offended you just now. So I hope you can be magnanimous enough to forgive me. Additionally, even without you telling me, I actually know that my son is a nuisance who stirs up troubles. But you can rest assured, I will teach him a good lesson. Li Zhen, what are you dazing for? Come here and apologize to Mr. Tang!¡±


    ¡°Dad, why must we be afraid of him?¡± Li Zhen indignantly said, ¡°I really don¡¯t believe he can do anything to me!¡±


    Upon discovering the changes in Tang Xiu¡¯s expression, Gu Changmin immediately called out _trash_ inwardly. Almost in an instant, he rushed before Li Zhen and raised his big hand to slap him and sternly yelled, ¡°SHUT THE HELL UP! Your elder wants you to apologize! Regardless of how Li Haoran doted and taught you, that is your family¡¯s issue. But you, as his son, must never court disaster for him. APOLOGIZE!¡±


    Li Zhen covered his cheek. He seemed unable to believe what happened. Furthermore, the one who hit him was not his father, but Gu Changmin.


    He wanted to act crazily. However, Gu Changmin¡¯s identity deterred him, thus he didn¡¯t dare to open his mouth. So his eyes shifted to his father.


    Li Haoran¡¯s expression turned a bit unsightly. He never expected that Gu Changmin would hit his son. Nonetheless, today¡¯s situation had turned into such a situation. It wasn¡¯t proper for him to get furious at Gu Changmin on the spot. He could only suppress the vexed feeling inside as he imposingly shouted, ¡°Apologize!¡±


    Shifting his eyes to look at his father and Gu Changmin, Li Zhen eventually faced Tang Xiu and said with an unwilling look, ¡°Tang Xiu, I apologize for what I did before. I¡¯m really sorry for having a malicious intent in tonight¡¯s matter. I¡¯ll adhere to our previous agreement to avoid you when I see you later.¡±


    _Avoid._


    He said this word with a very heavy tone and expression.


    After coldly glanced at Li Haoran and Li Zhen, Tang Xiu turned to Gu Changmin and lightly said, ¡°I¡¯ll let this matter go since Brother Gu acted. However, should anyone from the Li Family provoke me again, don¡¯t blame me for losing all decorum and turn ruthless when the time comes.¡±


    Accompanying him with a smile, Gu Changmin said, ¡°Yes, yes, yes. Thank you for your magnanimity, Brother Tang. Anyways, do you have time tomorrow? I want to invite you to a feast.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s forget about it.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°I still have some trivial matters I need to deal with, so I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡±


    Gu Changmin hastily turned around and winked at Li Haoran. Only then did he reply with a smile, ¡°All right, let me send you off.¡±


    A few minutes later, after the three cars departed, Li Haoran stood in front of the courtyard with a grim expression as his eyes fixated on Gu Changmin. While repressing his anger, he said, ¡°My dear Brother Gu, I want you to give me an explanation.¡±


    Gu Changmin himself looked a bit unhappy. He fully realized the meaning behind Tang Xiu¡¯s words. Previously, he made a big order for the wine produced by Tang Xiu¡¯s winery despite knowing nothing about it. It was because he wanted to establish a friendship with him. That situation could be said as selling his face.


    However, when he happily looked for Li Haoran to play mahjong today, he had actually used up that favor. Hence, he felt a bit vexed upon thinking about this matter.


    ¡°Do you want me to explain to you here?¡± Gu Changmin replied with a cold tone and expression.


    Li Haoran furrowed his brows deeper, but still, he said, ¡°Inside, please!¡±


    The other two middle-aged men exchanged looks. They all saw what happened. However, inwardly, they sighed for Gu Changmin since he meddled in another¡¯s business. He even forced Li Haoran to apologize inside the Li Family¡¯s residence while also personally hitting Li Zhen.


    It was¡­ too excessive!

 Chapter 383

    Chapter 383: Untouchable


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    In the villa¡¯s living room, Gu Changmin shook his head and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to your study room! It would be very troublesome if some things were to be disclosed without caution. I just wasted a favor for you, so I don¡¯t want to complicate matters anymore.¡±


    ¡°But Brother Chen and Brother Gao are not outsiders. I think it will be fine for them to hear it, right?¡± Li Haoran said lightly, ¡°I, Li Haoran, lost face today. It happened right in front of them. If this matter were to be disclosed in the future, I would have no place to show this face of mine.¡±


    Gu Changmin¡¯s face turned cold. He glared angrily at Li Haoran for a while before he turned around and walked outside.


    ¡°Hey, hey, hey. Brother Gu, Brother Gu! What are you doing?!¡± A middle-aged man caught up with Gu Changmin and grabbed his arm, ¡°Brother Li just wanted to keep his face, so that¡¯s why¡­ All right, Old Gao and I will go to the chess room while you two talk.¡±


    With a slight change in expression, Li Haoran felt a bit incredulous after seeing Gu Changming¡¯s unusual behaviour. One must know that he and Gu Changmin had been friends for decades, yet it was his first time seeing him act so strange.


    Could it be that¡­ the problem was because of his attitude?


    He¡­ did he really help him?


    Li Haoran¡¯s mind suddenly turned faster. The anger inside his heart diminished a lot. He walked a few steps toward Gu Changmin, forced out a smile and said, ¡°Brother Gu, in fact, I really didn¡¯t have other intentions. We¡¯ve been friends for decades so you should know my temper. Someone just picked a quarrel on my house. What is more, I had to bow my head and admit my mistake. So you can see that I was choked with anger inside! But I hope you can forgive me if I offended you.¡±


    ¡°Brother Gu, just tell us what is going on! We are not outsiders, to begin with.¡± The middle-aged man Gao echoed, ¡°I also can¡¯t fathom why you behaved like that¡­ like you were scared of that kid. In any case, I¡¯m afraid I would also act just like Brother Li if such a thing happened to me.¡±


    Gu Changmin took a deep breath as he looked at the three curious looking men. When he saw the shame and anger on Li Zhen¡¯s face, he sighed softly before returning and sitting in the sofa.


    ¡°Tell all of them to leave!¡±


    Li Haoran immediately waved his hand, and all bodyguards left the hall.


    ¡°Everyone, you all should know Haiqing Province¡¯s Miao Group, yes?¡± Gu Changmin slowly said, ¡°You should also know about its Boss, Miao Wentang, who is my old friend.¡±


    ¡°I know him!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about him!¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    The three men nodded and looked a bit puzzled.


    ¡°Between the women beside Tang Xiu, the one who slightly older, I believe you should also have seen her, yes?¡± Gu Changmin sighed.


    The middle-aged man Gao said, ¡°Yes, I have seen her. She left a deep impression on me. She¡¯s the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s Manager. She¡¯s smooth and slick in establishing networks and a very competent businesswoman.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that is exactly the Everlasting Feast Hall.¡± Gu Changmin nodded and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know about you but, how much do you know about the Everlasting Feast Hall?¡±


    ¡°Brother Gu, the Everlasting Feast Hall is just an upscale restaurant!¡± Li Haoran¡¯s brows furrowed as he said, ¡°What kind of status do we have? Why should we know about this restaurant, to begin with?¡±


    ¡°If the Everlasting Feast Hall were just an upscale restaurant, I naturally wouldn¡¯t have looked afraid in front of Tang Xiu. I wouldn¡¯t even sell my face to keep on good terms with him.¡± Gu Changmin shook his head and said, ¡°As a matter of fact, it was very fortunate that I was here today. Didn¡¯t you see how obvious I was when I flattered him before? If that Old Jin¡­ that Jin Xingkui was also here, I can say with certainty that he wouldn¡¯t merely want to be on good terms. He would, instead, nakedly fawn upon him.¡±


    ¡°Brother Gu, do tell us about this Everlasting Feast Hall.¡± Li Haoran¡¯s face slightly changed.


    ¡°A few days ago, ever since Brother Miao told me about the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s inside story, as well as learning that Tang Xiu is its owner, I sent some people to investigate it.¡± Gu Changmin slowly said, ¡°Although I didn¡¯t dare to do an in-depth investigation, the bits of information I got was enough to make me shocked.


    ¡°The Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s HQ had been established decades ago in Jingmen Island. This restaurant has branches in four big cities: Jingmen Island, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing. Outside of running the restaurant franchise, they also have gold, silver, jewel, real estate, and luxury jewelry business under its flag¡­


    ¡°With my limited ability, I dared not investigate the Everlasting Feast Hall at a great scale, hence, I only got these kinds of information. I don¡¯t know the specific details of how many businesses the Everlasting Feast Hall has.¡±


    ¡°Brother Gu, just because the Everlasting Feast Hall possesses big enterprises, you¡­¡± Li Haoran asked.


    ¡°Li Haoran, to tell you the truth, I really shouldn¡¯t have involved myself in your business.¡± Gu Changmin waved his hand to interrupt him and said lightly, ¡°I regret it now.¡±


    ¡°Brother Gu¡­¡± Li Haoran opened his mouth.


    ¡°No more explanations.¡± Gu Changmin shook his head and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to know why my actions were so unusual? I might as well tell you straightly. Your Li Family would have been finished if I hadn¡¯t stood up for you tonight. Tomorrow would perhaps become the death anniversary for you, father and son. From another perspective, your Li Family perhaps would have already faced a bloodbath and perished if the three of us didn¡¯t happen to want to play mahjong here tonight.¡±


    Li Haoran abruptly stood up. He glared at Gu Changmin and said, ¡°Brother Gu, did you say that to scare us? In the present society, with the legal system, even for those rich and powerful people, they can only solve one or two individuals. But slaughtering and exterminating a big family, are you kidding me?¡±


    Gu Changmin stared at him coldly, and scornfully said, ¡°You¡¯re ignorant. If you don¡¯t believe me, I¡¯ll show it to you.¡±


    Having said it, he took out his mobile phone, dialed a cell number, and directly pressed the loudspeaker feature. After the other party answered the call, he said, ¡°Old Jin, this is Gu Changmin.¡±


    ¡°Brother Gu, you haven¡¯t rested yet?¡± Jin Xingkui¡¯s cheerful voice was transmitted from the phone.


    ¡°Old Jin, not only have I not slept yet, I also made a loss just now.¡± Gu Changmin said.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Tell me about it.¡± Jin Xingkui was puzzled and said, ¡°Do you want my help?¡±


    ¡°My dear Old Jin, I¡¯m with Li Haoran now.¡± Gu Changmin forced out a smile and said, ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ll ask you a few questions, and you only need to reply. That would be a great help to me, so as to avoid losing all decorum with everyone else since I just used up the favor from Tang Xiu.¡±


    ¡°All right! Then tell me¡­ ¡­ Wait, wait! What did you just say?¡± Jin Xingkui¡¯s screamed out of the phone, ¡°You¡¯ve just used up the favor from Tang Xiu? The favor we obtained with great difficulties after merrily keeping him company in the Everlasting Feast Hall?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Gu Changmin replied with a bitter tone and expression.


    Jin Xingkui was silent for a moment before he slowly said, ¡°Brother Gu, although I don¡¯t know anything about what happened between you and Tang Xiu, as well as anything else related to it, I can tell you one thing. Unless our family encounters a critical life-and-death situation, using up that favor is out of the question. All right. Now tell me! What happened?¡±


    ¡°Well, I just happened to visit the Li Family¡¯s residence tonight and came across Tang Xiu. He came to the Li Family to demand an explanation since Li Zhen had provoked him. Furthermore, the enmity seemed to be quite deep as well.¡± Gu Changmin said, ¡°I believe you also know about Li Haoran¡¯s disposition as a father who always doted on his son. He had probably also annoyed Tang Xiu, thus making him discontented. After that, I came forward to plea in his instead.¡±


    Jin Xingkui was silent for a moment before he lightly said, ¡°For having avoided a bloodbath, his Li Family is really in luck. In my opinion, the Li Family would still be able to save their assets if they used their wealth to buy their lives even if you didn¡¯t come forward tonight. That Tang Xiu¡­ ¡­Hehehe. You can provoke anyone in this world, but you must never provoke that demonic star!¡±


    Li Haoran couldn¡¯t sit still. He had never thought that Jin Xingkui would say such words. He hastily said, ¡°Brother Jin, this is Li Haoran. Can you tell me who Tang Xiu really is? Does he have someone powerful behind him?¡±


    ¡°A backer? Hehehe¡­ he doesn¡¯t need any backers whatsoever.¡± Jin Xingkui sneered, ¡°Merely his identity as the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s Boss is enough to easily exterminate your Li Family. Let alone your family, even if my Jin Family and Brother Gu¡¯s family joined forces with you, I¡¯m afraid we still couldn¡¯t do anything to the Everlasting Feast Hall. I even dare say that there¡¯s a 99% chance our three families would all be erased.¡±


    Panicked and shocked, Li Haoran cried, ¡°Brother Jin, you¡¯re not trying to scare me, are you?¡±


    ¡°Scare you?¡± Jin Xingkui said, ¡°Hehe¡­ do you think I¡¯m someone who bluffs just to scare people?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Li Haoran¡¯s face faintly blanched.


    ¡°Li Haoran, I must tell you the truth. You really owe Brother Gu a huge favor.¡± Jin Xingkui said, ¡°A favor so massive that it¡¯s not excessive to say that you can only repay him by using all of your Li Family¡¯s power. All right! I have said everything I must say. You put your best into it.¡±


    The phone call ended.


    ¡°Now you understand why I made you apologize to Tang Xiu? Why did an outsider personally hit your son just to get you out of a predicament?¡± Gu Changmin said lightly, ¡°He¡¯d undoubtedly die tonight if I didn¡¯t beat him. Now, do you dare to intervene? Your Li Family will be completely exterminated if you do. As for how terrifying the Everlasting Feast Hall is, neither you and I know about it. But Miao Wentang, my old buddy, knows perfectly well about it. So does Jin Xingkui.¡±


    Li Haoran suddenly got up. He then strode toward the shocked Li Zhen and fiercely slapped his face a few times. He then furiously roared, ¡°Get your ass to my study room and kneel there! See for yourself how I will fix you up!¡±


    Frightened and scared, Li Zhen covered his face as he half-ran toward the study room. He would have opposed his father if it were in the past. But after tonight¡¯s bitter experience, as well as seeing several Shanghai¡¯s big shots afraid of Tang Xiu, it made him realize that he had provoked a terrifying existence.


    Li Haoran returned to the sofa, but he didn¡¯t sit down. Instead, he deeply looked at Gu Changmin and said, ¡°Brother Gu, I¡¯ll always remember the grace and favor you showed me today. I have fully witnessed your magnanimity. As long as you need anything in the future, please do tell me freely. I absolutely won¡¯t balk if I can do it.¡±


    Gu Changmin¡¯s expression eased a lot this time. He sighed, ¡°Brother Li, if not for the sake of our decades of friendship, I would have never said anything tonight. If it were others, I would just add insult to their injury for the sake of showing goodwill toward Tang Xiu. We are among old friends here. If I didn¡¯t speak out, coming to your place tonight would have me regretting it.¡±

 Chapter 384

    Chapter 384: A Knot in the Heart


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    After a period of stammering Li Haoran sat back on the sofa. There was an awkward expression on his face. He then bitterly smiled, ¡°Who would have thought that Tang Xiu would unexpectedly be this terrifying despite his young age?¡±


    ¡°Look, our position may look lofty compared with ordinary people. But in the eyes of some others, whether it is our status or wealth, what we have is nothing but a joke.¡± Gu Changmin said, ¡°Those with inheritances spanning over a hundred years, for instance, or those several hundred years old families. They don¡¯t fall and decline during the periods of great turmoil. They conceal their abilities and power, bidding for time, while silently developing their own forces. With so many years of accumulation, who knows to what kind of terrifying extent they would develop to?¡±


    Li Haoran deeply pondered before he nodded and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. I was arrogant this time.¡±


    ¡°As a matter of fact, the root cause is still your son, to begin with.¡± Gu Changmin sighed, ¡°Li Zhen was always spoiled since childhood. That shaped his character into an arrogant and domineering personality. I helped you in solving today¡¯s matter, but what about next time? Once he provokes another big figure, how will your Li Family solve the problem then? Wouldn¡¯t you be easily exterminated?¡±


    Li Haoran looked a bit cold as he nodded, ¡°Brother Gu, rest assured! I¡¯ll put a leash on him later. I won¡¯t hesitate even if I have to make him suffer.¡±


    Gu Changmin nodded in a response.


    Yet, there was a tinge of concern in Li Haoran¡¯s eyes as he asked, ¡°Brother Gu, what do you think about today¡¯s matter? Is it really over like this? If Tang Xiu is a narrow-minded person¡­¡±


    After a moment of silence, Gu Changmin slowly said, ¡°If I were you, I would immediately inquire about his address, and then send compensation right away. There were some powerful families on par with your Li family that finally almost lost their families¡¯ fortune paying compensation. It was all because they provoked Tang Xiu.¡±


    _Hiss_ ¡­ Li Haoran eyes turned saucer, and he couldn¡¯t help inhaling cold air.


    Immediately after, he dialed a number. He then asked in a deep voice, ¡°How much liquid cash is available in our company right now? Hmmm¡­ I got it. Transfer 600 million to me. I need it now.¡±


    After ending the call, he shifted his vision to the middle-aged men surnamed Li and Gao. While looking at the horrified expression on their faces, he forced a bitter smile, ¡°Two old friends, my Li Group can only transfer up to 600 million funds, while I myself am holding 200 million. Can you two lend me 200 million? I¡¯ll return the money to you immediately once I get back my cash flow.¡±


    The middle-aged man Li curiously asked, ¡°You¡¯re thinking of giving 1 billion to Tang Xiu as a token of apology?¡±


    While looking at Gu Changmin, Li Haoran nodded and sighed, ¡°I believe that Brother Gu and Jin Xingkui won¡¯t lie to me. Yeah, I¡¯m going to put forward 1 billion. Just consider it as a financial losses as to avoid calamity!¡±


    The middle-aged men surnamed Li and Gao exchanged looks.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take out 100 million each! If it¡¯s not enough, do tell us.¡± The middle-aged man Li sighed.


    Li Haoran looked at the two men with a grateful expression, ¡°Three old friends, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t accompany you all to play mahjong tonight. Since I already owe you all a big favor, I must thicken my face to help me inquire about Tang Xiu¡¯s residence. I¡¯ll personally visit him.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    The three men nodded simultaneously.


    Bluestar Villa Complex.


    Tang Xiu brought Kang Xia back here. In fact, it was Kang Xia who requested to come back here. Chi Nan and the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s members directly returned to the restaurant when they were on the road.


    ¡°Boss, is this the place you¡¯re living? What a impressive, stylish villa!¡± Kang Xia didn¡¯t much interest in the villa. However, that was regarding someone else¡¯s villa, and not the place Tang Xiu lived, for which she looked around to her heart¡¯s content.


    ¡°My aunt gave me this villa!¡± Tang Xiu let out a pale smile and said, ¡°I will probably stay on campus after Shanghai University¡¯s new term formally starts. I¡¯ll stay here whenever I can, though.¡±


    ¡°I really doubt you can live in a campus, eh?¡± Kang Xia laughed.


    Laughing involuntarily, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me. I have been through hard times, yet I managed to cross them over. Let alone the university dorm, I can live well even if you give me a shed.¡±


    Kang Xia let out a charming laugh. Winding her arms around his waist, she then said in a low voice, ¡°A man I fancy is truly a dragon among men. Do you know that I have never been in love before? I didn¡¯t know how it felt like falling in love with a man. But since¡­ after ¡®that¡¯, I¡¯m always missing you every day; pondering about what you¡¯re doing; wondering whether you ate or not; wondering whether you slept¡­ Now, I finally realize that loving someone will make me worry and want to see them.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment, before secretly sighing inside. He reached out his hand to caress her elegant long hair and softly said, ¡°You should understand that I can¡¯t you give you a marriage. Neither can I completely, fully love you.¡±


    Kang Xia looked up, her pair of bright eyes fixated on Tang Xiu. She asked, ¡°Can you tell me why is that? Did you had¡­ any emotional traumas before?¡±


    Tang Xiu avoided Kang Xia¡¯s eyes. He gently pushed her away, and slowly walked to the second floor. After entering his room, he took out a bottle of wine from the wine cooler, poured it into two cups and handed one to Kang Xia, who had followed behind him. He then turned to the balcony, watching the dim lights outside, and the dancing shadows of the trees. Only then did he speak in a low voice, ¡°I used to be someone who was never good at expressing my feelings. But when one is in love with someone, that person will be subjected to genuine affection. There¡¯s one thing I don¡¯t wish to understand. For that, too, I don¡¯t want to think over about feelings between lovers. In the future, perhaps I will also give my heart to someone. But it¡¯s not now¡­¡±


    Kang Xia understood what Tang Xiu meant. She gently held his arm and said, ¡°According to you what you said when you taught me that cultivation technique, I could really live for a very long time. If so, I¡¯m confident that I¡¯ll be able to pry open your closed heart, and truly get to your heart.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and sighed, ¡°There are many outstanding men in the world. Why do you¡­¡±


    With all seriousness, Kang Xia interrupted him, ¡°There are indeed a lot of outstanding men in the world, but no one is better than you. You¡¯re my first man, and you will be my last.¡±


    ¡°But I can¡¯t give you a family in the future.¡± Tang Xiu sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve thought it over. I don¡¯t need a family.¡± Kang Xia said without hesitation, ¡°You just have to give me a baby.¡±


    _A baby?_


    Tang Xiu blanked out for a moment. He then shook his head and forced a smile.


    At this moment, he suddenly realized something. In his last life, he and she had been together for so many years. But it seemed that she had never conceived his child from the beginning to the end. Even if those super powerful Supremes in the Immortal World couldn¡¯t make their women pregnant, but it had been many years, after all. Could there be no accident, at least once?


    Could it be that¡­ she was using a special means, and she was intentionally not wanted to give him a child?


    That¡¯s right! Maybe her feelings for him were fake. If so, how could she possibly give birth to his child?


    A desolate and dejected light flashed from Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. He gently raised his chin to gaze at the distant stars in the sky. His eyes were as though looking through the vault of the sky. It was as if his gaze had pierced through innumerable worlds. Arriving at the Immortal World to see a figure that he had once been enamored of.


    _Han Qingwu?_


    Han Qingwu¡¯s suddenly name emerged inside Tang Xiu¡¯s mind, along with another¡¯s image that was very much like her. Could she be¡­ _her_?


    Although¡­


    ¡­although they had so many similarities, but¡­ it may be just a coincidence!


    After all, Han Qingwu was only an ordinary person. They were two separate persons. One was in the Immortal World, while the other was on Earth. Even if she did get reincarnated, or her soul was transmigrated, there was only one-billionth probability she could get reincarnated on Earth.


    Furthermore, although her cultivation was not as high as his back then, there were probably only a few people who were stronger than her in the Immortal World. Who was it that could kill her? Who could force her to have no alternative but to reincarnate or transmigrate her soul?


    Inside his heart, Tang Xiu agonized as the two extremely similar faces churned out inside his mind. As He turned around to look at Kang Xia, the latter was in a daze and looked to be lost in in thought.


    ¡°What are you thinking?¡±


    Kang Xia came back from her reverie and looked a bit ashamed as she replied, ¡°I was wondering about the child we will have in the future. Would the child be a boy or a girl? If it¡¯s a boy, he must be like you. But if it¡¯s a girl, she certainly must look like me!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let your mind wander in wild imaginations!¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Now is not a suitable time for us to have a child. Just wait, we¡¯ll speak about it again later.¡±


    Kang Xia nodded silently, looking shy.


    ¡°I¡¯m sleepy!¡± Kang Xia suddenly said.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes landed on her white neck, and then swept over her sensual clavicle. A flame was lit inside his heart as he reached out his hand to hold her fragrant shoulder. Walking her toward the room, he laughed, ¡°Although we¡¯re not in a hurry to have a child, still, the taste of having sex is important to enjoy¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s disgusting¡­¡±


    That night, despite Tang Xiu himself being a cultivator, his accumulated fatigue was not light, while Kang Xia herself was also tired and unwilling to have his fingers touch and move around. At the end of the day, Tang Xiu only hugged her clean body and embraced her to sleep.


    The next morning.


    A ray of sunshine passed through the slit between the window curtain. It fell on Tang Xiu¡¯s sleeping body that was lying on the bed. As his eyelashes fluttered, he woke up from his sleep and discovered that Kang Xia¡¯s figure was not at his side.


    ¡°You¡¯ve woken up, Boss?¡±


    Kang Xia came inside through the bedroom door. She immediately smiled sweetly when she saw that Tang Xiu had cleaned himself up and had gotten dressed.


    ¡°Mmm, I just woke up.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°How did you get up so early? Are you going to the Wine Tasting Conference?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s still time.¡± Kang Xia nodded and smiled, ¡°I wanted to make breakfast for you, but I couldn¡¯t find anything in the fridge. Hence, I went outside to buy it. Ah, that¡¯s right. There¡¯s someone waiting for you outside the villa. He seems to have been waiting for you overnight.¡±


    Tang Xiu stared blankly for a moment. He looked confused and then said, ¡°Except for you and Chi Nan, I think there is no one else who knows where I live in Shanghai. Besides, Chi Nan herself only knows that I live in this villa complex, but she has never been here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Li Haoran!¡± Kang Xia said.


    ¡°What does he want?¡± Tang Xiu frowned, ¡°Wasn¡¯t the matter already settled last night?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± Kang Xia shook her head.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a short while, as he then walked toward the outside, ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s see what he wants. If he still wants to quarrel, I might as well wipe out his Li Family and be done with it.¡±

 Chapter 385

    Chapter 385: Compensation


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Outside the villa¡¯s courtyard.


    Going out of the courtyard once again Kang Xia watched as Li Haoran leaned on the car¡¯s front, smoking. She then walked over and said, ¡°Boss has woken up and is calling you inside.¡±


    Li Haoran quickly put out the cigarette and nodded. He then faced two bodyguards and said in a deep voice, ¡°Wait for me here.¡±


    Having said that, he followed Kang Xia inside the villa.


    In the first floor hall.


    Sitting on the sofa, Tang Xiu calmly looked as Li Haoran walked in. He didn¡¯t get up, looking indifferent.


    Li Haoran came in front of Tang Xiu and forced out a smile, ¡°Mr. Tang, it was indeed my mistake last night. I didn¡¯t have enough time to apologize since it was too fast.¡±


    ¡°The reason you came here is just for telling me this?¡± Tang Xiu asked lightly.


    Taking out a bank card from his pocket, Li Haoran placed it on the tea table in front of Tang Xiu and respectfully said, ¡°Mr. Tang, please accept this card as a token of apology. The PIN is written on the back.¡±


    ¡°I accept. Let the enmity between us be written off.¡± Tang Xiu glanced at the bank card and said lightly, ¡°But do remember, don¡¯t let your son appear in front of me ever again. I might take his life if I were in bad mood.¡±


    With a subservient look, Li Haoran hastily said, ¡°I still have a little business in Beijing. Tomorrow¡­ no no, today. I¡¯ll send him to work in Beijing today. Also, I will never allow him to take even half a step into Shanghai unless it¡¯s a holiday.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m someone who¡¯s afraid of troublesome matters.¡± Tang Xiu sighed, ¡°I never feel like acting against anyone if not for them wanting my life. I believe you are also well aware of your son¡¯s conduct. Control him well! The matter between us is settled, but if in the future he accidentally provokes someone your Li Family can¡¯t afford to annoy, I¡¯m afraid you will be less fortunate by then.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will certainly discipline him.¡± Li Haoran forced a smile, ¡°Even if I must resort to special means.¡±


    ¡°From the looks of your poor spirit you shouldn¡¯t have gotten a wink!¡± Tang Xiu stood up and said, ¡°You can go back and rest earlier!¡±


    ¡°Yes yes yes!¡±


    Li Haoran nodded repeatedly as Tang Xiu sent him out. He quickly strode out of the courtyard and hastily left with his two bodyguards. After leaving the villa complex he was secretly relieved.


    Standing beside Tang Xiu, Kang Xia saw that he didn¡¯t take the bank card from the beginning until now. She immediately smiled, ¡°Boss, this token of apology should be quite a lot, right? I guess there should be a million yuan or more inside.¡±


    _A million?_


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes. If it was only a million, that meant Li Haoran was really looking down him. Back then in Hong Kong, the compensation paid by those several families was a hundred times more.


    ¡°Check the card to see how much money is inside. Use it to develop our Magnificent Tang Corp! Although I¡¯m quite poor right now, it¡¯s still money.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re poor? If you¡¯re poor then I¡¯m a beggar.¡± Kang Xia couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°Anyhow, you keep it! Our Magnificent Tang Corp doesn¡¯t lack such a little amount.¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you checked the amount of money in there yet?¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    Hesitating for a moment, Kang Xia then nodded, ¡°All right, I¡¯ll check it.¡±


    Two minutes later, Kang Xia looked at the number displayed on her mobile¡¯s banking system. As she slowly and carefully checked it twice, a shocked expression appeared on her stunningly beautiful face, her hands covering her mouth!


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? How much money is there, to even scare you like this?¡± Tang Xiu smiled.


    As she loosened her hands, Kang Xia¡¯s lips quivered a few times, as she then murmured, ¡°1 billion! I just counted that string of zeros twice, so I¡¯m absolutely not mistaken. It¡¯s definitely 1 billion. Did Li Haoran unexpectedly give 1 billion as compensation?¡±


    ¡°He sure is capable!¡± Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°Take the money. The more financial resources our company have, the better our development. I heard that our company group is spread out all over the country. But does it count for anything? When we¡¯re able to enter the international market, only then can it be counted as a large corporation.¡±


    While suppressing her shocked expression, a dazzling smile appeared on Kang Xia¡¯s stunningly beautiful face. She then sat next to Tang Xiu, held his neck, and passionately kiss his face. After that, she let out an enchanting smile as she raised the bank card and said, ¡°I originally had a plan, but I had no means to truly implement it due to the lack of funds. But now I¡¯m sure that I can start the preparatory work for the big plan. When our wine, cosmetics, and the healthcare products have officially hit the market, we will have a steady cash flow credited to the account when the time comes. I believe it won¡¯t be a problem to complete this big plan of mine.¡±


    While stroking his cheek, Tang Xiu let out a smile and asked, ¡°What¡¯s this big plan? Care to share it with me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s property speculation!¡± Kang Xia blinked her eyes and happily said.


    ¡°Property speculation? When did our company have such a business?¡± Asked Tang Xiu, puzzled.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have it yet. But we will, later.¡± Kang Xia happily smiled, ¡°I¡¯ve already sent people to investigate. The joint project in Star City is about to begin. The housing prices will probably skyrocket. Hence, when the time comes, I need to prepare a large number of funds to take over a large number of properties directly. After saving it for a period of time, I believe the housing price will surely skyrocket all of a sudden, and we¡¯ll be able to make a big profit by that time.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this malicious practice?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised.


    ¡°Nope. This doesn¡¯t count as malicious practice.¡± Kang Xia shook her head and said, ¡°We are one of the developers, to begin with. If we place an internal order, not only will it be cheaper than an external auction, but it will also become our fixed assets. I¡¯ve sent people to investigate this matter. Whether it is the Long Group, or the two parties from Beijing ¡ª Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen ¡ª they can¡¯t spend many funds for internal purchases once the project is finished. The Jingmen Island¡¯s Ouyang Family, however, maybe can take over some. But I believe it won¡¯t be a lot.¡±


    ¡°We just set up the Magnificent Tang Corp.¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, ¡°Even if all of our products have hit the market, I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t amass that much money in such a short time, no? Even with this 1 billion, we¡¯ll only have a few billions in funds. Not to mention what you said about the housing prices skyrocketing.¡±


    ¡°Boss, even if it¡¯s only a few billion, but after saving it for some time, we can multiply it several times over.¡± Kang Xia said with a smile, ¡°Isn¡¯t this business plan quite cost-effective?¡±


    _Several times?_


    Tang Xiu was startled inwardly, as a light burst out from his eyes.


    After contemplating it for a short while, he then said in a deep voice, ¡°Then start this big plan of yours. But do remember to notify me in advance. I¡¯ll try my best to get a large sum of funds for your operation.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± Kang Xia nodded with a smile.


    Suddenly, as if recalling something, she curiously asked, ¡°Boss, Li Haoran is a shrewd and astute businessman. How could he compensate us with so much money? That was 1 billion! Even if his Li Group does have a big enterprise and lots of assets, but to take out a billion all of a sudden is probably enough to choke them up, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Do you think that a billion is a lot?¡± Tang Xiu smiled lightly, ¡°About one or two months ago, I had a conflict with some parties in Hong Kong. They are big and well-respected families there. The total added compensation I got from them, was more than 10 billion. I forgot the specific amount, though. But I think it was quite a lot.¡±


    10 billion?!


    Kang Xia shivered inwardly, as a look of disbelief was revealed on her beautiful face. She suddenly exclaimed out loud, rushing to Tang Xiu¡¯s side. She grabbed his arm with both of her hands and quickly asked, ¡°Boss, since you got so much, what about the money? Our Magnificent Tang Corp is exactly short of it!¡±


    ¡°Your money-mad appearance is looks great too.¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help burst into laughter, ¡°Anyhow, you can forget about it. I have a use for it.¡±


    Kang Xia was stunned. An embarrassed look appeared on her face. But still, she asked, ¡°What did you use it for? To take over the Everlasting Feast Hall?¡±


    ¡°Nope. The Everlasting Feast Hall has always been mine. There was no need to purchase it.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you about it?! I used it in the Nine Dragons Island¡­¡±


    Kang Xia suddenly sobered up. She patted her head and charmingly smiled, ¡°Look at me, I actually forgot about this matter. Anyhow, Boss, I¡¯m really curious. You bought an island. Why do you have to spend so much to reconstruct it?¡±


    ¡°The Nine Dragons Island will become our supreme headquarters in the future.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    _Supreme headquarters?_


    ¡°Will it also count as the supreme headquarters of the Everlasting Feast Hall?¡± Kang Xia hesitantly asked.


    Tang Xiu inhaled deeply and said, ¡°When I find some time, I¡¯ll take you to the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s HQ. When you get there, you¡¯ll know what kind of existence the Everlasting Feast Hall is.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Kang Xia nodded quietly.


    After having the breakfast, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t go to the Wine Tasting Conference with Kang Xia. Instead, he went to the campus. Though neither the classes or the military training had started, he still decided to go there. He would seize the time while everyone was attending military training to craft interspatial rings.


    By now everything was ready to start crafting. He only needed to wait for the east wind [1].


    And the right time¡­ was exactly now.


    While strolling around campus, watching the young men and women radiating youthful auras as they came and went, Tang Xiu was as though infected by them, his mood turned obviously great.


    _Di, di¡­_


    A car¡¯s horn sounded from behind. Tang Xiu turned his head and saw Yue Yang¡¯s BMW slowly following behind him.


    ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, you¡¯re back! We were just talking about you. We were about to report to the police station that you were missing if you had not appeared.¡± Yue Kai opened the car¡¯s window and smilingly said.


    Inside the car, aside from Yue Kai who was driving, there was also Hu Qingsong on the front seat. However, both fellow¡¯s eyes were red. They apparently didn¡¯t slept well last night.


    ¡°Hey, you two. What the hell did you do last night? Look at your appearance, you didn¡¯t have a good rest, right?¡± Tang Xiu drilled into the back seat and smilingly asked.


    With a fully thick northeastern accent, Hu Qingsong laughed, ¡°It ain¡¯t only Yue Kai. This kid dragged me to go clubbing! But hey, that was great. That two paper girls last night were pretty good.¡±

 Chapter 386

    Chapter 386: A Father with a Child


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    While sitting comfortably in the back seat, Tang Xiu listened to Hu Qingsong¡¯s proud and self-satisfied laughter. He rolled his eyes and gave him a contemptuous look.


    Excessive!


    It was nothing if Hu Qingsong only hooked up with a paper girl. But he went so far as to have a threesome with two paper girls! That was absolutely excessive. Tang Xiu was simply unable to bear this kind of behavior.


    ¡°The military training starts tomorrow, right?¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said.


    While driving, Yue Kai nodded, ¡°Yeah! The army is kinda a melting pot if you ask me. They will devastate the flower buds of our motherland. Pity that this place is not my old man¡¯s company, but the famous Shanghai University. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have had to attend the military training and do that sinful crime. You tell me, should I deliberately break my legs and then ask for a leave or something?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay by me. I think your idea is great.¡± Hu Qingsong smilingly said, ¡°Guess what? I heard that the military training is mixed. So that will be a hella best time to pick up girls. If anyone were to give up this godsend opportunity, hehehe¡­ don¡¯t stare at us with envious looks afterward.¡±


    ¡°Hell no, getting injured hurts. All right, I decided to attend the military training as well.¡±


    This time, Yue Kai was poker-faced with all seriousness. But in the eyes of others, it was just akin to shamelessness.


    Soon, the car stopped at the dorm. During which, they talked about some school matters, as well as Xue Chao who was still hospitalized. After entering his room, Tang Xiu took a glance at his own bed. He then squatted in front of the desk, looked underneath, and grabbed a few textbooks. He casually flipped it over for a short while and then decided to bring it back. There was still free time, so there was still good time to review.


    A mountain of books. There is no royal road to size, and there is no end to learning and work.


    Learning! Making money! Cultivating!


    This was the road he had set for himself. Wasting time was akin to wasting life for him.


    Suddenly, Hu Qingsong turned around to Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Our campus¡¯ major societies are currently recruiting fresh blood. Eldest Brother Tang, which society are you going to join?¡±


    _Society?_


    Slightly startled for a moment, Tang Xiu then shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m not interested in joining any society. I might as well learn more things if I have the time.¡±


    ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, are you still a youngster?¡± Hu Qingsong grinningly said, ¡°We, youngsters, must be passionate and full of spirit to try new things. Anyhow, I¡¯ve decided to join the Basketball Club and the Breakdance Society. How about you join me?¡±


    ¡°Old Hu, do you really want to make Eldest Brother Tang join you in entering the Breakdance Society?¡± Yue Kai turned around, faintly smiling, ¡°With his girl-flirting technique, if he were to join the Breakdance Society, I¡¯m afraid the flower girls there wouldn¡¯t ever spare you an eye again, no? Maybe the chicks will even throw themselves to Eldest Brother Tang¡¯s lap when he casts his sheepish eyes at them.¡±


    Hu Qingsong froze. Suddenly sobered, he waved his hand and said, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, count it as if I didn¡¯t say anything just now, okay?¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t know whether he had to laugh or cry, ¡°Can you not foolishly blabber about? What is this casting sheepish eyes at chicks? What the hell is with throwing themselves at me? You are mentally sick.¡±


    ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, we are indeed sick in the mind. But you are sick in both mind and body!¡± Yue Kai laughed, ¡°So to say, with so many beautiful ladies taking a like at you, can this small physique of yours still be able to hold the fort?¡±


    Rolling white eyes at him, Tang Xiu was really too lazy to bother about them.


    ¡°Anyhow, Eldest Brother Tang, we gotta reach an agreement here!¡± Yue Kai chuckled and smilingly said, ¡°First, you can join any society you like, but don¡¯t join the Music Society. Those pretty chicks in the Music Society are just fine to have me save them.¡±


    Tang Xiu stood up. He could now tell that these dorm buddies were all akin to Casanova reincarnations. They came to college not to study, but instead, they were looking for a wife. They should¡¯ve gone to a marriage agency should they have the time!


    He shook his head as he took a few books and prepared to leave, ¡°Well, be diligent in chasing and seducing those girls! Anyways, I¡¯m not going to attend the military training. If there¡¯s nothing else on campus in the near future, I won¡¯t come back to school again. Gimme a call if anything happens.¡±


    ¡°Not attending the military training?¡±


    Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong were dumbfounded. They watched as Tang Xiu left the dormitory. Then, Hu Qingsong dashed out. As he saw Tang Xiu in the corridor, he called out loudly, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, did the campus approve of you not attending the military training?¡±


    ¡°Yup. They approved it!¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t turn his head. He just waved his hand and continued walking.


    Standing in front of the dorm¡¯s door, Hu Qingsong then turned around to look at Yue Kai. His lips quivered twice and sighed, ¡°Damn, he¡¯s worthy as the Eldest Brother! This kind of ability¡­¡±


    When Tang Xiu left the campus, he called Miao Wentang and learned that he had contacted Dao Master Ziyi. As of now, Dao Master Ziyi was bringing his disciple to Shanghai. The news made him secretly relieved.


    He had been hoping to craft an interspatial ring earlier. Once he had refined it, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about carrying his belongings. Additionally, another good thing was that, after he obtained it, he need not worry about losing it. Of course, he also had another idea in mind. After he refined the interspatial ring, there should be a lot of precious materials remaining. Hence, he could craft weapons while convenient.


    He had been through several fights and killings!


    Although the Mitsubishi army knife was sharp enough, it was inconvenient for him, let alone bringing it along with him.


    _Let¡¯s head to the hospital!_


    After leaving campus, Tang Xiu caught a cab outside, and then rushed straight to Shanghai First Public Hospital.


    ****


    Shanghai World Trade Exhibition Center.


    At the moment, counter #0246 in the conference venue was surrounded by a crowd. Those who were eligible to attend this Wine Tasting Conference had all heard about Gods Nectar. They even knew that the seven judges had given it sky-high praises. Therefore, countless people wanted to taste Gods Nectar, while nearly all liquor wholesalers wanted to bulk purchase it if possible.


    Prior to this, no one showed any interest in counter #0246. It was simply deserted.


    But now, people boiled over, and countless more were coming.


    The stark contrast strengthened Kang Xia¡¯s self-confidence and delighted Sun Quan and the several other employees.


    ¡°Attention, attention. All wine wholesalers please wait outside. Factory staffs, please wait in your counters. To all friends from the media, prepare to record, since the Wine Tasting Competition will open immediately.¡± A broadcast spread out in the conference venue.


    Immediately, dozens of security guards arrived at the venue and quickly escorted all the wine wholesalers to wait outside, as well as supervised dozens of reporters from the media, preventing them from disturbing the interview.


    A broadcast once again came out from the sound system:


    ¡°Dear friends, there are a total of 260 traders participating in this Wine Tasting Competition. Afterward, the seven judges will taste each wine produced by the various manufacturers. However, due to the quantity that must be tasted, the judges are to be divided into seven groups. After that, they will assess and evaluate five winners, which will be tasted by the seven judges for the final result.¡±


    ****


    Shanghai¡¯s First Public Hospital.


    Tang Xiu went to Xue Chao¡¯s ward. As he looked inside, there were three sickbeds, yet only two were occupied. He let out a smile as he looked at Xue Chao, woh was sat on the bed head, wearing a distressed expression.


    ¡°Something wrong? Why are you looking like this?¡±


    Walking over, Tang Xiu smilingly asked.


    Xue Chao looked up. He was as if seeing a savior as he looked at Tang Xiu. However, he hesitated as he was about to open his mouth. Eventually, he lowered his head again and shook his head silently.


    Tang Xiu then put the fruits he brought to the side. Taking a seat on the empty bed, he smilingly said, ¡°Xue Chao, we¡¯re classmates. Furthermore, you¡¯re also my dorm mate. Tell me if you have any problems. I¡¯ll never refuse if I can help.¡±


    Xue Chao¡¯s lips quivered a few times. With an hesitating expression, he looked at Tang Xiu and probed, ¡°Do you have some money?¡±


    ¡°A bit.¡± Tang Xiu smilingly replied.


    ¡°Then, could you¡­ lend me some money?¡± Xue Chao hastily said, ¡°Tang Xiu, please don¡¯t misunderstand me. I know this is only the second time we meet, and it¡¯s not proper for me to borrow money from you. But¡­ but I¡¯m out of options. If I can¡¯t borrow money, my¡­ my wife and child won¡¯t be able to eat.¡±


    ¡°Your wife and child?¡± Tang Xiu blinked, and then said in a strange tone, ¡°You mean, you not only have a wife, you also have a child?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! My wife is my high school¡¯s classmate.¡± Xue Chao nodded and forced a wry smile, ¡°We had our wedding right after we graduated from high school. Although we have yet to certificate our marriage, my son is almost a year and a half now. Originally, with my family¡¯s conditions, I wouldn¡¯t be able to come to Shanghai to study. But my wife forced me to. Moreover, she told me that if I¡¯m not successful at university, she¡­ she will take my son to a faraway place, never to see me ever again.¡±


    ¡°Xue Chao, I know you come from the mountains.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Are your wife and kid still in the mountains now?¡±


    ¡°If they were still there, I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about them starving.¡± Xue Chao forced a wry smile, ¡°They could fill their stomach if they go to the mountains and pick up some wild herbs and vegetables. But two days ago she came to Shanghai to find me. They have been in the hospital for the last two days.¡±


    ¡°How about their well-being?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°I only have 60 yuan left with me. That is also for them to buy some food to eat.¡± Xue Chao sighed, ¡°Even if 60 yuan can last today, or until tomorrow, but what about the day after tomorrow? And the days after?¡±


    ¡°I see. Anyways, don¡¯t worry about the money matter.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Since your wife and son have come to Shanghai, then you must take care of them. However, they should also know about your situation, so why did they came to Shanghai? What about your parents ¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, forget it. I¡¯ll just tell you!¡± Xue Chao sighed, ¡°It¡¯s because my family is too poor, so my wife¡¯s family dislikes me, and they didn¡¯t approve our marriage. But my wife went against them, so we eventually had our wedding. However, she didn¡¯t have any means to get any help from her maternal family, while my family only has my mother. We have no other relatives. As a matter of fact, my son got ill after I came to Shanghai. Although he has taken medications, he hasn¡¯t gotten better until now. But if I can¡¯t get money, after three or four days, I¡¯m afraid that he won¡¯t be able to make it.¡±

 Chapter 387

    Chapter 387: Do Good Deeds to the End


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Without saying more, Tang Xiu took out his wallet, took out more than 3000 yuan, and stuffed it into Xue Chao¡¯s hand, saying, ¡°I only have this much cash on me. Take it first. I¡¯ll see you again two days later, and I¡¯ll bring some extra cash for you then.¡±


    With a grateful look, Xue Chao looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°It¡¯s enough. This much is enough. Tang¡­ Eldest Brother Tang, I can¡¯t thank you enough for this great benevolence. But I¡¯ll remember this favor. I¡¯ll look for work after I have recovered from my injury, a part-time one, and I¡¯ll pay you back as fast as possible.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no hurry.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°A few thousand yuan is nothing for me. Supporting your family and studying are your priority now. So, just recover from your injury, I¡¯ll help introduce you to a job! You can earn money by working on Saturdays and Sundays.¡±


    ¡°Do you have an acquaintance? Is the payment good?¡± Xue Chao was pleasantly surprised.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s an acquaintance of mine.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll introduce you later. Looking at my face, you¡¯ll definitely earn more money compared to other places.¡±


    ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, thanks.¡± Xue Chao hastily nodded and gratefully said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave out the courtesy.¡± Tang Xiu smiled while shaking his head, ¡°But don¡¯t say anything to Yue Kai and the others, about me lending you money and helping you finding a job.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Xue Chao was puzzled.


    ¡°No whys. Shortly put, just don¡¯t mention this matter in front of them.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Additionally, I think you¡¯re an honest and upright man. I hope you can keep your heart pure after spending more time here. Don¡¯t get lost by the myriad temptations of this dazzling metropolis.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t. My mom said that rivers and mountains may change, but it¡¯s hard to alter one¡¯s nature.¡± Xue Chao scratched his head and laughed, ¡°My character has been set in stone, while I myself have to support my family. How could I lose myself in the dazzling mundane world with its myriad temptations? In actuality, I understand what you mean. Yue Kai and the others seem to come from families with good financial situations. You don¡¯t want me to unrealistically compare myself with them, right?¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile. Just as he was about to speak, a woman appearing to be 22 or 23 years-old, with pale skin and a slim figure, entered the ward. There was a 1 or 2 years old child in her arms, and she wore a concerned and worried expression on her delicate face.


    ¡°Little Juan, come here quickly. Let me introduce you to my classmate. This is Tang Xiu, the other classmates in the dorm call him Eldest Brother Tang. Eldest Tang Brother, this my wife¡ªLittle Juan, and that¡¯s my son in her arms.¡± Xue Chao put down the money as he said with a smile.


    ¡°Hello. That¡¯s a very adorable little fellow you have there!¡± Tang Xiu greeted her with a smile.


    Du Juan was a bit anxious upon seeing Tang Xiu. Nevertheless, she hurriedly replied, ¡°Hello, thanks!¡±


    After thinking for a short while, Tang Xiu then turned to Xue Chao and said, ¡°How about leaving the hospital earlier? I¡¯ll arrange you a place to stay. The place is off the campus, so your son doesn¡¯t need to stay in the hospital. You also know the amount of bacterias that gather in hospitals. It could be harmful to the child¡¯s health and growth.¡±


    ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, this¡­ is not quite proper, don¡¯t you think? You¡¯ve already helped me so much.¡± Xue Chao was hesitant.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Like the common saying goes, do good deeds to the end and send Buddha to the West. You just admitted to owing me a favor, then you can just admit owing me more!¡±


    Xue Chao was silent for a short while. He then nodded and said, ¡°All right! You¡­ where will you arrange us to stay?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I have a place outside campus, you can move there and stay with me!¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°We can take good care of each other in this case.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ your place¡­ can we also stay?¡± Xue Chao asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°A few more people living there is no problem.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. I¡¯ll tell Little Juan to deal with the discharge procedures.¡± Xue Chao said.


    Tang Xiu smiled and took Xue Chao¡¯s child. The child was not shy of strangers, instead, he smiled at Tang Xiu. However, his body was a bit hot, which made Tang Xiu¡¯s expression slightly change.


    ¡°Xue Chao, wait here for a while. I¡¯ll see a doctor to check his body temperature. We have to take good care of this child¡¯s illness before we leave.¡±


    Having said that, Tang Xiu hugged the child and left the ward. Outside, he called a nurse to help examine the boy¡¯s body temperature. It turned out that he only had a low fever and the nurse suggested to lower it with external cooling. In fact, Tang Xiu himself understood medicine and knew perfectly well about the child¡¯s condition. He just did this to make Xue Chao relieved.


    Half an hour later, Tang Xiu carried two big baggage in one hand while his other hand propped up Xue Chao, leading Du Juan and their son leaving the hospital. He then intercepted a taxi outside and quickly went to Bluestar Villa Complex.


    As for the reason why he brought Xue Chao¡¯s family to stay with him together in Bluestar Villa Complex. Firstly, it was because he wanted to help them. Secondly, he also wanted them to help take care of the villa. At the very least, there would be someone to do every day¡¯s cleaning, keeping everything in order, or buying some groceries.


    It¡¯s said that children who come from poor backgrounds manage their households from an early age. He believed that either Xue Chao or Du Juan were also able to cook. Additionally, he actually had thought it over. Even if he was studying at Shanghai University, he¡¯d probably leave often and keep busy with some other things, leaving the villa unoccupied.


    However, it was also easy to expose that he was rich in this case.


    At the Bluestar Villa Complex¡¯s entrance.


    After paying the taxi fare, Tang Xiu helped Xue Chao out. After that, he picked up the baggage in the trunk and then waved to a security guard.


    ¡°Hello, can you give us a ride?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    The security guard was surprised as he saw Xue Chao¡¯s family of three. He then said with a smile, ¡°No problem. Please wait a bit, Mr. Tang. I¡¯ll immediately call the patrol over.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Tang Xiu took out a cigarette pack. As he found that he had yet to open its seal, he straightly stuffed it into the security guard¡¯s hand.


    At the moment, Xue Chao was a bit startled. He retrieved his eyes from the villa complex¡¯s entrance and looked at Tang Xiu, asking, ¡°Do you live here, Eldest Brother Tang?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Tang Xiu replied with a smile.


    Despite opening his mouth, Xue Chao didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Xue Chao, this is nothing but a material thing. Don¡¯t care about it so much.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Besides, I think you misunderstood something. You should have guessed that I¡¯m a second generation nouveau-riche, right? Actually, I¡¯m not. All the things I have, were mostly gained with my own hands.¡±


    ¡°I got it!¡± Xue Chao nodded.


    The patrol car quickly stopped in front of them. After two security guards carefully supported Xue Chao inside, they then motioned for Tang Xiu and Du Juan to board. Without too many effort, they arrived at the villa¡¯s front gate where Tang Xiu was living.


    After thanking them, Tang Xiu watched as patrol car left and then opened the front gate. He then led Xue Chao¡¯s family of three into the villa¡¯s courtyard.


    ¡°Holy mother, this is truly impressive and stylish!¡±


    Du Juan looked faintly excited. She had never seen such a stylish, impressive villa!


    ¡°It¡¯s just like on TV. It¡¯s really big and impressive.¡± Xue Chao nodded and said, ¡°I really never thought that I, Xue Chao, can also live in such an impressive house.¡±


    ¡°We are still young. As long as you work hard and diligently make money, I believe you¡¯ll also have your chance in the future.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°When that time comes, you can buy a more luxurious villa for your wife and children.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Xue Chao nodded heavily.


    After entering the villa, despite already having imagined how luxurious it was, Xue Chao and Du Juan were still flabbergasted after seeing the decoration inside. They couldn¡¯t utter any words for a long while.


    ¡°Xue Chao, you¡¯re still injured. Thus, you¡¯ll stay on the first floor! There are several guest rooms on this first floor. Discuss with your wife and pick one of them.¡± After helping Xue Chao sit on the sofa, Tang Xiu spoke to him with a smile.


    ¡°All right, we¡¯ll pick one.¡± Xue Chao nodded and said, ¡°Ah, that¡¯s, can I take a bath? I¡¯ve been in the hospital for five or six days. I didn¡¯t have a chance to take a bath.¡±


    ¡°Yup, there¡¯s a bathroom on the first floor. Stroll around and you¡¯ll find it.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s right. Since you¡¯re older than me, I¡¯ll call your wife big sis-in-law! Big sis-in-law, can you cook? If you can, then we can do grocery shopping and cook food to eat at home.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can, so can Xue Chao.¡± Du Juan quickly replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll give this great and honorable work of preparing food for you. Anyhow, I¡¯ll give you a spare key later.¡±


    Half an hour later, Xue Chao and Du Juan had selected a good room. The couple hugged their child and had a chat in the room.


    ¡°Little Juan, take this. It¡¯s several thousand yuan.¡±


    Du Juan stared blankly for a moment, and then asked in astonishment, ¡°Hubby, where did you get the money from?¡±


    ¡°I borrowed it from Tang Xiu.¡± Xue Chao said.


    ¡°We have no money, and we now borrowed from him.¡± Du Juan hesitated before she received the money and said, ¡°We must work hard in the future and pay him back. Not to mention that he¡¯s letting us live in his house. We must remember this favor. We must repay him in the future.¡±


    ¡°I know. Tang Xiu is a good man and has done us good.¡± Xue Chao nodded and said, ¡°We¡¯ll be good to him later.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    Inside the study room on the second floor.


    Tang Xiu took two keys, one of which was the key to the villa he gave to the couple, and the other one was the key to his other villa in Shanghai.


    It was because he had to have a place to treat Dao Master Ziyi¡¯s disciple. It wasn¡¯t a problem before Xue Chao and his wife came to live in this place. But since there were outsiders now, he could only pick elsewhere.


    After packing up, Tang Xiu then dialed a cell number Ji Chimei had once given him. He agreed to meet her at the Everlasting Feast Hall. After saying hello to Xue Chao and Du Juan, Tang Xiu then left the house directly.


    There were a lot of magical spells and divine abilities he had been unable to use due to his limited cultivation. Furthermore, he was also clueless about the specific situation Dao Master Ziyi¡¯s disciple was in. Hence, he called Ji Chimei over for safety¡¯s sake.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just wait. When the time comes, I can use a lot of magical spells as long as my cultivation is high enough. Although I can¡¯t cast a few spells since the Star Force within me is unable to support it, it¡¯s still better than nothing!¡±

 Chapter 388

    Chapter 388: Heart-Brain Gu Poison


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Shanghai World Trade Exhibition Center.


    Media reporters followed the seven judges who stopped in front of the counter, tasting a variety of wine brands. Regardless, due to quantity of wines, they just sipped the wine as not to get drunk and then gave their evaluations.


    Time fleeted by.


    Surrounded by the crowd, Du Kun came before the #0246 counter. He looked at Kang Xia, who opened the bottle cap of Gods Nectar and poured a cup. The smile on his face immediately got thicker.


    After drinking up, Du Kun spoke to the recorder in his hand, smiling, ¡°My appraisal is the same as before. This wine should only be found in heaven, and only a few people can taste it in the human world. If the price of this Gods Nectar wasn¡¯t tagged with such a high price, I would be very worried about the other wine businesses in China. If anything, I want to tell everyone that this wine is truly a good drink, yet, you must get it after looking at your pockets. If you don¡¯t have the money, even if this wine is a world¡¯s delicacy, you shouldn¡¯t be over too fond of drinking it.¡±


    Having said that, he turned to Kang Xia and said with a smile, ¡°Chief Kang, I love this Gods Nectar and am very optimistic about it. If later you have any problem in this area, you can find me. I¡¯ll help you solve it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Kang Xia slightly bowed and replied with a smile.


    The media reporters were ignited by Du Kun¡¯s statements. This time, they recounted Du Kun¡¯s words without missing even a word with excited expressions and relayed it back to their headquarters as quickly as they could.


    Outside the venue, seven big screens above broadcasted this scene. A large number of liquor wholesalers saw it, and many people recorded the scene using their mobile phones. To witness and memorize the success of Gods Nectar today.


    Many people now began to inquire the details of the Magnificent Tang Corp, hoping that they could be cognizant of the company¡¯s executives and win them over by throwing money, striving to buy a great quantity of Gods Nectar to make a fortune from it.


    Shanghai, Southfield Villa Complex.


    Following the address, Tang Xiu came over by car. There were four cars in the garage, and he let Kang Xia drive one. Yet, it was his first time using one.


    After reporting to the main gate, he arrived at the villa. After entering, he found that, although this villa was a bit shabier compared to the ville in the Bluestar Villa Complex, it was also an upscale and luxurious villa.


    After parking the car, Tang Xiu took out a black leather suitcase from the trunk. He put the precious ores to craft interspatial ring inside, some of which were main materials ¨C Void Crack Stone, Wintertide Fluorite, and Star Fragment Stone ¨C while Tang Xiu had also bought some batches of other additional materials. However, there were too many things to carry, and he didn¡¯t bring all of them over from Star City. But since they easy to buy, he decided to buy a few more before he began crafting the interspatial ring.


    Soon, Ji Chimei caught up. After greeting Tang Xiu, she then learned the reason he called her over.


    ¡°Venerable Lord, I don¡¯t know much about the Gu Poison on Earth. But I believe there¡¯s no Gu Poison in this world that I can¡¯t govern. So you can rest assured that I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Ji Chimei respectfully said.


    ¡°I believe in you.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°I estimate that they should be arriving in half a day. You can wait here!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Ji Chimei said.


    As noon approached, Tang Xiu received a phone call from Miao Wentang, informing him that he had brought Dao Master Ziyi and his disciple to Southfield Villa Complex¡¯s entrance. Immediately, Tang Xiu called the complex¡¯s main gate and said to allow them to enter.


    ¡°Brother Tang, I didn¡¯t let you down. I¡¯ve brought Dao Master Ziyi and his disciple. Whether or not you can get the thing you want, it will depend on your ability.¡± Miao Wentang cupped his fists over as he smiled.


    Nodding with a smile in a response, Tang Xiu then looked at Dao Master Ziyi and said with a smile, ¡°Dao Master Ziyi, we meet again. From your dispirited look, you seem to not have rested, right?¡±


    ¡°As long as I can cure this disciple of mine, I¡¯m willing to endure.¡± Dao Master Ziyi forced a smile and said, ¡°Benefactor Tang, let¡¯s not waste time! You can rest assured, I¡¯ll immediately give you my cauldron furnace as long as you can eliminate the Gu Poison in my disciple¡¯s body.¡±


    Having said that, he walked to the car¡¯s rear door. With utmost care, he pulled out a person dressed in a yellow robe, and an object wrapped in a large bundle of yellow cloth, and then put it down in front of Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t open the wrapped object. Instead, he looked at the youth who wore the same Daoist robe as Dao Master Ziyi. The youth had a handsome look, but his complexion was pale, with faintly purple lips. There was also a black-colored vertical line on the center of his brows.


    ¡°Please, come inside!¡± Tang Xiu said coolly.


    Miao Wentang and Dao Master Ziyi shot Ji Chimei curious looks, who looked focused and still behind Tang Xiu. They didn¡¯t intend to ignore her, but, since Tang Xiu didn¡¯t introduce her, they could only hold back their doubt as they followed Tang Xiu inside.


    ¡°Dao Master Ziyi, you and Brother Miao can wait outside. We¡¯ll go inside to check his condition.¡± Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to waste time. He wanted to get the cauldron furnace as fast as possible.


    ¡°All right!¡± Dao Master Ziyi nodded.


    A minute after, Tang Xiu and Ji Chimei had brought the youth into the room.


    After Tang Xiu nodded, she then immediately said, ¡°Take off your clothes and lie on the bed.¡±


    The youth obeyed Ji Chimei¡¯s instruction. After stripping off his clothes, he obediently lied on the bed.


    Ji Chimei raised her hand and pressed the youth¡¯s Great Spirit point, Great Pivot point, and Life Gate point, these three big acupoints. As her fingers moved, an amazed expression could be seen on her old face.


    ¡°Raise!¡±


    Ji Chimei turned her hands. The youth¡¯s body levitated midair. In a flash, Ji Chimei¡¯s figure drifted up. with her feet floating in the air, her hands constantly flapped the youth¡¯s back and abdomen. After more than a minute, she then floated down.


    ¡°How is it?¡± After seeing the youth¡¯s body back to bed again, Tang Xiu quickly asked.


    ¡°Venerable Lord, I know what kind of Gu Poison is in his body.¡± Ji Chimei respectfully replied after knocking out the youth with her hand, ¡°I had once fought an old Demon Ancestor called Black Heart in the Immortal World. He was an expert in all kinds of Gu Poison. Originally, he had harmed a lot of people, poisoning some of them with this type of Gu Poison.¡±


    ¡°What is it, exactly?¡± Tang Xiu curiously asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Heart-Brain Gu, an extremely vicious Gu Poison.¡± Ji Chime replied with all seriousness, ¡°This type of Gu Poison can discharge beyond removing someone¡¯s root of life and star destiny thread together and link up his brain area and heart. Once this root of star thread is broken, the victim implanted with it will die instantly. Additionally, this kind of Gu Poison releases its poison from time to time and will erode the person¡¯s blood essence, corroding his bone marrows. However, the person who used this Gu Poison has poor ability. His low cultivation resulted in the Brain Heart Gu not being up to much, thus, this youth can still live until now.¡±


    ¡°Can you cure him?¡± Tang Xiu asked the issue he was most concerned about.


    ¡°I can. But I need some things.¡± Ji Chimei nodded.


    ¡°What kind of things?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°Crepe Myrtle Kindle Symbol.¡±


    ¡°Have you considered whether I can make this ancient symbol?¡± Tang Xiu knitted his brows and forced a smile.


    ¡°In those days, Venerable Lord was able to move unhindered in the Immortal World and had innumerable divine abilities.¡± Ji Chimei said with a smile, ¡°This subordinate only had a meager status at that time. Even though this one did hear Venerable Lord¡¯s glorious deeds, this one never knew that you could craft this Crepe Myrtle Kindle Symbol.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m indeed able to craft this Crepe Myrtle Kindle Symbol. But my current cultivation is limited.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°Even if I exhaust all my strength, I¡¯m afraid I can only produce one in a day. Furthermore, the effect is also much worse. I don¡¯t know whether it would still have an effect.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be a problem!¡± Ji Chimei nodded. Having said that, there was a look as if she wanted to say more, but was hesitant in doing so.


    ¡°What else do you want to say?¡± Tang Xiu asked when he noticed it.


    There was a surprised flash in Ji Chimei¡¯s eyes as she said, ¡°Boss, I suspect that there are some inextricably link between Earth and the Immortal World. After all, this Gu Poison is extremely rare even in the Immortal World. Furthermore, ever since I arrived on Earth, I found many things which can be considered as peerless treasures in the Immortal World.¡±


    Tang Xiu himself had long been aware of the special connection between Earth and the Immortal World. Therefore, he nodded and said, ¡°In fact, I have also noticed some of the things you said. However, there are only a handful of cultivators at present. Those few in the cultivation world that I know of don¡¯t know many secrets either. Hence, even if we want to investigate it, I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t find out anything. Some people on Earth probably have some connections with the Immortal World. That, or some cultivators from Earth who had ascended to the Immortal World are using some divine ability to transport some things from there to Earth. In short, there are all kinds of possibilities.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to secretly investigate it?¡± Ji Chimei asked, ¡°Perhaps we¡¯ll have unexpected discoveries.¡±


    ¡°Not for the time being.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Your most important duty is to protect Yan¡¯er and refine medicinal pills. As for other matters, wait until I have thoroughly cured Yan¡¯er. It won¡¯t be too late to conduct further investigations later.¡±


    ¡°I understand!¡± Ji Chimei respectfully said.


    ¡°Go buy the things needed to inscribe the symbol!¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°After you buy them, I¡¯ll immediately craft the Crepe Myrtle Kindle Symbol.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡±


    After Ji Chimei departed, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t awake the youth, instead, he went to the living room. Dao Master Ziyi and Miao Wentang stood up upon seeing him, as Tang Xiu then said, ¡°We can save your disciple, but we need a special ancient symbol. I¡¯ve ordered Ji Chimei to buy the materials needed. After I craft the symbol, she then can start the treatment.¡±


    ¡°You can really treat it?¡± Dao Master Ziyi was pleasantly surprised.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m someone who attaches importance to promises.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Naturally, if I don¡¯t have the cure, I won¡¯t say anything that slaps my own face just to look imposing. Rest assured and wait!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for a long time, it¡¯s not a problem to wait for a while more!¡± Dao Master Ziyi nodded, and then said with a smile, ¡°Benefactor Tang, don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t want to have a look at the cauldron furnace.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at the wrapped furnace on the tea table. He then walked over gently unwrapped it.


    _Hiss¡­_


    When Tang Xiu looked at the golden yellow quadruped cauldron furnace, his eyes were wide like saucers. He couldn¡¯t help but inhale a cold breath.

 Chapter 389

    Chapter 389: Refining the Divine Cauldron, Progressing in Cultivation


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu had never seen Dao Master Ziyi¡¯s cauldron. He did fantasize that Dao Master Ziyi had a very good cauldron, but never did he think it¡¯d be this good.


    In the days when he was in the Immortal World he also possessed a top-notch immortal cauldron. He used that cauldron to craft weapons and concoct pills, which were regarded as top-notch immortal tools and immortal pills.


    However, merely from it¡¯s outward appearance, as well as the tidal glittering golden glow that was hard to catch by naked eye, he appraised that this cauldron was not much inferior to the top-notch immortal cauldron he had once used.


    ¡°Benefactor Tang, is this cauldron good? In the past, I risked my life to break into a mystical place. Aside from a manual, there was only this quadruped cauldron. It¡¯s a pity that this cauldron is a bit small, otherwise, I could have refined several good pills.¡± As Dao Master Ziyi was thought about how this treasure he had used for decades would soon become someone else¡¯s, he couldn¡¯t help but ache inside.


    ¡°It really is a good cauldron.¡± Tang Xiu sighed in praise.


    ¡°I won¡¯t renege on my promise. Provided that you can cure my disciple, this quadruped cauldron is yours.¡± Dao Master Ziyi said with a smile, ¡°If you can¡¯t cure him, I won¡¯t give it to you.¡±


    While stretching his hand to gently touch the quadruped cauldron, Tang Xiu slowly released his star force into the cauldron. Suddenly, a band of golden light burst out and stabbed everyone¡¯s eyes in an instant. Even Tang Xiu himself closed his eyes at this moment, as he could feel his eyes turning hot and aching.


    _Puff¡­_


    As Tang Xiu held the cauldron, suddenly, two wind blades cut through his palms, and blood crazily gushed out from them, while the golden light from the quadruped cauldron became even more intense.


    Every nook and corner of the villa¡¯s hall was inundated with golden light.


    At the same time, a suffocating, terrifying aura exuded out from the quadruped cauldron. The aura brought along a very strong pressure. Despite Dao Master Ziyi and Miao Wentang¡¯s cultivation being several folds stronger than Tang Xiu¡¯s, they were still forced to constantly step backwards by the oppressive aura. After they were forced out of the villa and entered the courtyard, only then did the duo¡¯s footsteps cease retreating. Their complexions were ghastly pale.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? I¡¯ve used that cauldron for decades, how come this kind of matter has never happened?¡± Dao Master Ziyi said with an unsightly expression.


    ¡°Dao Master, you ask me, but whom do I ask?¡± Miao Wentang forced a smile and said, ¡°Besides, cauldrons were never my thing, to begin with. But this aura is way too terrifying. I feel like if it suddenly explodes, I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯d be blasted into smithereens.¡±


    ¡°I also have this feeling.¡± Dao Master Ziyi said, ¡°But, Tang Xiu, he¡­¡±


    Inside the villa¡¯s hall, Tang Xiu¡¯s body turned incomparably rigid. He felt horrified as he lost control of his own body. His blood was crazily being sucked from the wounds in his hands. Within just a few seconds, two-thirds of the blood in his body was sucked away.


    Shortly after, a gentle golden light entered Tang Xiu¡¯s body through his wounds. Under the supervision of Tang Xiu¡¯s spiritual sense, he could see that, after his blood fused with the golden light, it went through special qualitative changes, and the blood flowing in his blood vessels gradually turned into golden-red color.


    _This golden light is transforming my body!_


    Tang Xiu¡¯s perception shifted away from his blood. He suddenly discovered something more flabbergasting. While his shock was not yet over, a special medicinal efficacy suddenly came out from the cauldron and torrentially inundated into his hands, went through his arms, and entered his body.


    _Heavens! How come there¡¯s so much medicinal efficacy from it?_


    If Tang Xiu were not able to speak, he would be roaring now. He found that the two medicinal efficacy forces were extremely powerful. The energy was huge to the point that his body was unable to bear it. He even began to worry that his body would explode as he withstood it.


    However, his concern didn¡¯t come true. The two medicinal efficacies burst into his body, and then stampeded inside his Dantian at a lightning speed. The stars inside his Dantian was as though being hit by a radiant storm, with the sparks splashing. The stars exploded, forming a more horrifying storm.


    _Bam, bam¡­_


    Tang Xiu could only see darkness as he directly fainted. However, his body remained standing with his hands still pressed on the quadruped cauldron as before. At this moment, the golden light released from the quadruped cauldron slowly dissipated, but the same oppressive aura hadn¡¯t vanished yet. From the top of the cauldron, a stream of quaint ancient gold runes was continuously fusing into the center of Tang Xiu¡¯s brows one by one.


    Time went by as eight hours passed in an instant.


    Bluestar Villa Complex.


    After participating in the Wine Tasting Conference, Kang Xia led the company¡¯s staff to attend the evening banquet organized by the Wine Industry Association. She then sent Su Quan and the others back to Star City, and enthusiastically drove back here. However, she had never thought that she would unexpectedly meet three guests inside.


    ¡°You mean that¡­ Tang Xiu brought you to live here? And you¡¯re also Tang Xiu¡¯s classmate?¡± Kang Xia asked as she looked at the family of three in front of her.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m Tang Xiu¡¯s classmate! I suppose I¡¯m also his dorm mate.¡± Xue Chao nodded and said, ¡°But since I got injured, he wanted me to move from the hospital to recuperate here. Anyways, she¡¯s my wife, and that¡¯s my son in her arms.¡±


    Kang Xia took her mobile to call Tang Xiu¡¯s cell number, but her phone call didn¡¯t get through. Her black-dyed eyebrows knitted slightly. She then put her mobile away, nodded and said, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Kang Xia, Tang Xiu¡¯s¡­ subordinate. Anyhow, since I can¡¯t connect with him, I¡¯ll go rest first. I have yet to rest until now.¡±


    ¡°You want to rest here?¡± Xue Chao quickly asked.


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Kang Xia showed a trace of a smile and asked, ¡°I stayed here last night.¡±


    Xue Chao quickly shook his head. With a simple and honest smile, he said, ¡°What you said is kinda interesting. What subordinate?! You should be Tang Xiu¡¯s girlfriend, right? Since our family of three is living here, there will be many disturbing things later, so I ask for your forgiveness.¡±


    The smile on Kang Xia¡¯s turned a bit brighter. She was quite happy after hearing Xue Chao¡¯s words. She then laughed and said, ¡°It¡¯s all right. Since Tang Xiu wants you to live here, just stay here! Besides, I only come to Shanghai occasionally. After seeing him, I¡¯ll return to Star City.¡±


    Immediately, she turned around and went to the staircase.


    While gazing at Kang Xia¡¯s enchanting back, Xue Chao secretly gulped down his saliva. He then turned to his wife, Du Juan, and said in a low voice, ¡°Wife, Boss Tang is really amazing! His girlfriend is so beautiful, she¡¯s even prettier than those pretty female celebs on TV.¡±


    Du Juan raised her brows. While hugging her son with one hand, her other hand pulled and twisted his ear, saying with discontent, ¡°Yea, yea¡­ Miss Kang is really beautiful, eh. But I wanna know something. Am I more beautiful, or is she more beautiful in your eyes, huh?¡±


    With an embarrassed expression, Xue Chao said with a smile, ¡°Wife, you¡¯re beautiful. My wife is the most beautiful in my heart!¡±


    A glimmer of satisfaction on her face, Du Juan then loosened Xue Chao¡¯s ear and harrumphed, ¡°Hmph, if you dare say that other women are more beautiful, things won¡¯t end well for you. Nevertheless, Miss Kang is indeed beautiful. I¡¯m afraid that guys like you who are able to find such fairy-like bonne amie, surely must have your ancestral graves to emit green-blue vapor, no?¡± [1]


    ¡°I think so too! Nonetheless, Boss Tang is a kind and good person. If it was someone else who found such a girlfriend, I¡¯d think the woman was blind. But I feel it¡¯s normal for Boss Tang to find such a great girlfriend.¡± Xue Chao said with all seriousness.


    ¡°Yeah, mom taught me when I was small that good people would have good rewards.¡± Du Juan nodded.


    When Kang Xia went to Tang Xiu¡¯s bedroom on the second floor, she looked at the empty room, a look of being at a loss flashing in her eyes. She planned to return back to Star City tomorrow and wanted Tang Xiu to accompany her tonight. But now with him not here, she was a bit disappointed.


    However, she didn¡¯t worry about Tang Xiu¡¯s safety at all. Because she knew how powerful he was. Whoever dared to bully him should wait to be bullied back by him!


    ¡°Where did that fella run up to anyway?¡±


    Kang Xia spoke to herself in a low voice. She then walked to the cloakroom, picked a brand-new man¡¯s white shirt from the inside, and then casually walked toward the bathroom.


    ****


    At this time, Tang Xiu had just awakened from his stupor. He then sat cross-legged on the sofa while staring blankly at the quadruped cauldron. No, not right. This cauldron should no longer be called as a quadruped cauldron. Instead, it must be called ¨C Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron.


    He found a lot of things inside his sea of mind after he woke up. He learned that this Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron was the most valuable treasure that once belonged to the super powerful Supreme Devil¡ªJia Luoye in the God Realm. He also learned that this Jia Luoye was once born and existed countless of eons ago on Earth. At that time, the past Earth was not the same as the present Earth. He even knew that Earth was once thousands of times larger than it was today, whereby myriads of immortal cultivator powerhouses existed therein.


    Unfortunately, a great war at a later time led to the destruction of Earth. Countless great gods perished in the war while some departed, leaving only some weak ones. Gradually, they declined in the perpetual river of time.


    He was not clear about the events afterward. Because soon after, Jia Luoye made a breakthrough. He became a Demon God and straightly entered his second life in the God and Demon Realms. However, in the tens of billions of years later, Jia Luoye was harmed in a trap prepared by his enemies and ultimately came to his end. As for how this Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron ended up on Earth, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t get any information whatsoever.


    Furthermore, although the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron was once the most valuable Divine Artifact, it was unknown to him for what reason its spirit disappeared without a trace. Hence, the artifact was only comparable to a ordinary Immortal Tool at the most now. Only after this Demon God Spirit Devourer produced Spiritual Tools again would it gradually recover its formidability.


    After taking a long breath, Tang Xiu let out a sigh of relief. With the vibration of his wrist, the Demon God Soul Devourer Cauldron instantly disappeared. With his spiritual sense, Tang Xiu found that this cauldron had appeared on the left side of his body, inside his chest.


    ¡°My cultivation has¡­ been promoted by a full level, reaching the peak level of Bone Transformation Stage. I only need another step to achieve the Marrow Transformation Stage. This time, the benefits are really too great. If Ji Chimei can¡¯t completely cure Dao Master Ziyi¡¯s disciple, I won¡¯t able to explain and pay back this account.¡±

 Chapter 390

    Chapter 390: Removing the Gu Poison


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu swept his Dantian with his perception. The stars inside had disappeared and were replaced by a black hole vortex exuding a terrifying aura. Tang Xiu was aware of what was behind the black hole whirlpool.


    _It¡¯s the feeling of power!_


    Tang Xiu clenched his fists. He felt like he could blow a house to smithereens. Furthermore, the moment he circulated the star force in accordance with the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis¡¯s circulation route, the black hole inside his Dantian released a steady stream of Star Force. It was as though the black hole vortex was connected with the countless stars in the vast universe.


    ¡°Benefactor Tang!¡±


    The Dao Master Ziyi and Miao Wentang rushed in from the outside. When they saw Tang Xiu sitting on the sofa, Dao Master Ziyi couldn¡¯t help calling out to him.


    ¡°Boss Tang, are you okay?¡± Miao Wentang urgently asked, ¡°What happened before? That aura was too horrifying.¡±


    Letting out a faint smile, Tang Xiu then shifted his vision from the two men toward Ji Chimei, whose expression was ever changing. She was holding some things and had come behind the duo.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine! However, due to cultivating a special cultivation technique, it turned out to have a special connection with this Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron. Thus, it has been refined by me. Dao Master Ziyi, if my subordinate is unable to heal your disciple, I would have no means to give the Demon God Soul Devourer Cauldron back to you. At the most, I can only use other ways to compensate you.¡± Tang Xiu said with a helpless look.


    Dao Master Ziyi furrowed his brows. He observed Tang Xiu¡¯s expression and could tell that it was unlikely that Tang Xiu was joking. He then slowly asked, ¡°Benefactor Tang, I¡¯ve used this cauldron for dozens of years to concoct various pills. But this kind of matter has never happened to me before. I want to know something. You said this cauldron is called the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron, what kind of existence is it exactly?¡±


    Tang Xiu chose to conceal it previously because, despite the breakthrough in his cultivation, he was still not Dao Master Ziyi¡¯s opponent. In case that Dao Master Ziyi knew that this Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron was a Divine Artifact and he acted without caring for the consequences, he would perhaps have to face a dead end.


    However, he suppressed the thought after thinking about it again. Because this time, he had Ji Chimei here. If Dao Master Ziyi really dared to act against him, Ji Chimei would directly send him to death¡¯s door.


    _Nevertheless, I should opt to conceal it! So as to avoid leaving a knot in his heart!_


    After his mind revolved, Tang Xiu slowly said, ¡°This cauldron is called Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron. It had once housed a sentient spirit, except that the cauldron spirit has long vanished. What is left now is only a cauldron suitable for crafting tools and concocting pills. You have also seen the images left back then. It was imprints left by the spirit before it disappeared. It was triggered by my power, so it activated. So to speak, it brought me a lot of benefits. At the very least, it helped me improve my cultivation.¡±


    Dao Master Ziyi felt quite bitter inside. However, comparing his disciple and the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron, he realized what was more important.


    ¡°Benefactor Tang, since this Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron has chosen you, this is your good fortune. This poor Daoist only hopes that you can fully cure my disciple. Like I said before, this Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron is yours; provided that you can treat and heal my disciple.¡±


    Tang Xiu slowly nodded. He then looked at Ji Chimei and asked, ¡°Is everything I need prepared?¡±


    ¡°Yes, everything¡¯s ready!¡± Ji Chimei said, ¡°You can begin at any time.¡±


    Tang Xiu stood and took everything from her hands, saying, ¡°You all wait for me here. I¡¯ll go upstairs to craft a symbol. Once I finish manufacturing it, I¡¯ll begin treating your disciple.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Dao Master Ziyi complied.


    After three hours passed by, Tang Xiu finally succeeded in crafting the Crepe Myrtle Kindle Symbol. When he came downstairs, he handed it over to Ji Chimei and solemnly said, ¡°It¡¯s your turn now. Don¡¯t let me down!¡±


    ¡°Rest assured!¡± Ji Chimei nodded as she took the Crepe Myrtle Kindle Symbol and walked into the room.


    ¡°Benefactor Tang, you¡¯re not following her?¡± Dao Master Ziyi was startled.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if I go or not.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°She will be the one removing the Gu Poison, not me!¡±


    ¡°May I ask something first, Benefactor Tang? Who is she¡­¡± Dao Master Ziyi curiously said.


    ¡°She¡¯s my subordinate!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Dread could be seen on Dao Master Ziyi¡¯s expression. He could feel a dangerous vibe from Ji Chimei the first moment he saw her. The most puzzling thing to him was that Ji Chimei seemed to be just an ordinary old woman. There was not the slightest sign of cultivation from her.


    ¡°Brother Tang, this subordinate of yours is really powerful.¡± Miao Wentang said, ¡°If my guess is not mistaken, her cultivation must be far beyond mine and Dao Master Ziyi¡¯s. I¡¯m afraid it has reached the point that is enough to make us look up to her, am I right?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s indeed very powerful.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°She can easily break through the Thousand Revolutions Array with her strength alone.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Miao Wentang exclaimed, flabbergasted.


    Even Dao Master Ziyi had his expression drastically changed.


    They both knew the Thousand Revolutions Array¡¯s might. The reason why Tang Xiu had been able to break through so many layers before was because he was very proficient in arrays. But Tang Xiu said that this old woman could easily break through the entirety of the Thousand Revolution Array by virtue of her strength only.


    So to say, that old woman¡¯s strength was at least ten times stronger than them; or even hundreds of times.


    Tang Xiu revealed a faint smile, as he turned around to sit on the sofa. He no longer accompanied Dao Master Ziyi and Miao Wentang to chat. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the sofa and silently sensed the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron¡¯s situation inside his body. At the same time, he also circulated the star force inside his meridians to stabilize his own cultivation stage.


    Although he had now reached the peak of the Bone Transformation Stage, and the toughness of his skeletal bones had increased by over ten times, he achieved this stage too suddenly. His foundation was not solid, and it was in an unstable state.


    Ten minutes later, Ji Chimei came out of the room and looked tranquil. Behind her, Dao Master Ziyi¡¯s disciple followed her out. There was a faint red color on his complexion now.


    ¡°Jingyi, how are you now?¡±


    Dao Master Ziyi came before his disciple and urgently asked.


    The youth called Jingyi revealed a faint smile and said, ¡°Master, thank you for sparing no efforts for this disciple. You didn¡¯t even hesitate to let such a precious treasure go, only to help me get rid of this Gu Poison. The Gu Poison in my body is gone.¡±


    ¡°Good, good, good!¡± Dao Master Ziyi¡¯s eyes shined. Excitement painted his whole face as he said, ¡°You¡­ you must never easily provoke others ever again! There are numerous skilled people in the world. If you encounter the same situation once more, this master of yours doesn¡¯t know if he can save you again.¡±


    ¡°This disciple will obediently follow Respected Master¡¯s instructions.¡± Jingyi respectfully said, ¡°This one certainly won¡¯t dare to repeat the same mistake in the future!¡±


    Nodding in satisfaction, Dao Master Ziyi suddenly felt enlightened. Perhaps his disciple had just gone through the best tempering, though the cost was rather big.


    _The profane world does have a common saying that a lesson is learned once one pay for it._


    He sighed to himself inwardly. After that, he turned to look at Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu opened his eyes. A smile hung on his face as he said, ¡°Dao Master Ziyi, since the Gu Poison in your disciple¡¯s body has been removed, this should explain that the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron is mine.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s yours.¡± Dao Master Ziyi nodded.


    Tang Xiu laughed. He then looked at Ji Chimei and said, ¡°You did a good job! Rest well, or you can go back to Jingmen Island!¡±


    ¡°Then, this subordinate will take her leave first.¡± Ji Chimei respectfully said, ¡°Please do call me if you have any other commands later.¡±


    Having said that, without glancing at Dao Master Ziyi or Miao Wentang, she turned around and left.


    It was said that people get in high spirits when they were involved in happy events. Tang Xiu¡¯s mood was particularly great at this time. He gestured for Dao Master Ziyi and his disciple, as well as Miao Wentang, to sit down. He then said with a smile, ¡°Two friends, it should soon be morning, so you should rest here if you¡¯re tired! I myself rarely come here. You can also stay here if you are in Shanghai in the future.¡±


    ¡°This poor Daoist came in a hurry. There are also a lot of things to manage in this Daoist¡¯s temple.¡± Dao Master Ziyi shook his head and said, ¡°Thus, this one will bring this young disciple of mine to leave after the sky is bright.¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang, I won¡¯t be staying either.¡± Miao Wentang said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ve already accomplished the matter you wanted me to help. If you want to thank me, it¡¯s fine for me if you sell me more Gods Nectar later! I don¡¯t know whether you¡¯re already aware or not, but your Gods Nectar is truly hot now. The major media, many judges from the Wine Industry Association, as well as many wine lovers can¡¯t wait to buy Gods Nectar!¡±


    ¡°I personally made the recipe for the Gods Nectar.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°I would have no face to see anyone if the taste was not good. Brother Miao, if you would like, I¡¯ll sell the wine at the previous selling price I mentioned to you.¡±


    ¡°The price you sold to me before was already a loss for you!¡± Miao Wentang grinned and said, ¡°To my knowledge, the Gods Nectar¡¯s price for each bottle is more expensive than 10,000 yuan per bottle you told me before. Let alone myself, the others have also probably made profits.¡±


    ¡°It was an unexpected mistake from my part.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°I forgot that the Gods Nectar¡¯s price had been re-tagged by the top executives in my company. However, there¡¯s no harm. With our relationship, I don¡¯t care about the money.¡±


    With curiosity on his face, Dao Master Ziyi asked, ¡°Does this Gods Nectar taste that good? How about¡­ selling it to me as well? That said¡­ this one has to say something first. This Poor Daoist is very poor!¡±


    Today, Tang Xiu took huge benefits from Dao Master Ziyi for a cheap price. He suddenly waved his hand spiritedly and said, ¡°Dao Master Ziyi, with our friendship, must we mention money? So to say, if you pass by Star City, you can stop over for a while. I¡¯ll order some people to prepare hundreds of bottles of Gods Nectar for you.¡±


    ¡°Benefactor Tang, I don¡¯t need that much.¡± Dao Master Ziyi forced a smile and said, ¡°We, master and disciple, are living deep in the mountains, so we won¡¯t be able to take carry too many bottles. You only need to give me eight to ten bottles. It¡¯s enough.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°Later, when you need more, just directly contact the person in charge of the winery. It¡¯s fine this way as well.¡±


    ¡°Such being the case, this Poor Daoist gives many thanks.¡± Dao Master Ziyi got up, gave a bow and said, ¡°By the way, since this young disciple of mine had the Gu Poison in his body removed, we¡¯ll be taking our leave first.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also leaving!¡± Miao Wentang also got up.

 Chapter 391

    Chapter 391: Purchasing Materials


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The dawn twilight was revealed on the East horizon when Tang Xiu returned to Bluestar Villa Complex. Although he didn¡¯t sleep all night, he was still full of vigor and spirit at the moment. What he didn¡¯t expect was that Xue Chao¡¯s wife, Du Juan, had already woken up and was busy in the kitchen.


    ¡°Big sis-in-law, it¡¯s so early!¡±


    After greeting her, Tang Xiu was about to go to the second floor to change his clothes.


    Wearing an apron, Du Juan turned around, smiled and said, ¡°I usually get up early at home. It¡¯s a habit. Boss Tang, a woman came last night. She should be your girlfriend, right?¡±


    _Girlfriend?_


    Tang Xiu thought of Kang Xia. He smiled and didn¡¯t explain, only nodded and said, ¡°I got it. Big sis-in-law, don¡¯t imitate Xue Chao in calling me Boss Tang. Just call me Tang Xiu. It¡¯s fine. Well, go busy yourself! I¡¯ll go upstairs to change my clothes.¡±


    ¡°OK. Go ahead and wait for breakfast.¡± Du Juan faintly smiled and went back to cooking.


    When he went to the second floor bedroom, Tang Xiu saw Kang Xia still sleeping in a man¡¯s white shirt. Her sleeping posture looked very attractive, curling up sideways like a sleeping kitten. Her sensual mouth occasionally let out a groan, likely having a delicious meal in a dream.


    ¡°Hehe!¡±


    Tang Xiu chuckled and reached out his hand to draw the blanket and cover her body. He then walked to the cloakroom to take clean clothes. After taking a shower, his whole body felt fresh and refreshed, as he then put on the clean clothes. Just as he came out of the bathroom¡¯s door, he saw that Kang Xia had woken up, leaning on the bedhead, watching him with a smile.


    ¡°You woke up?¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    Kang Xia nodded with a smile, ¡°Our Gods Nectar won the first place in the Wine Tasting Conference. It was an instant hit. I came back here last night, wanting to celebrate it with you. But you wasn¡¯t home and I couldn¡¯t get you on the phone.¡±


    With a surprised look, Tang Xiu then picked up the phone on the TV cabinet. After taking a glance at it, he said with a smile, ¡°No wonder there was no sound from it since last night. It turns out its battery is running out and it got automatically shut down. Anyhow, I heard about it. I passed through Jinhui Square in the morning when I came back and saw the news on the large screens in the square. Some media channels reported the situation in the Wine Tasting Conference, focusing on the Gods Nectar. The response and reactions are great.¡±


    ¡°The opening ceremony will be held three days later. Which place are you going to participate?¡± Kang Xia said with a smile.


    ¡°I won¡¯t attend it.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said with a smile, ¡°After all, my current identity is a student. It won¡¯t look good if I look too high-profile. Let¡¯s see the sales figure for the first three days. If the sales figure is good, I¡¯ll give you a celebration feast.¡±


    ¡°Where will you hold it?¡± Kang Xia said with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go back to Star City.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Kang Xia¡¯s eyes lit up. She was pleasantly surprised as she said, ¡°That settles it then. Anyways, the one living downstairs is your classmate? With his wife and child?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s my dorm and classmate.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°That buddy is really amazing. In his first day at Shanghai, he got injured due to helping someone, thus he got hospitalized in Shanghai First Public Hospital. I went to visit him yesterday and found that he was destitute. Furthermore, his wife and son came down from the mountains to Shanghai to find him, and they were staying in the hospital. Hence, I made them come live here.¡±


    Kang Xia suddenly understood, and said with a smile, ¡°Someone who acts courageously like that at least is not a bad guy. Do you intend to make them live here forever?¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°After Xue Chao¡¯s wound has recovered, he will have to live in the campus dormitory. As for his wife and child, we¡¯ll see how he would arrange it for them. Well, let¡¯s not talk about their issues. Since you have woken up, don¡¯t stay in bed. Take a shower and let¡¯s go downstairs to have breakfast.¡±


    ¡°You bought breakfast?¡± Kang Xiu smiled.


    ¡°Nope.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s Xue Chao¡¯s wife. She¡¯s making breakfast downstairs.¡±


    Kang Xia suddenly understood and leisurely went to the bathroom. After a dozen minutes passed by, she walked out in pajamas. Because she had brought her luggage from the hotel yesterday, she took out a neat set of clothes from the inside and walked downstairs with Tang Xiu, ¡°By the way, I plan to return to Star City in the evening. Do you have anything to do today? You want me to accompany you?¡±


    ¡°Do you know the current price for fine iron?¡± Tang Xiu thought for a while and then asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about this.¡± Kang Xia shook her head.


    ¡°Nevermind then.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell Chi Nan to take care of it. Anyhow, since you¡¯re going to leave this evening, let¡¯s go buy something! I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be quite busy for some time henceforth.¡±


    ¡°Busy with what?¡± Kang Xia curiously asked.


    ¡°Crafting tools!¡± Tang Xiu smiled slightly and said.


    ¡°What tools?¡± Kang Xia asked with a confused expression.


    ¡°You have yet to officially tread on the cultivation path, so it¡¯s natural that you don¡¯t know about refining tools and such.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°In the future, after you can sense qi circulation and have a perfect command of it, I¡¯ll tell you about crafting tools.¡±


    Having said that, Tang Xiu then dialed Chi Nan¡¯s cell number and said, ¡°Help me buy some steel ingots and iron ores. I¡¯ll text you the quantity later. Buy all of them by tonight and send them to the location I¡¯ll tell you.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± Chi Nan quickly complied.


    During the wait for breakfast, Tang Xiu sent a text message with the details, the address where to buy them, and then sent it to Chi Nan. After that, they and Xu Chao¡¯s family finished breakfast. It was a simple breakfast with baked salty cakes, boiled rice porridge, and two portions of hot pickled mustard that were obviously bought from the supermarket. However, outside of those, each person also got a soft boiled egg.


    _Simple and economical!_


    This was Tang Xiu¡¯s and Kang Xia¡¯s heartfelt evaluations.


    After the breakfast, Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Big sis-in-law, you got good skills in making baked pancakes. It¡¯s delicious. It seems I¡¯ll be having delicious food later.¡±


    With an embarrassed expression, Du Juan stammered for a while and then said, ¡°I was afraid you wouldn¡¯t like it, Tang Xiu! In fact, I know I made a simple breakfast. If it doesn¡¯t meet your appetite, I¡¯ll make something else tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Big sis-in-law, this is actually very good.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°I have gone through hard days growing up, as well as experienced starving sometimes. Therefore, you don¡¯t need to worry about that. Shortly put, whatever you cook, I¡¯ll eat them.¡±


    Du Juan finally felt relieved as she let out a smile while cleaning up the dishes. She then said, ¡°That¡¯s great then. Anyhow, I¡¯ll go out to buy food again later. Are you going to have lunch at home?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be quite busy with some things in the next few days.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to come back here temporarily.¡±


    ¡°Boss Tang, are you going to attend the military training?¡± Xue Chao asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head,, ¡°I¡¯ve asked for a leave of absence from the military training.¡±


    Upon hearing it, Xue Chao understood that Tang Xiu perhaps really had very important things to do. He then nodded, ¡°Boss Tang, can I ask for your help again?¡±


    ¡°You can tell me directly if you need something!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Although I have yet to go to the campus for registration, the school authorities have helped me handle the registration procedures.¡± Xue Chao said, ¡°I heard from Yue Kai and the others that my textbooks have also been brought to our dorm. Can you help me bring those textbooks here if you have the time? It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t want to waste the time doing nothing while recuperating.¡±


    ¡°I have brought my textbooks, so you can use mine.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°After you read them, I¡¯ll go to the campus to get yours.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good as well.¡± Xue Chao replied with a smile.


    Tang Xiu then looked at Kang Xia and said with a smile, ¡°Follow me to buy something!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Kang Xia revealed a faint smile. After greeting the Xue Chao couple, she and Tang Xiu then left the villa. As the garage door was opened, the duo then casually drove a car and departed.


    ¡°Husband, that¡¯s a good car.¡±


    Du Juan, who was standing in front of the door, turned around and looked at Xue Chao.


    ¡°I¡¯ll buy you a good car later.¡± Xue Chao said with a smile.


    ¡°You only know how to talk big.¡±


    Replying with a smile, Du Juan then went back to the kitchen and began to wash the dishes.


    For the whole morning, Tang Xiu led Kang Xia to several stores, buying a lot of yellow paper, cinnabar, pen brush, and other items. They bought all the stock in the stores they passed. In the end, the car¡¯s trunk was fully stuffed and some could only be put in the back seat.


    Afterward, the duo went to Southfield Villa Complex.


    ¡°Boss, what is this place?¡±


    With a curious expression, Kang Xia looked at the surroundings. Her eyes finally landed on the luxurious villa in front and couldn¡¯t help but ask curiously.


    ¡°This is the other real estate I have in Shanghai.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°The next thing I¡¯ll do is quite important, so I decided to do it in this place.¡±


    ¡°Boss, you unexpectedly have so many real estates in Shanghai?¡± Kang Xia was surprised.


    ¡°My aunt gave me some, my father having bought a few of them.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t spend a dime for them, nor did I do anything to get it. Anyways, if you have the time to come to Shanghai later, take these keys and have a stroll around. You can stay in whichever place you take a liking.¡±


    ¡°Why do I feel like you are raising me like a canary?¡± Kang Xia smiled and said, ¡°But if you could find someone else to manage the Magnificent Tang Corp, it¡¯s fine for me to become your canary. Making myself more beautiful every day, cultivating flowers and plants, going to cooking class and learning to cook¡­ Don¡¯t people have a say? To tie down a man¡¯s heart is by keeping a hold of his stomach. I can also¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    Snappily glaring at Kang Xia, Tang Xiu shook his head and then walked toward the trunk. Moving down everything he bought, he put all of them into the ten square meter garage. Since the garage door was facing the sun, having a higher roof than the average garage and larger, therefore, Tang Xiu selected this place to refine tools.


    After eating lunch, four trucks slowly entered the villa complex. After stopping and parking in front of the villa¡¯s front gate, Chi Nan got down from her sports car behind the four trucks.


    ¡°I have bought all the materials you wanted, Boss.¡± Chi Nan came to Tang Xiu and reported, ¡°However, since the quantity is a bit big, there are still four trucks loading goods.¡±


    ¡°Tell the workers to unload the goods first!¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Put the materials in the trucks inside the garage and then have the other trucks park in the yard.¡±


    Chi Nan complied. More than a dozen porters then moved the materials inside. Then, she came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side and curiously asked, ¡°Boss, with these many materials, do you want to reconstruct this villa or something?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± Tang Xiu smiled slightly and said, ¡°Don¡¯t ask more. Send me another four trucks of materials two days later. It should be about the same quantity.¡±

 Chapter 392

    Chapter 392: Sold Out


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Night had fallen. The materials had all been transported. Two of which were taken to the garage and the rest were piled up in the yard. During this time, Chi Nan had to supervise dozens of porters.


    As for Kang Xia, because she had bought an evening airplane ticket, Tang Xiu could only ask Chi Nan to send her to the airport, since he didn¡¯t have time.


    Everything was ready.


    Tang Xiu lit up a cigarette. After taking a puff, he went to the second floor to take a bath and then went to sleep for four or five hours. He then went to the study room, where the yellow paper and cinnabar ink were piled up.


    True Fire was needed if one wanted to refine tools.


    After Tang Xiu employed magical arts to create True Fire, he found that his star force within his body could only last for half an hour. Relying on it to release True Fire for refining tools was simply impossible.


    Therefore, he could only use other means, that was, by using True Fire Symbol. Nevertheless, it would require a lot of continuous star force support for the refining process to finish.


    All day, for the next two days, aside from going out to grab a bite, Tang Xiu only rested for two hours, while the rest of his time was used to craft True Fire Symbols or to restore the consumed star force. It was not until the third morning when he finally made 108 True Fire Symbols.


    ¡°Each True Fire Symbol can last for four hours. These 108 True Fire Symbols should be able to last more than 400 hours. It should be enough.¡±


    Taking all True Fire Symbols, Tang Xiu then went to the courtyard. He found two experts from the Everlasting Feast Hall waiting there.


    ¡°Your duty is to guard the courtyard. Regardless of anyone, you must not let them disturb me! Remember, if some people are too headstrong, don¡¯t rashly hurt them.¡± Tang Xiu asked Chi Nan to assign these two core experts here to protect him.


    ¡°Affirmative!¡±


    The Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s two core experts nodded simultaneously.


    Tang Xiu hesitated. He didn¡¯t feel a bit relieved. As far as he was concerned, there must be neither interruption nor disturbance, otherwise, it may lead to failure, thus wasting the precious materials for nothing. It didn¡¯t matter to him if the wasted materials were only the ordinary ones. But he absolutely couldn¡¯t afford to lose those three precious ores.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Chi Nan?¡±


    ¡°Chief Chi is at the restaurant, Boss.¡±


    ¡°Call her here, too. I¡¯m going to sleep first. I want to see her when I wake up!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    After giving the order, Tang Xiu then straighly slept for 12 hours. When he woke up from his deep sleep, the star force inside his body that had been consumed was already recovered. As he went downstairs, Chi Nan, who had long been waiting for him, helped him to get some food. After eating, he then said with a smile, ¡°Tell them to guard this place for me. I¡¯m still a bit uneasy because of what I¡¯m gonna do next is very important. So I also want you to stay here and personally guard me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Boss. I¡¯ll absolutely stay here on guard.¡± Chi Nan exclaimed.


    Nodding with a smile in a response, Tang Xiu then walked out of the door. After arriving at the garage, he directly turned on the lights and then closed the garage door that was facing the sun.


    ¡°Out!¡±


    As Tang Xiu waved his hand, the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron directly flew out. Tang Xiu hit it with his palms few times. The cauldron immediately turned bigger. In an instant, it turned into a two meters high cauldron.


    ¡°First is refining the iron and copper essence, and then forging the ordinary ores.¡±


    Crafting an interspatial ring was a big project for the current Tang Xiu. Hundreds of tons of materials were needed to fully extract the essence. He had estimated that those materials could only be purified into a fist-sized essence at best, which only then could it be used to refine tools.


    ¡°True Fire Symbol, burn¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu put a True Fire Symbol into the cauldron. He then began cutting the fine iron piece by piece, each weighing a dozen pounds. Since he already had full control over the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron, he was thus able to activate the array inside it.


    At this moment, along with the True Fire Symbol burning, if anyone entered the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron, they would definitely find that its inside was very big. It was bigger than what it looked from the outside. It was at least thousands of times bigger. Tang Xiu continuously threw the slickly cut iron and copper blocks, as well as the other materials, and threw them into the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron.


    Half an hour passed. The preheating of Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron had been finished. A layer of red, light ripples now covered the inside of the cauldron chamber, while materials began to smoke, even showing signs of melting.


    Shuangqing Province, Star City.


    Within the General Manager Office of the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s HQ, Kang Xia was standing before the window with her arms crossed over her chest, watching the bustling scene outside.


    Behind her were Scarblade Qiang and Su Quan, who looked a bit restless. Although they believed that Gods Nectar could definitely get a great start, yet they didn¡¯t feel completely relieved. After all, they had yet to obtain news.


    ¡°Su Quan, how much time before the opening?¡± Kang Xia asked without turning back.


    ¡°There¡¯s 14 minutes before the stores all over the country cut the ribbon.¡± Su Quan said without thinking.


    Kang Xia silently nodded.


    She herself was, in fact, very nervous. As far as she was concerned, Gods Nectar was the first product sold by Magnificent Tang Corp. It was also related to the sensation caused by the company across the country. Thus, it would have a huge influence. If today was successful, she would execute her following plan, that was, listing the two cosmetic products, the Skin Care Lotion and the Scar Removal Cream on the market a week later. If these two products could also get good sales figures, she would also list the healthcare product produced by the company on the market a month later.


    She had a big ambition. Within this second half of the year, she wanted more than half of the country¡¯s population to frequently mention the Magnificent Tang Corp or the company¡¯s products. She wanted to make it as everyone couldn¡¯t help but raise their thumbs when they mentioned the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s products.


    Time passed by. Twenty minutes passed by in an instant.


    Inside, Kang Xia, Scarblade Qiang, and Su Quan were silently waiting for the news. The petite Andy then rushed in and cried out, ¡°Chief Kang, Beijing and Shanghai have just sent news. Our exclusive stores over there will soon be out of stock. The four stores in those two cities have all had their 20,400 bottles of Gods Nectar sold out in just a few minutes.¡±


    _Ding dong-_


    A notification sounded from Kang Xia¡¯s mobile phone.


    When she opened the WeChat and saw the video on the screen, a bright smile appeared on her beautiful face. The video footage was taken by the top management of the Magnificent Tang Corp. It was a video footage that recorded the situation in one of their provincial capital¡¯s exclusive stores.


    It was crowded!


    The store¡¯s entrance was fully crowded. Moreover, many people resorted to sucking up the guards, yet all along, there was no way to step into the store even half a step.


    What was hot? This scene absolutely could be called as hot!


    Scarblade Qiang and Su Quan quickly came forward to watch the video. Had it been the usual times, they would absolutely not dare to do it. After all, Kang Xia was someone with absolute authority in the Magnificent Tang Corp. But, at the moment, they couldn¡¯t care less. They wanted to know how much was the final sales figure of Gods Nectar.


    ¡°Awesome!¡±


    After seeing the video, Scarblade Qiang flung his arms and exclaimed, ¡°My choice was absolutely wise. Before, I followed Boss here to Star City. Sure enough, he can really spread my wings here. Anyways, Chief Kang, do you want to add more production lines? Our winery can produce tens of thousands of boxes of Gods Nectar every month now, and I¡¯m afraid our supply would fail to meet the demand later.¡±


    Kang Xia¡¯s expression moved. However, as she recalled the Hunger Sale plan devised by Tang Xiu, she finally repressed the thought. Shaking her head, she said, ¡°No need. Our Magnificent Tang Corp have invested too much earlier on. Let¡¯s do this slow and steady. We¡¯ll wait for our money to flow back. We¡¯ll discuss about production expansion later.¡±


    Scarblade Qiang hesitated, then nodded and said, ¡°Since Chief Kang is decided, we¡¯ll do it as per your instructions!¡±


    Su Quan¡¯s eyes flashed, ¡°Chief Kang, even if our Gods Nectar¡¯s supply can¡¯t meet the demand, I think we can still increase the production line once our funds have flowed back. After all, Gods Nectar is a wine, which is an easily consumed product. Besides, we are also forgetting one thing, and this time, we should make up for it.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Kang Xia was surprised.


    ¡°Recently, after I conducted an independent analysis of our marketing, I found that most of our clients actually have inextricable relationship with the government. If there are people among the court officials who we can¡¯t get along or are difficult to deal with, and they want to get some Gods Nectar from us through special relationship, if we were to refuse them, I¡¯m afraid it would affect the operation of our group.¡±


    Kang Xia stared blankly for a moment, before suddenly awakening. She then forced a smile and said, ¡°If not for your reminder, I would have forgotten this issue. So be it then. You go back to the winery and immediately store up a thousand boxes of Gods Nectar. Even if all of our exclusive stores all over the country are in serious shortage, these thousand boxes of Gods Nectar must never be shipped out.¡±


    ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll manage this!¡± Su Quan nodded.


    Suddenly, he seemed to recall something and quickly said, ¡°Chief Kang, can we send some of them to Beijing? Such as the Boss¡¯s family¡­¡±


    After hesitating for a moment, Kang Xia then nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll personally handle this matter. Go!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Su Quan smiled and quickly left the office.


    Scarblade Qiang didn¡¯t leave yet. He was still waiting for the sales figures from the other cities¡¯ exclusive stores. What made him pleasantly surprised was that, in half an hour, all the other cities¡¯ exclusive stores had passed the news: All Gods Nectars have been completely sold out. There are countless people blocking the store outside, yelling that they must buy it. Many people even want to pay in advance, hoping that the wine can be given to them immediately should when next shipment arrives.¡±


    ¡°Refuse.¡± Kang Xia passed down the order.


    The restlessness inside Scarblade Qiang¡¯s heart finally disappeared. He looked at Kang Xia, grinning ear to ear, and said, ¡°Chief Kang, do you have any other instructions for me? If not, I¡¯ll go back to the winery.¡±


    ¡°Scarblade Qiang, you have done very well.¡± Kang Xia said with a smile, ¡°Boss told me to reward you if our Gods Nectar achieved good results. Thus, you¡¯ll receive double from this month onwards. And you¡¯ll also receive the dividends from your share by the end of the year.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Chief Kang.¡± Scarblade Qiang¡¯s eyes turned bright, and said with a smile, ¡°Please help me convey my gratitude to Big Boss.¡±


    ¡°Go!¡± Kang Xia waved her hand, and said with a smile, ¡°A few days later, the Boss will probably come back here to give us a celebration party. Make preparations on your side, all right?¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± The smile on Scarblade Qiang¡¯s face turned thicker.

 Chapter 393

    Chapter 393: Successful Crafting


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Heat waves and flames surged in the villa¡¯s garage at Southfield Villa Complex. Tang Xiu¡¯s naked upper body was streaming with sweat, while his arms were like machines that threw materials into the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron.


    Under the control of his spiritual sense, each piece of fire iron, copper essence, ore, and other materials, after being thrown into the cauldron, they were then melted into a slurry liquid. Along with the high-temperature, it evaporated, leaving a strand wire-sized essence remaining.


    ¡°What a great cauldron!¡±


    The smile on Tang Xiu¡¯s face didn¡¯t recede. He was confident that if he had this Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron in the Immortal World, regardless of crafting tools or concocting pills, his efficiency would have increased by several times.


    ¡°Chi Nan, tell them to move the materials over here.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡±


    The auto-door opened as surging heat waves made Chi Nan take a few steps backward, leaving a horrified look on her gorgeous face.


    ¡°Boss, will you be alright staying for long periods in such a high temperature?¡± Despite knowing Tang Xiu¡¯s ability, Chi Nan couldn¡¯t help but ask loudly as she entered the garage and withstood the heat waves.


    Chi Nan could feel that merely the temperature in the garage was probably over 50oC, let alone the temperature in the cauldron. Even the lamps inside the room had been extinguished. Evidently, the high temperature caused a problem in the power line.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Tang Xiu grinned, ¡°This temperature won¡¯t hurt me. Don¡¯t waste time, tell them to move all the materials inside. If the workload is too big, assign some more people to the task.¡±


    ¡°Boss, this task is really big. I¡¯ll call more people over!¡± Chi Nan said, ¡°Only, can this cauldron hold so many materials?¡±


    ¡°There was a car¡¯s worth of materials here, didn¡¯t they still disappear?¡± Tang Xiu smiled lightly and said, ¡°All right, just worry about the things you need to worry about, not the things you don¡¯t need to.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Chi Nan obeyed and respectfully nodded.


    Time fleeted by, and six days passed in an instant. In these six days, Tang Xiu nearly hadn¡¯t any meals, drink or sleep, only watched the refining process in the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron. Finally, all the purchased ordinary materials had been fully used, leaving an adult fist-sized essence inside the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron.


    ¡°An opportunity like this won¡¯t come around again!¡±


    Tang Xiu furrowed his brows and looked outside the garage. However, under the night sky, more than ten core members of Everlasting Feast Hall were actually sitting exhausted on the ground, breathing heavily.


    They were so tired that they were unable to lift their fingers.


    ¡°Chi Nan, contact the numbers I gave you before. Tell them to come here as fast as possible.¡± Tang Xiu frowned and glanced at Chi Nan outside the garage.


    ¡°All right!¡±


    A few minutes later, Chi Nan made a phone call. After telling them, they rushed over from Star City by truck and then arrived outside the villa complex. Chi Nan then took her car to fetch them at maximum speed.


    ¡°Move them inside.¡±


    Upon seeing Banshou, Tang Xiu immediately shouted without hesitation.


    Seeing Tang Xiu again made Banshou seeth with excitement. But at this moment, he could only suppress his excitement due to the circumstances. He quickly opened the truck door and moved a few slabs of Sky Sandstone weighing several hundred pounds each.


    ¡°Where should we put these, Boss?¡± Banshou endured the high temperature and asked.


    ¡°Put them on the ground. You¡¯ve accomplished your task.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Go now! Since you have come to Shanghai, just have fun around for two days, and then get busy with your other tasks.¡±


    ¡°Boss, I still have some things I haven¡¯t reported to you.¡± Banshou said, ¡°How about I and the others wait until you¡¯re done, and then report them to you later?¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and watched as they left. Without hesitation, he threw the Sky Sandstones into the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron.


    Two hours later, Tang Xiu looked particularly more serious. After he closed the garage door, he threw a Wintertide Fluorite and a Star Fragment Stone into the cauldron. Simultaneously, he also released the Imperial Wind Technique, as his tiptoes floated in midair, and his palms continued making seals.


    The palm seals then formed veined patterns.


    The empty lines circulated and then entered into the materials within the cauldron. Then, the Star Array Technique lined up, extracting the essence, and emitting a strong constrictive aura.


    ¡°Retreat! Move back quickly!¡±


    Chi Nan and several big men suddenly felt a suffocating aura as they rushed outside the villa. After they withdrew for tens of meters away from the villa, only then did they stop and looked back with tense expressions.


    ¡°Chief Nan, what¡¯s going on?¡± A big man quickly asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask. You shouldn¡¯t ask.¡± Chi Nan growled, ¡°The Boss gave a command before. You mustn¡¯t talk about what he is doing. Treat it as if nothing is happening here.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± The strong man nodded.


    Chi Nan¡¯s eyes glinted as she stood outside the villa¡¯s courtyard, watching the inside through the front gate. With such strong, oppressive aura, Tang Xiu was unexpectedly not coming out? She was very curious, how strong was this Boss of hers? How could he have so many mysterious techniques?


    Tang Xiu floated midair before the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron. When his star force entered the lump of fist-sized material, his expression turned particularly serious. His figure dashed to the corner of the garage lightning fast, taking the Void Crack Stone and firmly holding it.


    ¡°A Void Crack Stone is needed to refine a interspatial ring. Since there are many materials here, I can make a dagger as well.¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s mind revolved faster. The lump of essences were being refined. In accordance with the shape being formed in Tang Xiu¡¯s mind, the materials began to slowly change. Quickly, when a dagger shape had completely formed, Tang Xiu patted the array lines with his palm.


    ¡°Condense¡­¡±


    After shouting lowly, Tang Xiu¡¯s finger moved a bit. Immediately, a band of profound blood channels were added, as the back scaly patterns of the dagger solidified. Tang Xiu¡¯s spiritual sense withdrew from the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron. A tremor then sounded, as something then flashed out and quietly floated in front of Tang Xiu.


    _Puff¡­_


    With his blade, Tang Xiu cut his finger. The moment his blood fused into the dagger, Tang Xiu could feel the connection between him and the sharp dagger. He could easily control it with his finger as if it were his arms.


    ¡°Void Crack Stone!¡±


    Tang Xiu christened the dagger with the name of Bloodguzzler. He then concentrated and threw the Void Crack Stone into the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron. As his palm beat the cauldron again repeatedly, the rest of the lump of material essence gradually began to shrink and the Void Crack Stone melted into it. Following that, Tang Xiu¡¯s expression moved, and immediately opened his hands.


    ¡°A thought to control three!¡±


    At this time, his body slightly trembled. It was akin to the time when he just returned to Earth from the Immortal World. His first time refining tools on Earth was more difficult than he had imagined. His muscles were trembling. His blood vessels protruded out, while in his Dantian, the black hole vortex finally ceased spraying out star force.


    ¡°Expand and open!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s palm continued beating as it fused into three separated material essences. As his speed turned faster and faster, gradually, the naked eyes couldn¡¯t keep up with the trajectory of his arms and palms. Following that, the oppressive aura coming out from the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron was also getting more intense.


    In the end, Chi Nan and the others who had withdrawn hundreds of steps outside could barely resist any longer. The residents in the vicinity of the villa were also being forced and suffocated at this time. They ran out of their houses and watched from afar. There were a few courageous burly men who came to Chi Nan and the others asking for the cause.


    _Kacha-_


    While Tang Xiu was pouring all of his efforts into it, he refined three interspatial rings at the same time. As the internal space had been expanded to more than ten square meters, it was no longer able to be expanded. A firm glint then flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he pulled out thunder borrowed from the electricity and finally, the space within the interspatial ring doubled.


    Immediately, under his control, two interspatial rings were taken out of the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron. He then cast his spiritual sense on the last interspatial ring inside the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron.


    While his spiritual sense was focused on the interspatial ring, Tang Xiu¡¯s mind was thinking:


    _My cultivation level is too low, and the spells I can cast are far too few and between. I divided my spiritual sense into three parts, yet I can only expand the space inside the interspatial ring to 20 square meters despite detonating it with thunder borrowed from the electrical power. It¡¯s too small, way too small._


    _I put my everything into refining this one, so it should have doubled the space inside, though. With the spells I have just cast, I should be able to cast the Four Guardian Symbols Great Array. Although grafting the Four Guardian Symbols Great Array is quite a major issue in itself, yet it can make a lot of room for the space inside the interspatial ring._


    _Let me try then, and see how what¡¯s the result!_


    After thinking for a while, Tang Xiu then started to work on it immediately. However, grafting the Four Guardian Symbols Great Array within the interspatial ring was even more difficult than he had imagined. Eventually, after his spiritual power was nearly spent, the inscription barely succeeded.


    ¡°Success¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion was a bit pale. Beads of sweats rolled down on his forehead. His hands waved the moment after and the interspatial ring then flew out from the cauldron, quietly floating in front of him.


    _I almost failed. It was fortunate that I made a breakthrough in my cultivation a few days ago, my spiritual power rising several levels. Otherwise, let alone refining three interspatial rings simultaneously, even refining this one would perhaps be enough to choke me._


    Tang Xiu then put the interspatial ring into one of his fingers, a slight smile hanging on his face. He was quite contented with this interspatial ring. After all, it boasted hundreds of square feet inside and was able to hoard tons of things. Moreover, when his cultivation level increased, this interspatial ring could be refined again, and the interior space could be continuously expanded as well.


    ¡°Extinguish!¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and the True Fire Symbols were automatically extinguished. The dense high temperature also quickly dispersed.

 Chapter 394

    Chapter 394: Huge Profits


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The garage was messy. Tang Xiu used a drop of his blood to bind the interspatial ring. Then, he walked out of the garage. He originally had never imagined that the refining would create such a big noise. However, after he came out of the villa¡¯s courtyard, he looked around and saw a huge crowd of residents gathered, along with Chi Nan and dozens of Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s core members. He couldn¡¯t help but let out a forced smile inside.


    ¡°Chi Nan, come here!¡±


    While standing outside the courtyard, Tang Xiu then waved toward Chi Nan, who was 100 meters away.


    Chi Nan¡¯s eyes lit up. She could feel that the oppressive aura had disappeared. Immediately, she gave a gesture toward the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s core members and then ran toward Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Is it done, Boss?¡± Chi Nan asked with a curious look on her face.


    ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and laughed, ¡°However, it has created a small issue, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yea! The residents in several nearby villas were forced to withdraw some distance because of the oppressive aura. Some even reported that we had no way to stop it. If my guess is correct, the police should be arriving here in a few minutes.¡± Chi Nan nodded.


    ¡°I see.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Deal with the issues here. I¡¯ll go out first. After taking care of everything, remember to help me sell this villa.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Chi Nan respectfully said.


    Tang Xiu then walked to the courtyard. Picking up his coat and putting it on, he then asked, ¡°Was there anything important while I was busy these last few days?¡±


    ¡°Your mother called you. She said that she¡¯s here in Shanghai and is now at the Bluestar Villa Complex waiting for you.¡± Chi Nan said, ¡°Additionally, Chief Kang also called several times to ask about your situation. She wanted me to tell you that the Gods Nectar business is very hot, and all cargoes on display had been sold out. Also, she didn¡¯t dare to receive secret orders without your consent. Ah, right. There was also a call from Long Zhengyu. He was looking for you, saying that there are important things he wanted to discuss with you.¡±


    Tang Xiu grabbed the car keys. After sitting in the driver¡¯s seat, he took over his mobile phone from Chi Nan and then said, ¡°OK. I got it. I¡¯ll contact them later.¡±


    After starting the car, he drove off.


    Quickly, Tang Xiu took his huge harvest and then left the villa complex. He then lit up a cigarette and quickly pulled two puffs. It was to ease his high tension. Following that, he phoned Long Zhengyu and, at the same time, put on a bluetooth earphone.


    ¡°Were you looking for me?¡±


    From the phone, Long Zhengyu¡¯s voice came out, ¡°Tang Xiu, it¡¯s good to hear your voice. I¡¯ve been looking for you these past few days. I need to discuss some things with you!¡±


    ¡°Do say. I¡¯m all ears!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Do you know Hong Kong?¡± Long Zhengyu said, ¡°There are a lot of Feng Shui Masters there who are skilled in auspicious Feng Shui for places, graveyards and etc¡­ They even said something about Dragon veins¡­ Shortly put, I stopped over in Hong Kong and accidentally met a Feng Shui Master acquaintance over there. He learned that you¡¯re currently rebuilding the Nine Dragons Island and hopes to have a look at its Feng Shui. What do you think? Do you want me to invite him to go to Nine Dragons Island?¡±


    _Feng Shui Master?_


    A cold light flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he shook his head and said, ¡°No need. You must follow the construction blueprint I¡¯ve drawn before. There must not have the slightest change whatsoever. We are friends and I can tell you that, if you listen to any Feng Shui Masters¡¯ words, I¡¯ll demolish everything you¡¯ve built completely.¡±


    Long Zhengyu forced a smile, ¡°So serious? Anyhow, they are Feng Shui Masters, after all. I think you should listen to their opinions. Maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no maybe, and don¡¯t tell me anything else.¡± Tang Xiu interrupted his words and said, ¡°You¡¯re just responsible for the construction project. If there are any random changes in the project design, I believe you know that the consequences will be serious. Zhengyu, if you think your Long Family can overthrow the Nine Dragons Island¡¯s project and bear the reconstruction cost, you can give it a try.¡±


    ¡°I got it. It was just out of my goodwill. I don¡¯t have any bad intentions.¡± Long Zhengyu forced a wry smile upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s seriousness and said, ¡°Since you don¡¯t want it, then forget it. I¡¯ll think of ways to send that Feng Shui Master off.¡±


    ¡°Zhengyu, you know about my ability in designing architectural projects.¡± Tang Xiu was a bit unsatisfied, and once again urged, ¡°I won¡¯t conceal it from you. Even if there is a little modification in the construction process, it will affect the entirety of the design. I bought Nine Dragons Islands for 2 billion yuan, and I even invested 12 billion more to rebuild it. Since I¡¯ve already handed it over to you, I hope you won¡¯t let me down.¡±


    Long Zhengyu took a deep breath, ¡°I understand. You can rest your worry! Anyhow, when will you return to Star City? I¡¯ll stay in Nine Dragons Island for a few days, and should be back to Star City soon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll call you when I¡¯m back to Star City.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    After he ended the call, Tang Xiu let out a sneer.


    _Feng Shui Master?_


    _What is this big joke?_


    Who in the world could be more skillful than him in regards to Feng Shui? His elaborate layout design for the construction project in Nine Dragons Island had consumed a great deal of his mental force. It was definitely the most perfect one. He absolutely wouldn¡¯t allow anyone to modify it arbitrarily, not even Long Zhengyu.


    Afterward, Tang Xiu dialed Kang Xia¡¯s cell number. After she accepted the call, Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°The Gods Nectar has hit the market? I heard business is hot and that the Gods Nectar stocked in the shops have all been sold out?¡±


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t care about the Gods Nectar¡¯s sales figure, Boss!¡± Kang Xia said with a chuckle, ¡°Yeah, the Gods Nectar we supplied to the major cities in the country had all been sold out without much effort after the opening ceremony. The second shipment of the goods is currently on the way to our exclusive stores in the major cities all over the country. It should be delivered by tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°The profits must have been good, right?¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°After the Finance Department calculated it, our first batch of Gods Nectar netted a profit of 2.76 billion.¡± Kang Xia joyfully said, ¡°As for the second batch of Gods Nectar, though it¡¯s lesser in quantity, it should also be able to earn a net profit of billions of yuan.¡±


    ¡°Great. Such a huge profit is more than I expected.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the Skin Care Lotion and the Scar Removal Cream. Have these two cosmetics been put on sale?¡±


    ¡°The Skin Care Lotion and the Scar Removal Cream were just listed for sale. But due to the booming Gods Nectar, their sales are also hot. However, you also know that it¡¯s very difficult to show its effect within a short time. Let¡¯s wait for a few days. I dare say that after a few days, the customers who bought our products will surely help us to hype them up.¡±


    ¡°A fragrant wine needs not fear the dark alley, to begin with.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Besides, we have the magical feature of Moments nowadays, so it will be very easy to share the good things. Anyhow, I can¡¯t talk much. I¡¯ll find the time to make a trip back to Star City. By then, I¡¯ll hold a celebration party for you.¡±


    ¡°We are a group of high-class people here. We¡¯re all wishing for the stars and the moon, so we¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡± Kang Xia said with a smile.


    ¡°I know!¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with a smile and then straightly hang up the phone. Although the Gods Nectar¡¯s revenue was more than he had expected, he was also well aware of one thing: the winery¡¯s production was too small. The Gods Nectar that was on sale now was already the vast bulk of the storage volume for months.


    This time, being able to earn 2 to 3 billion, he was sure that such a massive sales would only happen once in a year and a half. Normally, the business operation would run in a small but steady stream.


    As for the Skin Care Lotion and Scar Removal Cream, he didn¡¯t need to worry about them. These two products could smite the products of other international cosmetic industries. At that time, once the testimonies were spread out, sooner or later there would be one day that these two cosmetics would become the world¡¯s topmost luxury products.


    Despite so, the current selling prices of these two cosmetics were not much different from the world¡¯s topmost cosmetic brands.


    Bluestar Villa Complex.


    After Tang Xiu drove back here and just walked into the courtyard, he saw Du Juan doing the laundry, while sitting next to her was his mother, Su Lingyun.


    ¡°Mom, how did you come here?¡± Tang Xiu let out a smile and asked as he approached.


    Seeing Tang Xiu, Su Lingyun looked happy at first. But after she saw his weary look and dirty appearance, she suddenly looked a bit distressed. She then welcomed him and said, ¡°What¡¯s that little thing you got? The house in South Gate Town got messy because of it. That thing didn¡¯t hurt me, but your dad¡¯s toes were bitten by it. So I came over to send this thing back to you.¡±


    _The small thing?_


    Tang Xiu was startled and stared blankly. He suddenly recalled the fierce beast he had adopted. A faint smile immediately appeared on his face. He then quickly summoned it within his mind.


    _Buzz¡­_


    As though lightning, a figure instantly appeared in front of Tang Xiu, and then rushed to his arm, catching him unprepared.


    ¡°Hey, little thing. Didn¡¯t I tell you that you¡¯re absolutely not to hurt people if there are no special circumstances? Who made you hurt someone?¡± Tang Xiu clutched its neck, patted its head and chided at it.


    The little thing, akin to a leopard, quickly showed a flattering look. It chimed a few times and then looked at Su Lingyun, like it was saying that it was protecting her.


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing as he patted its head and said, ¡°Remember, you are not to hurt anyone again later without my permission. Otherwise, I¡¯ll butcher you and stew a pot of delicious food.¡±


    The little thing shrunk its head and showed an honest expression.


    Tang Xiu then looked at Su Lingyun and said with a smile, ¡°Mom, have you got acquainted with them?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I already know both of them!¡± Su Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°These two children are pretty good. It¡¯s a good idea to take care of each other and live together. Anyways, why do you look so unkempt? What¡¯s the matter? And why did you not attend military training?¡±


    Letting out a wry smile inside, Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t reply truthfully this time, he could only make up a story. He said, ¡°Mom, you also know that my company¡¯s products have hit the market, thus I had to go out of town to supervise it! Additionally, to participate or not in the military training has no significance. However, I¡¯ll follow your wish, though. I¡¯ll properly master the knowledge and cultures and smoothly get myself a university diploma. As for my appearance, it¡¯s because I got quite worn out in my trip out of town, so I¡¯m kinda tired and hungry.¡±

 Chapter 395

    Chapter 395: The Closer You Are to A Gentleman, the Deeper Your Affection Is


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    There is a kind of love in the world that is vast and selfless. It is the kind of love that is also solemn and sacred. It can make people lose themselves in reverie, yet it can also make them attain happiness throughout their life.


    That kind of love¡­ was the most ordinary one, a mother¡¯s love.


    Su Lingyun had brought Tang Xiu up with great hardship. Tang Xiu could be said to be her everything. The moment she heard Tang Xiu was tired and hungry, she put aside everything to take care of him. She quickly got up and said, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, rest for awhile. I¡¯ll go cook you a meal. I¡¯ll call you when I¡¯m done.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, mom!¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a smile and nodded to Du Juan. He then entered through the door and went straight to his bedroom on the second floor. After picking a set of new clothes in the cloakroom, he went to the bathroom and took a hot bath, and then walked into the brand new study room.


    Within the study room, there were quite a few precious things. At first, when Tang Xiu let Xue Chao and Du Juan¡¯s family of three live here, he was a bit worried that they would move their things inside his study room. But looking at it now, it seemed that they were really honest, and didn¡¯t move anything inside.


    _Receive!_


    Tang Xiu waved his hand. All the valuables in the study room floated and then instantly entered the space inside his interspatial ring.


    _There¡¯s still a few remaining Wintertide Fluorites and Star Fragment Stones. The Void Crack Stone has been completely used, so, crafting more interspatial rings will be difficult. However, there are still many Sky Sandstones left, so, I don¡¯t need to worry about precious materials in the future._


    Tang Xiu nodded in satisfaction. He intended to go back to Star City in a few days. There were still many valuables in his villa¡¯s study room in South Gate Town, as well as some other materials inside the freezer in the Old River District. All of those would be stored inside his interspatial ring.


    Afterward, during the meal, Tang Xiu chatted with his mother and then decided to return to Star City tomorrow morning. Therefore, he directly informed the captain of the private jet at the airport. He also notified Kang Xia the approximate time he would arrive in Star City.


    Tang Xiu had tired himself out because of the nearly ten days of crafting. Precisely because of that he slept from day to night, and then from night to dawn, sleeping for more than 30 hours. But after he woke up, he felt very light and comfortable.


    Star City Airport.


    Kang Xia was wearing a beige dress with a brown vest, a duckbill cap, and high-heels. Standing at the airport¡¯s exit, she looked toward the crowd who were unceasingly coming out of the exit point.


    As for Su Quan, leaning his back on a pillar, a trace of a smile hung on his face. From time to time, his eyes darted toward Kang Xia. As an ordinary man, he couldn¡¯t read Kang Xia¡¯s mind, however, he could tell that his General Manager¡ªKang Xia truly worshipped Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Chief Kang, we came ahead of time. There¡¯s about 16 minutes left for Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival time.¡±


    Turning her head, Kang Xia stared at Su Quan and hummed, ¡°Hmph, do I look like I don¡¯t know that, and need you to remind me? Have you taken care of the promotion plan for the Skin Care Lotion and the Scar Removal Cream? You had better make good use of the time and do a good job.¡±


    Su Quan gulped down his saliva. Staring at her with disbelief, he said, ¡°C-Chief¡­ Chief Kang, you mean¡­ ¡­you want me to do the promotion plan here?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t do it?¡± Kang Xia gave him rolling eyes, and hummed, ¡°If not, just wait at the parking lot outside.¡±


    ¡°Okay! Okay! I¡¯ll do it!¡±


    Su Quan showed the white of his eyes. He didn¡¯t want to go back and stay in the parking lot. Hence, he took his smartphone and pretended to play with it. He could tell that, as long as he stayed still and didn¡¯t talk, even if he pretended doing something, perhaps Kang Xia wouldn¡¯t throw another tantrum at him.


    Time fleeted by.


    After half an hour passed by, Kang Xia¡¯s eyes finally turned bright when she saw Tang Xiu coming out. However, her expression slightly changed since Tang Xiu¡¯s mother, Su Lingyun, was with him.


    ¡°Oh? Chief Kang, when did Auntie go to Shanghai?¡± At this time, Su Quan also had seen Tang Xiu and Su Lingyun as he asked with a face full of a surprised expression.


    Kang Xia subconsciously glanced at him, and then said in a low voice, ¡°You ask me, but who should I ask?! Remember, don¡¯t speak anything. If¡­ if you can¡¯t help but want to speak, just say something good about me, all right?¡±


    A smile was outlined on of Su Quan¡¯s mouth as he said, ¡°Got it. I know what to do.¡±


    Looking at him with a satisfied look, Kang Xia then strode forward to welcome them, ¡°Boss, I knew that you were coming back, but I didn¡¯t expect that Auntie was also in Shanghai. Furthermore, she came back with you. Auntie, it should have been hard on you, right?¡±


    Su Lingyun knew Kang Xia. She also knew that she was the General Manager of her son¡¯s company. Therefore, she replied back with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s quite fortunate that there was nothing that made me tired. Anyhow, I myself didn¡¯t expect that Xiu¡¯er would unexpectedly make you fetch us yourself, Kang Xia. This kiddo is truly outrageous, you¡¯re already busy enough usually.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me who was willing to come over, though. Boss has nothing to do with it.¡± Kang Xia said with a smile.


    Su Lingyun¡¯s eyes turned bright. She keenly observed that Kang Xia was secretly glancing at her son with a tender look on her face. It was an obvious expression from a girl in love who saw her boyfriend.


    They¡­


    After grabbing Kang Xia¡¯s hand, Su Lingyun then smiled and said, ¡°Kang Xia, don¡¯t speak for him. It¡¯s your matter as for how you get along with Xiu¡¯er. If anything, I give you my word, you can come to tell me if he dares to bully you. I¡¯ll fix him up.¡±


    Kang Xia looked excited. It was the first time for Su Lingyun to show such an affection. Moreover, what made her the happiest was that Auntie Su seemed to have said it with a profound meaning behind it.


    ¡°Auntie, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll tell you if he bullies me. If he does dare to do any mischief to me, I¡¯ll tell you.¡± Kang Xia was extremely elated. It was as though sweet honey had been smeared over her small mouth.


    Nodding in satisfaction, Su Lingyun smiled as she looked at Su Quan, and then suddenly said, ¡°Quan, how are you also here?¡±


    ¡°Aunt Lingyun, I¡¯m now working in the Magnificent Tang Corp.¡± Su Quan said with a smile.


    ¡°I know that. I just didn¡¯t expect that you would come fetch us, too.¡± Su Lingyun said with a smile, ¡°Let us go! I haven¡¯t eaten anything since morning. I¡¯m quite hungry.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Let¡¯s go, Auntie!¡±


    Kang Xia quickly held Su Lingyun¡¯s arm and replied affectionately.


    South Gate Town.


    After arriving here, Kang Xia and Su Quan intended to leave, but Su Lingyun firmly retained them. In the villa¡¯s living room, Tang Yunde chatted with Kang Xia and Su Quan before he went to talk with Tang Xiu in a room on the second floor.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, since you¡¯re here, you can tell me about the details of the situation in Guangyang and Fukang, right? Those people who appeared there, who are they, exactly?¡± Tang Yunde couldn¡¯t bear to ask as he walked with crutches and sat down on the sofa.


    ¡°Let me see your wound first!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about my injury. It¡¯s fine already.¡± Tang Yunde pushed Tang Xiu¡¯s hand away. Shaking his head, he said, ¡°It should be fully healed in eight to ten days more since the bones weren¡¯t affected. Anyhow, don¡¯t shift the subject, will you? I feel that something is amiss if you don¡¯t tell me.¡±


    Forcing out a wry smile, Tang Xiu then went to sit in front of Tang Yunde, saying, ¡°Well, since you want to know, then I¡¯ll tell you. But you have to promise me one thing. This must not be passed to anyone else, including mom and grandpa.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Tang Yunde replied without hesitation.


    ¡°Those people are, in fact, the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s members! As for what kind of existence the Everlasting Feast Hall is, it is a Sect. A martial world¡¯s Sect like those in ancient times, where among them, experts and martial artists are as many as the clouds, proficient in all kinds of cultural and technical skills. All in all, they are a group of very formidable people. If they were to come out and do as they please, they can bring about a huge sensation and would be difficult to deal with.¡±


    ¡°What I care the most is what kind of relationship is between you and this Everlasting Feast Hall, son.¡± Tang Yunde frowned.


    ¡°I¡¯m the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s master!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Tang Yunde stared blankly for a moment. He then rolled his eyes, smiled and chided, ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit me, son. Since the Everlasting Feast Hall is a martial arts Sect, with experts as many as the clouds like you said, what did you do for being able to become its master? Tell me seriously.¡±


    ¡°What I told you is the truth, Dad. I really am the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s master.¡± Tang Xiu forced a wry smile and said, ¡°As for how I became the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s master, it¡¯s quite a troublesome matter to tell, so I won¡¯t explain it to you. Shortly put, if you run into the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people in the future, just treat them as your own people. As for the information about the members of the Tang Family, I¡¯ll hand it over to the Everlasting Feast Hall later.¡±


    ¡°Is the Everlasting Feast Hall reliable? Can we really trust them 100%?¡± Tang Yunde furrowed his brows.


    ¡°Not 100%, no. But we can trust them 80-90%.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Therefore, our most confidential secrets can be concealed. However, we still have to tell them the information about the Tang Family, so as to avoid conflict between ourselves for failing to recognize each other.¡±


    ¡°True that!¡± Tang Yunde nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, there¡¯s one thing I need to talk to you about, Dad. Since you have no serious problem with your health and body, isn¡¯t it time for you to get busy?¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°I heard you were once an elite in the army, and a very formidable one at that.¡±


    ¡°What about it?¡± Tang Yunde was puzzled.


    ¡°What more? Making money, developing your own force, feeding your family!¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°You can¡¯t be thinking of sitting idly by and eating a mountain, right? You¡¯re still young, yet you want me to take care of you just like a retired person?¡±


    Tang Yunde couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°Isn¡¯t that OK?¡±


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes at him and said, ¡°You cannot be satisfied with this, can you?! Though it¡¯s not a problem taking care of you, however, it must wait until you¡¯re really unable to walk. Besides, you¡¯re still young. 40-50 years of age is an excellent time. You make money, and make money again, so you can support your family well afterwards! As for the people you want to train, I can help you with that.¡±


    ¡°How, exactly?¡± Tang Yunde asked with an odd expression.


    Tang Xiu smiled lightly and said, ¡°You have no credible and capable men, so it¡¯s useless to tell you about it now. First, train a group of trusted men, then I can help you develop a group of talents in the future. As for what you want to do, it¡¯s your call!¡±

 Chapter 396

    Chapter 396: Yan¡¯er Regains Consciousness


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Forget it, then. Since you don¡¯t wanna say, I won¡¯t ask.¡± Tang Yunde smiled lightly and said, ¡°Give me some time. I¡¯ll make you a genuine second-generation nouveau riche later.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s no hope for you to make me a second generation nouveau riche in this lifetime.¡±


    ¡°Are you looking down on me?¡± Tang Yunde stared at him.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m looking down on you.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°But how much money do you think you can make annually? Do you want me to tell you how much net profit I got after selling only two batches of Gods Nectar?¡±


    ¡°How much?¡±


    Tang Yunde really didn¡¯t know. He only learned that Gods Nectar was very hot now. Kang Xia even sent over ten boxes personally. He tasted it, and the flavor truly was the best.


    Smiling lightly, Tang Xiu stretched out four fingers and said, ¡°Nearly four billion. And like I said, it¡¯s just the net profit.¡±


    _Hiss¡­_


    Tang Yunde abruptly stood, but his weak leg made him sat back on the sofa. As shock covered his thin face, he looked at Tang Xiu in disbelief and then called out, ¡°You¡¯re saying that the Gods Nectar that you¡¯ve just marketed has earned you four billion? Are you not joking with me?¡±


    ¡°If Kang Xia didn¡¯t lie to me, then I¡¯m not joking with you, Dad.¡± Tang Xiu smiled lightly and said, ¡°Kang Xia told me when we were on the way here, Mom was also there. Additionally, the other products of my Magnificent Tang Corp, the cosmetic products, have also hit the market, and Kang Xia told me that the volume sales of the two cosmetic products are now increasing every day. Within a short period of time, the net profit earned by the Magnificent Tang Corp has approached 100 million.¡±


    _Cough, cough¡­_


    Tang Yunde choked a few times.


    He knew his son¡¯s Magnificent Tang Corp had hit well. Although the earlier development was smooth after Gods Nectar hit the market, and due to its great flavor he had imagined that its sales would be great. However, he hadn¡¯t expected that the Gods Nectar¡¯s profit would be that big. Even the cosmetic products seemed to have a great potential as well.


    As for himself¡­


    Even if he started his own endeavor and worked hard, he wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up with his son¡¯s Magnificent Tang Corp, no?


    Tang Yunde¡¯s shocked heart slowly eased, replaced by helplessness. He shook his head and forced a smile, ¡°It is said that now is the era of relying on one¡¯s father¡¯s wealth and prestige to get ahead. But it looks like that it¡¯s the reverse in our family, that is, the son is the one managing the family. I can¡¯t make you a second generation nouveau riche. Then, that makes you a third generation as well as a first generation nouveau riche, I think.¡±


    A smile outlined on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth, ¡°Dad, you know your son is strong! Anyhow, if you have nothing else, I¡¯ll go first. Though I gave the company matters to Kang Xia to handle, I still have to abreast of matters, though.¡±


    ¡°Yea, even if Kang Xia is reliable and trustworthy, but after all, she¡¯s an outsider, unless you take her¡­¡± Tang Yunde nodded.


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°Stop! Let¡¯s talk about this topic later.¡±


    Having said that, Tang Xiu strode out of the door. However, he didn¡¯t go to the first floor directly, instead, he went to the study room. After he saw the things inside the room, his expression immediately turned satisfied. His parents evidently knew that he had arranged Mu Qingping¡¯s matters beforehand, thus they didn¡¯t let anyone casually move anything inside his study room. Therefore, the decorations inside were still the same as before.


    ¡°Break¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu took a few minutes to dismantle several small arrays he had set up before. He then collected all the valuables into his interspatial ring.


    Afterward, he walked downstairs.


    In the kitchen, he saw his mother and Kang Xia there, with the two housemaids helping them. Tang Xiu smiled and then saw the bored Su Quan sitting on the living room¡¯s sofa, watching all sorts of TV programs.


    ¡°Quan, how is Brother Ben now?¡± Tang Xiu sat beside him and asked with a smile.


    ¡°He¡¯s still the same. Uprightly honest, insensible to accommodate to circumstances, and still ensuring the security in the winery! But I heard the winery¡¯s director admires him. He said his character is trustworthy and reliable, so he¡¯s been promoted to become the vice-captain of the security team.¡±


    ¡°We all know perfectly well about Brother Ben¡¯s character.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°However, it¡¯s a good thing, though. I¡¯ll send him to train after a while. Let alone becoming the security teams¡¯ vice-captain for the winery, it wouldn¡¯t even be a problem for him to become the Magnificent Tang Corps¡¯ security chief captain in the future.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to set up a security team?¡± Su Quan was surprised.


    ¡°I do have this plan. After all, the enterprise has a lot of assets, so we need people to protect ourselves.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. A pity that I¡¯m not suitable for security given my character. I would have suffocated otherwise.¡± Su Quan nodded.


    ¡°Your disposition is suited to managing. You¡¯re suitable to do business and management.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°However, after you got the ability, you mustn¡¯t resign from the Magnificent Tang Corp and self-employ yourself!¡±


    Su Quan retracted his smile. He shook his head and said, ¡°Xiu, we brothers grew up together. You brought me to Star City and changed my destiny. I¡¯m not one the type without conscience. Besides, my present income is pretty good. So long as my performance gets better, I trust my income will get higher as well. I¡¯m not that silly to let go of a well-paid occupation and run out to strive for myself!¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled. Just as he was about to speak, his eyes flickered when he saw passing on the TV¡¯s screen. Suddenly, the smile on his face froze and, as if lightning had suddenly struck his heart, he suddenly jumped. In a flash, he dashed to the TV¡¯s front and his eyes stared fixedly at the advertisement on it.


    ¡°Buried diamond, classical centuries of age and reincarnation, to find and give birth to perfect crystallization of romance. It¡¯s something worth for you all to have. Come, see us on October 1st in Shanghai Glory Auction. We look forward to your visit.¡±


    On the TV screen, a glittering crystal diamond was emitting a fantastic, gorgeous light. Nine emerald leaves were composed around the diamond, forming a unique patterned diamond ring.


    ¡°Xiu, what happened?¡±


    Looking at Tang Xiu¡¯s unusual behavior, Su Quan asked curiously.


    An excited look flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he clenched his fist tightly. At this time, his breathing turned rapid, and his heart beat got faster than normal.


    He only felt a familiar feeling when he first saw the diamond ring. But in a flash after, he suddenly realized that the ring design pattern of nine emerald leaves was akin to a plant¡­ the Demonic Revival Grass.


    _That¡¯s right! This pattern is entirely tailored according to the Demonic Revival Grass. I have to find the person who crafted this diamond ring. He must have news of the Demonic Revival Grass._


    Tang Xiu suddenly turned around to look at Su Quan and asked, ¡°What was the auction¡¯s name said on TV just now?¡±


    ¡°Shanghai Glory Auction!¡± Su Quan said.


    Tang Xiu immediately rushed to the kitchen and loudly said, ¡°Mom, I have an urgent matter and must return to Shanghai, so I won¡¯t have time to eat the meal! Kang Xia, after I¡¯ve handled this important matter, I¡¯ll come back and give the celebration feast. However, you can organize the merit celebration first before I come back.¡±


    While holding a scoop in her hand, Su Lingyun asked with a puzzled expression, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, didn¡¯t we just come back from Shanghai? What do you have to do there?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a very important thing I must deal with promptly.¡± Tang Xiu said seriously.


    ¡°Son, you still have to eat even if it¡¯s important!¡± Su Lingyun said.


    ¡°There¡¯s no time, Mom! I¡¯ll going now!¡± Tang Xiu said as he waved his hand and walked away.


    After hesitating for a moment, Kang Xia hurriedly chased after him. By the time she caught up, Tang Xiu was already sitting in the car he left parked in Star City, the Land Rover SUV.


    ¡°Boss, you¡¯ll be going to Shanghai, but when will you come back approximately? If you don¡¯t participate in the celebration, even if our Magnificent Tang Corp holds the feast, it won¡¯t be joyous. Many high-level executives of our company want to see you!¡± Kang Xia stood outside the window and said.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment. He then shook his head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯ll take, but I¡¯ll return as fast as possible! Let¡¯s keep in touch.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    With a tinge of disappointment, Kang Xia silently nodded.


    As the car rushed out of South Gate Town, it then rushed toward the Airport. Tang Xiu then called the private jet¡¯s captain, informing him to get ready to return to Shanghai.


    Jingmen Island.


    Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s HQ, the seabed, on the exquisite pagoda¡¯s seventh floor.


    A chilling cold atmosphere filled the entire space of the seventh floor, the glistening azure light scattered from the ice bed as Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s eyelashes fluttered. Her eyes slowly opened as a fluctuating aura emitted out of her body. In a flash, a colder aura spread in all directions.


    ¡°How long have I been in slumber this time?¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er slowly sat on the ice bed. Her slender jade-like fingers gently rubbed her brows. Her beauty was such as able to overthrow cities and ruin nations, enough to enchant all the peerless men in the world, yet it showed a bitter and agonized expression.


    _Shoo¡­_


    A ghost-like figure instantly appeared on the seventh floor.


    Gu Yan¡¯er slightly raised her head. Seeing Ji Chimei kneeling directly in front of the ice bed, she said, ¡°Old Ji, how many times I have told you, you really don¡¯t need to kneel every time. In fact¡­ I already regarded you as family when you came with me to Earth to find Master.¡±


    Ji Chimei¡¯s eyes mister over as an excited expression hung on her face. She looked up and said, ¡°Master, we¡¯ve found Venerable Lord.¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er blanked. Her white dress fluttered as she flashed and appeared in front of Ji Chimei in an instant. An imperceptible force then pulled Ji Chimei up instantly, making Ji Chimei stand up at the same altitude as her.


    ¡°You¡­ are not lying to me?¡±


    ¡°No, this one absolutely isn¡¯t lying.¡± Ji Chimei shook her head and said, ¡°It was actually Xiaoxue who found Venerable Lord. Moreover, he had also been here several times, and accompanied you for a long time.¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er quivered as she let out a smile and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s he? My master¡­ where is he now?¡±


    ¡°He should be in Shanghai. A few days ago Venerable Lord called me to Shanghai to handle some matters for him. Thus I met him there, and¡­¡±

 Chapter 397

    Chapter 397: Burning with Impatience and Anxiety


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°And what?¡± Gu Yan¡¯er asked rapidly.


    ¡°This one is particularly clueless about the situation with Venerable Lord. What this one knows is that Venerable Lord¡¯s cultivation level is very low. But strangely, the rate of his strength¡¯s advancement is very fast. From the first time this one saw him a few months ago to now, he had a breakthrough yet again, and his strength soared by several levels.¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er smiled, but two lines of clear tears fell down from her eyes. The feeling of missing him for thousands of years was akin to a devilish-like obsession. It was what supported her. She felt that it was worth it for being able to say farewell to her Master before her soul disappeared.


    ¡°Take me to him.¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er waved her arm, allowing Ji Chimei to land on the floor. Her figure then appeared in the pagoda¡¯s seventh floor door. However, just as she appeared on the first floor of the exquisite pagoda, her black eyebrows furrowed as a painful look appeared on her face.


    Ji Chimei¡¯s speed was similarly fast and instantly appeared in front of Gu Yan¡¯er, her body blocking the first floor door.


    ¡°Old Ji, what are you doing?¡± Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s complexion turned cold as she growled.


    ¡°You can¡¯t leave the exquisite pagoda, Master.¡± Ji Chimei shook her head and said, ¡°If it was the first ten years and you wanted to leave, I wouldn¡¯t stop you, but your physical condition is getting worse, so you mustn¡¯t leave. Otherwise, I guarantee you that, before reaching Shanghai and meeting Venerable Lord, you will once again fall into a comatose state.¡±


    Her complexion changing, Gu Yan¡¯er suddenly sobered up. She even forgot such an important thing due to her anxiousness and impatience. She was indeed desperate, wanting to see her Master, to pour out everything she felt for the thousands of years of hardship she had gone through. But she couldn¡¯t do that, for that would lead her into a comatose due to impatience.


    ¡°Old Ji, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Master, I¡¯ll go contact Venerable Lord.¡± Ji Chime said in a deep voice, ¡°He should come over quickly if I call him.¡±


    ¡°I feel quite good after waking up this time. It¡¯s as I¡¯m better and more spirited than the last time.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er inquired, ¡°From my judgment of my own condition, I should¡­ should be able to endure for three days. Tell me, he¡­ can he arrive within three days?¡±


    Without hesitation, Ji Chimei replied, ¡°Definitely. The transportation means are very developed nowadays. In order to see you before, Venerable Lord also borrowed a private jet. I once heard from him that he¡¯d also take a private jet to immediately rush over here once he heard that you¡¯re awake.¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er slowly nodded and held Ji Chimei¡¯s arm. She then softly asked, ¡°Old Ji, tell me about Master. Everything you know, from the beginning. I have to know.¡±


    ¡°All right. I¡¯ll tell you everything.¡± Ji Chimei nodded and said, ¡°But I must go contact Venerable Lord first. After that, we¡¯ll return to the seventh floor, and then I¡¯ll tell you everything I know.¡±


    ¡°Um, let¡¯s go back!¡± Gu Yan¡¯er gently nodded.


    On a road nearby South Gate Town, just as Tang Xiu finished the call, he suddenly received a phone call from Ji Chimei. Although he urgently wanted to hurry back to Shanghai to find out about the link between the diamond ring and the Demonic Revival Grass, he still answered the phone.


    ¡°Ji Chimei, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Lord, Master has woken up!¡±


    ¡°Awake? What did you say? Yan¡¯er¡­ she¡­ she woke up?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s body trembled. His hand anxiously changed the steering wheel¡¯s direction and tilted to stop at the roadside.


    ¡°Yes, Master wants to see you immediately. But her physical condition is too poor, so she has no means to leave the exquisite pagoda. So¡­¡± Ji Chimei forced a smile and said.


    ¡°I¡¯m on the way to the airport now.¡± Tang Xiu said without hesitation, ¡°I¡¯ll rush there immediately. Tell Yan¡¯er to say within the exquisite pagoda and wait for me!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Ji Chimei respectfully said.


    After hanging up the phone, Tang Xiu restarted the car. He then called the private jet¡¯s captain again, telling him to not apply for the Shanghai, but to Jingmen Island. Although the captain was very curious, he still acted according to Tang Xiu¡¯s instructions.


    Half an hour later, Tang Xiu arrived at the airport. When he boarded the private jet, the middle-aged captain greeted him and said with a forced smile, ¡°Mr. Tang, I contacted the Star City Airport¡¯s authorities. But due to the time and tight-scheduled routes, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to wait for two and a half hours to take off.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t use any of your contacts at all?¡± Tang Xiu frowned and asked in a deep voice.


    The middle-aged captain forced a wry smile and said, ¡°We have no contacts in Star City.¡±


    Tang Xiu took out his mobile phone and called Long Hanwen. After the other party answered, he asked, ¡°Uncle Long, I have something to ask. Do you have any contacts in Star City Airport?¡±


    ¡°I might have. What exactly do you need?¡± Long Hanwen¡¯s voice came out of the phone.


    ¡°I borrowed my friend¡¯s private job and it¡¯s now parked at Star City Airport.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯m currently in a hurry to leave for Jingmen Island, but my application encountered trouble, so I need to wait for two and a half hours before I can take off. Therefore, if Uncle Long has any way, could you help me contact them?¡±


    ¡°All right. Wait for my call.¡± Long Hanwen said.


    A few minutes later, Long Hanwen called again. After Tang Xiu answered, he said with a wry tone, ¡°Tang Xiu, I have no other means either. My old friend told me that the route has been fixed long ago. If there are any unauthorized changes, it will cause 78 flights to become late. How about you wait?¡±


    ¡°I understand, Uncle Long.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a urgent matter, so I¡¯ll try to find another way.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Long Hanwen regrettably said.


    After hanging up the phone, Tang Xiu fell into silence for a while. Then, he suddenly remembered someone and immediately made a phone call.


    ¡°Big nephew, you rarely take the initiative to call your aunt! How come you remembered to call me today all of a sudden?¡± Tang Min¡¯s voice came from the phone.


    ¡°Auntie, between your privileges and connections, is there any way to affect Star City Airport? I have an urgent matter to deal with.¡± Tang Xiu rapidly said.


    Tang Min was silent for a while, before she seriously replied, ¡°If it is a very serious matter, I have a way.¡±


    ¡°Then, please help me contact them. I¡¯ll tell the captain to tell you about the private jet¡¯s model. I need to go to Jingmen Island.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°All right!¡± Tang Min and the middle-aged captain then talked.


    Quickly, the middle-aged captain then received a call from the Airport authority, as the latter then said, ¡°Mr. Tang you¡¯re really awesome! With just your little effort I already received a few calls. Even the one now was a big shot from the capital. Ah, forget it. I just made adjustments, so you can take off within half an hour at the most, is that all right?¡±


    The middle-aged captain shot Tang Xiu a glance and was secretly shocked. Though he knew that Tang Xiu had made several phone calls, he knew that the last person he called was his aunt. Yet, he didn¡¯t expect that Tang Xiu¡¯s aunt would have so much power. Even the top leader of Star City Airport had to alter the route of the other flights.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, how about within half an hour?¡±


    The middle-aged captain covered the microphone and murmured to Tang Xiu.


    ¡°That¡¯s all right!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°Thanks, Chief. It¡¯s not a problem.¡± The middle-aged man then replied through the phone.


    Beijing, inside a certain government building.


    After hanging up the phone, Tang Min¡¯s eyes glinted and she looked thoughtful. She was a bit curious as to why Tang Xiu was so anxious to leave for Jingmen Island. Although she didn¡¯t have much contact with her own nephew, she knew many things about her biological nephew through what he had done. She knew that Tang Xiu was a young man with steady personality, and he could do well regardless of any matters.


    Just two and half an hours! Yet, he couldn¡¯t sit still for two hours. He even needed to ask her for help. Thus, he probably ran into an extremely important matter.


    Tang Min immediately grabbed the phone from her desk and dialed a number.


    ¡°Father, Xiu just called me, he wanted me to help him¡­¡±


    Beijing, in the Tangs ancestral residence.


    Tang Guosheng was holding a paper and a pen. He was deep in thought about some matters. After receiving the call from his daughter and hearing the content, his face turned solemn. After being in silence for a while, he slowly said, ¡°I got it. I¡¯ll call him myself.¡±


    Tang Guosheng hung up the phone and dialed Tang Xiu¡¯s number.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, I just heard that you must you leave for Jingmen Island from Star City, is that right? What important matter you must handle? You must tell grandpa if something¡¯s wrong. I¡¯ll even give my remaining short life to help you solve it.¡± In order not to be repelled by Tang Xiu, Tang Guosheng immediately said words filled with concern.


    ¡°Grandpa, I indeed have an important matter. But the Tang Family won¡¯t be able to help in this matter.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t need anyone to help either. The reason why I¡¯m so urgent to leave for Jingmen Island is that I need to see someone. That person is someone very important to me!¡±


    Tang Guosheng suddenly understood, yet he was still a bit worried, ¡°It¡¯s great if there¡¯s no danger! Xiu¡¯er, I know you¡¯re very powerful, but you must remember that it¡¯s difficult to face four enemies with only two fists. You must promptly tell Grandpa if anything happens. My body is quite tough now, so I can help you bear the burden as well.¡±


    ¡°I know, Grandpa!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    After hesitating for a moment, Tang Guosheng then said, ¡°Can you tell me who is the person you must see in Jingmen Island¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a while, and then slowly said, ¡°She¡¯s my disciple.¡±


    With a slight change in countenance, Tang Guosheng then said in a deep voice, ¡°I understand! I won¡¯t ask anything else. But, do pay attention to your safety.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    After the call ended, Tang Guosheng¡¯s brows slightly furrowed. He knew a lot of things about Tang Xiu¡¯s matters. He also learned that Tang Xiu had four disciples. One of whom was Chen Zhizhong. Another one was a little girl, Gu Yin. And the other one was in the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital.


    As for the other one, he had sent people to inquire before, however, there no news at all.

 Chapter 398

    Chapter 398: Master and Disciple Reunion


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Bright sunlight shined on the earth, while a warm breeze was mixed with a light fishy smell of seawater. Outside the entrance to Jingmen Island¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall, a black car arrived as though lightning.


    _Creak¡­_


    When the black car was tens of meters away from the gate, the brakes sounded and the car completely stopped just in front of the gate pole.


    ¡°Lift the pole.¡±


    The moment a middle-aged man in the driver¡¯s seat came out, he faced the four big men and shouted.


    The four big men immediately showed a respectful look upon seeing the middle-aged man. One of them immediately raised the pole, while the middle-aged man then sat back in the driver¡¯s seat. As the car¡¯s door closed, he deeply stepped on the throttle pedal. The car shot out as though an arrow, and instantly rushed inside.


    ¡°What happened with military instructor Lu? How can he be so anxious?¡±


    ¡°Is there a important matter? Have you heard any mission passed down from the top brass?¡±


    ¡°I think I saw our Boss in the back seat.¡±


    ¡°Boss? Our new Boss?


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    During the four big men¡¯s discussion, the black car quickly rushed into the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s parking lot. The moment Tang Xiu opened the car¡¯s door, he saw Gu Xiaoxue coming flying at him.


    ¡°Grand Master!¡±


    With her eyes looking a bit red, Gu Xiaoxue dashed toward Tang Xiu. Behind her, a man and a woman followed. The young man was dressed in white, with soft, loose hair. His appearance was quite handsome, looking around 27 or 28. The woman was dressed in black sportswear, a black cloak, and was also wearing a black mask.


    ¡°Boss, I¡¯m Light!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Dark!¡±


    The young man and woman cupped their fists and said respectfully.


    Tang Xiu raised his brows as he patted Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s shoulder. He then dashed toward the seashore¡¯s direction and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter with them?¡±


    ¡°Boss, Light and Dark are the geniuses Master has been training. They are the best talents picked from thousands of people. They are just like me, who have embarked on the cultivation path as early as I have on the immortality cultivation. However, the two of them have special identities, there are only a few of our Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people who know their existence. But I put their names in the list I gave you before.¡± Gu Xiaoxue said.


    After recalling about it, Tang Xiu remembered that he indeed had seen the names ¡°Light¡± and ¡°Dark¡±. It was just that he didn¡¯t expect that both of them had special identities.


    ¡°For being able to stand out from thousands of people mean that they have good aptitudes. If you perform well, I¡¯ll teach you a stronger cultivation technique, and even more powerful immortal techniques. Be loyal and faithful. If you don¡¯t die young, I can even give you a much bigger fortune.¡±


    Light and Dark exchanged glances as a pleasantly surprised look immediately burst out from their eyes.


    ¡°We understand!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in a response. After that, he dashed to the coastline at his maximum speed. He didn¡¯t even take the lone boat, instead, he cast his Imperial Wind Secret Art. His feet were as though treading on the sea surface. Layer upon layer of waves rippled as he continued moving forward toward the sea.


    ¡°Imperial Wind Secret Art?¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue, Light and Dark exchanged surprised looks.


    The trio immediately also cast the Imperial Wind Secret Art, following behind Tang Xiu as though shadows. They quickly dashed forward, their speed much faster than Tang Xiu¡¯s. Within a short several breaths, they had caught up and maintained the distance with Tang Xiu.


    Gu Xiaoxue then brandished her arms as though a knife, splitting the seawater into two. The group then bolted toward the exquisite pagoda. There, Ji Chimei had long been waiting and personally opened the pagoda¡¯s door.


    ¡°Lord, Master is waiting for you on the seventh floor.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    Tang Xiu replied as his figure flashed toward the upper floor. Gu Yan¡¯er, Light, and Dark, however, were stopped by Ji Chimei, who shook her head silently.


    ¡°Elder Ji, Master must be very happy.¡± Gu Xiaoxue said softly.


    A gratified look appeared on Ji Chimei¡¯s face. She nodded and sighed, ¡°Of course she¡¯s happy. Master has been searching for Venerable Lord with so much hardship¡­ All in all, she has suffered many difficulties and hardships for the Lord. I only hope that the Lord can understand her heart¡­¡±


    On the seventh floor of the exquisite pagoda.


    Inside, Gu Yan¡¯er was sitting cross-legged on the ice bed. Her fingers cast a strange hand seal, while the chilling cold in her body surged into the air.


    At this moment, the seventh floor temperature was much lower than when she was in a comatose state.


    Despite having a large increase in his cultivation level, Tang Xiu could still feel a biting cold chilling invasion and felt cold all over his body.


    The instant Tang Xiu stepped into the seventh floor, his gaze locked at the stunning beauty with pale face.


    His pace came to a stop in an instant.


    His heartbeat, however, thumped and sped up.


    A warm feeling that came from the soul surged out as though a spring. The warmth passed to his limbs and five organs. It was as if the chilling cold no longer had the slightest impact on him whatsoever.


    Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s eyelashes fluttered. Her lucid, bright eyes opened, and she looked slightly dazed. But an instant later, sparkling and glittering tears appeared in her eyes. Her delicate body floated in the air. She was as though a female celestial with her feet dancing and treading on the void, slowly coming before Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Yan¡¯er¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s lips quivered. His voice sounded a bit hoarse.


    The glittering and translucent tears in Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s eyes were as though a sea. It finally burst out as large drops fell over her face like falling pearls, dripping down onto her dress and wetting it, as she threw herself into Tang Xiu¡¯s embrace.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    Such a mournful sounds of weeping blood of a cuckoo; just like melodic inversions of hundreds of swallows¡¯ it was recited and turned into thousands of years of vibratos, only to say everything inside her mind of what she had been longing for.


    Hugging Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s thin and cold body, there were not the slightest evil thought in Tang Xiu¡¯s mind. Instead, his heart was full of warmth and affection, filled with guilt and wanting. He gently stroked Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s silky black hair, murmuring, ¡°You¡¯ve finally woken up for Master to see you again. Your wish of a lifetime has come true. Good child, you¡¯re my good child!¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s body turned stiff as her sobbing paused in an instant. She pulled a bit of distance from Tang Xiu. While holding his face, she shook her head with eyes brimming with tears.


    Tang Xiu keenly realized Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s unusual behavior. He quickly grabbed her hand and asked with concern, ¡°Yan¡¯er, what happened to you? Are you not feeling well?¡±


    Shaking her head and eyes filled with full of affection, Gu Yan¡¯er shook her head again and said, ¡°Master, Yan¡¯er is very well now. Really, really well. Yan¡¯er can see Master again, even if I have to die now, Yan¡¯er is willing. For thousands of years, Yan¡¯er has never feared suffering any hardships and difficulties only to find you. I¡¯m already contented and satisfied so long as I can see you, Master.¡±


    While holding up her hands, Tang Xiu said in a low voice, ¡°Yan¡¯er, rest assured! You have seen me. Besides, I haven¡¯t died, I¡¯m still alive. Later on, Master won¡¯t meet with any mishap again, and I won¡¯t leave you despite everything.¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er nodded repeatedly. Though her tears didn¡¯t stop flowing, a dazzling smile appeared on her beautiful, pale face. It was a pure smile, full of contentment.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s subject then shifted as his expression turned solemn. After he took a deep breath, he said in a deep voice, ¡°Yan¡¯er, Master swears to you that, regardless of how much I must pay in the future, I will find the Chrono Crystal and the Demonic Revival Grass to cure your injury. Just trust me.¡±


    In Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s lifetime, the person she relied on and most trusted was always Tang Xiu. When she heard his words, she nodded without hesitation, ¡°Yan¡¯er believes in you, Master.¡±


    ¡°Also, although Master returned to the Earth, my cultivation has gone into nothingness.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°But believe me, sooner or later, I will take you to return back to the Immortal World. I will make that Shade Demon¡ªZhu Wushou pay a bitter and painful price for injuring you. Only I alone can hit, chide, and punish my own disciples. No one else has the rights to do so.¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er shook her head quickly, and bitterly said, ¡°Master, I don¡¯t want you to avenge me. As long as you can be safe and sound; as long as Yan¡¯er can follow you and be happy, Yan¡¯er will be contented and satisfied.¡±


    ¡°You will be happy following me in the future, however, that Shade Demon¡ªZhu Wushou must die.¡± Tang Xiu solemnly said, ¡°All right, let¡¯s not talk about this. We, master and disciple, have met again, so let Master have a good look at you.¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er let out a dazzling smile yet again. She nodded heavily and said, ¡°Master, your appearance has changed. Although you still have the previous shadows, is this the real you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Due to a strange mix of circumstances, a wisp of Master¡¯s soul went through space, and the same strange circumstances also made me have the same surname and given the name Tang Xiu as well there. This root of my soul, unless it can break through the shackles of a celestial being and turn into a God, it was able to find the way back. I had never expected that because of them¡­ with a strange chance of circumstances I returned to Earth. Anyhow, but you, Yan¡¯er, though you were a few years older than when you were missing, your appearance hasn¡¯t changed at all. You¡¯re still so beautiful. You¡¯re still the disciple Master loves the most.¡±


    ¡°Master, so you turns out to be only a wisp of soul who went to the Immortal World.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er said with a smile, ¡°So, that¡¯s why. That explains why I was only able to find a bit of a clue when I peeped at the heavenly secrets despite much difficulties. Fortunately, my last gamble proved the correct one.¡±


    ¡°Yan¡¯er, Master knows that you suffered a lot of pain and mishaps in these thousands of years.¡± Tang Xiu sighed, ¡°In fact, you shouldn¡¯t have delayed so many years for your Master. What I always hoped for you is that you can live happily, becoming an immortal and becoming a God in future. You coming to Earth truly makes your Master feel guilty.¡±


    ¡°Master, you¡¯re the only source of happiness I have.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er shook her head and said with a smile, ¡°I actually regretted it. I regretted throwing myself into that hopeless situation, to look for¡­¡±


    ¡°Yan¡¯er, if I were still in the Immortal World, I would have stopped you from going there.¡± Tang Xiu gently shook his head and interrupted her, saying, ¡°But now, I feel that what you did was the correct choice. All the Supremes in the Immortal World know that you¡¯re my favorite disciple. I almost died when they ambushed me. But if you were by my side back then, I¡¯m afraid that the disaster wouldn¡¯t have ended that well.¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er fell into silence.


    She knew that Tang Xiu was correct. Had she followed at her Master¡¯s side back then, she probably would have ended up dying. If she were to be killed by them at that time, she wouldn¡¯t have had this opportunity at reunion with her master at this moment.

 Chapter 399

    Chapter 399: Confession


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    A master and a disciple met again and talked about everything inside their minds and hearts. Although the exquisite pagoda¡¯s seventh floor was full of chilling air, yet their two hearts were filled with warmth.


    Time went by as the duo talked more.


    Finally, as if recalling something, Gu Yan¡¯er jumped up, and then said with a smile, ¡°Master, Yan¡¯er wants to present you a gift. Though I wanted to find an object of your liking before, however, I turned out to find a better one, and I think you¡¯ll like it, Master.¡±


    ¡°What object?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised.


    Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s lightly touched her tiptoe. Her white dress hiked up with her just like a fairy performing a dance. A soft green light appeared in her hand, an aquamarine-colored seed enwrapped at the center of the green light.


    Yes, it was a seed. And it emitted out a thick life force.


    Tang Xiu furrowed his brows deeply, looking at the seen in the green light. He racked up his brains searching knowledge about it, yet he couldn¡¯t find the slightest information about this seed. He was sure he had never seen this kind of seed before.


    ¡°Yan¡¯er, this is¡­¡± Tang Xiu asked with deep curiosity.


    ¡°Master, you know about the top three objects among the top ten Supreme Divine Items in the Immortal World, right?¡± Gu Yan¡¯er coquettishly asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I know about them.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°The first object is the World Core, the second one is the Heavenly Path Universe Tree, and the third one is the Wheel of Samsara.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, the World Core is the Immortal World¡¯s core. It¡¯s located in the most mysterious place, the Phantasm Oblivion Domain. Several eras ago super experts were known to be able to shuttle back and forth from the God Realm to borrow the World Core¡¯s energy in order to expand the boundaries of the Immortal World by several millions of times. As for the Wheel of Samsara, it¡¯s precisely the most profound heavenly law in regards to reincarnation principles. Whoever controls the Wheel of Samsara is said to be able to govern the Path of Samsara of a trillion of lives, and will be able to draw support from the cycle of karma and fate to set foot into the God Realm. Unfortunately, this is only a legend, for no one was able to obtain the Wheel of Samsara.¡±


    ¡°This seed itself is only the crystallization of this era¡¯s Heavenly Path Universe Tree. But it¡¯s also the one and only seed ever since the Immortal World existed. If this seed were to be cultivated inside someone¡¯s heart, that person could control the second path leading to the God Realm. Because the Heavenly Path Universe Tree back then was the only path leading to the God Realm before it was cut down.¡±


    With a terrified expression, Tang Xiu looked at the seed. His eyes stared at Gu Yan¡¯er, who let out a brilliant smile. He then shook his head and said, ¡°Yan¡¯er, you¡­ from where did you get this object?¡±


    A vicious glint flashed in Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s eyes, as she laughed and said, ¡°Master, 3.6 thousand years after you were rumored to have been slain, 17 of the strongest Immortal World¡¯s Supremes respectively consecrated a drop of their blood essence and life source in order to be able to get a new path to heaven. They finally figured out a trace of a heavenly secret after the Heavenly Emperor Tian Ji and his nine disciples conducted time-consuming and painstaking deductions for 360 years.


    ¡°Subsequently, those 17 strongest Supremes went to a certain place according to the Heavenly Emperor Tian Ji¡¯s divination. That place was called Immortal Green Radish Domain, in the Vinegauze Land. After finding that the Heavenly Path Universe Tree was cut off, they then found this seed left behind.


    ¡°Heavenly Emperor Tian Ji, who deciphered this heavenly secret, however, was actually unable to predict their hearts. Those 17 Supremes fought with each other to snatch it. Supreme Bei Wa used the Divinity Bloodseal technique to tear the void and pass this seed to me before he died.¡±


    ¡°Supreme Bei Wa died, and he unexpectedly cast the Divinity Bloodseal technique?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s countenance slightly changed, ¡°But that¡¯s the most powerful forbidden art belonging to the Archdemon Wu Zui who has ascended, becoming a Demon God in the Demon Realm.¡±


    ¡°Master, Supreme Bei Wa was originally someone from the Demon Realm.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er said, ¡°But he was forced to cross over his soul to the Immortal World. He eventually became a Supreme in the Immortal World after cultivating for a long period of time. Anyways, he left me a few words after he passed me the seed.¡±


    ¡°What words?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°He said: ¡®This Crazy Demon had once gotten help, and this old friend is now paying the favor back. Settling the past karma, for one sword and one meal¡¯.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er said.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s heart shivered, and he slowly closed his eyes.


    Back then, he accidentally passed by a certain place in the Immortal World, where someone was in desperate straits. There, he met Supreme Bei Wa, who was unable to escape from a predicament. Since he didn¡¯t want to see such a powerhouse die and disappear, he lent a hand to help him. In that dire situation, he cut off the root of a Soul Devourer Grass with his sword and rescued Supreme Bei Wa who was dying. Then, he gifted him a Holy Healing medicine for him to eat, helping him recover his strength.


    Later on, he went back to his cultivation cave. Supreme Bei Wa paid him a visit on several occasions, attempting to pay this favor back. However, due to being in seclusion, he didn¡¯t see him. He had never thought that his best friend for thousands of years would betray him just for mere interests, yet, Supreme Bei Wa, whose life he saved when he was in a hopeless situation turned out to have never forgotten the favor.


    What was an Immortal?


    What was a Demon?


    Tang Xiu suddenly smiled. He looked at Gu Yan¡¯er and then said, ¡°Yan¡¯er, you guessed it, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er smiled lightly, ¡°I actually had already guessed it before Supreme Bei Wa passed me this seed. Back then in the Immortal World, I had experienced countless life and death occasions; in order to become stronger, in order to find Master¡¯s whereabouts¡­ Twice did Supreme Bei Wa rescue me. The first time he saved me, he told me that he wanted to take me as a disciple, but I refused him. The second time he saved me, he told me to say he was sorry at your grave.¡±


    ¡°Supreme Bei Wa truly is a rarity in the Immortal World.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I will definitely take care of his descendants when I¡¯m back to the Immortal World one day.¡±


    ¡°Master, quickly plant this Heavenly Path Universe Tree seed in your heart.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er said with a smile, ¡°Only nourishing it with your heart¡¯s blood essence can it take root and grow. I¡¯m looking forward to the day when Master can plant a new Heavenly Path Universe Tree and stand at the apex of the God Realm.¡±


    Tang Xiu shot a deep look at Gu Yan¡¯er. He didn¡¯t receive it, instead, fell into silence for a while. He then slowly asked, ¡°Yan¡¯er, why don¡¯t you plant this Heavenly Path Universe Tree seed yourself? Even if you do, Master will still able to stand above the Immortal World in the future with your help.¡±


    ¡°Master, this seed can only be owned by you.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er shook her head and said, ¡°You¡¯re the only one for me. Whoever wants this seed is desecrating the feeling I have for Master. Even if it is myself.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s heart shook. He took the seed silently. The instant he received it in his palm, his star force pulled the seed into his heart, as a hole was cracked on it and the seed then fused inside. Afterward, the rupture on his heart slowly healed under the nourishment of his star force.


    _Bang¡­_


    An overbearing and strong life force aura exploded within Tang Xiu¡¯s heart. He was unable to react as his heart expanded into space. Although this space was only several square meters in size, however, the blood essence inside Tang Xiu¡¯s heart was all poured into this space.


    The seed emitted a bright green light then quietly floated in the blood essence.


    _The Heart Sea? I actually have a Heart Sea?_


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu felt his life force aura violently soaring, his blood essence crazily increasing by hundreds of times. He could feel that his whole body had become stronger and better than ever. He had never felt so energetic even when he was in the Immortal World. It was as though his soul had sublimated.


    With a smile, Gu Yan¡¯er watched the drastic increase of Tang Xiu¡¯s aura. She then softly said, ¡°Yan¡¯er congratulates you, Master. You¡¯re the only person I¡¯ve ever worshipped. And the only one I can rely on. Yan¡¯er will entirely rely on Master later.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Master will certainly work hard to heal your injury. I¡¯ll definitely keep you beside me and make you very happy. Even if you find a worthy husband in the future, I won¡¯t allow you to go to a faraway place. I can never let you suffer any more mishaps¡­¡±


    _Worthy husband?_


    The smile on Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s face instantly froze. It was like her heart had been severely sheared by a knife at this moment.


    It was very painful!


    Ever since she grew up, ever since she understood the affections between man and woman, he was her closest relative. He was also the one she loved the most. He became her obsession, becoming her support to crazily cultivate for several thousands of years, maniacally enhancing her strength, and madly searching his whereabouts.


    It was true! It was the very reason for her familial affection!


    However¡­


    That was also love. A silly love!


    She could have ignored it, and couldn¡¯t care less if it was someone else who told her to find her Mr. Right. But not from her Master, since she already had given her heart to him.


    He¡­ he still couldn¡¯t move on.


    Realizing the queer smile on Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s face, Tang Xiu hastily asked, concerned, ¡°Yan¡¯er, are you not feeling well? Come and sit on the ice bed. Don¡¯t worry, Master won¡¯t leave even half a step. I¡¯ll accompany you while you¡¯re still awake.¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er inhaled a deep breath. She had fallen in love with her Master long ago, yet it was an unrequited love. She could only put it inside her heart silently, for she didn¡¯t dare to reveal it to him. But now, she had gone through too much, she didn¡¯t even care about life and death anymore.


    Thus, she became very bold at this moment!


    ¡°Master, Yan¡¯er won¡¯t marry for the rest of my life. Unless the man Yan¡¯er must marry is you.¡±


    Tang Xiu was as though struck by a thunderbolt. His body turned incomparably rigid in an instant. He looked at her with disbelief, as if he felt that this treasured disciple of his became strange all of a sudden.


    _This child¡­ is she joking or something?_


    Tang Xiu thought inwardly, yet, when he looked at Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s serious expression, he could tell that she wasn¡¯t joking. Suddenly, he felt somewhat overwhelmed despite having lived for ten millenniums.


    Looking at Tang Xiu¡¯s expression, Gu Yan¡¯er felt somewhat dejected and bitter. Yet, at the same time, she was also excited, since she was finally able to say what she always wanted to say, the feeling that had stayed hidden inside her heart for thousands of years. As complicated as the mood was, Gu Yan¡¯er gently sat beside Tang Xiu, grabbing his arm and resting her head on his shoulder, whispering, ¡°Master, you¡¯re the person Yan¡¯er loves the most. I¡¯ve decided to be with you forever. Unless you personally kill me, you can never throw me off.¡±


    ¡°Child, please don¡¯t talk such nonsensical things again. Master has once married¡­¡± Tang Xiu forced a bitter smile and said.

 Chapter 400

    Chapter 400: There¡¯s Only You in My Eyes


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Looking at Tang Xiu¡¯s frozen expression, Gu Yan¡¯er sighed inwardly and said, ¡°Master, needless to say for you to have once married that¡­ that woman. Even if you don¡¯t want to go through romance again, I will still say it now. In my opinion, there is no woman in this world who can have Master for herself. Even if Master has countless wives, Yan¡¯er will still be content as long as you have me in your heart.¡±


    She suddenly sat and straightened up her body.


    She faced Tang Xiu, squatted in front of him, raised her small face, and then said, ¡°Master, if you still love that woman, I will help you get her no matter the price. Even if you want to 3,000 beautiful women or 30,000 fairy maiden concubines in your harem, I can help you gather them. However, Yan¡¯er only wants you, Master. Regardless of who Master wants, Yan¡¯er will do everything to help you get them.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s heart trembled, looking at her in disbelief. Except for forcing out a smile inwardly, he couldn¡¯t utter any words to express what he felt.


    _This¡­ Doesn¡¯t! Make! Sense!_


    After a very long while, Tang Xiu suddenly recalled the matter with Han Qingwu. His mind suddenly revolved, as he asked, ¡°Yan¡¯er, can you tell Master about something?¡±


    ¡°What do you want to know, Master?¡± Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s color changed as she smiled and said, ¡°As long as Yan¡¯er knows about it, I will tell you everything.¡±


    Tang Xiu hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth and then asked, ¡°She¡­ what happened to her?¡±


    ¡°Xue Qingcheng?¡± Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s brows slightly furrowed.


    ¡°Yea!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°After Master was rumored to have been persecuted by Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiu Yao, she was said to have been jointly killed by the other two. I¡¯m not 100% sure whether she¡¯s alive or dead. Even though¡­ I did secretly investigated her for several thousands of years, I¡¯ve yet to find any traces of her. It¡¯s like she disappeared from the Immortal World.¡±


    A glint flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes, ¡°You mean¡­ she¡¯s highly likely to have died in Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiu Yao¡¯s hands?¡±


    ¡°The possibility is indeed very likely.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er nodded and said, ¡°However, since I was mainly looking for Master¡¯s whereabouts, I only investigated her to avenge you. So I¡¯m not too sure.¡±


    At this time, Tang Xiu finally understood. He knew that the woman who once made him crazy in love had probably already died. And Han Qingwu was, perhaps, her reincarnation.


    Only, the thing that made him a bit doubtful was that, how could she so coincidentally reincarnate on Earth?


    Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s expressin suddenly moved, saying, ¡°Master, I once deceived Shade Demon Zhu Wushou. I learned something from him about that most beloved disciple of his.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°Zhu Wushou¡¯s disciple said that Xue Qingcheng was actually his Senior Sister, and also Shade Demon¡ªZhu Wushou¡¯s eldest disciple.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er said.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Tang Xiu abruptly stood, disbelief burst out from his eyes.


    _She is Shade Demon¡ªZhu Wushou¡¯s disciple?_


    _Xue Qingcheng actually¡­_


    ¡°Master, I believe him. He shouldn¡¯t have lied to me!¡± Gu Yan¡¯er said, ¡°But what I don¡¯t understand is why and for what did Shade Demon Zhu Wushou send his eldest disciple to the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect?¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t answer her question and instead, took a deep breath. He finally realized that there were indeed many times where Xue Qingcheng looked unusual during her days living together with him.


    Back then he was clueless!


    But now, after thinking about it carefully, he finally realized some things.


    After restraining all his thoughts, Tang Xiu then looked at Gu Yan¡¯er and said, ¡°Yan¡¯er, let¡¯s stop talking about this topic for now. Since you¡¯ve obtained that seed for Master, my cultivation speed will surely get faster. Only after I make myself stronger will I be able to protect the people I care about, and then return to the Immortal World. To look for those who betrayed me and settle the account with them.¡±


    ¡°Master, Yan¡¯er probably can¡¯t help you.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er said softly.


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. You can help me. You¡¯ll be my greatest helper.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t have much time¡­¡± Gu Yan¡¯er said hesitantly.


    ¡°Cut that out!¡± Tang Xiu angrily retorted, ¡°Who says you¡¯re running out of time? You keep saying that you trust me, don¡¯t you? Do you really think Master is unable to find the Chrono Crystal and the Demonic Revival Grass?¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s complexion was a bit tarried. She quickly shook her head and said, ¡°Disciple is wrong. I believe Master can achieve it.¡±


    Looking at her scared look, Tang Xiu turned soft. He reached out his hand to pull her up and gently made her sit next to him. He hugged her as though she was a child and whispered, ¡°Yan¡¯er, it¡¯s my bad. Master shouldn¡¯t have been mad at you. But you have to trust Master. Regardless of how hard and how big the price will be, Master will find those two things and completely remove the Twilight Nightmare from your injury.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Gu Yan¡¯er rested on Tang Xiu¡¯s chest and gently nodded.


    ¡°Yan¡¯er, your current cultivation level is much more formidable than Master¡¯s. Tell me, what cultivation level have you achieved?¡± Tang Xiu suddenly asked with a smile.


    ¡°There¡¯s just a step left before I reach the Supreme Stage.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er smiled lightly.


    ¡°Amazing!¡± Tang Xiu was surprised and said, ¡°Your cultivation speed is even faster than Master¡¯s in the past!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because Master has laid a solid foundation for me, while I also chanced upon some fortuitous encounters as well.¡± Feeling happy, Gu Yan¡¯er replied, ¡°However, the strength I can showcase now is perhaps at the level of an ordinary Immortal.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re already the strongest here on Earth.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°You can even destroy this planet should you wish to.¡±


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t do that!¡± Gu Yan¡¯er said with a smile, ¡°This place is your hometown, which means that is also Yan¡¯er¡¯s home.¡±


    ¡°Yan¡¯er, I¡¯m planning to take the exquisite pagoda from this place. I found an island in the Pacific Ocean which is very similar with the Nine Dragons Spitting Pearl Secret Area we once lived in. I already bought that island, and now it¡¯s currently being rebuild. I drew the architectural blueprint myself, and there are a lot of construction workers rebuilding the place. Once the rebuilding has been completed, it will become a land with precious Feng Shui. And that place will become our supreme headquarters in the future.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°After Yan¡¯er wakes up, I can plant Rainbow Herbs there?¡± Gu Yan¡¯er was pleasantly surprised and said, ¡°There are many Rainbow Herbs in Yan¡¯er¡¯s interspatial ring!¡±


    ¡°Yea, you can!¡± Tang Xiu said smilingly.


    Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s smile grew more dazzling. Suddenly, she recalled something and said, ¡°Master, your cultivation level is not that high right now, do you need to eat? Are you hungry? Yan¡¯er wants to eat something, can you accompany me to the restaurant and have a meal with me?¡±


    ¡°Yan¡¯er, you¡¯re not fit enough to leave the exquisite pagoda for now.¡± Tang Xiu quickly said, ¡°If you want to eat something, I¡¯ll have it delivered here, and Master will accompany you.¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er held Tang Xiu¡¯s arm, shook it, and acted coyly like a little girl, ¡°Master, please! Every time Yan¡¯er wakes up here, I really want to go out to see the outside world. Besides, it won¡¯t take much time. I heard from Old Ji that you found precious medicinal herbs and have concocted Spirit Condensing Pills. Please tell Old Ji to concoct it and give it me. I feel spirited now, and I think I can stay awake for two or three days even if I go out.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Tang Xiu hesitated. He didn¡¯t have the heart to reject Yan¡¯er¡¯s request. After a short while, he slowly nodded and said, ¡°All right! I¡¯ll tell Xiaoxue to arrange the meal in the restaurant. We¡¯ll wait until the feast is about ready and then we¡¯ll go out, since staying outside for even a minute would still affect you a bit.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! Thanks, Master!¡± Gu Yan¡¯er was pleasantly surprised.


    Tang Xiu stood and rushed to the first floor of the exquisite pagoda with his fastest speed. He then looked at the four pair of eyes and said, ¡°Xiaoxue, prepare a meal. Yan¡¯er, I and the others will eat in the restaurant.¡±


    ¡°But Lord, she is¡­¡± Ji Chimei hastily said.


    ¡°Chimei, I understand what¡¯s inside your mind.¡± Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt her and said, ¡°In fact, I also have the same worry. But she wants to go out and see the outside world, so I can only comply with her plea this once! Besides, having a meal won¡¯t take too much time, and it¡¯s better than keeping her here all the time.¡±


    ¡°I understand your intention, Lord!¡± Ji Chimei nodded and said, ¡°Xiaoxue, go and arrange it.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡±


    Upon hearing that her Master could leave the exquisite pagoda for some time, Gu Xiaoxue immediately looked excited and cried out. Immediately after, her figure turned ethereal and instantly disappeared from the pagoda¡¯s entrance.


    Half an hour later, when Gu Xiaoxue notified that the meal had been prepared, Tang Xiu then brought Gu Yan¡¯er to the first floor of the exquisite pagoda.


    ¡°Greetings, Master.¡±


    Light and Dark looked excited as they kowtowed, paying respect to Gu Yan¡¯er.


    Gu Yan¡¯er held Tang Xiu¡¯s hand. She lifted her hand gently as a soft force swept the duo and gently lifted them, ¡°Don¡¯t overly stand on ceremony. We haven¡¯t met for a few years, and you have grown up a lot. Anyways, I¡¯ll accompany Master to a meal. You can kowtow to me again!¡±


    Ji Chimei¡¯s expression flickered, as she then said in a deep voice, ¡°What are you stunned for? Quickly say thanks to Master.¡±


    Master?


    Light and Dark exchanged glances. They suddenly realized something. Immediately, their faces turned excited and were about to kneel again. But after recalling Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s words, they held back and respectfully obeyed.


    At this moment, Gu Yan¡¯er didn¡¯t even spare them a glance. There was no one else in her eyes but her Master. While holding Tang Xiu¡¯s arm, she left the exquisite pagoda step by step alongside him and came to the sea surface. After a dozen breaths, a charming smile hung on her face as she and Tang Xiu stood together at the shore.


    ¡°Master, Yan¡¯er establishing the Everlasting Feast Hall turned out not bad a decision at all! At least they found you.¡±


    ¡°They are indeed very good.¡± Tang Xiu nodded with a smile, ¡°In fact, you also gave Master a good lesson.¡±


    ¡°What lesson?¡± Gu Yan¡¯er curiously asked.

 Chapter 401

    Chapter 401: Yan¡¯er¡¯s Prestige


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    While Tang Xiu walked alongside Gu Yan¡¯er toward the main building, a pale smile was revealed on his handsome face, saying, ¡°The lesson is that there¡¯s strength in numbers, and more logs can make a bigger fire. I was only absorbed in my own strength. I neglected my own subordinates, leading to the differences in their wills, as well as having my force scattered. Eventually, when I was facing the tribulation to ascend to Godhood, I faced the betrayal from my beloved and my best friends.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean it¡¯s very important to foster loyal and devoted subordinates, Master? But the main reason why I trained so many men was because I wanted to find you.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er said.


    Looking at her tenderly, Tang Xiu said, ¡°That¡¯s right, I must cultivate subordinates. If at that time I had many loyal and powerful men to protect me, perhaps they would would have been able to help me constrain them even if they wanted to assault me when I was at the most critical time of crossing the tribulation.¡±


    ¡°As long as I succeeded in crossing the tribulation, I would have achieved the Godking stage in the Immortal World, gaining the qualification to enter the gate to eternity. Just as the Divinity power fell from the God Realm, my strength would have soared and I could have easily defeated those traitors.¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er looked pensive and then said, ¡°Master, I understand your point. A lot of my subordinates died in these thousands of years. Many a times did they help me restrain my enemies so that I could survive.¡±


    ¡°There is betrayal and loyalty in this world.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°What we must do is just stay alert and keep our vigilance while observing those around us. In the end, only time will tell a true friend from a false one. Only then will we naturally be aware of those who we can fully cultivate, and those who we must abandon before it¡¯s too late.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Master.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er smiled and suddenly said, ¡°Let¡¯s stop talking about these serious topics. You see, I came out and am finally able to see the outside world again. We should be enjoying this.¡±


    He faintly smiled at her, yet a distressed look flashed from Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. His eyes were as though torches, how could he be unable to see that his disciple was currently enduring pain from Twilight Nightmare effect? At this moment, she was enduring a knife-twisting pain.


    Smiling on the surface, a crazy murderous intent toward Shade Demon¡ªZhu Wushou grew inside Tang Xiu¡¯s heart. He changed his mind at this moment. He must not let him die so easily after dealing with Zhu Wushou in the future. He would extract his soul, refine it for a million years, and make him bear the cruelest tortures for millions years more.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Yan¡¯er. We indeed should be enjoying this!¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­¡±


    The Everlasting Feast Hall had a lot of strong powerhouses. At this time, there were more than 100 there. However, when the patrol members passed by and their eyes fell on the two figures, their pupils suddenly shrank. Their expression drastically changed as ecstasy filled their hearts.


    _Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!_


    Four figures dashed like the wind and appeared before Tang Xiu and Gu Yan¡¯er and, simultaneously, kowtowed toward them.


    ¡°Paying respect to the Bosses.¡±


    Their voices shivered, a few crystalline tears appearing in their eyes. Evidently, it was not because of Tang Xiu, but because of Gu Yan¡¯er.


    ¡°Bai ¡®E, Bai Peng, Song Wu, Hua Yang, the four of you still like to be together, don¡¯t you?! It¡¯s been more than 10 years since we last met, right? Anyhow, you¡¯re all not bad. Xiaoxue told me about all of you.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er smiled, but her hands gently pulled Tang Xiu¡¯s arm.


    Warmness filled the four men¡¯s hearts. Little did they expect that the Boss would actually recognize them in a glance and remember their names even after so many years had passed. Furthermore, even after so many years, Boss was still so young and beautiful. That fluttering white dress was unforgettable.


    However, after the four of them were lifted by a stream of qi, they looked puzzled upon seeing Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s posture as she held Tang Xiu¡¯s arm.


    Gu Yan¡¯er no longer looked at the four men. Her stunning face blushed as she said with a smile, ¡°Master, let¡¯s eat! I always wake up hungry, but Old Ji only lets me eat some fruits or some medicinal soup. Yan¡¯er can be said to have not eaten a real meal for nearly ten years.¡±


    ¡°All right, let¡¯s go!¡± Tang Xiu smiled and nodded.


    The two figures continued walking forward. Whenever they passed, beautiful blooming flowers and birds flew over, Gu Yan¡¯er dancing lightly like a joyful fairy; dancing around Tang Xiu; squatting, and passing back and forth around the flowers and birds. Her cheerful and joyous laughter obviously showed the most vivid expression of her happy mood.


    Bai ¡®E, Bai Peng, and the others exchanged glances. Although they knew that the Little Boss¡ªGu Xiaoxue called Tang Xiu Grand Master, yet, when they heard Gu Yan¡¯er call Tang Xiu Master, only shock remained in their hearts.


    ¡°Inform the others!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, notify them quickly!¡±


    The four men took their mobile phones out and dialed the other members¡¯ cell numbers.


    _Whoosh¡­_


    Ji Chimei silently appeared before the four men and indifferently said, ¡°You can inform the others, but do remember that you all are not to disturb Master and Venerable Lord. If Master wants to see everyone, that will have to wait until they have their feast.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± the quartet hastily replied reverentially.


    Along the way, Gu Yan¡¯er was like an incarnation of a carefree and happy fairy. Following alongside Tang Xiu and talking about all sorts of relaxing topics. Her graceful, charming figure danced lightly from time to time, making all the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s core members dumbfounded.


    Almost all hundred core members of the Everlasting Feast Hall were experts Gu Yan¡¯er herself had personally trained. Yet, they had never seen her showing such attitude. She resembled a little girl with her cheerful smiling face.


    In front of the main building, dozens of Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s core members looked ecstatic as they stood on both sides of the path, quietly waiting for Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s arrival. However, when the two figures appeared at the end the trail, the look of ecstasy on their faces froze and was gradually replaced by disbelief.


    That was¡­


    ¡­Was that, Boss?


    How did she become a child¡­


    Of everyone, only Tang Xiu didn¡¯t feel that there were any problems with Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s words and behavior. In his eyes, she was always a child. He raised her up and watched her grow day by day.


    ¡°Paying respect to Boss.¡±


    Dozens of Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s core members saluted to them as they arrived.


    ¡°Very good. Although I haven¡¯t seen you all for many years, Xiaoxue has told me about your deeds.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er smiled and said, ¡°Very good. I¡¯m very happy with all of your performances over the years. However, I won¡¯t be showing up frequently. Anyhow, this man is my Master and my closest relative. His orders are more important than my own. He¡¯s also the first person to whom you must pledge your allegiance and loyalty.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Dozens of big strong men cupped their fists at the same time.


    Meanwhile, from various directions in the distance, many shadows were rapidly approaching. There were both genders among these people, and all of them emitted a valiant and powerful aura.


    ¡°Paying respect to Boss!¡±


    Standing beside her, Tang Xiu glanced at her happy expression as she praised everyone, speaking some words with them. He suddenly came to a realization. The little girl he brought up had really grown up.


    ¡°Yan¡¯er, let¡¯s go inside!¡± Tang Xiu said softly.


    Showing a faint smile in response, Gu Yan¡¯er affectionately clung to Tang Xiu¡¯s arm as she turned around and entered the restaurant¡¯s main building. She took the lead as the duo went to the VIP room.


    ¡°Wow, what a sumptuous meal.¡±


    After entering the room, Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s smile turned into a crescent moon shape when she saw the long table filled with fragrant dishes full of aromas and flavors. She then quickly pulled Tang Xiu to the table.


    Time passed by. Tang Xiu and Gu Yan¡¯er slowly ate the feast, yet the atmosphere was exceptionally warm.


    At the moment, hundreds of people had gathered outside the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s main building. All of them were waiting with respectful and reverential looks on their faces, including Gu Xiaoxue, who just came out of the main building.


    At this time, many patrons who had come to dine at the Everlasting Feast Hall noted this strange sight. Many of them were wondering and asked about the cause. They all looked to have a particular temperament.


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    While holding the car keys, as Ouyang Lulu came around the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s main building, her expression slightly changed. She had visited the Everlasting Feast Hall many times, so she knew that most of them were the members of the Everlasting Feast Hall. Yet, she was clueless as to why they would all gather together; most of them were even arranged in an orderly group as though soldiers calmly waiting in silence.


    ¡°Lulu!¡±


    With a happy smile on her face, Gu Xiaoxue approached Ouyang Lulu.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Ouyang Lulu asked in surprise, ¡°Is Tang Xiu here? But even if he was here, it wouldn¡¯t have caused such a big scene! By the way, have a look at those guests, they are all looking at here!¡±


    ¡°Boss is here.¡± Gu Xiaoxue smirked, ¡°He and my Master are currently dining inside.¡±


    ¡°Your Master?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu stared wide-eyed. She already knew that Gu Xiaoxue had a mysterious Master, but she had never seen her. Afterward, because the relationship between Tang Xiu and the Everlasting Feast Hall, she went back to ask her mother. She then learned the matter about Gu Yan¡¯er from her mother.


    ¡°Sister Xue, your Master is back?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she came back.¡± Gu Xiaoxue chuckled as she nodded.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go to visit her!¡± Ouyang Lulu quickly said, ¡°I also want to ask Tang Xiu when he¡¯ll return my private jet.¡±


    Shaking her head, Gu Xiaoxue stopped her and said, ¡°Lulu, leave that for later. Let my Master dine with Grand Master alone.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Ouyang Lulu was puzzled.


    Giving an apologetic look, Gu Xiaoxue shook her head and said, ¡°Lulu, I can¡¯t tell you right now. But I want you to listen to me. Master and Grand Master have finally reunited. They need some private space.¡±


    With an odd expression, Ouyang Lulu looked at Gu Xiaoxue. But still, she nodded and said, ¡°Forget it then. Since it¡¯s like this, I¡¯ll be waiting here with you. To be honest, I¡¯m really curious about your Master!¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Gu Xiaoxue said with a faint smile.

 Chapter 402

    Chapter 402: Feast at Hong Gate


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The night sky was encrusted with stars, as soft starlight fluttered down on Earth. Like before, the situation in front of Jingmen Island¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall was still lively. However, some large local forces as well as big families residing in Jingmen Island had also learned of what was happening there through various channels.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening here?¡±


    With two subordinates, Tang Dong came to the front of the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s main building. He suddenly furrowed his brows, looking scared. Behind him, his two men looked at the hundreds of core members of the Everlasting Feast Hall as if they were facing formidable enemies.


    ¡°Boss, could this be one of Gao Yanfeng¡¯s schemes?¡± A big man whispered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Tang Dong shook his head and said, ¡°I know some of them. They are the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people. Even if Gao Yanfeng wants to make things difficult for us, it¡¯s impossible for him to do that in the Everlasting Feast Hall. Hence, such a thing like the Feast at Hong Gate won¡¯t happen tonight, but investigating should not be a problem.¡±


    Immediately, Tang Dong bypassed them and quickly entered the building toward the box reserved by the other party. He didn¡¯t notice Gu Xiaoxue and Ouyang Lulu, who were standing in the diagonally opposite corner. However, Ouyang Lulu actually saw him and looked a bit surprised.


    ¡°Xiaoxue, I think I just saw Tang Xiu¡¯s uncle.¡±


    ¡°Grand Master¡¯s uncle? Who was it?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s Tang Dong from our Jingmen Island!¡± Ouyang Lulu whispered, ¡°We met him at the Tang Family¡¯s residence in Beijing when Tang Xiu had an accident previously.¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue suddenly realized. She frowned and thought for a moment, and then said, ¡°As I recall, he¡¯s also a member of the Tangs, and also the owner of the Seaside Strait Manor. I forgot about this since I was taking care of other things before. It seems like the Everlasting Feast Hall ought to be closer to the Seaside Strait Manor in the future.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re way too biased, Sister Xue.¡± Ouyang Lulu rolled her eyes and said, ¡°The both of us have a very close relationship, and I¡¯m very close with Tang Xiu as well. But why do you want to get closer to the Seaside Strait Manor and don¡¯t want to be closer to my Ouyang Family? You know my Grandpa has always wanted to see your Master before, yet you always refused.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand!¡± Gu Xiaoxue said.


    ¡°What I don¡¯t understand?¡± Ouyang Lulu snorted, ¡°I really don¡¯t get it. Why you address Tang Xiu as Grand Master? Looking at his age, he¡¯s far from one¡­¡±


    ¡°Lulu, will you please shut up?!¡± Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s complexion darkened and chided, ¡°If you speak any nonsensical things again, see if I don¡¯t break all relations with you.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want me to say. Okay, I¡¯m not saying anything.¡± Ouyang Lulu resentfully turned her head, yet she cursed inwardly.


    Inside the main building.


    In a private room, just as Tang Dong stepped inside, two middle-aged men were already waiting there. One of them was a fat man with a shaved head, wearing a jade pendant around his neck, and also wearing six or seven gold rings on his fingers. The other one was a slightly thin middle-aged man, wearing glasses and looking refined. However, his triangular eyes looked cold and grim.


    ¡°Oh, I thought the respected owner of the Seaside Strait Manor¡ªMaster Tang wouldn¡¯t dare to come tonight!¡± The thin middle-aged man¡ªGao Yanfeng sarcastically said with a smirk.


    Coldly snorting in response, Tang Dong then went to the opposite side of the round table and took a seat. He then said indifferently, ¡°Gao Yanfeng, let alone in Jingmen Island, even in the entire China, there¡¯s no place this Tang Dong does not dare to go. Ask yourself, aren¡¯t you the one who is always a coward? How come you¡¯re acting so insolent now? Don¡¯t tell me you have someone to support you?¡±


    ¡°Tang Dong, who are you calling a coward?¡± Gao Yanfeng got up abruptly and bellowed angrily, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t forget that it¡¯s your Seaside Strait Manor who has a problem and needs to ask something from me; not the other way around. Anger me and you will find yourself having your navigation line to Evil Dragon Sea Area directly cut off.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you try it if you really got the ability?¡± Tang Dong shouted back coldly.


    Sitting between the two, the fat middle-aged man slammed the table with his shining fingers, shouting, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to solve the problem? Why are you still quarreling? You two wanted me to become the middleman this time, and I¡¯ll do as requested. But if you continue acting like this, I¡¯m out.¡±


    Gao Yanfeng stared at Tang Dong. He then relaxed and lit a cigarette.


    Tang Dong¡¯s brows furrowed slightly and went silent.


    The fat middle-aged man was surnamed Ji, Ji Xiaolong. People called him Fatty Ji, and he could be said to be a character with quite the influence in Jingmen Island. His force was by no means inferior compared to Gao Yanfeng¡¯s Wine Garden and Tang Dong¡¯s Seaside Strait Manor. Hence, all the forces in Jingmen Island would also give him some face.


    Fatty Ji lit a cigarette and watched the two silent men. Afterward, he grinned and nodded in satisfaction, ¡°Tang Dong, this time I¡¯m just a middleman. I invited the two of you here in the hopes that you can come to an agreement. Afterward, your Seaside Strait Manor¡¯s fleet can finally hurry for the Evil Dragon Sea Area.¡±


    ¡°I want to hear what Boss Gao wants to say first.¡± Tang Dong said in a deep voice.


    ¡°That¡¯s easy. The island I bought is just on the side of Evil Dragon Sea Area¡¯s navigation line.¡± Gao Yanfeng sneered, ¡°If you want to pass by my island, you¡¯ll have to give us some profits. Else, you can open another route and pass from there.¡±


    ¡°You want to profit from my Seaside Strait Manor?¡± Tang Dong scornfully replied, ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to pay your life for that.¡±


    ¡°Tang Dong, you want to scare me with your trivial Seaside Strait Manor?¡± Gao Yanfeng mocked and said, ¡°My Wine Garden is on par with your Seaside Strait Manor. If you really want to lose all decorum with me, then I¡¯ll accompany you just fine. Besides, doesn¡¯t your Tang Family is in quite a difficult time? I know you¡¯re a member of Beijing¡¯s Tang Family, but your Tang Family has lost quite a lot in Guangyang. Your family may have scared me before, but since I know you have the Yaos as your archenemy, would I still fear you? If worst comes to worst, this father can just go to the Yaos.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    This was the move Tang Dong most feared. His Seaside Strait Manor may be a little stronger than Gao Yanfeng¡¯s Wine Garden. However, if they were to fight, even if he exterminated him, the Seaside Strait Manor would suffer heavy losses as well.


    On the other hand, if he were to use the Tang Family¡¯s forces, it was highly likely that Gao Yanfeng would be forced to act out of desperation and thus pledge allegiance to the Yao Family. The Yaos would certainly accept such a powerful dog as well. Going further, if Gao Yanfeng brought the Yaos to Jingmen Island, it would be harder for his Seaside Strait Manor to survive.


    Looking at the two, Fatty Ji chuckled and smiled, ¡°Tang Dong! Gao Yanfeng bought that island, and he wants to establish a large-scale aquaculture around the island. But if your Seaside Strait Manor go through there, won¡¯t he incur some losses? Hence, I suggest that both of you take a step back. Gao Yanfeng must permit you to use the navigational route, and you must give him some compensation. Thus, the issue is solved.¡±


    ¡°What compensation?¡± Tang Dong asked.


    ¡°Gao Yanfeng had already said his bottom line before you came.¡± Fatty Ji said, ¡°The breeding aquafarm he¡¯s about to build is very big, and the total investment would be in the billions. If your Seaside Strait Manor can compensate him 200 million yuan annually, and give him one dead fierce beast every time you hunt, he will permit you to use the navigational route. How about it?¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap with his unrealistic demand!¡± Tang Dong was furious and bellowed, ¡°My brothers at the Seaside Strait Manor take great risks going to the Evil Dragon Sea Area and hunting those fierce beasts. Every time they go hunting they will spend many days and are barely able to hunt one. If we have to give one to Gao Yanfeng, doesn¡¯t it mean that we will have nothing to eat? And that 200 million annual compensation, you¡¯re crazy if you think I¡¯ll give you money!¡±


    Banging the table with his palm, Gao Yanfeng stood up and shouted, ¡°You don¡¯t agree? Then your Seaside Strait Manor should just find another navigational route. This father will go back to my island to start building the aquaculture farms.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you two, sit down!¡± Fatty Ji squinted his eyes and said loudly.


    Inside the VIP lounge in the main building.


    Tang Xiu accompanied Gu Yan¡¯er tasting various delicious dishes. Gu Yan¡¯er was like a small greedy cat, yelling while sipping two mouthfuls of wine. Tang Xiu had brought two boxes of wine from his villa in South Gate Town, thus, he took out a bottle and poured half a cup for her.


    ¡°You can only drink this much.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too stingy, Master.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s eyes sparkled and said with a smile, ¡°I drank two jars of Gods Nectar in one breath back then in the Immortal World. You also know about that wine, don¡¯t you? Those two jars were drunk by me alone, and I didn¡¯t even get drunk!¡±


    ¡°This time is different.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°You are now currently injured, thus you cannot drink too much. I can only give you half a cup. It¡¯s already extravagant. All right, just drink it and let¡¯s continue eating. I¡¯ll take you out to enjoy the night view.¡±


    Feeling sweet inside, Gu Yan¡¯er gobbled up the half cup of Gods Nectar and then said in astonishment, ¡°Master, the taste of this wine is kinda familiar. Ah, no. It seems to be missing something, though.¡±


    ¡°I made the recipe myself.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°So it¡¯s natural that you¡¯re familiar with its taste. However, I did substitute some of the materials, though. It¡¯s a lot worse, so it does taste like something is missing.¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er suddenly understood. She then looked at the packaging box, and then shifted her eyes to the bottle. After that, she curiously asked, ¡°Master, you opened a winery, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Smart.¡± Tang Xiu laughed and said, ¡°I have indeed opened a winery, and it¡¯s very profitable now.¡±


    ¡°True that. A winery opened by Master, how wouldn¡¯t it be profitable?¡± Gu Yan¡¯er said and let out a sweet smile, ¡°If no one buys it, it means they are stupid!¡±


    ¡°Alright, come. Let¡¯s eat!¡± Tang Xiu used his chopstick to clamp a dish and put it into Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s bowl.


    Quickly, the duo felt full of food and wine. With Gu Yan¡¯er clutching his arm, the duo then came outside the main building. As they saw the scene outside, Gu Yan¡¯er then smiled and said, ¡°Haven¡¯t you dispersed yet? Well¡­ so many of you returned?¡±


    ¡°Paying respect to Boss!¡±


    Those who came back from the outside saluted reverentially.


    Gu Yan¡¯er waved her hand and said, ¡°Off with the ceremony! From now henceforth, you all must behave and listen to my Master¡¯s commands! He is the highest ruler of the Everlasting Feast Hall, and his will shall be your will.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± All of them answered again.


    Gu Yan¡¯er then said, ¡°All right! All of you are dismissed! Don¡¯t affect the restaurant¡¯s normal operations.¡±

 Chapter 403

    Chapter 403: Contest of Beauties


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    As they dispersed, Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes then fell on Ouyang Lulu who stood next to Gu Xiaoxue and hadn¡¯t left yet.


    At this time, however, Ouyang Lulu actually wasn¡¯t looking at Tang Xiu, instead, she was staring at Gu Yan¡¯er. Her mouth was slightly open, with disbelief in her eyes.


    Beautiful! She was beautiful, breathtakingly beautiful!


    Be it her makings, looks, or figure, Ouyang Lulu was very confident in her assets. She was even confident of not being inferior to Gu Xiaoxue. However, the woman before her was too stunningly beautiful, seeming to be more beautiful than any women in this world and under the nine heavens. A captivating and enchanting beauty.


    ¡°Lulu!¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue gently touched Ouyang Lulu. It made her sober up from her reverie and made her heartbeat thump rapidly.


    ¡°Sister Xue, is she your Master?¡±


    With some disbelief, Ouyang Lulu asked. She felt that this breathtakingly beautiful woman in front of her was way too young. Thus, she could hardly believe it. From her mother, this woman called Gu Yan¡¯er was the one who established the Everlasting Feast Hall dozens of years ago.


    ¡°Yea!¡± Gu Xiaoxue nodded.


    ¡°How is this possible? The Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s Boss from dozens of years ago is still so young?¡± Ouyang Lulu murmured, ¡°This is way too unscientific! Could there be an elixir of life in this world that can make one keep their youth?¡±


    With a smile on her beautiful face, Gu Xiaoxue cupped her fist and said, ¡°Master, she¡¯s my friend and also Grand Master¡¯s friend, Ouyang Lulu. She came for you, Master.¡±


    A friend?


    ¡°This child is very beautiful.¡± With a smile on her face, Gu Yan¡¯er smiled and praised, ¡°You should be from the Ouyang Family, yes? I happened to be busy at the time you were born. When I got the good news of your birth, I gifted your family a Full Moon wine bottle.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s heart shook. With a respectful expression on her face, she replied, ¡°Are you really Sister Xue¡¯s Master? But how come you¡¯re Tang Xiu¡¯s disciple? How old are you?¡±


    With tenderness in her eyes, Gu Yan¡¯er turned to Tang Xiu. She then chuckled and said, ¡°Of course I¡¯m his disciple. It¡¯s because the one who brought me up is him.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s eyes turned saucer, looking terrified and consternated. She looked at Tang Xiu and then shifted her eyes to observe Gu Yan¡¯er again. After the shock dissipated, she suddenly felt that this matter was truly absurd.


    _Tang Xiu brought up Gu Yan¡¯er? What kind of joke is this?_


    _How old is Tang Xiu now? He should be in his early 20s, right?_


    _What about Gu Yan¡¯er?_


    _Dozens of years ago her appearance was in her 20s or something. Although she is still in her 20s now, she should be around her 40s or 50s. Yet, a young man in his 20s brought up a person in her 40s or 50s? Isn¡¯t this nonsense?_


    Looking at Ouyang Lulu¡¯s ever-changing expression, Tang Xiu could only sigh inwardly. He then turned to Gu Yan¡¯er, shaking his head. After she also shook her head, Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes then landed on Ouyang Lulu as he said, ¡°Lulu, don¡¯t listen to Yan¡¯er¡¯s nonsensical talk, she was just teasing you. Anyhow, tell me, do you have anything to tell me?¡±


    _Nonsense?_


    Ouyang Lulu readily believed Tang Xiu¡¯s explanation. Getting depressed and with complicated feelings inside, she replied, ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t have any important matter to talk about. I knew you came to Jingmen Island with my private jet, so I came looking for you to ask when you¡¯ll return it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I no longer need it.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°I was in a hurry to arrive at the Everlasting Feast Hall, so I forgot to tell the captain. Anyways, we still have some things to do, so it¡¯s rather inconvenient to chat with you. After I got some free time, I¡¯ll invite you to diner.¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er pulled Tang Xiu¡¯s arm and nodded to Ouyang Lulu with a smile. The duo then walked toward the winding path that led to the beach.


    Ouyang Lulu looked at the duo¡¯s back and watched their closeness and gaped. Only after they had disappeared did she stop gaping, her face turning somewhat unsightly.


    She suddenly felt that Tang Xiu and Gu Yan¡¯er didn¡¯t look like Master and disciple, instead, they were akin to a couple. Such a discovery made her feel very vexed.


    ¡°Lulu!¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue came to her side and stood by her. She then sighed and said, ¡°I know what you have in mind. Although I don¡¯t know much about love, and neither do I know about the feelings between men and women, but I can tell when I see it. You have a crush on Grand Master, don¡¯t you? However, I don¡¯t think you have much hope, though.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu suddenly turned around with anger in her eyes. She growled quietly, ¡°How come I have no hope? I, Ouyang Lulu, will give everything to the one I fall in love with. No way in hell there¡¯s a man in this world that can escape from my palm. That¡¯s what I believe.¡±


    ¡°Lulu, you and Grand Master are people from different worlds. You¡¯re not suitable for him.¡± Gu Xiaoxue sighed.


    ¡°Gu Xiaoxue, I know Tang Xiu is your Grand Master. I know that your Master and he have an unusual relationship.¡± Ouyang Lulu scowled, ¡°But if you talk about this again, don¡¯t blame me for not acknowledging you as a sister anymore.¡±


    Startled, a forced smile appeared on Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s beautiful face. She indeed hadn¡¯t experienced love before. However, it didn¡¯t mean that she had never seen it from others despite having yet to experience it. There were so many living examples in reality, to begin with. The reality made her aware of a truth: a woman who falls in love tends to be unreasonable.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll accompany you for a bit.¡± Gu Xiaoxue said.


    Vexed and in a very bad mood, Ouyang Lulu was devoid of any appetite. She refused Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s idea and left the Everlasting Feast Hall as fast as she could. In the past she had no sense of crisis, but it was different now. Today, Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s appearance struck her heart deeply.


    She recalled all those women Tang Xiu was acquainted with. There should be several of them, and all of their circumstances as well as appearances were not inferior to hers. The one who made her guard against the most was the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s General Manager, Kang Xia. Like people said, those on the waterfront are the first to see the rising moon. Thus, she would gain special advantages since she had a favorable position. With Kang Xia managing Tang Xiu¡¯s company, their relations were certain to be very close. It was only a matter of course that some feelings would arise after a long time¡­


    The more Ouyang Lulu thought about it, the more she accidentally hit the roadside stones. If it weren¡¯t for the lights from a truck, she would have already suffered a car accident.


    _No. I can¡¯t go on like this. Like people say, the first one to strike will prevail, and the one who attacks late will suffer. Regardless of the price, I must make Tang Xiu my man. Relying on this Ouyang Lulu¡¯s charm, I believe he will fall in love with me._


    She slapped the steering wheel and her confidence back to her face. After restarting the car, she quickly headed toward the end of the road.


    On the winding path leading to the beach from the Everlasting Feast Hall, a concerned look appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he whispered, ¡°Yan¡¯er, are you feeling unwell?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine!¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er revealed a smile, yet her gestures and movements unknowingly sold her out.


    Quickly after, the duo then arrived at the coast. However, at this time, Gu Xiaoxue reverentially said, ¡°Grand Master, there are some conflicts between some people in our Everlasting Feast Hall. Although the table is already served, they haven¡¯t begun despite already having confronted each other. One of them is someone from your Tang Family.¡±


    _A member of the Tangs?_


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows slanted, surprised, ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°Tang Dong.¡± Gu Xiaoxue said.


    Tang Xiu looked blank, as a puzzled expression appeared on his face. It was because Tang Dong managed the Seaside Strait Manor, whose nature business was similar to that of the Everlasting Feast Hall. Yet, why did he not dine at his Seaside Strait Manor, and instead came to the Everlasting Feast Hall? After pondering for a moment, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Who¡¯s the person he has a conflict with?¡±


    ¡°He is Jingmen Island¡¯s Wine Garden¡¯s Boss, Gao Yanfeng.¡± Gu Xiaoxue said, ¡°However, there¡¯s also Ji Xiaolong there as well. He runs a mineral mine here.¡±


    ¡°I see. Order some people to stop them. I¡¯ll deal with them later.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said.


    ¡°Understood!¡± Gu Xiaoxue nodded.


    ¡°Master, I¡¯ll go with you!¡± Gu Yan¡¯er hastily said.


    Tang Xiu lifted his hand to caress her gorgeous hair. He then shook his head and said, ¡°Be obedient, Yan¡¯er. Your condition doesn¡¯t allow you to stay outside for long periods of time. We already spent quite a lot of time dining. If you want to, Master will accompany you for some more time. But first you have to stay inside the exquisite pagoda, then I¡¯ll come back later after I deal with this issue.¡±


    After thinking for a moment and feeling that Tang Xiu was right, she suddenly looked a bit shy and embarrassed. She then said, ¡°Then, you must come back soon, Master!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll walk you to the exquisite pagoda first.¡±


    On the first floor of the exquisite pagoda.


    Ji Chimei, Light, and Dark were waiting there. After seeing Tang Xiu and Gu Yan¡¯er coming back, Ji Chimei then respectfully asked, ¡°Do you want to stay here for a few days, Lord?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I must accompany Yan¡¯er since she¡¯s awake.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Anyways, go busy yourself! If there something arise, I¡¯ll look for you.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡±


    The trio replied and quickly exited the exquisite pagoda.


    As they arrive on the seventh floor, Tang Xiu looked at Gu Xiaoxue as she floated. He then sat cross-legged on the ice bed, smiled and said, ¡°Yan¡¯er, stay here for a while. I¡¯ll quickly come back.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Gu Yan¡¯er smiled sweetly.


    In the Everlasting Feast Hall, inside a box, tables and chairs were lying everywhere. The room was chaotic. Both sides confronting each other were furious, yet Fatty Ji frowned deeply, as his expression when he stared at Tang Dong was quite awful.


    At this time, Tang Dong wished that he could kill Gao Yanfeng personally because of his outrageously high asking price. It was evident that he had neither the intention nor the sincerity to negotiate. Fatty Ji himself was not good either. Though he did come to act as peacemaker, he was obviously biased toward Gao Yanfeng. Nobody knew what benefits he received from Gao Yanfeng.


    ¡°Tang Dong, even if you throw the tables, it¡¯s useless.¡± Gao Yanfeng sneered and scowled, ¡°Who told you to act late and lose the island? I already bought 50 years of property rights over it. If your Seaside Strait Manor wants that navigation route, then accept the price I give you. Else, you only have two options to choose from. The first is waiting 50 years, then you can buy the property rights of the island. However, that will be a minute possibility since I have the preferential right to repurchase it. The second one is for you to find another navigation route.¡±

 Chapter 404

    Chapter 404: Cut the Throat for a Word of Disagreement


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Dong clenched his fists and said in a heavy tone, ¡°Will you really give me no room for negotiations?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Gao Yanfeng complacently said.


    Heaving a deep breath, Tang Dong then turned around to leave.


    At this time, however, Gu Xiaoxue appeared at the door. As she saw the situation inside, she said lightly, ¡°My Everlasting Feast Hall provides the box for the guests to dine. Here is not a place where you can behave atrociously. I have sent people to prepare the room next door, so I have to ask you to go there.¡±


    ¡°Boss Gu, what exactly are we going to do in the next door?¡± Tang Dong¡¯s brows furrowed.


    Gu Xiaoxue didn¡¯t show any hostility toward Tang Dong. On the contrary, she showed a bit of respect due to the relationship between him and Tang Xiu. ¡°Mr. Tang, I¡¯m not the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s owner. The master has changed. As a matter of fact, this is an instruction from our Boss. Please go to the box next door and wait for a while. He will catch up with us soon.¡±


    ¡°Please lead the way.¡± Feeling that Gu Xiaoxue didn¡¯t hold any hostility toward him, Tang Dong¡¯s brows raised as he nodded and replied.


    Glancing at Gao Yanfeng and Ji Xiaolong, Gu Xiaoxue then turned around to leave.


    Looking a bit confused, Gao Yanfeng then looked at Ji Xiaolong and asked, ¡°Can you tell me what are the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s intentions? Why does the Everlasting Feast Hall want to meddle in the issues between me and the Seaside Strait Manor? Fatty Ji, the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s strength is something everyone is unable to unravel! Perhaps even both of us are not necessarily their opponents.¡±


    Fatty Ji frowned deeply as a cold expression showed on his plump face. He pulled Gao Yanfeng to the outside and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. The Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s dreadfulness is not something our joined forces can match. I¡¯ll tell you something. Just a dozen of their people are enough to exterminate us.¡±


    ¡°Are you for real?¡± Gao Yanfeng was horrified. ¡°How do you know?¡±


    ¡°Forget how I know.¡± Fatty Ji said in undertone voice, ¡°In any case, you must remember to never provoke the Everlasting Feast Hall. Moreover, you must build friendship with the Everlasting Feast Hall if there¡¯s a chance. Even if¡­ you have to pay a price.¡±


    Gao Yanfeng knew Fatty Ji¡¯s character. He knew that the man never said anything just to scare people out. However, although the Everlasting Feast Hall did indeed hide some of their strength, could it be that they were really as terrifying as Ji Xiaolong said?


    Thee then went to the box next room with Gu Xiaoxue. The box was twice larger than the previous one and was enough to accommodate dozens of people. At this time, the furniture inside had been removed, and the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s staff had unknowingly placed several sofas and placed them against the wall.


    ¡°Gentlemen, please have a seat.¡± Gu Xiaoxue went straight to the back and directly took the middle seat.


    Although Tang Dong was clueless as to why the Everlasting Feast Hall was intervening in this matter, he actually didn¡¯t feel any hostility from Gu Xiaoxue. Therefore, he felt calm and secure as he sat down on the right side sofa, in front of Gu Xiaoxue. As for Gao Yanfeng and Fatty Ji, they took a seat on the left sofa.


    Fatty Ji¡¯s eyes then fell on Gu Xiaoxue. Despite her breathtaking beauty, he actually didn¡¯t dare to show any dirty actions toward her. He cupped his fists and said, ¡°Elderly Gu¡­¡±


    ¡°My name is Gu Xiaoxue!¡± Gu Xiaoxue said lightly.


    Fatty Ji quickly changed the address and said, ¡°Miss Gu, may I ask who is the current master of the Everlasting Feast Hall?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll naturally know it when our Boss arrives.¡± Gu Xiaoxue said lightly.


    Forcing out a smile, Fatty Ji knew that it was a pile of rubbish. However, he wanted to clear out his perplexed feeling, as he then asked again, ¡°Miss Gu, we have indeed had a small scuffle in your Everlasting Feast Hall, but it¡¯s just a trivial matter; we had yet to act against each other. We will naturally pay for all the damage done; double. Anyhow, we don¡¯t understand why would your Boss want to see us.¡±


    Maintaining her indifference expression, Gu Xiaoxue replied with the same words as before, ¡°You¡¯ll naturally know it when our Boss has arrived.¡±


    Fatty Ji fell into silence.


    For a while, the atmosphere in the box became a bit suffocating.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    The Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s security staff¡¯s voice was heard from outside the box.


    ¡°En!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in response. As he stepped into the box, he could clearly see the situation inside. When his eyes met with Tang Dong¡¯s, he could see the disbelief in them.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue stood and called out as she lightly walked toward Tang Xiu.


    Nodding to her in response, Tang Xiu then walked a few steps toward Tang Dong, who was already standing. He then chuckled and said, ¡°Uncle Dong, I heard you were in the Everlasting Feast Hall, and you even had a conflict with some people. How is it? Have you solved the conflict yet?¡±


    Tang Dong finally awakened from his shock. He sized up Tang Xiu before he asked in wonderment, ¡°Tang Xiu, you¡­ are you the new owner of the Everlasting Feast Hall?¡±


    ¡°Can I still be called new?¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°It¡¯s been several months already.¡±


    Tang Dong fell into silence for a while before his expression changed. His expression replaced by excitement, he then laughed and said, ¡°Great, great, great. I never thought that the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people turned out to be our own people. At first, I thought that I was at disadvantage, but I really had never thought that it¡¯s like the winding paths along the mountain ridges.¡±


    At this moment, Gao Yanfeng and Fatty Ji¡¯s expression turned somewhat unsightly. Never in their wildest dreams did they thought that the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s master would turn out to be a member of the Tangs.


    _Trouble! Big trouble!_


    The duo exchanged glances, looking bitter and astringent.


    Tang Xiu nodded as he walked to the seat where Gu Xiaoxue had just vacated. He waved his hand, hinting for everyone to sit down. Following that, he then looked at Gao Yanfeng and Fatty Ji and indifferently said, ¡°I¡¯ll introduce myself. I¡¯m Tang Xiu, the owner of the Everlasting Feast Hall and a member of the Tang Family. How should I address the both of you?¡±


    Fatty Ji quickly replied, ¡°My name is Ji, Ji Xiaolong. You can call me Fatty Ji.¡±


    ¡°Gao Yanfeng!¡± Gao Yanfeng replied in a stiff tone.


    ¡°Now, tell me! What¡¯s the situation?¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you know that our Seaside Strait Manor has been hunting fierce beasts in that oceanic trench nearby. But due to the recent small earthquake there two months ago, the fierce beasts suddenly disappeared. Out of desperation, our Seaside Strait Manor had no choice but to go to the Evil Dragon Sea Area to hunt some low-rank fierce beasts there. Gao Yanfeng found out about the situation and then, by using some underhanded means, he bought the island in the middle of the navigation route, threatening to build an aquaculture farm there.


    ¡°Thus, he cut off the sea route for our Seaside Strait Manor. Furthermore, he put forth some conditions. However, the price he¡¯s asking is too outrageous; it¡¯s simply extortion. This Fatty Ji, who ostensibly raised the flag as the peacemaker on the surface, turns out to be partial to Gao Yanfeng.¡±


    Looking at the angry Tang Dong, Tang Xiu let out a smile and said, ¡°It turns out to be such a trivial matter! It¡¯s alright, leave it to me.¡±


    ¡°How do you plan to solve this?¡± Tang Dong doubtfully said.


    Giving him a reassuring look, Tang Xiu then looked at Gao Yanfeng and said, ¡°You¡¯re Gao Yanfeng, right? Since you know that I¡¯m a member of the Tang Family, naturally, I¡¯ll also become your enemy. Well, I can also act benevolently toward my enemies, so I¡¯ll give you a chance. You can choose between two options.¡±


    ¡°The first option: Transfer the island to the Seaside Strait Manor at the price of one yuan.¡±


    ¡°Impossible!¡± Gao Yanfeng immediately jumped up and yelled.


    ¡°Then you can only choose the second option.¡± Tang Xiu said with a pale smile.


    ¡°What¡¯s the second option.¡± Gao Yanfeng forcefully suppressed his fury and growled.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s figure instantly appeared in front of him as a light blade flashed. Then, Tang Xiu was back to the sofa, saying with a smile, ¡°The second option is your life ending, killed by me on the spot. All of your Wine Garden¡¯s people will be cleaned up and all of your properties will be transferred to me.¡±


    ¡°YOU¡­¡±


    Gao Yanfeng lifted his right hand, pointing his finger at Tang Xiu. However, his left hand firmly covered his neck. As he just said ¡°YOU¡±, a large amount of blood spurted out from the wound.


    ¡°There was a path to heaven, yet you didn¡¯t want to take it. Instead, you adamantly rushed to the gate of hell.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Since this is the case, I can only give you the ride myself. That¡¯s right. After you have arrived in hell and the King of Hell asks how you died, do remember to tell him that¡­ I¡¯m called Tang Xiu. He should know who I am, because I already sent him many just like you.¡±


    The moment Tang Xiu finished speaking, Gao Yanfeng¡¯s hands covered his neck as his body slid off the sofa and fell to the floor.


    Tang Xiu then shifted his eyes to Gu Xiaoxue.


    As intelligent as she was, Gu Xiaoxue immediately understood Tang Xiu¡¯s meaning, and respectfully said, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it, Grand Master. All of Gao Yanfeng¡¯s forces will be slain and all of his properties will be taken at the shortest time possible.¡±


    ¡°Take all of his assets, but I don¡¯t want a bloodbath. Let those who are not Gao Yanfeng¡¯s close friends or confidants go!¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Furthermore, it¡¯s quite unfair for the Everlasting Feast Hall to act and deal with the Wine Garden. Let the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people join with the Seaside Strait Manor¡¯s people to deal with it. Thus, the benefits will then be evenly divided. What do you say, Uncle Dong?¡±


    Shocked by Tang Xiu¡¯s methods, although Tang Dong knew what Tang Xiu had to do to rout the Yaos and the Suns in Guangyang, however, he didn¡¯t witness it personally. But now, Tang Xiu¡¯s cold side when he killed Gao Yanfeng, who he abhorred so much, without batting an eyelid, secretly made him apprehensive.


    ¡°No opinion!¡±


    How could Tang Dong have other ideas at this time? He so happy that he had no time for it.


    Looking at Fatty Ji, Tang Xiu then said with a smile, ¡°I heard that you strayed from your intended role and supported him? Did such a matter really happen?¡±


    Hastily getting up, Fatty Ji bowed and said to Tang Dong, ¡°Tang Dong, I was in the wrong before. Gao Yanfeng gave me some benefits for me to take his side. Anyhow, I¡¯m formally apologizing to you, and I¡¯ll give you ten times what I got from Gao Yanfeng as a token of apology. How about it?¡±

 Chapter 405

    Chapter 405: Like A Tiger Who Has Grown Wings


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Like people said: anyone can make mistakes, but forgive them when possible.


    As Tang Dong glanced at Tang Xiu, he found Tang Xiu nodding at him. Therefore, he said, ¡°No problem. But, I want you keep quiet about tonight.¡±


    Fatty Ji nodded repeatedly, albeit with a bit rudeness, and said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will let it rot in my stomach. Even if someone asks, I¡¯ll deny all knowledge of this matter.¡±


    Waving his hand, Tang Xiu then said with a smile, ¡°All right, take a seat and let¡¯s have a chat! Anyhow, I heard you¡¯re running a mineral business? Can you tell me what kind of minerals you have?¡±


    ¡°Most of the mineral and ore businesses I run are mine exploitation and selling some of the mined stones.¡± Fatty Ji said, ¡°I also have a stone carving workshop. Hmm, that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°Surely it doesn¡¯t mean that you don¡¯t find any precious ores, right?¡± Tang Xiu asked, ¡°For example, the market¡¯s high price ores.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Fatty Ji looked a bit hesitant.


    Seeing that Tang Xiu and Fatty Ji were talking about ores and minerals, Gu Xiaoxue and Tang Dong left the box in succession to arrange the plan to deal with the Wine Garden.


    It was like Tang Xiu was able to read Fatty Ji¡¯s mind, as he calmly said, ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate if you have something to say. I won¡¯t hide it from you. I need a great amount of precious ores. You can quote your price. As long as I take a liking to them, I¡¯ll buy. Besides, I prefer to have a steady flow of business, and I was never one to bully people.¡±


    Looking much relieved, Fatty Ji then replied, ¡°There¡¯s one business I run that¡¯s indeed related to rare minerals. Some of them were acquired in the mountain¡¯s mines, while some others were bought through various channels. If anything, there are several precious ores in my house, which I bought through a certain channel some days ago. If Boss Tang wants, I¡¯ll give them all to you.¡±


    ¡°How about sending them over to me? After all, I have yet to see the ores. If I like them, you can rest assured that I won¡¯t take them for free.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Fatty Ji¡¯s face moved and he immediately took out his mobile. After dialing a cell number and speaking to the other side, he then ended the call.


    ¡°I¡¯ve given instructions. It will be sent over within the hour.¡±


    ¡°If you can find a plethora of precious ores, you don¡¯t have to sell them to anyone else but me in the future.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Sell them all to me! I won¡¯t let you suffer a loss either. But I¡¯ll strictly control the quality, though. Thus, we¡¯ll be partners in the future.¡±


    _Partners?_


    Fatty Ji¡¯s eyes lit up, as he said with a beaming smile, ¡°Good, good. We¡¯ll be partners in the future. If I get precious ores, I¡¯ll certainly let you choose first.¡±


    Gao Yanfeng¡¯s body had been disposed of, and the blood on the floor had also been cleaned up. If it wasn¡¯t for a faint smell of blood in the air, no one could think that Gao Yanfeng, a very strong figure in Jingmen Island, had died here. As for his men outside the box, they already had been dealt with by the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people.


    ¡°Grand Master, it¡¯s done.¡±


    After Gu Xiaoxue and Tang Xiu returned to the box, she then reported.


    ¡°I¡¯m not worried about that since you dealt with it.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°Anyways, Uncle Dong, please have a seat.¡±


    Tang Dong looked bright, wearing a beaming smile on his face. The issues that had pressed his heart recently were solved satisfactorily at last, and it made him delighted. He was also very satisfied with his nephew. Previously, he didn¡¯t understand how Tang Xiu, who was definitely very young, could be more resourceful than Tang Yunpeng, that he even struck heavy blows to the Yaos and the Suns in Guangyang. But now, he finally understood that he had the backing of the mysterious and formidable Everlasting Feast Hall. With this powerful backing, even if it was the Yaos of Beijing, they wouldn¡¯t necessarily lose!


    He would to tell his old man about this matter when he went back today. And then he¡¯d ask the other three elders in their family whether or not they would begin attacking the Yaos. After all, to the Tang Family, they were definitely more powerful now with the Everlasting Feast Hall joining their ranks. Thus, it shouldn¡¯t be difficult to destroy the Yao Family.


    ¡°Uncle Dong, I want you to keep quiet about tonight¡¯s matter.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Keep my identity as the master of the Everlasting Feast Hall to yourself.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Tang Dong was confused.


    ¡°If anything, I still have important things to handle.¡± Tang Xiu calmly said, ¡°If you disclose anything about me being the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s owner, our enemies will probably find out about it. By then, they will definitely set their eyes on the Everlasting Feast Hall. Thus, it will create unceasing troubles for us. What I need is time. Time to solve some things. If I have a few more years of time, let alone the Yaos, even if there are ten other Yao families, I¡¯m confident of getting rid of them.¡±


    Tang Dong was startled inside.


    He now understood as to why Tang Xiu had never stated his identity as the master of the Everlasting Feast Hall. It was originally due to this concern. Moreover, Tang Dong could tell that he must have a big plan given his seriousness in telling him to keep quiet.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, I indeed had the intention to tell this matter to your Second Grandpa after going back.¡± Tang Dong said seriously, ¡°But since you¡¯re urging me not to, then I won¡¯t tell anything. I guarantee that nothing will be disclosed to the outside as long as Fatty Ji doesn¡¯t say anything as well.¡±


    Showing a faint smile in response, Tang Xiu then looked at Gu Xiaoxue and said, ¡°Xiaoxue, when the Seaside Strait Manor goes hunting fierce beasts in the Evil Dragon Sea Area later, send a few experts from our Everlasting Feast Hall! We can train our members and get a commission fee from the Seaside Strait Manor at the same time! I believe that with Uncle Dong¡¯s generous disposition, he will give 300 thousand yuan for each member.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll arrange it, Grand Master.¡± Gu Xiaoxue nodded.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, these experts from the Everlasting Feast , are they more powerful than the Seaside Strait Manor¡¯s hunting members?¡± Tang Dong¡¯s eyes lit up and asked with concern.


    ¡°I¡¯ve come across your Seaside Strait Manor¡¯s hunting members when I happened to see them hunting low-level fierce beasts before.¡± Gu Xiaoxue replied Tang Dong¡¯s question, ¡°Let alone those low-level fierce beasts, the experts who will be sent by our Everlasting Feast Hall can even kill higher level fierce beasts as long as they join forces.¡±


    ¡°They are that powerful?¡± Tang Dong was pleasantly surprised and said, ¡°Great, good then. If so, it¡¯s decided. I¡¯ll give 200 thousand yuan to each Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s member who goes with our hunting members to Evil Dragon Sea Area. I will also give bonus rewards if they show good performance.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, Uncle Dong, I still have things to do, so I won¡¯t be able to accompany you. When the ores have arrived, tell Xiaoxue to call me.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled.


    ¡°Okay, go busy yourself!¡± Tang Dong stood and said with a smile.


    Today, he felt more delighted than he ever before. The more powerful Tang Xiu¡¯s ability and cards he had in his hands, the happier he was. Because at present, although the Tangs were still illustrious in China, yet, they were secretly in the middle of mighty undercurrent torrential tides from all directions. It was unknown how many enemies were secretly staring at them.


    One must know that in these precarious days, due to the Tang Family having few members, they were extremely united. There was even the thought inside each member¡¯s heart that ¡°one¡¯s glory is everyone¡¯s glory, one dying means everyone dying¡±. Therefore, if Tang Xiu¡¯s final performance could bring the Tangs back to its glory, even he himself was willing to go all out to push Tang Xiu to become the family head.


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu returned to the exquisite pagoda. As he saw Gu Yan¡¯er sitting cross-legged in cultivation, he also sat down cross-legged on the floor and began cultivating.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    A few seconds after, Gu Yan¡¯er floated from the ice bed and landed in front of Tang Xiu. She also imitated Tang Xiu¡¯s posture and sat cross-legged.


    ¡°Why did you stop cultivating?¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said.


    ¡°Yan¡¯er doesn¡¯t want to waste time.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er shook her head and said with a smile, ¡°Being able to open my eyes and have another second together with Master¡­ I shall use every second to be with you. Anyways, what happened outside? Was it solved?¡±


    ¡°That trivial matter has already been solved.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    Tang Xiu then explained his identity as a member of the Tang Family, as well as what happened between Tang Dong and Gao Yanfeng. After telling her everything, he finally said with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re were for decades, so you should also know the country¡¯s national conditions. There are laws and orders indeed, yet the laws can only bind ordinary people. Besides, as long as it is done cleanly and without leaving any pieces of evidence, no one will be able to do anything even if they want to find trouble.¡±


    ¡°Master, if you want to become this country¡¯s¡­ no, if you want to become the man with the most power on Earth, I can help you achieve it. The Chinese have the saying that those who follow shall prosper and those who resist shall perish, right?¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re powerful; you¡¯re able to blow the whole Earth. What else can¡¯t you do, anyway?¡± Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°However, Master wants to rely on my own ability to do what I want to do. Even if I were to become the most powerful man in the world, what about it? It¡¯s better to have many loyal and powerful subordinates following me. Don¡¯t forget, our goal is to return to the Immortal World and take revenge.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Gu Yan¡¯er smiled and said, ¡°Anything Master says, Yan¡¯er will listen and follow.¡±


    ¡°You little girl¡­¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing.


    Gu Yan¡¯er quickly pulled his hand, looking displeased, ¡°Master, I¡¯m not a silly little girl anymore, I¡¯ve grown up already! Even though I¡¯m still very young in your eyes, I¡¯m also an old monster who has lived for thousands of years in the eyes of others. Hence, don¡¯t call me little girl anymore.¡±


    ¡°All right, all right.¡± Tang Xiu laughed and said, ¡°Our family¡¯s Yan¡¯er is a big girl now, no longer a little girl.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s more like it!¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er then lifted her small face, her smile looking especially happy.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop talking about this. Let me ask you one thing.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°What do you want to ask, Master?¡± Gu Yan¡¯er raised her chin and said, ¡°As long as Yan¡¯er knows, Yan¡¯er will answer you.¡±


    ¡°I want to know why you only accepted Xiaoxue as a disciple, but didn¡¯t take in Light and Dark?¡± Tang Xiu asked, ¡°I¡¯ve observed them quietly, and I found that their aptitudes are indeed extraordinary. Even their cultivation level is probably on par with Xiaoxue, is it not?¡±

 Chapter 406

    Chapter 406: Fatty Ji Who was Clueless About the Good Stuff


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The smile on Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s face stilled and was replaced by a dignified expression as she said, ¡°Master, I was once a disciple of the Heavenly Emperor Tian Ji, you know about this matter as well. But, back then, I managed to conceal my identity thanks to the Concealer Divine Pearl you gave me. Therefore, even Heavenly Emperor Tian Ji was unable to peep on my real identity from the heaven.


    ¡°Similarly, I also used a method to peep on the heavenly secrets and observe those two. At the end of the day, I actually discovered that I couldn¡¯t completely figure out the past of those two, neither was I able to divine their future path. Their heavenly secrets were obscured in darkness. There are only two empty shades, like it¡¯s being shrouded by a faint black mist.¡±


    Tang Xiu slightly knitted his brows. Peeping on the heavenly secrets was not his forte. Although he could occasionally sense and realize something from the heavenly secrets, it was only illusionary fragments.


    ¡°What does that mean, Yan¡¯er?¡±


    ¡°Based on what I learned from Heavenly Emperor Tian Ji, there¡¯s two possibilities.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er said with all seriousness, ¡°The first one is: someone shielded their identities using some special means, like what I did when I entered Heavenly Emperor Tian Ji¡¯s gate. The second one is: those two lack an immortal soul or a mortal soul. Each person has three immortal souls and seven mortal forms, so even if one lacks one immortal soul or a one mortal soul, the divination for this type of person will dissipate in the heavenly secrets itself.¡±


    ¡°They are missing a type of soul, yet they can still live well, and are even able to cultivate an immortal technique?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er said dignifiedly, ¡°Each of three immortal souls and seven mortal souls forms have differents effects. However, I don¡¯t know which type is missing from them, though. I quietly observed them for a long time before I finally discovered that it was not due to missing a type of soul. That¡¯s right, they only have one abnormity.¡±


    ¡°What kind of abnormity?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s their blood.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er said, ¡°Their desire for blood is very strong. It seems they are from a clan who has an innate seed for massacre, possessing an extreme inborn talent for combat senses, and extraordinary savagery in the means of killing. In this regard, they resemble a bit the Asura Clan.¡±


    ¡°How about their present cultivation level?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°They are indeed stronger than Xiaoxue, and will soon enter the Immortal Nascent Stage.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er said.


    Tang Xiu was taciturn for a long while. Then, he slowly said, ¡°They seem to have duties outside, no?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Xiaoxue told me about that.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er said, ¡°They both have been learning through experience abroad. Light has status and is treated as a state guest by more than ten countries. The Queen of England herself has also conferred him with a title of nobility, and he has a very illustrious identity overseas. Apart from us, no one knows that he hails from our Everlasting Feast Hall. As for Dark, she is always hiding in the darkness and is the best assassin in the world¡¯s biggest assassin organization. Xiaoxue summoned them back due to my awakening.¡±


    ¡°Once these two have broken through the Immortal Nascent Stage, their strength will be very terrifying. Apart from Ji Chimei, perhaps no one would be able to contend with them. So, this is the reason why you let them take the time to deal with things abroad, rather than having them stay to cultivate in the exquisite pagoda. Anyways, give me a few more years. I have the confidence to surpass them and make them work for me when the time comes.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er nodded and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±


    ¡°How did you find them?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°I found them in Mt. Everest.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er said, ¡°Some people were climbing the steepest snow wall of Everest with two children back then. Those six people were martial artists with notable strength. Every one of them had surpassed the level of martial arts grandmaster and were able to sense the ¡®Dao¡¯ boundary. These two children are exactly the offspring from the two of them.¡±


    ¡°And then?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°I displayed some strength to deter them.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er said with a smile, ¡°Following which, I imparted them a very low-level cultivation technique and told the couple that I wanted to take the two children as my disciples. I also promised them that after they had fully grown to adulthood, they would then be allowed to return home and meet their relatives.¡±


    ¡°Did they agree?¡± Tang Xiu asked with astonishment.


    ¡°Yes, they agreed.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er nodded and said, ¡°Moreover, I also told them some major principle and high-sounding talk that their children have a predestined karma to come across an immortal since their childhood, a great fortune. They said a ton of grateful words, but I can tell that what they most cared about was that set of cultivation technique.¡±


    ¡°A cultivation technique to tread on the path to immortality is probably the dream of countless people, to begin with,¡± Tang Xiu nodded. Forcing a smile, he said, ¡°I dare say that the vast majority of people will abandon their businesses, sacrifice their families, and leave their wives and children should they face such a choice. Hence, they are not to be overly blamed. Then, have you told the two about their parents after they grew up?¡±


    ¡°I told them.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er nodded and said, ¡°But they said they had no feelings or attachments at all toward their parents, thus, they didn¡¯t want to go back.¡±


    Tang Xiu secretly sighed, ¡°Wait! Wait for my strength to rise in the future, then I¡¯ll persuade them. When all is said and done, the will of people is subject to constant changes. Granted, although those two are thirsty for blood and killing, they might still have a bit of an illusion toward their parents. Let¡¯s wait. Later on, I¡¯ll help them resolve their mental demon.¡±


    ¡°Master, you really value talent more now than in the past.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er said with a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to cherish talents,¡± Tang Xiu replied with a smile. ¡°The number of experts and subordinates I will have in the future will be like the clouds in the sky. Even if I return to the Immortal World, I will once again be able to fight a bloody road, embarking on the path to the throne of the Supremes. Not only must I slay my mortal enemies with my own hands, I must also break the shackles of the Immortal World to tread on the path to the God Realm.¡±


    ¡°Master, you¡¯re saying I can receive them as my disciples?¡± Gu Yan¡¯er said, ¡°Originally, I myself didn¡¯t believe that those one-year-old children back then were the enemy¡¯s chess piece set up in secret.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also trying to tell you that! Take them!¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Since they already have such a cultivation level and possess a very high aptitude, take them as your disciples. That will make them closer to you.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, then!¡± Gu Yan¡¯er said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m going to accept them as disciples now.¡±


    Tang Xiu grabbed her hand and shook his head, ¡°No hurry. I must go outside later since that Fatty Ji will send several precious ores. If they are of any use to me, I¡¯ll buy them. After I leave the exquisite pagoda, you can receive them as your disciples!¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Gu Yan¡¯er said with a smile.


    About an hour later, Gu Xiaoxue came to the exquisite pagoda to inform Tang Xiu that the ores had arrived. Before leaving, Tang Xiu told Gu Xiaoxue to bring Light and dark to the exquisite pagoda.


    Inside one of the restaurant¡¯s boxes.


    While rubbing the suitcase in his hands, Fatty Ji had a smile on his face. Never did he imagine that he would finally chance upon an opportunity to meet Tang Xiu due to helping Gao Yanfeng to pit Tang Dong, thus making his relationship with the Everlasting Feast Hall go a step further. It was simply something he could never think of in the past.


    Others would never know how terrifying the Everlasting Feast Hall was, but he was perfectly clear! He once saw from very far away place that woman from the Everlasting Feast Hall, Gu Yan¡¯er, in her white dress, treading on the void as though lightly dancing on the surface of the sea. At that time, he almost thought that he met a fairy.


    Unfortunately, he hadn¡¯t had time to find a boat to rush there, as the fairy-looking Gu Yan¡¯er disappeared before him. Afterward, he then paid close attention to the movements of many members of the Everlasting Feast Hall, and finally found some things that secretly frightened him. Thus, he dared not send anyone to investigate them again.


    Those seemingly ordinary security guards of the Everlasting Feast Hall actually often visited foreign countries overseas. They could be said as being simply terrifying. They had many identities and had carried out many battles and massacres. Seven or eight years ago, two members of the Everlasting Feast Hall, who usually acted as security guards, actually knocked on his door and had a sharp dagger on his neck, warning him not to conduct any investigations whatsoever on the Everlasting Feast Hall again.


    From that time onwards, he no longer dared to investigate anything about the Everlasting Feast Hall. He even repeatedly invited his colleagues and friends to dine at the Everlasting Feast when he had the chance, showing his goodwill.


    Sitting in the private room and stroking the leather suitcase, Fatty Ji¡¯s eyes flashed with astuteness as they shined brightly. He thought inwardly, _To be in the King¡¯s company is tantamount to living with a tiger. Not only is Tang Xiu a member of the Tangs, he¡¯s also the Master of the Everlasting Feast Hall, as well as a ruthless and merciless character. Hence, I mustn¡¯t ask for an outrageous price. I¡¯m contented with earning a small amount of money as long as it can satisfy him. So that he will take care of me in the future._


    ¡°Fatty Ji, have the ores been sent?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s figure appeared at the box¡¯s door.


    ¡°They are here, Mr. Tang.¡± Fatty Ji said with a smile, ¡°Have a look. If you are satisfied with them, I¡¯ll sell to you with a 50% discount. After all, it¡¯s our first cooperation. I¡¯ll not give you any discounts later on, though!¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Tang Xiu replied with a smile.


    As the black suitcase was opened, there were six pieces of ores of different colors and sizes inside. There was even a faint fluctuation of spiritual qi coming out of one of the ores.


    _Spirit Crystal?_


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression turned a bit strange. Holding the ore, he observed it a few times and confirmed. A Spirit Crystal was useful for Dao and Immortal cultivators, but it was of a little value for him. Furthermore, despite this Spirit Crystal not being small in size, and even being ten times bigger than the Spirit Crystals in the Immortal World, but the quality was of the lowest-grade.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, do you like this piece of ore?¡± Fatty Ji asked with a strange expression. This ore was found by his workers when they opened up the mine. There were still many of them and he had instructed some people to collect them. However, because he only obtained it recently, he had yet to find an expert to assess the classification of the ore.


    ¡°This ore is indeed good, and feels very comfortable.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°And the weight is several times lighter than the other types. Say your price.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Fatty Ji looked somewhat awkward. He didn¡¯t know what kind of ore it was. How could he quote a price?


    ¡°You can quote your initial price freely. I said I won¡¯t let you suffer any losses, didn¡¯t I?¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    Fatty Ji steeled his heart, gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Mr. Tang, since you like it, I¡¯ll give this ore to you for free. As for the later transactions, I¡¯ll receive 100 thousand from you for ores as big as this one. What do you think?¡±


    _100 thousand?_


    _Fatty Ji would actually sell this piece of Spirit Crystal for only 100 thousand? He really doesn¡¯t know the good stuff!_

 Chapter 407

    Chapter 407: Sank into Slumber, Yet Again


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu shook his head and was at a loss whether to be amused or cry, when he suddenly saw Fatty Ji¡¯s expression change. He realized that Fatty Ji had misunderstood his meaning. He then chuckled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand me. I just thought that you¡¯re a good a person as you quoted a fair price. From here onwards, regardless of how many you have, I¡¯m willing to buy them all. The price for each piece will be as you say, 100 thousand per piece.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Fatty Ji looked happy upon hearing it and quickly said.


    ¡°Really.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Though I don¡¯t know what this ore is, I¡¯m actually very interested in collecting all kinds of strange ores. Besides, I¡¯m not short on money. Let alone 100 thousand or a billion, this amount is nothing more than pocket money. Hence, I¡¯ll take however many you have in the future.¡±


    Fatty Ji was shocked by Tang Xiu¡¯s statement. A billion yuan was just pocket money? It was a statement only few people in the world dared to say. Yet, he also saw a golden road underneath. One must know that he just discovered this ore in a mining area he had recently mined, and hundreds of pieces of this ore had been found quickly as well. If all were sold to Tang Xiu¡­


    _Rich. I¡¯m rich!_


    Fatty Ji excitedly said, ¡°Mr. Tang, take a look at the other five ores. Do you like them too?¡±


    Tang Xiu swept over them and found that the four could be used to craft tools and could substitute medicinal herbs and the fierce beasts¡¯ bones in the refinement of medicines. Therefore, he picked up the four minerals and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take these four, too. You can directly quote the total price for them!¡±


    Overjoyed, Fatty Ji quickly calculated in his mind and then said, ¡°I bought these four ores through a special channel for a total price of 1.35 million yuan. If Boss Tang wants them, I¡¯ll sell them to you for 1.5 million.¡±


    _Only taking 150 thousand in profit? It¡¯s not much!_


    ¡°Deal!¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Give me your bank account number, I¡¯ll transfer the money to you now.¡±


    Fatty Ji became more delighted. He never thought that Tang Xiu would be so forthright. After giving his account number to Tang Xiu, he then quickly received 1.6 million.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, why did you give me 100 thousand more?¡±


    ¡°I told you that I won¡¯t take advantage of you, didn¡¯t I?¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°The extra 100 thousand is for this ore.¡±


    Fatty Ji felt impressed and subdued by Tang Xiu¡¯s actions. He gritted his teeth and quickly said, ¡°Mr. Tang, I still have several hundred of such ores over there. When would you want them?¡±


    ¡°You still have that many?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised.


    ¡°Yes! They were just recently mined. I believe it will be able to produce more a few more days later.¡± After calculating the pros and cons, Fatty Ji finally decided to tell him. He wanted to see whether Tang Xiu really wanted it, and if what he said was true, if he was really sincere in cooperating with him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take them!¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°After you bring them all over, you can directly hand them over to Gu Xiaoxue. She will check it personally and pay you for them. However, before buying ores from you again, we need to sign a contract. Else, I¡¯ll no longer buy ores from you.¡±


    ¡°What contract?¡± Fatty Ji hastily asked.


    ¡°This ore you just sold me, you can only sell it to me from now on.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°I don¡¯t want to have this strange ore I own spread out all over the world. You also understand that the rarer the goods, the more precious and valuable they are, right?¡±


    ¡°I see!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s condition for Fatty Ji was simply what he sincerely wished for!


    After Fatty Ji had left, Gu Xiaoxue, who was standing by and keeping watch, spoke.


    Tang Xiu casually handed it over to her, as he smiled and said, ¡°You have good fortune. This is called Spirit Crystal, and it contains spiritual power inside. After cultivators have absorbed the spiritual power inside it, their cultivation speed will increase. Send someone to Fatty Ji¡¯s mining area to closely watch the activity there. If he sells the harvested crystals to us, let him continue working for us and pay him. But if he dares to use his crooked mind to sell even a Spirit Crystal, kill him directly and take over his mining area.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue looked pleasantly surprised. She naturally knew what a Spirit Crystal was. She had heard about it from her Master, Gu Yan¡¯er, and from Elderly Ji Chimei.


    In the Immortal World, rumor had it that there were Spirit Crystals and Immortal Crystals. Each of which was divided into many grades.


    While fiddling and assessing the Spirit Crystal in her hand, she curiously asked, ¡°What grade is this Spirit Crystal, Grand Master?¡±


    ¡°Its quality is of the worst grade.¡± Tang Xiu answered with a smile.


    Upon hearing it, Gu Xiaoxue looked a bit disappointed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look so disappointed.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°Even the worst quality Spirit Crystal is already good enough for those who have yet to reach the Nascent Soul Stage. Besides, having these Spirit Crystals is better than nothing, isn¡¯t it? Besides, I estimate that you only need to absorb a hundred Spirit Crystals at the most before you can reach the tipping point of the Golden Core Stage. You even have a chance of stepping into the Nascent Soul Stage!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Xiaoxue was pleasantly surprised and immediately asked.


    ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m teasing you?¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°All right, go busy yourself! Do remember to send someone to monitor Fatty Ji and his mining area.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue quickly gave the Spirit Crystal back to Tang Xiu and then left, looking joyful.


    A few minutes afterward, Tang Xiu had returned to the exquisite pagoda. Just as he entered the first floor, he saw Light and Dark standing there. They couldn¡¯t conceal their happiness as they knelt down in front of Tang Xiu and called out, ¡°Paying respects to Grand Master.¡±


    ¡°Get up!¡± Tang Xiu smiled lightly and said, ¡°Since Yan¡¯er has decided to take you as her disciples, you must prove yourselves and make her satisfied with you. However, don¡¯t be too proud and arrogant, you must cultivate well in the future so as not to let us down.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Light and Dark replied in unison.


    Tang Xiu waved his hand, motioning the two of them to leave. His eyes then landed on Ji Chimei as he said, ¡°I have checked all the core members of the Everlasting Feast Hall. They are all good! You can teach them cultivation techniques. Impart them a cultivation technique that only reaches the Golden Core Stage. As for the following method after the Golden Core Stage, consider to impart it to them after they have completely reached that stage.¡±


    ¡°Lord, Master has also considered this issue before, yet she eventually gave up.¡± Ji Chimei hesitantly replied, ¡°As a matter of fact, imparting a cultivation technique is not a difficult issue, it¡¯s mainly due to the lack of cultivation resources. It¡¯s fine if the number is small, since I can get them through various channels, even providing some precious medicinal herbs and concocting some pills. But if there¡¯s too many, even I will become overwhelmingly busy!¡±


    ¡°I can teach you a method, actually.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°What is this method, Lord?¡± Ji Chimei asked.


    ¡°Use the incentive system.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°You can devise a detailed reward form, such as whoever obtains precious medicinal herbs from the outside, depending on the quantity, you can then reward them some pills based on the standard. You can make this standard to be higher, however. I believe that not only will they have motivation and goals, but they will also acquire the cultivation resources as well! As for concocting pills, I¡¯ll take some time off later to refine a batch of pills, but you have to give me the needed raw medicinal herbs.¡±


    Ji Chimei looked excited, ¡°This one will respectfully obey the Lord. This one will do according to your instructions.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you another good news. I just learned that there exist Spirit Crystals on Earth. I¡¯ve handed the matter over to Xiaoxue, she¡¯ll tell you about the specific details.¡±


    ¡°Spirit Crystal?¡± Ji Chimei then said, ¡°Boss, if there are Spirit Crystals, not only will my injury recover quickly, but you will also be able to arrange the Nine Heavens Frost Array. Thus, once you have laid this array, we¡¯ll be able to suppress the Twilight Nightmare effect on Master¡¯s body so that it can support her and give her more time.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes lit up, as he nodded and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. Wait until a batch of Spirit Crystals is sent. You are to collect them and save them until you can lay the Nine Heavens Frost Array. After that, you can give them as resources to cultivate talents.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± Ji Chimei cupped her fists and said.


    As Tang Xiu arrived at the seventh floor, he saw Gu Yan¡¯er smiling at him. Shaking his head, Tang Xiu then smiled and said, ¡°What are you thinking of? To think you unexpectedly have such a happy smile?¡±


    ¡°Master, you¡¯re really good to me, the best.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er said, ¡°I just heard your chat with Old Ji. I never thought that Earth would have Spirit Crystals.¡±


    Tang Xiu walked over and held her shoulders. He let her lean on his chest and whispered, ¡°There are many things on Earth that shocked me many times already up until now. Inside my interspatial ring there is also a Holy Dragon Fruit. You should know the value of this fruit. Apart from it, I have just found a good clue about the Demonic Revival Grass, so I planned to rush to Shanghai to track its whereabouts. However, I heard news about you awakening from slumber, so I immediately changed direction.¡±


    ¡°Holy Dragon Fruit? And the Demonic Revival Grass?¡±


    A shocked expression appeared on Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s breathtakingly beautiful face. One must know that these items, even in the Immortal World, were topmost treasures that countless Immortals always dreamed of. Yet, little did one expect that these items would appear on Earth.


    For the following two days Tang Xiu stayed in the exquisite pagoda. He chatted with Gu Yan¡¯er, telling her various stories. Shortly put, in these two days, his ears were always full of Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s happy laughter.


    ¡°Master, Yan¡¯er can¡¯t bear it any longer.¡±


    On the seventh floor of the exquisite pagoda, Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s lower lip trembled, her face ghastly pale. Her voice turned fainter and fainter.


    Gently hugging her, Tang Xiu was full of concern, saying, ¡°Yan¡¯er will be fine. Don¡¯t firmly hold it back despite the pain. Master will come here to accompany you often, and I¡¯ll immediately rush here when you wake up. Furthermore, I¡¯ll do everything I can to cure your injury. Have faith in Master. What your Master has said will surely be done!¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s blurred eyes suddenly turned bright. Her spirit was as if it had suddenly turned better. Her soft body suddenly pressed in Tang Xiu¡¯s arms, as her pale lips directly sealed on Tang Xiu¡¯s lips.


    One second!


    Two seconds!


    As the third second passed, Tang Xiu finally sobered from his panic-stricken state. As he was about to push Gu Yan¡¯er, he noticed that her eyes were already closed, as two crystal tears slipped from the corner of her eyes, softly falling on Tang Xiu¡¯s arms.

 Chapter 408

    Chapter 408: Everyone Acts and Pretends


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    After returning to Earth, Tang Xiu¡¯s personally had undergone subtle changes. He was no longer a pure ascetic who had few desires. Instead, he was much closer to a human who was true to life, with seven emotions and six sensory pleasures constantly affecting his every action.


    At this moment, Tang Xiu gently looked at his cherished disciple who fell into slumber. Despite having been prepared for it, sorrow and grief emerged inside his heart, the hatred toward Shade Demon Zhu Wushou turning more intense.


    While gently holding Gu Yan¡¯er, Tang Xiu placed her on the bed, watching her slumbering form, seemingly suffering a painful torment. Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but softly whisper, ¡°Yan¡¯er, Master will definitely cure you. And I will certainly make Shade Demon Zhu Wushou live a miserable life for thousands of years, for ten thousands of years, even millions of years.¡±


    Amid the cold, sitting cross-legged beside Gu Yan¡¯er on the seventh floor of the exquisite pagoda, Tang Xiu quietly watched her beautiful face for a very long time.


    Finally, the dusk came and the dawn arrived. As the new day approached, he floated and decided to leave the seventh floor. When he came to the first floor of the exquisite pagoda, he saw Ji Chime sitting cross-legged on the rush cushion in the middle of the room, cultivating silently. There was a very powerful fluctuation of Immortal Origin Qi coming out of her.


    ¡°Lord.¡±


    Noticing Tang Xiu, a sorrowful look flashed in Ji Chimei¡¯s eyes, as she said respectfully.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression was icy. He lightly nodded and said, ¡°Chimei, take care of Yan¡¯er. Protecting her safety is of the utmost importance. The next time she wakes up, I¡¯ll teach you a top-notch cultivation technique from the Immortal World, as well as a type of divine combat art.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Ji Chimei reverentially said.


    Tang Xiu left the exquisite pagoda. He didn¡¯t have the intention to stay in the Everlasting Feast Hall. Asking someone to drive him to the airport, he then took a flight to Shanghai.


    It was already noon when he arrived at Shanghai. Because he kept thinking about the ¡°Buried Diamond¡±, Tang Xiu got a cab and directly went to Glory Auction House.


    The auction house was in a magnificent building with about 40 floors. On the way back to Shanghai, Tang Xiu had browsed information about Glory Auction House through his mobile phone. He found that, apart from someone named Hou Qingmin who was the Glory Auction House¡¯s General Manager, he couldn¡¯t find who the secret Big Boss was.


    ¡°Hello, Sir. You need to show your staff tag and swipe your work card to enter. If you¡¯re not an auction house¡¯s staff, please enter from the adjoining line. There¡¯s a registration desk over there.¡± It was like the MetroCard machine in subway stations, with six entrances sealed. On the other side, the one who spoke was a woman wearing a blue suit and wearing a staff tag.


    Tang Xiu looked at her and then entered the next doorway according to her instructions.


    ¡°Hello, Sir. May I ask for your intention in coming to our Glory Auction House?¡± One of the two female staffs sitting inside the registration desk asked with a professional smile.


    ¡°I want to see Hou Qingmin.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    The two female staffs were stunned, strange expressions emerging on their faces.


    ¡°I want to see Hou Qingmin. I¡¯d have to trouble to you to help me inform him about my request.¡± Tang Xiu repeated.


    One of the staffs forced a smile and said, ¡°Sir, you need to make an appointment in advance if you want to see our General Manager. Additionally, you also need to register here and find the Lobby Manager for that. As to whether she can help you, we don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll register then!¡±


    Tang Xiu took the registration book and wrote his name and contact information on it. He then strode into the first floor lobby. There was a row of tables and chairs inside the lobby, whereby two middle-aged man and a woman were sitting.


    ¡°Excuse me, who among you is the Lobby Manager?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at one of them and asked.


    The middle-aged woman stood and nodded with a smile, ¡°I am. May I ask who am I speaking with?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surnamed Tang, Tang Xiu.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°My purpose in coming to Glory Auction House is to see your General Manager, Hou Qingmin. If it¡¯s convenient, I¡¯d like you to inform him about my request.¡±


    The Lobby Manager forced a smile and said, ¡°Mr. Tang, our General Manager is unable to see guests for the time being. Can you leave your contact information and your ID, please? I¡¯ll submit your information after our General Manager has finished with his job.¡±


    ¡°So much trouble?¡± Tang Xiu knitted his brows.


    ¡°It¡¯s the rule of our Glory Auction House, Mr. Tang.¡± The Lobby Manager said.


    Rule?


    Tang Xiu was silent for a while. He then dialed Chi Nan¡¯s cell number and said, ¡°Help me find Glory Auction House¡¯s General Manager¡ªHou Qingmin¡¯s contact. The sooner the better.¡±


    ¡°I have it, Boss!¡± Chi Nan¡¯s voice came out of the phone.


    ¡°You are acquaintance with Hou Qingmin?¡± Tang Xiu asked, a bit surprised.


    ¡°We have a bit of a friendship.¡± Chi Nan said with a smile, ¡°He once tried to break through our Thousand Revolution Array in Jingmen Island¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s HQ. Pity that he failed, though. Later on, he came to dine at Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s Shanghai branch many times, hence we knew each other and exchanged contact information.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just right.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Come to Glory Auction House, I¡¯ll be waiting for you here.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± Chi Nan responded and hurriedly hung up the call.


    In the long table, the Lobby Manager observed Tang Xiu with an odd expression. She didn¡¯t know the person Tang Xiu had called. But listening to the conversation¡¯s content, it should be related to the General Manager, Hou Qingmin.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, might I ask what is your job?¡± The Lobby Manager thought for a moment before she inquired in a soft tone.


    ¡°I¡¯m a student.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    _A student?!_


    The Lobby Manager forced a wry smile inwardly.


    Pointing to the chair nearby, Tang Xiu asked lightly, ¡°Can I sit here while waiting for my friend?¡±


    ¡°Please, have a seat.¡± The Lobby Manager nodded and said with a smile.


    After taking a seat, Tang Xiu then calmly waited. He then pulled out an economics book from his travel bag to kill the time, and then read it in silence.


    More than 20 minutes later.


    ¡°The Principles of Economics? What a good young man. So young, yet you actually read this kind of book. To think that you¡¯re also reading the english version. Can you understand it?¡± A voice sounded near Tang Xiu, awakening him from his immersion of the book.


    Tang Xiu looked up and saw a tall, middle-aged man with a cool appearance. He immediately lowered his head to continue reading and lightly replied, ¡°It¡¯s just fine!¡±


    Looking at Tang Xiu¡¯s actions, the middle-aged man immediately grinned, ¡°The Principles of Economics; published by Mechanical Industry Press in 2003; N. Gregory Mankiw. The book should be a relatively basic economic textbook for teaching materials. At the present stage, the more commonly used are written by Mankiw, Soros, Van Ryan, and they also have corresponding English and Mandarin versions. As a matter of fact, many businessmen in China also seem to have seen the ¡°Western Economics¡±, which are suitable for our country¡¯s national conditions. Thus, the contents are roughly similar as well.¡±


    Tang Xiu once again put down his book. He looked up at the middle-aged man and said, ¡°Are you showing off your education level or something? If so, I would like to ask you a question.¡±


    The middle-aged man couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°A young man shouldn¡¯t be so easy to offend. Anyhow, what do you want to ask? I should be able to answer one or two things in regards to the economic field. Though I know more about things in regards to the business aspect.¡±


    ¡°Then, please answer my question.¡± Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°Which dark horse domestic company group you think will come to prominence in the business world in the next few years?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± The middle-aged man was speechless.


    Despite having been in the business world for several decades and having huge assets and owning many types of enterprises, he really couldn¡¯t tell which group company would come to prominence in the business world within the next few years.


    After waiting for more than ten seconds, and seeing that the man couldn¡¯t answer it, Tang Xiu then said lightly, ¡°Since you¡¯re unable to answer my question, then don¡¯t disturb my reading time, would you? Judging from your neat and well-dressed suit, you seem unlikely to be an ordinary person. Don¡¯t you know that it¡¯s very impolite for you to disturb others but not introduce yourself?¡±


    The middle-aged man couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my rudeness. Anyways, I¡¯m Yang Zhenpan, a businessman. I¡¯m one of the stakeholders of this Glory Auction House. May I ask how I should call this little brother?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡±


    With a change in expression, Tang Xiu then stood up and asked, ¡°You have shares in this Glory Auction House? May I ask a favor from you?¡±


    Yang Zhenpan¡¯s brows slightly furrowed, though it quickly went back to normal. He carefully observed Tang Xiu, and then said, ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem with lending you a hand. I naturally can help you as long as it is something within my capability. However, you have to answer a question before I help you, though.¡±


    ¡°Please, do tell!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°You just asked a question that I was unable to answer.¡± Yang Zhenpan said with a smile, ¡°Because I really can¡¯t find any powerful company groups in the recent years who can become a dark horse, let alone in the coming few years, hence I want to hear it from you. Which one do you think it will be?¡±


    ¡°The Magnificent Tang Corp.¡± Tang Xiu calmly said.


    Staring blankly in response, Yang Zhenpan hesitantly said, ¡°This group¡¯s name sounds familiar, I think I¡¯ve heard it from somewhere, yet I can¡¯t remember it. Can you tell me about the Magnificent Tang Corp?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you need to ask me.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°You just need to send someone to investigate it and it will be clear to you.¡±


    Furrowing his brows yet again, Yang Zhenpan thought for awhile. He then took out his mobile phone and dialed a cell number. After his phone was connected, he said, ¡°Help me investigate the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s situation. I want to know the result within three minutes.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    After ending the call, Yang Zhenpan directly sat on a chair nearby, and then said with a smile, ¡°Little Brother, let¡¯s wait for three minutes. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem, right?¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and then also sat.


    The Lobby Manager and the middle-aged man nearby were at a loss whether they had to laugh or cry, a strange expression on their faces when they looked at Tang Xiu.


    They were speechless. It was because Tang Xiu was looking for Hou Qingmin, the Glory Auction House¡¯s General Manager, whereby the person sitting beside him was actually the Glory Auction House¡¯s Big Boss, the immediate superior of Hou Qingmin. However, they could only sit at the long table, since their Big Boss himself already hinted for them not to say anything. Hence, feeling vexed inside, they busied themselves with their own affairs.

 Chapter 409

    Chapter 409: Refuses a Toast Only to Drink a Forfeit


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Two minutes later, Yang Zhenpan received the result of the investigation. There was little information, yet, a glint flashed in his eyes, and his expression slightly changed.


    ¡°I see!¡±


    After hanging up the phone, he looked at Tang Xiu with a strange expression, ¡°Brother Tang, your analysis is very reasonable. The Magnificent Tang Corp does indeed have great potential. The company definitely has the ability to become a dark horse in the business world in the next few years. I¡¯ve been fortunate to taste their Gods Nectar once, because my friend hyped it up, and I was deeply impressed. The other two products of the Magnificent Tang Corp, the Skin Care Lotion and the Scar Removal Cream, are also standing out. Though it hasn¡¯t caused much sensation, they are being highly praised.¡±


    Tang Xiu then rose and said, ¡°Since I¡¯ve answered your question, shouldn¡¯t you take me to see Hou Qingmin?¡±


    ¡°What do you need Hou Qingmin for?¡± Yang Zhenpan also got up and asked curiously.


    ¡°I want to ask him about something.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Seeing that Tang Xiu was unwilling to say more, Yang Zhenpan immediately nodded and said, ¡°Then, come with me! I talked to him about half an hour ago. He should be in the General Manager¡¯s office.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    Soon, Tang Xiu walked alongside Yang Zhenpan to the Glory Auction House¡¯s General Manager Office. Yang Zhenpan then knocked on the door, and then pushed it open.


    ¡°You came, Boss!¡±


    In the office, Hou Qingmin smiled as he stood from his office chair to greet him. However, when he saw Tang Xiu behind Yang Zhenpan, he looked slightly startled, ¡°Boss, this one is?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows raised and then looked at Yang Zhenpan, who smiled and kept silent. It was only then that he realized that Yang Zhenpan was the Glory Auction House¡¯s Big Boss. However, he wasn¡¯t interested in who the Glory Auction House¡¯s Big Boss was, since he came here only to inquire about the Buried Diamond.


    ¡°You¡¯re Hou Qingmin, Chief Hou? I¡¯m Tang Xiu, the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corp.¡± Tang Xiu stretched out his hand and calmly said.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Tang!¡±


    Hou Qingmin looked surprised. He knew a bit about the Magnificent Tang Corp. He was a wine lover, and he loved Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s Gods Nectar. Unfortunately, he could only obtain two bottles of Gods Nectar despite having spent a lot of effort.


    At the side, Yang Zhenpan also looked surprised. He observed Tang Xiu again and his shock increased. He thought it was funny and interesting for Tang Xiu to be unable to guess that he was the Big Boss of the Glory Auction House, hence the acting. Yet, he was unable to find out that Tang Xiu was the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s Big Boss as well.


    ¡°Chief Hou, I don¡¯t like to talk in a roundabout way since I¡¯m always straightforward.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯ll talk straight to the point. The reason I come looking for you is that I want to find out about the Buried Diamond. Can you tell me whether the buried diamond belongs to your auction house or belongs to the consignor?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Hou Qingmin hesitated as he looked at Yang Zhenpan.


    Yang Zhenpan was silent for a moment, as he then said with a smile, ¡°Brother Tang, since you came to our Glory Auction House, you¡¯re our guest. Let us not hurry and have tea first. How about we speak about it slowly?¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    After sitting on the sofa, Hou Qingmin personally made tea, pouring it for Yang Zhenpan and Tang Xiu. Then, he sat on the empty sofa nearby.


    Yang Zhenpan took a short teacup and gently took a sip. He then slowly said, ¡°Mr. Tang, according to the rules of our Glory Auction House, we can¡¯t disclose the source of the items auctioned at our auction house. However, since Boss Tang has come in person, I would answer the question myself. The Buried Diamond doesn¡¯t belong to our Glory Auction House. A distinguished client entrusted it us to auction it on his behalf.¡±


    ¡°Who is he? I need his contact information.¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°I apologize. We can¡¯t disclose the client¡¯s information.¡± Yang Zhenpan shook his head.


    ¡°I must know!¡± Tang Xiu said with all seriousness.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, I gave you a bit of information out of respect for you as the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corp.¡± Yang Zhenpan squinted his eyes as he looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°But I hope you don¡¯t make things difficult for us, since our auction house has its own rules and customs.¡±


    ¡°The Buried Diamond is too important for me. I must know who the owner is.¡± Tang Xiu cooly said, ¡°In order to trace it, I¡¯ll use whatever means necessary. I give you half an hour. If within this time you can give me the answer I need, then I owe you a favor. But if you don¡¯t give me a satisfactory answer, I can¡¯t guarantee what I will do to your Glory Auction House.¡±


    ¡°How arrogant!¡±


    Hou Qingmin abruptly stood and looked angry, whereas Yang Zhenpan looked dignified, squinting his eyes as he continue sizing up Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu slanted his eyelids, sensing the looming momentum sent off by Hou Qingmin. He then said in a cold and detached tone, ¡°Manager Hou, I advise to put away your ignorance. Relying on your ability that wasn¡¯t enough to break through the first layer of Thousand Revolutions Array, not only standing out will result in you getting oppressed, you will also make a fool of yourself.¡±


    Hou Qingmin¡¯s complexion changed, and said in a heavy voice, ¡°You know the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s Thousand Revolutions Array? You¡­¡±


    _Ring, ring, ring¡­_


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mobile phone rang. The ringtone also interrupted Hou Qingmin¡¯s words.


    Shooting him a glance, Tang Xiu then took out his mobile and pressed the answer button. After hearing Chi Nan¡¯s voice, he then said lightly, ¡°I¡¯m at the General Manager¡¯s Office, 28th floor.¡±


    Having said that, he hung up directly!


    For a while, the atmosphere inside the General Manager¡¯s Office turned heavy.


    _Knock, knock¡­_


    The door was knocked, and then Chi Nan entered with a faint smile on her face. Under the surprised gazes of Yang Zhenpan and Hou Qingmin, she came before Tang Xiu and respectfully called out, ¡°Boss.¡±


    Pointing at Hou Qingmin, Tang Xiu then indifferently said, ¡°You said you have a bit friendship with him. Ask him about the Buried Diamond.¡±


    _Buried Diamond?_


    A surprised look appeared on Chi Nan¡¯s face. In fact, she also saw the Buried Diamond¡¯s trailer from TV commercials. She also knew that the Glory Auction House would auction this precious diamond on October 1st.


    Looking at Tang Xiu and Chi Nan in disbelief, Hou Qingmin hastily asked, ¡°Chief Chi, what did you just call him? Boss?¡±


    Chi Nan could sense that something was amiss from the atmosphere inside the office. She then nodded, ¡°Yes, he¡¯s the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s Boss, Chief Hou. Although I don¡¯t know why my Boss wants to know about the Buried Diamond, I hope you can truthfully tell him about it.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Hou Qingmin¡¯s lips twitched a few times, as he gulped his words back. At this moment, he finally looked a bit scared. He knew perfectly well how terrible Tang Xiu¡¯s threat was. He was a martial artist and had even personally visited the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s HQ in Jingmen Island, trying to break through the Thousand Revolutions Array. Naturally, he knew that the Everlasting Feast Hall boasted a lot of highly skilled experts.


    Suddenly, Yang Zhenpan let out a faint smile and said, ¡°I never thought that Boss Tang was such a promising young man! Not only are you the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s Big Boss, you¡¯re also the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s owner. However, you want to threaten me relying on your identity? I don¡¯t think that¡¯s enough, no?¡±


    The moment he finished speaking, Hou Qingmin¡¯s heart jolted, and his heartbeat accelerated. He hastily winked at Yang Zhenpan. However, the man ignored him, as his eyes straightly stared at Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Are you really sure you don¡¯t want to tell me?¡± Tang Xiu calmly asked.


    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t want to.¡± Yang Zhenpan sneered.


    Tang Xiu got up, looked at Chi Nan and said, ¡°Call Xiaoxue and tell her to send some people over. I want the Glory Auction House to cease existing before tomorrow morning. Also, take note that he¡¯s called Yang Zhenpan. Investigate him, including any forces that are related to him. I want he and his family, as well as those with good relations with his friends and family, captured. Remember, do it at all costs.


    ¡°Investigate the Buried Diamond issue secretly. Furthermore, since the Glory Auction House has shown us such a due respect, we must pay it back in face. Secretly investigate all the distinguished guests who have received the Glory Auction House¡¯s invitation, as well as what they want to buy. Our Everlasting Feast Hall will give them better compensation, and I don¡¯t want to see anyone to take part in this auction of the Glory Auction House.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± A glint of murderous intention shot out from Chi Nan¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Hou Qingmin was greatly anxious, and hurriedly yelled, ¡°Mr. Tang, please do not be anxious. The reason as to why my Boss doesn¡¯t want to tell you is because the consignor of the Buried Diamond has a strong background; we can¡¯t afford to offend him. How about you wait for me to make a phone call first. If the seller is willing to see you, we¡¯ll help you.¡±


    ¡°Hou Qingmin!¡± Yang Zhenpan abruptly rose, anger on his face.


    As though didn¡¯t see his fury, Hou Qingmin kept talking to Tang Xiu, ¡°Mr. Tang, your purpose is very clear, you just want to get the information about the Buried Diamond¡¯s owner. Our Glory Auction House isn¡¯t willing to offend our friends, so please wait a bit. How about it?¡±


    Coldly looking at Yang Zhenpan, Tang Xiu then slowly sat down on the sofa, and nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for your news.¡±


    Quickly nodding in response, Hou Qingmin deftly grabbed Yang Zhenpan¡¯s arm and pulled him out of the office. Outside, Yang Zhenpan forcefully broke himself free from Hou Qingmin¡¯s hold and shouted, ¡°Qingmin, what do you mean by this? I won¡¯t let this go if you don¡¯t give me a clear explanation here and now!¡±


    Taking a deep breath, Hou Qingmin then said with a solemn expression, ¡°Boss, I do respect you as a Boss, that¡¯s was why I stopped you just now. If you were to clash with Tang Xiu, then I can only resign. Because¡­ I fear him, more than I fear you.¡±


    ¡°A newly developed Magnificent Tang Corp, and just a restaurant¡¯s Boss, yet you¡¯re more afraid of him than you¡¯re of me? What a joke! I, Yang Zhenpan, have a lot of wealth and personal connections. My Yang Family is an illustrious family in Beijing. Even if we are not among the top three, we are big enough to be in the first ten. I really don¡¯t believe he has that much ability, to begin with.¡±


    ¡°Boss, the Everlasting Feast Hall is a very special existence.¡± Hou Qingmin slowly said, ¡°As far as I know, they have tons of highly skilled experts. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t fear them if it was just this alone. I have a hunch that there are special people in the Everlasting Feast Hall.¡±


    _Special people?_


    Yang Zhenpan frowned and asked in a deep voice, ¡°What special people?¡±


    Looking at both sides and finding that there was no one nearby, only then did Hou Qingmin reply in an undertone voice, ¡°Dao cultivators.¡±

 Chapter 410

    Chapter 410: Visit


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Though having his own pride, Yang Zhenpan always stayed low-profile. He mostly had humble disposition, however, a loftness existed in his bones. Today, he came across Tang Xiu by chance, and his few statements got him interested. Because of this, it increased his interest toward Tang Xiu.


    However, never did he expect that such a young man who seemed to have such a good temperament would unexpectedly be the Big Boss of two companies, the Magnificent Tang Corp and the Everlasting Feast Hall. What was the most unbelievable thing for him was that the young man even dared to threaten him?


    He was angry! He wanted to teach this young man a lesson, so that the youth would know what modesty meant.


    Yet, after he heard this statement from Hou Qingmin, his heat tightened and a chill quickly formed in his heart.


    Hailing from a big family in Beijing, he had been in contact with some things that ordinary people wouldn¡¯t believe. Thus, he naturally heard about cultivators¡¯ existence through various channels.


    The number of cultivators was very small. It was a simply rare of existence in his view. Yet, any of these people had mysterious abilities and were shrouded in mystery.


    _Regardless of whether it¡¯s true or not, I¡¯d rather believe it than not._


    Prudent and cautious as he was, Yang Zhenpan made a snap decision.


    Looking at Yang Zhenpan¡¯s changed expression, Hou Qingmin¡¯s heart tightened. For fear that Yang Zhenpan had turned a deaf ear, he then said in undertone voice after hesitating for a while, ¡°Boss, your decision is¡­¡±


    ¡°If the Everlasting Feast Hall really has that kind of people, can we even provoke them?¡± Yang Zhenpan smiled and said, ¡°Not to mention that Tang Xiu himself displayed such unusual stance, too unusual. With unusual matters, there certainly exists a demon as well. Hence, we¡¯ll contact the Buried Diamond¡¯s seller first! If he agrees, then throw this hot potato to him. If he doesn¡¯t¡­ then, if worst comes to worst, we can only give up and help him with the Buried Diamond¡¯s auction.¡±


    ¡°Then, shall I contact the other party?¡± Hou Qingmin murmured.


    ¡°I¡¯ll contact him myself!¡± Yang Zhenpan slowly said after staying silent for a while.


    ¡°All right!¡± Hou Qingmin gently nodded, feeling relieved inwardly.


    On the outskirts of Shanghai, there was an ordinary house located in a fruit orchard with a clear rivulet in front of its courtyard. The stream gurgled rapidly as fishes occasionally jumped out of the water surface, splashing water and creating ripples.


    An old man wearing a sun hat and white jersey held a fishing rod as he quietly fished. By his foot was a big yellow dog, lazily lying there and yawning from time to time.


    ¡°Grandpa, there¡¯s a call for you.¡±


    A delicate, cute little girl ran energetically from the courtyard behind him. She was only six or seven years old, carrying a black-colored mobile phone that was flashing some lights.


    ¡°Who¡¯s calling?¡± The old man didn¡¯t turn his head as he asked.


    ¡°I only know the Yang word on it, Grandpa.¡± The little girl laughed and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know the last two words. Do you want me to check up on the dictionary?¡±


    The old man finally turned his back. After receiving the phone, he glanced at the name displayed on the screen, and then said with a smile, ¡°Then go and look them up in the dictionary! Grandpa will answer the call first.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± The little girl replied, turning around and running back to the courtyard.


    The old man then pressed the answer button and coolly said, ¡°Why are you calling me?¡±


    ¡°Elderly Wei, our Glory Auction House has just come across a big trouble because of your Buried Diamond.¡± Yang Zhenpan respectfully said.


    ¡°Tell me!¡± Wei Jiangping squinted his eyes and said.


    ¡°Someone wants to find the Buried Diamond¡¯s seller through our Glory Auction House.¡± Yang Zhenpan said, ¡°According to our auction house¡¯s rules, we keep our client¡¯s information confidential, especially you, who is the owner of the Buried Diamond. However, the other party has a very big background and is someone our Glory Auction House is unable to provoke. He said that he must find the specific information about the Buried Diamond¡¯s seller even if he must destroy the Glory Auction House and my Yang Family.¡±


    ¡°Who is the other party? He really said it with such a big tone?¡± Wei Jiangping¡¯s brows raised and asked curiously.


    ¡°I know that he has two identities. One of which is the Magnificent Tang Group¡¯s Big Boss, and the other is the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s owner.¡± Yang Zhenpan forced a smile and said, ¡°However, I also suspect that he has other identities as well. He¡¯s way too young, after all, and looks like he¡¯s in his 20s.¡±


    Wei Jiangping shook his head, because he had never heard of these two names. He had been abroad for nearly five years, and most of his time had been spent in this place after coming back. For him not to know of these two enterprises was normal.


    ¡°Let him come if he wants to see me!¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    Hanging up the phone, Wei Jiangping then intended to put the mobile phone away, but he seemed to recall something. After thinking for a while, he then dialed a cell number and laughed, ¡°Old buddy, how about coming here and have some tea with me?¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± An old voice came from the mobile phone.


    ¡°Well, I came across an interesting matter.¡± Wei Jiangping said with a smile, ¡°I want you to come and see the fun. Besides, the four others geezers are in seclusion, to begin with. I have no one who can chat with me but you. I¡¯m kind of lonely here!¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be there by lunch. Just prepare some fresh fish for me.¡±


    ¡°No prob.¡±


    Shanghai, Glory Auction House.


    After hanging up the phone, only then Yang Zhenpan heaved a sigh of relief inwardly. He put his mobile phone away and looked at Hou Qingmin, who looked at him with anticipation, and then slowly said, ¡°Investigate this Tang Xiu, place the focus on the Everlasting Feast Hall.¡±


    With a slightly changed expression, Hou Qingmin forced a bitter smile and said, ¡°We can¡¯t, Boss.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Yang Zhenpan frowned.


    ¡°Actually, I sent some people to investigate the Everlasting Feast Hall many years ago; they never came back. Neither had there any news about them. It was like a pebble dropped into a bottomless ocean.¡± Hou Qingping murmured, ¡°All in all, I sent three groups. I even asked someone from a private investigator agency later on, yet the result was exactly the same. Afterward, someone came to me and put a knife on my neck, telling me to never investigate the Everlasting Feast hall again.¡±


    ¡°Who was it?¡± Yang Zhenpan¡¯s complexion changed and asked in a heavy tone.


    ¡°Outside the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people, who else could it be?¡± Hou Qingmin forced a bitter smile.


    Yang Zhenpan¡¯s face changed yet again. He then nodded and said, ¡°I see. You don¡¯t need to handle this issue anymore. Let¡¯s go see that Tang Xiu again and send him off.¡±


    ¡°Did the old man gave his consent, Boss?¡± Hou Qingmin hastily asked.


    ¡°Yes, he agreed!¡± Yang Zhenpan gave a short reply.


    After returning to General Manager¡¯s Office, he saw Tang Xiu smoking on the sofa. He then sat on the sofa at the opposite side and said, ¡°Mr. Tang, I just contacted the Buried Diamond¡¯s owner myself. He agreed to see you.¡±


    ¡°Give me his contact information.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Can you give me your cell number?¡± Yang Zhenpan said, ¡°I¡¯ll send you the old man¡¯s address through a text message.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    Tang Xiu told him his cell number. After calmly waiting for about a minute, he then received a specific address.


    Then, he got up, looked at Yang Zhenpan, and lightly said, ¡°Originally, I should have owed you a favor, but your attitude made me dissatisfied, hence it¡¯s voided. Thus, we don¡¯t owe each other.¡±


    Having said that, he quickly left the office along with Chi Nan. After they left the Glory Auction House¡¯s entrance, he said, ¡°Come with me! I just came back from Jingmen Island, so I don¡¯t have a car.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Chi Nan smiled and replied respectfully.


    An hour later.


    In Shanghai¡¯s suburbs, a fruity fragrance fluttered in the orchard.


    Riding a mountain bike, Han Jintong appeared outside the house¡¯s courtyard. Beside him was a beautiful girl dressed in a fashionable dress, pink sunglasses, and also rode a mountain bike. The duo looked at Wei Jiangping, who was quietly fishing by the small stream outside the courtyard. The girl then called out, ¡°Grandpa Wei, I came with grandpa.¡±


    Slowly putting down his fishing rod, Wei Jiangping then got up, turned his head and said with a smile, ¡°Qingwu, you also came! It¡¯s been five years since I came back to the country. This should probably be the second time I¡¯m seeing you.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa Wei, an elderly such as you has a pure mind. You live like a hermit in this kind of place every day to enjoy your late years. I don¡¯t dare to rashly disturb you.¡±


    Wei Jiangping grinned. He then turned to Han Jintong and said with a smile, ¡°Old buddy, the glib tongue of your granddaughter is better than yours. Anyhow, let¡¯s go! The dishes and wine should¡¯ve been prepared, let¡¯s have a chat while eating.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you call me to see a show or something?¡± Han Jintong said.


    ¡°The protagonist has yet to arrive, but they should be here soon, though!¡± Wei Jiangping said with a smile, ¡°All right. Let¡¯s have a meal first, then we¡¯ll talk about that after dining.¡±


    The delicious dishes included fish and meat.


    Living in this place together with Wei Jiangping was his daughter-in-law and granddaughter. The person who cooked was the housemaid hired by his daughter-in-law.


    In the dining room.


    As they sat down, a car¡¯s horn was heard outside the courtyard. Wei Jiangping shot a look at his daughter-in-law and lightly said, ¡°Go outside and bring them in. Since they came at dinner time, prepare more tableware as well.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Two minutes later, Tang Xiu and Chi Nan were brought to the dining room. His expression blanked slightly after seeing the people inside, because he never dreamt that he would unexpectedly meet an acquaintance in the dining table. More so because the person was someone he didn¡¯t want to see the most.


    ¡°Tang Xiu? Why are you here?¡±


    Han Qingwu was surprised as she got up and asked in disbelief.


    ¡°How have you been, Teacher Han?¡± Tang Xiu said lightly.


    Looking at Chi Nan behind him, Han Qingwu then asked once again, ¡°Tang Xiu, you haven¡¯t answered my question! Why are you here at¡­ Grandpa Wei¡¯s place?¡±


    ¡°Surely I have things to do, no?!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Nodding to his daughter-in-law, Wei Jiangping then said, ¡°Take two pairs of tableware and chopsticks!¡±


    ¡°Only a pair, please!¡± Chi Nan stepped back and indifferently said.


    Wei Jiangping furrowed his brows slightly, whereas Han Jintong had an odd expression on his face.


    ¡°Since you came with Tang Xiu, eat together with us!¡± Han Qingwu said with a smile, ¡°The meals in Grandpa Wei¡¯s home are very delicious.¡±


    ¡°No need!¡± Chi Nan stepped back again, refusing and shaking her head.


    Han Qingwu shot Chi Nan a look, and then shifted to Tang Xiu. All of a sudden, she was clueless about their relationship. Just as she was about to say something, her heart suddenly jolted, and shouted, ¡°I remember you. You¡¯re the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s Manager. No wonder I thought you looked a bit familiar¡­¡±

 Chapter 411

    Chapter 411: The Bigger the Hope, the Greater the Disappointment


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Serious, Chi Nan kept a solemn expression. Her eyes only swept over Han Qingwu and moved aside right away. Tang Xiu himself didn¡¯t want to speak with Han Qingwu, so he looked at Wei Jiangping, cupped his fists and said, ¡°Are you the current owner of Buried Diamond, Wei Jiangping?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Wei Jiangping¡¯s brows furrowed deeper. He put down the chopsticks in his hands and lightly said, ¡°Young man, could it be that you don¡¯t know something called etiquette?¡±


    ¡°If you are Wei Jiangping, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary for me to respect you.¡± Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°After all, I¡¯m not one who thinks highly of someone who can abandon his children just because of having an aspiration or something.¡±


    Children?


    Staring blankly, Wei Jiangping abruptly got up from his chair, shock in his eyes, as he asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    At this moment, even Han Jintong quickly stood, eyes fixated on Tang Xiu.


    ¡°You¡¯re old, hence, you can only achieve an insufficient level in your Qigong practice.¡± Slightly shaking his head, Tang Xiu said, ¡°No wonder your cultivation was only raised to such a level after practicing for so many years. Anyhow, you¡¯ll learn about my identity later. But now, I want to know about the Buried Diamond. Did you buy it, or crafted it yourself?¡±


    ¡°This old man crafted and carved it myself.¡± Wei Jiangping said in a deep voice.


    Happy with the answer, Tang Xiu asked once again, ¡°You should have crafted it based on something, and it shouldn¡¯t be based on your imagination, right? You have seen a medicinal herb that had a shape like Buried Diamond, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have seen it.¡± Wei Jiangping deeply said.


    ¡°Where did you see it?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    Wei Jiangping didn¡¯t answer the question, instead, he asked, ¡°I¡¯ve answered some of your questions, shouldn¡¯t you also answer some of mine?¡±


    ¡°You should be one of six at the beginning, and now there are only two of you. There should be four others, yes?¡± Tang Xiu said lightly.


    An earthquake shook Wei Jiangping and Han Jintong¡¯s hearts as they exchanged looks. No one apart from them knew about that matter. How did this young man know about this?


    Wei Jiangping stayed silent for a while, as he finally said, ¡°Yes, there are indeed four others, including this old man¡¯s wife. What relationship do you have with Senior Gu?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s my disciple.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Wei Jiangping and Han Jintong exclaimed in unison.


    Han Qingwu, who stood at the side, looked confused and asked, ¡°Tang Xiu, what are you talking about with these two Grandpas? What¡¯s with there being other four people? What disciple?¡±


    Tang Xiu ignored her and looked at Wei Jiangping, saying, ¡°Now you should tell me. Where did you see that medicinal herb?¡±


    While suppressing his shock, Wei Jiangping replied, ¡°Shennong Ridge, Ghost King Valley.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me the specific address?¡± After being silent for a while, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°I urgently need that precious medicinal herb. I can help you break through your current bottleneck and further your cultivation if you can help me obtain it.¡±


    His heart shook, yet, a forced wry smile appeared on Wei Jiangping¡¯s old face. He shook his head and said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do. I picked that special medicinal herb in the past, trying to replant it in another place. In the end, the bud withered. Since I didn¡¯t know its efficacy and uses, I didn¡¯t dare to prescribe any medicines out of it. Hence, I threw it away. There should be no other such medicinal herb over there.¡±


    ¡°Damn!¡± Tang Xiu was furious.


    The Demonic Revival Grass was a rare treasure, countless Supreme Immortals and Archdemons would fight for it if any were to appear in the Immortal World or the Demon Realm. Yet, such a precious medicinal herb had actually been thrown and spoilt after falling into Wei Jiangping¡¯s hands.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression was unsightly. After falling into silence for a very long while, he then slowly said, ¡°Tell me the exact address, you don¡¯t need to be involved further.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll find a map and mark it down for you.¡±


    Following that, Wei Jiangping left the dining room. He quickly came back with a map and marked the place with a red pen. He then asked after handing it over to Tang Xiu, ¡°I want you to tell me something. My¡­ those two children of mine, are they still¡­¡±


    ¡°They are fine.¡± Tang Xiu collected the map carefully and lightly said, ¡°No one restricted their freedom. Only, they don¡¯t want to see the two of you. But if you, husband and wife, are still alive after a few years, I can help you see them.¡±


    Wei Jiangping¡¯s lips twitched. He then cupped his hands and said, ¡°Mr. Tang, we, husband and wife, owe them far too much. Please treat them kindly.¡±


    ¡°I will treat them kindly. They are my people, to begin with. By the way, I still have matters to take care of, so I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± Tang Xiu said lightly.


    Having said that, he turned around to leave.


    The series of events caught Han Qingwu by surprise. Seeing Tang Xiu leaving, she sobered up and then strode and stopped in his path. She stretched out her arms and said, ¡°What happened here, Tang Xiu? And you, what¡¯s going on with you?¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment, looking at the familiar, yet unfamiliar face. It brought pain to his heart. Although he was full of hatred for Xue Qingcheng, he learned that she had died as well. Nonetheless, Tang Xiu felt somewhat vexed. The feelings accumulated for millenniums, after all, was not something he could completely forget.


    He didn¡¯t want to have more contact with Han Qingwu, since he didn¡¯t know how to face her. He loved this woman, yet he hated her as well. But now, she seemed as though detached from the past, causing him to be at a loss for what to do.


    Hence, the less contact he had with her, the better.


    ¡°You¡¯re my teacher. You can say everything about academic matters to me. But outside the campus, I hope you won¡¯t involve yourself in my matters. We are not people of the same world, hence, maintaining distance is the best choice for us.¡±


    After saying that, Tang Xiu avoided her arms and strode away.


    Han Qingwu was dumbfounded, she couldn¡¯t believe her ears. Tang Xiu¡¯s words were as though a thunderbolt that fiercely struck her heart. She didn¡¯t even know what happened to herself, yet at the same time, a sense of loss and disappointment was bred inside her heart, faintly paining her.


    ¡°Qingwu!¡± Han Jintong called out to her in a low voice.


    Han Qingwu suddenly shuddered. At the same time, she felt pain and was suddenly flustered. She then realized that a layer of mist had already covered her eyes.


    ¡°I¡­ what happened to me?¡±


    She quickly lifted her hands and wiped away the tears that were coming out of her eyes.


    Wei Jiangping and Han Jintong exchanged glances, as Wei Jiangping then immediately said, ¡°Qingwu, let¡¯s sit down and eat! He¡¯s already left, and your Grandpa and I have some matters to ask you.¡±


    With a flustered look, Han Qingwu sat down. She concealed what she felt by taking a deep breath. Then, she said, ¡°Grandpa Wei, you want to ask me about Tang Xiu, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Wei Jiangping nodded and said, ¡°Tang Xiu¡¯s identity is not ordinary. If what he says is true, his identity can be said as terrifying. So, what we want to know is how much you know about him.¡±


    _How much do I know about him?_


    _It¡¯s so much. I know him way too much!_


    Han Qingwu recalled the scene when Tang Xiu was hit by a car. Recalling as she sneaked to the hospital to visit the hospitalized Tang Xiu; recalling the time when he recovered from his injuries and went back to school as if he had a change in personality. Recalling as how he suddenly woke up from a muddleheaded state without knowing what he had done and behaved¡­


    The scenes of past events were played one by one.


    Han Qingwu could feel that at this time, Tang Xiu position in her heart was probably placed in first.


    _What¡¯s the matter with me? Could it be that I¡¯m in love with him? Impossible! Absolutely impossible! I¡¯m his teacher, and he¡¯s my student. We¡¯re different in age¡­_


    The thoughts appeared inside Han Qingwu¡¯s mind one by one, though she vehemently rejected all of them. She ultimately recalled the apathetic, cold, and detached response from Tang Xiu, as well as his words. She was utterly upset and disconcerted, feeling very depressed.


    ¡°Qingwu!¡± Seeing Han Qingwu dazed, Wei Jiangping quickly shouted.


    Looking up, Han Qingwu then looked at Wei Jiangping. She suddenly got up and said, ¡°Grandpa Wei, I suddenly remembered that I still have some things to do.¡±


    After saying that, she turned around and walked out of the dining room. After that, she rode her bicycle and quickly left the courtyard.


    Wei Jiangping looked at Han Jintong and forced a smile, ¡°It seems like it¡¯s not going to be easy for us to learn about Tang Xiu!¡±


    ¡°Indeed. But he is someone who has a deep relationship with Senior Gu.¡± Han Jintong said, ¡°We must find Senior Gu through him. We have been imparted a cultivated method in the past, and though afterward our strength indeed soared, it has been particularly difficult for us to make progress again. Hence, we must find a way for the sake of our path to immortality.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll call Yang Zhenpan.¡± Wei Jiangping said.


    A few minutes later, Wei Jiangping hung up the phone and looked pleasantly surprised, ¡°I¡¯ve asked him. It¡¯s the Everlasting Feast Hall.¡±


    Shanghai, the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    After leaving the orchard, Tang Xiu and Chi Nan went to the Everlasting Feast Hall. Since they hadn¡¯t eaten until now, Tang Xiu stayed in the Manager¡¯s office and ate the dishes Chi Nan personally brought him.


    ¡°Boss, are you planning to go to Shennong Ridge?¡±


    After Tang Xiu finished eating, Chi Nan, who accompanied him at the side, asked curiously while cleaning up the dishes.


    ¡°I must go there.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°The object I must find is very important. I must try to find it even if the probability is very slim.¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go with you!¡± Chi Nan quickly said.


    ¡°No need.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°You better return to Jingmen Island in the near future!¡±


    ¡°Return to Jingmen Island? What for?¡± Chi Nan was confused.


    ¡°Your chance has come.¡± Tang Xiu gave a glance at her and lightly said, ¡°Go to Jingmen Island and learn from Ji Chimei. You¡¯ll have a much better ability for me to use in the future.¡±


    _My chance has arrived?_


    Chi Nan gaped and stared blankly, an ecstatic expression suddenly appearing on her face. She had waited strenuously for many years. She had made great contributions in wars and others¡¯ fields for the Everlasting Feast Hall. And now, the chance she had been waiting for and dreamed of had finally come. She almost jumped up in excitement.


    ¡°Thank you, Boss!¡±


    Chi Nan knelt on one knee before Tang Xiu, saluting gratefully. She knew that getting this opportunity was certainly because of Tang Xiu. Because, after all, the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s core members began to receive cultivation methods right after Tang Xiu appeared.

 Chapter 412

    Chapter 412: Unlicensed Taxi


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°No need to thank me. It¡¯s your reward.¡± Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°You have done a lot of things for the Everlasting Feast Hall for the past few years, so it¡¯s time to give you this chance. I hope you can cultivate well in the future. Obtaining this chance is but only the beginning. As to the heights you can achieve in your cultivation later, it will depend on your efforts, as well as correlates with how much you pay it back to the Everlasting Feast Hall.¡±


    ¡°On what basis is it related, Boss?¡± Chi Nan curiously asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s heavily related. I¡¯ve made a decision that every core member of the Everlasting Feast Hall can¡¯t get cultivation resources unless they make significant contributions to the Everlasting Feast Hall. Otherwise, the members must work hard and go all out in their cultivation. In regards to cultivation speed, those who don¡¯t get cultivation resources obviously will have slower cultivation speed than those who get it. Furthermore, whoever can obtain a lot of resources and hand them over to the Everlasting Feast Hall will also get cultivation resources.¡±


    ¡°For example?¡± Chi Nan quickly asked.


    ¡°For example, you get a lot of precious medicinal herbs, minerals, bones or other materials from fierce beasts. After you hand them over to the Everlasting Feast Hall, you can get medicinal pills, magical objects, and other items.¡±


    Chi Nan¡¯s eyes lit up as her breathing turned faster. She nodded repeatedly as she looked at Tang Xiu with a grateful expression, ¡°I understand, Boss.¡±


    ¡°Ji Chimei hasn¡¯t called you yet. That means that my command has yet to go through.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°Therefore, you are the first one to know about it. If you¡¯re smart enough, I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t need me to continue giving you pointers, no?¡±


    With an exceptionally brilliant smile, Chi Nan nodded and said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to give me any more pointers, Boss. While Elder Ji hasn¡¯t yet started to summon everyone, I¡¯ll start buying a lot of materials in advance. When everyone gets this news, they will struggle to purchase various materials from all over the country. By then, the purchased materials¡¯ price will rise, and the things they want to buy will also be reduced.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re promising and worthy to be taught!¡± Tang Xiu nodded as he got up and said, ¡°Well, I¡¯m full now. Drive me back to Bluestar Villa Complex! I need to rest before leaving for Shennong Ridge.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± Chi Nan wanted to immediately start buying the materials, but she first sent Tang Xiu back to Bluestar Villa Complex.


    Inside the villa.


    Xue Chao was in the courtyard basking in the sun, while his wife, Du Juan, was knitting a sweater. In front of the two of them was their son, soundly sleeping on a small bed.


    ¡°You¡¯ve finally come back, Boss Tang!¡±


    Seeing Tang Xiu, Xue Chao immediately got up and said with a smile.


    ¡°Is your injury better?¡± Tang Xiu looked at him and said with a smile.


    ¡°Though I have yet to fully recover, it¡¯s already much better.¡± Xue Chao nodded and said, ¡°I can walk and do normal daily activities as long as they are not too demanding.¡±


    ¡°Rest well to fully recover.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°The military training should be almost over. We¡¯ll start attending classes after it¡¯s over.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll attend the classes, Boss Tang.¡± Xue Chao let out a simple and honest smile and said, ¡°And about the job you told me¡­ can you introduce me now? Despite my injury not being fully better yet, but I have a strong body as a mountain dweller, so it won¡¯t affect my work.¡±


    As if realizing something, Tang Xiu quickly asked, ¡°Are you running out of money? I¡¯ll give¡­¡±


    ¡°I still have 1,000 yuan remaining from the money you lent me, Boss Tang.¡± Xue Chao waved his hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s still enough for my family to spend for some time. I just don¡¯t want to stay idle at home every day. I feel like I¡¯m about to rust if I don¡¯t move my body.¡±


    After thinking for a moment, Tang Xiu then nodded and said, ¡°All right! Do you have a driver¡¯s license?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Xue Chao forced out a smile and shook his head.


    ¡°The place I¡¯ll introduce you to work at is a bit far from here.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°You¡¯re still injured, so you might as well live there if you have to commute every day. How about letting big sis-in-law and your son live here while you rest there in the evening?¡±


    ¡°Is there a place to live there?¡± Xue Chao asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll call her to provide you a place to stay.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    Looking at his wife and child, Xue Chao suddenly asked, ¡°Boss Tang, what kind of accommodation does it have? If possible, I want to bring my wife and son too. We¡¯ve been here for more than ten days. If I can work there and there¡¯s a place for us to stay, we¡¯ll all live there.¡±


    ¡°All right! I¡¯ll give you the address.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Go there and look for someone called Chi Nan. Tell her what I told you and she¡¯ll make the arrangements. Furthermore, I may have to leave in a few days, so I¡¯ll see you again after I come back.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Thanks, Boss Tang.¡± Xue Chao said gratefully.


    ¡°What are you thanking me for? We¡¯re classmates, man.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°Like people say: Being classmates in one lifetime, for three lifetimes will we become family, hence, we must help each other. That¡¯s right, when are you going there? If you¡¯re in a hurry, I can drive you there now.¡±


    ¡°Nah, forget it.¡± Xue Chao shook his head and said, ¡°We¡¯ll go by bus. You¡¯re busy with your things. Anyways, I¡¯ll use my salary to buy you a drink after you come back.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Tang Xiu nodded with a smile.


    Ten minutes later, Tang Xiu had packed a simple change of clothes and directly left Bluestar Villa Complex. Since Shanghai was thousands of miles away from Shennong Ridge, he booked a flight ticket to Fei City. However, he was speechless, because the tickets had all been sold out due to many passengers¡¯ flowing in during summer vacation. He had no choice but choose the high-speed rail. Fortunately, this time his luck was quite good, as there still had a few tickets left.


    At 3 AM, in the middle of the night, Tang Xiu came out of the Fei City High-Speed Rail Station.


    There was a busy stream of people busily arriving and leaving. The night was not quiet at all. Tang Xiu went out along with a stream of people extending for dozens of meters. He then saw an astounding sight when he stepped outside. There were eight burly men in a black suits standing behind a tall woman in white, and no one around dared to approach them. Many were pointing at them and whispering to each other.


    With his good hearing, Tang Xiu learned from the whisperings that the woman was the secretary of Fei City¡¯s Yellowsteel Group¡¯s Boss, a relatively famous woman in Fei City.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t stay long here. Those people didn¡¯t have the slightest relationship with him. He had checked the map before coming here, and he knew what travel route he should be taking. He knew that before going to Shennong Ridge from Fei City, he must drive to Ziming County near Shennong Ridge. After that, he could then go to Ghost King Valley in Shennong Ridge from Ziming County.


    ¡°Brother, want a ride?¡±


    A young man in his 24s or 25s, with yellow-bleached hair and earrings, greeted him with a smile after seeing Tang Xiu walking out with one of his hands empty.


    ¡°Do you know Ziming County?¡± Tang Xiu looked at him and asked.


    The young man scrutinized Tang Xiu and then hesitantly said, ¡°Brother, the fare to Ziming County isn¡¯t cheap!¡±


    ¡°The money doesn¡¯t matter. But I need to hurry there.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°450 yuan. Gimme 450 yuan and I¡¯ll drive you there.¡± The young man said.


    ¡°OK. Where¡¯s your car?¡± Tang Xiu said.


    The young man subconsciously traced his waist before he pointed at a place nearby, ¡°Just over there, come with me!¡±


    The young man brought Tang Xiu to a black Mazda and stretched his hand to open the door, saying, ¡°Brother, the road to Ziming County is quite rough. Even if we go there at a fast speed, it will take more than two hours to get there.¡±


    Taking the front seat, Tang Xiu nodded in a response and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Just drive slowly and pay attention to safety.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    The young man replied and took the driver¡¯s seat, starting the car and leaving fast. However, the young man was apparently of a sanguine type. After he took a glance at Tang Xiu, he opened up conversation while driving, ¡°Brother, my name is Chang Hao. What¡¯s yours?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surnamed Tang!¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang, listening to your accent, you shouldn¡¯t be a local, right? Are you here on vacation or visiting relatives?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m on vacation!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°There are tons of tourists coming to our resorts on vacation. Many of them especially come to visit the Shennong Ridge at this times of the year.¡± Chang Hao nodded and said, ¡°But you came here alone and with no baggage at all, this is the first time I see this.¡±


    ¡°It feels great to play outside alone.¡± Tang Xiu calmly replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s so natural and unrestrained of you, Brother Tang.¡± A sliver of envy appeared on Chang Hao¡¯s face as he said, ¡°I myself am thinking about traveling everywhere alone. But heck, I¡¯m forced by life and can only work from dawn to dusk. Alas¡­ if I don¡¯t go all out to make money, I won¡¯t have money to buy formula milk for my child.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an unlicensed cab driver, right? Why don¡¯t you get a business license?¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Nowadays, applying for a business license needs quite a long time, including tons of money.¡± Chang Hao forced a wry smile and said, ¡°Besides, the price for a taxi is sky-high, and there are also tens of thousands of them. Although I drive an unlicensed cab, I can earn clean money. At the worst, I would only be cracked down and have to stay behind bars for some time.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and no longer wanted to chat, ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep, call me out if there¡¯s anything.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Chang Hao replied.


    Time passed by.


    It wasn¡¯t long after Tang Xiu fell asleep, as the sudden brake instantly woke him up. He stretched his hand to the dashboard in front out of reflex, as the seat belt also held his body.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Tang Xiu growled.


    Looking pale, Chang Hao turned to Tang Xiu and forced a smile, ¡°I seem to have hit something.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows raised. After getting out, he found the car had traveled to the empty suburbs. The road was rough and there were ditches on both sides. Far beyond was a boundless stretch of fields. He made a strange expression as he looked at the thing in front of the car, because something what was hit by the car, was actually a wild boar. At the moment, the wild boar was lying 7-8 meters away on the ground, and there was a pool of blood around it.


    ¡°Your luck is kinda bad, don¡¯t you think?¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    Chang Hao¡¯s expression was rather unsightly. The car¡¯s front was smashed and the left headlights were completely destroyed. It would probably cost thousands of yuan to fix them.


    Tang Xiu then walked toward the wild boar. He then picked it up and said with a smile, ¡°Anyhow, it hasn¡¯t died yet, but it can¡¯t live any longer either. To my surprise, this place actually has wild boars, and it¡¯s not dead yet though it got hit by a car. Its luck is a bit too bad.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Chang Hao was shocked as he could clearly see Tang Xiu picking up the wild boar under the headlights.

 Chapter 413

    Chapter 413: An Old Acquaintance


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Chang Hao had seen a person with such a great strength once. He once had a friend who could lift a copper lion weighing 200-300 kg above his head.


    He thought his friend was pretty strong powerful to be able to do that.


    Yet, at this moment, looking Tang Xiu pick up the wild boar weighed at least 100-150 kg and not seem to exert any effort at all, he was shocked and unable to utter any words.


    Tang Xiu carried the wild boar and returned to the car. Looking at Chang Hao¡¯s shocked face, he said with a pale smile, ¡°I¡¯m quite strong, so this pretty easy for me. Anyhow, do you want to take this wild boar? If you do, I¡¯ll load it into the car. If you don¡¯t want it, I¡¯ll throw it to the roadside.¡±


    Gulping down his saliva, Chang Hao immediately nodded and said, ¡°I want it. This wild boar is so big, I can sell it to get some money. Though it¡¯s not enough to repair the car, at least I can reduce the loss a bit.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and loaded the wild boar into the back seat, since the trunk couldn¡¯t hold it. After that, he boarded the car and continued on the road.


    Ten minutes later, six black SUVs¡¯ came from behind and sounded their horns. After hesitating for a moment, Chang Hao gave them the pass. Then, the six cars passed by quickly from the side.


    At this time, Tang Xiu wasn¡¯t sleep. He was curious about the six black SUVs that just passed. He instantly released his spiritual sense. He didn¡¯t expect to see the woman in white and the others who were previously waiting at the entrance of the train station. And beside her was sitting an old acquaintance of his.


    _How could it be him?_


    A strange expression appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s face, and he suddenly said, ¡°Speed up and overtake those six cars.¡±


    ¡°Why should we overtake them?¡± Chang Hao was perplexed.


    ¡°Just pursue them like I¡¯m telling you. I¡¯ll give you one grand fare if you can overtake them.¡±


    Chang Hao¡¯s spirit aroused as he immediately stepped on the gas. The car instantly sped up and, within a few minutes, the distance between the car and the SUVs was only a dozen meters away. Furthermore, he kept honking under Tang Xiu¡¯s command.


    At the front, Li Laoshan, who was sleeping in the third black SUV slowly opened his eyes and slightly furrowed his brows. He took a glance at the back and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the car we just passed by.¡± Ji Shiyan said, ¡°They are now chasing us and keep honking. Do you want us to stop and teach them a lesson?¡±


    ¡°Forget it, continue to drive fast!¡± Li Laoshan shook his head and said.


    A few minutes later, Li Laoshan finally got impatient and then said in a deep voice, ¡°Stop and park. Have a look at them!¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Ji Shiyan replied and immediately ordered them to stop.


    After the seven cars stopped, Ji Shiyan got off directly, followed by four strong men. When she saw Tang Xiu coming out from the car, she strode over and coldly said, ¡°You got a problem or something?¡±


    Pointing to the SUV in front, Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°I want to take a ride on that car!¡±


    ¡°Bastard, don¡¯t you have a car as well?¡± Ji Shiyan scowled.


    ¡°Be politer and civilized, will you?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s expression turned cold, as he said, ¡°If not because of Old Fatty Li¡¯s face, I would have torn your mouth apart.¡±


    With a slightly changed expression, the anger in Ji Shiyan¡¯s eyes grew. Yet, she didn¡¯t act, and instead, vigilantly watched Tang Xiu, ¡°Who are you? How do you know that Mr. Li is in our car?¡±


    ¡°Just cut the crap. Go and tell Old Fatty Li that I want a ride.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    After staying silent for a while, Ji Shiyan then turned and gave a signal to the four strong men with her eyes. She then walked to the SUV in front, knocked on the window, and said, ¡°Boss Li, there¡¯s someone behind us who says he knows you are in the car. He also said he wants to take a ride. Do you want to see him?¡±


    ¡°Huh? He knows I¡¯m inside this car?¡± Li Laoshan dazed and said in astonishment, ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Ji Shiyan shook her head.


    ¡°Well, I never thought that I was famous here. To think that I would bump into someone who knows me.¡± Li Laoshan couldn¡¯t help laughing and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll see him.¡±


    As Li Laoshan got off, the four strong men from the other two cars on the front and rear also came out. Two men were in front, and the other two were behind to protect him.


    ¡°Old Fatty Li, how come the longer you live, the more backward you become? You have no need for such a big formation protecting you, right?¡± Tang Xiu teased loudly after seeing Li Laoshan.


    Li Laoshan dazed for a while and quickly walked forward several steps. After seeing Tang Xiu standing with arms crossed and smiling, he immediately waved to the two bodyguards in front to make way, as he instantly strode toward Tang Xiu. With an incredulous expression, he said, ¡°Brother Tang, you¡­ you¡­ how come you¡¯re here?¡±


    Tang Xiu hugged Li Laoshan and laughed, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You can come here, but I cannot?¡±


    While suppressing his shock, a smile appeared on Li Laoshan¡¯s plump face. He laughed loudly and said, ¡°It is said that, though kindred spirits are born a thousand miles apart, they shall still meet. It seems like Brother Tang and I really are predestined friends. We haven¡¯t seen each other for quite a long time after leaving Saipan. Anyhow, how have you been? You went to Shanghai University, have you hooked up with any campus flowers?¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing and said, ¡°I¡¯m a chaste young man, how could I go to university to chase some chicks? Anyhow, I was kinda surprised, though. Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s for a business deal.¡± Li Laoshan grinned.


    ¡°You have a problem if I take a ride with you?¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°What problem?¡± Li Laoshan joyfully replied, ¡°I¡¯m happy to have you ride the car with me! Anyways, let me introduce her to you. This is Ji Shiyan, the secretary of Yellowsteel Group¡¯s Boss.¡±


    Glancing at Ji Shiyan, Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°Yeah, I taste some attitude from her. Kinda overbearing.¡±


    Ji Shiyan didn¡¯t expect that Li Laoshan would actually know Tang Xiu, and that the duo was apparently very close. After hesitating, she then slightly leaned forward and said, ¡°Mr. Tang, I apologize for my attitude just now. I didn¡¯t know that you are Boss Li¡¯s friend.¡±


    ¡°Eh, what happened before?¡± Li Laoshan was surprised.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Anyhow, Fatty Li, wait for me a bit, I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    Having said that, he returned to that unlicensed taxi driver¡¯s window. He took 1,000 yuan from his wallet, handed it over to Chang Hao and then said with a smile, ¡°All right, you can drop me here! I¡¯ll take a ride with them.¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang, you¡¯re amazing! To think you came across such a Big Boss here.¡± Chang Hao who just heard the conversation between Tang Xiu and Li Laoshan raised his thumb and praised after receiving the money, ¡°All right, I¡¯ll go back then. If you need a car after you come back, just gimme a call. The fare will be just like we talked before.¡±


    Tang Xiu took Chang Hao¡¯s business card. After stuffing it into his pocket, he smiled and said, ¡°No problem.¡±


    As Chang Hao drove away, Tang Xiu followed Li Laoshan into the SUV. Since they sat in the back seat, Ji Shiyan moved to sit in the front seat.


    The six cars started.


    With a smiling face, Li Laoshan asked, ¡°Brother Tang, what are you doing in this place? That car before is an unlicensed taxi, right?¡±


    ¡°Yup, it¡¯s an unlicensed taxi.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°I got something to take care of in the depths of Shennong Ridge, thus I rushed here at night.¡±


    ¡°You got something to do in the depths of Shennong Ridge?¡± Li Laoshan was surprised and said, ¡°What is it? It¡¯s unsafe there, there are tons of wild animals and poisonous swamp everywhere.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for some medicinal herbs.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    Li Laoshan knew that Tang Xiu was a powerful martial artist, so he nodded and said, ¡°What medicinal herbs are you looking for, Brother Tang? Need me to lend a hand? I still have quite a lot of time after finishing the business talk with the Yellowsteel Group¡¯s Boss, so I can accompany you to Shennong Ridge.¡±


    ¡°No need!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and smiled, ¡°The medicinal herb I¡¯m looking for is very special, it¡¯s kinda hard to find.¡±


    On the front seat, Ji Shiyan smacked her lips. She took a disliking to Tang Xiu due to his arrogance.


    ¡°Brother Tang, you¡¯re looking down on this old brother of yours.¡± Li Laoshan said discontentedly, ¡°Your old brother might be weaker than you, but my skill is still more powerful than the average person. Besides, the more people we have, the stronger we are. With my help, perhaps you can find that medicinal herb sooner.¡±


    After saying that, he looked at Ji Shiyan and said, ¡°You go back and tell your boss that the contract signing will be delayed.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Ji Shiyan was secretly exasperated and angry inside. Yet, the target of her anger was not Li Laoshan, but the irksome guy who showed up unexpectedly and disrupted the plan ¡ª Tang Xiu. It must be known that the contract to be signed between Li Laoshan and Yellowsteel Group was very important, and she feared that her Boss would be worried and restless.


    ¡°Fatty Li, I already know the place where I¡¯m heading to in advance. It¡¯s the Shennong Ridge¡¯s Ghost King Valley, a very dangerous place. Even if it¡¯s me, I must be extra careful there. If you were to come with me, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile.


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    Ji Shiyan, who was feeling vexed inside, suddenly exclaimed after hearing the place where Tang Xiu would go.


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    JI Shiyan¡¯s face turned a bit unsightly, and quickly said, ¡°Mr. Tang, have you given careful thought? The Ghost King Valley is a dreadful place. It¡¯s definitely the most dangerous place I know of. All these years, there have been tons of daredevils wanting to explore that valley, and as far as I know, no one has yet been able to come out of that place alive. Hence, for us, the Fei City¡¯s inhabitants, the Ghost King Valley is simply a deathtrap fraught with dangers.¡±


    Tang Xiu glanced at her and immediately turned to Li Laoshan, saying with a smile, ¡°You heard that, Fatty Li? The place I¡¯m about to go is simply a deathtrap. You might as well go take care of your business! If after I come out of there you¡¯re still in Fei City, I¡¯ll then call you and we will have a glass of wine.¡±

 Chapter 414

    Chapter 414: An Eyesore


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    A glint flashed in Old Fatty Li¡¯s eyes. Shaking his head, he said with a smile, ¡°Brother Tang, I wasn¡¯t originally interested in where are you going, but my curiosity got piqued after hearing this. Alright, I¡¯ll take four bodyguards and enter Shennong Ridge with you, and then we go explore Ghost King Valley.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu was a bit hesitant. Seeing the enthusiasm on Old Fatty Li¡¯s face, he forced a wry smile and said, ¡°Very well then, come with me if it won¡¯t affect your business deal! Anyhow, let¡¯s rest after getting to Ziming County. I need to buy papers and a pen to draw the shape of the herbs I¡¯m looking for.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡± Fatty Old Li grinned.


    On the front seat, an angry look flashed in Ji Shiyan¡¯s face. Taking out her mobile phone, she dialed her boss¡¯s cell number. She then spoke about the situation there and Li Laoshan¡¯s decision. The Boss was silent for a long time, before urging her to advice him otherwise.


    After ending the call, Ji Shiyan then turned her head and said, ¡°Boss Li, Mr. Tang, my Boss said that, since Boss Li wants to go to Shennong Ridge, we must go with you to protect your safety.¡±


    ¡°Tell your Boss that I¡¯ll be with Tang Xiu, so we don¡¯t need any protection.¡± Li Laoshan waved his hand and said.


    ¡°Boss Li, please don¡¯t make things difficult for us. It¡¯s a direct order from my Boss.¡± Ji Shiyan forced a smile.


    After a moment¡¯s hesitation, Li Laoshan turned to Tang Xiu. This time he wanted to follow Tang Xiu to adventure and explore the ancient forest in the depths of the mountains. On the one hand, he wanted to regain his youthful spirit; while on the other, he also wanted to get along with Tang Xiu and get his favor. He felt that it was inconvenient for him to accept Ji Shiyan¡¯s request, as it would need Tang Xiu¡¯s consent.


    Seeing Li Laoshan¡¯s expression, Tang Xiu understood what he had in mind. After a moment¡¯s silence, he slowly said, ¡°It¡¯s not good for me to reject if you want to follow us, is it? Anyhow, I need to tell you before we enter Shennong Ridge. In the case of any accidents happens and you lose your people, I won¡¯t take the responsibility for it.¡±


    ¡°I know!¡± Ji Shiyan replied with a cold expression. Her tone was also a bit stiff and blunt.


    ¡°Of course, if your people can help me find that medicinal herb, I will give 10 million yuan as a reward to the one who found it.¡± Tang Xiu said once again, ¡°As for the others, they will also be rewarded 1 million yuan for their labor. Certainly, I won¡¯t give you a dime if we can¡¯t find it.¡±


    Ji Shiyan¡¯s brows raised, as a surprised expression flashed in her eyes. Although she had inferred that Tang Xiu had an extraordinary background, this kind of big statement was really surprising nonetheless.


    After all, coming up with a total of 20 million, this made her unable to imagine what kind of precious medicinal herb it was. To think that it was worth it for him to promise such handsome rewards.


    Ziming County.


    It was a very ordinary small county town in the mountainous area with a very poor economic level. Only after more than a decade of developing tourism did this place turn more decent. Although the town was not on par with the county towns in more developed regions, it was barely able to reach the standard of modern development.


    Ji Shiyan had already made reservations in the county¡¯s best hotel beforehand. Albeit it was not a 3-star hotel, Tang Xiu was saved from the trouble of finding a room as he stayed in the double room together with Li Laoshan.


    While everyone else was having eating or resting, Tang Xiu drew the Demonic Revival Grass¡¯ shape. After which, he rested for several hours. After lunch, he gave the sketch to everyone and let them memorize it.


    ¡°Brother Tang, are we leaving now?¡±


    When Li Laoshan heard Tang Xiu¡¯s suggestion for them to prepare to leave, he was surprised and immediately asked.


    ¡°Yea, I must find this medicinal herb as fast as possible. So we must set off now and try to reach the Ghost King Valley before dusk.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    With a cold look, Ji Shiyan shot Tang Xiu a glance and lightly said, ¡°Mr. Tang, I don¡¯t think you know the situation in Shennong Ridge. We probably won¡¯t be able to arrive at Ghost King Valley before night arrives even if we had left early in the morning, let alone now. I may haven¡¯t been there, but I had once sent some people to investigate Shennong Ridge and Ghost King Valley. We need to travel dozens of kilometers from the county town to the north and climb several hills. After crossing two big rivers, only then can we arrive at the Ghost King Valley.¡±


    ¡°Well, then let¡¯s do it to best of our ability!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    A few minutes later, the group left the hotel and quickly set off toward Shennong Ridge¡¯s direction on six cars. When they arrived at the mountain foot surrounding Shennong ridge, Ji Shiyan ordered some people to drive the car away, while she led four bodyguards and followed Tang Xiu and the others hiking.


    At first, everyone was very relaxed, even the four bodyguards led by Ji Shiyan, who had carries, could still keep up with everyone¡¯s pace. However, after crossing two mountains, they were somewhat panting and their pace significantly reduced. Immediately afterward, Old Fatty Li¡¯s four bodyguards who took over the carries were finally unable to endure it after trekking over another mountain.


    ¡°Brother Tang, how about we take a rest? We have walked for four hours, my tights starting to tremble.¡± Old Fatty Li¡¯s face was full of sweat, as he forced a wry smile and said when he looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s face that neither looked red nor was out of breath.


    ¡°All right. Let¡¯s rest for half an hour!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    What made him surprised was that Ji Shiyan was only slightly sweating on her forehead and didn¡¯t even look tired, whereas Old Fatty Li and the eight bodyguards were profusely perspiring and looked fatigued.


    After half an hour of rest, everyone began to trek again. For the sake of not delaying time, Tang Xiu took the four backpacks from the bodyguards. This scene caused the eight bodyguards to widen their eyes with shock. Even Ji Shiyan was astonished.


    They knew that each of those four large backpacks weighed several tens of kilos. Adding up, it was more than 90kg. Tang Xiu¡¯s strength and physical quality caused everyone to marvel.


    Night fell. Everyone stopped at the mountainside of the fifth mountain. They found a place with flat terrain, thus everyone decided to stay there to camp, preparing to stay overnight.


    ¡°All of you wait here. I¡¯ll get some wild game and we¡¯ll have a barbecue tonight.¡± Tang Xiu casually said while looking at the panting crowd on the ground. He then quickly slipped into the nearby woods.


    Li Laoshan raised his arm and was about to stop Tang Xiu. However, Tang Xiu¡¯s speed was too fast and he couldn¡¯t stop him. He saw Tang Xiu¡¯s figure disappearing into the woods, as a look of helplessness appeared on his plump face.


    ¡°Boss Li, who exactly is he?¡±


    At this moment, Ji Shiyan was full of curiosity toward Tang Xiu. It was because, along the way, their travel was not particularly smooth. On several occasions, they encountered several wild animals, and it was Tang Xiu who came to the front to drive them away. He even lent a hand to several miserably tired people.


    ¡°He, ah!¡± Li Laoshan grinned and said, ¡°He¡¯s someone with extraordinary talent. Even I myself am unable to completely understand this little brother of mine. Secretary Ji, don¡¯t look down on him. I¡¯ve seen people who looked down on him and ended up miserable.¡±


    After hesitating for a moment, Ji Shiyan then said in a low voice, ¡°He¡¯s indeed very strong. To think that he can easily traverse easily this mountain¡­ He should be a martial artist, yes? But, he¡¯s way too insane.¡±


    ¡°Insane?¡± Li Laoshan burst into laughter, ¡°Brother Tang is modest and has a good character. You think he¡¯s insane because he¡¯s an eyesore for you.¡±


    ¡°Yea, he¡¯s kinda annoying and tiresome.¡± Ji Shiyan said.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s forget it. I¡¯ll say nothing more about him.¡± Li Laoshan said with a smile, ¡°If anything, you¡¯ll know what he is like after you get along with him. Regardless, I still must advise you not to provoke him. Let alone you yourself, even if it¡¯s your Boss, he will probably suffer quite a loss.¡±


    ¡°But Boss Li, you haven¡¯t answered me. What is his background?¡± Ji Shiyan quickly asked.


    ¡°He has a lot of identities. However, I won¡¯t tell you the details.¡± Li Laoshan said with a smile, ¡°In short, just remember my words: do not provoke him. Don¡¯t court trouble for yourself and the Yellowsteel Group. Or else, I won¡¯t work with you again if he acts against you.¡±


    ¡°I understand!¡±


    Ji Shiyan nodded, yet the curiosity inside her heart toward Tang Xiu¡¯s identity grew.


    ¡°All right, let everyone rest after setting up the tents!¡± Li Laoshan said with a smile, ¡°By the way, tell some men to pick firewood for the barbecue.¡±


    A flash of contempt was seen in Ji Shiyan¡¯s eyes as she said, ¡°Boss Li, please don¡¯t joke with me. He did say he¡¯d get some wild games or something, but did you take it seriously? This forested mountain is very dark. Although it¡¯s not as if you can¡¯t see anything, wanting to hunt some game is kind of¡­¡±


    Before she finished speaking, it was as though an invisible person grabbed her neck at this moment, causing her to swallow her words. A dazed look appeared on her pretty face as she looked at Tang Xiu in disbelief, as he just came out of the darkness with something in his hand. Was that thing in his hand¡­ a deer?


    ¡°Wow! You¡¯re amazing, Brother Tang! It¡¯s been only a few minutes, yet you actually got such a ¡­ good thing!¡± Li Laoshan crawled up from the ground with shining eyes and praised.


    Tang Xiu put the deer on the ground. He then smiled and said, ¡°It was just good luck that I spotted this deer. Any of you know how to barbecue?¡±


    Li Laoshan smacked his lips and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m not sure about others, but roasting meat is something this Fatty Li is great at! That¡¯s right, Secretary Ji, your men bought a lot of life supplies. Did you buy seasonings or something?¡±


    ¡°I saw the item list they bought, and I think they have sauce for roasting meat.¡± Ji Shiyan nodded and said, ¡°In fact, one of my bodyguards is from a hunter family.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡±


    Li Laoshan exclaimed as he took the deer. Afterward, he strode toward the side.


    Ji Shiyan turned to Tang Xiu. Although the night was dark, she still could see Tang Xiu¡¯s tranquil expression, since the distance between the two was relatively close. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, ¡°Mr. Tang, you¡­ how did you do it?¡±


    ¡°Well, it was very simple, really.¡± Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°I was faster and stronger than it.¡±

 Chapter 415

    Chapter 415: If One Is Not Enough, How About Two


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Ji Shiyan¡¯s response could only be described as speechless. Easy-to-understand, simple, and straightforward, yet giving a feeling of a perfunctory person.


    She wasn¡¯t able to dig anything about Tang Xiu¡¯s identity from Li Laoshan a moment ago. Therefore, she intended to ask him personally. After organizing the words she wanted to say, she then said, ¡°Mr. Tang, we can be considered as companions since we entered Shennong Ridge together, but I know nothing about you. Would you mind introducing yourself?¡±


    As if able to see through her mind, Tang Xiu smiled lightly and said, ¡°Do you want to find out about my identity and background? Didn¡¯t Old Fatty Li told you?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me anything.¡± Ji Shiyan shook her head.


    ¡°As a matter of fact, you don¡¯t need to know anything about me.¡± Tang Xiu gave a slight smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s because we simply met by chance, and thus became companions. If anything, we won¡¯t cross each other again in the future after leaving Shennong Ridge. So, it¡¯s unimportant for you to know who I am.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Ji Shiyan looked furious, yet she suppressed the anger. Tang Xiu was an eyesore for her, and now, after hearing his words, her impression of him just got worse. Hence, she didn¡¯t feel like paying attention to him anymore. She turned to her bodyguard, helping him set up a tent.


    A cool mountain breeze blew.


    Tang Xiu closed his eyes and started cultivating quietly. The air inside the ancient forest in the depths of the mountain was very fresh and contained abundant spiritual qi. The star force inside his body surged through his meridians, increasing his perception. As the wind brought the barbecue fragrance along, Tang Xiu¡¯s ear moved slightly and his eyes suddenly opened.


    ¡°Everyone, be careful! There¡¯s something approaching us!¡±


    Tang Xiu shouted and his body floated up, taking his Bloodguzzler dagger in hand. His eyes were vigilant, constantly scanning the surrounding area. He instantly released his spiritual sense, covering the 200-300 meters of the surrounding area.


    Upon hearing him, the eight who were packing their tents and the rest of the bodyguards who were resting immediately jumped and glanced around, raising their vigilance to guard against all possible dangers. Even Ji Shiyan had her expression slightly changed.


    Li Laoshan raised his head and said, ¡°Brother Tang, I¡¯ll hand command over our safety to you. I¡¯m responsible for roasting the meat. Thus, we can enjoy a delicious barbecue when it¡¯s safe.¡±


    Tang Xiu wryly smiled upon hearing it.


    This Li Laoshan truly had big balls.


    As time passed by, vague howls could be faintly heard. Furthermore, the sounds were getting clearer.


    ¡°Be careful, it¡¯s a pack of wolves.¡±


    A middle-aged bodyguard¡¯s expression slightly changed as he suddenly reminded the rest.


    Tang Xiu looked at him with slight astonishment. He didn¡¯t expect this man¡¯s hearing to be so sensitive. A few minutes later, Tang Xiu secretly forced a smile, since several wild wolves appeared within the range of his spiritual sense. After the wolves appeared in his spiritual sense range, they observed all directions and howled to summon the rest of pack. After several breaths, dozens of wild wolves quickly approached.


    In this few minutes, Tang Xiu discovered that the middle-aged bodyguard who had just alerted everyone took four or five roots the size of baby¡¯s arm and a three meters long branch from the surroundings. He then deftly bundled up the dry firewood to one of the branches.


    ¡°Are you making a torch?¡± Tang Xiu came toward the middle-aged bodyguard and asked.


    ¡°Yeah, lit it up and wait.¡± The middle-aged bodyguard nodded and said, ¡°If the wolf pack surrounds us, we can use it to threaten to them.¡±


    ¡°There are nearly 50 wild wolves coming, and they are about 100 meters away from us.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°They are not in a hurry to attack us, but are hiding in the dark, peeping at us. Do you see the bushes over there? There are two wolves hiding there, scouting the place.¡±


    The middle-aged bodyguard¡¯s complexion changed. He immediately gave the torch to his companion and growled, ¡°Light it up quickly! If Mr. Tang is correct, those wolves should be attacking us within the next two minutes. To my knowledge, they must have been attracted by the smell of roasted meat!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s also another big guy coming at us.¡± Tang Xiu sighed, ¡°Anyhow, you¡¯ll take up the defense. I¡¯ll do the hunt and killing.¡±


    Li Laoshan looked up and said with a solemn face, ¡°Brother Tang, don¡¯t take it lightly. Those wolves are cruel and sinister. A bear is also very powerful and its speed is rather fast too. If you take it lightly, you may lose your life due to carelessness.¡±


    ¡°Relax, I don¡¯t do things half-heartedly.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    He had the strength, thus the confidence.


    Tang Xiu was even sure that he alone could easily kill the entire pack of wolves and the bear. However, there were the bodyguards and Ji Shiyan, after all. He didn¡¯t want to expose his identity as a cultivator. Yet, that was the only solution that could guarantee to solve the immediate crisis, rather than having them all killed.


    _Shoo¡­_


    With his spiritual sense covering the area, Tang Xiu locked on the two wild wolves hiding in the bushes. In an instant, his body bolted toward them.


    ¡°Auooo¡­. Auoo¡­¡±


    The wolves howled and squeaked. When they were preparing to retreat and flee, the Bloodguzzler slashed in a curved trajectory midair, as it accurately swept one of the wolves¡¯ neck and then stabbed the other¡¯s abdomen. The Bloodguzzler was a dagger refined by Tang Xiu himself, and was magical weapon. Hence, it could easily kill the two wolves under Tang Xiu¡¯s control.


    _Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!_


    Wild wolves quickly rushed over with eyes emitting out green light. Their eyes flashed with savage and ferocious intent as they bolted toward Tang Xiu, attempting to prey on him.


    ¡°DIE!¡±


    Brandishing the Bloodguzzler, Tang Xiu constantly flashed around, slashing the wolves. Within half a minute, more than ten wild wolves had died in his hands, and more than a dozen were severely injured.


    ¡°Aouo¡­¡±


    The wolves¡¯ miserable shrills reverberated in all directions, as the wolves that were still alive fled. Ferocious and sinister their nature may be, yet, facing a terrifying opponent such as Tang Xiu, they could only flee after losing so many companions.


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu used his spiritual sense to monitor the fleeing wolves. As they disappeared from the range of his spiritual sense, he then took a wild wolf¡¯s corpse and turned toward the campfire.


    _Bam!_


    Tang Xiu dropped the wolf¡¯s corpse in front of Li Laoshan under everyone¡¯s jaw-dropped gaze. He then said with a smile, ¡°I was just worrying that one roasted deer wouldn¡¯t be enough for everyone. Luckily a prey delivered itself to our door. Anyhow, Fatty Li, you gotta work hard again and roast this wolf as well.¡±


    Gulping down his saliva, Li Laoshan carefully asked, ¡°Brother Tang, I heard the howling of many wolves. You¡­ you were actually surrounded by the pack of wolves, yet, not only are you safe, you even killed one? Damn¡­ aren¡¯t you¡­ too powerful?¡±


    ¡°I brought just one corpse, is it enough to be called powerful?¡± Tang Xiu with a strange tone.


    ¡°If you¡¯re not powerful, then who else can be called powerful?¡± Li Laoshan forced a smile.


    Tang Xiu pointed to the direction where he had just killed the wolves, turned to Ji Shiyan, and said with a smile, ¡°Secretary Ji, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to take some men to check it out. If you think wolf meat is good, you can bring back a few more.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ji Shiyan asked dully.


    ¡°You¡¯ll know after you get there!¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    Ji Shiyan was silent for several seconds. She finally nodded and slowly led the four bodyguards. A few minutes later, under the torch¡¯s light, she saw a scene that made her eyes stare wide with shock. Around her, the four bodyguards were stunned as well, their hearts madly thumping and their bodies slightly shivering.


    ¡°T-these¡­ these many dead wolves?¡±


    A bodyguard murmured in a low voice.


    Ji Shiyan was hardly able to turn her head the way they came. She then inhaled deeply to suppress her shock and said in a deep voice, ¡°Everyone, work together and bring the dead wolves back.¡±


    ¡°Secretary Ji, we can¡¯t bring them all at once!¡± A bodyguard called out.


    ¡°Then do it twice if you can¡¯t do it all at once!¡± Ji Shiyan said in a deep voice, ¡°Be quick and careful, the wolves still alive might come back to get revenge.¡±


    Five minutes later, Ji Shiyan appeared near the campfire, bringing a wolf corpse, as the four bodyguards also brought two each.


    ¡°Heavens! This, this, this¡­¡±


    Li Laoshan sprang up, as his bottom left the stone for the first time. He even ignored the roasted venison in front of him. In disbelief, he exclaimed, ¡°How could there be so many dead wolves? These wild wolves¡­ were they slain by¡­ Brother Tang?¡±


    Nodding in response, Ji Shiyan then looked at Tang Xiu with a bit of fear in her eyes. She finally realized what Li Laoshan meant before. What he said was not to scare her out. This mysterious Mr. Tang was truly terrifying.


    She had inspected the corpses and found that most of them were slain by a knife. Among them were two or three wild wolves with a smashed head and burst eyes. There was no wound anywhere else.


    What did this mean? It meant that they were killed bare-handedly by Tang Xiu.


    She could hardly imagine how powerful and how fast Tang Xiu was, to think that he could kill wild wolves with bare hands.


    Li Laoshan strode toward Tang Xiu and said in astonishment, ¡°Brother Tang, how powerful are you, exactly? That lad from Qingcheng Mountain was certainly unable to do this.¡±


    ¡°I have made it clear already when I was in Saipan, no?¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°He couldn¡¯t even defeat my men, how could he be my opponent?¡±


    Gulping his saliva yet again, Li Laoshan raised his thumb and sighed in praise, ¡°I¡¯m impressed, I really am. No wonder Chen Zhizhong is your disciple. I¡¯m now itching to acknowledge you as my Master as well.¡±


    ¡°Well, you first gotta reduce your big belly if you want to have me as your teacher.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled as he replied back.


    With an embarrassed smile, Li Laoshan was about to speak when he saw that Ji Shiyan and the four bodyguards were about to leave again. He suddenly asked curiously, ¡°Secretary Ji, are you¡­¡±


    ¡°The rest of the dead wolves haven¡¯t been brought over yet. Shall we go bring the rest?¡± Ji Shiyan replied.


    ¡°There are more?¡±


    Li Laoshan jumped up and involuntarily cried out in fright.

 Chapter 416

    Chapter 416: Incidents Always Happens


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Everyone was shocked at seeing dead wolves everywhere. Eyes filled with awe fixated on Tang Xiu. The eight bodyguards originally thought that their Kung Fu skills were pretty good, but they finally realized that the gap between them and Tang Xiu was simply like heaven and earth.


    The bonfire was burning, the grilled meat turned glossy and the roasted meat fragrance filled the air, yet no one wanted to take a bite. Under everyone¡¯s shocked expressions, Tang Xiu constantly released his spiritual sense, observing the approaching bear.


    ¡°It¡¯s coming!¡± Tang Xiu suddenly said.


    Everyone suddenly sobered up.


    ¡°What¡¯s coming?¡± Li Laoshan asked blankly.


    However, just as he spoke, a gargantuan figure appeared before his vision, a terrifying black bear. The sight made everyone shudder.


    As Ji Shiyan involuntarily retreated, she suddenly recalled something and immediately shouted, ¡°Shoot it!¡±


    Immediately, two bodyguards abruptly awoke from their daze and took the guns from their waists, pulling the trigger without a second thought. Dark muzzles spit out flames. The big black bear slammed into the ground, convulsed and then died.


    Retracting his spiritual sense, Tang Xiu then looked at Li Laoshan and said with a smile, ¡°Fatty Li, the crisis has been averted. You gotta make roast sticks if the barbecue hasn¡¯t been done yet.¡±


    Stunned and shocked, Li Laoshan suddenly dashed toward the bonfire. While turning the venison, he exclaimed in praise, ¡°Brother Tang, this Fatty Li saw your ability today. You¡¯re so damn powerful! Amazing! You gotta give me pointers later. I might not be able to become an invincible expert, but it would be damn fun if I go to Qingcheng Mountain and beat that guy a few times.¡±


    ¡°I told you to lose your big belly before learning Kung Fu.¡± Tang Xiu smirked.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not easy to lose weight, you know.¡± Li Laoshan forced a smile and said, ¡°Been trying for many years, and yet it¡¯s like I¡¯m dying while sleeping. It¡¯s because of this mouth of mine! It¡¯s unable to have enough. Bah, forget it. Though my Kung Fu isn¡¯t as good as yours, it¡¯s enough to beat up a few local punks. That¡¯s enough.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll give you a prescription to cure your kidney after we leave Shennong Ridge.¡± Tang Xiu laughed and said, ¡°It¡¯s not good to have a kidney deficiency after you¡¯re over 40.¡±


    Kidney deficiency?


    Li Laoshan was dazed for a while and looked awkward all of a sudden. The others, whether they were the bodyguards or the beautiful Ji Shiyan, looked at Li Laoshan with strange expressions.


    ¡°That¡¯s it! The barbecue is done!¡±


    For the sake of pulling himself out from embarrassment, Li Laoshan quickly touched his nose and shouted.


    Everyone held back their smiles and quickly surrounded the bonfire. They watched as Li Laoshan deftly cut off pieces of venison as they receiving the meat and began eating. Tang Xiu wanted to take the Gods Nectar from his interspatial ring; having it with roasted venison would be really great. However, he couldn¡¯t expose the interspatial ring¡¯s secret.


    The next morning, after everyone dismantled the tents and reorganized their stuff, they continued to trek. They could only leave the wolves¡¯ and the black bear¡¯s corpses behind since they couldn¡¯t carry them.


    However, after trekking for more than 20 minutes, Tang Xiu made an excuse to scour the terrain. Then, he quickly returned to the camp and put the dead wolves and big black bear into his interspatial ring.


    The following journey was also fraught with dangers. After trekking for more than two hours they arrived at a swamp. It was fortunate that Tang Xiu acted fast enough to help two bodyguards that had fallen into the swamp. Afterward, just as they passed around the poisonous marsh, some in the group had indications of being poisoned. Luckily, Tang Xiu had knowledge in medicine, thus, he was able to treat them and they were finally able to recover.


    As they climbed the mountain, everyone constantly encountered a variety of wild animals. Some of the beasts possessed simple intelligence due to living for a long time. Therefore, be their speed and strength, they were on par with low-grade fierce beasts. Even though Tang Xiu acted on each time, however, the bodyguards still suffered some injuries. Even Li Laoshan¡¯s plump bottom was also torn for a few centimeters long cheetah¡¯s sharp claw.


    At Ghost King Valley.


    The deep valley was formed in the middle of three big mountains and was covered by mist throughout the year. The bushes were one or two meters high with wild thorns spread everywhere, and the mountain was steep and full of rugged rocks. Entering this place, even if one were to open the path with a machete, if they were not careful, they could possibly tread on the empty air and fall into a several meters deep cavern.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, let¡¯s not go further into the Ghost King Valle range. It¡¯s getting dark now, we had better set up tents in here first. The exploring should be done in the morning, don¡¯t you think?¡± Ji Shiyan no longer felt annoyed by Tang Xiu, but now deeply worshipped him.


    She was a taekwondo athlete in her school days. But in this adventure, the strength showcased by Tang Xiu deeply impressed her. If it wasn¡¯t because of Tang Xiu acting on several occasions, she would¡¯ve died under the beast¡¯s¡¯ claws already.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment. Shaking his head, he then slowly said, ¡°Here is not a good choice of campground. This place is already inside the Ghost King Valley range. You¡¯ve seen those wild animals before. There are a lot of them, and they are very strong. If we stay here, I¡¯m afraid we will have to guard against those wild animals¡¯ attacks all night.¡±


    ¡°What should we do then?¡± Ji Shiyan asked, ¡°If we enter Ghost King Valley, I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t have time to rest either. Besides, the surrounding environment will be even more dangerous for us.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s look for a cave.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°We¡¯ll divide into groups of three to look around for a cave to temporarily occupy. Although staying in a cave is not necessarily safe, it¡¯s much safer than sleeping outside.¡±


    ¡°How can there be any caves here.¡± Ji Shiyan forced a smile.


    ¡°Secretary Ji, you said it before, didn¡¯t you?¡± Li Laoshan¡¯s expression suddenly flickered as he said, ¡°Tons of people came to Ghost King Valley, yet no one was able to return. Maybe they faced the same situation as us. Hence, they should have dug a cave nearby! Listen to Brother Tang and search it!¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    Ji Shiyan replied and began searching with the bodyguards. Soon, a pleasantly surprised news came over. A group of three bodyguards found a cave in a place about 700-800 meters away. The entrance to the cave was not big, and it was covered by weeds outside. If not because one of the bodyguards wanted to pee, they probably wouldn¡¯t have found it.


    ¡°The cave is very small. Only five people can get in.¡±


    After the group checked the cave, they found a problem after examining it, causing them to turn immediately disappointed.


    ¡°The cave doesn¡¯t have enough space. We¡¯ll take a short break and then begin to dig.¡± Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and said, ¡°We should be able to double the space in a few hours. Then, five of us must stay outside to keep the night watch, while the others rest inside the cave. As long as everyone takes turns and stays alert, we can pass this night safely.¡±


    ¡°But we have no tools, Mr. Tang!¡± A bodyguard forced a bitter smile.


    ¡°I think we do. Aren¡¯t there two shovels in your backpack?¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°The others also brought a dagger each, so we can use them.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ All right!¡±


    Under Tang Xiu¡¯s command, everyone began to dig. The cave finally enlarged after spending more than two hours, and it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to accommodate eight people inside at the same time.


    _Roar¡­_


    At this moment, when everyone was sitting at the mouth of the cave tired and catching their breath, a beast¡¯s roar sounded outside.


    ¡°The ones with guns, bring them and guard the entrance. The rest enter the cave! The beast¡¯s howl was very loud, so it should be a beast. After you¡¯ve finished positioning yourselves, I¡¯ll have a look at it!¡± Tang Xiu quickly let out a loud cry and rushed to the sound¡¯s direction.


    His initial speed was low, but it immediately soared after he was out of everyone¡¯s sight. He was like a ghost traversing through the forested mountains. A few minutes later, his figure appeared in a bush. He then saw a dark rhino-like fierce beast with four snow-white hoofs through the slit of the bushes.


    The rhino-like fierce beast was three meters tall, with eyes as large as a bowl and a more than 20 cm long horn on its head. Facing it were three nearly two-meters-high white tigers who were constantly roaring at the rhino-like fierce beast. From the looks of it, they were ready to attack it at any time.


    _This rhino-like fierce beast is definitely a high-grade fierce beast. Its strength is probably not lower than mine. Nevertheless, those three white tigers are probably very powerful as well. Otherwise, the rhino-like fierce beast would have already attacked and killed them_ , Tang Xiu secretly thought while hiding in the bushes.


    However, at this moment, he had no fear. This rhino-like fierce beast may be very powerful, but it paled in comparison to the Fire Qilin in the Sky Cavern.


    _It¡¯d be good if they killed each other off, so that I and the others can safely look for the Demonic Revival Grass. Otherwise, except for me, who¡¯s able to slip quietly into the depths of the Ghost King Valley, the others won¡¯t be able to enter. Once these fierce beasts discover them others, I¡¯m afraid there would be only a dead end for them._


    Tang Xiu racked his brain for a moment, and then secretly decided. He bent his waist and quietly picked up a thumb-sized stone from the ground, and then quietly circled around to the other side. While restraining his own breath and aura, he then threw the stone at them.


    The angle was extremely good!


    Tang Xiu¡¯s location when he threw the stone was exactly behind those three white tigers. However, the stone just scratched a white tiger¡¯s body before fiercely hitting the rhino-like fierce beast.


    _ROAR¡­_


    The moment the rhino-like fierce beast and the three white tigers turned their heads, its forehead was hit. The beast was immediately infuriated as its four snow-white hooves trampled on the ground and dashed toward the three white tigers. Its speed was extremely fast. Faster than Tang Xiu¡¯s speed when fully exerting his strength.

 Chapter 417

    Chapter 417: The Real Beneficiary


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    In the bushes, Tang Xiu¡¯s watchful eyes saw as the three white tigers responded extremely fast. Almost in an instant, they all jumped to both sides. Their vigorous physique swayed from side to side, clawing and swooping back as their sharp claws slashed toward the rhino.


    _Roar¡­_


    The rhino-like beast was cornered and flanked. Its stout thigh raised and a sharp talon protruded from the meat pad as it clashed with the white tiger¡¯s claws. Sparks flew in all directions as the white tiger was sent flying. however, another white tiger¡¯s claws torn the rhino-like fierce beast¡¯s thigh.


    _Roar¡­_


    Furthermore, the other white tiger spat out its inner core and bombarded the rhino-like fierce beast¡¯s back. The hit made its body stagger and almost topple.


    However, the rhino-like fierce beast was evidently infuriated, and it was also much faster. It suddenly leapt, dashing to the side of the white tiger that had spewed its core. If not for the other two white tigers that were fast enough to spit out their cores to attack the rhino-like fierce beast, perhaps that white tiger would have been stabbed to death by the rhino¡¯s horn. Despite so, the white tiger was still hit and flew upside down for more than 10 meters, as it fell down 7-8 meters away from Tang Xiu.


    _Hou, Hou¡­_


    The three white tigers took back their inner cores and swallowed it back into their stomachs. They then simultaneously rushed toward the rhino-like fierce beast. Each of their attacks were aggressive and fierce, inflicting quite heavy injuries to the rhino-like fierce beast, yet also leaving deep wounds on themselves.


    Their fight continued for a long time.


    The three white tigers were obviously under the wind. The moment one of the white tigers was kicked by the rhino-like fierce beast, the other two white tigers tacitly spewed out their inner cores and bombarded the rhino. However, the rhino-like fierce beast reacted extremely fast and instantly spit out its dark inner core as it collided with the two white tigers¡¯.


    _Boom¡­_


    _Boom¡­_


    The two white tigers¡¯ cores exploded loudly and they crazily spurted out blood, flying upside down tens of meters away, and then slammed on the ground, dying. However, a crack also appeared on the rhino-like fierce beast¡¯s inner core, as the last white tiger suddenly rushed to pick the rhino¡¯s inner core and swallowed it in its stomach.


    _Boom¡­_


    Just as the white tiger¡¯s four feet landed on the ground, its body exploded.


    _Raargh¡­_


    The rhino-like fierce beast wailed. Its big eyes shed tears of blood as its front hoof collapsed and its body slammed on the ground.


    Tang Xiu, who was hiding in the bushes, had his qi and blood boil inside as he saw the four fierce beasts fighting and roaring. On several occasions, he couldn¡¯t withstand it and almost fled. However, at this moment, Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes shined when he saw the rhino-like fierce beast collapse.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    With his heart racing and using his mind to control Bloodguzzler, the dagger turned into a flash of lightning that pierced through the rhino¡¯s neck. It was then forcefully thrust in its head again. Tang Xiu¡¯s figure then instantly appeared behind the rhino-like fierce beast. With his feet stepping on its tail, his fist suddenly bombarded its spine.


    _Bang¡­_


    The beast struggled to stand up. However, Tang Xiu¡¯s punch was too powerful and it was already severely injured, thus it was toppled directly.


    ¡°DIE!¡±


    Shouting, Tang Xiu infused Bloodguzzler with star force, the blade flashing with light. As Tang Xiu brandished his dagger, the blade light then hacked into the rhino-like fierce beast¡¯s back.


    _Roar¡­_


    As if exerting its last strength, the rhino suddenly jumped up and crazily attempted to rush into the Ghost King Valley. It was only able to sprint for a few kilometers before its body then loudly crashed into the ground.


    Tang Xiu followed it up and wiped the blood on his face. Appearing next to the rhino-like fierce beast¡¯s body, he then controlled Bloodguzzler and pierced the rhino¡¯s body again and again. He only stopped when it wasn¡¯t moving anymore.


    ¡°What a great profit!¡±


    Grinning ear to ear, Tang Xiu then stuffed the rhino and the white tiger corpses into his interspatial ring.


    ¡°Confine in a circle of the sphere, drawing it as a forbidden space.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s hands moved as his star force emitted out and condensed into runes. Quickly, a single rune enveloped the range of dozens of meters. Tang Xiu¡¯s ten type of souls were then integrated into the rune as a rich spiritual power of heaven and earth flowed from all directions into Tang Xiu¡¯s body.


    The huge amount of energy from the fierce beast¡¯s exploded inner core had yet to dissipate. Using his divine magical spell, Tang Xiu enveloped an area of dozens of meters and confined most of the energy. Following that, he went all out to absorb the energy, refining it and transforming it into his cultivation.


    The heaven and earth spiritual qi may not be of much use to him, but the energy contained in the fierce beasts¡¯ cores would help him greatly. He only needed to refine the energies he had absorbed and store them inside his muscles, bones and his organs. Whenever he took pills, he could assimilate the energy and make his body and soul stronger, increasing his strength by leaps and bounds.


    Tang Xiu had a feeling that his next breakthrough would definitely have an unexpectedly pleasant surprise with such a huge amount of energy stored inside his body.


    ¡°As the two parties fight, the third party reaps the benefits from them.¡±


    A brilliant smile appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s handsome face. Never did he expect that his luck would be so good. Encountering a situation where fierce beasts fought, the result was that he got the benefits cheaply.


    Moreover, they slaughtered each other due to him adding fuel to the flames.


    _Huh? Something is amiss! Fierce beasts of this level usually appear near treasures. That rhino-like and white tiger fierce beasts must have fought for treasures or something._


    As Tang Xiu thought up to there, his body suddenly shook. He then released his spiritual power and soon found that, within the depths of Ghost King Valley, about 700-800 meters inside, there was an alluringly beautiful flower amidst the rocks. The flower had seven petals with a faint floral scent fluttering around, causing one¡¯s spirit to quickly enter a trance state.


    _This is not right! Isn¡¯t that the Soul Phantasmagoria Demonic Flower? Damn, how can this terrible thing appear on Earth?_


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed and he immediately retreated dozens of meters. Only then did the stimulating sensation slowed down.


    The Soul Phantasmagoria Demonic Flower was a terrifying demonic flower in the Demon Realm that was definitely ranked in the top ten objects. It had a bright scarlet appearance, was alluringly beautiful, and had a faint floral scent. Once one smelled it, one would feel their soul stimulated at first. But as time went by, it would make them fall into a dreamland, while their bodies would be more violently stimulated. Even if one was an Immortal with a very powerful cultivation level, inhaling the scent of the Soul Phantasmagoria Demonic Flower for a long time would make him fall into madness and eventually die.


    however, that was not the worst. The most terrifying was after taking it. If a formidable expert with a powerful cultivation level used the flower for medicine or in concocting pills, there was only one outcome ¡ª death. Therefore, this Soul Phantasmagoria Demonic Flower was also called Flower of Death in the Demon Realm. After it was used as medicine or concocted into pills, it would become colorless and odorless. It simply wouldn¡¯t reveal any abnormalities. It wouldn¡¯t bring any qualitative changes to medicines and pills whatsoever.


    As Tang Xiu¡¯s horrified feeling faded, his mind kept racing to find information about the Soul Phantasmagoria Demonic Flower. Soon, a bright smile appeared on his face.


    There was another meaning for the existence of the Soul Phantasmagoria Demonic Flower here. That was, the flower was the companion of the Demonic Revival Grass. Wherever this flower grows, there must be a Demonic Revival Grass growing nearby. If this flower was alive, then the Demonic Revival Grass was certainly alive as well.


    _I must find it. I must!_


    A firm glint flashed inside Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. He constantly released his spiritual sense in all directions. After being released to a certain place nearly 300 meters away, Tang Xiu then discovered the Demonic Revival Grass inside a crevice among the lumps of several hundred pounds of heavy stone.


    ¡°Open up!¡±


    Tang Xiu forcefully kicked the boulder with an excited glint in his eyes. With utmost care, he picked up the Demonic Revival Grass, including some of the soil and its roots, and then stored it into his interspatial ring. After that, he released his star force and wrapped the Soul Phantasmagoria Demonic Flower, storing it in his interspatial ring as well.


    _I really didn¡¯t expect to actually find the Demonic Revival Grass on Earth. It seems that Earth is really mysterious. Nonetheless, this Ghost King Valley seems to have a few secrets. However, just outside the Ghost King Valley already appeared four fierce beasts stronger than me. If I were to rashly venture inside, I¡¯m afraid that it wouldn¡¯t end well. In any case, I¡¯ve obtained the Demonic Revival Grass and I can¡¯t stay any longer, so I must leave this place first. After my cultivation is stronger, I¡¯ll come back and explore this place again._


    After deeply pondering, Tang Xiu then decided to leave.


    A few minutes later, when he left the edge of Ghost King Valley and rushed toward the cave, he suddenly heard gunfire and screams.


    _A fight!_


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion changed and he suddenly sped up. As he used his enhanced vision to see the surrounding near the cave entrance, his heart gradually sank.


    Dozens of fierce beasts were there. Although they were all were low-grade fierce beasts, there were many types of them. Wild lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, and giant pythons. They neither fought nor seemed to be threatening each other as they besieged six bodyguards. Tang Xiu looked on helplessly as the six bodyguards used their guns and knives but had their bodies ripped apart by the fierce beasts, while two giant pythons quickly slithered toward the cave.


    _I can¡¯t conceal it anymore, it seems._


    Tang Xiu forced a smile inside. His wrist flipped as several Lightning Symbols and Kindle Flame Symbols appeared in his hands. He sprinted toward the fierce beasts and fiercely attacked them.


    _Boom¡­_


    Inside the cave.


    Li Laoshan and Ji Shiyan looked desperate. They could clearly see the horrible deaths of the six bodyguards outside due to the moonlight. The two gun-bearing bodyguards in front of them had fear on their faces. They constantly pulled the triggers, shooting at the two giant pythons.


    Unfortunately, the bullets couldn¡¯t penetrate the two giant pythons¡¯ scales. The bullets could only create sparks, leaving white marks on their scales. However, this enraged the two giant pythons, causing their speed to continue accelerating.

 Chapter 418

    Chapter 418: Fleeing


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The Lightning Symbols and Kindle Flame Symbols¡¯ explosions caused dozens of fierce beasts to panic like ducks in a thunderstorm as they fled everywhere. However, several fierce beasts were struck and severely injured as they fell to the ground.


    The two giant pythons who were about to rush into the cave also realized the unusual situation behind them at this moment. Their cold eyes looked started. After momentarily stopping they turned to flee.


    Fire was their nemesis!


    At this time, Li Laoshan and Ji Shiyan, who were inside the cave, as well as the two bodyguards, also saw the scene outside. They were originally panic-stricken because of the fight, but the lightning flash and the overspread raging fire made them dumbfounded and hesitating.


    What happened? Where did the lighting come from? From where did the flame appear?


    At that moment, Tang Xiu¡¯s figure finally sprinted into the cave entrance. His eyes were cold as he shouted to the four, ¡°Abandon everything! Come with me now, immediately! Shit¡­ there are too many fierce beasts here, and I can¡¯t kill them all. I can¡¯t stay here to protect you, either.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang?¡±


    Ji Shiyan and Li Laoshan exclaimed loudly after seeing that it was Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Stop talking! Come out and follow me! We only have one way to escape. Whether we can escape or not will depend on your luck.¡± Tang Xiu shouted loudly.


    Li Laoshan, Ji Shiyan, and the two bodyguards trembled. Shock and fright was all over their faces. They quickly came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side. While looking at the dissipating trail of lightning and watching the gradually extinguishing flames, Li Laoshan hurriedly asked, ¡°Brother Tang, what the hell are these monsters? They are too¡­ too horrifying, completely invulnerable!¡±


    ¡°These are fierce beasts that have cultivated and turned into demonic beasts.¡± Tang Xiu replied in a heavy voice, ¡°All right, I don¡¯t have time to explain it to you. Follow me!¡±


    While talking, Tang Xiu took the lead. Taking advantage that the fierce beasts were fleeing, he led the four to quickly escape. A few minutes later, a new situation caused Tang Xiu to turn quite helpless, as dozens of fierce beasts seemed to have reacted to them, following their tracks and chasing after them.


    ¡°You all run and escape through the old route. I¡¯ll guard the rear.¡±


    Tang Xiu took a few Kindle Flame Symbols and slowed his speed.


    Ji Shiyan and the two bodyguards didn¡¯t slow down, but Li Laoshan shouted, ¡°Brother Tang, let¡¯s go together! If we have to fight and this old Fatty must die, then I must die fighting together with you.¡±


    ¡°JUST GO!¡± Tang Xiu angrily shouted, ¡°I don¡¯t need you to fight by my side. You are too weak, you¡¯ll only be a burden if you stay with me.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Li Laoshan clenched his teeth and unwillingly sped up.


    Tang Xiu held Bloodguzzler in one hand, while his other held a few Kindle Flame Symbols. He looked at the dozen or so fierce beasts that approached. Without hesitation, he activated the Kindle Flame Symbols. In an instant, a sea of flames formed and the trees in the surrounding suddenly lit up.


    And he¡­ he turned away and fled without hesitation.


    _Roar¡­_


    _Auooo¡­_


    The pack of fierce beasts was forced to retreat because the flames, however, several beasts who didn¡¯t fear death dashed into the sea of fire. At the same time they withstood the raging fire, a blue mist sprayed from their mouths, scattering and extinguishing the fire.


    After Tang Xiu catching up with Li Laoshan and Ji Shiyan, he immediately caught the duo¡¯s shoulders. As his speed increased, they quickly disappeared into the distant woods. Two minutes afterward, Tang Xiu had carried the two for more than several kilometers.


    ¡°Keep running. I¡¯ll pick them up!¡±


    After releasing them, Tang Xiu turned back without hesitation. He then saw the two bodyguards fleeing with dozens of beasts on their tail.


    ¡°GO!¡±


    The moment Tang Xiu grabbed their arms, he ran away without hesitation. He also used his mind to control two Kindle Flame Symbols to explode, blocking their path.


    Time fleeted by, and after half an hour, all the Kindle Flame Symbols in Tang Xiu¡¯s interspatial ring were used. He had brought the four to escape for dozens of kilometers and crossed two mountains.


    ¡°Brother Tang, it should be alright now, right?¡±


    Li Laoshan looked ghastly pale as he panted. At this moment, his legs were as heavy as if they were filled with lead. He felt like he would lose his legs and die of exhaustion if he were to run anymore.


    Ji Shiyan and the two bodyguards were not much better than Li Laoshan at the moment. If not because they were escaping for their lives, they would not have managed to get this far.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t reply for a while, as he then gritted his teeth and said, ¡°NO! If any of these ferocious evil beasts come after us, I can¡¯t protect all of you. We must continue!¡±


    Saying that, he once again grabbed Li Laoshan and Ji Shiyan¡¯s arms and started running. This time, he sprinted for about ten minutes before stopping at the summit of a mountaintop. Then, he returned to fetch the two bodyguards. After which, he returned, sitting down with a pale complexion.


    It was deathly silence.


    Amid the blowing cool breeze, the way Li Laoshan, Ji Shiyan, and the two bodyguards looked at Tang Xiu was completely different from before. Previously, they only admired him, but now it had already changed into reverence.


    What Tang Xiu had shown them tonight was something they were unable to describe except as shocking. That magical lightning and flames seemed to appear out of nowhere. What they could only see on TV, the power of magic.


    Furthermore, Tang Xiu¡¯s speed was beyond human limits. They had never imagined that a human could run so fast. That speed could no longer be described as running, it was simply like¡­ flying.


    Additionally, those fierce beasts were just like monsters. They could spray out strange things from their mouths.


    Shortly put! What they witnessed and experienced tonight made the realize that there were indeed mysterious things in this world which they never knew or seen before. In their eyes, Tang Xiu had turned into an extraordinary existence who only existed in legends, an expert with supernatural powers.


    ¡°We mustn¡¯t stay long in this place. Let¡¯s rest for a while, and then we must hit the road again.¡± After resting for a few minutes, Tang Xiu then finally spoke.


    ¡°Brother Tang, we¡¯ll do what you say. But can you answer me, how did you do that?¡± Li Laoshan asked.


    ¡°Fatty Li, there are things you don¡¯t need to know. Even if you know, you can never come in contact with this kind of matter, as it¡¯ll only make you restless and worry otherwise.¡± Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°If anything, I hope you forget everything you¡¯ve seen and heard tonight, let alone disclose it to others.¡±


    ¡°We mustn¡¯t tell anyone, including our relatives?¡± Li Laoshan quickly asked.


    ¡°You can¡¯t!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Consider it as your repayment for me saving your lives.¡±


    A glint flashed in Ji Shiyan¡¯s eyes as she directly said, ¡°I¡¯ll never speak even half a word about it, Mr. Tang.¡±


    The two bodyguards exchanged glances. It was because of Tang Xiu they survived tonight, thus, they gratefully promised, ¡°We¡¯ll never say anything about today as well, Mr. Tang.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and then looked at Li Laoshan.


    ¡°Since Brother Tang wishes it, then I naturally won¡¯t speak about it as well.¡± Li Laoshan forced a smile and said, ¡°Nevertheless, what I have experienced tonight was too great an impact. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to calm down a bit after leaving this place.¡±


    ¡°As a matter of fact, even if you speak out about tonight¡¯s matter, it will have some impact on you too.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Besides, the public will never believe what you say either. Perhaps even some people from a certain special department in the country will appear before you if you were to make a disturbance out of this matter. Thus, you keeping silent will only benefit you.¡±


    _Special department?_


    Li Laoshan and the three others¡¯ expression moved and they nodded simultaneously.


    Shortly after, everyone rested for nearly an hour before continuing to trek. However, it was already late so they still inevitably encountered some wild animals, though Tang Xiu discovered it timely, either avoiding, killing or driving them away. In short order they had climbed over two hills, before stopping and fully resting.


    The sun began to rise from the eastern side of the mountain.


    Sitting cross-legged on a boulder, Tang Xiu then looked at the four sleeping like logs. He was particularly excited inwardly. In order to completely heal Gu Yan¡¯er, the Chrono Crystal and the Demonic Revival Grass were needed, and he now had obtained the Demonic Revival Grass, so there was only the Chrono Crystal left.


    Yet, Tang Xiu held no hope of finding the Chrono Crystal on Earth. Finding the Demonic Revival Grass was already huge luck in itself. Moreover, not only did he obtained the Demonic Revival Grass this time, he also got the Soul Phantasmagoria Demonic Flower. If he wanted to injure someone in the future without anyone noticing it, he could use the Soul Phantasmagoria Demonic Flower.


    At noon.


    Tang Xiu woke the others. Even if they hadn¡¯t fully rested, he didn¡¯t want to stay in Shennong Ridge any longer. Therefore, he led them to continue trekking. Finally, everyone arrived at the foot of the mountains at the outermost edge of Shennong Ridge in the middle of the night.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Brother Tang.¡±


    As the six black SUVs came to fetch them up, Li Laoshan stood in front of a car and said with a forced, bitter smile.


    ¡°Fatty Li, why are you suddenly saying this?¡± Tang Xiu doubtfully asked.


    ¡°Well, originally I wanted to help you, yet, I become your burden.¡± Li Laoshan forced a smile and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t find the medicinal herbs you were looking for either. Anyhow, you can rest assured that I¡¯ll remember this matter. After I leave, I¡¯ll lead some more people later to go there and help you find it.¡±


    ¡°Fatty Li, I¡¯ve actually found the medicinal herb I need. I didn¡¯t tell you because you didn¡¯t ask.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°Hence, you don¡¯t have to worry about it anymore. You too have experienced the dangers of Shennong Ridge. I¡¯m afraid you would be unable to return even if you bring more people there later. Listen to me! Do not enter Shennong Ridge again, let alone Ghost King Valley.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve found it? Why can¡¯t I see it?¡± Li Laoshan was surprised.


    ¡°Relax!¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°I don¡¯t need to lie to you, do I? Anyhow, where are you heading now?¡±


    ¡°Two of my bodyguards are dead, so I have to handle their funeral affairs.¡± Li Laoshan said, ¡°In addition, I¡¯ll have to sign the cooperation contract with the Yellowsteel Group as well, thus, I will go back soon. What about you? Where are you headed now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going back to Shanghai!¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.

 Chapter 419

    Chapter 419: An Old Classmate Comes Visiting


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Shanghai.


    At the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s entrance, Chi Nan kept watching over the street corner. She received a phone call from Jingmen Island¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall HQ and immediately returned there.


    However, just as she arrived at the airport, she got another call, instructing her to stay there, since Elder Ji Chimei would arrive in Shanghai today.


    Chi Nan didn¡¯t understand why Elder Ji Chimei was coming to Shanghai now while the Boss himself wasn¡¯t there. However, since Elder Ji¡¯s status was extremely high, she must prepare a reception.


    _Creak¡­_


    A taxi stopped in front of Chi Nan. As the car¡¯s door opened, Tang Xiu got off and then asked, ¡°Has Ji Chimei come yet?¡±


    Chi Nan was stunned upon seeing Tang Xiu. However, she responded in an instant, ¡°Elder Ji hasn¡¯t yet arrived, Boss.¡±


    ¡°All right. Prepare something for me to eat.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°When Ji Chimei arrives, take her to see me immediately.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Chi Nan respectfully nodded.


    Half an hour later, Tang Xiu was full, and Ji Chimei had arrived. Inside the General Manager¡¯s Office, Tang Xiu then took out the Demonic Revival Grass from his interspatial ring, handing it over to Ji Chimei and saying, ¡°I never imagined that there would be a Demonic Revival Grass on Earth. I spent some effort and finally found it. So, you will take care of this, and there must not be any mistakes in guarding it.¡±


    _Demonic Revival Grass?_


    After receiving a phone call from Tang Xiu, Ji Chimei immediately left for Shanghai, yet she was still confused inwardly. At this time, she finally understood Tang Xiu¡¯s purpose in making her come. With disbelief in her eyes, she took the Demonic Revival Grass with hands slightly trembling.


    _Bam¡­_


    Ji Chimei knelt before Tang Xiu and excitedly said, ¡°Thank you, Venerable Lord.¡±


    Tang Xiu helped her up. Shaking his head, he said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank me. In fact, it is I who must thank you, since Yan¡¯er is my disciple, to begin with. Regardless, you¡¯ve been loyal and protected her for so many years¡­ I owe you too much.¡±


    After Ji Chimei stood and put the Demonic Revival Grass in her interspatial ring, she shook her head and said, ¡°Lord, you saved the life of us, the Mesmer Clan. Master herself also rescued my life before. So it¡¯s my duty to protect her.¡±


    ¡°Well, you just arrived at Shanghai.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Go have some rest if you¡¯re tired. If you¡¯re not, you can go back to Jingmen Island earlier. Besides, it¡¯s not good for you to be away for too long since Yan¡¯er still in coma.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll return immediately.¡± Ji Chimei reverentially said.


    After Ji Chimei left, Chi Nan walked into the office with a curious expression, ¡°Boss, Elder Ji has yet to eat, why did she leave in such a hurry?¡±


    ¡°She has some urgent matters and must return quickly.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Do you have any other instructions, Boss?¡± Chi Nan nodded and asked again.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll rest now.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°By the way, what¡¯s today¡¯s date?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the 21st today.¡± Chi Nan replied with a smile.


    _The 21st?_


    Tang Xiu dazed for a moment and immediately said with a smile, ¡°I came back in time luckily. Seems like Shanghai University¡¯s military training for new students should be over tomorrow. All right, I¡¯ll rest until the day after tomorrow. The new term formally starts three days from now.¡±


    ¡°I think it wouldn¡¯t matter if you were a day late, right?¡± Chi Nan smiled.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t participate in the military training, after all. If I skip class again, it would unacceptable. Anyhow, how¡¯s Xue Chao doing?¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Chi Nan nodded and said, ¡°He¡¯s good. Upright, honest, and diligent. Our people love their family.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great, then. Xue Chao should go back to school as well. Arrange for his wife and son to stay here! They will be in your care.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Chi Nan nodded. Suddenly, an hesitant look appeared on her face, as she asked in an undertone voice, ¡°Boss, the HQ in Jingmen Island originally asked me to go back. However, since Elder Ji was coming, they asked to stay here and wait for her. But now that she left, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Then arrange things here first and then go to Jingmen Island.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Anyways, have you managed to gather anything good these past few days? If you have, give them to Ji Chimei and she will give you the corresponding cultivation resources.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Chi Nan was elated and replied quickly.


    Soon, Tang Xiu left the Everlasting Feast Hall and went back to his villa in Bluestar Villa Complex. After hard working for so many days, he was finally able to relax. However, he then recalled that he hadn¡¯t returned back to Star City, neither had he visited the Magnificent Tang Corp nor held the celebration feast for the company¡¯s executives. He decided to rest for the night and then return to Star City tomorrow.


    The next morning.


    When Tang Xiu was still asleep, his cell phone rang. He didn¡¯t expect that the one calling was Yuan Chuling, who hadn¡¯t been in touch him for a long time.


    ¡°Where are you, Eldest Brother?¡± Yuan Chuling called out from the other end.


    ¡°I¡¯m in Shanghai! Where are you, buddy?¡± Tang Xiu laughed.


    ¡°Damn, of course, I know you¡¯re in Shanghai!¡± Yuan Chuling said loudly, ¡°What I meant is, the military training ends today. I heard that the first group of Shanghai University¡¯s students had already taken the bus to their campus. My campus¡¯ military training ended a day earlier than yours, so I have three days of holiday. Where are you now? I wanna go to your place.¡±


    ¡°In Bluestar Villa Complex. Come here directly!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°How come you¡¯re living there?¡± Yuan Chuling was surprised and said, ¡°I heard that the villa complex is great. One of my classmates¡¯ family lives there.¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap, will ya? Get your ass here fast!¡± Tang Xiu laughed and said, ¡°After you¡¯ve arrived at the complex¡¯s entrance, tell the security that you¡¯re looking for me.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Wait for me there!¡±


    As the call ended, Tang Xiu looked at the time. It was 6:30 AM. He didn¡¯t feel sleepy now, so he dressed up, washed his face and brushed his teeth, then strolled outside the villa complex, looking for a breakfast stall. As he strolled back into complex, Yuan Chuling called again.


    ¡°I¡¯m already here, Eldest Brother!¡±


    It was quite a distance from Tang Xiu¡¯s position to the complex¡¯s entrance. Arriving there, he saw the chubby Yuan Chuling holding a mobile phone and talking with two security guards.


    ¡°I¡¯m behind you, wait for me.¡±


    Hanging up the phone, Tang Xiu saw Yuan Chuling turn his head and immediately raised his hand to wave. Stopping in front of him, he looked at his round belly and grinned, ¡°Buddy, why does your belly look even bigger than when you were in high school? Ain¡¯t the military training hard?¡±


    Yuan Chuling grinned and chuckled, ¡°The military is full of bitter hardships indeed, but I got good meals there too! I don¡¯t know what happened, though. I kinda have a good appetite recently. All right, let¡¯s not talk about this. How can you stay in a place like this, brother?¡±


    ¡°I live here!¡± Tang Xiu smiled.


    ¡°You bought a villa here?¡± Yuan Chuling was amazed.


    ¡°It¡¯s a gift from a relative.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go in. Anyway, I¡¯ll be going back to Star City in a few days.¡±


    Yuan Chuling followed alongside Tang Xiu. After entering the villa complex, he curiously asked, ¡°What are you going back to Star City for? Also, did you say a relative of yours gifted you the villa? Who could be so generous?¡±


    ¡°Like I told you, why can¡¯t I look exactly like the other 100,000 people out there?¡± Tang Xiu laughed and said, ¡°Anyways, tell me about yourself. Why didn¡¯t you contact me if you¡¯ve been in Shanghai for such a long time? Don¡¯t tell me you hooked up with an alien chick?¡±


    ¡°Did you send someone to investigate me or something, Eldest Brother?¡± Yuan Chuling was astonished and said, ¡°How did you know I picked up a girl?¡±


    Tang Xiu was speechless. He didn¡¯t expect that Yuan Chuling would actually hang out with a belle. The reason why he said that was because of Yue Kai¡¯s and Hu Qingsong¡¯s influence.


    As they arrived at the villa, Yuan Chuling toured inside and then ran back to the living room in the first floor. As he saw Tang Xiu sitting on the sofa and smoking, he sighed in praise, ¡°You¡¯ve got yourself good here, Brother. Thus, I decided to reserve a room so I that can bring the belle over. At least I can save the money. Do remember to leave a room reserved for me, okay?¡±


    ¡°Go to hell!¡± Tang Xiu chided, ¡°You¡¯re a second generation nouveau-riche yourself, why don¡¯t you beg your Dad one if you want it so much?¡±


    Sitting at the opposite side of Tang Xiu, Yuan Chuling grinned, ¡°You¡¯ve changed, buddy. You¡¯ve become a miser now, that¡¯s not good. So you gotta pay for my flight ticket to Star City to compensate my wounded soul.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re also going back to Star City?¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing.


    ¡°Actually, I have some serious things in mind, so I came to you today.¡± Yuan Chuling chuckled and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s my old man. He ordered me to invite you when you go back. He said that there are some things he needs to discuss with you.¡±


    ¡°What matters does your father want to discuss with me?¡± Tang Xiu was confused.


    Yuan Chuling shrugged and shook his head, saying, ¡°You ask me, but whom should I ask? He still provides me money, yet he doesn¡¯t want me to be involved in the family business. But you, he¡¯s been calling me several times recently, and asking about you every time.¡±


    After pondering for a while, Tang Xiu then nodded and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back now then! It¡¯s just that I need to go back to Star City since I got things to do there as well.¡±


    ¡°No hurry, dude. I have another thing I wanted to say.¡± Yuan Chuling waved his hand.


    ¡°What else?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°Brother, this time, aside from my old man¡¯s order, the most important thing is that I want you to become my business partner.¡± Yuan Chuling chuckled and said with a smile, ¡°I have quite a sum of money and I want to set up a grand business. Hence, hehe¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m rich or something? Besides, we¡¯re still students, to begin with. What kind of business do you want to mess with, exactly? Do you even have time to manage it?¡±


    Erasing the smile on his face, Yuan Chuling then said with all seriousness, ¡°You¡¯re definitely a rich man. At least, you are several thousand richer than I am. If anything, just listen to my plan first. If you think it¡¯s feasible, then invest your money in me. If you feel it¡¯s not good, then I¡¯ll give some more thought to it.¡±


    ¡°Then, tell me, what is this business you wanna do?¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s like this, Eldest Brother. After I¡¯ve been to Shanghai, I¡¯ve been kind of living in the world of wine and women ever since. I then unintentionally found something for the first time. You, too, know that life in the metropolis is very fast nowadays. A great deal of wage earners works every day after opening their eyes from sleep. After that, they spent their time in the nightlife, thus they are in the borderline between health and illness. So I was thinking to open a large Fitness Center in Shanghai.¡±

 Chapter 420

    Chapter 420: Boss is My Man


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    _A Fitness Center?_


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows slightly furrowed as he fell into thought. Yuan Chuling¡¯s idea was great indeed, for it could earn tons of money if the fitness center did well.


    ¡°Have you done market research?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Yuan Chuling nodded and seriously said, ¡°I invested more than 10,000 yuan in the research. I asked 20 students from my campus to run around for three days and survey the students, white-collar workers, self-employed ones, and other market segments. Thus, I got several thousand survey reports from many segment groups. According to the reports, 82% of them have a sub-healthy state, 12% have a fitness card and often exercise in fitness centers, while 64% of them have the intention to go to the gym¡­¡±


    Calmly listening to Yuan Chuling, Tang Xiu then nodded in silence. Nonetheless, he was not as optimistic as Yuan Chuling was, for the fitness center to rack in profits would require many aspects and elements of its business management.


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s a good start to set up a fitness center. As long as you have money, you can rent a place, provide complete upscale fitness equipment and decoration, and hire excellent fitness instructors. Thus, you can easily start your business. But the key is the management and its operations. As far as the fitness center is concerned, there must be many gyms and fitness centers in a metropolis such as Shanghai. The question is, how can you do better than the others and what kind of benefits can you provide?¡±


    ¡°My business philosophy is very simple, you can even describe it as antic and crazy.¡± Yuan Chuling grinned and said, ¡°It¡¯s kinda¡­ high grade with a low threshold. For other fitness centers, fitness is sport, that is, to work out and have physical exercise. But what I have in mind is different. I think it as a game, playing with new patterns so that people can have fun while exercising.¡±


    ¡°Elaborate!¡± Tang Xiu was surprised.


    Stroking his chin, Yuan Chuling then chuckled and said with a smile, ¡°Brother, speaking about study and business, I admit that I¡¯m not as good as you. But in regards to playing and games, you absolutely can¡¯t catch up with me. Lemme tell you a few examples. There are many shopping malls now, do you have the time to move about to do all the activities? You can do those activities in the fitness gym too.


    ¡°Moreover, we can do fitness program that provides bonuses and prizes. In addition, having beautiful instructors would be a good choice too, while in reality, it¡¯s kinda difficult to try find suitable training partners for them in the same line of profession! Not to mention that there are also tons of bachelors and bachelorettes of marriageable age in the metropolis as well. Thus, we can do a blind date program too! Emphasizing this point, we can promote interactions between the members and use it as a monthly matchmaking event.¡±


    ¡°Another example is that if we set up a member club and set up a sports talent program, we can cooperate with some media and do some TV programs. As long as we are willing to invest money on this, we can become more and more popular and well-known, hence more influence¡­¡±


    While watching Yuan Chuling speaking with fervor and confidence, Tang Xiu actually looked at him while regarding his forte ¡ª playing. Supposing that he had enough variety in this aspect, maybe he could really make it as his enterprise.


    ¡°How much will it need exactly?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Yuan Chuling¡¯s eyes lit up and he immediately replied while raising his fingers, ¡°I can get two million, but that¡¯s all I have. If you¡¯re willing to invest in me, I¡¯ll immediately find my old man to borrow a few million more from him. If¡­ if you can invest five million, I¡¯m sure I¡¯m going to set it ablaze!¡±


    ¡°You mean that the total investment is about 10 million, yes?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Yuan Chuling nodded.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll invest 15 million then.¡± Tang Xiu thought for a moment, and then slowly said, ¡°And I¡¯ll take 60% of the shares. Your five million investment will be counted as 40% of the shares. After the fitness center has been set up, I won¡¯t meddle or intervene in the business. However, I will place someone in the Finance Department. What do you think?¡±


    Yuan Chuling patted his thigh as he nodded and said, ¡°No prob. We have a deal!¡±


    ¡°Gimme your bank account number, I¡¯ll transfer the money to you now.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°So straightforward?¡± Yuan Chuling stared blankly, astonished.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like to do things sloppily, you know that.¡± Tang Xiu laughed and said, ¡°If you manage the fitness center well, then I¡¯ll be waiting to earn the money. If you suffer financial losses, then just take it as a loss.¡±


    ¡°Eldest Bro, you¡¯re really rich and imposing.¡± Yuan Chuling raised his thumb and praised, ¡°All right. I¡¯ll give you my account number now.¡±


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu had transferred the money to Yuan Chuling¡¯s account. He then got up and said with a smile, ¡°Well, shall we leave now? We have to register for the campus tomorrow, and the classes formally start the day after tomorrow. If anything, let¡¯s just go back earlier so that we can hurry back earlier as well.¡±


    With a content and satisfied expression, Yuan Chuling jumped up, his flabby figure trembling from head to feet as he grinned, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Back home.¡±


    Star City.


    Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s HQ, inside the General Manager¡¯s Office.


    While quietly reading a few documents, a deep frown appeared from time to time on Kang Xia¡¯s stunningly beautiful face, while sometimes a smile also occasionally appeared. On the sofa in the corner of the office, Andy lazily nested there, playing with her mobile phone and yawning from time to time.


    ¡°Andy, if you have the time, go to the new city project and do some monitoring. Although we can trust those forces we¡¯re working with, but it¡¯s a tens of billions huge project, after all. In the case we have some financial or some other problem, we will suffer quite the titanic losses, too.¡± Kang Xiu looked up and spoke to Andy, who was still playing her mobile phone on the sofa.


    ¡°No need to worry about that, Boss!¡± Andy answered without even raising her head.


    Kang Xia shook her head and put down the documents. Then, she smiled and asked, ¡°Andy, why have you been so listless recently? I heard that the Simao Group¡¯s Young Boss is pursuing you like crazy. How about it? Have you answered him or something?¡±


    Pouting her lips, Andy snorted, ¡°Boss, that Chen Si¡¯en is indeed a bit talented and got good looks. But no one is as good as our Boss in my eyes. He wants me to be his girlfriend? Hmph, he gotta temper himself again and cultivate for a few more decades.¡±


    Without hesitation, Kang Xia replied, ¡°True that, no one is better than our Boss. However, our Boss is only one man, and I will definitely make him fall under my skirt. Give up, girl!¡±


    Andy rolled and got up, putting her hands on her hips, and then said, ¡°Boss, though you¡¯re my immediate superior, you are not the master of my feelings. God made me fancy Boss, then he will be my man. If you want to have to PK with me, then I¡¯ll be glad to contend with you.¡±


    ¡°Pfft, haha¡­¡±


    Kang Xia couldn¡¯t help but laugh.


    Dissatisfied, Andy continued, ¡°Boss, I¡¯m seriously telling you! An outstanding man such as Boss won¡¯t have only one woman! You also know that China used to be a monarchy, don¡¯t you? Emperors had three palaces and six manors, with 72 emperor¡¯s harem princess, so I think our boss can have it too. As for me¡­ I don¡¯t ask to be an empress, I¡¯m content to be one of the imperial concubines.¡±


    ¡°Imperial concubine my ass! Stop being loquacious, will ya? I¡­¡±


    _Ring, ring, ring¡­_


    Kang Xia was interrupted by her mobile¡¯s ringtone.


    Andy made a pooping gesture at Kang Xia¡¯s powdered beauty, and then lazily nested back on the sofa as she continued playing with her mobile phone.


    As for Kang Xia, she took her mobile phone and looked at the caller ID¡¯s number. Her eyes lit up as she got up and said, ¡°Boss, are you looking for me?¡±


    ¡°Kang Xia, I¡¯m about to return to Star City around noon to take care of some things! I¡¯ll be holding a company¡¯s celebration party at the Long¡¯s Dining Hall.¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s voice came from the mobile.


    ¡°Are you going to arrive at noon, Boss?¡± Pleasantly surprised, Kang Xia asked, ¡°Great! I¡¯ll pass the instructions down. By the way, what time will you be arriving, exactly? Do you want me to pick you up at the airport?¡±


    ¡°No need to fetch me.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°I must go back to South Gate Town first. I¡¯ll go to the company to find you in the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Kang Xiu replied with a smile.


    After hanging up, still with a smile on her face, Kang Xia then raised her heard and found Andy in front of her desk, staring at her with a pair of intelligent, yet watery eyes.


    ¡°What are you doing, Andy?¡± Kang Xia asked with a smile.


    ¡°Was it Boss?¡± Andy blinked and asked, ¡°Is Boss coming back? Can I see him?¡±


    ¡°Yup, Boss told me on the phone that he will be coming back to hold a celebration party for us. He wants us to go to the Long¡¯s Dining Hall to arrange it. How about it? You want to showcase something in front of the Boss?¡±


    Andy looked up with a joyful expression, and then curiously asked, ¡°Show what?¡±


    ¡°The matter for this evening¡¯s celebration party is for you to arrange! If you do well, Boss will surely treat you differently.¡± Kang Xia smiled.


    Andy made a fist and shouted, ¡°I guarantee that Boss will be satisfied and happy. All right, I¡¯ll go and work it out well!¡±


    ¡°Go then!¡± Kang Xia said with a smile.


    South Gate Town.


    Inside the Kingview Villa, Su Lingyun was drowsy and sleepy, while Tang Yunde was reading a stack of documents, constantly furrowing his brows. It was almost October, and the weather was still a bit hot, with thick beads of sweat emerging on his forehead.


    ¡°Dad!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s figure appeared before Tang Yunde, as he called out in a low voice.


    Tang Yunde looked a bit dull and was about to speak upon realizing that his son was back. However, he saw Tang Xiu gesturing for him to keep silence.


    ¡°To my study room!¡±


    Tang Yunde let out a faint smile and followed Tang Xiu.


    Inside the study room.


    After Tang Yunde and Tang Xiu took seats, Tang Yunde asked with a smile, ¡°When did you come back? The previous time you came back you left in a hurry. What exactly happened back then?¡±


    ¡°There was something with my disciple, Dad. I¡¯ll tell you about that later.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°Anyways, what¡¯s up with Mom? Why didn¡¯t she go to the restaurant today?¡±


    ¡°She just returned from there.¡± Tang Yunde said with a smile.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Tang Xiu smiled back and said, ¡°You were separated from her for 20 years. Are you getting reaccustomed with each other?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I was a bit hesitant at first.¡± Tang Yunde grinned and said, ¡°I find that your Mom has become a strong woman. She¡¯s busy in the restaurant every day and she never listens if I tell her to rest. If you have time, say to your Mom that, even if she must work desperately like a workaholic, the restaurant won¡¯t earn that much money anyway.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know about this, Dad.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°She became a workaholic when we were enduring days of bitter hardship. She was anxious and didn¡¯t feel safe in leaving things in someone else¡¯s hand. Just let her be, Dad. Besides, even she can¡¯t earn that much money, it doesn¡¯t matter to our family, anyway. It¡¯s fine as long as she¡¯s happy.¡±

 Chapter 421

    Chapter 421: Like Father, Like Son


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Guilt flashed in Tang Yunde¡¯s eyes. He then nodded and said, ¡°I know that you and your mother have suffered quite a lot during those years. Even though our situation is getting better each passing day, she doesn¡¯t slow down for fear that those bitter days will yet come again if she doesn¡¯t save some money.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and suddenly said, ¡°Dad, have you considered about the matter we talked about before? What are you going to do now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about several projects recently, but I haven¡¯t decided yet.¡± Tang Yunde said.


    ¡°What projects?¡±


    ¡°One of them is a hotel business. With Shuangqing Province¡¯s economic level getting higher and the more convenient transportation means to other provinces in China, I realized that I can do a hotel business. Only, it would be difficult to start in a large-scale. Another one is real estate business. Although there are many real estate developers in the country, the housing problem is still the top priority given the increasing population. Additionally, there¡¯s also the goods distribution business, where online shopping is very prosperous nowadays. Retail business is also quite significant.¡±


    After pondering for a while, Tang Xiu suddenly said, ¡°Dad, I think I¡¯ll also set up a hotel business. But I think investing large-scale straightaway in this business field in Shuangqing province is not necessarily good. You might as well take a closer look at some cities with highly developed tourism aspect, such as coastal cities¡­¡±


    Tang Yunde¡¯s eyes lit up as he patted his thigh and said, ¡°You¡¯re right, sonny. With the improving standard of life and the booming tourism industry, establishing hotels near scenic areas is certainly good. Anyhow, what about the other two options? What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I think you can forget about going into real estate business.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°There are many construction companies all over the country nowadays, and quite formidable ones as well, whether it is in a big city or some remote area. Competing with them will not be easy. The retail industry, however, is still feasible. But I need to know how big you want it to be.¡±


    ¡°I can come up with two billion.¡± Tang Yunde said.


    Pondering for a while, Tang Xiu then let out a smile and said, ¡°Let¡¯s set up a hotel business first, and then invest in the retail business. There are only a few large retail companies in the country. So, if you can set up a large retail company, and we can open all sort of logistic channels, we can perhaps get huge profits from it.¡±


    ¡°What do you think about cooperating with others?¡± Tang Yunde asked.


    ¡°With whom?¡± Tang Xiu asked back.


    ¡°With a large logistic company, like injecting some funds and becoming shareholders.¡± Tang Yunde said.


    After thinking for a while, Tang Xiu then shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s not feasible in my opinion. The large logistic companies must already have thorough logistic channels, and are also well-known. However big our funds are, it won¡¯t be easy to compete against them. I think it may be best if we take over a small logistics company, and then invest large funds to start expanding broader logistics channels, spreading the distribution network to every part of the country, thus making our own complete channel network. On the one hand, we can ensure the security of the logistic route; and on the other hand, we can also guarantee the distribution speed. By the way, I¡¯ve also bought several airplanes, so if you really want to do logistic business, I can give them to you after the reconstruction in Nine Dragons Island has been completed.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Tang Yunde¡¯s eyes lit up and asked in astonishment.


    ¡°Surely you don¡¯t think I¡¯m joking?¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°Your ideas are great!¡± Tang Xiu praised, ¡°I¡¯ve learned about the situation of a few large logistics companies in the country. Though they also have cargo planes, they are few in number.¡±


    ¡°If anything, as long as you provide the funds and go all out to invest them, any business will do, I think.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Though I still have some money in hand, they have already been allocated, so I can only help you in this.¡±


    ¡°I know you have the funds, son. But how can I use your money to fund my own business?¡± Tang Yunde laughed, ¡°Anyhow, can you get me a batch of Gods Nectar?¡±


    ¡°You can contact Kang Xia for that. She will refuse if its anyone else but you.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Well, Dad, I have some things to handle, so I can¡¯t accompany you anymore.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just come back?¡± Tang Yunde confused, ¡°You¡¯re leaving already? Where are you going now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the father of my classmate.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°He said he has something to discuss with me, so I¡¯m going to see him.¡±


    ¡°Are you coming back to dinner?¡± Tang Yunde asked with a smile.


    ¡°I can¡¯t. I have an appointment tonight.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Yuan Zhengxuan invited me to dinner, so I don¡¯t have the time tonight.¡±


    ¡°Yuan Zhengxuan?¡±


    Tang Yunde slightly blanked and looked surprised, as he asked, ¡°Sonny, your classmate¡¯s father is Yuan Zhengxuan, the Yuan Group¡¯s Boss?¡±


    ¡°Yea! Do you know him?¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ve met him a few times.¡± Tang Yunde nodded and said, ¡°Like me, he used to be in the army as well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve also heard about this. Even his current business has deep ties with the military.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Nonetheless, he told me a few months ago that he was seeking an opportunity to do other businesses. But I don¡¯t know whether the matter he¡¯s looking me for is related to this issue, though.¡±


    ¡°Fine, off you go then!¡± Tang Yunde nodded.


    Tang Xiu quickly left South Gate Town without saying hello to his mother since she was still asleep. After driving his Land Rover SUV to the Yuan Family¡¯s villa, Yuan Zhengxuan and Zhao Jing were very enthusiastic as they personally welcomed Tang Xiu to the study room. Inside, Yuan Zhengxuan enthusiastically said, ¡°Tang Xiu, your Magnificent Tang Corp is becoming more and more prosperous and thriving!¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know much about the company¡¯s management, though.¡± Tang Xiu modestly said, ¡°It¡¯s Kang Xia who usually takes care of it since my main task is studying.¡±


    ¡°To have a senior general manager such as Kang Xia working for you is really great luck, Tang Xiu.¡± Yuan Zhengxuan said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have anymore headaches if I were to have someone with such competencies.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Yuan, is there something you want to discuss with me?¡±


    ¡°You know that I¡¯ve started to think about transforming my business some time ago. Thus, I¡¯ve withdrawn quite a lot of funds recently.¡± Yuan Zhengxuan nodded and said, ¡°I also made some investment in the New City project thanks to my relationship with you. However, I still have quite a lot of funds in hand, so I want to ask you whether there¡¯s any business worth investing in?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Yuan, for you to have set up your business career from scratch, you¡¯re definitely a capable person. Yet, you¡¯re asking me about investment issues. It¡¯s kind of making me awkward.¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing and said, ¡°Speaking about it, you¡¯re not the first one to ask me about investing today.¡±


    ¡°There was another? Who?¡± Yuan Zhengxuan was astonished.


    ¡°My father.¡± Tang Xiu smiled.


    Perplexed, Yuan Zhengxuan said, ¡°Your father? As far as I know, you seem to have been brought up by your mother, I haven¡¯t heard about¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve indeed grown up with my mother due to special reasons.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°But lately, my father has come back and wants to do some businesses. Anyways, when I was chatting with him with him about investments, I mentioned you and he said that he has met you a few times!¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s your father?¡± Yuan Zhengxuan was surprised.


    ¡°Tang Yunde.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Tang Yunde?


    The name gave a familiar vibe to Yuan Zhengxuan, yet he couldn¡¯t remember where he had heard it. When he looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s face, realization dawned on him. Tang Xiu¡¯s face reminded him of someone. Due to remembering it, he got up all of a sudden and asked incredulously, ¡°Your father is Tang Yunde? The once Soldier King in the army? And one of the Tangs in Beijing¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Tang Xiu laughed.


    Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s lips twitched a few times. Looking emotionally excited, he murmured, ¡°Brother Tang is still alive? I met him 20 years ago, and his heroic spirit was unforgettable to me. Tang Xiu, where¡¯s your father now? Can I meet him to drink a couple glasses of wine?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s in South Gate Town, Uncle Yuan.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°You can go there directly if you want to see him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll visit him tonight.¡± Yuan Zhengxuan nodded repeatedly and said, ¡°You might not be aware of it, Tang Xiu. But your father was once the pride of all the servicemen. He had been someone countless soldiers looked up to. Had it not been because of what happened that year, I dare say he would have become a general and someone with great authority in the army.¡±


    Tang Xiu only let out a faint smile and didn¡¯t reply.


    ¡°This is really unexpected.¡± Yuan Zhengxuan sighed again, ¡°No, I never expected it! To think that you¡¯re actually his son. No wonder you possess such capabilities despite your young age. A father tiger indeed won¡¯t beget a dog son. Like father, like son!¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore, Uncle Yuan.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°If your purpose to ask me over this time was merely for asking about investment issues, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t be of any help to you.¡±


    ¡°You definitely can!¡± A glint flashed in Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s eyes as he said, ¡°I trust you can help me in this.¡±


    ¡°How come?¡± Tang Xiu was stunned.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say it? That your father also wants to do business?¡± Yuan Zhengxuan said with a smile, ¡°I want to set up some business, so if the two of us cooperate¡­¡±


    ¡°Whether you two will eventually cooperate or not, I won¡¯t interfere with that. If anything, you can talk with him directly, but don¡¯t involve me in it.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°By the way, Uncle Yuan¡­ Yuan Chuling wants to open a fitness center in Shanghai. He has told you about it, I presume? As his father, are you going to support him?¡±


    ¡°He got support from you, so how can I not?¡± Yuan Zhengxuan laughed and said, ¡°Little Ling has told me about everything you two have discussed. So I¡¯ve also decided to give him 10 million as a starting kick. Even if he loses all the money, I don¡¯t care. I¡¯ll still support him as long as he gets to learn some skills from it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just like Uncle Yuan has just said, a tiger father won¡¯t beget a dog son.¡± Tang Xiu gave him a thumbs up and praised, ¡°Like father, like son. Worry not, Uncle Yuan! I¡¯ll help you look after him and the fitness center. As long as he doesn¡¯t deliberately create trouble, I¡¯m sure there won¡¯t be any problems.¡±


    ¡°That would be great!¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan nodded in satisfaction. It was actually these words that Yuan Zhengxuan had been waiting from Tang Xiu.

 Chapter 422

    Chapter 422: The Homeless Children


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Leaving the Yuan Family¡¯s villa, Tang Xiu then drove his car to the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s HQ. On the way there, he produced a wry smile after Banshou called him. The man and his gang were waiting for him in Shanghai for a few days. After seeing him so busy, they immediately went back to Star City. Only today did Banshou contact him again.


    New Garden.


    It was formerly one of the tourist attractions on Star City¡¯s outskirts, though it was now deserted.


    After Tang Xiu drove there, he saw Banshou sitting while smoking on the stone block next to the grassy park entrance.


    ¡°You¡¯ve come, Boss!¡±


    Seeing Tang Xiu arriving, Banshou immediately trotted toward him.


    ¡°You told me on the phone that you settled the homeless children here, right?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°Yea! Although this place is a little dilapidated, some of the houses are still intact.¡± Banshou said, ¡°Dingzi and I bought daily necessities and hired several aunts to take care of the children, so it turned out pretty good.¡±


    ¡°Take me to see them.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Ten minutes later, Banshou and Tang Xiu came to a shabby house. The first thing that came to Tang Xiu¡¯s sight were dozens of three to five year olds groups, merrily gathering around several middle-aged women. The oldest ones among them looked eight or nine years old, whereas the youngest was a baby held by a middle-aged woman.


    ¡°Boss, there are a total 45 children. All of them are homeless children. They didn¡¯t have enough food and warm clothes to wear. They also didn¡¯t have a fixed place to stay. We¡¯ve bought these children food and new clothes, and also promised to provide them a place to stay and find someone who would be willing to adopt them so that they would have a home in the future. Hence, they come here with us.¡± Banshou, who once looked thuggish, now looked like a changed man at this moment. A complicated look could be seen in his eyes, and his words and manners were especially serious.


    ¡°You did a good job, Banshou.¡± Tang Xiu patted his shoulder.


    Banshou forced a bitter smile and said, ¡°Boss, the number of homeless children we¡¯ve found is actually far more than these. Many of them, however, have disabilities. But like Boss has told me before, you wanted us to find healthy children, so we sent them to some orphanages, donating some money as well.¡±


    ¡°You are more mature than before, Banshou.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°After seeing so many poor children, I suddenly felt that the task you gave me is very honorable, Boss. It also touched my heart, with a realization that I can do more and better than living aimlessly as before.¡± Banshou said.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. What I tasked you to do is an endeavor and a cause for you.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll send some people over tonight to take these children, while you continue to look for other homeless children. You don¡¯t have to worry about anything, I¡¯ll give you five million later. Immediately contact me if you come across any trouble.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going to take them, Boss?¡± Banshou asked hesitantly.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know where I¡¯ll take them.¡± Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°But shortly put, you can rest assured that I¡¯ll treat them kindly and give them a different future.¡±


    ¡°Shall I take you to see the children, Boss?¡± Banshou nodded.


    ¡°All right.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Banshou then came before the children, clapped and shouted, ¡°Children, all of you follow me like I asked you, and immediately stand in line. Several aunties, you can go to rest first. I¡¯ll call you again if there¡¯s anything.¡±


    The middle-aged women hesitated before nodding, handing over the baby to Dingzi who came over and then left silently.


    Tang Xiu watched the children scurrying around noisily as they then quickly stood in three rows. Curiosity was painted on their faces as they looked at him curiously. Tang Xiu then stepped forward and said in a deep voice, ¡°All of you, remember my face. I¡¯m your Boss from now on. From now onwards, I¡¯ll provide the food you will eat, the clothes you will wear, and the houses you¡¯ll be staying. You will also be able to study and learn. Remember, you had no home before, so I¡¯ll give you homes in the future. A home that can make you not worry about food and clothing, and a home that you can grow old without worries and troubles.¡±


    All the 45 children quietly watched Tang Xiu. No one spoke or moved heedlessly. They seemed to understand Tang Xiu¡¯s words, yet didn¡¯t comprehend it. However, they understood one thing ¡ª Tang Xiu was willing to adopt them and give them a home.


    After saying that, Tang Xiu then took out his mobile and dialed Kang Xia¡¯s number, ¡°Prepare a bus and send it to the New Garden. I¡¯ll text you the specific address in a while.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Kang Xia replied quickly.


    Tang Xiu ended the phone call and made a hand signal to Banshou and Dingzi. As the two men came toward him, Tang Xiu then said, ¡°Later on, you two will be looking for other homeless children; after which, send them over directly to my place in Shanghai. I¡¯ll give you the address, but do remember that you must test each child you send me; you¡¯re not to miss testing their characters.¡±


    ¡°Got it, Boss!¡± Banshou nodded and said, ¡°Among these 45 children, apart from a four year old, we tested everyone else. They are very sensible and obedient. We even discovered that these children are far more mature than their peers as well.¡±


    ¡°It is said that children from the poor households have to manage their family earlier, hence the hardships of life force these poor families¡¯ children to grow up faster.¡± Tang Xiu sighed, ¡°These children understand how to cherish and treasure the days of happiness, for they have gone through destitute and miserable lives. Work hard and do your best! You are saving souls.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re doing only you¡¯ve ordered us, Boss. It¡¯s you who really give them new life. You are the really good man here.¡± Banshou said with a smile.


    Lightly smiling, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Tell them to pack up their things! The bus will soon come to pick them up.¡±


    Banshou let out a forced, wry smile, ¡°I kinda hate to part with them, Boss.¡±


    ¡°They will surely remember you in the future.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°If you do well in following me, there will be time for you to see them again.¡±


    ¡°Ok!¡±


    Nodding heavily, Banshou then strode toward the children.


    Standing where he was, Tang Xiu watched Banshou¡¯s back and secretly sighed inwardly. Life was really akin to a grindstone, by which Banshou and Dingzi¡¯s pointedness was to be grounded and worn away. They used to be thugs, yet they were now more mature.


    Tang Xiu was even thinking that, a few years later, if Banshou and Dingzi did well, kept loyal and devoted to him, he would go a step further to cultivate them.


    More than an hour later, a bus had parked at the New Garden¡¯s entrance. As its door opened, Kang Xia led two senior executives of Magnificent Tang Corp and quickly greeted Tang Xiu.


    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived, Boss!¡±


    In front of outsiders, Kang Xia didn¡¯t show any intimacy toward Tang Xiu and maintained a respectful look on her flawless face.


    Nodding at her in response, Tang Xiu then took out his mobile phone to call Banshou. Quickly, Banshou, Dingzi, and several others brought out the children.


    ¡°Tell them to get on the bus!¡±


    Kang Xia and two senior executives of Magnificent Tang Corps looked confused and lost. Clueless and confused, Kang Xia said, ¡°Boss, these children are¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m adopting these homeless children, and am preparing to set up new places for them.¡± Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°Let¡¯s go! We¡¯ll slowly talk on the road.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Kang Xia nodded.


    Under Kang Xia¡¯s arrangement, the two senior executives of Magnificent Tang Corp took the children to board the bus, while Tang Xiu came to the Land Rover SUV and took a seat. As the two cars started, Tang Xiu asked while driving, ¡°Are those two senior executives of our company who come with you reliable and trustworthy?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They are new staffs I¡¯ve recruited from when the Magnificent Tang Corp was just established.¡± Kang Xia nodded and said, ¡°Their previous jobs were kind of bad, and their lives were not that well-off before. You can say that our company has changed their lives, so they have a strong sense of belonging and responsibility to our company.¡±


    ¡°All right. Tell them both to send the children to Jingmen Island¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already contacted the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people there, so they will fetch them up midway.¡±


    ¡°Boss, you haven¡¯t told me about adopting so many homeless children. What are you going to do with them?¡± Kang Xia curiously asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll foster and cultivate them.¡± Tang Xiu said indifferently.


    ¡°If you want to foster talents, you don¡¯t have to look for such small children, right?¡± Kang Xia said, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it take dozens of years to train them all as talents?¡±


    ¡°The most important thing for the talents I¡¯m fostering is their loyalty.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Only by nurturing them from babies, branding the idea of loyalty deep in their minds, and engraving it inside their heart can they have the ability to be my competent helpers. Cultivating them may take a lot of time, as well as spending a lot of money, but I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t disappoint me in the future.¡±


    After hearing it, Kang Xia suddenly shuddered. It was a kind of shock, timidity, and an inconceivable feeling that were fused into one.


    Suddenly, she recalled those people from the Everlasting Feast Hall. Tang Xiu once said that those people were truly his own people who he could trust. She had already guessed about those people from the Everlasting Feast Hall at that time that, they were the same with these children. They should have been trained since childhood, shouldn¡¯t they?


    If it was so¡­ then the Everlasting Feast Hall was an existence that was absolutely terrifying.


    ¡°Call those two! Tell them to escort the children and go directly to Jingmen Island.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Also, give the bus driver a bonus after the trip.¡±


    After hearing it, Kang Xia immediately executed Tang Xiu¡¯s instructions and told the two men. She then put her mobile away and asked, ¡°Where do we go next, Boss?¡±


    ¡°Give me the contact details of those two, I¡¯ll send it to the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°As for us, we¡¯ll go directly to our company and attend the celebration party this evening.¡±


    ¡°Boss, you intend to attend the party dressed up like this?¡±


    Upon hearing that they would go the banquet tonight, a charming smile immediately appeared on Kang Xia¡¯s face.

 Chapter 423

    Chapter 423: It¡¯s the Clothes That Makes the Man


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Star City, Fortune Plaza.


    A forced, wry smile hung on Tang Xiu¡¯s face as Kang Xia dragged him to the gate of Fortune Plaza. Security guards and passing visitors shot them strange looks as they came to the clothes section on the fourth floor.


    ¡°Kang Xia, my clothes are good enough! Besides, it¡¯s just an evening banquet, no need to make a fuss about it.¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile.


    ¡°Boss, tonight is your first time appearing in front of the company¡¯s executives, hence, the overall image is very important.¡± Kang Xia said with a smile, ¡°People may not say it, but it¡¯s the clothes that makes a man. Though you got good looks, these clothes you¡¯re wearing are way too shabby; there¡¯s no way you can radiate your light with that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a superstar, why would I need to radiate a light anyway?¡± Tang Xiu reluctantly said.


    ¡°To impress all the company¡¯s executives, of course you need to radiate a brilliant light.¡± Kang Xia seriously said, ¡°After all, you¡¯re the company¡¯s Big Boss. If you don¡¯t pay attention to your image, the executives will look down on you. Besides, I don¡¯t think you want to be despised by your own employees, right?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Tang Xiu gaped, as he forced a smile and nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, then!¡± Kang Xia smiled and said, ¡°You just need to listen to me today. We¡¯ll first buy some clothes, shoes, tie, and boss¡¯s outfit. Then I¡¯ll take you to see someone to make sure that you dress up as handsomely as a jade tree. A man that radiates brilliance!¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t be thinking on make me as charming as a fox-spirit, could you?¡± Tang Xiu said in an undertone voice.


    ¡°Pfft¡­ Hahaha!¡±


    Kang Xia couldn¡¯t help covering her mouth as she laughed as she dragged Tang Xiu and entered a luxurious outfit store.


    Shopping, as it had always been, was a happy time for women. Especially when they were accompanied by their lovers. But for men, the endeavor was somewhat a torture, even if it was to buy stuff for themselves.


    Dragged by Kang Xia, Tang Xiu spent a full two hours scouring the clothing store, trying more than 20 sets of suits, as, at the end of the day, only two sets were purchased. But the price for them was akin to squandering money to Tang Xiu, making him feel bad for a while.


    Six digits! Both suits were well above six digits. Even though he seemed to be a changed man, and the clothes were good to wear after he put them on, he felt uncomfortable. He felt like he was not wearing clothes, but hundreds yuan paper money.


    5 PM, at a private club. Tang Xiu was taken by Kang Xia there. From the looks of its door, the private club was extraordinary, with a high-class and stylish decoration style.


    ¡°Welcome!¡±


    Two welcoming ladies greeted them as Kang Xia and Tang Xiu came to a spacious hall inside. At this time, two middle-aged women in graceful dresses were inside the hall, sitting on the soft sofa while reading a fashion magazine and chatting from time to time.


    Beside them was a man in green trousers, a red vest, a duckbill cap, an air of femininity with makeup as he fiddled with a suit of clothes.


    ¡°Anthony!¡± Kang Xia shouted.


    As the feminine man turned his head and saw Kang Xia, his eyes immediately lit up as he cheerfully greeted, smilingly saying in an especially greasy voice, ¡°Kang Xia, babe! What a rare guest! To think you unexpectedly came, what¡¯s up?¡±


    Kang Xia smiled and said, ¡°Anthony, let me introduce you to this man. He¡¯s my Boss, Tang Xiu. Boss, he¡¯s Anthony, the owner of this costume fashion clubhouse, and also the Chief of Fashion Stylist here. He¡¯s very skillful, as most of the ladies, Bosses, and nouveau-riches in Star City are very fond of looking for him to help with their fashion and appearance images. Even some Star City¡¯s superstars come to him for help.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°Hello!¡±


    A splendor flashed in Anthony¡¯s eyes as he sized up Tang Xiu. He then repeatedly nodded and sighed in praise, ¡°A natural frame for clothes, and good looking appearance. For me, he¡¯s simply a piece of unpolished gem that¡¯s not have undergone any sculpting. After carrying out the transformation, I¡¯ll definitely be able to cast off the dust on the jade and show its dazzling and magnificent radiance. Kang Xia, babe, you¡¯ve brought me a good material.¡±


    ¡°Hey, do you want to die, Anthony? He¡¯s my Boss! What the heck are you seeing him as material for? I¡¯ll rip your mouth off if you dare talk rubbish again.¡± Kang Xia snappily said.


    ¡°Ah, my bad, my bad. Consider it I as if I didn¡¯t had said anything.¡± Anthony laughed and said, ¡°Besides, to think that The Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s Big Boss, a big shot who is akin to a divine dragon whose tail and head are nowhere to be seen, condescended to come to my small sanctuary today. This quite excited me, you know. Anyhow, for such a super client, how about I give you a 20% discount today?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s really terrific.¡± Kang Xia raised her thumb and said, ¡°Let¡¯s get started, then!¡±


    Letting out a faint smile, Anthony then took the two suits, shoes and socks, and then said with a smile at Tang Xiu, ¡°Mr. Tang, please come with me!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded slightly and followed Anthony into the next room.


    On the sofa.


    The two middle-aged ladies, who had continued reading the fashion magazines and did not paid attention to Kang Xia and Tang Xiu when they came in, suddenly looked astonished when they heard Anthony saying that Tang Xiu was the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s Big Boss.


    ¡°My God! I never thought that the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s Big Boss would be such a handsome young man. My hubby has been talking about this Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s Boss all day recently, lamenting that he has never seen him. Even until now, he hasn¡¯t been able to figure out who exactly the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s Boss is.¡±


    ¡°Yea! The topic my husband has been talking the most is about this company group and its mysterious Big Boss. That¡¯s right, it¡¯s said that the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s CEO is Kang Xia. Is that woman Kang Xia? I think I¡¯ve seen her in finance and economics interviews before.¡±


    ¡°From the looks of it, their relationship seems to be unusual!¡±


    ¡°Regardless of their relationship, we can see the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s Big Boss today. If anything, we must take a picture with him. My hubby will surely treat me specially well after I gift it to him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I also want one!¡±


    As for Kang Xia, she walked to the bookshelf and randomly picked up a fashion magazine. She then went to sit on the opposite side of the two ladies. After realizing that they were both looking at her, she nodded and smiled at them, and then began to read. Half an hour later, when the next room¡¯s door was opened, Anthony came out from and immediate clapped to awaken Kang Xia from reading the magazine.


    ¡°Anthony, how¡¯s my Boss?¡±


    Putting down the fashion magazine, Kang Xia got up and walked toward Anthony.


    Anthony let out a faint smile. As he was about to clap his hands, Tang Xiu¡¯s figure appeared in front of Kang Xia.


    ¡°God! Is this really my Boss?¡±


    Kang Xia looked dazed, and then quickly rubbed her eyes to make sure that she wasn¡¯t mistaken. She suddenly called out, ¡°Boss, you were just a young, handsome guy, but now, you¡¯re definitely top-notch! A man that countless women dream about!¡±


    In the sofa nearby.


    The two ladies also looked dazed. They couldn¡¯t help but sit straight, looking dull and blank as they gaped and stared at Tang Xiu, who looked as though he had transformed into another man.


    Handsome! Flawless!


    They had met many handsome and manly men before, but none were more elegant and exuded more manliness than the one in front of them.


    Tang Xiu was wearing a tuxedo and a tie, with shiny leather shoes and stylish hairdo. A luxury watch wrapped around his wrist. He exuded an extraordinary bearing.


    ¡°What? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Tang Xiu looked down at his clothes and wondered in surprise.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just¡­ well, too dazzling.¡± Kang Xia shook her head and murmured, ¡°Boss, if you were to become a star, all the girls in the world will surely be bewitched by you.¡±


    ¡°What a big joke.¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing and said, ¡°If I have that ability, some rich women would have taken care of me as their secret lover.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take and keep you!¡±


    As Tang Xiu¡¯s voice fell, in next to no time, the lady whose eyes shined loudly said, ¡°Handsome, I¡¯ll pour out all of my savings to keep you.¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­ Hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    Kang Xia and Anthony couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter.


    Tang Xiu was at a loss whether to cry or laugh as he looked at the lady. He then shook his head and said, ¡°Elder sister, you¡¯re jesting me. I¡¯m not accustomed to being supported by others.¡±


    Having said that, he grabbed Kang Xiu¡¯s hand and headed toward the entrance. Only then did he loosen Kang Xia¡¯s hand and said, ¡°You did it on purpose, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I swear to God I didn¡¯t!¡± Kang Xia grinned and said, ¡°But, Hahaha¡­ Boss, did you see the eyes of those two elder sisters just now? What color did you see in their eyes? Green! Their eyes were filled with green. Now, do you realize how big your charm is?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But thinking of people wanting to raise me up as their secret young lover gives me goosebumps.¡± Tang Xiu snappily said, ¡°Let¡¯s leave quickly. I want to find a place to change my clothes!¡±


    ¡°No no no!¡± Kang Xia quickly pulled Tang Xiu, shaking her head again and again, ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy for me to make Antony help you design your fashion style. Besides, we would make this ¡®pressing business¡¯ in vain for the half afternoon if you were to change your clothes. That¡¯s right, I haven¡¯t paid Anthony yet! Wait for me here, Boss.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, ¡°Then I won¡¯t change, all right? Just release me, will ya?¡±


    Only now did Kang Xia release Tang Xiu, as she ran smilingly toward the front door. Tang Xiu could only smile wryly while shaking his head. He then walked to the car¡¯s front, took out a cigarette, lit it up, and then heaved two deep puffs. Though he looked helpless on the surface, he felt somewhat proud and happy inside. To think that he could even charm a middle-aged woman, that meant his looks were not bad, right?!


    _As always, it¡¯s indeed that the clothes make the man! This saying is really true!_


    Tang Xiu flicked his suit on the shoulders. Even though he didn¡¯t look messy and disorderly in the slightest, yet he still produced pressure. A few minutes later, Kang Xia then came out of the building smiling, as she immediately rushed to him and said, ¡°Boss, let me drive!¡±


    ¡°Have it your way, then!¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Anyhow, where will we be going next? Shall we go straight to Long¡¯s Dining Hall?¡±


    ¡°The time to the celebration party is ticking, so I think we gotta catch up!¡± Kang Xia smiled and said, ¡°I dare guarantee that you¡¯ll be the focus of the audience¡¯s attention, Boss!¡±

 Chapter 424

    Chapter 424: Gifting the Flower Gifted by Another


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    As a top luxury restaurant in Star City, Long¡¯s Dining Hall was visited by Star City¡¯s nouveau riches and powerful big shots every day. The venue set up a high threshold and the prices were costly; even the riches found it difficult to have a chance to dine there.


    7 PM.


    A white Porsche stopped outside Long¡¯s Dining Hall¡¯s entrance; a tall, stately handsome youth in a famous brand suit quietly sat on the car¡¯s hood. He was holding a Blue Enchantress Rose, while there was also a large bouquet of beautiful roses in his roadster.


    ¡°Young Master Chen, could you move your car? We have many guests coming tonight, so parking your car here will affect them.¡± Several distressed-looking security guards, including the captain, looked at the youth helplessly.


    Had it been someone else, they would have driven him away. But the one before them was the second young master of Blue City¡¯s Simao Group, the little Boss of the Simao Group branch in Star City. At the same time, his father was also one of the shareholders of the Long¡¯s Dining Hall.


    A smile was drawn on the corner of Chen Si¡¯en¡¯s mouth as he slowly pulled out a cigarette from his pocket. After taking one and lighting it up, he took a deep puff and threw the pack to the captain. He then smiled and said, ¡°Brother Qiang, I would have complied if it were some other matter. But tonight is very important to me. If anything, just turn a blind eye this time; you can consider it as me owing you a favor! As long as I can take my little angel tonight, I¡¯ll tell your Chief to double your salary.¡±


    The captain¡¯s eyes lit up. A smile immediately appeared on his face, as he nodded and said with a smile, ¡°If so, we wish Young Master Chen¡¯s lovely dream will come true.¡±


    After saying that, he motioned the other security guards, who were also smiling. The group retreated and continued their duty.


    Chen Si¡¯en smiled faintly. His eyes then shifted toward the Long¡¯s Dining Hall¡¯s entrance, the anticipation on his face growing. At this moment, when his cigarette was about to burn out in his finger, a petite, Lolita-like face ¡ª like an angel ¡ª wearing a ponytail, walked from the inside. Behind the girl, two beautiful girls followed her.


    _Shit, how could he be here?_


    Just as Andy walked out of Long¡¯s Dining Hall¡¯s entrance, she saw Chen Si¡¯en stamping on a cigarette butt and approaching her smilingly. Her brows slightly furrowed, and a disgruntled expression appeared on her face.


    While holding the Blue Enchantress Rose, Chen Si¡¯en stopped in front of Andy and magically pulled out a red heart-shaped locket. He knelt on one knee before Andy while attempting to reveal the most charming smile he could pull off. He then affectionately said, ¡°Andy, honey, you¡¯ve rejected me 65 times before, but I believe that good things and good people should be in pairs. On this 66th time, I hope you can give your word to marry me. I, Chen Si¡¯en, swear to you that I¡¯ll only love you, to have you as the one and only woman for the entirety of my life. Please marry me.¡±


    He gently opened the red heart-shaped locket¡¯s lid, and a two-carat diamond ring immediately reflected a dazzling brilliance under the light.


    Andy retreated a step and indignantly said, ¡°Chen Si¡¯en, have you finished yet? I told you many times I have no feelings for you. You¡¯re not the Prince Charming on a white horse in my mind. No! I won¡¯t marry you.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡±


    The smile on Chen Si¡¯en¡¯s face froze. However, he still knelt on one knee and asked persistently, ¡°Why do you always reject me? I don¡¯t care if you don¡¯t have feelings for me now. I believe I¡¯ll obtain your love in time.¡±


    Andy didn¡¯t speak for a while. Suddenly, a sly glint flashed in her eyes. She then said with a smile, ¡°You want to know why? All right, I¡¯ll tell you then. It¡¯s because my mother in heaven once came to me in my dream. She said that I must never marry an Asian man, especially a man of Chinese descent.¡±


    That was an excuse! An absolutely absurd, made up excuse.


    Chen Si¡¯en blanched. Even the few passing guests and guards could tell that that was a made up excuse.


    ¡°Well, Andy, this is very interesting.¡±


    Ten meters away from the roadside, Tang Xiu threw the car keys to a security guard, while speaking in an undertone voice to Kang Xia, who was beside him.


    Kang Xia chuckled and covered her mouth, saying, ¡°That girl¡¯s made up excuse is not enough to swallow by anyone¡¯s brains. Even fools can tell.¡±


    ¡°I can tell that she did that on purpose to let that handsome fella hear it.¡± Tang Xiu smiled


    ¡°That Chen Si¡¯en is really persistent. I only know that he¡¯s been courting Andy, asking her to marry him, and always got rejected. Yet, every time after he got rejected, he adamantly persists. Umm, what was that ancient saying again? Ah, that¡¯s right. Keep on fighting despite continual setbacks. That¡¯s precisely the kind of man he is.¡±


    ¡°Not all can be by the books!¡± Tang Xiu laughed and said, ¡°Besides, a man must have audacity, thick skin, be dauntless, and persevere to obtain success in his endeavor. Only then will he be able to hold the belle in his embrace.¡±


    With a smiling expression, Kang Xia said, ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t think you read love stories, Boss! Regardless, I think Chen Si¡¯en is hopeless, though. If Andy does have a tad of feeling for him, however small it may be, she would have probably agreed a long time ago already. You have met Andy quite a few times already, haven¡¯t you? You should have seen about her bold, dare to hate and dare to love character.¡±


    ¡°Who am I to have the rights to say so, anyway?¡± Tang Xiu shrugged and chuckled, ¡°The sincerity that youth is showcasing will maybe eventually touch Andy¡¯s heart! What shall we do then? Should we let bygones be bygones? Or should we wait?¡±


    While holding Tang Xiu¡¯s left wrist, Kang Xia then looked at the world-famous brand watch Tang Xiu was wearing. After putting his wrist down, she said, ¡°Anyways, there are only 20 minutes left before the start of the celebration party. Let¡¯s go now! Or else the party will be delayed.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and started forward.


    At this time, Andy was looking at Chen Si¡¯en¡¯s frozen face with a satisfaction. She thought that she was a genius to have thought up such a splendid excuse. She then intentionally revealed a pitiful look to make Chen Si¡¯en give up, ¡°Chen Si¡¯en, Young Master Chen, I beg you to give me up! There¡¯s an old saying in China that filial piety is of the most important of all things. I myself am very filial, though I have no one to be filial to. Nevertheless, I can¡¯t marry you, no matter if you ask me 60 times or 6000 times.¡±


    ¡°Andy, I really like you. I love you.¡± Chen Si¡¯en bitterly said, ¡°Can you not reject me with such an absurd, made up excuse? For you, I can do anything and everything. I¡¯m willing to give up all, no matter what it is. Promise me, please! I will use the rest of my life to spoil you and love you dearly.¡±


    ¡°Andy!¡±


    Kang Xia and Tang Xiu appeared.


    Andy looked up. After she glanced at Kang Xia, her eyes then landed on Tang Xiu. She stared blankly at him for a while, as a splendor then burst from her eyes. In the next moment, she gaped with eyes filled with disbelief. However, in next to no time and without much her expression changing, she then winked and her expression changed to love-struck.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t stare blankly like that! The man is sincerely proposing you.¡± Tang Xiu laughed and said, ¡°Tell him you agree if you like him! From the looks of him, he seems to be pretty good too.¡±


    Andy gulped her saliva down, as she strode toward Tang Xiu and pulled his hand, excitedly exclaiming, ¡°Wow, you¡¯re so gorgeous today, Boss! You¡¯re like the knight in a shining armor that appears in my dreams!¡±


    Having said that, she seemed to recall something. After loosening Tang Xiu¡¯s hand, and under Tang Xiu¡¯s gaze that seemed at a loss whether to cry or laugh, she strode back to Chen Si¡¯en. She then snatched the Blue Enchantress Rose from his hand and then strode back to Tang Xiu. Kneeling on one of her knees, she supinely said, ¡°Boss, I just realized that I¡¯m in love with you. Please marry¡­ ah, no, please accept me!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    A series of black, heavy lines appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s forehead.


    Kang Xia was at a loss whether she had to be amused or angry when she looked at Andy and shook her head secretly.


    At the other side, Chen Si¡¯en, who was still kneeling, had his complexion suddenly change. He suddenly stood up and angrily yelled, ¡°Andy, what the hell do you mean by this? That rose is for you. How can you¡­¡±


    Andy turned around and smiled gorgeously, ¡°Young Master Chen, thanks a lot for the rose. I¡¯m borrowing it to present it as a gift to my knight. I hope I can get your blessings as well. Do you see him? He¡¯s the prince charming I¡¯ve always been dreaming of. The handsome, gorgeous man who has hit my heart as though a deer shot by a hunter.¡±


    Having said that, she looked at Tang Xiu again and sweetly smiled, ¡°Boss, please give me a chance. I really like you, I really love you. For you, I can do anything and everything. I¡¯m willing to give up all, no matter what it is. Promise me, please! I will use the rest of my life to spoil you and love you dearly.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Stunned and dumbfounded, never had Tang Xiu imagined that Andy would play such a game. Those words were exactly a copy-paste of what that Chen Si¡¯en guy had just said.


    Queer expressions appeared on each and every one of the onlookers. They never expected that such a dramatic change would unexpectedly unfold.


    ¡°Wow, what an interesting twist! Young people nowadays really have a good time playing! If that little girl Andy didn¡¯t refuse Chen Si¡¯en and did it on purpose, I¡¯m afraid she would really fall into that handsome lad who arrived late.¡±


    ¡°The man does his utmost to court a woman but is separated by a mountain, yet the woman herself pursues another man. I don¡¯t know whether the man who arrived late will agree.¡±


    ¡°Shit, Chen Si¡¯en is just out of the game!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Hearing the animated chatter from the onlookers around him, Chen Si¡¯en¡¯s countenance turned more and more unsightly. Never once in his wildest dreams did he thought he would come across somebody to unexpectedly show up and disrupt his plan. Nevertheless, little did he expect that Andy would disregard his face and pursue another man right in front of him. Furthermore, she also did it just at the moment he seriously proposed to her.


    Shame! It was like a scourge and calamity struck his heart. His heart was smashed and shred to pieces at the same time, causing a heartrending and piercing pain inside him.


    ¡°Andy, who the hell is he?¡±


    Chen Si¡¯en couldn¡¯t deny that this young man in front of him was indeed very elegant and handsome; especially his dress and his demeanor. That made him a bit envious and jealous. Still, regardless of who the young man was, he was his biggest rival, his biggest enemy.


    If possible, he really hoped that he would be able to kill this guy. So that this fellow could never appear in front of Andy again.

 Chapter 425

    Chapter 425: Violent Angel


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Being at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh, Tang Xiu could only look at Andy kneeling in front of him. He also shot a look at Chen Si¡¯en, whose complexion was pale and hostilely glaring at him. He never imagined that the farce would turn at him. He reluctantly shook his head before reaching out to pick Andy up, ¡°Andy, don¡¯t mess around. There are many onlookers here. Let¡¯s go inside! The banquet is about to begin.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    Despite feeling disappointed, Andy didn¡¯t show a sliver of it outwardly. Under the onlookers watchful eyes, she held Kang Xia¡¯s hand and lightly smiled. ¡°Boss, my performance just now was great, wasn¡¯t it? Not only did I reject and swat that fly, but I also confessed my love to the man I like. I¡¯m amazing, right?¡±


    ¡°Bah, you were simply making trouble on purpose.¡± Kang Xia forced a smile. ¡°Be careful, girl. Boss might kick you away.¡±


    ¡°Heh, no way. I¡¯m Boss¡¯ loving, trusted confidante. He will definitely hate to part with me.¡± Andy¡¯s makeup filled face made a scoffing expression as she giggled, ¡°If anything, you don¡¯t need to feel jealous of me, Chief.¡±


    Kang Xia rolled her eyes at her and then strode forward.


    Already with an unsightly expression on his face, Chen Si¡¯en¡¯s face turned uglier after hearing Andy comparing him to fly. Right as Tang Xiu¡¯s group was almost inside, he immediately pursued to block them. Glaring at Tang Xiu, he growled, ¡°Who the hell are you?¡±


    Tang Xiu halted as he looked at the furious Chen Si¡¯en, and then lightly said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to know. You only need to know that venting your anger on others because you got rejected is not something you should do. The relationship between Andy and I is normal. If anything, continue pursuing her if you got the ability. But if you wanna give up, that¡¯s nothing to do with me whatsoever.¡±


    Relaxing a bit, Chen Si¡¯en still stubbornly said, ¡°How the hell this has nothing to do with you? Didn¡¯t you just saw and heard her? I like her! I¡¯ve fallen in love with her. She¡¯s destined to be my woman in this lifetime. You had better leave her and go far away and stop appearing in front of her again if you know what¡¯s good for you.¡±


    ¡°Buddy, let me tell you one thing. It¡¯s your damn business whether you¡¯re successful or not in pursuing her.¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s face turned cold, as he said in a heavy tone, ¡°Regardless, you neither have the rights to dictate how others manage their lives nor are you qualified to limit how others get along with each other.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my business. I¡¯ll take care of it! What the fuck can you do anyway?¡± Chen Si¡¯en scowled angrily.


    A cold light flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as his eyes narrowed to slits. He coldly said, ¡°Your name is Chen Si¡¯en? I was just thinking that you were a good young man; I would even regard you as half of my own people if you were able to get Andy. But now my impression has turned to the worst. You had better get lost before I get angry.¡±


    Clenching his fists tightly, Chen Si¡¯en replied back overbearingly, ¡°Arrogant! And really overbearing! You¡¯re the first one to dare to be so arrogant before me. Kid, no matter who you are, I¡¯ll make you pay if you dare to appear before Andy again.¡±


    ¡°You are beyond hopeless!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head as he looked at Andy and asked, ¡°That skill I imparted to you, how¡¯s your practice?¡±


    After angrily glaring at Chen Si¡¯en, Andy then looked at Tang Xiu. Acting like a child who had done something wrong, she lowered her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m much stronger and my speed is a lot faster as well. It seems that¡­ seems like I¡¯ve succeeded.¡±


    Tang Xiu had just seen himself realized that Andy¡¯s physical condition was stronger than before. Hence, he inquired about that. After getting the answer he wanted, he indifferently said, ¡°This matter was caused by you; solve it yourself. I don¡¯t want to him here in the next two minutes.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Boss!¡±


    Andy replied and then glared at Chen Si¡¯en, angrily saying, ¡°Did you hear it? My Boss doesn¡¯t want to see you again, scram!¡±


    Perplexed, Chen Si¡¯en anxiously said, ¡°Andy, I¡¯m really sincere. Don¡¯t you want to have a well-off life? My Chen family have big a enterprise and is wealthy. I can assure you that you can live a rich, full life if you follow me. Likewise, I was just muddle headed out of anger just now. But I recall you calling him Boss before, so he must be the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s Boss, right? You can relax, my Chen Family is tens of times stronger than the Magnificent Tang Corp. Marry me, and later you¡¯ll be the Chens¡¯ daughter-in-law; you won¡¯t need to do anything. You¡¯ll be 10 thousand times better than working at the Magnificent Tang Corp.¡±


    _Bam¡­_


    A small fist fiercely punched Chen Si¡¯en¡¯s face. Staggering, Chen Si¡¯en almost fell to the floor. The instant Andy¡¯s feet landed on the floor, she angrily shouted, ¡°No one allowed you to slander our Magnificent Tang Corp, Chen Si¡¯en! What Chen Family? If my Boss wants it, he can make a company more powerful than your Simao Group. Scram! You only have a minute left!¡±


    Chen Si¡¯en stared at Andy in disbelief. In his eyes, Andy had always been an angel; a pure, chaste, and flawless angel. Never once in his dreams had he thought that one day she would beat him to keep another man¡¯s company under the public¡¯s watchful eyes.


    Blazing fury was bred from the flames of anger inside of him.


    Glaring fixedly at Andy, he clenched his fists tightly. Had it not been for the fact that Andy was a woman, he would have acted already. Suddenly, as though recalling something, he turned around and immediately raised his fist and bolted toward Tang Xiu, attempting to vent his anger and giving Tang Xiu a lesson by force.


    Andy¡¯s countenance changed and her expression turned unsightly. Her speed was very fast as she quickly blocked Chen Si¡¯en¡¯s path. Her petite body suddenly leaped up as her proud peaks were akin to roaring waves. She then punched Chen Si¡¯en¡¯s face again, yet at this time, she exerted enough power to directly smash Chen Si¡¯en down.


    _Hiss¡­_


    More and more guests joined the onlookers watching. Many of those who came later inquired about the whole story. Some showed sympathy, while others pity. Nevertheless, the following script made many of them despise Chen Si¡¯en, since he actually lost his demeanor and vented his anger on another just because he was rejected. After all, the man he vented his anger at had been polite toward him, even making it clear that he was only an ordinary friend to the girl. Still, Chen Si¡¯en actually vehemently ignored it.


    When everyone saw Andy act out of anger, they shook their heads, lamenting and sighing for Chen Si¡¯en, for he had to bear the consequences for his own deeds, allowing himself to be beaten down.


    However, the second time Andy acted, as she jumped to punch Chen Si¡¯en and making him fall to the floor, everyone couldn¡¯t help but gasp. They were secretly shocked by Andy¡¯s strength and speed, as it was beyond their imagination. However, the previous shock had yet to dissipate when a more unexpected scene occurred that made them more perplexed.


    Andy strode toward Chen Si¡¯en and repeatedly kicked him on the floor. Furthermore, it seemed that Andy was exerting a great deal of strength, since he kept screaming pitifully with every kick.


    Flawless beautiful face and a petite figure.


    She was akin to a flawlessly pure angel. Yet, that cute little angel who everyone couldn¡¯t help but be fond of turned out to be unbelievably violent.


    This¡­ was she a violent angel?


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but sigh inside. Although he also felt that Chen Si¡¯en was somewhat pitiful, yet the pitiful guy also had a hateful side to him. If it wasn¡¯t because the guy himself threw a tantrum to flame him, he wouldn¡¯t have been angry at him.


    At the end of the day, however, Andy was an employee of the Magnificent Tang Corp; it was rather an unsightly misconduct for her to savagely beat Chen Si¡¯en under everyone¡¯s watchful eyes. Hence, he let out a light cough and called her out, ¡°Andy, stop!¡±


    After Andy stopped, the indignant expression on her face vanished in an instant. She was like an obedient wife as she came toward Tang Xiu and said in a low voice, ¡°Boss!¡±


    Shaking his head, Tang Xiu then glanced at Chen Si¡¯en, who was holding his belly and curled up on the floor like a dried up shrimp. Then, he calmly said, ¡°Just forget it! After all, he likes you, and it¡¯s not wrong for anyone to like someone, to begin with. Come, our company¡¯s party is about to start. Don¡¯t delay it because of this trivial matter.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes!¡±


    Seeing that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t even blame her, Andy quickly ran to Kang Xia¡¯s side and grabbed her arm again.


    At the moment, Kang Xia¡¯s expression was a bit weird. Seeing Tang Xiu turn around and walk inside, she hesitated for a moment, before entering Long¡¯s Dining Hall¡¯s front door. She then asked in a low voice, ¡°Andy, your cultivation ¡­ could it be your cultivation has produced True Essence?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, my cultivation has achieved it some time ago, Chief!¡± Andy chuckled and said, ¡°But I didn¡¯t tell you because you left for Shanghai. After coming back, we got too busy and I forgot to mention it. At present, not only can I feel the flow of qi inside my body, but I also can control it. Besides, Boss has imparted us the cultivation technique to practice; absorbing some Spiritual Qi, and then transforming it to True Essence.¡±


    Kang Xia secretly gasped and gulped her saliva down. She then lightly asked, ¡°Are your strength and speed really more powerful than before?¡±


    ¡°They are several times stronger than before, at least.¡± Andy nodded and said, ¡°Otherwise, how do you think I was able to punch Chen Si¡¯en¡¯s face so fiercely?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really envious of you, girl.¡± Kang Xia forced a smile and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t even felt the flow of qi till now! Yet, you are already able to control it; even transforming it into True Essence.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you are usually too busy and rarely practice, right, Chief?¡± Andy laughed and said, ¡°I think it¡¯s not difficult to practice! I usually cultivate for two hours in the morning and in the daytime if I got the time, hence I naturally succeeded.¡±


    Kang Xia stared blankly for a moment, before she shook her head and forced out a bitter smile. She was indeed like Andy said. More often than not, she was too busy to even have a proper meal, where would she have the time to cultivate? The best shot she could give was to cultivate consecutively for a week, and that was only two hours each day.


    She secretly made up her mind to cultivate diligently later. After all, it was Boss who had imparted her the cultivation technique. Even if her cultivation was not as powerful as Boss told them, but at least she didn¡¯t want to be inferior to Andy.


    ¡°Andy, you have worked hard! But I¡¯ll definitely surpass you later.¡± Kang Xia whispered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting, Chief.¡± Andy chuckled.

 Chapter 426

    Chapter 426: Vowing Not to Let the Matter Drop


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Blue City, Sizemore Hot Spring Center.


    Warm mist curled up above the hot spring pool, as four young men comfortably sat in the four directions, merrily chatting and laughing. On the pool table beside them were a red wine and ashtrays, while two young girls wearing bikinis stood at the side, ready to pour tea and wine at any time.


    ¡°Brothers, how is our Blue City¡¯s hot spring? Does it feel good?¡± Long Zhenglin touched his big bald head while his other hand clamped a cigar, as he smilingly said while smoking.


    ¡°Yup, this is great!¡± Huang Xiu grinned and said, ¡°Pity the Boss of this place is unable to adapt to the circumstances, though. He¡¯s kind of insensible and doesn¡¯t allow hot chicks to hook up with us within this outdoor hot spring.¡±


    ¡°Second Young Master Huang, can¡¯t you live without women?¡± Fei Shan smirked and said, ¡°If you wanna play with hot chicks you gotta go to another place.¡±


    Huang Xu chuckled, ¡°No argument here! Anyhow, forget it. Let¡¯s not speak about chicks. Zhenglin, you invited us this time, it wasn¡¯t just to have us bath in the hot spring, was it? Do you want us to help advertise your company in Blue City?¡±


    ¡°Only my parents and Brother Huang know who I am.¡± Long Zhenglin gave a thumbs up and praised, ¡°Anyhow, you all know my Long Family has a quite amazing talent ¡ª my brother. So I don¡¯t need to worry about having to manage the family¡¯s business. Hence, I ran to Blue City to rely on myself. And since the three of you are the Blue City¡¯s local snakes, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to pull it off without your help.¡±


    ¡°Well, count yourself smart, buddy.¡± Huang Xu smiled and said, ¡°You can rest your worries. We¡¯ll help you pull in some businesses after we go back. Anyways, is your big brother busy at work recently? I haven¡¯t seen his shadow for a long time.¡±


    ¡°What else?¡± Long Zhenglin said with a smile, ¡°We got quite a big business deal some time ago, so he has been busy working on it abroad! I went back home once or twice recently, and I haven¡¯t seen him either.¡±


    ¡°Your Long Family has expanded overseas?¡± Huang Xu was surprised.


    ¡°That¡¯s my brother¡¯s work. I got nothing to do with it.¡± Long Zhenglin smiled and said, ¡°As for me, I kinda miss my days fooling around with Eldest Brother Tang. It was great.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right. Where¡¯s Tang Xiu now?¡± Fei Shan curiously said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call him out today?¡±


    ¡°Huh? How would he have free time? He gotta study as well as manage his business, so he should be in Shanghai now! Anyhow, I¡¯m thinking of making a trip to Shanghai to him in a few days!¡±


    ¡°Zhenglin, you gotta remember to call me when you go, buddy!¡± Huang Xu quickly said, ¡°I kind of miss the wine his company produces. It¡¯s so damn unfortunate, I only got two bottles until now. That was also because I sent people to wait in line for days and nights in front of Blue City¡¯s exclusive store. It was kinda hard to line up to buy it.¡±


    ¡°Yea, true that! I only got two bottles too.¡± Fei Shan sighed, ¡°Since we¡¯re acquaintances with Tang Xiu, we should be able to get through the back door and get tons of Gods Nectar!¡±


    ¡°Gods Nectar?¡±


    One of the other young men, who hadn¡¯t yet talked, had his expression suddenly changed, asking, ¡°Are you talking about the Magnificent Tang Group who produces the Gods Nectar?¡±


    ¡°You seem to be a wine lover as well, Young Master Chen!¡± Huang Xu said with a smile, ¡°Yup, Gods Nectar is indeed produced by the Magnificent Tang Corp, but unfortunately, the number produced is way too low.¡±


    The young man narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°That Tang Xiu you were talking about, does he work at Magnificent Tang Corp, or does he know someone from that company¡¯s top executives?¡±


    Huang Xu, Fei Shan, and Long Zhenglin exchanged looks, as the trio then suddenly grinned and laughed.


    With a proud expression, Long Zhenglin said with a smile, ¡°Young Master Chen, Eldest Brother Tang is none other than the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s Big Boss. Otherwise, why do you think he could make this Long Zhenglin recognize him as the Eldest Brother?¡±


    ¡°The Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s Big Boss is Tang Xiu? If anything, I had once sent some people to investigate the owner of that company, but with no results. Someone seem to be intentionally concealing his identity.¡± The young man was startled and said, ¡°To think that the three of you would actually know him, this is kinda unexpected. Well, you gotta introduce me to him when you got the time.¡±


    ¡°No prob.¡± Long Zhenglin grinned and said, ¡°I¡¯ll introduce you to him when I go to Shanghai.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± The young man said.


    Suddenly, his cell phone on the poolside table vibrated. After putting the cigar on the ashtray, he took the phone and looked at the caller¡¯s number. After connecting it, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Chief Chen, Second Young Master has just got beaten at the Long¡¯s Dining Hall¡¯s entrance.¡±


    ¡°What? How did it happen?¡± Chen Sirui frowned and asked in a deep voice.


    ¡°Second Young Master was pursuing a girl from Magnificent Tang Corp named Andy. He proposed her tonight at the Long¡¯s Dining Hall¡¯s entrance. But the result was that Andy refused and ignored him and proposed another man, instead. After some argument, that Andy beat Second Young Master. Anyways, I only heard about it and didn¡¯t witness it myself. So I¡¯m not too clear about the situation, either.¡± The opposite party¡¯s voice was transmitted from the phone.


    ¡°I see.¡± Chen Sirui shook his head and said with a forced smile.


    After hanging up, he dialed another cell number and then spoke, ¡°A¡¯ Jian, go to Long¡¯s Dining Hall. Si¡¯en was just beaten there. Investigate this matter clearly first, how it happened and who was the person who provoked him, and then help him vent his anger.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± A middle-aged man¡¯s voice came out of the phone.


    Upon hearing Chen Sirui¡¯s words, the trio wore curious looks on their faces. Long Zhenglin was even more curious, as he asked, ¡°What happened, Young Master Chen?¡±


    ¡°It was my brother. He got beaten at Long¡¯s Dining Hall.¡± Chen Sirui forced a smile and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know about the details, though.¡±


    ¡°That younger brother of yours is not bad, but he¡¯s kinda old-school, and always do unnecessary things to solve everything.¡± Long Zhenlin grinned, ¡°I remember a few years ago when he got that yacht after fighting over it with someone else. He compelled that fella into a miserable state, yet he didn¡¯t want to let him go. I heard that that fellow was finally unable to hold any longer and left Blue City?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the flaw in his character, but also his strong point as well.¡± Chen Sirui sneered, ¡°Almost all of our businesses in Star City have been handed over to him at present, and he also has done a good job at that too. However, I heard that, recently, he has bewitched and obsessed with a girl, an employee of the Magnificent Tang Corp. To be honest, his character is too gentle if you ask me. Had it been me, if you can¡¯t use soft means to get something, just take it by force.¡±


    ¡°You said there¡¯s still a girl in the world who dares to reject your younger brother?¡± Long Zhenglin showed the white of his eyes and said, ¡°It¡¯s quite strange, though. The girl couldn¡¯t be Kang Xia, right? She¡¯s Eldest Brother Tang¡¯s favorite girl, and I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll definitely throw his fury toward whoever dares to make a move on her.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not Kang Xia.¡± Chen Sirui shook his head and said, ¡°Her name is Andy.¡±


    ¡°Andy?¡±


    Huang Xu and Fei Shan vaguely felt that the name was familiar, though they couldn¡¯t remember where they heard it. Nevertheless, they no longer cared about the matter and continued joking and laughed.


    At Long¡¯s Dining Hall.


    Sitting inside the private box with a bluish and swollen face, Chen Si¡¯en had fury all over his face as he smashed everything on the coffee table, while the Long¡¯s Dining Hall¡¯s General Manager, Zhang Tianfu, could only force out a bitter smile.


    _Ring, ring, ring¡­_


    Looking annoyed, Chen Si¡¯en took the mobile phone and saw that the number was familiar. His brows immediately furrowed. After connecting the call, he asked, ¡°Ah Jian, What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Chief Chen told me to bring a few men to Long¡¯s Dining Hall, where are you Second Young Master?¡±


    Chen Si¡¯en¡¯s stared blankly for a moment, as his expression then changed a few times, before replying in a heavy voice, ¡°I¡¯m in the Long¡¯s Dining Hall, just come to the private box #0602.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The call ended.


    Raising his head to Zhang Tianfu, Chen Si¡¯en then said in a heavy voice, ¡°I told you not to be a busybody and meddle in tonight¡¯s business. Regardless of what happens, I¡¯ll take the responsibility.¡±


    Zhang Tianfu forced out a smile and said, ¡°Young Master Chen, your family also has shares in the Long¡¯s Dining Hall. We¡¯ll be greatly affected if you were to create too big a matter.¡±


    ¡°I told you that no matter how big the trouble I will take responsibility, didn¡¯t I?¡± Chen Si¡¯en scornfully said.


    After staying in silence for a while, Zhang Tianfu then slowly nodded and said, ¡°Very well, then I¡¯ll go back to rest since I¡¯m not feeling well tonight.¡±


    ¡°Just go!¡± Chen Si¡¯en gloomily said.


    Long¡¯s Dining Hall, Jadewater Hall.


    A party hall that was sufficient to accommodate hundreds of people was now filled with festivity. Rows of long tables were filled with various dishes and drinks. There was also a red carpet at the end of a half a meter platform, along with a microphone and a big sound system at both ends of the platform.


    Inside the Jadewater Hall, dozens of senior executives of the Magnificent Tang Corp were merrily chatting and smiling. Most of the topics revolved around their mysterious Boss.


    ¡°Chief Wei, you¡¯re the most senior among the executives in the Magnificent Tang Corp. You should have seen our Big Boss, right? Can you tell us about him?¡± A middle-aged man smiled while holding a cup of red wine.


    His question made the other four or five executives turn and look at Wei Zhongfeng.


    ¡°Well, since the Boss said he would come tonight, then he¡¯ll surely come, that¡¯s for sure.¡± Wei Zhongfeng chuckled and said, ¡°You can¡¯t wait to see Boss and get to know him, do you? Hmm, it¡¯s 6:52 PM now. There¡¯s eight minutes left to 7 PM. I believe Boss will surely come by seven.¡±


    The middle-aged man smiled and said, ¡°We know that we¡¯ll meet Boss tonight, Chief Wei. But what we want to know is about his character, since we know nothing him! Just tell us a bit first, please, so we can prepare ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Well, our Boss is easy going, amiable and quite astute and smart.¡± Wei Zhongfeng said with a smile.


    ¡°All right!¡± They replied and nodded.


    A few minutes later, as everyone was merrily chatting, Kang Xia and Andy came inside through the Jadewater Hall¡¯s side entrance. As Andy walked down the platform, Kang Xia directly went to the innermost platform, took the microphone and said, ¡°Everyone, may I have your attention, please. It¡¯s two minutes to 7 PM. Since our Boss doesn¡¯t like to waste time, he¡¯ll be out right now. As of now, I¡¯m asking everyone to give your best to applaud and welcome our Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s Big Boss¡­ Tang¡­ Xiu!¡±


    _Clap, clap, clap¡­_


    Just right as Kang Xia¡¯s voice fell, continuous applause immediately followed.

 Chapter 427

    Chapter 427: Making Trouble


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Walking inside from the side entrance, Tang Xiu looked at the company¡¯s top executives, wearing a faint smile on his handsome face. Although he basically didn¡¯t get himself involved in the operational management of the Magnificent Tang Corp, however, he had read the information about the company¡¯s top executives on the¡¯ profiles Kang Xia gave him. Therefore, he could remember everyone¡¯s names, positions, and their traits and characteristics.


    At this time, dozens of senior executives below the platform looked surprised, as it was hard for them to believe that Tang Xiu was their Boss. After all, Tang Xiu was way too young; even though he was very charmingly handsome and energetic.


    ¡°This is our Boss? Chief Kang is joking with us, right? This young man looks to be in his early 20s. How could he be our Boss?¡±


    ¡°Is it a mistake or something? He can¡¯t be our Boss, right? He¡¯s way too young.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed rumored that our company¡¯s Boss is very young. But to think he¡¯s this young, this is unbelievable. Looking at his age, he seems to be a university student, right?¡±


    ¡°I heard that all the products of our corporation were researched and developed by our Big Boss. But he¡¯s too young. How could he develop so many products?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Amidst everyone¡¯s incredulous babblering, Kang Xia let out an enchanting smile, as she stood in front of the microphone, and then looked at Tang Xiu. She then chuckled and said, ¡°Everyone, you¡¯re not mistaken. He¡¯s our Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s Big Boss, Mr. Tang Xiu. I know that each and every one of you is very surprised and shocked. Regardless, however young he may be, he¡¯s indeed the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s Big Boss.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve already learned that our Boss is usually very low-key and doesn¡¯t manage the operations of the company. It is not that he doesn¡¯t want to handle it, but it¡¯s because he¡¯s very busy. Apart from the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s businesses, our Boss also has another business to manage. Therefore, if you have the ambition to step on a bigger stage, our Boss will give you the chance to have a more glorious and better future as well.


    ¡°And now, let¡¯s have a few words from our Boss.¡±


    While looking at Kang Xia, who gave him the speaking position, Tang Xiu immediately let out a smile. His eyes slowly swept across the audience, as he then said, ¡°I¡¯m aware of the current development of Magnificent Tang Corporation. Likewise, I¡¯m also very clear about the contribution made by all of you until now. I have to admit that I¡¯m very relieved to have handed over the company management affairs to Kang Xia, so I hope that all of you can strictly adhere and obey her instructions. Shortly put, her commands are on my behalf and are my commands as well. If¡­ in case someone dares to disobey orders or abuses your power to seek personal gain, you will be directly driven away from the Magnificent Tang Corporation.


    ¡°Speaking of this, those who are competent will be to stay, and those who are not will be dismissed. If you¡¯re competent and able, the Magnificent Tang Corporation will give you a bigger stage for you to showcase yourself, as well as present you with an infinite future.¡±


    After Tang Xiu spoke up to there, he took a moment of silence, as he then slowly said once again, ¡°Last but not least, I would speak to you about tonight¡¯s celebration banquet for our Magnificent Tang Corporation, for which is the recognition and approval of all of your achievements. Therefore, I hereby announce an increase in all senior executives¡¯ salaries by 10%.¡±


    _Whoosh¡­_


    Right as Tang Xiu¡¯s voice fell, dozens of top executives of the Magnificent Tang Corp looked pleasantly surprised as they looked at Tang Xiu with fervor and enthusiasm.


    For them, Tang Xiu¡¯s words of recognition were not at all on par with the money reward. They were all top executives of the Magnificent Tang Corp, and their salaries were already very good. Added with the bonuses, their salaries were already much higher than those of other big corporations. With the 10% increase now, the amount would surely increase even more.


    _Clap, clap, clap¡­_


    Unbeknownst to all as to whom took the lead, all top executives in the entire banquet hall suddenly applauded simultaneously, making a loud and thunderous sound.


    Following that, Tang Xiu gave his speech position to Kang Xia and left the stage.


    ¡°First of all, I¡¯m grateful and thankful to the Boss for his generosity. I believe everyone will work much more energetically in the future, right? Nevertheless, I hope that with the joint efforts of everyone in the future, our Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s businesses will grow bigger and bigger. I hope to see our company go international and expand into every corner of the world.


    ¡°Well, since tonight is our celebration party, without further ado, everyone can start to eat and drink.¡±


    After saying that, Kang Xia motioned for Andy.


    With a smile hanging on the corner of her mouth, Andy came to the stage and said with a smile, ¡°Well, Boss and Chief Kang didn¡¯t convey many words to us, but everyone must be very happy, right? Then, let tonight¡¯s party start!!¡±


    Soft and gentle crystal lights shined in every corner of the hall.


    As the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s Boss, Tang Xiu was naturally the person most sought out by everyone. Almost every top executive of the company came to Tang Xiu, wanting to talk with him and show themselves before their Boss. To everyone¡¯s surprise, Tang Xiu could accurately say each of their names, their positions, as well as recognized and encouraged them all for their works.


    Half an hour later, a beautiful music reverberated, as the lights in the banquet hall turned colorful, multicolored lights that were a common part of every party ¡ª the ball.


    Dancing. It was something Tang Xiu was not good at.


    Regardless, he still complied when Kang Xia invited him. Under Kang Xia¡¯s instructions, he only spent a small effort to turn himself into a qualified dancing partner.


    _Bam¡­_


    The Jadewater Hall¡¯s front door was trampled open, as more than 20 big men and a handsome young man aggressively stormed into the banquet hall, akin to ferocious wolves or tigers. The dancing top executives of the Tang Magnificent Corp had their expressions slightly changed. As the lights turned brighter, everyone¡¯s eyes landed on Chen Si¡¯en, who was walking throught the front door.


    Tang Xiu slightly furrowed his brows and released Kang Xia¡¯s supple, slender waist. He then strode toward Chen Si¡¯en, whose expression was full of provocation.


    ¡°Did you come here to make trouble?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s voice was chilling.


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu, Chen Si¡¯en looked like he saw a mortal enemy.. His eyes turned scarlet, as tightly gripped his fists and ferociously glared at Tang Xiu, ¡°Yes! I came here to make trouble! Where¡¯s Andy? Get her here to see me!¡±


    Andy walked over from the sideways. She then pointed at Chen Si¡¯en and shouted, ¡°Chen! Si¡¯en! It seems like you were beaten too lightly by me, huh? SCRAM! Or else, don¡¯t blame me if I beat you once again.¡±


    Chen Si¡¯en¡¯s eyes twitched, and the anger in his eyes turned thicker. He stared at Andy and scornfully shouted, ¡°Andy, there¡¯s something you don¡¯t know. This Chen Si¡¯en has never failed to get something I want, never. Tonight I¡¯ll give you a choice. Come with me, or I will smite this punk you call Boss. You only have half a minute to think.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Glancing at the big and powerful men Chen Si¡¯en brought, a timid look appeared on Andy¡¯s face. However, as she recalled that Tang Xiu was there, the look quickly vanished. Just as she was about to speak, Tang Xiu stopped her.


    While looking at Kang Xia, Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°How much are the clothes I¡¯m wearing now?¡±


    ¡°Excluding the watch, all of them amount to almost 300 thousand.¡± Clueless as to what Tang Xiu had in mind, Kang Xia still replied respectfully.


    Tang Xiu nodded, as his gaze then shifted to Chen Si¡¯en. He smiled lightly and said, ¡°Did you hear it? The price of my clothes is about 300 thousand yuan. If it were to be stained by blood this evening, I¡¯d have to throw it out. Furthermore, the clothes I¡¯m wearing cost at least a hundred times that. So, have you decided yet? Fail in provoking me, and not only will you make a fool of yourself, you¡¯ll also get retribution, plus 30 million in compensation for the loss of my clothes.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    Chen Si¡¯en laughed maniacally. Then, he said loudly, full of sarcasm, ¡°You¡¯re mad. Do you think you can be arrogant before me just because you¡¯re the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s Boss? Can¡¯t you see what kind of situation you are in now? Hmph¡­ you¡¯re just an idiot in my eyes.¡±


    At this time, the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s top executives looked furious.


    They were all the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s top executives. For Chen Si¡¯en to humiliate their Boss, it was akin to humiliating themselves. Although many of them knew that Chen Si¡¯en was powerful in Star City, but they didn¡¯t have a good impression of him. After all, Chen Si¡¯en had repeatedly come to the company just to pursue Andy, which caused many to loathe him.


    Additionally, their Big Boss, Tang Xiu, had just increased their salaries. Hence, many of them prepared to call the police.


    The slight smile on Tang Xiu¡¯s face receded like a tidal wave. He calmly observed Chen Si¡¯en¡¯s domineering and arrogant act, and then asked, ¡°Are you finished?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m done. Let Andy choose by herself.¡± Chen Si¡¯en scornfully sneered, ¡°Even if she chooses to go with me tonight, you will still end up beaten. You¡¯ll obediently lie on the hospital bed for months.¡±


    ¡°Wow, I was originally hesitating as whether to give you a beating.¡± Tang Xiu gave him a thumbs-up and sighed, ¡°But since you said this, I won¡¯t stand on ceremony anymore.¡±


    The moment he finished speaking, Tang Xiu instantly appeared in front of Chen Si¡¯en, his fists straightly punching Chen Si¡¯en¡¯s face lightning fast.


    A strong and agile figure suddenly appeared in front of Chen Si¡¯en. It was a man with stocky bear-like hips and tiger-like back ¨C Qiu Jian ¨C who was blocking Tang Xiu¡¯s punch with his own fists. Despite being strong, his staggered backward after his fists clashed with Tang Xiu¡¯s. His staggering posture hit Chen Si¡¯en behind him and almost made him fall to the floor. His complexion drastically changed, yet he stayed in shape and stood firmly still, his eagle-like eyes fixedly staring at Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu slightly furrowed his brows, as he stood still and didn¡¯t move in the slightest. He looked at Qiu Jian with astonishment. He had never thought that this guy¡¯s strength and speed would be unexpectedly this powerful. Had it been an average person with several hundred pounds weigh daring to resist his punch, they would have easily been sent flying.


    However, he didn¡¯t hesitate even for a bit. After Qiu Jian¡¯s figure stood firm, he dashed forward again. This time, he increased his speed and strength and instantly appeared in front of Qiu Jian. He shot a strong punch at Qiu Jian¡¯s face. As the man was sent flying upside down, Tang Xiu raised his leg to kick Qiu Jian¡¯s waist. Right after Qiu Jian was sent flying, Tang Xiu¡¯s figure appeared once again in front of Chen Si¡¯en.


    ¡°You still dare to act arrogantly, despite bringing these worthless trash?¡±


    Tang Xiu grabbed Chen Si¡¯en¡¯s shirt and immediately slapped him dozens of times. After beating him into a pig-headed state, he kicked him in the stomach and sent him flying backward eight meters away, as he then landed and fainted on the floor.


    ¡°Get him!¡±


    Upon seeing such a scene, the 20 big men brought by Chen Si¡¯en instantly stormed toward Tang Xiu.

 Chapter 428

    Chapter 428: Betrayal


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Over 70% of the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s top executives were men. And due to Kang Xia¡¯s bold decision to use new people, nearly half of them were young men.


    Therefore, after the twenty big men stormed over, several people led by Scarblade Qiang and Wei Zhongfeng chose to act together with Tang Xiu. They grabbed bottles and other items on the table and rushed to clash with the big men. Apart from the women and several timid men, the others went to join the group after a brief hesitation.


    The fight was especially messy and chaotic.


    Tang Xiu himself didn¡¯t expect that these top executives would act. Hence, he moved and acted quickly. Whenever one got injured, he immediately attacked the one who had injured him. After half a minute, the men brought by Chen Si¡¯en were all beaten, while five or six Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s top executives suffered minor injuries.


    ¡°Shall we call the police, Boss?¡± Kang Xia had stopped many from calling the police. At this time, seeing that all the troublemakers had been subdued, she came to Tang Xiu and asked in a low voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call the cops.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°It isn¡¯t over yet.¡±


    ¡°But we have people injured. Should we send them to the hospital?¡± Kang Xia hesitantly nodded and asked.


    Shaking his head again, Tang Xiu then strode toward the injured. He immediately gave them treatment. Some of the top executives had bleeding wounds, and after Tang Xiu gave them simple treatment, their wounds stopped bleeding.


    ¡°Everyone, thank you for acting together with me. After today¡¯s accident, I now realize that our Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s top executives are very united and cohesive. Mark my words; whoever dares to bully any of our people, everyone must join hands to deal with them. If the opposite party has a strong background, call me at once; I¡¯m your Boss, I¡¯ll support you.¡± Tang Xiu looked around and heavily said.


    Having said that, he then went toward the unconscious Chen Si¡¯en. As he picked him up and slapped him a few times to wake him up, he then threw him to the floor as though a dead dog, and then said coldly, ¡°All right, let us continue our talk. You brought your men to disturb the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s party. What you did caused great damage to our company; some top executives of our company even got injured. The medical bills, the time wasted, the mental trauma, and another series of losses we have suffered, how will you compensate us?¡±


    Chen Si¡¯en shook his head as watched his men all knocked on the floor, huddling and groaning everywhere. Disbelief filled his eyes, as he could hardly believe what he saw. He rubbed his eyes, making sure that he wasn¡¯t seeing mistakenly.


    However, the result was a disappointment, for his twenty men had indeed been completely beaten up.


    ¡°YOU¡­¡±


    Chen Si¡¯en¡¯s gaze landed on Tang Xiu as he opened his mouth to speak, yet couldn¡¯t utter any words. He just arrogantly shouted saying that he would make Tang Xiu pay and make him lie down on the hospital bed for months. In the end, however, never had he imagined that it would turn into such a situation.


    Scornfully sneering, Tang Xiu grabbed a bottle of wine. He came to a big man next to Chen Si¡¯en and smashed the bottle on his head. The big man miserably screamed as Tang Xiu grabbed his head, and then smeared his clothes with the man¡¯s blood. Following that, he turned to Chen Si¡¯en and sneered, ¡°You must pay 30 million in compensation for my clothes. Added with the other losses, you must to pay no less than 200 million in compensation. Otherwise, not one of you will leave this banquet hall tonight!¡±


    200 million?


    Chen Si¡¯en stared blankly, as his anger erupted yet again. He glared at Tang Xiu and got up with difficulty, bellowing angrily, ¡°Surnamed Tang! Don¡¯t go too far! This father can take out 200 million, but do you think you can make it out alive to get it?¡±


    _Pa¡­_


    Tang Xiu slapped him again. He then faced Scarblade Qiang and pointed at a nearby chair. After Scarblade Qiang smilingly moved the chair over, Tang Xiu sat while crossing his legs, and then indifferently said, ¡°Whether I¡¯ll be alive to spend it is my concern, you don¡¯t need to worry about it. I¡¯ll give you two hours. If you don¡¯t pay the 200 million by then, all of you will be beaten again in turns. After several beatings, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be lying in bed for a couple of months.¡±


    Chen Si¡¯en collapsed on the floor, using one of his hands to cover his face and the other to prop him up off the floor. After trying hard to sit, a fierce, scowling look emerged on his handsome face as he yelled sternly, ¡°Surnamed Tang! You really have balls. Just you wait, just you wait¡­¡±


    After roaring, he directly took out his mobile phone and dialed a number, calling out loudly after it was picked up, ¡°Big Brother, the men you sent me were all beaten, and I got beaten up yet again!¡±


    ¡°Tell me the address!¡±


    ¡°Long¡¯s Dining Hall, Jadewater Hall.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Chen Si¡¯en glared hatefully toward Tang Xiu, shouting, ¡°Just you wait, surnamed Tang! This matter is not over yet!¡±


    Glancing at him with contempt and disdain, Tang Xiu turned to Scarblade Qiang and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear him speak anymore. Knock him down!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    As far as Scarblade Qiang was concerned, he was of a powerful bandit background. He grabbed a bottle and directly smashed it on Chen Si¡¯en¡¯s head, making him faint directly.


    Sizemore Hot Spring Center.


    After having just entered the hot spring, a cold glint flashed in Chen Sirui¡¯s eyes, who was already dressed up. After making a phone call, he turned to look at Long Zhenglin, Fei Shan, and Huang Xiu, and lightly said, ¡°I got something to deal with, so I can¡¯t accompany you.¡±


    Surprised, Long Zhenglin asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°My little brother got beaten up again.¡± Chen Sirui said indifferently, ¡°The men I sent him also got beaten by the opposite party. I have to go to Long¡¯s Dining Hall to see it myself.¡±


    Long Zhenglin, Fei Shan, and Huang Xu exchanged dismayed glances, yet wore strange expressions on their faces. They didn¡¯t expect that someone would able to clean up the people sent by Chen Sirui, and even so rampantly beat up Chen Si¡¯en.


    Who could have such boldness? Who could be so rampant?


    After pondering for a short while, Long Zhenglin then said, ¡°Young Master Chen, you are someone I, Long Zhenglin, has invited to Star City. So your little brother is also my younger brother. If anything, I¡¯m also a local snake of Star City; thus, I¡¯ll naturally give you a hand as well. Let¡¯s go to Long¡¯s Dining Hall together! I actually want to see the punk who dares to beat up the Second Young Master of the Simao Group.¡±


    Fei Shan and Huang Xu also said in unison, ¡°Yea! We¡¯re all buddies. Your business is our business!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together!¡±


    After being silent for a moment, Chen Sirui then nodded and said, ¡°If so, I thank you in advance.¡±


    An hour afterward, six cars arrived at Long¡¯s Dining Hall¡¯s entrance. As Chen Sirui and the other three got off, fifteen big men in black suits steadily came out from the cars one by one.


    ¡°Yong Master Long, Chen¡­ Young Master Chen. Y-you¡¯ve come.¡±


    At the gate, the security captain grinned as he strode forward to greet them.


    Giving him a cold snort in response, Chen Sirui ignored the security captain and walked inside. The group¡¯s fierce and aggressive posture aroused the curiosity of many visitors.


    Quickly, two big men pushed the Jadewater Hall¡¯s front door, as Chen Sirui, Long Zhenglin, and the others rushed in in a threatening manner. Their anger turned fiercer after they saw the scene inside.


    The tall and sturdy Long Zhenglin shouted, ¡°Who the fuck got the balls to eat the bear and leopard¡¯s heart? How dare you beat Second Young Master Chen? Get the fuck¡­¡±


    Suddenly, his voice came to a halt, his face turning blank.


    Huang Xu and Fei Shan, who were about to curse as well, gaped and wore incredulous looks after they spotted Tang Xiu sitting on a chair inside.


    As for Chen Sirui, he didn¡¯t know Tang Xiu. He only saw his unconscious younger brother, Chen Si¡¯en, who had been beaten up, and looked at the twenty men sent by him lying down on the floor akin to dead dogs. Flames of anger burned crazily inside his heart. However, as a mature and calm person, he didn¡¯t get muddle-headed due to his fury.


    ¡°Are you the one who injured my little brother?¡±


    Giving him a cold and detached look in response, Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes then moved to Long Zhenglin¡¯s face and indifferently asked, ¡°Well, well, Second Young Master Long, you do get along well with others! Are you going to stand up for this Chen Family too?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Long Zhenglin hastily shook his head.


    Chen Sirui stared blankly as he turned to look at Long Zhenglin, who was shaking his head as hard as he could, and frowned deeply.


    Coldly snorting in response, Tang Xiu then looked at Huang Xu and Fei Shan and also asked lightly, ¡°How about the two of you? Do you also want to stand up for the Chen Family?¡±


    Huang Xu and Fei Shan exchanged looks. The duo forced out a smile at the same time, shaking their heads and saying in unison, ¡°No, we got nothing to do with this matter.¡±


    ¡°Yea! We won¡¯t meddle in, since you¡¯re involved in this matter!¡±


    Again, Chen Sirui was stunned and stared blankly. He looked at the Long Zhenglin, Fei Shan, and Huang Xu with an incredulous expression, because the three of them were so eager to help him before, saying that they would help him clean up the enemies. But, to think they were now¡­


    ¡°Long Zhenglin, Huang Xu, Fei Shan¡­ What the fuck do you mean by this?¡± Chen Sirui asked with a scowl on his face.


    After staying silent for a short while, Long Zhenglin suddenly said, ¡°Young Master Chen, there¡¯s something you may not be aware of. Your younger brother provoked the Magnificent Tang Corporation. Despite I myself not having something big, yet I also have a certain business under the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s flag, and I also have small shares of the stock. So if your Chen Family is going to deal with the Magnificent Tang Corp, that means you will have to deal with me as well. If you really want to have a go, then don¡¯t blame me for clashing with you without sparing consideration for face.¡±


    Stunned and shocked, Chen Sirui didn¡¯t expect that these people would be from the Magnificent Tang Corp. Suddenly, as if recalling something, his gaze then shifted toward Kang Xia, who was standing next to Tang Xiu, and his expression suddenly changed.


    ¡°Are you¡­ Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Never thought that a nobody such as I would be known to Young Master Chen.¡± Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°Should I feel flattered and honored or something?¡±


    Chen Sirui finally understory why did Long Zhenglin, Fei Shan, and Huang Xu betray him. They had known Tang Xiu before, and even had a bit of friendship with him. In particular Long Zhenglin, for he was definitely on Tang Xiu¡¯s side. If he were to clash with Tang Xiu, Long Zhenglin would stand on Tang Xiu¡¯s side without a second thought.

 Chapter 429

    Chapter 429: Silently Swallowing Insult and Humiliation


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Chen Sirui¡¯s mind raced. The anger on his face faded and was replaced by indifference. Though he knew nothing about Tang Xiu¡¯s background, he could guess that Tang Xiu was a very formidable adversary judging from Long Zhenglin¡¯s, Fei Shan¡¯s, and Huang Xu¡¯s attitudes.


    Hence, he didn¡¯t want to immediately act without thoroughly investigating Tang Xiu¡¯s background. But he was sure of one thing; he¡¯d probably suffer a loss tonight.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, although I don¡¯t know what is the conflict between you and my younger brother, I apologize if my younger brother is in the wrong. I have heard about you from Long Zhenglin, Fei Shan, and Huang Xu beforehand, so today, I¡¯m thinking we need to lessen today¡¯s big issue to a small one and make it into a trivial matter.¡± Chen Sirui calmly said after a moment of thought.


    Is he giving in?


    Dozens of the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s top executives were somewhat unable to believe the current situation. They had seen Chen Sirui and Long Zhenglin¡¯s group arrive with a threatening manner. They also expected a fight. But it was out of their imagination that Long Zhenglin, Huang Xu, and Fei Shan, who had followed Chen Sirui, would turn their backs on him.


    Moreover, they didn¡¯t expect that Chen Si¡¯en¡¯s big brother would actually choose to directly give in!


    At this time, they felt admiration for Tang Xiu.


    While calmly sitting on the chair, Tang Xiu observed Chen Sirui¡¯s indifference expression, and then replied with the same indifferent expression, ¡°I¡¯m not someone who likes causing trouble. But your little brother pursued a female executive of my company and threw his tantrum at me just because he got rejected, disturbing our company¡¯s banquet with his men as well as attacking us. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any way to make this big issue smaller.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you want?¡± Chen Sirui knitted his brows.


    Tang Xiu turned to Scarblade Qiang and lightly said, ¡°Wake him up! Let his little brother tell him what I want.¡±


    Scarblade Qiang replied as he strode toward Chen Si¡¯en and gave him a few slaps. After waking him up, and ignoring Chen Sirui¡¯s anger, he loudly shouted, ¡°Hey, kiddo! Your big brother has admitted defeat before our Boss. He wants to know how things should be done tonight. Tell your big brother how to end tonight¡¯s matter.¡±


    After Chen Si¡¯en came to his senses, he saw the scene in front of him, and immediately shouted, ¡°Big Brother, it¡¯s them. This punk is surnamed Tang. He¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut the hell up!¡± Chen Sirui sternly shouted and interrupted him.


    Stunned and shocked, Chen Si¡¯en stared at Chen Sirui in disbelief. He opened his mouth, but he couldn¡¯t utter anything.


    ¡°Tell me, what the hell do they want?¡± Chen Sirui indifferently asked.


    Chen Si¡¯en turned his head to Tang Xiu before he faced his brother again. He fell into silence for a short while, as a mirthless smile slowly appeared on his face. He then shook his head and said, ¡°Brother, I never thought that you would ask me such a ridiculous question while I got beaten up by others. Great, just great! I understand. 200 million. He wants 200 million as compensation! I can¡¯t get the money now, so you must help me! I¡¯ll pay you back later.¡±


    Frowning, Chen Sirui turned to look at the middle-aged man beside him and then whispered something. As the middle-aged man left, he turned to Tang Xiu and then said, ¡°The 200 million will be transferred to your account later. Are you satisfied now? Can I take my brother and the others?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re Young Master Chen, right?¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°Well, you¡¯re quite good considering you can endure that much. To people with such a disposition, especially if they are my enemies, I usually never let them go; for I am someone who always cut the weeds and dig up their roots. But today, in front of my company¡¯s top executives, I don¡¯t want to do so because I don¡¯t want them to think I¡¯m too ruthless. Your little brother should feel fortunate. Promise me something, and then you can leave.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Asked Chen Sirui coldly.


    While pointing at Chen Sirui, Tang Xiu said in a cold and detached tone, ¡°From today henceforth, your little brother is not allowed to step into Star City ever again! Otherwise, I don¡¯t mind paying your Chen Family in Blue City a visit. Of course, if you, brothers, want to exact your revenge at me, feel free to do so. I want to see how much ability your Chen Family has.¡±


    ¡°One day in the future, you will perhaps experience it.¡± Chen Sirui said indifferently, ¡°Alright! I accept your condition.¡±


    ¡°Then go!¡± Killing intent flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he said indifferently.


    Motioning his men with his hand, Chen Sirui and a dozen big men immediately propped up Chen Si¡¯en and their people and quickly left.


    Then, Tang Xiu turned to Long Zhenglin, Fei Shan, and Huang Xu and lightly asked, ¡°And you three, do you still have anything else to say?¡±


    Grinning, Long Zhenglin came to Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Eldest Brother, don¡¯t give me that distant look, will ya? I really didn¡¯t know that the person those Chen brothers provoked was you. Had I known, you wouldn¡¯t need to act. I myself would act to pack up those brothers. Hehehe¡­ are you okay now? If you are, I wanna drink with you. It¡¯s been hard to meet you, so you are not allowed to refuse! I¡¯ll cry if you do so!¡±


    Fei Shan and Huang Xu exchanged looks, as Fei Shan then came to Tang Xiu, forced a smile and said, ¡°Brother Tang, we both also didn¡¯t know, or else we wouldn¡¯t have come. If anything, we are friends. We don¡¯t want this trivial issue to affect our friendship.¡±


    Staying silent for a moment, Tang Xiu then nodded and said, ¡°Zhenglin is right. It¡¯s not a crime if you don¡¯t know. Go back first! I¡¯ll tell Kang Xia to send you all a few boxes of Gods Nectar tomorrow. I said that I¡¯d send you good wine, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    A pleasantly surprised expression appeared on Fei Shan¡¯s and Huang Xu¡¯s faces. Huang Xu grinned, ¡°Brother Tang, you¡¯re really worth befriending. If anything, we¡¯ll have a talk with the Chen Brothers after we go back, telling them to stay honest.¡±


    Nodding at him in response, Tang Xiu then watched the duo leave. Following that, he slowly got up looked at the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s top executives. He then said with a faint smile, ¡°I really apologize for the sudden accident tonight. But from tonight¡¯s accident, you guys let me realize that you are all good employees of my Magnificent Tang Corporation. Thus, all the injured will be rewarded 10 million per person, whereas everyone else will receive 2 million each. And please, do take note of my words. If anyone bullies the brothers and sisters of our Magnificent Tang Corp, any one of you willing to stand up and help will be rewarded by me!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Boss!¡±


    Scarblade Qiang was the first to reply. His arm was wounded in the fight, hence he was also considered injured. The 10 million reward made him grin from ear to ear, and he couldn¡¯t help but laugh. Although he would be getting more than 10 million yuan as dividend from his shares of the winery, but he would only get the money by the end of the year. Furthermore, 10 million yuan was not a small amount for him, to begin with.


    At present, he couldn¡¯t help but admire himself for making the correct choice before.


    ¡°Thank you, Boss!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Boss!¡±


    The other top executives of the company who also joined the fight, even those who were not injured, were pleasantly surprised, as well as grateful. At this time, the way they looked at Tang Xiu was completely different than before.


    Boss is generous! This fact made them very happy!


    In only a night, their salaries had risen by 10%, and they also got rewards ranging from 2 million to 10 million yuan as well. It was just like a dream.


    Those who didn¡¯t join in the fight looked quite vexed, and now deeply regret it. Had they joined the fray, even if they didn¡¯t help much, they could still have gotten a handsome reward!


    As for the female executives, they felt fortunate. Though they quite regretted it, yet they were still able to calm themselves down. But the timid male executives only felt their face burning, regret churning their insides; they felt like their colleagues were looking at them with contempt.


    They felt like drilling themselves into a burrow.


    ¡°All right! Those injured, go to the hospital for further treatment, whereas those who not injured are to help take them there.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°As for Kang Xia and Andy, you two stay behind. Everyone else, go back first!¡±


    A few minutes later, everyone had left, leaving only Kang Xia, Andy, and Long Zhenglin, who stood smilingly next to him.


    Kang Xia wore a smiling expression, while Andy looked a bit uneasy. After all, it all happened because of her. What she was most afraid of was that Tang Xiu would hate her.


    While looking at Andy¡¯s pitiful expression, Tang Xiu could only sigh inwardly. Regardless, he was still very satisfied since Andy also joined the fight before.


    ¡°Kang Xia, starting from today, you and Andy must have at least four bodyguards following each of you. Two of them are to stay in the light, while the other two will be in the dark. Those Chens are not friendly chaps, and I¡¯m afraid they will attack you two out of desperation. Additionally, send two men to secretly follow and protect Scarblade Qiang as well.¡± Tang Xiu instructed.


    ¡°No problem!¡± Kang Xia nodded and said, ¡°Consider it done!¡±


    Tang Xiu then looked at Andy and sighed, ¡°Andy, the incident this time was not caused by you. It was because Chen Si¡¯en was too unbridled. Don¡¯t hesitate to act in the same way if you were to encounter a similar situation again in the future. Just beat them up if you want to, and I¡¯ll do what I can do to support you.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Andy raised her head to look at Tang Xiu. Mist covered her limpid, big eyes. She then quickly wiped her eyes and repeatedly nodded, saying, ¡°Boss, thanks a lot for not disliking me because of today¡¯s matter. That makes me very happy. I¡¯ll listen to you; I¡¯ll listen to everything you say, and will do everything you instruct me to do.


    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter, ¡°All right, you¡¯re the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s Financial Department Head, so stop acting like a little girl, okay? You and Kang Xia are my people, how could I dislike you? As a matter of fact, I also want to praise you for doing very well in another area better than Kang Xia.¡±


    At the side, after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, Long Zhenglin was amazed, ¡°Did I hear wrong or something? Eldest Brother, you took both Belles¡ªKang Xia, and the Little Angel¡ªAndy? They¡­ they are your women?¡±


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Tang Xiu cussed, ¡°What gibberish are you spouting? No one ever said that! Are you dumb or something?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­!¡±


    Long Zhenglin scratched his head and foolishly laughed, realizing that he had misunderstood.

 Chapter 430

    Chapter 430: The Thought to Retaliate is Breeding


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Kang Xia was rather helpless at the moment. She now realized that not only did Tang Xiu value her and Andy¡¯s ability to run the company, but also attached importance to their cultivation.


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely work hard, Boss!¡± Kang Xia seriously said.


    ¡°Remember your words, for I hope to see you reach Andy¡¯s level soon.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°When you have reached it I¡¯ll take you to visit Jingmen Island.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Kang Xia always wanted to visit the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s HQ in Jingmen Island. Tang Xiu¡¯s promise made that wish stronger, spurring her to work harder from now on.


    ¡°You two gotta get back too!¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ll be going back to Shanghai early in the morning. The issues in the Magnificent Tang Corp, as always, will be handed over to you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going back to Shanghai tomorrow, Boss?¡± Kang Xia said quickly, ¡°Then¡­ when will you come back?¡±


    ¡°Relax!¡± Tang Xiu said a smile, ¡°It¡¯s September 20th now. I¡¯ll be back on holiday in November.¡±


    After hearing that, Kang Xia suddenly smiled and nodded, ¡°All right, we¡¯ll take our leave first then! Take good care of your health, Boss!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and smiled in reply.


    After Kang Xia and Andy left, Long Zhenglin rubbed his chin and smirked, ¡°Well, I dare say that Kang Xia has definitely fallen for you, Brother. Her eyes, expression, and tone when speaking to you are definitely the appearance of a woman who hates to part with her lover.¡±


    ¡°Second Young Master Long, it¡¯s been some time since we last met, I just realized you have made progress in speaking honeyed words!¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Tell me something, you went to play around Blue City recently, did you get something good after fooling around there?¡±


    The smile on Long Zhenglin¡¯s face solidified. A short while after, he scratched the back of his head, forced out a smile and said, ¡°Big Bro, can we skip talking about this sad topic?¡±


    ¡°Well, I gotta remind you, buddy. Though you¡¯re forthright and loyal to your buddies, that sort of approach kind of courts disaster and causes you to easily become enemies with others. If anything, you gotta stop fooling around, buddy. Your Long Family is illustrious enough, but there still are many big families in the country that are far stronger and more terrifying.¡±


    Again, the smile on Long Zhenglin¡¯s face came to a halt. He was not a fool and slow-witted person. He had thought about something through tonight¡¯s matter. Now, when he heard Tang Xiu¡¯s words, he silently nodded and said, ¡°Yeah, I have thought about that too, Eldest Brother.¡±


    ¡°You know your own heart the best.¡± Tang Xiu laughed and said, ¡°Anyways, I haven¡¯t had a bite the whole night. Let¡¯s go! Didn¡¯t you want to take me to your place for a meal?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Long Zhenglin was pleasantly surprised, ¡°You wanna go with me, bro?¡±


    ¡°My clothes are covered all over with blood. My parents will surely interrogate me when I got home.¡± Tang Xiu unbuttoned his coat and took it off, saying, ¡°So, let¡¯s get to your place. I need to take a shower, and then we will have some wine. I got some Gods Nectar stuffed in my car¡¯s trunk.¡±


    Long Zhenglin¡¯s eyes lit up as he walked alongside Tang Xiu outside. He chuckled and then grinned, ¡°Eldest Brother, you promised to give some Gods Nectar to Fei Shan and Huang Xu. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re disregarding me in favor of the others? No matter what, I want ten¡­ no¡­ I want twenty boxes of Gods Nectar!¡±


    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll give you thirty boxes!¡± Tang Xiu glanced at him and lightly said, ¡°But you¡¯ll give ten boxes to your old man and ten boxes to your big brother.¡±


    Suddenly, as if recalling something, he took his mobile phone out and dialed Kang Xia¡¯s cell number. After Kang Xia answered the call, he spoke, ¡°Find the time to send Gods Nectar to Chen Zhizhong and Yuan Zhengxuan in these next two days; ten boxes each.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡± Kang Xia chuckled and softly said.


    ¡°Also, prepare five boxes for me and send someone to deliver it to South Gate Town.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯ll take them to Shanghai tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Okay, got it!¡± Kang Xia promised again.


    After ending the call, Tang Xiu and Long Zhenglin walked out of Long¡¯s Dining Hall. Under the security¡¯s awed gazes, he took the car keys from one of the security guards, entered the car and left.


    The villa Long Zhenglin lived in was located in the vicinity of Star City University. Whether it was the location or the environment, it was simply excellent. Tang Xiu learned from Long Zhenglin that he chose to buy this villa because it was easy for him to chase female students from Star City University.


    Star City¡¯s Yalong Garden.


    The place was an upscale residential complex of Star City. Although it was not a single villa, those who could afford to buy a house there were counted as riches. Chen Sirui usually stayed here when he came to Star City.


    Normally, every time Chen Sirui came here, he was feeling either calm or joyful. But today, his face was ice-cold, while his heart was blazing with anger. But, Chen Si¡¯en behind him had a bloody nose and a swollen face, and he hardly looked like before. After entering the house, he started smashing things in a rage.


    ¡°Brother, just tell me. Why?¡±


    Chen Si¡¯en¡¯s eyes were as though able to spray flame. After venting his anger, he panted and gasped, bellowing at Chen Sirui.


    As for Chen Sirui, he sat at the sofa and pointed to the sofa opposite him. He then lightly said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have let Tang Xiu stand still and walk out of the hotel if it were in Blue City, even if I had to use everything I had. But Star City is their turf. No matter what, however strong a dragon maybe, it can never suppress the local snakes. You should clearly know about this as well.¡±


    ¡°FUCKING FART!¡± Chen Si¡¯en roared, ¡°That Tang Xiu is very strong, but the people around him were nothing but a fucking mob. I¡¯ll never believe that our Chen Family is inferior to him!¡±


    ¡°Do you think I would compromise if it were only Tang Xiu?¡± Chen Sirui coldly snorted.


    ¡°Who else could it be?¡± Chen Si¡¯en looked blank, as he asked with a stiff expression.


    ¡°The Long Family.¡± Chen Sirui said.


    ¡°Are you fucking kidding me, Brother?¡± Chen Si¡¯en shouted, ¡°Long Zhenglin is just a good-for-nothing playboy, can he even represent the Long Family?¡±


    ¡°Compared to you, I am much clearer about the disposition of the Long Family¡¯s Head¡ªLong Hanwen.¡± Chen Sirui said indifferently, ¡°He¡¯s a doting parent. If Long Zhenglin were to intervene, and we had clash against him, we will inevitably face Long Hanwen¡¯s retaliation. Furthermore, Long Zhenglin has clearly said that he has shares in the Magnificent Tang Corp. That company has several types of products, and each one of them could earn quite an amount of profit. Thus, if we were to disturb the interests of the company, it will be equal to strike at the Long Family¡¯s interests as well. Facing this situation, don¡¯t you think if we acted in Star City without thinking about the consequences the Long Family wouldn¡¯t act as well?¡±


    Chen Si¡¯en fell into silence. In normal times, he was very astute and intelligent. The very reason he was so reckless tonight was because he got totally muddle-headed due to a broken heart. And now, after thinking about it further, he knew that what his big brother said made sense.


    ¡°Then, should we just suffer in silence?¡±


    ¡°Our Chen Family never had the custom of suffering losses.¡± Chen Sirui sneered, ¡°That Tang Xiu acted crazily tonight, but I¡¯ll make sure to make him cry one day! Just wait, that day won¡¯t be too far away!¡±


    _Knock, knock¡­_


    Right as his voice fell, hard knocks sounded from the door.


    Chen Sirui got up and opened the door. When he saw Huang Xu and Fei Shan standing outside, he immediately frowned and coldly said, ¡°What the hell do you want?¡±


    Fei Shan forced a smile and said, ¡°I want to tell you something. That¡¯s why I came here.¡±


    Chen Sirui was silent for a moment before walking inside.


    After Huang Xu and Fei Shan entered the living room, the duo sat directly facing Chen Sirui. Fei Shan then straightforwardly said, ¡°Sirui, listen to me. Just let tonight¡¯s incident end here and now. Don¡¯t ever think to retaliate. Just consider it as you spending some money to learn a lesson.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! We also haven¡¯t figured out clearly about Tang Xiu¡¯s background so far.¡± Huang Xu also nodded, ¡°So you had better dispel any ideas of revenge! Like people say, it¡¯s better to get rid of an enmity than keep it alive. Besides, we¡¯re all businessmen, to begin with. Maybe you, him, and we will cooperate in some way in the future.¡±


    ¡°If the two of you come only came to persuade me, I want you to scram now!¡± Chen Sirui coldly said, ¡°That punk surnamed Tang has gone too far, I absolutely can never let it go! You said you don¡¯t know his background clearly, then I will investigate him. I wanna know how much he has in store.¡±


    Huang Xu and Fei Shan exchanged looks as they forced out wry smiles. After staying silent for a short period of time, Fei Shan then slowly asked, ¡°Brother Sirui, you should know about Star City¡¯s Zhang Family back then, right?¡±


    Chen Sirui frowned, and then lightly said, ¡°Was it the Zhang Family that was decimated, and their group of companies was then divided by some people?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m talking about that Zhang Family.¡± Fei Shan nodded.


    ¡°I know about them. But what are you saying, exactly?¡± Chen Sirui coldly said.


    ¡°What I wanna tell you is the reason as to why the Zhangs were exterminated.¡± Fei Shan solemnly said, ¡°That many forces acting simultaneously to destroy the Zhang Family was entirely because of Tang Xiu. Now, I wanna ask you something. Is your Chen Family able to uproot and decimate the Zhangs within such a short period of time?¡±


    Chen Sirui¡¯s countenance changed, and then he said in a deep and heavy voice, ¡°Fei Shan, we¡¯re all friends. I never once thought for you to make up this reason just because you don¡¯t want me to retaliate.¡±


    ¡°If you think what I told you is a farce I deliberately made up, I can leave at once.¡± Fei Shan sneered, ¡°But what I know is far from what your Chen Family can investigate.¡±


    Chen Sirui¡¯s eyes flickered and a glint flashed from them. His expression and tone then eased as he said, ¡°Continue.¡±


    ¡°The reason as to why Tang Xiu had a conflict with the Zhangs, was because of Zhang Deqin and Zhang Yongjin, the Zhangs¡¯ younger generation. The two siblings wanted Tang Xiu¡¯s life, thus, Tang Xiu then simply contacted all those forces to deal with the Zhang Family. As far as I know, Star City¡¯s Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical¡¯s Big Boss¡ªChen Zhizhong is Tang Xiu¡¯s disciple, while the Long Family and Tang Xiu have a very close relationship. That New City project is also very deeply related with him. As for the other forces, I think you might have guessed it already.¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡± Chen Sirui furrowed his brows.


    ¡°The architectural design blueprint for the New City was devised from Tang Xiu¡¯s hand.¡± Fei Shan said lightly, ¡°And at present, the many domestic forces involved in the project were the forces who originally joined hands to destroy the Zhang Family.¡±


    Chen Sirui abruptly got up, disbelief covered all over his face. He then hurriedly said, ¡°You mean¡­ the Jingmen Island¡¯s Ouyang Family, the Chu Family of Beijing, the Bai Family, and the Miao Group of Haiqing, as well as some other mysterious forces, once participated in the incident of the Zhang Family¡¯s destruction?¡±

 Chapter 431

    Chapter 431: Willing but Weak


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    While looking at the shocked Chen Sirui, Fei Shan lightly said, ¡°I can¡¯t say for 100% certainty whether or not these forces were involved. But I dare say that all the Zhangs¡¯ properties had been divided up by them after they were destroyed. Everyone here is smart, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re clear what this means, right?¡±


    Chen Sirui fell into silence.


    Despite his Chen Family being quite illustrious and twice stronger than the Zhang Family, yet he was still greatly shocked after hearing Fei Shan¡¯s words.


    If what Fei Shan said was true, then Tang Xiu¡¯s ability was far beyond what he had estimated. Once his family began to take action against Tang Xiu, it was very likely that they would be attacked by these forces as well.


    ¡°Fei Shan, though what you said may shock Young Master Chen, I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll be actually scared.¡± Huang Xu suddenly said, ¡°I think we gotta tell him the biggest card Tang Xiu has on hand so that he can dispel any ideas of revenge against Tang Xiu!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Chen Sirui hurriedly asked, ¡°Tang Xiu still has another card? What is it?¡±


    Coldly looking at him, Huang Xu then indifferently said, ¡°It¡¯s been quite some time since Long Zhenglin called me to fool around. We used to hang together, hence he disclosed some news after getting drunk. That was related to Tang Xiu¡¯s background. Now tell me, do you think Tang Xiu would be able to manage his Magnificent Tang Corp alone so well if he didn¡¯t have a formidable background?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s his background?¡± Chen Sirui asked deeply.


    ¡°He¡¯s a member of the Tang Family of Beijing!¡± Huang Xiu said.


    _Hiss¡­_ Chen Sirui was startled, and he couldn¡¯t help but take a gasp of cool air.


    How could he not know the Tang Family of Beijing? He once went with his grandfather, who was the topmost ranked authority in his Chen Family to Beijing, to visit some top figures from the illustrious families there. However, since the Tang Family¡¯s Head was someone of the topmost level, his grandfather wasn¡¯t even qualified to meet him. Eventually, the one to met his grandfather was Tang Guoshou, the Tang Family¡¯s Third Master. Just merely Tang Guoshou was someone whose high status was enough to make the Chen Family¡¯s Head and his grandson look up to.


    ¡°Tang¡­ Tang Xiu is really a member of Beijing¡¯s Tang Family?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think Long Zhenglin needs to boast about this matter.¡± Huang Xu said, ¡°Furthermore, after Fei Shan and I heard this news from his mouth, we also asked our friend in the capital to verify it. Do you know what we¡¯ve found?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Chen Sirui quickly asked.


    ¡°The Tang Family¡¯s offspring, who had been missing for many years, had just been found recently. The Tang Family¡¯s Head¡ªTang Guosheng, the most prominent figure in the family, is that person¡¯s grandfather. Subsequently, Fei Shan and I secretly investigated the matters related to Tang Xiu. We found that about four months ago, he was simply an idiot whose brain got damaged or something. But suddenly, he changed and became very skillful. No matter being his studies, personal connections, and doing business, he simply shocked people to the core. Now, tell me, the moment the Tang Family found their missing descendant Tang Xiu began to expose his dazzling brilliance. Don¡¯t you think it funny?¡±


    Once again, Chen Sirui fell into silence.


    From Fei Shan and Huang Xu, he finally understood what kind of figure his younger brother had provoked. It was no wonder that Tang Xiu had figured out that he was from the Blue City¡¯s Chen Family. It was not strange that he dared to be so rampant and domineering.


    ¡°Chen Sirui, we already said what we wanted to say.¡± Huang Xu solemnly said, ¡°If you don¡¯t believe it, feel free to use all your Chen Family¡¯s power to investigate Tang Xiu¡¯s background. See for yourself whether what we said is true or not. As for your revenge, you brothers gotta think about it carefully before you make a decision.¡±


    Fei Shan stood up and said, ¡°We come here to tell you this because we have been friends with you for many years. If you don¡®t want to listen to our advice and insist on acting willfully, then don¡¯t blame us for not reminding you.¡±


    Chen Sirui took a deep breath and said, ¡°Fei Shan, Huang Xiu, I¡¯m very grateful to you for coming to tell me this matter. If anything, I¡¯ll send some people to investigate Tang Xiu. If his background is really like what you said, I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t have the guts despite having the determination to retaliate. Hence, you can rest your worries.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Huang Xiu and Fei Shan¡¯s face eased a lot. They then left shortly after.


    The living room was devoid of any sound. Chen Sirui glanced at his little brother, Chen Si¡¯en, and indifferently said, ¡°You heard what Fei Shan and Huang Xu said. If that Tang Xiu is as terrifying as they said, we can only swallow this humiliation in silence.¡±


    Coldness flashed from Chen Si¡¯en¡¯s eyes, as he icily said, ¡°If the Tang Family of Beijing is really the one behind him, the Chen Family needs not be involved in my enmity. If worst comes to worst, I can still hire assassins from overseas.¡±


    _Pa¡­!_


    Chen Sirui slapped Chen Si¡¯en¡¯s swollen face. He grabbed his shirt and sternly yelled, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear the reason of the Zhangs¡¯ destruction? If you hire assassins to kill him, will the Tangs do nothing about that? With their power, it will be extremely easy for them to investigate it and find you. Do you think you can really separate cleanly from the Chens? By then, when the Tang Family¡¯s fury erupts, they will vent it directly on our Chen Family. Do you fucking want our entire family buried along with you?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Chen Si¡¯en covered his cheek. He opened his mouth, yet he didn¡¯t know what to say.


    That¡¯s right! If the Tangs acted out of revenge, not only would they retaliate against him, the Chens would be implicated as well.


    At this time, a deep sense of powerlessness grew inside him.


    Late at night.


    Tang Xiu was driving back to South Gate Town. He took a shower at Long Zhenglin¡¯s place and put on another set of clothes Kang Xia bought him. He then immediately went home after having a bite and a drink. As for Long Zhenglin, the fella had drank a little more, crawling to the bunk and falling asleep.


    When the Land Rover SUV drove into the villa¡¯s courtyard entrance, Tang Xiu discovered that the lights inside were still on. Su Lingyun sat leaning on the chair inside the living room, reading books; while Tang Yunde sat next to her, holding a laptop and looking at something.


    The car¡¯s headlights alarmed them.


    Su Lingyun got up from the sofa and looked slightly excited. She came outside half running, looking at Tang Xiu get down from the car. A bright smiling face appeared on her rosy face.


    ¡°Son, I heard from your dad that you came back at noon today while I was asleep. Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡± Su Lingyun said with a smile.


    ¡°Mom, you were sleeping so soundly that I didn¡¯t to wake you. Aren¡¯t I here now?¡± Tang Xiu laughed.


    ¡°Just see how I teach you a lesson if you hadn¡¯t come back.¡± Su Lingyun smiled with satisfaction, ¡°By the way, shouldn¡¯t you be in Shanghai?¡±


    ¡°The new term hasn¡¯t officially started yet.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°So I came back to give a celebration party for the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s top executives before the classes officially started.¡±


    _Ring, ring¡­_ An SMS notification sounded from Tang Xiu¡¯s mobile phone. As he took out his mobile and read the short message, a slight smile appeared on his face. The content showed that 200 million yuan had just been transferred to his bank account.


    After seeing Tang Xiu put away his mobile phone, Su Lingyun asked, ¡°Have you had dinner, sonny? I¡¯ll prepare something for you to eat if you¡¯re hungry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry, Mom. I already ate.¡± Tang Xiu replied with a smile.


    ¡°Little Yun, Xiu¡¯er has come back, so you can rest your worries!¡± Tang Yunde laughed, ¡°It¡¯s kind of late, and he¡¯s been busy all day; he should be tired. Just let him rest early! You can talk to him tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. Xiu¡¯er has just come back from Shanghai, yet you still had to go to your company to work. You must be tired. Xiu¡¯er, go rest, quickly!¡±


    ¡°Okay, Mom!¡±


    Tang Xiu gave her a slight smile and didn¡¯t stay any longer. He then went to his room on the second floor. After transferring the 200 million to the company¡¯s bank account, Tang Xiu then sent Kang Xia an SMS, put on casual clothing, and then laid down on the bed.


    The next morning.


    After accompanying his parents to breakfast, Tang Xiu decided to leave for Shanghai. He didn¡¯t take the plane since there was still much time and directly drove his Land Rover SUV. He only brought the little fierce beast he had tamed as he rushed toward Shanghai.


    On the way there, he received a call from Gu Xiaoxue and learned that the homeless children had been escorted to Jingmen Island and had safely arrived at the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s HQ. Gu Xiaoxue had also assigned some people to settle them properly.


    Tang Xiu then instructed Gu Xiaoxue to assign the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s experts to help him carry out a five-month training program to screen out the best ten children.


    4 PM.


    Tang Xiu finally arrived at Shanghai University. He drove around the campus and found no one in the classroom. He then came to the dorm and found that its door was locked. Having no choice, he then dialed Yue Kai¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°Hey, Eldest Brother Tang, you¡¯re still kicking!¡±


    Just as the phone call connected, Yue Kai¡¯s cry came out of the phone along with chaotic sounds accompanying his voice at the same time.


    ¡°I¡¯m in the dorm, where are you now?¡± Tang Xiu curiously asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m in the campus¡¯ assembly hall!¡± Yue Kai called out, ¡°Our campus will hold a freshmen welcome party tomorrow. Our classmates who signed up for the show are rehearsing now.¡±


    _Freshmen welcome party?_


    Tang Xiu faintly smiled and said, ¡°Got it! I¡¯ll go find you!¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Tang Xiu then left the male student¡¯s dormitory. After asking around, he quickly found the campus¡¯ assembly hall. After entering, he then found that it was very lively inside. The big stage was divided into many small areas, while many students were rehearsing for the show tomorrow.


    ¡°Hey, Brother Tang, come here!¡±


    Hu Qingsong¡¯s loud voice gushing out with a thick northeastern accent came over.


    Holding back a smile, Tang Xiu then went toward them and asked, ¡°What kind of show are you going to perform?¡±


    Rolling his eyes, Hu Qingsong shook his head and said, ¡°Nope, none of the sort. We got no talent at all. Besides, there¡¯s no way we¡¯ll sign up for a program and go on stage just to disgrace ourselves! However, how about you, big bro? You didn¡¯t sign up for the military training. Do you want to sign up for the show? But, I think someone already signed you up for it.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiu stared blankly, confused, ¡°Someone signed me up? Who?¡±

 Chapter 432

    Chapter 432: Showing Off


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Pulling Tang Xiu¡¯s sleeves, Hu Qingsong pointed to the place where most of the onlookers were gathered. He laughed and said, ¡°But of course! She¡¯s the First Beauty of the Ten Great Campus Belles of our Shanghai University!¡±


    _¡®The top ten campus belles? And the number one beauty?¡¯_


    An odd expression emerged in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes before he asked, ¡°Our Shanghai University has such a Campus Belles ranking? Who exactly is this number one belle?¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s your good friend!¡± Hu Qingsong grinned and said, ¡°She¡¯s Mu Wanying, the one you introduced to us. Hehehe¡­ welp, too many people gathered there, else you could have seen her.¡±


    Releasing his spiritual sense, Tang Xiu instantly saw the slim Mu Wanying standing gracefully in the middle of the crowd, watching several girls performing a hip-hop dance. Soon after, he retracted his spiritual sense, shaking his head and said with a smile, ¡°She signed up for me, but it shouldn¡¯t be counted, no? Doesn¡¯t she come to our campus to attend a graduate program? She¡¯s not our classmate at all, you know.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Zhao Liang laughed and said, ¡°You don¡¯t know yet, big bro Tang! Our teacher-in-charge Han accepted the belle¡ªMu Wanying¡¯s advice to fill in your name on the program list. But as for what talent you must perform in the show, it¡¯s empty! The reason was to let you decide for yourself should you come back! Hence, our brothers are kind of waiting for you, wanting to see the show you are performing at.¡±


    Tang Xiu forced out a smile, and said, ¡°It couldn¡¯t be. Can it be OK like this? Can I refuse?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± Zhao Liang shook his head and said, ¡°The truth is the program has been reported to the press and there¡¯s no way to be removed! Unless you are absent, no one can take you off by that time. Nevertheless, should you be absent, you¡¯ll probably be scorned by all students and the school will even deduct your credits and grades, and you¡¯ll be sent a warning letter or something.¡±


    Tang Xiu hesitated before he eventually forced a smile, shaking his head and said, ¡°Ah, forget it then. If I gotta perform in the show, then so be it! It¡¯s no big deal either. I have no other skills to boast, but I have never afraid to showcase any talents or skills. Be it a game of chess, playing zither, painting and making calligraphy; I¡¯m kinda good at all those. You can say I¡¯m all good, be it in verses, ditties, odes, and songs. Shortly put, I¡¯ll be sure to make everyone shocked when I¡¯m on stage.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right!¡±


    The Yue Kai, Zhao Laing, and Hu Qingsong trio gave a thumbs-up to Tang Xiu at the same time.


    ¡°Brothers, I came back!¡±


    The tanned Xue Chao came running enthusiastically from the distance, carrying a few bottles of mineral water. When he saw Tang Xiu, he immediately called out in a pleasantly surprised way, ¡°Wow, Boss Tang, you¡¯re also back! Great! We brothers finally got together!¡±


    ¡°Xue Chao, has your injury been healed already?¡± Tang Xiu asked with a smile.


    ¡°Well, us mountain dwellers have solid skin and thick flesh.¡± Xue Chao patted his chest and grinned, ¡°You see, I¡¯m not even having problems with jumping continuously.¡±


    ¡°You should take it easy just the same,¡± Tang Xiu laughed and said.


    ¡°No problem.¡± Xue Chao nodded and smiled, ¡°Anyhow, I just got paid, but I won¡¯t pay back the money I owe you as of yet since I want to treat you tonight. It¡¯s kinda a token of my gratitude to you.¡±


    Yue Kai and the others already knew about Tang Xiu¡¯s act of lending money to Xue Chao. When they heard his words, Yue Kai quickly shouted, ¡°No no no. It won¡¯t be your turn to treat him tonight! Eldest Brother Tang has missed the appointment a few times already, so tonight¡¯s treat is on him. Besides, we went to participate in the military training and are all dead tired, while he was like enjoying himself outside. Hence, we cannot and must not let him off easily! Brothers, rack your brains about where to go and have fun tonight. We must make him bleed well regardless!¡±


    ¡°True that! I second that idea!¡± Zhao Liang raised his hand, adding to the vote, ¡°I agree with him. Eldest Brother is usually very low-key, but he¡¯s definitely not stingy or a miser. I suggest that we follow the criteria Yue Kai used last time, and make Eldest Brother Tang give us an emperor-like treat.¡±


    Hu Qingsong¡¯s eyes went round. He suddenly smirked and said, ¡°Wait, wait! Brothers, Eldest Brother Tang promised us something, don¡¯t you all remember it? He said he¡¯ll help introduce the top belle Mu to us, and he has delayed it until now. So I think that he must invite the great belle Mu to come here.¡±


    ¡°Agree!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea!¡±


    ¡°I second that!¡±


    The Yue Kai trio suddenly looked energetic and very excited as their eyes turned on Tang Xiu one by one.


    Tang Xiu forced a wry smile and said, ¡°Excuse me, buddies. I¡¯m not particularly familiar with Mu Wanying, got it? Would she even agree if I were to invite her?¡±


    ¡°She should be!¡± Yue Kai said loudly.


    ¡°Try, just try it!¡± Hu Qingsong exclaimed.


    After a moment¡¯s hesitation, Tang Xiu finally nodded and said with a smile, ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll ask her then. You all wait here.¡±


    Having said that, he went over to the location where Mu Wanying was standing. After squeezing himself into the innermost area, he called out loudly, ¡°Mu Wanying, I¡¯m going to treat a few of my classmates to a meal tonight. Do you wanna come with us?¡±


    At this moment, Mu Wanying¡¯s concentration was focused on several of her sisters from her dormitory who were performing a hip-hop dance. When she heard someone calling out to her loudly, and even inviting her to a dinner under the gaze of the crowd¡¯s eyes, she immediately furrowed her brow. But when she turned around and saw Tang Xiu¡¯s faint smile, she looked dazed, and the furrowed brow went back to normal. She then walked over in front of Tang Xiu, and smilingly said, ¡°That would great! But can I bring some of my good sisters from our dorm? We also will have a meal together this evening!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°No problem!¡±


    Those students who were watching them in the surroundings, and heard the conversation between Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying, suddenly got all stirred up. Many of male students gave a hostile look toward Tang Xiu, and their expressions when seeing him turned particularly bad.


    At this time, a good-looking, handsome male student dressed in famous brand apparel, looked at Mu Wanying and said loudly, ¡°Mu Wanying, I also want to treat you a meal tonight. Come with me tonight! I have reserved a private box in the city¡¯s restaurant.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I just promised someone else, so I can¡¯t go with you!¡± Mu Wanying shot a glance at him, shaking her head as she replied.


    After saying that, she turned around to walk toward the three female students nearby who were performing the hip-hop dance, clapping and calling them out, ¡°Girls, no jumping yet. The person I¡¯m idolizing is asking us to have a meal together tonight. Do you want to go together with us?¡±


    The three dancing girls stopped moving and came to Mu Wanying¡¯s side with a curious look on their faces. One of them was a tall, pretty girl who then asked curiously, ¡°Is it really your idol, Sis Wanying? You have someone you fancy on our campus?¡±


    While pointing to Tang Xiu, Mu Wanying said with a smile, ¡°He¡¯s my idol, and he¡¯s in this year¡¯s freshman class on our campus.¡±


    The tall girl said incredulously, ¡°Are you not kidding me, Sis Wanying? How could such a freshman be your idol? Don¡¯t tell me you already knew him before?¡±


    ¡°Yup, we met and became acquaintances before he studied at Shanghai University.¡± Mu Wanying chuckled and said with a slight smile, ¡°But he¡¯s really my idol. So, do you want to come with us or not?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go!¡±


    ¡°Count me in!¡±


    The other two female students who had eyed Tang Xiu a few times out of curiosity replied with a chuckle. Their eyes when taking a look at Tang Xiu were particularly bright. After all, handsome boys were popular everywhere, to begin with.


    When the tall girl saw him, she nodded and said, ¡°Well I must go too, since you are all leaving. This handsome fella wears some pretty stylish clothes, and he seems very well-off too. So we gotta make him bleed good tonight.¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a cool smile, and said, ¡°All right, you can go back to your activities! Let¡¯s gather at the campus entrance at 6 p.m. then!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Mu Wanying nodded with a smile.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t stop and walked toward the outside under the envious and jealous gazes of numerous male students. After he came back to the Yue Kai quartet, he looked at their anticipating expressions, and immediately laughed, ¡°Well, mission accomplished. It¡¯s not only Mu Wanying who will go with us to dinner tonight. Her other dorm sisters will come along with us as well.¡±


    ¡°Hooray! Long live Eldest Brother Tang!¡±


    ¡°Nicely done, mate!¡±


    Yue Kai and Zhao Liang were pleasantly surprised and exclaimed their appreciation.


    Shaking his head as a response, Tang Xiu then smiled and said, ¡°You had better not feel satisfied already. You gotta show what you really are and your abilities if you want to pursue Mu Wanying. Anyways, is there anything other reason for you to be staying here?¡±


    ¡°Nope, it¡¯s nothing really.¡± Hu Qingsong shook his head and said, ¡°We simply come here to see the belles.¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed and said, ¡°If it¡¯s okay, then let¡¯s leave! It¡¯s already 4:30 p.m. now. I made an appointment with them at 6 p.m.¡±


    Because tonight he would be able to have a dinner with the campus¡¯s first belle, how could Yue Kai still have the thoughts to feast his eyes on the belles? Thus, he was the first one to call out, ¡°Go go go!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Hu Qingsong also grinned and said, ¡°Let us dress up, and showing off our skill to pick up hot chicks tonight!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Zhao Ling also laughed.


    It was only Xue Chao who wasn¡¯t budged at all by those belles. He had a clear conscience and pure mind inside. His mind was all focused on his wife and son, and naturally had no intentions at all toward other beautiful women. The group of five youths then merrily chatted as they left the campus assembly hall.


    ¡°Get in!¡± Yue Kai waved his hand, and the five youths got into his BMW.


    ¡ª


    After arriving at the dorm, Hu Qingsong pointed to the Audi A4 next to Tang Xiu¡¯s Land Rover SUV. He smirked and said, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, do you see that? That¡¯s a new car I bought. Though it¡¯s rather not as good as Yue Kai¡¯s BMW, driving kinda gives me some face.¡±


    Looking at his smug appearance, Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing.


    As honest and simple as he was, once Xue Chao saw Hu Qingsong¡¯s smug look, suddenly said in a low voice, ¡°An Audi A4 is nothing much. Boss Tang has a lot of better cars than that!¡±


    Hu Qingsong stared at him, as he immediately roared with laughter and said, ¡°Xue Chao, to think that you would be holding his stinky feet like that, what kind of hypnosis has Eldest Brother Tang has done to you? If he had so many nice cars, he would have brought them to school and showed them off, no?¡±


    ¡°I did not¡­¡± After hearing this, Xue Chao anxiously rebutted hesitantly.


    Tang Xiu patted his shoulder and said with a smile, ¡°Old Hu, what you said is true. If I had a good car, I definitely would¡¯ve driven it to school already. Take a look at that Land Rover SUV, what do you think about it?¡±


    Startled, Hu Qingsong stared blankly as he then nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s good. That car should be worth a million! I just browsed it, and the price is still high, at least two million or so.¡±


    Tang Xiu then took his car key and pressed the button¡­ and the four corner lights of the Land Rover SUV flashed. He then shook his hand and smiled, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but that car is really mine.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Stunned and dumbfounded, Hu Qingsong stared blankly at Tang Xiu, an incredulous look on his face. Even Yue Kai and Zhao Liang were tongue-tied and dumbfounded when they stared at Tang Xiu and the car key in his hand.


    A smile resurfaced on Xue Chao¡¯s face, as he said loudly, ¡°Did you see it? I told you that Boss Tang has tons of good cars. In his villa¡¯s garage, there is¡­¡±

 Chapter 433

    Chapter 433: A True Color of a Man


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu secretly sighed inside, watching the expressions of the people before him. He never liked boasting. nor did he like to look high-profile; yet he also didn¡¯t want to keep concealing what he was. After all, these classmates of his were needed to get along with him for the next four years. If he kept concealing the truth from them, a knot would form in their hearts when they learned about it later, hence it would be better to expose it now.


    Additionally, when those adopted orphans were sent to Jingmen Island, he also had an idea in mind to recruit some capable classmates in college, so that they would be useful to him in the future. Shanghai University was one of the better education institutions in the country, and any of its students who passed the tests, even though they were only nerds at present, could become very competent and able to do tons of work after undergoing some training, since each of them was very intelligent.


    ¡°Buddies, don¡¯t continue to dawdle, will ya? Get your asses back to the dorm quickly and get ready!¡± Tang Xiu smiled and turned to the dorm¡¯s door.


    Yue Kai, Hu Qingsong, and the rest exchanged looks a few times, and then their gazes fell on Xue Chao at the same time. They finally realized that the relationship between Xue Chao and Tang Xiu was quite unusual. Many things remained oblivious to them, yet Xue Chao was crystal clear about them!


    Seeing their eyes and expressions, Xue Chao hastily turned around to rush toward Tang Xiu, ¡°Hey, Boss Tang, wait for me!¡±


    However, just as he ran a few steps, the Yue Kai, Hu Qingsong, and Zhao Liang trio pulled him back and squeezed him in between them. Zhao Liang grinned and said, ¡°Xue, don¡¯t pretend you know nothing, will ya?! Speak! How many cars does Eldest Brother Tang have? You just said that in his villa¡­¡±


    Remembering Tang Xiu¡¯s exhortation to him about this matter, Xue Chao desperately shook his head and said, ¡°No, I won¡¯t say anything. I promised Boss Tang not to say anything. Blame that old Hu! If he wasn¡¯t showing off just now, I wouldn¡¯t have exposed Boss Tang¡¯s secret!¡±


    ¡°Hey, hurry up! If you guys wanna know, I¡¯ll tell you all in the evening.¡± Tang Xiu turned his head and looked at the four, ¡°If any of you are late and unable to be ready at the campus entrance before six p.m., I¡¯ll tell Mu Wanying how idiotic and bad you guys are, and how much you are not compatible with her. You can be sure that I¡¯ll tell her tons of bad things about you!¡±


    After hearing those threats, the Yue Kai trio hurriedly let go of Xue Chao, striding after Tang Xiu. The trio let out their best smiles, bowing and scraping repeatedly. Throwing out flattering words didn¡¯t require money, to begin with, thus they madly spit them out.


    ¡ª


    Dusk had come. Three cars were parked nearby Shanghai University¡¯s gate. Tang Xiu¡¯s group of five sat in three cars, waiting for the arrival of Mu Wanying¡¯s group of four women.


    Time flew by, and it was only a few minutes away from 6 p.m. Mu Wanying¡¯s group of four turned out to be late. When they came up to the three cars, Mu Wanying looked calm, while the three good sisters around her had a look at the three cars and seemed surprised. Yue Kai, Hu Qingsong, and the gang were all decently dressed and acted like gentlemen.


    ¡°Did you wait for us for a long time, Tang Xiu?¡± asked Mu Wanying with a chuckle.


    ¡°Nah, we also just arrived for a while.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Anyways, what do you want to eat tonight? It¡¯s my treat!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s up to you, we¡¯ll follow your arrangement,¡± Mu Wanying answered with a smile.


    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll arrange it then!¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said with a smile, ¡°Anyways, let me introduce you, this one is¡­¡±


    With the introduction from Tang Xiu, the rest finally got to know each other. Mu Wanying also introduced the three good sisters of hers; namely, the tall Li Xinjie, Jiang Feiyan, and Hu Wei.


    ¡°All right, let¡¯s get in the car!¡± Tang Xiu opened the driver¡¯s door and took a seat directly.


    What made Yue Kai, Hu Qingsong, and Zhao Liang helpless was that Mu Wanying and her three sisters were all going to Tang Xiu¡¯s Land Rover SUV. Despite showing a charming smile at them, not one among these girls hinted at them that they would board their cars.


    ¡°Damn! I¡¯m so depressed. If I knew it beforehand, I would rather buy that Land Rover Range Rover series than this one!¡± Yue Kai grunted resentfully in a murmur before he got into his car.


    The cars started up.


    Tang Xiu drove his car out of the campus gate. He then heard Mu Wanying who sat on the front seat speaking to him with a smile, ¡°Tang Xiu, you didn¡¯t participate in the military training for new students, what did you do during that time? Anyhow, I also met your teacher-in-charge, Miss Han, yesterday. She seemed very annoyed when she talked about you.¡±


    As for why Han Qingwu was mad at him, Tang Xiu was perfectly well aware. After all, he gave her an indifferent and aloof appearance the last time he met her. That must have made her incensed and testy. Regardless, he didn¡¯t want to have too many contacts with Han Qingwu. Since she was already angry with him, he hoped that she would keep maintaining a distance with him. ¡°Just a bit of misunderstanding, if you ask me.¡±


    Nevertheless, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to explain more, hence the casual reply.


    Mu Wanying pursed her lips. As a woman, she had a unique, particular sixth sense about such things. She had a feeling that Han Qingwu acted differently toward Tang Xiu. She had also heard the hearsay about Han Qingwu and Tang Xiu recently. She learned that after Tang Xiu passed the test to enter Shanghai University, Han Qingwu did all she could to be transferred from Star City First High School, and then managed to come work at Shanghai University. Though one should constantly strive to make progress, and coming to teach at Shanghai University would also give a better career and future than staying at Star City First High School, she felt that it was highly likely to be related to Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Junior Brother Tang, could it be that this year¡¯s freshmen sons of local tycoons gathered in your dorm? A Land Rover Range Rover series, a BMW, and an Audi. These are luxurious cars that even many college students who have graduated long ago can¡¯t afford, no?¡± Jiang Feiyan looked gorgeous. She was also the one among the girls who loved to smile the most, a smile had never left her face since they met.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know if all those people gathered in our dorm,¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°But Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong indeed hail from well-off families. If you sisters are interested in them, I can help you build the bridges, though.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. Nope, we are interested in you,¡± Jiang Feiyan laughed and said, ¡°Do you think you can receive all of us?¡±


    ¡°Hell no, I won¡¯t look for a girlfriend before graduating from university.¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help chuckling and said, ¡°Besides, studying is quite taxing and hard already.¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­ Hahaha¡­¡±


    Jiang Feiyan couldn¡¯t bear to laugh and then said with a smile, ¡°Junior Brother Tang, you¡¯re so funny. It is usually the girls who use this excuse to reject boys. Never thought that you would actually use that excuse now. Speaking about it, when I was in junior high and high school, I often used that kind of excuse too. But in the university¡­ the boys in university seem to like a type of gorgeous belle such as Wanying; or a type of oval pretty face, Xinjie; or a type of lass reeking with book aura, such as Weiwei. As for the type of girl I¡¯m like, I¡¯m quite unpopular here.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re very cute, if you ask me.¡± Tang Xiu replied with a laugh.


    ¡°So, you like a cute one like me, Junior Brother Tang?¡± Jiang Feiyan laughed and replied.


    Cough, cough¡­ Tang Xiu coughed a few times and ceased replying to her.


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡± Li Xinjie chuckled and said, ¡°Feiyan, don¡¯t tease Junior Brother Tang. If he really chases you, that ¡®husband¡¯ of yours will surely be jealous to the bone!¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Jiang Feiyan smacked her tongue, laughing and giggling before she stopped talking.


    ¡ª


    Purple Garden¡­


    It was located in the Jingxia District of Shanghai, a whole block of agritourism area. He had once chatted with Chi Nan and heard from her that this place seemed special. Their cars entered the road going through the quiet bamboo forest; a few minutes later, a shimmering small lake was visible, with an antique pavilion standing on the lakeside. Violet lights interspersed there, creating an imaginary, dreamlike ambient.


    Inside the Purple Bamboo Forest, 80% of the parking space was full of cars, many of them were luxury models. Everyone got out after the three cars parked in unoccupied spaces. A handsome security guard wearing a headset greeted them, guiding them toward that unceasing, undulating thin track leading to the ancient pavilion.


    ¡ª


    ¡°Welcome, please follow me.¡±


    The waitress was very pleasant to see. She had arranged a private box after receiving the notification from the security guard. She guided the nine people to the second floor and entered a spacious private box with beautiful decorations, and said with a smile, ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, would you like to see our restaurant¡¯s menu? Or would you like to have free orders?¡±


    Tang Xiu picked up a menu book on the table. After reading it a few times, he smiled and said, ¡°Alright, give us your specialty dishes! We brought some wine for ourselves, but give us some of yours too!¡±


    ¡°All right! Please wait for a minute!¡±


    The waitress¡¯ eyes swept over two bottles held by Hu Qingsong. He cleverly masked his surprised expression and retreated with a smile.


    When there were only Tang Xiu, Mu Wanying, and the others inside the private box, Xue Chao¡¯s eyes stared wide as he interjected loudly, ¡°Dear me, I¡¯m shocked. Isn¡¯t this place way too upscale? Boss Tang, why does it seem like you have brought me to a dream?¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    Everyone roared with laughter.


    Tang Xiu himself was also amused by Xue Chao¡¯s amazed expression. It was rustic, yet full of pure emotions. He walked two steps to Xue Chao¡¯s side, patting his shoulders, and then said with a chuckle, ¡°Old Xue, your mission tonight is to dine, drink, having fun laughing and drinking until you pass out, and hit the bunk. When you open your eyes tomorrow, you¡¯ll know that you have indeed done it. Eh¡­ hey, what did you pinch me for?¡±


    ¡°You can feel the pain, though. That means I¡¯m not in a dream,¡± Xue Chao cheerfully said.


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing. Though he didn¡¯t feel any pain at all, he pretended to make a fuss out of it in order to tease Xue Chao.


    Amidst the merriment, everyone took a seat. Because Mu Wanying was the most familiar with Tang Xiu among the girls, she sat directly next to him, causing Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong wanting to join in and exchange positions with Tang Xiu. However, after a glance at Mu Wanying¡¯s still and tranquil smiling appearance, they were embarrassed instead.


    ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, where did you go when we were in the military training?¡± Hu Qingsong asked.


    ¡°Well, I was traveling around,¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°Where to?¡± Hu Qingsong looked a bit envious and asked again.


    ¡°To Jingmen Island, and Shennong Ridge,¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°That¡¯s so damn cool!¡± Hu Qingsong gave a thumbs-up and sighed, ¡°You see your brothers are tanned, right? We got burned under the sun during the military training every day. But still, we aren¡¯t as black as Xue Chao, though.¡±


    ¡°My uncle once told me that, black is the true color of men!¡± Xue Chao shot back. ¡°He said that the darker their skin, the healthier they are!¡±


    The one who seldom spoke, Hu Wei, suddenly said at this time, ¡°Xue Chao, did your uncle tell you that a man with black skin is not as popular as those pretty boys?¡±


    Xue Chao lifted his hand to scratch the back of his head. He then shook his head and smiled foolishly, ¡°That uncle of mine never said that. He had dark skin too, but I think he might have never seen the likes of those pretty boys, though! To be honest, I think what my uncle is not correct. Having dark skin seems to not be related whatsoever to one¡¯s health. Or else, he wouldn¡¯t have lived to be fifty, and wouldn¡¯t have gone to heaven to look for my aunt.¡±


    Hu Wei¡¯s mouth formed an arc, the teasing smile on her face was getting thicker when she looked at Xue Chao¡¯s expression.

 Chapter 434

    Chapter 434: Beat It!


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Along with the great-looking and aromatic dishes being delivered to the table, as young as they were, everyone quickly became familiar with each other, and merrily chatted and laughed. However, to maintain their gentlemanly manners and elegance, the Yue Kai, Hu Qingsong, and Zhao Liang trio looked more refined when had a bite. It was Xue Chao who still ate very crisply.


    ¡°What a nice wine. This one is really great. It¡¯s much better than the homebrew wine we made in the mountains.¡± Xue Chao gulped half a cup of Gods Nectar down to his belly and sighed in praise.


    Tang Xiu secretly rolled his eyes. This Gods Nectar was only the simplified recipe he made. In the Immortal World, there had been countless powerhouses who wanted to drink and could only get a few mouthfuls to sip it. Comparing the liquors on Earth with the good wine he had studied was simply discussing two disparate things altogether.


    There was simply no need to criticize, nor to talk about it.


    Tang Xiu turned his gaze to Mu Wanying and said, ¡°Mu Wanying, I heard you signed me up to perform a show at the freshmen welcoming party, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I did sign you up,¡± Mu Wanying replied with a smile, ¡°Tang Xiu, you aren¡¯t upset because of that, right?


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s just I felt a bit weird as to why you did that¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I happened to meet Teacher Han back then,¡± Mu Wanying smiled lightly and said, ¡°During our chat, she said that there were too few people in your class who signed up for the freshman welcoming party, and they didn¡¯t have a program to show. Hence I recommended you.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°Do you think so too, right?¡± Mu Wanying smiled and said, ¡°Anyways, what¡¯s the show you¡¯re going to perform for the freshmen welcoming party tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about it yet.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll think about it after I go back tonight. Let¡¯s just see what happens tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s good about the shows on campus, anyway?¡± Yue Kai interrupted and said, ¡°Wait for a few days more, and let¡¯s see a concert! The second stop for Superstar Zhang Xingya¡¯s Asia Tour is in Shanghai. I¡¯m trying to get a few tickets for that concert.¡±


    While talking, he looked at Mu Wanying, pretending it was unintentional.


    Zhang Xinya?


    With a bit of surprise on his face, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t expect to hear her name at this time. However, he could also guess what Yue Kai had in mind. The young man wanted to be with Mu Wanying. Therefore, he shook his head and said with a smile, ¡°I won¡¯t go there, and am not interested in seeing any concerts. You can go and see it if you want to, though.¡±


    ¡°Nah, though I like Zhang Xinya¡¯s songs so much, I don¡¯t like the atmosphere in the concert. So I won¡¯t go.¡± Mu Wanying shook her head and said with a smile, ¡°But Xinjie actually loves her, and is Zhang Xinya¡¯s loyal fan. Just invite her to see her concert.¡±


    Li Xinjie¡¯s eyes lit up, as she looked at Yue Kai and said, ¡°Can you really get the tickets for Zhang Xinya¡¯s concert? As far as I know, the tickets for her concert were all sold out a few days ago, even those scalpers on the internet had no tickets at all.¡±


    After hearing that Mu Wanying wouldn¡¯t go, Yue Kai was somewhat dejected. However, for the sake of his face, he still squeezed out a smile and said, ¡°Actually, my cousin is an acquaintance of Zhang Xingya¡¯s manager, and she met him yesterday. She asked me whether I wanted to go see Zhang Xinya¡¯s concert!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so amazing, Yue Kai!¡± Li Xinjie was excited, ¡°There are only four days left before Zhang Xinya¡¯s concert, could you please take us there by then?¡±


    ¡°You can rest assured!¡± Yue Kai replied with a smile.


    As time flew by, everyone had eaten a sumptuous dinner for more than two hours. On the dining table, the Yue Kai, Hu Qingsong, and Zhao Liang trio kept trying to get closer to Mu Wanying, yet they eventually realized that she didn¡¯t seem to have any interest in them. Every time she responded, her expression was vague and tranquil. On the contrary, she looked immensely interested when she faced Tang Xiu, which made the trio feel sour and dejected.


    After the dinner was over, Yue Kai proposed a karaoke. Since Tang Xiu came out to have some fun, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t refuse, as he didn¡¯t want to sweep away everyone¡¯s joyful moment. As for Mu Wanying, she discussed it with her three dorm sisters before they finally agreed to go together.


    However, when they were on the way to a KTV near Shanghai University, Jiang Feiyan received a phone call from her boyfriend. After learning that she was playing outside with her friends so late at night, her boyfriend insisted that he must go with her. Jiang Feiyan then consulted it with Mu Wanying and Tang Xiu, before she agreed to it.


    ¡ª


    Baoledi KTV¡­


    The private box was magnificently and beautifully decorated. There was a huge LCD screen playing pop songs inside. Although the group drove three cars here and could be said to be drunk-driving, they still had a lot of booze to drink. Certainly, there were bound to be many fruits makeover, beverages, snacks, and other stuff as well.


    At first, everyone had somewhat constrained themselves in singing songs. But with Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong there, the atmosphere¡¯s mood makers did their homework, and everyone gradually loosened up. Not only did Yue Kai, Hu Qingsong, and Zhao Liang sing a few songs, even Li Xinjie, Jiang Feiyan, and Hu Wei did the same.


    ¡°Yo, Tang Big Bro, come here and sing!¡± Hu Qingsong shouted with his thick northeast accent.


    Tang Xiu let out a smile and waved his hand as a response, but pushed Xue Chao and laughed, ¡°Let this old Xue sing. I once heard he sang some folk songs before, and his voice is very nice to hear!¡±


    Scratching his head, Xue Chao smirked and said, ¡°Well, since Boss Tang likes to listen to folk songs, I¡¯ll sing some random songs. Anyways, I¡¯m not going to sing alone, though. Anyone wants to assist me to sing the Xintianyou song?¡±[1]


    ¡°Count me in!¡± Hu Qingsong laughed.


    As the music blared out, a familiar melody echoed inside the box. Xue Chao took the microphone from Yue Kai as a confident smile hung on his face.


    ¡°I looked down at the ravine and chase the passing moon of time¡­¡±


    A thick, rough voice exuded a charm that pleasant to listen to, it filled the whole room. Everyone was startled the moment Xue Chao opened his mouth to sing.


    It was pleasant to heart! Everyone didn¡¯t know how to describe it, except it was great to hear.


    When Xue Chao completed the song, everyone recovered from the shock, and applause followed. Yue Kai hugged Xue Chao¡¯s shoulder and sighed, ¡°Damn, old Xue! I never thought you could sing so well! Even you are no different than those great singers, you know! How about you quit studying? I¡¯ll set up a music company, and become your personal manager. Let¡¯s make money after you get famous, okay?¡±


    Embarrassed, Xue Chao let out an awkward smile, waving his hand and said, ¡°Nope, not a chance! I only sang randomly, and I can¡¯t read musical scores at all. I¡¯d only make myself a laughingstock if I were to be a singer! Cut the joke, Yue Kai!¡±


    On the sofa in the corner, Hu Wei gazed at Xue Chao with bright eyes, and the smile on her face turned more brilliant, a thoughtful look flickering in her eyes. No one else knew what she had in mind.


    After laughing merrily, Hu Qingsong then shifted his eyes toward Tang Xiu and smirked, ¡°Tang Big Bro! It¡¯s your turn to sing now! Only you and great belle Mu among us have yet to sing.¡±


    Shooting a look at Tang Xiu, Mu Wanying found that Tang Xiu gave a ¡®please¡¯ gesture to her. She then immediately got up, and said with a smile, ¡°All right. I¡¯ll sing once. Just don¡¯t laugh at me if my voice isn¡¯t pleasant to your ear!¡±


    Shortly after, Mu Wanying picked a Moon in the Sky song. She sang the song with a beautiful voice, melodious harmony, and strong immersion in its artistic conception.


    Jiang Feiyan looked shocked and exclaimed in admiration, ¡°Heavens! Wanying, you can sing so well. It¡¯s so good to hear! If you were to become a singer, you definitely can match my favorite singer, Zhang Xinya!¡±


    ¡°Well, like someone once said to me, I don¡¯t have much interest in music, nor do I want to be a star,¡± Mu Wanying replied and smiled slightly.


    ¡°Who exactly was this someone?¡± Jiang Feiyan confused.


    While pointing at Tang Xiu, Mu Wanying smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s him. A professor at a famous music academy in China once sought out Tang Xiu twice, hoping that he could go to that music academy, working as a teacher and become a professor there. Those words were what he replied to that professor.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Everyone present looked at Tang Xiu incredulously.


    _Invited by a famous music academy to work there as¡­ a teacher?_


    _Who are you joking with?_


    _How old is Tang Xiu? Though he may have profound attainments in music, would he even qualify to be a music teacher?_


    ¡°Mu Wanying, can you not mention that topic to me?¡± Tang Xiu bitterly said, ¡°I really don¡¯t have much interest in music. Hearing it on some occasions is okay, but you might as well kill me if you want me to be a music teacher, more so a performer!¡±


    Yue Kai approached Tang Xiu¡¯s side, slowly observing and sizing him up a few times carefully. After that, he said incredulously, ¡°Tang Big Bro, was what Beauty Mu said for real? There was a professor from a famous music academy who came to you and invited you to become a teacher?¡±


    ¡°There were indeed some, but it didn¡¯t interest me,¡± Tang Xiu nodded and replied.


    Yue Kai¡¯s lips wriggled a few times, yet he didn¡¯t utter any words, as he didn¡¯t know what to say. Suddenly, he realized that what he knew of Tang Xiu truly was minute. It seemed like his classmate had a very mysterious air about him, no?


    Suddenly, he recalled one thing.


    ¡°Big Bro, I recalled Old Xue saying that you seem to have a big villa and many luxurious cars. Is that true?¡± Yue Kai asked.


    Tang Xiu hesitated for a moment before he reluctantly nodded and said, ¡°It seems true if you ask me. They are gifts presented by my relatives, though.¡±


    ¡°So, you are also second generation nouveau riche, huh?¡± Yue Kai called out.


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing and replied, ¡°I prefer to hear you say I¡¯m first generation nouveau riche, mate.¡±


    Yue Kai rolled his eyes, and sarcastically replied, ¡°Bah! If you are the first generation nouveau riche, then I¡¯m the country¡¯s money-bags. Tell me something, what does your family do exactly?¡±


    ¡°Open a restaurant,¡± Tang Xiu told him.


    ¡°Damn! You turn out to be a bigwig who pretends to be a layman.¡° Yue Kai gave a thumbs-up and praised, ¡°We all thought you were just a poor bloke, never had I ever expected you¡¯ve been playing a pig to eat tigers. That¡¯s not right. I just looked at the menu. The price for wine on it is very expensive. It seems a bottle is priced at more than five digits, no? Yet you just gave them to us to rinse our mouth.¡±


    ¡°Go to hell!¡± Tang Xiu cursed, as he was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh.


    Bam!¡­


    The private box¡¯s door was knocked and opened. Two youths then staggered into the box. After one of youth glanced around the inside situation, his eyes then fixed on Mu Wanying for a few seconds before finally falling on Jiang Feiyan.


    ¡°Feiyan, it¡¯s so late at night and you-you¡¯re still playing outside? Do you know that I¡¯m very worried about you?¡± The youth tottered over to Jiang Feiyan, and then sat down beside her.


    Jiang Feiyan furrowed his brows. She held the youth¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Why did you drink again? You even got drunk and turn out to be like this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± The young man waved his hand and said, ¡°A few fellow-townsmen have just come to study at Shanghai University, and they invited me to drink. If I don¡¯t go with them, then¡­ that would mean I didn¡¯t give them face. Your man has a great capacity for liquor. Besides, An Rui also helped me to pour them on. And those little blokes quickly drilled to the bottom of the table. Hahaha¡­!¡±


    ______________________


    Notes:


    Xintianyou, literally ¡°rambling in the sky¡±. A major folk tune of Shaanxi Province and its bordering regions in Shanxi Province and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

 Chapter 435

    Chapter 435: Birds of a Feather Flock Together


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    While sitting quietly on the sofa and watching the drunken young man, a hint of a smile appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth. From that fellow¡¯s footsteps when he walked inside, as well as his words and mannerisms, he could tell that this fella was pretending to be drunk. He did seem to stagger when he was walking, yet his footsteps on the floor were steady, and there was no sign of blurry and drunkenness in his eyes.


    Clap¡­


    Tang Xiu took out a cigarette and lit it. He leaned backward and said with a smile, ¡°Is he your boyfriend, Jiang Feiyan? If he drank too much booze, give him a cup of hot tea. He should be sobered up, and then let him have a rest.¡±


    Looking gratefully at Tang Xiu, Jiang Feiyan nodded and said, ¡°All right.¡±


    After that, she got up and poured him some tea.


    That young man, however, grabbed her arm and pulled her down to sit on his lap. While hugging her, he shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. There¡¯s no problem even I drink a few more bottles.¡±


    Moreover, the particular thing the other young man did after entering the box was that his eyes were always fixed on Mu Wanying. At this time, he strode forward and then sat down next to her. He grabbed the bottle on the table and raised it to Mu Wanying, saying with a smile, ¡°Never thought I¡¯d see you here, Belle Mu. I¡¯ve always been wanting to invite you to a dinner before, but you always rejected because you had things to do. Today, it¡¯s so coincidental, so I¡¯ll borrow the present already gifted by others. Let¡¯s have a toast.¡±


    Mu Wanying never liked drinking. Even if it was such an occasion tonight, she didn¡¯t take a sip at all. Seeing the youth¡¯s reddened face and the reek of liquor coming from his mouth, a disgusted feeling rose in her heart. Yet she still maintained her calm expression, shaking her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t and I won¡¯t drink.¡±


    The youth grabbed Mu Wanying¡¯s wrist and said with a chuckle, ¡°Pretty Mu, wine is a good thing. It¡¯s so unlikely if you haven¡¯t learned about it! Come on, just give me some face. I¡¯ll cover all of your spendings here tonight anyway.¡±


    With a slightly changed expression, Mu Wanying straight-away broke free from the youth¡¯s hand. She then got up and said coldly, ¡°Zhuo Jian, behave yourself!¡±


    Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong exchanged looks, and they got up and stepped toward the youth named Zhuo Jian. Xue Chao had already taken a liquor bottle from the table and pointed to Zhuo Jian, saying, ¡°Kid, we don¡¯t welcome you here. You have two choices: either you get the fuck out, or I smack a scoop at you!¡±


    Upon seeing this, Zhuo Jian furrowed his brow, glancing coldly at Xue Chao, and immediately asked, ¡°Ma Jun, your wife¡¯s friends are very arrogant, heh? They don¡¯t seem to welcome us.¡±


    The young man named Ma Jun¡¯s complexion changed. After pushing aside Jiang Feiyan, he slammed the tabletop with his palm, and yelled, ¡°What the fuck do you wanna do? How could this year¡¯s freshmen be so crazy?¡±


    Tang Xiu had never imagined that the present situation would turn out like this. He secretly shook his head after hearing Ma Jun¡¯s words. He then got up, patting Xue Chao¡¯s shoulders and motioned him to put the bottle down. Then he looked at Jiang Feiyan and said with a smile, ¡°Let us end our playing time tonight! Everyone, let¡¯s go back earlier! Feiyan, do you need us to help send your boyfriend and his friend back to campus?¡±


    Jiang Feiyan was very angry right now.


    The one she was angry with was not Tang Xiu, nor Xue Chao or the others, but her boyfriend Ma Jun and his friend Zhuo Jian. Ever since she had fallen in love with Ma Jun, though Ma Jun usually acted fine, he did sometimes act very excessive. This time, Zhuo Jian unexpectedly made a ruckus and tried to make a move toward Mu Wanying. It was hardly acceptable to her.


    Like similar things group together, the birds of a feather do indeed flock together.


    She suddenly had a feeling that her boyfriend had been fooling around with Zhuo Jian all day long. Did this mean the two shared the same rotten tastes? The thought which had just emerged in her mind immediately made her feel like bursting out.


    Once, she felt that despite her boyfriend not being flawless and having many shortcomings, they were easy enough to bear. But today¡¯s move, what he did and his friend¡¯s actions, suddenly made her feel that her boyfriend really paled in comparison with other good people.


    His looks were not as good as Tang Xiu¡¯s and Zhao Liang¡¯s in front of her. Even Yue Kai, whose looks were akin to a pretty girl, was much better than him.


    Speaking about family background, he wasn¡¯t as good as those in front of her, either. After all, students who were able to drive a Land Rover Range Rover series, a BMW, and an Audi probably hailed from well-off families.


    Talking about character, she only had a bit to criticize or talk about. But although she had just met Tang Xiu and the rest today, they seemed more mature than their peers as well! Tang Xiu was unmoved by gains or losses, as well as mature and steady; Yue Kai had his air of pride and aloofness beneath the surface; Hu Qingsong possessed boldness and uprightness; while Xue Chao was straightforward and good-natured. All of those were not things Ma Jun possessed.


    The comparisons were odious.


    Jiang Feiyan looked at Tang Xiu. There was an inquiry for advice in her look. After a few seconds of silence, she suddenly said, ¡°It¡¯s all right! I need to discuss something with Ma Jun. We¡¯ll go back by taxi or bus.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded at her. He then turned to look at Mu Wanying, and said with a smile, ¡°How about you? Are you going back with us?¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Mu Wanying nodded in reply.


    A cloudy and volatile glint flashed in Zhuo Jian¡¯s eyes as his angry glare shuttled back and forth between Xue Chao, Tang Xiu, and the others a few times. However, he knew that he must not fight when the odds were against him. Even though he hated these people inside, it was not a good time for him to lash out his anger.


    Yet, a smile could be seen on the corner of Ma Jun¡¯s mouth. He let Jiang Feiyan prop him up, as they walked step by step toward the outside.


    At the main entrance, Yue Kai intended to drive back immediately with the rest, but Tang Xiu stopped him. Instead, he looked at Jiang Feiyan and said, ¡°You get a taxi and leave first! And do pay attention to your safety.¡±


    Jiang Feiyan nodded and caught a taxi on the roadside. After she helped Ma Jun board it and was about to get inside, she actually found Zhuo Jian had already taken the front seat. She immediately frowned, and said, ¡°Zhuo Jian, I think I already said that I must have a chat with Ma Jun alone. Can you ride in another car to go back by yourself?¡±


    ¡°What the hell do you mean, Jiang Feiyan?¡± Zhuo Jian grunted, ¡°In any case, it¡¯s more convenient, and there won¡¯t be anything happen if we go together, no? If you have things to spit out, you two can go to a hotel and have a chat alone there!¡±


    ¡°Who said we¡¯re going to a hotel?¡± Jiang Feiyan answered furiously. ¡°Even if we are going there, then why do you need to tag along with us?¡±


    Zhuo Jian shrugged his shoulders and said, ¡°I and Ma Jun have booked a room at a hotel outside the campus before! Worry not, girl! I won¡¯t disturb your lovers¡¯ world anyway.¡±


    Jiang Feiyan turned to look at Ma Jun who was leaning on the back seat. His eyes were squinted, yet she didn¡¯t know whether he had fallen asleep or not. She bent down and pulled him up to sit straight, and then looked at Zhuo Jian on the front seat, saying, ¡°Since you¡¯re going to the hotel, then go quickly. We don¡¯t like any tactless and unwanted third guests.¡±


    A scowl appeared on Zhuo Jian¡¯s face, but Jiang Feiyan¡¯s reason was common sense, and he couldn¡¯t refute it. He could only swallow his anger and told the driver to drive.


    Tang Xiu secretly sighed inwardly. He turned around and said, ¡°Let us go too!¡±


    After he said that, the group walked to the parking lot, boarded their cars and left.


    ¡ª


    It was almost 11 p.m. when they arrived at the campus. What made everyone helpless was that not only the girls¡¯ dorm had been locked, so was the boys¡¯ dorm.


    ¡°What should we do now?¡±


    Everyone looked at each other in dismay and showed wry smiles.


    Li Xinjie frowned, and then said ironically, ¡°I first thought that since the freshmen had just returned from military training for the past few days, that they wouldn¡¯t lock the dorm¡¯s gate as early as before. Never thought they hadn¡¯t changed the policy at all. So guys, what should we do now?¡±


    ¡°Let us go to the hotel!¡± After pondering, Mu Wanying suggested, ¡°There is a four-star hotel near the campus we used to stay at before.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea!¡±


    ¡°Agree!¡±


    Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong called out happily at the same time.


    ¡°You know, I heard that spending the night in that kind of hotel is rather costly!¡± Xue Chao frowned and muttered, ¡°Might as well stay at Boss Tang¡¯s place. There are enough rooms anyway.¡±


    Though his voice was not loud, everyone present could hear it clearly.


    In a flash, all eyes were focused on Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu snappily glared at Xue Chao¡¯s. He knew that Xue Chao wanted to stay at his place for the sake of saving money. But bringing along everyone present was a different matter altogether! What was more, Mu Wanying hailed from an illustrious family. Let alone bringing everyone to spend the night at a four-star hotel, it would be no problem for her to bring everyone to stay at a four-star hotel for a year.


    However, looking at everyone¡¯s eyes, he could only bitterly smile and say, ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s just go to my place! For everyone to get a room each, I¡¯m afraid that won¡¯t do. But it won¡¯t be a problem if you can squeeze in, though.¡±


    Curious and confused, Mu Wanying asked, ¡°Where is your home, Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s near the campus. The Bluestar Villa Complex.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Bluestar Villa Complex?¡± Mu Wanying was astonished and said, ¡°You have a villa there?¡±


    ¡°A relative gifted it to me, saying that I gotta have a place to stay in Shanghai,¡± Tang Xiu said.


    At this time, outside of Mu Wanying, who was a bit surprised, and the undisturbed Xue Chao, the rest were staring wide-eyed, had a look of disbelief in their eyes.


    Bluestar Villa Complex?


    Wasn¡¯t it the most upscale villa complex near Shanghai University, the grand luxury residence countless Shanghai University students had always been dreaming of? Yet Tang Xiu¡¯s relative was actually so generous to gift it, even giving him a villa there just because he needed a place to stop over in Shanghai?


    Everyone was shocked!


    Even Yue Kai, who hailed from a very rich family, gulped down his saliva desperately. He raised his thumbs up and sighed in praise, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, you really are a bigshot pretending to be a layman! The lowest price for each villa in Bluestar Villa Complex should be over 40 million yuan, some of the villas there are even priced more than nine digits. My dad has a friend who lives there, and I have once visited that uncle with my dad.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure about the exact price,¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°In any case, we have a place to spend the night. So, have you decided yet? Do you want to stay at the hotel, or do you want to spend the night at my place there?¡±


    Mu Wanying glanced at Li Xinjie and Hu Wei and found the duo repeatedly nodding, their eyes all lit up. She couldn¡¯t help chuckling and immediately said, ¡°All right. Let¡¯s go to your place and spend the night there!¡±


    ¡°Get on board!¡± Tang Xiu replied, and took a seat in the driver¡¯s seat.


    Quickly, three cars rushed to the Bluestar Villa Complex. Since the security guards there already knew Tang Xiu, the other two cars simply needed to be registered, and they were directly allowed to enter. The cars stopped just outside the villa¡¯s courtyard, and then drove inside after the electric gate opened.


    After Tang Xiu got out, he looked at Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong who also got out from their cars, and spoke to them with a smile. ¡°There¡¯s no space left in the garage. Just park your cars in the courtyard!¡±

 Chapter 436

    Chapter 436: Getting Butchered


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Hu Qingsong¡¯s mouth twitched a few times. Recalling what Xue Chao had said before, he suddenly called out, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, I want to see your garage. Xue Chao said you have good cars here. Ehh, Yue Kai, what are you staring dully for?¡±


    Looking blankly at Tang Xiu, Yue Kai moved his lips, murmuring, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang¡¯s villa is one of the most luxurious villas in Bluestar Villa Complex. I told all of you before that there are some villas here priced above nine digits. This is exactly one of them.¡±


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡± Everyone gasped for cold air after hearing this.


    Nine digits¡­ that was hundreds of millions!


    A villa worth hundreds of millions of yuan just for Tang Xiu to have a place to stay when he was studying in Shanghai; how rich was his family, exactly?


    ¡°Don¡¯t look distracted like that, will ya? Let¡¯s go inside!¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    Hu Qingsong, who hadn¡¯t forgotten what he just asked, quickly pulled on Tang Xiu, and said loudly, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, don¡¯t ignore me! Just show us your garage quickly! I wanna make sure whether old Xue was boasting or not.¡±


    Tang Xiu hesitated for a moment before pressing the garage key button. In any case, everyone already knew that this was his villa, and not how many cars were there! Since they wanted to see them, he might as well let them have a look just the same.


    As the electric garage door opened, Hu Qingsong, Yue Kai, and the others rushed towards it. Only Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying stayed in their spots.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to want everyone to know that you have a villa here, do you, Tang Xiu?¡± Mu Wanying asked in a soft voice.


    ¡°We are fellow students. I was afraid their feelings would be affected due to money and things of value.¡± Tang Xiu produced a wry smile and said, ¡°But since Xue Chao has talked about this inadvertently, I think it won¡¯t be good to keep concealing it. Otherwise, they would have a knot in their hearts once they learn about this one day. Therefore, just let them know right away, then!¡±


    ¡°That idea of yours is correct, if you ask me,¡± Mu Wanying said with a smile, ¡°Perhaps after they learn that there¡¯s such a wealth disparity between you and them, maybe they will be a bit envious or jealous. Envious people can be friends, while the jealous ones will slowly become estranged. But one day when they learn by themselves that you turned out to have a villa here, along with many luxury cars, even though your family or you yourself are very rich, maybe they will really have a knot inside their hearts. They will think that you never even thought of them as friends since you were concealing everything from them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°Heavens! Am I not dreaming? Four parking spaces for four luxurious cars in the garage, and each of them is worth tens of millions! God dammit! If I knew that Eldest Brother Tang had these many luxurious cars, why would I buy that small broken car?!¡± Hu Qingsong¡¯s mournful voice full of thick northeastern accent came from the garage.


    ¡°What luxurious and extravagant cars! Eldest Brother Tang is simply a rich bachelor! Just¡­ just the total value of these four cars is something tons of people are unable to obtain in their lifetime! O heaven! O Earth! Why am I not born a woman? If I were one, I have to marry Eldest Brother Tang and become the rich lady!¡± Zhao Liang roared out after Hu Qingsong.


    Even Li Xinjie exclaimed, ¡°WOW, these cars are so handsome! If I could have one of them, I¡¯m afraid I would have fallen into a dream and woke up smiling.¡±


    Outside, Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying exchanged glances. While Tang Xiu had a forced wry smile all over his face, Mu Wanying had a smile with hints of teasing, as she said, ¡°Well, I daresay that if you don¡¯t warn them not to expose it to bystanders, I¡¯m afraid most of the students studying in our university will find out that a nouveau riche freshman has silently come to study in their campus. By then, you will become a hot potato, and the girls will be in hot pursuit of you. I¡¯m afraid they will be as numerous as the carps crossing the river.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured!¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, ¡°I¡¯ll find a way to make them zip their mouths.¡±


    Quickly, Yue Kai and the others came out of the garage. Their eyes lit up when they looked at Tang Xiu. Straightforward as he always was, Yue Kai said, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, you gotta lend me one of your luxurious cars to flirt with girls.¡±


    ¡°Yea, I also need one!¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡±


    Hu Qingsong and Zhao Liang spoke out in unison.


    ¡°No problem with that. But you gotta swear to me that you must never disclose anything you hear and see tonight to anyone, ever!¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°I don¡¯t want unnecessary troubles because of my house and cars.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing!¡±


    ¡°I promise!¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡±


    The trio promised enthusiastically.


    As for Xue Chao, he scratched the back of his head, and said in a muffled voice, ¡°I don¡¯t have a driver¡¯s license, neither do I like to pick up girls. These cars probably don¡¯t have any use for me.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you work hard, I can help speak some good things for you, so you can have your salary doubled,¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and spoke to him.


    ¡°Hooray! Long live Boss Tang!¡± Xue Chao got excited immediately.


    Tang Xiu then shifted his gaze toward Li Xinjie and Hu Wei, and said with a smile, ¡°As for you, beauties; I hope you can help to keep it secret.¡±


    A cunning glint flashed in Li Xinjie¡¯s eyes. She stretched three fingers and said, ¡°If you can agree to three conditions, I promise you I won¡¯t reveal everything I see tonight to anyone.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really ruthless, girl.¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, ¡°Go say it. I won¡¯t decline if it¡¯s within my capabilities.¡±


    ¡°First, you gotta treat me to a meal for a week. No need to be extravagant, though. Just having a bite in the campus cafeteria will do,¡± Li Xinjie laughed and continued, ¡°The second one is, you gotta spare some time to give me a ride with that hooded supercar of yours to stroll around the campus.¡±


    Seeing Li Xinjie stopped talking up to there, Tang Xiu immediately nodded and said, ¡°Treating for meals is not a problem. The task of driving to take you for a ride can be given to Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong. Tell me the third one.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about it enough. I¡¯ll tell you later.¡± Li Xinjie smiled and said, ¡°However, if you can promise me these three conditions, I can help you if you want to pursue our first belle Mu in the future, though.¡±


    Tang Xiu secretly rolled his eyes. Although Mu Wanying was indeed beautiful like a fairy, he didn¡¯t have the slightest of the kind of feeling between man and woman toward her. Speaking about pursuing her? What a joke!


    Immediately, he turned to look at Hu Wei, and asked, ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°Mine is the same as Xinjie¡¯s first two conditions.¡± Hu Wei said with a smile, ¡°The third one is, after we graduate and we can¡¯t find a job, you must help us. Besides, you already helped Xue Chao in any case. Helping us once more won¡¯t be a problem for you, no?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely help if you have the skills and capabilities,¡± Tang Xiu laughed and said.


    Rejoicing, Hu Wei replied, ¡°A gentleman¡¯s words are as good as gold! I¡¯ll hold onto your words!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Tang Xiu agreed.


    Immediately, he looked at them, and said with a wry smile, ¡°To be honest, I brought you guys here to stay for the night in my place out of good intentions. Never thought that I would be butchered by you all. How was it for you guys after you got my heart vexed?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°Hehehe¡­¡±


    Everyone burst into laughter.


    Apart from Mu Wanying and Xue Chao, everyone else was excited over little things. After everyone eventually got used to it, Mu Wanying¡¯s group of three girls picked a customized bedroom. She took out one bed and its bedding, laid the bed out, and then divided the room afterward.


    In addition to Mu Haoying and Xue Chao, the rest of them entered a villa. Finally, when everyone got used to it, the three girls took out a futon from a room where she had been laying. After she had laid out the bed, she divided the rooms.


    However, everyone was still in the mood for having fun tonight. Since they also came to Tang Xiu¡¯s big villa, they still had much energy left. Under Xue Chao¡¯s summons, everyone then came to the chess room and played cards there.


    ¡°Ring, ring, ring¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying didn¡¯t join them, and the two went to the kitchen. After finding that there was no hot tea, Tang Xiu personally boiled good tea and sent it to the chess room. He and Mu Wanying also went to the neighboring block to buy a lot of snacks, and then returned to the villa.


    ¡°Huh? What happen to you guys?¡±


    When the two just returned, they saw everyone come out of the chess room with unsightly looks.


    ¡°It¡¯s Feiyan,¡± Li Xinjie said, ¡°She just called me, saying that she broke up with Ma Jun and got beaten by him. Furthermore, she was forcibly dragged to the hotel. She called us while secretly hiding in the bathroom.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion changed, and said in a heavy voice, ¡°Which hotel are they in? We¡¯ll rush over there now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Jasmine Hotel nearby.¡± Li Xinjie quickly said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡ª


    Jasmine Hotel, room #406¡­


    Jiang Feiyan locked herself in the bathroom. Ma Jun outside the door incessantly kicked the door, cursing unpleasant things to hear.


    ¡°Your heart is dead! I must break up with you!¡± Jiang Feiyan shouted. She was emotionally distraught, affecting the injured corner of her mouth. The pain immediately made her shed tears.


    ¡°You bitch! You got bewitched by another man tonight, didn¡¯t you? And you want to dump this father? No fucking way! Even if this father is bored with you, you can never escape from my palm the entire of your fucking life!¡± Ma Jun¡¯s voice turned louder and louder as he threw curses at her.


    ¡°You¡­ you asshole!¡±


    Jiang Feiyan¡¯s heart felt like it was stabbed by a knife. The pain she felt made her tremble. In fact, the feelings she had toward Ma Jun was still there. If Ma Jun had coaxed her well tonight, she would have given up on her idea of breaking up with him. Nevertheless, never once had she thought that not only would Ma Jun hit her, he also cursed at her!


    The heartrending pain! Brokenhearted! Ma Jun had thoroughly driven her into despair.


    A few minutes later, Ma Jun was no longer kicking the bathroom¡¯s door because he had indeed drank booze too much tonight. Coupled with his ordinary physical fitness, he finally got tired and sat on the carpet.


    Time slowly passed by.


    When the room¡¯s door was opened from the outside, the hotel¡¯s lobby manager took the room card and quickly stepped back. He watched Ma Jun, who was sitting outside the bathroom, drunk and reek of liquor, with anger in his eyes.


    Hu Qingsong and Yue Kai were the first to come in. After the duo rushed into the room, they seized Ma Jun¡¯s arms separately, stopping his shouts, and restrained him.


    ¡°Ma Jun, where¡¯s Feiyan?¡±


    Li Xinjie had been classmates and good sisters with Jiang Feiyan for four years. They had a deep affection for each other. Therefore, after she stepped in front of Ma Jun¡¯s, she was the first to ask him the question.


    Bam¡­!


    Just as Li Xinjie¡¯s voice fell, Jiang Feiyan, whose face was obviously beaten and injured, with bloodstains on her arm, opened the bathroom door from the inside. She burst into tears.


    ¡°Xinjie! Wu Wu Wu¡­¡±


    Seeing her miserable state, Li Xinjie looked distressed and furious. She raised her leg and kicked Ma Jun¡¯s crotch fiercely. While Ma Jun was screaming, she pulled Jiang Feiyan along for a few steps, hugging and consoling her.


    Upon seeing the scene before him, Tang Xiu secretly sighed inwardly. He then turned to look at the lobby manager, and said, ¡°Call the police! He kidnapped a female student and did it in your hotel. I think it¡¯s best for you to call the police.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± The lobby manager nodded and took his mobile phone out.

 Chapter 437

    Chapter 437: The Good-For-Nothing Man


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Though at this time his crotch was extremely painful, Ma Jun panicked after hearing the dialogue between Tang Xiu and the lobby manager. He exclaimed, ¡°Don¡¯t! Don¡¯t call the cops! I was just joking with my girlfriend. It¡¯s true! I¡¯m not telling lies!¡±


    Tang Xiu gave a hand signal to the lobby manager and sneered, ¡°You were just joking with your girlfriend? You were joking and she got her face bruised, even has bloodstains on her arms? See for yourself how many footprints there are on her body. You kicked her a few times, didn¡¯t you? Had we not been come here in time, would you still lock her in?¡±


    Fear struck Ma Jun¡¯s heart. He was afraid that these people around him would report to the police, since he really had hit Jiang Feiyan. What was more, he also used Jiang Feiyan¡¯s naked photos to threaten her, so that he could bring her here, and forbid her to leave.


    Once he was reported to the police, he, who only had one year left to graduate, would highly likely be expelled directly from the campus. He could even taste that he might spend some time in jail.


    In case¡­ that outcome happened, he was all done for the rest of his life.


    Suddenly, without him realizing, Ma Jun was able to exert a surge of strength, he could even break free from Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong¡¯s containment. He then rushed in front of Jiang Feiyan, kneeling down and grabbed her calf, shouting, ¡°Feiyan, I made mistakes! I was wrong! I shouldn¡¯t have drunk too much! I shouldn¡¯t have hit you! But you want to break up with me, so I got brokenhearted and did it! Please, help me ask them to not call the police!¡±


    A look of disgust and loathing filled Jiang Feiyan¡¯s eyes. She tried to kick him, yet her legs were being held by him. She could only repress her anger and heartrending grief.


    Seeing that Jiang Feiyan didn¡¯t respond to him, Ma Jun pleaded anxiously yet again, ¡°Feiyan, please have a look at so many years we have spent together as lovers. Please, I beg you! I really don¡¯t want you to break up with me. I¡­ I¡­ promise you. I¡¯ll also delete your naked photos. I won¡¯t spread them out.¡±


    Pa¡­!


    Jiang Feiyan¡¯s palm flew and slapped his face fiercely. She felt ashamed and resentful, hearing him mention her naked photos at this time.


    ¡°Feiyan, it¡¯s your choice whether or not we must report this to the police,¡± Tang Xiu said. ¡°Whatever it is, we¡¯ll respect your decision.¡±


    Jiang Feiyan¡¯s complexion kept changing. Only after half a minute passed did she finally reply in a bitter voice, ¡°Let it be! As long as he deletes those pictures and no longer pesters me anymore, just let bygones be bygones.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and ordered firmly, ¡°Delete those pictures now!¡±


    As though he had been granted general pardon, Ma Jun hurriedly took his mobile out from his pocket, and handed it over to Tang Xiu, saying, ¡°The photos are in there, you can delete them!¡±


    Tang Xiu, however, didn¡¯t take it. He didn¡¯t want to delete those photos himself, for he would definitely see Jiang Feiyan¡¯s nude body. Instead, it was Li Xinjie who took the mobile and handed it to Jiang Feiyan.


    Taking the gadget, Jiang Feiyan quickly found tons of her nude photos in the phone¡¯s gallery album. The photos were secretly taken when she and Ma Jun were outside. Had it not been for tonight¡¯s matter, she wouldn¡¯t have even found out such a shitty thing.


    What made her more ashamed and resentful was that there were unexpectedly two footage videos taken outside those dozens of photos.


    After deleting all of them, Jiang Feiyan smashed Ma Jun¡¯s mobile phone, and forcefully kicked his hand. As she burst into tears, she called out, ¡°Ma Jun, you and I no longer related. You for yourself, and I for myself. We are nothing but strangers from now.¡±


    Having said that, she pulled Li Xinjie¡¯s hand and half ran out the door.


    Tang Xiu shook his head secretly as he also turned around to leave the room. Mu Wanying and Hu We also came out. Yue Kai, Hu Qingsong, Zhao Liang, and Xue Chao, however, did not.


    A short while after, Ma Jun¡¯s screams were audible in the room. Needless to say, Yue Kai and the gang were beating him. The lobby manager didn¡¯t bother to stop them, because he was also someone who hated a man who bullied and took advantages of girls. If it weren¡¯t because of his position, he would have punched Ma Jun as well.


    Following that, everyone left the Jasmine Hotel and drove back to Bluestar Villa Complex. Jiang Feiyan was in a foul mood and didn¡¯t ask much, though she was rather curious about the place.


    ¡ª


    12:30 a.m.


    Tang Xiu was sitting cross-legged, cultivating on the bed when someone knocked on his door. After putting on his pajamas, he opened the door and found Mu Wanying standing outside.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t rested yet?¡± Tang Xiu was a bit surprised.


    Mu Wanying shook her head and smiled. After entering his room, she said, ¡°They are currently comforting Feiyan. I need to talk to you about something. That¡¯s why I came here.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Tang Xiu smilingly asked.


    ¡°I remembered you wanted everyone to keep tonight¡¯s matter secret. They all put forward their conditions, right? But I haven¡¯t mentioned mine,¡± Mu Wanying said.


    For a moment, Tang Xiu¡¯s expression turned dull. With an expression of being at a loss whether he should cry or laugh, he immediately said, ¡°Wanying, tell me. Do you really have to do it, too? I¡¯m quite vexed and butchered already, how can you even be so excited to keep pouring oil on the fire, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Well, I only have one condition, and it¡¯s very easy.¡± Mu Wanying chuckled and said.


    ¡°And that is?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, the Magnificent Tang Corp.¡¯s Gods Nectar is very hard to get. I talked to my grandpa on the phone two days ago, and he talked to me a few times, as well as sent people to line up to buy that wine. He only got a few bottles, yet they were snatched up by my dad and uncles. So, I can only use the back door to you. Can I buy some Gods Nectar from the Magnificent Tang Corp as a token of my filial piety for my grandpa, please?¡±


    ¡°Ah, it turned out to be this matter.¡± Tang Xiu laughed and said, ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll call Kang Xia later. Just give me the address where your grandpa lives.¡±


    ¡°You really agreed?¡± Mu Wanying was surprised and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll transfer the money to your account. Ah, right. It should be the previous account you gave me, right?¡±


    ¡°Forget about the money.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°You¡¯re my cousin¡¯s boudoir friend, and a senior alumnus of mine as well. Anyways, are ten boxes enough?¡±


    ¡°Yea, that will be enough.¡± A smile appeared on the corner of Mu Wanying¡¯s mouth as she nodded and said, ¡°Since you don¡¯t want to take the money, do you want me to wait in your bedroom tonight?¡±


    Tang Xiu straightly seized her arm. As her complexion changed, he pushed her toward the outside of the door, causing Mu Wanying to look dull and dumbfounded. He then said, ¡°If I were to take the first belle of Beijing, the first campus flower of Shanghai University, I don¡¯t know how many men will see and think of me as a thorn in their eyes. I¡¯m nothing but a timid guy who doesn¡¯t like getting into trouble. So you shouldn¡¯t bother me, neither should you court trouble for me.¡±


    Having said that, Tang Xiu stepped backward for two steps, and then closed the door.


    As for Mu Wanying, she stared blankly at the shut door, tongue-tied and dumbfounded. It took some time for her to finally sober up from her daze. A dazzling and beautiful smile then appeared on her flawless and stunning face, like a blooming flower.


    ¡ª


    The next morning, when Tang Xiu finished cultivating, and after taking a shower and dressing up; he came to the living room, and found that there was only Jiang Feiyan there, sitting in a daze on the sofa.


    ¡°You woke up so early, eh?¡± Tang Xiu approached her and said with a smile.


    Coming back from her reverie, Jiang Feiyan watched Tang Xiu, who was smiling gently. She nodded a response and said, ¡°I can¡¯t sleep well. Might as well wake up early. Tang Xiu, thanks for everything yesterday.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. If anything, that was what I had to do anyway.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head as he cheerfully said, ¡°But you yourself mustn¡¯t be sad, you know. I remembered seeing a girl¡¯s post on the internet: Whoever it is, one is unlikely to come across several bastards in their lifetime, as long as one rubs their eyes and lets them shine afterward, you can move on and find a good man for yourself.¡±


    ¡°I know. And I¡¯m actually not that sad.¡± Jiang Feiyan nodded and said, ¡°But I¡¯m really glad to see through to his true face earlier than not. Otherwise, I would have ended up miserable one day in the future if I were to marry him.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve thought it through well, it seems.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°Anyways, you gotta rest well! I¡¯ll go out to buy breakfast.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you, then!¡± Jiang Feiyan got up from the sofa and said quickly.


    After hesitating, Tang Xiu nodded his okay and said, ¡°All right. We have many people today, so we must buy a lot of breakfast. You can help me get some and bring them back.¡±


    Jiang Feiyan nodded with a sad smile. The bruises on several areas of her face had faded quite a lot after resting for a night. She left the villa with Tang Xiu. The duo didn¡¯t take a car, but instead took a stroll outside of the villa complex, and then bought a lot of food for breakfast at the nearby block.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, can I ask you something?¡± While carrying a lot of takeaway breakfast on the way back, Jiang Feiyan inquired of Tang Xiu while they walked shoulder to shoulder.


    ¡°Just ask!¡± Tang Xiu replied with a smile.


    ¡°Do you have a girlfriend?¡± Jiang Feiyan asked.


    Stunned, Tang Xiu stared blankly. Kang Xia¡¯s face appeared inside his mind. But in an instant, he dispelled her beautiful face from his mind, shaking his head and said, ¡°I can be considered to have no girlfriend.¡±


    Curious as she was, Jiang Feiyan continued, ¡°How can you have no girlfriend with such a good premise and condition of yours? Besides, what did you mean by saying you ¡®can be considered¡¯ to have no girlfriend?¡±


    After staying silent for a short while, Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°I indeed have a good impression of and am interested in a certain girl. But I¡¯m fated to be unable to give her any status or happiness, hence the reason. What¡¯s more, I have a ton of things to deal with, and romance is the last thing I want to waste my time on. This matter is a subject I will talk about after I graduate in the future.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really a weirdo.¡± Jiang Feiyan looked at him incredulously and continued, ¡°Who among youngsters nowadays does not want to think and talk about love? With how well-off you are, countless women would weep and cry, wanting you to be close to them should you wish to find a girlfriend, no?¡±


    ¡°The matter with one¡¯s heart and love is not child¡¯s play, nor has it been a trifling matter.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°A man who would be bound to be responsible has to have the resolve to have it. I myself am not ready to be someone with responsibility yet. Therefore, even if women all over the world came over to me, I can¡¯t and I won¡¯t accept them. As a matter of fact, I think that as long as one is alive, it¡¯s not necessarily worth it for them to insist on getting into a romantic relationship, for there are tons of things in life that are worth us doing and caring about.¡±


    ¡°What else is there?¡± Jiang Feiyan asked blankly.


    ¡°Family, friendship, career, and many others,¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°But, isn¡¯t it more perfect if you also have a romantic relationship and the like?¡± Jiang Feiyan wondered.


    ¡°You tell me; what qualifications do youngsters nowadays need to have a love life, anyway?¡± Tang Xiu was silent for a moment and asked, ¡°Let us take the simplest issue here. Your love life requires time, and you will also need money for that. As for what I think, it would be much better for the youngsters to learn more and study more while they are still young, for it will be good for them to have a foothold in society. But being concerned with love and romance, yet you still spend the money from your parents, just what qualification do you think you have to talk about having a love life?¡±


    Tang Xiu paused for a moment, freeing one of his hands to take out a cigarette, and lit it. After taking a couple of deep drags on it, his gaze fell on a breakfast shop not far away, and the couple who were very busy inside it.

 Chapter 438

    Chapter 438: Cheering on Wanying


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu¡¯s vision turned a bit blurry. He was seeing the busy figure of his mother when she was working hard to manage her small restaurant.


    After a short while, he came out of his reverie and said slowly, ¡°I remember reading a case on the Internet. In some foreign countries, when a child is eighteen years old, most parents will make their children take exercises to develop their self-supporting life skills and become independent. But in our country, most children are pampered since childhood, even until they are in university, and after they are in their twenties, right? What¡¯s more, even at that age, their parents still provide them money to study in college, making their children live comfortably. This is, all in all, a great gift in and of itself. But if you are dating someone and spend the money from your parents so freely and easily yet again, you will eventually feel that it would be much better if you were able to earn the money yourself. After you have a certain financial foundation to support yourself, you can then once again look for the right person who you can share hardships with throughout your life.¡±


    While walking alongside Tang Xiu, Jiang Feiyan stared blankly at Tang Xiu, who looked somewhat deep and serious. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat. The young man before her seemed to only be in his early 20s, a junior who was even younger than she was. Yet he could actually speak such a thing, making her genuinely admire him.


    Suddenly, she felt ashamed for her parents, because she was always spending their money to study at university without worry, and live comfortably. Even she often used the money from her parents to buy something for her boyfriend.


    ¡°I miss my parents,¡± Jiang Feiyan said in a whisper.


    ¡°Call them if you miss them.¡± Tang Xiu turned his head to look at her, and said with a smile, ¡°The deepest affection you can ever have in the world is the warmth given by your family.¡±


    Jiang Feiyan fell into silence for a long period of time. As she and Tang Xiu returned to the villa¡¯s courtyard, she suddenly said, ¡°Tang Xiu, thank you!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Tang Xiu replied with a smile.


    After entering the villa¡¯s hall, Tang Xiu discovered Mu Wanying had already woken up and was sitting on a sofa, playing English content on her mobile phone.


    ¡°Oh? I thought you all had yet to wake up. I didn¡¯t expect that you actually have bought some breakfast!¡± Mu Wanying said, immediately getting up and smiling after seeing Tang Xiu and Jiang Feiyan come in.


    ¡°Getting up early and breathing fresh air outside will make you feel vigorous and energetic,¡± Tang Xiu answered cheerfully. ¡°Wake them up! I¡¯ll also wake Yue Kai and the others to have breakfast.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Mu Wanying agreed. She then looked at Jiang Feiyan and asked, ¡°Feiyan, do you feel better now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I feel much better.¡± Jiang Feiyan smiled as she nodded and said, ¡°Also, I just found out a secret, too.¡±


    ¡°What secret?¡± Mu Wanying asked, confused.


    ¡°Sis Wanying, ever since I saw you, I thought there would be no man in the world who was worthy of you.¡± Jiang Feiyan smiled and said, ¡°But today, I gotta take it back, since I think Tang Xiu is the right man for you. You two are simply a match made by the heavens. Though he said that he doesn¡¯t feel like falling in love while he¡¯s studying at university, I feel that he would surely go head over heels for you should you keep pursuing him.¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­ Hehehe.¡± Mu Wanying let out a rare coquettish smile, glancing at Tang Xiu and smiling sweetly, ¡°Despite my confidence that my charm is rather infinite, it¡¯s not easy to storm and capture this blockhead.¡±


    ¡°Ehh?¡± Jiang Feiyan was pleasantly surprised. Her eyes lit up as she asked, ¡°Sis Wanying, do you like Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the best man I¡¯ve ever met, it¡¯s kinda natural if I like him!¡± Mu Wanying said with a smile. ¡°But his own codes kind of constrain him, and he doesn¡¯t want me from the beginning! So I can only have self-knowledge and hide, looking at him from afar, though I continue admiring him. Nevertheless, I think it¡¯s fun and interesting enough to be his little fan.¡±


    ¡°Keep it up, Sis Wanying. I believe in you!¡± Jiang Feiyan waved her fists and mock-cheered with a laugh.


    ¡°Okay, okay. No more jokes, will ya?¡± Mu Wanying giggled and said, ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ll go call the others to wake up.¡±


    Tang Xiu also heard the dialogue and knew that Mu Wanying was joking, so he didn¡¯t take it seriously. He walked into the kitchen and took out a lot of tableware. He brought them to the dining room and put out the breakfast he had bought.


    Soon after, he dragged the Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong quartet from their beds, and threw them into the bathroom to make themselves presentable. Without too much prodding, everyone finally came to the dining room.


    ¡°Wow! Just wow! The Great Moneybags Tang has turned into a lovely housewife. To think that he has prepared such a rich breakfast this early in the morning.¡± Zhao Liang rubbed his hands eagerly as he sat down.


    ¡°Just hurry up and eat will ya?¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°You can shut your mouth with that food.¡±


    ¡ª


    After finishing the breakfast, the girls went to the kitchen to wash the plates and dishes. After they had cleaned and prepared, the group took their cars and rushed to the campus.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s group, in particular, had to report to the classroom today, so they escorted Mu Wanying¡¯s group of four to their dorms¡¯ entrances. Following that, under the watchful eyes of many onlookers, they drove away to the classroom building


    ¡ª


    _Inside the History Department classroom¡­_


    Just as Tang Xiu¡¯s group of five entered the classroom, many of their classmates surrounded them. Most of them looked at Tang Xiu, demanding to know what tricks he had pulled in order to escape the devilish military training. Since Tang Xiu had prepared a good excuse earlier, he easily dealt with them.


    _Da, da, da¡­_


    The sound of high-heeled shoes was heard as Han Qingwu strode into the classroom, carrying a stack of documents. She glanced around the classroom before her vision finally landed on Tang Xiu for a few seconds. After that, she stepped to the podium and hinted for everyone to be quiet before speaking, ¡°Today is very good since all of you could attend the class. Anyhow, I brought the class timetable for you to attend the course later, which you¡¯ll see on the blackboard. You must memorize the contents of your class timetable, as you will not be allowed to be absent from class without leave. Also, if you are interested in other subjects, you can also take elective courses¡­¡±


    Time flew by, and quickly, most of an hour had passed by. Tang Xiu sat in the bottom row seat and listened quietly to the contents of Han Qingwu¡¯s speech, and the topics she was talking about with his other classmates. He could see how many times that Han Qingwu watched him, and her eyes stayed on him repeatedly.


    ¡°All right. Your class will be officially starting tomorrow, so all of you can have a good rest today. All students who have signed up to perform in the freshmen welcoming party this evening, you all must practice well and strive to bring honor to our class. And Tang Xiu, you come out with me.¡±


    Having finished speaking, Han Qingwu then turned away and left the classroom.


    Sighing inwardly, Tang Xiu already knew that he would be called by Han Qingwu to talk in private in another place when he saw her again. Even he could tell some of the things they would be talking about as well.


    ¡ª


    _At the staircase¡­_


    Holding a stack of documents, Han Qingwu calmly watched Tang Xiu, who had come along with her. She had yet to utter any words and only fixed her eyes on him. After a short while, and seeing that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t seem to have the intention to speak, she frowned and grunted, ¡°Tang Xiu, have I ever provoked you somewhere?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Tang Xiu said lightly, shaking his head.


    ¡°Then explain to me, what¡¯s your intention?¡± Han Qingwu was aggravated, ¡°I¡¯ve called you a few times already. Why didn¡¯t you answer even once? Besides, looking at your current attitude, you have a different opinion about me.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment. Then, he said, ¡°Teacher Han, do you want to ask me about the matter the last time we met, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I want to hear your explanation!¡± Han Qingwu replied without hesitation.


    ¡°It¡¯s my personal affair, so it¡¯s not like I must explain it to you. Regardless, I¡¯ll tell you since you want to know about it, since I have nothing to hide either.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Then do say!¡± Han Qingwu said.


    ¡°Have you heard about the Magnificent Tang Corporation?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°Yeah. I know it¡¯s a new corporation recently established in Star City a few months ago.¡± Han Qingwu nodded and said, ¡°This company¡¯s business has been thriving recently.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the owner of that said company,¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Han Qingwu gasped, disbelief covering her whole face.


    ¡°I said I¡¯m the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corp. And Kang Xia, its General Manager, is actually working for me,¡± Tang Xiu repeated his answer.


    Seeing that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t seem to be joking, Han Qingwu was quite shocked after hearing his answer. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that Tang Xiu turned out to be the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s Big Boss. She had always thought that she knew Tang Xiu¡¯s family situation very well. But now, from the looks it, she just realized that what she knew was not necessarily that accurate.


    ¡°What about the Everlasting Feast Hall?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s Boss,¡± Tang Xiu answered.


    ¡°Though it¡¯s hard to believe that you are the Magnificent Tang Corp.¡¯s Boss, I still can accept it. But saying that you¡¯re also the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s owner, I can¡¯t buy it.¡± Han Qingwu shook her head and said, ¡°It¡¯s been several decades since the Everlasting Feast Hall was established, even my grandpa and his friends suffered great resistance and setbacks after they investigated the Everlasting Feast Hall recently. This shows that the Everlasting Feast Hall is a very powerful existence. Yet, you are just a freshman who recently enrolled in Shanghai University. How can you possibly be the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s owner?¡±


    ¡°The affairs of the world are inconstant,¡± Tang Xiu replied calmly. ¡°For me to be able to become the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s Boss, why couldn¡¯t I become the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s owner, as well? I believe that after the matter last time, you have visited the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s branch in Shanghai and met Chi Nan there, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been there,¡± Han Qingwu nodded and said, ¡°And I¡¯ve seen Chi Nan, too.¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve confirmed her identity, yet you still have doubts about me being its owner?¡± Tang Xiu asked her.


    Han Qingwu¡¯s sensual lips wriggled a few times. She was stunned speechless by what Tang Xiu had told her. In actuality, she already believed that Tang Xiu was the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s owner, yet it was very hard for her to accept it.


    After all, to think that even her grandfather was a bit afraid of the Everlasting Feast Hall. Its Boss turning out to be Tang Xiu was making her feel somewhat absurd. After being silent for a short while, she said, ¡°No wonder my good sister who came back from abroad, who I asked you to accompany her for a few days back then, told me that you were very powerful and very rich afterward. I didn¡¯t believe her at that time, but now I finally understand. But, how did you become the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s Boss?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story, and I don¡¯t think I must tell you, either.¡± Tang Xiu answered. ¡°To begin with, we are only related as a teacher and a student. I¡¯ll listen to you at the campus, but Teacher Han, you are not privileged to ask more about some private things of mine.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you, Tang Xiu?¡± Han Qingwu angrily said, ¡°You were not like this before!¡±


    Tang Xiu stayed silent.


    That was true! He indeed had never been like this before!


    However, ever since he knew that Han Qingwu had a 99% chance of being the reincarnation of Xue Qingcheng, he had changed.


    For so many of the years he had lived, Xue Qingcheng was the very person he hated the most. That person was exactly this Han Qingwu before him.


    The deeper the love, the more hatred would incur once that love went astray.


    Nevertheless, since Han Qingwu herself was oblivious of her own past incarnation, that hatred of his became more complicated.


    Should he kill her?


    That was somewhat quite a depressing thought for Tang Xiu.


    Should he forgive her?


    He admitted that he couldn¡¯t do it.


    Since he couldn¡¯t either kill or forgive her, therefore, he would rather opt to keep the distance between them.

 Chapter 439

    Chapter 439: Accompanied by A Belle


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Staring at the reticent Tang Xiu, Han Qingwu felt like her chest was somewhat stifled by repressed emotions. It was a kind of feeling that impeded her breath and drove her over the edge.


    She didn¡¯t understand! She couldn¡¯t figure out why Tang Xiu had been giving her the cold shoulder more and more.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Tang Xiu. I couldn¡¯t care less about whatever other identities you have. Shortly put, you¡¯re my student when you are on campus. Since you want to play concealing whatever you feel inside, then go on playing as you wish. Now tell me, what kind of show do you want to perform in the evening? Before noon, I want to hand over the list of the shows our class is going to be performing..¡± Han Qingwu¡¯s complexion turned rather pale and more indifferent.


    Tang Xiu himself had actually thought last night about a good show he planned to perform. He was going to play a random musical instrument and perform whatever he liked. However, looking at Han Qingwu before him, he suddenly recalled an immortal song he had once written for her.


    Tang Xiu gave up the previous idea and answered lightly, ¡°I¡¯ll play a ¡®Fairy Dream¡¯ song with a zither.¡±


    ¡°Fairy Dream?¡± Han Qingwu looked dazed, and there was a bit of confused. She had never heard the title of this song before, yet she didn¡¯t know why she faintly felt that it gave her a sense of familiarity. It was as if¡­ this song had a deep relationship with her.


    The feeling was not something that she could explain and understand clearly, yet it felt real and existed.


    Looking at Tang Xiu, Han Qingwu then nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll write it and report it in the list later.¡±


    Having said that, she turned around to walk up the stairs and left.


    Looking at her back, complex emotions made Tang Xiu¡¯s heart ripple. It was like the abyss of misery inside him had turned upside down, causing him to be at a loss and make him edgy.


    _Tap¡­_


    Without him realizing it, he subconsciously took out a lighter, lit a cigarette and took a deep puff. He had fallen in love with the taste of cigarettes recently. He couldn¡¯t help but want to light up a cigarette, and took a puff to pacify his emotions whenever he was in a good mood or depressed.


    ¡°Gimme one, Tang Big Bro!¡± Hu Qingsong appeared in the corridor. A teasing and joyous mood filled his eyes as he sized up Tang Xiu in a playful manner.


    Without saying anything, Tang Xiu gave the lighter and cigarette pack to Hu Qingsong. Then, he asked, ¡°Anyways, we got nothing else to do today. What do you plan to do later?¡±


    ¡°What else can I do, anyway? I¡¯m going to have a bite in the cafeteria, and then go back to the dorm to sleep. I didn¡¯t sleep enough last night and kind of have a bit of a headache right now.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t go with you. There¡¯s a private thing I need to do. But I¡¯ll come back to look for you in the evening,¡± Tang Xiu told him.


    ¡°Where are you going, mate?¡± Hu Qingsong asked, sensing the unusual mood.


    ¡°I gotta buy something,¡± Tang Xiu replied.


    As his cigarette was about to burn through, Tang Xiu extinguished its butt and went down the stairs. Now that he had decided to play the zither tonight, he needed to buy a good zither before performing in the show.


    However, just as he took a seat in the car and hadn¡¯t started it yet, Mu Wanying called him.


    ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m about to go out to buy something. What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°What will you buy?¡±


    ¡°A zither!¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m at the campus¡¯s entrance. I¡¯ll go along with you, then.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± After hesitating a moment, Tang Xiu agreed. When he drove to the campus¡¯s entrance, he saw Mu Wanying in a pretty one-piece dress with her floating long hair, holding two textbooks, a brown women¡¯s bag on her shoulder.


    Tang Xiu lowered the front passenger¡¯s window and said, ¡°Get on board.¡±


    Without hesitation, Mu Wanying opened the door and sat down under the watchful eyes of many handsome boys and pretty girls in the surroundings. After closing the door, she smiled and said, ¡°Where are we headed to?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure where to, since I don¡¯t know any place that sells zithers.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°So I¡¯ll just stroll around.¡±


    ¡°I knew that you would be playing the zither.¡± Mu Wanying laughed lightly and said, ¡°I believe your zither play should be on par with your calligraphy and painting skills. I¡¯ll definitely go to the campus assembly hall ahead of time tonight.¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a calm smile in a response. While driving, he chatted with Mu Wanying. He didn¡¯t expect that Mu Wanying could also play the zither, and she seemed to be very good, as well!


    ¡ª


    After browsing the web, Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying found several shops that sold zithers, yet the quality of those zithers was so appalling that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to buy them. At this time, he couldn¡¯t help but miss the Immortal Zither he once had in the Immortal World.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have lunch first! We¡¯ll continue searching after having a bite. There should be tons of places in a big city such as Shanghai where we can buy a zither. I believe we can find a very good zither,¡± Mu Wanying chuckled and said as she walked alongside Tang Xiu, gazing at the crowded area after coming out from one of the stores that sold zithers,


    ¡°It can only be like this it seems. But I hope I can buy a good zither this afternoon, though. Otherwise, I can only pick one randomly, and then deal with whatever happens in the evening,¡± Tang Xiu nodded agreeably.


    The duo randomly picked one of the restaurants and ordered some dishes. Mu Wanying didn¡¯t speak much. Although Tang Xiu was not someone who treated his words like gold, he wasn¡¯t that familiar with Mu Wanying to the point of being talkative with her without reserve. So he only found some topics occasionally. Still, the duo engaged in a friendly manner and got along well with one another.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­ His mobile¡¯s melodious ringtone went off.


    Taking his mobile phone out, Tang Xiu looked at the caller¡¯s ID. It was Chi Nan who had called him. He immediately pressed the answer button and asked, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Boss, the people from our Headquarters have just caught an old couple. We have interrogated them and they confessed that they learned about our Everlasting Feast Hall from you, they even requested to meet you. The people in our Headquarters put them into custody and now have sent them to Shanghai. How would you like to deal with them?¡±


    ¡°Where are they from?¡± Tang Xiu frowned and asked.


    ¡°They are loose cultivators. The man¡¯s name is Wei Jiangping, and the woman is called Chun Xiu,¡± Chi Nan informed him.


    ¡°And, where are they now?¡± Tang Xiu furrowed his brow slightly and asked again.


    ¡°They are in the Everlasting Feast Hall.¡±


    ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll drive over now,¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Having finished talking, he hung up the phone. He looked at Mu Wanying, who was still carefully eating her meal, and said, ¡°There¡¯s something I need to deal with, you¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Mu Wanying looked up and let out a gentle smile as she said, ¡°I think you won¡¯t ditch me here, right?¡±


    Tang Xiu forced a smile, and said, ¡°Are you full already? Shall we go now?¡±


    ¡°All right. I¡¯m full!¡± Mu Wanying wiped the corner of her mouth with a tissue, picked up her handbag, and got up.


    ¡ª


    Half an hour later, Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying arrived at the Everlasting Feast Hall. When Chi Nan saw Mu Wanying and Tang Xiu, a look of admiration filled her eyes. She found that her Boss truly had many female friends, and each of them was a beauty akin to a fairy.


    ¡°Where are they?¡± Tang Xiu directly asked.


    ¡°They are being detained in the martial arts training hall,¡± Chi Nan reverentially said.


    Although he wanted to tell Mu Wanying to stay and wait for him, Tang Xiu hesitated and didn¡¯t utter any words after looking at her tranquil expression.


    Under Chi Nan¡¯s lead, they quickly arrived at the martial arts training hall. Tang Xiu saw Wei Jiangping and a distressed-looking old lady sitting on a chair.


    Sitting on the chair Chi Nan reserved for him, Tang Xiu asked with an indifferent expression, ¡°Wei Jiangping, were you investigating the Everlasting Feast Hall?¡±


    A bitter expression covered Wei Jiangping¡¯s aged face. There was also an awed look in his eyes when he looked at Tang Xiu as he nodded and said bitterly, ¡°We, husband and wife, wanted to know the whereabouts of our two children. We knew the existence of the Everlasting Feast Hall from you, so we sent some people to investigate it. The result was that all the people we sent disappeared. Hence we had no choice but to rush to Jingmen Island personally.¡±


    ¡°So, you were finally discovered by our people, and then got caught?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Wei Jiangping sighed, ¡°We, husband and wife, have an extremely high cultivation level. We thought that only a few people in this world were on par with us. Yet ten experts from the Everlasting Feast Hall were able to hold us down and capture us easily. Even we can feel that if those people had the intention to directly kill us, we would have been slain by their knives and become ghosts now.¡±


    Giving a cold snort as a reply, Tang Xiu then took out his mobile phone to call Gu Xiaoxue. After she answered, he asked, ¡°Do Light and Dark know the current issue with Wei Jiangping and Chun Xiu?¡±


    ¡°They already know, Grand Master,¡± Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s voice came from the mobile phone.


    ¡°What was their decision?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t want to see them!¡±


    While sighing inwardly, Tang Xiu ended the call. Following that, he looked at Wei Jiangping and Chun Xiu, saying, ¡°I can spare your life this time, considering that you are the Light and Dark¡¯s biological parents. The capital crime can be exempted, but you can hardly run from the hard consequences. I¡¯ll let the bygones be bygones if you accept my two conditions.¡±


    ¡°Please do say!¡± Wei Jiangping quickly nodded.


    ¡°First, you are not to investigate the Everlasting Feast Hall ever again, and stop looking for your children there,¡± Tang Xiu stated. ¡°They were at the Everlasting Feast Hall when you were captured, yet they still didn¡¯t want to see you. So I advise you not to waste more time and energy to scheme again¡±


    ¡°We¨C,¡± Wei Jiangping hurriedly started to speak.


    However, just as he was about to speak out, his wife interrupted him, ¡°Boss Tang, we can accept this demand of yours. Yet in our hearts and minds, we always miss our children and are eager to see them. Could you tell us before we die of old age that you can let us see them?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll give you that chance,¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Looking at Tang Xiu gratefully, Chun Xiu then said, ¡°Please tell us the second condition, then!¡±


    A slight smile appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he asked, ¡°I now need a zither and the quality should be good. Do you have the means to get one?¡±


    A zither?


    ¡°We can do that,¡± Chun Xiu nodded slowly. ¡°But that zither is someone¡¯s personal belonging. I don¡¯t know whether my old friend¡¯s wife would want to¡­¡±


    ¡°If she doesn¡¯t want to sell it, you can loan it for me for one night,¡± Tang Xiu said indifferently.


    ¡°It would be no problem then. I¡¯ll see her immediately,¡± Chun Xiu answered quickly.


    Tang Xiu motioned to Chi Nan, and she then untied the ropes on them. Watching the couple get up, he said, ¡°I don¡¯t have much time, I must get it before 5 p.m.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t worry, Boss Tang,¡± Chun Xiu nodded.


    As the couple left, Chi Nan asked curiously, ¡°Boss, what do you want a zither for?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because of her good deed.¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, ¡°She signed me up to perform a show in the freshmen welcoming party held by the campus tonight. Hence, I must go on stage to perform something.¡±


    ¡°Boss, you are also a zither player?¡± Chi Nan was amazed and said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be sure to appreciate your playing skills tonight!¡±


    Tang Xiu secretly rolled his eyes and said snappily, ¡°Aren¡¯t you already busy with the restaurant? If you are not busy, just roll back to Jingmen Island and go into seclusion there.¡±


    Chi Nan covered her mouth as she giggled at him.

 Chapter 440

    Chapter 440: Jadewind Zither


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu led Mu Wanying back to the car. She hadn¡¯t spoken a word from the start. After leaving the Everlasting Feast Hall, the duo just sat in the car, and only then did Mu Wanying say with a smile, ¡°Tang Xiu, the more I get to know you, the more I think you¡¯re unfathomable. I know some things about the Everlasting Feast Hall. I heard that its headquarters is on Jingmen Island, but it also has branches in Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong, and its business is very prosperous. It¡¯s just that it never came to my mind that you were the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s owner.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m nothing but your average layman, if you ask me,¡± Tang Xiu replied.


    ¡°If you were nothing but an average person, I¡¯m afraid that there are no powerful figures in this world, no? Anyhow, I¡¯m really curious about something. Aside from the Magnificent Tang Corp. and the Everlasting Feast Hall, how many industries do you have exactly?¡± Mu Wanying asked with a smile.


    ¡°Well, I only have those two,¡± Tang Xiu answered her easily.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡± Mu Wanying shook her head as she smiled. ¡°If anything, I must get along well with you more in the future and learn more of your secrets. You know, you¡¯re someone I¡¯m most interested in, there¡¯s no else.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever heard the saying that a woman won¡¯t be far from having her heart captured once she¡¯s interested in a man?¡± Tang Xiu grunted.


    ¡°To fall in love with someone as outstanding as you, is not a bad thing, no?¡± Mu Wanying laughed lightly, ¡°Needless to say, though; a marriage is always the most important event in all one¡¯s life. Like this, the issue is solved right away!¡±


    ¡°The current era is an age of materialism, where people crave worldly things. Nowadays, people¡¯s minds and hearts are fickle and unable to endure their desires. So to speak about a femme fatale, the more outstanding the women around men are, the more troublesome things they will encounter. I myself have liked living a chaotic and tumultuous life. I want it to be peaceful and tranquil, so that I can do my own things without worries. Therefore, I dare not have any thoughts toward the capital¡¯s first beauty, as well as the Shanghai University¡¯s first campus flower. So please find another man if you want to get married,¡± stated Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, how come the words you said make me feel like I¡¯m just one of those sorts of venomous serpents and wild beasts?¡± Mu Wanying coquettishly feigned anger.


    ¡°You¡¯re better than any vipers and beasts, though; because your looks are more eye-catching than they are,¡± Tang Xiu chuckled in reply.


    ¡°Pfft¡­ Hahaha!¡± Mu Wanying couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter, laughing till she swayed and trembled.


    After a short while, she looked at the passing scenes outside the window, and then asked, ¡°You already asked that couple to help you find a zither, so where are we going next?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t put all hope on them, so I might as well prepare for both eventualities.¡± Tang Xiu noted thoughtfully. ¡°Though they are anxious and in a hurry, there¡¯s nothing that can be done about it if their old friend¡¯s wife doesn¡¯t want to lend it out. Anyways, let¡¯s surf the internet once again! See if there¡¯s a shop selling zithers nearby.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    Mu Wanying took her mobile phone out and began browsing the internet.


    ¡ª


    _At the outskirts of Shanghai¡­_


    Inside the fruit orchard, Wei Jiangping and Chun Xiu had just returned and got out from the tax. They saw Han Jintong and his wife, Yin Yue¡¯e, waiting in front of a black Audi car.


    Wei Jiangping strode up to the Han Jintong couple and said with a bitter smile, ¡°Old friend, sorry for troubling you.¡±


    ¡°Brother We, we naturally won¡¯t sit still since you have troubles.¡± Han Jintong shook his head and said, ¡°Anyhow, we also brought the Jadewind Zither. It¡¯s in the car.¡±


    Showing his gratitude and relief, Wei Jiangping said, ¡°I know that Jadewind Zither is Yue¡¯e¡¯s favorite thing. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to sell it, though. He said that he only wanted to borrow it for one night.¡±


    ¡°Who is this ¡®he¡¯?¡± Han Jintong asked in surprise.


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡± Wei Jiangping replied with a sigh.


    Han Jintong frowned and asked, ¡°Brother Wei, what had happened exactly? Did the two of you go to Jingmen Island, investigate the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s information, and then meet Tang Xiu there?¡±


    Wei Jiangping shook his head with a bitter expression.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t meet Tang Xiu at Jingmen Island,¡± Chun Xiu faintly sighed, and said, ¡°After we followed the investigation track, we found that the Everlasting Feast Hall was very mysterious. But unfortunately, just as we only got a bit of information from our investigation, the people from the Everlasting Feast Hall found us. We did repel two of them who warned us, but we were then finally surrounded by their ten experts. Those ten were only in their thirties or forties, yet their joint forces were able to deal with us easily. We were caught and detained, and they sent us to the Everlasting Feast Hall in Shanghai.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Han Jintong and Yin Yue¡¯e looked at each other. They knew how strong Wei Jiangping and Chun Xiu were. In this current age and time, the number of people who were their opponents were very few and far between. How could only ten people of the Everlasting Feast Hall be able to capture them?


    This¡­ Wasn¡¯t this way too inconceivable?


    Wang Jiangping forced a smile and said, ¡°What Chun Xiu said is all true. We were injured and captured by them. In actuality, we could sense that their cultivation levels were inferior to us. But their moves and styles were very sharp, swift and fierce, and they also used exquisite killing moves. If they were to fight at close quarters with weapons, perhaps they would only need five people to beat us, and we might be killed in a very short time.¡±


    Han Jintong shivered inside, and asked, ¡°How many experts does the Everlasting Feast Hall have exactly?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Wei Jiangping shook his head and said, ¡°There were more than thirty people just from the number when they surrounded us. Some of them who seemed like not your ordinary experts and had some status didn¡¯t even act.¡±


    Han Jintong was silent for a period of time and faintly sighed, ¡°We always felt that our strength was already amazing enough, and had reached the extreme point after obtaining that cultivation technique and practicing it for decades. We always thought that there were only a few existences in this world who could become our opponents. Only now did we finally realize that we had been looking at the sky from the bottom of a well.¡±


    ¡°China is a vast and ancient country, where hidden dragons and sleeping tigers remain in concealment, and it has been giving birth to talented people from generation to generation.¡± Wei Jiangping sighed and said, ¡°Since there can be an existence such as the Everlasting Feast Hall in this country, I¡¯m afraid there are also other powerful forces, as well. Furthermore, I¡¯m afraid that we will find it very difficult to make a breakthrough and ascend to heaven. The only hope we have now during our lifetime is to be able to see our son and daughter who were taken by her.¡±


    A glint flashed in Han Jintong¡¯s eyes, and he then asked, ¡°Brother Wei, what do you think if we can show some goodwill toward Tang Xiu? Can we¡­¡±


    ¡°I think you should give up on this idea, Brother Han.¡± Wei Jiangping shook his head and smiled bitterly, ¡°The Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people are not a friendly bunch, definitely. Besides, if you want to have a breakthrough in your cultivation with aid from the Everlasting Feast Hall, I think it will be a close to nil possibility unless you pay a very heavy price for it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to give up trying. I¡¯m unwilling to do so. I need to find opportunities to see Tang Xiu again, hoping that I can get the opportunity to have a breakthrough,¡± Han Jintong answered with determination


    Wei Jiangping suddenly had a change in complexion, and said, ¡°Brother Han, if my inference is correct, your granddaughter and Tang Xiu should have a special relationship.¡±


    But Han Jintong replied with a helpless expression, ¡°That girl¡­ Qingwu hasn¡¯t returned home since the matter last time. She even gave perfunctory reply and hung up when I called her to ask about it. I only know that Qingwu was once Tang Xiu¡¯s class teacher-in-charge in high school. Now she teaches at Shanghai University and is also Tang Xiu¡¯s class teacher-in-charge yet again. But I know nothing about how well they get along with each other.¡±


    ¡°True that,¡± Wei Jiangping nodded and said, ¡°Brother Han, I must go first to send this Jadewind Zither to him. I believe that he won¡¯t lie given his identity.¡±


    ¡°Off you go then!¡± Han Jintong said.


    ¡ª


    _In a certain commercial street in Shanghai¡­_


    Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying had found several shops, yet they couldn¡¯t find any zither of good quality. Using his keen eyesight, though there were several zithers that were barely able to be played, the tone effect after playing them was much worse than expected.


    Just as the two felt helpless, Tang Xiu received a call from Chi Nan and learned that Wei Jiangping had already sent a zither to the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    ¡°I hope Wei Jiangping has a bit of ability to find a good zither! Otherwise, I can only buy one randomly and deal with the aftermath later in the evening.¡± Tang Xiu sighed.


    As tranquil and gentle as she always was, Mu Wanying smiled slightly and said, ¡°Well, I believe that even if it is a very ordinary zither, it will still produce the most beautiful notes after you play it.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled in response and, then drove back to the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    ¡ª


    Inside the General Manager¡¯s Office, Chi Nan and Wei Jiangping stood before the sofa, while the zither was placed on the tea table. However, its body couldn¡¯t be seen since it was wrapped in silk cloth.


    After Tang Xiu entered the office, his gaze fell on the tea table, ¡°Is this the zither you brought?¡±


    With a respectful look, Wei Jiangping nodded and said, ¡°I borrowed it from an old friend¡¯s wife. This zither is called the Jadewind Zither, a masterpiece that was painstakingly crafted by a grandmaster in the Qin Dynasty period. I know nothing about a zither, though, so I dared not evaluate the quality of this zither.¡±


    Tang Xiu walked in front of the tea table and gently opened the silk cloth. In front of him was revealed an exquisitely crafted and beautifully carved zither. He could identify at a glance that the zither was made out of the wood of Gold Phoebe Cedar tree.


    _Ding¡­!_


    A pleasant tune was produced when Tang Xiu¡¯s fingers plucked the strings.


    ¡°This zither is barely passable. Not bad.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and looked at Wei Jiangping as he said, ¡°You can go. Come here again to take this zither tomorrow night.¡±


    Wei Jiangping hesitated, and was about to speak out something. But when he looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s indifferent expression, he swallowed the words he wanted to say. He nodded silently, turned around, and left.


    Wrapping the Jadewind Zither up again with the silk cloth, Tang Xiu picked it up, and said, ¡°Chi Nan, if you come to Shanghai University tonight, wait until after I go on stage, and then bring this zither back with you when you leave. Also, I need you to do one thing for me: find several good-natured housekeepers.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Chi Nan answered respectfully. ¡°I¡¯ll contact you later.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Tang Xiu nodded and left the Everlasting Feast Hall with Mu Wanying. The duo didn¡¯t go directly back to the campus, but went to the Bluestar Villa Complex instead. There were still a few hours left before the freshmen welcoming party tonight, so they decided to rest first, and then go to the campus after dinner.


    ¡ª


    _Inside the villa¡­_


    Mu Wanying had just finished a phone call when she said with a smile, ¡°Tang Xiu, tonight¡¯s freshmen welcoming party should be fun and interesting.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say so?¡± Tang Xiu raised his brows and asked.


    ¡°A friend of mine just called me, saying that since our Shanghai University holds a freshmen welcoming party tonight, a certain authoritative figure from our campus, by means of a special relationship, has contacted Zhang Xinya, who is currently preparing for her concert in Shanghai. I heard that the opening ceremony of the freshmen welcoming party tonight is exactly listed as Zhang Xinya in the program list.¡±

 Chapter 441

    Chapter 441: The Superstar Appeals for Help


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Hearing this made Tang Xiu pensive. In the past few days, he had kept hearing Zhang Xinya¡¯s name, there were even billboards in many places in Shanghai advertising and endorsing Zhang Xinya. Was she really that hot?


    ¡°Mu Wanying, the campus would actually go so far as to invite a star to help out in the freshmen welcoming party?¡±


    ¡°There was almost such a precedent in the past, but this time it¡¯s just a chance coincidence that happened due to someone knowing Zhang Xinya by chance, hence she was invited!¡± Mu Wanying replied with a light smile.


    ¡°Nowadays, the effect from celebrities seems to be helpful for education institutions. Hence, taking this opportunity to raise publicity!¡± Tang Xiu nodded thoughtfully.


    ¡°All the major famous schools and universities today are competing for outstanding students, and the progress is very intense as well.¡± Mu Wanying agreed. ¡°Since the new term has just started as of now, it may have no use for the campus, yet it¡¯s hard to say for next year. With Zhang Xinya¡¯s signboard, I can tell that it will attract many excellent students later.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Tang Xiu smiled and couldn¡¯t help but shake his head.


    Attending school?


    Nowadays, becoming a student in this kind of era was no longer important. Even if one would obtain a very good diploma certificate in the future, then so what? They were just not in a hurry to find a job and then work for others. He heard from others that many students must study three or four years in college, yet it would be much better for them to enter society earlier to learn workmanship.


    Of course, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t approve that opinion, either. The knowledge one obtained in their schooling was the foundation, while studying workmanship was the practice. If intelligent students were able to combine the two, mastering knowledge from the textbook while allocating the time to practice it, it was the smartest choice to pick.


    ¡ª


    Dusk finally came.


    Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying called for takeout meals. After the duo finished eating in the villa, cleaned up and finished preparing, they drove to the campus. Yue Kai and the others had told them through the phone that they had been waiting for some time.


    ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, Belle Mu, how did you¡­¡± A strange expression was painted on Yue Kai¡¯s fair and pretty face.


    ¡°Well, I saw Mu Wanying at noon, and she went along with me out of the campus to help me buy a zither,¡± Tang Xiu arbitrarily explained.


    ¡°Did you get one?¡± Yue Kai asked curiously.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°The quality of the zithers sold in those shops is kinda appalling, so I borrowed one.¡±


    Yue Kai laughed softly and said, ¡°Well, let¡¯s see what you can do tonight. Don¡¯t make our dorm lose face, mate.¡±


    Giving him a calm smile as an answer, Tang Xiu turned to Mu Wanying and said, ¡°Are you going with us directly to the campus assembly hall? Or¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go back to my dorm first!¡± Mu Wanying answered. ¡°The others should be waiting for me there.¡±


    Shifting his gaze to Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong, Tang Xiu said, ¡°One of you drive her back! Going to the female students¡¯ dorm from here will take quite some time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go!¡±


    Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong spoke in unison.


    Mu Wanying glanced at Tang Xiu, and immediately said softly, ¡°No need to escort me there. I¡¯ll go there on foot myself.¡±


    Having said that, she turned around and left.


    As Mu Wanying¡¯s form disappeared in the distant corner of the pathway, Yue Kai glared at Hu Qingsong and said loudly, ¡°Hey, Mu Wanying is mine, mate! Don¡¯t compete with me!¡±


    Likewise, Hu Qingsong gave him the same glare, and yelled, ¡°That¡¯s my line for you! Mu Wanying is mine. Never fight with me over her!¡±


    Looking at the two glaring at each other in speechless dismay, Tang Xiu immediately produced a wry smile and said, ¡°Hey, can the two of you behave well? You both need not fight over a trivial thing like this!¡±


    Xue Chao nodded his head in agreement and said, ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s just a minor matter, guys! Besides, Mu Wanying obviously likes Boss Tang. No way she will look at you even if any of you win the fight.¡±


    ¡°Shut the hell up!¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up!¡±


    Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong immediately shouted at him.


    Afterward¡­ the duo glared at each other, with a resentful look on their faces. They were no fools. How could they not see Mu Wanying¡¯s interest in Tang Xiu? Yet they were really reluctant to give up such a great stunning beauty of that level!


    After a short period of silence, Hu Qingsong suddenly turned his head to look at Tang Xiu and said seriously, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, three rich meals plus I can drive the Audi A8 for three days.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiu stared blankly, looking confused as he asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I give you Pretty Mu,¡± Hu Qingsong said.


    Tang Xiu wasn¡¯t able to laugh or cry. He said, ¡°Excuse me, you had better leave me out this. I don¡¯t have any interest in her. If you like her, feel free to go after her.¡±


    ¡°Do we even have a chance unless you disappear from Earth?¡± Hu Qingsong rolled his eyes and ranted, ¡°That will be a wasteful effort, so it would be better to extort you here than wasting our time. Let¡¯s cut the crap. Three meals, and give me the Audi A8 to ride for three days. I¡¯ll change my target later.¡±


    ¡°Why do I feel like I¡¯m kinda a spendthrift fool who¡¯s being taken advantage because of my own generosity?¡± Tang Xiu wryly smiled and said, ¡°Forget it. Whether or not you want to pursue her is your business anyway. You want three meals, right? No problem with that, and I can give you the car key any time. Is that OK with you?¡±


    Nodding in satisfaction, Hu Qingsong then put his arms around Tang Xiu¡¯s shoulder, and said with a smile, ¡°Big Bro Tang, you¡¯re really cool. What about you, Yue Kai? Are you willing to give up reaching the Yellow River or not? If you don¡¯t, then you can keep chasing her! I really wanna see you bump your head and start bleeding, and have a look at your embarrassing face empty-handed outcome.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off!¡± Yue Kai gave him a middle finger. He then looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Big Bro Tang, for me, will be six meals, plus driving your two Land Rover Range Rovers series for six days. Then I¡¯ll give up as well.¡±


    Rolling his eyes at him, Tang Xiu then gave his car key to Yue Kai, and said, ¡°This will be annulled if any of you tell this matter to Zhao Liang, got it?¡±


    Yue Kai grinned and took the Land Rover car. He then blew a kiss to Tang Xiu and said with a smile, ¡°Only a fool will tell Zhao Liang of this good deed. Though that kid has good looks, no way in hell can he be compared to me, no? But Eldest Brother, are you really not going to pursue Mu Wanying? To me, she¡¯s the best woman, with the best figure and temperament. Definitely a woman of the topmost quality I¡¯ve ever seen among the rest.¡±


    ¡°I really am not interested in her, okay?¡± Tang Xiu rolled his eyes, and snappily said, ¡°I think the most urgent thing for us now is to study, during which we must give some thoughts to our future. And it would be best if we can spare some time to do some business, as well.¡±


    ¡°Eldest Brother, it¡¯s a given for us to study when we got to college,¡± Yue Kai couldn¡¯t help laughing. ¡°But do you really intend to study so assiduously? As for doing business, please don¡¯t tease us and leave that out, will ya? Granted that if we did have the capital, it¡¯s not like we have that orientation, either.¡±


    ¡°Big Bro Tang, don¡¯t speak in a dream!¡± Hu Qingsong grinned and said, ¡°Hey, shall we punch him to wake him up? For us college student to do business, that¡¯s simply a joke.¡±


    Tang Xiu was devoid of any words.


    He was wondering if he had to tell them that he already started his business in high school. Would their eyes be staring wide?


    ¡°Let us go then! Off to the campus assembly hall.¡±


    ¡ª


    In order not to show off what they had, the group didn¡¯t drive again, but strolled toward the campus assembly hall. When they came inside, they found that the seats had been arranged according to each department and class. There were enough to accommodate nearly ten thousand people in the auditorium.


    ¡°Anyhow, Big Bro Tang, you gotta head to the backstage since every participant who will perform from each class must sign in there. Also, there¡¯s a compartment in the backstage dedicated to the participants to recess. You can come out to the audience after you are finished with your performance,¡± Hu Qingsong informed him.


    Holding the zither, Tang Xiu nodded after hearing this.


    After asking around, he quickly arrived at the hall corridor behind the assembly hall. There, he saw many students bustling about, who were looking rather na?ve and honest. He followed the name of the departments and classes marked on the doors in the corridor, and easily found the room where the students who would participate in the show were staying.


    A tender girl who was putting on makeup saw Tang Xiu sit next to her. She immediately turned her head and asked curiously, ¡°Tang Xiu, is that a zither you¡¯re holding?¡±


    ¡°Yup, it¡¯s a zither,¡± Tang Xiu said with an affable smile.


    ¡°So your show is playing the zither?¡± the girl inquired further.


    ¡°Yeah, singing and playing with it,¡± Tang Xiu replied easily.


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing!¡± The girl gave him a thumbs-up and praised, ¡°To think that there are still boys who can play the zither, yet you actually can sing and play it. Anyhow, do you sing very well?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s just so-so!¡± Tang Xiu said with a chuckle.


    The girl nodded after hearing this and no longer chatted with him as she continued putting on her makeup.


    At this time, a dozen or so fellow students in this room were either putting on their makeup, making last-minute preparations, or familiarizing themselves with the upcoming show. Yet Tang Xiu took out his mobile phone and played with it after he sat down. He didn¡¯t need to practice to perform in the show, as he could sing and play the zither directly.


    ¡ª


    Meanwhile, in another room a few dozen meters away from the History Department¡¯s backstage rest area, several makeup artists surrounded Zhang Xinya and did her makeup. Behind her was a middle-aged woman wearing a forced wry smile, as her eyes glanced through the door outside from time to time.


    _Creak¡­_


    The door was pushed open and the Vice President of Shanghai University walked in, a similar wry smile on his face. He quickly took a glance at Zhang Xinya, before his eyes turned to the middle-aged woman, and said, ¡°I can¡¯t find anyone. Shanghai University is not a music academy, after all. There are only so few teachers or students who are able to play the zither. I also have sent some people to go outside the campus to find one. I just don¡¯t know if the time is enough for them to come here.¡±


    ¡°Vice President Li, we must find someone who can play the zither!¡± The middle-aged woman frowned and said, ¡°We forgot to bring our house obligato musician. And it¡¯s too late if we go back now. So¡­¡±


    The middle-aged Vice President Li sighed. During his chat with the middle-aged woman and unable to find a way out, a university lecturer came hurrying into the room holding a list and said, ¡°I¡¯ve found one! There¡¯s a student on our campus who signed up to sing and play with a zither. How about we let him try it?¡±


    A relieved and happy expression appeared on Vice President Li¡¯s face as he quickly took the playlist. After reading the content on it, he immediately said, ¡°Seize the time to quickly find him! The situation has already come to this point, so we have no choice but to try!¡±


    Zhang Xinya, who was still being made-up, frowned slightly. With a bit of a displeased expression, she said, ¡°Vice President Li, what are you talking about? You say it¡¯s only a desperate effort, like giving medicine to a dead horse? The genre we¡¯re about to sing can be considered a classical genre. Although that student signed up to sing and play the zither in the program, we can¡¯t be sure whether he¡¯s able to assist us or not! Besides, it¡¯s only half an hour left before the opening of your Shanghai University¡¯s freshmen welcoming party. Even if we had been working together before, I¡¯m afraid the result won¡¯t be as expected.¡±

 Chapter 442

    Chapter 442: Let Us Just Book a Room


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Zhang Xinya¡¯s reasoning was common sense and Vice President Li knew it. After hesitating for a moment, he forced a smile and said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do, Xinya! As of now, there are only two choices, either you change the song and download the musical accompaniment from the internet, or let that student Tang Xiu perform the accompaniment for you.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡± The expression worn by Zhang Xinya before was said in an indifferent manner, yet when she heard these words, she quickly turned around to take the stage playlist. Her eyes quickly glanced at the familiar name.


    Tang Xiu? Could it be him?


    Heaving a deep breath, Zhang Xinya then said seriously, ¡°I want to meet with this student named Tang Xiu first.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send someone to fetch him,¡± Vice President Li nodded and replied.


    ¡ª


    _In the History Department rest lounge¡­_


    While Tang Xiu was browsing websites, he heard someone calling his name outside the door. He slowly turned around to look at the person, then got up and walked over to ask, ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu, and you are¡­?¡±


    A smile appeared on the woman¡¯s face as she said quickly, ¡°Hello student Tang Xiu, I¡¯m a teacher from the Academic Affairs office in our campus. You can call me Teacher Wang. Anyways, we are in need of your assistance, can you come with me?¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Tang Xiu asked, confused.


    The woman said, ¡°Please follow me if you want to know the details. Shanghai University¡¯s Vice Principal Li is waiting for you in another lounge.¡±


    ¡°All right then!¡± Tang Xiu nodded as he turned around to pick up his zither, and then left the classroom with the female teacher.


    Shortly after, right when Tang Xiu appeared in the doorway to the room Zhang Xinya was in, the star¡¯s gaze suddenly lit up, and there was a vaguely excited expression in her eyes. Her look made Vice Principal Li and her manager confused, especially when she rushed toward Tang Xiu and called out excitedly, ¡°Tang Xiu, I never expected I would see you here. Great!¡±


    After glancing around inside the room, Tang Xiu replied with a smile, ¡°I was told by my classmates before that you would be a mysterious guest for our Shanghai University, as well as do the opening ceremony for our freshmen welcoming party. Anyways, I heard you are also preparing a concert in Shanghai, right?¡±


    ¡°Yea! It¡¯s just that I happened to get acquainted with Vice Principal Li before, so I got invited to your campus¡¯ sister school.¡± Zhang Xinya said, all smiles. ¡°Great, let¡¯s hang around after the freshmen welcoming party! Accompany me to a dinner tonight.¡±


    ¡°Ah, let¡¯s forget it!¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°The dorm is closed very early in the evening. It will be kinda troublesome if I come back too late.¡±


    ¡°It will be okay!¡± Zhang Xinya said without hesitation, ¡°Let us just go book a room at the hotel if your dorm is closed early.¡±


    Booking a room?


    At present, inside the room, the Associate Professor Li, the middle-aged woman manager and the female teacher who had just brought Tang Xiu, as well as several makeup artists, were all dumbfounded, looking at Zhang Xinya incredulously.


    Never had they dreamed that Zhang Xinya actually knew Tang Xiu! It was far beyond their imagination that she would actually say to go to a hotel and book a room with Tang Xiu.


    Who was Zhang Xinya? She was the most popular superstar in China! Not only was she popular in the country, she was also well-known in all parts of Asia, she even had a big influence all over the world.


    ¡°Xinya, please be more prudent with your words and phrases,¡± the manager hastily reminded her.


    Looking back at her, Zhang Xinya said with a sincere smile, ¡°It¡¯s all right, Sister Chen! Tang Xiu and I are very good friends. He has also helped me a lot.¡±


    The manager produced a forced smile upon hearing her words.


    Immediately after, Zhang Xinya looked back at Tang Xiu, and said with a serious smile, ¡°Anyhow, Tang Xiu, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m going to trouble you tonight. The song I¡¯m going to sing now needs the accompaniment of a zither.¡±


    Unconvinced, Tang Xiu said doubtfully, ¡°You need musical accompaniment from me? Isn¡¯t there¡­¡±


    ¡°The accompanying music on my song was recorded on a CD, and we forgot to bring it,¡± Zhang Xinya said helplessly, ¡°So you gotta help me! I¡¯ll treat you to a meal tonight.¡±


    Tang Xiu hesitated before he nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine with me, but to be honest, I don¡¯t understand modern musical scores. You should be able to play your song¡¯s musical accompaniment, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can!¡± Zhang Xinya nodded quickly.


    ¡°Then play it twice for me. I need to listen to it,¡± Tang Xiu told her. ¡°Afterward, we¡¯ll try to cooperate with the play. If there¡¯s no problem, I¡¯ll play the zither musical part to accompany you singing.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Zhang Xinya¡¯s smile was exceptionally bright. She then turned to see Vice President Li and said, ¡°Could you wait outside first?¡±


    Vice President Li hesitated and was somewhat feeling unrelieved inwardly. Although he didn¡¯t know about music, he hardly believed that Tang Xiu could learn the scores after hearing Zhang Xinya play it twice. What¡¯s more, Tang Xiu himself admitted that he didn¡¯t know musical scores, yet he actually signed up to play the zither and sing with it. That was simply a joke!


    ¡°Xinya, we¡¯ll stay on the side and listen. We promise we won¡¯t disturb you.¡±


    After hesitating for a moment, Zhang Xinya proceeded to ignore them. Instead, she reached out to receive the zither handed over by Tang Xiu. After placing it on the table, she let out a smile and said, ¡°Tang Xiu, are you really able to learn it after I play it for you twice?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I¡¯ll try my best, though!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head as he answered.


    Vice President Li pursed his lips, while the manager rolled her eyes. They didn¡¯t understand. Why would Zhang Xinya agree with such a ridiculous proposal from Tang Xiu?


    Yet, those makeup artists standing at the side had an interested look when they saw Tang Xiu. The charming and handsome Tang Xiu gave them a very good impression.


    _Ding¡­_


    The zither play was full of classical styles. It was melodious and wafted throughout the room.


    As for Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes, they were fixated on Zhang Xinya¡¯s fingering play on the zither, as well as the strings she plucked, while his ears jittered from time to time, memorizing the zither play by heart.


    In the end, Zhang Xinya looked up and asked, ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°I only got 70-80%, play it once again,¡± Tang Xiu replied with a nod.


    ¡°All right!¡±


    A sliver of admiration flashed in Zhang Xinya¡¯s eyes as she complied, and played it again. Afterward, she got up and asked with a smile, ¡°How about now?¡±


    Closing his eyes, Tang Xiu silently recalled the scores for half a minute and then nodded, ¡°It¡¯s pretty close.¡±


    After saying that, he sat down right at the spot Zhang Xinya had vacated. His eyes closed again while his fingers rested on the strings. After stopping for a few seconds, his fingers began to slide.


    The beautiful zither tunes were melodious, mild, and flexible. The transition points between the musical notes were done well. It was akin to the flowing of water and feeling of floating clouds, as he quickly finished playing.


    ¡°Great! You¡¯re amazing!¡± Zhang Xinya¡¯s eyes sparkled brightly and the admiration within them was even richer. She had met many talented musicians, yet never once had she seen one as skillful as Tang Xiu. He could play it nearly perfectly just by listening to the notes twice.


    Despite there being some flaws in the song he played, being able to play like that for the first time was simply godlike.


    At the side, Vice President Li could only feel that Tang Xiu¡¯s play was very pleasant to hear, and his level was nearly at the same level as Zhang Xinya. However, the manager was different. She understood music, and she was once a professional musician. Hence, she could tell how good Tang Xiu¡¯s play was.


    At this time, if she didn¡¯t know that Tang Xiu had never heard this song beforehand, she would have suspected that he had learned it secretly. This song was a masterpiece composed by a very famous musician, and it took him several months to compose it for Zhang Xinya.


    A musical genius? Or was he a freakishly talented one?


    The manager couldn¡¯t describe her feelings at the moment.


    ¡°I can feel there are still some notes that are not handled well,¡± Tang Xiu faintly smiled and said, ¡°Could you play it for me once again? I need to pay attention to the technique you¡¯re using.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± Zhang Xinya said with a smile.


    Having said that, she began to play the scores again.


    However, Tang Xiu straightly released his spiritual sense this time and listened to her play with full concentration. He constantly paid attention to some issues in playing this music, as well as the method and technique in which Zhang Xinya handled several transition points in the musical scores.


    Eventually, when Zhang Xinya finished playing, Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s nearly perfect. Now I¡¯ll play the zither while you sing. Let¡¯s do a rehearsal.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Giving a gesture to give the seat to Tang Xiu, Zhang Xinya then listened to Tang Xiu playing the zither and began to sing softly.


    The sound of the zither music was beautiful, and the singing was moving and touching.


    Despite it being the first time they cooperated, it seemed like they had worked together for many years. Their performance was seamless and simply flawless. By the end of the last musical note, the manager clapped her applause. There was a shocked expression in her eyes, yet they were also burning with eagerness, as she said quickly, ¡°Student Tang Xiu, can we discuss something?¡±


    ¡°What issue?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°Sign a contract to be a singer under my agency!¡± the manager quickly offered. ¡°I assure you that the contract that will be given to you won¡¯t be much worse than Xinya¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­ hahaha!¡± Zhang Xinya couldn¡¯t help laughing after hearing this.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t have much interest in music.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Besides, our campus¡¯ Vice President Li is still here, as well. Are you not afraid of him being angry with you poaching me?¡±


    Vice Principal Li was confused, ¡°What¡¯s the situation exactly? Isn¡¯t Tang Xiu playing well, or not?¡±


    ¡°Vice President Li, student Tang¡¯s play is more than just than that! His play is simply skillful to the extreme. The immersion in the zither¡¯s tunes, the melodies; all of them are exactly the same as the original. After listening to his play, even I felt like it¡¯s much more spiritual than the original. I dare say that he¡¯s definitely a musical genius, and it¡¯s unlikely that anyone can be much better than him.¡±


    Being praised made somewhat Tang Xiu embarrassed. He lifted his hand to touch the bridge of his nose and secretly forced a smile inwardly.


    ¡°So, he¡¯s really that good?¡± Vice Principal Li asked in astonishment.


    ¡°If he¡¯s not, would I even poach him right in front of your face? Mind if we discuss it, Vice President Li? You can open any conditions as long as you expel him from your campus,¡± the manager said.


    Shaken and surprised as he was, Vice President Li gazed at Tang Xiu before he turned his vision toward the manager again. He then forced a wry smile and said, ¡°Well, Tang Xiu is our Shanghai University¡¯s student. There¡¯s no way I can expel him arbitrarily whatsoever. Besides, for you to pay attention to him that much, I can¡¯t bear to lose such an outstanding student, either! Hahaha¡­!¡±


    ¡°Bah, you¡¯re no fun!¡± The manager rolled her eyes at Vice President Li.

 Chapter 443

    Chapter 443: The Falling Flowers are Yearning for Love, Yet the Heartless Brook Ripples On


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Sister Chen, it¡¯s no use to lure Tang Xiu!¡± Zhang Xinya tenderly smiled and said, ¡°He wouldn¡¯t agree to it however good your offer may be! All right, since we¡¯ve found the right person, the freshmen welcoming party should be fine; you can go take care of your work! Let¡¯s wait for the host to call us, and then we¡¯ll perform on the stage.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Vice President Li nodded.


    Afterward, Zhang Xinya continued having her makeup done with the makeup artists, while Tang Xiu stroked the strings, flashback scenes of playing the zither in the Immortal World in his mind.


    Sweet as well as heartrending scenes of the past.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you see, I didn¡¯t have many idols since I was small. Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m too smart and there had been few people more intelligent than me. But you become my idol. I¡¯m sure you will become a famous superstar in a short time if you enter the entertainment industry.¡± Zhang Xinya said with a smile.


    Coming back from his reverie, Tang Xiu chuckled, ¡°I¡¯m not interested in becoming a star. I¡¯m a student, and my studies are the most important thing.¡±


    ¡°I know that becoming a star doesn¡¯t interest you. I was just a bit regretful because of the matter just now, that¡¯s all,¡± Zhang Xinya said with a smile. ¡°Anyhow, let¡¯s mark a date for after the freshmen welcoming party. If your dorm is closed we can go to a hotel.¡±


    ¡°Zhang Xinya, can you not say ¡®go to a hotel¡¯? People may misunderstand it, you know!¡± Tang Xiu reluctantly said, ¡°I don¡¯t care about it, since I¡¯m a man. But you¡¯re a woman; a big star, as well. You have to be prudent with your words.¡±


    ¡°Why should I be afraid?¡± Zhang Xinya said with a smile. ¡°I may be concerned if it was someone else, but I don¡¯t care if I have an affair with you. Worst comes to worst I will just announce you as my boyfriend, so as to avoid others having crooked ideas about me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t! Have mercy, will you?¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, ¡°You are a superstar and a goddess in many men¡¯s minds. If you were to announce me as your boyfriend, I¡¯d become a bug that anyone wants to trample anywhere I go. Some will probably pour cold water on me while I¡¯m sleeping.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe¡­¡±


    Zhang Xinya couldn¡¯t help giggling and let out a brilliant smile.


    As time passed by, the Shanghai University¡¯s freshmen welcoming party finally began. After the university leaders¡¯ speech, the hostess stood under the spotlight, watching the dense audience, the campus¡¯s teachers and students below the stages. She then smiled and said, ¡°Everyone, to fuel our celebration for our campus¡¯ freshmen welcoming party, our Shanghai University¡¯s leaders have invited a mysterious, honored guest tonight. Do you all want to know who this mysterious guest is?¡±


    Thousands of freshmen, including a lot of seniors, looked confused. Except for a handful of people, the rest shook their heads, indicating that they didn¡¯t know who the guest was.


    The hostess smiled, ¡°Well, since nobody can guess, then let me announce! I believe that you will be excited and jubilant once I announce her name. Even I, at this moment, am very excited and can¡¯t wait to see her performance. All right. Let us invite the world superstar, Ms. Zhang Xinya, who brings us the classic song, ¡®Oasis in the Desert¡¯!¡±


    Wearing an evening gown, Zhang Xinya walked from the side door of the backstage. Followed by the shining spotlight, she smiled and stood on the stage.


    ¡°Heavens! Am I not dreaming? It¡¯s really Zhang Xinya?¡±


    ¡°God! I, I, I¡­ I¡¯m really excited. Zhang Xinya is actually in our campus? She¡¯ll sing at our campus¡¯ freshmen welcoming party this year?¡±


    ¡°Can anyone pinch me! Am I dreaming or something?¡±


    ¡°What a goddess! I can finally see the goddess of my dreams!¡±


    ¡°Zhang Xinya! I love you¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    All the students in the campus auditorium were excited. Everyone got up from their seats and waved their hands vigorously, loudly shouting and yelling to express their excitement.


    Holding the microphone, Zhang Xinya stood in the spotlight and smilingly said, ¡°Thank you, everyone. I¡¯m very honored to be invited by Shanghai University¡¯s leaders to come to your campus to attend this year¡¯s freshmen welcoming party. After looking at your youthful faces and lovely appearance, I have to tell you the truth. I¡¯m very happy. So very happy to meet you. As you all know, Shanghai University is a major university in China, and those who can enroll here are the elite. You¡¯ll all become the pillar of our society and country in the future.¡±


    ¡°Today I¡¯ll present everyone with a new song. I hope you¡¯ll like it.¡±


    Having said that, as the audience below quietened down, the students sat down right as the melodious tune of a zither reverberated. The whistling of the north wind and the musical notes created a desolate atmosphere. For a moment, all the teachers and students in the campus¡¯ auditorium thought they saw an endless desert.


    _¡°Once I saw a place in my dream. It¡¯s a paradise in the desert¡­¡±_


    Accompanied by the sound of the zither, Zhang Xinya held the microphone and affectionately sang. Her voice was a feast to the ear. The enchanting zither melody accompanied her, as she seemed to pull everyone into an endless desert. Gradually, as her voice undulated in the song, the audience¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up, as though they were seeing an oasis in the middle of the yellow sandy desert.


    The zither melody and her singing voice reverberated for four to five minutes. As Zhang Xinya¡¯s singing gradually faded, and the last note of the zither dissipated in the air, everyone got up and waved their arms excitedly, shouting, ¡°One more! One more song!¡±


    Yet Zhang Xinya didn¡¯t rush to leave. Instead, she stood in the spotlight and smilingly said, ¡°To be honest, I¡¯d love to sing again for you. But today is your holy day, and there are still many people behind waiting to perform. Hence, I won¡¯t delay everyone¡¯s time. If everyone likes my song, please wait for my concert at Shanghai New World Center four days later. I¡¯ll be looking forward to seeing everyone there.¡±


    After saying that, she then left under everyone¡¯s excited yells.


    Behind the stage, Tang Xiu had already packed the zither as he saw Zhang Xinya coming over. He gave here a thumbs-up and smiled, saying, ¡°You sang well!¡±


    A brilliant smile appeared on Zhang Xinya¡¯s face. Previously she didn¡¯t have any passion at all when performing at Shanghai University. She wouldn¡¯t have come here if it wasn¡¯t because of her friend¡¯s invitation. However, the situation was different now after meeting Tang Xiu, the person she wanted to see the most.


    ¡°You were great as well!¡± replied Zhang Xinya.


    Giving a tranquil smile in response, Tang Xiu then picked up the zither and said, ¡°Anyways, I gotta go back first. I need to prepare for my performance.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve just finished mine, can I go with you?¡± Zhang Xinya¡¯s eyes turned bright as she hurriedly asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said with a smile, ¡°If you were to come with me, my classmates would probably see us and become restless for a long time. Go rest! Or you can go watch the other performances.¡±


    Feeling a bit disappointed inside, Zhang Xinya reluctantly nodded, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go watch the other performances. But I¡¯m looking forward to your performance, though.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled and nodded.


    When he returned to the rest lounge for the History Department¡¯s students, he saw Han Qingwu there, frowning. It was unknown what she was thinking.


    ¡°Where have you been, Tang Xiu?¡± Han Qingwu immediately asked upon seeing Tang Xiu.


    ¡°The campus¡¯ leader was looking for me just now, asking for my assistance. Just finished with the matter, so I came back here.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Han Qingwu already knew that the campus¡¯ leader had called Tang Xiu. Therefore, when she heard his reply, she nodded and curiously asked, ¡°What did he ask your assistance for?¡±


    ¡°He wanted me to accompany someone with musical play.¡±


    Accompaniment?


    Stunned, Han Qingwu stared blankly at the zither held by Tang Xiu. A thought flashed in her head as she exclaimed, ¡°So, the accompaniment for Zhang Xinya just now, was you¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t shout!¡± Tang Xiu hurriedly interrupted her, before saying in a low voice, ¡°Do you want for everyone to know?¡±


    Knowing Tang Xiu¡¯s low-key disposition, Han Qingwu immediately sighed in praise in a low voice, ¡°That zither accompaniment was just awesome! I thought it was a recorded zither play. I would never have thought that it was you! How was it? Does Zhang Xinya look beautiful?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Tang Xiu was silent for a moment and then answered, ¡°More beautiful than you.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Han Qingwu was incensed, yet she knew that the occasion was improper. She could only endure, even though she really wanted to beat Tang Xiu. However, she still went to Tang Xiu¡¯s side and twisted his waist. Turning her head, she said, ¡°Your performance is listed at the 17th position. Just listen to the announcement. Go to the backstage and wait to get called.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t tell that he had hurt her due to his words. However, after seeing Han Qingwu¡¯s hurt and angry face, he secretly forced a smile. It was not his intention to hurt her, yet the woman always appeared before him.


    In the last row, in the corner of the auditorium, Chi Nan held her arms, leaning on the corridor wall with a faint smile on the corner of her mouth. It¡¯s said that those on the waterfront are the first to see the rising moon. Because she was always in Shanghai, and often followed Tang Xiu around, she became aware of many things about Tang Xiu.


    Just like now.


    If his subordinates in the Everlasting Feast Hall knew that Tang Xiu would go on stage in the Shanghai University¡¯s auditorium tonight, every one of them would probably want to come and watch. But in the end, she was the only one who could enjoy their Boss¡¯ performance.


    She was looking forward to it, anticipating her Boss¡¯ wonderful performance.


    In the first row, Mu Wanying had a smile on her face while listening to her three dorm sisters chat in low voices. They, too, looked forward to Tang Xiu¡¯s performance.


    Suddenly, Jiang Feiyan turned her head to Mu Wanying and said, ¡°Sis Wanying, I remember hearing that Tang Xiu would take part in tonight¡¯s show. When will he go on stage?¡±


    Li Xinjie and Hu Wei exchanged glances, before they also looked at Mu Wanying.


    ¡°How would I know?¡± Mu Wanying said with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to Tang Xiu¡¯s performance.¡± Jiang Feiyan said, ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll get everyone¡¯s high appraisals!¡±


    ¡°Feiyan, aren¡¯t you thinking way too highly of Tang Xiu?¡± Li Xinjie tenderly smiled and said, ¡°I heard he¡¯ll be playing the zither. Do you think a grown man could play the zither while singing well?¡±


    ¡°Let us just look at what he has in store for us, okay?¡± Hu Wei also commented, ¡°Besides, Tang Xiu is a male student. The number of male students who can play zither nowadays is very few, so let us not expect much from him. Anyhow, it¡¯s kind of a pity that Xue Chao isn¡¯t taking part in the talent show, though.¡±

 Chapter 444

    Chapter 444: Leaving One¡¯s Mark at the First Shot


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Weiwei, you wouldn¡¯t have taken a liking to Xue Chao, right? He¡­¡± Li Xinjie gave Hu Wei a strange look.


    ¡°Even if I like him, what¡¯s wrong with it?¡± Hu Wei¡¯s lips curled up as she said, ¡°Don¡¯t look down on him, the boys hailed from the mountain are the most honest and simple. I don¡¯t need my boyfriend to look handsome, neither do I demand of him to originate from a rich family. It¡¯s fine as long as he is a good man.¡±


    Nodding thoughtfully, Li Xinjie said, ¡°You¡¯re right, Weiwei. Weighing a person by their wealth and evaluating someone by appearance is superficial. Xue Chao¡¯s disposition is straightforward, good-natured, and honest. I think he¡¯s good, too.¡±


    Looking stunned, Mu Wanying turned her head to Hu Wei. She then shook her head and said, ¡°It¡¯s rather out of place for you to be with Xue Chao, Weiwei.¡±


    ¡°Sis Wanying, why do you think so?¡± Hu Wei frowned and said, ¡°I think we are suitable!¡±


    ¡°Had you known Xue Chao for many years, and you actively pursued him, maybe. But now it¡¯s too late.¡± Mu Wanying sighed.


    ¡°Give a reason.¡± Hu Wei grunted with a displeased expression.


    ¡°I went out with Tang Xiu this afternoon, and we talked about various topics.¡± Mu Wanying said, ¡°One of which was about Xue Chao; he¡¯s already married. Not only does he have a wife, but he already has a son as well. Now, don¡¯t tell me you want to become the third wheel in their marriage?¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    Hu Wei abruptly got up, looking incredulous.


    ¡°Xue Chao already has a wife and a child, should I repeat it again?¡± Mu Wanying said, ¡°As a matter of fact, Xue Chao and his wife fell in love with each other when they were in high school. However, they don¡¯t have a marriage certificate. Not only don¡¯t they have a marriage certificate, they also have a child now. Several days ago, Xue Chao did a heroic act and was injured by some criminals. Tang Xiu went to the hospital to see him; after which, he got the family of three to live in his villa. Thus, you should give up, Weiwei.¡±


    Hu Wei fell into a daze for a while. She looked to be at a loss. She indeed had her heart moved by Xue Chao. Though her feelings toward him had yet to truly develop¡­ Yet, the words, deeds, and behavior shown by Xue Chao had deeply attracted her.


    In another place.


    Yue Kai looked at the students performing on the stage. He shook his head and said, ¡°Bah, their performance is just so-so. It¡¯s hardly worth to be in the freshmen welcoming party. If it was a big stage, they¡¯d not even be worthy to be up there! I don¡¯t know how good Eldest Brother Tang is. It would be too disappointing if his level was only to this degree.¡±


    Zhao Liang, who had just arrived, rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Yue Kai, I don¡¯t like what you said. If Eldest Brother Tang can perform to this level, it¡¯s already pretty good. Besides, he¡¯s going to play the zither, can you even do that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t, since I haven¡¯t learned it. But who knows if he has.¡± Yue Kai grunted.


    ¡°No way you can learn it.¡± Xue Chao echoed, ¡°But I can tell you¡¯d surely be able to learn the subject if it was about flirting. But as for learning to play the zither¡­ Nope, I don¡¯t buy it.¡±


    An angry and ashamed look emerged on Yue Kai¡¯s face as he raised his fist toward Xue Chao, yet he lowered his head and dared not retort.


    ¡°Well, we came to join in on the fun, guys.¡± Hu Qingsong said with a smile, ¡°Besides, Big Bro Tang didn¡¯t sign up for this himself, it was that Belle Mu who pitted him. So let us not expect him to show an outstanding performance, okay? I think it¡¯s already enough for him to be able to play the zither and sing smoothly.¡±


    Dozens of meters away from their place.


    Several female students gathered together. The topic was still about the opening song by Zhang Xinya. However, Yi Lianyan didn¡¯t join in. She held her arms and watched the students on stage.


    That one summer vacation had transformed and made her mature quickly. And now that she came to study at Shanghai University, the issue she was always thinking about was what Tang Xiu had said to her, hoping that she would later be able to work in Nine Dragons Island.


    She knew that Tang Xiu was an extraordinary big shot. And now she was actually regretting not asking Tang Xiu about what kind of business he did, and in what city he would live in later.


    What¡¯s more, what that made her most helpless was that her mobile phone was accidentally lost, hence losing Tang Xiu¡¯s cell number as well. Due to that, she already planned to go to Jingmen Island and find Mo ¨¡wen to ask about Tang Xiu¡¯s contact number when November¡¯s holiday came.


    ¡°What are you thinking about, Third Sis?¡±


    Nearby, a female student touched Yi Lianyan¡¯s arm and asked, grinning.


    Finally realizing that she got distracted, Yi Lianyan immediately shook her head and said with a smile, ¡°Nah, I wasn¡¯t think about anything. It¡¯s just that the performances are kind of ordinary, so I just got bored. Anyways, how about going back to the dorm? Or the campus library? It should be better.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± The girl said, ¡°What if Zhang Xinya were to come out and sing again? That would be a big loss! Let¡¯s wait for a while. Besides, you¡¯ve been studying every day; reading the textbooks after going to the military training. I think you¡¯ll become a nerd, girl.¡±


    ¡°Well, the more books read the more you¡¯ll learn. This way we¡¯ll have better jobs in the future, don¡¯t you think?¡± Yi Lianyan said with a smile.


    ¡°What job are you looking for anyway?¡± The girl smirked and said, ¡°Anyhow, you got good looks, Third Sis. You¡¯ll surely be able to catch a rich husband in due course, and you¡¯ll be able to live comfortably in the future.¡±


    Giving her white eyes, Yi Lianyan snappily said, ¡°Rather than relying on the heaven, places, parents and a man, it¡¯s better to rely on yourself, girl. Besides, I already have someone as my goal!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your goal exactly?¡± Several other girls gathered together and asked.


    Gripping her fists, Yi Lianyan confidently said, ¡°I must have one-tenth of his wealth in the future.¡±


    ¡°Who is ¡®he¡¯ exactly?¡± The three female students asked in unison.


    ¡°You won¡¯t know him even if I tell you!¡± Yi Lianyan answered with a smile.


    ¡°Bah¡­¡± Three middle fingers were raised, as they stopped discussing the topic.


    As the performances ended one by one, Tang Xiu¡¯s turn quickly arrived. Then, the hostess announced, ¡°Next one, the show presented to us now will be brought by a new student from the History Department, Tang Xiu! He will sing ¡®Fairy Dream¡¯ accompanied by a zither he himself will play. So, let¡¯s invite Tang Xiu to the stage!¡±


    Inside the auditorium, Chi Nan¡¯s eyes lit up, while Mu Wanying¡¯s group stopped moving, and Yue Kai¡¯s group had their eyes turn wide. However, Yi Lianyan looked blank for a while, yet she shook her head, as she felt that it was only someone with the same name.


    However, when a familiar figure walked onto the stage while holding the zither that had been set up, Yi Lianyan abruptly stood, looking in disbelief as she saw Tang Xiu sit in front of the zither. She rubbed her eyes as to make sure that her eyes were not seeing things.


    _It¡¯s ¡­ really him?_


    _He turns out to be a freshman at Shanghai University, too?_


    After making sure that she wasn¡¯t dreaming, Yi Lianyan trembled due to excitement. If not because Tang Xiu was about to perform, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to stop herself to immediately rush toward Tang Xiu, interrogating him as to why he didn¡¯t tell her that he was also a new student at Shanghai University.


    On the side of the stage, Han Qingwu calmly held her arms, looking at Tang Xiu¡¯s face from the side. While in the dark corner about ten meters away from her, Zhang Xinya, wearing a mask and a duckbill cap, watched Tang Xiu with sparkling eyes.


    Tang Xiu sat on the chair in front of the zither. As the light gradually faded and only a spotlight shined on him, his eyes slowly swept over the teachers and students under the stage.


    Afterward, he slowly shut his eyes under everyone¡¯s watchful eyes. A few seconds later, as his eyes suddenly opened, his fingers glided over the strings like running water.


    In the wake of the zither¡¯s musical melody, the sounds of running water, the white birds¡¯ happy chirping flowed. Within just a dozen seconds, the vibration and tremulous zither music had pulled everyone into a wonderful world.


    The wonderful world filled with green hills and blue waters; waterfalls and various colorful butterflies. It was like the fairyland in a dream.


    In the misty hill amidst the fog, someone sat cross-legged playing the zither. Amid the wonderful, soul-stirring zither music, more and more white birds were flying and dancing in the air, as they sang and let out longing, joyful cries.


    ¡°Brr¡­¡±


    Standing at the side of the stage, Han Qingwu¡¯s delicate body suddenly shook. Her pupils instantly contracted as her body turned rigid and stiff in an instant.


    She knew those music tunes!


    This zither music was familiar to her the moment she heard it. She was sure that she had never heard this music before, yet she didn¡¯t know why it brought such an inexplicable familiarity to her.


    Afterward, under the pull of the zither music, Han Qingwu felt that the world before her disappeared. As her sight returned and turned clear and bright, she was already standing in the summit of a hill.


    There, she saw herself, or rather, a woman that looked almost exactly like herself. She stood on the side of a person playing the zither. She then rose, dancing lightly and gracefully. Her white dress fluttered in the wind as a beautiful fairy moving as in a dance. She was like the fairy from the Ninth Heaven, moving and dancing heartily in harmony with the zither music.


    _¡°Time and years pass by in a hurry like a dream for the immortals¡­¡±_


    The strange tone could actually make everyone understand the meaning of the song.


    From this strange angle and perspective, Han Qingwu watched the fairy dance, and then gazed at the back of the person playing the zither. She couldn¡¯t hear the song, yet her mouth incited the words in the song ahead of time. It was as though she already knew the lyrics, knew this magical-like musical note.


    At the same time, it seemed like a flash of lightning bolted inside her mind. In that sudden moment, fragments ¨C like flying butterflies ¨C gushed out from the crack of lights. It was like she recalled a memory she once had, as the present world fused with the Immortal World before her.


    _¡°In the boundless immortal ocean, I have poured out my feelings, as Qingcheng¡¯s beauty dances like dust in my fairy dream¡­¡±_


    The soft singing voice reverberated, giving off gentle and tender feelings.


    From the zither music, everyone could feel the zither player¡¯s love. It was a deep, profound love toward the dancing woman.


    It seemed like the moment was froze in time, as the warmth of love seemed to moisten everyone.


    Gradually, everyone was captivated and enthralled therein.


    Tang Xiu sang and played the zither, while rising the curtain of memories, recalling the scenes past. His fingers moved and sprung more smoothly. As the scenes continued to wander in his mind, it soon entered the last arc. When the song was coming to an end, the pictures in his mind suddenly changed.


    It changed into the scene when he crossed the tribulation! When he got ambushed!


    By his most intimate friend! By the woman he loved the most!


    His fury and rage suddenly exploded in his chest. The sound of the zither changed, as the world in front of everyone suddenly transformed.


    Heinous fiends and demons torrentially dashed to the heaven, as an ocean of blood and mountain of corpses filled the infernal hell.


    All of a sudden, everyone was screaming, whether it was in the hellish inferno or inside the auditorium in reality.

 Chapter 445

    Chapter 445: Fragments of Memories


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The abrupt transformation of heaven into hell caused everyone to become disillusioned and cry out in alarm. The present modern world in front of everyone changed to a fairyland full of birds¡¯ twitter and fragrance of flowers. Then it was abruptly changed into heinous, fiery and wicked Ashura Hell.


    It was dreadful, terrifying, shuddering!


    On the side of the stage, Han Qingwu¡¯s body shook as she swayed and suddenly fell to the floor. Although the scene before her turned into a terrifying hellish inferno, yet it was not this scene that caused her to fear. It was a fragment of memory that sprang inside her mind.


    The desolate mountains filled with the chilling cold wind! The snow-capped white glaciers!


    A familiar yet unfamiliar face unfolded. A path and a silhouette with the power to destroy the heaven and ruin the earth came together. Yet, she couldn¡¯t distinguish whether it was reality or illusion. She didn¡¯t know why would these fragmentary images appeared inside her mind.


    In the boundless sky, in the wake of the terrifying lightning flash strike, along with the violent and powerful thunderstorm, the fiery violent wind amidst the fury rains, the roar of thunders, and the raging spark of electricity. The horrifying and terrifying scene constituted the end of the world.


    There, she saw it.


    At this end of the world, she saw a stalwart figure standing high up in the sky as sword lights swept in the sky, destroying the siege of wind and rain, sweeping off the waves of the end of the world.


    _No¡­_


    Han Qingwu saw herself and several men attacking the man whose power could tear the heaven and earth asunder. At this moment, she didn¡¯t know why she felt anguished, wishing herself to die in that instant when she attacked the imposing stalwart figure.


    _Clang¡­_


    Finally, the last thunder-like sound blasted in Han Qingwu¡¯s ear. As she was inundated by the painful tide of suffering, the memory fragments in her mind changed into specks of starlight as it then dissipated. The infernal hell before her was also torn to pieces as darkness filled her consciousness and she fainted.


    Inside the auditorium, the audience shut their eyes, as deep sorrow painted their faces. Tears fell streaming down their faces. Their wrinkled brows slowly stretched, yet the entire scene was as though dead, engulfed by a silence after the zither music had completely faded out. At this time, one could hear the sound of a falling needle on the floor.


    After keeping the Jadewind Zither, Tang Xiu slowly raised his head. As he subconsciously raised his arm to touch his face, he found two lines of tears unexpectedly falling down his face. His gaze slowly swept the audience in the auditorium. He instantly released his spiritual sense and saw a familiar face.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly creased his brows and immediately picked up the Jadewind Zither. He walked toward Han Qingwu on the side of the stage. While everyone had yet to realize and notice the situation, Tang Xiu¡¯s finger pointed at several acupoints on Han Qingwu¡¯s body. Then, he quickly vanished through the side door of the backstage.


    _What happened to me?_


    In the corridor behind the auditorium, it was Chi Nan who came to her senses first. When she opened her eyes, she couldn¡¯t wipe the tears from her face. She looked up to the stage and was slightly startled, for she couldn¡¯t see her Boss¡¯s figure there.


    _What kind of power was that just now?_


    Chi Nan shuddered. Awe and fear flashed in her eyes. She was certain that there was something bizarre in her Boss¡¯s zither music. She had experienced innumerable battles, yet she fell into an enthralled state after hearing this zither music. She even though that if she heard it again, she would simply become a lamb to be slaughtered and wouldn¡¯t be able to fight back.


    Previously, though she was in awe and venerated Tang Xiu, but it was only because of his identity. Now, however, the awe, fear and veneration she felt toward Tang Xiu were because of his new terrifying method.


    At the same time, in another place on the side of the stage, Zhang Xinya also sobered up. She quickly glanced at the stage, but Tang Xiu¡¯s figure was no longer there. At the moment, she could hear the thumping of her heartbeat and felt somewhat chilled.


    She had seen Tang Xiu¡¯s terrifying side once in Hong Kong. There, Tang Xiu¡¯s ruthless and brutal methods in killing his enemies had long been deeply carved inside her heart. Tonight, after experiencing the beauty and wonder of the Immortal World, she experienced the horror of the infernal hell yet again. She couldn¡¯t disperse the deep sadness and sorrow inside the heart for a long time.


    In the past, she had never thought that playing the zither could actually reach this realm. The world created by the zither music and lyrics was seemingly real, causing people who heard it to face it as though reality.


    Among the audience inside the auditorium, Yue Kai, Hu Qingsong, and the others slowly woke up. However, they discovered that Tang Xiu had disappeared from the stage, as they brushed the tears from the corner of their eyes.


    ¡°Why am I feeling so grieved and uncomfortable?¡± Hu Qingsong groaned lowly. His voice was full of a northeast accent.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s very depressing and feels so sad.¡± Xue Chao nodded.


    Yue Kai looked around and found that the others around him were also just like him. Almost everyone wiped away their tears, and the sadness on their faces had yet to subside as well. He pressed his hand to his chest and murmured, ¡°To think that zither play could reach such a level, Eldest Brother Tang seems to have achieved an unprecedented level, right? Previously, I never believed that music could shake people¡¯s soul, neither did I believe that music could make people see illusions. But now I believe it.¡±


    Hu Qingsong, Xue Chao, and the others turned their heads to look at Yue Kai¡¯s expression. Hu Qingsong then said, ¡°Me too. Big Bro Tang truly played awesomely. He made me feel the realm of the immortals as well as the infernal hell.¡±


    ¡°Me as well! Boss Tang is an idol from now henceforth!¡± Xue Chao nodded repeatedly and game his thumbs-up.


    In another direction, Jiang Feiyan erased the tears on her face and grabred Li Xinjie¡¯s arm. With a sobbing and choked voice, she said, ¡°Xinjie, why do I feel pain inside me?¡±


    Looking at her, Li Xinjie had a complex expression on her face, and there was also a bit of sadness in her voice, ¡°We have been affected by the zither music. I saw the others around; everyone is the same as us. Tang Xiu¡¯s skill in playing the zither is really too amazing. He¡¯s simply the Zither God.¡±


    _God?_


    Silently and calmly sitting at the side, Mu Wanying¡¯s heart intensely palpitated. She suddenly felt that Li Xinjie¡¯s description was suitable. It was true. Tang Xiu was indeed a godlike existence in zither play.


    Besides that ¡­ he was also a deity in painting and calligraphy.


    _How could there be such a skillful man in this world? A man whose abilities are like a god¡¯s? After running into him in this lifetime, can I still have a liking for other men?_ Mu Wanying let out a bitter smile. There was an indescribable feeling she couldn¡¯t explain that appeared in the deepest place of her heart.


    In another place, Yi Lianyan¡¯s eyes filled with mist. She had experienced the taste of the heaven and hell. She suddenly realized that what she knew about Tang Xiu was far too little.


    The zither music. The lyrics.


    She didn¡¯t how to describe it. Her wish to rush out and seek Tang Xiu turned especially more intense at this time.


    On the stage, the hostess wiped away the tears on her face. She quickly adjusted her emotions as she walked over and took the microphone. While looking at the campus¡¯ leaders and students who still had not recovered, she was silent for a few seconds before slowly asking, ¡°Everyone, how was Tang Xiu¡¯s performance?¡±


    More than ten seconds passed by.


    Yet, no one responded. The audience was still adjusting their emotions, savoring and pondering the scenes they had just experienced.


    Finally, the leader of Shanghai University got up from his chair and said in a deep and heavy voice, ¡°It was good. Amazing. I heard countless of songs with zither music, yet none of them can be compared with Tang Xiu¡¯s level.¡±


    He then began to applaud.


    Immediately afterward, everyone else immediately began to applaud unceasingly as well. Within just ten seconds after, the auditorium was filled with extremely loud noises of applause. Everyone was applauding and exclaiming in praise.


    The applauses had woken Han Qingwu from her stupor.


    _What happened to me?_


    After opening her eyes, Han Qingwu found herself in a dark place, but the shaking applauses were loudly reverberating inside the entire auditorium. She propped herself on her arms and sat with difficulty.


    Suddenly, a sad emotion surged inside her heart. At the same time, her body turned stiff and upright as fragments of memories continued to flash inside her mind. It was the memory fragments she saw when she listened to the zither music during the play. She saw many scenes; she saw many people whose appearances were vague; and she also saw herself.


    However, these fragments were not coherent, as though she was seeing pictures. The pictures were very familiar, yet they felt very strange at the same time.


    _What are these scenes, exactly?_


    Han Qingwu felt like her head was about to split. The splitting headache was so unbearable that she covered her head with her hands. She desperately wanted to see more of those memory fragments. Yet, when the series of pictures disappeared, she only felt an uncomfortable headache and couldn¡¯t remember what the pictures were all about at all.


    She slowly got up. Her complexion was pale when she headed to the backstage. At this moment, she hadn¡¯t realized that she was already soaked in sweat, and her legs were slightly trembling.


    Inside the male student dorm building.


    Tang Xiu was leaning on his Land Rover as he looked at the approaching Chi Nan, who was coming after he had phoned. He handed the Jadewind Zither over to her and said, ¡°Keep this! And give it back to Wei Jiangping tomorrow!¡±


    When Chi Nan¡¯s complex eyes met with Tang Xiu¡¯s indifferent expression, she hesitantly replied, ¡°Boss, you played really well, but I¡¯m a bit confused.¡±


    ¡°Tell me what you feel!¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Your music play and singing voice were full of happiness and joy at first. But why did the mood change greatly in the last part? With a ¡®Fairy Dream¡¯ title, wasn¡¯t the artistic concept and mood to be related with happiness?¡±


    ¡°My heart was stirred up by emotions to some extent, hence the play strayed from the intended line.¡± Tang Xiu said indifferently.


    Chi Nan suddenly realized something, causing her fear to grow. She didn¡¯t understand exactly what had happened to Tang Xiu, but she was certain that it was absolutely tragic; the story behind it extremely sad.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go back first, Boss!¡±


    ¡°Off you go!¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand, as he then pulled out a cigarette. While watching Chi Nan disappear in the darkness of the night, he suddenly let out a self-deprecating smile, _I thought I had suppressed those emotions. Fortunately, zither music doesn¡¯t have offensive intent in its artistic mood, otherwise everyone in the auditorium tonight would have turned into an idiot!_


    He shook his head. Just as he was thinking of leaving with Zhang Xinya to the Bluestar Villa Complex Area, he finally recalled that he had given the car¡¯s keys to Yue Kai, so he turned around and walked into the dormitory.


    The threads of feelings and affections.


    He had sheared them constantly, yet its inner essence still made him fall into that chaotic mood.


    Hence, he must put them aside for the time being. He must stop thinking about them. One day in the future, after he had enough strength to solve this problem, he would awaken Han Qingwu¡¯s memories to make everything clear, as well as to finish everything.

 Chapter 446

    Chapter 446: A Chance Encounter


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu then received a phone call from Zhang Xinya. The phone call was ten minutes long. Appointing the time and place to encounter, they soon met on the concrete road near the grove inside the campus.


    ¡°Hey, idol!¡± Zhang Xinya called out and looked at Tang Xiu with a smile hanging on her mouth, her eye sparkling.


    ¡°Are you joking me? How did I become your idol?¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing.


    ¡°Well, your zither play and song are certainly unprecedented until now. It¡¯s simply unmatched.¡± Zhang Xinya said with a smile, ¡°Though I had some idols before, the feelings I have toward them are not as strong as my admiration for you. Anyways, can you teach me how to play the zither if you have some spare time later?¡±


    ¡°Well, we can discuss it later.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°So, where are we going now?¡±


    ¡°I have booked a place in the Purple Aromatic Garden. Let¡¯s have supper there and then go shopping. How about it?¡± Zhang Xinya said.


    At this time, Tang Xiu felt somewhat vexed inside. He actually had no opinion after hearing Zhang Xinya¡¯s suggestion. Maybe his mood would turn for the better after having a bite, shopping and strolling around.


    ¡°All right!¡±


    Because Zhang Xinya didn¡¯t drove her car, she was wearing a mask and a pair of black-rimmed glasses to disguise herself. Then, she asked, ¡°Do you have a car?¡±


    While pointing at the Land Rover, Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, ¡°My car¡¯s keys were taken by my classmate. Let¡¯s just walk for a while and then call a taxi!¡±


    After hesitating for a moment, Zhang Xinya then nodded and said, ¡°Okay! But the place I picked is a bit far from here. You might not be able to come back here tonight.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right. I still have a house off-campus.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be a freshman this year?¡± Zhang Xinya was surprised. ¡°You don¡¯t have a problem living inside the campus, do you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, really.¡± Tang Xiu said. ¡°I usually live inside the campus. But I stay outside if I have something to do, either Saturday or Sunday.¡±


    ¡°Alright then!¡±


    Nobody recognized Zhang Xinya as the duo walked under the dim street lights. Quickly, the duo caught a taxi and rushed toward the Purple Aromatic Garden.


    The Purple Aromatic Garden was located in Shanghai¡¯s outskirts. The place encompassed a very large area. There was a great surging river running through the Purple Aromatic Garden going straight to the vast sea. When the taxi drove over the bridge and came to the classical style building in the sea of lights, Zhang Xinya then hurriedly paid the fare, as they both got off and walked to one of the classic pavilions.


    ¡°This place is really nice.¡± Tang Xiu glanced around and praised.


    ¡°Well, the Purple Aromatic Garden is considered as an outdoor restaurant. If you have to rank it, it can definitely enter the top three. However, they only accept members here, so there¡¯s no way one can come to patron this place without becoming a member first.¡± Zhang Xinya said with a smile.


    ¡°If so, you¡¯re a member here, yes?¡± Tang Xiu chuckled.


    ¡°Yup, when the Purple Aromatic Garden first opened for business I was invited to cut the ribbon.¡± Zhang Xinya laughed and said, ¡°Thus, it¡¯s only natural that they gave me a Diamond Card. In fact, for one to dine here, it¡¯s actually divided into various grades and ranks. Each membership card has different grades, and its holder is treated differently. There are also great disparities and differences in the menu list.¡±


    ¡°What are the grades, exactly?¡± Tang Xiu was amazed.


    ¡°The membership card is divided into four different types. The lowest one being the Silver Card, you can apply for it after spending 100-thousand-yuan deposit for the card,¡± Zhang Xinya said with a smile. ¡°Then, from low to high are: the Golden Card, the Diamond Card and the Kaiser Card. According to the owner, the patron who wants the Golden Card must spend 1-million-yuan in accumulation; 10-million-yuan accumulation for the Diamond Card; and at least 100-million-yuan accumulation for the Kaiser Card. Hence, only the riches and powerful can have a Golden Card. Yet, it is said that a holder of the Kaiser Card have not appeared yet.¡±


    ¡°So, in order to dine here one must become a member first, and the first time one must spend here is up to 100 thousand yuan.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°This is way too difficult, I think. No wonder no one has ever gotten a Kaiser Card so far. Actually, I myself think that paying a deposit of 10 million yuan is a bit unrealistic in itself.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re mistaken, Tang Xiu.¡± Zhang Xinya shook her head. ¡°As far as I know, the number of patrons who hold Diamond Cards have exceeded 100.¡±


    ¡°More than 100? Are you kidding me?¡± Tang Xiu was amazed. ¡°Could it be that they don¡¯t take money seriously? How many times do they have to spend and dine here until they are able to spend 10 million yuan?¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re thinking in the wrong way.¡± Zhang Xinya smiled tenderly. ¡°There are many listed companies holding annual events every year, and they pick this place to hold their events. Thus, one event would result in hundreds of thousands and even millions of yuan. Sometimes, it¡¯s even possible for one event to reach millions of yuan in consumptions.¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly understood, ¡°No matter what, it¡¯s not worth dining here with such high-level membership card if you ask me. Nevertheless, different people have different outlooks and philosophies toward life, to begin with. To me, it¡¯s not worth it, but perhaps to them, it is quite valuable! Anyways, let¡¯s go. I¡¯m kind of profiting from you, and I also want to have a glimpse of what level of high-class treatment a Diamond Card holder has.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it seems like you want to make me bleed tonight!¡± Zhang Xinya smiled.


    Tang Xiu showed a faint smile in response. Just as he was about to stride inside, his mobile phone rang. After he took it out and saw the caller, his brows slightly furrowed.


    ¡°Who¡¯s calling? Are you not going to answer it?¡±


    Zhang Xinya, standing next to Tang Xiu, was able to see his frowning and hesitant expression and quickly asked.


    ¡°Please wait for a while. I¡¯ll pick up this call first.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and answered.


    Having said that, he turned around and walked outside. After walking outside, he then pressed the answer button and said, ¡°Is there something you need?¡±


    From the cell phone, Han Qingwu¡¯s weary voice came out, ¡°Tang Xiu, you¡­ you played well.¡±


    ¡°I know!¡± Tang Xiu said lightly.


    Han Qingwu was silent for a moment before speaking, ¡°Tang Xiu, the ¡®Fairy Dream¡¯ you played and sang ¡­ I feel like it¡¯s very familiar. But I¡¯m sure that I¡¯ve never heard it before. Also, after listening to your play and singing, I¡­ I fell into a certain state.¡±


    ¡°What state?¡± Tang Xiu frowned.


    ¡°There are some fuzzy, strange pictures in my mind.¡± Han Qingwu said, ¡°They are like the scenes from Xianxia movies. People able to control and fly with swords; some others able to produce clouds and rain and change it to another with the flip of their hands; and some engaging in combat and fighting at close quarters. But in short¡­ I seem to know those people, yet I don¡¯t know them either. I seem to be familiar with those scenes, yet they also feel bizarre to me. Tell me, what¡¯s going on with me?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s body shook, as a light burst in his eyes. He then said in a deep and heavy voice, ¡°Apart from those, is there anything else? For example, is there someone you feel important in those pictures, or is there anything in those pictures that are important to you?¡±


    Han Qingwu hesitated for a moment before she replied, ¡°Yes. But I can¡¯t see what the person looks like. The person was like a shadow amidst the flashes of lightning and the rumbling thunders. A-and¡­ the woman there, she looks very much like me. Yet she looks like she was in deep pain, despairing and hopeless. She wasn¡¯t willing to do it, but she still forced to do something. That was, to assault the person amidst the flashes of lightning and rumbling thunder.¡±


    Memory fragments?


    Through Han Qingwu¡¯s description, Tang Xiu understood that he had triggered her past incarnation¡¯s memory by playing ¡®Fairy Dream¡¯. Moreover, what she said about the person who she couldn¡¯t see clearly, that very person amidst the flashing lightning and thunder, who might be himself.


    ¡°What do you think of when you recall it?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t seem to recall any of it.¡± Han Qingwu said, ¡°The more I think about it, the more I feel like my head is going to crack. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. It seems¡­ there is a voice in my heart that¡¯s telling me not to recall it.¡±


    Sighing inside, Tang Xiu lightly said, ¡°I know. I hope you can think about it clearly. When you¡¯ve fully remembered it, we should be able to solve some things as well.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Han Qingwu was confused.


    His complexion turning cold, Tang Xiu indifferently said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll hang up first.¡±


    Having said that, he pressed the end-call button and put the mobile phone away. There was a complex look on his face. He felt somewhat guilty regarding the state Han Qingwu was in. After all, for a past incarnation¡¯s memories to appear again in this lifetime, it was a probability that was very difficult to happen in one of hundreds of billions of people. Even the immortals in the Immortal World, regardless of being strong or weak, one couldn¡¯t see their previous incarnation¡¯s memories so clearly.


    Unless! That person had reached Godhood!


    But then again, that probability was one in a billion.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath as he drove away those distracting thoughts. Although he did care about whether Han Qingwu could restore all the memories of her past incarnation, since she only got fragments, it proved that it was not yet the time to solve the problems with her.


    Since the time had not yet arrived, he didn¡¯t want to worry about the troubles of his own thoughts untimely.


    ¡°Is it done? Anyhow, I made a lot of jokes and finally made you feel better. But how did your mood turn like it was like falling deep into the valley after you got the call? Tell me, who has made you unhappy? I¡¯ll go smack her.¡± Seeing Tang Xiu come back with a cold and detached expression, Zhang Xinya immediately commented with a forced smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that. But I¡¯m fine now.¡± Tang Xiu smiled faintly. ¡°Since I¡¯ve agreed to come out with you, I should put the other problems away then. Besides, I have a beautiful belle treating me tonight, so I gotta make sure to make her bleed as well.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you eat so much that you make me destitute, it will be your turn to support me in the future.¡± Zhang Xinya smiled.


    Tang Xiu revealed a faint smile in response. Just as he was about to enter the front door, he heard some familiar voices.


    ¡°Old Jin, I told you that you don¡¯t need to impress the others anymore. I¡¯ve really found a good project now. If we can handle this IP network well, we can definitely earn a lot of money. Besides, my company¡¯s technical team has already built the best applications in China. In due course, we¡¯ll focus our resources on promoting the platform, and we¡¯ll definitely be bursting with popularity.¡±


    ¡°Brother Gu, I also know that the popular IP is very flourishing now. But the key point is that I know nothing about it. You can¡¯t abruptly tell me to invest in something I¡¯m unsure of, no? Besides, I have a big project that is about to launch. While it goes without saying that I don¡¯t have ample funds, I¡¯m also afraid of a situation occurring where I¡¯ve to invest more funds.¡±


    ¡°Old Jin, an opportunity seldom knocks twice. If you don¡¯t take this chance, then I¡­ I¡¯ll have to find someone else to cooperate with.¡±


    ¡°Let me consider it again, Brother Gu.¡±


    ¡°Alright then!¡±

 Chapter 447

    Chapter 447: Cooperation


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    During the conversation, the two men came behind Tang Xiu. Upon seeing Tang Xiu, who was blocking their path, the two frowned, and immediately bypassed Tang Xiu from both sides, ready to enter.


    However, Gu Changmin, who a bit depressed, turned his head toward Tang Xiu. His pace then halted in an instant, as a surprised look appeared on his face. He then fully stopped and turned around.


    ¡°Tang¡­ Brother Tang?¡±


    When Jin Xingkui heard this, he stopped as well. After turning around, clearly seeing Tang Xiu, he was pleasantly surprised, and immediately said, ¡°Brother Tang, it¡¯s unexpectedly you? I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here!¡±


    ¡°Well, I ,too, never thought to meet you here, the two old brothers.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled. ¡°Anyways, from your conversation, it seems you have some business to talk about?¡±


    Gu Changmin touched his nose and forced a smile, ¡°We did have a business deal to discuss, yet this old Jin didn¡¯t want to, though! Brother Tang, this is¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu shifted his vision toward Zhang Xinya.


    Taking off her black-rimmed glasses and the mask on her face, Zhang Xinya then stretched out her hand and said with a smile, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Zhang Xinya, Tang Xiu¡¯s friend.¡±


    Zhang Xinya?


    Gu Changmin and Jin Xingkui expressions looked vacant, as shock then immediately emerged on their faces.


    ¡°Ah, I really didn¡¯t expect to not only see Brother Tang but also a superstar tonight. Hello, Ms. Zhang, I¡¯m Gu Changmin of Dingshen Media. I¡¯ve long heard about your name.¡± Gu Changmin put out his hand and quickly shook hands with Zhang Xinya.


    Jin Xingkui also hurriedly put his hand out, and said with a smile, ¡°Ms. Zhang is a world-famous star and is well-known in the country. To meet Ms. Zhang here is quite an honor for me. Anyways, I¡¯m Jin Xingkui of Jinda Estate.¡±


    After hearing their introduction and shaking hands with them, Zhang Xinya looked blank. She then turned her head to look at Tang Xiu.


    As someone from the entertainment industry, she naturally knew Dingshen Media. She had never met with the Boss of Dingshen Media. Hence, she didn¡¯t know what Gu Changmin looked like. She also knew Jinda Estate, since her villa in Shanghai was developed by Jinda Estate.


    Yet both of them knew Tang Xiu and addressed each other as brothers?


    ¡°Since everyone now know each other, shall we go inside?¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Zhang Xinya, if you don¡¯t mind, how about we dine with these two old brothers tonight? Of course, if it won¡¯t disturb these two old brothers.¡±


    ¡°No, won¡¯t be disturbed at all!¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang¡¯s words are exactly what I meant, let¡¯s dine together!¡±


    Gu Changmin and Jin Xingkui quickly said.


    While looking at their cordiality in front of Tang Xiu, Zhang Xinya was a bit shocked inside. Though she was eager to have a private dinner with Tang Xiu, it was evidently inconvenient to refuse. Therefore, she smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure to dine with the two Bosses.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Zhang, you are Brother Tang¡¯s friend, so you¡¯re our friend as well. Don¡¯t treat us like strangers. If you come across any problem in Shanghai, feel free to find me. As long as I, Gu Changmin, am able to do it, I¡¯ll certainly complete it even if I have to use all Dingshen Media¡¯s power.¡± Gu Changmin waved his hand.


    Jin Xingkui also emphasized and nodded repetitively, as he then said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Though the Jinda Estate is on par with the top group companies in China, we still pale in comparison with the genuine powerful. But if Ms. Zhang comes across difficulties in Shanghai, just contact me directly, and I¡¯ll go all out when the time comes.¡±


    After saying that, both of them pulled out their personal business cards and handed it over to Zhang Xinya.


    Receiving the two business cards, Zhang Xinya saw that aside from their names, there was only a phone number on it. There was nothing else written there. She could instantly tell that these two men weren¡¯t just saying pleasantries at all. They were sincerely taking their stand.


    Even inwardly, she could clearly tell that the reason why these two men were clearly stating their attitude toward her, was not because of her identity as a superstar. Rather, it was because of Tang Xiu, since she was Tang Xiu¡¯s¡­ friend.


    ¡°Well, Xinya thanks the two old brothers. Please call me Xinya if you don¡¯t regard me as a stranger!¡± Zhang Xinya suddenly realized that Tang Xiu¡¯s proposal to dine with them was really a marvelous one. Just being able to meet with these two tonight, and the commitment they gave her, she knew that she had made a big deal. Smart and intelligent as she was, she would naturally climb along the way to pull her personal network and relations closer.


    ¡°Good, good, good!¡± The two men nodded and looked satisfied.


    After entering the quaint pavilion, Gu Changmin smiled, ¡°Brother Tang, shall we go to my private box? Though my rank here is not high, the holder of a Golden Card can still enjoy a lot of treatments.¡±


    ¡°Well, Xinya has reserved a room, too. Let¡¯s go there!¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Besides, she has a Diamond Card, so we¡¯ll probably enjoy more things.¡±


    _Diamond Card?_


    Gu Changmin was startled inwardly. He then said with a smile, ¡°Well, it seems that we¡¯ll receive the benefit from Xinya¡¯s light tonight.¡±


    A strange look flashed from Zhang Xinya¡¯s eyes, as she said with a smile, ¡°Xinya is honored for being able to entertain the two old brothers.¡±


    Quickly, the four came to the area where only Diamond Card owners were able to enter. After entering an old-fashioned box, the waiter brought a menu, as Zhang Xinya then personally ordered the dishes. After the waiter had left, Gu Changmin smiled and asked, ¡°Xinya, I know that you are a great singer and has an extremely high status in the music world. May I ask whether you have any interest in the movie industry?¡±


    Recently, Zhang Xinya herself had indeed been interested in expanding her career toward film and television. However, most of her contacts were in the pop music industry. Even though there were many entertainment companies that wanted to work and cooperate with her, so much so that they also promised her very good deals, she still hesitated.


    After listening to Gu Changmin¡¯s question, Zhang Xinya said with a smile, ¡°I indeed have been thinking about that, but I only know a few domestic film and television companies. Hence, I have yet to decide anything about it.¡±


    Gu Changmin¡¯s eyes lit up. He immediately smiled and said, ¡°How about signing with my Dingshen Media, Xinya? You can rest assured, I¡¯ll surely give you the best offer and treatment. You can be sure that it won¡¯t be inferior to the top stars in the entertainment world. How about it?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Zhang Xinya hesitated and quickly shot Tang Xiu a glance. She smiled, ¡°Old Brother Gu, can you give me some time to think about it? I¡¯ll give you a reply tomorrow evening at the latest.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡±


    Gu Changmin replied with a smile. He also quickly glanced at Tang Xiu after saying that.


    ¡°Well, Old Brother Gu, I accidentally heard you talking with Old Brother Jin outside prior to this. Did you get a good project recently?¡±


    Gu Changmin looked vacant, since he didn¡¯t expect that Tang Xiu would ask about this. Immediately, a wry smile appeared on his face as he sighed, ¡°Yes! The development of the current IP industry chain has reached the point where it¡¯s hot enough. My professional team has recently purchased the next batch of good resources and I have personally confirmed that it has a very high operability. Additionally, I also have a distribution channel, so I¡¯m all ready for the advertising and publicity. The thing is¡­ I¡¯m short on funds!¡±


    ¡°Well, I have a small amount to spare.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    Gu Changmin stared blankly, his eyes shining immediately after. He was faintly excited inside. He stared at Tang Xiu and quickly asked, ¡°Brother Tang, are you interested in investing in the IP industry?¡±


    Recently, Tang Xiu learned a lot about the current business projects in the world, including the operation of IPs, as well as the apps channel and their profitability. So much so that these two projects could be said to have enormous potential. They could definitely earn a big profit if one was able to manage them well.


    He was a student, yet he was also a businessman.


    Business is business. As far as business was concerned, he could catch sight of profit from any project, so it was only natural that he got interested. This was also the main reason why he proposed to dine together with Gu Changmin and Jin Xingkui.


    ¡°I do have some interest.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    Patting his thigh, Gu Changmin then excitedly asked, ¡°How much are you willing to invest, Brother Tang?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t dare say too much, but 1 billion yuan is still in my capability.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°However, if I invest in it, I¡¯ll definitely not only invest in the IP industry, I¡¯m also interested in the app projects researched and developed by your company.¡±


    After inhaling a deep breath, Gu Changmin then seriously said, ¡°No problem. I got no problem with that at all. Essentially, managing the app project researched and developed by my company alone is impossible, since financing is an imperative issue. If Brother Tang were to invest 1 billion yuan, I won¡¯t have to look for anyone else anymore. With the two of us, we will definitely be able to make it popular and prosperous.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, I recently intended to register a venture capital company in Shanghai. How about you meet and discuss it with the company¡¯s person in charge?¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°No problem,¡± Gu Changmin said without hesitation. ¡°Though I¡¯ve been short on funds recently; still, I think highly of you, Brother Tang. With the two of us cooperating, I believe we can make a lot of money.¡±


    Sitting on the side, Jin Xingkui¡¯s complexion was constantly changing. Finally, he couldn¡¯t bear any longer and said, ¡°Brother Gu, I just thought about it. I think that investing in the IP and Apps projects would be really good, too. Despite not having enough funds, since Brother Tang is willing to invest in it, I believe in his foresight. Hence, I¡¯ll also prepare to fork out several hundreds of million yuan. How about I take some shares?¡±


    Gu Changmin shot Jin Xingkui a look. His expression wore funny, annoyed, and good feelings mixed together. He was perfectly aware of what the man had in mind. For him, being able to get tie himself with Tang Xiu in business was definitely a great thing.


    So much so that¡­ even if he lost all the investment funds, he probably wouldn¡¯t care. What he cared about was what Tang Xiu thought of him.


    ¡°Brother Tang, you see¡­¡±


    Gu Changmin threw this issue to Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any objections!¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°Besides the proverb says that it is much joyful to share the joy than enjoying it alone. Everyone can earn some profits and become rich together. That¡¯s a fine thing indeed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, then.¡± Gu Changmin laughed, ¡°Let us decide it so.¡±


    Zhang Xinya¡¯s eyes flickered, her vision flickering between Tang Xiu, Gu Changmin, and Jin Xingkui. Never did she imagine that they would unexpectedly decide a project surpassing 1 billion yuan in worth like this. Suddenly, she also had the urge to join in.


    ¡°Can you count me in, too? In fact, I have saved some private money in recent years. Though it¡¯s not much, it won¡¯t be a problem to fork out 200 million. Gentlemen, you wouldn¡¯t be unwilling to let me join in the fun, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The trio exchanged dismayed looks. They had never thought that Zhang Xinya would unexpectedly want to join in. However, the three couldn¡¯t reject Zhang Xinya, hence they could only give their approval.

 Chapter 448

    Chapter 448: A Superstar¡¯s Compliment


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    After getting their approval, Zhang Xinya was somewhat excited, yet also faintly concerned at the same time. Though the present her was a famous singing star at the height of popularity, she debuted quite late and didn¡¯t have a deep capital. Forking out 200 million yuan was already her limit; she¡¯d even have to sell her two villas in Beijing and Guangyang to gather the sufficient amount.


    She knew clearly well about Tang Xiu¡¯s situation. He was definitely filthy rich. After all, when he was in Hong Kong, the benefits Tang Xiu ultimately obtained surpassed 10 billion yuan. The two others, Gu Changmin and Jin Xingkui, were famous Big Bosses a net wealth of more than 10 billion.


    Therefore, they could afford to lose money. But not her.


    Despite so, she believed in her own vision. Cooperating with the three of them, the probability of earning a profit was much greater than the odds of a loss. She felt that she would regret it later if she missed such a good opportunity.


    Next to her, Tang Xiu was not aware of Zhang Xinya¡¯s thoughts. After he and Gu Changmin finished talking, he turned to Jin Xingkui and smiled, ¡°Old Brother Jin, I just heard that you have a project in hand, yet you are currently short on funds, right?¡±


    Jin Xingkui looked blank. A glint flashed in his eyes as he inquired, ¡°My original funds were not ample already. therefore, investing several hundred million yuan in the IP and APP projects definitely put me short on money. I will be very pleasantly surprised if someone can invest.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about your project.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°I took over a strategic site and spent a lot of money on it.¡± Jin Xingkui smiled and said, ¡°And now, I¡¯m planning to develop an upscale residential area project¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Tang Xiu raised his hand and said, ¡°But what I¡¯m wondering now is, how much the total investment you¡¯ve forecasted in advance for this project?¡±


    After contemplating for a short while, Jin Xingkui then seriously said, ¡°The total investment should be around 3.2 billion yuan. This is excluding the value of the site. If we calculate that the amount I spent buying the site was 2 billion yuan, it should be around 5.5 billion yuan or so. Additionally, because my company has another ongoing projects, half of the 3.2 billion yuan funds must be funded from a bank¡¯s loan.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked pensive before saying, ¡°In fact, I¡¯m very interested in investing in real estate, too. My Magnificent Tang Corporation also engages in real estate business. If you are willing to redo the planning and preparation, I may consider joining in the venture capital as well. Furthermore, the amount of investment won¡¯t be less than my investment in the Dingshen Media¡¯s project.¡±


    Jin Xingkui was startled, and then quickly asked, ¡°Brother Tang, can you elaborate about this re-planning?¡±


    ¡°Start everything from scratch, excluding the plot of land.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Of course, the most important thing is to design the blueprint for the architectural plan.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Jin Xingkui hesitated.


    ¡°You can leave the architectural blueprint design for the upscale residential area to me.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°To you?¡± Jin Xingkui dazed and incredulously said, ¡°Do you know about designing architectural blueprints? Brother Tang, please don¡¯t joke about that with me.¡±


    He didn¡¯t believe it.


    He didn¡¯t believe that Tang Xiu knew how to design architectural blueprints. Even if he did have the knowledge, he didn¡¯t believe that Tang Xiu was able to draw a good architectural design. It must be noted that he had hired a well-known domestic architect to design the architectural blueprint for this plot of land. Not to mention that it also took a long time to complete.


    Furthermore, he was also very satisfied with the architectural blueprints that had already been designed. He firmly believed that once it had been constructed, he would be able to attract the public¡¯s attention and become popular. By then, the sales issue would become much smaller as well.¡±


    Looking at Jin Xingkui¡¯s expression, Tang Xiu was silent for a moment. Then, he lightly said, ¡°Originally, the New City project¡¯s architectural blueprints in Star City¡¯s outskirts that is now being developed and constructed, the blueprints for those buildings were drawn by me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Jin Xingkui, a dignified Big Boss with a 10-billion-yuan net wealth, jumped up from his chair after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s statement. A look of disbelief covered his face, as his heart violently shook.


    ¡°You can call the project leader, that is the Long Group¡¯s Big Boss¡ªLong Hanwen, in Star City if you don¡¯t believe me. He¡¯ll confirm it.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Gasping and taking a few deep breaths, Jin Xingkui immediately took his mobile phone out and dialed Long Hanwen¡¯s private number. Both of them were in the real estate business, and they also had high positions in the business community, so they had contacted each other many times before.


    ¡°Boss Jin, what brings your call today? To think that you would call me?¡± Long Hanwen¡¯s voice was transmitted from the cell phone.


    Jin Xingkui activated the loudspeaker feature and hurriedly asked, ¡°Brother Long, I have something to ask you. But please, you must tell me the truth.¡±


    Upon hearing the seriousness in Jin Xingkui¡¯s tone, Long Hanwen replied in a deep and heavy voice, ¡°Brother Jin, I won¡¯t conceal it if I¡¯m capable to answer.¡±


    ¡°I want to know about the architect who designed the architectural blueprints for that New City in Star City your Long Family is currently developing. Who was it?¡± Jin Xingkui quickly asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you that!¡± Long Hanwen replied without hesitation.


    Jin Xingkui gasped. He then forced a smile and said, ¡°Brother Long, then I¡¯ll ask you in another way. Was the architect who designed that architectural blueprints surnamed Tang?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and took the mobile phone. He then said, ¡°Uncle Long, it¡¯s Tang Xiu. There are some special reasons here, so you don¡¯t need to hide it from Old Brother Jin.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu? You are with Jin Xingkui now? Are you familiar with him?¡± Long Hanwen¡¯s surprised voice was transmitted over.


    ¡°Yeah, I know him.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t want to tell him before because it was you who urged and didn¡¯t allow us to disclose anything about the New City¡¯s architectural designs.¡± Long Hanwen forced a smile and said, ¡°Anyways, since you requested it so, I don¡¯t need to hide it from him, then. Give the phone to Jin Xingkui, I¡¯ll tell him.¡±


    ¡°Brother Long, the phone is in the loudspeaker, so I can listen to what you say.¡± Jin Xingkui quickly said.


    ¡°Brother Jin, that New City¡¯s designs indeed stemmed from Tang Xiu¡¯s hands.¡± Long Hanwen laughed, ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone can design such a great blueprint in this world aside from him, either.¡±


    Gulping down his saliva, Jin Xingkui then gazed at Tang Xiu. There was a bit of awe in his eyes. It must be noted that he was in the real estate business, so he naturally knew the significance of what the architectural design of the New City big project in Star City meant. That architectural complex would turn it into a landmark, which meant that the profits that would eventually be earned from that huge project would be terrifying.


    ¡°Thanks a bunch, Brother Long. I¡¯ll treat you to dinner some other day to express my gratitude.¡±


    ¡°Forget about it. I¡¯ll be satisfied if you can bring Tang Xiu along when you see me.¡± Long Hanwen smilingly said, ¡°That lad is busier than I am. I¡¯ve been wanting to meet him for a long time now, but I can¡¯t find his shadow at all.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe¡­¡± Jin Xingkui embarrassedly laughed.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be having a vacation in October, Uncle Long. I¡¯ll be back to Star City by then to have a drink with you.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled.


    ¡°Great. That¡¯s a promise!¡± Long Hanwen laughed crisply.


    After the call ended, Tang Xiu then looked at Jin Xingkui and asked, ¡°So, you heard him too, right? Now, what¡¯s your decision?¡±


    Without hesitation, Jin Xingkui replied, ¡°If Brother Tang can design a blueprint like New City¡¯s, I¡¯ll follow your instructions to re-plan it again from scratch. No, even if it¡¯s worse than the New City¡¯s, I would still take it.¡±


    ¡°The architectural blueprint I¡¯m going to design will definitely not be worse.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    With an excited expression, Jin Xingkui nodded repeatedly and said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll instruct the company to cease operations first. Brother Tang, I¡¯ll be waiting for your blueprint design. Ah, right. How long is it going take?¡±


    ¡°Well, I need to know the area of the land, the transportation in its surrounding, the environment, and some other things.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Additionally, I also need to check my schedule. If nothing unexpected happens, I should be able to hand it over to you before October 1st.¡±


    ¡°That will be no problem!¡± Jin Xingkui exclaimed in praise, ¡°You schedule the time and I¡¯ll wait for your call. I¡¯ll show you the site myself when you¡¯re free.¡±


    ¡°All right, then!¡± Tang Xiu laughed.


    At the side, after the two finished talking, Gu Changmin directly said, ¡°Brother Tang, Brother Jin, I¡¯m the one who pulled you in the IP and APP projects, so you can¡¯t leave me out from your real estate project. I¡¯ll try to gather the funds, but you must count me in.¡±


    ¡°Brother Gu, it was you who just asked me to invest in it, yet now the wheel of fortune finally reversed. How come it¡¯s your turn to come looking for me?¡± Jin Xingkui roared with laughter. ¡°Hahaha¡­ rest assured, though! As long as Brother Tang gives his consent, it¡¯s not a problem for me. Just as Brother Tang said previously, everyone will profit and get rich together!¡±


    With an envious expression, Zhang Xinya said, ¡°I really admire you all, Big Bosses. Such good projects, yet it¡¯s a pity that I can¡¯t join you. The 200 million I forked out to be invested in the IP and App projects is already my limit. Otherwise, I can only sell my last villa in Hong Kong.¡±


    ¡°One does what one can! Besides, it¡¯s not like your chances to earn money are over.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled.


    ¡°True that.¡± Zhang Xinya laughed.


    Afterward, they no longer talked about the business matters anymore, shifting to more interesting topics. As a celebrity, Zhang Xinya was knowledgeable and experienced; while the two men, Jin Xingkui and Gu Changmin, were seasoned players and shrewd businessmen with deep experience. Although Tang Xiu didn¡¯t possess high emotional intelligence, he had, after all, been living for thousands of years in the Immortal World. He had also gone through a lot of things after returning to Earth, which had improved his mentality a lot more.


    Therefore, the four chatted rather animatedly and with great interest, causing them to get along together harmoniously.


    10 PM.


    After everyone had dined and wined to satiety, they parted ways outside the Purple Aromatic Garden pavilion. Tang Xiu then took the car keys left by Jin Xingkui and watched as another car took him and Gu Changmin away. Then, he turned to Zhang Xinya and smiled, saying, ¡°You didn¡¯t drink, so you¡¯ll be driving!¡±


    Zhang Xinya took the car keys and said with a smile, ¡°Tang Xiu, thanks for today.¡±


    ¡°What are you thanking me for?¡± Tang Xiu asked, confused.


    ¡°It was because of you that I got such a good investment opportunity!¡± Zhang Xinya said with a smile. ¡°Following after you and those Big Bosses¡¯ discussion about surviving and living, I believe that I¡¯ll meet spring all year round afterward.¡±


    ¡°A super celebrity¡¯s mouth is really awesome, eh.¡± Tang Xiu replied with a smile.


    ¡°A powerful mouth to talk glibly I may have, yet you¡¯re practically a life model for me, for you are very amazing in every aspect.¡± Zhang Xinya smiled. ¡°You know what?! I¡¯ve already started to idolize you, you know.¡±

 Chapter 449

    Chapter 449: Praises


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Zhang Xinya¡¯s compliment didn¡¯t produce the slightest fluctuation on Tang Xiu¡¯s emotions. He only looked at her bright smiling face, and smiled slightly to shift the topic, ¡°It¡¯s late; the dorms should have been locked already. Anyway, I gotta return to my place. What about you? Are you going back to your hotel?¡±


    ¡°Mmm. I¡¯ll go back to the hotel after driving you back.¡± Zhang Xinya nodded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, then! You drive.¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    The night was still bright like a tide of lamps.


    Zhang Xinya drove the Mercedes-Benz left by Jin Xingkui. After they arrived at the front gate of Bluestar Villa Complex, she parked the car and then said with a smile, ¡°Anyway, I won¡¯t go inside. I¡¯ll have someone send the car back to the Jinda Estate company tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Okay, take care. It¡¯s late, though. Pay attention to your safety on the way back.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°All right. Don¡¯t worry!¡± Zhang Xinya faintly smiled. She then drove away after Tang Xiu got off.


    While standing before the gate, Tang Xiu watched as the Mercedes-Benz disappeared into the darkness of the night before walking inside. However, what he didn¡¯t expect was that his Land Rover SUV was parked outside his villa¡¯s courtyard. Furthermore, it was not only his Land Rover, but also Yue Kai¡¯s BMW and Hu Qingsong¡¯s Audi A4.


    ¡°You guys¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but force a smile after seeing Yue Kai and Mu Wanying¡¯s group of seven.


    ¡°You¡¯re finally back, Eldest Brother Tang,¡± Yue Kai smiled. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t come back tonight we¡¯d probably have to sleep in the open. Now, confess to us honestly, where did you go, buddy?¡±


    ¡°I had an appointment with a friend, so we went out to dine.¡± Tang Xiu smiled.


    ¡°A friend?¡±


    Hu Qingsong came over and grinned, ¡°Big Bro Tang, for you to stay up late and have dinner in the middle of the night, don¡¯t tell me that this ¡®friend¡¯ is a belle who got her heart moved by your performance?¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing. After opening the courtyard gate, he walked inside and said, ¡°You guys are really smart. Yeah, you¡¯re right. A great beauty had indeed invited me to dinner tonight. Also, the place we went was kind of upscale, too. Huh, what¡¯s wrong? Are you blaming me for not taking you with me?¡±


    ¡°Cut it out!¡±


    Yue Kai, Hu Qingsong, and even Xue Chao raised their middle fingers toward Tang Xiu, contempt on their faces.


    Instead, it was Mu Wanying who was smiling as she asked, ¡°Tang Xiu, can you tell us who¡¯s this great beauty who invited you to dinner?¡±


    ¡°Zhang Xinya.¡± Tang Xiu slightly smiled and answered.


    _Puah¡­_


    _Cough, cough¡­_


    They made strange noises, the disdaining expression on their faces turning more vivid. Even Li Xinjie and Jiang Feiyan couldn¡¯t help but giggle. However, Mu Wanying¡¯s smile faded a bit. She looked a bit distracted, and there was a pensive look on her face.


    Afterward, some of them drove in and parked the cars in the courtyard before entering the villa. After tonight¡¯s freshmen welcoming party ended, their group looked for Tang Xiu, be his mobile phone was turned off. Hence, they ran over and waited in vain, getting somewhat hungry as a result. Yue Kai fully played Lei Feng, trying to be selfless and devoted as to call for a takeout, yet he turned out to be as not great as Lei Feng, for he let everyone know that he had done a good deed.


    On the second floor.


    Tang Xiu returned to his bedroom and was preparing to change his clothes. Just as he took off his jacket, someone knocked his door.


    ¡°Is there something you need, Wanying?¡±


    Bare-chested, Tang Xiu opened the door. Mu Wanying was outside, lightly smiling as he asked with a curious expression on his face.


    Mu Wanying¡¯s gentle gaze swept over Tang Xiu¡¯s muscular frame. She then said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect for you, who has such a thin frame, turn out to have such a streamlined and attractive muscles. Anyway, I indeed have some matters to talk to you about.¡±


    ¡°Come in, then!¡±


    After replying smilingly, Tang Xiu walked to the cloakroom to get some clean clothes. Then, he went to the bathroom and came back to the room, saying, ¡°What is it? Tell me!¡±


    ¡°Have you known Zhang Xinya for a long time?¡± Mu Wanying smiled and asked.


    ¡°Not too long!¡± Tang Xiu looked blank before shaking his head and answering, ¡°The first time I met her was several days ago. I just didn¡¯t expect to meet her again at Shanghai University tonight.¡±


    Astonished and surprised, Mu Wanying said, ¡°You know her for such a short time, yet it seems your relationship with her is very good?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ordinary. A friend of mine is Zhang Xinya¡¯s good sister,¡± Tang Xiu smiled and replied. ¡°Later on, I also bumped into her in Hong Kong, and experienced some things together. Shortly put, she¡¯s a good person.¡±


    With a shaken heart, yet maintaining her composure, Mu Wanying asked, ¡°How was it? For a man to be tempted by a super celebrity?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think that the woman who can tempt me has been born yet.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled. ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s not talk about her anymore. I don¡¯t think you came looking for me just to ask this, right?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Mu Wanying shook her head. ¡°What I wanna ask is, how did you practice your zither skills? When you played the zither¡­ it was like I was pulled inside it. I once read in an ancient book that some people can use music to bring others into that conception realm, as if they really appeared in that world. That kind of realm, it should be the highest realm of music, right?¡±


    Looking deeply at her, Tang Xiu then shook his head and said, ¡°That was not the highest realm of music. But even if I tell you, you¡¯ll probably not understand it.¡±


    ¡°Can you teach me, Tang Xiu?¡± Mu Wanying seriously asked.


    ¡°Your skill in the art of music is actually very good. I realized it when we tried some zithers in the afternoon.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled. ¡°However, I play the zither with my heart and soul, as well as the intention to bring myself in it, but your zither play doesn¡¯t have it. While someone have spirit and soul, when you play the zither, you can only make a person¡¯s spirit be lost in thought but fail to achieve the step to reach their soul.¡±


    Knitting her brows, Mu Wanying asked, ¡°I don¡¯t understand. What¡¯s the difference between spirit and soul?¡±


    ¡°Such a question is something that can be grasped by your heart and soul, yet it can¡¯t be described. Perhaps you will be able to understand after you¡¯ve experienced a sudden insight one day.¡±


    ¡°It sounds so mysterious. Forget it, then. I¡¯ll rely on myself!¡± Mu Wanying couldn¡¯t help laughing and replied.


    ¡°All right, let¡¯s go downstairs!¡± Tang Xiu smiled faintly.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    As they came to the first floor, Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying found that Yue Kai and Li Xinjie were watching something on the mobile phone.


    ¡°What are you guys watching?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    Looking up, Yue Kai gave Tang Xiu a thumbs-up and exclaimed in praise, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, you¡¯ve become famous. You just raised a commotion in our Shanghai University¡¯s forum.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiu was confused, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t because of your performance in the show, what else could it be?¡± Yue Kai said. ¡°You¡¯ve conquered all the teachers and students who attended the freshmen welcoming party, to the extent that the university leader requested the video recording master upload your performance footage on the campus forum. As of now, there have been ten thousand comments on your video footage, while tens of thousands of people have upvoted it. Furthermore, after various recommendations, many campuses outside Shanghai University have registered in our campus forum to open it. I also heard that¡­¡±


    ¡°What did you hear?¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile.


    ¡°I heard that the video was shared and uploaded to other campuses¡¯ forums. It¡¯s causing uproars everywhere,¡± Yue Kai smilingly said. ¡°We have already checked and found that the number of videos uploaded to our forum has numbered up to eight thousand already; while the uploaded videos in other forums number to the tens of thousands. I¡¯m sure that, as of tomorrow night, your performance will start to spread to the national major forums. By then, you will be popular all over the country.¡±


    ¡°No, that can¡¯t be, right?¡± Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he to cry or laugh, saying, ¡°Isn¡¯t it way too easy to become a star if I become so hotly popular just because of a footage?¡±


    ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, you seem to not know the power of the Internet.¡± Yue Kai replied, ¡°Computers are very popular nowadays, with 8 out of 10 people having access to internet. Bear in mind, what I said is just a conservative estimation. Henceforth, your given name, Tang Xiu, will be well-known to everyone. You may not become a celebrity in the future, but I¡¯m hella sure you¡¯ll become an Internet celebrity.¡±


    _An Internet celebrity?_


    It was a term Tang Xiu had heard before. But to think that he would become one of those Internet celebrities¡­ Never once in his wildest dreams had he ever dreamed about it. He shook his head and smiled lightly, saying, ¡°Attracting people¡¯s attention wherever I go surely won¡¯t be a good feeling. It seems I have to think of a way of getting rid of this video.¡±


    ¡°No can do, buddy!¡± Yue Kai shook his head. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to do that unless you have the ability to block all media channels.¡±


    ¡°EH!¡±


    Tang Xiu looked vacant and stared blankly. He immediately shook his head and smiled bitterly.


    He indeed didn¡¯t had the ability to block all media channels. Even if he used all his personal connections, including the power of the Tang Family, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do that. The present Internet was indeed almost omnipotent. Once any major news happened, it would go viral and spread out like a virus.


    _Seems like I must adopt measures appropriate to the actual situation. If worst comes to worst, I can learn from Zhang Xinya, disguising myself when I have to go to crowded places_ , Tang Xiu consoled himself inwardly.


    ¡°We were kind of unconvinced that you had any accomplishments in music before, Big Bro Tang. But after listening to your performance, we were utterly subdued. You¡¯re a Guru; a deeply concealed Guru who doesn¡¯t reveal himself. Now, I¡¯m beginning to wonder how many n things you¡¯re still concealing.¡±


    ¡°The four arts: zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting; none of them are subpar. Likewise, there¡¯s nothing I don¡¯t understand, be it verses, ditties, odes, or songs. I can impart you a few tricks if you¡¯re willing to worship me as your teacher.¡±


    ¡°STOP!¡±


    Tang Xiu received nothing but middle fingers yet again.


    Nevertheless, for Mu Wanying, who had seen Tang Xiu¡¯s painting skills, she definitely believed it; for her, he had reached an absolutely godlike level. And now, added with music, Tang Xiu already showed his godlike abilities in two spiritual fields.


    The next day, when Tang Xiu appeared at campus, he really became the focus of everyone¡¯s attention. Tons of people crowded together and pointed their fingers at him.


    ¡°Hello, handsome Tang Xiu, can you be my boyfriend?¡±


    A female student stopped Tang Xiu when he was on the way to his classroom, asking him out very straightforwardly.


    A bitter smile appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. This was the sixth female student who confessed to him after he came to campus. The way these girls looked at him was like a pervert feasting his eyes at a naked beautiful woman, brimming with cravings, hungry, and thirsty.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t want to fall in love so early.¡±


    Having said that, he quickly bypassed the girl and dashed forward.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna die laughing, dude!¡±


    ¡°So envious. So jealous¡­ ah, the regret!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Yue Kai, Hu Qingsong, and the others roared with laughter. Their teasing and mocking voices filled the air.

 Chapter 450

    Chapter 450: Internet Celebrity


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Like the saying goes, fame portends trouble for men as fattening does for pigs.


    Prior to this, the reason Tang Xiu kept a low profile was due to his personality. But now he finally tasted the bitter fruit. People pointed fingers at him when as he walked on the road to campus. A few bold ones also came over to converse with him, the female students boldly making confessions. He also became the focus of attention in the classroom, and all the topics that people talked about were almost inseparable from him.


    Furthermore, the most frustrating thing that made him helpless was that, when he wanted to leave the campus, when he was not even outside the campus gate, the media, that had slipped inside, blocked him in. If he hadn¡¯t slipped fast enough under the cover of several brothers, he would have been blinded by the flashlights.


    The only thing that made him somewhat contented was that the class teacher-in-charge, Han Qingwu, had asked for a leave, and was replaced by another English teacher.


    In the male student dormitory.


    With a weary smile, Tang Xiu turned off his mobile phone. An immense headache struck him just by merely answering phone calls. While watching the gloating guys around him, he sat on the chair and said, ¡°Guys, any of you wanna help me buy dinner? I really can¡¯t go out.¡±


    The sincere and honest Xue Chao promptly replied after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s plea, ¡°I¡¯ll go. What do you want to eat?¡±


    ¡°Anything will do, as long as I can fill my belly,¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and didn¡¯t bother to elaborate. ¡°Also, the dorm is about to be locked, so I¡¯m going to sneak out. I already spoke to the teacher, saying that I¡¯ll be studying home by myself for the next few days.¡±


    The trio gazed at Tang Xiu with sympathetic expressions. Yue Kai threw the Land Rover¡¯s keys to Tang Xiu and said with a smile, ¡°Well, since you wanna slip out, it¡¯s better for you to have the car. I heard that Internet celebrities are actually no different from big stars. I was doubtful at first, but now, I finally realized that an Internet celebrity also possesses an attraction force that is no worse than that of a big stars¡¯. In other words, internet celebrities are another, alternative from of a big star.¡±


    ¡°I have no interest in becoming an Internet celebrity nor a big star at all.¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile. ¡°If I could, I¡¯d give you a chance to become one, though.¡±


    ¡°You get what you deserve.¡± Yue Kai laughed. ¡°Who told you to show off in the freshmen welcoming party? Even Zhang Xinya¡¯s limelight was stolen by you. If you don¡¯t become popular, who would?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Tang Xiu helplessly shook his head.


    Star City, at a certain upscale villa complex.


    After a busy day, Kang Xia dragged her tired body back to her place. She took a shower and then put on clean and cozy pajamas. Out of habit, she poured a glass of red wine and savored it while sitting on the sofa, holding her laptop and surfing the internet.


    ¡°Hey, Chief. Open the door! Open the door!¡±


    Andy¡¯s cry was heard outside the villa.


    Kang Xia was startled. Though the villa where she lived and Andy¡¯s villa were only tens of meters away, rarely did Andy visit her. After opening the door by pressing the remote control key, Kang Xia saw Andy rush inside and head straight to the second floor. She couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°Hey, is the sky collapsing or something? Just look at your anxiousness¡­¡±


    Raising her hand to interrupt Kang Xia, Andy then pointed at a laptop next to her and said, ¡°Chief, open your browser. You don¡¯t need to search anything. Just look at the headlines.¡±


    _The headlines?_


    Puzzled and confused, Kang Xia opened the browser according to Andy¡¯s instruction. She then immediately saw top news content:


    _¡°A Heaven-Defying Saint Of Music Unexpectedly Appeared Singing And Playing The Zither At The Shanghai University¡¯s Freshmen Welcoming Party¡­¡±_


    After Kang Xia got in, a vivid picture immediately appeared in front of her. The image was of a handsome young man playing the zither.


    ¡°T-T-This¡­ isn¡¯t this the Boss?¡±


    Kang Xia suddenly looked up and stared at Andy, asking.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s our Boss for sure,¡± Andy repetitively nodded. ¡°Scroll down more. There¡¯s a footage of our Boss playing the zither. You must concentrate and listen to our Boss¡¯s play. You¡¯ll be shocked!¡±


    Kang Xia played the video and calmly enjoyed it. She was instantly attracted by the wonderful musical notes right after the music started. Unknowingly, her entire mind was immersed in the zither¡¯s sound; even the world before she seemed to have changed¡­


    Eventually, she slowly opened her eyes. When she subconsciously wiped away the falling tears on her face, she looked at the somewhat dazed Andy and murmured, ¡°Boss¡¯s zither play and the song are like some magical power. It¡¯s beyond logic and above reason. Truly unfathomable!¡±


    After coming back to her senses, Andy said, ¡°Chief, Boss has become famous. As of now, not only did he become the headline of this website, he has even created rumpus in the entire integrated provider network. According to the statistics of a certain interested people, the footage of our Boss¡¯s singing and playing the zither has already been shared and forwarded over ten millions times. Either it was shared in the headlines of major websites, the front page of various forums, and even chat and messenger tools.¡±


    _Hiss¡­_


    Despite having good self-control, Kang Xia still couldn¡¯t help but gasp for breath after hearing that. More than tens of millions of video transmissions had almost reached the limit of some of the most important video transmissions in China. With tens of millions of sharings and forwarding, she simply couldn¡¯t imagine how many people and viewers would comment, like, and upvote it.


    As she thought up to there, Kang Xia immediately opened a certain forum. When she saw the number of comments, likes, and upvotes in the forum, her mouth twitched, as she then looked at Andy with a strange expression.


    ¡°Boss is so damn amazing, isn¡¯t he, Chief?¡± Andy laughed.


    ¡°He¡¯s great. Truly amazing.¡± Kang Xia forced a smile. ¡°But I can tell that our Boss surely got an awesome headache right now!¡±


    ¡°Yup, given his low-key personality, now that he became an Internet celebrity, I¡¯m hella sure he¡¯s pretty depressed right now,¡± Andy giggled. ¡°He should be hiding somewhere.¡±


    Kang Xia took out her mobile phone and dialed Tang Xiu¡¯s cell number. Soon after, she dropped her mobile phone at the side. With an expression of being at a loss whether to cry or laugh, she said, ¡°Well, Boss turned off his mobile phone.¡±


    ¡°Pretty sure Boss¡¯s cell number got fried by so many people calling him. He got so vexed and annoyed that he turned his phone off.¡± Andy laughed. ¡°Anyways, I just browsed the music forum and found dozens of top domestic musicians openly posting their acclaims there. Many people are even publishing their acclaims on their own microblogs to show their thoughts and feelings loudly. By the way, we had once met the music maestro, Du Wen, in Beijing. Do you know what he said?¡±


    ¡°What did he say?¡± Kang Xia curiously asked.


    ¡°He said he once thought that he was already at the highest realm of music, to extent that he said he couldn¡¯t find a way to make another breakthrough in his entire life. But after he watched the video and listened to our Boss¡¯s song and zither play, he then realized that he was just like a frog in a well. He realized that he¡¯s still at a low level, and even publicly stated that if our Boss is willing to accept him as his apprentice, he¡¯s willing to acknowledge our Boss as his Teacher.¡±


    ¡°T-T-This¡­¡±


    Feeling daunted and apprehensive, Kang Xia dazed. It must be noted that Du Wen¡¯s name in the music industry was simply like a thunderclap piercing the ear, even to people outside the music industry. Such a prominent figure, a great professor who had been in the music world for decades, openly expressed his wish to acknowledge their Boss as his Teacher?


    _Bo¡­ Boss, isn¡¯t he too amazing and heaven-defying?_


    ¡°Chief, I knew that our Boss was a deity; a worthy idol to admire for the rest of my life.¡± Andy giggled. ¡°That architectural complex he designed made many of the country¡¯s top painters to candidly admit defeat. And now, he once again used music to make countless of the music industry¡¯s top musicians to gasp with admiration. I just realized that I love Boss more and more.¡±


    Shaking her head with a smile, Kang Xia felt sweet inside. The more amazing Tang Xiu¡¯s performance was, the more she felt that her foresight was correct.


    In Jingmen Island, at the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    Ouyang Lulu was driving her Land Rover¡ªRange Rover series to quickly enter the parking lot. Now, the only person who dared to enter and park there in the whole Everlasting Feast Hall was no one else but her. It was because she was the Boss¡¯ and Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s friend, so the patrol members turned a blind eye to her behavior.


    ¡°Lulu, you phoned me in such a hurry, what¡¯s the matter, girl?¡± With a curious look on her face, Gu Xiaoxue, who had been waiting at the edge of the parking lot for some time, immediately asked in a doubtful tone upon seeing Ouyang Lulu quickly get off the car while holding something in her hand.


    Ouyang Lulu opened the zipper of her handbag and took out a laptop from the inside. After booting it, she then passed it to Gu Xiaoxue and said, ¡°Tang Xiu is on fire.¡± [1]


    ¡°Huh?¡± Baffled and bewildered, Gu Xiaoxue received the laptop and asked, ¡°Grand Master is on fire? Why did he become furious? Did someone provoke him or something?¡±


    ¡°No, he¡¯s not catching fire. It¡¯s his fame! His fame is blazing.¡± Ouyang Lulu waved her hand and said, ¡°Just open a websites¡¯ homepage and have a look at their headlines.¡±


    After hearing that, Gu Xiaoxue browsed a relatively famous website and then opened the headlines. After reading it for two minutes, she had a strange expression on her face. However, after she finished watching the video and listened to Tang Xiu¡¯s song and zither play, her eyes turned red. She raised her head in silence and said, ¡°Yes, this is indeed Grand Master.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s him, I know. But he¡¯s way too amazing, and that zither play and song of his are simply godlike!¡± Ouyang Lulu sighed, ¡°He¡¯s now become a big celebrity, and tons of people are idolizing him.¡±


    ¡°Grand Master was already amazing and powerful, to begin with.¡± A wisp of a smile appeared on Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s face as she said, ¡°I feel it¡¯s only natural no matter what kind of sensation he causes. Besides, I suddenly realized that Grand Master is so handsome.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu broke into laughter and then said, ¡°He is indeed very handsome. Anyways, I¡¯ve decided to leave for Shanghai to find him.¡±


    ¡°You want to go there?¡± Gu Xiaoxue curiously asked, ¡°What are you seeking Grand Master for?¡±


    ¡°What else but chasing after a star?¡± Ouyang Lulu said, ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve recently been doing something, and the preparation is almost done. To sum it up, it should be ready in the next few days. After which I¡¯ll go to Shanghai.¡±


    ¡°What are you preparing, exactly?¡± Gu Xiaoxue asked.

 Chapter 451

    Chapter 451: There Is No Story Without Coincidences


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Mystifying her thoughts and keeping them a secret, Ouyang Lulu didn¡¯t utter an answer. Knowing her disposition, Gu Xiaoxue could only put down her puzzlement. Because even if she asked again, Ouyang Lulu wouldn¡¯t budge if she didn¡¯t want to answer.


    ¡°Had dinner?¡± Gu Xiaoxue asked in a good mood.


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t.¡± Ouyang Lulu laughed. ¡°I was absorbed in the news. Could it be that Boss Gu wants to treat me to a feast?¡±


    ¡°Just come with me!¡± Gu Xiaoxue laughed. ¡°I¡¯ll tell someone to make a special dish.¡±


    Two days later, a streamlined private jet took off from Jingmen Island Airport and landed in Shanghai Airport. A well-proportioned and flawless Ouyang Lulu appeared, donned in a camouflage outfit, wearing a casquette and a pair of black sunglasses on her pretty and dazzling face. Her whole body seemed to emit a beautiful and wild feeling.


    Behind her, aside from the four cold-looking bodyguards, there was also five or six of her confidants. This group left the airport under the watchful gaze of countless people.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    A woman looking to be roughly in her 30s, with short hair and seeming very energetic, was already waiting outside. She immediately approached after seeing Ouyang Lulu and her group.


    She nodded in response. While striding toward the outside, Ouyang Lulu asked, ¡°How are the preparations? Are the information about those upscale clubs ready?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nearly done. They¡¯re just waiting for you to come negotiate with the other party.¡± The short-haired woman was named Kirei, and she was very a talented and capable person. She was also highly valued by Ouyang Lulu. Certainly, her most important trait was her boldness. She once came to Jingmen Island¡¯s Paradise Club cruiser and helped Ouyang Lulu manage the casino for several years. With her particular abilities, she helped Ouyang Lulu earn a lot of money.


    ¡°I see, let us first slow down the progress.¡± Ouyang Lulu nodded. ¡°When we¡¯ve fully investigated the other party they should also send someone to investigate us. Let them do it. I hope they can fully investigate me, though; or else the business talk won¡¯t be smooth sailing later.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Kirei nodded.


    Six Audis had lined up in the parking lot. Along with the arrival of the group, the drivers opened the cars¡¯ doors, gazing at Ouyang Lulu in awe.


    ¡°Gimme the key.¡± Ouyang Lulu came before one of the drivers and stretched her hand.


    The driver was stunned. Despite his puzzled look, he pointed to the control panel on the car¡¯s dashboard and said, ¡°It¡¯s in the car, Boss.¡±


    Nodding at him in response, Ouyang Lulu then sat in the driver¡¯s seat and closed the door. Under everyone¡¯s gazes, she slowly lowered the window and said, ¡°Settle your accommodations and lodging first, I won¡¯t go back today. If there¡¯s something else that needs to be dealt with, we¡¯ll meet tomorrow afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± Everyone nodded.


    Bluestar Villa Complex.


    In the corner of the northwestern sidewall, located at a blind spot, Duan Ning agilely climbed over the wall. There was a small camera hung on him. After observing the surroundings, he quickly opened a map and silently look at it.


    He was an ace reporter. A notorious reporter signed by a domestic large studio who was also an individual that often disclosed various major news of the entertainment industry in the past few years.


    As a professional dedicated to his work, he was especially able to make big bucks out of it.


    Due to his stellar performance, merely his annual bonus was no less than a million yuan. Added to his several-million-yuan annual salary, it was definitely a lucrative deal for him. This was exactly what made him very enthusiastic and motivated. He even signed up for a training class at his own expense in the past few months, where he trained his physique, learned how to track, and studied general knowledge in the observation aspect¡­


    In short, the present him was very confident in his ability.


    ¡°According to the information, Tang Xiu lives in the villa #9. But it won¡¯t be easy for me to secretly sneak near that villa. Nevertheless, I can pick other villas and seek one without anyone inside. I can go upstairs and pick a vantage point, allowing me to photograph villa #9 from afar.¡± Duan Ning let out a confident smile, as he immediately squatted and crept swiftly to the side.


    As a matter of fact, the security system of Bluestar Villa Complex could be said as exceptional. Unfortunately, even tigers had to sleep during the broad daylight after having a bite at noon. Hence, Duan Ning was able to slip in the vicinity of villa #9 and was unexpectedly unnoticed by the security guards there.


    He then hid under the shade of the trees. After observing for a while, he discovered that there was no one inside villa #11. Therefore, he deftly climbed over the wall in the corner of the villa and then climbed up to the rooftop. Then, he took out his camera, adjusted the lens and focus, and began to aim at the toward villa #9 dozen of meters away.


    Like the proverb says: there is no story without coincidences.


    However, Duan Ning hadn¡¯t discovered that when he had just climbed to the rooftop of villa #11, a black Audi slowly drove toward the direction of villa #9. However, Ouyang Lulu, who driving it, accidentally saw half of Duan Ning¡¯s body, as well as¡­ the camera in his hand.


    _What¡¯s going on here?_


    Ouyang Lulu furrowed her brows. She first thought that the man on the rooftop was the owner of that Villa #11. But after giving further thought, she realized that there was something wrong.


    _Tang Xiu just became a hot star. Don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s already being stalked by paparazzi?_


    Thinking up to there, a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. She then changed directions and parked behind villa #11. After watching as two security guards walked by and disappeared in a corner not far from where she was, she swiftly pushed the door open, and after observing the inside, she found that there was no one around. Her feet and hands agilely rushed to climb up the wall, imitating Duan Ning and climbing to the top of the building.


    Her light movements were discovered by Duan Ning.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡±


    A sharp small knife was pointed at Duan Ning¡¯s back, as a faint perfumed scent fluttered into Duan Ning¡¯s nostrils. His body immediately turned stiffed, and a chill spread inside him.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Who I am is no big deal.¡± Ouyang Lulu sneered, ¡°More importantly is, who the hell are you?¡±


    Duan Ning slowly raised his hands. The moment he turned around and saw Ouyang Lulu, he looked dazed and vacant with a stunned expression. He had seen many beautiful women, but no one could be compared with this breathtakingly beautiful girl in front of him.


    It was due to Ouyang Lulu¡¯s beauty that a greater part of Duan Ning¡¯s worry eased down, as he then said with a smile, ¡°Miss, you¡¯re really beautiful. The most attractive, beautiful woman I¡¯ve ever seen. But what are you doing, invading my house in broad daylight?¡±


    ¡°Your home?¡±


    Smiling in response, Ouyang Lulu knew from seeing the camera that the matter wasn¡¯t as simple as that. Hence, she didn¡¯t believe Duan Ning at all. After unhurriedly sizing him up with a careful eye, she sneered, ¡°Yeah, right. If this is your home, then the entire villa complex is mine! Cut the bullshit. Who the hell are you? How long have you been working as a paparazzi?¡±


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯ve wronged me!¡± Duan Ning forced a smile. ¡°This villa is really my home. I have the real estate ownership certificate in the study room on the second floor. How about you go down with me? I¡¯ll show it to you. Ah, that¡¯s right. I¡¯m Duan Ning, a businessman, and photography is my hobby.¡±


    ¡°Yea, yea. I really believe you!¡± Ouyang Lulu jeered at him. ¡°So to say, you¡¯re just going to break into someone¡¯s private residence illegally, eh?¡±


    ¡°Beauty, you¡¯ve just broken into someone¡¯s private home, so you¡¯re going to be arrested.¡± Duan Ning said, ¡°But, looking at your beautiful face, just accompany drinking a few cups and I¡¯ll let this matter pass.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then!¡±


    The answer was followed by Ouyang Lulu¡¯s leg flying up Duan Ning¡¯s face. Although she was a girl and paled in comparison with true experts, she could still fight several people by herself. Her fierce kick smashed Duan Ning¡¯s face and made him fall directly.


    _You fucking bitch!_


    Duan Ning loudly cursed inside. He was disoriented as got up dizzily. The awe and appreciation that had appeared in his eyes when he first saw Ouyang Lulu was no longer there, just anger and fury. Never did he expect that such a beautiful flower would suddenly hit him, even wenting so far as to doing it so ruthlessly.


    Cracking her fingers, Ouyang Lulu scornfully said, ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit with me. Take out your press card. Else, I don¡¯t mind calling the villa complex¡¯ security team. I believe you should know the consequences for a paparazzi sneaking into a villa and taking pictures of the householders¡¯ privacy without their expressed consent, no? The security guards will probably beat you to death or cripple you out of anger and shame because you clearly have treated their job with contempt, causing them to fail in their jobs.¡±


    Duan Ning felt a chill down to his spine.


    He was perfectly aware that his profession was fraught with risk and danger. He once had a colleague who had been with him for nearly two years. Precisely because he broke into a news target¡¯s home, he was then caught, beaten and brutally thrashed. Due to the other party¡¯s bodyguards heavy trashing, he turned into a vegetative.


    Malice was immediately born inside his heart as he rigidly stared at Ouyang Lulu. His feet fiercely trod on the floor as he threw himself toward Ouyang Lulu. He must bring her under his control. By doing so, not only would the immediate crisis be averted, he could also taste the beauty that came visiting his door.


    He admitted that among those many beauties he had once played with, no one came close to the one before him. He thought that even if he did Ouyang Lulu, he would be completely fine and could hide for a while after threatening her a little.


    _Peng, peng¡­_


    Ouyang Lulu stepped backward with a cold expression. She dodged and avoided Duan Ning¡¯s attacks. A moment after, she rapidly turned and ruthlessly whipped his back with her leg. Following the moment as Duan Ning got unsteady, she grabbed his shoulder and smashed her pink fist on Duan Ning¡¯s face.


    It was a brawl between man and woman, yet their level was totally different.


    This was not a difference where the man was stronger and the woman was weaker. Rather, it was the other way around. Even if Duan Ning had gone through several months of training, he was still far from becoming Ouyang Lulu¡¯s match. He got violently beaten and miserably wrecked, and could only curl up like a sun-dried shrimp on the floor with hands convulsing and twitching. However, he dared not scream for fear of drawing the security guards¡¯ attention.

 Chapter 452

    Chapter 452: The Wild Belle


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Several minutes later, Ouyang Lulu looked at her victim¡ªDuan Ning whose face was already beaten black and blue, and lied motionlessly on the floor like a dead dog. A wisp of smile appeared on her face. The final blow she dealt made Duan Ning faint.


    Suddenly, a cunning glint flashed in her eyes. She glanced around and found a brick in a corner. After breaking it, she picked up a small piece, aimed at the window of villa #9 dozen of meters away and then threw it with all of her strength.


    Inside the study room of villa #9.


    Tang Xiu was quietly holding a textbook and calmly studying it. Recently, he could only hide here every day due to the video of his performance spreading. Hence, he decided to seize the time and study well, striving to master the main textbook completely as early as possible.


    _Kacha¡­_


    The sound of glass being smashed caused him to daze. After he put the book down and went to the second floor balcony window, he looked through the window. Immediately, a strange expression was drawn on his face. He saw Ouyang Lulu, donned in a camouflage outfit, valiantly and gracefully standing on the edge of the rooftop of villa #11. There, she smilingly looking at him while waving her hand.


    ¡°Hey, what are you doing up there?¡± With an expression of being at a loss whether to cry or laugh, Tang Xiu loudly called out to her.


    Ouyang Lulu didn¡¯t answer. She just waved her hand at Tang Xiu.


    After thinking for a moment, Tang Xiu immediately left his house. After coming to villa #11, he found that its front gate was locked. Hence, he furrowed his brows and then climbed over the wall to the rear. His form was like a sturdy Spirit Ape, as he quickly climbed up to the top of the building. He was puzzled when he saw the scene on the roof, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu smiled. She raised her hand with the stuff she had picked up and said with a smile, ¡°Well, how will you thank me? I found this thing on him after I knocked him out.¡±


    ¡°Is it a journalist press card?¡±


    Tang Xiu frowned and looked at the fainted Duan Ning. He then shifted his eyes to Ouyang Lulu, who looked proud and contented. After which, he raised his brows and asked, ¡°How did you come here? And how did you find this reporter?¡±


    ¡°This Ancestor Grand Aunt ¡­ Ah, that¡¯s not right. This heavenly young miss is extremely intelligent, and her observational ability is powerful to the point of heaven-defyingness. Hence, when I just passing by, I found someone on the roof of this building. At first, I couldn¡¯t care less about it, but after I saw the camera, I knew that it was a problem after thinking about it. You¡¯re a big superstar now, so it¡¯s not strange for someone to aim video cameras at the villa you live in and take pictures without your consent.¡±


    Giving her a thumbs-up, Tang Xiu then asked, ¡°Lulu, what I¡¯m most curious about is, how do you know I live here?¡±


    ¡°Umm, I heard from Gu Xiaoxue!¡± Ouyang Lulu laughed and replied.


    Tang Xiu suddenly understood, as he then said with a smile, ¡°Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll call the security team to deal with this matter.¡±


    ¡°Reward! My reward!¡± Ouyang Lulu quickly said, ¡°Don¡¯t promise me a feast, you still owe me a lot of big feasts, anyway!¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help chuckling, ¡°What kind of reward do you want?¡±


    ¡°I want to learn martial arts from you.¡± Ouyang Lulu happily replied.


    Tang Xiu looked vacant, and there was a hesitant look on his face. There was no problem at all with learning martial arts. But if one wanted to learn powerful techniques, the only way was to learn cultivation techniques; while the cultivation techniques he had mastered, each and every one of them was very powerful. Therefore, once he imparted it to Ouyang Lulu, and she accidentally passed it to someone from her Ouyang Family¡­


    ¡°Is it something difficult for you, Tang Xiu?¡± Ouyang Lulu asked.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mind revolved quickly. After several seconds, he finally shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s not that difficult. Since you want to learn it, I¡¯ll teach you!¡±


    As long as he controlled the grade of the simple cultivation techniques to be practiced, Tang Xiu believed that there would be no problem. For example, the first level of casual or relaxation Kung Fu, or the second level.


    Since Ouyang Lulu wanted to cultivate, then so be it. With her present age, without the aid of huge cultivation resources, it would be very difficult for her to have high achievements.


    ¡°Do you really mean it, Tang Xiu? Will you really teach me?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s eyes lit up. She knew that many people from the Everlasting Feast Hall were martial arts experts. Even her good sister, Gu Xiaoxue, was a very powerful expert. Originally, when they were outside the Tang Family¡¯s ancestral residence, the power used by Gu Xiaoxue was still vivid in her mind, causing her to be obsessed and full of desire to learn it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll teach you.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°Can I reach Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s level with the martial art you will teach me?¡± Ouyang Lulu hurriedly asked.


    ¡°You know Xiaoxue¡¯s power?¡± Tang Xiu frowned and stared.


    ¡°Yeah, I know about it.¡± Ouyang Lulu nodded heavily. ¡°Previously when you were unconscious in Beijing at your Tang Family, Sis Xue defeated a lot of guards by herself. She was like a martial arts master, very strong and very powerful.¡±


    ¡°If you have good aptitude and are diligent in the future, you can also achieve her level.¡± Tang Xiu understood in a flash.


    ¡°That would be great!¡± Ouyang was pleasantly surprised. ¡°I love you, Tang Xiu!¡±


    Having said that, she opened her arms wide and jumped on Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu hastily pushed her away. With an expression of being at a loss whether to be amused of cry, he said, ¡°I told you that I¡¯ll teach you, didn¡¯t I? Why are you throwing yourself at me? Let¡¯s go! There¡¯s a reporter here; who knows if there are others as well. We had better not expose ourselves outside. Unless¡­¡±


    ¡°Unless what?¡± Ouyang Lulu smiled.


    ¡°Unless you are prepared to be like me. To have people point their fingers at you wherever you go; frequently have people confess their love to you; often being surrounded by journalists; even what just happened¡ªhaving paparazzi secretly taking pictures of you¡­¡±


    After imagining all that¡­ Ouyang Lulu shuddered.


    While shivering, she shook her head repeatedly, ¡°Forget it! I don¡¯t want to rise to stardom. I¡¯ll surely collapse if I become one. But then again, I seem to idolize you more and more. You can stay firm and secure here under these circumstances.¡±


    However, Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but rebuke, ¡°Not really. Not in this place. It¡¯s not like I can dig a rat hole and burrow my head into it. Perhaps you don¡¯t know, but someone is specifically sending meals over every day for me to eat. I can¡¯t even go out.¡±


    Suddenly, his expression flickered as if he suddenly remembered something, ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±


    They quickly went to villa #9. After Tang Xiu strode into the study room, he grabbed the mobile phone on the desk and dialed Chi Nan¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°Chi Nan, conduct an investigation and find out who spread the information of me living in Bluestar Villa Complex,¡± said Tang Xiu in a heavy and deep voice.


    ¡°What happened, Boss?¡± Chi Nan¡¯s inquired.


    ¡°A reporter secretly snuck into Bluestar Villa Complex to secretly take pictures of me,¡± Tang Xiu said. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for a friend of mine who came and accidentally discovered him, I wouldn¡¯t have known that there was a reporter around. So, check it out. I must know why and how my residence in Bluestar Villa Complex was spread out.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Boss. I¡¯ll check it out.¡± A wisp of killing intent could be felt from Chi Nan¡¯s tone.


    After finishing the call, Tang Xiu looked at Ouyang Lulu, who was leaning on the door. Forking out a forced smile, he said, ¡°Those paparazzi are really all-pervasive nowadays. I finally understand those big stars¡¯ worries and stress.¡±


    Faintly smiling, Ouyang Lulu commented, ¡°Say, I heard you performed on the same stage with the big star¡ªZhang Xinya a couple days ago, right? How was it like? You didn¡¯t get bewitched or charmed by that little fox, did you?¡±


    Tang Xiu was at loss between laughing or crying, ¡°Lulu, didn¡¯t you say that Zhang Xinya is your friend? Just ask her if you want to know!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just kidding!¡± Ouyang Lulu giggled. ¡°Anyhow, I got news that Xinya¡¯s concert will be held tomorrow. Shall we go watch it?¡±


    While pointing to his own face, Tang Xiu helplessly said, ¡°Do you think I can leave the villa complex through the front gate? Who knows how many journalists are watching the entrance?¡±


    ¡°Relax!¡± Ouyang Lulu playfully laughed. ¡°Let¡¯s disguise you. Who would be able to recognize you, then?! But then again, if you feel really vexed and can¡¯t stand it anymore, just hold a press conference and tell the whole world: DON¡¯T DISTURB ME!¡±


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes. He originally intended to let time dissolve all this matter. But if he were to follow Ouyang Lulu¡¯s suggestion, not only would the storm caused by his performance not cool down, it would even grow bigger instead.


    Of course, he was unaware of the fact that it was already a big deal as of now. The whole country had a population of more than a billion, and practically more than half of them had watched the video.


    ¡°Alright then, tell me your purpose for coming to Shanghai!¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°I don¡¯t believe you came purely only to see me so vexed.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu giggled, ¡°Go out with me on a date the day after tomorrow, okay? I¡¯ll give you a pleasant unexpected surprise.¡±


    ¡°What surprise?¡± Tang Xiu asked, confused.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask.¡± Ouyang Lulu laughed. ¡°Shortly put, I promise that it will give you a pleasant surprise. So pleasant that you won¡¯t even be able to sleep for three days and nights.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be tired out to death if I can¡¯t sleep for three days and nights.¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, ¡°Forget it. You still won¡¯t tell me in any case.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu loudly laughed.


    Deep inside her existed a wild and unruly nature. Inside such a carefree laughter was the was the existence of a woman who possessed boldness and toughness, giving off an aura of a man. Blended with her tender and beautiful looks, it formed a particular, special charm. Despite being accustomed to seeing beauties, Tang Xiu was also attracted and dazed by Ouyang Lulu at the moment.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, I¡¯ll call Xinya and ask her to dine with us tonight.¡± Ouyang Lulu said as she turned around to leave.


    Shaking his head and smiling, Tang Xiu then followed her out.


    At noon, Tang Xiu and Ouyang Lulu ate the lunch sent by Chi Nan. Following that, he randomly picked an ordinary cultivation technique and imparted it to Ouyang Lulu. However, he only taught her the first two levels of this cultivation technique. If Ouyang Lulu was unable to reach the pinnacle of the second level, then he wouldn¡¯t need to care about her anymore pertaining to this aspect.


    As for Chi Nan, she didn¡¯t stay after bringing the meals, but continued investigating how the reporter knew that Tang Xiu lived there.


    However, one Tang Xiu never expected was for Chi Nan to come back at 3 PM, reporting everything about the results of the investigation.

 Chapter 453

    Chapter 453: The Quarrel Between Laugh and Tears


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Like the proverb says, all the hustle and bustle in this world is for money.


    Nevertheless, what Tang Xiu didn¡¯t expect was that the security guard of this upscale villa complex was so easily bought. Just for a mere 20 thousand yuan, he told the paparazzi his cell phone number and specific address.


    _As always, people have their own will._


    Deeply sighing inside, Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes shifted to Chi Nan, ¡°How did the villa complex¡¯ office-holder deal with the security guard?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been fired. This is the most they can do,¡± said Chi Nan.


    ¡°Now that the information about me has already been spread, they only have the option to do that.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°And what about the reporter?¡±


    ¡°He has been arrested under criminal charges of breaking into private residence and persistent¡ªaggressive photography of other¡¯s privacy. As of now, the police have contacted the owner of villa #11, asking them to check and see if there¡¯s anything missing from their villa,¡± said Chi Nan.


    Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes and asked with a smile, ¡°Is there someone from the police guarding villa #11 presently?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there are also the villa complex¡¯ security guards.¡± Chi Nan nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m giving you a task. Sneak into villa #11 without being noticed by the police and security guards and steal some valuables,¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Since that paparazzi quite notorious, just make him stay in prison for several years.¡±


    Chi Nan¡¯s eyes turned bright. She immediately nodded and left.


    Several minutes after, Chi Nan came back through the wall, and handed Tang Xiu a box. Smiling, she said, ¡°It¡¯s done, Boss. I got the safe out. There wasn¡¯t much cash, but there were quite a lot of gold and silver jewelry and precious stones. Ah, right, I also found several interesting things.¡±


    ¡°What interesting items?¡± asked Tang Xiu, confused.


    While pointing to the black box, Chi Nan replied, ¡°The items are in there. You can have a look at them, Boss.¡±


    Tang Xiu opened the box and directly dropped everything inside on the coffee table. Aside from several stacks of hundred dollar notes, many items were jewelry made of gold and silver. There were even several diamonds with five carats, at least.


    Regardless, these things didn¡¯t interest Tang Xiu. What made him really interested was several other items. A sharp dagger, a small exquisite silver pistol, nylon rope, night-vision goggles, a set of special unlocking tools, and two black night-walk suits.


    ¡°Could it be that the owner of Villa #11 is a thief or something?¡±


    Looking at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh, Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but comment.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s highly likely.¡± Ouyang Lulu said, ¡°Otherwise, how can there be unlocking tools there? Judging from the material quality of these tools¡­ it¡¯s rather extravagant; it¡¯s actually made of gold. This set of unlocking tools, I suppose, can be converted into millions of yuan according to the present gold exchange price.¡±


    ¡°Whatever he is, if the police were to find these things he¡¯ll be in trouble.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll help him deal with this! After paparazzi has been sentenced, I¡¯ll find the time to give these things back to him.¡±


    ¡°Do you have further orders, Boss?¡± asked Chi Nan.


    ¡°No.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and answered, ¡°You can go back to your work!¡±


    While gazing at the leaving Chi Nan, Ouyang Lulu grinned as she touched the diamonds on the coffee table. With swift reaction, Tang Xiu knocked her hand back and said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t touch these things. I may not be a good person, but since the owner hasn¡¯t offended me, these things must be returned to him. If you like diamonds, buy it yourself.¡±


    ¡°But, I have no money!¡± Ouyang Lulu spoke in a pitifully and downcast way.


    ¡°You have no money?¡± Tang Xiu rolled his eyes. ¡°You are the famous and rich young lady Ouyang Lulu, how can you have no money? What joke are you playing, girl?¡±


    She took out her wallet showed it to Tang Xiu, saying, ¡°You see, there are six bank cards in my wallet, yet the balance added altogether doesn¡¯t add up to more than 30 thousand. I¡¯m poor, you know; pitifully poor. I had never been this poor since I started my business when I was 15.¡±


    Unconvinced, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°What happened to your money, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Got it all invested,¡± said Ouyang Lulu with a forced smile.


    _Invested?_


    Upon hearing it, Tang Xiu suddenly looked spirited, and curiously asked, ¡°What business did you invest in?¡±


    ¡°Not telling you.¡± Ouyang Lulu shook her head. ¡°You¡¯ll know in two days.¡±


    ¡°Say, Lulu. Do you need to make it so mystifying?¡± Tang Xiu helplessly said. ¡°Forget it, then. Since you don¡¯t wanna say, I don¡¯t feel like getting to the bottom of things anymore. Anyways, do you want me to lend you some money?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Not for the time being.¡± Ouyang Lulu shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll naturally find you when I need it, though.¡±


    ¡°Alright then. In any case, we¡¯re friends, so you don¡¯t need to be polite with me.¡± Said Tang Xiu with a nod.


    After saying that, he fished out his mobile phone and turned it on.


    _Ring, ring, ring¡­_


    However, less than two minutes after he had just turned it on, the ringtone of his phone sounded.


    Tang Xiu looked at the number shown on the screen and saw that it was Jin Xingkui calling him. He immediately accept the call and smilingly said, ¡°Old Brother Jin, are you looking for me?¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang, you finally turned your cell phone on.¡± Jin Xingkui forced a smile. ¡°You see, I¡¯ve been calling you since yesterday; I called you nearly a hundred times. Anyways, how was it? Does it feel good to be a star?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re joking me, Old Brother Jin,¡± said Tang Xiu helplessly. ¡°I have indeed been turning off my phone these days. I only turned it on occasionally if something happens. Ah, right, your purpose for calling me is¡­¡±


    ¡°The preparation on my side is done. I¡¯ll wait for you to see the site and then wait for your blueprint design,¡± said Jin Xingkui.


    After hesitating for a moment, Tang Xiu then said, ¡°Okay! Tell me the address, I¡¯ll catch up with you now.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be waiting for you at the intersection of Futian Road and Guangming Road in Jingning District. The site is very close to that place,¡± said Jin Xingkui.


    ¡°All right!¡±


    After replying, Tang Xiu hung up the phone and looked at Ouyang Lulu, saying, ¡°There¡¯s something I need to do, so I need to go you out¡­¡±


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Asked Ouyang Lulu.


    ¡°I recently talked to a friend about a business cooperation. So I¡¯m going to meet him, and survey the site while at it,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Business cooperation? What kind of business?¡± Asked Ouyang Lulu in astonishment.


    ¡°Real estate!¡± Tang Xiu smiled.


    Upon hearing it, Ouyang Lulu was immediately interested and smilingly said, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you then, Tang Xiu. If the architectural blueprints will be designed by you, my Ouyang Family also intends to become a shareholder.¡±


    ¡°No can do. The shareholders of this cooperation have already been set.¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said. ¡°Your Ouyang Family have no hope of participating in it. But it¡¯s fine if you want to come along, though. Just don¡¯t thoughtlessly speak.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, my lips are sealed? I¡¯m not going then. Only watching you talk about business and making a fortune; except for being anxious but unable to do anything, what use do I have there anyway?¡± Ouyang Lulu curled her lips and harrumphed. ¡°Just go by yourself! I¡¯ll stay here and wait for Xinya. Besides, she said she¡¯ll come immediately after she¡¯s done with her things.¡±


    ¡°Got no problem with that. Then, you just stay here!¡± Said Tang Xiu with a nod.


    Having said that, he stuffed all the things on the coffee table back into the safe box, and they carried it to the second floor. Just as he entered the study room, his finger flicked anf the safe box was immediately taken into his interspatial ring.


    After changing to his everyday clothes, Tang Xiu bade Ouyang Lulu goodbye and left driving his car. An hour later, he reached the appointed place.


    ¡°Brother Tang.¡±


    Accompanied by a man and a woman, Jin Xingkui had already been waiting on the roadside as he quickly approached and smilingly greeted upon seeing Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu looked at the man and the woman and smilingly asked, ¡°Who are they, Old Brother Jin?¡±


    ¡°They are my trusted confidantes. They are also responsible for the surveying work of this site.¡± Jin Xingkui smilingly said. ¡°I¡¯ll give you the specific measurement data later.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod.


    Quickly, under Jin Xingkui¡¯s guidance, Tang Xiu came to a deserted land. He only took a look at it once, and then began to observe the surrounding environment. Then, he found that the site was located in an excellent geographical location, and the transportation in the surrounding was quite convenient as well. There were also bustling commercial blocks and residential areas around it.


    If this site was properly utilized, it could definitely rake in money after the development and construction.


    ¡°This place is excellent. All right, I decided to invest in this project. Give me a few days and I¡¯ll hand over the architectural designs to you. Afterward, we¡¯ll begin to discuss the cooperation contract. Once it is finalized, the project implementations are yours to manage, while I¡¯ll be sending some people to supervise the project.¡± Tang Xiu seriously spoke.


    ¡°Supervise the project?¡± Jin Xingkui hesitated.


    ¡°Take it easy, brother!¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said. ¡°The construction of the project is still yours to manage. The supervision I mentioned is only for two aspects. First is pertaining the financial aspect, and second is related to the quality of the construction. They will not affect the construction of the project whatsoever, and they will only report back to me first if they find any problem.¡±


    ¡°No problem, then,¡± said Jin Xingkui with a smile.


    After saying that, the smile on his face faded. After hesitating for a moment, he said, ¡°Brother Tang, there¡¯s something, but I don¡¯t know whether I should tell you now.¡±


    ¡°You can tell me,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°As a matter of fact, my company has encountered some problems lately.¡± Jin Xingkui said. ¡°If we don¡¯t solve these problems, I¡¯m afraid it will be very difficult to launch the construction for the project in the near future even though we got your architectural blueprint.¡±


    ¡°What problems are you talking about, exactly?¡± Asked Tang Xiu curiously.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Jindi Group. Have you heard about them?¡± Jin Xingkui forced a smile. ¡°They¡¯re also a company that mainly engages in real estate business.¡±


    ¡°Nope, haven¡¯t heard of them.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    Jin Xingkui looked distracted, before he immediately nodded and said, ¡°The Jindi Group¡¯s Boss is called Ye Wenhe, a rich and overbearing figure. Even though he is pretty much comparable to me, yet we have no time for civilities. We had some contradictions prior, when we struggled to get this project, but it wasn¡¯t a problem at first, since it was a normal rivalry for people in the same occupation or industry! However, in order to get this plot of land, there were some conflicts between us. Although this site was finally taken over by me, Ye Wenhe harbored resentment toward me inside. Before I was ready to develop this site, I had, in fact, already made early preparations. Even I some of the construction materials I bought were sent here. Recently, however, a group of youths in the community often came to instigate trouble. So I sent some people to investigate it, and it was found that Ye Wenhe was the one who incited that group of youths to do so.¡±

 Chapter 454

    Chapter 454: A Big Deal


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°You meant that, once our project is started, it will also suffer the same problem?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s brows wrinkled deeply as he faintly asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not 100% sure, but it¡¯s highly likely,¡± said Jin Xingkui with a wry smile.


    Nodding, Tang Xiu was very satisfied that Jin Xingkui told him this issue now. After all, both sides hadn¡¯t truly signed the cooperation contract yet. If he were to hide this issue, it would be quite a hassle once the project launched.


    ¡°Let us put away this issue for now. But if this problem arises arises, do let me know, and I¡¯ll solve it.¡±


    With a happy expression, Jin Xingkui rubbed his hands and said, ¡°I had no choice but telling you about this matter, Brother Tang. Please don¡¯t blame me! But if I didn¡¯t tell you in advance, just the construction project itself would be delayed later.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you told me about this problem now. Anyways, let us not talk about this matter anymore. Give me the measurement data and survey of this site so I can be prepared after I go back,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°All right!¡±


    Jin Xingkui motioned for the woman beside him, as she immediately opened her briefcase and handed Tang Xiu a document.


    After receiving it, Tang Xiu said, ¡°All right. Then I¡¯ll go back first.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we lunch together, Brother Tang?¡± Jin Xingkui quickly asked.


    ¡°No, I still have some matters to take care of,¡± replied Tang Xiu while waving his hand.


    Afterward, Tang Xiu drove back to Bluestar Villa Complex. Just after he entered the house, he saw Ouyang Lulu and Zhang Xinya walked from the inside while holding hands. There was a smile on their faces, which evidently showed that their mood was quite pleasant.


    ¡°Hello, big star! We were wondering whether you¡¯d come for lunch! Anyways, the meal was personally sent by the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s Manager¡ªChi Nan, and they are already in the dining room!¡± Said Zhang Xinya with a smile.


    After locking the car¡¯s door, Tang Xiu replied with a smile, ¡°Come on. It¡¯s you who is a genuine big star, while my unwarranted reputation was due to a strange combination of circumstances. Besides, I don¡¯t think anyone will remember me after a few days.¡±


    ¡°I dare say it won¡¯t happen,¡± Zhang Xinya tenderly smiled. ¡°Anyhow, my visit this time is because I¡¯d like to invite you to be the special guest in my concert tomorrow evening.¡±


    ¡°No no no. Please let me out of this, will you?¡± Tang Xiu hastily waved his hand upon hearing it. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be in the headlines again the next day if I become the special guest in your concert. These days, I¡¯ve already been living in deep distress, and I¡¯ll really go crazy if things continue this way.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t get it, Tang Xiu. Others would do anything just to become famous. But you¡¯re actually repugnant to becoming famous.¡± Zhang Xinya tenderly smiled. ¡°Care to tell me the reason?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because I like a quiet and tranquil life; I don¡¯t like to be the focus of attention wherever I go. I prefer becoming rich without many disturbances in life,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°That idea of yours is kind of peculiar, you know.¡± Zhang Xinya couldn¡¯t help chuckled. ¡°But that¡¯s fine as well. You can still make a big fortune even if you don¡¯t rely on your fame. All right, tycoon Big Boss, shall we have lunch now? I¡¯m afraid the food will become cold if we delay much longer.¡±


    ¡°Then let us eat!¡± Said Tang Xiu with a faint smile.


    Accompanied by both good dishes and beauties, Tang Xiu savored as he eat crisply.


    After having eaten and drank to his heart¡¯s content, the two women picked up the leftovers and cleaned up the dishes. Just as Tang Xiu turned on his mobile, he received dozens of SMSs and missed calls¡¯ notifications.


    His complexion slightly changed after giving them a cursory look.


    Among them were several missed calls and an SMS from Yuan Chuling.


    Without a second thought, Tang Xiu dialed Yuan Chuling¡¯s cell number and asked in a heavy voice after the call got through, ¡°What happened? How did you get hurt?¡±


    ¡°Some people came over to make trouble when the fitness center was being renovated, and they were in large numbers. Some of the bastards were very strong; we were unable to beat them,¡± replied Yuan Chuling bitterly.


    ¡°Where are you now?¡± Asked Tang Xiu in a deep voice.


    ¡°Shanghai First Public Hospital,¡± said Yuan Chuling.


    ¡°Tell me your ward number, I¡¯ll coming,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Immediately afterward, Tang Xiu walked to the dining room and said in a deep voice, ¡°There¡¯s an urgent matter, so I must go out. You can treat this as your house.¡±


    Having said that, he ignored their questioning voices. He went straight to the courtyard, started the car, and drove away. After spending half an hour on the road he arrived at Shanghai First Public Hospital. Though it wasn¡¯t his first time there, and he also knew the President of the hospital, he didn¡¯t call anyone. He went straight to the Inpatient Department¡¯s ward on the 6th floor, where Yuan Chuling was being hospitalized.


    At this time there were three sickbeds on the ward, where three youths were lying. Aside from Yuan Chuling, who was half-lying, the other two were wearing oxygen masks.


    ¡°Tell me about the situation in detail.¡±


    With a grim expression, Tang Xiu¡¯s vision shifted to Yuan Chuling.


    Yuan Chuling¡¯s head was wrapped with a gauze and there were traces of blood seeping out. Traces of bloodstains could also be seen on his face, while his arms were also plastered. He looked really bad and miserable.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, we were really done in this time.¡± Yuan Chuling said with a bitter expression. ¡°It was because I looked for another construction team for the renovation. Back then I didn¡¯t want to hire them because the other party asked a very outrageous price. As a result, a group of people then came to our door the next day. Not only did they obstruct the workers, they also demanded compensation for emotional damage or something. At the end of the day, the disagreement led to a brawl, and now you see that two of my classmates have been injured, their wounds worse than mine.¡±


    After taking a deep breath, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°How are their conditions, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Their lives are not in danger; however, they must rest for a few days due to the condition of their injuries. However, our present trouble is about the campus. If by chance the campus takes disciplinary action to punish us due to skipping classes ¡ª or worse, expel us ¡ª we¡¯ll really be done for,¡± said Yuan Chuling.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about your campus. I¡¯ll find someone to help you out with that. Now, tell me about this construction team,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Eldest Brother, I know that your Kung Fu is good, but don¡¯t try looking for them, please,¡± said Yuan Chuling quickly. ¡°Those who hit us are from the construction team, while the rest were only some local rascals. Two or three of them were really strong, and obviously, they knew Kung Fu.¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap and just tell me!¡± Tang Xiu knitted his brows. ¡°You don¡¯t need to care about anything else.¡±


    Hesitating for a moment, Yuan Chuling then honestly told Tang Xiu what he knew about the other party. Afterward, Tang Xiu stayed in the ward for a while before leaving.


    Flames of anger had been ignited inside him.


    After coming back from the Immortal World, his first friend, and the one he had the best relationship with, was Yuan Chuling. In the beginning, when he was being bullied at the Star City First High School, Yuan Chuling was always the one who came forward to stand up for him. When he was compelled to move classes, Yuan Chuling was also the only one who unhesitatingly stood out and left with him.


    Despite feeling some deep down inside toward the existences of the so-called friends, brothers, and the like¡­ However, for Yuan Chuling, who had pulled him out of the pit of his own heart, he would never sit by and do nothing.


    After leaving the hospital, Tang Xiu then drove his car toward the address Yuan Chuling told him ¡ª New Dream Renova Company.


    The fa?ade of New Dream Renova Company was quite imposing and stylish. There were two beautiful reception ladies dressed in long skirts at the entrance; they bowed, greeting and expressing best wishes toward the few guests who walked inside.


    ¡°Welcome, Sir.¡±


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival, the two women bowed and let out genial smiles.


    However, Tang Xiu¡¯s face remained detached. After entering New Dream Renova Company¡¯s entrance and seeing the luxurious decorations as well as the amicable employees inside, he secretly sneered.


    ¡°Hello, Sir. May I ask if there¡¯s anything I can do for you?¡± Said the youth politely after he approached.


    ¡°I have a big deal to discuss. I need to talk to your Boss,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    The young man looked at him and carefully sized him up. He vaguely felt that Tang Xiu looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn¡¯t recall where he had seen him. Immediately nodding, he smilingly said, ¡°If so, please follow me to the VIP room. I¡¯ll immediately notify our manager.¡±


    Nodding, Tang Xiu then followed the young man to the VIP room. After several minutes of wait, the VIP room¡¯s door was pushed open and a well-dress middle-aged man looked at Tang Xiu with a smile on his face, taking several steps forward and smilingly greeting him, ¡°Hello, Sir. I¡¯m the New Dream Renova Company¡¯s Manager. You can call me Manager Li. May I ask how I should address you, Sir?¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and replied, ¡°The reason why I waited for you is that the young man¡¯s position who brought me here is not high enough. Hence, I had no choice but to directly contact your company¡¯s owner. I have a big business deal to discuss, one that perhaps your New Dream Renova Company may not necessarily able to carry it out. Therefore, I need to see and have a private discussion with your Boss in person.¡±


    Manager Li slightly frowned. He then probed, ¡°Sir, this big deal, may I know what is it¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the complete renovation of a luxurious residential area,¡± said Tang Xiu in a deep voice.


    Manager Li stared blankly. He then asked once again, ¡°This luxurious residential area you are talking about is¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll only talk about it with your Boss,¡± said Tang Xiu coldly.


    Manager Li fell into silence. Then, he slowly nodded, ¡°Sir, our Boss is currently out. If you must meet him, please wait here. I¡¯ll immediately call him when he¡¯s back.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    Tang Xiu fished out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it up, and took a deep puff before he nodded and replied.


    As for Manager Li, he slowly and carefully observed Tang Xiu. Thus, he didn¡¯t miss the cigarette smoked by Tang Xiu, as well as the world-class brand watch worn around his wrist. Although he couldn¡¯t figure out Tang Xiu¡¯s identity, he was certain that Tang Xiu was definitely a rich man for the apparels and world-class brand watch he was wearing; they were things that ordinary people couldn¡¯t possess.


    After making the call, instead of going straight back to the VIP room, Manager Li quickly rushed to the first floor entrance. There, he looked to his plump Boss who just got off from the car. With a smile on his face, he said, ¡°Boss, the client is very young, but he seems to be a rich man. I know that from the watch on his wrist; it should be worth several million yuan.¡±

 Chapter 455

    Chapter 455: I¡¯ll Help Round You Off!


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The New Dream Renova Company¡¯s owner¡ªYe Wentao, was a rich and powerful man. He was Jindi Group¡¯s Boss¡ªYe Wenhe¡¯s younger biological brother, someone whose character was arrogant and exceptionally overbearing. He liked to befriend people from all trades and had earned a lot of ill-gotten wealth over the years.


    ¡°If he¡¯s really rich and has come knocking our door, then he must shed three layers of skin in his wallet.¡±


    ¡°But of course, Boss,¡± said Manager Li, smirking. ¡°The guests who come to our New Dream, was there anyone who didn¡¯t hire our people? If the lad is sensible and gives us a good project, then we can make quite a fortune.¡±


    Grinning, Ye Wentao caressed his bare, big forehead and said, ¡°Take me to see him! I¡¯m now curious to know what is this big project.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Manager Li brought Ye Wentao to the VIP room on the second floor.


    After they walked through the door, Ye Wentao¡¯s eyes fell on Tang Xiu, who was still smoking quietly. His thick, short fingers touched his round belly, as he smilingly approached and greeted, ¡°You¡¯re very young, Little Brother! I¡¯m the New Dream Renova Company¡¯s Boss, Ye Wentao. How should I call you, Little Brother?¡±


    Ye Wentao?


    A cold glint flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes, as he pointed to the sofa in front of him and said, ¡°Sit down and let¡¯s have a chat.¡±


    Staring blankly for a moment, Ye Wentao then immediately burst into laughter. After sitting on the opposite sofa, he smilingly said, ¡°So, Little Brother. Shouldn¡¯t you answer me now?¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t want to answer your question,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°But I can tell you who I am if you can answer some of my questions first.¡±


    The smile on Ye Wentao¡¯s face quickly receded. His eyes, which were already small, squinted. He stared at Tang Xiu and sized him up. Following that, he unhurriedly said, ¡°Ask if you have questions! I¡¯ll answer you, and naturally won¡¯t conceal anything.¡±


    ¡°The first question is, have you ever personally killed before? Also, the number of people you have killed should be more than one or two,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Ye Wentao abruptly got up from the sofa. An ominous light burst from his eyes as he shouted sternly, ¡°Who are you?


    ¡°A gentleman¡¯s word is as worthy as gold, and he never takes it back. You just said that you will answer my questions first,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently.


    Ye Wentao was silent for a short while before he answered, ¡°You¡¯re joking, Little Brother. I¡¯m always a straight, serious, and formal businessman. How could there be people¡¯s lives in my hands?¡±


    ¡°Next, I want to know something. Does your New Dream Renova Company is a company that does business, or is it a gang?¡±


    Clenching his fists, Ye Wentao turned his head and gave Manager Li a look. As the manager left the room, a scorning smile appeared on his face, ¡°It seems you are not here to talk about business, but to cause trouble instead. Do say! Are you someone from the underworld?¡±


    ¡°You indeed have no composure nor willpower at all. To think that you would show such an appearance just after I asked you only two questions.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°Since you want to know whether I¡¯m from that path, then I¡¯ll tell you. I indeed came here today to cause you trouble, for I¡¯m someone specialized in it, to begin with.¡±


    Looking deeply at Tang Xiu, Ye Wentao gave him a thumbs up and exclaimed in praise, ¡°Good, just great! Heroes do really come from the youth. The last time some lowlifes came wanting to make trouble was probably more than a decade ago. Never thought that there would come a day where a reckless lad who has no idea of death or danger would appear here. Regardless of who you are and whatever fucking resentment you have with my New Dream Renova company, don¡¯t ever think you will be able to leave here today.¡±


    ¡°You want to take care of me, eh?¡± Tang Xiu mocked. ¡°Do you really don¡¯t want to know the reason why you¡¯ll be dying?¡±


    ¡°Is it even relevant?¡± Ye Wentao raised his brows and faintly smiled.


    ¡°It indeed has no significance at all. I came here today seeking revenge. But if you are nothing but a pushover, bullying you won¡¯t give me any pleasure and fun whatsoever. Thus, I¡¯m giving you two hours. I hope you can put out enough trump cards that can make me cautious.¡±


    _Bam¡­_


    The VIP room¡¯s door was pushed open, as seven or eight strong men and a young man dressed in a suit and tie came in quickly from the outside. Tang Xiu had seen them in the first floor lobby before. Each and every one of them looked well-dressed and wore a courteous disguise, and now they had torn off that layer of fa?ade and finally showed their true hideous and ferocious faces.


    Yet, Ye Wentao seemed not to be in a hurry to clean up Tang Xiu. Instead, he looked at Tang Xiu with a faint smile and said, ¡°Now you should know that I wasn¡¯t blustering, right? Let¡¯s talk now! Who the hell are you, lad, and what¡¯s your background? I hope you can say something fierce to deal with us so that you can scare me well.¡±


    ¡°You want to know? Fine, I¡¯ll tell you,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯m one of the shareholders of the New World Fitness Center.¡±


    New World Fitness Center?


    Ye Wentao turned his head to Manager Li and asked, ¡°Do you know this fitness center?¡±


    A cold glint flashed in Manager Li¡¯s eyes, as he answered in a deep voice, ¡°I know this fitness center, Boss. But they haven¡¯t opened their business yet, and even the site has yet to be renovated! Yesterday afternoon Ah Yang took some people to give the owner of this fitness center and the renovation workers there some beatings. This punk must have come to demand explanations!¡±


    ¡°Nope, you spoke incorrectly.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°I came seeking revenge.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re here for revenge? Relying on yourself?¡± Manager Li jeered and laughed loudly.


    ¡°Correct. I¡¯m fine by myself,¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod.


    Manager Li took a step back and gave Ye Wentao the spot to talk.


    Ye Wentao shook his head, with a dull and uninterested expression on his face, saying, ¡°Since you¡¯re a brain-dead idiot asking for troubles, then I¡¯ll fulfill your wish. I hope you can remember this lesson. Do not force yourself if you have no power. Cripple this punk!¡±


    Immediately, seven or eight strong youths rolled up their sleeves and stormed over toward Tang Xiu. They made big fists and prepared to waste Tang Xiu.


    However, Tang Xiu wasn¡¯t in a hurry to get up, and just stretched his foot to trample on the youth¡¯s bare feet in the forefront, causing him to momentarily lose his balance and fall down toward Tang Xiu; while at the same time, Tang Xiu grabbed his shoulder. Being forced by a huge strength, the youth screamed, as Tang Xiu easily threw him upside down, using him as a temporary weapon to sweep three other youths.


    _Bam, bam, bam!_


    The three youths were kicked by Tang Xiu and their bodies fell backward.


    In a flash, Tang Xiu got up and slammed the youth in his grasp at the trio, as his feet also trampled the trio in the abdomen, causing them to fly upside down and fall down to the floor, nearly kneeling.


    ¡°Kill him!¡±


    The other three youths immediately had their complexion greatly changed upon seeing this scene. One of them, whose face was fiendish, sternly shouted as he sent a wave of punchs toward Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What weak pussies!¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at them with contempt. As fast as a flashes of lightning, his fists punched the four youths who were in the disoriented state, as each one of them were hit on their chests. It only took a flash of effort as the four of them flew upside down. They spat out blood and fell to the floor.


    Eight men were all knocked down in just ten seconds!


    Ye Wentao¡¯s complexion suddenly changed, a frightened and panicked expression appearing on his face. After stepping backward a few steps, he pushed Manager Li aside. The manager wildly rushed to the VIP room. He then pulled a dagger from his waist, pointed its tip at Tang Xiu and shouted with a vicious expression, ¡°You do have some skill, punk! You did good to knock them down. However, I wanna know, can you beat ten times their number?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, let alone 80, I can still smash 800 of you.¡± Tang Xiu sat back on the sofa again and sneered. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, though. I said I¡¯d give two hours. Call out of your people and put out all of your trump cards within these two hours, so as to avoid me losing interest in you.¡±


    ¡°You really are crazy, and so fucking arrogant. However, I hope you can still so nonchalant like this later.¡± Ye Wentao gave him a thumbs up and scornfully sneered. ¡°I have been in Shanghai¡¯s shady waters for years, and I have seen many suicidal bastards, yet an extremely arrogant like you is really rare. You¡­ really made me interested.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and lit up another cigarette. While smoking, he said, ¡°After today, Shanghai will no longer have a sort like you anymore. I don¡¯t kill good people, but your hands have been stained by a lot of blood, so you must die unless you accept my demand!¡±


    ¡°I know that you¡¯re very arrogant, lad. But you won¡¯t have things as you wish!¡± Ye Wentao grinned, ¡°However, I wanna hear it, nevertheless. What is your demand, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll tell you after you are at your wit¡¯s end,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Coldly smiling in response, Ye Wentao put down his dagger as well. He then took out a cigarette and lit up as well. While smoking his cigarette, he waited.


    Two minutes later, more than a dozen youths rushed into the VIP room. Their complexion greatly changed after seeing their comrades fallen on the floor. In a flash, some of them took out knives from their waists and pointed them at Tang Xiu. All they needed was Ye Wentao¡¯s order and they would storm over all at once.


    However, Ye Wentao didn¡¯t issue the order immediately, but rather looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Lad, this place is rather small, so we might as well resolve this in a larger place.¡±


    Tang Xiu got up. As he walked, he stepped on a youth¡¯s wrist; the sound of broken bones then sounded. Then, under the fierce glares of Ye Wentao and the others¡¯, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t stop his actions and stepped on the wrists of the eight youths one at a time. Within just several seconds, the right hand¡¯s wrists of the eight youths were all broken.


    ¡°Asshole, you¡¯re too ruthless!¡±


    Ye Wentao was furious.


    ¡°Ruthless?¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°My friend was severely injured by your people and now is lying in a hospital bed. How come you didn¡¯t feel bad at that time? I guarantee that all of you will end up worse than him today. I¡¯ll make you regret messing with my friend for the of your life.¡±


    ¡°Tell me, who the fuck are you?¡± Ye Wentao gasped deeply a few times and fiercely shouted.


    At this time, a youth who was in front of Ye Wentao suddenly shouted, ¡°I know him, Boss. His name is Tang Xiu, this year¡¯s freshman from Shanghai University. I watched a video of him singing and playing the zither a couple of days ago.¡±

 Chapter 456

    Chapter 456: Devil


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    A freshman at Shanghai University?


    Ye Wentao suddenly remembered a video he had seen a couple days ago. He recalled the figure singing and playing the zither in the footage and compared him with Tang Xiu. He immediately realized why he felt that the young man looked so familiar. It turned out that he had seen him in that video.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you were so gifted. But a pity, it will be very difficult for you to get out of my renovation company today,¡± said Ye Wentao in a cold tone.


    ¡°You would already have been done if I hadn¡¯t given you time just now. There¡¯s no point in you saying anything now. Lead the way!¡± Tang Xiu coldly looked at him.


    Ye Wentao turned and took the lead out of the VIP room, a dozen of fierce-looking youths angrily glaring at Tang Xiu. As Tang Xiu stepped out of the room, they also followed closely.


    In the New Dream Renova Company¡¯s backyard.


    With a sneer on his face, Ye Wentao came to a stop there. His men arrived one after the other, the number now exceeding 30 as they surrounded Tang Xiu. Most of them held weapons such as machetes and steel pipes. He was confident that Tang Xiu would be hacked to death as long as he gave them the order.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯m suddenly feeling merciful. I can spare you miserable life as long as you beg me for mercy and break one leg of yours. Of course, there¡¯s no way you can get out without compensation, though it won¡¯t be too outrageous. You injured eight of my men, so you must pay 10 million yuan in compensation each. Pay 80 million in compensation and we can forget this matter.¡±


    Slowly raising his hand, Tang Xiu stretched his finger and hooked it toward Ye Wentao and indifferently said, ¡°Tell your men to come at me. We shall see whether it¡¯ll be you or I who will die.¡±


    ¡°Trash him but don¡¯t kill him. It doesn¡¯t matter if you got him crippled!¡± Ye Wentao scowled and shouted violently.


    In a flash, more than ten men armed with machetes and steel pipes stormed over toward Tang Xiu. Most of them were experienced in fighting, and they had used the weapons in their hands to beat up quite a lot of people as well. Therefore, they brought that confidence to clash with Tang Xiu.


    Alertly observing his four sides, yet don¡¯t acting hashly, Tang Xiu then moved as though lightning. He instantly flashed to the side, his fist hitting the man in front. At the same time, his other hand also grabbed the steel pipe the man hacked at him and easily snatched it.


    _Pa, Pa¡­_


    Blood splashed in all direction as the steel pipe smashed heads.


    The steel pipe¡¯s afterimage in Tang Xiu¡¯s hand was waving like a tiger in the midst of a flock of sheep. The men who had him surrounded were unable to see Tang Xiu¡¯s movements and were smashed by the steel pipe, falling down to the ground. Yet, Tang Xiu¡¯s footsteps didn¡¯t cease moving as the foot of a man was broken whenever his footsteps landed.


    ¡°Heavens! How is this possible?¡±


    ¡°Fuck! How could he be so powerful?¡±


    ¡°Am I dreaming? Dozens of our Brothers got done in already?¡±


    ¡°P-probably, not even half a minute passed from the beginning to the end, right?¡±


    There were still more than 20 men who had yet to act. They had looks of disbelief on their faces, as many of them couldn¡¯t help but exclaim in alarm when they saw this scene.


    People say that a pair of fists can¡¯t contend with four enemies.


    Yet, in front of Tang Xiu, the Internet celebrity who seemed to be only in his early 20s and turned out to have such powerful skills, everyone gaped and was shocked. After all, never once had they ever seen or heard of a man knocking out dozens of people, to begin with.


    _Is he Zhao Zilong from Changshan or something?_


    Many suddenly remembered such sentence. In their view, wasn¡¯t this feat only something the historical Zhao Yun from Changshan could achieve?


    Not far away from the scene, Ye Wentao gaped in disbelief as he looked at Tang Xiu. He could barely accept the fact that Tang Xiu was able to take down his eight men in the VIP room before, but now, seeing Tang Xiu easily take down 15 of his men at the same time that easily was something he could no longer accept.


    It must be known that those 15 men were more powerful than the previous eight men. Even two or three ordinary people were not opponents for the two men amongst them.


    ¡°Anhu!¡±


    Recovering from his shock, Ye Wentao quickly shouted loudly.


    A tall, bear-like middle-aged man stepped out from the crowd, the steel machete in his hand reflecting dazzling lights under the sunlight. He was the best fighter Ye Wentao had. He had once defeated seven people and came out unscathed.


    ¡°I may not be able to beat him, Boss. Please order Little Qing to give me a hand.¡±


    ¡°Pick whoever you think can assist you.¡± Ye Wentao growled. ¡°But no matter what, I don¡¯t want this punk to get away alive from my renovation company today!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Anhu nodded heavily, murderous intent in his eyes. He shouted in a heavy voice, ¡°Little Qing, Ah Ben, Little Mao! You three come assist me!¡±


    Immediately, three stalwart men stepped out of the crowd. In their hands were machetes and steel pipes. They glared fiercely at Tang Xiu as they encircled him in the middle at an extremely quick pace.


    ¡°Now, now. You should be Ye Wentao¡¯s most powerful dogs, yes? Seeing you makes me suddenly recall an ancient saying,¡± said Tang Xiu with a sneer.


    ¡°What ancient saying?¡± Anhu squinted his eyes, a murderous intent flashing as he asked.


    ¡°The monkeys reign when the there are no tigers in the mountain,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°Soft-legged shrimps don¡¯t have any strength whatsoever in front of me.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, whether or not I have the strength to fight back, that will have to be tried first.¡± Anhu sneered.


    After saying that, he stepped forward. His footsteps were solid and were particularly positioned. In just a short two breaths he appeared in front of Tang Xiu. His one-meter steel machete hacked down toward Tang Xiu¡¯s head. Had it been a ordinary person, the machete would probably split him in half.


    Fending and dodging to the side, Tang Xiu¡¯s footsteps glided for half a meter. He instantly smashed his steel pipe on the back of Anhu¡¯s head. Blood splattered in all directions the moment after, as Anhu was battered to death directly by Tang Xiu.


    _You¡¯ve taken a lot of human lives. Consider it a blessing and good fortune for you to die first in my hands._


    Tang Xiu spoke inwardly as he reached out and grabbed Anhu¡¯s body, maneuvering the corpse to block the two men who came hacking at him.


    _Bam¡­_


    Tang Xiu threw Anhu¡¯s body to the man with the machete. His legs instantly moved toward the other two men, smashing the steel pipe on the right side of their necks and causing them to fall straight to the ground. This time he didn¡¯t kill them, but his fingers pressed some of their acupoints. His star force flushed into their bodies and destroyed their nerve system.


    He didn¡¯t kill! However, they could only spend the rest of their lives in bed; which was the best punishment for them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste time! You all Come at me all at once. I¡¯m not going to kill you today, but you fucking bastards must be punished!¡± Tang Xiu shouted fiercely as he threw the steel pipe away.


    Desperately swallowing his saliva, fear appeared in Ye Wentao¡¯s eyes. Never did he imagine that Tang Xiu¡¯s martial strength would be so terrifying that his four most powerful fighters were disposed of by Tang Xiu in such a short period of time. His best fighter, Anhu, was even directly killed.


    Heavens! How could he have provoked such a terrifying monster?!!!


    Ye Wentao truly wanted to run away; however, he calmed down after seeing more than 20 of his men still standing. He pointed to Tang Xiu and bellowed, ¡°FUCK HIM UP! KILL THIS ASSHOLE! I WANT HIM DEAD!¡±


    However, the martial strength shown by Tang Xiu already made them shocked, as their legs were slightly trembling. If Ye Wentao was not here, at this moment, they might have thrown their weapons down and fled.


    In their eyes, how could this youth still be human?!!! He was simply a fighting machine!!!


    It must be noted that Anhu had learned martial arts since he was a child, thus his foundation was very solid. He was an expert at Taizu Chang Quan and Baji Quan, as well as very good at freestyle combat; yet, even this fellow was killed by him with only a move. It was simply like sending themselves to die!! Furthermore, Little Qing was a retired soldier and very strong. He became Ye Wentao¡¯s henchman after murdering some people and needing to lay low for a while; he had been concealing his identity till now. [1]


    Four masters! Yet they were actually done in so easily by someone while they were ganged up on the man at the same time. How could they possibly contend against him?


    Looking at the fear on their faces as they didn¡¯t immediately execute his order to besiege Tang Xiu, Ye Wentao¡¯s panicked expression turned into anger as he shouted loudly, ¡°ARE YOU ALL FUCKING DEAF?! This Father wants you to kill him for me! I will give 10 million yuan to whoever kills him, and he will also become my right-hand man in the future!¡±


    10 million yuan?


    Vicious and fiendish as they were, their fear instantly vanished upon hearing the reward set by Ye Wentao. Many of them reacted as though injected with chicken blood as they bravely stepped forward and storm over Tang Xiu like hungry wolves. [2]


    If the reward is attractive enough, there will always be those brave enough to take the risk.


    These words perfectly explained this very moment.


    However, no matter how hard they went, they were still like ants trying to shake a giant tree. They were simply biting off more than they could chew. Tang Xiu acted ruthlessly and heavily due to the anger inside his heart. Every man who rushed over toward him had his hand or leg broken.


    In the courtyard, dozens of people curled up on the ground like dried-up shrimps, screaming and wailing. This scene chilled one¡¯s spine.


    Looking at Tang Xiu standing among the crowd, Ye Wentao¡¯s complexion was one of disbelief. He looked at his miserable men. Staggering, he faltered as he looked at Tang Xiu and was speechless for a long time.


    ¡°Ye Wentao, right? There¡¯s still time. I¡¯ll wait if you want to call more people.¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s face was cold and detached as he walked toward Ye Wentao and indifferently spoke.


    Ye Wentao¡¯s mouth twitched. Prior to this, he was so arrogant when speaking to the opposite party, yet he didn¡¯t expect that he¡¯d be forced to this extent today.


    ¡°You just wait!¡±


    Not daring to run away, Ye Wentao took out his mobile phone and prepared to call his biggest backer.

 Chapter 457

    Chapter 457: Cruel and Evil


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Jindi Group¡¯s Headquarters.


    It was a lunchtime for Ye Wenhe. He was busy due to businesses¡¯ issues, and was only able to take a breath now. However, his mood turned for the better after looking at his peach-faced, tender and beautiful female secretary. If the project he had just discussed could be completed successfully, he would receive a lot of profits. At that time, he would buy some extravagant accessories for this little coquettish demoness to make sure that she¡¯d make him feet better and more ********. [1]


    _Ring, ring, ring¡­_


    The mobile phone on the table ringed.


    After swallowing the food in his mouth, Ye Wenhe picked it up and had a look at it. His brows immediately lifted up. After accepting the call, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s the problem, Second Brother?¡±


    ¡°Brother, help!¡±


    From the cell phone, Ye Wentao¡¯s voice came out.


    For a moment, Ye Wenhe stared blankly. He then put the chopsticks in his other hand. The smile on his face faded as he asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°T-There¡¯s a monster in my renovation company making trouble,¡± said Ye Wentao hurriedly. ¡°H-he¡­ he alone disposed of more than 40 my men. B-Brother, bring your people here. FAST!!¡±


    ¡°Hey, Second! Did your brain get kicked by a donkey or something?¡± Ye Wenhe frowned. ¡°Did you say that a person took care of 40 of your men? What damn joke is this? I still got things to deal with. I have no spare time to joke about with you.¡±


    After saying that, as he was about to hang up the phone, Ye Wentao shouted.


    ¡°Brother, I¡¯ll die if you don¡¯t help me! Every word I said is true. If it was before, I myself would never believe such an absurd thing, but it did really happen. There really is a guy who killed more than 40 of my men standing in front of me. I-If¡­ if you don¡¯t believe me, I¡¯ll let him talk to you.¡±


    After a moment of silence, Ye Wenhe then replied coldly, ¡°Then let him talk.¡±


    Ten seconds after, Tang Xiu took over the phone thrown by Ye Wentao and said indifferently, ¡°What your trash brother has said is all true. If you don¡¯t want him to die, then send some people to rescue him. I gotta give you an advice you, though. You had better give it your all; don¡¯t spare anything. Otherwise, you would only fold yourself instead of saving him.¡±


    After saying that, Tang Xiu smashed the mobile phone and then looked at Ye Wentao with his arms folded.


    Ye Wentao took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed his fear. He looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Tang Xiu, though I do have a lot of people, I pale in comparison with my older brother. If you don¡¯t want to die, I advise you to get the hell out immediately; or else, it will be impossible for you to leave this place later.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m scared?¡± Tang Xiu sneered.


    He then fished out his mobile phone and dialed Chi Nan¡¯s phone number. After she answered, he said, ¡°Take some people to the New Dream Renova Company. I have killed some people here, and I need you to bring someone to deal with the collateral damage and the aftermath.¡±


    ¡°Got it, Boss!¡± Chi Nan quickly replied.


    After putting away his mobile phone, Tang Xiu looked at Ye Wentao and said, ¡°At first, I had no need to call people over here to deal with the aftermath, but today¡¯s matter will inevitably make a big stir. Therefore, I hope that your big brother can quickly come to rescue you. If not, once my men arrive and with me around, the people your brother brings will be cleaned up.¡±


    The fear in Ye Wentao¡¯s eyes intensified. Tang Xiu alone had decimated more than 40 of his men. If he still had his subordinates, could his older brother be able to deal with the situation?


    That¡¯s not right!


    Suddenly, he remembered something, the fear on his face completely disappeared. After which, he sneered and said, ¡°Surnamed Tang! Trying to mystify things, eh? You are nothing but a freshman at Shanghai University. Dealing with the collateral and aftermath? Hmph, what a bluff!¡±


    Creasing his brows, Tang Xiu looked at the sudden arrogance on Ye Wentao¡¯s face. A wisp of a smile appeared on his handsome face as he said, ¡°Well, I just had a sudden change of mind. I decided to make you pay interest first because of your provocation. Isn¡¯t the Boss supposed to share everything with his men for better or worse? Didn¡¯t you also speak such things to your men?¡±


    ¡°Y-Y-You¡­ what are you gonna do?¡±


    Without him realizing, Ye Wentao stepped back two steps. A panicked expression re-surfaced on his face again.


    ¡°Are you asking what I¡¯m gonna do?¡± Tang Xiu jeered, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t figure it out?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, a man¡¯s words are as worthy as gold. Those were your words a moment ago. Don¡¯t tell me you want to take back the words you¡¯ve said? Are you still a man?¡± Ye Wentao shouted.


    ¡°Whether or not I¡¯m a man is not for you to say it.¡± Tang Xiu sneered.


    As his voice fell, Tang Xiu¡¯s figure instantly appeared in front of Ye Wentao. In an instant, a sharp dagger flashed across Ye Wentao¡¯s arms, blood spraying out quickly, as a slit the size of a baby¡¯s mouth opened on it.


    Tang Xiu sneered. The tip of his knife then changed directions and directly poked into his front arm. Amidst Ye Wentao¡¯s shrilling screams, Tang Xiu retreated two steps and watched as Ye Wentao tried to pull his weak arm, ¡°So, how are you feeling now?¡±


    The severe pain almost made Ye Wentao faint. He looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s smile as his vision turned dark and almost fainted. Regardless, it was not caused by the pain, but the fear in his heart.


    From the first moment Tang Xiu acted, he realized that Tang Xiu was extremely cruel and merciless, yet little did he imagine that his cruelness would go so far as to this extent.


    He didn¡¯t kill him. But what he was doing now was fully torturing and tormenting him. Not only was he torturing him physically, he was also tormenting him psychologically.


    As of now, Ye Wentao had already started to pray, so that his older brother¡ªYe Wenhe would come earlier with his men. Otherwise, he didn¡¯t know how long he could persevere until his older brother arrived.


    ¡°YOU WIN!¡±


    Ye Wentao suddenly looked up. His eyes were as though spitting flame as he shouted and glared at Tang Xiu.


    ¡°For me to be ruthless or not is not something for you to decide as well. But I¡¯ll give your older brother half an hour. If he doesn¡¯t arrive here within this time window, I will kill you directly; I don¡¯t want to waste my time here any longer. Let my men deal with the aftermath later!¡±


    A chill struck Ye Wentao¡¯s heart.


    He didn¡¯t want to die!


    He was still under his 40s and possessed great wealth. But if he were to die now, having enormous wealth simply had no meaning whatsoever. He had once had a myriad of fantasies, imagining that he had bundled himself a mountain, possessing an enormous wealth, and then enjoyed it for the rest of his life.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, give my big brother 40 minutes. He wouldn¡¯t be able to arrive here within 30 minutes if he got trapped in a traffic jam. But I promise you he¡¯ll be able to arrive here within 40 minutes. Furthermore, I won¡¯t let him strike you even if he comes. This issue is my mistake, to begin with. I shouldn¡¯t have let my people strike your brother and friends. If anything, I¡¯m willing to pay compensation. Tell me how I should compensate you and I¡¯ll do it.¡± Ye Wentao was really frightened, looking at Tang Xiu in fear as he nearly wept.


    40 minutes?


    ¡°You want 40 minutes. Alright, I¡¯ll give him 40 minutes.¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°I really hope he can arrive in 40 minutes. Otherwise, _hmph¡­_ ¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure!¡±


    Nodding in desperation, Ye Wentao¡¯s eyes then swept over his nearest subordinate and shouted, ¡°Gimme your cell phone! I gotta call my brother again.¡±


    The middle-aged man had his leg broken by Tang Xiu. At this time, he was suffering tremendous pain; however, he hurriedly threw his mobile upon hearing Ye Wentao¡¯s shout.


    ¡°Don¡¯t your eyes see that my hands are unable to exert any strength? Dial his number for me!¡± Ye Wentao furiously shouted.


    Fearful and frightened, the middle-aged man crawled up and hurriedly dialed the cell number while suppressing the pain. He propped himself up by holding onto Ye Wentao¡¯s waist and was barely able to stand up. He then dialed the number as per Ye Wentao¡¯s instructions and then sent the mobile phone to his ear.


    ¡°Who is this?¡± Ye Wenhe¡¯s cold voice came from the phone.


    ¡°Brother, my arms¡­ my arms were pierced by his knife. Brother, please hurry up! Come quickly! He only gave you 40 minutes. No, that¡¯s not right! There¡¯s only 38 minutes now. If you can¡¯t get here within 38 minutes, he said he¡¯s going to kill me. Brother, I¡¯m not joking with you. He already killed Anhu, and his dead body is in front of me. Please, hurry up!!!¡±


    At this time, Ye Wenhe, who was riding an elevator downstairs, had his complexion greatly changed. He knew that Anhu was the best fighter his younger brother had. He didn¡¯t expect him to be killed in front of his younger brother.


    In a flash, killing intent appeared in Ye Wenhe¡¯s eyes, as he said in a deep voice, ¡°I¡¯ll catch up as fast as possible! Tell him that as long as he does nothing, I agree with whatever he wants!¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll tell him at once!¡±


    Ye Wentao then looked at Tang Xiu and loudly said, ¡°Tang Xiu, my older brother said that as long as you do nothing until he arrives here, he¡¯ll comply with whatever demands you have. Let me tell you. My older brother is the Big Boss of the Jindi Group with a ten-billion-yuan wealth. If you spare me, he¡¯ll give you a lot of money; tons of money!¡±


    ¡°Do you see me as someone who lacks money or something?¡± Tang Xiu sneered.


    ¡°Then, what exactly do you want?¡± Ye Wentao asked loudly, ¡°That¡¯s right, you did say before that you have a request. What¡¯s your request, exactly?¡±


    ¡°My request was originally a simple one. But your people started to attack me, some of them even dying in my hands. Thus, I¡¯m not prepared to mention about that request again. Because now, I only want to kill you.¡± Tang Xiu sneered.


    Ye Wentao¡¯s face turned ghastly pale. His lips quivered as he looked at Tang Xiu without the ability to speak. He could only tell his brother to come a bit faster and rescue him, for Tang Xiu already held the thought to kill him.


    Suddenly, the big man standing next to Ye Wentao whispered, ¡°Boss, tell him that we¡¯ll let bygones be bygones for Anhu¡¯s death.¡±


    Ye Wentao dazed for a short moment. A few seconds after, his eyes lit up and he shouted, ¡°Tang Xiu, Anhu was my henchman. He was a man who lived on the edge of the knife, who sooner or later could have been killed by his enemies. Hence, I don¡¯t mind that Anhu was killed by you. If anything, I¡¯ll certainly comply with your request as long as you say it. And my older brother will definitely comply with it as well!¡±

 Chapter 458

    Chapter 458: Struggling at Death¡¯s Door


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Cravenly clinging to life instead of braving death was always human nature. No one is unafraid when facing death. Certainly, the death of those who lay down their lives for a noble cause is much heavier than Mt. Tai. But more often than not, the death of the majority is lighter than a goose feather.


    But then again, fear is very normal.


    Regardless, as far as facing death is concerned, some show unperturbed expressions; while others are frightened out of their wits.


    Ye Wentao didn¡¯t want to die. He believed that good people would die young, while the scourges would last for millenniums. Hence, to him who had done too many evil deeds to count and had murdered more than once with his hands, he showed some compassion to those who were struggling and pleading miserably for mercy at the beginning; however, he had already become numb to it. Moreover, as his role changed, he suddenly realized how much despair and fear the people he had felt.


    Regret! It was like a viper preying on his heart. Seeing and realizing his errors, the urge to repent emerged in his heart out of desperation.


    With a cold and detached expression, Tang Xiu looked at him and lightly said, ¡°Do you not fear disappointing your men if you say that? Take a look at them. Aren¡¯t they like foxes who are sad at the death of a hare?¡±


    Turning his head with a blank expression, Ye Wentao then saw his men looking at him with disbelief in their faces. A wave of regret immediately assailed him.


    He then realized something. His pleading for mercy just now had turned their hearts cold.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Ye Wentao opened his mouth, yet he didn¡¯t know what to say.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just wait!¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°Whether you can live or not; it will depend on the speed of your older brother¡¯s arrival.¡±


    After saying that, he lit a cigarette and took a few steps to the side. Leaning on a big tree, he no longer spoke.


    Silently closing his eyes, thoughts swirled inside Ye Wentao¡¯s mind. No one knew what he was thinking. Even his followers who had followed him for so many years didn¡¯t know what he had in mind. Ten minutes later, Ye Wentao¡¯s eyes finally opened, and took a few steps toward Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, there¡¯s no need to wait for my big brother. You can kill me now.¡±


    Sensing something, Tang Xiu raised his head, his vision landing on Ye Wentao. He was surprised to find that the faint sinister aura inside Ye Wentao had unexpectedly disappeared without a trace. Though there was still a bit of fear in his eyes, they were now more determined and firm.


    What exactly had happened?


    Slightly frowning, Tang Xiu looked at him and asked, ¡°Did you have a change of mind?¡±


    ¡°My current situation is much like those persecuted by me. I couldn¡¯t comprehend it before, but now I can. Their fears, despair, it¡¯s really¡­ Ah, forget it. Just kill me if you want to! However, I have a request I hope you can allow before you kill me,¡± said Ye Wentao.


    ¡°Talking to me about conditions? Do you think you have the right?¡± Tang Xiu sneered.


    ¡°I¡¯m not speaking about conditions. It¡¯s a request, or you can say it¡¯s a plead,¡± replied Ye Wentao as he shook his head.


    ¡°Say it,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Ye Wentao¡¯s vision then landed on his men as he said unhurriedly, ¡°I used to be a villain who committed all sort of crimes; bullying the weak and fearing the strong, as well as persecuting a lot of people. Even if you kill me today, I admit that I deserve punishment for those crimes. People like us have a saying: ¡®We will have to pay for what we have done sooner or later¡¯. Regardless, though my men are not good guys, most of them were only following my orders; they did those evil deeds because I instructed them to do so. Hence, as they have already been punished, I hope you can spare them and let them go. I promise you that they will definitely close their mouths about all that happened today.¡±


    ¡°Are you joking with me?¡± Tang Xiu raised his brows and sneered.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m dead serious,¡± said Ye Wentao as he shook his head.


    In a flash, Ye Wentao¡¯s men had a change in their expressions. Their eyes were still filled with some disbelief, yet there was also an inconceivable expression in them. Never did they expect that Ye Wentao would say those words.


    It had to be noted that ten minutes ago Ye Wentao was begging for mercy out of fear. Though he didn¡¯t express it explicitly, his face vividly and thoroughly described what he had in mind. But now he was like a changed man after a little more than ten minutes? Why would he make such a decision?


    Clapping, Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°It seems you have just gone through a great awakening or something. Buddhists have a saying that one can become a Buddha if he lays down his butcher¡¯s knife. I think you can leave your home and become a Buddhist monk if you don¡¯t die today. Regardless, it¡¯s impossible for me to kill you now. That big brother of yours, the Jindi Group¡¯s Big Boss, is your backer, and he should have done tons of evil things all these years, no? Hence, I still need to clean him up, and make him pay the price as well.¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯T!¡±


    Ye Wentao cried out involuntarily, and exclaimed in fear, ¡°Tang Xiu, my business has nothing to do with him! Though I can achieve success today due to my big brother¡¯s help, he rarely got involved in my evil deeds. I know you¡¯re very powerful, and I know that my big brother is not a good man either, but I hope you don¡¯t clash with him.¡±


    ¡°Now you know that I¡¯m powerful, eh?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a sneer.


    Nodding heavily, Ye Wentao emphasized his reply word by word, ¡°I know that you are very strong; more powerful than any martial arts expert I have ever heard about. Even our country¡¯s top special forces pale in comparison with you. I don¡¯t know who you really are, neither do I know how strong your background is, but I hope we can stop this here and now. I¡¯m in front of you. Just kill me if you want to.¡±


    Tang Xiu fell into silence. He had been observing Ye Wentao¡¯s expression and found it firm and calm. Even his heartbeat was normal. It was highly unlikely that he spoke those words out of hypocrisy.


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait!¡±


    Finally, Tang Xiu made a decision.


    ¡°What else are you waiting for, Tang Xiu?¡± Ye Wentao asked loudly. ¡°I¡¯m me; my older brother is himself. He has never offended you, no?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t offend me indeed, but I wanna know what kind of man he is,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°If he¡¯s like you, I don¡¯t mind conveniently killing him. For better or worst, it can also be considered as eliminating a threat to the people.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Furious, Ye Wentao then looked at the man who was holding a mobile phone behind him, and said in a deep voice, ¡°Call my older brother! I want to talk to him.¡±


    ¡°You had better stay put if you don¡¯t want all of your men to be massacred!¡± Said Tang Xiu without being salty or insipid.


    Ye Wentao was dumbfounded, and his henchman¡¯s neck shrunk. His fingers that were about to press the call button turned stiff, and he helplessly looked at Ye Wentao and Tang Xiu, fear and trepidation covering his whole face.


    Time passed by. As Chi Nan then arrived with six experts from the Everlasting Feast Hall, Tang Xiu secretly shook his head. He just realized that the distance from the Everlasting Feast Hall to this place was actually not far. It took only 20 minutes by car at the most.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    Chi Nan came before Tang Xiu and reverentially called out. The six experts lined up in a row and respectfully called out as well.


    Stunned and dumbfounded, Ye Wentao never dreamed that Tang Xiu, who was only a freshman at Shanghai University, turned out to really have subordinates. Furthermore, through the six experts¡¯ steady and firm footsteps, he could tell with his keen eyes that they were not your ordinary Tom, Dick, and Harry. Each and every one of them was probably a genuine Kung Fu master with real skills.


    Nodding at them, Tang Xiu spoke, ¡°Let us wait here first. There¡¯s still some people coming. After I got them solved, you will deal with the dead bodies that are left behind!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s only be one way to solve it thoroughly, Boss,¡± said Chi Nan.


    ¡°You mean¡­¡± said Tang Xiu sharply.


    ¡°Kill them all,¡± said Chi Nan coldly. ¡°I will assign some subordinates to transport their dead bodies and ship them out of Shanghai tonight, and then rent a ship and throw them into the sea to feed the fish.¡±


    _Hiss¡­_


    Ye Wentao and his men couldn¡¯t help but gasp. Disbelief filled their eyes as they couldn¡¯t fathom that, to their surprise, a beauty such as Chi Nan turned out to have a heart as malicious as snakes and scorpions. There were dozens of people here! If they killed them all, how ruthless would that be? They originally thought that Tang Xiu was already extremely cruel and merciless, yet it turned out that his subordinates were even worse!!!


    ¡°Murdering them all and destroying their dead bodies is indeed the best solution to the problem. But too much killing won¡¯t do you any good in the future,¡± said Tang Xiu as he shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s wait! Wait until the most important person. If I like his behavior, this issue will be settled all at once. But if they are aggressive and arrogant, then we¡¯ll kill some of their leaders and the rest will be decimated. Furthermore, I believe that those who live today will definitely not dare to reveal anything about this matter.¡±


    ¡°How can you be so sure, Boss?¡± Asked Chi Nan, surprised.


    ¡°These people all have families, I believe.¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°If they dare to open their mouth then they must prepare to have their families killed. Do you think they will dare to be smart tongue and then have their families ruined?¡±


    Thinking about it for a short while, Chi Nan then nodded and said, ¡°You¡¯re right, Boss. Anyhow, I¡¯ll send someone to thoroughly investigate the families of these chaps. Whoever dares to trouble us, even if he and his family were to run to foreign countries, I¡¯d still have the means to track and kill them.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, the aftermath is yours to handle,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Consider it done!¡± Chi Nan nodded.


    Both of them didn¡¯t conceal their conversation from Ye Wentao and his men. As a result, as they heard their conversation, they felt a chilling coldness in their necks.


    At present, Tang Xiu¡¯s true identity was still oblivious to them, yet they felt even more dread toward the cruel and merciless Chi Nan. Hence, they made up their minds that even if someone were to put a knife on their necks, they must never say anything about today¡¯s matter.


    Ten minutes later, Ye Wenhe arrived with dozens of big men wearing black suits and quickly rushed into the New Dream Renova Company. As they came to the backyard, his face changed dramatically when he saw the scene there.

 Chapter 459

    Chapter 459: Acrimonious Falling Out


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Ye Wenhe¡¯s net wealth was worth more than 10 billion yuan, and he was the Big Boss of a listed company, the Jindi Group. He was very famous in the business circle of Shanghai. Thus, his younger brother, Ye Wentao, also got some of his limelight, giving him a good status and also earning a fortune.


    However, never once had he ever dreamed that one day he would actually see his brother, Ye Wentao, falling into such a predicament like today.


    Bleeding and extremely unsightly to the eyes!!


    Wounded, looking hideous and horrible to the extreme!!!


    The injured in the backyard were all his younger brother¡ªYe Wentao¡¯s men. Anhu¡¯s dead body, in particular, causing his breath to turn rougher.


    Ye Wentao rushed toward Ye Wenhe. With his back facing Tang Xiu, he shouted, ¡°Brother, this time is my fault; I don¡¯t blame it on Tang Xiu. He just taught me the lesson that one will be punished for his evil deeds. Hence, you can take your men back.¡±


    After saying that, he also gave winked at Ye Wenhe.


    Ye Wenhe¡¯s face turned extremely unsightly. He could understand the meaning behind his younger brother¡¯s meaningful wink. He instantly turned vigilant and alert inwardly. However, he didn¡¯t leave, and instead, quickly undressed his clothes, turning around to take a knife from his confidant behind him, and then quickly cut his clothes. After tearing a few strips, he quickly wrapped the wounds on Ye Wentao¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Tell me, what exactly is going on here?¡± Ye Wenhe asked with a grim and cloudy face.


    ¡°I¡¯m not too clear, either. It was Manager Li who told me. Several university students came to my renovation company, wanting to hire us to renovate their gym.¡± Ye Wentao forced a smile and answered. ¡°However, since they didn¡¯t strike a deal, those students then looked for another renovation company, so Manager Li sent people to make trouble for them, injuring them as well as the workers from the other renovation company. Those students turn out to be Tang Xiu¡¯s friends, so he came seeking revenge. Big Brother, we have already been punished, so let this matter go!¡±


    Ye Wenhe turned to Tang Xiu and coldly said, ¡°Honorable young man, your actions are too severe. For a misunderstanding, not only did you hurt so many people, but you also killed my brother¡¯s people. That¡¯s too much.¡±


    ¡°Am I too excessive?¡± Tang Xiu replied with ridicule. ¡°Had it not been for my strength, it would have been me who would have died today. You say I¡¯m too excessive? Your brother is still kicking, so you should be glad.¡±


    Ye Wenhe was silent for a while before unhurriedly saying, ¡°Since things have come to this point, and my younger brother has already been punished, this matter will end here and now!¡±


    ¡°You want to end things here?¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±


    Ye Wentao stopped Ye Wenhe and talked to Tang Xiu in a heavy voice, ¡°Tang Xiu, I told you before that you can kill me if you want to, but please don¡¯t make things difficult for my brother and my men.¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡±


    Ye Wentao had a dramatic change in expression. Though he didn¡¯t know why his brother was so afraid of Tang Xiu, he didn¡¯t fear the youth at all. He brought his men to this place and was well prepared. Even if Tang Xiu could fight and also had some people beside him, could they block bullets?


    Staring at Tang Xiu, Ye Wenhe indifferently said, ¡°Young man, don¡¯t ask for a mile after taking an inch. For better or worst, I, Ye Wenhe, am an honorable and respected figure in Shanghai. Do you think I¡¯d let this matter go like this if it wasn¡¯t for my younger brother¡¯s sake? Furthermore, an enmity won¡¯t end if you don¡¯t settle it amicably. Damage has been done to both of our sides, so this issue had better end here and now; or else, no one will end up better after we¡¯ve truly fallen out.¡±


    Eyes turning colder, Chi Nan said in a deep voice, ¡°Boss, let us wash this place with their blood.¡±


    Deeply staring at Ye Wenhe, Tang Xiu produced a smile and said, ¡°You two are really brothers; you have the same arrogance. Not very friendly and hard at the very least. I heard of your Jindi Group prior to his, and I also heard your name as well. From the looks of it now, you indeed have a bit of ability, it seems.¡±


    ¡°Whether I¡¯ve skills or not, it¡¯s not your place to talk,¡± said Ye Wenhe coldly.


    Tang Xiu walked toward Ye Wenhe. Just at the moment when Ye Wenhe thought he would stop, Tang Xiu¡¯s speed abruptly accelerated, his shadow almost flashing. A dagger suddenly appeared in his hand out of thin air, as it fiercely stabbed Ye Wenhe¡¯s upper arms. When he returned to his original position, a stream of blood immediately flowed profusely from Ye Wenhe¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Kill all those with weapons!¡± Cold words came out from Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth.


    Chi Nan and the six big men were long prepared. Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s order, the six big men moved fast. They instantly pulled out their daggers and rushed into the group of Ye Wenhe¡¯s men. With undeniable force and irrefutable vigor, Ye Wenhe¡¯s men fell down.


    The six sturdy men who were closest to Ye Wenhe had their complexion furiously changed. They quickly pulled out their pistols. However, before they had yet to open the safety lock, a silver pistol appeared in Chi Nan¡¯s hand. Along with the flame bursting out from its barrel, six bullets shot out and pierced their foreheads.


    Trembling inside, Ye Wentao had already known that things were going to turn hellish the moment Tang Xiu moved. By the time the six gun bearing men fell down, he rushed toward Ye Wenhe, blocking him with his own body.


    ¡°Brother, you truly love showing off your forces!¡±


    Bitterness inundated Ye Wentao¡¯s heart.


    Although the fighting seemed somewhat chaotic, the fallen men were all the men brought by his big brother, whereas Tang Xiu¡¯s six men were as though six tigers rushing into a flock of sheep, and the sheep had no strength to fight back at all.


    It was like the autumn wind sweeping away the withered leaves.


    Amidst the spraying blood and screams, dozens of stalwart men had fallen. Tang Xiu¡¯s six men were moving swiftly and violently. Adding to that, they moved from rear to front in less than a minute, yet all of them inflicted heavy damages, and those who were hit couldn¡¯t even stand up from the ground.


    ¡°The task has been accomplished, Boss!¡±


    The six big men wiped the blood on their faces and they quickly fell back to Tang Xiu.


    Nodding, Tang Xiu motioned for them to stand aside. Then, he unhurriedly walked toward the fearful-looking brothers, Ye Wentao and Ye Wenhe.


    ¡°Now do you know what fear is like?¡±


    Tang Xiu showed an unfeeling and cold smile. He took out a cigarette and lit it, taking a deep puff and spitting out rings of smoke. Then, he spoke again, ¡°Weren¡¯t you acting rampant just now, Ye Wenhe? How come you are standing behind your little brother now like a coward? Ah, what am I seeing? Your legs are trembling! To think that your legs are shivering right now, to what degree of fear did you succumb to, exactly?


    Ye Wenhe was truly frightened.


    Just a moment ago, he was in high spirits and full of confidence due to bringing dozens of expert fighters; six of them even armed with guns. Hence, even though his younger brother, Ye Wentao, signaled to him and was acting submissive toward Tang Xiu, he thought that Tang Xiu would also end up the same to him. If a conflict were to arise, then his six men could take care of it with their pistols.


    However, how did things come to this?


    Blood was flowing from his arms, yet he didn¡¯t dare to bandage it. He could only lift his hands to cover the wounds on his shoulders, attempting to reduce the bleeding speed.


    Scared and frightened, Ye Wentao looked at the six dead bodies beside him, whose temperatures were still warm. The scene struck him hard, making him realize that Chi Nan was truly a demoness who could kill without batting an eye.


    ¡°Please forgive my brother¡¯s rashness, Tang Xiu. He didn¡¯t really want to fight you and become your enemy. He¡¯s accustomed to acting this way, so he couldn¡¯t change it so abruptly. Now, if you want to kill, then kill me; if you want to beat someone, then beat me; but please, leave out my older brother! You can lash out your resentment at me.¡±


    While deeply staring at Ye Wentao, Tang Xiu sighed, ¡°While I¡¯m still clueless as to why your mentality has transformed like this, it is indeed a good thing, so I decided not to kill you. As long as you can accept my conditions, I can write this off all.¡±


    Eyes lit up, Ye Wentao immediately nodded heavily and said, ¡°Please do speak out your conditions! I¡¯ll not refuse them as long as I can fulfill them.¡±


    ¡°First, you two brothers are to fork out 1 billion yuan in compensation. Second, you must go to Shanghai¡¯s First Public Hospital personally and kneel at the hospital¡¯s entrance for a day. Third, discard one arm and leg of that Manager surnamed Li. Fourth, you two brothers are to deal with the aftermath here.¡±


    Ye Wentao¡¯s expression constantly changed. After 10 seconds, he nodded with a face full of bitterness and said, ¡°I accept all your conditions.¡±


    ¡°Wentao!¡± Ye Wenhe exclaimed.


    Turning around, Ye Wentao gazed at him and forced out a wry smile, ¡°Brother, do we still have room for bargaining? It¡¯d very easy if him he wanted to kill us now. I really thought that I would die for sure at first, but now there¡¯s a slim chance of survival. There¡¯s nothing I can do but comply.¡±


    Ye Wenhe fell into silence.


    He knew that his brother¡¯s words were the hard truth. With Tang Xiu¡¯s and his men¡¯s cruelness and mercilessness, this day next year would probably become their anniversary of death if they refused.


    Tang Xiu nodded and lightly said, ¡°Give me your cell number. I¡¯ll send my bank account to your mobile via SMS. All the conditions I gave you must be fulfilled by 12 o¡¯clock tomorrow night. Otherwise, I won¡¯t think twice to send people to kill you all.¡±


    Having said that, he turned around and walked away. While leaving, he gave an order to collect the pistols. Those pistols were illegal weapons and would be a cause for disaster if these people kept them. He might as well keep them inside his interspatial ring for safekeeping.


    Two minutes later, Ye Wentao finally took his gaze back and shifted his vision toward Ye Wenhe, bitterly saying, ¡°Big Brother, let¡¯s bandage our wounds first! We have been done in this time, and we can¡¯t let such a thing happen to us again. Otherwise, we brothers will die a tragic death sooner or later in the future.¡±


    Yet, there was coldness inside Ye Wenhe¡¯s eyes. He had never eaten such bitter losses like this for over a decade, thus was born a bitter hatred toward Tang Xiu. He made up his mind. Today he may bow his head and admit his fault, but he swore to secretly build up his power and then pay back today¡¯s shame and humiliation in the future.


    ¡°A decade later is never too late for a man to take his revenge,¡± said Ye Wenhe coldly.


    Ye Wentao¡¯s complexion changed as he retorted in a deep voice, ¡°You had better not think about revenge, Brother. That Tang Xiu and his men are simply not human. Even if we train hundreds of skilled people, they won¡¯t be necessarily able to contend with them. Who knows how powerful is his background?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send people to investigate him!¡± Said Ye Wenhe coldly.

 Chapter 460

    Chapter 460: A Sensational Moment


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Leaving the New Dream Renova Company, Tang Xiu headed straight to Shanghai First Public Hospital with Chi Nan, whereas the six experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall secretly lurked around the New Dream Renova Company to monitor the Ye Brothers.


    After all, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want any unforeseen event to emerge. If the Ye Brothers were to call the police or didn¡¯t handle the aftermath properly, the six experts would then take action.


    ****


    In the Inpatient Department ward.


    After entering the room, Tang Xiu saw Yuan Chuling playing with his mobile phone listlessly. Chuckling, he went toward him, ¡°I already sent someone to find nurses for you, and there will be two nurses for each of you. I have also paid your hospitalization fees and all your medical expenses, so you can feel at ease to heal from your injuries here. As for the issues with your campus, I¡¯ll find someone to take care of it later.¡±


    Surprised and shocked, Yuan Chuling stared at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Eldest Brother, can I recuperate outside? Hospital smell is too unbearable, and lying in bed is boring as hell.¡±


    ¡°Nope, you gotta stay to recuperate here.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°The most important thing to do now is to get better. Besides, the October holiday will soon come, and you will start your schooling afterward. By then you can get out of your bed and report to your campus, and recuperate outside.¡±


    ¡°But, Brother, aren¡¯t you a powerful divine doctor or something? The doctors here can¡¯t compare to you.¡± Yuan Chuling was dejected. ¡°How about you treat me yourself?¡±


    ¡°Your injuries are all superficial; they need to heal slowly.¡± Tang Xiu said. ¡°What I do best is administering first-aid and treating chronic illnesses. Even if I do give you a treatment, the effect won¡¯t be very different. Hence, you gotta recuperate slowly! You¡¯ll be as healthy as a fatty pig in the pen after you recover.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck¡­¡±


    Yuan Chuling was speechless and unable to retort. He knew he was full of fat as of now, and wished he could successfully lose weight as fast as possible. The Tang Xiu¡¯s remark gave him such a ¡°not¡± serious psychological blow!


    ¡°Anyhow, what exactly did you do, Big Bro Tang?¡±


    ¡°I went to the New Dream Renova Company,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Looking panicked and horrified, Yuan Chuling exclaimed, ¡°You really went there? You¡­ what the hell did you do?¡±


    ¡°Avenged you,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently.


    Yuan Chuling trembled. But seeing as Tang Xiu wasn¡¯t injured, he curiously asked, ¡°How did you avenged me, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Beating the ones who needed to be beaten, and killing those who needed to be killed,¡± said Tang Xiu faintly. ¡°If anything, that New Dream Renova Company¡¯s Boss¡ªYe Wentao will come here tomorrow, to kneel at the entrance as an apology to you. Anyhow, he also gave 1 billion as compensation. Do you want the money?¡±


    Slack-jawed, Yuan Chuling stared at Tang Xiu incredulously. He suspected that Tang Xiu was only boasting.


    ¡°Is this for real, Brother?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s true,¡± said Tang Xiu with all seriousness.


    Gulping down his saliva, Yuan Chuling could tell that Tang Xiu was not cracking a joke. After hesitating for a moment, he said, ¡°Though I¡¯m unable to buy it, since it¡¯s you who¡¯s saying it, I¡¯ll believe it. However, I don¡¯t want the money. If that man surnamed Ye really come kneel at the entrance of this First Public Hospital for a day, that is enough for me to vent my anger already. Regardless, I¡¯m kinda afraid that he¡¯ll make trouble if he kneels there all day, though. How about doing it another way? Let him come here and kowtow three times, and then let him off.¡±


    After thinking for a short while, Tang Xiu felt that Yuan Chuling¡¯s idea could work as well. Therefore, he dialed Ye Wentao¡¯s number and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to kneel for a day at the First Public Hospital¡¯s entrance. You just need to come to my friend and kowtow three times. That will suffice as an apology.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    Upon hearing it, Ye Wentao¡¯s reply sounded a bit excited.


    If he were to choose between kneeling for a day and kowtowing three times, he would definitely choose the latter. After all, if he really knelt for a day at the entrance of Shanghai¡¯s First Public Hospital, he would surely enter the headlines of all major media in the country; he would completely lose his face. In the future, not to mention in Shanghai, he would probably not be able to mix into society in the other parts of the country.


    After pondering for a while, Tang Xiu casually said, ¡°The compensation will increase by 100 million yuan. Bring the money to my friend tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡± Ye Wentao¡¯s reply sounded unusually happy.


    Hanging up the phone, Tang Xiu then looked at Yuan Chuling and lightly said, ¡°I just got another 100 million. Since you don¡¯t want that 1 billion, this 100 million will be your pocket money!¡±


    Yuan Chuling¡¯s expression turned strange. He looked at Tang Xiu while raising his finger to point at his nose, ¡°You¡¯ll give me 100 million as pocket money?¡±


    ¡°Is that not enough for you?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°How could it not be enough? It¡¯s simply¡­ sufficient!¡± Yuan Chuling hastily waved his hand and forced a smile. ¡°100 million¡­ Though my family is quite rich and is able to fork out 1 billion, yet I have never seen what 100-million-yuan money looks like.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s great if you¡¯re satisfied, buddy.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled. ¡°Anyhow, you should have seen me in the news headlines, right?¡±


    Clapping, Yuan Chuling grinned, ¡°But of course, Big Bro! Sure as hell I know about that. There has been a footage that¡¯s causing a big sensation recently, and I can tell that people all over the country surely know about it. I had long known that you were great at playing the zither, but I never thought that you would make such a stir because of it. You are a big star now, buddy!¡±


    With a helpless expression, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°It was out of my imagination that things would develop to this point. Nevertheless, in the next several days I can¡¯t go to the campus to attend class due to that. Hence, I¡¯m planning to attend the classes in the next few days. I will come visit you before the holiday in November, though. But I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t do that too often.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me you¡¯d help hire nurses for us?¡± Yuan Chuling waved his hand and replied. ¡°With some nurses taking care of me, you can rest easy, brother! Anyhow, I heard that your campus has a campus flower ranking or something. When you hook up with several campus flowers, can you bring them to accompany me here to relieve my boredom or something?¡±


    ¡°What the¡­ Go to hell!¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but snap.


    _Knock, knock¡­_


    As the door was knocked, Chi Nan then came in. She looked at Yuan Chuling on the bed and nodded at him. Then, her eyes shifted to Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Boss, we have hired a total of 12 nurses. We¡¯ll assign two of them to take care of each person for night and day shifts. Is there any other instructions?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°The hospital¡¯s food is kind of poor. Arrange some people to deliver food to them every meal time. Take note that the dishes must be delicate. All of them have traumas and are unsuited to eat greasy meals in particular. Get them healthy food to help nurture their health.¡±


    ¡°Roger that. I¡¯ll arrange it when I go back,¡± said Chi Nan respectfully.


    ¡°You can go back first! I¡¯ll call you if there¡¯s something I need,¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod.


    While watching Chi Nan depart from the ward, a look of surprise was cast on Yuan Chuling¡¯s face, ¡°Who the hell is that pretty big sis, Bro? She¡¯s very beautiful, and to my surprise, she¡¯s so respectful to you! Damn, you¡¯re too awesome, big bro. To think that you mingled like that? Is she your employee?¡±


    ¡°Nah¡­ Her name is Chi Nan, and she¡¯s not my employee.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°She¡¯s the Vice Manager of the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s branch in Shanghai.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s the vice manager of a restaurant? How come she addresses you as Boss?¡± Asked Yuan Chuling, confused.


    ¡°I¡¯m the owner of the Everlasting Feast Hall. Thus, she¡¯s naturally my staff as well,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle.


    ¡°You even opened a restaurant in Shanghai?¡± Asked Yuan Chuling in amazement.


    ¡°Yeah! If you want to dine at the Everlasting Feast Hall, whether it is in Shanghai, Beijing, Jingmen Island, Hong Kong, and other places, as long as there is an Everlasting Feast Hall there, just mention my name. They will not charge you and will also treat you as a VIP,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°This old Yuan is convinced, my dear Bro!¡± Yuan Chuling gave him thumbs up and praised. ¡°You¡¯re my idol; you¡¯re simply a godlike existence in my mind! How long has it been since you came to Shanghai? Yet you unexpectedly have opened a restaurant here too! Anyhow, listening to you, it seems like you have also opened a branch in Beijing, Hong Kong, and Jingmen Island, yeah? That¡¯s so fucking awesome!¡±


    ¡°Idolizing me, or worshipping me; just keep it in your heart, will ya?¡± Tang Xiu chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s kinda embarrassing if it¡¯s you speaking!¡±


    ¡°Fuck! You¡¯re shameless!¡± Yuan Chuling cussed.


    ¡°All right, all right, looking at you still able to curse me, that means you are fine already,¡± Tang Xiu giddily said. ¡°Anyhow, I need to get going first. I¡¯ll think of a way to solve the problems with your campus.¡±


    ¡°Please do, Boss, Eldest Bro!¡± Replied Yuan Chuling quickly.


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing. ¡°We¡¯re brothers, so dispense with the politeness, will ya? Ah, right. Text me the information of your two fellow students.¡±


    ¡°Copy that!¡± Yuan Chuling hurriedly took out his mobile phone.


    ****


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu left the Inpatient Department building. As he arrived at the hospital¡¯s parking lot, he took out his mobile phone. After thinking for a short while, he edited a short message and sent it to Jin Xingkui and Gu Changmin.


    Immediately after, Gu Changmin¡¯s phone call came.


    ¡°Brother Tang, the Vice President of Shanghai University of Science and Technology Department is my brother-in-law. Why do you ask?¡± Gu Changmin¡¯s voice was heard from the mobile.


    ¡°Old Brother Gu, a friend of mine is a student at the Science and Technology Department of Shanghai University. He and I have formed a partnership to invest in a fitness center. During its renovation recently, he and his two classmates were badly beaten after a conflict with some people. He was seriously injured and is now hospitalized in Shanghai¡¯s First Public Hospital. I would like to ask you to contact the campus leaders so as to give them a leave of absence. After all, they need to be hospitalized for several days. It will be quite troublesome if they keep skipping classes.¡±


    ¡°This is nothing but a trivial issue! No problem, I¡¯ll call my brother-in-law immediately. That¡¯s right, just send me the information of your friend and his classmates!¡± Gu Changmin laughed.


    ¡°Please wait a bit, then!¡±


    Tang Xiu ended the call and forwarded the text message sent to him by Yuan Chuling. Afterward, he received a call from Jin Xingkui, telling him that he didn¡¯t know any leaders from the Science and Technology Department of Shanghai University, but he actually knew a few of Shanghai University¡¯s leaders.


    After randomly explaining, Tang Xiu ended the call. What he didn¡¯t expect was that after he asked Gu Changmin to help, the man even went to the Science and Technology of Shanghai University by himself. After having a discussion with his brother-in-law, the Vice President of Science and Technology of Shanghai University, who was quite a figure with real authority, personally led a group to rush to Shanghai¡¯s First Public Hospital to visit Yuan Chuling and the other two students.


    Additionally, much to Yuan Chuling¡¯s surprise and astonishment, they also expressed their consolations and gave them rewards. As for the reason, it was because he was a role model student for setting a good example for today¡¯s college students in starting a business when he was still a freshman and just began his studies.


    Shortly put!


    Yuan Chuling was praised high up to the sky until the guy himself was embarrassed. Hence, he admiration he already had in mind for Tang Xiu¡¯s abilities increased.

 Chapter 461

    Chapter 461: Terrible News


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    After leaving the hospital, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t return to the campus but returned to Bluestar Villa Complex. What puzzled him was that Ouyang Lulu and Zhang Xinya hadn¡¯t left yet. Instead, they nested lasilly on the sofa, crunching snacks, watching idol dramas, chatting and laughing merrily.


    ¡°You girls are lazing about, huh?¡± Tang Xiu asked in a strange tone.


    Ouyang Lulu jumped up from the sofa and put on the slippers, saying, ¡°We were awfully busy, all right? We¡¯d have just gone shopping earlier if wasn¡¯t for waiting for you, you know.¡±


    They very busy? Still, they went shopping?


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t dare butter up. He could only shake his head and smilingly say, ¡°If I remember correctly, Xinya¡¯s concert seems to be tomorrow night, right?¡±


    Zhang Xinya stood up and smiled. As she picked up her bag and took out a stack of tickets from the inside. She handed it to Tang Xiu and said, ¡°The Genius Mr. Tang, since you don¡¯t want to be a special guest at my concert, would you give me face and attend it as an ordinary audience? Anyways, here are some tickets for the concert; you can give it to your classmates and friends. I invite you to come and support us.¡±


    After hesitating for a short while, Tang Xiu took the concert tickets and smilingly said, ¡°Since the big star herself says so, it would be impolite to not go. All right, I¡¯ll be there at the appointed time.¡±


    ¡°To have the honorable Mr. Genius Tang come watch me, I¡¯m sure the concert will be very successful,¡± said Zhang Xinya smilingly.


    ¡°Can you stop joking?¡± Tang Xiu laughed. ¡°What¡¯s this Mr. Genius Tang? I¡¯m not related with Tang Bohu at all, you know.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe¡­¡± Zhang Xinya used her hand to cover her giggles.


    _Ring, ring, ring¡­_


    The mobile phone¡¯s melodious ringtone rang.


    Tang Xiu took out his mobile phone and looked at the caller¡¯s number. To his surprise, it was an unfamiliar number, seemingly from the Beijing area. His brows immediately raised, as he pressed the answer button and said, ¡°Tang Xiu speaking, may I know who am I speaking with?¡±


    ¡°Boss, it¡¯s me, Li Xiaojie.¡±


    A man¡¯s voice came out from the mobile phone.


    After slightly racking his memory, only then did Tang Xiu recall who Li Xiaojie was. He was a talent trained by the Tang Family, and once helped him to deal with the Yao Family in Guangyang.


    ¡°Is there something you need?¡±


    ¡°Boss, the family has arranged for me to take charge of some intelligence work and I just got transferred to Beijing. Anyhow, I just received a intelligence report that some terrorists are going to create an incident in Shanghai tomorrow!¡± Said Li Xiaojie.


    ¡°You say that terrorists will create an incident here¡­ but why are you calling me?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a frown.


    ¡°According to the intelligence report, these terrorists¡¯ attack should start in the concert of that big star, Zhang Xinya. You are in Shanghai now, and I¡¯m afraid you will go to Zhang Xinya¡¯s concert. As of now, the government agencies have already taken charge of the security issues over there. Still, I think I need to tell you this as to prevent any accidents.¡±


    With a slightly changed complexion, Tang Xiu asked in a deep voice, ¡°These terrorists, who are they?¡±


    ¡°They should be some domestic activists and extremists,¡± said Li Xiaojie. ¡°We found them in our country after some investigation. They have an extremely radical ideology and detest the way of our society, as well as have formed an underground small organization. That very same organization was also responsible for several incidents that threatened the public and endangered social stability back then. However, the Ministry of State Security was always able to avert the crisis every time. These people are very cunning and crafty, and despite most of them having been arrested by the state, a fraction of the organization is still free.¡±


    Like always, all kinds of birds can be found when the woods are big enough.


    The actual truth of this statement was perfectly clear to Tang Xiu. Therefore, people with extremely radical ideas and ideologies, and people who rebelled against society always existed. Only, this group was small in number ¡ª the reason why the state had the intention to contain any news about them and why many people outside the inner circles were oblivious to their existence.


    However, as a friend of Zhang Xinya, he could never allow those radical extremists to make trouble at her concert.


    After pondering for a while, Tang Xiu then said, ¡°Who¡¯s in charge of the operation from the government agencies?¡±


    ¡°The Sixth Deputy Minister from the Ministry of State Security, Liu Changxi,¡± said Li Xiaojie. ¡°He took his people and left for Shanghai last night and joined the other bunch from State Security there. He also collaborated with the police force to ensure the public safety and the security issues for Zhang Xinya¡¯s concert tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Give me Liu Changxi¡¯s contact number,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Boss, are you¡­¡± Li Xiaojie was surprised.


    ¡°Zhang Xinya is a friend of mine, so I can¡¯t allow any accidents to happen in her concert,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Anyways, thanks a lot for forwarding this news to me. I¡¯ll treat you later when I¡¯m back to Beijing in November.¡±


    ¡°This is what I¡¯m supposed to do, Boss!¡± Li Xiaojie¡¯s tone was flattering.


    ¡°Alright then!¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said, ¡°But don¡¯t forget to get me his contact number!¡±


    After saying that, Tang Xiu ended the call with a cloudy expression.


    At the side, as Zhang Xinya saw Tang Xiu fall into deep thought, she asked, ¡°Who called you, Tang Xiu? I heard he saying that an accident is going to happen at my concert tomorrow night? What exactly is going on?¡±


    ¡°The man who just called me is a member of some government agency,¡± said Tang Xiu in a heavy voice. ¡°He told me that there will be a number of radical extremists in your concert tomorrow evening. If they were to resort to extreme methods, I¡¯m afraid that bloody and tragic incidents would happen. As of now, the leader from the Ministry of State Security has come to Shanghai, and if my guess is correct, someone will contact you later today.¡±


    ¡°Radical extremists? Who are they, exactly?¡± Asked Zhang Xinya, confused.


    ¡°You know that all kind of birds exist if the forest is big enough. China has a population of more than 1 billion people, so it¡¯s a given that some will have extreme ideologies and detest the way of society. These people have also formed a secret small organization, and they were responsible for some bloody incidents in the past that threatened the social stability. And this time, their target is your concert in Shanghai. Once they are successful, at that time, the impact and collateral damage will be enormous.¡±


    Zhang Xinya¡¯s facial expression turned somewhat pale. She simply didn¡¯t dare imagine it. If such incident happened just like Tang Xiu said, it would cause enormous damage and severely harm her fans, leading to a tremendous bad impact to her fame and reputation as well.


    While looking at Tang Xiu, who looked solemn, Zhang Xinya hurriedly pulled his arm and nervously said, ¡°Tang Xiu, what should I do? Cancel the concert?¡±


    ¡°Cancelling the concert will prove to be very troublesome, I¡¯m afraid,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°As far as I know, the tickets for your concert are almost all sold out, right? Your fans will surely be furious once it got canceled, and that will bring you a tremendous negative influence. Furthermore, I¡¯m sure your business partners won¡¯t agree either. Of course, the most important thing is, some top brasses from the state are hoping that they can apprehend and clean up the extremists while you are carrying out your concert.¡±


    Zhang Xinya gaped. She didn¡¯t know how to respond for a while, yet her eyes gave out a pleading look for help as she gazed at Tang Xiu.


    ¡°The leader in charge of this operation from the state is a man called Liu Changxi. I¡¯ll give him a call now to discuss the issue of cooperation. If there really are radical extremists doing terrorist activities at your concert, at that time, the very first thing that shall be done is to capture them immediately, hence stopping their villainous acts.¡±


    Zhang Xinya hastily nodded, eyes full of gratitude.


    Immediately after, Tang Xiu dialed the phone number sent by Li Xiaojie, as a deep and heavy voice was heard ten seconds afterward, ¡°Li Changxi here, who am I speaking with?


    ¡°Hello, Secretary Liu. I¡¯m Tang Xiu,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Tang Xiu? Who is Tang Xiu?¡± Liu Changxi¡¯s tone was very cold.


    ¡°My grandfather is Tang Guosheng, and Tang Yunpeng is my uncle,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    There was no reply from the other side for ten seconds. Then, the man said in a softer tone, ¡°I heard about you, Tang Xiu. You are that missing grandson of the Tang Family. By the way, is Elder Tang in good health? And about you looking for me¡­¡±


    ¡°Mr. Liu, grandfather is in good health. I¡¯m calling you because I got some news that some people will come to exert their terrorist activities at Zhang Xinya¡¯s concert in Shanghai tomorrow evening. Furthermore, I also learned news that you are the person in charge of this security issue. Can we talk in person?¡±


    After hesitating for a while, Liu Changxi said, ¡°First of all, I need to ask you something, Tang Xiu. The safety issue of Zhang Xinya¡¯s concert is the responsibility of the people from our Ministry of State Security as well as the police force. Why are you paying attention to this matter?¡±


    ¡°Zhang Xinya is a friend of mine, and I¡¯m also in Shanghai now,¡± said Tang Xiu seriously. ¡°If anything, I also have some ability.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m at Shangri-La Hotel, Room #808. Take note to be vigilant when you come, we just found a small fish staying there,¡± said Liu Changxi.


    ¡°All right!¡±


    Tang Xiu replied shortly. Just as he was about to hang up, he suddenly thought of something and spoke again, ¡°Mr. Secretary Liu, I wonder. Why is it that you can confirm my identity even though it¡¯s my first time calling you? You even told me about this small fish?¡±


    ¡°There was someone from the Ministry who called and gave us your number half a minute ago,¡± answered Liu Changxi.


    ¡°I see,¡± replied Tang Xiu, shocked.


    After ending the call, Tang Xiu looked at Zhang Xinya and said, ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here with you,¡± answered Zhang Xinya.


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°Anyways, Lulu, if you have nothing else to do, stay here to accompany Xinya. I¡¯m going to see the man in charge for this operation first, and assign a group of experts from Jingmen Island to come here while convenient. They will be in charge of the security and safety issues at the concert when the time comes.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Zhang Xinya with a grateful look.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard what I just said?¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand. ¡°We are friends, let¡¯s dispense the formalities. Besides, I don¡¯t want to see criminals threatening the public security to continue to harm people.¡±


    ¡°Hey, how about I send some of my people too?¡± Said Ouyang Lulu.


    ¡°No need. I will assign some of my own people to come here.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand. ¡°By that time, some people will secretly protect Xinya. Even if someone were to slip through the security, it will be impossible for them to harm Xinya.¡±

 Chapter 462

    Chapter 462: Nuisance


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Shangri-La Hotel was located in the bustling Jingning District. The hotel encompassed a large; after all, it was a five-star hotel. The multi-storied hotel building itself was exceptionally elegant and very stylish.


    Taking the elevator, Tang Xiu arrived at the door of the room #8068 and immediately knocked it. The door was opened from the inside and a young man, vigilantly looking at Tang Xiu, asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡±


    The young man nodded and poked his head out, glancing at both sides of the corridor. Then, he stepped back and said, ¡°Please come inside, Mr. Tang.¡±


    After striding into the room, Tang Xiu saw four or five people sitting before the table, one of whom was constantly typing away at a laptop. There was also a mini projector inside, displaying a lot of chaotic pictures. A middle-aged man with rather common features and a black mole on his lips was quietly sitting in front of the mini projector silently watching the pictures above.


    ¡°Mr. Secretary, Tang Xiu has arrived.¡±


    The young man who opened the door went to Li Changxi¡¯s side and bent over to whisper something to him.


    Liu Changxi looked back and saw Tang Xiu coming over. A smile immediately appeared on his face, as he got up and walked toward Tang Xiu to greet him. He stretched his hand and said, ¡°I already heard about your name, Tang Xiu, but I didn¡¯t expect that I would be able to see you today. Senior Tang is truly blessed to have such an excellent grandson.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too polite, Mr. Liu,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle. ¡°I also have heard a lot about your heroic deeds. Speaking of that, you are the shield of our country, the protector of our people. After this incident comes to an end, I would like to invite you to dinner to show you my respect.¡±


    ¡°You embarrass me with your commendation, Tang Xiu,¡± said Liu Changxi with a smile. ¡°Come here and please sit down. Little Wang, prepare some tea!¡±


    ¡°No need for the tea. Let us talk about the issue with the extremists,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    After they took their seats, Liu Changxi produced a bitter smile and said, ¡°Tang Xiu, to tell you the truth, the information about the extremists who have been in hiding for more than a year and are about to take action again was acquired accidentally. We were only able to get the information from one of our people in the intelligence department before we were finally sure that they are targeting Zhang Xinya¡¯s upcoming concert in Shanghai.¡±


    After saying that, he personally operated the projector. As the picture finally fixed on a picture of a bald man, he said, ¡°This man is called Shi Biao, he¡¯s the owner of a video games arcade on the surface. Yet, as a matter of fact, he is a member of this radical organization. We have already investigated him; he appeared in several terrorist incidents several years ago. According to the follow-up investigation by our intel, it has been confirmed that he has already arrived in Shanghai. He¡¯s now staying in room #8066, which is the room next door.¡±


    Tang Xiu released his spiritual sense and ¡°instantly¡± saw the middle-aged Shi Biao in the next room. At this moment, the man was currently smoking a cigarette and playing with a dagger in his hand. There was also a girl in her 17s or 18s sitting on the sofa in front him and typing on a laptop. She was currently playing a game.


    ¡°Is Shi Biao the only clue you have? Is there any specific intelligence on the other members of this terrorist organization?¡± Tang Xiu inquired.


    Producing a forced smile, Liu Changxi shook his head, ¡°We do have some information about them, but it¡¯s not detailed enough. For example, there¡¯s a guy named Lao Lang¡ªcodename Old Wolf. Age about 50, yet we don¡¯t have his photo, nor do we know his real name, or any other information on him whatsoever.¡±


    Nodding, Tang Xiu then said, ¡°Have you contacted Zhang Xinya yet?¡±


    ¡°No, we haven¡¯t contacted her yet; we want to avoid alerting the enemies.¡± Liu Changxi shook his head. ¡°But I¡¯m going to contact her at noon tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary to call her, since she was with me when I called you. Also, for her safety, I¡¯ll send some people who will be responsible to protect her. Furthermore, I¡¯ll also go to the concert venue tomorrow so I can move in cooperation with you.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, I think that it will be best if you don¡¯t go,¡± said Liu Changxi quickly. ¡°These extremists are not a simple. Take this Shi Biao for example. He used to be in the army; a retired serviceman. He was somehow missing and disappeared for several years afterward. After he appeared, he became the owner of that video games arcade. Through various clues, we learned that Shi Biao is very powerful and skillful. If you were to fall into an accident at the concert, we won¡¯t be able to explain it to Senior Tang!¡±


    ¡°Worry not, Sir. I¡¯m a Kung Fu expert, most people wouldn¡¯t be able to hurt me,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Regardless, Liu Changxi still wanted to persuade him against it. Thus, Tang Xiu stopped him by waving his hand and saying, ¡°Mr. Secretary Liu, please say no more. Zhang Xinya is a friend of mine, and I cannot ignore her safety. Besides, I won¡¯t act rashly and blindly if something happens, either. I¡¯ll tell you about it firstly, and your people will handle it.¡±


    Upon hearing it, Liu Changxi immediately felt relieved and smilingly said, ¡°I can relax, then! Anyway, I have already met with the leaders of the Public Security Department of Shanghai. This is a joint operation, and the armed police and special police will also move in secret. There will be a large number of undercover officers blending in with the audience. So our people will be able to rush in and stop them should any incident occur.¡±


    ¡°Such being the case, I can rest my worries,¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod. ¡°Anyway, if there¡¯s nothing else I will take my leave first. Let us keep in touch.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    Liu Changxi nodded and sent Tang Xiu out of the room by himself. Afterward, his complexion turned cold.


    The young man who previously opened the door for Tang Xiu frowned, saying, ¡°Mr. Secretary, this Tang Xiu is practically adding a chaotic variable to the situation. Why did you in on the operation?¡±


    ¡°He is a member of the Tang Family, after all.¡± Albeit reluctantly, Liu Changxi said with a helpless expression. ¡°Moreover, he¡¯s also a friend of Zhang Xinya. From the look of his expression, he would act rashly and blindly if I were to refuse to cooperate with him, and that will court us trouble when the time comes. If anything, tap his mobile phone number, so we can know in advance no matter where he is when the concert is being held. Little Wang, assign two men and quietly protect him once he appears in the concert venue later.¡±


    ¡°Do we still need to protect him, Mr. Secretary?¡± Asked the young man.


    ¡°If by any chance he has an accident while on the mission, do you think the Old Master of the Tang Family will let this matter go? You should have heard the hearsay flying in Beijing, no? For the sake of making up with Tang Xiu, the Old Master of the Tangs is practically cherishing him in his mouth, fearing that he would fall and break from his hand. Because of that, we can¡¯t afford to provoke him; we can only assign two men to protect him.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so depressing! He¡¯s practically giving us more problems; a nuisance.¡± The youth commented in a low voice, yet he still nodded.


    It was already 4:30 PM when Tang Xiu left Shangri-La Hotel. After hesitating and pondering for a while, he decided to go to campus to give the concert tickets Zhang Xinya gave him to his friends. On the way to Shanghai University, however, he phoned Gu Xiaoxue and told her to send a group of powerful experts whose background records were relatively clean in the country to come here.


    Despite being unsure as to why Tang Xiu needed such a large number of experts, Gu Xiaoxue didn¡¯t ask anything and dispatched 40 experts to wait for Tang Xiu¡¯s assignment.


    ****


    _At Shanghai University¡­_


    The class was already over by the time Tang Xiu arrived. Instead of going to the classroom, he sat in the car and looked at the students constantly coming out of the entrance.


    ¡°Mmm?¡±


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu¡¯s brows raised, as a wisp of a smile appeared on his face. It was because he saw an acquaintance, Yi Lianyan.


    _Di di¡­_


    Tang Xiu sounded the car¡¯s horn and suddenly, many students who had come out of the classroom building fixed their eyes on him.


    ¡°Is that¡­ Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Oh God! I¡¯m actually seeing Tang Xiu? He hasn¡¯t been coming to campus lately, right? Never thought he would come today!¡±


    ¡°Holy cow! He seems to be very rich! Isn¡¯t that a Land Rover Range Rover series? Isn¡¯t that car rumored to be priced at at least 1 million?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s now a superstar, buddy! A big celebrity. But, what did he come to the campus for? The classes are already over today.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Many people stopped walking and animatedly chattered about him for a while. The sound of the car¡¯s horn also attracted Yi Lianyan and several of her classmates. Ignoring her classmates gazes and dorm sisters, she half ran toward Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu opened the car¡¯s door. While looking at Yi Lianyan, he smilingly said, ¡°Ehh, you seem very angry?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Yi Lianyan rushed toward Tang Xiu and kicked his calf. Then, she angrily said, ¡°You already knew that I had enrolled here before we registered as freshmans. Why the hell didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t ask me,¡± Tang Xiu replied with a laugh. ¡°Besides, saying that I also got admitted to Shanghai University, _pfft_ ¡­ It¡¯s not like I can show off so willfully like you, no?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Yi Lianyan ranted. ¡°What a lame argument and perverted logic! You¡¯re quibbling!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. The fault is mine, all right?¡± Tang Xiu laughed. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you because you didn¡¯t ask. Well, I¡¯m quite busy now, but I¡¯ll treat you two days later. I¡¯ll also introduce you to some hot guys. Is that OK?¡±


    Yi Lianyan rolled her eyes at Tang Xiu. Her action was a bit coquettish and charming. Despite so, she couldn¡¯t help smiling, ¡°Who the hell cares about hot guys? Just gimme your cell number again. My phone was lost before, so was your number lost as well. I was originally planning to make a trip to Nine Dragons Island to find Mo ¨¡wen and ask him your number!¡±


    Smiling, Tang Xiu spelled his number to her. Then, he smilingly said, ¡°Now you don¡¯t need to go there anymore. I just saved you of travel expenses, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Yi Lianyan grunted. ¡°I will ask for reimbursement from you, anyway! That¡¯s right, it was kinda out of my imagination that you would also be a student at Shanghai University. If it wasn¡¯t for you performing at the freshmen welcoming party I would still have been in the dark till now. Speaking about it, you¡¯re really amazing, Tang Xiu. You¡¯re still a college student, yet you already run so many businesses, and you¡¯re even acquainted with so many powerful people. You are¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu interrupted her speech and smilingly said, ¡°If you want to express your admiration, I think you gotta hold it for now. There¡¯s something I gotta do now.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Asked Yi Lianyan, confused.


    ¡°I gotta give something to my classmates at the campus, and then I¡¯ll go out to deal with something. By the way, do you have some spare time tomorrow night? Do you want to watch the concert of the big star, Zhang Xinya?¡±

 Chapter 463

    Chapter 463: Keeping a Mistress in a Golden House


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°I really wanna go,¡± said Yi Lianyan. ¡°Besides, Zhang Xinya is my idol, to begin with; but her concert ticket is way too expensive. I already checked it on the internet, and they had all been sold out, so I can¡¯t go even if I want to.¡±


    Tang Xiu put his hand into his pocket for disguising and took out a stack of concert tickets from his interspatial ring. He then looked up and asked, ¡°Do you want some?¡±


    Yi Lianyan¡¯s eyes lit up and said without hesitation, ¡°Four!¡±


    Tang Xiu casually took out four tickets for successive rows and handed them over to her, smilingly said, ¡°I just happened to get some tickets by chance. Since you wanna go, just take it!¡±


    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really amazing, Tang Xiu,¡± Yi Lianyan exclaimed in praised. ¡°To think you can actually get that many¡­¡±


    ¡°Say, Lianyan, it was not long since the last time we met, how did you become such a bootlicker?¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and forced a smile. ¡°Who was it that was saying that she would catch up to me and have at least one-tenth of my wealth? It¡¯s still vivid in my memory, you know!¡±


    A blush appeared on Yi Lianyan¡¯s charming face as she snappily rebutted, ¡°That¡¯s in the past, and now is now. Who would have thought that you¡¯d be so perverted, anyway? You are just a student, yet you already have such a huge business and wealth. Thus, my previous goal is annulled, and I gotta make it down to one percent!¡±


    ¡° _Pfft_ ¡­ hahaha!¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help bursting into laughter and was thoroughly defeated by her argument. That was a new experience for him, truly.


    ¡°Now that I have your phone number I¡¯ll go to the cafeteria for a bite, Tang Xiu. Besides, my dorm sisters are waiting for me! Be sure to call me after you¡¯re done with your things, got it?¡± Said Yi Lianyan with a smile.


    ¡°Sure thing,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    After letting out a faint smile, Yi Lianyan turned around and went toward her good sisters. She immediately got surrounded and interrogated by them.


    Several minutes later, Tang Xiu saw Yue Kai, Hu Qingsong, and the others slouched out of the classroom building and immediately greeted them.


    ¡°Ehh? How are you in the campus, Eldest Bro?¡± Yue Kai was somewhat surprised, and couldn¡¯t help asking.


    While looking at their surprised expressions, Tang Xiu smilingly said, ¡°I just came to give you guys something.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Asked Hu Qingsong.


    Handing him the remaining tickets, Tang Xiu smilingly said, ¡°These are the tickets for Zhang Xinya¡¯s concert. The seating positions seem to be good, too. You¡¯re responsible to give it to Mu Wanying¡¯s group of four, while the rest is yours to divide!¡±


    ¡°Concert tickets?¡±


    They looked shocked, and they all gathered to see it. Shortly after, Hu Qingsong¡¯s deep northeastern accent invaded their ears, ¡°Tang Big Bro is so fucking awesome! These are front row tickets! As I recall, isn¡¯t its online price at least 2,000 to 3,000 yuan?¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed and shook his head, ¡°Go grab a bite! I still need to do something tonight, so I won¡¯t be eating on the campus. But I¡¯ll come to class starting tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Eh, Eldest Bro, leave me your car keys, okay?¡± Yue Kai hastily called out.


    After a short hesitation, Tang Xiu gave him his car keys and said, ¡°You gotta drive me back first, then.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing!¡± Yue Kai took the car keys and smilingly walked toward the Land Rover.


    Shortly after, Yue Kai drove Tang Xiu to Bluestar Villa Complex. After stopping outside the courtyard, just as Tang Xiu got off from the car, he saw Yue Kai following him, ¡°Ehh, aren¡¯t you going back?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not in a hurry. They will keep it for me, anyway. My throat feels a bit dry, so I wanna drink something,¡± said Yue Kai smilingly.


    Tang Xiu hesitated for a moment. As he recalled that Zhang Xinya and Ouyang Lulu were still inside, he immediately said, ¡°Just go back to campus and have a drink there! It¡¯s not a long drive back.¡±


    Yue Kai gave Tang Xiu a dull look and slowly eyed him. A glint flashed in his eyes as he ran toward the villa. In just 10 seconds, he had already rushed into the living room. As his eyes swept over the two fairy-like beautiful girls on the sofa, he instantly came to a halt and became slack-jawed.


    With a wry smile, Tang Xiu looked at Yue Kai¡¯s shocked expression and helplessly said, ¡°I told you to go back to campus if you wanna a drink, didn¡¯t I? You just didn¡¯t want to listen. Now that pitiable small heart of yours can¡¯t bear it, right? All right, whether you wanna chase the belle, just work hard on your own, I won¡¯t give you a hand at all.¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡±


    ¡°Hehehe¡­¡±


    Zhang Xinya and Ouyang Lulu got up from the sofa and looked at the gaping and dumbfounded Yue Kai. His slack-jawed expression made them laugh.


    Nevertheless, the fragment of a good poem saying that ¡®a smile when she looks back shows all her charms and graces¡¯, was thoroughly expressed by their dazzling smiles. Yue Kai, who was shocked by their beauty, suddenly felt his heart stop pumping blood, and his blood pressure began to drastically hike at this time.


    Slapping his shoulder, Tang Xiu dragged him from his daze and smilingly said, ¡°Okay, please don¡¯t make a spectacle of yourself, ok? It¡¯s like you¡¯ve never seen a beauty before. Anyways, I¡¯ll introduce her to you. She¡¯s Ouyang Lulu, a friend of mine; and I don¡¯t think you need me to introduce you Zhang Xinya. That poster on your bedside is her picture, to begin with.¡±


    Furiously gulping down his saliva, disbelief flashed in his eyes as he stutteringly said, ¡°E-Eld¡­ ¡­ Eldest Bro. A-am I not¡­ Am I not dreaming? I thought just that¡­ I-I thought that you were keeping a lover or a mistress in your golden house. I-I just didn¡¯t expect that¡­ t-to think that you even have two canaries in your villa?! Even¡­ they are even such top-class canaries??!!¡±


    _Canary?_


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help bursting into laughter.


    Zhang Xinya and Ouyang Lulu exchanged looks, as the two also immediately burst into laughter. All of a sudden, they felt that this friend of Tang Xiu was really too funny and interesting.


    Ignoring Yue Kai, Tang Xiu said to Ouyang Lulu, ¡°Lulu, can you take a bottle of drink from the fridge? Just hurry and give it to him, and then pack him away. It¡¯s really shameful to have such a dorm mate, you know.¡±


    With a lovable expression, Ouyang Lulu complied and ran to the fridge. She handed one bottle to Yue Kai and uncapped the other before giving it to Tang Xiu, saying, ¡°My dear honey, your classmate is thirsty, so you should be thirsty as well. Come, I just helped you open the bottle cap, so drink it quickly. Ah, right. Xinya just said that she gotta change our bed¡¯s quilt. She also personally picked a very beautiful quilt from the cabinet, and said that it¡¯s the one she likes the most. Resting on it at night will certainly fetch us good dreams.¡±


    _Puff¡­ cough, cough, cough¡­_


    Yue Kai, who couldn¡¯t help showing an envious look upon seeing Ouyang Lulu uncapping the bottle for Tang Xiu, uncapped the bottle himself and gulped down a mouthful. However, before he fully swallowed it, Ouyang Lulu¡¯s following words made him choke, nearly sending him to the death early. After coughing, his face, that was almost as pretty as a woman, flushed red.


    Giving him white eyes, Tang Xiu patted his back and said, ¡°Lulu, don¡¯t tease him, okay?! It¡¯s fine if you want to choke him into a mutt or something, but just in case he chokes to the death, that will be a matter of life or death!¡±


    ¡°What the? Get lost¡­¡±


    Yue Kai finally made a comeback. His red face was akin to a hen laying eggs. He angrily glared at Tang Xiu and sternly called out, ¡°Tang Big Bro! I just realized today that you¡¯re really shameless!¡±


    Having said that, he ran away.


    While looking at his departing back, the smile on Tang Xiu¡¯s face turned thicker, as he said, ¡°This brat is always running his mouth about hot chicks and whatnot every day. All day long he¡¯s always despising my proper manners as false and hipocritical. Today, this can be considered as me venting my foul mood. Anyways, Lulu, those words you just said; however attractive it sounded, you¡¯re a girl, after all. You should say less about this kind of statement later. It wouldn¡¯t be good if any bystanders take it in the wrong way.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s proud twin peaks were waving turbulently, as she directly gazed at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°I¡¯m not afraid. If worst comes to worst, I¡¯ll just play the false as really true, and you will take me in, anyway.¡±


    After hearing that, Tang Xiu spoke no more, and immediately fled up to the second floor. Just as he had just ascended a few steps, he said without turning his back, ¡°Someone will bring your meals. You two have a bite and then hurry back to your things.¡±


    Standing at the side, Zhang Xinya was smiling. When Tang Xiu¡¯s back disappeared at the staircase, she turned to Ouyang Lulu and said in a low voice, ¡°Lulu, do you like Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Why would I have come here if I didn¡¯t like him? But heck, this fella obviously knows what I have in mind, yet he feigns ignorance and plays the fool.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s probably not ready yet,¡± said Zhang Xinya with a giggle.


    ¡°I¡¯m the girl and I¡¯m already ready, but he is like this¡­ Bah, forget it. I don¡¯t wanna talk about it. Anyway, I firmly believe that there¡¯s no stronghold that can¡¯t be breached, neither do I believe that there¡¯s a golden jade that can¡¯t be buckled. Sooner or later my small flame of love will burn his icy cold heart.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ you¡¯re so funny,¡± Zhang Xinya giggled.


    Looking self-satisfied, Ouyang Lulu raised her head and seemingly recalled something. She then patted her forehead and said, ¡°My goodness, it¡¯s my bad. I just joked around, but forgot a serious matter I wanted to ask him! Lets go after him and ask about what he discussed with those people from the State Security!¡±


    The smile on Zhang Xinya¡¯s suddenly receded. After hesitating for a short while, she shook her head and said, ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner first! I think that Tang Xiu would have just told me right away if the situation was really bad.¡±


    Nodding, Ouyang Lulu replied, ¡°Yeah, though Tang Xiu is much younger than us, he¡¯s very mature and stable. He¡¯s always able to measure the weight of matters. He¡¯d definitely tell us directly and come up with countermeasures.¡±


    ¡°I think so, too,¡± said Zhang Xinya. ¡°Anyway, are you going to stay with me after eating? I need to do a rehearsal, so you¡¯ll act as my companion.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu hesitated for a short while before saying, ¡°Just tell me the address. I need to go back to arrange something. I¡¯ll look for you later.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I always meant to ask you the reason you came to Shanghai, btu you always mystified it. What exactly are you doing here?¡± Asked Zhang Xinya.


    ¡°It¡¯s still a secret!¡± Ouyang Lulu laughed coquettishly and leaped toward the sofa. Furthermore, she was still holding up a small secret inside. A secret that she must get Zhang Xinya to be at the scene on the day she opened the business.

 Chapter 464

    Chapter 464: Overall Arrangement


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    At the outskirts of Shanghai, inside a large chemical plant.


    A thin middle-aged man wearing glasses, looking gentle and well-mannered, was sitting in a large warehouse while assembling time bombs. In his eyes, however, loomed a cruel light. A faint excitement could be seen on his face, like he was imagining what the bloody scene would look like.


    In front of him was a middle-aged woman in a plain dress. She ordinary, and there was an obvious burn injury on her neck. She was currently spinning a butterfly knife.


    The woman was named Huang Lan, one of the most wanted criminals in the country, who had once committed an arson and burned a family of eight. She also had allegedly murdered four others in cold blood with a knife. It could be said that this woman¡¯s hands were full of blood, and had committed numerous crimes. At the same time, she was also a drug dealer, as well as an addict.


    _Creak¡­_


    A sound of car¡¯s brake squeaked outside the warehouse.


    While gripping her butterfly knife backhandedly, Huang Lan bolted toward the door. Through a crack in the door, she saw four men get off from an SUV. Her look of vigilance immediately vanished, replaced by a somewhat cruel smile.


    She opened the door and looked at the four men, who were carrying bags, and said, ¡°You¡¯re late.¡±


    An old man whose hairs were fully grey, was wearing canvas shoes and had a bag on his back, snorted and said, ¡°We bumped into a checkpoint on the way here. We took a long detour to get here, you know. Huang Lan, have you prepared what I asked?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all set and ready. AIDS¡¯ infected blood, a total of 2,000 ml; I¡¯ll have the pushpins smeared by it. I¡¯ll sneak into the concert venue tomorrow in the early morning and place them on the seats. If the pushpins pierce through skin, the HIV will immediately enter their body.¡±


    The old man nodded with satisfaction, and then asked again, ¡°What about Old Wolf? How is it going with his time bombs? We already spent quite a huge effort this time to get a large batch of explosives. Our operation will be mostly have gone south if something wrong happens.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s still at it, but he has already made a lot of it,¡± said Huang Lan with a nod, ¡°I¡¯m sure that once the concert stars and we use the remote control to have it detonated, the concert venue will be blown up. The number of people dying at that time will be countless.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± The old man said. ¡°Anyhow, once we have finished this business transaction, go abroad immediately. We¡¯ll come back again a few years later after this matter has cooled down. Ah Shu has prepared 5 million yuan for each of you, so all of you need not worry about your livelihood in the years to come.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. For me, as long as I can kill more people I¡¯ll be satisfied; enough for venting my hatred. Hmph, before I came to Shanghai I killed all the remaining few people who bullied our family in the past. I won¡¯t have any lingering regrets if I were to die in this operation.¡±


    The old man creased his brows. A sinister air exuded all over his body as he said, ¡°We all have made contributions to this country, yet we have been forsaken by its people. Hence, kill as many as you can. I¡¯m not afraid of telling you that I have secretly installed a number of time bombs given to me by Old Wolf at Shanghai Government site. Half an hour after the concert is blown up, the Shanghai Government site will also become ruins. This will be my gift for them.¡±


    ¡°Nicely done!¡± Huang Lan gave him a thumbs up.


    ¡°Anyway, have you told Shi Biao about our hiding place?¡± The old man suddenly asked.


    Old Wolf, who was working on a time bomb, raised his head, a sinister and ruthless glint flashing in his eyes. He then coldly snorted, ¡°Tell him? That fucking bastard¡¯s identity is way too mysterious.We have to fucking guard against him despite him being one of our organization¡¯s members.¡±


    The old man said, ¡°What you said is true enough. Though he has joined us very early, he went missing for a few years, and by the time he came back from abroad, his ability has grown and he even has tons of money. The operation at Zhang Xinya¡¯s concert this time is the biggest one in history. So it¡¯s best not to tell him about this.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, there¡¯s six of us here. There¡¯s still nine who haven¡¯t arrived yet. Are we gonna wait for them? Or shall we¡­¡±


    ¡°Let us wait for them. There are some important nodes in our planning operation that need them to deal with. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be easy for us to successfully accomplish this action,¡± said the old man.


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Two hours later, when the darkness of the night shrouded the earth and moonlight rose from the horizon to the sky, several cars quickly stopped outside the warehouse. Nine men and women got off carrying various things into the warehouse, as the group quickly gathered together.


    ¡°Ah Ming, you are a security guard at Zhang Xinya¡¯s concert. We¡¯re relying on you to smoothly sneak inside,¡± said the old man.


    The young man named Ah Ming nodded and coldly said, ¡°Relax! I¡¯ll have it well arranged. Furthermore, I¡¯ll install the time bomb under the stage myself. Once it explodes Zhang Xinya will surely get blown up and die a tragic death. Just thinking about how such a goddess-like superstar will die by my hands kinda makes me excited!¡±


    The old man nodded. Swept his gaze over all of them, he then said in a deep and heavy voice, ¡°This operation will definitely create a huge commotion throughout the country, even stirring the whole world. Hence, all of you had better buckle up! Even if we have to die in this operation, as long as our plans are successful, it¡¯s all worth it!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s worth it!¡±


    ¡°Sure thing!¡±


    The other fourteen people nodded heavily, a look of being unafraid of death on their faces.


    As abnormal and perverted as they were inside, they were mentally ill and distorted. The world was the object of their hatred along with all walks of life within it. Hence, they had long since taken their own life and death without many precautions. The fear of facing death was still there inside them, yet they were willing if they could decimate more people, even at the cost of their lives.


    Shanghai Public Security Department.


    Inside the Criminal Cases Meeting Room, the head of the Criminal Police Squad, Zhao Ronghua, was clamping a cigarette in his fingers. A look of solemnness was cast on his face. More than ten core members of the Criminal Police Squad were also inside the meeting room, currently accepting their assignments. At the same time, the leader of the armed police, the head of the intelligence service, and Liu Changxi of the Ministry of State Security from Beijing were also present at the meeting. Each of them had solemn and dignified, as well as worried and restless expressions on their faces.


    Nowadays, the most important thing to have was information and intelligence.


    However, they didn¡¯t have much information on the other members of this dangerous organization other Shi Biao and the girl.


    ¡°I suggest that we immediately send out the police force to completely seal the concert venue that is going to be used for Zhang Xinya¡¯s concert. Relieve the security guards responsible for the concert from their tasks and lay out a comprehensive security check ahead of time for the entire venue. Once suspicious people are found, we must immediately take control and carry out a full investigation should any suspicious problem arises,¡± after sighing, Zhao Ronghua spoke seriously.


    ¡°No, our mission this time is to make sure that Zhang Xinya¡¯s concert is carried on smoothly,¡± Liu Changxi shook his head and rebutted. ¡°On the other hand, we must also find those criminals, or else we may be able to avert and avoid the crisis this time, but what about the next time? What are we going to do should they lay out their terrorist activities next time?¡±


    ¡°But, Mr. Secretary Liu, the situation has come to a very dangerous point. We have virtually no information pertaining the enemies, while there will also be tens of thousands of fans at the concert scene. Will we even able to find those dangerous elements among them? It must be known, even the slightest carelessness may endanger the lives of thousands of people!¡± Retorted Zhao Ronghua.


    ¡°Before those criminals act they will definitely find a way to enter the concert scene. If they use mass destruction weapons, they must surely move ahead of time. If so, before the fans enter the concert venue we can eliminate their elite forces and conduct all-around investigations, and immediately do a clean up once we find any suspicious persons there. Additionally, we have sent some people mixed in with the security guards carrying out a thorough investigation. As long as they possess discerning eyes and have decent skills, we can get the criminals from the crowd. They can either eliminate or capture them once they¡¯ve found those lunatics!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Secretary Liu, even if our arrangement is very detailed, the risks will still be there, no? Once there¡¯s a failure on our side, major security incidents will follow. And we¡­ will be very miserable by that time!¡±


    ¡°Regardless, I must still find those terrorists!¡± Liu Changxi coldly rebutted. ¡°How many people have lost their lives in those fucking lunatics¡¯ hands because of the major cases a few years ago? NO! I can no longer afford to let them go scot-free, neither can I endure it to be tormented yet again, only because I gave them more time to endanger the citizens!¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Zhao Ronghua hesitated for a short while, before he eventually slammed his hands on the table. He then said in a very heavy voice, ¡°Such being the case, I¡¯ll go crazy and follow Secretary Liu this once. On the police side, I¡¯ll personally lead my team!¡±


    The next morning.


    At the Shanghai Train Station, a man and a woman who looked alert, vigorous, and energetic were carrying travel bags as they walked out of the station. Shortly after, a person greeted and led them to a car outside and then left.


    _At Bluestar Villa Complex¡­_


    Tang Xiu was quietly standing on the stairs to the villa¡¯s door, looking at the 40 experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall below. Thirty men and ten women.


    ¡°I welcome your arrival in Shanghai. The fact that Gu Xiaoxue sent you all indicates that you are all outstanding talents. This time I need help from all of you,¡± said Tang Xiu solemnly in his eyes. ¡°Among the forty of you, who is the team leader?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me, Boss! Xing Li.¡±


    A sturdy man stood out from the crowd and said with a reverential expression.


    Nodding at him, Tang Xiu then said, ¡°The mission that will be assigned to you this time, is to ensure the safety of the big star, Zhang Xinya¡¯s concert tomorrow evening. According to the information I¡¯ve received, a group of extremists is attempting to carry on their terrorist acts at her concert. Many people will lose their lives if they¡¯re successful. Hence, you will make sure that the concert goes smoothly and do whatever means necessary to find out, contain, or kill those lunatics!¡±


    ¡°Are there any specific information on these extremists, Boss?¡± Asked Xing Li.


    ¡°No, thus I can only rely on you to find it,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m perfectly aware what you guys have experienced abroad, so I think that you will understand this kind of adversary.¡±

 Chapter 465

    Chapter 465: Precise Pinpointing


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    With Tang Xiu¡¯s arrangement, the 40 experts from the Everlasting Feast Hall left Bluestar Villa Complex and rushed toward Shanghai New World Center. They were all experts in assassination as well as possessed great knowledge in crime, hence they understood how the criminals work by heart. Thus, it made Tang Xiu rather relieved of having them tracking the terrorists.


    Additionally, another reason why he felt more assured was also that he had a particular method for radar monitoring ¡ª his spiritual sense. With this ¡°tool¡± he could just walk in circles around Zhang Xinya¡¯s concert venue, and could find the danger lurking in the dark. Be it weapons or the suspects, they wouldn¡¯t be able to escape from his spiritual sense even if they didn¡¯t reveal any clues.


    ****


    The next morning Tang Xiu came to the campus to attend class. One thing that made him happy was that the class¡¯ teacher-in-charge¡ªHan Qingwu didn¡¯t come to the campus. It was said that she wouldn¡¯t return to campus until October 1st.


    In the afternoon, Tang Xiu took an Economics. Thus, his class ended at 4 PM.


    _Inside the classroom¡­_


    As the professor left the class, Yue Kai patted Tang Xiu¡¯s shoulder and asked, ¡°Eldest Bro Tang, let¡¯s go to the New World Center together! It¡¯s about time we get there, so we can still find a place to grab a bite after the concert.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, buddy. I still have other things to deal with. I¡¯ll catch up with you later,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°Just go ahead! I¡¯ll treat you tonight.¡±


    Winking at Tang Xiu, Yue Kai chuckled, ¡°Are you going with that pretty Lulu?¡±


    ¡°Man, your mind is really crooked, you know. Is there anything else other than hot chicks inside it?¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    Giving him the middle finger, Yue Kai retorted, ¡°Damn, I know how shameless you are now, Tang Eldest Bro. Just enjoy your luck, and I¡¯ll be a hermit for now. Anyhow, we¡¯ll see you again at the concert!¡±


    ¡°Wait, gimme your car keys,¡± Tang Xiu stopped him and said while stretching out his hand.


    Yue Kai stared blankly, as he said between laughter and tears, ¡°Please excuse me, buddy. You have so many luxury cars in your garage, why do you want my car keys?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that riding those cars is a bit too much? If I were to drive them and be seen by people with particular intentions, I don¡¯t know whatever shitty news may appear tomorrow. Be quick and don¡¯t make that shitty face, will ya?¡±


    Taking out his car keys, Yue Kai helplessly said, ¡°Tang Eldest Bro, only now am I finally convinced by you. I¡¯ve always wanted to be famous, yet it¡¯s hopeless. But you, you¡¯ve become famous, yet you¡¯re hiding from fame, desperately staying low profile. You know what? You are virtually living in plenty without appreciating it!¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t feel like arguing with him.


    After taking the car keys from Yue Kai, the duo then left the classroom building. Tang Xiu asked where his car was parked. After arriving there, he started the BMB and quickly left. The concert would start at 7 PM, and the fans would start entering the stadium at 6 PM. Hence, he needed to get there before the fans started entering the venue.


    ****


    Shanghai New World Center.


    Located in the second most prosperous area of Shanghai, it was only slightly worse than the beach area. The New World Center encompassed a large area; large enough to accommodate more than fifty-thousand people. It was also the best place to hold large events in Shanghai.


    Driving there, Tang Xiu arrived at the block and looked for a large shopping mall. After parking the car in the underground parking lot, he rushed toward New World Center on foot. The number of fans from all corners of the country was really too many; they were virtually everywhere.


    On the way there he bought a duckbill cap with Zhang Xinya¡¯s image on it. It was because many people knew his identity, so he had to spend some effort from attracting attention.


    At the East entrance.


    While looking at the fans who had already lined up and made a long queue, Tang Xiu saw dozens of security guards maintaining order at the entrance. He immediately phoned Liu Changxi and walked past several long lines of fans.


    ¡°Hey¡­ what are you doing? Get back to the queue!¡±


    A security guard approached and he shouted at Tang Xiu as he saw him cutting the line.


    In a flash, the fans who were in the front line looked at Tang Xiu with bad expressions. Many of them looked contemptuous, as if they were silently condemning Tang Xiu¡¯s behavior of not wanting to line up in the queue.


    ¡°I¡¯m waiting for someone!¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    The security guard creased his brows and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Who¡¯s the person you are waiting for?¡±


    ¡°The person I¡¯m waiting for should be coming out soon. I¡¯ll immediately leave if he doesn¡¯t show up within three minutes,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Despite hesitating, the security guard stopped talking. Nevertheless, he kept vigilant eyes on Tang Xiu.


    After a minute, a middle-aged woman dressed in a suit and with a work card hanging on her chest came out of the East entrance. She walked toward Tang Xiu and respectfully said, ¡°Mr. Tang, Chief Liu wants me to take you to him.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    The security guard looked at Tang Xiu and the woman. He eventually turned around and moved to the side. The fans who originally shot Tang Xiu contemptuous looks immediately looked envious.


    After entering, Tang Xiu followed the woman and arrived at the venue hall. After looking around he found that there were many security guards patrolling everywhere. Lots of men and women wearing work cards were scattered throughout the venue, motionlessly standing while watching the surroundings.


    ¡°Where is Liu Changxi?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Chief Liu is in the backstage, arranging and instructing for the operation. I¡¯ll take you over there!¡± Replied the woman.


    ¡°No need, just get me a work card like yours! I¡¯ll walk around and contact him again when necessary.¡±


    The woman hesitated for a moment before taking out her mobile phone to take Tang Xiu¡¯s picture. Following that, she nodded and said, ¡°Please wait here, I¡¯ll be back shortly.¡±


    After four or five minutes passed, the woman came back with a work card. Handing it over, she said, ¡°Mr. Tang, if you have nothing else, I¡¯ll be back to my duties.¡±


    ¡°Copy that!¡±


    After the woman left, Tang Xiu looked at the surrounding. At the same time, he also released his spiritual sense and covered a radius of a 200-300 meters area with his perception.


    _Huh?_


    Just two or three seconds later he creased his brows, because he found a box made of plastic in a place about 120 meters away from the left front within the scope of his spiritual sense. The plastic box was small, about as big as a cigarette pack. It was glued to the bottom of a seat and was placed there with adhesive tape. However, there was a watch pointer ticking within the plastic box.


    _A bomb?_


    Although he had never seen what a real bomb looked like in reality, he had seen it many times in movies. He didn¡¯t inform Liu Changxi immediately and instead, pretended to look casually while walking toward that side. Furthermore, several people around frowned and looked displeased as he sat directly at the edge of the row of that chair.


    He looked around. It seems it was spread out like a maze to kill more people.


    Half a minute later, when no one around was paying attention to him anymore, he pretended to fix the tie on his shoe, bent down and had a glimpse of the bomb¡¯s position. He then stood and strolled around the surroundings. Half a minute later, while maintaining his spiritual sense active, he found a similar bomb and then moved again after memorizing its position.


    Time fleeted by.


    After more than ten minutes Tang Xiu circled around to the back row. He enveloped the area with his spiritual sense and found another six bombs.


    Shortly after, his pace began to speed up, walking while observing the surroundings with his spiritual sense. After spending more than 20 minutes, he had already scoured the entire venue with his perception. He finally learned the exact number of bombs. Fourteen! Thus, while walking toward the backstage, he dialed Liu Changxi¡¯s phone number.


    ¡°Hello? Tang Xiu?¡±


    From the mobile phone, Liu Changxi¡¯s voice came out.


    ¡°Secretary Liu, please listen carefully to every word I say. You must remember each word and number I¡¯m about to tell you. There is a suspicious thing under the seat #1135 in zone A1; and also one in zone A2 seat #3673; zone B1 seat #1247; zone B2 seat #6940; zone C ¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu finished reporting all sixteen spots within a breath as he arrived at the stage. Just as he was about to tell Liu Changxi that he had already finished with the report, his complexion suddenly changed, and then said again, ¡°There is also a suspicious thing in the middle of the stage. Please make sure to send some people to investigate everything I told you.¡±


    Liu Changxi was silent for a few seconds before saying, ¡°I¡¯ll send some people to check it now.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    Tang Xiu hung up the phone and walked into the backstage hallway from the side door. He purposely walked unhurriedly while releasing his spiritual sense to check each place, each area, and even the remotest place.


    At this time, Liu Changxi was leading the core members of the two security agencies and entering the venue from the side door in the other direction. Next to him was the young man who had opened the door to Tang Xiu before. He looked discontented when he spoke, ¡°Chief, I don¡¯t think we should give a damn about Tang Xiu¡¯s report; he¡¯s just messing around. Now is a very unusual time; we had better keep an eye on the situation in the surroundings so we can immediately deal with any suspects or suspicious issues should they arise.¡±


    ¡°I knew that he¡¯d give us trouble. However, in our line of work we must never ignore a lead. Let¡¯s just take a look at the places he mentioned. I¡¯ll have a good chat with him if there¡¯s nothing there.¡±


    The young man nodded, albeit reluctantly, and said, ¡°All right. Then I¡¯ll have a look at seat #0466 in zone A1.¡±


    Liu Changxi nodded as his vision shifted to the B zone.


    A minute later, when the young man came to the seat #0466 in zone A1, as he squatted on the floor and had a look at the seat, he found nothing on the floor. However, him being a professional and possessing good investigation methods, he subconsciously touched the bottom of the chair.


    The moment after, however, his body turned slightly stiff as his hand touched something. He immediately knelt on the floor with his face down to see what he had just touched.


    ¡°Tape and¡­ a box?¡±


    How come this kind of thing was placed under the chair? Furthermore, how did it seem that it was intentionally placed there?

 Chapter 466

    Chapter 466: Scared


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The young man¡¯s complexion drastically changed. He quickly pressed the switch on his wireless earphone and quickly reported, ¡°Chief Liu, I just found something under seat #0466 in zone A1. Though I¡¯m unable to determine what it is, the box the size of a cigarette pack was taped on the bottom of the chair by someone!¡±


    ¡°Wait for me!¡±


    Liu Changxi had yet to arrive at the other spot Tang Xiu reported him when he suddenly heard the young man¡¯s voice in his earphone. His complexion immediately changed and he half-ran toward the A1 zone. When he arrived at the young man¡¯s side, he immediately knelt down and asked, ¡°Have you checked it?¡±


    The young man had already picked up the small black box from the bottom of the chair. Upon hearing Liu Changxi¡¯s inquiry, a glint of disbelief flashed in his eyes as he muttered to himself, ¡°There¡¯s a small clicking sound and the smell of gunpowder. If my inference is right, this should be a bomb, and it¡¯s very likely to be a time bomb!¡±


    His expression drastically changing, Liu Changxi suddenly recalled Tang Xiu reporting more than ten locations. He quickly called out through his wireless earphone: ¡°Bomb Disposal Squad, get to the A1 zone, seat #0466 at once. A suspicious explosive has been found here!¡±


    Having said that, he carefully took the black small box from the young man¡¯s hand. Smelling it, he nodded and said, ¡°Your judgment shouldn¡¯t be wrong. This is indeed a time bomb. Quickly go to the others spots Tang Xiu reported! If this is really a time bomb, and if all the other spots Tang Xiu reported are the same, then I¡¯m afraid something major will surely happen!¡±


    The young man¡¯s expression turned solemn. He recalled all his words and questionings toward Tang Xiu; they were full of disdain and contempt. His heart beat like a drum.


    In the case that this small box was really a time bomb, he would lose his face and the honor of his ancestors this time!


    Quickly, more than a dozen of the Bomb Disposal Squad members arrived. After they conducted an inspection, they finally inferred that it was indeed a small time bomb. After these experts of the Bomb Disposal Squad disassembled the time bomb they found that this bomb was very powerful despite its small size. There were several types of explosive materials added to it, and they were extremely powerful.


    ¡°Chief Liu, if this small time bomb were to explode, everyone within a radius of 50 meters would have a very small chance to survive the blast. Whereas all people within a radius of 50 to 100 meters could be injured, be it minor or heavy injuries,¡± said an expert of the Bomb Disposal Squad seriously with a very ugly expression on his face.


    A faint, ghastly expression was faintly visible on Liu Changxi¡¯s face. At this point, he finally realized that these extremists had already made their move.


    ¡°Report, a suspicious object found under seat #1135 in zone A1¡­¡±


    ¡°Report, a suspicious object found under seat #3673 in zone A2¡­¡±


    ¡°Report, a suspicious object found under seat #1247 in zone B1 ¡­¡±


    ¡°Report, a suspicious object found under seat #6940 in zone B2 ¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Various reports came through his earphone. Liu Changxi shivered and shouted, ¡°Get all the objects you have found and immediately send them to the stage! Bomb Disposal Squad members, you are to immediately take them away from the concert venue! That¡¯s right, there¡¯s also one under the stage, so get there and find it!¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡±


    Various police officers, members of Ministry of State Security, and members of the Bomb Disposal Squad were busily bustling about in the venue hall. They quickly found the time bombs and gathered them together into a box made of special materials.


    After taking a deep breath, Liu Changxi dialed Tang Xiu¡¯s mobile number.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, I must see you, now!¡±


    ¡°Gimme three minutes. I¡¯ll see you at the stage!¡±


    Tang Xiu replied and then hung up.


    At this time, he was standing in front of a trash can while releasing his spiritual sense. He found several glass bottles with blood and half a box of pushpins inside. He still remembered finding some pins in the stadium. Although these pins were very covertly placed, the pins could pierce them easily if the audience were to sit on the seats heedlessly.


    He didn¡¯t care too much about them at first, since they wouldn¡¯t hurt too much if they were to pierce a person. They would feel like an ant bit them at most, and the pain was minute.


    Nevertheless, finding the blood in the glass bottle dumped along with half a box of pushpins, it made him think that something was off.


    After returning to the stage, Tang Xiu gazed at the grim Liu Changxi and spoke, ¡°Secretary Liu, have all those objects I mentioned to you been taken out?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, all of them have been taken out, but there were a few that weren¡¯t sent here, though,¡± Liu Changxi silently nodded. ¡°Tang Xiu, the experts from the Bomb Disposal Squad have identified them as time bombs. This time it¡¯s really thanks to you. Had you not called me to report this, I¡¯m afraid it would be very difficult for us to them in such a dense and crowded stadium. Furthermore, if we hadn¡¯t found them and they exploded when Zhang Xinya¡¯s concert is ongoing, it surely would become a hell on earth.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s great you¡¯ve found them in advance. Also, I found several spots in the backstage with time bombs. The exact location is¡­¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Liu Changxi immediately issued an order and sent people to check on them.


    Immediately after, his gaze shifted to Tang Xiu. There was an inconceivable look there as he asked, ¡°Tang Xiu, can you tell how you found these time bombs?¡±


    When Tang Xiu informed him about the time bombs¡¯ positions on the phone, he had already thought of an excuse, so he calmly answered, ¡°To be honest, I have a very special ability. My hearing is ten times sharper than everyone else¡¯s. Furthermore, my sense of distance and focus are also beyond what ordinary people can visualize. Hence, I can pinpoint the location of these objects from the pointers¡¯ rotation in those small boxes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing!¡± Exclaimed Liu Changxi in shock.


    ¡°But, Secretary Liu, I hope you help me keep this secret,¡± said Tang Xiu with a faint smile.


    Liu Changxi nodded repeatedly as a fiery look could be seen in his eyes. He looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Tang Xiu, would you be willing to join our Security Bureau? I guarantee you¡¯ll have the best treatment if you¡¯re willing to join our department. Additionally, I can also guarantee that you will definitely rise to the top in the future.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, I¡¯m not interested,¡± said Tang Xiu while shaking his head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hurry to refuse, Tang Xiu,¡± Liu Changxi quickly said. ¡°Please consider first. Furthermore, I¡¯ll also personally make a visit to Senior Tang. I hope he¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu directly interrupted, ¡°If you were to go to my grandfather because of this matter, I assure you that I will never join your security department. That¡¯s 100% sure! Besides, I¡¯m still a college student and I also have some small businesses to manage, so I definitely won¡¯t have the time to deal with other things. If I were to join your department in the future, it must wait until I graduate from the university at least.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to your words, then,¡± said Liu Changxi after a moment¡¯s silence.


    Unwilling to keep speaking about this topic, Tang Xiu slightly pondered and asked, ¡°If anything, I just found a strange thing, Secretary Liu. But I don¡¯t understand it. I wonder if you can help me cast away my doubt.¡±


    ¡°What problem is it?¡± Asked Liu Changxi, confused.


    ¡°When I was strolling around, I accidentally noticed that there was a slit in some of the seats. There seemed to be pushpins in them as well, and the pins¡¯ needlepoints were pointing up. Though they couldn¡¯t hurt anyone; however, when I was in a remote corner at the back corridor, I found a half-box of pushpins in a trash can along with several glass bottles with blood stains inside.¡±


    Liu Changxi looked blank before his complexion turned ghastly. Amazement burst in his eyes as he exclaimed, ¡°Tang Xiu, y-y-you¡­ where exactly did you see them? Take me there quickly! Fucking damn! Those fucking lunatics are really using whatever despicable means available to create more damned trouble!¡±


    ¡°I can take you there, Secretary Liu. But you haven¡¯t answered me yet. What is the situation, exactly?¡± Asked Tang Xiu curiously.


    ¡°A few years ago there was an explosion in a park. There were also many pins placed on the seats in that park on the same day. Those pins¡¯ needlepoints were placed in a certain way so that only a small part of it was revealed. If someone were to sit on those chairs without moving around heedlessly, the chance of being pierced was very minute, but as long as they did so, it was very likely that they¡¯d get tipped by its needlepoint.


    ¡°Two-hundred twenty-seven! This is a number I will never forget. After the investigation, the statistic showed that 227 visitors were pierced by the pins, and one of them was a famous medical professor in China. He was accompanying his grandson playing in the park that day.


    ¡°After he got pierced, he pulled out the pushpin from the crack on the bench and found it smeared with blood. At the time he didn¡¯t take it seriously, but it wasn¡¯t long before he fell into a serious illness ¡ª AIDS!


    ¡°He was later diagnosed with AIDS, thus he associated it with the occasion when he got pierced by a pushpin in the park. Shortly after, he conducted an investigation and found that there were a lot of AIDS cases detected in the area where he lived. After careful inquiries, the 227 victims turned out to have visited that park on that very same day. Most of them went there to see the explosion scene.¡±


    Tang Xiu was tongue-tied and dumbfounded after listening to Liu Changxi¡¯s narration. Horror struck his heart. One must know that, through his spiritual sense, he had found at least a few thousands of pushpins in the audience seats.


    In the case that¡­ each pin was to pierce one person, didn¡¯t it mean that thousands of people would be infected with HIV?


    ¡°Those damned extremists! They are fucking lunatic terrorists! They all deserve to die!¡± Tang Xiu took a deep breath, a strong killing intent erupting inside his heart.


    His hatred was similarly shared by Liu Changxi when he replied, ¡°Yes, they do indeed deserve to die! Tang Xiu, quickly tell me the locations where you found the pushpins. I¡¯ll immediately send my people to clean them up at once. Otherwise, once tens of thousands of fans cme in, things will be unbearably dreadful!¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at his watch and said, ¡°It¡¯s a little too late. There¡¯s only half an hour until the fans start come in. It will be very difficult to clean up all the pushpins in the entire venue in half an hour.¡±


    After taking a deep breath, Liu Changxi immediately ordered through his wireless earphone: ¡°Everyone, pay attention! Contact the concert organizer and say that the concert time must be postponed for an hour; the time for the audience to enter the stadium must be delayed by an hour. Do pay attention to keep this confidential. Tell the staff to go outside and make an excuse to the fans!¡±

 Chapter 467

    Chapter 467: Killing Anyone Who Puts Up Resistance with Lawful Authority


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    At the backstage of the concert venue Zhang Xinya had already arrived more than an hour ago. At this time the staff were busy preparing various costumes, props, and so on for her. She was also receiving makeup from several makeup artists.


    ¡°Miss Zhang, may I have your time for a while?¡± The middle-aged woman from the Ministry of State Security entered the dressing room and spoke to Zhang Xinya.


    ¡°No problem,¡± Zhang Xinya got up and answered without hesitation.


    Immediately after, the two left the dressing room and came to the empty room next door. The middle-aged woman then said, ¡°Miss Zhang, the leader has instructed the concert to be postponed for an hour, and the fans can also only enter the stadium an hour later. Secretary Liu was originally planning to discuss it with you personally, but there was an important matter he needed to deal with. He¡¯s occupied now, and unable to come over.¡±


    ¡°What happened, exactly?¡± asked Zhang Xinya hurriedly.


    ¡°A large number of time bombs were found in the auditorium of the concert hall. There were also pushpins with HIV there. As of now, all the time bombs have been removed and are secretly being sent away. However, our people are still searching and removing the pushpins one by one.¡±


    Zhang Xinya¡¯s complexion drastically changed. Although she had learned that there would be extremists trying to terrorize tonight¡¯s concert, she had never thought that they would be so heartless and went so far as to set up time bombs. However, as if she had suddenly realizing something, she quickly asked, ¡°That¡¯s not right! The way HIV is transmitted is very particular. Even if it¡¯s smeared on a pushpin and someone were to be pierced by it, the probability to get infected would be very minute, right? Why would they¡­¡±


    The middle-aged woman forced out a smile and said, ¡°If it was merely a normal HIV-infected blood we wouldn¡¯t have been so anxious like this, since there is the factor that the virus will die over time; thus, the extremists¡¯ attempt to scratch people¡¯s body with the blood-smeared pushpins indeed only has a very minute probability to get them infected. However, there¡¯s a very skillful biologist in their ranks. The HIV-infected blood seems to have been altered and modified by a particular virus. Hence, not only is it no longer constrained by time, but it¡¯s now very contagious; even an ordinary person can¡¯t avoid being infected. As a matter of fact, we had already discovered this new strain of HIV as early as a few years ago. However, many domestic virologists are still unable to solve this problem till now.¡±


    ¡°If such dreadful thing exists, wouldn¡¯t it be very easy for them to do harm?¡± Asked Zhang Xinya with a horrified expression.


    The middle-aged woman shook her head, ¡°We speculate that even if these terrorists want to get a lot of samples of this new type of HIV, I¡¯m afraid that it wouldn¡¯t be that easy. Otherwise, with their hatred toward society, a major incident using this type of virus would have happened already.¡±


    After hearing this, Zhang Xinya¡¯s restlessness slowly calmed down. Then, she asked, ¡°Have your people caught the terrorists?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. We have not yet discovered when and how they infiltrated the concert hall,¡± the middle-aged woman shook her head. ¡°However, you can rest assured that our State Security¡¯s people, the police, and the armed police officers are all waiting for them to enter. As long they dare to show up we will make sure to bring them to justice.¡±


    Despite nodding to her, Zhang Xinya¡¯s worried heart didn¡¯t didn¡¯t relax. After hesitating for a moment, she then asked, ¡°Did Tang Xiu come?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s already here. In fact, the time bombs as well as the pushpins on the seats were found by him,¡± said the middle-aged woman.


    ¡°Tang Xiu found them? He¡­¡± Zhang Xinya exclaimed. There was shock and surprise on her face.


    ¡°He really is very skillful, and is now working with Secretary Liu to conduct a thorough investigation inside in the concert hall,¡± said the middle-aged woman.


    After hearing this, Zhang Xinya suddenly felt relieved. She had seen Tang Xiu¡¯s resourcefulness, and she already knew that Tang Xiu was a very powerful character. The fact that he found all the time bombs and pushpins showed that he was more skillful than she knew.


    With Tang Xiu here, she suddenly felt very relieved.


    ****


    During the prep session inside the concert hall, nearly a hundred security guards and police officers were carefully conducted an investigation, since Liu Changxi personally issued the order that each seat must be checked again, hence the reason for everyone¡¯s diligence.


    ¡°Be quicker and do be very careful when you check it!¡±


    Standing beside Tang Xiu, Liu Changxi quickly ordered through his wireless earphone. Whereas Tang Xiu quietly leaned on the stage with a cigarette in his fingers, eyes flashing with a thoughtful look.


    The methods used by the terrorists caused Tang Xiu to refuse to believe that they would only have the two plans. They were probably already aware that the chance for the time bombs and the HIV to be found in advance was high, so they must be planning some other vile and ruthless scheme.


    However, what was it?


    Although Tang Xiu possessed knowledge and experience, yet those were all from the Immortal World. He was rather oblivious to various dangerous methods one could employ in this present high-tech era.


    ¡°Secretary Liu, please take care of your work, I will take a stroll outside. There might be some other discoveries,¡± Tang Xiu extinguished the cigarette butt and threw it into the trash can nearby.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, wait! I¡¯ll get you two men to protect you in secret!¡± Said Liu Changxi quickly.


    ¡°No need, thanks,¡± said Tang Xiu as he waved his hand.


    Liu Changxi looked blank, watching Tang Xiu¡¯s back as he left directly. After brooding for a short while, he gave a hand signal to two middle-aged men not far away from him.


    Today, Tang Xiu¡¯s performance was simply freakishly stellar. His special ability was unbelievable and his meticulous brain made Liu Changxi very satisfied. Therefore, he held high hopes that Tang Xiu could join the Ministry of State Security, serving the country as well as benefiting the people.


    In such a dangerous situation, he must ensure Tang Xiu¡¯s safety. Certainly, there was also another reason; his particular identity.


    As Tang Xiu walked out he was keenly aware of the two men behind him. Yet, he didn¡¯t stop, and only secretly forced a smile.


    After leaving the South entrance, no one stopped him because of the work card hung on his neck, assuring him the right to go in and out freely.


    There, Tang Xiu looked at the four lines of the queue that had become very long. He also watched the anticipation on the fans¡¯ faces. They also brought Zhang Xinya¡¯s poster and glow sticks. He secretly sighed and lamented about the charm idols possessed. Such a huge crisis looming in this concert, yet these ordinary fans were all oblivious to it. They only brought that excitement, joy, expectation, and anticipation with themselves, looking forward to seeing their idol and able to see their idol¡¯s performance with their own eyes.


    _Truly, with great power and ability comes great responsibility as well._


    This sentence suddenly sprang inside his mind.


    As a matter of fact, even if he and Zhang Xinya were not friends, he would still take the initiative to help if he knew that there would be a terrorist incident tonight. Although he didn¡¯t believe in the saying that ¡°saving a person¡¯s life is better than building a seven-storied pagoda for the god¡±; nevertheless, he didn¡¯t want to see a hell on earth in this peaceful era.


    He took out his mobile phone and dialed Xing Li¡¯s cell number. After his call was connected, he then whispered, ¡°How is it going? Have you found any suspicious persons outside?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve found two people, Boss. We are still in a surveillance state as of now and have yet to act,¡± Xing Li¡¯s voice came from the mobile phone.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion flickered, and then said in a heavy voice, ¡°The concert will be postponed for an hour, and the time for the audience to enter the venue will also be delayed for an hour. You must try and do everything possible to find out as many extremists as possible. Do not act rashly, and wait for a while until you are about to enter the venue. Following that, squeeze out the information about the other extremists from them!¡±


    ¡°Roger that!¡± Xing Ling replied in a serious tone.


    However, after pausing for two seconds, he then asked, ¡°Boss, if they are extremists, how do we deal with them?¡±


    ¡°If you can capture them alive, the let them live; if you can¡¯t, then kill them!¡± Said Tang Xiu. ¡°Do remember that these terrorists are very dangerous. You must pay attention to your safety!¡±


    ¡°Got it, Boss!¡± Replied Xing Li.


    ¡°One more thing. When the extremists start their activities, don¡¯t get noticed,¡± said Tang Xiu once again. ¡°There are many fans coming for tonight¡¯s concert. If a bloody event were to occur here it will cause panic, and the chaos within tens of thousands of people will become a very serious event in itself.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± Xing Li answered again.


    After hanging up the phone, Tang Xiu released his spiritual sense and slowly walked toward the back of the queue. He needed to secretly observe the fans, just in case that the extremists were hiding amongst them. With his spiritual sense he was confident that he could easily detect some clues.


    As he had expected, when he walked slowly for nearly 150 meters and arrived at the middle of the four lines of the queue, his spiritual sense caught someone with a sharp dagger amongst the fans waiting in line. The dagger was wrapped in a black leather sheath and was placed around the person¡¯s left thigh.


    Tang Xiu then approached the man. When the man¡¯s back was facing him, he immediately took out his mobile phone, quickly took his picture, and sent it to Xing Li.


    Seeking! And hunting!


    Tang Xiu¡¯s spiritual sense had played a huge role today. A total of four people with dangerous weapons were detected by Tang Xiu amongst tens of thousands of people lined up from the four entrances: East, South, West, and North. Moreover, they also had the weapon similarly wrapped in a leather material around their thigh.


    _It¡¯s almost all of them!_


    By the information exchange between Tang Xiu and Xing Li, all the experts from the Everlasting Feast Hall were lurking around those four suspicious people and were secretly monitoring them. The only thing to do now was find the right time and opportunity to strike them.


    ¡°Do not leave your queue disorderly! Line up orderly!¡±


    Two young security guards carrying electric batons passed by Tang Xiu. One of them pointed at the more chaotic queue with his electric baton and loudly shouted.


    Tang Xiu smiled at the scene. Just as he continued to walk forward, a light bulb flashed inside his mind.


    _Security guard?_

 Chapter 468

    Chapter 468: Those Who Detest Society and Its Ways


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Prior to this, the thought never crossed Tang Xiu¡¯s mind. When the people from the Ministry of State Security and the police received the information that there might be extremists attempting to sabotage Zhang Xinya¡¯s concert, he had sent people to secretly monitor the situation at the outside, yet he didn¡¯t find anyone suspicious.


    Hence, he was unable to figure out how did the extremists infiltrate the venue. Placing the pushpins and time bombs in the auditorium definitely consumed a lot of time, for there was god knows how many. However, he was now thinking about the possibility of there being members of the extremists in the the security guards¡¯ ranks, since it¡¯d very likely that they¡¯d able to pull those stunts if there were some security guards covering them up.


    After a little pondering, Tang Xiu dialed Liu Changxi¡¯s cell number and talked in a low voice while walking, ¡°Secretary Liu, I have a bit of thought here.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Asked Liu Changxi, surprised.


    Telling his thoughts, Tang Xiu then finally said, ¡°If there was no security guards covering them up, the extremists would hardly be able to infiltrate the venue and secretly laid out those schemes under the tight surveillance and monitoring from your Ministry of State Security¡¯s people and the police force. Could you assign someone to secretly investigate all the security guards for tonight¡¯s concert?¡±


    Liu Changxi was silent for a few seconds before slowly saying, ¡°Tang Xiu, what you say makes sense. I admit that this negligence is our fault. The security guards are from Golden Shield, a rather famous security company in Shanghai. Some of them are security guards sent by their partners. If the extremists were to infiltrate their ranks and use this as cover, it makes sense that they can quietly lay out the time bombs and pushpins in the concert hall. Anyhow, I¡¯ll send someone to check it out now. No matter how difficult it is, we must immediately seize those suspicious people once we found them.¡±


    ¡°Tell your men to be very careful; the extremists are highly dangerous. If they find out that they have been exposed, I¡¯m afraid they will launch a suicide attack or something,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Sure thing, I¡¯m perfectly aware of it!¡± Liu Changxi¡¯s voice came replying.


    ****


    At the roof of a skyscraper 1.5 kilometers away from New World Center, a white-haired old man was holding a military telescope and was observing the situation around New World Center. Beside him was an old man called Old Wolf smoking a cigarette and fiddling with a Desert Eagle.


    ¡°Hey, Old Wolf, I¡¯m kind of feeling restless, and I don¡¯t know why.¡±


    Old Wolf looked up slightly and apathetically replied, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, it¡¯s because you¡¯re not good enough. I couldn¡¯t care less if we succeed or if I¡¯m gonna die. We have been duking out with both brains and guts with those brats from the Ministry State Security and the police for all these years; we have even made them eat shit a few times. The reason you¡¯re not feeling good is not because you¡¯re anxious, but it¡¯s because you have never done something this big before.¡±


    The old man put down his binoculars and turned to look at Old Wolf. A smile appeared on his aged face as he said, ¡°Old Wolf, I myself have never had any issues from the beginning up till now. But you, why do you detest people and hate this country?¡±


    Old Wolf coldly snorted, ¡°My younger sister starved and died at an orphanage. My younger brother, who was falsely charged, was dumped into jail and rotted behind bars for nine years. Right on the day he came out of prison, he got into a traffic accident and died. The money I used to go abroad was compensation for my brother¡¯s imprisonment. While the fucking culprit, who ran over and killed him, escaped.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very tragic, very miserable,¡± said the old man with a sigh.


    ¡°How about you?¡± Asked Old Wolf coldly.


    The old man smiled. His gaze looked far to the north. After a long while he lightly said, ¡°Do you know that contagious disease that caused panic in the country more than ten years ago? My wife, who was only with a low fever, was caught and locked up in a quarantine area and had to stay close with the really infected. As a result, she died, leaving me and my son.¡±


    ¡°You have a son?¡± Asked Old Wolf.


    ¡°Yeah, I did have a son,¡± the old man smiled self-deprecatingly. ¡°If he didn¡¯t die, he would be around your age.¡±


    ¡°How did he die?¡± asked Old Wolf again.


    ¡°He wanted to be a good man, and to be good and kind man was he taught and educated by me,¡± the old man rubbed his cheek. ¡°After graduating from the military academy, he joined the army to serve the country. Yet, as a result, he didn¡¯t die on the battlefield, but instead died when combating a flood and doing his disaster relief duty in that year. Hahaha¡­ it¡¯s ironic, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯m but someone from a martyred family.¡±


    ¡°Originally, you were not someone who detests the world and its society from the beginning, huh?¡± said Old Wolf indifferently.


    ¡°Who could be born this this way?¡± The old man sneered. ¡°They were all forced by those bastards! I could still endure it when my wife died, but my son was such a good boy! I¡¯m nothing but an old fart, but I lived on. I¡¯m so darn angry and furious! How true it is the saying that a good man dies young while scourges last for a millennium. Since becoming a good person doesn¡¯t get rewarded, why the hell should this old man do good deeds? A good man should just die early, for death will end all his troubles. Mind you, I can go accompany my wife and child if I die.¡±


    Old Wolf fell into silence. However, the killing aura emanating from him became stronger.


    _Di di di¡­_


    A Message notification from the old man¡¯s mobile phone sounded a few times. When he grabbed his mobile and read the short message, he immediately frowned, and then coldly said, ¡°It¡¯s announced that Zhang Xinya¡¯s concert will be postponed for an hour, and the time for the fans to enter the venue is also delayed by an hour as well. DAMN! What¡¯s the time for the time bomb to explode?¡±


    ¡°Relax! The concert will still be held an hour later. By then, all the fans will probably have entered the venue. Even if the concert has not yet begun, it can still kill thousands of people,¡± said Old Wolf coldly.


    The old man nodded. He then raised his binoculars and lightly said, ¡°Let us wait! I just hope that things don¡¯t go wrong. Inform Huan Lan. No matter what happens in the back, there must be no problems with the car bombs. Even if the time bomb inside the venue is found and dismantled, the car bombs will explode in densely populated areas. I wanna see those fanboys and fangirls howl in pain and grief; I wanna see the scenes of hell filled with their corpses everywhere.¡±


    ¡°Got that!¡± Old Wolf nodded with an apathetic expression.


    ****


    An hour later, before the stage at the concert venue, Tang Xiu looked at Liu Changxi who came striding toward him. His brows creased as he saw Liu Changxi¡¯s expression was particularly solemn.


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a situation,¡± Liu Changxi nodded. ¡°We found two people with suspicious identities. One of them has already been confirmed as a wanted criminal who infiltrated Golden Shield Security Company four or five years ago. As for the other one, we¡¯ve investigated his identity and found that he¡¯s using a fake identity. So to say, there¡¯s a very serious issue with him. When our people attempted to seize him, he severely injured one of our members. Faced with capture, he stabbed his own heart with a knife.¡±


    ¡°For being able to find them out, this meant that we¡¯ve made progress. If they die, then let them die! The death of such misanthropic lunatics means that all the trouble they can cause is no more.¡±


    Liu Changxi forced a bitter smile, ¡°What I¡¯m most worried about now is if the rest of the terrorists don¡¯t fear death like this one. That will be a huge problem. There have been tons of horrifying cases in foreign countries, and I believe that you have also heard that suicide attacks can be extremely damaging.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­¡± said Tang Xiu with a frown.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m afraid they would really fall into desperation and go crazy so as to carry bombs to the New World Center. That¡¯s huge trouble. The might of a bomb¡¯s explosion is too great. We will be done for if they have a lot of high-explosive bombs.¡±


    After thinking for a while, Tang Xiu spoke, ¡°That is indeed a probable situation. Hence, I think we should carry out a countermeasure for this. The policemen and armed police force should be focused on the New World Center and thoroughly patrol and inspect all the areas. It is best to seal all the major highways within a two kilometers radius, too.¡±


    ¡°This will alert the enemy!¡± Said Liu Changxi.


    ¡°It indeed will alert the enemy. But it¡¯s better than mending the fold after the sheep have been stolen, no?¡± argued Tang Xiu lightly.


    Thinking for a while, Liu Changxi then reluctantly said, ¡°All right, then! Even if we can¡¯t completely bring those terrorists to justice this time, we must ensure the safety of citizens. I¡¯ll have it arranged now!¡±


    Having said that, he turned around and left.


    While quietly looking at his departing back until he disappeared into the side entrance, Tang Xiu then looked at the fans who were constantly streaming into the venue. He typed a message and sent it to Xing Li: _ACT NOW!_


    ****


    Outside the New World Center, the long queue at the East entrance was slowly moving forward. Two female experts from the Everlasting Feast Hall were holding a poster near the front, moving forward along with the stream of youths.


    ¡°What¡¯s come over you, hubby?¡±


    The female expert of the Everlasting Feast Hall suddenly held the young man¡¯s waist, while her other hand pressed the youth¡¯s lethal point. A sliver of True Essence invaded the death acupoints of the young man, causing his pupils to abruptly shut, his body turning stiff and motionless. Another female expert held his other arm, as a sharp lancet pierced the spot under the his shoulder, which was a very important Supreme Spring point. [1]


    _Crack!_


    While the youth¡¯s wrist was crushed, his mute acupoint was also hit. In the eyes of the other two women who were watching the scene, the young man was just being propped up in the middle of the group from behind his back.


    Regardless, that small disturbance didn¡¯t garner the attention from many people.


    When the two women appeared in the last part of the queue, they quickly scoured the surroundings and then loosened the young man, walking and pulling him away.


    At the South entrance, there were another two female experts from the Everlasting Feast Hall. When they were close to the middle-aged man under their surveillance, one of the women straightly slit his throat and quickly stepped back when the man raised his hand to cover his throat!


    They pulled out a stunt! It was performed so well that anxiously shouted and propped the middle-aged man toward the back of the queue.


    At the West and North entrances, the assassinations were also carried out by two female experts from the Everlasting Feast Hall each. They were able to assassinate the targets silently in the middle of the streaming crowd. They even took the dead bodies away without alerting anyone.

 Chapter 469

    Chapter 469: RUN!


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    From the rooftop of a skyscraper 1.5 kilometers away from the New World Center, Old Wolf still sat there as he kept smoking cigarettes. As for the old man, he was holding the binoculars and constantly watching the East and South entrances of the New World Center.


    At this moment, two ordinary-looking and tall middle-aged men arrived. They were carrying black leather suitcases as they came to the rooftop. One of them opened the black suitcase without speaking, removing a laptop and other instruments.


    ¡°You¡¯re late, Turtledove!¡± said the old man after turning his head and glancing over with a cold expression.


    The middle-aged man operating the laptop said, ¡°You know, it¡¯s already great that I¡¯m here today. I wouldn¡¯t have taken part in this operation had I not found some people to be buried alongside my mother!¡±


    A cold glint flashed in the eyes of the old man, as he said coldly, ¡°Turtledove, since you¡¯ve joined our organization, you won¡¯t be able to have an easy and comfortable life unless you¡¯re dead. The treatment you receive is the best. So don¡¯t let me down on this.¡±


    Turtledove didn¡¯t respond. His fingers typed fast on the laptop¡¯s keyboard. Rows of English words kept appearing as small windows on the screen gradually lit up. The pictures in the small windows turned out to be the footage of each area in the concert venue.


    ¡°Little Jiu contacted me an hour ago. He said that the time bombs we placed in the concert hall and the pushpins with HIV have been discovered by the Ministry of State Security¡¯s people and the cops. They should have been cleaned up thoroughly by now. Three minutes ago I still had contact with Little Jiu, but he hasn¡¯t contacted me again since. I suspect that he met with an accident or something,¡± Turtledove¡¯s eyes were fixated on the laptop screen, but his mouth kept blabbering with an indifferent tone.


    The old man¡¯s complexion changed. Just as he was about to speak, his body suddenly shuddered.


    ¡°Damn! Bucktooth has just met with an accident. There are two women? Something is wrong, Baldy is strange, too! Who the fuck are those women? How did they find out¡­¡±


    In a flash, the other middle-aged man and Old Wolf took their binoculars and set their sights at the East and South entrances. Through their binoculars, they saw that their two comrades were being separately held by two women and separated from the queue.


    Old Wolf then shifted his binoculars from the East and South entrance toward a three-storied building near New World Center. As he looked at the unceasing movement before his eyes, his complexion abruptly changed, a burst of fright and disbelief suffusing in his eyes.


    ¡°How could it be him?!!!¡±


    Old Wolf was not someone who was afraid of death. He even firmly believed that his death would be very honorable and worthy as long as he could drag thousands of people to accompany him to his grave.


    However, he was truly frightened after seeing the people who were squatting in the middle of the garden while smoking. They looked at the three-storied building from time to time, where two of his comrades were hiding.


    For once, there were several figures that became the source of his nightmare.


    In those years when he was abroad, he had experienced hellish things that ordinary people would never imagine. He, who was fearless of death, had met some people who could strike fear in his bones. At present, that person before his eyes was definitely one of those who caused his dread.


    The old man put down his binoculars. His expression was grim and cloudy. He was shocked as he turned around and saw the fear on Old Wolf¡¯s face, despite knowing this man for so many years. It was because he had never seen such fear from Old Wolf¡¯s face in all these years.


    ¡°Hey, Old Wolf, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Old Wolf put away the binoculars in his hand and inserted the pistol into his waist. He took a deep breath and then said in a deep and heavy voice, ¡°Let¡¯s just abandon this mission, or else, only death will await us. Our deaths won¡¯t have any meaning and value whatsoever.¡±


    ¡°Give me a reason. I need an explanation!¡± said the old man with a frown.


    ¡°It¡¯s Devil! He¡¯s here in China!¡± Old Wolf was silent for a few seconds before he gave a slow reply.


    Turtledove unhurriedly looked up and asked in a cold voice, ¡°What Devil are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°You are a top hacker in China, Turtledove. If memory serves me right, you once participated in that ¡®Supreme Starglobe¡¯ battle for the hackers, and you intercepted information about those Devils, no? As for whoever dares to address themselves as Devils, how many are there do you think, huh?¡±


    Turtledove looked vacant, yet his expression betrayed him with constant flickering. He straightly closed his laptop and quickly stuffed it into a black suitcase. Getting up, he then said in a heavy voice, ¡°Old Wolf, you¡¯re saying it¡¯s him? He really came to China?¡±


    Pointing at the three-storied building in the distance, Old Wolf indifferently said, ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, see it for yourself. Though it¡¯s been several years since the last time I saw him, I can still recognize him even if he turns into ashes. Didn¡¯t you always want to know who left the scar on my left chest? It was him. He killed fourteen of us by himself! I was only able to escape by sheer luck, and didn¡¯t die because the position of my heart is different for normal people.¡±


    Turtledove grabbed the binoculars. When he saw the figure, his mouth fiercely twitched a few times, as he bitterly said, ¡°I really never thought that he would appear here. If my guess is correct, I¡¯m afraid that our two comrades hiding in that small building near him won¡¯t be able to escape.¡±


    ¡°Who exactly is this Devil you speak of? Just tell me clearly!¡± the old man ordered with a deep, tight frown.


    ¡°Devil is the man who held the first ranking in the list of the world¡¯s top hitmen for four consecutive years. At the same time, he¡¯s also the leader of the Hellbringer Mercenaries, a mercenary company whose numbers are very small. Rumors have it that they number no more than ten. Regardless, such a small mercenary company is ranked in the top three of the world¡¯s mercenary circles. Even the mercenary companies in the first and second positions once stated that they must stay on good terms with them,¡± explained Old Wolf.


    A look of surprise appeared on the old man¡¯s face. He didn¡¯t know much about hitmen lists, mercenary companies, and whatnot; his fear was not to that extreme; yet Turtledove looked so panicked, while Old Wolf was like hearing a bomb exploding in his ear.


    A short while after, Turtledove muttered to himself, ¡°His identity is not to be exposed, nor to be seen. He¡¯s practically one who withers in the light of day; yet how does he dare to appear here?¡±


    ¡°If my guess is correct, he should¡¯ve been recruited by the Chinese government to work for them for an exchange of identity or something. Let¡¯s withdraw! Even if we employ suicide attacks this time, I¡¯m afraid the impact would be close to nothing,¡± said Old Wolf, frowning.


    Turtledove nodded without hesitation.


    _Di di¡­_


    As the old man¡¯s complexion turned gloomy and cold like water, as a notification sound came from his mobile phone. When he took his mobile and saw the short message, his expression changed all of a sudden. This time, the text message was sent by Huang Lan, and there was only one word in it: _RUN!_


    ¡°Run?¡±


    Despite being unwilling, the old man was perfectly aware of all the signs indicating that this time was truly fraught with extreme danger. If the other party was really that powerful, even if they laid out their last resort, the impact was unlikely to have a great effect at all.


    ¡°Old Wolf, tell the others to flee!¡±


    Old Wolf nodded heavily. He took out his mobile phone to call the others. Yet he frowned, for no one answered his call.


    ¡°Could it be that they met with misfortune?¡±


    Hanging up, he then dialed another person¡¯s cell number. After attempting for five or six times, only one person¡¯s phone connected.


    ¡°Your methods are just so-so, so lame. Wait there, for death will soon come to claim your head,¡± a cold and grim voice came from the cell phone, speaking before Old Wolf could.


    With a drastically changed expression, Old Wolf growled, ¡°Who the hell are you?¡±


    _Beep beep beep¡­_


    The answer was only the busy tone at the end of the call.


    The corner of Old Wolf¡¯s mouth twitched a few times, as a look of restlessness could be seen in his eyes. Then, he smashed the phone and hastily said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that everyone else has met their end. Let¡¯s run as fast as we can! The farther the better.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe¡­ I¡¯m afraid your chance to run has just left.¡±


    A bell-like voice, with a mischievous tone, was heard from the stairway. Shortly after, two dark muzzles came to their line of sight first. Immediately afterward, two middle-aged men in black suits and night-vision goggles appeared.


    _Bang, bang¡­_


    Two gunshots were heard and quickly, Old Wolf and the middle-aged man were shot in the center of their foreheads and directly killed.


    As for the old man and Turtledove, they froze.


    They looked at the smiling woman behind the two middle-aged men, and there were also six big men wearing night-vision goggles behind her.


    ¡°Who are you guys?¡±


    Aged and experienced as he was, at the moment Old Wolf and the middle-aged man were killed, the old man realized that these people were definitely not from the Ministry of State Security and the police force, for those people would definitely not be so cold-blooded and directly shoot and kill them.


    The smiling woman clapped her hands and smilingly said, ¡°Who are we, huh? You can never guess it, anyway. Regardless, what you should be able to guess is that you all must die! I really don¡¯t get why Boss dragged so many of us here just to deal with small shrimps like you.¡±


    At this moment, fear had fully inundated Turtledove¡¯s eyes. His stature slightly shivered, and he receded two steps.


    ¡°Night Specter! You¡¯re Night Specter of the Hellbringer Mercenaries!¡±


    The woman was surprised, and curiously asked, ¡°You know me? It¡¯s so strange. Those who know who I am, almost all of them are dead already. How do you know about me?¡±


    Turtledove gulped down, and his legs uncontrollably trembled. His was hardly able to shift his gaze to the old man, and bitterly said, ¡°I broke through Morse¡¯s firewall with information pertaining the members of your Hellbringer Mercenaries. Despite only getting a few bits of information, I remember seeing your photo there.¡±


    Night Specter frowned. The smile on her face disappeared, instantly replaced by a dense killing intent. She grabbed a pistol, aimed it at him and asked, ¡°Morse was killed by us three years ago, and we also destroyed the information in his database. Who the hell are you?¡±


    Turtledove slowly closed his eyes, and opened it again a few seconds after. Then, he faced North and knelt down under the muzzle point. Kowtowing and knocking his head three times, he murmured to himself, ¡°Mother, this son of yours is unable to send the lives of ten thousand people to accompany you in your grave. Your son is unfilial. I hope I will still become your son in the next life.¡±


    Having said that, he unhurriedly got up. The fear in his eyes had vanished, and was replaced by a grim expression, saying, ¡°I¡¯m Turtledove, a hacker, ranked fourth in the Hacker Matrix.¡±


    The Hacker Matrix? Ranked fourth in the hacker list all over the world?

 Chapter 470

    Chapter 470: Crucial Intelligence


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Night Specter curiously sized him up and carefully observed him for half a minute before she nodded with a smile, ¡°So, you were that miserable fella who got a lesson from Mo ¨¡wen, huh? Ah, right. You shouldn¡¯t know about Mo ¨¡wen. But I¡¯m hella sure you know about Thousand Threads, no? Mo ¨¡wen is that Thousand Threads!¡±


    Thousand Threads?


    Intense hatred suffused Turtledove¡¯s eyes. He clenched his fists and imposingly said, ¡°I¡¯ll never forget Thousand Threads even if I become a ghost! If it weren¡¯t because of him, I wouldn¡¯t have been captured by those guys from the United Kingdom¡¯s Secret Intelligence Service, nor would have I been forced to be their slave, nor would I know that fucking bastard, Shi Biao! Likewise, I would have never joined this organization, neither would I have ended up meeting you and being aimed at by your damned gun today!¡±


    Night Spectre jeered, ¡°So you got enslaved and must work for that bunch from the United Kingdom¡¯s SIS, huh? You should die in that case.¡±


    _Bang!_


    A bullet blazed out, yet it wasn¡¯t Turtledove who died; instead, it was the old man.


    While looking at the trembling Turtledove, Night Specter suddenly smiled, ¡°Actually, you can keep your life. But I don¡¯t know whether you are willing to work for our Boss or not.¡±


    ¡°Who is your Boss?¡± asked Turtledove, frowning.


    ¡°All of us are part of the Everlasting Feast Hall. You need not know who our Boss is as of now. What you need to know is that once you choose to join us, your life henceforth will belong to our Boss. Of course, you can opt to refuse the offer at the cost of facing the fate of enduring endless and hellish torture. Certainly, even if you join our Everlasting Feast Hall, I can assure you that you may also face great sufferings. Nevertheless, you¡¯re still going to hell just the same.¡±


    It took only ten seconds for Turtledove to think about the offer, before he gave his answer categorically.


    ¡°I agree!¡±


    With a satisfied look, Night Specter nodded, ¡°Well, since you¡¯ve agreed, then I welcome you. As for the United Kingdom¡¯s SIS, it¡¯s easy to take care of it. We just need to show them a photo of your dead body. Your file will surely be washed away.¡±


    Just as her voice fell, Night Specter instantly appeared in front of Turtledove. She grabbed her dagger and slashed its tip. Blood splattered from Turtledove¡¯s chest and splashed the left side of his face.


    Yet, Turtledove persevered. Not even a sound came out of his mouth, nor did he fall down because of the sudden strike. As his whole face became distorted, Night Specter stunned him by hitting his Solar System acupoint with her fist, causing him to directly pass out.


    ¡°Take a picture of him and bring him back.¡±


    A middle-aged man wearing night-vision goggles coldly said, ¡°Night Spectre, this is not in line with the rules. The Boss¡¯ order was to capture or kill them. He didn¡¯t say anything about taking them in!¡±


    With a calm and tranquil expression, Night Specter replied, ¡°There are over 100 experts in the core members of our Everlasting Feast Hall. We may look like a well-trained and powerful army, however, our hundreds of peripheral members are the backbone of our force. That year, Gu¡­ ¡­ When the Boss first established the Everlasting Feast Hall, she said that as long as one has powerful abilities, whoever it is, we must do everything we can to subdue that person so as to make the best use of him for ourselves. Turtledove is a very skillful hacker, and we are in the information era. Our Everlasting Feast Hall we have Mo ¨¡wen, yet he got transferred by our Boss, so we¡¯re now short on this type of expert. Besides, as we¡¯ve captured Turtledove now, we also need to listen to the Boss¡¯s instruction as for how to deal with him.¡±


    The middle-aged man was silent for a while before saying, ¡°All right, then take him away, and wait for the Boss¡¯ order.¡±


    ****


    Twenty sharp in the evening the concert was finally started.


    Along with Zhang Xinya¡¯s appearance, thunderous cheers and screams blasted out from over 40,000 fans from every part of the country. Blazing music and passionate singing came from behind the dancing group.


    That was¡­ Zhang Xinya¡¯s singing voice.


    In the front row of the concert hall, precisely in the A1 zone, Hu Qingsong and Zhao Liang¡¯s group waved the glow sticks in their hands, shouting Zhang Xinya¡¯s name. Even Mu Wanying who was usually calm and tranquil, stood up with everyone, and her smile was extraordinarily dazzling. Yet, there was one person who looked extremely¡­ unusual. That was Yue Kai.


    At this time, Yue Kai was constantly glancing around, looking for Tang Xiu¡¯s figure.


    ¡°Hey, Yue Kai. What are you looking around for? The Goddess is there, you know! Do you dare to look somewhere else?¡± Zhao Liang lightly punched Yue Kai¡¯s upper arm and shouted.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for Tang Eldest Bro! Properly speaking, he should also be here!¡± replied Yue Kai loudly.


    Zhao Liang stared blankly, and also started looking around. But Tang Xiu¡¯s shadow was nowhere to be seen. Then, he loudly shouted, ¡°Tang Eldest Bro may have some other matter, man! But I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll come later!¡±


    ¡°I do hope so, buddy,¡± Yue Kai was silent for a moment before he nodded.


    ****


    Outside the South entrance of New World Center, Tang Xiu easily shook off the two members of the Ministry of State Security who were responsible for protecting him, and appeared in a three-storied small building a kilometer away.


    At this time, the forty members of the Everlasting Feast Hall had returned, and there was also Turtledove, who was lying down, fainted on the sofa to the side.


    ¡°Who is he?¡± inquired Tang Xiu.


    Night Spectre got up and respectfully said, ¡°He¡¯s called Turtledove, Boss. A hacker ranked fourth on the world¡¯s hacker list. He¡¯s also one of the extremists you were talking about. We killed the rest, and it was I who left him alive.¡±


    ¡°Where are their dead bodies?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Our people destroyed their dead bodies using the Body Dissolving Liquid,¡± said Night Specter.


    Body Dissolving Liquid?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression flickered. The Body Dissolving Liquid must have been given to them by Gu Yan¡¯er or Ji Chimei. Nodding in response, he lightly said, ¡°Explain to me why you kept him alive.¡±


    ¡°Boss, Boss Gu¡­ When Boss first set up the Everlasting Feast Hall, she once said that we must try to recruit some experts who are particularly skillful in the networking aspect, and we must also strive to make the best use of them. As of now, the number of our Everlasting Feast Hall is more than 500 people, yet there are only 100 core members; whereas all these years, the other peripheral members mostly comprise of people talented in this internet and networking aspect. Hence, I kept his life and am ready to listen to your arrangements pertaining this issue.¡±


    ¡°Does our Everlasting Feast Hall have no computer expert?¡± asked Tang Xiu, frowning.


    ¡°We do have one, Boss,¡± answered Night Specter. ¡°Mo ¨¡wen is ranked second in the Hacker Matrix. But you transferred him, so our Everlasting Feast Hall is now short of this type of expert.¡±


    ¡°Is Mo ¨¡wen really very skillful in hacking?¡± asked Tang Xiu in astonishment.


    ¡°Yes!¡± replied Night Specter.


    After thinking for a short while, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Tell me, what means exactly have you been using to subdue talented experts to work for us? Like this chap named Turtledove, whose existence is an extremist. Not only could he be harmful to our Everlasting Feast Hall, but he¡¯s also an enormous hidden danger to ordinary citizens.¡±


    ¡°Boss, those who had been subdued by our Everlasting Feast Hall, most of them had once done all kinds of crimes and evil deeds. But after they had undergone our training and reform program, not only did they fully pledge their loyalty to our Everlasting Feast Hall, but they were also able to remove those negative tendencies and had a change of heart. Eventually, Elder Ji also used some special methods to make their disposition greatly change as well.¡±


    Thinking for a while, Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°Since you have a way to make him useful for us, then I¡¯m handing him over to you! Additionally, squeeze out some information from him for me. I must know how many extremists have participated in this scheme and how many have yet to be found by us.¡±


    Xing Li got up and seriously said, ¡°Gimme half an hour, Boss.¡±


    ¡°All right. I¡¯ll be waiting, then,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Xing Li nodded and picked up Turtledove, who was akin to a dead dog, and left the hall.


    As for Tang Xiu, he went to the window and looked toward the South entrance. He saw some people in casual clothes from the Ministry of State Security and the police force there. They may seem to be strolling around freely and casually, but in fact, they were secretly keeping their vigilance. Then, he said, ¡°Your mission here is almost finished. After Xing Li has finished with his interrogation, you can withdraw and return to Jingmen Island.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± everyone respectfully answered.


    Ten minutes later, Xing Li brought a list back to Tang Xiu. After he handed it over, he said, ¡°Boss, I compared the number of members and the number of extremists we just disposed of tonight. I found that there are only two people left, who have yet to be captured. They are Shi Biao and A¡¯Li respectively.¡±


    Tang Xiu recalled his memory. He had ¡°watched¡± that Shi Biao and a 17-year-old at the Shangri-La Hotel. That girl should be the one called A¡¯Li.


    ¡°Where are they now?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Turtledove said he didn¡¯t know. The only one who knew Shi Biao and A¡¯Li¡¯s location was the old man. Only, he has been killed by us previously. However, Turtledove said he can use the Internet to track and locate Shi Biao and A¡¯Li¡¯s communication gadgets, and then determine where they are.¡±


    ¡°Give him a laptop and tell him to find them for me,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Quickly, Turtledove was brought into the room. While his equipment was being placed in front of him, Tang Xiu said, ¡°I can give you a chance to live if you can find them. And I¡¯ll also give you the opportunity to pledge your loyalty to me.¡±


    ¡°Are you the Boss they spoke of?¡± asked Turtledove in astonishment, surprised.


    ¡°Correct,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Turtledove sized up Tang Xiu seriously a few times before replying, ¡°Three minutes! I can find them within three minutes.¡±


    Having said that, he sat in front of the laptop and began ¡°knocking¡± and typing on the keyboard.


    ¡°Found them!¡±


    A faint smile could be seen on his face. He didn¡¯t seem to feel bad at all at selling out his former comrades, even to the extent that he was slightly excited inwardly, because he had long disliked Shi Biao. He even felt that pulling these people to their deaths would serve as a good deed.


    ¡°Where are they?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°The location is 1.6 kilometers away from our position, near the West entrance of the New World Center,¡± answered Turtledove.


    ¡°You did well,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Having said that, he immediately ordered Xing Li to lead some people to check on it, and was also preparing to leave himself.


    As he looked at the back of Tang Xiu, Turtledove suddenly said, ¡°Boss, I can give you another bit of information.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s pace came to a halt, as he turned around to ask, ¡°What information?¡±


    ¡°Some time bombs have been installed at the International Airport¡¯s lounge. It¡¯s already 8 PM as of now, there¡¯s only a short time before they detonate. I reckon that the time left before the explosion should be less than half an hour,¡± said Turtledove.

 Chapter 471

    Chapter 471: The Crisis at the Airport


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression drastically changed as he grabbed Turtledove¡¯s collar and said in a heavy voice, ¡°Are you sure time bombs have been planted in Shanghai Airport? You are not lying to me?¡±


    ¡°I may dare to deceive anyone, but not him,¡± replied Turtledove while glancing at Xing Li.


    ¡°Tell me the location of the bombs!¡± said Tang Xiu, clenching his fist.


    ¡°They were placed by Old Wolf, while I¡¯m responsible to monitor the concert site. I don¡¯t know their location,¡± Turtledove answered as he shook his head.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath, quickly looked at his watch and said, ¡°How long does it take to get to the airport from here?¡±


    ¡°It will take an hour or so to drive there,¡± answered Turtledove.


    Tang Xiu took out his mobile and dialed Liu Changxi¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°Where are you now, Tang Xiu?¡± Liu Changxi¡¯s voice came after the call connected.


    ¡°Secretary Liu, let us forget where I am first! I just received news that the extremists¡¯ target tonight is not just Zhang Xinya¡¯s concert, but they also placed time bombs in Shanghai Airport. The remaining time to the explosions is only 20 minutes or so.¡±


    At the backstage of the concert, Liu Changxi suddenly contracted his pupils after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s report. His heart thumped so fast it felt like a hurricane. Panicked, he hurriedly asked, ¡°Is this information really accurate and reliable, Tang Xiu? What are the exact locations of the time-bombs?¡±


    ¡°The news is reliable! But I don¡¯t know where they have been laid,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    In a deep and heavy voice, Liu Changxi said, ¡°I¡¯ll immediately contact the Shanghai Airport¡¯s authorities and make them search for their locations as fast as possible. Also, I¡¯m going to send some people over there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s too late. However, we must inform the airport. Furthermore, I¡¯ve already left the New World Center since I needed to deal with something elsewhere. I¡¯m quite near Shanghai Airport, so contact the authorities from the airport and make them cooperate with me when I get there!¡±


    Recalling Tang Xiu¡¯s special abilities, Liu Changxi was immediately pleasantly surprised, ¡°Great, that would be great! I¡¯ll make sure to inform them. Please do it, Tang Xiu!¡±


    ¡°Mm!¡± Tang Xiu ended the call and walked toward the outside. He then said to Xing Li, who was following him, ¡°You all go back to Jingmen Island. Do bear in mind that you must scatter into small groups and leave quietly. Don¡¯t take the trains, planes, or public transportation vehicles, for those will expose your identities easily.¡±


    ¡°Copy that!¡± Xing Li¡¯s stopped following as he looked at the back of the departing Tang Xiu. He quickly returned to the room to inform the others, and quickly left.


    In the darkness of the night, Tang Xiu left the three-storied building. His figure was ghostly and extremely fast. Within just two minutes, he already arrived at the underground parking lot, and then drove away at a very fast speed.


    As of now, his driving skills were virtually matchless. With a reaction speed and eyesight that were many times stronger than ordinary people; his driving speed was practically neck-breaking. His Range Rover SUV was akin to a mustang running wild on the wide road, with its speedometer pointing at 200 km/h. He even used his stellar reaction speed to directly cross several red lights.


    Time was against him, he knew this perfectly well. A travel that one usually used one hour, there were only 20 minutes for him to arrive at the airport. Hence, he must speed up his car to the extreme. He even planned to abandon the car once he bumped into a traffic jam. Though his present cultivation was very low, his speed was comparable to the Land Rover¡¯s speed limit if he was to push his it to the limit.


    ****


    _At Shanghai Airport¡­_


    The person with the highest position there was Chu Xianglong, the Airport Supervisor, who had just returned from Beijing. Beside him were two airport executives following him out of the cabin.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    As Chu Xianglong stepped down the ladder, he frowned deeply, because from more than a hundred meters away, several executives of the airport were surrounded by a group of airport security and were rushing towards him.


    ¡°Has something happened?¡± Chu Xianglong asked lightly to the two airport executives behind him.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± Both men shook their heads and looked similarly confused.


    Quickly, several top executives of the airport finally came before Chu Xianglong. One of them had beads of sweat streaming down his forehead as he quickly said, ¡°Chief Chu, there¡¯s an accident!¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Chu Xianglong creased his brows and asked in a deep voice.


    ¡°I just received a phone call from the Secretary of the Ministry of State Security. He informed us that there are time bombs in the airport. Please call this number, so you will know the specific details,¡± said the person in charge.


    With a drastically changed expression, Chu Xianglong quickly dialed the number. After the other party answered it, he said, ¡°I¡¯m Chu Xianglong, may I ask who you are?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Liu Changxi¡­¡±


    Half a minute later, Chu Xianglong ended the call. His expression had already turned solemn, and immediately shouted, ¡°Seal all the passages in the airport! Suspend all the planes about to take off and evacuate all tourists in the airport! Call the police force and the Bomb Disposal Squad to immediately scour the airport for the time bombs! Additionally, inform all of our people that if a person named Mr. Tang Xiu arrives, take him in at once, and prepare everything he needs, whatever it is!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already arranged it, Chief Chu!¡±


    ¡°Then, repeat it again! If there really are time bombs in our airport and we are unable to find them within the remaining time, the damage we suffer will be massive! Hence, each and every one of you must go into action, hurry up!¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡±


    At this time, a passenger plane from Beijing was currently landing at Shanghai Airport. It slowed down over the runway, and quickly stopped at the pre-assigned apron. A few minutes later, a big-bellied and plump-faced Li Laoshan appeared at the cabin¡¯s door. He deeply frowned as he slowly stepped down the ladder. Behind him, there was a slim, well-dressed, and beautiful female secretary and four bodyguards in black suits.


    ¡°The siren is on, Boss,¡± said a bodyguard, vigilantly observing the surroundings.


    ¡°Let¡¯s ask about what happened,¡± said Li Laoshan with a nod.


    ¡°Roger that, Boss!¡± said the bodyguard respectfully.


    At this moment, a broadcasting voice reverberated in the airport sound system.


    ¡°Attention, ladies and gentlemen. Please note that all routes at the airport are to be closed immediately because of security issues. All passengers are required to leave the airport at once¡­¡±


    Security and safety problem?


    Li Laoshan¡¯s complexion changed. He was perfectly aware of the meaning of this type of broadcast. He had heard that similar situations had happened in several domestic airports. Most of them were issues related to an explosion.


    ¡°It seems like a major event has happened!¡± Mumbling to himself, Li Laoshan immediately shouted, ¡°Let¡¯s leave through the VIP lane!¡±


    ****


    On a road more than ten kilometers from the airport, Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion turned extremely grim. What he had been worrying about finally happened¡­ a traffic jam on the road.


    All the way here, he pushed his car¡¯s speed to the limit, even causing some light and serious accidents. There were also many traffic policemen blocking his advance and in hot pursuit of him. However, after he contacted Liu Changxi, they soon disappeared.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to do but abandon the car.¡±


    While looking at the traffic jam in front of him, Tang Xiu quickly made a decision despite his impatience and anxiety. After he got out of the car, he quickly bolted toward the alley at the side of the road.


    Amidst the dim lights of the night, Tang Xiu was like the incarnation of the Wandering God of the Night. At this time, one wouldn¡¯t be able to see his figure flashing from the side even if they were to observe him with the naked eyes. Even if one were to focus their attention, they could only perceive a flashing shadow.


    ¡°It¡¯s about ten kilometers from here to the airport, and the 20 minutes are up already!¡±


    Tang Xiu was praying that the time for the time bomb to detonate could stretch. He firmly believed that as long as he could rush to the airport within a few minutes, he would be able to scour the entire airport. After all, nothing could hide from his observation once he covered the area with his spiritual sense.


    When he was only two kilometers away from the airport, his keen eyes saw many cars rushing out of the airport; a lot of people were even turning around and running out to the roadside while carrying their bags.


    ¡°It seems that the airport has taken precautions against this predicament.¡±


    Tang Xiu avoided running on the road and kept accelerating. When he arrived near the airport, his figure finally appeared from the curtain of the night and quickly bolted toward the entrance.


    ¡°The airport has been sealed, and no one is allowed to enter!¡±


    A dozen police officers looked at Tang Xiu with vigilant expressions, and one of them shouted at him.


    Knitting his brows, Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu. I must go inside!¡±


    Tang Xiu?


    The police officers¡¯ complexions changed. The police, who had just stopped Tang Xiu quickly said, ¡°Are you, Mr. Tang? We have received a notice that you can go in at once. Our airport leaders are¡­¡±


    Without waiting for him to finish speaking, Tang Xiu immediately dashed inside.


    At the same time, he kept releasing his spiritual sense, which covered a radius of 200-300 meters. His face slightly changed when his figure appeared inside the airport lounge.


    ¡°Three bombs, and three minutes and fifteen seconds to the explosion time!¡±


    Tang Xiu quickly glanced around and found that many police officers around were looking for the time bombs. He suddenly shouted at them, ¡°There¡¯s a time bomb in this trash can! Assign someone to take it away. There¡¯s also one in there inside the fire hose, and another one in the pot on the left. What the hell are you dazing out for? Just get those time bombs faster! There are only three minutes left before they explode!¡±


    All at once, dozens of airport police officers were rushing toward the three locations pointed by Tang Xiu. After they carefully removed the three black boxes, two bomb experts half-run into the airport lounge and quickly examined them. They finally determined that these three black boxes were all specially-assembled time bombs.

 Chapter 472

    Chapter 472: You Are a Savior


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Chu Xianglong¡¯s face was grim. He and the airport police had been searching around for clues about the time bombs when he received a report from his staff saying that Mr. Tang had already found three time bombs in the airport lounge though he had just arrived. However, he didn¡¯t look happy at all, and looked even more solemn and grim instead.


    ¡°Where is Mr. Tang Xiu?¡± Chu Xianglong immediately asked after arriving at the lounge.


    A police officer quickly answered, ¡°Mr. Tang went to the B building, Chief Chu. Some of our colleagues from the station are with him.¡±


    Without the slightest hesitation, Chu Xianglong dashed toward B building. He didn¡¯t worry about the three time bombs that had been found, since the bomb disposal experts had taken care of them.


    ****


    _At the B building._


    At this time, terminal B11 was void of people, deeply contrasting with the previous bustling scene half an hour ago. There were only a few special police and airport police officers searching for the bombs. Yet, there was still something that made Tang Xiu worried: the time bombs they had just found.


    ¡°The total number of time bombs is five?¡±


    After scouring the surroundings with his spiritual sense, Tang Xiu finally determined the specific location of the time bombs. At this time, however, there was only one minute and twenty seconds left before they detonated.


    ¡°Leave this place immediately! QUICKLY!¡±


    While rushing to the nearest time bomb¡¯s location, Tang Xiu shouted loudly and quickly after taking out the time bomb.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Shouted a special police officer.


    ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu from the Ministry of State Security. Execute the order immediately and tell everyone to leave at once!!!¡±


    That special police officer stared blankly, while the rest quickly ran toward the outside after hearing it. Despite being unsure whether Tang Xiu was really someone from the Ministry of State Security, they knew Tang Xiu¡¯s name and had received an order that they were to obey every command Tang Xiu issued once he arrived.


    ¡°The fourth one!¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s heart was thumping fiercely. He only had 25 seconds left from the explosion time when he took the fourth bomb. The distance between him and the last time bomb was about 200-300 meters. If he sprinted to its location and took it away at the fastest speed he could exert, it would still be too late to throw them into a deserted place.


    ¡°It¡¯s gonna explode!¡±


    Tang Xiu sighed inwardly, as he quickly turned around and dashed away. He quickly got to the airport and rushed from the opened window toward the runway. In a brightly lit spacious space, he circulated his star force to his feet and ran ¡ª almost flying ¡ª toward the center of the runway. There were only a few seconds left for the bombs to detonate when he threw the four time bombs to the distance.


    _BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!_


    The five time bombs exploded at the same time. Apart from the explosion inside the B building, the shockwave from the four time bombs on the runway hit Tang Xiu on the back, throwing him upside down. He rolled and heavily slammed on the concrete floor.


    _Huff¡­_


    Tang Xiu took a long, deep breath as the adrenaline receded. The power of the four time bombs exploding together made him look miserable. He was rather invulnerable with his cultivation level now, yet he¡¯d be gravely injured if he were to be directly hit by four time bombs¡¯ explosion.


    As he crawled up from the ground, Tang Xiu quickly returned to the building. He felt quite fortunate after seeing the local in which the time bomb had exploded. As a matter of fact, he had already prepared for the worst when he rushed from New World Center; that was that the airport would be blasted, but without too many people injured.


    And now, it seemed that there were no victims, though the explosion did really happen. He believed that Shanghai Airport was able to afford such a loss.


    _Ta, ta, ta¡­_


    The rapid sounds of footsteps passing through the corridor were heard from the distance. Tang Xiu looked around and saw a middle-aged man dressed in a suit and tie with the air of a high-level superior. He was running with dozens of police officers toward him.


    ¡°Were there any casualties?¡± The hall was in a complete mess when Chu Xianglong arrived. There was only a person there ¡ª Tang Xiu ¡ª as he asked him loudly.


    ¡°No, everyone has already been evacuated,¡± said Tang Xiu as he shook his head.


    The anxiety and restlessness inside Chu Xianglong¡¯s heart finally eased. He knew what would happen when the explosions happened, and the one thing he was most concerned about was casualties. Now after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s answer, he finally nodded and asked,¡± Who are you? You shouldn¡¯t be someone from the police force or an airport staff, right?¡±


    ¡°I am Tang Xiu!¡± replied Tang Xiu in a deep voice.


    Startled inside, Chu Xianglong quickly moved forward to greet him, saying, ¡°Hello, Mr. Tang. I have already received a call from Secretary Liu. Thank you for everything you¡¯ve done for our airport.¡±


    ¡°No thanks needed,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°Protecting the national security and the property of the state is the obligation of every citizen, to begin with. So let us leave out the ceremony. Ah, right, I don¡¯t know who you are¡­¡±


    Extending his hand, Chu Xianglong said, ¡°I¡¯m Chu Xianglong, the Airport Supervisor of Shanghai Airport, and also the person with the highest authority here. Anyway, Mr. Tang, I already know about your actions just now. And regardless of anything, I want to thank you since our Shanghai Airport would have been in a big mess if it weren¡¯t for you.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, please leave out the ceremony,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and faintly smiled. ¡°It¡¯s very fortunate that those extremist terrorists only installed eight time bombs. Or else, it would have been too late even if I were to race against time again.¡±


    Extremists?!!


    Chu Xianglong¡¯s complexion changed, ¡°Mr. Tang, I heard an explosion from the airport runway. Did you¡­¡±


    ¡°There were four time bombs on that side. I found them and then threw them away there,¡± Tang Xiu interrupted him. ¡°If those four time bombs had exploded here, the building would have blown up. The airport probably has to repair some of the runways, though.¡±


    ¡°It was you?¡±


    Startled and shocked inwardly, intense gratitude filled Chu Xianglong¡¯s heart. He could hardly imagine how grave the consequences and losses would be if all four time bombs were to really explode here.


    ¡°All right, my duty here has been accomplished,¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand. ¡°However, just in case, the personnel of your airport should scour the area again. Anyhow, I still have things I need to handle, I can¡¯t stay here any longer.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Tang, can I bother you to help us with the searching again? I¡¯m afraid that bomb attack was but only the first wave. After all, those were time bombs, while no one among our ranks knows who these extremists are. They could have placed some other time bombs somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Tang Xiu looked vacant, and immediately realized the truth in Chu Xianglong¡¯s request. After contemplating for a while, he nodded and said, ¡°All right, then I will help you with searching the entire airport. Your people, however, need not follow me, since my tracking and investigation methods are different from yours.¡±


    Chu Xianglong was perfectly aware that Tang Xiu must have special tracking methods, or else he wouldn¡¯t have been able to find so many time bombs. His methods were definitely not something an ordinary person could do.


    ¡°Please, do it!¡±


    Half an hour later, Tang Xiu scoured the entire airport once again, and was finally sure that there were no more time bombs hidden in the airport.


    ****


    _In the airport lounge¡­_


    Liu Changxi had come rushing along with his men. He saw Chu Xianglong, who was looking grim and gloomy.


    ¡°How is the situation, Chief Chu?¡±


    Evidently, Liu Changxi had known Chu Xianglong before, so he asked straightforwardly.


    Chu Xianglong forced a bitter smile and said, ¡°A time bomb exploded inside B building, but there are no victims. Mr. Tang threw the four time bombs he found here on the runway, causing damage only to the runways but with no casualties. Also, there were still three more time bombs that were found first, and they¡¯re securely stored inside the enclosed special container by the bomb disposal specialists.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu actually found four time bombs? He arrived in such a short time, yet he unexpectedly¡­¡± Liu Changxi was shocked and commented.


    ¡°Secretary Liu, Mr. Tang didn¡¯t find four time bombs. Instead, he found six bombs from a total of eight. He even found one or two of those three time bombs secured by those bomb disposal specialists in the waiting hall,¡± said Chu Xianglong to interrupt Liu Changxi. There was admiration on his square face.


    _Hiss¡­_


    Despite knowing that Tang Xiu had special abilities, Liu Changxi was still shocked upon hearing that Tang Xiu was able to find seven time bombs.


    ¡°Mr. Tang is back!¡±


    A police officer who was following Chu Xianglong suddenly spoke.


    In a flash, all eyes looked at the direction Tang Xiu was coming.


    Liu Changxi dashed toward Tang Xiu, took his hands out and said, ¡°Tang Xiu, thank you. Thank you very much!¡±


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t stand on ceremony, Secretary Liu,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°No, Tang Xiu. This gratitude truly comes from my heart. If it weren¡¯t for you, perhaps an incident that would cause mass casualties would have happened in Shanghai tonight. All the time bombs and pushpins with the virus in the New World Center have been completely cleaned up by us; we even arrested Shi Biao and another extremist as well. But if we didn¡¯t have you to inform us about the situation at the airport, I¡¯m afraid a lot of tourists and the airport¡¯s staff would have been killed under such a situation where nobody knew about the bombs. You¡­ are practically their savior.¡±


    _Savior?_


    Tang Xiu nearly burst into laughter after hearing that.


    However, despite spending quite an effort and energy to the point of exhaustion, recalling the thousands of people he saved gave him a very good feeling.


    Letting out a smile, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Secretary Liu, you¡¯re too serious; it¡¯s making me embarrassed. If anything, I¡¯ve just investigated the entire airport again, and there shouldn¡¯t be any hidden dangers anymore. If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll bid my farewell first, since I still have some private matters to care of.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll call someone to send you off,¡± said Liu Changxi quickly.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be needed, thanks,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°However, I¡¯m kind of troubled since I violated some traffic regulations when I was rushing over. Also, I left my car halfway here, so I have to trouble Secretary Liu in solving them.¡±

 Chapter 473

    Chapter 473: Obedient Children


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    After leaving Shanghai Airport, Tang Xiu took a taxi and returned to Bluestar Villa Complex instead of going to Zhang Xinya¡¯s concert.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    Banshou was squatting near the entrance of Bluestar Villa Complex. He had already smoked a few cigarettes while waiting. After seeing Tang Xiu getting off from a taxi, he hurriedly strode forward to greet him.


    Tang Xiu glanced at the commercial vehicle hanging around more than ten meters away, as he nodded at him and said, ¡°Are you bringing a few more?¡±


    ¡°A total five of them, but they are a bit special,¡± said Banshou.


    ¡°What is their situation?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a strange expression.


    ¡°These five children are all seven years old. A total of three girls and two boys. They were adopted before, but as the old man had contracted a cerebrovascular disease and then passed away, the five of them were driven away by that elderly¡¯s children, so they resorted to wandering and living in the streets. When our people found them, they were having a brawl with a group of children for two packs of instant noodles.¡±


    ¡°Fighting over instant noodles?¡± Tang Xiu knitted his brows.


    ¡°Yeah. They have been living in the streets for more than four months already, and are always unable to fill their bellies. Eventually, they met a boy a few days back who was being bullied by his schoolmates. The boy promised to give them two packs of instant noodles if they helped him teach his schoolmate bullies a lesson,¡± said Banshou.


    ¡°And the result?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a strange expression.


    ¡°Though they did win, they also failed to get their prize,¡± Banshou forced a wry smile. ¡°Also, the number of their opponents had more numbers. It was five against a dozen and they beat them.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure that the five of them won against a dozen children?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Yeah, when I first saw them, they were currently brawling with that group of children. I have already asked them, and learned that those five were once adopted by an elderly, who then taught them some martial arts. I also learned the identity of that elderly, and know that he was a kind of grandmaster in martial arts. He lived in seclusion because of having his leg broken by his opponent when he got challenged to compare notes with others a long time ago.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°Let¡¯s go into the car and have a chat about it inside.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Banshou replied, and followed Tang Xiu to the commercial vehicle.


    After opening the car¡¯s door, Tang Xiu straightly sat in the front seat. After Banshou registered at the entrance gate, he drove the car into the interior of the villa complex. Tang Xiu, however, didn¡¯t look back, though he knew that the five children were sitting on the back back of the commercial car. However, he was using his spiritual sense to observe them instead of his eyes.


    _Two boys and three girls!_


    They were plainly dressed, and their looks were very common. The five were injured, though they were minor wounds and wouldn¡¯t cause anything serious. At the moment, they had their eyes fixated on him, and looked a bit curious, as well as vigilant.


    ¡°Relax, I¡¯m not a trafficker.¡± Tang Xiu finally turned his head to have them after the commercial vehicle was parked in the villa¡¯s courtyard. He let out a light smile after speaking, and then got off. Following that, he led them into the villa¡¯s living room and said, ¡°The five of you, just take this place as your own home for the time being. You¡¯re free to look at anything.¡±


    After saying that, he looked at Banshou, pointed to the opposite sofa and smilingly said, ¡°You have been incessantly looking for street children recently. Tell me about what you feel about this.¡±


    ¡°Boss, I really don¡¯t want to talk much, though you have us doing a very meaningful job. I¡¯ve seen too many things, and I know too much, yet every time I look at these orphans and street children¡­ To be honest, I¡¯m feel somewhat sad inside. We are much more fortunate and have a happier life than these children. Recalling the time when I was a trivial street thug, I feel like living this way seem to have meaning, and it¡¯s very worth it.¡±


    ¡°Doing what you like, and doing what you feel meaningful just proves that you are happy now,¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said. ¡°Since you like this job, then do it well. What I¡¯m asking of you is not quantity, but quality. Of course, you can also think of ways to take care of those unqualified street children. For instance, sending them to an orphanage, or to the local police, letting them find a solution for them. As for your present performance, I¡¯m very satisfied, and I hope you can persist in your efforts, too.¡±


    ¡°I promise I¡¯ll get the job done well, Boss!¡± Said Banshou seriously.


    ¡°All right, tell me about these five!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ve investigated these five. Little Yi and Little Er are twin brothers. They were still babies when that elderly found them while doing a morning jog on the riverside. The other three were also abandoned and sent to an orphanage in the local area. Eventually, the orphanage was closed down, and the issue for the placement of the children there was left unsolved. Though the caretaker of the orphanage tried to find homes for all of them, these three were eventually left behind. The elderly who lived near the orphanage heard about this, and finally adopted these three.¡±


    ¡°So, in other words, you can¡¯t find their family members, yes?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    Banshou forced a smile and answered, ¡°We were unable to find them.¡±


    ¡°Then, you don¡¯t need to keep searching,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Anyways, as for the five of you, I want to ask you something. Would you like to be adopted by me? Of course, I¡¯ll provide you with all the necessities of life, as well as teaching you martial arts, so that you can become skillful persons in the future,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    The five children didn¡¯t run around when Tang Xiu was conversing with Banshou. It was because the place was very luxurious, so they were standing nearby, keeping their vigilance and curiosity at the same time. Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, they walked toward Tang Xiu, and the tallest one of them, a girl, then asked, ¡°What exactly are you going to do with us?¡±


    ¡°What a smart child you are,¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said. ¡°You¡¯re evidently much more mature than your peers. Anyhow, it¡¯s fine telling you now. So to say, I¡¯m going to let you stay here for the time being. After you have lived here for a period of time, a few more homeless children will also be sent to this place later, and I¡¯ll send you to Jingmen Island then. You all will live there for a few years, and I¡¯ll take you to my home should you show outstanding performance.¡±


    ¡°Going home? Where is that?¡± Asked the girl curiously.


    ¡°It¡¯s my home. My home in the truest sense. Likewise, if you study hard, practice martial arts seriously, and then get my approval, I will take you to my home, and it will be your home as well,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°You¡¯re telling us that you want us to continue practicing martial arts? Are you a martial artist or something?¡± Asked the girl again.


    ¡°I am. And I¡¯m a very powerful one as well,¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod.


    The girl turned her head and talked to the other four in whispers. Finally, she looked up at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°There is the last question we have for you. Why did you adopt so many orphans and homeless children? Those like us!¡±


    The smile on Tang Xiu¡¯s face turned thicker as he answered, ¡°Though you are still young, I have some words I believe you¡¯ll understand. The more people you have, the more powerful you are. If tons of orphans and street children are gathered, studying and practicing martial arts together; in the future, when all of you have grown up, and in the case that anyone dares to bully our family members, there will be many people who will fight together with us against those bullies. So now, are you satisfied with my explanation?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± The tallest girl nodded and answered seriously after the five children whispered to each other.


    ¡°All right, then. Tell me your name,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    ¡°My name is Little Yi. They are Little Lan and Little Qing. As for them, they are called Little Yi and Little Er,¡± said the tallest girl.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a family name?¡± Asked Tang Xiu curiously.


    ¡°No, Grandpa didn¡¯t tell us what our family name was,¡± said the girl with an honest expression.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a short while, before slowly saying, ¡°Then you will have Tang as your family name later! As for your own name, I think that I have to change your name as well, and I¡¯ll bestow it on you now!¡±


    ¡°What name will we have, then?¡± Asked the girl.


    ¡°I¡¯ll bestow you a name in accordance to the five elements; metal (Jin), wood (Mu), water (Shui), fire (Huo), and earth (Tu). You will be called Tang Xiaojin. As for them, they¡¯re respectively: Tang Xiaomu, Tang Xiaoshui, Tang Xiaohuo, and Tang Xiaotu. How does it sound?¡±


    The five children gathered and talked to each other yet again for a while, and finally decided to accept their new names. A smile finally appeared on their faces.


    A few minutes later, Banshou left and drove away. Tang Xiu then took Tang Xiaojin¡¯s group of five to tour the villa while telling them things they needed to know. Finally, after they returned to the hall on the first floor, he said, ¡°You will stay on the first floor. Xiaojin will have a room for herself, whereas Xiaomu, Xiaoshui, Xiaohuo, and Xiaotu will stay in one room together. Tomorrow I will take you to buy some clothes, shoes, and some basic, simple textbooks. I will also hire teachers to teach how to read and write. As for your meals, you don¡¯t have to worry about it. I will also hire housekeepers to take care of your daily life. Also¡­¡±


    _Ring, ring, ring¡­_


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mobile phone rang and interrupted his following words.


    Taking out his mobile phone, Tang Xiu saw on the screen that the caller was unexpectedly Li Laoshan. He immediately pressed the answer button and smilingly said, ¡°Hey, Old Brother Li, how come you remember to call me?¡±


    ¡°Tang Brother, I just arrived in Shanghai. Are you free now?¡± Li Laoshan¡¯s hearty laughter came from the mobile phone.


    Hesitating for a moment, Tang Xiu then smilingly said, ¡°It would¡¯ve been fine if it was some other time, Old Brother Li. But I have a minor matter to deal with at the moment, and I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t go out now. How about you just come straight to my place?¡±


    ¡°Me coming to your place now?¡± Asked Li Laoshan, surprised. ¡°Won¡¯t I disturb your family members coming this late?¡±


    ¡°Surely no!¡± Tang Xiu laughed.


    ¡°Alright, then! Tell me your address and I¡¯ll come over there now,¡± Li Laoshan smilingly said. ¡°Anyhow, do you want me to bring some dishes, wine, or something? I just arrived in Shanghai and settled at the hotel, so I¡¯m kinda starving here.¡±


    ¡°No need, thanks,¡¯ Tang Xiu laughed. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you just come here.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Tang Xiu texted his address to Li Laoshan. Then, he looked at five children and said, ¡°You need not worry about your daily life later, and I only have one request for you.¡±


    ¡°What request is it?¡± Asked Tang Xiaojin curiously.


    ¡°Obey all my orders,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°If I tell you to go east, you must never go to the west. If I order you to stand, then sit must you not. Shortly put, my command is above everything else, got it?¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± The five children, Jin, Mu, Shui, Huo, and Tu, nodded repeatedly.


    Obedience! It was exactly their strong point. This was the education taught to them after getting adopted by their Grandpa, which was to heed what the elderly said.

 Chapter 474

    Chapter 474: Dragon Soul


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The addition of five kids in his home didn¡¯t trouble Tang Xiu, for he, after all, had experience in raising children. Hence, he instructed them to take baths in turn, then he went to find five sets of clothes he didn¡¯t wear anymore for them to wear. Though they looked like they were wearing robes, at least they didn¡¯t need to wear dirty clothes again.


    ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡± Looking at the five little guys sitting in the hall, Tang Xiu asked with a smile.


    ¡°No, not yet,¡± Tang Xiaoji shook her head and answered.


    Letting out a faint smile, Tang Xiu dialed Chi Nan¡¯s cell number and asked her to send something for them to eat. The food had yet to arrive when Li Laoshan came after him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not disturbing you for coming this late am I, Brother Tang?¡± The large bellied Li Laoshan¡¯s plump face was beaming with a smile. He entered the villa¡¯s hall along with the beautiful female secretary, who followed him, whereas the four bodyguards were waiting in the courtyard.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Tang Xiu laughed. ¡°Anyhow, I should¡¯ve taken Old Brother Li to a welcoming dinner since you¡¯re the one coming to Shanghai. However, I was quite busy looking after these five kids and didn¡¯t felt at ease leaving them alone at home. I can only apologize for making you come here personally.¡±


    Li Laoshan¡¯s eyes landed on the five kids. There was a strange expression on his face as he spoke, ¡°They are¡­¡±


    ¡°They are children I adopted. Kids, why are you dawdling and not greeting the guest?¡± Tang Xiu laughed.


    ¡°Hello, uncle! How do you do?¡± Tang Xiaojin¡¯s group of five hurriedly called out.


    ¡°Hello, and how do you do, too, kids!¡± Li Weishan nodded at them and replied.


    Having said that, he shifted his vision toward Tang Xiu and gave him a thumbs up, praising, ¡°You¡¯re amazing, Brother Tang. You are willing to adopt these children despite being so young yourself.¡±


    ¡°Little Jin, you all can get back to your respective rooms now. I¡¯ll call you again after the food have arrived. All right, Old Brother Li, please come in and have a seat.¡±


    After exchanging polite remarks, Tang Xiu let out a smile and said, ¡°Old Brother Li, what is your purpose in coming to Shanghai this time?¡±


    ¡°I came to see you,¡± said Li Laoshan.


    ¡°I never thought that my face was really that big. To think it would be worthy enough for Old Brother Li to come see me personally. So, what¡¯s the reason you came looking for me?¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang, being too smart is kinda hard on your friends, don¡¯t you think? Anyhow, I do really came looking for you for a matter, and it¡¯s kinda very important, too.¡±


    Gesturing from him to go on, Tang Xiu smiled but kept quiet.


    ¡°The reason I came over this time is mainly because I want to ask some assistance from you, Brother Tang. I was doing some business back in Beijing, and eventually I encountered some problems as of lately. The other party is also the owner of a construction materials business. He contacted some people and siphoned a large number of my steel products. Hence, I want to ask Brother Tang to accompany me there.¡±


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be the main problem, right? Can you elaborate?¡± Asked Tang Xiu after pondering for a short while.


    Giving him another thumbs up, Li Laoshan praised, ¡°You¡¯re smart, Tang Brother. I wouldn¡¯t have troubled you if the problem was a small matter. But the other party is an obsessed man with antique goods, and has been persistently wanting to buy the Yuchang Sword in my hands. You must know, I spent a lot of effort to secure this Yuchang Sword, so it¡¯s only natural that I¡¯d never want to sell it. However, he eventually made a bet with me, that he has a better ancient sword in his possession, forcing me to bring out my Yuchang Sword and participate in an underground auction in Beijing. I have to auction my Yuchang Sword, whereas he will auction his ancient sword as well. Then, both of us will compete at the auction for the two antique swords, and whoever bids the highest will win both of them.¡±


    ¡°There is an underground auction in Beijing?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s an underground auction secretly run by the Situ Family, the intermediary family of the Bizarre Sect. It is said that this underground auction has existed since the Qin Dynasty era. It has never been stopped running, not in the period of the Republic of China nor the wartime. So far, it seems that 180 auctions have already been held, and there have always been a large number of antiques auctioned in each event. I heard that even the Emperor Qin¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal is also one of the auctioned items this time. You also heard about the Emperor Qin¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal, haven¡¯t you, Brother Tang?¡±


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t heard of it,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°What is it, exactly?¡±


    Li Laoshan answered in a mysterious tone, ¡°Of course it is an imperial seal, the symbol of power and authority during the Qin Dynasty.¡±


    Nodding in response, Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°However, I still don¡¯t understand something, Old Brother Li. In what kind of problem do you want me to help you in, exactly? If it was about money, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t be of much help; I¡¯m not as rich as you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about money. It¡¯s an issue about my own safety. I learned the nature of this auction house when I first participated in one 15 years ago. The event is fraught with dangers for the buyers who bid and buy extremely precious antiques; they are very likely to be targeted. You are a very powerful yourself and your men are also powerful experts. If I have you with me I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be safe.¡±


    Tang Xiu understood in a flash, and then said with a smile, ¡°Can you tell me the specific time the auction will be held?¡±


    ¡°On October 7th,¡± said Li Laoshan.


    Thinking for a while, Tang Xiu then nodded, ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m also very interested in this kind of underground auction. All right, then. I¡¯ll go with you when the time comes!¡±


    Upon hearing his promise, Li Laoshan was immediately overjoyed, as he beckoned to the beautiful female secretary. Afterward, from the briefcase in the female secretary hands, he took a sophisticatedly made box and handed it over to Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Asked Tang Xiu after receiving the box. There was a strange look on his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s something this Old Bro of yours had gotten some time ago,¡± Li Laoshan laughed. ¡°It¡¯s a genuine dragon-shaped jade ornament formed by nature. It¡¯s a gift from me as a token of my gratitude.¡±


    ¡°Thanks a lot!¡± Tang Xiu faintly smiled, and gently opened the lid. When his eyes fell on the jade ornament, a dazzling red light suddenly appeared, causing his pupils to contract in an instant and causing him to abruptly get up.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Brother Tang?¡± Startled, Li Laoshan asked.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you see it just now?¡± Asked Tang Xiu after he turned his head to look at Li Laoshan.


    ¡°See what, exactly?¡± Asked Li Lashan, confused as well as doubtful.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t answer, but instead fixated his vision on the crystal clear jadeite that had a red dragon-shaped pattern inside. His heartbeat beat faster than usual, and a glint of disbelief flashed in his eyes.


    It¡¯s a Dragon Soul! There was unexpectedly a Dragon Soul sealed within this jade ornament!


    Tang Xiu released his spiritual sense seeped it into the jade. Much to his surprise and astonishment, there was a spatial space within the jade ornament, with a soul of a Nine-Clawed Crimson Dragon constantly wandering in it.


    If it was just a common Dragon Soul of the Dragon race, Tang Xiu wouldn¡¯t have been this shocked. But a Nine-Clawed Crimson Dragon was extremely scarce even in the Immortal World. More importantly, a young Nine-Clawed Crimson Dragon was able to defeat an adult Five-Clawed Golden Dragon. In terms of preciousness and formidableness, a Nine-Clawed Crimson Dragon would definitely be ranked in the top three if there was a ranking list in the Dragon Clan.


    Dragons were one of the most formidable races in the Immortal World. Even after becoming a Supreme, who possessed great influence and power in the Immortal World, he dared not to provoke this race easily.


    ¡°Who did this? To think that the person who did this possessed such a great magical ability, and was able to capture an adult Nine-Clawed Crimson Dragon¡­ Why did he extract its Dragon Soul and seal it here? Nonetheless, it¡¯s really quite fortunate¡­ the cutting process when this jade was being carved didn¡¯t touch the space inside the jade; otherwise, it would have led to the destruction of the internal space, along with the Dragon Soul inside it.¡±


    Secretly rejoicing inside, the way Tang Xiu looked at Li Laoshan became different from before. After staying in silent for a short while, he slowly said, ¡°Old Brother Li, give me two years. I¡¯ll give you a big chance in two years. To be exact, it¡¯ll be a great fortune.¡±


    ¡°A big opportunity? A great fortune? What are you talking about?¡± Asked Li Laoshan, surprised.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you, yet. But you will naturally understand in two years. I¡¯ll accept this jade ornament, and two years later, just consider it as me paying this favor,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Speaking so seriously like that kinda makes me awkward, Brother Tang,¡± Li Laoshan waved his hand and smiled. ¡°If anything, for you to accompany me to Beijing is as good as paying this favor already. To be honest, I was afraid that this gift of mine would be too unworthy, that you wouldn¡¯t be satisfied with it.¡±


    ¡°I must tell you, this jade ornament is very important to me,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    It was true! This object was very important!


    As of now, Tang Xiu was already in a bottleneck in his cultivation progress. Furthermore, it would be more difficult for his cultivation to progress in the future as well. Since he had the soul of a Nine-Clawed Crimson Dragon, however, it would become a different story, since once his cultivation broke through the final layer of the ¡°Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis¡±, that was, after he reached the Ninth Layer of the Nine Cores Phase Forming, devouring this Dragon Soul at that time would definitely help him leap over the first level, and then directly step into the second level.


    Tang Xiu had thoroughly analyzed and studied the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis and knew that once he broke through to the second level, it was equivalent to a common cultivator stepping into the Immortal Realm.


    Some cultivators were unable to break through the final bottleneck during their lifetime, unable to become an Immortal.


    Others spend countless years in hard work, untold hardships, and dangers before they finally ascend and become Immortals.


    As for him, if he devoured the Nine-Clawed Crimson Dragon at that time, not only would it make him step into the Immortal Realm, he would even have the opportunity to condense an Immortal Soul. Once his Immortal Soul fused with this Dragon Soul, he was certain that he would be able to cultivate magical powers and secret arts belonging to the Dragon race.


    Dragons were full of treasures from their head to their tails! And they were spiritually and physically powerful!


    Tang Xiu was certain that the constitution and formidableness of his physique would be more powerful than that of Immortals after he devoured this Dragon Soul; even the Demon race in the Demon World would pale in comparison to him.


    Looking at Tang Xiu who had fallen into his own thoughts, Li Laoshan curiously asked, ¡°Well, Brother Tang, isn¡¯t this just a piece of jade? Is it even worth saying such exaggerated words?¡±


    ¡°Brother Li, this object may have not much benefit to you. But it¡¯s very important to me. Have you ever heard the words _condensing the spirit to shake off the soul_?¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and answered.


    ¡°Nope, never heard of it,¡± answered Li Laoshan as he shook his head.


    Tang Xiu let out a smile and didn¡¯t elaborate. As he stuffed the jade ornament into his pocket, he secretly took it into his interspatial ring. Then, he said with a smile, ¡°Let us just forget about it, then. I¡¯ll explain it to you later if an opportunity arises. Anyhow, the dishes and the wine should be arriving soon, so us brothers must have a few cups.¡±


    ¡°Got no problem with that!¡± Li Laoshan laughed. ¡°It¡¯s joyous event to drink and dine with you, Brother Tang!¡±


    ¡°All right, then. How about elaborating the issue with your steel products?¡± Asked Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°I honestly don¡¯t get it why he would take your steel products.¡±


    ¡°You know, the other party has quite a powerful influence in Beijing. He took my steel products and it was justified by law, so some officials from the government must have been invited by him. That man, however, has said that as long as I take my Yuchang Sword and auction it in that event he would give back my goods, regardless of the outcome. He wouldn¡¯t even obstruct my business in Shanghai again in the future, and would even lend me a hand instead.¡±


    ¡°That said, the other party is not an enemy, it seems,¡± commented Tang Xiu.


    ¡°He indeed can¡¯t be said to be an enemy, yet I dislike him for being an expert schemer. In the future, if you were to come into contact and have dealings with him, you had better have as little contact as possible with him if you can.¡±

 Chapter 475

    Chapter 475: Major Suspicion Points


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    At Shanghai New World Center, the concert scene seethed with excitement, yet Zhang Xinya was feeling restless inwardly despite showing an energetic and spirited performance on the stage; not once did she feel relaxed inside.


    Even though the Ministry of State Security had sent its person in charge to inform her that the crisis had been averted, she didn¡¯t receive any reply from Tang Xiu whatsoever, and was feeling somewhat restless inside.


    However, there was another person who was more disturbed and restless than her. That person was Li Changxi, who just returned from Shanghai Airport. The reason for his restlessness was because they had only found and killed a total of two extremists, and were in the dark about the traces of the rest.


    ¡°Chief Liu, the surveillance department has found a peculiar situation,¡± a technician from the Ministry of State Security rushed toward Liu Changxi and reported in a low voice.


    ¡°What peculiar situation?¡± Asked Liu Changxi in a heavy voice. His complexion changed.


    ¡°Please come with me!¡±


    Immediately afterward, a few people rushed to the temporary monitoring center set up behind the backstage. After entering the room, Li Changxi¡¯s eyes quickly swept across a row of LCD monitors.


    ¡°Chief Liu, these are the monitoring screens we have installed to keep an eye on the four entrances to the New World Center. Take a look¡­¡± The technician played the monitoring footage, and set the playing speed a few times slower. On that screen was the scene of two women from the Everlasting Feast Hall who were holding a man, and quietly moved to the back of the four queueing lines.


    ¡°Who are these women?¡± Asked Liu Changxi after watching the surveillance video. His expression was solemn.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Chief,¡± the technician shook his head. ¡°They were all wearing duckbill caps and sunglasses. They even seemed to know where we installed the surveillance cameras, for they always had their faces away from them. As a matter of fact, we had checked the four people taken away by them and sent their facial characteristics to the state¡¯s database. Our comrades there are currently searching information about them. I¡¯m sure they will soon be able to ascertain their identities.¡±


    Liu Changxi frowned. There was a thoughtful look in his eyes. After rewinding and replaying the videos several times, a fax message arrived.


    ¡°Is this the information about them?¡± Liu Changxi slowly and carefully read it, and was somewhat startled inside.


    ¡°Chen Bin once worked as a blasting expert in a mining area in Xichang. Later on, after he got involved in a fighting incident, he then resigned and left. He reappeared after having disappeared for three and a half years, and those who once fought with him either died in a traffic accident, or got burnt in a fire. At present, he is managing¡­¡±


    ¡°Jiang Lu, a member of an underground gang in Northeast; was once sentenced to three years of imprisonment for murder. His sentence ended five years ago and was released. There had been no reports about him since, and his whereabouts during those five years cannot be investigated¡­¡±


    ¡°Jia Xiaochang, an orthopedist and a surgeon at the Fourth Public Hospital of Ruijiang City. A man with a solitary and eccentric personality, and not good at dealing with people. He got allegedly accused of malpractice in a surgery incident four years ago and was detained. He was then fired from his job and became unemployed afterward¡­¡±


    Liu Changxi carefully read the information, and then turned to look at the technician and asked in a deep voice, ¡°This information only reported three people. What about the fourth person?¡±


    ¡°There was nothing about him!¡± The technician forced a wry smile. ¡°We¡¯ve compared and checked his face in the databank. There is no information about him, it¡¯s like he came out of nowhere.¡±


    Liu Changxi contemplated for a short while, and said immediately, ¡°Contact the Transportation Department! Tell them to send me all the surveillance videos within a radius of five kilometers around New World Center as fast as possible!¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡±


    Time fleeted by. Zhang Xinya¡¯s concert finally came to an end after three hours. At this time, the Transportation Department finally transmitted dozens of surveillance videos.


    _Knock, knock, knock¡­_


    The door was knocked. Zhang Xinya came in with her two assistants. She didn¡¯t even spare time to remove her makeup and change her clothes. When she was invited to enter the surveillance room, she hurriedly asked, ¡°How is the situation? Have you found the criminals?¡±


    ¡°We have already shot and killed two people, and are now investigating the identity and whereabouts of the rest. Also, though the concert has ended, tens of thousands fans are still leaving. Our people outside are currently managing them to leave the site in an orderly manner. Only after they have left completely will we truly be able to relax.¡±


    ¡°What about Tang Xiu? Wasn¡¯t he cooperating with you in looking for the whereabouts of those criminals?¡± Asked Zhang Xinya.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where he is for the time being,¡± Liu Changxi shook his head. ¡°He helped solve the situation at the Shanghai Airport, and then left immediately. Aren¡¯t you his friend? Why don¡¯t you call him and ask about it?¡±


    Shanghai Airport?


    ¡°What is the situation at Shanghai Airport? Could it be there¡­¡± confused, Zhang Xinya asked.


    ¡°Yeah, those extremists are truly lunatics. Shanghai Airport was also¡­¡± Liu Changxi nodded. ¡°Ah, forget it. Let us not discuss it. In short, had it not been for Tang Xiu, a big mess would¡¯ve have happened. He has practically saved the lives of tens of thousands of people tonight!¡±


    Saving tens of thousands of people?


    Zhang Xinya only felt a chill down her spine instead of feeling joyful. She could hardly imagine how insane and lunatic those extremists were, to think that they unexpectedly had gone so far as to bring so much harm and damage to society.


    ¡°Give me a cell phone!¡± Asked Zhang Xinya to the assistant, who came with her. She called Tang Xiu and learned that he had returned to Bluestar Villa Complex earlier. She immediately told him that she would pass by and see him later.


    ¡°Miss Zhang, let¡¯s go together! I have some things I need to discuss with Tang Xiu,¡± said Liu Changxi.


    Hesitating for a moment, Zhang Xinya then nodded and said, ¡°All right. I¡¯ll go and have my makeup removed first! I¡¯ll see you at the East entrance later.¡±


    ****


    _Outside the concert venue¡­_


    A group of students from Shanghai University gathered up. Each and every one of them looked excited, thinking that tonight was really fun and joyous. Zhang Xinya¡¯s concert was very successful, as unceasing cheers and applause happened throughout the concert. The wonderful voice of Zhang Xinya had bought them a grand musical feast.


    ¡°She¡¯s truly worthy as my Goddess!! Zhang Xinya¡¯s singing voice is simply the best, the most pleasant to hear all over the world! I must work hard, make a fortune, and rise to the top of the world in the future, then I must marry the Goddess in my heart,¡± Zhao Liang gripped his fists, a firm determined and longing look on his face.


    ¡°STOP!¡± Dozens of middle fingers were raised at him simultaneously.


    _Cough, cough¡­_


    Coughing a few times, Zhao Liang raised his hands and embarrassedly smiled, ¡°I was just joking, guys. Don¡¯t take it so seriously. Ahahaha¡­ anyways, the moon sure is round tonight¡­¡±


    Was the moon truly round tonight?


    The crowd looked up and saw the night sky. Following which, they turned their heads back at him and rolled their eyes. The weather tonight was rather cloudy and dark. What moon could there be up there?


    The smile on Yue Kai¡¯s face receded, as he mumbled to himself, ¡°Tang Eldest Bro always keep his word. He said he would come see Zhang Xinya¡¯s concert tonight, yet how come I haven¡¯t seen him at all until now? Could something have delayed him?¡±


    Hu Qingsong looked vacant for a while, as he nodded and said, ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. Tang Big Bro always lives up to his word. He didn¡¯t show up from the beginning we came to our seats to the end of the show. I¡¯m afraid something happened to him. Why don¡¯t we give him a call?¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Yue Kai replied and straightly took out his mobile to dial Tang Xiu¡¯s cell number. After asking, he then hung up the phone, turning to look at everyone, he said, ¡°There was indeed something that delayed Tang Eldest Bro! He¡¯s in Bluestar Villa Complex now. Since the dorms in our campus are already locked now, how about we go to his place and spend the night there?¡±


    ¡°There are so many of us, man. I know there are many rooms in Tang Big Bro¡¯s house, but is it convenient for all of us to spend the night there?¡±


    Yue Kai paused. After a short while of hesitation, he said, ¡°It should be alright. There are 12 of us from three dorms. Having two us staying in one room should be fine, I think. Let us first go to Eldest Bro Tang¡¯s place. If we really can¡¯t stay after getting there, we¡¯ll just look for a hotel nearby.¡±


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go¡­¡± Hu Qingsong nodded.


    They quickly rushed toward Bluestar Villa Complex.


    In the surveillance room behind the backstage of the New World Center, Liu Changxi and a dozen members of the Ministry of State Security watched dozens of surveillance footages. What made them dumbfounded was that they were unable to find the four men who were captured by those women. Those eight women seemed to have disappeared, and there was no sign of them leaving whatsoever. What was most inconceivable for them, the Ministry of State Security and the police force, was that they were still unable to find the slightest clue or trace at all, although they had conducted a thorough search in the vicinity.


    ¡°Chief Liu, take a look at these two. Their actions are very suspicious, and the surveillance cameras never captured their faces at all. There has been no sign of them leaving, just like those eight mysterious women,¡± said an investigation member of the Ministry of State Security while pointing at the back of two figures on the screen.


    Liu Changxi carefully watched the video for more than ten seconds. Then, he forced a bitter smile and said, ¡°Who exactly are these people? They seem to know about the cameras in the surroundings, and they were clearly avoiding the surveillance cameras. If my hunch is right, those four men captured by them should be the extremists. However, aside from our Ministry of State Security people and the police force, there should be no one else who knows about this operation¡­¡±


    Suddenly, his words came to a halt, as a young handsome face appeared inside his mind.


    _Tang Xiu? Could it be that he¡­_


    Liu Changxi quickly grabbed his overcoat and shouted in a deep voice, ¡°Come with me to Bluestar Villa Complex. The rest is to deal with the aftermath!¡±


    _At Bluestar Villa Complex¡­_


    Tang Xiu, Li Laoshan, as well as his female secretary were sitting in front of the dinner table full of delicious dishes. The five children, who were not used to eat such a rich meal, each and every one of them was wolfing it down and had their mouths full.


    _Ding dong¡­_


    The villa¡¯s bell sounded.


    Tang Xiu directly took out the key and pressed the button on it. There was a confused expression on his face as he got up and said, ¡°It¡¯s late, who could it be?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a really busy man, Brother Tang,¡± said Li Laoshan smilingly. ¡°Go see the guests and entertain them. No need to mind me, we¡¯ll leave after filling our bellies.¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile. Just after he entered the villa¡¯s hall, he saw three cars quickly approaching, as a group of people then got off after the cars were parked.


    ¡°Tang Big Bro, you¡¯re really at home!¡± Hu Qingsong shouted with a rough voice.


    ¡°Something happened here at home, so I hurried back. Did you see the concert to the end?¡± Asked Tang Xiu smilingly.


    ¡°Yeah. Anyways, you keep your words when you say them, and when you didn¡¯t keep your promise tonight, we were afraid something happened to you and came here in a hurry, buddy. Huh? What a great smell! Are you by chance having a meal right now?¡± Said Hu Qingsong.


    ¡°A friend came visiting. Come inside!¡± Tang Xiu laughed.

 Chapter 476

    Chapter 476: Everyone Gathers Together


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    At this time, Hu Qingsong and the others saw four bodyguards in black suits standing guard in the courtyard. They gave Tang Xiu odd looks before following him inside the villa.


    Previously, Hu Qingsong, Zhao Liang, and Mu Wangyin had visited Tang Xiu¡¯s villa, but the other three in Zhao Liang¡¯s dorm had never come here. Though they heard that Tang Xiu lived in the Bluestar Villa Complex on the way here, the luxurious and extravagant villa was beyond what they imagined. They were just like Granny Liu visiting Grand View Garden ¡ª shocked and being overwhelmed by the experience and luxurious surroundings.


    ¡°Brother Tang, who are they?¡± Just as Li Laoshan walked out of the dining room and saw a group of people coming in, a surprised look immediately covered his face.


    ¡°They are my fellow students, Li Old Bro,¡± Tang Xiu laughed. ¡°Guys, this is Old Brother Li Laoshan, a friend of mine.¡±


    ¡°How do you do, Old Brother Li?¡±


    Though it was their first time meeting Li Laoshan, they could tell from his aura that he was not an ordinary person. Not to mention there were also the four bodyguards, who were ready for his orders at the courtyard outside.


    ¡°Hi to all of you! Anyhow, do you all want to drink together with us?¡± Li Laoshan smilingly replied.


    Hu Qingsong, Yue Kai, and the others exchanged glances before shaking their heads. Yue Kai then said, ¡°It¡¯s kinda late, we¡¯ll have a drink another day, Old Brother Li.¡±


    ¡°Anyhow, you guys can chat here. I just came from another city, and was so starving that my belly was almost flat, hence the reason I didn¡¯t greet you before,¡± said Li Laoshan smilingly.


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s eyes were fixated on Li Laoshan¡¯s wide waist and plump face. They were secretly speechless. The man was all made of fat, yet he still said he was so starving that his belly turned flat? Then, what about the small physiques?


    ¡°Anyways, guys. Seat where you will!¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and smilingly said.


    After everyone took their seats in the living room, Yue Kai said with a curious look, ¡°Tang Eldest Bro, who exactly is this Old Brother Li? Those four men in the courtyard¡­ They should be his bodyguards, right? And the beauty who just came out with him, is likely his secretary or adjutant¡­¡±


    ¡°You got good eyes, buddy!¡± Tang Xiu gave him a thumbs-up and smilingly said, ¡°Old Brother Li is a northerner, and is also a Big Boss in the steel business.¡±


    Hu Qingsong¡¯s expression suddenly changed, as he exclaimed, ¡°I remember him! No wonder I thought he looked familiar. Li Laoshan is a tycoon in steel business in the Northeast with billions of assets. He¡¯s definitely a big shot. I had once seen him in an interview in an economic magazine. Holy cow, Big Bro Tang! You¡¯re really amazing! You¡¯re even acquainted with such a powerful figure?¡±


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t really know who he was when I first met Old Brother Li. Besides, when someone meets the other person and is fated to become friends, he never cares about what and who the other person is. As long as they share something in common, and the other person has a disposition to his liking, he can become friends with him,¡± explained Tang Xiu as he couldn¡¯t help laughing.


    ¡°That¡¯s great, Big Bro Tang!¡± Hu Qingsong gave a thumb up. ¡°Your words seem to be very light, like a breeze and thin clouds, yet they are quite deep and full of truth. I get it, I¡¯m convinced!¡±


    ¡°Tang Eldest Bro, I thought I was already pretty good and flamboyant enough, because of my family, and due to my father, who has a lot of acquaintances in the business circle. But comparing with you now, it¡¯s almost negligent. You¡¯re now henceforth my idol, buddy. Please come here and let me kowtow to you.¡±


    ¡°Shuddup and cut the crap!¡± Tang Xiu cussed.


    _Ding dong¡­_


    The bell from the courtyard¡¯s gate sounded again.


    There was a vacant look on Tang Xiu¡¯s face, as it was then replaced with a strange expression shortly after. He muttered to himself, ¡°Who could it be now? This place is always deserted, why is it so lively tonight?¡±


    Having finished with his muttering, he pressed the unlock button on the remote control and went to see who it was. He then saw Liu Changxi along with several members of the Ministry of State Security, as well as Zhang Xinya and her manager.


    ¡°Secretary Liu, Xinya!¡± Tang Xiu let out a smile and greeted them.


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu, there was an excited look on Zhang Xinya¡¯s face. She wanted to speak, yet Liu Changxi gave her a glance that made her hold her tongue and swallow her words back.


    A serious look was on Liu Changxi¡¯s face as he spoke, ¡°Tang Xiu, it¡¯s quite embarrassing that I have to come and disturb you so late, but I have something important I need to talk to you about.¡±


    ¡°All right. But there are a lot of guests here now. Let me talk with them first, and then we¡¯ll have a chat in my study room,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Guests?¡±


    Liu Changxi fell into a daze. His mind immediately thought about those mysterious people that appeared at the New World Center, so he nodded without hesitation and followed Tang Xiu inside.


    ¡°Heavens! Am I dreaming or something? The lady¡­ is my Goddess, Zhang Xinya? Qingsong, pinch me quickly! I gotta know if I¡¯m dreaming or not!¡± When Zhao Liang had his eyes at the door, his eyes shifted from Liu Changxi and his men, and then moved to Zhang Xinya, as he suddenly jumped up and exclaimed in disbelief.


    Hu Qingsong ignored him, since he was also stunned.


    At present, there were only two people not stunned ¡ª Mu Wanying and Yue Kai. Tonight Mu Wanying had been very silent, and she felt her mood worsen upon seeing Zhang Xinya. However, Yue Kai had an odd expression when he looked at Zhang Xinya, and then turned his gaze to Tang Xiu.


    Looking at their faces, Tang Xiu could only force a smile inside. He didn¡¯t feel like introducing these people and straightly said, ¡°Guys, you can continue playing and chatting, but I can¡¯t accompany you anymore. Xinya, you must be hungry since you just finished your concert! Take them to the dining room where my friends are currently having a meal with the children I adopted. You should go there and have a bite, too!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. I want to go to the study room with you,¡± said Zhang Xinya, shaking her head.


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t get involved in the issues we are going to talk about,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°Rest assured! Everything was resolved tonight. Just eat and relax.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Zhang Xinya hesitated for a short while, before she eventually nodded in a cute manner.


    Aside from Mu Wanying, this scene made the others completely dumbfounded. Never in their dreams had they ever thought that the big star, who was aloof and distant, the Goddess Zhang Xinya, would actually act like a cute young daughter-in-law, unexpectedly obedient. What exactly was the relationship between her and Tang Xiu?


    ¡°Oh, there are more guests?¡±


    Li Laoshan came out of the dining room. He was surprised when he saw Zhang Xinya, and his complexion instantly changed after he caught sight of Liu Changxi. Immediately afterward, he strode toward him and smilingly said, ¡°Secretary Liu, I never thought I would bump into you here!¡±


    ¡°I, too, didn¡¯t expect that Tang Xiu¡¯s guest would be you, Brother Li. It¡¯s been years since we last saw each other, and that elegant style of yours is still just the same!¡±


    Liu Changxi laughed and replied with a loud and clear voice, ¡°It¡¯s thank to your blessings, Brother Liu! Anyhow, you and Tang Xiu¡­¡±


    Inwardly, Liu Changxi was startled and instantly looked at Tang Xiu with question tag on his face. He knew who Liu Changxi was and his true identity. They were once in contact a few years ago for some time during a huge case in the Northeast, which made the people from the Ministry of State Security stay there for a long time.


    He was worried! Fearing that Liu Changxi would give him pressure and make things difficult for Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Old Brother Li, Secretary Liu and I are friends. Rest assured, okay! Just continue eating, we¡¯re going to have a chat somewhere else. I¡¯ll accompany you to drink after our talk is done.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Li Laoshan somewhat hesitated.


    ¡°Brother Li, Tang Xiu have helped me with a few things. But it¡¯s for another reason that I came over this time.¡±


    He would never have felt the need to explain himself to Li Laoshan had it been in the past. But knowing that Li Laoshan was actually a friend of Tang Xiu¡¯s, he naturally didn¡¯t want to neglect him. Firstly, not mention that Tang Xiu had a particular identity and ability, just what Tang Xiu did tonight made him feel gratitude in his heart.


    Immediately after, Li Laoshan felt relieved. He then nodded and smiled, ¡°Well, since you have something to talk about, then go and have a chat! But after you are done let us have a few cups, Brother Liu!¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Liu Changxi nodded and followed Tang Xiu to the second floor.


    In the study room.


    After gesturing for Liu Changxi to take a seat, Tang Xiu took a bottle of red wine from the cupboard and poured two glasses. He gave one to Liu Changxi and said, ¡°Secretary Liu, coming so late to discuss something¡­ Anything happened?¡±


    Liu Changxi received the glass of red wine and placed it on the coffee table in front of him. He shot Tang Xiu a deep gaze and then inquired, ¡°Tang Xiu, how much do you know about our security department?¡±


    ¡°I know nothing,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you then,¡± said Liu Changxi. ¡°Our Ministry of State Security is responsible for maintaining the national stability and cracking down all the dangerous elements in the country. We also investigate all variables that could make the situation unstable, to ensure peace and stability of our home, as well as the safety and lives of its people.¡±


    ¡°And then?¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°However, the things that happened tonight, despite having ended smoothly and the airport not suffering too much damage, yet we only got two people from the extremist group. If my guess is correct, the numbers of this extremist organization is far more than this.


    ¡°As of tonight, the people from the Ministry of State Security, the Public Security Department, and the Public Transport Department have jointly investigated a few things. We discovered a group of mysterious people appearing in the vicinity of the New World Center. Finally, they did something and then completely disappeared after they were done with it.¡±


    As he spoke up to there, Liu Changxi stared at Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. Then, he blinked and continued, ¡°My purpose in coming here is about this. I just want to know the truth!¡±


    ¡°Secretary Liu, you can go to the investigation office if you want to know the truth, I suppose,¡± Tang Xiu calmly replied. ¡°Given your privileges and ability, I think it won¡¯t be difficult to investigate them, don¡¯t you think? So, how come you came here looking for me?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you¡¯re the only one aside from us who took action in tonight¡¯s operation. There is four entrances to the New World Center, yet there was an extremist who got captured and taken away silently in front of each entrance. I think you should know about this.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know what you are talking about,¡± said Tang Xiu while intentionally knitting his brows.


    Liu Changxi had his eyes stared at Tang Xiu and spoke while emphasizing each word, ¡°Tang Xiu, we are all smart and sensible people here. Do you want to tell me? Or do you want to have the eyes of the Ministry of State Security fixated on you to find those people?¡±

 Chapter 477

    Chapter 477: Threats


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    There was no fear on Tang Xiu¡¯s face after Liu Changxi said that. He looked rather unperturbed and calm, and replied without being salty nor limpid, ¡°I really don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, Secretary Liu. But what I¡¯m sure of is that you are threatening me.¡±


    ¡°You can think of it as me threatening you,¡± said Liu Changxi seriously.


    After being silent for a short while, Tang Xiu suddenly let out a smile and said, ¡°You know, I am someone who is very timid, and the thing I fear the most is coming across trouble; however, my strongest point is that I¡®m never afraid of facing threats. You may be someone from the Ministry of State Security, but I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to think about the consequences of making trouble for me without any ground. Hehehe¡­ the House of Tang may be weaker than we were in the past, yet a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. You should also understand this fact.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Liu Changxi¡¯s expression changed, and there was an indignant look in his eyes. He was always the one threatening others in the past, but it was Tang Xiu who threatened him now.


    The most important fact was that Tang Xiu¡¯s threat was pretty much undeniable, and very effective. Though he was someone from the Ministry of State Security, he could see much clearer than anyone else about the political aspects. Once the Tang Family were to exert their forces, the trouble he could get into would probably be big, even his position and job would be on the stake.


    He stayed silent for two minutes before finally letting out a bitter smile, ¡°I just found that I can¡¯t see through you, Tang Xiu. If I didn¡¯t know that you are only in your 20s, I would have thought that you were an experienced old fox. Anyhow, I apologize. I hope that you can see the difficulties I¡¯m facing. I simply can¡¯t sleep and eat peacefully if I can¡¯t investigate this matter thoroughly.¡±


    ¡°What I can tell you is that there is not even the slightest relationship between me and those mysterious people,¡± said Tang Xiu calmly. ¡°As for the extremists, their bodies have vanished. Shortly put, the issues with those extremists have come to an end.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Liu Changxi abruptly got up, a look of disbelief in his eyes. He was able to reach his position due to his intelligence and astuteness. From what Tang Xiu said, he could tell what had happened to the remaining extremists.


    ¡°Secretary Liu, I already told you what I must say and the things I shouldn¡¯t say. If you still feel indebted to me due to the matter that happened tonight, I hope the matter with the extremists will end here and now. I, Tang Xiu, always play fair and square, and you have my guarantee that I will not do anything harmful to my own country. Hence, it¡¯s best not to bother me later, so I won¡¯t have to bother you too,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Liu Changxi¡¯s mouth twitched, causing him want to open Tang Xiu¡¯s mind to find out the bottom of the matter, as well as wanting to clearly figure out the origins of those mysterious people.


    However, he dared not do so!


    Suddenly, he said, ¡°Then, I don¡¯t have anything else to say. However, I do want you to reconsider joining our security department. I sincerely hope that you can join us earlier if possible, and do something for the country.¡±


    ¡°I told you very clearly before that I wouldn¡¯t consider joining any department before I graduated from college, didn¡¯t I?¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and answered.


    With a forced smile, Liu Changxi replied, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you don¡¯t know that the greater the ability, the bigger the responsibility one must shoulder, Tang Xiu? Your special ability is exactly what we need!¡±


    ¡°Secretary Liu, I believe that the world has infinite marvels and wonders in it. There are many people with strange abilities in China as long as your security department is seriously looking for them. There are many like me, and it¡¯s not a few in number. Besides, I want to have a peaceful and serene life while studying. We can discuss it again in the future,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    Looking at Tang Xiu with a deep gaze, Liu Changxi then got up from the sofa and said, ¡°Since you have already expressed your point, I won¡¯t force you anymore. Anyhow, our security department will continue to search for the rest of the extremists. I hope you can tell me all you know one day.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Tang Xiu followed up and replied.


    Afterward, Tang Xiu sent them off. When he returned to the living room, he found that Li Laoshan also had left with his people. He left a message for Tang Xiu saying that he would have lunch with him tomorrow.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, let¡¯s have a chat,¡± said Zhang Xinya softly, under the gaze of everyone¡¯s eyes.


    Tang Xiu nodded, and looked at the five children, Tang Xiaojin and the rest, who were with Zhang Xinya, saying, ¡°All of you go sleep; it¡¯s late. I will wake you up at four o¡¯clock tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    The five children obediently complied. Though they only met Zhang Xinya through half of the dinner time and liked her gentle and kind manner, they still listened to Tang Xiu¡¯s order and returned to their rooms to sleep.


    ¡°Tang Eldest Bro, what about us¡­¡± said Yue Kai.


    While pointing at the direction of the rooms occupied by Tang Xiaojin and the rest, Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°You can¡¯t stay here, buddy.¡±


    ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll spend the night at the hotel,¡± Yue Kai forced a smile. ¡°Besides, the reason we came here tonight was to see you whether something had happened to you, to begin with.¡±


    ¡°If anything, I¡¯m going to the campus tomorrow,¡± said Tang Xiu with a calm smile.


    ¡°All right, then we¡¯ll go first. See you tomorrow, buddy,¡± Yue Kai nodded.


    Suddenly, Mu Wanying stepped forward. She looked at Tang Xiu and shot a glance at Zhang Xinya. There was a thoughtful look flashing in her eyes, as she said, ¡°Tang Xiu, it¡¯s not quite convenient for us girls to stay in a hotel. There are many other rooms in your place, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem for us to stay here, would it?¡±


    ¡°You girls can stay in the other two rooms. It¡¯s not your first time staying here, so you can pick whichever room you like. Xinya and I will go to the study room to talk about some matters first,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    A minute later, Tang Xiu and Zhang Xinya came to the study room. Tang Xiu¡¯s behaviour was completely different after he sat. While looking at the awkward and dazed expression on Zhang Xinya¡¯s face, Tang Xiu took out a cigarette, lit it up and took a puff. Then, he said with a smile, ¡°Say, big star, you told me that you wanted to have a chat with me. That should be an excuse, right? Looking at your dazed expression, it doesn¡¯t feel like you want to chat with me. It¡¯s clear that you just made an excuse because you wanted to be alone with me. Say¡­ you didn¡¯t fall in love with me or something, right?¡±


    Zhang Xinya came back to her senses. Upon hearing that, she replied between laughter and tears, ¡°That was quite narcissistic of you, Tang Xiu. Though I do admire you a bit, it¡¯s still a bit early to fall in love, you know! It¡¯s just that I was thinking about some issues.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    A smile appeared on the corner of Zhang Xinya¡¯s mouth, as she asked, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m beautiful, or is it Mu Wanying more beautiful?¡±


    ¡°Since you ask, I will definitely say that you are beautiful. If the person asking me was Mu Wanying, I will definitely say that she¡¯s beautiful as well. If both of you are present together, I will, of course, say that you all are beautiful women!¡±


    Zhang Xinya shot coquettish, charming white eyes at Tang Xiu, and snappily said, ¡°You guys are all the same, indeed. Hypocrites, and never have any truth whatsoever in your words.¡±


    ¡°My, my¡­ it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t want to have a pleasant chat, no?¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but chuckle to himself. ¡°Women are quite petty. It¡¯s unlikely for me to offend a beauty, either.¡±


    Having said that, Tang Xiu was suddenly stunned. He touched his own mouth without him realizing, and looked a bit surprised. He just realized that his empathy and emotional quotient seemed to be getting higher, or better. It was because that idea of saying those words just now wouldn¡¯t have crossed his mind, definitely.


    Could it be¡­


    ¡­Was it because he got influenced by Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong due to spending so much time together?


    As for Zhang Xinya, she no longer mentioned about this topic, and instead asked, ¡°What exactly did you tonight, Tang Xiu? Secretary Liu were always very secretive and only replied with few words every time I asked him questions. Those extremists are way too frightening, did they all get punished or something?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, all of them have been properly punished,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    With a complex expression on her face, Zhang Xinya hesitated for a moment before asking, ¡°Tang Xiu, can you comply with my request?¡±


    ¡°Say it!¡± Tang Xiu shrugged his shoulder and said with a smile.


    ¡°The present era¡¯s society is governed under the law. I may not know the differences between your world and the world I live in are, but I want to persuade you to not arbitrarily kill anyone. You¡¯re a very strong individual yourself, and there are also some men of yours who are similarly very good, too. Yet, you are much inferior compared to the big machines possessed by this country. I¡¯m afraid¡­ I¡¯m afraid that one day, you would be¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand what you mean. I do,¡± Tang Xiu lightly smiled. ¡°But I can honestly tell you that those who I have killed were all people who deserved to die. For example, the incident this time. There were quite a lot of people who died by my men¡¯s hands, but the both sides were executioners, and had their hands stained by blood. If it weren¡¯t for my men, perhaps your concert would have become a hell on Earth; at least tens of thousands of people would have been killed. Tons of tourists would also have been killed at the airport. Anyways, let¡¯s go back to those people I killed when I was in Hong Kong. The reason I killed them was because most of them had taken human lives, and tons of people had been harmed by them. I would kill an evil person if I can save many good people. Now tell me, do you think I should kill them or not?¡±


    ¡°But¡­ isn¡¯t there the police?¡± Asked Zhang Xinya.


    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s indeed the police. However, why were those people still living so well before I killed them? They had done all kinds of evil, shouldn¡¯t they deserve to get punished?¡± Probed Tang Xiu.


    ¡°This¡­¡± Zhang Xinya was speechless.


    Tang Xiu smoked his cigarette and smilingly said, ¡°Xinya, relax! Your good intentions and kindness, I can feel them. I know by heart and I live with a code of never harming good people. Not only that, I will also do my best to help them. But for evil people who are not disclosed by any news whatsoever, I will kill them. But once there¡¯s a possibility of disclosing news about them, I will naturally think of other methods, such as adding fuel to the flame so that the law can sanction justice on them!¡±


    Zhang Xinya breathed a sigh of relief. A smile appeared on her flawless face, as she nodded and said, ¡°You know very well what¡¯s inside your heart. I also realize that you have helped me many times, and you are also an important person just like Lulu in my heart. Hence, I really treasure you.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded with a smile, and then suddenly asked, ¡°Why is Ouyang Lulu so quiet tonight? Given her disposition, she should be here, right?¡±

 Chapter 478

    Chapter 478: Night Talk


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Lulu called me before the concert started,¡± said Zhang Xinya with a chuckle. ¡°She said that there was an urgent matter she needed to deal with, so she couldn¡¯t come to my concert. However, she promised to come see me after the concert. She also knows that I would be coming to your place, and would hurry back here.¡±


    ¡°She came to Shanghai without explaining her purpose, and god knows what she¡¯s preparing in secret. Do you know what she¡¯s doing?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I dunno. She just said that I¡¯ll surely be surprised a few days later,¡± said Zhang Xinya as she shook her head.


    ¡°Ah, let¡¯s forget it, then,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Since she likes to act mysteriously, just let her be. Anyways, the night is still young, and we already talked about the things you wanted to talk about. What are you gonna do? Spend the night here, or leave with your manager?¡±


    ¡°Well, though the concert is over, we still need to finalize the agreement with our partners, so I won¡¯t be staying here tonight. But, since Li Laoshan has booked you for lunch tomorrow, so let us have dinner together tomorrow night!¡±


    ¡°Well, I just realized that there have been a lot of special dinners recently. All right, then! If nothing unforeseen happens tomorrow night, we¡¯ll dine at the Everlasting Feast Hall!¡±


    As they came to the first floor, Tang Xiu was surprised to find that aside from Zhang Xinya¡¯s manager, there was also Mu Wanying, who had not yet rested, and was instead sitting quietly while the two were reading fashion magazines. After seeing Zhang Xinya out, he then returned to the living room, looked at Mu Wanying and curiously asked, ¡°Why are you not asleep yet?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sleepy,¡± said Mu Wanying with a faint smile.


    Tang Xiu took a seat across from her and smilingly said, ¡°Are you hungry? Do you want me to take you out to have a bite?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you already eaten before?¡± Asked Mu Wanying back, surprised.


    ¡°I only got a few bites and drank two glasses of wine before you arrived. Then, you know what happened after. I simply haven¡¯t eaten till now!¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile and answered.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go out and have a meal at the night market!¡± Mu Wanying smiled lightly. ¡°There¡¯s a night market nearby. The barbecue there is quite good, and I wanna have a beer tonight since I haven¡¯t drank for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Was Zhang Xinya¡¯s concert fun? I¡¯ll ask Zhang Xinya to sing in a KTV with us to give you a separate concert if we have time later,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Mu Wanying shook her head, ¡°On the contrary. Not only did I not enjoy it, it was a bit boring, to be honest. The reason why I want a drink is that I want to borrow the liquor to drown my worries.¡±


    ¡°Worries?¡± Tang Xiu curiously asked. ¡°People say that the young never know what worry taste like. Why would you worry about something when you are still this young?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just go! Let¡¯s chat while strolling in the night market,¡± said Mu Wanying.


    Ten minutes later, Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying came to a nearby night market street. Though it already late, the street was still brightly lit and lively. Many men and women sat in open-air barbecue stalls on both sides of the road, merrily eating and drinking amidst chattering and laughter.


    However, their arrival still garnered many people¡¯s attention, and most of their attention was centered on Mu Wanying.


    ¡°Boss, give me twenty skewers of mutton, and roast them some more¡­¡± Mu Wanying greeted the owner of the stall, and then pulled Tang Xiu to a table in a remote corner.


    With a strange expression, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°You seem familiar with this place. Do you often visit this place?¡±


    ¡°I came here a few times already with my dorm sisters,¡± Mu Wanying shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s my first time coming here this late, though.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled and ordered more. He then opened the two bottles of beer sent by the owner of the barbecue stall. After pouring two glasses, he smiled and said, ¡°All right, can you say what you¡¯re worried about now?¡±


    ¡°There are two things I¡¯m worried about,¡± said Mu Wanying.


    ¡°What are they, exactly?¡± Asked Tang Xiu curiously.


    ¡°Firstly, is to marry a man. Secondly, is to enter the business world,¡± answered Mu Wanying.


    Tang Xiu looked at her with a strange expression; he was shocked. ¡°Wanying, you are the first beauty in Beijing, and is also the first campus flower of Shanghai University. How could you be worrying about marrying? Are you joking with me? You only have to flick your fingers and a long line of men would line up for you.¡±


    Mu Wanying looked at Tang Xiu with a very deep gaze. She lifted her glass and drank the beer inside. After dropping the glass, she said, ¡°There has only been one man who made feel good so far, yet he has various beautiful women around him; one of them makes me feel pressure.¡±


    ¡°Who is this man?¡± Asked Tang Xiu, surprised.


    Yet, after he finished saying that, he suddenly realized something, and immediately forced a smile inwardly.


    To avoid looking awkward, he hurriedly shifted the subject, and smilingly said, ¡°It¡¯s not that urgent to look for a man, right? You¡¯re still young, and there is still plenty of time to meet a lot of good men as well. Speaking about business, aren¡¯t you doing a business yourself?¡±


    Mu Wanying was able to sense Tang Xiu¡¯s thoughts, and secretly sighed inside. Since Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to talk about it, she no longer continued on the topic, and replied, ¡°Yeah! I had a small businesses since I was in high school. Though the income is not bad and I¡¯ve been able to support myself, I was on the verge of bankruptcy when I met you in Tianjin City. I have also invested in other businesses during summer vacation, and like everything else that is very difficult in the beginning, this business is similarly the same.¡±


    ¡°What business is it?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s an apparel business,¡± answered Mu Wanying.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about the clothing business,¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said with a forced smile. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t help you much with it. Nevertheless, if you are short on funds, you can tell me, though. I may not have much money in hands right now, but it should be no problem helping you with this issue.¡±


    ¡°Though I¡¯m facing bankruptcy, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have enough funds to invest,¡± Mu Wanying shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s just that someone has been giving me too much pressure. If I don¡¯t desperately make money, the chasm between me and him will get bigger and bigger. It¡¯s a situation that I very much hate to face.¡±


    ¡°Who is it?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± Answered Mu Wanying.


    Tang Xiu stared blankly, stunned. He couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°Don¡¯t compare yourself with me There are some issues with the origins of a lot of the money I got. Of course, they are not illegally obtained. It¡¯s just like the horses that got fat after being fed grasses at night; someone would never become rich due to undeserved fortune. I have a lot of sources from whence my fortune comes.¡±


    A smile outlined on the corner of Mu Wanying¡¯s mouth. She chuckled and said, ¡°So, can I ride and earn a fortune with you?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I never really wanted it, either,¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand. ¡°It¡¯s just because a few gifted them to me, so I had no reason to refuse it. Anyways, we are all honest and sincere people, so I have always been thinking about how to make money safely and smoothly.¡±


    ¡°Since you don¡¯t want to, then forget about it. Anyway, care to answer one my next question?¡± Mu Wanying said, and asked with a smile.


    ¡°Please!¡± Replied Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°I know that your accomplishment in calligraphy and painting have reached the point where you have reached the apex. I also know what you¡¯ve accomplished in the musical field also far exceed maestros. I once heard you say that you¡¯re skillful in the lyre, chess, calligraphy, and painting; as well as equally great in verses, ditties, odes, and songs. Are you as good as you¡¯re in the zither, calligraphy and painting?¡±


    Tang Xiu confidently said, ¡°Though knowledge is infinite and there will always be someone better, I¡¯m confident that I will never meet my match.¡±


    Mu Wanying¡¯s eyes lit up, as she asked with a smile, ¡°What else are you skilled with aside from these?¡±


    ¡°I have many of them; other skills, I mean,¡± Tang Xiu chuckled. ¡°You will naturally know them as time passes. Anyhow, let¡¯s have another glass, the roasted skewer should be served. Let¡¯s moisten our throat first.¡±


    ¡° _Pfft_ ¡­ Hehehe,¡± Mu Wanying couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter.


    Afterward, the duo ate the barbecue and chatted about various topics, drinking beer from time to time. More than an hour later, the duo had drunk six bottles of beer and had eaten all the barbecue. However, several interludes took place during this time, as a lot of men who got drunk approached Mu Wanying and were sent off by Tang Xiu.


    In the way back, admiration grew inside Tang Xiu¡¯s heart toward Mu Wanying. This girl drank three bottles of beer like it was nothing, even her beautiful face didn¡¯t turn pale or flushed. Only a reek of liquor came out of her mouth as she spoke once in a while.


    ***


    The next day Tang Xiu got up at 4 AM and waked Tang Xiaojin and the others. He instructed them to work out in the courtyard to find out the martial arts they had practiced before.


    ¡°Your foundation is good. It seems that the Elderly who had adopted you has trained you very well. Today I will teach you a set of body tempering techniques. It¡¯s a very simple body tempering technique which only has a total of three moves and 27 forms. All the five of you are forbidden to teach it to anyone else in secret, and you must practice these three moves every morning and evening. Look at it carefully.¡±


    Tang Xiu imparted the five children a very ordinary body tempering technique from the Immortal World. Due to them studying it very slowly, Tang Xiu drilled more than ten times, and seriously pointed out their errors for nearly two hours. When the twilight dawn from the East horizon appeared, they finally mastered the tempering technique completely.


    ¡°Wanying, are you done stealing my teaching? If you don¡¯t want to continue sleeping, wake up the other three. Wait for me to buy breakfast, and then we¡¯ll have breakfast and go to campus afterward,¡± Tang Xiu called out to the window of the bedroom on the second floor.


    Before the window on the second floor, Mu Wanying¡¯s beautiful face was blushed. Due to her light sleep, she got awakened by Tang Xiu and Tang Xiaojun¡¯s voices. She then put on her clothes and leaned in the window, as she saw Tang Xiu teaching Tang Xiaojin¡¯s group. She just watched them amusedly at first, but the more she looked, the more she couldn¡¯t bear but want to learn it, too.


    In fact, she had already memorized the three moves and twenty-seven forms Tang Xiu had imparted them an hour ago, and then began to quietly practice them in front of the window.


    ¡°Wait for me! I¡¯ll wake them up, and then go with you,¡± Mu Wanying answered with a blushing face, and immediately disappeared from the window.


    ****


    Breakfast was quite rich since Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying bought quite a lot. Tang Xiu even bought some freshly-cooked beef gruel since Tang Xiaojin¡¯s group of five was still growing.


    After having breakfast, he told Tang Xiaojin and the four others to stay at home. After telling them that he would come back and take them to buy clothes, books, and daily necessities after attending his classes, he then rushed to campus with Mu Wanying¡¯s group of four. Because he abandoned his Range Rover car on a road not far from the airport yesterday, and due to not wanting garner attention, he then caught a taxi after leaving the villa complex and directly headed to campus.

 Chapter 479

    Chapter 479: Trouble Comes Knocking at the Magnificent Tang Corporation


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    As the first campus flower of Shanghai University, Mu Wanying was the focus of everyone¡¯s attention no matter where she went, while Tang Xiu had also become a famous celebrity in the campus due to his song and zither play that caused a sensation throughout the country. With them walking shoulder-to-shoulder on the road inside the campus, the eyes of numerous people were naturally attracted to them.


    Nevertheless, they had long been accustomed to being the focus of attention and promptly ignored them.


    ¡°Anyway, why did Li Xinjie and the others leave in a hurry, Wanying?¡± In the tree-lined road, Tang Xiu proceeded forward as he asked curiously.


    ¡°They probably have something urgent to do!¡± Mu Wanying replied with a faint smile.


    There was a note of evasion in her reply.


    Possessing both good looks and brains, she knew perfectly well about the disposition of her dorm sisters, how could she not be aware of their intention? They were hoping that she could build up a relationship with Tang Xiu? Hence, they excused themselves and took their leave due to some matters, hoping that she would get along with Tang Xiu.


    _Alas!_


    Regardless, Mu Wanying secretly sighed. She had already exposed what she felt inside last night. It was indeed blanketed tactfully, yet Tng Xiu¡¯s attitude made her very helpless. She had never expected that a male student who was two years younger than herself would reject her.


    _Ring, ring, ring¡­_


    A mobile phone¡¯s ringtone sounded.


    Tang Xiu took his cell phone out and looked at the number on the screen. After connecting the call, he said with a smile, ¡°Kang Xia, something happened for you to call me at this time?¡±


    ¡°Boss, our Magnificent Tang Corporation has encountered some trouble.¡± From the phone, Kang Xia¡¯s answer was ice cold.


    ¡°What trouble?¡± Tang Xiu frowned.


    ¡°Our Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s business has been extremely good ever since listing our three products. Nevertheless, due to us employing a business policy of producing and marketing these products by ourselves with no business agents in the middle, half a month ago, many commercial giants from various countries engaging in the liquor business, cosmetics, and healthcare products have sent hundreds of their representative companies to our Magnificent Tang Corp, wanting to secure a cooperation with us.¡±


    ¡°You already talked to me about this issue. My answer was very simple, that our products won¡¯t be marketed out of the country for the time being. Then, what exactly is the matter?¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I rejected their offer completely as per your instructions, Boss,¡± said Kang Xia with a forced smile. ¡°Yet, relying on their wealth and strength, a dozen forces carried out large-scale attacks on some raw materials needed by our Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s products. Just last night, some people secretly contacted several top executives of our company and offered a stellar amount of money in the hopes that they could get the formula for the Gods Nectar, Skin Care Lotion, and Scar Removal Cream to be sold to them. Fortunately, your show of strength in the company¡¯s celebration banquet in Star City a few days ago has made them aware of your strength, and they even obtained a lot of rewards there. Hence, they promptly reported it to me about this.¡±


    A cold light burst inside Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes.


    The formula?!! That was the core secret of the three products of the Magnificent Tang Corp. Once the formulas were exposed, others would be able to imitate it on a large scale, thus greatly impacting his company¡¯s business.


    Cutting off one¡¯s source of financial resources was akin to killing his own parents!


    Despite Tang Xiu himself regarding money as a very light issue, yet seeing now as how others were threatening him and wanting to cut off his financial source, it was something he could never accept.


    ¡°Kang Xia, I¡¯ll assign a group of experts to Star City again under you. Don¡¯t act rashly at first. Just protect our core secrets and our company¡¯s top executives. I will have a holiday two days later. I¡¯ll solve those people by that time.¡±


    ¡°Boss, why don¡¯t we solve these hidden problems in advance?¡± Asked Kang Xia.


    ¡°Are you sure? You have the confidence?¡± Asked Tang Xiu back.


    ¡°Confidence?¡± Kang Xia forced a smile. ¡°The background of those parties are very strong. There are two forces that can be said as very terrifying. Let alone the present strength of our Magnificent Tang Corp, even if our strength is a hundred times stronger than now, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    ¡°Which forces, exactly?¡± Asked Tang Xiu, frowning.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Cubo Clan, an Italian mafia syndicate, and the Brauns Group from the United States,¡± said Kang Xia.


    Tang Xiu memorized these two names and said, ¡°Got it. All you gotta do now is protect the core secrets and top executives of our company before I get back. As for the raw materials, buy as many of them as you can, and keep quiet if you can¡¯t. At the worst, just send the factory workers home temporarily.¡±


    ¡°Roger that!¡± Replied Kang Xia.


    Tang Xiu ended the call. As he saw the curious look in Mu Wanying¡¯s eyes, he said in a subtle manner, ¡°Something happened in my company in Star City.¡±


    Mu Wanying nodded and asked, ¡°Is there anything I can do to help?¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°I can solve it myself.¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re very powerful, but one¡¯s individual ability is limited, after all. If there¡¯s a need of it, please speak to me freely. Though I myself am not the one with the ability, yet I¡¯m the one in the family my Grandpa dotes on the most,¡± said Mu Wanying.


    ¡°Wanying, we¡¯ve been getting along well, but I don¡¯t know much about the situation in your family. Are you by any chance from Beijing?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion suddenly changed a bit, as he looked at her and asked out of curiosity.


    ¡°Ehh, you know nothing about my family, I suppose? Seems like I cannot arouse your curiosity, hmm?¡± Mu Wanying looked at Tang Xiu with a strange expression.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head as he smilingly replied. ¡°We¡¯re friends. But it doesn¡¯t mean that I need to know your family¡¯s background or something like that. You see, now that the topic came to this point, I wouldn¡¯t have had the idea to ask you!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m from Beijing¡¯s House of Mu.¡± A hint of smile outlined on the corner of Mu Wanying¡¯s mouth. ¡°And my Grandpa is Mu Chengfeng.¡±


    _It¡¯s him?_


    Tang Xiu was startled inside, and a surprised look appeared in his eyes. Though the Mu Family from Beijing was slightly inferior to the Tang Family, they were definitely a powerful family. The Mu¡¯s Family Head, Mu Chengfeng, was an illustrious senior official in the country in the past, and one of those who stood at the apex in the country.


    ¡°Never thought you would be a lady from a great house.¡± Surprise only stayed for a second on Tang Xiu¡¯s face, as it was then replaced by a light smile afterward.


    While holding her smile, Mu Wanying said, ¡°If anything, I was very young when I met Tang Ying back then. I didn¡¯t know what background or anything a house could have. But after I grew up, casting aside our family¡¯s background, we then became bosom friends and talked about anything. Otherwise, with the pride carved in Tang Ying¡¯s bone, how could I have become a her sister, to begin with?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the person¡¯s fault to act snobbish, but the common customs that influence them,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°True that, I agree!¡± Mu Wanying¡¯s eyes lit up; Tang Xiu spoke what she had in mind.


    Quickly, the duo parted ways at an intersection. Mu Wanying had to return to the dormitory, while Tang Xiu headed straight to the classroom building. There was only one class this morning, and despite him already have studied and grasped the content for the course independently, it was still necessary to attend class.


    The credit system made him not dare to skip any more classes.


    His classmates had already arrived inside the classroom. Seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival, the originally lively classroom turned devoid of any sounds in just a few seconds. Many people took out their cell phones and looked at something in it before they set their eyes on Tang Xiu. There were various complex expressions on their faces.


    ¡°Holy cow, Tang Eldest Bro¡¯s face seems to have bathed in a spring breeze. Was it because you just had good things coming to you? Hehehe¡­ Today, the most famous person on our campus is definitely Eldest Bro Tang. However, the one that people are most hostile toward, too, is definitely no one but you, Tang Eldest Bro! Anyways, did someone throw eggs and bricks at you when you got here?¡± Yue Kai flung his long hair in front of his forehead and smilingly inquired.


    ¡°Big Bro Tang is so clean and spotless, how could he have those rotten eggs and muddy footprints on him? Besides, they are just jealous. They just say grapes are sour because they can¡¯t eat them. Anyhow, Tang Big Bro, this Old Hu will say here and now. Whoever dares to make life difficult for you, that¡¯s equal to making life difficult for me, Hu Qingsong!¡±


    ¡°Yea, count me in!¡± Xue Chao also shouted.


    Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh upon seeing the trio, and asked, ¡°What the hell are you talking about, guys? Who is the most famous? And what is this about me becoming the target of everyone¡¯s hostility? I didn¡¯t even brought my car today; keeping low profile as always. How could I offend people anywhere?¡±


    Hu Qingsong raised the gadget in his hand and loudly said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you know nothing about it, Big Bro Tang? There was a rumpus on the campus forum, saying that you and Mu Wanying came together this morning. Even fools are able to guess that you¡¯ve been together last night. Do you think no one knows what happens when a man and woman get together, huh? Anyways, the photos of you and the great belle Mu coming together from outside the campus have already been uploaded into the campus forum. I myself just had a look at them, and there are at least a hundred posts, all of which are news about you. You see, the number of clicks and comments are simply hiking up to the top!¡±


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes, as he took out his mobile phone to open the campus forum. What made him dumbfounded was that he got rained down by streams of curses within such a short time. Many male students were looking for him, asking him to a duel and saying that they wanted to snatch Mu Wanying back from him.


    _It¡¯s only a bunch of trashes that have nothing to do with their free time._


    Shaking his head, Tang Xiu grumbled inwardly, before he said out loud, ¡°Fellow students, these are fabricated lies! Please don¡¯t believe them! My relationship with Mu Wanying is pure and chaste. We¡¯re nothing but a Senior Sister and a Junior Brother in the campus, nothing else at all. We came here together because she stayed at my house last night.¡±


    ¡°Oh, oh¡­¡±


    Immediately, apart from Yue Kai and Zhao Liang who visited Tang Xiu¡¯s villa last night, the rest clamored with odd expressions. One of the classmates with long mustachios shouted, ¡°Awesome! You¡¯re really awesome, Big Bro Tang! How long has it been since we started our term? Yet you have unexpectedly brought the Great Belle Mu to your place already?!! O¡¯ Saint of Love, O¡¯ God of Amour, please show us your grace and kindness to teach us, these singles, these damned bachelors, to get out of that fucking list!¡±


    Tang Xiu turned around and snappily said, ¡°What drivel is this? What do you mean with this Saint of Love and God of Amour? We are all classmates. Once a fellow student, we¡¯re close relatives for three lifetimes. The males will become good buddies, while the females will be good sisters. Anyhow, I¡¯ll treat you all in the campus¡¯s snack street at noon, and Yue Kai will pay the bills. Later on, everyone must act charitably, to wash away the injustice on my behalf!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Yue Kai angrily called out. ¡°YOU INVITED THEM! BUT WHY DO I HAVE TO PAY FOR IT? HOW CAN I AFFORD PAYING FOR ALL THESE PEOPLE?¡±


    ¡°Be at ease, I¡¯ll take you to someplace some other day,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle.


    ¡°Aargh! My pocket money will be cleaned out!¡±

 Chapter 480

    Chapter 480: Being Looked Down and Despised


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The mind of students was actually very simple. In particular, were the freshmen, who had just entered university and had not been misguided by their peers, or had their minds invaded by the social intrusion of materialistic desires, leading them to have less snobbish thoughts. Such trivial favor was enough to make them smile and look satisfied.


    As for Yue Kai, he was a local richie, and it was something everyone in class knew very well. After all, for a freshman to drive a BMW was definitely a rare occasion.


    However, for Yue Kai to pay the bill was Tang Xiu¡¯s way for him to get along with everyone else.


    Class was boring and rather tedious. Tang Xiu spent his time comfortably in the joyous atmosphere of the classroom, and then went to the campus library. His application for the library card had been approved, so he borrowed some books and left the campus in a hurry.


    After returning to his place, Tang Xiu looked at the five children wearing dirty clothes. The five were sweating profusely as they practiced martial arts. He clapped his hands and smilingly spoke to them, ¡°All right, guys. Go wash your face now, I¡¯ll take you to buy some things.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    Though there was a pleasantly surprised expression on their faces, they didn¡¯t cheer. Tenderness and immaturity was missing from them, replaced by the sign of maturity a few ahead of their real age. Tang Xiu felt somewhat satisfied after this, though he was also a bit sad and distressed inside.


    They were orphans! With no relatives or friends, they were bound to have a rough fate. For homeless children, they were always without sufficient food to eat, and anything may happen to them!


    Such a tragic fate came knocking while they this young, yet this predicament didn¡¯t strike them down. Though they were once adopted, it was kind of sad and sorrowful for them to have a brawl with another group of children just because of two packs of instant noodles just after they had started wandering the streets for a few months.


    While quietly watching their backs as they ran to the back door, Tang Xiu secretly made up his mind that regardless of whether they could become his trusted subordinates or not; regardless of whether they could get the opportunity to learn immortal cultivation techniques or not; he would never let them alone, abandoned, homeless, and forsaken yet again.


    However, testing them was necessary, and the tempering he imposed on them would not reduce.


    In the future, anyone who wanted to be in his trust as well as be his right arm must endure pain and suffering ordinary people were unable to bear. They must use everything they had to fend off the predicament by their own sweat and blood. For those who were able to persevere through the mighty waves that crashed on the sandy shore, and then finally survived, they would be the ones who were qualified and eligible to follow him back to the Immortal World, going to a wider world arena, galloping and opening that place with their fists.


    ***


    In a nearby commercial street¡­


    Leading the five children, Tang Xiu strolled around a family store to buy things for them. For each child he bought four sets of clothes, shoes, and socks; while the design and color were freely picked by each of them. He found that despite of them not having gone go to school yet, they were actually able to read, so Tang Xiu also bought a lot of textbooks, such as foreign language books as well as many others.


    After two hours, it was already 12 at noon. His Range Rover had already been sent back, so its entire trunk was now filled with the purchases.


    Afterward, Tang Xiu took them directly to the Everlasting Feast Hall since he had an appointment with Li Laoshan there. From Chi Nan he learned that Li Laoshan had booked an ordinary box. As he handed the children to Chi Nan, he went straight to find Li Laoshan.


    ¡°Old Brother Li, I have tons of things to do in the afternoon, so I not drinking at this time,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly as he pulled the chair and sat across Li Laoshan.


    Li Laoshan nodded. Rubbing his hands, he said, ¡°Anyways, Brother Tang, can you sell me a batch of Gods Nectar through the back door of your Magnificent Tang Corp?¡±


    ¡°Old Brother Li, Gods Nectar is currently being produced in small numbers, and now the market is in short supply of it. Even though I¡¯m the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corp, I can¡¯t guarantee that we have that many Gods Nectar in stock. How about this. Send someone to Star City to look for Kang Xia to take ten boxes of Gods Nectar? Just think of it as the compensation for me being unable to accompany you drinking today.¡±


    _Ten boxes?_


    Li Laoshan was overjoyed and smilingly said, ¡°Brother Tang, I know that Gods Nectar is not cheap, so I must still pay for them. Ten boxes are enough. You don¡¯t know yet, but for us, the businessmen from the North, drinking Gods Nectar is considered an honor. If you invite someone to dinner and serve Gods Nectar, you will definitely make the guests satisfied, and gifting it would be considered as giving them face.¡±


    After saying that, he blinked and spoke with his voice toned down, ¡°Brother Tang, let me tell you a secret. Nowadays, gifting money is not as good as gifting Gods Nectar, because this wine is simply very difficult to buy.¡±


    ¡°It seems that Gods Nectar is really popular,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s far more than popular, if you ask me,¡± said Li Laoshan. ¡°It¡¯s sought after and praised by countless people. It¡¯s a pity that the Magnificent Tang Corp has a very limited production of it, though. You know, I¡¯ve sent people and wasted a great deal of effort, yet I only got a box. I simply cannot smell other wines ever since I tasted Gods Nectar. Ah, that¡¯s right. Is your company short of funds? If it is, just tell me. Though I¡¯m about to face that action, taking out several hundred million yuan wouldn¡¯t be a problem for me as long as your Magnificent Tang Corp added a few more production lines for Gods Nectar. Rest assured, brother. This old brother of yours doesn¡¯t want interest on the loan, and you can decide when to pay it back.¡±


    ¡°Old Brother Li, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m lacking funds, to be honest,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°It¡¯s just that the establishment of the Magnificent Tang Corp is just too small, and it¡¯s been only a short time since we entered the liquor business. We must carry it out with a slow production even though the wine is doing well on the market. Otherwise, not only will I only bite off more than I can chew, I would even get choked to death. Anyhow, I accept your good intention, though; but forget about lending me money. After you have finished this batch of Gods Nectar you can go directly to Star City to find Kang Xia.¡±


    Li Laoshan nodded and looked thoughtful before he replied, ¡°You¡¯re right. So be it then, and let us not talk about this anymore. Say¡­¡±


    _Knock, knock¡­_


    A knock on the door interrupted him.


    The door pushed open and a young and beautiful woman in a long red dress and red high-heeled shoes, with long flowing hair, entered the box with a smile. Everything on her was of famous brands, even her handbag and jewelry hanging on her were also very expensive.


    ¡°Honey, I¡¯m not late, am I?¡± The woman¡¯s slender waist was akin to a willow tree as it swayed from side to side when she came toward Li Laoshan.


    A smile outlined on the corner of Li Laoshan¡¯s mouth, as his palm patted the woman¡¯s buttocks. He then smiled and said, ¡°You aren¡¯t late, and the dishes are not yet cold, either! Anyhow, Brother Tang, let me introduce you to Wenwen, Sun Wen. She¡¯s my woman in Shanghai. That¡¯s right, I just set up a small company in Shanghai, a home renovation company. She¡¯s responsible for taking care of the place on my behalf here.¡±


    ¡°Please have a sit!¡± Tang Xiu faintly smiled and gestured.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t feel like paying attention to Li Laoshan¡¯s private life. Hence, he wouldn¡¯t repel the woman since she was Li Laoshan¡¯s woman. After the greetings, Tang Xiu smiled lightly and said, ¡°Old Brother Li is truly a person who knows how to enjoy life, yet I never thought you would also have a ¡®company¡¯ in Shanghai, too.¡±


    Upon hearing the subtle meaning in Tang Xiu¡¯s words, Li Laoshan looked awkward for a moment before it flickered away. Then, he laughed and said, ¡°Ah, kind of laughable isn¡¯t it, Brother Tang? Anyhow, I set up a small company in Shanghai mainly because Wenwen doesn¡¯t want to stay in the Northeast, so I let her live here. Anyways, Wenwen, this is Tang Xiu, my buddy.¡±


    A shrewd look suffused in Sun Wen¡¯s eyes when she looked at Tang Xiu, and then sat next to Li Laoshan and smilingly said, ¡°How do you do, little brother? There are not many people who can catch the eyes of our family¡¯s Old Li. Anyways, may I know what occupation little brother is currently engaged in?¡±


    _Little brother?_


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion coagulated, while Li Laoshan was dumbfounded.


    After a moment of silence, Tang Xiu calmly answered, ¡°I¡¯m a student.¡±


    _A student?_


    Sun Wen was startled for a moment before a disdaining look flashed in her eyes. Li Laoshan¡¯s introduction originally piqued her interest toward Tang Xiu, but his answer made her totally uninterested.


    ¡°Ah, being a student is really great. They are like flowers in a greenhouse. An age of having a dream in the cradle. My family¡¯s Old Li is really great, for he never sees the status of others when making friends. As long as he likes you, anyone can become his good buddy. Little brother, it seems your disposition and temperament really hit off well with Old Li.¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡±


    Li Laoshan finally responded, and angrily scolded.


    Tang Xiu waved his hand while smiling and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. Old Brother Li and I do indeed hit it off pretty well. Furthermore, we indeed didn¡¯t care about such old-fashioned things about each other¡¯s backgrounds and identities when we got acquainted. Anyhow, Old Brother Li does have very good luck for being able to meet a woman such as you who really understands him.¡±


    Somehow, Sun Wen¡¯s expression was a bit odd, as she hesitated for a moment and then said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you, then! Our family¡¯s Old Li has unusual vision. There are indeed few men in the world who can be on par with him, yet I have never found one.¡±


    ¡°SCRAM!¡±


    Li Laoshan finally could no longer stand it. He slapped the tabletop and angrily yelled.


    ¡°Honey, you¡­¡± Sun Wen looked blank. She was evidently praising him in front of someone else. She didn¡¯t understand, why would Li Laoshan be angry and scold her?


    ¡°Dear, why you¡­¡±


    Out of anger, Li Laoshan angrily yelled, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me? SCRAM! And see how I will pack you up when I go back. You¡¯re disgraceful!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth twitched a few times and secretly sighed inside. He had no favorable impression toward Sun Wen, for he could sense her stupidity from her words and mannerisms. However, didn¡¯t she look very smart when she entered?


    ¡°Old Brother Li, we don¡¯t speak in such a way with our own family. Let us just forget it! Don¡¯t become upset because of such a trivial matter. Let¡¯s get together, eat, and enjoy the happiness, shall we?¡±


    _Knock, knock¡­_


    The door was knocked once again. As the door was pushed open, Chi Nan personally brought two dishes inside. After placing them on the table, she looked at Tang Xiu and said with a smile, ¡°Boss, the children are currently having a meal in the next box. I¡¯ll tell them to go to my office to wait for you after they¡¯ve finished their meal.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Tang Xiu nodded. He suddenly recalled something and quickly said, ¡°Chi Nan, they will be living together with me for some time. Help me find some housekeepers to help them with daily activities. Also, find several private tutors as well. The tutors must be from all subjects and they have to devise the curriculum and teach them basic knowledge first.¡±


    ¡°Boss, about the time¡­¡± asked Chi Nan.


    ¡°A maximum of one month,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°All right. I¡¯ll keep it in mind and will immediately make some calls. Also, I¡¯ll take them to the Bluestar Villa Complex later,¡± said Chi Nan respectfully.


    ¡°All right!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.

 Chapter 481

    Chapter 481: Meeting by Chance


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    As the box¡¯s door was closed, Sun Wen dumbfoundedly stared at Tang Xiu. She would have never believed it if she had not seen with her own eyes. To think that the manager of the dignified Everlasting Feast Hall would actually be respectful before Tang Xiu, even calling him ¡°Boss¡±.


    ¡°You¡­ are you?¡± Sun Wen¡¯s lower lip twitched, disbelief in her eyes.


    ¡°Can you stop speaking already?¡± Li Laoshan angrily spoke. ¡°Brother Tang is the owner of the Everlasting Feast Hall!¡±


    Sun Wen could only gulp down her saliva. She knew that the Everlasting Feast Hall was the top upscale restaurant in Shanghai. Moreover, Shanghai¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall was only a branch, since she also heard that this restaurant franchise also had branches in Beijing, Jingmen Island, and Hong Kong.


    _And Tang Xiu is its owner? That means¡­_


    _¡­He is probably very rich!_


    Suddenly, she realized how stupid her attitude had been and how disgraceful she had acted. Having just looked down on Tang Xiu, while the person turned out to be the owner of the Everlasting Feast Hall, it was akin to have slapped her own face.


    One must know that Tang Xiu seemed to be in his early 20s, yet he had already become the owner of the Everlasting Feast Hall. What background such a person¡¯s family could have? That meant that his other family members could have terrifying identities, didn¡¯t it?


    She now realized why Li Laoshan was become friends with Tang Xiu, and why he was angry with her.


    This was because¡­ she had indeed made him lose face.


    The color was drained from Sun Wen¡¯s face as she cautiously looked at Li Laoshan. There was a look of apology on her face, as she said, ¡°Mr. Tang, I¡¯m really sorry for what I said.¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and smilingly said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, really. Didn¡¯t I say that family need not speak such words? Besides, you¡¯re Old Brother Li¡¯s woman, thus you¡¯re a friend.¡±


    The indignant expression Li Laoshan¡¯s face receded. After searching Tang Xiu¡¯s face, a forced, wry smile appeared on his face, ¡°Brother Tang, you¡¯re really extraordinary even in this personal matter. Young as you are you¡¯re already this open minded. Furthermore, I never feel like there¡¯s a gap in our difference of age, which is the most inconceivable. It¡¯s like I¡¯m communing with someone of my age.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean that I¡¯m old? Is that so obvious?¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help smirking.


    _Cough, cough_ ¡­ Li Laoshan choked upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s reply.


    The lunch ended quickly since they didn¡¯t drink anything alcoholic. After the lunch was over, Li Laoshan told Tang Xiu that he would leave Shanghai for Beijing tomorrow to prepare himself. Afterward, Tang Xiu went to Chi Nan¡¯s office and saw the children obediently sitting on the sofa. Tang Xiu turned to look at Chi Nan and smilingly said, ¡°It was laborious of you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m honored to serve you, Boss,¡± said Chi Nan with a smile.


    ¡°Since you feel that it¡¯s an honor, then I will give you another assignment,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Convey my message to the Headquarters to investigate some underground parties. One of which is the Cubo Clan from Italy, and the other is the Brauns Group from the United States. The more detailed the better.¡±


    ¡°I know a bit about these two forces, Boss, but not too much,¡± said Chi Nan with a changed expression.


    ¡°Tell me!¡± Tang Xiu said with a surprised expression.


    ¡°That Italian underground party is the largest criminal syndicate there. This criminal organization boasts a number of more than 100,000 members, and the Cubo Syndicate is in the top three mafias with enormous capital amongst the crime organizations there. I had once killed some of their people, which were exactly this Cubo Syndicate¡¯s members. As for the Brauns Group from the United States, they are a cartel who operates in a lot of business channels mainly managing drugs and liquor businesses. As far as I know, they also have dozens of large wineries as well.


    ¡°These two forces have a large number of thugs, and they¡¯re all members of their very own security companies. Moreover, they have intricate links with some international mercenary companies. Few people are willing to fight against them overseas.¡±


    A cold glint flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he lightly said, ¡°These two forces are now opposing my Magnificent Tang Corp. If they do dare to touch my bottom line, I will never think twice to bulldoze them as well.¡±


    Chi Nan had her expression slightly change, and said in a deep voice, ¡°Boss, had it been a few months ago, even our Everlasting Feast Hall would dread them a bit. But now¡­ Hmph!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded. He understood Chi Nan¡¯s meaning. As of recently, over a hundred core members of the Everlasting Feast Hall had been imparted with a cultivation technique, thus their strength had progressed by leaps and bounds. If they could be said as an invincible existence against one hundred enemies before, each and every one of them now possessed a terrifying strength that even these two forces would suffer massive losses once they were to go all out.


    ¡°Let us wait and see. Get me detailed information on them first.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll immediately send the news back to the HQ,¡± said Chi Nan with a nod.


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu and Tang Xiaojin¡¯s group left the Everlasting Feast Hall. They returned home by car, as Tang Xiu then instructed them to stay at home while he left Bluestar Villa Complex.


    ****


    Shanghai First Public Hospital.


    Tang Xiu arrived at the ward of the Inpatient Department where Yuan Chuling and the rest were hospitalized. What puzzled him was that Yuan Chuling was not in his hospital bed. There were only his two fellow students lying on the two sickbeds next to his.


    ¡°Who are you looking for?¡± Asked a young man looking at Tang Xiu curiously.


    ¡°I¡¯m Yuan Chuling¡¯s friend. Where is he?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°He said it was too boring staying in the ward, so he went outside to chat with the nurses. You¡­ are you Tang Xiu, the one Yuan Chuling addressed as Eldest Brother Tang?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s me!¡± Tang Xiu smiling replied.


    The young man quickly tried to sit up with the support of his arms, and gratefully said, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, thanks for everything you did for us; I heard about what happened. If it weren¡¯t for you, we would have been greatly troubled with the campus, and helpless and unable to vent the irritated feeling inside us.¡±


    ¡°You are all Yuan Chuling¡¯s classmates, so we are not strangers. Anyways, you have a good rest, I¡¯m going out to find him,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Mmm!¡± Both men nodded.


    After leaving the ward, Tang Xiu released his spiritual sense and immediately ¡°saw¡± Yuan Chuling in a doctor¡¯s office. He was currently holding a female nurse¡¯s hand, doing a palm reading on her.


    _What the¡­ this chap is¡­_


    Tang Xiu shook his head and rushed there. He directly opened the door and strode inside.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    The female nurse, whose hand was held by Yuan Chuling, was startled by Tang Xiu. She called out in alarm and took back her hand as though she got an electric shock.


    Yuan Chuling got angry and toward Tang Xiu. When he saw Tang Xiu there, he immediately exclaimed in anger, ¡°Hey, Tang Big Bro, how did you find out? Also, why did you come at the wrong time?¡±


    ¡°Fatty Yuan, you better not damage the nurses, got it? Let¡¯s go back to the ward where you belong and rest well there. The sooner you leave the hospital, the better,¡± Tang Xiu chuckled.


    Yuan Chuling rolled his eyes and turned to the delicate and pretty nurse who was obviously a bit flustered, ¡°Pretty Sis, it seems like our talk ends here today. If anything, everyone¡¯s life can really be known by using palmistry. I¡¯ll show you about it some other day.¡±


    Having said that he operated the wheelchair with both hands and went toward the door.


    Tang Xiu secretly forced a smile. He found that every boy was like a hungry wolf, a lecher whose mind was full of girls and women with the increase of their age.


    Quickly moving forward, he took over in pushing Yuan Chuling¡¯s wheelchair, saying, ¡°You couldn¡¯t be living a safe life with one hand controlling the wheelchair, could you?¡±


    Yuan Chuling chuckled, ¡°We¡¯re boys in puberty, are we not? Puberty means that we are in our spring period. Don¡¯t tell me you¡­¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu?¡±


    Someone¡¯s voice interrupted Yuan Chuling. It came from the door beside them.


    Tang Xiu turned around. As he saw the person, a surprised look suddenly appeared on his face as he replied, ¡°Jia Ruidao? Why are you here?¡±


    Striding out of the room, Jia Ruidao hurriedly stretched out his hand and said, ¡°I never expected to really be you, Tang Xiu! I thought I was just seeing things.¡±


    ¡°Well, my friend is hospitalized here, so I came to see him,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Jia Ruidao glanced at Yuan Chuling, nodded and said, ¡°The last time we met was in Jingmen Island. It¡¯s been several months already, right? I never thought I would see you here in Shanghai.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m studying at Shanghai University. What about you? What brings you to Shanghai?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a laugh.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been doing some business recently, and am planning to move the company to Shanghai. I feel quite unwell, so I came here to have a check up,¡± said Jia Ruidao with a smile.


    ¡°What business are you engaging in?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I intend to wash my hands and make a clean break from the gambling industry. So, I opened up some game arcade establishments. By the way, I¡¯ve got a big store in the commercial street near your Shanghai University, and am currently preparing to renovate it,¡± said Jia Ruidao.


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, being able to meet you here in Shanghai shows that our fate is quite deep, no? If you have a free time tonight, let me treat you to dinner,¡± said Jia Ruidao.


    ¡°I already have an appointment tonight, how about some other day?¡± Tang Xiu laughed and replied.


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be staying in Shanghai for the next few months, so I¡¯ll have some other time anyway. Let¡¯s keep in touch,¡± said Jia Ruidao with a laugh.


    Tang Xiu nodded at him and smiled, and then pushed Yuan Chuling¡¯s wheelchair toward his ward.


    ¡°Who is that man, Tang Big Bro?¡± Asked Yuan Chuling curiously.


    ¡°A friend of mine,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I heard him saying that he was making a clean break from the gambling industry. What exactly is his situation? Is he a professional gambler or something?¡± Asked Yuan Chuling.


    ¡°You guessed right, buddy. He was indeed a professional gambler, and was quite a good one at that, too. However, gambling has never been a proper job, after all. I once helped him with some problems, lessening his losses in that incident. Afterward, he washed his hands and made a clean break and never involved himself again in the gambling industry,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°I just found you¡¯re really a good person, Big Bro,¡± said Yuan Chuling as he gave him a thumbs up and praised, ¡°You casually bumped into someone and even he got some help from you. I observed that Jia Ruidao before, he seems to respect you very much, bro!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t praise me. You¡¯ll make me smug and dumb, you know!¡± Tang Xiu replied with a laugh.

 Chapter 482

    Chapter 482: Reasons to Get Startled


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Common saying says that friendship was such as clear spring that only the hearts of those involved could nourish and moisten it to grow in their journey.


    Though the friendship between Tang Xiu and Yuan Chuling was not that particularly deep, yet it was in line with the principle that ¡°one would act well toward the another who treated him the same way¡±. What Yuan Chuling had done and displayed secured him a place in Tang Xiu¡¯s heart, hence Tang Xiu stayed to accompany him for more than two hours before leaving.


    After returning to Bluestar Villa Complex and having yet to have a chance to moisten his throat with tea, Tang Xiu received a phone call from someone he had nearly forgotten. It was also an international call.


    ¡°Who am I speaking with?¡± Asked Tang Xiu calmly while standing before the bedroom¡¯s window.


    A silvery sonorous voice replied from the cell phone, ¡°It¡¯s me, Boss. Kuwako Yamamoto.¡±


    Tang Xiu dazed for a short while before he immediately recalled the young lady from the House of Yamamoto from Japan. She was also the future master of Northstar One Blade School, a ninja master who had been under his Soul Ruling Spell.


    ¡°Something happened?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an urgent issue, Boss,¡± said Kuwako Yamamoto respectfully. ¡°I just got an order from the patriarch of my clan, my father, to lead a team to China in order to steal some information from a company called Magnificent Tang Corporation in Star City. I know that you are from there, so I¡¯m telling you about this.¡±


    With a change in expression, Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes suffused with coldness as he slowly said, ¡°I¡¯m the owner of the said company. The Gods Nectar, Skin Care Lotion, and Scar Removal Cream are the three products I personally researched and developed. Do you think I will let your Yamamoto Clan get them?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Boss,¡± said Kuwako Yamamoto hurriedly. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corp, nor did I know that those three products were developed by you. But about my father¡¯s orders¡­¡±


    Swiftly thinking, Tang Xiu pondered for a short while, before he slowly replied, ¡°You can bring your people over. But wait for my news after you get settled in Star City. I¡¯m in Shanghai as of now, and will return to Star City within two days. We¡¯ll talk about it again when the time comes. Anyways, how is the development on your part after getting back to your homeland?¡±


    Kuwako Yamamoto said, ¡°The Soul Ruling Spell you imparted me is really mysterious and amazing, Boss. I¡¯ve secretly taken control of one-third of the top members of my clan. Though on the surface they seem to be distancing themselves from me, they are completely completely controlled by me. Also, there are also some Elders in the Northstar One Blade School who I managed to get under my control using the Soul Ruling Spell; whereas a number of elite ninjas are also under my complete control. In three years at the most, I can completely control all the rights and privileges in the Yamamoto House and Northstar One Blade School.¡±


    Tang Xiu said with satisfaction, ¡°I see. Then I¡¯ll send a list of cultivation resources which lists some medicinal herbs and minerals. Use your strength in Japan to look for them. If you are able to bring a large number of these goods, I will reward you some medicinal pills to assist and speed up your cultivation progress.¡±


    ¡°Medicinal pills? What is that?¡± Asked Kuwako Yamamoto.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know. You just need to find the herbs and minerals on the list I¡¯m about to send you. If you can make satisfied, the medicinal pills I¡¯ll give yoiu can make your cultivation progress faster; possibly several times faster,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly.


    _Several times faster?_


    Pumped up with excitement, Kuwako Yamamoto hurriedly said, ¡°I¡¯ll try to delay the mission to China as long as possible, Boss. I¡¯ll try my best to find these medicinal herbs and minerals you need.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Tang Xiu then hung up the phone.


    In order to reenter the realm of immortals in the Immortal World, as well as restoring his cultivation to the peak, Tang Xiu would need a massive amount of cultivation resources. Only by using these cultivation resources would he be able to increase his strength, and finally manifest his ultimate goal of revenge.


    Japan was a very special country, and although Tang Xiu was pretty much oblivious to the situation there, he believed that this country should have medicinal herbs and ores that he could use. Not to mention that Kuwako Yamamoto could be said as a falcon or dog that he was training, so that she would become his minion and would benefit him in the future.


    ****


    _Beijing, at the Tang Family¡¯s ancestral home¡­_


    Liu Changxi was alone and carrying a basket of fruits as he stood waiting outside the courtyard, an armed soldier standing upright at the gate coldly staring at him.


    ¡°Secretary Liu, Senior Tang is in the backyard garden. After you enter, someone will take you to see him.¡± Another armed soldier walking out of the front courtyard spoke to him in a deep voice.


    Nodding in response, Liu Changxi entered the courtyard in big strides. After passing through the first front gate, a pond appeared in front of him. There was a small circular door on the left side of the pond, whereas patches of colorful flowers provided a feast for the eyes. Several bird cages were hung on verdant branches and wonderful chirping songs were heard from there.


    In the center of the garden, Tang Guosheng and Tang Guoshou were playing chess, moving the the black and white pieces inside an antique-styled gazebo. At present, the chess pieces were about to cover the entire chessboard. There was an antique incense burner made of bronze beside them, where a faint azure smoke curled up, and the faint smell of smoke pervaded and covered this tiny piece of the world.


    After Liu Changxi arrived, he quietly stood outside the gazebo and didn¡¯t disturb the two. He just handed the basket over to the housekeeper who came with him.


    ¡°Under the stones!¡± [1]


    The wrinkles that covered Tang Guoshou¡¯s face were stretched by a bright smile.


    Tang Guosheng shook his head, yet his face was exceptionally tranquil. His eyes then moved from the chessboard to Liu Changxi and waved at him.


    ¡°Senior Tang!¡± Liu Changxi respectfully called the two men.


    ¡°Little Liu, how did you remember to come see this old man today?¡± Tang Guosheng smilingly said.


    ¡°I was actually planning to come earlier. It¡¯s just that official business always got me occupied outside. I was able to squeeze some time and rushed here from Shanghai. Have the two seniors been good all this while?¡± Liu Changxi said with a smile.


    _From Shanghai?_


    The incident with the extremists in Shanghai had entered Tang Guosheng¡¯s ears, and his eyes were immediately squinted. Even though Liu Changxi hadn¡¯t said anything yet, he could faintly guess that it was probably related with that treasured grandson of his.


    ¡°Kiddo, what¡¯s inside your mind and heart can be compared to the stars in the sky. Out with it! What is your purpose in coming?¡±


    Having his mind exposed like that, Liu Changxi let out an embarrassed smile and earnestly said, ¡°Senior Tang, the purpose of my visit this time is mainly for Tang Xiu. You¡¯re his grandfather, and I believe he must listen to you.¡±


    _As expected!_


    Tang Guosheng sighed inwardly. The smile on his face was restrained as he said, ¡°Continue.¡±


    Liu Changxi said, ¡°Senior Tang, I believe you have received the news from Shanghai. It was truly fortunate that Tang Xiu was there at that time so that we could avert the tragedy. If it weren¡¯t for him, Zhang Xinya¡¯s concert would have been turned into a world tragedy with tens of thousands of victims. The incident at Shanghai Airport was also averted, and the losses were reduced to the lowest level. As for me, I¡¯ve been asking the higher authorities so that Tang Xiu can be rewarded for his merit in a few days.


    ¡°I came to see you this time because I wanted him to join our Security Department. With him joining us, it would definitely be a plus for us, so that we can play a greater and better role in keeping the peace and security of our country.


    ¡°I myself have personally invited him several times already, yet he rejected me due to academic reasons. Therefore, if you could persuade him, please let him join our security department. You can rest assured. Although I can¡¯t give him too many privileges given my authority, I can guarantee that I¡¯ll give you the best treatment possible. I can even guarantee him my position later as long as he does a good job.¡±


    While squinting his eyes at Liu Changxi, a smile resurfaced on Tang Guosheng¡¯s face. The smile was even brighter than before. However, as he recalled his grandson¡¯s character, he couldn¡¯t describe his feeling in any other language except forcing out a wry smile.


    ¡°Little Liu, despite Xiu¡¯er being my biological grandson, he lived outside alone all these years, and we have just found him in the recent months. As an adult himself, he has his own ideas and way of thinking; thus, even I myself am not suitable to interfere with his decision despite myself being his grandfather. I have indeed already learned about this matter and I will talk to him. As for the result, however, I can¡¯t give you a guarantee.¡±


    Liu Changxi stared blankly, ¡°Senior Tang, aren¡¯t you able to make a decision for him? This¡­¡±


    ¡°Were he just a normal child, I naturally could help him make a decision,¡± said Tang Guosheng with a smile. ¡°But for him to make you seek me, do you think he¡¯s an ordinary child?¡±


    ¡°What you said is true, Senior,¡± said Liu Changxi with a forced smile.


    ¡°Anyway, would you like to stay and have dinner with us?¡± Asked Tang Guosheng.


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t. I must return to my unit,¡± said Liu Changxi quickly. ¡°If anything, there¡¯s some things that remained unsolved, and Tang Xiu didn¡¯t wanted to tell me truthfully. Hence, I can only personally check them out.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Asked Tang Guosheng with raised brows.


    After hesitating for a moment, Liu Changxi seriously said, ¡°This is actually the purpose that I came here for. From our surveillance footages, the people who were suspected as members of the extremist group happened to have been taken away by some mysterious people. Furthermore, we have also investigated the crime scenes as well as all the traffic surveillance videos within five kilometers of the Shanghai New World Center. We also have the surveillance videos of nearby commercial buildings, residences, and stores, yet these mysterious and suspicious people simply gave us a headache; their counter-detection and tracking abilities are better than ours. Not one of the hundreds of surveillance videos captured them.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Tang Guosheng and Tang Guoshou looked startled and astonished. They were once people who had great power and privileges, and were naturally aware of some methods of investigation. This news was hardly believable to them. Hundreds of areas being monitored by surveillance cameras, yet they were unable to capture these mysterious persons? They¡­ wouldn¡¯t they be very difficult to deal with?


    Tang Guosheng took a deep breath and said in a deep and heavy voice, ¡°You mean to say that Xiu¡¯er knows the identity of these people?¡±


    Liu Changxi nodded, ¡°I suspect that Tang Xiu knows about them, and may even know who they are. It¡¯s because there is no one else who knows the appearance of those extremists aside from the people from our security department and the police force.¡±


    Countless thoughts were swirling inside Tang Guosheng¡¯s mind. He remembered the incident in which Tang Xiu had been playing with the Yao Family in the South. When he recalled those mysterious experts Tang Xiu had pulled back then, he suddenly came to the realization that he only had a bit of knowledge about his own grandson. However, facing Liu Changxi, whose identity was quite special, he natural wouldn¡¯t speak out what was inside his mind.

 Chapter 483

    Chapter 483: Between Laugh and Tears


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    A wise saying said that a geezer who had yet to die had no regard for others [1]. Tang Guosheng could be regarded as a senior citizen, an elderly who had lived pretty long in the whole country. His astuteness and shrewdness had already been carved deep in his bones. He placed his fingers gently on the chessboard, rhythmically knocking it as he spoke with an indifferent expression, ¡°Secretary Liu, your security department does possess big power and privileges, but what can you prove merely based on suspicion? I¡¯m very well aware of the situation regarding Xiu¡¯er, for I sent some people to investigate his life experiences after finding him. There wasn¡¯t any information pertaining to any mysterious bunch of people whatsoever.¡±


    There was a vacant look on Liu Changxi¡¯s face, as he immediately forced a wry smile and said, ¡°Senior Tang, I know I shouldn¡¯t suspect Tang Xiu, but¡­¡±


    Waving his hand, Tang Guosheng interrupted him and lightly said, ¡°Secretary Liu, feel free to investigate him if you don¡¯t believe me. However, my grandson is not someone easily provoked. Though the present Tang Family is not what we used to be in the past, yet a skinny camel is still bigger than a horse. Whoever dares to fix their eyes on him, I¡¯ll make sure to make them feel that the teeth of my House of Tang are still very sharp.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    As someone who elevated his position and status to today¡¯s status, Liu Changxi was an astute and smart person. He could instantly understand the meaning behind Tang Guosheng¡¯s words, and said with a smile, ¡°Since Senior Tang has spoken, I¡¯ll have this matter end here. But Senior Tang, please persuade Tang Xiu. If he¡¯s willing to join our security department, I¡¯ll certainly joyously welcome him.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Tang Guosheng nodded indifferently.


    A few minutes after Liu Changxi¡¯s departure, Tang Guoshou grabbed a black piece of chess, as his eyes were suffused with a pensive glint. Afterward, he slowly said, ¡°Dozens of people who are extremely skilled in counter-tracking and counter-detection, and they seem to have secretly eliminated some of those extremists as well. To think that these mysterious experts didn¡¯t get noticed and alarmed the Ministry of State Security and police force¡¯s people meant something. That is, they are very good! It seems like our grandson really have cards in his hand that we know nothing about.¡±


    Tang Guosheng picked up a white piece chess and lightly said, ¡°I have always known that Xiu¡¯er had some cards hidden in his hands, but I never thought that it¡¯d be something like this. Regardless, I can rest my worries. Even if I¡¯m going to see Buddha now, I won¡¯t have to be worried about the future of the Tang Family. However, I¡¯m still alive, so I can never let anyone threaten him. Youngest, since you¡¯re still strong and healthy, move that Liu Changxi¡¯s ass! He¡¯s no longer suitable to stay at the Ministry of State Security.¡±


    ¡°Eldest, I¡¯m afraid that we have to pay quite a price to kick him somewhere else,¡± said Tang Guoshou with a frown.


    ¡°No matter how big the price is, you must do it!¡± Tang Guosheng sneered. ¡°Just find some way to transfer him somewhere else. He¡¯s quite smart, so I believe that he won¡¯t easily investigate the matters he experienced in Shanghai later.¡±


    ¡°I hope the cards in Xiu¡¯er¡¯s hands can exceed our imagination, though. Otherwise, we¡¯ll suffer quite a loss,¡± commented Tang Guoshou with a nod.


    ¡°We won¡¯t suffer the slightest loss,¡± said Tang Guosheng with confidence. ¡°Merely these dozens of experts have already made me overjoyed. You don¡¯t know the ability of the guys in the security department, do you? All of them are specially trained elites, yet even they were left speechless. Hehehe¡­¡±


    ¡°True that!¡±


    ****


    _Shanghai, Bluestar Villa Complex¡­_


    The philosophy that the powerful reigned supreme and people revered the strong regardless of the time and places had already been carved deeply in Tang Xiu¡¯s bones. Therefore, he pushed himself harder in his cultivation. He was now sitting cross-legged on his bed, silently circulating the restless star force inside his body. The force inside him echoed with the stardust in the universe while constantly absorbing the power of the stars.


    Now, he was wearing the jade ornament gifted by Li Laoshan on his neck. The energy emitted from the Dragon Soul of the Nine-Clawed Crimson Dragon, even if it was weak, still greatly benefitted Tang Xiu. Between each exhale and inhale, faint traces of the Dragon Soul¡¯s power were absorbed into his body.


    Dragons have an extremely formidable body, while Phoenixes have an all-powerful soul.


    Tang Xiu himself was practicing the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis cultivation technique, which was precisely a supreme cultivation technique that emphasized in tempering one¡¯s body into that of a Demon¡¯s formidable physique, and thus was in line and suitable with the Dragon¡¯s formidable body.


    Therefore, after the Dragon Soul¡¯s power had been absorbed into his body, not only did its power nourish his body, it also washed away the impurities within it, as well as tempered his body. Coupled with the magical effect of the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis cultivation technique, his physical strength was promoting at a very rapid rate.


    ¡°Huh? The black hole¡¯s entrance inside my dantian is shrinking and the star force pouring out of the black hole is increasing? What exactly happened inside the black hole? My spiritual sense is unable to get inside, yet I can feel this is not simple, whatever it is. To what extent can learn about it?¡±


    Tang Xiu eyes slowly opened. He let the star force inside his meridians circulate freely, while silently pondering about this puzzling matter.


    _Buzz¡­_


    All of a sudden, an invisible suction force radiated out from his dantian. Accurately speaking, it was sent out from the black hole. The huge suction force was as though it was able to devour everything. The seed of the Heavenly Path Universe Tree that floated motionlessly inside his dantian was easily pulled in by the engulfing power and swallowed inside.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    The color was drained from Tang Xiu¡¯s face as his expression drastically changed. The seed of the Heavenly Path Universe Tree was too important for him. Possessing it meant that his chances of entering the Gods Realm could increase ten million times!


    In the next moment, the indignant expression on Tang Xiu¡¯s face froze. It was because after the seed of the Heavenly Path Universe Tree was swallowed into the black hole, a life force came rushing out from it. This life force was akin to a spring that nourished Tang Xiu¡¯s body and soul, even causing the star force inside his meridians to get excited.


    However, that was not the most important thing. The most important thing was the life force itself. The vast majority of it was fused into his soul crown. When Tang Xiu broke through to the Supreme Realm in the Immortal World, he was able to use his perception to ¡°see¡± this soul crown, yet he could ¡°see¡± it clearly now.


    The soul crown was only needle-sized, and could only be clearly visible when he zoomed in, while the naked eyes could only see a tiny bit of luminous light. However, after that rushing life force fused into it, his soul crown suddenly increased by about ten times.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu blinked his eyes, yet words were unable to express what he felt. He could, however, understand and grasped it by instinct that the enhancement brought by this life force was strengthening his soul strength, which was akin to the extension of his lifespan. He could feel that this life force had increased his lifespan by at least a thousand years.


    Reasonably speaking, the limit of his lifespan was 200 years with his current cultivation level. However, the rushing life force had bestowed him a thousand years more. If this kind of matter were known to those Immortals in the Immortal World, their eyes would probably turn wide and full of envy, wishing to exchange it for everything they had.


    The death of a man is like an extinguished lamp, for all one¡¯s hope and efforts come to nothing in the end. Hence, being alive is the most meaningful thing!


    Tang Xiu floated in the air and quietly came to the window to look at the dark scenery outside. Joy, hope, and fear mingled inside his heart. He didn¡¯t know whether the seed of the Heavenly Path Universe Tree was still there or not, thus adding another mystery to him.


    Suddenly, as if realizing something, he strode out of his room and came to the living room on the first floor. He smelled a think fragrance of dishes from the kitchen, where five small and thin figures were busying themselves. Among them, Tang Xiaomu¡¯s face was stained white with bread flour.


    ¡°You¡­ are you cooking something?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised when he came to the kitchen.


    Tang Xiaojin looked back and replied, ¡°Boss, we just noticed that there are a few dishes in the refrigerator, as well as flour and other vegetables in the cupboard, so we just did a bit of cooking. Anyways, are you hungry? If you are, wash your hands and we¡¯ll have our meal immediately.¡±


    Her reply took Tang Xiu aback as he walked into the bathroom to wash his hands. After returning to the dining room, he saw that the children had already brought several dishes to the table. Though the dishes looked ordinary, the aroma exuding from them was very strong.


    ¡°Boss, when we were five years old and got adopted by Grandpa, he told us that food is what matters to humans, so he taught us to cook. Later on, after we learned it, we did the cooking by ourselves every day. You¡­ please have a taste,¡± said Tang Xiaomu in a low voice.


    In a flash, Tang Xiu understood. He picked up the chopsticks and started tasting the dishes, as he nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s very good. You guys are great!¡±


    ¡°Please eat more if you like it, Boss,¡± said Tang Xiaomu with a smile. ¡°We¡¯ll cook for you every day later.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°The food you made is indeed very delicious, but your most important duty is to learn and cultivate. Hence, the cooking will be handed over to the housemaids later. Some housemaids will come here very soon; they will take care of your daily necessities.¡±


    ¡°But, Boss, please don¡¯t waste money on us. We can take good care of ourselves,¡± replied Tang Xiaomu in a low voice.


    ¡°I know that you are able, and I¡¯m very proud of you,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°But your later studies and cultivation duties are bound to be very arduous, so you cannot waste your mind and energy on other things. In the future, when you¡¯ve finished your studies and your cultivation has reached a level that can make me satisfied, you are free to choose what you like.¡±


    ¡°All right, then!¡± Tang Xiaomu nodded and replied softly.


    _Di, di¡­_


    The sound of a car¡¯s horn sounded outside the villa¡¯s courtyard.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face flickered. He released his spiritual sense and instantly ¡°saw¡± a car outside the courtyard¡¯s gate with Ouyang Lulu inside it pressing the horn. After taking out the house keys, Tang Xiu pressed the button and, two minutes later, Ouyang Lulu entered the living room while carrying her handbag. Smelling the aroma, the first thing she did was straightly rush to the dining room.


    ¡°Good gracious, what a good coincidence! Gimme me a pair of chopsticks and tableware, I¡¯m gonna wash my hands first.¡±


    After saying that, she tossed her bag in a chair and strode toward the bathroom.


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes and muttered to himself inwardly, _This girl really doesn¡¯t think herself an outsider at all._


    Quickly after, Ouyang Lulu came back to the dining room and looked smilingly at the dishes on the table, and then said with a smile, ¡°Tang Xiu, I didn¡¯t know that you had hired a housemaid. These dishes may look ordinary, but they really smell very good! I gotta taste them first!¡±


    Tang Xiu patted her hands and snappily said, ¡°It¡¯s late, how come you haven¡¯t eaten yet, huh? Just wait for a while, will you? The children aren¡¯t done cooking all the dishes yet!¡±


    ¡°Children? What children?¡± Ouyang Lulu was taken aback and stared blankly, looking at Tang Xiu with a queer expression.

 Chapter 484

    Chapter 484: You¡¯re My Man!


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Boss, Sis Xiaojin has just finished another one¡­¡± Tang Xiaomu ran into the dining room while carrying a plate of pork covered with green peppers. She hadn¡¯t finish her words when her eyes landed on Ouyang Lulu.


    Tang Xiu took the dishes and smilingly said, ¡°Xiaomu, this is your aunt Lulu.¡±


    ¡°How do you do, Aunt Lulu?¡± Said Tang Xiaomu in a cute manner.


    _Auntie?_


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s mouth twitched. She squeezed out a smile and nodded to Tang Xiaomu. Then, she turned her head with a question tag on her face toward Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I just adopted five orphans. She¡¯s Tang Xiaomu, whereas the other four are Tang Xiaojin, Tang Xiaoshui, Tang Xiaohuo, and Tang Xiaotu. These dishes were cooked by them.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu got up and strode toward the kitchen. When she saw the four busy small figures there, she immediately returned to the dining room and angrily glared at Tang Xiu, ¡°Say, Tang Xiu! Are you still human? They are still kids, and you¡¯re making them cook?¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who wanted to eat? If you don¡¯t want to eat, I¡¯ll go to the living room first and wait there.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    She rolled her eyes at Tang Xiu, and then pulled Tang Xiaomu¡¯s hand and softly said, ¡°Little Mu, let us go to the kitchen, Auntie will help you with the cooking.¡±


    About ten minutes later, another batch of dishes had been served in the dining room along with hot steamed white rice and a bowl that was placed in front of Tang Xiu. Tang Xiu himself wasn¡¯t hungry, but the children¡¯s cooking still roused his appetite.


    Quickly after stuffing himself Tang Xiu looked at the five children and Ouyang Lulu, who were similarly full, and said, ¡°The five of you can rest now; go study by yourselves. Lulu, let us have a chat in the living room.¡±


    ¡°Wait. I haven¡¯t washed the dishes yet,¡± said Ouyang Lulu.


    ¡°You can wash them later. Anyways, you came over so late, so you should have something to say, right?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    Seemingly reminded of something, Ouyang Lulu quickly ran back to the dining room. Taking her bag, she took out a red invitation envelope from the inside. She handed it over with both of her hands and said, ¡°Boss Tang, my restaurant will be opened for business tomorrow. I¡¯m inviting you to participate in the opening ceremony.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve a restaurant and is opening it for business? So, being secretive and mysterious all this while after coming to Shanghai was because of this?¡± Tang Xiu asked with a strange expression.


    ¡°Of course!¡± Ouyang Lulu proudly said. ¡°I¡¯ve poured all of my wealth on it. Now I¡¯m broke. From tomorrow on, however, I will have a handsome income from my restaurant, though; my financial crisis will pass for sure. How about it? Will you accept my invitation or not? I¡¯m keeping the position of cutting the ribbon vacant since I want you to do it!¡±


    Tang Xiu took the invitation. Then, he shook his head and smilingly said, ¡°I will come, that¡¯s for sure. But forget about cutting the ribbon! I¡¯m neither a big shot nor someone famous¡­ Shortly put, cutting the ribbon is your job. Besides, me doing it will only garner people¡¯s attention. And that is not my style at all.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side, took a seat and took his arm with both hands. Acting like a bit like coquettish, spoiled brat, she spoke in a swaying manner, ¡°I know your character, yet it¡¯s not to be made a precedent, no? You¡¯re among the few awesome people I know of. Besides, this restaurant is my own private property; it doesn¡¯t belong to the Ouyang Family. I really hope that you would be the one to cut the ribbon.¡±


    Tang Xiu was feeling a bit helpless inside. But when he looked at the expression on Ouyang Lulu¡¯s face, he forced a smile and said, ¡°Forget it, like you said yourself, it¡¯s not be made a precedent. Anyways, did you invite the media?¡±


    ¡°No, absolutely not!¡± Ouyang Lulu hastily shook her head. ¡°There will definitely be no media reporters, not even their shadows. I did invite some officials of the city and celebrities, though. As for the others, aside from the staff of my Paradise Manor, there will be some guests that are attracted by the recent advertisements. That¡¯s right, there should also be some businessmen in Shanghai who have business relations with my Ouyang Family as well.¡±


    ¡°It should be quite extravagant!¡± Said Tang Xiu with a laugh.


    ¡°How could I not go big? All my wealth has been poured into it! Nevertheless, I¡¯m very sure that my Paradise Manor will be very hot. Okay, let me tell you a secret. I went to the Everlasting Feast Hall and Seaside Strait manor and used my steal art to snatch their dishes. I even signed a contract with your uncle, Tang Dong, about buying meat from him. Some of the special cuisines are produced with the fierce beasts¡¯ meat from the Seaside Strait Manor. I guarantee that it will taste so delicious that all the guest will be drooling and wolfing them down.¡±


    ¡°You really have gone all in, it seems,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle.


    ¡°But of course!¡± Ouyang Lulu proudly replied with a happy smile.


    Half an hour later, she hurriedly left due to take care of a few issues of the opening. However, just as Tang Xiu walked inside, Mu Wanying came out carrying a lot of things.


    ¡°What are these things?¡± Asked Tang Xiu while looking at the dozen or so big bags Mu Wanying was carrying.


    ¡°I bought some snacks as well as some clothes for Xiaojin and the rest,¡± answered Mu Wanying with a smile. ¡°The luggage and the travel bag are mine, though. My dorm has been out of power and noisy recently. Hence, I¡¯m going to stay here for the next two nights. Also, I¡¯m going to Beijing the day after tomorrow.¡±


    _My place is not a hotel, girl!_


    Tang Xiu could only groan inside. He waved his hand and said, ¡°Feel free to pick a room. Anyways, I¡¯m going to class tomorrow, so I¡¯ll rest first.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Mu Wanying picked up the stuff from the big bag and headed to the room where Tang Xiaojing and the other five were staying.


    The next morning, Tang Xiu went to the campus. At noon, he then rushed and arrived at the address written on the invitation. To his astonishment, Paradise Manor encompassed a large area and was located at a very good geographical environment. The location was only 20 kilometers away from Shanghai University.


    The site had been decorated with lanterns and colorful festoons. It was full of festivity.


    By the time Tang Xiu arrived there, he found that the large parking was already full, many of which were luxury cars. Before riding the sightseeing vehicle that was specially arranged to welcome guests to the buildings shaped in Æ· formation, Tang Xiu secretly sighed at the astuteness of the designer.


    The three buildings were three floors high each. One of which had an antique flavor, a pagoda-like pavilion, and a modern european-style one. The pagoda-like pavilion stood erect at the back in the middle, while the vast majority of guests had gathered on the fountain square outside this pavilion.


    Tang Xiu took a glance around and found that there was no one he was acquainted with, so he walked inside. He saw Ouyang Lulu greeting several guests in the pavilion hall, so he just waved at her and proceeded further inside. There was a good seating spot in the corner, so he took a seat on the sofa and started fiddling with his phone.


    _Ugh, this guy is really¡­_


    Upon seeing what Tang Xiu was doing, Ouyang Lulu couldn¡¯t help but feel edgy inside. After greeting a few guests, she strode toward him and resentfully said, ¡°How can you be so idle? Come with me to greet the guests!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiu confused. ¡°I¡¯m not the Boss nor am I the manager. Why must I greet the guests? Besides, I don¡¯t even know them.¡±


    ¡°This Paradise Manor will be my dowry later,¡± said Ouyang Lulu indignantly.


    ¡°What does your dowry have anything to do with me, anyway?¡± Asked Tang Xiu bluntly.


    Ouyang Lulu patted her forehead, and then sat next to Tang Xiu. She pulled his arm and said, ¡°This Ouyang Lulu has set her eyes way too high, and you are the only one who can enter my eyes; thus, my future husband will be you! So, this Paradise Manor will also be your property. Therefore, you must follow me and welcome the guests, and then I will introduce you to each of them.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face sank as he pushed Ouyang Lulu¡¯s hand and retorted, ¡°Lulu, I think of you as a friend, so stop joking. I¡¯ve already told you that I won¡¯t talk about having a woman for the next few years. The matter of having a wife who will bear a child for me is far from what I have in mind. You know very well about my disposition, so I hope you can stop here.¡±


    A bit of disappointment flashed inside Ouyang Lulu¡¯s eyes, and was feeling quite uncomfortable inwardly. Yet, she still seriously replied, ¡°Look, I¡¯m not joking with you. Even if I don¡¯t introduce you to the others today, you must still become my husband in the future. You say you don¡¯t want to talk about having a woman right now, so I¡¯ll be waiting for you. Even if you say you¡¯ll take another woman to bear a child for you in the future, I¡¯ll still be waiting for you. I, Ouyang Lulu, can afford to wait, even if we both have grown old and our hairs have gone white.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu was unable to utter any words regarding this type of dog skin plaster.


    Holding Tang Xiu¡¯s hand yet again, Ouyang Lulu said, ¡°What are you, you, and me, me, huh? Don¡¯t tell me you feel don¡¯t the need to take responsibility after you have stolen my heart, huh? I don¡¯t care. Shortly put, you will be Ouyang Lulu¡¯s man. My property will be your property, and I¡¯ll give them to you if you want it now. If you want them in the future, then in the future I¡¯ll give them to you.¡±


    Suddenly, her eyes turned and she talked in a low voice, ¡°That¡¯s right, this is my property. If you feel that it¡¯s not enough, the Ouyang Family will have to give a lot of dowries in the future. In time to come I can help you in many essential things. For example, the Ouyangs are a wealthy family.¡±


    Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh. Suddenly, a famous saying whose essence was truth in itself coming from the ancestors sprung inside his mind: A maiden who goes out of her family to get married is akin to something that has lost and cannot be retrieved again. And this girl, she was truly heading out and intended to go!


    _If I were to have such a daughter later, I might as well choke her to death and forget about her,_ An absurd and ridiculous thought suddenly popped up inside Tang Xiu¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Boss, several city leaders have come,¡± said a well-dressed middle-aged woman.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, are you really not willing to welcome the guests with me?¡± Asked Ouyang Lulu.


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t go!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and firmly answered.


    While loosening his arm, Ouyang Lulu helplessly said, ¡°I won¡¯t insist and force you since you don¡¯t want to go. Manager Huang, keep an eye on him; don¡¯t let him slip away. And bring him to me when the time to cut the ribbon comes. Do remember that he¡¯s the highest Boss in this Paradise Manor. His orders are more effective and imperative than mine.¡±


    ¡°Boss, have you made a mistake? He¡­¡± Manager Huang replied with an incredulous expression.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not making a mistake. I know what I¡¯m talking about,¡± said Ouyang Lulu firmly, ¡°He will soon be my, Ouyang Lulu¡¯s boyfriend. He will become Ouyang Lulu¡¯s husband in the future, and then he will also be the biological father of my children.¡±


    Manager Huang stared at Tang Xiu with a queer expression, and then looked at Ouyang Lulu. Her mouth twitched a few times before she nodded and said, ¡°I understand.¡±

 Chapter 485

    Chapter 485: The Idea to Rear Fierce Beasts in a Pen


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Despite having strong mental strength, Tang Xiu still felt like he was sitting on pins and needles facing Manager Huang¡¯s queer gaze. He almost couldn¡¯t bear to get up and leave.


    ¡°Manager Huang, isn¡¯t it? You don¡¯t have to care about me. You can go busy yourself with your work and straightly call me out when the ribbon cutting time comes. Also, Ouyang Lulu seems to have a bit of a fever today, causing her to be muddled-headed. Don¡¯t take her joke seriously.¡±


    ¡°This is¡­ interesting!¡± Manager Huang almost roared with laughter upon hearing this.


    She had been with Ouyang Lulu for several years, and was definitely her right-hand woman. Thus, she was appointed as the General Manager of the Paradise Manor. She was well aware of the inside story of Ouyang Lulu¡¯s personality from A to Z, yet she never imagined that the heavenly proud daughter, the young lady of the Ouyang Family whose pride seeped into her bones, would unexpectedly have such a thick skin as to chase after such a boy. The most important of all was that the boy even looked a few years younger than she. Moreover, said boy even used all sorts of excuses and was unwilling to accept her feelings.


    _Like a sow trying to climb the tree, it¡¯s an extremely rare occurrence and yet highly improbable._


    Somehow, Manager Huang didn¡¯t put Tang Xiu in her eyes. It was Ouyang Lulu¡¯s display of attitude that was all the more interesting for her. During this very important time and event, however, she didn¡¯t want to waste time with Tang Xiu, causing her to slightly nod at him with a fake smile as she turned around to leave.


    Tang Xiu retracted his vision from the departed back of Manager Huang. Though he was quite bored, he didn¡¯t feel like playing with his mobile phone again. While being unsure what to do, he caught the sight of a magazine on the nearby desk, so he took it and laid down on the sofa, covered his face with the magazine and was preparing to take a short nap.


    Time passed by. Just as his eyes turned blurry, two arguing voices passed into his ears:


    ¡°Brother Jiang, the process of growing up is akin to a caterpillar breaking its cocoon and turning into a butterfly, shedding all the ugliness before its beautiful wings can vibrate beautifully under the sunlight, which only then will it flicker lightly and happily. For example, you can see Ouyang Lulu. She turned mature day by day and shed her young feathers. And now, she has come to struggle in Shanghai by herself; and she alone did everything for this wonderful scene to happen.¡±


    ¡°Brother Chen, despite your statement having a bit of truth in it, I actually have my own opinion. One¡¯s growth is due to his or her being faced with some sorrowful matters and deal with it until he or she knows what is called of having been through the vicissitudes of life.¡±


    ¡°Brother Jiang, your statement reminds me of what my Master once said told me.¡±


    ¡°Your Master? Do you really have a Master, Brother Chen? Your Respected Master is¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu got up from the sofa and removed the fashion magazine that covered his face, and then lightly said, ¡°I¡¯m his master.¡±


    On the sofa opposite of the coffee table, both men turned to look at Tang Xiu at the same time.


    ¡°Master, you¡¯re also here?¡±


    When Chen Zhizhong just arrived, he found that someone was sleeping on the sofa at the opposite side. Though he felt somewhat strange given the current situation, he didn¡¯t even recognize the man as Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Yeah, Ouyang Lulu sent me an invitation,¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°So I came over to join in the fun. Anyways, how did you come to be in Shanghai as well?¡±


    ¡°I came to Shanghai to sign a business contract, and then happened to learn from Ouyang Lulu¡¯s big brother, Ouyang Lei, that she opened a restaurant here. Hence I came here to congratulate her while convenient. Master, I know that you¡¯re studying at Shanghai University, but I had no plans of looking for you for fear that I would disturb you. Therefore, it¡¯s kind of unexpected to see you here.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Tang Xiu nodded and looked at the other person.


    Jiang Feng was stunned. The relationship between Tang Xiu and Chen Zhizhong made him feel kind of puzzled and confused. After all, Chen Zhizhong¡¯s age was nearly twice that of Tang Xiu¡¯s, yet he was unexpectedly Tang Xiu¡¯s disciple; this fact was quite hard for him to accept.


    ¡°Brother Jiang, we are all martial arts practitioners,¡± said Chen Zhizhong calmly. ¡°I think you should understand the reason why he can become my Master. He¡¯s very powerful, more powerful than I. I feel that even if it is you¡­¡±


    Jiang Feng interrupted Chen Zhizhong and said with a bitter tone, ¡°Brother Chen, I already know that Mr. Tang is very powerful. I suffered quite a loss to him before.¡±


    ¡°What happened between you two?¡± Chen Zhizhong slightly surprised and turned to look at Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say he suffered in the place of someone from his Soaring Dragon Martial School who courted a disaster for him,¡± said Tang Xiu with a faint tone.


    Astute as he was, Chen Zhizhong could understand the meaning in Tang Xiu¡¯s words in an instant. He then smiled, ¡°I see. Then please talk no more. Master, Brother Jiang is actually a very frank and upright man, and he¡¯s also a martial arts grandmaster. It¡¯s just that his Soaring Dragon Martial School kind of have a large number of people, and that inevitably lead to some rotten apples among them.¡±


    Tang Xiu slightly nodded, ¡°One must do what one can do. Nevertheless, uprightness and proper manners won¡¯t be there without proper rules or codes, for only with strict doctrine will we be able to nurture genuine talents.¡±


    With a grateful look, Jiang Feng glanced at Chen Zhizhong. Then, he nodded to Tang Xiu and said, ¡°I will bear these words in my mind, Mr. Tang. As of now, my Soaring Dragon Martial School has only one-fifth of its previous number. Furthermore, I myself have reformed the rules and codes there, and those who dare to violate them will be severely punished.¡±


    A faint smile finally appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s face, ¡°One only learns from one¡¯s mistakes. I believe you have tasted the bitter fruit of having gotten implicated by another, so you will definitely not have any problems like that again. Alright, you two have a chat! I¡¯m going to stroll outside.¡±


    Tang Xiu got up and walked for a few steps before his pace suddenly came to a halt. He turned around to look at Chen Zhizhong and asked, ¡°By the way, when will you return to Star City?¡±


    ¡°I was originally planning to go back today, but it would be too late after leaving here, so I¡¯ll be going back tomorrow. Do you any instructions for me, Master?¡± Answered Chen Zhizhong.


    ¡°Come with me after this opening ceremony! We¡¯ll go back to Star City the day after tomorrow,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°All right!¡± A sliver of joy suffused in Chen Zhizhong¡¯s eyes as he replied respectfully.


    As a matter of fact, he had always been wanting to find Tang Xiu since the True Qi inside his body had all been transformed into True Primordial Qi. His cultivation speed, however, was too slow; his strength had not been improved until now. According to what he knew about his very young Senior Sister, Gu Yin, the present her should have surpassed him in terms of cultivation level.


    Therefore, he really needed guidance from Tang Xiu.


    As Tang Xiu took his leave, Jiang Feng praised with a sigh, ¡°Mr. Tang does possess very powerful strength. Despite me having broken through to the realm of martial arts grandmaster, I¡¯m still not his opponent at all. I have a hunch that even if I make another breakthrough that doubles my strength, I¡¯m afraid that I would still not be his match.¡±


    A proud look could be seen on Chen Zhizhong¡¯s face, as he said, ¡°For him to be my Master, it¡¯s a given that he¡¯s very formidable.¡±


    ¡°Brother Chen, although Mr. Tang is indeed very strong, I still don¡¯t get why you took him as your Master with your current age¡­¡± Said Jiang Feng, a curious look on his face.


    ¡°My Master just said, don¡¯t you think? It¡¯s to reach mastery and become an expert. What I want is to achieve a higher level in martial arts, so requesting him to be my Master is a very normal thing. Anyhow, I forgot to tell you something. Because of my Master, my present cultivation is improved due to my diligence, and is no longer shallow. How about we compare notes when we have a chance?¡±


    Jiang Feng couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°Brother Chen, the way I look at it, just forget it! Mr. Tang is indeed very formidable and I can confirm this point, but you were still far away from the threshold of martial arts grandmaster six months ago. Even if you have been instructed by him and your cultivation has progressed by leaps and bounds, I don¡¯t think you have reached the level of martial arts grandmaster as of yet, no?¡±


    A hint of a smile appeared on the corner of Chen Zhizhong¡¯s mouth.


    _Martial arts grandmaster?_


    With his current strength, even eight martial arts grandmasters may not be his opponent at all.


    Looking at the slight contempt looks on Jiang Feng¡¯s face, he smiled lightly and said, ¡°After we get back to Star City, I¡¯ll personally go the Soaring Dragon Martial School to find you to compare notes. I hope that you won¡¯t throw the towel by that time.¡±


    ¡°Got no problem with that. I¡¯ll be waiting for you,¡± said Jiang Feng as he laughed loudly.


    ****


    Outside, at the tree-lined pathway, Tang Xiu put his hands in his pockets and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the manor. To his astonishment, there were many rare birds and animals housed in cages on both sides of the lush groove. Two of which were white tigers that were particularly attracting everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Ouyang Lulu truly has poured a lot of effort and energy to prepare this manor. Nevertheless, many of these rare birds and wild animals are protected animals by the country. Does she possess a certificate to rear these things?¡± Amid the thought, a helpless smile suddenly appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. He thought that he was really bored, to think that he was actually bothered about this trivial matter.


    All of a sudden, his expression suddenly changed as an idea sprung up inside his mind. This idea made him grip his fist as an intense light filled his eyes.


    Rearing animals?


    That¡¯s right! When he was in the Immortal World, he reared and kept a lot of Immortal Beasts. Many of which were reared since they were little and were fed Spirit Beast Pills that he personally concocted. After they had their spiritual wisdom opened, he also imparted them with suitable Immortal Beast cultivation techniques into their mind, thus nurturing a large number of formidable Immortal Beasts for himself.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I will need the bones of fierce beasts for my cultivation. But rather than going out everywhere to track down fierce beasts, hunting them down would be quite a hassle, so it will be much better to rear these fierce beasts myself. After I feed them Spirit Beast Pills, I can anticipate some of them to transform and open their spiritual wisdom, so that I can train them and they can be useful in combat. But if their spiritual wisdom is not opened, I can butcher them and use their remains for my cultivation.


    ¡°Furthermore, during my time in the Immortal World, I had many herbal fields with countless rare and exotic medicinal herbs. If I¡¯m able to grow a large-scale plantation of herbs, not only can I use them for my cultivation in the future, I will also be able to give them to the people I¡¯m nurturing.


    ¡°Earth truly is too small. Once my cultivation and the cultivation of the people under me has reached a higher level, the resources here will be not enough even if we are to collect them from the whole Earth. Apparently, I must prepare in advance.


    ¡°Nevertheless, it goes back to money yet again! I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be short on funds for this. After all, the amount needed to purchase a wide land will be enormous. Later on, despite being able to plant medicinal herbs as well as rear fierce beasts on Nine Dragons Island, I must still build more bases in some other places as well.


    ¡°A place for herbs plantation and a fierce beast pen, however, must be carefully selected. And only the most suitable place can be picked. But firstly, the funds for the investment and the people who will manage it must also be resolved.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Ideas kept churning inside Tang Xiu¡¯s mind one by one. After a while, he clenched his fists hard as a firm look filled his eyes.

 Chapter 486

    Chapter 486: From What Background Does He Come From?


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Time passed by, and soon it was already 12 at noon; an auspicious time chosen by Ouyang Lulu. After receiving a call from Manager Huang, Tang Xiu rushed to the entrance gate.


    The vast majority of the guests who had come to congratulate and witness the opening ceremony of the ¡®Paradise Manor¡¯ had already arrived. They all wore smiling faces and gathered in small groups of three to five. They were either chatting with the executives of the Paradise Manor or with Ouyang Lulu, conveying their blessings. However, several talented young men from Shanghai¡¯s business circle gathered around the big star, Zhang Xinya, either boasting their accomplishments or flattering her, wishing to get close to her.


    ¡°The auspicious time has arrived, so let us invite the owner of the Paradise Manor, Ouyang Lulu; the Mayor, Mr. Wang Tao; the Vice-Chairman of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Zhang Yueming; the world-famous singer, Ms. Zhang Xinya and lastly¡­ Mr. Tang Xiu. They will cut the ribbon for the opening of Paradise Manor.¡±


    At this moment, six ceremonial girls were already present in front of the gate, waiting motionlessly with a red ribbon.


    _Tang Xiu?_


    Aside from Ouyang Lulu and Zhang Xinya, Mayor Wang Tao and the Vice President of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce, Zhang Yueming, wore strange expressions on their faces. As for Zhang Yueming, he knew Tang Xiu and his identity. However, he was, nevertheless, quite curious about Tang Xiu¡¯s unexpected presence in this occasion. Wang Tao, however, wore a puzzled expression, since he had never heard about Tang Xiu before.


    ¡°Boss Ouyang, who is this Tang Xiu?¡± Wang Tao, who stood next to Ouyang Lulu, asked very softly.


    ¡°He¡¯s my idol, and the person I¡¯m currently pursuing,¡± said Ouyang Lulu with a chuckle. ¡°Of course, he also has many identities, though I¡¯m not going to elaborate on them. I believe Mayor Wang will eventually learn about him if Tang Xiu wants to expand his wings to Shanghai as well.¡±


    Wang Tao was speechless. He did admire Ouyang Lulu¡¯s straightforwardness, but he couldn¡¯t help but grumble inside: _An unknown figure cutting the ribbon in such an important occasion¡­ wouldn¡¯t it become a laughingstock if this news were to be spread out?!!_


    Regardless, Ouyang Lulu was the owner of Paradise Manor, so Wang Tao didn¡¯t feel like questioning her decision. Him coming here this time was entirely due to looking at the face of the Ouyang Family of Jingmen Island, since his family and the Ouyang Family had quite a deep relationship.


    Under the watchful eyes of the audience, Tang Xiu came behind the red ribbon. He had planned to stand at the most rear, and would immediately hide right after the ribbon had been cut. But he didn¡¯t expect that Zhang Xinya would actually pull his hand with a smiling face and exchange her position with his, giving him the position next to Ouyang Lulu.


    _Whoosh¡­_


    Everyone in the front was stunned and astonished, whispering to each other in private.


    ¡°What is this? Zhang Xinya is an up-and-out big star, the most famous public figure. From whence did this Tang Xiu come from? The introduction only mentioned his name. What makes him qualified to stand on the center and make Zhang Xinya stand in the outermost?¡±


    ¡°Could it be that Zhang Xinya already knew this Tang Xiu from before? What exactly is his background? To think that even such a big star gave him her inside spot?¡±


    ¡°The positioning of the ribbon is also very particular and uncommon. There is no question for Ouyang Lulu to stand in the middle, since she is the owner of Paradise Manor, after all. It¡¯s also a given for Mayor Wang to stand by her side, since he represents the approval and support of the government. But for an unknown layman to actually stand beside Boss Ouyang, isn¡¯t this quite unjustifiable?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! The other is Zhang Yueming, the Vice President of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce. Not only is his personal wealth in the billions, his position is also very prominent. Yet, he¡¯s standing on the outermost, so what makes this surnamed Tang have the qualification to stand on the center?¡±


    ¡°What scandal is this? What exactly is Zhang Xinya doing?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Everyone¡¯s chatter caused Manager Huang to shoot a deep look at Zhang Xinya and Tang Xiu before she handed the microphone to Ouyang Lulu with a smile.


    Ouyang Lulu then let out a smile and started her speech, ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen, today, I¡¯m very honored to invite you all to attend the opening ceremony of our Paradise Manor. I would like to offer my gratitude to you all, and ask all you to support and take care of my Paradise Manor in the future. I have always been a forthright person, and I never beat around the bush. So, without further ado, I announce that Paradise Manor is officially open for business.¡±


    _Bang, bang¡­_


    The deafening sound of firecrackers spread out nearby.


    ¡°Cut the ribbon now¡­¡± Manager Huang shouted.


    The five important figures cut the red ribbons. The bands on both sides began to beat drums and gongs, playing the song of blessing. Then, applause reverberated from hundreds of guests, causing the entire scene to turn jubilant.


    Ouyang Lulu took the microphone again. She set her eyes on the audience and smilingly said, ¡°All right, everyone! The ribbon-cutting ceremony is over. We¡ªthe Paradise Manor have prepared delicacies as well as peerless good wine¡­ Gods Nectar. From today onward, my Paradise Manor will set up a lucky draw. Any guest who participates in the lottery drawing will have a chance to be rewarded with Gods Nectar. Of course, there are only five spots per day, and every quota will only have two bottles of Gods Nectar. Speaking about the price, it will be slightly more expensive than other places.¡±


    In a flash, the hundreds of guests in the courtyard were stunned. Many of them even asked loudly:


    ¡°Boss Ouyang, are your words real? You¡¯re actually providing Gods Nectar? Could it be that you have secured a cooperation with the Magnificent Tang Corp?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! The Gods Nectar produced by the Magnificent Tang Corp is now hailed as the best wine. All wine lovers regard drinking Gods Nectar as a symbol of honor, yet the sales model of the Magnificent Tang Corp as well as the sales volume of Gods Nectar is very limited. One is simply unable to buy it unless they go purchase it in their exclusive stores!¡±


    ¡°Boss Ouyang, can your Paradise Manor help me buy a number of Gods Nectar bottles? I¡¯ll pay double! If you agree, I¡¯ll immediately transfer the money into your account.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to pay five times the price to buy it!¡±


    ¡°Ten times!¡±


    Looking at the crowd in front of her, Ouyang Lulu was dumbfounded. Never once had she expected that using Gods Nectar would create such an uproar. It had to be known that she spent quite the effort to run to Star City, using both soft and hard tactics to face Kang Xia, before she finally secured a private small agreement to get the goods. And it was only 5,000 bottles a year.


    At the end of the day, she shot Tang Xiu a glance only to find his expression being at a loss whether to cry or laugh. Taking a deep breath, she forced a smile and said, ¡°Gentlemen, would you please calm down first? I do want to earn such money, actually. However, the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation is a very stingy man. I have been pestering him, using both hard and soft tactics, and even offered myself in marriage before he eventually agreed to give me a share of Gods Nectar each year. If it was not for my Paradise Villa, I would have taken the goods out for you! Nevertheless, if you want to buy them, you can go straight to the Magnificent Tang Corporation!¡±


    Standing at the side, Tang Xiu could only roll his eyes and secretly grunted inside, _This girl truly speaks with tongue in her cheek. To think that she can tell a bare-faced lie out-and-out so brazenly. Does painting yourself black is really that interesting?_


    At this time, he firmly decided to never stand out even if he was beaten to death. Despite having already made a name for himself, today¡¯s situation was obvious. The guests didn¡¯t even recognize him, and were all oblivious that he was the big boss of the Magnificent Tang Corp. He was not so foolish and stupid as to push himself forward only to get squeezed by the crowd, who only wanted to get close to him and get some benefits through the back door.


    Fortunately, Ouyang Lulu herself didn¡¯t want to let the Gods Nectar steal her limelight. She squeezed out a smile and said, ¡°All right, we have prepared sightseeing cars in front of the entrance, so I invite you all to come inside! Today, we will certainly make everyone to have a very good time drinking and dining here.¡±


    As the audience entered, welcoming ladies took them to the interior of the pagoda-shaped dining hall. Fragrant dishes were currently being delivered to the tables, and each table was provided with two bottles of Gods Nectar.


    As the main character today, Ouyang Lulu was always accompanied by prominent figures. Whereas Tang Xiu quietly withdrew due to his dislike of noisy scenes. He found a quiet rest area and asked the staff to provide him paper. On it, he silently wrote the names of the herbs he had memorized, and the list of wild animals and fierce beasts he planned to rear.


    While at that, a good fragrance invaded his nostrils. Then, a woman in a white dress and casual white shoes came before Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Hello, Grand Master!¡±


    Tang Xiu looked up. His expression turned slightly vacant after he saw Gu Xiaoxue, and then asked with astonishment, ¡°Why are you here, Xiaoxue?¡±


    ¡°Lulu invited me. We are good sisters, after all,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue with a faint smile. ¡°Besides, you¡¯re also in Shanghai, Grand Master, hence I came. It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t like lively and noisy scenes, so I didn¡¯t appear before anyone. I just learned from Manager Huang that you were not in the banquet hall, so I came find you.¡±


    ¡°All right, sit down and let¡¯s have a chat!¡± Tang Xiu pointed to the opposite spot and smilingly said. ¡°Actually, I was planning to call you! Let me show you something. This just crossed my mind.¡±


    After receiving the list and carefully reading it, there was a puzzled look on Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s face as she said, ¡°Grand Master, there are two lists here. One is filled with names of medicinal herbs, and the other one is a list of wild animals. What are you going to make, exactly?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m preparing to plant a massive number of medicinal herbs, as well as rear various wild animals,¡± said Tang Xiu with all seriousness. ¡°I¡¯m going to use the Immortal Ordinance Art to transform these wild animals, eventually transforming them into fierce beasts or spirit beasts.¡±


    ¡°Your vision is somewhat similar to the Master¡¯s idea,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue with astonishment. ¡°However, when Master had just put forward this idea, her physical state became worse and worse, and then it was eventually forgotten. Grand Master, if this plan is really successful, then we can get a lot of cultivation resources.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. If we want to nurture a large number of experts, cultivation resources are indispensable!¡± Said Tang Xiu. ¡°Hence, my initial idea is to plant medicinal herbs in 200 mu of land, and I will personally lay out a formation array at that time so that the medicinal herbs can grow quickly. With my current ability, the best I can do is to make them grow ten times faster, which is one year equalling to ten years if they were to be planted outside. It could be even faster than that. Within eight to ten years we can get a massive number of hundred-year-old medicinal herbs.


    ¡°As for rearing wild animals, I will also need to lay out a formation array, but their growth rate will be a lot slower. But at most ten years later, we can easily identify which wild animals can grow into spirit beasts and which aren¡¯t unable to open their spiritual wisdom and can only become low-level fierce beasts.¡±

 Chapter 487

    Chapter 487: Offering Help Only to Get Refused and Scolded


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    While Tang Xiu was elaborating on his ideas, an extraordinary splendorous light shined in Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s eyes as she imagined their future harvests to come.


    Finally, when Tang Xiu had finished his explanation, he took back the two lists and asked, ¡°Some time ago, due to the need to develop the Magnificent Tang Corp, I¡¯d given an amount of funds to Kang Xia, so there is only 1.2 billion yuan remaining in my account. To implement my idea, I¡¯m afraid that the amount needed will not be enough even if this amount is multiplied by ten. So, how much money the Everlasting Feast Hall can provide?¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue pondered for a short while and then said, ¡°About 28 billion, that¡¯s all the money I have saved. But, if I draw the funds from the various businesses we have, I should be able to transfer another 10 to 20 billion.¡±


    Thinking for a while, Tang Xiu then said, ¡°It won¡¯t be necessary. Just transfer 9 billion into my account after you return to Jingmen Island. 10 billion yuan should be more or less enough for the upfront investment. But I¡¯ll find you again later if there¡¯s a need to expand the scale.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to wait until I return to Jingmen Island, Grand Master,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue with a smile. ¡°I can transfer the money to you now.¡±


    A few minutes later, Gu Xiaoxue took back her mobile phone and smilingly said, ¡°I¡¯ve transferred the money to you, Grand Master. However, the bank manager just called me to say that the money will only arrive in your account within three working days.¡±


    ¡°We need to buy land in a mountain where the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi is relatively rich. Lands in mountainous areas are quite cheap, though developing it will prove rather difficult. However, we can still accomplish it if we pour sufficient funds in it. It¡¯s just that I haven¡¯t decided the specific location yet. Do you have a good place to recommend?¡±


    ¡°From the looks of your point of view, setting up herb plantations and rearing wild animals will require us to pay close attention to the weather, temperature, topography, water conservancy, and other related conditions. I myself rarely go out, and only have been to a few famous mountains. So there¡¯s no good place I can recommend to you. However, I do have an idea.¡± Gu Xiaoxue shook her head and said.


    ¡°What¡¯s your idea?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I think we had better buy the rights to develop an island rather than purchasing plots of land in the mainland,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue. ¡°Firstly, we can rent them. While the rent itself is quite cheap, many of these islands are rich in Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, thus suitable for growing medicinal herbs and rearing wild animals. Of course, what is most important is the issue with the caregivers. If we do it in the mainland we will need a large number of people to carry out the security work, while on an island would be different altogether. We only need to send a number of experts to be stationed there with the assistance of high-tech surveillance instruments to make the area absolutely safe.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right! I never thought of this before.¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Jingmen Island is located in the South China Sea. To plant medicinal herbs and rear wild animals in a few chosen islands would be better, I think. So be it! I¡¯ll take the time to go to South China Sea to survey the area. Once I¡¯ve decided the places, I¡¯ll immediately deal with the renting issues, and begin to invest in the development.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll prepare a list of security team members ahead of time, Grand Master,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue with a faint smile. ¡°May I ask you what the appropriate number would be?¡±


    ¡°Talking about that is too early, though it¡¯s still necessary to prepare in advance.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°Alright then! Pick 50 core members first, but don¡¯t let them do anything yet. When everything has been arranged properly I¡¯ll personally test them. If they get my approval, they will bring a number of peripheral members to be stationed in the chosen island.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± Gu Xiaoxue gently nodded.


    After discussing the proper business, Tang Xiu looked at Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s bright eyes. And suddenly, he didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment. Though he had been in contact with her for a while now, Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s innate cold character made them have a very few common topics besides speaking about proper and serious matters.


    After staying silent for two minutes, Tang Xiu eventually said, ¡°Xiaoxue, if you don¡¯t have anything else to do, go pick something to eat first! Also, please look after Yan¡¯er well after you return to Jingmen Island.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue with a nod.


    Tang Xiu suddenly recalled something and quickly said, ¡°Wait, when will you return to Jingmen Island, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Since I¡¯ve already met you and the Paradise Manor has officially opened, I¡¯m planning to go back to Jingmen Island this afternoon,¡± answered Gu Xiaoxue.


    ¡°Since you happen to be here, take the children back with you to Jingmen Island while convenient! These children are all orphans. I adopted them and they are now living with me in Bluestar Villa Complex. Remember to settle them with those children who have already come previously. These five kids have learned a bit of Kung Fu, and I¡¯ve also imparted them body tempering techniques. So add some more things to do when you¡¯re training them.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go with you when you return home, Grand Master,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue with a faint smile. ¡°Afterward, I¡¯ll take them away with me.¡±


    ¡°All right, then. I¡¯ll call you when I¡¯m about to leave,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°That¡¯s right. There¡¯s someone called Chen Zhizhong in the banquet hall. He¡¯s an in-name disciple of mine. Take the time to go and see him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go later, then,¡± Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s eyes lit up and replied with a nod.


    After she left, Tang Xiu kept the lists and relaxingly nested on the sofa. He didn¡¯t want to bother himself with anything else and just wanted to lie down there cultivating for a while. Despite the star force inside his meridians not needing him to control it, there was something that piqued his interest and suspicion. The circulation speed of the star force had significantly increased, and its absorption of solar power also had increased to a much faster rate.


    Without him expecting it, someone was coming toward him. Tang Xiu took no notice of it, and comfortable half-laid in his spot.


    ¡°Mom, it doesn¡¯t seem so cold here,¡± a childish voice entered Tang Xiu¡¯s ear.


    It was a woman in her 30s. She had a beautiful face, wearing a shawl and shining earrings and carrying a bag for books. Her name was Gu Hui, and she followed her husband to attend the opening ceremony of Paradise Manor. Half an hour ago, however, her child felt unwell and seemed to have caught a cold. Therefore, she lost her appetite and bid polite excuses to the others and her husband, and then prepared to take her son to the hospital.


    ¡°Dongdong, don¡¯t speak. This uncle is asleep, don¡¯t disturb him.¡±


    The boy that seemed to be four or five years old shot Tang Xiu a look and silently nodded, yet his little figure moved closer toward Tang Xiu, while his slightly pale face also showed a comfortable expression.


    Finally, Tang Xiu opened his eyes and glanced at the mother and son. His eyes finally landed on the little boy and frowned, since he could sense death qi in him.


    ¡°Little kid, can uncle give you a hug?¡±


    The boy looked up at his mother.


    ¡°Sir, my son caught a bit of a cold, I¡¯m afraid you will be infected. So¡­¡± said Gu Hui quickly.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and smiled. He hugged the small boy. While at that, he used his fingers to feel his pulse, and kept at it for more than 20 seconds. Afterward, Tang Xiu furrowed his brows slightly, as he looked up and asked Gu Hui, ¡°Was there a case of homicide or murder in your family recently?¡±


    ¡°Murder? There has been no homicide¡­ Huh? Sir, are you¡­¡± Gu Hui was confused.


    Raising his hand to interrupt her, Tang Xiu said, ¡°If there was no murder case in your family, that means that someone very close to your son has personally encountered a homicide case. And the time it happened should be no less than two days ago.¡±


    Gu Hui frowned as she snatched her son and stepped back. There was a vigilant look on her face as she said, ¡°Mister, I don¡¯t get what you mean by that. There has never been a murder case in my family, and the only people close to my son are my husband and I, and we have never encountered a murder case either. So please don¡¯t talk such nonsensical things!¡±


    After saying that, she was about to leave with her son.


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and looked at her back while speaking, ¡°Your son is not suffering from a cold, but because he got exposed to death qi. I don¡¯t think the hospital will be able to cure this condition. Of course, you may question this and leave. But your son is still too young, and his life force will be fully corroded by the death qi in seven days at the most. By that time, he will lose his life.¡±


    Gu Hui was an atheist. She instantly turned around upon hearing his words and angrily stared at him, saying, ¡°More absurd things. Then don¡¯t blame for calling out people to kick you out.¡±


    Having said that, she hastily left while hugging the boy.


    Tang Xiu could only shake his head. The cycle of karma, the cause and effect of the Heavenly Dao has a profound and deep influence that will affect the lives of ordinary people. The current himself was also under the influence of the Heavenly Dao at all times. Unless he could break the shackles on his neck and ascend to become an Immortal, only then would he be able to get rid of the interference of the Heavenly Dao.


    One¡¯s wealth, status, and honor are set and preordained by the Heavens!


    Despite him encountering such a thing, nevertheless, if the child¡¯s mother didn¡¯t believe in him, and didn¡¯t allow him to clearly inspect her child and dispel the death qi on the boy willingly, then it would mean that the boy was fated to die a few days later.


    _Inside the pagoda-shaped restaurant¡­_


    On the second floor of the banquet hall, hundreds of guests had filled the entire venue. In front of the luxurious tables, the crowd were tasting the gourmet and praising them while sipping Gods Nectar.


    At the innermost placed table, Ouyang Lulu was accompanied by Mayor Wang Tao, Zhang Yueming, Zhang Xinya and a few other guests with prominent status, merrily chatting and laughing while dining.


    At this time, Gu Xiaoxue came. Donning a white dress that fluttered, she was as though a fairy who descended to Earth. Her arrival in the banquet hall attracted the eyes of numerous people as she came to Ouyang Lulu¡¯s side.


    ¡°Sis Xiaoxue, come and sit down with me.¡±


    Previously, Ouyang Lulu never expected that Gu Xiaoxue would be willing to come and dine here. Hence, a pleasantly surprised look immediately appeared on her face.


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue as she shook her head. ¡°I only came here to see Martial Uncle, Lulu.¡±


    After saying that, she asked for an empty glass and then went toward Chen Zhizhong, who was at the same table, and softly said, ¡°Martial Uncle, Xiaoxue didn¡¯t know that you were here, too, so I didn¡¯t come to pay you a visit. I hope you can forgive me. Please, accept this glass of wine as a token of respect from your Martial Niece.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong got up, but was urged to sit still by Gu Xiaoxue. He then received the glass of wine and smilingly said, ¡°Have you seen Master?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Grand Master is currently resting. It was him who told me that you were here,¡± answered Gu Xiaoxue.


    _Master?_


    _Grand Master?_


    The other people around the table had strange expressions on their faces as they looked at Chen Zhizhong and Gu Xiaoxue. They didn¡¯t understand what they were talking about. A master to such a prominent figure like Chen Zhizhong, who exactly could this sacred being be?

 Chapter 488

    Chapter 488: Contrasting Attitudes


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Nodding at her, Chen Zhizhong sipped his wine and smilingly said, ¡°Xiaoxue, after I return to Star City with Master I¡¯ll mention the matter of me going to Jingmen Island with him. If Master agrees, I will probably go to your place to dine, but you don¡¯t need to entertain your Martial Uncle yourself, though.¡±


    With a faint smile, Gu Xiaoxue replied, ¡°Then, Xiaoxue will arrange everything in advance to welcome Martial Uncle¡¯s arrival.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Chen Zhizhong nodded slightly.


    ¡°Martial Uncle, if you have no other instructions for me, I¡¯ll take my leave first. I¡¯m not accustomed to this environment,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue again.


    ¡°Go on then!¡± Chen Zhizhong smilingly replied.


    Standing at the side, Ouyang Lulu couldn¡¯t help but roll her eyes. She thought that Gu Xiaoxue had come to dine. It turned out that she came only to see Chen Zhizhong. She knew the matter pertaining to Chen Zhizhong and Gu Xiaoxue, since they had met each other in Beijing when Tang Xiu got injured. She looked at the leaving Gu Xiaoxue and reluctantly sat back on her seat. Then, she shifted her vision to Chen Zhizhong and said, ¡°Big Boss Chen, since you are Sis Xiaoxue¡¯s Martial Uncle, you should persuade her to give up living such a boring life. By the way, she should listen to your words, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, she only listens to Master¡¯s words,¡± said Chen Zhizhong with a forced smile.


    Stunned, Ouyang Lulu stared blankly, and immediately painted a ¡°you¡¯ve been defeated¡± look on her face.


    At the same table, a shocked and astonished light glinted in Zhang Yueming¡¯s eyes. Just as Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s figure vanished in the front door of the banquet hall, he immediately picked up his glass and got up from his seat, circling around toward Chen Zhizhong¡¯s position. After he came to his side, he smilingly said, ¡°Brother Chen, I have heard that your Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical has a medicinal herbs business that is particularly thriving, yet I have never been able to meet you all this while. This is kind of a pity. So, today, I would like to pay my respects you with a cup of wine.¡±


    _What¡¯s this situation?_


    Chen Zhizhong was dumbfounded.


    Given Zhang Yueming¡¯s prominent status, which was far higher than Chen Zhizhong¡¯s, would he even care about Chen Zhizhong? What was the most particular was that he actually left his seat and stood by Chen Zhizhong¡¯s side, giving a toast in quite a humble manner¡­ This was simply unreasonable, no?


    In a matter of seconds, Chen Zhizhong came back to his senses, quickly got up and replied politely, ¡°You¡¯re too polite, Brother Zhang. Your distinguished name is just like thunder reverberating in my ears. I¡¯m simply unable to contain my joy of getting the chance to meet you today. Come, I¡¯ll accompany you drinking a cup.¡±


    ¡°Brother Chen, let¡¯s have toast!¡±


    The smile on Zhang Yueming¡¯s face turned brighter. He and Chen Zhizhong drank a glass of wine together, yet he didn¡¯t immediately leave the seat and smilingly said instead, ¡°Dear Brother Chen, I¡¯m a local snake here in Shanghai. Since you¡¯ve come to this place, you should also befriend the local landlords. Do you have free time tonight? If so, would Brother Chen like to visit my place and accompany me to dinner? The least I can do is play as a good host for you.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong hesitated. He forced a smile and said, ¡°Brother Zhang, your offer is certainly welcome. But, I must accompany my Master later, and I don¡¯t know what arrangements he has for me this evening. About your invitation¡­ I apologize, I can¡¯t accompany you.¡±


    Zhang Yueming¡¯s expression slightly moved as he smiled and said, ¡°Since your Respected Master have some matters to handle, then let us forget it for now. To be honest, I was planning on drinking a few cups with him before. But he doesn¡¯t seem to like lively scenes, unfortunately. Please give my regards to him.¡±


    ¡°Brother Zhang, you know my Master is¡­¡± said Chen Zhizhong curiously.


    ¡°So to say, I have a bit of friendship with Tang¡­ with your Respected Master,¡± said Zhang Yueming smilingly.


    Chen Zhizhong understood in a flash. His attitude toward Zhang Yueming obviously turned better, and he said with a smile, ¡°Brother Zhang, please quickly go to your seat. If my Master doesn¡¯t have any arrangements for me later, then I¡¯ll visit you. If I¡¯m too busy, then Zhizhong will surely pay a visit whenever I come to Shanghai again.¡±


    Zhang Yueming smiled in satisfaction. After returning to his seat, he filled his glass with wine and raised it toward Chen Zhizhong before he drank it up.


    Their exchange made everyone present shocked and confused. Even Ouyang Lulu had never expected that Tang Xiu would actually be acquainted with Zhang Yueming, more so being friends with him. All the more important was that she could see that Zhang Yueming was evidently showing goodwill toward Chen Zhizhong, which was obviously because of Tang Xiu.


    _How could this fella know so many powerful local tycoons?_


    Ouyang Lulu secretly mumbled to herself. She then raised her glass and smilingly said, ¡°Come, everyone, Lulu wants to express her thanks to everybody present. Please accept my toast of respect.¡±


    After the glasses had been dried up, Wang Tao¡¯s vision turned to Chen Zhizhong and said with a curious expression, ¡°Boss Chen, I don¡¯t know who is your Respected Master. Did he come today as well?¡±


    ¡°Well, my Master is the one who participated in cutting the ribbon, Tang Xiu,¡± said Chen Zhizhong with a smile.


    What?


    Everyone present at the table, except Ouyang Lulu and Zhang Yueming, had incredulous looks on their faces.


    ¡°Boss Chen, what kind of joke are you playing? That Tang¡­ he¡¯s still very young. How could he possibly be your Master?¡± Asked Wang Tao with disbelief.


    ¡°Mayor Wang, there¡¯s a saying that we can never measure the sea with a bushel. Likewise, men cannot be judged by their looks. Though my Master is indeed young, he¡¯s much more skillful and powerful than I am in various aspects. Reciting an ancient saying, whoever has reached a mastery of something can be someone¡¯s master. The matter of me take him as my Master is not something worthy of surprise, is it?¡±


    Wang Tao looked vacant, yet he immediately grinned awkwardly and said, ¡°Truly, I¡¯m so parochial and narrow-sighted. Anyhow, do you mind if I ask what you are learning from Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°Kung Fu!¡± Chen Zhizhong replied without trying to conceal it.


    Suddenly realizing something, Wang Tao smiled and said, ¡°Chinese Wushu is precisely the essence of our country. To think that Boss Chen can put aside the concept of seniority and can really implement the philosophy of ¡®whoever reaches the mastery can be one¡¯s master¡¯, is truly rare. Come, let us have a drink.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Chen Zhizhong complied with a smile.


    Having drank the Gods Nectar in his glass, Wang Tao stopped chatting with Chen Zhizhong. Although he spoke beautifully on the surface, he himself actually didn¡¯t approve inside. After all, given Chen Zhizhong¡¯s identity, taking a youngster in his 20s as his Master was truly taking lightly about a major issue. If Chen Zhizhong wanted to practice Wushu, given his wealth and identity, he could have directly hired someone rather than going so far as to formally take him as a Master, which was akin to lowering his own status.


    Tang Xiu was someone who he had never heard of prior to this, neither did he know from whence he came from. Nevertheless, for him to actually participate in the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Paradise Manor and become Chen Zhizhong¡¯s Master may prove that he did have some real abilities at that young age. Unfortunately, just that was not enough to make him go to a larger stage.


    Something suddenly crossed his mind, as he immediately leaned toward Ouyang Lulu. He toned down his voice and said, ¡°Lulu, can I ask you something?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Asked Ouyang Lulu back with a strange expression.


    ¡°Though Tang Xiu is Chen Zhizhong¡¯s Master and your friend, yet it shouldn¡¯t be enough for him to participate in such an important event such as today¡¯s ribbon cutting ceremony, right? Does he have some other prominent identity or something?¡± Inquired Wang Tao.


    Ouyang Lulu pondered for a while, yet she didn¡¯t answer Wang Tao¡¯s inquiry as she whispered back, ¡°Uncle Wang, you and my father are friends, and can even be said as old buddies, am I right?¡±


    Despite being clueless as to where Ouyang Lulu was going with this, Wang Tao still nodded and answered, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. Our friendship does go far back, and we have cooperated in many things before. All the more so as your Ouyang Family and my Wang Family are also related by several marriages as well.¡±


    ¡°If so, then I won¡¯t conceal anything from you. But, please don¡¯t tell even a word to anyone else what I¡¯m about to tell you,¡± said Ouyang Lulu with a nod.


    Wang Tao nodded, ¡°Okay, tell me!¡±


    With a voice that only both of them could hear, Ouyang Lulu said, ¡°Tang Xiu is the offspring of the Tang Family from Beijing. He¡¯s the biological grandson of the Tang Family Head.¡±


    _The Tang Family from Beijing?_


    Wang Tao gently nodded, yet his complexion drastically changed all of a sudden. He abruptly got up and exclaimed, ¡°What did you say? He, he, he¡­ He is that¡­¡±


    Ouyang Lulu hastily got up and grabbed his arm with both hands to interrupt him, and forced him to sit back down.


    ¡°Uncle Wang, do you need to make a fuss over nothing like this?¡±


    The shocked expression Wang Tao¡¯s face didn¡¯t reduce in the slightest, however. He looked up to Chen Zhizhong and finally realized as to why Chen Zhizhong would formally take Tang Xiu as his Master. The recently discovered offspring of the Tang Family from Beijing was absolutely not someone of no particular talent! From some forces the Wang Family had a relationship with, he had heard the news that the outcome of the recent last game of thrones between the Tangs and the Yaos in the South had made the Yao Family end up miserably and badly beaten by the Tang Family. It was thanks to Tang Xiu who had come late. He employed some powerful means that caused the Yao Family to suffer a big defeat and massive losses.


    As of now, the forces from ordinary families may not be aware of these matters; the top families in Beijing, however, had all learned about this matter. The Old Yao Family Head was even rumored to have raged after learning about it.


    Wang Tao took his wine glass and went toward Chen Zhizhong under Ouyang Lulu¡¯s curious gaze. The man then gazed at Chen Zhizhong and said, ¡°Boss Chen, though I did meet Mr. Tang before, I didn¡¯t greet him due to many matters getting mixed in between the event. Anyhow, I¡¯d like to offer you a toast, hoping that you would convey him my regards later. I¡¯ll come visit him some other time later.¡±


    _Again?_


    Once again, Chen Zhizhong was paralyzed, and the rest was dazed.


    Everyone present had an inconceivable expressions when they looked at Wang Tao. They didn¡¯t understand. Why would he mention that young man called Tang Xiu again? Even his attitude this time was obviously different.


    While trying to suppress his confusion, Chen Zhizhong lifted his wine glass and said, ¡°With all politeness, I¡¯ll convey your message.¡±


    After drinking the wine, Wang Tao said, ¡°Boss Chen, Shanghai is an international metropolis, and Chinese medical knowledge is almost replaced by Western medical science. But we all know that Chinese medical knowledge is a quintessence product and precious knowledge passed down by our ancestors. If your Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical is willing to expand your business to Shanghai, please contact me directly. I¡¯ll give you my private number, and will be waiting for your call. I will personally assist you with the legal documents.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Never had Chen Zhizhong imagined that Wang Tao would publicly show his goodwill on this occasion. This commitment, in and of itself, was very rare.


    As if fearing that Chen Zhizhong didn¡¯t believe him, Wang Tao said again, ¡°Boss Chen, I, Wang Tao, have always kept my words. I always had the wish that the Chinese medical science can make a comeback with the medicinal herbs provided by your Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical.¡±


    With a grateful expression, Chen Zhizhong looked at Wang Tao and said, ¡°In this case, I would like to express my gratitude first to you. I will definitely contact you if I plan to expand here in the future.¡±


    Wise and astute as he was, he could tell that Wang Tao¡¯s change in attitude was because of his Master, Tang Xiu. His puzzlement also quickly vanished after he recalled that Wang Tao was someone from the government; whereas his Master, Tang Xiu, was an offspring of the Tang Family from Beijing.

 Chapter 489

    Chapter 489: Plagued by Bad Karma


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The guests participating in the Paradise Manor¡¯s opening ceremony, particularly the ones sitting at this table, were all people with high statuses. Each and every one of them was either someone with authority or possessing wealth amounting to billions. Such a group of people evidently had wisdom that far exceeded normal people.


    Hence, they could clearly tell that Wang Tao¡¯s change of attitude toward Chen Zhizhong was entirely due to his Master, Tang Xiu; yet, they were clueless about the specific reason. However, even if so, they now attached more importance to Tang Xiu in their hearts.


    On the banquet table, apart from Ouyang Lulu who was the main character of the day, the attitude of the remaining people toward Chen Zhizhong turned more amiable and closer. The situation in China, nonetheless, was such that personal connections held a very important position, and an indispensable resource at that. It was because having a huge network and personal connection, whether in daily life or in doing business, would give one numerous benefits.


    At another banquet table in the hall, although Wei Yang was merrily chatting and laughing with the guests at the same table whose statuses were equal to his, his eyes often glanced at the table where Ouyang Lulu was with a bit of envy and jealousy.


    At this moment, Gu Hui came to him while hugging her son Dongdong, and sat on the seat beside him. Her complexion was somewhat unsightly to see.


    ¡°What happened? Did the illness get more serious?¡± Wei Yang quickly whispered after seeing his wife¡¯s irritated expression.


    ¡°Our son said that he felt more comfortable just a while ago. However, I also bumped into a ominous character,¡± said Gu Hui, shaking her head.


    ¡°Ominous character? What are you talking about?¡± Wei Yang¡¯s face changed.


    ¡°I just met a sleeping young man in the rest area. After he sat up, he said that our son is not sick, but is being plagued with bad karma or something. I was really angry and lashed out. I told him that he was just spitting out nonsensical things. I also told him that there had never been a murder case in our family, nor had we had a homicide case among our closest relatives. The most annoying thing was that he was kind of cursing our son! Saying that even if we go to the hospital, they won¡¯t be able to cure him; and that our son wouldn¡¯t last for seven days unless he himself treats the illness. Husband, that scammer is really so hateful and annoying.¡±


    Wei Yang fell into a daze. His pupils contracted fiercely, and his heartbeat suddenly beat faster.


    After looking at the other people who were sharing the table with them, Gu Hui continued speaking in a low voice, ¡°Husband, I have seen that swindler before, actually. He¡¯s the young man who was in charge of cutting the ribbon at the opening ceremony.¡±


    The husband took a deep breath as his eyes stared at his wife and asked, ¡°Tell me everything from beginning to endo. Remember to not miss a word. Tell me quickly!¡±


    Gu Hui paused. She looked at her husband¡¯s solemn face and told everything about her encounter with Tang Xiu. Then, she finally said, ¡°You tell me, how come there would be someone so wicked in the world? Our son just caught a cold. Us taking him to the hospital to get some medication, or just having a bit shot injection, yet he went so far as to curse our son. That made me really angry¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Wei Yang couldn¡¯t sit still. He quickly stood and pulled Gu Hui from the chair, and hurriedly said, ¡°Take me to see him now, hurry!¡±


    Being dragged out of the banquet hall, Gu Hui was stunned. After she came to her senses, she hurriedly asked, ¡°Husband? What is wrong with you? That¡¯s nothing but a lie¡­¡±


    Wei Yang interrupted her, and sternly replied in a heavy tone, ¡°There¡¯s something I haven¡¯t told you, yet. I was drunk last night and ran over someone when I was driving the car. The place was quite remote, so I ran because I was afraid of being charged with criminal charges. Now, tell me, doesn¡¯t this mean that it was me who encountered a death case?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Gu Hui was frightened. Color was drained from her face, and an ominous premonition grew inside her heart. While walking down the corridor with her husband, she hurriedly asked, ¡°Husband, is there really no one who saw you running over someone and escaping?¡±


    Wei Yang nodded, ¡°I¡¯m very familiar with the place. That road is not far from our home. There is no surveillance cameras near the scene, while the street lights are also broken. While I was careful¡­ Anyways, I¡¯m sure that there wasn¡¯t anyone around at that time, since I took a look aroung after getting out of the car.¡±


    ¡°Since that young man can figure out that you¡­ then, what he said about our son dying after seven days¡­¡± said Gu Hui quickly.


    Wei Yang fell into silence.


    He was doing a business in Hong Kong. The people there had influenced him so much that he feared and awed gods and spiritual beings. He also believed that Feng Shui or some evil and ominous stuff did exist. That made him believe that there were also some people with bizarre abilities in this world. Therefore, he wanted to confirm whether what the young man said about his son was true or not, thus wanting to find that young man and ask about it clearly.


    ¡°Husband, the rest area is over there.¡± Having walked across the corridor, Gu Hui whispered quickly as she saw Tang Xi¡¯s figure still lying there.


    The husband¡¯s eyes fell on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. He approached and respectfully said, ¡°Are you, Mr. Tang? I¡¯m really sorry for disturbing you.¡±


    Tang Xiu opened his eyes. After seeing the mother¡ªGu Hui and her son, he could tell the identity of Wei Yang, as he nodded and asked, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Wei Yang!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°I was not quite sure what the problem was with your family. But I finally understand after seeing you. You¡¯ve been involved in a murder, right?¡±


    Wei Yang¡¯s complexion changed, and bitterly said, ¡°Mr. Tang has eyes like a torch. Only, I don¡¯t know how could Mr. Tang figure it out?¡±


    ¡°The Death qi around you is much more serious than that of your son¡¯s. Therefore, you have definitely touched a dead bodies in the last two days. However, since the Yang qi inside you is very strong, the Death qi has little effect on you. Nevertheless, you should have hugged your son and passed the Death qi to him shortly after you touched those dead bodies. The boy is still too young, and his ability to withstand the Death qi is still too poor. Not to mention that your son also has a congenital heart disease, so¡­¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Wei Yang¡¯s face changed greatly, to the extent that it was like he got a disastrous accident. The sound of knees hitting concrete was heard, as he knelt in front of Tang Xiu and said in a pleading voice, ¡°Mr. Tang, everything you said is true. Last night, because I was driving drunk and some of the streetlights on the road near my house being broken, I couldn¡¯t see the situation on the road clearly, so I ran over two people. Then, I got off my car to check on them and found that both of them were dead. I also touched their dead bodies. When I got home, due to being scared and feeling guilty, I cried and hugged my son. Mr. Tang, help me save my son, please! I¡¯ll immediately turn myself in as long as my son is safe.¡±


    ¡°I can save your son, but there are several conditions,¡± said Tang Xiu as he sighed inwardly.


    ¡°Please do tell, Mr. Tang. I will never refuse as long as it¡¯s within my capabilities,¡± said Wei Yang categorically before Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Bad Karma is a retribution of cause and effect; while the wrath of Heaven is a punishment of the Karma itself. Even if you turn yourself in, after you got plagued with this bad karma, it would still be very difficult for you. Therefore, the conditions I will put forward won¡¯t do you any harm. Firstly, you must find the family of the deceased. Kneel three times and kowtow nine times to them, and burn incense to expiate the sins of the dead. Secondly, you must look after the families of the deceased. If they are elderly, you must look after them until you arrange their funerals. If they are still children, you must bring them up until they have grown up. Thirdly, take half of your family¡¯s wealth and give it to charity. Only then will you get karmic reward,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Nodding heavily and repeatedly, Wei Yang said, ¡°I¡¯ll do everything you requested, Mr. Tang. As a matter of fact, even if I hadn¡¯t met you today, I had already planned to visit their family members and give them compensation.¡±


    ¡°Now, get up! Give me your child, and ask the staff to find me an empty room,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°All right!¡± Wei Yang immediately complied.


    A few minutes later, the boy hugged by Tang Xiu didn¡¯t make any noises. Instead, he became more energetic, whereas the couple and the staff stayed outside the room.


    ¡°Uncle, being around you is really comfortable,¡± said the little boy softly.


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile. He was a cultivator. During the day, he absorbed solar power all the time, so warmness would naturally circulate around his body. This warmth happened to have a restraining effect on Death qi, hence giving the boy a comfortable feeling. Immediately afterward, Tang Xiu dispelled the Death qi inside the little boy with his star force, and even used the Tuina Massage technique to inject his star force into the boy¡¯s heart.


    Although employing this method couldn¡¯t cure his congenital heart disease, it actually could play a relieving role and reduce the state of his cardiac disease, so that it wouldn¡¯t flare up, and guaranteed his safety for several years to come.


    Afterward, he brought the boy out of the room. After returning him to his mother, he said, ¡°The Death qi inside him has been eliminated, but his congenital heart disease is still a threat to him. If you have the time during the holiday in October, take him to Shuangqing Province¡¯s Star City! I¡¯ll be giving medical services on October 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. Bring him over at that time, and I will cure his congenital heart disease.¡±


    Wei Yang¡¯s pupil contracted and his breathing turned faster as he quickly asked, ¡°Mr. Tang, you¡­ can you fully cure my son¡¯s congenital heart disease?¡±


    ¡°It may be very troublesome for other doctors, but it¡¯s very easy for me,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°All right, you people can go do your things! But please remember what I¡¯ve requested of you. Otherwise, you will still be plagued by bad karma; the good days of your family will surely come to an end.¡±


    _Bam¡­_


    Wei Yang then pulled his wife, Gu Hui, and the couple knelt in front of Tang Xiu. After giving three kowtows, he stood and said, ¡°Mr. Tang, I can¡¯t thank you enough for your benevolence. This is my business card. If you ever need my assistance in the future, as long as it is within my capabilities, I¡¯ll make sure to have to do it even if I have to lose my life.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded as his gaze followed the family out. He secretly sighed. Through this incident, he saw how serious the Heavenly Dao affected the human beings on Earth. It was no wonder that the ancient people also understood the principle truth that, _one will receive rewards for their virtuous deeds, so will evil be rewarded for their evil deeds_. Time, it will never stop to punish all the evil deeds.


    As for laws and justice, it could only play a restraining role in Tang Xiu¡¯s opinion; while the punishment it brought just provided a little significance.


    For example, Wei Yang himself. Turning himself in voluntarily would sentence him to eight to ten years of prison, at the most. And this was due to him running from the accident he caused. That didn¡¯t make sense and was insignificant. It would be much better to make him do more good deeds like what he requested him to do, for that would benefit many people and put an end to this bad karma that plagued him.


    When Tang Xiu was still in the Immortal World he was also someone who had committed innumerable murders. It could even be said that he had created rivers of blood and stepped on mountains of corpses to break through to the Supreme Realm. However, he helped a lot of people and saved many of them out of his good intentions, too. Thus, the merits offset the faults, until he finally broke the shackles of the Heavenly Dao when he achieved the Supreme Realm.

 Chapter 490

    Chapter 490: Filthy Rich


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    In the afternoon, Chen Zhizhong and Gu Xiaoxue accompanied Tang Xiu in leaving Paradise Manor. As for Ouyang Lulu, she didn¡¯t detain them since there were things that they needed to handle. She just asked Tang Xiu to visit it if he had the time.


    After arriving at Bluestar Villa Complex, Tang Xiu saw that Chi Nan had already brought in the two housemaids she had hired for him. Because Gu Xiaoxue had come and he also had planned for her to take the children with her; hence, having the housemaids to take care of their daily life was no longer needed. However, he still kept them to clean up the house and do the cooking.


    ¡°You two, come with me to the study room.¡±


    Right after Chi Nan left, Tang Xiu looked at the other two and spoke.


    In the study room.


    Just as they took their respective seats, one of the housemaids who was already familiar with the place brought hot tea. It was Tang Xiu who gave her the order.


    ¡°Aunt Liu, starting from today, you can do the cleaning in this villa, but leave out this study room. And both of you are not allowed to step into this study room again without my permission.¡±


    The housemaid was a nearly 50-years-old woman named Liu Fen. She hastily replied after hearing it, ¡°All right, I will tell Sister Zhang about this, too.¡±


    After she left the study room, she closed the door from the outside. Afterward, Tang Xiu looked at Chen Zhizhong and said, ¡°Zhizhong, take a look at this list. Help me find the medicinal herbs on it to the best of your abilities. You don¡¯t need to find mature ones, though. I just need them to be still alive and can be replanted. Additionally, if you can get the seedlings of these medicinal herbs, it will do as well.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong received the list, and after having a look at it, he found that hundreds of precious herb were written on it, thus immediately asked, ¡°Master, there are some I¡¯ve never heard of. They should be rare medicinal herbs, though most of the rest are easy to find. About the quantity, I don¡¯t know how much you need¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m planning to plant an area of 100 mu with medicinal herbs,¡± said Tang Xiu seriously. ¡°Therefore, the quantity needed will be very huge so you must buy as much as possible. In any case, the more you can buy, the better.¡±


    Setting up a medicinal herbs plantation? At least 100 mu wide?


    Shocked, Chen Zhizhong quickly replied, ¡°I understand, Master. I¡¯ll immediately begin the task once I get back to Star City.¡±


    ¡°You need not worry about these herbs¡¯ seedlings., though. You can send a few people to buy a lot of them and then call me after,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Chen Zhizhong nodded, and put away the list full of names of medicinal herbs in a cautious manner. Then, he said, ¡°Master, I encountered a bottleneck in my cultivation. My progress is very slow regardless of how much effort I pour into it. I found that it¡¯s very hard to absorb the efficacy of a lot of precious herbs that are used for food supplements recently.¡±


    With a strange expression, Tang Xiu looked at him and asked, ¡°You were using precious medicinal herbs as food supplements?¡±


    With a matter-of-factly expression and tone, Chen Zhizhong replied, ¡°Yeah! I¡¯m running a medicinal herb business, after all! Whenever I found medicinal herbs of good quality, such as several hundred years old ginseng, Ganoderma Lucidums, Cordyceps, and other good things, I always keep some of them. Recently, maybe due to have taken too many of them and the efficacy of those herbs having accumulated in my body, I realized that it had gotten very difficult to absorb them. Even taking medicated diet may cause night sweat and nosebleeds.¡±


    Tang Xiu was speechless. He looked at Gu Xiaoxue, who was similarly showing a strange expression. Then, he shook his head and smiled, ¡°It seems like you have really wasted too many medicinal herbs. Alright, then! Whenever you obtain medicinal herbs later, send all of them to the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s HQ in Jingmen Island. You will then receive medicinal pills in exchange for them. Taking these medicinal herbs directly, even if you take them in a form of medicated diet, the efficacy that can be absorbed will only reach a certain extent, and the benefits it will bring for your cultivation won¡¯t be too significant. But refining them into medicinal pills or elixirs is a different case altogether, for it will be easier to absorb the efficacy after the refinement.¡±


    Medicinal pills and elixirs?


    As a matter of fact, Chen Zhizhong had heard about medicinal pills. But how could he know that there were people in the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s HQ who could concoct medicinal pills? Regret immediately filled his heart after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s explanation. Nevertheless, filthy rich as he was, he soon calmed his mind and said, ¡°Speaking of which, I¡¯m going to ask you something, Master. Is it alright for me to visit the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s HQ in Jingmen Island whenever I have some free time?¡±


    A smile outlined on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth. There was a hint of teasing in his eyes, as he nodded and chuckled, ¡°You proposed this yourself, then go there if you want! When you¡¯ve collected enough herbs and seeds for me., make arrangement for your company first, and then come back here to do a special training for several months! I¡¯m sure it will help you a lot.¡±


    Looking overjoyed, Chen Zhizhong respectfully replied, ¡°All right! I will certainly have it done as soon as possible.¡±


    Then, Tang Xiu shifted his vision to Gu Xiaoxue and asked, ¡°Do you have some medicinal pills on you now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I brought some with me.¡±


    Two jade bottles appeared in Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s hand as she said, ¡°These are Essence Amassing Pills. There are a total 20 of them in these two bottles. Taking one pill at a time will add three years¡¯ worth of cultivation.¡±


    ¡°Give them to him! Additionally, exchange it for the medicinal pills quota set up for the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s core members, and give him the list of medicinal herbs that are needed to concoct it. Zhizhong, if you want to get these medicinal pills later, you can go the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s HQ in Jingmen Island and do the exchange yourself. However, the HQ has a limited number of medicinal pills, so do not use your wealth and wantonly exchange for them, got it?¡±


    With a happy face, Chen Zhizhong took the two jade bottles and excitedly said, ¡°I would never do that, Master. I will only exchange for some medicinal pills that I need.¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°Later on, whenever there are core members of the Everlasting Feast looking for you to buy some medicinal herbs, give them some discounts. We¡¯re people from the same side, and many of them may need your help in this case.¡±


    ¡°I will bear that in mind, Master,¡± nodded Chen Zhizhong quickly.


    ¡°Anyways, there are a lot of rooms here. Just pick a room you want to stay in. You and I will be going back to Star City tomorrow. As for you, Xiaoxue, if you¡¯re going back to Jingmen Island today, then go now! I give Tang Xiaojin¡¯s group to your care. Train them well!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Gu Xiaoxue replied, as she got up and left the study room.


    After the two left, Tang Xiu walked to the innermost corner of the study room. He kept moving his fingers while releasing his star force whenever he formed the runes of the array he had arranged there. Immediately afterward, the fierce beast he had subdued before jumped out from the inside and conveyed a telepathic message into his mind. It was hungry.


    Taking out a lump of meat from his interspatial ring, Tang Xiu gave the meat to it and said, ¡°You seem to have grown in appetite and your belly capacity for food has kind of grown, too. Giving only meat for you will probably be troublesome later. Just wait until I return to Star City, I¡¯ll make some beast pills for you! That thing is easy to take and it will bring about great benefits to you. When you¡¯ve become stronger, I can impart you a set of Immortal Beast¡¯s cultivation technique that will help you grow faster.¡±


    Quickly, he received a telepathic message of gratitude from the fierce beast.


    Tang Xiu smiled, and ordered him back to the corner. He had created a very wide illusion realm for it with the array, making it stay in the corner so it wouldn¡¯t get bored. Afterward, Tang Xiu left the study room and came back to the living room. There, he looked at Tang Xiaojin, who had already started packing and was preparing to leave with Gu Xiaoxue. Tang Xiu could see that they were in low spirits and somewhat downcast, so he smiled and said, ¡°Relax, kids! Someone will provide you with everything you need when you guys have arrived at Jingmen Island. We will also arrange the best teachers and instructors for you all, so that you can learn many things. I will also go to Jingmen Island to see you there whenever I have time.¡±


    ¡°We understand!¡± The five children nodded.


    As Gu Xiaoxue took them away, Tang Xiu then came to Chen Zhizhong, who had already picked up his own room to stay and was currently sitting in the living room in boredom. He said, ¡°Let¡¯s go! I¡¯m going to teach you a set of body tempering techniques. As long as you work hard and diligently practice it, it will make your body and physical strength rapidly increase. Additionally, the True Qi inside your boy has completely transformed into True Primordial Qi, so I must teach you a few simple spells as well.¡±


    Upon hearing it, Chen Zhizhong rejoiced and immediately followed Tang Xiu to the courtyard.


    The teaching was carried out very smoothly!


    The seriousness shown by Tang Xiu in his teaching was met with diligence from Chen Zhizhong. When dusk came, Chen Zhizhong had thoroughly learned the body tempering technique, as well as mastered several magic spells. Nevertheless, it was still very hard for him to use them due to his limited strength. However, according to Tang Xiu, he could use these spells as long as he made a breakthrough.


    ¡°Zhizhong, mark my words. You must never use these spells, nor can you easily expose about your cultivation whatsoever to others. Our existence will only make others feel threatened. Once you get exposed, I¡¯m afraid that you can never pass your days peacefully again,¡± said Tang Xiu gravely.


    Chen Zhizhong could understand what Tang Xiu was saying, and solemnly said, ¡°I understand, Master. You can rest assured about that!¡±


    _Buzz¡­_


    Just as he finished speaking, the automated electric gate of the villa slowly opened. While carrying her bag and hugging a few books, Mu Wanying walked inside. She was slightly stunned after seeing Chen Zhizhong¡¯s naked back, who was sweating, as she immediately turned to look at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Who is he?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my disciple, Chen Zhizhong. Zhizhong, this is Mu Wanying, an alumnus from Shanghai University,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I know her, Master,¡± said Chen Zhizhong with a smile. ¡°She¡¯s honored and known as the first belle of Beijing, and the young lady of the House of Mu from Beijing.¡±


    Astonished, Mu Wanying said, ¡°You¡¯re Tang Xiu¡¯s disciple? You¡­ what exactly did you learn from him?¡±


    ¡°Wushu,¡± said Chen Zhizhong.


    Curious as well as strange expression covered Mu Wanying¡¯s face as she looked at Tang Xiu and praised, ¡°There really are too many things Tang Xiu can do. I really envy you for being able to learn something from him. But then, how did you know that I¡¯m someone from the Mu Family?¡±


    ¡°I have seen your grandfather. A few years ago when he was not in good health, I personally sent several precious medicinal herbs to your Mu Family in Beijing,¡± said Chen Zhizhong with a smile.


    ¡°I remember you now! You¡¯re Uncle Chen, the Boss of the Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical, right?¡± Mu Wanying was surprised.


    Chen Zhizhong quickly waved his hand, ¡°Please, don¡¯t call me that! Just call me Chen Zhizhong directly. You¡¯re a friend of my Master, and being called uncle is something I dare not accept.¡±


    A strange expression appeared on Mu Wanying¡¯s face yet again. She looked at Tang Xiu and Chen Zhizhong, feeling amazed and astonished inwardly. It should be noted that Chen Zhizhong¡¯s Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical was a large Chinese herbal medicines company, and was second to none in the country. Its main business was trading medicinal herbs that encompassed the whole country. Yet, someone whose identity and wealth was so significant like him turned out to have formally acknowledged Tang Xiu as his Master was simply¡­ simply unimaginable and inconceivable.

 Chapter 491

    Chapter 491: Han Qingwu¡¯s Transformation


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    As a fragrant smell fluttered out of the villa, Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°It seems the two housemaids Chi Nan hired are very good cooks. Merely its smell aroused my appetite already. Anyways, let¡¯s go inside and have a bite first.¡±


    ¡°You were looking for a housemaid, and you even hired two now?¡± Asked Mu Wanying, surprised.


    ¡°I thought Tang Xiaojin and the rest would live here for some time. I didn¡¯t expect that someone would come to Shanghai, so I gave them to their care. The two housemaids were originally hired to take care of their daily life, but since that person came and took them away, I don¡¯t have the heart to drive those two out either, so I let them stay. Besides, the villa still needs some people for the cleaning as well.¡±


    Mu Wanying quickly asked, ¡°Oh, who took Tang Xiaojin and the rest and where would they be taken to exactly? Weren¡¯t those five adopted by you? How¡­¡±


    ¡°I indeed adopted them, but I don¡¯t have time to take care of them,¡± Tang Xiu interrupted her and said. ¡°So I arranged someone to take care of them. There won¡¯t be any problems happening to them at all.¡±


    Despite looking doubtful, Mu Wanying eventually nodded and said, ¡°When can I see them again?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have the opportunity to see them later!¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    After the dinner, Chen Zhizhong stayed in the courtyard and continued practicing the body tempering technique, whereas Mu Wanying pulled Tang Xiu to take a stroll outside, saying that it was to help digesting the food.


    However, just as the duo left the villa complex, Tang Xiu¡¯s mobile phone rang. What made him puzzled was that the number on the display was unfamiliar.


    ¡°Tang Xiu speaking, may I know who am I speaking with?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, where are you now?¡± From the cell phone, Han Qingwu¡¯s voice came out.


    With slightly furrowed brows, Tang Xiu slowly said, ¡°I¡¯m at Bluestar Villa Complex right now.¡±


    ¡°Wait for me, I¡¯ll be there right away.¡±


    After saying that, Han Qingwu hung up the phone.


    Looking at Tang Xiu who had fallen into a daze while holding his phone, Mu Wanying touched him with her elbow and curiously asked, ¡°Who was that? To think that she can make you fall into a daze like that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Han Qingwu,¡± answered Tang Xiu after he came back to his senses.


    ¡°Your class¡¯ teacher-in-charge? What does she want from you, calling you this late?¡± Asked Mu Wanying.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Tang Xiu, shaking his head. ¡°She only said that she would be coming over, yet she didn¡¯t tell me what she wants. Wanying, would it be alright with you if you stroll by yourself? I¡¯m going back to wait for her!¡±


    After thinking for a short while, Mu Wanying shook her head and said, ¡°Let¡¯s just go back together!¡±


    ¡°All right, then,¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    After half an hour, Han Qingwu arrived at the villa complex in a car. She asked Tang Xiu¡¯s villa number and drove straight there. When she entered the courtyard¡¯s front gave and saw Chen Zhizhong, who was practicing martial arts, her brows creased, yet she didn¡¯t pay much attention and went straight to the villa¡¯s hall.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, let¡¯s talk.¡±


    Han Qingwu¡¯s expression was one of seriousness and solemnness as she stared at Tang Xiu, who was sitting on the sofa in the living room.


    ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I wanna talk about¡­¡± said Han Qingwu.


    Her words abruptly came to a halt as her vision moved. Disbelief showed inside her eyes as she saw Mu Wanying wiping her wet hair with a dry towel. The pajamas she was wearing, particularly, made her fall into a daze.


    ¡°Have you been good, Teacher Han?¡± Mu Wanying chuckle. ¡°I heard from Tang Xiu that you were coming over. So I came out to greet you since we know each other.¡±


    Feeling somewhat irritated inside, Han Qingwu slightly frowned and asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I AM staying here temporarily,¡± said Mu Wanying with a smile.


    Han Qingwu turned to Tang Xiu. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, ¡°Are you two in love or something?¡±


    ¡°Someone once hurt me too deeply, making me not want to fall in love again. Wanying, go rest in your room! Teacher Han came to see me, and I believe she has something important to talk about,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly.


    ¡°I will no longer disturb you then, Teacher Han,¡± said Mu Wanying with a chuckle.


    Han Qingwu gazed at Mu Wanying¡¯s back until she disappeared in the doorway to the hall. Then, she suddenly turned to Tang Xiu and inquired, ¡°You just said that someone had once hurt you too deeply, was that person called Xue Qingcheng?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion drastically changed. He abruptly got up from the sofa and a cold glint burst in his eyes, as he sternly said in a heavy voice, ¡°Tell me, what do you know?¡±


    Han Qingwu carefully observed Tang Xiu¡¯s expression. After a few minutes of silence, she shook her head and said, ¡°I only know this name.¡±


    ¡°I want to hear the truth!!!¡± Said Tang Xiu coldly.


    ¡°It¡¯s the truth. The pictures that sprung up inside my mind were rather baffling and confusing. And these days, I¡¯ve made them clear. Although I don¡¯t know how these pictures appeared in my head, one thing for sure, it¡¯s absolutely related to me. Then again, there are two names. One being Xue Qingcheng and the other Tang Xiu. These two names are seemingly very important to me, even more important than myself.¡±


    Gazing deeply into her eyes before retracting back his gaze, Tang Xiu then sat back on the sofa. He pointed to the sofa across him and said, ¡°Have a seat! Coming to look for me this late, I believe that this is not the only thing you want to talk to me.¡±


    After Han Qingwu taking a seat, she then said with all seriousness, ¡°Tang Xiu, I hope you can tell me something. It¡¯s regarding these pictures I see in my head. Don¡¯t deny it. You definitely know something, because your name appears inside my head!¡±


    ¡°Hasn¡¯t my name already appeared in your mind after I saved you from the car accident at that time? Why are you asking about it now?¡± Asked Tang Xiu lightly.


    Han Qingwu shook her head, ¡°This is not what I¡¯m talking about. It¡¯s something about you and Xue Qingcheng.¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡± Tang Xiu angrily yelled.


    Han Qingwu stared blankly. Suddenly, a bright smile appeared on her serious face, as she looked deeply at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°It seems that the person who has hurt you is really her. And you also know something about these pictures inside my head. Just tell me! I want to know what happened to you, and what relation does it have with me?¡±


    ¡°You have no right to know that,¡± said Tang Xiu coldly.


    ¡°No, I have!¡± Said Han Qingwu. ¡°These pictures appeared in my head and seriously affected me. These pictures have begun to affect my life, too; even my personality got influenced by it. Do you want to see something? This is what I learned from them, and is a something a normal human can never learn!¡±


    Having said that, Han Qingwu slowly raised her right hand, as several empty glasses on the table between the two quietly floated several centimeters above the tabletop and stayed there motionlessly.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Tang Xiu was dumbfounded and looked at Han Qingwu in disbelief. He asked, ¡°How did you do that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, either. Since the last time the pictures appeared in my head again I felt like there was a warm current flowing inside my body, and I could control it. After seeing a few particular pictures, I then learned to release that warm current, so that I can control some things. However, there is another problem with my body.¡±


    Just as she finished speaking, she slapped her hand on the tempered glass of the coffee table, causing it to crack with her palm as the center.


    _Bang¡­_


    The coffee table disintegrated, scattering on the floor.


    Tang Xiu abruptly got up. Never once had he imagined that his singing and zither play at the freshmen welcoming party of Shanghai University would cause so many astonishing changes to Han Qingwu. That feat she had just displayed was not something a normal person could do.


    ¡°Give me your wrist!¡± Said Tang Xiu in a deep voice.


    Without hesitating, Han Qingwu extended her wrist.


    Tang Xiu checked her pulse. While sensing it, he released his spiritual sense inside Han Qingwu¡¯s body. After observation, he indeed found an abundant qi flowing inside Han Qingwu¡¯s meridians, yet it was circulating voluntarily, and the circulation route was akin to a basic route in cultivation techniques.


    _It¡¯s the first level route of the Profound Art Nine Ice?_


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth twitched, and then he released Han Qingwu¡¯s wrist before sitting back on the sofa. Through his observation, he had already confirmed that what Han Qingwu learned was truly the top cultivation technique World Xue Qingcheng had practiced in the Immortal during that time. It was him who had imparted this cultivation technique to Xue Qingcheng.


    As of now, due to the True Essence inside Han Qingwu¡¯s body automatically circulating according to the route of the Profound Art of Nine Ice¡¯s first level, it not only it made her able to display the ability to control objects, it also changed her system as well. Therefore, she was able to smash the tempered glass coffee table into smithereens with only a slight slap of her hand.


    While sitting back on her seat, Han Qingwu¡¯s eyes fixedly stared at Tang Xiu, as she asked, ¡°Tell me, what exactly on Earth is this? Though I can feel that the physical changes that happened to me is not a bad thing, yet I¡¯m still anxious and worried.¡±


    ¡°What I want to know the most is not the changes in your body, but your mind!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°Some things can be directly solved if you can recover your memories completely. Nevertheless, I can give you more time so that you can slowly recover them. I¡¯m sure that one day, sooner or later, you will remember everything.¡±


    Stunned, Han Qingwu knitted her brows and asked, ¡°Recover my memories? You said that those confusing pictures inside my mind are my¡­ memories?¡±


    ¡°You will naturally know it later whether those are your memories or not. Look, what I can tell you is that the physical changes that are happening to you will not give you any harm, it will benefit you instead. You can rest assured about that!¡± Said Tang Xiu lightly.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, don¡¯t you dare fool me,¡± said Han Qingwu.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression turned cold as he detachedly said, ¡°How am I supposed to fool you, huh? The changes happening to your body is your problem, to begin with. What does it have to do with me, anyway? If anything, you came to my place so late at night to look for me, asking me some questions, and I have just answered all of them. And you¡¯re still questioning me now?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Why did you hide the most important things, anyway?¡± Asked Han Qingwu and. ¡°However, what I¡¯m sure about is that you are not an ordinary person, either. Otherwise, it¡¯s impossible for you to recover from your shock so quickly after you suddenly saw my special ability. Even after you checked my pulse you were certain that the physical changes that are happening to me is a good thing.¡±

 Chapter 492

    Chapter 492: An Attempt to¡­


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Despite the turbulent emotions inside him, Tang Xiu kept his expression calm on the surface. He looked at the serious expression on Han Qingwu¡¯s face and indifferently said, ¡°Regardless of whether I¡¯m an ordinary person or not, likewise, it has nothing to do with you either. Han Qingwu, I still remember telling you that you are you and I am me, haven¡¯t I? I hope that we can keep a certain distance between the two of us.¡±


    ¡°But why?!¡± Han Qingwu suddenly got up. There was anger on her beautiful face. She didn¡¯t know why would her heart feel pained after hearing what Tang Xiu said .


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just that I¡­ I¡¯m looking at you as my teacher. There¡¯s a generation gap between us. Furthermore, there are also some precedents because of it. Because we¡¯ve already met when I was your student and you were the teacher-in-charge of my class in the past, which have caused so many gossips and slanders recently. So I don¡¯t want us to be too close and be misunderstood by others.¡±


    Staring at Tang Xiu intensely, Han Qingwu loudly said, ¡°I¡¯m a woman, yet I¡¯m not afraid of it! You¡¯re a man, so what exactly are you afraid of? Whoever misunderstands it, just let them misunderstand it! Even if we live together without getting married, who the hell gives a damn care about that, anyway?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Even in his wildest dreams Tang Xiu had never dreamt that Han Qingwu could speak such a thing. Looking at her angry expression, he immediately got up and said, ¡°Teacher Han, we are all grown ups. We need to see things through with a clear head here. Even if you don¡¯t take me into your consideration, I believe that I have the rights to speak for myself, don¡¯t you think? If we get too close, it will affect me and¡­ and the feeling I have with my girlfriend. You also saw her coming to my place to stay here, didn¡¯t you? She didn¡¯t say anything although you came here so late at night, yet I¡¯m pretty sure that she must be irritated and feeling vexed about it.¡±


    ¡°Your¡­ your girlfriend?¡± Han Qingwu muttered while glancing in disbelief at the corridor where Mu Wanying just vanished a while ago.


    ¡°Yeah, Mu Wanying is my girlfriend.¡± Tang Xiu steeled his heart as he nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you don¡¯t understand? With her personality, how could she possibly stay here with me if she is not my girlfriend? It¡¯s just that we don¡¯t want to expose it to anyone. But now, you just forced me to say that, so I can only be frank and honest with you.¡±


    Han Qingwu raised her hand to cover her chest. She felt like she had lost something very important to her all of a sudden. Amid that feeling of loss, there was also a stabbing pain that was exceedingly difficult to describe in words.


    ¡°I¡­ I understand.¡±


    She turned away and left. Her expression looked extraordinarily vacant as she walked away. It was as if she had lost her soul, to the extent that she didn¡¯t take her car that was parked outside the courtyard, and just walking away muddle-headedly.


    Tang Xiu followed her from behind, albeit quietly. After walking out of the courtyard, he watched her increasingly thin back, and secretly sighed inside. He knew that Han Qingwu was Xue Qingcheng, for the memory when he got ambushed in the Immortal World was something impossible for him to forget.


    Therefore, what he felt toward Han Qingwu was very complicated. Gratitude, hatred, loss¡­ and all sorts of emotions came flooding his heart. It was like all kinds of emotions were constantly rising and surging inside him.


    ¡°Master, did you have a quarrel or something?¡±


    Coming quietly to Tang Xiu¡¯s side, Chen Zhizhong looked at Han Qingwu¡¯s back with a somewhat pitying expression.


    Tang Xiu nodded, and then shook his head. After Han Qingwu¡¯s back vanished in the far corner, he sighed, ¡°Some grievances and resentments are very complicated. Go follow her! Don¡¯t let her get into an accident on her way back home.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    Despite realizing that he had no rights to interfere with Tang Xiu¡¯s emotional problems, Chen Zhizhong still carried out his orders and quickly returned to the courtyard. He took up his coat and put it on, as he then strode toward the direction where Han Qingwu had just gone.


    As for Tang Xiu, he returned to the living room and found that Mu Wanying had come out of her room. She was now sitting on the sofa, seemingly pondering about something, yet it was unknown what she was thinking about. Had it been before, Tang Xiu might have asked about it to her, but now he didn¡¯t feel like asking her anything, and only wanted to return to his room for some peace of mind.


    ¡°I already told you long ago that she likes you, Tang Xiu.¡±


    Mu Wanying¡¯s voice suddenly rang behind Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s pace came to a halt as he turned to look at Mu Wanying, who was now standing, and calmly replied, ¡°Sorry about using your name as my girlfriend just now. It was just I need to shake Han Qingwu off from me.¡±


    ¡°Why did you do that? It shouldn¡¯t be necessary, right?¡± Asked Mu Wanying with a bitter smile. ¡°Although I do not hope that you can be together with Han Qingwu, yet using this reason to reject her will hurt her very much.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something I heard before, that the complicated feelings between two people had better be cut constantly, for it would be better to cut a tangled knot with a sharp knife and end the complicated emotional factors. I have my own life and she has her own. So I¡¯m waiting for her to find her husband, and then I¡¯ll also build my own family, so we both can, and will forget each other¡¯s existence. Do you know the most terrifying thing in this world?¡± Said Tang Xiu indifferently.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Asked Mu Wanying.


    ¡°It¡¯s time! Time can heal and wipe away all wounds, yet time is also able to make one forget a lot of things,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    _Time?_


    Mu Wanying shook her head, ¡°If people can live for a millennium or even ten millenniums, I may be able to accept your opinion. However, the lifespan of a human is but only a hundred years at the most. Even for some feelings that are too deeply carved into ones¡¯ bones and deeply engraved into their hearts, the passage of time, won¡¯t be enough to erase them, even after decades have passed. In their hearts, those pains will be remembered forever, and their love will always be buried deep inside.¡±


    Tang Xiu fell into silence.


    He knew that Mu Wanying was right. Those grand and fabulous words he just said were just to convince himself to forget Han Qingwu, yet how could he ever forget her?


    Suddenly, he felt that he was a bit ridiculous and laughable, to think that the idea of deceiving himself would actually pass by his own mind. Looking at himself in the mirror now, he realized that even if he had the intention to live as he willed it, now it seemed that it would be too hard.


    While looking at the silent Tang Xiu, a dazzling smile suddenly appeared on Mu Wanying¡¯s beautiful face. She lightly stepped forward and smilingly said, ¡°Tang Xiu, you¡¯re the Heaven¡¯s favored one in my heart, the most outstanding man I¡¯ve ever met. I really want to take this chance when you are in the most unstable mental state to get into your heart. Maybe this is the best chance I¡¯ll ever have in my life. How about it? Become my man, and I¡¯ll become your woman. If you would like to, shall we get a marriage certificate tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Are you getting a fever or something?¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to elaborate more on this particular topic, as he intentionally raised his hand to touch Mu Wanying¡¯s forehead and said with a smile.


    Mu Wanying let out a faint smile. As if seemingly outguessing Tang Xiu, she still kept on drilling, ¡°Don¡¯t try to change the subject, will you? I don¡¯t have a fever, I¡¯m very healthy and sane. I know you are kind of helpless since you don¡¯t want to get entangled with so many outstanding women. If you were to marry me, you can have a reason to justify yourself to them. So why not do it?¡±


    The smile on Tang Xiu¡¯s face slowly fading away. He looked at Mu Wanying¡¯s extremely beautiful face as he stepped back and shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t give you my feelings.¡±


    ¡°We can put aside the sentimental issue for now. I believe that as long as I can have your body, I can also have your heart sooner or later,¡± said Mu Wanying.


    ¡°Do you really think you can have my heart if you can possess my body?¡± Tang Xiu shook his head yet again.


    ¡°Maybe not, but how can I know if I don¡¯t give it a try?¡± Said Mu Wanying. ¡°If I win, then you will be completely mine. And if I lose, I¡¯ll still admit it, regardless.¡±


    Tang Xiu turned around and ascended the stairs, leaving only a few words to Mu Wanying, ¡°I don¡¯t think you need to try it anymore, for someone has already taken possession of my body, despite not having my heart. The matter that gnaws my heart still cannot be untied, and even if there are more people knocking on my door, I still cannot give them my heart.¡±


    Mu Wanying was frozen, dumbfounded.


    Everything she said tonight all came from the bottom of her heart, yet she never expected that Tang Xiu would unexpectedly give her such an answer.


    _Who was it?_


    She really wanted to find out who the woman was. She felt faintly envious toward the woman who could get Tang Xiu¡¯s body, even though she was unable to get his heart.


    This night, Mu Wanying was struck with insomnia. So was Han Qingwu.


    As for Han Qingwu who looked like losing her mind, she walked aimlessly and and in a muddle-headed state for a very long time. Only after she was almost hit by a car on the driveway did she snap back to her senses, as she was saved by Chen Zhizhong who came to the rescue.


    After she returned to her place, Han Qingwu soaked herself in the bathtub for a very long time, yet it was like she was being enveloped by a bulb of Death qi. Then, still looking vacant and muddleheaded, she crawled out of the bathtub, putting on pajamas, and laid herself down on the bed with her eyes open until dawn.


    ****


    The next morning, Tang Xiu went to the campus. After exchanging some books in the library, he chatted with Yue Kai, Xue Chao, and some others, and then called Chen Zhizhong to begin his trip back to Star City.


    _At South Gate Town¡­_


    A good smell fluttered into Tang Xiu¡¯s nose just as he entered the house, causing his heart to turn particularly calm at this moment.


    _A mother is truly an existence a family must have!_


    For the 10,000 years he had lived in the Immortal World, he had always dreamed of going back home; wishing to smell the fragrance of food made by his mother after he struggled in the outside world. Back then, he always wanted to see that familiar back, and seeing her everlasting young face. Suddenly, he realized that he was truly laughable for having such chaotic feelings affected him. No matter what he had encountered in the past, he had already returned back home now and was truly living in the same world as his mother¡¯s.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, where is your baggage?¡± Asked Tang Yunde with a faint smile while walking down the stairs, as he looked at Tang Xiu who came back empty-handed.


    As of now, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to tell him the matter with the interspatial ring, so he casually fabricated a reason. Nevertheless, he was actually feeling warm in the inside. Back then, never had a chance to taste a fatherly love was also one of his regret. But now, not only was he able to return to his mother¡¯s side after he returned, that regret was also made up by his father¡¯s love. These were all the reasons that he felt warm inside.


    ¡°Dad, where¡¯s Mom?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s cooking in the kitchen. We knew you were coming back, and she, she just rejected everything I told he even if I already told her that I¡¯d handle it,¡± said Tang Yunde smilingly.


    Tang Xiu let out a smile and walked into the kitchen door. There, he saw the back of his busy mother, Su Lingyun. As if she had heard the sounds of his footsteps, Su Lingyun turned her head toward him.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, you¡¯re back!!! Go wash your hands. I¡¯ll quickly fry a dish for you!¡±


    ¡°All right, Mom!¡± Tang Xiu smilingly replied, and then turned toward the bathroom with a happy look on his face.


    The dinner was only attended by their family of three, yet the atmosphere was harmonious and overflowed with joy. This kind of atmosphere not only filled Tang Xiu¡¯s heart with warmth, even Su Lingyun who was recalling the past days got affected. Some certain moments made her eyes turn red, but the smile on her face was particularly dazzling.

 Chapter 493

    Chapter 493: Lay Out


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The 11th was a red-letter day and the sun was shining brightly, while the atmosphere seemed to be filled with a cheerful and merry mood. After Tang Xiu drove away from South Gate Town, he went straight to the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s General HQ. However, he was quite helpless, because the four security guards at the entrance didn¡¯t recognize him at all.


    ¡°Sir, you cannot get in without a working card. If you¡¯re really looking for someone here, please contact that person and let him come out to pick you up. You can then go inside after registering. I hope you can cooperate and help us do our work, Sir,¡± said a middle-aged security guard, who stood straight with a serious expression on his straight face.


    ¡°This is probably the second time I got stopped at the door of my own company. Anyhow, I won¡¯t make things difficult for you since you¡¯re so dedicated to your duty. I¡¯ll call Kang Xia and let her speak with you,¡± said Tang Xiu with a wry smile.


    _Kang Xia? The General Manager?_


    The four security guards looked surprised. Suddenly, they realized what Tang Xiu just said. This place was his own company?


    Tang Xiu dialed Kang Xia¡¯s phone, saying that he got stopped at the entrance. Amidst Kang Xia¡¯s laughter, he gave the phone to the security guard in front of him.


    A short while after, the security guard¡¯s expression turned into that of shock, then repeatedly nodded. Following that, he gave the phone back to Tang Xiu with a respectful manner and said, ¡°Boss, please forgive us. We didn¡¯t know who you were before.¡±


    Tang Xiu patted his shoulder and smilingly said, ¡°No worries. You did a good job. If you were to allow me inside without knowing who I am, then I would have questioned your ability and professionalism. Keep up the good work and the Magnificent Tang Corporation will surely treat you fairly.¡±


    Having said that, he stepped inside under the security guards¡¯ excited gazes. The business building and area now belonged entirely to the Magnificent Tang Corp. as its home office, yet Tang Xiu didn¡¯t know what method Kang Xia used, nor did he know how much money she spent. Shortly put, all the companies that were originally stationed in this edifice had all been moved out.


    ¡°Well, how was it, Boss? How does it feel not being allowed to enter your own building?¡±


    Just as Tang Xiu came out of the elevator, he saw Kang Xia outside, smiling and looking happy. There was also Andy with her, whose eyes were especially bright. Nevertheless, Kang Xia¡¯s comment made Tang Xiu squeeze out a wry smile yet again.


    Shortly after, the trio then came to the General Manager Office. After Kang Xia gave up her seat to Tang Xiu, she placed a stack of documents on the table and said, ¡°Boss, some of these documents contain information about the financial state of our Magnificent Tang Corp since we started making profits. A few others are about the forces that have dispatched their investigation teams aimed at our Magnificent Tang Corp. Please have a look at them first, then we¡¯ll have a discussion about that.¡±


    Nodding in response, Tang Xiu then pointed to the sofa at the corner and said, ¡°Please wait for me there. I¡¯ll read them first.¡±


    After a full two hours, Tang Xiu had finished reading all the information Kang Xia gave him. He got up and walked to the sofa in front of Kang Xia and Andy, and then sat down. After lighting a cigarette and taking a puff, he said, ¡°The income of our company is quite good. At present our pockets can be considered to be quite plenty. Anyhow, there¡¯s something that piqued my curiosity, though. That is about those dozens company that used to be stationed in this edifice. What means did you employ to get them out?¡±


    ¡°Well, shortly put, benefits are prime motives,¡± said Kang Xia with a chuckle. ¡°Everyone comes due to profits and prosperity, and it is also commonly believed that another motive for people¡¯s activities in many cases is to seek reputation and the like. Thus, in this case, benefits, personal connections, and circumstances played their roles. I offered them a batch of Gods Nectar. That was what made them willing to move out.¡±


    Giving her a thumbs up, Tang Xiu praised, ¡°Making you work for me and give your best for the company was truly the right choice. Anyhow, let us not talk about the financial affairs now. I¡¯ve read all the information on the forces against our company. As of tonight, there will be a group of experts coming to Star City. I will need to make some arrangements, and then solve all those people.¡±


    ¡°How are you going to solve them?¡± Asked Kang Xia, doubtful.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make them vanish from the world,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly.


    ¡°Are you going to kill them all, Boss?¡± Asked Kang Xia quickly, shocked.


    ¡°Nah, killing them is not a good idea,¡± said Tang Xiu, shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯m preparing to pack them up and send them out of the country and quietly have them work at a mining area in Africa for several years. We will only let them go several years later, after the Magnificent Tang Corp possess plenty of power and capital. When that time comes, they will not be a threat to us anymore.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this is a good idea,¡± Kang Xia hesitated. ¡°After all, if we only capture a group, others will keep coming at us. This method is nothing but a temporary solution that doesn¡¯t touch the root of the problem.¡±


    ¡°Hence, like I said, I have to arrange something in advance. There¡¯s a saying that a fox can assume and borrow the strength and majesty of a tiger. You should understand that, right? If these forces think that we have the country involved, will they still dare to continue acting so rampant? Our products, on the other hand, will also be exported outside the country in the future, so I must also lay a few preparations in advance as well. Whoever dares to touch the Magnificent Tang Corp will have to suffer grave consequences, regardless of who they are.¡±


    With a thoughtful look, Kang Xia nodded and smiled, ¡°All right. I¡¯m quite relieved since you¡¯re handling the matter, Boss.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t flatter me, alright?¡± Tang Xiu chuckled. ¡°For now, immediately tell all the top executives of our company that the Italian Mafia Syndicate¡ªCubo Clan, and the United States¡¯ Brauns Group have been trying to buy them. I need to talk with them.¡±


    Kang Xia complied with the instruction and immediately took out her phone.


    A few minutes later, four middle-aged men and women came to the General Manager¡¯s office. When they saw Tang Xiu there, their eyes immediately lit up and turned excited. Prior to this, these top executives had been restless and uneasy inside, afraid of those people who had been trying to buy them, yet they couldn¡¯t get a satisfactory answer from the company as for how to respond. But now, since the very Boss himself unexpectedly showed up, it was evident that he would act to solve this problem.


    ¡°Boss!¡± The four respectfully greeted.


    ¡°I remember all of you. Aside from Supervisor Yu Sasha, the three of you also attended our Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s celebration party. That time you were all fighting against those troublemakers, too. For the case this time, I also learned from Kang Xia that you all have done a very good job in responding to the matter. That¡¯s great! I¡¯m very happy to have dedicated senior executives like you all.¡±


    Upon hearing Tang Xiu call out her name, Yu Sasha smilingly said, ¡°I did join in the fight that time, Boss. I used a wine bottle to smash them!¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°You¡¯re great! Anyhow, there is an important task I want to give you. I just don¡¯t know whether you dare to accept it!¡±


    ¡°What task is it, Boss?¡± Asked Yu Sasha curiously.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a stack information for you to sell to those guys. After you get the money, tell them that some people from the State Special Department are currently eyeing them, so they must quickly leave after they get what they want,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    The four executives exchanged dismayed looks. None of them understood why would Tang Xiu plan such a thing.


    Seeing their confusion, Tang Xiu smiled lightly and said, ¡°Relax! The information is fake; it¡¯s main purpose is to make them confused. Additionally, I need them to spread out the news to their homeland that our State Special Department is involved in this matter.¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to scare them out, Boss?¡± Asked Yu Sasha. ¡°If they find that the information is fake, won¡¯t they be angered and retaliate against us?¡±


    ¡°I have something up my sleeve; they will never retaliate. I came this time exactly to solve this trouble and make sure it ends here, so that our Magnificent Tang Corp can enter its development track faster.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll do it, Boss!¡± Said a middle-aged man executive seriously.


    ¡°However much you can sell this information for, all of the money will belong to you. I hope you can seize this opportunity,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    The four looked surprised. It was commonly known that men would die for riches, just as birds would die for food. Those people attempting to buy them had offered them quite a huge amount of money, so they were absolutely willing to take risks if that money would belong to them. What was more, it was not betrayal and was only a means to deal with the enemy. Thus, they would have no psychological burden nor have a guilty conscience in doing so.


    ****


    At noon.


    Inside a certain guest room at the Long¡¯s Dining Hall in Star City, two executives of the Cubo Clan were standing calmly before the window, observing the movements outside the room. There were also four burly men in black suits standing on both sides of the door with serious expressions on their faces, looking like a pair of bodyguards.


    ¡°Big Brother, do you think that Supervisor from the Magnificent Tang Corp will really sell the Gods Nectar formula to us? There are only five minutes left to the appointment, yet she hasn¡¯t appeared till now,¡± Alessandro furrowed his brows deeply as his eyes kept scanning the entrance below.


    Ashberford grimly smiled, ¡°She must know how frightening we are. Now that she has promised to cooperate with us, I¡¯m pretty sure she will bring what we want.¡±


    ¡°What if she deceives us and gives a fake? We¡¯re getting the formula for the Gods Nectar, but we can¡¯t verify the authenticity of the formula at all,¡± said Alessandro with a doubtful expression.


    ¡°She will never dare!¡± Said Ashberford. ¡°The Chinese have a saying that one must do or give something in return for the money that has been received. Now that she dared to receive our money, she will never dare to sell a fake; she cannot afford to face our anger. Unless she doesn¡¯t want to live any longer.¡±


    Alessandro nodded, ¡°You¡¯re right. We, the Cubo Clan, have always been the ones bullying others. Not the other way around. Anyone who dares to trick our people only has one fate, death! However, there¡¯s something I don¡¯t understand. That woman refused our offer previously, why would she suddenly change her mind now?¡±


    ¡°People will die for money like birds will for food,¡± said Ashberford with a sneer. ¡°She may be a bit timid, but she changed her mind after considering it for a few days. Besides, the amount of money we promised her is enough for her to travel to any city in the world. Pretty much enough to enjoy a comfortable life for her lifetime, mind you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that makes sense. I¡­ Oh, she¡¯s coming,¡± Alessandro suddenly looked at the entrance below as his eyes lit up.


    ¡°I see her, too. Our people are already waiting for her and will bring her here. Prepare the money now. We¡¯ll transfer it into her account after we get the formula. I¡¯m hella sure that she will go to some far and remote place after she gets the money. Those fucking bastards from the Magnificent Tang Corp will definitely be bewildered, since they will never expect that their Gods Nectar formula has actually fallen into our hands,¡± said Ashberford.


    Alessandro laughed, ¡°If the composition in this formula enable us able to brew and produce Gods Nectar, our clan will definitely be benefited greatly. By then, your campaign to become the godfather of our clan will be easy, big brother.¡±

 Chapter 494

    Chapter 494: Variables


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    A happy smile fully covered Ashberford¡¯s rough face. He was already fantasizing about what he¡¯d do when he became the godfather of the clan.


    There was a time in the past when their clan controlled a lot of grey businesses in Italy, among which were business that posed risks. In recent years, due to the intentions of his father to reduce their number of grey businesses, they began to massively invest in honest businesses.


    Therefore, after they appraised the Gods Nectar that was touted as the best wine in the world through a ¡°special¡± channel, they immediately decided to contact the Magnificent Tang Corp in an attempt to get exclusive rights for selling it in the Italy market. The result made them disappointed, however, since the Magnificent Tang Corp didn¡¯t want to cooperate with them at all.


    It left them with no choice, as his father¡¯s orders were akin to imperial orders. Hence, he had to obtain the Gods Nectar¡¯s formula either by hook or crook. Since the Magnificent Tang Corp didn¡¯t want to cooperate with them, they might as well produce the wine themselves.


    Ashberford was a particularly astute person, yet he was proud and conceited. He could smell enormous profits from Gods Nectar through the sales figure of the Magnificent Tang Corp. If they could get this wine for their Cubo Clan, their clan would have their wealth multiplied within several years; even their clan¡¯s strength would be enhanced further.


    Such a result would aid him in running for the position of the clan¡¯s godfather.


    _Knock, knock¡­_


    The door was knocked. Ashberford strode forward and opened the door himself. After seeing Yu Sasha standing outside, a bright smile appeared on his rough face, as he gentlemanly said, ¡°Welcome, Miss Yu. Please come inside.¡±


    After Yu Sasha entered the room, she directly opened the conversation, ¡°I got some problems. The formula for the Gods Nectar can¡¯t be handed over to you for now. But rest assured that I will give it to you after you¡¯ve transferred the money into my account.¡±


    Ashberford¡¯s face changed. Though he was quite upset, he tried to restrain himself and asked, ¡°May I know what kind of problem it is?¡±


    Yu Sasha stayed silent for a moment before answering, ¡°Last night, the Magnificent Tang Corp.¡¯s General Manager contacted someone from China Special Department. And now the entire Magnificent Tang Corp is under the protection of the country. If not for me getting the Gods Nectar¡¯s formula ahead of time, I would have no means to get it now.¡±


    _The Chinese Government?_


    There was a look of fear in Ashberford¡¯s eyes. He knew perfectly well the situation in China. It would be very troublesome once the government got involved in this matter. Nevertheless, he secretly rejoiced inside because of Yu Sasha¡¯s boldness and intelligence by getting the Gods Nectar¡¯s formula ahead of time.


    ¡°Miss Yu, I believe you have figured out what kind of existence our Cubo Clan is in these last few days. I don¡¯t want to threaten you, but you should already know the fate of whoever deceives us. Give me your account number, I¡¯ll order someone to transfer the money to you now.¡±


    After thinking for a while, Yu Sasha finally told Ashberford her account number with a firm expression. The bank account she gave him, however, was not from a Chinese bank, but from a bank in Switzerland.


    Several minutes later, a middle-aged man who was sitting in front of a laptop looked up and spoke to Ashberford, ¡°Boss, this Swiss bank account is newly approved, but the name and the information are more or less the same as hers.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a smart move, Miss Yu,¡± said Ashberford with a laugh. ¡°A Swiss bank may disclose some information pertaining to their clients, but most of it remains confidential. Anyhow, we have just transferred the money to this account. It¡¯s impossible for others to know that you suddenly have a huge sum of money in your account. Even if you continue working for the Magnificent Tang Corp, there won¡¯t be no danger at all if you keep your shoes dry.¡±


    ¡°Regardless of that, we¡ªChinese have a saying that it¡¯s better to make a ship that can last for all time,¡± replied Yu Sasha.


    Giving her a thumbs up, Ashberford then turned his head and said, ¡°Transfer the money to her.¡±


    ¡°Copy that!¡± The middle-aged man sitting before the laptop immediately inputted a string of account numbers, and then began the transferring process via online banking. Two minutes later, 10 million USD had been transferred to Yu Sasha¡¯s account.


    ¡°Miss Yu, the money has already been transferred to you. When will you give me the Gods Nectar formula?¡± Asked Ashberford.


    ¡°I¡¯ve taken quite a risk coming here today. It wasn¡¯t easy for me, either, because the top executives of my company are under surveillance by the people from the State Special Department. Hence, meeting during the day won¡¯t do. But I¡¯ll be at the Star City¡¯s River Street Old District at 12 o¡¯clock tonight. I¡¯ll be waiting at the entrance of the supermarket with the Gods Nectar formula.¡±


    Ashberford nodded, ¡°Do you mind if I send people to secretly follow you? Besides, we have already given you 10 million USD. It will be very troublesome for us if you run away, you know.¡±


    ¡°Feel free to follow me if you want to,¡± said Shasha lightly. ¡°But I gotta warn you, though. Once I return to the Magnificent Tang Corp I will probably be under tight surveillance from the Chinese officials. It¡¯s best not to send people to follow me if you don¡¯t want yourself to get exposed.¡±


    ¡°Got it. I know the situation and what to do,¡± said Ashberford.


    Yu Sasha didn¡¯t say anything more after that. She straightly left the room and vanished very quickly at the entrance of the Long¡¯s Dining Hall.


    Meanwhile, the same course of the events was also taking place in another 5-star hotel ten kilometers away from there. Only, the buyer this time was not the Cubo Clan, but the person-in-charge of the Brauns Group from the United States. Certainly, a company as wealthy as the Brauns Group offered a higher price. They offered 20 million USD to buy the formulas of the Gods Nectar, Skin Care Lotion, and Scar Removal Cream.


    ****


    Dusk arrived. Inside an auto garage shop on the River Street of Old District of Star City, more than a hundred experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall had quietly arrived there. The entire site was full of people, yet nobody spoke.


    Among these people, except a dozen or so core experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall, the rest were all peripheral members. They might not be as strong as the core experts, but they were still many times more powerful than common people.


    ¡°Boss, Tie Zhongkui is reporting. Ready to accept orders!¡±


    The valiant and powerful Tie Zhongkui finally arrived, as he stood before Tang Xiu and reported respectfully.


    Nodding to him, Tang Xiu then said, ¡°Your mission will be quite difficult, since your opponents should be very strong as well. What I¡¯m tasking you with is to capture those people from the Cubo Clan, an Italian mafia syndicate, and the people from the Brauns Group, a United States company, who are currently in Star City. Capture all of them and send them abroad via special means, and then dump them on our mining area in Africa as forced labor. Additionally, send some people to keep them under surveillance there. In the case they are trying to escape, you can kill them.¡±


    ¡°Consider it done, Boss,¡± said Tie Zhongkui in a deep voice.


    Tang Xiu nodded and took out two sheets of information. Handing them over to Tie Zhongkui, he said, ¡°This is the information on the members of the Italian mafia in Star City, and the other one is on people from the United States company, Brauns Group. All of the names listed in these two documents must be captured. Certainly, this document may not have information on some of them if they haven¡¯t been investigated yet. Still, you must find all of them and drag them to the mining area in Africa.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± Answered Tie Zhongkui respectfully.


    Tang Xiu take a quick glance at everyone around, and said, ¡°Twenty of you come with me. There are some arrangements that need to be done separately.¡±


    Immediately, 20 seasoned burly men stood under Tie Zhongkui¡¯s command.


    Following that, Tang Xiu distributed some forged credentials that were made in the afternoon and then said in a deep tone, ¡°Your task is very simple. You all will pose as people from the State Special Department and will appear in the vicinity of the Magnificent Tang Corp. If you guys encounter suspicious persons, do not alert the enemy. Take a look at these photos and memorize their faces. If these four were to appear, do check them out and question them. Do remember that the interrogation must be simple and casual. After that, let them leave.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± The 20 strong men then memorized Tang Xiu¡¯s orders.


    With all the arrangements properly placed, each and every one of them vanished from the auto garage shop. However, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t leave, but turned and walked into a room next to the repair shop.


    ¡°Has everything been arranged properly?¡± Asked Kang Xia with a smiling face.


    ¡°Yeah, everything¡¯s done,¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod. ¡°Let¡¯s wait until 12 sharp to draw all the fishes in the net.¡±


    ¡°Are you not going to follow them?¡± Asked Kang Xia.


    ¡°If I still have follow them for such a trivial matter, then they are useless,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°Relax! These core members of the Everlasting Feast Hall are the cream of the crop. They will definitely be able to deal with this issue easily, for they have done this many times already. I, however, am now thinking about another issue.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Asked Kang Xia, confused.


    ¡°It¡¯s about the people from Japan,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Ah, about that Yamamoto Family from Japan. They did send people, requesting a cooperation with our Magnificent Tang Corp, but I rejected them,¡± said Kang Xia. ¡°There have been no other movements from them until now, though.¡±


    ¡°I already know the situation on their side. The young lady of the Yamamoto Family, Kuwako Yamamoto, is someone under me. She received an order two days ago, assigning her to command a group of experts and come to Star City. Their purpose is the same as the Cubo Clan and Brauns Group. They are preparing to buy the top executives of our company and steal the formulas of our products.¡±


    ¡°Oh!! When did you turn Kuwako Yamamoto into one of ours, Boss?¡± Asked Kang Xia, astonished.


    ¡°About a few months ago!¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Is she reliable?¡± Asked Kang Xia again, looking worried. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m discriminating or something, but her people are¡­ I¡¯m afraid that¡­¡±


    ¡°Nah, don¡¯t worry about it. Her life is in my hands, so she will never dare to betray me,¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand. ¡°Besides, she also has another identity. She¡¯s the future Master of Japan¡¯s Northstar One Blade School. And I have the intention to nurture and train her well since I will use her as a springboard to control the authority and wealth of some organizations in Japan.¡±


    Knowing Tang Xiu well, Kang Xia knew that she didn¡¯t need to be worried since he was so sure about it, though she was clueless about what method Tang Xiu had employed.


    ¡°Boss, since Kuwako Yamamoto is one of us, then what exactly are you worried about?¡±

 Chapter 495

    Chapter 495: Solving the Problems


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Kuwako Yamamoto being sent out makes me concerned. If she goes back empty-handed her status in the Yamamoto Family will be affected. Also, not only will she gain a bad reputation in the Northstar One Blade School, she will also be considered as incompetent, thus greatly impacting the acceptance of the Yamamoto and the Northstar One Blade School in the future.¡±


    ¡°What are you gonna do about that, then?¡± Asked Kang Xia.


    ¡°I¡¯m still thinking, but I don¡¯t have any idea as of yet,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Kang Xia¡¯s expression moved as she quickly said, ¡°Boss, that plan of ours, didn¡¯t we have some of our people act as officials from the State Special Department? Since we must deal with the Italian mafia, Cubo Clan, the United States company ¡ª Brauns Group ¡ª as well as a few other forces that have yet to act, why don¡¯t we keep acting as government officials and join in the play with Kuwako Yamamoto?¡±


    ¡°How should we do it, exactly?¡± Asked Tang Xiu, his expression moved.


    Kang Xia faintly smiled, ¡°If those attempting to mess with us are all wiped out and disappear, those brought by Kuwako Yamamoto will eventually leave China, though they may suffer some losses. We can impersonate our government officials to get rid of them.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes lit up. He clapped his hands and said, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a very good idea! I was originally planning to let Yu Sasha pass the news to the Cubo Clan and Brauns Group. I¡¯m sure they have sent the news back to their homeland that our Special Department is involved in this matter now. If the Japanese team led by Kuwako lost some of their people, and then finally ran away, we can also use Kuwako¡¯s testimony to confirm this point. It will play a very good role in deterring our enemies.¡±


    ¡°Your problems have been solved, then. How will you reward me, Boss?¡± Said Kang Xia with a smile.


    Tang Xiu pulled her and kissed her forehead, and then smilingly said, ¡°This is your reward!¡±


    Coiling her hands around Tang Xiu¡¯s waist, Kang Xia said, ¡°This is far from enough. I told you that I wanna have a child with you.¡±


    Tang Xiu stared blankly. He looked to the bed in the innermost part of the room and immediately took her into his arms and strode toward it.


    Colors of spring were overflowing, and the room was filled with reserved moans.


    An hour later, Tang Xiu looked at the sleepy Kang Xia as he put on his clothes and went out of the room. After lighting a cigarette, he silently began thinking how to make the game more realistic.


    ****


    Time flew by.


    Inside a certain suite of the Long¡¯s Dining Hall, Ashberford was smoking a large cigar as he looked at Alessandro after hanging up the phone. There was a vigilant look on his eyes as he spoke in a heavy voice, ¡°It¡¯s confirmed. The officials of the China Government are indeed meddling in this issue. Our people have discovered them near the Magnificent Tang Corp. We¡¯ll need to call my father and tell him about this situation.¡±


    Alessandro¡¯s complexion similarly changed. He nodded and quickly picked up his mobile phone. A few minutes later, he hung up the phone and said, ¡°Big Brother, I just called the Godfather. He wants us to get the Gods Nectar formula at all costs without compromising our safety. If those China officials dare to attack us he said to counterattack immediately, then withdraw from Star City and leave China through our special channels.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Ashberford nodded. ¡°Tonight all of us will leave for the Street River Old District Yu Sasha told us. We¡¯ll immediately withdraw after getting the Gods Nectar formula. As of now, China is no longer a safe place for us.¡±


    ¡°Got it! I think so too,¡± said Alessandro.


    ¡°There¡¯s only half an hour left to 12 AM,¡± Ashberford looked at his watch. ¡°Despite this place being quite near Street River Old District, we had better go there now as to prevent any unexpected accidents! That¡¯s right, have our people there already prepared?¡±


    ¡°All of them are ready!¡± Alessandro said. ¡°They will stay low if there¡¯s no danger, and will immediately attack should any dangers arise.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±


    ****


    At a very dark entrance of the Supermarket in the River Street Old District.


    Covered with a coat and wearing a black hat and mask on her face, Yu Sasha was quietly walking to a dark corner. After arriving there, she stopped and stayed still. Not far from her position, more than ten of the Cubo Clan people were silently observing her through binoculars, and messaged Ashberford about her movements.


    About five minutes to 12 AM two cars quickly stopped at the supermarket entrance. After six or seven men got off the cars, Ashberford turned around to look for Yu Sasha.


    ¡°What took you so long?¡±


    When Yu Shasha stood up from the dark corner, she looked toward Ashberford. There was a dissatisfied look on her face, as well as a bit of anxiousness.


    ¡°It¡¯s only five minutes to our agreement time, so we¡¯re not even late,¡± said Ashberford. ¡°Miss Yu, did you bring what we want?¡±


    Yu Shasha glanced around, looking like a thief. After confirming that there was nothing exceptional in the surroundings, she quickly took a piece of paper and stuffed it into Ashberford¡¯s hand, and then quickly said, ¡°This is the Gods Nectar formula. You can conduct an experiment to test it. I will not deceive you; I don¡¯t have the courage to do so. However, you must promise we¡¯ll never seen each other again if this formula is authentic.¡±


    A joyful look filled Ashberford¡¯s eyes as he took a fast glimpse at the recipe. Looking satisfied, he smilingly said, ¡°I understand. You¡¯re an employee of the Magnificent Tang Corp, after all. And employees who sell confidential information of their company will be sentenced. Rest assured, though! We will never expose you.¡±


    There was a change in Yu Sasha¡¯s expression as she looked deeply at Ashberford before she turned around and half-run away. Shortly after, her figure had disappeared into the darkness.


    Ashberford turned to Alessandro and said in a deep voice, ¡°Tell our people to converge now, and let¡¯s leave Star City immediately.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡±


    There was an excited expression on Alessandro¡¯s face. He quickly took out his mobile phone and dialed a string of numbers. However, even though the call ringed until the call ended, no one answered him.


    ¡°What could have happened? How could nobody answer?¡±


    Ashberford¡¯s expression slightly changed and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Nobody answered? What is Arinto doing? Isn¡¯t he nearby? Go find them! This damn asshole, maybe he lost his phone again. I will severely punish him after I get back home.¡±


    Alessandro quickly responded and dashed away with a few men. After having inspected the vicinity, he furrowed his brows and returned to report, ¡°Big Brother, I can¡¯t find them. Logically speaking, they should be lurking nearby, but how can I not see their traces at all?¡±


    Ashberford frowned, ¡°Wasn¡¯t Arinto continuously sending us messages about Yu Sasha¡¯s movements from his hiding spot previously? How could their traces suddenly disappear? Keep looking for them! They must be nearby.¡±


    Following that, they kept searching for more than half an hour observing many places with binoculars. Yet they were unable to find Arinto and the dozen other men that were with him even though they searched many of their hiding places.


    _Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!_


    Ghost-like figures silently approached the group with Tie Zhongkui as the leader. His mouth clamped a sharp dagger as he quietly appeared beside Ashberford like a ghost in the dark night. The knife that was previously clamped in his mouth was instantly placed on Ashberford¡¯s neck.


    ¡°We meet again, old friend!¡±


    Tie Zhongkui¡¯s cold voice sounded in Ashberford¡¯s ears.


    At the same time, several core experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall aimed their muzzles at Alessandro and the rest.


    Ashberford¡¯s body turned stiff. He swiveled his head to look at Tie Zhongkui. His pupils suddenly shrank, as he exclaimed in astonishment, ¡°Oh my God! You¡¯re that damn demon¡­ no no no, it should be Dear Zarys. I know that it¡¯s not your real name, but it¡¯s the only name I know to call you by. How could you be here? Are there any misunderstandings between us?¡±


    ¡°There is no misunderstanding between us, Ashberford. But you are interfering with the interests of my Boss, trying to steal his stuff. Hence, you must be punished. I would have killed you directly if I were to follow my previous codes, since I still vividly remember the bullet you left in my left arm.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t! Don¡¯t do it, Zarys!¡± Ashberford hurriedly said. ¡°We had no hostile relationship at the beginning, and I only did that because you killed a lot of my Cubo Clan¡¯s experts. Besides, I think the issue has been cleared between the two sides, no? Also, who is your Boss? Can I talk to him? I think everything can be resolved if we just talk.¡±


    ¡°Nope, there has never been any mistakes nor misunderstandings.¡± Tie Zhongkui sneered. ¡°You can rest assured, though. Our Boss is kind-hearted and doesn¡¯t want us to kill you. But you will have to make a trip with us. Of course, I will still kill you if you resist.¡±


    ****


    In Star City tonight, incidents in which the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s members captured the enemies occurred in several other places. Everything was carried out smoothly, and except for a few people who were mercilessly slain due to fighting back, the rest were knocked down and tied up. They were then thrown into a container truck that had been prepared in advance.


    Inside the auto garage shop in the Street River Old District, Tang Xiu was sitting in the courtyard and pondering some issues as his mobile phone rang.


    ¡°How are things going, Tie Zhongkui?¡± Asked Tang Xiu directly after pressing the answer button.


    ¡°It¡¯s been done, Boss,¡± said Tie Zhongkui. ¡°All those on the list have been captured by us; we have also captured some who were not on the list and all of them have been sent to the port by our men. We¡¯ll send them out of China tonight.¡±


    ¡°Tell them to pay attention to their safety on the way there, and execute those who dare to revolt,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Copy that!¡± Replied Tie Zhongkui respectfully.


    ¡°Come to the auto garage shop. There are some things I need you to deal with. Also, find a quiet place for the rest to settle, and don¡¯t let them attract the attention of outsiders,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Boss, I¡¯ll send the men to board the ship first, and then come over to your position,¡± said Tie Zhongkui.


    ¡°Copy that!¡± said Tang Xiu.

 Chapter 496

    Chapter 496: The Main Character Arrives


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The whistling breeze of autumn brought an unceasing drizzle of beads of water.


    Three ghostly figures silently approached the auto garage where Tang Xiu was in. Shortly after, the three figures jumped over the wall and entered the site and appeared before Tang Xiu, who was sitting cross-legged on the roof of an abandoned car.


    With Tang Xiu¡¯s present strength, the slightest sign of disturbance could alert him. He instantly opened his eyes and saw Tie Zhongkui and two experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    ¡°So, how are things going?¡±


    Cupping his fists, Tie Zhongkui replied, ¡°It¡¯s all done, Boss. There are a total of 66 people that were secretly sent to a smuggling cargo ship. We¡¯re not particularly familiar with this route as of yet. However, Snake Head said that there hasn¡¯t been any inspections conducted in this navigational route in recent years. As long as the ship arrives in the South China Sea we¡¯ll take our special route as always, smoothly sending them to the mines in Africa.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°Your way of dealing with the matter makes me feel at ease. Anyhow, the reason I called you was for another issue I need you to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Please tell us,¡± said Tie Zhongkui respectfully.


    ¡°Now that all the forces that came to Star City eyeing my Magnificent Tang Corp had all been cleared away, there are still, however, some forces that haven¡¯t given up yet. We can expect them to come to Star City in the next few days. So, I will need you to collaborate with the other party to play a good show.¡±


    ¡°Who exactly is this other party?¡± Asked Tie Zhongkui, confused.


    ¡°It¡¯s the House of Yamamoto from Japan,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Killing intent burst from Tie Zhongkui¡¯s eyes as he replied in a cold voice, ¡°Boss, why do we have to cooperate with the Yamamoto family? I know this family, and their way of handling things is ruthless, employing all sorts of despicable and unpredictable methods which are virtually impossible to guard against. I have once clashed with them. Though I did kill many of their people, several brothers also lost their lives in their hands.¡±


    ¡°These Yamamoto are indeed not a friendly bunch. But this time, the person who will lead their team to Star City is the young lady of the House of Yamamoto. She¡¯s also the future Master of Japan¡¯s Northstar One Blade School. The woman called Kuwako Yamamoto, my subordinate.¡±


    ¡°Kuwako Yamamoto?¡± Tie Zhongkui¡¯s expression changed as he quickly said, ¡°I heard about her, Boss. She¡¯s an outstanding junior of the House of Yamamoto who entered the Northstar One Blade School and is favored by the current Master of the Northstar One Blade School. A couple of years ago her shadow was seen among assassins who were allegedly involved in more than a dozen sensational assassinations across Europe and South America.¡±


    ¡°She is indeed very formidable. Though she should still be a little lacking compared with you, I¡¯m quite sure that she¡¯ll soon catch up; she does have the aptitude for that. So you must work hard in your cultivation apart from performing your duties. Furthermore, I just told you that she¡¯s also my subordinate, so you can cast away your worries regarding her loyalty. This time she¡¯s coming here following an order, so you must coordinate with her in the show to come.¡±


    ¡°Please elaborate, Boss,¡± said Tie Zhongkui.


    Tang Xiu slowly explained the plan he had in mind. After having finished with the explanation, he seriously said, ¡°For the sake of having Kuwako Yamamoto¡¯s status in the House of Yamamoto staying as it is, you must be discreet and do things secretly. I¡¯ll give you the list of the people on her team you must remove once they arrive in Star City. However, the others not on the list must not be killed nor seriously injured.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± Said Tie Zhongkui as he cupped his fists.


    ****


    The morning came as the first wisp of sunlight shined on the earth, the yellowing leaves soon swayed in the midst of the cool breeze. In the courtyard, several flowers that bloomed in autumn sent their faint fragrance in the wind.


    ¡°The air is very good. It¡¯s very fresh.¡±


    The door was pushed open and Kang Xia, who was well-dressed, came out through the door. After stretching her hands comfortably, her eyes landed on Tang Xiu whose hairs were moistened by dew.


    Tang Xiu floated down, as he smiling said, ¡°It was a bit rainy last night, so the drizzle made the air fresher. Have you had a good sleep? Ready to leave now?¡±


    Recalling the romantic scene last night, her extremely beautiful face was painted with a red blush. She nodded, ¡°I rested well. Anyways, did someone from the Everlasting Feast Hall came back last night?¡±


    ¡°Tie Zhongkui was here. Our operation ended successfully, and those who conspired against the Magnificent Tang Cor have all been sent away on board of a ship. I¡¯m sure that they will appear in a remote mining area in Africa in a few days. Also, like I told you before, they accomplished this mission without a hitch.¡±


    ¡°They truly are very formidable,¡± praised Kang Xia.


    ¡°Any one of them is stronger than a so-called martial arts grandmaster, to begin with. Besides, their experience abroad has made them a very competent bunch. Last night¡¯s mission was nothing but a trivial issue, so I was confident they could do it smoothly.¡±


    Kang Xia¡¯s eyes were somewhat blurred, yet she stayed in her spot and didn¡¯t speak again as if she recalling something.


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    Kang Xia came back to her senses and smilingly said, ¡°Boss, I¡¯m kind of imagining 20 years in the future. You¡¯re someone with great ideas, as well as great courage and energy. With your wisdom and ability, your vision is something that ordinary people are unable to imagine. I simply do not dare to imagine how powerful you will become 20 years later!¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°Despite knowing that you¡¯re just flattering me, I still feel good hearing it, you know. Anyway, how did you get this idea?¡±


    ¡°From those children,¡± said Kang Xia.


    Tang Xiu was silent, before he slowly said, ¡°I must adopt a lot of homeless children whose aptitudes and character are good. But maybe only a few of them will still be able to follow me when I leave in the future. As long as they are still alive in the future, let alone training them for 20 years, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem if I still have to train them for 200 years.¡±


    ¡°Can a human really live to 200 years old?¡± Asked Kang Xia with a curious expression.


    Tang Xiu let out a mysterious smile and answered, ¡°I have seen terrifying people who have lived for 20,000 years or even longer. What you experienced at present is still lacking. Just wait! As long as you cultivate diligently and perform well, I¡¯m sure you can go with me in the future?¡±


    ¡°Where will we go, exactly?¡± Asked Kang Xia quickly.


    ¡°To the place where celestials and immortals reside. All right, let us not speak about this. I¡¯m rather starving right now, so let¡¯s have breakfast first! Afterward, I¡¯ll drive you over to the company, and I also have other things to handle.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Asked Kang Xia with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°Star City Chinese Medical Hospital!¡± Answered Tang Xiu with a smile outlined on the corner of his mouth.


    ****


    _At Star City Chinese Medical Hospital¡­_


    The entrance to the hospital was crowded by streams of people. There, Li Hongji was walking back and forth with an anxious expression on his face. He looked at his watch once in a while, as Dai Xinyue next to him similarly looked anxious, yet there was a proud expression on her face.


    ¡°President, should I phone Master?¡±


    Dai Xinyue finally couldn¡¯t bear anymore.


    Li Hongji¡¯s expression moved, yet turned slightly awkward. Then, he shook his head and said, ¡°I think it won¡¯t be necessary. Tang Xiu has given his word that he¡¯d come to our Chinese Medical Hospital to give medical services. I¡¯m sure he will keep his promise. Let us wait a bit more. Besides, there¡¯s half an hour left to the working hours still. I¡¯m sure he will arrive in time.¡±


    ¡°I called Master last night and confirmed that he indeed returned to Star City yesterday. He is probably on the way here,¡± said Dai Xinyue with a smile.


    ¡°En!¡± Li Hongji felt a bit relieved, yet his eyes kept watching the highways at both ends of the road.


    _Creak¡­_


    The braking sound of tires sounded near Li Hongji and Dai Xinyue. The driver¡¯s window then opened and Tang Xiu poked his head out, asking, ¡°President Li, Xinyue, what are you two doing outside? Are you waiting for me?¡±


    ¡°Master!¡± Dai Xinyue¡¯s eyes lit up, as she called out in pleasant surprise.


    Surprised and happy, Li Hongji clapped his hands and said, ¡°Tang Xiu, you came at last! Anyhow, our hospital is fully crowded today. All of them are patients who have been waiting for you. I¡¯m afraid they will go berserk and eat me alive if you didn¡¯t come.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, please don¡¯t exaggerate things, President Li! All right, I¡¯ll park my car first. You two please wait for me in the consultation room,¡± said Tang Xiu with a laugh.


    Li Hongji hastily said, ¡°There¡¯s no parking space left in the parking lot, Tang Xiu. Just give your car to the security guards and let them do it. Let us have a chat while walking to the consultation room! Anyhow, I have to tell you something. Your previous consultation room cannot be used anymore due to special reasons. But I¡¯ve picked up a more spacious consultation room for you and had someone prepare and clean it up.¡±


    After Tang Xiu got off the car and threw the car keys to a security guard, he curiously asked, ¡°Special reasons? What special reasons?¡±


    While pointing to the inside, he said, ¡°Take a look at the biggest consultation room on the east side of the consultation building. Two queue lines are going to arrive here soon, and all of them have something in common. That is, they want you to examine them. Also, it¡¯s still half an hour away from the doctor¡¯s formal work shift. But who knows how long these queues will become in an hour.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked inside and saw that the two lines were already 20 to 30 meters long. His mouth twitched a few times. The number of people in the queues just outside the consultation building already numbered several hundred people. Even if only one-third of them wanted to see the doctor, the number would still be over a hundred people. Added with the rest in the hallway inside the consultation building¡­ Tang Xiu didn¡¯t dare to imagine how long it would take to consult and treat all of them.


    ¡°President Li, I won¡¯t be able to finish the examinations today! How about you think of a ways to share these patients with other doctors? Of course, if you really run into patients with difficult diseases, then you can turn them over to me!¡±


    ¡°I also thought about that!¡± Li Hongji forced a smile. ¡°But the majority of them come from every part of the country due to their admiration toward you, and also want you to treat them. Some of them have even been staying in our Star City Chinese Medical Hospital for more than a month just to wait for you.¡±


    After thinking for a while, Tang Xiu gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Such being the case, let¡¯s do it this way then! However, you have to use the time efficiently. You see, there are already a lot of patients in the current queue, so we¡¯ll begin closing the queue for patients in this line. If more patients come later, they are not to be scheduled for medical examination today if their condition is not urgent. Otherwise, I may not be able to treat them if I become dead tired today.¡±

 Chapter 497

    Chapter 497: Unprecedented Event in History


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    There was a concern on Li Hongji¡¯s face as he said, ¡°Tang Xiu, according to my observations, the number of patients already exceeded 200. Are you sure you can finish treating them today?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but the least I can do is try,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It will be quite laborious for you, Tang Xiu,¡± Li Hongji nodded. ¡°For your medical examinations today the hospital will provide anything you need, no matter what it is.¡±


    Tang Xiu only let out a calm smile. What the hospital could provide wouldn¡¯t be of a great help to him. Nonetheless, Li Hongji¡¯s attitude made him satisfied. After arriving at the largest consultation room on the east side of the consultation building, Tang Xiu took a look at the hundred square meters¡¯ long consultation room. There was only simple office equipment and treatment equipment aside from the consultation tables and chairs here. In the innermost corner, however, was a place covered with a draper. Without anyone telling him what it was, Tang Xiu could tell that behind it was a sick bed.


    ¡°President Li, you can go take care of your matters! I¡¯ll handle things here,¡± After observation, Tang Xiu turned to Li Hongji.


    As he sent Li Hongji away, a slight smile appeared on his face. He then said to Xinyue, ¡°Let us do it like previously, Xinyue. Prepare everything in advance, and start the consultation later. Also, there are a lot of patients today. I estimated that we¡¯ll probably be busy until evening, so you had better be prepared mentally.¡±


    ¡°Master, let alone being busy till night, even if I get busy for three days and three nights, I can bear it as long as I can study by your side. Also, I¡¯ve prepared everything appropriately, so we can start at any time,¡± said Dai Xinyue with a smile.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start then!¡± Tang Xiu smiled.


    Yet Dai Xinyue hastily said, ¡°But Master, there¡¯s still half an hour left to the start of the work hours. Didn¡¯t we also wait previously?¡±


    Tang Xiu wore a serious look and said, ¡°You¡¯re my disciple, Xinyue. I don¡¯t want you to be shackled by rules and regulations when you give medical services. Working hours are set by people and can be broken by people as well. As a doctor, healing the wounded and rescuing the dying is a matter of unquestionable moral truth and principle. Saving people is akin to fighting fire, so it¡¯s best to start early and never delay for even half a second.¡±


    Upon hearing the speech, Xinyue quickly said, ¡°I understand, Master.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°Go have a look at the last queue number! After you¡¯re done with it, come back here and report to me how many patients there are. Also, tell the four patients in the front row to come inside when you go out.¡±


    Ten minutes later, after Tang Xiu had diagnosed the first four patients, the total number of patients had also been counted. What made him feel quite relieved was that the number of patients was less than what he imagined, being only 162.


    Consultation and treatment! Without stopping.


    However, unknown to Tang Xiu, who was currently busy inside the spacious and bright consultation room, a commotion was raised outside. More and more patients and their families rushed to Star City Chinese Medical Hospital along the passing of the day. A lot of people rushed there after hearing that Tang Xiu was performing examinations.


    At present, Li Hongji was standing before the window of the President¡¯s Office watching the sea of people in the large courtyard downstairs. His face turned faintly pale. Although he had expected that many people would come to Chinese Medical Hospital due to Tang Xiu, the young divine doctor that was going to give medical services in October, never once had he imagined that so many people would come. His eyes lingered at the front entrance of the hospital for a while, feeling a bad premonition.


    _Knock, knock¡­_


    The door to his office was knocked hard. As the door was pushed open, the Vice-president of the hospital rushed inside and hurriedly spoke, ¡°President, there are too many patients coming to our hospital. Added with their family members, the number of people now exceeds the normal number of visits to our hospital by 10 times. Something major is bound to happen if the situation continues like this.¡±


    Turning his head with difficulty, Li Hongji looked at the Vice President, whose face was full of anxiousness. His lips twitched a few times, as he forced a wry smile and said, ¡°This is a hospital, and those patients are coming here to see a doctor. Can we keep them out? I already know there are too many people. But what can we do since the hospital is already crowded? We have done what we could and even already informed the patients who came later to come back tomorrow, but they keep coming and we can¡¯t stop them!! Do you want me to send security guards to drive them out?¡±


    The Vice President argued in a heavy voice, ¡°President, if it¡¯s not enough and we can¡¯t do anything else, let¡¯s call the police! We have too few security guards to maintain order in the current situation. Please ask the local police station to send a few police officers in order to avoid people being stampeded and any other possible emergencies. They should be able to maintain order.¡±


    Li Hongji was stunned. It was beyond his imagination that his Vice President could present such a proposal. After giving it thought, however, he too felt that it was indeed a good idea. It must be noted that with so many people coming to the hospital, a great calamity would happen should such an incident happen.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid the nearby local police station has their hands full already and won¡¯t be enough to maintain order. Alright, I¡¯ll personally contact the City Council¡¯s leader and ask him to send a large number of policemen to help maintain order. Also, reassign some doctors who have light workloads and call the doctors who are on leave or on vacation. Tell them to help maintain order as well. The public has already recognized our hospital as well as the doctors working here. This is a good thing indeed, but it would be very troublesome if a big incident were to happen in our hospital.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative, Sir. I will do it immediately.¡± The Vice President turned around and quickly ran outside.


    ****


    _At Star City¡¯s Public Security Bureau¡­_


    Deng Jianmin was walking toward his office in high spirits. He had been having a relaxed time due to the low incidence of criminal cases recently. Though there had been many cases before that were eventually unsolved, that was in the past. Now he was not under tight scrutiny and tremendous pressure because of those cases anymore.


    _Perhaps this time next year I will be working in the provincial level bureau, no?_


    As Deng Jianmin strode into his office, he took out a cigarette and lit it up out of habit. This joyous idea came to him after taking a deep puff. After all, the provincial bureau¡¯s chief accepted his visit, even encouraging him to work more diligently, and saying that he was bound to serve the people later if he went a step further.


    _It¡¯s a pity, though! I would have enough merit if the previous cases were solved smoothly._


    _Ring, ring, ring¡­_


    The stationery phone rang.


    Deng Jianmin came to his desk, grabbed the microphone and said, ¡°Deng Jianmin speaking. May I know who am I speaking with?¡±


    ¡°Chief, the President of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, Li Hongji, is looking for you. He said that this is an urgent matter. He has already called you, but your phone was off,¡± a respectful voice was heard from the microphone.


    Deng Jianmin took out his mobile phone and found that it was out of battery. He then immediately said, ¡°I see. I¡¯ll call him back later.¡±


    After hanging up, Deng Jianmin recharged his mobile phone. After turning it on, he dialed Li Hongji¡¯s number.


    ¡°Hello, President Li, are you looking for me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! I have something that needs your assistance, Chief Deng. You must help me.¡±


    Deng Jiangmin was a bit surprised. It was really a rare and precious occasion for Li Hongji to actually have something that needed his assistance. After all, the man¡¯s status was quite prominent. A fact that must be noted was that he had been acquainted with Li Hongji for many years, yet he had never been asked for assistance, not even once. After a short time pondering, he smilingly said, ¡°President Li, please tell me what you require my assistance on.¡±


    With a bitter voice, Li Hongji said, ¡°Bureau Chief Deng, the young divine doctor of our Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, Tang Xiu, has come back to the give medical services at our hospital before the 11th holiday. As a result, the patients and their family members came rushing to our hospital, and the number is simply a blast. I¡¯m afraid there would be stampede accidents, as well as troubles created by the patients¡¯ family members. So, can you send a group of policemen to help maintain order?¡±


    Dumbfounded, it was out of Deng Jianmin¡¯s imagination that Li Hongji¡¯s request would unexpectedly be this ridiculous. Was it necessary for the police to maintain order in the hospital just because the place was crowded with people? Wasn¡¯t this too exaggerated?


    ¡°About that¡­ are you not joking with me, President Li? You need the policemen from our Public Security Bureau to help maintain order for this kind of situation? Even if there are a bit more patients there, it won¡¯t be to that extent, right?¡±


    ¡°Chief Deng, the number of patients visiting our Star City Chinese Medical Hospital has increased a lot in the past one to two months. However, the number of patients and their families today went beyond ten times that in the past! As of now, not only is the hospital consultation building already crowded with people, even more of them are occupying the courtyard outside. You can send someone to our hospital immediately if you don¡¯t believe me. You will understand when you see it.¡±


    Hesitating due doubtfulness for a short while, Deng Jiangmin then finally nodded, ¡°Such being the case, then so be it! I¡¯ll be coming over there with some of my men, and we¡¯ll talk again after I¡¯ve seen the situation.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    As the call ended, Deng Jiangmin shook his head and was at a loss whether he had to be amused or vexed. Although he was convinced by Li Hongji due to his conduct and personality, he still couldn¡¯t believe that such an exaggerated thing would happen in Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. It was common knowledge that incidents where people got trampled might arise in some major events or activities held in the city. But the patients were going to the hospital to see a doctor, how could it be possible to seal up the entire hospital, anyway?


    Immediately after, he brought seven policemen and rushed to Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. When he saw the situation at the Chinese Medical Hospital¡¯s entrance, he stared blankly with disbelief filling his eyes. A huge number of people were crowding the entrance, even spilling out to the roads outside and causing a severe traffic congestion. If not for a dozen or more traffic policemen who had already arrived to clear the road, it would have been extremely difficult for the two police cars to get there.


    ¡°This scene is similar to those major events in the city! Li Hongji truly said the truth. It seems that the number of policemen I brought won¡¯t have any effect at all.¡±


    Deng Jiangmin made a phone call, and took along with him several policemen. He quickly got off and ran toward the hospital¡¯s entrance. Even after he arrived near the entrance, it took him and his men ten minutes before being able to squeeze through the entrance. Yet the situation in the courtyard inside made him even more dumbfounded and shocked.


    There were too many¡­ there really were too many people here!


    Merely inside the range of his vision, there were at least seven thousand people in the entire courtyard outside the hospital. What was more bizarre and ridiculous was that the gaps between vehicles in the parking lot were also full of people.

 Chapter 498

    Chapter 498: The Power of an Internet Celebrity


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tian Xiaomeng was frustrated. It was depressing to the point of vomiting blood. She was a popular girl, being especially famous on the internet as an internet celeb. Yet now, as she was accompanying her mother to see a doctor today, she was left speechless, for the entirety of the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital was fully filled with a sea of people. And it wasn¡¯t even 8 AM! The most important fact was that the number had not only reduced, but had suddenly increased instead.


    ¡°Mom, come on! Let¡¯s leave this place and go to another hospital. There are so many people here, we may not be able to get a number even if we wait for three days and three nights!¡± Said Tian Xiaomeng with a helpless expression while standing in the line nearby the hospital¡¯s entrance.


    ¡°No. I heard that the young divine doctor, whose medical skills are extraordinary, has finally come to Star City Chinese Medical Hospital to render his medical services. It will be a pity if we don¡¯t get a number after standing in line. Rumor has it that the young divine doctor, Tang Xiu, can diagnose and treat very fast. If¡­ if we are lucky, maybe we can get on the line today!¡± Zhao Qin said, as even she herself was not sure about it. Nearly in her 50s, she still retained a graceful bearing.


    ¡°Mom, please have a look at the people here. Needless to say that the young divine doctor could treat very fast, but even if he¡¯s able to treat a person every three to five minutes, I¡¯m afraid that our turn will not come today! Just look around, there are so many of them that they look like ants,¡± said Tian Xiaomeng helplessly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just wait and see,¡± said Zhao Qin with a forced smile.


    Tian Xiaomeng knew her mother¡¯s physical condition. She had a kind of precordium ache that always pained her, yet nobody was able to detect the problem or its condition. It always made her mother worried and uneasy. Since she really wanted that young divine doctor, Tang Xiu, to diagnose and treat her, then she would accompany her herself.


    As she looked around, Tian Xiaomeng sighed inwardly, ¡°This Tang Xiu, who is touted as a young divine doctor, is truly amazing. Merely coming to this Chinese Medical Hospital to provide his medical services, yet so many patients have already recognized and come to see him. He¡¯s virtually a model for my generation. If my live broadcast channel was so popular and had so many loyal followers, how good would that be¡­¡±


    Suddenly, her expression moved, as an idea surfaced in her mind. The glint in her eyes turned more vivid as she glanced around. Her eyes finally landed on a family of three near her, and asked, ¡°Hello, may I ask you something?¡±


    The young woman who was hugging her child smilingly replied, ¡°What do you want to ask?¡±


    ¡°Are you also here for the young divine doctor?¡± Asked Tian Xiaomeng.


    The young woman nodded, ¡°Of course. I came here to see that young divine doctor for consultation and treatment. My daughter has been in poor health, and the problem is with her kidneys. We have already spent a lot of money and visited many hospitals, yet there has been no cure for her. So when I heard that the young divine doctor can cure my daughter¡¯s illness, we rushed from Jingmen Island. And not only that, we have been waiting here for a few days.¡±


    With eyes turned wide, Tian Xiaomeng exclaimed in alarm, ¡°You are from Jingmen Island? And¡­ and you¡¯ve been waiting here for several days?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Why are you getting excited over this little mater? More than half of the patients here have heard his fame and hail from every part of the country. I even heard that some people have been waiting here for more than a month,¡± said the young woman.


    _Badum, badum, badum!_


    Tian Xiaomeng could feel her heart crazily pounding. The shock made her unable to calm down for a long period of time. After a long while, only then did she remember to take her mobile phone out and access her live broadcast channel.


    ¡°WOOT! The anchor is unexpectedly online now! That¡¯s great!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the broadcast time 8 PM every day? Luckily, I got a reminder set up whenever the anchor gets online, or else I would have missed seeing the goddess-like host.¡±


    ¡°The Meng girl is coming online at this hour? That¡¯s strange, where are you now, girl? How could there be so many people around you???¡±


    ¡°Hey, Goddess, where exactly are you?¡±


    ¡°What kind of situation are you in now, Mengmeng?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Just as Tian Xiaomeng appeared on her live channel, the number of people online rose. In a few minutes, the number of followers online her channel had reached more than 4,000 people.


    After reading the comments, Tian Xiaomeng finally coughed softly and said, ¡°Hello, everyone. I broadcast at 8 PM every day. But today, I just came across a very big event. This is simply an incredible sight if I may say, so I want to share it with all of you.


    ¡°Do you see the people around me? This sea of people? I¡¯m now in Shuangqing Province¡¯s Star City, at the Chinese Medical Hospital. As of today, a young divine doctor came to render his medical services here, and tens of thousands people who heard about his fame are now flocking here from every part of the country.


    ¡°Just as I learned about this situation, I was so shocked my heart nearly jumped out. There are too many people here, guys! Some of them come from other regions, and they have arrived in Star City a couple days ago; there are some others who have come a month ago, and have been waiting since just because they want to see that young divine doctor, to get diagnosed and treated by him. This makes me unable to imagine to what degree and how extraordinary that young divine doctor is! Why so many people came to see him and consult their health and get his treatment?


    ¡°Have you ever saw something like this? There¡¯s too many patients here to see the doctors, and even the police from the Public Security Bureau came to maintain order! I myself just had a look outside the hospital, and the number of policemen inside and outside the hospital has now reached several hundred at the least¡­¡±


    Along with Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s explanation, the comments section simply exploded. Numerous followers posted their messages and constantly updated the screen.


    ¡°Heavens! Are you not kidding us, Young Lady Mengmeng? Western medical science is far more powerful and reliable than the traditional Chinese medical knowledge! Star City Chinese Medical Hospital is but only a small player, how could they possibly have such a big reputation?¡±


    ¡°Goddess Meng, is it for real, or is it a fake?? Is that young divine doctor really that skilled? Is there a chance that he¡¯s a swindler or something?¡±


    ¡°Man, that¡¯s so unbelievable. I thought it was a major event or something like that. Never thought it to be a hospital.¡±


    ¡°Divine Doctor Tang! I know that young divine doctor. His name is Tang Xiu, the most skilled divine doctor from Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. My family has a relative who suffered from a very troublesome chronic illness, but he has turned for the better because of Divine Doctor Tang.¡±


    ¡°Dear Meng, what exactly are you doing in Star City Chinese Medical Hospital? Are you sick or in a bad condition?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The comments kept flashing without stopping. Tian Xiaomeng found herself somewhat overwhelmed and unable to catch up. However, she still picked some messages with issues she could answer, and told them what she knew and thought of.


    When her followers found out that Tian Xiaomeng was accompanying her mother to see the said doctor, comments contained blessings, regards, donation, and rewards kept flashing unceasingly. There were even some local riches, who threw a lot of money in the form of rewards and donations. And quickly, the amount and number rose faster than the total number of her usual monthly live broadcast in the past.


    Tian Xiaomeng was thrilled and excited. Never once had she ever dreamed of earning such a big harvest after half an hour of live broadcast. However, the most unexpected thing was that the website management noticed this particularity because the number of viewers in her live channel had continued to rise, and several local riches had been throwing money away.


    ¡°I¡¯m at the top? It got pinned up?¡±


    Tian Xiaomeng looked at the spot that displayed the number of viewers and followers on the screen of her mobile phone. Seeing as how it kept increasing so dramatically, her mouth was agape. Her shocked expression was so pure and lovely that it only caused the reward hit and donation to turn more frenzied.


    At the same time, many followers and viewers downloaded the live broadcast to edit it into clips, and then shared the video through various channels. In an instant, a lot of people knew that there was a big event in Star City, and knew that Star City Chinese Medical Hospital had a young miracle-working doctor who possessed superb medical skills that could bring a patient back to life.


    Among those clips were also some with banners that many people flagged as ¡°The Cops Act as the Hospital¡¯s Escort¡±. This was because a small-timer young anchor broadcasting a live streaming on her small channel, yet it was like a butterfly effect, for the video was unceasingly being shared, forwarded, and constantly being spread out through various channels.


    ****


    At 12 PM Tang Xiu was still receiving patients for consultation and treatment. During the whole morning he hardly dared to waste the slightest amount of time. Even so, he could only treat 60 patients in the morning. There were also two patients with very troublesome diseases that he had to ask to go to the hospital¡¯s Inpatient Department first. When he ended the day¡¯s consultations, he then went to the Inpatient Department to give them treatment.


    ¡°Please make way. Everyone, please make way!¡±


    Li Hongji and several other leaders were trying to squeeze into the consultation room. When he saw that Tang Xiu was currently giving acupuncture treatment to a patient inside a separated curtain-closed compartment, he then waited for Tang Xiu to come out.


    ¡°Dr. Tang, it¡¯s already noon. Please have a rest and go to the cafeteria to eat something! We still have many patients; let us continue the work to give them treatment again in the afternoon,¡± said Li Hongji.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a while. He slowly shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m eating there. Could you ask someone to bring it here, President Li? I will only have a bite before continuing.¡±


    Li Hongji was taken aback. He forced a wry smile and said, ¡°Dr. Tang, work must be alternated with rest, please!¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with a reluctant expression, ¡°I also know that it¡¯s necessary to alternate work with rest. But we have too many patients, and if I don¡¯t hurry up and use time efficiently, I¡¯m afraid I will be very busy and unable to finish it by tomorrow morning.¡±


    Squeezing out another forced smile, Li Hongji said, ¡°Dr. Tang, even if you want to hurry up, you will probably be unable to finish treating them by tomorrow morning. Outside is¡­ Well, I¡¯m going tell you, then! There are really too many patients outside. As of now, not only has the hospital¡¯s courtyard already full of people, even the areas outside the hospital have already been crowded. The comrades from the Public Security Bureau have dispatched several hundreds of police officers, yet they are barely able to maintain order. The patients said that they won¡¯t leave until they can see you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes turned wide, a look of disbelief in his eyes. After a short while, he hurriedly asked, ¡°Haven¡¯t you told them that only the patients who get the number today can get treatment? Didn¡¯t you tell them to come back again tomorrow if they can¡¯t get a number?¡±


    Li Hongji forced a wry smile, ¡°I already told them. Our hospital¡¯s security guards have already broadcasted it a dozen times already, yet they don¡¯t want to leave. It¡¯s simply useless. I just can¡¯t send people to drive them away!¡±


    Tang Xiu gulped, ¡°I can¡¯t manage that much either. President Li, send someone to supervise it. Tell them that the treatment will be given to those who have a queue number; and as for those who don¡¯t, give them the number according to their line number in the queue today, and tell them to come early tomorrow morning. Remember, the total number distributed to the patients must be the same as today¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±

 Chapter 499

    Chapter 499: Problems with One¡¯s Attitude


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The entire day was spent in the consultation room receiving patients. Despite being working fast, there were too many patients, and he couldn¡¯t handle more than his limit. At 10 PM, he sent off all the patients who were still in the queue, yet he was quite helpless since today¡¯s treatment was not yet over for him; there were still six more patients who needed his treatment. Their treatment would need a lot of time, and they were all waiting in the Inpatient Department.


    ¡°Are you tired, Xinyue?¡±


    Tang Xiu got up to stretch himself. He turned to look at the faintly pale Dai Xinyue, whose forehead had thick beads of sweat running down her face.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m very tired, Master. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m going to faint if we have to treat a dozen patients more,¡± said Dai Xinyue with a smile.


    ¡°Your physical fitness is very poor, that I know. After this is over, I¡¯ll impart you something else that will greatly enhance your physical fitness. Anyhow, I¡¯m going to treat those six patients in the Inpatient Department by myself. As for you, go home and rest. You must still come to work before 8 o¡¯clock tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°One must finish what one has started, Master. I¡¯m your disciple and assistant, so I must stay by your side to treat all of the patients. Also, what I can gain from studying alongside you for a day is far more than a year of study anywhere else. Fatigue and hardship is no longer able to deter me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re indeed worthy of being my disciple,¡± praised Tang Xiu. ¡°You can bear hardships and heavy workload, as well being hardworking. That¡¯s great. After the October holiday ends, ask a leave from the hospital for some time, and have a trip with me to Shanghai!¡±


    ¡°What exactly am I gonna do with you in Shanghai, Master?¡± Asked Dai Xinyue curiously.


    ¡°I will impart my Chinese medical knowledge to you as far as possible in the next several months. I¡¯m sure that as long as you are diligent and work hard, after studying with me for several months, your level won¡¯t be inferior to those who have been immersing themselves in Chinese medical science for dozens of years, though you may not be able to reach my level.¡±


    ¡°Great, that¡¯s great!¡± Dai Xinyue¡¯s eyes lit up, as she immediately replied in excitement, ¡°I¡¯ll listen to your arrangement, Master.¡±


    ¡°This attitude of yours is very good, but still, it¡¯s very late. If you insist on following me to treat the remaining six patients, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t have a good rest tonight, and you will not be in high spirits tomorrow all day long. Just go back home! Take a good relaxing bath, and have a good sleep. I¡¯ll be waiting for you here at 8 o¡¯clock in the morning,¡± said Tang Xiu with a faint smile.


    ¡°This¡­¡± Dai Xinyue was a bit hesitant. But after seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s serious expression, she eventually nodded and said, ¡°Then, I¡¯m going back home first, Master. But after you treat those patients you must also have a good rest, Master.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing!¡± Tang Xiu nodded slightly.


    Following that, he packed up his things, took the medicine box, and walked out of the consultation room. Outside, he saw Li Hongji and several senior executives of the Chinese Medical Hospital standing there. What surprised him was that someone was standing beside the hospital¡¯s leaders. It was an old acquaintance of his, Deng Jiangmin, the Chief of the Municipal Public Security Bureau.


    ¡°What are you people doing here?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a surprised tone.


    Li Hongji deeply looked at at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Dr. Tang, what you¡¯ve done today made me speechless; I don¡¯t know what I to say. It was shocking, touching, as well as moved my heart. Having a divine doctor such as you in the medical society makes me happy and proud at the same time. For that, I thank you. Thank you very much.¡±


    Looking like a Buddhist monk who was unable to understand what it was all about, Tang Xiu asked in a puzzlement, ¡°Did you not make a mistake? What exactly are you thanking me for?¡±


    ¡°As of today, you made me see what miracles meant in the medical profession,¡± said Li Hongji. ¡°You¡¯ve treated 156 patients in just a day, and to those patients, your existence is simply a gospel. I¡¯m thanking you for the gratitude I feel from the bottom of my heart.¡±


    Though smiling in response, Tang Xiu ignored what he said, ¡°I have promised you that I¡¯d come provide medical services. Thus, this is my duty and responsibility, to begin with. President Li, as long as you prevent the cops from arresting me as a bad guy or something, please leave out the ceremony.¡±


    Stepping forward, Deng Jiangmin smilingly said, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, a good doctor such as you who treats illnesses and saves patients, how could we arrest you? Moreover, it was almost too late for us to protect you! If anything, there might be a misunderstanding between us prior to this. But seeing what you¡¯ve done today, I can tell that the previous cases truly had no relationship with you whatsoever. As for tomorrow¡­ Tomorrow I will personally lead my men to help maintain order here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all in the past. Anyways, I have yet to finish for today. I need to go to the Inpatient Department. If there isn¡¯t anything else, you all can go home earlier! I¡¯m going to treat the last six patients, and then go home as well.¡±


    ¡°Dr. Tang, please don¡¯t! It¡¯s already 10 PM. If the patients have a troublesome disease it will take you at least until the early hours. You¡¯ve gone through such a high workload today, you need to rest as well,¡± quickly said Li Hongji.


    ¡°Rest assured, I¡¯m fine!¡± Said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Having said that, he hurried to the Inpatient Department carrying the medicine box. Along the way there, numerous patients and their family members pointed their fingers at Tang Xiu with eyes full of admiration and gratitude.


    Just like Li Hongji said, when Tang Xiu had finished treating the six patients whose conditions were quite troublesome, it was already 12 o¡¯clock. After driving his car and arriving home, he only had time to do a simple washing, and then straightly hit the bed. However, he had only slept for three hours when he was already up to do a round of cultivation in high spirits until five AM. After washing himself, he took his car and left South Gate Town.


    _5:30¡­_


    Darkness still engulfed the sky at this time, but Tang Xiu had already arrived at the vicinity of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. He let out a wry smile when he saw that the hospital¡¯s entrance was already crowded. Even though the night had passed, there were this many patients and their family members outside the hospital. It could be imagined that the number of people inside the courtyard was even greater.


    ¡°There are so many people, continuing this way won¡¯t do!¡±


    Tang Xiu parked his car a few hundred meters away from the entrance. After getting off, he walked to a dark corner where he took a cigarette and lit it up. He took a deep puff and silently pondered how to solve the issue.


    As of now, he had already realized that the strength of an individual was limited. For instance, the number of patients who had come from all over the country was really too many. He couldn¡¯t employ a technique to clone himself and spread them out, neither was he able to treat all of them by himself.


    _Should I find a helper?_


    This idea appeared inside Tang Xiu¡¯s mind, and he finally made up his mind. However, the number of people skilled in the Chinese Medical field he knew of was very few. After carefully and slowly racking up his memories, he recalled the name of Chu Guoxiong, a disciple of a sage doctor whom he had met in Jingmen Island once. Furthermore, he also remembered that Li Hongjin was Chu Guoxiong¡¯s Senior Brother. He immediately took his mobile and contacted Li Hongji, who was still asleep.


    ¡°My Junior Brother is indeed in Star City, Dr. Tang. He knew the other day that you¡¯d come back from Shanghai to provide medical services at our Chinese Medical Hospital during the 11th holiday, thus he wanted to visit you. Eventually, he didn¡¯t want to disturb you since there were too many patients yesterday.¡±


    ¡°President Li, if it¡¯s convenient, can you ask Chu Guoxiong to come to Star City Chinese Medical Hospital this morning? I want him to be my assistant,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Surprised and astonished, Li Hongji said, ¡°You want my Junior Brother to be your assistant? It won¡¯t be a problem. I¡¯ll immediately contact him and ask him to¡­ ask him to go to Chinese Medical Hospital now and wait for you there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already arrived at the hospital. I¡¯m stuck outside the entrance, though. After calling you, I¡¯ll have to climb over the wall and begin to receive the patients,¡± said Tang Xiu with a laugh.


    ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re already there?¡± Li Hongji was surprised. He could hardly imagine that Tang Xiu, who had been very busy and spent all day working yesterday, only having rested for five hours before returning to the hospital. Such attitude and professionalism deepened his respect toward him.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m here already,¡± Tang Xiu laughed.


    ¡°Then¡­ Then I¡¯ll get up right now and rush to the hospital. We¡¯ll talk more when I get there,¡± said Li Hongji after pondering for a moment.


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu appeared at the entrance of the consultation building. As he looked at the crowd, a wry smile painted his face, as he squeezed his way through.


    ¡°Hey, hey, hey¡­ what the hell¡¯s up with you? You don¡¯t know how to line up behind or something?¡± Amid the too crowded queue, a middle-aged man turned his head to the back as he looked at Tang Xiu and angrily shouted.


    In an instant, more than a dozen pair of eyes were fixated on Tang Xiu.


    Squeezing out a forced smile, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°If I were to line up like you, then no one would give the patients consultation and treatment. Everyone, could you please make way? I need to go to the consultation room.¡±


    ¡°What absurd things are you spitting out, kid? Don¡¯t ever think that posing as a doctor will make us make way for you. Just go back in the queue, and stay there obediently. Otherwise, everyone will make you look quite good later.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu,¡± said Tang Xiu, creasing his brows.


    The middle-aged man angrily replied, ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn care if you¡¯re Tang¡­ Huh? That¡¯s not right. You¡­ you are¡­ Tang, Divine Doctor Tang?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m him!¡± Said Tang Xiu with all seriousness. ¡°If you still want to get treatment, please make way for me.¡±


    Suddenly, a youth who was eight meters away loudly called out, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, it really is you! I saw you yesterday, but I never thought you would come so early today! There¡¯s still nearly two hours from the start of the doctor¡¯s working hours, no?¡±


    In a flash, the middle-aged man¡¯s expression drastically changed. The anger on his face instantly vanished, replaced by a reverential and fearful expression. He hastily explained, ¡°D-Divine Doctor Tang, I¡¯m really sorry¡­ I-I didn¡¯t know it was you. Please don¡¯t be angry with me! Our family of three have all been waiting for you since yesterday until this morning because of your extraordinary medical skills. Therefore¡­¡±


    ¡°Explanations are not needed, since I won¡¯t care about it.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand. ¡°I will do my best to give patients consultation and treatment as long as everyone maintains order in the queue. All right, we can¡¯t waste time, so please makes way, everyone!¡±


    With the crowd in front making him a corridor, Tang Xiu entered the consultation room very smoothly. Because the numbers had already been distributed yesterday, Tang Xiu simply tidied up the consultation room and began receiving the patients.


    About ten minutes later, at the entrance of outpatient service building, Tian Xiaomeng, who was staying in the queue for the purpose of having an interview and helping her mother to line up, sat up drowsily with weariness all over her face.


    ¡°Hey, who just stepped on me?¡±


    The pain transmitted from her feet made Tian Xiaomeng immediately sober up and cry out due to the pain. She then looked up and saw that the queue had began to move forward.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, little girl,¡± quickly said a middle-aged man.


    No longer bothered about her foot, Tian Xiaomeng quickly got up and asked, ¡°Uncle, it¡¯s still 6:30 AM now. How come the queue began to move forward already?¡±

 Chapter 500

    Chapter 500: Hiding Abilities


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    After the crowded queue moved five meters forward, the middle-aged man then said with a smile, ¡°You were asleep, so you didn¡¯t see Divine Doctor Tang¡¯s arrival. The queue moved forward because eight patients have already been diagnosed and treated by Dr. Tang.¡±


    ¡°How is this possible? Why did Divine Doctor Tang come so early? I heard he left at the early hours last night,¡± Tian Xiaomeng said with astonishment.


    ¡°That¡¯s dedication and professionalism. And also the benevolence possessed by a sage doctor. As of yesterday, Divine Doctor Tang diagnosed and treated 166 patients, and today he must also treat the same number of patients. Whether it¡¯s his treatment speed, or the effect of his treatment, it¡¯s worthy of everyone¡¯s admiration.


    Hearing this, Tian Xiaomeng didn¡¯t know what to say. Nowadays, the relationship between patients and medical practitioners was quite problematic as numerous issues between doctors and their patients had often been reported. She herself had been to many hospitals and met many doctors, yet never once did she expect to meet such a good doctor in this life.


    ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s really admirable.¡± Tian Xiaomeng couldn¡¯t help but sigh.


    ¡°True! It¡¯s very admirable.¡±


    ¡°What a good divine doctor!¡±


    ¡°If there are more doctors like Divine Doctor Tang in this world, how good would it be?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s rare for a doctor to be back to the hospital after only five hours of rest.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The patients waiting in the queue all expressed their admiration.


    From their expressions, the keen Tian Xiaomeng could see respect, admiration, and various others emotions.


    ¡°Please move aside!¡±


    A loud and clear voice was heard. Many people looked toward the back and quickly made way when they saw who the arrivals were.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the even the hospital¡¯s higher ups themselves would come so early. It should be because of Divine Doctor Tang!¡± Said Tian Xiaomeng in a low voice after she saw them.


    The middle-aged man nodded, ¡°But of course. Divine Doctor Tang will only be rendering his medical services for three days. The higher ups of the hospital cannot not attend to Divine Doctor Tang, to begin with.¡±


    ¡°How could things be so exaggerated, Uncle. It¡¯s simply because the President was affected by Divine Doctor Tang. He was ashamed of resting at home, so he could only choose to come earlier¡­¡± Tian Xiaomeng laughed.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    ***


    _In the consultation room¡­_


    Just as Tang Xiu sent off a patient, he saw Li Hongji coming in with Chu Guoxiong. After several months of not having met him, the man had become thinner. Just as he came closer, the faint scent of medicinal herbs could be smelled from him; it was evident that he had been dealing with medicinal herbs recently.


    ¡°Dr. Tang, I brought my Junior Brother with me,¡± said Li Hongji with a smiling face.


    Tang Xiu looked at Chu Guoxiong and said, ¡°Chu Guoxiong, you haven¡¯t forgotten me, right?¡±


    Squeezing out a wry smile, Chu Guoxiong said, ¡°I may forget who I am, Divine Doctor Tang, but how could I ever forget you? If anything, you¡¯ve given me a good lesson in Jingmen Island. You made me realize the true meaning that _¡®one must never judge others by their appearance, for we also cannot measure an ocean with a bushel¡¯_. Hence, I apologize for everything that happened before.¡±


    ¡°Let the bygones be bygones.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and smilingly said. ¡°As practitioners of Chinese medical knowledge, the most important thing for us is to have a broad mind, as well as understand that virtue, goodness, and morality are the way to convey our Dao. I believe President Li has told you why I invited you here, right? How about it? Would you be willing to help me here for two days?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind, but I¡¯m afraid that the patients won¡¯t take me into account! They have come to Star City from faraway places, and their purpose here is to consult with a certain doctor ¡ª you,¡± said Chu Guoxiong.


    ¡°Actually, it won¡¯t be an issue for you if it is not a special case of incurable diseases or something like that,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°There are few patients here that contracted incurable diseases. Hence, nearly all of them can be treated by you. With the two of us working together, not only can we treat more patients, I can also relax a little. Of course, if you come across a case that you find difficult to deal with, I will promptly take over the diagnosis.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll respect your arrangement, as well as obey your instructions,¡± said Chu Guoxiong with a nod.


    Following that, Tang Xiu looked at Li Hongji and smilingly said, ¡°President Li, I may have to trouble you to add two more consultation tables! Also, please call another two assistants.¡±


    Li Hongji looked vacant, and asked with a puzzled expression, ¡°Why do you want another two consultation tables? Who exactly are the other assistants?¡±


    ¡°As far as I know, this Chinese Medical Hospital has a senior Chinese doctor surnamed Hu who has good medical skills. When he arrives to work, please tell him to help me! If he comes across any doubts or problems with the incurable diseases during the diagnosis or treatment, tell him that I will personally act,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    After pondering for a short while, Li Hongji then nodded with a smile, ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll handle this. However, since the two of them are joining you, can you increase the number patients you will treat today?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t increase the number too much, just 100 people!¡± Tang Xiu nodded and answered.


    ¡°No problem,¡± said Li Hongji with a smile. ¡°Anyhow, the queue is very long. Let alone adding another 100 people, even if we add another 500 people, I¡¯m afraid there will still be quite a lot of people left!¡±


    Shortly after, Li Hongji left the consultation room. Tang Xiu gave a signal to Chu Guoxiong to wait, whereas he continued his consultations.


    ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, you must save my daughter.¡± Gong Liqun led an 9 years-old looking girl sitting on a chair in front of the doctor¡¯s table, as she looked at Tang Xiu and said with a pleading expression.


    Tang Xiu motioned the girl to stretch out her wrist. While checking her pulse, he asked, ¡°Did you bring her medical records? What is her sickness from the previous examination?¡±


    ¡°Leukemia!¡±


    Gong Liqun put medical records in front of Tang Xiu. She was 40 years-old this year. Her husband died in a car accident, leaving her widowed and her daughter orphaned. She was a HRD Manager of a foreign capital company with decent salary back then. The family of two had a comfortable life previously, but ever since her daughter was diagnosed with leukemia six months ago, she had no choice but resign from her job. Following that, she took her daughter to seek medical treatment from the hospital in Beijing and other big hospitals in Shanghai.


    However, completely curing leukemia was an almost impossible task. Just as she was preparing to take her daughter to seek medical treatment abroad, she heard that a miracle-working doctor suddenly appeared in Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. Thus, she rushed here with her daughter with hope, and the two had been waiting for more than a week in Star City.


    Tang Xiu creased his brows slightly. There was a helpless expression in his face. He may be revered as a divine doctor, yet his helplessness was not because he couldn¡¯t cure this disease. He may be able to cure some of the more difficult cases that the medical world was yet able to solve until now. But if the matter of him being able to cure these diseases were to be publicized, that would probably draw him quite the trouble.


    At the side, Chu Guoxiong had a queer expression. He didn¡¯t expect that the first case he would see from Tang Xiu¡¯s treatment was the thorny and troublesome blood sepsis case. Though his Master was also touted as a sage and divine doctor with extraordinary medical skills, yet he himself must go through extreme difficulties to cure leukemia thoroughly.


    After checking the girl¡¯s pulse, as well as using his spiritual sense to examine her condition, Tang Xiu felt quite helpless inside, for the condition of the girl was quite serious.


    Leukemia is also known as the white blood disease, a kind of disease with a clonal characteristic of malignant hematopoietic stem cells. Its clonal characteristic made the multiplication of leukemia cells out of control, and the crowding that results from such cells blocking the mechanism of the bone marrow produces healthy blood cells. The disease accumulated in the bone marrow then infiltrated other hematopoietic organs, while at the same time suppressing the organs¡¯ normal functions to produce healthy blood cells.


    Tang Xiu got up. He gently touched her lymphatic node and found it enlarged. The girl showed a pained expression when he touched it.


    ¡°How should I call you?¡± Tang Xiu looked at Gong Liqun and asked.


    Gong Liqun told her name.


    ¡°Ms. Gong, your daughter¡¯s condition is very serious. If you continue to ignore it, I¡¯m afraid she¡¯ll only be able to live for half a year at the most. Even if you try to suppress the disease with common medicine, it won¡¯t have a significant effect on her. However, I¡¯ll give you a prescription of Chinese traditional medicine. You can bring your daughter now to get the medicine, and please give it to her when she¡¯s suffering from the pain.¡±


    The expectation and hope on Gong Liqun¡¯s face vanished, replaced by grief and unwillingness. After being silent for 10 seconds, she then asked with a somewhat hoarse voice, ¡°Is there really no other means, Divine Doctor Tang?¡±


    ¡°There is,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    Gong Liqun¡¯s eyes lit up, and she hastily asked, ¡°What is the solution?¡±


    ¡°Saying it now wouldn¡¯t be appropriate. Just take your daughter home and get her the prescribed medicine I just gave you. Come to the Inpatient Department tonight, I¡¯ll look for you there. I will talk to you about it in detail then,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave my mobile number to you, then,¡± said Gong Liqun hurriedly. ¡°My daughter is staying in the A area, ward #9015. We¡¯ll be waiting for you there.¡±


    Tang Xiu sat back in his chair, and then handed over the prescription to Gong Liqun, saying, ¡°Give her the medicine according to this prescription once every morning and evening for two weeks.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± replied Gong Liqun quickly.


    At the side, Chu Guoxiong had a strange expression on his face, as he asked in a whisper, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, can you really treat this disease?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee, but I can try,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Chu Guoxiong nodded. Although he admired Tang Xiu¡¯s courage, he was not optimistic about Tang Xiu¡¯s ability to cure leukemia. What he noted was that his Master, Gui Jianchou, was also able to cure leukemia in its early stages. But for the middle and late stages, it couldn¡¯t be cured completely despite his outstanding medical skills. He could only guarantee that there would be no recurrence in the short term after the treatment.


    Afterward, Tang Xiu diagnosed and treated more than a dozen patients. Chu Guoxiong, who had been standing beside him and observing Tang Xiu¡¯s unusual consultation and treatment methods, was shocked inwardly. Tang Xiu¡¯s treatment methods were particularly unusual, and even he himself had never seen or heard of it.


    Nevertheless, Tang Xiu¡¯s treatment speed, as well as its after-effects, made him sincerely convinced, as admiration and worship gradually appeared in his eyes.


    At 8 o¡¯clock in the morning, after the senior Chinese medical doctor surnamed Hu had arrived at Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, the old man and Chu Guoxiong joined the consultation and treatment marathon. Although the two men were unable to grasp Tang Xiu¡¯s methods, they were genuinely skilled and had mastered their medical skills, nonetheless. Many patients also left satisfied after getting diagnosed and treated by them.


    However, many patients who came to Star City Chinese Medical Hospital for treatment were patients with incurable diseases, hence the two men encountered a lot of patients with troublesome conditions, and eventually made Tang Xiu solve them.

 Chapter 501

    Chapter 501: Filming Without Permission


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    At lunch break, Tang Xiu left the to eat at the cafeteria. However, his expression changed just as he stepped out of the consultation room, since not only were there two security guards at the entrance to the room but also four police officers maintaining order in the corridor.


    ¡°Do we need to be this exaggerating?¡± Tang Xiu glanced at Dai Xinyue, smilingly touching his nose.


    ¡°There was actually some peculiar circumstances in the morning, Master,¡± said Dai Xinyue. ¡°It¡¯s kind of the last resort employed by the President and Chief Deng of Municipal Public Security Bureau.¡±


    ¡°Peculiar circumstances? What exactly happened?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a strange expression.


    ¡°There were a lot of reporters at the hospital entrance in the morning,¡± said Dai Xinyue with a forced smile. ¡°Even people from City TV station and Provincial TV station came. As far as I know, there were dozens of reporters wanting to interview you, and squeezed inside. Finally, the security guards and the police force stopped them, hence causing conflicts between the two parties. After the president learned about the incident, he and Chief Deng personally came to drive them out, even issuing a strict order that they are not allowed to step into the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Reporters?¡± Tang Xiu frowned. ¡°Do they have nothing else to do? Why would they want to interview me, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Master, your fame is very hot as of now. I heard that an anchor of a live broadcast channel came to our hospital, and she broadcasted a live about you and the sea of people in our Chinese Medical Hospital through her live broadcast channel. Therefore, all major media networks have received this news from yesterday. The captured footage has even been shared to many forums and social media such as WeChat and QQ. Put simply, you¡¯re very hot now, a headline.¡±


    ¡°Is that true, Xinyue?¡± Asked Tang Xiu hurriedly. ¡°I have never liked being exposed, and if it¡¯s true, maybe I¡¯ll become the focus of attention and be followed wherever I go.¡±


    Dai Xinyue stretched out her fingers, saying, ¡°Master, I swear that everything I said is true. You can browse the internet if you don¡¯t believe me. Many websites put you in the headlines, reporting you as a miracle-working doctor.¡±


    Tang Xiu quickly took out his mobile phone. After searching and browsing it on the internet, he could only let out a forced smile. He never dreamed that things would escalate to this situation.


    Suddenly, his expression slightly changed, and he quickly said, ¡°Xinyue, go grab a bite in the cafeteria. I need to make a phone call, and then I¡¯ll go straight to you afterward.¡±


    ¡°All right, Master. I¡¯ll help you order a meal,¡± Dai Xinyue replied with a nod.


    Half a minute later, Tang Xiu left the corridor and dialed the Old Tang Family Head in a remote corner.


    ¡°Ah, Xiu¡¯er. Why did you suddenly remember to call me?¡± Tang Guosheng¡¯s tone seemed very happy for receiving Tang Xiu¡¯s phone call.


    ¡°I just encountered a small problem, Grandpa,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯ve been in the Star City Chinese Medical Service providing medical services, and someone dragged me into the news. I became many media¡¯s headlines because of many people coming here to get treated by me. If my identity is exposed, the Yao Family will probably obtain the news as well. By then, they should be able to guess that curing your asthma wouldn¡¯t be a problem given my medical skills. Furthermore, they should also be able to figure out that my father¡¯s recovery from his vegetative state was my masterpiece.¡±


    Tang Guosheng was silent before he slowly said, ¡°You really are Tang Guosheng¡¯s grandson with that meticulous and careful brain of yours. Anyhow, I¡¯ve already caught the news about you rendering medical services at Star City Chinese Medical Hospital before you called me. But I didn¡¯t expect that such a situation would unfold, though. It seems that I will no longer able to conceal my recovery.¡±


    ¡°Then, what are you gonna do?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°A change in our strategy,¡± said Tang Guosheng. ¡°Prior to this, the Tang Family employed the strategy to develop our force in secret. Since it will no longer work, I¡¯ll announce that I¡¯ve recovered from my illness, and will develop and exhibit the Tang Family without concealing it. It¡¯s been more than 20 years that our family has been constantly under suppression with a lot of people eyeing on us, while waiting for me to return to the West paradise. Now we should give them some shocks.¡±


    ¡°For us, the Tang Family, to go straight onto the stage after having been developing ourselves in secret all this while, I¡¯m afraid it will be very difficult; those hostile forces surely will not sit idly by seeing whatever the Tang Family does to develop itself,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Tang Guosheng fell into silence again, and slowly said, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, I want to ask you one thing.¡±


    ¡°Please, do ask!¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°If I amassed our entire funds, can you train a powerful force without being noticed by anyone?¡± Asked Tang Guosheng.


    ¡°I need to know the exact amount first,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Tang Guosheng thought for a moment, and said, ¡°50 billion. It¡¯s the maximum amount the Tang Family can mobilize without garnering attention. More than that will be difficult, I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    ¡°Give me four years. I can use the money to train a group of outstanding talents, as well as cultivate a batch of highly skilled experts,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Moreover, I can invest it and double the amount.¡±


    ¡°Great, then come back in a few days. Let¡¯s have a chat then,¡± said Tang Guosheng loudly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave for Beijing on the 5th, then,¡± replied Tang Xiu.


    After hanging up the phone, there was a sliver of excitement in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. Though he was not short on funds, being able to obtain 50 billion in a short time would be enough for him to do a lot of things. He may have no other skills, but using money to produce more funds was his strong point. Furthermore, cultivating talents and skilled people would require an enormous amount of funds, and funding was the most fundamental issue for he to go all out.


    Having finished his cigarette, Tang Xiu went to the cafeteria.


    ¡°Have you been good, Divine Doctor Tang?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you are here for lunch too, Divine Doctor Tang!¡±


    ¡°You really are so dedicated, Divine Doctor Tang. I didn¡¯t see you eat lunch yesterday.¡±


    ¡°It has been laborious for you, Dr. Tang!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Many doctors came greet Tang Xiu one after another. Tang Xiu didn¡¯t know these people, yet he greeted them back one by one, for the common saying told that no sane people would beat others who gave them smiling faces. After greeting all of them, Tang Xiu then went toward Dai Xinyue¡¯s place.


    ¡°Master, I have already ordered your meal. Also, President Li originally wanted to order special servings for you, but I didn¡¯t agree considering your disposition. You wouldn¡¯t blame me for that, would you?¡± Dai Xinyue got up and smilingly said.


    ¡°Anything will do,¡± said Tang Xiu as he waved his hand.


    At this time, a figure came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side. It was Sun Wenjing, who took her lunch plate as she took a seat next to Dai Xinyue and smilingly said, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, have you been good all this time?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked up to her and smilingly replied, ¡°Ah, hello, too! Have your mother¡¯s condition been good?¡±


    With a grateful expression, Sun Wenjing said, ¡°My mother is very healthy now, and she has always wanted to thank you, Dr. Tang. If it weren¡¯t for you, perhaps¡­¡±


    ¡°Healing the wounded and rescuing the dying are a doctor¡¯s duty,¡± said Tang Xiu while shaking his head. ¡°I may not be a pure doctor, but since I¡¯ve promised President Li to provide my medical services at the Chinese Medical Hospital, I was just doing my duty.¡±


    Sun Wenjing nodded. There was a bit of envy in her eyes when she looked at Dai Xinyue. She then talked to Tang Xiu, ¡°Dr. Tang, my mother is always talking about you. If you have some free time, I hope you can visit us.¡±


    ¡°Let us talk about that again later, shall we?¡± Tang Xiu let out a faint smile and began eating his lunch.


    After having lunch, Tang Xiu returned to the consultation room, yet the scene inside the spacious room made him stare blankly. There was a new table moved to the room with a large number of pennants placed on it. Judging the number with his eyes, it should be more than 200.


    ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, these were sent to you from the patients. My Senior Brother told us to put the pennants here,¡± said Chu Guoxiong with a smile.


    ¡°Ah, President Li really doesn¡¯t understand me well, it seems,¡± said Tang Xiu and couldn¡¯t help chuckle. ¡°Placing these brocade flags here doesn¡¯t have any significance at all. Besides, many of the patients come from poor households, and making these brocade flags would be a burden for them. So, let¡¯s just forget it. Anyhow, I recall that the hospital has once set up a relief fund to help those poor patients, right? Then I¡¯ll donate 1 million yuan later and let the hospital manage and arrange it to help those patients whose family conditions are difficult.¡±


    Giving him a thumbs up, Chu Guoxiong praised, ¡°I think your benevolence and compassionate heart, as well as your magical medical skills, have become a gospel for countless families, Dr. Tang. In light of this, I¡¯ll also donate 1 million yuan to express my own intention and respect!¡±


    ¡°The disciples of the Sage Doctor really are kind-hearted,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Master has a motto that virtues are everywhere along the journey, and helping patients is the duty of us, doctors, to begin with,¡± said Chu Guoxiong with a smile. ¡°Prior to this, I cared a lot about that underserved fame and reputation. But ever since I met you, my Master reprimanded me, awakening me all of a sudden. I learned a lot and finally realized that not only must a doctor possess skillful and powerful medical skills, but he or she must also have two important traits ¡ª medical ethics and professionalism.¡±


    A smile outlined on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth as he said, ¡°The more I listen to you, the more I¡¯d like to pay tribute to your Respected Master¡ªGui Jianchou. I would be glad of having a chance to visit him later.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m very sure my Master will be very happy to meet you,¡± said Chu Guoxiong hastily.


    While the two men were talking in the consultation room, they didn¡¯t notice that Tian Xiaomeng was leaning on the door outside the room with her mobile phone¡¯s camera aimed at them. Hence, everything they said had all been broadcasted on her live channel.


    As a result, her live channel simply exploded with comments.


    Numerous followers of were emotionally touched and unceasingly threw praises to the two men. Many even hit the reward and donation buttons. In just a few minutes, the total number and amount of rewards already equalled to what she obtained yesterday.


    ¡°Everyone, all the donations today will be going to the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital¡¯s relief fund; in the hope that it can help more patients with difficult circumstances,¡± Tian Xiaomeng quickly stepped back. She directed the camera at herself and spoke in a low voice.


    Her speech immediately drew a stream of appreciations and praises yet again.


    Some followers even captured the last minutes of the footage and the praising commentaries and then shared it everywhere. Unknown to these followers, the video they intercepted and edited would then cause a big sensation in the country and the world as a whole.

 Chapter 502

    Chapter 502: The Real Doctors


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The conversation between Tang Xiu and Chu Guoxiong as well as Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s remark were quickly reproduced by many people and presented on many major medias. The number of impressions, clicks, and shares increased at astonishing speed.


    Tang Xiu became hot news, and so did Chu Guoxiong.


    Even Tian Xiaomeng, who was but only a small player broadcaster, was also caught in the limelight. The degree of sensation and fame was far bigger than those famous internet celebrities.


    Numerous coverages and reports spread out, praises of countless people, filling comment boxes, and appearing in all sorts of social media platforms and chat applications. Numerous patients and their family members began preparing their baggage, despite half-believing and half-doubting the news, yet bringing hope and expectation as they went to Star City Chinese Medical Hospital to see them.


    At the same time, a large number of benevolent people and institutions throughout the country also contacted Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, ready to donate money to the relief fund set up by the hospital.


    ****


    _At Star City Chinese Medical Hospital¡­_


    Inside his spacious and brightly lit President¡¯s Office, Li Hongji held a cup of hot tea in a relaxed manner, while savoring the scent brought by the curling steam from the tea. In just these two days, the reputation of the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital has been constantly improving; which made him very excited. Although he would soon retire, it could be considered as giving himself a respectable face for being the President for so many years in the hospital.


    The door of the office was forced open, and Vice President Chen Xinlin strode inside, speaking with a smiling face, ¡°President, something major has just happened.¡±


    Li Hongji slightly creased his brows. Had it been before, he¡¯d have scolded Chen Xinlin for daring to rush in without knocking first, but he was now in a good mood, hence he didn¡¯t do so. Hearing this, he straightened his waist and asked in a relaxed manner, ¡°What major event?¡±


    ¡°I received dozens of calls in the last half an hour. There are many benevolent people and public figures who want to donate money to the relief fund set up by our hospital. Do you know how much money we received after I announced our hospital¡¯s relief fund account to the public?¡± Said Chen Xinlin.


    Stunned, Li Hongji asked in disbelief, ¡°Donations? Why do they want to donate? And what did you say again¡­ How much have we received, exactly?¡±


    ¡°President, we have received almost 300,000 yuan to our public relief fund, which is the data I got before I came here. There are a total of 407 remittances from all corners of the country and the globe. Additionally, among those who called me, there were six company groups and two charity organizations that are preparing to donate as well. As for why they¡¯re doing that, please have a look at the headlines of the major medias on the Internet. You will understand after you see it,¡± Said Chen Xinlin.


    Although he was quite shocked that 407 donations came within just half an hour, Li Hongji was still able to react quickly. He turned on his mobile and, after browsing and reading some websites¡¯ homepages, disbelief painted his old face.


    ¡°This video¡­¡±


    Looking excited and nodding repeatedly, Chen Xinlin said, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. It¡¯s because of this video. It is said that a live broadcaster secretly came to our Star City Chinese Medical Hospital and secretly took footage at the door of Dr. Tang¡¯s consultation room. Inside were Divine Doctor Tang and Dr. Chu Guoxiong currently engaged in conversation, and it was exactly it¡¯s content that has caused such a huge sensation. If you look at it, you can see that the number of the threads and posts as well as the number of commentaries on them. There¡¯s so many that it¡¯s unbelievable.¡±


    Li Hongji kept browsing and reading for ten minutes. He couldn¡¯t stay calm. He felt excited as well as joyful, for he knew perfectly well what significance this video could have to Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. It meant that his hospital would become a famous existence throughout the country.


    What was the most important thing for a hospital? Wasn¡¯t it all about fame and reputation?


    Only when a hospital had a reputation could it be approved and recognized by the public, hence leading to the visits of a large number of people seeking medical treatment. And as the President of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital himself, it was the highest honor for him to make the hospital under his jurisdiction have such a big reputation.


    ¡°Great, great, it¡¯s really great!¡± Joy and excitement covered Li Hongji¡¯s face as he tightly gripped his right fist.


    ¡°President, looking at the current trend, our hospital can expect to receive a lot of funds,¡± said Chen Xinlin as he smilingly said. ¡°Anyways, what should we do next? Shall we do it like we have announced and that we¡¯ll publish the usage of the relief fund openly and transparently?¡±


    The smile on Li Hongji¡¯s face gradually faded away. Common saying said that the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. With so many benevolent and caring people donating to Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, he must use every penny very carefully, efficiently, and straightly on target.


    ¡°Little Chen, you¡¯ve been managing the financial affairs of our hospital all this while, and I trust you in this aspect very much. Hence, every penny we receive from the hospital¡¯s relief fund must be disclosed to the public, meaning that all the cash flow, from where the money comes and to whom it¡¯ll be given, must be transparently open to the public. I will make things clear to you. If any problems were occur, don¡¯t blame me if I take harsh and strict measures. After all, the reputation of our Star City Chinese Medical Hospital is at the stake here.¡±


    ¡°President, I know what to do,¡± said Chen Xinlin seriously with a nod.


    ¡°Anyway, you are to look for several computer experts to create the funds-related section on the official website of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. The changes in the fund must be daily updated, and the name of each donor and their phone numbers must also be announced publicly. If the donations are under anonymous names, it must also be displayed in the updated form. Every sum of money that is used must be timely updated in the section, thus you must assign some key personnel from the financial department; you all will be responsible for managing this.¡±


    ¡°But President, isn¡¯t doing this a bit¡­¡± Chen Xinlin hesitated.


    Li Hongji shook his head, ¡°I understand what you mean. You want to say that we are taking major issues lightly, don¡¯t you? It¡¯s definitely far from that. As a matter of fact, I had already thought about doing this about 10 years ago. However, our Star City Medical Hospital had no money back then, so I could only put this idea to the back of my mind. But now is different, our hospital has the fame and reputation, so that we can ask donation money. If we can manage this well, then in the future I¡¯m sure we can have steady donations to our relief fund account, hence we can use the money and be able to help a lot of patients with difficult financial circumstances.¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve said so, then I¡¯ll do it as ordered, President,¡± said Chen Xinlin with a nod. ¡°At most, in one week, I¡¯ll have the section done on our Star City Chinese Medical Hospital official website. We¡¯ll show the people all over the country and the whole world clearly about the state of our relief fund.¡±


    ¡°Remember that I¡¯m the one who¡¯s giving you the right to do so. Whoever dares to touch this, report them to me and I¡¯ll cut them off. I¡¯ll take whole responsibility regardless of whatever consequences I may face,¡± said Li Hongji with a heavy nod.


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± Chen Xinlin¡¯s eyes lit up and he immediately turned to leave.


    Li Hongji returned to his chair and replayed the video. A warm current surged inside his heart as he listened to the dialog between Tang Xiu and his Junior Brother, Chu Guoxiong.


    He felt grateful to Tang Xiu! Ever since he met Tang Xiu, despite the youth himself being unwilling to immerse himself too much in the medical field, yet Li Hongji could feel that Tang Xiu had a pure heart. He had never seen such a young man in his entire life.


    ****


    Inside the Chinese Medical Hospital¡¯s consultation room.


    Three Chinese medical doctors, Tang Xiu, Chu Guoxiong, and the old man Hu, were unceasingly receiving patients, diagnosing, and treating them. With the three of them cooperating, the pace sped up a lot.


    Close to half in the afternoon, a middle-aged woman stepped into the room. Whereas Tian Xiaomeng looked like an elementary student who made a mistake when she came in. Her eyes lit up as she immediately said, ¡°Mom, you¡¯ve finally come. I¡¯ll make the introductions, this is Divine Doctor Tang.¡±


    Zhao Qin gently nodded at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°I know. I¡¯ve seen the video of Divine Doctor Tang. Xiaomeng, you did the right thing. A good person such as Divine Doctor Tang must be publicized. His abilities and ethics, the people must know.¡±


    A happy and proud look immediately appeared on Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s face after hearing this.


    Yet, Tang Xiu could only bitterly smile inside. He gave Tian Xiaomeng an unpleasant look after finding out that she was the internet broadcaster. He reproached and punished her to stand motionlessly at the side and honestly wait there after he learned that she didn¡¯t stand in the queue but cut the line and came to the consultation room ahead of time.


    But now he couldn¡¯t vent out his depression in front of Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s mother.


    ¡°Please take a seat!¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    After Zhao Qin took a seat in front of the doctor¡¯s table, she said, ¡°Dr. Tang, please don¡¯t be angry at my daughter for not lining up according to our number. She has been a kind girl since childhood, and she wants to publicize your deeds and what you¡¯ve done; hoping that more patients know that Star City Chinese Medical Hospital has a Divine Doctor such as you, as well as wanting to convey to everyone about the gospel. I hope you can forgive her if her actions have brought trouble to you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right. She has already done it, so let the bygones be bygones! Besides, I¡¯m only rendering medical services at the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital for three days¡­ But, Tian Xiaomeng, no more broadcasts, got it?¡±


    Tian Xiaomeng looked vacant and dazed. She immediately squeezed out an embarrassed smile and put her mobile phone back. She then let out an awkward smile and said, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, please don¡¯t blame me. It¡¯s a habit from my job. It¡¯s because my occupational disease that caused all the troubles, honestly. Anyhow, since you don¡¯t want me to do a live broadcast here, then I shall obey your wishes.¡±


    Nodding in satisfaction to her, Tang Xiu then looked at Zhao Qin and asked, ¡°Elder Sis, what is your illness? Have you had a checkup before?¡±


    ¡°I was examined before, yet there was no result,¡± said Zhao Qin with a nod. ¡°I just feel that my chest is always in pain. It seems like a problem with my heart, yet it doesn¡¯t seem to be it either.¡±


    Tang Xiu began to check Zhao Qin¡¯s pulse and at the same time asked her a question, ¡°What kind of examinations did you do before?¡±


    Zhao Qin said, ¡°I had an ECG and CDU, and also a routine blood test. All of them showed that everything is normal. But the pain intermittently strikes at regular intervals inside my chest. Oh, there were also occasions that the pain struck like it came from my heart especially when I was sleeping on the side of my body.¡± [1]


    Tang Xiu calmly sensed Zhao Qin¡¯s pulse and the condition of her body. He found that her body had deficiency in qi and blood. He then used his spiritual sense to observe the internal condition of her body, and finally obtained the result.

 Chapter 503

    Chapter 503: Shocking the Sage Doctor¡¯s Disciple


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Nerve pain is easy to solve. However, your body seems to be in deficiency of qi and blood, and you¡¯ve also contracted a gynecological disease. You need to take a few Chinese herbal medicines to treat them. Please follow me to the examination bed over there. I¡¯ll perform acupuncture on you to treat your neuralgia problem.¡±


    With lit up eyes, Zhao Qin immediately replied with excitement, ¡°Great, that¡¯s great! Thank you Divine Doctor Tang, you¡¯re really amazing!¡±


    Faintly smiling at her in response, Tang Xiu then used an acupuncture method to treat Zhao Qin. Following that, he wrote her a prescription and then looked at Tian Xiaomeng, saying, ¡°Young girl, do remember to tell the other party clearly in advance and respect their wishes if you want to broadcast something on the internet, especially if you involve someone else¡¯s privacy. Otherwise, your behavior will cause trouble for others.¡±


    Smacking her mouth, Tian Xiaomeng then gently nodded, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Divine Doctor Tang. I hope you can forgive me if my good intentions brought trouble to you. Please rest assured, I¡¯ll definitely correct myself. I will ask the involved party before having a live broadcast about them, and I won¡¯t do it without their permission nor will I expose their privacy under any circumstances.¡±


    Seeing her decent attitude, Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°All right, then. Accompany your mother to get the medicine! Do remember, she must take the medication once every morning and evening.¡±


    ¡°Okay, will do!¡± Tian Xiaomeng nodded.


    At another examination table in the next compartment, Chu Guoxiong¡¯s gaze withdrew from Zhao Qin and daughter, as he asked Tang Xiu, ¡°How were you able to diagnose that that patient¡¯s pain in chest was caused by nerves, Divine Doctor Tang?¡±


    ¡°I have my own ways, and it¡¯s something that you can¡¯t learn,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Chu Guoxiong stared blankly, and then immediately forced out a wry smile. He didn¡¯t know what to say to that.


    The treatments continued. Along with the passing of time night finally came, and all the patients who got their queue numbers today had been treated. However, the number of following patients didn¡¯t decrease, it increased instead.


    ¡°Dr. Chu, Dr. Hu, the two of you please go home and take a rest! I still need to go to the Inpatient Department, we¡¯ll meet each other again tomorrow,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Old and aged as he was, Dr. Hu was already exhausted after working all day long, therefore he nodded, bidding farewell and taking his leave. However, Chu Guoxiong didn¡¯t leave. He looked at Tang Xiu instead and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the Inpatient Department with you.¡±


    ¡°You have been busy all day long, aren¡¯t you tired, too?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a strange expression.


    ¡°I am, but I¡¯d like to see how you treat people with leukemia!¡± Chu Guoxiong seriously said. ¡°I know that the state of leukemia that patient contracted is very serious. Even if my Master were to treat her, the probability of him being able to cure her would be less than 30%.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t learn my treatment methods just the same, though,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle.


    ¡°Can she learn it?¡± Chu Guoxiong turned his head to glance at Dai Xinyue.


    ¡°As of now, she won¡¯t be able to learn it yet, though it¡¯s quite understandable considering her shallow knowledge in Chinese medical science at present. It will take quite a long time for her to study the basic and foundation knowledge. When she has sufficient knowledge and ability in Chinese traditional medicine I will naturally impart her more advanced treatment methods. It¡¯s quite unfortunate that you have already taken someone else as your Master, though. Otherwise, I would have been able to impart them to you as well.¡±


    A look of envy flashed inside Chu Guoxiong¡¯s eyes. Tang Xiu¡¯s mysterious and magical treatment methods were an eye-opener for him. Even if he only spent a day with Tang Xiu, his knowledge and comprehension in Chinese Medical science had progressed a lot.


    ¡°Though you are very skillful and amazing, I¡¯m very sure that my Master is not worse than you,¡± said Chu Guoxiong with a serious face while clenching his fists.


    ¡°There is no stronger in Chinese medical knowledge. The Chinese traditional medicine is a very broad and profound subject. The more you learn, the more you will find yourself lacking in it. Although the development of the medical field is getting faster and faster nowadays, yet bizarre and strange cases keep surfacing here and there. Hence, each and every doctor must persevere and constantly improve themselves. However, I myself don¡¯t have much time to study other subjects in the medical field, though. Therefore, the matter of treating illnesses and saving patients will fall onto your shoulders,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Chu Guoxiong forced a smile, ¡°I really don¡¯t get you, Divine Doctor Tang. With your achievements and attainments in the Chinese Medical field you will eventually stand at the apex of the medical field in the future and obtain both fame and fortune as long as you want to. Yet, why are you¡­¡±


    ¡°Everyone pursue different things. That¡¯s all I can tell you,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly with a smile.


    ¡°Then, what you are pursuing is¡­¡± said Chu Guoxiong curiously.


    ¡°Even if I tell you, you won¡¯t be able to understand it,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle. ¡°Anyways, shall we take our leave? Since you want to accompany me to the Inpatient Department, let us not waste time. The earlier we treat the patients there, the faster we can go home and have a rest as well.¡±


    At the Inpatient Department¡­


    The Tang Xiu, Chu Guoxiong, and Dai Xinyue went directly to the VIP wards arranged by the hospital. There was only one sickbed in the ward, and Gong Liqun¡¯s daughter was drowsily sitting on the bed.


    ¡°Divine Doctor Tang!¡± Gong Liqun hurriedly got up and called out upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival.


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile and said, ¡°Have you given her the medication this evening according to the prescription I gave you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she has already taken the medication,¡± said Gong Liqun immediately. There was a look of joy on her face. ¡°Also, Beibei said that she felt warm and comfortable after taking it. I think her mental state is going for the better, too.¡±


    Nodding to her in response, Tang Xiu then walked toward the bed. He lifted the quilt and said, ¡°Please undress her. I will treat her with an acupuncture method. Xinyue, take the alcohol cotton and silver needles from the medicine box, and tell the nurse to prepare a pot of hot water. Do remember that the hot water must be boiled first.¡±


    Dai Xinyue quickly complied and immediately took the alcohol cotton and silver needles. She then immediately ran outside. Two minutes later, she came back and said, ¡°Master, there is no hot water that has been boiled now. But I¡¯ve already instructed the nurses to boil water. It should be ready in about ten minutes.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, and then used the alcohol cotton to sterilize the silver needles. He gently wiped the alcohol cotton on the girl¡¯s body, particularly on several important acupoints he would employ his acupuncture method onto. After having cleaned them up repeatedly and was about to begin the acupuncturing process, his mobile phone suddenly buzzed.


    Slightly creasing his brows, Tang Xiu took out his mobile phone and took a look at the display screen. It was an unfamiliar number. He originally intended to ignore the call, but eventually answered it after thinking for a moment.


    ¡°Tang Xiu speaking, may I know who¡¯s calling?¡±


    A voice belonging to a middle-aged man came from the phone, ¡°Hello, Divine Doctor Tang. I¡¯m Wei Yan. We¡¯ve met at Shanghai¡¯s Paradise Manor before.¡±


    ¡°I see. But why are you not here?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Our family of three have, in fact, already arrived yesterday, Dr. Tang,¡± said Wei Yang with a wry tone. ¡°However, our turn to get a number hasn¡¯t come yet though we have already lined up in the queue. I had no other choice left, so I went to look for Star City Chinese Medical Hospital¡¯s President Li to ask for your cell number. So, here I am.¡±


    ¡°Where are you now?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I¡¯m still lining up in the queue outside. As for my wife and son, they are in the Inpatient Department¡¯s ward,¡± said Wei Yang hastily.


    ¡°Go back to your ward and wait there. You don¡¯t have to wait in the line. I¡¯ll treat other patients first, and then will come over later. By the way, tell me the ward number,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s VIP ward #024,¡± replied Wei Yang quickly.


    ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll come by later,¡± said Tang Xiu immediately with a nod.


    After hanging up the phone, he began to apply the acupuncture treatment on the little girl. His very unusual needle techniques left the Sage Doctor¡¯ disciple¡ªChu Guoxiong in silent amazement. Along with more than a dozen silver needles piercing certain acupoints on the little girl¡¯s naked body, Tang Xiu quietly released his star force into her body. As a matter of fact, the characteristics of leukemia in the increase of white blood cells and the decrease of red blood cells was akin to blood poisoning to martial artists and cultivators.


    Hence, while stimulating the little girl¡¯s life force and qi, he also helped her by using his star force to force out the white blood cells.


    Three minutes later, Tang Xiu took up a silver needle once again, and pierced six tiny holes around each acupoint where the needles were applied. The needle then fell down and blood came out from those tiny holes.


    Controlling his star force to hover around inside the girl¡¯s body, Tang Xiu made it so that his star force formed a web-like shape made up of star force, as he constantly forced out those white blood cells to flow out through the holes near each acupoint.


    ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, this¡­¡±


    Gong Liqun¡¯s complexion greatly changed. Her voice that was originally inside her throat instantly slipped out upon seeing blood coming out from the spots surrounding the acupoints, where the needles applied to her daughter¡¯s body.


    Tang Xiu shook his head. He disinfected the silver needles and put them back into the medicine box. Following that, he used his right thumb to begin hold down some of the girl¡¯s blood vessels and gently pressed it to move the blood inside, causing the blood that came out through the holes around the acupoints to increase.


    ¡°Uncle, it¡¯s very itchy!¡±


    The little girl, who was cleverly staying motionless at first, began to sway from side to side along with the movements of Tang Xiu¡¯s fingers. However, her slightly pale face had turned somewhat rosy now.


    ¡°Endure it. You will feel better after a while,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Time flew by.


    Finally, twenty minutes later, the holes around the acupoints were no longer seeping out blood. But at this time, Tang Xiu quickly pulled out a dozen silver needles from the girl¡¯s body and began using a towel to clean her up.


    ¡°How is it, Divine Doctor Tang?¡± Gong Liqun, who was the most concerned and worried about the girl¡¯s condition, hurriedly asked.


    ¡°We need to continue with the acupuncture treatment tomorrow evening,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°However, I have already forced out thirty to forty percent of the white blood cells in her body. It should be completely removed tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°What you said is true, Divine Doctor Tang?¡± Gong Liqun¡¯s eyes lit up as she excitedly asked. ¡°My daughter¡­ thirty to forty percent of the white blood cells in her body have been forced out?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    At the side, Chu Guoxiong slightly creased his brows and said, ¡°Dr. Tang, although I¡¯m clueless about how you got rid of the white blood cells, there¡¯s something that makes me very puzzled. Why don¡¯t you continue the treatment to clear out more white blood cells? At least to clean up to to the seventy percent mark?¡±


    With a strange expression, Tang Xiu answered, ¡°The human body having white blood cells is a normal condition. If you were to force out seventy percent of white blood cells, then she will be killed by me directly. As for those white blood cells that had been forced out by me, those were all the cells that easily evolved and spread out. If it is to be calculated according to the type of normal white blood cells, I have already forced out eighty percent of her white blood cells already.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Stunned and shocked, Chu Guoxion stared at Tang Xiu with disbelief. His mouth twitched a few times, yet he didn¡¯t say a single word.

 Chapter 504

    Chapter 504: Amazed and Shocked by the Celestial-like Man


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Chu Guoxiong was extremely shocked and horrified.


    He realized that Tang Xiu seemed to have an unusually good understanding of the patient¡¯s condition. He could even know the number of white blood cells inside the patient¡¯s body without any examination instruments. The most unfathomable thing for him was that Tang Xiu not only knew the amount of the removed white blood cells, but also could easily distinguish the normal white blood cells and the ones that easily evolved and spread out.


    With this ability, wasn¡¯t he akin to a terrifying existence?


    On the other side, aside from a shocked expression on Dai Xinyue¡¯s beautiful face, there was also thick admiration and worship there. Leukemia was a nearly impossible case for the entire medical society, yet her Master could easily treat it. This was definitely someone whose abilities were far beyond the existence of a Divine Doctor.


    One must know that if the existence of those who were touted as Sage Doctors or Divine Doctors were able to completely cure leukemia, this news would have probably been spread out already. If even the Sage Doctor¡¯s disciple was that shocked, it was evidently very difficult for his Master, the renowned Sage Doctor Gui Jianchou, to achieve such a feat.


    When Dai Xinyue recalled what her Master just said, that she must first increase her knowledge in Chinese Medical science, and only then would she be taught his special treatment methods, her heart almost leapt with joy.


    Without giving the slightest attention to the thoughts of Chu Guoxiong and Dai Xinyue, Tang Xiu continued wiping the blood on the little girl¡¯s body. After that, he turned to Gong Liqun and said, ¡°Please help her change clothes, and then let her rest! Also, remember to give her the medication tomorrow morning, and give her medicated diet to recuperate her body.¡±


    Gong Liqun nodded with joy and excitement on her face, ¡°I¡¯ll definitely obey your instructions, Divine Doctor Tang.¡±


    Faintly smiling at her in response, Tang Xiu then picked up his medicine box and turned around, saying, ¡°Anyways, I have to go treat other patients, so I¡¯ll take my leave first. We¡¯ll meet again tomorrow night.¡±


    ¡°Okay! Thank you very much, Divine Doctor Tang,¡± said Gong Liqun with a grateful expression.


    After leaving the ward, most of the shocked expression on Chu Guoxiong had disappeared, as he then curiously asked, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, are you going to treat the patient in the next room? What is the patient¡¯s illness?¡±


    ¡°Congenital heart disease,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Chu Guoxiong¡¯s pace came to a halt, and he stared at Tang Xiu with disbelief. After he gulped down his saliva, he hurriedly caught up and asked just as they were about to enter the next ward, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, tell me, can a congenital heart disease be completely cured?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t have 100% assurance if it is leukemia,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°But I¡¯m 100% confident in treating congenital heart diseases.¡±


    Chu Guoxiong¡¯s heartbeat hiked up. At the moment, the way he looked at Tang Xiu was akin to someone who got shocked and awed by a celestial being. One must know, congenital heart diseases were very troublesome cases to treat. Though there had been many cases of being cured, yet it was entirely because the patients¡¯ conditions were not acute.


    However, to think that a patient with the congenital heart disease was looking for treatment from Tang Xiu¡­ that may be very thorny and troublesome. This kind of troublesome congenital heart disease that a lot of large hospitals, famous experts, and professors in cardiology are unable to do anything about.


    ¡°What¡¯s the illness¡¯ condition, Dr. Tang?¡± Asked Chu Guoxiong despite hesitating.


    ¡°Insufficient blood supply, internal perforation and, above all, the heart is too small and very difficult to grow bigger. It¡¯s not threatening the patient¡¯s life for the time being, but if the treatment continues to be delayed, in the future even if Hua Tuo and Bian Que were to come back to life again, they would also be helpless to treat it,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    _Hiss_ ¡­ Chu Guoxiong drew a cold breath after hearing this.


    He had encountered such a case before, and it was more than once or twice. If it were merely insufficient blood-supply or internal organ perforation, it was actually treatable. Even some patients in the late stages of the illness could be healed gradually. However, if the heart was too small and was very difficult to grow bigger, it would be inexplicably related to the physical constitution of the patients, thus turning very difficult to treat.


    _Inside the ward¡­_


    Wei Yang and Gu Hui had been waiting eagerly inside. Upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival, Wei Yan immediately showed a grateful expression and said with excitement on his whole face, ¡°We can finally see you again, Divine Doctor Tang. Thank you for coming so late just to treat my son. Thank you a lot.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t stand on the ceremony. I just recently took a doctor¡¯s office to provide medical service at the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. It is my duty to treat illnesses and save patients, to begin with. Anyways, have you done everything I¡¯ve requested of you?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Wei Yan without hesitation. ¡°I¡¯ve met the family of the deceased, gave them appropriate compensation, and have also donated a huge sum of money. I was thinking of waiting and considering some things first after my son goes through your treatment and gradually recovers before deciding on what kind of charity entity to donate to. But¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu slightly creased his brows, ¡°But what?¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t need to consider it any further, it seems. Just today, I decided to donate most of my family¡¯s property to the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital¡¯s relief fund. Furthermore, after I make a fortune again in the future, I¡¯m planning to go to the poor regions and donate my money there to help the poor children, building schools and providing them with a good learning environment,¡± said Wei Yang.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Philanthropic deeds will reward you with good karma,¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod.


    Having said that, he put the medicine box next to the sickbed. He then took a silver needle from the inside and said, ¡°Please undress him. I need to give him acupuncture treatment. Also, no one is allowed to disturb me during the treatment!¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Wei Yang quickly complied and moved to act with his wife Gu Hui. After Wei Dongdong had been undressed, he made the little boy lie down on the sickbed according to Tang Xiu¡¯s instructions.


    _Pu¡­_


    The silver needle pierced the body. Tang Xiu quickly controlled his star force and injected it into Wei Dongdong¡¯s body to gradually envelop his heart. Tang Xiu¡¯s body itself possessed an enormous life force, and was the very reason why he had 100% certainty that he would be able to fully cure Wei Dongdong. It was because the life force inside his body had a miraculous healing effect on the little boy¡¯s heart. His star force contained a huge life essence, and using it to nourish Wei Dongdong¡¯s heart would definitely have magical effects as well.


    As expected, after ten minutes of injecting his star force, Wei Dongdong¡¯s heartbeat sped up and became more powerful intense. The visible hole in his heart was contracting and slowly becoming smaller.


    After a full hour, Tang Xiu stopped injecting his star force, he held Wei Dongdong¡¯s bare feet. After picking him up, his palms continued patting every part of his body and skeletal bones, as well as patting his face a dozen times, leaving his back and heart for last.


    _Hiss¡­_


    Wei Yan took a cold breath, looking frightened and worried. Chu Guoxiong was even more dumbfounded as his mouth twitched fiercely a few times.


    One must know that Wei Dongdong contracted a congenital heart disease, even the hole in his heart was very easy to bleed, and it would be very fatal once his heart was struck with problems. Yet Tang Xiu actually slapped his back with his palm. How could it be called as treating the illness and saving the patients? It out-and-out murder, evidently!


    However, recalling Tang Xiu¡¯s instruction before that he must not be disturbed, they held their trust despite the concern and restlessness, and eventually endured it.


    After beating Wei Dongdong¡¯s back, Tang Xiu finally put him down and applied the silver needles on him again. However, the following injection of star force was very short and in a very small amount. After enveloping the little boy¡¯s heart with his star force, he immediately ceased his actions.


    It was actually impossible to treat this congenital heart disease with only one treatment. Now, however, it only needed to be treated once, for the follow-up would be handled by his star force that stayed inside the little boy¡¯s body. The star force would keep nourishing and repairing the boy¡¯s heart until it was thoroughly consumed. In time to come, Wei Dongdong¡¯s congenital heart disease may also be completely treated.


    ¡°All right, done!¡± Tang Xiu took out the silver needles as a faint smile appeared on his face.


    ¡°This¡­ everything¡¯s okay, Dr. Tang?¡± Asked Wei Yang with disbelief on his face.


    ¡°Yeah, everything¡¯s good. However, you need to wait for about two months. Two months later, take him to the hospital to have a checkup. Call me if there are any problems with him, or you can come to Shanghai University to look for me,¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod.


    ¡°Great, great! Thank you very much, Divine Doctor Tang,¡± said Wei Yang hastily.


    ¡°No need to thank me,¡± said Tang Xiu as he waved his hand. ¡°Your actual actions have practically exchanged and saved your own son¡¯s life. However, I hope you can promise me one thing, though.¡±


    ¡°What is your request? As long as I can do it, I will definitely accomplish it even if I have to go through a mountain of blades and fire,¡± said Wei Yan hastily.


    ¡°No need to be that exaggerated,¡± said Tang Xiu with a laugh. ¡°My request is very simple. You must absolutely keep the matter of me curing your son¡¯s congenital heart disease confidential. You cannot go to the previous hospital and see the previous doctor you had your son examined when you take him to be examined later. I don¡¯t want the matter of me being able to cure your son¡¯s congenital heart disease to be disclosed to the public.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡± Asked Wei Yang, confused. ¡°Isn¡¯t this a good deed?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid troublesome things will happen,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    _Afraid of troublesome things?_


    Wei Yang stared blankly. Although his heart was puzzled and confused, he still nodded heavily and repeatedly, giving Tang Xiu his promise.


    Chu Guoxiong, who was standing at the side, suddenly spoke, ¡°Dr. Tang, I¡­ Can I check the child¡¯s pulse?¡±


    ¡°Why? You don¡¯t believe me?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a laugh.


    Chu Guoxiong looked awkward. He immediately said, ¡°No, no, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you. It¡¯s just¡­ I¡­ I was just shocked after seeing your treatment methods, so I wanted to diagnose the physical condition of this child.¡±


    Giving him a ¡®do ahead¡¯ gesture in response, Tang Xiu turned his head and spoke to Dai Xinyue, ¡°Pack up everything and get ready to go home! Also, do remember to tell your family when you return and wait until October 8th to leave for Shanghai.¡±


    ¡°Master, I¡¯ve already told my family. My parents have given their consent and approval of me going with you to study medicine. They even asked me to invite you to have dinner with us,¡± replied Dai Xinyue smilingly.


    ¡°Ah, I can only pass, since I have tons of things to do in this 11th holiday.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand. ¡°But we¡¯ll meet with each other if I have some free time later.¡±


    ¡°En, en!¡± Dai Xinyue nodded, all smiling.


    As for Chu Guoxiong, he was holding Wei Dongdong¡¯s wrist. After checking his pulse, he turned to Wei Yang and, wearing a strange expression on his face, asked, ¡°Mr. Wei, right? You¡­ are you sure that your son contracted a congenital heart disease?¡±

 Chapter 505

    Chapter 505: Spending Money to Prolong His Own Life


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Although Wei Yang didn¡¯t understand why Chu Guoxiong asked this question, he still honestly answered, ¡°Yes! My son¡¯s condition was discovered when he was born. If it wasn¡¯t for us taking care of him well and hired professional caregivers and nurses, I¡¯m afraid he wouldn¡¯t have been alive till now.¡±


    Chu Guoxiong turned his head to look at Tang Xiu, as he forced a wry smile and said, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, I, Chu Guoxiong, just realized something. You¡¯re not a Divine Doctor at all, but simply a celestial being. I just diagnosed this boy, and found that his heartbeat is strong. Though his vitality is rather weak, it doesn¡¯t seem like a situation that was caused by a congenital heart disease at all.¡±


    ¡°You made a mistake in your diagnosis. The reason for him seemingly not have a congenital heart disease now is because of a special method I used to keep his heart at a high-speed recovery stage. If you examine him a few hours later, you¡¯ll probably be able to diagnose his true condition,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Stunned and looked vacant, Chu Guoxiong said, ¡°How could such a situation happen?¡±


    ¡°Treating a congenital heart disease is very easy for me. But to completely cure it would require a process that allows the heart to heal and grow, which takes approximately two months. That¡¯s why I instructed him to take the boy to the hospital and have him examined two months later,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Chu Guoxiong was taken aback, as he gave Tang Xiu a thumbs up, yet he was unable to speak any words of praise for he didn¡¯t know what to say. He felt that any praising words would feel pale and weak.


    Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s elaborate remarks, half of the worry inside Wei Yang¡¯s heart eased down. Seeking an affirmation, he asked, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, do we still have to continue staying here?¡±


    With a teasing tone, Tang Xiu answered, ¡°Are you so nervous and itchy that you want to waste and burn your money here? If anything, I¡¯ve already treated your son, why would you still want to stay? You might as well go home and take care of your son well. This son of yours will be in good health two months later. So much so that¡­ if your son¡¯s luck is quite good, his physical quality and constitution will be far beyond that of an ordinary person¡¯s.¡±


    Exceedingly surpassing an ordinary person?


    It was a luxury and extravagant hope Wei Yang had never thought of. He only wanted his son to be healthy, that would already make him satisfied.


    After leaving the hospital, Tang Xiu gave Dai Xinyue a ride back home before returning to his home in South Gate Town. And, much to his surprise, his parents had not gone to sleep yet, and were chatting with a guest.


    ¡°Elderly Li, why are you here?¡± Asked Tang Xiu curiously. Nevertheless, there was also a strange expression on his face.


    Right after he entered the courtyard, he discovered dozens of unfamiliar and unknown men around the villa and four stalwart men in black suits standing in the courtyard. He never expected that Li Juren from Hong Kong would personally come to Star City, more so appearing so late at his place.


    Li Juren got up and smilingly said, ¡°Tang Xiu, it was my intention to visit you, to be honest. Though I didn¡¯t expect to meet your honored parents here. Hence, we had some small talk while waiting for you to come back.¡±


    Tang Xiu touched his nose and smilingly replied, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call me? You have my number, right?¡±


    ¡°It ain¡¯t my fault. Who doesn¡¯t know that you¡¯re busy?¡± Said Li Juren with a smile. ¡°Anyways, I had nothing else to do in recent days, so I just came here to discuss something with you.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded.


    Tang Yunde and Su Lingyun exchanged looks, as Tang Yunde immediately said with a smile, ¡°Senior Li, please chat with Xiu¡¯er. We are a bit tired and won¡¯t disturb you.¡±


    Li Juren nodded and smiled in response.


    After that, Tang Yunde looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, do entertain Senior Li well.¡±


    ¡°All right, father!¡± Replied Tang Xiu.


    As Tang Yunde and Su Lingyun returned to their room to rest, Tang Xiu and Li Juren walked to the study room on the second floor. After making fragrant tea, the two men then seated on the sofa.


    ¡°Elderly Li, I¡¯m sure you have something important for coming to Star City to find me, yes?¡± Tang Xiu took a half pack of cigarette and offered one to Li Juren. He himself also took one and lit it up, slowly taking a deep puff.


    Li Juren, however, didn¡¯t lit up his cigarette. He fiddled with it for a short while before replying, ¡°Tang Xiu, my purpose in coming this time is because I want to ask medicine from you!¡±


    Seeking medicine?


    Tang Xiu stared vacantly and immediately asked with a strange expression, ¡°What medicine do you need, exactly?¡±


    Li Juren slowly said, ¡°I was a coolie when I was young and had once fallen ill due to heavy workload. It caused a lingering effect and a chronic disease. Later on, my body was finally unable to hold much longer and I finally fell ill until I met Boss Gu. Although my body and health has recovered a lot after having gone through some training, yet my condition has never been as good as healthy people. Back then, Boss Gu gave me a medicine called Marrow Purifying Pill. Since I took that medicine, the chronic old ailment that had been accumulated over the years was finally cured completely; my physique even turned much better than that of an average person¡¯s. However, I¡¯m an old man now, so I was thinking. If I can get a Marrow Purifying Pill again¡­¡±


    After hearing Li Juren¡¯s story up to there, Tang Xiu immediately understood his intention, as he nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯m indeed able to concoct Marrow Purifying Pills. The medicine, however, requires a lot of medicinal herbs, and many of them are precious herbs.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Li Juren immediately gave his assurance, ¡°Tang Xiu, as long as the medicinal herbs can be purchased, I¡¯ll obtain them no matter how precious they are.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help chuckling to himself, ¡°Ah, I forgot who you are. Anyhow, I¡¯ll make a list of the medicinal herbs for you, and you can send people to purchase them. Just send them directly to me once you have bought all of them!¡±


    His reply made Li Juren overjoyed as he excitedly said, ¡°No problem, no problem. Tang Xiu, I owe you a favor. If in the future¡­¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t say ¡®you owe me a favor¡¯ or something like that.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and said. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m giving you the Marrow Purifying Pills without you paying for it. It¡¯s because the number of medicinal herbs I¡¯ll ask you to find will be more than needed. Thus, we will mutually benefit from this exchange.¡±


    Li Juren stared blankly before he immediately nodded and smilingly said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. No matter how much you want, whether they would be ten times, or a hundred times, I will do everything possible to get them. The Marrow Purifying Pill can prolong one¡¯s life, after all. I¡¯m just spending money to prolong my own life.¡±


    ¡°By the way, I have to tell you something. The Marrow Purifying Pill does have a great effect on your body if you take it for the first time. But the effect won¡¯t be that great if you take it the second time. Do you mind if I check your pulse first?¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    Through his network and intelligence, Li Juren already knew that Tang Xiu was the young miracle-working doctor of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. Therefore, he quickly got up and came toward Tang Xiu.


    After checking his pulse, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Judging from your current physical condition, you still have ten years of lifespan at the most. Taking the Marrow Purifying Pill should give you three to seven years more, though your body will be a lot stronger than that of people at the same age.¡±


    With a blank expression, Li Juren asked, ¡°You can tell how long I can still live by only checking my pulse?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m touted as the Young Divine Doctor, mind you,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a chuckle.


    Li Juren fell into thoughts for a short while before he nodded repeatedly and said, ¡°So be it then. Even if I can only live longer for three or seven years more, spending a lot of money to buy those precious herbs is still worth the price. Tang Xiu, write the list of medicinal herbs. I will send people to begin searching them after I get back.¡±


    The corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth curled upward. The smile caused the corner of his eyes to stretch out, as he then said, ¡°No hurry now. Please have your tea first. As a matter fact, there is a better medicine to prolong your lifespan.¡±


    Li Juren abruptly got up with a speed that was unlikely achievable for an old man. His eyes fixated tightly on Tang Xiu, and his breathing turned rapid. He then asked, ¡°Tang Xiu, what you mean is that there¡¯s a better medicine than the Marrow Purifying Pill?¡±


    ¡°Yup, at least it can prolong your life by more than a decade,¡± answered Tang Xiu in a matter-of-fact manner.


    ¡°What medicine is it?¡± Asked Li Juren again quickly.


    ¡°Life Essence Pill,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Then I need this Life Essence Pill! What medicinal herbs are required to refine it? As long as I¡¯m able, I will do everything I can to find them no matter how great the price I must pay,¡± said Li Juren firmly.


    Tang Xiu stretched out his fingers and lightly said, ¡°10 billion, plus three kinds of precious medicinal herbs. If you agree to pay me this amount and these medicinal herbs, I can hand over the Life Essence Pill to you.¡±


    ¡°Money is a small problem. Which three precious medicinal herbs do you need, exactly?¡± Replied Li Juren without hesitation.


    ¡°Thousand years old Snow Lotus, Fleece-Flower Root, and Blood Droplet Seed; both of which being five-hundred years old or above,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I know about the Millennium Snow Lotus and the half millennium Fleece-Flower Root. But what exactly is this Blood Droplet Seed? Why I haven¡¯t heard of it before?¡± Asked Li Juren with a confused expression.


    ¡°The Blood Droplet Seed grows in an extremely cold place. Its appearance resembles a Hawthorn with vines and leaves. The most important characteristic of it is that the place that gives birth to it and the soil where it grows had once been piled up with corpses and soaked by blood. I¡¯ll give you a drawing about the appearance of the Blood Droplet Seed later,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Li Juren nodded repeatedly, ¡°No matter how difficult it is, I¡¯ll try my best to get these three precious herbs you need.¡±


    Tang Xiu smilingly said, ¡°Then I give you two months! If you can¡¯t get them within two months, you must give it up, and I¡¯ll then give you the Marrow Purifying Pill.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Li Juren rubbed and twisted his hands with a happy smile on his face. Money was nothing to him given his current status, as well as the vestige of years left for him. What he cared about was whether his body was healthy or not, and how long were the extra years added to his remaining lifespan.


    Half an hour afterward Li Juren left South Gate Town. A few minutes after he left, Tang Yunde came to Tang Xiu¡¯s room and asked with a curious look on his face, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, what did Li Juren want?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s looking for a medicine to prolong his life,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Yunde confused. ¡°Did he contract an illness?¡±


    ¡°Nah, he isn¡¯t sick.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°He just wants to live longer.¡±


    Tang Yunde forced a smile, ¡°It seems that even if one is very powerful and filthy rich, at the end of the day one cannot run away, and is afraid of death! So, what did you tell him? Don¡¯t tell me you have a solution for that?¡±


    Tang Xiu chuckled, ¡°I do have a way around it. But the conditions are pretty darn hard and very difficult, though. If he can find the medicinal herbs I need, I may be able to help him live for a few more years. But if he can¡¯t find it, I can do nothing about it.¡±


    ¡°To think that even the famous Li Juren would come to you and ask for help, you really are worthy as the son of Tang Yunde.¡± Tang Yunde gave him a thumbs up and praised. ¡°Anyhow, this Li Juren is an extremely rich bastard, Son. You had better take this opportunity and make him bleed!¡±

 Chapter 506

    Chapter 506: As Far Apart as Heaven and Earth


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Star City, Soaring Dragon Martial School.


    The lights brightly illuminated the martial arts training platform in between the two weapon racks. In the field, Jiang Feng wore a calm smile as he looked at the serious looking Chen Zhizhong in front of him. Jiang Feng then spoke in a clear voice, ¡°Brother Chen, though we¡¯re only comparing notes, fists and legs have no eyes, so I hope you can forgive me if I hurt you during the sparring.¡±


    ¡°The same to you, Brother Jiang,¡± said Chen Zhizhong seriously. ¡°I also hope that you can give your all, because I don¡¯t want to fight a one-sided bout.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    Jiang Feng laughed loudly with a look of contempt in his eyes.


    At the side, Jiang Feng¡¯s two disciples shook their heads and couldn¡¯t help chuckling. There was a despising look in their eyes when they looked at Chen Zhizhong. It was because they had seen him in action. Though it was already a matter of several years ago, they felt their level was by no means inferior to Chen Zhizhong at that time.


    How many years had it been? Only a few years passed, yet he had the guts to come to Soaring Dragon Martial School to compare notes with a martial arts grandmaster? And even shamelessly talked big, telling their Master to give everything he got.


    Was he looking to get badly beaten?


    While cupping his fists, Chen Zhizhong said, ¡°Brother Jiang, taking an opponent lightly will result in defeat, especially in a fight between experts; one slight mistake would cost the victory. You¡¯re a martial arts grandmaster, so you should know this truth as well. Hence, I hope you can cast away your contempt and wholeheartedly spar with me.¡±


    Slightly creasing his brows, Jiang Feng carefully observed Chen Zhizhong¡¯s eyes. The smile on his face completely vanished and was replaced by a serious expression. He then seriously nodded, ¡°Since Brother Chen has spoken about that I won¡¯t be able to match you if I don¡¯t give my all, then come! Let me see how many skills and abilities Brother Chen has learned from your Master, Grandmaster Tang Xiu, in the recent years.¡±


    ¡°Please¡­¡±


    Chen Zhizhong answered with his hands stretched out.


    Despite his old age, Jiang Feng still possessed a tough physique. Added with the fact that he had been immersing himself in martial arts for almost the entirety of his life, it could be said that his everything was the manifestation of kung fu itself. With his feet rooted firmly on the ground, he moved forward in an instant, rushing forward with a strange footwork style toward Chen Zhizhong.


    ¡°Eight Extremities¡­¡±


    His feet moved and his palms changed into fists. Jiang Feng had entered the Eight Extremities Boxing Style School a long time ago, and he had practiced the Eight Extremities Fist to almost perfection, hence the images of his fists moving looked incomparably powerful, so much so that its moves created the sound of wind.


    Chen Zhizhong looked at Jiang Feng¡¯s movement with a tranquil expression. Just as Jiang Feng¡¯s fists were about to hit him, his feet swayed and twisted in a strange trajectory. His body bent like a bow and easily dodged Jiang Feng¡¯s fists, who thought with 100% surety that his fists would hit him. He then patted Jiang Feng¡¯s left arm.


    Skillfully facing hard with soft, even an ounce of strength would be able to match ten.


    The seemingly light pat from Chen Zhizhong¡¯s palm actually contained a terrifying force as Jiang Feng staggered for five steps unsteadily to the right after his left hand was hit, disbelief covering his originally confident face.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Jiang Feng¡¯s lips wriggled, yet the words wouldn¡¯t come out of his throat.


    ¡°Brother Jiang, your movements may be very skillful in the eyes of ordinary people, and so fast that they can¡¯t keep up with their eyes, yet you¡¯re too slow in my eyes. There are also too many flaws, while your strength is also rather inadequate. You will undoubtedly lose within three moves if we continue,¡± said Chen Zhizhong while shaking his head.


    Shame and anger flashed in Jiang Feng¡¯s eyes, as he growled, ¡°Brother Chen, I may accept these words if they were coming from your Respected Master, but coming from you, I just don¡¯t buy it. If you really have the ability, then show me. I wanna see how you¡¯ll defeat me within three moves.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong creased his brows, and then his rushed toward Jiang Feng. His speed was extremely fast, as five meters passed almost in a flash. Just as Jiang Feng avoided his fist, he suddenly bent over and patted the ground with his left hand and sent out a kick in a spiral strangler move upward. Dozens of kicks were sent out in a flash, and by the end of it he finally landed with his tiptoes. His movements had yet to stop when his body rotated 180 degrees and instantly appeared at Jiang Feng¡¯s side with his hand pinching the left side of Jiang Feng¡¯s neck.


    ¡°You lose.¡±


    The calm voice made Jiang Feng¡¯s heart sank into an ice hole.


    _Lost? I lost just like that?_


    Jiang Feng¡¯s strong body froze and turned stiff. He wanted to turn his head to look at Chen Zhizhong, yet the hand pinching his neck made him unable to move.


    ¡°How did you do it?¡±


    Loosening his hand, Chen Zhizhong then looked at him and chuckled, ¡°I have told you that my cultivation has been progressing by leaps and bounds ever since I took him as my Master. Let alone a kung fu grandmaster, even experts who have surpassed the level of martial arts grandmaster would find it very difficult to defeat me. As a matter of fact, it¡¯s not impossible for a genuine expert to jump up to the wall and fly to pick up leaves. My Master is someone who can easily do that.¡±


    Jiang Feng¡¯s lips wriggled, and there was a complicated expression on his face that was unable to be explained in words.


    He had just convincingly lost!


    As he recalled his contempting attitude toward Chen Zhizhong, bitterness and shame burned inside him. He never expected to actually lose, and even so miserably quick like that. Chen Zhizhong said just now that he would lose within three moves, and he could tell that he said that just to give him face. Otherwise, let alone three moves, he would probably be able to knock him down with just a move, and that one move would be enough to cause him heavy injuries. The gap between them, either speed, strength, or skill was simply worlds apart.


    At the side, Jiang Feng¡¯s disciples were dumbfounded and tongue-tied in disbelief. They never dreamed that Chen Zhizhong, who they thought was not any stronger than they were, would actually defeat their Master, a kung fu grandmaster, even so quickly at that.


    ¡°Junior Brother, I¡­ I am not dreaming, am I?¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not dreaming, Senior Brother. We would never have the same vivid dream. Master¡­ ¡­ Yeah, he just lost. He really lost to Chen Zhizhong.¡±


    ¡°How is this possible? Master is a grandmaster of Kung Fu, while Chen Zhizhong was originally nothing but a¡­¡±


    ¡°Chen Zhizhong has become so strong and formidable that it¡¯s making me tremble, Senior Brother. His speed was too fast. I was unable to see his movements at all, and then¡­ Master lost.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Zhizhong walked to the side of the weapon rack to pick up his cot. Following that, he looked at Jiang Feng, whose face was dazed and vacant, and smilingly said, ¡°Brother Jiang, we¡¯ve finished with the sparring, so I won¡¯t disturb you any longer. When Brother Jiang comes to my place some other day let us have a drink.¡±


    Finally, Jiang Feng snapped back to his senses. He dashed toward Chen Zhizhong and hurriedly said, ¡°Please stay for a while, Brother Chen. Your¡­ The reason why your strength can increase so much, was it really from Tang¡­ could it be because of what you¡¯ve learned from Grandmaster Tang? You¡¯re not lying to me, right?¡±


    ¡°Do you think I need to lie to you, Brother Jiang?¡± Asked Chen Zhizhong back.


    Jiang Feng was silent for a short while, and then slowly said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if Brother Chen can help recommend me to him. I also want to learn from Tang Xiu and take him as my Master.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, ¡°Brother Chen, to tell you the truth, I do want to have you as my fellow disciple, but it depends on my Master. He will take you as his disciple if he so wishes to, but if he doesn¡¯t, there¡¯s nothing I could do either.¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll pay a visit to Grandmaster Tang tomorrow,¡± said Jiang Feng after the few moments of silence.


    ¡°I advise you not to,¡± said Chen Zhizhong while waving his hand. ¡°My Master has been rendering medical services at Star City Chinese Medical Hospital in the last few days, so he doesn¡¯t have free time to meet you. However, you can try visiting his place at South Gate Town the day after tomorrow. But I cannot guarantee that he will take you as his disciple, though.¡±


    ¡°But I still have to try before knowing,¡± said Jiang Feng with a nod.


    ***


    _The next day¡­_


    Like the day before, Tang Xiu still went to the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital around 6 AM. What surprised him was that Chu Guoxiong and the old doctor Hu had already arrived. After exchanging greetings with them, the trio then immediately began the consultation, diagnosis, and treatment until noon, as they then took a break for lunch. However, after lunch, Tang Xiu received a text message from Kuwako Yamamoto, saying her estimated time of arrival in Star City and a list that contained more than a dozen names.


    At 9 PM, Tang Xiu left Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. Tang Xiu refused Li Hongji¡¯s plea to continue giving his medical services at the hospital for another day. Although there were still many patients who came rushing from every part of the country just like before, he couldn¡¯t continue giving medical services in Star City Chinese Medical Hospital for a long time, so he entrusted the task of receiving the patients and treating them to Chu Guoxiong and Dr. Hu.


    2 AM.


    Tang Xiu and Tie Zhongkui quietly appeared in the small alley of a residential area in the southern suburb of Star City. Their figures were like ghosts in the darkness, as they silently rushed toward a dilapidated courtyard.


    Shortly after, the duo quietly appeared in a dark corner outside the courtyard wall and directly slipped inside. Tang Xiu then took out his mobile and sent a text message. Without much delay, Kuwako Yamamoto quickly appeared.


    _Tak¡­_


    A pebble was shot, flicked by Tang Xiu¡¯s fingers.


    Kuwako Yamamoto¡¯s complexion slightly changed. After identifying the direction, she then went toward Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    While looking at her respectful expression, Tang Xiu lightly smiled and said, ¡°Zhongkui, I don¡¯t need to introduce you two, right? You clashed once, after all.¡±


    Kuwako Yamamoto shot Tie Zhongkui a glance and said, ¡°We did fight once. He¡¯s quite formidable, though there were still some gaps.¡±


    ¡°That was in the past. If we were to spar now, I¡¯m sure I can easily beat you,¡± replied Tie Zhongkui after giving a cold snort.


    Sneering at him in response, Kuwako then spoke to Tang Xiu, ¡°Boss, this the information on them. They are the people my house sent with me. Though they seem to respect me, they are not my people; perhaps they¡¯ll become my contenders in the future. Anyways, their pictures are also included in the file.¡±


    ¡°Now is not the right time to act since you have just arrived in Star City,¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod. ¡°Tomorrow night someone will come to see you and deal with the things you told me before. You will have to fight against them at that time.¡±


    ¡°It will be done as you will it, Boss,¡± said Kuwako respectfully. ¡°Anyways, you told me to find a lot of medicinal herbs and minerals. I¡¯ve already found them, and brought them with me. Do you want to take them now? Or would you like to take them after the operation tomorrow?¡±

 Chapter 507

    Chapter 507: Ancient Tomb?


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Go visit the Magnificent Tang Corp tomorrow. And remember to mention your name and that you are going to see Kang Xia. She¡¯s also one us and is the one handling the matters on my behalf. She will sign a memorandum of understanding selling you 20,000 bottles of Gods Nectar annually,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember. Anyways, Boss, about the medicinal pill¡­¡± said Kuwako respectfully.


    ¡°You can rest assured. Someone will deliver you the cultivation resources shortly after you return to Japan. Nevertheless, I have some medicinal pills here for you. After you get back and take it, make sure you do it alone. You can trust me that your cultivation will progress much faster with the assistance of these medicinal pills.¡±


    Having said that, Tang Xiu took out a jade bottle from his interspatial ring and handed it over to Kuwako.


    With eyes lit up, Kuwako gratefully said, ¡°Thanks a lot, Boss.¡±


    ¡°No need to thank me,¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand. ¡°Do remember to perform well tomorrow, there must be no flaws. Also, I¡¯ll spare two among the dozen listed people you gave me, or else you will have to face some difficulties to explain yourself after you return to Japan.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± said Kuwako respectfully.


    As Kuwako Yamamoto left, Tang Xiu glanced at Tie Zhongkui and emphasized, ¡°I¡¯m going to personally watch your show tomorrow night, so don¡¯t take it lightly and do unnecessary mistakes. Kuwako is one us, so I hope you can completely trust her in the future.¡±


    ¡°But, Boss, she¡¯s a Japanese,¡± Tie Zhongkui hesitated. ¡°Besides, she¡¯s also the young lady of the House of Yamamoto, I¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m well aware of your concern, but she¡¯s more reliable and trustable than those peripheral members of the Everlasting Feast Hall. Also, her identity is very important, for she will be an important character in my future plans. If she¡¯s nurtured well, then I¡¯ll be able to do as I please in Japan in the future.¡±


    Tie Zhongkui went silent for a while, as he then seriously nodded and said, ¡°Since you have said it so, then I¡¯ll naturally regard her as one of us. You can rest assured that we¡¯ll certainly make no mistakes tomorrow.¡±


    Patting his shoulder, Tang Xiu smilingly said, ¡°Remember this place, and let¡¯s go back first! She brought quite a lot of precious herbs and valuable minerals this time. I need to send them to my place at South Gate Town.¡±


    ¡°Copy that, Boss!¡± Replied Tie Zhongkui respectfully.


    ***


    October 5th.


    After waking up, Tang Xiu washed and then walked to the living room on the first floor. What was strange was that there was someone sitting next to his mother on the sofa. It was the smiling Long Zhengyu.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you, Young Master Long. When did you come back?¡± Tang Xiu let out a smile and asked.


    Long Zhengyu got up to hug Tang Xiu and smilingly said, ¡°I just returned to Star City last night. Anyhow, the renovation project in Nine Dragons Island has been progressing very smoothly. It¡¯s expected that we can complete the project around June next year. This time I came back to see the project at Walled Hill Village since there are some problems there.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked puzzled, asking, ¡°Problems in the Walled Hill Village? What is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. There were a subsidence and landslides in the project site. I rushed there right after I came here last night to find out about the matter, and then found there was a tomb underground. I thought it was an ancient tomb or something, but then I finally discovered that it¡¯s not actually an ancient tomb, since the age is less than 100 years. Also, there are nothing precious inside except for dozens of coffins.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°How about the losses?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not significant and won¡¯t delay the project.¡± Long Zhengyu shook his head. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t matter, though. We¡¯ll still be able to catch up with the work, and it also won¡¯t affect the deadline and the budget.¡±


    ¡°Walled Hill Village is quite a good place, we must develop it well. Particularly regarding the quality, we must not make any mistakes at all. Otherwise, the aftermath will bring about quite a negative impact on the Long Group, to the extent that the New City project will also be affected.¡±


    The smile on Long Zhengyu¡¯s face slowly disappeared, as he nodded and said, ¡°Rest assured! I¡¯m well aware of it. Besides, my old man has been paying attention to this issue as well recently. I even heard that he¡¯s personally supervising the quality of the project. So I¡¯m sure that there won¡¯t be any problems.¡±


    Nodding in response, Tang Xiu then asked, ¡°Is there something else for you to come so early in the morning?¡±


    ¡°I learned last night that you don¡¯t have to go to Star City Chinese Medical Hospital again today, hence I want to drag you with me to have a look at the New City project together. The foundation of dozens of properties is said to have been completely laid out now. And you, as one of the most important investors, are you telling me that you don¡¯t have the interest to check on it?¡± Said Long Zhengyu with a smile.


    ¡°What good is it for me, anyway?¡± Tang Xiu replied with a teasing tone. ¡°Kang Xia always visits and supervises the site herself on my behalf. Besides, I got tons of things to deal with, and can only stay at home for this one day since I have to leave for Beijing tomorrow. I haven¡¯t even had a good chat with my Mom ever since I came back this time.¡±


    A smile outlined on the corner of Su Lingyun¡¯s mouth as she spoke, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, since Zhengyu has come seeking you, just go with him! Besides, you always leave early and yet always come back every day. Anyhow, your Dad told me that since it¡¯s a holiday he plans to have us go to Beijing together. Since you¡¯re going to Beijing tomorrow, let us go together to visit your grandpa.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great! Then we¡¯ll go together tomorrow,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly after hearing it.


    After eating breakfast, Tang Xiu and Long Zhengyu left South Gate Town. The duo didn¡¯t go straight to the New City construction site, going to the Long Family residence to visit Long Hanwen instead. After chatting with him for a while, only then did they go to the New City construction site.


    ¡°So, what do you think? Does the scale looks kinda small?¡±


    Long Zhengyu climbed up to the top of the Land Rover, as he smiling said while pointing at the enclosed construction site.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s ordinary. I¡¯ve already seen construction sites several hundred times larger than this, if you ask me,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly who stood beside him.


    Long Zhengyu rolled his eyes at him, ¡°Bah, cut the crap! Hundreds of times larger than this New City is akin to building a new Imperial Capital, huh? Anyways, do you mind if I ask you about something?¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°What do you plan to do after the New City project has been completed?¡± Asked Long Zhengyu. ¡°Are you going to have your Magnificent Tang Corp preorder some properties for future stores or residential uses? I¡¯m telling you, once this New City starts selling, it will become very crazy. Though the original floor price may be quite high, the price will probably increase and double after a few years.¡±


    ¡°What about your Long family? How many will you hoard?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°At least about 100 stores and a few hundred more luxurious houses,¡± said Long Zhengyu confidently.


    ¡°Huh? Are you sure your family can afford to fork out that many funds?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a strange expression.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t the banks there for this?¡± Said Long Zhengyu with a smile. ¡°Besides, once the Nine Dragons Island and the Walled Hill Village projects have been completed, my family will regain large amounts of capital. In time, we can pay back the loan to the bank and have a new one.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°Ah, it turns out that your family has this idea! My Magnificent Tang Corp does see the upcoming added value of the New City¡¯s real estates, yet we are not sure of how many properties we are going to take as of now. We¡¯ll be waiting for the opening price to be announced, and then we¡¯ll see how much money the Magnificent Tang Corp is able to come up with!¡±


    ¡°To be honest, the recent development of the Magnificent Tang Corporation kinda makes me jealous. But heck, nothing I can do about it. It¡¯s my fault not to joining in,¡± said Long Zhengyu with a smile.


    ¡°You may not have joined us, yet there¡¯s your little brother¡¯s share in one of those healthcare products that is not yet listed on the market. How can you say that your Long family hasn¡¯t invested anything in my Magnificent Tang Corp, huh?¡± asked Tang Xiu bluntly.


    Long Zhengyu smirked, ¡°That good-for-nothing Lil¡¯ Bro of mine truly can be said to have been struck with great fortune ever since he met you. I can tell from the three products produced by the Magnificent Tang Corp: the Gods Nectar, the Scar Removal Cream, and Skin Care Lotion, that your healthcare business will boom as well. Anyways, I heard that your company has encountered quite some troubles recently. Do you want my help?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a trivial problem. Not worth of you concern. I should be able to solve it within a few days,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°I know that, and I¡¯m aware of your abilities. I¡¯m sure you can take care of it.¡± Long Zhengyu nodded. ¡°Nevertheless, just call me if you ever need my assistance, got it?¡±


    ¡°Roger that!¡±


    ****


    At the Magnificent Tang Corporation.


    Kuwako Yamamoto came out of the Magnificent Tang Corp.¡¯s edifice with a few of her subordinates after the meeting with the company¡¯s General Manager, Kang Xia. The contract between her and Kang Xia had been smoothly signed, which stated that she could order 20,000 bottles of Gods Nectar annually from the Magnificent Tang Corp.


    Inside the building above, Kang Xia was standing before the window of General Manager¡¯s Office with a smiling face. She then looked at Tie Zhongkui who just came out of the next room and asked, ¡°What have you found?¡±


    ¡°One from the list Boss gave me tapped the conversation between you and Kuwako Yamamoto about the negotiation. So, their Boss behind the scene must have heard about the content of your conversation as well.¡±


    ¡°I originally thought that they would report it back to their Boss after they left. I didn¡¯t expect them to be so direct and bold, though. It seems that Kuwako Yamamoto¡¯s road to be the Head of the House of Yamamoto will be quite difficult!¡±


    ¡°The House of Yamamoto has quite a lot of members. They are also quite powerful and possess huge influence, hence the very fierce and intense internal fighting. It¡¯s kind of a given that it won¡¯t be easy for Kuwako to be the Head of the Yamamoto House. Furthermore, Japan is a bastion of male chauvinism, and women have a low status in their society. This variable also increases the difficulty for Kuwako to become the next Head of her House.


    ¡°Though I don¡¯t believe in her ability, I trust Boss¡¯s judgment,¡± said Kang Xia with a smile. ¡°Since he wants to make her the future Head of the House of Yamamoto, as well as the future Master of Northstar One Blade School, she will definitely achieve it.¡±


    Tie Zhongkui nodded, ¡°Chief Kang, if there¡¯s nothing else, then I¡¯ll take my leave as I need to prepare something. We¡¯re currently executing a scripted play, and the climax will be played just about tonight.¡±


    ¡°Work hard! I wish you can do it well and make Boss pleased,¡± said Kang Xia with a smile.


    ¡°Will do!¡±


    ****


    Amidst the dim lights of the night, in the courtyard of a dilapidated residential building in the southern suburb of Star City, dozens of elite experts from Japan were hiding in all corners. Inside the house was Kuwako Yamamoto in her night travel suite, wiping her katana with a serious expression. On the chair opposite hers was Ono Takayama, who was currently smoking with a glint in his eyes.


    ¡°Young lady, it¡¯s almost time. We must move.¡±

 Chapter 508

    Chapter 508: Bloody Night


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Kuwako, dressed in a night suit, and was quietly sitting with eyes closed, instantly opened them and squinted as her vision landed on Ono Takayama.


    ¡°Are you in a hurry?¡± Kuwako¡¯s tone was that of indifference.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s just that our plan of action needs to be executed as fast as possible. From my many years of experience, the best time to start is around 2 AM.¡±


    _The best time?_


    Kuwako secretly sneered. The plan she and Tang Xiu had devised was exactly that. She would rush to the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s headquarters at 2 AM and would attempt to steal confidential information, but it all would be simply a scene aimed at eliminating all outsiders and dissidents. Returning to Japan after the failure of the operation wouldn¡¯t cause her to be punished. Moreover, Ono Takayama was not one of her people, and was also one of those on the death list tonight.


    Nevertheless, since the man was eager to rush to his death, she didn¡¯t feel like scolding him. Thus, she slowly got up and said, ¡°Go and prepare the cars!¡±


    Two SUVs and a minibus were parked outside the courtyard. Right as everyone boarded the cars, they started driving toward the Magnificent Tang Corp.¡¯s HQ. Kuwako took a seat in the back. Her cold-looking eyes glanced at the back of Ono Takayama¡¯s head who sat on the front passenger seat, while silently pondering about the arrangements for returning to Japan.


    Several minutes later, more than a dozen ghostly silhouettes silently approached them. After a sharp dagger stabbed the back of an expert from the Yamamoto family, who was left behind to guard the site, the rest also began to kill the other Yamamoto experts.


    ¡°WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?¡±


    The remaining two experts of the Yamamoto family wore despairing expressions. They didn¡¯t fight, but instead quickly retreated a dozen steps, gripping their katanas and aiming them at the mysterious experts.


    ¡°Someone who is picking up a delivery,¡± coldly answered the stalwart man.


    The two experts of the Yamamoto family looked at each other. After exchanging looks, one of them quickly said, ¡°What¡¯s the code?¡±


    ¡°Boss Tang!¡± Said the stalwart man lightly.


    After hearing the words, these two experts suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. One of them stepped forward and pointed to the six large iron boxes that had been piled up in the courtyard, saying, ¡°That¡¯s the right password. All the herbs and mineral are inside. You can take them.¡±


    Having said that, he and another Yamamoto expert pulled out a sharp dagger concealed in their bodies and stabbed themselves. However, they avoided the critical areas, and also immediately took care of their wounds. Though they may look quite miserable, their lives were at least not in danger.


    The stalwart man nodded, and then took out a porcelain vase, saying, ¡°This medicine is effective for your wounds. Apply them externally.¡±


    After saying that, he immediately commanded the others to move the iron six boxes out and then quickly left, disappearing into the darkness of the night.


    ¡°Who the hell are those people, Tar¨­ Aniki?1 I really got goosebumps. Not only were they able to distinguish who we are in such a dark night, their strength is also very formidable. We were simply unable to fight them,¡± asked one of the Yamamoto¡¯s experts with a curious expression after picking up the porcelain vase and applying it on his wounds.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know them, either,¡± answered another expert as he continued, ¡°But Young Lady said that these people are one of us. I guess if these people were not the experts from the Northstar One Blade School, then they must be the people our Young Lady has been nurturing in secret.¡±


    ¡°Now, that seems like our Young Lady is quite powerful.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s of course.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    At 2 AM, near the HQ of the Magnificent Tang Corp. The building appeared dim and yellow under the illuminating lights. In a dark corner nearby an expert of the Everlasting Feast Hall was hiding, while more than a dozen other experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall were strolling around with work cards hanging on their chests.


    They were posing as State Internal Security members. Their mission was very simple. They were to make themselves seen by the experts of the Yamamoto family, to make them report the situation to the house¡¯s high-level members after their plan ended.


    Behind the window on the sixth floor of the edifice, Tang Xiu was standing with both hands folded while quietly observing the situation behind the building. Beside him was Tie Zhongkui, who was wearing night-vision goggles as he kept scanning the situation below the building.


    ¡°Kuwako has just appeared, Boss.¡±


    Tie Zhongkui put down the goggles and reported to Tang Xiu.


    Nodding in response, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Go! All must go according to the script, else it¡¯ll hinder my plans in Japan. Clearly remember to distinguish those who should be killed, the rest you must only injure and let them escape.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡±


    A murderous glint flashed in Tie Zhongkui¡¯s eyes. After cupping his fists, he immediately left.


    At first, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t have the intention to come in person, but he didn¡¯t felt relieved about the situation on this side, so he came himself. Prior to this, Kuwako had conveyed to him that she had already sent a report to the Yamamoto Family about encountering members of forces from other countries in Star City, as well as their mysterious disappearance. If the fact was to be added to the situation where she and the team she led failed to accomplish the mission and yet were able to escape, it would show that they were stronger than the other countries¡¯ major forces. Not only that, Kuwako had also successfully signed an agreement with the Magnificent Tang Corporation. Despite her only being able to obtain 20,000 bottles of Gods Nectar annually, it was still much better than the other countries¡¯ forces.


    ¡°WHO ARE YOU?¡±


    A roar broke the silence of the night, and the dozens of members of the Everlasting Feast wearing work cards hanging on their chests quickly emerged from dark corners to surround Kuwako¡¯s team.


    Intentionally showing a startled and panicked look, Kuwako quickly spoke, ¡°Not good, it¡¯s an ambush! They are from the State Security. Quickly withdraw!¡±


    At this moment, Tie Zhongkui finally arrived and shouted, ¡°Since you have come, then you all must stay! The state has issued an order that whoever dares to touch the Magnificent Tang Corporation must prepare themselves to be captured or killed by us. Capture them!¡±


    A brawl finally unfolded at this moment.


    Kuwako herself had yet to inform her trusted subordinates about the situation. Nevertheless, the people she led were literally not a match for the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s experts. As both sides clashed, eight members of the Yamamoto Family who were on the death list were killed, while the rest of them were also injured.


    ¡°ESCAPE!¡±


    Kuwako quickly escaped after engaging Tie Zhongkui in a fight and getting her arm injured. Following that, Tie Zhongkui and some of the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s experts pretended to chase her down¡­


    At this moment, Ono Takayama looked ghastly pale with fear covering his face. He never expected that the supposedly flawless and foolproof plan would be discovered, thus proving that the news they had obtained before was true, that the Magnificent Tang Corporation was really being protected in secret by the State Security.


    _Stab! Slash!_


    Two sharp blades, one piercing his arm and the other ripping open bloody wounds on his back. The blood dyed his his clothes red in an instant.


    ¡°RUN!¡±


    Horror and dread filled Ono Takayama¡¯s being. While trying to flee in desperation, he discovered that several of his trusted men were all slain. The sight scared him to death, and his speed suddenly increased.


    _Whoosh!_


    A sharp dagger pierced his lower back, as he staggered and fell to the ground a moment after. Two experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall then appeared in front of him.


    ¡°FUCK OFF¡­¡±


    There were only a few of Ono Takayama¡¯s trusted men left. Two of them rushed at this extremely urgent time, yet they didn¡¯t even try to block the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s expert, as one of them grabbed Ono Takayama and attempted to flee, while the other staked his life and fought desperately.


    From beginning to end, it was simply a slaughter that took only two minutes, leaving a dozen dead bodies on the ground. The Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s experts also gave a chase for a kilometer before stopping their pursuit and letting the remaining Yamamoto experts flee.


    ¡°Clean up the mess and get out of this place.¡±


    Tie Zhongkui took the night-vision goggles and then looked at the window where Tang Xiu was standing. When he saw Tang Xiu give him the ¡°OK¡± sign, he immediately put down the night-vision goggles and shouted the order.


    The night was painted with blood, and it¡¯s faint smell wafted in the air. After Kuwako and the remaining men boarded the cars to return to their temporary base in the southern suburbs of Star City, the smell of blood in the air caused her to feel secretly satisfied inside.


    ¡°Send the signal!¡±


    While sitting in the back seat, Kuwako covered her wound with her hand and issued an order in a deep voice.


    Suddenly, the youth in the front passenger seat took out a fireworks tube, lit it and shot it up into the sky as a group of fireworks then exploded in the mid air about 10 meters high.


    ¡°Miss, something is amiss!¡±


    When the two SUVs and the minibus stopped at the entrance to the courtyard, the youth who had just released the signal had his complexion changed and quickly reported.


    Kuwako got out of the car. When she looked at the second SUV, Ono Takayama came out being propped by one of his trusted men. She immediately creased her brows, stepped forward and asked, ¡°How¡¯s your injury, Ono?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t die, but the wounds are very serious. A knife stabbed my tailbone and I can¡¯t pull out the knife easily or the bleeding will speed up. I need to have a surgery immediately, Miss,¡± answered Ono Takayama.


    Kuwako nodded, ¡°I suspect there¡¯s a problem in this place. We must find another base first.¡±


    Ono Takayama¡¯s complexion drastically changed as he quickly said, ¡°But Miss, I¡­ I can¡¯t hold on for long.¡±


    _Creak_ ¡­


    At this time, the front door was opened and an injured expert of the Yamamoto Family poked his head out. After he saw the Kuwako and the rest, he quickly opened the front door and staggeringly walked outside, saying, ¡°Miss, someone attacked us by surprise. Our medicines and minerals were all snatched away. A-and¡­ they also killed some of us.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    Kuwako intentionally pretended to lose her calm, as she cried out and dashed inside.


    ¡°FUCKING BASTARDS!!!¡±


    The curses weren¡¯t coming from Kuwako. Instead, it was Ono Takayama who had lost his cool, as he found that all the dead bodies on the floor were his trusted men, while Kuwako¡¯s two confidants just suffered some injuries.

 Chapter 509

    Chapter 509: Visiting Beijing Again


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    A splendid performance was the strategist¡¯s merit, while a military exploit and medals of honor belonged to the executors. As the smell of blood enveloping the edifice of the Magnificent Tang Corp gradually faded away, the follow-up actions was of no concern to Tang Xiu. He believed that Kuwako would be able to play her role well.


    He didn¡¯t return home but stayed in Kang Xia¡¯s office. Sparks flickered in the dark as the smoke curled up and flooded every nook and cranny of the office.


    Thinking was a natural gift of the wise.


    Tang Xiu was someone who was adept at analyzing things. Although his EQ was mediocre, his IQ was exceedingly high. Since entering Shanghai University he realized that he seldom contemplated and thought things through, while the past him would need to stop his pace and take a good stroll to contemplate things over.


    During his contemplation, he realized something that made him helpless. The mighty torrent of life had been pushing him to continue moving forward. He may be able to control a lot of things, yet there were things that he least expected to appear in his life, many of them even just burst out all of a sudden.


    Family, cultivation, and development.


    These were the three directions and path of life he had set for himself, yet they had unknowingly drifted away. Hence, he now needed to think. Which issues were light and which ones were heavy? And in light of that, what kind of life did he really want to have in the future?


    It was the early morning, and with it came heavy rain. The curtain of rain covered the horizon, causing the entire world to look grayish and grim. It was the kind of rain that pressed the city down, as if seemingly wanting to vanquish all the sights to behold underneath the sky. And such a scene also seemed to blow away all Tang Xiu¡¯s problems. As he stood before the window looking down at the pedestrians below with their colorful umbrellas, as well as the road that was filled with a long queue of vehicles, a smile appeared on his face.


    One would have to plan his own life to have a smooth journey.


    He didn¡¯t know when he would be able to break through the blue horizon above his head and step yet again on the fertile land of the Immortal World. However, he believed that he would be above the myriads races in the Immortal World someday in the future, thus what he needed to do while living his life on Earth was to enjoy the warmth of his family, as well as cultivate himself diligently, and nurturing the seed of his own force.


    _Creak¡­_


    The door was pushed open, and Kang Xia came inside wearing high-heeled shoes and a bag of a famous brand. When she saw Tang Xiu standing by the window, her eyes immediately turned bright. Her slender legs elegantly moved forward, as she threw her bag on the sofa and hugged Tang Xiu¡¯s waist from behind.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t go back last night?¡±


    Tang Xiu slightly turned his head and replied with a faint smile, ¡°No. I was thinking about something.¡±


    Releasing Tang Xiu, Kang Xiu circled around and asked, ¡°What were you thinking about?¡±


    ¡°About the meaning of living,¡± said Tang Xiu, faintly smiling.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything to contemplate about that, no?¡± Kang Xia couldn¡¯t help chuckle. ¡°We chance upon life, so we just need to live our life splendidly, and never let ourselves reach the end of our life while thinking that we spent our time in idleness.¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°Kang Xia, let¡¯s relocate the HQ!¡±


    ¡°Where to?¡± Asked Kang Xia curiously after she stared blankly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move it to Shanghai,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    With a doubtful expression, Kang Xia replied, ¡°But, Boss, though our company has good income and funds to spare, I¡¯m afraid moving to Shanghai would affect our development.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying to relocate immediately. A year ago I drew a design for the HQ of the Magnificent Tang Corp, and the site would be in Shanghai. Thus, I planned to purchase a plot of land there and complete the construction work. Within two years, the construction of the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s HQ in Shanghai shall be completed, and thus the company will be relocated.¡±


    ¡°Then, how about our production lines?¡± Asked Kang Xia.


    ¡°We¡¯ll set up an industrial park that completely belongs to the Magnificent Tang Corp. What I need from you is to build a company that¡¯s akin to a hen laying golden eggs, and a huge amount of profits that will flow into the company¡¯s account every day,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Such a scale of operation will definitely require an enormous capital. How much are you going to invest in it, exactly?¡± Asked Kang Xia.


    ¡°At least 20 billion yuan,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    _Hiss¡­_


    Despite her being already aware that Tang Xiu would invest an enormous capital, the amount still shocked her. One must know that the total assets of the Magnificent Tang Corp were definitely not more than 20 billion yuan, yet Tang Xiu said that he would invest 20 billion yuan just to construct the company HQ within two years. That meant it would seriously afflict the company¡¯s financial aspect, hence causing severe financial problems.


    ¡°Relax! The progress track and development being carried out by the company will remain the same, just like the present condition. I won¡¯t use the money from the company. Let alone 20 billion, even if it¡¯s 200 billion, I can still get that amount as well,¡± said Tang Xiu with a faint smile.


    Shuddering inside, yet eyes shining, Kang Xia asked, ¡°How did you get the funds, Boss?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you that for the time being. Your task is to seize the time and make our healthcare product enter the market. Before June 1st next year we must make as much money as possible. Zhengyu and I have discussed some possibilities. His Long Family will very likely propose that the properties in the New City should be opened for sale before June 1st next year.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± said Kang Xia with a nod, her eyes lit up.


    Patting her shoulder, Tang Xiu smilingly said, ¡°The company¡¯s affairs are yours to handle. If you feel tired, you should spend money to find and hire outstanding talents in business management, as well as train as many talents as possible at the same time. In the coming years, the size of our company will continue to expand, and in due course, we¡¯ll need a lot of talented people so , we had better prepare for the rainy days.¡±


    ¡°You can rest assured about that. I¡¯m already aware of it,¡± said Kang Xia smilingly.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re aware of it, then I won¡¯t say any more.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Anyhow, I must accompany my parents to the capital today, so I¡¯ll be leaving. I¡¯ll head straight to Shanghai after leaving Beijing. Just call me if there¡¯s anything you need.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to leave today?¡±


    A look of disappointment appeared on her face, as she subconsciously caught Tang Xiu¡¯s arm.


    ****


    Noon came.


    Tang Xiu drove the car with his parents on board, and was on the way to the capital. The bad weather didn¡¯t give him any choice but to drive himself there. To his satisfaction, four women in their 30s were closely following them in secret. These four were people personally selected by Kuwako, hailing from the Northstar One Blade School but listed in the people-who-must-die list of the school.


    As night fell, two cars came out from the toll booth of the high-speed highway, but were then stopped at the toll gate exit. It was because his license number¡­ was out of the ordinal number limit.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been driving for six hours already, Xiu¡¯er. You might as well take it as having a good rest. Let¡¯s just take a break and wait until 12 AM before entering the city,¡± Su Lingyun got off, as she shifted her eyes and smilingly talked to Tang Xiu who stood in the front, smoking.


    Faintly smiling at her, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°I¡¯m in a hurry, Mom. I must enter the city before 12 AM. Stopping here will delay me and Grandpa¡¯s discussion. Nevertheless, I just phoned Auntie, though. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to enter the city very soon.¡±


    ¡°Son, you know that your Auntie is a very busy person. How can you trouble her over this trivial matter?¡± Asked Su Lingyun with a smile.


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile. Just as he was about to reply, he suddenly creased his brows as his eyes gazed at several top sports cars coming out of the toll booth. Those were very expensive sports cars. As their engines roared, it sped up drastically and quickly disappeared at the end of the road.


    ¡°The children of the big families in Beijing are really outrageous,¡± Tang Yunde got out of the car, as he shook his head and sighed.


    ¡°With the existence of big trees in their families, they won¡¯t be blown up by the wind and the rain won¡¯t fall down upon them. They only have such courage due to their family backgrounds. Only, the way they are driving will surely injure some people!¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and commented.


    ¡°Who said it hasn¡¯t occurred already? The number of traffic accidents has been increasing exponentially every year, and numerous people have lost their lives due to traffic accidents each year. If everyone drives a bit slower and steadily, just imagine how many accidents can be avoided, and people won¡¯t have to lose their family members because of it!¡±


    Amid their conversation, a police car stopped nearby. As several traffic policemen came out of the car and approached, Tang Xiu then heard his name being inquired by them.


    ¡°Here!¡± Tang Xiu waved at him.


    Immediately after, the policemen briskly approached, as the tall one among them asked with a smiling face, ¡°Are you Mr. Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s me!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    The policeman quickly said, ¡°We have just received a phone call from Minister Tang. She said that you have urgent things to do, so she asked us to escort you to your destination. Shall we go¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded at him and said, ¡°There¡¯s also another car behind us. Let them go as well!¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    After boarding the car, Su Lingyun asked, ¡°Son, what do you mean there¡¯s another car behind us?¡±


    ¡°Those are your bodyguards, Mom,¡± said Tang Xiu while driving.


    Su Lingyun dazed and stared blankly, as she then asked with astonishment, ¡°But when did I have bodyguards?¡±


    ¡°They have been following you for months already, Mom; though you didn¡¯t know about it. Their job is to protect your safety, but they won¡¯t disturb your daily life. Relax! It¡¯s all part of my arrangements, so you can feel relieved,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°But who are they, Xiu¡¯er?¡± Asked Su Lingyun hastily.


    ¡°Since I¡¯m the one who arranged it, then they are naturally my people. Please don¡¯t ask more about their origins, since you won¡¯t know it. Shall we go now? The matter of us coming to Beijing should have entered Grandpa¡¯s ears, and I¡¯m sure he¡¯s already waiting for us,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Despite feeling doubtful, Su Lingyun eventually nodded. Although Tang Xiu had previously told her that he would arrange several bodyguards to protect her, she had never seen any one of them before, so she thought that she had no bodyguards at all. Who could have thought that the bodyguards had been hiding in the dark and secretly protecting her for several months already?


    ¡°That¡¯s our son! Good!¡± Tang Yunde who sat beside Su Lingyun sighed and smiled.


    ****


    _At the Tang Family¡¯s ancestral residence¡­_


    Tang Min was nested on the sofa. She was so hungry that her stomach began to gurgle, yet she could only watch the table full of steaming hot meals with a wry smile. What made her speechless was the appearance of her mother and father¡ªthe old Head of the family, who kept glancing at the door from time to time.


    ¡°Father, Mother, how about we have a meal first? It will take a while for Second Brother to arrive, after all. I was too busy at noon today and only had a bite, I¡¯m starving to death.¡±


    ¡°No can do!¡± Said Tang Guosheng without a shred of hesitation.


    On the other side of the sofa, Tang Guoshou grinned, ¡°Little Min, your Second Brother and Second Sis-In-Law are coming, let¡¯s just wait for them for a while! They¡¯re driving over here, and definitely won¡¯t stop to have a meal on the road. If you¡¯re so hungry that you can¡¯t stand it, just go to the kitchen and find something to wolf down there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just wait then, Third Uncle!¡± Replied Tang Min with a wry smile.

 Chapter 510

    Chapter 510: A Colossal Sum of Money


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The Tang Family was once akin to a pool of stagnant water, lifeless and dull. Even their ancestral residence felt spiritless. However, since Tang Guosheng¡¯s illness was cured, and the Tang Family had finally found their lost offspring, Tang Xiu, as well as having Tang Yunde regain his consciousness from his vegetative state, the entire family was full of vigor and vitality, and the atmosphere was full of laughter and happiness.


    Especially¡­ after the Tang Family and the Yao Family contented for supremacy in the South, which ended up in total victory for the Tangs at the end of the struggle. The incident made each and every Tang family member feel proud and elated. Every member of the family, nevertheless, had clearly learned that such a tremendous change was entirely brought by Tang Xiu. Hence, Tang Xiu¡¯s position in the Tang Family was almost on par with that of the elders.


    Outside the ancestral residence, Tang Ning donned a sportswear as he stood watch at the mouth of the alley. Two armed soldiers in military uniforms were standing with curious looks hanging on their faces, seemingly astonished that Tang Ning would unexpectedly come back, and seemingly waiting for someone.


    _Creak¡­_


    Two cars came from the mouth of the alley and stopped outside the gate of the Tang Family¡¯s ancestral residence.


    ¡°Second Uncle, Second Aunt!¡±


    Tang Ning went to open the car¡¯s door, as he respectfully called out. His eyes fell on Tang Xiu, who had just gotten out from the driver¡¯s seat. The cold expression on his face gradually melted, and there was a hint of a smile there.


    ¡°Little Ning, you rarely come back from the army,¡± said Tang Yunde with a smile.


    ¡°I learned that my younger brother would be coming over, so I asked for leave,¡± said Tang Ning.


    ¡°You two brothers rarely meet. So that it¡¯s really time for you to get together. All the members of our family must unite, no?¡± Tang Yunde commented with a smile.


    Tang Xiu gave out a calm smile and called out, ¡°Brother Ning.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve really done a good job in the South, Tang Xiu,¡± said Tang Ning with a smile.


    ¡°That was but only a trivial matter, really,¡± replied Tang Xiu.


    Tang Ning gave him the thumbs up and smilingly said, ¡°That¡¯s my brother! I like this tone of yours, brother. Shall we go in? Grandpa and Third Grandpa are already waiting inside.¡±


    When they entered the ancestral residence and arrived at the bamboo pavilion at the innermost region of the residence, Tang Min was the first to leap up from the sofa, and smilingly said, ¡°Second Brother, Second Sis-in-Law. You all have finally arrived. I would have starved to death if you were to arrive a bit later.¡±


    Tang Yunde and Su Lingyun smiled and greeted the others inside the room. Under Tang Guosheng¡¯s command, all members of the family took seats at the dinner table. The dinner was sumptuous and rich, and Tang Guosheng also personally brought out two bottles of Gods Nectar Kang Xia had sent him.


    After the dinner concluded, Su Lingyun accompanied the Old Lady of the house to collect the dishes and tableware, while Tang Guosheng took everyone else to his study room. As lingering smoke rose in the air, Tang Min was the first to break the silence, ¡°Father, since Tang Xiu has arrived, would you begin?¡±


    Tang Guosheng¡¯s eyes fell on Tang Xiu as he said, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, before we jump to the important issue, can you tell me the identity of the four outside?¡±


    ¡°They are my mother¡¯s bodyguards, hailing from Japan¡¯s Northstar One Blade School,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°They are what?¡± Tang Guosheng stared blankly, while everyone else in the study room was also dumbfounded with eyes staring wide.


    ¡°Accurately speaking, they used to be experts of Japan¡¯s Northstar One Blade School. But they have changed their appearance, as well as concealed their names and identity, hence they have new identities in China. I¡¯ve been fostering some people, and one of them is the Young Lady of the Yamamoto Family from Japan. She¡¯s also one of the pretenders as the future Master of Northstar One Bladed School,¡± explained Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, I wouldn¡¯t have said anything if you were to cultivate some talents from our own ethnicity, but are these Japanese¡­ can they be trusted?¡± Tang Guosheng frowned.


    ¡°Grandpa, my mother¡¯s life is more important than my own. If I was not sure that I can handle them, I naturally wouldn¡¯t allow them to protect her,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Tang Guosheng gently nodded, ¡°Why is it that you want to cultivate Japanese talents as well? I want to know about that, too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for resources,¡± said Tang Xiu with all seriousness. ¡°We will need a colossal amount of resources if we want to develop further. And what I want to do will need these resources as well. Japan may be just an island, but the vast ocean around it contains a huge amount of resources. If the people I¡¯m currently cultivating holds huge influence there someday in the future, and I use them well when that time comes, wouldn¡¯t it be good?¡±


    Tang Guosheng was shocked inside and hurriedly asked, ¡°Given what you said¡­ You mean that you can influence the politics of Japan in the future?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that kind of influence that I¡¯m after, but control,¡± said Tang Xiu, shaking his head.


    _Hiss¡­_


    The five people inside the room gasped for cold air at the same time. They could feel Tang Xiu¡¯s ambition by his words.


    Tang Xiu chuckled, ¡°If I¡¯m not mistakenly comprehending the history from my studies, the Japanese once attempted to control China before, even killing a lot in our country. The method they used was their armed forces and relied on military force to suppress and rule the country by shedding blood. But what I want is to corrode them from inside, secretly infiltrating them and controlling some powerful figures who will hold high authority in Japan in the future. Why should we worry about such a thing if we can use Japan for my own in the future?¡±


    Tang Guosheng shook his head and forced out a smile, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, your idea is great, but¡­ it¡¯s too na?ve as well. They are probably in need of your help now to constantly expand their force and influence, as well as elevate their status. But in the future, after they have their grown, they will certainly get rid of your control. As far as I¡¯m concerned, the Japanese are despicable, and shameless blood is flowing inside their very bones.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, there was a sentence I once heard, that the wealthier and more powerful a human becomes, the more they are afraid of death. What do you think about these words? Are they really true?¡±


    Tang Guosheng nodded after a while as he forced out a smile and said, ¡°What you said is right. The more you get, the more you want to enjoy. Thus, fearing death would come naturally.¡±


    Tang Xiu clenched his fist and said with a confident smile, ¡°I have a way to control their lives and deaths. They will never be able to get rid of my control even if they use all their strength and resources Japan can muster.¡±


    Tang Guosheng fell into silence, while Tang Guoshou wore a strange expression. However, Tang Min, Tang Yunde, and Tang Ning had their eyes fixed on Tang Xiu with unfathomable expressions on their faces, while various thoughts churned inside their heads.


    ¡°Grandpa, let us put aside the discussion about Japan, shall we? The reason we¡¯re here is to talk about some other serious issues,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle.


    A glint flashed inside Tang Guosheng¡¯s eyes as he nodded and said, ¡°Do you still remember what I said to you on the phone?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already discussed this matter with everyone else. And I think I can hand it over to you to handle. 50 billion yuan is the amount our Tang Family can mobilize and withdraw without the public noticing it. Nevertheless, it¡¯ll be very difficult to conceal it once the money is used, since some families currently have their eyes on us. Hence, utilizing the funds through you would be the most suitable option.¡±


    ¡°Could it be that you¡¯re not afraid I will squander the money and waste it?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Will you?¡± Asked Tang Guosheng back.


    ¡°You can feel relieved! I will give you a satisfactory result before I graduate from college. Additionally, I would like to know the condition our Tang Family is in now. How many reliable people can we trust here? When I say reliable and trustable means absolute loyalty toward the Tang Family.¡±


    Tang Guosheng and Tang Guoshou exchanged looks, as the latter coughed and answered, ¡°It¡¯s very difficult to ascertain the number, but it¡¯s definitely more than 1,000 people.¡±


    ¡°What about the number of martial artists we have? What I¡¯m talking about is the talents with good skills and abilities,¡± asked Tang Xiu again.


    After deeply pondering for a short while, Tang Guoshou slowly said, ¡°We have at least 300 or more talents. They have absolute loyalty to our Tang Family. Some of them were adopted by us and were sent to some domestic martial arts schools to practice martial arts since their childhood. We also sent a few others to the army and they eventually achieved good results. Of course, our family can still mobilize more than 10,000 people in the open if we want to handle something without mobilizing our forces in the army.¡±


    ¡°Later on send me 20 experts who are absolutely loyal to the Tang Family, and I will give them special training. As long as they can survive and complete the training, their strength will be doubled,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Where should I send them?¡± Asked Tang Guosheng.


    ¡°Jingmen Island, the HQ of the Everlasting Feast Hall,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Tang Guosheng slowly nodded, and a smile appeared on his old face as he said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait and see. I¡¯m going to draft a list later and hand it over to you.¡±


    The meeting lasted three hours, as Tang Ning then escorted Tang Guoshou back to his residence before dawn; whereas Tang Xiu¡¯s family of three stayed in the ancestral residence of the Tang Family.


    In the next morning, Tang Xiu received a phone call from Li Laoshan. However, because the underground auction was to be held at 2PM, he didn¡¯t hurry to meet him and followed Tang Min instead to visit and stroll around the bustling sites of Beijing.


    Of course, with Tang Min¡¯s disposition, Tang Xiu¡¯s Range Rover had its trunk filled to the full with purchases, most of which were bought for Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Auntie, the money has been transferred.¡±


    On the side streets were an endless stream of people and vehicles. Tang Xiu, who was carrying several bags, felt his mobile phone vibrating. He took it out and saw that 50 billion yuan had been transferred to his account.


    Tang Min let out a smile, ¡°Just receive it? I¡¯m quite curious about something, though. The name on your bankcard is ¡°Gu Xiaoxue¡±? It should be a girl¡¯s name, right? Who¡¯s she? Is he your girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m her Grand Master,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Huh? Grand Master? And a Master Ancestor too!¡± Tang Min couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter. ¡°Anyways, let us have a deal here. If you have gotten a girlfriend, you gotta bring her to Auntie have a look at her, okay?¡±


    Tang Xiu only let out a calm, tranquil smile, and casually promised her. He then put the mobile back into his pocket. The bank account to which the money was transferred to indeed belonged to Xiaoxue. It had been quite a long time since he got a sum of money from her, which exactly was the bank card she gave him. Then again, if his identity were to be exposed to those hostile families, they would definitely investigate everything about him, and may also be able to find out about his assets in the bank.


    Therefore, these 50 billion yuan must stay in the dark.


    As of now, the total amount of funds in this bankcard was 60 billion yuan. 1 billion came of his own money and the other 9 billion came from Xiaoxue, to prepare the establishment of the herbs plantation and fierce beasts breeding. Though Tang Xiu didn¡¯t see such a colossal amount of money as something very important, it still made him somewhat pleased.


    ¡°Auntie, I can¡¯t accompany you to lunch since I have an appointment with a friend of mine, and then I will go with him to deal with some things,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Look, if you have something to do, just go and have fun, okay?¡± Tang Min laughed. ¡°In any case, we can chat before you go back to Shanghai.¡±

 Chapter 511

    Chapter 511: Encountering Familiar Faces


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    In the middle of the day, Tang Xiu met a happy Li Laoshan, but what made Tang Xiu at a loss whether to laugh or cry was Li Laoshan¡¯s entire grand parade of 16 bodyguards in black suits and black sunglasses, who greeted and escorted him just as he came to hotel entrance. The scene was so strange that it garnered the attention of many people, thinking that there was a movie in the making!


    ¡°Old Brother Li, can you at least act low profile?¡±


    Tang Xiu, who was wearing a casual outfit with a duckbill cap, added large black sunglasses on his face. Dressing up like that was mainly due to what had happened in the morning, when he accompanied his aunt, Tang Min, to stroll around shopping. At that time, he had to go through a bitter experience of being surrounded by tons of people. After all, this time was completely different than the days in past. Firstly, it was because the footage of him singing while playing the zither at the Shanghai University¡¯s freshmen welcoming party, and secondly was because of his identity as the young divine doctor who rendered medical services at Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, which resulted in him becoming a celebrity.


    No, that was not entirely accurate!


    He was now even hotter than a celebrity! Because every person, be it an 80-years-old or a teenage, always greeted him as long as they were able to recognize him, asking for his signature and requesting to take pictures together. Moreover, the number was simply too big to count.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing I can do about it, Brother Tang,¡± said Li Laoshan with a grin. ¡°I brought Yuchang Sword with me, thus I¡¯m afraid that people with crooked thoughts will come after it! By the way, it¡¯s you that¡¯s making me feel strange. Why are you looking like this? If I wasn¡¯t familiar with you I really wouldn¡¯t have been able to recognize you.¡±


    ¡°I dislike the fact that my appearance doesn¡¯t look low profile enough, though,¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve been run in tough situations whenever I go outside ever since that footage of me giving medical services at the Star City Medical Hospital got uploaded to the internet. There¡¯s always someone recognizing me whenever I come out. I really wish I could go to H country and have a facial plastic surgery or something like that.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Li Laoshan burst into laughter. ¡°I did watch the footage of you giving medical services at Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. I really liked it! Especially about the dialogue saying that you would donate money; it quite touched my heart. This old bro of yours may be a layman in medical terms, but I also have a heart! Hence, I donated 1 million yuan to the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital¡¯s relief fund. Besides, the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital¡¯s website has just featured thei relief fund page, and it¡¯s really great. It¡¯s transparent enough. Enough to make all donors with goodwill and intention feel relieved.¡±


    ¡°About that, it was kinda unintentional intention, to be honest,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Anyways, let us not talk about this subject anymore, alright? What about the upcoming underground auction? Where will it be held?¡±


    ¡°The venue is in a very covert place, you¡¯ll simply be unable to imagine. Okay, follow me! There¡¯s less than two hours away from the auction now. If we hurry up we¡¯ll be able to get there before 2 PM.¡±


    Yongding River! It was one of the main tributaries in the Hai River system in Beijing, as well as the largest river flowing through the city. And this very underground auction was going to be held in this river.


    ¡°Old Brother Li, are you not mistaken? Are we really going to take this small wooden boat to participate in that underground auction?¡± On the bank of a certain part of the river, Tang Xiu wore a strange expression as he gazed at the dozens of small wooden boats along with the burly men in black suits before him. Tang Xiu¡¯s expression was that of disbelief when he asked.


    ¡°What do you think? You never expected it, right?¡± Li Laoshan grinned. ¡°Every underground auction is organized by the Situ Family. This year¡¯s trick is just similarly impressive and didn¡¯t disappoint me. Do you see that rowing boat in front? I know them, and they also came to participate in the auction.¡±


    Tang Xiu gazed to the front, as he nodded and sighed, ¡°This is indeed impressive. The people from the Situ Family truly use their brains. Let¡¯s go! We might as well go directly to the auction venue since we¡¯re already here. I really want to see it.¡±


    As Li Laoshan let out a faint smile and walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Tang Xiu to board the boat, the guards there stopped them. A burly man then checked Li Laoshan¡¯s invitation and said, ¡°Mr. Li, you can only bring three people on board.¡±


    ¡°I know!¡± Li Laoshan nodded and boarded the boat together with Tang Xiu. He motioned for two bodyguards to board as well, and then the boat moved toward the far side of the river.


    About ten minutes later, the action venue finally entered Tang Xiu¡¯s sight. He gazed afar at the wide river channel. There was a half meter high platform that had been temporarily built on the river surface. It was surrounded by a row of boats at its four corners, each of which was tied with iron chains, while the two of them were lined up to the shore.


    ¡°Brother Li, seeing this spectacle kinda makes me dizzy,¡± said Tang Xiu while shaking his head. He looked at a loss as he couldn¡¯t help commenting with a sigh.


    Li Laoshan himself felt rather novel as he chuckled and replied, ¡°This is indeed interesting. Just look at those boats. Many people there look familiar, and a few of them are acquaintances. By the way, we¡¯ll be late to get there, so I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to take the back seats. But it¡¯s all right, though. It won¡¯t affect our bidding whatsoever.¡±


    ¡°I followed you just to look around and see the financial resource contests between you and that the guy who tried to get your Yuchang Sword.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°Besides, this auction probably won¡¯t have many useful items for me. Anyways, if the funds you prepared are not enough, I can lend you some.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re joking with me, Brother Tang.¡± Li Laoshan couldn¡¯t help laughing and grinned. ¡°Though your Magnificent Tang may have made quite a lot of money recently, there are still many places that will need your money, so forget about lending me. Relax! I have prepared sufficient funds this time. If it exceeds the budget I¡¯ve prepared, then I can still sell the Yuchang Sword at a high price.¡±


    ¡°Are you really willing to give it up?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a slightly flickering expression.


    ¡°I¡¯m reluctant to do it, to be honest. Each thing has its own value, but the gains won¡¯t cover up the losses if we insist to buy it once the price exceeds its value,¡± answered Li Laoshan.


    Giving him a thumbs up, Tang Xiu praised him, ¡°For Old Brother Li to be able to let it go, you really are a person with good spirit. Pity that there¡¯s no wine now, though. Or else I would have offered you a toast to you as a token of my respect.¡±


    With a strange smile, Li Laoshan replied, ¡°Who said there¡¯s no wine? I dare say that someone will send us wine within less three minutes. Do you believe it?¡±


    ¡°Someone will send us wine? Really?¡± Asked Tang Xiu, surprised.


    While pointing to several rowing boats, Li Laoshan smilingly said, ¡°Do you see them? Those boats should be delivering teas, wine, and delicacies to the arriving guests. The people from the Situ Family have something in common, that is, they seek to get along with everyone and secure their favor, as well as paying attention to everything concerned. I heard that every underground auction makes its guests feel at home.¡±


    Just like he said, a small rowing boat drew near their boat a few minutes later. After a stalwart man tied the rope, he cupped his fist to Li Laoshan¡¯s group of four and said, ¡°We welcome you to this Beijing Auction. Also, our Situ Family is currently inventorying the items that are going to be auctioned. If you also intend to auction something, you can take the registration form from me and give me the item. Then you will be asked whether you want to sell it or not after the item has been appraised¡­¡±


    Li Laoshan took a rectangular wooden box from his bodyguard and handed it to the stalwart man. He filled in the form and signed the agreement entrusting the item to the other party before he took the tea and wine handed by the man. Along with it was a tray of fruit bowls, desserts, and some other delicacies.


    ¡°The arrangement set up by the Situ Family is great indeed. It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve also heard about the big families in Beijing, but how could I have never heard about the Situ Family among them?¡± Asked Tang Xiu in a whisper after the other party left.


    ¡°The Situ Family is part of the Occult Sect, and they only have a few clansmen. Even if the Situ Family boasts a colossal wealth and possesses deep network and connections, their family has never involved themselves in politics. Moreover, they always kept a low profile, thus they are not famous. However, don¡¯t ever underestimate them, though. I dare say that the mid-sized families in Beijing are perhaps more or less the same as the Situ Family.¡±


    ¡°They are that powerful?¡± Commented Tang Xiu, surprised.


    ¡°For families who have managed to operate for 100 years, they have a very deep foundation; the Situ Family itself has been in the business for more than 100 years. Rumor has it that this family kept their existence hidden during turbulent times, which greatly averted the losses of the family. The torrential waves of the reformation time also didn¡¯t have much impact on this family. Hence, never underestimate the Situ Family,¡± explained Li Laoshan.


    As he spoke up to there, Li Laoshan toned down his voice and continued, ¡°Brother Tang, you¡¯re a martial artist yourself, so you should know that these families have more than just wealth in their possession, am I right? There¡¯s another huge factor here, that is the number and strength of martial artists in their families. And I heard that the Situ Family is also one of the big families built upon the foundation of martial arts. Each and every member of the family is a top martial arts expert.¡±


    ¡°The guy just now has a rather good ability. Perhaps you¡¯re just slightly weaker than him, Old Brother Li,¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod.


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t mention me, Brother Tang. I know my ability is insufficient and even disgraceful!¡± Li Laoshan looked embarrassed. ¡°In normal times, I can barely deal with small thugs, but I would definitely be knocked down with three fists and two kicks if I were to encounter a genuine expert.¡±


    Tang Xiu only gave out a faint smile in response.


    Time passed by, and 2 PM finally came. More boats kept coming, the number numbering more than 100. In other words, there was at least 100 guests attending the auction this time.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost time,¡± said Li Laoshan while touching Tang Xiu¡¯s arm after he saw a woman in a crimson-colored coat, leather boots, and dress stepping onto the platform built in the middle of the river.


    Tang looked up ahead and his expression suddenly turned blank.


    ¡°How could she be here?¡±


    Tang Xiu rubbed his eyes and was finally sure that his eyes weren¡¯t betraying him. The woman in crimson attire was Ouyang Lulu.


    However, his astonishment was not over yet, for there was another person he had never imagined would appear here. That person was someone he was very familiar with. The one he once hated, felt hostile toward, and wished he could hit her.


    ¡°Brother Tang, my adversary is coming,¡± said Li Laoshan in a low voice while touching Tang Xiu¡¯s arm.

 Chapter 512

    Chapter 512: Disparity


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The late boat was also boarded by four guests. Two of them were obviously bodyguards judging from their attire, while the other two was a man and a woman. The man was bald with a sparkling gold chain around his neck and was wearing a faint smile on his plump face, while the woman was elegant and beautiful, donned in a professional dress.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes only stayed for a moment on the bald middle-aged man, as he gaze then shifted to the woman; he had a deep relationship with her.


    ¡°Wang Daoyuan, the owner of Beijing¡¯s Highrise Construction.¡±


    Li Laoshan squinted his eyes and looked at the approaching party, as he touched Tang Xiu¡¯s arm and whispered.


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t care less about who the other man was. What he cared about was why would Su Yaning appear next to Wang Daoyuan, and even donning a professional outfit.


    As the boat drew near, Wang Daoyuan then took a cigar box from his bosom and took out two cigars from the inside. Right as the two boats were only two meters away from each other, he threw one to Li Laoshan and clamped the other in his mouth while glancing at Su Yaning. He creased his brows, however, since his young secretary didn¡¯t even look at him, and instead was looking at the young man next to Li Laoshan.


    _It¡¯s him?_


    Wang Daoyuan¡¯s face flickered, since he could quickly recognize who Tang Xiu was. He immediately took out another cigar and handed it over to Tang Xiu, saying, ¡°Brother Li, I never thought you knew Divine Doctor Tang. I may be a rough man, but the distinguished name of Divine Doctor Tang is akin to thunder in my ears.¡±


    Though reaching out his hand to receive the cigar, Tang Xiu only gave Wang Daoyuan a slight nod in response. As his vision fell on Su Yaning, he then said in an indifferent tone, ¡°If you have done enough crazy things outside, now scram and go home. I¡¯ve been keeping the key to your house in Star City for you.¡±


    Animosity suffused in Su Yaning¡¯s eyes as she indignantly shouted, ¡°Our Su family doesn¡¯t need to be pitied by you. The winner is always the king and the defeated will become a bandit. That house is yours, and not ours!¡±


    ¡°You still know that your surname is Su, huh? Then if you don¡¯t forget your ancestors, go and return to the Su Village to see your grandmother if you have time. Xiangfei has been behaving great recently, at least he now understands what filial piety means,¡± Tang Xiu coldly snorted and replied.


    ¡°Whether or not I understand what filial piety means is not your damn business!¡± Su Yaning angrily rebuked.


    Tang Xiu sighed inwardly as he turned to look at Li Laoshan and Wang Daoyuan, who looked at them with a strange expression. He then spoke to the two men lightly, ¡°I have to tell the two of you that unexpected things may happen at any time, for misfortune and happiness may come to someone in the morning or evening. Life has never been easy to anyone, yet if enmity is not settled amicably, there will be no end to it. No matter if you two will get what you want today, I hope that the two of you will live in peace together later. When this auction is over, I invite both you to dinner. I hope the two accept.¡±


    Li Laoshan instantly realized the reason why Tang Xiu spoke these words. It was probably because of that batch of steel products. He gently nodded and threw a glance at Wang Daoyuan.


    Wang Daoyuan squinted his eyes and smilingly said, ¡°Since it¡¯s the Divine Doctor Tang himself that has spoken, I naturally won¡¯t refuse. But as the local snake in Beijing, it is I who must be the host tonight!¡±


    ¡°No, tonight¡¯s banquet must be on me, for it can be regarded as me helping to resolve some minor conflicts, to begin with. You can rest assured! As a member of the Tang Family, I can still afford to pay for a meal.¡±


    _A member of the Tang Family?_


    Wang Daoyuan was taken aback. His pupils immediately flickered as his round stature straightened up in an instant, and then smilingly replied, ¡°Since it¡¯s a treat from Brother Tang, I¡¯ll be sure to bring the Gods Nectar I had just gotten with great difficulty.¡±


    A hint of laughter could be seen on Li Laoshan¡¯s face as he said, ¡°Brother Daoyuan, since Brother Tang must treat us, it should also be him to treat us Gods Nectar! Besides, however many bottles you have, you won¡¯t be able to defeat him!¡±


    Surprised, Wang Daoyuan said, ¡°Is Brother Tang able to get Gods Nectar through his network and relations?¡±


    Su Yaning was currently sitting next to Wang Daoyuan with eyes suffused with anger, but when she heard that, she whispered to him, ¡°Boss, he¡¯s the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Wang Daoyuan¡¯s expression changed, as he stared at Tang Xiu with disbelief.


    With his keen listening ability, Tang Xiu naturally could hear Su Yaning¡¯s words easily, as he chuckled and said lightly, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. I¡¯m the Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation.¡±


    Shocked, Wang Daoyuan sized him up with a deep gaze and then sighed, ¡°Talented people will replace the old ones, and such excellent characters always come out in every decade. Brother Tang is still so young, yet you¡¯re already have such a brilliant business. That¡¯s really not easy at all! Well, I¡¯ll have to thicken my face to have a drink with Brother Tang tonight. Also, that steel shipment belonging to Brother Li will also be returned to him tomorrow morning.¡±


    A faint smile was Tang Xiu¡¯s only response to him.


    As for Li Laoshan, he cupped his fists and smilingly said, ¡°Brother Wang, we¡¯re in the same line of business, so I¡¯m hoping that we can get closer and have more cooperation later on.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing,¡± said Wang Daoyuan with a smile.


    After saying that, he turned to look at Su Yaning while secretly pondering what relationship his young secretary had with Tang Xiu.


    Intelligent as he was, Tang Xiu was able to guess what Wang Daoyuan had in mind from his expression. He then smiled lightly and said, ¡°Old Brother Wang, since my na?ve and insensible cousin is working in your company, I hope you will take care of her well. You don¡¯t have to care about my face later if she doesn¡¯t perform well and you¡¯ve to fire her. Besides, I already have some arrangements for her later.¡±


    ¡°Mind your own business!¡± Su Yaning glared angrily at Tang Xiu.


    Startled, Wang Daoyuan¡¯s mind whirled. His face was immediately covered with a smile, as he cupped his fists and said, ¡°Rest assured, Brother Tang. I¡¯ll definitely treat her well while she¡¯s working in my company.¡±


    Originally, Wang Daoyuan was quite interested in this young secretary of his who was quite capable and hardworking, and was also planning to take her to bed after a period of time. But today, after he learned her relationship with Tang Xiu, he instantly dropped the idea. If Tang Xiu was merely a miracle-working doctor in Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, or even only the Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, he wouldn¡¯t be afraid. But Tang Xiu¡¯s another identity as someone from the Tang Family of Beijing was something he would never dare to provoke.


    As for Su Yaning, she shifted her eyes to Wang Daoyuan and looked at Tang Xiu again while feeling quite bitter inside. Originally, she thought that she would certainly be able to get a handsome paycheck from the Highrise Construction company in the future due to her recent diligence and ability, thus obtaining a good career. Even if she left the Highrise Construction Group in the future, she would have amassed a lot of capital to regain the past glory of her Su Family.


    At that time, she would have a powerful foundation and capital to stand before Tang Xiu, to make him understand that he could not bully her family that easily. She would stand before him, making him regret what he had done to her parents.


    However, at this time, she realized that she was literally not an existence that was on par with Tang Xiu whatsoever. Even if she were to go all out and work herself to death, that was a height that was nearly impossible for her to achieve. After all, even her Boss, who was proud to the bones, was almost flattering Tang Xiu about his performance; that attitude was way too humble.


    _This won¡¯t do. I must never give up!_


    Su Yaning clenched her fist and shot a cold look at Tang Xiu before she turned her eyes away.


    At this time, on the platform built in the middle of the river, Ouyang Lulu held a row of pallet behind her as a beautiful woman then nodded to her. Then, she picked up the microphone, looked around and said with a beaming smile, ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, welcome and thanks for participating in the 181st Capital Auction. It¡¯s my honor to have been invited by the Situ Family to host today¡¯s auction. By the way, I¡¯m Ouyang Lulu, a public figure from Jiangmen Island.


    ¡°The time is already ripe for this auction to start. I know that everyone who has come here today, each and every one of you is a respected figure with fame and prestige. So I will not waste your precious time. I hope that all of you will be able to buy what you want in this auction. Thus, without further ado, I now announce that the 181st Capital Auction begins now!


    ¡°The first item to be auctioned today is the Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal! This Imperial Seal is a token symbolizing the highest authority during the period of the Qin Dynasty, as well as a treasured item that is comparable to China¡¯s national treasures. The floor price will be 100 million, and the bid to increase is at 1 million, at least. And now, let the bidding start!¡±


    Just as Ouyang Lulu¡¯s voice fell, the people on the hundreds of boats looked shocked. They had never expected that the first item to be auctioned would be the Imperial Jade Seal of the Qin Emperor, which was also a national treasure.


    It had to be noted that the first item to be auctioned in a general auction would usually be a decent one, and the top finale was usually placed on the last three or even the last one. Could it be that there were more precious things than the Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal?


    ¡°101 million!¡±


    ¡°102 million!¡±


    ¡°105 million¡­¡±


    Indeed, the guests who were eligible to participate in this Capital Auction were all great figures with identity and wealth. Tang Xiu heard from Li Laoshan that the people who had the qualifications to attend this action must be recommended by at least two people who had participated in the auction before. Even the applicants must possess a wealth exceeding 1 billion yuan, and each of them could only bring three people to accompany them.


    Because of this reason, the auction of the Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal caused many to set their eyes on it, making the Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal price to steadily increase.


    Tang Xiu shook his head. He didn¡¯t have much interest in the Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal. The purpose of his visit to this auction was to help Li Laoshan and Wang Daoyuan resolve their conflicts, and at the same time, protect Li Laoshan¡¯s Yuchang Sword from being robbed.


    Nonetheless, there was something that Tang Xiu still wanted to discern. What was special about the Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal to think that its floor price was set at 100 million yuan? His vision then passed to the back. And when he saw the seal made of bronze, he couldn¡¯t help but exclaim inwardly about how strange human¡¯s thoughts were. Although men tend to collect things whether the world is chaotic or prosperous, yet those things wouldn¡¯t be able to help them. But buying it like staking a thousand pieces of gold on one throw was totally bizarre, for it was simply like throwing money away.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly creased his brows as he sensed a spiritual qi of Heaven and Earth all of a sudden. A moment just now, it was even probably richer, and there was a fluctuation of a very special aura that seemed to have come out of nowhere.


    _What happened, exactly?_


    He looked around, yet he didn¡¯t see anything peculiar on anyone. He instantly released his spiritual sense and enveloped a 200 meters¡¯ radius. After two seconds passed, Tang Xiu observed the drifting spiritual qi of Heaven and Earth that was slowly rising toward the Qin Emperor Imperial Jade Seal in front of Ouyang Lulu. It turned out to be the cause of that fluctuation.


    _This Imperial Jade Seal¡­_


    Tang Xiu hesitated for a moment. Then, he instantly covered the Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal with his spiritual sense and tried to slowly penetrate its interior.

 Chapter 513

    Chapter 513: The Power of Fate and Destiny


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal was placed atop the table in front of Ouyang Lulu. The seal that was made of quality bronze was as though it had not been eroded by the passing years, and seemingly looked bright and clean.


    The moment his spiritual sense seeped into its interior, a dimensional space appeared within the void as a torrent instantly devoured Tang Xiu¡¯s spiritual sense.


    _Puff¡­_


    Tang Xiu, who was sitting on the boat while examining the Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal with his spiritual sense, suddenly contracted his pupils. He spurted out a mouthful of blood and his complexion turned ghastly pale.


    At the side, as Li Laoshan saw Tang Xiu¡¯s appearance, his complexion greatly changed. He hastily grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s arm to prop him up and quickly asked, ¡°Brother Tang, you¡­ are you all right?¡±


    With eyes staring fixedly at the Imperial Jade Seal, Tang Xiu was as though unable to hear Li Laoshan. At this time, stormy waves were currently raging inside his heart. Never once did he expect that a void space had actually formed inside the Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal, more so that a tremendous amount of power of fate and destiny was residing there.


    The power of fate and destiny is a very mysterious existence, for it is ethereal, invisible, as well as imperceptible. However, it affects everything in the universe at all times and everywhere. Either a sentient or an object.


    Each and every person has the power of fate and destiny. Those who are lucky will have a stronger power, and those who are plagued by misfortune have less of it.


    Every country also has the power of fate and destiny within them. Prosperous countries have a strong power of fate and destiny, while the weaker ones would have either a broken one or a weak power.


    The power of fate and destiny represents part of the Heavenly Dao or the manifestation of God¡¯s will, affecting the path of myriad things. Being full of this power would ensure good fortune and auspicious omens, resulting in the power overflowing throughout the country, strengthening and making it prosperous.


    During his time in the Immortal World, Tang Xiu had visited too many countries and continents to count, and experienced countless dynasties rising and declining, during which he obtained numerous treasures from them. But he had never seen nor heard of any object that can contain the power of fate and destiny. Not even once had he ever thought about some one-sided revelation from the Gods Realm, which was said that the power of fate and destiny could form such a visible shape akin to flowing water whenever it had reached a certain extent.


    _It¡¯s limitless and immeasurable. The amount of this power of fate and destiny is akin to an ocean. How powerful could this power of fate and destiny be to form such a shape?_


    Tang Xiu¡¯s heart was shaken by this shocking discovery, and had difficulty calming himself down. At this moment, his eyes were burning hot as he fixed his gaze at the Imperial Jade Seal.


    He must get it! He must obtain it regardless of the cost!


    He once received a revelation from the Gods Realm, thus he was perfectly aware of how precious this power of fate and destiny was. Even in the Gods Realm, this object was something countless deities dreamed of. Tang Xiu must obtain it despite being unaware of what effects it could bring.


    ¡°280 million!¡±


    ¡°300 million!¡±


    ¡°310 million!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Its price kept rising, and at least a dozen great figures who were interested kept bidding. However, he was still very cautious about the increasing the bid despite having a lot of funds he could use at will. Yet the price didn¡¯t seem to be increasing very high at all.


    ¡°1 billion!¡±


    Tang Xiu took Li Laoshan¡¯s bidding sign and shouted in a deep voice.


    _Whoosh¡­_


    On over a hundred small boats, various wealthy and powerful figures turned their eyes to Tang Xiu. The vast majority of them were able to recognize him as Tang Xiu, the young divine doctor of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital.


    Therefore, regardless of whether Tang Xiu¡¯s quote was too high or not, most of them didn¡¯t want to offend Tang Xiu, the young Divine Doctor, hence the disappearance of 90% of the bidders.


    On the platform in the middle of the river, however, Ouyang Lulu suddenly felt joyous inside after hearing 1 billion bid. However, she felt that the voice was very familiar, thus piquing her curiosity. After following the direction of where everyone was looking, disbelief instantly filled her eyes.


    How could it be¡­ Tang Xiu?


    She rubbed her eyes to make sure they weren¡¯t betraying her, as a dazzling smile then immediately covered her flawless, beautiful face a moment after.


    ¡°1.1 billion!¡±


    ¡°1.2 billion!¡±


    ¡°1.201 billion!¡±


    The bidding only stopped for ten seconds before it picked up again. However, the number of bidders was reduced by 80%, leaving only four people still competing.


    ¡°2 billion!¡± Tang Xiu once again raised his hand and called.


    _Whoosh¡­_


    The crowd fell into turmoil as the guests began to whisper.


    ¡°The miracle-working doctor Tang seems to be determined to win this Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal! He dares to bid 2 billion for it. Does he really have so much money at his young age?¡±


    ¡°Divine Doctor Tang and that fellow Li Laoshan are together? Could it be that Li Laoshan is trying to help Tang Xiu? But then again, it would be too costly, and would he even be willing to spend 2 billion for him? Could it be that Li Laoshan¡¯s closest person is sick or something?¡±


    ¡°Oh dear! That¡¯s an outrageous deal! I thought the Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal would be sold for 1.8 billion at the most. I didn¡¯t expect that Tang Xiu would actually increase the price so crazily. Surely he isn¡¯t holding hands with the Situ Family?¡±


    ¡°Aargh, forget it! Tang Xiu is a Divine Doctor, after all. Who never had his family members get sick? If we get into his bad graces now, he may refuse to help us later.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth the price.¡±


    ¡°Ah, forget it. Forget it!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Nobody started bidding again amid the animated chattering.


    On the platform, Ouyang Lulu took the microphone and said with a beaming smile, ¡°Everyone, I really didn¡¯t expect that today, Ouyang Lulu¡¯s sweetheart would actually come here. He even so boldly burned such a great sum of money just to buy the Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal! However, I believe his vision, so this Qin Emperor Imperial Jade Seal is absolutely a great object. Anyone of you still wants to compete with my sweetheart? If not, then I want to thank everyone for helping save the family money¡­¡±


    Just as her voice fell, everyone burst into laughter. Many loudly teased Lulu. Lulu, however, was unperturbed, and unceasingly cupping her fists toward everyone instead, while repeatedly nodding her head in acknowledgement.


    Tang Xiu could only wryly smile as he was at a loss whether to cry or laugh upon seeing Lulu¡¯s smiling face as well as all the fuss in the surrounding. He was already aware of her wild horse-like character, as well as her fiery and unconstrained personality. But now, this was practically the same way as touching his sore spot!


    Li Laoshan¡¯s laughter was particularly loud. He grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s shoulder and loudly laughed, ¡°Brother Tang, your luck with women is truly great! Hahaha, I¡¯ve heard about this little princess of the Ouyang Family. She¡¯s proud like a queen, and is bold enough to even shroud the Heavens. However, I never thought she was this bold and straightforward. To think she dared to announce your affair in public. You really a blessed, buddy!!!¡±


    A smile also hang on the corner of Wang Daoyuan¡¯s mouth as he said, ¡°Yeah! Your luck with women is truly great, Brother Tang! I never thought you would bump into your girlfriend here. Anyways, when you two get married later, this Old Brother of yours will surely send a great wedding gift!¡±


    ¡°Two Old Brothers, would you please not to listen to Lulu¡¯s gibberish? We¡­ We are just friends. Our relationship is nothing but PURELY friends.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, shameless!¡± Su Yaning rolled her eyes to Tang Xiu as she whispered.


    Although Tang Xiu could hear her, he didn¡¯t feel like telling her the truth of the matter. After making up his mind and pretending not to hear it, he looked at Lulu and loudly asked, ¡°Hurry up, there¡¯s no one else competing with me. Just quickly announce that the Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal is mine!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu took the microphone and said with a tender smile, ¡°It seems that my family¡¯s Tang Xiu can¡¯t bear to wait. Since no one wants to compete with him, then this Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal belongs to our family. However, since we have yet to get married and I haven¡¯t gotten the financial authority to handle the funds, therefore I can only ask the staff to ask the payment from him.¡±


    ¡°Next, we¡¯ll auction the second item¡­¡±


    Laughter accompanied the beginning of the second item¡¯s auction. Then, a dozen items were auctioned consecutively. Their prices were not very high, as the item with the highest price was only sold for tens of millions.


    Below the platform, Tang Xiu also finalized the business deal with a member of the Situ Family who came by rowing boat. After transferring the money via online banking, he then obtained the Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal.


    ¡°Brother Tang, I know that this Qin Emperor Imperial Jade Seal is indeed a treasure being handed down for generations, but was it worth it for you to spend 2 billion?¡± said Li Laoshan, who came to look at the Imperial Jade Seal in Tang Xiu¡¯s hand.


    ¡°The things I like are priceless. Since I have taken a liking to it, I don¡¯t care how much it costs,¡± said Tang Xiu with a faint smile.


    Expressing his approval, Li Laoshan sighed in praise, ¡°That¡¯s what I like from you. How absolutely true was that ancient wisdom. Something liked by a man, even a thousand gold can never buy it, for it is priceless.¡±


    Wang Daoyuan also repeatedly nodded and exclaimed his approval, ¡°That¡¯s right. Living means to be alive, and it is up to us to spice up our own lives in a free and easygoing manner. Just buy whatever you like at once, and undertake your affairs in life and move forward happily. Though Brother Tang is young, you¡¯re more thorough compared to us! That¡¯s really admirable¡­¡±


    ¡°Two Old Brothers, you two are overpraising me,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a chuckle.


    Su Yaning was unable to speak out anything about what Tang Xiu did. In her opinion, Tang Xiu¡¯s action was simply an act of a prodigal son. Despite feeling animosity toward Tang Xiu deep inside, yet she felt somewhat distressed. It was 2 billion! Prior to this, the Su Family only had assets amounting to tens of millions, and she had already been proud and smug because of it. But she never expected that Tang Xiu would be this rich.


    It must be noted that half a year ago Tang Xiu was nothing but a poor and silly student. Not only did his family live a destitute life, he was also an idiot. But in less than half a year, he had undergone earth-shaking changes she was unable to fathom.


    Nevertheless, there was also a bit of regret inside her. She regretted treating Tang Xiu bad before. Had their relationship been better, their Su Family would have been blessed with good fortune after Tang Xiu gained his abilities. Especially after Tang Xiu was discovered to be a descendant of the Tang Family from Beijing. Had this fact been known to their family before, they wouldn¡¯t have given Tang Xiu and her aunt¡ªSu Lingyun a cold shoulder before, nor would they humiliate and persecute them, but rather flatter them.


    _Is this the fucking train of thought of a human¡¯s heart?!!_


    A bitter and astringent feeling rose inside Su Yaning¡¯s heart as she silently lowered her head. Although she did have a deep animosity toward Tang Xiu inside, yet she actually regretted it more, self-examining herself through a deep introspection.

 Chapter 514

    Chapter 514: Nine Phoenix Hairpin


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The auction was progressing very slowly, and many of the auctioned items were sought after by many people. As for Tang Xiu, he didn¡¯t participate anymore and just quietly sat beside Li Laoshan while fiddling with the Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal. He really couldn¡¯t figure out why would such an ordinary-looking seal made of bronze have a space that contained a tremendous amount of Power of Fate and Destiny.


    Regardless, he didn¡¯t worry about it too much since he couldn¡¯t figure it out yet. While fiddling with the seal, he also observed Su Yaning from time to time. Su Yaning may be someone he didn¡¯t like, but she was still his cousin, after all. If she can repent her for mistakes just like her younger brother, it would be a great and joyous surprise for his mother.


    After three and a half hours, it was already 5:30 PM, and the auction was nearly concluded. As a result of Tang Xiu¡¯s involvement in their issue, Li Laoshan and Wang Daoyuan both gave up auctioning the swords. After paying a penalty to the Situ family, the two treasured swords were brought back.


    On the platform in the middle of the river, Ouyang Lulu seemed to be in a very good mood. The item being auctioned now was a bluish white porcelain vase burned in the Royal Kiln of the Ming Dynasty. While holding the microphone, she smilingly said, ¡°Wow, time flies quickly. I didn¡¯t expect the action to hit the finale so soon. Next will be the last three items, which I believe are definitely rare treasures and will bring tremendous luck and fortune to whoever can obtain them.


    ¡°The next auctioned item is an ornamental hairpin made of a special material of great quality. Due to the carving on it, it¡¯s called the ¡®Nine Phoenix Hairpin¡¯. This hairpin is very unusual, and describing it as very magical and mysterious is not an exaggeration. Let me explain it to everyone. Firstly, it is made of an extremely hard special material, even the owner of the item who entrusted it to be auctioned here has once tried to cut it with a laser, yet it was not scratched in the slightest.


    ¡°Secondly, the person who wears it can feel a magical effect. The wearer will be able to feel cool in summer and warm in the winter. Do you believe it? It¡¯s nothing but an ornamental hairpin, yet it¡¯s able to make the wearer feel cool in the burning hot summer, and feel exceptionally warm and comfortable amid the cold winter.¡±


    As Ouyang Lulu spoke up to there, she observed the wide open eyes and the looks of disbelief on the faces of the guests. Then, she loudly said, ¡°Everything I¡¯ve said to you is all true. I have worn this Nine Phoenix Hairpin before, and it indeed made me feel very comfortable; the credibility and reputation of the Situ Family are beyond question.


    ¡°Thus, without further ado, I now announce that this item will be auctioned with a floor price of 20 million, and no less than 1 million for each bid increase.¡±


    After saying that, she looked at the crowd below.


    ¡°20 million!¡±


    ¡°21 million!¡±


    On the boat, Tang Xiu¡¯s body slightly shook after hearing the Nine Phoenix Hairpin being mentioned by Ouyang Lulu. When his vision fell on the hairpin, he abruptly got up. Though his action garnered the attention of many people, they still focused their attention on the auction.


    ¡°100 million!¡± Tang Xiu called categorically.


    Immediately, two wealthy women who were also bidding changed their expressions, looking a bit annoyed.


    Yang Lan was a big boss of the Blue Garden Group with assets amounting to nearly 10 billion, and also possessed numerous businesses under her flag. It could be said that merely her wealth had already elevated her into the second-class powerful and affluent people in China. The most important of all was the fact that she was just in her 40s this year, and all her wealth was made by herself.


    After she saw the Nine Phoenix Hairpin, the dazzling, golden-bright ornamental hairpin attracted her so much so that she fell in love with it. Therefore, she made up her mind to purchase it even if must spend more budget on it. Who would have thought that someone would disrupt her plan, and that very person who did that was also unexpectedly the famous young divine doctor, Tang Xiu?


    She knew that Tang Xiu was rich, or else he wouldn¡¯t have bought the first auctioned item for 2 billion yuan. Nevertheless, she didn¡¯t want to give up the Nine Phoenix Hairpin, and would do her utmost to obtain it.


    ¡°200 million!¡± An indifferent voice came out from her mouth.


    ¡°500 million!¡± Tang Xiu raised the big again, causing some commotion in the venue.


    Yang Lan shot Tang Xiu a look, as she stood up and said, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, I¡¯m curious about something here. You¡¯re a man, a respected and honored man at that. Why would you want to compete over the Nine Phoenix Hairpin with me, a woman?¡±


    ¡°This Nine Phoenix Hairpin was originally mine, to begin with. Later on, I gifted it to a junior of mine, and she lost it afterward. So there should be no problem for me to spend some money to buy it back, no?¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It was once yours?¡± Yang Lan frowned. After being silent for a moment, she gritted her teeth and said, ¡°1 billion! If you can fork out more than 1 billion I¡¯ll give it up.¡±


    ¡°1.1 billion,¡± said Tang Xiu with certainty.


    Yang Lan could only smile bitterly as she shook her head and slowly sat back.


    At the end of the day, Tang Xiu finally obtained the Nine Phoenix Hairpin.


    After he received the Nine Phoenix Hairpin in his hands, there was a complex look in his eyes that continued for quite a long while. This Nine Phoenix Hairpin was indeed crafted by his own hands, a gift he presented to his lover, Xue Qingcheng, and was an Immortal device of top quality. There was one thing that made him wonder, however. How this object appear on Earth?


    However, he could faintly guess that this matter should be related to Gu Yan¡¯er. As of now, since he already bought the Nine Phoenix Hairpin, he would inquire Gu Yan¡¯er about this after she woke up again.


    ¡°Brother Tang, was this Nine Phoenix Hairpin once really yours?¡± Li Laoshan came while scratching his head and curiously asked.


    ¡°Yes. Not only was it mine, I was also the one who crafted it,¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod. ¡°Only, there¡¯s something that makes me wonder. But then again, I already bought it back now, so I¡¯m sure I can figure it out later.¡±


    With a strange expression, Li Laoshan said, ¡°There seems to be quite a story in there, hmm?¡±


    ¡°It does, indeed. But it¡¯s kind of a very private matter,¡± said Tang Xiu with a tranquil smile.


    Upon hearing the reply, Li Laoshan nodded and stopped nagging about this topic. After all, Tang Xiu¡¯s personal affair was not something he could poke his nose into. He was just curious, Tang Xiu could even able to craft such an ornamental hairpin, more so that the workmanship was so exquisite.


    Following that, the second last auctioned item didn¡¯t pique Tang Xiu¡¯s interest. Although the price increased to hundreds of millions, he couldn¡¯t care less about it.


    On the auction stage, Ouyang Lulu had a complex look in her eyes. She could feel that there was something concerning Tang Xiu, a big secret deeply buried inside his heart. The fact that he spent quite a large sum of money to buy an ornamental hairpin today made her feel sour and edgy inside. After all, it¡¯s impossible for an adult man to wear an ornamental hairpin, so this object must be related to another woman.


    ¡°The final auction item is the Dragon Seeking Device. The person in charge of the auction didn¡¯t allow me to explain more about this item. Therefore, I will directly announce its floor price. The base price is 100 million yuan, and each bid increase must not be less than 10 million. Now, let the bidding begin!¡± After Ouyang Lulu finished speaking, she picked up a compass-like object with a diameter of 20 to 30 centimeters.


    ¡°Huh? Dragon Seeking Device? What the heck is that?¡±


    ¡°The finale of the show is unexpectedly this unknown object? What are its origins and effects?¡±


    ¡°What is the Situ Family doing? Is this object something more precious than the Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal?¡±


    ¡°This is ridiculous!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Among the hundreds of rich people present, most of them were making a fuss about this. However, among the hundreds of small boats, there were 20 to 30 elderlies who stood up straight after the Dragon Seeking Device was announced. Even though the boats were swaying from side to side, those elderlies¡¯ figures were able to stand straight. Their eyes were burning hot as they stared at the Dragon Seeking Device.


    _A minor magical device?_


    Tang Xiu creased his brows, and felt it was somewhat accidental. It was because he barely saw any magical devices after returning back to Earth. Through his perception, he found that this instrument was made for the purpose of seeking and exploring a dragon cave, and was definitely a very precious treasure to those who engaged in Feng Shui.


    ¡°200 million!¡±


    ¡°300 million!¡±


    ¡°500 million!¡±


    ¡°1 billion!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The increase in price was akin to a rocket that rapidly soared to the sky. In just five minutes, the price of Dragon Seeking Device had soared to 2.4 billion, with each bid not lesser than 100 million.


    Li Laoshan was dumbfounded as he stared at those old men, whose expressions varied. He gently touched Tang Xiu and asked in a whisper, ¡°What the heck is this situation, Brother Tang? Who are these people? I noticed before that many of them hadn¡¯t taken part in the biddings, yet they are now acting like they had hot sauce splashed on their faces. To think that they are throwing such a terrifying amount of money¡­ it gives me goosebumps. What exactly is going on here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a Dragon Seeking Device. It¡¯s used to search spiritual veins, spots with ominous or spiritual force, and it can also be used to find and explore ancient tombs very easily. To those who dabble in Feng Shui, this object is a very precious treasure. So valuable that it¡¯s almost comparable to their own lives and fortunes.¡±


    ¡°You mean, they are Feng Shui Masters?¡± Asked Li Laoshan, shocked.


    ¡°I dunno about that,¡± said Tang Xiu, shaking his head.


    Li Laoshan gulped down his saliva and no longer spoke. During their short conversation, the price of the Dragon Seeking Device had raised once again. And it was now at 3 billion.


    ¡°Old Ghost Zhu, do you really want to have a fight with me?¡± An old man glared at another elderly who bid 3 billion and asked with blazing anger.


    The elderly who was called Old Ghost Zhu categorically replied, ¡°I would rather go bankrupt and lose everything for this Dragon Seeking Device.¡±


    ¡°Great, just great! Just consider this your victory!¡± The other party pointed at Old Ghost Zhu and finally sat down with an unwilling expression.


    Old Ghost Zhu then looked at the other two elderlies who were still trying to compete with him and spoke in a heavy voice, ¡°You may increase the bid as you see it fit. But you can be sure that I¡¯ll do everything to get this Dragon Seeking Device. However much you bid, I will take it. We have known each other for so many years, so you guys should know how important this Dragon Seeking Device is to me.¡±


    The two old men exchanged looks, as one of them then unwillingly said, ¡°I bid 3.1 billion. If your bid is higher than mine, I¡¯ll give it up.¡±


    ¡°3.2 billion!¡± said the Old Ghost Zhu.


    The two men fell into silence for a while, before finally taking their seats. Obtaining the Dragon Seeking Device was also what they wished for, but they knew it was impossible to compete with Old Ghost Zhu in terms of financial resources. Moreover, they were also aware of the fact that the Dragon Seeking Device was the Zhu Family¡¯s heirloom around 200 years ago.


    Continue competing with him? They did have the ability to do that, and they would definitely be able to hold down Old Ghost Zhu in terms of financial resources. However, they were perfectly aware that once they did that, a feud would be created and they would become mortal adversaries with Old Ghost Zhu, as well as getting eyed by everyone from the Zhu Family.

 Chapter 515

    Chapter 515: Experienced and Farsighted


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The bidding for the last item, the Dragon Seeking Device, was very intense, and the price continued to climb until it was eventually bought by the old man Zhu at a sky-high price of 3.2 billion yuan. Thus officially ended this session of the Capital Auction.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t participate in the bidding for the Dragon Seeking Device. He could have as many low-grade magical devices as he wanted, so there was no need to spend a colossal amount of money to buy it. He was even confident that he could craft such a minor magical devices when his cultivation was promoted further.


    The appearance of the Dragon Seeking Device also made him see a business opportunity. He calculated inwardly that if such a low-grade magical device could be sold at the sky-high price of 3.2 billion, what if he refined dozens of such minor magical devices and auctioned them?


    As for Li Laoshan, he squeezed Tang Xiu¡¯s shoulder and smilingly said, ¡°Brother Tang, the auction is over, let¡®s leave! Besides, I don¡¯t have much interest in attending the evening banquet held by the Situ Family.¡±


    ¡°What Brother Li said is right. After every auction ends, the Situ Family usually holds a banquet party to entertain the guests. However, there will be a very few pure businessmen attending such occasions. Those who stay to attend are all codgers from the Occult Sect.¡±


    _Eccentric people from the Occult Sect?_


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression moved as he suddenly said, ¡°Two Old Brothers, I just bought two items here, and nearly spent all of my money. Since they will treat us tonight, that helps me save a bit of money! How about I borrow this occasion to treat you to dinner? Of course, I also brought Gods Nectar; they¡¯re in the trunk of my car. There is two boxes there, and we¡¯ll drink one box tonight, while Brother Wang can bring the other one back home.¡±


    Wang Daoyuan¡¯s look flickered as he smiled and said, ¡°Gods Nectar is the most precious gift one could receive nowadays. It seems like I really got a huge profit today. Thanks a lot, Brother Tang. Then, let us stay to attend tonight¡¯s banquet party!¡±


    ¡°Since you guys want to stay, that¡¯s fine with me too,¡± Li Laoshan shrugged his shoulders and smilingly said. ¡°Anyhow, Brother Wang, though we did have some conflicts before, it didn¡¯t impact us much, and there were no losses either. Without exchanging something, it¡¯s like we can¡¯t get acquainted well with each other, right? So, we shall have a good drink this evening.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll accompany you,¡± laughed Wang Daoyuan with a loud voice.


    A small boat passed through the narrow channel between the rivers. It was Ouyang Lulu in her crimson attire. She stood on the bow with a mile hanging on her face. After her boat came near Tang Xiu¡¯s boat, she stepped on the bow and jumped directly to Tang Xiu¡¯s side.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to question Ouyang Lulu¡¯s vision. If it¡¯s necessary to describe it in a word, there¡¯s only one appropriate word for it: GREAT! Honey, I just realized that you¡¯re someone with extraordinary power, for your shadow has been behind all sorts of big events,¡± said Ouyang Lulu, all smiling, while skillfully grasping Tang Xiu¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Can you not boast about yourself?¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and chuckled. ¡°Be serious and tell me something, will you? How did you end up in Beijing this time? Becoming the host and auctioneer for the auction organized by the Situ Family, as well.¡±


    ¡°That means that Ouyang Lulu has extraordinary abilities, with her supernatural power and boundless magical force, hence obtaining fame across the country¡­ Ugh, that¡¯s not right. I should be well-known to all folks around the world. Hence, the insightful and wise leader of the Situ Family¡¯s plea for me to become the host and auctioneer,¡± said Ouyang Lulu joyously.


    ¡°Do you want me to ignore you if you continue acting so narcissistic?¡± Ranted Tang Xiu.


    ¡°DON¡¯T!¡± Ouyang Lulu hastily waved her hand and said with a tender smile. ¡°Bah, you really don¡¯t have a sense of humor at all. Anyhow, the Head of the Situ Family, Situ Boyang, is my mother¡¯s foster father, so he can be regarded as my grandpa as well. Besides, my Paradise Manor is already open for business in Shanghai, so I don¡¯t have to worry about handling the management either, hence the reason I came to Beijing.¡±


    Tang Xiu understood in a flash and asked with a smile, ¡°Then, when will you return to Shanghai?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going back early tomorrow! That¡¯s right, when will you go back, too? I recall that school starts tomorrow, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll treat you to dinner tonight by borrowing the other party¡¯s banquet because I¡¯m gonna take a ride on your plane back to Shanghai. That won¡¯t be a problem for you, right?¡± Said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    After glancing at Li Laoshan, Wang Daoyuan, and Su Yaning, Ouyang Lulu nodded and said, ¡°No problem at all! But you have to wait for a while, though. I gotta tell my grandpa first, and only then can we leave.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Huh? Aren¡¯t we going to dinner or something?¡± Asked Ouyang Lulu back.


    ¡°About that, we¡¯re staying here and attending the Situ Family¡¯s banquet party,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle.


    Ouyang Lulu stared blankly, before she immediately said with a joyful expression, ¡°That would be great! I¡¯ll introduce our grandpa to you later. He knows you already, and is full of praise about you!¡±


    Tang Xiu was between laugh and tears after listening to her, ¡°Say, Lulu, can you not always say we, us, or our word? That¡¯s your grandpa, but I don¡¯t have any relationship whatsoever with him.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all the same, all the same!¡± Ouyang Lulu waved her hand with a colorful smile on her face. She immediately urged the crew to row to the shore. She even brazenly coiled her hands around Tang Xiu¡¯s waist without a shred of shyness at all, taking a ride on his car and rushed to the hotel that had been prepared by the Situ Family for the evening banquet.


    As for Li Laoshan, he handed the Yuchang Sword over to his bodyguards and sent them away. Wang Daoyuan also did the same thing. After he gave the ancient sword to his bodyguards, he took Su Yaning together with him to board Li Laoshan¡¯s car and rushed to the hotel. At first, Su Yaning didn¡¯t want to attend the banquet, but Wang Daoyuan already learned that she was Tang Xiu¡¯s cousin. Thus, in order to get along with Tang Xiu, he used both persuasion and threats until Su Yaning eventually compromised.


    At an international hotel in Beijing.


    The banquet party hosted by the Situ Family was held in the ballroom on the 28th floor. Many of the guests who attended the auction had already arrived. The entire hall had been extravagantly arranged, as the crystal lamps illuminated every corner of the hall with its gentle lights. Wine and appetizers had already been served on the dining tables by beautiful waiters. And what made the arriving guests the most surprised was the two bottles of Gods Nectar placed on each dining table.


    Inside a deluxe room next to the ballroom, Situ Boyang quietly read the information. He was already past his prime, in his 60s, yet was still full of vigor. In front of him were two people, a middle-aged man and a woman, who calmly stood still with smiles on their faces.


    ¡°Lulu has performed well, Father. Her glib tongue truly is a gift worth to showcase. Therefore, many items auctioned at the auction held by our Situ Family were sold at very high prices, much higher than our expectations,¡± Situ Chao handed the information to Situ Boyang and reported with a smile.


    With a satisfied look, Situ Boyang nodded and said, ¡°It was great indeed. That¡¯s right, you all came back here, but where did that child, Lulu, go?¡±


    ¡°Ah, Lulu saw her sweetheart and was eager to see him, so she went straight to him right after the auction concluded,¡± answered Situ Chao with a forced smile.


    ¡°Tang Xiu?¡± Situ Boyang¡¯s expression moved. ¡°Did that young Divine Doctor Tang Xiu also participated in the auction?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He bought two items for a total value of 3.1 billion yuan,¡± said Situ Chao with a nod.


    ¡°Two items? Don¡¯t tell me they are the first auctioned item¡ªthe Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal and the Nine Phoenix Hairpin? Adding up these two items is exactly 3.1 billion yuan!¡± Said Situ Boyang, surprised.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, he bought exactly those two items,¡± said Situ Chao with a smile.


    Situ Boyang nodded and smilingly said, ¡°Anyways, I met your Uncle Ouyang in Jingmen Island a few days ago. And I heard a lot of things about Tang Xiu from him. He¡¯s a very amazing young man.¡±


    ¡°He is indeed quite amazing. In particular the company he established, the Magnificent Tang Corporation. Judging from the trend of its development¡­ it¡¯s simply enviable and eye-catching. Furthermore, he¡¯s even a miracle-working doctor; it¡¯s simply beyond my expectation. That girl, Lulu, always sets her eyes high, and if this Tang Xiu was not remarkable enough, I don¡¯t think it would have been easy to get her impressed like this.¡±


    Situ Boyang nodded, ¡°Later on, when you come into contact with Tang Xiu, get along and closer to him if he¡¯s really that good.¡±


    ¡°But father, his identity is¡­¡± Situ Chao hesitated.


    ¡°I know that he hails from the Tang Family, which means that his identity is very sensitive. But since our family must also survive in Beijing, it is inevitable that we must get closer to some families. The Tang Family may have declined in recent years, yet a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. Once an outstanding junior emerges among the Tang Family¡¯s offspring, I¡¯m sure that it won¡¯t be impossible for them to bounce back to their heydays. Compared to the Tang Family, the Yao Family is just too powerful. Thus, even though we¡¯re trying to get closer to them, I¡¯m afraid that¡­ Well, forget it. Just do what I tell you!¡±


    For a while, Situ Chao fell into silence before he slowly said, ¡°Father, are you planning to get involved with the political struggles with all the domestic forces in the country?¡±


    ¡°No, we won¡¯t get involved in it,¡± said Situ Boyang lightly.


    ¡°Then, what you meant just now is¡­¡± pursued Situ Chao, doubtful.


    ¡°Ouyang Lulu is my granddaughter. The young man she likes and the Ouyang Family itself approves it. So, why do we have to refuse him just to avoid suspicion from others? Not to mention that Tang Xiu still has another identity as a Divine Doctor. If we deliberately keep distance, then it is us who got a problem here. Understand?¡±


    As a smart person himself, Situ Chao could instantly understand what his father meant. Although the Situ Family wanted to get closer to the Tang Family, it was perfectly understandable and justified. After all, there was a relationship between Ouyang Lulu and Tang Xiu, as well as Tang Xiu¡¯s another identity as a Divine Doctor. Even if getting closer to him meant that many parties were going to be annoyed with them, what was the problem with that?


    After giving it thought, Situ Chao nodded and said, ¡°I understand what to do, Father.¡±


    _In the banquet ballroom¡­_


    After Tang Xiu, Li Laoshan, Wang Daoyuan, and Ouyang Lulu arrived, they immediately attracted many people¡¯s attention, who came to greet them. Although Li Laoshan and Wang Daoyuan were not ordinary people, yet everyone there was of extraordinary status. They came greet them mainly because of Tang Xiu.


    Despite the fact that many of them had already learned that Tang Xiu was an offspring of the Tang Family of Beijing, what people care about more was Tang Xiu¡¯s identity as a Divine Doctor. After all, when a person was still alive, who could guarantee that he would always be in good health? Hence, getting acquainted with a Divine Doctor only brought benefit and no harm.

 Chapter 516

    Chapter 516: Temporary Priority


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    This kind of socializing was not something Tang Xiu liked, yet there was a purpose as to why he came today. After exchanging some greetings and pleasantries, he led Ouyang Lulu, Li Laoshan, and Wang Daoyuan to a remote table.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, why did you look tortured when you were exchanging pleasantries with others?¡± Asked Ouyang Lulu smilingly, as she came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side.


    ¡°I really hate this kind of social exchange with no food for the mind. They may talk to us warmly now, but they tend to forget who you are after parting ways. Even if they do remember us, it¡¯s because they encountered trouble or something like that. Their real objectives are definitely not as pure as you with your friends.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Brother Tang¡¯s words have represented what I have in mind, too. When we both first met in Saipan, neither one of us knew who the other party really was, nor we knew each other¡¯s name. It¡¯s just that we felt that the other party was kind of interesting, and had something in common with each other.¡±


    At the side, Wang Daoyuan¡¯s expression flickered as he quickly asked, ¡°Did you say that you and Brother Tang met in Saipan, Brother Li? In the past two months, I heard that there¡¯s a huge project being undertaken there. Could it be¡­¡±


    ¡°That has nothing to do with me. I heard about it too, but my business hasn¡¯t yet expanded abroad.¡± Li Laoshan waved his hand and smiled.


    Wang Daoyuan nodded and looked pensive as he said, ¡°After I heard of a huge project being undertaken over there, I sent some people to investigate. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t get much information from the investigation. I only heard that someone bought an island and is doing the reconstruction there. That¡¯s really a pity! Such a big project yet it didn¡¯t fall into my hands, or else I would probably be able to make a huge fortune.¡±


    Looking stunned, Li Laoshan glanced at Tang Xiu with a strange expression, though he didn¡¯t say anything.


    Ouyang Lulu leaned closer after hearing it, and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear, ¡°Tang Xiu, what they are talking about must that island you bought, right?¡±


    ¡°It should be! But I don¡¯t want this matter to be known by many people, so you mustn¡¯t speak about it,¡± said Tang Xiu with a similar undertone voice.


    ¡°Got it,¡± said Ouyang Lulu with a faint smile.


    The banquet organized by the Situ Family was very casual. As the Head of Situ Family¡ªSitu Boyang, who was the host of the event, had finally arrived in person, and many of his old friends greeted him and dragged him to seat with them. The scene turned very lively as delicacies and good wine were then served.


    Tang Xiu himself was quite reserved with his words. Even though nearly everyone who shared a table with him seemingly wanting to befriend him, yet he only responded with a simple reply to deal with them. The man who he paid attention to was Situ Boyang, the Head of the Situ Family.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, I¡¯ll take you to grandpa to pay our respects!¡± Ouyang Lulu suddenly put down her chopsticks and smilingly said.


    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll see him since he¡¯s your elder! Besides, I also need to talk about something with the Head of Situ Family as well,¡± said Tang Xiu while smiling lightly.


    There was an unusual expression on Ouyang Lulu¡¯s face as she asked, ¡°Do you want to see Grandpa? For what?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll know about it after I meet him. Let¡¯s go!¡± Replied Tang Xiu with a light smile.


    As the two got up and came to the table where Situ Boyang sat, Ouyang Lulu grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s arm and smilingly said, ¡°Grandpa, Tang Xiu and I came to give you a toast.¡±


    Turning his head to look at Ouyang Lulu, Situ Boyang¡¯s eyes immediately fell on Tang Xiu. After carefully observing him, he then nodded in satisfaction and said with a smile, ¡°What a good young man. Tang Xiu, since you¡¯re my granddaughter¡¯s sweetheart, you will probably get closer with our Situ Family later.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that we will be getting closer, Grandpa Situ. Anyhow, please accept this cup of wine as a token of my respect,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Situ Boyang raised his wine cup. After drinking it in one gulp, he smacked his mouth twice and sighed, ¡°This Gods Nectar produced by your Magnificent Tang Corporation is simply exquisite. The flavor truly leaves a rich aftertaste. Tang Xiu, looking at Lulu¡¯s face, can you open the back door for this old man and sell some of them for my personal use?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re joking. But if you really like it, I¡¯ll tell Kang Xia after I go back to send you some boxes,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Great! That¡¯s great!¡± Said Situ Boyang with a loud voice as he laughed.


    ¡°Grandpa Situ, may I speak with you after the banquet is over?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    Surprised and staring vacantly for a moment, Situ Boyang then immediately nodded and said with a smile, ¡°All right! Just come with Lulu later, and let us have a family chat.¡±


    ¡°All right, then we won¡¯t bother you anymore!¡±


    Tang Xiu replied and then took Ouyang Lulu back to their table. Inwardly, he was silently considering and analyzing some variables about doing business with Situ Boyang. Prior to this, he wouldn¡¯t have bothered to care about the Situ Family¡¯s existence; yet, after today¡¯s auction, he realized that he made a mistake. The Situ Family was part of the Occult Sect¡¯s force and had very close ties with many figures from the said Sect in China. Many things that he could use would be available and easy to obtain as long as he searched them via the Situ Family.


    For example, this auction. The Situ Family was able to put out two objects, the Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal and the Nine Phoenix Hairpin, which indicated how formidable and resourceful they were. Maybe sometime later the Situ Family would other good things again.


    As the banquet concluded, Tang Xiu and Ouyang Lulu sent Li Laoshan and Wang Daoyuan out of the hotel. Following that, they then went to a luxury suite on the 28th floor of the hotel.


    At this time, Situ Boyang was currently engaging in conversation with two old men. After seeing Tang Xiu and Ouyang Lulu¡¯s arrival, he waved his hand at them and said, ¡°Tang Xiu, you and Lulu are a couple, so you¡¯re not an outsider. Wait for a while here, we¡¯re discussing some important things. We¡¯ll have chat after this.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Tang Xiu replied, yet he didn¡¯t leave. Instead, he sat down with Ouyang Lulu on the sofa in the most back.


    On the sofa in the center of the room, Situ Boyang put out the cigarette in his hand and slowly said, ¡°We must find the map for that tomb; there¡¯s only one left. As long as we find it, I¡¯ll go and see to it personally. You guys must be ready and prepared as well since this will definitely a big deal for us.¡±


    A thin old man, who was wearing a Chinese tunic suit, nodded and said, ¡°Rest assured! We¡¯re ready. It¡¯s a pity that we haven¡¯t been able to determine the precise location yet, though. Anyways, Brother Situ, is your body really fit to undertake such a dangerous task?¡±


    ¡°If you two old geezers can it, then why can¡¯t I?¡± Said Situ Boyang proudly. ¡°The three of us have found and explored over 100 tombs, and there has never been an occasion where we can¡¯t judge their origin and what was buried inside them. We must never let this chance slip off our hands!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s quite unfortunate that Old Mole Zuan has died, though. That codger was kinda selfish. Had he called the three of us, then maybe he wouldn¡¯t have died. Although the Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal was robbed by him from that ancient tomb, I still want to see that flying sword he told us at his last breath,¡± said the thin old man with a sigh.


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait for the news! Even if we don¡¯t get the third map of the tomb, we can still trace the approximate direction. I¡¯m sure that there must be a big secret in the Guzang mountain range,¡± said Situ Boyang slowly.


    Not far away from them, Tang Xiu, who was currently listening to their conversation, had his heart move slightly.


    A sword that could fly? Could it be a flying sword? A flying sword that could fly without being controlled by anyone should be a sword laid out within a sword array formation. And this array must also be quite powerful. What kind of powerful figure could have arranged it?


    As Tang Xiu thought up to there, he immediately got up and walked to the front of three old men, saying, ¡°I just heard that you spoke about the existence of a sword that can fly. I may know something about this.¡±


    The two old men furrowed their brows. There was a displeased expression on their faces. As for Situ Boyang, though he also knitted his brows, he still replied with a smile, ¡°Tang Xiu, since you you know about it, then tell us.¡±


    ¡°The sword that can fly should the flying sword of cultivators from legend. If you said that there¡¯s a flying sword in the ancient tomb but there¡¯s no living person in it, that means that someone has arranged a sword array with a flying sword there. Those who can arrange a sword array are definitely strong powerhouses among cultivators, and perhaps, the might of that sword array is not to be underestimated as well.¡±


    ¡°Sword array?¡± The three old men¡¯s complexion changed and exclaimed at the same time. They didn¡¯t expect that Tang Xiu would actually know about the existence of cultivators.


    While pointing to the empty sofa at the side, Situ Boyang said, ¡°Tang Xiu, since you know about cultivators, flying swords, and sword arrays, you should know more than that, right? All right, tell us!¡±


    After Tang Xiu took a seat, he explained, ¡°Cultivators are an existence veiled in mystery, possessing magical strength and terrifying abilities. Presumably, you all know that I bought the Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal at a very high price at the auction. But haven¡¯t you thought as to why I bought it?¡±


    After thinking for a while, Situ Boyang wore a serious expression and said, ¡°Don¡¯t keep us guessing, Tang Xiu. Go straight to the point.¡±


    ¡°Actually, the Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal is a magical device, and a very powerful device at that. I can¡¯t tell you about its practical and specific uses, I¡¯m afraid. But what I can say is that I know a lot about magical devices and cultivators. I can even tell you that I have the means to break that sword array.¡±


    Situ Boyang and the other two geezers had their complexion greatly changed. Shock could be seen on their faces, as they stared fixedly at Tang Xiu and didn¡¯t speak for a very long time.


    Finally, Situ Boyang asked in a deep tone, ¡°Tang Xiu, did you just tell us that the Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal is a magical device and you that can break that sword array?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°If so, are you a cultivator yourself?¡± Asked Situ Boyang quickly.


    Shaking his head, Tang Xiu answered, ¡°No, I¡¯m not. But even though I¡¯m not a cultivator, I know a lot about their situation. Of course, you can also regard me as a cultivator as well, since some of my abilities are comparable to them.¡±


    ¡°What exactly are your abilities?¡± Asked the thin old man hurriedly.


    ¡°For instance, I have a deep knowledge in arrays, as well as am adept in manufacturing magic symbols and talismans,¡± said Tang Xiu with a faint smile.


    _Arrays, magic symbols, and talismans?_


    The three people stared at Tang Xiu and were not able to speak anything.


    They knew that Tang Xiu had another identity as a divine doctor, yet they never expected that he would also excel in arrays, as well as being adept in manufacturing magic symbols and talismans.


    ¡°From where and how did you learn about them, Tang Xiu?¡± Asked Situ Boyang.


    ¡°I always loved reading all kinds of books. Due to chancing upon some luck, I got a few books back then. The book contained knowledge about medicine, arrays, and magic symbols. And after many years of study and research, I eventually got proficient in them.¡±

 Chapter 517

    Chapter 517: Earthshaking Shock


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The trio scrutinized Tang Xiu, yet after seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s tranquil appearance, it was unlikely that he was lying. All sorts of thoughts kept surging inside their heads. The three of them had been acquainted for more than 50 years already, so they knew each other inside out. They exchanged their thoughts through eye contact and tacitly knew what was inside each other¡¯s mind.


    While gently stroking his chin, Situ Boyang said, ¡°Tang Xiu, since you¡¯re adept in arrays, and there¡¯s also a sword array in the ancient tomb we are going to explore, I was wondering; are you interested in going with us? You can rest assured, you¡¯ll have your share of the harvests we get from there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m indeed very interested in exploring it. I¡¯m sure that it will be very exciting and very fun. Anyhow, since the three of you didn¡¯t leave me out, then I¡¯ll go with you! Others may not dare to guarantee to be able to break through the array when they meet one inside an ancient tomb, but I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to crack it. As for talismans, I will also prepare them ahead of time.¡±


    ¡°Would you mind displaying it in front of us, Tang Xiu?¡± Asked the thin old man.


    ¡°What would you like me to display, exactly?¡± Asked Tang Xiu back with a smile.


    ¡°If it¡¯s about arrays, we don¡¯t know how to make sure whether you are really adept or not in this aspect. But you said that you will manufacture talismans yourself. Would you mind manufacturing one of those now and show it to us to open our eyes?¡± Said the thin old man.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll need ink and paper. The paper should be a yellow one, and the ink must cinnabar ink. Three seniors, for people who often enter unclean places, the evil aura will inevitably enter your body. So, I¡¯ll make three Evil Repelling Talismans to ensure that evil aura won¡¯t invade your bodies,¡± answered Tang Xiu without a shred of hesitation.


    Evil Repelling Talisman! It was one of the most important objects in their Occult Sect. Although the Evil Repelling Talisman had been handed down to each of them, the number in their hands had dwindled along with the passing of years. The Situ Family itself only had three Evil Repelling Talismans left, so did the other two old men.


    Although the time now was very late at night, finding what Tang Xiu needed was very easy with the Situ Family¡¯s ability. Ouyang Lulu at the side, however, never spoke even a word despite her eyes being filled with extraordinary splendor at this moment. Even though she knew a lot about Tang Xiu all this while, she still didn¡¯t expect Tang Xiu to be able to manufacture magic symbols like talismans, he could even enter the circle of the Occult Sect¡¯s elders.


    That excellence! She felt that Tang Xiu was truly outstanding, impeccably perfect.


    After the ink and paper had been delivered to Tang Xiu, she and the three old man sat quietly at the side, watching Tang Xiu fully focus on drawing strange characters. Tang Xiu¡¯s movement while drawing was very smooth, as though passing clouds and flowing water. The calligraphy was made with good penmanship like flying dragons and dancing phoenixes. It looked extraordinarily complicated, yet emitted out an indescribable talisman.


    Half an hour later, Tang Xiu had finished manufacturing three Evil Repelling Talismans. The paper talismans were seemingly ordinary, yet the trio could feel a cold feeling transmitted to their hands after they took them.


    ¡°Yea, this is truly an Evil Repelling Talisman,¡± spoke Situ Boyang, eyes sparkling with excitement.


    The thin old man¡¯s skinny palm that was holding the Evil Repelling Talisman was slightly trembling. There was a moved expression on his wrinkled face as he muttered to himself, ¡°It¡¯s been 100 years. Yes, it¡¯s been 100 years the last time I heard of anyone who was able to manufacture Evil Repelling Talismans. Our Occult Sect only has a few people, and the things handed down from our Ancestors have already dwindled. I used to think that we¡¯d use this Evil Repelling Talisman one by one until it they were all used up. But to think that more can be manufactured, this is truly unexpected.¡±


    The other old man with a sarcoid on his forehead repeatedly nodded, ¡°You¡¯re right, this Evil Repelling Talisman is what we¡¯re relying on. Divine Doctor Tang¡­ No, that¡¯s not right, Grandmaster Tang is one of our Occult Sect¡¯s people.¡±


    ¡°Three seniors, you¡¯re Tang Xiu¡¯s seniors, and you all know more than I do. If there¡¯s anything I don¡¯t understand later, I hope you can give me more instructions,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Situ Boyang was hardly able to shift his eyes away from the Evil Repelling Talisman to Tang Xiu¡¯s face, as he then spoke to Tang Xiu with all seriousness, ¡°Tang Xiu, would you like to do a business deal with us?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression moved as he asked, ¡°You mean¡­ you want to have a business deal with me pertaining the Evil Repelling Talismans?¡±


    Situ Boyang nodded heavily, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll pay 50 million yuan for each Evil Repelling Talisman. I don¡¯t need too many of them, though. Only 100.¡±


    _100?_


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth twitched. An Evil Repelling Talisman priced at 50 million, then 100 of them would be 5 billion. Was this thing really that precious in the eyes of the Occult Sect¡¯s people?


    ¡°My Jinmen Family also needs 50, and we¡¯ll buy them for 50 million each. Grandmaster Tang, what do you say?¡± Said the thin old man without a shred of hesitation.


    ¡°I also need 50 of them!¡± Said another old man in a deep voice.


    Staring blankly at the trio, Tang Xiu¡¯s mood was replaced by a wry feeling. Had he known earlier that he could make that much money from Evil Repelling Talismans, why should he bother going through such arduous endeavors to set up his own business, then? One must know that he was not only able to manufacture this Evil Repelling Talisman, but was also able to produce more than ten types of talismans with his current cultivation. If he could sell each type at such a price and quantity, he¡­ he may easily become one of those top multimillionaire bigwigs in the country, right?


    Tang Xiu then looked at the thin old man and the sarcoid forehead old man and asked, ¡°May I know how I should address these two seniors?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Jinmen Tian.¡±


    ¡°Li Yuan.¡±


    ¡°Senior Jinmen, Senior Li, please give me three days, and then I¡¯ll surely deliver 50 Evil Repelling Talismans to each of you,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Clapping his hands, Jinmen Tian laughingly said, ¡°Great! That¡¯s great! Grandmaster Tang, let¡¯s exchange numbers. I¡¯ll have the money prepared for you when the time comes.¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡± Said Li Yuan with a pleasantly surprised expression.


    ¡°All right!¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    At the side, Situ Boyang kept watching Tang Xiu. Suddenly, as though realizing something, he said, ¡°Two Brothers, our previous discussion is concluded then. When we have found the third map for the tomb, we¡¯ll immediately set out to locate it. If we still can¡¯t find it before the end of december, then we¡¯ll use the previous two maps to estimate its approximate location.¡±


    ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll inform Grandmaster Tang in the time to come, then,¡± Jinmen Tian nodded.


    ¡°If so, then I won¡¯t detain you any longer,¡± said Situ Boyang with a nod.


    Jinmen Tian and Li Yuan exchanged looks, as the duo then tacitly set out to leave.


    After there were only Tang Xiu and Ouyang Lulu in the living room of the deluxe suite, Situ Boyang then returned to Tang Xiu¡¯s front. He then took a seat and said, ¡°Tang Xiu, you said you wanted to talk to me prior to this. What exactly do you want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°Grandpa Situ, you¡¯ve been organizing this underground auction in Beijing for many years, so you should have some special channels to find those bizarre and strange things. Can we form an agreement for me to pick in advance from all the goods the Situ Family finds? I¡¯m willing to pay a big price to buy them. Of course, we can also use other ways to cooperate if you don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Elaborate about other ways of cooperation,¡± said Situ Boyang with squinted eyes.


    ¡°For example, bartering,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°You mean exchanging your Evil Repelling Talismans for items you want?¡± Asked Situ Boyang.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not only the Evil Repelling Talisman,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°I can also provide you with other types of talismans, such as the Chilling Ice Talisman, Blazing Flame Talisman, Lightning Talisman, and Healing Talisman.¡±


    Situ Boyang abruptly got up all with a horrified look on his face, ¡°You can produce so many types of talismans? Y-you¡­ Y-you¡­ what ancient scripture did you obtain, exactly? To think that you¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know what kind of scripture I once obtained. I just want to ask you, are you willing to cooperate with me on the basis I told you?¡±


    After gasping and heavily breathing for a while, Situ Boyang then categorically said, ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem. As long as you can really provide the talismans, the Situ Family can open our treasure vault for you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s decided, then! As for the matter with the Evil Repelling Talisman you want to buy, I can promise to sell 100 of them, though I have a condition,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Do say!¡±


    Situ Boyang¡¯s eyes turned red at this moment. His Situ Family was part of the Occult Sect, and these magic talismans were a necessity for them, so much so that he may agree to give his life if Tang Xiu requested it at this moment. Once his Situ Family obtained that many talismans, it would definitely make the strength of the Situ Family soar, hence giving more advantages to their future generations.


    ¡°You should already know that I spent 3.1 billion yuan to buy the Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal and the Nine Phoenix Hairpin, whereas the total value of 100 Evil Repelling Talismans is 5 billion yuan. Thus, I only need the Situ Family to give me back 3.1 billion yuan and to allow me to choose two items from your Situ Family¡¯s treasure vault, and then we can conclude our business deal,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Staring blankly, Situ Boyang stared vacantly at him for a while. Then, he shook his head and said, ¡°Tang Xiu, maybe you don¡¯t know the significance of our Situ Family¡¯s treasure vault. There are many things inside which can¡¯t be measured by money.¡±


    ¡°Chilling Ice, Blazing Flame, Lightning, and Healing. I will add five of each of these four types of magic talismans, then you must let me choose three items from the vault,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Situ Boyang¡¯s complexion kept changing. Countless thoughts kept surging and swirling inside his head. Tang Xiu¡¯s proposition caught him off guard and unprepared. He was excited, agitated, as well as restless. What was more¡­ was that he could see the Situ Family¡¯s impending magnificence, as well as its rising position and influence in the Occult Sect.


    Should he take the deal or not? If he didn¡¯t take it, let alone the Chilling Ice, Blazing Flame, Lightning, and Healing talismans, he wouldn¡¯t even get the Evil Repelling Talismans. But if he took it, then those objects in the treasures vault, especially if those particular things were picked and taken by Tang Xiu¡­


    A few minutes later, Situ Boyang finally raised his head. He seemingly had made up his mind as he looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°I agree with the deal, but you have to promise me one thing.¡±


    ¡°Please, do tell me!¡± said Tang Xiu while feeling joyous inwardly.


    ¡°Jinmen Tian and Li Yuan already know that you¡¯re able to manufacture the Evil Repelling Talisman; that¡¯s fine. But they must never know that you¡¯re able to manufacture the other four types. If you want to sell those four talismans, you must sell them through the Situ Family, and we will take 10% for each transaction regarding these four talismans in the future,¡± said Situ Boyang.


    ¡°Deal!¡± called Tang Xiu as he clapped with a smile.

 Chapter 518

    Chapter 518: The Treasury Vault of the Situ Family


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    It is said that people are in high spirits when involved in happy events.


    It was exactly Tang Xiu¡¯s mood at the moment. After participating in the Capital Auction, he also made a deal with the Head of the Situ Family, Situ Boyang, and harvested quite a fortune from it, hence the cause of his joyous mood. He even began to anticipate how many goods could there be inside the treasury vault.


    While on the road to the Situ Family¡¯s site, Tang Xiu turned on the music in his car, which he rarely did, humming the beautiful notes to himself.


    ¡°I¡¯m really happy for you, Tang Xiu.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu, seated on the front seat, spoke with a smile hanging on the corner of her mouth. Admiration was sparkling inside her eyes.


    Throwing her a glance, Tang Xiu slightly smiled and replied, ¡°I¡¯m indeed very happy, though I¡¯m afraid that a bucket of cold water will be poured down upon my head later.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about the treasury vault of the Situ Family?¡± Asked Ouyang Lulu with a smile.


    ¡°Yeah. I gave up a few billion yuan of fortune in exchange for choosing three good items from the Situ Family¡¯s treasury vault. It would be at a great loss if I don¡¯t get anything satisfactory,¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod.


    Ouyang Lulu gripped her fist and seriously said, ¡°Tang Xiu, you don¡¯t have to worry about that. The Situ Family has a deep capital and foundation. To be honest, I¡¯m not clear about how long the Situ Family exists. They may exist for centuries or even a millennium. But, shortly put, they have always been standing erect, and the members of the family have colossal wealth as well. So, I¡¯m sure there must great objects hoarded in their family¡¯s treasury vault.¡±


    ¡°I hope so!¡± Replied Tang Xiu with a smile.


    After driving for nearly an hour, the cars slowly entered a manor. From the GPS, Tang Xiu learned that this place was no longer within the Fourth Ring Road. Nevertheless, being able to own such a plot of land in the capital where an inch of land was worth a bar of gold meant that the wealth possessed by the Situ Family couldn¡¯t be underestimated.


    ¡°There are many martial arts experts here.¡±


    Even late at night, after the convoy entered the Situ Family¡¯s manor, Tang Xiu could see many security guards through the SUV¡¯s windows. They scattered at the intersection of various roads inside, while at the same time, they also encountered patrols passing by occasionally.


    These people, however, didn¡¯t carry electric batons; they carried cold weapons such as swords on their backs instead. If one didn¡¯t know that this place was China in the new century, it would have been mislead him to regard this place as somewhere in the Jianghu era where ancient warriors and heroes could be seen everywhere. When Tang Xiu swept the area with his spiritual sense, he discovered that these people also had blade-type weapons and firearms on their waists.


    ¡°What do you think of the Situ Family¡¯s great manor, Tang Xiu? Anyways, the manor boasts an area of two regular-sized soccer fields and a total of twelve luxury villas of different styles. The direction we¡¯re currently heading is toward the most luxurious villa here, which is the gathering site of the Situ Family. In the front is¡­¡± Ouyang Lulu, who was very familiar with the Situ Family, slowly introduced the place to Tang Xiu.


    After the convoy dispersed at the fork of the road in front of the manor, Situ Chao, who had already gotten out of the car, headed inside while directing and pointing to the other cars to continue forward. When Tang Xiu was prompted, he continued to drive and soon arrived at the innermost place of the Situ Family¡¯s manor.


    At the center of the Situ Family¡¯s manor was not a plaza fountain, but a European-style luxurious villa. The three-storied elegant villa encompassed a large area and was surrounded by a two meters high wall along with electric fences installed. The south side was the only big iron gate, and in front of it were four stalwart securities guards dutifully standing.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get off!¡± After parking the car, Tang Xiu spoke to Lulu.


    At this time, Situ Boyang had also come out from the car. When he saw Tang Xiu and Lulu approaching, he smiled faintly at them and said, ¡°Lulu, the ancestor of the Situ Family decreed that no outsiders are allowed to enter unless it¡¯s a special occasion. Though you may be my outer granddaughter, we can¡¯t break the ancestral rules. You will stay outside, while Tang Xiu will go inside with me.¡±


    Lulu could understand Situ Boyang¡¯s words since her Ouyang Family also had such an important place that was prohibited for outsiders to enter. After nodding to him in response, she waved her hand and said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be off to the place I¡¯m staying here. It¡¯s the villa in front, Tang Xiu. Do remember to come look for me after you¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a nod.


    As Lulu left, Situ Boyang smilingly said, ¡°Come with me, Tang Xiu! I hope you can keep everything you¡¯ve seen and heard today at my Situ Family¡¯s manor to yourself.¡±


    ¡°I got it,¡± answered Tang Xiu with a gentle nod.


    As the electric, large iron gate slowly opened, Situ Boyang led Tang Xiu inside. There were also four stalwart men standing guard in the courtyard, and Tang Xiu also discovered that there were at least 20 experts inside and outside the luxurious villa.


    ¡°Interesting, there are also elevators inside this three-storied villa,¡± said Tang Xiu with a faint smile after arriving at the elevator door on the left side of the hall.


    Situ Boyang let out a faint smile in response. As the elevator¡¯s door opened and the duo boarded it, he reached out his hand to press the spot below the buttons provided for the three floors. The response was almost automatic as the spot that was originally invisible then turned bright red and displayed the ¡°-1¡± number. Following that, Situ Boyang leaned forward toward the LCD screen to have his retina verified, after which the elevator began to descend.


    Creak¡­


    When the elevator stopped and its door slowly opened, what appeared in front of Tang Xiu was a long corridor. The duo then got out of the elevator as Situ Boyang pointed to the front corridor and seriously said, ¡°This the treasury vault of the Situ Family. There are eight rooms on both sides of the corridor. The four rooms on the right side are the vaults for gold, silver, and jewelry, which are the wealth that has been amassed by every generation of the Situ Family. The other four rooms on the left are the unique and bizarre treasures that have been hoarded by our family. I have instructed my men to open all the eight doors, so you can freely enter any room to have your pick.¡±


    ¡°Are you not going to go with me?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°I won¡¯t. I¡¯m afraid that you will find good things that makes me distressed. So I¡¯ll be waiting for you here,¡± said Situ Boyang with a forced smile.


    After saying that, he went to the sofa nearby and straightly took a seat.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath before walking inside. He had paid a few billion yuan to have this opportunity, so he didn¡¯t want to waste time and straighly released his spiritual sense. Just like Situ Boyang said, the four rooms in the right were vaults storing massive quantities of gold and jewelry. Whereas the first room on the left stored antique calligraphies and paintings.


    As for the remaining three rooms, a lot of things were placed there. After all, each room had spaces of 40 to 50 square meters with a row of racks on the wall around the room, along with two rows of long cabinets made of glass. The things inside them were clearly visible under the soft light.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression slightly moved and he immediately headed to the second room on the left. He intentionally spent a few minutes looking around to observe every object placed there. After observing around, he finally came to the object locked by his spiritual sense. It was a glazed ancient bronze lamp full of stain and rust on its surface. It looked extremely ordinary among the many objects inside the room. However, Tang Xiu had keenly observed it and discovered the Buddhist sarira inside it.


    This Buddhist sarira still had its internal spiritual power preserved even after being refined by someone, and was contained inside the ancient bronze lamp for so many years¡­ What made Tang Xiu surprised was a Buddhist cultivation technique that was engraved on the Buddhist sarira.


    This crafting technique is ordinary, but given that there are no Immortals on Earth, being able to do such a feat is indeed not easy. This ancient bronze lamp should be at the pseudo-immortal grade at the least. From this finding, it seems that there had been extremely powerful cultivators on Earth, and it¡¯s highly likely that there are also some Immortals in the Immortal World who ascended from Earth.


    Tang Xiu fell into thought for a short while as he took the ancient bronze lamp. Although he still didn¡¯t know what effect this ancient bronze lamp had, it was still a pseudo-immortal grade device. It would probably be very helpful to him in the future if he could figure out how to use it.


    Near the elevator in the hallway outside, Situ Boyang, who was sitting on the sofa while smoking, suddenly pricked his ears. He had earphones on at this time, and there was a voice reporting to him. His complexion turned strange after hearing the report.


    An ancient bronze lamp? Why did Tang Xiu choose that object? I¡¯ve studied it, and although it does contain an orb-like object inside, there is no way to take it out. The ancient bronze lamp is extremely hard, an ancient antique, so it was kept in the family¡¯s treasury vault. Don¡¯t tell me that Tang Xiu knows the origin of this ancient bronze lamp?


    Situ Boyang knitted his brows, yet he actually eased down, because the ancient bronze lamp was not included among the most precious objects in the vault. In other words, even if the objects chosen by Tang Xiu were among those precious objects, he could only pick two left.


    Quickly after, Tang Xiu came out of the second room on the left and then walked into the third room. His eyes took a fast, casual glance from the right corner. The Situ Family had indeed hoarded a lot of unique and strange treasures; even Tang Xiu could tell that if he casually took one of these unique treasures to sell, it would fetch quite a price outside. If the Situ Family was willing to exchange everything in their treasury vaults into RMB, the total value would definitely make many millionaires tremble, for it would make the Situ became the richest family in the country.


    Tsk, tsk, there¡¯s even the Imperial Decree here. This Imperial Decree¡­ is written by the first founder Emperor of the Ming Dynasty and it even has his seal. If this object were to be taken outside, it should be at the national treasure level, shouldn¡¯t it?


    Tang Xiu shook his head while smiling as he gradually moved toward the right corner of the room. The further he walked the more excited he became.


    However, he didn¡¯t want to show it no matter how excited he was, because he was perfectly aware that there were hidden surveillance cameras in every corner of the room. Therefore, he knew that every move and action he made inside were probably being monitored by the Situ Family.

 Chapter 519

    Chapter 519: Distressed


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    There was a lustrous greenish Guanyin vase with its mouth sealed tightly with a beautifully carved ornate cork made of jade. The Guanyin vase had not the slightest crack, and its surface was carved with strange symbols that were similarly used by cultivators to inscribe runes.


    What made Tang Xiu excited was not the appearance of the symbols, but something inside the vase. There was a drop marble-sized dazzling golden liquid motionlessly lying inside.


    After taking the Guanyin vase, Tang Xiu¡¯s face slightly changed, because he could keenly feel that this small Guanyin vase actually weighed a few hundreds of pounds. An ordinary person wouldn¡¯t have been able to move it even if he were to exert all his strength.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Tang Xiu knitted his brows. He was quite surprised to find that his strength, that was approximately 10,000 pounds, was not able to pull the jade cork that sealed the vase. After a moment of observation, Tang Xiu suddenly realized that the runes inscribed on the vase¡¯s surface actually formed an unusual array. It was so unusual that even he himself who was very knowledgeable in arrays didn¡¯t know what its function was for.


    Just take it first.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t study it immediately because of time, and simply took it as he walked toward the fourth room on the left. Although he didn¡¯t feel any special objects with spiritual power fluctuation after covering the area with his spiritual sense, he still observed everything carefully.


    To his disappointment, however, there was nothing special that piqued his interest. At the end of the day, his eyes fell on a very big golden dragon head. Its whole body was made of gold, and the carving was very exquisite. Tang Xiu discovered that its weigh was around 200 pounds after trying to move it.


    Situ Boyang, who was sitting on the sofa in the corridor nearby the elevator outside, had a smile on his face. Tang Xiu¡¯s second pick made him satisfied. He did feel that the Guanyin vase was very unusual considering its hundred of pounds¡¯ weight, yet nobody among the eight generations of the Situ Family had been able to figure out what it really was. Therefore, he didn¡¯t feel distressed by Tang Xiu picking the Guanyin vase.


    ¡°Patriarch, the third object picked by Tang Xiu is our family¡¯s Golden Dragon Head.¡±


    The voice of a Situ family member from the monitor room came from the earphone.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Situ Boyang expression turned blank and vacant, as he then immediately leaped up from the sofa and dashed toward the corridor. His speed so fast, simply unlike what an old man could do. When he came into the left side of the fourth room, he saw that Tang Xiu was about to head outside of the room along with the golden dragon head, thus he immediately shouted, ¡°Tang Xiu, can you put it down? I¡¯m willing to give you two more chances to pick as long as you give up this golden dragon head.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa Situ, we agreed before that you won¡¯t stop me no matter what items I choose. Are you going back on your words now that I¡¯ve already picked the items?¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and smilingly said.


    The corner of Situ Boyang¡¯s mouth twitched, and a distressed look finally appeared on his face as he gazed at the golden dragon head carried by Tang Xiu. After stroking his hand, he said with a wry and bitter expression, ¡°Although I indeed feel distressed, I have never gone back on my promises. To get this golden dragon head the ancestors of my Situ Family spent a huge price and a lot of effort, nearly leading to the extermination of the Situ Family a few hundred years ago, before they eventually obtained it with great difficulty. I never thought that it would be lost in my hands in this generation.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this only a golden dragon head cast with gold? Besides, your Situ Family has a lot of gold, it won¡¯t be a big deal for you to recast it again, no?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know anything.¡± Situ Boyang replied and eventually shook his head with a bitter expression.


    ¡°Grandpa Situ, this golden dragon head is already mine, and I won¡¯t go back on my words either since I¡¯ve already picked all three items. If anything, can you tell me what¡¯s so special about this golden dragon head?¡± Asked Tang Xiu curiously with a moving expression.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Asked Situ Boyang as he stared at Tang Xiu.


    ¡°100% sure!¡± Answered Tang Xiu without a shred of hesitation.


    Situ Boyang nodded silently, ¡°Legend has it that at the place of convergence between the Yellow River and the Yangtze River is the Golden Dragon, Yong Zhen¡¯s embodiment. Later, for unknown reasons, some people found that place and cut the dragon¡¯s head with some mysterious methods. After obtaining the golden dragon head, the ancestors of our Situ Family, from generation to generation, have been trying their best to find the dragon body in the said convergence spot. A pity that they have been unable to find it even after spending several centuries.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s gonna happen if you find it?¡± Asked Tang Xiu curiously.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know whether the legend is true or false, but rumor has it that once the dragon body is reconnected with the dragon head, restoring the entire embodiment of the Golden Dragon image, it would then revive the Golden Dragon and turn it into a living creature. Rumor even says that if the dragon body and its head are reconnected, whoever does the deed will become the master of said Golden Dragon,¡± said Situ Boyang seriously.


    Cough, cough¡­


    With an expression that was between laughter and tears, Tang Xiu was at a loss as he looked at Situ Boyang, ¡°Grandpa Situ, did someone get your Situ Family¡¯s members brainwashed or something? It¡¯s so absurd, and yet you all still believe it? This golden dragon head is simply cast from gold. Only, its sculpting is so exquisite and beautiful that it makes it look lifelike.¡±


    Situ Boyang forced a smile, ¡°Hence, I don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s true or false, like I told you. However, the people from the Occult Sect are all in line with this view based on the idea that magical things and mysteries are countless in this infinite universe. If the legend is indeed false, we will only be disappointed at the most, but if it¡¯s really true, our Situ Family will obtain a huge benefit. I¡¯m sure you I need not say more, right?¡±


    ¡°All right, then! The Situ Family has now unshackled by this absurd rumor! Later on, your family needs not search so arduously for it anymore. If anything, I will take this object, and I also need 10 days. I promise you that all the talismans will be handed to the Situ Family by then. However, I hope that you can send someone to Shanghai to fetch them when they¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°For me, the talismans are more important than the golden dragon head. Since we already had an agreement beforehand, then these three objects are yours. You leave them here for now, I¡¯ll instruct someone to carry them outside for you,¡± said Situ Boyang with a sigh.


    ¡°No need,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Just help me take the ancient bronze lamp and the Guanyin vase. I can carry this golden dragon head myself.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I can carry that Guanyin vase?¡± Asked Situ Boyang with a forced smile.


    ¡°True that, indeed!¡± Tang Xiu chuckled. ¡°This Guanyin vase is very strange, and I found that it¡¯s heavier than this golden dragon head. Well then, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to move this golden dragon head to my car, Grandpa Situ.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Replied Situ Boyang.


    Ten minutes later, the golden dragon head had been moved by four stalwart men to Tang Xiu¡¯s Range Rover. Since it couldn¡¯t be stuffed into the trunk, Tang Xiu disassembled the back seat and put the golden head dragon inside. As for the ancient bronze lamp and the Guanyin vase, he secretly stored them into his interspatial ring.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, go see Lulu! She¡¯s still waiting for you!¡±


    Situ Chao turned out to have been waiting outside the courtyard. He looked distressed as he saw the four members of his family place the golden dragon head into Tang Xiu¡¯s car. It took him quite an effort to calm down his emotions and then squeeze out a smile when he spoke to Tang Xiu.


    ¡°With this object inside my car, I don¡¯t dare to leave it at all. Anyhow, I¡¯ll call Lulu and ask her whether she has anything to do. If it¡¯s okay with her, then I¡¯ll go back first,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    After saying that, he dialed Lulu¡¯s number and told her about the matter with the golden dragon head. She didn¡¯t keep him anymore and told him to drive carefully instead.


    ****


    It was already 12 AM when Tang Xiu returned to the Tang Family¡¯s residence.


    What surprised Tang Xiu was that his father and grandfather, Tang Yunde and Tang Guosheng, were still awake. They were currently sitting and having a chat on the sofa inside the living room, while the curling scent of tea inundated every corner of the room.


    ¡°Grandpa, Dad, you two are still awake?!¡± Said Tang Xiu with a smile after entering the room in large strides.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going back to Shanghai tomorrow? We were waiting to chat with you. That¡¯s right, where did you go today?¡± Tang Guosheng smilingly asked.


    Ding, ding¡­


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mobile phone sounded. It was notifications for several short messages that were sent at the same time. Tang Xiu didn¡¯t hurry to reply Tang Guosheng as he looked at the messages instead. Immediately, the expression on his face was replaced by a strange look.


    2.5 billion yuan had just been transferred to his account twice.


    Also, the remaining two text messages were sent by Jinmen Tian and Li Yuan, saying that they transferred the money to him in advance because they trusted Tang Xiu.


    After reading it, Tang Xiu looked up and smilingly said, ¡°I was attending a black market auction, and the harvest I got there was quite great.¡±


    ¡°Were you participating in that Capital Auction organized by the Situ Family?¡± Tang Guosheng¡¯s expression moved as he asked.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Replied Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°The Situ Family does have a rich heritage and capital. It¡¯s very difficult to estimate their true strength. From my estimation, their strength isn¡¯t weaker than our Tang Family. Nevertheless, the annual Capital Auction organized by them is practically an underground, black market auction, and most of the items auctioned there are objects that can¡¯t be exposed to public. Anyhow, it¡¯s due to them being part of the Occult Sect that major families in Beijing turn a blind eye to the Situ Family. Xiu¡¯er, I¡¯m rather curious now, how come attending the auction organized by the Situ family ever crossed your mind?¡±


    Tang Xiu explained the matter with Li Laoshan seeking him for help, and finally ended the explanation with a smile, ¡°I never thought that Wang Daoyuan would easily bury the hatchet and make peace with Li Laoshan. However, since their matters have been solved, I can be considered to have achieved my aim as well.¡±


    Tang Guosheng nodded with a grin, ¡°You did well. Anyhow, you haven¡¯t told me what harvest you got today!¡±


    ¡°I got the Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal and the Nine Phoenix Hairpin. I spent 3.1 billion to buy these two items at the auction,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Tang Yunde and Tang Guosheng looked similarly vacant due to the shock.


    3.1 billion?


    He unexpectedly so boldly spent 3.1 billion yuan at an auction? Wasn¡¯t this wasteful and extravagant?


    One indeed can make money by spending!


    But¡­ Tang Guosheng suddenly thought that¡­ was he wrong to have handed over 50 billion yuan to this grandson of his? With such wasteful and extravagant spending, even 50 billion yuan wouldn¡¯t be enough for him to squander!

 Chapter 520

    Chapter 520: Intense Stimulation


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    _Cough, cough¡­_


    Tang Guosheng coughed dryly. The old man then wore a wry smile and said, ¡°Grandson, can we discuss something? I gave you that 50 billion in hope that you will use it to develop the Tang Family and to build up the force of our family. This action of yours¡­ it¡¯s kind of an extravagant squandering.¡±


    Tang Xiu was slightly stunned as he gazed at Tang Guosheng with a strange expression, ¡°Grandpa, are you sure that I was just extravagantly squandering money?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± Asked Tang Guosheng back.


    Tang Xiu spread his hands and said, ¡°Since you think that I¡¯m just squandering, please listen to what I¡¯m gonna say until the end, would you? Anyhow, I had a private talk with Situ Boyang, the Head of the Situ Family, for a long time after the auction, from which I secured a business deal with him¡­ No, it should three business deals. Take a look at these two text messages on my phone. They are notifications of two transfers that have just arrived into my account, each of which is 2.5 billion, for a total of 5 billion. Added to that, the Situ Family also promised to give me back the 3.1 billion that I spent.¡±


    Tang Yunde quickly grabbed his mobile phone and read the text messages, and then immediately gaped with disbelief bursting from his eyes. Although he knew that his son was a man with ability, it was beyond his expectation that his precious son could get such a huge sum of money within just a night.


    5 billion plus 3.1 billion, for a total of 8.1 billion!!


    He¡­ what kind of business deal did he make, exactly?


    Surprised, Tang Guosheng¡¯s expression was rather strange. After taking the mobile phone and seeing the two messages, he couldn¡¯t help but be jitter despite his unusual status. He fell into silence for half a minute, before he returned the mobile phone to Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, I just can¡¯t believe that a pie would just fall from the sky like that. Tell me, what did you transact with them, exactly?¡±


    ¡°They are people from the Occult Sect, while I happen to have an ability to produce talismans. Hence, they bought a total of 200 talismans from me,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Tang Guosheng¡¯s eyes almost jumped out from its sockets. He pointed at Tang Xiu with disbelief and stutteringly asked, ¡°Y-you¡­ y-you¡¯re actually able to manufacture talismans? How is this possible? How could someone still know the manufacturing methods for magical talismans in today¡¯s age?¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, there¡¯s no need for you to make a fuss about such a trivial thing, no? The things I can do are not only limited to manufacturing magical talismans, to be honest. It¡¯s just that¡­ I always hid my abilities and bided my time in order to avoid troublesome matters! That¡¯s right, that¡¯s how I can describe my situation.¡±


    Tang Guosheng and Tang Yunde exchanged looks, as the father and son were dumbfounded and speechless upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s explanation.


    What was laying low and acting modestly despite possessing awesome abilities? This was it!


    As if recalling something, Tang Xiu patted his own head and smilingly said, ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. I also went to the Situ Family¡¯s treasury vault and obtained a few good things there. Also, that golden dragon head is inside my car! Grandpa, do you want it?¡±


    ¡°Golden dragon head?¡± Tang Guosheng chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t think I have a reason to refuse something obtained by my grandson, do I? Let¡¯s go outside. I need to take a breather anyway. Let¡¯s see what¡¯s this golden dragon head.¡±


    ¡°I need to take a breather as well, Father. This boy¡­ he simply makes people sit on a roller coaster and stimulate them to the extreme,¡± said Tang Yunde with a smile.


    Quickly, the three generations came to the front yard. Tang Guosheng, who was in a good mood, came to the SUV and watched as Tang Xiu pulled the car¡¯s door on. He stretched out his arms in a relaxed manner and didn¡¯t hurry to look what was inside the car, and looked up instead. After taking a deep breath, he smilingly said, ¡°The air is so great tonight. I¡¯ve lived for so many years in Beijing, yet rarely have I seen so many stars in the sky!¡±


    ¡°True that! The smog has been a serious issue in this era of development due to environmental pollution. If this continues to go on, living in the capital will not be a choice; unless we humans can evolve and mutate in this bad environment,¡± said Tang Yunde smilingly.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Tang Guosheng laughed loudly and lowered his head to see what was inside the car. His laughter then came to an abrupt halt as the wrinkles on his old face began to solidify in an instant. He continued in this state for a few seconds, as he suddenly stepped forward and swiftly drilled himself into the car near the golden dragon head.


    ¡°What a great golden dragon head!¡±


    The exclamation of praise didn¡¯t come from Tang Guosheng, but Tang Yunde. His hand was on the door as he praised while looking at the golden dragon head next to his father.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it can be counted as good stuff, though. But this golden dragon head could be barely said as one of the coolest things inside the Situ Family¡¯s treasury vault aside from the other two items I got,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°So, what do you think, Grandpa? This golden dragon head is entirely cast from pure gold; I¡¯ll leave it to you as a decoration if you like it.¡±


    Tang Guosheng reluctantly turned his head. It was night, but with the light in the yard and the dim light in the car, it made his expression very discernable not only to Tang Xiu, but also Tang Yunde. He looked at Tang Xiu with his lips twitching. His voice was rough and hoarse as he asked, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, do you know that I had once served as a manager for the state¡¯s secret vault in the past?¡±


    ¡°No, I never knew that,¡± said Tang Xiu, shaking his head.


    ¡°When I was in working there, I read all the confidential files archived, and one of them was about this golden dragon head. The data was handed down from the Great Tang Dynasty, and was an object that was well preserved and protected. However, this golden dragon head was in the list of lost national treasures in the State Cultural Relic¡¯s database. So it¡¯s very unexpected that this golden dragon head turned out to have been secretly collected by the Situ Family all this time,¡± explained Tang Guosheng.


    ¡°The ancestors of the Situ Family paid a colossal price to get this object, and since it has been in their possession for centuries, it was kind of their private property,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle. ¡°But since it¡¯s now in my hands, it means it¡¯s now my private property. Grandpa, I¡¯ll give this thing to you!¡±


    Tang Guosheng covered his chest, as he wryly smiled and shook his head with a sigh, ¡°Originally, I came out of the room to take a breath and ease my nerves. Not only I did not calm down, I¡¯m even more stimulated. Xiu¡¯er, your ability is really¡­ great. This golden dragon head is something you got, so it¡¯s yours. I can¡¯t accept it. I dare not accept it.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that, Grandpa?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°This golden dragon head is indeed a great thing. But to our Tang Family, it is nothing but a dead object,¡± sighed Tang Guosheng. ¡°If its existence were to be exposed, not only would it be of no benefit to us, it¡¯s highly likely that it will bring us trouble. Those who are eyeing us in the shadows will use something like this as a pretext to justify an attack, thus pushing the Tang Family into a storm of public critic and slander.¡±


    Tang Xiu fell into silence for a while, before he slowly nodded and said, ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll take it away! Besides, I¡¯ve already bought an island in the Pacific Ocean, and after the reconstruction has been finished, I¡¯ll bring this golden dragon head to the Nine Dragons Island and keep it in the castle there.¡±


    Without a shred of hesitation, Tang Guosheng nodded and said, ¡°That would be a good idea. Nevertheless, you must be sure to hide it well before you bring it out, lest others discover it.¡±


    ¡°My ability may not be sufficient for other matters, but no one in the world is good as me in hiding things,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! This golden dragon head will never be discovered by anyone, and not even half a word will be exposed to others.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Tang Guosheng nodded heavily, letting out a sigh after he got out of the car. ¡°You said that you spent 3.1 billion in that auction. To be honest, I was regretting the decision of giving you that 50 billion, and was not sure whether my decision was careless or not. Who would have thought that not only did you took the 3.1 billion yuan back, you even made an extra 5 billion yuan from it? What¡¯s more important is that you even got a treasure like the golden dragon head. That¡¯s really great!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just chancing upon opportunity, to be honest. I happened to have things that the Occult Sect were most in shortage of,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Tang Guosheng let out a faint smile. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he quickly asked, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, you just said that you obtained three items from the Situ Family¡¯s treasury vault. Besides this golden dragon head, what else did you got?¡±


    ¡°They are some antiques. An ancient bronze lamp and a Guanyin vase,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°My knowledge about antiques is not that deep, though I know that the price of genuine good antiques is very expensive. So far I calculate that you got five great things today, and yet you still got an extra 5 billion yuan¡­ Pretty worthy as the grandson of I, Tang Guosheng. Amazing!¡± Said Tang Guosheng with a nod.


    ¡°Grandpa, if you praise me so exaggeratedly again, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t stay here much longer,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Capable is capable, okay? That¡¯s not an exaggeration!¡± Tang Guosheng waved his hand and smiled.


    Tang Yunde, who was standing at the side and listening to the conversation between his father and son, had an especially intense satisfaction filling his heart at this moment. This feeling of satisfaction was greater than what he felt during his meteoric rise in the army and after obtaining great military exploits in the past. He realized that the best thing he had ever done was finding himself a good wife and having a good son.


    As of now, his body was getting better, and was almost restored to the condition of a normal person¡¯s. He believed that as long as he persevered and relentlessly exercised, his constitution would slowly recuperate and even possibly regain its peak condition like in the past.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, you also know what your mother thinks. She always thought that studying is the only way out in life. Her only wish is that you can enroll in a good university and obtain a good diploma certificate. Since you¡¯re already studying at Shanghai University, then continue your studies well there; though you still can do what you must at work, regardless. Besides, learning while still young will give you better results in the future,¡± said Tang Yunde with a smile as he patted Tang Xiu¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Rest assured, Dad! I¡¯ll always bear it in mind,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Thta¡¯s good,¡± said Tang Xiu as he smiled. ¡°Anyways, I heard you have been in a close relationship with many girls recently! Whether you choose to have some fun or have a steady relationship, your mom is still very young and can help you bring up your children.¡±


    _Cough, cough¡­_

 Chapter 521

    Chapter 521: Getting Removed from Duty


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    When the first ray of sunlight rose from the eastern horizon in the early morning of the next day, Tang Xiu had already come out of Tang Family residence. Outside the courtyard, however, Ouyang Lulu, who was donned in a black leather outfit, was already waiting for him leaning on as Humvee, as she faintly smiled at Tang Xiu as he came out of the gate.


    ¡°If you were a bit later, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯d have to to abduct you! There¡¯s about one and half an hours left to the departure time for the flight route application, you know. I reckon it will be very difficult to get to the airport within this time window, given the nature of traffic jam in the capital,¡± said Ouyang Lulu with a smile.


    Tang Xiu creased his brows, as he turned to look at the soldiers standing guard next to the gate and asked, ¡°How long does it take from the subway here to the airport?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about an hour and a half,¡± answered a soldier standing guard.


    Frowning, Tang Xiu then turned to Ouyang Lulu and asked, ¡°Tell me, how can we get to Shanghai Airport ahead of time?¡±


    ¡°Are you asking me?¡± Ouyang Lulu asked back with a tender smile.


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes at her and snappily said, ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look, will you? I¡¯m really in a hurry to return to Shanghai. There is no classes in the morning, but I have classes in the afternoon. If I could arrive earlier in the morning, I¡¯m planning to report to the campus first.¡±


    A curved arc outlined on the corner of Ouyang Lulu¡¯s mouth, as she took out a bunch of keys while smiling happily, ¡°Come with me! But I¡¯ll have to trouble your Tang Family to send this Humvee back to the Situ Family, though!¡±


    Tang Xiu dazed briefly before he gave a glance to the two soldiers standing guard. He then tagged alongside Lulu and walked toward the mouth of the alley. When the two came to the street outside, he saw a very handsome Harley bike.


    ¡°You¡­ how did you get this thing?¡± Murmured Tang Xiu. His expression looked vacant as he watched Lulu mounting the Harley.


    ¡°I got that Hummer from the Situ Family, while this Harley is my ride! What do you think? I¡¯ve always prepared for both eventualities. Not bad, right?¡±


    With a strange expression, Tang Xiu stared at Lulu and snappily said, ¡°Bah, that¡¯s because you¡¯ve planned it beforehand, haven¡¯t you? You knew this time was a peak hour, so traffic jam is definitely there, so you prepared this bike, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that I want to be in close contact with you, though! You know, aren¡¯t those guys always trying to persuade their girls to ride with them, while slamming the brakes to gain extra benefit from time to time?¡± Ouyang Lulu replied back with a laughter.


    _Pfft¡­_ Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing. He found her argument amusing.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t daze like that, will you? Hurry up! Delay it again and we¡¯ll be too late even if we don¡¯t get trapped in a traffic jam,¡± said Ouyang Lulu smilingly.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Tang Xiu took a seat behind Lulu. He was a bit hesitant to coil up his hands around her waist, however.


    Lulu rolled her eyes, as she then grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s hands and put them on her waist. She then picked up the helmet on the handlebar and put it on Tang Xiu before she put one on herself, and then started to race away.


    _What a supple body!_


    Although Lulu was wearing a leather outfit, Tang Xiu¡¯s hands were still able to feel the heat coming out of her, as well as its suppleness. After returning to Earth, he had a very intimate body contact with Kang Xia, yet her waist didn¡¯t possess the suppleness and elasticity of Lulu¡¯s.


    ¡°So, honey. Doesn¡¯t my waist feel good?¡± Ouyang Lulu slightly turned her face, yelling while riding the bike.


    Tang Xiu was at a loss whether to laugh or cry as he replied, ¡°What is this good fart? Just drive well and don¡¯t fill your brain with dirty thoughts, will you?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    ****


    At 10:30 in the morning, the private jet landed at Shanghai Airport.


    Tang Xiu got out of the plane with Ouyang Lulu. Under her adamant request, Tang Xiu had to take her with him to Shanghai University, and even had no choice but to promise to accompany her to lunch under her tight clinging and demand.


    After the taxi stopped at the entrance of Shanghai University, Tang Xiu gave his Bluestar Villa Complex¡¯s key to Lulu as he rushed to the campus.


    When he came to the classroom, he found that that only a few people were inside the classroom. There were only dozens of people gathered together, talking about some interesting things that happened during the holidays.


    ¡°Oh, Eldest Bro Tang is finally here!¡±


    Hu Qingsong¡¯s thick northeast accent greeted Tang Xiu.


    All of a sudden, the dozens of fellow students in the classroom set their eyes on Tang Xiu. There were strange expressions on their faces, and one could figure out in a glance that there was surely a story behind it.


    Tang Xiu smilingly greeted everyone, as he came to them and took a seat next to Hu Qingsong. With curiosity hanging on his face, he asked, ¡°Why do I feel like everyone is looking at me strangely, like something has gone wrong? What happened?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that we run an election for class leaders in the morning. You¡¯ve just been removed from your duty as the class president, and I¡¯m now being set up as the class president. Also, Teacher Han has personally named you as a rotten apple who has a negative influence or something. She¡¯s hoping that everyone won¡¯t take you as an example.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiu frowned. ¡°What is wrong with me?¡±


    Hu Qingsong raised his fingers, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you! Firstly, you always skip classes. Isn¡¯t that right? Secondly, you are an irresponsible prick. You¡¯re a class president, yet you don¡¯t fulfill your duties as one. Am I speaking correctly here? Thirdly, you don¡¯t abide by the discipline in the classroom and leave without permission during class hours, isn¡¯t that right? Fourthly¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop, stop, stop!¡±


    With an expression of being at a loss whether to laugh or cry, Tang Xiu stared at Hu Qingsong as a sliver of resentment rose inside his heart toward Han Qingwu. This was something that happened to him after he went to her class back in high school! Now that it was being mentioned up again, this was clearly abusing her position and authority to redress her private grievances.


    Nevertheless, it was true that these issues did exist. It seemed that he really didn¡¯t deserve to become a student; he skipped classes way too much.


    _Han Qingwu!_


    As he silently chanted her name inwardly, Tang Xiu finally decided that he would try to not supply Han Qingwu with such predicament in the future again. It was said that one had to lower their head under the eaves. If he wanted to have a smooth sailing life at Shanghai University, he mustn¡¯t make mistakes, and compromise with her was a must.


    _The district magistrate surely won¡¯t be this good, huh?! Her arguments are too fucking reasonable and justified!_


    Tang Xiu could only groan inwardly, as he pressed hard on Hu Qingsong¡¯s shoulder and asked, ¡°Anyways, where is Yue Kai and the rest? How can you guys be left in the classroom?¡±


    ¡°Where else will they go but chase chicks? Since they have shifted their targets from Mu Wanying, they have set their eyes on other female students. Those damn studs will die on a women¡¯s belly sooner or later.¡± Hu Qingsong pouted his lips and snappily replied.


    ¡°Eh? Why do I feel like there¡¯s a sour and edgy taste from your tone? Ah, don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t found your target yet?¡± Asked Tang Xiu who was feeling amused to tears.


    ¡°Who the hell says I haven¡¯t found a target yet? I like¡­¡± Hu Qingsong angrily rebuked. Yet his words abruptly came to a halt, as the angry expression on his face also froze in an instant.


    Tang Xiu loudly laughed, as he got up and said, ¡°Anyways, since we have nothing to do this morning, let¡¯s just leave! All of them are on a date or something, then the two us are bound by fate. Come on, I¡¯ll treat you for lunch.¡±


    Hu Qingsong¡¯s eyes lit up, as he got up while grinning and said, ¡°I¡¯ll just say it! The good heavens are not better than you, Eldest Bro Tang! How about I marry you, Brother? Rest assured, though! You don¡¯t need to put jewelry on me, nor wear your gold and silver accessories. You just need to feed me every day, and I¡¯m yours to pet!¡±


    ¡°GO TO HELL!¡± Tang Xiu cursed at him.


    As the duo left the classroom and walked toward the campus entrance, Hu Qingsong looked confused as he asked, ¡°Ugh, Eldest Bro Tang, treating me to lunch doesn¡¯t need to be so extravagant, no? Why are we going outside?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t want to, then?¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said. ¡°Anyhow, there¡¯s someone else who will be joining us for lunch.¡±


    ¡°Ehh? Who is it?¡± Asked Hu Qingsong, confused.


    ¡°A friend of mine,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Is it a man, or a woman?¡± Asked Hu Qingsong again, startled.


    ¡°A woman!¡± Replied Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°How does she look?¡± Asked Hu Qingsong with eyes lit up.


    ¡°She¡¯s like a beautiful flower, ravishingly enchanting and charming,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile again.


    ¡°Eldest Bro Tang, I knew you¡¯d treat your brother the best!¡± Hu Qingsong grinned and smilingly said. ¡°This is exactly my favorite type! Okay, let¡¯s have a deal. You must treat me to a feast if I were to successfully woo her.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll throw you a party if you are able to woo her,¡± said Tang Xiu while rolling his eyes at him.


    Hu Qingsong stared blankly and the smile on his face immediately vanished as he said, ¡°Are you trying to prank me, Eldest Bro Tang? I knew it! That woman¡¯s looks must be very ugly, or else you wouldn¡¯t push her to me, right? Bah, forget it, just keep her for yourself!¡±


    While shaking his head, Tang Xiu laughed despite not wanting to, and patted his shoulder. Since it was still early in the morning, they didn¡¯t ride a car, and headed straight to Bluestar Villa Complex on foot. After arriving at his villa, Tang Xiu rang the doorbell. The electric front courtyard gate opened, as Ouyang Lulu¡¯s ravishing figure appeared at the door of the villa.


    ¡°Big Bro, isn¡¯t this your own home? Why did you press the bell¡­¡± Hu Qingsong, who followed behind Tang Xiu into the courtyard, abruptly stopped talking as he saw Ouyang Lulu¡¯s figure. He instantly gaped, his eyeball almost popping out.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is this level really unable to enter your eyes?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a laugh.


    Hu Qingsong gulped his saliva and shook his head as he muttered, ¡°She¡¯s in! Definitely! If I marry such a beauty, I¡¯m even willing to have my lifespan cut by 30 years!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± This time, it was Tang Xiu¡¯s turn to burst into laughter.


    Snapping back to reality by Tang Xiu¡¯s loud laughter, Hu Qingsong looked awkward and embarrassed, not daring to look at Ouyang Lulu again.


    ¡°Anyways, Lulu. This is Hu Qingsong, my classmate,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    The corner of Ouyang Lulu¡¯s mouth curved after hearing Hu Qingsong¡¯s muttering. She let out a charming smile as she stretched out her hand and said, ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Ouyang Lulu. I welcome you to our home. Anyways, I¡¯m afraid that I can¡¯t marry you. This girl has already been taken by the one next to you. But I can introduce to a girl friend of mine with one condition¡­ That is, you need to have abilities like my man here.¡±


    _She said she has already been taken?_


    __


    _My man?_


    Hu Qingsong fell into a daze as he turned his head and stared at Tang Xiu in disbelief.

 Chapter 522

    Chapter 522: Shaken to the Core


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Hu Qingsong had never seen Ouyang Lulu. He heard Yue Kai saying that he had seen a woman whose beauty was flawless in Tang Xiu¡¯s home. He thought that Yue Kai was lying, and it was all a bull he made up. But at this time, Hu Qingsong finally believed it. The looks and figure of this girl were definitely not under the first campus flower of Shanghai University, Mu Wanying, as well as similarly on par with the super celebrity, Zhang Xinya.


    He would definitely choose this girl over Mu Wanying and Zhang Xinya if he ever had the chance to pick one among the three. It was because this girl gave off a very cool vibe and fiery personality, which were the types he liked the most.


    ¡°B-Big¡­ Big Bro Tang, is she also your woman?¡± Asked Hu Qingsong. His eyes looked dull.


    Tang Xiu had yet to reply when Ouyang Lulu reacted. She knitted her brows and asked, ¡°What did you just say? Also?!! Who else is Tang Xiu¡¯s woman beside me?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Hu Qingsong was taken aback. Little did he expect that his slip of tongue would push Tang Xiu into the pit of hell.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and smiled. He grabbed Lulu¡¯s wrist and strided out of the villa, and then spoke to her, ¡°Lulu, don¡¯t listen to Hu Qingsong¡¯s gibberish. I¡¯m always clean, far from that thing called love before I graduate from university. There has never been other women at all.¡±


    After hearing this, Hu Qingsong immediately felt relieved. He caught up and repeatedly nodded as he said, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. Big Bro Tang definitely has no other women. Though there are indeed other women chasing him, who is Eldest Bro Tang? Of course, there may be myriad flowers, but only the leaf will never leave its body! Ugh, isn¡¯t that right, Big Bro Tang?¡±


    ¡°What the f*ck!¡± Ouyang Lulu snapped. ¡°So, I¡¯m the _leaf_ , huh?¡±


    Hu Qingsong was stumped.


    Tang Xiu was similarly speechless. He shook his head and said, ¡°You two wait for me here. I need to go upstairs to change clothes, and then we¡¯ll go out for lunch.¡±


    Twenty minutes later, the trio left the villa complex and headed to the Everlasting Feast Hall by car. When the trio entered the restaurant, Tang Xiu saw Han Qingwu merrily chatting with Chi Nan at the front counter.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, it¡¯s your class¡¯ teacher-in-charge,¡± whispered Lulu while touching Tang Xiu¡¯s arm.


    Tang Xiu nodded silently. He immediately knitted his brows after seeing Han Qingwu and Chi Nan looking in his direction and walking toward him. However, he bitterly smiled inwardly when he recalled Han Qingwu¡¯s status in Shanghai University. He had thought through about this issue before. He would have to behave well if he wanted to stay in Shanghai University. If he continued treating Han Qingwu with a detached attitude and repel her, it would probably court a lot more troubles for him, even becoming a problem for him if he asked for a leave later.


    ¡°Teacher Han, what a coincidence!¡± Hu Qingsong was the first to open his mouth and smilingly spoke.


    Han Qingwu nodded at him with a smile. Her eyes then fell on Tang Xiu before glancing at Ouyang Lulu and asking, ¡°Tang Xiu, why didn¡¯t you come to report to the campus this morning?¡±


    ¡°I got delayed with some matters and just arrived from Beijing,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    Han Qingwu¡¯s eyes swept across him, as she turned to Chi Nan and said, ¡°Manager Chi, I still have some matters to handle, so I¡¯ll take my leave first. Remember to tell your Big Boss to never skip classes again later.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Replied Chi Nan with a nod while restraining her smile.


    Following that, Tang Xiu¡¯s gaze followed Han Qingwu as she turned around to leave. He then shook his head and shifted his eyes to Chi Nan, asking, ¡°Why is she here?¡±


    ¡°She came to dine, Boss. Besides, we are a restaurant open for business. Are you saying we must keep her out?¡± Asked Chi Nan with a smile.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Tang Xiu was dumbfounded and was left without argument.


    ¡°Manager Chi, you might as well keep off those women who are scheming to pursue your Boss,¡± said Ouyang Lulu.


    ¡°Do I have to keep Miss Ouyang out as well?¡± Asked Chi Nan with a grin.


    ¡°AH¡­¡± Ouyang Lulu stared blankly and fell into a daze. She then immediately waved her hand and said, ¡°That¡¯s different. I¡¯m aboveboard and straightforward in my pursuit, while Han Qingwu is conspiring in secret. In the future, I¡¯ll become the Lady Boss of the Everlasting Feast Hall; she can¡¯t be compared with me.¡±


    Chi Nan couldn¡¯t help but laugh. But after she glanced at Tang Xiu, she quickly restrained herself and hastily asked, ¡°Are you gonna dine, Boss? I¡¯ll immediately arrange it.¡±


    Tang Xiu could only sigh helplessly. He was really at wits end upon facing Lulu¡¯s open, brazen, thick-skinned, and unconstrained pursuit. He had already warned her many times and nothing worked, hence he was too lazy to waste his saliva anymore.


    At the side, Hu Qingsong watched Tang Xiu and Chi Nan in a dumbfounded and tongue-tied manner. His mouth gaped so wide that even a big goose egg could enter it. The disbelieving expression on his face was the expression of shock inside his heart.


    ¡°What are you dazing and gaping for? Let¡¯s go inside!¡±


    Tang Xiu had just walked for a few steps before he turned to look at Hu Qingsong, who was nailed in his spot motionlessly, and called out to him.


    Finally, Hu Qingsong closed his mouth. But after he caught up, he asked in a rough voice, ¡°B-Big¡­ Big Bro Tang, Manager Chi just said¡­ what did she say? Boss? Are you the owner of this Everlasting Feast Hall?¡±


    It is true that paper cannot contain fire! Now that this fact was known by Hu Qingsong, he didn¡¯t feel like hiding it anymore, thus he nodded and replied, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m the owner of this Everlasting Feast Hall. I didn¡¯t tell you before because I didn¡¯t want you to think about it. Since you know about this now, don¡¯t sell me out to anyone, got it?¡±


    Hu Qingsong swallowed the water in his mouth and nodded with a wooden expression.


    At this moment, no words were able to describe what he felt inside. Because even in his wildest dream, he never expected that his fellow student who shared a dormitory with him was actually the owner of the Everlasting Feast Hall. He knew that the Everlasting Feast Hall was one of the top restaurants in the entire Shanghai, and even its annual net income exceeded nine digits.


    What did nine digits meant? It was in the billion range!


    With billions of yuan of annual income, didn¡¯t it explain that Tang Xiu was also a super mega rich person?


    At the corner of the first floor, Tang Xiu casually picked a place for them to sit down. There was no need for him to pick the deluxe box upstairs since he was only dining here with Ouyang Lulu and Hu Qingsong. He could only sigh inwardly upon seeing Lulu naturally taking the seat next to him, with a matter-of-fact attitude, as he pointed the seat across to him and spoke to Hu Qingsong, ¡°Don¡¯t gawk and daze again, will you? Get a move on and take a seat!¡±


    After sitting, Hu Qingsong cautiously asked, ¡°Big Bro Tang, can you tell me how much money do you have, exactly?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t really counted how much money I have, to be honest,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°If you ask me, money is nothing but only a series of numbers. Hence, I don¡¯t feel like putting much thought into something that has no significant meaning.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    While looking like a silly fool at Tang Xiu, Hu Qingsong¡¯s outlook toward the world was collapsing as his heart was struck with a thunderous idea.


    It was out of the norm!


    A strong and concentrated pressuring aura as though a tide, Tang Xiu at this moment was seemingly enveloped by a golden light. Hu Qingsong¡¯s eyes were as though a donkey¡¯s, yet they were still stabbed and pained. It was the kind of envy and jealousy of ordinary people, yet it was still unable to express even a shred of a millionth of his mood.


    Being unable to count the number on his bank card with his fingers was one of Hu Qingsong¡¯s dreams. As he was now, he was just a poor peasant who went out with nothing but dry food in his pocket. While he must thicken his face to ask his parents to support him, Tang Xiu was unexpectedly telling him that money was just a series of numbers in his eyes, even to the extent that it had no significant point whatsoever¡­ That made his strong heart nearly collapse.


    What kind of people say that money was nothing but a series of numbers?


    Wasn¡¯t this remark only the likes of those super-rich people with a colossal amount of wealth could speak? Could it be that Tang Xiu was on the level of those super-rich people now?


    ****


    An employee of the Everlasting Feast Hall delivered and served the fragrant dishes. As of now, Tang Xiu¡¯s identity was known to nearly all Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s employees, so they were displaying an unusually good performance in front of him.


    The dishes consisted of four spicy non-vegetarian dishes, two veggie soups, and one medication diet. The smell, looks, and taste was just great.


    After Tang Xiu began eating, Hu Qingsong was as though just awakening from a dream, and broke free from his complex emotions. He didn¡¯t hurry to eat, however, and just looked at Tang Xiu as he asked, ¡°Eldest Brother Tang, are you willing to support me in the future? I¡¯ll work hard in any work you assign me.¡±


    ¡°Would you like to be a Chef apprentice at this Everlasting Feast Hall?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you must have more than this Everlasting Feast Hall,¡± said Hu Qingsong.


    ¡°What makes you think so?¡± Tang Xiu raised his brows and smilingly asked.


    ¡°Because you will never say that money is nothing but a series of numbers if you only have this Everlasting Feast Hall. Even if this restaurant does make money, the amount it can make is limited,¡± said Hu Qingsong seriously.


    ¡°Well, the HQ of the Everlasting Feast Hall is in Jingmen Island, while it also has franchising branches in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing. Do you think I still have other businesses now?¡± Explained Tang Xiu.


    Hu Qingsong dazed for a moment. After contemplating for a moment, he still shook his head and said, ¡°That¡¯s still not enough.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, the normal you usually have a rough personality, careless and casual; the stereotype of Northeasterner. Yet, you are somewhat refined in your rough way, and outstandingly astute as well. But then, doesn¡¯t your family have businesses to manage, too? Aren¡¯t you going back home to manage your family¡¯s business after you graduate from university?¡±


    ¡°My family can only be regarded as an upstart. My father is still healthy and is stronger than I am, whereas each of my family members at home are just like ferocious tigers and wolves, with their eyes staring at the family businesses. Going back home and fighting it over with them doesn¡¯t interest me at all,¡± said Hu Qingsong with a forced, bitter smile.


    ¡°I can help you set up a business,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Can I earn more than you if you invest in my business?¡± Asked Hu Qingsong back.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment. The smile on his face was replaced with seriousness, as his fingers tapped on the table and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a bit early to say that now?¡±


    ¡°Do you really think that it¡¯s too early?¡± Asked Hu Qingsong once again.


    Giving him a defeated look, Tang Xiu helplessly said, ¡°Since you have said it yourself, then you can work for me later. We¡¯ll talk about the details later. Furthermore, Xue Chao is honest and good-natured, so I¡¯m also going to let him help me.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t told me, what other businesses do you have besides this Everlasting Feast Hall?¡± Asked Hu Qingsong hurriedly.

 Chapter 523

    Chapter 523: The Blind Elderly


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The idea to form a group of trusted confidants did cross Tang Xiu¡¯s mind since he wanted to make his business bigger later. He thought that telling Hu Qingsong about it felt too early. Nevertheless, as the conversation came to this point, hiding it any longer wouldn¡¯t make sense. After a moment of contemplation, he finally made up his mind and said, ¡°The Magnificent Tang Corporation.¡±


    Hu Qingsong knitted his brows, trying to recall the name. He suddenly got up from his chair with a drastically changed expression. Placing his hands on the table, he leaned forward and stared fixedly at Tang Xiu, ¡°You said that you are the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation? The same Magnificent Tang Corporation that produces Gods Nectar?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod.


    The shock news that struck Hu Qingsong today were extreme to the point that he became numb. Therefore, he quickly snapped back to his senses ang gave him a thumbs up, praising, ¡°This little brother of yours is willing to do his best for you, Big Bro Tang! I¡¯ll always follow you around like the saddle follows the horse. You¡¯re simply a deity in my eyes!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, don¡¯t overstate it so ridiculously like you¡¯re gonna die, will you?¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing. ¡°Anyways, cut the crap and grab your meal, we still have afternoon classes.¡±


    Hu Qingsong hastily nodded, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s eat. Teacher Han has just given you a warning before, so we must not be late this afternoon. Anyhow, you¡¯re really wonderful, Big Bro Tang. A marvel. You are literally a super moneybag that millions of students are nearly impossible to catch up to in their lifetime, whereas I am just like a baby boy who must attend school and learn to read. This Old Hu really admires you.¡±


    Tang Xiu, who was worried that their relationship would be affected if he told him the truth, thus he finally felt that his worry was unnecessary upon seeing Hu Qingsong now. With a good mood, he smiled and said, ¡°Learning many things while young will result in good things, after all.¡±


    ¡°I got that,¡± said Hu Qingsong with a nod.


    At this moment, Ouyang Lulu carefully observed Hu Qingsong. She then suddenly took out the Paradise Manor¡¯s VIP card and put it in front of Hu Qingsong, saying, ¡°This is for you. I welcome you to dine at my Paradise Manor later.¡±


    ¡°Paradise Manor?¡± Hu Qingsong curiously asked. ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a comprehensive culinary and entertainment hill resort. With the ID number on this membership card you¡¯re exempted from all the expenses there as long as you continue studying at Shanghai University,¡± said Lulu faintly.


    ¡°Then, you are the owner of this Paradise Manor?¡± Asked Hu Qingsong with a strange expression.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Answered Lulu with a nod.


    In a flash, it was like something siphoned away the strength from Hu Qingsong¡¯s body. His eyes gazed at Tang Xiu and Ouyang Lulu, as he said in a downcast manner, ¡°I suddenly realize that my two decades of life have been a failure. We are of the same age, yet you two have actually made enterprises and started out your career, while the ignorant me has accomplished virtually nothing.¡±


    With a tender smile, Lulu replied, ¡°I¡¯ll turn 24 soon, so I¡¯m a few years older than you. So, don¡¯t worry about that and study hard. You¡¯ll enter society in a few years, and if you work hard, you¡¯ll have good achievements as well in time to come.¡±


    Hu Qingsong clenched his fists and said with all seriousness, ¡°I¡¯ll reflect on it well. Today truly gave me a huge shock. I realize that even if I were to follow Big Brother Tang in the future, things still won¡¯t go well without me having social experience. So, I decided to go out and have a job during my time in university to gain some social experience first.¡±


    ¡°That would be great!¡± Ouyang Lulu raised her thumbs up and smilingly cheered.


    The trio then continued their meal. Although Lulu couldn¡¯t get to stay alone with Tang Xiu, Hu Qingsong¡¯s stunned and shocked expression amused her. Additionally, his forthright personality was also to her liking.


    However, at the moment when the trio was about to finish their lunch, a series of beating and scolding sounds were heard from the outside of the Everlasting Feast Hall. The noise made the guests in the outermost tables get up and avoid it.


    ¡°Continue with your meal, I¡¯ll take a look!¡± Tang Xiu creased his brows as he put his chopsticks down and walked outside.


    In front of the counter, the four security guards of the Everlasting Feast Hall had already contained several men and women who were causing trouble. There was also a disheveled blind old woman with a walking stick who was sighing unceasingly. It was evident from her forehead that she had been hit by a blunt object, creating an opening wound with blood flowing down to her eyebrows.


    ¡°What happened here?¡± Tang Xiu walked over as he asked Chi Nan.


    While pointing to the blind old woman, Chi Nan forced a smile and replied, ¡°This elderly¡¯s mouth was too¡­ put shortly, what she spoke was quite unpleasant to hear. Everyone thought that she was going to dine here when she arrived. But she then straightly went upstairs and circled every private box. After these guests came down, she cursed at several of them, saying that today is their time of death and that they must immediately contact their family members to tell them what to do after their deaths.¡±


    An obese middle-aged man looked furious as he was restrained by the security. He struggled all he could as he raised his head and yelled, ¡°That¡¯s right! This wretched old bastard said that! If it was once or twice, it¡¯s still bearable, yet she kept repeating the same thing, ceaselessly cursing us to death. We had asked her to leave but she adamantly refused to go, and even spit on the dishes we ordered¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu forced a smile inwardly. He casually grabbed the box of napkin from a nearby table and squatted in front of the blind old woman, saying, ¡°Old Lady, it¡¯s very wrong of you to curse at people and spit on their meals! Stay still now. Your forehead is bleeding, so I¡¯ll wipe it off for you first. I¡¯ll take you to the nearby clinic to bandage it later.¡±


    The distressed and grimacing expression on the blind old woman¡¯s face changed in an instant. She grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s wrist and pinched it several times. After releasing it, she suddenly clapped and smilingly said, ¡°They can go on living! Their whole family can go on living at last!¡±


    The obese middle-aged man angrily shouted, ¡°Hey, you wretched old woman, you¡¯re still saying¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him. He frowned and asked, ¡°Old Lady, I don¡¯t¡¯ understand what you¡¯re saying. Would you mind explaining it to us?¡±


    The blind old woman pointed to Tang Xiu and said, ¡°You know more about the Heavenly Secrets than I do. Although you can¡¯t see it now, you definitely understand it. I, this blind old woman, still want to live for a few years more. I¡¯m still reluctant to leave this mortal and mundane world, so the mysteries of heaven must not be revealed. The lives of their whole families are set, and they must never leave the entrance of this restaurant for even half a step. The red candles, dog¡¯s blood, and sounds of thousands of cannons will spread out to greet them when their family leave the entrance of this restaurant tomorrow.¡±


    Heavenly Secrets?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion changed, as he quickly grasped the blind old woman¡¯s wrist. In just several seconds, the color on his face receded and changed as he could clearly feel an intense special wave of energy that was fluctuating inside the blind old woman¡¯s body. The strong energy was circulating through the entirety of her body as though there was a stream of water flowing inside.


    ¡°You are¡­¡± Asked Tang Xiu in a whisper.


    The blind old woman smiled, ¡°I¡¯m too old and I have forgotten my own name. You can call me¡­ just call me a blind old woman. In this lifetime I comprehended what life and fate are; of what life divination, stealing fate, robbing fate, and losing lives are. Little did I expect that I would find a very interesting fate in the last few years of my life. Little guy, your fate is very interesting!¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his head to Chi Nan and said, ¡°Bring this whole family to the back. Serve them delicious dishes and drinks, and provide them everything they need as far as possible. Do remember, you must never let them leave even a half step before tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Copy that!¡± Chi Nan immediately nodded.


    The plump middle-aged man shouted, ¡°What the hell are you doing? It¡¯s the 21st century now, and society is governed by law! If you dare to illegally detain us, I will surely file a lawsuit against you!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! You¡¯re detaining us illegally. What you¡¯re doing is just superstitious stuff. We are guests here, not your prisoners!¡± Another middle-aged woman loudly yelled.


    At this time, there was also a young man among the onlookers who also back them up, ¡°This place is a restaurant, and these people are guests. This act of restricting their freedom, you mustn¡¯t do that, right? Besides, this blind old woman is just a liar; a swindler. What she said is simply a ploy! Or, are you, the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people, in cahoots with her?¡±


    Chi Nan simply ignored them and instructed four security guards to take the family away. Whereas Tang Xiu propped up the blind old woman and brought her to his table. He then asked with a smile, ¡°Old Lady, you really are very amazing, a master in the divinatory arts. You said you cannot leak out the Heavenly Secrets, yet you¡¯re actually doing it. Moreover, you did that despite the predicament of it siphoning your lifespan just to give a chance for that family to go on living.¡±


    The blind old woman grinned, ¡°This blind old woman indeed leaked the Heavenly Secrets. But then, I¡¯m one who achieves the Dao and yet must be punished by the Heavenly Dao. That¡¯s what makes it interesting and fun. Do you know why I dared to do so?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, why?¡± Asked Tang Xiu, puzzled.


    ¡°It was because of you!¡± Answered the blind old woman.


    ¡°Because of me?¡± Tang Xiu was confused.


    The old blind lady heavily nodded, ¡°Yes, because of you. I found quite an interesting thing, that as long as I involve you in the causality of this incident, the penalty of the Heavenly Dao seems to be unable to target me even in the slightest.¡±


    ¡°Can you gain insights into my fate with your divination art?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    The blind old woman hastily waved her hand, ¡°No, no, don¡¯t! Don¡¯t bring a calamity for me. I may not be afraid to see through the lives and fates of all people in the world, but yours is not one I dare to see! Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll lose my life at once.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡± Asked Tang Xiu again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, either. Your fate is just too strange. I just can¡¯t figure it out even though I¡¯ve been immersing myself into the Heavenly Dao for over a century. Anyhow, let¡¯s forget about that, shall we? How about talking about other things?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been kind of bored staying in the country, how about you send me overseas? I always liked the ocean, and this old woman would feel great if you send me somewhere amid the ocean. It¡¯s just that I can¡¯t see where it is. That place is like another world, another space or realm, or something like that. So I can¡¯t go there on my own.¡±


    Tang Xiu was startled. It was evident to him that this blind old woman had already divined the situation in the Nine Dragons Island. And what she said was not mistaken at all. Although the Nine Dragons Island was indeed in this planet, once the reconstruction was completed and he laid out a huge-sized array there, that place would definitely be akin to a new space, a new world.

 Chapter 524

    Chapter 524: Agreement


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    While calmly looking at the blind old woman, Tang Xiu shook her head and said, ¡°As old as you are, you shouldn¡¯t be messing around like this, Old Lady. It¡¯s not easy to cultivate for a hundred years, to begin with. If you can¡¯t break the shackles of your feelings toward the mundane world, then you can never sever this thread with the world of mortals. Once that line is implicated by the dark underworld, likewise, you can never transcend worldliness as well.¡±


    The blind old lady fell into silence. Indeed, there was still a wish left unfulfilled for her, yet to make her wish come true was an extremely difficult endeavor to realize. She would still probably have no means to sever the line of connection between her and the mundane world like Tang Xiu said even if she were to live 100 years more. As a result, she just peered into the Heavenly Secrets, wanting to locate the Immortal World, wishing that she could go beyond to that secret, hidden world.


    ¡°I just can¡¯t do it!¡± The blind old woman was silent for a long time before she shook her head and forced a wry smile.


    ¡°One mustn¡¯t miss any sliver of opportunity. If you are unable to transcend worldliness, then you must enter the cycle of samsara to be reincarnated, and continue to bear hardships and the bitter limitation of the world. Why would you not take it?¡± Said Tang Xiu lightly.


    ¡°I must go there. I hope you can help me,¡± said the blind old woman.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a while, as he then turned to Lulu and Hu Qingsong and said, ¡°Are you two full already? If you are, wait for me outside. I¡¯ll catch up with you shortly.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu and Hu Qingsong exchanged looks with confused expressions. The abstruse and profound theory of Daoism spoken by Tang Xiu and the blind old woman was a subject they couldn¡¯t make sense at all. After hesitating for a while, both of them obeyed Tang Xiu and walked outside.


    ¡°Tell me about your origin and history,¡± Tang Xiu said.


    ¡°I¡¯m of a very common origin,¡± said the blind old woman. ¡°I hail from the northwestern Hongdong County, and my ancestry line hails from the Occult Sect. It¡¯s a pity that we have revealed too many Heavenly Secrets, thus I¡¯m the last one remaining. I¡¯ve gotten married for nine times in the first 50 years of my life, and all of my husbands had premature deaths because of me. After I turned 70, I journeyed north and south, traveling to all corners of the country, yet there was no direction I could find, neither could I grasp the answer to that question.¡±


    ¡°So to say, you no longer have anything that ties you to the world, and you¡¯re free from constraints and attachments?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    The blind old woman shook her head, ¡°No, I still have one wish. That is to find the ancestral tomb of my ancestors. A pity that the custom of my family is only passed on men and not on women, so they didn¡¯t pass them to me. The reason why I can learn divination is entirely based on self-study on the ancient codes and records left by my father¡¯s legacy.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°Since you want me to help and give you shelter, then let¡¯s talk about the conditions.¡±


    ¡°Please say it!¡± Said the blind old woman.


    ¡°Give me your life,¡± said Tang Xiu with all seriousness.


    The blind old woman smilingly replied, ¡°Although I dare not say ¡®that my fate depends on myself and not the heavens¡¯, yet I can¡¯t allow someone else to control my life either. You are very special, however; your fate is very interesting. If you really have the ability in this aspect, then take it as you wish.¡±


    ¡°I will give you six months to consider it carefully. If you agree, I will send someone to escort you back here,¡± said Tang Xiu slowly after thinking for a while.


    ¡°Half a year?¡± The blind old woman strangely said. ¡°I don¡¯t need half a year to think!¡±


    ¡°You may not need it, but I do,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°That place hasn¡¯t been reconstructed yet, and is unable to be used for the time being. Hence, come here six months later.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± The blind old woman took her walking stick and got up from the sofa, saying, ¡°I will return here half a year later. If you need anything that needs my assistance within these six months, you only need to burn three sticks of incense and call out Blind Old Woman thrice. I¡¯ll come to you as fast as possible.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    After sending her off, Tang Xiu returned inside, looked at the approaching Chi Nan and said, ¡°Has the family been properly settled?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I used a special medication to make the entire family unconscious. They will wake up tomorrow morning,¡± Chi Nan nodded.


    ¡°Remember, if they wake up earlier than expected, you must not let them step out of the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s entrance before the sunrise tomorrow morning. If¡­ by any chance, they¡¯re still adamant to leave and you are no longer able to stop them, feel free to let one of them out, and then send someone to quietly follow him. After half an hour, if there¡¯s no problem endangering that person¡¯s safety, then let the rest go.¡±


    Chi Nan hesitated before asking, ¡°Boss, do you really believe what that blind old lady said?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°She¡¯s not an ordinary person. Don¡¯t look at how easy she got beaten back then, and don¡¯t think that because she lost her sight that she can¡¯t see things better than people who can see with their eyes. If it wasn¡¯t for a special reason, that family wouldn¡¯t have been able to even move her fingers, more less hit her.¡±


    ¡°Special reason? What exactly is it?¡± Chi Nan confused.


    ¡°She wanted to draw my attention, wanted me to come forward. She¡­ wanted to lead me to her,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly


    ¡°Can¡¯t she just look for you?¡± Chi Nan frowned.


    Tang Xiu shook his head. He then realized that Chi Nan wouldn¡¯t understand it even if he explained it to her. Therefore, he waved his hand and said, ¡°Just forget it. You still have to take good care of the restaurant, while I still must attend the afternoon classes, so I¡¯ll take my leave first. By the way, if Han Qingwu looks for you again, don¡¯t give her any good face again.¡±


    Chi Nan forced a smile, ¡°Boss, do you have any relationship problems with Teacher Han? She seems to have something to complain about you, but the way you treat her is way too¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu glared at her and reprimanded, ¡°Don¡¯t ask what you shouldn¡¯t ask. Put shortly, just deal with her as less as possible like I told you.¡±


    Having said that, Tang Xiu directly left the Everlasting Feast Hall. After looking around and seeing Lulu and Hu Qingsong waiting for him outside, he said, ¡°Lulu, I¡¯m going back to campus for afternoon classes. You can go ahead to attend your things, too! I¡¯ll go to the Paradise Manor when I have some free time.¡±


    There was a bit of reluctance and unwillingness in Lulu¡¯s eyes, but she still nodded and said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go back first. If you don¡¯t come find me, then I¡¯ll go to your campus to find you.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Tang Xiu nodded and gave her his car keys. The car was one of the luxury cars in his garage, but Tang Xiu usually didn¡¯t use it since he didn¡¯t want to attract others¡¯ eyes.


    High noon, 1 PM. Tang Xiu and Hu Qingsong had already returned to Shanghai University. After arriving at the dormitory, they didn¡¯t see Yue Kai there. Tang Xiu rarely stayed on campus, so he began cleaning up his bed since dust had fallen on it, and many things were messily placed under his desk.


    Done with the cleaning, Tang Xiu shifted his eyes to Hu Qingsong, who was lying on his bunk with hands as a pillow. It was unknown what he was currently thinking about. He smiled at him and said, ¡°Hey, don¡¯t leak anything about my matters to anyone!¡±


    ¡°Relax, dude! I got it!¡± Hu Qingsong nodded.


    Letting out a calm smile in response, Tang Xiu then patted the side of his bed and said, ¡°Anyhow, there¡¯s an hour left for class, stay here if you want! I¡¯m going to head to the campus library.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Hu Qingsong replied, and continued thinking about his own issues.


    Tang Xiu was aware that Hu Qingsong suffered a great impact today. Hu Qingsong may have a rough and uninhibited outer appearance, yet he was finely particulate inside and was a very smart individual. Perhaps he didn¡¯t feel like thinking about anything in the past, but now, he had probably started thinking about the path he¡¯d take.


    Contemplation was a sign of maturity!


    Tang Xiu indeed worried that their relationship would deteriorate after Hu Qingsong learned about him. But now it seemed that his worries were groundless and unnecessary. On the contrary, he had already started to learn to contemplate as to how he would enter society, as well as began to plan his own life for the future.


    Tang Xiu took a few books and then headed to the campus library. By the time he got there, there was a strange vibe in the library, which was often deserted, but was now very lively. Students in groups of three to five were whispering between themselves as he walked inside. What made him puzzled was that most of them were male students.


    ¡°Teacher, what¡¯s happened?¡± Curiously asked Tang Xiu at the keeper of the library after returning the books.


    ¡°What else? The young men of today all can¡¯t wait to rush and do everything to woo beautiful girls. Oh, how I miss my youth¡­¡± The middle-aged female teacher in her 40s sighed. She shook her head at the same time, as she looked to fall into her memories!


    A smile outlined on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth. He understood that those boys were right at the peak of their puberties. Had he not lived for 10,000 years in the Immortal World, he would have been like them, and couldn¡¯t wait to woo beautiful girls whenever he saw them.


    After returning the books, Tang Xiu walked inside. He hadn¡¯t had the time to study and read books due to many issues that came to him recently, so he decided to immerse himself in his school life now. He was a student, and to have the appearance of a student was a must; improving and sharpening his knowledge by reading, studying, and learning diligently.


    When he passed a row of bookshelves, he glanced toward the direction where a lot of students were gathered. However, as his sight passed through the crowd, a smile immediately outlined the corner of his mouth when he saw Jiang Feiyan, who was sitting and reading a book quietly in the innermost corner desk. Although the person he saw was Jiang Feiyan, he was very sure that the one who could attract the attention of these many students was definitely not her, because she didn¡¯t have the attractiveness to drag all of them.


    It must be Mu Wanying!


    Her extremely beautiful appearance immediately appeared inside Tang Xiu¡¯s mind as he secretly shook his head. Whether it was her looks, figure, or temperament, Mu Wanying was indeed a remarkable top class beautiful woman. Yet, the wound in his heart, however, didn¡¯t allow him to have an intricate emotional relationship with her.


    Once in the past he deluded himself that he would find the only love of his lifetime, to have a romantic life with her, marry her,and then live a happy, blessed life ever after.


    The period of time he spent with her in the Immortal World was the most satisfying and happiest time he ever had. He even hoped that such a situation would last for eternity, until the heaven and earth got old, until the oceans dried up and the rocks perished, yet their fidelity would remain unchanging no matter what happened. He even made a decision that even if he eventually succeeded in crossing his tribulation, he would do whatever was necessary to cross the sea, by tricks or deceiving, just to stay and accompany her in the Immortal World.


    However, the outcome was that of Nanke¡¯s dream, a fond dream that was empty and hollow; for the dream was then shattered by the time he awakened, and he was then left to die and disappear, leaving all his pain and sorrow that consumed his whole heart.


    Snapping out of his reverie, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t go there and just turned around to head to the book area. After having picked up a few books, he planned to head straight to his dorm after registering the borrowed books.


    However, despite him having tried so hard to disguise himself, many people were still able to recognize him, as they rushed to intercept and surround him as if he was a big star. The situation made him helpless as well as depressed. He only hoped that, as time passed, everyone would gradually forget his identity as a divine doctor.

 Chapter 525

    Chapter 525: A Great Thief from the Occult Sect


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    In the afternoon, Tang Xiu, Hu Qingsong, as well as Yue Kai and Zhao Liang, who had just returned and was radiant with happiness, came to the classroom together. The afternoon class was a foreign language class taught by their class-in-charge teacher, Han Qingwu, so no one was absent or late.


    _Clip-clop¡­_


    The clattering sounds of high heels stepping on the floor came from the corridor. Han Qingwu, donned in a casual yet fashionable outfit, waltzed inside carrying a few books. She immediately caught the attention of everyone in the classroom.


    ¡°Great! No one¡¯s missing!¡±


    Han Qingwu put the books on the table on the podium as her eyes slowly swept the students below. Her eyes stayed on Tang Xiu for a second or two before she spoke in satisfaction.


    Nonetheless, her remark made the eyes of students in the classroom to gather on Tang Xiu, while strange smiling expressions appeared on their faces.


    Tang Xiu could only sigh inwardly as he squeezed out a smile and said, ¡°You¡¯re so beautifully dressed today, Teacher Han. I didn¡¯t report it in time this morning due to some special reasons, so I hope you can forgive me. This situation will not occur again in the future.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Han Qingwu¡¯s mouth outlined, as she nodded and said, ¡°Admitting your mistakes and changing yourself is what¡¯s most important. I¡¯m not someone who hold grudges. After the class is over, you are to stay to clean up the classroom, and the issue of you skipping class in the morning will be bygones.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    Tang Xiu promised, yet muttered to himself inwardly, _It¡¯s true that women and villains are really difficult to face_.


    During the class, it was obvious that Han Qingwu was in a very good mood, and the students also responded enthusiastically. As the class ended, Han Qingwu still shot a glance at Tang Xiu when she was collecting her belongings before she turned around to leave.


    Hu Qingsong, sitting next to Tang Xiu, touched Tang Xiu¡¯s elbow and said with a faint smile, ¡°Big Bro Tang, Teacher Han really looks after you, you know. Another student skipping classes without excuse will definitely have their credits deducted, but she only punished you to do the cleaning while you still retain your credits. It seems that she really has a crush on you and is afraid that you won¡¯t get your diploma.¡±


    From the other side, Yue Kai flung the hair on his forehead and then grinned, ¡°Yup, that¡¯s spot on! I also have a hunch that Teacher Han really has fallen in love with Tang Xiu. Say, Eldest Bro Tang, though you already have a lot of women and several of them are even a bit better than Teacher Han, yet our Teacher Han is indeed a great beauty herself! If you¡¯re still a man, you might as well accept and get her together with them!¡±


    ¡°Are the two of you stud horses or something?¡± Asked Tang Xiu in rebuke.


    ¡°What the fuck¡­¡±


    Hu Qingsong and Yue Kai looked at each other in dismay, and simultaneously raised their middle fingers at Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu faintly smiled, ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m not going to stay in the dorm tonight. I just cleaned up the dust on my bunk, so I¡¯m heading to Bluestar Villa to wash its bedding at my place. I¡¯m going to start staying in the dorm tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Eldest Bro Tang, can I talk to you for a bit? Can you lend me the key to your villa?¡± Yue Kai said with a thick face. ¡°If things go well tonight, I¡¯ll take a girlfriend of mine out later, so I don¡¯t need to waste money to rent a room at the hotel.¡±


    ¡°Get lost!¡± Tang Xiu rolled his eyes at him and straightly refused his unreasonable request.


    Yue Kai, however, wasn¡¯t angry and stroked his chin to ponder instead, thinking how he could convince Tang Xiu to lease his place for his one-night stand.


    At five in the afternoon, Tang Xiu took Yue Kai¡¯s BMW and drove to Bluestar Villa Complex. After throwing the bedding into the washing machine, he told the housemaid, Auntie Zhang, to help him wash it before he went to his study room on the second floor.


    After releasing the fierce beast from the array, Tang Xiu took out a lump of meat from his interspatial ring and threw the meat to it. Following that, he returned to the desk. His journey to Beijing resulted in a good harvest. Except for the Nine Phoenix Hairpin, the other four seemed to have its own secrets as well, and he hadn¡¯t figured them out completely. Hence, he decided to allocate some time to analyze these objects properly, hoping that they would have something that could help him.


    Having finished with the dinner, Tang Xiu took one of the books he borrowed from the campus library and sat in a chair outside in the courtyard. As Auntie Zhang served him scented hot tea, Tang Xiu kept reading while sipping tea.


    However, a short moment after, he heard the sound of something being smashed from the villa next to his.


    ¡°Auntie Zhang, is there someone inside the villa next to us?¡± Tang Xiu turned to look at Auntie Zhang, who was currently sweeping the garden.


    ¡°Yeah, I heard someone picking up and smashing things in there when I went to buy groceries this morning,¡± Zhang Xinlan nodded. ¡°After I bought the groceries, I found a young man standing on the villa¡¯s rooftop, watching the surroundings. Also, I¡¯ve heard the sounds of several things picked up and smashed from the villa next door today.¡±


    A hint of a smile appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth. He then got up and put the book on the chair inside the room, and then said with a smile, ¡°Auntie Zhao, I¡¯m going out to see it.¡±


    Having said that, he walked out of the courtyard and headed to the Villa #11. After looking at the tight shut door in front, he then rang the villa¡¯s bell.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    As the iron gate slowly opened, Yang Le, looking upset and edgy, stared at Tang Xiu as he raised his chin and asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m the owner of the villa #9, your neighbor,¡± answered Tang Xiu with a smile, while pointing at the villa next door.


    Yang Le was stunned and immediately questioned, ¡°And so, do you need something from me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s a trivial thing,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Yang Le was silent for a moment before he said, ¡°Is that so? Even if you said you have nothing do, it just so happens that there¡¯s also something that I need from you as well. Come in!¡±


    Tang Xiu walked into the courtyard and saw that many broken things, such as bottles and cans, were thrown everywhere. The smile on the corner of his mouths grew more vivid. Straightly after Yang Le took him to the villa¡¯s living room, he found that the villa was not as luxurious as his own, thought the interior decoration was quite decent. Additionally, what surprised him was that the interior of the villa was very neat and clean, although its courtyard outside was messy and filled with a lot of broken things.


    ¡°What do you want to drink?¡± Asked Yang Le. ¡°Red wine, white wine, beer, or foreign wine?¡±


    ¡°I love tea. The better the tea, the happier I am,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Despite rolling his eyes in response, Yang Le still went to fetch it. When he returned, he was carrying along a pot of tea and two empty cups with him. He then placed them in front of Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Help yourself. By the way, what exactly did you come here for?¡±


    Tang Xiu poured the tea and didn¡¯t reply Yang Le¡¯s question. Instead, he smiled and said, ¡°Firstly, tell me, why are you looking for me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a hard nut to crack, huh? Anyways, since you don¡¯t wanna to talk first, then I¡¯ll talk,¡± groaned Yang Le. ¡°You live next to me, so you should know what happened a couple days ago. Something occurred here in my villa?¡±


    ¡°The Property Management Office should be the right party to be asked if you have a problem with your villa, don¡¯t you think? Why do you think I can answer your question?¡± Asked Tang Xiu back.


    ¡°If it was convenient for me to ask the Property Management Office, then I wouldn¡¯t have to ask you in the first place,¡± said Yang Le.


    ¡°Can you answer another of mine?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Ask!¡± Yang Le spread his hands and said.


    ¡°What have you done, or rather what do you do?¡± Asked Tang Xiu


    In a flash, Yang Le, who was nestled on the sofa, abruptly got up. His body straightened and looked rigid as he stared at Tang Xiu. After half a minute passed in silence, he slowly said, ¡°What do you want to say, exactly?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, really. You don¡¯t need to be anxious and restless like that,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m not a cop, and I don¡¯t like messing with other¡¯s business either. Of course, if you¡¯re willing to see and treat me as a good person, then I¡¯d be glad to accept it as well.¡±


    ¡°So, my stuff is in your place?¡± Asked Yang Le.


    ¡°Yup, they are in my custody,¡± answered Tang Xiu with a nod.


    ¡°Huff¡­¡±


    Yang Le looked relieved. He slowly took out a cigar box from his bosom and took out two cigars from it. After throwing one to Tang Xiu, he took a deep puff as he smilingly said, ¡°I feel relieved since it was you who took them. After investigating, I discovered that there were a lot of people in my villa while I was away. Additionally, I also found some things when I sneaked into the control room and copied the surveillance videos there. That¡¯s not important, though. What¡¯s important is my stuff.¡±


    ¡°When you saw in the videos you didn¡¯t see my shadow there at all, right?¡± Asked Tang Xiu smilingly.


    ¡°You were not among them, no. Now, say it! Are you going to give me back my stuff?¡± Asked Yang Le.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t answered my question yet,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    After falling into silence for a moment, Yang Le suddenly grinned, revealing his white teeth, and smilingly said, ¡°I¡¯m a Gentleman Thief, have you heard of the Gentleman Thieves of the Occult Sect?¡±


    ¡°You are a Occult Sect¡¯s member?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a strange expression.


    Yang Le was taken aback, and then said in astonishment, ¡°Do you know the existence of the Occult Sect? Who are you?¡±


    ¡°What I know about the Occult Sect isn¡¯t much, really. But when I went to Beijing yesterday, I learned a lot more about it after attending the auction organized by the Situ Family. Never thought that my neighbor would turn out to be a notorious Great Thief of the Occult Sect,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s Gentleman Thief,¡± a displeased look could be seen on Yang Le¡¯s face as he corrected Tang Xiu. Then, he continued, ¡°All right, I told you everything, just give me my stuff back! You can have all the gold, silver, jewelry, cash, diamonds, and the rest if you want, but I need my tools.¡±


    Tang Xiu got up and smilingly said, ¡°Since I already learned what I wanted to know, I don¡¯t want any of your stuff. All right, have a sit with me, will you? We¡¯re neighbors and we should get along well, don¡¯t you think? Besides, I don¡¯t want to have the stuff inside my villa disappear all of a sudden, to begin with.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t be sure about that! If I learn that you are the likes of those heartless rich scums who got your wealth through ill-gotten means, perhaps your stuff will really disappear,¡± replied Yang Le after contemplating.


    ¡°Nah, I never take advantage from others, neither have I taken others¡¯ belongings. But if anyone dares to stretch their hands out to snatch anything that belongs to me, I never hesitate to cut their hands off and make them lose the ability to eat!¡±


    Yang Le squinted his eyes as he gazed at the back of the leaving Tang Xiu. He suddenly flashed forward with lightning-like speed and very unusual footwork as he tried to hit Tang Xiu¡¯s back.


    He was very confident in his ability and skills. He could hit Tang Xiu despite using only using 30 to 40% of his strength.


    _Whoosh¡­._


    A shadow flashed, and Tang Xiu¡¯s figure suddenly appeared half a meter away.


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    Yang Le¡¯s expression drastically changed. His eyesight and speed were several times keener and faster than an ordinary person¡¯s, yet he could only see a fist coming in front of his eyes, as stars and flowers suddenly blurred his vision as he was knocked down.

 Chapter 526

    Chapter 526: Exorbitant Price


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    As a member of the Occult Sect, Yang Le also formally learned from someone who was a grandmaster of martial arts. Even if he couldn¡¯t achieve the same level as his master, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem for him beat down a dozen small thugs. However, when he sneakily attacked Tang Xiu, he found that even though he was in the position to strike a sure hit, the opponent was actually able to avoid and pass it by. It was like the opponent had eyes behind his back.


    What shocked him most, however, was Tang Xiu¡¯s speed. With his sharp eyesight he could see the blooming fist in front of him. He shuddered.


    ¡°Truly, it¡¯s impossible to judge a man¡¯s heart from his face, huh?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s feet moved as he appeared at Yang Le¡¯s side. His fingers pointed and pierced several major sealing acupoints on Yang Le¡¯s body directly. He then stepped back twice and stood there, shaking his head and sighing.


    Yang Le still wanted to keep striking, yet the sudden sensation coming from his body made his eyes stare wide, with the disbelieve bursting from his eyes. Even though he desperately struggled, he found that he couldn¡¯t control his body at all. However much he exerted his strength, he was devoid of any strength to move even a bit.


    ¡°You¡­ how did you do it?¡± Yang Le¡¯s sharp voice brought along with it a sense of urgency, and even contained an intense fear.


    ¡°How I did it is not important. What¡¯s more important is that I kindly helped you safekeeping your stuff and avoided the probability of getting you exposed. Yet you actually attacked me. It is said that even thieves have their own Dao. Heroic Thieves or Gentleman Thieves do indeed exist, but you don¡¯t deserve such a title. I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯re nothing but a small, petty thief with only a bit of skill.¡±


    Many epithets straightly crowned above Yang Le¡¯s head.


    Despite knowing that Yang Le was just testing him, Tang Xiu still hit him with derogatory words.


    Upon hearing it, Yang Le was furious and shouted, ¡°You are not allowed to insult me! I just wanted to measure you, who the hell wanted to attack you? I¡¯ll not gain a damn advantage from sneakily attacking you!¡±


    ¡°Like I said just now, it¡¯s impossible to know a man¡¯s heart from his face.¡± Said Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°Who knows whatever wishful machinations are swirling inside your head? You should have heard the common saying that what you hear is just false, while seeing is believing. I saw you attack me with my own eyes. If it wasn¡¯t for me knowing kung fu as well, my back would have been hit by your fist, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Yang Le was speechless. He knew that Tang Xiu wouldn¡¯t listen to any explanation he said. It was indeed he who started the sneak attack, after all. Though he did that to probe whether Tang Xiu knew kung fu and whether he was someone from the Occult Sect.


    ¡°What do you want, then?¡± Asked Yang Le slowly.


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and answered, ¡°Apologize to me and make compensation.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem with apologizing, but how can I compensate you?¡± Asked Yang Le after staring in a daze.


    ¡°Just apologize first, then I¡¯ll tell you,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Brother Tang, I apologize for what I just did. I hope you can forgive me,¡± Yang Le nodded and said.


    Tang Xiu nodded in satisfaction. After approaching him, he moved lightning fast to unseal his acupoints. When he turned around and started to walk away, he said indifferently, ¡°Your box of tools will be returned later. But all the valuables in there will be mine as compensation.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck¡­¡±


    Yang Le, who had just regained his ability to move and was trying to move his feet and hands, turned stiff for a moment. He looked at the back of Tang Xiu as a burst of profane words came out from his mouth. He then grinned bitterly and began to chase Tang Xiu. At this moment, he wished he could trash his own head. He attacked Tang Xiu sneakily, and wasn¡¯t even able to touch his hair, yet he had to compensate for it with over a billion of his wealth?


    Although he was not short of money and those things were nothing but trivial possessions to him, it made him very edgy. After pursuing outside, he shouted, ¡°Say, Brother Tang, you¡¯re really too black-hearted, you know that? Notwithstanding that I¡¯m a heroic thief, you¡¯re just a robber.¡±


    ¡°Except for those who have pledged their allegiance to me, anyone who sneakily attacks me like that have become corpses,¡± Tang Xiu glanced at him and sneered. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t because I sensed no malicious intent from you, do you think you would still be standing and talking to me like this? It¡¯s just pocket money, get over it!¡±


    Yang Le gulped down. Despite being reluctant to believe Tang Xiu, he knew that someone who possessed such a terrifying ability was never a friendly kind.


    ¡°What is your identity, Brother Tang?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just a student!¡± replied Tang Xiu.


    ¡°If you were a student, then I¡¯m a cop, heh?¡± Yang Le rolled his eyes. ¡°Anyways, you do look young, though. Ah, that¡¯s right, I felt you were a little familiar before, but I can¡¯t remember where I have seen you before.¡±


    Without responding, Tang Xiu headed straight to his villa and told Yang Le to wait in the living room while he went to the study room on the second floor. There, he took the black suitcase out of his interspatial ring and opened it, and then put out a stack of paper money, gold, silver, jewelry, and the diamonds from it. He then closed the suitcase and headed downstairs.


    ¡°This is your stuff!¡± Tang Xiu threw the suitcase.


    After catching it accurately, Yang Le opened it and checked, as he then nodded and said, ¡°In any case, thanks!¡±


    ¡°I gave you back your stuff, so don¡¯t smash things randomly again, got it?¡± Said Tang Xiu. ¡°Anyways, it¡¯s quite late now, and I will accompany you no longer. Go back!¡±


    However, not only did Yang Le not leave, he instead sat on the sofa and put his suitcase aside, squeezing out a smile as he looked at Tang Xiu, ¡°Bother Tang, it¡¯s fate that we met each other, how about having a few cups now? Besides, I have some things I want to ask you!¡±


    ¡°You want to know how I made you unable to move, don¡¯t you?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m very curious about that,¡± Yang Le nodded without a shred of hesitation. ¡°You possess a very powerful skill, but that¡¯s still fine with me. However, that method you used to seal my ability to control my body is something I¡¯ve never seen nor heard before. I was really shocked¡­ and¡­ and very scared.¡±


    Tang Xiu pulled a cigarette box from his pocket as he took one and lit it up. After taking a deep puff, he smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m a practitioner of Chinese medicine and I understand the structure of the human body very well. How many bones, muscles, meridians, and acupoints humans have in their body¡­ all of these are very clear and easy for me to find. You should also know about acupoint sealing techniques since you are a member of the Occult Sect, no?¡±


    _Hiss¡­_


    Despite Yang Le having already faintly guessed that Tang Xiu was probably using the acupoints sealing technique, yet he was still shocked by his revelation. Furthermore, the reason why he asked about it was that some people in the Occult Sect also mastered the said acupoints sealing technique, yet the effect was not as severe as Tang Xiu¡¯s.


    It took Yang Le a bit of time to suppress the shock inside his heart. He rubbed his hand and let out a flattering expression, as he grinned and said, ¡°Brother, I don¡¯t know if you can approve this presumptuous request of mine, I¡­¡±


    ¡°I refuse!¡± Tang Xiu rejected him right off the bat.


    Yang Le froze. He then forced a smile and said, ¡°But you haven¡¯t even finished listening to what I¡¯m going to say next! I mean, as long as you¡¯re willing to teach that acupoints sealing technique, I want to formally acknowledge you as my master. If you don¡¯t want to take me as a disciple, that¡¯s fine, I will pay a tuition fee to learn it.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t accept you as a disciple, so there¡¯s no concern about that,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯m fine if you want to pay to learn that skill, but how much can you pay for it, exactly?¡±


    ¡°1 billion!¡± Yang Le stretched out a finger and seriously said.


    While pointing at the door, Tang Xiu said, ¡°I won¡¯t send you off, the door is there.¡±


    ¡°Brother, you don¡¯t need to rip me off like that, right?¡± Yang Le said with a strange expression. ¡°Even though I successfully stole my Master¡¯s lifetime wealth before he went to Western Paradise, 1 billion in tuition fees should be enough, right? Besides, you just robbed 1 billion of my fortune as well!¡±


    Tang Xiu shrugged his shoulders and chuckled, ¡°You already know that I can rob 1 billion casually, do you think I will give a damn about 1 billion more? You must know that one must practice a certain cultivation technique to learn this acupoints sealing technique, and I just happen to have the said cultivation technique. If you learn it, not only will you able to perform the acupoints sealing technique, even your strength will soar. 1 billion? Hmph¡­ what a joke!¡±


    _A cultivation technique?_


    Yang Le was taken aback. He hurriedly asked, ¡°What do you mean by cultivation technique? Is it like the inner energy core techniques in the legends?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head as he nodded and said, ¡°It is a kind of inner energy core technique, but it¡¯s more powerful than those.¡±


    Yang Le¡¯s complexion changed as he fixedly stared at Tang Xiu for half a minute before he solemnly said, ¡°1.5 billion! This is all the wealth I can take out within a short time.¡±


    Tang Xiu got up. While walking toward the stairs, he lightly said, ¡°However much you can offer doesn¡¯t have any significance to me. Don¡¯t come and bother me if you don¡¯t have 10 billion for the tuition fee. Go now, for I don¡¯t want to repeat myself for the third time.¡±


    ¡°10 billion?¡± Yang Le leaped up from the sofa as disbelief filled his eyes. He had seen people who demanded exorbitant prices like a hungry lion, yet such a ruthless one like Tang Xiu was a never-before-seen case for him. Although he did lie about all his wealth being only 1.5 billion, he absolutely didn¡¯t have 10 billion. Even if he added up every bit of his fortune, it would only be 3 billion, more or less.


    _Is this gonna force me to do more good deeds and help those who got their wealth through evil and illegal means to share the responsibility?_ Yang Le was indignant and disturbed.


    However, he knew himself very well. If he could really get 10 billion yuan one day, would he use such a huge sum of money to learn the acupoints sealing technique from Tang Xiu? With such a colossal amount of money, he could wash his hands and make a clean break from that life directly, and enjoy an excellent, wonderful life for good!


    After returning to the second floor, Tang Xiu watched as Yang Le left the villa with a trace of a smile on the corner of his mouth. He felt that Yang Le was a very interesting young man. When he was in the Immortal World before, he got acquainted with a thief sect¡¯s master. Furthermore, had this thief sect¡¯s master not offended a very powerful adversary who killed him when he just reached the Overarching Golden Immortal realm, he could probably have become a Supreme in the Immortal World given time.


    _In the case that¡­ he can really get 10 billion, it means he does have a bit of ability. At that time, accepting him as a disciple wouldn¡¯t be an impossibility!_ Thought Tang Xiu with a smiling expression.

 Chapter 527

    Chapter 527: A Scumbag


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The soft moonlight was as though water as a cool breeze pervaded through the window screen, giving off a cooling feeling. Under the slightly bright lights inside the study room, Tang Xiu sat on the sofa while quietly observing the three objects on the tea table in front of him; the Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal, the ancient bronze lamp, and the Guanyin vase.


    Among the five treasures he got from Beijing, the Nine Phoenix Hairpin was the one that he was most familiar with, so there was no need to study, while the golden dragon head was just an ordinary object in his eyes. But he did have hopes and anticipation for the three objects in front of him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any means to use or invoke the power of fate and destiny contained within the Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal, for the time being. With my current cultivation level, even seeping my spiritual sense into it could cause a heavy injury to my soul, let alone trying to use star force. If I were to use it, the star force inside my body would probably turn chaotic and even directly lead to qi deviation. Hence, studying it is a no for now.


    ¡°The Buddhist Sarira inside the ancient bronze lamp wouldn¡¯t be of much help to me for the time being as well. Nevertheless, it¡¯s a pseudo-immortal tool, so it would be a suitable treasure to be used by the current me.¡±


    Tang Xiu thought for a short while before he took out a lighter and lit the lamp.


    Suddenly, a peculiar exotic fragrance fluttered out. The unique fragrance was intoxicating to the mind and consciousness, and the indescribable feeling sprung up unbidden deep inside the mind. With his formidable mental force, Tang Xiu could keenly perceive that the spiritual qi of Heaven and Earth began to gradually rise and move toward the room, while a wisp of a special energy appeared gradually in the surroundings. After this energy seeped into his body, Tang Xiu could feel a cool, comfortable sensation and his cultivation speed increased a lot.


    _Focusing psyche, calming qi._


    These two lines emerged out of nowhere inside Tang Xiu¡¯s mind, causing his expression to change. Shock instantly appeared on his face, because he realized his psyche and mind turned particularly clearer the moment after. It was because he could screen and straighten out many of the previously confusing thoughts that sprung up inside his mind, giving him all sorts of understanding and comprehension at the same time.


    ¡°Buddhism devotes particular care to awareness and enlightenment¡­ So to say, the most miraculous effect of this ancient bronze lamp is actually to improve one¡¯s perception?¡±


    An extraordinary light bloomed inside Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. He immediately picked up the last item, the Guanyin vase. While staring at the dazzling golden liquid inside, he instantly released his spiritual sense. Unfortunately, he was somewhat helpless as he could not figure out what the golden liquid inside was regardless of the means he used to observe it.


    ¡°My cultivation level is to low. I¡¯m unable to refine it!¡±


    Tang Xiu eventually took back the Guanyin vase with a helpless expression. He then sat cross-legged and began to cultivate. A night then passed by in an instant, and despite Tang Xiu¡¯s cultivation not progressing much, the fragrance permeating from the ancient bronze lamp that penetrated his whole body made his psyche and perception full of vigor.


    After extinguishing the ancient bronze lamp¡¯s light, he took a shower and changed his clothes, and then went to campus after breakfast. Before going out, he disguised himself wearing sunglasses and a cap. If one couldn¡¯t recognize his appearance, they would think he was just an ordinary young student.


    Last night, he had contemplated his interconnected life with Han Qingwu, and for the time being, he finally decided to compromise. As of now, Han Qingwu was not Xue Qingcheng, and even if she was indeed the embodiment of Xue Qingcheng¡¯s reincarnation, Han Qingwu was just another person before her memory was completely restored.


    What¡¯s more, if hiding was not an option then he could only face it straight on. Not to mention that he would have to live a university life for four years, which meant that he must get along with her during this time, and face her as a normal student would his teacher. Although mutual respect and love was not a viable option, striving for a harmonious life as a university student was still a necessity.


    As expected, when Tang Xiu arrived at the campus, his change of his attitude toward Han Qingwu made her very happy. Although Tang Xiu made an excuse to refuse her offer to have dinner together, the two still got along well after that.


    Day after day passed by, and Tang Xiu¡¯s life waltzed through without a hitch. Besides attending classes, reading books in the library, and going to the cafeteria for meals, he spent most of his time at campus even at night.


    Gradually, many people began forgetting Tang Xiu¡¯s ¡®celebrity¡¯ identity as new topics and new events garnered their attention.


    At the end of the month, Tang Xiu, as always, left the classroom building along with Hu Qingsong, Yue Kai and the rest, as they headed to the nearest cafeteria to their classroom building.


    ¡°Brothers, since we don¡¯t have class this afternoon, you have any plans?¡± While fiddling with his BMW keys, Yue Kai asked Xue Chao after he put the book in his hand.


    ¡°I must go to work,¡± said Xue Chao.


    ¡°You¡¯re no fun!¡± Yue Kai rolled his eyes at him and then asked Hu Qingsong, ¡°How about you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m preparing to go out as well, to find a job and feel the taste of having a job while studying,¡± said Hu Qingsong.


    ¡°Huh?¡± With an odd expression, Yue Kai replied. ¡°Say, Old Hu. You have your belly full already, so you don¡¯t have to go out to torture yourself, no? Besides, with our classes, we¡¯re practically unable to go out at all. Yet you want to use your free time to have a job outside class time for only a few bucks? Also, it¡¯s hard to get a good job even for college graduates nowadays. You¡¯re just a freshman, dude. Don¡¯t tell me you are going to deliver leaflets door to door?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t expect to find a good job, nor do I expect to have a decent paycheck,¡± said Hu Qingsong. ¡°I just want to see all sorts of life, and experience the feeling of earning money by myself. To be honest with you, I¡¯ve never ever gotten a penny on my own since I was born.¡±


    Stumped and stunned, Yue Kai fell into silence for a while. He then turned to Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Eldest Bro Tang, you couldn¡¯t be thinking of going to the library again, right?¡±


    ¡°Your guess is spot on. I¡¯ll be going to the library again, indeed,¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod. ¡°I haven¡¯t found the recent studies on economics, so I¡¯m going to double-check.¡±


    Yue Kai shook his head as he gazed at Hu Qingsong, ¡°Old Hu, you want to go out to observe and learn from real life, and I¡¯m kinda bored with my idle life as well. Alright then, I¡¯m gonna risk it all and go along with you, buddy! But, have you thought about what kind of job we¡¯re going to take?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already thought about it. There are two that crossed my mind. The first one is a marketing sales and service business, and the second one is a express delivery service. But what I¡¯m looking for is the more relaxed express delivery,¡± said Hu Qingsong.


    Yue Kai stared blankly, as he patted his forehead and exclaimed, ¡°Ah, I suddenly remembered that I have an appointment with Sister Meng to talk about life and ideals, so I won¡¯t go with you. Anyhow, you guys are going to the cafeteria to have a bite, right?! Then I¡¯ll go find Sister Meng!¡±


    Having said that, this chap straightly blasted himself out of everyone¡¯s sight!


    After looking at the departed Yue Kai¡¯s back, Tang Xiu turned to Hu Qingsong and smilingly said, ¡°The two jobs you picked are really great. Regardless of the type of job, it will be a very good exercise for you, nonetheless. Work hard, buddy! The earlier you strive, the more you will understand the hardships in life.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing!¡± Hu Qingsong grinned. ¡°Rest assured, I¡¯m not going out to play.¡±


    Afterward, the trio had lunch together, and then Hu Qingsong and Xue Chao left. As for Tang Xiu, he returned to his dorm and took a few books he borrowed two days ago, and then went alone to the campus library. Just as he entered the library he knitted his brows, because the scene he had seen a few times already unfolded again in front of him. There were a lot of male students gathered in the reading area on the first floor, as their eyes kept glancing at several female students in the corner.


    _It must be Mu Wanying again!_


    Tang Xiu secretly shook his head. After spending a little time to find several economic books on the bookshelf, he went straight to spot next to the window on the second floor, as he sat down and quietly read the book.


    Time fleeted by, and half an hour passed by in the blink of an eye.


    With his fast reading speed, Tang Xiu had already read the second book, and he also had turned over several pages on the third book. He even had made a dozen pages with notes within this half an hour as well.


    ¡°Just go! We¡¯re not a suitable for each other.¡±


    Vague voices came floating from afar.


    Tang Xiu raised his head, since he recognized the voice ¡ª Mu Wanying. Shortly after, a loud voice came following:


    ¡°Wanying, I really like you from the bottom of my heart! Please give me a chance, I promise that I¡¯ll make you happy.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t need it.¡±


    ¡°Wanying, you wanna leave it like this? It won¡¯t do. I¡¯m the campus beau and you¡¯re the campus flower. A gifted man and a beautiful woman have always been a good match, so we should be together. You know, I¡¯ve been preparing for a long time to make this confession to you today. Tell me if you have something you don¡¯t like about me, and I¡¯ll definitely try to change myself to become a man you like.¡±


    ¡°Fellow student, let me make it clear for you. I don¡¯t even know your name, so why must I accept to become your girlfriend? Besides, I already have someone I like. If I were to agree to be your girlfriend, then it won¡¯t be fair to you. Please make way, we need to leave.¡±


    ¡°Mu Wanying, you are being deliberately perfunctory with me, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯ve already investigated it. You don¡¯t have a boyfriend at all!¡±


    ¡°Hey! Let me go!¡±


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t let you go!¡±


    The ruckus got bigger and louder downstairs.


    Tang Xiu closed the textbook, as he got up and walked to the second floor stairway. He looked at the scene below, where a lot of people had already gathered there, and let out a forced, wry smile. He knew that male student, a third-year senior who won the popularity vote as the most handsome male student in Shanghai University for three consecutive years in a row. Not only did he possess good looks, his academic GPA was also remarkable, as well as being the vice-captain of the university¡¯s basketball club. It was said that his family was also rich and powerful as well.


    However, Tang Xiu knew something! About two years ago, he made a female student pregnant, after first abusing and then abandoning her in the end. Another case was when he was in his sophomore year, as he had an affair with 12 girls. He had sex with a female student in his car and was caught red-handed by his real girlfriend. His real girlfriend was also swift enough as she recorded the scene with her mobile phone and uploaded it to the campus forum. The footage was deleted quickly after, but many people had already seen it.


    Put shortly, this male student called Lian Kang was a real scumbag to the core in the eyes of the public, yet not many people at Shanghai University dared to provoke him due to his family background and his figure on the surface as a pretty good male student.


    For instance, what was happening at present. There were definitely more than a hundred male students around, yet even though Lian Kang took so many liberties toward Mu Wanying, causing the male students to turn indignant and itching to beat up Lian Kang, yet no one really dared to come forward and stand up for her.

 Chapter 528

    Chapter 528: Goading


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Pulling out your blades to help when seeing injustice was the style of a chivalrous warrior in the Jianghu world. Chivalrous he may not be, yet Tang Xiu was unable to not act upon facing such a scene.


    _Ring, ring, ring¡­_


    A faint ringtone sound came from the mobile phone inside Tang Xiu¡¯s pocket. Just as he was about to take it, Jiang Feiyan, who was next to Mu Wanying, dashed toward Lian Kang, as her cherry-like, small mouth bit Lian Kang¡¯s hand that was grabbing Mu Wanying¡¯s wrist.


    ¡°What the hell¡­ are you a fucking dog?¡±


    Due to the pain, Lian Kang released Mu Wanying. He slapped Jiang Feiyan¡¯s cute little face with his backhand, causing her to stumble and fall to the floor.


    This caused a turmoil among the watching students around.


    Tang Xiu frowned, yet he didn¡¯t act immediately, and took out the mobile phone instead. As he looked at the screen and saw that the caller was Kang Xia, he pressed the answer button and said, ¡°Wait a bit, there¡¯s something I need to deal with. I¡¯ll call you back you later.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Replied Kang Xia.


    While going toward the stairs, Tang Xiu clapped his hands and loudly yelled, ¡°This is really amazing, awesome! A respected, seven feet big man unexpectedly slapped a small female student until she fell to the floor. The most unbelievable thing for me is all those faces around. Each and every one of them is filled with anger, yet they¡¯re all actually cowards, for nobody even dares to come forward to say anything nor stand up for her¡­ Tsk, tsk, don¡¯t you realize that this is exactly the best chance for you guys to play the hero saving the belle? Do you really want to miss this golden opportunity to hold a belle just because of your groundless fears?¡±


    Hundreds of eyes fell on Tang Xiu in a flash. Even if there were only a few people who paid attention to Tang Xiu recently, he was still a quite popular individual in the campus, so everyone still recognized him.


    Furthermore, Tang Xiu¡¯s speech made all the male students look ashamed and regretful and causing their faces to turn red.


    At this time, a well-built male student stood forward and loudly shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense, Tang Xiu. We¡¯re too late to stop it. We just saw that this scumbag surnamed Lian is an eyesore, but we never thought that he would hit someone like that. If I knew, I¡¯d definitely be the first one to help her.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we were too late. That chap Lian is really shameless, to think that he even dares to hit a female fellow student, and even took so many liberties toward others. What a motherfu*cker scumbag!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really ashamed to have an alumnus like Lian Kang. I will certainly spread what happened here today, to let all the students and teachers know his ugly face. I really regret it¡­ why didn¡¯t I step out to punch his fucking face and give him a good memory.¡±


    ¡°This damn chap deserves to be beaten! How dare he moved a finger toward the first Goddess of our Shanghai University? Hasn¡¯t he reflected on his previous attitude when chasing chicks?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Amid the scene where numerous male students took their stand and loudly voiced their support, Mu Wanying, Li Xinjie, as well as Jiang Feiyan, who was being propped up by the two girls, had their eyes lit up at the same time as they shot glances full of gratitude at Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Beat him up!¡±


    Suddenly, some people in the crowd shouted, and in just a couple of seconds, dozens of male students rushed toward Lian Kang, punching and kicking his lackeys and easily beating them up.


    Taking advantage of this opportunity, Mu Wanying¡¯s group of three squeezed out of the crowd and hurriedly marched toward Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, thank you!¡± Mu Wanying whispered.


    Tang Xiu slightly smiled and shook his head. He then turned to Jiang Feiyan and asked, ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    Jiang Feiyan touched her swollen cheek, as she shook her head and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Plus, I also bit him! This damn Lian Kang is really sick and disgusting. Had I known that he would beat me, I would have kicked his crotch and made him unable to have a son in this lifetime.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    No matter how big Tang Xiu¡¯s boldness was, hearing Jiang Feiyan¡¯s words sent a coldness ran down his spine and made his neck shrunk. At this time, her reply was as though completely verifying the saying that women¡¯s heart was the most poisonous one after the hornet¡¯s sting.


    Mu Wanying¡¯s beautiful face turned red. She reached out to hug Jiang Feiyan¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Feiyan, thank you.¡±


    ¡°What are you thanking me for? We¡¯re sisters.¡± Jiang Feiyan shook her head and smilingly said. ¡°If we want to thank someone, let¡¯s thank Tang Xiu. If it weren¡¯t for him, maybe that damn Lian Kang would beat me as well!¡±


    When Mu Wanying¡¯s eyes shifted to Tang Xiu, her eyes were particularly bright and dazzling. After a few seconds of silence, she said, ¡°Tang Xiu, like sending Buddha to the West, helping someone must be done until the very end. Will you help me solve this problem completely?¡±


    ¡°Relax!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about Lian Kang. It¡¯s the matter with all the male students,¡± said Mu Wanying, shaking her head.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Tang Xiu asked with a puzzled expression.


    Gathering her courage, Mu Wanying seriously said, ¡°Let¡¯s announce to the outside that I¡¯m your girlfriend, and that we¡¯re a couple. So I can tell straightly to whoever confesses to me that I already have a boyfriend and won¡¯t accept anyone. B-But¡­ But this may be very unfair to you, and may bring you some troubles, though.¡±


    Tang Xiu thought for a while. He recalled what happened a few times in the library, when he encountered Mu Wanying surrounded by many male students. Then, he finally nodded and lightly said, ¡°All right! I also received a lot of confessions from female students, so this will be mutual beneficial for both of us!¡±


    Mu Wanying suddenly turned excited as she nodded repeatedly, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand as he turned his attention to the chaotic scene and shouted, ¡°EVERYONE, STOP! If that surname Lian chap is dead, then you guys will all be dead too. Besides, the campus will severely punish you if he is severely injured.¡±


    In a flash, several male students who were currently beating Lian Kang and his fellow classmates realized what kind of consequences their actions would bring, as they halted beating them and retreated.


    In the opened, cleared spot, Lian Kang and his three classmates were all beaten, bruised black and blue, with bloodstains all over their bodies. The one in the most miserable state was Lian Kang, for one of his arms was obviously broken in an unnatural shape.


    Shaking his head, Tang Xiu walked toward him and then squatted to grab his arm despite Lian Kang¡¯s struggle. With a slight effort, he pulled his hand and mended the bones of his broken arm back to its original position.


    ¡°Aaaargh¡­¡±


    A scream like a pig being butchered made everyone present shudder.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to become disabled, then don¡¯t move,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°I just helped you put your bone back to its original position. But in the next couple of days, don¡¯t move about and lift heavy things. Also, go to the campus clinic to deal with your other wounds.¡±


    While enduring the severe pain, Lian Kang furiously growled, ¡°FUCK YOU, TANG XIU! I don¡¯t need your crocodile tears, you fucking asshole! If it weren¡¯t for you, how could this father be beaten like this?¡±


    ¡°Do you dare say it again?¡± Tang Xiu frowned.


    ¡°I just said it! What the fuck can you do to this father, huh?¡± Shouted Lian Kang angrily.


    Shaking his head, Tang Xiu stretched out his hand and twisted the bone he had just mended, and then trampled his face. As his blood flowed from his nose, he sneered at him and said, ¡°You¡¯re nothing but a rotten cretin in my eyes, a dog that snarls and snaps at others kindness. The instant the news about you assailing a girl with obscenities when you confess to her and then turned into you beating up a female student is to spread around, I¡¯m afraid that you will lose your reputation and may even be criminally liable. Of course, you indeed have been beaten up by your fellow students, but that was because you¡¯ve aroused public anger. I¡¯m sure that if the campus authority hears about this, they will also treat them with leniency.¡±


    Having said that, Tang Xiu turned around and walked to Mu Wanying¡¯s side, as he said with a deep voice, ¡°Although Mu Wanying is my girlfriend, I was not the first one to beat you. That can be said as me giving you a face, yet you¡¯re so shameless and didn¡¯t give a damn care about it. You have only yourself to blame for that. And now, we still have our talk about our love life, so we won¡¯t waste more of our time with a scumbag like you.¡±


    Immediately, he reached out to grab Mu Wanying¡¯s little hand and walked upstairs.


    _His girlfriend?_


    All the male students who were originally secretly appreciating Tang Xiu¡¯s act of violence had their eyes turn hostile after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s announced.


    And those good brains also realized that Tang Xiu seemed to have used them, for they began to savagely beat up Lian Kang just because Tang Xiu sarcastically satirized them in his comments.


    On the second floor¡­


    Tang Xiu brought Mu Wanying, Jiang Feiyan, and Li Xinjie to the desk he was using before and spoke to them, ¡°You girls can stay here. I have a trivial matter to deal with, and need to make a phone call.¡±


    ¡°Go! I¡¯ll be here reading a book,¡± Mu Wanying nodded gently and replied.


    After taking out his mobile, Tang Xiu dialed Kang Xia¡¯s cell number and then inquired, ¡°Alright, I took care of the thing here, more or less. What is it that you need me for?¡±


    ¡°Boss, the executives of our company have been discussing the release date of our health products. We currently have a lot of stocks in inventory, so I decided to throw them into the market on November 1st. Do you think this date is appropriate?¡± Asked Kang Xia.


    ¡°Have you arranged the stores all over the country?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s about done. As we made a lot of income, we¡¯ve set the shops next to the Gods Nectar¡¯s exclusive agency in each city. The refurbishing is currently in the last stages and it should be done in the next few days, at the most.¡±


    ¡°What about the marketing and sales staff?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°All of them have been trained for their posts. However, there is still another issue that has yet to be decided,¡± said Kang Xiu.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s about security,¡± said Kang Xia. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that a insane rush to snatch all the products will happen once our health products hit the market. Thus, security problems will surely arise at that time.¡±


    ¡°How many manpower do you need, exactly?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°We have calculated. With the help of the security guards assigned to the Gods Nectar exclusive agency in each city, we can reduce the needed number of manpower. But we still need about 80 people, at the very least,¡± said Kang Xia.


    ¡°OK, got it!¡± Said Tang Xiu. ¡°I will think of a solution. Also, I¡¯m going to survey a every large business district in the vicinity of Shanghai in the near future. If it¡¯s not feasible, then we¡¯ll build our own site. I happen to know some real estate developers here.¡±

 Chapter 529

    Chapter 529: Inviting Someone for Asking Help


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    After hanging up the phone, Tang Xiu thought for a while before searching Jin Xingkui¡¯s number. Then, hesitating, he didn¡¯t call in the end.


    He then turned to the three girls and said, ¡°What are you girls going to do next? I have something to deal with, so I may not be able to accompany you.¡±


    Mu Wanying was in a very good mood at this time. Even if she was just Tang Xiu¡¯s nominal girlfriend, she believed that as long as she put up a persistent effort, becoming his real girlfriend wouldn¡¯t be a problem in the future. Thus, she squeezed out a very dazzling, beautiful smile and tenderly said, ¡°Then we¡¯ll go back to our dorm! So let¡¯s leave together.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Tang Xiu picked up the books and put them back on its original shelfs. He then selected a few books and registered them at the office, before he left the library with Mu Wanying¡¯s group. Their departure attracted much attention, but no one dared to come forward to strike up a conversation.


    However, fearing that Lian Kang would lash out his anger at them, Tang Xiu escorted the three girls right until the downstairs of the female students¡¯ dormitory.


    ¡°All right, then we¡¯ll go upstairs first!¡± Jiang Feiyan winked at Mu Wanying, as she grinned and dragged Li Xinjie toward the front door of the dormitory building. Mu Wanying let out a low chuckle, as she calmly looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°I know you are very busy, but you should also pay attention to your health. If there¡¯s anything I can do for you, call me immediately.¡±


    ¡°Relax! I¡¯ll take good care of myself,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Suddenly, Mu Wanying stepped forward and lifted her hand to fix Tang Xiu¡¯s collar that was not too neat. Under everyone¡¯s stupefied gazes, she said with a smile, ¡°I may be your fake girlfriend, but we still have to look intimate in public. I think that if you hug me now, that will send a very clear message to the male students who have been harassing me, and then everyone will learn that I already belong to a man.¡±


    Tang Xiu was hesitant, and then glanced at the surrounding. A forced smile appeared on his handsome face as he gently held Mu Wanying in his arms, feeling her delicate and gentle body heat, and then said, ¡°Is it all right now?¡±


    Mu Wanying hugged Tang Xiu back. This time, she used her strength and kept hugging going for more than 20 seconds before she reluctantly released Tang Xiu and chuckled, ¡°Yeah, it should be fine now.¡±


    ¡°All right then, I¡¯m leaving!¡± Tang Xiu turned and walked away while waving at her.


    Mu Wanying stood there with a very sweet smile, with dimples appearing on her; a classical beauty. Her smiling face that was full of joyous mood could be seen by many people there, arousing the envy and jealousy of the girls yet making the boys brokenhearted.


    However, the most heartbreaking scene for the male students was not the hug nor her happy smile, but the scene of Mu Wanying staring at the back of Tang Xiu as he departed, until he disappeared at the end of the trail in the far distance, as well the reluctance and unwillingness on her face before she turned around and walked toward the dormitory building.


    ¡°The First Belle of Shanghai University, Mu Wanying has fallen in love with the celebrity student, Tang Xiu!¡±


    After this news appeared on the Shanghai University forum, the news went viral and only took one hour before all the students, teachers, professors and leaders at Shanghai University to learn about it.


    In a flash, slander and critic began to flood the comments section of the campus forum by numerous male students, all of which were bombarding Tang Xiu. Many of the commentaries were full of profane words and insults. At the same time, Mu Wanying was also ridiculed by a lot of people, particularly by the male students who failed to get her attention. Certainly, there also appeared many commentaries from people who respected and admired Tang Xiu, saying that it was ¡®a perfect match¡¯ between a beauty and a hero.


    Eventually, after several hours, there were two opposing sides on the campus forum. One side was the hater students and those trolling with anonymous account, and the other one was the students who straightforwardly supported Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying.


    Put shortly, the Shanghai University forum turned very lively.


    Tang Xiu, who was one of the main characters of the story, had left Shanghai University at this time and was inside the study room of his villa. He was currently focused on drawing a architectural design. He had previously made an agreement with Jin Xingkui that he would hand over the design to him, yet he hadn¡¯t had the time to finish it due to various issues, as well as having his time spent manufacturing various charms after he returned from Beijing. Fortunately, Jin Xingkui wasn¡¯t in a hurry since he was still engaged in the preparation for the early stage of the project.


    As dusk came, Tang Xiu finally put down the paint brush and pondered for quite a long time. He then took his out mobile phone and dialed Han Qingwu¡¯s cell number. At this time, Han Qingwu was currently reading the comments on campus forum in her rented house. Her face was quite rigid and unsightly, and she kept that expression for more than half an hour.


    Her feelings were quite chaotic, and she couldn¡¯t figure out what was wrong with herself. She didn¡¯t know why she felt like she just lost a very important thing after learning the news that Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying had become lovers. This vexed, edgy, and uncomfortable feeling that overwhelmed her and rendered her helpless frightened her.


    _Ring, ring, ring¡­_


    Her mobile phone rang, startling her. When she snapped back to her senses, she then realized that there was a cool sensation on her cheeks. Unknowingly, tears had flowed out of her eyes.


    After grabbing the mobile and looking at the screen, Han Qingwu saw that the caller was Tang Xiu. Her expression looked slightly vacant for a moment, as she wiped off the tears on her face quickly. She then cleared her throat before connecting the call and said, ¡°Han Qingwu speaking.¡±


    ¡°Teacher Han, if you have some free time tonight, would you like to have dinner with me?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t have time!¡± The moment Han Qingwu heard Tang Xiu¡¯s voice, anger suddenly boiled inside her heart, and it was also reflected in her voice.


    ¡°Have I provoked you recently, Teacher Han? Why are you angry with me?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a wry tone.


    ¡°Is that your business?¡± Blurted out Han Qingwu.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment, as he then replied in a wry tone, ¡°Teacher Han, I¡¯m sincerely inviting you to dinner, though I don¡¯t know why your mood isn¡¯t good. If you really don¡¯t have time, then forget about it. I¡¯ll invite you some other day. All right, then I¡¯ll hang¡­¡±


    ¡°Where is it?¡± Feeling that Tang Xiu was going hang up, Han Qingwu hurriedly asked, yet she immediately regretted it.


    ¡°Come to the Everlasting Feast Hall! I¡¯ll be there waiting for you,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°En!¡± Han Qingwu replied as she hung up the phone directly.


    She didn¡¯t understand what was happening to her at this moment, and why she couldn¡¯t control her emotions when facing Tang Xiu.


    _Had she fallen in love with him? Or is it because of jealousy?_


    Han Qingwu thought that it was indeed that, yet she felt that it wasn¡¯t entirely correct as well. She felt that ever since she heard Tang Xiu¡¯s song and zither play at the Shanghai University¡¯s freshmen welcoming party, as well as after those images kept appearing inside her mind, Tang Xiu¡¯s importance became more prominent in her heart all of a sudden. Even without her realizing, she often thought and missed Tang Xiu; his face, his every move, word, and smile.


    _Why would those pictures keep appearing inside my mind? I¡¯ve lived for more than 20 years and I have never once encountered anything like in those pictures whatsoever. I shouldn¡¯t have that kind of memories at all, but why?_


    Han Qingwu rubbed her head. Amid a headache, she suddenly remembered that Tang Xiu invited her to dinner tonight. In a flash, she bounced up from the sofa and dashed into the cloakroom at a speed beyond the limits of an ordinary person.


    _At the Everlasting Feast Hall¡­_


    Inside the deluxe box on the third floor, Tang Xiu was sitting and immersing himself in his thoughts while drinking tea and smoking a cigarette. In the past two weeks, despite the fact that his days were quite busy every day, he still couldn¡¯t fulfill what he had promised on some business deals, though those issues had been finished as of now.


    _Ring, ring, ring¡­_


    His mobile phone interrupted his train of thought, as Tang Xiu grabbed it and saw that the number was from an unfamiliar Beijing number. He creased his brows and immediately pressed the answer button and said, ¡°Tang Xiu speaking, may I know who am I speaking with?¡±


    ¡°Hello, Grandmaster Tang. It¡¯s Situ Chao here. I and someone from the Jinmen and Li Families have arrived in Shanghai. Where are you? We¡¯re looking for you now!¡±


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and slowly said, ¡°Take care of your accommodations first. I¡¯m currently having dinner with someone. After I¡¯m done with it, I¡¯ll come over to you and bring what you need.¡±


    ¡°No, no. How can we dare to make Grandmaster Tang come to find us? How about you tell us a place to go and we¡¯ll wait for you there?¡± Said Situ Chao hastily.


    After hesitating, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°Then head to the Bluestar Villa Complex! I live in villa #9 there. I¡¯ll be back as fast as possible.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    After the phone call ended, Tang Xiu shook his head and smiled. Just as he was still thinking as to when those three parties from the Occult Sect would come to Shanghai to get their stuff they suddenly arrive. However, he just invited Han Qingwu to dinner, so he couldn¡¯t ignore her just like that, or else it would be quite hopeless for him if he were to ask her for help later.


    In the front counter on the first floor.


    While holding a smile, Chi Nan cheerfully greeted the arriving and departing guests. When Han Qingwu, donned in casual attire, came inside, Chi Nan discovered that she had obviously put on makeup, which intensified her beauty.


    ¡°You¡¯re here, Teacher Han!¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu told me to come find him here. He should already be here, right?¡± Han Qingwu said with a faint smile.


    ¡°The Boss is here and has been waiting for you in the box on the third floor. I¡¯ll lead you upstairs!¡± Chi Nan smilingly replied.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Han Qingwu nodded and thanked her.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t be so polite, Teacher Han,¡± said Chi Nan with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re a friend of our Boss, so entertaining you well is my duty. Anyways, you look so gorgeous today, Teacher Han.¡±


    Han Qingwu dazed, and her beautiful face slightly blushed. When she remembered that she put on makeup, she nearly covered her face. She suppressed her awkwardness and squeezed out a smile, ¡°Thank you, Manager Chi, you too look very beautiful today.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m not that good. I¡¯m an old woman already,¡± said Chi Nan with a smile. ¡°If I were at your age, I would¡¯ve definitely taken Boss¡¯ heart from you.¡±

 Chapter 530

    Chapter 530: Glib Talk


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Han Qingwu¡¯s smiling face got thicker upon hearing Chi Nan and was about to humbly reply when she suddenly froze. Even her pace to the stairs came to halt.


    ¡°You¡­ what did you just say, Manager Chi?¡±


    ¡°I said I¡¯m too old! Is there a problem?¡± Replied Chi Nan with a smile.


    ¡°You just said that you¡¯d definitely be able to take your Boss¡¯ heart from me,¡± Han Qingwu shook her head and said.


    ¡°That¡¯s of course.¡± Chi Nan chuckled.


    With slightly furrowed brows, Han Qingwu forced a smile and said, ¡°Manager Chi, I think you¡¯re mistaken about that. Tang Xiu¡¯s heart has never been mine, and he has a girlfriend already. It¡¯s the first Campus Flower of Shanghai University, Mu Wanying. Please don¡¯t joke again later.¡±


    ¡°Teacher Han, I¡¯ve seen Ms. Mu and she¡¯s indeed a rare beauty. I will certainly like such a stunning belle if I were a man. However, I don¡¯t think her place inside my Boss¡¯ heart is that significant. Also, I¡¯m rather curious as to how she could become my Boss¡¯ girlfriend.¡±


    Despite being reluctant to continue talking about this topic, Han Qingwu¡¯s heart moved slightly upon hearing Chi Nan¡¯s words. ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand what you mean, Manager Chi!¡±


    Chi Nan shot Han Qingwu a meaningful look, as she smiled and said, ¡°Since you¡¯re not an outsider, then I¡¯ll tell you what I have seen and have in mind, Teacher Han. I¡¯ve seen my Boss bring many women here, each of whom is very beautiful and outstanding, such as Ouyang Lulu, the superstar Zhang Xinya, and the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s General Manager Kang Xia¡­ Yet, I can feel that my Boss doesn¡¯t like them, and he¡­ even seems to deliberately keep a distance from them.


    ¡°Perhaps you don¡¯t know, but I was surprised to find that my Boss has always been very calm whenever he¡¯s facing them. Regardless of whatever the issue is regarding them, he seems to treat it as an ordinary matter or something like that. But there¡¯s only one person who can make my Boss act different.¡±


    As she spoke up to there, Chi Nan stopped talking.


    Han Qingwu asked Chi Nan with a blank expression, ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± Said Chi Nan with a serious expression.


    ¡°Me?¡± Asked Han Qingwu in disbelief. ¡°But why me?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t realized it yet?¡± Asked Chi Nan. ¡°My Boss sometimes treats you well, and he looks at you in a daze for a few seconds in some occasions, while he¡¯s also very indifferent toward you some other times, like he¡¯s trying to deny you. Those changes in his mood or emotional changes are all because of something that you brought to him, I think.¡±


    Stupefied, though Han Qingwu stared at Chi Nan, her mind was actually replaying all the scenes of what she had been through with Tang Xiu all this while. She realized that Chi Nan was right. Tang Xiu had indeed stared at her in a daze a few times. Sometimes, there was a hint of gentleness in his eyes, and there was also some occasions that he was indifferent to her, with a cold and detached feeling within.


    Furthermore, there were also pain and grief in his eyes sometimes, as well as hatred and animosity.


    _This¡­ why was that?_


    Patting Han Qingwu¡¯s shoulder, Chi Nan smiled and said, ¡°Teacher Han, although I don¡¯t know what happened between you and my Boss, you¡¯re the only woman who can make him emotionally unstable. So I¡¯m congratulating you. If you can seize this opportunity well, then you will perhaps become our Lady Boss in the future.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Han Qingwu¡¯s mouth opened as she wanted to explain, yet she found that Chi Nan didn¡¯t give her a chance to speak again and went straight upstairs. Chi Nan¡¯s elaborate remark, however, sent a stream of joyous mood to her heart. Chi Nan¡¯s comment about her becoming her Lady Boss was especially sweet.


    Quickly after, Han Qingwu came to the third floor under Chi Nan¡¯s guidance. When she entered the deluxe room, she took a look at the luxurious and extravagant private dining box, and only after seeing Tang Xiu did her expression turned somewhat unnatural.


    ¡°Boss, Teacher Han has arrived,¡± reported Chi Nan with a smile.


    Tang Xiu got up. Despite feeling somewhat helpless inside, he squeezed out a smile and showed an amiable, friendly manner, ¡°Teacher Han, I¡¯ve ordered some good dishes, and have prepared a good red wine as well. Well, since I invited you to a feast today, then I¡¯ll become a good host and entertain you well.¡±


    Having said that, Tang Xiu pulled the opposite chair and motioned for Han Qingwu to sit there.


    Han Qingwu, however, turned her head slowly. She found that Chi Nan had already withdrawn and closed the door from the outside, and looked hesitant before she sat on the chair.


    Tang Xiu returned to his seat and then said with a smile, ¡°Teacher Han, you seem pale. What happened?¡±


    Han Qingwu shook her head and stared at Tang Xiu for a while. She straightly looked at Tang Xiu, who was looking at her like a dear person to him, before she said, ¡°I don¡¯t expect to have a meat pie fall upon me from the sky. Such as this feast, I don¡¯t think you called me without a good reason, am I right? So tell me, what is it that you want from me?¡±


    Having what he had in mind pointed out that bluntly, Tang Xiu looked somewhat awkward. He recalled his indifferent and detached attitude toward Han Qingwu before, as he touched his nose and forced out a smile, ¡°You¡¯re really intelligent and considerate, Teacher Han. I just realized that you¡¯re simply a living Goddess of Wisdom. Nothing can escape your eyes, it seems.¡±


    _Pfft¡­_ Han Qingwu couldn¡¯t help laughing. It was the first time for her to hear such a nauseating sentence from Tang Xiu. Then, she rolled her eyes and snorted, ¡°Hmph, excessive addressing and attention usually have evil intentions behind it. Just spit it out and don¡¯t fawn on me! What exactly is your purpose?¡±


    Tang Xiu clapped his hands and smilingly said, ¡°Look, look at you, what did I just tell you? You¡¯re really smart! Anyways, I actually don¡¯t have too big a matter to trouble you, it¡¯s just¡­ that I possibly have some urgent matters in the near future, so I¡¯m afraid I will have to take a leave for a few days. Thus, I¡¯m hoping that you will approve it, Teacher Han.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re asking for a leave of absence?¡± Han Qingwu¡¯s tone hiked up as she looked at Tang Xiu angrily. ¡°NO WAY! Are you going to relive your old mistakes again?¡±


    ¡°I really do have some matters to deal with!¡± Tang Xiu forced a bitter smile. ¡°Please think about it. I¡¯m a Big Boss, and there are many things I need to deal with. I¡¯ve been staying on campus every day in the last two weeks to study, and many things have already been accumulated. If I don¡¯t deal with it, then things will become very troublesome. You¡­ just please remember when I saved your life back then, and give me a few days off. I promise that it won¡¯t delay my studies at all.¡±


    ¡°What are going to do for asking a few days off, exactly?¡± Asked Han Qingwu after being silent for a while.


    ¡°Kang Xia contacted me today saying that a very important product of the Magnificent Tang Corporation will be released to the market in the near future, so I need to pay attention to this matter. Additionally, my friend and I are investing real estate in Shanghai and the project is about to start soon, so I need to finalize the final cooperation plan with him. Also, I probably have to make a trip to the South China Sea, as there are important things that need to be addressed there as well.¡±


    ¡°South China Sea? What are you going to do there?¡± Asked Han Qingwu with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to buy an island,¡± Tang Xiu answered.


    Han Qingwu rolled her eyes, ¡°You¡¯re just bullsh*ting me, aren¡¯t you? Are you only able to think of such a ridiculous, absurd excuse?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not joking with you. I¡¯m going to buy an island in the southern part of South China Sea,¡± said Tang Xiu seriously.


    Staring blankly, Han Qingwu was silent for more than ten seconds before she finally said, ¡°I only had a few classes to teach recently. Furthermore, I¡¯m not feeling well and am not in a good mood as well, so I¡¯m going to take a few days off, too. If you promise to take me with you to the South China Sea, then I¡¯ll choose to believe you.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to do? Are you going to watch me?¡± Asked Tang Xiu in a strange tone.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you can get it, hmph,¡± Han Qingwu snorted. ¡°If anything, I must go out to refresh my mind. Promise me that you¡¯ll bring me! If you don¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Besides being helpless and forcing out a bitter upon seeing how Han Qingwu threatened him, Tang Xiu had no other emotions at all. After thinking for a short while, he then nodded and said, ¡°I can take you with me, but you must accept my conditions first.¡±


    ¡°What conditions?¡± Han Qingwu stretched out her hands and said.


    ¡°If I have some matters that need to be managed in the future, then you must approve my applications for leave. And you¡¯re not allowed to forbid and stop me as long as I pass the exam at the end of the year. Even if I don¡¯t attend classes on the campus for the whole semester, you will not speak about that nor will you make things difficult for my academic credits!¡±


    ¡°I promise!¡± Han Qingwu happily answered.


    ¡°To be honest, dealing with a class-in-charge teacher like you makes me worried and happy at the same time,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and forced a smile. ¡°Anyhow, the dishes will be coming up soon, let¡¯s chat while we eat!¡±


    Really, not long after Tang Xiu talked about it, the room¡¯s door was knocked and pushed open from the outside. Chi Nan personally carried a plate and came in with a few beautiful attendants and put the dishes and wine on the table. Afterward, Chi Nan said with a smile, ¡°Boss, the dishes you ordered have been served. Just call me directly if you have other needs.¡±


    ¡°OK! Off you go then!¡± Tang Xiu waved and replied.


    After savoring the meal and drinking the wine, Han Qingwu and Tang Xiu chatted a bit. When they were halfway through the dinner, Han Qingwu stared at Tang Xiu and suddenly said, ¡°There was a hot news in our campus today saying that you¡¯ve announced your relationship with Mu Wanying, is that right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only a ruse, a fake relationship,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°I became notoriously famous out of nowhere, and it was rather baffling. Many girls in the campus are confessing to me, to the point of getting me annoyed and vexed. Mu Wanying, in the other hand, faces the same situation, so we both discussed it and decided to pretend to be a couple just to thwart them.¡±


    ¡°So, you two are pretending to be a couple?¡± Han Qingwu felt happy inwardly, yet she kept maintaining a calm expression on the surface. ¡°So to say, the news is false?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, my dorm mates called me before about that, and I read the news on the campus forum as well. That hug was intentional, and we did that for the others to see it,¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°Ah, it turns out to be like that!¡± Learning the truth of the matter, Han Qingwu¡¯s depressed feeling disappeared all of sudden and was replaced by an inexplicable happiness.

 Chapter 531

    Chapter 531: Palpitated Small Heart


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Bluestar Villa Complex¡­


    Several black Mercedes-Benz slowly stopped at the main gate post. After filling up the registration, the security guards allowed them to enter the complex.


    On the balcony of the third floor of the villa #11, Yang Le sat there while holding a cup of red wine and a large cigar, with two young, beautiful blondes cuddling with him.


    ¡°Dear babes, if you serve this young master well tonight, I¡¯ll support the two of you with gold, silver and everything, so you¡¯ll have a good life,¡± Yang Le blew out smoke from his mouth while coiling his hand around one of the blondes and kissing her white and delicate face.


    ¡°Darling, I¡¯ll definitely serve you *******.¡± The blonde intentionally revealed a shy yet charming look, yet she spoke very boldly.


    Yang Le was quite excited. As he was ready to satisfy his craving, suddenly, his ears pricked and he looked toward the nearby road under the streetlights. He immediately furrowed his brows when he saw several black Mercedes-Benz slowly heading in this direction.


    _Some bigwigs are coming!_


    Looking at the convoy, Yang Le could tell what kind of people they were. Yet, he was also very curious, who would come so late at night with such a grand pageantry?


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    When the convoy drove past villa #11 and eventually stopped at the villa #9, Yang Le couldn¡¯t help rolling his eyes. Although he could tell that Tang Xiu¡¯s identity was far from ordinary, he didn¡¯t expect that such a show of force would come looking for him.


    _Don¡¯t tell me that guy surnamed Tang is a blackheart chap? What kind of bigwig did he annoy that they come so overbearingly to pick on him?_ Yang Le¡¯s mind was immediately filled with dark thoughts.


    The several Mercedes-Benz stopped in front of villa #9. A middle-aged man wearing a black suit and dark glasses then came out of the car, while several middle-aged men opened the doors of the three cars in the middle.


    _That¡¯s¡­_


    On the balcony of the third floor of villa #11, Yang Le¡¯s eyes stared wide when he saw the person who got off the car in the middle, as a shocked expression then appeared on his face.


    _Situ Chao?_


    _It turns out to be the son of the Head of Situ Family, Situ Boyang, who has gradually taken over the Situ Family. He¡¯ll soon become the patriarch, no?_


    _¡°He¡­ how could he be here?¡±_ Yang Le gulped and sent the two pretty blondes to his bedroom. Then, he saw two other figures coming out from the other two Mercedes-Benz.


    _Heaven!!! I¡­ am I dreaming? The Jinmen Family¡¯s Head, Jinmen Tian¡­ and¡­ the head of the Li Family, Li Yuan? How could these affluent old geezers from the Occult Sect come here in person? Could it be that they came to find Tang Xiu?_


    Despite possessing unusual identity himself, Yang Le¡¯s eyes almost popped out and he felt his legs become somewhat weak after seeing the trio. It was because he was perfectly aware how terrible and terrifying was the power held by these three people added up together.


    _This isn¡¯t right! They wouldn¡¯t need to bring out such a large convoy if they came looking for Tang Xiu, right? But¡­ don¡¯t tell me that my guess before was right, that they are here to find Tang Xiu and deal with him?_


    Thinking up to there, Yang Le immediately took out his mobile and dialed Tang Xiu¡¯s cell number. After his call got connected, he spoke rapidly, ¡°Tang Xiu, where are you now?¡±


    ¡°Outside, is there something?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s voice answered from the mobile phone.


    ¡°If you¡¯re outside, make sure you don¡¯t come back now. What the hell did you do? How did you provoke those three, the Situ, Jinmen, and Li Families at the same time? These three families can shroud half the sky of the entire forces belonging to the Occult Sect. Just listen to me, get your ass out of this place fast. You had better hide in a faraway place and never come back here.¡±


    On the third floor of the Everlasting Feast Hall, Tang Xiu¡¯s expression was strange, for he didn¡¯t expect that Yang Le would call and warn him.


    _He misunderstood the situation!_


    A smile appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he replied, ¡°You want to acknowledge me as your Master, right? Then, I¡¯ll halve the price for you. Make money well, I¡¯ll be waiting for your 5 billion yuan and then I¡¯ll accept you as a disciple.¡±


    After saying that, he directly hung up the phone.


    Yang Le was stunned. He never expected that Tang Xiu would not only ignore his advice, he even mentioned the matter of acknowledging him as his Master. This¡­ what the hell is going on? How could the script go this way? Could it be that he didn¡¯t realize that he did this out of good intention?


    After thinking for a moment, Yang Le decided to go to the villa #9 personally. Even if Tang Xiu did provoke those three parties, he himself hailed from the Thief Branch of the Occult Sect, after all. They wouldn¡¯t make things difficult for him out of respect for his deceased Master. Perhaps he could also help Tang Xiu by saying good words about him.


    A few minutes later, Yang Le had neatly dressed himself up and appeared outside the front gate of villa #9. There, he was stopped by four stalwart men, as one of them questioned him coldly, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I live in villa #11, the neighbor of the owner of this villa,¡± answered Yang Le.


    ¡°What business do you have here? If it¡¯s alright with you, I ask you to leave,¡± said the big man.


    Yang Le raised his hand and quickly made several hand signals. He then waltzed in and walked straight into the living room amid the stalwart men¡¯s changed expressions. His complexion immediately turned blank and vacant as he saw that Tang Xiu¡¯s two housemaids were currently serving tea to Situ Chao, Jinmen Tian, and Li Yuan.


    ¡°Oh, goodness! The offspring of the thief branch unexpectedly showed up here! I¡¯m not seeing things, am I?¡± Situ Chao smilingly said after he saw Yang Le.


    Yang Le stepped forward and smilingly said, ¡°You¡¯re cracking a joke, Uncle Chao. I just saw you, three seniors, came to my neighbor¡¯s house, so I came over to pay my respects to you. Anyhow, you seniors are here because¡­¡±


    ¡°You and Grandmaster Tang are neighbors?¡± Asked Situ Chao, surprised.


    _Grandmaster Tang?_


    Yang Le was unable to make heads or tails about this remark, as he then blankly asked, ¡°Uncle Chao, this Grandmaster you¡¯re referring to is¡­ Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said Situ Chao.


    With lips twitching, Yang Le tried to digest the name and address before he eventually said, ¡°I¡¯m living in the villa #11 next door, so I¡¯m indeed Tang¡­ Grandmaster Tang¡¯s neighbor, and our relationship isn¡¯t bad.¡±


    At this moment, Yang Le¡¯s heart almost collapsed! He originally thought that Situ Chao¡¯s group came to make trouble for Tang Xiu, and he even called Tang Xiu to remind him out of good intention, yet he got ignored and was told to not bother about it. It turned out that he was the one who misunderstood it. Situ Chao didn¡¯t come to create trouble for Tang Xiu at all. It could be said that they came¡­ to pay a visit.


    That was really shameful!


    Situ Chao slowly nodded, ¡°Yang Le, we came to find Grandmaster Tang. He¡¯s having dinner with his friend outside and can¡¯t come back home now, so we¡¯re here waiting for him. Since you have seen us now, you go back first if you have nothing else to say!¡±


    ¡°Uncle Chao, Grandpa Jinmen, Grandpa Li, if you feel that it¡¯s alright with you, how about you all visit my place while Tang¡­ Grandmaster Tang hasn¡¯t come back? I¡­¡±


    His words suddenly came to an abrupt halt. He suddenly remembered about the two foreign blondes in his house! If they were seen by them, then he would be in for a great shame and disgrace!


    ¡°No need, we¡¯ll be waiting here for him. You can go attend to your things!¡± Situ Chao waved his hand and refused.


    ¡°Yes, yes. Then I¡¯ll no longer disturb you,¡± said Yan Le quickly. ¡°But if there is something you seniors need, then send someone to the villa next door to call me. I¡¯ll be here at once.¡±


    He then left the living room immediately after saying that.


    With eyes following Yang Le¡¯s departing back, Jinmen Tian shook his head and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s a happy occasion for the Thief Branch to have such an outstanding junior in the latest generation remaining. It¡¯s a pity that old bastard, San Zhishou, didn¡¯t have a good fate. The remaining few of the Thief Branch are kind of disappointing. They didn¡¯t hesitate to lose all decorum with each other just to get their hands on the treasures left by San Zhishou, causing the entire sect to split apart. It¡¯s really a pity that the Thief Branch¡¯s Command was lost! If they were to give it to this Yang Le, maybe he can rebuild the Thief Branch back to their feet again.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Jinmen, you forgot something!¡± Situ Chao chuckled. ¡°The Command of the Thief Branch is actually in his hands, but he was disheartened at his fellow disciples in the Thief Branch. Not only did he break contact with them, he also fooled around abroad all they year round. I never expected that he had actually returned home and is even living here.¡±


    ¡°Is he really willing to give up everything?¡± Jinmen Tian was surprised. ¡°Will the Thief Branch¡¯s legacy and inheritance be cut off just like that?¡±


    ¡°No, as long as someone from the Thief Branch is still alive, their legacy and inheritance will never be cut off,¡± Situ Chao shook his head. ¡°Though I think it¡¯s better for the Thief Branch to not be rebuilt, given their morality and conduct. Otherwise, judging from the disposition of Yang Le¡¯s eldest senior brother, I¡¯m afraid that Yang Le will be killed by him sooner or later.¡±


    ¡°True that!¡± Jinmen Tian nodded.


    Ten in the evening, Tang Xiu escorted Han Qingwu back to her place. He had to assure her over and over that he would take her to the South China Sea and to have a vacation together in the next few days. Then, he hurried back to Bluestar Villa Complex and was blocked by Yang Le outside the front gate of villa #11 before he arrived at his home.


    ¡°You really are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, Grandmaster Tang!¡± Yang Le leaned on the gate of his villa as he looked at Tang Xiu, grinning and smiling.


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes at him and snappily said, ¡°If you want to fart then burst it out fast. Just spit it out! Don¡¯t use that disgusting accent and tone to incite me with no purpose, ****!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Those three big families of the Occult Sect, the Situ, Jinmen, and Li Families unexpectedly came here just to visit you,¡± Yang Le grinned. ¡°Anyhow, I¡¯m curious. What means did you use to swindle and deceive them? Can you tell me why they were so respectful when they mentioned you?¡±


    ¡°Swindling and deceiving, eh?¡± Tang Xiu laughed. ¡°That¡¯s not quite the appropriate words to use, to be honest. I think the correct words should be true skills and genuine knowledge. Otherwise, do you think those big shots from the Occult Sect are nothing but fools?¡±


    Thinking for a moment, Yang Le then nodded and said, ¡°True that, but you haven¡¯t answered me. Who the heck are you?¡±


    ¡°I told you before, didn¡¯t I?¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°I¡¯m nothing but a student.¡±


    With an annoyed and exasperated expression, Yang Le said, ¡°I¡¯ll investigate you myself if you don¡¯t tell me! You know that I¡¯m very good at investigating!¡±


    ¡°Then do it!¡± Tang Xiu shot a teasing and playful smile at him, as he strode toward his villa.

 Chapter 532

    Chapter 532: Serious Accident


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The faint fragrance of tea pervaded the air, as a hoary laugh filled the air. Jinmen Tian¡¯s carefree laugh was the sound Tang Xiu heard when he strode inside the villa.


    ¡°Everyone, I apologize for having you wait for such a long time,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly as he walked toward the three people.


    The first one to stand up was Situ Chao, as he smilingly said, ¡°You¡¯re too polite Grandmaster Tang. It¡¯s us who are impolite for coming this late to disturb you.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t call me Grandmaster Tang. Just straightly call me by my name. Anyways, please wait a bit, I¡¯ll bring your items.¡±


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu, who pretended to go pick the items upstairs, came back carrying three black leather suitcases and handed them to the three people. He then smiled and said, ¡°Please check them out!¡±


    The trio exchanged looks and opened the leather suitcases individually. After inspection, they closed the suitcases with satisfied expressions. Jinmen Tian then smiled and opened up the conversation, ¡°Tang Xiu, these Evil Repelling Talismans will play important roles for the exploration of the ancient tomb in the future. Needless to say, we are really grateful for them. Also, do remember to contact me if you ever have a chance to visit the Northwest region in the future.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, my Li Family hails from the Miao region. If you ever visit that area, do remember to call me as well,¡± echoed Li Yuan.


    ¡°Then I must thank the two seniors in advance,¡± Tang Xiu laughed. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll really disturb you later.¡±


    After some pleasantries were exchanged, Tang Xiu sent the trio off.


    As the villa turned quiet, Tang Xiu silently calculated the funds he had in hands at present. The amount now was 65 billion yuan, and he was thinking of investing the money considering its colossal amount. Following that, he picked up his mobile phone and dialed Jin Xingkui¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°You finally called me, Brother Tang. I¡¯ve been looking forward to receiving good news from you about the architectural design.¡± Jin Xingkui¡¯s voice came from the phone.


    ¡°Old Brother Jin, I have some time tomorrow, can we meet in the morning? Also, besides our current project, I have another project which I hope we can cooperate as well.¡±


    ¡°Another project? Would you mind disclosing it in advance, Brother Tang? It¡¯s just so that I can prepare myself earlier,¡± said Jin Xingkui, surprised.


    ¡°I¡¯m planning to relocate the HQ of the Magnificent Tang Corporation to Shanghai. It would be for the best if we can find a site for our edifice, but if we can¡¯t, we will probably invest a large amount of capital to construct one.¡±


    Jin Xingkui was startled, ¡°I understand, Brother Tang. Let¡¯s discuss this issue tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Tang Xiu replied and hung up the phone after appointing the meeting place with Jin Xingkui.


    _Ring, ring, ring¡­_


    Just as he hung up the phone, his mobile buzzed again. He took the phone and saw that it was a call from Long Zhengyu. Right as he was about to answer it, his expression slightly moved, and said indifferently, ¡°Come out! Don¡¯t sneak around here!¡±


    ¡°Hehehe! You¡¯re really amazing, Grandmaster Tang! I thought that neither gods nor ghosts would be able to sniff me out, yet you were unexpectedly able to find me. Even those three¡­ no one among them was able to notice me!¡± Yang Le grinned.


    ¡°They may be people from the Occult Sect, but how can they be compared to the Thief Branch in concealing and hiding? Anyhow, you should have seen what you wanted to see and heard everything you wanted to know as well. Shouldn¡¯t you go back to your own place and sleep or something? I still have things to take care of now.¡±


    ¡°Nope, there are two issues I wanna ask you!¡± Said Yang Le quickly.


    ¡°Say it!¡± Said Tang Xiu lightly.


    He then came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side and curiously asked, ¡°Tang Xiu, what business deal did you make with those three codgers, exactly? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s as Jinmen Tian said, the Evil Repelling Talisman?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed the Evil Repelling Talisman. I¡¯m able to manufacture this talisman, and they¡¯re precisely in need of it,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Hence, this is simply a business transaction that benefits all of us.¡±


    ¡°For real?¡± Yang Le was shocked. ¡°You¡¯re actually able to manufacture Evil Repelling Talismans? That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s really cool!¡±


    ¡°Second question, please!¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to make a phone call? My second question can wait,¡± said Yang Le.


    ¡°I¡¯ll need to send you off first before making the phone call.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°Just spit it out! Don¡¯t waste my time.¡±


    Forcing out a smile, Yang Le then said, ¡°All right! I just heard you saying that you want to relocate the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s HQ to Shanghai. Are you by chance it¡¯s Big Boss?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Tang Xiu directly admitted it.


    ¡°I knew it! I already guessed that you¡¯re not just a simple layman,¡± Yang Le raised his thumbs up and praised. ¡°But I never thought that you would be this amazing, though. You know, the business of your Magnificent Tang Corporation is¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and spoke with all seriousness, ¡°If you want to praise me, then please shut your mouth, will you? Can you leave now? I still have things I need to deal with.¡±


    Yang Le was stumped and stared blankly. He then forced a smile and said, ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯m not allowed here, so I¡¯ll go now, alright? Jeez, you really are a very busy man!¡±


    Yang Le left with a resentful face under Tang Xiu¡¯s gaze. With his spiritual sense, Tang Xiu also monitored him until he returned to his before he felt slightly relieved. Truth be told, he actually admired Yang Le for being able to sneak into his villa and conceal himself for a very long time without Tang Xiu being able to notice him.


    ¡°Zhengyu, did something happen for you to call me this late?¡± Tang Xiu called Long Zhengyu back and straightly asked.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, there was a major landslide in our Walled Hill Village project. Twelve people died, and twenty more are missing,¡± said Long Zhengyu rapidly.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Asked Tang Xiu, his complexion changed.


    ¡°Do you remember me telling you about this before?¡± Long Zhengyu bitterly said. ¡°There was a landslide problem in Walled Hill Village, yet I didn¡¯t take it seriously that time because it was nothing but a small accident. I thought that ancient tomb was abandoned, so it would be fine to level it with soil. Who would have thought that the space below it was so large! I suspect that the empty tomb is only a camouflage, while the genuine ancient tomb is right underneath it!¡±


    ¡°So to say, you think that the landslide was caused by the existence of the ancient tomb?¡± Asked Tang Xiu, surprised.


    ¡°Yeah, the ancient tomb is surely the very cause for it,¡± answered Long Zhengyu.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a short while and then seriously said, ¡°How did you deal with the aftermath?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve reported the accident to the police. The firefighters are currently doing the search and rescue operation for the missing workers. Also, the project is completely on hold, and I¡¯m afraid it will be delayed for some time.¡±


    ¡°Remember, saving the workers comes first!¡± Tang Xiu said in a deep voice. ¡°I¡¯ll immediately head to Star City, and then we¡¯ll talk about everything else after we meet.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Long Zhengyu quickly replied.


    Tang Xiu went to the second floor. He picked several pieces of cloth and stuffed them into his interspatial ring. After feeding the fierce beast in the study room, he then quickly left the villa. However, just as he had walked a few steps, he suddenly remembered something and shouted when he was passing by villa #11, ¡°Yang Le, come out!¡±


    Quickly after, Yang Le appeared in Tang Xiu¡¯s line of sight with a sweating, naked upper body.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°You hail from the Thief Branch, but it¡¯s still the lineage of the Occult Sect. Hence, you should have explored ancient tombs before, right?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Grandmaster Tang, are you trying to make fun of me again?¡± Yan Le chuckled. ¡°What we from the Thief Branch do is look for Dragon veins. We are experts in digging and robbing graves, as well as searching treasures. I¡¯m not particularly talented on this field, though. I¡¯m 26 years old this year, but the number of ancient tombs I have explored mustn¡¯t be more than three digits. That reminds me of something. The gold, silver, and jewelry from my black past that you got from me are the ones I obtained in some ancient tombs.¡±


    ¡°In that case, then have a trip with me.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°Where to?¡± Yang Le looked doubtful.


    ¡°To Star City, Shuangqing Province,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be. You found an ancient tomb in Star City?¡± Asked Yang Le, surprised and astonished.


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s an ancient tomb there. Moreover, it¡¯s right underneath the construction site of my project,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°A landslide happened there, apparently caused by it, killing many people and with many more missing. Accompany me there and we¡¯ll have a look at the situation.¡±


    Yang Le didn¡¯t answer and stayed silent for a moment. Then, he asked, ¡°How will we divide the the treasures we find there?¡±


    ¡°90% for me, 10% for you. You¡¯ll get a discount once we¡¯re done as well,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Damn you, surnamed Tang!¡± Yang Le furiously said. ¡°Aren¡¯t you way too black-hearted?¡±


    ¡°Take it or leave it!¡± Said Tang Xiu lightly.


    Yang Le was left speechless. As he watched Tang Xiu leave, he hurriedly shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t leave! You¡¯re the master, and what you say is not to be questioned, right? Just hold on! Wait a minute, will you? There are two¡­ err¡­ pretty beauties in my place. Five minutes! Gimme time to tell them and pack up my things. Gimme five minutes!¡±


    ¡°Remember to take your car as well.¡±


    A smile was outlined on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth, as he reminded Yang Le from behind.


    Around four in the morning, two SUVs drove toward Star City. This time, Tang Xiu not only brought Yang Le with him, but also four other experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall. From a long distance away, Tang Xiu could see the sight of the fully illuminated Walled Hill Village¡¯s construction site. Many fire engines and firefighters had arrived there, trying to save people all night long.


    ¡°Why did you bring me here, Tang Xiu?¡± Asked Yang Le who sat on the front seat, with a face full of curiosity.


    ¡°This is the Walled Hill Village, a project that is currently being developed by the Long Family of Star City. Because I¡¯ll also have some industries here after the construction and development are finished, hence I¡¯m also responsible for the situation here. That ancient tomb we¡¯re about to explore is right underneath the construction site where the landslide happened.¡±


    ¡°So to say, the existence of the ancient tomb caused the landslide?¡± Asked Yang Le, surprised.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Quickly after, the two cars were parked and Tang Xiu, Yang Le, and the four experts quickly dashed inside. Long Zhengyu, who had received a phone call from Tang Xiu, quickly came to gather up with him along with his two trusted men.


    ¡°How is the current situation?¡± Asked Tang Xiu directly.


    ¡°22 injured and 6 dead, and there are 7 missing left as well. However, I¡¯m afraid that those seven have little hope of surviving,¡± said Long Zhengyu bitterly.


    ¡°Continue with the search and rescue. We must find all of them,¡± said Tang Xiu resolutely said. ¡°Regardless if they¡¯re still alive or not, we must still find their bodies. We must never give up, even if there¡¯s only a glimmer of hope.¡±

 Chapter 533

    Chapter 533: Hercules


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Long Zhengyu nodded seriously, ¡°I have also instructed them about that. Apart from the hundreds of workers and dozens of firefighters on the site, the police force from the city and dozens of security guards from our Long Family are currently doing their best to search and rescue them. You can rest assured, we¡¯ll try our best to find the missing workers even if we have to turn over every inch of the land inside out.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll give a hand, too!¡±


    Tang Xiu patted Long Zhengyu¡¯s shoulder and strode toward the construction site. The moment he arrived there, he released his spiritual sense and covered a radius of 200 to 300 square meters within.


    At present, he found two dead bodies and four workers who were still alive and stranded inside. However, two of them were seriously injured; if they didn¡¯t get rescued in time, they would only be able to hold on for several hours before dying.


    At the same time, Tang Xiu also discovered a stair-shaped cave entrance. Tens of meters underneath it were several portals, yet the interior beyond was off limits to his spiritual sense.


    _An array?_


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and dashed toward the rubble. He pointed below and shouted in a deep voice, ¡°Zhengyu, immediately order someone to dig this spot. But remember to do it very carefully, some of the trapped workers should be underneath!¡±


    Long Zhengyu stared blankly before he laid on the ground, trying to listen to the sounds. With a puzzled expression, he said, ¡°Why can¡¯t I hear any voices at all?¡±


    ¡°My hearing is several times sharper than that of an ordinary person¡¯s,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly.


    Pondering for a bit, Long Zhengyu, who held absolute trust toward Tang Xiu, immediately called out to a dozen workers as well as several firefighters to begin excavating the debris above the spot.


    ¡°Slow down!¡± Tang Xiu didn¡¯t stay idle. He took a pair of gloves and began to move the reinforced concrete. Even Yang Le and the four experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall joined in the work.


    Ten minutes later, a worker shouted, ¡°Boss, these steel bars are being pressed by a boulder! We won¡¯t be able to move it if we don¡¯t use a crane! And there¡¯s no way we can continue cleaning this place without removing it.¡±


    Long Zhengyu frowned and looked quite vexed. It was not realistic to call a crane here at this time. The scene here was a mess already, and the crane would make it worse.


    ¡°Make way, I¡¯ll move it,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fool around! This boulder is at least 400 pounds; there¡¯s no way it will budge even if a few men join in an effort to move it. Besides, even if several people move it simultaneously, we still need to clean up the debris in the surrounding. The clearing up will take time, and we may still be unable to move it.¡±


    The worker said it correctly and Tang Xiu perfectly realized it, too. The environment and situation were precarious, and there was the possibility of a second landslide due to a slight mistake, thus injuring the people above. The boulder wouldn¡¯t budge even if four burly joined in the effort.


    _However, was he an ordinary person?_


    Tang Xiu directly pushed the worker aside and shouted, ¡°Zhengyu, order everyone else to withdraw and give me some empty space!¡±


    Upon hearing it, Long Zhengyu immediately executed Tang Xiu¡¯s instructions.


    Tang Xiu stood in a deep pit as he looked at the half-buried boulder under his feet. He straightly coiled his hands around the boulder and took a deep breath.


    ¡°What the hell does he want to do? He wants to lift that stone by himself?¡±


    ¡°Is this youngster an idiot? Does he think he¡¯s Hercules or something?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s beyond his ability, only biting off more than he can chew. I¡¯ll eat that boulder if he can really move it!¡±


    ¡°Oh, how can Chief Long have such a friend? It¡¯s really¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    No one concealed their thoughts. At this time, even Yang Le himself had a contemptuous look on his face and secretly despised Tang Xiu, thinking that he would only disgrace himself. Even if Tang Xiu was a little skillful, did he really think that his strength was that great?


    _Biting more than you can chew, eh!_ Yang Le scoffed inside.


    Tang Xiu ignored everyone around him, however, and exerted his strength, easily moving the half-buried boulder. Yet, in order not to show it off and scare out the onlookers, he pretended to exert out a tremendous strength to show how ¡®difficult¡¯ it was to move the boulder.


    _Hiss¡­_


    Yang Le¡¯s eyes almost popped out when he saw Tang Xiu move the boulder. Despite his firm mentality, yet he still couldn¡¯t help but gasp.


    The surrounding workers, firefighters, and the rest who had just ridiculed and made derogatory comments were all dumbfounded and left petrified. Only after Tang Xiu threw the boulder out of the pit did they finally snap back to their senses.


    ¡°HEAVENS!!! WHAT DID I JUST SEE?¡±


    ¡°What the hell¡­ is he the Superman? It¡¯s a boulder weighing 400 pounds, y-yet he¡­ he actually moved it out by himself?¡±


    ¡°OH, GOD! A boulder weighing 400 pounds that dozens of men are not necessarily able to move since it¡¯s half-buried, yet he can still pull it out? He¡¯s simply not human!!!¡±


    ¡°Terrific!!!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As for Long Zhengyu, he gave Tang Xiu a thumbs up and then loudly shouted, ¡°DON¡¯T GAWK AND DAZE! Move your ass fast and dig!! I can hear some voices underneath. That means we¡¯re digging on the right spot! Be careful as to not cause a secondary landslide!¡±


    ¡°UNDERSTOOD!¡±


    Everyone in the surrounding looked at Tang Xiu with shock and fright, before they loudly exclaimed in unison.


    Time passed by, and half an hour after, dozens of people worked together and dug down two to three meters. Finally, the cave entrance underneath was revealed as someone¡¯s hand came out. The hand was full of blood, accompanied by the cry ¡°save us¡±.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s still alive here!!!¡± A worker called out excitedly.


    Immediately afterward, everyone worked harder and finally rescued the two seriously injured workers from the inside after spending great effort. Tang Xiu even personally acted to treat the two people, and was able to save their lives despite the limited medical tools.


    As the medics from the hospital¡¯s ambulance took away the two seriously injured workers, Long Zhengyu finally had a break as he gave Tang Xiu a thumbs up and said, ¡°Brother Tang, I¡¯m really convinced of your abilities. Since you have such a good hearing ability, how about using it to rescue the other workers stranded below?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing!¡±


    Tang Xiu complied. A few minutes after, he pointed to another spot tens of meters away and shouted, ¡°There¡¯s someone underneath. He should be still alive!!¡±


    ¡°Some of you get there quickly!!! Dig down that spot and rescue them!¡± Long Zhengyu was overjoyed and shouted.


    By now, everyone fully trusted Tang Xiu, and under Long Zhengyu¡¯s command, dozens of people began to dig up and finally rescued two men after spending half an hour.


    ¡°Zhengyu, you said that the number of missing people was seven?¡±


    Tang Xiu had used his spiritual sense to carefully comb every spot and path leading to the crevices and had found four men still alive and two who had died.


    Long Zhengyu nodded, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s really seven people.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows wrinkled deeply, because he really couldn¡¯t find where the seventh man was. In other words, there were only two answers. The first one being an error in counting the missing people, which in fact there were only six people buried underneath; and the second one was that the last missing person had been buried under the soil, and there was no slit to the outside at all.


    Tang Xiu walked around for several minutes and randomly selected several spots for everyone to start digging. One of which was a spot where two dead bodies were buried. He also brought Yang Le to begin digging a spot above the cave entrance to the ancient tomb, while the two dead bodies were finally excavated when dawn came.


    ¡°C-chief Long! W-we¡¯ve found him! W-we found the last one!¡±


    A middle-aged man who looked like a leader ran into the debris and rubble as he panted and shouted.


    ¡°WHAT DO YOU MEAN?¡±


    Long Zhengyu, who was currently leading everyone to look for the seventh missing worker, immediately asked in upon hearing the middle-aged man¡¯s cry.


    ¡°It¡¯s the seventh missing man, Li Quan, who has yet to be found,¡± The middle-aged man hurriedly said. ¡°He turned out to have ditched his shift and gone outside to drink. He just came back drunk and is now sleeping inside the drainage next to the workers¡¯ shack!¡±


    ¡°WHAT A FUCKING ASSHOLE!!!¡± Long Zhengyu was so furious and angrily cursed.


    Tang Xiu also heard the middle-aged man¡¯s report and let out a forced, wry smile. He walked over to Long Zhengyu¡¯s side and said, ¡°Zhengyu, tell the cops and the firefighters to leave this place since all the missing people have been found. Also, instruct all the workers to go back and have a rest.¡±


    Long Zhengyu silently nodded. After tossing back and forth in frustration, the police and firefighters finally left, and the workers withdrew from the site. However, under Tang Xiu¡¯s silent instructions, dozens of security guards from the Long Group didn¡¯t leave, and instead, blocked the landslide area and prohibited anyone from entering.


    ¡°What exactly are you doing, Brother Tang?¡±


    Long Zhengyu came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side as he watched Tang Xiu and Yang Le, as well as the four experts from the Everlasting Feast Hall still, excavating the debris. His expression looked strange and curious as he asked.


    ¡°I suspect that there¡¯s an entrance to an ancient tomb underneath. Since it has caused the landslide accident, I¡¯d like to go down and see what type of ancient tomb it is, given that it unexpectedly has a false empty space above it,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Startled and taken aback, Long Zhengyu hastily said, ¡°Don¡¯t! Don¡¯t do anything stupid, will you? You¡¯ll definitely be trapped below in the event of a second landslide.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I know what I¡¯m capable of. I will never dare to go down to brave dangers and stake my life without an ability to back it up,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Besides, Yang Le here is my friend. He has studied a lot of ancient tombs, so you can rest your worries with him accompanying me down there!¡±


    Doubtful, Long Zhengyu gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll also go down there with you.¡±


    ¡°You of all people have a more important thing to do rather than following me down there.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°You must appease and comfort the workers, and then go to the hospital to visit the injured as well as comfort their family members. As for the dead workers, give them a large sum of money as compensation and take good care of their family members!¡±


    ¡°Then, in the case that¡­¡± Long Zhengyu still hesitated.


    ¡°There will be no ifs. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t believe in my ability?¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and rebuked.


    Long Zhengyu pondered for a moment. To deal with the aftermath of this matter, he indeed must visit the hospital. Therefore, he nodded. But he still urged Tang Xiu to be very careful before leaving the construction site.

 Chapter 534

    Chapter 534: Ancient Tomb¡¯s Teleportation Portal


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The huge red glow rose from the Eastern horizon and dispersed the cold streams of air in the morning. After continuous digging, the cave entrance to the ancient tomb had finally appeared before everyone. Yang Le evidently possessed profound knowledge on the tomb¡¯s architectural structure, as he confirmed that the landslide was caused by the this ancient tomb¡¯s entrance.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Confirmed Tang Xiu with a curious expression.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure. There should be a fake tomb above the genuine one in order to fool the eyes. Steel casting poles should be nailed inside the fake tomb to support the space. At the time when the construction was being carried on above it, it led to the collapse of the fake tomb, and eventually weakened the support of this stair entrance, causing the landslide.¡±


    With a doubtful expression, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Who could have built the tomb here? To think that they also constructed a fake tomb¡­¡±


    ¡°There are many kinds of ancient tombs, such as a tomb within a tomb, interlinked series of tombs like catacombs, hidden tombs with fake barriers, and so on. This tomb should be the hidden type, because someone didn¡¯t want the genuine ancient tomb to be excavated, hence the camouflage. Looking at the width and height of the stairs, however, I¡¯m afraid this ancient tomb is a huge. The deceased entombed inside this ancient tomb was definitely a great personage among the nobility or a member of the royal family.¡±


    Nobility or royalty?


    Disdain flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. If it was only a tomb for a member the royal family, how could an array be arranged to isolate it from the detection of spiritual sense?


    ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s go down and have a look!¡±


    Tang Xiu followed the ladder and descended to the bottom. A few minutes later, he brought Yang Le to the front of the first gate.


    _Hiss¡­_


    Yang Le raised his hand to touch the two meters high stone gate and couldn¡¯t help but gasp. A disbelieving expression was cast on his face.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Tang Xiu furrowed his brows.


    While pointing at the stone gate, Yang Le stutteringly said, ¡°B-Brother¡­ Brother Tang, this stone gate¡­ it¡¯s entirely made of diamond!!! Heavens! I must be dreaming, how could there be such a huge diamond in this world? A-and¡­ the most important thing is¡­ this stone gate was obviously cast and made by someone!!¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at the dragons, phoenixes, and qilins carved on it. The carvings were so lifelike that they seemed like they would come to life at any time. He could understand Yang Le¡¯s shock. Carving such patterns on a diamond was not actually difficult; however, this ancient tomb was not made in the current era, but in the past. How did the ancients did it? Moreover, that huge-sized diamond block that was something beyond Yang Le¡¯s cognition.


    ¡°Is there a way to open this door?¡± This issue concerned Tang Xiu the most, because it would be very difficult to break this door directly with his current strength. Even if he could do it, he wouldn¡¯t dare to employ such an attempt in the case that it would lead to another landslide. If such a predicament happened, it would be next to impossible to escape from the situation despite him possessing formidable strength.


    After Yang Le calmed himself down, his eyes turned burning hot, as he shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure, I need to analyze and study it.¡±


    ¡°Then study it fast! We don¡¯t have much time left,¡± urged Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Yang Le begged to differ, his expression was that of a strange one. ¡°Isn¡¯t there someone already guarding the outside? There should be plenty of time for us, no?¡±


    ¡°The news of this ancient tomb should have been exposed to the outside, and experts and archeologists from the state department will surely catch wind of it and then rush here. What do you think we can get once they arrive?¡± Elaborated Tang Xiu with a light tone.


    Startled, Yang Le hurriedly said, ¡°You¡¯re right, Brother Tang! Needless to say, just this gate made of diamond is a must for us to take away. This meant money, like an inexhaustible source of money! As long as we can deal with this door, such a huge windfall will make us rich overnight!¡±


    _Hhh¡­ what an inexperienced and ignorant guy!_


    Sighing inside, Tang Xiu ignored him and studied the stone gate himself. What surprised him was that he found no way to open it, yet Yang Le was able to open it after studying it for a bit; Tang Xiu was unable to do such a feat.


    ¡°How did you do that?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s an inherited secret of mine, a legacy! Sorry, it¡¯s not like I can expose it to you.¡± Yang Le grinned proudly. ¡°But if you want to know, I can¡­¡±


    His smirk froze. His speech was abruptly stopped by something, as he stared blankly at the stone gate, which was retracted on both sides. He stared at it with eyes almost popping out.


    ¡°B-Brother Tang, pinch me so that I can feel that I¡¯m not dreaming!! This gate made of diamond is actually two meters thick? In this world¡­ this¡­ is¡­ simply¡­ too unfathomably terrifying.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head helplessly again. He was really too lazy to even care about this young master who naively commented on so many little things due to his inexperience. He then stepped inside and walked down the stairs again.


    The second portal was opened by Yang Le again. Although this gate was not cast from diamond like the previous one and didn¡¯t add more shock to Yang Le, it was Tang Xiu¡¯s turn to get surprised. It was because the gate was cast from Millennium Black Iron, which hardness far exceeded the first door.


    ¡°What the hell is this door made of?¡± Yang Le frowned and looked at the third door blocking the path, a look of frustration in his eyes. When he was about to reach out to touch it and see what kind of material it was, Tang Xiu stopped him directly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch it!¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why?¡± Yang Le was puzzled.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t explain, yet his eyes sparkled as he observed the array pattern on the door. In just a dozen seconds, he was amazed at the fact that three types of arrays had been inscribed on this door: the Spirit Gathering Array, an offensive array, and a defensive array respectively. The three arrays were inseparably interconnected, mutually complemented each other, and shared the same characteristics to ultimately form a holistic magical array that gathered spiritual force along with defensive and offensive traits.


    However, Tang Xiu¡¯s attainment in arrays had reached the peak. After showing a smile, his fingers unceasingly formed strange seals as an energy infiltrated the array on the gate in a way that couldn¡¯t be caught with the naked eyes.


    _Boom¡­_


    Tremors spread out in the ladder space as if indicating a collapse. However, right as Yang Le and the four experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall turned alarmed and terrified, Tang Xiu shouted and the gate in front slowly opened amid falling layers of dust.


    ¡°The four of you stay here, and you must not let anyone enter without my orders,¡± Tang Xiu instructed.


    ¡°Understood!¡± The four men answered immediately.


    Tang Xiu strode through the gate. What appeared before him was a spacious hollow great hall. Aside from hundreds of egg-sized Brightmoon Pearls placed on the ceiling of the entire hall, there was only a rectangular platform in the middle. What surprised Tang Xiu the most was that the concentration of spiritual qi in this space was extremely high, about several times higher than the outside. A soft, gentle breath caused the tiny pores all over his body to open, causing a comfortable sensation over his body.


    ¡°Eh? It feels comfortable here,¡± said Yang Le who closely followed Tang Xiu as he looked around.


    Tang Xiu then walked to the front of the rectangular platform in the middle. It was a meter in height and width and two meters long, and was covered with a layer of yellow silk fabric. However, with his keen eyesight, Tang Xiu could tell at a glance that this layer of yellow silk fabric was not ordinary.


    The silk fabric was as though having a stream of flowing water on it. The misty luster was invisible to the naked eyes, yet he could clearly observe it with his spiritual sense. Tang Xiu affirmed that this silk fabric was at least a magical device.


    ¡°Yang Le, stand up.¡± Tang Xiu took back his gaze as he looked at Yang Le and spoke to him in a deep voice.


    ¡°Huh? Stand on this platform? What do you wanna do?¡± Yang Le stunned and asked with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°You¡¯ll serve as cannon fodder, of course,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°I need to figure out the mysterious mechanism here.¡±


    Yang Le rolled his eyes and snapped, ¡°Say, Tang Xiu, are you not mistaking something? How could this broken platform have any mysterious mechanism at all?¡±


    After saying that, he contemptibly stepped onto the platform.


    _Buzz¡­_


    A mysterious aura emitted out from the silk fabric, and the ripples that were originally invisible to the naked eyes also rippled. Amid the eruption of dazzling lights, Yang Le¡¯s figure directly disappeared from the platform.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion changed. A firm look appeared on his face as he also stepped on the platform. His figure then disappeared amid the dazzling white light.


    The next moment, he appeared in a dim empty space. It was very difficult for an ordinary person¡¯s eyes to see anything within a few meters. However, with his sharp eyesight, Tang Xiu could see everything within the radius of 100 meters.


    ¡°Where the hell is this? Exactly what¡¯s going on here?¡±


    Yang Le raised his hand, trying to grab anything around him. He then turned to look at Tang Xiu, who appeared out of thin air in front of him. What upset him the most was that he could barely see Tang Xiu¡¯s face, though the distance between them was only a few meters.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, either!¡± Tang Xiu replied shortly as he quickly glanced around. The place was dimly illuminated, and there was nothing but a bleak, desolate black land in the surroundings. The most notable thing was that there was no trace of spiritual qi whatsoever, and the low amount of oxygen in the air made it difficult to breathe.


    With a changed expression, Yang Le quickly grabbed the backpack he was carrying and took out a night-vision goggles from the inside. He put it on and glanced around. A few seconds after, he gaped, disbelief cast all over his face.


    Seeing Yang Le made Tang Xiu startled. He quickly took off his night-vision goggles. After wearing it himself, his pupils suddenly contracted and his heartbeat raced up. He could clearly see the silhouettes of the mountains that were looming beyond the horizon. There was also a red halo on the mountain-shaped corridor, as if the entire mountain was set afire.


    And behind it, a sword-shaped object stood towering to the sky therein.


    ¡°B-Brother¡­ Brother Tang, we didn¡¯t bump into ghosts, did we? How am I feeling such a gloomy and ominous atmosphere here? Even breathing is a bit difficult.¡± Yang Le¡¯s lips uncontrollably shivered a few times. A terrified look was painted all over his face as he gulped down.


    ¡°No, we didn¡¯t bump into ghosts,¡± said Tang Xiu with a deep voice. ¡°We were just teleported to a mysterious magical place by a teleportation array. It¡¯s very interesting, though. If my inference is correct, then this place is a genuine ancient tomb where someone has been entombed.¡±


    ¡°A teleportation array? Ancient tomb?¡± Yang Le looked dazed and confused. He muttered with a perplexed and bewildered look.

 Chapter 535

    Chapter 535: Colossal Fortuitous Encounter


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t bother explaining to Yang Le because he was perfectly clear that, even if he wasted his energy to elaborate, it would be very difficult for Yang Le to accept and understand it in a short time. While staring at the big mountain porch, Tang Xiu silently thought for a while before he grabbed Yang Le¡¯s arm and sprinted toward that direction.


    ¡°I¡­¡±, _cough, cough_ ¡­ ¡°Hey, slow down¡­¡±


    Being dragged by Tang Xiu, Yang Le could only feel the whistling wind in his ears, and the words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat. Moreover, the speed at which Tang Xiu was sprinting was so fast that it was causing his face to look like he was seeing ghosts. He never thought someone would be able to run at such unimaginable speed.


    Tang Xiu ignored Yang Le as he looked at the destination about a kilometer away. After sprinting for more than half an hour, he used his tiptoes to touch the ground and dash lightning fast over the remaining 100 km, before he finally arrived in front of the blazing hot mountain. The blazingly high temperature made Yang Le sweat heavily, and he might have turned around and fled if not for Tang Xiu grabbing him.


    ¡°Just stand here and wait for me!¡±


    Putting Yang Le down, Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes were locked at the straight line of ice crystals between the mountains. The ice crystals were like a divide, a demarcation line that cut the entire burning mountain in half. It was very narrow, about five meters or so. After he got closer, he could see that the ice crystal line turned out to be an ice ladder exuding a chilling air, and was extremely steep and precipitous.


    ¡°TANG¡­ TANG XIU, COME BACK! DON¡¯T GO COURTING DEATH!!!¡±


    With a dumbfounded look, Yang Le watched Tang Xiu appear under the ice ladder. Concern and worry appeared in his expression as he ran forward for seven or so steps. However, the intense heat was too unbearable to him, forcing him to stop and even made him recede tens of meters.


    As someone from the Occult Sect, Yang Le was naturally aware that there existed phenomenons that were against common sense and science, yet he never thought that such mysterious, miraculous thing would exist in this world. Since he came to this space, everything he had seen felt so mysterious and unreal!


    Furthermore, what Tang Xiu had showcased, those magical means he displayed, as well as his lightning-like speed¡­ it shocked him to the point that it was almost impossible to add up again. In particular, Tang Xiu seemed to have long guessed that they would be teleported to this space the moment they stood on that platform. Hence, Yang Le was extremely curious about who exactly Tang Xiu was.


    _Tap, tap, tap¡­_


    Suddenly, Yang Le¡¯s complexion drastically changed. His eyes turned saucer and almost fell from their sockets. Since Tang Xiu had thrown the night-vision goggles to him before he left, Yang Le could clearly see that Tang Xiu had unexpectedly climbed up at a very fast pace on that ice crystal ladder.


    _Does this blazing temperature have no effect on him? And that ice ladder seems very steep, is he not afraid that he¡¯ll slide and fall to his death?_


    At this time, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t know what Yang Le was thinking. He moved his tiptoes unceasingly at a very fast speed, and kept climbing toward the top. His body was constantly being covered with thin ice, but it then melted at an extremely fast rate. The blazing heat and chilling cold took turns, making him withstand unspeakable discomfort.


    As time fleeted by, Yang Le, who was standing on a very far spot, could no longer withstand the blazing heat waves and finally withdrew to a more distant spot in the back. Whereas Tang Xiu, who was climbing non-stop, almost reached the top. The higher he climbed, the faster the blazing heat and chilling cold took turns, and the more intense the sensation it brought. It was to the extent that the pressure was pressing him to fall. The pressure caused his bones to rattle, and his internal organs seemed to be squeezed into lumps of meat.


    ¡°Break and charge!¡±


    The star force within Tang Xiu¡¯s body surged forward and circulated through the whole Great Heavenly Circuit in his body¡¯s meridians. Just as he was about to reach his limits, he suddenly felt his body turn lighter, as his whole body finally rushed to the mountaintop. Drawing support from the inertia, he sprinted tens of meters upward.


    _Bam¡­_


    Tang Xiu¡¯s feet finally landed on the layer of ice above the mountaintop. After clearly seeing the scene in front him he couldn¡¯t help but gasp despite once being a Supreme Immortal in the Immortal World.


    _The Yin Yang Divinity Lake?!! How can there be a Yin Yang Divinity Lake on Earth?!!_


    _The myriad records and ancient scriptures in the Immortal World said that the Yin Yang Divinity Lake will only appear when a Supreme Immortal breaks through to Godhood so that they can bathe in the Divinity Lake! Once the immortal takes a bath therein, his body will then be transformed to that of the Gods._


    In Tang Xiu¡¯s line of sight, the overcast gray substance vanished as the pocket world in front shined under the blue sky. In the center of the vast mountain, a large lake with the black-and-white pattern of Yin Yang was formed. The mist lingered around above the lake, as a concentrated and strong special energy surged as though boiling water.


    ¡°I congratulate thou, mine successor!¡±


    At the center of the Yin Yang Divinity Lake, rosy clouds solidified and formed a humanoid old man. His appearance was clandestine and rays of light covered all over his body. It was also indiscernible if the form was wearing something or not. However, his voice was loud and clear, and each word seemed to directly enter Tang Xiu¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s expression was extra cautious as he stared at the old man and asked in a deep voice.


    The humanoid old man smiled and said, ¡°Fear not, mine successor. Mine name is Free and Unfettered God from the Gods Realm. Only, because of the obstruction of many Gods to mine free and unfettered path, mine hath to ignite mine Primordial Life Essence Wheel out of desperation to move this Divinity Vein Seed of the Yin Yang Divinity Lake, and then broke through the barrier of the Gods Realm to arrive at the star of mine progenitor. Only, the progenitor star had undergone colossal changes, for it was no longer vast and magnificent. Under desperation, mine used the remnant of mine soul to condense this Spirit Humanoid magic tool to perpetually guard this Divinity Vein Seed of the Yin Yang Divinity Lake hither.¡±


    ¡°I know what the Yin Yang Divinity Lake is. It¡¯s the divine lake where an Immortal must take a bath to obtain a divinity physique before he ascends to the Gods Realm. But what does the Divinity Vein Seed mean?¡± Asked Tang Xiu in a deep voice.


    The humanoid old man said in an unusual tone, ¡°Thou knows the Yin Yang Divinity Lake? It shalt not be?! Because formerly they were¡­ for no immortals shalt emerge again from the progenitor star thenceforth, and there shalt be no one from the next offspring who hath profound abilities in the Dao. How did thou know the existence of the Yin Yang Divinity Lake?¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before he replied with all seriousness, ¡°Because I was once a Supreme Immortal in the Immortal World, but I returned to Earth after an accident.¡±


    The humanoid old man suddenly understood as he laughed and said, ¡°Interesting! Thou art very interesting! If thou canst say sooth, then thou shalt understand that¡¯s easy for mine to descry thy soul. Mine legacy apparently shalt not be cut off!¡±


    Just as his voice ended, Tang Xiu¡¯s body was grasped by a pair of invisible hands and pulled directly into the Yin Yang Divinity Lake. As the black-and-white pattern boiled and rotated, Tang Xiu was straightly sucked inside.


    _Aarrgh¡­_


    A Rending, piercing pain, feeling that dying was better than living, caused Tang Xiu to be filled with desperation. Though he had experienced pain and hardship that made his mind and mental strength extremely firm and tough, yet at this time, the desire to die immediately rose up inside him.


    ¡°Huh? The Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis?¡±


    Suddenly, the humanoid old man whispered to himself, and his blurred appearance became more vivid. His face was thin, looking handsome yet aged and complicatedly wrinkled at the same time, as he would appear to be particularly¡­ ¡­ feel pained due to melting.


    _Buzz¡­_


    Tang Xiu was lifted and his body flew high over the Yin Yang Divinity Lake.


    ¡°Successor, what art thou relationship with Mo Luo Progenitor?¡±


    Tang Xiu gasped for breath and panted heavily. He felt like he just came back to life after surviving a disaster and was full of happiness. At this time, however, his entire fate was under the control of the humanoid old man, and dared not delay replying, ¡°I don¡¯t know who this Mo Luo Progenitor is!¡±


    The humanoid old man seemed to ponder for a moment, as a regretful expression then appeared on his face. He shook his head and sighed, ¡°Really a pity. ¡®Tis really unfortunate. Progenitor Mo Luo was the creator of the Demon Realm and the ancestor of tens of thousands of Demons, a very gifted little chap. Pity that thy Dao ability art is too shallow and limited, for thy comprehension and cultivation in the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis be practically too shallow and pitiful. So shalt it be then! For thou art the predestined person brought by fate at the juncture of my forthcoming expiry to pass to eternity, then shalt good fortune be bestowed to thee.¡±


    Twilight colored rays of light entwined like a ribbon around Tang Xiu¡¯s body. The appearance of the humanoid old man turned blurry again as inextricable rays of light emitted out from him toward Tang Xiu and entered his body.


    At this time, a burst of melting, crackling, and explosion sounds came out from Tang Xiu¡¯s body. His cultivation level was being aided and pulled through excessively to make unceasing breakthroughs. From the Meridian Transformation, Marrow Transformation, Viscera Transformation, all the way to the peak of the Viscera Transformation stage before it finally stopped. It was because his foundation was indeed too shallow and boosting himself up again would be too destructive. If he was to make a breakthrough again, then his body may not be able to withstand it.


    As of now, if someone could see the internal condition of Tang Xiu¡¯s body, he would see that all the meridians in his body had transformed and looked glittering and translucent as though it had turned into crystals. Whereas the overall strength of his body had also increased by more a hundredfold.


    _Buzz¡­_


    The humanoid old man waved his hands, and the Yin Yang Divinity Lake underneath was directly taken by him. After forming a few hand seals, the Yin Yang Divinity Lake quickly became smaller and smaller, eventually turning into a firefly-sized fluorescent orb, as it was then forced into Tang Xiu¡¯s body.


    ¡°Mine successor, the Yin Yang Divinity Lake is mine legacy, thus I bestowed thee with this Yin Yang Divinity Lake. Mine only cherished wish for thee, is to take mine path: walk the free and unfettered path!¡±


    As his voice fell, the humanoid old man turned into twinkling rays of light and stars, as they gradually disappeared between the Heaven and Earth.


    A long period of time passed by.


    Finally, Tang Xiu awakened from the mysterious sensation, yet he could clearly remember all the sentences said by the old man before he dissipated. Especially his last sentence: walk the free and unfettered path.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s body had fallen to the bottom of the disappeared Yin Yang Divinity Lake. As of now, he was in a half-squatted posture and stayed like that for a very long time. Finally, when Tang Xiu slowly raised his head and looked up at the blue sky, he let out a loud, crisp laughter.


    ¡°HAHAHA¡­¡±


    Such a colossal fortuitous encounter was beyond the sum of everything Tang Xiu had ever obtained in his 10,000 years in the Immortal World. He could clearly see the firefly-sized light in his Dantian, and could see the Yin Yang Divinity Lake residing in the space inside it. Not only was his body constantly being nourished by the liquid from the Yin Yang Divinity Lake, it was also nourished and enhanced by the lights shrouded above the lake. Within just half a day, his cultivation level had a faint signs of making another breakthrough.


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu¡¯s laugh came to an abrupt stop, his smile frozen. The black hole in his Dantian suddenly sent out an insane sucking force and directly swallowed the Yin Yang Divinity Lake.


    ¡°What the¡­ FUCK!!!¡±


    For half the day afterwards, angry curses and yelling came out from Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth.

 Chapter 536

    Chapter 536: The Benefits


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    _Crack¡­_


    As Tang Xiu furiously yelled, the entire space of the pocket world seemed to crack. The shattering sound, like a egg cracking, was clearly transmitted to his ears.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    With a drastically changed expression, information suddenly appeared in his mind, and he suddenly felt like wanting to cry yet was without tears. It was information the humanoid old man had left him, saying that the space of this pocket world would collapse after the old man dissipated, and that he would be teleported outside as long as he pulled out the divine sword in the distance.


    On a certain spot far away, Yang Le looked stupefied and tongue-tied as he gazed at the surroundings. Cracks appeared out of nowhere in the space, raising deep and intense fear inside his heart. Despite saying that he didn¡¯t have knowledge pertaining the existence of cultivation in the Dao, immortality, and divinity, the disintegration of the space now still made him desperate.


    ¡°Tang Xiu¡­ where are you, Tang Xiu?¡±


    Muttering in a shivering voice, Yang Le had no choice but to run towards the mountain.


    ¡°What exactly happened? Wasn¡¯t that mountain burning before? Where has that ice ladder gone? I¡­ what the¡­ how come that big mountain is collapsing?¡±


    When Yang Le was able to clearly see the faraway mountain, as his mouth gaped and opened wide as his body was suddenly paralyzed.


    _Whoosh!_


    A lightning-like silhouette came flying from afar. Yang Le only felt a pair of firm hands grabbed his shoulders and he was suddenly flying amid the clouds.


    ¡°Tang¡­ Tang Xiu?¡±


    Yang Le exclaimed in disbelief after he to rubbed his eyes to make sure his eyes didn¡¯t betray him.


    ¡°Just keep your mouth shut!¡± Shouted Tang Xiu. ¡°I know you have loads of things to ask, but now is not the time. I¡¯ll try to tell you what you wanna know after we leave this place.¡±


    ¡°En! En!¡±


    Yang Le repeatedly nodded as Tang Xiu took him ¡°flying¡±, causing his fear to fade away.


    _Boom¡­_


    When Tang Xiu¡¯s feet landed on the ground, he immediately released Yang Le¡¯s body and dashed toward the giant longsword that stood erect against the sky. An image of a sword appeared out of nowhere inside his mind as Tang Xiu focused his mind and his hands formed a series of hand seals.


    _Boom¡­_


    The layer of ash-gray substances on the surface of the giant longsword blasted out, and the 10,000 zhang long greatsword appeared in front of his eyes. Its size then reduced extremely fast and turned into a normal longsword within a few seconds. The sword revolved around Tang Xiu several times and emitted out buzzing sounds before drilling into Tang Xiu¡¯s body.


    ¡°To me!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mind focused to manipulate it, and the longsword appeared directly in his right hand, leaving an inscribed sword pattern on it.


    Quickly after, Tang Xiu returned to Yang Le. After he grabbed him, a longsword appeared out of thin air, and he stroke it the moment it appeared. As a space crack opened, Tang Xiu slipped into it while carrying Yang Le. The next moment, he and Yang Le appeared in front of the previous cave, standing on the platform covered with silk fabric.


    ¡°Move! This place is going to collapse!¡±


    Grabbing Yang Le, Tang Xiu dashed lightning fast to the top of the stairs. Just as he passed through the third portal, the gate loudly shut down. At this moment, the longsword in Tang Xiu¡¯s palm emerged out of thin air once again. At the same time, he firmly used it to slash the gate made of special materials. It was cut into two halves like tofu and Tang Xiu collected them into his interspatial ring.


    The second portal! The first portal!


    Using the same method, Tang Xiu collected them into his interspatial ring and rushed out to the surface.


    ¡°We finally came out!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s heart was beating wildly when as he recalled the bitter experience he had gone through inside. Although the Yin Yang Divinity Lake had been swallowed by the black hole in his Dantian, it had given great benefits to his cultivation. He originally thought that he would need at least ten years to reach the peak of the Viscera Transformation stage. Little did he expect that he would have such a colossal fortuitous encounter, mading it easy for him to achieve it.


    However, he knew perfectly well that such a boost in cultivation was both good and bad for him. The drawback was that he wouldn¡¯t be able to control his own power for a period of time, thus he must gradually familiarize himself with his current state while using his strength. Only then would he truly reach the peak level of the Viscera Transformation Stage.


    ¡°HOORAY! WE CAME OUT!!!¡±


    Yang Le felt like he had just escaped a disaster. He looked at the sunny weather with beautiful sunlight. Despite the chaotic scene, the smooth feeling brought by his breath moved him to tears.


    Suddenly, he turned to Tang Xiu and shouted, ¡°TELL ME! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED DOWN THERE?¡±


    _Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!_


    Four figures flashed from the entrance of the ancient tomb and suddenly appeared in front of Tang Xiu in the blink of an eye.


    ¡°Boss!¡± The four men called out reverentially.


    ¡°You guys go to the Long¡¯s Dining Hall and book a private box for me. I¡¯ll catch up with you later.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and smilingly said.


    ¡°Copy that!¡± The four men nodded and quickly left.


    Yang Le rubbed his eyes. He realized that the time spent for those four stalwart men appeared very short, and their departure was also very fast.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you guys¡­ exactly what are you, people?¡±


    ¡°Have you broadened up your mind after accompanying me today?¡± Tang Xiu laughed. ¡°Telling you is actually fine, but now is not yet the time. Like I told you before, you¡¯re not yet eligible.¡±


    ¡°I nearly died in the ancient tomb this time, and not even a shred of benefit did I get¡­¡± Yang Le screamed angrily. ¡°IS THIS YOUR ANSWER??!!!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s my answer,¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°If anything, I have offered you a good fortune already. If you can fulfill my request, I still won¡¯t take you as a disciple, but you can be sure that I¡¯ll regard you as a friend. The chance is yours to take.¡±


    Yang Le fell into silence. He stared at Tang Xiu for a long time before he asked, ¡°That opportunity you told me, does it include explaining what happened inside the ancient tomb and that particular space? Literally everything?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Tang Xiu directly nodded.


    Yang Le suddenly laughed. His smile was bright yet looked frenzied, for he felt that through Tang Xiu, he had finally seen a window to a magnificent novel world filled with mystery and never-before-seen things that were beyond his cognition and knowledge.


    Thus, he decided that, regardless the price he must pay, he would stick close to Tang Xiu like a dog-skin plaster to learn about that mysterious, magical world.


    ¡°I want it, Tang Xiu!¡± Yang Le stretched out his hand and restored his cheeky grin.


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes at him, ¡°The benefits will be great for you. Consider it as a reward for helping me opening those two portals. But don¡¯t ask for a mile after you got an inch, okay? Or else I¡¯ll annul your opportunity.¡±


    ¡°So, 5 billion, right?¡± Yang Le raised his head and asked.


    ¡°Yup, 5 billion!¡± Tang Xiu understood what he was asking. ¡°Of course, if you still want to give me 10 billion yuan, I¡¯ll be more than happy to accept it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Yang Le rolled his eyes and strode outside.


    Revealing a faint smile, Tang Xiu caught up with him after several steps. He then sent an instruction to the security guards and then strode outside. Although the space underneath had caved in, the construction above it had already collapsed, so Tang Xiu wasn¡¯t worried that it would cause casualties. Nevertheless, he still instructed the security guards to guard the perimeter and told them to not let anyone approach the landslide spot.


    More than an hour later, Tang Xiu and Yang Le arrived at the entrance of Star City¡¯s Long¡¯s Dining Hall. The security guards at the entrance had been replaced, thus he had to take out his membership card to be allowed to enter.


    Inside the presidential suite, Long Zhengyu had already arrived after having previously received a phone call from Tang Xiu. At this time, he looked weary and exhausted. Had it not been for the various things he needed to deal with, he may have fallen asleep at any time.


    ¡°So, what about your consoling duty?¡± Asked Tang Xiu after motioning for Long Zhengyu to sit on the sofa.


    ¡°Everything that could be done was done, yet dealing with the aftermath of a disaster can¡¯t be done all at once!¡± Long Zhengyu answered with a bitter expression. ¡°A lot of workers are dead and many got injured. This accident was really too big.¡±


    ¡°No one wants such an accident to happen. No one,¡± Tang Xiu sighed. ¡°Yet we must make sure to treat the families of the dead and injured workers well. It¡¯s all right to spend more money to compensate them, for it¡¯s about their future lives, since it also relates to the reputation of the Long Group as well.¡±


    ¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry about that!¡± Long Zhengyu nodded heavily.


    Upon hearing his answer, Tang Xiu no longer continued talking about this issue. He put his hand on Long Zhengyu¡¯s shoulder and began to massage him. His action made Long Zhengyu dazed and surprised for a moment, yet it immediately warmed his heart, causing his weariness and heavy feelings to gradually vanish.


    With Tang Xiu¡¯s very unusual massage technique, Long Zhengyu, who looked distressed and downcast, gradually relaxed. Tang Xiu¡¯s fingers then moved and began massaging Long Zhengyu¡¯s forehead, as he pressed his temple, causing him to slowly fall asleep.


    ¡°Carry him to the next room and let him sleep for three hours, and then wake him up,¡± instructed Tang Xiu to the four men who had arrived earlier.


    ¡°Understood!¡± The four experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall replied and then carried Long Zhengyu off.


    With a queer expression, Yang Le stared at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Tang Xiu, I just realized that you¡¯re very good to him. It¡¯s like¡­ he¡¯s a family member.¡±


    ¡°We are friends,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly.


    Yang Le was stunned.


    _Friends?_


    In his life, he used to think that his senior brothers were his closest relatives. Not until his Master passed away did he finally see their true faces, causing him to heartlessly sever any relationship he ever had with them. Aside from looking for women all day, he had been alone all these years.


    All of a sudden, he felt jealous and truly envied Long Zhengyu.


    The complex expression on Yang Le¡¯s face was noticed by Tang Xiu, ¡°Perhaps we¡¯ll become friends in the future as well. That is if you¡¯re willing to open your heart and devote yourself to our relationship.¡±


    Yang Le kept his silence for a long time before he spoke with a very serious expression, ¡°Then, I swear to God that I¡¯ll make sure to never steal your stuff in the future.¡±


    _Cough, cough¡­_


    His reply made Tang Xiu choke and be at a loss whether to cry or laugh. This guy wanted to befriend him, yet it was just the same as promising to not steal his stuff? This chap was really¡­ the best spare-tire among all spare-tires¡­ a rare, exotic marvel!


    ¡°If you dare to steal my stuff then I¡¯ll cut off your third leg!¡± Tang Xiu replied with a joke.


    However¡­


    It was exactly this sentence that caused Yang Le¡¯s head to shrink.

 Chapter 537

    Chapter 537: The One You Marry Will Die


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The Long¡¯s Dining Hall did have delicious dishes and delicacies, yet they were so expensive that it made people shudder. Despite having a lot of money, Tang Xiu felt somewhat unwilling when he had to pay the bill. He wouldn¡¯t have come here to burn his money if it weren¡¯t for Zhengyu.


    At noon, Zhengyu walked out of his room. He still looked sleepy, but he was much better. After seeing Tang Xiu, who was currently quietly reading a book on the sofa, he smiled and said, ¡°Tang Xiu, thanks a bunch.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Tang Xiu smiled faintly. ¡°Health is our most important capital. Anyways, you might as well contact Kang Xia today, and ask her to send you some our company¡¯s health products. It will improve your physical fitness after some time.¡±


    ¡°The Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s health products have finally been produced? When will it be released to the market?¡± Zhengyu¡¯s eyes lit up as he smilingly asked.


    ¡°It should be on the 1st,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    Long Zhengyu clasped his hands and smilingly said, ¡°That younger brother of mine has always been waiting for news of when the health products would be released to the market. Recently, he seems to be working on a project in Shanghai, and I heard that he is in need of quite a lot of funds. But you also know the recent situation of the Long Family. Most of our reserve funds are currently being invested in the Walled Hill Village, New City, and Nine Dragons Island. And that brat¡­ he¡¯s kinda short on funds, and quite a lot of it.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment, before he lightly replied, ¡°If you¡¯re willing to listen to me, don¡¯t help him even for a penny. An uncut jade won¡¯t be useful. He has grown up accustomed to an easy life ever since he was born. You must let him experience hardships in life. As a matter of fact, I would have directly thrown him into that situation if he were my blood brother, and not let him get even a penny from the family for a period of time, so as to make him experience how a man must strive to make money.¡±


    ¡°Are you really going to do that, Tang Xiu?¡± Asked Zhengyu with a strange expression.


    ¡°Not only that, I will even deliberately set up obstructions to make him stumble if opportunity permits,¡± said Tang Xiu with a cold smile. ¡°I¡¯ll intentionally pit and deceive him so that he will realize that making honest money is harder than swindling, for he must experience that heaven won¡¯t open its door unless he fights for it. He must know that life is hard and money is hard-earned. That will make him cherish life and make him mature faster.¡±


    ¡°Are you not afraid that he will hate you if he learns about it later?¡± Asked Long Zhengyu.


    ¡°If I¡¯m willing to give him all the wealth and inheritance of the family, even the position of the family head, will he hate me for that?¡± Tang Xiu rhetorically asked.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhengyu fell into silence. He suddenly understood Tang Xiu¡¯s intention. At this moment, however, he slightly regretted not having Tang Xiu as a close relative of his; of his own blood.


    _Ring, ring, ring¡­_


    A ringtone resounded. Tang Xiu took out his mobile phone and looked at the number displayed on the screen. He furrowed his brows, because Su Yaning¡¯s name was displayed there. He got her number from Wang Daoyuan when he was in Beijing, though he didn¡¯t expect that Su Yaning would actually call him.


    ¡°What do you need for calling me?¡± Tang Xiu asked straightforwardly after receiving the call.


    There was no reply from the mobile phone for a while, as a question then slowly unfolded, ¡°You seem to know that it was me calling you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Tang Xiu answered. ¡°I asked your cell number from Wang Daoyuan.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Why? Then why now? I just wanna know if you¡¯re dead or alive, so I can help grandma do something in the future!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Su Yaning fell into silence. She didn¡¯t speak, but Tang Xiu was not in a hurry as well. The phone call kept silent for five minutes before Su Yaning finally spoke with unusual emotion, ¡°Can you¡­ help my dad?¡±


    ¡°What kind of help?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I know you have the ability to get him out of prison ahead of time,¡± said Su Yaning.


    ¡°I do have the ability to do that, but it¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to do it,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°People, whoever they are, must pay for what they¡¯ve done. Two years, that¡¯s my bottom line. My anger won¡¯t subside if he doesn¡¯t stay in prison for at least that long. Of course, he can release himself earlier if he has the ability to do so, and I¡¯ll bother him no longer.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s between you and my dad that makes you discriminate him so, Tang Xiu?¡± Asked Su Yaning angrily.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean by discriminating him, but what I know is that whoever bullies my mother must pay quite a terrible price,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently.


    Once again, Su Yaning fell into silence. Only after a long while did she finally said in a bitter tone, ¡°I want to marry someone, and I want my parents to appear at my wedding.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re getting married?¡± Tang Xiu squinted his eyes. He then coldly snorted and said, ¡°Hmph, if you dare to marry someone, I have the means to make your husband fall into despair, misery, and misfortune regardless of who he is. If I¡¯m in a bad mood someday, perhaps this so-called husband of yours will be run over and become dead just like what your mother did, so you¡¯ll be a widow earlier. Also, I must reiterate once again, I¡¯m not afraid to make the one you marry die; I have enough personal contacts and money to do it.¡±


    ¡°You, you fucking bastard!¡± Su Yaning furiously bellowed.


    ¡°Asshole, bastard; that indeed I am,¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°But have you asked yourself why I became an asshole? I believe your family knows the best about my disposition in the past, isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    _Snap¡­_


    Su Yaning hung up the phone at once.


    As if seemingly having long expected that she would hang up, Tang Xiu called her again, but Su Yaning rejected the call. Tang Xiu kept dialing repeatedly and she kept rejecting, until Su Yaning finally connected his call, yet didn¡¯t speak at all.


    ¡°You can hate me, but I want you to take your time well to recall what you¡¯ve done before. That time, you were the one who framed me, and you were also the one who called the cops. If I hadn¡¯t changed, it would have been me in prison now! Now think, who in your family would get me out from prison?


    ¡°I¡¯ve said everything I wanted to tell you. And lastly, I advise everyone in your family, not limited to your parents. All of you are not children, it is time for you all to mature and act like adults.¡±


    After saying that, Tang Xiu directly hung up the phone and didn¡¯t give time to Su Yaning to reply.


    At the side, Yang Le tilted his legs. After seeing Tang Xiu hung up the call, he gave him a thumbs up and praised, ¡°Brother Tang, that¡¯s quite a personality. You take your revenge for your hatreds and say your complaint for your resentments. That¡¯s what a man should be. You must never be soft hearted to those who once wanted to harm you.¡±


    With a weird expression, Zhengyu glanced at Yang Le and lightly said, ¡°Yang Le, right? I do like Tang Xiu¡¯s personality, but I don¡¯t like yours. I hope you shut your mouth before you have figured out what the bottom of the matter is.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu himself didn¡¯t say anything, what rights do you have to tell me what to do?¡± Yang Le coldly snorted. ¡°Is there something wrong with what I said?¡±


    Giving Tang Xiu a glance, Zhengyu then gazed deeply at Yang Le and said, ¡°If the person in prison is Tang Xiu¡¯s biological uncle, and the one who called him is his biological cousin, then I ask you, what rights do you have to express your opinion regarding their family problems?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Yang Le was taken aback. As he watched the indifferent expression on Tang Xiu¡¯s face, his lips squirmed a few times, yet no words came out from him.


    Tang Xiu sighed inwardly. He looked at Zhengyu and said, ¡°I¡¯m going back to Shanghai, and I can only return to Star City in the holidays. Help me arrange things in the prison so that he doesn¡¯t suffer there.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I know what to do.¡± Long Zhengyu nodded.


    ¡°Also, remember to find out his behavior in there. If¡­ if he shows good behavior, then think of ways to get him out by the end of this year! Spend however much the money and relations to accomplish that.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said.


    ¡°For those who learn about this matter and don¡¯t know you, they may think that you¡¯re someone with a heart made of stone. But to those who know you well, you only look ruthless and heartless on the surface, yet you¡¯re actually soft inside,¡± said Zhengyu with a sigh. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! My family has the ability to accomplish that.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, I still have things to take care of. This guy will stay in your place here, entertain him well.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said.


    ¡°He can stay here as he likes!¡± Long Zhengyu looked at Yang Le and said. ¡°I also have loads of things to do.¡±


    ¡°Zhengyu, I¡¯m telling you to entertain him well. Also, find him several¡­ female companions,¡± said Tang Xiu with a forced smile. ¡°Don¡¯t offend this brat, I tell you. Though I can¡¯t tell what he can do, your Long Family will be in great trouble if you provoke him.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Long Zhengyu furrowed his brows with a puzzled expression.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and answered, ¡°This chap is a small thief, an ancestor level one. Do you want the valuable things in your Long Family to be stolen one day? Don¡¯t tell me that your family wants those stuff that must not be exposed to be stolen?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Long Zhengyu stared at Yang Le¡¯s proud expression. His face changed a few times before he eventually forced a wry smile and said, ¡°Got it. I know what to do.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy that you understand how to act according to the situation, Brother Long.¡± Yang Le gave him a thumbs up and praised. ¡°Anyways, I won¡¯t eye your family¡¯s stuff since you¡¯re Tang Xiu¡¯s friend, and forget about the women. I¡¯ll go out and depend on my own skills to find myself some flowers in the brothels!¡±


    Long Zhengyu forced a wry smile inside, yet he squeezed out an amiable smile on the surface. He knew what Tang Xiu was capable of. For someone who was praised by Tang Xiu as an ancestral level thief, that person was highly likely to be a godly thief. He naturally didn¡¯t want to provoke such a person.


    Tang Xiu then left Long¡¯s Dining Hall. Although he came here to have breakfast, now was lunch time, so he called Kang Xia to see him at his family¡¯s restaurant and then drove straight there.


    This time he came back in a hurry, though he had ample time to spend since he had already asked Han Qingwu for a leave. She couldn¡¯t say anything anymore even if he didn¡¯t go back to campus for a few days.


    ¡°Oh¡­ is this my family¡¯s restaurant?¡±


    As Tang Xiu stood at the entrance of his family¡¯s former restaurant, he looked up at the wide front door as well as the four welcoming ladies in cheongsam dresses.


    ¡°Welcome!¡±

 Chapter 538

    Chapter 538: Second Generation Nouveau-Riche


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The previous restaurant had been rebuilt into a four-storied restaurant. The entrance was particularly impressive and stylish with a total of eight facades on both sides. While the outside area was occupied by the facades, the space inside was allocated for the restaurant¡¯s rooms. The most important of all was that luxurious boxes had been built on the second, third, and fourth floors.


    ¡°Rising Dragon Pavilion!¡±


    The name of the restaurant had been changed as well. The last time Tang Xiu returned to Star City, he actually heard his parents mentioning it when they chatted.


    After entering the hall, Tang Xiu noticed that the cashier in the checkout counter had been replaced by someone unfamiliar. However, when he saw a woman wearing earphones named Sun Yue walking down the stairs, he immediately smiled. Sun Yue was the previous cashier of the restaurant, a diligent and honest woman.


    ¡°Hey, Sister Sun!¡± Tang Xiu called out to her with a smile.


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu, Sun Yue immediately looked pleasantly surprised and smilingly said, ¡°Ah, Little Boss, when did you come back? This is the first time you come here after our restaurant was reopened for business half a month ago, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I just returned to Star City to manage some things, and came here to have a look while convenient.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Anyways, I thought I was in the wrong place when I arrived outside! Why the changes?¡±


    ¡°Our restaurant business has always been good and many patrons come to dine here, to the extent that they must book a few days in advance,¡± said Sun Yue with a smile. ¡°Therefore, the Boss thought to buy all the original buildings and then carried out the reconstruction. Your Dad, in particular, is really great. He spent a lot of money to make the workers work days and nights. After taking quite some time, the new restaurant was been finally built, and the name of the restaurant was changed as well.¡±


    Tang Xiu felt relaxed and asked with a smile, ¡°Anyways, is my Mom here?¡±


    ¡°The Boss is in the office on the fourth floor!¡± Answered Sun Yue with a smile. ¡°Do you want me to take you there?¡±


    ¡°Nah, no need. I¡¯ll go there myself!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and smilingly replied.


    Right at this time, a middle-aged woman in work clothes came in followed by a few staff members wearing blue overalls and carrying a boxes of drinks. The worker cards on their chests showed that they were all employees of the Magnificent Tang Corporation.


    ¡°Manager Sun, these are 200 boxes of Gods Nectar. Please receive and sign the receipt,¡± said the middle-aged woman with a smile.


    Sun Yue nodded and replied, ¡°Thanks for the hard work.¡±


    ¡°Manager Sun, could you arrange for a few of your staff to help us move the goods from the truck?¡± Said the middle-aged woman. ¡°Today is the distribution day for the Magnificent Tang Corporation to ship our products to all of our shops in every part of the country. The workers are loading the goods into the containers, so only a few men followed us here.¡±


    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll immediately arrange some people to unload and move them,¡± said Sun Yue.


    The middle-aged woman nodded. She then looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Are you also an employee here? Hurry and move the boxes. But do remember to be very careful; the Gods Nectar of our Magnificent Tang Cor is very expensive. You won¡¯t be able to afford it if you drop and break it.¡±


    Tang Xiu stared blankly, and so did Sun Yue.


    Quickly after, Sun Yue recovered her senses and was about to speak as Tang Xiu waved at her and then rolled up his sleeve and smilingly said, ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll move them.¡±


    Without turning her head, the middle-aged woman turned and walked away.


    ¡°Little¡­¡± Sun Yue anxiously called, but Tang Xiu interrupted her.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. This is my own business, so helping with the work is fine. Anyways, just go do your work! I¡¯ll go find my Mom later,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile as he walked outside.


    In the open space outside the restaurant, the sounds of four medium-sized container trucks opening its back doors were heard. Tang Xiu casually came to the back of the truck and moved two boxes of Gods Nectar from the inside.


    ¡°Hey, hey, hey! Aren¡¯t you too bold? You want to move two boxes at once, who will take the responsibility if it falls and break? Put one down, and just carry one box!¡± The middle-aged woman cried out angrily.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t put the box down, and said with a smile instead, ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯m very strong. It¡¯s not a problem to move two boxes at once.¡±


    The middle-aged woman rushed to block his path and angrily yelled, ¡°No way! Even if you¡¯re a Superman, you must still move one box at a time. Do you know that this box contains six bottles of Gods Nectar? You should have heard about Gods Nectar, right? The price of a bottle is 18,888 yuan. How much is in these six bottles, do you think? Then how much is in the 12 bottles in these two boxes? In case you drop them, do you think your paycheck for a year will be able to compensate it? Put one of them down quickly, and only move a box at a time!¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Tang Xiu opened his mouth, yet he didn¡¯t know what to say. He actually appreciated this middle-aged woman¡¯s seriousness and responsibility on her work. She did that for fear of breaking a single bottle of Gods Nectar. Regardless, her attitude in communicating with others was so¡­


    ¡°Hey, what are you waiting for?¡± The middle-aged woman angrily said. ¡°Do what I tell you!¡±


    ¡°I can really move two boxes at a time,¡± said Tang Xiu with a forced smile. ¡°Let alone two boxes, even moving four boxes at once won¡¯t be a problem for me. Besides, I won¡¯t lose the money if I were to drop them, either.¡±


    The middle-aged woman was incensed, ¡°Was what I just told you not clear enough? Or is it that your confidence is so big? You think you¡¯re able to compensate for it, do you think you¡¯re the son of a rich family or something?¡±


    ¡°Your name is Shen Meiyun, and you should be a warehouse supervisor of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right,¡± answered Shen Meiyun with a proud expression.


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°Your responsible attitude toward your work really make me satisfied, but your attitude when you communicating with others is quite difficult for me to accept. Didn¡¯t the staff training the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s employees urge you to try communicating with others in the best possible ways?¡±


    Taken aback, Shen Meiyun was stunned. She didn¡¯t expect that a young employee of a restaurant would unexpectedly dare to educate her. Despite realizing that the issue lied in her manners, it was hard for her to accept it given the fact that she had a responsibility to bear. Her expression thus turned annoyed and angry as she scolded, ¡°Do you have the say to mind my attitude, huh? It¡¯s because you didn¡¯t listen to my advice and is adamant on moving two boxes of Gods Nectar, that¡¯s why I¡­ hmph, who are you, anyway? Why the hell do I have to explain myself to you?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and prepared to bypass Shen Meiyun. But just as he moved his feet, Shen Meiyun blocked him.


    ¡°What is wrong with you, young man? Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t understand human speech? I told you to move one box at a time, or don¡¯t move it at all! Do you really think you¡¯re a second generation nouveau-riche and have no place else to burn your money?¡± Yelled Shen Meiyun angrily.


    ¡°I really am a second generation nouveau-riche,¡± said Tang Xiu with a frown.


    ¡°If you¡¯re the second generation of the haves, then I¡¯m the first generation of moneybag!¡± Shen Meiyun rolled her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re still young yet is such a hopeless case. If you really are a second generation nouveau-riche, do you even need to work at this Rising Dragon Pavilion?¡±


    During the argument, Sun Yue walked out carrying papers and a pen, followed by a handful of porters. When she saw Tang Xiu and Shen Meiyun¡¯s standoff, she approached and asked with a confused expression, ¡°Little Boss, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°I told her I¡¯ll move two boxes, but she didn¡¯t let me and want me to move only one. And now she even stopped and forbid me to move them,¡± said Tang Xiu with a forced smile.


    Little Boss?


    Shen Meiyun was taken aback and stared blankly as she turned to look at Sun Yue and asked, ¡°Manager Sun, w-what¡­ what did you just call him?¡±


    ¡°Little Boss! He¡¯s the son of our Boss, so he¡¯s naturally the Little Boss of our Rising Dragon Pavilion,¡± replied Sun Yue.


    Shen Meiyun had small eyes, but after hearing this revelation, they turned perfectly round as a panicked expression appeared in them. As she looked at Tang Xiu, she shuddered and stutteringly said, ¡°B-Big¡­ B-Big B-Boss¡­ Ah right, right¡­ I-I¡¯m r-really s-sorry¡­ I-I d-didn¡¯t k-know it was you.¡±


    At this time, Shen Meiyun had succumbed to fear, because she knew who the owner of the Rising Dragon Pavilion was. The person who opened this restaurant was the mother of her Big Boss, the only son of this restaurant¡¯s owner. Since the young man before her was the Little Boss of this Rising Dragon Pavilion, it meant that he was her Big Boss!!!


    Heavens! What stupid thing had she just done?


    To think that¡­ she treated her own Big Boss as a porter and was so rude towards him, wouldn¡¯t that only result in her getting fired?


    ¡°Whether or not I¡¯m your Boss, you still shouldn¡¯t talk to others like this. Hasn¡¯t Kang Xia told you that every employee of the Magnificent Tang Corporation represents the face of the entire company? Anyways, forget it. Just put your best into your work after you go back,¡± said Tang Xiu with a forced smile.


    Shen Meiyun shuddered inside and hurriedly said, ¡°B-Boss, I¡­ I know my mistake. Please give me another chance and don¡¯t fire me! I¡¯ll definitely correct and won¡¯t make the Magnificent Tang Corporation lose face!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t fire you. But, you¡¯re going back to training. You will come back to your current job after the New Year!¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    Upon hearing it, Shen Meiyun immediately turned excited and said, ¡°Thank you, Boss, thank you so much! I¡¯ll report myself to the training department and correct myself according to your instructions.¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t speak again and directly bypassed her.


    With a strange expression, Sun Yue looked at the back of Tang Xiu before her eyes landed on Shen Meiyun, as she asked with a curious expression, ¡°Sister Shen, did you annoy Little Boss or something? He is a cordial person with great personality and is very kind to everyone! He even treats us, the staff, very well.¡±


    ¡°Manager Sun, why didn¡¯t you say before that he is the Little Boss of your Rising Dragon Pavilion, the Big Boss of my Magnificent Tang Corporation?!¡± Shen Meiyun sighed bitterly. ¡°He was going to move two boxes of Gods Nectar, and I was afraid that the goods would fall and break, so that I scolded him and asked him to move just one box.¡±


    _Pfft¡­_ Sun Yue gave her a thumbs up and praised, ¡°You actually reprimanded your own Big Boss? That¡¯s very amazing¡­ huh¡­ that¡¯s not right¡­. what did you just say? Little¡­ Is little boss the Big Boss of your Magnificent Tang Corporation? You¡­ are you kidding me?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you know that?¡± Shen Meiyun asked with a confused expression. ¡°I heard from the director of our winery. He said loads of things when he got drunk and said that the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation is the Little Boss of the Rising Dragon Pavilion. Hence, the director told us to be extra careful every time we deliver the goods here.¡±


    Sun Yue turned around to look at the restaurant¡¯s front door as tempestuous storm raging inside her heart. She finally realized the reason why the Rising Dragon Pavilion was the only restaurant able to buy Gods Nectar from the Magnificent Tang Corporation. It turned out that it was simply a family restaurant. Little Boss, he was¡­ really a good person. With such an aloof status he was actually that kind and genial, moreover he was willing to humble himself to act as a porter.

 Chapter 539

    Chapter 539: Ready for Action


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The 200 boxes of Gods Nectar had finally been moved half an hour after. Upon seeing the sweating, panting porters, Tang Xiu ran to a small shop nearby and bought every one of them two packs of cigarettes and a bottle of mineral water.


    ¡°Thanks a bunch, little bro.¡±


    The porters sincerely smiled and thanked Tang Xiu after receiving such a treatment. The pack of cigarettes was of a cheap, low quality smoke as it only cost 20 yuan a pack, and the water was only mineral water, but such a small thing made their hearts feel warm.


    After exchanging several polite words with them, Tang Xiu then turned to Sun Yue and said, ¡°Remember to provide two packs of cigarettes and a bottle of mineral water for them after they have delivered the wine later.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do that myself!¡± Sun Yue looked at Tang Xiu with a respectful expression.


    Smiling at her in response, Tang Xiu immediately walked to the elevator. After pressing the button, he watched the lively scene in the hall. It was a lunchtime, and only a few tables in the entire hall were unoccupied, whereas the rest, nearly forty plus tables, had been occupied by patrons, while the attendants served them with smiling faces.


    Looking at this scene made Tang Xiu very contented, because he knew how much his mother had paid to develop the restaurant this stage. He felt that everything was worth it as long as his mother was happy.


    As he arrived on the fourth floor, Tang Xiu found the general manager office through the nameplate and knocked its door. As the voice of his mother said to come inside, he then opened the door and walked inside.


    ¡°Why are you here, Xiu¡¯er?¡±


    Su Lingyun, who was sitting at the office table and reading a document, asked in disbelief when she saw Tang Xiu coming in.


    ¡°There was an accident on the construction site of the Long Family¡¯s project in Walled Hill Village, Mom,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Since our family also has some properties there, I hurried back from Shanghai to take a look at the situation, thus I came to see you while convenient.¡±


    ¡°Was it very serious, Xiu¡¯er?¡± Asked Su Lingyun hastily. ¡°Did you say we have some properties there? Are you getting implicated by it?¡±


    ¡°The accident has been managed and it will be finished soon,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom. It¡¯s a project handled by the Long Family and it doesn¡¯t relate to me at all, so I won¡¯t be implicated by it.¡±


    Su Lingyun felt relieved, and said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s great as long as you¡¯re okay. Anyhow, Xiu¡¯er, with you running here, will it delay your schooling?¡±


    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t know your son¡¯s academic performance, Mom,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°I have finished studying the first year¡¯s curriculum by myself already. I¡¯ve now been visiting the campus library besides attending classes every day. I¡¯ve studied and learned more knowledge so that I¡¯ll be more proficient and skilled in the future. Don¡¯t worry! My studies won¡¯t be delayed.¡±


    Su Lingyun smiled and nodded with satisfaction, ¡°I know that you¡¯re the best, sonny. Ah, right, it¡¯s your first time coming to our renovated family¡¯s restaurant, right? What do you think? It looks impressive now, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s very impressive!¡± Tang Xiu praised while giving a thumbs up. ¡°I thought I came to the wrong place when arrived! Furthermore, the business seems good, too.¡±


    Taking Tang Xiu to the sofa in the corner, Su Lingyun then smilingly said, ¡°It¡¯s more than good, it¡¯s great. Our restaurant is ten times larger than in the past, and we are jam-packed with patrons. I heard you saying back then that you wanted to count the money until your fingers get numb, and that¡¯s exactly what happened. I can¡¯t count the money by hand anymore.¡±


    ¡°Then, it¡¯s really great, right?¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing.


    After chit-chatting with Tang Xiu for a while, Su Lingyun then suddenly seemed to recall something and quickly asked, ¡°Eh, have you had a lunch after you got here, Xiu¡¯er?¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± said Tang Xiu, shaking his head.


    ¡°Then Mom will personally prepare it for you. Wait here!¡± said Su Lingyun and quickly got up.


    Tang Xiu hurriedly stopped her and smilingly said, ¡°Let someone else do it, Mom. You don¡¯t need to do it yourself. Besides, I¡¯m going to manage some issues today and will go back to Shanghai tomorrow morning. Let us have a good chat.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    Soon, fragrant dishes were delivered and Su Lingyun accompanied Tang Xiu until he was finished. Following that, mother and son chatted for a while before Tang Xiu left for the Magnificent Tang Group¡¯s edifice. On the way there, he phoned Kang Xia and learned that she wasn¡¯t there, but in the No. 6 warehouse. He then changed his direction and headed directly to there.


    Wearing an engineering outfit, Kang Xia greeted Tang Xiu along with seven staff members.


    ¡°Is this No. 6 warehouse going to store the health products of our company?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Yeah, our company is currently stockpiling a large number of our health products. We¡¯re doing it for a week more before shipping them to the major cities in the country. Also, we chose to use the hunger marketing model like we did previously as well, so we¡¯re going to distribute the goods four times each month with limited quota every week,¡± answered Kang Xia.


    ¡°Anyhow, I haven¡¯t asked the brand name for the health products. What is it to be called and how much is it going to be priced?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°The brand name is Health Vitae Elixir,¡± said Kang Xia. ¡°The price is the same as Gods Nectar¡¯s: 18888 yuan a box, which contains two bottles.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and smiled, ¡°Not bad. Are you still busy here? When will you return to the company?¡±


    ¡°I just checked the inventory in stock. We can go back now,¡± said Kang Xia.


    ¡°All right, let¡¯s go then!¡± Tang Xiu smiled.


    As dusk came, Tang Xiu, Kang Xia, and Andy had dinner together. After escorting them back to their residence, Tang Xiu then rushed to South Gate Town. On the way there, he contacted Chen Zhizhong and learned that the Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical had already carried out a business cooperation with the Everlasting Feast Hall, as the former would sell a large amount of valuable medicinal herbs to the latter.


    _Ring, ring, ring¡­_


    When Tang Xiu just drove through the front gate to the interior of South Gate Town, his mobile phone suddenly buzzed. After accepting the call, he said, ¡°Do you need something, Xiaoxue?¡±


    ¡°Boss, we just got a message that someone is currently negotiating for the lease of Clam Island in the South China Sea. You will definitely be interested in the identity of that person.¡± Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s voice came out of the phone.


    ¡°Who is he?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s someone from Beijing, from the Yao Family,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue.


    With a slightly changed countenance, Tang Xiu asked in a deep voice, ¡°Are you sure that it¡¯s someone from the Yaos? Who¡¯s in charge of negotiating the leasing of the island over there?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s confirmed that he¡¯s from the Yao Family. The person in charge is called Yao Xinhua,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue.


    ¡°The Yaos are going to rent an island in South China, what are they going to do there?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t investigated about that yet.¡± Gu Xiaoxue shook her head. ¡°The Yao Family is acting very low-key. In particular, that Yao Xinhua seemed to have bribed a few people there. If my inference is not mistaken, they will soon sign the contract with the government. Also, I¡¯ve sent some people to take a look at the island. The island is very good, and I think it will be very suitable for herbs¡¯ plantation. Additionally, there¡¯s another small island two kilometers away from Clam Island which is very suitable to rear fierce beasts.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face flickered and said in a deep voice, ¡°I¡¯ll immediately rush to Jingmen Island, then we¡¯ll continue discussing this issue once I get there. Delay the Yao Family in signing the contract with the government if possible.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Gu Xiaoxue replied.


    After the phone call ended, Tang Xiu called his mother, Su Lingyun, and told her that there was a trivial matter he needed to deal with, and that he would go back directly. He then contacted Yang Le and drove back to Shanghai.


    ¡°I really can¡¯t stand it, Tang Xiu. I drove all night long last night, and I only slept for four plus hours during the day. Now you are dragging me back to Shanghai in a hurry, and there¡¯s no way I want to shorten my life! Heck, no matter what, you drive!¡± Yang Le complained after having a seat in the car.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll drive. Got back to your sleep!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°For us to go back this fast, what exactly happened, Tang Xiu?¡± Asked Yang Le curiously.


    ¡°There¡¯s a personal issue I need to deal with,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°After returning to Shanghai, I¡¯ll just pack a few clothes and head to Jingmen Island. Why? Do you want to go with me?¡±


    Yang Le rolled his eyes, ¡°Bah, no way. I just realized that you¡¯re a conman who ensnares people. We had an agreement to divide the booty from that ancient tomb exploration, remember? And the result? I got nothing whatsoever. I was scared shitless and half dead, but I got no benefits at all.¡±


    A smile outlined on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth. He glanced at his depressed look and said, ¡°Who said you didn¡¯t get any benefits at all? You saw those magical and mysterious scenes back there. That should be your biggest benefit, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Bah, I couldn¡¯t care less about that,¡± Yang Le grunted. ¡°I saw what you did to the three gates with my own eyes. Though I don¡¯t know what means you used to make them vanish like that, I dare to bet that they must have been taken by you. You must share the booty with me once we get back to Shanghai.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°Properly speaking, I should indeed share the booty with you, but I changed my mind and planned to teach you some skills as a reward for your performance this time. Regardless, I still have another condition.¡±


    Yang Le was startled and hurriedly said, ¡°What is it? Tell me, tell me!¡±


    ¡°You must go with me to Jingmen Island,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What are you gonna do there?¡± Asked Yang Le.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to rent two islands in the South China Sea,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Yang Le stared blankly and asked in disbelief, ¡°You¡¯re going to rent islands? Are you so full already that you got nothing to do anymore?¡±


    ¡°I have great uses for them,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°So, are you coming with me or not?¡±


    ¡°I still need to know what shit you¡¯re gonna make me do,¡± replied Yang Le.


    ¡°What I need from you is still unclear as of now. But as long as you come with me, maybe it will be useful to you in the future,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll go with you, then!¡± Yang Le nodded. ¡°But we gotta make an agreement first. You gotta keep that promise to teach me those powerful skills of yours, got it?¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡± Tang Xiu smilingly nodded.


    Yang Le looked out of the window and said with a smile, ¡°Brother Tang, I found that, after being with you for this while, it was kinda fun and exciting. At the very least, I learned about another identity of yours after coming to Star City. Though I should have long guessed about that.¡±


    ¡°What identity, exactly?¡± Asked Tang Xiu casually.


    ¡°You¡¯re the young miracle-working doctor at Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, am I right?¡± Said Yang Le.


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°Everyone on Earth already knows this fact. You really think you are so awesome as the latest man who found out about it? Do you want me to praise you?¡±


    ¡°Bah, just drive!¡± Yang Le rolled his eyes and grunted.

 Chapter 540

    Chapter 540: The Eldest Disciple of the Thief Branch


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Under the light of the moon and the stars, Tang Xiu personally drove all the way through the high-speed road and arrived in Shanghai at two in the early morning. After he arrived at his villa in Bluestar Villa Complex, Tang Xiu did a simple packing and then went to the study room to release the fierce beast from the array.


    ¡°Do you want to go out to play with me?¡±


    Tang Xiu only asked once, but he saw the fierce beast repeatedly nod and look eager. He then smilingly said, ¡°Since you want to go out to play with me, then obediently stay in the villa tonight. I¡¯ll take you to somewhere outside and you won¡¯t have to stay inside the array again in the near future.¡±


    Following that, he took a bath and changed his underwear, and then dialed Long Zhengyu¡¯s number. As he guessed, Long Zhengyu hadn¡¯t yet gone to sleep, as his weary voice came out of the phone, ¡°You aren¡¯t asleep yet, Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an urgent matter, so I returned to Shanghai,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I will have to hand over the matter in Star City to you. But don¡¯t work too hard, though. Delegate the work if you¡¯re too tired.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I can still hold on. Anyways, is the problem troublesome? Do you want me to lend you a hand?¡± Asked Long Zhengyu.


    ¡°No, I can handle it myself,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Afterward, the two exchanged some pleasantries before ending the call.


    As morning came, Tang Xiu and Yang Le went to Jin Xingkui¡¯s residence. After handing over the architectural design he personally drew to Jin Xingkui, Tang Xiu hurriedly left and drove to Han Qingwu¡¯s residence.


    At the entrance, Han Qingwu was wearing a windproof coat and was currently fiddling with her mobile phone. When a car stopped in front of her, she put her mobile phone away, looked at Tang Xiu and complained, ¡°It¡¯s only half past six, Tang Xiu. It¡¯s been half an hour since you called me. I don¡¯t think you need to be in such a hurry, since we are just going to vacation, no?¡±


    With a serious expression, Tang Xiu said, ¡°I gotta correct you about that. I¡¯m not going Jingmen Island to sightsee this time. I have important things to deal with. Also, you can opt to not go.¡±


    Han Qingwu charmingly rolled eyes. She took her suitcase to the car¡¯s rear, opened the trunk and stuffed it inside, and then opened the door and straightly sat on the back seat.


    _Bam¡­_


    After the car¡¯s door was closed, Han Qingwu glanced at Yang Le, who was sitting on the front seat, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, then! Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to drive all the way to Jingmen Island?¡±


    Tang Xiu started the car as he slightly smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. We¡¯re indeed going to Jingmen Island by car, since it will really waste more time if we rush to the airport and wait for the flight to take off. My business will also be delayed. Anyways, let me introduce you. His name is Yang Le.¡±


    Han Qingwu looked at Yang Le. She gently nodded and said, ¡°What are you gonna do in Jingmen Island, Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t understand even if I tell you,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°This time, your only duty is to have fun. Consider it as a vacation. You don¡¯t need to worry about anything else.¡±


    Han Qingwu pursed her lips and turned her face to look out of the window. Though she really admired Tang Xiu for his achievement to build such a big business at such a young age, an achievement countless people are unable to achieve in their lifetime, yet she felt quite vexed and irritated inside. It was because she thought that she was his teacher, and Tang Xiu was her student. But Tang Xiu had unexpectedly surpassed her, and the gap was very big.


    Going to Jingmen Island from Shanghai was a distance of thousands of kilometers. Although Tang Xiu could manage to drive there by himself, Han Qingwu and Yang Le helped sharing the work halfway. The trio took turns to drive and arrived in Jingmen Island at four in the afternoon. After entering the urban area, Tang Xiu followed the GPS and headed directly to the HQ of the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    ¡°The scenery here is great!¡±


    Sitting on the front seat, Han Qingwu couldn¡¯t bear but sigh in praise after seeing the landscape, scenery, and manor on both sides of the highway.


    Tang Xiu glanced at her and drove straight inside. At the main gate, four experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall straightly opened the gate after seeing Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Grand Master!¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue, who was waiting in the parking lot, hurriedly came to greet him after he got off from the car. A group of Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s experts who saw Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival came rushing to the front and cupped their fists, ¡°Boss!¡±


    Tang Xiu slightly nodded, ¡°Attend to your duties!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± That group of Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s experts respectfully replied and left.


    While looking at Gu Xiaoxue, Tang Xiu said, ¡°What¡¯s the current situation?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve sent people to create obstructions, and the news relayed to us at noon said that the other party just came back from Clam Island and is now settling at Jingmen Island¡¯s Shengdi Luo Hotel. Also, Yao Xinhua is currently negotiating with senior officials of Jingmen Island; he should be waiting for the documents to be approved by the abovegovernment officials,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue.


    Tang Xiu nodded slightly and then pointed to Han Qingwu, saying, ¡°She¡¯s Han Qingwu, a teacher in my campus. She¡¯s on vacation, so she came along with us while convenient. Assign some people to settle her here and provide everything she needs as far as possible no matter what her request is.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll properly arrange her accommodations, Grand Master,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue with a nod.


    During their conversation, several people came and then guided Han Qingwu to the side room of the restaurant. Whereas Tang Xiu and Yang Le followed Gu Xiaoxue to a luxury suite.


    ¡°Give me all the information you¡¯ve investigated.¡±


    ¡°Please wait for a bit!¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue made a phone call, and quickly after, someone sent a stack of documents. On it was the result of the investigation conducted by the members of the Everlasting Feast Hall. Tang Xiu read the information with a serious expression, and then took out his mobile and dialed a cell number.


    ¡°Auntie, there¡¯s a small matter I need your help with.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Tang Min¡¯s laughter was heard from the cell phone.


    ¡°My men in Jingmen Island accidentally found something. The Yao Family seems to have made some movements in the South China Sea. When I had a bout with Yao Xinhua in the Southern region last time, he seemed to be preparing to rent islands in the South China Sea, and he is now currently communicating with the government. Auntie, can you help me investigate how is the progress of the Yao Family in renting these islands?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not mistaken, Tang Xiu?¡± Asked Tang Min in a deep voice. ¡°Is the Yao Family really renting islands in the South China Sea?¡±


    ¡°The news obtained by my men won¡¯t be wrong,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It seems that the Yao Family¡¯s plan is about to launch,¡± muttered Tang Min.


    ¡°What plan, exactly?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°Of the four top security companies in China, two of them are secretly under the control of the Yao Family,¡± said Tang Min. ¡°Our family has just received this piece of intelligence a while ago. From the person we bought the news, it is said that the Yao Family is going to set up a new security company to create an elite security company formed in the military format. Saying it simply, it will be the most elite armed force of the Yaos.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes squinted as he inquired more, ¡°Auntie, are you sure this news is reliable? If this is really the case, I think it¡¯s entirely possible for them to proceed smoothly. Once the Yao Family has shaped up the organization of their armed force, they will surely expose it under our noses. I can destroy this armed force and bring about an extremely bitter blow to the Yao Family.¡±


    ¡°The issue is not that simple. Even if the Yao Family forms their newest security company and train an elite armed force, they won¡¯t assign too many of their current armed forces there. Additionally, the Yao Family seems eager to make trouble as of recently. They have contacted many families in secret, saying that it¡¯s necessary to help them foster some elite talents. In actuality, how could these families train their armed forces and then hand them over to the Yao Family? However, those cooperating with the Yao Family will send some of their men to be tied up with the Yaos ahead of time. If some accident were to happen to their newest security company, I¡¯m afraid many families will be furious.¡±


    Tang Xiu fell into silence for a while, as he then nodded and said, ¡°Since complete destruction is not an option, then we can only stop the Yao Family¡¯s plan. By coincidence, I¡¯m also preparing to rent two islands in the South China Sea, and since the Yao Family didn¡¯t opt to strike us, then we¡¯ll be the first ones to take the initiative to dispatch armed forces. We¡¯ll try to make them come out empty-handed and eventually hit the place where they will form the security company.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll immediately send some people to investigate it. I¡¯ll inform you right away once I get the news,¡± said Tang Min.


    ¡°All right!¡± Tang Xiu replied and ended the call.


    At the side, Yang Le, whose eyes flashed with curiousness, inquired, ¡°Brother Tang, that Yao Family you just spoke about, is it the Yao Family of Beijing?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s them.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    A complicated look flashed in Yang Le¡¯s eyes, as he forced a smile and said, ¡°You wanted me to come with you this time, could it be that you want my help to deal with the Yao Family?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Answered Tang Xiu.


    Yang Le fell into silence for a while, as he then shook his head and said, ¡°Maybe I can help you if it was something else, but I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s nothing I can do in this matter. Since I came here with you, there¡¯s something that shocked me. This Everlasting Feast Hall has loads of experts. I don¡¯t think I have the craving to stretch my hands out in the face of so many people.¡±


    Tang Xiu frowned, ¡°I don¡¯t get you.¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang, there¡¯s something that you may not know,¡± Yang Le forced out a helpless smile. ¡°I¡¯m a member of Thief Branch of the Occult Sect. Although the Thief Branch is literally split up, my eldest senior brother is a Yao clansman, and he even has quite a status there. Although this eldest senior brother of mine has been staying abroad all these years and his shadow is rarely seen, I dare say that he must be planning something big.¡±


    Tang Xiu was taken aback, ¡°What is the name of this eldest senior brother of yours?¡±


    ¡°Yao Qinglong,¡± said Yang Le.


    Following that, Tang Xiu directly made a phone call to his grandfather, Tang Guosheng. He then got some information about Yao Qinglong from him. What made him wary was that, despite the known fact that Yao Qinglong was a Yao clansman and also had quite a status in the family, yet the fact that he was a disciple of the Thief Branch was not mentioned in the investigation.


    ¡°This will be a problem!¡±


    With a somber expression, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Do you know in which country your eldest senior brother is staying and what businesses he has abroad?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m clueless about that.¡± Yang Le shook his head and forced out a wry smile.

 Chapter 541

    Chapter 541: Being Hung Upside Down and Red Beet


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    While looking at Yang Le, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°You don¡¯t know anything about the situation of your eldest senior brother?¡±


    ¡°No, but it seems he¡¯s taking care of the business of the Yao Family abroad,¡± Yang Le shook his head. ¡°Nevertheless, I¡¯m really suspicious about that, considering how big my eldest senior brother¡¯s ambition is. He definitely won¡¯t give up the position of family head neither will he stay abroad so willingly just to deal with ordinary businesses.¡±


    ¡°The Yao Family is still hiding loads of secrets, it seems,¡± said Tang Xiu slowly. ¡° _Hmph_ , no matter how many secrets they hide, as long as they dare to oppose the Tang Family, then what awaits them is only extermination! Yang Le, answer me seriously, how is the relationship between you and your eldest senior brother?¡±


    Yang Le was silent for a while, before he shook his head with a bitter expression and said, ¡°It¡¯s not good. Our relationship is so bad that, even if we aren¡¯t enemies, we will never become friends either.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not enough. Help me out, you will become a friend of mine later, regardless. Also, don¡¯t forget that you have given me your word that you¡¯ll help me for that opportunity,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I¡¯m on board a pirate ship or something?¡± Asked Yang Le with a forced smile.


    ¡°You can regard it as you like!¡± Said Tang Xiu calmly.


    ¡°What do you want me to do, then?¡± Asked Yang Le.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send people to investigate the memorandum of understanding draft currently being prepared by the Yao Family and the government. You must steal it if it¡¯s necessary. As long as the MoU draft is missing, it will affect their progress and bring about a lot of troubles to them. Nevertheless, this is only a small part of my plan. We¡¯ll talk about the rest of the plan later,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What shall we do next, Grand Master?¡± Asked Gu Xiaoxue.


    ¡°Prepare to set off immediately to have a look at Clam Island. If the place is really suitable for the implementation of our plan, we must snatch it from the Yao Family no matter what means we employ. Yao Xinhua is a very talented guy and he¡¯ll definitely become the main pillar of the Yao Family in the future. We¡¯ll make him stay in the South China Sea for good if possible!¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I¡¯ll prepare the boat now, Grand Master,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you,¡± said Yang Le hastily upon hearing it.


    After silently watching the two of them leave, Tang Xiu re-read the information of the investigation conducted by the Everlasting Feast Hall. Countless thoughts swirled inside his mind as he silently thought of how to pay the lowest price and obtain the maximum benefits.


    In the hallway, Yang Le looked at Gu Xiaoxue with sparkling eyes and curiously asked, ¡°Xiaoxue, why did you call Tang Xiu Grand Master? Is he really your Master¡¯s Master?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Gu Xiaoxue smilingly nodded.


    Touching his chin, Yang Le said with a curious expression, ¡°Properly speaking, your Master should be old already, no? With such an old age, yet still willing to acknowledge Tang Xiu as a Master means that Tang Xiu truly has the ability. I¡­¡±


    As he spoke up to there, Yang Le suddenly felt that an invisible hand had grabbed his throat, causing him to be unable to utter a single word. However, what panicked him the most was not this, but the fact that he lost control over his own body. An invisible force had wrapped him and quickly lifted and hung him upside down in the hallway.


    ¡°GHOST!!!¡±


    While being hung upside down, as Yang Le tried desperately to loosen his neck, he suddenly saw Gu Xiaoxue making hand seals. He was as though being hung up inside the Ashura hell filled with lava, surrounded by a mountain of corpses and rivers of blood, whereas countless fiendish forms and evil spirits appeared inside.


    While standing in front of Yang Le, the corner of Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s mouth formed an arc of a smile as she turned around and walked away. Since Yang Le saw her, his eyes shined whenever he saw her, and that made her feel annoyed. If not because she was in front of her Grand Master, she would have made Yang Le suffer already. And now, he even dared to vilify her Master¡¯s age, it¡¯s something that forbearance was no longer able to tolerate!


    Only now did Yang Le regretted it. Had he known earlier that Gu Xiaoxue, whose beauty was akin to a celestial fairy, turned out to be a cruel and merciless woman with such terrifying abilities, he wouldn¡¯t have dared to provoke her even if he was killed! He would even stay far away from her and hide.


    The hellish world made Yang Le¡¯s legs shiver. If he could, he really wouldn¡¯t wait to beg and ask for mercy, hoping that Gu Xiaoxue could put him back.


    _Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!_


    Three ghostly figures silently appeared in the hallway. Quirky expressions were painted on the faces of three stalwart men upon seeing Yang Le¡¯s appearance.


    ¡°I forbid you to put him down!¡± An erratic voice rang at the ears of the three burly men.


    Immediately, the three big men let out a strange smiles, as all of them then retreated.


    Inside a luxury suite, Tang Xiu could clearly hear Yang Le¡¯s ¡®loud prayers¡¯ for help. When he released his spiritual sense and saw Yang Le hung upside down in the hallway, he was at a loss between laughter and tears. Although he didn¡¯t know how Yang Le made Gu Xiaoxue feel annoyed, he didn¡¯t feel like helping and putting him down since it was Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s doing.


    Ten minutes later, Han Qingwu walked down the hallway under the guidance of a woman. She wore an inconceivable expression when she saw Yang Le, who was hanging up upside down in the hallway.


    ¡°He, he, he, how did he¡­¡± Han Qingwu approached Yang Le and turned around to ask the woman with a stuttering voice.


    The woman smilingly said, ¡°I don¡¯t know, either. But no one else in this restaurant is able to do such a feat except Boss and Little Boss.¡±


    Nodding in response, Han Qingwu circled around Yang Le for a few times. She then raised her finger to touch her chin and a slightly blurred expression glinted in her eyes as she murmured, ¡°I seem to possess this ability as well. But, it¡¯s kinda strange that there¡¯s nothing binding him and no restraints keeping his feet planted on the top of the hallway and hanging him upside down like this, though. How should I do it?¡±


    Taken aback, the woman asked in astonishment, ¡°Are you also a cultivator, Miss Han?¡±


    Han Qingwu furrowed her brows and inquired, ¡°Cultivator? The term feels somewhat familiar to me. It¡¯s really strange. I seem to know tons of things, yet I don¡¯t seem to know anything about them either. _Ugh_ ¡­ my head hurts¡­¡±


    At this time, an erratic voice rang in Han Qingwu¡¯s ear, ¡°Since you can¡¯t recall it, you shouldn¡¯t try to recall it deliberately. You will remember it one day, I believe.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu?¡±


    Han Qingwu was startled and immediately walked forward. After opening the door to the luxury suite, she then saw Tang Xiu quietly sitting in the hall while smoking.


    ¡°You still don¡¯t want to tell me about that, Tang Xiu?¡± Asked Han Qingwu.


    ¡°Being anxious is not needed, for the time has yet to come for you, I think.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°And I believe that you will remember everything you once knew sooner or later, regardless. Also, I already told you that I have important things to deal with in coming to Jingmen Island this time, so I don¡¯t have the time to accompany you sightseeing. If you feel that the service provided by the Everlasting Feast Hall is unsatisfactory, you can leave on your own.¡±


    Han Qingwu rolled her eyes and grunted, ¡°Who said the services provided by the Everlasting Feast Hall are unsatisfactory? They prepared me the best room, and the service they provide me is great. I even decided to stay here before you finished dealing with your business.¡±


    ¡°If anything, there are many rules and customs you need to observe and obey in the Everlasting Feast Hall.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°If you want to stay here comfortably with vacation in mind, it¡¯s best not to violate the customs here. Tell me, is there something you need from me?¡±


    ¡°I just wanna ask how long it will take for you to finish your things,¡± said Han Qingwu. ¡°The campus only gave me a short time for vacation.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how long it will take,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°If your vacation is over and I have yet to finish dealing with my business, you can go back by yourself!¡±


    ¡°Okay! Pay attention to your safety, then.¡± Han Qingwu gently nodded after hesitating for a while.


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile, ¡°I¡¯m not a kid anymore. I know how to take care of myself. Anyways, are you hungry? I¡¯ve already instructed someone to prepare a meal. They should be delivering it soon.¡±


    ¡°I just so happen to be starving,¡± said Han Qingwu with a smile.


    After the savory dishes were delivered, Tang Xiu broke the illusion array that restricted Yang Le and brought the ghastly pale Yang Le back to the hall. After putting him on the sofa, he said, ¡°I¡¯m not related to whatever bitter experience you¡¯ve just encountered. She wouldn¡¯t have taught you a lesson if you didn¡¯t say something that annoyed or made her upset. Just take a rest and eat. Important are already waiting for us after eating.¡±


    Crawling up from the sofa, Yang Le¡¯s eyes were still filled with fear. He said in a trembling voice, ¡°B-brother Tang, y-you¡­ h-how do you have so many monsters? T-that X-xiao¡­ T-that Gu Xiaoxue looks like a celestial fairy¡­ b-but s-she¡¯s m-more frightening-than a-a witch.¡±


    ¡°I just heard someone shouting ¡®Ghosts!¡¯. That should be you, no?¡± Tang Xiu chuckled. ¡°Anyhow, you¡¯re someone from the Occult Sect. It would really be a huge joke if people from the Occult Sect feared ghosts, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    _Cough, cough¡­_ Yang Le choked and laughed, and his handsome face turned beet red.


    Han Qingwu¡¯s eyes widened in astonishment, ¡°Ehh? I never thought that Mr. Yang Le, whose mouth is so amazingly sharp, would blush out of embarrassment. It¡¯s really unthinkable. Then, I guess the person who said that word before should be him, right? Or else he wouldn¡¯t have blushed in embarrassment like this.¡±


    ¡°You guys¡­¡±


    Yang Le was miffed out of embarrassment. He fiercely glared at Tang Xiu and Han Qingwu as he staggeringly stood up and turned to leave, ¡° _Hmph_ , I¡¯m full already. I¡¯ll be waiting for you outside.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Han Qingwu burst into laughter.


    Just after dinner, Gu Xiaoxue hurried back. There was an invitation envelope in her hand as she came to Tang Xiu¡¯s front and said, ¡°Grand Master, this is an invitation from the Ouyang Family. They are holding a charity banquet in Sheraton Hotel. They hope the Everlasting Feast Hall can participate in the event. Also, I just received news that Yao Xinhua, who is currently in Jingmen Island, has also received this invitation.¡±


    Yao Xinhua?


    A cold glint flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he nodded and said, ¡°Since someone from the Yao Family will go, then I¡¯ll personally attend it as well. I will let that brat know who will send him to hell in the future.¡±

 Chapter 542

    Chapter 542: Meeting the Foe in Person


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Jingmen Island¡¯s Sheraton Hotel was located in the heart of the city¡¯s downtown area, an area where an inch of land was as valuable as gold. It covered a large area, and the entire hotel building was impressively stylish. The hotel was the first option for a lot of tourists who come from all over the country, hence the price was quite high.


    On the surface, the Ouyang Family was the most powerful family in Jingmen Island. After decades in business, the position of the family was difficult for other families to catch up to regardless of whether it was business network or social connection.


    Nearly all respected figures in Jingmen Island were invited to the charity party organized by the Ouyang Family; even foreign dignitaries also received invitations.


    At 5 PM, a luxury car entered Sheraton Hotel. Powerful figures in well-dressed outfits entered the hotel and were warmly welcomed by Ouyang Lei as they entered the hall. At nearly 6 MP, Ouyang Lei looked at his watch, turned to look at his nearest man and asked, ¡°How many of the invited have yet to arrive?¡±


    ¡°About ten plus,¡± whispered a gentle, middle-aged man.


    Ouyang Lei squinted his eyes. As he noticed a luxury car driving in and stopping in front of him, he glanced at it and quickly came to greet, since he found that the person inside was an acquaintance. After exchanging several pleasantries, and the other party entered the hotel¡¯s lobby, an ordinary SUV then stopped near him.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Ouyang Lei¡¯s expression moved, before it was replaced by pleasant surprise upon seeing that it was Gu Xiaoxue. However, Tang Xiu¡¯s figure appeared as he had yet to arrive in front of Gu Xiaoxue.


    ¡°Goodness, how are you here, brother-in-law? How have you been?¡± Ouyang Lei directly ignored Gu Xiaoxue and walked toward Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes and looked at Ouyang Lei, whose expression was that of pleasant surprise, and then said, ¡°Can you change your of addressing me? Even if you don¡¯t think of me, at least do it for your younger sister, please? She isn¡¯t married yet, and calling me brother-in-law will damage her reputation.¡±


    Staring blankly for a moment, Ouyang Lei immediately patted his own head and said, ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right! My little sis isn¡¯t married to you yet, so you can¡¯t be considered as my in-law yet. Then, you¡¯re my prospective brother-in-law. This address should be correct, no? Hahaha¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu glanced at Yang Le, who came out from the driver seat, and said, ¡°Remember this guy. I give you one night. Make him anxious to seek me tomorrow.¡±


    Yang Le looked at Ouyang Lei with a strange, scrutinizing look, and then nodded with a smile, ¡°No problem. You can consider it done already.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? What is this?¡± Asked the confused Ouyang Lei.


    ¡°I won¡¯t introduce you to him for the time being,¡± said Tang Xiu with a faint smile. ¡°You will know who he is tomorrow. Also, I¡¯m kind of a guest too, aren¡¯t you going to warmly welcome me, as the host?¡±


    Laughing, Ouyang Lei said, ¡°That won¡¯t be needed. I definitely won¡¯t exchange false pleasantries with you. You can attend any charity party organized by our family whenever you want. Anyways, it¡¯s almost time for the event to start. Let¡¯s go inside together.¡±


    After entering the lobby, they took the elevator to the 26th floor. When they were about to enter the banquet hall, Tang Xiu asked with inattentive expression, ¡°I heard you also invited the Yao Family. Are they here yet?¡±


    Looking vacant for a while, Ouyang Lei quickly realized something and hastily said, ¡°Future brother-in-law, don¡¯t act reasonably today! I know that your Tang Family and the Yaos clashed recently, but today, the powerful figures in the entire Jingmen Island are here. My family won¡¯t be able to deal with the aftermath if an accident were to happen.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t provoke them if they don¡¯t provoke me,¡± said Tang Xiu with a slight smile.


    Ouyang Le nodded silently, ¡°Yao Xinhua has arrived along with several people. They should be inside right now.¡±


    Tang Xiu no longer spoke. After entering the banquet hall with Ouyang Lei, he saw hundreds of people inside. The hall was fortunately very large, as it could accommodate thousands of people, so it didn¡¯t seem too crowded. Under the soft illumination of the crystal lights, tables full of wine and delicacies could be seen everywhere, whereas the powerful figures were gathered in groups of three to five people and chatting on various topics.


    ¡°What is the purpose of your family in organizing such a magnificent event today?¡±


    ¡°Putting it plainly, it¡¯s just a simple charity donation,¡± said Ouyang Lei smilingly said. ¡°The Ouyang Family has been organizing this kind of event almost every year. However, the charity party seems to have changed its meaning along with the passage of time, though. It has become a grand meeting for private exchanges between business elites, officials, and powerful figures in Jingmen Island. As of now, every successful figure in Jingmen Island takes the invitation of my family to this banquet as an honor that they can be proud of, or something like that.¡±


    It dawned upon Tang Xiu as he thought about how the Ouyang Family could become the most prominent influence in Jingmen Island. He was sure that they must have many other means to accumulate social connections and network all this time, and this charity party was only one of those.


    ¡°All right! You don¡¯t need to accompany me since you¡¯re the host of the party. Attend to your duty, we¡¯ll have more time to talk later,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Ouyang Lei smilingly nodded. He indeed had the duty of entertaining the guests, since he was the future successor of the Ouyang Family. It would be quite unjustified for the other guests if he were to keep accompanying Tang Xiu.


    With his departure, Gu Xiaoxue, who was walking alongside Tang Xiu, became the focus of many people¡¯s attentions. She leaned toward Tang Xiu and whispered, ¡°Grand Master, pay attention to the two o¡¯clock direction. The young man in white suit, with straight combed hair to the back, is the one who is touted as the most skilled junior of the Yao Family¡¯s latest generation¡­ Yao Xinhua.¡±


    Tang Xiu set his eyes ahead and saw the handsome and tall Yao Xinhua, who was now holding a glass of red wine and merrily chatting with several big figures. As if sensing that someone was watching him, Yao Xinhua glanced around for a few times before his and Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes finally met.


    Tang Xiu gave him a cool smile and then turned toward the rest area in the corner. It was his first time seeing Yao Xinhua today, and he admitted that the young man indeed possessed a silver bearing and good brains. He could tell that Yao Xinhua also had quite some abilities. This type of person may be terrifying for many people, but he was nothing to him. Maybe if that old man, the head of the Yao Family was to come here, only then would Tang Xiu pay attention.


    At the two o¡¯clock direction, after Yao Xinhua saw Tang Xiu, his expression turned solemn and serious. A cold glint flashed in his eyes, as he could feel a killing intent gushed out from him. In the first bout with the Tang Family in the Southern region, he was completely routed by Tang Xiu¡¯s strikes. He, who was originally in high spirits and persistently delivered heavy blows on and was prepared to rout the Tang Family, finally ended up in total defeat and lost two provinces completely. It happened so fast that it ended up in vain for him. The strategy employed by the Tang Family rendered him unable to react and come to support his forces in time, and everything he did to cope with the situation was always too late.


    The end result was simply miserable.


    His Yao Family and the families that were on good terms with them suffered quite a heavy blow, and he was forced to retreat in defeat time and time again. All of his achievements were turned into nothing, causing him to be forced to retreat back to Beijing.


    At that time he was furious and aggrieved, because he couldn¡¯t figure out who his real adversary was. Only until later, after conducting investigations through various channels, did he finally found that the real culprit was the missing offspring of the Tang Family. The fellow named Tang Xiu, he was the one who took over the battlefield in the Southern region and literally played him this miserably.


    He thus regarded Tang Xiu as his mortal enemy in this life. Even until now, he had been preparing himself, looking forward to play again with Tang Xiu in the future, to wash all the shame and humiliation he had gotten from him. However, seeing Tang Xiu all of a sudden made his heart tighten despite having already prepared himself for the occasion.


    _Why did he appear here?_


    Yao Xinhua kept his cool and wasn¡¯t affected by the killing intent. Countless thoughts swirled inside his head, as he silently figured out the purpose of Tang Xiu appearing here. Logically speaking, Tang Xiu should now be in Shanghai studying.


    _Don¡¯t tell me¡­ it¡¯s because my family¡¯s plan of renting an island in the South China Sea?_


    As Yao Xinhua thought up to there, his heart immediately felt tight, and a vigilant look appeared in his eyes. It must be noted that this plan of the Yao Family was very important. If they could complete it, the Yao Family would continue to grow and their armed forces would progress and expand rapidly. As long as the plan went smoothly, the Yao Family would be able to stand proudly in the capital as the most powerful family.


    ¡°Excuse me!¡±


    Keeping a cordial smile on his face, Yao Xinhua spoke to the people around him. Then, he carried his glass of red wine and walked to the corner. There, he took out his mobile phone and dialed a cell number.


    ¡°Dad, it¡¯s me!¡± Spoke Yao Xinhua in a whisper.


    ¡°What is it?¡± A majestic voice replied from the phone.


    ¡°I met Tang Xiu in the charity party organized by the Ouyang Family in Jingmen Island, Dad,¡± said Yao Xinhua. ¡°I suspect his sudden appearance in Jingmen Island must be related to our family¡¯s upcoming plan that is about to be implemented.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu?¡± Yao Chengqing¡¯s voice brought a doubtful tone. ¡°Which Tang Xiu are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Tang Xiu from the Tang Family,¡± said Yao Xinhua.


    Yao Chengqing fell into silence for a while. As if suddenly recalling something, he suddenly spoke in a heavy tone, ¡°The Tang Xiu whom you competed against in the Southern region? The brat who was missing from the Tang Family for 20 years?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s him!¡± Said Yao Xinhua.


    Yao Chengqing was silent for a moment, and then said in a grim and cold tone, ¡°There must be no mistakes in implementing the plan this time. Although you¡¯re there just to smooth things over, you¡¯d better avoid trouble. With a member of the Tang Family suddenly appearing in Jingmen Island, that means they have noticed something already. In this case, find a chance to make this Tang Xiu stay in Jingmen Island forever.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Dad.¡± Yao Xinhua¡¯s face moved. ¡°He¡¯ll meet his maker for sure, and it will be carried out silently.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t take it lightly. He¡¯s in the shadows and you¡¯re in the light, so take your own security as the first priority,¡± said Yao Chengqing. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t go well, then retreat at once. I believe your uncle will be able to do it very secretively.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know what I¡¯m capable of,¡± said Yao Xinhua. ¡°I won¡¯t take the initiative to strike without 100% certainty. I¡¯ll immediately retreat should the slightest sign of trouble arise.¡±

 Chapter 543

    Chapter 543: Fight


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    After ending the call, Yao Xinhua waved to a nearby middle-aged man. After the man came over, he then whispered to him, ¡°Divide our men into two groups and have them hide nearby. Also, place a sniper on the opposite building and wait for my next orders.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± The middle-aged man replied and left with a cautious expression.


    A cold glint flashed in Yao Xinhua¡¯s eyes. He took a cigarette pack from his pocket but put it back after recalling where he was. However, his eyes penetrated through the gaps in the crowd and looked at Tang Xiu, who was sitting in a remote corner.


    At this time, Tang Xiu tilted his legs and sat quietly on the sofa in the corner of the banquet hall. His eyes observed all the guests, whose faces were all smiling. He never liked this kind of banquet, for charity was nothing but only a flaunting banner; whereas the true purpose inside their minds was something else altogether. It was far from being as pure as it was supposed to be.


    Nevertheless, he could understand how these people thought as well. They were all mortals, and doing such mundane things were what ordinary people did; this fact was a common knowledge for cultivators. Managing such a complicated personal and social connections if they wanted to set a foothold in society, they must seize every opportunity and obtain all the benefits they could get whenever they made friends with each other. Only by doing that could they better develop their careers and obtain more wealth in the future.


    ¡°What is it? You don¡¯t like the scene here?¡± Tang Xiu looked at Gu Xiaoxue, who was sitting across from him, as a trace of a smile appeared on his face.


    ¡°Yeah, I really don¡¯t like it,¡± replied Gu Xiaoxue with a gentle nod.


    ¡°It¡¯s you who were willing to come along. Don¡¯t force yourself if you really don¡¯t like it.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°Go back! And tell our men to prepare the ship. We¡¯ll head to sea after this charity party is over.¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue hesitated for a moment before she got up and said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be waiting on the boat.¡±


    Sitting next to Tang Xiu, Yang Le watched Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s back as she left. His strained expression finally relaxed. The experience of being hung upside down in the hallway made him wary and afraid toward Gu Xiaoxue, thus he felt uneasy whenever Gu Xiaoxue was around him.


    Huff¡­


    Yang Le secretly breathed a sigh of relief and forced a smile, ¡°Brother Tang, I¡¯m really curious about something. How can you have such a grand-disciple?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t she great?¡± Tang Xiu chuckled. ¡°Xiaoxue is such a cute and well-behaved kid. She¡¯s pretty good, too!¡±


    Cute and well-behaved?


    Yang Le almost spurted out a mouthful of blood and secretly grunted inside,Yeah, yeah, yeah. She¡¯s all good and respectful towards you, even treating you like an ancestor. But towards me¡­


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking. If anything, as long as you don¡¯t take the initiative to provoke her, she definitely won¡¯t act against you,¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said. ¡°I know how you love pretty women, but don¡¯t mess with women whom you don¡¯t know anything about, or else you¡¯ll be in for big trouble later.¡±


    ¡°What you said is spot on.¡± Yang Le said with certainty. ¡°I gotta be more vigilant when dealing with women later. The saying that a woman¡¯s heart is more lethal than a hornet¡¯s sting is very true.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so extreme.¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing. ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s forget about these boring things, shall we? You have only tonight. I hope Ouyang Lei to be in a restless state everywhere before I get back from Clam Island.¡±


    ¡°An adage says that brothers keep the account in a clear and straight manner, Brother Tang.¡± Yang Lee flicked his fingers. ¡°How will you thank me if I help you tonight?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m planning to provide you with a small opportunity. If your performance is satisfactory, then the chance will be a big one,¡± said Tang Xiu with a faint smile,. ¡°Ten times. Your strength will be promoted by at least ten times as long as you do well.¡±


    ¡°Deal!¡± Yang Le got up with excitement. ¡°A man can never take his own words back. I¡¯ll investigate everything about Ouyang Lei. Wait for my good news!¡±


    ¡°Then off you go!¡± Tang Xiu laughed. ¡°Stay in the Everlasting Feast Hall before I get back from the sea and help me investigate the Yao Family while convenient as well.¡±


    ¡°Copy that!¡± Yang Le gave his word and quickly left the banquet hall.


    The charity party began at 6 PM. As the host, Ouyang Lei delivered his speech with great enthusiasm, and then invited his father, Ouyang Wenzhen, to come to the podium and to deliver his speech. It was Tang Xiu¡¯s first time seeing Ouyang Wenzhen, a quite dignified person with an imposing aura, and his gestures gave off the vibe of a great person.


    Tang Xiu recalled Ouyang Lulu¡¯s request to visit the Ouyang Family. Although he promised her to do so, he had yet to honor it. In actuality, it was not so much that he wanted to go back on his word as it was because he didn¡¯t want his relationship with Lulu to turn more complicated.


    The charity party proceeded very quickly, and the subsequent events of the charity auction unfolded smoothly. The auctioned items were not precious, and there was nothing that could enter Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. Hence, he didn¡¯t spend his money on anything at all and regarded himself as a bystander as he quietly stayed in the most inconspicuous corner while observing Yao Xinhua.


    At the end of the charity auction, some bought something they liked, showing favor and buying the Ouyang Family¡¯s friendship. In a short note, the charity auction couldn¡¯t be considered as successful, regardless.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    By the time the cocktail party started, Yao Xinhua finally appeared in front of Tang Xiu carrying a glass of red wine.


    Still sitting on the sofa with tilted legs, Tang Xiu looked up at Yao Xinhua without much attention. The corner of his mouth slightly arched, and then he smilingly said, ¡°Ah, it turns out to be the defeated general! I never thought you would dare to take the initiative to appear before me. Are you not afraid that I¡¯ll cut off your head myself and make it into a chamber pot?¡±


    Yao Xinhua let out a sneer and turned to sit down on the opposite sofa. He gently sipped the red wine and then lightly said, ¡°An old adage says that both victory and defeat are common things for generals and soldiers, and the winner who can laugh at the end is really elusive. As for me, I¡¯m looking forward to what kind of performance you will have in the future!¡±


    ¡°You can be sure that I¡¯ll have many chances in the future to have good performances and achievements in the future, but I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll have few chances to participate in them.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°Anyhow, you may not like to hear what I¡¯m gonna say, but of all people in your Yao Family, only the old family head is worthy of me to look at. As for the others¡­ Hehehe!¡±


    Giving him a thumbs up, Yao Xinhua didn¡¯t look angered due to Tang Xiu¡¯s contempt. On the contrary, a bright smile appeared on his face as he smilingly said, ¡°I got you! I was kinda filled with anticipation that the Tang Family would give me some pressure and motivation after I got back from abroad. But the other members of the Tang Family are too weak, so weak that they didn¡¯t give me the slightest stimulation. Luckily, you appeared. I¡¯m glad the Tang Family found you, otherwise, I¡¯d still feel bored even if the Tang Family was destroyed later.¡±


    Tang Xiu smirked ¡°Great! You have pride carved in your bones and confidence in your blood. A pity that I already incited one-third of my opponents¡¯ fear already. If I knew that I was so rude to you in Fukang, I would have acted gentler and perhaps would have obtained a better harvest.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, a man will not be stranded by things already in the past. Do you want to make a bet with me?¡± Replied Yao Xinhua with a sneer.


    ¡°Say it! How do you want to play?¡± Tang Xiu shrugged his shoulders.


    ¡°Let us bet on ourselves. Who will leave the hotel while standing and who will lie down? Do you dare to bet with me?¡± Asked Yao Xinhua.


    ¡°What¡¯s the stake?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°You can choose,¡± said Yao Xinhua.


    ¡°Fine! Then let¡¯s take the common option. We¡¯ll bet with money!¡± Tang Xiu chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ve been quite poor recently, I can¡¯t even eat in the cafeteria on my campus. How about 1 billion RMB?¡±


    ¡°So little?!¡± Yao Xinhua sneered. ¡°1 billion it is! That¡¯s just the way I like, to always show myself in a rich and imposing manner.¡±


    The smell of gunpowder filled their every exchange. And as they were now engaged in a psy-war, they wanted to strike each other¡¯s minds with words. Unfortunately, both of them were mentally tough, thus they were not very affected.


    ¡°Gimme your cell number.¡± Tang Xiu took out his mobile phone and flicked his fingers.


    Yao Xinhua curled up his mouth, ¡°You wanna know my cell number? Do you wanna personally message me, by chance? Didn¡¯t someone in your family give you my cell number?¡±


    ¡°I never liked troublesome things,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I¡¯m the same. I kinda hate troublesome things, too,¡± said Yao Xinhua with a nod.


    After saying that, he told Tang Xiu his cell number.


    Tang Xiu quickly typed a short message and sent Yao Xinhua his name and a bank account that only had a small amount of savings. He then got up and smilingly said, ¡°I sent my bank account to you. Just remember to transfer the money to my account early tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re that confident, huh?¡± Yao Xinhua mocked.


    While maintaining his smile, Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I am very confident. You¡¯ll see.¡±


    The next moment, Tang Xiu¡¯s figure instantly appeared in front of Yao Xinhua, his speed extremely fast. Despite Yao Xinhua himself not being an average person, he wasn¡¯t able to sense Tang Xiu¡¯s action. His body quickly turned stiff, as his sight then turned black and he fainted shortly after. Tang Xiu¡¯s body flickered and disappeared silently from the banquet hall without anyone noticing.


    The purpose of his coming here today had already been achieved, thus he didn¡¯t feel like wasting his time here anymore. He didn¡¯t kill Yao Xinhua given the 1 billion yuan gambling money. He also thought that, by oppressing Yao Xinhua, he could eradicate more of the Yao Family¡¯s influence.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The moment he stepped out of the hotel, a cold glint burst out from Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. He could keenly sense that numerous eyes were staring at him, and the sense of crisis which rose inside his heart made him instantly release his spiritual sense.


    Fifteen men, all armed with firearms. But it¡¯s not them who¡¯s giving me a sense of threat, however. It¡¯s someone else. It should be¡­ a sniper who¡¯s hiding somewhere else, since only a hidden sniper can give me such a feeling.

 Chapter 544

    Chapter 544: Stamping About in Fury


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Had it been in the past, Tang Xiu¡¯s first reaction would be to escape and look for a solid shelter. But now, he didn¡¯t care about sniper bullets at all. Though he did feel a threatening feeling, he could face it with ease, for he was fully confident of being able to evade the bullets of the opposite party. Even if there was hard resistance, he believed that the bullets couldn¡¯t penetrate his skin, much less injury him.


    This confidence was brought by the surge in his cultivation level. After having gone through a fortuitous encounter in the ancient tomb, his strength had soared by more than 100 times. And, perhaps, he had already surpassed the level of Shao Mingzhen and Miao Wentang.


    Those who aim at me with their muzzles are as good as dead!


    With his eagle-like sharp vision, Tang Xiu shot a look at the opposite building. Like a tidal wave, his spiritual sense spread out toward the direction of the opposite building and instantly discovered the targets who were behind the windows of a tenth floor room. Two silver needles instantly appeared on his hands. His fingers flicked, as the two silver needles streaked across the sky and accurately pierced the spot between the eyebrows of the two snipers that were 100 meters away from him.


    He snorted coldly. He didn¡¯t even want to check whether the two men had completely died, and just casually organized his collar. After taking back his spiritual sense, he then walked toward the coming car.


    ¡°Take me to the docks,¡± said Tang Xiu calmly after taking a seat.


    Bright Pearl Harbor of Jingmen Island was a large dock. Aside from luxury passenger ships and yachts, there were also heavy cargo ships. The liner prepared by the Everlasting Feast Hall was precisely anchored here.


    ¡°Grand Master!¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue immediately came out from the luxury liner after obtaining the news of Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival. The liner was tens of meters long and was able to accommodate at least 100 people on board, although it was not a large liner. At this time, there was no attendants on board, only the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people.


    Operating this luxury liner was an easy task for the dozens experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall. Everyone aboard the ship, including the chef, were all experts of the restaurant.


    ¡°Are you all ready?¡± Asked Tang Xiu calmly after boarding the luxury liner.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re all ready.¡± Gu Xiaoxue nodded. ¡°We can set sail at any time. It will only take eleven hours to reach Clam Island if the weather is good, so we¡¯ll arrive there about tomorrow in the morning.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°Get ready to sail!¡±


    Sheraton Hotel¡¯s grand banquet hall¡­


    The charity party had concluded and the guests were leaving. However, more than ten experts of the Yao Family still wandered, lingering around the rest area in the corner and looking confused. Their eyes were fixated on Yao Xinhua, who looked to be in a deep sleep, but no one dared to wake him up.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Ouyang Lei had sent away a group of guests and was a bit drunk. A strange expression appeared on his face after seeing Yao Xinhua and the Yao Family¡¯s men.


    An expert of the Yao Family shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s our young master. He seems to be asleep.¡±


    Ouyang Lei was at a loss between laughter and tears, ¡°To think he can sleep in this occasion, your young master is really a wonderful marvel. Anyways, the charity party is over, just wake him up! You should have rented a room in the hotel if you¡¯re sleepy, why did you have to sleep here?¡±


    The several experts of the Yao Family looked embarrassed. One of them nodded slightly, as he went to Yao Xinhua and called out, ¡°Young Master, we should leave.¡±


    There was no movement, Yao Xinhua still remained asleep and didn¡¯t move at all.


    The eyebrows of that Yao Family¡¯s expert furrowed. He then touched Yao Xinhua with his hands and his complexion suddenly changed after realizing that there was no response. He exerted more strength to shake Yao Xinhua¡¯s body, but the result was still the same.


    ¡°Not good, something¡¯s wrong!¡±


    Immediately, several experts of the Yao Family gathered around and looked panicked. They were experts of the Yao Family who were responsible to protect Yao Xinhua¡¯s safety. Severe punishment would be waiting for them if something happened to him.


    Ouyang Lei walked over and frowned. He tried to shake Yao Xinhua¡¯s body several times, and then immediately said after realizing that there was no response, ¡°Instead of being drunk, he seems to be¡­ call 120 immediately, and have the hospital¡¯s rescuer staff quickly come here.¡±


    The expert of the Yao Family who first discovered the condition of Yao Xinhua stretched his hand out to pick him up and said in a heavy voice, ¡°Calling 120 is not needed. We¡¯ll immediately send the Young Master to the hospital. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you,¡± said Ouyang Lei quickly.


    Ouyang Lei perfectly realized that this matter couldn¡¯t be separated from his family, as it happened in their charity party. No to mention that he also wanted to know what happened to Yao Xinhua, so he followed them.


    An hour later, at the First Public Hospital of Jingmen Island, president Zhuang Yuanxiu frowned deeply. He read the information about Yao Xinhua¡¯s physical examination report and couldn¡¯t speak for a long time.


    ¡°What exactly is the situation of our Young Master, Dr. Zhuang?¡± Asked an expert of the Yao Family.


    ¡°The results from the examination show that his body is very healthy. We can¡¯t find a reason as to why he remains unconscious.¡± Zhuang Yuanxiu shook his head and forced a smile. ¡°Thus, we must conduct a comprehensive examination on him, but it will take much time and I¡¯m afraid we can only have the full results tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°President Zhuang, our Young Master¡¯s life won¡¯t be in danger, right?¡± Asked the Yao Family¡¯s expert rapidly.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. Through the routine inspections we found his life is not in danger. On the contrary, his body is very healthy and there¡¯s no injury at all.¡± Zhuang Yuanxiu shook his head. ¡°However, his comatose state is very unnatural, and I can¡¯t say for sure about the specific situation he¡¯s in right now. I need to perform a comprehensive examination before I can make a diagnosis.¡±


    That Yao Family¡¯s expert was silent for a moment, and then nodded, ¡°Then we¡¯ll have to trouble President Zhuang. I¡¯ll immediately relay the situation to the family. I hope that your hospital¡¯s staff can produce the examination results faster.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured!¡± Zhuang Yuanxiu replied and turned his head to look at Ouyang Lei.


    ¡°President Zhuang, you can say freely if you have something that the Ouyang Family can render our assistance to,¡± said Ouyang Lei.


    ¡°Not for the time being. Please have a rest first, all of you! Give the patient to us and the hospital to take care of. I¡¯ve instructed the person-in-charge of the Inpatient Department to send a team to look after him 24/7.¡±


    ¡°All right. Thanks for the hard work.¡±


    Ouyang Lei acted very polite and exchanged a few words with the Yao Family¡¯s people before taking his leave. Since the hospital had yet to find what¡¯s wrong with Yao Xinhua, then him staying wouldn¡¯t have much meaning. Furthermore, he didn¡¯t like Yao Xinhua. Not because of Yao Xinhua¡¯s arrogant personality, but mainly because he was the mortal enemy of his future brother-in-law.


    Late at night, in a certain upscale villa complex in Jingmen Island, a Mercedes-Benz Sedan slowly entered the area and drove through the electric gate in an open villa. The driver opened the rear seat door and respectfully escorted Ouyang Lei out of the car. Ouyang Lei was still a bit drunk, but the cool breeze helped restore his spirit.


    ¡°Strange, how come the lights are already on?¡± Ouyang Lei whispered. After telling the chauffeur to leave, he strode inside and went directly to the villa¡¯s living room. He had been living his life in a very low-key manner despite being the young master and future successor of the Ouyang Family; only a few people knew about this secret residence of his.


    ¡°Sister Chang?¡±


    Ouyang Lei looked around. The housekeeper, Sister Chang, used to wait for him in the living room. But today she wasn¡¯t here, thus the foreboding feeling inside his heart grew more intense. Cautiously, he walked to the left corridor and knocked on door of the room where Sister Chang usually stayed. There was no response at all, thus he immediately pushed the door open. He found the lights lit but no one inside.


    ¡°Where¡¯s she?¡± Ouyang Lei frowned. The foreboding that filled his heart turned into a bad premonition. However, when he returned and went to the next room¡¯s door, he immediately discovered Sister Chang asleep in the guest room bed.


    His tight heart suddenly relaxed. He smiled, shook his head and turned away to leave, heading to the second floor. There, he habitually opened the door to the study room, but his pupils abruptly shrunk as a panicked look filled his eyes upon seeing the scene inside.


    Everything inside the study room was a mess, and things were fallen over everywhere. Of the things he particularly cherished, the expensive writing set had been carelessly thrown to the floor and the ink was spilled on the floor. The study room¡¯s bookcases had its doors opened and the books on it were messed up, and even many of them were discarded on the floor.


    A thief!!!


    Ouyang Lei dashed toward the cloakroom. When he saw that the cloakroom had been similarly turned upside down, he instantly sprinted to the innermost wardrobe.


    ¡°FUCK!¡±


    All the clothes in the wardrobe had been randomly thrown everywhere. On the cabinet wall, the hidden safe had been left open, and all the extremely highly valuable items had vanished. He may get distressed over the gold, jewelry, and antiques, but it was still within the limits he could bear. But¡­ there were the very important account books of the Ouyang Family in the safe, and the contents recorded in those account books contained some businesses of the Ouyang Family that must not be exposed to light.


    ¡°This is a huge problem!¡±


    Ouyang Lei¡¯s lips quivered, and the effect of wine on him was completely obliterated. After taking a few deep breaths, he quickly took out his mobile phone and dialed a cell number.


    ¡°Father, an accident happened. My house was burglarized by a thief and, not only all the valuable things were stolen, even the account books I use to record the important businesses of our family were also stolen. Once¡­ once the records on those account books are exposed, the Ouyang Family will be in for a huge trouble.¡±


    ¡°Curse it!¡± Ouyang Wenzhen¡¯s angry voice was heard cursing in the phone.


    Half an hour later, Ouyang Wenzhen, leading dozens of Ouyang Family¡¯s experts, caught up. When he saw the ghastly pale Ouyang Lei, who looked panicked and alarmed, he sternly shouted, ¡°Tell me everything! You must not miss even half a word. And tell me, why the hell did you record so many important account books of our family in a place with such a bad security in the first place?¡±

 Chapter 545

    Chapter 545: Panicked and Confounded


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    With a bitter expression, Ouyang Lei explained about the situation he found after returning tonight, and then said, ¡°The account books were actually kept here for a few years, because I think this place is the safest and most covert place. Who would have thought¡­¡±


    ¡°Who would have thought?¡± Ouyang Wenzhen angrily yelled. ¡°Who would have thought that a thief would appear here, huh? I thought you were a cautious and prudent person. I didn¡¯t expect you to¡­ You really tick me off! If we can¡¯t retrieve the account books or the records are exposed, Ouyang Family will suffer a huge blow. Even those who have been eyeing us will surely strike at that time!¡±


    ¡°What are we going to do then, Father?¡± Asked Ouyang Lei with a panicked expression.


    Taking a deep breath, Ouyang Wenzhen tried to calm his anger and said, ¡°What to do, you ask? I must first find that thief who stole the account books even if I must turn the whole Jingmen Island upside down. The most important of all is to find and get those account books back. Also, inform all those in-charge of our gray businesses to immediately suspend their operations. Destroy everything that must not be exposed, and tell them to lay low!¡±


    Repeatedly nodding in response, Ouyang Lei thought deeply for a while and then asked, ¡°Do we inform Lulu about this? Tell her to suspend the operations of her Paradise Club¡¯s business?¡±


    ¡°Is there any records related to the Paradise Club in your account books?¡± Asked Ouyang Wenzhen in a deep voice after pausing for a while.


    ¡°None, but I¡¯m afraid¡­¡± Ouyang Lei shook his head.


    Ouyang Wenzhen nodded, ¡°Then, inform her! Although the Paradise Club was established by Lulu, it¡¯s also an industry belonging to the Ouyang Family. Now that our account books are lost, if someone were to make a fuss about anything related to our family, I¡¯m afraid each and every of our businesses will be targeted by them.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Ouyang Lei nodded and forced a smile. ¡°Today was really strange. Tang Xiu came uninvited to the charity banquet, and the young master of the Yao Family¡ªYao Xinhua fell into a strange comatose state. And now this happened in my own place¡­ This feels¡­ abnormal¡­¡±


    ¡°What is this abnormality you¡¯re speaking about?¡± Ouyang Wenzhen frowned.


    The previous scenes flashed inside Ouyang Lei¡¯s eyes. As though recalling something, he immediately took out his mobile phone and called Tang Xiu. He was left extremely depressed upon finding that his phone was turned off.


    ¡°Father, I¡¯m going to the Everlasting Feast Hall,¡± said Ouyang Lei in a deep voice.


    ¡°What are you gonna do there?¡± Asked Ouyang Wenzhen.


    ¡°I suspect that the burglary and the stolen things here must be related with the Everlasting Feast Hall. Precisely speaking, it must be related to Tang Xiu,¡± said Ouyang Lei.


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Asked Ouyang Wenzhen.


    ¡°The bizarre incidents that took place today, I think all of them have something to do with Tang Xiu, for he suddenly came to attend the charity party today,¡± Ouyang Lei said. ¡°I was planning to take him to you after the banquet ended, only to find that he had left early on. You should also know the relation between the Yao and Tang Families. And the place where Yao Xinhua fell into a comatose state, it was precisely the innermost corner¡¯s rest area where Tang Xiu was staying. Also, I still clearly remember that Tang Xiu told a young man next to him to memorize my face because I always call him s my prospective brother-in-law. He gave the young man one night to do something and even said to make me see him tomorrow morning.¡±


    With a strange expression, Ouyang Wenzhen inquired, ¡°You always call Tang Xiu your future brother-in-law?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I call him.¡± Ouyang Lei said with an awkward expression. ¡°It¡¯s because of Lulu. She¡¯s so adamant and vehemently says that she must marry Tang Xiu. She even gave up and left the Paradise Club and took all of her money to Shanghai, to open a restaurant manor or something. Her purpose was so clear that it can be tacitly understood. Hence, I thought of Tang Xiu not as an outsider, treating him like a close relative.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Ouyang Wenzhen was at a loss between laughter and tears, ¡°That¡¯s really ridiculous! The prospective future son-in-law of the Ouyang Family? I myself have never seen him, is this what you¡¯re supposed to do? Whether your younger sister likes him, that¡¯s her business, but you of all people can¡¯t force him to marry Lulu. If what you said is really true, then it may be Tang Xiu who made this prank to troll us. In this case, I¡¯ll accompany you to the Everlasting Feast Hall. After meeting him it will be very clear to us whether Tang Xiu is really the one behind it.¡±


    ¡°But father, is it really appropriate that a prospective future father-in-law to see his prospective son-in-law? It¡¯s fine going by myself. I¡¯ll drag him over and you can ask him whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°You still have the guts to joke at this time? You know how important those account books are to our Ouyang Family, don¡¯t you? Stop saying rubbish and follow me!¡± Ouyang Wenzhen chided.


    One o¡¯clock in the night, a dozen cars stopped at the outermost gate of the Everlasting Feast Hall. Four stalwart men with cold expressions looked at Ouyang Lei, who came out of the car, and said in a cold voice, ¡°Mr. Ouyang, the Everlasting Feast Hall is not opened for guests at this time. If you want to dine here, please come back tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t come here to dine, I came to find Tang Xiu,¡± said Ouyang Lei.


    The stalwart man knitted his brows, ¡°Have you made an appointment?¡±


    ¡°No, but I have a very important matter that I need to speak with him.¡± Ouyang Lei shook his head. ¡°I must see him immediately.¡±


    The stalwart man shook his head and replied, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. If you don¡¯t have an appointment, I can¡¯t allow you to enter. Please come back again tomorrow morning if you have something to speak to him.¡±


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for Tang Xiu turning his mobile phone off, did you think that I¡¯d come here personally?¡± Ouyang Lei was incensed. ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit me. Contact him immediately and tell him that I have something important that I need to see him about. Also, tell him to come to see me.¡±


    The stalwart man shook his head and said, ¡°Even though I want to inform the Boss, but he hasn¡¯t come back yet, so I can do nothing about it.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu hasn¡¯t come back yet?¡± Asked Ouyang Lei.


    ¡°Yes!¡± The stalwart man nodded.


    ¡°Tang Xiu hasn¡¯t come back, but Gu Xiaoxue should have come back by now, right?¡± Asked Ouyang Lei.


    ¡°Our Little Boss isn¡¯t back yet as well,¡± said the stalwart man.


    ¡°You¡¯re lying to me, aren¡¯t you?¡± Ouyang Lei angrily yelled. ¡°Tang Xiu is my future brother-in-law. He¡¯ll become a family member of our Ouyang house. Now, I have important things that I need to see him about, and yet you guys are obstructing me. Tang Xiu will definitely punish you later. Allow us to pass immediately, we must go inside.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± The stalwart man naturally knew that Ouyang Lei was Ouyang Lulu¡¯s biological brother, and was also aware that the relationship between Ouyang Lulu and his Boss was out of the ordinary. Even the relationship between the Little Boss¡ªGu Xiaoxue and Ouyang Lulu was akin to sisters.


    ¡°What¡¯s up here?¡±


    The patrol team of the Everlasting Feast Hall arrived, as a middle-aged man whose rank was slightly higher came forward and asked in a deep voice. The stalwart man then explained the situation, and even said the relationship between Ouyang Lei and Tang Xiu.


    The middle-aged man looked at Ouyang Lei with a smiling face and said, ¡°Mr. Ouyang, properly speaking, I shouldn¡¯t reveal the whereabouts of my Boss. But since you¡¯re not an outsider, then I might as well tell you. Our Boss and Little Boss are currently sailing to the sea tonight, and I don¡¯t know when they¡¯ll return.¡±


    ¡°They are going to the sea?¡± Ouyang Lei frowned. ¡°What are they doing so late at night at sea?¡±


    The middle-aged man shook his head, ¡°That I don¡¯t know! But what I just told you is the truth.¡±


    Ouyang Lei fell into silence for a while before he walked back to the car and reported the situation to Ouyang Wenzhen, as the latter then finally said, ¡°Assign someone to stay and wait for Tang Xiu. Report immediately once he comes back. As for us, let¡¯s go back first.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    At this time, amid the groove of trees a few tens of meters away from the gate, Yang Le clammed a toothpick on the corner of his mouth, as a faint smile outlined on his handsome face. He had indeed spent quite some time and energy to find Ouyang Lei¡¯s residence and ¡®did¡¯ something there. The result seemed to be very good as it even made Ouyang Lei bring a lot of people and come here so late at night.


    Pity that Tang Xiu has already gone to the sea, though. Ouyang Lei, even if you come back early tomorrow, I¡¯m afraid you still won¡¯t be able to see him. Hahaha¡­ just agonize for a while!


    Yang Le muttered to himself and then disappeared into the woods with a grin.


    However, just as he had left for half a minute and was not across the woods yet, a large hand stretched out from behind a tree and grabbed his neck from the back.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, then stay still.¡±


    A deep and low voice sounded behind Yang Le.


    Despite being strong mentally, Yang Le was still scared out of his wits and shocked due to the sudden incident. He was very confident in his skills, more so toward his topmost ability in hiding and concealment. But he didn¡¯t expect that he, who was always extremely alert, didn¡¯t sense the slightest presence of the opposite party.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t misunderstand me!¡± Yang Le¡¯s voice somewhat shivered as he raised his hands in an instant. ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu¡¯s friend, a VIP guest of the Everlasting Feast Hall.¡±


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Three ghostly figures flashed, and the iron-clamping hand was removed from the back of Yang Le¡¯s neck. These three experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall were the ones on patrol duty and surrounded Yang Le in the middle of a triangle battle formation. One of them scrutinized Yang Le before he cupped his fist and said, ¡°Mr. Yang, I¡¯m sorry. But the Everlasting Feast Hall has a rule that it¡¯s not allowed to stroll out of the accommodations area in the middle of the night. It¡¯s just that your stealthy movements back then made us unable to find you earlier.¡±


    Yang Le rubbed the back of his neck. He sized up the three men with a scared and frightened look, and then forced a smile and said, ¡°What are you people in the Everlasting Feast Hall? Monsters? I¡¯m a famous godly thief, yet I feel that after meeting you guys, all of you are more suitable than me in this sneaking about business, no?¡±


    ¡°Sorry!¡± The big man replied once again.


    Squeezing out a bitter smile, Yang Le waved his hand and said, ¡°Before Tang Xiu left, he told me the many customs of your Everlasting Feast Hall. Forget it, since you forbid me to stroll around late at night, then I¡¯ll go back to sleep. Remember not to tell anyone about me, though.¡±


    ¡°I understand!¡± The big man nodded.

 Chapter 546

    Chapter 546: Running into Cheng Yannan


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    A luxury passenger ship sailed toward the south by cutting through the rippling waves of the blue sea. Tang Xiu was standing on the bow holding a teacup, while calmly looking into the distance. After sailing for a night, the sun had risen from the distant sea surface, as the silhouette of an island in front could be faintly seen.


    ¡°That¡¯s Clam Island, Grand Master.¡± Gu Xiaoxue walked on the lotus step and quietly appeared behind Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What you said is true. This island is really suitable for herb plantation. It has sufficient spiritual qi, and the growth of herbs will be enormously aided with a great array of Feng Shui being laid out later. That¡¯s right, have our people explored this island already? How big is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s 5.1 kilometers long, 3.6 kilometers wide, and the highest point of the terrain is about 12 meters. The island consists mostly of woodland, and there¡¯s a natural lake with a diameter of 200 to 300 meters. Also, after members of the Everlasting Feast Hall who are proficient in pharmacology conducted an exploration of the island, they discovered several kinds of precious herbs, some of which are medicinal herbs in the list you made.¡±


    ¡°This island has been isolated from humans for many years, so it¡¯s only natural that precious medicinal herbs will grow here under the nourishment of abundant spiritual qi.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and lamented. ¡°If my guess is correct, their ages should be quite high. Am I right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there are more than a dozen plus strains of precious herbs aging more than a thousand years,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue with a smile.


    ¡°These millennium, precious herbs would definitely fetch an extremely high price if they were to be sold in the market. Pity that there are only a few people in the world who have the essential knowledge about herbs, and even fewer came to this island. Thus, these medicinal herbs could be preserved for such a long time,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    During their conversation, the distance from the passenger liner to Clam Island was only a few kilometers away. As per Tang Xiu¡¯s order, the liner didn¡¯t stop on the north coast of Clam Island, but circled around it. And Tang Xiu could clearly see another island that was several kilometers away on the southern side of Clam Island. The island seemed smaller than Clam Island, but its terrain was slightly higher, with its highest point at 30 to 40 meters.


    ¡°Boss, we noticed a small liner on the southern coastline of Clam Island.¡± The long-time chief instructor in the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s HQ¡ªGao Feng strode forward. He was holding binoculars in his hand as he spoke with a cold expression.


    ¡°I already noticed it.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and replied lightly.


    Gao Feng stared blankly and his expression turned strange. It must be noted that their liner was located ten plus kilometers away from the coastline of Clam Island, and even if the sight of ordinary people could see the island, wasn¡¯t it very difficult to spot a small liner anchored on the coastline?


    Unless¡­ that person possessed eagle eyes.


    Gu Xiaoxue glanced at Gao Feng¡¯s strange expression and lightly said, ¡°Wait until your cultivation level has reached our level, then you¡¯ll be able to see things several kilometers away clearly.¡±


    Gao Feng¡¯s eyes lit up, and he immediately nodded respectfully.


    ¡°There¡¯s someone on that liner. If my guess is correct, that should be a liner belonging to the Yao Family; and they have also noticed us.¡± Tang Xiu said lightly. ¡°Instruct the others to be on standby!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Gao Feng replied and immediately returned to the cabin.


    Quickly, Tang Xiu¡¯s liner approached the shoreline, whereas, aboard the small liner, four stalwart men carrying firearms stood on the deck with stern expressions.


    ¡°THIS IS A PRIVATE ISLAND, LEAVE IMMEDIATELY!!!¡±


    A bald man, whose eyes glinted with a cold and grim look, shouted sternly through a megaphone.


    However, Tang Xiu¡¯s liner didn¡¯t heed the other party¡¯s warning. After stopping tens of meters away from the small liner, Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxue jumped out and set foot on the reef along the shore, as Gao Feng and another ten plus experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall followed behind.


    ¡°STOP!!!¡±


    The four stalwart men rushed over at them headed by the bald-headed man, who shouted angrily.


    ¡°You guys shouldn¡¯t be good people given that you¡¯re holding firearms. Since you said that this is a private island, then I ask you, what is the owner¡¯s surname?¡± Said Tang Xiu lightly.


    ¡°The surname of the owner is Yao!¡± The bald-headed big man proudly said. ¡°Do you know the Yao Family from Beijing? This island has been acquired by our Yao Family and is now our private island. I don¡¯t care who you are. Leave immediately, or else don¡¯t blame us for turning rude.¡±


    ¡°The Yao Family? What a domineering Yao Family, huh?¡± Tang Xiu coldly looked at him and then spoke, ¡°Kill them!¡±


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Four lightning-like figures flew toward the four big men of the Yao Family, their speed extremely fast. Unbeknownst to them, a sharp dagger suddenly appeared in their hands.


    ¡°FIRE!!!¡±


    The bald-headed big man¡¯s complexion greatly changed, as he then aimed the muzzle of his gun at the rushing figure and pulled the trigger without a shred of hesitation. However, they couldn¡¯t hit the four experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall despite firing many times. The experts were extremely fast, as 20 meters was traversed in the blink of an eye. The sharp dagger in their hands slashed and accurately pierced the necks of the frightened four big men of the Yao Family despite their efforts of dodging the strike.


    Bam¡­


    Four lifeless bodies fell on the sandy beach.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes were cold. A glimpse of light flashed from the small liner not far away as he flicked a silver needle. The silver needle penetrated through the glass and pierced the glabella of a man who was holding a sniper gun.


    ¡°Go! Kill everyone on that liner!¡± Tang Xiu squinted his eyes, a cold light glinting from within.


    Quickly, the four experts dashed toward the small liner without hesitation. As spearheads, their roles had made their hands stained with blood, but they didn¡¯t question Tang Xiu¡¯s order and moved without hesitation.


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Tang Xiu, who was currently watching as his four men rushed into the small liner, suddenly had his face change. A look of disbelief flashed in his eyes, as he instantly retracted his spiritual sense.


    ¡°What is it, Grand Master?¡± Gu Xiaoxue turned her head and asked in surprise.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t answer, but strode toward the small liner instead. As he approached the liner, his feet floated up and he stepped in the air, finally stepping on the deck.


    ¡°Heavens! This is¡­¡±


    Apart from Gu Xiaoxue, Gao Feng and the ten plus experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall were dumbfounded and tongue-tied upon seeing Tang Xiu float midair and board the passenger liner. Their hearts thumped faster. Although they were perfectly aware that one could fly in the air after their cultivation broke through to a high level, yet witnessing such a miraculous scene with their own eyes still shocked them.


    ¡°Every one of you- Out!!!¡±


    Tang Xiu stood on the bow of the liner and sternly shouted.


    At this moment, inside the cabin of the small liner, a dozen crew members and attendants of the ship came out of the cabin. Most of them were men, and there were four women among them, one of whom was a familiar face that Tang Xiu never dreamed of being here, much less in this kind of situation.


    ¡°Tang¡­ Tang Xiu?¡±


    Cheng Yannan also never expected to meet Tang Xiu here and looked a bit flustered, even her heartbeat hiked up and thumped faster.


    Tang Xiu furrowed his brows deeply. While pointing to Cheng Yannan, he shouted in a deep voice, ¡°Kill all of them but her!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The four stalwart men acted very quickly. Screams and yells unfolded as they killed dozens of people at great speed. Under Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s command, their dead bodies were removed and left on the shore.


    Burp¡­


    Acid water came out from Cheng Yannan¡¯s mouth. She had never seen such a bloody scene before, causing her to bend and vomit. A frightened expression was painted her face, as if she couldn¡¯t believe that the order just issued a moment ago came from Tang Xiu.


    While standing in front of Cheng Yannan, there was no thoughts of kill Cheng Yannan inside Tang Xiu¡¯s mind, but he wanted to figure out why Cheng Yannan was here. This liner belonged to the Yao Family, and only someone they fully trusted could board it. After all, the issue of the Yao Family attempting to rent Clam Island was an absolute secret.


    ¡°Give her some water to rinse her mouth,¡± commanded Tang Xiu.


    Immediately afterward, a stalwart man entered the cabin and took out a bottle of mineral water from the inside. He then handed it over to Cheng Yannan, who was no longer vomiting.


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Cheng Yannan¡¯s complexion was pale. After receiving the bottle of water, she took a sip and quickly rinsed her mouth, and then slowly looked up to Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Speak! Why are you here?¡± Asked Tang Xiu lightly.


    ¡°My uncle is Yao Qingteng, and my Cheng Family is participating in the renting of this Clam Island. I asked my uncle to bring me here,¡± answered Cheng Yannan after hesitating for a while.


    ¡°This is not what I asked,¡± said Tang Xiu in a heavy voice.


    Cheng Yannan evaded his eyes, as she lowered her head and replied, ¡°What do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°Yannan, I used to think of you as a good classmate and a friend. I was even your savior back then, if I have to say.¡± Tang Xiu coldly snorted. ¡°I never thought that one day we¡¯d need to conceal things from each when conversing. Regardless, you don¡¯t have to say if you don¡¯t want to. I won¡¯t force you.¡±


    Cheng Yannan suddenly looked up. She glanced at Gu Xiaoxue and the stalwart men in the surrounding and then said, ¡°Can we talk in private?¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and looked at Gao Feng, ¡°Remove and discard all the dead bodies and leave no traces. Take this liner to the sea and sink it.¡±


    ¡°Roger!¡± Gao Feng replied quickly.


    Tang Xiu walked to Cheng Yannan¡¯s side and grabbed her shoulder, and then took her flying straight to the beach. With his extremely fast speed, he had brought Cheng Yannan 100 meters away within seconds.


    ¡°Aah¡­¡±


    Cheng Yannan, who was struck with dizziness and disoriented, finally got a firm foothold and turned around to look at the small liner, that was 100 meters away, with eyes full of disbelief.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you¡­¡±


    ¡°Yea, you¡¯re not dreaming,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly.


    Cheng Yannan gulped her saliva. Her look was full of disbelief as she stared at Tang Xiu and stutteringly asked, ¡°W-what are you, exactly? H-how can you¡­ fly?¡±

 Chapter 547

    Chapter 547: The Tragic Death of Yao Qingteng


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    With a calm expression, Tang Xiu watched Cheng Yannan¡¯s disbelieving expression before replying indifferently, ¡°My identity is very special, and explaining it in one or two sentences won¡¯t be sufficient. Since we¡¯ve already met, there will be a lot of time for us to get along, and I¡¯ll tell you some things that are very difficult for ordinary people to know. But until then, you still have to answer my question!¡±


    Cheng Yannan¡¯s agitated mood finally calmed down. She took a few steps toward the island before stopping by a big tree, and then said with a bitter expression, ¡°Tang Xiu, I¡¯m sure you already figured out that I¡¯m a member of the Cheng House of Beijing. My big sis and I have been literally pushed aside by our own family. After returning to the capital, I should have continued enjoying life and had a fulfilling and relaxing time during my university years.


    ¡°Just half a month ago, however, my big sis went missing when handling a criminal case, and I haven¡¯t heard news about her until now. She¡¯s the only backer I have, and with her went missing, those clansmen who dislike us sisters began to shift their eyes and forced me to marry the notoriously ill-reputed Chu Xiang of Beijing¡¯s Chu Family. You know? This Chu Xiang is notoriously well-known as one of the four scourges of Beijing, and he had done countless idiotic things and wrecked more than a dozen girls. Marrying me to him so that I can climb up to a high branch of the Chu Family, how could I agree with that?¡±


    Seeing that Cheng Yannan stopped narrating, Tang Xiu lightly asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you still have your uncle? The Cheng Family is closely related with the Yao Family, how can the elders of the Cheng Family dare to force you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Yao Qingteng is indeed my uncle, but he doesn¡¯t have any affection towards us whatsoever. If not for the relationship with my aunt, there¡¯s no way he would even put me in his eyes,¡± Cheng Yannan self-deprecatingly replied. ¡°Fortunately, though¡­ Yao Qingteng¡¯s wife is my aunt, and she likes me very much. If it wasn¡¯t for her, how could he bring me here? How could there be a place for me, to serve as a maid to pour water?¡±


    Tang Xiu fell into silence.


    With a bitter face, Cheng Yannan continued, ¡°I cannot stay any longer in Beijing. If not for chancing upon a coincidence in inadvertently learning that Uncle Qingteng would bring people to the South China Sea, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯d have escaped from Beijing and ran elsewhere. Although I don¡¯t know what are they gonna do on this island, I have already made up my mind that, even if there¡¯s only a minute of opportunity of staying here, then I¡¯ll stay here or seize the chance to live alone in Jingmen Island.¡±


    ¡°What about Yao Qingteng?¡± Tang Xiu sighed inwardly and asked.


    Cheng Yannan pointed to the depths of the island and said, ¡°He took a few people and has already gone inside. He should be back in the evening.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°The Yao Family won¡¯t be able to acquire this island. Since you don¡¯t want to go back, you can stay here later!¡±


    Cheng Yannan¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°This island will be mine later.¡± Tang Xiu confidently said. ¡°Even if the Yao Family spends all of their strength, they will never be able to snatch it from me. I¡¯m going to set up a medicinal herb plantation here. Since we¡¯re acquaintances, you can stay and help me. I¡¯ll also give you a satisfactory salary, too.¡±


    ¡°I really hope you can succeed.¡± Cheng Yannan pondered for a moment before nodding. ¡°However, you just killed so many people of the Yao Family. They won¡¯t let this go! Tang Xiu, you probably don¡¯t know how powerful the Yao Family is. Let me tell you, the Yao Family¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt her and replied with a tranquil expression, ¡°I¡¯ve already seen and experienced what they are capable of. Maybe you don¡¯t know, my surname is Tang, and I¡¯m a member of the Tang Family from Beijing.¡±


    ¡°That Tang Family?¡± Cheng Yannan¡¯s eyes focused as she called out in alarm.


    ¡°Yes, that Tang Family.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    With disbelief all over her face, Cheng Yannan said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be a member of the Tang Family from Beijing, Tang Xiu! The Tang Family and the Yao Family¡­ I understand. No wonder you¡¯re so merciless toward the Yao Family¡¯s people. I know some of the animosity and hatred between your two families.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled indifferently and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go! You¡¯ll stay aboard our liner for now and wait for us to finish dealing with Yao Qingteng and his men until there¡¯s no one of their people left on this island. You¡¯ll stay on this island later, and I¡¯ll also provide you with food, clothing, and shelter; as well as some people to protect you.¡±


    Staring blankly and looking vacant, Cheng Yannan hesitated for a moment before asking, ¡°Tang Xiu, are you going to kill Un- Yao Qingteng?¡±


    ¡°Do you think he can still leave?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    Cheng Yannan gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Can you accept a request of mine, Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°If you want to plead for his life, then forget it!¡± Answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to have mercy on him.¡± Cheng Yannan shook her head. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have any affection for me whatsoever. What I want to ask you is that, if the Tang and Yao Families were to lose all decorum in the future, and both parties have life and death battles, can you spare my aunt?¡±


    ¡°I promise.¡± Tang Xiu was silent for a short while before nodding.


    Cheng Yannan shot Tang Xiu a grateful look. Just as she was about to walk alongside him toward the passenger liner, she suddenly recalled something and quickly asked, ¡°You haven¡¯t told me something. How are you able to fly?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask if you want to stay on this Clam Island.¡± Tang Xiu faintly smiled. ¡°There are some things that I won¡¯t tell you for now. But if you work for me in the future and your performance makes me satisfied, you¡¯ll know loads of things later.¡±


    Cheng Yannan was silent for a while, as she then suddenly smiled and asked, ¡°Then I won¡¯t ask. But, can you answer another question? It¡¯s the last one!¡±


    ¡°Ask!¡± Said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Do you have a girlfriend at Shanghai University, by any chance?¡± Asked Cheng Yannan.


    Tang Xiu laughed, ¡°We¡¯ll talk about sentimental things later, alright? One must study hard and learn many things for more than four years at university. Besides, I still have tons of things to do, how could I have so much spare time to be concerned with things about love and romance?¡±


    A brilliant splendor flashed in Cheng Yannan¡¯s eyes as she smilingly said, ¡°I really like what you just said! Young people must focus on their careers. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Leading Cheng Yannan back to the coast, Tang Xiu saw that the small liner was sinking on the sea in the distance. Whereas the liner he used to arrive here was returning to the coast. After the ship approached the shore, Tang Xiu took Cheng Yannan on board and said, ¡°She¡¯s my high school classmate. Let her stay on the liner! Also, if there still are Yao Family men on this island, kill them directly once you see them. Xiaoxue, come with me to have a look at the island.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue smilingly replied. Nodding toward Cheng Yannan, she then floated and followed Tang Xiu to disembark, as their figures gradually disappeared into the woods on the island.


    The woods was still in its primeval state and full of lush trees and vegetation.


    The two seem to stroll in a leisurely manner. But in actuality, their pace was extremely fast as each and every step they took traversed seven plus meters of distance. As the two of them continued trekking deeper, they could see a lot of medicinal herbs. Many of them were common, though rare and precious ones could also be occasionally seen. The island also boasted a lot of wild animals.


    Ten minutes later, when Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxue set their feet on the center of the highest point of the island, a scream passed to their ears, followed by stormy and dense gunfire as well as panicked shouts:


    ¡°QUICKLY RUN AND SPREAD OUT! GO BACK TO THE SHORE WHERE WE ANCHORED THE SHIP AND ASSEMBLE THERE!¡±


    ¡°CURSE YOU MONSTERS! GET THE FUCKING AWAY¡­¡±


    Bang, bang, bang¡­


    Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxue exchanged looks. With tacit understanding, the duo quickly rushed toward the source of the sounds. On the way there, they stepped on tens of meters¡¯ tall branches and continued flying over the trees.


    More than ten seconds later, the duo halted their pace and stood on the branches of a big tree and watched two rhino-like fierce beasts below. Their eyes stared wide upon seeing the vengeful large beasts that hunted down six men who were fleeing in desperation. Behind them were two broken, dead bodies that had been bitten.


    ¡°The beasts¡¯ skins are very tough, bullets can¡¯t penetrate it. Also, their speed is very fast, those people won¡¯t be able to outrun them at all. Grand Master, they are all as good as dead already.¡± There was no pity or mercy at all in Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s eyes as she watched the six people being hunted down.


    ¡°Though bullets can create some obstructions to these two fierce beasts and slow down their speed, they are as good as dead already like you said. If my guess is correct, the middle-aged man who is being protected by that two men should be Yao Qingteng. Also, there¡¯s something I suddenly figured out, Xiaoxue.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Asked Gu Xiaoxue curiously.


    ¡°The Yao Family sending Yao Xinhua to Jingmen Island should only be a smoke screen; a diversion,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°The one who was really in touch with the government and signing the lease of the island¡¯s MoU should be Yao Qingteng. If my inference is correct, there should be a contract prepared to be signed on that ship we just sank.¡±


    ¡°You really have great wisdom, Grand Master,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue with a smile. ¡°I think so, too. After all, Yao Xinhua is too young and only has shallow knowledge in dealing with the government¡¯s officials. Whereas Yao Qingteng is a very important figure in the Yao Family. For him to personally come here, perhaps it is in order to inspect Clam Island and make the decision whether to carry on the leasing negotiation with the government.¡±


    ¡°Bring some of our men here. We¡¯ll wait for all these Yao Family¡¯s men to die and then dispose of their corpses,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Also, remember to send some people to that sunken ship, to see if they can find the contract.¡±


    ¡°Grand Master, are you by chance using that as an excuse to make me leave, while you act to kill these two beasts by yourself?¡± Asked Gu Xiaoxue smilingly. ¡°Anyhow, we¡¯ve taken everything that can be taken from that ship before we sank it. I think it¡¯s better for me to say and help you.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°Seems like I can¡¯t hide from you, eh? Do you think I don¡¯t have the ability to kill these two savage beasts? Fine. If you want to stay, then stay and watch!¡±


    In less than a minute, the rhino-like fierce beasts had already slain all the six people, including Yao Qingteng. They even devoured all their carcasses completely, not even sparing their bones.


    ¡°Well, this saves us the trouble of disposing the corpses, eh?¡±


    Tang Xiu, who was standing atop a tree branch, had a smile arched on the corner of his mouth as he spoke in a low voice. He then floated down and appeared in front of the two rhino-like fierce beasts.


    ROAR¡­

 Chapter 548

    Chapter 548: Oppressing the Fierce Beasts


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Amid the gently blowing sea breeze, Gu Xiaoxue was standing on the tree branch with her fluttering white dress. A smile outlined on her face as she looked at the scene below. Despite knowing that her Grand Master¡¯s cultivation progressed rapidly in recent months, she still didn¡¯t believe that he could easily defeat the two rhino-like fierce beasts.


    ¡°Grand Master, be careful.¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue twitched her hand and two lightning talismans appeared between her fingers. She would immediately act once her Grand Master was in danger.


    Tang Xiu turned his head and showed a faint smile. When his eyes went back on the two rhino-like savage beasts, he smiled and said loudly, ¡°I don¡¯t lack materials from fierce beasts, hence you guys can be exempted from being slain, though you may have to suffer since the neighboring island will be the site for rearing fierce beasts in the future. Therefore, I¡¯ll subdue and bring the two of you over to the neighboring island.¡±


    Evidently, the two rhinos had gained a bit of spiritual wisdom. They could sense something bad from Tang Xiu, though they couldn¡¯t understand his words. Hence, one of the rhino-like fierce beasts¡¯ big, red eyes flared up. It jumped up high and slashed its claws toward Tang Xiu¡¯s head.


    Its speed was incredibly fast! If there were ordinary people here, they probably would only see flashing afterimages even if they kept their eyes wide open.


    Tang Xiu flicked the tip of his toe and his body was flung backwards instantly. If his cultivation had not progressed so rapidly and reached the Viscera Transformation stage, he may really be unable to face this fierce beast. Now, however, he was confident that he could easily slay it.


    ¡°Array of weapons, oppressing blades.¡±


    A dagger instantly flew out from the center of Tang Xiu¡¯s palm. As he kept forming hand seals, the dagger divided into two, then four, and then kept doubling. In a few short seconds, thousands of daggers had already appeared in front of him.


    Slash¡­ A low voice came out from him.


    The numerous daggers swirled like a spiral as they went toward the fierce beast and had it tightly surrounded in an instant.


    ROAR¡­


    A furious roar came out from the rhino. Its sharp teeth, claws and the layered scales on its body were all immediately erected, while a faint blue ring came out from its mouth along with its roar. Instantly, smoke exploded like a mist.


    Crack, crack, crack¡­


    Cracks appeared on the overlapping layers of daggers. The chilling blue smoke instantly reduced the surrounding temperature to the freezing point, and the leaves that moved around in the wind seemed to freeze in an instant.


    ¡°Petty skill!¡±


    A look of contempt flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. With a wave of his arm a blade flashed and instantly swept away the rhino¡¯s claw strike. Ten claws instantly fell and Tang Xiu¡¯s figure flashed a moment after. His finger moved toward a clear boundless sky as a bolt of lightning flashed down from above the firmament without any previous sign.


    Thunder Spell! A magical spell he was now able to release. The tempestuous thunderstorm bolted from the vault of heaven as thick lightning bolts the size of a baby¡¯s arm directly blasted on the back of the rhino-like fierce beast. The blow did not kill it, but it was still smashed onto the ground and splashed a layer of dust to the air.


    Atop the tree branch, Gu Xiaoxue stared dumbfoundedly at Tang Xiu¡¯s mighty display of power. The imposing display made her pupils shrink and brought an aura that made her want to kneel.


    She had imagined numerous scenes of a fierce fight between her Grand Master and the rhino-like fierce beast, but little did she expect that her Grand Master was now able to cast spells, more so that its might was actually strong enough to this extent. It must be noted that the present her was still unable to display such a feat!


    Could it be¡­ Grand Master¡¯s strength has already surpassed mine? How is this possible? Wasn¡¯t his cultivation only a few months ago¡­


    Gu Xiaoxue gasped, and the thumping of her heartbeat was several times stronger than before.


    ROAR¡­


    The other rhino-like fierce beast looked frightened. But after seeing that its companion¡¯s fate was unknown, it went into a frenzy and violently rushed out. Its IQ was low, thus it didn¡¯t escape and flashed toward Tang Xiu instead.


    Tang Xiu nodded and praised, ¡°You didn¡¯t run and abandon your companion, eh? Contrary to my expectation, you¡¯re a pretty good spirit beast. Since this is the case, then I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s body floated. As his feet rose in the air he formed hand seals, and a few big trees around him were immediately uprooted and pulled upward. The jumping rhino-like fierce beast was lifted up by an earth pillar that had risen under it out of nowhere, whereas several big trees then heavily pounded its body.


    Bam, bam, bam¡­


    The trunks of several big trees were broken, but every orifice of the smashed fierce beast was also bleeding, as it heavily fell beside the other rhino-like fierce beast.


    At this moment, Tang Xiu¡¯s body was like an artillery shell. After he fell atop the back of the bleeding rhino-like fierce beast, a barrage of fists fell on it. The rhino-like fierce beast pitifully growled and desperately struggled to get up time and time again.


    ROAR¡­


    The other rhino wanted to get up, but Tang Xiu kicked its abdomen, causing it to sweep the ground for tens of meters. After smashing and breaking seven plus big trees in succession, only then did it fall to the ground and fainted.


    The brutality lasted for half a minute before Tang Xiu finally stopped. He then grabbed the suffocated fierce beast he had just beaten, punched it heavily, and threw it toward the other fainted beast. The fainted rhino-like fierce beast was suddenly awakened due to the tremendous pressure.


    Whoosh!


    Tang Xiu¡¯s ghostly figure instantly caught up with it, and when his feet landed before the two fierce beasts, he let out a faint smile and shouted in a heavy voice, ¡°Do you guys still want to fight?¡±


    The two rhino-like fierce beasts were truly frightened by Tang Xiu at this time, as they struggled hard to get up to run due to the intense fear. Yet, their badly beaten bodies were unable to support them.


    Tang Xiu then turned to the dumbfounded Gu Xiaoxue atop the tree branch and smilingly said, ¡°So, what do you think? Packing up these two beasts is easy, don¡¯t you think? In fact, slaying these two beasts would¡¯ve been easier, for I¡¯m able to kill them in a matter of seconds.¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue heaved a deep breath while suppressing her shock. Her fluttering white skirt made her look like a fairy as she floated down and landed beside Tang Xiu, after which, she spoke respectfully, ¡°Your cultivation is really formidable, Grand Master. The way you cleaned up these two beasts was indeed very relaxed. I really didn¡¯t expect that your cultivation had progressed this much. I don¡¯t think I can contend with you even if I were to give everything I have.¡±


    ¡°Even though I did chance upon a big fortuitous encounter, yet experience matters more than luck.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled. ¡°Anyways, this Clam Island is very suitable to grow medicinal herbs, Xiaoxue. However, we need to cut the forest quite a lot. We can leave some trees in the surrounding, but the plan to set up the medicinal herbs garden in the inner parts must be done well since we need to plant a lot of herbs. Even though this island is large in size, we must use as much land as possible if we want to cultivate medicinal herbs on a large scale.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Grand Master,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue respectfully. ¡°I¡¯ll look for the best planners in the country and personally bring them here to check this place and make them design a blueprint for us.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t need such a hassle.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll handle the blueprint, whereas you only need to bring people here to help me survey and measure the total area for the garden. All right, let¡¯s have a look from above. If there¡¯s no other problem, we¡¯ll head to the neighboring island to have a look.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Gu Xiaoxue replied and grabbed the legs of the two savage beasts. In the next moment, they floated up to the sky. After flying for over ten minutes and observing the entirety of Clam Island until Tang Xiu was satisfied, the duo then flew back to the south coast where the liner was anchored.


    On the deck of the liner, Cheng Yannan was sitting on a recliner sunbathing while leafing through a book. She suddenly looked up when she noticed two shadows falling from the sky and landing in front of her.


    ¡°You guys¡­¡±


    Her pupils contracted and she bounced up from the recliner out of fright. She was 100% certain that Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxue had just fallen from the sky. What did this mean? That explained that both of them were just flying. Furthermore, the most inconceivable thing was that Gu Xiaoxue, whose figure was small, was actually carrying two beasts that were twice as big as her.


    Gu Xiaoxue threw the two fainted beasts onto the deck, and then looked at the stalwart men around and said, ¡°Stay guard and watch them. If they dare to crawl up and struggle, you can kill them directly.¡±


    ¡°Roger!¡± Replied the several stalwart men respectfully.


    Gu Xiaoxue turned around. As she looked at Cheng Yannan, she let out a faint smile and said, ¡°Ms. Cheng, since Grand Master has rescued you, and given that you were his classmate as well, then we¡¯re not outsiders at all. I¡¯m Gu Xiaoxue, you call me Big Sis Xiaoxue. Anyways, we¡¯re going to the neighboring island shortly. Do you want to stay on the boat and go with us or stay here? You can rest assured, I¡¯ll assign some people to protect you if you want to stay here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you,¡± answered Cheng Yannan without hesitation.


    Nodding and smiling at her in response, Gu Xiaoxue then spoke to the four men, ¡°Tell the rest to set sail to the neighboring island. Also, assign four men to stay behind to guard this Clam Island. If any outsiders dare to forcibly land on this island, kill them directly. However, if the other party have overwhelming force and numbers and you feel that you can¡¯t face them, promptly hide and do not fight them.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± The four stalwart men replied and cupped their fists.


    The passenger ship set sail and headed to the neighboring island without spending much time. Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxue flew toward the island and entered the wooded mountain without bringing anyone with them. What was somewhat inconceivable for them was that many beasts were spotted on this island. After having carefully counted the numbers, there were 70 plus of them.


    ¡°Grand Master, there¡¯s something amiss with this island!¡± Gu Xiaoxue slightly furrowed her brows and spoke to Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I noticed it, too.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°We also ran into two savage beasts on Clam Island. Given the very close distance between Clam Island and this island, and with so many beasts here, I¡¯m afraid that there¡¯s a very unusual reason¡­¡±


    His words came to an abrupt halt as they reached the edge of the island. He couldn¡¯t believe the scene below on the sea surface.

 Chapter 549

    Chapter 549: The Haven of Fierce Beasts


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Hundreds of fierce beasts were spotted on the sea surface in the southern side of the island. Some of these fierce beasts were swimming on the surface of the sea, while some others were moving about and strolling idly on the sea surface. Another dense pack of thousands of fierce beasts was seen on the shore. Some were taking nap, some were hopping, and some others were running around.


    ¡°Heavens!!! This place¡­ how could there be so many fierce beasts here?¡± Despite having a strong self-control, Gu Xiaoxue couldn¡¯t help but call out in alarm at this time.


    A glint flashed inside Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. Although he didn¡¯t know why there was so many fierce beasts in this place, what he had in mind was as if he actually saw countless fierce beasts being reared by him, and the countless cultivation resources that were piling up like mountains.


    ¡°Xiaoxue, though I don¡¯t believe in heaven, I still want to thank it at this moment. With so many fierce beasts in this place, this is practically a timely assistance for us. If we can take care of this place and put all the beasts below under our control, we won¡¯t need to capture ordinary fierce beasts and domesticate them.¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s eyes lit up, before it dimmed a second after as she forced a smile and said, ¡°But Grand Master, this place is too terrifying. Even if we have high cultivation levels, I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t control them all, no?¡±


    ¡°We are indeed unable to control them all, but we¡¯ll bring more experts to get things done. I¡¯m sure we can have them under our control sooner or later. Huh? Something¡¯s wrong¡­¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said.


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion drastically changed and he quickly grabbed Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s waist. His figure streaked toward the wooded hill like lightning. In the blink of an eye, he appeared inside the dense forest of the wooded hill.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Grand Master?¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue, who had never be touched by a man, was now being hugged by Tang Xiu on her slender waist. The warm heat transmitted from Tang Xiu¡¯s big hand and the smell of man exuding from Tang Xiu caused her body to become slightly weak. Even her ears turned slightly red at this moment.


    Tang Xiu, however, didn¡¯t notice Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s unusualness. He didn¡¯t release Gu Xiaoxue at this time, but took her quickly toward the north shoreline instead. Two minutes later, he had already returned back to the liner with Gu Xiaoxue and ordered to set sail.


    The liner set sail and was anchored on the shoreline of Clam Island, but the location was now on the northern coastline.


    ¡°What is the situation, Grand Master?¡± Gu Xiaoxue secretly relaxed after Tang Xiu released her.


    Tang Xiu creased his brows and forced a smile, ¡°It seems like I was deluding myself. I thought we had chanced upon a great fortuitous encounter, but I forgot about the troubles the heavens could cast upon us. I encountered gatherings of fierce beasts like this on several occasions, and I even bumped into a huge number of immortal beasts. If my guess is correct, then the neighboring island has already been occupied by fierce beasts and even has turned into a fierce beast paradise. Furthermore, there are two essential conditions for a haven of fierce beasts to form.¡±


    ¡°What exactly are these two conditions?¡± Asked Gu Xiaoxue in astonishment.


    ¡°Firstly, there must be an enormous spiritual vein underneath the island, and it must be very active,¡± said Tang Xiu seriously.


    ¡°Indeed. I can feel a rich concentration of heaven and earth spiritual qi when we arrived on that island. It¡¯s several times higher than on Clam Island.¡± Gu Xiaoxue nodded.


    ¡°This is only the first condition.¡± Tang Xiu continued. ¡°Secondly, there must be a very terrifying fierce beast residing on that island, and the fierce beast must be at least at the high-order level. With my current cultivation level I won¡¯t be able to deal with it. I even suspect that the strength of this fierce beast is far beyond mine; it should have reached a very high order. The number of beasts we saw there surpasses two thousand, and that¡¯s only the number we can see on the surface. Who knows how many beasts there are in the seabed?¡±


    With a drastically changed expression, Gu Xiaoxue quickly asked, ¡°Then what should we do? That island is an excellent place to rear fierce beasts, it¡¯s really a pity if we give it up. If we can¡¯t solve this problem, even if we acquire Clam Island I¡¯m afraid that dangers will loom over us when we plant the medicinal herbs here.¡±


    A hint of a smile appeared on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth as he said, ¡°We may not be able to face the strongest fierce beasts there, but don¡¯t forget something; our Everlasting Feast Hall still has a very powerful expert.¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue stared blankly, and her face immediately turned bright. With an excited face, she said, ¡°It should be Elder Ji, right, Grand Master?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s Ji Chimei.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Although she is currently injured, she¡¯s still a Crowned Immortal, nonetheless. Her strength may have been reduced to the level of an ordinary immortal at the moment, but it won¡¯t be a problem for her to destroy the entire Earth in one strike, much less dealing with these fierce beasts.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Grand Master.¡± Gu Xiaoxue let out a bright smile. ¡°Elder Ji will definitely be able to deal with the strongest fierce beast directly. Do you want me to send someone back to call Elder Ji here?¡±


    ¡°No hurry, the purpose of our visit this time is to survey and investigate the site.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand. ¡°I¡¯m very satisfied with the result of the survey, so let us get back to Jingmen Island first. We¡¯ll come here again after I acquire Clam Island and its neighboring island through my connections. Also, I originally planned to leave some people here, but now it seems that the security issues here are kinda dangerous, so we¡¯ll leave with everyone else.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to take that classmate of yours back as well?¡± Asked Gu Xiaoxue curiously.


    ¡°Yeah, I trust her.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°I believe she won¡¯t divulge the things I told her. But assign someone to keep an eye on her to prevent eventualities.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Gu Xiaoxue nodded.


    The passenger liner then returned to Jingmen Island late at night. The group didn¡¯t stop and headed straight to the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s HQ.


    ¡°What is this place, Tang Xiu?¡± A curious look was painted Cheng Yannan¡¯s face as she asked and sized up the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s manor with amazement.


    ¡°Jingmen Island¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°How long will we be stopping over? You said earlier you¡¯ll let me stay on Clam Island, and now you bring me here. What exactly do you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°I found some looming dangers on Clam Island after investigating it. Hence I had to take you back for your safety.¡± Tang Xiu said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, though. We¡¯ll go back there, but I need to do something before we do that.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Cheng Yannan nodded.


    Soon after, Cheng Yannan had been properly settled by a member of the Everlasting Feast Hall in the guest room next to Yang Le¡¯s. In the middle of the night, when Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxue saw that Cheng Yannan had entered her room to rest, the door next room was opened as Yang Le, who was behaving stealthily like a thief, poked his head out. After seeing Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxue, he immediately smiled and straightened his back, ¡°Brother Tang, you¡¯re back! I¡¯m afraid I was gonna die suffocated in this guest room if you didn¡¯t come back. That Ouyang fella has been staying in the hall below since yesterday morning.¡±


    Ouyang Lei?


    Tang Xiu smiled and asked, ¡°How come I didn¡¯t see him when we arrived?¡±


    Yang Le rolled his eyes, ¡°Like you don¡¯t know the many customs employed in the Everlasting Feast Hall. Nobody is allowed to get out of their guest room here, do you think that brat wants to leave? Regardless, I heard the Ouyang Family made quite a huge move yesterday. It seems like they closed many of their businesses. Hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°What did you do, exactly?¡± Asked Tang Xiu. ¡°How come the Ouyang Family made such a ruckus because of it?¡±


    Yang Le strode forward and grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s arm and dragged him to his room, whereas Gu Xiaoxue followed behind out of curiosity.


    After picking up several account books from the bookcase, Yang Le showed them to Tang Xiu and smilingly said, ¡°Brother Tang, it was you who asked me to fix him up. Hence I checked his address and snatched some stuff from his place. These account books record most of the gray or black businesses belonging to the Ouyang Family that mustn¡¯t come to light. Even though I can¡¯t figure out some of the things on it, I dare say that the Ouyang Family will be in for quite the trouble if I were to disclose these records outside. Literally huge trouble!¡±


    Tang Xiu grabbed the account books and started reading them. After flipping through them for more than ten minutes, a strange expression then appeared on his face. He now understood as to why Ouyang Lei was still here. The contents recorded on these account books were truly too¡­ troublesome.


    ¡°The goal has been reached. This will be enough to make things hard for him, and he won¡¯t be able to have a good sleep. I¡¯m gonna call him over!¡±


    After saying that, Tang Xiu took out his mobile phone and dialed Ouyang Lei¡¯s cell number.


    At this time, Ouyang Lei was currently smoking inside the guest room. His eyes were bloodshot, and the ringtone of his mobile phone startled him. He darted to the locker and grabbed his phone. When he saw the number on the screen he nearly cried, but no tears came out. With trembling fingers, he pressed the answer button and called out in a trembling voice, ¡°Sister¡¯s¡­ no, that¡¯s not right¡­ Brother, Brother Tang Xiu, you finally called me back!¡±


    A smile was outlined in Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth as he said, ¡°Oh my, wasn¡¯t big brother Ouyang Lei calling me brother-in-law before? Ah, wrong, it should be prospective brother-in-law, right?¡±


    ¡°No no no¡­ I won¡¯t call you that even if I was beaten to death!¡± Ouyang Lei¡¯s face was sullen. ¡°Brother, Big Brother Tang Xiu, please tell me. Are my things in your hands?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they are in my custody.¡± Tang Xiu laughed. ¡°Do you want them back? Then go out and head to the hall on the first floor. I¡¯ll be downstairs.¡±


    ¡°They are really in your hands? Great!!! I¡¯ll be there right away.¡±


    Ouyang Lei hung up the phone and his face transformed into one of ecstasy. He couldn¡¯t care less about how Tang Xiu had made things so difficult for him by taking his account books away. As long as he could get them back, he wouldn¡¯t refuse to face north to kowtow and bang his head on the ground eight times.


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu wore a faint smile as he brought Yang Le to the hall on the first floor. When he saw Ouyang Lei¡¯s bloodshot eyes, messed up hair, and disheveled appearance, Tang Xiu handed him the account books and smilingly said, ¡°What do you think? How did these two days feel like?¡±


    After receiving the account books, Ouyang Lei didn¡¯t even try to reply Tang Xiu. He quickly flipped over the account books and read the records on it. After discovering that everything was correct, he finally calmed down.


    ¡°Thank you. Thanks a lot, Brother Tang Xiu!¡±

 Chapter 550

    Chapter 550: Visiting Someone to Demand Debt Payment


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Looking at Ouyang Lei with a strange and disbelieving expression, Yang Le said, ¡°Say, Ouyang Lei, are you nuts? Tang Xiu told me to steal from you, yet you thanked him for it? What reasoning is this? Properly speaking, you should have taken one of your shoes and thrown it at him, no?¡±


    The grateful expression on Ouyang Lei¡¯s face froze. He stared blankly at Tang Xiu and Yang Le. At this moment, he looked like he was just abruptly awakened from a dream. That¡¯s right! Why on earth did I thank him? Thanks to them I almost collapsed in the past two days!


    In a flash, the feeling of gratitude inside Ouyang Lei¡¯s heart vanished. He wanted to vent his anger, yet dared not do so. Firstly, needless to say, Tang Xiu was in front of him. Also, the fella named Yang Le was¡­ way too powerful. This guy was likely a godly thief.


    After having observed the changing expression on Ouyang Lei¡¯s face, Yang Le burst into laughter and then said, ¡°Anyways, let me introduce myself. I¡¯m Yang Le, a disciple of Thief Branch of the Occult Sect. One percent of the major burglaries in the world are my masterpieces.¡±


    Thief Branch?


    Ouyang Lei¡¯s complexion changed greatly, and a vigilant look filled his eyes. For common families, they may not be aware what kind of existence the Thief Branch was. However, due to the relationship with his mother, he had heard many legends of the Thief Branch.


    ¡°Yang¡­ Big Brother Yang.¡±


    Ouyang Lei coughed and squeezed out a smile. Like the ancients said, be not afraid of the theft itself, but do fear the thoughts of the thief. And Yang Le, in particular, had just thrown the Ouyang Family into confusion, yet he did that in the absence of malicious intention. If because certain matters he was to set his eyes at the Ouyang Family, then no good days would come to them later.


    ¡°Big Brother, eh? That¡¯s very kind of you, Brother Ouyang.¡± Yang Le grinned. ¡°Since you¡¯re Brother Tang¡¯s brother-in-law to be, you will also become our people in the future.¡±


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes at him and waved his hand, ¡°No more nonsense, alright? You guys take a rest early, since you still have things to do tomorrow. I got things to do, so I¡¯m not going to keep you guys accompany.¡±


    After saying that, he returned to the second floor to his room, took a bath and put on pajamas brought by Gu Xiaoxue. Although it was already late at night, Tang Xiu took out his mobile phone and dialed the Tang¡¯s old Family Head¡¯s cell number. Soon after, his phone call was connected and the voice of his grandfather sounded.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, is there something urgent for calling me this late?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed a bit urgent, Grandpa,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Asked Tang Guosheng.


    ¡°Auntie should have informed you that the Yao Family is about to rent Clam Island in the South China Sea. I myself have obtained accurate information about that. The Yao Family¡¯s purpose to rent Clam Island is to unite various big families and make good preparations to train their armed forces. However, the real person-in-charge in the negotiation with the government is Yao Qingteng, whereas Yao Xinhua is just a cover. The reason I¡¯m calling you this late is because I must acquire this Clam Island along with another island a few kilometers away from it. So to say, I must rent these two islands.¡±


    Startled, Tang Guosheng asked, ¡°You¡¯re going to rent two islands? What are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°Clam Island is very suitable to cultivate medicinal herbs, while the other island is suitable to rear fierce beasts.¡± Tang Xiu explained. ¡°If I can take these two islands, I can make the Tang Family¡¯s strength soar to a hundred times of our present strength.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Tang Guosheng¡¯s tone became extremely serious.


    ¡°I guarantee it,¡± said Tang Xiu with the same serious tone.


    Tang Guosheng fell into silence for two minutes before saying in a heavy and deep voice, ¡°I understand. Wait for news from me.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Noticing that Tang Guosheng was going to hang up, Tang Xiu hurriedly said, ¡°Grandpa, I also have something important to inform you. Perhaps it will be helpful for the Tang Family to take Clam Island and the other island.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Asked Tang Guosheng.


    ¡°I just returned from Clam Island.¡± Tang Xiu elaborated, ¡°I encountered the Yao Family¡¯s men there. Some of them were killed by me, while Yao Qingteng and the rest died on Clam Island. Anyhow, I¡¯ve also taken some of the documents and procedural formalities from them. Do you want me to send them to you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Tang Guosheng was ecstatic. ¡°Send them to me immediately! Ah, right. Can you guarantee its safety on the way here?¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Since there¡¯s no problem, then I¡¯ll be waiting for the documents in Beijing. Once I have them in my hands I¡¯ll be able to think of better ways to act with the conditions on the documents as a basis.¡±


    After the phone call ended, Tang Xiu looked for Gao Feng and issued an order to bring several experts to Beijing overnight in order to send the documents to his grandfather, and urged him to hand them over to Tang Guosheng personally.


    The next morning.


    At the First Public Hospital of Jingmen Island, Yao Xinhua, who had been in a comatose state for two days, finally woke up. He was not healed by the doctors at the hospital, but naturally awakened instead. White walls came into his sight, and the smell of carbonated water drilled into his nose as he tried to sit up. He had been shot with saline water for the last two days.


    ¡°Where is this?¡± Yao Xinhua looked at the man sitting on the chair beside his sickbed and asked with a drowsiness.


    The old man looked up and stared blankly. After he realized that Yao Xinhua had woken up, he was startled and suddenly bounced up from his chair. He then replied ecstatically, ¡°Young Master, you¡­ you finally woke up? I, I, I¡­ I¡¯ll call the doctor. Please wait a bit.¡±


    Yao Xinhua frowned. He called out to the man to stop him and then asked in a heavy voice, ¡°You haven¡¯t told me where this place is. What¡¯s wrong with me?¡±


    The middle-aged big man forced a smile and said, ¡°Young Master, you fell into a strange comatose state at the charity party organized by the Ouyang Family. Regardless of any attempts to wake you up, you didn¡¯t even stir. The most important of all is that, after we brought you here to the hospital, the doctors were unable to find the cause and you remained unconscious no matter the examination and the diagnosis conducted by them. That¡¯s right, this place is the First Public Hospital of Jingmen Island, and you¡¯ve been here for the last two days.¡±


    ¡°You mean I suddenly fell into a comatose state at the charity party that night?¡± Yao Xinhua frowned.


    The middle-aged big man nodded.


    A look of recollecting memories could be seen on Yao Xinhua¡¯s face as he tried to recall what happened before he fell into a comatose state. A moment after, his face drastically changed and he asked in a deep voice, ¡°What about Tang Xiu? Where did he go after I fainted?¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ the Tang Xiu from the Tang Family?¡± The middle-aged big man was confused.


    ¡°Yes, him.¡± Yao Xinhua said in a heavy voice. ¡°Before my memory went dark I was with him. Where was he at that time?¡±


    ¡°Young Master, when we found you fainted he had long disappeared. However, an accident happened to our people that night,¡± said the middle-aged big man with a forced smile.


    ¡°What exactly happened?¡± Asked Yao Xinhua.


    The middle-aged big man forced a smile and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you assign two groups to set up an ambush in the vicinity of Sheraton Hotel? The two snipers of each team went to the opposite building of the hotel to prepare for the ambush. Since you remained unconscious and we brought you to this hospital, I personally issued an order to the two teams to retreat. Who would have thought that the two snipers had already been killed? There¡¯s an inconceivable fact about it since their foreheads were¡­ were pierced with silver needles. It was just silver needles, yet it pierced the most important part of brain nerves and directly led their death.¡±


    Hiss¡­ Yao Xinhua couldn¡¯t help but gasp cold air upon hearing it.


    He still clearly remembered the content of his conversation with Tang Xiu back then; who would leave Sheraton Hotel while standing still, and who would leave ¡°falling asleep¡±. There was no doubt that Tang Xiu did something back then and he ended up losing.


    Why did he not directly kill me at that time? With his terrifying abilities, I¡¯m afraid that not even gods and ghosts would notice if he killed me. Furthermore, for one to be able to kill those two snipers who were going to ambush him, the murderer was absolutely terrifying. Was it Tang Xiu who did it himself? Or one of his men?


    Yao Xinhua kept thinking, but every thought sent a chill down his spine. He finally realized as to why he lost so miserably when he fought Tang Xiu in the struggle for the two provinces in the southern region. It must be due to his extremely fearful abilities. And it highly likely that Tang Xiu had an extremely terrifying armed force under him.


    After a long period of time, Yao Xinhua looked at the middle-aged big man and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Has my Second Uncle already come back?¡±


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t come back yet.¡± The middle-aged big man shook his head. ¡°We called his satellite phone, but nobody answered. Furthermore, we also lost contact with the passenger ship.¡±


    Yao Xinhua¡¯s complexion greatly changed as he quickly asked, ¡°How is it possible that you lost contact with the passenger ship? The ship is equipped with special, state of art communication equipment!!!¡±


    The middle-aged big man forced a smile and said, ¡°The communication equipment on the passenger ship has been turned off, so our phone calls didn¡¯t connect.¡±


    Yao Xinhua fell into silence for a short while before saying, ¡°I see. Let¡¯s put off discussing the other issues for now and go back to Beijing first.¡±


    The middle-aged big man hesitated for a moment, before saying with a cautious look, ¡°Young Master, there¡¯s someone who came to demand a debt payment or something this morning.¡±


    Someone came demanding a debt payment?


    ¡°What the fuck are you talking about?¡± Yao Xinhua angrily yelled. ¡°What debts do we owe?¡±


    ¡°That person said that he was sent by Tang Xiu,¡± reluctantly answered the middle-aged big man in a low voice. ¡°He said that it¡¯s the 1 billion gambling debt.¡±


    1 billion gambling debt?


    Yao Xinhua was dumbfounded. He suddenly remembered the bet between him and Tang Xiu at the charity party. He was jolted inwardly and immediately felt unwell and sullen. Although he didn¡¯t know what Tang Xiu did to him, the end result was that he was the one who fell and was carried outside by others, whereas Tang Xiu left by himself.


    What should I do? Don¡¯t tell me I really have to hand over 1 billion RMB to that bastard Tang Xiu?


    Yao Xinhua clenched his fists as a look mortification appeared in his eyes. He then said in a heavy voice, ¡°We¡¯ll go back first and discuss this later.¡±


    ¡°I think you don¡¯t need to wait to discuss it. You agreed to the bet, so you must pay it. That¡¯s the rule of gambling. Since Young Master Yao lost to me, you couldn¡¯t be thinking of repudiating a mere 1 billion debt, right?¡±


    A teasing voice suddenly came from outside the ward.


    Tang Xiu strode inside along with two stalwart men just as the voice faded away. A faint smiling expression was outlined on his face as he looked at Yao Xinhua, who had just come down from his bed.

 Chapter 551

    Chapter 551: Powerful Intimidation


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Yao Xinhua¡¯s expression drastically changed as he stepped back. His eyes were suffused with coldness as he stared at Tang Xiu. His vigilance toward Tang Xiu had reached an extreme point after what happened at the charity party.


    ¡°Did you come to make trouble?¡± Asked Yao Xinhua in a sank voice.


    ¡°Did you not hear what I just said?¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and smiled. ¡°If you didn¡¯t hear it clearly, then I¡¯ll say it again. You shouldn¡¯t have forgotten our bet, right? You fainted and were carried out of Sheraton Hotel, hence you lost. Thus, you must pay me the 1 billion RMB of our gambling. My purpose in visiting you this time is very simple. Firstly, I wanted to see whether you had woken up; and secondly, to demand the money. Don¡¯t tell me a respectable Young Master of the Yao Family can¡¯t even get a trivial amount of 1 billion RMB?¡±


    Yao Xinhua glared at Tang Xiu for ten plus seconds before the turbid look on his face suddenly vanished. Then, a bright smile appeared on his handsome face as he pushed the stalwart man and grinned, ¡°What you said is correct, Tang Xiu. I accept my defeat. Gimme your account number and I¡¯ll instruct someone to transfer you the money.¡±


    Raising his hand to touch his chin, Tang Xiu suddenly grinned, ¡°Young Master Yao really is a forthright man. Maybe we would be good friends if it wasn¡¯t because of our identities. Well, we can appreciate each other¡¯s abilities though this is the second time we meet. Since it¡¯s not easy for us to see each other, I¡¯ll stay here and wait while having a chat with you. Once the money has been transferred, I¡¯ll have a feast and invite you to celebrate your waking up.¡±


    ¡°Young Master Tang seems afraid that I won¡¯t pay the debt, eh?!¡± Yao Xinhua smilingly replied. ¡°That¡¯s fine. Since you¡¯re going to throw a banquet for me then I won¡¯t hesitate.¡±


    Having said that, he spoke something to the middle-aged big man next to him. After receiving Tang Xiu¡¯s account number, the man walked out of the ward despite hesitating.


    Following that, Tang Xiu took a seat on a chair, as he pointed to the sickbed and smilingly said, ¡°You just fainted for two days, and your body and bones must be quite stiff. Young Master Yao, please sit on the sickbed and rest a little. Anyhow, how are those two foreign experts under your command? Aren¡¯t they supposed to accompany you in the Eastern campaign and help you fight for power?¡±


    A glint flashed in Yao Xinhua¡¯s eyes. He looked tranquil and composed on the surface, yet he turned more vigilant inside, since he didn¡¯t expect that Tang Xiu knew the existence of Ai Murui and Topherson.


    ¡°Young Master Tang really knows a lot about me! On the contrary, I know very little about you. it seems like we must get much closer to understand each other more.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter, ¡°My, my¡­ why is Young Master Yao acting so modest? I¡¯m sure everything about me is going to be turned inside out by you, no? Anyhow, I just recalled something. I heard that Young Master Yao had been abroad for a few years, so you should have met Yao Qinglong often, right?¡±


    The Fourth Uncle?


    Yao Xinhua was startled, yet he couldn¡¯t make heads or tails as to why Tang Xiu suddenly mentioned his Fourth Uncle, Yao Qinglong. However, he still smiled lightly, shook his head and he said, ¡°Young Master Tang is kidding me. My Fourth Uncle is responsible to manage the family¡¯s business, whereas I myself am rarely managed them, so I almost never see him.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t think so. I think you must have seen him often.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°Yao Qinglong is the first disciple of the Thief Branch and he has certainly done quite a lot of work to manage your family¡¯s businesses abroad, though there has been no significant track of him in normal times. A friend of mine mentioned him a couple days ago; he holds your uncle in high esteem!¡±


    Yao Xinhua¡¯s complexion changed. The smile on his face receded like a tidal wave, as he stared at Tang Xiu with a face full of vigilance, ¡°How did you know that my Fourth Uncle is the first disciple of the Thief Branch?¡±


    Pretending to look curious, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°Oh, my guess turns out to be correct, huh? Tsk, tsk¡­ I gotta admit that I must admire my own IQ. I heard that the first disciple of the Thief Branch is called Yao Qinglong, and I suddenly recalled that your Yao Family¡¯s members also have the same surname, hence I disclose it to you casually. Never thought that it was really spot on, though.¡±


    Instantly, Yao Xinhua¡¯s expression turned extremely unsightly. He stared at Tang Xiu and angrily replied, ¡°Are you deceiving me?¡±


    ¡°No no no, I have always heard that Young Master Yao is a man whose intelligent surpasses others, so how could I be able to deceive you?¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and chuckled. ¡°I just spoke without thinking. By the way¡­ is your staff working inefficiently or something? We¡¯ve been sitting and chatting for most of the day, but why hasn¡¯t he finished the job yet? Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t fork out 1 billion RMB, Young Master Yao? Could it be that your men is scraping things up together?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Yao Xinhua just realized that he, who was always able to keep his composure and act deceitful, suddenly felt that his IQ was not enough when facing Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Come on, don¡¯t call out you¡ªyou, and me¡ªme, will you?¡± Tang Xiu chuckled. ¡°If you tell me that you¡¯re really unable to fork out such a trivial amount, then I¡¯ll give you a discount. Besides, I¡¯m not that unreasonable. How about I give you a 10% discount? If you think it¡¯s still too much, I can give you a 20% discount!¡±


    Yao Xinhua sneered, ¡°Young Master Tang sure is impressive, huh? But my answer is no. In my eyes, 1 billion yuan is nothing but a trivial amount of money. Besides, unlike someone, this money was not obtained from my family. Of course, each bill is stained with blood, so I don¡¯t know whether the one using my money won¡¯t end up having the same fate as their previous owners.¡±


    ¡°Amazing!¡± Tang Xiu gave him a thumbs up. ¡°My money was indeed given by my family members; I don¡¯t have such good abilities. I¡¯m so timid that I don¡¯t even dare to kill a chicken, and only have the balls to stun a few swine and dogs once in a while.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Yao Xinhua was incensed and furious. The reason why he ended up in the hospital was because Tang Xiu stunned him, which meant that Tang Xiu¡¯s remark was akin to calling him a swine or a dog!


    Knock, knock¡­


    The ward¡¯s door was knocked, and the middle-aged big man returned. He came to Yao Xinhua¡¯s side and whispered something to his ear. Then, Yao Xinhua raised his head to look at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°The money has just been transferred to your account. May I ask what kind of dishes Young Master Tang wants me to eat today?¡±


    ¡°I just met a butcher, and two days ago, he said that he¡¯s going to put down his butcher knife and open a restaurant.¡± Tang Xiu let out a faint smile. ¡°When I went to visit him, he served me a few pufferfishes. So, we¡¯ll have blowfish meat today.¡± [1]


    Pufferfish?


    Yao Xinhua shuddered inwardly. He suddenly turned his head to the middle-aged big man next to him and angrily said, ¡°What did you just say? You want me to go back and deal with something important? Did you not hear that Young Master Tang has just invited me to eat pufferfish meat?¡±


    At first, the middle-aged big man stared blankly, before replying quickly, ¡°Young Master, it¡¯s not that I have to take you back, but we indeed have something urgent to deal with! How about you invite Young Master Tang some other day? I remember an old carpenter who used to sell coffins, he also opened a restaurant recently, and has learned how to cook pufferfish in a few days!¡±


    Yao Xinhua nodded in satisfaction. A grin appeared on his face as he looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°You heard that, Young Master Tang? I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m unable to accept your invitation today. But I¡¯ll invite you some other day, and I¡¯ll do that personally.¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a smile and glanced at the middle-aged big man. He then got up and walked to him, patted his shoulder while gently smiling and said, ¡°You¡¯re great; a very loyal and faithful dog. Because Young Master Yao has some matters to deal with today, then I won¡¯t insist. I¡¯ll take my leave, then.¡±


    After saying that, he turned to leave along with the two big men. When he was about to walk through the door, he suddenly stopped, turned around and smilingly said, ¡°Young Master Yao, since your Fourth Uncle is the first disciple of the Thief Sect, help me convey a message when you meet him. Tell him that I¡¯m hoping to cooperate with him if there¡¯s a chance in the future given the business in his hand.¡±


    ¡°Sure! I won¡¯t see you out,¡± replied Yao Xinhua with a foxy smile.


    After Tang Xiu left, only then did Yao Xinhua grimaced. He fiercely punched the sickbed before taking his mobile phone and dialing the number of an elder of his family.


    A few minutes later, as Tang Xiu left Jingmen Island¡¯s First Public Hospital, he comfortably sat on the back seat of the sedan and asked, ¡°What the two of you think, was it I who had the upper hand, or was it that Yao fella?¡±


    The big man on the front seat turned his head and smilingly said, ¡°Of course it was you who won, Boss. Your momentum and imposing manner were very intimidating, and you kept pressing that Yao guy.¡±


    ¡°However imposing a momentum it may have been, it¡¯s just an empty thing.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled. ¡°But today, at least the goal has been achieved. 1 billion, eh? Tsk, tsk¡­ Even if Yao Xinhua does have quite some money, I think it¡¯s enough for him to be in pain for quite a while. Also, I just found an interesting thing today that made me decide to let this guy live longer.¡±


    ¡°What interesting thing, Boss?¡± The big man on the front seat asked with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t noticed that Yao Xinhua is very afraid of me?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    The stalwart man dazed for a moment before he immediately nodded and smilingly said, ¡°True that. His eyes were full of vigilance ever since he saw you. Like he was guarding against all possible dangers from an enemy. Only, his man didn¡¯t understand him. Anyhow, he¡¯s an enemy, and it¡¯s better to kill him directly. Why should we allow him to live longer, Boss?¡±


    ¡°We and the Yao Family are bound to have a fierce battle in the future; a struggle between two evenly matched mortal enemies.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°Though Yao Xinhua is quite shrewd and deep and is considered as the best in the younger generation, I have already planted the seed of fear in his heart. It will be quite difficult for him to remain composed and natural whenever he confronts me in the future. Don¡¯t you think that such an enemy will be easy deal with? If the enemy changed to a new one, do you think we can still easily cope with this new adversary we¡¯re unfamiliar with?¡±


    The stalwart man was silent for a moment before slowly nodding, ¡°I get you, Boss.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly and turned to look out of the window, and no longer talked.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    A mobile ringtone sounded. Tang Xiu took his mobile phone out and looked at the number displayed on the screen. It was a call from Kang Xia. After connecting the phone, he smiled and said, ¡°Hello, Kang Xia. Is something up?¡±


    ¡°Boss, the second-in-charge figure of the Italian mafia¡¯s Cubo Clan wants to see you.¡± Kang Xia¡¯s voice came from the phone and her tone was especially serious.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before asking, ¡°Where is he now?¡±


    ¡°Star City!¡± Answered Kang Xia.

 Chapter 552

    Chapter 552: A Big Deal


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu thought for a while, before nodding and saying, ¡°Since he wants to see me, then tell him to come to Jingmen Island! I¡¯m now in Jingmen Island.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing in Jingmen Island, Boss?¡± Asked Kang Xia, surprised.


    ¡°I told you before that I¡¯m going to rent two islands in the South China Sea. It just so happened that a particular circumstance has arisen, so I came over here to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°I see. You¡­ Are you by chance going to return to Shanghai at the end of this month?¡± Asked Kang Xia.


    ¡°Apparently so,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re going back to Shanghai at the end of this month, then I¡¯ll be supervising the operation and personally open the new store in Shanghai by the end of this month,¡± said Kang Xia with a smile.


    After conversing for a while, Tang Xiu hung up the phone call.


    As for the issues with the Italian mafia¡¯s Cubo Clan, he had sent people to investigate them and naturally had already investigated the No. 2 figure of that syndicate, Druffet, who had great authority in the Cubo Clan and someone of high status in Italy.


    Retaliation?


    Tang Xiu felt that it was unlikely. Druffett would have directly hit the Magnificent Tang Corp if he wanted to retaliate. He wouldn¡¯t have contacted Kang Xia and asked to see him through her. But if it wasn¡¯t for revenge, then what exactly did he want?


    Though he had thought deeply about it, Tang Xiu still couldn¡¯t figure it out, hence didn¡¯t feel like occupying his mind with it since he had long prepared different measures needed to deal with different situations. As of now, his focus was placed on those two islands. He still had no idea how the Tang Family would take to deal with the negotiations and whether they could acquire those two islands. However, he had long decided that he would directly employ force if the Tang Family ultimately failed; though it was only a last resort so as to prevent the Yao Family getting them.


    Time fleeted by, and two days passed by in the blink of an eye.


    Over the past two days, Tang Xiu spent his time in a carefree and leisure manner. Aside from the necessary daily cultivation, he just read books while savoring his tea and accompanying Gu Yan¡¯er, who was still in slumber inside the exquisite pagoda.


    ¡°Grand Master, a guest just came to the Everlasting Feast Hall, saying that he has an appointment with you.¡± Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s figure appeared on the seventh floor of the exquisite pagoda and reported with a respectful manner.


    ¡°Is his name Druffet?¡± Asked Tang Xiu lightly.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s him,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue with a nod.


    Tang Xiu nodded in response. After Gu Xiaoxue left the exquisite pagoda, he went straight to the private dining room booked by Druffet in the Everlasting Feast Hall. After revealing his identity to the four burly foreigners, he then entered the room. However, the first one he saw when he came in was not Druffet, but an unexpected acquaintance.


    ¡°Never thought I¡¯d meet you here, Miss Ji.¡±


    The reason Ji Shiyan followed Druffet to Jingmen Island was because the man was a friend of her Boss, and her company had a business relationship with him. She was startled and astonished when she saw Tang Xiu come inside. It was evident that she didn¡¯t expect the person Druffet would see was actually Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Tang.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded slightly at her before looking at the tall Druffet, as he stretched out his hand and smilingly said, ¡°Welcome, friend from afar. I¡¯m Tang Xiu, the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s owner.¡±


    Druffet didn¡¯t receive the handshake, however, but squinted his eyes and size up Tang Xiu instead. Then he let out a cold snort and lightly said, ¡°You really are quite an awesome and powerful man, Boss Tang! To think you actually made me come to Jingmen Island to see you.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s facial expression turned overcast, and then went straight to the innermost couch and took a seat. After tilting his leg, he lit up a cigarette and drew a few deep puffs before giving his reply in an indifferent and detached manner, ¡°Whether or not I¡¯m powerful, haven¡¯t your men already experienced it? What¡¯s wrong? Do you think you haven¡¯t lost enough and want to lose some more people in China?¡±


    Druffet¡¯s expression changed. Tang Xiu¡¯s remark was akin to exposing the scabbed wounds, causing his face turned very unsightly. If he didn¡¯t consider the fact that he was in China, which was literally Tang Xiu¡¯s domain, he would have pulled out his gun and shot him.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, I demand an explanation from you and the Magnificent Tang Corp, because nobody in the entire world can stay safe and sound after causing the Cubo Clan to suffer a loss.¡± Druffet directly delivered his threat.


    Tang Xiu turned to Ji Shiyan and said lightly, ¡°Miss Ji, I won¡¯t kill him in your account, but I want you to drag him out of this place. I can¡¯t guarantee that he can still leave this Everlasting Feast Hall alive otherwise.¡±


    Druffet¡¯s facial expression changed, whereas Ji Shiyan looked panicked. Others may not be aware how powerful Tang Xiu was, but she knew it perfectly well, for she and Li Laoshan were once rescued by Tang Xiu alone.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, I think you misunderstood something here. Mr. Druffet didn¡¯t mean to embarrass you. Though I don¡¯t know what happened between the two of you, I believe getting rid of an enmity is better than keeping it alive. And Mr. Druffet, Mr. Tang is a friend of mine, and he has once saved my life. If you still speak with such an attitude, I¡¯m afraid my assistance to you will be close to nothing,¡± said Ji Shiyan with all seriousness.


    Druffet fell into silence for a period of time before he nodded, looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°I¡¯ve sent people to investigate the cause of the incident, Mr. Tang. It indeed wasn¡¯t directly related to your company, but a certain special department in your country¡­ Forget it. I won¡¯t pursue this matter since it has already happened. The reason I came looking for you is that I want to negotiate a cooperation.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s something that we need to cooperate,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, Mr. Tang.¡± Druffet shook his head. ¡°A cooperation between us is very necessary. Maybe you don¡¯t know what I mean by this cooperation.¡±


    Tang Xiu spread out his hand and replied, ¡°To tell you the truth, I really don¡¯t know what kind of medicine you are selling. So tell me, what do you mean by this collaboration?¡±


    ¡°I want to hire some of your people here to help me accomplish a trivial matter; with a high price, of course.¡± Druffet said. ¡°I think you can get my friendship and great benefits from me if the results are what I want them to be.¡±


    ¡°Elaborate,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°According to the information I have, the Everlasting Feast Hall is yours, and you have several very formidable people here.¡± Druffet seriously explained. ¡°Whether it is teamwork in battles or covert assassinations, they all are topmost experts. As for myself, I can¡¯t wait any longer to take the godfather seat of the Cubo Clan. I think you understand me, right?¡±


    ¡°Your price,¡± said Tang Xiu slowly after being silent for a while.


    ¡°1 billion USD, plus a large gold mine in Africa,¡± said Druffet.


    ¡°Can you tell me who are those you want to hire?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°They are the Black and White Impermanence¡ªDark and Light; the Body Grinder¡ªGao Feng, and the Snow Hare¡ªMo Lei. Of course, I will increase the pay by 100 million USD for each extra expert you send. The premise is that their strength is on par with the Black and White Impermanence.¡± [1]


    Tang Xiu clapped his hands and exclaimed, ¡°What a big deal! I think the deal can be carried out. But still, I want to know something. How exactly did you know that I¡¯m the owner of the Everlasting Feast Hall? And how did you know that the two of them are under the Everlasting Feast Hall?¡±


    ¡°I have my own intelligence channels, and I paid quite some price to purchase the information of their whereabouts.¡± Druffet squinted his eyes. ¡°You ought to have heard about the Dark Wind Organization, no? I got it from that world¡¯s largest intelligence agency.¡±


    Dark Wind Organization?


    It was the first time Tang Xiu heard the name, yet this intelligence organization instantly aroused his vigilance. After staying silent for a while, he said slowly, ¡°2 billion USD plus that gold mine in Africa; and it¡¯s non-negotiable. Up to 10 days, you can be sure that the current godfather of your Cubo Clan will disappear from this planet.¡±


    ¡°And if you fail?¡± Asked Druffet in a solemn tone.


    ¡°The result is already set after I took this deal.¡± Tang Xiu said lightly. ¡°Look, Mr. Druffet, you are the one who looked for me to seek cooperation, and I never see such a huge sum of money that didn¡¯t enter my pockets.¡±


    Druffet spent several minutes pondering before he slowly nodded and said, ¡°In this way, may we have a great cooperation.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s one last question I wanna ask you, though.¡± Tang Xiu calmly said. ¡°There are many excellent assassins in the world, and there are some powerful mercenary companies as well. Why did you come to me? Furthermore, why did you go so far so as to go to the Magnificent Tang Corporation rather than come to the Everlasting Feast Hall directly?¡±


    ¡°There are ghosts around me,¡± said Druffet with a forced smile.


    Tang Xiu stared blankly for a moment, before he immediately understood what he meant. He then smiled and said, ¡°It seems that your situation in the Cubo Clan is not as good as seen by outsiders, Mr. Druffet.¡±


    ¡°Power and privilege are very captivating, yet very dangerous stuff,¡± said Druffet with a reluctant expression.


    Approvingly nodding, Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°Give me the information! I¡¯m sure that you must have them prepared in advance since you wanted to hire us.¡±


    Druffet gave him a thumbs up and praised as he immediately picked up a briefcase and handed it over to Tang Xiu, saying, ¡°All the information on him is inside. Also, except himself, I want his several right-hand men to vanish from this world if possible. Besides, that gold mine is actually prepared for those people.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Tang Xiu got up and chuckled. ¡°Anyways, there are some things I need to attend to, so I won¡¯t be able to accompany you. Mr. Druffet, you¡¯re a VIP of the Everlasting Feast Hall, so you¡¯re exempted from paying. And do please contact us if you have other great deals again later.¡±


    After saying that, he directly left. After meeting Gu Xiaoxue on the seashore, he lightly spoke, ¡°I just received a great deal. 2 billion USD plus a gold mine. Tell Dark and Light to prepare to go out and play.¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue let out a faint smile and said, ¡°Grand Master, their strength has grown by leaps and bounds recently. Even I am no longer their opponent anymore. I¡¯m sure the job can be accomplished easily if they are the ones assigned to it.¡±


    After handing the briefcase to her, Tang Xiu said, ¡°The target is the current godfather of the Cubo Clan, as well as several of his right-hand men. Their specific details should all be in this briefcase. This matter will be yours to take care of.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Gu Xiaoxue nodded with a smile.

 Chapter 553

    Chapter 553: Cry for Help


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Covert methods must be employed to deal with issues that must be kept in the dark.


    Tang Xiu may not have high emotional intelligence, but he was highly intelligent. After handing over the issue to Gu Xiaoxue and returned to the carefree life he had enjoyed in the previous two days, Han Qingwu always looked for him once every morning and evening to chat on some random topics, yet he never talked nor mentioned the matter of the memory fragments and scenes inside her mind.


    Slowly, a few days passed by.


    In stark contrast with Tang Xiu¡¯s leisurely life, Yao Xinhua passed his time in anxiety and a day was akin to a year for him. It was a week already, and there had been no news on his Fourth Uncle¡ªYao Qingteng. The news he ultimately obtained was that there was no trace of him in Jingmen Island, as if his Fourth Uncle had vanished without a trace.


    He had a suspicion that it was the work of Tang Xiu, but the result of the investigation was that Tang Xiu had always been in the Everlasting Feast Hall and never left the site even a step.


    Furthermore, there was another thing that troubled and gave him headaches. Unbeknownst to him of what kind of supernatural being he had provoked, all the stuff he always carried, including his wallet that contained his ID card and bankcard, had been stolen. He didn¡¯t even know when and how the culprit did that. It was just like¡­ when he got stunned by Tang Xiu at the charity and wasn¡¯t able to notice how Tang Xiu did it.


    Nevertheless, the issues here had all been relayed to his family, and he was ordered to continue staying in Jingmen Island to observe the changes and circumstances quietly.


    At the Everlasting Feast Hall¡­


    The fragrant smell of dishes fluttered in the air in hall of the first floor. Ji Shiyan, who was donned in a casual suit, calmly sat in front of the dining table in the corner while savoring the dishes. A few days had passed and Druffet had already left, yet she stayed in the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    She just learned Tang Xiu¡¯s status as the Big Boss of the Everlasting Feast Hall. Though she was surprised and felt it was somewhat accidental, she felt that if she could get close to Tang Xiu and entered his good books, the advantages and benefits she could get in the future would be many. Furthermore, there was also another idea that crossed her mind.


    As of recently, her boss had been bewitched and captivated by a vixen. Under the spell of their pillow talks, his attitude toward her began to change and it made her quite frustrated, so much so that she had the idea to leave the company. Therefore, when her Boss sent her to Star City to escort Druffet, she set her eyes on the Magnificent Tang Corp as well as Tang Xiu. To her surprise as well as joy, the person Druffet was visiting was named Tang Xiu, who turned out to be the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, her former acquaintance.


    Hence, she kept staying here, trying to find time to see Tang Xiu again.


    ¡°Hello, your dishes have all been served.¡± A beautiful waiter put the last dish on the table and said with a smile.


    ¡°Could I bother you with something? I want to see Tang Xiu, can you help me?¡± Ji Shiyan nodded and suddenly asked.


    ¡°I apologize, I have no right to call the Boss,¡± said the waitress with an apologetic expression.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t, could you please tell your superior?¡± Asked Ji Shiyan. ¡°I¡¯m a guest here, shouldn¡¯t you meet the requests of the guests?¡±


    ¡°This¡­ I¡¯ll try!¡±


    Ten minutes later, Tang Xiu walked into the dining hall of the restaurant. After glancing around, he walked toward the corner of the hall and took a seat across Ji Shiyan. Tang Xiu waved to Ji Shiyan, who got up, and then smilingly said to her, ¡°I heard that you¡¯re looking for me, is there something you need from me?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I do have some matters to talk you about, Mr. Tang,¡± said Ji Shiyan smilingly.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What do you think of my ability, Mr. Tang?¡± Asked her.


    Tang Xiu sized her up, before smilingly nodding, ¡°Your ability should be good, given your previous position and the way you handled issues with your work.¡±


    Ji Shiyan sat straight and asked, ¡°Do you think you can use me?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to change jobs, by chance?¡± Asked Tang Xiu back in surprise.


    ¡°I do have the idea, but I have yet to find my next home,¡± Ji Shiyan nodded.


    ¡°I want to know the reason first,¡± said Tang Xiu after a few moment¡¯s silence.


    ¡°The truth is, I¡¯m a trusted aide of my current Boss and am usually tasked with important positions and responsibility in the company,¡± said Ji Shiyan reluctantly. ¡°However, my Boss was recently captivated by a woman who has a personal grudge with me. You should have heard things about pillow talks, no? To be honest, these pillow talks were really powerful. I have been being treated coldly lately, and I¡¯ve been given many field assignments. I feel that if this situation keeps going on, it¡¯s very likely that my current company will kick me out without me handing over my resignation.¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly understood and then smilingly said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you two weeks. After you have dealt with the issues with your current employer, then go to Star City to find Kang Xia. I believe she will arrange you a suitable position.¡±


    Ji Shiyan¡¯s eyes brightened up and excitedly said, ¡°I believe my choice to enter the Magnificent Tang Corporation is correct, since the prospect of future growth and development of this company is the brightest one I¡¯ve ever seen. I thank you in advance for this chance, Boss. I promise you that I¡¯ll work hard.¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°Speaking about it, we had experienced some things together, so leave out the ceremonial talk. Anyhow, was the reason you kept staying here because you wanted to talk to me about this?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Ji Shiyan nodded with a smile.


    ¡°Ji Shiyan, there are times you can hear some words and some others that you cannot; and sometimes there are things you can disclose and some others that you must not. You¡¯re a smart woman. I¡¯m sure you understand what I mean,¡± Tang Xiu said.


    For a moment, Ji Shiyan¡¯s face scrunched up and hesitated before she eventually got a glimmer of insight. She then nodded and said, ¡°I seem to have accompanied Mr. Druffet to see you a couple of days ago, but I forgot the content of your conversation.¡±


    Giving her thumbs up, Tang Xiu praised, ¡°Young people are promising and worthy to be taught. All right, since the dishes have already been served, let¡¯s have dinner together. You won¡¯t mind it, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure!¡± Said Ji Shiyan with a smile.


    Originally, the meal should end in a pleasant atmosphere. However, just as Tang Xiu had a few mouthfuls, his mobile phone suddenly buzzed and rang. As he took out the phone and saw the caller ID, he suddenly felt a headache, because the caller was Han Qingwu.


    ¡°What else do you need, Teacher Han?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, HELP ME!!!¡± Han Qingwu¡¯s cry came out of the mobile phone.


    Tang Xiu abruptly got up and his complexion changed as he asked in a heavy voice, ¡°Where are you? What happened?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in Big Baimo Shopping Center on the Haibin Road. I¡­ I went out and got surrounded by a few people,¡± said Han Qingwu hurriedly.


    Tang Xiu gave a hand gesture to Ji Shiyan, left the dining hall in big strides and quickly rushed to the parking lot. On the way there, he met a patrol group and directly called out to the eight men.


    ¡°Take me to the Big Baimo Shopping Center on Haibin Road.¡±


    ¡°Roger!¡±


    The eight experts of Everlasting Feast Hall answered in unison.


    ****


    Inside the Big Baimo Shopping Center¡­


    Han Qingwu¡¯s expression was restless and anxious as she stood with her back against the wall while staring at the dozens of youths in sportswear in front led by a youth sporting a crew cut hairdo. At the front of the dozen youths was the crew cut young man called Huang Shiqing, who wore disdaining look and coldly said, ¡°Bitch, you broke my little brother¡¯s arm, so you must go with us today. Otherwise, the Huang Martial School will lose completely face.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t go!¡± Han Qingwu raised her handbag and furiously yelled.


    At present, though her strength and speed were ten times stronger and faster than before, she still didn¡¯t know any martial arts. She may be able to defeat anyone in front of her if it was a one-to-one bout, but there were dozens of youths in front of her, a number she couldn¡¯t beat at all.


    ¡°You won¡¯t go?¡± Huang Shiqing sneered. ¡°Hmph, you no longer have that option.¡±


    ¡°It was your younger brother who molested the other women. I hit him since he also made a move on me!¡± Han Qingwu angrily shouted. ¡°Who would have imagined that he would be hit so badly that his arm got broken? I warn you. If you dare to act unruly toward me, I¡¯m sure someone will come to pack you up shortly.¡±


    ¡°Are you relying on the phone call you just made? Hmph, what a joke!¡± Huang Shiqing sneered. ¡°There are indeed a few people in Jingmen Island that I, Huang Shiqing, cannot afford to stir up. But I don¡¯t give a damn care for any fucking layman you drag here. If you got the ability, call someone from the Ouyang Family.¡±


    The Ouyang Family?


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s face appeared inside Han Qingwu¡¯s mind, but she immediately cast it away. Though Lulu was a native of Jingmen Island and a member of the Ouyang Family, she wasn¡¯t that close to her and maybe, she wouldn¡¯t want to help her. She would even probably watch from the side, gloating at her misfortune and bitter experience, treating it like a joke!


    ¡°I warn you! That person I just called is very powerful. Many powerful people are afraid to act rampant before him. If you dare to act untoward, I¡¯m sure he will definitely pack you up for good. Wait for him to come here if you don¡¯t believe me.¡±


    ¡°Wait for him to come?¡± Huang Shiqing mocked. ¡°This father has no time to waste. Drag her to our school. If this father doesn¡¯t give her a good lesson this time I won¡¯t be able to swallow this anger.¡±


    Another youth rolled his sleeves up and smirked, ¡°Brother Qing, this woman is very great, give her to me to smack her ass! I promise you she will be very docile after I have packed her up, and then I¡¯ll take her to apologize to you, Brother Huang!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s yours!¡± Said Huang Shiqing lightly.


    The youth looked excited and instantly strode toward Han Qingwu, directly grabbing her shoulder.


    ¡°GO AWAY!¡±


    Han Qingwu swung the handbag towards him. Her right leg quickly sent a kick and hit the youth¡¯s face, sending him backward.


    BAM¡­


    After flying backward for five plus meters, the youth¡¯s body finally slammed to the ground and directly fainted.


    What?


    The remaining dozens of youths were dumbfounded. They never expected that Han Qingwu, who looked so delicate and fragile, could actually kick their comrade until he passed out. They previously thought that Han Qingwu could break Huang Shiyang¡¯s arm because he was struck with bad luck and fell by himself. But now it looked like this woman was really strong!


    Huang Shiqing squinted his eyes. The speed displayed by Han Qingwu¡¯s kick was slightly faster than his fastest speed; this fact secretly made him vigilant. However, when he saw the panicked expression on Han Qingwu¡¯s face, he let out a sneer and growled, ¡°Xiao Dao, grab this bitch for me!¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡±


    A stocky and imposing youth, called Little Blade, flushed toward Han Qingwu. His leg swiftly whipped onto Han Qingwu¡¯s shoulder and heavily hit it, causing her to directly slam to the ground.

 Chapter 554

    Chapter 554: Rushing to the Martial Arts School


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    At this time, Huang Shiqing could tell that, despite possessing quick speed and powerful strength, it was evident that the woman didn¡¯t know any martial arts moves; she didn¡¯t even know the basics of fighting skills at all. This discovery made the tightness in his heart instantly ease down, and he even revealed a jeering expression.


    Pa¡­


    He then grabbed Han Qingwu and slapped her. As five bright red fingerprints appeared on Han Qingwu¡¯s face, he threw her to Xiao Dao and sneered, ¡°Take this bitch back to our martial school and let her make a phone call on the way there. I wanna see who has the ability to save her in this Jingmen Island.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Xiao Dao thickly smiled. He grabbed Han Qingwu¡¯s hand and dragged her into a car. Several cars then quickly left, as the frightened Han Qingwu made a phone call to Tang Xiu.


    Heroes¡¯ Crest Martial School. It was a low-profile martial arts school located in the Western suburb of Jingmen Island. However, this martial arts school was managed by martial arts experts. The School Master didn¡¯t manage it all year round, thus entire operation of the school was completely controlled by its Vice Schoolmaster, Jiang Mentian.


    Jiang Mentian was a martial arts grandmaster, and his strength had reached the apex. If several martial arts experts were to gang up on him, they would find it difficult to get close to him. Only relying on his skills, he had laid a foothold for himself in Jingmen Island with his bare hands. Later on, unbeknownst to everyone, he inexplicably became the Vice Schoolmaster of Heroes¡¯ Crest Martial School, and it¡¯d been two decades since.


    In recent years he had been staying in the hall nearly every day. Apart from practicing his martial arts, he also cultivated flowers and plants and spent his time in a particularly happy and fulfilling life. Despite so, all the big wigs from all walks of life in Jingmen Island still respected him due to his strength. They often came to visit and have a drink with him, to exchange favors and such. Of course, part of the reason was that he had numerous inextricable links with several families who ran underground businesses in Jingmen Island.


    At this time, Jiang Mentian was pruning the flowers and plants in the courtyard garden, whereas two sturdy and burly men stood guard as gatekeepers at the gate.


    ¡°Master Jiang!¡±


    A lean youth strode into the courtyard and quickly came to Jiang Mentian¡¯s side.


    Jiang Mentian knitted his brows and grunted with an annoyed expression, ¡°Xiao Hu, did you forget the rules I set here? Don¡¯t bother me whenever I¡¯m pruning flowers and plants if there¡¯s no urgent matters!¡±


    The thin youth forced a smile and said, ¡°Master Jiang, I didn¡¯t want to bother you, actually. But, Huang Shiqing just returned from the outside and brought a woman and is now detaining her. And now he has set up a combat formation in the training field, as if waiting for the arrival of someone important.¡±


    ¡°Did you say Huang Shiqing?¡± Jiang Mentian said lightly with raised brows. ¡°The one¡­ who once threatened to change our Heroes¡¯ Crest Martial School to his Huang Family Dojo or something? Did he stir up trouble outside?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because of Huang Shiyang, his younger brother, Master Jiang,¡± reported the lean youth. ¡°His arm was broken. That¡¯s right, it was caused by the woman who was brought back by them.¡±


    ¡°The Huang Brothers have become more and more outrageous in recent years,¡± Jiang Mentian shook his head and sighed. ¡°I originally thought he was a good material to pass on my kung fu, and I planned to give him the responsibility to handle some business of our martial school outside. Little did I think he would become so unruly and rampant. It seems I have become lazy in recent years, and haven¡¯t properly disciplined him.¡±


    ¡°What should we do, Master Jiang?¡± The lean young man quickly asked. ¡°Since Huang Shiqing has brought someone to be detained in our martial school, this means he¡¯s going to fight others using the banner of our martial school. Although this matter clearly has no relationship whatsoever with us, the other party won¡¯t believe it!¡±


    Jiang Mentian was silent for a short while before saying, ¡°Wait for me to finish pruning the potted plants. And then I¡¯ll teach that brat something.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± The lean young man¡¯s eyes flashed, and he immediately stepped back and waited in silence.


    The Heroes¡¯ Crest Martial School covered a large area, and the front yard of the martial school was like a regular football field. At this moment, Han Qingwu was tied to a pole with her mouth stuffed with clothes, whereas Huang Shiqing sat on the chair ten meters away in front of her while calmly sipping tea. Behind him, several stocky youths were glancing at Han Qingwu with folded arms, and malice was evident in their eyes.


    Dozens of meters away from them, dozens of coaches and trainees of the Heroes¡¯ Crest Martial School were looking at them from the side with curious expressions, yet no one came to even ask what this was about. They looked at Huang Shiqing¡¯s arrogant expression with dread.


    Less than ten minutes later, four black SUVs rushed through the front gate of the Heroes¡¯ Crest Martial School. Along with the shout of the old man guarding the gate, the four cars rushed in and stopped in front of a row of two-storied buildings. Two burly men then came down from an SUV and rushed to one trainee. One of them hit him without speaking any words and dragged the trainee to the car¡¯s window where Tang Xiu was.


    As the window glass slowly opened, Tang Xiu¡¯s face appeared. His eyes fixed on trainee and then he indifferently asked, ¡°Your Heroes¡¯ Crest Martial School¡¯s people have just caught and detained a woman, have you not?¡±


    That trainee¡¯s expression was flushed red. He raised his head and angrily glared at Tang Xiu, shouting, ¡°Yes! Huang Shiqing from our martial school is the one who has that woman! Who the hell are you people? You dare to rush into our martial school and cause trouble here, do you not fear going back with no life left in your body?¡±


    ¡°Oh my, it seems that I just came to a nest of thieves, eh? Tell me where this Huang Shiqing is, and where is that kidnapped woman?¡± Tang Xiu sighed and asked with a cold expression.


    ¡°They are in the martial arts practicing field, to the left,¡± shouted the trainee.


    The two burly men released him and returned to the car. The four SUVs teh drove straight to the training field and arrived there within just a minute. Tang Xiu could clearly see Han Qingwu tied up on the pole in the training field, whereas Huang Shiqing was currently sitting on a chair and drinking his tea.


    At this moment, Huang Shiqing just lifted his teacup. Just as he saw the four black SUVs rushing in, his expression immediately changed. When the four cars stopped ten plus meters away from them and eight black-suited men wearing grim expressions came down from the cars, his eyes finally fell on Tang Xiu who just stepped off the car.


    Only this much people came in the four cars? Quite ostentatious!


    He put the teacup down and looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s group in disdain. He casually lowered his head and played with his right fingernails.


    Looking at the sight in front, Tang Xiu secretly sighed. He didn¡¯t expect that Han Qingwu, who only went out to play, would cause such much trouble; and it seemed like it was not a small trouble, either. However, he himself didn¡¯t have a complaint toward her, since he was perfectly aware that she would never take the initiative to provoke others.


    He walked toward Han Qingwu and saw tears gushing out from her eyes as they fell down her face. Tang Xiu gently untied her from the ropes and took the stuffed clothes from her mouth, saying, ¡°Were you hit? Does it hurt?¡±


    Wuuu¡­.


    The moment Han Qingwu was untied, she immediately threw herself into Tang Xiu¡¯s bosom. Her grieved feelings caused her to cry hard and tightly hug Tang Xiu. It was as if Tang Xiu¡¯s bosom was the safest place for her.


    ¡°WOW! The hero saving the belle, huh? Even the belle gave herself in. What a touching scene!¡± Xiao Dao, who stood behind Huang Shiqing, blew a loud whistle and shouted, grinning.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t push her away straight away, and let her hug him for a while. After patting her back, he gently pushed her away and led her to a chair. As for Huang Shiqing, he didn¡¯t prevent him.


    ¡°Do you mind if I take her away now?¡± Asked Tang Xiu. His voice was composed and tranquil, yet a chilling intent was suffused within.


    Huang Shiqing raised his head. The disdaining expression on his face turned thicker. He tilted his leg, took a cigarette from his pocket and lit it up. After taking a deep puff, he jeered, ¡°Do you think my Huang Martial School is a place you can come and go as you please?


    The Huang Martial School?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows creased and indifferently said, ¡°If I didn¡¯t misread the plaque outside, this should be Heroes¡¯ Crest Martial School, how come it turned into the Huang Martial School?¡±


    ¡°It is called the Heroes¡¯ Crest Martial School now. But the Vice Schoolmaster thinks highly of me. Isn¡¯t this the same that my words will decide everything in this school after he retires in the future?¡± Huang Shiqing sneered. ¡°Brat, you look quite young, but you must have heard the name and reputation of our martial arts, no? I really didn¡¯t expect you to have the balls to come to the rescue here. For me to admire you isn¡¯t really unjustified!¡±


    ¡°Whether it¡¯s admirable or not, just forget it. I don¡¯t want to waste more time dealing with such a nobody like you,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I came here to rescue a person, and since I¡¯ve rescued her, then it¡¯s time to go. If you dare to stop me, then I can only destroy that plaque and this martial school as well.¡±


    At this time, Jiang Mentian, who just came out leading several instructors of the school who had been trained by him personally, arrived near the crowd. He originally intended to reprimand Huang Shiqing, but after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, his brows slightly pricked up, and then he coldly spoke, ¡°What a big tone! Did you just say you¡¯ll destroy the plaque of the Heroes¡¯ Crest Martial School?¡±


    ¡°Vice Schoolmaster!¡±


    Although Huang Shiqing was extremely arrogant, he didn¡¯t dare to show it before Jiang Mentian. It must be noted that the person he dreaded the most in the Heroes¡¯ Crest Martial School was none other than Jiang Mentian. He hastily got up from the chair and respectfully gave the seat to Jiang Mentian.


    Jiang Mentian shot him a cold look. After sitting on the chair, he looked at Tang Xiu and spoke again, ¡°I actually wasn¡¯t going to bother with the matters between you youngsters. But since you all came to my martial school, I can¡¯t help but come forward and act on my school¡¯s behalf. What¡¯s wrong? How exactly do you want to settle this dispute?¡±


    Huang Shiqing, who stood beside Jiang Mentian, sternly shouted, ¡°Vice Schoolmaster, you can¡¯t spare that bitch! She has broken my younger brother¡¯s arm. I won¡¯t give this matter up!¡±


    ¡°TRASH!¡± Jiang Mentian roared angrily.


    Huang Shiqing¡¯s expression changed, and he immediately shut his mouth out of embarrassment.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and indifferently said, ¡°I presume you are the Vice Schoolmaster here, yes? Your strength is indeed remarkable, and you can be regarded as a top tier martial artist. Since your people won¡¯t allow me to go, I no longer want to go as well. I¡¯ll give you a chance to expel him and those standing behind him from your martial school, then I will no longer pursue this matter. Otherwise¡­¡±


    ¡°What will happen otherwise, huh?¡± Jiang Mentian sneered.

 Chapter 555

    Chapter 555: Shuddering


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    With a cold expression, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Otherwise, none of you in this martial arts school will be able to walk away with your legs today.¡±


    Clap, clap, clap¡­


    Jiang Mentian clapped and smiled, yet contempt flashed in his eyes, while dozens of the martial arts school¡¯s instructors and trainees gathered in the surrounding now numbered at 50 plus people. They, too, looked at Tang Xiu with contempt and disdain.


    ¡°Is this guy a retard or something? Doesn¡¯t he know where he is right now?¡±


    ¡°What an idiot! He dares to come to our martial school yet acts so rampant, does he want to die?¡±


    ¡°About seven or eight years ago some brats came to make trouble in our martial school. At the end of the day they only got their legs broken and got their asses kicked out of this here like dead dogs. Afterward, the families of those brats were unable to stay in Jingmen Island anymore and were forced to leave in disgrace.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s nuts. He thought that, by bringing a group of eight bodyguards, he could raise a hue and cry at us? Hmph, he really doesn¡¯t know how to write ¡®DEAD¡¯, it seems.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The Heroes¡¯ Crest Martial School¡¯s instructors and trainees chatted. They were itching for a fight and were just waiting for the Vice Schoolmaster¡¯s order to give Tang Xiu and his men a fierce lesson.


    Han Qingwu pulled Tang Xiu¡¯s sleeve and said with an anxious and restless expression, ¡°Tang Xiu, let¡¯s just leave! This is a martial arts school, and they seem very strong.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head. He observed the disdain on Jiang Mentian¡¯s expression and indifferently said, ¡°I¡¯ve given you a chance, and since you didn¡¯t take, don¡¯t blame me for being cruel and merciless. Everyone, move! Break their legs!¡±


    Each of the eight experts from the Everlasting Feast Hall possessed strength that was far beyond that of a martial arts grandmaster. The moment Tang Xiu issued the order, the eight men flashed toward them like tigers. As fast and strong as they were, the moment they clashed with the Heroes¡¯ Crest Martial School their powerful strikes already knocked ten plus people down.


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    Jiang Mentian had never thought that the people brought by Tang Xiu would instantly act the moment they received the order. What was beyond his imagination was that the strength displayed by them was extremely powerful. It would be very strenuous for himself if he were to confront these eight men simultaneously.


    ¡°STOP!¡± A loud shout came out from Jiang Mentian¡¯s mouth.


    The Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s experts didn¡¯t stop their actions at all, however, because they only listened to Tang Xiu¡¯s orders. With their lightning-like movements and powerful strikes, the eight men directly scattered to strike at the clustered people around and constantly knocked down their opponents.


    Standing beside Jiang Mentian, Huang Shiqing didn¡¯t immediately act but looked at those eight experts thoroughly smashing and sending his martial brothers upside down instead. His heart jolted and jumped a few times when he saw dozens of martial arts instructors, who possessed deep foundation skills, being overthrown and knocked down.


    How could this be? How could the strength of these eight men be so strong? The combat efficiency of each and every one of them was far beyond his. It must be noted that he was at the great accomplishment level martial artist and only half a step away from breaking through to the level of martial arts grandmaster. By then he would be equal in strength with the Vice Schoolmaster, Jiang Mentian.


    Could it be that¡­ these eight men were martial arts grandmasters?


    It suddenly dawned open Huang Shiqing the horrifying realization that he seemed to have provoked a great trouble.


    The time passed by in utter oppression.


    Two minutes and five seconds. Except for Jiang Mentian and Huang Shiqing, the only people that were left standing were the ones brought by Jiang Mentian.


    ¡°YOUNG MAN, ORDER YOUR MEN TO STOP!¡±


    Upon seeing that the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s experts gathered again and were about to come at them, Jiang Mentian immediately shouted.


    Tang Xiu lifted his hand and sneered, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you regretting it and asking for mercy?¡±


    ¡°Regret? Asking for mercy? Hmph,¡± Jiang Mentian coldly snorted. ¡°It¡¯s been nearly two decades that I, Jiang Mentian, have heard someone daring to speak to me like that. Young man, these men you brought are probably not much stronger than I am. But are you sure you still want to continue this matter?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m very sure,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Raising his hand, Jiang Mentian said, ¡°Think clearly, young man. They may be very strong, but you must understand that it¡¯s very difficult for two fists to contend with four. The number of people I have here is only a tenth of the entire martial arts school. If I were to call every one of us to come here to fight with your men, are you sure you can knock everyone down? Also, once they get surrounded, do you think you and your woman can get out unscathed?¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± Tang Xiu loudly laughed. ¡°I may fear something, but never once was I afraid of others. All of you, move and clean up the rest aside from this chap!¡±


    Once again, the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s eight experts moved and attacked. This time, even though Huang Shiqing was perfectly aware that he was not a match for the enemy, he still braced himself to face it. However, a lightning-like fist struck his face and an iron-like leg kicked his waist. Along with his scream, he was kicked out directly seven-plus meters away and slammed heavily on the ground.


    Crack¡­


    After the eight burly men knocked down a dozen or so people, they fully executed Tang Xiu¡¯s order to trample their thigh bones. Not only these people, they also began to break the thighs of the people they just knocked down a moment ago.


    ¡°ENOUGH!!!¡±


    Jiang Mentian abruptly got up from his chair upon seeing the actions of the eight big men. His eyes were as though spitting out fire as he glared straight at Tang Xiu and angrily shouted.


    Tang Xiu flung his hands and chuckled, ¡°Ah, it¡¯s been a long time since the last time I acted. Actually, I also wanted to practice, but you are too weak and not worthy for me to act at all. How about you call the strongest one among all of you?¡±


    ¡°Brat, what happened today crossed the point of no return between us! You won¡¯t be able to leave today,¡± Jiang Mentian snorted coldly. ¡°The strongest person here doesn¡¯t need to come out, for I myself am enough to clean up all of you.¡±


    ¡°You know, sometimes self-confidence is indeed a good thing, but overestimating your own strength will lead to grave consequences. Sigh¡­¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and sighed. ¡°Anyone among the eight of you wants to teach him? I¡¯ll reward you with a 50 cents coin reward if you win.¡± [1]


    ¡°Let me do it!¡± A sturdy man stepped forward and said a deep voice.


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°Since you want to perform, then display a good show! But do be careful not to lose, otherwise I¡¯ll throw you out and make you manage the business!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± The facial expression of the burly man changed and turned solemn. He didn¡¯t want to be sent outside to manage the business, for he would have less time to cultivate himself.


    At this time, the instructors and trainees of the Heroes¡¯ Crest Martial School, who were rolled about on the ground in pain all over the place, looked at Jiang Mentian and that stalwart man. Many of them angrily roared.


    ¡°Vice Schoolmaster, please exact revenge for us and kill all of them.¡±


    ¡°These damn fucking bastards, my leg is done already. Vice Schoolmaster, you¡¯re a grandmaster expert, you must make them pay a hundred times more.¡±


    ¡°With Vice Schoolmaster acting, these people are surely as good as dead!¡±


    ¡°Kill them all and let them know that our Heroes¡¯ Crest Martial School is not that soft to provoke!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Their expressions and eyes when they looked at Jiang Mentian were full of enthusiasm, while it was full of hatred when they glared at Tang Xiu and his men. Though they rarely saw their Vice Schoolmaster go into action in recent years, they knew very well how strong their Vice Schoolmaster was. He was a powerful grandmaster and once he took action, he would be able to clean up them all.


    Jiang Mentian coldly hummed and bolted toward the stalwart man. His footsteps were extremely steady, calm and yet very fast. After appearing in front of the sturdy man, he sent a barrage of fists toward the burly man¡¯s face without hesitation.


    Hmph¡­


    The stalwart man snorted coldly and quickly moved his leg to deliver an extremely fast kick. However, it was this leg that swept away Jiang Mentian¡¯s arm as another foot then flew and trampled on Jiang Mentian¡¯s chest.


    Devastation! A through and through one-sided devastation! Both in terms of speed and strength, Jiang Mentian was simply unable to see the strike until it landed, but when the sturdy man went all out, he couldn¡¯t even block him and was unable to dodge at all. A barrage of fists struck him like rain to welcome him, and the severe pain made it difficult for Jiang Mentian to breathe.


    How could this be?


    Jiang Mentian¡¯s expression was full of pain and despair. Never once had he dreamed that this big man would turn out to have yet unleashed his full power before, and the strength he just released on him turned out to be his true strength.


    However, was he still human? He was already at the grandmaster level, and there were probably only a handful people who could be on par with him in the entire country. These¡­ freaking monsters, where did they come from? Were they people of the same kind of ¡®being¡¯ like his Schoolmaster?


    BAM¡­


    A foot directly kicked Jiang Mentian¡¯s face, causing his vision to turn dark, and his body was flung ten meters away and slammed onto the iron pole where Han Qingwu was tied before.


    ¡°Boss, the task is accomplished.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in satisfaction and said, ¡°You will receive two Essence Amassing Pills, whereas everyone else will receive one after we go back.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Boss!¡± The eight sturdy men cupped their fists and spoke with a pleasantly surprised expression.


    As for the instructors and trainees of the martial school, who sat paralyzed on the floor, they all stared at Jiang Mentian who was lying under the iron pole dumbfounded and gaping with disbelief.


    How could this be? In their hearts, the Vice Schoolmaster was a grandmaster of martial arts who was akin to the God of War. But how was he not able to fight back at all and was even KO¡¯ed by another?


    This¡­ was¡­ not¡­ conforming¡­ to logic! Could it be that that stalwart man was much more powerful than a martial arts grandmaster expert?


    In an instant, fear hit their hearts like a tidal wave, sending a chill all over their bodies, and their limbs turned cold.


    Tang Xiu slowly walked to Jiang Mentian¡¯s side, grabbed his collar and sneered, ¡°Weren¡¯t you acting so rampant and violent before? Do you think you¡¯re already invincible in the whole world after you reached the martial arts grandmaster level? As far as I¡¯m concerned, you¡¯re just a minor buffoon performing antics, a nobody who handles minor matters on behalf of others.¡±


    Having said that, he straightly dropped Jiang Mentian and said again, ¡°Call out the strongest person you have! If he really has the ability to spar with me, I will let this go and you¡¯ll be able to keep your martial school plaque this once!¡±


    Cough, cough¡­


    Jiang Mentian spurted out a mouthful blood and his complexion turned pale. He took out a mobile phone from his pocket, but the phone had been broken by the attack and could no longer be used.


    Phew¡­


    A blurry silhouette approached from a distant place.


    Notes:


    50 cents here referred to how unworthy and trivial the opponent is. In this case, it was Jiang Mentian. The term itself was 50 cents army, a person who was supposed to relay government propaganda on internet sites.

 Chapter 556

    Chapter 556: Unfathomable


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The figure was so fast that naked eyes were barely able to catch it, and it traversed the distance of 100-200 meters within seconds before it appeared before Tang Xiu.


    ¡°There is no need for him to make a call. Since little brother wants to see me, then I¡¯ll naturally fulfill your wish,¡± a sage-like old man with behavior like that of an immortal smiled. He had loose long hair and was barefoot, and seemed indifferent toward the 50 plus members of the martial school.


    After a short observation, Tang Xiu brushed past his side and then sat down on the chair Jiang Mentian had just used. He then tilted his leg and smilingly said, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you. But since you¡¯re also a Daoist, your strength surely is remarkable. That speed you just showcased should have some part of your full strength, shouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°20%!¡± The barefooted old man still kept his smile as he stretched out two of his fingers.


    Tang Xiu clapped his hands and smilingly said, ¡°That¡¯s really awesome! 20% of your full strength, yet you can achieve such a feat. It seems that your cultivation is not low. However, can you tell me how fast can you keep that speed if the array laid out in the entire of this martial arts school is lifted?¡±


    The complexion of the barefooted old man finally changed. The smile on his face receded and a glint sparked in his eyes. He shot Tang Xiu a deep look and asked, ¡°May I ask who this Little Brother is?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu!¡± Said Tang Xiu lightly.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of you.¡± The barefooted old man shook his head. ¡°But considering the fact you can see the array I laid out here, that means you¡¯re quite skillful yourself; to the extent that you¡¯re on par with me. There was someone from Haiqing Province who came to visit me back then, yet he wasn¡¯t able to find out the abstruse principles here.¡±


    Haiqing Province? Is it Miao Wentang?


    ¡°Do you know Miao Wentang?¡± Asked Tang Xiu a strange tone.


    The barefooted old man nodded and smilingly said, ¡°That little fella has good talent, and chanced upon a very good opportunity as well. His cultivation is even able to achieve¡­ Shortly put, he can be considered a genius. But the you now, you easily surpass him. Right, if my guess is correct, you should be someone from the Everlasting Feast Hall, yes?¡±


    ¡°How did you see it?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°For one to be able to bring out eight experts at a time like you, apart from the Everlasting Feast Hall, there¡¯s only Dongbei Hu¡ªthe Amur Tiger who can do such a feat in China. However, Dongbei Hu has been hiding in the shadows lately, and little has he strolled around over the past few decades. Moreover, he¡¯s kind of unwilling to step his feet on Jingmen Island. Hence my guess of you coming from the Everlasting Feast Hall, for its HQ resides here.¡±


    Vroom¡­


    The roars of the cars came from afar. Two Audi sedans drove directly and stopped in front of the crowd. Tang Xiu, who originally intended to ask the barefooted old man about Dongbei Hu, immediately knitted his brow since he was interrupted by the sudden arrival of the other party.


    As the cars¡¯ doors opened, four big men in black suits quickly stood in front of the car, whereas a young man came out from the rear door and respectfully invited a middle-aged man to come out.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening here? Did some people really dare to make trouble in the Heroes¡¯ Crest Martial School?¡± After Ouyang Wenzhen got out of the car, he looked at the injured members of the martial school around. A shocked expression was immediately painted his face, especially when he saw the miserable-looking Jiang Mentian, who was beaten black and blue and was sitting on the ground at this moment. His pale and bloodless appearance gave him a shock that was very difficult to add up again.


    He came to visit Jiang Mentian, but never imagined to encounter such a scene.


    At this moment Tang Xiu had already recognized Ouyang Wenzhen. He met him at the charity party but hadn¡¯t actually had the time to converse with him in person.


    The barefooted old man glanced at Ouyang Wenzhen. He ignored him and looked at Tang Xiu instead and continued speaking, ¡°Can this Little Brother give this old man face and conclude today¡¯s matter here?¡±


    ¡°I just chanced upon a fellow practitioner, thus we naturally must compare notes.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve always heard that China is a great nation where countless talented people are hidden, and the strong are like clouds. It would really be a pity if I were to waste this opportunity after being so fortunate to meet one this time.¡±


    ¡°This old man would perhaps be interested in comparing notes with you if you had cultivated for a few more decades. But you¡¯re too young, Little Brother. Forget it, I¡¯ll pass the chance!¡±


    After shooting the barefooted old man a glance, Tang Xiu directly got up from the chair. He cupped his fist toward Ouyang Wenzhen in front and said, ¡°Is there something you need here, Family Head Ouyang?¡±


    Ouyang Wenzhen felt that Tang Xiu looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn¡¯t remember where he had seen his face. After hesitating for a moment, he smiled and said, ¡°My coming this time is actually to¡­ to visit Vice Schoolmaster Jiang. But I Never thought I would encounter such an unexpected scene. Anyhow, this Little Brother is¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°Please don¡¯t speak to like this! If Ouyang Lulu and Ouyang Lei learned that they are one generation younger than I am, I¡¯m afraid they will keep nagging and chattering in my ears endlessly. My name is Tang Xiu, Family Head Ouyang should have heard about me.¡±


    Tang Xiu?


    Staring blankly for a while, Ouyang Wenzhen then astonishedly spoke, ¡°You are that Tang Xiu? Sure enough, you¡¯re really a striking talent and a fine-looking young man. My daughter¡¯s vision is really good!¡±


    Cough, cough¡­


    Tang Xiu understood the meaning behind Ouyang Wenzhen¡¯s remark. After coughing twice, he forced a wry smile and said, ¡°Family Head Ouyang, Lulu and I are only good friends. I hope you don¡¯t misunderstand.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an affair between the two of you and must be settled by yourselves.¡± Ouyang Wenzhen waved his hand and smiled. ¡°But, why are you here? What are you¡­¡±


    While pointing to Han Qingwu Tang Xiu replied, ¡°The people of this Heroes¡¯ Crest Martial School are too unbridled. They dared to seize my teacher and tied her up here in broad daylight. When I came over to take her back, they went so far so as to compel us to stay here, and said that we must pay a heavy price, hence the cause of this slight unpleasant scene.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Ouyang Wenzhen immediately shot Jiang Mentian a strange look.


    The barefooted old man himself was also not sure of what happened. But when he heard Tang Xiu¡¯s explanation, his face sank. He glared at Jiang Mentian, who was sitting on the ground and couldn¡¯t stand up, and coldly snorted, ¡°Jiang Mentian, when I gave you the responsibility to manage the martial school, I never thought that your courage would unexpectedly grow so big that you would go so far as to permit abduction of women!¡±


    With a bitter expression, Jiang Mentian said, ¡°Schoolmaster, this has nothing to do with me! This was Huang Shiqing¡¯s doing. I also learned about the matter afterward. It¡¯s just that when I came here¡­ t-this young man¡­ said¡­ that he wanted to destroy our martial school¡¯s plaque, so I just¡­¡±


    ¡°Who is Huang Shiqing?¡±


    In a flash, dozens of eyes looked at the ghastly pale Huang Shiqing.


    A cold glint flashed inside the barefooted old man¡¯s eyes. His finger flicked, as a stream of qi instantly shot out and penetrated Huang Shiqing¡¯s forehead, directly killing him.


    Hiss¡­


    The vast majority of the people around couldn¡¯t help but gasp cold air with greatly changed expressions. They never thought that the Schoolmaster, who was always out, would unexpectedly be so merciless to directly kill Huang Shiqing. Of course, the most chilling scene was the Schoolmaster¡¯s terrifying ability of killing him in a flash; more so that it was done from a dozen meters away. Such a method was really too frightening.


    Tang Xiu could only secretly sigh upon seeing the the barefooted old man¡¯s action. Though he didn¡¯t want to give up on this matter at this point, the barefooted old man had intended to settle the matter by taking the culprit¡¯s life. He would no longer have a justifiable reason if he were to take an aggressive stance and forced him further. After being silent for a moment, he calmly said, ¡°Since Huang Shiqing has already died, then the matter will end here! However, I can still accompany you to compare notes if you¡¯re willing to.¡±


    After saying that, he stamped his foot on the ground. His star force blasted out through his shoes¡¯ sole and penetrated the ground in a flash.


    BOOM¡­


    A faint thunderclap sounded in everyone¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Huh? It¡¯s so strange. The sun is shining, where does that thunder come from?¡±


    Everyone subconsciously set their eyes on the sky.


    The barefooted old man raised his head and his facial expression instantly changed. He quickly pulled a jade token from his arm. Under his gaze, the token cracked and finally broke into several pieces.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    He suddenly looked up and stared at Tang Xiu with eyes full with disbelief.


    ¡°There¡¯s a common saying you should have heard before. Never judge a book by its cover, for the sea can never be measured with a bushel. As a fellow on the same path, I hope that the manifestation of appearances that your eyes can see doesn¡¯t make you confused and blinded.¡±


    The manifestation of appearances?


    The barefooted old man¡¯s heart shuddered. An insight and enlightenment suddenly sparked inside his mind, as he immediately figured out the issue that had plagued and puzzled him for many years.


    ¡°I accept!¡±


    At the same time the barefooted old man cupped his fists and spoke, his aura erupted and everyone in the surrounding could feel a strong pressure emanating from him. This pressure made many step back, whereas those on the ground were struggling toward the distance.


    Tang Xiu waved his hands to protect Han Qingwu and Ouyang Wenzhen from the pressuring aura. With a curious expression, he carefully observed the barefooted old man. He didn¡¯t expect that the barefooted old man would have a sudden enlightenment in his mental state due to a few words from him, causing his mental state to enhance by leaps and bounds.


    A few minutes later, the barefooted old man sat cross-legged, closed his eyes and deeply immersed himself in cultivation.


    Tang Xiu sighed inwardly. It seemed it would be impossible to compare notes with this old man today; though it also gladdened him. Because, the higher the cultivation of this barefooted old man, the more force he could exert to find out his actual strength.


    ¡°Family Head Ouyang, I¡¯ll take my leave first since I have some other matters to attend to.¡± Tang Xiu nodded to Ouyang Wenzhen. He then grabbed Han Qingwu¡¯s hand and turned toward the four black SUVs.


    Ouyang Wenzhen loudly shouted, ¡°Tang Xiu, are you free tomorrow? How about visiting my Ouyang residence?¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Answered Tang Xiu.


    When he got into the car, the four cars then roared and drove away.


    After leaving the Heroes¡¯ Crest Martial School, Tang Xiu turned his head and glanced back and indifferently said, ¡°If I remember correctly, that guy called Huang Shiqing has a little brother whose arm is broken. I don¡¯t want to have more troubles arising in the future. Do you understand what to do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it, Boss,¡± respectfully said the sturdy man in the front passenger seat.


    Han Qingwu¡¯s face slightly changed. She grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s hand and hurriedly said, ¡°Tang Xiu¡­ a-are you¡­ g-going to kill Huang Shiyang?¡±


    ¡°Huang Shiqing died already. To whom do you think Huang Shiyang will demand this account from?¡± Tang Xiu said lightly. ¡°Huang Shiqing dared to detain you for his younger brother; Huang Shiyang will surely take revenge for his older brother. He will surely come to kill you in the future, and I reckon that he will include me in as well. Since we are already aware that such a trouble will come for us in the future, then why not eradicate the root of the problem now?¡±

 Chapter 557

    Chapter 557: Uprooting the Source of Problem


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    At Jingmen Island¡¯s First Public Hospital, inside a VVIP ward. There was only one sick bed inside, with a lot of potted plants placed in the corner, along with a television and refrigerator.


    Huang Shiyang rested his head on a pillow with his arm cast with plaster and suspended with a bandage. He was scowling out of shame, while a young girl sitting on the edge of the bed looked seemingly nice on the surface yet disgust flashed in her eyes from time to time.


    ¡°Wenwen, call my brother and ask him if he has taken care of that bitch.¡±


    The girl didn¡¯t speak and silently picked up her mobile phone. Just as she was about to dial, the ward¡¯s door was forced open as a crew cut youth rushed to the bed and called out in panic, ¡°Second Brother, hurry and pack your things. A huge matter just happened!¡±


    ¡°What matter? Is it related to my big brother?¡± Huang Shiyang¡¯s expression changed and quickly asked.


    The crew cut youth anxiously said, ¡°Big brother has died. He was killed by the Schoolmaster himself. I suspect that the other party won¡¯t let this matter go and they will surely act to get you. Hence, you must not stay in the hospital. Quickly pack up your things and leave Jingmen Island. The farther the better.¡±


    Huang Shiyang abruptly sat straight in disbelief, and then shouted, ¡°What fucking nonsense are you talking about? My big brother¡­ how could he die? How come the Schoolmaster himself personally killed my big brother?¡±


    ¡°Second brother, you just provoked a terrifying figure. The other party practically trashed our martial school because of you. More than fifty instructors and trainees in our school had their legs broken by them, including the Vice Schoolmaster. The Schoolmaster suddenly appeared and, though he quelled and settled this matter, he actually went so far as to kill big brother personally. It¡¯s evident his purpose. That is to resolve the grievance between both parties.¡±


    Huang Shiyang¡¯s eyes turned bloodshot, as fury and hatred burst out from within. He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Wenwen, help me pack up my stuff. Third Brother, tell me who the other party is.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s called Tang Xiu, he should be the man of that woman.¡± The crew cut youth said. ¡°He¡¯s a young man and is apparently still in his 20s. But each and every one of the eight bodyguards he brought is very terrifying. Our Vice Schoolmaster is a martial arts grandmaster, but only one of those eight men fought him and yet Vice Schoolmaster was unable to fight back at all. Right, that person seems to be someone from the Everlasting Feast Hall.¡±


    Huang Shiyang shuddered inside and fear filled his heart. He was perfectly aware of the Vice Schoolmaster¡¯s strength; a martial arts grandmaster who had managed the Heroes¡¯ Crest Martial School for nearly two decades and rarely had equal opponents.


    ¡°Everlasting Feast Hall and Tang Xiu. I¡¯ll remember this.¡±


    The fear inside Huang Shiyang¡¯s heart quickly disappeared and was replaced with hatred. After getting out of bed he quickly changed his clothes. Though his arm was in the way, he put on the coat and quickly left the ward a few minutes later.


    ****


    At the HQ of the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    Tang Dong was dressed in a suit and wore black sunglasses while standing straight before the window of the box, watching quietly the parking lot in the distance. There was a folder containing very important documents placed on the table behind him.


    Knock, knock¡­


    The private box¡¯s door was knocked, and Gu Xiaoxue strode through the door in a lotus-like footwork. She looked at Tang Dong, who just snapped out of his reverie, as she smiled faintly and said, ¡°Mr. Tang, my Boss is already on the way back. He is expected to be back here in half an hour.¡±


    ¡°Since it¡¯s only half an hour, then I¡¯ll wait for him here!¡± Tang Dong smilingly said. ¡°Anyhow, Gu Xiaoxue, we run a similar business. I hope we can cooperate in a certain area if possible.¡±


    ¡°For instance?¡± Asked Gu Xiaoxue with a faint smile.


    ¡°According to what I know, the Everlasting Feast Hall has many experts, while the main ingredient of my Seaside Strait Manor¡¯s dishes is the meat of fierce beasts. If possible¡­ can I buy it from you?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Tang, please wait for my Boss to arrive to talk about this. I¡¯m sure he can make you satisfied,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue with a smile.


    ¡°All right, then. I¡¯ll talk to him about it after the important discussion is finished,¡± said Tang Dong with a smile.


    ****


    Beijing, at the Yao Family¡¯s residence.


    Yao Qingzun looked ashen and livid while sitting on a fauteuil without saying a word. Yao Chengqing, on the other hand, looked furious. He clenched his fists and green veins were protruding on his forehead, whereas a refined-looking middle-aged man wearing glasses standing beside him lowered his head with a tense expression.


    Finally, Yao Qingzun said through gritted teeth, ¡°For a long time has Tang Guosheng been forbearing, and he deliberately gave his face under the soles of our feet. All of it was just to conspire such a huge scheme. Prior to this, I was able to discern everything that happened around the Tang Family, so I was confident to pinpoint and pinch their door of life. Only now do I realize that it was something the Tang Family deliberately put on the surface.¡±


    ¡°Then, what are we going to do now, father?¡± Yao Chengqing spoke with an angry expression on his face. ¡°Clam Island and Resting Cemetery Island have been both won by the Tang Family, and our family¡¯s plan was forced to be put on hold. Also, Qingteng is now missing and we don¡¯t know his whereabouts nor we know whether he¡¯s still alive or dead. Also, he was in the possession of some documents that are very important to us.¡±


    Yao Qingzun clenched his fists and spoke in a heavy tone, ¡°We can only choose another island since they already took those two. As of now, we can¡¯t estimate the depth of the Tang Family, hence we can only keep away from their spearhead for the time being. Send my order to the members of our family and all those families who are on good terms with us. They are not to have any clashes with the Tang Family in the near future.¡±


    ¡°Father, don¡¯t tell me we won¡¯t take this matter into account?¡± Asked Yao Chengqing.


    ¡°Hmph, naturally we won¡¯t let this matter go like this.¡± Yao Qingzun coldly snorted. ¡°I¡¯ve invited someone from the Northeast a couple days ago, and he should arrive in Beijing in a few days. As long as he helps us, let alone the Tang Family, even if there are ten of them they won¡¯t be able to stop us.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean¡­ Dongbei Hu, the Amur Tiger?¡± Yao Chengqing was shocked.


    ¡°I had once saved Dongbei Hu¡¯s life in the past; he owes us a huge favor.¡± Yao Qingzun nodded. ¡°I originally didn¡¯t plan to use this favor to deal with the Tang Family, because I thought that we could easily eradicate them by ourselves. However, I never thought that the Tang Family was hiding so deep. It¡¯s apparent that we won¡¯t be able to deal with them if we don¡¯t use this favor.¡±


    Yao Chengqing¡¯s expression flickered and he quickly said, ¡°Father, shall we pass the news of Dongbei Hu¡¯s arrival to the other families? With the Amur Tiger as a deterrent force, perhaps those neutral parties will also flock to our family.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll keep quiet about this matter for the time being.¡± Yao Qingzun shook his head. ¡°After we eradicate the Tang Family, the other forces will naturally know that we did it with the aid of Dongbei Hu by that time. When that time comes and us being on good terms with him known by them, perhaps there will be no need for us to publicize it, and those neutral forces will naturally move to support our family.¡±


    Yao Chengqing fell into his thoughts for a while before smilingly nodding and saying, ¡°I understand, father. I never thought you still had such a lethal trump card. Then the Tang Family¡­ hmph!¡±


    ****


    Jingmen Island, at the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    After Tang Xiu came back, he brought Han Qingwu, who had been silent for a while, to his residence. Just as he was about to have a talk with her, a core member of the Everlasting Feast Hall rushed over and told him that Tang Dong was waiting for him.


    ¡°Teacher Han, there¡¯s something I need to do. Have a rest first, we¡¯ll chat at dinner time.¡±


    Han Qingwu was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°Can you not address me as Teacher Han later? My name is Han Qingwu, and people who are close to me call me Qingwu.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows slightly creased, but he nodded and said, ¡°I know.¡±


    Five or six minutes later, he came to the box where Tang Dong was in. While looking at Tang Dong who greeted him, Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°Uncle Dong, is there any news from Beijing?¡±


    ¡°Damn, I can¡¯t hide anything from you!¡± Tang Dong smilingly said. ¡°That¡¯s right, our family has successfully acquired those two islands, Clam Island and Resting Cemetery Island. And we have also acquired the approved official documents for them. Anyhow, here are the documents. I was also told to tell you that you can do anything you will do on these two islands.¡±


    ¡°Is there any reaction from the Yao Family?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What can they do?¡± Tang Dong grinned. ¡°Our family acted very quickly. We opened all the nodes of our network and connections, thus acquiring the approved documents. Even if the Yaos were to go all out to reverse this desperate situation, they won¡¯t be able to do anything at all. I¡¯m pretty sure the old codger of the Yaos is stamping about in rage right now!¡±


    A hint of a smile outlined on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth as he nodded and said, ¡°We have literally cut off their mustache and I¡¯m sure that the head of the Yao Family is definitely furious. However, I reckon that they must be re-examining our family right now. At this time, what our family must do is to restrain ourselves while at the same time taking precautions against anything, just in case the Yao Family is unable to swallow this result and launch an strike at us.¡±


    Tang Dong noted Tang Xiu¡¯s words in his heart as he nodded and said, ¡°I know. I believe that Uncle understands this as well, but I¡¯ll convey your words to my father, so as to make the elders discuss it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let us not talk about this topic anymore,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I think the same.¡± Tang Dong smilingly said. ¡°Anyhow, your Everlasting Feast Hall has many experts. Do they have some time to go hunting in the sea, by chance? To be honest, the Seaside Strait Manor is kind of short of fierce beasts¡¯ meat and we are unable to meet the demand due to the short supply. So, in order to make more money, you see¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu looked blank before he burst into laughter and immediately said, ¡°Let us not hurry to talk about that, shall we? Just wait for some time and I assure you that the problem with the fierce beasts¡¯ meat will be fully tackled. As a matter of fact, I was deliberately machinating plans to acquire these two islands, and one of the plans was to rear fierce beasts on one of these two islands.¡±


    ¡°You what?¡± Tang Dong was dumbfounded.


    Could it be possible to rear and breed fierce beasts?


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be that shocked, Uncle Dong.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled. ¡°We can rear and breed fierce beasts as long as we have enough strength. After we¡¯re done with things to scale up the island, I¡¯ll personally take you to visit it.¡±


    Tang Dong gulped down and said with a shocked expression, ¡°Xiu, this act of yours¡­ is simply too crazy, you know that? But of course, it¡¯d be really great if you can rear and breed fierce beasts.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, Uncle Dong, those people sent by the Seaside Strait Manor are currently in training.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t take a long time for their strength to increase rapidly. I think that your most important task as of now is to select reliable and trusted people among your men and cultivate them. The Yao Family wants to expand the size of their armed forces, so our family must not fall behind.¡±

 Chapter 558

    Chapter 558: Display of Might at Sea


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The warm sunshine shined on Earth and the gentle sea breeze brought a cool feeling. Before the parking lot of the Everlasting Feast Hall, a total of 50 experts stood on the edge of the parking lot in an orderly manner. They looked solemn and quietly waited for Tang Xiu¡¯s instructions, whereas Gu Xiaoxue, in her usual white dress, stood beside Ji Chimei. There was slight regret and unwillingness in her eyes, however.


    ¡°Xiaoxue, I need Ji Chimei to go with me, while Light and Dark have also left, hence leaving only you to stay here. Wait here until we solve the threat in Resting Cemetery Island. Besides, the matter of breeding and rearing fierce beasts there will be handed over to you,¡± said Tang Xiu with a faint smile.


    ¡°Rest assured! I¡¯ll protect Master¡¯s safety,¡± nodded Gu Xiaoxue.


    Tang Xiu nodded, as his eyes then caught the arrival of a barefooted, long-haired old man. The old man looked to be walking leisurely, but the speed he showed was almost as fast as what ordinary people could run at their limits. In just ten seconds the barefooted old man had already appeared in front of their group, all smiling.


    ¡°Daoist Tang, thank you very much.¡± The barefooted old man cupped his fist and bowed toward Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile and waved his hand. Two streams of qi immediately propped up the barefooted old man¡¯s hands. As his waist straightened up, he lightly smiled at him and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be that polite. May I know how I should address you, senior?¡±


    ¡°Daoist Tang can call me Daoist Xu Yang,¡± said the barefooted old man with a smile.


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°For Daoist Xu Yang to visit here, is it because you¡¯re ready to accept my challenge?¡±


    The barefooted old man shook his head and smilingly said, ¡°Though I¡¯m very aware that chancing upon someone of equal match is indeed a joyous occasion that is worth celebrating, my cultivation has drastically improved. So, I¡¯m afraid that Daoist Tang is¡­¡±


    Hmph¡­


    Ji Chimei, who stood behind Tang Xiu, let out a cold snort as a terrifying aura rushed toward Daoist Xu Yang and shrouded him in no time.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Daoist Xu Yang¡¯s body turned stiff, as dread and panic appeared in his expression. His eyes landed on Ji Chimei, and the dread in his heart instantly multiplied. He felt a chill ran through all over his body although the terrifying torrential aura only flashed past him.


    After breakthrough a full big realm, Daoist Xu Yang¡¯s heart was filled with confidence since he found that his current realm was completely different from what it used to be. He believed that even if he met Dongbei Hu, he would be at least on par with him.


    But, who on Earth could the old woman in front of him be?


    From the pressuring aura she emanated out, Daoist Xu Yang could clearly feel that the release of her sliver of aura would be able to kill him if she wished to. This made him feel like he was just a droplet of water and the old woman in front of him was a vast ocean.


    ¡°Xu Yang pays respect to Senior.¡± Beads of sweats perspired from his forehead as he spoke with fearful and apprehensive manner.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows slightly knitted. He turned his head to Ji Chimei with an annoyed expression, ¡°Alright, you don¡¯t need to scare him like that. It¡¯s normal for him to have such thought. Besides, too many people judge others by their appearance, to begin with.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Ji Chimei hurriedly nodded. Even though the gap between Tang Xiu¡¯s present cultivation level and hers was like a chasm, Tang Xiu was once a colossal figure who stood proudly above the myriad of races of myriad worlds. That gigantic figure had long been carved deep inside her soul. Hence, she respected and feared Tang Xiu at the same time.


    Daoist Xu Yang was taken aback. He looked at Ji Chimei, who wore reverential expression, and then looked at Tang Xiu, who looked displeased. His lips twitched a few times, but he didn¡¯t know what to say.


    He could hardly believe that such a terrifying powerhouse was so humble and respectful toward Tang Xiu. Did he really judge him by his appearance? Could it be that his cultivation level was much stronger than this monstrously terrifying expert?


    Tang Xiu looked at Daoist Xu Yan and said, ¡°Since you don¡¯t want to accept my challenge, I won¡¯t insist and force you. You¡¯ve expressed your gratitude; you can go back if you have no other matters!¡±


    ¡°Daoist Tang, I came here because I have some matters I really need to discuss with you, actually,¡± said Daoist Xu Yang quickly.


    ¡°Please say!¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and replied.


    ¡°I was able to have a breakthrough in my mental state due to your instructions, and my cultivation is progressing by leaps and bounds. Hence, I¡¯m planning to go to the Northeast to challenge Dongbei Hu¡ªthe Amur Tiger. If¡­ if Daoist Tang has time, would you like to go with me?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t have time to ask you about that before.¡± Tang Xiu was surprised. ¡°What and who exactly is this Dongbei Hu you¡¯re talking about? Is he a very powerful cultivator, by chance?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s a cultivator with a very formidable cultivation. His cultivation level was nearly the same as mine a few decades ago. But rumor has it that he has made a breakthrough in his strength, so I want to visit him to compare notes in order to measure as to what extent our strength has grown to.¡±


    ¡°When will you go?¡± Asked Tang Xiu after pondering for a moment.


    ¡°See to your affairs first, I can go at any time,¡± said Daoist Xu Yang.


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°There¡¯s something I need to do at the sea first. If you have time, you might as well come with me. We can immediately go when the things here are done.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Daoist Xu Yang directly agreed. Even though he didn¡¯t know what Tang Xiu was going to do at the sea, he was sure that it was something that had an important purpose given the obvious presence of these experts¡ªcultivators, and the terrifying Ji Chimei.


    ¡°Get in the car!¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and quickly entered the car parked nearby.


    Twenty identical black cars slowly left the Everlasting Feast Hall and went toward the harbor. They then headed to the liner that had been prepared in advance and sailed toward Clam Island and Resting Cemetery Island.


    At dusk, the liner anchored on the northern side of Resting Cemetery Island. With an order from Tang Xiu, only two people were left to say on the ship, whereas the rest disembarked on the island.


    ¡°Form a group of ten men and divide into five men subgroups. Capture as many fierce beasts on this island as possible and immediately send them to the center of the island after you caught them. I¡¯ll be waiting for you all there.¡±


    After Tang Xiu spoke, he rushed to the center of Resting Cemetery Island along with Ji Chimei, Daoist Xu Yang, and eight experts of Everlasting Feast Hall. Those eight experts were carrying the prepared materials needed to lay out a Feng Shui array. After they came to the heart of the island, Tang Xiu looked at Ji Chimei and asked, ¡°Who will lay out the array, you or me?¡±


    ¡°What kind of array does Venerable Lord want to lay out here?¡± Asked Ji Chimei back with a respectful expression.


    ¡°Impenetrable Alloy Array, Amassing Spirit Array, and Myriad Slaying Swords Array.¡± Said Tang Xiu. ¡°The Amassing Spirit Array must be arranged with a 36 overlapping and interlinked layers method. In order to maintain the concentration of spiritual energy on this island, it must be able to draw the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy within a radius of a few hundred kilometers.¡±


    ¡°Venerable Lord is too honored for the job. Let this subordinate deal with this trivial matter!¡± Said Ji Chimei.


    ¡°Off you go, then! When the arrays are properly arranged, we will tame all the fierce beasts on this island.¡± Tang Xiu said with a nod.


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    As Ji Chimei waved her hands, the arrays¡¯ materials carried by the eight stocky men all floated up. Her figure then streaked across the sky and she stood in the air 100 meters above the island the instant after.


    Daoist Xu Yang¡¯s expression greatly changed and his pupils violently contracted and shrunk. After a moment¡¯s silence, he similarly flew up and stood in the air a fair distance from Ji Chimei, and was preparing to see the method she would use to lay the array. As a matter of fact, he was also able to lay out geomancy arrays; for instance, the array in the Heroes¡¯ Crest Martial School, which he laid out by himself in the underground of his martial school a long time ago. Although the might of that array was very small and could only accelerate his speed, it was, nevertheless, still able to gather spiritual energy, albeit weakly. But it was already at the limit he could achieve.


    Of the three types of formation arrays Tang Xiu had just said, except for this Amassing Spirit Array that he had a shallow knowledge of, he had never heard of the other two.


    Ji Chimei naturally saw Daoist Xu Yang, but she didn¡¯t pay any attention to him at all. She was an Immortal. Although she was very ordinary in the Immortal World and her current power suffered a drop, the shallow abilities Daoist Xu Yang possessed were nothing in her eyes.


    After a simple observation of Resting Cemetery Island, Ji Chimei kept waving one of her hands, and the materials inside the bags kept flying to the surrounding and penetrated deep into the soil of the island. At the same time, her other hand continued making series of rune seals.


    ¡°Array, start!¡±


    No more than three minutes after her prior action, Ji Chimei then lifted her arms and loudly shouted.


    From deep inside the underground, a special aura fluctuated and rose up from Resting Cemetery Island.


    In the distance, Daoist Xu Yang was dumbfounded as he saw the changes happening on the island. He gasped with astonishment upon seeing the entire Resting Cemetery Island disappear before his eyes. The most appalling thing to him was that the world energy around was akin to a tidal wave that flocked toward Resting Cemetery Island. As he tried to absorb the spiritual energy he was shocked to find that, despite his all-out effort to absorb it, he couldn¡¯t even draw the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy into his body.


    ¡°This¡­ how is this possible?¡±


    Ji Chimei¡¯s figure flashed and appeared next to Daoist Xu Yang. Her skinny palm grabbed his shoulder as they then appeared in front of Tang Xiu in the next moment.


    ¡°The arrays have been laid out, my Lord,¡± reported Ji Chimei after releasing Daoist Xu Yang.


    ¡°Good!¡± Tang Xiu nodded and praised, ¡°You laid out the arrays much more relaxed and faster than if I did it myself. Go with them to the southern side of the island! There are a lot of savage beasts over there. Catch and bring all of them here.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Ji Chimei then brought the eight stocky men and left.


    Tang Xiu then turned his head to look at the flabbergasted Daoist Xu Yan and lightly said, ¡°Don¡¯t show that shocked face and make a fuss over a trivial matter, alright? Your ability is still too shallow and there are many things you can¡¯t do yet. But don¡¯t worry, though. Continue to cultivate well and you¡¯ll be able to do that after your cultivation is promoted further in the future.¡±


    ¡°Daoist Tang, your¡­ who is this subordinate of yours?¡± Daoist Xu Yang¡¯s lips twitched and asked in a bitter voice. ¡°She is too terrifying. I even have a hunch that she can destroy most of China¡¯s territory with her strongest attack if she so wished.¡±

 Chapter 559

    Chapter 559: An Inexperienced Man Who Has Seen Little And Regards Many Things as Strange


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°Destroying most of China? Hmph¡­¡± Tang Xiu let out a sneer. ¡°Your outlook is truly like seeing the sky from the bottom of a well! The entire Earth would explode if she were to strike it with everything she has. Your vision is way too narrow; you¡¯ve been stranded here for far too long and have never seen the strength of those who can be called as genuine powerhouses. Forget it, the present you won¡¯t understand anything even if I tell you. Just cultivate diligently later. If your aptitude is good and you chance upon some opportunity again, you may be able to tread on that step in the future.¡±


    ¡°How could that be possible?¡± Daoist Xu Yan exclaimed in alarm. ¡°An existence that can destroy the entire Earth with a single blow should be at the very least one who has soared and ascended to heaven and become an Immortal!! Earth¡¯s spiritual arteries have practically dried up and the spiritual energy here is thin. Needless to say of becoming an Immortal, there should be no more experts who can reach the Nascent Soul Stage, no?¡±


    ¡°If so, what do you think her cultivation level is?¡± Asked Tang Xiu lightly.


    Daoist Xu Yang hesitated for a moment before replying, ¡°Beyond the Nascent Soul Stage? The Soul Formation Stage?¡±


    Soul Formation Stage?


    A slight mocking look appeared in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. He learned from the Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen that the cultivation levels for the cultivators on Earth were separately divided into stages, such as the Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Formation, Body Integration, Great Ascension, and Crossing Tribulation stages; whereas each stage was divided into four levels, respectively, Early, Middle, High, and Peak.


    At present, despite all the experts from the Everlasting Feast Hall having the foundation of True Qi, the strongest among them was only at the Peak level of the Qi Refining Stage; whereas the Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen were approximately at the Peak level of Foundation Establishment Stage. On the other hand, Gu Xiaoxue, Light and Dark had broken through the Golden Core Stage. Gu Xiaoxue had just broken through the Golden Core Stage a few days ago.


    However, Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t deny the fact that Daoist Xu Yang was also a very formidable existence among cultivators on Earth. He now had reached the Middle level of the Golden Core Stage, and only Light and Dark could be his match.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! Since you have accompanied me here, help me pack up the savage beasts on this island. I¡¯ll be rearing these beasts in this island later. So if we can¡¯t thoroughly contain their wild nature, raising them will be quite troublesome.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to rear and breed fierce beasts on this island?¡± Asked Daoist Xu Yan, astonished.


    ¡°Yeah. These beasts are good materials and resources to be used in cultivation, in my opinion.¡± Tang Xiu said. ¡°If I can train and enlighten a few of them, maybe I can get a few good mounts in the future.¡±


    Cough, cough¡­


    Despite having a strong Dao heart and mental state, Daoist Xu Yang still choked after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words. To enlighten and train fierce beasts¡­how big the capability one must have to tame those savage beasts? And¡­ even getting a few of them as¡­ mounts?


    All of a sudden, it dawned on him that his more than 100 years of life turned out to only give him a very minute and narrow vision. Tang Xiu¡¯s actions, as well as what that terrifying powerhouse Ji Chimei had done, were beyond his cognition and the limit of what he dared to think. He felt that in just a short time of contact with Tang Xiu, he found himself entering a completely new territory, a magnificent world full of novelties and mysteries.


    ¡°Daoist Tang, then your cultivation level is¡­¡± Yet, Daoist Xu Yang couldn¡¯t bear asking.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly how strong I am at present, to be honest.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled. ¡°This is exactly the very reason why I wanted to spar with you. If I can defeat you, that means that my strength is comparable to that of an expert at the Golden Core Stage.¡±


    Daoist Xu Yang stared blankly, and asked with a horrified expression, ¡°You can see my cultivation level?¡±


    Tang Xiu only glanced at him as his figure flashed forward to the distance. There were two mid-level fierce beasts wandering about on the island. When the Feng Shui Array been arranged they sensed that the island was not the same as before. Just as they were trying to figure out that unknown situation, they suddenly found a figure rushing toward them. The two fierce beasts immediately took stances as though they were facing a formidable enemy and glared at Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s speed was extremely fast. Two streams of qi rushed out and erupted as his fists hit the fierce beasts¡¯ head. Needless to say, he exerted all of his strength through his fists to hit one of the two fierce beasts, but it only staggered back a few steps, raised its heads and whined in pain.


    ROAR¡­


    The other fierce beast stamped its feet, creating a ball of flame. At the moment the ball of flame rose, the beast soared to the air and bolted toward Tang Xiu. Its tens of centimeters sharp claws stretched out and were similarly covered with flame, as the beast attempted to directly grab and kill Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Excellent material!¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes lit up. A sharp dagger instantly appeared in his hand. His figure flashed and the sharp dagger cut off the four sharp claws of the fierce beast, and then they quickly entered his interspatial ring.


    Hou¡­ hou¡­


    After clashing with Tang Xiu and being at a disadvantage, the two fierce beasts looked alarmed and scared. They quickly turned around and darted away without the slightest hesitation.


    ¡°Running away, eh?¡±


    A sneer appeared on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth. His speed was a level faster than the two savage beasts and quickly blocked their path as unceasing flashing afterimages of his fists continued bombarding the two beasts like a stormy rain.


    As Daoist Xu Yang arrived there, he happened to see the scene of Tang Xiu savagely beating the fierce beasts. His lips twitched a few times when he saw Tang Xiu¡¯s ferocious and aggressive actions. It must be noted that, as someone who took the Daoist path and became a cultivator, it had been a long time since he attacked with fists, since a few simple spells were already sufficed to solve all problems.


    Is he really a cultivator?


    The thought crossed his mind, yet he showed a bitter smile and shook his head. He then looked at Tang Xiu and called out, ¡°Daoist Tang, isn¡¯t it enough for you to use some spells to devastate them? Our physique is indeed remarkable, but kicking and punching them using our strength is too wasteful.¡±


    After delivering hundreds of savage kicks and punches in one breath, Tang Xiu halted his actions and turned to look at Daoist Xu Yang, saying, ¡°Using magic spells is indeed normal since you have formidable cultivation. I can tell you that if we are only comparing notes, I¡¯m not necessarily better than you; but if we were mortal enemies and had a life-and-death combat, I have 80% certainty of killing you.¡±


    Having said that, he pondered for a moment and continued, ¡°Anyhow, I¡¯ll give you a present after we return.¡±


    Despite being unable to believe Tang Xiu¡¯s words, Daoist Xu Yang still asked with a confused expression, ¡°What present?¡±


    ¡°A membership card for the best gymnasium in Jingmen Island,¡± said Tang Xiu calmly.


    A membership card for a training center?


    Daoist Xu Yang¡¯s complexion was that of being at a loss between laughter and tears, ¡°You¡¯re kidding me, Daoist Tang. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any suitable training center in the world for me, considering my strength.¡±


    ¡°I told you that you¡¯ve been caging yourself in the bottom of a well, but I didn¡¯t expect your insight and experience to be so shallow as well.¡± Tang Xiu said lightly. ¡°As a cultivator, you think that as long as you have a very high cultivation level and strong mental state is enough already? You¡¯re completely mistaken. Dao cultivators are indeed very powerful, but there¡¯s another type of cultivation system in the world ¡ª Fleshly Body Cultivation. The body is the foundation for each and every person. If ones¡¯ body is not formidable enough, they will find themselves in a miserable state when they cross the tribulations in the future.¡±


    Once in the past, Tang Xiu also believed that one could be called as a genuinely formidable powerhouse as long as he possessed high cultivation level and powerful mental force. Later on, after having undergone countless hardships and tribulations, it dawned upon that one¡¯s body was the foundation, as every high-rise building started with its foundation first. If the foundation was not adequately prepared or solid enough, even though one possessed high cultivation level, he would end up very miserable when he came across a genuine powerhouse.


    For Fleshly Body cultivators, they would eventually enter the journey to the Dao after they had finished tempering their bodies and used the spiritual force they had cultivated to aid them. When they reached perfection in their physique cultivation, by the time they had immortal physiques they would be able to erupt with terrifying might relying only on their bare hands. The physique of Fleshly Body cultivators was even comparable with the hardiness of Immortal Tools.


    Daoist Xu Yang fell into silence. He didn¡¯t know whether he should believe Tang Xiu¡¯s words, because he couldn¡¯t accept a lot of contents in Tang Xiu¡¯s explanation. He even felt that Tang Xiu¡¯s words were somewhat exaggerated.


    Don¡¯t tell me he knows something about what happens when one is crossing tribulations?


    The thought crossed Daoist Xu, though he immediately cast it away to the back of his head. He was perfectly aware of that his relationship with Tang Xiu at present could only be regarded as a casual acquaintance. It was far from being able to make Tang Xiu tell him some true secrets. However, he also firmly made up his mind to be on good terms with Tang Xiu, since he would probably obtain something that greatly benefitted him in the future.


    After Tang Xiu had badly beaten the two savage beasts, he kicked their feet at will and only stopped until he saw tt they were unable to crawl up again. With a satisfied expression, he turned to Daoist Xu Yang and said, ¡°Alright, don¡¯t just blindly try to fathom what I said. There are loads of savage beasts on this island, and their number perhaps amounts to hundreds. Help me give them some beatings.¡±


    ¡°All right, then let us separate here!¡± Daoist Xu Yang nodded and said.


    For the entire day, a total of 146 fierce beasts on Resting Cemetery Island were all badly beaten and ended up miserably as they screeched, whined, and roared unceasingly one after another.


    Furthermore, Ji Chimei, who directly rushed to the south coast of Resting Cemetery Island, had captured over a thousand fierce beasts there, and constantly attacked and savagely beat them. The originally wild and ferocious beasts had turned extremely docile after just a day¡¯s time; just like a flock of cute, small lambs.


    In the still of the night, Ji Chimei stood beside Tang Xiu, who was watching the dying beasts, and respectfully reported, ¡°I just used my spiritual sense to check the surroundings, Lord. The number of fierce beasts within a radius of 200 kilometers number about over 3,600. However, my spiritual sense is in an impaired state and I was unable to investigate more than 200 meters in the deep sea, thus I don¡¯t know how many beasts there are beyond that range. Also, I can¡¯t find that terrifying fierce beast you mentioned to me.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before slowly replying, ¡°Let us capture and bring those 3,600 fierce beasts to Resting Cemetery Island first. We¡¯ll then make a trip down there. If we don¡¯t remove this threat, I¡¯m afraid there will be a crisis in the future.¡±


    Ji Chimei nodded silently.


    In the next four days, Tang Xiu and the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s experts, as well as Ji Chimei and Daoist Xu Yang, formed a party and spent a lot of effort to catch more than 3,600 savage beasts on the Resting Cemetery Island, as the beasts trashed miserably one after another.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the sea!¡± Tang Xiu rushed into the sea after they finished.


    With her formidable strength, Ji Chimei directly released her immortal force to protect Tang Xiu, as the duo continued to sink deep into the seafloor.


    ¡°Something is amiss here, Venerable Lord.¡±


    Ji Chimei was originally very calm. After all, she still possessed her strength and didn¡¯t believe there was anything on Earth that could threaten her safety. After they submerged deep into the sea for 200 plus meters, however, she keenly sensed that there were some abnormalities there.

 Chapter 560

    Chapter 560: The Weeping Divine Beast


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    With his vision greatly limited on the sea floor, Tang Xiu could only clearly see a few tens of meters in front of him, but he was keenly aware of the unusualness of the situation with Ji Chimei¡¯s reminder.


    It was very quiet and tranquil!


    The deeper they submerged, the more quiet it was. Originally, they could see a few fishes swimming once in a while; however, the deeper they went, the lesser the number of fishes entered their sight. But now, there was absolutely no sea life roaming within their sights at all. Such an abnormality must be caused by an unusual monster, an extremely abnormal one.


    ¡°Chimei, use your spiritual sense to investigate this!¡± Said Tang Xiu a solemn expression after he looked around.


    Ji Chimei forced a smile and shook her head, ¡°I¡¯ve used my spiritual sense to comb the surroundings, Lord, but I found a serious problem. My perception has been terribly suppressed by something here. There¡¯s even a special energy fluctuation from that direction about 20 kilometers from us that completely bars my perception outside.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed as he said, ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken in recognizing that direction¡­ it should be the direction of Resting Cemetery Island, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s the direction of the Resting Cemetery Island,¡± said Ji Chimei with a nod. ¡°Also, this Resting Cemetery Island is very bizarre. There are no gray limestone rock strata beneath it, but deep seawater.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked blank and said with a disbelieving expression, ¡°You mean¡­ Resting Cemetery Island is practically floating on the sea surface?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s completely being suspended on the surface of the sea,¡± said Ji Chimei.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s heartbeat raced. Countless thoughts unceasingly kept popping up inside his mind. He could now guess that there was a peerless vast array laid out beneath Resting Cemetery Island. That array must have been arranged by an extremely powerful figure since it¡¯s not only able to hold up Resting Cemetery Island but is also able to bar and isolate it from an Immortal¡¯s perception.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go there and have a look!¡±


    Finally, Tang Xiu made a decision and said in a heavy tone. With Ji Chimei here, he didn¡¯t believe there was anything on Earth that could pose a danger to her.


    In just a few dozen breaths, Ji Chimei had already brought Tang Xiu to the bottom beneath Resting Cemetery Island. Before their eyes, there was a layer of energy curtain emitting reddish-golden light with a primitive and unsophisticated ever-changing Sanskrit line written on it. It was as if there was a roaming sentient spirit fish continuously wandering about in stream of lights.


    ¡°Chimei, can you break this array?¡±


    After studying it for a long time and still unable figure out the mystery of this light curtain, Tang Xiu immediately turned to Ji Chimei and asked.


    Ji Chimei frowned deeply and nodded, before she then shook her head and helplessly said, ¡°I can break this array, Lord, but there¡¯s a serious problem with it. If I were to forcefully break this array, the entire Feng Shui great array will be completely destroyed, and thus will sink Resting Cemetery Island above, thus making everything we have previously done go to waste.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed. As he felt helpless and at a loss of what to do, a special wave of energy suddenly fluctuated and made his fingers slightly numb, and he perceived a hint of ¡®yearning and longing¡¯ mental mood.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Tang Xiu directly opened his interspatial ring. In a flash, the rusty ancient bronze lamp suddenly flew out of the interspatial ring by itself. Just as it was about to come outside, all the layers of effulgent golden light that surrounded the seabed within the radius of several hundreds of kilometers brightly shined.


    In the next moment, the ancient bronze lamp suddenly lit up by itself as a small flame leaped out like a sprite. Within the flame, the Buddhist Sarira emitted out an orb of Buddha halo as it became slightly larger and then quietly suspended in front of Tang Xiu and Ji Chimei.


    ¡°What is this, Lord?¡± Asked Ji Chimei, surprised.


    Tang Xiu shook his head since he was also at a loss. Although he had obtained the ancient bronze lamp, he had yet to study its mysteries thoroughly. He usually only ignited the lamp during his cultivation since it could enrich the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy around him, and also brought a tranquil effect to his mind and mental state.


    Buzz, buzz¡­


    A mysterious aura emanated from the Buddhist Sarira as a strand of dazzling brilliant golden light that was a hundred times richer and brighter separated from it and straightly entered the energy curtain. Suddenly, a portal with the height of four men and two meters¡¯ width appeared before them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside!¡± Tang Xiu gritted his teeth after exchanging looks with Ji Chimei and hesitating for a while.


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    After the two figures entered the portal, they were immediately struck dumb with amazement by the sight presented before them. There was no seawater in the inside, but rather a space with its edge unable to be seen. There was a blue sky and white clouds inside the vast space, along with black soil and undulated ground that extended forever into the distance. Yet, not a single plant of any type could be seen on the vast mountain, only countless tombstones and ancient burial mounds that made one feel their scalps numb.


    ¡°The tombs within our sight are at least as many as hundreds of thousands. What exactly is this place?¡± Tang Xiu mumbled to himself.


    ¡°Lord, this is still a space on Earth, yet this pocket world is formed and attached to the barriers of the Earth¡¯s space,¡± said Ji Chimei with squinted eyes. ¡°The aura sent out from these ancient tombs feel like they¡¯re from the distant past, as if from eons ago. Also, take a look at the characters inscribed on the tombstones, all of them are Buddhist Sanskrit. In other words, those entombed here are all Buddhist disciples.¡±


    A Buddhist Burial Ground?


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu remembered the heritage he obtained from Star City¡¯s Walled Hill Village, as it also mentioned something about a Buddhist Burial Ground. The contents recorded about it were very few, narrating that there was once a Buddhist World among the myriad worlds which was also the origin of Buddhism and its core site of development. Furthermore, the Holy Buddhist Monk Amitabha had reached Buddhahood in the past and was once a quite famous figure in the Gods Realm. Unfortunately, Holy Monk Amitabha committed an offense to an almighty existence in the Gods Realm and was then chased down for millions of years before eventually being unable to escape from that calamity anymore. The Buddhist World was even implicated as it was also swept away along with him, as well as obliterated countless disciples of Buddhism as consequence.


    Later on, a Buddhism disciple from other worlds, who found the ruined Buddhist World, eventually created a special space and carried out the construction of an unparalleled Buddhist Burial Ground. Unfortunately, this matter was then found out by that almighty existence. After tens of thousands of years of pursuit, however, that Buddhism disciple was able to escape. From thenceforth, there was no other news heard of him, as if he had evaporated from the myriad worlds.


    ¡°I never thought that that Buddhism disciple had come to Earth and even placed the special world he created here. Buddhism emphasizes on benevolence and compassion. If the Buddhism teaching were to be passed on and taught in modern society, it would have definitely brought about a very positive energy.¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly felt a bit fortunate that he didn¡¯t order Ji Chimei to destroy the array before. Otherwise, this pocket world would collapse and this monumental ancient burial ground would disappear and dissipate into nothingness.


    Roar¡­


    A forlorn and bitter shriek came from the distant horizon. Tang Xiu¡¯s facial expression slightly changed as his eardrums were almost shattered by merely its shrill cry.


    Ji Chimei flung her sleeve. After having taken measures to protect Tang Xiu, she said, ¡°There¡¯s a life object here, Lord. Are we going there to have a look?¡±


    Tang Xiu slightly nodded and said, ¡°Be sure to be cautious.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Ji Chimei replied and then brought Tang Xiu to the distance. With her extreme speed, they traversed a million kilometers of distance and passed by hundreds of millions of Buddhist tombs in two minutes. Ji Chimei suddenly came to a halt when the outline of a tall and lofty mountain appeared before them.


    ¡°Lord¡­¡±


    When Tang Xiu took a look around, he saw a tall, white-headed, Golden-winged Great Peng who was actually standing and raising its head proudly.


    ¡°Moppet¡­ there cometh¡­ two moppets of¡­ human¡¯s offspring? Eh, one is a moppet of¡­ Mesmer¡¯s offspring? Interesting, interesting!¡±


    The Golden-winged Great Peng slowly lowered its head. A jerky speech came out of its mouth when it saw Tang Xiu and Ji Chimei in the distance.


    Tang Xiu shouted in a deep voice, ¡°You know our origin? What thing are you?¡±


    ¡°What thing is me?¡±


    The Golden-winged Great Peng lowered its head. But after a long time, it spoke in its jerky voice again, ¡°Me is Golden Peng from the Gods Realm, me not a thing. Thou actually hast his Golden Core Buddhist Sarira. Pity¡­ pity¡­ thou strength is too weak and pitiful; otherwise, me is hopeful to leave this place and returns to the Gods Realm.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before speaking again, ¡°I know about the Golden Peng; a very powerful Divine Beast in the Gods Realm. I never thought that I, Tang Xiu, would meet such a mythical Divine Beast like you. Can you tell me how you got locked up here?¡±


    The Golden Peng flung its head and hummed, ¡°It¡¯s strange; me canst bethink of it. Methinks part mine memory hast been erased. Who couldst hath done it?¡±


    Tang Xiu stared blankly and frowned before saying, ¡°Since you can¡¯t remember it, then forget it. But you should know everything about this Buddhist Burial Ground, yes?¡±


    The Golden Peng¡¯s huge eyes blinked as it suddenly said, ¡°Methinks me recalls something. Me accompanied mine master to pursue Buddha. Me be captured and latched here¡­ Master¡­ Mine Lord¡­ Dost mine Lord¡­ doth not exist anymore? No! It canst be!!!¡±


    After it spoke, a large drop of golden liquid gushed out from its eyes!


    Tang Xiu was taken aback and dumbfounded. He didn¡¯t expect that a Divine Beast like the Golden Peng could actually¡­ cry??!!


    This¡­ What kind of joke is this?


    For a long period of time, Tang Xiu was at a loss between laughter and tears before saying, ¡°Okay, okay. Let¡¯s discuss the most important thing, shall we? If I can save you in the future, what benefits can you give me?¡±


    The Golden Peng slightly pondered and stopped weeping, ¡°How about me help thee condense Golden Body? Howbeit the Buddha¡­ is frail¡­ and feeble, but methinks to¡­ ken it¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes blinked.


    A Buddhist Golden Body? What joke is this?


    His cultivation technique¡ªthe Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis was precisely a supreme Gods and Demons¡¯ cultivation technique to mold the body into a supreme Demon Body. If he were to temper his body into a Buddhist Golden Body, how would he practice his cultivation in the future?


    The Golden Peng, however, was as if able to see through Tang Xiu¡¯s mind, as it said with a bizarre smile, ¡°Interesting, ¡®tis really interesting! The Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis, eh? Thou is cultivating the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis? Was ¡®tis not the cultivation technique that Holy Monk Amitabha stole from mine master afore, and was chased and eventually slain? Hahaha¡­ ¡®tis is interesting!¡±


    Tang Xiu stared blankly and asked in astonishment, ¡°You know so much? But, what did Holy Monk Amitabha need the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis for?¡±


    ¡°Thou hath no ken that Buddha and Demon be like North and South poles, thereupon cultivating it be like a round wheel?¡± The Golden Peng looked at Tang Xiu as if he were an idiot. ¡°The compatibleness was what made it complete, for they were divided one another and scattered. Only Buddha that canst be compatible with Demon, and thus the Holy Monk Amitabha canst tread on the last step to reach the Supreme God level. Ah, Supreme God! It¡¯s the realm of me master, an existence at the apex of the Gods Realm!¡±

 Chapter 561

    Chapter 561: Successfully Obtaining a Golden Body


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu was thoroughly dumbfounded. He used to be a Supreme Immortal in the Immortal World, so how was it possible to know such secrets of the far beyond Gods Realm? He had indeed obtained the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis when he was in the Immortal World, yet no matter how he studied it he had not been able to practice the cultivation technique back then, let alone doing everything said by the Golden Peng at present.


    ¡°Umm, I suppose there¡¯s nothing else to say, so we¡¯ll take our leave first.¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a self-deprecating smile and immediately prepared to leave. Since there was no danger beneath Resting Cemetery Island and the purpose of his arrival here could be considered to have been achieved, as long as he captured and tamed all the fierce beasts in the coastal water and reared them on Resting Cemetery Island, it could be said that he had the work accomplished already.


    ¡°Ehh, no no no, don¡¯t go!¡± The Golden Peng was startled and quickly said. ¡°In mine eyes thou now art no different than a pismire. Dost thou really hath no interest to obtain the Buddhist Golden Body?¡±


    Despite being excited inside, Tang Xiu maintained his composed expression on the surface. He indifferently shook his head and calmly said, ¡°With my current insignificant ability, what should I do with the Buddhist Golden Body, anyway? Even if I¡¯d need it later, I might as well directly look for Buddhist cultivation techniques just the same. Besides, the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis was very difficult to get, but getting a Buddhist cultivation technique will require no effort at all.¡±


    ¡°Thou art really purblind, younker.¡± The Golden Peng angrily shouted. ¡°How canst the Buddhist Golden Body thou condensed with mine succor be compared to those of wonted Buddhist disciples¡¯? Have faith in me, youngling. After thou obtained the Buddhist Golden Body, the physique of thou wilt increase for tens of millions of times; so much so that thou wilt not be scathed even if thou art barraged with Immortal Tools.¡±


    Tang Xiu was flabbergasted inwardly and said, ¡°We have an old adage here that pies that fall from the sky might still be able to smash and kill a man. Hence, talk about your conditions.¡±


    The Golden Peng let out a long cry before saying, ¡°That¡¯s some great wisdom thou hath. Mine conditions art simple. When thou reached the Peak level of the Supreme Immortal stage in the Immortal World, thou art to return here and set me free.¡±


    ¡°Is that your condition? Only one?¡± Asked Tang Xiu curiously.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Said the Golden Peng.


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment before nodding and saying, ¡°I give you my word.¡±


    After hearing it, the Golden Peng spread out its wings as two golden lights came out from its wings and directly hit Tang Xiu. Even though Ji Chimei¡¯s strength, who stood beside him, was very strong, she wasn¡¯t able to block it timely.


    Aaaargh¡­


    An overwhelming, blazing wave instantly wrapped Tang Xiu. The feeling of getting burned was perhaps comparable to the feeling of being hacked and slashed thousands of times before he was executed. However, just at the moment, he was nearly unable to hold up anymore, as a primitive and unsophisticated ever-changing golden rune constantly appeared in his body. The ancient rune seemed to be a living sprite, as it swam inside his body before integrating into the acupoints all over his body.


    The ancient rune penetrated his clogged meridians and forcefully pierced and occupied each and every acupoint one after another. The effulgent golden rays of light merged with the Star Force inside Tang Xiu¡¯s body and triggered a qualitative change. The duality poles of Buddha and Demon perfectly fused and formed Primal Chaos Force after they completely fused into one.


    Within a few short breaths, the Star Force inside Tang Xiu¡¯s body had completely disappeared, replaced by the new formed Primal Chaos Force. The might of this force was tens of millions of times stronger than Star Force and Immortal Force, and several-fold stronger than Divine Force. Of all walks of life in the myriad worlds, only those who had reached the Supreme God level were able to slowly transform their Divine Force into Primal Chaos Force. With this force, they would be able to create a new world, forming a new cycle of reincarnation and Wheel of Samsara and finally tread on the last step, becoming an omnipotent supreme being.


    But Tang Xiu, whose cultivation was inferior to those common cultivators at the Nascent Soul Stage actually had such Primal Chaos Force. If this fact was known by those supreme existences in the Immortal World and the Gods Realm, they would turn crazy out of envy.


    At present, every part of Tang Xiu¡¯s body¡ªhis muscles, bones, meridians, and five internal organs¡ªwas undergoing qualitative changes. His eyes were suffused by and flashed out ash-gray lights and his skin looked a lot darker ¡ª like bronze, whereas the hairs all over his body that had all been long burnt were growing again at this time.


    Time fleeted by¡­


    After a full nine days, Tang Xiu¡¯s body had thoroughly undergone huge transformations. After the two golden lights disappeared, the giant bird directly lied down and fell into slumber. Tang Xiu, however, had become several centimeters taller, his body turned smoother, his muscles looked more attractive, and his body¡¯s proportions became very perfect.


    ¡°What do you feel, Lord?¡±


    In the past few days, Ji Chimei watched all the changes in Tang Xiu¡¯s body and was always in a tense and restless mood. She hurriedly asked with a face full of concern the moment she saw Tang Xiu opening his eyes.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s lips arched and a thick smile covered his face, ¡°Great, it¡¯s great! Even if my present physique is still inferior to that of Immortal tools, but the difference isn¡¯t too far off. I truly didn¡¯t expect that one day my body and physical strength would be stronger than those Fleshy Body cultivators¡¯.¡±


    A Buddhist Golden Body was not really a body that was cast and molded with metal and gold. It¡¯s just that, after the human body underwent such qualitative changes, the hardiness of the bones was comparable with metal and stone. Even the followers of Buddhism who possessed the Buddhist Golden Body were all existences of powerful and profound Buddha Dharma.


    Ji Chimei cast a look at the Golden Peng and whispered, ¡°What happened to it?¡±


    Tang Xiu turned his sight to the Golden Peng with a grateful look. No matter what it used to be in the past and regardless of how and what kind of grudges and animosity its Master used to have with the Buddha, it had aided him in obtaining the Buddhist Golden Body, thus making his physical strength increase by a lot; at least by hundreds of times.


    ¡°Please rest assured. I¡¯ll definitely come back and take you out of this place after I return to the peak!¡± Tang Xiu cupped his fists and spoke in a loud and clear voice.


    Having said that, he didn¡¯t stay any longer but ordered Ji Chimei to return by their previous path. When he left the portal, he saw that the ancient bronze lamp was still suspended in mid-air, and the swaying flame was dimmer than it used to be.


    ¡°Lord, there¡¯s a problem. I sense a formidable presence¡­ above!¡± After seeing that Tang Xiu had collected the ancient bronze lamp into his interspatial ring and that the curtain of light on the portal had disappeared, Ji Chimei¡¯s expression suddenly changed and her eyes flashed.


    ¡°Go up immediately!¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s face slightly changed and commanded in a deep voice.


    With her lightning-like speed, Ji Chimei brought Tang Xiu out of the sea within just several breaths, and they appeared seven plus kilometers away from Resting Cemetery Island. As the two just came out of the sea surface, their eyes simultaneously landed on a colossal octopus.


    ¡°It¡¯s very strange! This thing isn¡¯t a savage beast anymore, but¡­ a monster, no?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised.


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s indeed a monster beast, Lord,¡± said Ji Chimei respectfully. ¡°This thing has comprehended the gate to the cultivation path and has found a completely new cultivation system. It has also condensed its Monster Core inside its body, which is very different from the Beast Core of high-level fierce beasts.¡±


    Tang Xiu touched his chin and asked, ¡°Tell me your guess, how is the strength of this Monster Beast? Judging from its all-out attack on the Feng Shui Array of Resting Cemetery Island, this thing is perhaps much stronger than the current me.¡±


    ¡°It is indeed very formidable,¡± said Ji Chimei respectfully. ¡°If we are to compare it according to cultivators¡¯ cultivation level, its strength should exceed a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, even reaching the Soul Formation Stage. For an existence with such a level of power to appear on the present Earth¡­ it really is inconceivable.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°No, I once felt a dreadful terrifying presence in a certain sea area of the South China Sea before. This means that there exists many dangerous savage beasts in the tens of thousands of islands in the vast ocean. Perhaps some of them are also like this one, having reached the Monster Beast level. Anyhow, only you can dispose of this thing. I just had my physical body strength increased greatly, so I need to practice to perform higher-level cultivation techniques. Of the Buddha and Demon dual cultivation systems I now have the Buddhist Golden Body, leaving only the Demon Body.¡±


    Ji Chimei didn¡¯t know much about the state of Tang Xiu¡¯s cultivation. Even before, she didn¡¯t know that Tang Xiu was cultivating the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis. Of course, even after learning about it, she wasn¡¯t aware how powerful and special this cultivation technique was.


    ¡°Should I directly kill it, Lord?¡± Asked Ji Chimei.


    ¡°Slay it directly!¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Dismember its body and give it to me. But remember to preserve its blood and Monster Core.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Ji Chimei respectfully nodded.


    The lightning web then contracted as shrill screams resounded and the octopus Monster Beast was dismembered. Its flesh and blood were wrapped by a mass of qi. Not a single drop of blood or a single strand of hair was lost or damaged from the tens of thousands of pounds¡¯ octopus Monster.


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and collected the octopus Monster Beast¡¯s flesh and blood into his interspatial ring. Merely collecting them took several minutes.


    ¡°Chimei, capture all the savage beasts within 500 kilometers radius of the surrounding sea area and throw them into Resting Cemetery Island. After we¡¯re done with this task we¡¯ll immediately return to Jingmen Island,¡± commanded Tang Xiu before he flew toward Resting Cemetery Island.


    A few moments ago, the dozens of experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall on Resting Cemetery Island were standing on the edge of the coast in combat-ready stances watching the threatening octopus Monster Beast outside that was constantly whipping and trashing the array with its tentacles. But after Ji Chimei acted, that octopus Monster Beast was easily trapped by the terrifying lightning web; a scene that made them shudder. Although they knew that Ji Chimei was very powerful, they never thought that she could be powerful to this degree.


    But the one that got the most shocked was not the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s experts, but Daoist Xu Yang. At the moment when that octopus Monster Beast emerged, he had already made up his mind and prepared to have a life-and-death mortal combat with it.


    However, he was surprised by the array laid out by Ji Chimei. He could sense the strength of the octopus Monster Beast. It was at least 100 times more powerful than him, yet it was unable to break the array at all even after barraging and storming the array for most of the day. But his shock was because of how Ji Chimei displayed her skill to dispose of it.


    Is this still what a human can do? Even those Soul Formation Stage powerhouses are probably unable to perform such a feat, no? Is she an expert at the Body Integration Stage, or even at¡­ the Great Ascension Stage?


    After thinking up to there, the old face of Daoist Xu Yang turned particularly spirited and marvelous.

 Chapter 562

    Chapter 562: The Powerless Tang Family


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Beijing, the ancestral residence of the Tang Family.


    With a somber expression, Tang Guosheng looked at a chignon, robust and spirited old man in gray robes who sat across from him. Tang Guosheng was a military man for most of his life and had gone through countless violent storms in his entire life. The were few people that could make him afraid, and the one before him was exactly one of them.


    ¡°I need a reason, Dongbei Hu.¡±


    After a long time of silence, Tang Guosheng finally spoke with difficulty.


    ¡°Had it been someone else daring to ask he would have become a dead man already, with his entire family eradicated.¡± Dongbei Hu wore a calm expression and indifferently said. ¡°But Tang Guosheng, you have some relationship with me and I also admire your achievements in the past, so I¡¯ll give you the reason. I owe a favor to the Yao Family; Yao Qingzun has been keeping it and used it now; hence the very reason I came to your family is to return that favor.¡±


    Gripping his fists tightly, anger glinted in Tang Guosheng¡¯s eyes. He slowly spoke after a long silence, ¡°Give me seven days. I¡¯ll give you my decision seven days later.¡±


    ¡°Leave, you¡¯ll live; stay, you¡¯ll die.¡± The Amur Tiger nodded and said. ¡°I already said what I wanted say, everything else is yours to decide. You¡¯re only an ordinary person and half a step into the coffin, to die after having a worthy life. But¡­ do think about your family¡¯s offspring! There¡¯s nothing more precious than living.¡±


    After saying that, he stood up slowly and instantly vanished from the room the moment he moved his feet.


    Tang Guosheng¡¯s stiff body instantly relaxed the moment Dongbei Hu vanished. His back was wet with sweat and he felt exhausted. If it wasn¡¯t because he had regained his health after Tang Xiu treated him, he would probably be unable to hold much longer merely because of this one event today.


    Tap, tap, tap¡­


    The sounds of footsteps came approaching outside door as Tang Guoshou, Tang Yunpeng, and Tang Min rushed inside. When they saw the ghastly pale and full of cold sweat Tang Guosheng, Tang Yunpeng hurriedly asked, ¡°What did the Amur Tiger say to you, Father? Did he change his mind?¡±


    ¡°No, he didn¡¯t change his mind at all.¡± Tang Guosheng bitterly shook his head. ¡°I asked him to give us seven days of time, and I¡¯ll give him the answer later.¡±


    Tang Guoshou punched the wall and angrily yelled, ¡°A cultivator involves himself in the affairs of ordinary people, and he even dares to create trouble to a big family like us. Is that old geezer Yao insane? If this matter of him using Dongbei Hu were to be disclosed, all the big families in the country will probably be furious and even guard against his family. Perhaps they will secretly unite and find the opportunity to get rid of his family.¡±


    ¡°Will they even have the courage?¡± Said Tang Guosheng reluctantly.


    Tang Guoshou¡¯s breath paused, and an agonized look appeared on his face.


    That¡¯s right! Will they even have the guts to do so?


    The topmost great figures and big families in China knew perfectly well who Dongbei Hu¡ªthe Amur Tiger was. Many years had passed, and yet who dared to provoke him? Even the most powerful forces that came to prominence in power later, didn¡¯t they also go to the Northeast region to visit him?


    ¡°Father, I still can¡¯t contact Xiu¡¯er.¡±


    At this time, Tang Yunde rushed through the door and said with an anxious face.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re unable to get in touch with him, then don¡¯t try to contact him anymore.¡± Tang Guosheng waved his hand. ¡°Xiu¡¯er is very resourceful, outstanding and powerful, but he¡¯s way too young after all. Forget it! Call and notice every core member of the family and say that we¡¯ll hold a family meeting two days later. The Amur Tiger wants us to leave China and go abroad to live and die there by ourselves. Ask everyone: will we comply or not?¡±


    The other four exchanged looks in blank dismay, following which they showed dejected and downcast expressions.


    ****


    Jingmen Island.


    Dressed in plain clothes, Tang Yunqing appeared in the Everlasting Feast Hall accompanied by only two bodyguards. After ordering a private box, Tang Yunqing said to the attendant who followed him, ¡°I want to see the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s Boss. I¡¯ll have to trouble you to inform him.¡±


    The beautiful attendant replied with an apologetic expression, ¡°I apologize, Sir. I don¡¯t have the right to contact our Boss directly. I can tell the manager if you have something to talk about.¡±


    ¡°Then tell him that someone from the Tang Family of Beijing is here.¡± Tang Yunqing nodded.


    The beautiful waiter nodded and said, ¡°Please wait a bit, then. I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡±


    A few minutes later.


    Gu Xiaoxue was sitting cross-legged on the seacoast alone, as a middle-aged man quickly approached her. When he came behind her, he immediately spoke respectfully, ¡°Little Boss, someone wants to see you.¡±


    ¡°Who is the person?¡± Gu Xiaoxue floated up and asked.


    ¡°Someone from Beijing¡¯s Tang Family,¡± said the middle-aged man respectfully.


    Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s brows creased. She immediately nodded and said, ¡°I see. Lead the way!¡±


    Quickly after, she appeared in the private box as Tang Yunqing immediately stood up and said, ¡°Long time no see, Ms. Gu.¡±


    ¡°If my memory serves me right, you should be Uncle Yunqing, yes?¡± Gu Xiaoxue faintly smiled. ¡°Are you here to see our Boss? Or¡­¡±


    ¡°I want to see Tang Xiu. I had called him many times already but could not get in touch with him,¡± answered Tang Yunqing immediately. ¡°I learned that he¡¯s currently on Jingmen Island, so I immediately rushed here. Ms. Gu, can I trouble you to convey to him that I¡¯m looking for him due to an extremely urgent matter?¡±


    ¡°A very urgent matter? What urgent matter could be happening in the Tang Family?¡± Gu Xiaoxue looked blank and surprised. ¡°Anyways, the Boss went to the sea, and I can¡¯t get in touch with him for the time being.¡±


    ¡°We indeed have an urgent matter, and I¡¯m afraid that our family will be ended if the matter is not handled properly.¡± Tang Yunqing forced a smile. ¡°Ms. Gu, you¡¯re someone my nephew heavily trusts, so I won¡¯t conceal it from you. You should have heard of a man called Dongbei Hu¡ªthe Amur Tiger, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve heard of him; a very powerful man.¡± Gu Xiaoxue nodded.


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s very strong; and probably no one in the entirety of China is more powerful than him.¡± Tang Yunqing nodded. ¡°Unbeknownst to us, the Yao Family was able to invite him from his hometown. Dongbei Hu has given the Tang Family a choice to leave Beijing and China, or else he will deal with us and eradicate our entire family.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, Dongbei Hu, eh?¡± Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s expression changed and a cold light flashed in her eyes. She coldly hummed and said, ¡°What a courage! If it wasn¡¯t for my Master purposefully helping him breakthrough in his cultivation, how would he become so well-regarded today? I never thought he would dare to set his eyes at Boss¡¯ family only after several decades after. Uncle Yunqing, please be at ease and rest your worries. Though the Amur Tiger is very strong, he will never be able to shake off the Tang Family.¡±


    Tang Yunqing looked blank before he immediately forced out a wry smile and said, ¡°Ms. Gu, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you, but Dongbei Hu is not an ordinary man. He¡¯s a cultivator. Do you know what it means for someone to become a cultivator? It¡¯s literally an existence of a celestial immortal. In case that¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no if. I¡¯ll send some people to follow you back to Beijing.¡± Gu Xiaoxue waved her hand. ¡°If Dongbei Hu dares to directly attack the Tang Family¡¯s ancestral residence, those people I send to help you will at least be able to provide some resistance. Also, I¡¯ll send someone to head to Clam island at once, to look for our Boss. If only you knew my Boss, let alone this trivial Amur Tiger, even if there¡¯s 100 of him, there¡¯s nothing they can do except die!¡±


    Tang Yunqing was taken aback. He never thought that Gu Xiaoxue could actually speak out such an extremely arrogant remark. After hesitating, he curiously asked, ¡°Ms. Gu, could it be that you don¡¯t know about cultivators?¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue thought for a moment before she waved her hands. All the non-fixed objects inside the room all then floated up. Her wrist then moved and swung, and all those objects began to revolve and maintain in a certain pattern.


    ¡°HEAVENS! THIS IS¡­¡±


    Tang Yunqing was flabbergasted with eyes staring wide as though he was having a dream. This performance was far beyond his cognition.


    ¡°Although I don¡¯t know whether Boss has told you that we are all cultivators here or not, one thing for certain is that our the Everlasting Feast Hall has the ability to dispose of Dongbei Hu. However, there¡¯s one thing Xiaoxue requests of you, Uncle Yunqing.¡±


    After seeing that all the objects were put back in their original places, Tang Yunqing asked excitedly, ¡°What is it? Tell me¡­ I won¡¯t back off as long as it¡¯s something within my capability.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Yunqing, I want you to keep this all a secret.¡± Gu Xiaoxue said. ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone else to hear it from you. Our identity is, after all, very special. And I directly told you about this matter without the Boss¡¯s permission.¡±


    ¡°Not even my Uncle can know this?¡± Asked Tang Yunqing quickly. ¡°He¡¯s the Head of the Tang Family, and I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s the one who has the greatest pressure.¡±


    ¡°No, Elderly Tang is someone of extraordinary dignity.¡± Gu Xiaoxue shook her head. ¡°He will never collapse due to pressure. Also, I think it¡¯s the best time for the Tang Family to unite; to be of one mind.¡±


    Tang Yunqing fell into silence for a moment before he nodded and said, ¡°I understand. You can rest assured that I will never tell anyone, Ms. Gu.¡±


    Half an hour later, Tang Yunqing left with his two bodyguards and 30 experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall. At the same time, Gu Xiaoxue immediately send people to Clam Island to look for Tang Xiu.


    ****


    At Jingmen Island¡¯s Harbor.


    Just as Tang Xiu was about to disembark from the liner, he saw several familiar faces¡ªthe Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s experts were walking toward another passenger ship. His expression slightly changed as he sent someone to call them over.


    ¡°We were just about to head to Clam Island to find you, Boss.¡± A stocky man spoke respectfully.


    ¡°To look for me? Why?¡± Asked Tang Xiu, confused.


    ¡°It¡¯s an order from the Little Boss. She told us to find you due to a very urgent matter.¡±


    ¡°I see!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed. After rushing and arriving at the Everlasting Feast Hall, he then saw Gu Xiaoxue standing at the edge of the parking lot. Obviously, she had received the news ahead of time that he had come back.


    ¡°Xiaoxue, I heard there¡¯s a very urgent matter? What is it?¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue gave a hand signal to everyone else. After they had dispersed, she then explained, ¡°Boss, I met Tang Yunqing two hours ago.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression flickered, ¡°Is the matter you¡¯re going to tell me related to the Tang Family?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Uncle Yunqing told me that the Amur Tiger from the

 Chapter 563

    Chapter 563: Everyone Hits a Man Who is Down


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    With the great increase in his strength Tang Xiu was now filled with confidence. Prior to this, he wanted to challenge Daoist Xu Yang to measure the extent of his strength. But now he no longer had this idea, because merely by relying on his physical strength Daoist Xu Yang could no longer bring him any harm at all.


    As for Dongbei Hu, the Amur Tiger, Tang Xiu also heard his name from Daoist Xu Yang and knew a bit about the man. But he never expected that this man actually pointed his blade at the Tang Family.


    ¡°Why is he doing this?¡±


    Despite having prepared measures and cards up his sleeve, he still asked for the reason.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about that either, Grand Master.¡± Gu Xiaoxue replied in a low voice. ¡°Why don¡¯t you call your elder in the Tang Family and ask about it?¡±


    Tang Xiu was suddenly reminded of something and took his mobile phone out, only to find that his phone had long run out of battery. He looked for the charger and had the phone charged for a few minutes before turning it on. Text notifications and missed calls then popped up, with most of them sent by members of the Tang Family.


    ****


    Beijing, the Tang Family¡¯s ancestral residence.


    Tang Guosheng was smoking. His wrinkled old face was fully covered by worry and grief. He was averse to the possibility that such a prominent Tang Family must meet its demise in China at this point. He was unwilling to have the Tang Family exiled from China, going overseas only to drag out its feeble existence. Dongbei Hu¡¯s famous strength and supernatural means, however, were akin to a great mountain that pressed on his heart, making him suffocated.


    House of Yao, had I known earlier that you had such a card in your hand, I would have staked the entire future of the Tang Family to lose all decorum with you. Even if the Tang Family fell, but I would at least bury your House along with us as well. Tang Guosheng thought with agony.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    His mobile sounded, yet he felt like he had no strength to answer it. Only until the ringtone had sounded for six times did he finally grab his phone, albeit slowly. He looked blank when he saw the caller name on the screen, and a glint instantly flashed in his eyes.


    After Tang Guosheng answered the call, he slowly spoke, ¡°Have you learned the news, Xiu¡¯er?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Grandpa. But there¡¯s something that I¡¯m not particularly clear, though. Tell me, what exactly is the situation? How can that old codger from the Northeast want to deal with our family all of a sudden?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s calm voice transmitted out of the phone.


    ¡°For what other reason could it be? Our family has no enmity with him, but with the Yao Family.¡± Tang Guosheng said in a bitter tone. ¡°Forget it, Xiu¡¯er. Take good care of yourself and don¡¯t worry about the family affairs. If¡­ in the case that our Tang Family really meets our end, you must also be ready to go abroad.¡±


    ¡°Someone else¡¯s increasing ambition can put out your awe-inspiring manner, this is so unlike you, Grandpa!¡± Tang Xiu chuckled. ¡°Others may see him as the Amur Tiger, but he¡¯s nothing but a small green bug in my eyes. If anything, there are things I have yet to tell you all this while. But I think I don¡¯t need to keep it any longer at this time. Whether he is a cultivator or not, it¡¯s easy for me to send him to his death!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense, Xiu¡¯er!¡± Tang Guosheng¡¯s expression changed and said in a heavy tone, ¡°Cultivators are an extremely terrifying existence in our country. Their number may be like the feather of a phoenix, very few and rare, but each and every one of them has the strength of supernatural beings. They are not something us ordinary people can oppose. I¡¯m aware that you also have practiced a slight cultivation technique, but¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something you may not know, Grandpa. I¡¯m also a cultivator, and my strength is not necessarily inferior to this Amur Tiger.¡± Tang Xiu interrupted him and spoke in a very serious tone. ¡°Furthermore, nearly all the core members of the Everlasting Feast Hall are also cultivators. If some of these experts were to act, let alone one Amur Tiger, even if there are 10 of him they still won¡¯t be able to enter my eyes. Anyhow, I¡¯ll leave for Beijing shortly, so tell me about this matter first and give me the full authority to solve this issue.¡±


    ¡°What did you just say?¡± Tang Guosheng loudly exclaimed in alarm. ¡°You¡¯re also a cultivator, and so are all the core members of the Everlasting Feast Hall? How is this possible? How can there be so many cultivators in the world?¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, you should know my disposition,¡± said Tang Xiu calmly. ¡°I never take on anything that I don¡¯t have the ability to deal with. Since I dare to take the full authority of this matter means that I have full assurance of accomplishing it. Also, I will never talk drivel nor will I boast about something related to the safety of the entire Tang Family.¡±


    Tang Guosheng didn¡¯t speak for a long time, but joy and excitement could be seen on his old face. After he finished explaining the relations between the Yao Family and Dongbei Hu, Tang Xiu immediately hung up the phone.


    ****


    At Jingmen Island¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall.


    Tang Xiu had just taken a shower and changed his clothes when Daoist Xu Yang came in a hurry to his place. Although Tang Xiu had already sent someone to prepare accommodations for him, he kept thinking about the issue of going to the Northeast region, so he came looking for Tang Xiu to discuss when they would depart.


    ¡°Daoist Tang, I want to know who is stronger between me and Dongbei Hu. When can we go?¡±


    ¡°Immediately!¡± Tang Xiu gave a clear reply.


    Daoist Xu Yang¡¯s eyes lit up and smilingly said, ¡°You really are a man of your words, Daoist Tang. Then let¡¯s go now!¡±


    ¡°No, what I said by immediately is¡­ I¡¯m leaving for Beijing.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°And to where you will go from there is yours to decide. There¡¯s a special reason, so I hope you understand.¡±


    ¡°What special reason?¡± Asked Daoist Xu Yang with a changed expression.


    ¡°I was kind of curious about how Dongbei Hu became such a figure of terror in the eyes of those bigwigs in China. Nevermind about that, though,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°Anyhow, this Amur Tiger went to Beijing and tried to deal with the Tang Family ¨C my family ¨C hence he is as good as dead already. Do you really want to compare notes with a dead man?¡±


    Daoist Xu Yang shuddered. He recalled the terror of Ji Chimei¡¯s strength, as well as recalled the depth of Tang Xiu¡¯s cultivation level that he had yet to figure out. He hesitated for a moment before forcing out a smile and saying, ¡°Are you not mistaken, Daoist Tang? Although Dongbei Hu is a powerful individual, he never took the initiative to make trouble for himself. How could he possibly deal with your¡­ Tang Family?¡±


    ¡°My family is one of the top families in China in the political aspect, so we naturally have political enemies as well.¡± Tang Xiu explained, ¡°This political enemy of ours is the House of Yao from Beijing. The Head of the Yao Family had once rescued the Amur Tiger¡¯s life in the past¡­ After learning this you don¡¯t need more explanation, yes?¡±


    Daoist Xu Yang fell into silence for a moment before shaking his head and saying, ¡°Such being the case, then I¡¯ll go with you to Beijing! He and I have been opponents for nearly 100 years. Since he wants to leave, then I want to be personally present to see him off on his journey.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Since this is the case, then fine.¡±


    ****


    Beijing.


    Inside an upscale boutique on the fourth floor of Baiyun Shopping Center. Tang Tang was strolling around with her junior sister to kill her boredom. There was something amiss with the atmosphere in the family in the past few days. Even though she was curious to find out what happened, no one wanted to tell her, and it made her depressed.


    The most annoying thing to her was not this matter, but what had happened in the morning. Someone inexplicably bumped into her, and that person¡¯s mouth was unexpectedly so pungent and salty, raining down curses and profanities at her. Though she was not injured, she spent half a day arguing with the other party and was forced to bottle up her anger for a long time.


    ¡°Yanyan, are you done?¡± Tang Tang touched her slightly pained right hand and asked in a low voice.


    ¡°What happened to you today, Tang Tang?¡± Guan Yanyan laughed. ¡°I know you are kind of in a bad mood these days, so I dragged you out to relax, and yet you¡¯re still listless like this. Anyhow, what¡¯s the matter, girl? Tell me if you have any matter, I¡¯ll definitely help you.¡±


    Tang Tang shook her head. As she was about to speak, she suddenly saw a girl hugging a pet dog in the distance. The girl was wrapped with famous brands from head to toe and was followed by two young men. She knew those two youths. They were members of the Yao Family and were very famous playboys in Beijing.


    How could they be here together?


    Tang Tang¡¯s brows were slightly creased. To avoid any troubles, she pulled Guan Yanyan¡¯s hand and spoke in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s just go!¡±


    ¡°Whoops, isn¡¯t this the bitch who bumped into me today? I was alone in the morning and got bullied by you. So how about now? I¡¯m here shopping with my two cousins, do you want to try to bully me?¡± The girl¡¯s quickly caught up and came to the front of the two girls as she called out and tilted her chin.


    Suddenly, Yao Xinlei and Yao Xintao standing behind her revealed scowling expressions, as Yao Xinlei strode to the girl¡¯s side, glared at Tang Tang and sternly spoke, ¡°So it was you who bullied my cousin this morning, eh? I have long been wanting to whip and stamp you, Tang Tang. I didn¡¯t expect you to take the initiative to provoke us. Hmph¡­ Follow me! Today I¡¯m going to make you learn that your Tang Family doesn¡¯t have the qualification to even lick the ass of our Yao Family at all!¡±


    He then grabbed Tang Tang¡¯s arm after saying that.


    Tang Tang angrily threw his arm off. But, she couldn¡¯t shake his hand off and furiously yelled, ¡°Yao Xinlei, I know you¡¯re just a trash. Do you have any other ability aside from bullying girls? Let me loose, or I¡¯ll call my big brother!¡±


    Yao Xinlei¡¯s heart jolted. He knew who Tang Tang¡¯s big brother was; Tang Wei. They both lived in Beijing, and he was crystal clear about his merciless disposition as well. He would definitely suffer had it been normal times. But this time was different, for he was carrying out his cousin¡ªYao Xinhua¡¯s plan, and thus his fear toward Tang Wei was no more.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t done, Tang Tang! Call your big brother. If I don¡¯t beat the fucking crap out of him today, then I¡¯ll change my surname to Tang!¡±


    Tang Tang struggled to break free from Yao Xinlei¡¯s hand and quickly called Tang Wei and explained everything clearly.


    ¡°Wait for me there!¡±


    This was Tang Wei¡¯s reply.


    Half an hour later, Tang Wei arrived with his four recently recruited men. With hardly any thoughts over the matter, he issued an order to beat up Yao Xinlei and Yao Xintao. However, just as the four youths were about to act, a large number of hooligans suddenly appeared in the surroundings. There were at least 20 of them carrying sticks in their hands as they attacked the four youths brought by Tang Wei without speaking anything.


    ¡°YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!¡±


    Tang Wei would be retard if he still couldn¡¯t figure out that the situation this time was prepared by Yao Xinlei and Yao Xintao in advance.


    With a proud expression, Yao Xinlei shouted, ¡°Capture and bring them to me! We¡¯ll send them to the Small Blackhouse for Brother Xinhua to deal with.¡±

 Chapter 564

    Chapter 564: Last Living Eunuch


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Baiyun Shopping Center was an upscale site in Beijing and the security here was usually fairly good. However, Yao Xinlei took advantage of his identity to promise some benefits and bribed the department store¡¯s security guards. Therefore, they didn¡¯t meet any obstruction when they took Tang Wei and Tang Tang.


    Nevertheless, the dispute was seen by a junior from a certain family in Beijing. He knew both Yao Xinlei¡¯s and Tang Wei¡¯s group since they were in the same group of silk pants in the capital. Thus, the news that Tang Wei and Tang Tang were detained by Yao Xinlei and his group was passed on to Tang Guosheng in no time.


    ¡°Find and rescue them!¡±


    With a sullen expression, Tang Guosheng issued an order and mobilized all the Tang Family¡¯s intelligence network and personal connections in Beijing. On the other side, the Yaos didn¡¯t conceal their whereabouts. Hence, Tang Guosheng was able to find the address where Tang Wei and Tang Tang were being detained.


    At the same time, Tang Xiu and Daoist Xu Yang had just arrived at Beijing Airport along with the Light and Dark siblings, who had just returned to Jingmen Island¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall from overseas after completing their mission. Tang Xiu hung up the phone as a faint ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. He regretted not disposing of Yao Xinhua when he was on Jingmen Island.


    ¡°Small Blackhouse, eh?¡± Tang Xiu sneered inside. He immediately caught a cab and the four people rushed toward the address given by Tang Guosheng.


    ****


    Beijing, Qiaotou District, Jiabaole Playground.


    Yao Xinhua was sitting on the innermost side of an empty and spacious haunted house in the playground with a lighted cigarette in his mouth. The dim lights, curling smoke, and overcast atmosphere in the entire haunted house caused goosebumps to raise on everyone inside, yet Yao Xinlei and Yao Xintao were standing on the right and left sides behind Yao Xinhua while folding their hands with faint smiles, watching the siblings¡ªTang Wei and Tang Tang as well as Guan Yanyan, who was also caught in the middle of the misfortune.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is Young Master Tang¡­ afraid, by chance?¡± Yao Xinhua flicked the ash off his cigarette, tilted his leg and mocked.


    Tang Wei¡¯s expression was very calm. He looked at Yao Xinhua¡¯s complacent expression and lightly said, ¡°There¡¯s something I forgot to tell you. I may be afraid of your grandfather, but I never feared the rest of your Yao Family. Yao Xinhua, I thought you were the most outstanding junior of Yaos, but I didn¡¯t expect you¡¯re only able to play these small tricks. I have overestimated you, it seems.¡±


    ¡°Tang Wei, do you find it enjoyable flaunting your sharp tongue?¡± Yao Xinhua mocked. ¡°Actually, I have wanted to take care of you for a long time now, but it¡¯s a pity that I had been delayed by various things. The days of your Tang Family are now like the sunset in the West mountain. Perhaps it won¡¯t take a long time before you all got driven out of China. Later on, you will no longer be the majestic young master of the Tang Family, but just a stray dog.¡±


    ¡°Yao Xinhua, I know you were delayed by various things, just like you got miserably bullied by my younger brother Tang Xiu. Yet you still want to mention such a disgraceful thing? I¡¯m very ashamed of you.¡± With a scowl on his face, Tang Wei sneered, ¡°As for how will my Tang Family fare in the future, do you really think you can guess it?¡±


    Tang Xiu?


    Yao Xinhua tightly clenched his fist as an abhorrent expression burst from his eyes. This was the name he hated the most, especially the owner of this name. How he wished to hack him to pieces and pull out his tendons¡­ He shot Tang Wei a cold look and coldly said, ¡°Tang Wei, this tone of yours is very tough, but I don¡¯t know whether your bones are tough as well. But you can rest assured. These two younger brothers of mine have long been drooling and eyeing your sister. You definitely don¡¯t want to try whether your little sis¡¯s bones are tough or not, right?¡±


    ¡°Hehehe¡­¡±


    Yao Xinlei and Yao Xintao deliberately revealed lustful expressions as they touched their chins when they looked at Tang Tang.


    Tang Tang herself didn¡¯t show any trace of fear, however, and even puffed out her small chest and said, ¡°These two dogs of yours are nothing but trash, Yao Xinhua. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know that, huh? If these dogs dare to lay a finger on me, it is tantamount to lose all decorum with my family. Your family may be very strong, but does the Yao Family know what kind of card the Tang Family has in reserve? When that time comes, snort¡­¡±


    Tang Wei stared blankly as he looked at the unexpected tough stance displayed by his younger sister, yet he could see through her intention in a flash; it was just a bluff to deter Yao Xinhua. He immediately followed the script and intentionally yelled at her, ¡°TANG TANG, SHUT UP!!!¡±


    Tang Tang¡¯s eyes lit up. She knew that her big brother caught up to what she was up to. Hence, she deliberately revealed a resentful expression and flung her face to the side.


    Yao Xinhua¡¯s heart slightly jolted. As a junior of a big family in Beijing, he naturally knew that each big family had their own trump cards. His grandfather also told him a few days ago that the Tang Family was not as weak as they looked on the surface; they surely had some cards up their sleeves. Therefore, his grandfather personally invited the Amur Tiger to Beijing in order to deal with them.


    Could it be¡­


    What card the Tang Family has, to think that they don¡¯t fear the Amur Tiger at all?


    He didn¡¯t know much about the matters pertaining to cultivators, but Tang Tang¡¯s words and Tang Wei¡¯s response made him secretly vigilant inside, causing him to decide to change some of his previous plans. However, he didn¡¯t really plan to make his two cousins rape Tang Tang. He said that just as intimidation; he didn¡¯t even plan to beat up Tang Wei at all. His purpose was very simple. He wanted to shame Tang Wei and humiliate the Tang Family. As long as Tang Wei yielded and bowed, it was the same as slapping the face of the Tang Family¡­


    ¡°Someone come here and castrate Tang Wei! I really want to know what interesting thing will happen in the future if the Young Master of the dignified Tang Family has become the last living eunuch on the Earth.¡± Yao Xinhua clapped his palms and loudly shouted.


    Immediately, four stocky men who had already prepared some tools came to Tang Wei¡¯s front. Two of them held up the tied Tang Wei and pressed him on the long bench.


    ¡°The last living eunuch on Earth, eh? That¡¯s really an interesting idea!¡±


    A strange voice came from the distance. The moment that voice faded away, a hazy figure suddenly appeared next to Tang Wei. Four streams of qi shot forth and the four stocky men close to Tang Wei instantly felt their bodies freeze as they stood still in their spots.


    Yao Xinhua abruptly got up from the chair and looked horrified. What alarmed him was not Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival, but his inconceivable sudden appearance by Tang Wei¡¯s side right before his eyes. That terrifying speed was something he had never witnessed in his whole life.


    Yao Xinlei¡¯s brows creased as he stepped forward and shouted, ¡°Whose dog are you?¡±


    Puff¡­


    A crescent blade rotated at a very fast speed and directly hacked Yao Xinlei¡¯s neck. In less than a second, Yao Xinlei felt that the sky and earth were spinning around as his vision was constantly moving. He saw the ceiling, a headless body, and a blood column spraying out from its neck¡­


    A white masked Light silently appeared at Tang Xiu¡¯s side, whereas the bloodstained crescent blade vanished and returned to his hand.


    Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!


    The sounds of bodies falling to the floor kept sounding on both sides. More than 20 of Yao Xinhua¡¯s men desperately covered their throats and then fell to the floor with their bodies convulsing incessantly, before their movements gradually stopped.


    Yao Xinhua¡¯s complexion was ghastly pale. He remembered the night he attended the charity party on Jingmen Island. He fell into a comatose state without knowing anything about it. Astute as he was, he could tell that the man who stunned him was Tang Xiu. And now, the dreadful strength displayed by Tang Xiu and that man with a white mask brought him a deep feeling of danger.


    What horrified him the most, however, was the fact that his 20 men were killed so silently. He didn¡¯t even catch the sight of the person who did it.


    ¡°TANG XIU¡­¡± A furious bellow came out of Yao Xinhua¡¯s mouth.


    A smile outlined on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth. He used his strength to cut off the rope that tied Tang Wei, as he then walked to Tang Tang¡¯s front and lightly laughed, ¡°Were you afraid?¡±


    Tang Tang¡¯s eyes lit up. She liked this big brother of hers, and had heard many things about him. Her eyes were full of spirit and cleverness, as she blinked and laughed, ¡°I was afraid before, Big Brother Xiu. But I no longer feel afraid with you here.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled and untied the rope on her and also unleashed the rope on Guan Yanyan as well. He then let out a smile and said, ¡°Did you hear the words just spat out by a certain someone? He thought that the last living eunuch on Earth would be a very interesting thing. Hence, I want to ask you guys to spread out this news well: the Young Master of the Yao Family¡ªYao Xinhua, has become the last living eunuch in the world.¡±


    ¡°Brother¡­¡± Yao Xintao¡¯s complexion drastically changed and turned ghastly pale. But when his words had yet to come out completely, his head was already cut off. Fortunately, the haunted house was rather dark, whereas Yao Xinlei and Yao Xintao were quite far from Tang Tang and Guang Yanyan, so they couldn¡¯t see clearly their appearance; they would definitely be terrified otherwise.


    Tang Wei crawled up from his chair and delivered some heavy punches on the four men who were as though paralyzed by witchcraft. He then ran to Tang Xiu¡¯s side and said, ¡°Tang Xiu, just kill this bastard Yao Xinhua!¡±


    ¡°I will, but not now,¡± Tang Xiu chuckled. ¡°Big Brother Wei, take them home first. I¡¯ll be back to look for you after I¡¯m done dealing with this matter.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here to give you a hand,¡± said Tang Wei quickly.


    ¡°No, your help is not needed.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and smilingly said, ¡°I can easily solve the problem here.¡±


    Tang Wei hesitated before silently nodding and saying, ¡°Then we¡¯ll be waiting for you in Grandpa¡¯s place.¡±


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu walked to the chair used by Yao Xinhua before. He sat on it and kicked the screeching Yao Xinhua, who was currently curled up on the floor. Then, he smiled and said, ¡°So, how is it? Is God treating you coldly? Nope, right? Your dream has come true and you have become the last living eunuch in the world. Do you feel a special honor and glory, or something?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, FUCK¡­¡±


    A suction force came out from Tang Xiu¡¯s palm and he directly grabbed Yao Xinhua¡¯s neck with his knees on the floor, and then coldly spoke, ¡°Curse and you¡¯ll die now. If you don¡¯t want to die, call the elders of your family. Tell them to come here to save you, and do fucking remember that the Amur Tiger must come, too.¡±

 Chapter 565

    Chapter 565: Rejecting A Face-Saving Offer


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Shame was the same as a viper¡¯s bite in that it sent hard to bear pain to the heart, and fear was like an onslaught of chilling stream to the soul. Yao Xinhua once stood at the top of the tallest building in Las Vegas, arrogantly thinking that he was unexcelled in the world. He regarded himself as the leader of the new generation of outstanding young talents and that he was the best among the cr¨¨me of the crop elites in the world.


    At this moment, however, the feeling of shame and humiliation intermingled with dread and fear. His heart was like dead ashes and filled with despair. Only now did he realize that he had been in the bottom of a well looking up at the sky; arrogant and conceited. Tang Xiu was far from what he could deal with.


    Cough! Cough¡­ ¡°Just kill me!¡± Yao Xinhua¡¯s throat was pinched by Tang Xiu. His face was flushed red and he spat out his words with difficulty.


    Bam¡­


    Tang Xiu kicked his chest the moment he released him, breaking several of his ribs even though the strength exerted by Tang Xiu was far from his full strength. With a slightly malevolent look, Tang Xiu let out a cold smile and said, ¡°You want to die? Do you really think you can? You¡¯re in for a rude awakening, buddy. I have countless ways to make you die, and yet you won¡¯t die even if you want to. Do you believe it?¡±


    Snort¡­


    While lying on the floor and covering his chest with his hand, Yao Xinhua was still unyielding even though he was in extreme pain and only snorted coldly in response.


    A smile arched on Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth as his figure flashed and appeared at Yao Xinhua¡¯s side. His fingers hit dozens of acupoints on Yao Xinhua¡¯s body before he sat back on the chair.


    ¡°You should be able to hold on for half an hour with your current physical condition. After 25 minutes, I¡¯ll start treating and healing you so that you¡¯ll be brimming with energy again. Then I¡¯ll continue to make you feel this wonderful feeling again. Ah, right, you shouldn¡¯t believe my words, right? I still have another identity. I¡¯m hailed by others as the young divine doctor.¡±


    Yao Xinhua clenched his fists tightly as the green veins on his forehead began to protrude out, and excess of blood began to fill his eyes. The piercing pain was as though coming from the depths of his soul. He had once received a devilish training overseas, yet all the pain added up together was only a ten-thousandth of the pain now all over his body.


    This feeling¡­ was like he was inside the 18th layer of the hell; his pain and suffering were like coming from countless inhuman torments and tortures. He wanted to scream, but only a deep and low humming voice was stuck in his throat. He really wanted to kill himself, yet was unable to do so, since he was devoid of any strength due to the hellish pain. He was in utter agony, and yet could neither live nor die.


    Finally, Yao Xinhua believed that someone could experience such a state. Also, he was finally convinced by Tang Xiu¡¯s words that he really was hailed as a young divine doctor; and perhaps he really could heal him when he couldn¡¯t hold much longer and was at the point of death, to make him continue to bear this pain¡­


    He finally gave in and lowered his haughty head, trying to ask Tang Xiu¡¯s pardon and decided to do Tang Xiu¡¯s bidding. Yet there¡¯s nothing he could do to express it as he could only scrabble in endless pain and despair.


    The 25 minutes finally passed, as Tang Xiu immediately acted to relieve the pain and suffering of Yao Xinhua. After seeing Yao Xinhua heavily panting and lifelessly lying on the floor like a dying dog, Tang Xiu clapped and sighed in praise, ¡°My previous guess proves to be correct. You were really able to hold on for half an hour. Anyhow, I¡¯m going to treat and heal you now, so that you can continue tasting this pain. After you have experienced it for three days and three nights, I¡¯ll proceed to feed you with more pain. You can rest assured, the pain you¡¯re going to taste will be ten times more than now.¡±


    After saying that, Tang Xiu pretend to begin treating him.


    Yao Xinhua despaired. When he could finally speak, he roared in an extremely hoarse voice, ¡°I¡­ yield¡­ I¡¯ll¡­ make¡­ the call¡­ But¡­ spare¡­ me¡­ I¡¯ll do what you say!¡±


    ¡°Eh? Yielding so quickly?¡± Tang Xiu spoke in an unusual tone. ¡°It¡¯s not like the style of a Young Master from the Yao Family, is it?¡±


    To hell with style!


    Yao Xinhua wailed inside. He struggled for a while before getting up with difficulty. He then knelt and crawled until he was half a meter before Tang Xiu and begged, ¡°I was wrong! I shouldn¡¯t have provoked the Tang Family; I shouldn¡¯t have provoked you. I beg you, spare me¡­ I¡¯m fine if you kill me.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. What a miserable wretch!¡± Tang Xiu gave him a contemptuous look and coldly snorted. ¡°I gave you face, yet you didn¡¯t take it; you even wept and wailed, kneeling down and wanting me to give you a chance¡­ Fine. Since you want a chance, then I¡¯ll give face! You had better be able to make the Head of your family come here. If he doesn¡¯t want to come, you must at least make that Amur Tiger come. If you can¡¯t even do that¡­ snort.¡±


    Yao Xinhua¡¯s face changed. With a horrified look, he pulled out his mobile phone and dialed his grandfather¡ªYao Qingzun¡¯s number with trembling fingers.


    ¡°Xinhua, what¡¯s the matter?¡± After the phone was connected, Yao Qingzun¡¯s majestic voice was heard on the phone.


    ¡°GRANDPA, SAVE ME!!!¡± Yao Xinhua hoarsely shouted. ¡°I can¡¯t stand it anymore! He¡¯s too ruthless¡­¡±


    At the Yao Family¡¯s ancestral residence.


    Yao Qingzun was sitting on a fauteuil when he answered the phone, whereas Dongbei Hu was sitting across from him while tasting the tea served to him. After hearing Yao Xinhua¡¯s words, Yao Qingzun¡¯s complexion drastically changed. He abruptly got up and immediately asked in a heavy voice, ¡°What happened? Who is he?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Tang Xiu. He¡¯s Tang Xiu¡­ I¡­ I was going to humiliate the Tang Family through Tang Wei. Who would have thought¡­ G-Grandpa, please save me quickly! Tang Xiu is too horrifying. He has killed Xinlei and Xintao. If you don¡¯t send people here, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m gonna die!¡±


    Yao Qingzun¡¯s body trembled and his eyes filled with disbelief. Even though Xinlei and Xintao were not his direct grandchildren, were unruly and disobedient in nature, they were still members of the Yao Family and could be said as adequately talented juniors of his family.


    But now¡­ Had they actually been killed by that damned Tang Xiu?


    ¡°Where are you? I¡¯ll immediately send some people there,¡± asked Yao Qingzun in a heavy tone.


    ¡°Grandpa, Tang Xiu mentioned that Dongbei Hu is to come as well. Please, he said that if the Amur Tiger doesn¡¯t come, there¡¯s nothing else for me but to die! Please ask him to come here quickly since many of our family¡¯s men have been killed already. I¡¯m in the Jiabaole Playground in Qiaotou District, in the haunted house.¡±


    Only then did Yao Qingzun¡¯s expression turn horrified. Many of their people had been killed? What did this mean? Others had been killed aside from Yao Xinlei and Yao Xintao?


    ¡°Wait there!¡± Yao Qingzun hung up the phone and looked at Dongbei Hu.


    Dongbei Hu had already heard the conversation between Yao Qingzun and Yao Xinhua. He could still hear it clearly despite the very low voice transmitted from the microphone. He could see the pleading look in Yao Qingzun¡¯s eyes as he asked directly, ¡°Is that Tang Xiu a member of the Tang Family?¡±


    Yao Qingzun knew that Dongbei Hu was very powerful, so he nodded and said, ¡°Yes. He¡¯s the most outstanding junior of the Tang Family and has destroyed a lot of my family¡¯s plans.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s nothing but a brat.¡± Dongbei Hu shook his head and smilingly said, ¡°Since he mentioned my name and demanded me to go there, then I¡¯ll go to clean him up myself. The Tang Family¡­ they¡¯re really idiots. If it wasn¡¯t for my promise to Tang Guosheng, giving him seven days of time, I would have gone to the Tang Family and would have eradicated them now.¡±


    ¡°The seven days will soon be over.¡± Yao Qingzun spoke in a deep and heavy voice. ¡°The Tang Family is biting off more than they can chew, so let them continue to be in fear. There¡¯s nothing his family can stir up with your presence here.¡±


    Dongbei Hu was quite pleased with Yao Qingzun¡¯s words and nodded before walking toward the outside along with Yao Chengqing.


    Time fleeted by and more than an hour had passed by. Yao Chengqing had arrived at Jiabaole Playground in Qiaotou District along with dozens of the Yao Family¡¯s men and Dongbei Hu. As he stood before the entrance to the haunted house, Yao Chengqing spoke with a respectful expression, ¡°Master Tiger, they are inside. I¡¯ll have to trouble you.¡±


    After smilingly shaking his head and as he was about to enter the haunted house, Dongbei Hu¡¯s keen eyes caught a nearby figure within his sight. He then paused for a moment before his body flashed toward the figure and stood before him in half a second later.


    ¡°How can it be you?¡± Dongbei Hu frowned as he stared at someone in front of him.


    A slightly bitter and wry smile appeared on Daoist Xu Yang¡¯s face. He shook his head and raised the jar of wine he had prepared ahead of time, saying, ¡°We have known and contended with each other for a lifetime, yet we never had the intention to mutually kill each other. Speaking of that, we can be said as half friends. You¡¯re going to leave on a journey today, so I came prepared to see you off as a friend. If a next life does exist, then I wish for you to focus your mind your own business later.¡±


    ¡°What the hell do you mean by that, you damned Old Daoist?¡± Dongbei Hu¡¯s face changed and coldly asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to ask me. Since you have already come here, I¡¯m afraid it will be very difficult for you to leave. This jar of wine is a liquor I prepared as a service to see you off. Please accept it!¡±


    Though he was jolted and startled inwardly, Dongbei Hu didn¡¯t take the jar but glared at Daoist Xu Yang instead. After a long time, only then did he open his mouth to ask, ¡°Did you have a breakthrough?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Daoist Xu Yang nodded.


    ¡°Even though you¡¯ve already made a breakthrough, you¡¯re still very far to start comparing notes with me.¡± Dongbei Hu sneered, ¡°If you really want to support that offspring of the Tang Family, then don¡¯t blame me for not caring about the many years of friendship between us and kill you here today.¡±


    Daoist Xu Yang slightly knitted his brows as he shook his head and said, ¡°You misunderstood me. Since you pointed your blade at the Tang Family, then naturally the members of the Tang Family are the ones who will deal with you. I¡­ I just came to send you off; nothing more, nothing less.¡±


    After staring deeply at Daoist Xu Yang, Dongbei Hu suddenly laughed aloud and said, ¡°Daoist Xu Yang, this joke of yours is so damn funny! This jar of wine shouldn¡¯t be a send off wine, but a celebration wine instead. I originally planned to give the Tang Family some time, but now it seems that they have made their decision already. After I dispose of this chap here, I¡¯ll directly eradicate the Tang Family.¡±


    ¡°You really don¡¯t want to drink it?¡± Asked Daoist Xu Yang with a moved expression.


    ¡°I¡¯ll drink it after I finished with the killing!¡± The Amur Tiger sneered.


    ¡°It seems that my painstaking efforts were only for naught.¡± Daoist Xu Yang sighed. ¡°You don¡¯t drink this wine at all, then off you go!¡±


    Dongbei Hu sneered outwardly, yet he was careful and cautious inside. As soon as his figure disappeared, he appeared inside the haunted house a few seconds after.


    ¡°A thick smell of blood?¡±


    Just as Dongbei Hu set a foot inside he frowned, and the vigilant look on his face turned more intense.

 Chapter 566

    Chapter 566: The Frog at the Bottom of the Well


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Inside the dark haunted house, Tang Xiu still maintained his posture with one of his legs tilted, and the cigarette clamped between his fingers sent a circles of smoke curling upward. Meanwhile, Light, who was dressed in a white attire, was playing with his crescent moon blade and didn¡¯t even spare Dongbei Hu a glance.


    In the darkest corner, Dark was as though she had thoroughly merged with the darkness. Her presence so restrained that even Dongbei Hu, who had a very high-level cultivation, was unaware of her presence. Of course, this was also thanks to the obstruction of the black cloth in front of her as well.


    ¡°Are you Tang Xiu?¡± Dongbei Hu was quite alarmed inside after seeing the more than twenty corpses inside; two of them were even headless. He had a lofty and extraordinary status and was thus unwilling to amass more killings before. It could be said that he had never personally killed anyone for more than ten years.


    Hush¡­


    Tang Xiu raised his index finger to his mouth and produced a shushing sound. His eyes then shifted from Dongbei Hu to Yao Chengqing who came behind him along with dozens of Yao Family experts.


    Dongbei Hu creased his brows. But, after living for more than a century, he had grown great wisdom and patience. Hence, he kept silence and stood still with a calm expression, anticipating what kind of trick Tang Xiu would play.


    After Yao Chengqing entered the haunted house, he smelled a thick smell of blood. His complexion changed and he quickly sprinted to the front of Dongbei Hu. His eyes swept over the dead bodies around before finally landing on Yao Xinhua, who was like soft and limp mud slushed on the floor; there was no telling whether he was still alive or dead.


    ¡°SON!¡±


    Yao Chengqing roared and dashed toward Yao Xinhua. He squatted down and carefully helped him to sit on the floor and lean on his chest.


    At this time, Yao Xinhua¡¯s breath was weak and his face was pale like paper. His handsome face was wet with sweat and also stained with nearly dried up bloodstains. His gaze was blurred. After clearing seeing that the one hugging him was his father, Yao Xinhua squeezed out a bitter smile and hoarsely said, ¡°Dad, I¡¯m sorry. Please do one thing for me. I beg you.¡±


    Tears gushed out from Yao Chengqing¡¯s eyes as he repeatedly nodded and said, ¡°Tell me your wish, son. Dad promises you to do it no matter what.¡±


    With words struggling out of his throat, Yao Xinhua begged, ¡°Please kill me, Dad. Dying by your hands will be much better than dying by his hands. I¡¯m afraid¡­ I-I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m gonna die with everlasting regret.¡±


    Yao Chengqing shuddered deep inside, and the pain struck him like a tidal wave. Yao Xinhua¡¯s hands tightened on his son and he shook his head again and again, saying, ¡°You won¡¯t die, Son. Don¡¯t worry, no one can kill you as long as I¡¯m here.¡±


    After saying that, he prepared to get up and walk toward Tang Xiu.


    However, strength suddenly burst out from Yao Xinhua. It was all the strength he could muster after having rested for a while. He grabbed Yao Chengqing¡¯s foot and hurriedly called out, ¡°Dad, just leave quickly! You¡­ you can never be his match!¡±


    Looking at the scene before him, Tang Xiu clapped his hands and laughed, ¡°What a touching scene of deep affection between father and son! Anyhow, don¡¯t rush to go back now since you are already here. Of course, you won¡¯t be able to go back at all. It just so happens that I¡¯d like to do some good deeds, so I can send off the two of you¡ªfather and son¡ªon a journey to the netherworld. Isn¡¯t being able to take care of each other on the journey there great?¡±


    Yao Chengqing squatted back to hug Yao Xinhua and angrily glared at Tang Xiu and sternly shouted, ¡°I heard there was an outstanding freak among the soft Tangs, but I didn¡¯t expect you to be even more terrifying than I imagined¡­ But, even if you¡¯re so powerful, then what? You can kill all these ordinary people, but are you also able to defeat Master Tiger? What an idiot brat, today is exactly the right time for you to die!¡±


    ¡°Seeing that confident look on your face suddenly reminded of some words: extreme prosperity forebodes the beginning of decline.¡± Tang Xiu grinned as he flicked the cigarette ash and smilingly said, ¡°The Yao Family has been powerful for decades, and as a result infected the juniors of your family with arrogant and bullying dispositions. Unfortunately, you have too narrow a vision and outlook as one of the top big families in China. Since you¡¯re also a respected figure among the Yaos, then today I¡¯ll use your blood as a sacrifice to hold a memorial ceremony for all the passing people of my Tang Family.¡±


    The crescent moon blade in Light¡¯s hand instantly flew at Yao Chengqing in an extremely twisted trajectory. At this moment, Dongbei Hu hummed coldly and flicked his finger. A flame came off his fingertips and clashed with the crescent moon blade.


    Bang¡­


    Light¡¯s body shook and a thick killing intent appeared on his face, whereas Dongbei Hu¡¯s expression greatly changed. He was forced to retreat for half a step and exert his strength to the tip of his toes to stabilize his stance. Despite doing so, however, he felt that his wrist was slightly numbed and pained.


    ¡°Hold on!¡± Tang Xiu raised his hand to prevent Light from continue attacking. He let out a faint smile and looked at Dongbei Hu, saying, ¡°I presume you¡¯re Dongbei Hu¡ªthe legendary Amur Tiger from Northeast region, yes? You¡¯re so old yet you actually keep playing outside rather than nicely enjoying your later years in your hometown in the Northeast! To think that you want to court disaster. Even if you don¡¯t care about yourself, don¡¯t you at least care about your own descendants?¡±


    Dongbei Hu¡¯s eyes were full of vigilance, and stormy waves suddenly surged inside his heart. From the clash just now, he could sense something that sent a chill to his heart. The young man in white attire in front of him looked like he was still in his late 20s, yet his cultivation was so strong that even he felt a faint pressure.


    However, for such a formidable youth to stand respectfully beside Tang Xiu increased his vigilance toward Tang Xiu greatly. He could sense a very sinister aura coming from Tang Xiu; like a crouching python that seemed to be ready to strike and tear him at any time. He wanted to see through Tang Xiu¡¯s strength, yet when he tried to probe Tang Xiu, it was as though he was looking at the blossoming moon on the water surface like a blurred image.


    ¡°You seem very confident of yourself, young man!¡±


    Nevertheless, the Amur Tiger had his own dignity and he was slightly angered upon seeing Tang Xiu looking down on him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I may hate my enemies and will dispose of them with all the means I have. But I will never touch your offspring on a whim.¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said, ¡°Of course, the premise is that they don¡¯t come to provoke me, or else I don¡¯t mind uprooting the source of the trouble as well. As a matter of fact, I just wanted to figure something out.¡±


    ¡°What exactly do you want to know?¡± Asked Dongbei Hu, raising his brows.


    ¡°It¡¯s the reason why you came to Beijing.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°Dealing with my Tang Family shouldn¡¯t be only because of that life-saving favor, should it?¡±


    Dongbei Hu was taken aback and he immediately sized up Tang Xiu. In actuality, the purpose of his visit to Beijing was not purely because he wanted to return a favor just like Tang Xiu said. He also wanted to get a lot of cultivation resources through the Yao Family. As a cultivator, the higher his cultivation, the bigger the cultivation resources he needed to consume.


    It¡¯s just that he hadn¡¯t mentioned his purpose to the Head of the Yao Family yet, and still kept this idea in mind. He couldn¡¯t figure out as how Tang Xiu could correctly guess it.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I do need something, and the Yao Family should help me.¡±


    ¡°Sure enough, killing two birds with one stone is indeed a good idea.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°A pity that you will lift a stone only to have it smash your own feet. Not only will you not get any benefits, you will eventually lose the bait along with the fish and lose everything. Alright, I¡¯ll give you a chance; an opportunity for you to live.¡±


    Dongbei Hu couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter. Although Tang Xiu and Light did bring him some pressure, he was unconvinced that these two youngsters before him would be able to match him and he wouldn¡¯t be able to stand up to fight them and flee. Even though he spent his time in obscurity and barely dealt with others in the recent years, he used to be an old man who had gone through bloody rains and foul winds and was not afraid to face a fight.


    ¡°That¡¯s very interesting. Then, tell me, what chance are you going to give me?¡±


    ¡°I give you 24 hours to kill all the direct line members of the Yao Family. The number of corpses I want to see cannot be less than 100,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    The smile on Dongbei Hu¡¯s face gradually faded away, as a sneer appeared to replace it. He then mocked, ¡°Young man, do you really think you can kill me by relying on that trivial skills of yours?¡±


    ¡°It seems to me that you don¡¯t want me to give you a chance, is that so?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± sneered Dongbei Hu.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s kind of a pity. Your vision is so limited. You¡¯re like a frog at the bottom of the well, arrogant and conceited.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and sighed. ¡°No matter whether you¡¯ve been living in China for almost two centuries, it¡¯s time for you to undergo a tribulation, it seems. Light, I need the Golden Core inside his body to refine a medicine.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Light respectfully replied and his figure instantly appeared in front of Dongbei Hu. As the crescent moon blade danced in the air, it instantly created overlapping images of blades that shrouded Dongbei Hu. At the same time, a group of flames appeared out of thin air, and a bolt of lightning suddenly flashed. A lightning flame array formed almost in no time and pressed toward Dongbei Hu to suppress him.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Dongbei Hu had never seen such a method, creating fright and horror inside his heart. He realized that he may have encountered an unprecedented crisis today. Tang Xiu just said that he needed his Golden Core, thus making him realize that Tang Xiu could see through his cultivation. What shocked him the most was that Tang Xiu even said that he would use his Golden Core to refine a medicine.


    ¡°BREAK¡­¡±


    Dongbei Hu sent his steel fists out. Appearing along with the barrage of flashing images of his punches was a huge eruption of True Essence that heavily barraged the crescent moon blade. At the same time, a small sword made of peach wood emerged from his hand out of thin air and forced a drop of his blood out as it quickly fused into it. The blazing flame of the sword light was as though being able to tear up the space barrier and hit the top of the lightning flame array¡¯s core.


    Tang Xiu frowned and indifferently said, ¡°I don¡¯t want this haunted house to be destroyed.¡±


    Whoosh¡­


    The black-clothed Dark flashed and instantly appeared, surrounding Dongbei Hu. The black clothes she wore made her seamlessly fuse in the dark, and the flying sword in her hand was like an intelligent roaming spirit fish as it gracefully swept over to slice Dongbei Hu¡¯s neck. Despite an extremely fast attempt from Dongbei Hu to avoid it, still, a bloody wound was left on his right neck.


    How could there be someone else here?


    A huge shock struck Dongbei Hu¡¯s very soul. His earthshaking strike was unable to destroy the lightning flame array, whereas that legendary flying sword even nearly decapitated his head.

 Chapter 567

    Chapter 567: Raising the Blade and Brandishing It


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The inexplicable appearance of another young cultivator greatly astounded Dongbei Hu.


    The attacks from this youngster also brought about a formidable strength, shocking him to the point that it was difficult to add up again.


    Should I run away?


    This idea crossed Dongbei Hu¡¯s mind, but he immediately rejected it. He found that even though these two youngsters were not inferior to him, they were not much stronger than him either. The odds of winning may be extremely slim given that he had to face two adversaries, but it would also very difficult for them if they wanted to kill him.


    Tang Xiu, who was quietly sitting on a chair, produced a piece of jade out of thin air upon seeing that the three had began to act. He then accurately threw it under the chair and activated the array he had arranged in advance. Along with the wake of a layer of light curtain that moved on the wall, the shockwaves created by the three¡¯s fight was blocked by the array¡¯s light curtain.


    ¡°I showed you the path to the gate of heaven, yet you chose to throw yourself to the gate of the underworld. Dongbei Hu, even if you can barely manage to retain your feeble existence and resist for some time you still won¡¯t be able to protect them.¡±


    Tang Xiu flicked two silver needles, directly piercing Yao Chengqing¡¯s and Yao Xinhua¡¯s glabella lightning fast. With his extremely exquisite control of the two silver needles, they didn¡¯t directly kill them after it pierced their foreheads but stunned them, temporarily making them lose their consciousness instead.


    ¡°KILL HIM!!!¡±


    One of the martial arts grandmasters of the Yao Family shouted. Although the mortal combat between the two youngsters and Dongbei Hu greatly shocked them, he saw the hope of killing Tang Xiu, as he drew his blade and aggressively darted toward him.


    The rest of the dozens of experts of the Yao Family finally snapped back to their senses and followed that martial arts grandmaster. They never saw Tang Xiu display his strength, thus they thought he didn¡¯t have any abilities despite having two formidable subordinates. As long as they could kill him, it would bring some effect to his two men. Once the experts in the fight had their focus disturbed they would be able to take care of them.


    ¡°DIE!!!¡±


    An expert of the Yao Family, who was the first to sprint toward Tang Xiu, raised his blade to hack Tang Xiu, and his blade was as though about to cleave Tang Xiu¡¯s body into two.


    ¡°Courting death!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression turned cold. The sword image inscribed on his palm flushed away and pierced through the right side of the man¡¯s chest. The sword was as if a roaming fish that shuttled back and forth unceasingly and struck the hearts of the dozen experts of the Yao Family that had yet to approach Tang Xiu. Along with their screaming, they fell to the floor, convulsed and died.


    ¡°Another flying sword?¡±


    Dongbei Hu was still paying attention to Tang Xiu while fighting. What shocked him was that Tang Xiu also used a flying sword. He could hardly believe that such a divine weapon would exist in this world. It was even more difficult for him to accept that there were two of them today.


    Who exactly are these people?


    If the Tang Family really possessed such a formidable force, shouldn¡¯t the Yao Family have been exterminated long ago? But why did the Tang Family kept showing that they were unable to raise their heads and come out of the pressure from the Yao Family for so many years?


    When he was a bit distracted, a sword light suddenly pierced his arm. His face changed greatly as another sword light swept across to cleave him. At the same time, several silver needles flashed toward him like lightning bolts at the same time, and instantly appeared before Dongbei Hu, who was currently impeded by the sword light.


    Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!


    Right after Dongbei Hu escaped from the sword light, those four lightning bolts silently pierced his body without creating any sounds. Those four lightning bolts didn¡¯t directly penetrate his body, but messed up his internal organs instead.


    Puff¡­


    Blood crazily spurted out from Dongbei Hu¡¯s mouth, as intense dread gushed out from his heart. The two flying swords suddenly broke out above his head as layers of sword images overlapped and spiraled toward his head.


    ¡°SCRAM!!!¡±


    Out of desperation, Dongbei Hu punched the flashing sword images, but they were as though a meat grinder that crushed his fists to pieces. Along with a splattering mist of blood, a dark form appeared behind Dongbei Hu, as a sharp dagger pierced his waist the moment after. A hooked whip that was formed from True Essence took out his Golden Core in a flash and Dark neatly threw it to Tang Xiu, who was still sitting on the chair.


    ¡°Shake and seal!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes lit up as he constantly waved his hands. An array to isolate it was arranged in an instant and, at the same time, cut off the connection between the Golden Core and Dongbei Hu. He then quickly stored it inside his interspatial ring.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    This time Dongbei Hu was utterly desperate. Never once had he ever imagined that the two youngsters before him had so many fighting techniques. It was beyond his imagination that their collaboration was far beyond what he could fight against. From the beginning until now the fight lasted less than a minute, yet his Golden Core had already been snatched.


    His shattered internal organs could possibly recover with his Golden Core still in his body, but losing it meant that he had lost his most important thing.


    I have nothing else left to reverse the situation.


    Deep regret grew inside his heart. He finally realized that he really was a frog at the bottom of a well. He thought he was one of the strongest in the entire China, but he never expected to lose his life at the hands of these two youngsters.


    A moment ago Tang Xiu gave him a chance, but he missed it because of his arrogance. And prior to this, Tang Xiu also reminded him of this because he was too arrogant and conceited!


    At this moment, the desperation he felt inside and the taste of regret caused him to almost die directly. He was no longer able to keep his life, and couldn¡¯t help but regret as to why he didn¡¯t drink the send-off wine Daoist Xu Yang wanted to give him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not willing!!!¡±


    Along with a roar, Dongbei Hu¡¯s body was cleaved and split in half.


    With a content smile, Tang Xiu took back the silver needles on Yao Chengqing and Yao Xinhua¡¯s glabella. As the two men woke up, he lit up a cigarette and looked at the father and son, he smilingly said, ¡°I can also give you a chance. Tell the Head of your family to come here. You two¡ªfather and son can go on living if he comes here. But if he doesn¡¯t, then you will suffer from inhuman torments.¡±


    Yao Chengqing could clearly see the scene before him, making his heart turn cold. The dozens of experts of the Yao Family he brought with him were completely decimated, and what horrified him the most was that the Amur Tiger, who was famed for his strength, had been killed.


    Wasn¡¯t the Amur Tiger one of the strongest experts in the entire China? How could he be killed so easily? Did this wretched Tang Xiu employ a despicable method to do that? Thought Yao Chengqing in despair.


    He was not aware that his son, Yao Xinhua, was even more desperate than him at this moment after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words.


    Suddenly, Yao Xinhua grabbed a sharp dagger on his leg that was previously concealed by his trouser. At this moment, it was as if he had suddenly erupted with hidden potential, as a blade light flashed and then pierced Yao Chengqing¡¯s heart.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Yao Chengqing¡¯s pupil violently contracted. He stared wide-eyed with disbelief. He lowered his head with difficulty to look at the dagger stuck in his chest and then looked at the dagger¡¯s hilt in the hand of his son, Yao Xinhua.


    ¡°W-Why?¡± Yao Chengqing¡¯s voice was trembling.


    Yao Xinhua let out a mirthless smile. There was a pained expression on his face as two tears fell down from his eyes, as he then hoarsely replied, ¡°Father, I told you to kill me so that I wouldn¡¯t see such a scene again, and to not continue to bear that kind of pain as well. Tang Xiu¡¯s methods are too ruthless; that kind of pain is not something ordinary people are able to imagine. I can¡¯t withstand such a pain, neither do I have the means to stop it. Seeking my own death is impossible even if I want to in that kind of pain. I have experienced it, so I don¡¯t want you to taste the same pain; a taste that you¡¯re so hungry to stay alive yet you want to die but is unable to.¡±


    After saying that, he kneeled in front of Yao Chengqing. Then, he suddenly turned his head to Tang Xiu and put the dagger on his neck, shouting, ¡°Surnamed Tang, we lost! We suffered a crushing defeat to you. We can die, but your wish to make my grandfather come here to die as well will come to nothing!¡±


    ¡°Yao Xinhua, I didn¡¯t stop you since it was kind of interesting seeing you killing your own father,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°But do you think you can commit suicide if I wish you to remain alive?¡±


    Yao Xinhua¡¯s body quivered. He suddenly exerted his strength. At the moment when the dagger was about to pierce the skin of his neck, a black light suddenly flashed and directly cut his wrist, separating it from his arm.


    AAARRRGGGHHH¡­


    Yao Xinhua let out a blood-curdling scream, as the wrenching pain turned his eyes bloodshot.


    Tang Xiu stood up from the chair and went toward Yao Xinhua. His eyes didn¡¯t look at him but instead fixated at Yao Chengqing who had not yet died. He smiled and lightly said, ¡°If you don¡¯t want your son to be tortured to the point where he¡¯s starving to stay alive yet wanting to die but unable to have both, then call the Head of your family here. You only have half a minute.¡±


    Yao Chengqing looked at his son in despair. He finally understood why his son did such a thing. Since they would certainly meet their deaths today, his son just wanted him to have a content death without going through torture before he died.


    What ruthlessness!


    With a pained feeling, Yao Chengqing closed his eyes and bit off his own tongue.


    ¡°Oh¡­, sigh.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and turned to Yao Xinhua, but found he also had bitten his tongue off. He immediately creased his brows as he shook his head and sighed, ¡°This should have been needless! All along, it was your Yao Family that has always wanted to exterminate us. I originally wanted your family to exist for a few more years, too. But, I never thought that you would bring about your own destruction. Since you all want to die that badly, I¡¯ll also show a bit of kindness and make you less tormented!¡±


    A blade rose and then fell as the father and son¡ªYao Chengqing and Yao Xinhua were instantly killed by Tang Xiu.


    While standing in the hall and looking at the dead bodies on the floor around, Tang Xiu commanded with a still expression, ¡°Burn this haunted house down and let the fire burn all the bodies to ashes.¡±


    Suddenly, a hazy figure appeared out of nowhere. It was Daoist Xu Yang, whose face was a bit saddened as he looked at Dongbei Hu¡¯s body that had been split in half. He drank the wine in the jar and then sprayed it on Dongbei Hu¡¯s body as he murmured, ¡°Had you not caused trouble and provoked others, how would others kill you for it? The heavens may forgive your sins, but you will have to pay for your evil deeds with your life! Old friend, may you go in peace in your journey.¡±


    Tang Xiu glanced at Daoist Xu Yang before he turned away.

 Chapter 568

    Chapter 568: Decision


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    At the Tang Family¡¯s ancestral residence.


    A somber-looking Tang Guosheng stood in the courtyard. At this time, nearly all the core members of the Tang Family had arrived. There were also hundreds of experts trained by the Tang Family tightly blockading a radius of a few hundred meters from the residence.


    ¡°There is no news yet?¡± Finally, Tang Guosheng couldn¡¯t bear to ask.


    Tang Min, who stood at the side with unsightly face, shook her head without speaking.


    Suddenly, a few figures rushed into the courtyard. Tang Wei and Tang Tang shouted as they came inside, ¡°Grandpa, we¡¯re back!¡±


    Tang Guosheng¡¯s complexion changed as pleasant surprise burst in his eyes. He welcomed the two of them and loudly said, ¡°Great! Great! It¡¯s great that you came back safely. Where¡¯s Xiu¡¯er? Didn¡¯t he save you? Why isn¡¯t he with you?¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, Xiu instructed us to come back ahead of him and said that he must stay to deal with the people from the Yao Family,¡± said Tang Wei. ¡°Also, he had his men kill a lot of Yao Family¡¯s men before we left. Ah, right. Yao Xinlei and Yao Xintao were killed by Xiu¡¯s men, and that Yao Xinhua was also castrated and became the last living eunuch by him.¡±


    Tang Guosheng¡¯s complexion changed yet again. He didn¡¯t feel happy because the three juniors of the Yao Family were killed, and instead felt horrified inside. Then he asked in a heavy voice, ¡°Little Wei, are you sure that Xiu¡¯er can stand and fight against those men from the Yao Family? That Amur Tiger¡­¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, Xiu is someone with discretion. He won¡¯t stay there and wait to die if he doesn¡¯t have full assurance of doing so.¡± Tang Wei unexpectedly interrupted Tang Guosheng. ¡°Rest assured, Grandpa! Maybe he¡¯ll come back soon.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense! Though he knows a bit of Kung fu, who do you think the Amur Tiger is?¡± Tang Guosheng angrily yelled. ¡°He¡¯s a cultivator who has survived for more than a century, a monster that even the leaders of the state dread! Yunpeng, stay here and organize the members of the Tang Family to immediately withdraw from the capital. I¡¯ll bring some people to personally find Xiu¡¯er. I cannot let him suffer any harm even if I must die!¡±


    Tang Yunde walked forward and sternly spoke, ¡°Father, you stay here! Xiu¡¯er is my son, and I, as his father, must go there personally. I¡¯ll take the men over there.¡±


    ¡°You are his father, then who do you think I am?¡± Tang Guosheng angrily shouted. ¡°I¡¯m his grandfather! Do as I command and hurry up! Yunqing, you are to rush back and mobilize those twenty-seven armed forces at once, and wait for my order! Once¡­ once the Yao Family begins the onslaught to exterminate us, we¡¯ll fight them to the death and perish together with them!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Tang Yunqing replied, called out his son, Tang Ning, and quickly ran toward the outside.


    Tang Guosheng looked at Tang Min and spoke in a heavy voice, ¡°You go back to the armed forces and wait for my next order!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Tang Min replied and quickly left.


    Just as Tang Yunqing, his son, and Tang Min were about to leave the courtyard, two figures flashed and blocked their way.


    ¡°What are you guys trying to do?¡± Tang Yunqing recognized the identity of the two men in front of them. They came from Jingmen Island and were Tang Xiu¡¯s men.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, what you know about our Boss is very minute, so you probably don¡¯t believe in his abilities,¡± respectfully said an expert of the Everlasting Feast Hall. ¡°Also, you are unaware of the true foundation of the Everlasting Feast Hall. Please cast aside your worry for now and wait here, or you can call the Boss directly and inquire him about the situation over there.¡±


    Tang Yunqing turned his head and looked at Tang Guosheng.


    The latter was silent for a moment before immediately grabbing his mobile phone and dialing Tang Xiu¡¯s number. The call was connected after a short while.


    ¡°Where are you now, Xiu¡¯er? How is the situation at your side?¡± Asked Tang Guosheng in a hurry.


    ¡°Ah, I was just about to call you, Grandpa,¡± said Tang Xiu with a light chuckle. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that you moved a step ahead of me. Anyways, everything here has all been solved already, so I¡¯m on my way back now.¡±


    ¡°Huh, solved? What exactly has been solved?¡± Asked Tang Guosheng quickly.


    ¡°What else? We have killed them all,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle.


    Tang Guosheng was startled, ¡°But what about the Amur Tiger? Didn¡¯t he go there?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he came. He was slain by my men,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Also, I killed Yao Chengqing. He¡¯s the son of the Yao Family¡¯s Head. It can be considered as venting the anger of our family for the time being.¡±


    ¡°What did you say? You killed Yao Chengqing?¡± Tang Guosheng was flabbergasted. ¡°Also¡­ you said that your men have killed the Amur Tiger? How could that be possible?¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, is it really that difficult to kill Dongbei Hu?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a light chuckle. ¡°I already told you that my ability is not something you can imagine. Let alone one Amur Tiger, even if there were ten of him, they wouldn¡¯t be able to keep their lives for long.¡±


    Tang Guosheng was still hardly able to accept the fact that the Amur Tiger had been killed. After falling into silence for a short while, he then immediately said, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, since the matter over there has been solved already, then come back here at once. I¡¯ll be waiting for you at home!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Tang Xiu answered and then hang up.


    Outside the haunted house.


    While looking at the burning haunted house, Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes flashed with a cold light within. Light silently stood behind him, but there was not the slightest trace of Dark.


    ¡°Daoist Xu Yang, it will be inconvenient for you to continue following me since Dongbei Hu has died already. So, you can go anywhere you choose from here! I hope you can keep the matter of my Everlasting Feast Hall confidential as well.¡±


    Daoist Xu Yang was silent for a moment before slowly nodding, ¡°I understand, Daoist Tang. I won¡¯t disclose anything that happened here! However, there¡¯s something I need to discuss with you.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°Speak!¡±


    ¡°If I have some free time later, can I consult with you at the Everlasting Feast Hall? I realized that I¡¯m nothing but a frog at the bottom of the well, even mistakenly believing that your strength was not as good as mine. But now I fully realize that if you were to really fight me, then I¡¯m afraid you can easily kill me.¡±


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment before nodding, ¡°All right. You helped me dealing with my issue in the Resting Cemetery Island, after all, so I can give you my word on your request. But, contact me first before you go to the Everlasting Feast Hall, since I rarely stay there in normal times.¡±


    ¡°I already got your contact, so I¡¯ll be sure to call you in advance later,¡± said Daoist Xu Yang quickly.


    ¡°Alright, then you go first!¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    Along with Daoist Xu Yang¡¯s departure, Tang Xiu, Light and Dark quickly left and went to the Tang Family¡¯s ancestral residence.


    At this time, all the members of the Tang Family were waiting in silence in the residence. The atmosphere in the entire courtyard was especially heavy and somber. Just as Tang Xiu arrived, all the eyes of the core members of the family fell on him, as the anxious Su Lingyun hurriedly rushed toward Tang Xiu and quickly asked, ¡°Are you alright, Xiu¡¯er?¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a smile and shook his head as he gently hugged his mother and smilingly said, ¡°Mom, do I look like someone who just got something bad? Rest assured! It¡¯s just a minor problem and I have solved it already.¡±


    ¡°How is this a minor problem? This¡­¡± rebuked Su Lingyun.


    ¡°I¡¯m no longer a child, Mom. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± Tang Xiu interrupted her and smilingly said. ¡°You don¡¯t want to see our Tang Family be forced to leave China by the Yao Family, right?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to see it happen.¡± Su Lingyun shook her head.


    ¡°So, with an enormous ability, it¡¯s a given that I have to deal with a big matter as well.¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said. ¡°Please rest your worries, Mom! I¡¯ll definitely pay attention to my own safety.¡±


    Su Lingyun nodded.


    After releasing Su Lingyun, Tang Xiu then came before Tang Guosheng and smilingly said, ¡°Grandpa, the Amur Tiger died and his dead body has been burnt as well. Also, Yao Chengqing, Yao Xinhua, Yao Xinlei, and Yao Xintao¡ªthe four members of the Yao Family have also been slain by my men. We also killed dozens of experts of the Yao Family who were at martial arts grandmaster level in the process.¡±


    Tang Guosheng couldn¡¯t help but tremble inside upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s report. The biggest enemy of the Tang Family was the Yao Family and Dongbei Hu. With the Amur Tiger dead and the Yao Family suffering such a huge blow, this was definitely great news for the Tang Family. Only, he was still puzzled as to how Tang Xiu was able to kill the Amur Tiger.


    While keeping his smile, Tang Xiu pointed to Light and lightly said, ¡°Grandpa, his name is Light and he¡¯s my grand disciple. There¡¯s also another one, Dark, but it¡¯s inconvenient for her to appear here. They both have strength matching the Amur Tiger.¡±


    Tang Guosheng was taken aback. He carefully sized up Light before contently nodding, ¡°What a good boy! I didn¡¯t expect you to be so young, yet you¡¯re as strong as that Dongbei Hu who has lived for more than a century.¡±


    ¡°You overpraise me,¡± replied Light with a faint smile.


    Tang Guosheng¡¯s eyes went back to Tang Xiu as he spoke, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, since the Amur Tiger is dead, then we¡­¡±


    A cold look appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he said in a cold voice, ¡°Since the Yao Family really wants to lose all decorum with us, we definitely must not endure any longer. The earlier we remove this latent danger, the smoother our family¡¯s development will be. Grandpa, could you hand over the authority of our family¡¯s forces to me temporarily? I assure you that the Yao Family will be removed from the capital within three days.¡±


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, can we discuss this issue over again?¡± Tang Guosheng quickly said. ¡°The Yao Family has a deep and solid foundation. Even if our family get rid of them, I¡¯m afraid that we¡¯ll also suffer quite a loss as well.¡±


    ¡°There will be sixty experts arriving in Beijing tonight at the latest. They are all cultivators, and the weakest among them is stronger than a martial arts grandmaster. With them cooperating with us, is it possible for the Yao Family to resist such a terrifying force even though they have a solid foundation?¡±


    Tang Guosheng was flabbergasted and couldn¡¯t believe his own ears.


    Sixty experts, with each of them more powerful than a martial arts grandmaster?


    At the side, each and every member of the Tang Family looked at Tang Xiu with shocked expressions. Never once had they ever dreamed that Tang Xiu actually possessed such a terrifying force.


    Tang Yunde strode toward Tang Xiu and asked with a serious expression, ¡°Son, you are not lying, right? These many experts are really coming?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Tang Xiu nodded heavily.


    Tang Yunde then turned his head to Tang Guosheng and said in a deep voice, ¡°Father, I believe him! We all have seen him in action before, and I believe you¡¯ve witnessed it as well! Give him the authority! We, the Tang Family, cannot tolerate this any longer!¡±


    Tang Guosheng seemed to have made up his mind as well, as he replied in a deep voice, ¡°If so, then let¡¯s get started! I¡¯ll make a few calls as well!¡±

 Chapter 569

    Chapter 569: Ruthless


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    In a stark contrast to the joyous Tang Family, the Yao Family was clouded by a gloomy atmosphere. After Yao Qingzun sent his son, Yao Chengqing, he thought that the Tang Family would end up miserable since the strong expert Amur Tiger followed him there. However, a piece of intelligence was sent to him as he waited for the news:


    ¡°A fire broke out at Jiabaole Playground in Qiaotou District¡­¡±


    Originally, given his capacity, a fire breaking out in a certain area of the capital wouldn¡¯t have attracted his attention at all. But today was different, because Jiabaole Playground was the site where the Yao and Tang Families were at. Yao Qingzun immediately called his son¡ªYao Chengqing, but restlessness unceasingly inundated his heart upon finding that his son¡¯s mobile phone was turned off, and the cell phones of those who followed him were also shut down.


    He would not care if it was only one person¡¯s mobile phone that was turned off, but for tens of people¡¯s mobile phones to be all turned off meant that it was a huge problem.


    Hence, he immediately ordered the members of the Yao Family to focus their attention on investigating that place. The result was that his son¡ªYao Chengqing and Dongbei Hu took dozens of experts of the Yao Family and entered the haunted house in the Jiabaole Playground, yet they didn¡¯t come out of the haunted house when it caught on fire.


    All of them died!


    This was the conclusion from the people sent by the Yao Family, yet such a result made all the senior members of the Yao Family flabbergasted and drowning in fear.


    ¡°What should we do now, Father?¡±


    Yao Chengdong, who had just returned from out of town, heard the bad news. He looked at his father, who seemed to have turned older. Despite himself being a senior member of the family he still felt a chill down his spine.


    Although Yao Qingzun had experienced countless storms and hardships in life, such a huge loss and the death of his son and grandson were very hard for him to bear. He looked at his second son whose face was restless and tense, yet he didn¡¯t speak for a long period of time.


    What should they do? What else can they do right now?


    Dongbei Hu was practically a celestial-like powerhouse, and even if he died in the hands of the Tang Family, that meant the Tang Family must have a very terrifying figure; someone the Yao Family would never be able to oppose to. Furthermore, he hadn¡¯t yet been able to figure out what the true capital the Tang Family really possessed. In the case that the Tang Family had been strengthening and developing themselves all these years in secret, and they had now developed to the point where they could drive away the Yao Family, then¡­ the future of his family was simply¡­ worrying!!!


    After a long period of time, Yao Qingzun sighed and bitterly said, ¡°Firstly, investigating what is happening in the Jiabaole Playground is a must. Whoever does it must thoroughly be found out!¡±


    ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll handle it!¡± Yao Chengdong had no other good idea, so he could only nod.


    ****


    At the Tang Family¡¯s ancestral residence.


    After Tang Guosheng had made several phone calls, his face looked somewhat unsightly when he returned to the courtyard. He directly sat on a chair and fell into deep thought with his brows tightly knitted for a long time. The dozens core members of the Tang Family exchanged looks in dismay for they didn¡¯t know what kind of difficult problem the old Head of the family had encountered.


    ¡°Did you meet some difficulties, Grandpa?¡± In the end, Tang Xiu broke the silence and inquired.


    Tang Guosheng raised his head and looked at Tang Xiu, whose expression was tranquil, and then bitterly said, ¡°There is indeed a problem. Everyone normally turns a blind eye whenever top families in the capital are in dispute; even those neutral forces would only slightly poke their noses to meddle in the disputes. I was in communication with those people above, and they don¡¯t want our Tang Family to make big moves that will cause great turmoil in the country. I can even sense a threat in their words. If our family is going to unleash hell on the Yao Family, we will probably encounter a lot of resistance.¡±


    Tang Xiu slightly frowned and then said after a long silence, ¡°Grandpa, should I visit those people myself?¡±


    ¡°What exactly do you mean by that?¡± Asked Tang Guosheng with a moved expression.


    ¡°I recalled an old adage that those who submit will prosper and those who resist shall perish,¡± said Tang Xiu calmly. ¡°If they don¡¯t want to accept the benefits offered by our family, let them know that we will use force to resolve it.¡±


    Tang Guosheng waved his hand and said, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, we can¡¯t do so unless we are forced to do so as a last resort. The number one leader has done a lot of colossal achievements since he assumed his office. Furthermore, he also puts the country as the first priority. The struggles between families are nothing but only trivial matters to him, so we must not make things difficult for him. Furthermore, with the influence and status possessed by the Yao Family, full action will inevitably create a great turmoil in the country. This is also the very reason why the Yao Family has been reluctant to fully lose all decorum with our family for so many years, the cause that both of us only had some constant small frictions behind our backs.¡±


    As he spoke up to there, he sighed, ¡°Also, Yao Qingzun has been my opponent for a lifetime. Both of us know each other inside out. It¡¯s just that, the older he gets, the more muddleheaded he becomes. As a matter of fact, even if you didn¡¯t take your men into action today, the Yao Family had no way to completely eradicate our family. The most he can do is only give us a severe blow because¡­ ¡®he¡¯ will never allow it to happen.¡±


    Tang Xiu stared blankly and asked with a puzzled expression, ¡°But, the Amur Tiger intervened and acted, does ¡®he¡¯ really have a way to contain him?¡±


    There were hints of meaningful information in Tang Guosheng¡¯s reply, ¡°Over the passage of time, the vast China country never lacked any kind of strange people with extraordinary talents; it¡¯s not rare when a generation of formidable groups of people springs up here. Only, those people who are either won over by the country or just hide won¡¯t show up their faces in public. When I first took office to manage the national secret database, I secretly inspected several special top-secret information that even Yao Qingzun is unaware of. I dare say that only three or four people are aware of this top-secret information, and those three or four people are all figures who have also served as the number one figure of the country.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion changed and he instantly understood the meaning in Tang Guosheng¡¯s explanation.


    After a short period of time, Tang Xiu then said, ¡°Such being the case, then things will be a bit more uncomplicated, I think! Grandpa, announce to the outside that your health has deteriorated and that you will retire and stay at home starting today. As for what the Tang Family should do next, I¡¯ll handle the problem with the Yao Family.¡±


    ¡°How will you solve it, exactly?¡± Asked Tang Guosheng quickly.


    ¡°If I remember correctly, Yao Qingzun has turned 83 this year, yes?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a chuckle. ¡°Since he has lived to such an old age, it can be said that his life has been worth the time.¡±


    What?


    Tang Guosheng¡¯s expression changed, and a disbelieving expression cast on his face. Even the other members of the Tang Family in the surrounding were all dumbfounded as they stared at Tang Xiu.


    Killing Yao Qingzun?


    The smile on Tang Xiu¡¯s face disappeared and was replaced by a ruthlessness as he said in a heavy voice, ¡°Yao Qingzun is the pillar of the Yao Family. If he is gone then this pillar will be lost as well. Yao Chengqing and Yao Chengdong are the successors from the next generation since the both of them are the ones who are really in charge of the power of the family. With Yao Chengqing having met his demise, then there¡¯s only Yao Chengdong left. With that said, it¡¯s difficult to make a boat from a single piece of wood, thus the Yao Family is not far from decline.¡±


    Tang Guosheng was silent before slowly nodding, ¡°You can do it, but you must carry it out with neither the gods nor ghosts aware of it. Are you sure you have the confidence to do it?¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Tang Xiu nodded without a shred of hesitation.


    In the dim moonlight of the night, two ghostly figures silently appeared in the Yao Family¡¯s ancestral residence. Hardly with any effort, Tang Xiu and Dark had appeared outside the house where Yao Qingzun lived.


    Pu! Pu!


    A sharp dagger tore the throats of two experts of the Yao Family hidden outside the house, as Dark then put their bodies in a dark corner.


    Cough! Cough!


    Inside the house, the sounds of the coughing indicated that Yao Qingzun had not gone to sleep yet.


    ¡°Enter!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded slightly and opened the door. In no time, Tang Xiu and Dark had appeared before Yao Qingzun¡¯s bedside.


    ¡°If you are not asleep yet, get up and let¡¯s have a talk!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s voice was very calm. The moment Yao Qingzun opened his eyes, he had already walked to the rattan chair across the bed and lit up a cigarette for himself.


    Yao Qingzun abruptly jumped up and sat as a horrified expression filled his eyes. He turned on the light on the bedside and sternly shouted after seeing Tang Xiu and Dark, ¡°WHO ARE YOU, PEOPLE?¡±


    Tang Xiu pointed his own cheek and lightly smiled, ¡°You should have seen this face of mine, no? The person you hate the most should be me, am I right?¡±


    Yao Qingzun¡¯s pupils flickered and then coldly said after seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s face, ¡°Are you Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s me!¡± A smile outlined on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth as he smoked his cigarette.


    Yao Qingzun was silent for more than ten seconds before he slowly closed his eyes with a despairing expression within. After a while, he opened his eyes and bitterly said, ¡°Can you tell me something? Who was it that killed my son and my grandson, and¡­ also the Amur Tiger?¡±


    ¡°Who do you think?¡± Replied Tang Xiu with a chuckle. ¡°Who else could it be in the Tang Family who has that ability except me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. There¡¯s no one among the Tang Family who has this kind of ability.¡± Yao Qingzun nodded. ¡°Tell me! Do you want to claim my life for coming here this late?¡±


    ¡°Old but not dying, you should really die as soon as possible rather than staying alive.¡± Tang Xiu sighed. ¡°You¡¯ve lived for more than 80 years, and though sometimes you¡¯re very muddleheaded, yet you can be very smart other times as well. That¡¯s right, today next year will be the anniversary of your death. This is indeed the purpose of me coming here.¡±


    ¡°Then kill me if you want to!¡± Yao Qingzun let out a mirthless smile as he straightened up his chest and replied.


    ¡°Do you have any last wishes?¡± Asked Tang Xiu. ¡°You can tell me and I¡¯ll help you achieve them. Of course, my grandfather also said that, although you¡¯re his lifetime adversary, he does not wish for you to die without dignity. Hence, I won¡¯t make you suffer before dying.¡±


    Yao Qingzun was silent for a moment before replying, ¡°I can die, but can you spare the rest of my family?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I don¡¯t have a problem with that. But I also have a condition,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What condition?¡± Asked Yao Qingzun.


    ¡°Order Yao Chengdong to resign from his position,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Are you trying to push my family to the end of our only line with nowhere to go?¡± Shouted Yao Qingzun angrily.


    ¡°Hmph, can this be counted as pushing your family to a situation where you have nowhere else to go?¡± Tang Xiu coldly snorted. ¡°You yourself have employed everything including inviting the Amur Tiger in an attempt to drive away the Tang Family from China! Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s not that extreme already, huh?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Yao Qingzun¡¯s breath paused. What Tang Xiu said was true. For the Tang Family, who possessed great assets and enterprises in China, driving them away from the country was akin to making them struggle and fend for themselves and perish abroad, and it was highly likely that their fate would not be good as well.


    ¡°I¡¯ll call him!¡±

 Chapter 570

    Chapter 570: Getting One¡¯s Just Desserts


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Yao Chengdong was nearly 50 years old this year and his children had graduated from college. In his capacity as a state official, he usually lived in the capital and owned his own residence in an upscale villa complex.


    If it was before, he should have fallen asleep early and met Duke of Zhou¡ªthe God of Dream¡ªto have tea and weave dreams of golden millet, dreaming of wealth and glory. But today, he was struck with insomnia. He once eyed the position of Family Head and contested with his big brother¡ªYao Chengqing in secret, hence they regarded each other as a thorn in each others¡¯ eyes; even the idea of disposing of the other did cross their minds, albeit only briefly.


    However, he could hardly accept the fact that his big brother was killed today. That made the competition to take over the Family Head position no more, and the road for him to becoming the family¡¯s patriarch would definitely be very easy. However¡­ he could see another serious problem arising from it. Even if he did become the patriarch of the family, but if the Yao Family itself went into decline, then what good would come of it?


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    The ringtone of his mobile phone interrupted and startled him from his reverie. When he took his mobile phone and saw the caller ID on the screen, his complexion changed and hurriedly connected it, saying, ¡°Are you looking for me, Father?¡±


    ¡°Chengdong, you must promise me one thing.¡± Yao Qingzun¡¯s voice came out of the phone.


    ¡°What are you talking about, Father?¡± Asked Yao Chengdong, confused.


    ¡°Resign from your current job and return to the capital to take charge of the family affairs,¡± said Yao Qingzun.


    Yao Chengdong was stupefied and his complexion drastically changed. After jumping up from his chair, he quickly called out, ¡°What did you say, Father? My current position is very important, how could I possibly resign from it? Then our Yao Family¡­¡±


    ¡°Our family is now in a precarious state, and the family will have a hard time coming out of this crisis if you don¡¯t come back.¡± Yao Qingzun interrupted him and said in a heavy tone. ¡°Don¡¯t ask any questions. I have no other options and am forced by something that I can¡¯t tell you.¡±


    ¡°What is the problem, Father? Please tell me, I¡­¡± Said Yao Chengdong hurriedly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask anything anymore, and do remember my words.¡± Yao Qingzun interrupted him yet again and continued speaking in a heavy tone. ¡°You must resign from your position as fast as possible and return to our ancestral residence in Beijing to take charge of the family. Furthermore, don¡¯t battle the Tang Family ever again. Try to ease the relationship between our two families as far as possible.¡±


    After saying that, Yao Qingzun directly hung up.


    While looking at Yao Qingzun with a firm expression, Tang Xiu nodded and sighed in praise, ¡°You really are worthy of being the patriarch of the Yao Family. You did things in a straightforward and resolute manner. All right, I¡¯ll give you half an hour, and it would be best if you dispose of yourself.¡±


    Yao Qingzun was silent for a moment, and his entire being seemed to turn older as he slowly walked to the bedroom cabinet and opened the drawer, taking out a medicine bottle from inside. He then filled a glass of water and poured all the sleeping pills from the inside as he turned to look at Tang Xiu deeply before taking all the sleeping pills in his hands.


    ¡°Losers are always in the wrong. My Yao Family has lost; I have nothing to complain about. I hope you can give a bit of face to my family so that our future generations can go on living. If¡­ if your Tang Family still hasn¡¯t vented your anger enough, you can banish the offspring of my Yao Family out of Beijing; you can even drive them out of China.¡±


    Tang Xiu felt somewhat complicated inside, yet he steeled his heart and nodded. The Yao and Tang Families were old enemies, and the Tang Family had suffered quite a few losses under the persecution of the Yao Family for these many years. Although none of the direct line descendants of the Tang Family died in their hands, a lot of people from dependent families under the Tang Family as well as a large number of talents fostered by the Tang Family had died in the hands of the Yao Family.


    Back to the events in the past, what had happened to his father perhaps also had the shadow of the Yao Family behind it.


    Tang Xiu watched Yao Qingzun go to his bed, lie down and pull the quilt over his body. He then took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. After lighting one, he took a deep puff and then waved his hand.


    Whoosh!


    Dark¡¯s figure instantly disappeared.


    After taking another deep puff, Tang Xiu slowly stood up as he watched Yao Qingzun, who was about to lose his consciousness, and murmured to himself, ¡°You just said yourself an eternal truth: losers will always be in the wrong. Since you started it, you should be aware of the fate of the one in the losing side. Anyhow, your son and grandson are already waiting for you in the underworld, so you won¡¯t be lonely over there.¡±


    This night, apart from the small episode of Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival, everything in the ancestral residence of the Yao Family appeared to be very tranquil. Even Yao Chengdong, who had arrived at his ancestral home late, only stood outside the door of his father¡¯s house and didn¡¯t dare to step inside.


    In the early morning hours¡­


    After having waited outside the door for the most part of the night, Yao Chengdong looked at the door with his brows furrowed. According to his father¡¯s habit, he should be up already at this time. But how come there were no sounds at all this time?


    Aaaah¡­


    A loud scream came from the small courtyard next door.


    Yao Chengdong¡¯s expression slightly changed, as he then rushed to the next door¡¯s small courtyard. He looked at the frightened housemaid sitting on the ground. He then followed the direction she was looking.


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    Two dead bodies were lying in the corner with nearly dried up blood stains on their bodies, covered by several pieces of newspaper but not entirely covering their bodies. Yao Chengdong ran toward the two corpses and squatted to check them. He suddenly raised his head and seemed to recall something as he dashed to the courtyard next door and kicked open the door of his father¡¯s house. Arriving at the bedroom, his tight heart eased down after seeing his father lying flat on the bed.


    ¡°Father, it¡¯s time to get up,¡± called Yao Chengdong.


    There were no movement or sound from him. Yao Qingzun still lied on the bed, and his entire body was motionless.


    Yao Chengdong stilled. He knew that his father had a very light sleep, and would awaken when there was the slight movement. However, how come he didn¡¯t move at all after he kicked the door and called out to him? After a moment¡¯s hesitation and as he was about to call him again, his eyes swept over to the cabinet.


    Medicine bottle?


    He walked over and grabbed the medicine bottle. After watching the dosage instructions on it, his pupils instantly contracted as he dashed to the bedside in panic and shouted, ¡°FATHER, WAKE UP!!!¡±


    Even shouting brought no response!


    Yao Chengdong¡¯s heart was stuck in his throat. He hurriedly placed his hand under his father¡¯s nostrils. What frightened him was that his father was not breathing, as he quickly took his father¡¯s wrist and pressed his ear to his father¡¯s chest.


    ¡°How could this happen?¡±


    Yao Chengdong¡¯s face was devoid of color and he staggered back with his whole body feeling cold. Two tears fell down his face, but these tears were unable to cover the pain he was feeling.


    ****


    Beijing, the Tang Family¡¯s ancestral residence.


    Tang Xiu sat across three people: Tang Guosheng, Tang Guoxing, and Tang Guoshou. On both sides were separately six people: Tang Yunpeng, Tang Yunde, Tang Yunqing, Tang Dong, Tang Min, and Tang Yan.


    ¡°Did he really die?¡± Tang Guosheng asked. There was a complicated look in his eyes, and his voice was particularly low and deep.


    ¡°Yes, he commited suicide,¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod.


    Tang Guosheng closed his eyes, and then only opened them again after a long period of time. Then, he stood up and walked to the winecase, took out a bottle of wine and then sat in a far spot. He then poured the bottle of wine to the spot in front of him and murmured, ¡°Old geezer, we¡¯ve fought for a lifetime. And now that you have walked before me, I still want to send you off properly as your opponent. I hope that we won¡¯t be adversaries again in our next life.¡±


    After saying that, Tang Guosheng smashed the bottle and suddenly looked up Tang Xiu and spoke in a deep voice, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, let this matter end here. The patriarch of the Yao Family has died and their family has been struck with heavy losses. Even if they want to stake everything to battle our family, perhaps they have already lost the courage.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something I must say in advance, too,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Asked Tang Guosheng.


    ¡°Yao Chengdong will soon resign from his current position and return to the capital to take over the position of Family Head,¡± explained Tang Xiu.


    Tang Guosheng¡¯s eyes lit up and quickly asked, ¡°Is that also your doing?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Yao Qingzun called him before he died.¡±


    Rubbing his hands, an excited look could be seen on Tang Guosheng¡¯s face as he said, ¡°As of now, Yao Chengdong is the only one who holds weight in the entire Yao Family. As long as he retires from his current position, the Yao Family can be considered a force that no longer needs to be feared anymore.¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile before clapping his hands. The door was then opened from the outside as Light came in with a slightly smiling expression. She handed Tang Xiu a stack of documents before leaving the room.


    ¡°What are these?¡± Tang Guosheng¡¯s brows raised and asked curiously.


    The rest of the Tang Family¡¯s members in the room also looked curious. They didn¡¯t know what kind of information was contained in the documents in Tang Xiu¡¯s hand, neither were they able to figure out what was inside Tang Xiu¡¯s mind. Nevertheless, they had a vague feeling that this information was probably very important to the Tang Family by looking at Tang Xiu¡¯s faint smiling expression.


    Tang Xiu handed over the documents to Tang Guosheng and said, ¡°We and the Yaos may have no deep hatred before, but now the two families can be said to have deep-seated hatred caused by bloodshed. Even if our family wants to spare and let the Yao Family go, I¡¯m afraid that the Yao Family will aim at our family in the future once they have recovered. Hence, I think we must do something in order to avoid future troubles!¡±


    Tang Guosheng didn¡¯t ask anything more but directly read the documents together with Tang Guoxing and Tang Guoshou. The more they read, the more their expression turned bizarre as the three men wore alarmed and frightened expressions at the end.


    ¡°If a natural disaster happens to someone, then that person can be forgiven, but if it is of their own making, then that person deserves the punishment. I¡¯m afraid that the Yao Family will be finished if we disclose everything on these documents; everyone will leap at the chance to finish them off. With the death of Yao Qingzun, their great losses, and Yao Chengdong resigning from his position, coupled with the information about the families on these documents, if those many forces are¡­ not moving to partake in swallowing the entire Yao Family, then they will forcibly wipe them out!¡± After a long time staying in silence, Tang Guosheng finally couldn¡¯t bear heaving a deep sigh.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Tang Guosheng nodded. ¡°After all, there are only a handful of people who are so kind to help a lame dog over a stile, whereas the number of people who add fuel to the flames is too many to count. The seeds of evil planted by the Yao Family will eventually return to them.¡±


    ¡°Anyhow, I promised Yao Qingzun that we would not take revenge on the Yao Family¡¯s descendants later.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°Even if we don¡¯t wipe them out, however, others who have no relationship to the Tang Family will do the deed. For us, there¡¯s a good story that the sandpiper and clam have a fight and the fisherman as the third party benefits from the tussle and catches both. Hence, let our family sit and wait, and divide up the riches of the Yao Family!¡±

 Chapter 571

    Chapter 571: Unexpected Encounter at the Airport


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The time zipped by, and a few days passed.


    The news of the death of the Yao Family¡¯s patriarch¡ªYao Qingzun was eventually made known to the whole city. However, the Yao Family did not announce to the outside that he was killed or that he suicided. Instead, it was announced that he died of an illness for the sake of keeping the family¡¯s face. The highest authority leaders of the state eventually chose to remain silent, though they had vague hopes that the Tang Family wouldn¡¯t move excessively again.


    As for Tang Xiu, he hadn¡¯t left the capital yet, but all the people from the Everlasting Feast Hall had already left.


    Tang Xiu was on Wangfujing Street and was smoking while watching the shops on both sides of the street. Inside his mind, he was imagining Yao Qingzun¡¯s funeral service conducted by the Yao Family today. He didn¡¯t attend it, but his grandfather did.


    ¡°Brother, that kiddo Chu Yi invited us to drink, won¡¯t you go?¡±


    Tang Wei had been following Tang Xiu like a dog skin plaster that couldn¡¯t be removed. He said that he wished to gain more experience, learning Tang Xiu¡¯s skills by following him. He was even eager to find a way to enter Shanghai University and study together with Tang Xiu. If it wasn¡¯t for Tang Xiu forbidding him from doing so, he would have really gone to Shanghai University to hang around with him.


    ¡°I won¡¯t go, I¡­¡±


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    Tang Xiu was about to respond when the ringtone of his mobile phone interrupted him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood to drink.¡±


    After Tang Xiu finished the sentence, he took out his mobile phone and answered the call.


    ¡°Is there something up, Kang Xia?¡±


    ¡°Boss, there are two things. One is great, and the other is okay-ish. Which one do you want to hear first?¡± Kang Xia¡¯s cheerful laugh came from the phone.


    ¡°Gimme the great one first!¡± Answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°The great news is that I¡¯m finally able to sense the flow of qi inside my body.¡± Kang Xia cheerfully replied. ¡°It¡¯s really warm and makes me comfortable. Also, I can control the flow of qi now!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°This is really great news. Continue working hard to catch up with Andy!¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡± Kang Xia laughed. ¡°Now I¡¯ll tell you the second thing. Our healthcare products have been completely distributed. We¡¯re just waiting for the official sales to begin tomorrow. That¡¯s right, my plane will take off at 3 PM, and I should arrive in Shanghai before five.¡±


    Tang Xiu was stunned. It was already the end of the month and was also the day scheduled for the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s healthcare products to enter the market. After hesitating for a moment, he then said, ¡°I¡¯m still in Beijing handling some important matters. Alright! I¡¯ll immediately return to Shanghai, but I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be a bit later than you. Anyhow, go to the Bluestar Villa Complex after you arrive and wait for me there.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Kang Xia replied with a laugh.


    After hanging up, Tang Xiu looked at Tang Wei and said, ¡°There¡¯s something up, so I have to go back to Shanghai. The matters here have been dealt with, more or less, so I won¡¯t come back to Beijing for the time being if there are no particularly important issues.¡±


    ¡°Our family hasn¡¯t publicized that information yet. You sure you don¡¯t want to see the outcome?¡± Asked Tang Wei hesitantly.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already foreseen it,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I don¡¯t understand politics neither do I have interest in paying attention to it. Besides, the three grandfathers and the elders of our family are here to take charge of the family¡¯s affairs, and I think they can handle it well. However, there are some matters about you that I haven¡¯t talked to you yet, but I think it¡¯s time I talk about it now.¡±


    ¡°Issues that related to me? What is it?¡± Asked Tang Wei curiously.


    ¡°The number of our Tang Family¡¯s members is nearly twice that of the Yao Family¡¯s, yet the number of our members engaging in politics is less than theirs. Once grandpa and the other grandfathers completely handle over their authorities to our uncles, then it is necessary and imperative to foster successors from our generation. I think you should take this path for the sake of yourself and also for our family¡¯s sake, securing adequate rights to speak for the Tang Family in this country in the future.¡±


    ¡°But I really don¡¯t like politics and becoming a government official.¡± Tang Wei was silent for a moment before replying with a forced smile.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you dislike it now. You can gradually grow your interest in it,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle. ¡°The Tang Family has defeated the Yao Family, and our family will have a much greater right to speak in China after this. With the aid of the elders, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to climb up smoothly, becoming a rising star in the political world and turning into a big figure in politics in the future. You won¡¯t be able to realize how wonderful the taste of having power and privileges until you have them. But when you really have full control over the power, you will then understand how advantageous it would be to have them.¡±


    ¡°Give me some time. Let me think about it well!¡± Answered Tang Wei, albeit reluctantly.


    ¡°Alright, no problem!¡± Tang Xiu laughed.


    ****


    In the afternoon, Tang Xiu went to his grandfather¡¯s place before rushing to the Airport. He randomly found a place to sit and quietly waited, since there was an hour left before his flight took off.


    ¡°Hello, are you Mr. Tang Xiu?¡±


    As Tang Xiu was thinking about reading a book to kill his boredom, a middle-aged man in a suit appeared before Tang Xiu. He looked like someone with authority and was followed by four airport¡¯s staff.


    ¡°I am. And you are?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I¡¯m a staff of the airport, Mr. Tang.¡± The middle-aged man quickly replied. ¡°We received a call from Mr. Tang Wei and learned from him that you¡¯re taking a flight to Shanghai from our airport. Also, I have taken the initiative to help you reserve a first-class cabin. If you would like to, please follow me to the VIP lounge.¡±


    What¡¯s happening here?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes blinked before he finally accepted the good intentions of the other party.


    Inside the VIP lounge.


    The room had a very comfortable environment and the seats here were made of leather. The staff of the airport served tea for Tang Xiu because of the special care urged by the middle-aged man.


    Tang Xiu called Tang Wei and then learned from him that the son of the highest official of Shanghai Airport was his childhood and best friend; all these arrangements were his doing.


    ¡°GO! GO! HURRY UP! We¡¯ll be alright after we come inside!¡±


    A hurried voice was heard as two figures rushed into the VIP lounge.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiu looked up and saw that one of the two people was unexpectedly an acquaintance¡­ Zhang Xinya.


    At the moment, Zhang Xinya looked shaken, as she quickly walked to the corner before taking a seat on the sofa. Following that, she patted her chest and spoke to her agent, ¡°That was really awful and scary! Those fans outside were crazy, and I didn¡¯t think that the airport¡¯s staff would have such an intense fervor, too. I¡¯m never going out again later without a disguise!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a very famous superstar now, Xinya. Especially after that recent single hit ¡®Sleeping Beauty¡¯ became so popular.¡± Her manager laughed. ¡°It has been occupying the topmost ranking of the major music charts, and with four to five times more votes than the second place at that. The number of fans who like you is also in the constant rise. You can expect to get more and more popular in the future, even if you are abroad.¡±


    ¡°Becoming a bit more popular is alright, but I¡¯m afraid that it will no longer be convenient for me to do anything later.¡± Zhang Xinya forced a wry smile. ¡°Sometimes I really want to drop this superstar identity; I meant it! I too want to do something I wanna do and see some people I wanna see as well.¡±


    The manager smilingly replied, ¡°The things you wanna do and the person you wanna see of all people must be Mr. Tang, right? This time, the Magnificent Tang Corporation is releasing their new products on the market and you even rushed to Shanghai for this occasion. Isn¡¯t it because you want to see whether he¡¯s going to the products¡¯ exclusive store in Shanghai?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense, will you?¡± Zhang Xinya hastily pulled her manager¡¯s arm and quickly pulled her down.


    On the nearby sofa, Tang Xiu could clearly hear their dialogue, but the content of the following conversation made him stare with a blank expression.


    Zhang Xinya wants to see me? But if she wants to see me, isn¡¯t it better to call me directly? Why should she go to an exclusive store that sells the Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s healthcare products?


    But, how would Tang Xiu know the reserved thoughts of a woman, to begin with?


    After hesitating for a moment, however, he still felt that he should greet Zhang Xinya since she was going to Shanghai as well. It was highly likely that she would have the same flight as him.


    ¡°Hello beauty, may I invite you to a cup of coffee?¡± Tang Xiu walked toward Zhang Xinya and spoke.


    Zhang Xinya, who currently had her head lowered and was chatting with her manager, then heard a man¡¯s voice. She looked up and directly refused with a stern voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    However, she only finished half of sentence before pausing, because the man standing in front of her was the one she was always dreaming about.


    ¡°How are you here, Tang Xiu?¡± Zhang Xinya suddenly got up and called with excitement all over her face.


    ¡°I¡¯m going back to Shanghai.¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said, ¡°But you, how are you in Beijing?¡±


    ¡°I came here to attend a talk show and just finished today. I¡¯m also heading to Shanghai now.¡± The excitement on Zhang Xinya¡¯s face didn¡¯t fade away as she replied, ¡°By the way, is your flight at 4 PM, by chance?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Tang Xiu smiled.


    ¡°Then we have the same flight,¡± said Zhang Xinya, pleasantly surprised.


    Tang Xiu smiled and was pulled by her. After they sat down, he said, ¡°I never thought that we would have such a fate to meet again in the Airport, Xinya. It¡¯s been twice already meeting in the airport. That¡¯s right, your new single seems very popular recently. I always see its advertisement with your picture on it everywhere, no matter if it¡¯s in Shanghai, Beijing, or even in Jingmen Island.¡±


    ¡°It is very popular, but I can¡¯t still be compared with you.¡± She laughed. ¡°You can be considered as a big superstar yourself now.¡±


    ¡°Ah, please don¡¯t make fun of me.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand. ¡°Besides, my fame is gradually dropping; but it¡¯s a result I¡¯m happy to have, though.¡±


    Zhang Xinya knew perfectly well Tang Xiu¡¯s low-key disposition, so she let out a chuckle and said, ¡°Care to go out with me and have a walk together? I assure you that your popularity will soar again tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Nope, forget it!¡± Tang Xiu hastily waved his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t bring any harm to me, okay! I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m just a good-looking guy who loves a peaceful and serene life.¡±


    Hahaha¡­


    This accidental encounter made Tang Xiu and Zhang Xinya take a plane and arrive in Shanghai together. Tang Xiu even took the same ride as Zhang Xinya and only separated from her after arriving at the urban area. Originally, she wanted to invite Tang Xiu to dinner, but Tang Xiu declined her offer because Kang Xia was still waiting for him at Bluestar Villa Complex. But he promised to have dinner with her tomorrow night.


    After returning to Bluestar Villa Complex, he then saw Kang Xia, who had apparently put on a light makeup that made her look very beautiful. She seemed more mature than usual, as she gave off a particular amorous feeling. Despite being accustomed to seeing a lot of femme fatales, Tang Xiu¡¯s ¡®index finger¡¯ was somewhat still stirred upon seeing her.

 Chapter 572

    Chapter 572: The New Godfather


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu, however, was not the kind of juvenile who would raise his gun whenever he saw a beautiful woman. Though he had taken both Kang Xia¡¯s heart and flesh, he was still able to keep the urge in check with his strong will. After suppressing the passionate heat surging up inside him, he gave her a gentle hug, and his simple sentence of ¡®thanks for your laborious hard work¡¯ made Kang Xia feel extremely warm inside.


    ¡°Long Zhenglin also came, but he didn¡¯t come with me.¡± After separating herself from Tang Xiu, Kang Xia spoke with a content and happy smile.


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment before smilingly said, ¡°He has a share of the healthcare products, so it¡¯s natural that he¡¯s being prudent about it. This guy is always wanting to prove himself and his ability to his father so he can hold his head high at home.¡±


    ¡°How come it can be counted as holding his head up high?¡± Kang Xia laughed. ¡°He¡¯s practically holding on your thigh, or else how could he perform such an achievement, to begin with.¡±


    While pulling her to the sofa, Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°You can¡¯t say that. Though he hasn¡¯t displayed any great achievements nor showed his great talent for years, his brain is still very useful. If he hadn¡¯t come up with the idea of making a formulated medication drink, I¡¯m afraid that I wouldn¡¯t even realize that there¡¯s wealth contained in health products. Sometimes, even an idea can bring great wealth in and of itself!¡±


    ¡°What you say makes sense.¡± Kang Xia nodded and smilingly said. ¡°However, our company has too few categories of products; only four products in total, including the healthcare products. How about racking up your brains again and developing several more products for our company?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face scrunched up before slowly replying, ¡°Speaking about that, there¡¯s another opportunity to make money, and it will definitely rack up a huge profit, too. However, this product cannot be used by ordinary people, and the target consumers must be people who are at the top of the pyramid of the haves either domestically or overseas.¡±


    ¡°What kind of product is it?¡± Kang Xia¡¯s expression slightly changed and rapidly asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll refine a number of medicinal pills that can increase the life expectancy of ordinary people. However, the quantity of these medicinal pills will inevitably not be many, and the increased lifespan for old people won¡¯t be too long.¡±


    Kang Xia abruptly jumped up from the sofa and asked with a shocked expression, ¡°Can you really refine such a medicine that can increase the lifespan of old people, Boss? How long is not too long, exactly?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m indeed able to refine it, and the increased lifespan would be about two years,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    Kang Xia gasped, as she took a deep breath and said with all seriousness, ¡°What exactly is the time to take that medication? Is it to be taken directly or at the point of death?¡±


    ¡°At the point of death.¡± Tang Xiu said with a light smile. ¡°Also, there¡¯s another advantage if they take the medicine when they still have a few years to live, since it can nurse the health of their bodies, and they will feel the state of their body to be at least in the same condition as they were ten years ago.¡±


    An ecstatic look painted Kang Xia¡¯s face as she asked with excitement, ¡°What about the quantity? How many of this medicinal pills can you refine, exactly?¡±


    Tang Xiu thought for a while before extending his hand and saying, ¡°Producing 200 pills in a year shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    ¡°And the base price? How much do you plan to sell it for?¡± Asked Kang Xia again.


    ¡°I¡¯ve thought about this issue as well. People who are going to die won¡¯t think much about money, so I think it won¡¯t be a problem for the medicine to be priced at 100 million yuan each,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°200 million! This will be the base price.¡± Kang Xia clapped. ¡°I dare say that if the effect of this medicine is really like what you explained, let alone 200 million yuan, I¡¯m afraid that some will even be willing to buy it for a billion! Not only that, they will crazily scrape up as much money as they can to come up with a way to get it!¡±


    After giving it a thought, Tang Xiu nodded and smilingly said, ¡°200 million yuan it will be, then! By the way, this item is a product of limited quantity. And if it is sold really well, we can throw it to a large auction to be auctioned.¡±


    At this time, Kang Xia¡¯s eyes showed how much emotion she was feeling at this moment. She not only fell in love with him but also worshipped him to the point that it was difficult to increase again. Prior to this, she only thought that there would be no youngster who could be more excellent than Tang Xiu, but now she thought that no one under the sky could be better than him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry right now.¡± She suddenly sat on Tang Xiu¡¯s thigh and directly hugged his neck as her sensual red lips whispered to his ear.


    Tang Xiu was slightly stunned. He was immediately aware of the meaning of her actions. The impulse he had just suppressed surged up again, and it was much stronger than a moment ago.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s relax and loosen up.¡±


    Tang Xiu carried her up the stairs. A few short breaths later, he appeared in the bedroom with Kang Xia on his lap as they fell on the king-sized bed.


    On the first floor.


    The housemaid¡ªZhang Xinlan, wearing her apron, walked out of the kitchen and was about to open her mouth to call Tang Xiu and Kang Xia for dinner. When she found that there was no one in the living room all of a sudden, she looked confused and murmured, ¡°Where are they? Huh? I just heard them chatting in the living room, how come there¡¯s no one in the blink of an eye?¡±


    She wandered around in the living room for a short while. After she was sure that Tang Xiu and Kang Xia were not there, she shook her head with a distressed expression and sighed inwardly, ¡°Haih, I¡¯m already in my late 40s, could it be that I¡¯m already senile? They were obviously chatting here in this living room just now, but how come there¡¯s no one here now?¡±


    She hesitated before going to the second floor. When she arrived at the door of the bedroom where Tang Xiu usually lived, she then heard moaning sounds from the inside. A slightly awkward and embarrassed look appeared on her face, and she quickly retreated.


    Two hours later, after Tang Xiu took a shower, changed his clothes and appeared on the first floor, there was an unusual expression in Zhang Xinlan¡¯s eyes when she looked at Tang Xiu, as she let out a smile and said, ¡°Mr. Tang, the meal is already cold. I didn¡¯t know when you wanted to eat, so I didn¡¯t warm it up. Would you like me to reheat the food now?¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with a smile, ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to trouble you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. This is what I should do,¡± said Zhang Xinlan quickly replied with a smile while waving her hand.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu took the food to the bedroom on the second floor and looked at Kang Xia, who looked like a kitty lazily leaning on the bedhead with a smile on the corner of her mouth. He walked over and smiled at her, saying, ¡°Do you want to get down from the bed to eat or do you want to have the meal on the bed?¡±


    ¡°How about you feed me?¡± Replied Kang Xia with a sweet smile.


    Cough, cough¡­


    Tang Xiu had never fed a woman before, but he finally complied after seeing Kang Xia looking so seductive and tempting with a nightgown so revealing that it opened at the cleavage, revealing her proud peaks.


    In the next morning, as Tang Xiu woke up from his sleep, he found that Kang Xia¡¯s figure had already disappeared from the bedside. This discovery made him secretly vigilant. After all, Kang Xia left the bed without him being aware of it by his present strength. This meant that his vigilance and alertness was getting worse.


    After washing his face and rinsing his mouth, Tang Xiu walked downstairs. He knew that Kang Xia made breakfast on the first floor by herself. Though the breakfast was simple, both of them wolfed it down happily. After they finished eating, they left the task to clean up the tableware to the housemaid and then went together to the exclusive store of the healthcare products.


    ****


    Italy, somewhere in the suburbs of Rome, inside a grand and magnificent manor which was the Cubo Clan¡¯s headquarter. As of today, the entire Cubo Clan was drowned in a grieving atmosphere, and the clan¡¯s armed force on garrison duty employed an extremely tight guard duty.


    In the deepest part of the manor, inside the tens of meters high old castle, Druffet was wearing pajamas and comfortably sitting on the chair in the guest hall. Next to the tea table in front of him were two beautiful white girls dressed in transparent white gauze sitting on the floor, making tea and cutting cigars.


    At present, Druffet could be said to have obtained what he had been dreaming of and was elated with success. He only spent a short three days to take full control of the authority in the clan after carrying out a frantic blood purge. All the high-level members of the Cubo Clan, as well as the armed forces¡¯ leaders, had all submitted to him. In other words, he was now a great figure who possessed hundreds of billions of dollars in wealth, someone who could stamp his feet to create an earthquake in Italy.


    ¡°Godfather, Spender from the Parlamento Italiano is here visiting.¡± A stocky man walked through the door, came before Druffet and whispered.


    Druffet¡¯s expression moved. Spender was a figure of real authority over the national parliament, and someone whose voice was regarded highly in the country, along with a huge force that backed him from behind. He was probably not at all inferior compared to the Cubo Clan.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see him in person.¡±


    A few minutes later, Druffet saw Spender. The man was tall and thin and looked slightly aged. His eyes, however, were exceptionally bright, revealing his knowledge and wisdom.


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor to have you at the Cubo Clan, Mr. Spender. Originally, it was I who should be personally visiting you.¡±


    Druffet¡¯s attitude was very much to Spender¡¯s satisfaction. As a matter of fact, both of them had already cooperated a long time ago, albeit secretively. They also earned quite a fortune from that cooperation. And today, for Druffet to become the Godfather of the Cubo Clan and hold the full power and authority of the syndicate in his hands, he was more than happy to get a step closer and be on friendly terms with him.


    ¡°Godfather Druffet is really polite.¡± Spender let out a faint smile. ¡°My visit this time, on one hand, is to congratulate you in becoming the Godfather of the Cubo Clan and celebrate it; and on the other hand, is also to bring you a big gift.¡±


    Druffet¡¯s looked dazed for a second before he hastily asked, ¡°Shall we continue our talk in my study room, Mr. Spender?¡±


    ¡°Please!¡±


    After the two men came to the over 200 square meters¡¯ study room, Druffet poured out two glasses of red wine and he smilingly said, ¡°May I know what kind of gift it is?¡±


    Spender sipped the red wine gently, and then put it down before replying, ¡°I¡¯m going to be your recommender. Give me 100 million USD for the recommendation fee so that you can smoothly join the Stygian Club.¡±


    ¡°Stygian Club?¡±


    Druffet creased his brows and his expression turned a bit unsightly. Spender said he came to present him a gift, yet he turned out to be asking for money instead. Besides, what kind of club could possibly need another person to recommend him to enter with his current status?


    As if seemingly seeing through Druffet¡¯s mind, Spender elaborated with a light smile, ¡°You¡¯re now the Godfather of the Cubo Clan, so your vision must be focused toward long-term benefits. Can you tell me which forces are included in the top ten chart of the most powerful forces in the world today?¡±


    Druffet stared blankly at him, as he knitted his brows and said, ¡°In the whole world? I can¡¯t recall any.¡±


    ¡°Since you don¡¯t know, then I¡¯ll tell you. The most powerful ten forces in the world, of which the first three are the most terrifying ones.¡± Spender let out a light smile. ¡°The following seven forces are a lot weaker than the first three. Let me tell you the first three organizations first!¡±

 Chapter 573

    Chapter 573: Sleeping While Standing


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Spender knew Druffet very well. As far as someone who possessed a deep foundation was concerned, he needed to pull that person into his camp so as to go gain more power for himself in the organization.


    ¡°The first organization calls itself Pyramid, the second is the League of Archcrusaders, and the third is the Stygian Club.¡±


    Thick ambition filled Spender¡¯s eyes as he named the three forces. He used his walking stick to knock on the floor before elaborating, ¡°You don¡¯t need to know the Pyramid and League of Archcrusaders now; even my knowledge pertaining to these two organizations is very limited. The Stygian Club I currently belong to is composed of secret forces from 39 countries all over the world. There are only two forces in Italy that have obtained the qualification to become one of its members, one of which is my faction and the other is the Maston Family.¡± Druffet deeply frowned and asked in a deep voice, ¡°What are the benefits of joining this Stygian Club?¡±


    ¡°Unceasing expansion of business, and taking control of small forces or families in the country,¡± answered Spender.


    ¡°I understand the unceasing expansion of business. However, I don¡¯t quite get what you mean by controlling small forces or families in the country,¡± said Druffet.


    With a meaningful expression, Spender answered, ¡°Let¡¯s take an analogy. If you eye a small power or a family and you want it to be under your Cubo Clan, you can secretly point your blade against them. If you fear that you don¡¯t have what it takes to make them submit to you, then you can apply a request to the Stygian Club for aid. Be it financial or armed forces. In accordance with the rules, you only need to take out one-tenth of your faction¡¯s wealth and hand it over to the organization for its help.¡±


    Druffet¡¯s pupils contracted, a horrified feeling surging inside his heart. He never imagined that there would exist such a terrifying organization in the world. With so many intricately interlinked powers, as well as such a horrifying monstrous power, wouldn¡¯t it be extremely difficult for the forces and families who were being targeted to resist them?


    ¡°Give me some time. I need to think about this,¡± said Druffet slowly after falling into silence for a long time.


    ¡°This matter is very important, so perhaps you want to discuss it with the people in your Cubo Clan before making a decision.¡± Spender nodded with a smile. ¡°You have plenty of time to consider it, and do look for me after making a decision. I¡¯m looking forward to our cooperation in the future.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡± Druffet nodded silently.


    After seeing Spender off, Druffet fell into thought for a long time. Then, the handsome face of a young oriental man appeared inside his mind. He spent several cigarettes before finally deciding to contact the oriental Everlasting Feast Hall. After all, the other party was also a monstrously terrifying hidden force and he needed to have a deeper relationship with them.


    It would be best if they could cooperate in other areas as well!


    ****


    Shanghai.


    Tang Xiu and Kang Xia calmly stood at the corner of a busy street while watching the two long queues that spanned for tens of meters with smiles on their faces. The Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s products had now been recognized by the people in the country, and their products were very popular, whether it was the cosmetics or the Gods Nectar.


    The advertising campaign of the healthcare products had started as early as two months ago, and now everyone in the entire country was already aware of the effect brought by the healthcare products produced by the Magnificent Tang Corporation. Nowadays, there were many rich people, yet those who were nearly hollowed in that ¡®aspect¡¯ were even more. Therefore, the products that treated yin deficiency by reinforcing body fluid and nourishing the kidney to treat impotence drove everyone crazy.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Tang Xiu glanced at Kang Xia and smilingly asked.


    ¡°I was actually worried that the sales of our healthcare products would be quite difficult since no one has taken it and that it has not secured a high-level of trust yet.¡± Kang Xia smilingly replied. ¡°But I Never thought that there would be so many people lining up to buy it just from this branch store only. I think my presence is not required.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. It will make no difference if you¡¯re here or not.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°The sales will go well even if you¡¯re not here. Anyhow, tell those people you brought here to stay and help. As for us, let¡¯s go back and wait for the news!¡±


    Kang Xia assented and then made a phone call to send instructions. After which, she followed Tang Xiu back to the Bluestar Villa Complex. Despite the sales in the Shanghai¡¯s exclusive store being so hot and greatly satisfying her; however, Kang Xia was not completely relieved and kept paying attention through the online live video, communicating with the senior executives of the Magnificent Tang Corporation and asking their feedback.


    Tang Xiu himself did not stay at home with her, but went out due to someone¡¯s call.


    ****


    Under the classroom building of Shanghai University, Han Qingwu was sitting on the driver seat of a red sedan, and her eyes looked somewhat hazy and blurred. It was very evident that she was somewhat depressed. She would only occasionally get back to her senses when she glanced at the direction of the campus gate with a look of expectation on her face.


    Knock! Knock!


    The front seat¡¯s door was knocked as Tang Xiu opened the door and entered. After looking at Han Qingwu¡¯s face when she turned around, he asked, ¡°When have you come back?¡±


    ¡°I just returned yesterday,¡± said Han Qingwu softly.


    Looking at her downcast expression, Tang Xiu asked curiously, ¡°What happened? Are you blaming me for not calling you back here together?¡±


    ¡°No. Xiaoxue told me that you had go to Beijing due to an emergency and it was unknown when you would return to Shanghai.¡± Han Qingwu shook her head.


    ¡°In that case, how come your mood is so bad?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    Han Qingwu was silent for a moment before replying, ¡°Last night, my parents kind of forced me to a blind date with the son of my father¡¯s old friend. He¡¯s a gentlemanly handsome man, a senior executive of a foreign multinational company, with over than seven digits of annual salary. He also has a house and a car. But I couldn¡¯t figure out why¡­ I didn¡¯t have any feeling toward him whatsoever. I even realized that I never felt that kind of sentimental feeling to any man¡­ except you. This situation¡­ started after the Shanghai University¡¯s freshmen welcoming party this year.¡±


    Tang Xiu knitted his brows while pointing to his head and asked, ¡°Is it because of the influence of those images in your head?¡±


    ¡°It should be. But¡­¡± Han Qingwu nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right. You can tell me anything,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Actually, there¡¯s something that I haven¡¯t told you yet.¡± Han Qingwu said bitterly, ¡°There are more than just those images appearing in my head. Your play at the freshmen welcoming party that night also brought me to a new novel world, and I saw some¡­ unthinkable queer scenes and saw a man whose face I can¡¯t see, only his back.¡±


    ¡°What kind of scene is it, exactly?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion changed as he asked in a heavy voice.


    While covering her face and her chest, Han Qingwu replied with a faintly pale expression, ¡°I saw a woman whose looks are very much like mine, and she did something she regretted very much. And in that world that was as if facing a doomsday, the man whose face I can¡¯t see was being besieged and killed by many people. It¡¯s just like a segment of a magical genre movie, since that woman whose looks are almost identical to mine killed that man who she loved so dearly and regretted it, so much so that she committed suicide next to him.¡±


    Committed suicide?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s heart shivered, and disbelief burst from his eyes.


    He knew perfectly well what was implied by Han Qingwu. The scene of the world that was like in eschatology should be the scene of him when facing the tribulation, and that scene of a man being besieged was himself surrounded by several people¡ªhis best friends, who joined together with Xue Qingcheng to attack him. But¡­


    But, how could Xue Qingcheng commit suicide? Wasn¡¯t she supposed to be very happy at having successfully gotten the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis and satiated her greed and selfish desire?


    ¡°I gotta go. I still have things to tend to.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion was faintly pale. He looked like he had lost his soul as he pushed the door open and staggeringly walked in the direction of the campus gate. Despite Han Qingwu¡¯s effort who hastily get off the car and chase after him and her shouts calling him back, he didn¡¯t even look back.


    SUICIDE?!


    The word was like a magical curse that flooded his heart, driving him to try to understand the reason. They were obviously in love, yet she pointed her blade at him. But when her objective had been achieved, she committed suicide¡­


    Tang Xiu returned to Bluestar Villa Complex in a muddle headed state. He didn¡¯t even glance at Kang Xia, who was in the study room, and went straight back to the bedroom. He sat on the edge of the bed and started smoking without stopping. As the pack of cigarettes was about to be finished, the bedroom¡¯s door was pushed open, and then came Kang Xia¡¯s shocked scream.


    ¡°BOSS, WHY ARE YOU SMOKING SO MUCH?¡±


    Tang Xiu woke up from his confusion and stared at Kang Xia. He looked down at the cigarette butt that was about to burn out between his fingers. With the swinging pain, agony, bitter, and astringent feeling inside his heart, he extinguished the cigarette butt in the ashtray as he dragged his body that was fully smelled of smoke toward Kang Xia.


    He hugged her. He didn¡¯t exert much strength, but he seemed to want to fuse Kang Xia into his body. The light and heat emanating out from her body seemed to illuminate his bewildered and confused heart.


    After a long time, Kang Xia looked up. She looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s pressed down eyes and heard a slight snoring coming from him. A strange expression appeared on her extremely beautiful face: Fell asleep? How come you fell asleep while standing?


    She wanted to move, but Tang Xiu kept hugging her. Although the strength he used was much weaker than before, she was afraid she would wake him up. After hesitating, she maintained their standing position and let Tang Xiu continue hugging her. At the same time, she silently controlled the warm current in her body according to the route of energy in the cultivation technique imparted by Tang Xiu.


    Hm?


    A few minutes later, Kang Xia was surprised to find that, while being hugged by Tang Xiu and cultivating, she could feel a trace of a cool energy entering her body and finally flowing into her Dantian. That warm stream traversed along her meridians and back to her Dantian before it eventually fused into a whole.


    Time fleeted by.


    Two hours later, Kang Xia, who was being hugged by Tang Xiu, was still maintaining her standing posture. But her surprise only got more and more intense, because the shocking discovery that her cultivation speed was a lot faster than when she practiced by herself. In just two hours, the flow of qi inside of her body had unexpectedly increased to twice the amount of before. The most inconceivable thing she felt was the fact that her control over qi was greatly improved now. Prior to this, she usually needed to fully focus and devote all her energy to circulate that warm stream.


    What exactly is happening? Is it because of¡­ Tang Xiu?


    The thought crossed her mind, but Kang finally pushed the thought to the back to her head. She didn¡¯t want to waste time. And since cultivating now brought about such a great effect, then she must seize every minute and second to cultivate. After all, Andy¡¯s strength now was very formidable, at least ten times stronger than her. If she wasn¡¯t able to overtake her, she would find it difficult to raise her head before Tang Xiu later.

 Chapter 574

    Chapter 574: Fully Isolated and Assailed on All Sides


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The sleeping and standing figure continued to hug Kang Xia. This time, the situation prolonged for a very long time, and only after three hours did Tang Xiu finally awake from his deep sleep. He could feel a cooling aura around him, and the first thing that came to his sight after he opened his eyes was Kang Xia¡¯s beautiful face.


    ¡°I¡­ did I fall asleep?¡± Tang Xiu felt that it was a bit inconceivable.


    Kang Xia¡¯s immersion in cultivation was interrupted, as she opened her star-like pupils and smilingly said, ¡°Yes! You fell asleep while standing.¡±


    ¡°My state of confusion and bewilderment drove my mental state down.¡± Tang Xiu revealed an awkward and wry smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that I¡­ Ah, that¡¯s right, was the fluctuation of the world spiritual energy caused by your cultivation?¡±


    Blinking her eyes, Kang Xia released herself from Tang Xiu¡¯s hold and ran about five meters away to a clean spot and sat on it. Two minutes later, she stood up with a dull expression and then looked at Tang Xiu with a face full of a puzzled expression, saying, ¡°It¡¯s strange. My cultivation speed was so fast when I was hugging you before. It was so fast to the extent that I don¡¯t how many times it¡¯s compared to when I practice by myself. But after separating from you, my cultivation speed returned to its previous state.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Tang Xiu stared blankly before immediately asked with a surprised expression.


    ¡°My cultivation speed was very fast when I was being by hugged you, but it turned very slow when we separated.¡± Kang Xia said, ¡°The warm current inside my body has doubled within just a few hours and above all, my control over them has become easier.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked down at himself and thought for a while before figuring out the reason. His present cultivation level was already very high, and it caused his body to constantly absorb the energy from the stars and the sun, hence with the Heaven and Earth spiritual energy as a medium, the world energy around him became richer than elsewhere. While Kang Xia cultivated at his side, it was equivalent of practicing in a place where the spiritual energy was richer by many times, hence the reason why her cultivation speed was naturally faster.


    Immediately, after Tang Xiu explained the reason, Kang Xia was no longer shocked and felt happy instead. She kept pestering Tang Xiu, causing the latter to allow her to stay by his side more often later.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, how were the sales of our new products?¡± Just as Tang Xiu remembered this matter, he quickly asked about it.


    A smile blossomed on Kang Xia¡¯s beautiful face upon hearing his question, as she replied with a sigh, ¡°The information relayed from our exclusive stores all over the country showed that the lowest sales rate from the slowest exclusive store had all the healthcare products sold out in only two and a half hours.¡±


    ¡°It seems Long Zhenglin¡¯s idea was really great!¡± Tang Xiu stared blankly and praised. ¡°This brat will surely run home to find his old man and ask his support given that he¡¯s in a very poor state recently. Anyhow, after you return to Star City, give him his dividend according to his share, and tell him that the next dividend will be shared by the end of the year.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Kang Xia said with a smile, ¡°The Magnificent Tang Corp. doesn¡¯t lack funds for the time being. Also, I¡¯ve pressed and allocated some funds in our account book to be prepared for the Star City¡¯s New City real estate next year. Another big part of our funds are currently being spent on opening more production lines for several products.¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯re the one managing the business, I believe you can do it well.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Anyways, since you are in Shanghai, how about we stroll around and look for a suitable place for the future HQ of our company?¡±


    Kang Xia¡¯s eyes lit up and agreed.


    In the next two days, Kang Xia was very busy and was only able to snatch brief moments of leisure from work. She returned to Bluestar Villa Complex every night, and yet still dealt with work issues, holding video conferences with the top executives of the Magnificent Tang Corporation. During the day, she followed Tang Xiu everywhere to find a good plot of land. Finally, the two saw a wide undeveloped area on the border of Shanghai City and Su region.


    Following which, Tang Xiu contacted the people from real estate sector in Shanghai and learned the estimated price to purchase the land and the various legal procedures to complete the formalities. After that, Kang Xia transferred a batch of manpower from Star City and temporarily recruited some people skilled in real estate in Shanghai. She formed an ad-hoc team that was solely responsible and had full authority to purchase the land.


    What made Tang Xiu and Kang Xia quite happy was that they were able to recruit a very famous real estate broker, Tang Chenghe, with the help of a headhunting company. In addition, the Jinda Real Estate¡¯s boss¡ªJin Xingkui also contacted and used his wide network and connections before they were finally able to purchase a large area of land at 1.98 billion yuan.


    Afterward, Tang Xiu gave the full authority to handle the matter to Kang Xia and Tang Chenghe, whereas he returned to Shanghai University and back to his relaxed life, attending classes and going to the library every day.


    ****


    Beijing, the ancestral residence of the Tang Family.


    More than a dozen core members of the Tang Family had gathered here. Everyone was facing a mobile phone placed on the table in front of them with its loudspeaker volume turned to the maximum.


    ¡°Father, the news spread out quickly and all the forces and various big families that had been directly oppressed or suffered a lot of losses by the Yao Family are all in secret contact with each other. As of now, the entire capital is very calm and tranquil, but surging undercurrents are brewing in secret. I¡¯m sure that within a matter of days, those parties will strike the Yao Family following the death of Yao Qingzun and the losses of their family¡¯s strength.¡± Tang Yunpeng¡¯s fingers clamped a lighted cigarette. Though he spoke like that in his mouth, yet his mind was full of admiration toward his nephew.


    He had never expected that the Tang Family could have any relations to cultivators whatsoever prior to this. But now, not only did the Tang Family have the relationship with such existences, even his nephew was a cultivator himself, and also groomed over a hundred cultivators. He felt that such a huge force was enough to sweep away all the forces in China.


    In particular, the smile on Tang Guosheng¡¯s face was also very bright. The Yao and Tang Families were sworn, mortal enemies, and all the families with a bit of power in the country were also aware of the situation between them. The news of the Tang Family having devastated the Yao Family¡¯s forces and compelled Yao Qingzun to death had naturally spread out and created a sensation.


    The Tang Family, however, did not announce any news to the outside, whereas the information on the documents pertaining the deeds of the Yao Family was released by Tang Yunqing in secret. They could even guarantee that no one from those families and forces would be able to investigate and trace the source back to the Tang Family.


    ¡°Those people don¡¯t want us to ruthlessly eradicate the Yao Family, hence we¡¯ll stay idle on our boat amid the storm and calmly watch the tense situation in the capital. The Yao Family¡­ hmph, to cut a grass without roots will only need the coming breeze of the spring. God knows what kind of talented people will spring up in the Yao Family, but who knows to what extent they can slowly restore themselves in this situation? Everyone knows that keeping this family in existence is akin to keeping a disaster alive.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Big Brother.¡± Tang Guoshou repeatedly nodded. ¡°The Yao Family has too deep a foundation, hence we must cut off their rear as far as possible so that they won¡¯t be able to recover from this situation.¡±


    ¡°Even after resorting to using that information, had the Yao Family not been that powerful for so many years and many of their family members not having offended and strong-armed too many people before, I¡¯m afraid that no one would be willing to take the initiative to stand up against the Yao Family at all.¡± Tang Guosheng sighed, ¡°When heaven sends calamities down, there¡¯s hope of weathering them, but when a man brings them upon himself, there¡¯s no hope of escaping them whatsoever!¡±


    Amid the conversation between the three elders of the Tang Family, the mobile phone in front of Tang Guosheng suddenly rang.


    ¡°Speak¡­¡±


    After looking at the caller¡¯s name, Tang Guosheng immediately spoke in a loud voice.


    ¡°Senior Tang, a junior of the Yao Family, Yao Xindi, was gravely injured by a junior from the Wang Family and was taken to the hospital for treatment. At the same time, Yao Xindi¡¯s father, Yao Chengheng, was hit by a speeding car on the roadside near a specialties store and shouldn¡¯t be able to be rescued.¡± A deep and low voice transmitted from the phone.


    Tang Guosheng¡¯s pupils contracted and he was silent for two minutes, before he slowly replied, ¡°Keep watching. I need to know all the news about the Yao Family first hand.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    After hanging up, Tang Guosheng looked at the others and spoke, ¡°The first family has finally jumped out to strike the Yao Family. Yao Chengheng was hit by a car, and his son Yao Xindi was severely beaten by a junior from the Wang Family. It seems that the Wang Family is the one who hates the Yao Family the most aside from us.¡±


    ¡°Interesting, this is really interesting.¡± Tang Guosheng laughed strangely. ¡°I once heard that Yao Chengheng had a grudge with that kid from the Wang Family during the construction of Jinhua Shopping Center, and several clashes broke out between them after that. I have a feeling that the Wang Family doesn¡¯t have the courage to directly clash with the Yao Family alone. Perhaps they have collaborated with one or more other families. Let¡¯s wait, I¡¯m sure that soon some people will jump out and strike at the Yao Family.¡±


    Sure enough, another incident occurred less than an hour after Yao Chengheng was hit by a car and Yao Xindi was beaten. An upscale club on the Fourth Ring Road in Beijing suddenly caught on fire. An important member who was responsible for the venue was killed in the fire along with seven or eight experts of the Yao Family and two of their financial accountants.


    Following that, a few group companies under the Yao Family¡¯s flag were allegedly held responsible for tax evasion and defrauding their revenues and were forced to pay rectification. Some were closed down after failing to pass the required fire control measures standard after the inspection from the Fire Control Bureau.


    Some project sites under the Yao Family were also heavily inspected and checked for serious quality problems. The workers were driven away and the construction sites were sealed up. Series of measures were then employed, giving heavy blows to the Yao Family.


    ****


    These news flew like snowflakes to the Tang Family. In just two days, the losses suffered by the Yao Family were enormous. It was heard that the new Head of the Yao Family¡ªYao Chengdong even had his hairs turned white overnight due to worry and restlessness.


    Tang Xiu, who was in Shanghai, had been following the situation in the capital as well. When the Tang Family first began their assault on the Yao Family, he already guessed that the Yaos wouldn¡¯t be able to pass this hurdle.


    As far as enemies were concerned, Tang Xiu never had any mercy. Had it not been because of the urging from his grandfather, he wouldn¡¯t have to borrow others¡¯ knives for killing and eradicating the Yao Family. But seeing such a colossal force begin to crack without wasting an ounce of his strength, he was still delighted nonetheless.


    Shanghai University¡¯s male students¡¯ dormitory.


    When Tang Xiu hung up in a good mood, Hu Qingsong suddenly ran inside. When he saw Tang Xiu sitting in front of the bookcase, he immediately asked, ¡°Big Bro Tang, I¡¯m gonna buy something outside, are you coming with me?¡±


    ¡°What are you going to buy?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    Hu Qingsong grinned, ¡°Don¡¯t ask, alright? I¡¯m very happy now, so are you coming with me or not? I guarantee you will definitely be satisfied!¡±


    Tang Xiu put away his phone as he got up and smilingly said, ¡°Since you said that, then I¡¯ll go with you! Beware, though. If the place doesn¡¯t satisfy me, then dinner¡¯s gonna be on you!¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡± Hu Qingsong straightened up his chest and guaranteed.

 Chapter 575

    Chapter 575: Foul Taste


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Shanghai¡¯s Wanchuan Shopping Center was located at the most flourishing commercial street in Hongkou District. It was also known as the Fortune Plaza, and every store opened in it was an itinerary of high-end international brands. In addition to a large number of luxury goods, they also provided many major brands in the world.


    Hu Qingsong drove here with Tang Xiu and headed straight to the clothing area on the fourth floor. When they approached a world-famous branded clothing store, Hu Qingsong did not even pause for half a second and straightly went toward a female underwear exclusive store at the back, before he then stopped and hesitated.


    ¡°Old Hu, don¡¯t tell me the place you said would satisfy me is here?¡±


    Tang Xiu was dumbfounded as he looked at the dazzling line-up of lingeries inside. The sight was virtually dazzling to the eyes, especially those sexy lingerie with various colors and styles, making Tang Xiu secretly blush and feel embarrassed inside. Never once, neither in this life nor in his past life, had he ever been to this kind of place.


    With an awkward expression, Hu Qingsong said, ¡°Recently I approached a girl, and only yesterday did I finally win her heart. It just so happens that tomorrow is her birthday, so I want to give her a gift; an out of the ordinary one. Hence, Yue Kai told me to give her a sexy lingerie.¡±


    Cough! Cough¡­


    Tang Xiu was really knocked out by Hu Qingsong this time. That rotten apple Yue Kai went so far so as to provide such a rotten advice. Did he think that such an idea was really out of the box or something? If he knew earlier that Hu Qingsong would drag him to this kind of place, he wouldn¡¯t have come here even if he was bribed with a hundred meals!


    At this time¡­


    The lingerie brand called ¡®Carine Gilson¡¯ sold exclusively an European luxury underwear brand. The founder is an haute couture designer from Belgium who founded the lingerie brand of the same name in 1994. Because she was particular about the choice of materials, she only chose the finest fabrics from Lyons and Calais, France.


    Most of the classic products of Carine Gilson were often presented in feminine soft colors such as rust, scarlet, orange, cappuccino, and old rose. In addition, its price was also very expensive, starting at 240 USD, and with a set of nightgown priced over 360 USD.


    After walking to the entrance of the store, Hu Qingsong hesitated.


    Tang Xiu himself really wanted to turn around and leave, but after looking at Hu Qingsong¡¯s face, he steeled himself against the women¡¯s strange looks and said, ¡°Old Hu, if you really want to buy a set of lingerie for your girlfriend, just go and buy it! You¡¯re a man, for God¡¯s sake. If anything, you have nothing else but a thick face, no? I won¡¯t go inside with you, but you have my full support, mentally and spiritually! Anyways, I¡¯m kind of addicted to smoking, so I¡¯m gonna find a spot to smoke and wait for you there.¡±


    Hu Qingsong was kind of dumbstruck, and he couldn¡¯t even sense the smell of ¡®deserting from battle¡¯ from Tang Xiu at all. He steeled his heart and blocked Tang Xiu¡¯s path and dragged him into the store.


    ¡°Welcome, sirs!¡±


    A beautiful female sales clerk greeted them with a professional smile. She seemed accustomed to seeing men patronizing the lingerie store, as she enthusiastically spoke with a warm smile, ¡°These two gentlemen, I¡¯m the head sales clerk of the shop. What kind of underwear do you want to buy? Also, may I take the liberty to ask you whether you want to give it as a present¡­¡±


    With an awkward expression, Hu Qingsong said, ¡°My girlfriend¡¯s birthday is tomorrow. I think¡­ ugh¡­ I don¡¯t really understand what kind of underwear a girl would like, could you recommend me some?¡±


    The female clerk took the two of them further inside. While keeping her smile, she asked, ¡°How old is your girlfriend? May I know her size¡­¡±


    With the clerk¡¯s inquiries, Hu Qingsong responded with all the little knowledge he had. Tang Xiu spent some effort to hide himself at the side. He wanted to take out a cigarette to disperse his embarrassment, but then saw the ¡°NO SMOKING¡± sign on the front of the shop, hence he could only resentfully look for a sofa to sit.


    ¡°Big Sis, did you see them? The youth over there and the one who¡¯s sitting in front us? They both came to this lingerie shop to buy some underwear. Do you think they are gay or something?¡± A fashionable young and pretty girl who was standing nearby whispered to her friend.


    ¡°It¡¯s unlikely, I think. That guy should be accompanying the other one to buy a lingerie for his sweetheart, don¡¯t you think? But, that guy sitting there is very handsome, and kinda looks familiar.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! You¡¯re right. I also think so. Where have I seen him before?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s so gorgeous. Shall we ask him to take a group picture? What do you think? Maybe a talent scout from an entertainment company will discover him someday, and after they excavate and train him, he¡¯ll eventually become a big star.¡±


    ¡°A big star? Heavens¡­ I remember him! He¡¯s Tang Xiu, a freshman at Shanghai University. He¡¯s the one who played the zither and sang a song at this year¡¯s Shanghai¡¯s freshmen welcoming party. That¡¯s right¡­ I remember that he¡¯s also a doctor, that young divine doctor from Star City Chinese Medical Hospital!¡±


    ¡°Ah, I remember it, too! But how did he¡­¡±


    The conversation between the two girls became louder and louder and was heard by many women in the shop. In just a few minutes, everyone inside, including seven female sales clerks, directly approached Tang Xiu and had him surrounded while whispering to each other. Some of the bolder ones even looked enthusiastic and eager, hoping to could get close to him.


    ****


    Chen Xiaowan had been in a bad mood recently. She worked in an HRD of a large multinational corporation. She was fair-skinned, rich, and beautiful¡ªthe epitome of Ms. Perfect and ideal woman, who not only had a very strong wit and good head, but also possessed wide network and personal connections. In the eyes of countless women, she was a high-profile successful woman. Despite thinking so, however, she caught her boyfriend having an affair with her good friend red-handedly.


    She was a proud woman, and being betrayed was very difficult for her to bear. However, she didn¡¯t cry nor vent out her anger over it, and neither did she want to find a rope to hang herself, but rather endured her pained heart and gave them her blessing and left.


    If the matter had ended there, she wouldn¡¯t have felt bad for so long. What blew her away was that her unfaithful wretched boyfriend came and meekly apologized to her, asking for her forgiveness as humbly and pitifully as he could. However, because she didn¡¯t give him what he wished for, his attitude turned 180 degrees. Not only did he insult her, he even demanded that she pay compensation under the justification that she had caused ¡°psychological damage and the loss of his youth¡±¡­


    After Chen Xiaowan flatly refused his demand, she reported it as a threat to the police, and finally, she ditched her boyfriend. Nevertheless, the anguish and the feeling of being wronged still remained in her heart, and she spent ten and a half days nesting in her home. Her holiday was then about to end, so she went out shopping.


    However, when she stepped into this Carine Gilson exclusive store and saw the scene inside, she suddenly furrowed her brows and planned to turn away and leave. But when she stepped out of the store, by a curious coincidence, she saw her wretched ex-boyfriend¡¯s hand coiled over the waist of an obese woman in her 40s. Looking at this intimate scene almost made her spit out in disgust.


    Hide!


    This was the truest portrayal of what was inside Chen Xiaoxuan¡¯s heart. Therefore, her feet that were already stepping out feet shrunk back, as she leaned toward the crowd inside.


    ****


    ¡°Hi handsome, can we take a group picture with you?¡±


    Finally, a bolder woman finally scrounge up the courage to ask Tang Xiu, anticipation and hope painted on her face.


    Tang Xiu had heard their conversation just now. But he didn¡¯t expect that someone would really come to ask him to take a group picture. After glancing at the sexy lingeries on both sides, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t even lift his bottom, but forced a wry smile and said, ¡°Big Sis, taking a picture here is kinda inappropriate, right?¡±


    The woman stared blankly before she suddenly remembered where they were. She suddenly blushed red beet. ¡°AH, I¡¯m really embarrassed. How about we go outside and take a group picture? I know that you¡¯re the young divine doctor Tang Xiu, and also a student celebrity from Shanghai University. Being able to take a group picture with a talented and handsome young man such as you will surely be great.¡±


    Cough! Cough¡­


    Tang Xiu was really not willing to take a picture with this woman. Though this woman was beautiful, with his intelligence he could naturally guess that if he took a picture with her, this woman would keep pestering him, attracting more attention from the public. It was even more likely that the news that he was escorting his classmate to buy a lingerie would also explode on the internet.


    Fate may perhaps be preordained by Heaven.


    As Tang Xiu was somewhat at a loss what to do, a very loud voice came from the outside, and that voice belonging to a woman who appeared to be coaxing someone.


    ¡°Honey, this Carine Gilson lingerie looks great. Several of these sexy lingeries are very beautiful. Tell me, do you want me to buy a couple of sets and show them to you when we get back?¡±


    ¡°Great, you will definitely look beautiful whatever you put on.¡± Yue Zigang, who was being dragged by an obese middle-aged woman, had a false smile on his face that was in stark contrast with his feelings. As he visualized the appearance of this fat woman on a sexy lingerie, gooseflesh were raised all over his body. If¡­ if it weren¡¯t for this woman being very rich and so liberal in spending her money, he would have kicked her away a long time ago and then looked for another woman.


    ¡°You really have a sweet mouth, honey.¡± The obese woman was so overjoyed that she wanted to kiss him. But since her height was less than 1.6 meters and Yue Zigang was 1.8 plus meters, even if she tried to stand on her tiptoes, she wouldn¡¯t be able to do so. Hence, she hurriedly pulled his arm and made him squat.


    Yue Zigang took a glance at the store and saw that the women there did not look back at all. He quickly let out a false smile and squatted down while offering his lips.


    SMOOCH¡­


    After a loud kiss, the obese woman walked inside with a happy face. Both Yue Zigang and the woman had not yet discovered that among the crowd inside, a woman¡ªChen Xiaowan had been secretly observing both of them, and felt like she was about to vomit out of disgust.


    A moment after, Yue Zigang entered the store behind the obese woman. Although Chen Xiaowan had tried all she could to avoid them, she was still spotted by him. As for Yue Zigang, he suddenly had a wonderful idea and thought that it was a smart move to show how outstanding he was in front of the obese woman.


    He immediately hugged her and intentionally shouted, ¡°Whoops, aren¡¯t you Chen Xiaowan, who just got ditched by me? Why¡­ Why are you here at this upscale lingerie store? Are you here to buy something?¡±

 Chapter 576

    Chapter 576: Arrogant and Domineering


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The sudden loud voice broke the strange atmosphere and rescued Tang Xiu from awkwardness. At this moment, all the women around him turned around to look at Yue Zigang and the obese woman; even Tang Xiu was no exception.


    However, when they saw such a combination, everyone couldn¡¯t help but think, how come such young grass grow on a cow¡¯s dung?


    Speaking about appearance, Yue Zigang was indeed a good sell with his 1.8 meters¡¯ height, well-proportioned body, and a physique that made him look good in whatever he put on. He could win the favor of many women at first sight. However, all the women who just surrounded Tang Xiu didn¡¯t like anything about him, and even felt disgusted instead.


    Chen Xiaowan turned frantic. The man she least wanted to see was exactly this Yue Zigang. Yet, the more she didn¡¯t want to see him, the more he appeared before her. What she couldn¡¯t bear was that this guy was someone who had held her back in her youth for several years, and yet turned out to be such an asshole.


    She didn¡¯t speak, since she felt that it would only waste her saliva whatever she said to him. She no longer tried to hide, but chose to leave instead.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t go! When will you pay what you owe me?¡± Yue Zigang quickly blocked her path.


    ¡°Can you not be more shameless than this, Yue Zigang?¡± Chen Xiaowan frowned and couldn¡¯t help but scold with abhorrence. ¡°I bought everything you wanted in these few years; even the money you spent when you went out to drink and hang out with your buddies came from my pocket. We have already broken up now, and you even want me to pay compensation for a bullshit psychological damage and the loss of your youth. Are you still a human?¡±


    Yue Zigang was incensed and released the fat woman, as he pointed his finger to Chen Xiaowan and scolded her, ¡°This father has served you so well. Who the hell do you think cooked your meals when you went to work every day? Who rushed to your company to wait for you until you came off from work and picked you up? Did you even fucking pay me for what I¡¯ve done for you? How much did you spend on me, huh? Look at you now, penny pincher. Passing your days so miserly, you even came here to browse things without buying anything. Are you pretending to look swanky like a big-tailed wolf by coming here?¡± [1]


    ¡°YOU¡­¡± Again, Chen Xiaowan¡¯s heart was as though being sheared by a knife. To her chagrin, tears forced themselves out of her eyes. She knew Yue Zigang was impudent and brazen, but to think he was so shameless¡­


    A curious look appeared on the fat woman¡¯s face as she said, ¡°Honey, is this the ex-girlfriend you said had cheated on you? Judging by her looks, she does look like a vixen. You¡¯re so powerful in bed, yet she didn¡¯t even feel satisfied by you? What a bitch!¡±


    Yue Zigang was stunned. Little did he think that the fat woman would say such a thing. An unnatural expression instantly appeared on his handsome face, yet he didn¡¯t refute it, tacitly approving her words.


    Tears welled in Chen Xiaowan¡¯s eyes along with disbelief. Her lips uncontrollably quivered, angered by the plump woman¡¯s cheap words. She pointed at Yue Zigang and cursed, ¡°Are you still a human, Yue Zigang? How can you be so shameless? It was you and my good friend who obviously got caught red-handed having sex, yet you slander me saying I¡¯m the one who was cheating on you? You-you-you¡­ you are too shameless!¡±


    An impatient look appeared on Yue Zigang¡¯s face as he coldly hummed and said, ¡°Don¡¯t run your mouth. Since we met today, quickly pay the compensation you owe me. 100 thousand! I¡¯m giving you a discount.¡±


    The crowd of women around looked disgusted and indignant. They were all people with discerning eyes, and there was no way they were unable to understand how things happened from beginning to end. The man named Yue Zigang obviously overstepped his bounds. He shamelessly demanded compensation for psychological damages and the loss of his youth to his ex-girlfriend after breaking up.


    This man¡­ how shameless could he be?


    One of the women who saw Chen Xiaowan bursting out tears angrily shouted, ¡°Today is really an eye-opener for me. An adult man crossed the line and unexpectedly demanded compensation for bullshit mental damages and loss of youth to his ex-girlfriend after breaking up¡­ Shameless!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly right! The Gods really don¡¯t have eyes, or else they would have sent a lightning bolt to kill him! She broke up with him without hard feelings, yet he dragged another woman to slander his ex-girlfriend. It¡¯s really despicable and shameless!¡± Another woman was unable to restrain herself and echoed.


    ¡°Yeah! I¡¯ve seen a lot of mean and shameless men, but I have never seen such a shameless one to this extent!¡±


    ¡°What a scumbag! Whoever likes him is really blind.¡±


    ¡°That fat woman next to him is just as shameless as him! This is exactly a representation that people of the same ilk really like each other, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°What a cheating couple! The man is a crook and the woman is a slut.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The 20 women around began to chide.


    Tang Xiu, who was sitting on the sofa, sympathetically looked at Chen Xiaowan. He didn¡¯t expect that such a beautiful woman could actually have such a shameless ex-boyfriend, and had such an unforgettable past. However, he didn¡¯t feel like talking about other¡¯s affairs either.


    As for Yue Zigang, he never dreamed that he would be denounced and derided by so many people like this. His face was burning, and he wished that he could find a hole to burrow himself into. His original intention to look impressive before his new rich woman ended with him looking like a disgraced fool. He never expected that his smart attempt would end up with a rotten egg on his face and pushed him into this wretched situation.


    The fat woman was obviously not someone easy to deal with, as she glared at the women who hurled curses at her, as she released herself from Yue Zigang¡¯s arm and yelled, ¡°SHUT THE HELL UP, BITCHES! This lady¡¯s boyfriend escorted me to handle family matters. What right do you have to meddle in our goddamn business? YOU ALL SCRAM! Or else I¡¯ll make you all humiliated!¡±


    The women instantly turned incensed. Those who could go shopping here hailed from financially good households, and a few of them even hailed from prominent families in Shanghai. They began to fight back upon hearing such arrogant insults from the fat woman.


    Chen Xiaowan¡¯s feelings eased a lot, and she felt much better upon seeing everyone¡¯s attitude. She wiped away the tears on her face as she stopped everyone from pointing and hurling any more insults. She then stared at Yue Zigang and spoke, ¡°You want money, don¡¯t you? I¡¯ll give it to you now, but you must never appear before me ever again.¡±


    ¡°Little Sis, don¡¯t give him money!¡± A woman in her 30s quickly stopped her.


    With a grateful expression, Chen Xiaowan replied, ¡°Big Sis, and all of you, thanks a lot for your kindness. This man is extremely despicable and has been causing troubles for me every few days. He even went pounding on my door and rained curses at me. I really can¡¯t stand it anymore. If losing money can end this, then I¡¯m willing to give him money as long as he is out of my life.¡±


    ¡°Little Sis, it¡¯s nothing but a pipe dream.¡± The woman said. ¡°Even if you give him money now, this kind of loathsome creature will always create trouble for you whenever he has no money in the future. I advise you to call the police directly. I¡¯m sure that the police will definitely give him a lesson.¡±


    ¡°WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU, BITCH?¡± Yue Zhigang yelled. ¡°If you meddle in others¡¯ business again, do you believe that I won¡¯t trash you?¡±


    The woman stepped forward and loudly said, ¡°Come and try! Thrash me if you can. If you don¡¯t do it today, I don¡¯t believe you¡¯re a man!¡±


    This time, Yue Zigang panicked. He was a smart guy, how could he not be aware of the fact that women who could shop here probably hailed from the haves and families with wealth and influence? Hence, he didn¡¯t want to make matters more complicated since he would be in for big trouble in case he provoked some figures he couldn¡¯t afford to offend.


    However, as he was hesitating, the fat woman beside him rushed before that woman and fiercely slapped her face.


    ¡°What the hell? You dare to hit me!¡±


    The women in the surrounding were obviously angry and they rushed to surround the fat woman. Even Chen Xiaowan had never thought that someone else would be implicated because of her. She squeezed into the front of the slapped woman to protect her while fiercely pushing the fat woman out.


    ¡°Ouch! Ouch!¡± The fat woman screamed twice in pain when her fat hips slammed on the floor after getting pushed and falling.


    ¡°What the hell is happening here, Big Bro Tang?¡±


    At this moment, Hu Qingsong, who just had picked the lingerie inside, ran over with that sales clerk and shouted upon seeing the chaotic scene.


    ¡°A scumbag and his shameless woman bullied his ex-girlfriend, finally angering these people.¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile. ¡°So, have you picked the lingerie? If you have, then quickly pay the bill and let¡¯s leave this place.¡±


    Hu Qingsong nodded and paid the bill. Together with Tang Xiu, he bypassed the crowd and made to leave. At this moment, the fat woman had already gotten up from the floor. At the moment Yue Zigang blocked the other women around, she rushed to the front of the store, forcefully closed the front door and shouted, ¡°SHUT UP, BASTARDS! You all dare to hit this old lady, do you know who this lady is? You all won¡¯t be going anywhere. I¡¯m gonna call my husband. All of you will be detained in the police station, and you will definitely be trashed there!¡±


    In a flash, the chaotic scene from a moment ago instantly turned into a complete silence. Everyone looked at the fat woman, dumbfounded and tongue-tied.


    Husband? This fat woman had a husband?


    Tang Xiu frowned and looked disgustedly at her, and then spoke in a deep voice, ¡°Open the way!¡±


    The fat woman had already seen Tang Xiu. Even though he was very handsome and kind of tempted her; however, she was now under a raging tantrum and simply didn¡¯t want to give face to anyone inside the store she cursed, ¡°This lady won¡¯t let you. Do you bastard dare to hit me? I¡¯ll tell you something, my husband is the deputy chief of the City Public Security Bureau and has great power. If you dare to move your hands I can make sure that you will rot in jail!¡±


    A cold light flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he said indifferently, ¡°Does your power come from your husband?¡±


    The fat woman puffed her chest out and loudly said, ¡°It does. What? Do you think a little bastard like you is better than him?¡±


    Anger began to fill Tang Xiu¡¯s heart, as he turned his head to Hu Qingsong and said, ¡°This woman is courting her own death, Old Hu. How about we help her?¡±


    Hu Qingsong, glooming with anger, approvingly nodded.


    ¡°Everyone, did you all hear it?¡± Tang Xiu shouted. ¡°Since this woman forbids everyone from leaving, then no one can leave now. I really wanna see what this woman can do.¡±


    At this moment, Yue Zigang was almost scared to death by the sudden turn of events. How could he know that the husband of this fat woman was a deputy chief of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau? If¡­ their case was to be exploded, then he as the third man would meet his death!

 Chapter 577

    Chapter 577: Recalling the Unbearable Past Events


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Little did Yue Zigang think that this fat woman would be the same as her exterior¡ªa swine-like figure and also a pig-like brain. It was true that these people were detestable, but this fat woman was literally an abomination. She had such a powerful husband, yet she even squandered money to seduce him. Wasn¡¯t this akin to inviting a calamity for him?


    ¡°MAKE WAY!¡± He quickly toward the fat woman and forcefully pushed her aside.


    The fat woman stared in disbelief. She never expected that Yue Zigang would act like this. Shouldn¡¯t they both stand on the same front at this time?


    ¡°Yue Zigang! Are you out of your mind? They are bullying me, yet you unexpectedly helped them even though you live off me?¡± After the fat woman reacted, she grabbed Yue Zigang¡¯s arm and her fat body blocked the doorway, unyieldingly blocking him from leaving.


    ¡°FUCK OFF, YOU IDIOT!¡± Angrily yelled Yue Zigang.


    ¡°YOU¡¯RE A SCUMBAG, YUE ZIGANG!¡± The fat woman furiously yelled back. ¡°This lady helped you, yet you turn your back and dare to curse me. HOW DARE YOU? I¡­ I¡¯ll KILL YOU!¡±


    Pa¡­


    Yue Zigang slapped the fat woman¡¯s face and yelled, ¡°Wake up, bitch! What¡¯s the relationship between us, huh? If you tell it to your husband, will he support you or kill us both when he arrives here?¡±


    ¡°My husband will definitely help us, he¡­¡± The fat woman shouted, but her roar abruptly halted halfway when she suddenly realized something and stiffly swallowed her words back.


    That¡¯s right! She spent her purse to keep a boy toy. If her husband were to find out about it, then he¡­ he would definitely kill her! That wouldn¡¯t do. She must never contact her husband.


    The fat woman panicked. After quickly releasing Yue Zigang, she said with a nervous expression, ¡°Right, you¡¯re right. I was just so muddled and stupid. Let¡¯s leave this place quickly.¡±


    ¡°HOLD ON!¡± Tang Xiu blocked their path and sneered. ¡°You want to leave? Dream on! Didn¡¯t you just so happily hurled your curses on me? You yelled at me, saying that the Deputy Chief of the Public Security Bureau¡ªyour husband you¡¯re cheating on is gonna give me a lesson, no? Call him now! Or else you won¡¯t be able to walk out of this door.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Don¡¯t let them go!¡±


    At this moment, the woman who had just been slapped and finished calling someone quickly ran to Tang Xiu¡¯s side and blocked their path with Tang Xiu. The rest also snapped back to their senses and quickly shut the door, with each and every one of them showing gloating looks at the two.


    ¡°You people¡­¡± The fat woman panicked.


    With a paled expression, Yue Zigang¡¯s eyes about to burst with flame as he glared at Tang Xiu and spoke with a sinking voice, ¡°Buddy, we admit that what we just did is wrong, and we¡¯ll give more attention as for how to behave better in the future. Please let us leave, what happened between all of us here is a misunderstanding.¡±


    Making things difficult for them never crossed Tang Xiu¡¯s mind too, but the swearing hurled out by the fat woman was excessively offensive and too much to bear. Moreover, this place was a woman¡¯s lingerie store, a place he never wanted to stay for long periods of time. Nowadays, people who were well-fed and well-clad and thought to satisfy their craving for lust were far too many, and getting on others clandestine love affairs was something he didn¡¯t feel like meddling.


    ¡°Then tell this woman to apologize.¡± Tang Xiu pointed to the fat woman.


    Yue Zigang quickly pulled her and scolded, ¡°What are you dazing for? Apologize to them!¡±


    At this time, the fat woman really wished there was a pit nearby to burrow herself into. A moment before, she didn¡¯t put these people in her eyes and was arrogant and domineering toward them. But in an instant turn of events, she now must apologize to them; this vexed feeling almost drove her insane. Compared to being caught red-handed with a boy toy by her husband, however, she suddenly felt that apologizing would be nothing to speak of.


    ¡°Alright¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Tang Xiu snorted and coldly said, ¡°Apologize to everyone and the lady you hit!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need her apology.¡± The woman who had just been slapped directly waved her hand and said, ¡°I don¡¯t care if she¡¯s cheating her husband, and neither do I care if her husband has power. This matter won¡¯t end here.¡±


    After giving her a deep gaze, Tang Xiu was silent for a while before looking at the pale Chen Xiaowan. Sighing inside, he said, ¡°What about you? Are you staying or leaving?¡±


    Chen Xiaowan avoided Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes, not daring to look at him at all. Even when Tang Xiu asked her a question, her eyes were evasive. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, she said in a low voice, ¡°She was beaten for helping me. I can¡¯t leave her.¡±


    ¡°You still keep this tough and crabby temper, huh.¡± Tang Xiu coldly hummed and continued speaking, ¡°Gimme your cell number.¡±


    She hesitated for a moment before shaking her head, ¡°I don¡¯t have one.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Tang Xiu was quite annoyed. ¡°You don¡¯t want to tell me about it, eh. Come to look for me in the Everlasting Feast Hall if you¡¯re in trouble later. They will call me.¡±


    After saying that, he turned around and walked out of the store.


    Hu Qingsong stared blankly and was stunned. He looked at Chen Xiaowan, who stayed silent and lowered her head before shifting his sight to the leaving Tang Xiu. There was an odd expression on his face as he could sense an unusual atmosphere between them. While carrying his bag he then caught up with Tang Xiu, as he then asked in a low voice, ¡°Big Bro Tang, did you already know that Chen Xiaowan before?¡±


    Tang Xiu faintly nodded in response but didn¡¯t elaborate.


    Looking at his indifferent expression, Hu Qingsong suppressed his curiosity.


    A few minutes later, Yue Zigang took the fat woman out of the Wanmo Shopping Mall. They were trailed by the slapped woman behind, whereas Chen Xiaowan followed her despite not knowing what she wanted to do.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to follow me. I¡¯ll deal with this matter myself.¡± The woman suddenly halted as she looked at Chen Xiaowan and spoke.


    Biting her lower lip, Chen Xiaowan firmly shook her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m the one who got you implicated. You don¡¯t want to give up this matter, so I¡¯ll accompany you.¡±


    ¡°As you like!¡± The woman coldly grunted and shifted her sight to Yue Zigang and the fat woman as they got into an Audi on the parking lot outside. She immediately took out her car keys and quickly entered into a nearby Porsche. Chen Xiaowan didn¡¯t hesitate as she opened the front passenger door of the car and quickly entered as well.


    On a nearby street, Tang Xiu, who had been observing the Wanmao Shopping Mall, saw the main characters of the previous fight coming out. He then turned to Hu Qingsong on the front seat and said, ¡°Do you mind going back first by taxi?¡±


    ¡°Do you need my help?¡± Asked Hu Qingsong after hesitating for a moment.


    ¡°No need.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll go back first.¡± Hu Qingsong nodded. ¡°Call me quickly if something¡¯s up, I¡¯ll catch up with you as fast as possible.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Tang Xiu answered shortly, and his eyes fixated on the two cars that had already entered the freeway. After starting the car, he quickly followed them.


    Bumping into Chen Xiaowan today was quite unexpected for Tang Xiu. He didn¡¯t even recognize her at first had it not been because he felt that she looked familiar. Long prior to this, he thought that he wouldn¡¯t be able to see her anymore in this life.


    She was an acquaintance, a very familiar and close one, and even the first woman he liked. He first met her just as he entered junior high. She was his cousin¡ªSu Yaning¡¯s classmate and good friend. Not only did she help him many times in Star City, she also went to the Su Family Village with Su Yaning and brought him many things.


    Tang Xiu also remembered that Chen Xiaowan gave him many first time events in his life. She, who was five or six years older than him, was the first stranger who gave him pocket money. The first person who celebrated his birthday¡­ and also the first naked woman he saw taking a bath¡­


    Only, that time was purely an accident that then caused Chen Xiaowan to hate him because she mistakenly thought that he was intentionally peeping on her. After he transmigrated to the Immortal World due to unforeseen circumstances, there was also a small desire inside him to see her again, just to explain what happened to her.


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t because of that accident at the beginning, perhaps I would have already had a beloved big sister now! In a stark contrast to Chen Xiaowan, who has no blood relationships at all, Su Yaning is so much worse ¡­¡± Tang Xiu felt a bit of regret inwardly.


    Hongkou District, Zhongqiang Road intersection.


    Two SUV¡¯s were speeding so fast that one of them crashed the front side of the Audi driven by Yue Zigang after driving alongside it, as the Audi suddenly skewed its path and then flipped over after another SUV hit its rear.


    After a brief stop, the two slightly damaged SUVs quickly drove away. The Porsche behind it stopped at the roadside, as the woman on the driver¡¯s seat turned to look at the gaping and terrified Chen Xiaowan, who was taken by surprise by the unforeseen accident. She lightly smiled at her and said, ¡°It¡¯s Miss Chen, right? You¡¯re very good. You¡¯re a woman who takes responsibility for herself. Now that I have vented this resentment out of my heart, you can go.¡±


    ¡°Uh, what¡­¡± Chen Xiaowan was still in a daze.


    The woman raised her brows and spoke again, ¡°I mean¡­ you can get off.¡±


    While still in her muddleheaded state, Chen Xiaowan got off the car and only snapped back to her senses after the Porsche disappeared at the end of the road.


    Heavens! Were those two SUVs that hit the Audi and flipped it over the doing of this woman? What kind of person is she to even resort to¡­ murder?


    Chen Xiaowan stood on the roadside and took out her mobile phone with all sort of emotions inside. She wanted to call an ambulance, but after recalling that it was to save that detestable man, she couldn¡¯t dial the number at all.


    Creak¡­


    Tang Xiu stopped his car close to her and watched the Audi on the roadside with an indifferent expression. As he got off the car he immediately grabbed Chen Xiaowan¡¯s wrist and pushed her inside after opening the door to the front seat.


    ¡°HEY¡­ WHAT ARE YOU DOING?¡±


    Seeing Tang Xiu sitting in the driver seat and watching him starting the car, Chen Xiaowan immediately yelled angrily.


    Tang Xiu forced a wry smile and said, ¡°Sis Xiaowan, something happened in the past that has been left unexplained for several years. Can you at least listen to me explain the whole story from the beginning?¡±


    Chen Xiaowan was silent. She really was furious toward Tang Xiu back then, but the real reason as to why she avoided Tang Xiu was not entirely because of that, but rather Su Yaning¡¯s attitude. If not because she held a birthday party for Tang Xiu that resulted in a big fight with Su Yaning back then, she would still regard and treat Tang Xiu as her younger brother.


    She felt that it was rather a pity, because Tang Xiu was unfortunately the younger brother of Su Yaning and not hers. In spite of Tang Xiu being sensible, clever, good-natured and gentle; good traits she liked about in a person.

 Chapter 578

    Chapter 578: Relentless Pursue and Beating


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The former intertwined feelings turned remorseful and vexed feeling and eventually made her and Tang Xiu become strangers. Moreover, meeting Tang Xiu again today was particularly depressing, because he saw her at the most ridiculous and miserable situation, thus making her want to speak out all her bitter and painful experiences. The embarrassment and shame she felt inside made her unsure how to face Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What exactly do you want to explain?¡± Cheng Xiaowan followed along to melt the awkwardness.


    Tang Xiu turned the car to a fork in the road and stopped it on the roadside with little traffic. He then opened the window, pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and silently lit it. After taking a deep puff, he turned his head to Chen Xiaowan and said seriously, ¡°Sis Xiaowan, I¡¯m sure you know how I was treated by Su Yaning and Su Xiangfei back then. You are her classmate and best friend and you¡¯ve probably heard all the bad mouthing she threw at me, am I right?¡±


    The awkwardness inside Chen Xiaowan was blown away and vanished as she sympathetically looked at Tang Xiu and nodded silently.


    ¡°When you held that birthday party for me, I felt very grateful to you because it was actually the first time I got my birthday celebrated in my whole life. Though it was stopped midway and came to a bitter end, the gratitude in my heart toward you didn¡¯t vanish. It¡¯s like the feeling a little brother has toward his big sis, for you made feel very warm inside.


    ¡°Do you know that you have made me encounter many of firsts in life? You¡¯re the first person aside from my mother and grandmother who gave me pocket money, the first one who gave me a gift, the first who held a birthday party for me, and the first person to lend me a hand to make up for the missed lessons¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m the only child of the family and to the eyes of others, we¡ªan orphan and a widow staying in the Su Family Village were easy targets to be gossiped about. But I never saw contempt and despise in your eyes. As a matter of fact, I really looked at you as my own big sister, far more than Su Yaning who is of the same blood as me.¡±


    As he spoke up to there, Tang Xiu was a bit depressed inside.


    He lifted the cigarette between his fingers and took a deep puff. Along with the cloud of smoke coming out from his mouth, he continued, ¡°That day when you held a birthday party for me, it was Su Xiangfei who asked me to come to the bathroom to get some stuff for him. I didn¡¯t know that you were inside, so I just¡­ Anyhow, it was only then that I figured out that Su Xiangfei definitely knew that you were taking a shower inside, hence he intentionally deceived me to go there. Like¡­ just like before the CET, the siblings hid the money in their home, but charged a false accusation on me as the one who stole it.¡±


    Chen Xiaowan¡¯s eyes stared wide. Tang Xiu¡¯s story sent a stream of warmness into her heart. But she never thought that the bottom of the story turned out to be this reason. She didn¡¯t expect that Su Yaning and Su Xiangfei were so excessive.


    In an instant, sympathy and compassion rose inside her toward Tang Xiu, and the repelling feeling she had toward him also vanished instantly.


    Tang suddenly smiled, albeit a bit unsightly. ¡°Can you imagine how my mother and I have been these past years, Sis Xiaowan? It was thanks to my mom¡¯s hard work of running a small restaurant and the little money gave by the Su Family that we eventually barely came through. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t have to pay the high tuition fee for the school if I was able to pass the CET and be admitted to a major university in China.¡±


    ¡°I became kind of muddle headed and lost my intelligence for a time. It was Su Yaning and Su Xiangfei who hid the money just to falsely accuse me. They even called the police at that time. If it wasn¡¯t for some particular reasons and due to the arrival of a policewoman from the Crime Division of Star City Public Security Bureau who eventually revealed the truth, I¡¯m afraid that I wouldn¡¯t be sitting here and having a chat with you now but behind bars.¡±


    ¡°They¡­ they went too far! You¡¯re their cousin, for God¡¯s sake!¡± Anger painted Chen Xiaowan¡¯s face.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I told you that your place in my heart is much bigger than theirs.¡± Tang Xiu bitterly said. ¡°They feel the same towards me, I assume.¡±


    Chen Xiaowan grabbed his hand in an attempt to comfort Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and continued, ¡°It was also that incident that made me realize that relying on others is useless, and only relying on myself will do. Hence, I set up some business and a company with all the abilities and skills I¡¯ve learned before the CET, and the condition of my family has finally improved now.¡±


    ¡°I know some stuff about you. I have seen your video at this year¡¯s Shanghai University¡¯s freshmen welcoming party, and the one when you rendered medical services at the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. I¡¯m really glad that you have grown up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be more than happy if you stopped being angry with me because of yesteryear¡¯s matter.¡± Tang Xiu smiled.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s words touched Chen Xiaowan¡¯s heart a lot, and her attitude toward him became more intimate as her fingers grasped Tang Xiu¡¯s hand and said seriously, ¡°Big Sis is not angry with you. Had I known about the causes earlier, I wouldn¡¯t have been angry with you back then.¡±


    Tang Xiu was happy by the answer, and then said, ¡°Let me treat you to a dinner, Sis Xiaowan!¡±


    ¡°It should Big Sis treating you.¡± Chen Xiaowan shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m working in a big foreign company now, and the paycheck is quite big.¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile in response. Suddenly, his expression moved as he said, ¡°Sis Xiaowan, tell me if that chap pesters you again later. I¡¯ll kick him out from Shanghai and even China.¡±


    Upon hearing it, Chen Xiaowan¡¯s heart pained as she nodded silently in response. After seeing Tang Xiu start the car, she suddenly spoke, ¡°Tang Xiu, tell me. He¡­ he won¡¯t die, right?¡±


    ¡°Are you still unable to fully let him go, Sis Xiaowan?¡± Asked Tang Xiu as he sighed inwardly.


    ¡°How could it be easy to put such a matter down?¡± Chen Xiaowan bitterly said. ¡°After all, he¡¯s my first boyfriend and we had been together for several years. I thought I would be with him for the rest of my life, but I never thought¡­ If anything, I¡¯ve totally given up such illusion today at last. But still, if it¡¯s involving such an important thing as the life of human being, I still feel¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand you.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Anyhow, it¡¯s still early now to have dinner now. Let¡¯s take a look at the situation over there, shall we?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Chen Xiaowan hesitated.


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile. After driving for a while, he returned to the spot where the Audi crashed. At this time, the place had been encircled by several police cars and an ambulance was parked nearby. A tall middle-aged man dressed in a police uniform looked anxious and hurriedly directed the paramedics to lift the people in the SUV.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, take a look at¡­ that woman!¡± Chen Xiaowan¡¯s vision suddenly focused on a spot as she pointed to a woman amidst the crowd.


    Tang Xiu looked around and immediately saw a woman in the crowd. She unexpectedly was the woman who had been slapped by the fat woman in the Carine Gilson lingerie store.


    ¡°Was this traffic accident machinated by her?¡±


    Prior to this, Tang Xiu had been tightly following them from behind all the way. Naturally, he was able to figure out the real cause for the flipped over SUV.


    ¡°I¡¯m not 100% sure, but there¡¯s 99% chance that that woman did arrange for some someone to do it. We followed that SUV before, and I saw her sending some text messages,¡± said Chen Xiaowan.


    ¡°Judging from the famous brands being worn by her as well as the luxury car she drives, her identity is perhaps quite extraordinary.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°She hasn¡¯t left yet, so it¡¯s evident that she hasn¡¯t felt that her anger has been vented. Let¡¯s wait and see! A problem will pop up shortly.¡±


    ¡°Yue Zigang and that fat woman are already like this, what else can she do?¡± Asked Chen Xiaowan, confused.


    ¡°Though they were plotted against, the relationship between them isn¡¯t yet known to the husband of that fat woman¡ªthe Deputy Chief of the Police.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled.


    Chen Xiaowan suddenly realized and said, ¡°I understand! If that woman¡¯s husband, the Deputy Chief of the Public Security Bureau learns about it, I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t forgive them. This¡­ isn¡¯t this the same as a relentless pursuit to the end and strike them hard?¡±


    ¡°Their behavior and attitude is detestable. The way they treated and humiliated you caused her much ire and anger, and then she got slapped when she involved herself. Do you think that woman will let this matter go? Had it been me, I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯d be even more ruthless than that woman,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Chen Xiaowan was silent, as she felt that Tang Xiu¡¯s explanation made sense.


    Today Feng Kang had a very bad mood, and being sent to this place worsened it. He hadn¡¯t yet solved the current problem on hand, yet his wife called him saying that she got into a traffic accident, causing him to rush over hastily. What made him baffled and bewildered was that there was also a handsome young man on the front seat. He was sure that he had never seen him before.


    He was secretly relieved after seeing that his wife and the young man being put on the stretchers and being told by the paramedics that their lives were not in danger.


    At this moment, the woman in the crowd just finished her call and then stuffed her mobile into her bag. She then whispered to another woman in her 30s to her side, as the woman then nodded and immediately rushed to the ambulance.


    ¡°Heavens! The Gods have finally opened their eyes! These two wretched people are cheating couple, and you all finally had a car accident here. This¡­ really serves you both right! You¡¯re both shameless to the bone.¡±


    Feng Kang stared blankly, as anger instantly blazed inside him. He rushed toward the woman and asked in a heavy voice, ¡°What bullshit are you spitting out?¡±


    ¡°Bullshit? Did I speak wrong?¡± The woman glared at Feng Kang and yelled back, ¡°This lady never speaks any nonsense. These wretched two are so shameless, confessing that they have a love affair and offended many people a moment ago. They humiliate and insulting others, beating and fighting with them. That¡¯s right, this swine-like fat woman¡­ even shouted that her husband is the Deputy Chief of the Public Security Bureau and threatened that her husband would come to fix everyone up. Ptui! She¡¯s simply a pig brain! Going shopping on the lingerie store with her pretty boy toy and causing public anger, yet still shouting to make her husband trash everyone. What a moron!¡±


    Feng Kang was stupefied. This revelation from the woman before him made his whole body totally petrified.


    My¡­ my wife is cheating on me, and keeping a boy toy outside?


    The tongue-lashing woman then looked at Feng Kang¡¯s face, as she suddenly seemed to recall something before shouting again, ¡°That¡¯s right. The traffic accident should have been handled by the traffic police. How come the people from the Public Security Bureau came here, too? Could it be¡­ you¡¯re the Deputy Chief of the Public Security Bureau who got cheated by her?¡±

 Chapter 579

    Chapter 579: The Appearance of the Last Living Eunuch Yet Again


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    As the Deputy Chief of the City Public Security Bureau, Feng Kang had quite the power in his hands, yet he never once imagined that he would be cheated by his pig-like wife at home; neither did he expect that it would be revealed by someone in a public place. Even these six or seven policemen he brought were looking at him with bizarre expressions.


    Pa¡­


    Driven by anger, Feng Kang slapped the woman and yelled, ¡°SHUT UP! Speak garbage again and I¡¯ll arrest you under false accusation and slandering!¡±


    The woman covered her cheek and bellowed, ¡°GOD! A COP IS HITTING SOMEONE! His wife cheats on him and finally got on an accident here. I told him the truth yet he lashes out his anger out of shame? Where is the law? Everyone, tell me, which one is the right and which one is the wrong? Can a cop beat someone like this?¡±


    After Feng Kang slapped her out of shame and anger, he immediately regretted it. In any case, he was the Deputy Chief of the City Public Bureau, and he must never hit someone in this kind of situation in public.


    As expected, a commotion immediately exploded from the onlookers around. Each and every one of them revealed indignant expressions. Many even steppeding out to demand for Feng Kang to take responsibility due to his excessive action, whereas some people kept adding fuel to the flames in the back, causing the onlookers to turn angrier.


    Tang Xiu was sitting in the car while watching the unfolding changes in front. He then looked at Chen Xiaowan and sighed, ¡°That woman really is ruthless. She arranged all the links required to interlock with each other for the event. Yue Zigang and that fat woman are probably not the only ones to fall on hard times, even this Deputy Director of the Public Security Bureau will be implicated.¡±


    ¡°Is that policeman who beat that woman is the husband of that fat woman?¡± Asked Chen Xiaowan in a low voice.


    ¡°He should be, or else why would someone from the Public Security Bureau rush over to a traffic accident site and not the traffic policemen?¡± Tang Xiu chuckled. ¡°That woman who revealed the fact that his wife is cheating on him was obviously arranged by someone else. For that policeman to actually hit someone with such a furious expression can only mean one thing¡ªthat he¡¯s the unlucky man who got cuckolded by his wife.¡±


    Chen Xiaowan nodded. She suddenly looked a bit awkward when she looked at Tang Xiu and said in a low voice, ¡°Can you not say ¡®cuckolded¡¯ anymore? It kinda feels like the words are crowned over my head.¡±


    Cough¡­ cough¡­


    Her words made Tang Xiu choke between laughter and tears. He then looked at her in the eyes, as he forced a smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s already in the past, Sis Xiaowan. You don¡¯t need to brood over it. If the pet dog you liked so much were to bit you, you would just kick it away.¡±


    A pet dog?


    A faint smile appeared on Chen Xiaowan¡¯s beautiful face after hearing it.


    Standing next to the ambulance, Feng Kang was facing accusations from the numerous onlookers in the surrounding. He wanted to completely understand the truth of the matter as he grabbed the slapped woman¡¯s hand and asked in a heavy voice, ¡°I apologize for what I just did, but you are also being held responsible for what you spoke. How can you prove that they have a secret relationship?¡±


    ¡°How can I prove it? Do I even need to prove it?¡± The woman retorted angrily. ¡°Dozens of people can be witnesses; they saw them in the Wanmao Shopping Center¡¯s Carine Gilson lingerie store! If you don¡¯t believe me, send your policemen to that store to investigate it.¡±


    Feng Kang let the woman go as he turned around and shouted, ¡°Li Hu, go to the Wanmao Shopping Center and investigate what she said. I¡¯ll escort them to the hospital and wait for your news there.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±


    The young policeman replied and left with two more of his comrades.


    As the ambulance left, the accident crew rushed to tow away the flipped over SUV, and the onlookers slowly dispersed. Tang Xiu followed the ambulance to Shanghai Hospital. When he parked in the hospital¡¯s parking lot, his face suddenly flickered as he spoke, ¡°Sis Xiaowan, do you want to completely solve the Yue Zigang trouble?¡±


    ¡°Solve it?¡± Asked Chen Xiaowan, confused.


    ¡°Transfer 100 thousand yuan to his account now. He threatened you in the Carine Gilson store back then and many people can be witnesses for it. Supposing that it¡¯s true, then he¡¯s allegedly responsible for blackmailing and extortion. I have a way to make him rot in prison for 8 to 10 years because of this amount of money.¡±


    Chen Xiaowan dumbfoundedly stared at Tang Xiu for a long time, before she shook her head bitterly and said, ¡°Just forget it! He has already received the punishment he deserves. If he gets more¡­ it¡¯s kinda makes things way too difficult for him.¡±


    Tang Xiu sighed inwardly and kind of regretted saying his idea to her. Chen Xiaowan sometimes showed a tough stance on the surface, but being kind hearted and tenderhearted was one of her major characteristics. In this regard, she was actually very much like his mother, Su Lingyun.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s forget it since you don¡¯t have the heart to do it. Let¡¯s wait here, I¡¯m sure soon some news will come.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    More than an hour later, Tang Xiu released his spiritual sense to monitor the situation and found that the police officers sent to the Wanmao Shopping Center had returned and reported to Feng Kang about the truth of the matter at the entrance to the operating room. Feng Kang was so furious that he kicked open the door of the operating room to beat Yue Zigang, who was about to be treated. About four doctors rushed to stop him, but couldn¡¯t do anything. In the end, he unexpectedly grabbed a scalpel and hacked it over on Yue Zigang¡¯s crotch.


    He¡¯s castrating him? Tang Xiu was stupefied.


    Chen Xiaowan was distracted, thus she didn¡¯t see the changes in Tang Xiu¡¯s expression. Then, they got off the car as they walked toward the nearby building. There, many voices entered their ears:


    ¡°What a strange thing to happen! That policeman actually beat an injured person who was about to get a surgery. Unknown to all of what the true cause was, I heard a rumor that that policeman has even castrated that injured man.¡±


    ¡°Then, he turned into a eunuch?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he has really turned into a eunuch. I heard it was terrible.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Xiaowan¡¯s pace came to a halt as she turned to look at Tang Xiu.


    Despite having learned about it with the observation of his spiritual sense, Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t reveal this, so he deliberately showed a surprised expression and said in a low voice, ¡°For real?¡±


    After staying silent for a while, Chen Xiaowan suddenly grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s hand with a satisfied smile on her gorgeous face, saying, ¡°I don¡¯t want to listen to the following story nor do I want to have a look. Let¡¯s just leave!¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go and have a meal!¡± Tang Xiu let out a faint smile.


    They no longer stayed and left the hospital to head to the Everlasting Feast Hall. On the way there, Tang Xiu made a phone call to send someone to watch the situation in the hospital.


    ****


    At the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    Life was very great for Chi Nan recently. It was because Tang Xiu told her to gather a lot of precious medicinal herbs in advance, thus she could exchange it for a large number of cultivation resources from the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s HQ in Jingmen Island. Therefore, she spent all the money she had in hand to purchase a lot of precious medicinal herbs within a month of time and became the first member to receive massive medicinal pills for cultivation. As a result, her cultivation rapidly progressed and was only a step away from breaking through the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    Furthermore, the Jingmen Island¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s HQ also rewarded her with some medicine pills that made her even more happy. Her only regret was that she went broke.


    Where do I get money from now?


    Chi Nan pondered a bit before deciding to take part in the underground racing. It was a skill she excelled at, and she would use this strong point to make money and exchange it for cultivation resources.


    ¡°Umm?¡±


    As she was lazily leaning on the window on the second floor, she suddenly caught sight of Tang Xiu at the entrance of the restaurant along with a beautiful woman at his side.


    Boss¡¯ affinity with women is truly heaven-defying.


    The thought crossed her mind before she strode toward the office outside. In just one minute, she already appeared in front of Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Hi, Boss!¡±


    ¡°Chi Nan, give my big sis our VIP card,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a chuckle.


    Staring blankly for a short moment, Chi Nan then immediately wore a smiling face and respectfully said, ¡°Boss, the identity of this distinguished guest is¡­¡±


    ¡°Sis Xiaowan, follow Chi Nan to get your VIP card! I¡¯ll order some dishes first and will be waiting for you to come back,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Are you the owner of this Everlasting Feast Hall, Tang Xiu?¡± Asked Chi Nan, taken aback.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    Inwardly, Chen Xiaowan was a bit shocked. As an executive of a large foreign company, she had been to the Everlasting Feast Hall to dine and was naturally aware of the fact that the Everlasting Feast Hall was one of the most upscale restaurants in Shanghai. Even the most common dishes here would probably cost around 8000 yuan. She herself didn¡¯t dare to dine here often despite having a good annual income. Most of the time she patronized the venue only because she was accompanying the top executives of her company.


    She didn¡¯t know how Tang Xiu could become the owner of the Everlasting Feast Hall, because this restaurant had been in Shanghai for many years already, while Tang Xiu should be just a junior high student at that time.


    A few minutes later, after Chen Xiaowan had completed her VIP card processing with Chi Nan, she came to a nice located dining table on the first floor, and then took a seat across Tang Xiu. She then asked him some questions that confused her. Tang Xiu, however, was unwilling to speak out the reason, so he casually made up a reason and smoothly covered up the past events.


    During the meal the two talked a lot, such as how the two passed their lives over the years. Of course, it was mainly Chen Xiaowan speaking about her experiences, whereas Tang Xiu acted as a good listener. The Japanese-investment enterprise where she worked at, however, made Tang Xiu slightly surprised, because he had heard about that Japanese investment company before.


    ¡°All right, let¡¯s not talk about me all the time. It¡¯s your turn to talk. Didn¡¯t you say you started a business before the CET? What kind of business is it?¡± Chen Xiaowan asked with a smile.


    ¡°Sis Xiaowan, you should have heard of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course. This company is currently in the limelight and has infinite potential.¡± Chen Xiaowan nodded and smilingly said, ¡°Also, the cosmetic products of this company is the favorite kind for women. A pity that the sales are limited. I spent two months of my salary to buy it once.¡±


    Suddenly, the smile on her face froze, replaced by a disbelieving expression.

 Chapter 580

    Chapter 580: Detaining Someone to Be of Use for Oneself


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    ¡°If Sis Xiaowan thinks that using the Skin Care Lotion is great for your skin, I¡¯ll send you some later,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Chen Xiaowan nearly jumped up from the chair as she stared at Tang Xiu in surprise. She suddenly felt like she was dreaming. Prior to this, she thought that meeting Tang Xiu again would be an impossibility in this lifetime, thus it was unexpected that some dark hands pulled the strings, creating such a rendezvous for both of them.


    In the past, Tang Xiu¡¯s life was very bitter. She liked him because he was sensible and adorable, hence she treated him like her younger brother. It was very unexpected that he had already turned over the sky and earth in just four-plus years since the last time she saw him. The Magnificent Tang Corporation was akin to a dark horse with unstoppable momentum in the business world nowadays.


    ¡°Are you not lying to me, Tang Xiu?¡± Asked Chen Xiaowan with a trembling voice.


    Shrugging his shoulders, Tang Xiu lightly smiled and said, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m the kind of person who loves bragging, Sis Xiaowan?¡±


    With a hesitant look, Chen Xiaowan shook her head and said, ¡°No, you¡¯re not. But¡­ but it¡¯s too shocking. How did you achieve it?¡±


    ¡°I just seriously put my mind to it,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle.


    Chen Xiaowan snappily rolled her eyes and said with an annoyed expression, ¡°I originally thought that I was very successful, since not only was I able to go to Shanghai, graduated from my university, entered a foreign-investment company and was able to climb up the ladder to the upper management, earning myself a good income and a very comfortable life. But comparing those achievements of mine with yours is simply ridiculous!¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°Then just don¡¯t compare. To think yourself successful is alright in and of itself. Just like those children who were born with a golden spoon in their mouths, as they already possess hundreds of millions of fortunes the split second they were born on Earth.¡±


    Chen Xiaowan felt relieved and smilingly said, ¡°What you said is reasonable indeed, but I¡¯m still really shocked by your achievements. Anyways, let the meal today be on me, okay? You can treat me back some other day.¡±


    Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, ¡°Do you think you can treat me today, Sis Xiaowan?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Chen Xiaowan stared blankly, before recalling that the owner of this Everlasting Feast Hall was Tang Xiu himself. Even if she were to rush to pay the bill, the cashier would probably not dare to accept her money at all!


    ¡°Fine then! The meal will be on you today, and I¡¯ll treat you back some other day.¡± Chen Xiaowan showed a defeated expression. She didn¡¯t have other ideas at all because of Tang Xiu¡¯s identity, because Tang Xiu was still the intelligent and adorable little brother who called her ¡®big sis¡¯ in her eyes, even though the boy himself had already grown up now.


    ¡°Anyhow, you said that you¡¯re working in a Japanese Company, Sis Xiaowan. What¡¯s the name of the company and its business?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Brisk Trading Group, a retail company,¡± said Chen Xiaowan smilingly.


    After noting the company name in his memory, Tang Xiu then accompanied Chen Xiaowan, finished their dinner, and personally drove her back to her residence in the Bishan Lake Sub-District of Shanghai¡¯s Jingning County. Chen Xiaowan originally wanted to invite Tang Xiu upstairs, but Tang Xiu found an excuse to refuse it. Right after he drove away from Bishan Lake Sub-District, he received a call from a member of the Everlasting Feast Hall, who informed him what happened in Shanghai Hospital.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that¡­ Feng Kang is being suspended and investigated by the Public Security Bureau?¡± Asked Tang Xiu through the Bluetooth earphone.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. What he did was too excessive and seriously affected the reputation of the Public Security system as a whole. Hence, he was suspended by the higher-ups and a team from the Internal Affairs has already started investigated him.¡± A low and deep voice replied.


    ¡°I see!¡±


    Tang Xiu hung up the call with a wry smile on his face. Speaking about it, this Feng Kang could be considered a true man with misfortune and bad luck. He had firmly secured a high position in the Public Security Bureau¡ªsomeone with real power, yet his fat and ugly wife went out of track to cheat him behind his back. Him being cheated was needless to say, but he unexpectedly lost his sanity out of anger, leading him to castrate Yue Zigang in the hospital¡¯s operating room.


    After giving it a thought for a while, Tang Xiu then called his grandfather.


    ¡°Haha, how come you remember to call me, Xiu¡¯er? Your Third Grandpa and I were just talking about you.¡± Tang Guosheng¡¯s hearty laughter came out from the phone.


    ¡°You¡¯re in a great mood now that our family has passed through the crisis and the Yao Family have fallen aren¡¯t you, Grandpa?¡± Replied Tang Xiu with a chuckle.


    ¡°Yeah, I indeed feel great!¡± Said Tang Guosheng with a chuckle.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re in a good mood, then can I ask you a favor? I want to protect someone,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°You want to protect someone?¡± Tang Guosheng was surprised. ¡°Who is the person and what¡¯s his identity?¡±


    Tang Xiu explained about Feng Kang¡¯s affairs and finally said, ¡°Grandpa, there¡¯s some things I wanna do in Shanghai and having someone in the Public Security Bureau would help to deal with things very conveniently later. Feng Kang is now currently facing an imminent disaster, so helping him at this time will make it easier to recruit him and secure his usefulness later.¡±


    Tang Guosheng pondered for a moment and then said, ¡°No problem, I¡¯ll use my contacts immediately. All his troubles will be solved tomorrow afternoon at the latest.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no hurry. It¡¯s best to wait for two days!¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    Tang Guosheng immediately understood Tang Xiu¡¯s meaning. As of now, Feng Kang was in a moment of crisis, thus he wouldn¡¯t feel very grateful if they immediately helped him. If they came to help when he was at the end of the rope and was suffering from mental torture, however, he would definitely feel very grateful and would be of great use to his grandson.


    ¡°I see. Let him enjoy it for two days, then.¡±


    ****


    Shanghai, Kangqiao Villa Complex.


    Today, Ni Jie was in a very good mood. Thought she got slapped by a madwoman when she went shopping, what she did had vented out all the vexed and bottled up anger inside her.


    ¡°What are you giggling about, daughter?¡±


    Ni Penggang, who was sitting on the sofa in the living room and was about to begin reading a financial magazine, suddenly saw his daughter came home while giggling, as he immediately asked her with a smile.


    With a smiling face, Ni Jie replied, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Dad. I just feel very good after tidying up a crazy dog today. Anyways, Dad, have you heard about Feng Kang¡ªthe Deputy Chief of the City Public Security Bureau?¡±


    Ni Penggang was stunned for a second before nodding, ¡°I know him. He¡¯s a very promising Deputy Chief. I heard that he¡¯s someone under the Old Man Wei, and maybe he will be able to hold up the office.¡±


    ¡°He will never be able to obtain the tenure, since I just pulled him down today after employing some schemes.¡± Ni Jie laughed. ¡°I just got the news that he has been suspended and is currently being investigated.¡±


    ¡°How so? What¡¯s going on?¡± asked Ni Penggang in surprise as he suddenly straightened up.


    Ni Jie then told him the whole thing that happened today, finally saying, ¡°If he wants to blame someone, he can blame his shameless, arrogant, and unscrupulous wife who acted as if nobody on Earth could beat her. Just take a look at my face, the palm print on it has yet to completely vanish.¡±


    With a deep frown, Ni Penggang nodded and said, ¡°Now that you have them tidied up, then so be it! it¡¯s just a pity that Old Man Wei¡¯s plan will be affected, though.¡±


    ¡°Dad, Uncle Wei¡¯s matters are beyond my control. But you yourself have taught me to not provoke others if they don¡¯t act untoward to me, and to pay them back ten times more if they do.¡± Ni Jie happily said. ¡°Feng Kang¡¯s wife slapped me, thus I had pay the favor back. But that woman called Chen Xiaowan is very good and I like her very much.¡±


    ¡°Since you said that she¡¯s not bad, then pick her to be your aide to help you manage the business. I hope she has the ability.¡± Ni Penggang laughed.


    ¡°Will do!¡± Replied Ni Jie with a laugh.


    ****


    Bluestar Villa Complex.


    After Tang Xiu came back, he learned that Dai Xinye had actually come, making Tang Xiu pleasantly surprised. They had agreed that she would come to Shanghai after the National Day holiday, though she eventually postponed it for a month due to something happening in her family.


    ¡°Has the matter in your family been solved?¡± Asked Tang Xiu to Dai Xinyue, who acted conscientiously with Kang Xiu next to her.


    ¡°Yeah, everything¡¯s been solved.¡± Dai Xinyue smiled.


    ¡°Pick a room you like on the first floor for you to stay! Also, I often have things to tend to, so you can read and study by yourself when I¡¯m away. I¡¯ll teach you whenever I have time to do so. You can expect to have your medical expertise progress rapidly by the New Year, and then I¡¯ll take you to a hospital for an internship to practice giving medical services.¡±


    With eyes lit up, Dai Xinyue respectfully said, ¡°I¡¯ll listen to all your arrangements, Master.¡±


    Tang Xiu then turned his head to look at Kang Xia and said, ¡°Have you had dinner? What are your plans for tonight?¡±


    ¡°I already had a dinner. Also, I have a promise with Xinyue to go out shopping! Though she came to Shanghai before, she didn¡¯t have time to stroll here.¡±


    ¡°All right, off you go then! I will go out too later, and I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be back quite late,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Asked Kang Xia.


    ¡°There¡¯s an old acquaintance from Hong Kong delivering some goods that I need to check. And I also need to see them to discuss something,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Tend to your matter, then! We¡¯ll go out after you.¡± Kang Xia nodded after hearing it.


    Tang Xiu went to the study room on the second floor and subconsciously moved to release the subdued fierce beast to feed it. Just when he came to the corner and realized that the array had been lifted, he suddenly remembered that he had already left that fierce beast in the Resting Cemetery Island several days ago.


    ¡°I really am too busy!¡±


    Tang Xiu then took a bath and returned to the study room to begin drawing the design blueprint for Clam Island and Resting Cemetery Island; the area for the herb plantation in Clam Island, in particular. After all, each medicinal herb had different properties and the plan by which to plant any medicinal herb must properly be taken into consideration in advance.


    The blueprint drawing for Clam Island was not even half-finished when Tang Xiu received a call. He was informed that the medicinal herbs sent by Li Juren had been brought at express speed and now was heading to the Everlasting Feast Hall. He was also full of expectations for the medicinal herbs sent by Li Juren.


    After returning to the Everlasting Feast Hall again, Tang Xiu was just conversing with Chi Nan when a container truck arrived at the Everlasting Feast Hall under the escort of four SUVs. The five vehicles then entered the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s backyard under the guidance of its staff.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Tang. My Boss ordered me to deliver you these medicinal herbs; all of them are inside the truck. This is the list, please have a look at it,¡± said an elegant and refined middle-aged man who recognized Tang Xiu at first sight.


    Tang Xiu took the list from him and a smile appeared on his handsome face after reading it, as he then said, ¡°You can leave the container truck here. Find yourself a hotel to stay at, and then come early tomorrow to pick it up.¡±

 Chapter 581

    Chapter 581: Yao Qinglong Returns to the Country


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    As the four SUVs left, Tang Xiu instructed Chi Nan to order all the staff in the backyard to leave and told that no one was allowed to come, as he then went alone and opened the container truck by himself.


    Inside the container truck were 88 black suitcases, each of them filled with medicinal herbs. According to the prescription made by Tang Xiu back then, there were a total of 88 kinds of precious herbs. Tang Xiu opened one of the suitcases and examined the properties and age of the herbs before he stored the suitcases inside his interspatial ring one by one. A regretful look appeared on his face after he put away all the suitcases.


    These rare herbs collected by Li Juren were required to refine the Marrow Purifying Pill and were definitely enough to concoct more than 100 Marrow Purifying Pills. Although the rare herbs required to refine the Life Essence Pill had also been collected, among the three most important herbs needed, only the five-hundred years old Fleece-Flower Root had been collected; the Blood Droplet Seed and the Millennium Snow Lotus were still missing.


    ¡°According to the ratio to concoct the Marrow Purifying Pill, these herbs sent by Li Juren would be enough to produce hundreds of Life Essence Pills. Unfortunately, the Millennium Snow Lotus and Blood Droplet Seed were not collected. I¡¯m afraid that refining the Life Essence Pill will be very difficult.¡±


    Tang Xiu suppressed his regret. He knew that a man must not be greedy, and getting a lot of medicinal herbs to refine the Marrow Purifying Pill and Life Essence Pill was already a big harvest. The Millennium Snow Lotus and Blood Droplet Seed were medicinal herbs that were something that may come by with luck and couldn¡¯t be sought. Tang Xiu himself had actually obtained the Millennium Snow Lotus before, but it had been used by Ji Chimei to refine a medicine pill already.


    Haste will only make waste! Tang Xiu knew perfectly well about this truth. He then turned his head to look at Chi Nan after closing the container truck¡¯s door. There was surprised look on her face.


    ¡°You will also have your own interspatial ring in the future if you can reach a level I¡¯m satisfied with. All right, I have other things to tend to, so I¡¯ll go back.¡±


    After dropping these words, Tang Xiu then headed to his car and drove away.


    While watching the leaving car quietly, Chi Nan¡¯s face was full of anticipation. She wished to have a lot of cultivation resources and more so own her own interspatial ring. There was one thing she realized. If she owned an interspatial ring, it would be much easier to do things regardless of whatever she did and wherever she went.


    ¡°The most important priority for me now is getting money.¡± Chi Nan clenched her fist with a firm expression.


    Twelve in the dead of the night.


    As Tang Xiu arrived back at the Bluestar Villa Complex, he found that Kang Xia was not resting in his bedroom, but sat quietly on the bed while reading financial statements instead. The newly listed healthcare products had produced very good results, and the returned capital also made the financial situation of the Magnificent Tang Corporation ampler.


    However, she also knew that Tang Xiu had a big plan. In particular, the internal purchase of the Star City¡¯s New City, the construction of the company headquarters in Shanghai along with its relocation, the construction of the plants and factories along with the equipment that came in line with them, and so on, all of which could be put simply that there were many places of the money to be allocated to.


    ¡°You¡¯re not asleep yet?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a smile after taking off his coat and hanging it.


    Kang Xia closed the financial statements report and chuckled, ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve come back. Anyways, I¡¯m preparing to return to Star City tomorrow, and there¡¯s already a big pile of issues waiting for me to address there.¡±


    ¡°Have you reserved the flight ticket?¡± Asked Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯ll drive you over to the airport.¡±


    ¡°I already booked the flight!¡± Kang Xia still replied softly despite feeling unwilling inside.


    This night, the two fell into a frenzied state, pressing against each other, and then falling asleep while embracing each other after the desperate fight.


    In the next morning, Tang Xiu sent Kang Xia to the Shanghai Airport and then returned to Bluestar Villa Complex. On the way there, Tang Xiu received a call from Yang Le. Back then, he dragged him to Jingmen Island since he needed him to deal with some matters. Since the matter was relatively easy to resolve whereas the matter with the Tang Family took more time, Yang Le thus had nothing to do and spent some time in Jingmen Island before returning to Shanghai with Han Qingwu.


    After returning home and entering the living room, Tang Xiu saw Yang Le and Dai Xinyue looking at each other in consternation. He let out a faint smile and said, ¡°You two should already be acquainted with each other, right?¡±


    ¡°No, we aren¡¯t!¡±


    Dai Xinyue and Yang Le spoke in unison. The two immediately glared at each other and flung their faces at the same time.


    Tang Xiu was stumped for words. He couldn¡¯t help but force a smile and ask, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there some misunderstanding or something between the two of you?¡±


    Dai Xinyue stood up and said, ¡°Master, this guy is a scumbag, he¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to this girl¡¯s gibberish, Tang Xiu! It¡¯s just a misunderstanding, really!¡± Yang Le also hastily got up and exasperatedly said. ¡°Who would have known that she was relieving herself in the toilet? I was a bit hurried to answer the call of nature when I came to your place here¡­ so I just¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu was instantly aware of the matter and laughed, ¡°Okay, okay. It¡¯s a misunderstanding and since you two have said it, then forget it. Anyways, Yang Le, you called me and said that there are important things so you needed to find me. What is it, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang, tell her to leave. I don¡¯t trust this girl.¡± Yang Le pointed to Dai Xinyue.


    Again, Tang Xiu was stumped for words.


    ¡°Who the hell cares about you, huh?¡± Dai Xinyue snappily glared at Yang Le and scornfully said, ¡°Master, I¡¯m going out with Auntie Zhang to buy some groceries. Do you have anything you need to buy?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    As Dai Xinyue and the housekeeper Zhang Xinlan left, Yang Le came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side and spoke in a low voice, ¡°My Eldest Senior Brother has returned to China and is now in Shanghai.¡±


    ¡°Yao Qinglong?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s brows creased as he asked.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s him.¡± Yang Le nodded. ¡°I just received his summons, saying that he has come to Shanghai and wants to meet with me.¡±


    ¡°The Yao Family is almost finished, and the rest of their members who escaped death by a hairbreadth have also left Beijing hurriedly to hide through various means. For Yao Qinglong to come to Shanghai and not appear in Beijing, what does he want to do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also curious about that.¡± Yang Le shook his head. ¡°Therefore, I didn¡¯t flatly refuse him after he contacted me and came to find you to discuss it. I always had a nagging feeling that he¡¯s up to no good given that he looked for me all of a sudden like this.¡±


    ¡°Go see him and find out what his real intention is.¡± Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and seriously said, ¡°I remember you saying he¡¯s very ambitious. Considering he has been abroad for so many years, no one knows how big his energy at present. Though I¡¯m not afraid of him, I fear troublesome matters. He¡¯s a risky variable, thus I must employ every possible means to remove him.¡±


    After hesitating for a moment, Yang Le replied in a low voice, ¡°If¡­ if he really wants to be your enemy, can you promise me one thing?¡±


    ¡°Tell me!¡± Said Tang Xiu calmly.


    ¡°Though when all is said and done, he¡¯s still my Eldest Senior Brother. Can you spare him at the last moment?¡± Asked Yang Le.


    Tang Xiu answered, ¡°Sparing his life is not out of the possibility. You tell me, do you think it¡¯s better to make him a living dead? Or do you want him to meet his demise early and be reincarnated earlier?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Yang Le was silent for a while, before he reluctantly nodded and said, ¡°Treat it as I didn¡¯t say anything, then. I¡¯ll help you figure out the true purpose of his return to the country, whereas you¡¯ll solve the problem yourself. I¡¯m afraid that I must go abroad tomorrow and will only come back after some time.¡±


    ¡°Copy that!¡± Tang Xiu nodded. He knew Yang Le¡¯s character. He was sandwiched between him and his Eldest Senior Brother, and it was very hard for him to act. The reason for his trip abroad was probably to avoid suspicion.


    ****


    At noon, Yang Le met his Eldest Senior Brother¡ªYao Qinglong in a caf¨¦. What made him surprised was that Yao Qinglong not only not felt pained due to what happened to the Yao Family, but looked overjoyed instead, even the smiling expression on his face was very rich.


    ¡°What exactly do you want from me?¡±


    Yang Le sat on the chair across him wearing his ever present frivolous appearance.


    ¡°What do you wanna drink?¡± Asked Yao Qinglong with a smile.


    ¡°Seeing you makes me don¡¯t have the taste to drink anything.¡± Yang Le waved his hand. ¡°If you want fart then burst it out quickly, don¡¯t waste my time.¡±


    Yao Qinglong seemed accustomed to Yang Le¡¯s attitude and only smiling lightly in response. ¡°Junior Brother, though Master has passed away, we¡¯re still martial bothers after all. I just wanted to see you and talk about the old days. This should be ok, no?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a cunning schemer, and you think what you can get from others.¡± Yang Le spoke with a despising expression. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that you and I have fallen short of treating each other like that. Now, are you gonna spit it out or not? If you won¡¯t, then I¡¯ll leave.¡±


    ¡°Alright, still throwing tantrums eh, brat. I¡¯m already accustomed to it. OK, OK, then I¡¯ll tell you something important. I got a business deal that I need your help with. I¡¯ll give you a commission of 100 million after the deal is successful.¡±


    ¡°100 million, eh? What a great deal!¡± Yang Le revealed a surprised look, as his eyes searched Yao Qinglong.


    ¡°It is a big deal, indeed. Some people have paid quite a high price for the formulas of several products of the Magnificent Tang Corporation. Many people are paying attention to this company and many already attacked it, and yet all of them eventually ended up in failure. I took over the deal, so I came to Shanghai directly to find you after returning to the country. Moreover, Second and Third have already agreed and are now on the way to Shanghai as well.¡±


    The Magnificent Tang Corporation?


    Yang secretly sighed inwardly and somewhat felt contempt as well as sympathized with Yao Qinglong. What he despised was that Yao Qinglong actually didn¡¯t bother and ignore the kinship affection even though the members of his Yao Family had partly dispersed and partly died with their lives hung by a thread at present, whereas the sympathy he had for him was because he was targeting the Magnificent Tang Corporation. Others didn¡¯t know the details about this company, but he was crystal clear about it. With those fearful stratagems Tang Xiu possessed as well as those non-human guys from the Everlasting Feast Hall, Yao Qinglong and the other disciples of the Thief Branch would never have their wishes come true!


    Yang Le fell into silence for a while, before he slowly said, ¡°I have a problem. Are you a member of the Yao Family? According to the news I heard, the Yao Family is in a disastrous state and their people are kinda falling from the clouds, as many of them are in peril and danger. You are a member of the Yao Family, yet you don¡¯t even seem to care about them?¡±


    Yao Qinglong¡¯s eyes squinted. A killing intent flickered in his eyes as he indifferently said, ¡°This big enmity must be avenged, that¡¯s for sure. But how much do you think the odds of me winning are? I know what you are implying; you think that I have a cold heart, right? Hmph¡­ 10 years are never too long for a man to take his revenge. The weak me paying off old scores with a very strong hated enemy is akin to pitting a rock against a boulder¡ªit will only cause my own destruction. Ultimately, not only revenge will be an impossibility, I¡¯ll even throw myself onto the gallows instead.¡±

 Chapter 582

    Chapter 582: Scheming Each Other


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The words spoken by Yao Qinglong was reasonable and Yang Le approved them as well. However, he was crystal clear that Yao Qinglong would only bring about his own decimation if he wanted to take revenge on Tang Xiu. Prior to this, he used to have a similar feeling of affection to him as someone from the same root. But after the death of their Master, Yao Qinglong had treated him by hook or by crook and even wanted his life, before he eventually escaped him, causing all the friendship and affection to dry up.


    ¡°Did you forget what I told you before, Qinglong? We are no longer martial brothers. You can do what you want as you have the freedom to do so, but that will have no relationship with me whatsoever. If you have nothing else to say, then I will take my leave.¡± Then he stood up from the chair, ready to leave.


    Curling up his mouth, Yao Qinglong said, ¡°You know, Junior Brother, it seems like the fortune our Master sent to you before his death is more than I imagined. Even 100 million is not enough to move you.¡±


    With a drastic change in expression, Yang Le angrily said, ¡°All the things left behind by Master were acquired by myself¡ªmy own abilities. You don¡¯t need to concern yourself with your trifling skills.¡±


    The expression on Yao Qinglong¡¯s face changed into that of indifference as he replied lightly, ¡°That Old Geezer calculated that we could never obtain them, so he left that kind of training to you, huh? Hmph¡­ He¡¯s dead already, and his things must be equally divided. Of course, I¡¯ll never mention it again if you help me snatch the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s products¡¯ formulas this time. I will even give some compensation to Second and Third Brothers so as to make them give up. How about it?¡±


    ¡°Keep dreaming!¡± Yang Le scornfully rebuked loudly. ¡°I, Yang Le, may be afraid of anything else, but not threats. I used to see us as martial bothers before; I even let go of the matter of you trying to kill me. But don¡¯t blame me for being ruthless and forget the past friendship if you dare to strike at me again!¡±


    Yao Qinglong couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter, ¡°What the hell are you talking about, Junior Brother? How could I, your Senior Brother, scheme to murder you?! I won¡¯t force you to do something if you really don¡¯t want to. Anyhow, you can go deal with your things! When the Second and Third arrive, we¡¯ll straightly head to Bluestar Villa to have a drink with you.¡±


    While clenching his fists, killing intent flashed out of Yang Le¡¯s eyes. Since Yao Qinglong knew where he lived, it meant that they had investigated him. It was clearly a threat. They were highly likely to point their blades at him if he didn¡¯t help them.


    ¡°Look at your face, Junior Brother. You seem like you don¡¯t welcome us, hmm?¡± Yao Qinglong smilingly said. ¡°I think you should sit still and continue chatting with me if you don¡¯t want us to do so. Maybe you¡¯ll change your mind after a while!¡±


    ¡°I will never change my mind¡ªnot a chance!¡± Yang Le said coldly. ¡°Of course, visit me if you want, and I¡¯ll welcome you warmly. I only wish that you won¡¯t die.¡±


    Having said that, he turned around and walked outside the caf¨¦, as Yao Qinglong¡¯s smiling face froze.


    Bam¡­


    Yao Qinglong slapped the table as he watched Yang Le¡¯s back disappear. Killing intent surged inside him. Brat, you have no idea of death or danger, eh? Then I¡¯ll make you suffer, and we¡¯ll see whether you can continue to persist in the face of death.


    ****


    Japan, on the summit of Fujiyama.


    Kuwako Yamamoto was sitting cross-legged under a cherry tree while embracing a katana. She was wearing a black exercise suit and let the drizzle wet her hair.


    Whoosh¡­


    A ghostly figure silently appeared in front of her and then knelt on her knee. The figure was a woman with white hair in front of her forehead, as she reported respectfully, ¡°Young Lady, the item has been obtained and is on the way here. It will be delivered tomorrow morning at the latest.¡±


    Kuwako suddenly opened her eyes with a pleasantly surprised look in her eyes, as she then replied in satisfaction, ¡°They did a good job. That item doesn¡¯t have much use for me, but for¡­ all right, tell them to not leave any trace.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The woman in ninja attire replied. Her body swayed and disappeared from the spot.


    A smile finally appeared on Kuwako¡¯s face as she spoke, ¡°Hanako, help me reserve a flight ticket to China, Shanghai. Also, inform my father that I¡¯m going to China to continue negotiating the cooperation issues with the Magnificent Tang Corporation.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± A voice came from behind the tree, as calmness followed shortly after.


    ****


    Shanghai, Bluestar Villa Complex.


    When Yang Le returned, he found that he was being tailed. He didn¡¯t head straight to Tang Xiu¡¯s place but returned to Villa #11. He then walked to his bedroom¡¯s window and observed the situation outside before taking out his mobile to call Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Are you back already?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s voice was heard from the mobile phone.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, I need your help,¡± said Yang Le.


    ¡°Tell me! What is it?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that Yao Qinglong, Du Yanghe, and Qiu Jian are going to attack me tonight. I hope you can kill them for me,¡± said Yang Le.


    ¡°Why do they want to kill you?¡± Tang Xiu raised his brows. ¡°Also, how come they know that you live here?¡±


    ¡°Yao Qinglong must have sent some people to investigate my whereabouts. I always move covertly in Shanghai, but I¡¯ve been staying here for too long, and investigating it would be easy given their abilities. Anyhow, I also have found out Yao Qinglong¡¯s purpose in seeking me. They want my help in stealing the formulas of the several products belonging to the Magnificent Tang Corporation. I flatly rejected,¡± said Yang Le.


    ¡°I see!¡± Tang Xiu immediately hung up after saying that.


    Originally, he wasn¡¯t in a rush to remove Yao Qinglong. He had never seen Yao Qinglong¡¯s Dao abilities, though the man was a disciple of Thief Branch. Given that he actually wanted to attack the Magnificent Tang Corporation to steal their products¡¯ formulas, that was something that could not be forgiven. Those formulas were the capital he relied on to make money, and his loss would be too great if Yao Qinglong were to steal them.


    ¡°You refused the path to heaven, and to the gate of hell shall you be thrown on your own accord!¡±


    Tang Xiu sneered and then contacted Chi Nan. Though his strength was very formidable, some fish may escape if too many people came from the other party. Therefore, he needed the experts from the Everlasting Feast Hall to lay out an inescapable net. Even if the other party sent a lot of masters, they must never be allowed to return!


    ****


    In the previous caf¨¦.


    Yao Qinglong had not left yet, and sat quietly on the chair while savoring his coffee. He was silently thinking of something. The reason he first straightly headed to Shanghai after returning to China was not that he didn¡¯t care about the present situation the Yao Family was in, but because he didn¡¯t want to expose himself.


    The Yao Family was very important. But that was because the previous Yao Family who could bring him some benefits. As of now, the Yao Family was akin to a stray dog, and the entire foundation of the family was likely stolen by others. From the intelligence he gathered, he was aware of the fact that it may not take long before Beijing would no longer have a Yao Family.


    All of this was not important to him, however. What was more important was the formulas of those several products belonging to the Magnificent Tang Corporation. His return this time was with this difficult mission at hand.


    ¡°Senior Brother! (Senior Brother!)¡±


    Two voices came from a distance, as Du Yanghe and Qiu Jian appeared in front of Yao Qinglong with smiling faces. Though these three martial brothers each had his own ax to grind and had their own schemes in mind, yet they seemingly got along with each other harmoniously on the surface.


    Yao Qinglong got up and hugged them both as he motioned for them to sit on the other side of the sofa. Then he laughed and said, ¡°You two came fast.¡±


    ¡°Senior Brother, you summoned us, so it¡¯s natural for us to seize the time and catch up,¡± said Du Yanghe smilingly. ¡°Anyhow, what about that brat, Yang Le? Didn¡¯t you say that you were going to see him in advance?¡±


    ¡°That brat didn¡¯t want to be associated with us. He simply flung his face away and left.¡± Yang Le sneered.


    ¡°He¡¯s just refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit, I think.¡± Du Yanghe scornfully murmured. ¡°Senior Brother, I¡¯ll kill him today as long as you command it. Besides, that brat must have taken all the fortunes our Master left behind. We weren¡¯t able to kill him last time, so I haven¡¯t vented out the bottled up anger inside me.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s look for him. If he doesn¡¯t take out all the fortunes left by Master, then let¡¯s just kill him.¡± Qiu Jian echoed. ¡°I refuse to believe that he would rather keep all the wealth and doesn¡¯t give a damn care to his own life, no?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not suitable for us to act in broad daylight now. Besides, I¡¯ve already sent people to find his tracks. I¡¯m sure that he just wants to escape now, and can¡¯t shake off my informers,¡± said Yao Qinglong with a chuckle. ¡°Anyhow, I¡¯ll tell you the main purpose for your coming here. I need to get the formulas of the products of the Magnificent Tang Corporation. I¡¯ll give each one of you 100 million yuan if you help me get them.¡±


    Du Yanghe and Qiu Jian exchanged looks. Shocked expressions appeared on their faces. What shocked them the most was not because they had to steal the formulas of the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s products, but the compensation promised by Yao Qinglong.


    100 million?


    Even if they were both disciples of Thief Branch and also possessed good abilities and had their own businesses, the total wealth they had in hands was probably less than 100 million yuan.


    ¡°What a big deal, Senior Brother!¡± Du Yanghe exclaimed.


    ¡°A great deal indeed,¡± said Yao Qinglong with a chuckle. ¡°The buyer is willing to pay 400 million yuan, and I originally intended to divide it equally between the four of us. But that brat, Yang Le, turned out to reject me.¡±


    ¡°It must be because the fortune left by Master is quite a lot!¡± Du Yanghe scornfully commented. ¡°Else he would never ignore or be moved by this amount of money! Senior Brother, we must kill Yang Le to get the fortune left by Master. 40% will be yours, and we¡¯ll take 30% each at that time.¡±


    Yao Qinglong secretly jeered at him, yet he let out a satisfied smile on the surface, saying, ¡°Well, since you agreed with the share, then welcome aboard. If Yang Le is willing to help me steal those products¡¯ formulas, however, we must not attack him before the operation is over. We¡¯ll only kill him after.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡± Du Yanghe and Qiu Jian were as though seeing a huge fortune waving to them as they nodded in contentment.


    They had long coveted the wealth left by their Master, but their strength was unfortunately under Yang Le¡¯s. Eventually, they weren¡¯t able to see even the shadow of a dime from that wealth. As long as they were able to kill Yang Le and get that wealth, they were pretty sure that even a 30% share would be equal to the pay promised by Yao Qinglong.

 Chapter 583

    Chapter 583: Like A Rat In The Hole


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The time slipped by fast and the night had fallen already. Bluestar Villa Complex was the same as usual, with its streetlights brightly illuminating the villa complex, whereas a faint smell of soil floated up amid the drizzling rain.


    Yang Le was staying in the Villa #11 while quietly hiding in the attic of the building. He constantly observed the surroundings with a binoculars and occasionally glanced at the Villa #9 next door.


    ¡°They are here!¡±


    A cold glint flashed in his eyes. His left hand grabbed a silver pistol and aimed its muzzle at the several figures approaching Villa #11. Despite Tang Xiu not saying a word that he would help him when he called, he was confident that Tang Xiu would act.


    As a matter of fact, the reason why he didn¡¯t directly leave was that he regarded himself as bait for Tang Xiu to fish several big fish, while also removing trouble for himself.


    Inside the villa #9, Tang Xiu quietly stood next to the window in the study room while observing the situation outside through the slit of the curtain. When several ghostly figures silently appeared outside the courtyard of Villa #11, he then dialed a cell number and spoke a few words words, ¡°The fish entered the net!¡±


    At this time, even the apprehensive Yang Le was aware that two experts from the Everlasting Feast Hall were already waiting for a long time in his bedroom. They were holding daggers and bloodlust sparks filled their eyes, whereas eight others hid in the other rooms of the villa.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    A martial artist with extraordinary skill easily entered by jumping off the wall, whereas more than a dozen sneaked into the villa using various means. Following which, three figures then appeared from afar.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re at home, Junior Brother! We came to visit you here, why don¡¯t open the door and invite us inside?¡± Yao Qinglong¡¯s loud voice sounded from the courtyard outside.


    On the corner of the attic, Yang Le looked through the slit on the window toward the three people standing outside. He was silent for a while before walking out of the attic and standing on the edge of the building, saying, ¡°Since all the people you brought here have already come in, do the three of you still need me to open the door?¡±


    The trio exchanged looks as they immediately jumped over the front gate with ease, and quickly appeared in the courtyard. At this moment, the originally dark villa turned bright, as six stocky men who had sneaked into the villa ahead of time appeared in the first floor hall.


    ¡°Junior Brother, you don¡¯t need to hide your head and tuck your tail in front of your martial brothers, right?¡± Said Yao Qinglong lightly.


    Yang Le¡¯s figure appeared on the stairs. As he stepped down the staircase, his grim eyes swept over the six stocky men before eventually landing on the trio. He then took a deep sigh before coming to their front and saying, ¡°To be honest, maybe I still care about the feeling of fellowship between us, thus I could guarantee your lives if you didn¡¯t come tonight. Unfortunately, the moment you step into my courtyard, the only thing between us now is a life and death struggle.¡±


    ¡°Tell me, Junior Brother. Who the fuck gives you such confidence?¡± Du Yanghe jeered. ¡°Life and death fight, huh? Bah¡­ it is you who will die, whereas we¡¯ll live.¡±


    ¡°We were careless and let you escape from us several times back then, Junior Brother,¡± said Qiu Jian coldly. ¡°But this time, we have laid down an inescapable net for you. It¡¯s impossible for you to escape again even if you have wings plugged into your body. Hence, do hand over all the things left behind by our Master before his death if you don¡¯t wanna die! Else don¡¯t blame for us being ruthless and ignoring our fellowship.¡±


    Yang Le shot them a look, as he then suddenly burst into laughter and said, ¡°This is so funny that it¡¯s ridiculous! Now I suddenly have a feeling that the death of our Master must be related to you all.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Yao Qinglong, Du Yanghe, and Qiu Jian all had a change in expression.


    With his astute mind, Yang Le could observe the tiny changes in their expressions and could sense the problem instantly as he shouted again, ¡°Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know. Master was very healthy back then, yet he suddenly fell ill and passed away early. The three of you are nothing but despicable and shameless scumbags who forgot the grace of Master¡¯s teachings, even committed high treason, assaulting the old man treacherously. What a huge disgrace!¡±


    Yao Qinglong only frowned and watched Yang Le in silence.


    The hot tempered Du Yanghe, however, couldn¡¯t keep the matter inside and directly admitted after hearing Yang Le¡¯s words, ¡°Fine! We¡¯ll no longer conceal it anymore since you already found out. He was indeed our Master, but he had been very partial and doted on you more than on the three of us. If we didn¡¯t kill him, he would likely give all his treasures to you.¡±


    ¡°SECOND BROTHER!¡± Yao Qinglong¡¯s expression suddenly changed greatly as he angrily shouted at him.


    A disbelieving expression burst from Yang Le¡¯s eyes, making his pupil contract, as he said in a thick and heavy voice, ¡°I never thought it was really you who did it!¡±


    Yao Qinglong took a deep breath before taking a step toward Yang Le and saying in the same deep voice, ¡°Since you¡¯ve discovered the true cause of Master¡¯s death from Second Brother¡ªthis damned fool, then we don¡¯t need to hide it any longer. That¡¯s right, it was us who gave that geezer a poison that took effect slowly and finally killed him. So what, do you want to get revenge for that old fogy?¡±


    Yang Le¡¯s eyes turned bloodshot as he glared at the trio with a look of full hatred, wishing he could immediately hack their limbs and dismember their bodies into eight pieces. [1]


    ¡°Ahhh, today¡¯s matter can¡¯t end up in friendly terms, it seems.¡± Yao Qinglong shook his head and sighed. ¡°Yang Le, you still have a chance to live. That is to take out all of the wealth of that geezer. Else, tonight will be the time of your death, period.¡±


    Yang Le gritted his teeth and bit his lips as he glared at the three aggressive scumbags. He finally looked upward and roared, ¡°TANG XIU, HELP ME KILL THEM! THIS YANG LE PLEDGES TO SERVE YOU AS YOUR SUBORDINATE IN THE FUTURE!¡±


    ¡°IT¡¯S A DEAL!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s figure appeared in the hall like lightning. Behind him was Chi Nan, who was playing with a sharp dagger as she shot a playful smile at Yao Qinglong and the others.


    The moment Tang Xiu appeared, Yao Qinglong¡¯s face greatly changed. He could recognize his identity instantly¡ªa member of the Tang Family, the culprit who ruined his Yao Family.


    ¡°IT¡¯S A TRAP!¡±


    Yao Qinglong roared and dashed toward the left corridor.


    Neither Tang Xiu nor Chi Nan moved. Just as Yao Qinglong ran across the corridor and was about to pass through the door, a large foot directly kicked his chest, sending him flying upside down and hitting the opposite door behind him and breaking it.


    Hmph¡­


    From the smashed door, an expert of the Everlasting Feast Hall easily grabbed his neck and strode to the living room and then threw him before Tang Xiu.


    Du Yanghe and Qiu Jian were flabbergasted. They never dreamed that things would turn out this way. Prior to this, they came here with greed filling their hearts, and trying to get the large fortune left by their Master by killing Yang Le. Never once they imagined that they would fall into a trap.


    ¡°WHO ARE YOU?¡±


    Panicked, Du Yanghe¡¯s horrified gaze withdrew from Yao Qinglong as he stared at Tang Xiu and roared.


    ¡°You really are an idiot!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and smilingly said. ¡°Given Yang Le¡¯s disposition, don¡¯t tell me you that didn¡¯t have a clue that he had something to rely on by staying here? Hehe, who I am, you ask? That¡¯s a very interesting question, you know. But I don¡¯t feel like I need to tell you myself, because that eldest senior brother of yours should know, right? Did I speak incorrectly, Yao Qinglong?¡±


    Blood flowed from the corner of Yao Qinglong¡¯s mouth as he attempted to get up from the floor. There was hatred in his eyes as he glared at Tang Xiu and spoke, ¡°What you said is not wrong. I hail from the Yao Family who got ruined by you. I just never thought that this stupid Junior Brother of mine turned out to be in cahoots with you and even deployed this trap to pull us in.¡±


    ¡°What? Are you scared or something?¡± Tang Xiu chuckled.


    ¡°Afraid? Only a few people in this world can make I, Yao Qinglong, afraid. And you, you¡¯re simply not among them!¡± Yang Qinglong straightened up and sneered. ¡°But I¡¯m curious about something. How does Yang Le know you?¡±


    Tang Xiu pointed to the direction of the building nearby and said, ¡°We¡¯re neighbors.¡±


    Neighbors?


    Yao Qinglong was so vexed, he felt like he got wronged and driven to death. Although the people he sent to investigate Yang Le informed him that he lived in the Bluestar Villa Complex, never once he expected that Tang Xiu would actually live here as well.


    ¡°Akka, I need your help!¡± Yao Qinglong grabbed his mobile and spoke after dialing a number.


    ¡°You should be moving the reinforcement, right?¡± Tang Xiu chuckled. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll give you plenty of time to showcase everything you got. Before this, however, let us remove the garbage¡ªthe shrimp soldiers and crab generals you brought here, so as not to be eyesores.¡±


    As Tang Xiu¡¯s voice faded away, six bodies were thrown into the hall from various places. These people were the hiding martial artists brought by the Yao Qinglong trio. As the trio had their facial expressions changed greatly, Chi Nan dashed in and appeared in front of those stocky men as her dagger rose and fell, instantly slicing their throats. Blood splattered and their bodies fell to the floor, convulsing and gradually embracing their deaths.


    ¡°What a thick smell of blood. I really like it!¡±


    A hoarse voice came from outside the hall. There was no footstep sound, but a thin figure appeared at the hall¡¯s door. The man was dressed in a black robe and had long, loose golden hair. His handsome face looked pale, making him look like the Grim Reaper.


    Chi Nan, who had just acted and killed six men and had returned to Tang Xiu¡¯s side, instantly squinted her eyes when she saw the man. She let out a faint playful smile and said, ¡°Grim Reaper Akka, you like the smell of blood, eh? Then stay here, I¡¯ll personally make you smell your own blood.¡±


    Akka, who had a British look, looked toward Chi Nan and his body suddenly shuddered as he clearly saw Chi Nan¡¯s face. His pupils momentarily contracted and moved to run away almost subconsciously.


    ¡°COME BACK HERE!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s figure streaked toward the outside like lightning and blocked Akka¡¯s path in the blink of an eye. Along with a barrage of fists toward Akka¡¯s chest, the man was straightly sent back into the hall.


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    Yao Qinglong¡¯s body shook, as he could hardly believe his eyes. He knew very well who Akka was¡ªan expert he had hired from that organization for a huge sum of money. But an expert recognized by that organization was so easily defeated by Tang Xiu?


    After struggling to get up from the floor, Akka¡¯s eyes only stayed on Tang Xiu for a moment before they eventually landed on Chi Nan, as he spoke with a terrified expression, ¡°Lady Instructor, I didn¡¯t expect to see you here. It¡¯s really a great honor to be able to see your graceful figure once again in my life.¡±

 Chapter 584

    Chapter 584: Getting to the Root of the Matter


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Akka had seen too many existences with dreadful strength. Even though Tang Xiu¡¯s strength was extraordinary, he still didn¡¯t think he was more dreadful than Chi Nan. In his eyes, Chi Nan was simply a female devil who could kill without batting an eye. She had once purged the Mexican drug dealers and was ranked amongst the topmost international terrifying forces.


    Encountering this fiendish instructor who had once trained him the first time he came to China was something Akka had never expected. Moreover, they were actually standing on opposite sides. He still vividly remembered what Chi Nan had once said to him: Perhaps you are now my student, but if we ever become enemies in the future, I will employ the more venomous and ruthless measures to make you regret having me as your enemy.


    Mentally disturbed, Akka now hated Yao Qinglong. He couldn¡¯t care less if he provoked someone, but he would never involved himself in provoking this fiendish instructor!


    ¡°It¡¯s been four or five years since the last time we met, right, Akka?¡± Chi Nan lightly said. ¡°I never thought that you would actually become someone¡¯s running dog and also my enemy.¡±


    ¡°Lady Instructor, you misunderstood.¡± Akka looked tragic and panicked. ¡°Yao Qinglong only hired me, I have no relationship with him whatsoever. He gave a large sum of money to the organization, which tasked me to help him. Had I known you were here, I wouldn¡¯t have dared to come even if I were to be given all the Citibank¡¯s money!¡±


    Furrowing his brows, Tang Xiu looked at Chi Nan and lightly asked, ¡°You know him?¡±


    After retracting her cold and proud expression, Chi Nan replied respectfully, ¡°He is someone I once trained back then, Boss; a quite remarkable hitman from the Arabian Stygian Club. However, I don¡¯t know about the organization he¡¯s currently affiliated with.¡±


    Nodding in response, Tang Xiu then looked at Akka and asked, ¡°Tell me the name of your organization.¡±


    Akka¡¯s lips quivered a few times before he shook his head, ¡°I can¡¯t, else I¡¯ll face a tragic death!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll die even more tragically if you don¡¯t.¡± Tang Xiu indifferently replied, ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled by the thought of surviving, though. I¡¯m hailed as a divine doctor in China. I have the means to make you suffer unimaginable pain and yet still remain alive to taste it. Tell me! Else you will be in for hellish pain for days and nights.¡±


    Akka had a change in expression. Though Tang Xiu spoke in very lame English, he could still understand what he said. He also heard that the so-called divine doctors in China had very mysterious abilities. He also dreaded the doctor profession because there existed a doctor-killer in the organization who possessed both the ability to save lives and kill people, and using it for torture was absolutely terrible.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say it, else my entire family will be implicated.¡± Akka bitterly shook his head.


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes as a few silver needles appeared out of nowhere in his hand. As his figure flashed, the needles pierced Du Yanghe and Qiu Jian¡¯s bodies. He then moved again as his body flicked back to his previous spot.


    Aaargh¡­


    Even in their dreams Du Yanghe and Qiu Jian had never expected that Tang Xiu would strike at them because of Akka¡¯s refusal. The most painful thing for them was that the hellish pain that burst out inside their bodies when the silver needles pierced their bodies.


    The two men¡¯s bodies fell to the floor a few seconds after, as each muscle in their bodies twitched. Their faces distorted. Greenish veins and blood vessels bulged out all over their bodies, causing them to fall down, twitching and rolling about on the floor.


    Tang Xiu no longer paid attention to them and even ignored Akka. He looked at Yao Qinglong instead and smilingly said, ¡°It¡¯s needless for me to elaborate kind of fate you will face, no? Since I have the ability to kill the patriarch of your Yao Family and ruin them, it explains that I possess terrifying power and surpass what you had imagined. Therefore, tell me everything you do overseas, all your wealth, what organization you¡¯ve joined, and so on¡­ Of course, if you honestly and sincerely hand them over, and pay quite a hefty price, I can promise to keep you alive.¡±


    While looking at his two junior brothers who were wailing in anguish and rolling about on the floor, a chill ran through his whole body and invaded his heart at this time. Tang Xiu¡¯s threat to Akka just now was, in fact, also a threat to him. He knew perfectly well what kind of abilities the so-called divine doctors possessed. He even knew that Chinese divine doctors were even more terrifying than international professors and doctors who engaged in the Western Medical field.


    ¡°Can you really guarantee my life?¡± Yao Qinglong shot Tang Xiu a deep look, glancing at Chi Nan and Akka, as he finally asked with a helpless and desperate expression.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°But it depends on your performance, too. I am by no means a butcher, nor do I like to kill people. Else, it would definitely be impossible for your Yao Family to keep on living.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Then, I¡¯ll tell you everything. I just want you to keep your word,¡± replied Yao Qinglong in a deep voice.


    Akka¡¯s expression greatly changed as he shouted, ¡°Did you forget the death rule of the organization, Yao Qinglong? You will die a tragic death if you dare to tell others!¡±


    ¡°I know I¡¯ll die a tragic death if I expose it, but I¡¯m afraid my death will be even worse if I don¡¯t speak now.¡± Yao Qinglong shook his head. ¡°Akka, Tang Xiu is very terrifying, the most dreadful existence I ever encountered. Don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t realized it yet since he can make even your instructor his subordinate?¡±


    Akka¡¯s breathing turned heavy and fell into silence.


    Afterward, Yao Qinglong told everything in great detail. More than 10 years ago, the Yao Family¡¯s Head¡ªYao Qingzun ordered him to manage the family business overseas.


    The Yao Family operated many types of businesses overseas, where they invested a colossal amount of funds. After several years of development, Yao Qinglong ruthlessly annexed the businesses of several families, and the total assets had finally reached tens of billions USD. Later on, he trained a large number of men abroad with aid from the Stygian Club, secretly swallowing many small families and the wealth of rich and powerful people as his own. The power he held was only slightly inferior to Beijing¡¯s Yao Family.


    The Stygian Club was an organization composed of three major forces at the core, with twelve families and more than forty affiliated forces. As of today, the Stygian Club definitely ranked among the top three organizations with the most powerful forces in the world.


    Furthermore, the Stygian Club also had a special department dedicated to assassinations, intelligence, regulatory bureau, mercenary groups, security companies, financial teams, and many more. The number of talents under it was simply too many to count. Akka was a member of the assassination department and was ranked in the few hundreds inside the department.


    After listening to Yao Qinglong¡¯s narration, everyone in the room was quite shocked. Even Tang Xiu himself looked solemn as he could faintly sense the terror this Stygian Club posed.


    ¡°Who is the person who holds the highest authority in the Stygian Club?¡± Tang Xiu found that Yao Qinglong didn¡¯t say this point and immediately asked in a heavy voice.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Yao Qinglong shook his head.


    Tang Xiu looked at Akka and coldly asked, ¡°What about you? Can you tell me?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t tell you even if I knew it.¡± Akka said, ¡°But that¡¯s out of my knowledge, too. Nobody knows the leader of our Stygian Club except the three major forces and the senior members among the twelve families.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°Yao Qinglong, I will not ask anymore since you only know this much. What I want to know next is, why did you return home and even eyed the Magnificent Tang Corporation? Is it because you want to get the products¡¯ formula, or is it due to someone from the Stygian Club wanting to get those formulas?¡±


    As if he was ready to stake everything, Yao Qinglong said, ¡°It¡¯s Duff, the Patriarch of the Moyes Family, one of the twelve family powers.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and ordered, ¡°Kill all of them except Yao Qinglong!¡±


    The experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall acted instantly and easily killed Akka, Du Yanghe, and Qiu Jian.


    Yao Qinglong secretly felt fortunate that his choice was correct. He knew that Tang Xiu was ruthless, hence chose to cooperate well and told everything. Even if he hid some things, he was sure that everything he said had great effect on Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I just found that you¡¯re the only outstanding one left among the Yao Family, Yao Qinglong.¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said, ¡°I had given you my word that I won¡¯t kill you, but I never said that my men won¡¯t. You¡¯re very good, nevertheless, so I¡¯ll give you a chance to live.¡±


    Along with these words, the restlessness inside Yao Qinglong¡¯s heart finally vanished. He realized that the price he would have to pay was enormous, but he would never refuse it for a chance to go on living. Thus, he replied with all seriousness, ¡°Mr. Tang, please do speak¡­¡±


    ¡°Transfer all the wealth under your control to my name.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯ll send you with my men abroad to receive all of them from you. You should have understood clearly that the more capital you have, the more threat you pose to me. So, what do you say?¡±


    Yao Qinglong was silent for a while, and then answered, ¡°Let me make a phone call first to tell my men to transfer all the money to my account in the Bank of Switzerland. Also, the floating liquidity of several big company groups under my control will be handed over to you along with their extension industries.¡±


    ¡°One who knows how to act according to circumstances is a wise one, and you are a very good one at that.¡± Tang Xiu gave a thumbs up and praised. ¡°Chi Nan, I¡¯ll hand over the full authority to handle this matter to you. I¡¯ll contact Xiaoxue later to send some men to aid you.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Chi Nan¡¯s eyes lit up and immediately replied with an excited expression.


    The authority Tang Xiu gave her was quite enormous. She knew perfectly well that if she could handle this matter to perfection, her status in the Everlasting Feast Hall would be greatly elevated, and even be on par with Hao Lei and Tian Li.


    ¡°Is this solution agreeable to you?¡± Asked Tang Xiu as he looked at Yang Le.


    As a matter of fact, Yang Le wanted Yao Qinglong to die, because the man was nothing but trouble for him. However, since Tang Xiu wanted to get his wealth, he knew that it would probably be difficult for him to kill Yao Qinglong. However, he still nodded silently despite feeling a bit dissatisfied inside.


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯m sure Yao Qinglong will no longer bother you again. Yao Qinglong, is what I said understood?¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I swear that I¡¯ll take a detour whenever I see Yang Le ever again in the future,¡± said Yao Qinglong quickly.


    Tang Xiu nodded with satisfaction as he spoke to Yang Le in a very low voice, ¡°I think it would be a very good choice for you to go with Chi Nan since you want to go overseas. You may deal with Yao Qinglong as you like when everything¡¯s done.¡±

 Chapter 585

    Chapter 585: The Duty of a Boyfriend


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Being able to solve the threat from Yao Qinglong was a bolt from the blue and was unexpected for Tang Xiu, more so that he learned some confidential matters as well. As for the existence of the Stygian Club, he had long known that such colossal powers existed in the world, such as the force that had laid their hands on his father. He had also sent people to investigate the Stygian Club and was sure that he would soon receive detailed information on it soon.


    Wealth and armed forces were now the two most important issues that Tang Xiu put his thought into aside from promoting his cultivation. With a steady stream of accumulated wealth, unceasing allocation of the money to develop armed forces, and training a large number of elite martial artists would be required to have more power to speak in the world.


    Inside the villa, Tang Xiu put all these thoughts in the back of his mind before imparting some medical knowledge to Dai Xinyue and returning to his bedroom on the second floor. Yang Le had left in secret, whereas Chi Nan had taken Yao Qinglong away and was preparing to bring him overseas in secret to receive his wealth.


    Tang Xiu was not the kind of man whose words were so heavy like sacred tripods, for he too would sometimes go back on his word against a foe like this time. To those who were on his side, however, he always kept his promises.


    The next day, just as Tang Xiu arrived at the campus, Mu Wanying stopped him at the campus entrance. She obviously put on some light makeup and a stylish dress, revealing her eye-catching distinctive beautiful looks.


    ¡°Sweetheart, can you skip classes today?¡± Mu Wanying smilingly asked.


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°I¡¯m a good student. I have never been absent without a leave. Anyhow, since sweetheart rarely speaks, it may not that impossible if the excuse is sufficient.¡±


    Pfft¡­


    Mu Wanying covered her mouth as she chuckled, and then said, ¡°Anyhow, the business I run kind of flourished recently, so I earned some money. Therefore, I¡¯m planning to buy a house, and I¡¯m going to stay in Shanghai to expand my wings after graduation.¡±


    ¡°You want to stay in Shanghai? Why so?¡± Asked Tang Xiu, surprised.


    ¡°To avoid disputes and trouble, that¡¯s why,¡± answered Mu Wanying.


    ¡°Are you talking about your family?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a thoughtful expression.


    The smile on Mu Wanying¡¯s face receded, a helpless expression replacing it. She nodded and said, ¡°Though my family is not as big as your Tang Family, it¡¯s by far not as united as yours. If it was not because of pressure from my granddad, I¡¯m afraid that my family would have been torn apart already. And recently, my granddad¡¯s health is kinda deteriorating. Though no major problems have arisen, yet¡­ my big and younger uncles have already begun to stir up some troubles. With me staying in Shanghai to expand my wings kind of leaves a way out for myself in the future!¡±


    ¡°Your idea is correct.¡± Tang Xiu nodded said, ¡°It¡¯s necessary to avoid troubles if you¡¯re not ready to compete for power and authority. If so, let us go then! I¡¯ll accompany you searching for a house.¡±


    Mu Wanying let out a faint smile. There was something inside her heart that she didn¡¯t speak out. Her decision to stay in Shanghai to develop herself was not entirely because of the disputes in her family, as part of the reason was related to Tang Xiu. She knew clearly well that Tang Xiu wouldn¡¯t settle in Shanghai in the future, but he would stay for at least four years.


    She was the type of woman who was very difficult to fall in love, but she would be dead set on the man she loved once she did. Despite knowing very well that Tang Xiu would continue to blossom in the future given his abilities, and for him to have only one woman was near to impossible, yet she wanted to fight for her own happiness. Thus she must take the initiative to secure her own place in Tang Xiu¡¯s heart.


    Tang Xiu came to campus on foot, so the duo strolled back to the Bluestar Villa Complex and then went to the garage.


    ¡°This is¡­ a Koenigsegg Agera R?¡±


    As the electric door slowly opened, Mu Wanying saw the luxury sports cars parked inside.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes flickered as he suddenly remembered that when he went to Jingmen Island a while ago, his aunt, Tang Min, told him that there was a good luxury sports car abroad, so she had one ordered for him and had it delivered to the Bluestar Villa Complex.


    He drove the Range Rover when he returned home and had it parked in the yard. He didn¡¯t open the garage back then, so he hadn¡¯t yet seen this sports car. Regarding luxury cars, he had never researched them, thus he was oblivious to their names.


    Without waiting for Tang Xiu¡¯s reply, Mu Wanying hurriedly ran toward the sports car and found that it had been covered by dust. She then looked for a towel and a bucket of water before she seriously cleaned it, a new sports car presented before them.


    Tang Xiu watched Mu Wanying doing the chore. After Mu Wanying finally dropped the towel into the bucket, he smiled and said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s drive this car out today since you like it so much! There¡¯s no harm doing this once in a while.¡±


    ¡°It looks really great.¡± Mu Wanying laughed. ¡°I have seen the appearance of this car and its presentation on a car magazine, but I have never seen it in real life, though.¡±


    ¡°Is this car very famous?¡± Asked Tang Xiu curiously.


    Mu Wanying looked at Tang Xiu with a strange expression before saying, ¡°The Koenigsegg brand really isn¡¯t that well known among the supercars, and its popularity is far behind the Ferraris and Bugattis. But this Swedish company¡¯s Agera R is equipped with a Twin-Turbocharged V8 engine that gives it a maximum power of 1,124 hp with a top speed of 440 km/h. The most awesome thing about this car is that it only takes 2.8 seconds to accelerate from 0-100 km/h, and an awesome 11.7 seconds to reach 300 km/h. Do you know how much it costs?¡±


    ¡°How much?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°10 million yuan,¡± said Mu Wanying with a serious face.


    Despite having quite a fortune himself, Tang Xiu was still shocked by this figure. It never crossed his mind that his aunt, Tang Min, actually spent her hard-earned money like this. Before this one, the total value of those four cars was over 10 million, and now, this single car was priced at over 10 million yuan.


    This¡­ isn¡¯t this akin to him ruining his own family?


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Mu Wanying laughed. ¡°Could it be that Big Boss Tang is scared by this number?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m scared by number. I just feel that its¡­ way too extravagant.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°Besides, 10 million is an amount ordinary people find too difficult to get in their lifetime. To think that so much money was spent on this car is really¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really strange.¡± Mu Wanying commented, ¡°You don¡¯t seem to know about your cars at all.¡±


    ¡°I went to Jingmen Island a few days ago.¡± Tang Xiu wryly smiled. ¡°My aunt called me then, saying that she ordered me a car from abroad. Since she had already sent me four cars, so I was rather casual and ordering one again, as I thought that it wouldn¡¯t matter much. After returning, I¡¯ve been driving the Land Rover the whole time. Since Chi Nan drove that car last night, hence it¡¯s my first time opening the garage door again after that. Who would have thought¡­ it would be such a luxury sports car.¡±


    ¡°Your aunt really loves you.¡± Mu Wanying sighed, ¡°Anyways, shall we go, sweetheart? Give me a drive around.¡±


    ¡°How about you drive it?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s face scrunched up.


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll drive it.¡± Mu Wanying thought for a moment before smilingly replying, ¡°Driving this luxury sports car must be quite great!¡±


    Two minutes later, Mu Wanying drove the Agera R sports car out of Bluestar Villa Complex. Just from the inside of the complex to the exit, it already attracted the attention of many people; even the security guards on duty stood perfectly straight and saluted more smartly than normally.


    It was the sound and beauty of the car!


    Tang Xiu suddenly felt that he was a silk pants, the second generation nouveau-riche who drove a luxury car with a belle. If there were red wine to savor along with cigars added, wasn¡¯t it akin to a fairy-like life?


    ¡°How about having a few cups of wine after we see the house, Wanying? We seem to have passed by several good bars, and the atmosphere seems good,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Mu Wanying replied with a faint smile.


    ¡°Where are we going? Have you done any searching before?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°I have done an online search and quite liked the Loran Villa Complex,¡± said Mu Wanying. ¡°The location of the complex is a bit far, however, and it takes more than an hour driving from my company. And it¡¯s outside the rush hour in case of traffic jam. Century Classic Villa Complex is pretty good as well, but it¡¯s not a single villa. I like single villas, and it¡¯s better to have a villa with a private pool.¡±


    Tang Xiu hesitated for a moment before replying, ¡°Then let¡¯s go have a look at both. We¡¯ll see which one you finally like the most.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Mu Wanying nodded with a smile.


    As the Agera R drove on the avenue, it was like a strong magnet that attracted the attention of many people, who looked at them with envy and fantasizing when they would have such a cool and awesome luxury car.


    ****


    Loran Villa Complex.


    Han Jintong comfortably sat on the terrace of the villa, basking in the sun while smoking a cigarette. He had seen and gone through a lot of things with his old age. Therefore, aside from cultivation, he enjoyed the remaining years of his life every day. It could be said that he was the one who enjoyed life the most among the residents of this villa complex.


    Of course¡­. He was also the one who had the best personal connections.


    It would have been more perfect if Second Brother¡¯s family of three come back from abroad.


    He squinted his eyes to have a broad look at the distant scenery in the villa complex. A luxury sports car was slowly entering the complex, making him a bit surprised. It was because he was always spending his time basking in the sun, thus he had seen most of the luxury cars in the complex. But he was sure that he had never seen this very alluring sports car.


    Is it another prodigal son playing with his new car again?


    Han Jintong sighed as his vision followed the car as it finally parked in front of the Property Management Office about 200 to 300 meters away. From his position, he was able to see the car parked in front of the office.


    ¡°Huh?¡± When the luxury supercar parked and the man and woman got out, his expression moved and exclaimed lightly, ¡°Tang Xiu?¡±


    He admitted that he was old already, but he definitely wouldn¡¯t admit that he had presbyopia at all. He could distinctly recognize that the handsome young man was Tang Xiu. He dreaded Tang Xiu¡¯s identity very much, and he also wished to have a bit of friendship with him. A pity that his treasured granddaughter¡ªHan Qingwu, was Tang Xiu¡¯s teacher and there seemed to be some unpleasant things between the two; else he could hope that Han Qingwu could become Tang Xiu¡¯s girlfriend and even better, becoming his wife in the future.

 Chapter 586

    Chapter 586: Unreasonable


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    A black car parked behind the Agera R. The driver was a beautiful girl, and even though her beauty was not on par with Mu Wanying, she could still be regarded as a goddess in the eyes of many male youths.


    Her name was Li Jing, a real estate saleswoman of the Loran Villa Complex.


    Li Jing¡¯s recent performance was very poor, because she wasn¡¯t willing to accept some unspoken rules in the real estate market sales. Her manager had even warned her that she must pack her stuff and leave directly if she couldn¡¯t sell a house this month. Therefore, despite feeling irritated inside, she also looked forward with impatient expectancy, hoping that a bankroller customer would come to visit; and it would be best if the bankroller was a woman.


    Today, however, just as she was pondering over the matter at the gate of the sales center, she saw a good-looking couple coming toward her. She really looked forward to it, because the couple looked like they were very rich given how they dressed up and the luxury sports cars they came with.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, Ms. Mu, we have only four villas left in this Loran Villa Complex now. I¡¯ve already presented three of them to you in the sales center, and all of them don¡¯t meet your satisfaction. Then I¡¯ll take you directly to villa #9. Please come with me! The villa is very close to here.¡±


    Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying nodded slightly and followed Li Jing for a couple of minutes before arriving at the front gate of villa #9. It was a European-style villa with a total of three floors, a large area, and the most satisfactory aspect was that it boasted hundreds of square meters of lawn and garden before its gate.


    ¡°It¡¯s very stylish. The price shouldn¡¯t be cheap either, yes?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Li Jing said, ¡°The housing price has been sharply increasing as of recently, reaching 145,000 yuan per square meter. The lawn and garden outside the villa are complimentary, but the villa itself still has 460 square meters. The total price is 66.7 million yuan, and with a 5% discount I can give you, the net price will be 63.365 million. I can also help you reduce it by 65,000 yuan more if you pay up front.¡±


    Tang Xiu shot Mu Wanying a look of inquiry.


    Mu Wanying nodded silently, indicating that the price was acceptable to her. This impressed Tang Xiu, because he didn¡¯t expect that she earned such a huge sum of money within such a short time.


    Afterward, the duo came to the villa under Li Jing¡¯s guidance. The overall layout was great, and there was also a very spacious private pool on the west side of the first floor. For a villa to have such an indoor private swimming pool nowadays was very rare.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it!¡± After having a look, Mu Wanying straightly gave her decision.


    A pleasantly surprised expression appeared in Li Jing¡¯s eyes. She then left the villa with Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying toward the sales center to handle the transaction formalities. Han Jintong, who had waited for some time outside the door, blocked the path of the trio.


    ¡°Are you not basking yourself under the sun today, Uncle Han? Did you come out to stroll around?¡± Li Jing was obviously very familiar with Han Jintong as she greeted him with a smile.


    Han Jintong let out a faint smile and slightly nodded in response before his eyes shifted to Tang Xiu. There was a respectful expression on his face when he spoke, ¡°Are you here to buy a house, Mr. Tang?¡±


    Tang Xiu also didn¡¯t expect that he would meet Han Jintong here. He shook his head and replied, ¡°It¡¯s not me, I¡¯m just accompanying a friend to buy one.¡±


    Han Jintong shot Mu Wanying a look and felt a tinge of regret inside. He also wondered that, if his granddaughter were to try harder and take more initiative, perhaps there would be some chances left for her to be with Tang Xiu. But after having a look at Mu Wanying, he realized that there was no hope left for his granddaughter, because Mu Wanying was too beautiful. Not only was she on par with his granddaughter but even better.


    ¡°Oh, given his status and capacity, could it perhaps that only such a girl deserves to be with him?¡± Han Jintong sighed deeply inwardly.


    ¡°Do you know Mr. Tang, Uncle Han?¡± The saleswoman¡ªLi Jing was surprised.


    Without waiting for Han Jintong to answer her question, Tang Xiu preemptively answered it, ¡°Yeah, I met him once, but we are not too familiar, though.¡±


    Han Jintong¡¯s breath lagged, and he immediately forced a bitter smile inside. Had it been someone else, he would have slapped the person before turning around to leave. But how could he afford to offend such a Master?! A bit of awkwardness appeared on his old face, as he said, ¡°Though I only met Mr. Tang once, I admire him very much. Little Li, since Mr. Tang¡¯s friend wants to buy a house here, you should give a bigger discount and reduce the price more!¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll call the Manager right away,¡± said Li Jing quickly.


    Tang Xiu furrowed his brows as he looked at Han Jintong and asked, ¡°Is your face very valuable here?¡±


    Cough! Cough¡­


    This sentence made Han Jintong choke and cough a few times. He couldn¡¯t be more than eager to run away from here, and yet he still came over to express his goodwill, hence the reply, ¡°It should be worth some dime. The owner of this villa complex is the right-hand man of my second son, and I¡¯m also staying in my second son¡¯s place right now.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded at him in response, as he looked at Li Jing and said, ¡°Call your manager, then. Let¡¯s conclude the transaction according to the price we¡¯ve agreed before! Do you have any problems with it, Wanying?¡±


    A strange light glinted in Mu Wanying¡¯s eyes. Smart as she was, she could immediately understand that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to accept the goodwill from the old man in front of him, and even deliberately kept a distance. Therefore, she let out a faint smile and said, ¡°I have no problem with that. I¡¯m fine with signing the deal and paying up front.¡±


    Li Jing was somewhat awkward being caught in the middle, as she looked at Tang Xiu and Han Jintong in front. She got the cell number of her manager from her phone book, but she wasn¡¯t sure whether she should dial it.


    Han Jintong let out a hollow laugh and knew that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to accept his goodwill, and immediately said, ¡°Do it according to the will of Mr. Tang. Customers have always been the kings, thus you must spare no effort to serve them. Anyways¡­ I have other things to tend to, so I won¡¯t be able to accompany you, Mr. Tang. I¡¯ll take my leave, then.¡±


    Having said that, Han Jintong walked away with a crestfallen expression.


    As a smart girl, Li Jing could tell that Han Jintong obviously wanted to express his goodwill to Tang Xiu. Therefore, she secretly decided that she must report this incident after meeting her Manager and try to give this particular customer more discounts if possible.


    ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s return to the sales center!¡±


    ****


    Inside the sales center.


    Fang Qiang comfortably sat with tilted legs on the European style sofa while his eyes fixated on the charming Hao Qian standing in front of him. As the sales center manager, he had many privileges as well as plenty of ill-gotten gains. In particular, he made all the saleswoman who worked here fawn on him.


    ¡°Qianqian, are we going to have dinner tonight?¡±


    What was inside his mind was Hao Qian¡¯s tender white flesh in her uniform made him hot inside. He was not a good man, as he got several saleswomen in this sales center on his bed. And the beautiful Hao Qian in front of him was also no exception.


    Hao Qian intentionally pouted her mouth and replied a bit coquettishly, ¡°Sure, accompanying you to dinner won¡¯t be a problem, Brother Qiang. It¡¯s just that my client hopes that you can cut the price a bit for the villa #9. You see¡­¡±


    Slightly furrowing his brows, Fang Qiang said, ¡°The price I gave him is very low already, yet he wants it to drop even more? This won¡¯t do! Besides, selling the villas in the Loran Villa Complex is very easy. Even if he doesn¡¯t buy it now, I¡¯m sure there will be other clients who will come to see the house a few days later. Anyhow, if it¡¯s not good for him, just push him off.¡±


    Hao Qian immediately felt anxious. She then came to Fang Qiang and sat on his lap. After looking around and finding that nobody was paying attention to the corner where they were at, she immediately placed her hand on his thigh as her slender, small fingers drew a circle on the inside of his thigh, saying, ¡°Brother Qiang, other clients may indeed come, but counting it as a result of my professional work is hard to say! You can facilitate and make things easier for me, wouldn¡¯t that be good? At the worst¡­ I will just put on that nurse uniform you bought me last time if things come to worst.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Asked Fang Qiang quickly as his spirit was aroused.


    ¡°Absolutely, I¡¯ll put it on tonight,¡± said Hao Qian seriously.


    Fang Qiang raised his hand to touch his chin and pondered for a few seconds before happily replying, ¡°It¡¯s a deal! Make that client come sign the transaction in the afternoon. Tell him that I only have time for him this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Great! Thanks a bunch, Brother Qiang.¡± Hao Qian gleefully glanced around before hugging Fang Qiang¡¯s neck and forcefully kissing his face. She then took her mobile to make a call. After a minute, she had a conversation with the other party and agreed to sign the house purchase agreement at 2:30 PM in the sales center.


    Ten minutes later, Li Jing briskly stepped inside the sales center along with Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, Ms. Mu, please wait in the rest area first. I¡¯ll make the contract and we¡¯ll sign the house purchase agreement later.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying were not in a hurry and headed to the rest area to sit.


    After Li Jing busily spent some time to make the house purchase agreement, she didn¡¯t immediately go to see Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying but looked for Fang Qiang first. She couldn¡¯t conceal the excitement in her eyes when she said, ¡°Manager, my client is ready to buy the villa #9. I¡¯ve also negotiated the price with them, as of now¡­¡±


    ¡°The villa #9 has been booked out.¡± Fang Qiang waved his hand to interrupt her and lightly said, ¡°Tell your client to choose from the other three villas.¡±


    Li Jing was struck dumb and looked at Fang Qiang as if she couldn¡¯t believe what she heard. She had just checked the property booking system a moment ago. Villa #9 was not booked; even the deposit had been confiscated.


    ¡°Are you not mistaken, Manager? I just¡­¡±


    ¡°Villa #9 has just been booked out, and I¡¯m not mistaken at all!¡± Fang Qiang furrowed his brows and said with a displeased expression. ¡°The client who booked villa #9 is Hao Qian¡¯s client, and they will come here in the afternoon to sign the purchase agreement. Alright, if you have no other matters, don¡¯t disturb me anymore.¡±


    ¡°But manager, our sales department have always employed a persistent policy that whoever pays the money first would be the one who gets the house. If that client has already paid the deposit, then I¡¯ll immediately leave now. But my client has promised to pay up front immediately once they have signed the house purchase agreement. You see¡­¡±

 Chapter 587

    Chapter 587: Selling the Villa at a Very Low Price


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Fang Qiang¡¯s expression slightly changed and anger could be seen brewing in his eyes. He didn¡¯t like Li Jing¡­ No, precisely speaking, he liked Li Jing very much. He once had the fantasy of getting her into bed, but it was a pity that Li Jing didn¡¯t have any good impression toward him whatsoever, thus he was flatly refused.


    Therefore, he secretly instructed the other saleswomen to snatch Li Jing¡¯s clients, and even gave them preferential treatment so as to make her lower her head a bit and be unable to strike a deal. And now, he had two paths for her. First, to climb in his bed like a slut, and second, to pack up her stuff and quit. As for the sale of a villa, even if her performance was up to standard, it was just something to toy her with.


    ¡°I already told you that the villa #9 has already been booked by someone else. The deposit will be transferred to the company¡¯s account later. I understand that you badly want to sell a house, but it doesn¡¯t mean that you can snatch the bill from someone else either, don¡¯t you think? Very well then, ask your client whether they are willing to pick another villa, but do get the hell out if they don¡¯t wanna.¡±


    Tears burst out from Li Jing¡¯s eyes. Her grievance and irritation made her want to slap Fang Qiang a few times, but her sane mind told her not to. She couldn¡¯t afford to lose her job, otherwise she would have to sell her apartment. She needed to earn money to pay the mortgage and also send some money to her parents.


    Suddenly, she remembered something and suppressed her impulse to cry, saying, ¡°Manager, since you want to sell villa #9 to someone else, then I can forget it. But these two clients of mine are very special. Uncle Han, who lives in villa #8, seems to know them. He was very amiable and friendly towards them.¡±


    Fang Qiang¡¯s brows furrowed slightly and immediately mocked her, ¡°Do you want to tell me that the Boss¡¯ current achievement was inseparable from his capable helper¡ªthe second son of that old geezer Han?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it so?¡± Replied Li Jing.


    Fang Qiang got up with contempt and ridicule on his face as he scornfully derided, ¡°Li Jing, do you know why you have no results in our sales center? It¡¯s because you¡¯re too stupid. You¡¯re too rigid and are oblivious as to how to adapt to circumstances. Do you know what decade you are living in? Shouldering the grace and benevolence from others until you die? Hmph, the present capacity of our Big Boss is more than that old geezer Han¡¯s son in the past. Do you think that our Boss will still give face to that Old Han on his son¡¯s account? That¡¯s ridiculous.¡±


    Li Jing¡¯s glimmer of hope was blown away by Fang Qiang¡¯s rebuttal. Unwilling as she may be, she didn¡¯t know what else she could use to argue back.


    Suddenly, courage seemed to emerge inside her heart as she secretly made up her mind. She turned around and headed to the office under Fang Qiang¡¯s mocking smirk. Several minutes later, she obtained the cell number of her Big Boss, Chen Bin, and dialed it.


    ****


    Shanghai, Hongtu Group.


    At the moment, Chen Bin, who owned a few billions yuan in wealth, was sitting in the reception room and receiving a guest. This particular guest was a Big Boss he had invited many times already, who had more wealth and higher status in Shanghai than him.


    ¡°Brother Jin, I¡¯ve already expressed my intention as well as presented all the estimated profits to you. As long as you¡¯re willing to give me those few projects, I guarantee that I¡¯ll fulfill both the quality and quantity requirements. Besides, it won¡¯t affect your next big plan either, and we can also satisfy and make the best of both sides.¡± Chen Bin had been looking forward to being able to pick up some subcontracts from Jin Xingkui after the Jinda Real Estate planned to subcontract several projects.


    ¡°Brother Chen, we are all in the construction industry, so we know it inside out,¡± said Jin Xingkui smilingly. ¡°However, more than ten construction companies have approached me recently, and they also offered more than you. It¡¯s tough for me to accept it if you can¡¯t allocate more profits.¡±


    Chen Bin secretly scowled and criticized Jin Xingkui for being greedy, yet he kept smiling on the surface and said, ¡°How about I reformulate the agreement with much better conditions than these, Brother Jin? Anyways, there is still some time today, would you care to have a few shots in the golf course?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the leisure time you have now, Brother Chen.¡± Jin Xingkui shook his head and smilingly said. ¡°I recently started a new project and am ridden with all sorts of worrying things as well. Let¡¯s postpone it to later! We¡¯ll have a few shots whenever we find some time later!¡±


    Chen Bin was somewhat disappointed inside and also envious at the same time upon hearing it, and yet he couldn¡¯t do anything about it. Jin Xingkui¡¯s business was currently booming, and his new project especially boasted massive works and would be quite a source of money once it was completed!


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    A call from an unfamiliar number made Chen Bin swallow back the words he was about to say. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, he looked at Jin Xingkui and apologized before accepting the call, saying, ¡°Chen Bin speaking, who is this?¡±


    ¡°Hello, Boss. I¡¯m Li Jing, a salesperson from the Loran Villa Complex¡¯ sales center. I really wasn¡¯t supposed to disturb you, but I have very important thing to report to you.¡±


    ¡°Speak!¡±


    Upon hearing Li Jing¡¯s identity, Chen Bin instinctively wanted to hang up. After all, daring to call the higher-ups behind one¡¯s immediate superior¡¯s back was something he really didn¡¯t like. The last sentence from Li Jing, however, made him temporarily pause and allow her to speak.


    Li Jing had long considered what she would say inside her mind. It was her last hope, thus she was ready to stake everything she had even if she would get fired. Not only did she narrate what Fang Qiang had done, she even told the issues with the clients who came to buy the villa today. Finally, she said, ¡°Boss, Manager Fang said that you¡¯re the kind of businessman who discards your helpers after their help is made use of and the kind who only seek for profits and doesn¡¯t care about past sentiments at all. This is the reason why I called, to tell you that even Uncle Han attaches great importance to Mr. Tang, even flattering him. Also, these two clients are driving a very luxurious sports car. I secretly checked it out on the Internet and found that his car is priced at over 10 million yuan. I think their identity must be extraordinary.¡±


    A flame of anger blazed inside Chen Bin¡¯s heart. It was not aimed at Li Jing but toward Fang Qiang. Outsiders may not know the relationship between him and the Han Family, but he knew perfectly well that he would only be a good-for-nothing trash now if it wasn¡¯t for Han Jintong¡¯s son in the past. Therefore, he always remembered the benevolence given unto him by the others and even treating Han Jintong as his own elder and a family member even though many years had passed by.


    Furthermore, what startled him most was about the clients who could afford a few millions yuan luxury sports car. Their identity was probably extraordinary and couldn¡¯t be underestimated. The waters of Shanghai were very deep, thus he always acted prudently despite having a wealth of a few billion yuan, for fear of offending someone he couldn¡¯t afford to offend.


    ¡°Who exactly is this Mr. Tang?¡± Asked Chen Bin after pondering for a moment.


    ¡°It¡¯s Tang Xiu,¡± answered Li Jing.


    The name felt familiar to Chen Bin and he gave it a thought for a while. He heard this name somewhere but couldn¡¯t remember it. However, for Elderly Han Jintong to feel the need to fawn upon him, this person was obviously someone whose identity was really extraordinary.


    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll come over to the villa complex shortly.¡±


    Having said that, he concluded the call. With a hesitant expression, he then looked at Jin Xingkui and asked, ¡°Brother Jin, can I ask you something? Have you heard of a young man named Tang Xiu?¡±


    Jin Xingkui stared at him with a blank face, and then his expression immediately changed. He then replied with a sinking voice, ¡°I do know the owner of that name. Chen Bin, what are you asking Tang Xiu¡¯s name for?¡±


    Astute as he was, Chen Bin couldn¡¯t help but turn more cautious after seeing Jin Xingkui¡¯s expression, as he then replied, ¡°A staff from the sales center of the villa complex I just developed just called. She reported a particular situation to me¡­¡±


    He then explained everything he had heard cautiously and finally said, ¡°I feel that this name is quite familiar. It¡¯s like I¡¯ve heard it somewhere but I can¡¯t remember it. But you have more experience and also have a lot of personal connections, Brother Jin, hence why I asked you.¡±


    A strange expression appeared on Jin Xingkui¡¯s face before he shot Chen Bin a deep gaze. Following that, he got up and said, ¡°Chen Bin, I¡¯ve given some thought to your offer, and I¡¯m satisfied with it. You don¡¯t need to reformulate the agreement anymore, we can sign the contract today. However, I have a request.¡±


    Chen Bin was dumbfounded. Astute and smart he may be, yet he was completely bewildered by Jin Xingkui¡¯s jumping off topic. He couldn¡¯t grasp where it was heading.


    ¡°Please say!¡± Said Chen Bin cautiously.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for Tang Xiu to pay for a villa in your villa complex,¡± said Jin Xingkui. ¡°Just sell it to him for 1 yuan.¡±


    Chen Bin instantly gasped a cold breath. At this time, he suddenly understood. No matter how the topic was shifted and circled about, Jin Xingkui just agreed to cooperate with him with the previous conditions, and it was all because of this Tang Xiu!!


    This¡­ who could this holiness be?


    Not only was this person worth it for Elderly Han Jintong to fawn upon, even such a bigwig like Jin Xingkui gave up quite a large profit for him?


    ¡°Brother Jin, this Mr. Tang is¡­¡± Chen Bin cautiously explored.


    ¡°He has a lot of identities, but I won¡¯t tell you all of them one by one,¡± said Jin Xingkui. ¡°There are two points I can tell you now. Firstly, Tang Xiu is someone I can¡¯t afford to offend. Even if there were ten of me, I would never dare to provoke him. Secondly, he¡¯s a friend of mine and also my business partner. Though the New City Project is mainly helmed by me, he¡¯s the major shareholder in it.¡±


    Hiss¡­ Chen Bin suddenly gasped upon hearing this. At this time, he rained down streams of curses toward Fang Qiang inwardly and couldn¡¯t wait to drag and slap him fiercely. Such a powerful great personage came to buy a villa in his villa complex, yet Fang Qiang went so far as to slam the door on his face just to intentionally make things difficult for a saleswoman?


    ¡°Brother Jin, I¡¯ll immediately rush over to the Loran Villa Complex. I¡¯ll sell the villa to Mr. Tang for 1 yuan just like you told me to.¡±


    ¡°If so, then off you go and Godspeed!¡± Jin Xingkui nodded. ¡°Anyways, it won¡¯t be convenient for me to appear there. And do not mention anything about the matter between us. When you¡¯re all done dealing with it, bring the contract to the Jinda Real Estate. I¡¯ll be waiting for you there.¡±


    ¡°Brother Jin, I¡¯ll definitely handle this matter well,¡± said Chen Bin with all seriousness. ¡°As a matter of fact, I would still do it even if you didn¡¯t tell me so. It¡¯s because Elderly Han is my own elder, and I never dare not to listen to his words.¡±


    Jin Xingkui smilingly nodded. He was full of admiration and adulation toward Tang Xiu inwardly. He had heard of Han Jintong¡¯s name; an old man who didn¡¯t expose his talents yet was very capable. The second son of this old man was once a very successful businessman in Shanghai that had developed his business into a giant entity and then immigrated overseas to expand it.

 Chapter 588

    Chapter 588: What Kind of Joke is This?


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Inside the property sales center of Loran Villa Complex.


    It had been more than half an hour that Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying sat in the rest area waiting for Li Jing, but they didn¡¯t see Li Jing¡¯s figure at all. They were quite surprised when Li Jing came to them slowly, with nothing in her hands just like when she left.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Asked Tang Xiu, confused.


    Li Jing didn¡¯t understand what her Boss meant, so she wasn¡¯t certain the excuses she had to tell the other party would be useful. However, she had already packed the stuff in her office and was waiting for her Boss to come. In the case that the matter ended up unsatisfactorily, she was afraid that she could only be swept out and leave for home.


    She felt somewhat sorry for Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying, for she thought that they were just victims who got implicated by her problems, so she said, ¡°Mr. Tang, Ms. Mu, I apologize for keeping you waiting. It¡¯s because something went wrong. My Boss is currently heading here and he¡¯ll arrive soon, I believe. Would you two wait a bit longer?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± Asked Mu Wanying. ¡°What exactly happened?¡±


    Li Jing was about to speak but hesitated.


    After looking at her expression, Tang Xiu¡¯s brows slightly furrowed and then asked, ¡°What¡¯s the name of your Big Boss?¡±


    ¡°Chen Bin,¡± said Li Jing and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.


    Chen Bin?


    After searching his memories, Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t remember the name, and obviously, he hadn¡¯t met nor was acquainted with him, thus this should probably be a internal problem of their company! As he thought up to there, he then looked at Mu Wanying and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine in any case, since we have nothing to do this morning. We¡¯ll wait a bit longer then!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Mu Wanying came to buy a house, but as a matter of fact, she had an ¡®ulterior motive¡¯. That was, as long as she could be alone with Tang Xiu, whatever the place was the same.


    Seeing that they expressed their willingness to wait, Li Jing immediately shot they a grateful look and personally served them tea.


    Afterward, she went to wait for her Boss outside the door. Fang Qiang then strolled in in a leisurely manner with his left hand stuffed in his pocket. His eyes swept over Tang Xiu before landing on Mu Wanying¡¯s face, as shock immediately painted his face. Despite having considerable power in this sales center, he didn¡¯t dare to offend these clients, for he knew that people who could afford to buy such luxury villas were not your ordinary layman.


    Nevertheless, he may not dare provoke Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying, but that was not so toward Li Jing. He felt that he could elevate his dignity and rank highly if he taught her in front of Mu Wanying. So, he raised his chin and said, ¡°What are you doing, Li Jing? Don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t told the clients that the villa #9 has already been sold?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Li Jing opened her mouth and her face turned pale.


    ¡°What¡¯s with me, huh?¡± Fang Qiang raised his brows and reproached her, ¡°Though villa #9 has been sold, aren¡¯t there three others that have not yet sold out? If you feel that you don¡¯t have the ability to serve the clients well then I¡¯ll do it myself¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu frowned. He looked at Li Jing and asked, ¡°What¡¯s happened here?¡±


    Li Jing finally realized that she couldn¡¯t hide it anymore as she toughened her resolve and said, ¡°Mr. Tang, Ms. Mu, I¡¯m really sorry. I originally presented you the villa #9, but after I brought you back and was about to draft the purchase agreement, he told me that someone had booked the villa and the other party would come over to pay the purchase agreement in the afternoon. Actually, the customer who pays first would get the villa according to the policy of our company. I also talked about this with him, but he pressure me with his manager¡¯s identity. I¡¯m really sorry. I¡¯ve already thought of a way to work it out. Please wait for a while.¡±


    Fang Qiang never dreamed that Li Jing would actually point the spearhead at him, more so that she bluntly disclosed it to the customer?


    Anger surged up from his chest, as he glared at Li Jing and berated her, ¡°What nonsense are you spitting out? Who is using the manager¡¯s identity to pressure you, huh? Your work attitude surely is problematic, Li Jing! You¡¯re not worthy to to be a staff at the sales center of Loran Villa Complex. You¡¯re fired! Go back and pack your stuff, and then leave!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s really impressive, Manager Fang!¡±


    A cold voice came from the front door of the sales center as several men and women followed a middle-aged man inside. It was the middle-aged man who just spoke.


    The familiar voice made Fang Qiang¡¯s complexion change. When he turned and saw Chen Bin, his heart suddenly thumped violently as he obsequiously smiled and said, ¡°Boss, why didn¡¯t you inform me in advance? I would have sent someone to welcome you outside¡­¡±


    With a grim expression, Chen Bin hummed coldly and said, ¡°Could I still see your unruliness if I had given you prior notice? Training an outstanding salesperson has never been easy for the company, and yet you only need a few words to fire her? With you doing it in front of the customer, is really so inspiring in and of itself, no?¡±


    A chill ran down Fang Qiang¡¯s heart. As he was about to speak, he actually found that his Boss didn¡¯t even want to listen to him at all, but continued to walk toward the young man sitting on the couch instead.


    ¡°Are you Mr. Tang?¡± Asked Chen Bin respectfully as he arrived in front of Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Do you know me?¡± Asked Tang Xiu back, surprised.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Tang, I¡¯m Chen Bin, the chairman of the Hongtu Group. This is my business card.¡± Chen Bin quickly said. ¡°You and this young lady have been wronged by us, but thankfully our saleswoman has already informed me of everything. You can rest assured, however, that our company has distinct rules and policies that whoever pays the house is the one who gets it. Nevertheless, I still want to apologize to you and this lady for the problem caused by the staff of our company management that has brought a great inconvenience to the two of you here, and I must make up for it.¡±


    ¡°Oh? How do you want to make up for this matter, exactly?¡± Asked Tang Xiu while letting out a faint smile as he got up to shake hands with Chen Bin, and the motioned Mu Wanying to change the seat to give a place for Chen Bin.


    Chen Bin felt slightly flattered for being able to sit next to Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Mr. Tang, regarding the problem caused by my company management staff, I will fire him at once and also inform the real estate developer circle. He will be blacklisted from all the major real estate developers in the future.¡±


    ¡°This is an internal affair of your company.¡± Tang Xiu neither approve nor disapprove it. ¡°It has no relationship with us whatsoever.¡±


    At the side, Fang Qiang¡¯s face was tragic as he hastily cried out, ¡°Boss, you can¡¯t fire me! I have the right to dismiss employees as the sales manager here. Also, I didn¡¯t offend these two clients either!¡±


    Chen Bin suddenly turned his head and yelled angrily, ¡°SHUT UP!¡±


    Fang Qiang¡¯s breath lagged and dared not speak again.


    The expression on Chen Bin¡¯s face was then replaced with a respectful expression as he said, ¡°Mr. Tang, I decided to sell villa #9 to you for 1 yuan to make up for the wrongdoing my company has done to the two of you. You see¡­¡±


    What?


    Tang Xiu was struck dumb, whereas Mu Wanying¡¯s expression was one of disbelief.


    1 yuan? A mere coin to buy a villa that was valued at over 60 million yuan? What kind of joke was this?


    At the side, Fang Qiang stared at Chen Bin with disbelief all over his face as he couldn¡¯t believe what he heard. He could tell that the Big Boss was not ill, but why did he¡­


    Li Jing was also shocked, because it never crossed her mind even in her dreams that her reporting a complaint on the phone would unexpectedly turn the situation into this.


    ¡°Is it because of Han Jintong?¡± Asked Tang Xiu after thinking for a moment.


    ¡°That¡¯s part of the reason, indeed,¡± said Chen Bin quickly.


    ¡°And the other part?¡± Asked Tang Xiu again, frowning.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, the person urged me to not mention him.¡± Chen Bin hesitantly replied, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but what you ask is hard for me to comply.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a saying that no gains will be obtained without pains.¡± Tang Xiu replied, ¡°We¡¯re here to buy a villa, not to obtain something for free. If you don¡¯t tell us about the whole story, do you think we can accept your villa so easily?¡±


    After contemplating for a moment, Chen Bin finally spoke, albeit reluctantly, ¡°All right! Since you must know, then I can only comply. It¡¯s actually Brother Jin Xingkui. I was having a discussion with him when I received a call from the sales staff¡ªLi Jing.¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly understood. He looked at Mu Wanying, nodded and said, ¡°I see. Since it¡¯s a kind intention from Jin Xingkui, let¡¯s settle this like that, then! Anyways, you don¡¯t have to stay here, though. You can resolve the affairs in your company while we will also tend to other things after we¡¯re done with the purchase of the villa.¡±


    ¡°You two, please wait for two minutes.¡± Chen Bin quickly got up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll immediately send someone to finish the formalities.¡±


    When everyone had left, Mu Wanying leaned on Tang Xiu, grabbed his arm, playfully smiled and said, ¡°I suddenly have a feeling, sweetheart.¡±


    ¡°What feeling?¡± asked Tang Xiu while glancing at Mu Wanying¡¯s hands pulling his arm.


    ¡°It¡¯s like I¡¯m a mistress who¡¯s supported by a man, that is,¡± said Mu Wanying with a chuckle.


    Cough! Cough¡­


    Her answer made Tang Xiu cough twice and be at a loss whether to cry or laugh. ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense, will you? You¡¯re a rich young woman yourself, do you even need others to support you? The incident today is nothing but only an unforeseen mishap.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, an unforeseen mishap, yet it saved me of more than 60 million yuan.¡± Mu Wanying laughed lightly. ¡°Anyhow, you do have quite the capabilities, sweetheart!¡±


    Tang Xiu only wryly smiled in response and shook his head. He was actually pondering as to why Jin Xingkui urged Chen Bin to sell the villa priced at over 60 million yuan for 1 yuan only¡ªwhat exactly did he invest to earn his friendship for?


    Ten minutes later, Li Jing brought the house purchase agreement to Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying. Her attitude toward them at the moment had drastically changed¡ªeither her respectful expression or prudent attention to them betrayed the intense nervousness inside her heart.


    Quickly after, the agreement had been signed. Mu Wanying herself didn¡¯t have a single dime on her, so Tang Xiu eventually handed Li Jing a coin and smilingly said, ¡°Anyways, don¡¯t look so cautious like that¡ªwe¡¯re not some big tigers. That¡¯s right, has the duty shift for staff changes in your company been done already?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been completed, and Fang Qiang has been fired.¡± Li Jing replied with a grateful expression. ¡°And I¡­ I got promoted to the sales manager position. Mr. Tang, Ms. Mu, thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°No need to be that polite.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand. ¡°If anything, you have a good professional ethics and your work quality is commendable. It¡¯s just that Fang Qiang should not be a good person, else he wouldn¡¯t have made things difficult for a woman like you.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Li Jing was so touched that she almost broke in tears. Though she had indeed made some achievements by struggling with her own abilities after coming to this metropolis and was finally able to buy a small apartment through a mortgage, she lived alone, and there were no shoulders she could rest her head onto whenever she faced difficulties. The bitter experience she went through today had turned out to be the warmest thing she had ever gotten since coming to this city.

 Chapter 589

    Chapter 589: Suppression


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu waited for Mu Wanying to sign the house purchase agreement before they immediately left without even informing Chen Bin. Although Tang Xiu looked a bit indifferent toward Chen Bin on the surface, he was actually feeling thankful to him. Therefore, he called Jin Xingkui on the way back to invite him to a drink tomorrow night and told him to invite Chen Bin as well.


    ¡°You know, sweetheart, you¡¯ve now become my idol.¡± While steering the wheel, Mu Wanying¡¯s eyes were full of dazzling lights as she smilingly spoke as Tang Xiu hung up the call.


    ¡°Ah, the First Beauty of the Capital and the First Campus Flower of Shanghai University unexpectedly see me as her idol?¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing and smilingly said. ¡°That¡¯s a great honor for me.¡±


    ¡°If so, do I have the honor to invite my idol to have lunch together, then?¡± Asked Mu Wanying.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°You saved quite a lot of money today. It¡¯s a must for you treat me to a meal.¡±


    ¡°Anyhow, I¡¯ve been asking around and heard that Shanghai has a recently opened restaurant, the Paradise Manor.¡± Mu Wanying smilingly said. ¡°I heard that the dishes over there are very unique and, most of all, it has a very good environment. Let¡¯s go have a meal there?¡±


    Paradise Manor?


    Tang Xiu dazed for a second before he immediately laughed and said, ¡°Good idea! That Paradise Manor is Lulu¡¯s, maybe she can give us a discount, too.¡±


    ¡°Lulu? That Ouyang Lulu?¡± Mu Wanying had seen Ouyang Lulu before, thus had her brows slightly raised.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s her,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    Pondering for a moment, Mu Wanying suddenly shook her head and said, ¡°I¡¯ll to take you to lunch elsewhere, then.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You and Ouyang Lulu are too close, and I¡¯m kinda afraid that she also won¡¯t accept our money like today.¡± Said Mu Wanying with a pure expression. ¡°I just invited you to a meal and you agreed, hence the bill will be on me today. Can you at least let me spend some money?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Mu Wanying¡¯s faulty reasoning made Tang Xiu at a loss whether to laugh or cry.


    Mu Wanying glanced at Tang Xiu again and no longer spoke. As a matter of fact, she was perfectly aware of the fact that Ouyang Lulu was Tang Xiu¡¯s close female friend and hailed from a prominent family in Jingmen Island. For her to move so eagerly to Shanghai and set up a hill resort restaurant here was perhaps just like her idea¡ªstay in Shanghai to get closer to Tang Xiu. In other words, she was highly likely her rival in love.


    Eventually, Mu Wanying picked one of the very good restaurants in Shanghai and urged Tang Xiu to have a great feast, and then the duo had an extravagant lunch that cost five figures.


    The two had classes in the afternoon, however, so they returned to Shanghai University after finishing the lunch. After agreeing to find an interior design team later, they then parted ways to their respective classrooms.


    As always, leisure and carefree time pass fast.


    The time zipped by, and it had been nearly half a month since Tang Xiu returned from the capital. In this half a month, he occasionally went out to drink with Jin Xingkui, while some other times also accepting the invitations from Gu Changmin and Zhang Yueming. Even Ouyang Lulu also ran over to find him a few times to pester him. At some other times, he had classes to attend to in the campus and used the rest of his time whenever he had no class to impart his knowledge on Chinese Medical expertise to Dai Xinyue in the Bluestar Villa Complex¡ªso much so that he taught her a lot of Chinese Medical knowledge during this time.


    The morning sun was particularly bright and beautiful.


    After having breakfast, Tang Xiu received a call from Kuwako Yamamato and learned that she was in Shanghai. He asked her on the phone about her intention to come to Shanghai but was actually kept guessing by her.


    ¡°There will no class on from Saturday to Monday. Rather than staying at home for two days, I should better go out and have a stroll.¡±


    While standing on the balcony, Chen Xiaowan¡¯s face appeared inside Tang Xiu¡¯s mind. The two of them hadn¡¯t met again in the past half a month except for having a conversation via phone.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It seems Sis Xiaowan is working in the Brisk Trading Group.¡±


    Tang Xiu wanted to take her to work in the Magnificent Tang Corp, but he hadn¡¯t had the opportunity to mention it to her since the two had only just met.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go see her, then.¡±


    After making a decision, he went downstairs and headed straight to the garage. Although the Agera R was not to his liking, he was kind of prepared to pretend to be a swanky young master for the first time, nevertheless.


    While driving to the Brisk Trading Group, Tang Xiu suddenly remembered Su Yaning. She was now working in Beijing and even though she had a good position and salary¨Cafter all, she was only a senior white-collar worker¨Che was worried there was some misgivings for living there alone.


    Sometimes he may be cruel, but the last time in Beijing made his relationship with her slightly easier. He also had thought to make her leave Beijing to work in the Magnificent Tang Corp. What was more, he wouldn¡¯t have known Chen Xiaowan if it wasn¡¯t for her. Therefore, after hesitating for a while, he put on a Bluetooth earphone and dialed Su Yaning¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± A cold voice belonging to Su Yaning came out of the phone. But Tang Xiu knew that she saved his cell number from her words.


    ¡°How were things recently? Are you getting treated badly at your work in the capital?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I¡¯m all right,¡± answered Su Yaning. ¡°My Boss treats me well now thanks to your blessing.¡±


    ¡°Striving alone in the capital is not a long-term solution,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°You can work in the Magnificent Tang Corp if you wish! Kang Xia has been prepping to expand the company recently and has decided to set up branches in the major provinces of the country. You can choose one of the provinces¡¯ branch offices as a general manager aside from the Beijing¡¯s and Shanghai¡¯s branches.¡±


    Su Yaning fell into silence.


    She did feel that her life was a bit depressing even though she had a decent job in Beijing. She was living alone, after all. Life was passable and not bad in normal times, as she could go out once in a while, but it was quite hard whenever she fell ill as she wished to have a family member at her side. Especially last week, when she caught a bad cold and had to rest in bed, and no one was even there to bring and provide her some water. Back then, she felt that she would feel slightly warm even if the person who was there was Tang Xiu.


    After getting the silent treatment from Su Yaning, Tang Xiu lightly continued, ¡°There¡¯s no rush for you to answer me now. Besides, the establishment of the branch offices in the various provinces is not yet officially on schedule. It will probably be scheduled to be in about ten days or so. Just consider it well and call me when you have made a decision.¡±


    ¡°Mmm!¡± Su Yaning didn¡¯t speak, but only let out a slight hum.


    ¡°Anyways, I gotta tell you something. I just met Sis Xiaowan in Shanghai,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Chen Xiaowan?¡± Su Yaning stumped for words for a second before hurriedly asking.


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s working in a foreign capital company in Shanghai,¡± affirmed Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Can you give me her cell number?¡± Asked Su Yaning quickly. ¡°We separated after the high school graduation and only had occasional contacts during our time in the university, finally stopping contact due to various reasons later. I¡¯ve always been wanting to look for her after I graduated, but she changed her cell number.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll send it to your phone number later.¡±


    After concluding the call, Tang Xiu then sent her Chen Xiaowan¡¯s phone number.


    ****


    Brisk Trading Group.


    Chen Xiaowan was sitting on a chair in the office with an awful mood. She felt downhearted as she saw the irksome expression of the person in front of her who had suddenly become her new superior.


    As a Deputy Director of the Human Resources Department, she was greatly appreciated by her previous immediate superior and comfortably enjoyed her daily work normally. But around a week ago, her immediate supervisor resigned from the position of Human Resources Department Director due to an illness and tried to recommend her to the top executives of the company as the new HRD Director.


    Unfortunately, a new director suddenly came out of nowhere and snatched her opportunity from being promoted. She could accept it if it was only this, but the most depressing thing was that the new director was her arch-enemy during her time in university¡ªMiao Xinran, who was also the Vice President of the Student Union back then.


    ¡°You¡¯re abusing your position to get even with me for a private grudge.¡± Chen Xiaowan suppressed her anger as she pressed her hands on Miao Xinran¡¯s desk.


    ¡°Oh please, don¡¯t be so narrow-minded, Chen Xiaowan,¡± said Miao Xinran with an annoying tone. ¡°You indeed had quite the ability and resources for being able to become the President of Students Union back then¡ªthe cause of our grudges. But that¡¯s all in the past and I¡¯ve already forgotten it. The current me is a Human Resources Department Director of the Brisk Trading Group, whereas you now are only a Deputy Director and my subordinate, so I do have the right to arrange your work.¡±


    As she finished speaking, the scowl on her face subsided for the most part and was instead replaced by a glimpse of self-pride and smugness as she continued, ¡°Ask yourself, who made you not to find yourself a good man to marry, huh? My husband is the Vice Chief Executive Officer of the Brisk Trading Group. He holds great power and influence and has a very deep background in Japan. And you? Didn¡¯t you just get dumped by that scumbag not long ago? You know, I can see that green hat being crowned over your head right now.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ Asshole!¡± Chen Xiaowan suddenly got up and yelled.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You got pissed out of shame?¡± Miao Xinran mocked. ¡°The West Branch Office is in need of manpower now. The conditions there are quite difficult, I know, but the pay and welfare are more or less the same. So, you will go there¡ªand you still must go even if you don¡¯t want to. Else you can be sure that I¡¯ll pack up your stuff and kick you out of here!¡±


    After saying that, she didn¡¯t give a chance for Chen Xiaowan to speak, lifting her chin and stepping on her high heels leisurely as she walked outside.


    Chen Xiaowan gasped for breath. Her expression was one of unwillingness and unreconciled to the situation. Getting a promotion when you worked in the Japanese companies was very difficult, and there was only a slight chance for anyone being promoted unless you could display a stellar performance. She had worked hard and racked up good achievements before she got promoted to the Vice Director position in the Human Resources Department.


    But now, she knew that she couldn¡¯t stay here.


    She didn¡¯t want to leave Shanghai. She would have considered going to the West if it was half a month ago. But now she was no longer alone in Shanghai, there was also her younger brother¡­ Tang Xiu.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    Her mobile phone rang and dragged her back from her train of thought.


    Chen Xiaowan picked the call and looked at the number displayed on the screen. It was an unfamiliar number from Beijing. She wanted to reject the call but hesitated. She adjusted her emotions before picking it up and saying, ¡°May I know who am I speaking with?¡±


    ¡°Xiaowan?¡± Su Yaning¡¯s voice came out of the phone.


    Chen Xiaowan was startled as the voice sounded familiar, but she couldn¡¯t remember whose voice it was immediately. Just as she was about to inquire who the other party was, Su Yaning¡¯s face suddenly appeared in her mind. She suddenly felt a wave of emotions in her heart along with anticipation and excitement, as she probed, ¡°Yaning?¡±

 Chapter 590

    Chapter 590: No One Will Compensate You If You Die From Excess Anger


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Su Yaning¡¯s whole being was excited upon hearing Chen Xiaowan¡¯s voice as she got up and quickly said, ¡°I never thought I would be able to hear your voice again after so many years, Xiaowan. I¡¯ve been wanting to contact you for years, but I wasn¡¯t able to get your number. I even asked a lot of our schoolmates, but they didn¡¯t know your mobile number either.¡±


    Chen Xiaowan was also a bit excited at this time. The haziness inside her head diminished a little due to having re-established contact with Su Yaning again. She then replied, ¡°Where are you now, Yaning?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in Beijing! I heard from Tang Xiu that you are in Shanghai, is it true?¡± Said Su Yaning. ¡°How are you? Have you been great all this while?


    Chen Xiaowan was taken aback before realizing that Su Yaning got her number from Tang Xiu. Although she was a bit curious about the situation between Tang Xiu and Su Yaning, asking about it now was out of place. After spending ten minutes chatting with Su Yaning on the phone, the duo finally reluctantly hung up.


    Following that, she picked up all her personal belongings, wrote her resignation letter, and then directly put it on Miao Xinran¡¯s desk before turning around to leave without sparing her a glance.


    ¡°Your boyfriend cheated on you, and now you lost a high-paying executive job too. What a sad life! Dramatic changes are interesting indeed. As your old classmate, I hope you won¡¯t come knocking on my door in the future as a beggar, though I¡¯ll still give you some coins, nevertheless.¡± Miao Xinran curled her lips with tilted legs while folding her arms and shooting Chen Xiaowan¡¯s back a mocking look as she left.


    Chen Xiaowan¡¯s footsteps came to a halt as she finally turned around to look at Miao Xinran and said coldly, ¡°There¡¯s a good saying for us all. 30 years West, and 30 years East. The pendulum swings both ways and every dog has its days. We¡¯ll wait and see later.¡±


    After saying that, she lifted her head up, straightened up her chest and walked toward the outside.


    On this beautiful sunny day, the disconsolation and vexed feelings still made Chen Xiaowan depressed inside despite Su Yaning¡¯s call having dispelled a lot of the haze inside her heart. As she stepped out of the company¡¯s front entrance, standing outside while looking up at the bright sunshine, she finally took a deep sigh of relief secretly.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    Her mobile phone buzzed three times but was hung up directly.


    Chen Xiaowan slightly furrowed her brows. She hated people that made a call and then hung up, because 80% of them were misers who wanted to save their phone bill and wanted her to call back.


    ¡°Hey, unemployed beautiful girl! Do you want this Young Master to support you?¡± A voice with hints of teasing came several meters away behind Chen Xiaowan.


    Chen Xiaowan had a change in expression. When she looked up and saw Tang Xiu, the chagrin, anger, and embarrassed feelings inside her heart eventually turned into grievance. She never expected that Tang Xiu would witness her losing her job despite having already had witnessed her breaking up with her boyfriend. Could it be that he would always appear whenever she fell into trouble?


    ¡°How did you come here?¡±


    Looking at her face, Tang Xiu shrugged his shoulders and said, ¡°I was going to visit you in the Brisk Trading Group and take you out today. Who would have thought that you came out from the inside just as I was going to dial your number? Eh, did you really just get fired, Sis Xiaowan?¡±


    Though somewhat feeling a bit depressed, Chen Xiaowan shook her head and answered, ¡°It can¡¯t said that I got fired. It¡¯s more like that I resigned on my own volition! How true it is that being plagued by bad luck is in truth that you are out of luck.¡±


    ¡°How could this happen?¡± Asked Tang Xiu, taken aback.


    ¡°Let¡¯s forget about this, shall we?¡± Chen Xiaowan shook her head. ¡°Anyhow, I don¡¯t need to ask for a leave today in any case. What plans do you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be accompanying you to relax,¡± said Tang Xiu directly.


    ¡°All right!¡±


    ¡°Good!¡± As she walked to a trash can outside the door, Chen Xiaowan threw all the stuff inside the box into it. Following that, she grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s arm and headed toward the road.


    ¡°What a beautiful sports car.¡± The moment they arrived before the Agera R sports car, Chen Xiaowan sighed and praised in appreciation.


    Tang Xiu picked out the car keys and pressed the button as the four corner lights of the Agera R sports car flashed. Then, he turned to look to at the stunned Chen Xiaowan as he walked to the front of the passenger seat, opened its door and smilingly said, ¡°Let me give you a ride since you are in a bad mood, Sis Xiaowan.¡±


    ¡°This sports car is¡­ yours?¡± Asked Chen Xiaowan.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a nod. ¡°This is mine, your younger brother¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no chance this car is a cheap one, right, Tang Xiu?¡± Chen Xiaowan gulped down and asked in a low voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s not really that expensive, though. Just around 10 million!¡± Answered Tang Xiu while shaking his head.


    ¡°What?¡± Chen Xiaowan exclaimed with disbelief filling her eyes. Despite knowing that Tang Xiu was rich, yet it was out of her imagination that he could be extravagant enough to buy a luxury car worth over 10 million yuan.


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu¡¯s expression moved and asked, ¡°Do you have a WeChat account, Sis Xiaowan?¡±


    The sudden change of topic made Chen Xiaowan bewildered as she answered instinctively.


    Tang Xiu grabbed Chen Xiaowan¡¯s mobile and opened the WeChat app. He instructed her to make some poses in front of the Agera R sports car, took a few photos of her and then sent those pictures to her Moments friends circle while adding some comments below: Got fired by a squid in the company and feeling quite vexed and shitty right now. Hence I ask my brother to come to fetch me and go for a ride to relax. Also, I¡¯m gonna have a big party tonight.


    After feeling satisfied with sending the photos to her friends¡¯ circle, Tang Xiu returned the mobile to Chen Xiaowan, and then forced her to enter the front passenger seat, closed the door, and drove the car away with her.


    Inside the Director¡¯s Office of the Brisk Trading Group¡¯s Human Resources Department, Miao Xinran made coffee for herself in a brisk and happy mood. She then tilted her legs and fiddled with her mobile phone. She was very happy today, and even felt a refreshing feeling and emotion flowing through her body. Someone she always hated and a thorn in her flesh had finally been removed from the company. It made her feel that the air was full of pleasant fragrance.


    ¡°Chen Xiaowan, Chen Xiaowan, you never thought that you¡¯d get your just deserts, did you? Hmph, you¡¯re still worlds apart if you think you can contend against me! And now, you should be squatting in some corner of the company crying and weeping, right? Hahaha¡­¡±


    This thought made Miao Xinran laugh.


    Suddenly, her eyes lit up, for she knew that Chen Xiaowan often tweeted her friends¡¯ circle in the WeChat Moments. She quickly opened WeChat as she had the urge to see her in a pitiful and tragic appearance there.


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    The smile on Miao Xinran face froze and disbelief was plastered on her face. Her eyes stared at the content of the latest tweet and messages in the group, causing her chin to almost fall.


    ¡°That car¡­ isn¡¯t it the Agera R sports car? It must be.¡±


    The World Limited Edition Agera R Supercar was not that well-known, yet its price was ridiculously sky-high. She loved sports cars and read about it on the World Supercars magazines countless times, hence she remembered the shape and appearance of the Agera R.


    Suddenly, as though realizing something, Miao Xinran strode toward the window and quickly looked outside of the building. After quickly glancing around, she caught sight of the luxurious Agera R sports car driving fast on the road. It was like the scene of a prince who came rushing into a group of beggars, looking bright and dazzling.


    How could this be?


    She felt her face burning. Chen Xiaowan¡¯s Moments was like a fierce invisible slap to her face, making her scorched inside.


    After she came back from Japan and obtained a position in the company, she secretly investigated the circumstances surrounding Chen Xiaowan. There had been no information from that investigation results pertaining to any rich younger brother whatsoever, right? Not any on the luxury Agera R supercar either!


    Huff¡­


    Narrow-minded as she was, the intense jealousy made Miao Xinran take a few deep breaths and clench her fists tightly. Her mind was racing unceasingly, trying to find an opportunity to get even with Chen Xiaowan, and how to make her life became more miserable.


    All day long, Tang Xiu brought Chen Xiaowan for a ride, eating and drinking, and visiting a lot of entertainment venues and places with delicious culinary in Shanghai until their bellies almost burst out, ending up with a lot of shopping bags in their hands.


    In the beginning, Chen Xiaowan was not used to frequently upload her activities to the Moments. But after Tang Xiu fanned the flames, she went ahead regardless and directly exploded it out without many thoughts anymore. Every time she arrived at a view spot, she tasted several kinds of food and took pictures whenever she visited a store. She eventually uploaded hundreds of photos in her Moments account in just a day.


    Miao Xinran, who had been following her Moments, was simply blown up by anger. Never once had she imagined that Chen Xiaowan, who had just been dumped by her boyfriend and lost her job, would be enjoying herself by strolling around, feasting, and shopping.


    Dusk finally came and Tang Xiu stopped his car outside a caf¨¦. He then led Chen Xiaowan into the caf¨¦ and ordered two cups of coffee. After sitting on the opposite side of Chen Xiaowan, he smilingly said, ¡°Well, we just tasted a lot of types of food today, and you are probably already full to have a dinner now, right? Anyhow, take your coffee and wait until I¡¯m done with my work before sending you back home.¡±


    Chen Xiaowan¡¯s gloomy mood had long since disappeared. Today she was so happy strolling around that she nodded in satisfaction while sitting on her chair. However, she couldn¡¯t help but ask out of curiosity upon hearing this, ¡°What exactly are you going to do, brother?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m waiting for someone. Waiting to receive a gift, to be precise,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    ¡°Waiting for a gift?¡± Asked Chen Xiaowan with a confused expression. ¡°How come? Today is not the New Year¡¯s or your birthday. How come someone suddenly has a thought of giving you a gift?¡±


    ¡°That person is my subordinate who has found something interesting, probably,¡± answered Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Chen Xiaowan understood immediately. She then let out a smile and nodded, ¡°Anyhow, thanks for everything today, brother. Else I would probably have died in depression.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a big sis of mine, so there¡¯s no need for small talk between us.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°That¡¯s right, what do you have in mind for the future? Do you want to work for my company, by chance? You can rest assured that you¡¯ll have a very good position and salary, and it will definitely be higher than your previous job position by at least a few times. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Hold on, let¡¯s put off talking about this until later, okay?¡± Chen Xiaowan hesitated. ¡°I just lost my job today, and it kind of left a big hole in my heart. Give me some time to rest and think about it well. You don¡¯t know, but working in Japanese enterprises is just too hard. You have a long day and yet you must always work diligently and painstakingly all the time for fear that others will overtake you.¡±


    ¡°Then take a break for a while.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Shortly put, play if you wanna play, and buy whatever you wanna buy. As a big sis you used to take care of me¡ªyour little brother back then, but it¡¯s now the turn of your younger brother to take care of you. Don¡¯t hesitate to directly call me if you are ever short on money. I can¡¯t guarantee exactly how much, but I can give you millions or billions as pocket money.¡±


    Cough! Cough¡­


    Chen Xiaowan almost choked.

 Chapter 591

    Chapter 591: Swinging Returns


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Once in the past, Chen Xiaowan dreamed that she would be very rich in the future, but never dared to think that tens of millions or billions could be regarded as pocket money. The amount was simply too far away from her.


    Before her eyes, however, her younger brother, who had been misunderstood by her back then even told her so openly that he would give her millions or even billions of yuan as pocket money¡­ It scared her so much that her beautiful face almost lost color in fright and she almost choked to death by her own saliva.


    Only after a very long while did she let out a charming smile and said, ¡°Don¡¯t speak carelessly like that, brother. Let alone speaking about so much money that I dare not to even think about it, even if you do give me such an amount of money, I don¡¯t think I can even sleep out of worry. I don¡¯t have the courage to accept it. If you nowhere else to spend your money, just do charity! There are many rich people nowadays, but there are even more poor.¡±


    ¡°I adopted a lot of street children and also helped the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital to set up a charitable fund. Notwithstanding the fact that the attempt is like a drop in the bucket, I will continue to exert myself on this in the future.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Chen Xiaowan nodded with contentment and couldn¡¯t conceal the appreciation in her eyes.


    During the time they were sipping and savoring the taste of their coffee while merrily chatting, a beautiful girl passed entered through the front door of the caf¨¦. She was donning a black-colored martial arts training suit and was followed by two well-dressed females in black suits.


    ¡°Hi, Boss,¡± greeted Kuwako Yamamoto as she came before Tang Xiu and cupped her first while bowing. The two females behind her knelt on one knee, lowered their heads and didn¡¯t speak.


    Tang Xiu, whose back was against the front door of the caf¨¦, turned his head after hearing Kuwako¡¯s voice. When he saw the actions of the two women behind her, he immediately frowned and spoke in a deep voice, ¡°Get up!¡±


    The moment Kuwako spoke, Chen Xiaowan also looked toward her, and her beautiful eyes suddenly stared with wide eyes after clearly seeing Kuwako¡¯s face. There was a disbelieving expression on her face as she abruptly jumped up from the sofa and looked restless.


    Chen Xiaowan¡¯s abnormal reaction was captured by Tang Xiu, as he felt somewhat strange inside. Yet, he still looked at Kuwako and said, ¡°You too know that I never like people being too straitjacket in front of me. Restrain your subordinates and instruct them to change their kneeling attitude whenever they meet me.¡±


    Kuwako was taken aback after hearing his words as a reverential expression was plastered her face. She quickly replied with a respectful expression, ¡°Understood. This subordinate will teach them well.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in response as he got up and pulled Chen Xiaowan to his side. After she sat down next to him, he pointed to the sofa in front, hinting for Kuwako to take the seat. This time, however, Kuwako acted smarter and immediately instructed her subordinates to sit on the next sofa.


    ¡°All right, speak now! You left Japan all of a sudden to give something to me. What exactly is it?¡±


    While placing the suitcase she brought in front of Tang Xiu, Kuwako respectfully spoke, ¡°This is something my men snatched from some explorers, Boss. That team of explorers hired a very capable mercenary group overseas and got an astonishing harvest. And this object is by far the most important item from the harvest. I felt that this object was a particularly remarkable, so I immediately rushed over to present it to you.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and gently opened the suitcase.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    Despite being strong mentally, Tang Xiu still couldn¡¯t hold back a gasp after seeing the item inside the suitcase. He was a Supreme in the Immortal World and had once obtained countless precious objects, but even the most precious treasures in the Immortal World couldn¡¯t make him so shocked.


    The Chrono Crystal?


    What was the object Tang Xiu most urgently needed right now? It was naturally the Chrono Crystal, for it was one of the treasures needed to cure his disciple, Gu Yan¡¯er.


    He thought that he would probably need to take a trip to one of the surrounding star fields once his strength was formidable enough. And he had to obtain this object whatever the cost, even if he had to go much more dangerous places. Who would have thought that the long-awaited Chrono Crystal was now in front of him? And the most unbelievable thing was that this Chrono Crystal was sent by Kuwako.


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu raised his head, stared at Kuwako and asked with a sinking voice, ¡°How and where did you get this object?¡±


    ¡°We got it in the Alps Mountain Range,¡± said Kuwako respectfully. ¡°Two men among the mercenary group hired by that expedition party were elite talents groomed by my Yamamoto House. And fortunately, it happened that these two men sneaked back into the family a few months ago and met me. I controlled them and made them my trusted subordinates. Therefore, they reported the purpose of the expedition. This interested me enough to send them a lot of people to help, acquiring this harvest in the end.¡±


    The Alps Mountain Range?


    A firm expression appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he decided to make a trip there. After all, to have a Chrono Crystal appear there meant that that place was extraordinary in and of itself.


    At this time, his view toward Kuwako, which was originally only a chess piece to him, now changed, as he was truly grateful to her. He did rule her soul, yet the person herself followed him from the heart and even gave such an important treasure to him. This showed that she was very reliable and good, extraordinarily good.


    Closing the suitcase, Tang Xiu took out two bottles of medicinal pills from his interspatial ring without being noticed by anyone. Then he said, ¡°The things inside are your rewards. You did a very good job this time, making me very satisfied. This object may just be a crystal stone in the eyes of others, but it¡¯s the best treasure in my eyes. As for you, stay for a few days more in Shanghai! And I¡¯ll assign ten experts to follow and help you later.¡±


    Ten experts?


    Kuwako immediately got excited. Though she didn¡¯t know what kind of reward was in those bottles, these ten experts were too important for her. She had witnessed those men and women under Tang Xiu, as each and every one of them possessed very formidable strength many people wouldn¡¯t be able to contend with, including herself.


    This time was precisely the moment of intense struggles and fights between the members of her family for power and authority. Despite having been imparted the Soul Ruling Spell from Tang Xiu and being able to control the life and death of others under this spell, yet she still felt that the number of true experts under her was far too few. With the help of those ten experts, she believed she would soon be able to clear up the situation in her House and became the leader of the new generation, as well as the first successor of the family patriarch.


    ¡°Thank you, Boss!¡± Kuwako Yamamoto thanked him¡ªa gratitude that came from her heart.


    Tang Xiu shook his head. He wanted to rush to Jingmen Island right away after obtaining the Chrono Crystal. However, Kuwako had just come to Shanghai, after all, and there was also Chen Xiaowan at his side, thus leaving now would be quite inappropriate. After weighing it further, he too felt that he didn¡¯t need to be that anxious, for it was late already. It would be fine for him to wait until tomorrow before rushing to Jingmen Island.


    After spending some time fiddling with the Chrono Crystal, Tang Xiu then stuffed it into his interspatial ring secretively. He then shifted his eyes toward the dumbfounded, tongue-tied Chen Xiaowan and said, ¡°Sis Xiaowan, you started acting unnaturally since you saw Kuwako. What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Chen Xiaowan didn¡¯t even listen to the conversation between Tang Xiu and Kuwako Yamamoto. Her heart was fully submerged in stormy waves, because she had never expected that the subordinate mentioned by Tang Xiu before would actually be Kuwako Yamamoto.


    At this time, she was as though just being awakened from a dream after feeling someone touch her arm. She abruptly stood up and asked, ¡°Brother, wha¡­ what is it?¡±


    ¡°Eh, what exactly happened to you, Sis Xiaowan?¡± Tang Xiu frowned. ¡°You looked like you just saw a ghost when you saw Kuwako. Did you already know her before today, by chance?¡±


    Kuwako looked at Chen Xiaowan¡¯s face for a while, as she shook her head and said, ¡°I never met this young lady before, Boss.¡±


    Secretly, Chen Xiaowan gulped down. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, she spoke in a low voice, ¡°Brother, She¡­ she¡¯s the secret Big Boss of the Brisk Trading Group. I had seen her before at a company celebration.¡±


    Tang Xiu was astounded and so was Kuwako Yamamoto as she suddenly spoke after pondering for a moment, ¡°Ah, you¡¯re talking about the Brisk Trading Group! I do have such a group company under the businesses I control. But I¡¯m usually too busy, so I delegate most of my businesses to my subordinates to manage, and only pay attention to it occasionally.¡±


    Again, Chen Xiaowan¡¯s heartbeat accelerated and was even more shocked hearing the revelation of Kuwako¡¯s identity. After all, the Brisk Trading Group was a large listed company! And yet it was only one of her numerous companies¡­ What a huge wealth she had!


    But¡­ there was something wrong! She was Tang Xiu¡¯s subordinate, and that meant¡­


    Chen Xiaowan turned her head to look at Tang Xiu with a disbelieving expression plastered on her face.


    The revelation that the company that Chen Xiaowan used to work at was actually one of the companies controlled by Kuwako was also unexpected for Tang Xiu. Recalling as how he accompanied her in her frenzied strolls all day long, and speaking about all the problems she met in that company, Tang Xiu suddenly felt that all that had happened was just an amusing game.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll introduce you to her then, Kuwako. This is my foster Big Sis, Chen Xiaowan. She treated me very well when I was young¡ªmy family was very poor back then, so I always regarded her as my own blood sister. This morning, however, she was still an employee of the Brisk Trading Group, but was treated unjustly and got fired from the company. It¡¯s a very interesting twist, don¡¯t you think?¡± Explained Tang Xiu with a faint smile.


    Whish¡­ Kuwako suddenly got up from the sofa with a tense expression as she said, ¡°Boss, the fault is on this subordinate, please punish me!¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t have the intention to punish you.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand. ¡°I just feel that my Big Sis can¡¯t be treated wrongly for nothing!¡±


    Kuwako thought for a moment and racked her brains before she had an idea. She then said respectfully, ¡°Boss, since your Big Sis Chen has been unjustly treated by the Brisk Trading Group, then I¡¯ll definitely make the person who did that to her pay a heavy price. Please give me an opportunity to invite your Big Sis back to work for this company. Also, I¡¯ll make her the CEO of the Brisk Trading Group in China, and it will later become her private property. What do you think about this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it would be necessary to give such a proposal to Sis Xiaowan given her disposition.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand. ¡°But making her assume the CEO position of the Brisk Trading Group is kind of a good idea, I think. What do you think, Sis Xiaowan?¡±

 Chapter 592

    Chapter 592: A Loud Applause and a Loud Slap


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Flustered, Chen Xiaowan hastily waved her hand and said, ¡°No no no. Don¡¯t joke with your Big Sis, Brother! I know perfectly well what I¡¯m capable of, and I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll make the company go out of business in no time if I were to be made its CEO.¡±


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment before giving a simple reply, ¡°Since you don¡¯t want to become the CEO of the Brisk Trading Group, how about becoming the Vice CEO? Isn¡¯t the husband of your classmate bully the Vice CEO of this company? For you to replace him in that position should be okay, right?¡±


    ¡°B-But Brother, this¡­ is this the right thing to do?¡± Chen Xiaowan hesitated.


    ¡°The right thing? Then, how about I tell Kuwako to give you the whole Brisk Trading Group so you can do with it as you like?¡± Asked Tang Xiu back.


    ¡°No no no, don¡¯t!¡± Chen Xiaowan hurriedly said. ¡°Vice CEO, then. Vice CEO it is! I¡¯ll make sure to work hard later.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t understood it yet, Sis Xiaowan? No one will dare to purposely create trouble for you no matter how halfheartedly you work in the future. You can be said to have a big tree to cling onto in the Brisk Trading Group. Also, call Kuwako directly if anyone dares to bully and push you around, and she¡¯ll take care of them for you.¡±


    ¡°Big Sis Chen, you can do whatever you want with the Brisk Trading Group,¡± said Kuwako quickly.


    With eyes glancing back and forth between Kuwako and Tang Xiu, Chen Xiaowan suddenly felt that the world was rotating way too fast. She was so chagrined and confused about her future when she lost her job, but the plot of the drama suddenly changed 360 degrees just after frenziedly strolling and playing for a day! [1]


    Lots of words could be said to describe it, but all were still the same that, at this time, she really admired Tang Xiu, since the younger brother she had not seen for so many years was now powerful and also became her protector. [2]


    Half an hour later, Tang Xiu sent Chen Xiaowan back to her residence and watched her walk into her apartment before starting the car and leaving. After some contemplation, he couldn¡¯t bear it any longer and decided to leave for Jingmen Island overnight.


    In the next morning, after spending the night driving the Agera R sports car to the Everlasting Feast Hall, Ji Chimei, who had been notified in advance, was already waiting for him in the parking lot.


    ¡°Lord!¡±


    At this time, Ji Chimei was not yet aware that Tang Xiu had obtained the Chrono Crystal. But she could tell that something very important happened given the fact that he rushed here overnight.


    ¡°Give me back the Demonic Revival Grass.¡±


    Ji Chimei stared blankly for a moment before immediately taking it out from her interspatial ring and respectfully handing it over to Tang Xiu. Immediately after, the two people came before the entrance to the exquisite pagoda on the seabed, as Tang Xiu then spoke, ¡°Guard this spot and allow no one to step into the exquisite pagoda. There is no exception, including Xiaoxue and the Light and Dark siblings.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Ji Chimei was bewildered, but she still answered respectfully.


    On the seventh floor of the exquisite pagoda, Tang Xiu ignored the chilling air inside despite wearing thin clothes. He took a look at the Gu Yan¡¯er lying on the bed of ice, as the Demonic Revival Grass in his hand instantly flew midair. He exerted his Star Force to press it and finally condensed it into a drop of concentrated verdant green liquid essence.


    Tang Xiu then sent the drop of concentrated essence into Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s mouth and carefully placed the pebble-sized Chrono Crystal on the center of her eyebrows.


    The instant after, a burst of unique violent energy broke out from Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s lying body. It was so powerful that it would have squeezed Tang Xiu¡¯s internal organs into a meat pulp if it wasn¡¯t for his powerful strength. In the meantime, a crevice visible to the naked eye emerged out of thin air two meters around Gu Yan¡¯er, as a strand of pure energy thread sprung out of nowhere from the space and fused into her body.


    Time passed by, as then lights began to gradually form a drape of light that shrouded Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s body. As time went by, the thickness of the light curtain increased and from the back, it looked like a cocoon made of lights that enveloped Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s body.


    ****


    Shanghai.


    At the HQ of the Brisk Trading Group, Taro Ono, the Chief Executive Officer of the company branch in China, had received a prior notice early in the morning that the female Big Boss would visit the company today; he was very excited to receive this sudden news.


    He was only talented in economic business with a very low status, but was groomed by the House of Yamamoto a few years ago. Later on, after Kuwako chose him and sent him to attend training for two years, he was arranged to leave for China and was made the CEO of the Brisk Trading Group, where his status had suddenly grown by leaps and bounds all of a sudden. Therefore, he felt really grateful to her, even reminding himself many times to become her most loyal subordinate from then on.


    After he came to China, the diligence he put into his work resulted in the expansion of the Brisk Trading Group. At the same time, he also learned that the status of his Big Boss in the Yamamoto House was in the constant rise. She had an equal chance with the others in the contention to become the family patriarch.


    This news was like injecting him with a dose of stimulant! And he wished that he could show how good the Brisk Trading Group was and how it had developed and accumulated more capital for his Boss, Kuwako Yamamoto. As it would help her to have more capital to compete for becoming the Head of the Yamamoto House.


    Therefore, he rushed to the company very early in the morning and arranged a series of arrangements and quietly waited for the arrival of the Big Boss.


    In the spacious hall on the first floor of the Brisk Trading Group edifice, a group of dozens of top executives of the company stood in two rows, whereas hundreds of low-level staff of the management stood behind them. Taro Ono himself stood in front, as he kept pacing back and forth with anticipation plastered on his face.


    Masakiyo Kato was the Vice CEO of the Brisk Trading Group and he could be said to be one person above thousand in the company, with a quite big authority and power. He was Kuwako¡¯s fellow student before and was then assigned to the Brisk Trading Group in China because of their relationship.


    And today, he was also particularly excited that he even told his wife¡ªMiao Xinran to dress up well for him. He wore a neatly straight suit with tie, and even his shoes were brightly polished.


    ¡°Kato-kun, take a look at my suit. There¡¯s no problem with it, right?¡± Taro Ono¡¯s pace suddenly came to a halt as he turned to look at Masakiyo Kato.


    Masakiyo Kato hurriedly stepped forward and carefully observed Taro Ono¡¯s appearance, saying, ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong. You look great!¡±


    Taro Ono nodded with satisfaction.


    Tap tap tap¡­


    The sounds of high-heeled shoes stepping on the floor came from the outside of the building entrance. Everyone¡¯s eyes shifted to the direction of the entrance in a flash.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    Taro Ono furrowed his brows slightly and there was an annoyed expression on his face, because the person he saw was not his Big Boss¡ªKuwako Yamamoto, but an employee of the Brisk Trading Group. He could vaguely remember that this woman was a staff in the Human Resources Department.


    ¡°Chief, Vice Chief, I apologize for being late.¡±


    Even though Chen Xiaowan had prepared her mind and knew she could do everything she wanted in the Brisk Trading Group with the backing of Kuwako Yamamoto, yet the difference in positions after so many years in the company made her nervous in front of Taro Ono and Masakiyo Kato. Most important of all was the fact that hundreds of high and bottom-level of the company management were also staring at her.


    Anger brewed inside Taro Ono¡¯s heart as he spoke in a deep voice, ¡°You should¡¯ve received a notification last night to arrive at the company before 8 PM. Tell me the reason you are late.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because she¡¯s already been fired. She¡¯s no longer an employee of the Brisk Trading Group.¡± Miao Xinran rushed out of the crowd and spoke loudly after Taro Ono finished speaking. She slightly gawked as Chen Xiaowan appeared, but then turned ecstatic.


    Taro Ono stunned and stared blankly, before angrily yelling, ¡°THEN WHY DID SHE APPEAR IN THE COMPANY IF SHE HAS BEEN FIRED?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either, Chief,¡± said Miao Xinran with a bit of sarcasm. ¡°She had indeed packed her stuff yesterday and left our company. Who would have thought that she would come back now? Maybe the feeling of being fired was too painful for her and finally created a problem in her head, and she rushed here to act as a swanky great personage. You can see that her expression is very awkward now, Chief. She must be angry that I exposed her like this and must feel ashamed. How about instructing the security guards to drive her out?¡±


    With an annoyed expression, Taro Ono spoke, ¡°Since she has been fired, then drive her out!¡±


    At this moment, Masakiyo Kato suddenly stood forward and said, ¡°Please hold on, Chief. I think she must have ulterior motives for appearing in our company out of the blue after getting fired. I suggest instructing the security to not drive her out but detain her in the security room. We¡¯ll interrogate her again later after the Big Boss has finished the inspection.¡±


    Clap, clap, clap¡­


    A loud applause was heard coming from the building¡¯s entrance. Kuwako Yamamoto, dressed in a professional outfit, then walked inside while clapping her hands, followed by a handful of Japanese people.


    ¡°Mr. Kato¡¯s seriousness and responsibility in work are great. Truly an old fellow student highly regarded by me! I¡¯m so impressed by you that I almost want to make you the CEO of the Brisk Trading Group.¡± There was a hint of contempt in Kuwako¡¯s eyes as she loudly spoke.


    A shocked glint flashed in Masakiyo Kato¡¯s eyes upon seeing Kuwako¡¯s arrival. He immediately strode forward to greet her and said with an obsequious smile, ¡°Hello, Boss. Thanks for the appreciation you have for me. I also welcome you for the working inspection on behalf of the company.¡±


    The move and words at this occasion should have been made by Taro Ono but were finally snatched by Masakiyo Kato. It made him secretly angry inside. However, he also knew that Masakiyo Kato was a former classmate of his Big Boss, so he could only sigh helplessly and moved forward to greet, ¡°We welcome you for the inspection, Boss.¡±


    With a proud and cold expression, Kuwako nodded in response but then she asked all of a sudden, ¡°Kato-kun, I heard you have married for a few years already and your wife is also an outstanding Chinese woman, is that right? I wonder if can see her.¡±


    Nearby, Miao Xinran¡¯s eyes lit up. The appreciation showed by the Big Boss to her husband made her full of excitement. The moment when the Big Boss mentioned her, she almost half running to come before Kuwako and respectfully said, ¡°Hello, Boss. I¡¯m Miao Xinran, Kato-Kun¡¯s wife.


    ¡°Ah, what a beautiful woman you are.¡± Kuwako nodded, letting out a smile and said, ¡°You seem to have a good skin care treatment and it should be very elastic, right?¡±


    After saying that, Kuwako suddenly lifted her arm and fiercely slapped Miao Xinran¡¯s face. Along with it were appeared five bright red fingerprints as Miao Xinran staggered backward for a few meters and heavily fell on the floor.

 Chapter 593

    Chapter 593: Change of Attitude from Arrogance to Humility


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    What exactly is going on?


    Hundreds of top executives and lower-level employees of the company were tongue-tied. They couldn¡¯t believe such a scene unfolded. Even the Vice CEO, Masakiyo Kato, was dumbfounded at the moment. His wife was praised due to her good skin, but was it necessary to slap her whether the elasticity of her skin was good or not?


    ¡°It indeed feels good. No wonder Big Sis Chen wants to slap her face a few times,¡± praised Kuwako as she lifted her palm that was used to slap Miao Xinran. ¡°Kato-kun, I never thought that you were so blessed to have a wife who has such an elastic skin. Congratulations!¡±


    Congratulations?!!!


    Masakiyo Kato secretly cursed inside, but he squeezed a smile on the surface and said, ¡°You¡¯re too kind, Boss. I¡¯ll tell my wife to send you some of the cosmetics she usually uses.¡±


    With a cold expression, Kuwako coldly replied, ¡°Do you think a Young Lady like me needs to use makeup to cover my ugly face?¡±


    Masakiyo Kato¡¯s expression changed in an instant, and he replied with a serious and respectful expression, ¡°No no no, you are a natural beauty, Boss, like a goddess who descended to Earth. So you don¡¯t need cosmetics to hide anything.¡±


    Kuwako coldly hummed in response as she walked to Miao Xinran, who wore a disbelieving expression. She offered her hand out to pull her from the floor and asked, ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m fine!¡± Though Miao Xinran was about to explode from rage inside, she could only endure the humiliation and force herself to smile.


    Kuwako curled her lips as she raised her hand to slap her a few more times. The strength she exerted, especially the last slap, was quite strong. And this time, Miao Xinran staggered backward for five plus meters before heavily falling to the floor.


    ¡°To my surprise you seem to be alright, eh. Then I¡¯ll let you have something else to be occupied with,¡± said Kuwako in a deep voice and overbearing manner.


    At this time, how could everyone not be able to tell that the Boss wasn¡¯t testing whether Miao Xinran¡¯s skin was good? It was evident that she wanted to thrash her. Nevertheless, there was something that made everyone curious. When and how did Miao Xinran offend the Big Boss, to think that she would even publicly humiliate her in front of such a large crowd.


    Masakiyo Kato was utterly dumbfounded. As a smart and astute man, how was he not able to see Kuwako Yamamoto¡¯s true intention? Yet, he couldn¡¯t figure out when and how his wife had offended her to suffer such a public beating.


    ¡°Boss, you¡­¡±


    Kuwako shouted coldly, ¡°Do you have a opinion?¡±


    Masakiyo Kato shuddered inside and swallowed back the words he was about to say. He knew how powerful Kuwako Yamamoto was, and he of all people knew how to bow his head under the eaves. Let alone having his wife beaten publicly, he wouldn¡¯t dare to hit Kuwako Yamamoto back even if he was to be killed!


    Unless¡­ he was already tired of his life!


    ¡°Thrash!¡±


    Kuwako coldly glared at Masakiyo Kato and threw the word with a cold expression. Then she looked at Taro Ono and said, ¡°What are you feeling now, Ono-kun?¡±


    With cold sweat streaming down his forehead, Taro Ono looked scared and apprehensive. Though Kuwako¡¯s reprimand toward Masakiyo Kato and her beating his wife made him strangely happy, yet now that his Big Boss turned her finger at him, he was scared that he would speak something wrong and would end up the same.


    ¡°I¡¯m very happy and feel extremely honored for being able to see you, Boss.¡±


    Kuwako nodded at him before turning around and walking toward Chen Xiaowan¡¯s side. She then grabbed her hand and said, ¡°Since you¡¯re in a good mood, you will take care of Big Sis Chen a lot in the company in the future. If you dare to make her suffer the least bit and treat her unjustly, then I¡¯ll never let you go!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes!¡± Taro Ono hurriedly nodded and took a chance to secretly glance at Chen Xiaowan. Never once had he ever dreamed that a trivial Vice Director of Human Resources Department in his company turned out to have the backing from the Big Boss from behind. Also, who didn¡¯t know what status the Big Boss had? To think that she even called her Big Sis Chen, how come this woman turned into such a holy being? Did she possess a terrifying background?


    Kuwako then looked around, watching the nervous expressions of the top executives and other lower management staff before speaking in a heavy and deep voice, ¡°I¡¯m now announcing that Masakiyo Kato is removed from his position and will no longer be the Vice CEO of the Brisk Trading Group. Chen Xiaowan¡ªmy Big Sis will replace his position and become the new Vice CEO of the Brisk Trading Group. Everyone, please welcome her and give her an applause.¡±


    Clap, clap, clap¡­


    Warm applause echoed throughout the hall.


    Stunned and dumbfounded, Masakiyo Kato had never dreamed that Kuwako would make such an announcement. He was the Vice CEO of the Brisk Trading Group and Kuwako¡¯s old schoolmate. He had been diligently working, doing his best and making great contributions for the Brisk Trading Group.


    And now, he was fired¡­ just like this?


    ¡°Kuwako, I¡­¡±


    Angered, Kuwako interrupted him, ¡°Do you have the qualification to even call my name? Get the hell out of China and never let me see you later in the future!¡±


    In an instant, Masakiyo Kato¡¯s face turned red and then green. He shot a deep look at Chen Xiaowan and, as if he had a great deal of courage being injected to him, he loudly asked, ¡°Boss, give me a good reason for this. I have done many things for the Brisk Trading Group all these years, not only merits and hard work.¡±


    ¡°You wanna talk about merits and hard work with me?¡± Kuwako replied mockingly. ¡°No problem. Then I¡¯ll tell you. You have a good wife, and not only has she bullied my Big Sis Chen, but she also fired her from the company and treated her unjustly. Whoever dares to treat Big Sis Chen unjustly again, then a miserable fate will come to them. The way I dealt with you regarding this problem is lighthearted already. Else, hmph¡­¡±


    Finally, Masakiyo Kato understood. All of this was caused by his wife, Miao Xinran. The flame of anger inside him was fueled as he dashed toward Miao Xinran, picking her up from the floor and slapping her already burning face. He then yelled loudly, ¡°IT TURNED OUT TO BE BECAUSE OF YOU, BITCH! WHY THE FUCK DID YOU OFFEND SOMEONE YOU CAN¡¯T AFFORD TO? DID YOU HAVE TO PROVOKE MISS CHEN? DIVORCE! THIS FATHER MUST BREAK THIS BAD LUCK MARRIAGE, AND NEVER WILL YOU GET EVEN A DIME FROM MY ASSETS!¡±


    Despairing, Miao Xinran finally understood as to why Kuwako Yamamoto trashed her. It was originally because of that bitch, Chen Xiaowan. In just a few minutes, her previously beautiful face turned into a big pig head.


    However, what she cared about the most was not being beaten, but what her husband, Masakiyo Kato had said.


    Divorce? Leaving a marriage with nothing, no possession or property?


    At this moment her heart felt like dying, for the very reason she could live so comfortably now was due to Masakiyo Kato. Because the man was able to make money and could provide her with lavish and extravagant expenses. If he dumped her like this and didn¡¯t give her even a dime, how would she live in the future?


    Suddenly, she turned her head to Chen Xiaowan like a drowning person who found a life-saving straw. After Masakiyo Kato threw her to the floor, she came before Chen Xiaowan and nearly prostrating herself as she wept and begged, ¡°Xiaowan, please forgive me. Everything¡¯s my fault! Please do not let the Boss fire me and my husband. I beg you, please look at the sake of our past as fellow students.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Soft and kindhearted as she was, Chen Xiaowan somehow couldn¡¯t bear to look at the tragic, miserable-looking Miao Xinran. When she was about to speak, however, Kuwako kicked Miao Xinran a few meters away and then grabbed her wrist and led her toward the elevator, ¡°Big Sis Chen, I already told someone to clean up the best office for you. I¡¯ll lead you there to have a look.¡±


    Chen Xiaowan hesitated and secretly sighed inwardly as Kuwako pulled her away.


    ****


    Seven days later¡­


    As Tang Xiu sat cross-legged in the corner on the seventh floor of the exquisite pagoda, his expression suddenly moved as he looked at the light curtain. He could keenly sense the fluctuation of Immortal Force unceasingly transmitted, as the small crevice on the light curtain was also unceasingly splitting open.


    Kacha¡­


    The light curtain turned into twinkling stars and lights, as it then thoroughly broke. At this time, Gu Yan¡¯er, who laid on the bed of ice, opened her eyes that were as though beautiful starry eyes, yet were suffused with shock and disbelief.


    ¡°How do you feel, Yan¡¯er?¡± Tang Xiu floated up and approached her in a few steps, an anxious expression plastered on his face.


    Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s figure blinked and suddenly appeared in front of Tang Xiu. Her slender and delicate body clung to Tang Xiu¡¯s chest, whereas her slender arm coiled around him. Her excitement made her voice tremble as she excitedly replied, ¡°Master, my injury has healed. This feeling¡­ is really great!¡±


    Intense joy rose inside Tang Xiu¡¯s heart. Ever since he learned that Gu Yan¡¯er had come to Earth for him and yet had been harmed by the Twilight Nightmare cast by Shade Demon Zhu Wushou, he desperately wanted to obtain the Demonic Revival Grass and Chrono Crystal to completely cure Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s injury.


    And now, that dream had come true!


    After the excitement, however, Tang Xiu still felt a bit uneasy and grabbed Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s wrist, sensing and checking her body. However, after sensing her pulse for more than ten seconds, he slightly furrowed his brows, because he found that, despite the injury in her body having already healed, there was barely any trace of Immortal Force inside her body at all. Moreover, there was a particularly unusual energy fluctuation lingering in her heart.


    ¡°That is¡­¡± Tang Xiu kept observing for a long time as his furrowed brows turned tighter.


    ¡°The Shade Demon Black Force?¡±


    Tang Xiu finally determined that the energy lingering in Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s heart was just like the heart¡¯s blood essence of Shade Demon¡ªZhu Wushou. The Shade Demon Black Force and Demon Force that were injected in the blood essence inside her heart had formed a type of very powerful energy that was even comparable to Divine Force.


    ¡°Trouble!¡± Tang Xiu frowned deeply. He then raised his head to look at Gu Yan¡¯er, who was smiling at him. Sighing inwardly, he spoke, ¡°How much it affects your strength, Yan¡¯er?¡±


    ¡°My strength hasn¡¯t been affected much, Master.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er let out a light smile. ¡°It¡¯s just that the Shade Demon¡¯s Black Force inside my heart is very special and takes me a long time to refine it. However, since I don¡¯t have to worry about falling into slumber again, I¡¯ll only need the aid of the chilling air here to suppress it, and then refine it bit by bit.¡±


    ¡°So you can¡¯t leave the exquisite pagoda for the time being?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Yeah, I have no way around it for the time being, though I would be able to completely refine this Shade Demon Black Force within a few years.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er nodded. ¡°When that time comes, not only will my cultivation not be affected, but it may also turn this misfortune into a blessing, enhancing my cultivation to a higher level.¡±

 Chapter 594

    Chapter 594: A Cry for Help from the Disciple¡¯s Son


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu nodded heavily and then urged, ¡°Then stay here at ease to refine the Shade Demon Black Force and leave the things outside to me. When the time comes, after you¡¯ve completely relieved yourself from this problem, you can go out with me again.¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er smilingly nodded and snuggled around Tang Xiu for a long time. Then she raised her head and smilingly asked, ¡°How did you find the Chrono Crystal, Master?¡±


    ¡°At first, I thought that it would be impossible for the Chrono Crystal to exist on Earth, so I had already planned to wait until I can break through the atmosphere and go to the star fields outside Earth to find it.¡± Tang Xiu smilingly explained. ¡°But who would have thought that my subordinate¡¯s men who were protecting a pair of explorers during an Alps Mountains¡¯ exploration accidentally found the Chrono Crystal. That subordinate of mine didn¡¯t know what the Chrono Crystal was, but she realized that the object was a very precious mineral, so she came to Shanghai to deliver it to me.¡±


    ¡°It seems my luck is really good, Master.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er suddenly understood and smilingly replied. ¡°Also, I realized that there are many good objects on Earth¡ªmany kinds of treasures that even countless people in the Immortal World will fight desperately for. I suspect that there must be an important reason for this.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. A pity that my current cultivation level is too low. There are many places on Earth that I don¡¯t dare to easily rush in right now.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°But you, you can stroll around for Master after you¡¯ve completely refined that Shade Demon Black Force inside your body. I¡¯m sure that you won¡¯t have any problem at all later.¡±


    With eyes lit up, Gu Yan¡¯er was slightly excited as she nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll try my best to completely refine this Shade Demon Black Force, Master.¡±


    After that, the master and disciple conversed for a long time as Tang Xiu then said with a smile, ¡°I told Ji Chime, Light, and Dark to stay outside because I got the Chrono Crystal and Demonic Revival Grass to heal you. Since you are awake now, tell them to come in!¡±


    ¡°Master, though inside my body the Shade Demon Black Force is a hidden danger, it won¡¯t be a problem for me to stay outside for one or two hours every day. Besides, I also want to go out and have a bite with you. We don¡¯t need to call them inside, let us go out straightly!¡±


    After pondering for a moment, Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°In that case, we can go out then. But you need to remember that you must not leave the exquisite pagoda for more than two hours later. It¡¯s best that you don¡¯t try to go out as far as possible.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Gu Yan¡¯er nodded with a smile.


    Outside the exquisite pagoda, Ji Chimei was sitting cross-legged, whereas Light and Dark were also sitting cross-legged in cultivation. Only Gu Xiaoxue was anxious and paced back and forth. She didn¡¯t know why her Grand Master came to Jingmen Island all of a sudden, neither did she know why he would enter the exquisite pagoda and stay there for a long time and still not come out.


    Bam¡­


    The pagoda¡¯s door automatically opened and two figures floated out from the interior.


    ¡°Ma¡­ Master?¡± Gu Xiaoxue trembled and disbelief burst out of her eyes.


    Ji Chimei, Light and Dark also opened their eyes instantly. When they caught sight of Gu Yan¡¯er coming out arm in arm with Tang Xiu, shocked expressions immediately plastered on their faces, because they were well aware of Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s situation. She should still be in slumber, properly speaking, and it would take several years for her to wake up.


    But how¡­ how come she woke up?


    ¡°Master! (Lord!)¡± Light and Dark, as well as Ji Chimei, saluted hurriedly.


    Gu Yan¡¯er let out a smile and said, ¡°Looking at your shocked faces is quite amusing. You all had never expected that I would wake up now, did you?¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue was all smiling and full of joy as she dashed toward Gu Yan¡¯er. She hugged her and spoke in a trembling voice, ¡°We didn¡¯t. We never expected that you would wake up now, Master. It¡¯s really great. It must be because of Grand Master. He surely has found a way to cure you!¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er faintly smiled, ¡°Well, my injury has basically recovered, but I have not yet solved some special problems, though. Anyhow, I will not fall into a comatose state again nonetheless, and only need to cultivate every day before I¡¯ll be able to fully remove the hidden dangers in my body several years later.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Xiaoxue was fully excited and so did the three others.


    At the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    The news of Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s reappearance spread to every core disciple of the Everlasting Feast Hall. Furthermore, they also received a message that Gu Yan¡¯er would be taking charge of the Everlasting Feast Hall later on, and would come out from her secluded cultivation once in a while to give instructions in their cultivation.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu dined with Gu Yan¡¯er and then stayed in the Everlasting Feast Hall. Although his curriculum at Shanghai University was delayed, he still wanted to spend more time with Gu Yan¡¯er. Only a week later did he finally bade her farewell and returned to Shanghai.


    The following instances in life for him were still the same. Aside from attending classes at the campus, Tang Xiu imparted medical skills to Dai Xinyue, while spending the rest of the time reading books or cultivating. His time was spent in bliss and happiness. Only until it was near the New Year¡¯s did he finally go to Jingmen Island and spent two days with Gu Yan¡¯er.


    The business of the Magnificent Tang Corporation was getting better and better with each passing day. Every product was still in short supply and was sold out like getting robbed every time they were put on the shelves. With the accumulation of funds, the time Kang Xia spent in Star City was also getting lesser and lesser. Aside from setting up branches in the provinces across the country, she also spent half of her time in Shanghai to negotiate the land acquisition agreement with the government, as well as contacting the construction company to establish the new HQ edifice and two large factories for the Magnificent Tang Corporation.


    Close to the end of the year, on the first day of vacation, Tang Xiu received an unexpected phone call.


    ¡°Excuse me, are you Grand Master Tang Xiu?¡± A timid voice belonging to a young man came out of the phone.


    Tang Xiu knitted his brows and inquired, ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu, may I ask who you are?¡±


    The tone of the other party was obviously excited and quickly answered, ¡°I¡¯m Chen Tong, Grand Master.¡±


    Chen Tong?


    Tang Xiu was stunned and stared blankly before snapping back to his senses as he realized that the young man was Chen Zhizhong¡¯s son. He once heard Chen Zhizhong saying Chen Tong¡¯s name before. Suddenly, he let out a faint a smile and asked, ¡°Is there something you need from me?¡±


    ¡°Grand Master, my Dad once said that you¡¯re a miracle-working doctor, could you lend me your assistance? My classmate has just contracted a strange disease and it¡¯s highly contagious. And now she¡¯s being isolated at the Beijing Virus Research Institute. Could you save her?¡±


    ¡°If this strange disease she has contracted is very contagious, there should be some people from the government agency involved, right? What exactly is the diagnosis?¡±


    ¡°There hasn¡¯t been any reply from them.¡± Chen Tong replied astringently. ¡°I spent quite a lot of money and only barely managed to get some news. It¡¯s said that the virology experts and professors at the National Virus Research Institute still couldn¡¯t figure out how this new type of virus was formed. However, I heard that my classmate has been put under the critical notice, and she may not be curable if no available means for a cure are found.¡±


    After thinking about it for a moment, Tang Xiu then said, ¡°Let¡¯s do it this way! I¡¯m now heading to Beijing and we¡¯ll discuss the details when I get there. Also, I¡¯ll text my flight number and the arrival time after I have booked the flight ticket.¡±


    ¡°Yes yes yes. Thank you, Grand Master,¡± said Chen Tong gratefully.


    As the phone call ended, Tang Xiu called Yuan Chuling, as the two had originally agreed to return to the Star City, whereas he must change his destination for the time being and was unable to go back with him. After hearing that Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t go back to Star City for the time being, Yuan Chuling also decided to stay in Shanghai. The fitness center he had been tinkering with was planned to open for business after the New Year, and he decided to start the business before the new year since he wouldn¡¯t be returning for the time being.


    In the middle of the day, Tang Xiu walked out of Beijing Airport and glanced around. [1] He then caught sight of a young man with bleached yellow hair and a white down coat slightly running towards him. He brought two umbrellas with him because it was raining outside.


    ¡°Chen Tong?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I¡¯m Chen Tong, Grand Master,¡± said Chen Tong quickly. ¡°But you¡­ why are you wearing so few clothes? The temperature in Beijing has fallen below zero, please wear my down coat.¡±


    Having said that, he took off his down coat and handed it over to Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu waved his hand to stop him. He didn¡¯t feel cold at all though he was only wearing casual clothes; he could easily adjust the temperature around him with his current cultivation. With a smile, Tang Xiu spoke, ¡°If my memory serves me correctly, your father said that you are studying abroad. How did you come to Beijing now?¡±


    Chen Tong forced a smile, ¡°The curriculum on my campus is quite relaxed, thus I had an early vacation. Four days ago, I accompanied my classmate back to Beijing since her family lives here. We originally intended to have a good stroll around for a few days before returning to Star City. Who would have thought that on the plane back here she began to have a high burning fever that didn¡¯t ease even a bit. She was then sent to the hospital after we arrived in Beijing and was finally diagnosed to have contracted a viral disease. I myself was supposed to be isolated as well, but I took the opportunity to slip away. Ah, right, Grand Master, all the passengers on the flight back here are also being isolated because of my classmate. Even everyone who had contact with her, including the doctors and nurses, have also been isolated too after we got off the plane.¡±


    ¡°How many people are there, the specific number?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°More than 200 people,¡± said Chen Tong. ¡°Also, more than half of them began to have a high burning fever, which is the same as the symptoms of my classmate.¡±


    ¡°And you, are you alright?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a frown.


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of strange now that you ask me.¡± Chen Tong shook his head. ¡°Although Dad forced me to practice martial arts since childhood and my physical fitness was always great, but the virus can be transmitted by saliva, air, and direct contact with the infected. She and I are lovers and we even shared a kiss, but nothing has happened to me until now.¡±


    Tang Xiu furrowed his brows as he reached out to grab Chen Tong¡¯s wrist. After checking his pulse, he found that he indeed wasn¡¯t infected by any symptoms of the virus.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Tang Xiu felt a wave of energy fluctuation from Chen Tong. He quickly pulled the red string worn on his neck and then saw the talisman he once refined was now being worn by him.


    ¡°Your Dad really does love you, since he actually gave this important protective amulet I gave him to you. Let¡¯s go, take me to the Virus Research Institute.¡±


    Chen Tong shivered and hurriedly said, ¡°Grand Master, I won¡¯t be able to go to the Virus Research Institute! You don¡¯t know, but a lot of people are currently looking for me, including people from the Public Security Bureau. I will definitely be detained and isolated if they catch me. And I heard that if they can¡¯t find a cure, then it¡¯s equal to being sentenced to death.¡±

 Chapter 595

    Chapter 595: A Big Silk Pants of the Capital


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Chen Tong¡¯s fear was understandable. He recalled the incidents back in 2002 as many people were isolated and met their death due to SARS. As things stand at present, many people in China had a deep-rooted fear of infectious diseases, and what happened before was a perfect example as the plagues that occurred in the past killed many people each time they broke out.


    ¡°As a grand-disciple of mine, you must have enough courage, Chen Tong. Your Dad is a real man, thus his son must not be a good-for-nothing. Trust me, I¡¯ll guarantee that you¡¯ll be safe.¡±


    Chen Tong hesitated for a moment before he nodded and said, ¡°I believe you since you¡¯re the one who¡¯s saying this, Grand Master. Let¡¯s go, my car is parked outside.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded with satisfaction. Despite being young, Chen Tong, who seemed to be a year or two younger than him, had such a rare courage. And in particular¡­ he especially trusted him.


    ****


    The National Virus Research Institute was located in the remote Southeast Suburb of Beijing. The site had a large chemical plant on the surface, but the interior was a very strictly guarded virus research center. Two kilometers away from the site police officers in casual clothes were seen patrolling the vicinity, whereas there were also guard posts in the interior that were particularly tightly arranged.


    Zhang Lei was a security team captain of the National Virus Research Institute and once an outstanding special ops soldier with remarkable military exploits. He was assigned to the security work of this site after finishing his major in the university.


    Standing in front of the gate of the outermost level, a worried expression appeared in Zhang Lei¡¯s eyes. It was because a terrifying new type of virus had emerged and there had been a widespread virus outbreak as well. The entire Research Institute was now packed with a heavy atmosphere. He was well aware of the fact that the container truck that came in from the outside brought people who had been infected with the virus or had close contact with the infected.


    ¡°There¡¯s another car outside requesting to be admitted to the hospital.¡± The voice of his security colleague was transmitted through the communicator on his waist.


    ¡°Check their documents and inspect the car, whether they have dangerous objects in there.¡± Zhang Lei replied in a sinking voice. ¡°Proceed according to the previous examination method and do a comprehensive inspection. And remember to not come in contact with the people inside the car and wear a gas mask at all times!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± A reply came from the communicator.


    Taking a deep sight, Zhang Lei suddenly had the urge to smoke, but the rules of the Virus Research Institute forbade smoking at a two kilometers minimum from the outermost gate. After contemplating for a moment, he decided to go outside to survey the situation and smoke a cigarette to ease his depression.


    A few minutes later, as he was driving through the first blockade line about two kilometers away, the container truck had just finished being inspected and was allowed in.


    ¡°Captain!¡±


    More than a dozen security guards wearing black security uniforms saluted him.


    After returning the salute, Zhang Lei took out a cigarette from his pocket, ignited it and took two deep puffs. He then threw the rest of the pack to the others and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Was that the first truck today?¡±


    ¡°It was the fourth truck!¡± Replied one of the security guards.


    Zhang Lei secretly sighed inwardly and let out a wry smile, ¡°The quarantine area inside is probably not enough. There should be 300 people who have already been sent here, right?¡±


    The security guard nodded, ¡°It should be 329 people, precisely, according to the data recorded. I¡¯m afraid that the first patient won¡¯t be able to hold much longer if the experts in the research institute fail to study the antiviral medication for the virus. Also, Old Zhang, who is responsible for the meals delivery, said that the number of infected patients who have high fever has increased to 62, and some of them are in grave condition.¡±


    Zhang Lei didn¡¯t speak. Though he didn¡¯t want to encounter such a scene, he was nothing but a security member; he didn¡¯t have the power to pull against the surging tide.


    Honk, honk¡­


    A white BMW 525 sedan slowly stopped in front of everyone.


    Zhang Lei pinched the cigarette and threw it into a trash can nearby. He then walked toward the white BMW 525 sedan and spoke, ¡°Hello, comrade. Please show me your documents.¡±


    The window opened as Chen Tong spoke, ¡°I¡¯m Chen Tong, I must go inside, and we have no documents to show either.¡±


    Zhang Lei¡¯s face was blank. He then seemingly recalled something as he pulled out his pistol and aimed its black muzzle at Chen Tong. At the same time, he quickly stepped four or five steps back and shouted, ¡°GET OUT OF THE CAR AND ACCEPT THE INSPECTION!!!¡±


    Chen Tong turned to look Tang Xiu on the front passenger seat.


    Tang Xiu patted his shoulder before getting off the car and walking towards Zhang Lei. He then stopped a few meters away from him and lightly said, ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu, a certified Chinese Medical doctor. I need to go to the Virus Research Institute to have a look at the situation. I hope you can contact the director of the institute and report to him about me if this is out of your jurisdiction.¡±


    Zhang Lei was silent for a moment before taking out his communicator and reporting to his superior, ¡°Director Wei, a young man named Tang Xiu says he possesses a certificate of Chinese Medical science and wants to enter the institute. In addition, he brought someone with him, the wanted Chen Tong.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu? Chinese Medical science? Where the hell did this reckless impostor come from? Forget it, he still must be inspected if he wants to enter the institute, whoever he may be. He may have gotten infected since he came with that boy. Immediately apprehend them and personally escort them into our custody.¡± Director Wei¡¯s voice was heard from the communicator.


    Zhang Lei¡¯s expression changed and straightly pointed his gun at Tang Xiu after complying with the order, saying, ¡°Comrade, please cooperate with us. Our superior has already instructed that you must be inspected and escorted into our custody!¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes, as a cold light suffused within.


    Escorted into custody?!


    There were many meanings in the statement ¡°escorted to custody¡±, yet it had a whole different meaning in this situation. He was not a suspect, but a doctor who came offering help. He also showed his identity as a Chinese Medical doctor, yet the other party was unexpectedly so rude, making him very angry.


    VROOM¡­


    During the stalemate, the roar of an engine came from a distance as a dozen black SUVs came speeding fast like uncontrollable threatening wild horses, as they headed toward them. A young man who seemed to be in his 26 or 27, biting a toothpick, with his ears pricked by dozens of earrings, and hair bleached with every color under the sun came down along with the orderly opening of doors.


    However, when he saw the scene before his eyes, he suddenly furrowed his brows and shouted, ¡°Hey, a good dog never obstructs the road. Get lost to the side! Hey you, the fella with the gun, do you know who this young master is? Get the fucking lost, or I¡¯ll break your dog¡¯s leg!!!¡±


    Zhang Lei had a change in expression, but he was too lazy to deal with this outlandish youth. However, the more than twenty black-suited men brought by the young man made him secretly vigilant, nonetheless.


    ¡°Who are you, people? This is a private chemical plant. Outsiders are forbidden to step inside!¡±


    The outlandish youth walked a few steps forward and mocked, ¡°Don¡¯t give me this fucking bullshit! Do you think this young master doesn¡¯t know that this site is the National Virus Research Institute? This Zhao Yundi has asked around before coming here. It was you who caught my sister and detained her here. Get the fucking lost from here, or else I¡¯ll tell my men to break your dog¡¯s leg!¡±


    Zhang Lei looked at him coolly as he immediately picked up the communicator and ordered, ¡°Encountering threats of unidentified people at the outermost blockade line. The second and third team members are to immediately rush over!¡±


    Zhao Yundi¡¯s face changed as he angrily glared at Zhang Lei. He then turned around and shouted at a middle-aged man behind him, ¡°Ready to strike! Beat whoever dares to fight and block me. Don¡¯t be idle and shoot back if they dare to use their guns. They dare to catch my sister and say that she¡¯s the carrier of the virus?!! Hmph, if this father can¡¯t rescue her, then I¡¯ll change my surname!¡±


    Immediately, more than twenty stocky men pulled their guns out of their waists and opened the safety locks at an extremely fast speed. Their synchronized movements and grim atmosphere made Zhang Lei¡¯s heart turn a bit tighter. He used to be a special ops soldier and could naturally sense a soldier aura from these people.


    After a moment¡¯s contemplation, he picked up the communicator and called Director Wei.


    ¡°Director Wei, there¡¯s a young man claiming to be Zhao Yundi, with more than twenty men armed with guns trying to break through the blockade line to the research institute. I request the aid of an armed security team here.¡±


    ¡°Zhao Yundi? How could that living ancestor come here?¡±


    Director Wei suddenly exclaimed loudly upon hearing Zhang Lei¡¯s report. A few seconds after, he spoke again, ¡°Don¡¯t act rashly, Zhang Lei! You only need to block them if Zhao Yundi wants to break through the blockade line. But do not use guns! This little ancestor has a very powerful background; I can¡¯t afford to provoke him. I have to ask for instructions from my superiors about this.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Although Zhang Lei was dissatisfied. How could Director Wei fear such an individual from the second or third generation of his family¡­ Still, he performed his duties without a question. He pulled two security teams of about thirty to forty people and stood to face the confrontation against Zhang Yundi¡¯s people.


    Tang Xiu sighed inwardly when he heard Zhao Yundi¡¯s name. He had heard of him from Tang Wei. This fella was the biological grandson of the Zhao Family¡¯s Head in Beijing¡ªarrogant, rampant, and loved to stir up trouble. He had even provoked various juniors from the prominent families in Beijing, including the Tang and Yao Family¡¯s juniors, yet he was always able to gain small advantages and dealt big losses.


    It could be said that this guy was just like a fiend in human skin!


    Looking at the two groups of people who were confronting each other, Tang Xiu sighed inwardly and turned around to a more distant spot.


    ¡°Hey hey hey, Buddy! Didn¡¯t you instigate this trouble, too? I just saw him pointing a gun at you! Don¡¯t tell me you lost your fucking balls now? Are you going to run away?¡± Zhao Yundi called out loudly upon seeing Tang Xiu walking away. He may be the king of the silk pants, but he was not a fool. People who brought guns to break through a state institution would definitely face serious consequences given the situation nowadays. He would have never done such a stupid thing if the detainee was not his biological sister. However, if that guy who was just pointed at by a gun also had a powerful background, then there would be someone else who could help him share the crisis.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s pace came to a halt. After glancing at him, he took out his mobile phone and dialed his aunt¡ªTang Min¡¯s cell number. After the call was connected, he spoke first, ¡°Auntie, I¡¯m outside the Beijing Virus Research Institute. Could I trouble you to contact the person in charge? I need to go inside to check the condition of the infected patients.¡±

 Chapter 596

    Chapter 596: Five Minutes


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    At this time, Tang Min was on the way to the Tang Family¡¯s ancestral residence due to a call from her father saying that there was something he needed to talk to her. Though her father didn¡¯t speak what the matter was, she could guess a bit, as it should be related to the prominent families in Beijing that began to divide up the Yao Family¡¯s assets and started to compete for the positions left by the members of the Yao Family.


    At this time, the Tang Family was the one in the lead as the one who destroyed the Yao Family and was bound to get the most out of the cake. Tang Min, however, never expected that her nephew, Tang Xiu, not only came to the capital but also went to the Virus Research Institute. She knew the head of the Institute¡ªDirector Wei Xiqing, as she was the one who lent a hand to him when the man was suppressed by others, or else it would impossible for him to become the Virus Research Institute¡¯s Director.


    ¡°No problem, I¡¯ll call the Virus Research Institute¡¯s Director¡ªWei Xiqing immediately. But Xiu¡¯er, when did you come to the capital and why did you go to the Virus Research Institute in the first place? You know that there has been a very contagious virus outbreak recently. You¡­ you didn¡¯t come for that matter, did you?¡± Tang Min hadn¡¯t taken it seriously at first, but the more they talked, she more she realized that it was related to the epidemic case.


    ¡°Auntie, I indeed came for the epidemic this time,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to you in detail when we meet later, since I¡¯m kind of occupied right now.¡±


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, Auntie knows that you are titled as a miracle-working doctor, but you must not take this issue lightly! This virus case is no joke; there¡¯s a possibility that if you are slightly careless¡­ pah pah pah¡­ now I¡¯m talking rubbish! Xiu¡¯er, let¡¯s talk about it, just ignore that matter and leave it to others. Now that our family is having a big harvest, I¡¯m sure we can get small advantages if you come to lend a hand,¡± hurriedly said Tang Min.


    ¡°What are these small advantages, exactly?¡± Asked Tang Xiu in an unusual tone.


    ¡°The Yao Family is currently withdrawing from the capital,¡± said Tang Min. ¡°Many prominent families are secretly taking over the assets that used to be the Yao Family¡¯s property, and the empty seats left by their members are also being targeted and fought over by them.¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly understood and said with a smile, ¡°Auntie, with you dealing with those matters is fine to me. I can only lend a hand if it¡¯s related to combat and killing, as I don¡¯t understand politics at all.¡±


    Upon hearing the meaning in Tang Xiu¡¯s answer, Tang Min hesitantly asked, ¡°Will you really not change your mind, Xiu¡¯er?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t and can¡¯t change my mind. There¡¯s someone among the infected that I need to help,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Who is that person?¡± Asked Tang Min quickly.


    ¡°It¡¯s a friend of my grand-disciple, I guess she should be his girlfriend,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s my first time meeting this grand-disciple of mine and the first time he asked for help. So, Auntie, please contact Director Wei as I can¡¯t delay for too long.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, wait for the news!¡± Tang Min immediately hung up after saying that.


    ****


    Zhao Yundi had been secretly eavesdropping on the conversation when Tang Xiu called his aunt. He was a bit disappointed at first, but then was secretly startled after hearing that Tang Xiu¡¯s aunt could contact Director Wei. After all, the Director seat of the National Virus Research Institute was a very special position, and government officials with insufficient power and authority would were simply impossible to get access to the person. Only those from some departments that held true control in the country may be able to contact Wei Xiqing. His Zhao Family could also directly contact Wei Xiqing, but he couldn¡¯t wait anymore for fear that his sister would meet her demise in this damned Virus Research Institute!


    ¡°What¡¯s your name, buddy?¡± Zhang Yundi raised his chin and asked after seeing Tang Xiu walking back.


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡± Answered Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°What¡¯s the job of your aunt? Is her authority big enough?¡± Zhang Yundi nodded. ¡°If not, let¡¯s just work together and break through inside! If worst comes to worst¡­ I¡¯ll take you as a brother of mine later.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing. ¡°I¡¯d have already entered inside if I wanted to. They won¡¯t be able to stop me relying on these incapable soldiers.¡±


    Zhao Yundi rolled his eyes in response. If it was someone else who boasted about himself, he would have already slapped the man, but he wanted to pull Tang Xiu to his side now, so he suppressed the contempt inside and said, ¡°Dude, real men need not boast. You gotta do what you gotta do if you got the balls. So let¡¯s just rush in!¡±


    Ignoring Zhang Yundi¡¯s aggressive approach to goad him, Tang Xiu was instead looking at Zhang Lei, whose face was cold, and asked lightly, ¡°How long does it take from Director Wei¡¯s office to this place?


    Zhang Lei didn¡¯t want to answer Tang Xiu¡¯s question, but he could sense something different from his words. While keeping the mind of wanting to see what joke Tang Xiu would unfold, he replied without being salty, ¡°It takes twelve minutes running on foot, and four and a half minutes by car to get to the office building.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and then looked at Zhao Yundi, saying, ¡°Gimme five minutes. If the Director of the Virus Research Institute doesn¡¯t appear in front of us within five minutes, I¡¯ll cooperate with you to rush inside. What do you think?¡±


    Zhang Lei was stunned. Though he didn¡¯t believe it inside, he still endured and nodded.


    At this time, inside the Director¡¯s Office of the Virus Research Institute, Wei Xiqing had just called the Head of the Zhao Family to inform him that Zhao Yundi had come over to create trouble. After getting an apology from the Zhao Family¡¯s Head and his assurance, the tense feeling inside his heart eased down.


    However, before he even had the time to heave a relieved sigh, his mobile phone buzzed.


    ¡°Oh? This number is¡­¡±


    After seemingly recalling something, Wei Xiqing immediately received the call and spoke, ¡°Minister Tang, is there anything you need from me?¡±


    ¡°Director Wei, there¡¯s something I need to trouble you with. My nephew, Tang Xiu, is now outside of your Virus Research Institute. He¡¯s a Chinese Medical doctor at the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital and is also hailed as a young divine doctor of the new generation. I hope you can allow him to enter the site to help diagnose the patients and their disease. Maybe he can find out about the virus given his ability and help find the solution to the situation.¡±


    Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s name mentioned once again, Wei Xiqing¡¯s complexion suddenly changed drastically. He just felt that the name was familiar, but little did he expect this Tang Xiu was the Tang Xiu of the Tang Family. He had learned a lot about the situation the Yao Family was in at present, and the one who had the most credit for that was Tang Xiu through his actions!


    Furthermore, Tang Xiu was also hailed as the young miracle-working doctor at the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, a fact he couldn¡¯t remember a moment ago. He nodded repeatedly a moment after and said, ¡°Minister Tang, you can rest assured that I¡¯ll personally rush over to invite Mr. Tang in.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Said Tang Min.


    After hanging up the phone, Wei Xiqing didn¡¯t even take time to take his coat. He only grabbed his mobile phone and dashed toward the outside. He could achieve his current status as the Director of the National Virus Research Institute, on the one hand, was because his academic achievements, and on the other hand, it was because of Tang Min.


    His wife was Tang Min¡¯s junior in high school, and it was her who asked Tang Min¡¯s help when he was being suppressed by certain powerful government officials, thus helping him through that tribulation. Therefore, Tang Min was his benefactor, not to mention that her authority was much higher than his.


    At the outermost blockade line within the periphery of the Virus Research Institute, Zhao Yundi looked at his watch. It had been four minutes from the five minutes Tang Xiu mentioned to him, and yet he neither saw a ghost nor shadow until now, making his contempt rise inwardly.


    ¡°Dude, the time is almost up. There¡¯s only a minute left. I gotta tell you to move fast and don¡¯t die for we¡¯ll rush when the time¡¯s up! Finally, we¡¯re in this together no matter what the results are, capiche?¡±


    ¡°People say that haste makes waste,¡± said Tang Xiu coolly. ¡°The time isn¡¯t up yet. I¡¯ll definitely rush inside with you if Director Wei hasn¡¯t come out by then.¡±


    ¡°You wanna keep going while some hope is left, huh?¡± Zhao Yundi hummed coldly. ¡°Since you want to wait, then I really wanna see whether that surname Wei is¡­¡±


    His words came to an abrupt halt midway as a bright SUV suddenly appeared and then stopped in front of everyone ten seconds after. Wei Xiqing then hurriedly jumped out from the driver¡¯s seat and glanced at the two groups of people confronting each other, before his eyes eventually fell on Tang Xiu.


    He remembered Tang Xiu¡¯s face, the one hailed as the most ruthless and difficult to deal with character in this generation of the Tang Family. Furthermore, rumors had it that he had just been found by the Tang Family after having been lost and lived outside for two decades.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Mr. Tang. I didn¡¯t know it was you before, so I made an offense. I hope you won¡¯t bother with my ignorance.¡± Despite having a prominent identity himself, Wei Xiqing acted humbly at this moment with a full apologetic expression painted on his face.


    ¡°Let us not stand on ceremony, Director Wei.¡± Tang Xiu let out a faint smile. ¡°The reason I came over is that I heard about the contagious disease and I hope that I can be of some help.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a young divine doctor, and I¡¯ve already heard about your integrity and medical expertise as well,¡± said Wei Xiqing quickly. ¡°All the experts at our institute are quite anxious at present as they are still unable to study the virus and where it originate from. But I believe that we¡¯ll definitely be able to save many people with your help.¡±


    At the side, although Zhao Yundi was shocked after witnessing that Tang Xiu¡¯s phone call was able to make Wei Xiqing come within five minutes, he immediately rolled his eyes after hearing the conversation between the two men. ¡°Hey, surnamed Wei, little did I expect that a Director like yourself can unexpectedly kiss people¡¯s asses like this too, huh. But how old is this dude, huh? A young divine doctor? What a joke!¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at him wearing a faint smile. Is this fella looking for a smack on the face?


    As expected, Wei Xiqing looked angry upon hearing Zhao Yundi¡¯s words. Although he was quite afraid of his identity, he still scolded him, ¡°Zhao Yundi, I¡¯ve already called your grandfather and I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll soon send some people to drag you back! And how can you understand the status of Divine Doctor Tang to begin with? Take your men and quickly get out of here! Else the Zhao Family won¡¯t be able to save your ass if the matter here goes big!¡±


    Furious, Zhao Yunde grabbed his pistol and aimed it at Wei Xiqing. He then angrily growled, ¡°Surnamed Wei! Don¡¯t smear your face with shame! I must bring my sister back today, or else watch how I tear down your Virus Research Institute.¡±

 Chapter 597

    Chapter 597: Pulling Out the Curtained Area


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Wei Xiqing didn¡¯t fear Zhao Yundi as he straightened up his chest even despite being pointed at by a gun, and then sternly shouted, ¡°I already know that you¡¯re unbridled and rampant, Zhao Yundi. You can be said as the biggest silk pants figure in the capital. But think clearly what kind of fate awaits you if you openly attack this important institution of the country. The Zhao Family may be very powerful, but they can¡¯t afford being suppressed by the state just for you alone. Put your gun down and leave with your men!¡±


    Zhao Yundi quickly released the safety lock and pulled the trigger.


    BANG!


    As the gun was fired, the bullet left the dark muzzle and was aimed at Wei Xiqing¡¯s forehead. Tang Xiu, who stood at the side, instantly furrowed his brows and waved his hand. The bullet was then caught between his index and middle finger, preventing a disaster from befalling Wei Xiqing.


    Prior to this, Tang Xiu disliked Zhao Yundi¡¯s silk pants attitude, but now he really was disgusted by him; resorting to murder by relying on the power of his family, an action that Tang Xiu truly looked down upon. If he himself was very capable, he could resort to murder if he so wished to, without relying on the protection of his family. But his action now simply courted disaster for himself and directed a calamity upon his own family.


    ¡°What a moron!¡± A cold humming voice came from Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth.


    The bullet was gone, this was something Zhao Yundi didn¡¯t expect. His eyes then fell on the bullet clamped between Tang Xiu¡¯s fingers. Disbelief instantly appeared on his face. It was like in a movie when the main character caught a bullet between his fingers. But how could someone possibly do it in reality?


    Was he¡­ was he dreaming?


    Wei Xiqing was also paralyzed since he never imagined that Zhao Yundi would actually dare to shoot him. He looked at the bullet between Tang Xiu¡¯s fingers, and his dry throat wriggled a few times, whereas Zhang Lei next to him already had his gun aimed at Zhao Yundi the moment the fella fired his gun. If it wasn¡¯t for Tang Xiu moving to block Zhao Yundi, he might have shot and killed him already.


    What exactly happened? How did the gun aimed at the Director have no bullets? Was Zhao Yundi¡¯s gun a fake?


    Zhang Lei took two steps forward as his heartbeat hiked up and his face was full of shock upon seeing the object between Tang Xiu¡¯s fingers. Catching a bullet empty-handedly? Were his eyes shrouded by an illusion, or was he dreaming?


    At this time, the rest of the people beside them were also shocked by Tang Xiu¡¯s act. Their faces were all painted by disbelief, as some of them even rubbed their eyes, trying to make sure that they weren¡¯t seeing an illusion. Eventually, everyone finally snapped back to their senses and realized that they were not imagining things, this was truly real!


    After letting out a curse and catching the bullet, Tang Xiu seized the pistol in Zhao Yundi¡¯s hand. He coldly snorted and said, ¡°All the Great Silk Pants of the Capital turn out to be nothing but morons who only know how to flaunt and act brave. If it wasn¡¯t for the shelter provided by your Zhao Family all this time, I don¡¯t know how many times you would have died given your revolting behavior. Don¡¯t bother someone else if you wanna play, for I¡¯ll accompany you playing. I really don¡¯t believe that your Zhao Family is much stronger than the Yao Family.¡±


    Zhao Yundi was stunned. He never dreamed that Tang Xiu was actually aiming his spearhead at him. He still hadn¡¯t figured out Tang Xiu¡¯s identity until now, but when he recalled the time he arrived here when even Zhang Lei was pointing his gun at Tang Xiu, he was immediately furious. He thought that Tang Xiu only had a good aunt for being able to make a phone call to the Director of the Virus Research Institute.


    ¡°Fucking idiot! Asshole! You¡¯re asking for¡­¡±


    Pa¡­


    Tang Xiu slapped his face. Just as those twenty stocky men were about to rush forward, Zhang Lei led his security team members to the front and the situation remained in a stalemate.


    ¡°You all, he¡­¡±


    Pa¡­


    Yet again, Tang Xiu used his hand again to slap Zhao Yundi¡¯s face.


    Each time Zhao Yundi opened his mouth to shout, the number of slaps he got from Tang Xiu increased. He desperately wanted to fight back, yet was constantly slapped by Tang Xiu. It wasn¡¯t until he got slapped for more than a dozen times that he nearly lost his sanity due to anger, as he exerted all his strength and tried to command his men to attack. Unfortunately, time was not enough for him to shout as more slaps came down to his face.


    Bam¡­


    Tang Xiu¡¯s slaps were so fierce that he slumped down on his butt. He no longer dared to speak and could only shoot Tang Xiu a murderous glare, wishing that he could pull out his tendons, hack his bones, and scatter his ashes.


    Tang Xiu intentionally raised his hand again and sneered, ¡°I didn¡¯t actually feel like thrashing you, but your Zhao Family has a good relationship with my Tang Family, so I can only rescue you this time. But do not think there will never be a second time. If you still don¡¯t know how to act properly, and when to advance and retreat, I don¡¯t mind killing you myself so as to avoid a disaster to befall upon the Zhao Family.¡±


    Having said that, he looked at Wei Xiqing and said, ¡°Director Wei, saving people is like fighting fire. I hope you don¡¯t stoop down to his level since he¡¯s nothing but a brat spoiled by his family. Just consider the bullet before as the price to write off the account. What do you think?¡±


    After looking at Tang Xiu in silence, Wei Xiqing finally sighed inwardly and said, ¡°Properly speaking, I should pursue this matter because he was the one who shot me. But I¡¯ll let this matter go on the account of your face. But if he dares to make trouble again, I¡¯m ready for everything to drag him with me to see the King of Hell together!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded at him in response. He then kicked Zhao Yundi and sternly shouted, ¡°What the hell are you gawking here for? Scram!¡±


    Zhao Yundi was afraid that Tang Xiu would hit him again, but then recalled his purpose of coming here and yelled back, ¡°NO, I WON¡¯T LEAVE! My sister is infected and is still inside. I can¡¯t watch her die helplessly here. Just kill me if you got the balls!¡±


    After being silent for a moment, Tang Xiu suddenly looked at those men brought by Zhao Yundi and spoke to them in a deep voice, ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn if you all are private forces of the Zhao Family, neither do I care about who you are. Put down your guns if you don¡¯t want to court trouble for Zhao Yundi and SCRAM! Hmph¡­ he¡¯s just a little brat, but all of you are not! You should know how grave the consequences you will face for today¡¯s actions.¡±


    The twenty stocky men exchanged dismayed looks. How could they not realize the gravity of situation? Yet, they had to obey Zhao Yundi¡¯s orders, thus they could only brace themselves and go with the tide. Instantly, all of them looked at Zhao Yundi and waited for his decision.


    A cloudy and yet hesitant expression could be seen on Zhao Yundi¡¯s face. He hesitated for more than half a minute before getting up from the ground and waving his hand, ¡°All of you go back.¡±


    Quickly, those twenty sturdy men left.


    Following that, Zhao Yundi shot Tang Xiu a look. Though there was still anger on his face, he forcefully held himself back and shouted, ¡°I already ordered them to leave, but I must still go inside since I must take my sister from this place here and now. I will never leave this place without her!¡±


    Feeling too lazy to pay attention to him, Tang Xiu turned his head and looked at Wei Xiqing, saying, ¡°Let us go inside! Saving people is all that matters.¡±


    Wei Xiqing nodded quickly in response and took Tang Xiu and Chen Tong, whose face was full of awe. They quickly entered the institute and finally arrived at the quarantine area of the institute seven-plus minutes later.


    ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, according to the investigation from the intelligence agency, there have been a total 329 people who had close contact with those infected, and more than 60 have already contracted high fever symptoms and are confirmed to have been infected. We also have assigned a lot of experts across the country, but it¡¯s a pity that we haven¡¯t yet been able to figure out the origin of the virus as well as finding a solution as for how to treat the infected,¡± briefly explained Wei Shiqing.


    Tang Xiu looked at Chen Tong and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the name of your classmate?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Zhao Tingting,¡± answered Chen Tong quickly.


    ¡°Take me to this girl called Zhao Tingting!¡± Tang Xiu spoke to Wei Xiqing. ¡°She¡¯s the first virus carrier to appear and perhaps the key is with her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m coming too!¡± Shouted Zhao Yundi immediately.


    ¡°What can you do?¡± Tang Xiu knitted his brows and coldly said. ¡°Just wait outside.¡±


    ¡°Zhao Tingting is my sister, so I naturally must go with you,¡± exclaimed Zhao Yundi loudly.


    His revelation made Tang Xiu stare blankly, and Chen Tong¡¯s face was full of disbelief. He and Zhao Tingting were classmates and both were studied at the same university abroad. It was then that they fell in love with each other and became lovers, it¡¯s just that their relationship hadn¡¯t yet been officially recognized by their families. The reason why he followed Zhao Tingting to Beijing this time was also to meet her family.


    He rarely heard Zhao Tinting mentioning her family and thought that she just hailed and grown up from a wealthy family. Little did he expect that she turned out to be a descendant of the Zhao Family from Beijing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care who Zhao Tingting is,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°She¡¯s now a carrier of the virus and no one is allowed to see her except me. So, be obedient and wait outside.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Zhao Yundi was seething in anger.


    Tang Xiu raised his hand, scaring him out of his wits as he stepped back a few steps.


    Two minutes later, Tang Xiu passed through several iron gates and walked in the corridor with a staff member wearing a biohazard protective suit. Through transparent windows, he saw that each room was occupied by two people and they looked chagrined and despaired.


    In the deepest place within the quarantine area, the beautiful Zhao Tingting hugged her knees while leaning on the bed in the corner. Her complexion was painted with unusual redness and her lips were slightly purple. She stared blankly and was in a daze with slightly furrowed brows.


    Ding¡­


    The door to the isolation room was opened as Tang Xiu entered, whereas the staff member in his biohazard protective suit closed the door from the outside.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Zhao Tingting slowly raised her and looked surprised.


    ¡°Are you Zhao Tingting, Chen Tong¡¯s classmate?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    She nodded in response. As if realizing something, she abruptly got up from the bed, went to the corner and shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t come near me! Who let you inside. I¡­ I have been infected by a virus. Get out quickly!¡±


    ¡°What good morals and character,¡± praised Tang Xiu. ¡°Your own safety isn¡¯t yet guaranteed, but you still keep thinking about others. That¡¯s very great of you, barely qualified as a wife to be of my grand-disciple.¡±

 Chapter 598

    Chapter 598: Gynecological Disease


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu walked toward the bed in the corner as he looked at Zhao Tingting¡¯s blank expression and said, ¡°I forgot to introduce myself, I¡¯m Chen Tong¡¯s Grand Master. You should be his girlfriend, if my guess is correct, since he would have never taken such a big risk to stay in Beijing otherwise, and wouldn¡¯t have contacted me and asked for help.¡±


    Disbelief filled Zhao Tingting¡¯s eyes as she murmured in response, ¡°I know that Chen Tong has a Grand Master, his Dad¡¯s Master. But you¡­¡±


    ¡°You want to say that I¡¯m too young, right?¡± Commented Tang Xiu with a chuckle.


    Zhao Tingting nodded without hesitation.


    ¡°There¡¯s a saying in many fields of expertise that someone who has achieved a certain height can become a Master and teach others,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯m quite an expert in some aspects and have received disciples older than me. That can be considered as a clear evidence.¡±


    With a shocked expression, Zhao Tingting curiously observed Tang Xiu before asking, ¡°In which field are you an expert at? Martial arts?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m quite powerful in many aspects, such as the Chinese Medical field. For me to be able to come to his place should explain that many people have already recognized my expertise in this field. Anyways, you don¡¯t have to worry about me for getting infected by you. I wouldn¡¯t have come dressed like this if I didn¡¯t have enough confidence.¡±


    Zhao Tingting hesitated before eventually getting off the bed. Only, her physical condition was now very weak and she almost fell to the floor. Tang Xiu acted quickly to support her and sat her back on the bed before checking her pulse.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Through his spiritual sense¡¯s inspection, Tang Xiu found a mass of dark green gaseous substance unexpectedly residing in Zhang Tingting¡¯s kidney and invading the nearest blood vessels at a very slow pace. It went along with the blood to circulate all over her body and brought with it a peculiar scent. The scent couldn¡¯t be smelled by ordinary people, but Tang Xiu could sniff it out with his keen smelling sense. Furthermore, her pulse was somewhat abnormal, and not the kind due to fever. It was a few times stronger than an ordinary person¡¯s.


    ¡°Will you be able to endure the pain? The ache will be painful and it¡¯s hard for one to endure it.¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t bear asking after releasing her hand.


    ¡°I was always afraid of pain since I was small, but I will endure it if it can cure me of the virus,¡± replied Zhao Tingting in a low voice after hesitating for a moment.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have 100% assurance, to be honest, since the toxin is inside the blood vessels all over your body.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°But I can guarantee that I can save your life.¡±


    Upon hearing it, Zhao Tingting nodded without a shred of hesitation, ¡°Please do it!¡±


    Tang Xiu turned his hand and a silver needle appeared and pierced her chest center acupoint without hesitation. Immediately afterward, his hands grabbed her wrists and injected his Primal Chaos Force into her body, as his thumbs then pressed against her pulse. [1]


    Aaaah¡­


    A piercing scream came out of Zhao Tingting¡¯s mouth. She felt as if two sharp knives pricked her hands and kept moving fast toward her shoulders, fast and intensely painful. If she hadn¡¯t prepared herself before, the pain may have made her faint.


    Tang Xiu shot her a deep look and immediately restrained his mind before concentrating on controlling the two streams of Primal Chaos Force as it bulldozed its way to her kidney in a very short time. Following that, he wrapped the dark green gaseous substance using the extreme force of the Primal Chaos Force.


    ¡°Out!¡±


    As the silver needle popped out from Zhao Tingting¡¯s chest center acupoint, a pungent odor followed and spewed from the inside. In just half a minute, all the dark green gaseous substance underneath was completely expelled.


    ¡°Endure! I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to wake up again if you faint now.¡±


    With his fingers pressed against her forehead, Tang Xiu fused the two streams of Primal Chaos Force in her body into one and spread it to all directions of her body. It was like a mercury liquid scattering in all directions as it spread all over Zhao Tingting¡¯s body in less than ten seconds.


    Aaaah¡­


    The pain was like it came from the depths of her soul, making Zhao Tingting feel like it was better to die. The pain was something she had never experienced in her entire life. She had acute appendicitis once, but the pain she felt now was at least ten times stronger than then.


    Her body quivered and her face was devoid of blood. Along with the scream squeezed out of her throat, the Primal Chaos Force seemed to spread out like a net that purified the impurities inside her body, including the green toxins inside her blood that were all pulled in and collected, until it eventually formed a grayish black substance the size of a sesame seed.


    Pa¡­


    As Tang Xiu slapped Zhao Tingting¡¯s back, she almost passed out due to the sudden pain and opened her mouth to vomit out the grayish black substance.


    A light glinted in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. The dark green gaseous substance that was wrapped by the Primal Chaos Force and had just been secreted out was now floating quietly in front of his eyes. He couldn¡¯t attend to Zhao Tingting, who was panting heavily and stumbled onto the bed, and went forward and smelled it instead. He then took another silver needle, picked the grey substance and lightly twirled it with his fingers, as a look of anger then appeared on his face.


    The toxin was definitely injected into Zhao Tingting¡¯s body! Moreover, it was also mixed with a lot of other substances. He couldn¡¯t tell most of them, but one thing for certain was that there was a venomous snake bile among it.


    ¡°Rest for a few minutes and then answer me a few questions.¡±


    Tang Xiu then took out two porcelain vases and poured the dark green gaseous substance into the porcelain vase, closed its lids and then looked at Zhao Tingting.


    In a minute or so, Zhao Tingting felt like she was suffering in hell for countless centuries. She was almost unable to hold on and nearly fainted, only to feel that the piercing acute pain was disappearing. A few minutes later, the pain subsided like a tidal wave and her whole body seemed to have eased, as she supported herself to sit up with difficulty.


    ¡°Have you had enough rest?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    With a somewhat pale face, Zhao Tingting¡¯s spirit looked a bit wilted, but there was a disbelieving expression on her face as she muttered, ¡°It¡¯s really incredible, unbelievable. I feel like my body¡­ seems to feel much better than before I got sick. I feel that my whole body is very relaxed, warm, and comfortable.¡±


    ¡°It was actually a blessing in disguise for you, to be honest,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle. ¡°When I removed the toxin inside your body, I helped you regulate your body in passing. The process is indeed very painful, but it will be very beneficial to you in the future. But you still need to calm your mind and recuperate, since you¡¯ll still be very weak for the time being.¡±


    ¡°The toxin in my body has been removed? Am I already fine?¡± Asked Zhao Tingting, surprised.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re fine now.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°But¡­¡±


    Zhao Tingting¡¯s heart jolted and she quickly asked, ¡°But what?¡±


    ¡°You still must treat the gynecological disease,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Zhao Tingting exclaimed and there was a slight blush on her pale face. She did contract a gynecological disease and just found it through an examination a while ago. It¡¯s a kind of secretive gynecological disease young women contracted in their flowering age, yet it was actually laid bare by Tang Xiu, making her embarrassed and shy.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t think about it too much. Besides, doctors have hearts like parents, to begin with,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle. ¡°Anyways, I have important questions I need to ask you now, and you must answer me honestly! This is related to the reason you have a huge amount of toxins in your body.¡±


    With a change in expression, Zhao Tingting immediately put away her embarrassment. She then put on a serious expression and replied, ¡°Please ask!¡±


    ¡°I want to know whether you encountered anything special before you returned from abroad,¡± said Tang Xiu as he continued. ¡°It¡¯s because the toxins were injected into your body and the location was very special¨Cin your kidney.¡±


    ¡°Through injection?¡± Zhao Tingting looked blank before suddenly calling out, ¡°That¡¯s right! I remember going to a hospital for treatment because of this gynecological disease. I was injected with medicine to treat it. Don¡¯t tell me¡­ that the toxins I had inside my body was because¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu frowned, ¡°You mean, that hospital is the cause of this problem? Or was it that doctor?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Zhao Tingting shook her head.


    After thinking for a moment, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Though I have already removed the toxins in your body, you can¡¯t leave this place for the time being. I will go treat other patients later, and you are to stay here waiting. Also, your situation is very special, so I need to report this to the State Special Bureau. Some people should contact you later to investigate this matter clearly. Be sure to cooperate with them well then.¡±


    ¡°Will do!¡± Zhao Tingting seriously nodded.


    Tang Xiu then walked to the door and knocked. The door was then opened from the outside. This time, it was not only the staff outside, but also Wei Xiqing in his biohazard protective suit as well.


    ¡°How was it, Divine Doctor Tang?¡± Immediately asked Wei Xiqing in a nervous manner after seeing Tang Xiu come out.


    ¡°I have removed the toxins inside Zhao Tingting¡¯s body.¡± Tang Xiu nodded at him and said. ¡°The toxins are very particular, highly contagious, and possess strong transmission power. It¡¯s highly contagious to the blood and can infect others through saliva, whereas respiratory infection is next in sequence. However, there¡¯s no need to worry too much. It¡¯s very unlikely that the infected person will infect another person again, because the amount of toxin is very low. Director Wei, I have these two porcelain vases here which contain the toxin and its gaseous substance. Please send them to the researchers of the institute. It¡¯s best to find more experts to research them together. Anyways, I must treat the other infected people now.¡±


    Wei Xiqing was shocked by Tang Xiu¡¯s remarks. A lot of experts in the research institute, virologists, and professors of the medical profession had come and were still researching it in the laboratory for more than two days without any results, yet Tang Xiu who had just arrived had unexpectedly cured the virus carrier, the source of the infection?


    Furthermore, he even got samples of toxin and its gaseous substance?


    ¡°Great! Great! That¡¯s very laborious of you, Divine Doctor Tang. I¡¯ll immediately send these two bottles to the laboratory,¡± replied Wei Xiqing enthusiastically.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t hurry to treat the other infected people along with Wei Xiqing¡¯s departure and took out his mobile phone to call Liu Changxi from the Special Bureau instead. He told him the issue encountered by the Virus Research Institute as well as his guesses and then stressed that he¡¯d leave the problem for him to investigate.

 Chapter 599

    Chapter 599: The Father and Son of the Zhao Family


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The Zhao Family of Beijing was very famous in the entire country and, despite being weak in regards to the armed force they possessed, they had a lot of family members as politicians. Just the top officials of various provinces could be said to have at least two members from the Zhao Family, whereas the second in command and in the third ring of authority could be twice the number. Therefore, the Zhao Family indeed possessed sufficient power.


    Zhao Qingfeng was the second son of the current Head of the Zhao Family and was now serving as an official in an important department in the capital. After receiving a phone call from his father from home, he was simply paralyzed. Although he knew his precious son was bold and brave and loved to stir up troubles, never once did he ever dream that he would be audacious to the extent. He knew what kind of place the National Virus Research Institute was, an special institution of great importance to the country¡ªequal to the weapons research base in the military.


    On the national highway a few kilometers away from the Virus Research Institute, two Audis were heading fast in the direction of the said institute. In the rear seat of the second car, Zhao Qingfeng looked ashen and angry, as flames kept flashing in his eyes.


    An uncut jade is indeed worthless.


    He kept thinking that his weak attitude towards his son had virtually made him grow up into a time bomb. Granted that this incident could be settled with a determined price was paid, but he was not sure when his son would cause more troubles in the future.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    His mobile phone buzzed and Zhao Qingfeng quickly answered it. His expression changed greatly right after, as a burst of disbelief filled his eyes, He fired his gun? And aimed it at Wei Xiqing, the Director of the Virus Research Institute?


    In a flash, a despairing feeling gushed out in his heart. He was perfectly aware of the consequences of shooting Wei Xiqing. It meant that there was no escape for his son; he was doomed this time.


    ¡°Heed my order. Seize the gun from Zhao Yundi¡¯s hand and take him back at once!¡± Zhao Qingfeng sternly yelled after taking a deep breath.


    ¡°We have already left the Virus Research Institute, whereas Zhao Yundi went inside with Tang Xiu and Wei Xiqing. We can¡¯t go inside, so we can only go back now,¡± came the reply from the voice on the phone.


    ¡°He¡¯s what?¡±


    Zhao Qingfeng was stumped for words, puzzled and bewildered by the other party¡¯s report. Since his son shot Wei Xiqing, shouldn¡¯t Wei Xiqing be dead or at least injured?


    Just how¡­


    A few minutes later, the riddle that plagued Zhao Qingfeng¡¯s mind was finally solved. The savage beating his son suffered under Tang Xiu not only did not make him angry, but instead made him feel grateful and overjoyed inwardly.


    He gave him a beating, thus saving others.


    Tang Xiu slapped his son for what he had done and took the responsibility of what would be a terrible disaster¡ªan action that Zhao Qingfeng couldn¡¯t bear to feel grateful at.


    With his special identity, an order was passed down to give him green light to enter the Virus Research Institute after going through inspection outside. As the cars drove all the way to the square outside the quarantine area, Zhao Qingfeng quickly and forcefully opened the car¡¯s door and dashed toward Zhao Yundi. Though the latter¡¯s face was already swollen and beet red due to Tang Xiu¡¯s slaps, Zhao Qingfeng didn¡¯t even have a shred of pity nor distress as he was more furious instead.


    Pa pa pa¡­


    After a dozens slaps, Zhao Qingfeng seemed to have vented all his bottled up anger and finally stopped. He pushed his son down, glared at him and threw a rain of curses, ¡°If I knew earlier that I would give birth to such an asshole like you, I would have thrown you off from your mother¡¯s womb before. You just made the Zhao Family completely lose face! How I wish to cover up this shame! You fucking idiot, do you have a swine or a sheep brain, huh?¡±


    Stunned and perplexed, never did Zhao Yunde dreamed that his father would madly rush at him without wasting even a second after arriving here, more so that he yelled and cursed him. He was already quite angry inside after having his face crazily slapped by Tang Xiu, and now that his father also arrived only to slap him, it left him furious as he lost his mind, ¡°What the hell did you hit me for? What makes you have the right? Is it because you¡¯re my father and just because you think that I made the Zhao Family lose face? Have you asked me and thought of my original intention? For who do you think I did this? It¡¯s for my sister, your daughter, your own biological daughter¡­¡±


    Zhao Qingfeng clenched his fists. Though he felt a bit uncomfortable and distressed seeing the appearance of his son, he still hardened his heart and shouted to the several security guards who came running over, ¡°Beat him! Beat him so hard the he won¡¯t forget this lesson. I don¡¯t think he realize his own mistake. HEY, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GAWKING FOR? BEAT HIM!¡±


    The guards exchanged dismayed looks. After hearing the cold command from Zhao Qingfeng, they could only let out helpless expressions and send a series of punches toward Zhao Yundi. Of course, since they were all experts with good martial force, they didn¡¯t hurt Zhao Yundi¡¯s muscles and bones even though the fella was pained and hurt all over.


    ¡°Now, tell me, do you realize what your mistake is?¡± Asked Zhao Qingfeng in anger.


    Zhao Yundi twisted his neck and shouted, ¡°NO! I¡¯m not wrong at all!¡±


    Bam¡­


    Zhao Qingfeng kicked him and shouted again, ¡°Keep beating him! I¡¯ll take the responsibility even if he dies. Keeping a scourge like him will only court big troubles and direct calamities to befall upon the Zhao Family sooner or later.¡±


    What happened next was another series of powerful punches.


    ¡°How about now? Have you realized your mistake?¡± Asked Zhao Qingfeng in a heavy tone.


    ¡°NO!¡± Zhao Yundi yelled while gritting his teeth in pain.


    ¡°You have got guts, eh?¡± Zhao Qingfeng gave him a thumbs up and sighed. ¡°Then you will taste my next move. Bring him back to the family home. I¡¯ll first punish him under the punishment rules of the Zhao Family. Throw him into the dark room and lock him up there. Do you admit your mistake, now? If you don¡¯t, then you¡¯ll stay in the dark room until you die!¡±


    With pupils violently shrinking, a fearful expression could be seen flashing in Zhao Yundi¡¯s eyes. The dark room of the Zhao Family was constructed according to the secret detention room in the army, with space that was even smaller and narrower than the army¡¯s solitary confinement room. He was locked up in that dark room when he was small numerous times, but the time he spent there was at most one day.


    Certainly, he was also very desperate being punished like that in the past. That dark room, in his eyes, was absolutely not a place for anyone to stay in. He could barely hold on after staying there for a few hours, and a day almost blasted through his limit. He felt that he would definitely collapse and even possibly commit suicide after three to five days if he were to be locked up there.


    ¡°Don¡¯t! I admit it¡­ I admit my mistake. My actions were indeed reckless, that I admit, but it¡¯s all for the sake of Sis since you don¡¯t even care about her at all as her father. She¡¯ll die here if I don¡¯t take care of her.¡±


    Inwardly, Zhao Qingfeng sighed. He was disappointed by this son of his. How could he possibly not care about his own daughter given his disposition, for God¡¯s sake? As a matter of fact, he had already made a phone call to Wei Xiqing and also received words of guarantee from the latter that he would try everything he could to treat his daughter.


    But now, this audacious, good-for-nothing son was such a nuisance. If it wasn¡¯t for the presence of Wei Xiqing, he would probably have already dug a hole and burrowed himself inside due to shame and embarrassment. All fathers have great hopes for their sons, longing for them to succeed in life. But at this moment, he no longer had such wistful thoughts, but only wished that his own son would not become an insect.


    Zhao Qingfeng then waved his hand at the security guards. His vision then shifted to Chen Tong nearby, and hesitated for a moment before asking, ¡°Young man, you are¡­¡±


    At this moment, Chen Tong was somewhat nervous. Since he knew that Zhao Yundi was Zhao Tingting¡¯s biological brother, he wanted to get closer to him. But now he was more nervous because Zhao Qingfeng also came. There was even the feeling of ugly-looking daughters-in-law had when they saw their parents-in-law.


    ¡°Hello, uncle. I¡¯m Chen Tong, and Tang Xiu is my Grand Master.¡±


    This reply made Zhao Qingfeng¡¯s face turn blank, as he never imagined that Tang Xiu would even have a grand-disciple. After hesitating for a moment, he curiously asked, ¡°Then your father is¡­¡±


    ¡°My father is Chen Zhizhong, the owner of our family business, the Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical.¡± Chen Tong gave an honest answer.


    Zhao Qingfeng suddenly understood, as he had also learned many things about Tang Xiu and naturally knew that the latter had several disciples, of which Chen Zhizhong of Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical was one of them. He nodded in response as he then carefully observed Chen Tong before asking again, ¡°You came here¡­ with Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°It was actually me who invited Grand Master,¡± said Chen Tong. ¡°I¡­ Your daughter and I are fellow students overseas, and¡­¡±


    And?


    Zhao Qingfeng stared blankly and looked surprised as he asked, ¡°And what? What¡¯s exactly between you and my daughter?¡±


    Looking a bit awkward, Chen Tong still nodded and answered, ¡°Uncle Zhao, I really like Zhao Tingting. And this time our return from abroad is because I¡¯m preparing to visit you and auntie. I never expected that we would encounter this matter.¡±


    In an instant, everything became clear to Zhao Qingfeng. No wonder his daughter said that she would give him a pleasant surprise before returning to the country. It turned out that she was going to bring her boyfriend home. He didn¡¯t feel repugnant toward Chen Tong, and even felt satisfied and happy. Though the Zhao Family was prominent and had a lot of assets, the House of Chen was not bad either, as Chen Zhizhong¡¯s Endless Virtues Pharmaceutical was a prominent leading pharmaceutical company in China. Furthermore, Chen Tong chose to stay with his daughter when peril befell her and even asked his Grand Master, Tang Xiu, to come to Beijing. This was enough evidence that he really cared about his daughter.


    ¡°If Tingting can safely survive this tribulation, I¡¯ll tell her bring you to come visit our home!¡± Zhao Qingfeng patted Chen Tong¡¯s shoulder and sighed after being silent for a short while.


    Slightly stunned and surprised, a pleasantly surprised expression then plastered itself on Chen Tong¡¯s face. As intelligent as he was, he could tell from Zhao Qingfeng¡¯s words that his future father-in-law had already accepted him.


    ¡°Thank you, Uncle Zhao. I firmly believe that Tingting will be fine.¡±


    Zhao Qingfeng nodded in response. He stayed waiting outside since, firstly, he came here to find out the specific circumstances his daughter was in, and secondly, he also had to apologize to Wei Xiqing and express his gratitude to Tang Xiu.


    Two hours later, Tang Xiu came out of the door of the quarantine area along with the staff who accompanied him, whereas Wei Xiqing also hurriedly followed in nearly at the same time.


    Apologizing and conveying words of gratitude, Zhao Qingfeng took the responsibility and displayed a very sincere attitude. After Wei Xiqing gave his forgiveness, he inquired, ¡°Tang Xiu, how is my daughter now?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Tang Xiu smiled lightly. ¡°She still needs to stay here for two days for further observation, but she can leave if no unexpected changes appear in her body in these two days.¡±

 Chapter 600

    Chapter 600: Becoming Famous In The Capital


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    A shocked expression betrayed Zhao Qingfeng as he stared blankly. It was because the first patient in this epidemic case was his daughter, and he personally sought medical professors from several large hospitals in Beijing and recommended them here to help. Just a few hours ago, he also called those professors and learned that they hadn¡¯t had much progress and couldn¡¯t do anything about this epidemic.


    How¡­ how could it be alright all of a sudden?


    Though Wei Xiqing said he already forgave Zhao Yundi, he still couldn¡¯t completely get over it himself. After seeing Zhao Qingfeng¡¯s shocked expression, he commented without being salty nor light, ¡°Mr. Tang is hailed as a miracle-working doctor in China, so he naturally has a Divine Doctor¡¯s abilities as well. Nothing is difficult for him, as a touch of his hand is enough to easily make a disease disappear.¡±


    A deep feeling of respect immediately appeared in Zhao Qingfeng¡¯s heart. He heard that Tang Xiu¡¯s medical expertise was outstanding and he witnessed it this time. The infectious disease the medical experts and professors were helpless about could be easily solved by Tang Xiu¡ªthe fact that his ability was a sky above theirs.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, I won¡¯t say any grateful words for this grace, but feel free to call this Zhao Qingfeng if you ever need something within my area of capability.¡± Despite not easily giving anyone promises, Zhao Qingfeng pledged with all seriousness at this time.


    ¡°I have a doctor¡¯s identity, thus it¡¯s my duty and responsibility carry on my work. Besides, a grand-disciple of mine has a very close relationship with Miss Zhao. Since I have the ability, it¡¯s only natural that I do my best.¡±


    Looking at his son at the side, who was beyond recognition and overshadowed, Zhao Qingfeng felt bitterness inside. Tang Xiu was a few years younger than his good-for-nothing son, yet not only was he gifted and charming but also possessed a very strong capital to enterprise greatness, and was needless to say that he had skillful and powerful personal abilities as well. If the two were to be compared, Tang Xiu was akin to a golden dragon that soared above the clouds, whereas his son could only be regarded as mud in the pit.


    They truly are worlds apart! Zhou Qingfeng sighed inside, and then said, ¡°Tang Xiu, there are still things I need to tend to, so I won¡¯t stay here any longer. Please do visit my house for a drink some other day.¡±


    ¡°I will visit Uncle Zhao if there¡¯s time.¡± Tang Xiu nodded with a smile.


    Zhao Qingfeng left and took away Zhao Yundi, who wore a complicated expression. Though the latter was miserably beaten by Tang Xiu, his sister was saved by him, after all. It was the kind of grace he would never be able to change.


    Wei Xiqing looked back from the two leaving cars and turned to Tang Xiu with admiration, saying, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, I¡¯ve already arranged everything. The medical experts and professors want to see you. What you did have gained their sincere admiration.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t see them, since they should all be experts from Western medical science whereas I¡¯m a Chinese one.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°The important meanings from the Chinese and Western in regards to this matter is like comparing an apple to an oyster. Anyways, Director Wei, my aunt has already asked me to tend to something else, so I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡±


    Wei Xiqing nodded before suddenly saying, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, can you let Chen Tong stay? He¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu looked blank for a second before looking at Chen Tong.


    After thinking for a moment, Chen Tong nodded and said, ¡°Grand Master, I¡¯ll stay here since Director Wei still isn¡¯t relieved about me! However, I want to stay with Tingting.¡±


    Having his thoughts laid bare caused Wei Xiqing to look awkward. He immediately spoke after hearing Chen Tong¡¯s request, ¡°No problem. Zhao Tingting is alone in her room. I¡¯ll arrange for you to stay in the same room as her.¡±


    Seeing that Chen Tong had already made the decision, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t say anything more. After driving away from the Virus Research Institute on Chen Tong¡¯s car, he headed straight to the Tang Family ancestral residence. What surprised him was that his grandfather, Tang Guosheng, who rarely went out, was actually out today, and even his grandmother didn¡¯t know where his grandfather went.


    Tang Xiu then accompanied his grandmother in his ancestral home. He then called Tang Wei and learned from him that he was having a discussion with his friends outside. Tang Xiu didn¡¯t disturb him again but rather went out to stroll around as he wished.


    He didn¡¯t know that what happened today was rapidly spreading outside. Everyone, whether it was the elders of the prominent families or the silk pants community in Beijing, all were applauding him today.


    Kande Club.


    It was an upscale club of Beijing; even the scions of billionaires found it difficult to pass through its doors. The total number of its members was less than 200, with each one having significant power and influence.


    Inside the outdoor swimming pool, the white mist of the hot water buzzed as two young men in swimsuits were surrounded by a group of beautiful bikini girls, drinking red wine, smoking cigars, and enjoying shoulder massages of the bikini girls.


    ¡°Tang Wei, please consider my proposal well. This business only needs a small capital, yet the profit is huge. It¡¯s an opportunity that won¡¯t come twice,¡± said Qin Shaoyang, who looked comfortable with squinted eyes.


    Tang Wei¡¯s expression was somewhat serious, and he didn¡¯t seem to enjoy it much despite being surrounded by alluring young women. Qin Shaoyang wanted to pull him closer but putting it bluntly, he just wanted to use the resources of his family.


    The Yao Family had collapsed, and the strength exposed by the Tang Family finally made all the families realize that even though the Tang Family had been in decline all these years, they didn¡¯t know how really powerful they were. This family could be said to be the in the top five among the domestic prominent families.


    Therefore, Tang Wei¡¯s status among the scions¡¯ circle in the capital was also elevated along with the rise of his family. In just this n half a month, there were more than ten scions who disguisedly showed him amiable faces and goodwill. These people merely wanted to exploit an opportunity with his presence, whereas those who couldn¡¯t get close to him were all stretching their necks, waiting anxiously to make a move.


    Like this Qin Shaoyang. This fella was already rich, and his family even more. His father had been in the real estate development business for more than 20 years. He earned himself a full pot of fortune with his strong business sense, acumen, and schemes. Added with the wealth of his family that also became a major stockholder in several large logistic businesses in the country, some people even calculated that the total assets of Qin Shaoyang¡¯s family if not more than 50 billion, it was probably not far away from that number.


    Unfortunately, the Qin Family only had a few members. Qin Shaoyang himself had an uncle, a black sheep, the prodigal son of the family who was always indulging himself in disgusting orgies, drinking, gambling, and frequenting brothels¡ªa typical silk pants lifestyle. The most important of all was that he had not been married until now and had no fixed, serious girlfriends.


    Qin Shaoyang was the youngest of two brothers. His big brother entered the Ministry of Public Security system on account of his father, who secretly removed the obstructions for him. Contrary to what one might expect, he was now prospering there, yet no one knew what his future held. Qin Shaoyang was very smart and also received an excellent education in the capital since childhood. He had made acquaintances with a group of scions and young masters in Beijing in his school fraternity, and only had a slight attitude of a typical silk pants. He imitated his father¡¯s style when he entered society, creating personal connections by currying favor with those in authority for personal gains. He reached perfection in that aspect.


    The reason he found Tang Wei this time was that he hoped that he could establish a connection with him and build a bridge to the Tang Family in extension. Therefore, he proposed a joint venture to set up an entertainment media company that integrated services such as an online literature section, game development, film and television production and their marketing, as well as a web broadcast platform and other types to be incorporated into a large entertainment media company.


    The total investment was 4 billion yuan. According to his share proposal, Tang Wei would have 30% shares of the company by investing 200 million yuan, whereas he would hold 70% of the company¡¯s shares with a 3.7 billion yuan investment. It could be said that this proposal was no different than giving money away.


    ¡°Contrary to one might expect, you are willing to sacrifice your hard-earned money, Shaoyang.¡± Tang Wei secretly heaved a sigh of relief as his serious expression disappeared and was replaced with a teasing smile.


    ¡°I have no other ways around it. Who made me want to hold on to your thigh in the first place,¡± said Qin Shaoyang while shrugging his shoulders.


    Tang Wei couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter and then said, ¡°You turn out to be this direct, eh?¡±


    ¡°Will you even look at me in the eyes if I acted artificial and hypocritical?¡± Replied Qin Shaoyang smilingly.


    Showing a faint smile in response, Tang Wei then took the red wine glass handed over by the beautiful bikini girl beside him. After gulping it down, he then sighed, ¡°If it stands to reason, your proposal is great and I shouldn¡¯t refuse it. But my younger brother has talked to me, hoping that I would take part in politics and become a government official. Though I haven¡¯t fully made up my mind yet, it¡¯s almost a done deal! I¡¯ll talk to my grandfather when I have considered it clearly. He should be very supportive and approve it.¡±


    Taking part in politics and the government?


    Qin Shaoyang stared blankly for a moment and immediately furrowed his brows.


    He was aware of the law that politicians were forbidden from doing business in private. If Tang Wei was really to enter the political arena, his opportunity to hold onto his thigh was probably as good as gone already. There may be other members of the Tang Family, but Tang Wei was the only suitable one.


    Tang Wei¡¯s expression suddenly moved as a trace of a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, ¡°Shaoyang, that ¡®Knight XV¡¯ car seems to have arrived in your garage, right? I heard that this younger brother of mine likes cars so much that Auntie Tang Min recently gifted him another limited edition luxury sports car.¡±


    His younger brother?


    With a moved expression, Qin Shaoyang¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up as if he had realized something. He then replied without a shred of hesitation, ¡°If that brother of yours likes it, I¡¯ll deliver it to him! But of course, he will definitely refuse it if I¡¯m the one who¡¯s giving it to him for free like this, though.¡±


    Tang Wei was grinning ear to ear as he said, ¡°Then, I thank you my brother¡¯s behalf first. If anything, he just called me saying that he happened to be in the capital, too. Shall we go look for him?¡±


    Qin Shaoyang immediately stood up and said with all seriousness, ¡°Then I¡¯d like to ask Brother Wei to recommend me. Tang Xiu¡­ is simply my idol.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it seems that this younger brother of mine is very famous!¡± Commented Tang Wei smilingly.


    ¡°He¡¯s more than famous.¡± Qin Shaoyang praised in a sigh, ¡°His name is virtually like a roar of thunder that pierces one¡¯s ears. Just based on what he did today, I¡¯m afraid all the silk pants all over the country won¡¯t even dare to speak up any words to challenge him.¡±


    Tang Wei was taken aback. He slept until noon today and then received a phone call from Qin Shaoyang when he got up, thus driving here. He was simply oblivious to whatever happened today! After hesitating, he then asked with a confused expression, ¡°What exactly did Tang Xiu do today?¡±


    With a strange expression plastered his face, Qin Shaoyang replied, ¡°Don¡¯t you know that Tang Xiu just trashed Zhao Yundi today? It seems that Zhao Yundi turned into a pig¡¯s head after getting beaten. After his father went there, not only did he not blame Tang Xiu, he even thanked him and took it as a debt of gratitude¡­ Simply put, Zhao Qingfeng kind of regarded Tang Xiu as the life-saving benefactor of his son!¡±


    Tang Wei gulped down, as he forced a smile and said, ¡°Among all the young men under 30 all over the country, I¡¯m afraid that only this brother of mine would dare to beat up that lunatic Zhao Yundi in such aboveboard and straightforward manner.¡±

 Chapter 601

    Chapter 601: A Threshold to Enter


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Beijing, Qianmen Subway Station Line 2.


    With his hands stuffed in his pocket, Tang Xiu strolled in the crowd. He had slightly adjusted his appearance, thus no one would be able to recognize him unless the person was very familiar with him.


    Continuous rows of stores with superb collection of goods and the endless streams of passengers made Tang Xiu secretly sigh at the improvement of people¡¯s living standards. He saw a lot of strange items after coming here and sometimes took the opportunity to buy a few pieces, all of which were for hobby and amusement.


    He received several phone calls during his stroll since he didn¡¯t shut his mobile phone down. One was from Long Zhengyu asking him when he would return to Star City; one from Mu Wanying asking him about what happened at the Virus Research Institute today; and also a call from his aunt, Tang Min, asking him to visit her house for dinner tonight.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­ The ringtone of his phone sounded.


    After taking out the mobile phone and seeing that it was Chu Yi, he immediately answered it and smilingly said, ¡°I just so happened to be thinking what you have been up to recently, so I never expected for you to call me now. Anyways, what¡¯s up? It¡¯s still 3PM, do you want me to go over and have a meal now?¡±


    ¡°Nope, it¡¯s not that. I heard about what happened in the Virus Research Institute this morning, so I know you are in Beijing,¡± said Chu Yi smilingly. ¡°Anyways, where are you now? I wanna see you.¡±


    ¡°At Qianmen Subway Station!¡± Tang Xiu laughed.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Chu Yi was puzzled. ¡°What are you doing in Qianmen?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I just feel bored,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I only have a few friends in Beijing, so I was just strolling around since I had nothing to do.¡±


    ¡°Wait for me there, I¡¯ll catch up with you,¡± said Chu Yi quickly.


    Half an hour later, Chu Yi appeared in front of Tang Xiu who had just hung up from a call with Tang Wei. With admiration on his smiling face, Chu Yi gave a him a thumbs up and praised, ¡°You are really amazingly flamboyant, cousin. You just trashed and beaten up that devil incarnate of the capital, Zhao Yundi, until his head turned like a pig. The news of your actions is now flying everywhere! Your name has literally blasted into the ears of the social circles of young ladies and scions in the entire Beijing. Well, you can be considered to have a hot reputation and earned yourself a lot of fans!¡±


    ¡°Who could have such a big mouth to spread this matter out?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a wry smile.


    Chu Yi grinned, ¡°No matter who the person was, you are now a hot, sexy chap on fire. And that bloke Zhao Yundi is now very miserable.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Tang Xiu stared blankly before asking with a puzzled expression, ¡°What happened to him?¡±


    Before replying, Chu Yi looked around and then whispered after finding that no one was paying them any attention, ¡°After his father, Zhao Qingfeng, took him back home, that old man lashed him with a belt and would¡¯ve probably beaten him until he was close to dying if his mother didn¡¯t stop him. Even so, he was sent to the Zhao Family¡¯s residence to be locked up in that small dark house of theirs. You see, the dark house of the Zhao Family is a very famous hellish place in the entire Beijing, a lot more famous compared to the usual confinement room in the army!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but burst into a laughter. ¡°That bloke does indeed need to be taught up well, else letting him freely stir up troubles will only court disasters to the Zhao Family sooner or later. I just hope that this matter will straighten him up, and it¡¯d best if he can be an upright person!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! That bloke will probably end up very miserable in the future if he doesn¡¯t act low profile.¡± Chu Yi nodded. ¡°You have no idea how many people he has offended in the capital! Without the shelter from the Zhao Family, perhaps many people would have long laid vicious schemes to get even with him.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop talking about Zhao Yundi, shall we?¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°Tang Wei just called me saying he¡¯s going to see me with his friend. Ah, right. What car is a Knight XV, exactly? He told me on the phone that he will gift me this car. It made me wonder, though. He shouldn¡¯t be like your mother, my aunt, who seems to be addicted to giving me cars, right?¡±


    Chu Yi rolled his eyes in response and snapped, ¡°Bah, just stop taking advantages of others¡¯ kindness and pretending to be at a loss, will you? You know what? I¡¯m so jealous and envious of you that it almost chokes me to death. My Mom asked me about the cars back then. I thought she was going to give them to me, so I showed her a lot of luxury cars. And you know the result, she bought all of them and sent them to you!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Looking at his sour appearance, Tang Xiu coiled his arm around Chu Yi¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°We are brothers. Even if my cars are not yours, you can straightly head to Shanghai and borrow all the luxury cars in my villa whenever you lose your cars. You know, if you have not enough money to pay the tolls, I¡¯ll also give you some change then.¡±


    ¡°Bah, get lost!¡± Chu Yi derided and then asked, ¡°Anyways, did Tang Wei say anything about the friend he¡¯s going to bring?¡±


    ¡°Nah, nothing.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    Chu Yi nodded and asked, ¡°So, what are we gonna do next? Should we continue hanging out, or find a place to drink something to pass the time while waiting for them to come over?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s find a place to sit!¡± Answered Tang Xiu after thinking for a moment.


    Immediately after, the duo found a caf¨¦ nearby and took seats in the innermost corner while chatting and drinking coffee. After some time passed, Tang Wei and Qin Shaoyang arrived at the place. Chu Yi¡¯s expression immediately changed after seeing Qin Shaoyang, and then shot a Tang Xiu meaningful look.


    ¡°Howdy, you¡¯re also here, Chu Yi?¡± Exclaimed Tang Wei with a cheerful expression after finding that the one sitting in front of Tang Xiu was Chu Yi.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I come here if you can?¡± Replied Chu Yi, ¡°Besides, I have taken up Tang Xiu¡¯s time for the latter half of this day.¡±


    Having said that, he nodded to Qin Shaoyang and smilingly said, ¡°How come you get along with this bloke, Shaoyang? This chap should have taken you to the Kande Club, right?¡±


    Qin Shaoyang took off his coat. He wore rather thin clothes, so his streamlined muscles were revealed. At this time, he smiled and answered, ¡°Nope. It was me who took him there.¡±


    Chu Yi let out a grin and then pointed at Tang Xiu, saying, ¡°You won¡¯t need me to introduce you to him since his fame now is even bigger than Zhao Yundi¡¯s, right? Anyways, Tang Xiu, this is Qin Shaoyang, the fella who can be said to have the widest network and personal connections in the entire Beijing. One who tries to never offend anybody, I must say. But do be cautious of him, though. This guy is too smart; you¡¯ll never know when he will sell and betray you.¡±


    Qin Shaoyang forced a wry smile and said, ¡°Tell me, Chu Yi, how come a friend act like you? Everyone else is always upholding their friends, yet you act on the contrary, even saying that I¡¯m gonna turn my back and betray others. Anyways, my idol Tang Xiu, I¡¯m honored to meet you.¡±


    Tang Xiu got up and shook hands with Qin Shaoyang and then gestured for him to sit next to Chu Yi. Then, he patted the sofa next to him and smilingly spoke to Tang Wei, ¡°Brother Wei, didn¡¯t you talk with your friend outside about some things? How come you have time to come here?¡±


    While pointing at Qin Shaoyang, Tang Wei replied, ¡°He¡¯s the one I had a discussion over some matters with. The subject is bit big though, so I may not be able to participate in it. Thus, I want to introduce him to you.¡±


    Tang Wei then explained Qin Shaoyang¡¯s previous proposal and finally said, ¡°Anyways, the possibility that I may follow your suggestion to become a government official is about 80% now, so I don¡¯t want to involve myself in a business cooperation. You¡¯re a business genius in my eyes, so you might as well have some fun in it if you¡¯re interested.¡±


    Tang Xiu glanced at Qin Shaoyuang before turning his head again and asking, ¡°Is there anyone in our Tang Family that can play the role to set it up?¡±


    ¡°Auntie Yanzi definitely has the authority for that,¡± answered Tang Wei.


    Tang Xiu suddenly understood. After spending a few minutes thinking about it, he then said, ¡°Qin Shaoyang, right? I¡¯m indeed very interested in the business cooperation you proposed. But I think we need to consider the issue of management and shares further if we are going to have a business cooperation.¡±


    Qin Shaoyang¡¯s eyes lit and immediately said, ¡°Please do say, Young Master Tang.¡±


    ¡°Just call me Tang Xiu later! I¡¯m used to having others calling me by my name.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll invest 2 billion of the total 4-billion-yuan investment, but you¡¯ll be the one who¡¯ll run the business, whereas I won¡¯t intervene in any aspects regarding the management. You will hold 51% of the shares, whereas I will have 40% and the remaining 9% will be used to get a hold over the top executives of the company after it gets established. What do you think?¡±


    Qin Shaoyang didn¡¯t expect that Tang Xiu would be willing to provide 2 billion, moreover that he would only be accounted for 40% of the shares. It gave him a good impression of Tang Xiu. At the very least, he believed that Tang Xiu wouldn¡¯t take advantage of him given his status as a member of the Tang Family. With such boldness, cooperating with this type of person would be quite appealing in the future.


    ¡°I have no opinion about that,¡± said Qin Shaoyang quickly.


    ¡°But I do,¡± grunted Chu Yi while rolling his eyes at them.


    Tang Xiu and Qin Shaoyang looked slightly dazed for a second, before confused expressions appeared on their faces.


    ¡°Tell me, why did the two of you not invite me to such a good investment project?¡± Asked Chu Yi. ¡°Needless to say about others, but for better or for worse, it¡¯s better to enjoy the blessing and endure misfortune together. It¡¯s a profitable business, so everyone can earn money together!¡±


    ¡°Alright! (Fine!)¡±


    Tang Xiu and Qin Shaoyang didn¡¯t object it. Although Tang Xiu and Chu Yi were cousins and his aunt, Tang Min, was also centered in the Tang Family, yet Chu Yi was a member of the Chu Family of Beijing, after all. His family may not be as prominent as the Tang Family in the capital, but still, it was also a prominent leader of the mid-sized families and could be ranked in the top fifteen even if they couldn¡¯t enter the top ten.


    Furthermore, Chu Yi himself lived in the capital since childhood, and his personal connections as well as social circles were also here. If he also joined in the venture it would be a great boon, for they would establish an entertainment media company in the future.


    At the end of the day, after discussing this matter, the trio finally determined the amount of investment and the allocation of shares. Tang Xiu would invest 1 billion yuan, accounting for 30% of the shares; Chu Yin would invest 500 million for 15% shares, whereas 10% shares would be reserved for the company¡¯s top management in the future. The remaining 45% of the shares would belong to Qin Shaoyang, with an investment contribution of 1.5 billion yuan.


    After the end of the discussion, Tang Wei intended to invite everyone for a few cups to celebrate it, but Tang Xiu refused because he had already promised to have dinner at Chu Yi¡¯s house.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hang out together tomorrow night! We¡¯ll discuss some details of the cooperation and then sign the contract.¡±


    ¡°Fine with me. Then we¡¯ll gather in the Kangde Club tomorrow!¡± Chin Shaoyang smilingly said. ¡°Anyways, have you ever been to Kangde Club, Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Never heard of it, to be honest,¡± said Tang Xiu, shaking his head.


    ¡°Kangde Club is the best place for the scions of the super-rich and prominent families like us,¡± said Tang Wei with a smile. ¡°If I were to make an analogy, if the leading figure of a family has family assets worth no more than 10 billion yuan, then there¡¯s no way they will be able to enter the club¡¯s door.¡±

 Chapter 602

    Chapter 602: Body Refining Medicament


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu had known all along that social classes do exist in society, but little did he expect that he would touch the top social circle of the new generation scions of the capital. Despite having no anticipation to enter this social circle, yet he didn¡¯t want to push away such exhibit of resources and benefits by getting along with them. China was a country where sentiments and personal favors reigned, as having more friends meant that one would have more good roads to walk on. Having opportunity to accumulate contacts would prove to be of great help in increasing his chances of making more money in the future.


    It was already 5 PM when Tang Wei and Qin Shaoyang left, with Tang Xiu and Chu Yi taking their own way. On the way to Chu Yi¡¯s home, Tang Xiu thought about bringing something to his aunt. He had been to the capital many times before, but he only met Tang Min in the Tang Family¡¯s ancestral residence or when he went out to stroll around. It was his first time visiting Tang Min¡¯s home.


    After pondering about it, he couldn¡¯t think about anything to bring. And his aunt may not lack ordinary things given her status. Just as his car was about to enter the upscale residential complex, an idea finally popped up inside his mind. Without any hesitation, he took out two empty jade bottles from his interspatial ring and took out the last remaining Body Refining Liquid, pouring ten drops into each bottle.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up and then flashed after doing all these as he stuffed the jade bottles back into his interspatial ring.


    The Body Refining Liquid was easy to concoct as its required herbs were not precious. He could easily refine and get a few kilograms of it if he wanted to. If this Body Refining Liquid were to be sold, loads of people would want to purchase it! After all, even a drop of Body Refining Liquid was greatly beneficial for the ordinary person and could enhance their physique at the very least.


    ¡°It¡¯s worth trying!¡±


    After the idea emerged, he could no longer restrain it. He was now a pauper compared to two months ago when the highest amount of funds in his hand reached about 70 billion yuan, yet such a colossal amount of funds took a sharp dive in the past two months.


    30 billion yuan had been transferred to Kang Xia to develop the Magnificent Tang Corporation. On the one hand, it was for the preparation for the sale of the New City in Star City next year, while on the other hand, it was used to buy that plot of land in Shanghai, to build the company buildings, factories, production equipment and so on, which required a colossal amount of money as well.


    In addition to the 30 billion yuan transferred to Kang Xia, he also handed over 20 billion yuan to Gu Xiaoxue. He was going to set up the herbs plantation in Clam Island and rear fierce beasts in Resting Cemetery Island. Both projects required the investment of a lot of funds. He had given the 20 billion yuan to Gu Xiaoxue along with the blueprint design he drew. Similarly, a part of the money would need to be allocated to groom talents, including the continuous adoption of homeless children from all over the country.


    Of course, there were also a few small investments, such as the project cooperation with Jin Xingkui or the purchase of medicinal herbs and precious ores. Long story short, the remaining funds in his hand now amounted to only 24 billion, yet this amount would also be subtracted by 5 billion for the Nine Dragons Island¡¯s reconstruction and the purchase of several helicopters, private planes, yachts, and cruise ships. All of which would probably increase in number as well.


    Relatively speaking, Tang Xiu could be considered to be likely to balance the account, regardless. However, he didn¡¯t bat an eye even though the reconstruction of Nine Dragons Island, Clam Island, and Resting Cemetery Island would use a huge amount of funds. When all was said and done, his very purpose to make money was for resources, and getting resources was for cultivation. He thought that all the expenses that were beneficial to cultivation were worth it.


    ¡°This place has a good environment!¡± As he parked his car in the underground parking lot, Tang Xiu looked at Chu Yi, who came over.


    ¡°This is the most upscale neighborhood within the Second Ring Road. It¡¯s only natural that it has a good environment,¡± said Chu Yi with a smile. ¡°But it¡¯s still a bit worse compared to South Gate Town, though!¡±


    Shortly after, the duo took the elevator to the seventh floor. For this small 12-story building, the seventh floor was in the middle position. The lighting here was very good as well, since the floor spacing was quite far.


    Tang Min came back from her workplace early and even went to the supermarket to buy a lot of ingredients. She was now busying herself in the kitchen. Chu Zhongen also came back early after receiving a phone call from his wife saying that Tang Xiu would come to dinner tonight. He was also lending a hand in the kitchen. The couple immediately came out after hearing the knock on the door.


    ¡°It should be your first time seeing your uncle, right, Xiu¡¯er?¡± Tang Min pointed at Chu Zongen and smilingly said.


    Tang Xiu nodded at him and amiably called him uncle.


    Though it was also Chu Zhongen¡¯s first time seeing Tang Xiu, Tang Xiu was not a stranger to him. He could be said to have heard his name and even knew him already when Tang Xiu hadn¡¯t yet returned to the Tang Family to recognize his ancestors. After all, it would be difficult for him to not pay attention since his son was investing a huge amount of funds in Star City.


    ¡°I have long since heard about you, Tang Xiu. Never thought that I would meet you today. Energetic and vigorous, just like your Dad¡¯s style in the past,¡± appreciated Chu Zhongen.


    ¡°You overpraise me, Uncle,¡± replied Tang Xiu.


    In a self-effacing manner, Tang Xiu stuffed his hand into his pocket and secretly took out two small jade bottles from his interspatial ring. Then he handed them over to Chu Zhongen and said, ¡°This is my first time visiting you, so this little gift is for you and auntie in the hopes that you can get younger and look more attractive.¡±


    Chu Zhongen stared blankly, whereas Tang Min smilingly said, ¡°Ah, silly boy. Why are you gifting us something when it¡¯s your first time visiting our home? I¡¯ll be angry with you if you ever see your aunt and uncle like outsiders again.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled in response, but still forcefully stuffed the two jade bottles into Tang Min¡¯s hands.


    ¡°What exactly is inside these, Xiu¡¯er?¡± Asked Tang Min with a curious expression while looking at the two jade bottles.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Body Refining Liquid, a medication I concocted,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°There are ten drops of it in each jade bottle.¡±


    ¡°Body Refining Medicament? What is that?¡± Asked Tang Min, astounded.


    ¡°This Body Refining Liquid is a kind of elixir used by low-level cultivators to enhance their physical strength,¡± explained Tang Xiu. ¡°Regardless, ordinary people won¡¯t be able to endure the full potency and efficacy of this medication. They even may die if they use it according to how cultivators do, so I only put ten drops in each jade bottle. Pour a drop into the bathtub whenever you have a bath in the interval of at least three days. This Body Refining Liquid can even restore the physical fitness of those at their 70s or 80s to the state just like when they were in their 50s or 60s. Furthermore, this medication is also very beneficial to your skin. Auntie, if you use it for a few times, you should be able to see that your skin will look much better than its current state.¡±


    Tang Min¡¯s eye shined and her eyes were full of pleasant surprise. She already knew that her nephew was a cultivator who possessed formidable strength, such that even the Amur Tiger was not his opponent. The elixir he personally concocted would absolutely have a great effect.


    At the side, Chu Zhongen¡¯s eyes also brightened up, and even look somewhat excited inside. His father, the patriarch of the Chu Family, was now in his early 80s, and his physical fitness was getting worse with each passing year. Although he was usually well cared for and the nursing service was also well taken care of, he still couldn¡¯t stand the erosion of time as his age was weighing him down. In the case that¡­ this Body Refining Liquid really brought about such a great effect¡­


    Rubbing his hands, Chu Zhongen shot Tang Xiu a fervent look. He was going to give it a try. If the effect was really as great as Tang Xiu said, he must try to get it more from him. Why was the Chu Family always trying to stay low profile all this while? It was because his father was always in a feeble condition and at the end of his life. If he could make his father¡¯s physical fitness become more robust all of a sudden and even back to his condition a decade ago, then the Chu Family would be able to unleash all their energies and continue to develop rapidly for ten years.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, is concocting this Body Refining Liquid very difficult?¡± Asked Chu Zhongen all of a sudden.


    Tang Xiu hesitated for a moment before replying, ¡°Saying that it¡¯s difficult to produce, it¡¯s indeed difficult, but also not that much difficult either. Only, some special medicinal herbs are needed to refine this Body Refining Liquid, thus I need quite some good luck to get them.¡±


    A bit of regret could be seen on Chu Zhongen¡¯s face as he sighed, ¡°It¡¯s really a pity. This thing would be absolutely a wonderful treasure if it was easy to concoct. This can be exchanged for money, power, and a super, highly respected tool to expand personal contacts and network.¡±


    Then if I give it to Grandpa¡­


    This idea sprouted inside Tang Xiu¡¯s mind, and he immediately decided to implement it inwardly.


    Unlike Chu Zhongen, Tang Min didn¡¯t have such thoughts. She felt warm and sweet inside to be gifted with such a good thing from her nephew and decided to use it tonight. Immediately after, she returned to the kitchen to continue cooking, while Chu Zhongen stayed in the living room to accompany and have a chat with Tang Xiu. His attitude toward Tang Xiu became more amiable because of the Body Refining Liquid; even his manner at dinner was so good that it made Chu Yi jealous and envious.


    After the cheerful and pleasant dinner, Tang Xiu stayed over and chatted for nearly an hour before he got up and bade farewell. Tang Min originally wanted to make Tang Xiu spend the night there, since the apartment had more than 200 square meters and there were also many empty rooms, but she was refused.


    At nine in the evening, when Tang Xiu returned to the ancestral residence of the Tang Family, he straightly pulled Tang Guosheng to the study room. After they got there and sat on the sofa, Tang Xiu directly took out the Body Refining Liquid and handed it over to Tang Guosheng, saying, ¡°Grandpa, this is the Body Refining Liquid, and there are about a hundred drops in total inside. I intended to sell it for money at first, but after having considered it, I think it will be best to give this to you.¡±


    ¡°What effects does this Body Refining medicament has?¡± Asked Tang Guosheng with a strange expression.


    Tang Xiu explained to him the effects brought by the Body Refining Liquid before finally concluding, ¡°As far as I know, those who are at the topmost position in our country are very old. If you use this Body Refining Liquid on their body, how much benefits do you think our family can get?¡±


    Tang Guosheng¡¯s whole being seemed to become petrified. After turning dumbfounded and tongue-tied for a long time, he abruptly got up from the sofa. His fairly robust body was trembling as he asked with a flustered expression, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, are you sure that the effect brought by this Body Refining Liquid is as good as you told me?¡±


    Tang Xiu also got up and said, ¡°Grandpa, whether what I said is impressive or not, it¡¯s best that you try it yourself.¡±

 Chapter 603

    Chapter 603: Wondrous Effects


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Guosheng accepted Tang Xiu¡¯s suggestion and was eager to go to the bathroom. He personally released the water and then dripped a drop of the Body Refining Liquid into the warm water.


    As he got naked, he felt like countless ants were crawling inside his body. It felt very itchy. What made him somewhat bewildered was that the clear hot water was gradually changing and turning mucky the more he soaked his body. 10 minutes later, he felt that the itchiness was even more unbearable and couldn¡¯t bear it any longer. He then found that the hot water became muddier, as if filth had been poured into it.


    ¡°What a stink!¡±


    Tang Guosheng really wanted to get out of the bathtub, but when he recalled the words exhorted by his grandson, that he must soak himself for more than an hour, he could only endure and restrain himself.


    Large drops of sweat rolled down his face. When he subconsciously raised his hand to wipe the sweat on his face, he suddenly found that his hands were stained with grayish-black filth.


    What¡¯s going on?


    Tang Guosheng had a blank expression and put more effort in rubbing his face, as more and more grayish black filth stained his hands, the stench becoming more intense.


    Aargh¡­


    Nearly half an hour later, Tang Guosheng finally couldn¡¯t endure the itchiness in his naked body anymore and jumped out of the bathtub. His movement was very swift and looked like a young man in his prime. His naked feet steadily stepped on the bathroom¡¯s floor, and the first thing he did when he came out of the bathtub was to look at himself in the mirror.


    ¡°My face¡­¡±


    He was stunned when he saw himself in the mirror, because he found a lot of grayish-black filthy substances on his face. There were still more residual substances despite him having taken off a lot before. He realized all of a sudden that the reason why the hot water in the bathtub turned muddy was because¡­ of something in his body.


    Outside, Tang Xiu clamped a cigarette between his lips while sitting comfortably on the recliner in the yard, whereas the fragrant tea beside him curled out its steam. It was the tea personally made by his grandmother, Qin Changyue, a moment ago.


    ¡°Your grandpa is really weird today, Xiu¡¯er. I remember that he had already taken a shower before he went out in the morning. He usually has another shower in the evening whenever he gets busy or if it¡¯s the summer. What reason do you think made him take another bath on this cold day?¡± Qin Changyue moved to the chair and sat beside Tang Xiu as she asked.


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile and replied, ¡°Grandpa is just fastidious about hygiene and his health, Grandma. I also think that you should take a hot bath later. Wait until you turn 100 years old, I¡¯ll be sure to throw a banquet to celebrate your 100th birthday!¡±


    ¡°Child, your mouth is really sweet.¡± A laughing smile blossomed on Qin Changyue¡¯s aged face. She affectionately took Tang Xiu¡¯s hand and unknowingly didn¡¯t want to release it, ¡°Grandson, can Grandma ask you something?¡±


    ¡°Please say it, Grandma.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯re no longer a child, Grandson,¡± said Qin Changyue with curiosity betrayed her. ¡°You should¡¯ve been talking about marriage at this age like normal young people. But what about you? Is there any young girl you like at present?¡±


    Her question made Tang Xiu be at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh, as he smilingly said, ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m just 20 years old, not even 21 and still a few years away from the legal marriageable age! Besides, I¡¯m still studying in the university, which I need to give a priority and focus onto. How can I have that much time to talk about romance and love?¡± [1]


    ¡°You can¡¯t say that, Grandson.¡± Qin Changyue argued.¡°You just said yourself that you must focus and prioritize your studies first, then how come I heard that you still have time to do business? Your business even seem to be developing prosperously, no? You see, our family has a lot of properties and enterprises, and the very thing we don¡¯t lack is exactly money. Why are you seemingly going all out to make money, anyway? Let me tell you something! It won¡¯t be good for you to spend your time solely to make money. You should talk more about love and youthful passion¡ªtraits that the young should have!¡±


    After speaking up to there, she hesitated a bit before continuing with a more toned down voice, ¡°Grandma is old now. I¡¯m already an aged person whose steps are now heading straight toward the earth. No one knows the day when I¡¯ll be gone. Now that Grandma is still healthy, find yourself a girlfriend earlier and also marry earlier so that you can give me a grandson; therefore, Grandma can take care of my great grandson if you have no time to tend to him.¡±


    Cough! Cough¡­ Tang Xiu coughed a few times after hearing his grandmother push the subject even further, and then replied with a helpless expression, ¡°Grandma, please don¡¯t say that! You can still live to a ripe hundred years of life.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t joke around, Brat!¡± Qin Changyue unhappily scolded. ¡°Grandma is being serious with you.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. I know that you are talking seriously,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a helpless expression. ¡°If so, then I¡¯ll do my best to find myself a few women and bring them to you so as to make you relieved. I¡¯ll be sure to strive hard in a few years to give you a bunch of grandchildren, which counting by my fingers should be eleven like the eleven members of a regular football team. But these ten fingers on both my hands are not enough; though this can be done!¡±


    Pfft¡­


    Qin Changyue was amused. When she was about to speak, she caught sight of her husband, Tang Guosheng, coming out of the bathroom and the words she was about to speak were suppressed in an instant, even the smile on her face suddenly froze. Though it was night, she could still see Tang Guosheng¡¯s appearance clearly under the shining lamps of the courtyard.


    Tang Xiu followed the direction his grandmother¡¯s eyes were looking and immediately jumped from the swinging chair, releasing his hand from his grandmother¡¯s hand and sprinting toward Tang Guosheng. After circling around him a few times, he then sighed, ¡°The effect is really remarkable. Grandpa, I suggest you not go out in the next few days, else there will be many people who can¡¯t recognize you at all.¡±


    Just after Tang Guosheng rinsed and cleaned his body, he was shocked when looking at himself in the mirror. His aged face was full of wrinkles before, and there were even a few aged spots. But the man in the mirror had a lot fewer wrinkles and the aged spots disappeared! Most importantly, it was like he had just become a dozen years younger all of a sudden.


    Furthermore, there was also another thing that made him blush. His ¡°little brother¡± he couldn¡¯t feel was ¡°alive¡± for so many years now had signs of ¡°blooming¡±. After being conscious of his own condition, he choked and stood still awkwardly in front of the mirror for a very long time, and didn¡¯t even speak a word.


    The look on Tang Guosheng¡¯s face was a bit excited, as he looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°This Body Refining Liquid is simply a wondrous, god-like medicament. Although the itching was so hard to endure, the effect is great. I can feel that I¡¯m getting stronger. Even if my punch is unable to kill a cow, but it shouldn¡¯t be a problem killing a little lamb. Hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°Some time in the future, when my strength becomes more formidable and I can get more cultivation resources, I¡¯ll refine a medicinal pill for you,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°By then, even if the pill cannot make you younger, but prolonging your life for 8-10 years won¡¯t be an issue.¡±


    ¡°A medicine that increases lifespan?¡± Tang Guosheng was flabbergasted, and his face changed greatly before immediately asking excitedly.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°It¡¯s indeed a medicinal pill to increase lifespan.¡±


    With an excited expression, Tang Guosheng rubbed his hands and said, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, you must not easily tell anyone that you can refine such medicine to increase lifespan. Also, I have some great uses for it after you produce it.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ you have a use for it just like the Body Refining Liquid?¡± Probed Tang Xiu.


    ¡°If we have the Body Refining Liquid coupled with pills that can increase lifespan, I¡¯m absolutely certain that we will become the most prominent family in China within the next two decades. Xiu¡¯er, maybe you have no idea yet, but the bigger the power one has, the more they fear death. Those figures standing at the top of the pyramid in our country, who among them are not in their late 60s or 70s? At that time¡­ hum!¡±


    ¡°If so, then I¡¯ll leave it to you to manage it, Grandpa.¡± Tang Xiu clapped and smilingly said. ¡°You can be sure that there won¡¯t be any issues with the pills. I may only have a low probability to produce it, but I¡¯ll hand over a batch of them to you after the end of the year.¡±


    Tang Guosheng repeatedly nodded. The way he looked at Tang Xiu was like seeing the most precious treasure in the world.


    Qin Changyue¡¯s eyes were extraordinarily bright. After asking the details, she hurriedly took the Body Refining Liquid into the bathroom and looked like she had changed into someone else when she came out. It was like she had become dozens years younger all of a sudden, even some of her white hair also turned black again.


    This night for Tang Guosheng and Qin Changyu was just like a rebirth. The feelings they had for Tang Xiu also reached the limit due to the transformation of their physiques. At present, the most important person to them in the world was this grandson of theirs.


    Early in the next morning, Tang Xiu, who just came back from his morning exercise, saw several housemaids gathered together and speaking to each other in whispers. With his sharp hearing, he could hear them talking about the changes in the appearance of his grandparents. This made him happy, and he also wanted to see how wonderful would it be to see the stunned expressions of the rest of the Tang Family members when they saw his grandparents.


    As expected, most of the Tang Family members who received a call from Tang Guosheng came over. They were so shocked that they nearly dropped their jaws when they saw the transformation of the old lord and old lady. The Third Grandfather, Tang Guoshou, was even unable to hold his urge to get two drops of the Body Refining Liquid and hurriedly went to the bathroom to soak himself in the bathtub.


    Noon had come and Tang Xiu went to the Kangde Club according to the address Chu Yi gave him. At the entrance to the club, however, eight men in security guard uniforms stopped him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we cannot allow you to enter unless you can show us your membership card, Sir,¡± said a robust and stocky middle-aged security member with a serious face.


    ¡°My name is Tang Xiu. I just called Chu Yi and had a talk with him. Didn¡¯t he tell you to let me in directly after I arrive?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu?


    The middle-aged man was taken aback, before his face suddenly changed greatly. The solemnity on his face disappeared in an instant and was replaced with a prudent one as he asked, ¡°Are you Tang Xiu from the Tang Family?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    The middle-aged man¡¯s expression turned incomparably respectful and even looked a bit awed. Then, he respectfully said, ¡°Young Master Tang, Young Master Chu indeed hasn¡¯t noticed us about you. But our Boss has personally instructed us to allow you to enter directly when you arrive. He is now waiting for you inside the Leisure Hall.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Tang Xiu was puzzled. ¡°Who is your Boss?¡±

 Chapter 604

    Chapter 604: Becoming the Public Enemy of Beijing


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The middle-aged man in black uniform respectfully faced Tang Xiu, ¡°My Boss is Qin Shaoyang.¡±


    Tang Xiu was stunned, as he didn¡¯t expect that Qin Shaoyang was unexpectedly the owner of this Kangde Club. That fellow acted very low-key yesterday and didn¡¯t even tell him this. Tang Xiu then drove his car inside after asking about the location of the Leisure Hall in Area A.


    After his car disappeared at the end of the road at in the distance, the eight security guards immediately started talking with each other.


    ¡°I never thought the most flamboyant Young Master of the Tang Family, Tang Xiu, is unexpectedly so young. He became one of the scions who come to this club that I admire the most, one of which is our Boss.¡±


    ¡°No doubt about that. Young Master Tang is the awesome that dared to trash that devil incarnate Zhao Yundi so viciously. I only have a few idols, mind you. And Young Master Tang is definitely one of them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not just Zhao Yundi, he even packed up Yao Xinhua in the South region when the Yaos were in their heyday. He kicked Yao Xinhua and even punched Zhao Yundi, who else could compare with him in the entire Beijing? None!¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, we don¡¯t have good statuses, else I would really want to have his signed picture and then bring it back to home.¡±


    Hahaha¡­


    After driving the car to the Leisure Hall in Area A, Tang Xiu saw Qin Shaoyang already waiting in front of the building. His men should have informed him, thus he came to greet him in advance.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t come out to welcome you, Tang Xiu. Please don¡¯t be offended!¡± Said Qin Shaoyang with a smile.


    ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect that you were the owner of Kangde Club, the topmost upscale club in Beijing, to be honest.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and interjected. ¡°I can tell that high social status, financial resources, and connections are required for one to be able to open a high-class club such as this. I¡¯m afraid that only you can afford this.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding me, Tang Xiu,¡± replied Qin Shaoyang modestly. ¡°For me to be able to open up this club was because everyone gave me face and many friends lent a hand, that¡¯s all. Anyways, let¡¯s get inside. Tang Wei and Chu Yi have already arrived, and there are some other friends who learned that you were coming and have been waiting inside.¡±


    ¡°The friends you just mentioned, who are they?¡± Asked Tang Xiu while walking.


    ¡°It¡¯s Bai Tao from the Bai Family. I heard that you two are old acquaintances,¡± said Qin Shaoyang with a smile. ¡°There¡¯s also Mu Dongqing from the Mu Family, a very outstanding and talented young man; and Xiao Chenglin from the Xiao Family, who has long been designated as the future Head of the Xiao Family. Mu Dongqing and Tang Wei are best friends, whereas Xiao Chenglin is inseparable from Chu Yi since they grew up together. I¡¯m afraid that you don¡¯t want to see others, so I didn¡¯t spread out the news to bystanders.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled and nodded in response while praising Qin Shaoyang¡¯s astuteness inside. As he followed him inside the Leisure Hall, Tang Xiu and the trio, Tang Wei, Chu Yi, and Bai Tao then greeted each other, before getting introduced to Mu Dongqing and Xiao Chenglin. Mu Dongqing was a scion from the Mu Family of Beijing¡ªa prominent family that, although couldn¡¯t be said to be at the top, but was also a middling prominent family. The Xiao Family, however, was very different. It was even more powerful than the Tang Family and could be ranked among the topmost prominent families. However, Xiao Chenglin himself was very low-key and humble, as he directly showed good will toward Tang Xiu.


    The chat was merry and pleasant since everyone present was young, but the cooperation discussed with Qin Shaoyang yesterday was not mentioned in front of everyone.


    As everyone was having lunch, Qin Shaoyang proposed, ¡°How about going to the bowling alley and play some? Ah, right. The bowling alley is next to the swimming pool, too. You can go swimming if you don¡¯t want to play bowling, and our best female swimming coach, Guo Tiantian, is also here today!¡±


    Guo Tiantian?


    Bai Tao¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up.


    Shortly after, everyone came to the bowling alley. There were only seven or eight people playing there, but there were a lot of pretty waiters around serving and pouring them tea and doing whatever services to their best. The most exaggerating scene was where a young girl was lying on a soft sofa while enjoying a massage from two attendants.


    ¡°Oh?¡± What was the most unexpected to Tang Xiu was that he saw two acquaintances in this bowling alley, his older cousin Tang Ying and his fake girlfriend, Mu Wanying. At this time, their arrival was also noticed by those seven people playing inside.


    ¡°Hola, sweetheart!¡±


    Mu Wanying, who was watching Tang Ying playing with smiling face, suddenly turned dazed for a second upon seeing Tang Xiu among the newly arrived group, before immediately running over with a pleasantly surprised face.


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    Except for Tang Xiu, everyone in the bowling alley was stunned with disbelief plastered on their faces when they looked at the excitedly surprised expression on Mu Wanying¡¯s face as she ran over toward Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but sigh and groan inside. Mu Wanying¡¯s expression and her address were really misleading others. However, he couldn¡¯t explain the relationship between him and Mu Wanying in the presence of so many people either, and therefore could only force himself to let out a hollow smile, ¡°You are playing here too, Wanying!¡±


    There was some sweat on the tip of her nose, and the smile on her flawless face was extremely rich as she nodded and said, ¡°Big Sis Tang Ying asked me to come out and play, so here we here. Never thought that I would see you here, though. It¡¯s really great!¡±


    ¡°Wanying, what did you just call Tang Xiu?¡± Asked Mu Dongqing with a disbelieving expression.


    Mu Wanying stared blankly, and then suddenly remembered that she had just called Tang Xiu ¡®sweetheart¡¯ and instantly blushed. Since she already said that she liked him in Shanghai, she subconsciously shouted without thinking because she was too pleasantly surprised. Now that it was heard by everyone, even jumping to the Yellow River would probably be unable to undo it.


    Being unable to clear this up is fine, though! Yet she didn¡¯t regret nor was perturbed by it, and even chuckled to herself inside instead. She then sneakily glanced at Tang Xiu with a bit of charming shyness.


    The scene was seen by everyone, making them astounded.


    That expression¡­ wasn¡¯t that admiration and shyness unintentionally shown by a girl to the boy she liked?! The First Belle of Beijing, the proudest princess of the Mu Family, actually fell in love with Tang Xiu? They¡­ did they actually fell in love with each other?


    All the youngsters who fantasized about Mu Wanying suddenly mourned inside. Had it been someone else, they may still have the confidence to fight and struggle, but the man was no one else but Tang Xiu. How could they still dare to fight?


    Tang Ying took a white towel to wipe away her sweat and came to the front of the group with a strange expression. She shot Mu Wanying a look before shifting to Tang Xiu, and then suddenly nodded and said with satisfaction, ¡°Well, well. Speaking about keeping the goodies within the family, it¡¯s not bad. Brother, Grandma has been chattering away everyday, saying you must have a girlfriend and give her grandchildren to pick up earlier. Seems like grandma¡¯s hopes are going to come true, eh. Anyways, you¡¯re going to come with me to my ancestral home this evening, Wanying. The braised pork personally cooked by my grandma is very good and not greasy, definitely a delicious dish.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Mu Wanying was dumbfounded, for she never dreamed that Tang Ying would say this. The shy look on her face immediately made her ears turn beet red.


    Tang Xiu was also struck dumb, since he didn¡¯t expect that Tang Ying would say that, and even invited Mu Wanying to visit their ancestral residence. If the latter really visited, his grandma would mistakenly regard her as her grandson¡¯s wife to be¡­


    ¡°Sis Ying, Uncle called you a few times this morning, and your phone was off. I can tell that he¡¯s kind of furious now! Why don¡¯t you see uncle first?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes rolled and immediately spoke.


    With slightly wrinkled brows, a glint flashed in Tang Ying¡¯s eyes. Her expression suddenly changed as she exclaimed, ¡°Oh, God! Dad ordered to get the documents and I haven¡¯t given them to him until now! Oh, I¡¯m so dead! I¡¯ll be definitely get scolded so badly this time. Anyways¡­ I¡­ I gotta go!¡±


    After saying that, she went to get her bag.


    After she ran for seven-plus steps, however, she suddenly came to halt and turned around with a strange expression on her face. She came back to the crowd, grabbed Mu Wanying¡¯s hand, and grinningly said, ¡°Well, there¡¯s a sure-fire way to make Dad not blame me, though. And I¡¯m hella sure he¡¯ll praise me instead.¡±


    With a strange expression, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°What way?¡±


    Tang Ying touched Mu Wanying¡¯s flawless chin and spoke with a somewhat devious manner, ¡°Well, if Dad knows that I helped my dearest, lovely cousin to chase after the First Belle of Beijing and become her boyfriend, tell me, will he still blame and be angry with me? Hahaha¡­ this young lady is really smart, don¡¯t you think? Wanying, let¡¯s go. You¡¯ll see my Grandma with me now.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Stunned and dumbfounded, Mu Wanying was aware that despite her being so deeply in love with Tang Xiu, they were nothing but a fake couple. And this time, following Tang Ying to see his grandmother in the Tang Family¡­ This¡­ wasn¡¯t this going to be courting some unforeseen mishaps?


    Suddenly, Mu Wanying looked at Tang Xiu with an expression of pleading for help.


    ¡°Sis Ying, you¡­¡± Tang Xiu quickly stopped Tang Yin with a wry smile.


    ¡°What¡¯s with me? You don¡¯t want me to bring Wanying to see Grandma?¡± Tang Ying quickly interrupted him. ¡°Do you think she¡¯s not worthy to be with you? Or, are you holding back a trick or two, trying to get her into bed and then abandon her later?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Tang Xiu opened his mouth and yet didn¡¯t know what to reply.


    Hmph¡­ Tang Ying touched her chin and hummed before saying, ¡°I tell you, brother. You too know my Dad¡¯s temper, don¡¯t you? This Big Sis of yours will surely die miserably if I have no good excuse this time. You don¡¯t want to expose your relationship with Wanying for the time being, that I know. But please have a look at your Big Sis¡¯s face, will you? You will agree with me, right? Aha¡­ so be it then. Anyways, you must also come home tonight for dinner.¡±


    Having said that, she grabbed Mu Wanying¡¯s hand and ran away. Tang Xiu wanted to chase them, but in the presence of everyone else, he was unable to move his feet after all that Tang Ying said.


    Ah, forget it. I¡¯ll explain it to Grandma privately later!


    Tang Xiu could only sigh secretly and felt a headache coming as he looked at the others in the surrounding. He just realized that everyone was looking at him like he was a monster or something.


    ¡°You guys¡­ why are you all looking at me like that?¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang Xiu, there¡¯s a good thing and a bad thing you need to hear,¡± said Bai Tao, grinning ear to ear. ¡°Which one do you wanna hear first?¡±


    ¡°Nope. I don¡¯t wanna hear it,¡± said Tang Xiu, giving him white eyes.


    ¡°You speak like that, but I¡¯m hella sure you want to listen to it badly inside,¡± said Bai Tao with a grin. ¡°Anyhow, I¡¯m gonna tell you the good news first! The good news is that seeing that excited expression from the First Belle of Beijing, she really is in love with you! The bad news is¡­ you have become the public enemy to all the young men in the entire Beijing for being their love rival. You must be very careful when you walk at night later!¡±

 Chapter 605

    Chapter 605: Seeing the Elders of the Family


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    After returning from the Immortal World, Tang Xiu was quite indifferent toward sentiments and love. Despite he himself seeing the act of having sex as something perfectly justified and natural, yet he was also particularly cautious in this aspect. It was not because he did not want to love or be loved, as it was more due to the scar and pain inside his heart that had not yet healed. He was conscious of the fact that there were many outstanding girls around him whom he too had many favorable impressions towards, but before that badly battered scar inside him was not yet healed, he did not wish to have the same mistake be repeated, for he could not bear to experience another betrayal ever again.


    It was fine whether or not he made a mistake or overreached himself by becoming fake lovers with Mu Wanying due to a strange combination of circumstances. Perhaps the matter with Mu Wanying would be known to his family, but he was sure that the problem would be solved as long as he explained it well.


    He also didn¡¯t feel like explaining himself to the others and casually threw a few perfunctory remarks before dragging Bai Tao away from the bowling alley.


    ¡°Brother Tang, having such an outstanding belle such as Mu Wanying should make you very happy, right? But why do I see you with a long face?¡± Whispered Bai Tao as he noticed Tang Xiu¡¯s unusualness.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be unhappy about, really.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°I just didn¡¯t expect that Sis Ying would bring Mu Wanying to see my grandmother. Let¡¯s forget it, shall we? Anyways, you seem to be interested in that female swimming coach. I can see your eyes shining when Qin Shaoyang mentioned her.¡±


    Bai Tao looked blank before he snapped back to his senses, as an awkward expression appeared on his face. He then forced a wry smile and said, ¡°There¡¯s probably only a handful of people in Beijing who know that I have a crush on Guo Tiantian. A pity that it¡¯s nothing but an unrequited love, a one-side lovesickness, for Guo Tiantian¡¯s eyes are on top of her head; she can¡¯t see me at all.¡±


    ¡°Have you tried pursuing her?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ve done more than pursuing her..¡± Bai Tao nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve done all I could have done, yet the belle didn¡¯t even give me a smile.¡±


    ¡°It was not enough?¡± Asked Tang Xiu, astounded. ¡°You are such a good catch! Could it be that she already has someone she likes?¡±


    ¡°No, she doesn¡¯t. Absolutely not,¡± replied Bai Tao with a serious face. ¡°I investigated nearly everything regarding her family background and social circles. She doesn¡¯t have any contact with other men at all. Apart from a few of her besties, she usually stays with that big mastiff inside, and those two don¡¯t take even a step out of the door.¡±


    ¡°Eh, she couldn¡¯t like women, could she?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a strange expression.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Bai Tao rolled his eyes at him and snappily retorted. ¡°I already asked her few best friends. I can confirm that her sexual orientation is normal.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then don¡¯t be pessimistic since you already figured it out.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°If you can¡¯t catch her in the first time, then try a second time. Fail in the second try, then try another ten times. If a year is not enough, then give it two years; and if it¡¯s still not enough, then continue for ten years. Shortly put, provided that you put in a great deal of effort, you can grind an iron rod into a needle, hence achieving everything you want.¡±


    With eyes lit up, Bai Tao nodded and replied, ¡°Your ability to pick up hot chicks is absolutely unsurpassable, Brother Tang. You¡¯re so powerful that you make them collapse. I believe you¡­¡±


    Powerful your sister! Tang Xiu cursed inside.


    ¡°I wanna know something, though. Since you have made Mu Wanying your girlfriend, what will you do with Ouyang Lulu?¡± Bai Tao asked curiously all of a sudden. ¡°She¡¯s in love with you like hovering between life and death, that¡¯s for sure. She even pumped out all her properties and left Jingmen Island for Shanghai just to be closer to you. You¡­ you couldn¡¯t be thinking to discard her after having made use of her, could you?¡±


    ¡°Bai Tao, can we talk about other things besides women?¡± Tang Xiu said grudgingly. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to see that sweetheart in your dreams? If you don¡¯t want to, do you want me back to the bowling alley to play with the others?¡±


    ¡°No no no. I don¡¯t want it, it won¡¯t do!¡± Bai Tao grinned and dragged Tang Xiu.


    As the duo came to the swimming pool, they only saw three girls swimming there. Tang Xiu stopped his at the entrance and looked at Bai Tao¡¯s excited face and quickly walked inside.


    Splash¡­


    As the water splashed in all directions, a girl with a well-developed, streamlined figure and ordinary looks, yet looking remarkable, was holding the handrails at the poolside.


    Tang Xiu looked as Bai Tao moved closer to her, and then quietly turned around and left with a smile on his face. He didn¡¯t leave directly and went to the Leisure Hall instead, since he still needed to discuss with Qin Shaoyang about their cooperation. He told the attendant to make a pot of tea for him before sitting alone in the rest area, savoring his tea and reading the fashion magazine he took from the shelf before.


    ****


    At the Tang Family¡¯s ancestral residence.


    It was Mu Wanying¡¯s first time visiting here and her expression was a bit disturbed. When Tang Ying came to the entrance, her pace became slower and slower before she finally stopped walking.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with you, Wanying?¡± Tang Ying noticed the abnormality, as she turned around and asked her.


    ¡°Sis Ying, let¡¯s forget it! Tang Xiu and I are¡­¡± Said Mu Wanying in an undertone voice.


    Tang Ying grabbed her wrist and pulled inside while smilingly saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Wanying. Even an ugly daughter-in-law must see their parents-in-law sooner or later. And you¡¯re not even ugly at all, as you are hailed as the First Beauty of the capital instead. I¡¯m sure that my grandmother will like you very much. Relax! My Uncle and Auntie are in Star City, and you will see them with Tang Xiu there.¡±


    What Mu Wanying wanted to tell Tang Ying was that her relationship with Tang Xiu was not like what everyone thought of. Yet the words were so hard to come out of her mouth though they were at the tip of her tongue already. She then braced herself as she entered the Tang Family¡¯s residence and directly bumped into Tang Min coming out.


    ¡°Auntie!¡± Tang Ying called out with a smiling face.


    Tang Min gently nodded at her in response, after which her eyes fell on Mu Wanying and smilingly said, ¡°Isn¡¯t this the Little Princes of the Mu House? You really match the rumors as the First Beauty of the capital!¡±


    Mu Wanying¡¯s gorgeous face blushed and hurriedly lowered her head.


    Tang Ying let out a sweet smile and said, ¡°Auntie, you should have no objection if the First Beauty of the capital becomes your nephew¡¯s wife, right? But I¡¯m afraid you can¡¯t stop them even if you object, though.¡±


    Nephew¡¯s wife to be?


    Tang Min¡¯s blinked and she looked at Mu Wanying again before finally nodding and saying with satisfaction, ¡°Little Ning is really great. He actually can¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re mistaken, Auntie,¡± interrupted Tang Ying quickly. ¡°She¡¯s not my brother¡¯s girlfriend, but Tang Xiu¡¯s. Grandma has been nagging all day, hoping that Xiu will bring his wife and give her grandchildren, right? Today, I¡¯ve spent a lot of effort to bring Wanying over.¡±


    Staring blankly and stunned, a surprised look immediately plastered itself on Tang Min¡¯s face, and even the way she looked at Mu Wanying was different at this time, a kind of look that was¡­ particularly warm.


    ¡°Wanying, right? I never thought that that precious nephew of mine was so skillful to actually be able to find such a beautiful girl like you. Anyways, let¡¯s go inside. I was originally planning to go out to tend to something, but I must put it down even if the matter is big since you are already here. Come, I¡¯ll bring you inside. I¡¯m sure Mom will be happy!¡±


    Hearing this made Mu Wanying¡¯s heart shake. She subconsciously turned her head back. After she was sure that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t catch up with them, some expectations as well as anxiousness crept inside her immediately. She indeed had a very close relationship with Tang Xiu as of recently, and it was entirely due to her initiative. Yet, she still couldn¡¯t figure out what Tang Xiu really had in mind. In the case that Tang Xiu got angry because of this, then¡­


    In the backyard.


    Qin Changyue was holding a broom and cleaning the yard. Since her body turned healthier and stronger all of a sudden, it was like she was several years younger, and she felt very relaxed as she cleaned the yard with an especially happy mood.


    ¡°Mother, look who Little Ying brought home,¡± smilingly said Tang Min after she pulled Mu Wanying¡¯s slender little hand and entered the backyard.


    Qin Changyue stood up a bit before observing Mu Wanying carefully and hesitatingly saying, ¡°This young lady is¡­¡±


    ¡°How do you do, Grandma,¡± hurriedly called out Mu Wanying.


    ¡°Mother, her name is Mu Wanying¡ªthe little princess of the Mu House,¡± said Tang Min with a smile. ¡°The most important thing is that she¡¯s your grandson¡ªTang Xiu¡¯s girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Qin Changyue¡¯s face was blank before a pleasantly surprised expression replaced it. She hastily put down the broom and walked toward Mu Wanying. She sized her up from head to toe before a thick smile climbed up her face, as she then nodded a few times and said, ¡°Good, good. It¡¯s just great! Very elegant and beautiful, and a good temperament as well. My treasured grandson¡­ he really does his best to succeed and was finally able to find himself a very outstanding girlfriend. Ying¡­ Wanying, right? Let¡¯s go inside the house with Grandma¡­¡±


    Mu Wanying could sense Qin Changyue¡¯s joy came from her heart after Tang Min mentioning her as Tang Xiu¡¯s girlfriend, thus she was a little uneasy and relieved at the same time.


    With a smile, Tang Ying said, ¡°Grandma, I brought you your granddaughter-in-law but delayed the work Dad assigned me. You have to protect me if he blames me later!¡±


    Filled with joy, Qin Changyue replied, ¡°I¡¯ll pack your father if he dares to be angry with you, Little Ying! You did great, Grandma is really happy.¡±


    Tang Ying¡¯s last worry finally vanished as she happily said, ¡°It¡¯s great if you feel satisfied, Grandma. Besides, I spent quite the effort to bring Wanying here! Tang Xiu was originally going to come back with us, but he has important things to discuss with a few of his friends, so he asked me to bring her back first.¡±


    With an excited look on her face, Qin Changyue nodded and threw a few praises to Tang Xiu. Then, she took Mu Wanying¡¯s hand and walked her to the house. The kindness she displayed somewhat made Mu Wanying couldn¡¯t endure it.


    Looking at her mother¡¯s happy look, Tang Min was also greatly affected. People say that it was enough to make things lively when three women got together. The three generations of women of the Tang Family and Mu Wanying got along together and each put out their greatest enthusiasm, but Mu Wanying felt a bit guilty inside.


    After worrying inside for a long time, Mu Wanying finally acted as Tang Min and Tang Ying went out. She didn¡¯t answered Qin Changyue¡¯s question about her family and instead spoke with a bit of an apologetic expression, ¡°Grandma, this is actually a misunderstanding from Sis Ying. Tang Xiu and I are not really not lovers.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The smile on Qin Changyue¡¯s face froze and her expression was bit dazed.


    ¡°Actually, Tang Xiu and I are not real lovers,¡± continued Mu Wanying quickly. ¡°We pretended to be lovers in front outsiders since Tang Xiu is trying to help me block the other male students from harassing me. Grandma, I¡¯m really sorry about this. It was originally out of my intention, but it was Sis Ying who misunderstood it, whereas Auntie Tang was also too enthusiastic. I¡¯m¡­¡±


    Qin Changyue slowly come back to her senses. After scrunching up for a short while, she then squinted her eyes and asked, ¡°Now, tell me, do you like our family¡¯s Xiu¡¯er?¡±

 Chapter 606

    Chapter 606: Confiding What Was Inside The Heart


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Facing this particular question made Mu Wanying flustered. She didn¡¯t just like Tang Xiu. It was far more than that, and it couldn¡¯t just be described by the only word ¡°love¡±. She wanted to reveal what was inside her heart to Tang Xiu¡¯s grandmother, yet she restrained herself and reserved the embarrassment and pride inside her, causing her face to blush.


    ¡°I¡­¡± She opened her mouth, but the words seemed to be blocked inside her throat.


    Qin Changyue¡¯s expression, in particular, was very serious, and she looked at Mu Wanying¡¯s expression before saying with all seriousness, ¡°Wanying, behaving with restraint is all good and the correct thing to do, but if your lifelong important matter were to be delayed because of it, then it¡¯s not worth gain for the losses you¡¯ll have. If you do like our family¡¯s Xiu¡¯er, then tell it seriously to Grandma, since Grandma believes that he¡¯s not a child without a heart.¡±


    Mu Wanying recalled the many female friends Tang Xiu had. She was conscious that she had a lot of love rivals out there, and courage suddenly sprung up inside her heart as she gently nodded and said, ¡°I do like him.¡±


    The serious expression on Qin Changyue¡¯s face melted, as a smile climbed up on her apparently young face. Then, she held Mu Wanying¡¯s hand and said with a satisfied expression, ¡°It¡¯s good that you like him, therefore Grandma will take care of you well. I will not spare that brat if he dares to bully you.¡±


    Despite feeling touched inside, yet Mu Wanying still said, ¡°Thank you, Grandma, but I don¡¯t want to force him. Besides, he just began his studies this year, so it¡¯s still too early. Let us get along well slowly first, then I will rely on myself to fight for it. Please don¡¯t give him pressure, Grandma.¡±


    Qin Changyue¡¯s lit up, she really appreciated Mu Wanying now. Then, she nodded and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Grandma won¡¯t pressure him, but I can¡¯t just stand by doing nothing. Besides, Grandma has a clear idea of what should be done.¡±


    As dusk came, Tang Xiu returned to the Tang Family¡¯s ancestral home. What he didn¡¯t expect was that nearly all members of the Tang Family in Beijing were there. Even his uncle, Tang Yunpeng, who just happened to return to the capital, was sitting on the sofa in the living room hall, all smiling.


    ¡°You are¡­¡± Tang Xiu looked as Mu Wanying hurriedly stood up from the sofa. There was restless and uneasy expression on her face. He also looked at the rest of his family members with smiling faces, and a bad feeling suddenly appeared in his heart.


    With a blossoming smile on her face, Qin Changyue waved at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Good Grandson, come to Grandma.¡±


    Tang Xiu walked to her and asked, ¡°Did some accident happen in our family? How come so many people are here today?¡±


    ¡°Grandson, Grandma heard that the matter regarding your relationship with Mu Wanying was exposed in the club today, is that right?¡±


    What¡­?


    Though he could guess that everyone coming here was probably related to Mu Wanying, yet how could he lay it bare like that?! It was evident that the address Mu Wanying used to call him finally made everyone misunderstood it. He wanted to explain, but he was afraid that Mu Wanying would be embarrassed, so he could only smile wryly and replied, ¡°Grandma, there shouldn¡¯t be a need to make everyone gather and open a meeting just because of an issue regarding young people¡¯s relationship, right?¡±


    ¡°Silly brat, we, as the elders of the family, must pay attention to the relashionships of our younger generation, to begin with! The face of the Tang Family as a whole will be directly affected by the wife you will marry in the future. This child, Wanying, is very good and remarkably outstanding. Grandma really likes her and so does everyone,¡± said Qin Changyue.


    I¡­ AM¡­ FUCKED! Finally, Tang Xiu exploded inside.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, Grandma wouldn¡¯t call everybody here if the relationship between the two of you was not exposed to others. But the hard fact is that you can be sure that it won¡¯t take long for all the social circles in the capital to know the news that Wanying is your girlfriend. Even if you don¡¯t care about yourself, don¡¯t you have to consider her innocence as a girl and her family?¡± said Qin Changyue.


    ¡°Grandma isn¡¯t what you said is too¡­ too exaggerated?¡± Tang Xiu forced a wry smile. ¡°How come it will affect toward the innocence of a woman?¡±


    ¡°What you said is just the way it is, Xiu¡¯er,¡± said Qin Changyue with all seriousness. ¡°With our family¡¯s background, all the family members treat sentiments and feelings between lovers as something important. If the news that the Little Princess of the Mu House is your girlfriend has been exposed to outsiders, then she will be labeled as being tied to our Tang Family and everyone else will regard and treat her as someone from the Tang Family. Now, you tell me, who will marry her if she doesn¡¯t marry you in the future? Isn¡¯t it possible for you to find a new lower and then wouldn¡¯t everyone think that you dumped her? And at that time, will she even be capable of facing others?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu was struck dumb. This problem was out of his consideration before, and he suddenly realized that what his grandmother said was correct.


    But¡­ they were, after all, only a fake couple! If this was a set up arranged to force the two of them to be together and, granted he himself didn¡¯t think that it matters, how could Mu Wanying¡¯s family still be willing to accept it?


    Tang Guosheng stoop up with a happy expression, as he waved his hand and said, ¡°Who among the descendants of the Tang Family is fickle and irresponsible? Since Xiu¡¯er and Wanying are lovers, they shall never be separated in the future as well. Besides, younger generations will do all right on their own. Let them develop slowly first and, after everything ripen or so they think, then this old man will personally visit the Mu Family to propose marriage and hold a wedding. All right, dinner should¡¯ve been prepared, so let us all have a meal first.¡±


    Proposing marriage? Hold a wedding?


    Cold sweat streamed down all over Tang Xiu¡¯s body. He looked at Mu Wanying, who was blushing and had her head lowered. If he didn¡¯t hesitate and care about Mu Wanying¡¯s face, drowned by discomfiture and distress as he was now, he really wanted to shout loudly to everyone: WE ARE FAKE LOVERS!


    As dinner commenced, the dishes were sumptuous, and yet Tang Xiu didn¡¯t have any appetite. On the contrary, Mu Wanying, who became a distinguished guest of the family, ate a lot, being cared and cherished by everyone. It was so much so that Tang Ying, who was also at the table, felt sour inside, as she occasionally raised her head and rolled her eyes at Tang Xiu.


    It¡¯s none of my goddamn business, to begin with. You eat what you sow.


    Tang Xiu also glared back to retaliate at her once in a while as well as suppressed his temper and forced himself to finish the meal. After seeing that his Grandma was about to pull Mu Wanying to chat again, he hurriedly made an excuse and said that Mu Wanying still had things to tend to this evening, and took her quickly to leave the Tang Family¡¯s residence.


    Huff¡­ Tang Xiu heaved a deep sigh of relief the moment they stepped out of the residence¡¯s entrance.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Mu Wanying¡¯s expression was a bit complex as she softly spoke with her head down.


    Tang Xiu looked at her face and secretly sighed inside. He couldn¡¯t blame Mu Wanying at all. Let alone that today¡¯s incident was in fact not her fault, but everything was because of Tang Ying.


    ¡°Forget it, you don¡¯t need to worry.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and then spoke after they got in the car. ¡°It¡¯s getting late. I¡¯ll send you back home.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Mu Wanying nodded gently.


    Oriental Rose Garden, a high-class residential complex in Beijing.


    Following Mu Wanying¡¯s guidance, Tang Xiu stopped the car in the underground garage. Instead of rushing to talk, he opened the window and lit a cigarette. He took two deep puffs before speaking, ¡°Wanying, my situation is quite complicated, for I was once badly scarred and wounded by this very sentiment in the past. I never thought neither do I have the intention to start a new relationship until this scar is healed completely. What occurred between us is just a strange combination of circumstances that happened to turn into this situation, and I¡¯m sorry if this matter has an impact on your reputation.¡±


    Mu Wanying was shaken inside. Despite having suspected that Tang Xiu had been plagued by sentimental problems in the past, to think that he was really that hurt was out of her imagination. She really couldn¡¯t figure out what blind woman had the heart to hurt such an outstanding man.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, it¡¯s I who must say sorry. If it wasn¡¯t because of me, today won¡¯t be¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s all right. What you did back then is nothing to be said against. It¡¯s understandable since we are a couple, albeit a fake one. Since they have misconstrued it, then let them misunderstand it. If anything, I haven¡¯t considered to ever involve myself in feelings, affections, and sentiments for the next few years. In case that you also don¡¯t want to fall in love for the time being, then let us continue act this way. Don¡¯t let others¡¯ misunderstanding disturb us.¡±


    Mu Wanying¡¯s was bit loss as she replied, ¡°Okay.¡±


    Her expression wasn¡¯t noticed by Tang Xiu as he continued, ¡°What happened today is bound to be spread out and be heard by your family. If they ask you and you want to explain it, then please do. If you don¡¯t want to, then call me. I know that the news that we are lovers will inevitably affect your reputation. If you still haven¡¯t found the right man a few years later while you and I are also still single, then we¡¯ll carry on to tie the marriage, and that¡¯s it.¡±


    Gazing at Tang Xiu for a long while without speaking, Mu Wanying then firmly said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll marry you if you haven¡¯t yet married at that time.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Tang Xiu was taken aback.


    ¡°Despite knowing nothing about who hurt you so deeply, I¡¯m willing to heal the wound in your heart with the love I have for you. And I believe I can do it,¡± said Mu Wanying softly.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Tang Xiu was struck dumb and tongue-tied.


    Mu Wanying forced out a bitter smile and said, ¡°I couldn¡¯t do anything about it since I feel that I¡¯ve already fallen in love with you. I originally wanted to act with restraint and reserve it as much as possible and let you speak out what you have in your heart first. But I¡¯m afraid¡­ I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll never be able to wait, since waiting is not even an option. You¡¯re too outstanding, and there are so many remarkable girls around you as well. As a matter of fact, I have already explained to your grandmother that us being a couple is nothing but a fake relationship. But she¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent.


    If only Xue Qingcheng didn¡¯t exist, if only he didn¡¯t experience the life in the Immortal World for 10,000 years, he would have been attracted by Mu Wanying and even fall in love with her. But now, the wound in his heart made him afraid, constraining him to not to want to pour out his feeling too prematurely. He had never thought about feelings and affections so seriously in the past, yet at present, it was a must.


    However, just as he began to think about it, he felt somewhat depressed. First of all, it went without saying that there was Han Qingwu, Xue Qingcheng from his previous life, and Ouyang Lulu, who was trying to pursue him desperately. And then there was Kang Xia, whom he had given his body to. He was already at his wit¡¯s end, and now Mu Wanying was added to the line. For a moment, Tang Xiu¡¯s mind was disconcerted as his thoughts whirled about.


    ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m going back. I need to rest early.¡±


    As the second cigarette was burned through, he then turned to look at Mu Wanying.


    Mu Wanying hesitated for a moment before speaking, ¡°Would you like to go up? I live alone here!¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m going back to Star City tonight since there are some things in the Magnificent Tang Corporation I need to tend to.¡±


    ¡°All right. Pay attention to your safety on the way there.¡± Mu Wanying nodded silently, yet her face was dark and gloomy.

 Chapter 607

    Chapter 607: Welfare House


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tang Xiu originally wanted to stay in the capital for a few more days while waiting for the confirmation from the Virus Research Institute that the infectious disease was completely solved before returning to Star City. However, he finally decided to leave tonight since he didn¡¯t feel like explaining the misunderstanding to his family members.


    After making a few phone calls, Tang Xiu drove back to Star City overnight. He was stumped for words when he returned to South Gate Town however, as he found that his parents were not resting yet. They were now chatting in the living room in their pajamas.


    ¡°Sonny, are you in love?¡±


    It was two in the morning, but Su Lingyun didn¡¯t look like she was sleepy at all and came to welcome him with a joyful expression instead.


    ¡°The news flew this quickly?¡± Scratching the back of his head, Tang Xiu could only reply with a helpless expression, ¡°Mom, Mu Wanying and I are only fake lovers. She happened to have many male students pursuing her, whereas your son was also pursued by a lot of female students, and therefore we thought it over and decided to be a fake couple just to deter those pursuers.¡±


    Fake couple?


    The revelation made Su Lingyun and Tang Yunde struck dumb.


    The very reason they weren¡¯t asleep yet was that they learned that their son was returning back from Beijing. They were full of expectations and were waiting due to the news they were told by others, but little did they expect that it was actually false news. In a flash, Su Lingyun seemed as though a deflated balloon as she sat back on the sofa, looking dispirited and downcast. She then yawned and said, ¡°Son, I heard that this girl called Mu Wanying is quite outstanding. But even so, pretense may turn into a reality if you work hard on it! Well, I¡¯m bit sleepy now. I¡¯m going to sleep.¡±


    Tang Yunde shot Tang Xiu a ruminating look before shaking his head and turning to walk to their room.


    Continuing with the pretense may become reality?


    While looking at the back of his parents, a depressed feeling filled Tang Xiu¡¯s heart. Then, he went to the second floor, took a bath and changed his clothes into new pajamas and went to sleep in his comfy bed. A few hours later, he woke up and had his spirit recovered and full of energy, following which he washed and began to cultivate.


    His present cultivation level had now reached the Peak level of the Viscera Transformation Stage and had his internal organs been tempered. They were now thousands of times stronger than that of an ordinary person¡¯s. He was now only a little away from the Blood and Qi Circulation Stage, and only after he reached this stage would he be able to conjure more profound magical spells easily.


    Nevertheless, he was conscious of the fact that haste would make waste. It would be very difficult to breakthrough to a higher stage for the next few years. The reason being that him being able to reach his cultivation level at present was caused by too many fortuitous encounters. However, he didn¡¯t feel a need to rush it either, for every high-rise building started with its foundation first. The last layer of the first stage of his cultivation, the Stars Tyrannical Body Realm, was to condense his qi into Nine Cores Phase Forming, yet it was but only a foundation stage for the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis. His cultivation in the later stages would be more stable only if he laid out a robust foundation.


    It had been more than half a year since he returned from the Immortal World, yet he was able to achieve his current state. His cultivation was indeed progressing by leaps and bounds. Therefore, on the premise that there was no huge fortuitous encounter, he would need to suppress this progress rate even if the situation was possible and allowed him to have a breakthrough.


    Huff¡­


    After expelling out a foul breath, Tang Xiu slowly opened his eyes. South Gate Town may have a beautiful environment, yet it was still located in the city, and the concentration of spiritual qi here was in no way compared with the Walled Hill Village¡¯s, let alone the Nine Dragons Island¡¯s. Without a rich concentration of spiritual qi as the medium, the degree of energy absorption from the stars was weakened by several points.


    Tang Xiu got out of his bed and opened the curtain. Big flakes of snow were unexpectedly falling down outside. Star City was neither located in the South nor did it belong to the North Region, and only had a little snow whenever New Year was over. Yet it unexpectedly snowed, though there were still a few days away from the New Year¡¯s. Moreover, heavy snowing like today was a rare sight in Star City.


    The outside world was shrouded in white. Even the plum blossoms which were proudly blossoming were covered with white snow, shrouding its gorgeousness. There was hardly any resident walking through the falling snowflakes, but a lot of security guards and employees from the Property Management Office were sweeping the snow on the concrete road in the villa area.


    ¡°Long Xueyao?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s gaze landed on a tall girl. He immediately remembered his promise to treat her to dinner for her help in obtaining his driver license. It was a very long time ago, and yet he hadn¡¯t fulfilled this promise.


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu was neatly dressed. In order to not attract attention, he disguised himself by putting on a down coat, which he didn¡¯t know when his mother bought him, and then walked outside.


    Back when he was in the Immortal World, Tang Xiu had seen the world of ice and snow, so he wasn¡¯t that disturbed nor did he care about the heavy falling snow at present. After greeting the security guards he knew well, Tang Xiu came to Long Xueyao¡¯s front. He watched as she cleaned the snow with a shovel and then said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll help you!¡±


    Long Xueyao stood up and immediately smiled upon seeing Tang Xiu, ¡°You¡¯re a busy man, Mr. Tang! I haven¡¯t seen you for a long time. Are you on vacation from college?¡±


    Tang Xiu took over the iron shovel from her before nodding and smiling, ¡°Yeah. I just returned to Star City last night. Never thought it would be snowing heavily today, though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s great that you came back yesterday.¡± Long Xueyao smiled. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be easy for you to come back if the heavy snow had closed up the road.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°Anyways, how about I treat you to lunch this noon, provided that you have nothing to do by then, that is.¡±


    Stunned for a moment, Long Xueyao immediately smiled and said, ¡°How come you are treating me to lunch all of sudden?¡±


    While shoveling snow, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°Back when I got my driver¡¯s license, I said that I would treat you to a meal. Many things happened and delayed me, though. It just so happened that Long Zhengyu called me on the way back yesterday. He learned that I was gonna come back and invited me to a meal. Hence, I want to invite you too.¡±


    ¡°Nevermind with the driving license matter. You don¡¯t need to worry about that.¡± Long Xueyao shook her head while letting out a faint smile. ¡°It was not my merit that it went smoothly, to begin with. Anyhow, I won¡¯t join in the fun in the men¡¯s gathering, though. Besides, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to go out since there are things I need to tend to at noon today.¡±


    ¡°Ah, since you have things to do, then how about some other day?¡± Tang Xiu nodded and asked.


    Long Xueyao gently nodded in response. Suddenly, she seemed to recall something and then said, ¡°Are you guys going to have a drink and a meal and then hang around at night? If I remember correctly, Long Zhengyu played mahjong with his friends last night. I¡¯m afraid it will probably be very difficult for him to get up this noon, right?¡±


    ¡°How do you know he played mahjong all night?¡± Asked Tang Xiu, surprised.


    ¡°Did you forget we¡¯re relatives?¡± Asked Long Xueyao with a smile. ¡°We had dinner together last night. He told me at that time.¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly understood. Long Zhengyu and Long Xueyao were cousins, so it was nothing special for ones of the same family to have dinner together. After pondering, he then replied, ¡°I¡¯ll look for him in the evening, then.¡±


    ¡°If so, how about going to a certain place with me at noon?¡± Asked Long Xueyao with a smile.


    ¡°Where to?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°You¡¯ll know when you go with me,¡± said Long Xueyao. ¡°Anyways, Let¡¯s finish this first!¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled in response. He didn¡¯t think much about her keeping him guessing. Besides, he just came back and didn¡¯t have many things to tend to, whereas following her to have look at what exactly it was wouldn¡¯t make him stay at home and got unceasing nagging from his parents about a man and woman relationship issues at the very least.


    As an hour passed, the snowing reduced a bit and Tang Xiu returned home to have breakfast. After spending two hours reading a book in the study room, he got a call from Long Xueyao. The villa complex was filled with a lot of people now compared to the deserted and cold scene in the morning. Not only were there teenagers, even their parents were accompanying them to play, throwing snowballs and making snowmen.


    ¡°It¡¯s still ten in the morning. Why go so early?¡±


    As Tang Xiu came to the front of the Property Management Office¡¯s building, he asked Long Xueyao, who stood in front of an SUV.


    ¡°There are some things I need to buy.¡± Long Xueyao slightly nodded. ¡°I guess it will be noon when I get everything.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to buy, exactly?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Are young going to pay whatever I buy today, by chance?¡± Asked her with a smile.


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing and replied, ¡°If what you want to buy can make up for the meal, then no problem.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a promise then,¡± said Long Xueyao with a bit self-satisfied smile.


    Immediately after, the duo drove to the nearby shopping malls. What made Tang Xiu feel strange was that he could tell that Long Xueyao had clearly noticed the staff in the stores in advance, for the purchase of twenty to thirty sets of down jackets with a lot of shoes and socks. All of which were for children under ten years of age.


    ¡°Xueyao, are we going to the welfare house, by chance?¡± Asked Tang Xiu after pushing the trolley with the help of the store staff, and then the duo finally moved everything.


    ¡°I knew I couldn¡¯t hide it from you.¡± Long Xueyao smilingly said. ¡°We are indeed going to the welfare house. Furthermore, this welfare house is in the worst condition in the entire Star City.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded without speaking. In fact, he was also very supportive of visit and doing charity to the welfare house. Many children who had lost their loved ones were very pitiful, to begin with. Supposing that the welfare of the said welfare house was really poor, they would be facing and enduring hard times in the dead of winter.


    Bluestar Welfare House. It was the most dilapidated welfare house located in the suburbs of Star City, and only had six staffs to manage it including its Head, whose leg was crippled due to a fall a few years ago. The other five were responsible for buying groceries, cooking, and their daily needs. The welfare house itself adopted 32 children, and four of them were less than a year old.


    At the gate of the welfare house where the snow fell gently, the Head of the welfare house¡ªWu Xiufen held a broken umbrella and waited near a dilapidated sign. She received a phone call from Long Xueyao yesterday and therefore kept coming to the gate since this morning. She had been waiting for more than an hour and came out dozens of times.


    Creak¡­


    The SUV stopped at the gate to the welfare house and Long Xueyao and Tang Xiu came out from the car. Long Xueyao walked toward Wu Xiufen and looked at her lips that had turned slightly purple, and then said with concern, ¡°Dean Wu, why did you come out? The weather is cold and snowing!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right. I¡¯m wearing thick clothes!¡± Replied Wu Xiufen.


    The clothes she wore were very thick and she was a bit plump. But some padded cotton on the shoulder of her wadded jacket were exposed. The needlework on it was obviously broken, while there were also several stitches on some other places. As for her feet, she only wore worn, unpadded shoes.


    Tang Xiu, who stood at the side, secretly sighed inside. Long Xiaoyue told him on the way here about the situation in the Bluestar Welfare House, so he learned that this welfare house was only funded by a few people out of their good intentions, while the aid from the government was close to nothing.

 Chapter 608

    Chapter 608: Taking The Actions One Is Capable Of


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    With the introduction from Long Xueyao, Tang Xiu briefly acquainted himself with Wu Xiufen. Then, he sat back on the driver¡¯s seat and watched as the two women entered the welfare house before he started the car and drove it slowly inside.


    Bluestar Welfare House was worn out and its infrastructure was in bad condition. There were several swings in the courtyard, but they could only be used for children to play. The small building was only two stories high and many of its windows were plastered with newspaper; there were even two windows replaced by plastic sheets.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s vision suddenly focused on one spot. He keenly saw a boy in the corridor downstairs. The boy was holding a small wooden stick and quietly stood beside the concrete pillar. He seemed to watch the drifting snowy world outside, yet there was no expression in his eyes whatsoever. There were signs of frostbite and some red bloodstains on his face. He extended his other empty small hand to the outside as if he wanted to catch the falling snow from the sky.


    Tang Xiu parked the SUV in front of the building. He didn¡¯t immediately rush to help Long Xueyao and Wu Xiufen to move the things inside but walked towards that boy instead.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± The boy didn¡¯t look back.


    ¡°You can¡¯t see anything?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with slightly wrinkled brows.


    The boy let out a smile that covered all of his frosted face and said, ¡°Who says I can¡¯t see? I know that it¡¯s snowing now, and I¡¯m also conscious that you came to me. Yes, there was a car sound before. It seems that it¡¯s Auntie Xueyao car since its sound is similar to the car she drove here last time. Anyways, did you come with Auntie Xueyao?¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and suddenly remembered this boy¡¯s situation, and then quickly said, ¡°That¡¯s right. I came with your Auntie Xueyao. We brought some clothes and daily necessities for you here. Little guy, aren¡¯t you feeling cold here? Why don¡¯t you go back to the house?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed pretty cold here, but I want to make myself more clear-headed,¡± said the boy while shaking his head.


    ¡°You what?¡± Tang Xiu was confused by this boy¡¯s reply.


    Wanting to sober up more? What does it mean?


    Tang Xiu asked in puzzlement, but the boy didn¡¯t immediately answer him, and instead, took his wooden stick and went to the snowy yard. There, he stretched his arms wide, opened his mouth and took a deep breath before saying aloud, ¡°My Mom told me before that I don¡¯t need to see many things with these eyes of mine, for I can see them with my heart. With my whole being still and my heart tranquil, then the time shall not move. I can see the sky, the people, and see some other things when I enter this tranquil state. I can see what others can see, just like now.¡±


    Having said that, he gently lifted the wooden stick. Though his hand was quivering a little due to the cold weather, the hand that held the stick was unexpectedly firm and stable. This illogical scene made Tang Xiu¡¯s pupils shrank. He could clearly see that this boy used the tip of the stick to easily catch the largest snowflake in front of him.


    That¡¯s correct, it¡¯s the largest snowflake!


    With his keen eyesight, Tang Xiu could quickly judge with a glance. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°You can call me Little Blind! It¡¯s what everyone calls me,¡± answered the boy.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before asking again, ¡°How old are you, exactly?¡±


    The boy thought for a while before answering, ¡°I should be 15? Hmm, that¡¯s right. I turned blind when I was eight and have been living in this welfare house for seven years. So, I should be 15 now.¡±


    15 years old? Is he joking me?


    Tang Xiu observed the boy in front of him, who looked to be around seven or eight years old. It was hard to believe that the boy was already 15 years old. In an instant after, Tang Xiu blinked and grabbed his wrist the moment the boy¡¯s ears moved.


    Blood Interpolation Pulse and Qi Interpolation Bone?


    Tang Xiu looked at the boy with a disbelieving expression and his heartbeat accelerated. He had met too many existences with special constitutions from the numerous races he had encountered in the past, and yet he never met someone with such condition like this boy among them. Nevertheless¡­ he had once read an ancient record: Blood Interpolation Pulse never dies, Qi Interpolation Bones never perishes. A Permafrost Physique that is extremely difficult to encounter in billions of years.


    Then this boy¡­ has a Permafrost Physique?


    The record he once read noted that the Permafrost Physique only appeared among a certain type of girls, but now it unexpectedly appeared in the body of a living boy in the present era. This strange situation made him somewhat at a loss.


    ¡°Uncle, are you on fire or something?¡± The boy suddenly asked.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s lips squirmed a few times and asked back, ¡°Why do you ask that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re very warm,¡± said Little Blind. ¡°It¡¯s like when I was near a bonfire; it feels very comfortable. Also, I can feel that the amount of blood flowing through my blood vessels is a bit bigger than usual.¡±


    Tang Xiu was taken aback and astounded, ¡°You can hear the sound of the blood flowing in your own blood vessels?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Little Blind replied with a smile. ¡°Not only can I hear the flowing blood inside my blood vessels but also the friction of my bones, too. That¡¯s right, what I hear most clearly is the sound of my own heart. it¡¯s like the sound of a drum being beaten, and sometimes it¡¯s so loud that I can¡¯t even sleep.¡±


    Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and the smile on his face retreated. A sad expression replaced it as he shook his head and said, ¡°You don¡¯t believe me, do you, Uncle? It¡¯s because they don¡¯t believe it either, and neither does the Dean¡ªGrandma Wu.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression was complicated as he looked at Little Blind, as countless thoughts sprung up inside his mind. After a long period of time, he heard a cry of from Long Xiaoyue from the distant corridor, and then looked at Little Blind and spoke, ¡°In the case that¡­ Say, if I¡¯m willing to adopt you and take you out of this place, are you willing to follow me?¡±


    ¡°But why do you want to adopt me?¡± Asked Little Blind back.


    ¡°It¡¯s not because I pity you. That¡¯s not it,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°It¡¯s because I think you are a good seed and you might possibly become a very powerful person in the future if I train you well.¡±


    Little Blind shook his head and smilingly said, ¡°I won¡¯t reject it. Because a day more I stay here is an extra day of burden I will give Grandma Wu as well as the uncles and aunts here. However, I hold no wishes or thoughts of becoming a great person in the future, though. I just want to see more things, and I want to be able to be of help to Grand Wu¡­¡±


    ¡°I just examined your eyes, and I can¡¯t cure it with my Chinese Medical expertise. Western medical doctors will find it very difficult to cure it, too,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°But if you really follow me, I assure you that you can see everything in the future; not with your eyes, but with your heart. You see, I¡¯m just like you since I can see a lot of things even if I close my eyes.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Little Blind was taken aback.


    ¡°Really.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°My ability is limited at present, since I can only see the surrounding area within the radius of 300-400 meters if I close my eyes. Further than that is still out of my perception. However, I¡¯m sure that I can see much further when I become stronger. And perhaps some day, just a thought of mine is enough to see something hundreds of thousands of miles away.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about the Heavenly Eyes, Uncle?¡± Asked Little Blind curiously.


    ¡°Do you know something about the Heavenly Eyes?¡± Asked Tang Xiu, puzzled.


    ¡°Grandma Wu told me that monks can open their Heavenly Eyes,¡± said Little Blind with a smile. ¡°Ah, right. I once saw The Erlang Shen¡¯s Journey to The West on TV in the past. He can open his Heavenly Eye¡­ his third eye.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh. He didn¡¯t explain anything but picked him up instead. While walking inside, he said, ¡°I can make you able to look further and a lot better than the Heavenly Eyes in the future.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t talk to me like I¡¯m a toddler, Uncle,¡± said Little Blind with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m 15 already, and the words you spoke are just like coaxing a child, you know. Oh¡­ I can smell Auntie Xueyao¡¯s fragrance in front of me.¡±


    Long Xueyao indeed appeared in front of Tang Xiu and Little Blind. Her expression looked a bit complicated with compassion, sympathy, pity, and worry. She touched Little Blind¡¯s forehead gently while speaking, ¡°Little Hanhan, why were you disobedient again? It¡¯s so cold outside and everyone else is staying inside, why did you run to the outside? Have a look at your little face, you got a frostbite.¡±


    ¡°Auntie Xueyao!¡± Said Little Blind with a smile. ¡°I may have gotten a frostbite, but I won¡¯t get sick. Did you forget that I slept in the snow for a night yet didn¡¯t get sick the next day?¡±


    Long Xueyao snappily said, ¡°Little brat, you became more disobedient, you know that? If you dare to run to the outside again, Auntie Xueyao won¡¯t come to see you again.¡±


    Little Blind then pointed to Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Auntie, this uncle said that he wants to adopt me.¡±


    Long Xueyao stared blankly and quickly shifted her eyes to look at Tang Xiu and inquired what happened.


    ¡°This little guy and me are kindred spirits, so I like him very much,¡± explained Tang Xiu. ¡°He will only become a burden for everyone else if he keeps staying here, so I¡¯ll take him with me! Also, I will donate 2 million yuan to the Bluestar Welfare House and find a construction team to repair it when the spring comes. Then I¡¯ll purchase a number of daily necessities, desks, chairs, and books, as well as figure out some way to invite or hire a few teachers to come here teach the children.¡±


    ¡°For real?¡± Long Xueyao exclaimed with a pleasantly surprised expression.


    ¡°An Emperor won¡¯t joke over this matter and his words are to be taken seriously,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Pfft¡­


    Long Xueyao couldn¡¯t help laughing and then smilingly said, ¡°When did you became an Emperor, eh? Anyways, I¡¯ll hold onto your words. I will spit on your face whenever I see you again in the future if you don¡¯t keep them.¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile and felt that he should do more. Following which, a bright smiling face suddenly emerged inside his mind.


    Tian Xiaomeng?


    After putting down Little Blind, Tang Xiu took out his mobile and dialed the cell number of the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital¡¯s President¡ªLi Hongji. After the latter accepted his call, he directly spoke, ¡°President Li, there was a girl who secretly took a footage of me when I gave medical services in the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital during the National Day holiday back then, and then uploaded it to the Internet. Her name is Tian Xiaomeng, and she seems to be an anchor of a live broadcast on the Internet. Could you help me find her contact number?¡±


    ¡°No problem. Wait for my good news,¡± replied Li Hongji with a smile. ¡°Anyways, you should¡¯ve returned to Star City, right? When will you come again to the hospital and render medical service?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be there in a few days!¡± Said Tang Xiu. ¡°But this time you must not disclose the news that I¡¯m going to give medical service, so as to avoid the same situation occurring again like during the National Day!¡±


    ¡°Got that!¡± Li Hongji consented without much deliberation.


    After concluding the call, Tang Xiu caught sight of Dean Wu walking lamely from the inside. He knew what to do. Though what he could do was not much, he was willing to give everything he had within the limits of his ability.

 Chapter 609

    Chapter 609: Before the Live Broadcast


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    The disabled, in some aspects, had a will far above that of an ordinary person¡¯s. The most appropriate word to describe it was that they were physically disabled yet mentally firm. From his contact with Little Blind, Tang Xiu could tell that the darkness in front of him didn¡¯t wear his will away, even causing him to adapt to that darkness instead. He was like an unyielding pine that stood proudly amidst the cold winter of the snowy world.


    ¡°Dean Wu, I would like to adopt this child,¡± said Tang Xiu straightforwardly after greeting her.


    Dean Wu turned a bit dazed, and there was a complicated look in her eyes. It had been seven years since she became Little Blind¡¯s half mother. When the world just lost all its color to him, she was the one who cared for him and helped him pass through the pain. She was the person who helped with the funeral arrangement of his parents after a traffic accident claimed their lives. In all due honesty, Dean Wu was truly happy that Tang Xiu wanted to adopt him, yet there was unwillingness deep down inside her.


    ¡°May I know the reason, Mr. Tang? After all, Hanhan is¡­¡± Dean Wu hesitated.


    ¡°There are two reasons,¡± said Tang Xiu with all seriousness. ¡°First of all, I like him. I can¡¯t see any sign of depression in him at all, and I even can feel that he is mentally optimistic instead. Secondly, a Chinese Medical doctor is one of the many identities I have, so I want to take him with me and try to treat his eyes with all the expertise I have in the arts of healing.¡±


    Dean Wu¡¯s eyes stared wide, along with a burst of joy and excitement within. Her lips trembled and she hurriedly asked, ¡°Can¡­ can you really cure Hanhan¡¯s eyes, Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have 100% assurance, but I believe it¡¯d be for the best if he followed me than staying here,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Of course, that would also be on the premise that I have your consent.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m willing. Of course, I give my consent,¡± said Dean Wu without hesitation. ¡°If you can make Hanhan regain his sight, it¡¯s fine even if I have to take my eyes out to give them to him.¡±


    ¡°Since I have your consent, please rest assured, Dean Wu. I will treat him as my own younger brother!¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°Furthermore, I just learned from Long Xueyao about the situation your welfare house is currently in, so I decided to donate 2 million yuan in the hopes that it can solve some of the problems you have here. Adding to that, I¡¯ll also find a construction team to help renovate your welfare house when the spring comes next year and also look for a few teachers to teach the children knowledge and culture.¡±


    His pledge made Dean Wu¡¯s body freeze. She could hardly believe what she heard. For countless times she fantasized that some good rich person would donate to her welfare house. But after all, imagining was akin to illusion, as many years had passed by and her wish never came true. Fortunately, there were some kindhearted people, such as Long Xueyao, who were willing to extend their hands and frequently sent some money, clothes, and daily necessities.


    Two million yuan! With such amount of money, the living conditions of the children in the welfare house would definitely be improved greatly. At the very least, they wouldn¡¯t have to wear those stitched and patched clothes anymore. No longer would they only have meat every couple of days and gone was the scene where they had to burn charcoal stoves during the cold winter season.


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you so much, Mr. Tang.¡± Dean Wu wiped the tears off the corner of her eyes and bent her waist while holding onto her walking stick.


    Tang Xiu promptly held her and said, ¡°Dean Wu, there was a sentence that I noted deeply during the great flood period in the past: ¡®when difficulties arise in one place, aid comes from everywhere¡¯. What I¡¯m doing is just what I can do, you don¡¯t have to thank at all since it¡¯s just me wanting to help the children here.¡±


    The snow was falling in the cold winter, and yet warmness filled Dean Wu¡¯s heart at this moment. What Tang Xiu said touched her. Just as she asked Tang Xiu and Long Xueyao to enter the house, Tang Xiu received a call from Li Hongji, who then gave him Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°Xueyao, go inside with Dean Wu ahead of me. I¡¯m going to make a phone call first,¡± said Tang Xiu before turning around.


    ****


    Star City, Castellan Ellegarden neighborhood. [1]


    Wearing cartoon-styled pajamas, Tian Xiaomeng was sitting on the balcony of her house in boredom. As the hanging basket kept swaying, her eyes watched the gentle falling snow outside with faint expectation painted on her face. Ever since she aired the live report about Tang Xiu, she had become a popular anchor on the live broadcast platform. And just the number of her hardcore fans now had surpassed 100,000, while hundreds of thousands of viewers visited her live broadcast channel every day.


    It could be said that both fame and fortune came to her since then, though there were also some bad things nonetheless. For instance, she often met her fans in real life whenever she appeared in public. Some of them would find her, asking to take photos together as a memento as well as sign to them.


    Alas, becoming a celebrity sure is not easy. I wanna go out play with snow, but I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll attract attention. Most of the people in this neighborhood already know me, so should I go to another place and buy a house just like what I have discussed with Mom and Dad the other day? Tian Xiaomeng drowned in her thoughts while holding up her chin.


    ¡°I¡¯m a star, I¡¯m a big star¡­¡±


    The ringtone of her mobile phone suddenly sounding startled her so much that she almost jumped. She picked up the mobile in a hurry and looked at the number displayed on the screen. It was an unfamiliar number from this city.


    ¡°Hi, hello, Tian Xiaomeng speaking.¡±


    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Tang Xiu. Can you please do me a favor?


    ¡°Tang Xiu? I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve made a mistake¡­ AAH¡­ I beg your pardon? What did you just say your name was?¡± Just as Tian Xiaomeng was about to say that she didn¡¯t know the caller, a handsome face suddenly appeared in her head and she exclaimed out loudly immediately after.


    ¡°It¡¯s Tang Xiu.¡±


    The voice replied again.


    Tian Xiaomeng jumped down from the hanging basket. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she asked in a hurry, ¡°Are you the Young Divine Doctor of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, Divine Doctor Tang?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s me,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle.


    Tian Xiaomeng was so excited that she spoke incoherently, ¡°T-Tang¡­ Divine Doctor Tang, you¡­ Ah, Hi¡­ I¡¯m your loyal little fan. Just, just call me¡­ call me Little Mengmeng. Oh, I¡¯m so excited! Am I dreaming? How come I got a call from my biggest idol?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not joke, shall we, Tian Xiaomeng?¡± Tang Xiu chuckled. ¡°There¡¯s something I need your help with. Do you have some time to spare now?¡±


    While suppressing the excitement inside, Tian Xiaomeng immediately replied, ¡°I surely have time for my idol. I¡¯ll squeeze time even if I don¡¯t have it. Tell me what do you want me to do¡­ I¡¯m willing to do it¡­¡±


    ¡°As a matter of fact, I¡¯m now in Star City in a certain welfare house,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°The condition of the place is very poor though, as it scarcely has attention from the society. I remember that you¡¯re an Internet broadcaster, so I was wondering if you can come over. I was thinking that it would be great if we make a live broadcast at this welfare house to report the situation here to the public in the hopes that I can get everyone¡¯s attention and their compassionate help.¡±


    A live broadcast at a welfare house?


    Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s eyes blinked as ecstasy burst inside her heart. The last time she aired a live broadcast on Tang Xiu at the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, her fans and subscribers had soared by a hundred times and, in extension, brought her fame and fortune as well. Some of her fans and some people, however, also believed that Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s live broadcast had returned to its previous state. Many even appealed and called out, hoping that she could feat the Divine Doctor¡ªTang Xiu again¡­


    This was definitely an opportunity, a golden opportunity that occurred only once in a thousand years!


    Tian Xiaomeng took a deep sigh to stabilize her state of mind and feelings before replying, ¡°Please wait a while, Idol. I¡¯ll take my notebook to write the address. Also, I¡¯ll go out right away and make sure to arrive there as fast as I can.¡±


    A few minutes later, she hung up the phone and directly dashed to the study room, turning on her laptop and accessing her live channel.


    ¡°Oh? Strange, the anchor is actually online? Don¡¯t tell me the scheduled time for the live broadcast has changed?¡±


    ¡°Goddess Mengmeng goes online! MENGMENG FANS! WHERE THE HECK ARE YOU ALL?¡±


    ¡°Could it be there¡¯s a new topic now? The last time Goddess Mengmeng aired a live broadcast all of a sudden was the live show of that Divine Doctor, Tang Xiu¡­¡±


    ¡°Is there any thrilling surprise now?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tian Xiaomeng took a deep breath while looking at the countless messages that kept coming and the online subscribers that numbered to tens of thousands. Then, she began to speak, ¡°Hello, my dear fans and subscribers. Many of Mengmeng¡¯s fans are asking whether there will be a great surprise today, given that I came online on my live channel all of a sudden today, and also, many ask as to, will there be any hot news today? Alright, everyone. Mengmeng will tell you now. You all guessed it right! Just a few minutes ago, I received a call from the Young Divine Doctor of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, Tang Xiu!¡±


    ¡°As for the details of the matter Divine Doctor Tang asked me to do, well¡­ I¡¯ll keep you wondering for now. But I hope that you, as Mengmeng¡¯s fans, will notice the others timely when I arrive there. I believe that you will be able to see the Divine Doctor Tang again, and maybe¡­. there will also some other surprises for you.¡±


    ¡°Anyhow, I¡¯m off for now. See you all later, ciao!¡±


    Tian Xiaomeng then saw messages coming from innumerable subscribes one after another, shouting ¡°excited¡± and ¡°looking forward to¡± emojis, making her nice and great inside. After logging out, she immediately packed her stuff and rushed outside.


    ****


    At Bluestar Welfare House.


    After sending the address and the name to Tian Xiaomeng, Tang Xiu went to the second floor of the small building and headed to the Dean¡¯s room. Dean Wu herself didn¡¯t have an exact room assigned as her office, since the layout of the building was rudimentary and only had a few rooms. Yet, though there were a lot of things in the entire house, all of them were neatly placed.


    When Tang Xiu explained that he had invited an Internet broadcaster to air a live report regarding the situation of the Bluestar Welfare House, even though Dean Wu didn¡¯t know much about the job of a live broadcaster, she was, nonetheless, still very excited to be able to publicize the welfare house, since it meant that many groups in society would learn about them.


    12:30 at noon.


    Tang Xiu and Long Xueyao followed Dean Wu to bring the dishes to the table. More than 30 children who hadn¡¯t yet changed their newly down jackets had gathered in a large room and sat in front of the long table with a bowl and chopsticks in front of them. Their eyes were full of anticipation and longing as they looked at the meals prepped by Dean Wu, Tang Xiu, Long Xueyao, and the other two staff.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mobile phone rang. After seeing that it was a call from Tian Xiaomeng, he directly went to the hall on the first floor.


    At the entrance to the Bluestar Welfare House, Tian Xiaomeng ended the call and directly logged-in into her live channel with her phone. Just as she appeared on her live broadcast channel and looked at the number of viewers displayed there, her eyes stared wide and turned saucer.


    760,000?!!! 760,000 people were waiting for her in the live broadcast channel, and the number was still increasing?! However, when she glanced at the gifts rewarded by the fans, she almost screamed inside and her heart crazily thumped, scared despite having experienced the previous live broadcast at the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not dreaming, am I?¡±

 Chapter 610

    Chapter 610: Heartfelt Throbbing Moments


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s shocked expression looked somewhat silly and yet cute, causing her viewers to immediately drool. The comment section also produced innumerable tweets commenting on her expression, all of which said that they had been captivated by her cute, adorable expression. [1]


    Tian Xiaomeng rubbed her eyes. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly found that the number of the audience changed. It was around 761,000 a moment ago, but now the number unexpectedly blasted up to 770,000!


    ¡°I¡­. this scared the hell out of me, to be honest.¡±


    She collected herself and spoke with a moved expression.


    Immediately after, she pointed the camera at the entrance of the Bluestar Welfare House and aimed it at the signboard at the entrance for a few seconds. Following that, she aimed the camera to herself and said, ¡°Mengmeng¡¯s fans and subscribers, regardless if you just became one, Mengmeng wants to tell you all that the live broadcast will be broadcasted here. This place is a welfare house located at the suburbs of Star City. I only learned about this place after Divine Doctor Tang Xiu told me, else I wouldn¡¯t have known that Star City had such a¡­ a welfare house for children. You can see that it looks very dilapidated and¡­ very old.¡±


    ¡°And now, please follow Mengmeng as I have a look and see Tang Xiu as well as the children of this welfare house.¡±


    After saying that, she attempted to capture all the surrounding environment as much as possible while keeping her pace forward. She stopped in front of the small building for a few seconds and then walked toward the fourth door to the east. After pushing open the door and seeing the situation inside, she immediately stopped.


    ¡°Hi everyone, I¡¯m Tian Xiaomeng.¡±


    The first person her vision fell onto was Tang Xiu. She waved at him before coming over and saying, ¡°Hello, Divine Doctor Tang.¡±


    At the moment, Tang Xiu was giving steamed buns to the children. After hearing her voice, he let out a faint smile and gently nodded at her. Following which, he looked at the mobile phone in her hand and smilingly asked, ¡°Are you airing the broadcast now?¡±


    ¡°Um, yes!¡± Tian Xiaomeng gently nodded.


    Tang Xiu smiled at the camera and said, ¡°Hello everyone, I¡¯m Tang Xiu. Firstly, I wanna say that I didn¡¯t get in touch with Tian Xiaomeng today on my own initiative. But, from the previous exchange and the help obtained by Star City Chinese Medical Hospital after the live broadcast she aired last time, then I thought to call her over. So, I would like to convey my gratitude to Tian Xiaomeng for being able to come here.


    ¡°As a matter of fact, I invited her here for one purpose only. I hope to see more people pay attention to the Bluestar Welfare House and show their care to the children here. And similarly, I hope that everyone is also able to show their compassion and pay attention not only to the Bluestar Welfare House. There still are many welfare houses whose condition is bad all over the country, along with more pitiful children who need our help. The ability I have as an individual is limited, so I hope everyone will also come forward to pour out your compassion and love to care and help them. On the behalf of these children, I thank you all.¡±


    After saying that, Tang Xiu¡¯s gaze left the camera and then nodded to Tian Xiaomeng. Following that, he continued to give the steamed buns to the children.


    With her vision following Tang Xiu, Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s eyes then shifted after he turned around to the children in the dilapidated room who had already started their meal. Their meal was simple, containing only boiled cabbage and vermicelli cooked in one pot and some meat dumplings. There was nothing else but plain rice congee inside their bowls, which had many notches here and there, and yet the children ate the hot steamed bun given to them greedily as if it was the most delicious food in the world.


    Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s gaze then fell on Long Xueyao at the side and asked with a complex expression, ¡°Big Sis, they only have¡­ this one dish?¡±


    Long Xueyao was perfectly aware of Tang Xiu goal for doing all these and was grateful to him. When she heard Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s inquiry, she didn¡¯t face her phone cam but nodded silently, before letting out a bitter smile and saying, ¡°It¡¯s great that you came today, since the cooked meal could be said to be better than usual with some meat in the dish. Usually, these children are only able to have meat in their dish in a two or three days¡¯ interval.¡±


    Tian Xiaomeng was taken aback. Her family¡¯s condition was average, yet they had at least one out of three meals a day with meat in their dishes. But these children could only have a meal with meat in two or three days, whereas they were precisely at their growth spurt¡­


    Her vision fell onto the dish and she attempted to find the largest piece of pork meat. She ended up disappointed since the largest piece of meat she could find was only a thin, two thumbs wide piece.


    On the live channel, the number of viewers now had exceeded 810,000. The comments that kept rolling on in the commentary section previously stopped at this time. No one posted any comment for a long time. Everyone¡¯s eyes were glued to the scene of the children wolfing down their meal. The more they followed and watched, the more they showed concern, as even tears broke out in their eyes. Pity and a sour feeling filled their hearts and in particular, there was also a depressing feeling which especially made them uncomfortable; feeling at a loss and stumped, unable to say anything.


    It was not just their meals. It was more than that since they could clearly see the tattered cotton-wadded jackets these children wore. Many had stitches and patches on and they could even see cotton pad exposed on the shoulder of a small boy.


    What was the most unsettling scene for them was that the oldest among these children seemed to be in their teens, whereas the youngest was placed in a small stroller nearby. There was a clear sign of frostbite on her thin, small face, whereas some other children had frostbites on the back of their hands along with traces of bloodstains.


    Tian Xiaomeng was silent for a very long period of time. Only when Tang Xiu came toward her did she finally spoke to the camera, ¡°All Mengmeng¡¯s viewers, Mengmeng is really wanting to cry at this moment, but I fear that it will be shameful and awkward to cry out in front of these children. Mengmeng is so sad, it¡¯s really heart-rending seeing these pitiable children¡­¡±


    A few seconds later, the comments in the commentary section began to roll down crazily as countless people wrote their moods, feelings and were itching to do something. Even various gifts and rewards began to flood the live broadcast screen, nearly blocking Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s face.


    Tian Xiaomeng lifted her head and waited for the tears in her eyes to slowly recede. She then lowered her head and solemnly said, ¡°From today on until 12 AM of the 30th by the end of this year, all the gifts and rewards gifted by Meng¡¯s viewers and all the money will be donated to the Bluestar Welfare House. Mengmeng will also donate 100,000 yuan from my own savings, which I hope is enough to buy more meat and clothes for these children. Mengmeng only hopes¡­ that these children can have a warm and happy new year¡­¡±


    ****


    Beijing, in a certain office building where Star Live Entertainment Media Ltd. was headquartered.


    At this moment, the chairman of the board¡ªWei Qing was among the viewers watching Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s live broadcast. His face was a bit pale, and his slightly plump body was somewhat trembling, while clear tears glittered in the sockets of his eyes.


    Snap¡­


    He lit up a cigarette while he raised his head and looked up at the ceiling, trying not to let the tears fall down. Those children in the Bluestar Welfare House brought back memories of his past. He was also an orphan and lived in an orphanage in a small city in the Northwest Region where he spent his early life from five to 12 years old.


    Life and living conditions back then was arduous and difficult. He recalled a longing to have some meat in his meal in the past, memories which made his eyes turn red. After he was adopted by his adoptive parents and by the time he graduated from college at the age of 22, he had never returned to that small town neither did he visit that orphanage again.


    He recalled that after he turned 22 and graduated from college, he received his first-month salary from his job, and half of the money was sent by mail to that orphanage. He also sent the orphanage some money in the next few years, but never sent even a dime after the Dean of the orphanage passed away due to illness.


    If it wasn¡¯t for this live broadcast, he knew that he really would have forgotten the orphanage he had once lived in, and forgotten the hard and difficult living conditions there.


    ¡°I gotta go to the live broadcast room!¡±


    Wei Qing suddenly got up and strode toward the live broadcast room. After seeing more than a dozen employees busy at work inside, he immediately spoke in a heavy voice, ¡°Split Tian Mengmeng¡¯s live broadcast screen into two. I need to call and speak to her in person.¡±


    The few staff exchanged puzzled looks but still executed Wei Qing¡¯s order.


    ****


    At Bluestar Welfare House.


    Seeing the rewards that kept coming in her live broadcast, Tian Mengmeng felt warm inside. This sort of good deed made her feel proud and fulfilled. At the same time, she also felt grateful to Tang Xiu. No matter if it was the number of her subscribers that already surpassed 1 million at the moment or the gifts and rewards bestowed by her viewers, it really touched and moved her.


    ¡°Umm?¡± Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s expression suddenly moved as saw that the window of her live broadcast screen was divided into two halves and a slightly plump face then appeared on the other half of the screen.


    ¡°Mengmeng, I apologize for disturbing your live broadcast. I¡¯m the chairman of the Star Live Entertainment Media Ltd., Wei Qing,¡± Wei Qing¡¯s attitude was very amiable, and inexplicable emotions were still on his face.


    Tian Xiaomeng was stunned. Her live broadcast platform was under the Star Live Entertainment Media Ltd. So to say, this middle-aged man who appeared all of a sudden was her Big Boss?


    ¡°Y-you are¡­ Hello!¡± Tian Xiaomeng stutteringly replied.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been watching your live broadcast, and to be honest, your live broadcast is the only one that deeply moved and touched my heart ever since I established the Star Live Broadcast platform. I¡¯m also very grateful to you for making me retrospect on myself, reminding me of something I have forgotten as time passed by, finally returning to my former self.


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m also an orphan. I grew up in an orphanage when I was a child. I still remember¡­¡±


    The story narrated by Wei Qing was very slow yet very clear. After having narrating his past in the orphanage, he finally concluded with a bitter expression, ¡°I really regret it. I really regret not going back and having a look at the orphanage even once all these years. Even though the Dean who had cared for me had already passed away due to sickness, the uncles and aunts over there were also very caring toward me; and also those brothers and sisters who lived with me in the orphanage I grew up with. Today, I suddenly realized that I really don¡¯t have even a shred of conscience for forgetting about them after I became rich and gained some power.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to apologize for what I¡¯ve done, however. What I want to do is to make up for it. Mengmeng, please convey my thanks to Divine Doctor Tang. After speaking with you, I¡¯ll immediately return to that small town to visit the orphanage I used to live before, of which I don¡¯t know its condition at present. Let the deeds I will do make up for my mistakes. I want to make it so the other children will to never have to experience being unable to eat until their bellies full and having no clothes to keep their bodies warm. Like what I have gone through in the past!¡±


    Tang Xiu had been standing quietly beside Tian Xiaomeng while watching Wei Qing in the live broadcast room and listening to everything he said from deep within his heart. All of which created an inexplicable emotion to surge up inside his heart.


    It¡¯s a very warm and genial feeling!

 Chapter 611

    Chapter 611: Becoming Popular Again


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    At two in the afternoon, Tang Xiu, Long Xueyao, and Tian Xiaomeng left the Bluestar Welfare House. They had done all they could today for the welfare house. Though the trio couldn¡¯t guess how many people would pay attention and what changes would occur to the welfare house.


    Tang Xiu himself had transferred 2 million yuan into the Bluestar Welfare House¡¯s public account, and so did Tian Xiaomeng with her pledge of 100 thousand yuan.


    ¡°Alright, ladies. Now I¡¯ll treat you to a meal.¡± Tang Xiu didn¡¯t let Long Xueyao drive this time, as he drove the car himself and took the two women to hit the road.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, the lunch must be on me today.¡± Long Xueyao shook her head. ¡°I¡¯d rather not have lunch today if you refuse.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Why?¡± Tang Xiu was puzzled.


    ¡°I originally asked you to come help me move some things, but I never thought that things would evolve into this kind of situation, to be honest.¡± Long Xueyao seriously said. ¡°Anyhow, I¡¯m very happy, excited, and grateful for that. I alone can¡¯t support the entire welfare house despite having a high salary, and you¡¯ve done a lot today. So, I want to do what I can to express my gratitude, even if the opportunity is just merely treating you to a meal.¡±


    Tang Xiu was taken aback and fell into silence for a moment, before nodding and saying, ¡°Since it will be your treat, then let us head to an upscale restaurant today, and I¡¯ll take the honors to pick the place. Do you object to it?¡±


    Long Xueyao let out a smile in response and gently shook her head.


    Tian Xiaomeng who sat on the back seat had unknowingly activated her live broadcast channel, and thus the conversation between Tang Xiu and Long Xueyao was aired by her.


    In the live channel, the viewers that had originally left began to come back again, and many were curious as to how high-class the restaurant Tang Xiu chose would be. Certainly, there were also some who raised a ruckus, commenting that Tang Xiu¡¯s philanthropic deeds before was nothing but a show. After all, he had just finished the live broadcast at that welfare house, and now he was going to such an extravagant place to have a meal. It was a stark contrast and hardly justifiable.


    Koufu Spicy Numbing Stir-Fry Pot.


    After Tang Xiu parked the car outside, he let out a smile and said, ¡°I heard the Spicy Numbing Stir-Fry Pot is very popular among girls. You two have no problems with hot and spicy things, right?¡±


    Long Xueyao herself didn¡¯t care what kind of meal she would have, so she let out a smile, showing that she didn¡¯t have a problem with it. After Tian Xiaomeng came down from the car, she aimed her mobile at the signboard of Koufu Spicy Numbing Stir-Fry Pot, and then pouted her small mouth while her fingers typed the words: This is the legendary top grade, high-class, upscale¡­


    In an instant, hundreds of thousands of subscribers and viewers watching the live broadcast channel burst into laughter, along with an incoming burst of smiling and amused emojis from everywhere. Some of the viewers with bad tastes were quick to comment: Luckily, it¡¯s not the hot spicy soup often sold in street stalls she¡¯s gonna eat, else we would surely see the goddess turning into a boiled duck, getting wrapped and flying to someone¡¯s house¡­


    Tian Xiaomeng saw Long Xueyao waving at her. After calling out, she watched her and Tang Xiu walking into the store and then spoke in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m telling you a secret. Divine Doctor Tang is actually a rich bigwig, and he certainly doesn¡¯t want to make Sis Long Xueyao spend her money. I haven¡¯t told you all before, but he has donated 2 million yuan to the Bluestar Welfare House today. Alright, I just spilled the secret now, so I feel quite good. Anyways, Mengmeng is starving, so I have to calm my belly first.¡±


    And thus ended the live broadcast.


    Tian Xiaomeng put away her mobile phone and quickly caught up, whereas the hundreds of thousands of fans in the live broadcast channel were shocked by her words.


    2 million yuan?


    Though they had time to spare to watch the live broadcast, most of them could be said to have good living conditions, but 2 million yuan still was a very large amount of money to them. And Divine Doctor Tang¡­. was actually donating such an amount?


    An instant after, praises inundated the live broadcast channel, all of which aimed at Tang Xiu.


    As the lunch was over, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t leave with Long Xueyao as the latter drove Tian Xiaomeng back home. While having some time to spare this afternoon, Tang Xiu decided to visit his family¡¯s restaurant. It was not yet the time to eat, so there weren¡¯t many patrons for now. Tang Xiu wandered around inside and then learned that his mother didn¡¯t come today. After making a phone call, he then learned that his parents had to catch the train for Beijing early this morning.


    Tang Xiu asked them why they went to Beijing all of a sudden. The result was that his mother, Su Lingyun, unexpectedly chirped and whined for half of the day without telling him the reason.


    ¡°Ah, forget it, then. I¡¯m going to see Long Zhengyu.¡±


    He left the restaurant and called Long Zhengyu, thus learning that the guy was on his way to Long¡¯s Dining Hall. Tang Xiu then headed straight to the venue to catch up with him.


    This time, the security guards at Long¡¯s Dining Hall didn¡¯t stop him since they already recognized him, with some of them with looks of dread on their faces when they looked at Tang Xiu.


    Melodious piano music invaded his ear when he entered the great hall. Tang Xiu shot a quick glance toward the direction of the piano music as he walked towards the elevator. His pace instantly came to halt and he turned stunned. It was because the girl he saw playing the piano turned out to be Andy.


    ¡°How come she¡¯s here?¡±


    After thinking for a short while, Tang Xiu changed his direction and walked toward Andy. He didn¡¯t disturb her play, however, but leaned on the corner wall and quietly watched her playing the piano. After five-plus minutes passed by and the music faded away, Tang Xiu applauded and smilingly said, ¡°What a great play.¡±


    Andy turned around and suddenly stood up from the chair upon seeing Tang Xiu and run toward him. With a cheerful expression, she greeted him and said, ¡°Why are here, Boss?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s also the same question I want to ask you,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Why did you come here and even played the piano?¡±


    ¡°The folks in our company¡¯s Finance Department are going to dine here tonight, so I came earlier to reserve a box.¡± Andy giggled. ¡°But then I saw the piano here and kinda wanted to play something. Anyways, are you here to book a room too, Boss? Do you want me to reserve it for you?¡±


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m going to see a friend of mine,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Still with her cheerful smile, Andy asked, ¡°Are you here to dine tonight, too, Boss? Can you attend the dinner with the folks from our company¡¯s Finance Department?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait until the evening, shall we?¡± Replied Tang Xiu after thinking for a short moment. ¡°If I still have time to spare tonight, then I¡¯ll come. But if something comes up, then forget it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be very happy if you can come over, Boss.¡± Andy nodded and smilingly said. ¡°Anyhow, you¡¯re on fire again this year boss, nearly the entire internet is on fire by the reportage about you.¡±


    Becoming hot news again?


    Tang Xiu was stumped for words as he looked at Andy and asked with a puzzled expression, ¡°How could it be? What caused it, exactly?¡±


    ¡°It was because of what you did in Bluestar Welfare House!¡± Answered Andy with a smile. ¡°It was said in the entire Internet that you are a real philanthropist, an old-school person with a benevolent heart. That Goddess Mengmeng especially told everyone that you donated 2 million yuan to the Bluestar Welfare House, causing everyone to praise you.¡±


    Cough! Cough¡­


    Tang Xiu coughed a few times and a helpless expression appeared on his handsome face. He didn¡¯t even consider such an aftermath back then, as he just wanted to make the Bluestar Welfare House receive its due and proper attention from the public so that they could help those children have a better life in the future. Who could have ever thought that Tian Xiaomeng would disclose the matter that he had donated money?


    There was nothing he was afraid nowadays. But being famous was one!


    Earth and the Immortal World is like day and night. Having a big sounding name in the Immortal World would make others awe and dread and hardly anybody would dare to provoke you. But Earth is a stark contrast. Once you have fame here, you will be like those celebrities and big stars, where even paparazzi will be after you to secretly take photos of whatever you did, not to mention that innumerable fans will surround you. Even some people with deep background and status would still look at you with whatever their particular expressions. And this aftermath was completely different from his original intention.


    To have a tranquil and peaceful life was what he really wanted while devoting himself to accumulate wealth and obtain massive resources for cultivation, to assist him in walking further and faster on his cultivation path, and in passing, accompanying his parents at the same time, getting along with his family members and enjoy the warmth provided by his family.


    What¡¯s done is done. I have been low-key recently, and no tempest can withstand the time either. Maybe after school starts next year, there will only be a few who will still remember this matter. Tang Xiu consoled himself inwardly.


    Knowing that Tang Xiu had an appointment with his friend, Andy didn¡¯t pester him anymore. Still, excited after seeing Tang Xiu, she went to the person in charge of the hotel to reserve a box and chatted with the woman in charge.


    Inside the presidential suite.


    After pushing the door open, Tang Xiu saw Long Zhengyu holding a girl and conversing with her. Though there was incense burning inside the room, yet the smoke still shrouded it.


    Long Zhengyu patted the girl¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Pretty little girl, we only happened to meet this time. Go now! I will see you tonight if nothing comes up.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± The girl quickly glanced at Tang Xiu as an alluring blush appeared on her small, beautiful face. She lowered her head as passed by Tang Xiu and quickly left the room.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and forced out a smile, ¡°How come I didn¡¯t find out before that you are a Casanova, eh? I didn¡¯t hear anything about you dating a serious girlfriend. Is she the one?¡±


    Rolling his eyes in response, Long Zhengyu listlessly nested himself on the sofa and said, ¡°Man, are you really my friend? You really love to touch someone¡¯s sore spot, don¡¯t you? I just broke up with her. That woman has quite a great heart, yet her ambition is greater. She wants to be independent, relying on herself to fight for her career and life with her own two hands, thus she wants to go abroad.¡±


    Tang Xiu walked to his side and took a sit. Then, he said with a strange expression, ¡°For that so-called fighting for herself she broke up with you?¡±


    Snap¡­


    Long Zhengyu grabbed a lighter and cigarette, lit it and took a deep, and then said with a helpless expression, ¡°Can we change the subject? I will vomit blood otherwise.¡±


    Astounded, Tang Xiu said, ¡°I do want to change the topic, you know. But your last sentence really evoked my curiosity. Care to talk more about it? We are all buddies, man. Why the need to cover it and bottle it up inside since you have broken up with her?¡±


    ¡°You are to treat me tonight, then!¡± Long Zhengyu took a deep puff and replied while blowing out smoke.


    ¡°No problem. Put it into my account,¡± said Tang Xiu without thinking.


    ¡°As a matter of fact, this is my first time getting dumped by a woman,¡± narrated Long Zhengyu with a bitter smile. ¡°And she¡¯s the first woman who did that in my entire life. Do you wanna know the reason she used to break up with me? She said that ¡®distant water cannot quench present thirst¡¯. What the fuck? This father is not that ¡®thirsty¡¯ at all, but she actually¡­¡± [1]

 Chapter 612

    Chapter 612: Self-Centered and Egotistic


    Translator: GravityTales Editor: GravityTales


    Despite still having difficulty to fathom it inside, Tang Xiu was dumbfounded by the woman¡¯s terrific reason. The distant water couldn¡¯t quench the present thirst? Wasn¡¯t this a provoking and exciting justification? With sympathy and pity plastered on his face, Tang Xiu looked at Long Zhengyu and smilingly said, ¡°Zhengyu, you know what? Your luck is actually very great.¡±


    My luck is good?


    Long Zhengyu stared blankly and looked confused.


    Without a change in expression, Tang Xiu affirmed, ¡°That¡¯s right. I said you¡¯re very lucky, and do you know why? Because that woman is obviously a seasoned shenanigan in ¡®something¡¯. Reasonably speaking, today¡¯s transportation is very convenient as it takes only a day to travel by plane, therefore it is easy to quench the craving for love since you only need to call and then come back. She seems to not think so, though. I think she wants to become a bride every night and you just can¡¯t satisfy her! Well, I think it¡¯s better for you two to separate now rather than get married and then smack yourself with her crowning your head with countless ¡®glossy green hats¡¯, no? Speaking of that, whatever the hat is, it will give you some warmth in this winter season no matter the color.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck¡­¡± Long Zhengyu couldn¡¯t help but laugh by Tang Xiu¡¯s words.


    Tang Xiu took out a cigarette and lit it, and then spoke after blowing out a few puffs, ¡°You know, you¡¯re a seven feet real man and there are millions of beautiful women in the world. How can you give up the entire forest just to keep one tree? I remember a good old saying suitable for you. It says that the new won¡¯t come if the old doesn¡¯t go. Also, that little belle who just left is pretty good, too, you know.¡±


    Shooting Tang Xiu a contemptuous look, Long Zhengyu groaned, ¡°Don¡¯t beautify it with words, alright? You seem like a towering colossus by your words, yet a short dwarf by your actions, that¡¯s what I think. I heard that you and the First Beauty of Capital¡ªMu Wanying have disclosed your love relationship to the public, no? What are you gonna do with Ouyang Lulu, Kang Xia, and the other beautiful women I know of, huh?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu was stumped for words. Long Zhengyu unexpectedly derailed the subject and turned his words back on him. He recalled what he just said and then thought about his own issues with women. He was immediately struck with a big headache.


    Long Zhengyu suddenly burst into laughter after seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s loss vacant expression and loudly said, ¡°Look at you, man! I already told you that you have a tiger built but kitty balls, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Tell me, was it Bai Tao who ran his cheap mouth? Or was it Chu Yi who couldn¡¯t keep it behind the wall? Hmph¡­ tell me, who is it? I¡¯m gonna stitch and sew them, whoever they are!¡±


    BWAHAHA¡­


    Long Zhengyu laughed more cheerfully. After a short while, he then said with a smile, ¡°Anyways, I heard that a full-fledged chef in Manchurian and Chinese dishes has come to the Long¡¯s Dining Hall. Rumor has it that his craftsmanship is very great! There have been quite a lot of people coming here attracted by him, yet he isn¡¯t willing to render his services unless it is someone staying in the presidential suite. So be it then! Your treat¡­ tonight¡­¡±


    Treat your ass, you egoistic bastard! Tang Xiu cursed inside but still nodded resentfully.


    While they hadn¡¯t eaten yet, the duo gradually changed the subject to business, since Tang Xiu and Long Zhengyu had cooperated in many things such as the Walled Hill Village, where Tang Xiu had some interests, the cooperation in the New City project, as well as the reconstruction project of the Nine Dragons Island.


    The schedule for the Walled Hill Village¡¯s construction project was delayed for quite a long time due to the big accident at the construction site, and the progress hadn¡¯t returned to the previous schedule even though the Long Family had added more manpower to the construction team. Coupled with the sudden snowing today, the first phase of the construction that was set a year ago was seemingly unable to be completed as planned.


    ¡°We originally estimated that the development of the Walled Hill Village would be completed before June next year. But I¡¯m afraid that we can expect it to be delayed until July or August due to this bad weather. Nevertheless, you can receive your Heavenly Palace Residence once it is completed.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded. He indeed was very concerned about the construction of Heavenly Palace Residence in Walled Hill Village, but he was much more concerned about the reconstruction of the Nine Dragons Island. However, he didn¡¯t want to look too anxious since the subject being discussed was the Walled Hill Village. He replied, ¡°Well, it is rare for me to return to Star City as I¡¯m currently studying in Shanghai, so I have to leave the responsibility to supervise the work there to you. I¡¯m fine even if it is delayed by a couple of months.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the New City then.¡± Long Zhengyu nodded with a smile. ¡°The current development and construction of the New City has been in full swing, and those major construction companies we¡¯ve hired are doing the best they can. The supervisory department is also keeping a close eye on the project, either the execution of the blueprint, the quality of the property, or the project¡¯s progress speed. All of them have no issues to address. I myself am not managing this project anymore, but my father and several other family members are in charge of it, so you can rest assured about that.


    ¡°In June next year, the upscale villa complex surrounded by residential quarters, two shopping malls, and commercial street outlets in the A district of the New City will be officially opened for sale. The amount of funds that have been invested there, including each of ours and the loan from the bank is more than 100 billion yuan, all of which are invested in this A district project. Therefore, what we can do now is wait for the opening sale before we put it on the market.


    ¡°Kang Xia truly deserves her title as a business genius. We¡¯ve decided to build the largest theme park in the country after her proposal. Though it may be a bit inferior to Disneyland Park, it would add a lot of elements to the project in terms of scale, construction, and entertainment. We can expect that when it is done, those attracted will not be solely limited to the real estate investors and home buyers from Star City, but we will also aim at the wealthy from every city in the country.¡±


    Having said that, Long Zhengyu¡¯s eyes lit up with excitement and anticipation.


    Seeing that he was done, Tang Xiu slowly said, ¡°What if the sales are not up to expectation?¡±


    ¡°The sales not going according to expectation? Are you joking?¡± Long Zhengyu couldn¡¯t help laughing. ¡°Just after the New City¡¯s construction commenced, we got calls from many wealthy people from all over the country and even some financial companies. They just wanted a guarantee that the New City we are developing can be built according to the blueprint. As long as we achieve that, they will purchase the properties without hesitation. Many large enterprises, including many representatives and people-in-charge from world brands of luxury jewelry in China have contacted us, hoping that they can get a good and strategic location to set up their stores. Now, listen to me. They don¡¯t want to rent, they want to buy the property!¡±


    Tang Xiu indeed had confidence in the blueprint he designed. He had anticipated that once this New City was established, it would definitely become the only time immemorial landmark in the world. When that time came, the economic development of Star City would probably speed up like a launching rocket.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about the operational management, construction, nor sales. What I need to see is the profits and benefits from it. I believe that Kang Xia can do a good job in this aspect. Anyways, let¡¯s discuss about the Nine Dragons Island now,¡± said Tang Xiu with a serious expression.


    ¡°The reconstruction project in Nine Dragons Island is progressing much faster than expected,¡± said Long Zhengyu. ¡°Since we employed a two-pronged approach with air and marine transport, in addition to the day and night work shift rotation of the construction team, the reconstruction is continuing nonstop. You will see that the Nine Dragons Island has greatly changed now. I originally thought that having the project finished by September next year was improbable, but now it seems that we can completely finish it by August. To be honest with you, I really don¡¯t get why you are so anxious to rebuild Nine Dragons Island. This degree of reconstruction is nothing but burning money.¡±


    Tang Xiu still didn¡¯t want to disclose the truth to Long Zhengyu. After all, Nine Dragons Island was too important, and he didn¡¯t want any slight mishaps occurring before the reconstruction completely finished. With that thought in mind, he made up a reason and slowly elaborated, ¡°You should know that I¡¯m a member of the Tang Family. Back when the Tangs and the Yaos were struggling in the back, we were at the point of losing all decorum with blades on each other¡¯s throats. Nine Dragons Island is exactly the place I personally chose as a way out for the Tang Family in cas that we lost to the Yaos, so that we would still have a place to survive.


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t expect that the Yao Family would launch their strike so early, thus making my Tang Family use a few schemes before we obtained that unexpected victory. However, since the project in Nine Dragons Island has commenced and a colossal amount of funds has been invested already, we might as well finish it. Besides, it can still be used as a route of retreat for the Tang Family.¡±


    Realization dawned on Long Zhengyu as he sighed, ¡°The patriarch of the Tang Family is really great. To think that he actually thought of this matter¡­ Nine Dragons Island is indeed a great place. Setting it up as an escape route can¡¯t be a more correct and suitable choice.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, the funds have been handed over to you, therefore I¡¯m asking on their behalf,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°I will be relying on you to build my Tang Family¡¯s future domain.¡±


    Family Domain?


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the Tang Family already won?¡± Asked Long Zhengyu with a puzzled expression. ¡°Why do you still need to set up a domain for your family there?¡±


    ¡°A storm may arise from a clear sky and something unexpected may happen at any time, while calamities and blessings can come to a man either in the morning or evening,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°Who can clearly predict what kind of situation will occur in the country, to begin with? Furthermore, there is no one who can claim constant victory in this world. One can win once and for a while, but it¡¯s impossible to be always on the winning side. In the case that the Tang Family encounters a crisis in the future, Nine Dragons Islands will become the family domain. If the Tangs ever fail, there¡¯s no reason that it¡¯s not necessary.¡±


    ¡°Senior Tang truly deserves my admiration,¡± praised Long Zhengyu while raising his thumb.


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but be stumped inwardly. It was all excuses he made up. Nine Dragons Island would become his basecamp, a stronghold which was what he always planned to have, and Tang Guosheng had no relationship to it whatsoever. However, since Long Zhengyu misunderstood it, he might as well let him swallow it.


    Ding dong¡­


    The door¡¯s bell sounded.


    Tang Xiu and Long Zhengyu exchanged looks and the former immediately asked, ¡°Did you invite someone else tonight?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± Long Zhengyu shook his head.


    Tang Xiu nodded before getting up and walking to the door. After opening it, he saw a well-dressed middle-aged man and remembered that the man seemed to be a Vice Manager of the Long¡¯s Dining Hall.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Tang. I¡¯m a General Manager of the Long¡¯s Dining Hall, Chang Hao. I¡¯m afraid that something came up, so I need to delay your meeting for a while,¡± said the middle-aged man with a smile.


    Tang Xiu nodded slightly and gestured him to enter the room before asking, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Umm, I have to tell you something. I don¡¯t know why, but the news that you came to dine at our Long¡¯s Dining Hall has spread out, so now there are a lot of reporters and journalists outside the restaurant. They mentioned your name and requested to have an interview with you. As for how you look at this matter¡­¡±


    ¡°They want to interview me?¡± Asked Tang Xiu, confused. ¡°What exactly do they want to interview me for?¡±


    ¡°Uh?¡± Chang Hao was astounded. ¡°Did you forget that you just participated in a live broadcast today? It seems that not only it sent off a huge wave on the Internet community, it has also caused a huge sensation in all aspects of society.¡±

 Chapter 613

    Chapter 613: The New Upstarts


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    ¡°The more one is afraid of troublesome things, the more they will come knocking on his door.¡±


    Using this sentence to describe Tang Xiu now couldn¡¯t be more suitable, since what he feared the most nowadays was precisely facing the media. While gazing at Chang Hao¡¯s astounded expression, he firmly insisted, ¡°Tell them that I don¡¯t want to be interviewed. If they still protest and are unwilling to step back or send the paparazzi to stalk me, then I will protect my privacy under the law while also rallying a large number of people to judge their wrong conducts!¡±


    Such a great opportunity to get famous, and yet it was thrown away by Tang Xiu. This was quite unexpected to Chang Hao. Moreover, there were even threats in his statement.


    But why, then?


    Chang Hao couldn¡¯t figure it out at all, yet he didn¡¯t have the courage to question Tang Xiu. If he was to tell who was the person he feared the most in the world, he would firmly say that it was Tang Xiu without any hesitation. He was one of the witnesses and beneficiary of the last incident where Tang Xiu commenced a bloody strike to decimate his enemies.


    He respected Tang Xiu but also dreaded him.


    ¡°I understand what you want, Mr. Tang. I assure you that I will never let the media disturb you. Please let me know if you have other instructions,¡± said Chang Hao respectfully.


    ¡°Sorry for troubling you!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Chang Hao spoke a few polite words before bidding farewell and leaving.


    Tang Xiu then shifted his sight to Long Zhengyu, who wore a strange and puzzled expression. He then spread his hands and said with a wry smile, ¡°It¡¯s not like I really wanted this to happen. I just wanted to act as a sage for once, a good man who does philanthropic stuff, yet it then led to the situation you see at present. Anyways, let¡¯s take our time eating, shall we? I¡¯m going back home after getting my belly full, and I won¡¯t go out for the next few days.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this really about?¡± Asked Long Zhengyu.


    Tang Xiu then narrated the event when he followed Long Xueyao to the Bluestar Welfare House. Then he finally concluded, ¡°I¡¯ve decided to adopt Little Blind, but I¡¯m hella sure that people will notice me if I go to Bluestar Welfare House again in this short time, and 90% of these people are definitely from the media. Therefore, I can only ask Long Xueyao¡¯s help to bring Little Blind to South Gate Town.¡±


    A smirk appeared on the corner of Long Zhengyu¡¯s mouth. He gave Tang Xiu a thumbs up and praised, ¡°Sometimes you really are merciless and ruthless, but more often than not you also express your kindness in the most incisive manner. I really don¡¯t understand you at all, but I like this disposition of yours. You should belong to the type of character who is both righteous and evil If you were put in a Wuxia novel.¡±


    His comment made Tang Xiu unable to hold his laughter, and then said, ¡°Leave out the garrulous talk, will you? Anyways, are we gonna order the food here or are we going to the box?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat here!¡± Said Long Zhengyu with a smile.


    Suddenly, Long Zhengyu¡¯s expression moved. He looked to pondering over something for a short while before he let out a faint smile and said, ¡°Everyone in the whole country surely already knows that you¡¯re in Star City since you¡¯ve made that big sensation. How about going with me to Blue City to play? That kiddo Huang Xu called me a few times recently. He said that he and some of his buddies opened a club in Blue City, and he invited me to join in the fun.¡±


    Tang Xiu gave it a thought before shaking his head and saying, ¡°Forget it! Just in case we come across some annoying things, after all¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop saying ¡®after all this, after all that¡¯ will you?¡± Long Zhengyu interrupted him and smilingly said. ¡°You sound like an old geezer. Alright, it¡¯s set then. We¡¯ll leave tomorrow¡­ no, we¡¯ll set off to Blue City tonight! I¡¯ll call Huang Xu and make him prepare food and drinks. Worry not, I won¡¯t make you bleed tonight.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes lit up and a smile immediately appeared on his face.


    Long Zhengyu¡¯s expression turned particularly odd as he looked at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°The reason you weren¡¯t moved tonight, it couldn¡¯t be because of the dishes, right? Even if a full banquet of Manchurian-Chinese delicacies is indeed comprised of various special dishes, it would probably cost you only a few hundred thousand yuan. You¡­ would not go so far, just for this reason, right?¡±


    A few hundred thousand yuan, ONLY?


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes at Long Zhengyu. Having a meal worth a few hundred thousand yuan? This was so extravagant that it could make one bristle in anger! With his mind full of saving money, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°Well, it would be kind of unreasonable if I refused your kind offer, no? Let¡¯s go now, then! I¡¯ve never been to Blue City, though, but I heard it takes less than two hours to drive there!¡±


    The more Long Zhengyu listened to Tang Xiu¡¯s words, the more certain he was that Tang Xiu was trying to save money. This conclusion made him at a loss between laughter and tears. After all, Tang Xiu now owned at least tens of billions in assets, yet he still cared about hundreds of thousands spent on a meal? This was really¡­ admirable!!


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu and Long Zhengyu had quietly arrived at the underground parking lot and then sat on the BMW X5 SUV Long Zhengyu drove here as they began to drive toward the outside. Yet, Tang Xiu felt quite helpless as several reporters were waiting outside when they left the underground parking lot, rushing over while taking their cameras.


    ¡°Speed up!¡± Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to deal with the reporters and immediately exclaimed.


    Long Zhengyu slightly nodded. Taking the opportunity when the reporters hadn¡¯t had them surrounded, he sped up the car and quickly entered the main road and blended with the traffic on the road toward the highway. Snowflakes were still falling from the sky and the road was much better with the snow being swept, yet it was still tricky to drive on. The duo felt a bit helpless after entering the highway since the road was very slippery. They could only slowly drive on since the car had no anti-skid chains. The originally two hours changed into three hours before the duo finally arrived at Blue City.


    ¡°Strange, what the hell is Huang Xu doing now? He didn¡¯t even pick up my call.¡±


    As the BMW X5 SUV kept moving on Blue City¡¯s roads under the street lights¡¯ illumination, Long Zhengyu threw the phone to the side, frowned and grunted in a low voice.


    ¡°Since you can¡¯t get in touch with him, let¡¯s just find a place and have something to eat, and then find a hotel to spend the night!¡± Said Tang Xiu. ¡°We can wait until tomorrow to contact him again.¡±


    ¡°No, let¡¯s just head straight to his clubhouse!¡± Long Zhengyu shook his head; ¡°This brat has texted me the address of his club before.¡±


    Tang Xiu glanced at his watch. It was nearly 9 PM and exactly the liveliest time in places like clubs, so he nodded in approval.


    Clearlake Club.


    The club was considered an upscale establishment in Blue City, and only the haves could visit the venue despite it not being set up as a private clubhouse. There were currently a few people casually spending their time playing there, and not even one looked awkward or anything. Most important of all, the Clearlake Club had just opened for a month, while the venue was opened by a few scions of reputable identity in Blue City and therefore had a strong protective shelter, so there were endless streams of visitors who were willing to come here to spend the night.


    Their car was stopped by the security just as it arrived at the big entrance of Clearlake Club and then was allowed to enter after filling in the registration. In addition, following the sign mark inside, they quickly parked in front of a five-storied half-moon shaped building with over a hundred meters high. After bypassing the fountain pool and stopping at the entrance, Long Zhengyu got off the car and threw the car keys to the waiter who was welcoming them. He then asked him, ¡°Is Huang Xu inside?¡±


    Clearly, the waiter knew Huang Xu was. There was a suspicious look on his eyes as he sized up Long Zhengyu and Tang Xiu and found that the duo were new faces and immediately said, ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Seeing that the waiter didn¡¯t know, Long Zhengyu didn¡¯t want to nag any longer since he also asked casually. He then entered the building along with Tang Xiu.


    Splendid, resplendent and magnificent!


    It was the first impression Tang Xiu had on the place. The aureate flooring, canopy, and the murals on the wall that depicted flying dragons and dancing phoenixes, along with the misty quartz lamp with lights of several colors, all of which gave off a classy look.


    ¡°Welcome, Sirs. May I ask what program would you like to play? I will take you there,¡± a woman in a black suit and wearing an earphone set approached with a smile.


    ¡°Take us to the best box in your place. We will have a meal first before picking up something else,¡± said Long Zhengyu.


    ¡°All right. Please follow me.¡±


    The woman brought the duo to the third floor by elevator. After passing two corridors, they finally stopped before the door to a box. She pushed the door and gestured for them to enter, ¡°Two gentlemen, this one is our best box.¡±


    Long Zhengyu walked inside and looked around. Then, he immediately sneered, ¡°Tell me, does your place want to deceive your customers? Or do you think we¡¯re some ignorant hillbillies who know nothing? If this ox is the best dining box in your Clearlake Club, then we¡¯ll leave immediately.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    The woman hesitated before replying carefully, ¡°Two gentlemen, this box is indeed not our best one, but the price here is really good and costs only tens of thousands of yuan to enjoy delicious culinary here, whereas the most upscale private dining box¡¯s price is¡­¡±


    ¡°We dare to pick your best box, meaning that we are not short on money,¡± said Long Zhengyu. ¡°Speak no more, just take us there!¡±


    The woman looked a bit upset since her good intention was met with a rude reprimand from the other party, making Long Zhengyu and Tang Xiu give her a bad impression. After cursing ¡®what upstarts¡¯ hillbillies¡¯ inside her heart, she then took the duo to the fourth floor.


    ¡°Sirs, this fourth floor has a total 18 boxes. No. 1 Supreme Hall and No. 2 Soaring Dragon Hall are not open to the public, whereas the 3rd to the 6th are currently occupied by other guests. I can bring you to the No. 7 Seacraft Hall if it is agreeable to you.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    This time, Long Zhengyu didn¡¯t make things difficult for the woman and followed her to the Seacraft Hall. After entering and looking at the spacious space of hundreds of square meters inside and its luxurious decorations, it was obvious that this one was several times better than the box on the third floor. After Long Zhengyu and Tang Xiu took seats on the sofa, the former then asked, ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten since noon, so tell your master chef to hurry and prepare your club¡¯s specialty dishes. Just pick the passable stuff as you wish.¡±


    ¡°And the drinks?¡± The woman in suit gently nodded and a light glinted in her eyes.


    ¡°Do you have Gods Nectar here?¡± Asked Long Zhengyu.


    The woman in suit stared blankly for a moment before shaking her head and saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we don¡¯t have it.¡±


    As a matter of fact, the Clearlake Club did provide Gods Nectar, but since it only had a few bottles, it was impossible to sell them to the guests unless it was several bosses who asked. There were, of course, some exceptions, such as those who could sit in the No. 1 Supreme Hall or the No. 2 Soaring Dragon Hall.

 Chapter 614

    Chapter 614: The Bloating Billow


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    In fact, Tang Xiu had a lot of Gods Nectar in his interspatial ring, but he didn¡¯t want to expose its existence, hence he refrained himself. However, Long Zhengyu furrowed his brows and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need, then. But, I need you to do something for me.¡±


    A disappointed and disgruntled expression flashed in the woman¡¯s eyes, but she still replied, ¡°Please say it.¡±


    ¡°Call your manager, I have a question to ask him,¡± ordered Long Zhengyu.


    The woman in suit was taken aback before pressing the button on her headset and speaking, ¡°Manager Li, it¡¯s Hu Wenwen. A distinguished guest in the Seacraft Hall wants to see you. He said he has something to ask you.¡±


    ¡°Give me two minutes.¡± A deep and low voice replied from the headset.


    Quickly, the door to the Seacraft Hall was pushed open and Manager Li came in with a smiling face. His vision then landed on Long Zhengyu and Tang Xiu. He faintly felt that Tang Xiu looked familiar but couldn¡¯t remember where he had seen him before.


    ¡°Hello, two Sirs. I¡¯m Li Chunlei, the Clearlake Club¡¯s restaurant manager. May I know what kind of request you two have for me?¡±


    ¡°A person at your level should be able to contact Huang Xu. I have to trouble you to contact him and tell him that a friend surnamed Long from Star City is here,¡± said Long Zhengyu.


    Lin Chunlei hesitated, yet he still nodded and said, ¡°Please wait, Mr. Long. I¡¯ll contact our Boss immediately.¡±


    After saying that, he directly left the box. A few minutes later, however, he returned to the box with a wry smile on his face as he said, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Sir. I can¡¯t contact our Boss¡¯s phone. He was here two hours ago, but after I asked around, he turned out to have left in a hurry.¡±


    ¡°Then forget it since he¡¯s not here,¡± said Long Zhengyu. ¡°Go tend to your business and tell the master chef to cook faster. I¡¯m starving here.¡±


    ¡°Please take your time and wait a bit, two Sirs!¡± Li Chunlei said with a smile and took the woman in a suit¡ªHu Wenwen to leave.


    Outside the box.


    An annoyed look could be seen on Hu Wenwen¡¯s face. As she walked beside Li Chunlei, she said in a low voice, ¡°Manager Li, isn¡¯t that guy surnamed Long kinda arrogant? Since he knows our Boss he even talks to us in that condescending tone. It¡¯s really irritating.¡±


    With a gaze containing a profound meaning inside, Li Chunlei replied to her, ¡°Little Hu, you¡¯re still inexperienced and have not yet seen the world. Can¡¯t you see that that young man surnamed Long has an extraordinary status? A person who has this kind of tone and bearing is obviously someone who often issues orders to others, that¡¯s for sure. More so that his attire is not your common luxury brand. I can see the brand on it. It¡¯s a British, privately-made clothing with a price of more than six figures. As for the other young man¡­¡±


    Astonishment was plastered on Hu Wenwen¡¯s face after hearing Li Chunlei¡¯s explanation. There was also doubt on it as she inquired more, ¡°What about him?¡±


    Li Chunlei toned his voice down and said, ¡°His status is perhaps extraordinary as well. I feel that he looks a bit familiar, but I can¡¯t remember where I have seen him before. However, that young man surnamed Long glanced at him a few times when he spoke, as if paying a lot of care to that young man¡¯s presence. I also noticed that the young man¡¯s watch. It¡¯s a Ferens brand watch, it looks extremely low-key but it¡¯s actually a very expensive brand watch manufactured in Switzerland. It¡¯s also a limited edition and only produced a total of 99 pieces worldwide with each priced at more than 5 million yuan.¡±


    Hiss¡­


    Hu Wenwen gasped cold air and looked shocked.


    A mere watch was priced at over 5 million yuan?!!


    ¡°I¡¯m absolutely not mistaken.¡± Li Chunlei nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve observed him a few times when we were in the Seacraft Hall. So, do not ever think that they are just arrogant. For those who can come here, especially those who can have seats on the fourth floor, are all rich people. In addition, there¡¯s a serious issue you¡¯ve overlooked here, the reason why you are dissatisfied with them.¡±


    Immediately, Hu Wenwen showed a humble expression and said, ¡°What exactly is the issue, Manager Li?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the identity of the major shareholder of the Clearlake Club, Boss Huang. You too clearly know his status, yet that young man named Long even dared to address him by his name. So, what does this mean?¡± Asked Li Chunlei.


    Hu Wenwen was stunned and immediately understood Li Chunlei¡¯s meaning. For someone to dare address their Boss by his name and even claim to be his friend, it meant that his background was extraordinary. Furthermore, it was obvious that the man said to tell her boss to come here, meaning that he wanted her boss to come over.


    ¡°Thank you for instructing me, Manager Li,¡± said Hu Wenwen with gratitude.


    Li Chunlei nodded with satisfaction and patted her shoulder while saying, ¡°Remember, the guests are the Gods. As long as they are willing to spend their money here, try your best to satisfy their needs, whatever they are.¡±


    Hu Wenwen nodded silently. Suddenly, she said, ¡°Manager Li, that gentleman named Long said that he wants Gods Nectar.¡±


    With brows furrowed, Li Chunlei was silent for a moment before replying with all seriousness, ¡°Since he dares to request it, then we dare to satisfy him. Gods Nectar is priced at 18,888 yuan per bottle, whereas we sell it for 30,000 yuan. Ask them how many bottles they need.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Hu Wenwen nodded quickly.


    Inside the Seacraft Hall.


    Tang Xiu was smoking as he looked at Long Zhengyu who nested himself on the sofa, and then spoke, ¡°Your attitude before made me feel like you¡¯re a flamboyant Young Master, a silk pants, you know. That man is a small supervisor here, yet you called out to him to serve drinks for you!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the difference between my frame of mind and yours.¡± Long Zhengyu lightly smiled. ¡°I just felt a bit annoyed that she thought we have no money at all.¡±


    ¡°If you think about it in another way, that attendant perhaps didn¡¯t doubt us for being penniless but helped us save our money. And to be honest with you, I feel that it¡¯s simply a crime to waste just on eating, though.¡±


    The reply made Long Zhengyu at a loss whether he had to laugh or cry as he said, ¡°I really can¡¯t accept your underwhelming idea, to be honest. What do people live for? And for what sake do people make money in the first place? People need food, housing, and transportation to live, and making money is to provide services for these basic necessities in life. I think either being stingy and grazing for a life or having a comfortable life is also a life in and of itself. So why not let me live to my heart¡¯s content a bit more? To eat and drink what I deserve with the more wealth I have. We bring nothing with us when we¡¯re born and take nothing with us when we die, so we might as well enjoy life to the fullest!¡±


    Different goals to pursue!


    Tang Xiu secretly sighed inwardly, yet he did not refute his words. A hundred people had a hundred lifestyles and ones who had the same idea as Long Zhengyu were a few.


    At the lobby.


    Du Yunjie¡¯s complexion was gloomy and a cold light glinted in his eyes, and the several young men around him were taciturn and had their heads lowered. There were red five fingers mark on the face of one of them, and obviously, he had just gotten slapped.


    ¡°Hello, Young Master Du!¡±


    A waiter respectfully greeted him.


    Du Yunjie threw the cigarette butt to the floor. After stomping on it, he then said in a heavy voice, ¡°As usual, it¡¯s No. 7 Seacraft Hall. Also, call Chen He and tell him to serve the usual, and I also want some bottles of Gods Nectar. That¡¯s right, I¡¯ve deposited Cuban cigars here. Send them to me as well.¡±


    The waiter was taken back before quickly replying, ¡°But, Young Master Du, the No. 7 Seacraft Hall is currently being used by a guest. When you left before we thought that you were checking out, so the staff has already cleaned up the leftovers inside the No. 7 Seacraft Hall.¡±


    Du Yunjie turned around in a flash as he yelled furiously, ¡°Who the fuck said that I checked out? This father just went out to do something. And now that I¡¯m done with it you tell me that I can¡¯t continue to eat here when I come back? How the hell do you do your job?¡±


    The waiter hurriedly lowered his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Young Master Du. H-How about¡­ taking the No. 12 Azalea Hall? I¡¯ll also immediately get the Gods Nectar and the Cuban cigars you want right away!¡±


    With eyes turned bloodshot, a raging vibe broke up from Du Yunjie¡¯s body. He recalled the shame he experienced today, as he clenched his fist tightly and bellowed, ¡°This father is dead set in picking the No. 7 Seacraft Hall today! Drag them out from the inside, and I give you 10 minutes to clean it up. Else don¡¯t blame me if I fuck you up!¡±


    Hearing his words, the waiter quickly conveyed Du Yunjie¡¯s demand and threat through his wireless headset to his immediate superior. A few minutes later, Li Chunlei greeted him with an obsequious smile, ¡°Young Master Du, I thought you had left, but little did I think you would come back. I just heard from my subordinate. The No. 7 Seacraft Hall has indeed been booked by another guest, could you choose to another one?¡±


    With a face full of anger, Du Yunjie¡¯s voice came out from the slit of his teeth word by word, ¡°Don¡¯t give me this bullshit! I pick the Seacraft Hall, thus it must be mine tonight! I don¡¯t give a fuck about what you have to do to drag those people out of there! Or else you can expect your Clearlake Club to gain a filthy reputation tomorrow.¡±


    For a moment, Li Chunlei fell into silence. He wanted to take his mobile out to call his Big Boss, Huang Xu. But he then recalled that the Big Boss¡¯s phone was shut down and could only call his second Boss, Chen Shen.


    ¡°Tell the two guests in the No. 7 Seacraft Hall to change boxes. Du Yunjie is kind of agitated tonight. We had better not provoke him.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    After getting the instruction, Li Chunlei hastily told Du Yunjie and the others to wait a bit and then rushed to the fourth floor. After knocking the No. 7 Seacraft Hall¡¯s door, he walked inside and looked at Long Zhengyu and Tang Xiu, as he forcing out a smile and said, ¡°Two gentlemen, I¡¯m really sorry. Our staff neglected something and gave you this booked room. I ask you two to forgive us, but could you dine in the No. 12 Azalea Hall? Our Boss said we¡¯ll give 50% discount for the two Sir¡¯s expenses today.¡±


    Changing boxes?


    Tang Xiu and Long Zhengyu exchanged looks, as the latter then immediately got up from the sofa and said, ¡°What the hell do you mean? Your staff made a mistake and you want us to bear the consequences? And you¡¯ll give 50% discount¡­ Really imposing, eh? Do you really think we¡¯re don¡¯t have money to spend on your place?¡±


    ¡°No no no, how dare we have that kind of idea?¡± Li Chunlei hurriedly replied. ¡°It¡¯s just compensation for you, Sirs; an apology from us. Two great Sirs, would you please help and not make things more difficult for me?¡±


    Looking at his appearance, Tang Xiu could only sigh inwardly. He got up and patted Long Zhengyu¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Just forget it. Since he has already expressed their attitude, let¡¯s not push him harder to do things beyond his power. Having a meal in whatever room here is just the same. Let¡¯s go out and change boxes.¡±

 Chapter 615

    Chapter 615: The More You Get, The More You Want


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Tang Xiu¡¯s understanding won Li Chunlei¡¯s favorable impression. Although he had long guessed that Tang Xiu had an extraordinary identity, there was not the slightest aura of a silk pants young master from him despite still being young. This left him with high regards for the young man. He couldn¡¯t help recalling the rampant and arrogant Du Yunjie. Contrasting him with Tang Xiu, they were simply worlds apart.


    ¡°Thank you, thank you very much, Sir,¡± said Li Chunlei with gratitude.


    Tang Xiu only let out a faint smile in response as he pulled the somewhat reluctant Long Zhengyu out of Seacraft Hall¡¯s door. It was not his character to haggle over small things, and eating a meal was just the same. Furthermore, he did hear what the other party said: 50% discount!!!


    In the corridor outside, Du Yunjie and several other young men slowly came in. The grim expression on Du Yunje¡¯s face disappeared a bit when he saw Tang Xiu and Long Zhengyu coming out of Seacraft Hall. As he saw Li Chunlei walking out, he stepped forward and, while pointing at Tang Xiu and Long Zhengyu, who just walked past them, said, ¡°All our expenses tonight will be on them!¡±


    Li Chunlei froze. He frowned and said, ¡°Young Master Du, isn¡¯t it inappropriate for you to say that? These two guests have been quite amiable since they are willing to give you the Seacraft Hall, but I hope you don¡¯t demand a foot after getting an inch from them. After all, our Clearlake Club is not your general public place, to begin with.¡±


    ¡°They just occupied my box, what should be the problem with them paying it up for me after checking out? Do you want to use Huang Xu to pressure me?¡± Sneered Du Yunjie.


    ¡°Young Master Du, you¡¯re someone of big status, a nobody like me can¡¯t afford to offend you.¡± Li Chunlei said. ¡°You were using this Seacraft Hall before, thus it has nothing to do with me as for who must pay the bill. It will be my Boss who will decide that after he arrives.¡±


    Du Yunjie sneered and entered the Seacraft Hall.


    At this moment, however, Tang Xiu and Long Zhengyu, who had stopped their pace, could clearly hear the conversation between Du Yanjie and Li Chunlei.


    ¡°Wait a minute!¡±


    As Long Zhengyu turned around, a cold expression could be seen on his handsome face as he said succinctly, ¡°We can pay the bill for your expenses in the Seacraft Hall, but I don¡¯t know whether you can pay the price of enjoying it.¡±


    Stunned, Du Yunjie immediately looked at Long Zhengyu like he was a fool and then sneered, ¡°Do you really wanna know?¡±


    ¡°I do, humor me!¡± Said Long Zhengyu with an indifferent expression.


    While pointing at the Seacraft Hall, Du Yunjie said, ¡°Then come with us. And let¡¯s have a good chat as to ¡®what price we can pay¡¯ inside. Do you dare?¡±


    Long Zhengyu turned to Tang Xiu and spoke in all seriousness, ¡°Today¡¯s my fault. I shouldn¡¯t have brought you here. But since he wants to play, how about I follow the script to give you some relief?¡±


    Tang Xiu, on the other hand, also felt that Du Yunjie indeed had gone too far as he asked more after getting what he wanted. After thinking about it, he asked, ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°I never do something I don¡¯t have a confidence about.¡± Long Zhengyu nodded.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go inside and have a chat with them since you¡¯re so sure!¡± Tang Xiu let out a faint smile. ¡°I¡¯m actually quite annoyed myself. You can leave it to me if you can¡¯t handle it.¡±


    Du Yunjie frowned and looked at Tang Xiu and Long Zhengyu seriously. He was sure that he had never seen these two men. With his knowledge about the scions of the prominent families in Blue City, he was sure never saw them before. Therefore, the trace of dread he had inside previously was suddenly wiped out from his heart. He sneered as he watched those two enter the Seacraft Hall, and gave eye signals to the few people around him before following them inside.


    Li Chunlei was scared. He didn¡¯t think things would evolve to this extent. He wanted to stop Tang Xiu and Long Zhengyu, but the latter¡¯s grim expression made him realize that he wouldn¡¯t be able to do so. His mind was racing as he hurriedly grabbed his mobile phone and dialed one of the shareholder¡¯s number.


    ¡°Is there something up, Manager Li?¡± A lazy voice came out of the phone.


    ¡°Young Master Wang, something went wrong here,¡± said Li Chunlei hurriedly.


    A dozen kilometers away from the Clearlake Club was a villa complex. Wang Zidong¡¯s mouth clamped a cigarette while sitting at the mahjong table, playing with the gloomy Huang Xu in front of him, along with two other young men with bleached hair and tattoos on their bodies on his left and right.


    Wang Zidong, who just touched his beard and suddenly heard the report that something happened from Li Chunlei, immediately laughed and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be that anxious, speak slowly. Even if the sky is falling down we¡¯ll push it back up again.¡±


    ¡°Young Master Wang, Du Yunjie is having a conflict with other guests in our club,¡± said Li Chunlei bitterly. ¡°Originally, he had left the Seacraft Hall and the other guests then booked it. But he suddenly returned, wanting the box back and making the other guests get out. But then Du Yunjie demanded them to pay up for their bill in the Seacraft Hall today. Although the guests are only two men, I can tell that their identity is not simple either, hence the cause of their conflict.¡±


    Wang Zidong frowned, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll speak to Old Huang about this. I¡¯ll go there myself if he doesn¡¯t.¡±


    Having said it, he immediately hung up the phone.


    Huang Xu flipped his eyelids asked, ¡°Is there something up?¡±


    ¡°Something trivial happened at the club. Du Yunjie just ate a loss today, and he vented out his bottled up anger and finally had a conflict with two guests there. Are you going back, or should I go handle it?¡± Explained Wang Zidong.


    ¡°Do you think I still have the will to solve such a trivial matter today?¡± Asked Huang Xu.


    ¡°Ah, forget it then.¡± Wang Zidong shook his head and forced out a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll go since you don¡¯t want to.¡±


    Ring, ring, ring¡­ His mobile ringtone sounded again.


    Seeing that it was Li Chunlei who called him again, Wang Zidong immediately asked with an annoyed tone, ¡°Is it done already? I said I¡¯m about to go there, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Young Master Wang, are you with the Big Boss?¡± Asked Li Chunlei quickly.


    Wang Zidong directly hung up the call. He just said that he would go there, yet Li Chunlei still called him. This was simply stupid.


    ****


    Clearlake Club, Seacraft Hall.


    After Tang Xiu went in, he took the initiative to go to the sofa in the corner, took a seat and lit up a cigarette to watch the play that was about to unfold. He knew that Long Zhengyu could do a bit of Kung Fu, though he was not that powerful, that was enough to deal with two or three small hoodlums.


    ¡°What are you called, brat?¡± Du Yunjie squinted at Tang Xiu and immediately asked Long Zhengyu.


    ¡°You¡¯re not qualified to know my name.¡± Long Zhengyu sneered. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about this matter first! How do you want to solve it?¡±


    Du Yunjie was furious. He grabbed the ashtray and threw it at Long Zhengyu. As he saw that the latter could avoid it, he immediately shouted, ¡°Beat him! Either he comes out crawling today or it will be me!¡±


    With a cold light glinting in his eyes, Long Zhengyu then stabilized his body after avoiding the ashtray. He immediately grabbed the coffee table and exerted his strength to smash it toward Du Yunjie and the other youths.


    ¡°FUCK! (MOTHERFUCKER!)¡±


    The complexion of the youths drastically changed. The two-meter-long coffee table hit their calves, and the aching pain made them furious.


    However, Long Zhengyu had dashed toward them and delivered his fist to one of the youth¡¯s face, and then knocked the other one with his body. As the two youths fell to the floor, he then trampled on their faces.


    ¡°FUCKER¡­¡±


    At this time, the other two youths reacted and rushed toward Long Zhengyu. However, these two were the kind who had their bodies hollowed out by wine and women and could only last a dozen seconds before getting beaten on the floor by Long Zhengyu, who even kicked their faces after they were knocked out. He went so far as to flatten the previous two youths whose nostrils were bleeding and had blood also coming out of the corner of their mouths.


    Du Yunjie was scared and flabbergasted. Never once did he dream that the four friends he brought were so wasteful. They joined hands to beat a guy yet were knocked upside down by him instead. He knew that he himself was not good at fighting and therefore hurriedly called out when he saw that Long Zhengyu was walking towards him, ¡°Wait a minute!¡±


    Long Zhengyu stopped his pace, but in order to prevent the other four from getting up, he kicked the two men¡¯s head heavily and directly made them faint. Then, he turned around to look at Du Yunjie and sneered, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you scared?¡±


    Clenching his fist, Du Yunjie angrily said, ¡°I, Du Yunjie, don¡¯t know how to write the word ¡®fear¡¯. I admit you can fight, but today¡¯s society does not belong to those who can fight. Gimme a chance to make a phone call if you really have the ability. In half an hour you will know what you will get after offending me.¡±


    Long Zhengyu furrowed his brows. Though his Long Family was very powerful in Star City and his father had a lot of contacts in Blue City, yet this place was, after all, Blue City. And like people said, even powerful dragons were unable to suppress local snakes. If this bloke really had a big background in Blue City, then it would be very difficult for him to calmly leave.


    Tang Xiu flicked and pointed his cigarette as he smilingly said, ¡°Zhongyu, I think you should allow him to make a phone call. He¡¯s right. A single combat is nothing, but a full-scale combat does sound interesting.¡±


    Long Zhengyu looked at Tang Xiu and his furrowed brows immediately smoothed, and there was even a faint smile on his handsome face as he nodded and said, ¡°Young Master Du, isn¡¯t it? Since you want to call for help, then hurry up. We haven¡¯t eaten yet, thus I don¡¯t have much time to waste with you.¡±


    Though pretending to look angry on the surface, Du Yunjie was actually very nervous inside. He was afraid that the other party wouldn¡¯t give him a chance to make a phone call and even heavily beat him. If it did happen, suffering physical pain would be inevitable. Though he may be able to get back to the game in the public later, the news of him being beaten would definitely spread in Blue City¡¯s social circles.


    ¡°Hey, Qiangzi, bring our men to the Clearlake Club!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± The other party replied and directly hung up the phone.


    Du Yunjie then shot Long Zhengyu a cold glare before turning around and sitting on the sofa on the other side.


    A minute later, Li Chunlei pushed the door open and walked inside. He was slightly stunned after seeing the scene inside before his complexion drastically changed after.


    He never thought that the fight inside had already broken out though he just spent a little time to make a phone call, yet the result was beyond his expectations. The four men brought by Du Yunjie were all beaten, and even two of them were rolling about on the floor, whining in pain, whereas the other two were lying lifelessly on the floor like dead dogs.


    Fortunately, Du Yunjie was not beaten, else this would not end well, thought Li Chunlei inside, feeling fortunate.

 Chapter 616

    Chapter 616: Acting Like a Snob


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Clearlake Club had many competent security guards. Li Chunlei, however, didn¡¯t want to summon them because he was very aware of Du Yunjie¡¯s identity and also guessed that Long Zhengyu and Tang Xiu were not ordinary people as well. Facing such a scene at this moment, his expression turned very serious as he spoke, ¡°Gentlemen, I believe you also know the principle that the one at the post will worry about any matter concerned therewith. So to speak, I¡¯m a manager of this club, so I¡¯m the one responsible for the security. I¡¯ve already reported the conflict between you to our shareholders, and one of them is already on the way here. I hope you can keep your emotions in check before he arrives and not take this matter outside.¡±


    Having said that, he didn¡¯t stay in the Seacraft Hall, because he couldn¡¯t afford to involve himself in the arm wrestling between characters of this level, neither did he dare to be partial to any party at all. It was wiser for him to protect himself and play safe, for it was the only suitable choice for him.


    Ten minutes later, Wang Zidong appeared before Li Chunlei along with several stocky men and indifferently said, ¡°Where are they?¡±


    While pointing at the door of the Seacraft Hall, Li Chunlei forced a smile and said, ¡°They¡¯re inside.¡±


    Wang Zidong strode inside and was stunned. He never thought that such a situation had unfolded, with the four youths who were with Du Yunjie unexpectedly fallen on the floor and bleeding. He glanced at Long Zhengyu and Tang Xiu before nodding to Du Yunjie and asking, ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I don¡¯t want you to meddle in this even if it¡¯s happening in your Clearlake Club.¡± Du Yunjie shook his head and snorted coldly. ¡°The matter between us is for us to settle down, and we¡¯ll conclude this in the Seacraft Hall.¡±


    Awkward, Wang Zidong couldn¡¯t smile in response. He then looked at Long Zhengyu and Tang Xiu as he asked, ¡°What should I call the two of you?¡±


    Tang Xiu only let out a smile and didn¡¯t speak. It was Long Zhengyu who replied indifferently with squinted eyes, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be the one informing us of your role when entering the stage instead of asking us who we are?¡±


    Wang Zidong couldn¡¯t help chuckling, ¡°Buddy, you should have come from another city, right? There are only a few people in Blue City who don¡¯t know this Wang Zidong.¡±


    ¡°We came from the countryside, and there¡¯s nothing we can show off to widen your knowledge and will only be a laughingstock for you,¡± sneered Long Zhengyu.


    Wang Zidong¡¯s brows slightly furrowed and the smile on his face receded, as he then said, ¡°I have to advise the two of you politely. You too know that a dragon can never repress a local snake regardless of how formidable it is. This place is Blue City. You may have a very strong capital in other places, but you had better restrain yourself here. Give me face and I can give you a good solution for this matter.¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly smiled, ¡°Young Master Wang, yes? Alright, we¡¯ll give you face since this is your turf, after all! However, you must ask this kiddo first, is he willing to give you face?¡±


    Du Yunjie suddenly stood up from the sofa and angrily yelled, ¡°Zidong, they are too arrogant. I absolutely won¡¯t let this matter go if I don¡¯t discard them! If you still regard me as your friend, I hope you won¡¯t involve yourself in this!¡±


    With discontent on his face, Wang Zidong said, ¡°Young Master Du, are you trying to make things difficult for me? I know you feel chagrined by someone else today and bottled up your blazing anger inside. How about I go to the Cloud Palace to find their two best chicks? You can vent your fire tonight and conclude this matter here, okay?¡±


    Du Yunjie replied in a heavy voice, ¡°Qiangzi should be here with our men here soon. You should know well about his character. However, if you want me to conclude this matter, they must kneel down and apologize to my four brothers and then fork out several million yuan for their medical expenses.¡±


    Wang Zidong fell into silence. He knew who Qiangzi was; a famous man in Blue City due to his ruthlessness, very formidable martial arts, and his own capital coupled with a gang of desperados gathered under him. Only a few people in Blue City dared to provoke this man. With the Du Family possessing an official background and its young master¡ªDu Yunjie as his backer, he was naturally willing to fight for him. A half minute later, Wang Zidong let out a sigh before looking at Long Zhengyu and asking, ¡°Did only the two of you come to Blue City, there¡¯s no one else?¡±


    ¡°Yup, only us!¡± Said Long Zhengyu with an indifferent expression.


    Wang Zidong shook his head, ¡°In this case, I can only advise you to comply with what he said. Apologize and take out several million for compensation to conclude this matter.¡±


    ¡°Interesting, this is really amusing.¡± Long Zhengyu grinned. ¡°But what if I refuse?¡±


    ¡°I think it will be difficult for you to walk out of the club¡¯s door with your limbs intact then, so I¡¯m kindly telling you out of good intentions,¡± said Wang Zidong with a serious face.


    Be it either Du Yunjie¡¯s arrogance or this kind of good intention from Wang Zidong made Tang Xiu a bit angry and disgusted inside. He never liked this kind of silk pants, young masters¡¯ attitude to begin with. He lit up a cigarette and indifferently said, ¡°Thanks for the good intention. You can go to tend your things if you have nothing else to do here.¡±


    With a slight change in expression, Wang Zidong deeply gazed at Tang Xiu and said in a deep voice, ¡°Two gentlemen, since you insist on doing this, then don¡¯t blame me for not reminding you. We won¡¯t take responsibility if you some mishap were to happen to you here.¡±


    Then, he stepped out of the door after saying that!


    Li Chunlei followed behind Wang Zidong. After they came to the corridor, he quickly chased him and whispered, ¡°Young Master Wang, there¡¯s something that I didn¡¯t have time to tell you on the phone since you hung up. These two guests from another city, they said that they are Young Master Huang¡¯s friend.¡±


    Staring blankly for a moment, Wang Zidong then rolled his eyes and said, ¡°What Huang Xu¡¯s friends? He has many friends, who know where they come from if they only claim to be his friends?¡± Even though he said, however, he still inquired further, ¡°What do you know of them?¡±


    ¡°I only know that one of them is surnamed Long.¡± Li Chunlei shook his head. ¡°But I don¡¯t know anything about the other one.¡±


    The family name Long?


    Stunned and taken aback, Wang Zidong took his mobile out to dial Huang Xu¡¯s number. After finding out that his call didn¡¯t connect, he dialed another person¡¯s number and then said, ¡°Tell Huang Xu to answer my call.¡±


    A short while after, Huang Xu¡¯s voice came from the mobile phone, ¡°It¡¯s me, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Do you have a friend with the family name Long?¡± Asked Wang Zidong.


    At this time, Huang Xiu, who was still in the villa complex, furrowed his brows and waved to the young man behind him, hinting him to replace his position. After which, he walked to the side and said, ¡°He¡¯s a good friend of mine. Why are you asking about him?¡±


    ¡°There are two young men in the club, the ones who have a conflict with Du Yunjie,¡± said Wang Zidong. ¡°The four friends brought by him here have been miserably beaten, and I heard from Li Chunlei that these you young men claimed to be your buddies.¡±


    With a changed expression, Huang Xu replied in a deep voice, ¡°I see, I¡¯ll be there at once. Do remember, you must keep the situation in check before I get there!¡±


    ¡°Roger that!¡± Wang Zidong replied, and there was a trace of puzzlement on his face.


    At this moment, Huang Xu¡¯s complexion was very unsightly. He took out his mobile phone from his pocket but then recalled that it was broken after falling before. Then, he immediately took someone else¡¯s mobile and dialed a certain cell number.


    After Wang Zidong hung up the phone, he then returned to the Seacraft Hall. As he was about to speak, he heard the ringtone of Long Zhengyu¡¯s mobile phone ringing.


    Long Zhengyu had just lit up a cigarette at this time. After taking out his mobile and looking at the screen, he saw that it was an unfamiliar number, yet he still connected it and lightly said, ¡°Long Zhengyu speaking, who am I speaking with?¡±


    ¡°Hello, Young Master Long, where are you now?¡± Huang Xu¡¯s voice was heard coming out of the phone.


    After tilting one of his legs, Long Zhengyu sneered, ¡°Young Master Huang is truly acting refined and great today, eh? Do you care about where I¡¯m at today, huh? What¡¯s up? Are you gonna join these young master silk pants of Blue City since you feel that Long Zhengyu is so easy to bully?¡±


    Huang Xu gripped the mobile phone and force out a wry smile. He could already tell who was in conflict with Du Yanjie from Long Zhengyu¡¯s tone and words. ¡°Young Master Long, I¡¯m in the wrong. I will catch up with you at once. I¡¯ll apologize and make it up to you when I get there.¡±


    ¡°No need for compensation. But we are starving!¡± Long Zhengyu replied indifferently. ¡°Tell your people to not stutter and serve us before this Great Young Master Du¡¯s men come, so as to avoid we collapsing not because of us getting beaten by others, but because we are starving!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll immediately tell them.¡± Huang Xiu hesitated a bit before replying, ¡°That¡¯s right, you mentioned ¡®we¡¯. Who is¡­¡±


    ¡°You still have a relaxed mood to fart over this?¡± Long Zhengyu angrily yelled. ¡°Today you disgraced yourself! If I had known this earlier I wouldn¡¯t have come to this lousy place of yours!¡±


    After saying that, he hung up and panted with rage!


    Huang Xu was utterly dumbfounded. He had known Long Zhengyu for a long time and never once seen him become this angry. He rushed out so hurriedly that he forgot to give back the mobile phone to his friend on the mahjong table.


    Inside the Seacraft Hall¡­


    Wang Zidong was also taken aback since he never imagined that Huang Xu would make a phone call to the other party just as he returned to the box. What shocked him the most was that the young man called Long Zhengyu spoke in an angry tone, not giving him any face at all.


    In an instant, he suddenly felt that Du Yunjie would meet his rotten luck today.


    At this moment, Du Yunjie was also stunned. He was usually very smart, but today he was fuming with anger without anywhere to vent it out. He then lashed out on Tang Xiu and Long Zhengyu. But after he heard the call received by Long Zhengyu, he realized that the person who called him should be Huang Xu.


    He was not afraid of Huang Xu, but he was very afraid of the extraordinary consequences nevertheless.


    Less than half a minute later, Wang Zidong¡¯s mobile rang. Just as he answered it, Huang Xu¡¯s voice came out, ¡°Zidong, immediately order the people in the kitchen to prepare a meal for my friends, and do it at the fastest speed! Do remember, these men have a very special identity, so you must keep the situation in check before I get there!¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Wang Zidong opened his mouth but didn¡¯t know what to say all of a sudden. When he recalled what he had just said to Long Zhengyu and Tang Xiu, he gulped down and smiled bitterly before replying, ¡°What the fuck have you done to me? If I knew earlier that they were your friends, I would have fucking rushed here and involved myself! Bah, forget it. I got it!¡±


    After hanging up, he then immediately looked at Li Chunlei and said, ¡°These two guests haven¡¯t had their meals yet. Go to the kitchen and tell them to make their meal at the fastest speed possible!¡±


    ¡°What exactly is going on?¡± Li Chunlei was struck dumb, whereas Du Yunjie was dumbfounded.

 Chapter 617

    Chapter 617: Looking for Trouble


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Without sparing a mind to the other¡¯s mind, Wang Zidong looked at Long Zhengyu with a complicated expression, forced out a bitter smile and said, ¡°I hope you can ignore my inappropriate attitude and mannerism a moment ago, Young Master Long. If anything, I did that in hopes that both of you wouldn¡¯t have any mishaps during your visit to our club.¡±


    ¡°Your club has already incurred my bad impression,¡± said Long Zhengyu indifferently. ¡°Visitors are guests, and you are responsible for the safety of your guests. There are exceptions, however, and you are one. You are afraid of the power possessed by others and have little to no strength to boot in this Blue City.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Wang Zidong was a bit embarrassed. Long Zhengyu¡¯s statement was indeed unpleasant to hear, but he knew that what he said was right. It was because of Du Yunjie¡¯s identity that he failed in this aspect. Therefore, he took a stand and immediately stated, ¡°That¡¯s right, Young Master Long is correct in saying that our club does hold the responsibility to protect the safety of our guests. We neglected and didn¡¯t pay the due care for it previously, but I assure you that a similar incident will never occur again in the future.¡±


    Long Zhengyu still wanted to add more, but Tang Xiu stopped him, as he then chuckled and said, ¡°Young Master Wang, right? Let us not mention about this vulgar matter, shall we? The Seacraft Hall is in a mess and we will compensate for your losses. Anyways, could you take them out of this box first? Don¡¯t worry, though. We will not leave¡ªyou can count on that since we are waiting for his men to come. Or, are you going to¡­ wait here and watch us eat?¡±


    Wang Zidong nodded in response before shifting his sight to Du Yunjie.


    Du Yanjie had seen many arrogant fellows, but never such an arrogant one. They still had the courage to eat while waiting for the enemy to come? Though he had guessed that Tang Xiu and Long Zhengyu possessed a certain identity, else they couldn¡¯t become Huang Xu¡¯s friends, where were they? This was Blue City! Regardless of their beings dragons or snakes in another place, Blue City was a territory where he reigned on top!


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you face and allow you to eat to your heart¡¯s content. I just hope that everything you swallow won¡¯t come out after you get beaten!¡± Said Du Yunjie coldly before turning around and going outside. Two of his buddies were badly beaten, whereas the other two were fainted on the floor, so they had to summon the security guards to bring them out.


    The messed and chaotic Seacraft Hall turned temporarily clean and orderly after the waiter was done the cleaning. The tea table that was turned upside down had been straightened, but the crack on it was a testimony that a fight just happened a moment ago. Shortly after, fragrant dishes were delivered along with two bottles of Gods Nectar.


    Tang Xiu was actually still alright since he had lunch quite late, thus he wasn¡¯t that hungry at present. But Long Zhengyu woke up at noon and only ate an apple before rushing to Long¡¯s Dining Hall to see Tang Xiu. He originally planned to have dinner in the Long¡¯s Dining Hall but had his brain heated up by Tang Xiu and got swayed, so they decided to go to Blue City, thus the reason he hadn¡¯t anything to eat until now. He was so starved that he was wolfing the dishes down.


    In the next room, Du Yunjie was sitting while smoking on the sofa with a flushed face, whereas Wang Zidong held both his arms. There was a sympathizing look on his face whenever he glanced at Du Yunjing. He just couldn¡¯t fathom that, just an hour or two ago, Du Yunjie provoked two silk pants who came from Shanghai, one of whom had his biological uncle as the second-in-command authoritative figure in Shuangqing Province. Therefore, Du Yunjie was humiliated, despite the place being his own domain, and even several of his friends got kicked a few times while some others got slapped in the face.


    And the end result? The harm spread out to him by coincidence due to Huang Xu. The cause as to why he was sneered and jeered at by the other party without giving him the slight face at all was just because he said one or two words to help the fella.


    Yet now, he even got into a troublesome matter at the Clearlake Club. Though he didn¡¯t know that young man named Long Zhengyu, this guy was definitely not your common generation layman since Huang Xu looked very nervous facing him. And this time, Du Yunjie may have kicked an iron plate tonight.


    ¡°Zidong, what did Huang Xu say to you on the phone?¡± Asked Du Yunjie. He tried to restrain himself but was finally unable to bear it any longer.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you two things,¡± said Wang Zidong indifferently. ¡°Firstly, they are his friends, and secondly, they have a very deep background!¡±


    Du Yunjie frowned. He coldly snorted and said, ¡°Hmph, even if they do have a deep background, they still must be obedient in Blue City. I will never believe that their backgrounds are bigger than that damn surnamed Zhang.¡±


    ¡°Even if their backgrounds are indeed inferior to that Zhang fella¡¯s, provoking them won¡¯t be that easy,¡± refuted Wang Zidong while shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯ve investigated this matter thoroughly, and it was you who incited this matter and provoked the other party first. I just hope that you are mentally prepared since it won¡¯t be easy for this matter to conclude in a friendly manner.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m afraid of them?¡± Asked Du Yunjie in a heavy voice.


    After sighing inside, Wang Zidong said, ¡°Let¡¯s not say whether you¡¯re afraid or not first. But I think you should tell your brother about the matter here so as to prepare against contingencies, just in case.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, do you think I still have the face to tell my big brother?¡± Du Yanjie hummed. ¡°That surnamed Zhang really has a background in Blue City, and my big brother has already helped to solve it for me. If I were to call him again, do you think I, Du Yunjie, will still have the face to socialize in Blue City?¡±


    Wang Zidong fell into silence. He and Du Yunjie were old friends, hence the advice. But the fella himself gave a deaf ear to everything he said, thus he didn¡¯t want to involve himself in this matter anymore. In any case, Huang Xu was kind enough to help him cover this matter and told him something. He decided to not easily jump into the problem before he could clearly figure out the origin of the other party, so it was best to avoid it and stay silent.


    Quickly after, Huang Xu had returned back in a hurry to Clearlake Club and quickly rushed over after asking where Long Zhengyu and Tang Xiu were at. He then met Li Chunlei in the corridor and pulled him to a secluded corner to ask him about the truth of the matter, thus turning furious inside.


    This fucking Du Yunjie, he just smeared this Father¡¯s face with shame! Huan Xu cursed furiously inside. As he was about to set off to Seacraft Hall to apologize to Long Zhengyu, Li Chunlei spoke to him in a whisper, ¡°Boss, Du Yunjie and Young Master Wang are in the other box, would you like to see them first?¡±


    Huang Xu stared blankly for a moment before thinking about it. He felt that he should first reprimand Du Yunjie and then take him to the Seacraft Hall to apologize.


    Creak¡­


    The door to the next box was pushed open by Li Chunlei. After which, Huang Xu went inside with a grim face. His eyes only glanced at Wang Zidong before falling onto Du Yunjie¡¯s ashen face and then indifferently said, ¡°Recalling the account between us as old friends, and on the account of your big brother who has once helped me, I¡¯ll give you an opportunity to go with me to the Seacraft Hall to apologize now. Otherwise¡­¡±


    Huang Xu¡¯s statement fanned the flames and incited Du Yunjie. He suddenly slapped the tabletop, got up and yelled, ¡°Huang Xu, on which side are you standing? You want me to apologize to them, to those hillbillies coming from the countryside? How will I, Du Yunjie, still have a face with this shame in the future?¡±


    Huang Xu narrowed his eyes and a cold glint flashed in his eyes. Then, he said with a cold and detached tone, ¡°I think your face is not as good as your life. Yes, I know that they may be hillbillies in your eyes, people from low social strata. But I wanna I ask you something if you really are determined to lose all decorum with them. How much power do your Du Family need to destroy the Long Family of Star City? You will only kill 1,000 at the cost of the deaths of 800 of your men. Does your Du Family really want to pay such a big price?¡±


    The Long Family from Star City?


    Was it the Long Family who was now rapidly developing and became the first prominent family in Star City? Then, that guy named Long Zhengyu was from that Long Family?


    ¡°I can tell you something more.¡± Huang Xu sneered. ¡°Long Zhengyu is the eldest son of Long Hanwen and is the future heir of the Long Family¡¯s Head. He¡¯s very powerful by himself, and 50% of the Long Family¡¯s businesses are now under his flag, whereas Long Hanwen himself highly regards and favors him. If the Long and Du Families were to really fight, Long Hanwen will definitely not hold back all the power his family has to act for his son. Then, what will the Du Family do to help you?¡±


    Du Yunjie¡¯s gasped for breath as his expression grew cloudy and unsettled. He realized the reasoning in Huang Xu¡¯s argument. Though the Long Family was headquartered in Star City, their strength was definitely terrifying. In the case that, as Huang Xu said, he and Long Zhengyu were to tear off all decorum, his family would definitely not be willing to wage war just for this matter.


    However, he didn¡¯t want to lower his head to apologize, either!


    Du Yunjie fell into silence for a while before raising his head reluctantly, and then coldly said, ¡°I¡¯m going to end this matter at this point since I¡¯m looking at your face, Huang Xu. Tell them to come over here to settle this matter.¡±


    Apparently, Huang Xu also realized that this was probably Du Yunjie¡¯s bottom line and felt somewhat helpless inside. However, he still said, ¡°Come with me if you want to reconcile with them!¡±


    Du Yunjie scrunched up before getting up and saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go then!¡±


    Inside the Seacraft Hall.


    Tang Xiu and Long Zhengyu were having their meal when they saw Huang Xu entering. There was a smile on Tang Xiu¡¯s face was in contrast to the cold and detached as he glanced at him. He then smiled and greet Huang Xu.


    ¡°T-Tang¡­ Brother Tang Xiu?¡±


    Huang Xu was utterly taken aback. He never imagined that the person who came with Long Zhengyu turned out to be Tang Xiu.


    This incident was troublesome!


    He was perfectly aware of how ruthless and merciless Tang Xiu could be, and was crystal clear that he was not just solely the owner behind the Magnificent Tang Corporation. His identity was not that simple since he was Beijing¡¯s¡­


    Pa¡­


    All of a sudden, Huang Xu turned around, slapped Du Yunjie¡¯s face and bellowed, ¡°You have killed me, you fucking asshole! I, Huang Xu, have done a lot of shameful things, but today¡­ now¡­ I wish that I could find a hole to burrow myself into!¡±


    ¡°WHAT THE¡­¡±


    The slap made Du Yunjie perplexed and stunned. This wasn¡¯t what they had agreed to previously, was it?


    Tang Xiu pointed to the nearby sofa and smilingly said, ¡°Well, Zhengyu hadn¡¯t had much to eat today, so it¡¯s best to wait until he finishes his meal.¡±


    Huang Xu squeezed out a smile and nodded before forcefully pulling the perplexed Du Yunjie and then sitting on that sofa.


    Finally, Du Yunjie snapped back to his senses. He subconsciously lifted his hand to touch his slapped chin as anger exploded inside his chest. He stepped back and pointed at Huang Xu, cursing angrily, ¡°Are you fucking insane, Huang Xu? Spit it out if a problem crops up. What the fuck did you lash out at me for?¡±


    ¡°Will you fucking shut up?¡± Huang Xu was also incensed. ¡°Get your fucking ass and sit down next to me!¡±


    Flames of anger burst inside Du Yunjie¡¯s eyes as he yelled back, ¡°Huang Xu, you¡¯re really a fucking trash. You of all people are siding with the outsides instead of your own people. I, this Du Yunjie, finally see through you. Hmph¡­ I may dread you, but I was never once afraid of you! Do you want to stick out with them and then flush your shit on me?¡±

 Chapter 618

    Chapter 618: Extreme Beating


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Huang Xu closed his eyes, took a breath, and opened them again. He looked at Tang Xiu as he forced a smile and said, ¡°Brother Tang, it¡¯s been really unfair to you today. I¡¯m sorry. This face of mine is so painful that I have no mind to do anything, so you can play and do everything you want!¡±


    Tang Xiu put down the chopsticks. Then he smilingly looked at Huang Xu and said, ¡°This is a good place indeed, but this place is, after all, your territory. Since you¡¯ve said that, then you won¡¯t mind if I don¡¯t refrain myself anymore, yes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all up to you!¡± Huang Xu nodded with an ashamed face.


    Tang Xiu grabbed a bottle of Gods Nectar from the table. Under everyone¡¯s watchful eyes, he took a few steps toward Du Yunjie. When he saw the latter taking a few steps backward, he smiled and said, ¡°What happened today is nothing but a little conflict! But you acted so arrogantly because this place is your territory and used it to bully us. Therefore, since those people you called have yet to arrive, I¡¯ll make you first carve this memory on you as a reminder for you to behave and not be so rampant again later.¡±


    As his voice faded away, Tang Xiu dashed and instantly appeared in front of Du Yunjie as he smashed the wine bottle on his head. Wine and blood splattered at the same time, as Du Yunjie staggered backward and almost fell to the floor a few seconds later. Tang Xiu then delivered a heavy slap to his face, pulled him and threw him to the door as the guy heavily slammed on the floor.


    Aaargh¡­ Shrill screams came out of Du Yunjie.


    Tang Xiu shook his head as he forced a smile and said, ¡°You dare to make trouble everywhere with such abilities? You really are asking for the road to ruin.¡±


    At this time, Long Zhengyu finally put down the chopsticks and casually shot a look at Du Yunjie, who had been badly beaten and was slumped on the floor. His eyes then fell on Huang Xu and hummed with resentment, ¡°Contrary to what I expected, you really pushed this matter to make yourself clean, Young Master Huang. I sweet-talked Tang Xiu to come over to Blue City on a heavy snowy day just to support and cheer you up. Then, what do we have in the end? Nothing but some damn bad luck. Look at my face! Getting a slap on it is so hurtful. I was bragging to Tang Xiu before we came here that you are really capable now and how great your club is. And now?¡±


    Huang Xu was so embarrassed that he wished to find a crack in the floor to burrow himself into. He then said with a bitter expression, ¡°Young Master Long, today was indeed unjust for you. I can¡¯t make it up for you today, but please look forward to my performance until this matter has concluded. Is that okay with you?¡±


    Long Zhengyu rolled his eyes at him in response and hummed, ¡°You can be considered as thoughtful, kiddo. But there¡¯s another thing, though. What happened to your mobile phone? I¡¯ve been calling you but can¡¯t connect at all.¡±


    With lips trembling a little, Huang Xu helplessly said, ¡°This reminds me of that shameful matter that happened two hours ago. It was because of this idiot¡ªDu Yunjie. He provoked two scions from Shanghai who came here. Who could have thought that those two turned out to have a deep background in Blue City? As a result, my mobile was broken by others, and I was even jeered and sneered at.¡±


    ¡°Some people from Shanghai?¡± Long Zhengyu was surprised. ¡°Tang Xiu has been living in Shanghai for less than half a year, right? Tell me, what¡¯s the origin of the other party?¡±


    ¡°One is Zhang Xiaolei, the eldest son of Zhang Yueming, the owner of Shanghai¡¯s Xinyang Group, while the other one is Gu Tao, the son of Dingshen Media¡¯s owner. These two guys have a very formidable background, especially Zhang Xiaolei since his uncle is the second authoritative figure in Shuangqing Province.¡±


    Long Zhengyu let out a strange smile as he looked at Du Yunjie with some admiration. He praised while raising his thumb and sighing, ¡°This buddy truly is awesome! Each and every character he provokes is more powerful than the other. He even dares to provoke two scions from two major companies. That¡¯s really admirable! I¡¯m truly convinced!¡±


    Having said that, he then looked at Tang Xiu and smilingly asked, ¡°Tang Xiu, tell me. You have been living in Shanghai for nearly half a year, do you know these two fellas?¡±


    ¡°Nope, I don¡¯t know them.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°But I have a bit friendship with their fathers, though.¡±


    Puff¡­¡±WHAT?¡±


    Long Zhengyu, who was sipping tea, spurted it out. Huang Xu was struck dumb and tongue-tied with a shocked expression in his eyes.


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re friends I met on the wine table just by chance, really,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Long Zhengyu let out a wry smile while shaking his head and then sighed, ¡°Tang Xiu, more and more I realize the disparity between us. I¡¯m just like a toddler as I got along with those big shots, whereas you have already made a bridge and befriended them. You know, you gotta introduce me to these people if there¡¯s a chance later, so as to give me a chance to elevate my good points and get close with them.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, ¡°Don¡¯t talk like this, will you? Anyways, tell me. How do you want to play this game tonight?¡±


    Looking at Du Yunjie who got up from the floor, Long Zhengyu grinned, ¡°How about doing it like your usual style?¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and looked at Huang Xu, ¡°Young Master Huang, this kiddo surnamed Du should have more a powerful background than this, right?¡±


    ¡°The Du Family is ranked in the top five in Blue City,¡± answered Huang Xu with a forced smile.


    ¡°Okay, please do me a favor.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Call someone who can be regarded to have a voice in the Du Family and tell him to come over and bring some people. Emphasize it that they will only collect the dead body of this Du brat if they don¡¯t come within an hour!¡±


    Huang Xu¡¯s heart thumped and he abruptly got up. He hastily walked toward the door and shot Du Yunjie a deep look, who was still dizzy, as he shook his head and bypassed him. After coming outside, he called Du Yunjie¡¯s big brother, Du Yunlong.


    ¡°Something happened again, Huang Xu?¡± A cold voice came from the phone.


    There was a bitter smile on Huang Xu¡¯s face as he replied, ¡°Yeah, something happened, big time. You¡­ you better contact your father or someone with the biggest authority in the Du Family. Your little brother just stirred up trouble in my club. Big trouble!¡±


    ¡°That fucking bastard, who the hell did he provoke this time?¡± Du Yunlong cursed.


    ¡°It¡¯s Long Zhengyu of the Long Family and Tang Xiu from Star City,¡± said Huang Xu.


    ¡°Tang Xiu?¡± Du Yunlong was silent for a moment before asking. ¡°Which Tang Xiu, exactly?¡±


    ¡°You should have heard his name, too, right?¡± Huang Xu smiled bitterly. ¡°Which Tang Xiu can make me call you? Just come quickly! He said that if someone with authority from the Du Family doesn¡¯t come here within an hour, then he will give you the dead body of your little brother!¡±


    Afterward, Huang Xu hung up the phone and was about to return to the Seacraft Hall when he saw Wang Zidong also coming out from the inside and had his lips wriggling. He apparently wanted to speak but was hesitating.


    ¡°You got something you wanna say?¡± Asked Huang Xu with a forced smile.


    Wang Zidong threw a quick glance at the door before asking in a low voice, ¡°Huang Xu, I heard the name Tang Xiu before. He should be the Young Divine Doctor from Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, right? Does he have a very powerful background?¡±


    Huang Xu was silent for a few seconds, and then answered in a whisper, ¡°What do you think about those two fellas Du Yunjie provoked tonight, do they have strong backgrounds?¡±


    ¡°Big ones!¡± Wang Zidong nodded cautiously.


    Huang Xu replied with a taste of ridicule in his voice, ¡°Even if the forces behind those two guys are added and multiplied by ten, they still won¡¯t be able to match Brother Tang Xiu¡¯s. Above him¡­ is the sky.¡±


    He pointed his finger up while saying this.


    Wang Zidong was flabbergasted. It took dozens of seconds for him to be able to react, yet there was a shocked and panicked expression on his face. He had already thought of the prominent families surnamed Tang who could be the most powerful family in the country.


    There should be one¡­ and that was the Tang Family of Beijing.


    As of the past two months, there had been a major earthquake in the bureaucracy of the government in the country as numerous office positions changed, along with the shifting of rights and benefits in extension. The ultimate cause of this great earthquake was exactly the Tang Family of Beijing. His family, the Wangs, had quite an influence in Shuangqing Province, so he had been paying attention to the matter as well, and he naturally knew how terrifying the Tang Family was for being able to decimate the Yao Family.


    Du Yunjie is done for.


    He then recalled the advice he gave to Tang Xiu and Long Zhengyu before, and couldn¡¯t bear to let out a bitter smile. At that time, he was nothing but a joke in their eyes, right?


    Inside the Seacraft Hall.


    Tang Xiu picked up the hot tea delivered by the waiter. After tasting it twice, he said, ¡°Huang Xu, don¡¯t let anyone from this club block the people from the Du Family from coming here. Regardless of who they are and how many people come over, allow all of them to enter. Zhengyu is kinda vexed inside, so he must vent it out.¡±


    Huang Xu only smiled bitterly and nodded.


    A few minutes later, Li Chunlei called Huang Xu, informing that A¡¯ Qiang had arrived with a dozen or so people and was heading toward the Seacraft Hall.


    Bam¡­


    The door was kicked open as a stocky middle-aged man with knife scars on his bald head entered. Following him from behind were dozens of ruthless-looking middle-aged men who quickly walked inside. Fortunately, the Seacraft Hall was large enough and didn¡¯t feel crowded even though all of them came in.


    ¡°YOUNG MASTER DU!¡±


    A¡¯ Qiang was startled upon seeing Du Yunjie¡¯s appearance. He hurriedly dashed over and propped him up.


    At this time, the chagrined feeling inside Du Yunjie¡¯s heart had reached the limit. He also knew that today¡¯s matter had come to the point that it wouldn¡¯t end in a friendly manner at all. Therefore, after A¡¯ Qiang came to his side, he pointed at Tang Xiu and Long Zhengyu and shouted, ¡°Beat them up for me. I¡¯ll take the responsibility for whatever happens!¡±


    Upon hearing this, A¡¯ Qiang issued orders without a shred of hesitation. His backer in Blue City was the Du Family. He knew that he would end up in trouble if he went against Du Yunjie¡¯s wishes at this time.


    ¡°STOP!¡± Huang Xu angrily yelled.


    The dozens of people, however, didn¡¯t even spare him a glance and stormed over toward Tang Xiu and Long Zhengyu.


    Tang Xiu scornfully sneered inwardly. His figure instantly flashed over and clashed with them. If it wasn¡¯t for the sake of not exposing magic spells to the people present here, he would have used it to blow up the wits of these goons already.


    Bam, bam, bam¡­


    When his fists came in contact with their flesh, bone breaking sounds and screeching screams interlinked into a single note in just a few dozen seconds. More than a dozen ruthless people with kung fu foundation were all beaten by Tang Xiu under everyone¡¯s watchful eyes. The most notable of all was that Tang Xiu acted very ruthless as he straightly broke both of their legs.


    ¡°How is this possible?¡±


    A¡¯ Qiang¡¯s complexion drastically changed and looked horrified. He had a good kung fu and was only a step shy of the martial arts grandmaster level, and more than a dozen of his men had been practicing Kung fu ever since they were children. Some of them were trained by him and had an extremely rich combat experience. Yet now¡­ how come they were all beaten and knocked out in just a dozen seconds or so?


    ¡°WHO ARE YOU?¡± Asked A¡¯ Qiang angrily.


    ¡°Relying on your qualification to know who I am? Dream on!¡± Tang Xiu sneered.


    A¡¯ Qiang released Du Yunjie and pulled out a pistol from his waist, pointed its muzzle to Tang Xiu and scornfully said, ¡°Your kung fu is indeed very formidable. But I wanna know who¡¯s faster, you or a bullet!¡±

 Chapter 619

    Chapter 619: One Punch Kill


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Many people had once pointed their guns at Tang Xiu, but 99% of them didn¡¯t have a good end. Just as A¡¯ Qiang pointed the gun at him, his eyes seemed to see a dead person.


    ¡°Do you really want to compare it?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with an indifferent smile.


    Killing intention surged inside A¡¯ Qiang¡¯s eyes. Though the indifference displayed by Tang Xiu made him hesitant and afraid, yet he would never hesitate to shoot since he knew that all humans, including himself, only had one life.


    Life has a funny way of giving back what you put out, as one will have to pay for what they had done sooner and later!


    He was fully aware of what this sentence meant and had made his own preparation many years ago. However, he still had the Du Family as his backer and would come out safe and sound; unless the Du Family didn¡¯t want to shelter him anymore. In that unlikely case, he could still hit the road and ran away. He had left a way out for himself a few years ago and could go abroad if worse came to worst.


    At the side, the moment when A¡¯ Qiang pulled his pistol out, Huang Xu¡¯s eyes contracted violently and he hesitated for a moment. But then, he strode forward and stopped in front of Tang Xiu, blocking A¡¯ Qiang and shouting at him, ¡°If you dare to shoot, then kill me first. Else put your gun down!¡±


    A¡¯ Qiang was taken aback. He never dreamed that the young master of the Huang Family¡ªHuang Xu would actually come forward to shield Tang Xiu. He knew perfectly well how powerful the Huang Family in Shuangqing Province was, as even the Du Family never wanted to provoke them. If he shot him, it was highly likely that the Du Family wouldn¡¯t be able to shelter him, and he would be butchered by the Huang Family¡¯s people if he stayed in Blue City.


    A smile outlined the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth. While that smile climbed up his face, he patted Huang Xu¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Huang Xu, I accept your good intentions, but let me solve this matter myself! He¡¯s a nobody, no need for you to be troubled by him.¡±


    As his voice faded away, his figure that was originally behind Huang Xu instantly disappeared. When he reappeared again, his fingers had already pinched A¡¯ Qiang¡¯s wrist, and the latter dropped the gun the moment Tang Xiu¡¯s fist punched his forehead. A¡¯ Qiang¡¯s nose caved in and his facial bones shattered, with blood flowing out from his eyes. The man then collapsed on the floor.


    A violent death with a single punch!


    Tang Xiu casually kicked A¡¯ Qiang¡¯s dead body and sent him to the corner of the wall. Then, he slowly returned to the sofa. After taking a seat, he smiled and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that I would have to kill someone, but since I already killed him then so be it! Young Master Du, right? Now, please continue with the phone call to summon your people. We can opt to go outside if you can¡¯t bring them here. I myself don¡¯t mind booking this Clearlake Club for us to continue. Besides, it¡¯s quite spacious outside, big enough for us to play.¡±


    Du Yunjie violently shivered and felt the shadow of death looming over his heart, making him wish to run away at this moment. Unbridled, wild, and arrogant he may be, but that was on the premise that he didn¡¯t bump into tough, ruthless, and merciless people. But at this time, the Tang Xiu in front of him was too powerful, as he was even able to deal with more than a dozen ruthless and strong thugs from Blue City¡¯s underworld society all by himself. The most notable fact was that he dared to kill openly and straightforwardly?


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    He looked at A¡¯ Qiang¡¯s dead body, and the panicked expression on his face was particularly evident. Running away was not something he dared to do; making a phone call to pray for help to come, the savior hadn¡¯t yet arrived. He was afraid that Tang Xiu would change his mind and kill him before his big brother arrived.


    Huang Xu knew that today¡¯s matter was doomed to become big when Tang Xiu killed A¡¯ Qiang. Out of rage, he glared at the paralyzed Du Yunjie, who was out of his wits and then looked at Long Zhengyu, a plea in his eyes. He knew the relationship between him and Tang Xiu, and the only person who was probably able to calm Tang Xiu down at this time was none other but him.


    Long Zhengyu was taciturn for a while before he suddenly shook his head and smilingly spoke, ¡°Tang Xiu, let¡¯s just wait for someone from the Du Family to come over! If they lower their heads to apologize, let¡¯s conclude this matter and forget it. But if they don¡¯t, then let¡¯s have some more fun.¡±


    ¡°Are you getting soft?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Nope, nothing like that.¡± Long Zhengyu shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s just that our original intention was to play in Blue City. There¡¯s no need to create more trouble; though we don¡¯t fear trouble ourselves. But having fewer incidents is much better than more, nonetheless. Rather than waste time on fighting and killing, it¡¯s better to sit with some friends to eat and drink.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense to me.¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing.


    ¡°True that. True that.¡± Huang Xu echoed quickly. ¡°I have nothing here but tons of good wine and meat to spice things up. Or, how about I arrange this for you in advance? When someone from the Du Family comes here and expressly discuss this matter, everything will be finished.¡±


    ¡°No hurry. I don¡¯t think this matter can be done easily.¡± Tang Xiu slightly smiled. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t let this matter go as long as the Du Family wants their face still intact. We¡¯ll wait here! Someone will probably come soon.¡±


    Immediately, the atmosphere inside the Seacraft Hall froze. Except for those stocky men who were badly beaten and were lying around Du Yanjie, Huang Xu and Wang Zidong had bitter smiles plastered on their faces, as they didn¡¯t know whether they had to sit or stand, feeling on edge and uneasy.


    ¡°I¡­ let me go out and have a look first.¡± After getting stunned for a period of time, Wang Zidong braved himself to speak.


    Tang Xiu glanced at him and said, ¡°Going out to take a look is fine, but don¡¯t talk too much!¡±


    Wang Zidong himself had just decided that he would tell Du Yunlong about Tang Xiu¡¯s identity after the man had arrived here. But when he heard Tang Xiu¡¯s warning, he immediately tossed this thought away. He was not afraid of the Du Family, what he feared was Du Yunlong. But if he were to compare him with Tang Xiu, he was definitely more afraid of Tang Xiu.


    After going out, Wang Zidong saw Li Chunlei waiting in the corridor outside and said with a bitter smile, ¡°Send instructions to clean up the Supreme Hall and prepare good wine and dishes. Also, take the best tea leaves in my room to the Supreme Hall as well, it will be used later.¡±


    Inside, Li Chunlei was shocked. Though he had long guessed that Long Zengyu and Tang Xiu had extraordinary identities, little did he think that they would receive such attention and care. One must know that the guests who could use the Supreme Hall in Blue City were probably less than the number of fingers in both of his hands.


    ¡°I¡¯ll arrange it now!¡±


    Wang Zidong watched as he left. He fell into silence for a short while before clenching his teeth, typing a text and sending it.


    On a road a dozen kilometers away, two cars were heading toward the direction of the Clearlake Club. Inside one of the Mercedes-Benz, Du Yunlong¡¯s mobile phone vibrated. After he took it out and read the text message, his face slightly changed.


    ¡°Master, A¡¯ Qiang is dead.¡± Du Yunlong turned his head and looked at the middle-aged man sitting beside him.


    Shao Mingzhen slightly furrowed his brows. Pity could be seen on his face as he lightly said, ¡°I originally wanted to enter Blue City secretly by subduing A¡¯ Qiang and using him as my proxy. I didn¡¯t expect him to die. Wasn¡¯t he sheltered by your Du Family? Don¡¯t tell me he provoked a terrifying figure?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, either.¡± Du Yunlong shook his head. ¡°Just before I received a text that you¡¯re at the airport, I had been informed that my little brother has stirred up trouble in the Clearlake Club. He should be the one who called A¡¯ Qiang, so¡­¡±


    ¡°You two are biological brothers from the Du Family, yet have such different characters.¡± Shao Mingzhen narrowed his eyes. ¡°You have great aim, great ambition, a steady and safe attitude in pursuing something, and a low-key disposition. Yet Du Yunjie is unbridled and seriously have a silk pants¡¯ bad habits. I¡¯m afraid he will be in for getting stabbed and stuffed into a big basket in the future if your family can¡¯t properly restrain him.¡±


    ¡°My parents are too fond of him, thus they spoiled him,¡± said Du Yunlong helplessly. ¡°Though I have tried to keep him in check, I don¡¯t have other means to change his slovenly, reckless attitude completely. How about you find some time to teach him well, Master? I believe that he will definitely grow a lot if you are willing to teach him.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll discuss this matter some other time!¡± said Shao Mingzhen faintly. ¡°I still have a lot of things to deal with, and though there¡¯s no need for me to involve myself with the matters in Star City, the expansion I planned in the dark is kind of obstructed. If there¡¯s no other way around to break into Blue City, it won¡¯t be easy to expand my influence in other provinces than Shuangqing Province.¡±


    ¡°But Master, there are many families in Blue City, and some of them even have a deeper heritage as well as an intricate network,¡± hesitantly said Du Yunlong. ¡°If you want to control the underworld forces in Blue City, I¡¯m afraid that it won¡¯t be easy to counter the resistance from those families without the support from some big shots in the government.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not unaware of this fact.¡± Shao Mingzhen nodded ¡°I wanted to control A¡¯ Qiang, who could be said as someone discovered by your family. I want to exercise control over dozens of powerful people in the entire Blue City, but I¡¯m aware that more than that may possibly give rise to the anger of the families, joining in opposition to battle the same adversary. However, I have no other options. There are reasons behind my actions.¡±


    Du Yunlong was very confused and puzzled. He couldn¡¯t figure out why his Master wanted to control the underground forces in Blue City. Even if he wanted to be the Godfather of the entire Shuangqing Province, it didn¡¯t mean that Blue City was the only place he could start at. He really wanted to ask him, but was evaded by his Master every time, and therefore could only bury his confusion inside.


    ¡°Master, I just broke through the Foundation Establishment Stage a couple days ago.¡± Du Yunlong changed the subject and spoke in an undertone voice.


    Shao Mingzhen¡¯s eyes lit up and nodded with satisfaction. He had two disciples being an itinerant cultivator. His first disciple had been living in a foreign country and only returned to China every year to celebrate New Year, whereas his second disciple had always been in the country and followed him for at least a few months every year for cultivation purposes.


    Originally, he thought that his second disciple would require at least a few years more before he breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage. Little did he expect that his aptitude turned out to be this good and had already had a breakthrough now.


    ¡°That¡¯s great, you¡¯re very good.¡± Shao Mingzhen nodded and praised. ¡°Maybe you can surpass your First Martial Brother and break through to the Golden Core Stage earlier than him.¡±


    ¡°As a matter of fact, this disciple chanced upon a good opportunity,¡± said Du Yunlong with a smile. ¡°I met someone, an authoritative figure in the Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical in Blue City. I bought several precious medicinal herbs from him, and after a period of having nourishing medicated dishes, I then broke through to the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    ¡°You mean, someone in charge of the Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical in Blue City sold it to you in secret?¡± Shao Mingzhen was surprised.


    ¡°Yeah, he often keeps some precious medicinal herbs.¡± Du Yunlong nodded. ¡°I can help you contact him if you need them.¡±


    ¡°I had better let it pass!¡± Shao Mingzhen shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that things will go awry if Chen Zhizhong learns about this.¡±


    ¡°But Master, why do you still pay attention to Chen Zhizhong given your present capacity?¡± Du Yunlong¡¯s brows raised.


    With a forced smile, Shao Mingzhen said, ¡°It¡¯s not him who I look at, but his Master! Well, let¡¯s forget it! Anyways, since you always wanted to know why I want to control the underground forces in the entire Shuangqing Province, especially here in Blue City, then I¡¯ll tell you about it today.¡±

 Chapter 620

    Chapter 620: Crushed


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    After glancing at his trusted henchman who was driving the car, Shao Mingzhen then spoke with a voice that only he and Du Yunlong could hear, ¡°The reason why I want to control the underground forces in Shuangqing Province is to get closer to Chen Zhizhong¡¯s Master, so that I can help him a bit whenever he comes across something his hands are unsuited to act.¡±


    What?


    Du Yunlong was taken aback. He looked at his Master with disbelief, as tempestuous waves raged inside his heart. This meant that the reason why his Master was trying his best to control the underground forces of Blue City was to¡­ fawn upon someone else?


    This¡­ how could this be?


    The identity of his Master was something Du Yunlong was perfectly aware of. Other than controlling the underground forces of several provinces, his Master also controlled two major companies with total assets of over 10 billion yuan, and the most notable of all was that his identity as a cultivator who possessed a mysterious power.


    And yet, he unexpectedly still needed to fawn upon someone else despite this?


    ¡°Your cultivation is still very low, so your vision is still too shallow,¡± sighed Shao Mingzhen. ¡°In the future, you will perhaps meet some people who are stronger than me in the world, who are capable enough to give me many benefits only by casually giving a few pointers. Anyways, since you already broke through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, I¡¯ll take you to see him a few days later!¡±


    This revelation from Shao Mingzhen shocked Du Yunlong. Ever since he formally acknowledged him as his Master since he was five years old, Miao Wentang from Haiqing Province was the only cultivator he knew of. He thought that he was already very formidable now that he had reached the Foundation Establishment Stage¡ªa state where he could become a presence countless people would look up to. Yet now, who could have ever thought that there would be more who were stronger than his Master in this world.


    ¡°Thank you, Master!¡± Replied Du Yunlong with gratitude.


    He had followed and cultivated under Shao Mingzhen¡¯s tutelage from five to 16 years old and spent most of his time with him. In his eyes, Shao Mingzhen was more intimate than his own biological parents.


    Quickly after, the two cars drove into the Clearlake Club. Shao Mingzhen didn¡¯t get off the car since it was a conflict between ¡®children¡¯, something that didn¡¯t require him to act at all. His gaze followed Du Yunlong as he entered the building, as then he slowly closed his eyes to ponder about things he had in possession that could make Tang Xiu take fancy in.


    Inside the Seacraft Hall.


    Just as Du Yunlong walked inside with his two men, he slightly furrowed his brows. He didn¡¯t pay a glance to Du Yunjie who had been badly beaten, and even felt that his little brother deserved such a beating, else he would incite more trouble all day and would surely cause a big mess in the future. The scene that took his attention was A¡¯ Qiang¡¯s dead body on the floor, as well as the miserable state of dozens of his men.


    ¡°Yunlong.¡± Huang Xu immediately got up from the sofa upon seeing Du Yunlong and gave an eye sign, with his back against Tang Xiu and Long Zhengyu.


    Du Yunlong narrowed his eyes and nodded. Then he looked at Du Yunjie and coldly said, ¡°This is the second time tonight, isn¡¯t it? Does being forced to cry out for help feels that good to you?¡±


    Du Yunjie was never afraid of his parents but was toward his big brother who possessed a terrifying strength. His lips squirmed a few times upon hearing Du Yanlong¡¯s question, before lowering his head to answer, ¡°It¡¯s my fault, Brother.¡±


    After snorting coldly again, Du Yunlong then turned to Tang Xiu and Long Zhengyu and indifferently said, ¡°Two gentlemen, I¡¯m well aware of my little brother¡¯s character, and I¡¯m afraid that he¡¯s the first one who provoked you first. I would like to apologize to both of you on his behalf. I hope that you can have a broad mind and not stoop down to the likes of this ignorant brat.¡±


    ¡°Thank God there¡¯s still a sensible person in the Du Family!¡± Said Long Zhengyu indifferently. ¡°Your apology is needless since a third party is not needed when settling conflicts, so we naturally have nothing to blame you.¡±


    ¡°I already said that I apologize.¡± Du Yunlong unable to refute as he nodded and said, ¡°Now let¡¯s talk about something else. I¡¯m sure you already know that A¡¯ Qiang is someone backed by my family. Now that he is dead, it should be you who did that, shouldn¡¯t it? And the rest is badly injured and some should have become disabled. Both of you acted too ruthless, I think you should explain this to me.¡±


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for us possessing some abilities, it would have been us to end up in such a bad luck today!¡± Long Zhengyu sneered. ¡°If it did happen, then who would explain it to us, huh?¡±


    Du Yunlong fell into silence, but his sharp eyes glanced back and forth at the duo.


    Tang Xiu, whose body was half-nesting on the sofa, folded his arms while letting out a smile and said, ¡°So, what kind of confession do you want from us?¡±


    ¡°Men exchange fists with their power, money, and connections. But I can tell that you don¡¯t bully others on someone else¡¯s power, so I don¡¯t feel like using these methods either. Given the fact that you can kill A¡¯ Qiang and heavily injure his men is evidence that your individual martial strength is formidable. I¡¯ll accompany you in a fight. I¡¯ll do whatever you want if you win, but you will bow your head to apologize and give A¡¯ Qiang and his men a proper aftermath deal.¡±


    Tang Xiu ruminated for a moment before smilingly saying, ¡°What good aftermath deal do you want, exactly?¡±


    ¡°You two don¡¯t seem like people who are short on money,¡± said Du Yunlong. ¡°So you will compensate 10 million yuan to A¡¯ Qiang¡¯s family and pay 2 million yuan for their each of their medical expenses.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not bad.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°A lot more benevolent than me. Alright, I¡¯m probably not a man if I were to refuse that.¡±


    After saying that, Tang Xiu got up from the sofa.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, this¡­¡± said Huang Xu hastily with a change in expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s just for fun!¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°Rest assured, I promise I won¡¯t kill him.¡±


    Huang Xu forced a smile and said, ¡°Tang Xiu, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu stared blankly and was at a loss whether he had to laugh or cry before he replied, ¡°You mean¡­ you¡¯re afraid that I¡¯ll be killed by him? Is he very powerful?¡±


    ¡°He is,¡± said Huang Xiu without thinking. ¡°I can¡¯t recall anyone in Blue City who can be his match. He once KO¡¯ed 20 to 30 people¡­¡±


    When he spoke up to there, he couldn¡¯t continue talking anymore since he had just seen Tang Xiu in action a while ago, and Tang Xiu was also someone who could deal with a dozen hardened tough guys by himself!


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I won¡¯t kill him,¡± said Du Yunlong with an indifferent expression.


    The arrogance shown by the Du Family¡¯s brothers really made Huang Xu annoyed and vexed inwardly, as he immediately yelled, ¡°Du Yunlong, even if you¡¯re more powerful than Tang Xiu, you still must lose today, else your Du Family will¡­¡±


    ¡°Huang Xu!¡± Tang Xiu shouted in a heavy tone.


    Huang Xu¡¯s body shuddered as he turned his head at Tang Xiu with difficulty and said, ¡°He has helped me a few times before and is my benefactor. Brother Tang, could you look at my face and spare him this time? I assure you he will never provoke you again in the future.¡±


    Tang Xiu furrowed his brows and didn¡¯t speak a word.


    Taken aback and startled, Du Yunlong couldn¡¯t help but observe Tang Xiu. Astute and wise as he was, he could tell from Huang Xu¡¯s words that Tang Xiu was not someone ordinary and that his origin was probably earthshaking to make even Huang Xu frightened. But, what kind of background could it be to even frighten Huang Xu like this? He couldn¡¯t be someone from the capital¡­


    As he thought up to there, Du Yunlong said with a serious expression, ¡°Huang Xu, I think you misunderstood something. We¡¯re just sparring and comparing our martial strength. The conflict and grievances between him and my brother will be written off regardless of the outcome. I¡¯ll do whatever they want if I lose, and they will only pay compensation for medical expenses if it¡¯s the other way around. I believe that everyone here is a man, so we can accept the outcome of this trifling matter with equanimity.¡±


    ¡°Du Yunlong, yes? You¡¯re a man with character.¡± Tang Xiu clapped and nodded with a smile. ¡°Huang Xu, get back! He has said it, so I won¡¯t haggle over this matter again whatever the outcome.¡±


    Huang Xiu was secretly relieved and gratefully looked at Tang Xiu as he quickly stepped back.


    There was a proud expression on Du Yunlong¡¯s face as he flicked his finger at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Me fighting you is akin to bullying, actually, so I won¡¯t fight back before your first three moves. I hope you can take my moves after that.¡±


    An odd, strange smile appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s face.


    With a sudden stride, he stepped forward and his speed instantly rocketed when he was just two meters away from Du Yunlong and slapped his face.


    Pa¡­¡±First move!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s voice sounded, and shortly afterward, a second loud slap was heard:


    Pa¡­¡±Second move!¡±


    Pa¡­¡±Third move!¡±


    After three consecutive slaps, Tang Xiu instantly stepped back a few steps. While folding his arms, he looked at Du Yunlong and smiled, ¡°Three moves are done. Do you still want to try to fight?¡±


    Getting slapped thrice by Tang Xiu made Du Yunlong perplexed. He had broken through to the Foundation Establishment Stage at present. A martial arts grandmaster was akin to an ant in his eyes¡ªand not even a dozens of them could be his opponents if he wanted to.


    But¡­ but how could the other party be so fast? He couldn¡¯t react at all and was slapped thrice by him?


    He¡­ who could he be?


    An alarm rang and fear arose inside him. But an intense feeling of shame grew inside his heart upon seeing the faint smile on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. He clenched his fists tightly as he paced forward and dashed a few meters away in an instant while his lightning-like fist stroke at Tang Xiu¡¯s face.


    Bang¡­


    A muffled sound was heard. It was not Du Yunlong¡¯s fist that hit Tang Xiu¡¯s face but the latter¡¯s foot that kicked the former¡¯s chest as Du Yunlong¡¯s body was directly sent backward for seven-plus meters away and heavily fell on the floor.


    Cough¡­


    A mouthful of blood spurted out from Du Yunlong¡¯s mouth. Just a kick had already caused his internal organs to become injured. Just as he bounced off the floor, Tang Xiu had already appeared beside him like a shadow, sending a barrage of fists towards Du Yunlong¡¯s body like raindrops. Despite his face being hit just a few times, it still made his nose bleed and his face swell, all black and blue.


    Finally, Du Yunlong¡¯s body hit the wall and then fell on the lower part of the wall.


    Tang Xiu deliberately flung his wrist and smilingly said, ¡°Few people can stand up to my heavy beating. Though I didn¡¯t use much strength, I think I have vented out my heavy mood quite a lot tonight. Well, Du Yunlong, we can continue to fight if you still have the ability to stand up again, but if you can¡¯t, it means you lose.¡±


    Du Yunlong spat out a few mouthfuls of blood but endured and suppressed the pain all over his body. He propped himself up from the floor, yet didn¡¯t act again as shock and fear appeared on his face instead. He shook his head and said, ¡°I lost already. Perhaps you only needed one strike to kill me if you wanted to. I lost¡­ I fully admit it.¡±

 Chapter 621

    Chapter 621: Having a Conflict Only to Find that the Opponent is Known


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Du Yunjie¡¯s whole being was petrified. He never dreamed that his powerful big brother would be defeated; more so that it was a thorough defeat without being able to fight back at all.


    ¡°Brother¡­¡±


    ¡°SHUT THE HELL UP!¡± Du Yunlong yelled. ¡°This damned thing ends here.¡±


    Du Yunjie turned his head in fright and looked at Tang Xiu with fear before nodding silently. Even though he really wasn¡¯t reconciled, he had no choice but to lower his head since he didn¡¯t want to die yet. He realized that today¡¯s incident would be spread throughout the social circles of the influential people of Blue City, and even his family would severely punish him.


    And yet, he must admit that his ability was far inferior to the other¡¯s!


    Without sparing a mind to Du Yunjie, Tang Xiu sat back on the sofa and smilingly said, ¡°Your injury is very heavy, but it¡¯s just a small punishment for your own initiative to take the place of your little brother. Go back, rest for a few months and you¡¯ll recover.¡±


    At this moment, Du Yunlong had sobered up and realized that Tang Xiu was probably a cultivator as well, and therefore had no resentment toward him. He cupped his fists and said, ¡°Friend, I admit that you¡¯re very formidable at present, but give me some time and I believe I will surpass and defeat you one day if I cultivate diligently.¡±


    ¡°Having confidence is indeed good and all, but don¡¯t let your little brother come out and incite trouble again.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°I held back this time since I appreciate your character, else it would have been impossible for you to go back tonight.¡±


    With an accepting expression, Du Yunlong immediately cupped his fists and replied, ¡°Rest assured, there will never be a second time.¡±


    The conflict finally concluded after Du Yunlong was badly beaten by Tang Xiu. Under Huang Xu and Wang Zidong¡¯s humble invitations, Tang Xiu and Long Zhongyu were invited to the Supreme Hall while the Du Brothers left in a mess. As for the matter in dealing with the aftermath of A¡¯ Qiang¡¯s dead body and the severely injured thugs of Blue City, this was handled by Du Yunlong.


    Inside the Mercedes-Benz outside the building, Shao Mingzhen slowly opened his eyes. As his vision saw through the window and fell on Du Yunlong, his expression changed slightly. He immediately opened the car¡¯s door and said in a heavy tone, ¡°Are you injured?¡±


    Du Yunlong was propped up by his men and replied with a bitter expression, ¡°I lost and was seriously injured. It will take a few months for me to recover.¡±


    ¡°Everyone else, leave!¡± Said Shao Mingzhen all of a sudden after being silent for a while.


    In just a minute, everyone including Du Yunjie had gone away, leaving only Shao Mingzhen and Du Yunlong at the entrance. Following which, Shao Mingzhen asked in a deep tone, ¡°Is that person also a cultivator? What is his origin?¡±


    ¡°He is, but I don¡¯t know his origin,¡± said Du Yunlong bitterly. ¡°He¡¯s very strong, and the combat between us was simply a one-sided one. I¡­ I didn¡¯t even have a chance to fight back.¡±


    Shao Mingzhen¡¯s pupils suddenly contracted. He thought for a short while before firmly speaking, ¡°I can¡¯t stand by since this incident involves another cultivator. Let¡¯s go! Take me to see this man. I really want to know how capable this man is.¡±


    ¡°Master, the conflict between my little brother and them has been concluded already,¡± said Du Yunlong quickly. ¡°At that time inside, Huang Xu also hinted me and if my guess I correct, that person should come from Beijing.¡±


    Someone from the capital?


    Shao Mingzhen was silent for a while and then said, ¡°I see what you mean. I¡¯m not going to avenge you. But that cultivator has a very strong character and overbearingness. I¡¯m afraid he still harbors resentment inside, so I need to see him and completely solve this incident.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you there, then,¡± said Du Yunlong immediately after hearing it.


    Inside the Supreme Hall.


    While sitting and smoking a cigarette, Tang Xiu looked at Huang Xu who was currently clumsily making tea. There was a faint smile on his handsome face as he didn¡¯t even blame Huang Xu at all for today¡¯s incident. He even thought that this guy was quite good except for his lasciviousness. In particular, he stepped forward to stand in front of him, blocking the gun pointed at him by A¡¯ Qiang, an action that moved and made Tang Xiu acknowledge him.


    Creak¡­ The box¡¯s door was pushed open from the outside.


    When Tang Xiu saw Du Yunlong coming in, he couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brows. But after seeing Shao Mingzhen behind him, his furrowed brows stretched out, replaced with a strange expression.


    After Shao Mingzhen walked into the box and took saw the people inside, he looked slightly stunned before his expression turned into a look of being at a loss whether to cry or laugh. He turned to Du Yunlong, pointed at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Was the one who injured you that person?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s him, Master,¡± said Du Yunlong.


    Shao Mingzhen raised his hand and sent a gentle slap on his head, and the scolded him, ¡°You really have a good luck and good fate, you damn stupid brat! It was very lucky for you to come across him. I would have bagged your dead body had you bumped into someone else.¡±


    Du Yunlong was dumbfounded. Judging from the words spoken by his Master, could it be that he and the other party knew each other?


    Shao Mingzhen shook his head and let out a wry smile. Then he walked toward Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Brother Tang, today¡¯s incident is really akin to having a conflict with a stranger only to know that each turns out to be close people, no? Anyways, for a broad-minded man like you, you need not stoop down to the level of this ignorant second disciple of mine, right?¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a smile as he got up and then walked over to hug Shao Mingzhen. Then he smiled and said, ¡°I never thought he was your disciple, Old Brother Shao. Your eyes are good, nevertheless, since this kid has a good character¡ªnot a bad pick for your disciple, I admit.¡±


    After saying that, he stuffed his hand into his pockets and secretly took out a porcelain bottle from his interspatial ring, and then threw it to Du Yunlong, saying, ¡°I should give you a gift for our first meeting since you are Old Bro Shao¡¯s disciple. We just had a small misunderstanding before, so accept this bottle of Holy Healing medicine! Your injury should be healed within three days at the most.¡±


    I¡¯ll be able to recover in three days?


    Du Yunlong¡¯s expression was dazed before it was immediately replaced with excitement.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s action was very much to Shao Mingzhen¡¯s satisfaction, so he smiled and said, ¡°Brother Tang, a while ago I was quite curious about the identity of the man who was unexpectedly able to injure Yunlong, so I came here to see him. Never thought that I would meet you here because of this. Anyways, other than tending to a private affair in Blue City this time, I also planned to visit Star City to have a few drinks with you.¡±


    Long Zhengyu at the side then joined in the chat and said with a smile, ¡°Uncle Shao, I must accompany you to have a few drinks, too!¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Shao Mingzhen smiled. ¡°By the way, how has your father been, Zhengyu? I have a hunch that your Dad should be keeping a watch here in Blue City to make some money!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been great.¡± Long Zhengyu smiled. ¡°He often mentions you, Uncle Shao, and also Uncle Miao. Kinda miss the days to have some drinks with both of you.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Shao Mingzhen laughed. ¡°No worries, I¡¯ll go find him in the near future.¡±


    At the side, Huang Xu and Wang Zidong had their eyes widened. Never once had they ever dreamed that Tang Xiu would be acquainted with Du Yunlong¡¯s Master, more so that their relationship seemed very close as well. But, why would Tang Xiu and Shao Mingzhen address each other as brothers, whereas Long Zhengyu must address him as Uncle Shao?


    The duo exchanged looks. Then, Huang Xu stood up and smilingly said, ¡°Brother Tang Xiu, Zhengyu, since everyone is acquaintances, I¡¯ll tell the waiters to bring the dishes and drinks here. Running across each other by chance is also a reunion. Regardless, I must display my hospitality as a host here since I¡¯m the owner.¡±


    Immediately after, Du Yunlong introduced Huang Xu and Wang Zidong to Shao Mingzhen. After everyone¡¯s introductions were done, they tasted the dishes and drank the wine while talking about various topics in a harmonious atmosphere.


    After three rounds of wine, Shao Mingzhen and Tang Xiu made an appointment to meet again tomorrow, as the former then left with Du Yunlong. Huang Xu, however, personally booked two suites in the club and invited Tang Xiu and Long Zhengyu to stay there.


    ****


    On a road with unceasing streams of traffic, a Mercedes-Benz was moving fast. Inside the car, Du Yunlong¡¯s bluish and swollen face looked a bit puzzled. Many times he wanted to ask to clear the matter that puzzled him but swallowed back all the words he wanted to say each time.


    ¡°Just ask whatever you have in mind!¡±


    Shao Mingzhen took his eyes back from the window and glanced at him.


    Finally, Du Yunlong asked, ¡°Master, what exactly is Tang Xiu¡¯s identity? He should be of the same age as me, but how come he has such a formidable strength?¡±


    ¡°His identity is quite mixed and complicated,¡± replied Shao Mingzhen with a sigh. ¡°What I know so far is probably only the tip of the iceberg, but even that is enough for me to have the intention of showing my goodwill to get close to him. Do you remember when I told you about the purpose of my trip to Blue City? The person I wish to be at friendly terms with is exactly him¡­ Tang Xiu.¡±


    Du Yunlong¡¯s eyes stared wide as he said with a flabbergasted expression, ¡°What exactly is his identity to actually make him deserve Master¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°You know, the first time I met him his strength was not even as good as yours now,¡± said Shao Mingzhen with a forced smile. ¡°Yet now, his strength may have surpassed mine¡­ in just over half a year. As for his identity, I will tell you now! Do you know the Magnificent Tang Corporation? He¡¯s the secret Big Boss behind this company.¡±


    Du Yunlong was shocked.


    ¡°Tang Xiu is a member of the Tang Family from Beijing.¡± Shao Mingzhen continued. ¡°According to the news I got, Dongbei Hu¡ªthe Amur Tiger was killed by him, and the main actor who ruined the Yao Family of Beijing who is now destitute is also him.¡±


    Hiss¡­


    While gasping cold air, Du Yunlong felt secretly fortunate inside for not completely offending Tang Xiu today, or else his Du Family may have¡­


    Suddenly, Shao Mingzhen¡¯s expression became gravely solemn and the tone of his voice turned heavy he spoke again, ¡°What I just told you are only Tang Xiu¡¯s ordinary identities. There¡¯s another identity¡ªthe Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s Master. I never told you the existence of the Everlasting Feast Hall before since I was afraid that it would produce a diversion inside your mind and give birth to a bad idea during your cultivation processing, but I must tell you about it now. The Everlasting Feast Hall is a very terrifying force. In the case that you encounter someone from the Everlasting Feast Hall, you must only make friends with them and never become enemies!¡±


    ¡°Master, what exactly is the terrifying aspect of this Everlasting Feast Hall?¡± Asked Du Yunlong hastily.


    ¡°No one has been able to clearly find out the strength the Everlasting Feast Hall possesses until now,¡± sighed Shao Mingzhen spookily. ¡°And nobody knows how many cultivators the Everlasting Feast Hall has.¡±


    Du Yunlong¡¯s body was trembling as he felt a chill inside his heart. With such a fearful force, wasn¡¯t it the same as no family had a chance to be placed on par with it? Cultivators absolutely possessed dreadful and abnormal strength, and if the Everlasting Feast Hall had a lot of them, then it¡­


    In a flash, Du Yunlong came to a realization: Tang Xiu was the owner and the Master of the Everlasting Feast Hall.

 Chapter 622

    Chapter 622: Finding a Chick to ¡°Talk¡± About Life


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The news that Tang Xiu came to the Blue City did not spread out due to the conflict in the Clearlake Club. Moreover, Huang Xu also learned from Long Zhengyu that Tang Xiu was currently hot news, so he immediately notified all the employees who had seen Tang Xiu keep their mouths shut.


    And therefore, Tang Xiu¡¯s stay in Blue City for the next few days was very refreshing and tranquil. There was no interruption or disturbance from the media. He drank a bit of wine every day, tasted some delicacies, nested himself in the suite to read, cultivated and spent his time in a fulfilled manner.


    ¡°It¡¯s snowing again.¡±


    Inside the most luxurious suite of the Clearlake Club, Tang Xiu stood at the window and watched the dancing snowflakes in the air as he sighed inside. Without counting the 10,000 years in the Immortal World, every time the snowy days came was the most difficult time for him and his mother back when before his 18s. In particular was the issue with heating, as it was so serious that it felt like being tortured.


    Knock, knock¡­.


    The door was knocked and Tang Xiu was dragged back from his reverie. Following which, he waved his hand and a Primal Chaos Force stream was released and gently opened the door to a slit.


    ¡°Come in!¡±


    Long Zhengyu, who stood outside the door, found that the door had slightly opened accidentally, then he pushed it and went inside. When he saw Tang Xiu standing before the window, he was immediately stunned and suspiciously looked around the room before he shifted his eyes back to him. Along with a slightly dumbfounded feeling, he immediately entered the room.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, I¡¯m going to leave.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go back together!¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°It¡¯s been four plus days, it¡¯s time to go back.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m going to visit the Nine Dragons Island.¡± Long Zhengyu quickly waved his hand. ¡°All the workers there can¡¯t go home to the mainland because of your request, so I still need to send the necessary welfare needs.¡±


    ¡°When will you be coming back?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°A week, at the most,¡± answered Long Zhengyu with a smile.


    ¡°Bring Mu Qingping and Yinyin with you when you come back!¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°You¡¯re really good to your treasured disciple,¡± said Long Zhengyu with a smile.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t say more since Long Zhengyu didn¡¯t understand the particular nature of the master-disciple relationship among cultivators¡ªMaster for a day was a Father for the rest of one¡¯s life; even the elders in the Immortal World were sometimes more important than their biological parents. Ones¡¯ parents may stay with them for some time but wouldn¡¯t be able to accompany them for the rest of their lives. More so the eldership and Masters in the Immortal World possessed formidable cultivation, and the accumulation of attachment and emotions accumulated with the passing years and through millenniums were extremely deep.


    Along with Long Zhengyu¡¯s departure, Tang Xiu went back to watching the gently falling snow. He was somewhat hesitant to return to Star City now. His parents were still in the capital and he wasn¡¯t sure what he was going to do there. There would not be much different from staying in Blue City, either, even if he were to return back to Star City now.


    ¡°Forget it, then. I¡¯m staying here for a couple more days! At least there are some people here to serve food and drinks for me.¡± Tang Xiu scoffed at himself as he let out a smile and stretched out his hand to shut the window.


    ¡°Umm?¡±


    Suddenly, his expression slightly moved and his eyes fell through the window toward the parking area about 100 meters away. To his surprise, he actually saw an acquaintance there.


    Li Xiaoqian?


    She seemed to have gone to the Regal Classical Music Academy. Now that the schooling was on holiday, shouldn¡¯t she return to Star City? How would she appear here? And those around her were unlikely to be her classmates either as they looked a bit older. Could it be that they were her family members?


    Shaking his head secretly, Tang Xiu recalled that he and Li Xiaoqian were almost cut off from contact ever since they graduated from high school. He learned some things about her from Cheng Yannan when he was with the latter previously. Tang Xiu felt a bit strange when he remembered Cheng Yannan. He directly left for Beijing from Jingmen Island previously, whereas she kept staying in the Everlasting Feast Hall and then went to Clam Island with the experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall. Could it be that she hadn¡¯t come back yet?


    Tang Xiu took his mobile phone and dialed her cell number, but was unable to get through. He remembered the bitter experience Cheng Yannan had gone through, recalling that Chen Xuemei, who was still missing until now, he regretted and pitied the frustrating life these two sisters must have gone through. He used to be like them, suffering difficulty in life along with his mother in the past. He now had come out of that dark¡ªgloomy world, whereas they were still trapped in it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help them out if the opportunity arrives!¡±


    Closing the window, Tang Xiu got up and walked toward the door. Though staying all day in the suite was not stuffy and boring, he still wanted to go out. He didn¡¯t feel like disturbing Li Xiaoqian though he saw her all of a sudden. Since their student¡¯s years had ended, everyone had their own life path, and they wouldn¡¯t have too much contact in the future if they didn¡¯t partake in their life here and now.


    Half an hour later, Wang Zidong, who was staying in the suite next door, was yawning in the sofa in boredom. The naked cover girl on the Playboy magazine he was holding couldn¡¯t make him feel refreshed at all. All these days, he really wanted to get close to Tang Xiu, building up a bridge and cultivating friendship, yet it was unfortunate that Tang Xiu was always holed up in his suite every day and he could only see him several times during meal time.


    ¡°Aargh, forget it. I need to look for some chicks to spice up my life.¡±


    Wang Zidong bounced up and grabbed his coat before walking out of the room. His handsome face changed all of a sudden when he came out of the building, as an infatuated expression filled his originally dulled, spiritless eyes, and transforming into a love-struck fool¡¯s expression.


    Just a dozen meters away from him, in front of a handsomely macho Hummer SUV, a girl clad in black leather attire and black sunglasses leaned on the car while holding the car keys in her hand. Her looks were perfect and that devilish-alluring figure altogether sent off a wild and dangerous vibe.


    She was so stunning that it made his heart thump!


    Wang Zidong had seen and dated countless women, yet one this hot was a never-seen-before case. She could make him so excited. After a few seconds in a daze, he rushed toward the girl before he snapped back to his senses.


    ¡°May I have the honor to treat you to lunch, beauty? Ah¡­ right. I need to introduce myself. I¡¯m Wang Zidong, one of the shareholders of this Clearlake Club.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu pulled the sunglasses down to look at Wang Zidong and casually said, ¡°Do you know a more beautiful girl than me?¡±


    Staring blankly for a moment, Wang Zidong shook his head and smilingly said, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Do you have tens of billions or nearly 100 billion in assets?¡± Asked Ouyang Lulu once again.


    ¡°No.¡± Wang Zidong was a bit bewildered but still shook his head.


    ¡°What about fame? No need to be too famous, just enough to be well-known in our country,¡± said Ouyang Lulu with a contemptuous look as she asked again.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Wang Zidong¡¯s lips wriggled. His fame in Blue City could be called as great, but saying that he was well-known in the country, how could that be possible? He was not a celebrity, for god¡¯s sake! He shook his head again and said, ¡°Not either.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu rolled her eyes. Though her style was still alluringly fascinating, the attacking words that came next were not pleasant to hear, ¡°Then why do you want to treat me to lunch if you have nothing? Just get a hump on! I have no use for an outwardly attractive but worthless man.¡±


    Outwardly attractive¡­ but a worthless man?


    Wang Zidong was so dumbfounded that he couldn¡¯t believe what he heard. This outstanding wild belle in front of him unexpectedly¡­ called him as an embroidered pillow¡ªand attractive but worthless man?


    Suddenly, Ouyang Lulu seemed to think of something. She observed Wang Zidong and said, ¡°Ah, forget it. It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t give you a chance. As long as you help me a bit, I can have you accompany me for lunch.¡±


    With an expression of being at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh, Wang Zidong asked, ¡°What should I do?¡±


    ¡°Do you know Tang Xiu?¡± Asked Ouyang Lulu. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t know, though. But since you¡¯re a shareholder of this club, it should be easy for you to ask someone who knows and take me to him.¡±


    Wang Zidong stared in a daze at Ouyang Lulu and his mouth opened wide. All of sudden, a bad premonition raised inside his heart. After a short while, he asked with probing tone, ¡°Are you looking for Tang Xiu? Then, you and him¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I came to find him. He¡¯s my man,¡± said Ouyang Lulu.


    Crack¡­


    Wang Zidong thought he heard the sound of his heart breaking. Finding himself a woman who could make his heart so moved was very difficult, and yet this very one was unexpectedly Tang Xiu¡¯s woman. This¡­ what the fuck? What have I done to deserve this? If it was someone else¡¯s woman, even if she was Huang Xu¡¯s woman, he dared to snatch her. But he would never dare to have thoughts to snatch Tang Xiu¡¯s woman in the slightest even if he were to be given a hundred more points of courage!


    After straightening up his attitude and manner, Wang Zidong laughed at himself inside and said, ¡°Ah, you turned out to be Sis-in-law. Tang Xiu should be in his suite! Come, I¡¯ll take to him.¡±


    Sister-in-law?


    A smile outlined on the corner of Ouyang Lulu¡¯s mouth as a satisfied smile plastered itself on her flawless beautiful face. It was just an address, but the favorable impression she had of Wang Zidong increased a lot. The two people then came to the suite where Tang Xiu stayed. After knocking the door without any response for a long time, Wang Zidong then contacted the staff of the club and learned that Tang Xiu went to the Movie & Music Hall.


    Movie and Music Hall.


    Inside the heated, luxurious movie hall, Tang Xiu nested himself on the chair in the last row as he drank his scented tea while watching the movie on the big screen. He wasn¡¯t the least interested in the fragments of the movie due to his long life experience in the Immortal World, yet the Western sci-fi blockbuster still brought him a lot of inspiration.


    The power of science of technology. Earth¡¯s current level of science and technology was very weak as he had seen some races with more advanced technology. But after he rose to the level of Supreme, the science and tech of those tech races were nothing to him.


    However, the interplanetary war played in the movie did make him feel that if he pushed the development of the technological power to the limit, even developing powerful hot weapons would make him able to create a formidable armed force in Star City. For instance, the interstellar battleship. If he could produce hundreds of millions of powerful interstellar battleships, it can definitely sweep through countless star territories.


    And the Immortal World was like the Oriental Xianxia in and of itself, and the appearance of the tech races there looked like the ones in this sci-fi blockbuster movie.


    Having a formidable force was something Tang Xiu was perfectly clear about. And if he could adopt others¡¯ strong points while overcoming ones¡¯ weak points, that was, to combine it with science and technological power, could he be able to accumulate stronger armed forces in a shorter amount of time?


    ¡°Unfortunately, that tech race I met at that time is residing at the Loose Spiral Shell Star Area, and I haven¡¯t gotten hold of the technologies of their science and tech, else I would have definitely been able to make the level of science and tech on Earth progress by leaps and bounds, at least reaching the lowest level of a space science and technology civilization.


    ¡°But I can still design some tools and gadgets. Though they are small ones, it still should¡­ create a huge sensation if it appears on Earth, shouldn¡¯t it?¡±

 Chapter 623

    Chapter 623: Beasts In Human Clothing


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The sci-fi blockbuster movie was still playing on the screen, but Tang Xiu¡¯s mind was no longer on it. The more he thought, the more excited he was, as the tech products he had once seen in the Loose Spiral Shell Star Area were constantly springing out inside his mind.


    Results and achievements are for those who can visualize their imagination.


    In a short time, Tang Xiu had determined that he could try to research two products. One of which was the Gravitational Flying Disc, the kind of object that could fly by stepping on the start button, which was also the most basic means of travel for the tech race; like the bicycle on Earth. The second object was a type of clothing that could ensure the wearer felt warm in winter and cool in summer, and also was the most basic scientific knowledge of the said race.


    ¡°I must research these, as more and more talents I groom in the future would need larger and larger resources to consume. Relying solely on the profitable channels that are available now would no longer be viable anymore.¡±


    A firm expression was revealed inside Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes.


    Money was indeed the foundation to gain a foothold.


    Tens of billions, and even thousands of billions! Such an amount mayhap be a very large number for others, but it was not even enough for him because his pursuit and goal. He needed to use money to pave the way and clear up the path to the future.


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed. He was keenly aware of the seats around him. A figure transmitting a very familiar scent and smelling perfume sat down next to him.


    ¡°Lulu?¡± After Tang Xiu seeing clearly that it was Ouyang Lulu who sat down, his expression was one of surprise.


    Psst¡­ Ouyang Lulu put her finger on her lips and hissed while handing him a box of popcorn.


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help chuckling to himself. After shaking his head, he then asked with a voice that only they could hear, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! There are only a few viewers in this movie hall and they are also sitting in front. Our chat won¡¯t disturb them.¡±


    ¡°I just want to have a comfortable time watching a movie with you!¡± Ouyang Lulu let out a faint smile. ¡°I used to feel like I was childish, but it¡¯s kind of romantic now that I¡¯m with you.¡±


    Cough! Cough¡­


    Coughing a few times, Tang Xiu turned his head and no longer spoke.


    The 120-minutes sci-fi blockbuster movie still had 50 minutes remaining before the ending. Tang Xiu no longer spoke and neither did Ouyang Lulu, who wore a contented smile while eating popcorn, as her eyes glanced at Tang Xiu once in a while. She even stuffed some popcorn into his mouth a few times.


    The movie ended. Along with the departure of the several viewers in the front row, Tang Xiu let out a smile and stood. After picking up the 3D glasses, he smilingly said, ¡°The movie is over, let¡¯s go out!¡±


    While holding the popcorn box, Ouyang Lulu stood up and stretched herself in a relaxed manner and said, ¡°I was almost exhausted since I drove the car for six-plus hours straight. I don¡¯t feel like standing up after sitting here and watching the movie.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t told me yet. How did you end up coming to Blue City?¡± Asked Tang Xiu in a odd tone. ¡°Also¡­ how did you know that I¡¯m at Clearlake Club in the first place?¡±


    ¡°I was talking with Long Zhengyu on the phone about some business matters a couple days ago,¡± said Ouyang lulu with a laugh. ¡°I accidentally learned that you two had a vacation here, so I came. Don¡¯t tell me that I¡¯m not welcome here?¡±


    Inwardly, Tang Xiu could only force a wry smile. Though what Ouyang Lulu had in mind was no longer a concealed matter to him, he still was somewhat helpless by her passionate and bold pursuit every time he met her. That was why he complained a bit that Long Zhengyu talked too much.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go have a bite! I¡¯m kinda starving.¡± Ouyang Lulu didn¡¯t wait for Tang Xiu¡¯s reply as she grabbed his hand and walked toward the outside.


    Wang Zidong had been waiting outside the Movie Hall. His mood was a bit complicated when he saw Ouyang Lulu pulling Tang Xiu out. After standing up from the sofa to greet them, he said with a slight smile, ¡°You finally came out. I¡¯m afraid that my belly will turn flat due to starving if you didn¡¯t come out.¡±


    ¡°Eh, why are you here, Wang Zidong?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a curious expression.


    ¡°Well, he kinda struck a conversation with me before and then learned that I came to see you, so he brought me here,¡± said Ouyang Lulu with a smile.


    There was an awkward expression on Wang Zidong¡¯s face, but still, he braced himself and said, ¡°Heroes love beauties since ancient times. That¡¯s why I thickened up my face and picked up a conversation with you, big sis-in-law. Please don¡¯t mention this embarrassing thing again in the future, else I¡¯ll be dead, becoming a laughing stock by everyone else.¡±


    ¡°Okay okay. I won¡¯t mention it anymore,¡± said Ouyang Lulu with eyes turning crescent moon due to smiling.


    Sister-in-law?


    Tang Xiu observed him before turning his head to look at Ouyang Lulu. He suddenly felt the hand on his wrist tightening and immediately came to the realization that Wang Zidong really regarded Ouyang Lulu as his woman! No, something was not right. Even if she was coming to find him, he didn¡¯t need to do that much as addressing her as big sis-in-law, right? This was definitely Ouyang Lulu¡¯s doing, definitely because something she said to Wang Zidong. Upon coming to this thought, Tang Xiu was a bit at a loss whether he had to laugh or cry.


    For a man to have a thick face when flirting and picking up girls was indeed a kingly way, and yet the very principle and the man had been put to use by Ouyang Lulu, thoroughly and incisively!


    She does have guts. I kinda feel like I¡¯m being picked up by a girl here.


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to touch his nose while casting out the absurd thoughts inside his mind and said, ¡°It should be lunchtime now, so let¡¯s have a meal together! Anyways, has Huang Xu come today? If he has, call him over to eat with us here, too.¡±


    Just a moment ago Wang Zidong was thinking that he was like a third man, thus it was inappropriate for him to have lunch with them. He immediately felt happy upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s remark. He was nothing but a third man yet was invited to dine with them. After making a phone call, he then looked at Tang Xiu and spoke, ¡°I just called Huang Xu and he said he¡¯s coming back from the airport and is on the way here. He also wanted me to tell you that Fei Shan also came. Do you also know this second son of the Fei Family, Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know him,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Your personal connections are really great, Brother Tang Xiu,¡± said Wang Zidong with an emotionally sincere expression. ¡°I would have thought that you were a native of Blue City had I not known that this is your first time here! Anyways, the second son of the Fei Family is one that always has his eyes on the top and is kind of bullish and arrogant in front of me.¡±


    ¡°Fei Shan is a bullish man?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised. ¡°But I don¡¯t feel him to be like that at all?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± While shooting Tang Xiu a convincing look, Wang Zidong could only force a smile inwardly. Upon thinking about it, he felt that it was a given due to Tang Xiu¡¯s identity. Fei Shan was the second son of the Fei Family, but comparing him with Tang Xiu, who was a flamboyant young master from the capital and was worlds apart, the former would therefore naturally not be conceited in front of Tang Xiu.


    The lunch was held and enjoyed by everyone in the Supreme Hall. The travel-worn Fei Shan, who just came back out of town, was even more enthusiastic due to Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival. He also heard that Du Yunjie was taught a lesson by Tang Xiu during the meal, and even Du Yunlong was crushed in his hand, which made the admiration in his eyes increase.


    In the Dining Hall inside the private box on the third floor.


    Li Xiaoqian looked at the four men sitting in front of her with their faces flushed red due to drinking. Sitting on her left was her mentor, an associate professor at the Regal Classical Music Academy, who had strong connections in the music community. On the right was the director, producer, and a regular honored guest of the recent ¡°I¡¯m Crazy About Singing¡± program on the Blue City TV station.


    Talented in music as she was, she was loved by many teachers and professors in the campus. And this time, her mentor, Tang Zhen, took her out to entertain them in the hopes that she could receive the favor of this group of people in the completion when she participated in the Third Season of ¡°I¡¯m Crazy About Singing¡± program, and also receive praise from the director and this honored guest. All the while building a bridge of friendship and then through them, finally achieving an excellent position in the competition.


    Yet, this kind of courtesy entertaining was not to Li Xiaoqian¡¯s liking. But still, it wasn¡¯t good to refuse the good intentions from her mentor, thus she could only suppress the depressed feeling inside, sit still and keep them accompany to drink while listening to all the spicy jokes they often spurted out when they were conversing.


    ¡°Xiaoqian! Let¡¯s just enjoy ourselves to the full. Besides, you¡¯re also a good student with a great potential in the Music Academy, too. Just take this glass of wine and after this, we¡¯ll go to the Entertainment Hall to sing while getting high, and then let us experience that wonderful voice of yours, first hand.¡± The director raised the glass while his other hand touched Li Xiaoqian¡¯s back.


    Li Xiaoqian hurriedly pulled his hand back. She took her glass, stood up and squeezed out a light smile on her delicate face, saying, ¡°Director Bao, I have drunk too much wine today and I feel a bit dizzy now. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t bear it if I still have to go to the Entertainment Hall to sing. I¡¯ll dry up this glass of wine as a token of respect and then will take my leave first.¡±


    Having said that, she directly dried up the glass of wine and then reached out to grab her handbag hanging on the chair behind her. However, the middle-aged director put the glass on the table and said with a displeased look on his face, ¡°Xiaoqian, let¡¯s have a good chat here. You suddenly want to go back, isn¡¯t this like sweeping the face of everyone here? If this is the case, I really can¡¯t drink this glass of wine.¡±


    The male honored guest also revealed a disappointed expression and said, ¡°I¡¯m sure I already told you about my relationship with the four judges just now, Xiaoqian. We are partners in the show and also buddies in private. Most of the reviewers in the media for the final session are also my colleagues. You want to participate in our program and also want to win the first place. Do you think you can do it without me?¡±


    With brows wrinkled, a dissatisfied expression plastered itself on Tang Zhen¡¯s face. The person he was disappointed with was not Director Bai nor the honored guest, but Li Xiaoqian. Though he was the one hoping that Li Xiaoqian could participate in the ¡°I¡¯m Crazy About Singing¡± program on the Blue City TV Station, he also could tell that she herself was very excited. And nowadays, one must pay something in return if one wanted something. How many female students desired to start out in public? Didn¡¯t they eventually make some transactions in private?


    Furthermore, it was not he himself who wanted to take advantages of her today! But the ones in front of him. If Li Xiaoqian served these people and then accompanied Director Bai in the evening, she would still possibly end up in the third place and runner-up even if she couldn¡¯t take the first place in the Third Season of the ¡°I¡¯m Crazy About Singing¡± program.


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak like you¡¯re under the influence of wine, Xiaoqian. Hurry up and drink a cup with Director Bai and the rest. And do apologize to them!¡± Tang Zhen reprimanded her in a whisper.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Li Xiaoqian was stunned, and a disbelieving expression appeared in her face.

 Chapter 624

    Chapter 624: Holding a Candle to the Devils


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Little did Li Xiaoqian think that her mentor would not only not help her but even hit her when she was down instead. Though she hadn¡¯t yet entered society, how could she not see that Director Bai¡¯s group of three wanted to take advantage of her? And yet, shouldn¡¯t he protect her as a her mentor?


    All of a sudden, deep regret filled her heart. She regretted agreeing to Tang Zhen to come to the appointment today.


    Li Xiaoqian took a deep breath to suppress the dizzy feeling inside before speaking, ¡°Teacher, I really can¡¯t drink anymore, else I won¡¯t be able to go back today. Please have your drink while I go to the bathroom first.¡±


    Seeing that Li Xiaoqian unexpectedly dared to disobey him at this time, Tang Zhen was angered. He felt that he couldn¡¯t keep his little face and grabbed her arm as he angrily shouted, ¡°SIT! DOWN!¡±


    Bam¡­


    Tang Zhen¡¯s powerful pull made Li Xiaoqian, who was currently slightly drunk, stumble and fall to the floor as she even touched the glass in front of her smashed to the side.


    Director Bai¡¯s eyes lit up. He hurriedly got up and turned around to hug her from behind. When his hands pretended to hold up her up, he grabbed her proud peaks, but the effort he exerted on his hands was not a drunkard¡¯s, but for other purposes. It was nothing short of an indecent act.


    ¡°LET GO OF ME!¡±


    Li Xiaoqian finally realized that Director Bai was nothing but a wolf in a human skin¡ªa bastard with a good occupation. She pushed his hands with and struggled to stand up. Just as she got up and pushed his hands away, she slapped his face and cursed, ¡°You have no sense of shame, pervert!¡±


    Director Bai was furious, as he grabbed Li Xiaoqian¡¯s head and punched her face and yelled, ¡°You fucking bitch! You dare to slap me?¡±


    The punch caused blood to flow from the corner of Li Xiaoqian¡¯s mouth.


    At this time, Tang Zhen also lost his temper but could only endure it since he was, after all, her mentor. He squeezed out a smile to persuade him, ¡°Director Bai, please don¡¯t stoop down to the level of this ignorant girl. She just drank too much and didn¡¯t intentionally offend you. You can rest assured that I¡¯ll make her accompany you drinking for a few glasses today.¡±


    Ptui¡­


    Amidst Li Xiaoqian¡¯s struggles and Tang Zhen¡¯s persuasion, Director Bai released his hand and spat to the floor, ¡°However much you drunk, don¡¯t you dare play with this Father! What kind of bitches have I not seen? You came to this wine table and yet you still want to pretend to be a chaste one?¡±


    Li Xiaoqian burst into tears. She repressed the humiliation inside, quickly grabbed her bag and run toward the door. She opened the door and dashed out before they were able to react.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that I didn¡¯t warn you, bitch!¡± Director Bai shouted angrily. ¡°Not only will you not enter the show in the future, but you also will never even get in the preliminaries! You¡¯re a trifling thing to this Father, FUCKING BITCH!¡±


    Flames of anger were burning inside Tang Zhen¡¯s heart; this was the first time he took his student out to entertain others and ended up in a mess. He hastily spoke some words to console Director Bai before hastily chasing outside. He knew the power Director Bai possessed in the Blue City TV station and knew the status and personal connections of this honored guest in the music circle. Li Xiaoqian¡¯s future was going to fall into the abyss of darkness if she was allowed to run away like this today.


    When he rushed out of the door he saw Li Xiaoqian about a dozen meters away in the corridor on the floor due to drinking too much. After rushing over, he grabbed her arm and furiously spoke, ¡°Have you done messing this up already? Do you think you still have a chance to enter the music world after you¡¯ve offended those three? Go back with me to apologize to them!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t apologize to them. They¡¯re all perverts. Nothing good on them whatsoever!¡± Li Xiaoqian shouted. ¡°You¡¯re my mentor, how could you push me into the fire pit?¡±


    ¡°Who the fuck pushed you into the fire pit?¡± Tang Zhen angrily retorted. ¡°I¡¯m here for your sake¡ªto introduce you to them, or else why the hell did I bring you out to entertain them? Why on earth did you push those who fill to the full for?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not learn music in the future than letting those damn bastards bully me. LET ME GO!¡± Yelled Li Xiaoqian.


    Pa¡­


    With a face of filled with regret, like having his offspring not living up to his expectations, Tang Zhen slapped Li Xiaoqian, making her stumble. Then he pointed at her and furiously cursed, ¡°I thought you were more promising, Li Xiaoqian! Never did I think that you¡¯re nothing but a worthless shit! Where will my face go if you walk away today, huh? Come back inside with me to apologize to them! Even if you don¡¯t want to enter the show in the future, you still must come down to finish this scene!¡±


    Crawling up from the floor yet again, Li Xiaoqian stared at Tang Zhen with disbelief. She suddenly came to the realization that her usually refined, neat-dressed mentor, the associate professor of the Regal Classical Music Academy turned out to be not a nice person at all. There was nothing about him that showcased the morality and integrity a teacher must have.


    She must run! She could never let herself be ruined in the hands of those dregs!


    Li Xiaoqian resisted the fainting sensation that flooded her brain. She didn¡¯t even have time to pick up her bag on the floor and turned to run toward the stairs. She ran so quickly that dozens of meters were passed by. Just as she was preparing to rush down the stairs upon seeing that Tang Zhen was chasing her, two waiters appeared at the stairs with plates blocking most of the corridor path.


    Under desperation, she didn¡¯t want to change her direction and kept running toward the stairs. She could feel that the distance between her and Tang Zhen was getting closer, as she was still a girl and even had drunk a lot of wine. Yet she still gave her best to run away¡ªalthough fear filled her heart.


    Bam¡­


    In the corridor of the second floor, Li XIaoqian ran into a soft embrace. In her panicked state, she finally shouted, ¡°HELP! PERVERT!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu, who had just come out of the restroom, was at a loss whether she had to laugh or cry after being hit by a drunken woman. The woman ran into her embrace and unexpectedly yelled that there was a ¡°pervert¡±. She was a girl with normal sexual orientation, for god¡¯s sake. How could she molest the same sex, to begin with?


    Just a moment after, she was surprised to find that a middle-aged man in gray sweater rushed down the stairs and dashed toward her within several steps.


    ¡°You still have the guts to run, Li Xiaoqian? You still must go back with me whether you want it or not today, even if the sky is overturned as a result! It¡¯s because of you that my face is almost gone!¡± After Tang Zhen caught up, he scolded and grabbed her shoulder.


    Only at this time did Ouyang Lulu finally realize that the girl in her embrace was not calling her a pervert but this man. She immediately sent a kick after Tang Zhen approached, brushing past him and kicked him again.


    ¡°Fear not girl, I can pack him up since he¡¯s nothing but an old pervert!¡± Ouyang Lulu patted Li Xiaoqian¡¯s back and comforted her.


    Finally, Li Xiaoqian stood firm and brushed past Ouyang Lulu to hide behind her. She looked at Tang Zhen and shouted, ¡°He¡¯s an immoral bastard, a pervert, and a shameless man. He¡¯s obviously my teacher and yet he wants me to accompany those damned men. Wu Wu Wu¡­ he only watched as those damned rogues bullied me. Not only did he not help me, he also helped them. He¡¯s really shameless¡­¡±


    The weeping and wailing revelation from Li Xiaoqian stunned Ouyang Lulu, since it never crossed her mind that this middle-aged man in front of her turned out to be Li Xiaoqian¡¯s teacher.


    A teacher¡­ how could a teacher do that, even worse than a beast?


    He¡­ he was not human!


    Fury burst out inside Ouyang Lulu¡¯s heart. After turning around to comfort Li Xiaoqian she rushed to Tang Zhen¡¯s side, kicking him who was trying to crawl up and then sent several kicks again. Fortunately, today was snowing and she wasn¡¯t wearing her high-heels though she did dress-up casually. Else, the tip of her shoes would have claimed half of Tang Zhen¡¯s life already.


    ¡°SCRAM! If you dare to play rogue again, I, your great aunt, will make you a living eunuch.¡±


    The beaten Tang Zhen was perplexed. Little did he expect that someone would show up and disrupt him like Cheng Yaojin, more so that this was a female version of Cheng Yaojin. He wanted to fight back, but it was evident that he was not her match at all. Forcing himself to suppress the pain all over his body, he struggled to crawl up from the floor with difficulty after the woman stepped back and they viciously glared at Ouyang Lulu.


    ¡°Eh¡­¡± Despite having been used to seeing beautiful women, Tang Zhen was still shocked upon seeing Ouyang Lulu¡¯s stunning beauty. A disbelieving expression plastered itself on his face, for he didn¡¯t expect that the woman who beat him turned out to be like an immortal fairy.


    With furrowed brows, Ouyang Lulu¡¯s mind still had the man¡¯s impression whose glaring eyes were aimed at her. She raised her fist and yelled, ¡°What the hell are you looking at? Really, you¡¯re a damn rogue. Did you not believe that I, your great aunt, will not dare to castrate you?¡±


    A chill ran down inside Tang Zhen¡¯s heart and he immediately ran away. That woman was undoubtedly a stunning beauty who could topple a country but was way too violent. He never wanted to turn himself into a living eunuch just because of a woman.


    Ouyang Lulu snorted coldly before turning around to look at Li Xiaoqian, whose tears burst like raining pears. She sighed inwardly and comforted her, ¡°Don¡¯t cry anymore, girl. I¡¯ve already driven out and beat that damned dreg!¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you¡­¡± said Li Xiaoqian with a grateful expression as she wiped her tears, yet more tears kept falling down.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to thank me.¡± Ouyang Lulu shook her head. ¡°That bastard deserves a beating. Let¡¯s go to my private box and then tell me about what happened. I happen to know the owner of this club. Wait until I tell him, then he¡¯ll send security guards to apprehend those damned rogues.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ they¡­ they all are very powerful people. I¡¯m afraid¡­¡± Li Xiaoqian spoke all of sudden upon hearing her words.


    ¡°Do they have very influential identities? What exactly are their origins?¡± Ouyang Lulu was surprised. ¡°Ah, right, I still don¡¯t catch your name. What do you do, girl?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Li Xiaoqian, a freshman at the Regal Classical Music Academy,¡± said Li Xiaoqian amid her sobbing. ¡°The man who just chased me is my teacher, Tang Zhen. He took me here to socialize and entertain the other three who are from the Blue City TV station. Two of them are the director and producer of the ¡®I¡¯m Crazy About Singing¡¯ program, whereas the last one is an honored guest of the show. They wanted me to accompany them, saying that I would be guaranteed to secure a good place in the ¡®I¡¯m Crazy About Singing¡¯ competition. I didn¡¯t want to do that, so they¡­¡±


    ¡°What a bunch of filthy swine!¡± Ouyang Lulu cursed with clenched teeth and then pulled Li Xiaoqian towards the Supreme Hall.

 Chapter 625

    Chapter 625: Setting Up Pitfalls


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Inside the Supreme Hall.


    The fragrance of the Gods Nectar filled the entire hall. Tang Xiu didn¡¯t smoke since there was a woman inside, Ouyang Lulu. Originally, Huang Xu and Fei Shan acted somewhat unnatural upon seeing Ouyang Lulu here and wanted to look and showcase the better of them before the belle. However, after listening to Wang Zidong¡¯s revelation that Ouyang Lulu was Tang Xiu¡¯s woman, they immediately tossed this thought away and called her Big Sis-in-law, much to Ouyang Lulu¡¯s happiness. Tang Xiu corrected them once, yet eventually realized that his effort was for naught and had no effect whatsoever, hence he didn¡¯t feel like correcting them anymore.


    He was filled with inspiration after watching the movie and then asked the Huang Xu group of three about talented people in the science and technology field after Ouyang Lulu left the hall, only to be disappointed as the trio didn¡¯t know any scientists.


    The idea to set up a science and technology research institute filled Tang Xiu¡¯s mind and he wanted to unearth some scientists and engineers through various channels, yet he didn¡¯t know if his acquaintances knew any.


    No choices to pick up!?


    After tossing his glass down, he caught sight of Ouyang Lulu coming in. Just after he put the glass on the table, his expression was slightly dazed.


    Li Xiaoqian? How would she¡­


    Looking at Li Xiaowan¡¯s disheveled appearance, the bloodstain on the corner of her mouth, and the bewildered expression in her eyes, he stood up and asked, ¡°Lulu, you and Xiaoqian¡­¡±


    The moment Li Xiaoqian entered the room and saw Tang Xiu sitting inside, a disbelieving expression filled her eyes in a flash, before it was replaced with ecstasy a few seconds after. To everyone¡¯s surprise, she ran to Tang Xiu¡¯s side and grabbed his arm, half grieving and half excited as she sobbed, ¡°Tang Xiu¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Asked Tang Xiu softly.


    Li XIaoqian tried her best to shake her head, yet her eyes failed as tears burst out from them.


    ¡°Do you know her?¡± Asked Ouyang Lulu, astounded.


    ¡°Xiaoqian is my classmate from high school,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What a coincidence?!¡± Commented Ouyang Lulu with a strange expression.


    Nodding without a word, Tang Xiu then inquired, ¡°What exactly is going on?¡±


    Upon hearing the question, there was a look of anger on Ouyang Lulu¡¯s face as she answered, ¡°I just came out of the restroom and saw a man chasing her. Afterward, I then learned that the man is her mentor, an immoral bestial in human clothing¡­¡±


    Ouyang Lulu revealed the story she knew of, whereas Li Xiaoqian supplemented in between. Everyone in the room immediately looked angered, since the event that an associate professor of the Regal Classical Music Academy acting so shameless never crossed their minds at all. Similarly, little did they think that the director, producer, and honored guest of the ¡®I¡¯m Crazy About Singing¡¯ turned out to be the dregs of society that posed as people of high morals and integrity.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send some people to arrest them!¡± Said Huang Xu angrily. ¡°They really have the guts to do such despicable things in my Clearlake Club. They deserve no mercy from me!¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to stop him, yet a cold glint flashed in his eyes as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious to act, Huang Xu. Xiaoqian is my high school classmate, so I naturally won¡¯t stand idly by when others bully her. Since these people are nothing but scoundrels and scums of society, then I¡¯ll make sure to dispose of them without giving them a chance to rise again. Lulu, bring Xiaoqian to the room where I am staying. I¡¯ll see you both again later after we¡¯re done with the arrangements.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ alright, then!¡± Ouyang Lulu nodded and asked about Tang Xiu¡¯s room number before taking Li Xiaoqian away.


    Inside the hall, Huang Xu asked with evident murderous expression, ¡°What should we do next, Tang Xiu?¡±


    After taking a seat on the sofa, Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and said, ¡°Spend some money to find some girls whose assets are quite good and tell them to employ all the skills they possess to stay overnight with those four bastards in the Clearlake Club. And do remember to try your best to install a camera in the room and record everything they do inside. Can you do it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s way too easy. ¡± Huang Xu sneered. ¡°There are a lot of young girls around the Huang Family who wish to officially appear on stage. They will be very happy to accompany them as long as we give them enough money.¡±


    ¡°Fine then!¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s discuss the details now. Since we want to mess them up, then they shall be beaten up to death in full. It¡¯s best to throw them into prison and let them suffer there for at least a few years.¡±


    ¡°If they are in jail, I can guarantee that they will have miserable, tragic lives inside.¡± Fei Shan echoed in a deep voice. ¡°They may cry out to the heavens and earth, but the heavens won¡¯t respond and the Earth is impervious to them!¡±


    After a few minutes of discussion, Huang Xu and Fei Shan hurriedly moved to act, while Wang Zidong, who came back in a hurry, would play an important role.


    On the third floor.


    Wang Zidong, with Li Chunlei and two waitresses, wore a smiling face as they came to the box occupied by Tang Zhen, Director Bai, and two others. After observing the ashen expression of the four men who were arguing noisily with each other, Wang Zidong clapped his hands and smilingly spoke, ¡°Four guests, I¡¯m the General Manager of the Clearlake Club, Wang Zidong. This man is the Dining Hall Manager, Manager Li. Looking at how angry you four are, is it because you all are feeling that the entertainment and services provided by our club are not to your satisfaction?¡±


    Upon hearing the remarks, the Director Bai group of four immediately looked surprised, but Director Bai¡¯s face changed even more as he replaced his expression to an amiable and smilingly one as he said, ¡°Ah, Young Master Wang, I didn¡¯t expect to see you here! I¡¯m Bai An from the Blue City TV station. You came to our TV station last year and I saw you from afar back then.¡±


    Wang Zidong was stunned and immediately said with a smile, ¡°Ah, it turns out to be a friend from the provincial TV station! Please forgive me, I just didn¡¯t recognize you. Just recently, several people were¡­¡±


    The Director Bai group of four looked a bit awkward and embarrassed, but his mind turned faster and with thick enough face, he forced a wry smile and said, ¡°It was no big deal. She¡¯s just a young girl who drank too much wine and just so happened to make trouble out of nothing, really. We¡¯ve already driven her away.¡±


    Inwardly, Wang Zidong secretly despised them, but he showed a stunned expression on the surface before smilingly saying, ¡°It¡¯s quite inconvenient for you honorable guests to come out for a drink and then a young girl scrapped the event into such a scene. By the way, the reason I came here is that there¡¯s a happy event that I need to congratulate you.¡±


    ¡°Happy event?¡± Director Bai was surprised. ¡°What¡¯s this happy event, exactly?¡±


    Wang Zidong clapped his hands. The two waiters behind him came to the front while carrying two bottles of Gods Nectar. Wang Zidong picked a bottle from the tray and smilingly said, ¡°The event is that our Clearlake Club has explicitly stipulated that each time we have visitors numbered 99, 999, 9999, and 99,999 would be the lucky patrons of our club. Not only will they be exempted from all of their expenses, but we will also provide them with Gods Nectar. And you all are our club¡¯s 999th visitor!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Director Bai was surprised, whereas Tang Zhen and the two others stared at the two bottles of Gods Nectar with burning eyes. Nowadays, the Gods Nectar¡¯s reputation could be said as very famous as all the connoisseurs and wine lovers regarded it as the ambrosia of the immortals. The price of the Gods Nectar, nevertheless, was very expensive and the number it was being sold on the market was very few. They too had tasted it a few times, but it was after having spent a lot of effort.


    Wang Zidong smilingly said, ¡°Furthermore, there¡¯s a three-choices program that requires you to choose as well.¡±


    ¡°What exactly is this program?¡± Asked Director Bai quickly.


    ¡°First is the three-day tour to Japan and South Korea, where your flight tickets and accommodations are all included in the package. Secondly, you¡¯ll be given the Movie Card published by New Era Film and Television Group, with which you can watch an unlimited number of movies all year long. While the third one is¡­¡±


    Director Bai was secretly shocked inwardly, for he didn¡¯t expect that their luck would be so good today as they could get such a great treatment. Upon noticing that the third option was not immediately explained by Wang Zidong, intense curiosity filled him as he immediately asked, ¡°What is the third one?¡±


    Waving his hand to the two waitresses and motioning for them to leave, Wang Zidong then ruminated for a short while before smilingly saying, ¡°Since everyone here in the room is a man, then I¡¯ll speak. This is the ¡®Precious Each Minute of the Wedding Night¡¯ program provided by our club. We have a lot of beautiful belles as well as handsome men in the Entertainment Hall. Whether you choose beauties or gorgeous males for the hardcore, they can accompany you for a night with no strings attached.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Director Bai¡¯s group of four was shocked. Never once they ever dreamed that the third program would be¡­


    Instantly after, the eyes of the four men lit up. Director Bai joyfully clapped his hands under the wine¡¯s influence and said, ¡°We are not interested in the first and second programs. We came out to play and have some fun, so we¡¯ll pick the third one. Anyways, anyone among you three needs a handsome guy? If none of you want it, how about choosing a beauty?¡±


    ¡°Alright! (No problem!)¡±


    The three men nodded one after another with fervent expressions.


    Inwardly, Wang Zidong felt quite funny and ridiculous. At the same time, he also admired Tang Xiu for the three-choice plan proposed by him. While looking at their expressions, he smilingly said, ¡°If this is the case, then please slowly taste the Gods Nectar first. I¡¯ll instruct Manager Li to go to the Entertainment Hall to prepare it in advance. After you have satiated yourselves with the food and drink, then I¡¯ll tell the waitress to lead you there. However, there¡¯s one condition I need to mention to you, and I hope that you all can agree to it.¡±


    ¡°What condition?¡± Asked Director Bai, confused.


    ¡°You four all are people with statuses, so I hope you can recommend our Clearlake Club to your circle of friends later to often visit and support us,¡± said Wang Zidong with all seriousness.


    ¡°No problem! (Not a problem!)¡±


    The four men consented without much deliberation.


    Half an hour later, the four of them were full of food and drink as the waiter led them to the Entertainment Hall. When they entered the luxurious private suite, a row of eight fashionably dressed and gorgeous belles nodded to the four of them, whereas Li Chunlei, who had long been waiting for them, smilingly said, ¡°They all are the staff of our Clearlake Club, and they will serve you for ******** to the best of their abilities tonight. I won¡¯t disturb you all; although you may summon me if you have any other needs. That¡¯s right, we also have prepared four suites over there, you can use them at any time.¡± [1]


    ¡°Thank you very much, Manager Li.¡± With a grateful expression, Director Bai looked at Li Chunlei and hurriedly headed for two beautiful and alluring women with good assets even before the latter left the private box.


    The place was set for love affairs, and all the four men were veteran players. With their keen eyes, they could tell that these eight women were not chaste anymore and therefore tossed away all of the disguises they wore straight away under the influence of the wine. Each and every one of them hugged two glamorous women, disporting themselves into the fun.


    Those eight glamorous women were similarly battle-hardened veterans in regards to this ¡°a horse stud sporting activity¡±. And they were naturally well aware of how to pet a man. Not to mention that Huang Xu had paid them a sky-high price so that they would display their best abilities to serve the four men and leave them extremely satisfied. [2]

 Chapter 626

    Chapter 626: As the Plot Proceeds


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Inside the Clearlake Club¡¯s monitoring room. The red light district was always a burial mound for heroes and furthermore, how could such mean and shameless men withstand the superb methods of the service of these slutty girls otherwise?


    The door of the monitoring room was pushed open as Wang Zidong came in with a smirk on his face, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve done it. These perverts should go to the room shortly if they can withstand the effect of the drug, but if not¡­ hehe, I¡¯m afraid I must open the KTV box to cover up such a frantic orgy.¡±


    ¡°What is the dosage of the drug you used on them?¡± Asked Tang Xiu while raising his brows.


    ¡°Twice the dosage for two of them,¡± said Wang Zidong while extending his two fingers.


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°Luckily you didn¡¯t use too much, or else they would definitely drop dead atop a woman¡¯s belly given their poor physical health. I¡¯d likely have done if it was some other time, though. But letting them die atop a woman¡¯s belly is way too great for them.¡±


    ¡°Yea, for those loose shits dying beneath peony blossoms, even becoming ghosts they would be distinguished and accomplished. Just let them catch fire and go to hell. Enough is enough¡ªif this can be tolerated, what cannot?¡± Huang Xu grinned. ¡°Anyhow, we¡¯ve sent the messages and the Blue City TV station¡¯s CEO has obtained it and is now on the way to the club. We still can¡¯t contact the Regal Classical Music Academy¡¯s side, though. The cell phone of the working staff is turned off.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a short while before picking his mobile phone and dialing a cell number¡ªa number belonging to Huang Jie, a teacher in the Regal Classical Music Academy. In the beginning, she and her bosom friends were the ones who spotted and settled on Li Xiaoqian before she finally got the chance to enroll in the Regal Classical Music Academy.


    Blue City, Emerald Bouquet Garden Estate.


    It was hard to come by Sunday for Huang Jie to rest at home. She sat in front of her laptop and surfed the internet in search of good music accompanied by her husband, Wen Shaohua, who sat on the back sofa reading the newspaper.


    Ring ring ring¡­


    A mobile¡¯s ringtone sounded all of sudden, attracting the husband and wife.


    ¡°Who could be calling?¡± Huang Jie frowned and spoke in a low tone. ¡°It¡¯s a hard chance to come by for me, to be able to rest at home today. I won¡¯t go out no matter who is calling.¡±


    Hearing his wife¡¯s grumble made Wen Shaohua smile. He immediately shook his head and commented, ¡°Don¡¯t speak like that. You¡¯re a Hustle-Bustle Master and I¡¯m afraid you would have run outside right away if anyone were to tell you there¡¯s something interesting.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d be a wonder!¡± Seemingly very dissatisfied with her husband¡¯s comment, Huang Jie rolled her eyes at him before answering the call, ¡°Huang Jie speaking, may I know who am I speaking with?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Tang Xiu, a former high school classmate of Li Xiaoqian. Is this Teacher Huang I¡¯m speaking with?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s voice was heard from the mobile phone.


    Tang Xiu?


    Staring blankly for a moment, Huang Jie¡¯s eyes immediately turned wide and replied with a pleasantly surprised tone, ¡°How come you remember to call me, Tang Xiu? Have you changed your mind and are willing to become a teacher at my Regal Classical Music Academy? Our doors will be open for you as long as you¡¯re willing to come here.¡±


    ¡°You have too many vile beasts in your Regal Classical Music Academy, and I loathe to be associated with those birds and animals,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°By the way, the reason I¡¯m calling you now is that I remember you saying that your husband is the vice president of the Regal Classical Music Academy, is that right?¡±


    With slightly furrowed brows, Huang Jie couldn¡¯t understand why Tang Xiu would call her only to reprimand her for no reason at all. But she still answered after a moment¡¯s hesitation, ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±


    ¡°Huang Jie, considering that we are acquaintances, I¡¯m going to give your Regal Classical Music Academy a chance for your husband to find the Head of your institution and rush to the Clearlake Club within two hours. I assure you that your institution¡¯s reputation will change from famous to notorious otherwise.¡±


    Beep¡­


    After hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, Huang Jie was stunned before the beeping tone coming from the mobile made he her realize that the call was over. Yet, she couldn¡¯t figure out what happened from Tang Xiu¡¯s words.


    ¡°What happened, wife?¡± Quickly asked Wen Shaohua upon seeing his wife¡¯s dazed expression.


    ¡°Husband, do you remember a young man I once told you about?¡± Huang Jie snapped back to her senses and replied with a strange expression. ¡°It¡¯s Tang Xiu, an expert of the zither who has reached the pinnacle of expertise on it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I remember him! He¡¯s a very famous young man, a musical expert, and possesses superb medical skills. Not only is he a student at Shanghai University, but he¡¯s also a young miracle-working doctor at the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. What did he call you for?¡± Asked Wen Shaohua.


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s the one who called me saying that you should rush to find Principal Zhang and then rush to the Clearlake Club as fast as possible, or else the reputation of our Regal Classical Music Academy will become infamous and notorious.¡±


    Wen Shaohua¡¯s expression turned serious. He may have ignored it if it was someone else, but the one who called was Tang Xiu, someone he must pay attention seriously since his identity was special. Such a person wouldn¡¯t speak like that for no reason.


    ¡°Some incident must have happened!¡± Wen Shaohua put the newspaper down, grabbed his coat and wore it before saying. ¡°I¡¯m going to find Principal Zhang immediately and then go that club¡­¡±


    ¡°Clearlake Club!¡± Huang Jie quickly added. ¡°It¡¯s a newly opened upscale club in our Blue City. Ah, forget it. I¡¯m going with you!¡±


    ****


    Clearlake Club.


    Even if Wang Zidong used twice the normal dosage of the drugs on Director Bai, Tang Zhen, and the two others, the quartet was already panting for breath after throwing away everything they got in less than half an hour. They were still very satisfied nevertheless, as the feeling of having a threesome and ¡°the services¡± of the women were truly superb. It was simply¡­ ignite and let loose¡­


    After the event came to an end, the four men and eight women still holed themselves inside the luxury private suite, whereas the quartet enjoyed the comfort brought by the heater while savoring the taste of being fed fruit by stark naked women.


    ¡°Old Tang, it¡¯s like in the olden times. The feeling of being a fatuous and self-indulgent ruler with beauties is not bad,¡± said Director Bao with a lascivious smiling face.


    Tang Zhen nodded and smilingly said, ¡°Director Bai, men are the strong iron of the four elements, shall we have another round? Anyways, let¡¯s gather again to enjoy such a red light district pleasure later if there¡¯s an opportunity. Besides, these young beauties are much better than those fading old women in our homes, to begin with.¡±


    Hahaha¡­


    The quartet took more than an hour of rest before starting to shoot their guns and mount the horses again. The combat power they still had was much lower, nevertheless, as the longest one among them could only last for seven-plus minutes before caving in.


    At this time, inside the monitoring room of the Clearlake Club, Chen Wei¡ªthe CEO of the Blue City TV Station, Zhang Qifeng, the Principal of Regal Classical Music Academy, and the Vice-principal of the academy, Wen Shao, stared at the orgy displayed on the surveillance screen. Rage and fury almost blasted them inside out, whereas Huang Jie lowered her head while sitting on the back sofa and spoke nothing. Her face was that of anger and shame.


    With a scowling sneer hanging on his mouth, Tang Xiu indifferently said, ¡°We did not deliberately try to set them up. But the sins and unjust actions they¡¯ve done themselves doomed them to the ruin they deserve. Teacher Huang Jie, it was you who was the first that spotted and took Li Xiaoqian to the Regal Classical Music Academy, but a teacher of your institution, a respected associate professor unexpectedly forced his own student to accompany these men. This made me doubt and suspect the integrity and morality of your Regal Classical Music Academy¡¯s teachers as a whole; the same doubt for the morality and character of the staffs of the Blue City TV Station as well.¡±


    Huang Jie raised her head and cursed, ¡°Tang Zhen is an immoral beast in human clothing!¡±


    ¡°Beasts in human clothing as they are, they shall have the proper punishment they deserve,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°I did not intend to look for you all at the beginning. I thought to only spread out this video, and either your Regal Classical Music Academy or the Blue TV Station would be sure to have gained a notorious reputation afterward!¡±


    Chen Wei had a change in expression and flusteredly said, ¡°Please don¡¯t, Mr. Tang. We will give you an explanation for this matter.¡±


    ¡°What will you do to make up for this, exactly?¡± Asked Tang Xiu indifferently.


    Chen Wei thought for a short while before gritting his teeth and saying, ¡°They don¡¯t deserve and are unworthy of being employees of the Blue City TV Station. I¡¯ll immediately fire them!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll also expel Tang Zhen directly!¡± Angrily yelled Zhang Qifeng.


    ¡°Dismissing them is only a half-assed solution.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°As a matter of fact, you don¡¯t need to fire them since they already can¡¯t continue staying in their positions anymore. The reason why I asked all of you to here is I hope that you would call the police.¡±


    Call the police?


    With a change in expression, Zhang Qifeng quickly said, ¡°But Mr. Tang, won¡¯t this club also be affected if you call the police? You see¡­¡±


    ¡°We are not afraid of being affected by this matter.¡± Huang Xu waved his hand. ¡°As long as these shameless scum are punished, what can a small impact account for in the first place?¡±


    Zhang Qifeng gasped for breath.


    Chen Qei was silent before slowly speaking, ¡°Little Xu, does your father know about this matter?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Chen, I don¡¯t think that father needs to be informed about this matter.¡± Huang Xu shook his head. ¡°Tang Xiu is a friend of mine and Li Xiaoqian is his high school classmate. My Dad will never blame me even if he knows.¡±


    Chen Wei took a cigarette from his pocket, ignited it and took a deep puff before nodding and saying, ¡°I¡¯ll make the call.¡±


    Inside the luxury box.


    Tang Zhen, Director Bai, and the two others took a break to recover their energy. However, this red light district enjoyment was something hard to come by, so the quartet had made plans to spend their time until the evening today to enjoy it.


    Bam¡­


    The door of the box was kicked from the outside, and more than a dozen policemen in their duty uniforms rushed inside.


    ¡°What?¡± The quartet was stunned. They barely wore any clothes and now faced the police rushing inside. In a flash, they felt like they had fallen into an ice hole as intense fear filled their hearts.


    ¡°We¡¯ve caught all the alleged people involved in an orgy party red-handed!¡± A middle-aged man shouted while looking at the quartet with a disgusted expression.


    ¡°No no no.¡± Director Bai hurriedly shouted. ¡°I have something to say. We are from the provincial TV Station¡­¡±


    ¡°Provincial TV Station?¡± The middle-aged man policemen sneered. ¡°It was the CEO of your provincial TV Station who personally reported you to the police, hence don¡¯t think about wasting your own saliva anymore.¡±


    WHAT?


    Director Bai was shocked and the other three were dumbfounded as a disbelieving expression covered their faces.


    A few minutes later, when the quartet had put on their clothes and were taken out with the eight women, disbelief plastered itself on their faces when they saw the TV station CEO, Chen Wei, and the Principal and Vice-Principal of the Regal Classical Music Academy, Zhang Qifeng and Wen Shaohua, as well as Wang Zidong who stood next to the group.


    In a flash, the quartet finally came to the realization that all of these events were arranged and set up by Wang Zidong, clearly providing them with everything for them to pit themselves.

 Chapter 627

    Chapter 627: Losing All Standing and Reputation


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Everyone will reap whatever they once sowed. Notwithstanding that heaven may have some good things, yet the chance of it to fall onto one¡¯s head in real life in this world was minuscule. Falling beneath the effect of liquor was never a good thing, for one would lose reason and sanity. It was nothing but a simple trap, yet Tang Zhen and Director Bai¡¯s group of four had easily fallen into the pit though they had unusual statutes. And what awaited them were tragic and miserable ends.


    While watching the quartet rain down curses at Wang Zidong as they were taken away by the police, Tang Xiu dialed Ouyang Lulu¡¯s cell number and spoke, ¡°Bring Li Xiaoqian out and accompany her to the Police station to file a report and sue these bastards. It would be perfect if ¡®attempted rape¡¯ is filed upon their heads.¡±


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll come out shortly,¡± said Ouyang Lulu with a smile before hanging up the phone.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath. Then, he patted Wang Zidong¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°I got you wronged because of this. Remember to contact me whenever you visit Star City, I¡¯ll treat you to a drink in the best suite in the Long¡¯s Dining Hall.¡±


    Wang Zidong¡¯s eyes lit up and immediately replied with a smile, ¡°Will do when I have some time to spare.¡±


    He was very excited inside since he could tell that Tang Xiu had accepted him. Maybe he was only regarded as an ordinary friend, but at least it was still a friend. Suddenly, he felt grateful to Tang Zhen and Director Bai. If they didn¡¯t treat Tang Xiu¡¯s female fellow student that badly, how could he have such an opportunity to win his favor?


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t participate in the following matter, but the incident progressed in the direction he had designed. Because of Li Xiaoqian¡¯s report, the thorough and detailed investigation was conducted while the Huang, Fei, and Wang Families helped fan the flames, making the quartet get apprehended under criminal charges. Wang Zidong also sent their orgy video in the Clearlake Club to their families, causing a furor as their four wives as well as other family members made a ruckus in the prison. In the end, four divorce settlements were sent to the quartet. Because it was them who derailed their marriages, the property distribution they would get after the divorce would likely be very pitiful.


    Losing all standing and reputation as well as falling from grace, perfectly portrayed the situation the quartet was in.


    The second day after the incident came to an end, it was three days away from the New Year¡¯s Day. Ouyang Lulu returned to Jingmen Island with a fulfilled heart, and Long Zhengyu returned from Nine Dragons Island, bringing along with him Mu Qingping and Gu Yin.


    It¡¯d been half a year and Gu Yin was already five-plus centimeters taller now. Her small stature was straightly lean and she gave off a bearing of nobility. She was very excited after seeing Tang Xiu as she clung to him and didn¡¯t want to leave even a slight step.


    As for Mu Qingping, she reported the detailed situation in Nine Dragons Island at present; she had fully grasped the situation there. Furthermore, she had now become a very qualified steward after going through training after training the instructors. She had even trained many attendants as well after putting in some effort, and the number of attendants in Nine Dragons Island had now reached 80.


    ¡°We¡¯re short on money at present.¡±


    Finally, Mu Qingping concluded her report about the situation over there with these words.


    Tang Xiu lightly smiled and transferred 20 million yuan to Mu Qingping¡¯s account via mobile banking. Then he smilingly said, ¡°Money is not a problem. Notify me in advance if you¡¯re short on money later.¡±


    The straightforward kindness Tang Xiu displayed was very much to Mu Qingping¡¯s satisfaction and happiness. She realized that ever since she met Tang Xiu, her whole life had turned into splendor as though it was a dream. She used to live adrift, moving from place to place, a miserable and sorrowful woman who brought her daughter to seek medical treatment, who now turned into a respected chamberlain in the eyes of many people. Having an extravagant and luxurious life in a luxurious castle and that was in charge of 80 attendants, as well as in control of dozens of extraordinary armed forces.


    ¡°By the way, before coming here Mo Awen asked me to ask you when you will assign them back. They heard that the HQ in Jingmen Island is currently selling resources for cultivation. They have a lot of money but they can only receive the resources provided for them by the HQ but are unable to purchase them with their own money.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression moved as he nodded and replied, ¡°I¡¯ll make a note about this matter and will have it arranged later. Sis Mu, you just came back from abroad, so it should be quite laborious and you must be tired, too. Stay here first, we¡¯ll return to Star City together tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Have your parents been good all this while?¡± Asked Mu Qingping with a smile.


    ¡°They are now in the capital. I just called them yesterday and they said they will return to Star City the day after tomorrow,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°As for us, we¡¯ll go back one day ahead so as to prepare some good things for the new year in advance. Anyways, Sis Mu, we are already a family, so you too must celebrate the New Year with us every year in the future.¡±


    While feeling warm inside, Mu Qingping nodded and said, ¡°We used to be a widowed mother and an orphan, so celebrating the New Year was not that meaningful to us in the past. But now is different since we have you and your parents. Yinyin and I know that we now have several more loved ones; family members.¡±


    Gu Yin held Tang Xiu¡¯s arm at the side and spoke with a smile, ¡°Yinyin misses Grandpa and Grandma. Master, would Grandpa and Grandpa miss Yinyin too?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s of course!¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°They often complain to me that they miss you, Yinyin! If there were only a few things to tend to in this less than half a year, they would have left for Nine Dragons Island to see you, Yinyin. Ah, that¡¯s right, tell me, how is your cultivation at present?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Gu Yin looked somewhat downcast as she said, ¡°Master, Yinyin is kinda out of wits and has been unable to break through to the Golden Core in these two months.¡±


    Tang Xiu stared blankly before he quickly asked, ¡°Did your cultivation broke through to the Peak Foundation Establishment Stage?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! I reached the Peak level of the Foundation Establishment Stage two months ago,¡± answered Gu Yin. ¡°Master, you told Yinyin that I¡¯m quite clever, but no matter how hard I try to condense my Golden Core, I still have no means to condense it like you said. That¡¯s right, Uncle Awen and Uncle Awu also gave two pills to Yinyin, but it still didn¡¯t work.¡±


    Secretly, Tang Xiu was speechless and dumbfounded. Six months ago Gu Yin was nothing but a small child who knew nothing about cultivation. Six months had passed by and her cultivation had progressed by leaps and bounds and she now reached the Peak Foundation Establishment Stage. Such a speed could only be described with one word¨CTerrifying! Even in the Immortal World, those children who hailed as geniuses were said as outstandingly great if they could reach the Foundation Establishment Stage within six months. Moreover, they were also aided with a lot of cultivation resources.


    One¡¯s physique is indeed an innate capital!


    Sighing inside secretly, Tang Xiu replied with a smile, ¡°Yinyin, you just entered cultivation for a very short period of time. Breaking through the Foundation Establishment Stage in six months is already very outstanding in and of itself. Listen to Master¡¯s words. The first thing you need to do now is not to let yourself be occupied by the thought of breaking through to the Golden Core in the near future. What you need to do is to solidify your Foundation Establishment Stage firmly. When you feel that you have 90% assurance of breaking through, you can condense your Golden Core and become a Golden Core expert.¡±


    Gu Yin quickly nodded as she laughed and said, ¡°Yinyin will listen to everything Master says.¡±


    Throughout the day, Gu Yin was plastered at Tang Xiu¡¯s side, whereas Mu Qingping went to her room to rest. Huang Xu then caught up and came to the club, as well as Fei Shan and Wang Zidong. They talked with Long Zhengyu and learned from him that he has brought with him Tang Xiu¡¯s little disciple. Immediately, they assigned people to buy a lot of gifts.


    Dusk finally came. Inside the luxurious suite of the Supreme Hall, Gu Yin looked at the pile of exquisite gift boxes that was taller than her in front with an excited expression on her adorable and cute small face.


    ¡°Yinyin, these are the gifts we bought you. Unwrap them and take a look whether they are to your fancy,¡± said Huang Xu with a smile.


    ¡°Thank you, Uncle.¡±


    After saying thanks, Gu Yin unwrapped and opened the beautifully packaged gift boxes. Clothes, shoes, princess hats, fine watches, mobile phones, tablets¡­


    Under the watchful eyes of Huang Xu and the rest, they could see that the excited expression on her face fading away a bit each time she opened another gift box. When she opened more than a dozen, the excited expression on her face was no longer there.


    Huang Xu, Fei Shan, and Wang Zidong exchanged dismayed looks. They couldn¡¯t figure out what happened with Gu Yin at all. How come she didn¡¯t look happy at all after seeing their gifts?


    Curious, Huang Xu probed, ¡°Yinyin, are these gifts presented by Uncle, not to your liking?¡±


    ¡°Yinyin already has all these things,¡± replied Yinyin with a low mood.


    ¡°What?¡± Huang Xu and the others were dumbfounded and looked at each other in dismay, being at a loss as to what to say for a period of time. They then remembered that Gu Yin was a treasured disciple of Tang Xiu, and the Master really cherished the performance of his little disciple, so he probably had provided these things for her already.


    Then¡­ what kind of gifts should they give?


    Wang Zidong hesitated for a moment before he suddenly took a checkbook from the pocket of his coat and wrote 2 million yuan in a brush before handing it to Gu Yin and smilingly saying, ¡°Yinyin, Uncle has not married yet, so I don¡¯t have a child and am clueless about what children like. Therefore, Uncle is gifting you money to buy anything you like. Also, consider it a gift from Uncle for our first meeting.¡±


    Huang Xu and Fei Shan seemed to be inspired by him as well, as they also took out their own checkbooks and wrote 2 million numbers, all of which were then given to Gu Yin.


    Gu Yin turned her head to look at Tang Xiu, who was sitting on the sofa at her side with an inquiring look on her face.


    ¡°These uncles of yours are rich people, Yinyin. They are giving you pocket money, so just accept it! However, give the money to your mother. After you¡¯ve determined you want to buy, find your Mom and ask for the money to buy them.¡±


    Gu Yin suddenly looked excited and said, ¡°Master, Yinyin wants to take a test to get a driver¡¯s license.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing and said, ¡°You¡¯re still too young, girl. You can¡¯t take that test yet.¡±


    ¡°Even if I can¡¯t get the card now, but at least I can learn it, right?¡± Gu Yin quickly said. ¡°Uncle Awu secretly took Yinyin several times already to drive yachts and operate the helicopter. Yinyin has nearly grasped all of it. It¡¯s just that I¡­ I haven¡¯t had much practice. Uncle Awu said that practice makes perfect, so Yinyin wants to buy a yacht and a helicopter.¡±


    Cough! Cough, cough¡­


    Tang Xiu, who was sipping tea, suddenly choked and spurted it out, whereas Huang Xu, Fei Shan, and Wang Zidong stared at Gu Yin with dumbfounded and tongue-tied expressions as though they were looking at an alien.


    After wiping his mouth, Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, ¡°Like I told you, you¡¯re still very young right now, it is not suitable for you to fly a chopper. Anyhow, I¡¯ll tell your Mom to order a few yachts, nevertheless. So you can drive them whenever you want to go to the sea.¡±


    ¡°En, en. Thanks a lot, Master!¡± Gu Yin immediately cried out with an enthusiastic expression.


    Gulp¡­


    Huang Xu, Fei Shan, and Wang Zidong gulped down their own saliva at the same time by the decision made but the master and disciple duo. Their shock was really difficult to add up again.

 Chapter 628

    Chapter 628: Something Sent by Others at a Time of Need


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Neither Huang Xu, Fei Shan, or Wang Zidong could understand Yinyin at all, but Tang Xiu knew her very well. This child may still be young, but she was more mature than her peers and possessed abilities far beyond adult people. As for the reason why Tang Xiu wanted to buy yachts, it was not only to give them to Gu Yin to play but it was out of necessity since Nine Dragons Island itself was located in the middle of the ocean.


    ¡°Huang Xu, what happened to those four?¡± Recalling Tang Zhen and Director Bai¡¯s group of four, Tang Xiu felt that he must learn about their situation before leaving Blue City.


    ¡°Tragic and miserable, period,¡± said Huang Xu with a smile. ¡°They lost their jobs, families, and freedom in extension. There¡¯s nothing to speak of about the Regal Classical Music Academy, though, and nothing affected Li Xiaoqian at all. Even the first and second leader promised that they will help Li Xiaoqian later under viable and reasonable circumstances.¡±


    Tang Xiu slightly nodded in response. He had a talk with Li Xiaoqian a few days ago. She wanted to enter the entertainment industry and as her former classmate, he lent her a hand. As of recently, Qin Shaoyang and Chu Yi were planning to build a media and entertainment based company, so he made a phone call to Qin Shaoyang and recommended Li Xiaoqian to him, so she could sing while still studying whenever there was an opportunity. She could also head toward movies and television if she was willing.


    In the next day, Tang Xiu left Blue City along with Mu Qingping and Gu Yin. After arriving at Star City, he went to Magnificent Tang Corporation several times to formulate the development plan with Kang Xia, and also gathered with his many acquaintances from Blue City.


    Time passed by, and in the blink of an eye, it was only two days away from the New Year celebration.


    A fall of seasonal snow usually gives promise of a fruitful year ahead. Tang Xiu originally intended to read at home during the snowy days, but Yuan Chuling then called him to go out.


    After Tang Xiu walked out of the South Gate Town¡¯s entrance, he saw Yuan Chuling standing next to a car on the roadside. He immediately walked to him and smilingly asked, ¡°Is there something you can¡¯t speak on the phone by asking me to come out?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not me who¡¯s looking for you, brother. It¡¯s my old man,¡± said Yuan Chuling.


    ¡°Your Dad?¡± Asked Tang Xiu, confused. ¡°What does he want from me without any rhyme or reason like this?¡±


    ¡°I can kind of guess.¡± Yuan Chuling forced a smile. ¡°My Dad¡¯s company hasn¡¯t started the transformation in the past six months! He recently withdrew quite a lot of money but has not even determined the investment project he will invest the funds into, so he wants to talk with you¡ªto ask whether you have some good suggestions. He said that it¡¯s best¡­ if he can work and cooperate with you on some projects.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but break into laughter. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m one with shrewd business sense, why would he want to discuss investments and business with me? And to be frank with you, I¡¯m currently having a headache now!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Yuan Chuling was puzzled. ¡°About what?¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and answered, ¡°There are a couple projects I have in mind but there are no means available for me to implement them. Ah, forget it. Since Uncle Yuan wants to see me, I might as well go to see him! Maybe¡­¡±


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu¡¯s expression slightly changed and a glint flashed in his eyes as another subject suddenly popped inside his head at this moment. He quickly asked, ¡°That¡¯s right. If my memory is correct, Uncle Yuan¡¯s previous business was related to the military and they cooperated in many fields. In which direction were the products developed in his laboratory?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about this matter. It¡¯s high-tech; that, I know. It should be deeply related to weapons¡¯ development, though!¡± Answered Yuan Chuling.


    Tang Xiu blinked. He immediately opened the car¡¯s door and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go see your old man.¡±


    ****


    At Yuan Chuling¡¯s home.


    Yuan Zhengxuan was sitting in the study room with a distressed look while quietly reading the list of dismissed employees. The target research for science and tech of the research institute had been achieved and fully completed, so he wanted to dismiss the experts and professors there, and then draft a list of staff to be dismissed more than a month ago. And yet, until now he had not yet released the list, and those researchers also went home on vacation.


    ¡°Forty-six people. How should I arrange them?¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan rarely smoked, but he lit up a cigarette at this time and took a few deep puffs. Zhao Jing then appeared at the door of the room and walked inside with a cup of tea. When she saw his distressed expression, she said with a loving expression, ¡°Husband, just put it down first if you can¡¯t make up your mind now! At worst, the investment would just be used to let them research some stuff. Even if it¡¯s the same¡­ as keeping them.¡±


    ¡°Keeping them for some time isn¡¯t a problem, but doing it for a lifetime is close to impossible.¡± Yuan Zhengxuan smiled bitterly.


    ¡°What¡¯s so difficult about it?¡± Asked Zhao Jing. ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re spending the money for nothing, either. We withdrew a large number of funds and we can make a lot of money if we pick the right investment projects. Besides, those engineers and scientists have been with us for more than a decade and they have contributed and made a lot of money for us. It¡¯s kind of unjust and unkind if we are to dismiss them now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m perfectly aware that it¡¯s heartless, so I have been unable to make up my mind all this while,¡± said Yuan Zhengxuan with a helpless expression. ¡°Now the most important thing is that I have no goals to transform our businesses. Originally, Tang Yunde had several projects, but he doesn¡¯t need a partner since he also has plenty of funds.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you make your son go to Tang Xiu? He may have any good investment project!¡± Said Zhao Jing. ¡°That kid is really resourceful and has already set up a company with a large scale of operations and business deals at such a young age. He will definitely dabble in many fields in the future. And maybe due to our son¡¯s relationship with him, we might be able to catch and board this money-making fast train and make a fortune for ourselves.¡±


    Sigh. Yuan Zhengxuan faintly sighed and said, ¡°If I had the heart to transform the business two years earlier, I could¡¯ve bought the shares of the Magnificent Tang Corporation when it was just established. I would have sat back and idled every day now, yet the money would still come flowing in, then there would be no way I would be struck with all of a heap right now.¡±


    ¡°Who knew that the Magnificent Tang Corporation set up by Tang Xiu would rise like this today at that time, though?¡± Zhao Jing nodded. ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s just forget it for now, shall we? I want something joyful and happy since it¡¯s a big New Year celebration now. We¡¯ll think about what we must do later! I believe that becoming rich doesn¡¯t rely on climbing up other¡¯s business, but an investment.¡±


    ¡°En. Let¡¯s put it off first and talk again after we meet Tang Xiu.¡± Yuan Zhengxuan silently nodded.


    Half an hour later, Tang Xiu was already sitting in front of Yuan Zhengxuan. After seeing his listless expression, Tang Xiu smilingly said, ¡°Uncle Yuan, if you have something in mind please speak it out. We¡¯re not strangers, to begin with.¡±


    ¡°Since you speak like that, then I won¡¯t beat around the bush, Tang Xiu,¡± said Yuan Zhengxuan. ¡°The reason I sent Ling¡¯er to find you this time is actually that I wanted to ask whether you have any good projects to invest into. I mentioned to you before that I wanted to transform my business to avoid myself being eyed by those forces from abroad.¡±


    ¡°How much capital do you have in hand now, Uncle Yuan?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°The military has not yet given me the latest installment for the latest product. It will be transferred to my account in April next year as per the agreement. If that is to be added up, I should have around 5 to 6 billion yuan.¡±


    Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Uncle Yuan, the researchers in your lab should be experts in researching tech engineering, right? I¡¯m going to speak out my mind through analogy here. If I have some ideas to research some type of products, which I have its specific details of the ideas in mind, will they be able to research the products according to my conception?¡±


    ¡°The specific direction for the research target must be crystal clear first, or maybe you can make an example for them,¡± said Yuan Zhengxuan.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Magnetic Levitation Flying Disk,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What object is this?¡± Asked Yuan Zhengxuan, puzzled.


    ¡°It¡¯s a transportation vehicle, to be exact. For example, if a person stands on this Magnetic Levitation Flying Disk, they can control it to fly freely and it can guarantee that they won¡¯t fall or be thrown during the flight. Speaking about it, it¡¯s a bit similar with the induction mechanism on cars, except that the induction on a car runs on the ground, whereas the Magnetic Levitation Flying Disk flies in the sky.¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan wore a queer expression as he looked at Tang Xiu. He shook his head and forced a smile as he said, ¡°This idea of yours sounds like indulging yourself in fantasy. If such an object does exist in the world, it would have created a huge sensation. The most notable thing about it is that whoever is able to research it will probably have the eyes of every force in the world set on them. And those forces will definitely resort to all means to rob it.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡± Tang Xiu was puzzled.


    ¡°Possessing science and technology is tantamount to grasping power,¡± said Yuan Zhengxuan. ¡°If such Magnetic Levitation Flying Disk were to be used by the military, or so to say, to use the core technology contained in the Magnetic Levitation Flying Disk after disassembling it, it will be very easy to develop other weapons. In due course, how much chance of success do you think the result of its research and development will be?¡±


    Tang Xiu fell into silence. He admitted that he only considered how to make money with this Magnetic Levitation Flying Disk but overlooked such possibility. Now, after Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s reminder, he couldn¡¯t help but turn vigilant.


    Yuan Zhengxuan sighed, ¡°Furthermore, even if this Magnetic Levitation Flying Disk was able to be researched and sold well like it was some high-end product, what about the safety factor of the product? You may be able to guarantee that this stuff is able to take a person flying in the air, but have you ever thought about the fact that there are no definite road or path in the air? How terrible would it be if the riders collide with each other?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°As I said, I can solve the issue with safety measures.¡±


    After being silent for a moment, Yuan Zhengxuan then said with a serious expression, ¡°There are two safety measures. As long as you achieve these two, you can try to research and develop it.¡±


    ¡°What safety measures?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a moving expression.


    ¡°One is the possibility of the technology being stolen and robbed, which is related to the importance of having armed forces guarding it,¡± answered Yuan Zhengxuan.


    ¡°Supposing that I become enemies with the major forces in the world, I can hardly guarantee that I can prevent the possibility of the tech getting stolen. But¡­¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°But what?¡± Asked Yuan Zhengxuan.


    ¡°Give me two or three years of time,¡± said Tang Xiu with all seriousness. ¡°I¡¯m sure that I can achieve these two aspects within this span of time.¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s expression was as though he was seeing a monster. He shook his head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t joke with me. You indeed have achieved great things, but you are simply oblivious to the horror of the power possessed by those major forces in the world. Let¡¯s forget this and put this matter off for the time being. We¡¯ll talk about this some other time!¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly asked, ¡°Uncle Yuan, since you¡¯re going to reform your business, what about the researchers in your research institute? What are they gonna do? Are you going to dismiss them?¡±


    ¡°This is exactly why I got a headache!¡± Yuan Zhengxuan smiled bitterly. ¡°I want to dismiss them, but they have been following me for more than a dozen years, so I can¡¯t make up my mind about this! I¡¯m currently carefully thinking about it before taking any action! So I¡¯m keeping them for the time being.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes lit up and he smilingly said, ¡°How about we make a deal, Uncle Yuan? I want to find capable researchers to help me research this Magnetic Levitation Flying Disk. Since you already have the ready-made personnel, so I¡¯m just going to pay you an amount of money. How about transferring them to me?¡±


    ¡°Do you really want to try it?¡± Asked Yuan Zhengxuan, surprised.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Said Tang Xiu with a smile.

 Chapter 629

    Chapter 629: Savage Beasts¡¯ Attack


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The researchers at his research institute were akin to hot potatoes to Yuan Zhengxuan. He was conflicted between abandoning his conscience and not to abandon them, but he had little use for them in the future. It was precisely amid such a dilemma that Tang Xiu¡¯s proposal came, and it made him very satisfied. He didn¡¯t quote the price but put forward a condition instead.


    ¡°Please do say, Uncle Yuan!¡±


    With cautiousness in mind, Tang Xiu observed him. He knew that the world did not provide free lunch. Yuan Zhengxuan was unwilling to sell and transfer the team of researchers to him, thus it could mean that the condition he put forward would be not easy to complete.


    As expected, Yuan Zhengxuan smiled and said, ¡°Tang Xiu, you have a Hand of Midas with vision and ability that are beyond that of an ordinary person¡¯s. I need projects. I hope that I can cooperate with you in certain areas. As long as you can let me invest my money, I can give you my research institute for free along with the researchers.¡±


    Tang Xiu slightly frowned. If he had a good project, he would have invested his money already. Why would he still wait until now? Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s request was therefore quite difficult for him, and for a while, he did not know how he should deal with it.


    Seeing that Tang Xiu looked awkward, Yuan Zhengxuan lightly smiled, ¡°I¡¯m aware that asking you to give me some projects at present is unrealistic. I can hand over the laboratory and the researchers to you, and I only need your promise now.¡±


    After contemplating a bit, Tang Xiu said, ¡°I don¡¯t dare to guarantee 100%. But if I have a business plan and come across some good projects that require me to cooperate with others later I will call you first, Uncle Yuan.¡±


    Clapping his hands, Yuan Zhengxuan smiled with satisfaction. ¡°It¡¯s a deal. This way, the researchers who are now going home to celebrate the New Year will return to work at the research institute afterward. Let¡¯s set a date and I¡¯ll take you there myself by then.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and nodded.


    As a matter of fact, he also lacked the confidence in researching the Magnetic Levitation Flying Disk. After all, the subject of science and technology research was something out of his expertise. The reason why he wanted to start the research was that he had already seen the object. He knew how huge the sensation it would create and how wondrous the profits it would make once the object was fully researched and developed.


    Ring ring ring¡­


    The ringtone of Tang Xiu¡¯s mobile phone suddenly buzzed.


    After picking it up and looking at the number displayed on the screen, Tang Xiu immediately connected it and spoke, ¡°Have you returned to Star City, Sis Xiaowan?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m already here.¡± Chen Xiaowan¡¯s voice came replying. ¡°Where are you now? Are you free and have some time to go out and meet me?¡±


    ¡°I still have things to tend to right now. I¡¯ll treat you to lunch at noon,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Chen Xiaowan readily agreed.


    After ending the call, Tang Xiu looked at Yuan Zhengxuan and spoke, ¡°Uncle Yuan, please don¡¯t forget to call me after the researchers come to work again after the New Year. I¡¯ll still be in Star City before the 15th of January.¡±


    ¡°Got it. No problem,¡± said Yuan Zhengxuan with a smile.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu got up and bade farewell. Though Yuan Zhengxuan and Zhao Jing wanted him to stay for lunch, Tang Xiu refused since he already had an appointment with Chen Xiaowan. Yuan Chuling didn¡¯t go with him as he had just returned from Shanghai and had planned to stay at home with his parents. He was obviously more mature than before after having gone through many things, much to his parents¡¯ happiness and satisfaction.


    However, on the way to see Chen Xiaowan, Tang Xiu received a call from Su Ben and learned that a big incident had happened, so he immediately contacted Chen Xiaowan and told her that he had to go to his hometown as there was a very urgent matter. After concluding the call, he directly turned the steering wheel and rushed to his hometown.


    Su Ben told him on the phone that several murder cases happened in the Su Family Village as well as in the neighboring villages in the recent days. According to the investigation of the local public security bureau, it was found that the murderers were not humans but very horrible beasts.


    Such a situation made Tang Xiu remember what Su Ben told him, that in the back hill of the Su Family Village there was a leopard larger than a bull. At that time, Tang Xiu¡¯s conjecture was that the beast should be a savage, fierce beast, and he did not deal with it since he did not encounter it before.


    ****


    Su Family Village, Songlou Town.


    It was nearly the New Year and at this time, the whole village portrayed a jubilant scene. Children dressed in clean clothes were running around, setting off firecrackers, sticking and pasting couplets, and playing games, whereas the adults were preparing for the New Year¡¯s products or gathered together in groups of three to five to chat.


    When Tang Xiu drove the car to the village, however, only a few men came back from the outside holding iron shovels and harpoons in their hands, with solemn and vigilant expressions on their faces.


    Creak¡­


    As the car stopped in front of them, Tang Xiu then faced them and asked, ¡°How is the current situation? How many people have been killed in the Su Family Village?¡±


    One of the men was among the ones that was helped by Tang Xiu in the previous beating incidents and was sent to the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, Su Xiangjian. Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s inquiry, he squeezed out a sad smile and said, ¡°Two died, Zhangwen and Gangzi. The day when that beast killed them, hundreds of people from several villages joined us to scour the mountain, but we couldn¡¯t find its shadow at all. We really want to kill it.¡± [1]


    ¡°How many villagers from other villages became victims?¡± Asked Tang Xiu quickly.


    ¡°Two people from our village. A total of four added up with the ones from other villages. The number now became six victims, with several others injured. Wang Haiyang from the Little Village of Wang is gravely injured and maybe won¡¯t be able to make through this year.¡±


    ¡°Which places the beast attacked them?¡± Asked Tang Xiu once again.


    While pointing to the north, Su Xiangjian bitterly said, ¡°Some from our village were attacked in the orchard at the foot of the hill. They were pruning apple trees back then and were attacked by that damned beast. The victims from other villages were also attacked near the mountain at the back. The man who survived said that it was a leopard the size of a bull.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in response. He took out cigarettes from his pocket and gave it to them. Then he talked to them for a while before driving to his grandmother¡¯s house.


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡±


    Su Ben and Su Quan were long waiting and rushed up to welcome him at this time.


    After Tang Xiu got off the car, he said, ¡°I met the uncles when I just entered the village and learned the situation from them. Brother Ben, Su Quan, wait for me here. I¡¯m going in and say hi to grandma, and then you all will go with me to the back of the mountain.


    ¡°We can¡¯t go there, Tang Xiu,¡± said Su Ben quickly.


    Tang Xiu shot him a deep gaze and said with a serious expression, ¡°Brother Ben, there¡¯s something that you don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve been practicing martial arts with some experts in the recent years, and I can tell you that my foundation is very deep; tens of men are not my opponents. Besides, with you all following me, we can kill that leopard as long as we can find it.¡±


    ¡°Listen to me, Tang Xiu. That leopard is no way an ordinary wild beast.¡± Su Ben shook his head and replied. ¡°And now many people even say that this leopard is something akin to a demon spawn. Let alone three of us, even 30 people going there without weapons will probably not come back alive.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before speaking, ¡°Just wait for me here first, I¡¯ll tell you something later.¡±


    Having said that, he stepped into the courtyard¡¯s entrance and then saw Su Xiangfei, who was currently whetting a javelin in the yard. Tang Xiu was slightly dazed upon seeing it and immediately asked, ¡°When did you come back?¡±


    Squeezing a smiling face, Su Xiangfei said, ¡°Been back here for more than a week.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and asked, ¡°Is Grandma inside?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s inside, having a nap after lunch.¡± Su Xiangfei said. ¡°Grandma has been great recently, though she¡¯s kinda sad due to the death of the villagers. She¡¯s in a bad mood these days.¡±


    Tang Xiu then nodded, ¡°Since she¡¯s sleeping, then I¡¯m going out to deal with something.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m coming with you,¡± said Su Xiangfei quickly. ¡°I just heard your conversation outside.¡±


    ¡°With me, Brother Ben, and Su Quan, the three of us are enough.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Another one will add more strength, Tang Xiu.¡± Su Xiangfei shook his head. ¡°I must go with you all.¡±


    Tang Xiu hesitated. After looking at his determined expression, he then nodded and said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡±


    As he came outside, Tang Xiu took out a pistol from his pocket, showed it under the light toward them and then quickly stuffed it back, speaking in a low voice, ¡°This gun is usually for my self-defense. When we get to the back of the mountain, once we find the leopard and are unable to kill it by our own force, then I¡¯ll shoot it.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you¡­ how come you have a gun?¡± Asked Su Quan immediately, astounded.


    The pistol was actually obtained by Tang Xiu after he killed the members of the Yao Family. There were quite a number of guns inside his interspatial ring, and even some submachine guns and sniper rifles. Certainly, he couldn¡¯t mention it to them about it, and therefore made up some reasons, ¡°I¡¯m a billion-yuan Big Boss. It would be quite dangerous if I didn¡¯t have the means to defend myself whenever some evil people want to strike me for money. Anyhow, rest assured, I won¡¯t do anything illegal with this gun. It¡¯s just to defend myself.¡±


    Both Su Ben and Su Quan immediately understood since both of them were employees of the Magnificent Tang Corporation. Su Ben was now a deputy captain of the security guards in the company¡¯s winery and naturally knew that the security team of the company was now armed with guns legally licensed by the government. Su Xiangfei, however, did not know about this. But after realizing Tang Xiu¡¯s present status, he also expressed his understanding.


    Ten minutes later, after Tang Xiu drove the car and parked it in the back hill with the three people, they hurriedly got up and trekked the mountain pathway leading to the mountain with vigilance. Except for Tang Xiu who brought a gun, Su Ben and Su Quan brought a harpoon and an iron shovel, whereas Su Xiangfei was armed with his javelin.


    The moment they entered the Jin Mountain, Tang Xiu had already released his spiritual sense. Though his present level of cultivation was very high, he did not find the level of strength of that leopard. Furthermore, he had three people with him around, so he needed to guarantee their safety as well.


    ¡°Give me some directions. I often came here when we¡¯re children, but my memory is kinda blurred about the many places,¡± said Tang Xiu to them. It was actually his real purpose of bringing them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s scour the surroundings first.¡± Su Ben said. ¡°We¡¯ll venture deeper if we can¡¯t find it. Many places are fraught with dangers over this mountain, especially in the valley. I¡¯m quite familiar with those places, just follow me.¡±

 Chapter 630

    Chapter 630: Venturing Deeper into the Mountain to Hunt


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The mountainous area to the North of the Su Family Village was one of the mountain range branches of the Yuzhou Ridge. It was only several kilometers wide but comprised of quite a lot of large and small hills. The place turned luxuriantly lush and green during the summer with its towering old trees, yet it looked desolate in the cold winter.


    When Tang Xiu was a child, he followed the adults to venture to the back of the mountain, but only a few times had he ventured deeper into the mountain range. Many old hunters who made a living from hunting may have ventured deeper inside. Su Ben¡¯s grandfather was one among those old hunters, but after Su Ben¡¯s father generation, they did not fully make a living from hunting anymore.


    The tapered towering rocks were queer and were arduously precipitous.


    The four men searched for a few hours on the periphery and did not find the trail of the leopard, so they trekked over the mountain and entered a very long valley on the back side. Here Tang Xiu narrowed the range of his spiritual sense to a radius of 50 meters to save his energy.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, we will have to jump over that mountain creek later. Remember to do your very best to jump over, or else you¡¯ll fall.¡± The four men¡¯s trek came to a stop halfway up the mountainside, as Su Ben pointed to the gap of the mountain creek about seven-plus meters away from them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Replied Tang Xiu.


    The gap in the mountain creek was two-plus meters wide and the four jumped over with extra care, and then took a rest for a dozen minutes before continuing with the trekking toward the inside. They climbed over and headed toward the lower terrain. And due to the area located at the back of the mountain, some of the places still had snow that had yet to melt. Walking on the mountain pathway here was arduously difficult.


    Su Ben took a glance at the time on his mobile phone. It was 4:30 PM. He stopped and said with all seriousness, ¡°We can only trek up this point today as it will turn dark in about an hour. I¡¯m afraid that we¡¯ll encounter some dangers if we go back too late.¡±


    Tang Xiu took his mobile out, too, and found that there was no signal, and then said, ¡°Let¡¯s spend the night here. Let¡¯s venture deeper to find a hidden place to rest. Night is the time for wild animals and beasts to wander around, so the chance of us spotting that leopard is also bigger if we stay here.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Su Ben and Su Quan exchanged dismayed looks and similarly had hesitant looks.


    ¡°Even if we are to rush back now, we won¡¯t be able to get to the foot of the mountain until the sky completely turns dark, brothers,¡± said Su Xiangfei calmly. ¡°Let¡¯s just stay here!¡±


    ¡°Yup, don¡¯t worry!¡± Tang Xiu glanced at him with satisfaction. ¡°How will I dare to go to the peak of the mountain without two or three more people? I can guarantee your safety since I¡¯m the one who brought you here. That leopard is loathsome. I¡¯m afraid those villagers from the several villages won¡¯t be in the mood to celebrate the New Year if we don¡¯t exterminate it. Besides, I don¡¯t know how many people will have to die when it appears again some other day.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then!¡± Su Ben and Su Quan finally nodded.


    After half an hour, the quartet rushed and arrived at the most bottom of the valley. While looking at the shimmering small lake in front, Su Ben pointed to a stone riprap at the foot of the hill and said, ¡°There¡¯s a cave behind that pile of stones. I used to stay in there when I went hunting with grandpa in the past. Let¡¯s stay here tonight.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I once came here with your gramps, too.¡± Su Quan smilingly said. ¡°The old gramps gave us roasted chicken and liquor back then. It was my first time¡­ having a drink! Unfortunately, we came here way too hurried, else I¡¯d have brought some wine had I know we would spend the night here.¡±


    A glint flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes and a smiling expression climbed up his face. He stuffed his hand into his pocket to conceal taking a half-pound of white wine from his interspatial ring, and then smilingly said, ¡°Well, I came prepared.¡±


    ¡°You really have some liquor in your pocket?¡± Su Quan was astounded. ¡°Tell me, Tang Xiu, you had already decided to spend the night here before? No, something¡¯s not right. Your clothes won¡¯t be that big, no? It can¡¯t hide a bottle of wine underneath, right?¡±


    ¡°A half-pound of liquor isn¡¯t too big and can be stuffed underneath my clothes¡¯ pocket,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Anyhow, go to the cave behind that stone riprap first. I¡¯ll comb the surrounding and get you all some game.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going with you, Tang Xiu,¡± said Su Ben.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t worry, Brother Ben!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and smilingly said. ¡°I have confidence in my strength. I¡¯m afraid that I must pay attention to take care of you too if you come with me.¡±


    Su Ben did not know Tang Xiu¡¯s strength, yet he realized one thing. After trekking the mountain at noon today, Tang Xiu did not look fatigued at all until now, not even dropping a sweat. One must know that he had been doing a lot of physical exercises every day since he started working in the security team of the Magnificent Tang Corporation for the past six months. He thought that his physical fitness was very good already. But after secretly comparing himself with Tang Xiu, he finally discovered that his metabolism was not as good as his.


    ¡°I know that you¡¯ve been smart and cautious since we¡¯re small, but still, you must pay attention to your safety,¡± said Su Ben in a low voice.


    Patting his shoulder, Tang Xiu picked a direction at random and walked toward the dead grove. He picked his speed up immediately after leaving their sight and smoothly traversed the wooded mountain. He released his spiritual sense and spread it out in a wide scope. In just 10 minutes, he had scoured the radius of seven-plus kilometers, and yet he didn¡¯t find any trace of the leopard except for some wild animals.


    Two pheasants and one hare. It should be enough for the four of us to eat, no?


    Tang Xiu took the precious herbs and stuffed them into his interspatial ring, and then sat with the random prey caught in the rock pile not far from the lakeside.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu, who was taking the long route to return, had a surprised expression on his face. He suddenly sensed that the concentration of the world energy in the surrounding got richer the more he paced forward. Even the concentration of the world¡¯s spiritual qi became two or three times richer than of other places after passing nearly a kilometer.


    ¡°Something¡¯s unusual here!¡±


    Tang Xiu quickly stuffed the pheasants and hare into his interspatial ring. He took out the Bloodguzzler dagger and backhandedly wielded it, as he then carefully observed the surroundings as well as estimated the concentration of the world¡¯s spiritual qi, and then headed toward the place with higher concentration. He realized that he was slowly deviating from the direction he must return since the direction was heading toward another mountain on the other side of the valley.


    Ten minutes later, he stopped in front of a seven-plus meters high stone forest. Though there were also many trees growing here, his visibility was much further since the deadwood was already scarce. Under the combing of his spiritual sense, however, he found some particularities in this stone forest.


    ¡°This is an array of stones formed by nature. I really did not expect there would be a natural stone array here. It has no attacking power, however, so this one ought to be a type of Phantasmagoric Array.¡±


    Having observed it for two minutes, Tang Xiu resolutely stepped into the stone forest. After the estimation and judgment, he easily reached its center. And at this time, the concentration of Heaven and Earth spiritual qi here was already ten times that of other places.


    ¡°My luck is not bad, a pity that¡­¡±


    Looking at the ¡®gurgling¡¯ white mist of the spring in front of him, there was a forced smile on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. It was a Spirit Spring, formed by a spiritual vein which contained a huge amount of spiritual energy. If cultivators were to cultivate here, they would definitely get twice the results with half the effort. Their cultivation speed would definitely be a hundred times faster than their usual cultivation if they were to soak themselves inside this Spirit Spring.


    He felt that it was a pity since this Spirit Spring wouldn¡¯t be much of a help to him since the energy he absorbed was star force, whereas the spiritual force of the earth had only an auxiliary effect on him.


    Suddenly, an idea sprung up inside his head when he remembered Su Ben and Su Quan. He immediately decided to teach these two fellas a cultivation technique. He had decided to groom talents, and they were close to him, his family, thus he knew well their characters and dispositions. These two would be able to help him more in the future if he trained them well.


    But something made Tang Xiu hesitant¡ªSu Xiangfei was also with them at the moment. Though he had already changed his disposition, steadier and more mature, after having experienced the drastic change in his family and even had recognized and approved him as a family, they were, after all¡­


    After contemplating for several minutes, Tang Xiu then decided to teach Su Xiangfei a cultivation technique as well. Even though the grievance between them was quite deep in the past, he believed that Su Xiangfei was someone who could change. Not to mention that he had made him lose a lot more. He only needed to show him that he was formidable enough and believed that the cousin would not birth any evil thoughts again toward him.


    With that in mind, Tang Xiu immediately withdrew from the stone forest and quickly returned to the cave where the trio was covertly staying. As he arrived there, he saw the trio standing at the entrance to the cave, waiting and observing the surroundings.


    ¡°Fill your stomach first. I¡¯m going to present you all with a big opportunity.¡± Tang Xiu threw two pheasants and hare in front of the trio and smilingly spoke.


    When the trio saw the pheasants and hare, surprised looks immediately appeared on their faces. Little did they think that Tang Xiu could actually hunt game in the middle of the night. The trio, however, was confused upon hearing his remark, as Su Quan then asked, ¡°What exactly is the opportunity you want to gift us, Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Eat first,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    After replying, he took out the salt and spices from his pocket. These things were all inside his interspatial ring, but he already stuffed them in small bottles on the way back, so it didn¡¯t look strange.


    Collecting dry wood branches to lit up a bonfire.


    Su Ben swiftly killed the pheasants and the hare with the knife he brought and had them cleaned at the lakeside. After which he had them roasted on the bonfire. They were offspring who lived close to the mountain and had roasted game whenever they had gatherings. Soon after, the two yellowish roasted pheasant and hare had been roasted.


    ¡°What a fragrance! Pity that there¡¯s not enough liquor, though.¡±


    With half a pound of liquor and four men, nobody was able to drink more than one or two sips. But with the roasted pheasants and hare, the four still wolfed it down, making them feel warm and nice.


    After they finished eating, Su Quan asked again, ¡°You won¡¯t keep us guessing anymore, will you, Tang Xiu? Come on, spit it out. What kind of big opportunity you want to give us, exactly?¡±


    While shooting the trio a deep gaze, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Before I tell you that, I want to ask you something. Are you all willing to give your lives to me?¡±


    ¡°I make a living from you, eating and drinking with you. So I¡¯ll naturally work to my best effort for you,¡± said Su Ben without thinking.


    Su Quan, however, hesitated for a short while before replying, ¡°We grew up and played together until we turned into adults. We¡¯re tied by blood and kinship as well, so naturally, we¡¯re willing to work hard for you, Tang Xiu. As a matter of fact, my feeling is similar to Brother Ben¡¯s. We are all relatives and brothers. You only need to speak as long as you need something from us.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded without a word, as he then looked at Su Xiangfei.

 Chapter 631

    Chapter 631: Sculpting the Body in the Dragon Spring


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Su Xiangfei was silent. He did not follow Tang Xiu and work for him but went outside to work by himself. Though securing a foothold for himself in the outside world was difficult, he was still able to find a job to support himself and save some money.


    In regards to Tang Xiu, what he felt inside was quite complicated. He had contempt and was hostile towards him in the past. He was full of hatred towards Tang Xiu after the drastic changes that happened to his family. But ever since he came to realize his mistakes and through the sufferings, he quickly and fully regretted it, and the hostility and hatred he had for Tang Xiu vanished.


    He was willing to treat Tang Xiu as a relative. But when it came to work and sell his life to him, it was something he couldn¡¯t do at present. He would naturally stand up and face the bystanders who wanted to bully Tang Xiu as his cousin, nevertheless.


    Tang Xiu watched him. Though he had already guessed that Su Xiangfei would be like this before, he was still a bit disappointed, regardless. However, he still had another way around it, as he spoke in a deep tone, ¡°Xiangfei, I know you can¡¯t do that now, and it doesn¡¯t matter to me. But if there¡¯s something I can give you, will you be able to make your decision?¡±


    ¡°What is it, exactly?¡± Su Xiangfei¡¯s brows slightly furrowed.


    ¡°You need money, and I can give you money. If it is a power that you want, I can give you power. And if you want women, I can do everything with the power in my hands to help you find them as well,¡± said Tang Xiu with all seriousness. ¡°I can bestow you strength too if that is what you want, and I can even grant you eternal life!¡±


    Eternal life?


    With a strange expression, Su Xiangfei stared at Tang Xiu before he dumbly laughed and said, ¡°Don¡¯t say this kind of joke, will you?¡±


    Tang Xiu snorted. After which, his feet slowly floated under the watchful eyes of Su Xiangfei. When he levitated two-plus meters above the ground, he slowly stretched his arms as dozens of pounds, and even hundreds of pounds of sharp stones around floated up. In just several seconds, hundreds of stones were floating around Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I-I¡­ am I seeing things?¡±


    Su Quan stepped back. After firmly stabilizing himself, he rubbed his eyes hard and murmured with an aghast and dumbstruck expression.


    Su Ben, on the other hand, had his eyes turned saucer with disbelief cast on his face. His heart thumped wildly and his blood flow sped up violently. His whole being was thoroughly frightened by this strange scene.


    Su Xiangfei himself was dumbfounded. The look he had on his face when staring at Tang Xiu was as though seeing a ghost. He watched the stones floating around Tang Xiu. It was the scene he had imagined for countless times that, he could become a superhuman one day, being able to fly, moving and toppling a mountain and overturning the ocean. Even he fantasized that the protagonist would be himself upon seeing such a scene in front of him.


    But¡­ when fantasy turned into reality, the impact was too big for him to bear, and what was left was fear.


    While looking at him from above, Tang Xiu spoke in a deep voice, ¡°The ability I¡¯m showing you now is nothing but a minuscule part of the whole. I¡¯m only using a small trick since I fear that you will be unable to stand it. If you are willing to work for me to the death, to become one of the people I trust the most in the future, I can make you have the ability that is countless times more powerful than this. When that time comes, let alone levitating in the air and controlling some stones to float, it will be easy for you to stand above and control a planet in the boundless universe!¡±


    Su Xiangfei¡¯s mouth was opened, yet he swallowed back his words.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, are you¡­ are you some kind of celestial being?¡± Shouted Su Quan all of a sudden.


    ¡°Immortal?¡± Tang Xiu laughed loudly upon hearing it. ¡°One day in the future, maybe all the Gods and Buddhas in Heaven will not even be worthy of being my adversary. So what you just called me is not entirely wrong.¡±


    The expression on Su Quan¡¯s face rapidly changed, and a look of ecstasy burst out of his eyes as he loudly shouted, ¡°This Su Quan¡¯s life is yours, Tang Xiu. As long as you can¡­ make me become like you!¡±


    Su Ben didn¡¯t speak at all, but he clenched his fists and a firm expression could be seen filling his eyes.


    With his heart thumping hard, there was a longing look on Su Xiangfei¡¯s face, and he loudly spoke, ¡°Tang Xiu, I want to have my parents celebrating the New Year with us. If you can do it, I¡¯ll give my life to you. I¡¯ll do anything whatever you ask me to.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°I have given you my word a year ago that your parents would return to the Su Family Village.¡±


    He then waved his hand as hundreds of sharp stones smashed down the lake 100 meters away. As the sound of crashing rocks falling into the water filled the air, Tang Xiu¡¯s feet stepped on the ground again, and then said, ¡°Tonight I¡¯ll teach you all a cultivation technique and help you step into the threshold of the cultivation path.¡±


    Following that, Tang Xiu and the trio came to the periphery of the forest stone, as he then said in a deep voice, ¡°Bear in mind that this forest stone is unusual. If an ordinary person advertently comes inside, they will definitely be lost inside. As a matter of fact, this is a stone array formed by nature and has an illusionary attribute in nature. You must observe clearly the spot I¡¯ve stepped and cautiously follow me.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a stone array?¡± Asked Su Quan curiously. ¡°Is it like the Heavenly Gate Array developed by the Yang Family in The Yang¡¯s Saga miniseries on TV?¡±


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment and then answered, ¡°You can think of it like that. Shortly put, for an ordinary person to rashly rush inside this stone array, they will only be lost inside. It¡¯s like going through a maze, but I¡¯m afraid that it¡¯s impossible for him to get out of it again for his whole life.¡±


    Shocked with the revelation, Sun Quan asked, ¡°Do you have knowledge about arrays, Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°I know a bit,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Immediately, not only Su Quan looked at Tang Xiu with admiration, but also Su Ben and Su Xiangfei. They were unaware of when and how Tang Xiu could have become so powerful, but the methods he displayed before had already made them convinced.


    Soon after, the quartet had arrived at the vicinity of Spirit Spring inside the stone forest.


    Tang Xiu squatted at the edge of the Spirit Spring and used his fingers to gently stroke the spring water that produced white mist. He felt the spiritual force flooding into his body and let out a faint smile. Following that, he got up and turned to look at the trio, ¡°I think you all already know the meaning of washing the marrows and cleansing blood vessels¡ªshortly put, remodeling your body thoroughly! This is a Spirit Spring, also known as Dragon Spring of the Earth. If cultivators are to cultivate here, they will have twice the results with half the effort. But if an ordinary person comes here, it has a great effect on his body and he at least won¡¯t catch a cold for several years. However, they will undoubtedly die if they are to bathe themselves in this Spirit Spring. And you all will soak yourselves inside tonight. To wash your marrow, purify its essence and cleanse your meridians, hence achieving the foundation toward cultivation.¡±


    ¡°But Tang Xiu, we don¡¯t have any cultivation at all,¡± said Su Quan, panicked. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say that ordinary people will definitely die if they go inside? Yet you ¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu lightly smiled, ¡°Those who will die are only those who don¡¯t have a cultivation technique. I¡¯ll be imparting you all a cultivation technique before you soak yourselves in it.¡±


    Following that, Tang Xiu spent more than two hours explaining the anatomy of meridians and acupuncture points in the human body to the trio. He forced them to memorize them completely. Then, Tang Xiu taught an ordinary cultivation technique from the Immortal World.


    ¡°The process of washing the marrow and cleansing your meridians is very painful at first. People who don¡¯t have great perseverance will find it difficult to bear it. But if all of you want to become beings above humans, possessing the ability to float above the earth and fly, and becoming a cultivator, you must endure it no matter how painful it is,¡± said Tang Xiu, solemnly serious.


    The trio nodded repeatedly.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and spoke in a deep voice, ¡°Take off your clothes now and then soak yourselves in the Spirit Spring. Do remember to sense and follow the route of practice in the cultivation technique I just taught you. Try to control it, and immediately call me whenever you can¡¯t endure it anymore.¡±


    Su Ben was the first who took his clothes off and jumped into the Spirit Spring. Su Quan and Su Xiangfei also jumped into the spring. The Spirit Spring was not big, and two-thirds of its surface was occupied by the trio after they jumped inside.


    ¡°It¡¯s truly miraculous. It unexpectedly makes us float,¡± commented Su Quan in shock.


    Tang Xiu only smiled lightly. The spiritual force in the Earth¡¯s spiritual veins was in the liquid state, hence it possessed a very powerful upward force exerted by its liquid state. Let alone a human, it could even make thousands of pounds of huge stones stay afloat.


    ¡°Restrain your mind and begin to meditate according to the cultivation route.¡±


    The trio began to silently sense the qi flowing inside their meridians according to Tang Xiu¡¯s instructions. In just several seconds, they felt extremely comfortable and were even able to feel all the fine hairs in their pores stretching out, as countless streams of qi flowed into their bodies. Following that, they could feel an intense itchiness beginning to appear in their bodies, followed by a slight sense of oppression and then a faint pain after, before severe pain replaced it.


    The pain was so intense that it was hard for them to breathe.


    Gradually, they felt that their bodies seemed to be torn by countless force and that rending painful pain caused them to scream.


    ¡°ENDURE IT! Meditate according to the cultivation route. Mark my words and bear it in mind. This is the test of your willpower, and it will bring you endless benefits later. Give your full concentration and keep focusing!¡± Tang Xiu, who stood at the side, shouted in a heavy tone.


    Time passed by, and screams kept undulating as the bodies of the trio continued to twitch inside the Spirit Spring. All the veins and blood vessels protruded on their bodies, with their skin turning red and bleeding. They looked like newborn mouses as all the blood vessels in their bodies could be seen clearly. And yet, their physical fitness was also rapidly strengthening under the painful suffering.


    ¡°I can feel it!¡± Su Quan suddenly opened his eyes and called out in ecstasy.


    ¡°SHUT UP! CONTINUE TO SENSE AND TRY TO CONTROL IT!¡± Yelled Tang Xiu sternly.


    Su Quan was immediately startled and then constricted his mind again.


    The curtain of the night receded and the day came. The trio was still soaking themselves inside the Spirit Spring. They were now able to adapt to the rending pain. Even if they really wished to jump out from inside, they continued persisting in order to be as powerful as Tang Xiu said.


    Sou!


    A stream of Primal Chaos Force was released by Tang Xiu and wrapped the bodies of the trio as it pulled them out of the Spirit Spring. He then ordered them to sleep in the cave. After enduring the pain and exerting all their mental strength all night long, the three of them had reached their limits, and Tang Xiu needed to make them rest so as to restore their mental strength.


    As noon came, Tang Xiu woke the trio up and threw them into the Spirit Spring again. He pulled them out when night fell, ordered them to rest again and then threw them into the Spirit Spring yet again.


    As time passed by, the quartet was unaware that the Su Family Village had turned upside down because of their disappearance. Some people even rushed to the public security bureau and organized a group of people to venture deep into the mountain.


    At this time, it was already the end of the year. The night of the 30th day of the last month.

 Chapter 632

    Chapter 632: Drastic Increase in Strength


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    In the center of the stone forest, Tang Xiu sat at the edge of the Spirit Spring watching Su Xiangfei, who was still inside it.


    Su Ben and Su Quan had finished their cultivation and already put their clothes on and stood at the side. The wrecking cultivation for two days resulted in them being able to feel the Qi inside their bodies and even control it.


    Splash¡­


    Along with the sound of splashing water, the naked Su Xiangfei jumped out of the spring water. Excitement flashed in his eyes as he called out, ¡°I can control the flow of Qi in my body now, Tang Xiu. I can also control it following the route of the cultivation technique. It¡¯s been running three times in my meridians.¡±


    ¡°How thick is the flow of Qi in your body?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°About the size of a needle,¡± answered Su Xiangfei after pondering slightly.


    Tang Xiu turned his gaze toward Su Ben and Su Quan and asked, ¡°What about you two?¡±


    Looking pleased with himself, Su Quan answered, ¡°The stream of qi I can control is stronger than Xiangfei¡¯s, about the size of a match.¡±


    Su Ben scratched the back of his head before raising his hand and extended his little finger, saying, ¡°Mine is probably half of my little finger, kinda as big as a chopstick¡ªshould be a bit thicker than a disposable chopstick, I think. But the length is quite short, only a few centimeters.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    Su Quan and Su Xiangfei were taken aback, especially the latter as his mouth twitched a few times and looked embarrassed. He had heard from Tang Xiu before that a human¡¯s constitution was divided into various grades and ranks. People with a great constitution would have faster cultivation speed compared to ones with poor fitness. And now it looked like that he had a huge gap with Su Ben and Su Quan.


    ¡°Not bad.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and smilingly said. ¡°For being able to sense the flow of Qi in your meridians as well as controlling it according to the cultivation route means that you all have officially embarked on the cultivation path. Furthermore, your physical strength has progressed drastically after two days of cultivation. You should be several times stronger than before. Now, try to lift some stones to test your strength.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try first,¡± reply Su Ben.


    Immediately, his gaze landed on a stone nearby of about 100 pounds. He was able to lift a stone weighing 100 pounds of stone in the past, albeit having quite a bit of difficulty. As his hands circled around the stone, he exerted his strength suddenly and the stone was easily lifted by him, and he even nearly threw it into the air due to lifting it too fast.


    ¡°How could it be so light?¡± Su Ben muttered in disbelief.


    ¡°If you can move 100 pounds of stone before, you should now find a 300-400 pounds¡¯ stone and try to lift it,¡± commented Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°300 to 400 pounds? Can I really lift it up?¡± Asked Su Ben, astounded.


    ¡°How will you know it if you don¡¯t give it a try?¡± Said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Su Ben nodded firmly and his eyes now set on a stone weighing nearly 400 pounds about seven-plus meters away. He walked over there and hugged it.


    ¡°Up¡­¡±


    The stone was lifted, he and even faintly felt that he could lift a much heavier stone.


    500 pounds! He estimated that he could lift a 500 pounds¡¯ stone. If he exerted out his full strength, he could even throw it more than 10 meters at the very least.


    Following his action, Su Quan and Su Xiangfei also gave themselves a try. To their pleasant surprise, they found that they were able to easily lift a 200-300 pounds¡¯ stone. Though their strength was not as strong as Su Ben¡¯s, they were at least several times stronger than before.


    Tang Xiu nodded with a satisfied expression. These three fellas had extremely good luck¡ªso good they would make countless cultivators feel jealous. The first time they started cultivating was aided by the Earth vein¡¯s Spirit Spring, making their cultivation speed soar to the sky like they were riding a rocket. Recalling how Kang Xia and Andy began cultivating, Andy spent quite a lot of time to be able to feel the flow of Qi and then slowly trying to control it, while Kang Xia spent a few months.


    ¡°Xiangfei, hurry and pick up your clothes and put them on, will you?¡± Tang Xiu laughed. ¡°There may be no women here, but looking at you running about naked is gross.¡±


    Su Xiangfei was stunned and suddenly bolted towards his clothes with a reddened face. He quickly grabbed them from the ground and put them on. Tang Xiu¡¯s teasing, however, dissipated the remaining the unpleasantness he had, giving him a clean and fresh feeling.


    While looking at the sky, Tang Xiu then spoke, ¡°We¡¯ve been here for two days if I remember correctly, and tonight should be New Year¡¯s Eve. I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ve created a big rumpus outside due to our disappearance. So, guys, let¡¯s go now. We must find that leopard tonight and exterminate it.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡±


    ¡°We can definitely kill it!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    The trio rubbed their fists and looked eager to get into action. There was no more fear on their faces, as the drastic increase in their strength boosted their courage as well. Though Tang Xiu wanted to warn the trio that they must not take it lightly, he did not want to strike their enthusiasm at the moment. Besides, he was confident that that leopard savage beast would not be able to kill them with his presence.


    ¡°Just let them taste a bit of hardship!¡±


    Tang Xiu faintly smiled. After leaving the stone forest with the trio, he quickly entered the forested mountain. Since the trio had their physical strength increased, their strength and speed far exceeded their previous state and therefore were able to move very fast while keeping a constant observation of the surroundings. Tang Xiu even released his perception to the fullest and observed the range of 400-500 meters around.


    More than an hour later, Tang Xiu stopped halfway up the mountain all of a sudden. A smile appeared on his face as he pointed to the southeast direction and said, ¡°Our luck is quite good. I can hear the cry of a leopard over there, and it¡¯s very close to our position¡ªabout a few hundred meters away. Follow and keep up with me. We¡¯re going to kill it and then go home to celebrate the New Year.¡±


    ****


    In the Su Family Village.


    Anxiousness painted Su Lingyun¡¯s face as she stood restlessly in the courtyard. Her hands hugging Gu Yin¡¯s shoulders were shaking. Though Tang Yunde and Mu Qingping were also anxious and worried, they did not show it on their faces.


    ¡°Have the villagers come back?¡±


    Zhang Shi came out from the house with a worried face. Beside her was Su Yaning, who was silent.


    ¡°No, they haven¡¯t. I just went out and asked around.¡± Tang Yunde shook his head. ¡°Mother, how about you prepare dinner at home first? I¡¯m going to the back of the mountain to look for them, too. Now is New Year¡¯s Eve, so we can still have a good hot meal after I find Xiu¡¯er and we come back.¡±


    ¡°You just arrived, Yunde!¡± Zhang Shi waved his hand. ¡°Take a rest first before doing something. Besides, many people from our village have gone there, along with the police from the town and the county¡¯s police station. I¡¯m sure they will find Xiu¡¯er.¡±


    At this time, Chen Huiying who lived next door walked inside. After seeing Tang Yunde and Su Lingyun, she looked slightly dazed and immediately asked, ¡°How is it? Did someone find them?¡±


    ¡°No, they haven¡¯t. Let¡¯s just wait some more!¡± Sighed Zhang Shi.


    With a distressed expression, Chen Huiying said, ¡°These little devils are really insane! Even if they want to kill that beast, it doesn¡¯t mean you must venture into the mountain to take that risk! If anything happens to Ben¡¯er, I¡­ I don¡¯t want to live anymore.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sis-in-law.¡± Tang Yunde quickly comforted her. ¡°Xiu¡¯er has great abilities. Let alone an ordinary beast, he wouldn¡¯t fear even if that thing was a monster. Maybe they just went to look for it in the mountain, and I believe they will be back tonight if they can¡¯t find it.¡±


    ****


    In the outermost mountaintop near the Su Family Village.


    Hundreds of villagers and police officers equipped themselves with flashlights and weapons were currently searching everywhere and shouts were constantly heard. Zhao Donghe, the chief of the County Public Security Bureau, held a loudspeaker and shouted Tang Xiu¡¯s group names.


    He originally had already returned to his home and was preparing to paste the couplets with his wife and children, as well as buying some items for the New Year. Then he received a phone call and was informed that four young men from the Su Family Village had gone up the mountain today to look for the beast that killed the villagers. Therefore, he summoned dozens of policemen to rush over there along with the men from the fire brigade department.


    On the way to the Su Family Village, he had planned to find someone to look for them, and would only spend one day at most in the case that they couldn¡¯t find them. Who would have thought that after he arrived at the Su Family Village, he learned that one of those four young men was Tang Xiu? He immediately changed his mind and personally ordered that they must find the group of four no matter how long it would take and how much it would cost.


    Zhao Donghe was perfectly aware of the reason why he was able to sit on the seat of the County Public Security Bureau¡¯s Chief, as it was entirely because of Tang Xiu. At that time, the person who competed with him for the position of the Public Security Bureau¡¯s Chief was Magistrate Hong, the county¡¯s Head Magistrate commissioner. It was entirely because of Tang Xiu that he got the position with direct instructions from the leaders above. Even the Municipal Discipline Inspection Commission sent a team to conduct an investigation on County Magistrate Hog, and as a result, the man was now still in prison.


    He did not know who those people behind Tang Xiu were. What he could affirm was that they were definitely not from the city, because the inspection team from the city that came to investigate Magistrate Hong back then was actually led by someone from the capital.


    ¡°Chief Zhao, we can¡¯t venture any further, it¡¯s too dangerous.¡± The leader of the fire brigade following beside Zhao Donghe spoke with a face painted with a wry smile. He had learned from the villagers of the Su Family Village that the back of this mountain was filled with many beasts and the terrain was arduously steep¡ªand slight carelessness would send them to danger.


    Zhao Donghe clenched his fists. Despite having spent a day to trek from side to side in the mountain, he still ground his teeth and said, ¡°No. We must find these four youngsters no matter how dangerous it is. Anyways, the villagers should be tired. Tell whoever is unable to keep up that they can go back immediately, while I¡¯m going to personally lead the team to venture deeper and look for them.¡±


    The leader of the fire brigade wore a confused expression. He couldn¡¯t understand why Zhao Donghe was so adamant and persistent in this search. Weren¡¯t they only four youngsters? Not to mention that getting lost in the deeply forested mountain was a normal occasion, and yet not necessarily dangerous either! What¡¯s more, many people had already gone deeper into the forested mountain to look for them. Moreover, the night would be pitch black and once they ventured deeper, it would be inevitable that some people would be injured. With all these reasons, was the endeavor still worth it?


    ¡°Chief Zhao, the firefighters¡ªmy men shall and must venture deeper to look for them, but the civilians are already tired. I think it would best if you take them and go back. Just assign some police officers to accompany and follow us,¡± said the leader of the fire brigade with a serious expression.


    ¡°No need to persuade me. I must stay here.¡±


    Notes:


    If you¡¯re wondering about the couplets (or antithetic couplets) for the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival Couplets (Chunlian), you can read this article on Wikipedia.

 Chapter 633

    Chapter 633: Blood Paints the Forested Mountain


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The night was pitch black. Other than the roars of wild animals in the surrounding of the forested mountain, the atmosphere was particularly bleak and gloomy. The bull-sized leopard constantly observed the surroundings with its green eyes, while its robust thighs moved, looking for prey to fill its stomach to the full.


    ¡°All of you wait here. I¡¯m going to kill it!¡±


    A cold glint flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he spoke in a low tone atop a tree branch dozens of meters away.


    Su Ben blocked Tang Xiu and said with an eager expression, ¡°Tang Xiu, the three of us had our strength and speed increased several times time, and I¡¯m sure it¡¯s impossible for that leopard to beat all of us even if it¡¯s very strong. Just let the three of us try it!¡±


    ¡°This is not your ordinary leopard, brother.¡± Tang Xiu hesitated. ¡°It¡¯s a fierce beast that has gained intelligence. Wild animals don¡¯t hold much of a threat to cultivators, but savage beasts are a different story altogether. This thing is not your common savage beast according to my observation; at least it¡¯s not a low-ranked fierce beast. You all have yet to experience combat, thus even if the three join hands to fight it, you¡¯re probably not its match. You could be killed if you can¡¯t fight well.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t we still have you?¡± Asked Su Ben in a low voice. ¡°If the three of us are really in danger, do you have the confidence to save us?¡±


    With an hesitant expression, Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I have some assurance, yes.¡±


    ¡°Since you have the confidence, then we have nothing to fear,¡± said Su Ben seriously. ¡°We will take the same path as yours in the future, so we need this fight¡ªwe need actual combat. You told us how brutal and dangerous the cultivation world is in these two days. You don¡¯t want your effort to train the three of us to go to waste, right?¡±


    Tang Xiu shifted his eyes to Su Quan and Su Xiangfei. They nodded at him without a shred of hesitation, and their expression was especially serious. He sighed inwardly before he nodded and said, ¡°Since you all have made up your mind, then fight! But do bear in mind that you must never lose your focus and be careless in the slightest.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± The trio brandished their weapons and nodded.


    While quietly watching their backs as they stealthily sneaked behind the leopard fierce beast, Tang Xiu was silent for several seconds before his figure vanished. His body was like a fallen leaf drifting in the air as he appeared atop a tree close to the leopard savage beast.


    ROAR¡­


    When the trio was ten meters away from the leopard, the best was already keenly aware that some humans were approaching it. Furthermore, these three humans were approaching from three directions. Suddenly, a murderous glint bust from its eyes as its body tightened up and bolted toward Su Ben in an instant.


    ¡°BEAST!¡±


    Su Ben firmly grabbed the harpoon in his hand and smashed it toward the leopard savage beast, bringing along it with a whooshing sound. The leopard¡¯s speed, however, was way too fast as it was able to avoid the sudden smash of the harpoon in the blink of an eye and jumped high towards Su Ben to smash his head.


    Comparing Su Ben to Su Quan and Su Xiangfei in regards to combat experience, Su Ben¡¯s combat force was definitely the strongest among the trio as he was someone who could fight. Especially after he joined the Magnificent Tang Corporation, he was subjected to very strict training. He had studied hand to hand close combat as well as how to fight with weapons for a few months. Therefore, he did not panic upon facing this crisis. He dashed to the side all of sudden and used his harpoon to counter-attack and finally avoided the danger from the leopard¡¯s sharp claws.


    ¡°What a fast speed!¡±


    After he stood up again, the leopard savage beast had already flashed toward him. Despite thinking that he had become very strong now, he was still scared by its violent and swift attack. He did not attempt to counter its attack and rolled about on the ground yet again instead, with which he borrowed the inertia to dash toward Su Quan¡¯s direction.


    ¡°CAREFUL!¡±


    Su Quan¡¯s heart jumped out of fear upon seeing the leopard savage beast chasing behind Su Ben. The feeling burst out from his heart to his throat as he called out loudly while waving his iron shovel.


    Scratch¡­


    Su Ben¡¯s heart jumped wildly and he instantly dodged to the side, yet his left arm was still scratched and ripped by the leopard as it bled. At the same time as Su Quan arrived, he slammed his iron shovel in the middle of the leopard beast and forced it back.


    ¡°Brother Ben, are you okay?¡± Blocking in front of Su Ben, Su Quan called with anxiousness painted in his face.


    Su Ben jumped up from the ground and quickly faced the leopard savage beast shoulder to shoulder with Su Quan. His expression was calm when he replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine, but got injured. You two be very careful. This guy is too fast, even I can barely escape once or twice, but no more. The speed of both you are not as fast as mine, so be very careful.¡±


    ¡°Okay! (Got it!)¡±


    Su Quan and Su Xiangfei, who had just arrived, replied at the same time.


    ROAR¡­


    The expression of the leopard fierce beast seemed to be ridiculing them. With a roar, it flashed towards the trio who were armed with weapons without any fear at all. This time, its speed was even faster, simply like a sharp arrow released from the bow.


    Peng Peng Peng¡­


    The harpoon, iron shovel, and javelin in Su Ben, Su Quan, and Su Xiangfei¡¯s hands slammed and struck the leopard¡¯s body at the same time, but did nothing to it at all. Yet, its sharp claws that swept Su Xiangfei and Su Quan¡¯s arms left a few deep wounds on them.


    Bam¡­


    What was out of the trio¡¯s imaginations was that after the leopard scratched Su Xiangfei and Su Quan¡¯s arms, it unexpectedly turned around in the air and slapped its two sharp claws on Su Ben¡¯s back. Blood poured out from several wounds the moment it smashed Su Ben¡¯s body straightly, sending him backward for seven-plus meters as he fell heavily to the ground.


    ¡°BROTHER BEN! (SU BEN!)¡±


    Su Quan and Su Xiangfei¡¯s faces drastically changed. They went all out to hack the leopard with their iron shovel and javelin and forced it to retreat to the side as they then rushed toward Su Ben.


    Tang Xiu stood atop the tree branch several meters away with a tranquil expression as a glint flashed in his eyes. The fight just now was within his expectations. The leopard savage beast would indeed be able to injure the trio, but it would be very difficult for it to kill them, therefore he refrained from involving himself in the fight.


    He could, however, estimate that the trio wouldn¡¯t be able to kill the leopard beast, either. The beast possessed a formidable and nearly invulnerable body, and he was unsure whether the harpoon or javelin would be able to pierce it. After a moment¡¯s contemplation he saw the leopard savage beast rushing over towards the trio, as his figure instantly flashed over there.


    Whoosh¡­


    His figure left afterimages as it dove down from the air. The Bloodguzzler dagger in his hand burst out a scarlet light as it hacked the back of the leopard.


    Hou, Hou¡­


    The severe pain caused the leopard to turn frantic and stopped its movements. In its crazed state, it frantically turned around and landed its eyes on Tang Xiu. It could sense that the human in front gave off a huge threatening feeling to it, thus it decided to get rid of this human first before killing the other three.


    Like a blazing meteor, the leopard savage beast had already stormed over before Tang Xiu and its sharp claws hacked toward Tang Xiu¡¯s head.


    ¡°DIE!¡±


    A cold glint flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. The Bloodguzzler dagger instantly crossed over in front and easily slashed off the leopard fierce beast¡¯s claws. At the same time, Tang Xiu sent a heavy kick to its stomach. The moment when its huge body flew upside down, Tang Xiu¡¯s figure stalked towards it like a shadow as the Bloodguzzler dagger pierced its lower neck and ripped open a long wound.


    Blood gushed out.


    Only then did the leopard fierce beast feel fear. Never once had it encountered a human being so fast, and never once had it suffered such a severe wound. Nearly in the instance, it landed on the ground, it ran towards the forested mountain while enduring the severe pain of losing its two front paws.


    ¡°YOU¡¯RE DEAD!¡±


    The Bloodguzzler dagger in Tang Xiu¡¯s hands shot out and turned into a streak of light that pierced through the leopard fierce beast¡¯s abdomen from the side. The penetrating strike made its body tremble and it fell heavily under a big tree seven-plus meters away. Its abdomen was pierced through and its neck was torn open¡ªtwo fatal wounds that made the leopard fierce beast full of despair and desperation. It tried to crawl up from the ground, yet the blood flowing out from its body was like a fountain, making it weaker and weaker. In particular, its two front paws were slashed off, and it could only get up halfway before heavily falling to the ground again.


    Bang bang bang¡­


    Tang Xiu bolted towards the leopard fierce beast and slammed a barrage of punches on it. A smile then appeared on his face while he watched the leopard fierce beast draw its last breath.


    He then turned around to look at the trio who had come over and said with a smile, ¡°Are you okay, Brother Ben?¡±


    Lifting a hand to wipe the blood on the corner of his mouth, Su Ben shook his head and smilingly said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. My back in kind of burning, though. You¡¯re really amazing, Tang Xiu! We are nothing to speak of facing this guy, but you got rid of this guy without the effort.¡±


    ¡°You all can achieve that easily later too if you cultivate well.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°Alright, since we¡¯ve killed this thing, you can take its carcass! Let all the villagers have a look at it, then everyone will be completely relieved.¡±


    Su Ben nodded in response and went to lift the leopard.


    Tang Xiu stopped him and took out the silver needle he always carried and stopped the bleeding wounds of the trio with the acupoints pressing technique and then bandaged their wounds. After he was nearly done with the treatment, he smiled and said, ¡°Though you three are injured, it was a great training opportunity, right? Anyways, in order to exercise your physical fitness and ability, you three will carry the carcass of this leopard back. I know that the distance from here to the Su Family Village is very far, but I want you all to get there in two hours! Can you do it?¡±


    The trio exchanged dismayed looks and wry smiles painted their faces.


    Two hours?


    When they came here, though they searched everywhere and their speed was very slow, still, it took four or five hours to get here, and it must be noted that it was during the day. But walking down the mountain pathway at night was a different story. It was arduously difficult! Wanting them to get back within two hours, could it be that it was achievable?


    While watching their expressions, Tang Xiu added, ¡°If you all can¡¯t carry this leopard¡¯s body out of this forested mountain within two hours, I promise that I¡¯ll train you with more brutal and cruel methods later. You will feel that you might as well better die than to live first, before enjoying the taste and thrill of having power.¡±


    The taste the feeling of like dying while alive?


    Soaking themselves inside the Spirit Spring had already given them that taste, despite the Spirit Spring indeed giving them such a huge advantage. And yet, they did not want to taste such a feeling a second time. Therefore, the trio looked at each other and then quickly lifted the leopard beast, galloped at full speed toward the outside of the mountain.

 Chapter 634

    Chapter 634: Big Heroes


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Traversing the forested mountain was very easy for Tang Xiu, and he followed the trio closely as they carried the carcass of the fierce beast. After hurrying along on the path for more than an hour, they finally saw the outermost summit of the mountain range. At this moment, Tang Xiu could keenly see many lights shining halfway up the mountain range.


    ¡°STOP!¡± Tang Xiu sped up and blocked the path in front of the trio.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Asked Su Ben with a wondering look on his face.


    ¡°The four of us have been in the mountains for two days, and my car is still parked at the foot of the mountain,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that the villagers should have already guessed that we are venturing into the mountains since I just found that many lights halfway up the mountain range at the opposite side. Those lights should be from the villagers who came to look for us. Anyways, you all must remember that you are not to tell anyone about the cultivation technique I taught you. You all now have the ability that far exceeds an ordinary person¡¯s and you must never expose it before them, unless¡­ you¡¯re at a critical juncture and uses it as a last resort.¡±


    ¡°Alright! (Got it!)¡±


    The trio nodded.


    ¡°This leopard fierce beast was killed by all of you and I have nothing to do with it,¡± said Tang Xiu once again. ¡°Besides, you all are the ones who got injured, showing that you are the ones who took the action. I don¡¯t want to put myself in the limelight, so you all can take the credit.¡±


    ¡°But Tang Xiu, that doesn¡¯t feel right, no?¡± Su Quan hesitated.


    ¡°What¡¯s not right about it? I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with it.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand. ¡°Just explain like that whenever the outsiders ask you. Furthermore, you must never tell anything about the stone forest and the Spirit Spring. Tell them that we spent two days searching for this leopard only. Otherwise, any ordinary person will only rush to their deaths if they accidentally enter that stone forest without my guidance.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    At this time, the way the trio looked at Tang Xiu was completely different from before. Such great merits, yet Tang Xiu actually pushed all the credit to them and did not even want to be mentioned in the slightest. Such a disposition really aroused their admiration.


    Feelings of respect aroused inside Su Xiangfei¡¯s heart at this time. He suddenly remembered and compared Tang Xiu¡¯s state half a year ago to now. He felt that Tang Xiu was not really muddleheaded after he got into that car accident, but pretended to be crazy and played dumb because he wanted to keep a low profile. He should have been working hard, enduring hardships to accomplish some ambition he had, and preparing everything in secret back then.


    It was amazingly great, and yet terrifying in and of itself!


    The admiration Su Xiangfei had toward Tang Xiu at the same time also raised dread and fear in his heart.


    With such a young age and yet keeping a low-profile character will require a wonderful mental strength. He¡­ he¡¯s too terrifying. Su Xiangfei¡¯s complexion paled. He secretly glanced at Tang Xiu before immediately turning his head, suppressing the increasing fear growing in his heart.


    As the quartet resumed their journey, it took them nearly 20 minutes to see the villagers who were currently searching for them, as well as the police and firemen from the Public Security Bureau.


    ¡°THEY ARE HERE¡­¡±


    A pleasantly surprised shout instantly echoed in the mountains.


    Instantly, about 100-200 people gathered around them. Everyone who looked at the quartet wore the same expression, that was, pleasantly surprised and disbelief. They were pleasantly surprised upon seeing that the quartet was safe and sound, and the disbelief was caused upon seeing Su Ben¡¯s group carrying that huge leopard¡¯s body.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, Su Ben, Su Quan, and you Su Xiangfei¡ªYou all¡­ you all really damn reckless troublemaker!¡± Su Xiangjian went forward. Despite seeing that the group carried a leopard¡¯s carcass, he still angrily reprimanded them.


    ¡°How come we are reckless troublemakers, Uncle Xiangjian?¡± said Su Quan with a grin. ¡°This leopard is so loathsome, so we ventured into the mountains to kill it. Isn¡¯t it to protect the safety of our own folks? Take a look at this leopard, we did it! We really killed it!¡±


    Su Xiangjian shot a deep look at the carcass of the leopard. But he was still disgruntled and said, ¡°Even though you wanted to kill the leopard and venture into the mountain, shouldn¡¯t you tell it to someone before you go? Do you know that many villagers have been looking for you over this mountain inside and out for the last two days? We would have gone deeper into the forested mountain if you still didn¡¯t show up tonight. Everybody was worried about you, you know that?!!¡±


    Tang Xiu stepped forward and smilingly said, ¡°This is indeed our fault, Uncle Xiangjian. We didn¡¯t expect that it would take so long, either. Back when we thought to venture into the mountain to look for it, we planned to go back if we couldn¡¯t find it. But then, who would¡¯ve thought that we spotted this leopard, so we gave it a chase and then had a fight with it. At the end of the day, we spent two days to set up some traps to kill it. You can have a look at the three of them, they all fought with the leopard closely just to kill it.¡±


    Su Xiangjian saw the injuries as well as their clothes that had been stained red by blood. He hurriedly asked with a worried expression, ¡°What about your injuries? Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re fine.¡± Su Ben shook his head. ¡°Tang Xiu has already stopped the bleeding and bandaged us.¡±


    Su Xiangjin sighed in relief and nodded without speaking more.


    Zhao Donghe, with his policemen around him, came towards Tang Xiu¡¯s group of four. He shot a look at the dead, bull-sized leopard before shifting his vision to the quartet and saying, ¡°You four are really great. Though it was kinda reckless and irresponsible of you to venture into the mountain, yet you only got injured and finally killed this damned beast. Anyways, I¡¯m Zhao Donghe, the Chief of the County Public Security Bureau. I sincerely thank you for eliminating this thing that has threatened the public.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too kind, Chief Zhao. This is what we should do, to begin with,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    With eyes fixed on Tang Xiu, Zhao Donghe smiled back and said, ¡°Are you Tang Xiu? The famous miracle-working doctor, Tang Xiu? You¡¯re really brave and resourceful. What a promising young man!¡±


    Tang Xiu talked some pleasantries before looking at everyone else and smilingly saying, ¡°We¡¯ve made all the fellow villagers worried, and we are really sorry for causing you all to climb the mountain to look for us, more so that we are about to celebrate the New Year. Brother Ben and them here have killed this leopard, so everyone can feel relieved after the New Year is over. After I go back, I¡¯m going to the best restaurant in the county town to order dishes since all of you have gathered together. It¡¯s the New Year¡¯s Eve, thus let us arrange a feast to celebrate the New Year together.¡±


    ¡°Hooray! That¡¯s great!!!¡±


    The villagers of the Su Family village wore bright smiling faces and applauded.


    After some conversation, everyone then began the journey back. It made Su Ben, Su Quan, and Su Xiangfei very excited, nevertheless, since they did not have to lift the carcass of the leopard again while hurrying back.


    Returning to the Su Family Village, Tang Xiu drove his car and brought the trio. He then parked the car at his grandmother¡¯s house and then told the trio to move the carcass over. The quartet had yet to enter the courtyard as Tang Yunde, Su Lingyun, Zhang Shi, Chen Huiying, Mu Qingping, Su Yaning, and the others rushed out.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er!¡±


    ¡°Son!¡±


    Su Lingyun and Chen Huiying separately bolted toward Tang Xiu and Su Ben.


    While looking at his rushing mother, Tang Xiu embraced her and said, ¡°I¡¯m alright, Mom. We are alright. We climbed up the mountain to kill this leopard, who had many killed people. You can see that we¡¯ve already returned now! You can rest your worries.¡±


    Su Lingyun slapped Tang Xiu¡¯s arm with tearful eyes and angrily said, ¡°Who made you want to show off your ability, huh? If by any chance¡­ something bad happened to the three of you, what would the two us do?¡±


    Zhang Shi echoed, ¡°That¡¯s right, Xiu¡¯er. The mountain is fraught with dangers! You¡¯d been there for two days, so we were worried that something bad had happened to you all. You must never do such a stupid thing again in the future.¡±


    Tang Xiu could only force a smile secretly and said a lot of comforting words to calm everyone¡¯s emotions. Originally, Tang Yunde and Su Lingyun planned to take Zhang Shi to Star City to celebrate the New Year, but the incident made them return to the Su Family Village, so everyone then decided to stay and celebrate the New Year here this year.


    Immediately afterward, Tang Xiu made an excuse to take the trio to the county hospital to bandage their wounds. The quartet went to the county town by car, and then headed to the biggest restaurant in the county to order dozens of tables, foods, and wines, and paid double the price to make the restaurant deliver them to the Su Family Village.


    Following that, Tang Xiu took the trio the hospital to have their injuries stitched and re-bandaged. Then, they knocked a store nearby selling firecrackers and fireworks and told the store owner to deliver a cart of fireworks to the Su Family Village as well.


    Although the location of the Su Family Village was geographically remote, the road to the village was quite wide. Due to the help from the villagers, a large number of round tables and benches were rented from neighboring villages and were placed on the road at the main entrance to the village. Moreover, many more excited villagers pulled electrical wires and lighted the lamp bulbs outside. If one were to look at the Su Family Village from above, they would definitely find that most of the village was well-illuminated and brightly lit.


    Gu Yin, who was still childish and had never had such a lively and busy New Year celebration in the past, was excitedly running around, and even played with a group of Su Family Village¡¯s folks that were older than her, and also played with children smaller than her.


    As the food and wine from the biggest restaurant in the county town were sent to the tables, the villagers beamed with delight and began drinking and chatting. Even the two families who lost their loved ones smiled. However, what made everyone excited was that the County Police Chief, Zhao Donghe, even brought his whole family to gather with the Su Family Village¡¯s folks. He even made his whole family sit at the same table with Tang Yunde and Su Lingyun.


    Furthermore, the event occurring in the Su Family Village at the New Year¡¯s Eve was passed to several neighboring villages. Some people from several villages nearby also came over to join in on the fun. The Village Chiefs from various villages who had kinship ties with the Su Family Village also came and as a result, added several more tables to the party.


    At 12:00 sharp at night.


    With the advent of the New Year, the firecrackers were ignited and roared along with the fireworks that painted the sky red.


    This night for the villagers of the Su Family Village became an unforgettable event that they would never forget! The grand scene of celebrating the New Year¡¯s Eve with a banquet would be held every year in the future. This newly formed custom then became the most important custom of the Su Family Village in the future, something that never crossed their minds before.


    The four young men¡ªTang Xiu, Su Ben, Su Quan, and Su Xiangfei also became the big heroes of the Su Family Village as well as the villages in the surroundings for their great merits.


    The lively and joyful scene lasted until 1 o¡¯clock in the early morning.


    In the next morning, just as dawn came, Tang Xiu, Su Xiangfei, Su Yaning, and Gu Yin were called out by Zhang Shi from their beds. It was because of the custom to eat dumplings and to set off the firecrackers early in the morning¡ªthe custom that was rooted deep in the hearts of every villager.


    ¡°Xiangfei, get and set off the firecrackers.¡±


    Tang Xiu stood near a well in the courtyard. He washed his face with chilling cold water and then shouted at Su Xiangfei, who had already washed his face.

 Chapter 635

    Chapter 635: A New, Fresh Start


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    ¡°GOT IT!¡±


    Su Xiangfei happily rushed into the house to take the firecrackers and then came back to the courtyard. This, however, made Su Yaning, who had just stepped out of the kitchen, dumbfounded. Though she had seen how Su Xiangfei acted when he was with Tang Xiu and could tell that her younger brother¡ªSu Xiangfei had a good relationship with the former, yet it never crossed her mind that he would actually listen to Tang Xiu to this extent.


    Tang Xiu was someone powerful now, and Su Yaning was well aware of it. Not only did he establish the very prominent Magnificent Tang Corporation, but he was also a member of the Tang Family from Beijing. She also knew her own brother¡ªof what form of relationship her family had with Tang Xiu; and yet, how could her little brother Su Xiangfei possibly act like that?


    Bang bang bang¡­


    The firecrackers sounded and the busy Su Lingyun and Zhang Shi began to make dumplings. Taking the time while the firecrackers were being set off, Su Yaning came to Su Xiangfei¡¯s side and asked with knitted brows, ¡°Brother, you seem¡­ to be very obedient toward Tang Xiu?¡±


    Su Xiangfei smiled, ¡°Naturally. I must listen to him since he has the ability to make me to.¡±


    ¡°But our Dad and Mom¡­¡± Rebuked Su Yaning angrily.


    Upon hearing that, Su Xiangfei suddenly remembered something. He then looked at Tang Xiu, who was at the kitchen, and spoke with an undertone voice, ¡°Sis, it¡¯s my fault that I didn¡¯t tell you before. Tang Xiu called some people in Star City to make them find a way to release Dad and Mom on bail. Ah, right. When I just woke up before, he told me that Mom and Dad are already on the way here. They should be here in less than two hours.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Su Yaning looked at Su Xiangfei in disbelief. This revelation was like a thunderclap to her.


    ¡°Sis, I know you¡¯re still angry at Tang Xiu,¡± said Su Xiangfei again. ¡°You think that he¡¯s the cause for us to end up like this. But, have you ever thought about how we treated him and auntie back then? Yeah, that time our family was indeed rich, and auntie had to go through a difficult life while raising him as she often borrowed money from our family. But we were the ones who looked down at them arrogantly, despising them and even making life difficult for them. We also nearly harmed Tang Xiu and got him thrown into jail, remember?


    ¡°Now look at how things are unfolding, Sis. Tang Xiu now has wealth that is more than a hundred times ours back then. But how does he act and treat us now? As long as we are close to them, he and auntie won¡¯t look down on us with contempt, neither will they make our lives difficult. Back when Dad tried to commit suicide and got hospitalized, do you know why he did that? It was because he was regretting his treatment of Tang Xiu and auntie.¡±


    When he spoke up to there, Su Xiangfei silently took out half a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. After lighting it up, he took a few deep puffs, let out a bitter smile and spoke again, ¡°You know, it made me realize that the problem lies in our family. It was us who were problematic all those years. Do you want to know the reason?¡±


    ¡°What is the reason?¡± Asked Su Yaning.


    ¡°When I just returned to the Su Family Village, the people here still hadn¡¯t learned that our family had gone bankrupt and neither did they know that Mom and Dad had been imprisoned. And yet, their eyes, when they looked at me, were full of loathing and despise, and they even looked down on me. But why did they do that? Isn¡¯t it because of what we¡¯ve done, forgetting our roots?¡±


    ¡°Our roots?¡± Su Yaning felt that her heart was fiercely struck, and a faint pain was born inside.


    That¡¯s true! Her root was the Su Family Village. Even if her family once possessed tens of millions in assets, what about it? Could you forget where your ancestors were? If they did forget their own ancestors, then what had their family turn into?


    Su Xiangfei gently hugged Su Yaning¡¯s shoulder and sighed, ¡°Sis, we were in the wrong in the past. We must admit our mistakes. The way we treated Tang Xiu and auntie and our attitude toward the folks of the Su Family Village. People say that admitting our own mistakes and reforming ourselves are one of the greatest virtues. Only last night did I really feel the change of attitude from them toward me. Even Su Quan told me something last night after he got drunk. Do you wanna know what he said?¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Su Yaning¡¯s face was a bit pale as she asked in a whisper.


    ¡°You are familiar with the neighboring Little Village of Wang, right?¡± Asked Su Xiangfei. ¡°We grew up there when we were small. When I had a drink with Su Quan and he got drunk, he told me that we must recognize our ancestors, cherishing and treasuring our family members, and be united with all the villagers in this village. It¡¯s because all of us bear the same family name of Su¡ªall of us, up to the several generations above us, are of the same ancestors and are one whole family.


    ¡°You should have heard about Wang Xinke from the Little Village of Wang, right? He could socialize well back then, as he went to the city, set up his own business that went big, and then made a fortune for him and his family. Every time he returned to the village, however, all he did was boast and swagger before others. What happened in the end, then? Just two years ago when Wang Xinke¡¯s father died in the Little Village of Wang, no villager went to help with the funeral processions on the funeral day, and not even one went to carry his coffin. All of it was because their relationship with the villagers was so bad. You wanna know what happened afterwards? His uncle, who¡¯s the village chief, brought him to kowtow and apologize to the villagers from house to house before they were finally willing to help carry the coffin and deliver the old gramps to his burial resting place.¡±


    Su Yaning could comprehend it, as a regretful expression then appeared on her face. She fell into silence for a long period of time. Furthermore, she came to the realization that her little brother had grown up, no longer the previously same child who relied upon the power of the dirty money their family once had in the past, and neither was he the same child who was out of tune all day long.


    ¡°I understand, Brother.¡± Su Yaning hugged Su Xiangfei, and then released him before striding into the kitchen.


    Two hours later¡­


    A police car parked outside the Su Family Village, as its doors opened and Su Shangwen and Zhang Meiyun came out of the car. Coming out with them was a middle-aged man in his duty uniform.


    ¡°Thanks a lot, Officer Hu. Thank you for sending us back here personally,¡± Su Shangwen shook hands with the middle-aged policeman and said with a grateful expression.


    ¡°You are welcome. This is what I should do, to begin with.¡± The middle-aged policeman smiled. ¡°Also, please send my regards to Mr. Long and Mr. Chen.¡±


    ¡°Sure, will do!¡±


    Although Su Shangwen knew that Long Hanwen and Chen Zhizhong were the ones who got them¡ªhusband and wife, out of prison, he did not have any friendship with the two whatsoever. The credit went to the main actor of the script, which ought to be Tang Xiu, and yet he still coped with it and replied to him.


    As the police car left, Su Shangwen squatted down and opened the travel bag on the ground to take out two cartons of cigarettes from the inside. He opened them up and stuffed several packs into his pocket, and then stuffed the rest back into the bag. Then he turned around to look at Zhang Meiyun and lightly said, ¡°Don¡¯t blame me for not reminding you. The Su Family Village is my family, and my mother lives and comes from this place. We were at fault in the past, so it¡¯s my wish for you to follow my step and how I speak, to be content for everything we have. That is if you still pass our days and live together.¡±


    ¡°Shangwen, I know that I used to have a bad attitude, and I realized my mistake.¡± Zhang Meiyan squeezed a smiling face. ¡°Please don¡¯t worry. I will not regard anyone as beneath me anymore from now on.¡±


    Su Shangwen nodded in response, after which, he picked up the bag and walked toward the village. When he first entered the village, he saw that several villagers had woken up early and paid New Year visits to their elders from house to house.


    ¡°Brother Dazhu, Jianxi¡­¡±


    After walking toward them, Su Shangwen greeted them with a full smiling face, as he then took out the cigarette pack from his pocket and offered one to each of them.


    They did not look at or respond to Su Shangwen at all and even ignored him. But upon seeing his warm attitude, they still nodded at him, though feeling surprised inwardly, and took the cigarettes handed over by him.


    ¡°Hi, you¡¯re back.¡± Su Dazhu nodded.


    With an attentive smile, Su Shangwen replied, ¡°I was at fault back then, Brother Dazhu. I forgot what meaning it was to bear a family name just because I had a little bit of wealth. Don¡¯t worry, though, I will correct myself and make a fresh start. The Su Family Village is my family, and everyone here is also my relative.¡±


    Su Dazhu and the rest exchanged looks, as he then nodded with satisfaction. A smile appeared on his face as he said, ¡°Great, for one to realize their own mistakes is never easy. And your son is great, he¡¯s already a man. Anyhow, come to my place if you have some time, I¡¯ll tell your big sis-in-law to make some dishes and we¡¯ll have some drinks too.¡±


    My son?


    Su Shangwen was stunned for a moment, but still, he replied profusely with a smile on his face.


    Shortly after, he bade them farewell and entered the village, meeting many villagers all the way and stopping each time to greet them, offering cigarettes for everyone and smoking with them. What puzzled him was that each and every villager always mentioned his son, Su Xiangfei, with a full appreciation expression. He wanted to ask the reason, but since he kept meeting more people and greeting them unceasingly, he didn¡¯t have a chance to ask about it.


    After more than half an hour, the couple¡ªSu Shangwen and Zhang Meiyun came to the entrance of his parent¡¯s courtyard. When he saw the SUV parked outside, his pace came to a halt as he looked at his wife and asked, ¡°Have you realized that this time the villagers treated us differently than when we came back here in the past?¡±


    Zhang Meiyun also could tell the sincere attitude of the villagers toward the couple and nodded silently, saying, ¡°Yeah, they have become¡­ more amiable. When we came back the last time, they just ignored us.¡±


    ¡°It was us who looked down upon them before,¡± said Su Shangwen. ¡°Hence we had a bad reputation in the village. Anyhow, let¡¯s go! Though I don¡¯t know the reason for the change, let¡¯s just cherish it. After all, whatever is said and done, this place is our family¡¯s home!¡±


    ¡°En!¡± After a series of incidents, traces of arrogance could no longer be seen on Zhang Meiyun. She carried the bag and followed Su Shangwen into the courtyard.


    ¡°DAD, MOM!¡±


    Su Xiangfei and Su Yaning, who had long been waiting in the courtyard, almost jumped out of their chairs as they rushed over upon seeing their parents.


    ¡°Little Fei, Little Ning.¡±


    Zhang Meiyun burst into tears after she saw her children. She hugged the siblings and was unwilling to let them go. Su Shangwen only watched his children as his eyes fell on Tang Yunde and Tang Xiu in the courtyard.


    He paced a few steps forward and then came before the expressionless Tang Yunde, as he then straightly knelt in front him, ¡°Brother-in-law, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Tang Yunde sighed inwardly, and slowly lifted Su Shangwen up from the ground. He shook his head and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to apologize to me. The ones you need to say apologize to are your younger sister and nephew.¡±


    Su Shangwen turned to Tang Xiu.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to apologize,¡± said Tang Xiu straightly. ¡°Being able to correct oneself, you are still relatives. But if you can¡¯t change yourself, the road to the sky is large enough and each of us can take half and go our own ways.


    With a firm nod, Su Shangwen said, ¡°I¡¯ve changed.¡±


    At this moment, Zhang Shi, who was inside the house and heard the voices outside, came out with Su Lingyun and Mu Qingping. When she saw her son, Su Shangwen, her whole being was stunned on the spot.

 Chapter 636

    Chapter 636: Raking in Money


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Needle and thread in a loving mother¡¯s hands, mending holes of the clothes of her soon wandering son. Her sewing picks up the pace as the date approaches, worries of belated return echoing inside her heart [1]. It was a maternal love, the greatest existence of love in the world¡ªthe love that was like the highest peak of a mountain ridge.


    The son did something wrong and came across the disaster of being imprisoned. Though Zhang Shi did not speak out her feelings, yet restlessness and worry resided inside her. Longing and anticipation that her son could soon be released from the prison to appear before her eyes. Half a year passed by with countless fantasies and countless prayers. When that dream had finally come true, her whole being trembled, feeling both excited and scared.


    She was afraid that she was dreaming, and two lines of tears fell down.


    Putong¡­


    Su Shangwen¡¯s knees slammed on the ground and he repeatedly knocked his head on the ground, speaking with a bitter expression, ¡°I¡¯m back, Mother.¡±


    Finally, Zhang Shi was sure that she was not dreaming, as a dream would not be this real. She bit her lips and went before Su Shangwen.


    Pa¡­


    She slapped Su Shangwen¡¯s face.


    With a loving and distressed expression, Zhang Shi angrily asked, ¡°Have you already realized your wrongs?¡±


    Su Shangwen kept kneeling. He nodded silently and replied, ¡°I¡¯ve already realized and admitted my wrongs, Mother.¡±


    Zhang Shi slowly closed her eyes, yet her tears flowed down from the corner of her eyes. When she opened them again, she sighed and said, ¡°Get up! It¡¯s good that you still have the conscience that your family is here.¡±


    ¡°Mother, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Zhang Meiyun also hurriedly came over and said with a face full of remorse.


    Zhang Shi did not speak but looked at Su Lingyun instead.


    Su Lingyun glanced at Tang Xiu quickly before she pulled Su Shangwen from the ground and said, ¡°It¡¯s great that you came back, big brother. Xiu¡¯er did not do it to you with discretion, please don¡¯t be angry with him.¡±


    ¡°How can be I angry with him?¡± Su Shangwen shook his head. ¡°On the contrary, I should be thanking Tang Xiu. I wouldn¡¯t have repented if it weren¡¯t for him. Mother, please don¡¯t worry. We will change and start a fresh life and regard our family members as family members. As it should be.¡±


    Even in her dreams, Zhang Shi did not expect that she would hear her son say such words. She could not stop the tears flowing from her eyes, as she repeatedly nodded before replying, ¡°That¡¯s good, great. It¡¯s great that you can change.¡±


    The atmosphere in the Su Family became slightly different with the return of Su Shangwen. Tang Yunde¡¯s attitude neither showed that he couldn¡¯t forgive him or pursued his responsibility.


    In the evening, the mother and daughter, Mu Qingping and Gu Yin, returned back to Star City by a car driven by Su Quan, whereas Tang Xiu left the Su Family Village with Tang Yunde and Su Lingyun for Beijing. It was at two o¡¯clock in the morning as the family of three arrived at the capital. They did not go directly to the Tang Family residence, however, but went to the house recently bought by Tang Yunde in Beijing.


    At the Rivers and Mountain Blossom Garden¡­


    It was a relatively upscale residential complex in the Third Ring Road. The most notable thing was the double compound house that was luxuriously decorated. It was Tang Xiu¡¯s first time coming to this place despite him having been to the capital several times.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, your mother and I will stay downstairs. Are you going to take a room downstairs or upstairs?¡± Tang Yunde put down the luggage, lit up a cigarette and said with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the one upstairs.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°Anyways, this house is quite big. It should be around 200 square meters wide, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s 260 square meters, to be exact.¡± Tang Yunde smiled. ¡°I was originally planning to buy a villa directly. But your Mom doesn¡¯t like spacious villas, not to mention that we seldom stay in the capital either. Buying such a big residence would be a waste, so we picked this one. Anyways, we¡¯ll leave the master bedroom upstairs for you. The house keys are on the bedside table, remember to take them with you.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Tang Xiu casually observed the house as he took his travel bag to the second floor. Though he had an interspatial ring, he still did not want to have his parents know this secret for the time being. He changed into clothes that were temporarily stuffed into the travel bag prepared by his mother, Su Lingyun.


    The master bedroom was around 30 square meters wide. It was luxuriously decorated and was especially spacious. Tang Xiu put the travel bag on the cabinet and walked towards the window. The building had 20 floors and their apartment took the 11th and 12th floor, which was in the middle of the building. Therefore, by standing on the window, he could see the commercial street outside the residential complex.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to snow again, it seems!¡± Tang Xiu looked up at the sky in a good mood.


    For him, the definition of home was very simple. Wherever his mother was present, it was home¡ªand he was more than satisfied now that he found his father and was with them.


    The next morning was the New Year¡¯s Day. Tang Xiu got up very early and followed his parents to the Tang Family¡¯s ancestral residence. The residence was now very lively, as nearly all the core members of the Tang Family had arrived, including his aunt, Tang Min.


    Paying a kowtow and making a ceremonial visit to wish the family a Happy New Year.


    What surprised Tang Xiu was that his grandparents also gifted him a thick red envelope.


    In the backyard of the ancestral home, Tang Tang pulled Tang Xiu to a remote spot. The latter grinned while shaking her mobile phone and spoke in a whisper, ¡°Brother, gimme a red envelope.¡±


    Tang Xiu stuffed his hand into his pocket and forced a smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t prepare it. How about I give you the one grandma gave me, is that okay with you?¡±


    ¡°No need to be that troublesome.¡± Tang Tang laughed. ¡°It¡¯s more convenient if you send me a red envelope via WeChat, you know.¡±


    Sending a red envelope via WeChat?


    ¡°What exactly is that?¡± Asked Tang Xiu, confused.


    Tang Tang¡¯s face stilled. ¡°It can¡¯t be true, right?¡± There was a disbelieving expression in her eyes as she asked, ¡°You¡­ you don¡¯t know what a WeChat Red Envelope is?¡±


    ¡°I know WeChat is a messaging and chatting platform app, but I don¡¯t know what a WeChat Red Envelope is!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. I don¡¯t seem to have a WeChat account either.¡±


    The way Tang Tang looked at Tang Xiu was as though seeing a monster from an alien star, an extraterrestrial. With disbelief painted her face, she said, ¡°OMG! It¡¯s unbelievable that you don¡¯t have a WeChat account, brother! Who doesn¡¯t use WeChat nowadays? Who doesn¡¯t know what a WeChat Red Envelope is? You¡­¡±


    Inwardly, Tang Xiu could only force a smile. He just returned from the Immortal World for half a year and had to tend to various matters. How could he have time to spare to care about these things, anyway? He knew what the WeChat apps were from Yue Kai¡¯s group, but he did not know that this app could also be used to send red envelopes!


    Tang Tang shook her head, giving Tang Xiu a look like she was defeated. She reached out her small hand and said, ¡°Gimme your mobile phone, I¡¯ll help you download the WeChat app. Then, I¡¯ll teach you to link your bank card to the account. After which you can send red envelopes to your WeChat circle of friends.¡±


    Ten minutes later, Tang Tang asked Tang Xiu about his information, then helped him download the WeChat mobile app and linked his bank card to the account. Afterward, she smiled and said, ¡°You can now send red envelopes, brother. Now you must send me a thick one, right? Oh, that¡¯s right. You can directly transfer the money to the Red Envelope app, or else you will look like a miser of low class.¡±


    Tang Xiu could only dumbly laugh, ¡°Okay! By the way, what¡¯s the maximum amount for the transfer via the WeChat account? You taught me this thing, so you¡¯ll be my first friend in WeChat. I¡¯ll gift you the maximum amount of red envelope.¡±


    Tang Tang¡¯s eyes brightened up as she extended her hand with a grinning face, ¡°It¡¯s 50,000 yuan!¡±


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll send you 50,000 yuan,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    After a while, Tang Xiu transferred 50,000 via WeChat to Tang Tang. After the girl left with a happy face, Tang Xiu recalled all the people listed on the phone book and sent them a text containing his WeChat account number to let them add him as their friend.


    This time was a new age, and one must catch up with the new tides and trends.


    Now that he returned to Earth, Tang Xiu was perfectly aware that he must not isolate himself from society. There were many people using WeChat now, thus he could no longer linger outside alone.


    Beep Beep¡­


    Beep beep beep¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Notification sounds set by Tang Xiu kept beeping. Although the cell numbers saved in Tang Xiu¡¯s phone were not many, about less than 100 people¡¯s cell numbers in total, it took only a few minutes after he sent the message before 40-50 people applied to be added as his friends.


    ¡°Hahaha, what a rare matter! Boss Tang unexpectedly signed in the WeChat!¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, I¡¯m Long Hanwen.¡±


    ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, I¡¯m Li Hongji.¡±


    ¡°Boss, you finally have a WeChat account!¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang Xiu ¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After sending the application to everyone, Tang Xiu kept receiving WeChat¡¯s notifications; some were text messages and some were voices. There were many messages, however, and he would be left exhausted if he were to reply to each one of them. Therefore, he turned his eyes from it and straightly sent a red envelope to each person, 200 yuan each.


    ¡°Man, playing with WeChat is hella expensive.¡±


    Despite Tang Xiu now being a rich man, he felt slightly squeezed out after sending so many red envelopes all of a sudden. What he did not expect afterward, however, was that the moment he sent his red envelopes, he also received notifications that his WeChat account received red envelopes as well, making him stunned.


    200!


    20,000!


    Most of the amount he received was, 6666 and 8888 yuan and so on. After spending more than half an hour, he found that all the red envelopes he received from everyone amounted to more than 800,000 yuan. Among them, the likes of the Big Bosses such as Long Hanwen, Chen Zhizhong, Jin Xingkui, Miao Wentang, and the rest, were as though having an agreement in advance between them, as they sent him the same maximum amount: 50,000 yuan! [1]


    ¡°This¡­ one can also use this to get rich, no?¡±


    While looking at the total amount of money displayed in the WeChat wallet, he shook his head with an expression that was at a loss whether he had to laugh or cry.


    Just as he was preparing to close the WeChat app, Kang Xia called him. After a happy conversation, he was directly added to the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s top executives¡¯ WeChat group.


    ¡°OMG! Did I see the name correctly? It¡¯s the B-¡­ Boss? Our Big Boss was added to the group?¡±


    ¡°Whoa, Big Boss was added? Is he going to give us a New Year¡¯s bonus or something?¡±


    ¡°Hooray! Long live the Boss!¡±


    ¡°HAPPY NEW YEAR, BOSS!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu immediately realized Kang Xia¡¯s intention for adding to the company¡¯s senior management group. It seemed that she wanted him to send out red envelopes to them! After some thinking, Tang Xiu checked it out and found that the number of people in the group was more than 40 altogether. He immediately sent more than 40 envelopes with 200 yuan at once, letting all of them grab it.


    As a result, the red envelopes were welcomed with cheers in the WeChat group! Amid innumerable messages of flattery and praise, Tang Xiu sent blessings and greeted everyone before closing the app.


    ¡°What are you smirking and grinning at, Sonny?¡±


    Su Lingyun came out of the room as she looked up to the falling snow. Her eyes finally fell on Tang Xiu and asked with a cheerful expression.


    ¡°I got red envelopes, Mom! I made quite a fortune from it,¡± answered Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Did you see the red envelope Mom sent you?¡± Su Lingyun could not help laughing. ¡°I sent 50,000 yuan via WeChat. It was Wan¡­ umm, someone taught me to use it. We were so poor in the past, so Mom did not understand how to use those sophisticated mobile softwares, so Mom only gifted you a little pocket money every year. But now that our family has money, Mom wants to make it up to you, and gifted you all at once this time.¡±

 Chapter 637

    Chapter 637: A Sudden Incident


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    With the improvement of their family condition, Su Lingyun had always been wishing to give something to her son. Even if the others were oblivious to the matter, it was something crystal clear to her how sorrowful and hard the days they had gone through all these years.


    Tang Xiu hugged Su Lingyun¡¯s shoulders and smilingly said, ¡°Thank you, Mom. Even if you don¡¯t give me a dime, I¡¯m still very happy and satisfied as long as I can celebrate the New Year with you every year.¡±


    ¡°Silly boy!¡± Su Lingyun stroked Tang Xiu¡¯s head and said with a smile, ¡°Let¡¯s go inside! It¡¯s started snowing outside.¡±


    The present Tang Family had a mental and spiritual fortitude that was different from before. In the past, it was they had a knot that burdened them, always wary, tense, and always vigilant to the threat posed by the Yao Family¡ªfor fear that because of their negligence, an incident would occur at any time. Now, however, the Yao Family had become a thing of the past, the once behemoth had collapsed, making all the members of the Tang Family breathe a sigh of relief.


    Nevertheless, the threat brought by the Yao Family all these years had also made the members of the Tang Family deeply comprehended one thing, that was, to be a monolithic whole and keep the family together. To make the Tang Family more and more powerful in the future, it was necessary for them to¡­ unite.


    One for all and all for one. All is withered when one is dried up, for one¡¯s glory is everyone¡¯s honor.


    Though the Tang Family had ruined the Yao Family, it did not mean that they could relax as of yet. There were numerous prominent families in the capital and the power constellation was always complicated. At present, there were still a few powerful families in existence that could pose a threat to the Tang Family, and it was unknown how many forces were staying low-key and hidden in the dark. Therefore, though the members of the Tang Family did feel relaxed, they did not ease their vigilance and neither did they let go of their alertness.


    Tang Xiu himself was very satisfied with the current situation the Tang Family was in at present. He stayed with his parents in Beijing for three days before returning back to Star City. Although the family of three did not celebrate the New Year in Star City in these three days, they had prepared a lot of New Year¡¯s gifts; not to mention that Mu Qingping had also returned home prior to them. Hence, the family of three returned to South Gate Town with warm feelings.


    The light of day receded and was replaced by dusk. Just as the family was preparing to have dinner, Tang Xiu received a call from Kang Xia. The happy expression on his face vanished after the phone call ended, as several points of intense killing intent replaced it.


    ¡°Mom, Dad, I need to go out to tend to something.¡± Tang Xiu got up and grabbed his coat.


    Surprised, Tang Yunde asked, ¡°Is it very important that you can¡¯t even join us for dinner?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit of emergency indeed,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°A top executive of my company had a car accident, so I must catch up and have a look at his situation.¡±


    ¡°Then be careful on the road, son.¡± Tang Yunde nodded and said, ¡°Do call me if something else happens.¡±


    After replying, Tang Xiu quickly left the villa and drove towards Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. When he arrived at the hospital¡¯s operating room, he found many security guards from the Magnificent Tang Corporation standing guard in the corridor; some of them were Kang Xia¡¯s private bodyguards. They stood at the entrance to the operation with solemn expressions, and they watched the situation around in vigilance.


    ¡°How is he, Kang Xia?¡± Tang Xiu strode over and asked.


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu, Kang Xia immediately spoke with a bitter expression, ¡°His injuries are very severe. I have been noticed that he¡¯s in a critical state and the doctor told me to be mentally prepared since the possibility he can be saved is¡­ minuscule.¡±


    ¡°What about the two bodyguards who are responsible of protecting Dai Qiang? Have they been found?¡± Asked Tang Xiu in a heavy voice.


    ¡°No, not yet.¡± Kang Xia shook her head. ¡°I immediately rushed here with these men the moment I got the news. I already sent people to investigate it and they have yet to come back. However, we lost contact with two since we can¡¯t connect to their phones. We also have contacted their family, and they do not know where they went either.¡±


    A cold glint flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. It was easy to judge that the car accident that happened to Dai Qiang was definitely an accident, but a pre-planned assassination had been prepared for a long time. As far as he knew, Dai Qiang had a total of four bodyguards who worked in shifts of two. The four of them had been trained by experts from the Everlasting Feast Hall, and five ordinary people would not be able to contend with them. The most important thing was that these two bodyguards had very professional work ethics, and they naturally kept their phones on 24/7. Now that they have gone missing and their phone couldn¡¯t be contacted, it would only mean one thing: they had met a misfortune accident!


    ¡°Any particular situation happened in the company as of recently?¡± Asked Tang Xiu. ¡°Or, did some issues emerged that Dai Qiang encountered?¡±


    ¡°Dai Qiang once mentioned it to me last year. He said that someone had contacted him and wanted to privately buy a large bulk of Gods Nectar from him. You also know that Dai Qiang is the Director of the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s Winery and there have been a lot of people who want to see him, asking to open the back door in order to buy Gods Nectar in private. That¡¯s why I did not take it seriously at first, but I did feel that the number ordered by that person was kind of quite a lot. Dai Qiang refused that person¡¯s request and then received a threat from the other party.¡±


    ¡°Who is this man?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°He¡¯s from the Southern Region, the owner of an electronic fabs in Guangyang Province, someone surnamed Qian,¡± elaborated Kang Xia. ¡°I already assigned some people to investigate the details on this man surnamed Qian half an hour ago, but there¡¯s no result as of yet.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait for the news, then. I¡¯ll go inside to see his situation.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Having said that, he strode inside the operating room. There he saw seven doctors wearing surgical robes currently performing surgery on Dai Qiang; the hands of the chief surgeon were covered with blood.


    ¡°Who let you inside? Get out quickly!¡±


    A female doctor who had just transferred to Star City Chinese Medical Hospital reprimanded him with knitted brows. Immediately, the other doctors in the operating room turned their heads and had their vision land on Tang Xiu¡¯s face.


    Tang Xiu ignored her as he looked at the chief surgeon and asked, ¡°How is he?¡±


    When the chief surgeon saw Tang Xiu, his eyes immediately lit up and hurriedly said, ¡°The patient¡¯s injuries are very severe. Though we have stopped the internal bleeding, four of his ribs are broken and one of them pierced his lungs. Also, he suffers from severe head injury and fractured cranial bones. He will need the help of a brain specialist later.


    ¡°Handle the injuries you can deal with as fast as possible, and then let me take over,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Understood!¡± The surgeon said respectfully.


    At this moment, the newly transferred female doctor was dumbfounded. She didn¡¯t know Tang Xiu, neither had she seen him in the hospital. She really did not understand why would the chief surgeon listen to Tang Xiu at all. And the rest seemed to have¡­ admiring and respectful expressions?


    Ten minutes later, Tang Xiu took over the treatment. Since the wounds had been sutured, Tang Xiu¡¯s work became easier. After consuming three hours with extra carefulness, he was finally able to pull the battered Dai Qiang back from the line of death.


    The medical techniques he displayed, however, were so incredible and unthinkable that all the doctors in the room couldn¡¯t grasp them. However, when he said that ¡°his life is no longer in danger, but the follow-up treatment must be done in order¡±, only then did all the doctors in the operating room come back to their senses with intense admiration on their faces.


    ¡°Thank you, Divine Doctor Tang. It¡¯s fortunate that you came here in time. To be honest, the possibility of rescuing him was only 20% if I were the one who did the surgery,¡± said the chief surgeon with admiration.


    Tang Xiu nodded at him without speaking a word. He had consumed a lot of his mental energy in the three hours of treatment, so he only spoke a few words and then left the operating room.


    ¡°He¡­ he¡¯s that miracle-working Divine Doctor Tang?¡± Muttered the female doctor who reprimanded Tang Xiu before. There was a disbelieving expression on her face.


    ¡°That¡¯s of course.¡± The chief surgeon glanced at her and smilingly said. ¡°He naturally is that Divine Doctor Tang. A miracle-working doctor who has treated a lot of hard-to-treat diseases, it¡¯s like the illnesses depart the moment he touches the patients and brings back life to them.¡±


    ¡°The way I treated him before¡­¡± The female doctor¡¯s lips squirmed a few times and looked somewhat restless.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± The chief surgeon comforted her with a smile. ¡°Divine Doctor Tang has a broad mind and heart, he will never stoop down to our level. After all, it was good that you of all people tried to stop someone from rushing into the operation room, more so that you did not recognize Divine Doctor Tang at all, so you did what you must do. Alright, don¡¯t think about it too much. He just said that we must finish the post-treatment care for the patient well.¡±


    When Tang Xiu came out of the operating room, he saw Kang Xia waiting outside the entrance looking to have something in mind. Since the people around were his own people, Tang Xiu straightly asked, ¡°How is the investigation?¡±


    ¡°We found the bodies of the two bodyguards in a river on the outskirts of the city,¡± said Kang Xia. ¡°Their deaths was caused by heavy blows, probably by blunt weapons. This news is from the police, and I already sent someone to deal with it. Also, we haven¡¯t found this businessman surnamed Qian. I¡¯ve assigned some people from the Everlasting Feast Hall to investigate him in Guangyang Province, but the news is that there¡¯s no trace of him there, like he has disappeared.¡±


    Tang Xiu took his mobile phone and made several calls. He must find that businessman surnamed Qian. It would be best for that person to not be found by him, or else he would make him pay a very painful price.


    In regards to Dai Qiang, Tang Xiu liked this bald man. He was the one who took him from the other region to Star City to work for him. Now that the man encountered such a huge accident, he was the one responsible to make it up for him!


    ¡°Boss, I have a suspicion that¡­¡± Kang Xia hesitated.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed and asked, ¡°What suspicion?¡±


    ¡°If this is really the doing of that businessman surnamed Qian, I suspect that this incident is not simple,¡± elaborated Kang Xia.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes narrowed, ¡°You mean that that man looked for Dai Qiang first as a means to conceal his true purpose? Do you feel that he also wants the formula of the Gods Nectar?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Kang Xia nodded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait for the news!¡± Said Tang Xiu. ¡°As long as I find that Qian man, I can squeeze out everything from him and make him spit out his real purpose. Anyways, instruct all the security guards of the company to withdraw from the hospital, as well as your bodyguards. Assign some experts from our company to come here in secret. I¡¯ve rescued Dai Qiang¡¯s life, but he must not be injured again.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Kang Xia nodded and did not speak another word.


    As Kang Xia left with her bodyguards and the security guards of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, Tang Xiu personally escorted Dai Qiang to the ICU. He did not hurry to leave but stayed outside the room waiting for news.


    Late at night, there was a phone call from Tang Min, informing Tang Xiu that she had found the location where that businessman called Qian was at.


    He was in Blue City!


    After hanging up the call, Tang Xiu pondered for a while before making a phone call to Shao Mingzhen. He knew that he was still in Blue City, thus he immediately asked his help to apprehend this businessman named Qian.


    ¡°Old Brother Shao, I¡¯ll send you the information about this man. I entrust this work to you.¡±

 Chapter 638

    Chapter 638: Disappearing from the Scene


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    After having finished with the call, Tang Xiu was struck with a bit heavy, sour mood. He was aware of the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s development. It was like an extremely fast rocket, even people without much ability were able to see it clearly. His identity probably was already known to many people at this time. The reason why his company could continue to develop until now, on the one hand, was because of the forces in Star City, who coveted the data of the company¡¯s core products, had all been removed from previously. And on the other hand, it may be related to his other identity.


    That other reason was the Tang Family!


    The Tang Family was like a protective umbrella sheltering him. Many people were crystal clear about it in their hearts that they must face the Tang Family if they wanted to deal with the Magnificent Tang Corporation.


    It was very clear for Tang Xiu that the struggle between the Tang and Yao Families, which resulted in the former being the final victor, leaving him as the party who benefitted the most from it. The result of the contention between the two families ended up providing more layers of deterrence and protection for the Magnificent Tang Corporation; an inadvertent aftermath arising from the strange combination of circumstances, so to speak.


    Birds die in pursuit of food, and so will people in an attempt to obtain riches. A tall tree will catch the wind, thus being coveted by many greedy forces is inevitable. I have always wanted to keep a low profile, silently making a fortune in secret, but the rapid development of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, as well as the potential it holds in the future, inevitably caused jealousy from others. This so-called staying low profile I¡¯ve been doing seems to be seen as nothing but a joke, a laughingstock in the eyes of many people. But the one who holds the authority over the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡­ is none other but ME!


    Tang Xiu lit a cigarette and stood in the hallway while taking a few deep puffs, as a strong and overbearing aura burst out from him.


    Since keeping a low profile is no longer an option, then I will stand up high! The Tang Family is an existence in the light, whereas the Everlasting Feast Hall is in the dark. Since I can use both for myself, what should I be afraid of? Whoever dares to eye the Magnificent Tang Corporation with their greedy eyes, I will play and have fun with them. If worse came to worst, I will visit them with my men and exterminate them!


    After thinking it through, Tang Xiu extinguished the cigarette butt and made a phone call to Gu Xiaoxue, instructing her to transfer Mo Awu back from Nine Dragons Island and to send a group of experts with him here and be ready to be dispatched at his orders.


    ****


    Blue City¡­


    Inside a standard room of the Venus Hotel, Qian Xingwang stood before the window with a vigilant look. He watched the outside through the curtain slit. He was an ambitious Chinese man who lived abroad. At the same time, he was also a trusted aide who managed the financial affairs of an influential figure in the Varro Family, a member of the Stygian Club.


    ¡°Giving up my position as the Boss of the Varro Family¡¯s electronic fabs in China for the sake of getting the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s formulas may be a great loss. But I can get more profits and benefits if I can get the formula. Big Boss said that, if I complete this task, he¡¯ll help me develop my own force in the future¡­¡±


    Qian Xiangwang gripped his fists tightly, and there was a longing look in his eyes. He had bought a rather powerful Winery Vice-Director belonging to the Magnificent Tang Corporation. As long as Dai Qiang was dead, that Vice-Director was highly likely of becoming the new Director of the winery, then it would be very easy for him to get the recipe of the Gods Nectar.


    Knock knock¡­


    His room¡¯s door was knocked, making Qian Xingwang tense inside. He quickly turned around to the four men sitting on the chairs next to the bed and quickly gave them a hand signal.


    Immediately, a middle-aged man understood Qian Xiangwang¡¯s intention and quickly pulled out the pistol from his waist. He walked to the side of the of the door and called out, ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me!¡± A woman¡¯s voice replied outside the door.


    The middle-aged man quickly shot Qian Xiangwang a look. When he saw him nod, he immediately opened the door and allowed a beautiful woman dressed up in a gorgeous attire to enter the room.


    Qian Xingwang strode forward and asked, ¡°How is the matter going?¡±


    ¡°The target has been dealt with and it was as per your instruction, a premeditated car accident. A troublesome thing may need to be dealt with, however. His two bodyguards. If the people from Magnificent Tang Corporation are to investigate it, it¡¯ll probably be very easy to find that the two bodyguards are already dead.¡±


    ¡°Everything else doesn¡¯t matter as long as Dai Qiang is dead,¡± commented Qian Xiangwang with satisfaction.


    ¡°Anyways, why did you want us to arrange a premeditated car accident in the first place?¡± asked the woman.


    ¡°I just want to make those people from the Magnificent Tang Corporation to realize that this is not a mere traffic accident and is a deliberate effort, to let the cat out of the bag that some people are currently eyeing their company; especially the winery.¡± Qian Xingwang sneered. ¡°When they are in a state of extreme nervousness, it will be our opportunity.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± said the woman with a confused expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s a diversionary tactic, a feint to the east to divert them. But, the real attack will come from the west.¡± Said Qiang Xiangwang with a complacent expression. ¡°Our primary target is not the Gods Nectar recipe, but the formula of the health care and cosmetics products. As long as the security forces of the Magnificent Tang Corporation are assigned to the winery, we can begin to snatch the formulas of the health care and cosmetics products.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re amazing, Boss,¡± said the woman, admiring him.


    Qian Xingwang smugly smiled and then said with all seriousness, ¡°Hurry up and pack up our things. We must move fast. The Tang Family of Beijing is the backer behind the Magnificent Tang Corporation. If we don¡¯t move fast, I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t take a long time for someone to find us here. A¡¯ Sen, are you done finding a new base?¡±


    ¡°I already did. We can head there at any time.¡± The middle-aged man who opened the door nodded and replied.


    ¡°We mustn¡¯t delay any longer, let¡¯s move at once,¡± said Qian Xiangwang with a serious expression.


    ****


    More than half an hour later, Shao Mingzhen arrived in a hurry with eight men. When they kicked open the door of the room where Qian Xiangwang had stayed according to address given by Tang Xiu, they found that the people inside had disappeared.


    ¡°I did not find anyone here, Tang Xiu. They should have just left judging from the traces they left in the room,¡± said Shao Mingzhen after he called Tang Xiu to report about the situation.


    While holding the phone, Tang Xiu slightly frowned and said, ¡°Got it, Old Brother Shao. Let¡¯s put this matter aside first since they have already escaped. Sorry for troubling you this late. Thanks a bunch.¡±


    ¡°Leave the ceremonial talk aside, brother. Anyways, do you want me to send some people to find their traces?¡± Said Shao Mingzhen. ¡°Finding them should be easy as long as they are still in Blue City.¡±


    ¡°Nevermind,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°It¡¯s evident that these people have a clear target judging from their planned actions. Thus, the first thing they¡¯ll do should be to erase their traces, and then finding them wouldn¡¯t be an easy task.¡±


    ¡°So be it, then,¡± said Shao Mingzheng. ¡°If you need anything else, I¡¯ll still be staying in Blue City for the time being. Do call me at any time if you need me.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    In Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, Tang Xiu concluded the call with Shao Mingzhen and contacted his aunt, Tang Min, again. From her, he learned that these people they been investigating had indeed left and that their movements were so bizarre that the intelligence personnel was unable to find them. It was like they vanished without a trace.


    It was late at night, thus Tang Xiu delegated the task of protecting Dai Qiang to several experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall who had arrived and then drove to Kang Xia¡¯s villa. It was already the early hours of the morning, but Kang Xia had not yet gone to sleep when Tang Xiu called her.


    On the second floor of the villa, Kang Xia¡¯s bedroom.


    After Tang Xiu arrived, he took off his jacket and walked to the beauty¡¯s bed. He opened half of the window and sat there to lit a cigarette even though the heating was on.


    ¡°How was the result of the investigation?¡± Asked Kang Xia with a face full of concern.


    Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°The identity of the other party has been investigated and identified indeed. They were previously in Blue City, but when the people I asked for help to apprehend them arrived there, there was not a single soul in the room. They had left already.¡±


    ¡°So, the movements of the other party are planned?¡± Commented Kang Xia with a serious expression. ¡°Could it be their real target is¡­ the Gods Nectar?¡±


    ¡°The Gods Nectar may be just one of many.¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°Since they dare to covet the products of our company or its formulas, I don¡¯t think they will only aim at the Gods Nectar. The formulas of the health care and cosmetics products may be included on the list as well.¡±


    ¡°Who exactly is this person?¡± Asked Kang Xia.


    ¡°His name is Qian Xiangwang, a Chinese living abroad, the owner of an electronic fab in Guangyang Province,¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°However, I have a suspicion that this identity is just a cover to conceal his true identity. It¡¯s highly likely that he has another identity unless he¡¯s mental, otherwise, he would never dare to have the idea of eyeing the Magnificent Tang Corporation.¡±


    ¡°The enemy is now in the dark, and we are in the light. It¡¯s best to stay careful and vigilant,¡± commented Kang Xia.


    Tang Xiu nodded in response without speaking, and then said, ¡°I won¡¯t leave Star City before I get this rat. Also, I¡¯ve already called a group from Jingmen Island here. They should be arriving a few days later. These people won¡¯t quit halfway and leave the work unfinished since they took the actions already. I¡¯ll make arrangements to set up a net in Star City. They will be trapped as long as they dare to get into action again.¡±


    ¡°About your schooling¡­¡± Replied Kang Xia.


    ¡°I¡¯ll put the matter with my schooling aside for now.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°The formulas of the Magnificent Tang Corporation must never be stolen, else we will be struck with severe losses.¡±


    Kang Xia nodded without speaking and then said, ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ve sent someone to talk to the police. They are currently investigating these people, so let¡¯s prepare ours too.¡±


    ¡°Relying on the police nowadays is like playing with an absolute joke.¡± Tang Xiu forced a wry smile. ¡°The people I asked for help were more resourceful and skillful than the police as they are from the State Intelligence Agency. Yet, they still lost their traces. Do you think the police can be compared to the all-powerful intelligence network of the country?¡±


    Kang Xia stared blankly for a moment, and then immediately said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll talk to the police tomorrow to make them suspend the investigation!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t, there¡¯s no need.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand. ¡°We¡¯ll let them continue the investigation in order not to beat the grass and scare the snake. We¡¯ll act the same as we usual. We¡¯ll use the brake to stop them, albeit slowly, and then we¡¯re going to sit back and wait for the fish to bite the hook.¡±


    This night, Tang Xiu stayed overnight in Kang Xia¡¯s place and slept until the next morning, as he then left in a hurry. He went out last night and did not come back all night, thus he was afraid that his mother would get worried. After returning back to South Gate Town, he found his parents still asleep, so he went to his bedroom, changed his clothes and cultivated for more than an hour.¡±


    ¡°Do you have something to do this morning, Xiu¡¯er?¡± Asked Su Lingyun at the table.


    ¡°Yeah, I have some matters to tend to. I got an appointment with a friend to fetch the child I just adopted,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    Su Lingyun put down the chopsticks and said with a curious expression, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, I know you just adopted a child since you told me before that you wanted to take him as your disciple. Is there any peculiarity or something special about him?¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a short while, and then answered, ¡°He¡¯s blind.¡±


    Su Lingyun¡¯s hands trembled and quickly asked, ¡°You¡­ Do you want to adopt a blind child? Have you thought about it well, Xiu¡¯er? Though our family is not short on money to foster a child, but¡­¡±

 Chapter 639

    Chapter 639: Gold Has Its Own Value, But Jade Is Priceless


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    After waking up from his vegetative state and learning that he had a son, Tang Yunde had learned about the situation pertaining to his son, and never did he regard Tang Xiu as a child. It was said that the children of poor families were able to manage the household. He knew that his son and wife had gone through a hard life all these years, and was naturally aware of the fact that he had a very mature personality.


    Upon hearing that his son just adopted a blind child, however, he still frowned and expressed his thoughts, ¡°Do you have that much time and energy, Xiu¡¯er? You should know that there¡¯s a big difference in raising a blind child and a normal one.¡±


    ¡°I understand what you are saying, Dad,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°But this child is very special. His eyes may be blind, but not his heart. He can see many things normal people can¡¯t, and this is the very reason why I want to adopt him and take him as my disciple. It¡¯s because I think that he can be molded. You should know that my vision won¡¯t go wrong. Just look at Yinyin, isn¡¯t she a very good example?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah! Master is right,¡± Gu Yinyin grinned. ¡°Yinyin also wants a Junior Brother.¡±


    Tang Yunde and Su Lingyun exchanged looks, and the tense atmosphere eased down. Both of them knew that Tang Xiu was no longer an ordinary human. Though they were oblivious as to when and how Tang Xiu became a cultivator, but they had witnessed his ability and were crystal clear about it. Hence, they did not speak about it any longer.


    Mu Qingping asked in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m going out to buy some daily necessities for children. Also, I¡¯ll clean up the room next to Yinyin¡¯s. How do you see it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Tang Xiu smiled and nodded.


    After the breakfast, Tang Xiu took his car and drove out. He originally planned to fetch Little Blind before the New Year, but the Dean of the welfare house called him later on, saying she wanted Little Blind to stay there to celebrate his last New Year in the welfare house, a request he consented. After the New Year, he had to go to Beijing, thus delaying the matter.


    At the entrance to South Gate Town, Long Xueyao, who got a call from Tang Xiu, was waiting there early and brought with her two large suitcases. Upon seeing Tang Xiu, who parked his car in front of her, she immediately knocked on the window and smilingly said, ¡°Open the trunk, I bought some stuff for the children, so I¡¯ll take them now while convenient.¡±


    Tang Xiu opened the trunk and got off the car to help put two suitcases into the trunk. Then he smiled and said, ¡°There are not many young women who have a kind and warm heart like you nowadays. I even suspect that nearly all of your money was spent on the children of the Bluestar Welfare House, you know.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t praise me, will you? You made me embarrassed for nothing.¡± Long Xueyao softly smiled. ¡°Besides, my salary is very high, to begin with; tens of thousands yuan a month.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled in response and said no more. Long Xueyao indeed had a quite high salary. According to what he knew, she visited the Bluestar Welfare House a few times every month, and the gifts she sent every time amounted to quite a sum. For example, her visit last year when he was with her, she spent around 20-30 thousand yuan.


    After getting on the car, Long Xueyao smilingly said, ¡°Are you curious about it, Tang Xiu? Anyways, Long Hanwen is my uncle, and you know that he¡¯s a rich and wealthy man. So I thought, why don¡¯t I ask him to support the Bluestar Welfare House financially, too? Hence the effort.¡±


    After starting the car, Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Yeah, I was quite curious about that. It¡¯s reasonable to say that a mere drop of support from the bucket of wealth possessed by the Long Family can make a tremendous change for the Bluestar Welfare House, so the house won¡¯t have to go through that kind of difficulty again.¡±


    ¡°As a matter of fact, this uncle of mine has his own charitable foundation, and he allocates hundreds of thousands of yuan every year for me, so I can spend the money on the children of the welfare house. It¡¯s just that most of the children there have a poor physical condition and bad health. Nearly half of them contracted some illness, so I have to spend 200-300 thousand yuan to take them to the doctors for treatment every year!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded without speaking, but he too understood the situation. Most of the children in the Bluestar Welfare House were frail or were sick. Excluding Little Blind, one of the children there even had a congenital heart disease and needed to go through treatment every year, it was quite expensive. A major surgery that child had last year cost more than 200 thousand yuan.


    Quickly, the two people had arrived at the Bluestar Welfare House. Tang Xiu accompanied Little Blind to pack up his stuff. He did not spend much time in the welfare house as he then took Little Blind to leave, while Long Xueyao had nothing to do today, so she stayed.


    Inside the SUV Range Rover, amid the classical music being played, Little Blind sat in the front passenger seat, listening to the music with a tranquil expression. After driving on the road for several kilometers, Tang Xiu stopped at a traffic light intersection and spoke while waiting for the red light to change, ¡°The documents for your adoption have been settled, but I haven¡¯t listed your name in the family register. So, we¡¯ll go to the Civil Affairs Bureau, and after we are done with your name registration in the register, you will become a member of my family.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Little Blind nodded gently.


    ¡°Your family name later will be Tang, and I¡¯ll give you a new name, Tang Xiaohan. What do you think?¡± Said Tang Xiu once again.


    Little Blind thought for a while and suddenly asked with a smile, ¡°How should I address you in the future?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to hold a discipleship ceremony after we return home,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°You will be my fifth disciple in the future.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Little Blind nodded. ¡°That name is so pleasant to hear, Master. I like it very much.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s great that you like it.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°Anyways, do you still remember what I¡¯ve promised you? I¡¯ll make your eyes able to see the light again in the future. I¡¯ll take you to a certain place after a period of time and by then, you will officially embark on the cultivation path.¡±


    Cultivation path, a term that Little Blind couldn¡¯t figure it out at all. But he had a faint feeling that his future would never be the same again.


    The Civil Affairs Bureau was located in the Old River District of Star City.


    After Tang Xiu arrived there with Little Blind; or was now Tang Xiaohan, he met Long Zhengyu at the entrance. At this time, the fella was wearing a down coat, and yet he kept moving his feet and warming his hands with his breath.


    ¡°We are not late, are we, Zhengyu?¡± Tang Xiu grabbed Tang Xiaohan¡¯s hand and walked towards him.


    ¡°Nah, you¡¯re not late,¡± said Long Zhengyu with a smile. ¡°Anyways, is he Little Blind, the one you mentioned to me?¡±


    ¡°His name is Tang Xiaohan now,¡± corrected Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Alright, did you bring the adoption certificate with you?¡± Long Zhengyu nodded. ¡°You¡¯ll need that and your ID card for registering his name in the family register.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve brought all of them. Let¡¯s go inside!¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    China was a country where the relationship between people and favor was important. There was even a saying that ¡°one may be recommended and put in an important position if his relatives or friends have status and power, and the same goes if you want to get things done¡±. Long Zhengyu had a close relationship with someone of authority in the Civil Affairs Bureau, and his arrival made the second-in-command of the Bureau accompany him. The proceedings with the family register were quickly done, and the other party modestly invited them to his office and they stayed there for a while.


    After leaving the Civil Affairs Bureau and while glancing at Tang Xiaohan, Long Zhengyu spoke with a hesitating expression, ¡°I wanted to take you to a fun place, but now it seems you can¡¯t go.¡±


    ¡°What exactly is this fun place?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Several rich people got a batch of raw stones from the Southern region, and they are now officially selling them at the Star City Convention and Exhibition Center. Putting it plainly, it¡¯s a kind of gambling on the stones,¡± explained Long Zhengyu.


    Gambling on stones?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression moved and he looked at the yawning Tang Xiaohan. Yet his mind was lit up and already caught up in the net. He needed precious jades and stones, a massive number of high-quality precious jades and stones to be precise. Whether it was used to craft magical tools or lay arrays in the future, or even to refine storage items, precious jades and stones were the best choices.


    ¡°Xiaohan, let¡¯s not go home first. How about going out to play with Master?¡± Tang Xiu held Tang Xiaohan¡¯s hand and asked with a smile.


    ¡°OK.¡±


    Keenly sensitive as he was, though Tang Xiaohan was unable to see anything and disliked lively places, he was willing to follow Tang Xiu wherever he went. Because he believed that he would spend his life following his Master, Tang Xiu¡ªthe person that would be his closest family member in the future.


    After boarding Tang Xiu¡¯s car, Long Zhengyu took a seat in the front passenger seat. He turned back to glance at Tang Xiaohan, who sat conscientiously in the back seat, and then spoke to Tang Xiu, ¡°Anyways, since you want to go with me, have you prepared some money? I heard that these rich people have gotten quite a massive number of raw jades and stones with good quality. You¡¯re gonna need a ton of money if you wanna play.¡±


    ¡°I do have some money in hands now.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll buy those raw jades and stones if I find them satisfying.¡±


    ¡°Satisfying raw jades and stones?¡± Long Zhengyu shook his head and smilingly said, ¡°There¡¯s no such satisfying raw jades and stones in the world, mate. Whoever has an X-Ray vision and can discern clearly which are precious jades and stones among the lump of rough and raw stones, he will definitely become the richest man in the world quickly.¡±


    ¡°What you said is kinda exaggerated, don¡¯t you think?¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°100 million yuan for those top billionaires in the world is nothing but a unit. How much money do you think I can get just by betting on some rough raw stones, huh?¡±


    ¡°That is if you don¡¯t have a genuine knowledge regarding precious jades and stones¡¯ attributes, mate,¡± said Long Zhengyu. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you something. In the past few years, there was a young man surnamed Zhuang that relied on his keen eyes and knowledge pertaining to precious jades and stones. He traveled to the southern and western regions and even ventured to Africa to bet on these stones. He bought those precious jades and stones and used the materials for his jade business. And you know what? He made a fortune from it. There¡¯s someone hailed as the Buddha of Jade in the Western region, and he also holds this young man named Zhuang in high esteem. This fella now has a net worth of more than 10 billion. Listen to me clearly, what I¡¯m talking about is U. S. D!¡±


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment, before nodding slowly and saying, ¡°Gold is indeed valuable, but the jade is indeed priceless. Anyhow, if I can get so far as to really get tons of high-quality jades, obtaining tons of money is indeed feasible. Except that it¡¯s a pity I have too little time to spare on the jade business, else I¡¯d really like to meet this young man surnamed Zhuang.¡±


    ¡°I want to see him in person, too, but it¡¯s hella difficult to meet him. Besides, he¡¯s also a very busy man!¡± Long Zhengyu smilingly said. ¡°However, he should comply with your request to meet him given your identity, though. I tell you, mate. That guy is my idol!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but break into laughter. ¡°It¡¯s so unlikely for you to go that far, no? Though your Long Family is not as rich as him, it¡¯s unlikely for you to go so far as to make him your idol, man!¡±


    ¡°Hey, what I¡¯m telling you is not about making money,¡± said Long Zhengyu while pouting his lips.


    ¡°Then, in what aspect are you talking about?¡± Asked Tang Xiu, astounded.


    Long Zhengyu grinned and smilingly said, ¡°This Zhuang fella¡¯s techniques in managing chicks have reached the point of being perfect, mate. You know what? He has several wives in his house, and his wives get along with each other very harmoniously. Our country is not the likes of some foreign countries and only allows a man to have one wife. His other wives have no status as a legal wife by law, though, but those women are willingly following him as long as they can be with him.¡±


    Ugh¡­


    Tang Xiu was stunned and stared blankly. He immediately raised his hand and gave him a thumbs up as he praised, ¡°That guy is so amazing.¡±

 Chapter 640

    Chapter 640: Massive Capital


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Star City Convention and Exhibition Center.


    Security guards in black security uniforms numbering over 100 men secured the order in the venue. The guests who came to participate in the Stone Gambling could be too many to count. Tang Xiu just entered the venue while holding Tang Xiaohan, and with a glance, he guesstimated that there were at least two thousand people here, creating a very busty and lively scene.


    ¡°How come there are so many people here?¡± Asked Tang Xiu, feeling a bit incredible.


    ¡°The Stone Gambling should have been held in the Blue City,¡± said Long Zhengyu with a smile. ¡°But some rich and powerful bigwigs in Star City moved this Stone Gambling event to our city after using all sorts of relationships and means. Hence the reason why the riches who love jade came to Star City from all over the country. That¡¯s right, have you heard the news about the hotels in our city? All the hotels in Star City are fully occupied with guests now.¡±


    ¡°How many raw stones material did these local millionaires get? How can they attract rich people from all over the country?¡± Asked Tang Xiu, surprised.


    ¡°It¡¯s massive in number, I tell you,¡± said Long Zhengyu in a whisper. ¡°I even heard that they pulled half of the raw stones produced in the Southern region. Also, some businessmen who own a jade business also heard the news and thus came over, bringing a batch of their raw stones to sell. Shortly put, you can spend all the money you have today.¡±


    With eyes lit up, Tang Xiu recalled that he only had a few raw stones and jade materials at this time, and he just realized it upon hearing Long Zhengyu¡¯s narration, so this occasion was like it prepared for him.


    Going along with the stream of people entering the exhibition center, Tang Xiu now could clearly see a lot of raw stones piled up in a temporarily built shed, each of which had its own staff taking care of it, while each pile of raw stones had a price tag on it.


    Some stones were priced at a few hundred yuan, some were priced at a few thousand yuan, but some others were priced at a few million. What made Tang Xiu feel even more incredible was that several stones that were priced at more than 10 million. This was just merely the scene he saw at random at the outermost shed, and there were at least dozens of sheds more when he looked around.


    ¡°Zhengyu, do you also plan to play some?¡± Tang Xiu turned to look at Long Zhengyu and asked with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m a poor bloke, mate.¡± Long Zhengyu shook his head. ¡°I will still be fine if you want me to fork out a few hundred thousand yuan, but I¡¯m going to go broke if you ask me to fork out a million. I¡¯m really a poor bloke!¡±


    ¡°Bah, go to hell.¡± Tang Xiu cussed. ¡°Nobody can be called as rich under the Sun if you¡¯re a poor bloke, man! You don¡¯t need to act like you¡¯re a sorry figure! With so much money, why bother investing in the business, then? Besides, aren¡¯t you the one who manages my construction projects? Supposing that you really can¡¯t turn over the capital, you still can use it for the occasion just fine, no?¡±¡®


    ¡°Nope, that won¡¯t do.¡± Long Zhengyu sternly rebuked. ¡°What I get from your projects is being used to rebuild Nine Dragons Island. Unless the project is done, only then can I use the profit, else using it now before the project is finished is a big no no.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say, then!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°In any case, I won¡¯t bother with your things, you have your own way around it.¡±


    As they continued moving forward with the stream of people, Tang Xiu¡¯s gazed continued sweeping through the raw stones in the sheds. After having observed several sheds, he finally stopped in front of a shed that sold jade materials. Rough raw stones also filled this shed, but most of them were jade materials. The jades, however, were obviously just taken from the pile of raw stones.


    ¡°The quality is average.¡± After observing it a for a while, Tang Xiu had already his own judgment inwardly.


    ¡°Do you want to buy some of them, two gentlemen? These jades of mine are of good quality.¡± A middle-aged man with a plump belly asked the duo with a beaming smile. Behind him were four young men in a suit who kept scanning the guests in the shed.


    Tang Xiu put Tang Xiaohan down and walked inside while holding his hand. There, only then did he respond and smilingly said, ¡°We¡¯re going to have a look at them first. Might buy some if we find some good ones.¡±


    The smile on the middle-aged man immediately turned more bright. He patted his chest and said, ¡°Two little brothers, these jades of mine here are definitely of good quality. I have Jade Seeds, Nephrite Jade, and also Jadeite. And you can be sure that these jades here have absolutely fair prices.¡±


    While observing the jade materials and the prices tagged on them, Tang Xiu forced a smile inwardly. The jade materials here were tagged with high prices. Though he was not short on money at this moment, wanting to hoard a massive number of jades at such prices would make him bleed, as it would cost him a lot of money.


    Ten minutes later, Tang Xiu turned to the middle-aged man who was currently greeting other guests. He called him and said, ¡°I have seen all the jades you have here, but the price is way too expensive, and most of them are only of average quality. Let me put it this way, I¡¯ll take all of them if you give me a fair price for all the jade materials here.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The plump middle-aged man was dumbfounded, and he looked at Tang Xiu with an incredulous expression, saying, ¡°Tell me, Little Brother, are you kidding me? I got tons of jade here, and all of them should be no less than 1.8 billion¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and seriously said, ¡°I¡¯m not joking with you. I need to buy a lot of precious stones and jades, and you happen to have ready-made ones here. We can strike a business deal directly as long as we can agree on the price.¡±


    The plump middle-aged man looked more serious as he carefully observed Tang Xiu a few times. Then, he suddenly furrowed his brows and said, ¡°Where have I seen you before, Little Brother? How come I feel like you look so familiar?¡±


    ¡°I can guarantee this is our first time meeting,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°This face of mine is common among people, so you feel that I look a bit familiar.¡±


    The middle-aged man nodded without speaking. He looked around first and then spoke in a deep tone, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a 10% discount if you really buy all the jade materials I have here.¡±


    ¡°40% is my bottom line.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    ¡°You don¡¯t bargain for such lower price like that, young man.¡± The fat middle-aged man called out loudly. ¡°40% off? I will eat quite a loss if I sell them at a 40% discount. If you¡¯re not serious in buying, I had better forget it.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t have a business deal then, it seems.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, though. I¡¯ll look elsewhere since you don¡¯t want to accept it.¡±


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s intention of leaving, the fat middle-aged man hastily said, ¡°15%! How about 15%? This is the bottom line I can afford.¡±


    ¡°40%.¡± Tang Xiu still shook his head.


    Having said that, he grabbed Tang Xiaohan¡¯s hand and walked toward the outside with Long Zhengyu.


    The expression of the fat middle-aged man was constantly changing. He looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s back and wanted to call him, but the jade he bought did not come at a cheap price. If he were to sell it to Tang Xiu at 40% discount, not only would he not make a profit, but he would also lose some money. He would break even if he was to sell them at a 30% discount.


    20% discount was his bottom line!


    Just as Tang Xiu and Long Zhengyu were about to step of the shed, the plum middle-aged man strode to overtake them and shouted, ¡°How about 20%, Little Brother? We¡¯ll have a deal if you can agree with it. But if you can¡¯t, you can have a look at another shed.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s pace came to a halt as he re-examined the jade stones in the shed. ¡°What is the estimated total price for all the jades you have here?¡±


    ¡°A total of 645 million yuan before the discount. We have sold some of them before, and the remaining goods should be around 610 million,¡± answered the fat middle-aged man.


    ¡°Then we have a deal!¡± Tang Xiu nodded after giving it a thought. ¡°Calculate the price with the discount, and then have all the jade materials here delivered to the address I¡¯ll give you.¡±


    The middle-aged complied and quickly calculated the total price of the remaining jade stones. After spending some time to calculate, he took the bill, came to Tang Xiu and said, ¡°It will be 485.32 million yuan. Since Little Brother is so straight, I¡¯ll cut off the fraction of the number for you, for a total of 485 million yuan. You need to pay 85 million deposit in advance if you want me to deliver them to your designated address, and the address must not be out of Shuangqing Province. We can settle the account for the goods afterward.¡±


    ¡°No need to be that troublesome,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Just send your people to load all the jade materials into a car, and then come with me together. My place is not far from here and is located in the Star City urban district. When the goods have arrived in my place, we¡¯ll conclude with the payment.¡±


    The plump middle-aged man immediately nodded and said, ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll have it arranged now.¡±


    While looking at the hundreds of blocks of stones in the corner, Tang Xiu then said with a smile, ¡°Would you like to sell all those stones to me, too? I¡¯ll give you 15 million yuan for each, that should do, no? How about 500 million yuan and I take all of them?¡±


    ¡°The total price of each of those raw stones is 30 million, Little Brother.¡± The fat middle-aged man smiled bitterly. ¡°Even if I give you a 20% discount, it¡¯s still about 25 million yuan. You¡­ you¡¯re really too ruthless.¡±


    ¡°What if I buy raw jade materials from you in the future? As long as the quality is not worse than these ones, I¡¯ll buy them from you however many you can provide. How about it?¡± Said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    The plump middle-aged man stared blankly for a moment and then asked with an astounded expression, ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m serious.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled. ¡°But you shouldn¡¯t be too ruthless, either. I won¡¯t be able to afford it if you send me billions of jade materials that are worth billions of yuan in a year!¡±


    The plump middle-aged man was excited. Though he felt the following words from Tang Xiu were a bit unreasonable, for a person who could buy jade stones worth 500 million yuan was definitely very rich, more so that he would also buy his jade stones again in the future, so the tens of millions of yuan loss he would suffer would be recovered. After thinking about this, he quickly said, ¡°Deal!¡±


    Long Zhengyu, who had been standing next to Tang Xiu and saw the two men happily struck a deal, suddenly said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you way too extravagant, Tang Xiu? You don¡¯t do jade business, yet you bought 500-million-yuan worth of jade all of sudden. What are you going to use it for?¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s say that I¡¯m going to craft a batch of jadeware whenever I have some spare time later,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Long Zhengyu immediately understood. He knew that Tang Xiu owned Nine Dragons Island with a big castle built on the island, and more manors were likely to be built after the reconstruction. If at that time the utensils on Nine Dragons Island were all made of jade, that would definitely look very elegant and classy. But still, spending so much money on jadeware carvings¡­ Wasn¡¯t this way too extravagant and nothing but burning your own money?


    At this moment, the fat middle-aged man was stunned.


    Tang Xiu? Could it be that he is from the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital¡­ that miracle-working doctor, Tang Xiu?

 Chapter 641

    Chapter 641: Moving Fast Before Anyone Else Has The Chance To Do It


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The plump middle-aged man suddenly realized why he felt that Tang Xiu was familiar when he first saw him. Before he was a 100% sure, however, he asked with a look of anticipation on his face, ¡°There¡¯s a young divine doctor named Tang Xiu in Star City Chinese Medical Hospital to my knowledge, are you¡­ that young miracle-working doctor?¡±


    ¡°I never thought I would be that famous, to think that even you know name.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s me.¡±


    Excited, the fat middle-aged man rubbed his hands and said, ¡°Turns out it¡¯s really you, Divine Doctor Tang! Wow, I¡¯m so lucky. I just came here and struck a huge business deal with you!¡±


    With a playful smile, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Since you feel that lucky, can I have a bigger discount?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The smile on the fat middle-aged man¡¯s face instantly froze. He let out a hollow laugh and awkwardly said, ¡°I¡¯ll pass this time. Next time, yes. I¡¯ll give you a better price when we trade again later.¡±


    ¡°Deal.¡± Tang Xiu nodded with a smile.


    ¡°You won¡¯t gamble anymore since you already bought so many jades, right, Tang Xiu?¡± Asked Long Zhengyu.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± Tang Xiu chuckled. ¡°Why not partake in the fun since the fun thing is there, right? Besides, maybe I¡¯ll get lucky and earn back all that I spent today, no?¡±


    His answer made Long Zhengyu at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh, and then said, ¡°If you have such a good luck, then why do you need to do some business, then? I don¡¯t think you need that since you can become super-rich by gambling on stones every day, no?¡±


    ¡°Anyways, would you like to help load them into the car while I stroll around?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Thinking for a while, Long Zhengyu then nodded and said, ¡°Fine with me. But remember to give me some pieces of jade articles after you carve some jadeware, okay?¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡± Tang Xiu smiled and promised him before pulling Tang Xiaohan with him. With Long Zhengyu staying to help, he wasn¡¯t afraid that the middle-aged man would pull some trick behind his back.


    ¡°Umm?¡± Half an hour later, Tang Xiu saw an acquaintance in a shed, someone who he did not expect to meet here¡­ Miao Wentang.


    Just as he was about to head towards Miao Wentang, however, Tang Xiaohan suddenly stopped his pace and pulled Tang Xiu¡¯s hands with some effort.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Asked Tang Xiu after turning around.


    Tang Xiaohan¡¯s brows were furrowed. He turned his head, pointed to a spot a few meters away and said, ¡°There seems to be something there, Master. It¡¯s like¡­ a thumping heart or something like that.¡±


    What?


    Tang Xiu stared blankly and followed Tang Xiaohan¡¯s finger. His eyes immediately landed on a rectangular two meters high and a meter-wide stone standing on the floor. The cuticle layer of the stone was a bit green. When his vision fell on the price tag on the stone below, however, his expression turned strange. It was written: 12 million yuan.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go there and have a look!¡±


    Pulling Tang Xiaohan to the front of that block of stone, Tang Xiu used his hand to touch it and released his spiritual sense. What shocked him was that he could feel something beating inside the stone. It was as Tang Xiaohan said, it was like the beating of a heart.


    What exactly is this thing?


    For a moment, Tang Xiu hesitated. Then, he instantly released his Primal Chaos Force to seep into the raw stone. After his energy seeped into the interior of the stone, however, he could feel a suction force from the inside. Though it was not strong, his Primal Chaos Force that had seeped into it was still siphoned away.


    ¡°There¡¯s something unusual here!¡±


    With a change in expression, Tang Xiu took his hand back and squatted in front of Tang Xiaohan. There was a complex expression on his face as he asked, ¡°What exactly is it, Xiaohan? Can you elaborate as to how do you know clearly that something is beating inside?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how, either.¡± Tang Xiaohan shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s just a feeling. I can feel that there¡¯s no one there, but something is beating. Its beating rate is probably as fast as my heartbeat.¡±


    Is it a kind of perceptive ability?


    Tang Xiu had never seen a situation such as Tang Xiaohan¡¯s at present. After contemplating for a while, he then called the staff and inquired, ¡°How much is the base price for this raw stone?¡±


    ¡°All the raw stones we have here already have a base price tag on it, Sir.¡± Replied the staff with a smile. ¡°If you want to buy this raw stone, you can have it for 12 million yuan.¡±


    ¡°Let the deal be concluded, then!¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Give me your bank account number, I¡¯ll transfer the money.¡±


    The employee was taken aback as a surprised look immediately covered his face. After nodding in response, he smilingly said, ¡°You really have a keen eye, Sir. Many people have set their eyes on this stone, but none of them made up their mind to buy it. Please follow me, we¡¯ll settle the formalities for the purchase inside.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± A white-haired old man nearby suddenly came over from seven-plus meters away. There was a fiery look in his eyes as he gently caressed an ornamental thumb ring made of Nephrite in his hand.


    Tang Xiu and the staff halted at the same time and looked at the old man.


    The old man narrowed his eyes and smiled lightly as he said, ¡°Little Brother, could you give this raw stone to this old man? You can rest assured that I will not let you suffer a loss. I¡¯ll pay whatever stones you choose in this shed as long as it doesn¡¯t exceed 500 thousand yuan.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need it. I¡¯m not short on money.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    ¡°1 million!¡± Said the old man again.


    ¡°Senior, please don¡¯t think of using the money to make me dizzy.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°I will never give up on something I¡¯ve set my eyes on even if you give me 100 million yuan.¡±


    The old man took a business card from his pocket, handed it over to Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Young man, let me introduce myself. My name is Tian Jingnan, The Vice-Chairman of the China Jade Association. I¡¯m also a jade sculptor. If you are willing to let me have this raw stone, I can introduce you to our country¡¯s Jade Association, and I can also help you to carve an article for free later. How about it?¡±


    ¡°It turns out that you¡¯re Chairman Tian.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°May I ask, is your carving skills really good?¡±


    With a confident expression, Tian Jingnan replied with a self-assured tone, ¡°Though I dare not say that I¡¯m one of the best, there are not many people in China who are more skilled than me. Someone once offered me 5 million yuan, hoping that I could help him sculpt an article, but I refused him. As a matter of fact, I have set my eyes on this raw stone previously. But because I already purchased a lot of raw stones before, the funds I have with me here are not enough, so I called my son to send me more money. I just did not expect that shortly after, Little Brother took a fancy to it as well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I¡¯m sympathetic with you but unable to comply with your request,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Tian Jingnan furrowed his brows. Little did he expect that he would receive such a reply after the narration, and yet this young man was still unwilling to give it to him. This situation made him feel a bit angry. However, as someone who had good self-control, he did not immediately blast it out though he was angry, and instead spoke again, ¡°Little Brother, you can name your condition. I¡¯ll definitely have it done as long as I can accept it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any condition to offer, either.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    Finally, Tian Jingnan was unable to bear it anymore and said, ¡°Young man, you are buying this raw stone with the thought of gambling on it, aren¡¯t you? Then how about I give you 5 million here and now and you give me this rough stone?¡±


    Tang Xiu did not respond to him anymore as he called the staff and walked to the rear.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Chairman Tian?¡±


    Two middle-aged men came over and one of them immediately asked upon seeing Tian Jingnan¡¯s angry expression.


    ¡°I had set my eyes on a piece of raw stone, but someone else unexpectedly beat me to it.¡± Tian Jingnan smiled wryly. ¡°I offered him 5 million to give it up, but he simply ignored me.¡±


    ¡°Who could be so arrogant that he even did not give you face, Chairman Tian?¡± Asked the man, astounded.


    ¡°Nevermind it, sigh,¡± Tian Jingnan sighed with a helpless expression. ¡°Since he doesn¡¯t want to give it to me, then I give up and that¡¯s it. As a matter of fact, I myself am not sure whether there are many jade materials inside that raw stone or not. Maybe its cuticle layer outside is a bit green, but there¡¯s nothing else inside it.¡±


    ¡°True that!¡± The two men nodded simultaneously, showing that they also agreed with him.


    Ten minutes later, Tang Xiu and Tang Xiaohan walked out from the inside. He then saw Tian Jingnan who had not left yet, and secretly forced a smile inwardly. However, since the old man neither did nor spoke anything excessive, he did not have any bad feelings for him either.


    With the help of the staff, several workers in the exhibition hall who were responsible for delivering the raw stones drove the flatbed cart and helped Tang Xiu put the raw stone on it, as Tang Xiu then led them to the shed where he bought the jade materials.


    ¡°Well, you just bought a piece of raw stone block, Divine Doctor Tang? This block of stone looks good and it has green traces on its outer cuticle layers. There should be¡­ jade inside it, shouldn¡¯t it?¡± The fat middle-aged man greeted and commented with a smile after observing the block of raw stone on the flatbed cart.


    ¡°Who knows?!¡± Replied Tang Xiu. ¡°I just thought that it¡¯s very likely that this block of stone would have jade or Nephrite inside, so I just bought it.¡±


    ¡°How much did you spend on it?¡± Asked the fat middle-aged man with a curious expression.


    ¡°12 million,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re really a rich man, Divine Doctor Tang,¡± said the plump middle-aged man while raising his thumb up. ¡°You wasted more than 10 million casually just to bet on this block of stone. That boldness of yours is really admirable!¡±


    ¡°I just play at random, though, and I won¡¯t buy too much.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°Anyways, I still need to trouble you, Old Brother, to help me deliver this thing to my place.¡±


    ¡°Got it, no problem,¡± said the middle-aged man with a smile.


    Suddenly, a shout came from outside the shed:


    ¡°RISE! RISE THE BET!¡±


    Immediately, the guests inside the shacks, as well as many people outside rushed toward the source of the voice. One could only gamble on a stone and place a bet before the stone was cut. For the convenience of many buyers, the guests may cut the raw stones after purchasing them and see the results of their gambling methods on the spot.


    Long Zhengyu seemed to be interested and said, ¡°How about having a look at it?¡±


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment, and then nodded and said, ¡°Let¡¯s have look, then! I have seen some guests gambling on it, but none of them caused such a stir.¡±


    The fat middle-aged man hesitated for a short while. He then gave orders to his staff and followed them out, saying, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, do you know how I made my family¡¯s fortune? It was exactly through this gambling on stones. About more than 10 years ago I went to some place in the Southern region and brought 20 thousand yuan with me, but little did I expect that I would accidentally find this gambling on stone event back then, and even joined in the fun. I spent more than 1 thousand yuan to buy blocks of stones, but to my surprise, the gains I made back then were thousands of times more. Long story short, it can be said that I got rich overnight back then, with tens of millions of yuan.¡±


    Notes:


    Gambling on stones is the oldest form of gambling in China, and there is an article about gambling on stones if you would like to know more.

 Chapter 642

    Chapter 642: Monstrously Talented Person


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Tang Xiu took time to observe the facial contour of the fat middle-aged man. The man indeed had an inborn facial contour of good fortune from the heavens. Though he may not become some super-rich man, having a net worth of more than a billion wouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    Song Hao! It was the name of this fat middle-aged man, of the Miao ethnicity descent, who came out of the Miao Region to make his livelihood outside the region. He was very intelligent, with quite a vision and out of the ordinary bearing. Through his story, Tang Xiu knew that he became rich overnight more than ten years ago and had a wealth worth tens of millions of yuan.


    The man, however, did not get bewitched by the sudden fall of wealth and even realized the amazing profits offered by the jade market afterward. He began to study everything about jades, constantly consulting the experts on the subject, and kept lingering in the major jade trading market without stopping, and even repeatedly worked in the mine producing jade. After several years accumulating all that knowledge, he gradually found out some doorways and then started to involve himself in the business as a middleman and as a buyer using his silver tongue and the knowledge he had grasped. He then slowly accumulated wealth and eventually amassed more than a billion net worth at present.


    ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, gambling on stones is all about your eyes and vision. Luck only accounts for a minuscule part of it. This line of water is very deep, and you better not rush to bet rashly if you don¡¯t grasp it,¡± said the fat middle-aged man in a whisper.


    ¡°No worries!¡± Tang Xiu chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m not the kind of man who got jealous and envious for the others¡¯ wealth. My main purpose in coming to this exhibition center is to buy jades, to begin with. I won¡¯t waste too much money since I already bought some from you here. Of course, I¡¯m going to play and buy it if I got a good hunch and the price is not that high, though.¡±


    Song Hao was well aware that Tang Xiu was not short on money. He was, after all, the celebrated young Divine Doctor who could make a lot of money by relying on his superb medical expertise. Who never had a headache nowadays? More so that those super-rich people would probably be willing to spend a huge sum of money just to seek his medical treatment if they had some incurable diseases.


    After a short while, the group then came to the place where two sheds were separated, along with streams of people. Not only the shed had a massive number of raw stones but also had a stone cutter. Hundreds of people gathered nearby, and their eyes were now staring at the stone-cutting expert in blue overalls. Precisely speaking, their eyes were focused at the football-sized stone that was being carried by the stone-cutting expert.


    ¡°Young man, you bought this stone for a total of 2,000 yuan. Now that you have it cut and there happens to be green inside, it shows that you have won. How about you give me this stone for 2 million yuan?¡± A well-dressed middle-aged man next to the stone-cutting expert looked at the young man in front and spoke out his offer.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pay 3 million! (5 million!)¡±


    Two voices sounded nearly at the same time just as the well-dressed middle-aged man¡¯s voice faded away. The one who bid 5 million was a young man whose looks were ordinary but exuded the aura of an upper person. He looked like around 26-27 of age, and he was accompanied by two people¡ªa young man and a young woman.


    The owner of the stone, the excited young man, looked so happy and immediately said as though he was afraid that the bidder would take back his words, ¡°5 million it is. Transfer the money to me now, and I¡¯ll sell you this stone.¡±


    The young man who offered 5 million yuan nodded with satisfaction. He nodded to the young woman beside him and the 5 million yuan were quickly transferred to the bank account given by the owner of the stone.


    ¡°Do you want to polish this stone?¡± Asked the stone-cutting expert.


    ¡°Polish it,¡± said the young man who bought the stone without hesitation.


    The stone-cutting expert nodded without a word and carefully polished the stone in his hand. Along with his movements, the green color on the stone became more and more vivid, and after several minutes, a palm-sized green color on the stone presented itself before everyone¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    A voice suddenly sounded amid the crowd as Tian Jingnan, accompanied by two men, quickly squeezed forward. His eyes fell on the young man and smilingly said, ¡°Young man, how about selling this stone to me? Since you¡¯ve spent 5 million, I¡¯m willing to buy it for 10 million yuan.¡±


    ¡°I apologize, but I¡¯m not short on money,¡± said the young man with a smile.


    Tian Jingnan¡¯s breath stagnated. After hesitating for a moment, he offered again, ¡°20 million. If you¡¯re willing to sell this stone to me, I¡¯ll pay you 20 million yuan.¡±


    A smile outlined on the corner of the young man¡¯s mouth, yet he still shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m only interested in gambling on the stones. It doesn¡¯t matter to me whether I¡¯ll earn or lose big since what I really enjoy is the process of cutting the stones and polishing them. Master, please continue!¡±


    With a helpless expression, Tian Jingnan shook his head. He felt like that he was really out of luck this year. The stone he set his eyes on previously had somebody beat him to it, and now that he found that this raw stone probably contained jade of good quality, the other party was unwilling to sell it yet again.


    Amid the crowd, Tang Xiu stood without speaking. He had secretly covered the stone with his perception and secretly lamented on the luck possessed by that young man. That jade material contained jadeite inside, and it was also the type of Emperor Green Jadeite. Its value would be at least nine digits once it was taken out.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile while pulling Long Zhengyu around.


    Long Zhengyu hesitated. He wryly smiled after realizing that Song Hao also followed Tang Xiu. He shot a deep gaze at the young man who bought the jade material first and then chased after Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Why did you rush to pull me back, Tang Xiu?¡± Asked Long Zhengyu. ¡°We hadn¡¯t finished watching that good play.¡±


    ¡°Gloating over someone else¡¯s misfortune when they lost in their gamble shows that we are nothing but pricks with ill character. In case we beat them in the gamble, it will just add more to their jealousy and envy toward us. Either way is not a good thing¡ªa troublesome thing, I should say. So why bother?¡± Said Tang Xiu with a light smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re a paradox, mate!¡± Long Zhengyu was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh upon hearing this and then said, ¡°Nevermind. You don¡¯t want to watch, then we¡¯ll not watch! Anyways, do you still want to play? If you don¡¯t, let¡¯s just take the time to send these jades back.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s call it a day.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and lightly smiled.


    A few hours later, after the container truck sent all the jades and stones to South Gate Town and unloaded them in the courtyard, Tang Xiu transferred the money to Song Hao and sent him away.


    ¡°What are you planning to do next, Tang Xiu?¡± Asked Long Zhengyu who looked somewhat bored.


    ¡°Rest at home and let Xiaohan get used to with the situation at home before going to the exhibition center again in the afternoon,¡± replied Tang Xiu.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to the exhibition center again?¡± Asked Long Zhengyu, surprised.


    ¡°I got nothing to do, so I might as well go there to have some fun again.¡± Tang Xiu shrugged his shoulders. ¡°What about you? What¡¯s your plan for today?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going home first!¡± Long Zhengyu said. ¡°Besides, I must go to Nine Dragons Island a couple days later, so I need to tend to some things here in Star City before I leave. That¡¯s right. If you run into that young man who bought that stone today, you must be on guard against him. That guy¡­ has a high knowledge like some kind of demon.¡±


    Tang Xiu dazed for a second and the appearance of the young man who gave off the vibe of upper-class nobility appeared inside his head. He then asked immediately, ¡°Who exactly is he?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s Chu Yuan, the heir apparent of the Imperial Garden from Shanghai, the owner of the Imperial Effulgent Group, and the founder of the Imperial Wherewithal Ventures,¡± answered Long Zhengyu.


    Tang Xiu slightly furrowed his brows. The name ¡°Imperial Garden¡± was somehow familiar to him. It was like he had heard it somewhere but couldn¡¯t remember where.


    ¡°Is he very resourceful?¡±


    Long Zhengyu was silent for half a minute, as he then faintly said, ¡°He¡¯s far more than resourceful. He¡¯s simply¡­ a devilishly talented man. The wealth he possesses is comparable to any prominent family in the country, and he has armed forces behind his back that can make people¡¯s hair stand erect. His influence is not limited to the business world, even inside the military¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion changed and tempestuous waves rose inside his heart. He was perfectly well aware of the existence of the genuine prominent families in the country such as the Tang and Yao Families. They had a robust heritage and deep roots, along with colossal wealth to boot. The armed forces under these families were also very strong. And yet, that Chu Yuan was comparable to those genuine prominent families, what exactly was his origin?


    While gazing deeply at Long Zhengyu, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Why do I feel like you seem to know him well?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re mistaken. What I know about him is close to negligible.¡± Long Zhengyu shook his head. ¡°Appearances can be deceiving, and the depth of the sea cannot be measured. The Imperial Garden has been in the existence for hundreds of years, even the four major families in the turbulent times of war were deeply affected by it. Even in the anti-Japanese War Resistance period, it was too many to count how many outstanding talented people emerged from the Immortal Garden and turned into the War of Resistance heroes. Although those Imperial Garden¡¯s people all left their positions after the end of the War of Resistance and disappeared from all walks of life, the Imperial Garden was always the Imperial Garden, as it has always been the source of dread and wariness for those in power from generation to generation. What I know about Chu Yuan is not much, but¡­ I know way too much about the Imperial Garden.¡±


    In a flash, Tang Xiu seemed to realize the meaning behind Long Zhengyu¡¯s explanation. He nodded silently and then said, ¡°I see. Go tend to your things, then! Anyways, let¡¯s gather together before you leave for Nine Dragons Island. I should still be here in Star City in the near future.¡±


    After complying, Long Zhengyu then left the car for Tang Xiu. As a matter of fact, what he explained to Tang Xiu was not much, just merely those words. However, not only that had an impact on Tang Xiu but also on himself. He originally did not want to mention this ¡°Chu Yuan¡± name, because Chu Yuan was actually his goal, a target and an objective he had been striving towards all his life.


    In the villa courtyard.


    Gu Yin, whose face was curious, observed the tranquil Tang Xiaohan who silently stood at the side. She wanted to speak with him but was worried that Tang Xiaohan was someone who was not easy to get along with.


    Finally, Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes fell on Tang Xiaohan after Long Zhengyu left. He turned and waved to Gu Yin and then smilingly said, ¡°Yinyin, come here, I¡¯ll introduce you to him. His name is Tang Xiaohan. You can call him junior brother or Xiaohan.¡±


    Gu Yin stepped forward. After adorably nodding in response, she reached out her hand to Tang Xiaohan. But when she realized that Tang Xiaohan¡¯s eyes could not see, she immediately grabbed his hand and said, ¡°Hello, junior brother. I¡¯m your senior sister, Gu Yin. I should be older than you, but only a few years older at the most.¡±


    Tang Xiaohan smiled all of sudden and replied, ¡°Hi, senior sister. Are we¡­ are we going to be a family later?¡±


    Gu Yin looked up to see Tang Xiu. Seeing that the latter slightly nodded to her, she immediately said with a smile, ¡°We are going to be a family later, junior brother. Acknowledging Master for a day means that he¡¯s a father for life. We are all Master¡¯s children.¡±


    ¡°A Master for a day is a father for life.¡±


    Inwardly, Tang Xiaohan recited this sentence silently for a few dozen times. Only then did he firmly nod and said, ¡°I¡¯m very happy. I have family members, more so, I have two now.¡±


    ¡°What you said is incorrect, junior brother,¡± said Gu Yin with a smile. ¡°There are not only two family members. You¡¯ll have a lot of family members in the future.¡±

 Chapter 643

    Chapter 643: Jade Beauty


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Seeing the two children getting along well made Tang Xiu feel very satisfied. After leaving Tang Xiaohan to Mu Qingping¡¯s care, he stored a large number of jades and stones into his interspatial ring in front of Mu Qingping and Gu Yin without trying to conceal anything, and then went alone to the study room on the second floor.


    Imperial Garden! This entity seemed to be a very mysterious yet extremely low-key existence. In today¡¯s society, the bigger the industries, the harder and more difficult it was to keep their secrets concealed. If the Imperial Garden did have many talented people, it was truly an amazing and powerful feat in and of itself.


    To obtain more understanding about the situation with the Imperial Garden, Tang Xiu dialed Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s number. And what surprised him was that, although she knew some facts in regards to the Imperial Garden, yet what she knew was not that much either. However, she informed him about something that made him pay great attention to, that was: The Imperial Garden was a power represented the Taiyi or The Ultimate Unity¡ªone among the Three Arts in China.


    After surfing the internet searching for information about it, Tang Xiu learned about these Three Arts in detail: Taiyi (Ultimate Unity), Qimen (Strange Doors), and Liu Ren (Divination Lineage). These three formed the ¡®The Three Arts¡¯¡ªwhich were the three great schools of prediction¡ªdivination arts of the ancient Chinese people. The Ultimate Unity emphasized on the Heavenly Elements to conjecture the affairs of the state and its politics; The Strange Doors emphasized on the Earthly Elements to measure collective affairs of the society; whereas the Divination Lineage emphasized on the Humanly Elements to divine the human affairs.


    The Occult Sect, who represented The Strange Doors to measure collective affairs in society, had the fame that was spread far and wide, but the fearful Imperial Garden, who represented The Ultimate Unity to conjecture the affairs of the nation and its politics, did not have such a visible resounding fame at all.


    After a long period of time, Tang Xiu shut down the laptop. There was a pensive and ruminating look on his face, yet there was wariness inside him toward the Imperial Garden. It was because The Strange Doors had many powers that represented it, whereas The Ultimate Unity only had this one. In other words, the Imperial Garden was likely able to arm wrestle all the powers representing the Strange Doors. With hundreds of years of history, and even longer, the foundation and heritage of this entity were probably very deep, reaching the point that it was very terrifying at present.


    Unless they offend me, then I won¡¯t attack them. But they must be ready to accept my counter strike if they do. The Imperial Garden may be formidable, but I don¡¯t fear them. If the Imperial Garden people choose to coexist in peace with me, then I won¡¯t deny them either. But if they dare to provoke me, no matter how powerful they are, I¡¯ll make them bleed and fracture their bones, for they are coming for a lesson written in blood.


    Tang Xiu lit up a cigarette and took a few deep puffs. He then looked at the time and found that it was already noon. After finishing the cigarette, he headed to the dining room on the first floor. Since his parents had yet to come back, he had a lunch first and instructed Mu Qingping to take care of Xiaohan before leaving the villa.


    Gambling on stones! It was an activity he was no stranger to. He once used his skills and earned quite a lot from gambling previously, and now that he ran into such an opportunity to make a fortune, it was a chance he did not want to miss. At 1 PM, he returned to the Star City Convention and Exhibition Center. The number of people in the venue now was only half than in the morning because it was lunchtime.


    Tang Xiu circled around the sheds inside once. He was quite satisfied since he finally found hundreds of good quality stones after touching it personally and using his spiritual sense to examine them. Among them were more than a dozen jade materials and jadeites that were of top quality.


    ¡°Your business seems to be not too lively here, Boss?¡±


    After entering the shed in great strides, Tang Xiu observed the inside of this several hundred square meters shed. Other than two stone-cutter machines, there were two white-haired old men inside, and he immediately spoke to them with a smile.


    One of the old man wearing reading glasses was holding a cup of hot tea and casually waved at him. He replied with a lazy tone, ¡°We just had lunch, so it¡¯s naturally not lively here. Anyhow, are you here to have the stones cut, Little Brother?¡±


    ¡°Having stones cut is a sure thing, but the number of stones I¡¯m going to purchase will be quite a lot, though,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°So, I have the intention to rent this shed this afternoon for that purpose. Two Seniors, please quote your price.¡±


    Another old man in a Chinese tunic suit and with a walking stick next to him waved his hand and smilingly said, ¡°You¡¯re mistaken, young man. I¡¯m not a cutting-stone expert. I¡¯m just his old friend coming to visit Star City, so I came here to have lunch with him. Old Huang, this Little Brother wants to rent your shed, what do you say about it?¡±


    The old man with the reading glasses smilingly said, ¡°What¡¯s your name, Little Brother?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Old Huang, you should¡¯ve heard that well-known young miracle-working doctor, right?¡± Asked the old man in Chinese tunic suit. ¡°It¡¯s exactly one of my purposes in coming here. To have a chat with you about this young divine doctor of the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, to see if you¡¯re willing to find an opportunity to invite that young doctor to treat that leg of yours!¡±


    The old man with reading glasses looked surprised. He stood up to observe Tang Xiu a few times and curiously asked, ¡°I have heard about the name of that young divine doctor, too. But I would never have thought that this Little Brother is actually him.¡±


    Tang Xiu slightly squinted his eyes. He examined the old man¡¯s legs and found that his left leg obviously had hidden injuries. His left leg was much lower, and he would definitely be slightly lame when he walked. After a moment¡¯s contemplation, Tang Xiu said, ¡°May I ask your name, Senior?¡±


    The old man wearing reading glasses smiled and said, ¡°You can call me Master Huang.¡±


    ¡°Can you show me your left leg?¡± Tang Xiu nodded and asked.


    Master Huang¡¯s eyes lit up and immediately nodded. After a few minutes of examination, Tang Xiu found that Master Huang¡¯s left leg had its curved joint injured internally due to multiple bones¡¯ dislocations and even bone fractures. After retracting his hands, Tang Xiu spoke to him, ¡°I can treat the internal injuries of your leg joint.¡±


    A happy expression could be seen on Master Huang¡¯s face as he immediately said, ¡°It will trouble you, Divine Doctor Tang, so I¡¯m willing to pay no matter how much it is.¡±


    ¡°Is your leg that important to you? If you feel so, how about renting this shed to me and help me cut the stones?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    Master Huang instantly understood Tang Xiu¡¯s intention and replied without hesitation, ¡°Money is nothing but worldly possessions that are not really connected to us. Divine Doctor Tang, if you really can heal my leg, you can rent this shed and the labor free of charge.¡±


    ¡°Deal!¡± Tang Xiu smiled in response. ¡°Anyways, you can chat here, two Seniors. I¡¯m going to purchase the stones I take fancy in and will deliver them here later.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Said Master Huang quickly.


    At this time, a slim figure walked into the shed from the outside. She wore a white coat and a beige silk scarf. Her shining long black hair was flowing, and the most notable thing about her was her face, as it was covered with a white veil down to her nostrils, hindering people from seeing her true appearance.


    Tang Xiu raised his brows and instantly released his spiritual sense. After which, he could easily see the woman¡¯s appearance. Then he got secretly startled because he found that the woman was very beautiful. Her age was about 25 or 26 years and her beauty was not inferior to that of Kang Xia and Mu Wanying at all.


    Umm? The moment Tang Xiu released his spiritual sense, the woman¡¯s came to a halt all of sudden and there was a confused expression in her black gem-like eyes. Her gaze then fell on Tang Xiu very quickly. As she saw that he seemed to have the intention to leave, she immediately called out, ¡°Please wait, Sir.¡±


    Tang Xiu halted his pace and found that the woman was walking toward him, and then immediately asked, ¡°Is there something you need from me?¡±


    The woman let out a faint smile. A smile that immediately gave Tang Xiu a feeling like he was bathing amid a spring breeze. Then, her beautiful voice sounded, ¡°My name is Xue Yu, Sir, and you can call me Miss Xue, or A¡¯ Yu. May I know your name, Sir?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a tranquil expression.


    Xue Yu nodded gently in response. An unusual glint appeared in her eyes as she inquired, ¡°May I know whether Mr. Tang comprehends the divinatory art of Heavenly Divination? Do you, by chance, understand the Feng Shui profound art?¡±


    Her inquiry secretly made Tang Xiu vigilant inwardly, yet he maintained unfazed on the surface and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, nor do I comprehend it.¡±


    ¡°You have a particular aura, Mr. Tang¡ªa very unusual and special one. I can¡¯t see through your fate nor am I able to see clearly what your soul is,¡± replied Xue Yu with a doubtful expression.


    ¡°What? (What?)¡± Two startled voices resounded. They belonged to Master Huang and the old man in Chinese tunic suit, who exclaimed at the same time.


    Master Huang observed Tang Xiu a few times with an unusual expression, then shifted his vision to Xue Yu, as he frowned and asked, ¡°Was what you said true, that you can¡¯t divine his destiny nor his soul at all?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± Xue Yu seemed to know the Master Huang duo and gently replied with a nod.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Master Huang muttered. ¡°Unless¡­ else you shouldn¡¯t be unable to see him clearly? Could it be¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the possibility indeed,¡± said Xue Yu, nodding with a serious expression.


    Tang Xiu looked at the two people as he shook his head and said, ¡°You two, please don¡¯t make such riddling remarks. Just speak it out freely if you have something to say.¡±


    ¡°Nevermind, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Xue Yu shook her head. ¡°We¡¯re presumptuous for bothering you already, Mr. Tang. Please forgive us.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to purchase some stone materials, Divine Doctor Tang?¡± Master Huang quickly echoed. ¡°It¡¯s best to go early and return earlier.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and then turned around. He could feel the eyes of the three people still staring at him after he left the shed. He realized that he just had inadvertently encountered three special people judging from Xue Yu¡¯s words, and the shock displayed by Master Huang and that old man in a Chinese tunic suit. Those who could see through others¡¯ destiny and fate and being able to observe the existence of others¡¯ souls were definitely people belonging to The Three Arts. But he did not know which one they belonged to.


    Inside the shed.


    Master Huang and the old man in Chinese tunic suit immediately bowed and cupped their fists toward Xue Yu the moment Tang Xiu¡¯s back disappeared outside. Their expression was that of respect as they said, ¡°Your Excellency Jade Beauty, we apologize for not going out to meet you. Please forgive us.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t be over-courteous, two Elders,¡± said Xue Yu softly. ¡°I came here to seek fine quality jades. But I seem to have bumped into a very interesting person here.¡±


    Master Huang and the old man in Chinese tunic exchanged looks and forced smiles, as the former then said, ¡°Jade Beauty, the Garden¡¯s Young Master is also visiting the Exhibition Center, shall we inform him on your behalf about your arrival?¡±


    Xue Yu¡¯s black eyebrows frowned, and then asked, ¡°What¡¯s he doing here?¡±


    ¡°The same as you, looking for fine jades,¡± answered Master Huang.


    ¡°It seems that he also perceived the direction of life on the jades. It¡¯s been two years since the last time I saw him, and it seems his skills have improved a lot. Anyways, I need you to help me cut the stones, Old Huang. So don¡¯t rent your shed to the other guests today.¡±


    Master Huang was taken aback and then immediately said with a wry, helpless expression, ¡°Maybe I can¡¯t fulfill your wish, Jade Beauty. I just agreed to rent it to Divine Doctor Tang, the one who just left.¡±


    ¡°He wants to cut the stones here, too?¡± Asked Xue Yu.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Master Huang nodded.


    Xue Yu pondered for a moment and then asked, ¡°Why do you address him as Divine Doctor Tang? What exactly is the reason? Is he a very skillful Chinese Medical practitioner?¡±


    The old man in Chinese tunic interjected, ¡°Jade Beauty, Tang Xiu is the famous Young Divine Doctor of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. His medical expertise is superb, and many skillful senior practitioners of the Chinese Medical field hold him in high esteem; even the direct disciple of Divine Doctor Gui Jianshou once spoke about it personally that his medical expertise is far inferior to Divine Doctor Tang¡¯s.¡±


    Jade Beauty seemed a bit taken aback. After giving it a thought, she said, ¡°Since he has rented your shed, then I won¡¯t trouble you. But he¡¯s very unusual, and¡­ strange. If there¡¯s no formidable figure obstructing the heaven and concealing his fate, then the issue may lie on he himself. Alright, go tend to your things! I¡¯m going to follow and observe him.¡±

 Chapter 644

    Chapter 644: Gender Equality


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Previously, Tang Xiu had already circled around the sheds inside out and had already memorized the stones he wanted to buy. After further observation, however, he learned that the price of those stones was not subject for bargaining. He could only buy them or go elsewhere if he did not agree with the price. But he could bargain for the jade materials taken out from the raw stones.


    ¡°Hi Boss, I want these two stones.¡±


    After Tang Xiu came to the nearby shed, he pointed to the two stones he had inspected before, and the total price of these two raw stones was 28,000 yuan. After paying it by swiping his bank card, he then looked for a cart driver and put the two stones onto the cart.


    ¡°Mr. Tang.¡± Xue Yu walked in lotus-like steps and leisurely came to Tang Xiu¡¯s front. Her eyes swept through the cart as she lightly smiled and said, ¡°Do you like gambling on stones, Mr. Tang?¡±


    Tang Xiu did not want to have more contact with this woman, because the dozens of jades and stones he had his eyes on contained fine quality jades and jadeites. Furthermore, he had decided to let Master Huang cut the stones, and once those jades and jadeites were revealed, his identity would be the subject of suspicion by this particularly strange woman.


    ¡°I just play at random,¡± replied Tang Xiu in a perfunctory manner.


    ¡°I also want to gamble on the stones, so my visit here to play will be worth it,¡± said Xue Yu with a smile. ¡°Anyways, would you mind if I accompany you in choosing the stones, Mr. Tang?¡±


    Tang Xiu furrowed his brows slightly and pondered for a moment before replying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve already chosen some good stones previously, so I won¡¯t stay in each shed for a long time. If Miss Xue wants to pick stones, please feel free to do so as you will.¡±


    Having said that, he simply did not give Xue Yu a chance to speak and headed straight to the next shed. Annoying troubles could be avoided if he avoided it, more so that he could not let anyone learn about the special method he employed. And naturally, the fewer people who knew it, the better.


    Xue Yu was dumbfounded. She had never encountered a person who spoke to her in such a perfunctory manner, and even so bluntly and flatly refused her request like this. He¡­ he did not even give her a chance to speak at all?


    From her childhood to now, Xue Yu had met many people and experienced many things, but never once had anyone ever rejected her, more so with that repelling attitude.


    He definitely has something strange about him.


    Xue Yu steeled her heart. That intense aura haunted her, so she chased Tang Xiu¡¯s back. Regardless of whether he did not want her to follow him, she wanted to see and comprehend the methods Tang Xiu used to gamble on the stones.


    Tang Xiu, who had entered another shed, was keenly aware that Xue Yu was following him. Though he felt annoyed that this woman was insensible, he could not straightly drive her out since the woman did come to talk to him again. After spending 1.6 million yuan in this shed to buy several stones, Tang Xiu led the cart pusher away.


    As for Xue Yue, she kept maintaining a distance of seven-plus meters away from Tang Xiu. She did not intervene in Tang Xiu¡¯s purchases nor did she talk much. There was a curiosity in her eyes as her vision paced back and forth between Tang Xiu and the stones.


    For nearly an hour, Tang Xiu hired a total of six cart drivers and spent more than 42 million yuan to purchase dozens of stones. The biggest of these stones, however, was priced at 28 million yuan and fully occupied a small cart that could hold a few chunks of stones weighing 200-300 kilograms.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired of following me for nearly an hour already, Miss Xue?¡± Tang Xiu finally stopped and looked at Xue Yu with an annoyed expression.


    As though being unable to see that Tang Xiu was annoyed, Xue Yu smirked and said, ¡°I¡¯m just very curious about you, Mr. Tang. That¡¯s why I want to get to know you more. Besides, the way you chose the stones looks very casual, and I admire that.¡±


    With an indifferent expression, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°Do you think I must feel honored because of what you told me?¡±


    ¡°Well, needless to say, just let me see whether the stones you picked contain jades or jadeites,¡± said Xue Yu, shaking her head.


    Tang Xiu thought for a while and asked, ¡°Will you leave if ask I to leave now?¡±


    ¡°I will leave and go to chat with Master Huang,¡± said Xue Yu with a nod.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get to the point here, shall we? What do you really want?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I really just want to know more about you. I don¡¯t have any other intention,¡± said Xue Yu. ¡°I heard from Master Huang previously that you¡¯re the Young Divine Doctor from Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. For someone so young such as you to achieve such admirable accomplishments in the Chinese Medical field shows that you are an extraordinary person. Perhaps, you¡¯re highly likely the same type of person as I am.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brow stretched out. He faintly smiled and said, ¡°Then I¡¯d like to ask you what type of people you are, and from where you came from?¡±


    For a moment, a hesitating look appeared on Xue Yu¡¯s face. She gently raised her hands and made a series of gestures. Then, she said, ¡°If you can understand these gestures I just showed you, you¡¯ll know who I am and where I come from.¡±


    Tang Xiu stared blankly since he did not know all the hand signals showed by Xue Yu at all. After thinking about it, he eased down his vigilance and said, ¡°Maybe we are not the same type of people you suspect we are since I can¡¯t understand those gestures you showed me. Neither can I guess where you are from. You want to follow me and I can¡¯t drive you away, either. Follow me if you want! But¡­¡±


    There was somewhat disappointed expression in Xue Yu¡¯s eyes, but she still asked after hearing that Tang Xiu permitted her to follow him, ¡°But what?¡±


    ¡°You know, in the society where men and women are equals, don¡¯t you feel ashamed to see these cart drivers working so hard? Take a look at this cart driver, he¡¯s pushing a loaded cart weighing 200-300 kilograms. Isn¡¯t it quite exhausting?¡±


    Xue Yu was utterly dumbfounded and stared at Tang Xiu in disbelief. She opened her mouth but could not even speak out anything since she did not know what to say at all. He¡­ did he want her to help the cart driver to push the cart?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face looked cold. He intentionally showed an impatient expression, waved his hand and said, ¡°Push the cart if you want to follow me, but please do leave otherwise. I still can cut the stones without going to Master Huang, but I don¡¯t want any idlers to follow me around.¡±


    Just as his voice faded away, he turned his head and directly left.


    Dumbfounded and tongue-tied, Xue Yu watched Tang Xiu walk for more than ten meters before coming back to her senses. She shook her head with an expression of being at a loss whether she had to cry or laugh. After watching the cart driver push the cart strenuously, she quickly caught up to him and helped him push the cart.


    At the intersection tens of meters away.


    The ordinary-looking Chu Yuan that gave off a vibe of superior nobility was coming out from another aisle along with two people, a young man, and a woman. Behind them were two carts loaded with stone materials pushed by its two drivers at a moderate pace.


    Umm?


    Chu Yuan¡¯s pace suddenly came to a halt when he saw the cart convoy on the left side. His eyes finally fell on a woman wearing suede mink fur attire and a beige veil, Xue Yu.


    Dumbfounded and baffled!


    Never once in his dreams Chu Yuan ever expected that the famous Jade Beauty¡ªXue Yu would help a cart driver one day, pushing the car under the watchful eyes of many people.


    She¡­ since when did she need to do something by herself?


    ¡°Boss, she¡¯s the Jade Beauty.¡± The young man behind Chu Yuan wore a disbelieving expression and spoke in a toned down voice.


    ¡°I see her, too,¡± said Chu Yuan with a nod.


    At present, Tang Xiu had already spotted Chu Yuan as well as the young man and woman behind him, and two carts being pushed by its drivers. His eyes swept over the two carts and remembered the words Long Zhengyu told him: Chu Yuan, the heir apparent of Shanghai¡¯s Imperial Garden, the owner of Imperial Effulgent, and the founder of Imperial Wherewithal Ventures.


    ¡°Perhaps he and Xue Yu are people of the same path.¡±


    Tang Xiu turned his head to glance Xue Yu, who was helping push the cart behind him. He immediately wore an unfazed look as he continued walking forward. As he brushed past Chu Yuan, his eyes swept over the scarlet jade ornament hanging on Chu Yuan¡¯s waist. It was made of Blood Jade, a very precious fine jade; any piece of ornament made of Blood Jade was a priceless treasure.


    Behind, the Jade Beauty also saw Chu Yuan and her brows raised. She released the cart and stopped her pace in front of Chu Yuan and spoke in a toned down voice, ¡°Paying respect to the Imperial Garden¡¯s Young Master.¡±


    Chu Yuan let out a faint smile. He glanced at the six carts and said, ¡°It¡¯s been two years since the last time we met, right, Jade Beauty? I did not expect that I would meet you here in Star City when I left Shanghai previously. Did you come here to gamble on stones?¡±


    ¡°You misunderstood, Chu Yuan,¡± said Xue Yu. ¡°I didn¡¯t buy these stones, but Mr. Tang in front of me. I¡¯m only helping him.¡±


    Mr. Tang?


    There was a strange expression on Chu Yuan¡¯s face. He followed the direction of Xue Yu¡¯s gaze and narrowed his eyes as he saw Tang Xiu¡¯s back. He then knitted his brows and asked, ¡°Who exactly is this Mr. Tang?¡±


    While pointing to the front, Xue Yu started walking forward again and said, ¡°He has very deep knowledge of medicine, and is also a very interesting man.¡±


    Very interesting man?


    Chu Yuan slightly furrowed his brows, the revelation raising vigilance inside his heart. He liked Xue Yu, and all the people in the Imperial Garden knew his feelings toward her. Although he had never seen Xue Yu¡¯s true appearance, the cold and chilly nature of this woman concealed the gentleness and warmness she had beneath, just like the character possessed by jades.


    He was a proud man and had beaten hundreds of outstanding peers in the Imperial Garden by virtue of his true abilities, eventually becoming the first in line successor of the Imperial Garden. He had met too many women to count, but only Xue Yu could attract him. Now that he saw her unexpectedly interested in another young man, it made him wary of him.


    ¡°Would you mind introducing us?¡±


    Though it was a seemingly casual inquiry, Chu Yuan¡¯s eyes were completely fixated on Xue Yu. He believed that ¡°the eyes were the window of the soul¡± and he wanted to see more information in her eyes.


    Xue Yu hesitated for a moment before replying, ¡°Mr. Tang has a¡­ strange disposition. If I were to take you to see him rashly, I¡¯m afraid that he will be annoyed and repel us. As a matter of fact, I must thicken my face to barely be able to follow him because that¡­ he said that he doesn¡¯t like any idlers following him around, so I can only help by pushing the cart.¡±


    Chu Yuan¡¯s eyes squinted, and the revelation piqued his interest toward this Mr. Tang. For an ordinary young man seeing Xue Yu, even if they couldn¡¯t see her appearance clearly, yet her body¡¯s figure, bearing, and beautiful eyes would make them salivate. And yet, this Mr. Tang¡­ seemed to play hard to get? Did he really not have any interest in Xue Yu at all?


    ¡°Then, where are you heading now?¡± Asked Chu Yuang.


    ¡°To Master Huang¡¯s place. He has rented his shed,¡± answered Xue Yu.

 Chapter 645

    Chapter 645: A Game of Gambling


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    As Tang Xiu strode into the shed, he saw Master Huang and the old man in Chinese tunic suit sitting on the couch and having a chat. He let out a smile and said, ¡°Master Huang, I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll have to trouble you today since I bought a lot of stones. I wonder if you can have them all done this afternoon?


    Master Huang directly got up and looked at the six carts that came in behind Tang Xiu. He forced a smile and said, ¡°Unless I work overtime it can¡¯t be done.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Just do your best,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°We¡¯ll continue tomorrow if you can¡¯t finish it.¡±


    Master Huang replied and then greeted the six cart pushers, telling them to move the stones to the nearby stone cutter machine. Just as the stones were being moved, his expression changed into a respectful one as he quickly welcomed Chu Yuan and Xue Yu who came inside.


    ¡°Paying respect to the Imperial Garden¡¯s Young Master. (Paying respect to the Imperial Garden¡¯s Young Master.)¡±


    The old man in Chinese tunic suit also greeted with a respectful expression.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t be over-courteous, two Garden Elders.¡± Chu Yuan lightly smiled. ¡°I just happened to meet Jade Beauty and then learned that Mr. Tang has rented Senior Huang¡¯s shed, so I followed them. By the way, I¡¯m very pleased to meet you, Mr. Tang.¡±


    ¡°Very pleased to meet you too, Mr. Chu,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly.


    ¡°Does Mr. Tang already know me?¡± Asked Chu Yuan, looking startled.


    ¡°The heir apparent of Shanghai¡¯s Imperial Garden; the owner of Imperial Effulgent Group, and the founder of the Imperial Wherewithal Venture. If I don¡¯t know such a celebrated and influential person like you, then I¡¯m an ignorant man with very limited knowledge and scanty information, no?¡±


    The vigilance inside Chu Yuan¡¯s heart increased several points after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s answer. The other party knew that much details about him but he did not know anything about the other. Such a feeling was very bad to have. Though he did not like this feeling, by virtue of his extremely high intelligence, he could still reply while maintaining his composure, ¡°Mr. Tang is kidding me. By the way, may I know what field Mr. Tang engages in?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just a student,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    While pointing to the stones unloaded from the carts, Chu Yuan let out a slight smile and said, ¡°For a student to be able to afford so many stones, such a student would be very rare, no?¡±


    ¡°Please do not beat around the bush if you want to inquire about my identity, Mr. Chu,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°You can directly ask me if you really want to know my identity since I¡¯m so stupid that I don¡¯t feel like using my own brain.¡±


    Chu Yuan raised his brows and said, ¡°Since Mr. Tang is a straightforward person, then I¡¯ll go straight to the point. I¡¯m very curious about you, so I want to know Mr. Tang¡¯s background. Perhaps, we can become very good friends in the future.¡±


    ¡°Whether we can be friends or not, I don¡¯t know about that. But your arrival here affected my purpose in coming here. This Jade Beauty who helped me push the carts became lazy since she needed to speak with you. Due to that, shouldn¡¯t you compensate me for that given your wealth and identity, Mr. Chu?¡±


    ¡°What exactly is the compensation Mr. Tang requests of me?¡± Asked Chu Yuan with a faint smile.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m someone who¡¯s easy to be pleased,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Chu Yuan pondered for a moment before turning around and pointing to the two carts behind him, saying, ¡°Since Mr. Tang likes to gamble on stones, how about I make it up to you with stones, Mr. Tang?¡±


    After saying that, he did not wait for Tang Xiu to reply and directly spread his hand and said, ¡°Please.¡±


    Tang Xiu was just joking when he asked for compensation. Little did he think that Chu Yuan would take it seriously. He could even see from his face that he was not joking at all since his eyes looked especially serious.


    ¡°Seeing how serious Mr. Chu is, it¡¯s better to accept deferentially than to decline courteously, no?¡± After saying that, Tang Xiu went straight to the first cart and released his spiritual sense. His fingers touched the seven or eight stones on top. After a short while, there was an unusual glint in his eyes as he picked up a fist-sized stone and threw it into the pile of stones belonging to him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you, Master Huang,¡± said Tang Xu.


    Master Huang quickly glanced at Chu Yuan and nodded with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll do it now.¡±


    ¡°Please wait a bit, Elder Huang.¡± Chu Yuan raised his hand. ¡°Mr. Tang, since we are fated to meet here today and also have a common interest, how about we have a game of bets now?¡±


    ¡°What kind of bet, exactly?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°You have picked up a lot of stone materials, so did I. How about taking three pieces and handing them to Master Huang to be cut? Whoever has the higher value of what comes out of the stone will win, how about it?¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but chuckle and said, ¡°Do you really want to gamble?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± said Chu Yuan straightforwardly. ¡°Also, I think we should have some profits at stake in our gambling, too.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you¡¯ll decide the stake, then,¡± replied Tang Xiu without hesitation.


    After glancing at Xue Yu, Chu Yuan said with a smile, ¡°Alright, whoever wins will get the opportunity to invite Jade Beauty to a dinner. Jade Beauty, would you be willing to give face to the two of us?¡±


    There was a strange expression in Xue Yu¡¯s eyes as her vision went back and forth between them. Though it never crossed her mind that Chu Yuan would propose such a stake, she was well aware what his intention was, as he was only trying to win the opportunity to have dinner with her, and at the same time, won a crossing-sword game against Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It will be my pleasure.¡±


    Despite having mediocre emotional intelligence, Tang Xiu was immediately able to tell what Chu Yuan¡¯s real intention was with his extremely high IQ, so he nodded and said, ¡°Alright, I agree.¡±


    Without speaking more, Chu Yuan walked towards his cart. He ordered the cart pusher to unload the stones, and after observing for two minutes, he picked out three stones.


    ¡°I¡¯ll use these three pieces of stone,¡± said Chu Yuan.


    ¡°I have a lot of stones here,¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod. ¡°Master Huang, you can take three pieces at random.¡±


    Master Huang stared blankly, while Chu Yuan frowned.


    Taking three pieces at random? What did he mean by this? Was he looking down on him or was he that confident with all the stones he personally picked?


    Chu Yuan saw Master Huang was looking at him with an inquiring look about his consent and immediately nodded to him.


    After glancing at the stone pile, Master Huang then picked up three pieces of stone of nearly the same size as those selected by Chu Yuan. Then he turned to Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, how about these three pieces?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s OK!¡± Said Tang with an indifferent smile.


    Chu Yuan¡¯s expression suddenly moved. ¡°Divine Doctor Tang¡± kept sounding in his mind. He instantly took out his mobile phone to read some information on it. His expression immediately turned more cautious after reading it. He suddenly felt a tinge of regret inwardly because he finally knew the identity of who Tang Xiu really was:


    The Young Divine Doctor of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital; the Big Boss behind the Magnificent Tang Corporation; the offspring of the Tang Family from Beijing who had just been found half a year ago, as well as the most outstanding junior of the Tang Family. Being an expert who is proficient in the arts of music, paintings, and an unrivaled genius talent of many ages in the medical world. He has a very low-key disposition and yet had his reputation rise due to many incidents on many occasions¡­


    Tang Xiu himself did not know that Chu Yuan had already found out information about him within this extremely short time. He looked at Master Huang who seemed hesitant and said with a smile, ¡°Master Huang, please cut the stones belonging to Mr. Chu first! This gambling is his idea, and I also want to see his foresight too.¡±


    Master Huang nodded in response.


    His stone-cutting technique was remarkable, as the first stone was quickly cut and revealed the jade material inside. After having it polished, he took out a thumb-sized jade material, and at the same time, also took a dozen seed material jades the size of a fingernail.


    ¡°Not bad!¡± Praised Tang Xiu, who stood at the side.


    Xue Yu, who stood on the other side, did not seem surprised since she knew that Chu Yuan had the essence knowledge on jades and stones and was unusually good on stone gambling. When Chu Yuan first left the Imperial Garden, the first windfall of wealth he earned was exactly through gambling on stones.


    Master Huang put down the jades taken out and continued cutting the second chunk of stone material. Sadly, though a green hue was seen inside the stone after it was cut, it was nothing but bits and pieces of stars, and its total value was not even close to the money spent to buy this stone material.


    The third one.


    When Master Huang cut the edge of the stone material, a wide and deep green color of jadeite was clearly visible. After he finished cutting it and wiped it clean, a fist-sized jadeite was then thoroughly taken out.


    ¡°The total value of this jadeite is at least 50 million yuan.¡±


    Not only was Master Huang well-skilled in cutting stones, but he was also knowledgeable in judging the value of jades and jadeites. He couldn¡¯t help but exclaim after putting it on the tray.


    There was a light smile on Chu Yuan¡¯s face after hearing Master Huang¡¯s remark since the result was to his satisfaction. Of the three chunks of stone material he picked up, only the second one was a bit unsatisfactory, whereas the other two were up to the gamble. If they were to be sold, these jade and jadeite extracted from the stone materials would be worth 60 to 70 million yuan.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it Mr. Tang¡¯s turn to have his stones cut, Elder Huang?¡±


    The expression in Master Huang¡¯s eyes was a bit complicated. He looked at Tang Xiu, who looked unperturbed, and inquired, ¡°Should I begin now, Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°Go right ahead!¡± Replied Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Master Huang nodded and carefully looked at the chunk of football-sized stone material a few times before starting to cut it. After a few minutes, nearly half of the stone was cut and revealed a milky white colored jade.


    ¡°Mutton Fat Jade?¡±


    Master Huang was taken aback and skillfully wiped it. After having finished with the cutting, he finally took out two pieces of nut-sized Mutton Fat Jade as well as dozens of seed jade materials.


    At this time, there was a surprised expression on Xue Yu¡¯s face. Her eyes observed Tang Xiu¡¯s unperturbed face, as she suddenly had some unusual feelings growing inside her heart. She faintly felt that today¡¯s gambling would be a bit funny and interesting.


    The expression on Chu Yuan¡¯s face did not change, but he secretly had a wry smile inside. He did not expect that Tang Xiu¡¯s luck would be that good to have Mutton Fat Jade taken out from his first chunk of stone. Although the value was not as good as the ones he obtained, it was only the first one, there were still two stone materials that had yet to be cut!


    ¡°Carry on!¡± Spoke Tang Xiu with a faint smile.


    Master Huang nodded and picked up the second chunk of stone and started to cut it.


    ¡°It¡¯s red?¡± As Master Huang¡¯s knife went down, he saw faint red traces from the stone. When he began to clean it and started to cut around it, the bright scarlet jade material was exposed to everyone.


    ¡°It¡¯s Blood Jade, the best quality Blood Jade!¡± Master Huang¡¯s voice was trembling a bit. One must know that Blood Jade was very precious, and the best quality Blood Jade was a rare, treasured object that even if one had money it was difficult to buy. For instance, the jade ornament carved from Blood Jade hanging on Chu Yuan¡¯s waist, its value was excessively high.


    With a surprised expression, Xue Yu looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s tranquil expression. She had never thought that the second chunk of stone materials bought by Tang Xiu turned out to contain Blood Jade, and more so that it was a Blood Jade of the best quality.


    Something feels strange!


    While looking at Tang Xiu¡¯s tranquil expression, there was a strange tide of mental sensation inside her heart. She knew that Tang Xiu had won even though the third stone material was uncut. Just merely this Blood Jade had outweighed the total value of the jade and jadeite obtained by Chu Yuan.

 Chapter 646

    Chapter 646: Going Out for Wool and Going Home Shorn


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    In contrast to Xue Yu¡¯s shock and disbelief, Chu Yuan¡¯s expression was somewhat unnatural. He originally thought that victory was already at hand. Of which, first, it would prove that he had the ability to suppress Tang Xiu, and second, the dinner he invited Xue Yu to attend to would happen as expected. He was even thinking of taking her to dinner in the presidential suite of the Long¡¯s Dining Hall.


    His smug, wishful thinking at this moment, however, came to nothing. The hen had flown away and the eggs in the coop were all broken. All was lost, and so was his chance to invite Xue Yu to dinner¡ªall of which made him vexed and angry.


    Compared to him, Master Huang was a bit excited. For him, in the capacity of a stone-cutting expert, being able to take out the best quality jade such as this Blood Jade was definitely an honor. Nevertheless, he was also well aware of the outcome of this gambling between Chu Yuan and Tang Xiu, which resulted in Chu Yuan¡¯s loss.


    However, he still had his own principle although being someone from the Imperial Garden. After taking out the Blood Jade, he took it and placed it on the tray, and then picked up the third chunk of stone material again.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to cut it, Elder Huang. I¡¯ve lost already.¡±


    Despite feeling vexed, Chu Yuan still displayed a frank and upright attitude. He nodded to Tang Xiu and then spoke to Master Huang.


    ¡°There¡¯s no rush, Mr. Chu,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°I still must cut this stone even though we don¡¯t have a game of bet. Please continue, Master Huang.¡±


    Hesitating for a moment, Master Huang still complied with Tang Xiu¡¯s words. He spent two minutes cutting the stone with the stone-cutter machine as a green hue was then exposed to everyone present.


    ¡°This¡­ this stone also has jade inside?¡±


    Master Huang was shocked, and so was everyone around him as they wore disbelieving expressions. They knew that Tang Xiu¡¯s three chunks of stone were all taken from the pile of stone materials at random by Master Huang. How come each of them contained jade materials?


    Was it because Tang Xiu was lucky? Or was it that he was sure that these chunks of stone really had jade materials within?


    The jade contained in the third chunk may not as good as the first and second, but it was still worth several million yuan should it be sold.


    ¡°I was careless.¡±


    Rarely did Chu Yuan lose due to his cautious personality. He usually knew what he and his opponent could offer whenever he did something, and thus had the confidence that victory would be in his hand. The outcome of this gamble snapped him back to the realization that he was psychologically disturbed. He was aware that he wouldn¡¯t have rashly proposed a gamble against Tang Xiu if Jade Beauty was not there.


    After taking a deep breath, Chu Yuan slightly smiled and said, ¡°Mr. Tang is indeed worthy as the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation and the most outstanding member of the Tang Family. Your ability in stone gambling is truly deep and reaches the point of being superb. I¡¯m really convinced. This Chu Yuan admits his loss.¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with an odd expression painted his face, ¡°You too have some good means, Mr. Chu. I did not expect that you have already found my identity so clearly with such a slight effort.¡±


    ¡°As a matter of fact, I¡¯ve already learned about you long ago, Mr. Tang. It¡¯s just that we just met and I couldn¡¯t recall about you for a while,¡± said Chu Yuan with a light smile. ¡°If anything, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m conceited or being smug, but there are not many people who can win me under the sky nowadays, so you do have that qualification, Mr. Tang.¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his brows and did not want to continue talking with Chu Yuan about such wasteful words. What he needed now was to cut all the stoned he had purchased. Since the other party had already learned his identity, he did not want to conceal it anymore. And now that he had already won, he might as well add some more awesome things to give a clear message to this Imperial Garden¡¯s heir apparent, that he was not someone who was easy to provoke.


    ¡°Please continue cutting the stones, Senior Huang!¡±


    The eyes of Master Huang were filled with a somewhat strange expression as he looked at Tang Xiu. But still, he started cutting the fourth stone material with the help of the old man in Chinese tunic suit.


    ¡°There¡¯s jade material!¡±


    ¡°This one, too!¡±


    ¡°How is this possible?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Master Huang continued cutting stones and took out the piece of jade of the stone. After two hours, a large number of jades and jadeites were taken out from more than a dozen chunks of stone.


    At this time, Chu Yuan was shaken as he could hardly believe his eyes. It was because each chunk of stone bought by Tang Xiu contained jades or jadeites. This fact shattered his cognition and knowledge of stone gambling. Other than him, the young man and woman behind him were shocked to the point that it was hard to be surprised again at this time. Never once had they ever encountered such a demonically queer scene.


    A radiant light flashed in Xue Yu¡¯s beautiful eyes, as her eyes lingered on the stone chunks, jades, jadeites, and Tang Xiu. She was at the scene when Tang Xiu purchased these chunks of stone and witnessed him directly choosing these stone materials at that time and the deal he made with the owner and employees in those sheds.


    It was so devilishly queer and strange!


    Xue Yu found that she could not see through Tang Xiu at all. Not mentioning other aspects, just the stone gambling he had displayed was too terrifying and supernatural!


    Eventually, when Master Huang was done cutting the twentieth chunk of stone, Xue Yu couldn¡¯t help but stare at Tang Xiu and ask, ¡°How exactly did you do it, Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiu knew why she asked as he replied, ¡°I don¡¯t get what you mean.¡±


    ¡°Even if your luck is good, it¡¯s impossible to bet with 100% accuracy like that,¡± said Xue Yu. ¡°Jade materials are wrapped inside the stone, and however deep the knowledge and insight a normal person has, there¡¯s no way they can bet with 100% accuracy like you. I think you should have the means to detect which stone chunk contain jade materials within.¡±


    As Xue Yu spoke, Tang Xiu realized that everyone¡¯s eyes were focused on him. He immediately grinned and smilingly said, ¡°If I tell you my eyes have an X-ray ability to see through things, would you believe?¡±


    Seeing through objects?


    ¡°How could it be possible?¡± Xue Yu shook her head.


    ¡°Since it¡¯s impossible, then why did you ask in the first place?¡± Tang Xiu slightly smiled. ¡°Everyone has their own secrets, and so do you and Mr. Chu. I do have a bit of talent in stone gambling, so what is the fuss about?¡±


    Xue Yu was silent for a few seconds, and then suddenly asked, ¡°Can you really see through objects?¡±


    ¡°I myself am not sure whether I can do that, though,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°I can, however, see that you are very beautiful. You¡¯re definitely a beauty who is hard to pick. But of course, you will look more attractive if you can smile more.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Xue Yu¡¯s delicate body shivered, along with a gasp of astonishment. What Tang Xiu said was as though a thunderclap in her ears that blasted through her heart.


    There was never a soul who had seen her appearance aside from her parents before, and she had been wearing a veil on her face all the time for as long as she could remember. According to the prophecies of her family, every woman in the family whose face was seen by a man would have her heart and life trajectory be seen beyond the fa?ade. And eventually, she would also become the woman of that man.


    This idea had been ingrained and deeply rooted inside her heart, and it made Xue Yu, who came out of the Miao Region¡¯s mountains, shocked and frightened by Tang Xiu¡¯s words.


    At this moment, other than the stunned and frightened Xue Yu, Chu Yuan, who had a crush on Xue Yu, was also startled. He knew who the ancestors of Xue Yu¡¯s family belonged to. Many times did he think he would be the first man to uncover her veil and become her only man.


    But¡­ if Tang Xiu really had seen Xue Yu¡¯s true appearance, then¡­. it meant that he would never be able to get her even if he had the ability to overturn the heavens.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t joke about that, Mr. Tang.¡± Chu Yuan¡¯s expression turned extremely solemn, and each and every word he spoke was spoken seriously. There was even a trace of hostility in his eyes.


    Tang Xiu was utterly startled as he looked at the shocked Xue Yu and Chu Yuan¡¯s serious and hostile expression. A ridiculous thought suddenly emerged in his mind as he asked with an expression of being at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh, ¡°You couldn¡¯t have some weird custom in your family, right, Miss Xue? Like¡­ the man who first see your face shall take and marry you as his wife?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Xue Yue¡¯s mind was in disorder. Her voice was also trembling a bit.


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes and snappily said, ¡°What age are we in now? And yet you still retain such unreasonable custom? Just forget about it. I was just saying some nonsensical things. There¡¯s no need to take it seriously. Furthermore, I have to advise you that feelings between a man and woman are not children¡¯s play, and you must never treat marriage as a joke. You people¡­ you had better abolish that nonsensical and unreasonable custom of yours earlier!¡±


    Having said that, he did not want to continue paying attention to Xue Yu and Chu Yuan anymore. He turned to Master Huang and straightly said, ¡°Please hurry and cut the stones! I don¡¯t have much time. The faster you take out the jade materials from the stones, the earlier I can go home and eat.¡±


    Xue Yu stared fixedly at Tang Xiu. After a few minutes of silence, she spoke, ¡°Mr. Tang, since you have won the gambling house from Chu Yuan, you should have dinner with me tonight according to the bet.¡±


    Tang Xiu casually waved his hand and said, ¡°As a matter of fact, the stake put forward by Mr. Chu was for the sake of you, I can tell. Even if we do have dinner together, I still don¡¯t have time for that since I must go home early to take care of my kids!¡±


    Kids at home?


    Xue Yu frowned and asked, ¡°Are you married and already have children, Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    ¡°Then what do you mean by saying that you have kids at home?¡± Asked Xue Yu once again.


    ¡°It¡¯s my disciples. They are still small,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    A struggling expression could be seen in Xue Yu¡¯s eyes. After a long time, she slowly said, ¡°In any case, I have nothing to do today. Since Mr. Tang has kids at home, then I¡¯ll go with you! However, I don¡¯t know if Mr. Tang would be willing to take me and have a light meal at your place.¡±


    ¡°Jade Beauty!¡± Chu Yuan¡¯s face was a bit unsightly as he shouted in a heavy tone.


    Xue Yu turned her head to look at him and lightly said, ¡°Imperial Garden Young Master, don¡¯t tell me the gambling between you and Mr. Tang was nothing but a joke you made?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Never did Chu Yuan regret something so much. He did not want to go back on his words, but neither did he want to have the woman he liked go to another man¡¯s house for a meal.


    ¡°Boss, it¡¯s just a meal, nothing more,¡± suddenly said the young woman behind him whispered.


    Chu Yuan¡¯s body shivered, and cold sweat immediately came out of his back. He realized that he had just been affected by his feelings between men and women. He had even birthed a few evil intentions towards Tang Xiu inside.


    Heart-fire Cleansing Mantra.


    Chu Yuan silently meditated in his heart and no longer spoke. He even refused to look at Xue Yu and Tang Xiu again. With his identity and ability, what he feared the most was the love affairs between men and women. If he drowned himself into it, the Heart Gate he had opened with great difficulty would highly likely be closed right away, and his twenty years of effort would be wasted, turning him into an ordinary person.

 Chapter 647

    Chapter 647: Fruitful Harvest


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Standing at the side, Tang Xiu could keenly hear the words of reminder from Chu Yuan¡¯s man. As he looked at Chu Yuan, he could feel a faint fluctuation of energy in his body. The energy fluctuation was not spiritual, for as it did not have any spiritual qi that entered the body. Instead, it was similar to the mental and physical meditation of the Buddhist school of cultivation.


    The people from the Ultimate Unity lineage are indeed better than those from the Strange Doors lineage! Tang Xiu lamented inwardly. He then turned his head and found that Xue Yu was still looking at him without blinking. A headache suddenly struck him. He truly regretted what he just inadvertently said. It was never in his intention to provoke a woman, especially a woman who looked flawless.


    In his view, Xue Yu¡¯s family was paranoid. They rigidly adhered to outmoded ideas, defending the outdated customs of their ancestors, and simply making fun of the well-being of their future generations.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it would be inconvenient.¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s mind revolved faster and finally hardened his heart to flatly refuse her.


    Xue Yu deeply gazed at Tang Xiu and suddenly said with a smile, ¡°Then let us forget it since you feel it¡¯s inconvenient. If anything, I¡¯ll be staying in Star City until Mr. Tang has the time to realize today¡¯s bet.¡±


    ¡°Are you some kind of a dog skin plaster or something?¡± Asked Tang Xiu snappily.


    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Xue Yu shook her head. ¡°But I¡¯m a person who attaches importance to promises, I always do and always will. Mr. Tang doesn¡¯t have time to have dinner with me today, so I¡¯ll be waiting for you to have dinner with me one day, and will always be waiting until you have time to have dinner with me for all my lifetime.¡±


    Ugh¡­ The more Tang Xiu listened to Xue Yu, the more he felt the taste was quite unsuited. Had one not known the whole story of this incident, wouldn¡¯t¡¯ they easily misunderstand it after hearing Xue Yu¡¯s words? After giving it some thought, Tang Xiu looked at Chu Yuan, whose eyes were closed, and suddenly asked, ¡°Mr. Chu, do you have some time tomorrow night? How about I invite you to drink in the most upscale presidential suite in the Long¡¯s Dining Hall?¡±


    Chu Yuan opened his eyes, and his previously chaotic mood had calmed down. He seemed to finally realize Tang Xiu¡¯s intention after hearing his words and suddenly felt that he really was somewhat petty and narrow-minded a while ago. Tang Xiu¡¯s meaning was very evident. He did not have any interest in Jade Beauty whatsoever.


    ¡°I do have some time.¡± Chu Yuan smiled slightly while restraining the invisible superior aura within him.


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and smilingly said, ¡°Alright, then for us to have a dinner is no longer an issue, Miss Xue. But it¡¯s not like we have agreed that we can¡¯t invite other people to dine together, right? Alright, I¡¯ll be waiting for you at the anteroom of the Long¡¯s Dining Hall tomorrow night.¡±


    The time flew by in the afternoon. After Master Huang spent quite the effort and concentration, he finally finished cutting all the stone chunks and removed the jade materials from the inside. Under the light, his face was pale as he wiped beads of sweat off it as he looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°The task has fortunately been accomplished, Mr. Tang. All the stone chunks have all been cut, and all the jades and jadeites are here.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to send these things back home first. Please give me the address where you are staying, I¡¯ll look for you after tending to some things I need to deal with. Don¡¯t worry! This Tang Xiu always keeps his promises. I¡¯ve given you my word to heal your leg, and I definitely won¡¯t take it back.¡±


    With a grateful expression, Master Huang said, ¡°Thank you, Divine Doctor Tang¡­¡±


    After Tang Xiu learned the hotel where Master Huang was staying, he took away all the jades and jadeites removed from the stone chunks, and then bade farewell to Chu Yuan and Xue Yu before he left.


    Inside the shed.


    After looking at Tang Xiu¡¯s back as he left, Chu Yuan¡¯s eyes then fell on Xue Yu and calmly asked, ¡°Do you believe that he has seen your face?¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t believe it.¡± Xue Yu shook her head. After saying that, she hesitated for a while and then spoke again, ¡°But I¡¯d rather believe it than not, for I can¡¯t break the customs of the Xue Family if he really has seen my face.¡±


    Chu Yuan secretly forced a smile and said, ¡°I found that Tang Xiu¡¯s identity is very suspicious. I did read about him, and though I know that he¡¯s the secret Big Boss behind the Magnificent Tang Corporation and also a member of the Tang Family from Beijing, I always felt that he must have another identity as well.¡±


    ¡°You mean, he¡¯s the same type of people as us?¡± Asked Xue Yu, doubtful.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Chu Yuan nodded. ¡°How can we explain his harvest from stone gambling today otherwise? Each and every stone chunk contained jade or jadeite of very good quality. I have guesstimated his income today, too. If those jades and jadeites he got were to be sold, he can get billions of yuan.¡±


    ¡°So much?¡± Xue Yu was taken aback.


    At the side, Master Huang interjected, ¡°It¡¯s definitely that much, I¡¯m sure. Just that Blood Jade can be sold for a sky-high price. I don¡¯t have much wealth in possession, but if he is willing to sell that to me for 1 billion, I¡¯ll buy it without any hesitation.¡±


    ¡°Let alone 1 billion yuan, I¡¯m still willing to buy it even if the price rises several times. The Imperial Garden has been in existence for hundreds of years, but even though generation after generation has amassed Blood Jades, what we have obtained all these years is still so little.¡±


    Xue Yu fell into silence. She still remembered the first moment she met Tang Xiu. The feeling like she was spied on through her heart made her shudder and feel cold all over her body.


    Suddenly, Master Huang asked, ¡°Are you all thinking that he could be someone from the Occult Sect?¡±


    ¡°Are there people surnamed Tang in the Occult Sect, by chance?¡± Asked Chu Yuan back.


    ¡°No.¡± Master Huang shook his head. ¡°But for one to enter discipleship in the Occult Sect, he only needs to study the Occult Sect¡¯s techniques from its Elders, so he can be counted as Occult Sect¡¯s people, no?¡±


    Chu Yuan slightly leaned his face to the side and spoke to the young man beside him, ¡°Send someone to investigate him. I must find out what¡¯s his identity no matter what.¡±


    ¡°I advise you not to make this decision, Chu Yuan.¡± Suddenly, Xue Yu interjected. ¡°He¡­ has something nefarious about him. Only a few people in this world can make me dread and shudder, but something in him gives me a terrified feeling. There¡¯s something about him you probably haven¡¯t learned about. I can¡¯t predict his fate, and neither can I see through his soul.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Chu Yuan suddenly exclaimed and gasped. He had some knowledge of Xue Yu¡¯s special ability. She was able to divine an ordinary person¡¯s life and soul unless they were from The Three Arts lineages.


    This Tang Xiu¡­


    ¡°Do I still need to send someone to investigate him, Boss?¡± Asked the young man in a whisper.


    Chu Yuan was silent for a moment before he forced a smile and said, ¡°Since Jade Beauty has said that, do not investigate him. It will be harmful if we were to investigate him since we don¡¯t know the details about him at all as of yet. So, we must not have a fallout with him for the time being.¡±


    ****


    After leaving the exhibition center, Tang Xiu went to a secluded place to store all the jades and jadeites into his interspatial ring. It was already 8 PM when he arrived home. He saw that his parents were accompanying Tang Xiaohan and Gu Yin and chatted with them. After greeting them, he then quickly walked upstairs to the second floor.


    He got a lot of jade materials today and would start crafting a batch of jade bottles and jade boxes if there were no important matters he needed to tend to. Certainly, it was also necessary to craft a batch of array discs to be used to arrange a Feng Shui array.


    The reconstruction of Nine Dragons Island was estimated to be finished next year. At that time, he would arrange a massive array on the entire Nine Dragons Island, which would need a massive number of array discs. Despite having gotten these jades today, the number was still far from enough.


    After taking a shower and changing his clothes, he came back downstairs. Su Lingyun, who just walked out of the kitchen, saw Tang Xiu and said with a smile, ¡°Son, the meal has just been reheated. Let¡¯s eat first.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Mom!¡± Tang Xiu faintly smiled and followed Su Lingyun to the dining room.


    ¡°Where did you go this afternoon, Xiu¡¯er?¡± Asked Su Lingyun curiously. ¡°Chen Zhizhong came to our house today, and since you were not here, he left something he brought before leaving.¡±


    Tang Xiu stared blankly. He did not know for what reason Chen Zhizhong paid him a visit. If he had something and needed to see him, couldn¡¯t he just call him directly? After pondering about it, he took his mobile phone out and dialed Chen Zhizhong¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°Master!¡± Chen Zhizhong¡¯s voice was transmitted from the mobile phone.


    ¡°I heard you came to my house in the afternoon. Do you have something to talk to me?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I just obtained a Millennium Wild Ginseng this morning, Master. I intended to deliver it to you personally, but you weren¡¯t home,¡± said Chen Zhizhong. ¡°Also, there¡¯s something I need to say to you. Thank you so much for what Master did in the capital¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright. I know what you mean.¡± Tang Xiu interrupted him and smilingly said, ¡°Your son is my grand disciple, and his matters are naturally my business. Anyways, leave out these superficial things towards me in the future, understood? By the way, I wanna ask you something. How much do you know about Jade?¡±


    Chen Zhizhong let out a hollow laugh and then said, ¡°I know a little about it, Master. You too know that for people like me who has a little bit of money likes to get some good quality jade, so I once studied about a bit on jades and precious stones from an expert in the past. That¡¯s right, do you need some jades, by chance, Master? I have a few good quality Mutton Fat Jades and Nephrites in my home.¡±


    ¡°Just keep those few articles first! It will be useful to you in the future,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°What I really want to ask you is, do you have any interest in setting up a jade business?¡±


    ¡°Setting up a jade business?¡± Asked Chen Zhizhong in a baffled tone. ¡°What¡¯s the plan you have in mind, Master?¡±


    ¡°I need jades; a lot of them,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°The higher the quality of the jade, the more I need them. If you are willing to manage a jade business, you don¡¯t need to worry about the fund issue as I can invest a sum of money for you to use. Thus, getting jades later would be much easier.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more than willing, but I¡¯m lacking the capital to carry it out, Master,¡± said Chen Zhizhong wryly. ¡°Besides, all my floating capital is currently being used to maintain the Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical¡¯s business, whereas the rest of my funds are invested in the New City project, so¡­¡±


    ¡°I can give you 5 billion yuan for the starting fund,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Chen Zhizhong was silent for a few seconds and then said seriously, ¡°Then I¡¯m willing to try it, Master.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°Since you¡¯re willing to try, I will transfer the money to your bank account tomorrow. Do remember, I won¡¯t ask you how much money you must earn as long as you can get a massive number of precious jades. Also, there¡¯s one more thing I need to tell you. Someone who¡¯s in charge of your Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical¡¯s business in Blue City is kind of problematic. Thus, maybe you have similar problems in other cities, too. You should check it yourself.¡±¡®


    ¡°What have you found, Master?¡± Chen Zhizhong was secretly startled.


    ¡°Some people are selling precious medicinal herbs behind your back,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Chen Zhizhong¡¯s expression greatly changed as he replied in a heavy tone, ¡°I see. I¡¯ll investigate this immediately and handle it well, Master.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tang Xiu replied and then directly hung up.

 Chapter 648

    Chapter 648: Getting Into Action!


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    After the dinner, Tang Xiu did not hurry to the hotel Master Huang was staying but drove to a small hotel in the Old River Street district. Mo Awu, leading ten experts from the Everlasting Feast Hall, was staying in this small hotel.


    ¡°It¡¯s been laborious on you, Awu.¡±


    After seeing him, Tang Xiu found that the originally stocky and burly man was now like a majestic iron tower, with a chiseled facial expression and smiling face, and yet had the bearing of a master.


    Excitement sparkled inside Mo Awu¡¯s eyes after seeing Tang Xiu once again, as he then replied with a respectful expression, ¡°Being able to work with you is an honor for me, Boss. This is not laborious at all.¡±


    ¡°You all will stay here tonight. I¡¯ll find a house as the base for you to stay tomorrow,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°You¡¯ll be accomplishing some things for me later, while the rest will stay in the base, waiting for my commands to move at any time.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Mo Awu and the experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall respectfully replied.


    Tang Xiu did not stay there for long. After leaving with Mo Awu he headed to the hotel where Master Huang was staying. What he did not expect was that other than Master Huang, Xue Yu and Chu Yuan were also there.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, I have asked around and found that you are acclaimed as the Young Divine Doctor. I also learned that you¡¯re going to treat Elder Huang¡¯s leg tonight, so we came here to see your superb medical expertise. You wouldn¡¯t mind, would you?¡± Said Chu Yuan with a smile.


    As an old adage said, a sane person doesn¡¯t hit someone who is smiling at him. Though Tang Xiu was quite annoyed with these two people who acted like dog skin plaster, he did not want to have a fallout with them for no reason either. Without being salty nor casual toward them, he took out the box of silver needles he always carried with him and said, ¡°You two can give a hand since you have come here, then. Boil some water. The higher the temperature the better, and bring two clean white towels too.¡±


    Chu Yuan was somewhat helpless. He had an honorable and respectable identity, yet he was being ordered by Tang Xiu like some kind of servant. He quickly glanced at Xue Yu and found that she looked indifferent, thus he immediately forced a smile and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do it now.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded at him in response and then gestured for Master Huang to take a seat. After rolling up his trouser leg, he used his fingers to press and rub the area around his thigh joint and the three acupuncture points on his left leg, the Xiyangguan point, Yinlingguan point, and Dubi point. At the same time, he also released a trace of Primal Chaos Force through his finger to seep into the surrounding acupoints.


    ¡°It was quite painful for you, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Tang Xiu looked up and asked lightly.


    ¡°Yeah! Whenever it rains on cloudy days, my knee hurts so badly,¡± said Master Huang with a bitter smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about the rainy season, but the cause of why your knee was injured,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°There are several wound scars on your leg and cutting marks on your leg muscle, though the tendons weren¡¯t injured. Did someone torture you in an interrogation in the past?¡±


    Master Huang¡¯s expression stagnated and looked incredulous as he replied, ¡°You can tell that I was once tortured from the scars on my leg?¡±


    ¡°You have scars on your neck and on the eyebrows on your forehead. So I guessed that you should have a lot of scars on your upper body too,¡± said Tang Xiu with a faint smile.


    Upon hearing it, Master Huang¡¯s expression eased down. He forced a smile and said, ¡°Some people indeed used corporal tortures for punishment due to my crime in the past. It was nothing but a trivial mistake, but my life was hanging by a thread back then. Fortunately¡­ my companion arrived on time, else all the muscles and tendons on these four limbs of mine would have been cut off by them.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and did not utter any words.


    At the door.


    Just as Chu Yuan stepped out of the door, his face slightly changed and fixated his eyes on Mo Awu, who was standing guard outside the room. A chilling sensation suddenly ran down his spine, and he stepped back in an instant to make some distance from Mo Awu.


    The life and environment he had gone through since childhood had made him extremely sensitive to danger. He felt a deep threat from Mo Awu as if he was a savage beast lying in dormant at the side and had his eyes set on him.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± After being silent for a few seconds, Chu Yuan stared at Mo Awu and asked with a vigilant expression.


    ¡°Tang Xiu is my Boss,¡± replied Mo Awu with an indifferent expression.


    Chu Yuan furrowed his brows slightly. Although he had secretly guessed it, hearing it from Mo Awu still made him shocked inwardly. He himself was a martial arts expert, and eight to ten ordinary tough guys were not his match at all. What¡¯s more, he also possessed unusual techniques that could steamroll three to five martial arts grandmasters easily once he used them.


    He could sense, however, that Mo Awu¡¯s skills were absolutely not the likes of those so-called martial arts grandmasters. If this man did not have unusual techniques, then he had probably gone beyond that of the martial path and had reached a higher level.


    ¡°Tang Xiu truly has great luck,¡± muttered Chu Yuan slowly as he turned around and left quickly.


    As Chu Yuan came back with hot water and two clean white towels, Tang Xiu stopped massaging the leg. He took out his silver needles and pierced them into Master Huang¡¯s left leg. Following that, he then took out a scalpel from his pocket, disinfected it with alcohol cotton he brought for this occasion, and directly cut Master Huang¡¯s knee muscle.


    ¡°Huh? It doesn¡¯t hurt?¡± Master Huang was shocked. Little did he expect that Tang Xiu would use a scalpel. Even if he did use it, he had never expected that Tang Xiu did not use any anesthetics on him at all. He thought that it would be very painful when the scalpel cut his muscles, but he did not feel any pain at all.


    ¡°I sealed your nerves with the silver needles. You won¡¯t feel any pain even if I cut your leg from your knee now,¡± explained Tang Xiu.


    Master Huang instantly understood and looked at Tang Xiu reverentially.


    The muscle cut by Tang Xiu was not big but was very deep. Master Huang could feel that the tip of the scalpel reached the bones. After Tang Xiu finished with all the treatment, he took out a small porcelain vase containing Body Refining Liquid and poured a drop, and then took out a needle to stitch the wounds.


    ¡°Pour the hot water into the basin and soak your knee by kneeling down for two minutes,¡± said Tang Xiu directly to Master Huang after suturing the wound.


    There was a hesitant expression on Master Huang¡¯s face when he looked at the high-temperature hot water with curling hot steam upward. He asked, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, my wound was just stitched. Soaking the wound into the hot water now, will it¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it won¡¯t.¡± Tang Xiu interrupted him.


    After hearing it, Master Huang could only force a smile and kneel one of his knees into the hot water. There was no pain sensation at all, and he even could feel a cooling sensation in his thigh joint. His eyes stared wide as a shocked expression could be seen in them. After the cooling sensation then came intense itchiness, followed by warmth thereafter. The three kinds of sensations took turns alternately and gradually merged into a particular sensation.


    Ring ring ring¡­


    At this time, a ringtone sounded.


    Tang Xiu took his mobile phone out. After seeing that the number displayed on the screen belonged to Kang Xia, he accepted the call and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about Manager He, who¡¯s in charge of supervising the Scar Removal Cream product. He was resting at his home half an hour ago when some people suddenly came to visit him. These people used both coercion and bribes to get the Scar Removal Cream formula. There were two of them, a male and a female. The former was a middle-aged man, while the female was a very young woman.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed and he asked in a deep tone, ¡°Where are these two people now?¡±


    ¡°They are staying in a very ordinary residential building in the Old River Street district,¡± said Kang Xia. ¡°Manager He secretly called me after he welcomed these two people at the door of his house, so I can overhear the contents of their conversation. I already sent some people to the Old River Street district and our people are currently keeping an eye on them.¡±


    ¡°Do the other party only have these two people?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°There are a total of six people. The male and female who came to Manager He¡¯s house, two men downstairs of the residential building, and two more outside the complex of Manager He¡¯s residence,¡± answered Kang Xia. ¡°They are now in the residential building in the Old River Street District.¡±


    ¡°Text me the detailed address,¡± said Tang Xiu in a deep voice. ¡°I¡¯ll send some people to catch up immediately. I¡¯ll also be there shortly.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Kang Xia replied and hung up the phone.


    After receiving a short message from Kang Xia, Tang Xiu immediately called Mo Awu in the outside and said, ¡°Remember this address and inform our men to get there at once. Do remember, no one among them is to leave that place. Also, some of our people are currently there, so don¡¯t get into a conflict with them.¡±


    ¡°Roger that!¡± Mo Awu replied and acted accordingly as commanded.


    Tang Xiu gestured for Master Huang to move his knee out from the hot water and told him to sit down on the sofa. He pulled the silver needles from his left leg and said, ¡°Anyways, there¡¯s an urgent matter and I need to leave. The treatment is done and for tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, you need to soak your knee like this for two or three times in these two days. The temperature of the water is best at 60-70 degrees Celsius. Don¡¯t use your leg for heavy activities for these few days. Your internal injury will be completely cured several days after.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep it in mind.¡± Master Huang nodded.


    Tang Xiu then looked at Chu Yuan and Xue Yu and then said, ¡°I won¡¯t be able to accompany you both. Remember, I¡¯ll be waiting for you at the anteroom of the Long¡¯s Dining Hall tomorrow evening.¡±


    He immediately left with Mo Awu after saying that.


    Inside the room.


    Chu Yuan raised his hand to touch his chin. There was a bright glint flashing in his eyes as he slowly said, ¡°It seems that he¡¯s getting into action tonight judging from what he said. Not only that, he seems to have a lot of men, too.¡±


    Xue Yu looked pensive and also commented, ¡°Shall we go and have a look? The show must be quite good, and perhaps we¡¯ll know more about Tang Xiu.¡±


    ¡°Forget it!¡± Chu Yuan shook his head with a forced smile. ¡°Though we did have a bit of ability, it¡¯s difficult to guarantee we won¡¯t be discovered by Tang Xiu¡¯s men. You know, that guy with him gave me a sensation like he¡¯s a kind of savage Jurassic beast that is oppressing me awfully.¡±


    Xue Yu nodded in response without speaking.


    In fact, she also had the same sensation since Mo Awu entered the room. She even secretly observed Mo Awu and found that his fate trajectory was also particularly unusual, and deducting it was enormously difficult. She was still able to divine Mo Awu¡¯s fortune for the next six months and was absolutely sure that the man would encounter great luck for half a year head. However, she could not see his soul clearly.


    That¡¯s right, it¡¯s out of my sight, but I can still feel it. It¡¯s very¡­ strong.


    Chu Yuan walked to the windows and stood quietly there for a few minutes, watching Tang Xiu and Mo Awu rush to board a car and then left at a very fast speed. He then immediately turned around and said with a smile, ¡°I really became interested in Tang Xiu. I can tell that life won¡¯t be so boring and lonely in the future.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s very mysterious. And I¡¯m very interested in him, too,¡± said Xue Yu.


    After hearing her words, the smile on Chu Yuan¡¯s face instantly froze. For a woman to be interested in a man, she would eventually¡­

 Chapter 649

    Chapter 649: Overwhelming Force


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The residential building in the Old River Street district of Star City was still undeveloped and was not yet opened for inhabitants, and the transportation network had already extended from all directions with numerous alleys and lanes. It was easy for one to lose direction in the lanes and alleys there if they were not familiar with the place.


    Bardeen Lane.


    Outside the tenement door number 01966, two young men were squatting by the door while chatting, but their sharp eyes swept the side street from time to time. They carefully observed the street under the dim lights whenever someone passed by.


    ¡°Old Yang, I kinda feel like¡­ something bad is about to happen.¡± One of the young men suddenly spoke in a low voice.


    The young man called Old Yang had his expression change slightly. He vigilantly looked around and said, ¡°Hey, don¡¯t scare me like that. The last time we were in Guangyang province to take care of those dead bodies in the river bank, you had this kind of feeling too, and it turned out that the cops were rushing there. You were able to run away by jumping into the river, but Black Mole was shot dead on the spot. Everyone in our team says that you have a keen intuition, you know.¡±


    ¡°I really didn¡¯t mean to scare you. This kind of premonition is kinda similar to what I felt back then in Guangyang Province.¡± The other young man smiled wryly.


    Old Yang frowned and pondered about it. He threw the cigarette butt in front of his feet and said, ¡°You keep watching here. I¡¯ll go inside to talk with Brother Cheng. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll leave this place at once if he believes it.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Heizi nodded without speaking more.


    Inside the six-story tenement two kilometers away from them, Kang Xia was holding binoculars and observing that number 01966 tenement. Beside her were stood, two bodyguards. One of them also held binoculars and said, ¡°Chief Kang, there should be eight people inside that building. Apart from those six who came to Manager He¡¯s place, those two people are staying there.¡±


    Kang Xia put down the binoculars as she looked at her watch and asked, ¡°How long does it take for the Boss to get there?¡±


    ¡°Boss has just arrived over there; about a kilometer away from the target¡¯s courtyard. Also, he should have transferred some people from the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s Jingmen Island HQ, since I can see six of our comrades near the vicinity of that courtyard.¡±


    With eyes lit up, Kang Xia immediately said, ¡°Let¡¯s go there immediately!¡±


    The bodyguard held the binoculars as he forced a smile and said, ¡°Chief Kang, I¡¯m afraid my calculation is mistaken. Boss and the others have arrived there. Take a look¡­¡±


    Kang Xia hurriedly lifted her binoculars. After watching through it, she found that there were more than a dozen figures around the courtyard. Some of them were experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall who were staying in Star City. She could not recognize eight of them. However, they looked very skillful and sturdy as they easily climbed the roof from the left, right, and the back of the building.


    ¡°They are about to act,¡± muttered Kang Xia.


    Her guess was correct.


    Tang Xiu issued the order to apprehend those people the moment he arrived at the courtyard entrance. Heizi, who was smoking and on guard by the door, simply did not have the time to pull the gun in his waist as two middle-aged men approached him all of a sudden and put a sharp dagger on his neck.


    Bam¡­


    The door was kicked open and Tang Xiu only glanced at Heizi with indifference as he arrived there and went straight inside. The two men in the courtyard had already been captured by the four experts and had their mouths covered and with sharp daggers also on their necks.


    Inside the building, Chen Cheng was currently listening to Old Yang¡¯s report. He frowned deeply in silence, pondering whether they had to leave. As the sounds from the courtyard door were heard, what he first did was pull the pistol from his waist and bolted toward the windows to look outside with an alarmed expression.


    ¡°Trouble!¡±


    His face instantly turned nasty after seeing the scene outside. Little did he think that he and his team would be found even though they had been careful to conceal their whereabouts. Judging from the scene outside, the other party had probably surrounded the place already.


    ¡°Get ready for combat and risk your life to rush out!¡± Chen Cheng looked at the other four in the room and said with a grim expression.


    The only woman among them, who was smoking, caressed the ring in her left ring finger. Her eyes were cold and looked savage as killing intent burst out from them. Though she was not an assassin, she had committed a lot of murders and even felt that she was much better than many of these assassins.


    ¡°The other party may be people from the Magnificent Tang Corporation. I don¡¯t know the strength of this company¡¯s security forces, but I¡¯m sure only a few of them came here, else it would create quite of a big ruckus outside. Therefore, we¡¯ll fight with everything we have. Kill as many as we can and find a chance to escape,¡± said the woman calmly.


    Chen Cheng furrowed his brows and glanced at her. He then nodded silently and said, ¡°We all have guns, and I don¡¯t think they have many guns even though they have us surrounded. So there¡¯s no need for us to fear them. Wait for my command before shooting them.¡±


    Old Yang had also taken out his gun. Almost everyone in their team brought a gun when they came here. After he went to the door, he slowly pushed it and made an opening, and then pointing his muzzle out.


    ¡°Old Yang, shoot the man who put the dagger on Heizi. Your marksmanship is the best among us, so be sure to kill that guy with one shot!¡± Chen Cheng commanded.


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    A bloodthirst look flashed in Old Yang¡¯s eyes. He aimed his gun at the middle-aged man who held Heizi, silently counted to three and then directly pulled the trigger.


    BANG!


    A gunshot was heard and the bullet shot through the slit of the door towards that man. At the same instant moment, that man¡¯s expression changed and forcefully moved Heizi¡¯s body, causing him to get shot by the bullet instead.


    Tang Xiu was standing at the forefront. After finding that he was not the target of the bullet, he immediately shouted, ¡°MOVE NOW! LEAVE SOME OF THEM ALIVE!¡±


    Crash! Crash!


    The windows on both sides of the room were shattered to pieces as two ghostly figures bolted into the room the moment after. Their movements were so fast that Chen Cheng¡¯s group of five could only see flashing images and feel the guns in their hands seized from them at once. What made their souls almost depart their bodies was that their hands and wrists were fractured instantly at this moment.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move if you don¡¯t wanna die!¡±


    Two men aimed the guns they just robbed from the four people at Chen Cheng. While a man who did not aim his gun at them was now slowly slumped to the floor with his neck twisted.


    Despite the fear he felt inside, Chen Cheng forced himself to keep calm on the surface. He glared at the middle-aged man who just spoke and asked, ¡°Who are you, people? Do you know that breaking into someone¡¯s house is breaking the law?¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± sneered Tang Xiu as he strode into the room. His eyes swept over them before they finally fell on Chen Cheng and said, ¡°Breaking the law, huh? Some villains unexpectedly talk to me about breaking the law? Don¡¯t you think that you¡¯re ridiculous?¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Asked Chen Cheng in a heavy voice.


    Under his gaze, Tang Xiu walked to the chair nearby and sat down. He lit a cigarette and took a puff, blowing out some smoke rings and indifferently said, ¡°You cast your greedy eyes over my stuff, and yet you ask me who I am? Do you have a bad memory or something? Are you some kind of idiot?¡±


    Chen Cheng¡¯s complexion greatly changed. His breathing turned rapid at this moment as he looked at Tang Xiu with an incredulous expression and muttered, ¡°You are Tang Xiu? The Big Boss of Magnificent Tang Corporation?¡±


    ¡°Well, well. Seems like you have a very detailed information about me, no?¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m Tang Xiu, the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s owner, a rich yet down-to-earth man.¡±


    With a face drained of any color, Chen Cheng¡¯s hope of seizing the chance to escape was smashed, since Tang Xiu himself was already here. As an experienced man who had gone through many storms and waves, he naturally knew that it was highly likely that he would meet his demise by the other party here and now.


    ¡°Winners are kings, and losers are always in the wrong. I¡¯ve fallen to your hands. Hack and kill us. I just don¡¯t care. Do what you will.¡± Chen Cheng took a deep breath. He raised his hand to touch his forehead and gave an eye signal to the woman.


    Tacitly understanding it, the woman instantly dashed toward Tang Xiu. Mo Awu, who was behind Tang Xiu, instantly moved to Tang Xiu¡¯s front to block her and fiercely kick her abdomen, sending her flying upside down and then spurted out some blood after she fell. The instant moment after, Mo Awu had dashed to Chen Cheng¡¯s front and sent him a heavy punch that straightly knocked him down.


    ¡°Tie them up!¡± Ordered Tang Xiu coldly.


    A dozen minutes later, the two men who were acting as watch guards were also brought, and a total of seven enemies who were still alive had been tied up.


    ¡°Greatly done, Boss!¡± Kang Xia was very happy with the outcome. Though she was perfectly aware of how powerful Tang Xiu¡¯s combat ability was, she was still worried that he would be injured. She felt relieved after seeing that he was safe and sound, and immediately let out a praise.


    Tang Xiu only faintly smiled in response and said, ¡°If my guess is correct, the rest of them should probably be some trivial henchmen except for that man and woman who visited Manager He Dong. Anyways, you should go and wait outside, Kang Xia. I¡¯m going to torture them to extract what I need to know.¡±


    Kang Xia hesitated for a moment before nodding and turned around to leave.


    Right as the door was closed, Tang Xiu ordered Mo Awu to wake Chen Cheng, and then lightly spoke to him, ¡°Since you already investigated my identity, I¡¯m sure you already know that my identity as the Young Divine Doctor of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. As a divine doctor, I can bring back a man from the death¡¯s door and yet let them hang on the bridge toward it. So I¡¯m going to use it to torture you. You must know that I can guarantee to have your life still hanging even though you have been cut by a thousand blades. I can still keep your life for two or three days after that, and you won¡¯t be able to commit suicide even if you want to.¡±


    ¡°I already prepared to die since I dared to come to Star City.¡± Chen Cheng sneered. ¡°I was never afraid of torture. Bring it on if you have the ability. If my brows even furrow then I¡¯m not a man!¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll let you taste the feeling of having a twisted muscle and slipped bones first.¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°Then I¡¯ll make you taste how death is much better than staying alive.¡±


    After saying that, he patted Chen Cheng¡¯s body without stopping with a good control of force. He then stopped more than ten seconds after, stepping back and returning to the chair. On the other side, the woman also sobered up.


    Aaaargh¡­


    A heart-rending scream came out from Chen Cheng¡¯s mouth. The pain brought by twisted muscles and slipped bones was the most painful sensation he had ever suffered in his whole life.


    Tang Xiu looked at the woman and indifferently sneered, ¡°Well, my treat of twisted muscles and slipped bones seems to have a great effect. If you wanna try it, I can use it on you too.¡±

 Chapter 650

    Chapter 650: Moving


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The woman, however, was unperturbed by the threat. She looked at Chen Cheng, who was tied up and rolling about on the floor while screaming out miserably. Half a minute later, she turned her head to look at Tang Xiu and suddenly let out a strange smile.


    ¡°I give in.¡± The woman¡¯s voice was a bit hoarse.


    Tang Xiu frowned and felt that something was wrong. Just before he could figure out the reason, Mo Awu strode forward and firmly pressed the woman¡¯s cheek to open her mouth. A stench smell came out from her mouth and Mo Awu¡¯s face drastically changed. He immediately lifted her and punched her belly while his other turned her upside down.


    Cough¡­


    The woman coughed up blood, and yet the blood she coughed out was blackish dark-red.


    Tang Xiu finally realized that this woman had committed suicide by taking poison. Countless times had he encountered people who hid poisonous drugs inside their teeth back in the past. But he had never thought that this woman would resort to such a method to suicide since he was, after all, someone who had knowledge in Chinese medicine. He quickly examined the woman¡¯s condition, only to discover that the poison she had taken was extremely potent. Furthermore, the time from when she first took it was quite long, and the poison had corroded her internal organs. Unless he was able to get an Immortal Antidote pill, then it would be close to impossible to save her.


    Slash¡­


    A dagger slashed the woman¡¯s neck. Tang Xiu decided to prevent her from the agony of dying from the poison and released her from the suffering directly by giving her a quick death to free her from worldly matters earlier.


    ¡°Get him up again!¡± Said Tang Xiu casually after returning to the chair and glancing at Chen Cheng, whose body was convulsing with blood overflowing from his seven orifices.


    ¡°I WILL SPEAK!¡± With a painfully heart-rending roar, Chen Cheng finally gave in.


    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you giving in too quickly?¡± Tang Xiu slightly smiled. ¡°You know, I still have loads of ruthless means compared to this trifling one, or else how come you would withstand for a few hours then? Don¡¯t worry, I can definitely double the pain you gotta endure under the premise of protecting you from dying.¡±


    ¡°OKAY, I WILL SPEAK!¡±


    Chen Cheng¡¯s fear had reached the limit after enduring such an inhuman pain. He had seen numerous kinds of torture, and he himself was skilled in various kinds of torturing tools to extract information from people since he had done it to a lot before. However, he never thought that this method called ¡°twisting muscles and slipping bones¡± would bring so horrifyingly painful a pain to the tortured.


    Tang Xiu nodded as Mo Awu brought Chen Cheng before him. He then relieved him from the pain of having his muscles twisted and bones slipped. While looking at Chen Cheng, who looked like a dead dog lying on the ground, panting and gasping for air, he sneered, ¡°Tell me everything you know, else you will have to taste this feeling that death is much better than being alive for a very long time. I promise that I¡¯ll use whatever means necessary to find your family and extract it to find that guy surnamed Qian if you don¡¯t spit out everything. I have never believed such an idiot saying that one must never involve a third party whenever they solve conflicts, to begin with. You have already annoyed me, thus I¡¯ll make you and your family have the same fate. You all will feel taste that death is much better than being alive!¡±


    It was a full, undisguised threat!


    Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s threat, Chen Cheng¡¯s heart was as though falling into an ice hole, and he found that Tang Xiu at this time was completely not a human, but an Archdevil!


    Two minutes after, his condition was much better, as he raised his head to look at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°What exactly do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°Just tell me everything you know,¡± said Tang Xiu coldly. ¡°You should understand what I mean!¡±


    ¡°The person who wants to get the technology of your Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s product is Qian Xingwang. He¡¯s my Boss and if my guess is correct, you should have obtained the detailed information about him by now. Our plan is very simple. The director of the winery that produces the Gods Nectar doesn¡¯t want to sell the wine recipe to us, so we planned to remove him since we¡¯ve already bought the vice-director of the winery, and thus we attempted to kill him and replace him. Also, striking the man in charge of the winery is a diversionary tactic, to snatch the other products¡¯ technology of your company¡­¡±


    ¡°So, where is Chen Xingwang now?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a cold glint flashed in his eyes after listening to Chen Chen¡¯s confession about all of their plans.


    ¡°He¡¯s in Blue City, in the Seneschal Mansion Garden.¡±


    Tang Xiu turned his head to Mo Awu and said in a deep voice, ¡°Lead a team to seize Chen Xingwang. Do remember. I want him alive!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother. It¡¯s useless.¡± Chen Cheng shook his head. ¡°Chen Xingwang contact us every six hours. And he will move at once if our safety is compromised here. It¡¯s about one and a half an hours before our next contact.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you still alive?¡± Tang Xiu sneered.


    ¡°I am.¡± Chen Cheng bitterly smiled. ¡°But he doesn¡¯t fully trust me. The one he fully trusts is this woman. But she¡¯s dead now, and he will surely realize it in our next contact.¡±


    One and a half hours left?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression slightly changed. He gazed deeply at Chen Cheng and immediately asked, ¡°In the case¡­ I mean, if you receive a call from Chen Xingwang, can you delay him for an hour more?¡±


    Chen Cheng¡¯s face turned blank. He knitted his brows and said, ¡°An hour would be quite difficult. Chen Xingwang is an oversuspicious man in nature, but half an hour wouldn¡¯t be a problem, I think.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Half an hour it is,¡± said Tang Xiu without hesitation.


    After saying that, he dialed his aunt¡ªTang Ming¡¯s cell number and asked, ¡°Auntie, does the army garrison in Star City has a military chopper?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There¡¯s a few of them,¡± replied Tang Min after pondering for a moment.


    ¡°Do you have the privilege to use it by chance? I need to send some people from Star City to Blue City immediately. The time is very urgent since I only have two hours,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Tang Min took a deep breath and then said, ¡°I don¡¯t have the authority for that, but your Third Grandpa should. I¡¯ll call him immediately.¡±


    ¡°Alright, thanks!¡± Replied Tang Xiu.


    Two minutes later, his mobile phone buzzed again, and Tang Guoxing¡¯s voice came from the phone, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, Min told me about your request. I¡¯ll arrange what needs to be done in the Star City military garrison right away, so you can send your men now. I guarantee that the military chopper will be available for you to take off at any time.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Sorry for troubling you, Third Grandpa,¡± replied Tang Xiu before hanging the phone. He then looked at Mo Awu and said in a deep voice, ¡°You¡¯re to take our men to the Star City military garrison immediately, there will be a military chopper waiting for you there. Remember, make sure you rush to the target destination and seize that surnamed Qian guy!¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± Mo Awu replied respectfully and immediately gathered some experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall to leave.


    At this time, Chen Cheng had already sat up. He could clearly hear all the contents of Tang Xiu¡¯s call as well as his conversation with Mo Awu. What he heard raised a tempestuous storm inside his heart since he never thought that Tang Xiu could use the military helicopter from Star City military garrison with a call.


    An hour later, Tang Xiu and Kang Xia appeared in the Long¡¯s Dining Hall. Except for the experts from the Everlasting Feast Hall, the rest of the security forces of the Magnificent Tang Corporation left directly. As for those people under Chen Cheng, all of them had been killed, leaving only Chen Cheng alone, and their corpses were destroyed without leaving any trace.


    Inside the business suite of the Long¡¯s Dining Hall, Tang Xiu folded his arms while standing before the window, watching the bustling scene of the city outside, and yet he did not have the leisure of appreciating the scene at this moment. That man surnamed Qian was like a savage beast hiding in the dark. He was not afraid of this man but was worried to have the information on his company¡¯s products stolen instead. Hence, he must neutralize all the hidden dangers earlier.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll definitely solve them!¡± The thoughts of breaking the law and killing people never crossed Kang Xia¡¯s mind before, but ever since she started working for Tang Xiu and seen how he resorted to murder in many occasions, it had already made her numb to killing, even though she did not kill them with her own hands.


    Tang Xiu nodded without a word. He suddenly remembered something and said, ¡°If I can solve this Qian guy, I intend to take you and Andy to my hometown.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What do you want us to do in your hometown?¡± Asked Kang Xia, puzzled.


    ¡°I found an Earth vein¡¯s Spirit Spring in the stone forest in the back of the mountain of my hometown. If you are to cultivate inside the Spirit Spring, your cultivation will progress rapidly and be promoted by one or two levels. The situation at present leaves us in the open while our enemies are hiding in the dark with their eyes set on us. You and Andy are my people, so I must guarantee your safety. Having bodyguards is nothing but external protection, only if you have more formidable strength will I really feel assured and at ease,¡± explained Tang Xiu.


    Kang Xia felt warm inside and reached out to hold Tang Xiu¡¯s arm, saying, ¡°I see. Since we¡¯re going to your hometown¡­ do I have to prepare some gifts? Isn¡¯t Grandma still living there?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to prepare any gifts.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°I still have some important things to tend to in Star City, so we won¡¯t be visiting the Su Family Village. I¡¯ll directly take you to the forested mountain for cultivation after we get there. After you¡¯ve finished with your cultivation, I intend to go back immediately.¡±


    ¡°How long does it take to cultivate there?¡± asked Kang Xia. ¡°I must arrange some company¡¯s affairs in advance before going.¡±


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment before answering, ¡°About four days!¡±


    ****


    Blue City, Seneschal Mansion Garden.


    Chen Xingwang hung up the phone with a vigilant look in his eyes. Since he sent Chen Cheng and the others out, it was the first time the woman he trusted the most did not answer his call. Chen Cheng said that she was taking a shower, making him somewhat anxious and suspicious because she also knew the time he would call them, and for her to take a shower at this time was truly not her style.


    ¡­ Could it be that something has gone wrong?


    Qian Xingwang pondered for a short while and immediately made a decision. He turned his head to look at the two people behind him and spoke in a deep voice, ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here and find a way to control the people living nearby.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The two middle-aged men replied and left immediately. After a few minutes, one of them came back and reported, ¡°We have the family of three next doors under our control, Boss.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡± Qian Xingwang replied and immediately left the house. After he arrived in the next-door household, he saw that the family of three had all been stunned and tied up. Then he spoke, ¡°Notify our men to keep an eye on all the movements in the vicinity of this tenement. They are to report to me as soon as possible if any stranger approaches.¡±

 Chapter 651

    Chapter 651: Generous Reward


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The cold wind was whistling amidst the dark night.


    Mo Awu led the four experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall as they quietly approached a specific location in the Seneschal Mansion Garden according to Chen Cheng¡¯s confession. The group of five did not enter from the main entrance but circled around to the back of the tenement, and then easily snuck inside from the staircase window.


    ¡°Awu, there are a total of four suspicious targets around this tenement. Shall we neutralize them first or straightly go to the top to catch those people?¡± Asked an expert of the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    As the commander of this action, the other four listened to Mo Awu¡¯s orders, so he thought for a while and said seriously, ¡°We¡¯ll apprehend that guy surnamed Qian first. We can accomplish this mission as long as we get a hold of him, so dealing with the rest won¡¯t pose any risk.¡±


    Soon, the group of five arrived at the stairwell to the floor where Qian Xingwang was staying. After determining the apartment number, Mo Awu signaled a thin middle-aged man who then took out two curved lockpicks and easily opened the lock.


    ¡°Nobody is here?¡± The group of five looked around the room but did not find anyone¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°The tea in the cups is still hot and the smell of smoke has not yet dissipated, so they must have just left. Brother Hei, you¡¯re a tracking expert, do you have some means to track the enemy?¡± Asked Mo Awu in a deep voice.


    The thin middle-aged man pondered for a while and then gave his judgment, ¡°Since they just left and those four suspicious people are still around downstairs, I suspect our target should still be in this tenement. Gimme a couple of minutes, I¡¯ll find them.¡±


    After saying that, he took a plastic bag from his pocket containing yellow powder inside. He came to the door and sprinkled the yellow powder on the floor, then fished a bottle of spray and sprayed it on the powder. Soon after, footprints appeared on top of the powder.


    ¡°Next door?¡± The thin middle-aged man was baffled, yet he immediately stood and gave a signal to Mo Awu.


    ¡°Open the door.¡± Mo Awu quickly issued an order.


    Right as the thin middle-aged man opened the lock with his two lockpicks, Mo Awu instantly opened the door and his figure dashed inside like a lightning bolt.


    ¡°WHO ARE YOU?¡±


    Chen Xingwang, who was always on guard, shouted quickly when the door lock was opened. But Mo Awu¡¯s group of five bolted inside too fast and a sharp dagger was already placed on his neck, giving him no time to pull his pistol.


    Bam, Bam¡­


    The other two men inside the room were directly knocked down and under control.


    Mo Awu pinched Chen Xingwang¡¯s neck and sneered, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Who are you people?¡± Chen Xingwang did not answer but asked back.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know who we are. Just spit out your name,¡± said Mo Awu with a sneer. ¡°Else I don¡¯t mind making you bleed.¡±


    ¡°My name is Chen.¡±


    Chen Xingwang felt like his heart was falling into an ice hole when he replied with a face drained of color. He could tell that he had been sold out by Chen Cheng. The report that man told him in the previous call was a complete lie; the woman he trusted the most must have been killed by the enemy, and Chen Cheng helped the enemy by giving them more time for them to rush here and catch him.


    Mo Awu¡¯s brows pricked up and punched him to make him faint. He took his wallet from his pocket and found his ID card in it, and then directly called Tang Xiu after determining that this man was Chen Xingwang.


    Star City, the Long¡¯s Dining Hall.


    After receiving a call from Mo Awu, a contented smile appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s handsome face. He had spent quite an effort to finally catch Chen Xingwang. He decided to serve this man well. Whoever was the person who wanted to snatch the products¡¯ formulas of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, he must make them regret having such an idea in mind, no matter who the person was.


    ¡°Is he caught?¡± Kang Xia¡¯s eyes immediately lit up after seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s expression.


    Tang Xiu nodded with a smile and then said, ¡°Yeah, we got him. Mo Awu will bring him back soon. And Kang Xia, call Manager He, the supervisor for the Scar Removal Cream! This time, his merit is the biggest.¡±


    Kang Xia nodded with a smile.


    At present, He Chao was waiting in anxiety and restlessness at home. As a manager who supervised the Scar Removal Cream, he had a lot of authority and could be considered as a genuine top executive of the company. He believed that he had made a great fortune for being able to work in the Magnificent Tang Corporation. He was really satisfied, whether it was the salary or the trend in regards to its development in the future. He even estimated his achievement in the future would definitely make numerous people envious and jealous of him as long as he was loyal and dedicated in his work in this company.


    Loyalty! This was the attitude He Chao held toward the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation. After the last incident in the Long¡¯s Dining Hall, he witnessed how his Big Boss did the murder, and personally experienced the solidarity in the company upon facing the enemy. He realized the traits the Big Boss appreciated the most was not how skillful and resourceful the top executives¡¯ ability was, but their loyalty and faithfulness.


    Ring ring ring¡­


    When his phone rang, he immediately pressed the answer button and then respectfully spoke, ¡°Chief Kang.¡±


    ¡°Boss wants to see you. Come to the Long¡¯s Dining Hall at once¡­¡± said Kang Xia


    After the call ended, He Chao rushed to the Long¡¯s Dining Hall as fast as he could while turning anxious inside. He did not know what the outcome would be, but he was sure that the Boss wanted to see him not to make things difficult for him since he chose to be loyal to the company and Tang Xiu.


    Half an hour later, he arrived at the Long¡¯s Dining Hall and was led by Kang Xia to the business suite where Tang Xiu was. He then looked at Tang Xiu, who was currently standing by the window facing outside, and cautiously called out, ¡°Were you looking for me, Boss?¡±


    Tang Xiu turned around and looked at him with a serious expression. It made He Chao a bit restless, but then, the seriousness on Tang Xiu¡¯s face turned into a bright smiling face as he amiably greeted him, ¡°Manager He, I apologize for making you come here late in the night in a rush and disturb your rest. Please have a seat. Kang Xia, please make a pot of tea.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Kang Xia smiled and turned around.


    Seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s change in attitude, He Chao felt flattered. He never expected that the Big Boss would even want him to seat, much less seeing him order Kang Xia to make tea personally.


    After taking a seat, Tang Xiu said with satisfaction, ¡°Manager He, I must truthfully tell you that you¡¯re the hero of our Magnificent Tang Corporation, and I see loyalty from you. It is because of your report that we have caught a group of people who attempted to plot a scheme against our company. As the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to you. Thank you, Manager He.¡±


    Though he was wild with joy inwardly, his face looked restless and afraid, ¡°B-Boss, you¡­ you are too polite. I¡¯m a member of our Magnificent Tang Corporation, to begin with. So this is what I should do.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really satisfied that you said ¡®our company¡¯, Manager He,¡± said Tang Xiu with satisfaction. ¡°Anyways, I already instructed Kang Xia to increase your annual salary by 50%, and you will also be rewarded with a residence about 150 square meters after the Star City¡¯s New City has been opened.¡±


    He Chao¡¯s pupils contracted and disbelief could be seen bursting out from his eyes. His annual salary already exceeded 1 million yuan, so a 50% increase was a big figure. What shocked him more was that he knew clearly well what project the Star City¡¯s New City was. After this project was done, the housing price there would be so high that it could make one tremble. Two or three million yuan would not be enough to buy a house of 150 square meters there, right?


    This¡­ this reward is¡­


    A warm feeling suddenly gushed inside He Chao¡¯s heart. He gazed deeply at Tang Xiu and solemnly vowed, ¡°Boss, the Magnificent Tang Corporation is this He Chao¡¯s root from now on. As long as the company does not abandon me, I¡¯m willing to give the rest of my life for the Magnificent Tang Corporation.¡±


    Tang Xiu clapped, ¡°That¡¯s exactly why I spoke to you like that, Manager He. I think you have already seen the development of our Magnificent Tang Corporation. Our company will be even bigger in the future and the number of business projects we need to manage will become more as well. I look forward to many years later when you will become the senior top executive of the company, and look forward to the day when you become the General Manager of a subsidiary company or multiple subsidiary companies under our Magnificent Tang Corporation.¡±


    He Chao couldn¡¯t sit still. He could understand the deep meaning in Tang Xiu¡¯s words, that was, as long as he was loyal and devoted to the Magnificent Tang Corporation, as well as having the ability, he would be able to obtain a bigger authority and better treatment in extension in the future. It was the Big Boss himself who gave him¡­. this commitment.


    ¡°Thank you, Boss.¡± He Chao got up and bowed with a solemn expression.


    ****


    Three in the morning.


    Mo Awen¡¯s group of five escorted Qian Xingwang¡¯s group of seven back to Star City. And the man was still fainted when Tang Xiu saw him.


    ¡°Wake him up.¡±


    Tang Xiu glanced at Kang Xia, who had fallen asleep on the sofa. He picked her up and brought her into the next room. She had been busy for a long time, and it was very difficult for her to follow him personally.


    When he returned to the living room he saw that Qian Xingwang had woken up and lightly said, ¡°I¡¯m very pleased to meet you. This is our first time meeting, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Staring deeply at Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes, Qian Xingwang sneered, ¡°The Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s Big Boss, Tang Xiu, is really not your ordinary man!¡±


    ¡°So you should know my methods since you already know, no?¡± Replied Tang Xiu with indifference. ¡°You¡¯re a businessman who has an electronic products business. I don¡¯t think you¡¯d have this much courage to dare to set your eyes on my Magnificent Tang Corporation. So tell me, who¡¯s the person who instructed a Chinese overseas like you to do so?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother asking.¡± Qian Xingwang shook his head. ¡°Even if you must kill me, I don¡¯t dare tell you.¡±


    ¡°Chen Cheng spoke like that too,¡± said Tang Xiu with a faint smile. ¡°But after torture where death is much better than being alive, he could no longer stand it, so he told me everything he knew, and even complied to deceive you. In fact, death itself is not that scary. What is scary is that inhuman torture. It¡¯s a kind of feeling that you want to die and yet want to stay alive, but you can¡¯t have both. So I¡¯ll recite the words I told to Chen Cheng before: I¡¯m a Divine Doctor who can torture you to death and then revive you again. That taste of suffering day after day and year after year is not something you can bear even if you¡¯re an immortal.¡±

 Chapter 652

    Chapter 652: Spending Money Like Water


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    There was no absolute in the world. The firm determination displayed by Qian Xingwang was destroyed in just half a minute. He couldn¡¯t even stand longer than Chen Cheng, and everything he confessed was more detailed than Chen Cheng¡¯s, even vowing under the name of his ancestors for eight generations.


    ¡°The Stygian Club, the Varro Family, Beaufort.¡±


    While holding a cup of hot tea and sitting next to a luxurious bed, Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes fell on the sleeping Kang Xia, yet they did not focus on her. He was no stranger to the Stygian Club and had even sent some people of the Everlasting Feast Hall to investigate this organization before. He already knew the goal of this organization. The Varro Family was one of the Dark Council¡¯s members and they had a total of six family members in this council. Beaufort was one them and had a very big influence there.


    Qian Xingwang pledged his loyalty to Beaufort since 20 years ago and was his competent lackey. It was also Beaufort who had been eyeing the product formulas of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, so he ordered Qian Xingwang as his representative in China to attempt to steal them personally.


    For the time being, Tang Xiu did not plan to go abroad, instead, he issued an order to the Everlasting Feast Hall: Assassinate Beaufort and do not leave any trace of who did it.


    ¡°How long have I slept?¡± Kang Xia woke up from her sleep. As she found that Tang Xiu was sitting on the bedside, she asked with a brightly smiling face.


    Tang Xiu came back to his senses. He looked at the time and smilingly replied, ¡°It¡¯s already 12 at noon. You¡¯ve been sleeping for a long time, so off you go to have a shower, would you? We¡¯ll go to the dining room for a meal.¡±


    Finding that she was asleep for that long surprised Kang Xia. But she was more concerned about the results of last night and quickly asked, ¡°How things are with Qian Xingwang?¡±


    ¡°He spilled everything he knows,¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod.


    ¡°Who was instructing him?¡± Asked Kang Xia again.


    ¡°A power overseas. I¡¯ve sent people to remove the man behind the scene, so we can say that this matter has come to an end, albeit for the time being,¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°However, we need to strengthen the security forces of the Magnificent Tang Corporation. I will allocate some money to Tie Zhongkui to register a formal security company which will be responsible to form a new security force later. After this security company is on the right track, all the company¡¯s security personnel must go to this security company for comprehensive training.¡±


    Kang Xia nodded and said, ¡°Our business will become bigger and bigger in the future, so having a lot of security personnel is inevitable to ensure the safety of our properties. Just tell me directly if you have something you want me to do.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Just go and have a shower!¡± Tang Xiu patted her shoulder and smiled.


    After the lunch, Kang Xia left, then Tang Xiu took Mo Awu to the Walled Hill Village construction site. After watching the lively scene there, he was satisfied with the Long Family¡¯s working efficiency. Without wasting too much time, he found Long Zhengyu, who was in the shed having a meeting with the foreman.


    ¡°How come you are here, Tang Xiu?¡± Long Zhengyu concluded the meeting temporarily and greeted him with a smile.


    Tang Xiu then said his purpose in coming here, ¡°South Gate Town villa complex was developed and is managed by your family through its property management company. I just wanna ask, have all the villas in South Gate Town been sold? If there¡¯s still a villa for sale I¡¯m willing to buy it for 10% above the market price.¡±


    Long Zhengyu thought for a while before he let out a wry smile and say, ¡°Did you really came here personally just to ask about this matter? If you really did, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m going to disappoint you, mate. The villas in South Gate Town are all sold out. Also, I don¡¯t know about the property management there. You better ask Xueyao for that.¡±


    Tang Xiu forced a smile and shook his head before taking his mobile phone to call Long Xueyao. What he didn¡¯t expect was that she told him that there were several owners of the villas in South Gate Town who were prepared to sell their properties there, and one of them was Tang Xiu¡¯s neighbor.


    ¡°I want all of them.¡± Tang Xiu told Long Xueyao on the phone and hurried back to the South Gate Town. After he met her, he asked her to make an appointment to meet the owners. Originally, he intended to buy the properties 10% above the market price, but the price offered by three owners was actually slightly lower than the market price.


    Afterward, other than the Kingview Villa, Tang Xiu also bought Villa No. 10, 13, and 14. Finally, Tang Xiu also set his eyes on the Villa No. 11 and 12, since he thought that if he also bought these two villas, all the villas in the innermost part of South Gate Town complex would all become his property.


    After completing all the formalities and paying the full amount of money for the villas¡¯ purchase, Tang Xiu spoke to Long Xueyao, who came out with him from the Housing Administration Bureau, ¡°Your Property Management Office should have the contact number of those Villa No. 11 and 12¡¯s owners, right? Help me to get in touch with them, I also want to buy their villas in these two days.¡±


    Seeing Tang Xiu purchasing three villas in one breath like this had already shocked Long Xueyao. She was immediately speechless now that Tang Xiu saying that he had his eyes set on the Villa No. 11 and 12 as well. For one to be able to buy a villa was already amazing; a well-off person, so to say. But he directly bought several of them in a bulk!


    ¡°Tang Xiu, are you going to buy all the villas in South Gate as a whole or something? At that time, our Property Management Company will be very relaxed in our job since we¡¯re only responsible to manage the sole owner, you!¡± Joked Long Xueyao.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much money, unfortunately, though, since I really do have this idea.¡± Tang Xiu raised his hand to touch his nose and grinned. ¡°South Gate Town has a good location so if I could transform it into a castle, that will be more magnificent and stylish, no?¡±


    ¡°Do you really have this idea?¡± Asked Long Xueyao, being at a loss whether she had to cry or laugh.


    ¡°I¡¯m just kidding,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°I¡¯d rather go directly to another place to invest that money if I had that much. Anyways, I did not joke with you, I really want to buy Villa No. 11 and 12. Help me out with this, and I¡¯ll treat you to a meal if it¡¯s successful, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Long Xueyao nodded.


    Soon, Long Xueyao contacted the owners of South Gate Town¡¯s Villa No. 11 and 12 and conveyed Tang Xiu¡¯s intention to buy these two villas to them. When they learned that Tang Xiu was willing to buy it on a 10% more premium price, the owner of Villa No. 12 directly agreed happily, whereas the owner of Villa No. 11 hesitated and eventually rejected the offer.


    After returning to South Gate Town, Tang Xiu personally visited villa No. 11. He found that the people who lived there were an elderly couple. Tang Xiu then told them his purpose to visit, and agreed to buy the villa from them with a 20% more premium price, but also urged them to keep the deal a secret. Finally, after this elderly learned that Tang Xiu had bought all the villas around theirs, they contacted their sons who lived abroad and finally agreed to sell the villa to Tang Xiu.


    After everything had been settled properly, only then did Tang Xiu felt relieved.


    He spent a total of more than 490 million yuan to buy these five villas. Mo Awu and ten experts from the Everlasting Feast Hall then picked one villa to stay.


    ****


    At the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s HQ.


    The white skin, cute, Lolita-faced Andy was donning a very good-fitting windproof coat and white boots as she walked into the General Manager¡¯s office. When she saw Kang Xia in the desk reading and signing documents, she suddenly smiled and asked, ¡°Boss, is there something up for you to call me here?¡±


    Kang Xia put down the documents in her hands and smilingly said, ¡°Boss called me. He wants us to go to South Gate Town in half an hour. Also, we¡¯ll be leaving Star City for four to five days to his hometown. Hence, you had better seize the time to arrange your work first before we leave in half an hour.¡±


    ¡°Going to the Boss¡¯s hometown?¡± Asked Andy with a confused expression. ¡°What are we gonna do there? Also, is Boss going to go with both of us?¡±


    Kang Xia nodded with a smile and said mysteriously, ¡°Well, it¡¯s confidential for now. You¡¯ll know when you get there. Anyways, just hurry up with our work arrangements, will you?¡±


    ¡°God, you¡¯re mystifying it too much!¡± Andy snorted but still said with an excited expression, ¡°I¡¯ve been dreaming to go out with Boss and play together. My dream now finally came true! Okay, I¡¯ll arrange my work now. Wait for me!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯ll be waiting!¡± Kang Xia couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter.


    ****


    In South Gate Town, Tang Xiu was done packing his spare clothes. Just as he stepped out of the door, he then saw Gu Yin and Tang Xiaohan standing outside the door with two small suitcases at their feet, as Mu Qingping then said with a smile, ¡°You two must not be naughty since you are going out with your Master. And remember to be obedient.¡±


    ¡°I understand. (Okay).¡± Gu Yin and Tang Xiaohan adorably replied.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go, guys!¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°Auntie Kang Xia and Auntie Andy should be coming soon.¡±


    Just as Tang Xiu led the two children to the courtyard, Kang Xia and Andy had just arrived. Andy was naturally overjoyed after seeing Tang Xiu and was very fond and paid great affection to Gu Yin and Tang Xiaohan.


    The Land Rover drove fast all the way until the county town and then headed towards Songlou Town. Since they took a detour, they did not pass through the Su Family Village and arrived directly at the foot of the mountain back of the Su Family Village from another direction.


    ¡°Awu, the three of you will stay here to guard the car. If you want to eat¡­ you can go and buy a meal in the town at the mountain foot. We¡¯ll be trekking into the mountain for four or five days.¡± After getting off the car, Tang Xiu waved to the car following behind them and then spoke to Mo Awu who approached.


    Quickly, Tang Xiu took the group into the mountains. Tang Xiaohan, whose eyes were blind, was hesitating, as Tang Xiu then took the responsibility to piggyback him. The group then arrived at the lakeside in the valley where he had stayed before just as the night had fallen.


    ¡°Boss, tell me! What do you want us to do here to go so far in trekking deep into the forested mountain? Oh, Lord in the Heaven, I swear I¡¯ve never climbed the mountain and neither have I been in such place either.¡± Andy¡¯s physique at the moment was very good, much better than Kang Xia¡¯s. And yet, she was still a bit tired.


    ¡°It¡¯s for cultivation.¡±


    Tang Xiu originally thought that Kang Xia hiding the truth from Andy was quite amusing and fun, so he also followed the play and avoided her inquiries several times to mystify it. But since they were already here, he did not conceal it anymore.


    ¡°Cultivate here?¡± Andy muttered with wonderment. ¡°Can we not cultivate in Star City, too? Why should we come to cultivate here?¡±


    Tang Xiu pointed to the starry sky and smilingly said, ¡°Feel it carefully now. What¡¯s the difference you can distinguish between this place and Star City? Remember, sense it in the cultivation state.¡±


    Andy was utterly confused, but she still followed Tang Xiu¡¯s instruction nevertheless, and quietly run the True Essence in her body to absorb the world¡¯s spiritual qi.

 Chapter 653

    Chapter 653: Charming Belles of Modern Times


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The showering starlight was like sprinkled water, illuminating the lake surface with crystalline sparks. The inverted shadow of the trees painted the lake surface, as a faint fragrance of cold plum blossom came from the distance. Andy did not have an inkling of Tang Xiu¡¯s intention, yet she still listened to him. As time passed, she felt a cooling sensation on her skin.


    ¡°Um?¡±


    Andy, who had just closed her eyes, opened them again and said with a startled expression, ¡°This place has a better effect in my cultivation than Star City, Boss. I can feel that the world¡¯s spiritual qi in this place is no longer so thin, and is even several times richer!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re correct,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°The spiritual energy here is several times richer than in Star City, so cultivating in this part of the forested mountain will be several times faster than cultivating in Star City. Furthermore, the destination I will take you to will have an enormous advantage for you.¡±


    With sparkling eyes, Andy replied, ¡°I know that you know what¡¯s best for us, Boss. You know, Yinyin is so sweet and Xiaohan is so cute. I¡¯m so adorable and lovely as well, so you gotta tell Yinyin and Xiaohan to call me as Master¡¯s wife later, Boss.¡±


    Pfft¡­ Hahaha. Kang Xia could not help but burst into laughter.


    Tang Xiu forced a wry smile and rolled his eyes at Andy. Little did he expect that her thoughts would be so free and jump off topic like this. He was still talking about other topics, and yet she suddenly jumped off and came up with a relationship between men and women.


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s have a meal first!¡± Said Tang Xiu. He then took out the grill, charcoal, pincers, barbecue seasonings, and meat prepared in advance from his interspatial ring. When he saw Kang Xia and Andy¡¯s dumbfounded and helpless expressions, he wryly smiled and immediately said, ¡°Could it be that you two have never made a barbecue before?¡±


    ¡°No, we haven¡¯t!¡± The two women shook their heads and said in unison.


    Tang Xiu forced a smile secretly inside. He waved his hand and said, ¡°Alright, then. You two just wait until meal time!¡±


    And then, he was responsible for doing the barbecue, igniting the charcoal, and then placed the skewered meat on the grill. Time passed by as he waited until the roasted meat was almost finished before putting various types of seasoning. Finally, the two women and two children wolfed it down and called out that they were full.


    After the meal and drink, and feeling that they had enough rest, Tang Xiu stuffed everything back into his interspatial rang and continued leading them on the journey. After spending more than two hours, they finally arrived outside the stone forest, as Tang Xiu repeatedly warned them before entering it.


    ¡°Master, the world spiritual energy here is very rich.¡± Just as they entered the stone forest, Gu Yin, whose cultivation was the highest among them, spoke with amazement.


    ¡°You¡¯re very good, Yinyin. You¡¯re unexpectedly able to discern it.¡± Tang Xiu praised. ¡°Take a look at this spring. It¡¯s the Earth vein¡¯s Spirit Spring. And the purpose of bringing you here is to make you cultivate inside this spring. I can guarantee that your progress will leap forward drastically.¡±


    ¡°But Master, though you already taught me the acupoints¡¯ position in the human body and the route of the meridians, I haven¡¯t even sensed the flow of qi in my body. Can I also cultivate here?¡± Asked Tang Xiaohan after hesitating for a while.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine if you can¡¯t feel the flow of qi now. As long as you perceive it inside the Spirit Spring according to the method I taught you, I¡¯m sure you will be able to do that in no time,¡± said Tang Xiu without hesitation.


    ¡°Alright, then!¡± Tang Xiaohan nodded firmly.


    Tang Xiu then looked at the four of them and spoke, ¡°Take off all your clothes and soak yourselves inside the Spirit Spring, and then begin cultivating according to the cultivation technique I imparted to you.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    Kang Xia looked at Tang Xiu with a surprised expression, and even Andy exclaimed in shock. Her lovely, small face blushed, and even Gu Yin looked a bit embarrassed.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not like I want to take advantage of you, girls,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°I have to stay here to make sure nothing happens in your cultivation. You all don¡¯t know what dangers pose to you when you soak yourselves in the Spirit Spring, but you will understand when you begin. Do remember, cultivating inside it will be very painful, but you must endure it. Also, once you feel that your meridians are starting to bloat, you must stop cultivation immediately and leave the Spirit Spring.¡±


    Kang Xia and Andy exchanged looks and finally nodded without speaking. The former was aware of the thoughts of the latter. Ever since Andy met Tang Xiu, she had been talking about him literally all day, thus even a fool could tell that she liked Tang Xiu.


    Of course, she would never be so annoyed if it was only Andy who liked the man. After all, Tang Xiu had owned her body, and she was his woman. But after all was said and done, she too realized that Tang Xiu would definitely not have only one woman, herself, in the future¡ªas there were and had been many women who set their eyes on him, and they were also the type of perfect woman like her.


    In case¡­ that if one day in the future Tang Xiu had another woman, it was better to let Andy become that woman. At the very least she and Andy were like sisters, so they could get along well with each other.


    ¡°Take them off, then!¡±


    Kang Xia nodded to Andy and began taking her clothes off. When a white and delicate body was completely naked and presented before Tang Xiu, despite once ¡®farming the land¡¯ in this body, Tang Xiu still felt a hot passion in his lower abdomen along with a faint impulse.


    What Andy did also give him a surprise. She was just a few seconds slower than Kang Xia to strip down all her clothes, revealing her whole body. Though her lovely cute face looked a bit shy, she nerved herself up to stand in front Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Boss, I have given you my body to look at, so I must become your woman in the future! If you don¡¯t want me, then I-I¡­ I¡¯ll cry and throw a tantrum!¡±


    While looking at Andy¡¯s white body, Tang Xiu was deeply shocked by the white globes on her chest. They were huge, plump, white, with cherry red decorations¡ªdefinitely one of the best-looking breasts he had ever seen. These two proud big globes would definitely make countless men have nosebleeds and run madly toward her. Coupled with her cute and adorable Lolita face, she looked angelic; definitely the best of the best.


    Cough cough¡­


    ¡°Go forward fast¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu thought he already had a firm heart; firm enough to restrain his impulse when he ordered them to do so. And yet, when his eyes unintentionally swept over the Golden Triangle part of Andy¡¯s body, his firm heart was shaken and quaked.


    White¡­ White Tiger?


    Tang Xiu once heard that there were women in the world who had White Tiger constellation marks, yet he did not expect that Andy would have them. To control and restrain himself, he hurriedly turned around, waved his hand and said, ¡°Go! Enter the Spirit Spring and quickly cultivate. Yinyin, Xiaohan, you two go faster, too!¡±


    Splash, splash¡­.


    Four splashing sounds were heard as they jumped into the water. While suppressing his lust inside, Tang Xiu turned around to look at the four people and said, ¡°Yinyin, Xiaohan, you two must hold onto the edge of the bluestone. The spring is very deep, and it¡¯s possible to fall into its depths once you let go of your hands.¡±


    Kang Xia¡¯s charming shoulders were exposed. Her fingers made a series of flicks, making the spring water splash, and then smilingly said, ¡°Did you bring a rope, Boss? I think it¡¯s better for you to tie Yinyin and Xiaohan¡¯s body to a nearby stone so they won¡¯t sink.¡±


    Tang Xiu gawked and immediately patted his forehead, quickly taking out two ropes from his interspatial ring. He bought the rope when he was in Jingmen Island before and stuffed it into the ring since he did not use it, but turned out that it now had its uses.


    Time gradually passed by.


    In the blink of an eye, five days had passed by and during these five days, Kang Xia and Andy¡¯s cultivation had leaped forward, especially the latter as her cultivation had broken through to the Early Foundation Establishment Stage, whereas Kang Xia broke through the Peak Qi Refining Stage. Tang Xiaohan, with Tang Xiu¡¯s aid, could now feel the flow of qi and reached the Qi Refining Stage.


    Whoosh¡­


    A layer of qi wave spread out to all directions in the inner part of the stone forest, as a thumb-sized Golden Core appeared from Gu Yin¡¯s abdomen and floated on top of her head, bathing in starlight.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Kang Xia and Andy exchanged looks in wonderment and shock.


    Tang Xiu, who stood at the side, fixed his gaze on Gu Yin as he could clearly feel that the world spiritual energy from all directions was flooding like a tide after the Golden Core came out of her body.


    ¡°Take it back!¡± Tang Xiu shouted in a heavy voice.


    After hearing it, Gu Yin immediately took the Golden Core back into her body as she opened her eyes and excitedly said, ¡°Master, I broke through to the Golden Core Stage, and I can even release it outside my body!¡±


    ¡°Yinyin, you are not to release your Golden Core ever again in the future,¡± said Tang Xiu with a serious expression. ¡°Unless you encounter a very strong adversary and must kill him, only then are you allowed to release your Golden Core and explode it to perish together with your enemy. Understand?¡±


    Gu Yin seemed to understand yet was confused, as she hesitated and asked, ¡°But why, Master?¡±


    ¡°Separating Golden Core from one¡¯s body is very dangerous to cultivators,¡± said Tang Xiu in a deep voice. ¡°The moment you release your Golden Core and people with evil intention capture it, they will take it away easily. You¡¯ll lose control over your own power, as the other¡¯s power will be more powerful to control it. Once your Golden Core is taken away, it will be very harmful and even will have you killed too.¡±


    Gu Yin¡¯s small face turned pale and she quickly replied, ¡°I¡¯ll listen to you, Master.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded at her. He then looked at the Spirit Spring and immediately sighed inwardly. After it was absorbed by four people, the Spirit Spring¡¯s height had already dropped half a foot. This kind of Earth Vein¡¯s Spirit Spring was extremely precious and would bring a good effect when one took it as a medicine. Cultivating by soaking one¡¯s body into it could be said as quite wasteful.


    However, he did not care about it!


    The amount of energy in this Spirit Spring was very huge and there were only a few cultivators in modern society nowadays. This Earth Vein¡¯s Spirit Spring was enough for him to groom an army of cultivators if he wanted to.


    The last time Tang Xiu visited this place he did not bring jade with him, so he did not lay an array here. The other purpose of his coming here was also to cover this stone forest with the array. One may not fear a lot of enemies, but still must be wary of any eventuality. If a cultivator were to come here and entered the stone forest, then the secret of this Spirit Spring would be exposed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! We¡¯ll leave this stone forest!¡±

 Chapter 654

    Chapter 654: An Unexpected Noise


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    After stepping out of the stone forest, Tang Xiu arranged a triple layer type of arrays in its surrounding: an Illusion Array, an Everchanging Big Dipper Array, and a Defensive Array. The Illusion Array could confuse other¡¯s eyes so they could not find the existence of this stone forest, the Everchanging Big Dipper Array would transfer them outside, and the Defensive Array in the innermost was specifically arranged to deal with cultivators. Unless they were at the Golden Core Stage level, it would be very hard for them to break through this array.


    This triple array was linked and interlocked with each other¡ªingeniously making its might increase progressively.


    ¡°It¡¯ done.¡±


    Tang Xiu wiped off the sweat on his forehead and spent two-plus hours drawing the array formation. Such a layout required a high degree of concentration and taxed on his mental power, making him struggle with the difficulty. It could be said that this triple layer array was the most profound array he had ever placed after returning to Earth.


    Kang Xia took out the handkerchief from the bag she always carried and carefully helped Tang Xiu wipe off the sweat on his forehead, asking, ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just spent a large portion of my mental power.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and smilingly said, ¡°However, you all must remember to never tell anyone about this Spirit Spring¡¯s existence, except to a few of our people. This Earth vein¡¯s Spirit Spring is literally a treasure trove, and we would suffer a huge loss if it is known by other people.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Kang Xia and Andy nodded, and so did Gu Yin and Tang Xiaohan.


    In the quiet of the dead night.


    The flickering Red Planet was dimming at the mountain foot, as a cold wave wreaked havoc toward the two SUVs there. A few stocky figures, however, were actually standing next to the cars and constantly had their eyes constantly set at the mountain peak under the moonlight.


    Two kilometers away, Zhao Donghe was standing on the second floor of a small house in the Su Family Village, watching those people next to the two SUVs with binoculars. In front of him, more than a dozen policemen in their uniforms were standing, and the most striking sight on them was that something bulged in their waists. It was obvious that they were armed.


    ¡°Chief Zhao, it¡¯s been five days already. What exactly do they want to do here?¡± Asked a young policeman whose face looked tired while yawning.


    ¡°You got tired already?¡± Zhao Donghe glanced at him. ¡°You must have the spirit of hard work and endurance as a policeman. When I was in the Criminal Case section of the city, let alone staying in one place for five days, I had even stayed put for half a month! These people are suspicious and are likely to have some bad intentions. So they must be monitored even if we have to endure this cold and fatigue.¡±


    The young policeman looked embarrassed. He nodded repeatedly and replied, ¡°I understand. What you taught me is correct, Chief Zhao. But I¡¯m really curious about what they want to do to actually stay in the back of the mountain for five days like this.¡±


    ¡°The longer they stay idle there, the bigger the plot,¡± said Zhao Donghe. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to rest for a while. Wake me up if you see something unusual.¡±


    The young policeman took the binoculars and watched Zhao Donghe leave before using the binoculars to continue monitoring. Just as Zhao Donghe was about to go down the ladder, the young policeman¡¯s face suddenly changed and hurriedly shouted, ¡°Chief Zhao, something¡¯s up!¡±


    Zhao Donghe stared blankly for a second before immediately striding back. He then grabbed the binoculars to observe the scene.


    ¡°Um? Isn¡¯t that¡­¡±


    At the foot of the mountain.


    It took five hours for Tang Xiu¡¯s group to finally come out from the mountain, and as he got there, he looked at the Mo Awu¡¯s group of three who greeted him and smilingly said, ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard. Any unexpected incident happened in these days?¡±


    ¡°There are cops hiding in the dark to protect us, Boss, so of course nothing unexpected happened. The first day you trekked up the mountain, there were some villagers nearby who came here, and then came the cops. But nobody came again since.¡±


    The police?


    Tang Xiu frowned and asked, ¡°There are cops around here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Mo Awu nodded. ¡°They are in the village two-plus kilometers from here. We have observed them too, and they have been watching us with binoculars. Biao Wang took the opportunity to observe them when he went to the town to buy food, and quietly sneaked over there to clarify the identity of those policemen. They are from the Qinghe County¡¯s Public Security Bureau.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°They should have received reports from people who think you all look suspicious here. Anyways, let it be. Let us just leave since this is only a misunderstanding.¡±


    The two cars then drove to the Su Family Village¡¯s vicinity.


    Just as they arrived there, four police cars blocked them. Tang Xiu did not rush to get off and only looked at the restless policemen in front. As Zhao Donghe came out with two policemen, Tang Xiu¡¯s brows pricked and then opened the car¡¯s door to get out.


    ¡°Why are you here, Tang Xiu?¡± Zhao Donghe wore a wry smile and deftly took out a cigarette to offer him.


    Tang Xiu took the cigarette and smilingly said, ¡°If my guess is correct, we should have created an unexpected noise here, Chief Zhao. I just heard from my bodyguards that the police force has been protecting them in secret these five days. As a matter of fact, I went camping on the mountain with my family members and friends. I got lost in the back of the mountain, so I took a detour and spent several days to come out.¡±


    Zhao Donghe was stunned. Never did he expect that the reports from public sent to the Public Security Bureau would turn out to be such an unexpected scene like this. The report said that suspicious people were seen strolling around the vicinity of this place. He even had to put down all the other matters he was handling to stay put for five days in such a cold weather!


    He looked at Kang Xia and Andy, as well as at Gu Yin and Tang Xiaohan, as his mouth twitched a few times, being at a loss of what to say. Although Kang Xia and Andy gave him a breathtaking feeling, he believed that Tang Xiu would not do something indecent with these women since he also brought children.


    ¡°Cough cough¡­. Since this is just a misunderstanding, then we don¡¯t need to stay here any longer and suffer more hardships. Tang Xiu, if you ever come to play here again, just let us know in advance formally, else we¡¯ll receive reports from people again¡­¡±


    From his tone, Tang Xiu could feel a bit complaint, so he immediately showed an apologetic look and smilingly said, ¡°I am really sorry, Chief Zhao. I only thought about making my family and friends happy, so I didn¡¯t expect to make such a misunderstanding. By the way, I heard that the kitchen in the Public Security Bureau¡¯s office is getting old and should be repaired. So how about I donate 500 thousand yuan as a token of my goodwill?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Zhao Donghe was inwardly clear that the goodwill Tang Xiu showed him was a way to apologize. Saying that the Public Security Bureau¡¯s kitchen was dilapidated was nothing but an excuse. However, he appreciated Tang Xiu¡¯s attitude in this matter, and held him in high esteem, and praised Tang Xiu inwardly for his good character. Eventually, he agreed.


    Since they must leave, Tang Xiu and his convoy were escorted by four or five police cars all the way to the highway crossroad. After bidding them farewell, then they hurried back to Star City.


    It was already early in the morning when they came back to Star City. Tang Xiu ordered Mo Awu to send Kang Xia and Andy back home while he personally drove back to South Gate Town. Although Gu Yin and Tang Xiaohan had slept for a few hours on the road, he still ordered them to go to their rooms to sleep.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, there¡¯s someone called Boss Yuan Zhengxuan who came to visit here the day before yesterday. He said that he called you but your phone was turned off. I told him that you went out of the city, so he left a message for you to call him as fast as possible when you come back.¡± Mu Qingping quickly reported when she saw Tang Xiu downstairs.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes lit up. He nodded and said, ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll see him after breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, I already bought the flight ticket to Saipan, scheduled at noon on January 16th,¡± continued Mu Qingping with a smile.


    ¡°Why not stay at home for a few more days?¡± Asked Tang Xiu after pondering for a while.


    ¡°This place and Nine Dragons Island are both my home.¡± Mu Qingping smiled. ¡°It¡¯s been some time that I¡¯m back in the mainland. I don¡¯t feel relieved leaving the matters over there to the others for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then. Since you already booked a flight, just do like you¡¯ve planned!¡± Said Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯ll assign two bodyguards to go with you this time. Don¡¯t think of rejecting. Your safety is very important, so I must make sure that you arrive in Nine Dragons Island smoothly.¡±


    Mu Qingping felt warm inside, and the words she prepared to reject were swallowed back.


    After having breakfast, Tang Xiu took his mobile phone that had been 20% charged. After taking the charger, he called Yuan Zhengxuan and made an appointment to meet at a small electronics factory in Star City.


    ¡°Here!¡±


    After arriving at the entrance of the small electronics factory, he saw Yuan Zhengxuan waving and called out to him from the security post direction. He parked the car on the roadside, got off and said with a smile, ¡°I was temporarily out of the city before, Uncle Yuan, and I just came back early in the morning today. It isn¡¯t that urgent an issue, is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Yuan Zhengxuan smiled. ¡°By the way, I¡¯ve already conveyed your idea about wanting those scientists and researchers in advance. But they have yet to agree immediately since they don¡¯t know the product you want to research. Everybody is now inside and want to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Please take the lead and bring me there, Uncle Yuan,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    As he drove the car into the electronics factory, Tang Xiu learned from Yuan Zhengxuan that the secret laboratory was set up here. The products researched by those researchers had already been completed, so most of the security forces had been dismissed as well. The place was named as an electronics factory on the surface, but it was a just a cover-up.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    At the entrance of a three-story building, two security guards in uniforms saluted.


    Yuan Zhengxuan nodded at them and took Tang Xiu inside, stopping outside the elevator installed in one of the rooms. After having gone through a series of verifications through fingerprint, retina, password, and work card swiping, only then did the two were able to enter the elevator, as then Yuan Zhengxuan then pressed the -2 button.


    Second floor underground.


    As the two men entered, what presented itself before Tang Xiu was a huge space. The environment inside was nearly similar with those in the movies, with all sorts of hi-tech instruments and walls made of molten iron, looking like an impregnable iron bastion.


    Except for the sealed room in the inner side, dozens of scientists and researchers were there. Some of them were facing desktop computers and playing, some were flipping through magazines, while some others were fiddling with their mobile phones, seemingly playing mobile games.


    Clap clap clap¡­


    Yuan Zhengxuan clapped and loudly spoke, ¡°Everyone, could please stop playing? I¡¯ll introduce someone to you. This is Tang Xiu, a renowned figure in Star City. I think you already know his identity.¡±


    ¡°The young Divine Doctor of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital.¡±


    A white-haired old man in a white coat approached and greeted them. He was holding a picture frame in his hand as he reached out his hand and smilingly said, ¡°I¡¯m Mo Yi, the director of this research institute. You can call me Director Mo or Professor Mo.¡±

 Chapter 655

    Chapter 655: The Power of Science and Technology


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Tang Xiu politely shook hands with Mo Yi and smilingly said, ¡°I have long heard about you, Professor Mo. I¡¯ve talked with Uncle Yuan before and he highly praised you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll break his leg if he dares to say bad things about me.¡± Mo Yi glanced at Yuan Zhengxuan and replied with a smile. ¡°However, the products he wants to develop are now finished, and also yielded good results. So everyone is feeling awful now that he doesn¡¯t need us and just wants to drive us out!¡±


    Tang Xiu could see a trace embarrassment on Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s face and quickly said, ¡°What you are saying is incorrect, Professor Mo. Uncle Yuan and I are like a family, and he¡¯s the one who introduced you to me, so how can it be said that he wants to drive you away? In fact, I know what everyone is worried about. You all are afraid that I will be very demanding and are also in doubts about the direction of the research for the product, as well as whether I really can invest in it. Of course, there¡¯s also the issue of everyone¡¯s salary too. So, the reason I came here today is to talk about these issues with all of you.¡±


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu going straight to the point, Yuan Zhengxuan immediately echoed, ¡°Alright, you talk here first. I¡¯m going out to tend to some matters. We¡¯ll meet again at lunch later, Tang Xiu.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Tang Xiu nodded. With his departure, he looked at Mo Yi again and said, ¡°Professor Mo, what I just said should have addressed some of your concerns, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, what you said are indeed our concerns. If you can dispel these issues for us, maybe we can work for you,¡± said Mo YI.


    Tang Xiu pulled a chair and after gesturing everyone to have a seat, he said, ¡°Firstly, I¡¯ll speak about the direction of the research. I think everyone knows about the Earth¡¯s gravitational field, right? What I want to research is similar to how an airplane can fly with buoyancy. I call this object ¡®Flying Disk¡¯ temporarily. And after this type of flying disk has been researched and developed, it would allow people to stand on it and fly, so it will someday become popular in society.¡±


    Flying Disk?


    Mo Yi and the dozens of researchers wore strange expressions on their faces and looked at Tang Xiu as though he was an extraterrestrial being. They too had seen the object he spoke about, but it was in the foreign science fiction movies.


    ¡°Are you joking with us, Mr. Tang?¡±


    Mo Yi exchanged looks with several leading researchers around him and then asked with a serious face.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not joking at all.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°I spoke what I really have I in mind. The products from science have been and still need to be created from imagination. For example, about dozens of years ago, who at that time could have thought that there would be maglev trains in the world now? On December 17th, 1903, the Wright Brothers from the United States were the first who realized the dream of flying by piloting the first aircraft in history. Before this event was written down in the annals of history, who had ever thought that there would aircrafts manufactured in the world and came out as one of the main vehicles for human¡¯s transportation nowadays?¡±


    Mo Yi and the dozens of researchers fell into silence and finally realized that Tang Xiu was not joking at all. However, such a whimsical idea was like an illusion and made them forced a smile, albeit wryly inside.


    ¡°If you are an investor in this research, then we should follow your arrangement, Tang Xiu. But this Flying Disk you mentioned is very difficult to research. The main subject the researchers have been doing here is mainly on hot and thermal weapons. Though we have studied the mechanics of gravity as well, it¡¯s not that particularly deep and thorough. I can only hear a kind of motive force behind what you just described, but you overlooked the most major issues about it, that is, the problem with traffic. This may be unpleasant to hear, but I¡¯m afraid we¡¯re not up to the task,¡± said Mo Yi with a serious expression.


    ¡°This issue can be solved very well, but I¡¯ll tell you about it later,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Let¡¯s discuss the next issue: how I will manage the institute. I will only send my people to supervise and understand the progress of the research, but I will not intervene in the research content and subject whatsoever. As for your salary and treatment, your current salary will be increased by 50%, and I can also provide a steady stream of research funding. However much you dare ask is however much I will provide.¡±


    ¡°This subject is a whole new one, Mr. Tang.¡± Mo Yi knitted his brows. ¡°It will be very difficult to research it, and the funds needed will be enormous. For merely the experiment of this project¡­ we will perhaps meet dozens or even hundreds of failures¡­ Do you have such deep pocket and financial support for this? Can you really be held responsible for what you just said?¡±


    With a confident expression, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°You¡¯re all working in Star City, so you should know the Magnificent Tang Corporation. I¡¯ll be open to you, I¡¯m the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation. Do you think there will be enough funds available for you to carry out this research?¡±


    ¡°The Magnificent Tang Corporation?¡±


    A shocked expression appeared on Mo Yi¡¯s face, and even some of the researchers exclaimed. They had been working in Star City for many years, so how could they not know about this company? Of all the company groups in Star City, the company who was developing and growing the fastest, with earned profits the subject of jealousy from others, was none other but the Magnificent Tang Corporation!


    Mo Yi took a deep breath and seriously said, ¡°Alright. Then let¡¯s go back to the first issue.¡±


    ¡°Professor Mo, there¡¯s a principle of truth I¡¯ve learned since my childhood that money is not an answer to everything nor is it omnipotent, but it¡¯s pretty much close to that nowadays. Often it is said that we can make even the devil work for us if you have the money. As long as I have the funds, you can ask me for however much money you need to buy the materials for the research or to hire other experts. I just heard some words a couple days ago that you can even buy a nuclear warhead as long as you have money.¡±


    Mo Yi suddenly got up and stared at Tang Xiu as he asked, ¡°I want to know something. How much Mr. Tang will invest in the initial investment?¡±


    ¡°I want to know about it, too.¡± Tang Xiu asked. ¡°How much exactly do you need for the upfront investment before you start this project?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Mo Yi was stumped for words, and then immediately whispered with the other researchers for a long while. He then sat back in front of Tang Xiu and emphasized every word he spoke, ¡°We don¡¯t dare to give our everything if the initial investment is less than nine figures.¡±


    Tang Xiu patted his thigh and loudly exclaimed, ¡°Then I¡¯ll invest ten figures for the initial investment. You can call me again if the funds are nearly used up.¡±


    Ten figures? One billion?


    Mo Yi and the other researchers were truly frightened by Tang Xiu¡¯s boldness and enormous capital. Their last project was the biggest result of their research so far, and the initial investment for the research cost before it was completely finished was only 200-300 million yuan. And yet, the amount of funds Tang Xiu proposed was nothing but an initial investment, and additional funds could be added continuously later.


    ¡°You¡­ are you sure?¡± Mo Yi¡¯s voice was a bit trembling.


    ¡°This Tang Xiu is always serious and I mean what I say,¡± said Tang Xiu without hesitation. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, I can make a public account for research funding to be managed by me and Professor Mo. I¡¯ll immediately transfer 1 billion yuan into this account once it is set up.¡±


    Mo Yi and the other scientist researchers exchanged looks. They could feel Tang Xiu¡¯s determination and firmness in his words. After half a minute of silence, Mo Yi suddenly got up and seriously said, ¡°I will participate in this Flying Disk research project. And I will never quit before the project is completed, and I will work hard as long as I can still move.¡±


    ¡°I, Wang Yin, decided to participate too.¡± Another professor-researcher in a white coat rose and echoed.


    ¡°I¡¯m in too!¡±


    ¡°So am I!¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Dozens of researchers got up and expressed their willingness. Tang Xiu¡¯s attitude, along with a massive support of investment funds, brought them enormous courage. Since the party who would invest wasn¡¯t even afraid of providing such massive funds, why should they¡ªthe researchers fear it? Furthermore, they would become heroes with great achievements once the project proposed by Tang Xiu was completed and the Flying Disk could be used by people from all strata of society. Even though it wouldn¡¯t go down on the annals of history, they could still earn themselves a lifetime reputation.


    ¡°I¡¯m very glad that everyone will join in this project,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve recently bought a plot of land in Shanghai that¡¯s currently being set up as a large industrial park. There will also be laboratories to research and develop other products for the Magnificent Tang Corporation. At that time, I¡¯ll separate an independent area to build a new research institute. It will be up to you to decide how to arrange your family by that time, but I give you my word that the Magnificent Tang Corporation will treat you well and provide the funds for you. In the next year, perhaps, you will still use this place, but I will secretly assign a group of security forces who will be responsible for the safety and security of this place. At the same time, I¡¯ll also set up a service department to provide your daily life necessities or materials needed for the research. They will meet your needs as much as possible.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Other than saying that, Mo Yi and the dozens of researchers had nothing else to say at this moment. What Tang Xiu planned for them was already very thorough and well thought out. Their new boss gave them a genuine sense of belonging and acknowledgment.


    Following that, Tang Xiu had an open discussion with them for a long time to address all the issues openly, leaving everyone satisfied. After which, Mo Yi and the other experts and professors of the research institute brought Tang Xiu to the third floor underground to visit their real laboratory.


    Tang Xiu saw many hi-tech instruments in the laboratory. He was familiar with hi-tech products, but he knew nothing at all about these hi-tech instruments. After Mo Yi¡¯s explanation, Tang Xiu realized that ¡°science and technology¡± were also magically mysterious in and of itself, as its existence had and would produce novel things through the combination of physics and chemistry.


    ¡°Does conducting scientific research pose any dangers?¡± Asked Tang Xiu after visiting it.


    ¡°Conducting research, particularly on some hi-tech product research like our thermal weapons research previously, how could it not dangerous?¡± Said Mo Yi rhetorically with a wry smile. ¡°We¡¯ve been working for Yuan Zhengxuan for more than ten years, and three of our colleagues died because of accidents, while six others were injured and had to leave. Just five or six months ago one of our colleagues got electrocuted due to high-voltage electricity. But alas¡­ it¡¯s our work! How come we possibly have a rare contact with electric current? And who could say we would be so lucky to survive after getting struck with such electric current, to begin with?¡±

 Chapter 656

    Chapter 656: The Emergence of a Big Incident


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Electric current?


    Tang Xiu stared blankly and then secretly shook his head. A high-voltage current may cause the death for an ordinary person, but for him, who was an immortal cultivator, it was not much of a threat at all. Who among powerful immortal cultivators were not struck by lightning when crossing a tribulation?


    Back when I was crossing the tribulation to become an immortal, those 99 tribulation thunderbolts were so gigantic and had such a powerful might¡­ But what was the result? Didn¡¯t I endure it with all my will and even used the thunder power to quench my body, eventually turning my physique into an immortal physique?


    This memory crossed his mind and his expression suddenly moved.


    Quenching the body with thunder and lightning?


    There was no hi-tech product in the Immortal World, and one would only see lightning if there was a change in the natural environment that would cause lightning to strike from the sky or by using lightning symbols and other props! But he was on Earth now! And all of those things could not be found here, and yet Earth had no shortage of electricity!


    What if¡­ he used enough electric current to quench his body, wouldn¡¯t he be able to make his body stronger and more formidable?


    As Tang Xiu thought up to there, his eyes shined with excitement. He turned to Mo Yi and said in a deep voice, ¡°Professor Mo, I¡¯ll set up an internal fund after the research project is officially started. If any of the researchers and experts die in an accident while conducting a research on this product, his family will get 10 million yuan from the fund as compensation, whereas the injured will receive 5 million yuan at the highest according to how serious his injury is. Furthermore, if they also have family members at home, the Magnificent Tang Corporation will be responsible to take care of the elderly and will also provide support for taking care of their children until they reach adulthood.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s commitment touched Mo Yi¡¯s heart. Though he was nearly 60 years old, he still solemnly bowed to Tang Xiu with due care and respect.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t act like this, Professor Mo.¡± Tang Xiu quickly propped him up.


    ¡°Mr. Ta¡­ No, it¡¯s wrong. I should call you Boss now.¡± Mo Yi shook his head. ¡°I acted like that not only to represent myself but also all the colleagues in this institute. Thank you for solving all our extra concerns.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. This is what I should do,¡± replied Tang Xiu.


    After saying that, he immediately changed the topic and asked, ¡°Professor Mo, what is the maximum power provided by the high-voltage electricity in this laboratory?¡±


    Though Mo Yi did not understand why Tang Xiu suddenly asked such a question, he still honestly answered, ¡°100 KW from the local power generator unit. There was originally a 120 KW generator unit from abroad, and Yuan Zhengxuan once thought to help us import it, but our laboratory does not need such a high-power generator unit, so we told him not to buy it.¡±


    ¡°Is there a safety valve in the laboratory?¡± Asked Tang Xiu once again.


    ¡°We indeed have a safety valve,¡± said Mo Yi with a bitter smile. ¡°Had that safety valve not has broken last time all of a sudden, my colleague would not have¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded to express his understanding. He would like to try it to himself as to how much power of electricity he could endure. But since he was not familiar with the scientists in this laboratory, and with the safety valve also not being there, it was not convenient for him to test it here.


    At noon, Tang Xiu left the research institute. And just as he walked out of the entrance of the electronics factory used to conceal the institute, he saw a black Audi parked outside with Yuan Zhengxuan standing by its door while smoking.


    ¡°So, how was your talk with them?¡± asked Yuan Zhengxuan with a smile as he saw Tang Xiu driving his car out.


    ¡°Well, like the adage that money can make the devils push the millstone for you, this sentence applies to everyone, too.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Anyways, I must thank you for giving me your treasure, Uncle Yuan. After the product is researched and I make a lot of money, I¡¯ll invite you for a good drink then, Uncle Yuan.¡±


    ¡°They really accepted your whimsical idea?¡± Asked Yuan Zhengxuan, astounded.


    While making a gesture of counting money, Tang Xiu repeated his words again, ¡°Didn¡¯t I just tell you, Uncle Yuan? Money can even make the devils push the millstones for you.¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan understood in flash and let out an expression of being at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh as he said, ¡°Alright, alright. Nobody is a saint, and no one can¡¯t live without money. Anyways, let¡¯s go! I¡¯ve just booked a presidential suite in the Long¡¯s Dining Hall, let¡¯s have a few drinks there.¡±


    Tang Xiu slightly smiled and suddenly realized that every time he returned to Star City, he had to go to the Long¡¯s Dining Hall and spend some money there. Before purchasing those five villas, he also invited Chu Yuan and Xue Yu to dine in the Long¡¯s Dining Hall as well.


    As he thought about them, Tang Xiu felt a bit helpless inside. Chu Yuan was a wise and resourceful guy who had a deep worldly knowledge, and he could even be considered an intelligent and wise man in the present age. Xue Yu, on the other hand, looked cold on the surface and yet was gentle and warm in the inside just like a jade¡ªsomeone who had not been stained by worldly affairs. What made him quite helpless was that Chu Yuan was wary of him despite having a superhuman intelligence himself, whereas Xue Yu¡­ was still occupied with the thought of whether he had really seen her face.


    Those two are experts who would really be hard to deal with! Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but sigh inside.


    Seeing that Tang Xiu looked absent-minded, Yuan Zhengxuan said with a smile, ¡°What are you dazing for? Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t want to accompany your Uncle Yuan for a few drinks, eh?¡±


    Tang Xiu snapped back to his senses, as he shook his head and said, ¡°No, I¡¯m thinking about how come you know that I still have a few bottles of Gods Nectar in my car¡¯s trunk, Uncle Yuan!¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s brows pricked and immediately grinned, replying, ¡°Tang Xiu, I¡¯ve transferred a lot of scientists and researchers to you, so you must have the intention to thank me before, no? Besides, don¡¯t mention money at all as it¡¯s way too uncouthly. I feel that Gods Nectar would be great! How about giving this Uncle Yuan of yours eight to ten boxes?¡±


    A smile outlined in Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth. As it climbed up to his face, he said, ¡°Well, you¡¯ll have 20 boxes of Gods Nectar delivered to your home tonight at the latest, Uncle Yuan. I promise you that you can call Kang Xia at any time when you finished drinking them up. She¡¯ll send some people to deliver it to you immediately.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Yuan Zhengxuan was overjoyed and gave Tang Xiu a thumbs up.


    Immediately, the two men drove their cars to the Long¡¯s Dining Hall. Tang Xiu dialed Mo Awu¡¯s number, who followed him nearby on the way there, and told him to immediately buy a generator unit, and told him that the higher the power generated the better.


    Ring ring ring¡­


    Inside the presidential suite of the Long¡¯s Dining Hall, Tang Xiu, who was drinking and chatting with Yuan Zhengxuan, was suddenly disturbed by the rapid ringing call of his mobile phone. Tang Xiu gave an apologetic look to Yuan Zhengxuan as took out his mobile and saw the number displayed on the screen. He then made a gesture to Yuan Zhengxuan, got up and walked away while speaking, ¡°Brother Shao, is there something up for you to call me?¡±


    Shao Mingzhen¡¯s rushed voice was heard from the mobile phone, ¡°Tang Xiu, Miao Wentang just had an accident!¡±


    With a change in expression, Tang Xiu quickly asked, ¡°What happened to him?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the specifics, but his secretary just called me for help. They are in Kanas, Longquan Bay, in the Western region,¡± said Shao Mingzhen.


    ¡°Where are you now, Brother Shao?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a serious tone.


    ¡°I¡¯m in Blue City,¡± answered Shao Mingzhen.


    ¡°Brother Shao, wait for me at the Blue City Airport,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯ll immediately catch up with you there with some of my men. Brother Miao is in danger, so we must rescue him. That¡¯s right, contact them again and inquire about the situation!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Shao Mingzhen replied and directly ended the call.


    Tang Xiu put away his mobile phone and quickly strode to Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s front and said, ¡°Uncle Yuan, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t continue to accompany you drinking. A friend of mine is in danger and I need to rush over to see him. I¡¯ll make it up to you later after I¡¯m done dealing with this matter.¡±


    Yuan Zhengxuan knew that Tang Xiu would not lie and speak such big words since his wife and son were once rescued by him as well. He was also perfectly aware that saving people was like fighting the fire, thus he immediately said, ¡°Tang Xiu, is the place somewhere I can help you with?¡±


    ¡°My friend got in an accident in Kanas,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Sigh, then I can¡¯t help you.¡± Yuan Zhengxuan sighed. He immediately shook his head and forced a smile, saying, ¡°I don¡¯t have anything in the Western Region that¡­ Wait a sec.¡±


    As he spoke half of the sentence, Yuan Zhengxuan suddenly grabbed his mobile phone and quickly searched a certain number, and then quickly dialed it. After talking a few words with the other party, he hung up and looked at Tang Xiu, ¡°Record this phone number. He¡¯s called Jie Walie, my former comrade. Though we haven¡¯t been in touch for several years, his number is still active. I just told him on the phone that you¡¯ll call him directly when you have arrived in Kanas. He¡¯ll fetch you up at the airport.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Uncle Yuan.¡±


    Tang Xiu quickly wrote the number, grabbed his coat and rushed outside. He even called Mo Awu and told him to go back as he drove towards Blue City. On the way there, he made a few phone calls to his parents, Kang Xia, and the director of the research institute, Mo Yi.


    ****


    Blue City Airport.


    After Tang Xiu arrived there with Mo Awu and the others, he saw Shao Mingzhen and his six bodyguards in the terminal.


    ¡°Have you contacted them again, Brother Shao?¡± Asked Tang Xiu quickly.


    ¡°I have contacted them,¡± said Shao Mingzhen with a forced smile. ¡°Brother Miao¡¯s secretary said that she isn¡¯t clear about the cause either. She and the other two bodyguards were arranged to stay in Kanas Longquan Bay, while Brother Miao left with a group of people. But two days later, he ran away alone and said that his injury is very serious and said my name to his secretary before directly fainting. He has yet to wake up.¡±


    Tang Xiu could tell the seriousness of the matter and quickly asked, ¡°Have you bought the flight tickets for us?¡±


    ¡°I booked 12 seat tickets for all of you guys after I received your text. Now is two and half an hours from our flight departure time,¡± said Shao Mingzhen.


    Two and a half hours? It was too long!


    Tang Xiu then dialed his aunt¡ªTang Min¡¯s number and asked her to help arrange a passenger plane. In just seven-plus minutes later, the General Supervisor of Blue City Airport came to see him in person and told him and the others to wait for half an hour. After half an hour, an airliner without flight duty was taking them to the Western Region.


    Tang Xiu knew that the flight route rearrangement, all aspects of communication, refueling the plane, and the other series of procedures would take time, so he still tolerated with the waiting despite feeling worried and anxious. Miao Wentang was his friend as well as business partner, more so that he had once helped him, a favor he always remembered.


    4:20 PM in the afternoon.


    The passenger plane finally took off from Blue City Airport and flew to the Western Region. After landing in a certain airport in the Western Region Airport, the group changed planes midway and finally arrived at Kanas Airport at 9:50 PM.

 Chapter 657

    Chapter 657: The Schemed Miao Wentang


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The group of 19 people stepped out of the exit of the Kanas Airport. Tang Xiu then dialed the cell number Yuan Zhengxuan gave him, and after dialing it for the second time, a low and deep voice came out from the phone, ¡°Jie Walie speaking. May I know who I am speaking with?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu.¡± Tang Xiu directly told his name.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, my former platoon leader has already told me about you on the phone. Now I¡¯m waiting for you outside. You¡­ have you just come out of the Airport with a group of nearly 20 people? I just saw you.¡±


    As his voice faded away, a middle-aged man with a full beard appeared in front of Tang Xiu. There was a knife scar in his eyebrows and he looked so burly and tall that he looked like a bear, and was followed by two young men behind him who were similarly robust and tough.


    ¡°Are you Mr. Tang Xiu?¡±


    Tang Xiu ended the call, looked at Jie Walie and said, ¡°I am. Thank you for coming to pick us up so late.¡±


    ¡°The friends of platoon leader are this Jie Walie¡¯s friends as well.¡± Jie Walie shook his head and said with a smile. ¡°Anyways, welcome to Kanas. We have five SUVs parked outside.¡±


    Tang Xiu slightly nodded and introduced Shao Mingzhen to Jie Walie, and then the group quickly left afterward. After coming outside, everyone got on the cars, as the drivers were then instructed to stay behind under Tang Xiu¡¯s request.


    Inside the SUV at the forefront, Tang Xiu and Jie Walie sat in the backseat while Mo Awu drove the car and Shao Mingzhen took the front seat.


    ¡°Jie Walie, there¡¯s an urgent matter, that¡¯s why we came here in a hurry, so we need to get to Longquan Bay fast. We¡¯re not familiar with the state of the roads here, so I will have to trouble you to give us directions.¡±


    From Tang Xiu¡¯s identity and the rest, Jie Walie knew that these people were not ordinary, and therefore replied happily, ¡°No problem. It will take about three and a half hours to get to Longquan Bay from here. We¡¯ll arrive there by 12:30 in the middle of the night.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded without speaking. He could feel a valiant aura from Jie Walie. Even if such a tough aura was common from the people in this region, yet he was very familiar with the aura coming out from him; it was the kind of aura of death caused by doing a lot of killings. Therefore, he asked after hesitating a bit, ¡°Jie Walie, I¡¯m sure your identity is not ordinary since you can get five Wrangler SUVs in a short time like this. May I ask what business you do?¡±


    ¡°Gold mine,¡± answered Jie Walie with a smile.


    Shao Mingzhen, who was in the front seat, suddenly said, ¡°There should be no gold mines here in Kanas region as far as I know. Other than stockbreeding, the other developed industries are usually related to tourism. I once visited Kanas, and its geographical environment is very beautiful and boasts of many lakes; a good place for a relaxing holiday I may say.¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯re the platoon leader¡¯s friends, then I won¡¯t conceal it from you,¡± said Jie Walie with a smile. ¡°Kanas is indeed a great place for a holiday. On the surface, though, there are no gold mines here, but there are several small and very secretive private mines which belong to us¡ªthe miners. We¡¯re keeping the news about in check, thus there have been no problems so far.¡±


    Tang Xiu and Shao Mingzhen silently nodded and thought that the possibility was indeed very big. After all, there were a lot of things in the world that could not be exposed to the outside. Telling them about the existence of these gold mines to them¡ªstrangers was not easy for Jie Walie as one of the owners.


    ¡°Jie Walie, if you could heed to my advice, you may do any business and earn money, but it will be better to kill less, else you will have too much death qi around you, with which bad karma and many illnesses will follow. In the case bad luck were to emerge, there would also come some bloody retributions as well,¡± said Tang Xiu slowly after pondering for a moment.


    Jie Walie was taken aback and immediately squinted his eyes to observe Tang Xiu¡¯s face with scrutiny. After a long while, only then did he slowly reply, ¡°There¡¯s a Feng Shui master in the mainland who told me the same thing. Don¡¯t tell me young brother Tang Xiu is also good at it?¡±


    ¡°I just know a bit,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a casual tone.


    Jie Walie suddenly pointed to Mo Awu, who was driving, and said, ¡°This brother is not some ordinary layman either, right? I can feel a threatening atmosphere from him.¡±


    Mo Awu turned his head, smiled with his white teeth and said, ¡°You have good eyes, indeed. The number of people I¡¯ve killed exceeds three figures.¡±


    Hiss¡­ Jie Walie gasped for cold air, and the dread in his eyes turned a lot more intense.


    Tang Xiu knitted his brows and shouted in a deep voice, ¡°Awu, shut up!¡±


    Mo Awu¡¯s neck shrunk and dared not to say anything more.


    Turning to look at Jie Walie again, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him. He likes to brag. In fact, don¡¯t look at his stocky and sturdy figure, he doesn¡¯t even dare to kill a chicken.¡±


    Jie Walie was not a fool, how could he not tell that Tang Xiu was trying to conceal it from his expression? Though he was curious about the identity of Tang Xiu and the rest, he did not intend to inquire more. His former platoon leader was his savior who once saved his life, and the camaraderie between them was very deep, so he put down his own business at hand and personally came to fetch Tang Xiu and them.


    At Longquan Bay.


    The name was very beautiful, but the place was fraught with dangers. There were many lakes here, and also many swamps. If a non-native person from another region who did not know the Longquan Bay area was to rashly wander around the place to enjoy the beautiful scenery, they may meet their demise here.


    Therefore, even though tourism had been developed in Kanas, this place was still undeveloped and only a few people would come here.


    Longquan Village.


    There were only a handful of hamlets around the Longquan Bay, and the number of inhabitants in this village was less than 100 households, where Miao Wentang¡¯s secretary and his two bodyguards were guarding him.


    At 12:30 in the middle of the night, five SUVs arrived at Longquan Village and stopped outside the stockaded village. Just as Tang Xiu¡¯s men got off the car, one of Miao Wentang¡¯s bodyguards came out from the dark and hidden bushes.


    ¡°Mr. Shao.¡±


    That bodyguard knew Shao Mingzhen and immediately greeted him.


    Shao Mingzhen nodded at him and asked, ¡°Where is Miao Wentang?¡±


    The bodyguard glanced at Tang Xiu and the rest before pointing to the stockaded village and saying, ¡°We have arranged for Boss to stay here, I¡¯ll lead you to him.¡±


    A few minutes later, the group entered the stockaded village and came to the courtyard of the farmhouse where Miao Wentang was staying. As Shao Mingzhen strode into the front gate in a hurry, Tang Xiu stopped his pace, taking out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and handing one cigarette to Jie Walie.


    As an astute person, Jie Walie understood Tang Xiu¡¯s attitude and immediately said, ¡°I will not follow you inside, Mr. Tang. Just call me if you have something you need my help with.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for escorting us here, Jie Walie. The matter my friend has encountered here is very troublesome and may implicate you if you are to stay here. I know that you have a very good relationship with Uncle Yuan, but we will take care of these matters ourselves. If it¡¯s possible, I have to trouble you to leave four cars behind to us, too.¡±


    After thinking for a moment, Jie Walie nodded and said, ¡°Alright. Then we¡¯ll go back first.¡±


    As Jie Walie left with his two men, Tang Xiu quickly went inside. When he saw Miao Wentang lying in the bed, looking pale and his lips turned purple, he immediately reached out to grab his wrist.


    ¡°He¡¯s poisoned¡­ a very terrifying poison.¡±


    After the examination, Tang Xiu found that Miao Wentang was not only poisoned but also got bruises, scars, some places wounded by a sword, and there were also some more that seemed to be scratched by a beast¡¯s claws.


    Immediately, Tang Xiu took out the silver needle box and applied acupuncture treatment on him. At the same time, he injected his Primal Chaos Force to help him force out the poison. The poison was unfortunately too potent, so it took Tang Xiu a few hours before less than a half of the poison was discharged out of his body.


    Cough! Cough¡­


    Miao Wentang, who was previously unconscious, finally sobered up and coughed up blood. His eyes slowly opened and then become more focused. He struggled to sit after his vision fell on Shao Mingzhen and Tang Xiu, but the pain brought by his wounds and the weakness of his body didn¡¯t let him do so.


    Tang Xiu held him down and said, ¡°Brother Miao, your injury is very serious, and the poison in your body is very damaging to your internal organs. Fortunately, your cultivation is quite deep so the poison is suppressed for the time being. But I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to hold on for too long if you don¡¯t get a timely treatment.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Brother Tang has just helped you force out the poison, but it was still only a small amount of it. The rest will need to rely on yourself,¡± echoed Shao Mingzhen hurriedly.


    ¡°Thank you, Brothers.¡± Miao Wentang squeezed out a smile, yet it looked very ugly. His lips wriggled and his voice was very small.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at us like we are some kind of strangers and just tell us.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°Brother Miao, what exactly happened to you? Who injured you in this town and caused you to be in such a state?¡±


    There was a tinge of fear inside Miao Wentang¡¯s eyes as he replied with a bitter expression, ¡°It¡¯s the Western Nefarious Sangha and his Bloodthirsty Chiropterans. You must be very careful, Western Nefarious Sangha has a dreadful sorcery, and those two Bloodthirsty Chiropterans he raised are extremely difficult to deal with. Also¡­ be careful of that Golden Armored Zombie.¡±


    Tang Xiu and Shao Mingzhen exchanged bewildered looks. They did not know what monster Miao Wentang was talking about.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about them either, actually. I really got schemed this time. I brought a group of my men to come over and thought that I could make a big deal, and ended up encountering this Western Nefarious Sangha and Golden Armored Zombie. This Western Nefarious Sangha is the name that that bald monk calls himself, and that Golden Armored Zombie is like an ancient corpse possessing sentience, like a zombie.¡± Miao Wentang, who was now more relaxed, explained while using his True Essence to suppress the poison in his body.


    ¡°Who has schemed against you and exactly what was the business deal?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It was Grandma Shipo of the Miao tribe. She told me that there was a Night Orchid and an Aerolite Essence here. She told me that as long as I brought my Sky Sandstone then I could trade with the other party with these two things I need.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed and said in a deep tone, ¡°I warned you that you must not disclose anything about the Sky Sandstone, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°I made a pendant made of this Sky Sandstone, which Grandma Shipo of the Miao tribe took notice of,¡± said Miao Wentang with an astringent expression. ¡°In fact, what she was talking about was exactly this pendant.¡±


    ¡°People who can recognize the Sky Sandstone are never ordinary,¡± said Tang Xiu seriously. ¡°Once they have identified it, they will surely try to rob it with any means necessary. Brother Miao, you were too careless.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too late for me to regret it now, isn¡¯t it?¡± Said Miao Wentang. ¡°Everyone I brought with me were killed, and the Sky Sandstone pendant was also robbed, while I myself am¡­¡±


    Sigh¡­ Tang Xiu sighed and said with an easy expression, ¡°Brother Miao, what¡¯s important for you now is to heal yourself and discharge the poison. I will help you with that, and when your injury is healed, we¡¯ll go to confront this Western Nefarious Sangha together.¡±

 Chapter 658

    Chapter 658: There Must Be Something Strange About Things Going Wrong


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    After spending three days to heal himself, Miao Wentang¡¯s injuries were almost cured and the poison in his body was fully discharged. With the help of Tang Xiu and consuming two healing medicinal pills and half a bottle of Body Refining Liquid, he turned this misfortune into a blessing since his physical body became more formidable and his cultivation also faintly improved.


    As grateful Miao Wentang right now, it was Shao Mingzhen who was envious of him.


    ¡°Why wasn¡¯t it me who got injured?¡±


    While watching Miao Wentang performed a set of fists fast, perfect, and smoothly, Shao Mingzhen sighed with a sour tone. At this moment, Tang Xiu was simply like a treasure vault in his eyes¡ªa treasury vault with an endless number of treasures. He felt envious of Chen Zhizhong all of a sudden and even genuinely admired the man inwardly. With such a powerful Master like Tang Xiu, wasn¡¯t he highly likely to obtain many benefits, too?


    Miao Wentang wiped the sweat off of his face and grinned, ¡°Brother Shao, do you think it feels good to get injured so badly? I was just a shy close to death, even if it did turn into a blessing in disguise right now, I never want to go through this a second time.¡±


    ¡°Bwahaha!¡± Shao Mingzhen mockingly laughed at him and his eyes then fell on Tang Xiu, who came out of the house.


    Donning sportswear, Tang Xiu walked to the courtyard and said, ¡°It¡¯s about time, Brother Miao. Let¡¯s go to the place where you were attacked after we have a breakfast! Though we¡¯re not sure whether this Western Nefarious Sangha and Golden Armored Zombie are still there, we still must look for them. Redress not the enmity and you are a man no longer, so finding them is a must to let them pay the necessary price.¡±


    Miao Wentang shuddered inside as a tinge of dread flashed inside his eyes, and he replied with a helpless expression, ¡°Brother Tang, I know that you¡¯ve become very strong now, but the Western Nefarious Sangha is really too queer. He has all sort of despicable and shameless means that he puts out one after another endlessly, and his cultivation is also stronger than mine. And that Golden Armored Zombie, he did not even act but I still got a chill down my spine by only his aura. How about waiting for some more time? It¡¯s never too late for a man to take his revenge ten years later, so we¡¯ll come back to find them again when we become stronger, how about it?¡±


    Tang Xiu shot a deep gaze at Miao Wentang¡¯s eyes and realized that the man really did not want to face Western Nefarious Sangha and Golden Armored Zombie.


    Miao Wentang had¡­ succumbed to his fear.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s vision then landed on Shao Mingzhen and also found that the man nodded with a cautious expression. Eventually, he had to force a smile and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll follow the major vote since you two don¡¯t want to face them. Anyways, let¡¯s just have breakfast and leave!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± The two men nodded and did not speak more.


    ****


    Longquan Bay, at one lakeshore with gleaming water under the sunlight, two waterfowls flapped their wings and continually streaked toward the sky, hitting the horizon with all their momentum. Their reddish sharp eyes were two times bigger than that of ordinary waterfowls, with sharp talons that were slender and yet very sharp.


    Whoosh¡­


    A raging wind swept through as the two waterfowls streaked upward for tens of meters, dripping a few drops of blood, and its large feathers fell down before its trace was gone completely.


    ¡°YOU COURT YOUR DEATH, ZOMBIE!¡±


    A roar of rage came from a bald-headed monk sitting cross-legged on the shore. There were nine incense scars on top of his head, donned in a bright Kasaya, big round earrings decorated his ears, and a magical wand laid on his knees. A dreadful aura erupted from him and blotted out the sky toward the feathers.


    Hehehe¡­


    Amid a terrifying laughter, a humanoid monster appeared out of thin air donning a golden armor attire with a black cloth on his face that only exposed his eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so stingy, Western Nefarious Sangha! Those birds are nothing but puppets. You can still control some more casually, right? Anyways, I¡¯m very hungry; I¡¯m starving. Maybe I can eat to the full if you give me that Sky Sandstone.¡±


    ¡°We are done with our trade!¡± Western Nefarious Sangha coldly snorted. ¡°This Sky Sandstone is mine. Scram and leave me alone if you know what¡¯s good for you, else don¡¯t blame for being rude.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s have a gamble. Isn¡¯t gambling what you like the most?¡± Golden Armored Zombie maniacally laughed. ¡°How about I tell you where that Miao guy is, and you give me this Sky Sandstone?¡±


    Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s face moved and looked at Golden Armored Zombie. Then he immediately sneered and shook his head, ¡°I¡¯ve seen tons of clever deceptions, but don¡¯t think to play me with this petty trick. However, if you lead me to that Miao guy and I get more Sky Sandstones from, I may share it with you equally.¡±


    The Golden Armored Zombie cried out in a strange voice and flew away, but a tiny voice was transmitted to Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s ears: ¡°Longquan Village.¡±


    ****


    Longquan Village.


    The ten SUVs started, but the people who boarded each car were few in number. Miao Wentang originally brought along more than 20 men with him, many of whom were experts he had fostered, but now there were only two bodyguards and one secretary left.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s leave this damned place,¡± spoke Miao Wentang with a deep sigh. He sat next to Tang Xiu and glanced at Shao Mingzhen on the front seat.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows pricked and said faintly, ¡°I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be easy for us to leave now.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Asked Miao Wentang with a confused and blank expression.


    ¡°There are things that we won¡¯t be able to hide in this world from,¡± said Tang Xiu faintly. ¡°We may be unwilling to find these people, and yet they actually came looking for us. Seems like entering the game where they die or we must perish is inevitable!¡±


    After saying that Tang Xiu pushed open the door and got off. As he walked forward for five-plus steps, his eyes then fell on the old man who waltzed through the entrance of Longquan Village.


    ¡°It¡¯s him!¡± Miao Wentang¡¯s expression changed greatly, and there was fear deep inside his heart as though he was currently facing an enemy who was preying on him.


    ¡°Amitabha, Benefactor Miao is really skillful. You¡¯ve been poisoned by this penniless monk¡¯s Seven Flowers Seven Insects Poison, and yet the poison was unable to kill you. Moreover, you turn out to have invited so many helpers as well, eh?¡± Western Nefarious Sangha spoke loudly with a contemptuous look.


    Stepping forward, Miao Wentang stood side by side with Tang Xiu and glared at him, ¡°You worked together with Grandma Shipo to trap me. I intended to let this go and was about to leave this place back to the mainland. Little did I think that you would be so aggressive and overbearing to even chase me here. Western Nefarious Sangha, do you really want to bully me so much?¡±


    ¡°Amitabha.¡± Western Nefarious Evil nodded and smilingly said, ¡°Benefactor Miao is indeed a good target to be bullied.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Miao Wentang was incensed and knew that today¡¯s matter would not end in an amicable way. He also did not want to endure it anymore, for he had a limit to the degree of anger he could restrain. More so that he was forced to this point and if worse came to worst, he would fight till they perished together. The instant he drew his sword, he already bolted towards the Western Nefarious Sangha.


    ¡°Golden Armored Zombie, I know what you have in mind, bastard. You must have a wishful thinking to earn a profit as the third party from this fight between me and them. This brat Miao is very easy to deal with, but there are still some brats who¡¯re not easy to handle here. If you don¡¯t show up, then I¡¯ll leave at once!¡± Keen and alert as he was, Western Nefarious Sangha could not tell how strong Tang Xiu was, making him secretly cautious inside. But the aura emitted by Shao Mingzhen was not weaker than Miao Wentang¡¯s, and the most notable thing was that this group of people felt very particular, as he could sense that half of them should be cultivators, more so that they seemed to be the kind of ruthless and fierce bunch.


    ¡°What skill! You¡¯re really too difficult to plot against!¡±


    Golden Armored Zombie came with his howl. When he saw Miao Wentang and Western Nefarious Sangha clashing, he immediately stood at the side and shook his head after sighing.


    Tang Xiu glanced at Shao Mingzhen and said, ¡°Go help Brother Miao. Leave this corpse to me.¡±


    Shao Mingzhen complied and flashed towards Western Nefarious Sangha.


    Obviously, Golden Armored Zombie could hear Tang Xiu¡¯s words as his eyes finally fell on him. He carefully scrutinized Tang Xiu, let out a strange laughter and said, ¡°What a spirited brat. But young as you are, even if you¡¯ve been cultivating since you were still in your mother¡¯s womb, how high would you¡¯ve gone, to begin with? Come, let this majesty give you 300 moves¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu stuffed his hand into his pocket and took out a porcelain bottle. He shook it toward Golden Armored Zombie and smilingly said with a ruminating look, ¡°Hey bogeyman, do you believe that I won¡¯t be able to take care of you?¡±


    Golden Armored Zombie waved his hand as a dazzling golden spear instantly shot towards Tang Xiu and his figure followed the instant after, appearing in front of Tang Xiu in the blink of an eye.


    The golden spear only pierced a shadow, but Golden Armored Zombie¡¯s fist struck Tang Xiu¡¯s left shoulder. His was extremely fast, and even if Tang Xiu avoided it to the best he could, his speed was slightly slower than his. However, at this moment, Tang Xiu flicked his finger and opened the porcelain bottle¡¯s lid as the liquid inside it brought about a corrosive stench and sprinkled on Golden Armored Zombie¡¯s body.


    Zi zi zi¡­


    The pungent stench of a corpse being corroded quickly spread out, and amidst the white smoke coming out from Golden Armored Zombie and despite him having an iron skeleton and copper skin body, he still let out a shrill scream. In just a short hundredth second, he had already escaped and streaked to the sky.


    Western Nefarious Sangha, who was facing Miao Wentang¡¯s and Shao Mingzhen¡¯s joint attacks, suddenly heard Golden Armored Zombie¡¯s miserable howl and immediately looked toward the other side.


    ¡°How is it possible? What kind of method that brat used to make that Golden Armored Zombie suffer such a great loss?¡± Western Nefarious Sangha was secretly shocked.


    ¡°I thought I would waste a lot of energy and effort to deal with you. Never thought that my conjecture was correct, that you¡¯re really afraid of the Body Dissolving Liquid. Hahaha¡­¡± Tang Xiu loudly laughed.


    As his voice faded away, he had already dashed towards Golden Armored Zombie. He wanted to kill him to seize his treasures, something he had done so many times before. And yet, he was really looking forward to this time. He found that Golden Armored Zombie had an Aerolite Essence hung on his waist.


    Aerolite Essence! It was a precious ore comparable to the Sky Sandstone that had an enormous effect to improve the immortal sword¡¯s intrinsic quality. Tang Xiu decided that he must obtain this Aerolite Essence and fuse it into his Bloodguzzler dagger so that it would be greatly enhanced. Moreover, it was also highly likely that it could turn into a spiritual device in a very short time.


    ¡°Awu, you must ensure their safety! I¡¯ll return immediately after I¡¯m done finishing Golden Armored Zombie.¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s voice sounded as his body was about to disappear in the sky.


    A cold expression painted Mo Awu¡¯s face. Though he and the ten experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall were still weak, he was ready to give his all even if he had to sacrifice everything to execute this order!


    ¡°Release your swords!¡± Mo Awu shouted loudly, as a longsword then appeared in his hand, followed by similar longswords also appeared in the other ten experts¡¯ hands.

 Chapter 659

    Chapter 659: Sword Formation¡¯s Might


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The latest addition to the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s project on fostering new powerhouses consisted of four aspects: magical arts, body enhancement, imperial swords, and a sword formation array. Since Gu Yan¡¯er had woken up from her comatose state, though the number of treasures in her interspatial ring was not much and neither did she have flying swords, she still took her time to refine dozens of flying swords herself in order to foster powerhouses belonging to the Everlasting Feast Hall. The dozens of flying words were then given to dozens of the most qualified experts among them.


    As for the sword formation array, it was taught by Ji Chimei, who developed four types of joint sword formation arrays: the Duo Sword Formation, the Four Phenomena Sword Formation, the Eight Apparatus Sword Formation, and the Infinite Heavenly Revolution Sword Formation.


    Because Tang Xiu needed a group of experts to accompany him, Gu Yan¡¯er personally ordered that all the ten experts who practiced the Infinite Heavenly Revolution Sword Formation be sent over.


    The moment Western Nefarious Sangha saw that Mo Awu¡¯s group of eleven had released their flying swords, his eyes instantly lit up. However, just as he pushed Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen back, not only did he not take the initiative to launch an attack, he also did not rush to attack Mo Awu¡¯s group, but poured a pile of ashes and then turned and flew to the distance.


    ¡°He¡¯s running away?¡±


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen exchanged dismayed looks. When they turned around and saw the flying swords held by Mo Awu¡¯s group of eleven they slightly furrowed their brows because they were sure that they were not carrying longswords before. Could it be that they possessed the so-called legendary interspatial ring?


    Eleven flying swords¡ªit was something that they dare not imagine at all. After all, they were perfectly aware of the situation revolving around the cultivator community in these modern times. Not only were they down and out and waning, but cultivators were also few in number. Who would be able to give eleven flying swords to his men at the same time?


    ¡°Mr. Miao, shall we pursue him or not?¡± Mo Awu moved toward the two men and asked.


    Miao Wentang hesitated for a moment before shaking his head and saying, ¡°Let it be! Western Nefarious Sangha is too strong and has countless means he has yet to use. Those two Bloodthirsty Chiropterans have yet to appear either. I¡¯m afraid we are still not his match even if I join hands with Brother Shao. Let us find Tang Xiu. That Golden Armored Zombie has a dreadful aura and I¡¯m afraid that Tang Xiu won¡¯t be a match for him.¡±


    A few minutes later.


    Western Nefarious Sangha had run away for dozens of miles. After discovering that no one was pursuing him, he rushed to a certain spot in the forested mountain. His figure then stopped under a towering tree, his old face painted with a cloudy and uncertain expression. He was not afraid of Miao Wentang since Grandma Shipo had told him everything about him already.


    He also had no fear towards the middle-aged man joining Miao Wentang to fight him because that man¡¯s strength was pretty much the same as Miao Wentang¡¯s. He would definitely be able to kill them if he used his trump cards.


    However¡­ the appearance of those eleven flying swords was like a thunderclap that blasted inside his heart, even shocked him to the point of dread. It was eleven flying swords! And yet, those eleven cultivators who used them had just barely broken through to the Foundation Establishment Stage. What this implied? This meant that the young man who just pursued Golden Armored Zombie was definitely someone terrifying, he probably had a very terrifying influence behind him.


    The unknown was the most frightening!


    He thought that he already knew about all the cultivator circles, and yet, he suddenly discovered that there was an influence that had many flying swords¡ªa fact that raised fear inside him. He was born cunning in nature, low-key and cautious, and always scheming whenever he was tempted to go into action. Of course, it was also suitable to describe him as being timid and coward.


    ¡°These people¡­ what are their origins?¡±


    In his mind, Tang Xiu¡¯s face appeared once again. Those eleven cultivators who released flying swords were all obeying his orders, meaning that his status was definitely very high.


    ¡°Investigating the details of these people is a must. Knowing oneself and the others, only then will I be able to measure the degree of danger before going into action.¡±


    ¡°I must get those flying swords, but I need to find the right time. Killing and robbing treasures must be wonderfully done in a clean manner so as to not leave trouble for the future.¡±


    ¡°I just hope¡­ Golden Armored Zombie can escape.¡±


    Western Nefarious Sangha grabbed a string of Buddhist beads, pinched them with his thumbs and chanting a prayer in silence. Golden Armored Zombie was a powerful figure who came out from an ancient tomb in a Demonic Yin land of a certain place in the Western Region. Although they had been fighting for nearly a hundred years, they had always joined hands whenever they had to confront their enemies. Many times they had collaborated to fight their enemies, thus creating a particular attachment to one another.


    High up in the air, above a certain place of Longquan Bay where most of the area was wetlands, Tang Xiu held the Bloodguzzler Dagger backhandedly. Each time he brandished it, a blade light was released and hit Golden Armored Zombie¡¯s body hard, yet even if his body was hacked by the blade light, it was only able to leave a white mark and sparks that flew to all directions. Only the parts of Golden Armored Zombie¡¯s body that were sprinkled by the Body Dissolving Liquid did the blade light inflict some damage.


    ¡°You can never escape, Golden Armored Zombie. Your only choice is to be obedient and let yourself be caught without putting up a fight.¡± Tang Xiu was in a high spirit to fight, whereas Golden Armored Zombie was constantly dodging and avoiding his slashes.


    Golden Armored Zombie¡¯s eyes were bloodshot and full of hatred as he tried to avoid with difficulty. He occasionally seized the opportunity to counterattack once or twice. His speed was fast, yet Tang Xiu was not much slower than him either. The most notable thing of all was that Tang Xiu¡¯s combat experience was very rich, and he was as though able to predict the trajectory of each of his attacks in advance.


    ¡°WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?¡± Roared Golden Armored Zombie furiously.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to care who I am.¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°What I can tell you is that, as long as you choose to surrender, not only will I not kill you, I¡¯ll also bestow you a huge opportunity. However, I want your Aerolite Essence.¡±


    Golden Armored Zombie felt so chagrined. His speed was a bit faster than Tang Xiu¡¯s, yet what depressed him the most was that his sharp claws that swept Tang Xiu¡¯s body did not even leave any trace of injury on him. He even suspected that Tang Xiu was not really human. Why was his body so strong to such a frightening state otherwise?


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    A group of shadows came dashing like a whooshing gale. Golden Armored Zombie felt a bad premonition after seeing those shadows. According to reason, even if Western Nefarious Sangha was not able to kill all those people, he would not be killed by them either, would he? But still, how come he had yet to catch up with him until now?


    ¡°Blood Ocean!¡±


    Golden Armored Zombie finally released his trump card. His sharp claws tore open his forehead and a dazzling drop of golden blood instantly shot out. In just one-plus seconds, the golden blood burst out and formed a billowing blood-red tide that surged forward.


    Tang Xiu could keenly feel the terrifying energy contained in the blood tide, yet he did not look panicked in the face of death and sneered instead, ¡°Golden Armored Zombie, you chose not to accept defeat until the end, eh? Fine! Watch how I break you killing move!¡±


    Imperial Thunderblast!


    He pointed the Bloodguzzler Dagger straight at the sky, and instantly, a terrifying aura came down along with the sound of a Dao mantra spell being chanted. Just as Golden Armored Zombie¡¯s expression changed greatly, a lightning blitzed down into the blood tide. At the same time, Tang Xiu waved his arm to conjure his True Fire Art and layers of flames of tens of meters high True Fire blazed out of thin air and shrouded the entirety of the blood tide.


    ¡°Lightning and True Fire spells?¡±


    The complexion of Golden Armor Zombie changed so drastically that he looked tragic. Fear arose inside his heart in an instant. He was an ancient corpse, and what he feared the most was exactly Lightning and True Fire. What he was great at was not his magical power but his physical strength, to begin with.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you! I¡¯ll give the Aerolite Essence to you!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression was joyful as he instantly caught the Aerolite Essence thrown by Golden Armored Zombie and straightly stored it into his interspatial ring after checking it. As he looked at the blood tide, the tide rolled back and contracted before turning into a golden liquid in the blink of an eye and shooting into Golden Armored Zombie¡¯s forehead. Only then did Tang Xiu retract his technique.


    ¡°You will be thankful for this decision.¡±


    After Tang Xiu snorted coldly, he quickly took out a piece of jade and made it into a jade slip. Then, he recorded a type of cultivation technique into it, after which his finger pointed and released it as it turned into a stream of light that went toward Golden Armored Zombie, ¡°This is the primary cultivation technique of the Corpse Smelting Lineage. Take this and cultivate it well, and then you¡¯ll be able to reach the Nascent Corpse Stage. If you want the following content of this cultivation technique, you can go to Shanghai to look for me.¡±


    The primary cultivation technique of the Corpse Smelting Lineage that could reach the Nascent Corpse Stage?


    Golden Armored Zombie released his spiritual sense into the jade slip in his hand. After reading the entire chapter of cultivation technique inside it, his stocky figure trembled violently and his heart was shaken out of ecstasy. He was an ancient zombie with sentience and intelligence and had been fumbling about for two hundred plus years. It was only decades ago that he finally found himself a cultivation technique which drove him to go all out to absorb nefarious Yin energy and seek an ancient tomb to absorb corpse energy until he possessed the strength he currently had.


    This cultivation technique was simply tailored for himself. He could not imagine how formidable his strength would be in the future if he was to cultivate according to this cultivation technique.


    ¡°Thank you very much, Immortal Master.¡±


    Golden Armored Zombie knelt on one knee and spoke to Tang Xiu with a grateful expression.


    ¡°I¡¯m giving you this cultivation technique in exchange for the Aerolite Essence you gave me,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°But remember, regardless of how powerful you are in the future, you must never bring calamity to ordinary humans, neither are you allowed to do evil things, else I¡¯ll send someone to exterminate you even if your cultivation has reached the Peak of Nascent Soul Stage.¡±


    ¡°It will never happen!¡± said Golden Armored Zombie hurriedly.


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang!¡±


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen flew over and shouted in a deep voice as they looked at Golden Armored Zombie with hostility.


    Tang Xiu lightly smiled to them and said, ¡°What about Western Nefarious Sangha?¡±


    ¡°He ran away,¡± said Shao Mingzhen with a regretful expression. ¡°I don¡¯t know what was the reason, but after Mo Awu and the rest used the sword formation array, he just glanced at them and immediately fled.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression turned fierce and quickly looked at Mo Awu and the rest. His face changed greatly when he saw the flying swords in their hands. He took a deep breath and immediately looked at Golden Armored Zombie, and then spoke in a heavy tone, ¡°I want to know the identity and background of this Western Nefarious Sangha, along with all the methods he possesses. Also, I must know where his nest is!¡±


    Upon hearing the question, Golden Armored Zombie immediately poured out everything he knew about Western Nefarious Sangha and finally said, ¡°The distance from here to Longquan Swamp is only several tens of kilometers, and his Immortal Abode is there.¡±


    ¡°Golden Armored Zombie, I want Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s life. What do you think about this?¡± Asked Tang Xiu coldly.


    Hesitating for a while, Golden Armored Zombie then glanced at the jade slip in his hand before looking at Tang Xiu and finally saying, ¡°I¡¯ll turn a blind eye and a deaf ear. This is all I can do.¡±

 Chapter 660

    Chapter 660: Reinforcement


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen looked at each other in dismay. Never once had they ever thought that Tang Xiu could have such a queer cultivation technique. This Golden Armored Zombie¡¯s current strength was already very terrifying. If he was to practice that cultivation technique, how powerful would he be in the future?


    Wasn¡¯t this akin to raising a tiger only to court a disaster upon yourself in the future?


    Though they were very concerned about it inwardly; however, they did not have any courage to object at all. They could only exchange looks with forced, bitter smiles in silence.


    When they landed on the ground, Tang Xiu straightly said, ¡°Golden Armored Zombie, you also know that the Western Nefarious Sangha is very strong, thus I request that you to stay with us for the time being so that you can see him be killed by our hands.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ alright.¡± Golden Armored Zombie hesitated for a moment before complying. Though he had gained sentience and wisdom many years ago, his ability in scheming and trickery was always inferior to the humans¡¯. He could not see through Tang Xiu¡¯s true intentions at all.


    Tang Xiu requested him to stay with them, on the one hand, was because he was afraid that he would secretly notify Western Nefarious Sangha that he planned to kill him. On the other hand, he wanted to display a show of force, to make the Golden-Armored Zombie see how much power he had. On the way back to Longquan Village, Tang Xiu phoned Gu Xiaoxue and told her that he wanted Light and Dark to come over as fast as possible.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t plan to bring Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen to kill the Western Nefarious Sangha, because he could judge from their words and behavior that they had yet to recognize that the swords in the hands of Mo Awu¡¯s group were flying swords. He had inquired Mo Awu about this matter in secret and learned that when Mo Awu and the rest released their flying swords, Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen were in an intense combat with Western Nefarious Sangha, and the subordinates of the two men should have not noticed their actions when they released their flying swords.


    In the courtyard.


    Tang Xiu could see Miao Wentang¡¯s and Shao Mingzhen¡¯s faces, wanting to speak but hesitating. After pondering about it, he could understand what they had in mind and slightly smiled, ¡°Two Brothers, I know what¡¯s making you concerned and worried. Western Nefarious Sangha is someone who stops nothing in doing all sorts of evil, and he has probably been a disaster for the ordinary people as well. Even if there was no incident this time, I would still try to exterminate him. However, our present strength is not enough, and our chance of killing him is very slim even if we are to join forces.¡±


    ¡°Then, what¡¯s your plan?¡± Asked Miao Wentang quickly.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for people to help us,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Who?¡± Asked Miao Wentang, looking confused.


    ¡°I know that you two are curious, Brothers.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°But it¡¯s not yet the time to tell you. We must kill Western Nefarious Sangha, but you two cannot participate in this. The people I invited have a very strange temper, they don¡¯t want to communicate with any strangers. Just wait for a couple of days, and then I promise to show you the result a few days later.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen had no choice but to suppress their curiosity and no longer asked about this matter. Tang Xiu was very thorough and methodical in doing things, something they were perfectly aware of, thus it made them feel reassured. Although they aware that Tang Xiu said that ¡°Western Nefarious Sangha was someone who had done all sorts of evil things¡± as a kind of excuse, yet they did not say much about it.


    Two days later.


    Tang Xiu left Longquan Village with Golden Armored Zombie. Just as he drove the car out of the village, two figures silently appeared.


    ¡°Brother Miao, it seems like what we know about Brother Tang is still too little, sigh!¡± Sighed Shao Mingzhen with a forced smile.


    ¡°I already thought that he was very mysterious back when we first met him in the Everlasting Feast Hall.¡± Miao Wentang nodded. ¡°Though I¡¯ve always been wanting to unveil all his secrets, he kinda gives me a feeling that I won¡¯t be able to do so. Needless to say about that though, speaking about his strength, isn¡¯t now only more than half a year from then? Yet his cultivation progressed so rapidly that he now has unexpectedly surpassed us. This is simply unfathomable!¡±


    Shao Mingzhen nodded and said, ¡°Yeah! The methods he showcased when he combated Golden Armored Zombie, especially those two spells¡ªit¡¯s like the forbidden art we used¡­ No, it¡¯s wrong. We¡¯re probably unable to unleash such a might even if we use our forbidden arts.¡±


    Miao Wentang was silent for a while. He then patted Shao Mingzhen¡¯s shoulder and firmly said, ¡°Everyone has secrets, and since Tang Xiu is unwilling to tell, let us not inquire deeper into it. Shortly put, we must get closer to him in the future, then I¡¯m sure we can get many benefits from him too.¡±


    ¡°Copy that!¡± Shao Mingzhen firmly nodded.


    About a dozen kilometers from Longquan Village, an off-road car was parked on a dirt road. Mo Awu stayed on the driver seat and did not get off the car, whereas Light and Dark were standing in front.


    ¡°Grand Master!¡± Light and Dark cupped their fists and reverentially called out.


    Tang Xiu nodded with a happy expression and glanced at Golden Armored Zombie nearby, whose stance was on guard against enemies, and faintly said, ¡°They are my juniors, so you don¡¯t have to show such an appearance. Though you have been cultivating the cultivation technique from Corpse Smelting Lineage over these two days and the small result you obtained faintly improved your strength, these two can easily kill you if they join forces.¡±


    Golden Armored Zombie nodded with a cautious expression and said, ¡°They are indeed very strong. I can feel a terrifying force hidden inside their bodies.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s go! To look for Western Nefarious Sangha,¡± said Tang Xiu with a slight smile.


    ¡°Can you really not spare him?¡± Golden Armored Zombie looked hesitant. ¡°Immortal Master, you don¡¯t see me as a zombie yet you can do that to me, but why can¡¯t you give him a chance to forsake his evil ways and return to the right path? I¡¯m sure that if he faces the choice between death or submitting, he will definitely choose the latter.¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and said with indifference, ¡°Judging from Wester Nefarious Sangha¡¯s character, I¡¯m afraid that it won¡¯t be so easy to make him submit. Even if he does choose to submit, it would be nothing but a temporarily retreat, and it will be highly likely that he will betray me in the future. Thus, the best choice I can think of is to weed out the roots and stamp out the source of trouble.¡±


    ¡°Immortal Master, Western Nefarious Sangha actually has small courage. Though he often does shameless things, if you show him absolute strength or methods to destroy his trump cars, I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t dare to betray you.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a timid man?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s face was strange as he looked at Golden Armored Zombie in surprise. He could tell that this zombie did not seem to be lying to him.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see!¡± Replied Tang Xiu lightly and went straight back to the car.


    The two SUVs then quickly drove toward the Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s nest. From here to the destination was still a dozen miles away, and because there was no road ahead, Mo Awu stayed behind to guard the cars while Tang Xiu led Light and Dark flying toward the destination with Golden Armored Zombie.


    Longquan Swamp. It was a quiet place in the deep valley surrounded by mountains on the four sides. The lowest elevation of the four peaks was about 500 to 600 meters high, whereas the highest mountain peak was nearly a kilometer, and Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s Immortal Abode was located exactly on the mountain pathway halfway to the highest peak. When the four people landed on the flat ground in front of the entrance of his Immortal Abode, Tang Xiu sighed, ¡°This is really a good place to seclude yourself from the world. There¡¯s also a spiritual vein here that¡¯s simply a blessed land for cultivators.¡±


    Golden Armored Zombie then whispered, ¡°I have never been inside. Western Nefarious Sangha is a very cautious man, and he usually meets me here outside. He once told me that he has set up layers of traps in his Immortal Abode, and said that my chance to survive would be not more than 30% if I were to rashly intrude inside.¡±


    Tang Xiu pricked his brows up. He flicked his arms and released the Bloodguzzler Dagger and bombarded it onto the leafy wooden door. As the sawdust splashed and scattered around, he had already stepped into the cave¡¯s door.


    ¡°Destroy!¡±


    Tang Xiu took two Lightning Symbols and two Raging Flame Symbols at the same time and the spell flashed through the passage in front. Inside the 100-meters-long passage, all sorts of traps were completely ruined and an extremely simple defensive array was shattered, creating a loud noise.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    At the depths of the hundreds of meters cave, there was a space at the size of a regular football field with various carved stones and statues standing erect. Under the illumination of various lights, the place was so imaginary and illusory that it felt like a dream. A small stream ran through the space of the cave and flowed through it, unknown where its destination was.


    ¡°Interesting! He¡¯s even using generators to generate electricity here.¡±


    Tang Xiu cast a glance toward the inside of Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s cave. And his eyes then moved to the scenery illuminated by the lanterns inside the cave. When he saw the ground about ten meters deep below, he actually found twelve beautifully carved stone statues, making his eyes instantly squint.


    ¡°Using these stone statues to lay out an array, and the method used is much more profound than the defensive array outside. The might it possesses seems to be much bigger as well. Well, this Western Nefarious Sangha does have some abilities, eh?¡± Tang Xiu secretly thought to himself.


    Western Nefarious Sangha took the lying magic wand and bolted toward Tang Xiu and the others like a sharp sword. After he clearly saw them, his face drastically changed. He glared at Golden Armored Zombie and shouted, ¡°Did you bring them here? Are you betraying me?¡±


    ¡°You should have heard the saying that one must bow their heads under the eaves, right, Western Nefarious Sangha?¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°Golden Armored Zombie didn¡¯t want to die, so he told me everything I wanted to know. Of course, he also paid a price, like that Aerolite Essence he gave me.¡±


    ¡°WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?¡± Growled Western Nefarious Sangha.


    ¡°Who I am is not important. But the fact that you have discovered some of my secrets is what is important. So, you must die,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    When Western Nefarious Sangha thought better about it, he then realized as to what secrets Tang Xiu was mentioning. Tang Xiu¡¯s personal strength was very strong, and it seemed that Light who followed behind him was not weak either. They were able to defeat Golden Armored Zombie, thus they were highly likely to be able to do the same to him. Though he had a deadly trump card, yet it was hard to say who would live or die.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you the Aerolite Essence and I¡¯ll swear to keep your secrets in the dark, but all the grievances between us will be written off. How about it?¡±


    ¡°It seems that Golden Armored Zombie was right. You¡¯re timid and cowardly.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°However, you¡¯re the Western Nefarious Sangha, who would believe your vow or words, huh? In my eyes, only dead men tell no tales, then no secrets would be revealed for eternity.¡±


    Just as Tang Xiu¡¯s voice faded away, Light, donned in a white attire, had appeared in front of Western Nefarious Sangha in an instant, and his flying sword was instantly brandished, as layers of sword images emerged out of thin air and enveloped the bald monk from every direction. Each of these sword images was full of a swift and sharp aura.


    ¡°BREAK!¡±


    Western Nefarious Sangha waved the magic wand in his hand down, and the wand¡¯s shadows created layers of black mist to billow out and strangle the sword images. At the same time, his other hand patted the sackcloth on his waist and suddenly, two balls of flames blazed out and then transformed into two Bloodthirsty Chiropterans the size of a Northern Goshawk.


    Whoosh Whoosh¡­


    Two Bloodthirsty Chiropterans swayed their wings as a sea of flames boiled the air.

 Chapter 661

    Chapter 661: As Terrifying and Dreadful As It Is


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    With his Golden Core Stage cultivation, Light was much stronger than Western Nefarious Sangha, and his flying sword was like being assisted by a spirit. Strike upon strike was dished out, stirring and smashing Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s magic wand. The moment the monk spurted out blood, the sea of flames was pierced through by the flying sword as it hacked the two Bloodthirsty Chiropterans afterward.


    ¡°Come back!¡±


    Western Nefarious Sangha was so frightened that his soul almost flew away. He hastily rushed to collect the two Bloodthirsty Chiropterans the moment those sword images hacked them and then retreated back into the middle of the stone inscriptions and statues. His hands kept conjuring seals and, with his blood as the guide, he activated the array in the blink of an eye.


    ¡°You¡¯re indeed very strong! Strong enough to make me feel inferior. But this array of mine originates from an ancient scripture I¡¯ve studied. Back when those powerful Eight Buddhas attacked me for seven days and seven nights, they were unable to break it in the slightest. This array even injured the seven of them to the essence, so they had to retreat in defeat. Come inside and kill me if you have the ability,¡± furiously shouted Western Nefarious Sangha as he glared at his opponent. He was pained due to his magic weapon being destroyed.


    Light hesitated. He was confident that he could break this array by unleashing a mighty move, and yet he could not put it to use either. Despite possessing Golden Core Stage power, the chances that he could escape once the whole mountain collapsed were slim. More so that Tang Xiu was still here.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a skill not worth to speak of!¡±


    A sneering comment came from Tang Xiu as he gave a look of ¡°don¡¯t be impatient¡± to Light, and then floated to the front of the array. His hands kept conjuring seals in the air, as the previously invisible and colorless light curtains of the array then swayed all of a sudden the moment after. As the ripples appeared and surged forward, a faint traces of cracks emerged.


    ¡°Destroy its base!¡±


    A silver needle suddenly shot out from Tang Xiu¡¯s hand. The moment it penetrated through the crack, it hit the rock at the feet of Western Nefarious Sangha and easily pierced it.


    BOOM¡­


    The array instantly shattered and the light curtain vanished in the blink of an eye. Even the twelve stone statues exploded at this moment, broken by the explosion and scattered around.


    After retreating several meters, Tang Xiu waved his hand to block the spattered stones and gravel as he looked at the horrified Western Nefarious Sangha and said, ¡°Maybe I would not be able to figure out much if you were to use other methods, but you¡¯re still worlds apart if you want to play with me on arrays.¡±


    Western Nefarious Sangha retreated tens of meters back. As he raised his hand to wipe the blood off of the corner of his mouth, he stared intently at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°I¡¯m really baffled. You can arm each and every subordinate of yours with flying swords, indicating that you or some of your men are proficient in arrays since you would need to lay out an array to aid in refining flying swords. I won¡¯t hide it from you. This array is only one of my many deadly trump cards, and I still have another that I have yet to use. Of course, I¡¯ll tell you something. The second trump card of mine is a method that will make me perish with you. Even if I can kill you, I¡¯ll also die here.¡±


    Tang Xiu slightly knitted his brows and looked at the monk with a chilling cold expression. Suddenly, he smiled and said, ¡°Do you think you really can unleash your final trump card?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s heart jolted and his pupils contracted in an instant. His strong figure stiffly moved several meters away in a flash as a flying sword suddenly appeared out of the blue and swept toward the spot where he just stood. Following which, a black silhouette emerged a dozen meters away from him and threw away his arm.


    ¡°BLOODY HELL!¡±


    Western Nefarious Sangha roared curses. A pungent green mist spread out from his armpit and the rolling green mist turned into a pair of arms, pulling his chopped arm back directly. While hastily avoiding the sword light that came shooting fast at him, he pressed the arm into its original place.


    Dark, who wore a black robe and black mask, was twice faster than Western Nefarious Sangha. Even though the monk tried to avoid, the sword light still swept past his back and inflicted a long, bloody wound.


    At this time, Light¡¯s figure shot forward like an artillery shell and launched a strike on the other side of Western Nefarious Sangha. Attacking and killing this monk alone would take some effort, but with the two combining their forces, their strength greatly soared in an instant. The two flying swords hovered in the air, blooming sword lights that looked like Lotus flowers. The dense and numerous sword lights then transformed into a giant dragon that flashed towards Western Nefarious Sangha.


    ¡°Demonic Flame Sarira!¡±


    Western Nefarious Sangha released a dark, ball-like Sarira with a black flame burning around it. After he forced out a mass of blood essence, the black flame instantly turned into balefire and enveloped the dozens of meters of the area around him in the blink of an eye.


    A miniature version of the Black Sarira appeared out of the blue and turned into a Black Dragon in a flash as it shot toward the Sword Dragon.


    BOOM¡­


    The Black Dragon was smashed and scattered, but the power of the Sword Dragon drastically plummeted and even showed signs of collapsing. However, under Light and Dark¡¯s control, the Sword Dragon still flushed toward Western Nefarious Sangha.


    ¡°Escutcheon of Destruction!¡±


    The moment Western Nefarious Sangha had blood flowing out of his seven orifices, a black shield was released from his body to the front and guarded him. The Sword Dragon then hit the shield. Cracks appeared on the shield¡¯s upper layer, yet it was not completely destroyed like his magic wand but blocked the Sword Dragon before it hit Western Nefarious Sangha.


    Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s body was like falling leaves as the monk heavily slammed onto the walls of the cave dozens of meters away and crashed down loudly. Blood spurted out from his mouth at this time, as he gained a deathly pale complexion.


    ¡°You¡¯re good for being able to block our joint strike!¡±


    Light¡¯s feet stepped in the air and returned to his flying sword; he seemed like he was going to fly toward Western Nefarious Sangha yet again.


    Golden Armored Zombie, who stood at the entrance of the cave, had been paying attention to the situation inside. Never once had he dreamed that Light and Dark would be so formidable, neither did he expect that after they joined forces the two could unleash such a terrifying power.


    If it was him who got attacked by them, then¡­ just one strike a while ago would destroy the powerful body he was always proud and the only path opened for him would be death!


    One strike of their collaborated power was enough to kill and smite him to smithereens!


    At this moment, Golden Armored Zombie suddenly felt very lucky inwardly, feeling fortunate that he did not continue to become Tang Xiu¡¯s enemy, else he would have already died now, wouldn¡¯t he?


    A glint flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. He raised his hand and shouted, ¡°Light, Dark. Spare his life for now.¡±


    Light stared for a moment and instantly stopped, while Dark released black smoke and her whole figure disappeared.


    Tang Xiu treaded forward in the air and came to the front of Western Nefarious Sangha, and said, ¡°You have endless cards up your sleeves, and also have many treasures as well. However, I can see that you¡¯re very afraid of death. You¡¯re still unwilling to resort to perishing together with us even at this most essential moment. Such being the case, I¡¯ll give you a chance to preserve your life.¡±


    Severely wounded as he was at present, Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s body was battered by hundreds of sword lights, but he temporarily sealed his wounds with his True Essence to stop the bleeding. He was even secretly prepared to use that last deadly trump card if Light and Dark attacked him again. Tang Xiu¡¯s words, however, gave him a feeling of going from hell to heaven.


    ¡°Under what conditions?¡± Western Nefarious Sangha got up in an instant with his back leaning on the mountain wall.


    ¡°You know my secrets, but I can¡¯t trust you enough considering your character,¡± said Tang Xiu slowly. ¡°In this case, I must control your life and death so that you can preserve your puny life. As long as you ease your soul and let me cast a ban on it, not only can you stay alive, there will also be great benefits for you in the future.¡±


    With contracted pupils, Western Nefarious Sangha suddenly asked in astonishment, ¡°Do you know the method to rule one¡¯s soul?¡±


    ¡°You actually know about it?¡± Interjected Tang Xiu, astounded.


    Western Nefarious Sangha let out a wan smile and said, ¡°The ancient scripture I obtained has a record about it. One who gets controlled by it can only become a puppet. The reason why I fought Golden Armored Zombie four numerable times is that I wanted to use this Soul Ruling technique on him. But it¡¯s a pity that my strength is slightly inferior to his, so I was unable to make it come true even if I had lots of cards up my sleeve.¡±


    ¡°The Soul Ruling technique you described is different from mine.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°The Soul Ruling Spell I will use will only cast a seal on your soul, with which I can decide your death with a thought if you dare to betray me. You will still retain your intelligence and freedom to do whatever you wanna do just like before.¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡­ you really will do that to me?¡± Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s expression changed and he stared intently at Tang Xiu, trying to see whatever hints were there.


    ¡°You¡¯ll die now if I will it so. Don¡¯t think that you still have means to perish together, for you have yet to see what means I have,¡± said Tang Xiu straightforwardly. ¡°Now, you only have two roads ahead. The first one is for you to submit to me and have the seal cast on you, whereas the second one is death. I have countless ways to kill you and ensure myself to be safe and sound.¡±


    Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s expression was constantly changing. He did not know whether he should believe in Tang Xiu, and yet he was afraid that there would only have the end of the road ahead of him if he was to refuse. He was in a dilemma and struggled inwardly for a long while before he eventually nodded and released his soul.


    With a faint smile, Tang Xiu quickly cast the Soul Ruling Spell on his soul. After finishing it, he said with satisfaction, ¡°One who knows to act according to circumstances is a wise one. Your life is in my hands from his moment onward, thus you must obey all of my orders unconditionally.¡±


    Western Nefarious Sangha could sense that his fate was controlled by Tang Xiu. But as things had already gotten to this point, so he could only sigh inwardly as he nodded and respectfully said, ¡°I will do everything you bid me do in the future.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing I want you to deal with for the time being.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand. ¡°You are to stay here and cultivate well. Also, I¡¯ll impart you a new cultivation technique that may help you to cultivate to the peak of Nascent Buddha Stage. I will contact you later if there¡¯s something I want you to do.¡±


    After saying that, he took out a jade slip and recorded a cultivation technique of the Buddhist school and then threw it to Western Nefarious Sangha, saying, ¡°My surname is Tang, Tang Xiu. The owner of the Everlasting Feast Hall, to where you must come every year to its HQ in Jingmen Island.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Western Nefarious Sangha nodded respectfully.


    While pointing at Golden Armored Zombie, Tang Xiu continued, ¡°You must not blame him, for I was the one who spared his life and gave him some benefits as well, so he was naturally willing to tell me about you. What I demanded from him is very simple, he¡¯s not allowed to hurt any ordinary person and I forbade him to kill and rob people for their possessions, which will also be the same thing I demand from you.¡±

 Chapter 662

    Chapter 662: Artificer


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Inside the spacious cave, a raging fire was burning under the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron, whereas Tang Xiu was standing in front of it and constantly throwing pieces of jade inside the cauldron and conjuring Daoist techniques and secret arts. Amidst the mysterious aura, the jades went through the process of liquefaction and formed various shapes according to the images inside Tang Xiu¡¯s mind: bottles, boxes, and buckets. All of them made of jade.


    While enduring the terrifying heat, Western Nefarious Sangha looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s every action, dumbfounded and tongue-tied. He watched as jade bottles, jade boxes, and a jade bucket flew out from the Demon God Soul Devourer Cauldron and then disappeared when Tang Xiu raised his hand.


    As a cultivator himself, he was naturally aware that cultivators possessed numerous means and magical abilities, though he himself was only able to arrange a simple array and cast several simple magical spells.


    Artificer refining techniques! It was the ability Western Nefarious Sangha had once dreamed of learning. However, he also knew that the refining techniques of Artificers were too abstruse. It would require one to have a good command in controlling True Fire, mastery on arrays, the knowledge on the uses of refining many materials, and many others. The comprehensive amalgamation of these abilities would be needed in order to successfully refine the devices or tools, and also the method to augment and amplify the might of the devices.


    ¡°It¡¯s nearly done.¡±


    A loud voice came from Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth. When the last piece of jade was thrown into the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron, his hands conjured a seal and, ten seconds after, the last one-foot-long and half-foot-wide jade box flew out from the inside and then was stored inside his interspatial ring.


    Inside the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron remained a lump of warm jade quintessence. After it floated in front of Tang Xiu, his hands quickly drew inscribing lines of an array, as visible light then connected to the dense jade quintessence lump, the pattern of the array constantly flowing into it.


    ¡°Aerolite Essence.¡±


    Tang Xiu quickly glanced at Western Nefarious Sangha and shouted in a deep tone.


    The monk suddenly snapped back to his senses and instantly threw a fist-sized Aerolite Essence to Tang Xiu. After Tang Xiu caught it, he threw it into the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron along with two fist-sized Sky Sandstones and with his last Star Fragment Stone.


    Time fleeted by.


    The Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron was faintly shaking after Tang Xiu threw the jade quintessence into it. The True Fire was blazing more intensely all of a sudden. After a long time burning, Tang Xiu waved his hand to remove the cauldron¡¯s lid while his body then rose and floated midair.


    The time to inscribe runes came. A glittering green flute flew out from the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron and Tang Xiu stretched his hand out to catch it. At this time, he released the Bloodguzzler Dagger and unceasingly inscribed exquisite and elegant patterns of a dragon and a dancing phoenix on the jade flute. The exquisite pattern of the Coiling Dragon and Phoenix then took shape, as either the five-clawed Dragon or the spread-wings Phoenix was so skillfully imitated and indistinguishable from the original as they were so lifelike.


    Quiver¡­


    As Tang Xiu carved the seal runes on the jade flute, an incomparably magnificent resplendent light immediately emitted out from it.


    Tang Xiu waved his hand to completely destroy the Raging Flame Symbol and put out the True Fire. After collecting the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron into his interspatial ring, he looked at the at jade flute in his hand that he just successfully crafted with a satisfied expression. It could only be considered as a magic treasure previously, but after he carved a special array of runes on it, calling it a magic flute was not an exaggeration, as the object gained magical power on its own.


    ¡°Western Nefarious Sangha, do you want to hear me play a song for you?¡± Tang Xiu turned around and asked with a smile.


    ¡°You will play me the flute? Alright¡­ I¡¯ll be listening.¡± Western Nefarious Sangha was surprised.


    Tang Xiu lightly smiled and melodious flute sounds floated out in an instant. The sound of the flute was very beautiful, fascinating, and mesmerizing; while the fluttering note seemingly had a magical force within, making Western Nefarious Sangha not help but be attracted to the flute¡¯s sound. His state of mind gradually relaxed, and along with a blurriness that covered his sight, the Immortal World was finally presented to him.


    Enthrallment. It was like an endless temptation, and Western Nefarious Sangha was pulled deeply to immerse himself within. His eyes were blurry and a smile was painted on his face. The wrinkles on his face were stretched out and a smile covered his old face.


    ¡°Demonic attack!¡±


    Tang Xiu shouted inwardly, and the melodious sound of the flute abruptly changed, from the previous mellow tone to a violent explosive gale. But in the eyes of Western Nefarious Sangha, that fairyland-like world instantly began to submerge. The shining golden light in the firmament was covered with black flames from all sides, and countless black fireballs containing destructive force continuously fell from the sky.


    The land shook, rivers flowed backward, and every beautiful thing in the world was reduced and scattered into fragments. Cracks were formed and expanded while the lava billowed upward; countless humans, birds, animals, and beasts were screaming, howling, as they were swallowed and smashed.


    Hideous and sinister Ashura looking monsters descended from the vault of heaven riding on the devastating black fireballs, carrying weapons and jumping down to smash all walk of lives all over the world.


    Corpses were littered on the ground and covered the land everywhere, while blood was flowing over the ground like rivers.


    Inside the world sketched and depicted by the flute¡¯s sound, Western Nefarious Sangha could only see his family and friends being either ruthlessly engulfed by the magma or killed more cruelly by the savage Ashura monsters. In front of him, there was only his former son remaining, who was about to be hacked by an Ashura monster¡¯s blade.


    Sorrow and grief; wrath and rage. The emotion swallowed him up like a tide. He raised his wand, wanting to protect his son. And yet, the world before his eyes abruptly changed and he could not move his raised hand.


    At this time, Tang Xiu stopped blowing the flute and watched the raging expression on Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s face. He folded his arms and smiled with indifference as he said, ¡°Well, the refinement of this magic weapon could be said as successful since its demonic sound can drag you deep into a phantasmagoric state. If there was someone around you at that moment, it would be very easy to kill you.¡±


    Was it all an illusion?


    Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s pupils contracted and his body shook. He staggeringly stepped backward and then looked at Tang Xiu with fear on his face, like he was seeing a ghost in broad daylight.


    That¡¯s right! If anyone wanted to kill me a while ago, I would never have the chance to detect them; even an ordinary person could have killed me.


    ¡°How did you do it?¡± Asked Western Nefarious Sangha with a bit dry voice. There was fear on his face.


    ¡°Playing the flute is nothing but a trivial skill, to be frank.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°What I played before is called ¡®The Song of Apocalypse¡¯. A Demonic cultivator who was proficient in music created this song after spending a lot of time and energy before finally composing the song. Anyways, forget it. You won¡¯t understand it even if I tell you more considering your current knowledge.¡±


    Western Nefarious Sangha gulped down and let out a hollow laugh with an embarrassed expression. He was already shocked to the point of dread ever since Tang Xiu and his two subordinates came here and unleashed their endless means. Needless to say about that young man and a young woman whose strength was at Golden Core Stage, Tang Xiu¡¯s refining techniques were enough to make him look up to them.


    Whoosh¡­


    A projectile made of stencil paper was shot at him. After Western Nefarious Sangha caught it, he looked at Tang Xiu in a surprised expression, ¡°What is this, Boss?¡±


    ¡°I borrowed your treasure to refine something, so it¡¯s only natural that I give you something in exchange.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°That is half of an Essence Amassing Pill; it can increase strength worth 30 years of cultivation. Unfortunately, I have no precious medicinal herbs, else I could easily refine one or two Essence Amassing Pills.¡±


    Half of this pill would add 30 years of cultivation?


    Western Nefarious Sangha was greatly shaken inwardly. His hand that held the Essence Amassing Pill was trembling. Although he had taken a lot of precious medicinal herbs such as Tianshan Snow Lotus, several hundred years old Fleece-flower Root, and nearly 1000 years old Spirit Affinity Mushroom¡­ yet, none of those medicinal herbs had the effect of increasing his cultivation by this much.


    ¡°What a treasure!¡±


    Western Nefarious Sangha stared at the Essence Amassing Pill in his hand with a fervent expression, and could not wait to immediately swallow it. However, with Tang Xiu present in front of him, he could only suppress the desire. He then said gratefully, ¡°Thank you so much, Boss.¡±


    ¡°Leave the ceremony out. There¡¯s no need to be overly courteous.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and smilingly said, ¡°I already told you that you will get many benefits as long as you really submit yourself to me wholeheartedly. Alright, it¡¯s about time I leave this place. I have stayed here for a couple of days already.¡±


    ¡°Boss, maybe I can give you some precious medicinal herbs if you need them,¡± said Western Nefarious Sangha hastily.


    ¡°Do you have precious herbs?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a surprised expression.


    ¡°Other types of objects are not many in existence in the Western Region, but we can find many precious herbs here,¡± said Western Nefarious Sangha. ¡°I have dug out a lot of precious herbs and planted them in a nearby cave. I usually take them as a medicated diet since I don¡¯t know anything related to alchemical techniques, though.¡±


    Tang Xiu was overjoyed and immediately said, ¡°Take me there to have a look, then.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Western Nefarious Sangha brought Tang Xiu out of the cave. He nodded at Light, who sat cross-legged in the cave entrance, and then flew toward the left side of the pathway halfway up to the mountain. A minute later, the two men arrived in front of the entrance to a dark cave. Just as Tang Xiu entered the cave, he was surprised and amazed to find six fist-sized Soul Tranquilizer Stones embedded on the ceiling of the cave, while the most ingenious thing here was a legendary Luminous Night Pearl placed in the center of those six stones, its bright milky white light illuminating the entire cave.


    ¡°No. That is not an ordinary Luminous Night Pearl. Is it¡­ a solidified Dragon¡¯s Eye?¡± Tang Xiu suddenly turned his head and asked in a deep tone, ¡°Is everything here arranged by you?¡±


    ¡°No, I did not arrange it.¡± Western Nefarious Sangha hurriedly shook his head. ¡°It was already like this when I found this place. I¡¯ve spent a lot of effort and used all sorts of ways I could think of to remove those special ores and that Luminous Night Pearl, and yet I failed every time. Since I found that the spiritual energy here is very rich, then I transformed it into a herb garden. You can see it for yourself. Those are herbs I planted. Some are from seeds I found while some others originated from other places and I transplanted them here.¡±


    Tang Xiu also saw that there were dozens of precious herbs planted in the over a thousand square meters of space in the cave, and all of them were very rare and precious herbs. What surprised him the most was that some of those herbs were several hundred years old and there were even two Millennium Wild Ginseng.


    ¡°Great. This is great.¡± Tang Xiu nodded with satisfaction. He waved his right hand and layers of qi uprooted dozens of the herbs and stored them in the jade box he just refined.


    Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s praise, Western Nefarious Sangha turned a bit excited. He looked at Tang Xiu with fervent eyes, wanting to get more concocted pills.


    ¡°Go to Shanghai two months later! I will give a few more concocted pills by then. That¡¯s right, I have a Holy Healing medicine here, I¡¯ll give it to you first!¡±


    After saying that, Tang Xiu threw the Holy Healing medicine to the monk.


    He did not take all the herbs planted in this cave since he could feel that the spiritual energy in this place was very rich and was very suitable for the growth of herbs.

 Chapter 663

    Chapter 663: Black Winterwood


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Though Tang Xiu tried all sorts of methods to remove the six Soul Tranquilizer Stones embedded on the ceiling of the cave, all of his efforts were for naught as the stones did not budge at all, and neither could the solidified Dragon¡¯s Eye in the center be taken. He finally conjectured that these six Soul Tranquilizer Stones and the solidified Dragon¡¯s Eye formed a peerless abstruse and mysterious array he could not figure out despite his deep knowledge and accomplishments in array formations.


    ¡°In life, something will be yours if it¡¯s meant to be yours. Otherwise, just let it be.¡±


    Tang Xiu sighed with a helpless expression and gave up while looking at the six Soul Tranquilizer Stones and the solidified Dragon¡¯s Eye. If Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s injury had not been healed, then he would not hesitate to level this mountain and take them. But now that Gu Yan¡¯er had been healed from her injury, though a Soul Tranquilizer Stone was an excellent treasure, he was not that eager to take it away.


    After leaving the cave, Tang Xiu did not go back to the Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s Immortal Abode. But he ordered the monk to keep an eye on Golden Armored Zombie and keep him in check to not do anything that could harm humans again before he left with Light directly, quietly followed by the concealed Dark. As the trio arrived at the place the SUV was parked, Mo Awu directly started the car and took them back to Longquan Village.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you¡¯re back!¡±


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen, who had been waiting for a few days, had already received from their men that their two SUVs had appeared outside Longquan Village, so they rushed out, and their expressions seemed just like they had a heavy burden lifted off their hearts.


    ¡°Relax! The problem is solved.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled. ¡°Brother Miao, that Grandma Shipo is Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s accomplice and they have been collaborating for nearly a hundred years, so you should not trouble yourself to go looking for her again. Regardless of anything, she and that monk will never dare to set their eyes on you anymore in the future.¡±


    Miao Wentang¡¯s face was blank. He could not understand what Tang Xiu said at all. After hesitating for a short moment, he asked, ¡°What exactly happened?¡±


    ¡°I planned to exterminate him, but it never crossed my mind that he was such a scaredy cat and was afraid of death so much. So I decided to spare him and used a special method to control him.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and explained. ¡°If anything, it can be said that I now control his life and death, thus he will never dare to have any bad intentions toward you again.¡±


    ¡°Western Nefarious Sangha has a very high cultivation, how come you¡¯re able to control him?¡± Asked Miao Wentang in a shock.


    Tang Xiu only smiled in response and did not elaborate. Although Miao Wentang was a friend and their relationship could be said to be very close, it was still not deep to the point that he would reveal his secrets.


    Various thoughts swirled inside Shao Mingzhen¡¯s mind. After seeing that Tang Xiu was unwilling to elaborate more on this matter, he immediately asked, ¡°Now that the problem is solved, are we going to leave this place?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at Miao Wentang.


    The latter hesitated for a while and then said, ¡°I need to go back to Haiqing Province since the matter has been resolved. A lot of my men who came with me here were killed, so I need to deal with their funeral arrangements.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded without speaking and asked if Shao Mingzhen was going to Blue City. Their group did not stay any longer and directly went to Kanas Airport.


    Outside the airport.


    Tang Xiu quietly put a jade box into Miao Wentang¡¯s pocket and whispered, ¡°I hope you don¡¯t feel upset since I spared Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s life. This is an Essence Amassing Pill. It can help promote your cultivation a level, so your trip here won¡¯t be for naught.¡±


    Miao Wentang¡¯s expression moved, and he realized that Tang Xiu did not want Shao Mingzhen to notice him giving him this concocted pill, thus he nodded with an unperturbed expression. He was indeed a bit vexed inwardly that Tang Xiu did not kill Western Nefarious Sangha and even recruited the monk to work for him instead. Though Tang Xiu saved his life, many of his men were killed; that was undoubtedly a huge loss in and of itself. This concocted pill that could increase his cultivation for a level, however, made that upsetting feeling vanish.


    Half an hour later, Miao Wentang took his secretary and two bodyguards to board the plane and left, while Shao Mingzhen took the plane and flew to Blue City afterward. Tang Xiu himself did not leave with them because there was still something he needed to do: return the favor from someone.


    As for Light and Dark who came later, Tang Xiu gave them all the herbs he obtained and told them to transport them back to Ji Chimei to be concocted. Following which he ordered them to leave.


    ¡°Hello, Jie Walie. It¡¯s Tang Xiu.¡± After sitting in the Wrangler SUV, Tang Xiu dialed Jie Walie¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Tang. What about your business? Is it done?¡± Replied Jie Walie with a smile.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s done, and those friends of mine have already left as well,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m on the way out of the airport to return your cars. Tell me your address, I¡¯m going to see you now.¡±


    The dirt road was muddy, grumpy with gravels, and they even had to pass through a dozen dilapidated bridges. After which, Tang Xiu and his men finally arrived at the place where Jie Walie told him: The Vaultgate Horse Ranch.


    ¡°Welcome, Mr. Tang!¡±


    Donning blue overalls and boots, Jie Walie was waiting for a long time, thus he warmly welcomed them along with the two tough men beside him.


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile and shook hands with him, saying, ¡°It would be uncouth If me if I didn¡¯t visit you before leaving Kanas, wouldn¡¯t it? Besides, though you helped me due to Uncle Yuan, this Tang Xiu always remembered this favor, Jie Walie. Please accept this gift, it¡¯s just a little token to show my respect to you.¡±


    The smile on Jie Walie¡¯s face became wider. After receiving the jade bottle handed over by Tang Xiu, he exclaimed in surprise, ¡°Wow, what a good thing! This is a beautifully carved fine jade. This one is definitely not ordinary craftsmanship. Mr. Tang, this gift is too expensive, I don¡¯t dare to accept it. The platoon leader will definitely curse me if he knows.¡±


    Isn¡¯t it just a jade bottle?


    Tang Xiu stared at Jie Walie with a strange expression and was nearly unable to restrain himself from laughing. He suddenly remembered the story about a man who bought a glittering casket and gave back the pearls to the seller and could not help but feel funny inside, though he still replied, ¡°Well, for you to call me Mr. Tang is like you think of me as a stranger, Jie Walie. If you don¡¯t mind, please call me Tang Xiu or Brother Tang.¡±


    Jie Walie quickly glanced at Mo Au and the eleven men behind Tang Xiu, as the smile on his face became even more brilliant. And yet, he did not retract his hand that received the jade bottle.


    ¡°Brother Tang.¡±


    ¡°Brother Jie.¡±


    Tang Xiu called him with the new address with a smile, and then said, ¡°Anyways, it is said that men regard others as strangers at the first meeting and friends the second time. We are now friends regardless of your relationship with Uncle Yuan! So, presenting a gift to a friend is what¡¯s supposed to happen, right?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Jie Walie could tell that Tang Xiu¡¯s identity was extraordinary. He even phoned Yuan Zhengxuan to inquire about his identity after seeing him. Yuan Zhengxuan, however, told him very little, only disclosing Tang Xiu¡¯s status as the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation. He could see the sincerity in Tang Xiu¡¯s expression as he nodded and said with a smile, ¡°Alright, then. I¡¯ll accept this gift. Thank you, Brother Tang.¡±


    ¡°Brother Jie, what I¡¯m gifting you is not exactly this jade bottle, but the thing inside it,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Jie Walie stared blankly. His face immediately turned red and awkwardly asked, ¡°Is there something else inside? What exactly is it?¡±


    After saying that, he then was about to open the bottle¡¯s cap.


    Tang Xiu stopped him and smilingly said, ¡°There¡¯s a drop of special medicine inside. Pour this drop of medicine into the water when you are taking a bath. It has a very good effect on improving your body. But remember, you will feel itchiness and pain while at it, so you must endure it.¡±


    Inwardly, Jie Walie was a bit unable to take the mystifying explanation from Tang Xiu seriously, but he still raised the jade bottle as he laughed and said, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll try to use it when I go back and take a bath. Anyways, shall we go inside, Brother Tang? This is a horse ranch that I and a few friends of mine just set up recently. I¡¯ll give you one of the good horses if you¡¯re interested.¡±


    A good horse?


    Tang Xiu could not help but let out a wan smile. He was not that interested in horses. He could go to Resting Cemetery Island to take a savage beast as a mount if he wanted to. Not to mention that those savage beasts were much stronger than good horses, to begin with.


    The second floor of the exquisite small building was used by the workers of the horse ranch to live, whereas Jie Walie used the first floor as his office. When Tang Xiu strode into the office along with Jie Walie enthusiastically leading him inside, his eyes were instantly set on the eight-person square table inside.


    ¡°It¡¯s made of Black Winterwood?¡±


    With his keen eyes and observation, Tang Xiu could instantly judge the texture and material quality of the eight-person square table. Despite having experienced many things, he could not help but have his heart jolted at this very moment.


    For some cultivators with special abilities, Black Winterwood was absolutely akin to a treasure as this type of wood could play special roles when being used to create furniture inscribed with arrays. Black Winterwood, however, was the most difficult material to carve arrays on, and yet it was the best wood after the engraving process was done.


    Back when Tang Xiu was in the Immortal World and had yet to break through to the Immortal Realm, the place he used to stay had a set of furniture made of this type of Black Winterwood lumber carved with a Spirit Amassing Array on it. Such an arrangement made his manor simply turn into a Feng Shui blessed land, a treasure trove. Even just by sitting on a chair, his cultivation was nearly twice faster than usual.


    Gathering and amassing spiritual energy was the most important nature of the Black Winterwood!


    ¡°Brother Tang, please have a sit.¡±


    Jie Walie invited Tang Xiu to sit down with a warm expression. He then personally brewed a pot of tea and then said with a smile, ¡°Brother Tang, I called my former platoon leader after sending you to Longquan Village. I learned from him that you are the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation. You know, that¡¯s really amazing! I have tasted a few mouthfuls of the Gods Nectar produced by your company, but only some rich and powerful people here can buy it, and that is also with great difficulty. Its mellow and fragrant taste is simply an ambrosia made for the Gods, giving me an endless aftertaste until now.¡±


    A smile outlined on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth as he replied, ¡°Brother Jie, you can send two men to Star City! I¡¯ll let them bring back several boxes of Gods Nectar for you.¡±


    Jie Walie¡¯s eyes lit up. He excitedly rubbed his hands and smilingly said, ¡°Great, that would be great! Thank you so much, Brother Tang. I will definitely have a good face whenever I invite those friends of mine to dine and drink here if I have several boxes of Gods Nectar.¡±


    Tang Xiu then glanced at the eight-person square table once again and smilingly said, ¡°Brother Jie, if you like Gods Nectar, how about striking a business deal and becoming partners? Besides, there¡¯s another purpose I had in mind in coming here, too.¡±


    ¡°What business deal?¡± asked Jie Walie quickly.


    While pointing to the eight-person square table, Tang Xiu said, ¡°That would be my other purpose.¡±


    ¡°That table? A furniture?¡± Asked Jie Walie, confused and baffled.

 Chapter 664

    Chapter 664: A Pleasant Surprise


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Finding Black Winterwood by chance was an unexpected discovery as well as a surprise to Tang Xiu. After the idea of buying a massive bulk of Black Winterwood temporarily formed inside his mind, he proposed a cooperation plan taking advantage of Jie Walie¡¯s liking of Gods Nectar. ¡°Yup, it¡¯s this eight-men square table. To be exact, I want to buy this type of wood.¡±


    A timber, logging business?


    Jie Walie stared at Tang Xiu with a stunned expression and immediately replied with a smile, ¡°We have a lot of Yellow-bark Trees here, but its wood is very ordinary. Apart from being heavy, there¡¯s no other good trait that I can think of. How come you want to buy this kind of wood, Brother Tang?¡±


    ¡°I want to manufacture furniture with enough weight. So, may I know the price you offer for this type of wood?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°To be honest, it¡¯s very cheap, the price of Yellow-Bark wood is about 1,600 yuan a ton. Brother Tang, you can tell me how many tons of this wood you need and I¡¯ll give it to you directly for a fee. Delivering them is also not an issue, you can load them on the truck first and then ship them by the usual logistic transportation to Star City. Adding all that to the price will only cost you 2,000 yuan a ton.¡±


    Never did Tang Xiu expect that such a precious lumber in the eyes of numerous cultivators in the Immortal World would be so appallingly cheap on Earth! Just 2,000 yuan for a ton of this wood? Then 100 tons meant that he only needed to pay 200 thousand yuan.


    ¡°Alright, 500 tons, then. In addition to the ten boxes of Gods Nectar I was originally going to gift to you, Brother Jie, I¡¯ll also add ten more boxes as extra. But I want the wood to be sent to the port of Guangyang Province.¡±


    Jie Walie calculated in his mind. The sale price for a bottle of Gods Nectar produced by the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s winery was 18,888 yuan. One box contained six bottles, that would be 113,000 yuan, so 20 boxes would be worth 2.26 million yuan, whereas 500 tons of Yellow-bark wood along, with its shipping fee, was probably about 1 million yuan.


    One point that must be noted was that there was no market to sell these Gods Nectar. For people who lived in such a remote area, it was very difficult to buy this wine. Furthermore, if he got 20 boxes of Gods Nectar, he still had a big use for them as gifts; he definitely would be able to please those government officials as well as gift them to his business partners. The amount of money he could earn by then would be far more than 1 million, wouldn¡¯t it? With those, wouldn¡¯t he be able to use it to please many groups of people?


    ¡°Brother Tang, if you can sell me 20 boxes of Gods Nectar in exchange for 500 tons of Yellow-bark wood every year, I¡¯ll personally handle it for you and escort it to the Guangyang Province Port myself. How about it?¡± Asked him with a nervous expression.


    ¡°Alright, deal!¡± Tang Xiu smiled.


    Lunchtime.


    Jie Walie served a lavish meal in the horse ranch, and after the lunch, he intended to bring Tang Xiu riding. After discovering that Tang Xiu was not interested in it, he invited Tang Xiu to a hunting ground belonging to his friend. The area was vast and sparsely populated, and some parts of the forested mountain that belonged to some rich people was stockaded. Through various channels of communication, his friend was finally able to obtain the contract, so he started the hunting business in the back. Every year, many rich people came to hunt in this hunting ground, and the owner of the hunting ground made quite a lot of money from it.


    Originally, Tang Xiu did not have much interest in hunting, but he immediately changed his mind after learning that they were going to hunt with firearms. He rarely had the opportunity to use a gun, and though he had many guns stored inside his interspatial ring, they were seized from enemies and seldom had he the chance to use them.


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll have to trouble you, Brother Jie.¡±


    Tang Xiu took out a cigarette, offered one to Jie Walie and ignited it for both of them. He then boarded Jie Walie¡¯s car while Mo Awu and the rest drove the four Wrangler SUVs; three other SUVs were driven by Jie Walie¡¯s six bodyguards. A convoy of seven cars then left the horse ranch.


    Kanas was one of the few places in the world that could be called ¡°Pure Land On Earth¡±. A photographer was never able to fully to capture her however excellent his skills and equipment were. And yet, even the photos casually taken would raise admiration and appreciation from those who had seen it. Not only was this place rich in natural resources and biodiversity, but it also had a unique tourism environment and human resources.


    Inside the SUV, Tang Xiu enjoyed the beautiful scenery along the road. He found that the place not only had the magnificent beauty of the Northern Region scenery, but also the charming warm beauty of the Southern Region of the Yangtze River.


    ¡°Brother Tang, there¡¯s Kanas Lake over there. It¡¯s rumored that the lake has some kind of ¡®lake monster¡¯ or something. Many people said that they have seen water monsters there, but then again, we can¡¯t find out how many of their confessions are true.¡± Jie Walie pointed to the sparkling big lake outside the window after the Wrangler SUV drove for more than an hour.


    A lake monster?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression slightly moved. In his mind, he guessed that it was a fierce beast that had gained spiritual wisdom. However, many famous mountains and rivers were said to have fierce beast inhabiting them, and it was unknown how many of them stayed hidden beneath the vast ocean, so he did not rush to find out.


    Finding that Tang Xiu seemed indifferent to the topic nor he did not show the slightest surprise, Jie Walie suddenly made some riddling remarks, ¡°The surface of the lake may look tranquil and calm, but there¡¯s some kind of horrifying danger concealed at the bottom of the lake hidden behind a natural phenomenon that is hard to fathom. Or is it caused by some kind of aquatic monster that is baring its fangs and brandishing its claws? No one has been able to explain this matter, though. And to be honest, I once had the idea to explore it, but I¡¯ve been kinda lazy all these years. And when the laziness does not get the best of me, then it¡¯s a business affair that keeps me occupied.¡±


    ¡°Brother Jie, if you believe me, it¡¯s best not to investigate this suspicious aquatic monster. A man only has one life, and the number of strange things in the world is countless. Should there be an aquatic monster living there, the chances of you coming back alive is close to nil,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly.


    Jie Walie was dumbfounded, and he couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter, ¡°Hahaha, that was so insightful, Brother Tang. Anyhow, I indeed have been living my life in a reckless and blind manner regardless of danger. What was that popular adage again? Umm, curiosity kills the cat, right? Hahaha, that¡¯s right. It¡¯s those words.¡±


    Tang Xiu only smiled faintly in response and did not say more.


    After the seven Wrangler SUV had trekked the road for two and half an hours, they finally arrived at a certain part of the forested mountain. At the end of the muddy road was actually the entrance to a magnificent-looking manor built behind, with four security guards on guard in front of the entrance. Each and every one of them had beards with stocky and sturdy builts, looking fierce and aggressive. Though they were holding electric batons in their hands, something was bulging in their waist; they were apparently carrying knives or firearms.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ Welcome, my friends. Welcome. Brother Walie, it¡¯s been a long time ago since the last time you visited my grounds, right?¡± A loud and clear voice like the sound of bells was heard after the SUV drove inside. A middle-aged man with a braided beard and donning a fur coat greeted them, followed by two grim and fierce-looking bodyguards.


    Jie Walie walked towards him and gave the man a big hug. After separating, he smiled and said, ¡°Brother Gesangjor, I often wanted to come here to amuse myself, but business got me occupied and troubled all the time, so I have always been busy. In fact, a guest came from a faraway place to visit me, so I brought him here for recreation. Anyways, let me introduce you to this little brother of mine. He¡¯s Tang Xiu. My former platoon leader introduced him to me.¡±


    ¡°Yuan Zhengxuan?¡± Gesangjor¡¯s brows pricked up. He observed Tang Xiu for a moment before immediately walking forward, reaching out his hand and saying, ¡°Brother Tang, welcome and have some fun. I¡¯m Gesangjor, the owner of this hunting ground.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Brother Gesangjor,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Gesangjor nodded in response and glanced at Mo Awu and the rest on the Wrangler SUV behind. He could instantly tell that Tang Xiu¡¯s identity in the mainland was probably not simple, else it would be impossible for him to have so many bodyguards around him.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s board the car! I¡¯ll entertain you with good wine and meat as the host.¡±


    The cars then continued driving for a few kilometers and then stopped at the parking space in front of several two-storied buildings. After getting off the car, they walked straight to the two-story building in the center and then entered the luxuriously decorated living room. Only Mo Awu followed Tang Xiu, whereas the other ten men stayed outside.


    As the wine and meat were brought in, Jie Walie smiled and asked, ¡°Brother Gesangjor, the guests who visit your place should be few in number this season, no? After all, we are just at the beginning of the year.¡±


    ¡°There have been a few visitors at this time of the year in the past, but speaking about that, this year is kind of strange.¡± Gesangjor smilingly replied. ¡°A dozen guests arrived in these three days, thus nearly half of the rooms in my hunting ground manor are occupied. Speaking about it, the number of people with money from the mainland is getting more and more. They spend money like pouring water here, asking for the best service available and the most exciting hunting experience as well.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Jie Walie was surprised and commented, ¡°So, your business is very good now?¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about that, shall we?¡± Gesangjor waved his hand and said with a smile, ¡°Anyways, where do you come from, Brother Tang? And what business do you engage in?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m from Shuangqing Province¡¯s Star City, and I do some liquor, cosmetic, and healthcare business,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Gesangjor nodded and did not ask anymore. Nowadays, there were all sorts of businesses, along with too many rich people to count. As the owner of this place, he only needed to warmly greet the guests who came here. Those two questions he asked Tang Xiu was because he was the friend of Jie Walie brought here.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s drink and have some meat. After we are full, I¡¯ll personally take you to the armory to pick some weapons for yourself. Many wild animals are in hibernation in this cold season, but many of them still come out to hunt for food. If you¡¯re lucky, you may encounter some bears in the back of the mountain, though.¡±


    Tang Xiu and Jie Walie had drunk a lot of wine previously, but they still welcome it by drinking a lot of wine and wolfing down the meat under Gesangjor¡¯s great hospitality, showing their appreciation for his character, all of which met the Gesangjor¡¯s praise.


    ¡°MAKE WAY! I WANT TO SEE GESANGJOR!¡±


    A rude voice came from the outside, and the sound of a ruckus could be heard even as everyone enjoyed their drinks.


    Gesangjor¡¯s black brows furrowed and yelled at the door, ¡°Hey, let the guest come inside! If they want to drink together with me, I still have enough here.¡±


    Immediately, the door was pushed from the outside as two young men came in with their four bodyguards. One of them, whose hair was bleached white and wore a gold chain around his neck, did not look at Tang Xiu and Jie Walie as he straightly looked at Gesangjor and shouted, ¡°Gesangjor, I want the crossbow and its bolts in your warehouse to be rented to me. I¡¯ll pay ten times the price.¡±


    The other young man, however, glanced around the room. His pupils suddenly contracted and his body slightly trembled when he saw Tang Xiu. He subconsciously touched his face and instantly grabbed the arm of the bleached white-haired youth.

 Chapter 665

    Chapter 665: Solving Enmity


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The bleached-haired young man glanced at his friend with a surprised expression. What he could not understand was that his friend, who had always been fearless, unexpectedly looked a bit pale. As he followed the direction of he was looking at, his sight then fell on Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Well, well, what a coincidence.¡±


    Tang Xiu himself looked unfazed and calm and spoke in a casual manner. He also did not expect to bump into an old acquaintance in such a remote place in the Western Region. More so that this acquaintance was one he once trashed miserably before.


    The bleached-haired youth pointed to Tang Xiu and asked him, ¡°Do you know this kiddo, Wang Hu?¡±


    The stocky Wang Hu hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. The fear and alarmed expression he had was then replaced by resentment. Tang Xiu once trashed him back when he was with a group of scions in Li Xueming¡¯s Regent Amusement Clubhouse in Jingmen Island. The reason was that of the princess of the Ouyang Family, Ouyang Lulu.


    That time, he got beaten and kicked out of Jingmen Island¡ªthe biggest shame and humiliation he had ever had since his childhood till now. Although his Wang Family was very powerful in the Northwest Region, it was not that powerful in Jingmen Island, more so that the Ouyang Family was more powerful than his Wang Family, hence settling the account with the Ouyang family was evidently not realistic.


    However, he vividly remembered the guy who trashed him back then, Tang Xiu. He had always been hoping that he would encounter this punk again to wipe off this shame, but never did he expect that he would bump into him in this place. He also didn¡¯t expect that his first feeling when seeing Tang Xiu again would unexpectedly be fear.


    It was because of this fear that he felt deeply humiliated and disgraced.


    After hearing the question from the bleached-haired young man, Wang Hu resentfully replied while glaring at Tang Xiu, ¡°He¡¯s my mortal enemy!¡±


    The bleached-haired youth rolled his eyes and snappily said, ¡°Then why don¡¯t you kill him directly since he¡¯s your enemy? This place is remote and desolate, it would be easy to dump a corpse and obliterate all traces.¡±


    Wang Hu¡¯s face slightly changed, then was replaced with pleasant surprise since what his friend said was right. One could kill someone and casually dump the body in some remote place to rot and turn into mud in the Western Region, while the chance of being discovered would be close to nil. He knew that Tang Xiu¡¯s personal combat strength was very formidable, but his friends who came here with him were all experts from the Xuan House. He could ask any of these experts and casually pay them; they probably had countless ways to kill Tang Xiu.


    As he thought up to there, Wang Hu took a step forward, glared at Tang Xiu and coldly shouted, ¡°You never expected that you¡¯d bump into me here, did you, Tang punk? The road to Heaven is fucking there yet you don¡¯t take it, for you always head toward Hell though there¡¯s no road to it, huh? I, Wang Hu, guarantee that you will pass through that door fainted today.¡±


    Tang Xiu could not restrain himself as he laughed and said, ¡°Well, you still remember my threat last time, eh? Was leaving the place fainted so miserable for you? Don¡¯t tell me a dog can¡¯t stop himself from eating shit¡ªjust like your bad habits are hard to change? Do you want me to give you another good lesson?¡±


    Wang Hu grinned hideously and said, ¡°Surnamed Tang, have you heard the words that anyone who can change in a short period of time deserves to be treated differently? This father is now a member of Xuan House, so it¡¯s fucking easy for this father to kill you now even though you have a bit of ability in kung fu.¡±


    A member of the Xuan House?


    Tang Xiu slightly furrowed his brows as cast his eyes on the bleached-haired young man and said lightly, ¡°And who are you?¡±


    ¡°Xuan Yugu,¡± said the bleached-haired young man proudly.


    ¡°Never heard of you,¡± replied Tang Xiu nonchalantly.


    Xuan Yugu¡¯s face changed as he glared at Tang Xiu and scowled, ¡°You are courting death!¡±


    ¡°What audacity!¡±


    The owner of the hunting ground, Gesangjor, suddenly grabbed the hunting knife on the side and stabbed it on the table, as he immediately got up and loudly said, ¡°I don¡¯t give a fuck to what kind of resentment exists between all of you. Shortly put, this place is my hunting ground and everything must be played according to the rules of my hunting ground. You are not to have a private fight in my place unless you all sign the Life and Death Pact and go to the back of the forested mountain.¡±


    ¡°Gesangjor, it¡¯s best for you to avoid trouble whenever possible, for fewer troubles mean that you can live a bit longer,¡± said Xuan Yugu coldly.


    Gesangjor slammed the table. He picked out a black ornamental thumb ring on his right thumb and quickly put it on his left hand¡¯s thumb, as he then growled in anger, ¡°I may have dreaded if those words were spoken by the Patriarch of Xuan House, but who the hell is a little brat like you to dare to say those words, huh? Do you not believe that I can tear open your dog¡¯s mouth?¡±


    Black ornamental thumb ring?


    With contracted pupils, Xuan Yugu staggeringly stepped backward. There was a consensus among those in the Strange Doors lineage that the black ornamental thumb ring could only be obtained by the most powerful sect masters or clan patriarchs who were recognized by all forces under the Strange Doors lineage. He originally thought that Gesangjor was only an ordinary man, but it turned out that the man was unexpectedly someone like the Xuan House, and the most important thing was that he was also one of the strongest, leaving him unable to believe it.


    However, Wang Hu just became a member of the Xuan House for a short time and was naturally unaware of this matter. Nevertheless, he could faintly guess that Gesangjor might have a special identity upon seeing Xuan Yugu¡¯s unusual response. And yet, he had no fear since his enemy was not Gesangjor. He then quickly came to Xuan Yugu¡¯s side and whispered to him, and after getting his consent, he looked at Tang Xiu and sneered, ¡°Surnamed Tang, I believe you also heard the words spoken by the owner of this hunting ground. Let¡¯s sign the Life and Death Pact if you have the balls and have a fight to the death in the back of the mountain. Whoever loses will leave his life there, and the winner will come out of that place alive! Do you dare?¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang¡­¡±


    Finally, Jie Walie somewhat regretted bringing Tang Xiu to the hunting ground. Tang Xiu would not have met his enemy had he not brought him here.


    ¡°Brother Jie, it¡¯s a personal enmity between me and him, so you should just watch the show! I will sign this Life and Death Pact, but shouldn¡¯t you explain how the rules are played?¡±


    Wang Hu had yet to speak when Xuan Yugu spoke with a sullen face, ¡°Three men from both sides will play the game and enter the back of the mountain to fight to the death. It¡¯s fine whether you use guns or blades, but the victor can only come out from the back of the mountain if the three men from the opposite party die.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m in.¡±


    Tang Xiu got up straightly. He looked at Gesangjor and said with a smile, ¡°Brother Gesangjor, I¡¯ll have to trouble you to take us to the hunting ground armory. After all, we¡¯re going to play some killing games with them, so if we don¡¯t choose some weapons while in passing, we would be sinners if we can¡¯t come back and continue accompanying you drinking.¡±


    Gesangjor squinted his eyes and shot a deep gaze at Tang Xiu. After which, only then did he pull up his hunting knife and loudly replied, ¡°Things have gotten to this point, so let¡¯s go to the armory. And you, Xuan brat, didn¡¯t you want to rent a crossbow and its bolts? Follow me and no one will fight it over with you.¡±


    Half an hour later, Tang Xiu brought a hunting rifle he picked from the armory and stood at the entrance of the hiking trek. The hills in the back were not too high, the highest peak was only a hundred-plus meters high. For signing up the Life and Death Pact, he took Mo Awu and another expert and then trekked the hiking trail.


    A few meters in front of them, Wang Hu and Xuan Yugu were standing side by side, followed by a middle-aged man holding a two-handed saber. The middle-aged man¡¯s looks were ordinary, but the aura he emitted out was very strange, and Tang Xiu could not hear his breathing if he did not focus his hearing on it despite his high cultivation.


    At this time, the guests who came to the hunting ground and were invited from the back of the mountain now arrived at the place was close to 100 people.


    Tang Xiu himself was quite surprised since he found some unusual issues. One of which was that two people among them he had seen participating in the underground auction in Beijing. One of them even competed with him on an item. The rest of them mostly had abnormal auras, while some wore the amulets he crafted.


    It seems that most of these people are from Xuan House. Only, there are so many people from Xuan House gathered here, what exactly is their purpose? secretly thought Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Alright, TO THE MOUNTAINS!¡±


    Gesangjor apparently knew the identity of the middle-aged man behind Xuan Yugu, and there was even a bit of dread on his face when he looked at him. The man sighed inwardly and his expression when he looked at Tang Xiu was filled with pity. For an ordinary person, however formidable his martial arts was, encountering people from the Strange Doors lineage would probably leave him falling in his own blood.


    He could tell something: the chance of Tang Xiu surviving was close to none.


    He was not the only one who thought so, but even the nearly 100 people from Xuan House who obviously knew who Xuan Yugu was were looking at Tang Xiu like he was dead already.


    ¡°What a pity! A respectable young divine doctor does not stay honest to practice his medicine skills and give medical treatment, and even unexpectedly provoked the people from the Xuan House. This is akin to courting his own death!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, this time Tang Xiu is dead. Take a look at the man beside Xuan Yugu. He¡¯s the Hall Master of the Serenity Sect¡¯s Justice Hall. I heard that he had a fortuitous encounter and, coupled with the secret technique of Serenity Sect to concoct medicine to temper his body, it is said that his body is nearly invulnerable. I¡¯ve seen him in mortal combat, he¡¯s very strong. I don¡¯t know who can deal with him unless it¡¯s those old monsters from the Strange Doors.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just stupid! He challenged people from the Strange Doors. He¡¯s just looking for his own death.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    With his keen hearing, Tang Xiu could clearly hear their comments even though their voices were low and some distance away from him. He inwardly sneered at them, but he maintained unperturbed expression on the surface as he led Mo Awu and his comrade to trek on the mountain pathway.


    Ten minutes later, Tang Xiu stood on a big tree and calmly observed for the slightest sign of disturbance from the wind and grass in the surroundings. He had never looked down on anyone and took whoever he would face seriously, for he had seen too many occasions where people ended up miserable due to unexpected things.


    ¡°They are coming.¡±


    After seeing the flash of a shadow in the distance through the gap between the twigs, Tang Xiu pointed toward that direction and said, ¡°Awu, keep the life of that two brats and bring them here to see me. As for the other man, kill him!¡±


    Mo Awu nodded and his figure instantly vanished.


    In the forested mountain hundreds of meters away, Xuan Yugu and Wang Hu looked very relaxed; like they were enjoying the beautiful scenery nature presented them. They occasionally glanced around with vigilance. But the middle-aged man beside them was particularly vigilant, and the slightest disturbance would alert him.


    Whoosh whoosh¡­


    A blurry figure flashed before the eyes of the trio as the sharp blade of a dagger swept past Wang Hu and Xuan Yugu¡¯s right wrists, causing the guns in their hands to fall amidst the splattering blood.


    ¡°GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!¡±


    The middle-aged man¡¯s face changed greatly as he raised the two-handed saber in his hands in panic and ferociously faced the shadowy figure. He slashed it, and the blade hacked down with a whooshing sound.


    But at this time, a hand was already strangling him.

 Chapter 666

    Chapter 666: Plot


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    As Justice Hall¡¯s Master of the Serenity Sect, the middle-aged man was the first of the strongest five in the entire Hidden Sect. It was especially due to his metal-like body that even a gunshot would not be able to pierce his skin. However, at this moment, he actually felt that a great danger that could claim his life was looming over him, arousing fear and shrouding his whole heart.


    ¡°How can this be?¡± The middle-aged man did not dare to move in the slightest for fear that the opponent would break his neck with a little force since he could feel that the big hand grabbing his neck was like an iron pincer.


    Stab¡­


    A sharp dagger easily pierced his heart. The moment the tip of the dagger impaled his heart, the pain was such that it sent the middle-aged man toward full despair. He could not understand why. He had a formidable body he was always proud, and yet an ordinary knife could stab him? There was no way an ordinary knife could pierce his skin!


    Mo Awu twitched his dagger and stared at Wang Hu and Xuan Yugu who were screaming miserably, and sent the middle-aged man¡¯s body flying with a punch. Then, he said with a cold expression, ¡°If you dare to bend your waist again I guarantee that your right wrist will not be the only thing slashed.¡±


    Wang Hu and Xuan Yugu froze and glanced at their guns that had fallen on the ground, as a chill then ran through their hearts. They never expected that such a powerful ¡°bodyguard¡± was so easily defeated. Judging from his back that was dyed red with blood, the man¡¯s heart should have been stabbed and he probably could not live anymore.


    It¡¯s over! The duo was filled with desperation and intense regret.


    Without wasting more time, Mo Awu flashed in front of the duo, grabbed both of their necks and quickly brought them to Tang Xiu¡¯s front, throwing the duo like they were garbage. Then, he said, ¡°The task is accomplished, Boss.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and then looked at Wang Hu and Xuan Yugu, who were on the ground. He smirked at them and said, ¡°So, now you know the fate of wanting to play with me, yes? You have signed a Life and Death Pact, so even if I kill you, it is what is supposed to be.¡±


    Wang Hu, who was currently struggling to get up from the ground, had his expression greatly changed after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words. His body trembled so violently that he fell to the ground again. Xuan Yugu, however, had a bit of courage as he stepped backward after he got up and shouted with some fear on his face, ¡°Surnamed Tang, you cannot kill me!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Tang Xiu let out a mocking smile and ridiculed, ¡°And why can¡¯t I kill you? Is it because you¡¯re someone from Serenity Sect?¡±


    ¡°You know the Serenity Sect?¡± Exclaimed Xuan Yugu in an alarmed expression as his pupils contracted.


    Suddenly, he seemed to have realized something all of a sudden and shouted again, ¡°Since you know the Serenity Sect, then you must know its strength. I¡¯m the son of the Sect Master of the Serenity Sect, and also his only son. The entire Serenity Sect will become your enemy if you dare to kill me.¡±


    ¡°What about him? Who¡¯s he?¡± Asked Tang Xiu while pointing to Wang Hu.


    As if having his courage bolstered, Xuan Yugu puffed his chest and answered, ¡°He¡¯s a newly received disciple of the Elegant Chess Saintess, someone from the Strange Doors lineage like me. You should have heard about Elegant Chess Saintess too, right? She¡¯s the elder sister of the Jin Family¡¯s patriarch who has reached perfection in the Ancient Divination Art and the Art of Invisibility. Killing us will be equivalent of provoking both the Jin Family and the Serenity Sect.¡±


    ¡°My man dared to kill the Justice Hall¡¯s Master of your Serenity Sect, do you think I will be afraid of the Serenity Sect?¡± Tang Xiu rolled his eyes and sneered. ¡°And who the heck is the Jin Family, to begin with? I never heard of them, either. Alright, no more shit talk. I can spare your puny life, but you must answer some questions.¡±


    Xuan Yugu was born with a golden spoon and had been living a spoiled and extravagant life, and had everything going his way all his life, so how could he accept such humiliation today? Under his young master¡¯s temper, he angrily shouted, ¡°Stop acting like a pretentious prick! You¡¯ve killed my Serenity Sect¡¯s Justice Hall¡¯s Master, this enmity will never be written off if you can¡¯t fork out enough compensation. But if you dare to kill me¡­ Aaaaaargh¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at him like he was an idiot and moved his wrist, as the Bloodguzzler Dagger then instantly cut off his entire left arm. Amidst his screeching, Tang Xiu then looked at Wang Hu and indifferently said, ¡°Now you tell me. Why are there so many people from the Strange Doors lineage here? What is their purpose?¡±


    Wang Hu watched in horror as Xuan Yugu¡¯s arm was cut off, and then answered in a trembling voice, ¡°It¡¯s because of an Immortal Trove left behind by Daoist Tu Yan after he departed his mortal coil.¡±


    An Immortal Trove left by Daoist Tu Yan after his death?


    Tang Xiu knitted his brows and asked, ¡°Who is this Daoist Tu Yan?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, my Master did not tell me.¡± Wang Hu shook his head. ¡°She just brought me here and told me to stay in the hunting grounds.¡±


    ¡°What about your Master?¡± Asked Tang Xiu once again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about it, either.¡± Wang Hu shook his head again. ¡°Only the seniors in the Strange Doors lineage know the exact location of this Immortal Trove. Hence, a lot of seniors went there but we are to stay here.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded. It was something related to an Immortal Trove, so it was normal for someone with such an identity as Wang Hu to not know about it. It would be strangely abnormal if his master told him about this otherwise! Following that, his gaze then fell on Xuan Yugu and coldly said, ¡°Tell me the location of this Immortal Trove. You have two choices now. Speak and you live, or die with your mouth shut.¡±


    As of now, Xuan Yugu was truly scared. He thought that Tang Xiu was bluffing a while ago, but now he no longer thought so anymore, he thought that Tang Xiu was a ruthless and merciless bastard. He did not want to die yet. His springtime of youth was great; he had countless wealth and he would also inherit the position of Sect Master of the Serenity Sect in the future. There would be nothing left if he were to die now.


    Furthermore, a lot of experts of the Serenity Sect went to the Immortal Trove site. Even if he told Tang Xiu where it was, what he could do there? He would probably be besieged by the group if he dared to go there, and there would only be one road ahead for him- Death!


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll speak. It¡¯s in Longquan Bay.¡±


    Longquan Bay?


    Tang Xiu was taken aback. He had just come from Longquan Bay not long ago, how did he not encounter anyone from the Strange Doors? Furthermore, Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s nest was in Longquan Bay area. If those people from the Strange Doors entered Longquan Bay, wouldn¡¯t he be the first person to notice them?


    ****


    At the present moment, in Longquan Bay.


    Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s eyes were bloodshot as he kept brandishing his long cane knife furiously. After he pushed back and divided dozens of people from Strange Doors who were besieging him, countless hidden weapons attacked him in turn.


    ¡°Burst out¡­¡±


    An old voice sounded, as countless hidden weapons were coming by, a sea of flames broke out and enveloped Western Nefarious Sangha in an instant. Although the Raging Flame talisman charms only posed a slight threat to him, his body was still hit by various hidden weapons in order to rush out of the sea of flames.


    ¡°FUCKING BASTARD!¡±


    As Western Nefarious Sangha patted his waist, the two Bloodthirsty Chiropterans rushed out and turned into two lump of flames that flushed toward the enemies. At this moment, however, eight shaky and frail-looking old men, all of whom smelled like they were decaying from head to feet, rushed lightning fast and cast a huge net at the same time. After ingenious coordination, eight nets were cast and opened, overlapping with each other. With wonderful mobile pace and footwork, the blazing flame tide from the two Bloodthirsty Chiropterans was extinguished.


    Squeak, squeak¡­


    Screams came out from the two Bloodthirsty Chiropterans¡¯ mouths. They desperately struggled but could not escape the shrouding nets. Even their steel-like bodies were cut, opening bleeding wounds along with their struggles.


    ¡°YOU DAMNED BASTARDS!¡±


    Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s complexion greatly changed and his figure instantly appeared in front of the eight old men and hacked his long cane sword toward them.


    ¡°Shield¡­¡±


    The expression of the eight old men turned solemn. At the same time as they started chanting, they gathered together. After chanting the same word at the same time, four men gathered both in front and back, as they pulled out a strange shield from their waist and assembled it into a two meters long and a meter-wide large shield in the blink of an eye, blocking the heavy hack from Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s long cane sword.


    BOOM¡­


    Those eight old men spurted out blood and their bodies flew backward at the same time, while Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s pupils contracted as he put away the long cane sword. There was a muffled voice coming out from his mouth, yet he remained silent and forced himself to swallow the blood that gushed out from his throat.


    ¡°That should be a magic tool. How come you bastards from the Strange Doors have such a magic weapon?¡± roared Western Nefarious Sangha in anger. He was very chagrined inside because more than half of 48 people who had gathered here had already acted to fight him, while also sacrificing three magic tools in the process.


    Hahaha¡­


    A laugh like the sound of a bell came from a kilometer away as Golden Armored Zombie flew over lightning fast and then appeared in front everyone in just a few breaths.


    ¡°I warned you that you would never be able to keep that Immortal Trove for yourself, Nefarious Sangha. I¡¯ve already guessed that such a day would come since those two freaks stole the record about this Immortal Trove sixty years ago. I just don¡¯t understand one thing, though. You had your life under his control, and yet you did not tell him about this Immortal Trove. Why?¡± Said Golden Armored Zombie in a loud and clear voice.


    ¡°SHUT THE FUCK UP!¡± yelled Western Nefarious Sangha angrily. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell him because I have my own reasons. He does control my life and death now, but as long as I open the entrance to this Immortal Trove, will I still have to worry about not being able to break his seal? Golden Armored Zombie, don¡¯t forget the deal between us. Whoever dares to set their eyes on this Immortal Trove, then you must collaborate with me to protect it!¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten about that. But that soon-to-die old hag Grandma Shipo hasn¡¯t appeared yet. Don¡¯t tell me she died on the way here?¡±


    ¡°Old cadaver, it¡¯s you who¡¯s going to die. This old woman is unlikely to die!¡± As the sharp voice of a woman fluttered in, a woman who looked to be in her 20s came flying down on a rosy cloud.


    Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s spirit rose as he laughed loudly, ¡°Hahaha, the three of us finally got together. I really don¡¯t know who gave these fucking bastards from the Strange Doors the courage to cast their eyes on our Immortal Trove. Don¡¯t tell me those two bastards who stole the Immortal Trove¡¯s map in the past told them who we are.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it was us who told them indeed.¡±


    An ethereal voice, like it was coming from nothingness, was heard. Two old men riding on flying swords came, as one of the old men behind with an Immortal appearance and bearing appeared to follow behind Grandma Shipo in the blink of an eye. They glanced at the 48 people from the Strange Doors with happy expressions and immediately shifted their sights to Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s group of three.


    ¡°Well, well. It¡¯s been 60 years since we have seen each other, yes? Did you all miss us?¡± spoke one of the old men with a warm smile. His left arm was broken, whereas his perfect right arm had a little green snake encircling it.


    After seeing this two old men, Western Nefarious Sangha looked furious as he shouted, Jin Sanchi, Jin Sijie, you two fucking damned sons of a bitch! How the hell are you not dead yet?¡±

 Chapter 667

    Chapter 667: Devious and Execrable Motives


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Kanas hunting grounds.


    While holding the Bloodguzzler Dagger, Tang Xiu coldly looked at Xuan Yugu. Yet, what appeared in his mind was Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s cave planted with herbs where the Soul Tranquilizer and solidified Dragon¡¯s Eye were embedded on its ceiling.


    Don¡¯t tell me¡­ it¡¯s where the Immortal Trove is located? If the Immortal Trove is really there, then why that monk did not tell me? Did he know about it and yet concealed it from me intentionally?


    After pondering for a short while, Tang Xiu slowly said, ¡°Wang Hu and Xuan Yugu are your names, right? The two of you are nothing but trash, the type of people I hate. I, Tang Xiu, always keep my promises to good people but never restrain myself from taking my words back on the evil ones. So, you two just remember. Become good guys in your next life.¡±


    The Bloodguzzler Dagger shot out like lightning and easily sliced off the duo¡¯s head, and then returned to Tang Xiu¡¯s hand. A moment later, Tang Xiu left with Mo Awu.


    At the foot of the mountain, Jie Walie looked anxious and restless, praying that Tang Xiu would come back alive. Needless to say that he had a business deal with Tang Xiu, he did not want him to have an accident in his company, merely because Tang Xiu was related to his former platoon leader.


    ¡°Brother Walie, just listen to me. You gotta leave now! If Tang Xiu is killed in the mountain and the other party lives, I¡¯m afraid they will also act against you considering their personalities. You don¡¯t know how terrifying these people are,¡± persuaded Gesangjor in a low voice after sighing inwardly upon seeing Jie Walie¡¯s expression.


    Jie Walie fell into silence for a moment before a firm look appeared in his eyes. He shook his head and said, ¡°My former platoon leader introduced him to me. I must wait until I see the outcome even if I cannot help him. I will collect his dead body if he dies, and I¡¯ll celebrate it with him if he lives.¡±


    ¡°You are just as stubborn as in the past.¡± Gesangjor shook his head and forced a smile. ¡°Aargh, forget it. Stay you want to, then! I guarantee your protection as you collect Tang Xiu¡¯s body as long as those old codgers don¡¯t come back.¡±


    ¡°Thanks! I¡­¡±


    Inwardly, Jie Walie felt more downcast as he squeezed out an ugly, thankful smile. However, he had yet to finish his words as his expression turned into that of joy, as his eyes stared at the three men coming down from the mountain pathway.


    Gesangjor was baffled and turned his head to the mountain pathway, and then his expression changed into disbelief as he exclaimed, ¡°What the hell happened here? Tang¡­ how did they come down? What about the other three guys?¡±


    Nearly a hundred people from the Xuan House in the surroundings made a ruckus, as they never expected that the people coming down turned out to be Tang Xiu¡¯s group of three, and the three people from Xuan House actually disappeared. Could it be¡­ that they were all killed by them? How was this possible?


    ¡°OH GOD! LOOK AT THE LAST MAN. HE IS CARRYING TWO HEADS!¡±


    An exclamation suddenly broke out in the crowd.


    Everyone¡¯s eyes turned wide in a flash. As they saw the three figures coming closer and closer and saw the two heads in the hands of the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s expert in the back, only then did they recognize that those were Wang Hu¡¯s and Xuan Yugu¡¯s heads, showing that both of them were dead.


    ¡°Does this mean that the Justice Hall¡¯s Master of the Serenity Sect failed in his job? How could he watch Xuan Yugu being killed?¡±


    ¡°Then what happened to that guy? Those heads are Xuan Yugu¡¯s and Wang Hu¡¯s, where¡¯s the other one?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really unbelievable. I never expected that the Young Divine Doctor Tang Xiu would come out as the final victor. He¡­ what is the origin of his two bodyguards, exactly?¡±


    ¡°This is going to cause a big ruckus in the Strange Doors!¡±


    ¡°A great show will happen for us to watch!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As Tang Xiu arrived in front of Gesangjor and Jie Walie under the disbelieving watchful eyes of the numerous onlookers, he nodded to Jie Walie and immediately shifted his gaze to Gesangjor, saying, ¡°The problems with people from the Strange Doors have been settled with the custom made by Strange Doors itself. I have killed them, so I¡¯m the final winner.¡±


    A complicated expression could be seen from Gesangjor¡¯s face as silently nodded, ¡°You did win, but I¡¯m afraid you will have to bear the wrath of the Jin Family and the Serenity Sect.¡±


    ¡°I dare to kill, so I¡¯m ready for the consequences.¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°However, I have some things to tend to now and won¡¯t stay here for long. That¡¯s right. I just killed a hare with the hunting rifle. I¡¯ll give it to you, and you can immediately eat it with wine.¡±


    Gesangjor could only force a smile secretly and said, ¡°Go then! You just killed some of these people, and you staying here will only leave you a road to death. You had better leave this place as quickly as possible to avoid things going wrong later. Walie, come with me to drink a few cups of wine while tasting this hare.¡±


    ¡°I gotta leave, too!¡± Said Jie Walie quickly.


    ¡°You gotta stay!¡± Gesangjor knitted his brows. ¡°I still have important things to tell you.¡±


    Tang Xiu deeply gazed at Gesangjor. He could tell that the reason the man¡¯s intention to detain Jie Walie was to draw a line between Jie Walie with himself so as to avoid the people from Jin Family and the Serenity Sect from retaliating against him out of rage. Therefore, Tang Xiu let out a tranquil smile and said, ¡°Two Old Brothers, since you have important things to discuss, then I bid you farewell. We¡¯ll be in touch later.¡±


    With that said, he did not give a chance for Jie Walie to speak again and left with Mo Awu¡¯s group of eleven. He did not take the car as they left the hunting grounds. When everyone in the hunting grounds could not see them anymore, Tang Xiu silently chanted a Dao spell as a wave of air seemed to wrap around the waists of Mo Awu¡¯s group of eleven and pulled them to the air and flying toward the direction of Longquan Bay, toward Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s Immortal Abode.


    ****


    Longquan Bay.


    Western Nefarious Sangha stood outside the entrance of the cave with a murderous aura emanating from him as he glared at the two brothers, Jin Sanchi, and Jin Sijie. If stares could kill, he could have killed these two men countless times already.


    The broken-armed old man¡ªJin Sanchi languidly spoke, ¡°Well, Nefarious Sangha, good people never live long, but evil will keep scourging for millennia. I trust that us¡ªtwo brothers should be a scourge in your eyes, right? If anything, it was really a pity that you weren¡¯t able to kill us with your poison yesteryear, else there wouldn¡¯t be any need for us to use such great fanfare, no?¡±


    Grandma Shipo took a step forward as she covered her mouth and smilingly said, ¡°Jin Sanchi, there¡¯s something that¡¯s rather baffling me here. Since you two brothers covet this Immortal Trove, why did you have to involve these people from the Strange Doors? There are indeed some remarkable guys among them who can break through the shackles of the martial arts path and able to enter the Dao and become Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators by virtue of their own martial arts path. But, do you really think they can help you? Or, could it be that you two brothers intentionally brought them here as cannon fodder?¡±


    Jin Sanchi¡¯s face slightly changed and he sneered, ¡°Shipo, I never expected for you to not have the slightest progress in all these years as Nefarious Sangha¡¯s beloved mistress, eh? Such a trivial method to sow dissension between us is useless. Now that I have brought them here, I admit that I indeed have the intention to lead them too. That¡¯s right, didn¡¯t you taste how powerful they are, Nefarious Sangha?¡±


    With a gloomy expression, Western Nefarious Sangha reminded in a low voice, ¡°You two must be careful. These damned people from the Strange Doors unexpectedly have some magic tools. I was careless and not checked them out and suffered some internal injuries a while ago.¡±


    There was a disbelieving expression on Shipo¡¯s face as she exclaimed, ¡°What magic tools were they carrying to think that you got injured?¡±


    ¡°Those were very strange magic tools.¡± Western Nefarious Sangha forced a bitter smile. ¡°Other than that shield that can be combined temporarily, the other two magic tools have a very destructive power. That¡¯s right. Beware of their talisman charms too. They have Raging Flame talisman charms, and its might is quite potent as well. A pity that those two Bloodthirsty Chiropterans I¡¯ve been raising for so many years got trapped by their nets.¡±


    ¡°You should have abandoned those two Bloodthirsty Chiropterans a long time ago,¡± commented Shipo without hesitation. ¡°You¡¯ve been feeding them with your blood essence to raise them. Not only has it affected your cultivation speed, but it will also give you a backlash one day. They will accidentally kill you. Miserably!¡±


    ¡°Let us not speak about that first now, shall we?¡± Said Western Nefarious Sangha with indifference. ¡°Now that they dared to come here it means that they are well prepared. Fortunately, that guy has left, else we¡¯d be in a huge trouble if we met him.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s this guy?¡± Asked Shipo, wondering.


    With a look of gloating at his companion¡¯s misfortune, Golden Armored Zombie let out a strange grin and smilingly said, ¡°Hehehe, this lover of yours was hit with very bad luck, Shipo. He nearly got killed by those people, after which he got a seal cast on his soul that controls his life. Hehehe¡­ that was the kind of scene that depicts the adage that ¡®humans will die for riches just as birds will die for food¡¯. He unexpectedly dared to conceal the existence of the Immortal Trove from him. I just really hope that this matter won¡¯t be exposed in the future, or else¡­ Hahaha¡­.¡±


    Western Nefarious Sangha looked a bit resentful and angry as he glared angrily at Golden Armored Zombie and cursed, ¡°If you did not fucking sell me out to him and told him where I was hiding, I wouldn¡¯t have¡­¡±


    Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie exchanged looks in wonderment. They never expected that Western Nefarious Sangha was nearly killed by someone else, and even had a seal cast on his soul and had his life under the control of that person.


    Who could that person be?


    Western Nefarious Sangha was very formidable already, could it be that the other party was more formidable than him? Furthermore, wasn¡¯t there also Golden Armored Zombie with him? Could it be that he just watched as the other party trashed Western Nefarious Sangha so helplessly like that?


    However, upon recalling their purpose in coming this time, Jin Sanchi did not feel like asking about it and shouted in a deep voice, ¡°Nefarious Sangha, I¡¯m giving the three of you a chance to live, submit and be obedient without putting up a fight, and help us open the Immortal Trove in this Immortal Abode. Else you three will die very tragically.¡±


    Western Nefarious Sangha sneered, ¡°Keep talking in your dreams, you fucking idiot! All those who cast their greedy eyes on the Immortal Trove must die!¡±


    A few kilometers away.


    Tang Xiu and Mo Auw¡¯s group of eleven quietly landed in the woods. After instructing the eleven people to stay and wait, Tang Xiu then turned himself into a cold breeze and silently lurked towards the Immortal Abode where he ambushed Western Nefarious Sangha. From far away, he could see a lot of people gathered there facing three people: Western Nefarious Sangha, Golden Armored Zombie, and a woman.


    After a while, Tang Xiu hid in the woods four hundred-plus meters away and silently observed them. Even though he stood there, he could faintly hear their dialogue.


    ¡°There¡¯s indeed an Immortal Trove there! Western Nefarious Sangha did not tell me about it, so he definitely has some selfish motives, or has plotted something devious in mind.¡± A killing intent flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. The Soul Ruling Spell had a special effect in that the controlled person would be very loyal.


    However¡­


    Such negated usefulness on Western Nefarious Sangha was a very rare exception. And with his high intelligence, Tang Xiu could guess that there must be some problems with it.

 Chapter 668

    Chapter 668: Mutual Losses


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The real winner would depend on absolute strength, and true powerhouses only believed in the power of their fists. When the confrontation between adversaries was inevitable, those who were bolder enough to stake everything they had would come out as the victor.


    In this situation, it could only be complemented by the momentum, but one could never conclude the final outcome.


    Western Nefarious Sangha, Golden Armored Zombie, and Shipo were not weak people. They had high cultivation and formidable strength, so even if they were against enemies dozens of times in number than them, they had no fear at all.


    It was an Immortal Trove!


    It was a huge opportunity, and the key to elevating the level of their strength, and those who cast their greedy eyes toward it must cross over their dead bodies.


    ¡°Stubborn and hopeless idiots! If we don¡¯t have a surefire plan in hands, do you really think we would dare to come for the Immortal Trove and face the three of you with dozens of people?¡± While giving the order to pressure the trio on the momentum, Jin Sanchi flipped out a golden flag inscribed with a pattern of a humongous red dragon from his hand, then his aura instantly soared the moment he grabbed that flag.


    Whizz¡­


    A ray of light, however, came shooting from a distance and was instantly caught by Jin Shijie¡¯s hand. It was a halberd that emitted out an aura that depicted great changes through the ages, the Sky Piercer Halberd, which he firmly grasped in hand. ¡°You refuse to bow your head, thus you shall be beaten till your soul shatters. This Sky Piercer Halberd never drank blood ever since I obtained it decades ago, you all shall be its sacrificial offerings today!¡±


    Coldness filled Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s eyes. His figure suddenly retreated while at the same he fiercely shouted, ¡°You two go ahead first, this penniless monk must fetch something, but I¡¯ll be back right away.¡±


    Golden Armored Zombie and Shipo exchanged looks and their eyes lit up instantly. Without any words, the two people separately flew toward Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie and simply ignored those people from Strange Doors. Although some of them were already on the boundary of the Dao and became a cultivator, they were just comparable to those cultivators at the Qi Refining Stage.


    Tang Xiu, who hid amidst the bushes and saw that both sides began to clash, immediately restrained his aura and quietly retreated towards the back. After he reached the place where Mo Awu and the others were waiting, he immediately led them towards the peak of the mountain in a hurry. Being too close to the battle site would get them affected; it was hard to avoid since the fight between people at their cultivation level would undoubtedly be very big and would affect a very wide area.


    Helping them?


    The idea did not even cross Tang Xiu¡¯s mind. The existence of the Immortal Trove made Tang Xiu wary against Western Nefarious Sangha. He wanted to find out how the matters stand with this monk, as to why he still harbored disloyalty even though he already controlled his life and even promised him benefits such as those concocted pills.


    After concealing themselves amidst rocks and trees in the forested mountain, Tang Xiu looked at the four people who were currently engaging in mortal combat. Although their battle was very intense and fierce and they were equal in strength, yet the moves they showcased were rather coarse and crude and the number of magic arts they used was very pathetic. Even their magic tools did not produce remarkable might at all.


    ¡°What a waste!¡±


    Tang Xiu secretly shook his head. Whether it was the flag in Jin Sanchi¡¯s hand or the Sky Piercer Halberd held by Jin Sijie, each of them was a good magic weapon. But what made Tang Xiu speechless beyond measure was that these two men did not even comprehend any methods and techniques about the refining school of thought at all. They did not integrate their magic weapons into their bodies to foster its power and connected it to their blood vessels, of which qi and blood essence circulated, and thus would achieve a perfect command over the weapons as easy as moving their fingers.


    ¡°What I did not expect is Golden Armored Zombie. His strength rose a lot in just these few days.¡±


    In the center of a mountain valley in the distance, Golden Armored Zombie brandished his long saber to slash the partly hidden and partly visible huge array laid out by the people from the Strange Doors. Layers of ripples fluctuated in the air and despite his astonishing strength, Golden Armored Zombie was unable to break the flag array at all. Occasionally, a red dragon that emerged from the flag array out of thin air moved and attacked extremely fast and caused a lot of injuries to him despite the dragon itself having no corporeal body.


    Shipo at the other side, however, seemed quite relaxed. Although the Sky Piercer Halberd brandished by Jin Sijie created blasting gales, she only held a clay pot that constantly released Gu Insects and black smoke, while the locusts that were looming amidst the black smoke were partly hidden and partly visible. The biggest Gu Insect among them was the size of a thumb.


    These Gu Insects, however, moved faster than Jin Sijie. While their attacks were unable to break through the layer of qi enveloping Jin Sijie, they still unceasingly consumed his True Essence nonetheless.


    ¡°Raging Flame talisman!¡± Jin Sijie suddenly shouted and threw the Raging Flame talisman, as layers of flames instantly spread out in all directions. The sudden flame burst instantly covered Shipo inside even though she was always alert, and what made her panic the most was that the locusts she released were burned to death in the raging fire; even the black smoke was also cleansed by the fire.


    ¡°Damn, how come you have a Raging Flame talisman? Who could still be proficient in its manufacturing technique nowadays?¡± Shipo¡¯s hemp clothes suddenly fell off and formed a wall to protect her body as she yelled in rage while rushing out of the sea of flames.


    Buzz, buzz¡­


    Four Lightning talismans were consecutively thrown by Jin Sijie yet again, and Shipo, who was running away in panic, did not notice it and was hit by dozens of lightning bolts. Although she spewed a green light bead from her mouth and was lucky enough to neutralize 60% of the lightning bolts¡¯ might, her body, however, was not strong enough to withstand the bolts and still got seriously injured.


    ¡°BASTARD!¡±


    Western Nefarious Sangha just rushed out of the cave entrance and saw Shipo, who was in a serious state and spitting blood. His eyes turned bloodshot and got frenzied. His figure shot forward as though a meteor and appeared in front of Jin Sijie in the blink of an eye. At this moment, he was holding a long spear in his hand.


    The spear was jet-black and seemed to be covered with thick fish scales. The diamond-shaped spearhead ridge was high and the sharpness of its blade was peerlessly incisive and emitted out a faint circulating cold light. The soft tassels on the spear were like finely particulate hair, and yet had its own sense of disheveled beauty as the spear was brandished.


    ¡°Come!¡± Shouted Jin Sijie.


    The Sky Piercer Halberd and the black spear were then strangled together. In the next moment, however, his complexion drastically changed as a sense of danger came to him. The Sky Piercer Halberd was instantly thrown out of his hand and the black spear seized the opportunity to impale his chest.


    ¡°Damn.¡±


    Jin Sanchi, who was fighting Golden Armored Zombie in a relaxed manner with the flag array, had always been paying attention to Jin Sijie¡¯s situation. He secretly cheered when Shipo suffered heavy losses under Jin Sijie¡¯s attack, but his pleasant surprise then vanished in an instant, because his brother¡¯s chest was about to be pierced right at his heart.


    ¡°OCTAGON NET, DEMON VANQUISHING BELL!¡±


    Jin Sanchi¡¯s expression was thoroughly ferocious as he sped up the attacks released by the flag array and constantly hurt Golden Armored Zombie while letting out a loud bellow. Immediately, those eight decrepit old men pierced their hearts at the same time. Along with the splashing blood essence coming out from their hearts, they threw an eight-node large net blazing with flames with the two Bloodthirsty Chiropterans trapped in it.


    DONG¡­


    A dull, bell sound suddenly rang from the rest of the Strange Door¡¯s people. The magical sound was like the sound of a thunderclap that directly struck Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s ears. At this time, despite his formidable strength, Western Nefarious Sangha felt his head buzz and turned dizzy, and his body suddenly froze while the octagon nets combined into a large net that shrouded him.


    ¡°KILL¡­¡±


    Eight jade swords suddenly appeared in the hands of the eight decrepit old men whose hearts were bleeding, as eight lines of sword qi swiftly and fiercely shot out from the eight jade swords to pierce through Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s body.


    ¡°BREAK!¡±


    Western Nefarious Sangha grabbed a porcelain bottle and quickly took the Holy Healing medicine from it. His black spear swept over to tear the huge net. Just as blood splashed from his body, he had instantly appeared in front of the eight decrepit old men and brandished the spearhead on them, resulting in the eight men losing their heads in an instant.


    Following that, he kicked one of the old men¡¯s head towards Jin Sanchi¡¯s direction, who floated dozens of meters high in the air to control the flag array.


    Hmph¡­


    The slaughtering of those eight decrepit old men was met with Jin Sanchi¡¯s indifference. He flew to the side, trying to avoid the flying head shooting at him. The next moment, however, the head suddenly exploded and a poisonous dark mist burst out and shrouded him inside.


    ¡°Impossible!¡±


    Jin Sanchi was very confident about his strength, yet having a poisonous mist sucked in into his body all of a sudden raised a chill inside his heart because he was perfectly aware that this poisonous mist would corrode his internal organs rapidly. He would be sapped of his strength like his power being extracted continuously if this poisonous smoke was to invade his blood.


    ¡°Flag array, self-destruct!¡±


    This turn of events was far from good, and Ji Sanchi was barely able to bear the pain as he bellowed. The flag array that trapped Golden Armored Zombie inside exploded, and Golden Armored Zombie¡¯s steel-like formidable was then covered with his own blood in an instant. He spurted out mouthfuls of blood as his body flew in the air like a falling meteorite and then heavily crashed on the ground.


    Both sides suffered losses mutually, and both sides played their cards up their sleeves and crazily preyed on each other, with the final result leaving them with mutual heavy losses. The heaviest injured were Jin Sijie and Western Nefarious Sangha, and the injuries were definitely dangerous for both of them if they did not treat it immediately.


    Splash¡­


    The blood-colored liquid was splashing out, as a sharp dagger shot by a middle-aged woman from the Strange Doors easily sliced Shipo¡¯s throat and made her fall to the ground. Western Nefarious Sangha then looked at Shipo¡¯s throat. Her entire trachea was cut along with its arteries. This sudden sneak attack had claimed Shipo¡¯s life directly.


    ¡°SHIPO¡­ YOU, FUCKING DAMN!¡±


    Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s face contorted. Despite bleeding due to the displacement of his internal organs, yet he was still like a tiger that plunged into its prey as he shot toward the middle-aged woman among those Strange Door¡¯s people. Like a tiger entering a flock of lambs, he brandished and swept his spear at the Strange Door¡¯s people, and each and every one of the Strange Door¡¯s people who got struck was either killed or heavily injured.


    ¡°Green snake, turn into an arrow!¡±


    Jin Sanchi, who had landed on the ground, had the green snake coiled around his arm shot like a sharp arrow through Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s chest. Its swiftness made it impossible for him to react. Western Nefarious Sangha would have been able to avoid it had there been time to protect himself, but at this time, he could only watch helplessly as he did not have the means to remedy it.


    On top of the mountain, Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and observed the situation where both sides mutually suffered heavy losses. His expression looked solemn. His expression turned nasty since Western Nefarious Sangha took out that jet-black spear because he could see that that spear was not just an ordinary magic weapon, it was at a higher level than magic weapons, a spirit weapon.


    At present, he could judge and confirm. Western Nefarious Sangha definitely had been disloyal towards him a couple days ago. So much so that he did not hesitate to bet on his life by being unwilling to expose the matter about the Immortal Trove and this spirit long spear. Golden Armored Zombie was the same rotten apple as well as he told him that Western Nefarious Sangha was a timid and cowardly person, and eventually led him to spare the monk¡¯s life.

 Chapter 669

    Chapter 669: Buying Time To Settle The Account Afterwards


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    ¡°You all wait here.¡±


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and after giving this order, his body instantly floated and after several seconds of flying, he then dove down towards the mountain valley. In just a dozen seconds, he appeared in the middle of the battle where both sides had mutually suffered heavy losses.


    ¡°WHO IS IT?¡±


    ¡°HOW IS HE HERE?¡±


    Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie converged together and instantly retreated back to the crowd of Strange Door¡¯s people. They looked panicked and full of horror as they set their vision at Tang Xiu¡¯s figure intently, while Western Nefarious Sangha was trembling and Golden Armored Zombie who had yet get up from the ground wore a disbelieving expression.


    Crack¡­


    With a loud slap of his palms, Tang Xiu pulled Western Nefarious Sangha dozens of meters high to the air and stretched his hand out to catch the jet-black spear. He coldly hummed and said, ¡°Hmph, this really is depicting the old adage that humans will die for riches like bids will for food. Nefarious Sangha, you do have some good means and good plots indeed!¡±


    Western Nefarious Sangha wailed in anguish inside. Never did he dream that Tang Xiu would come back here. He knew that he was finished. Tang Xiu probably would not spare him for concealing the matter about the Immortal Trove, and that he had already seen through whatever schemes he had in mind. However, he did not want to die because Tang Xiu had imparted the cultivation technique he had yet to try, and he wanted to become a Nascent Soul Stage powerhouse in the future as well.


    Therefore, under the watchful of everyone present, he suppressed his fatal injury and threw himself at Tang Xi¡¯s front, kneeling and bitterly weeping, ¡°Boss, please forgive me. I¡¯m willing to help you open the entrance to the Immortal Trove left by Daoist Tu Yang and help you obtain everything inside it.¡±


    At this moment, Golden Armored Zombie had finally gotten up. A chill filled his heart after seeing Tang Xiu and hastily called out, ¡°You came, Immortal Master! You won¡¯t have any problems cleaning up these people. I¡¯m severely injured now and I¡¯ll take my leave.¡±


    With that said, he then tried to leave.


    Tang Xiu sneered and threw the black spear in his hand. In a thousandth of a second, it pierced Golden Armored Zombie¡¯s head and directly slew him. He had spared this Golden Armored Zombie¡¯s life previously and thought that this old zombie would be of a little use, and even gave him a suitable cultivation technique to practice as he wanted to foster an expert out of him.


    But now, he utterly detested this Golden Armored Zombie who appealed mercy for Western Nefarious Sangha! What he abhorred was his small calculation to scheme him.


    Turning his head to look at the frightened Western Nefarious Sangha, Tang Xiu sneered, ¡°I gave you a chance already. Pity that your ambition is way too high and you missed this opportunity in vain. So, you must die as well.¡±


    With a flick of his thought, Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s heart directly exploded, and even his body exploded into a cloud of blood and completely disappeared from the world. After having vented the anger inside and taking back the black spear, Tang Xiu shifted his gaze to the large crowd in the forest, toward Jin Sanchi and Jin Shijie and the dozens of people of the Strange Door who were still alive.


    ¡°Are you people not going to introduce yourselves?¡±


    Tang Xiu did not intend to kill these people. After all, their goal was the Immortal Trove and the people they attacked were Western Nefarious Sangha and Golden Armored Zombie. However, you¡¯d better think about the owner when you want to beat the dog. He did not mind exterminating these people as well if they did not act like losers and paid nothing.


    While trying his best to suppress the poison inside his body, Jin Sanchi watched in vigilance when Tang Xiu killed Golden Armored Zombie and Western Nefarious Sangha. After a moment of silence, he asked in a deep voice, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°The Boss of Golden Armored Zombie,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°You know clearly well what I¡¯m asking about that,¡± said Jin Sanchi.


    ¡°You¡¯re not worthy enough to know my identity,¡± said Tang Xiu with indifference. ¡°What I want from you is how you will make up for this. You, after all, besieged my people, and that made me unhappy!¡±


    While covering his chest, Jin Sijie stepped forward and said, ¡°Since you want us to explain it, I¡¯m willing to use my life to work for you to pay off this debt. But I hope Your Excellency can give mercy to my Third Brother and the rest and spare their lives.¡±


    ¡°Your life isn¡¯t worth anything in my eyes. Besides, your life is about to end.¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°Do you find it interesting to fool me?¡±


    ¡°Then what do you want?¡± Asked Jin Sijie with a white and bloodless complexion.


    ¡°Hand over that Sky Piercer Halberd and that golden bell. That simple,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly.


    Jin Sijie threw the Sky Piercer Halberd to Tang Xiu and then turned to look at the dozen people of the Strange Doors and shouted, ¡°Give it to him.¡±


    They did not even hesitate to do what he ordered. They could feel how powerful Tang Xiu was and simply did not dare to offend him at the moment. Provoke Tang Xiu¡¯s anger and the chance of them surviving this predicament would be close to negligible. After handing over the golden bell to Tang Xiu, they immediately returned to their original positions.


    Jin Sijie coughed up two mouthfuls of blood and said, ¡°We will not dare to set our eyes on the Immortal Trove again, Your Excellency, so we can¡¯t be considered as enemies. Can we take our leave now?¡±


    ¡°The matter here has indeed been solved, but there are still some private matters that need to be addressed. Of all you people from the Strange Doors, who among you are from the Serenity Sect and Jin Family?¡± Asked Tang Xiu lightly.


    ¡°I¡¯m the Sect Master of Serenity Sect, Xuan You. Six of our experts came out this time, but the other five have died,¡± said a sturdy middle-aged who stepped out from the crowd and cupped his fists.


    ¡°I¡¯m a member of Jin Family,¡± said the middle-aged woman, who had sneak attacked and killed Shipo, took two steps forward. She was seriously injured at this moment due to Western Nefarious Sangha¡¯s attack previously, and her chances of surviving were slim had she not treated her injuries timely.


    With an indifferent expression, Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Two of you, you had better commit suicide immediately if you don¡¯t want to suffer the fate of wanting to live and die and yet you can¡¯t have both. Furthermore, I don¡¯t think there is any need for either the Serenity Sect and Jin Family to exist anymore. You don¡¯t have to fear to be lonely on the road to the Underworld after you die!¡±


    With a great change in expression, Xuan You hurriedly shouted, ¡°BUT WHY? Has our Serenity Sect ever offended you, Your Excellency?¡±


    Elegant Chess Saintess hastily cupped her fists and said, ¡°This¡­ Immortal Master, where and how my Jin Family has inadvertently offended you? Please tell me directly.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I¡¯ll explain it to you since you two want to die.¡± Tang Xiu snorted coldly. ¡°Xuan Yugu, from the Serenity Sect, and Wang Hu, a disciple of Elegant Chess Saintess, signed the Life and Death Pact with me in the hunting grounds since they wanted to kill me quickly. I have killed both of them now. That¡¯s right, that Justice Hall¡¯s Master of the Serenity Sect was also killed by my subordinate. Do you think I will spare your lives since I¡¯ve killed your people and give you a chance for revenge?¡±


    ¡°WHAT DID YOU SAY?¡± Xuan You¡¯s pupils constricted and he staggeringly took two steps back, almost sitting on the ground. Xuan Yugu was his only child, part of his soul, and his treasure. And yet, he was actually killed by this bastard?


    Elegant Chess Saintess looked so grieved and wretched while intense regret grew inside her. The reason why she took Wang Hu as a disciple was because his family could help her a bit. Furthermore, Wang Hu also had a good constitution and was suitable to inherit her mantle. But she never expected that that damn bastard would turn out to court such a huge trouble for her and the Jin Family.


    ¡°I¡¯LL KILL YOU!¡±


    Xuan You suddenly flashed towards Tang Xiu while Elegant Chess Saintess was filled with regrets. He pulled the two-handed saber from his waist and brandished it towards Tang Xiu.


    ¡°DON¡¯T!¡± Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie exclaimed at the same time.


    However, a cold glint flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he pierced the long black spear in his hand towards the man¡¯s chest and instantly killed him. After which, Tang Xiu looked at Jin Sanchi and Jin Shijie, as he said, ¡°I don¡¯t feel like killing these people from the Serenity Sect. You two will kill them.¡±


    With that said, he flicked his finger and shot a Holy Healing medicine towards Jin Sijie.


    Jin Sijie looked stunned as he glanced at the Holy Healing medicine in his hand. After smelling it, he then immediately exclaimed, ¡°This medicine is¡­¡±


    ¡°Take it. It can preserve your life,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently.


    With an ecstatic expression, Jin Sijie replied without hesitation, ¡°Thank you, Daoist. I¡¯ll exterminate the Serenity Sect¡¯s people on your behalf.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded at him and then looked at Elegant Chess Saintess.


    At the moment, Elegant Chess Saintess¡¯s face was constantly changing. Under Tang Xiu¡¯s gaze, she braced herself forward and bitterly said, ¡°Immortal Master, I don¡¯t know how that scoundrel disciple of mine offended you. Since he already died in your hands, it¡¯s a death he deserved for his punishment. But I hope you can work around my Jin Family this once, Immortal Master. My family is willing to compensate you.¡±


    ¡°What compensation can your Jin Family give me, huh?¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°You must know, only a few things can enter my eyes.¡±


    Elegant Chess Saintess was silent for a while before she suddenly stepped forward and took out a red-colored Water Caltrop from her waist and handed it over to Tang Xiu, ¡°This is a magic weapon I accidentally obtained from a certain place in the Miao Region. But I¡¯m not a cultivator and have no means to use it. I¡¯m now offering it to you, Immortal Master. I hope you can see my sincerity and spare us this time.¡±


    A magic weapon?


    Tang Xiu took the red Water Caltrop and was immediately surprised since it was indeed a magic treasure, a magic weapon especially tailored to women. He really could not figure out something. When did so many magic weapons exist on Earth?


    Half a minute after, he looked at Elegant Chess Saintess again and indifferently said, ¡°You¡¯re not bad. I saw you act to kill Shipo and saved me some energy to act, so I¡¯ll spare you this time. Jin Sanchi, Jin Sijie, since the two of you dare to lead a lot of people to come here, I¡¯m sure you have a way to open the entrance to this Immortal Trove, isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie exchanged looks, as the brothers then shook their heads in an answer. Jin Sanchi then said with a helpless expression, ¡°Fellow Daoist, we have yet to grasp any means for it. We dragged in a lot of people this time chiefly to exterminate Western Nefarious Sangha, Golden Armored Zombie, and Shipo to seize this place. Only then would we try to slowly conduct a research to find a way to break through this Immortal Abode and get the Immortal Trove.¡±


    ¡°Then leave now if you don¡¯t know anything!¡± Tang Xiu said. ¡°But do remember! This place is not for you to come in the future. I hope you stop being avaricious and give away your life in vain.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie were helpless and yet they had no choice but to comply. There were all injured now, and their remaining strength at this moment was only at 50%. They would probably lose their lives if they fought with Tang Xiu.


    Immediately after, more than a dozen people left quickly, leaving only Tang Xiu and several dead bodies there. After storing the golden bell and red Water Caltrop, Mo Awu and the others caught up fast. Tang Xiu ordered them to deal with the dead bodies and then took the black spear and entered the cave where Western Nefarious Sangha planted medicinal herbs.


    It was an Immortal Trove! He did not know what treasure it stored inside, but since it could drive Western Nefarious Sangha and the Jin Brothers to lose all decorum and have a fallout, then it could only mean that the treasures it held were outstanding.

 Chapter 670

    Chapter 670: His Identity


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Kanas hunting grounds.


    After Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie Brothers arrived there with the remaining dozens of people from the Strange Doors, they secretly met with the owner of the hunting grounds, Gesangjor. After getting all the way there, Jin Sanchi had finally suppressed the poison in his body and it would no longer threaten his life. As for Jin Sijie, he had taken the Holy Healing medicine and, despite his injury having yet to fully heal, his life was no longer in danger.


    ¡°Two Seniors, you are¡­¡±


    Gesangjor wore a strange expression. Especially when he saw the miserable appearance of Jin Sijie and the bloodstains all over his body. He was about to speak out his mind but hesitated and stopped after letting out some words.


    ¡°We are fine,¡± said Jin Sanchi indifferently. ¡°The reason we came here is that there are some things we need to ask you. As far as I know, the son of Sect Master of the Serenity Sect was killed along with Elegant Chess Saintess¡¯ disciple here. What I want to know is, who exactly is the person who killed them?¡±


    Gesangjor stared blankly and was secretly worried about Tang Xiu. Though he did not have much friendship with Tang Xiu, he liked his character and felt that the young man was a very capable person, and yet he too knew how terrifying these two people were.


    Nowadays, the number of cultivators in the entire Strange Doors were far too few, while two or three of them were also disciples of Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie. Therefore, their words were held in high esteem and held much weight in the Strange Doors, as they were also their biggest patron.


    As a member of the Strange Doors himself, Gesangjor was someone who possessed authority over one of the parties under it. He naturally did not dare to hide anything and truthfully disclosed everything he knew about Tang Xiu. He then finally concluded, ¡°What I know about him is only this much. But my old friend for many years, Jie Walie, might know more. I¡¯ll go look for him if the two Seniors need to inquire more.¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t need to look for him.¡± Jin Sanchi waved his hand. ¡°Knowing him as the young miracle-working doctor of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital in Shuangqing Province is a little clue in and of itself, and by following this clue, we can naturally find his real identity as well. Alright, we¡¯ll be staying in your place to heal ourselves for a while. After the people from Strange Doors have left, you will be closing your hunting grounds for some time!¡±


    ¡°Junior will arrange everything as per your instructions,¡± said Gesangjor hastily.


    After Gesangjor left the room, Jin Sanchi¡¯s expression turned grim and gloomy. He did not speak for a long time and then said indifferently, ¡°His identity as a Chinese medicine practitioner is definitely a disguise he intentionally uses to those in the outside to cover the real one. For him to be able to make Western Nefarious Sangha submit and become his Boss only means something: he¡¯s not some a simple man! Furthermore, Gesangjor said that he brought eleven of his subordinates, and one of them killed the Justice Hall¡¯s Master of the Serenity Sect. That kid had a fortuitous encounter and was a hair away from the final push to become a cultivator by virtue of his martial arts. For him to be killed by one of Tang Xiu¡¯s men means that his subordinate is also a cultivator. Now, I¡¯m suspecting that Tang Xiu is not only an itinerant cultivator but also someone from a large cultivation sect.¡±


    Jin Sijie frowned, ¡°Where would such a large cultivator sect exist in today¡¯s society? We, Brothers, also know that the number of cultivators in entire China is probably not more than ten, right?¡±


    ¡°That is because we know nothing of the rest.¡± Jin Sanchi sneered and rebuked him. ¡°There are more than a billion people in China, and Heavens knows how many cultivators and those who inherited Dao heritages are there. That Amur Tiger boy was buried in Beijing some time ago, and we don¡¯t know who killed him. Do you think ordinary people can kill him?¡±


    Jin Sijie¡¯s expression moved and he immediately nodded without refuting it. ¡°So, what do we do next? Tang Xiu is now occupying the Immortal Abode and its Immortal Trove and forced us to pay a heavy price. Don¡¯t tell me we are just going to let it go like this?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Let us wait and see first!¡±


    Only then did Jin Sanchi replied helplessly after having been silent for a long time. ¡°Western Nefarious Sangha occupied that Immortal Abode with Immortal Trove for so many years and yet he was still unable to open its entrance at all. Tang Xiu just learned about it, and he probably won¡¯t be able to open its entrance either for the time being. The first thing we must do now is to treat our injuries and then find his real identity. We¡¯ll scheme against him if he doesn¡¯t have a formidable cultivator force behind him, but we have no other choice but to give this up if it is otherwise, and¡­ we gotta try to be in good terms with him as much as possible.


    ¡°The Strange Door has suffered heavy losses. Should we give them some compensation?¡± Asked Jin Sijie.


    ¡°I thought about it on the way back and made up my mind. Those eight families and forces paid quite a disastrous price, thus they will be bitterly disappointed if we can¡¯t pacify them, so let us just give them eight quotas!¡± Said Jin Sanchi. ¡°And we should accept a few disciples.¡±


    ¡°But, the cultivation resources we have¡­¡±


    Jin Sijie refuted quickly, but he could not finish his words as Jin Sanchi interrupted him with indifference, ¡°I¡¯m aware that cultivation resources we have now is scarce, so we cannot provide too many resources to foster disciples. But they are members of those eight families who want to train under us. Don¡¯t tell me they don¡¯t even have some resources? Those eight families must have amassed quite a lot of good things all these many years.¡±


    ¡°True that!¡± Jin Sijie nodded without refuting.


    ****


    In the Immortal Abode, Longquan Bay.


    Tang Xiu painstakingly studied the array of the Soul Tranquilizer Stone and solidified Dragon¡¯s Eye on the ceiling of the cave, yet he could not find any clues whatsoever no matter how hard he tried. He even spent several days to refine a spirit tool and the spear to unleash a powerful might, yet he was still unable to destroy the array.


    ¡°No way to take it down, and neither can I destroy it.¡±


    Tang Xiu stood in the middle of the cave with a long, distressed face. One must know that he was once a Supreme in the Immortal World and had an extremely deep knowledge and attainments in arrays. And yet, he had never seen nor heard of the strange arrangement of this array before.


    ¡°Forget it. I can only give up for now! But this place is indeed good. I cannot leave it unguarded.¡±


    Tang Xiu went out of the cave. As he came outside and saw that Mo Awu¡¯s group of eleven were cultivating there, he then ordered four of them to stay here, responsible for guarding the Immortal Trove. Following which, the then left with Mo Awu¡¯s group of the remaining seven men quickly. There were a lot of things he had to do, and he could not waste his time staying here.


    As he looked at the time, it was almost the day the Shanghai University started the new term, and he had not yet called Han Qingwu for a leave of absence. Although his relationship with Han Qingwu was better now, it was still not a justified excuse if he did not speak about it to her.


    On the second day, Tang Xiu returned to Shanghai and phoned Han Qingwu to ask for a leave. Though he spent some effort, Han Qingwu finally gave consent and shortly after, he then headed for the research institute to hold a meeting with Mo Yi and wandered around the Institute for half of the day. When he saw that they were currently preparing for the following research, he contacted Kang Xia and instructed for two capable and trustworthy employees of the Magnificent Tang Corporation to come over.


    During the busy days, Mu Qingping returned to Nine Dragons Island with Gu Yin, and Tang Xiaohan went with them. Tang Xiu originally wanted Tang Xiaohan to stay, but upon recalling that he often encountered various incidents and could not spare much time to take care of him, he also agreed with it.


    ****


    South Gate Town.


    As Tang Xiu returned from the outside and came to his parent¡¯s place. The reason why he came back was that his mother, Su Lingyun, was ill. Though it was not a serious illness and she only had a cold and a fever, he hurried there first. He even did not spare the time to examine the power generator set that had just been delivered from abroad.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Xiu¡¯er. I just need to take some medicine and get some injections. I¡¯ll be fine in a couple of days.¡± Su Lingyun was leaning on the bedhead. Her complexion was a bit pale and looked a bit wilted, but she forced out a smile and spoke after seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s concerned face.


    Tang Xiu gave her an examination and felt relieved upon finding that his mother had indeed only caught an ordinary cold and fever. He then immediately said with a smile, ¡°Mom, did you forget my identity? The title of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital¡¯s Young Divine Doctor is not blown out as flaunting for marketing. Rest assured, Mom! I¡¯ll make a prescription for the medicine to get boiled for you to drink up. I guarantee that you will recover by tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Su Lingyun¡¯s smiling face was a bit wider than just a moment ago.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu walked out of the room and saw that his father, Tang Yunde, just came out from the inside. His expression was a bit serious as he talked to him, ¡°Dad, there are some things I want to talk to you about.¡±


    Upon seeing the bit serious expression on his son¡¯s face, Tang Yunde nodded and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the study room.¡±


    In the study room.


    Right as Tang Xiu took a seat, he spoke, ¡°Dad, you too know that I¡¯m a cultivator, and you must be perfectly aware what kind of existence a cultivator is. I¡¯ve been considering all this while to impart a cultivation technique to you and Mom and helping you both to step on the cultivation path. But there have been many things to tend to, so I have not yet been able to realize it until now. So, I¡¯m going to stay in Star City for some time to guide you and Mom in cultivation.¡±


    There was a joyful expression on Tang Yunde¡¯s face. But after pondering for a short while, he shook his head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s time yet. The most important thing for you in your Mom¡¯s heart now is your studies. Staying in Star City to tend to your things may be very important to you, but I think the best thing you should do is to hurry up to get your things done here and then return to Shanghai. If you want to teach a cultivation technique to me and your Mom, wait for some time as I and your Mom will go to Shanghai and stay there for some time.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu somewhat hesitated. But then he felt that what his father said was correct and reasonable. He finally put away the idea and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll teach some basic knowledge first. For example, the acupoints in the human body, meridians, and the cultivation technique¡¯s contents. I will then fully assist you to step on the cultivation path once you come to Shanghai.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± This time, Tang Yunde did not refuse. He could feel the kindly intention inside his son¡¯s heart, and he too knew that his son had a mature way of thinking. Having such a son not only made him fortunate but also touched.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, there¡¯s something I need to tell you while you¡¯re here.¡± Tang Yunde suddenly stopped him when Tang Xiu was about to leave the study room.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a puzzled expression after turning around.


    ¡°Just write me that prescription and give it to me directly. I¡¯ll get the medicines and boil them while you are going to the airport!¡± Tang Yunde smiled. ¡°That girl, Wanying, said that she will arrive at Star City this evening, thus you will pick her up.¡±


    Mu Wanying?


    ¡°What is she doing in Star City?¡± Asked Tang Xiu. ¡°Doesn¡¯t she currently have schooling to attend to at Shanghai University?¡±


    The smile on Tang Yunde¡¯s face looked mysterious when he answering, ¡°Don¡¯t ask so many questions, will you? In any case, change your clothes to something formal.¡±

 Chapter 671

    Chapter 671: Greed


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    As dusk came, Tang Xiu drove to Star City Airport. Although he did not know for what purpose Mu Wanying was visiting Star City this time, he still had to pick her up and even booked a box in the Long¡¯s Dining Hall. He was guessing that it was his mother¡¯s idea of wanting him to go to Shanghai to study, so Mu Wanying came over, and it was very likely that he would have prepared to go Shanghai with her.


    Six in the afternoon.


    A beautiful figure appeared at the airport exit. After Tang Xiu saw Mu Wanying, he immediately waved at her, but he then froze as he saw that there was a beautiful middle-aged couple with Mu Wanying. The most notable thing was that Mu Wanying bore some resemblance to the woman.


    ¡°You¡¯re Tang Xiu, right? A very capable young man indeed.¡±


    The middle-aged man behind Mu Wanying, donning a formal suit and tie, showed a look of satisfaction on his face after he saw Tang Xiu.


    The gorgeous woman also let out a faint smile and said, ¡°The man our Wanying has taken a liking to is naturally excellent. Tang Xiu, I¡¯m very satisfied with you.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s lower lip squirmed. At this moment, even if he was stupid, there was no way he could not figure out the identity of this middle-aged couple! He wryly smiled inwardly, though he put on a modest expression on the surface, and greeted, ¡°How do you do, Uncle and Auntie. Welcome to Star City.¡±


    There was a blushing color on Mu Wanying¡¯s beautiful face, and yet one could also see a trace of helplessness there. There was a trace of apology in her tone when she spoke, ¡°Tang Xiu, my parents kind of urged me to bring them to Star City, so I¡­¡±


    ¡°It was your Dad and Mom who insisted in inviting us to visit Star City to be their guests last year, Tang Xiu,¡± Mu Jianhua interrupted her and said with a smile. ¡°Since we¡¯re not that busy after the New Year we came here to visit. The relationship between you and Wanying will become much closer sooner or later and we as her guardians give our consent, so we naturally must get closer as well.¡±


    Tang Xiu recalled the mysterious smile his father showed him in the afternoon and immediately felt somewhat helpless inside. Although he had already explained the true state of his relationship with Mu Wanying, that they were just a fake couple, now it seemed that they simply did not take it seriously! He could also see that helplessness and apologetic look in Mu Wanying¡¯s eyes and buckled up himself after giving it a bit of thought. In any case, he would have to find himself a wife who would give birth to his children sooner or later, while Mu Wanying herself also understood the state of affairs he was in. If she wished to make do in such a situation, he could not always oppose the idea straightly. He had been devoting his whole life to refine his resolve on the path to immortality, and now that there was a woman who wanted to enter the trajectory of his life and did not tally with his original idea, then it was clear that she was willing to be with him and did not wish to part.


    While all sorts of thoughts were churning inside his heart, Tang Xiu quickly thought up some things. He displayed the attitude of a younger generation facing Mu Wanying¡¯s parents as he lifted their luggage, invited them to board the car, and then drove toward South Gate Town.


    At home.


    After Tang Xiu saw the meeting of both parents, he realized that today¡¯s meeting was not the first time they met, as both parents had met for several times already back when they were in the capital. Even his mother, Su Lingyun, toured and visited many places of historic interests and scenic beauty in Beijing accompanied by Mu Wanying¡¯s mother, Jiang Zhenli.


    On the second floor.


    After Tang Xiu took Mu Wanying into his room, he forced out a smile and said, ¡°I thought you had gone to Shanghai already. Never expected that you would visit Star City with your parents all of a sudden today. Those four, they have set this up for quite some time, haven¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Tang Xiu,¡± said Mu Wanying with an apologetic smile. ¡°Actually, I only learned about it before I was about to leave for Star City. I would have already called you in advance otherwise.¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and turned on the heating in the bedroom. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Actually, I¡¯ve told my parents the truth about our relationship, and yet they sure like you so much since they put so much effort in doing this. And to be honest, I do like you very much since everyone does love beauty, after all; but liking you doesn¡¯t mean that it¡¯s love, however. Besides, I still have a lot of important things to do, so if you really wish to, let us just get along slowly. As for to what step we¡¯ll come to, let us just watch how things will come out, and discuss about this again later.¡±


    Getting along together?


    Mu Wanying stared at Tang Xiu in disbelief, and yet the pleasant surprise quickly filled her heart. So to say, would they be in a relationship later?


    ****


    Kanas hunting grounds.


    After recuperating for a few days, Jin Sanchi had forced out all the poisons in his body, while Ji Sijie¡¯s injuries had also healed. Neither of them left, however, as they were waiting for the news of the investigation from the Strange Door¡¯s people. For both of them, finding out clearly about Tang Xiu¡¯s identity was very important since the issue on Immortal Trove was, after all, of the utmost importance. They must do whatever it takes to obtain it should an opportunity arise.


    Dum dum dum¡­


    Strange sounds, like drum beats coming from the distant sky, were as though drilling into their hearts. The rhythm of the sound was very particular. It felt like it was a summoning sign for them. Jin Sanchi¡¯s and Jin Sijie¡¯s complexions changed greatly. The two men who were previously cultivating inside the room looked at each other with disbelief painted on their faces, as their figure instantly disappeared the moment after.


    At the back of the mountain of Kanas hunting grounds.


    After the two men quickly flew past the highest peak of the mountain, they lifted their hands nearly at the same time to rub their eyes. When their line of sight turned clearer and was sure that they were not seeing things, they knelt on the ground and repeatedly kowtowed towards an old man who sat cross-legged under an old tree in the summit.


    The old man, whose body exuded a rotten smell and donned a long, handwoven hemp robe, had hair coiled like a bun and wrinkles on his face. His eyes were particularly deep and profound as if he had the universe contained within, along with the sun, the moon, and the stars. His skinny hand was holding a snare drum that was the source of the strange drumbeat that came from above.


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re still alive, Master?¡± muttered Jin Sanchi, full of excitement.


    The old man in hemp robe faintly smiled and said, ¡°This old man never expected to still be alive. Had it not been because¡­ the Imperial Dragon Chart protected my last bit of true soul and foretold that an imminent catastrophe is about to befall the two of you, I would have probably perished already and had my soul dissipated.¡±


    A big disaster is about to befall upon them?


    Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie looked at each other and suddenly recalled the crisis of a few days ago. The expression in their eyes when they looked at the old man in a hemp robe turned more reverential. Their Master left them two magic weapons more than 60 years ago as well as an ancient manual for cultivation before he flew up, and no news about him was heard since. After so many years, they thought that their Master had already passed away, and never had the thought that he would still be alive and return to see them again one day.


    They both were raised by their Master, Daoist Qiankun. Back when Daoist Qiankun adopted them, he was already 180 years old and, added with the time he went missing for about 20 years and being still alive, it indicated that he was now 260 years of age.


    ¡°Did you break through to the Golden Core Stage, Master?¡± Asked Jin Sanchi with a cautious expression.


    Daoist Qiankun nodded and said, ¡°More than 60 years ago, I actually felt that breaking through to the Golden Core Stage was imminent, hence I secluded myself from the world to cultivate, and eventually became a Golden Core Stage expert. Just as I broke through, however, that damned Old Blind persecuted and trapped me inside the Abstruse Yin Ground, but then I was able to tread on the Nascent, thus escaping the predicament. I would probably be unable to escape if it wasn¡¯t for the Imperial Dragon Chart.¡±


    ¡°Did you just say that you have broken through to the Nascent Soul Stage, Master?¡± Exclaimed Jin Sijie hurriedly.


    ¡°Since when breaking through to the Nascent Soul Stage is an easy feat to achieve?¡± Daoist Qiankun shook his head. ¡°The Imperial Dragon Chart stored the blood essence of the two of you a long time ago, children. I happen to own a secret art that I inject to it, and thus I sensed that there would be an imminent disaster befalling upon you two. Never did I expect that I would finally be able to escape from the Abstruse Yin Ground after self-destructing my Golden Core to detonate the Imperial Dragon Chart.¡±


    Self-destructing the Golden Core?


    Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie were dumbfounded. Though they had not yet reached the Golden Core Stage, they also knew what the consequences of exploding their own Golden Core were.


    ¡°But Master, you¡­ are you all right now?¡± Jin Sanchi¡¯s heart was full of emotion, with worry and concern.


    ¡°My cultivation dropped sharply by four levels, and my present situation is only comparable to the Early Golden Core Stage.¡± Daoist Qiankun smiled bitterly. ¡°I was greatly fortunate to have obtained a manual called ¡®Source Crossing to Ultimate Essence¡¯ and saved myself from becoming disabled. Alright, let us talk about you now. Have you encountered any troubles as of recently?¡±


    Jin Sanchi quickly said the recent events and finally said, ¡°Tang Xiu is now occupying that Immortal Trove. We don¡¯t dare to act rashly since we have yet to figure out the force behind him.¡±


    A cold glint flashed in Daoist Qiankun¡¯s eyes. He was pleasantly surprised by the existence of the Immortal Trove. In fact, escaping from the depths of the Abstruse Yin Ground was not entirely for these two disciples of his, but if he did not find a way to escape that place, then he would be trapped there eternally and eventually meet his demise thoroughly.


    ¡°Just wait for the news. The matter regarding the Immortal Trove is a matter of the utmost importance since we ourselves have a predestined affinity with immortality, to begin with. The very reason we absolutely must not miss it.¡± Daoist Qiankun even secretly made up his mind that even if Tang Xiu did have a great force behind him, he still must involve himself and do everything he could even if the probability was minute. Otherwise, with the situation he was currently in, he would only be able to maintain himself for a few years. Adding a few decades more and he would not be able to return to his peak and would certainly die on the cultivation path.


    ****


    Star City.


    Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying stood side by side while watching the faint streetlights outside the window, each with their own ideas in mind. However, since their four elders pushed them hard, neither Tang Xiu or Mu Wanying could deny them at this time. Else, the final outcome would only make the faces of their parents turn ugly.


    ¡°When will you return to Shanghai?¡±


    Inwardly, Mu Wanying was very excited and happy, though she concealed it very well. She finally broke the long silence with the question.


    ¡°Should be the day after tomorrow!¡± Answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together then!¡± Said Mu Wanying softly. ¡°I already brought my things over since I originally planned to go to Shanghai from Star City.¡±


    ¡°Okay. No problem,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    While looking at Tang Xiu¡¯s smiling face, Mu Wanying suddenly said, ¡°Tang Xiu, it¡¯s actually not a problem if you can¡¯t accept our relationship. At the worst, we would still be the same like before, a fake couple.¡±


    ¡°Fake couple?¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°Regardless of whether it¡¯s like that or not, it really doesn¡¯t matter as long as both parties don¡¯t refuse the idea. Let us just let nature take its course, shall we? We can¡¯t say for sure what the future holds.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Mu Wanying nodded gently.

 Chapter 672

    Chapter 672: Serving a Husband


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    When Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying came down from the second floor, a fragrant and delicious meal had been served in the dining room. With Su Lingyun¡¯s greeting, the two took a seat in the dining table. While looking at the four elders happily dining together in a harmonious and happy atmosphere, Mu Wanying happily smiled inwardly. As for Tang Xiu, he did not talk much but still maintained an attentive and satisfactory etiquette.


    After dinner, Tang Xiu originally had the intention to escort the Mu family of three to the Long¡¯s Dining Hall. But Tang Yunde and Su Lingyun¡¯s great hospitality made the family stay overnight at their home. Despite feeling surprised facing such a situation, Tang Xiu calmly accepted it. Fortunately, Mu Jianhua and Jiang Zhenli only stayed in Star City for one day and then left for Beijing on the evening of the next day.


    Since Tang Xiu had to leave Star City, he went to the Magnificent Tang Corporation and explained all the matters to Kang Xia and then transferred a large amount of capital to her account. Following that, he took her to the research institute and introduced her to Mo Yi and the other professors and researchers.


    ¡°How about going to my place tonight?¡± It was already nine in the evening when the two left the institute. Kang Xia, who sat on the driver seat and wore a fur coat, asked with an expectant expression on her face.


    Tang Xiu originally wanted to refuse, but looking at the expectation on her face and that he also had to leave Star City tomorrow, meaning that they would not see each other for some time. After hesitating for a moment, he finally nodded and said, ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go to your place.¡±


    With a happy expression, Kang Xia accelerated.


    Her request was not too much. She only hoped that she would be with Tang Xiu and that already made her fully satisfied and content. She thought that she would have a lot of time with him during winter vacation, and also had a lot of time to see him during this time. Little did she expect that Tang Xiu turned out to be very busy and they could only meet a few times during the winter vacation.


    Nearly an hour later, the duo arrived at the villa complex where Kang Xia lived. After parking the car in the courtyard, Kang Xia then pulled Tang Xiu into the villa.


    ¡°Aunt Hong must be resting, no?¡±


    Kang Xia stood in the living room and glanced around. Finding that she did not see the figure of the housekeeper anywhere, she immediately spoke in a low voice. Yet, such a situation made her very happy.


    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t seem to like Aunt Hong seeing me,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Kang Xia blushed and said, ¡°How so? I¡¯m just afraid that Aunt Hong will disturb us. That¡¯s right. Have you had a supper yet? Do you want me to cook something for you?¡±


    A smile outlined on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he coiled his hands around her body, picked her up and walked toward the stairs. He then smilingly said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t heard that being with a beauty is better than eating? There¡¯s no need for you to cook, I want to eat you.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re gross.¡±


    The blush on Kang Xia¡¯s turned redder as she buried her face on Tang Xiu¡¯s neck, feeling incomparably bashful inside. Although the two of them could be considered as husband and wife, they only had sex a few times. She herself hoped for it, and yet felt embarrassed every time.


    On the corridor of the second floor.


    Andy was holding a towel and rubbing her wet hair as she came out of the bathroom in pink-cartoon pajamas. When she saw Tang Xiu carrying Kang Xia out of the staircase, a disbelieving expression painted her cute, adorable face. The only thing expression that was inside her big, round eyes.


    ¡°You guys¡­¡± Andy gaped and was a bit overwhelmed after she snapped back to her senses.


    Tang Xiu was left dumbfounded as he held Kang Xia in the corridor. Though he knew that Andy lived in the next door villa, never did expect that she would be Kang Xia¡¯s villa at 10 in the evening.


    Kang Xia raised her red face from Tang Xiu¡¯s neck and, when she saw the stunned Andy, she suddenly remembered that it was herself who asked Andy to come to her place tonight since she wanted to gift her a set of good cosmetics brought back from abroad by her friend. Immediately, she groaned in depression inwardly and hurriedly got herself down from Tang Xiu¡¯s embrace.


    ¡°Umm, you know¡­ why haven¡¯t you slept yet, Andy?¡± Kang Xia looked a bit awkward and a bit helpless as she asked with an embarrassed expression.


    There was a bit of anger on Andy¡¯s small face. She dashed towards Tang Xiu and straightly pulled his arm. ¡°You¡¯re really a bad woman, Boss. We already promised each other that we¡¯d share everything, joy, and misfortune, for better or for worse. But YOU¡­ you turned out to be keeping everything for yourself?!¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Kang Xia shook her head, being at a loss whether she had to cry or laugh. Even if they did make a promise to share the blessings and misfortunes together, could this even be said as keeping the food for herself? Surely it doesn¡¯t mean that she also wanted to share ¡®this kind of joy¡¯ with one man?!


    Hmph! Andy snorted at Kang Xia and then pulled Tang Xiu¡¯s arm as she raised her exquisite small face and said, ¡°Boss, you cannot be liberal to one and stingy to other like this. You¡¯ve seen this lady Boss¡¯s body, that I know; but you have seen mine too. It is said that Chinese men are good at keeping their responsibility. Shouldn¡¯t you be responsible for me too?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± An expression of being at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh also covered Tang Xiu¡¯s face. Just how an apple can be compared to an orange in this matter? Can a man be held responsible just because he saw a woman¡¯s body? I¡¯ve seen a lot of Japanese ¡°sex acrobatic¡± movies, do I have to be held responsible for seeing those outstanding performers?


    Tang Xiu did not want to be nagged by this kind of matter too much, so he hurriedly explained, ¡°Andy, you misunderstood us. Kang Xia sprained her foot, so I escorted her from the outside and carried her here. Alright, since I¡¯ve brought her home, then I¡¯ll leave her into your care. I should go back now.¡±


    ¡°Did you really get your foot twisted?¡± Andy looked at Kang Xia and changed again to Tang Xiu and immediately asked with a doubtful expression, ¡°Is that true?¡±


    Though feeling reluctant, Kang Xia also knew that she would not be able to spend the night with Tang Xiu, so she nodded and said, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s true.¡±


    Andy hesitated for a moment and then groaned, ¡°I don¡¯t care! Boss just hugged you, so it¡¯s my turn.¡±


    ¡°Andy, please knock it off,¡± said Tang Xiu hurriedly. ¡°I¡¯d also hug you if your foot got twisted one day, okay? Alright, take good care of Kang Xia well. I¡¯ll go back first.¡±


    With that said, he immediately turned around and flashed his way out of the villa. After coming out, he suddenly remembered that he took a ride on Kang Xia¡¯s car. In order to avoid getting pestered by Andy again, however, he walked straight out of the villa complex and then dialed Mo Awu¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°Come and fetch me.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    A minute later, the Range Rover car was parked in front of Tang Xiu.


    After Tang Xiu boarded, he said, ¡°Go back to South Gate Town!¡±


    ¡°Boss, an unexpected situation just happened. We found some people tracking us,¡± said Mo Awu. ¡°Jin Hu already caught them, and they should be returning soon.¡±


    Some people tracking me?


    Tang Xiu slightly furrowed his brows and said, ¡°Then let us wait here.¡±


    A few minutes later, a Mercedes-Benz SUV parked next to the Range Rover. As the door was opened, Jin Hu stood in front of the car¡¯s window and respectfully said, ¡°Boss, we caught the people who were tracking us, a total of four men, all of whom have been stunned by us and are now inside the car.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment. Then he took out his mobile phone to call Kang Xia and then said, ¡°Take them to the villa complex! Since the target they picked to tail is me, I think they are not some good bunch. Interrogate them first, and then we¡¯ll see how to deal with them afterward.¡±


    Inside the villa.


    Andy followed Kang Xia with a resentful expression. After entering Kang Xia¡¯s room, she resentfully groaned, ¡°Your foot was not twisted at all, right, Boss?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said Kang Xia with a forced smile.


    Andy angrily said, ¡°So to say, you really want to keep everything for yourself, yes?¡±


    Kang Xia threw her bag to the sofa, took a seat and forced a wry smile, ¡°You¡¯re a big girl already, Andy. Can you just knock it off?¡±


    ¡°Who just made the trouble? You!¡± Retorted Andy angrily. ¡°You know I like Boss very much! Just take a look at the other men outside, each and every one of them is so worthless with their minds are full of filthy thoughts. The only one who can enter my eyes is only our Boss. I don¡¯t even care if he has a wife.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Kang Xia opened her mouth, but after looking at Andy¡¯s particularly serious expression, she immediately said, ¡°Andy, we are indeed good sisters and we do share everything usually. But this man¡­ aargh, forget it. I¡¯ll tell you the truth now! I do have such a relationship with our Boss, but I¡¯m perfectly aware that Boss has some sentiments that still hold him down inside. Even if I¡¯m in there, I know very well that it¡¯s impossible for him to give his whole heart to me. There¡¯s also another thing that I¡¯m very well aware of, that even I myself will not be his legal wife in the future.¡±


    Andy¡¯s eyes blinked. She pointed her finger to Kang Xia all of a sudden and said with amazement, ¡°So to say, you¡¯re also a home wrecker, a mistress?¡±


    A mistress?


    Kang Xia¡¯s face looked downcast in an instant, and helplessly replied, ¡°Can you not use such terms? Else, there¡¯s no way we can talk at all.¡±


    The scowl on Andy¡¯s face instantly vanished, replaced by a pleasantly surprised smile. She threw the towel in her hand and then sat next to Kang Xia, reaching out her hand and holding it, and then said with a smile, ¡°Boss, I understand now. You really are better than me¡ªa loser. Legal or not legal, I don¡¯t give a damn! Boss is so outstanding, for him to have several women is very normal! You also know Lilian, right? She told me a long time ago that she doesn¡¯t want to become a legal wife of a man, but she must be that man¡¯s mistress. A few days ago, she took some photos and uploaded them on Facebook. You know what? That man is probably that Eyeglasses Magnate from Hong Kong.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a vixen whose eyes turn green on the money!¡± replied Kang Xia with a snap.


    ¡°But I think it¡¯s fine! What she chases after is money, and yet she also pursues love.¡± Andy shook her head. ¡°She said that only a capable man will be able to control her, and yet all capable men will have countless excellent women attracted to them. If you can¡¯t monopolize him for yourself, then just sharing him will do.¡±


    Kang Xia fell silent. She grew up in freedom abroad and naturally understood Andy¡¯s way of thinking. Men and women abroad were very open in regards to love, romance, and the relationship between man and woman. They could choose to live together if they wanted to; or get separated when things went south. There were too many capable men abroad who had many women and even capable women who had many men.


    And that idea also had seriously affected Andy.


    But then again, why had she not been influenced by those Western ideas? Else how was it possible for her to lose such men despite how outstanding she was? And yet, she must be prepared to share an outstanding man with other women if she wanted to obtain him, even though¡­ the taste was so bitter.


    *Aargh, forget it! I may not own his love, but I can own his child. Fight¡ªI must try harder¡­ *


    **Kang Xia clenched her fists, and her expression when she looked out of the window was firm and determined.

 Chapter 673

    Chapter 673: Refusing to Give Up the Sinister Scheme


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    After a while, Kang Xia turned around and looked deeply at Andy, as she raised her hand to pinch her small face and said, ¡°Just do what you wanna do! If anything, I¡¯m really vexed and resentful since you made a fuss in the good thing I was about to have tonight. You know what? It was not only my foot got twisted, but also my arms, waist, and neck¡­ So, you¡¯re responsible for giving me a massage now.¡±


    Andy¡¯s big eyes lit up with a happy expression. She hurriedly crawled up to the sofa while pinching Kang Xia¡¯s shoulders, then she laughed and said, ¡°Alright, Chief. Then call Boss now. I don¡¯t care whatever lies you use, it¡¯s fine as long as he gets deceived.¡±


    ¡°Dream on!¡± Kang Xia rolled her eyes at her.


    Ring ring ring¡­


    The mobile phone¡¯s ringtone was ringing in the bag and Kang Xia took it. Seeing that it was a call from Tang Xiu, she immediately connected and smilingly said, ¡°Boss, Andy wants you to come back. She¡¯s waiting for you and kind of wants to pet you.¡±


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­ knock it off, will you? Just get dress up, the two of you. I¡¯ll be coming to your villa shortly. There¡¯s something I need to do.¡± Tang Xiu coughed twice and then said with a serious tone.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for interrogating¡­ enemies.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    A few minutes later, after Kang Xia and Andy had neatly dressed up and come to the first-floor living room, they saw that Tang Xiu had come in with Mo Awu and four fainted men.


    ¡°Who are they, Boss?¡± Asked Kang Xia with a confused expression.


    ¡°They were tracking us in secret; Awu discovered them. Awu, wake them up,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Mo Awu nodded and walked to the front of the four men and used the crudest mean: stepping on their wrists and breaking them. He then went to Tang Xiu¡¯s side when they woke up due to the pain.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Though the four men¡¯s wrists were broken, no scream came out from them, and the asking big man¡¯s eyes were even full of killing intent.


    ¡°Ordinary people would have already screamed if their wrists got broken. Now, tell me! Who are you? Why are you following me?¡± Sneered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Hmph, we don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, nor who you are.¡± The big man snorted. ¡°Society runs under the law nowadays, and I demand you to release us. Else you can expect to have a very serious criminal charge on you for kidnapping.¡±


    ¡°Did the people who send you to follow me not tell you who I am?¡± Tang Xiu jeered. ¡°Do you think stubbornly refusing to talk can help you cope with what you will go through? If you¡¯re smart, explain your identity and the purpose why you are following me, perhaps¡­ I can spare your life. Else, you can be sure that death won¡¯t be your end, for I have too many ways to make you keep your life, longing to be alive and to die and yet unable to ask for both.¡±


    The big man¡¯s pupils contracted and he could not restrain his body from twitching. Suddenly, he pulled out a sharp dagger from his arms and stabbed his comrade¡¯s heart.


    BAM¡­


    Mo Awu acted in a flash and kicked the stout man¡¯s head, knocking him out directly. He then quickly inspected the man whose heart was stabbed, turned to Tang Xiu and shook his head, ¡°He can¡¯t be saved.¡±


    Tang Xiu hummed coldly and shifted his vision toward the other two men who were obviously frightened judging from their pale faces. He then said with indifference, ¡°I know why he acted like that and killed your comrade all of a sudden. He¡¯s afraid that your comrade will disclose any information. One died and one will follow, adding more two or three deaths won¡¯t be much of difference, no? What about you? Do you still want to conceal it, or will you confess truthfully?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll speak!¡± The man shot an angry look at the stunned stout man and immediately said, ¡°We are from the Strange Doors¡ªintelligence agents of Eight Families Alliance under Strange Doors. We got ordered to investigate your identity and find out the power you belong to.¡±


    People from Strange Doors?


    Tang Xiu furrowed his brows and hummed coldly, ¡°Hmph, under whose command?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± The man shook his head. ¡°But my leader is the person in charge who¡¯s in contact with the people above. However, I know that six teams were sent to investigate you, with each consisting of four people. We were the first to arrive in Star City, and the other five teams should be arriving within two days.¡±


    Tang Xiu then looked at the other man.


    That man also hurriedly said, ¡°That¡¯s true. That¡¯s all I know about this.¡±


    Tang Xiu then nodded to Mo Awu, as the latter stepped on the fainted stout man¡¯s other wrist to wake him up again.


    ¡°Tell me, which person of the Strange Doors gave you the order to investigate my identity? I know what you have in mind, and why you suddenly killed your comrade. But I can tell you something. Your Strange Door¡¯s people are nothing but trash in my eyes. No one in the Strange Doors will go on living if I want to kill you all,¡± said Tang Xiu with a cold expression.


    The stout man glared angrily at his other two comrades and then sneered, ¡°Hmph, relying on you? Snort¡­ our Strange Doors has a lot of people possessing special abilities. Let alone¡­ forget it. I demand you to release us, else you are dead!¡±


    ¡°You said let alone¡­ is it those two cultivators, Jin Sanchi, and Jin Sijie?¡± Said Tang Xiu indifferently.


    The stout man¡¯s body shook with disbelief in his eyes as he exclaimed out in alarm, ¡°How do you know?¡±


    ¡°Seems like it is really them who sent you to investigate me, no?¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°Hmph, had I known earlier they would not give up their sinister idea, I should have slain them in Kanas directly, so as not to leave trouble like this.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    The stout man dumbfoundedly looked at Tang Xiu with an increased heartbeat. Though he did not witness what happened in Kanas himself, he heard a lot of information about it. Never did he expect that this guy would say these words in front of him.


    Could it be¡­ this guy was the one who not only killed the Serenity Sect¡¯s Young Master¡ªXuan Yugu, and the Elegant Chess Saintess¡¯ disciple¡ªWang Hu, but also the one who injured the two Immortal Masters, Jin Sanchi, and Jin Sijie?


    ¡°You know a lot of things, it seems, eh?¡± Said Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°That¡¯s right, I was the one who spared Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie in Kanas because I did not want to kill more. However, never did I expect that those two could be so wicked and unable to give up their sinister idea to scheme against me. Now, tell me, where are they now?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Though this big man was filled with fear inside, he still shook his head.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression turned cold. He released a strand of qi to the air as it wrapped the stout man¡¯s neck, directly pulled him from the floor and hung him in the air. He sneered, ¡°I just don¡¯t want this to be to too troublesome, so I want to know it from your mouth. Else, I can wait for the following investigation team to come here. I¡¯m hella sure some of them will know where Jin Sanchi and Ji Sijie are! Conflicts between cultivators are not something small shrimps like you can involve into. Say no to me and no opportunity will be left for you. I will make you scream and whine for three days and nights before I break all of your bones and cut your blood vessels, only then will I let you swallow your last breath.¡±


    BAM¡­


    The stout man was thrown back to the floor. His face was red as he coughed painfully and yelled with bloodshot eyes, ¡°YOU WANNA KNOW IT FROM MY MOUTH? DREAM ON!¡±


    ¡°Since it came to this point, then I¡¯ll investigate your family,¡± said Tang Xiu casually. ¡°I¡¯ll torture and kill each and every one of your family members in Strange Doors. Hopefully, your family only have few children and old people there.¡±


    ¡°OKAY, I¡¯LL TELL YOU!¡±


    The big man shivered and his eyes were full of despair. In his eyes at this moment, Tang Xiu was akin to a demon in human skin. He could die, but he knew that all of his family members would be killed if a cultivator made up his mind to retaliate against his family. Even as Tang Xiu said, they would be murdered inhumanly.


    ¡°The two Immortal Masters¡­ are in Kanas.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in satisfaction. Just as he was about to speak, his expression suddenly changed. He got up and kicked the big man and directly killed the other two men. Following that, he looked at Mo Awu and shouted, ¡°Call the men who are guarding the Immortal Abode in Longquan Bay. Tell them to withdraw at once and find somewhere to hide.¡±


    Mo Awu¡¯s expression moved and he immediately took out his mobile phone. He let out a helpless expression as he found that he could not contact them after trying for several times.


    ¡°There should be no signal over there, Boss. I can¡¯t contact them at all.¡±


    ¡°BLOODY HELL!¡± Tang Xiu cursed. He quickly fished out his phone and dialed Jie Walie¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°Brother Tang?¡± Jie Walie¡¯s voice was heard on the phone.


    ¡°Brother Jie, there¡¯s something I need your help with,¡± said Tang Xiu quickly. ¡°This may be very dangerous and may cost you your life. But you¡¯re the only one I know of in Kanas that can help me now.¡±


    Jie Walie was silent for about half a minute, and then asked in a solemn tone, ¡°What is the matter?¡±


    ¡°There are four of my men standing guard in a certain valley in Longquan Bay. I hope you could rush there to inform them to evacuate immediately before an accident befalls upon them. I¡¯ll send you the detailed map later.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Jie Walie hung up directly after saying that.


    Tang Xiu put away his mobile with a bit apologetic look in his eyes. He knew that he did not have a deep friendship with Jie Walie, and yet, asking his help in this matter was his last resort. In the unlikely event that Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie were to return to that place, those four men of his would probably be victims of their treachery.


    He too realized something! He would owe Jie Walie a huge favor once the man did what he asked. And this favor would be on him no matter where he went and regardless of him being alive or dead.


    ¡°Awu, deal with these four dead bodies and then wait for me at Star City Airport. I¡¯ll go back to South Gate Town first,¡± said Tang Xiu after he got up to leave.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you, Boss,¡± called out Kang Xia hastily.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s pace came to a stop as he turned his head and shook his head. ¡°Your cultivation is still too low. Not only will you be unable to help me, but you may also become a burden. Staying here to manage the Magnificent Tang Corporation is for the best. Also, everything that happened here tonight must not be disclosed to the outside.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ I understand. Please be careful.¡± Kang Xia nodded without speaking more.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Tang Xiu said. ¡°I will not take risks without full assurance. Besides, you still have the research institute to concern about, and I¡¯ll leave for Shanghai directly after handling things in Kanas. Just call me directly if something happens on your end.¡±

 Chapter 674

    Chapter 674: Encountering Each Other¡¯s Adversary


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    South Gate Town, Kingview Villa.


    Mu Wanying was still up, wearing a coat and standing quietly by the window. Through the slit of the curtain on the window, the dim light made the scenery outside look very clear. She was thinking. She knew that Tang Xiu had a lot of things to tend to, though she did not expect that he was really so busy that he had not yet come back so late in the night.


    Should I call him?


    The idea crossed her mind many times, and she cast it away every time it appeared. She was afraid that she would disturb Tang Xiu in his work and feared that he would be unhappy with her. She became Tang Xiu¡¯s ¡°legal¡± girlfriend, and yet she was anxious for a favor and worried, lest she lost him.


    At this time, she caught sight of the light outside the window. Just a dozen seconds after, she saw a car quickly entering the courtyard, and then Tang Xiu came out of it. As sensitive and keen as she was, however, she was keenly aware that something was not right judging from Tang Xiu¡¯s expression. He looked cold and detached, and there was also a trace of¡­ anxiousness.


    Mu Wanying hesitated for a moment before she immediately walked out of her room. When she came to the corner of the stairs, she saw Tang Xiu coming up.


    ¡°Wanying, are my parents sleeping?¡± Asked Tang Xiu directly.


    Mu Wanying nodded, ¡°They should be resting already. You¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu reached out to grab her hand and pulled her into his room. After closing the door from the inside, he said with a serious expression, ¡°There¡¯s an emergency, I need to go out of the city, so you can to Shanghai by yourself. Also, my Mom wants me to return to Shanghai to attend classes, so we¡¯ll have to leave South Gate Town tonight. I¡¯ll book a room in the Long¡¯s Dining Hall. You¡¯ll be resting there tonight and then immediately go to Shanghai.¡±


    ¡°What exactly happened? Can I help?¡± Asked Mu Wanying with a worried expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. I can handle it easily.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°However, time is tight, so I need to rush over there right away.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Then I¡¯ll change my clothes and do a simple packing before leaving,¡± said Mu Wanying hurriedly. ¡°Do you want to inform Uncle and Auntie first?¡±


    ¡°No need. They have slept already.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll call them and explain it tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Mu Wanying understood and returned to the room where she was staying. After five-plus minutes of changing clothes and packing up her things, she walked out of the room carrying a suitcase. After Tang Xiu took it over, the duo came to the courtyard as quickly as possible, boarded the car and then left South Gate Town.


    Tang Xiu then booked a room in the Long¡¯s Dining Hall for Mu Wanying. After she properly got settled, Jin Hu then took him to the airport in a hush. His luck was very good as there was a flight to Blue City just as he arrived, so he boarded the plane and took off without much delay.


    ****


    Kanas, Longquan Bay.


    Amidst the biting cold wind of winter, two Wrangler SUVs arrived in a road intersection as Jie Walie, inside one of the SUVs, looked at Gaode Map and the position marked by Tang Xiu displayed on his mobile screen with a dignified expression. [1]


    ¡°Turn left and head to the left side of the road. The end of this road is about five kilometers ahead, then we¡¯ll then get off and hurry along the road,¡± ordered Jie Walie.


    Quickly, two SUVs were parked at the end of the dirt road and the front of the mountain range was already faintly seen. After Jie Walie got off the car, and the four middle-aged men who came with him observed the surroundings with vigilance. This mountain range was fraught with dangers, as often there were ferocious beasts wandering here, as well as a lot of swamps and areas with miasma. One may meet his demise in this place if they were slightly careless.


    ¡°Xiao Fei, Da Fei, you two will drive the car and go to the vicinity of Longquan Village to wait for us. Remember, if we haven¡¯t yet returned within a week, it means that we already died in the mountains. I¡¯ll be relying on you to take care of your big sis-in-law, nephews, and nieces in the future,¡± said Jie Walie with a serious expression.


    The middle-aged man, whose name was Xiao Fei, had his expression slightly changed and said, ¡°Brother Jie, please let us go with you. We are brothers, if one of us dies we¡¯ll die together.¡±


    ¡°Yes, big brother.¡± Da Fei also hurriedly echoed. ¡°You saved our lives back in the past. How can we run away in the face of danger?¡±


    Jie Walie let out a smile and patted the two men¡¯s shoulder. But his face quickly hardened again as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t. Let me deal with things that I need to worry about. I can do things with peace of mind if I know that someone will be there to take care of my family. The four of you are my closest brothers. Two of them were not willing to get married, so they have nothing to concern themselves about, but you both have a family of your own, so I must leave you. Don¡¯t argue anymore and don¡¯t be stubborn, I¡¯ve already made up my mind.¡±


    With that said, Jie Walie quickly took his mobile out, typed a few short messages and sent them out, and then quickly disappeared into the dark night with the other two men.


    ¡°Take care, Brother Jie. (Take care, Big Brother!)¡± Shouted Xiao Fei and Da Fei.


    Trekking the mountain pathway in the middle of the night was very dangerous for ordinary people. But Jie Walie and his two brothers frequently hiked on mountain pathways and were also very strong, so it did not pose them any problems. This time they came out in a hurry and only brought a few spare clothes and a few compressed biscuits and water, so they did not have a heavy burden on the road.


    Longquan Swamp.


    Stars were shining in the vast, boundless sky, with some of them illuminating the place. On the flat ground at the entrance of the mountainside cave, a pile of bonfire burned with meat roasting above. Two experts from the Everlasting Feast Hall were sitting cross-legged before the bonfire and chatting about some issues on their cultivation.


    On the mountain peak at the opposite side about two kilometers away from them, Daoist Qiankun was like a ghost sitting quietly under a big tree, looking toward the bonfire outside the cave while silently observing the two experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall. He could still see everything clearly even at night with his current eyesight.


    Jin Sijie, whose Sky Piercer Halberd was taken by Tang Xiu, ordered the Strange Door¡¯s people to help him find a weapon before he left a while ago. It was a very common ordinary spear, but its weight was over a hundred pounds. At this moment, he was holding that long spear and standing ramrod like a javelin beside Daoist Qiankun.


    ¡°Master, why don¡¯t we get rid of them earlier? Even if the news of the investigation comes and that Tang punk does indeed have a huge force behind him, no one will know who did it.¡± Jin Sijie felt a bit vexed and grumpy inside. The last battle here had made him lose face as he ended a complete loser and suffered quite heavy losses, hence he wanted to vent it by killing them.


    ¡°Killing them now is no different then killing them later.¡± Daoist Qiankun shook his head with indifference. ¡°Let¡¯s wait a bit, the news will probably come soon.¡±


    ¡°You just said that killing them now or later is just the same, then why the wait?¡± Said Jin Sijie. ¡°We can go to the Immortal Abode and find a way to open the portal to the Immortal Trove if we kill them now. Otherwise, in case that surnamed Tang notices it and then return with a lot of experts, wouldn¡¯t it be the same that we would no longer have the opportunity?¡±


    ¡°Before we get the news, killing these people and going into the cave, in case that brat Tang was to return here while we were inside and happened to besiege us inside the cave, what should we do then?¡± Commented Daoist Qiankun with a smile.


    Ugh¡­ Jin Sijie was at a loss for words.


    ¡°Hence, there¡¯s no need to be impatient and anxious,¡± continued Daoist Qiankun. ¡°Set up a plan and then get into action afterward, only then can you live longer. Had I realized this truth back then, that Old Blind wouldn¡¯t have been able to¡­¡±


    ¡°Then you wouldn¡¯t have been trapped by me, this Old Blind, for so many years, right?¡± An old voice drifted into Daoist Qiankun and Jin Sijie¡¯s ears along with the cold wind.


    Daoist Qiankun and Jin Sijie¡¯s faces greatly changed, especially the former, who directly floated up into the air. He watched the surroundings with vigilance as his cold and cloudy voice also drifted along with the cold wind, ¡°Why not show up since you are already here, Old Blind?¡±


    In front of the Master and disciple duo, a blind old woman with unkempt hair and donning ragged clothes slowly stepped into the air, step by step. And yet, each one of her footsteps created ripples and turbulence in the air.


    ¡°Qiankun, I never expected that you would actually escape from that Abstruse Yin Ground alive. Fortunately, this Old Blind did not go with that little kid, else you would have already created a heartless calamity in this area.¡±


    Daoist Qiankun¡¯s eyes were bloodshot, the chilling killing intent he exuded out creating turbulence in the air around him. Despite having formidable strength, Jin Sijie was still forced out for several meters by this killing intent before he could anchor his footing with a face devoid of color. Daoist Qiankun stared at the blind old woman and said, ¡°You¡¯re not dead yet, damned Old Blind, so how can I possibly die?¡±


    Old Blind let out an indistinct sigh. After she flew high and stood ten meters away in front of Daoist Qiankun, she shook her head and said, ¡°It seems that I was too soft-hearted back then. I should¡¯ve set a fire in that Abstruse Yin Ground and burned you alive in it. I could have saved¡­ Now I really must come out and waste my strength.¡±


    ¡°Old Blind, I killed your family back in the past because your father spoiled my good work!¡± Daoist Qiankun sneered. ¡°You trapped me for 60 years, causing my cultivation to drop, and also got my Imperial Dragon Chart ruined. Wasn¡¯t that enough for our enmity to be written off?¡±


    ¡°I also thought to write it off originally.¡± Old Blind helplessly said. ¡°But who could have thought that you don¡¯t want to let me spend my remaining years in comfort? Those four kids are that little kid¡¯s men. They must not die, and neither must that little doll of mine. Hence, I still have to act if you don¡¯t give up your sinister ideas!¡±


    ¡°You keep repeating that little doll, kid or whatever, for many times. Excactly who¡¯s this little kid?¡± Asked Daoist Qiankun indifferently.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask what you already know!¡± Said Old Blind. ¡°Do you still need to play dumb and feign craziness before me?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu?¡± Said Daoist Qiankun with a frown.


    ¡°If it isn¡¯t him, who else could it be?¡± Said Old Blind faintly. ¡°That kid promised to secure a place for this Old Blind to enjoy her old age in comfort, and this Old Blind also wants to find the turning point of my own uncanny divination of becoming a God through him. You¡¯re planning to scheme him, that¡¯s equal to scheme against me.¡±


    ¡°What exactly is the identity of this brat surnamed Tang, and why is he worth to be concerned about by you, old bastard?¡± Asked Daoist Qiankun with gloomy expression across his whole face.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see him clearly. I can¡¯t understand him thoroughly.¡± Old Blind shook her head.


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    Daoist Qiankun¡¯s face greatly changed. He was also proficient in divination arts and its calculation, but it was a Heavenly Secret technique he snatched from Old Blind¡¯s father. Only after a long time of persistent meticulous study on it was he finally able to grope about the doorway for a bit. In this regard, he thought that he was much better than this Old Blind. With himself unable to divine that brat surnamed Tang, and she could not calculate it either, then what did this entail?

 Chapter 675

    Chapter 675: Fierce And Bitter Combat


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Doubtful and anxious were the expressions on Daoist Qiankun¡¯s face when he looked at the blind old woman. After a long silence, he suddenly laughed loudly and a burst of momentum erupted from him, as he ridiculed her with a clear voice, ¡°I never expected that you would learn to mystify things, Old Blind. Where is the mandate of Heaven, fate, or destiny now in this era? I was almost fooled by you.¡±


    Old Blind shook her head, sigh and looked at Daoist Qiankun with pity in her eyes. She slowly took out a pair of golden gloves underneath her clothes and wore it lightning fast. Daoist Qiankun¡¯s face greatly changed, and there was also dread on it.


    Picking Stars Catching the Moon!


    It was the strongest card Old Blind had. He was once suppressed by her with this technique and trapped inside the Abstruse Yin Ground for so many years that he nearly had his soul vanish.


    Daoist Qiankun took a deep breath. He grasped the snare drum and said coldly, ¡°Old Blind, it seems that you really want to be that brat¡¯s lapdog, huh?¡±


    Gently spreading her hands, Old Blind turned the walking stick in her hand into powder that scattered along with the wind, and then said tranquilly, ¡°If he can provide a shelter for this Old Blind to spend her old age, and also gives me an opportunity to have a breakthrough, what¡¯s wrong with becoming his lapdog? Hundreds of years passed, what else that can¡¯t be seen through and what more can¡¯t be passed through?¡±


    ¡°You court death!¡±


    The snare drum in Daoist Qiankun¡¯s hands immediately flew, as the shadow of the drum hovered over his head. As the drum sounded, a tidal-like soundwave surged toward Old Blind.


    ¡°Heavenly Secrets¡­ Picking Stars Catching the Moon!¡±


    Old Blind¡¯s disheveled white hair suddenly erected, and dazzling lights suddenly burst out from the golden gloves as she waved her hands. Six miniature versions of planet images appeared in the sky as if they were summoned. The miniature images of planets then came down with a loud bang.


    ¡°DAMN! You¡¯ve actually succeeded in practicing the Six Starlight Array!¡±


    Daoist Qiankun cursed. His body rose straight from the ground, inciting the layers of shadow drums to collide with the six miniature versions of the planet images. At the same time, he pulled out a sharp dagger from his sleeve and pierced his own forehead to force out his blood, and then quickly threw it into the drum shadow.


    The layered drum shadows suddenly rose in an instant, with a layer of blood light emerging on each of them. The Heaven Earth spiritual qi in all directions seemed to be strongly attracted and constantly seeped into the drum shadows.


    ¡°EXPLODE!¡±


    With a flushed complexion, Daoist Qiankun maniacally bellowed and brandished the dagger in his hands even more violently.


    BOOM¡­


    A deafening sound erupted from the collision of the drum shadow and the planet miniatures, creating tidal-like airwaves sweeping away to all directions. A towering tree that was struck by the airwave behind Daoist Qiankun was uprooted and flew hundreds of meters away.


    On the opposite mountain peak.


    The two experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall got up in instant and released their flying swords at once. With grim expressions, they coldly glanced at the direction of the fierce fight between Daoist Qiankun and Old Blind, since they felt that the violent airwave coming at them was from that direction. The two exchanged looks and could see horror and dread in the other¡¯s eyes.


    They may have broken through to the Foundation Establishment Stage at present, but the impact created by the intense combat between such powerhouses still made them palpitate. They had gone through dangers and risked their lives for innumerable times, and therefore were very sensitive to the absolute gap between their strengths with those powerhouses who were now in intense combat.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know them.¡± One of the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s experts took the binoculars and observed the appearance of those two people and shook his head.


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Two figures rushed out of the cave lightning fast. When they learned of what happened, one of them immediately said, ¡°Let us hide first no matter who they are. We won¡¯t be able to survive if they want to deal with us given their strength. Also, we must find a way to call Boss right away and tell him what¡¯s happening here.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± The other three nodded.


    They did receive an order to guard the cave and protect the Immortal Trove, but it was unlikely they would sacrifice themselves for nothing since they fully aware that this was a circumstance where they were not a match for the enemy at all.


    ¡°Hehehe¡­ now that I have found you all, don¡¯t even think about leaving!¡± Grasping a long spear in his hand, Jin Sijie appeared in front of the quartet like a ghost. His cultivation had reached the Peak Foundation Establishment Stage and was half a step away from breaking through to the Golden Core Stage. He could confront these four from the Everlasting Feast Hall easily and thus looked down on them.


    ¡°It¡¯s you, Jin Sijie.¡±


    Jin Shi, the name of an expert of the Everlasting Feast Hall. His eyes were staring intently at Jin Sijie as he shouted in a deep voice, ¡°Our Boss spared your life before. I never expected that you would still dare to have eyes on the Immortal Trove. Are you not afraid that our Boss will come back with a huge force and completely destroy you?¡±


    ¡°I might have to worry about that had it been a couple days ago. But now¡­ Hahaha. Your death is imminent, and I¡¯m too lazy to talk nonsense with you. GO TURN INTO STUPID GHOSTS IN HELL!¡±


    The long spear in his hand was shot out in an instant to impale Jin Shi¡¯s head. He did not use all his strength, and even used less than 80% of it, yet he was confident in his judgment that these four men could not avoid it.


    ¡°FORMATION!¡±


    Just as Jin Shi was braving such a dangerous situation, the other three had already moved and the Four Phenomena Formation was formed in an instant. Four flying swords flew up in a circle and smashed the ordinary long spear. In a rapid turn under the control of Jin Shi¡¯s group of four, it had Jin Sijie surrounded in the middle.


    ¡°WHAT? IMPOSSIBLE!!!¡±


    With a drastic change in expression, disbelief flashed from Jin Sijie¡¯s eyes. He was an expert at the Peak Foundation Establishment Stage. Even though the weapon he used was not a magic treasure, it was highly unlikely for it to be smashed in an instant like that.


    This sword formation¡­ Bloody Hell, these four fellows unexpectedly have broken through the Foundation Establishment Stage as well!


    Jin Sijie cursed. As formidable as his body may be, he would only be at disadvantage without a formidable weapon. He could only explode out his True Essence to form an explosive punching light to smash the sword shadow that plunged toward him in rapid twisting moves.


    BOOM¡­


    The sword formation was broken as Jin Sijie and the quartet flew backward and spurted out blood at the same time. Despite the sword formation they arranged and its might that was equal to the four men¡¯s power added together, it still could not withstand the eruption of Jin Sijie¡¯s power. However, the one that ended up the most miserable was not them, but Jin Sijie. At the moment, his fist was smashed by the sword formation and it also had shattered his hand, leaving only half of his entire right arm.


    The sword images also left tattered wounds on Jin Sijie¡¯s body and instantly turned him into a blood-painted man.


    ¡°IMPOSSIBLE!!!¡±


    A grieving and heartbreaking scream came out of Jin Sijie¡¯s mouth. His body suddenly plunged back for hundreds of meters as he flew in the air and looked in disbelief at his own broken arm. He could not figure out why the sword formation could break his defense and even inflicted such a heavy blow on him. Even if those for longswords were all magic weapons, it would not be able to do so, right?


    Jin Shi¡¯s group of four gathered again in an instant. Their faces looked pale and had their blood stirred up inside. And yet, they stared coldly at Jin Sijie along with intense killing intent.


    Far away in the distance.


    Daoist Qiankun, who had been fighting with Old Blind, did not pay attention at all to the fight between Jin Sijie and Jin Shi¡¯s group of four, since those four were nothing but kids who were only guarding the place without many abilities, so it would be very simple and easy for Jin Sijie to kill them.


    However, when he heard the miserable scream from Jin Sijie and looked in their direction for a moment, his complexion changed greatly along with disbelief in his eyes. He knew perfectly well the state of cultivation of his disciple at present, and yet, never did he ever dream that his disciple, with a Peak Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, would be so severely injured by four ant-like existences. It was a tragedy!


    BOOM¡­


    When Daoist Qiankun was distracted, Old Blind released a silk golden thread instantly and nearly bounded him.


    ¡°Damn wretch! Since you old bastard is looking for death, then I¡¯ll fulfill your wish!¡± The most ferocious side of Daoist Qiankun was stimulated. He was already at disadvantage using the technique to fight against Old Blind¡¯s Picking Stars Catching the Moon technique and couldn¡¯t care less about it anymore. He released the Golden Core inside his body as three savage-looking shadows were instantly separated from him.


    The last time he got trapped by Old Blind was because he was negligent and was too late to release his ultimate trump card, resulting in him getting suppressed. But this time, he would never give her another chance. Since she seemed to be trying to pester him, then he might as well blast everything he had and go for the kill!


    Three shadows flew in three directions and instantly flashed to the front of Old Blind. As the silk golden thread was cut by the dagger floating around him, his ping-pong-sized Golden Core erupted a bright light and bombarded Old Blind¡¯s chest. Following that, the three shadows also sent out barrages punches to bombard her.


    ¡°Heavenly Secrets, Everchanging Big Dipper Stars!¡±


    Old Blind opened her ten fingers and released splashing golden fingers as they instantly pierced the three shadows sent out by Daoist Qiankun. Half a second after, she disappeared in an instant and appeared hundreds of meters away.


    ¡°Hahaha, Old Blind. I¡¯ll make you taste the killing move I¡¯ve been learning for decades. That was exactly a killing move that I¡¯ve comprehended.¡± Daoist Qiankun himself was pierced through by the golden fingers, but the injuries were not serious, and instead, he maniacally laughed and plunged towards Old Blind with a distorted face.


    Old Blind furrowed her brows and released the Everchanging Big Dipper Stars technique yet again. She immediately flew towards the opposite mountain peak and took only a few seconds to appear behind Jin Sijie. She flicked a Buddhist bead and it instantly shot towards Jin Sijie¡¯s back.


    One strike! And yet it made Jin Sijie¡¯s injury even worse, misfortunes that piled up on one another.


    However, Old Blind did not continue attacking him again but instantly appeared in front of Jin Shi¡¯s group of four. She waved her hands like a stream of qi that instantly wrapped their bodies and shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t struggle if you don¡¯t want to die! This Old Blind has a relationship with Tang Xiu, so I can¡¯t let you die in this place!¡±


    Jin Shi¡¯s group of four had their complexions changed. They just released their flying swords a moment ago, but after hearing Old Blind¡¯s revelation, they immediately determined that she was a friend and not an enemy. As the flying swords returned back to their hands, they also retracted back their surging True Essence.


    ¡°LET¡¯S GO!¡±


    Old Bind stepped into the air and brought Jin Shi¡¯s group of four flying for a kilometer before she spurted out blood. Despite her extremely fast speed, releasing the Everchanging Big Dipper Stars continuously made her injuries worsen.

 Chapter 676

    Chapter 676: Are They Human?


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Two kilometers away from them, Jie Walie, who brought his two trusted men and hid behind a mountain boulder, observed the scene midair in the distance through binoculars. He could clearly watch the scene of the intense and bitter fight between Daoist Qiankun and Old Blind. Experienced and knowledgeable he may be, yet the scene was so daunting that he was frightened.


    Are they still human? Or some supernatural beings?


    Jie Walie used to disdain the idea of Gods, ghosts and the likes away from his mind. But that intense combat scene midair was akin to a combat between celestial beings. It made him have no choice but to believe that there really was something in the world he did not understand.


    At this moment, he finally understood why Tang Xiu asked him to hurriedly rush over to this place to notify his men, and even told him it was likely that he would have a hairbreadth escape situation. That was because what he must face was not ordinary people! Those people, each and every one of them could claim his life with a flick of their fingers.


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation, Brother Jie?¡± His two men did not bring binoculars, so they were naturally unable to see the intense combat a while ago. One of them stared at Jie Walie¡¯s palpitating expression and asked with a curious face.


    Jie Walie turned his head with difficulty to look at his curious face and then replied bitterly, ¡°I¡¯m afraid we¡¯re of no use at all. Even if we go there, there won¡¯t be anything we can do and will only meet our death.¡±


    ¡°So, what are we gonna do?¡± Asked the man quickly.


    Jie Walie fell silent for a moment and then whispered, ¡°We¡¯ll wait here. Since Tang Xiu asked us to come to notice them in advance, it means that he will come over as well. Everything is to be put on hold, and then we¡¯ll discuss this again after he arrives.¡±


    Outside the cave.


    Daoist Qiankun was holding Jin Sijie¡¯s arm as he quickly checked his injury after putting him on the ground. He did not go after Old Blind because the ultimate trump card he blustered out was just a bluff. He had been injured, and it was a very serious injury at that. Although he was confident that it was not as serious as Old Blind¡¯s, yet he would only stimulate that old woman to stake everything with her life on the line if he kept pursuing, and he might also perish with her.


    He did not want to die yet! Especially after finding out that there was an Immortal Trove in this place. He wanted to break through to the Nascent Soul Stage, continuing his lifespan for a few hundred years more.


    ¡°We need to recuperate.¡±


    There was blood gushing out in his throat, but Daoist Qiankun forced it back inside. After he took Jin Sijie and carried him on his back, he shouted in a hoarse voice.


    Jin Sijie¡¯s internal organs were in a mess after Old Blind sneak-attacked him with the Buddhist bead. He was now in a crisis, and his life would probably be in danger if he did not have a timely treatment. Luckily, Tang Xiu gave him a Holy Healing medicine, and its efficacy had yet to be fully absorbed.


    After sitting cross-legged on the ground, he did not hurry to cultivate but rather spoke in a hushed breath, ¡°Master, those four bastards¡­ their swords are definitely not magic weapons. I suspect that they are spirit weapons. Else, with their Early Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, it would be impossible to severely injure me even if they did employ a sword formation.¡±


    Spirit weapons?


    A greedy light flashed in Daoist Qiankun¡¯s eyes. But then he suddenly realized something and his expression turned nasty. If Tang Xiu¡¯s men possessed spirit weapons, then what rank could his weapon be, considering that his status was even higher?


    Immediately, he grabbed Jin Sijie¡¯s arm again and shouted in a deep voice, ¡°Don¡¯t cultivate here, let¡¯s leave this place immediately! We don¡¯t know when that surnamed Tang punk will be back here. Let¡¯s find a safe place first and then heal ourselves.¡±


    In the next morning.


    Tang Xiu led Mo Awu and five other experts out of the Kanas Airport exit. Ridden with worries inside, Tang Xiu did not catch a taxi but quickly asked around where the unlicensed taxis usually hung around.


    ¡°Hey, Buddy. Do you need a ride?¡±


    More than a dozen unlicensed taxis were parked on the roadside. Some of the drivers wore bearded faces, and among a group of fierce-looking middle-aged men, one of them came to greet them.


    ¡°I need two cars. But I¡¯m going to buy them. Name your price,¡± said Tang Xiu in a deep voice.


    The more than ten bearded middle-aged men exchanged looks in wonderment. It was a situation they had never encountered in their many years of the unlicensed taxi business. The full-bearded middle-aged man who just greeted them hesitated before he stretched out a finger and said, ¡°100 thousand. I¡¯ll sell this van to you.¡±


    Tang Xiu had planned to buy cars for temporary use after he got off the plane, and even had stuffed hundreds of thousands of yuan in cash into his travel bag from the stash inside his interspatial ring. The bag was now carried by Mo Awu, and after he heard the price quoted by the middle-aged man, Tang Xiu then nodded to Mo Awu.


    Mo Awu opened the travel bag¡¯s zipper and took out ten stacks of 100 yuan bills from it, a total of 100 thousand yuan, and then handed it over to the middle-aged bearded man.


    ¡°Key!¡±


    The pupils of the middle-aged bearded man contracted, and the other unlicensed taxi drivers looked shocked. The way they looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s group was now different than before at this moment. If it was not for the fact that Tang Xiu¡¯s group consisted of six men and did not look like they were ordinary people, they would have tried to rob them.


    ¡°It¡¯s yours!¡±


    The middle-aged bearded man grabbed the money with a pleasant surprise. After checking the money and determining that they were genuine bills, he gave the key to Mo Awu happily. His van was worth at most 40 to 50 thousand yuan, and though the meters it had run was less than 10,000 kilometers, selling it for 100 thousand yuan was definitely a big profit in and of itself.


    A few hours later, Mo Awu drove the van and arrived at Longquan Swamp. The group left the car and quickly trekked up the mountain range and, without long, they had arrived outside the cave where Western Nefarious Sangha used to occupy previously.


    ¡°There are traces of a fight here, Boss. And it should be traces left by cultivators.¡± Mo Awu directly reported to Tang Xiu after he and the others scoured and inspected the vicinity.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face looked a bit ugly as he quickly entered the cave. He could not find the shadows of Jin Shi¡¯s group of four at all except for bloodstains left outside the cave and the scene left behind after the fight. One must know that Jin Shi¡¯s group of four were core experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall and the talented ones whom Gu Yan¡¯er had fostered and trained personally. It would be quite a big loss for him and the Everlasting Feast Hall if they were all killed.


    ¡°Jin Sanchi, Jin Sijie, you all fucking bastards! This father spared your lives because you two did not offend me directly. Had I known that you had such a sinister an idea, I would have completely killed you then.¡± Tang Xiu was somewhat annoyed with himself. He found that he had turned a lot softer inside ever since he returned to Earth.


    ¡°Was it because of the law, or did I get influenced by others, or was it the feelings of affection from my family?¡±


    ¡°But then again¡­ weeding out grasses without removing its roots will only leave endless troubles in the future.¡±


    ¡°Then, in the future, as long as they are enemies, just kill them all!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes turned a bit red. He had searched both caves and there was still no trace of Jin Shi¡¯s group of four.


    ¡°Boss, someone is coming!¡±


    Just as Tang Xiu came out of the cave where the herbs were planted, Mo Awu whispered to him while holding mini binoculars.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± Asked Tang Xiu in a deep voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit far distance, but they should be ordinary people since their speed is not fast,¡± answered Mo Awu. ¡°No. I can see them now. It¡¯s Jie Walie with his two men. They are coming here.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed, and then he instructed Mo Awu and the others to immediately greet them. When he saw the distressed but unhurt Jie Walie, he cupped his fists and said, ¡°Brother Ji, I won¡¯t say thanks to you, but you can be sure that Tang Xiu will always record this huge favor in my mind. Just open your mouth if there¡¯s any request you need of me in the future.¡±


    Jie Walie¡¯s expression looked a bit complicated as he looked at Tang Xiu for a while, and then let out a bitter smile as he said, ¡°Who exactly are you, Brother Tang?¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a while and asked, ¡°Why the question?¡±


    ¡°I saw the intense and bitter fight between those people last night,¡± said Jie Walie. ¡°Those people were like those the celestial beings and immortals in legend. They can fly in the sky and fight in midair. The means they showcased were absolutely not the kind that normal humans can do. So you should know what I¡¯m asking about, Brother Tang!¡±


    ¡°You said that you witnessed the fight last night. What exactly happened last night? And who were fighting?¡± Asked Tang Xiu hurriedly.


    Jie Walie could not wait for Tang Xiu¡¯s reply, but after he saw the urgency and anxiousness in Tang Xiu¡¯s tone and expression, he suppressed his confusion and seriously said, ¡°I saw an old Daoist and an old woman fighting an intense combat. I also saw an old man in a man-eating fight with four young men. That¡¯s right. Those four guys are your men.¡±


    ¡°Then what happened to them? What was the outcome of the combat?¡± Asked Tang Xiu in a rush.


    ¡°That old lady brought your four men and fled, whereas that old Daoist and another old geezer stayed in the cave over there for a while before leaving.¡± Jie Walie shook his head. ¡°We were very far away from them and only saw through binoculars. So I don¡¯t know where they went.¡±


    An old Daoist and an old woman?


    Tang Xiu frowned deeply. Little did he expect that two people would appear in the incident all of a sudden. If that old man was Jin Sanchi or Jin Sijie who fought Jin Shi¡¯s group of four, then it could only mean something, that the strength of these old codgers was inferior to that old Daoist¡¯s.


    After pondering for a while, Tang Xiu asked again, ¡°Brother Jie, I¡¯ll answer that question of yours later. Please remember carefully. Other than my men, was there any special physical characteristics on the others?¡±


    Jie Walie thought for a while and then suddenly remembered something as he quickly said, ¡°That old Daoist looked very ordinary, and he did not have any special characteristics. But that old woman was actually a blind person. That¡¯s right. Though I don¡¯t know how she could see, there was definitely something wrong with her eyes.¡±


    Old Blind?


    A person suddenly crossed Tang Xiu¡¯s mind. It was Old Blind who he once met in Shanghai¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall before. Could it be her who acted to save Jin Shi and the other three?


    Tang Xiu took out a half pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, and then took two deep puffs. After which, he looked at Jie Walie and asked, ¡°Were you late when you came here, Brother Jie?¡±


    Jie Walie forced out a smile and said, ¡°I indeed arrived late. We just arrived in the vicinity and found some people in an intense fight. Brother Tang, you did not see it, those scenes were like¡­¡±


    ¡°Brother Jie, you must never disclose anything about what you saw last night,¡± interrupted Tang Xiu. ¡°Since you want to know our identity, then I¡¯ll no longer conceal it from you. We all are cultivators who have been cultivating special cultivation techniques and thus have special abilities as well. Only, people like us are not exposed to the public and ordinary people, neither will we expose ourselves.¡±

 Chapter 677

    Chapter 677: Moving Fast to Kill


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Jie Walie was not a stranger to the ¡°cultivator¡± term. He did not experience it himself, however, since he could see examples from many TV series and soap operas containing episodes about cultivators. Only, finding out that cultivators also existed in reality, shocked him nonetheless.


    ¡°Can I cultivate and step into the Dao, Brother Tang?¡±


    He had seen the powers of Daoist Qiankun, Old Blind, and the others, and was particularly interested in the scenes of flying into the sky, sword lights, and sword images. Every man had their own dreams of martial arts chivalry, more so that stepping into the Dao and becoming cultivators was something more abstruse and inclined more to fantasy than martial arts¡ªsomething he couldn¡¯t help but feel moved.


    ¡°You¡¯re too old and no longer suited to cultivate.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°Even if you consume a lot of resources and time, I¡¯m afraid that you can only barely step into the threshold of the cultivation path in the latter half of your life. Hence, it won¡¯t have much difference if you cultivate or not.¡±


    A regretful expression could be seen on Jie Walie¡¯s face as he slowly nodded and said, ¡°Let¡¯s just forget it, then. Then, what are we gonna do? Continue staying here or¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to Longquan Village!¡± Tang Xiu pondered for a while. ¡°This place is not far from that place. We¡¯ll stay there, for now. I¡¯ll contact that Old Blind lady. Brother Jie, it¡¯s best for you not to stay for long in Longquan Bay since the matter I¡¯m going to face is very dangerous.¡±


    ¡°I know. I have my own discretion,¡± replied Jie Walie with a bitter smile. ¡°But you must not recklessly throw yourself into danger either, and quickly retreat whenever it¡¯s dangerous. Like an old adage says, you won¡¯t have to worry about running out of firewood in the mountains, for you still have much more time in the future! You can develop and grow yourself first before dealing with the enemies.¡±


    ¡°You can rest your worry on that!¡± Tang Xiu nodded with a smile.


    Now that he learned that his men had been rescued, he could finally feel the knot in his heart ease. Nevertheless, he must find Old Blind and Jin Shi¡¯s group of four as quickly as possible, because Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie were powerful and strong, more so that that mysterious old Daoist was not a friend either.


    As night came, Tang Xiu and the others rushed to Longquan Bay. After Jie Walie and his men left, Tang Xiu stayed in the local¡¯s farmhouses he used before and gave its owner a sum of money to let their families stay in some other places for a few days.


    ¡°Boss, everything¡¯s here.¡± Mo Awu walked in through the door with a handful of incenses.


    Tang Xiu took three of them, used a lighter to burn them, then looked around and shouted, ¡°Old Blind, Old Blind, Old Blind.¡±


    In the mountain range dozens of kilometers away, Old Blind was sitting cross-legged on a creek with a face pale like a sheet of paper. The running water rushed past her and yet she did not pay attention to it. Her eyebrows were tight, and a pained expression could be seen hanging on her face as traces of a bloodstain were still on the corners of her mouth.


    Around her, Jin Shi¡¯s group of four watched the surroundings with vigilance and they had set up many traps. Although these traps did not pose any threats to cultivators, they could still avoid the attacks from ordinary wild animals. They had taken a Holy Healing medicine each and was no longer burdened by their injuries.


    Puff¡­


    Suddenly, Old Blind spurted a mouthful of blood and her face looked a lot better as the stench of fumes rapidly dissipated. She then slowly raised her hand and waved at Jin Shi several meters away from her.


    ¡°You called me, Senior?¡± Asked Jin Shi respectfully.


    ¡°I never expected that the Holy Healing medicine you gave me had such a good effect,¡± sighed Old Blind. ¡°That old fogy Qiankun gave me quite a heavy injury. I thought I would be plagued by that injury for a year and a half, but most of my internal injuries have convalesced in just nearly a day. If anything, you must tell me something. I need to figure out when that Tang Xiu kiddo will come.¡±


    ¡°What do you need to know, Senior?¡± Asked Jin Shi, looking puzzled.


    Old Blind let out a faint smile and was about to speak when her expression slightly moved. When she looked up at the sky that was gradually darkening, her body languidly stood up as she shook her head and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need anymore, I already know where he is. Let¡¯s go and rush over there! It won¡¯t take much time to get there if we leave now.¡±


    The dimly illuminated night was over the Earth when Old Blind¡¯s group of five arrived at Longquan Village. A crescent moon was hanging high over the horizon and the cold breeze brought along the mixed fragrance of a meal. In the most remote courtyard, an eight-person table was set with delicious dishes and two bottles of Gods Nectar, taken out from the box that had already been served on it.


    ¡°To think that I, Old Blind, would be so lucky to get something nice to eat here.¡±


    A blurred figure floated into the courtyard along with a satisfied laughter and tone.


    After Tang Xiu saw Old Blind, his eyes swept Jin Shi¡¯s group of four behind her and chuckled with a smile. He then took out three wine glasses and opened a bottle of Gods Nectar, and then poured it into three glasses. Following that, he took the three wine glasses and offered them to Old Blind, saying, ¡°I may not say thanks for this favor, but I¡¯ll let the wine speak my gratitude. You¡¯ve rescued these four brothers, men of mine, and Tang Xiu will always remember this friendship in his heart. I also repeat the promise I gave you¡ªthe Nine Dragons Island¡¯s door will always be open wide to you, forever.¡±


    Old Blind nodded with satisfaction. Even though she was old, she drank all three glasses of wine in one breath and in high spirits. Following which, she sighed and praised, ¡°What a unique and excellent wine this Gods Nectar is. For I, this Old Blind, it would really be worthwhile if I were to leave Earth after being able to taste such an excellent wine in this life.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll always prepare it for you if you like it, Senior,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Forget it!¡± Old Blind waved her hand. ¡°Wine is akin to poison for intestines and I still want to live a few years longer, so don¡¯t mention about it, kiddo. Also, I¡¯m not used to people calling Senior this and Senior that. Just directly call me Old Blind later.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Tang Xiu looked a bit hesitating.


    ¡°Just leave out that over-courteous formality, and so shall it be,¡± said Old Blind. ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s eat something, and then we¡¯ll speak about the matter with that old fogy Daoist Qiankun after being full, shall we?¡±


    Old Daoist Qiankun?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression moved. Then, he invited Old Blind to take a seat and accompanied her to finish the meal. As the meal was cleaned and the eight-person table was also moved into the house, Tang Xiu then spoke, ¡°Previously¡­ you spoke about an old Daoist Qiankun, right? What is his relationship with Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie?¡±


    While rubbing her stomach, Old Blind replied with a cheerful expression, ¡°They are Master and disciples. Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie are the disciples of this Daoist Qiankun old fogy.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion changed and asked again, ¡°I¡¯ve been here before and met Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie. I spared their lives due to a momentary benevolence. But, that old Daoist Qiankun wasn¡¯t there.¡±


    ¡°He just broke the seal I cast on him, so how could he possibly appear before?¡± Old Blind sneered. ¡°If anything, this Old Blind will be open to you about this fact. He and I have a long time enmity. It was he who cast his eyes on my family heritage at first. He killed my father and all my family members for that. Later on, I studied the divination art heritage of my family and, after spending quite the effort both in mind and energy, I finally succeeded in arranging a Starlight Array in the Abstruse Yin Ground and trapped him there. I thought it was impossible to escape that place with his Golden Core Stage cultivation, but he did indeed escape.¡±


    Tang Xiu was taciturn as he quietly thought about the revelation. After noticing some issues, he then asked, ¡°According to what you said, Daoist Qiankun was not your match in the past, so why didn¡¯t you defeat him last night?¡±


    ¡°I used all the cards I have up my sleeves at that time, and he got suppressed because he looked down on me before. He did not even unleash his ultimate trump card, else it could have been me who died,¡± sighed Old Blind. ¡°Tang Xiu, do you know how many years that old Daoist has been living?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he from the same era as you?¡± Asked Tang Xiu, astounded.


    ¡°He is at least twice older than me.¡± Old Blind shook her head.


    Twice her age?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s countenance slightly changed. He still clearly remembered Old Blind¡¯s age. She should be about 120 years of age. With that said, shouldn¡¯t Daoist Qiankun¡¯s age be at least 240 years old?


    ¡°No wonder his strength was so formidable. Old Blind, you¡¯re not his match at all, so what is his present level of cultivation now?¡±


    ¡°His cultivation in the past was Peak Golden Core Stage, and it was highly likely that he would break through to the Nascent Soul Stage in the future. However, I had him suppressed in the Abstruse Yin Ground for so many years and this time that I met him again, I found that his strength is much weaker than it was previously. The level of power he can unleash is just at the Early Golden Core Stage, else I could have lost my life in his hand last night.¡±


    Early Golden Core Stage?


    A cold glint flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. In the case that Daoist Qiankun¡¯s strength was at the Peak Golden Core Stage, he would be unable to contend with him despite his present strength. But if he was at the Early Golden Core Stage¡­ he would be able to kill him, albeit with some difficulty¡­


    ¡°Old Blind, I want to know where Daoist Qiankun is now.¡±


    Old Blind slightly furrowed her brows. Although her eyes could not see Tang Xiu, her special ability allowed her to see his expression clearly. She then shook her head and sighed, ¡°Exterminating him while relying on these few people you brought will be very difficult. Just wait until my injury has fully recovered. We¡¯ll join forces and kill him at that time.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to wait,¡± said Tang Xiu with confidence. ¡°If I have the guts to look for him, it means that I have the ability to kill him. Just tell me!¡±


    Old Blind hesitated for a moment, and then replied helplessly, ¡°Since you¡¯ve already decided it so, then I¡¯ll tell you. That place is full of evil qi aura and is located in the Southwest direction. It isn¡¯t far from here, about fifty kilometers.¡±


    Southwest direction within fifty kilometers? Is it the hunting grounds?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression moved, as he immediately got up and said, ¡°Old Blind, just stay here to take care of your injuries and heal well. I¡¯ll be back bringing Daoist Qiankun and his two disciples¡¯ heads.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going with you!¡± Old Blind got up, and her tone was exceptionally firm.


    ¡°But your injury¡­¡± Tang Xiu hesitated.


    ¡°Your men gave me a Holy Healing medicine, thus it¡¯s better already now.¡± Old Blind interrupted him. ¡°In contrast with that Qiankun old fogy, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s feeling unwell now since he doesn¡¯t have a Holy Healing medicine.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together, then!¡±


    Seeing Old Blind¡¯s firmness, Tang Xiu no longer refuted. Jie Walie had left with his men and left them a Wrangler SUV. Added with the van, the two cars quickly rushed toward the hunting grounds.


    Late at night.


    A cold wind was howling and whistling outside the window, but the darkroom was warm as in spring. The old Daoist Qiankun was sitting cross-legged on the bed treating himself, while Jin Sanchi¡¯s eyes were full of killing intent in the next room, watching Jin Sijie in the process of healing himself. The hatred he had for Old Blind, Tang Xiu, and even his men had been carved deep into his bones.


    The plan they had worked for so many years had ultimately fallen through.


    His Master appeared and yet was burdened with severe injuries upon his return. This hatred drove him to make up his mind to find an opportunity to torture and kill Tang Xiu. Torture and slaughter those stupid bastards that prevented him from becoming an immortal.

 Chapter 678

    Chapter 678: Great Exhibition of Martial Prowess


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Inside another two-story small building, Gesangjor, who was donned in a jersey, stood by the window with arms folded in the back. His eyes were unfocused and were evidently in deep thought about something. Behind him, sulky old men looked down with eyes on their noses and the thoughts in their hearts just like they were statues.


    ¡°I need an answer,¡± said Gesangjor in a solemn tone after suddenly turning around and casting his sight on the two old men.


    One of the old men slowly raised his head, flipped his eyelids and said, ¡°This is nothing but a risky gamble. Win and our Venom Sect will have endless advantages. Lose and we¡¯ll be beyond redemption. You¡¯re the Sect Master of our Venom Sect, and we shall follow every decision you make.¡±


    ¡°Fifth Uncle, Sixth Uncle, your ranks among everyone in our Venom Sect are the highest; the only ones from the eighth generation of disciples who have lived to the present. How can I arbitrarily take responsibility for such an important matter?¡± Gesangjor was so annoyed that he angrily rebuked. ¡°We have yet to be clear about the investigation on Tang Xiu, whether or not he has a dreadful force behind him. Those old codgers may pat their butts and leave, but we have a Sect, family, and businesses to be concerned about. We have no path of retreat at all.¡±


    ¡°Then just wait and see what will happen,¡± said the old man indifferently. ¡°I have a hunch that the game between those cultivators has just started, and it¡¯s hard to say who will win or lose. That Jade Beauty told me something the other day, and what she said makes sense to me.¡±


    ¡°What did she tell you?¡± Asked Gesangjor quickly with a slightly changed expression.


    ¡°One who is true to his heart will prepare himself for both eventualities,¡± said the old man.


    ¡°You mean¡­¡± said Gesangjor, staring with amazement.


    ¡°Yeah, our Venom Sect is said to have no qualifications to mix our feet in the matter, so why not pull us out of the predicament and benefit from both sides? Those eight families in the Strange Doors put all their eggs in one basket and staked everything to unleash all their power to help Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie. Those eight fogies all ultimately died in the fight along with many of their elites. And the result? I never believed that Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie would easily impart cultivation techniques to those eight families. I feel that you should secretly send someone to search for Tang Xiu and pass on the news that these Master and disciples are here to him. With his intelligence, wisdom, and abilities, Tang Xiu should be able to understand that we are showing him goodwill. From the bout between these cultivators, we can obtain friendship from Tang Xiu if we win and may get unexpected benefits by spending little. We won¡¯t have anything to affect us if he is to lose either.¡±


    Gesangjor¡¯s eyes turned extraordinarily bright as he praised while raising his thumb, ¡°You really are experienced and astute, Fifth Uncle. You intentionally kept me guessing all the while in this matter. There can¡¯t be any idea better than this one. I¡¯ll send someone to contact Tang¡­¡±


    He had yet to finish what he wanted to speak as a car¡¯s headlights from the front gate of the hunting grounds shone on the small building¡¯s windows where they were in. The trio quickly moved to look outside the window.


    ¡°Who could be this late?¡± Gesangjor knitted his brows and spoke in a whisper.


    The old man who just spoke raised his brows and thoughtfully said, ¡°We must never step out of this room regardless of how big the incident is! Just like what we just discussed, we¡¯ll wait and see.¡±


    ¡°Fifth Uncle, you mean¡­ It¡¯s Tang Xiu who¡¯s coming?¡± commented Gesangjor, amazed.


    ¡°Just look down there. You¡¯ll know,¡± said the old man.


    BANG¡­


    The hunting grounds¡¯ front gate was hit by the Wrangler SUV as it roared and rushed into the hunting grounds. Four security guards in the security room who had just rushed out from the post were silently knocked down and dragged back into the security room, whereas the car continued and stopped in front of the guest building. Tang Xiu and Old Blind then got off together.


    ¡°Daoist Qiankun old fogy, Jin Sanchi, and you Jin Sijie. You, Master and disciples, are tortoises, get the fuck out and see this father! Else I¡¯ll destroy this small building and make you eat some ashes!¡± Tang Xiu grabbed the spirit spear and instantly released his spiritual sense to lock on the Master and disciples¡¯ trio inside the house.


    ¡°SHITTY BASTARD!!!¡±


    Daoist Qiankun, who was currently healing himself, was a bit angry as he instantly opened his eyes and smashed the window. His figure instantly appeared in front of Tang Xiu and the others. Even the elites of the eight families and forces of Strange Doors also came out from the building and stood behind Daoist Qiankun and his disciples.


    Tang Xiu sized up Daoist Qiankun a few times and sneered, ¡°Old fart as you are, you should¡¯ve died rather than staying alive. Living for more than 200 years and yet unexpectedly so shameless to scheme against my men. Are you really that tired of living your crooked life?¡±


    Daoist Qiankun squinted his eyes and carefully examined Tang Xiu, and then immediately replied unhurriedly, ¡°Are you Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Tang Xiu bluntly.


    As if looking at a dead man, Daoist Qiankun shook his head and immediately shifted his sight toward Old Blind and sighed, ¡°Seems like you really have become a running dog for this little punk, Old Blind. If it wasn¡¯t that I had to treat my disciple¡¯s injury, how would I allow you to escape last night? And yet, to my surprise, you actually acted recklessly and blindly delivered yourself to me? Don¡¯t blame me for resorting to cruel and malicious means.¡±


    Old Blind fell silent for a short while and then slowly replied, ¡°This Tang Xiu kid did not heed to this Old Blind¡¯s advice and was adamant on coming here to exact his revenge. Since I¡¯ll need his help in the future, I naturally can¡¯t leave him by himself. I will just lose my life here at the worst, but I¡¯ll be sure to drag you with me.¡±


    Tang Xiu slightly pressed his brows and lightly said, ¡°Old Blind, you¡¯re not allowed to act unless I can¡¯t hold on anymore.¡±


    ¡°But Tang Xiu, you¡­¡± Old Blind shouted in a low voice.


    ¡°Keep your mouth shut if you want me to provide a place for you to spend your old age in the future.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand to interrupt her and said in a deep voice. ¡°I have my own reasons in doing this.¡±


    With that said, he crazily fed the black spirit long spear with his Primal Chaos Force. He had refined this long spear for many days and to his surprise, this long spear was definitely an excellent weapon as he was able to erupt 50% of this spear¡¯s might with his current cultivation, which was very good in and of itself.


    ¡°Evanescent Chart, Infinite Spear Array!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s body soared upward and a raging flame suddenly burst out from the spirit spear, as he used the long spear to inscribe the patterns of an array in the air. After throwing the long spear into the air, the array instantly formed and was also activated at once.


    Layers of illusionary spear images formed an array within a 100 meters radius, and the surging airwaves forced Old Blind, Mo Awu and the others back for dozens of steps, directly separating them from the spear range.


    ¡°Spear as Array and I as the Source!¡±


    Tang Xiu instantly appeared in the core position and his Primal Chaos Force constantly rushed out crazily, instantly turning the area of a hundred meters around into a surging sea of flames.


    ¡°Offensive Array Art?¡±


    Daoist Qiankun¡¯s complexion greatly changed, while Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie¡¯s faces were that of horror and dread. The array was a field the Master and disciples¡¯ trio had no knowledge of and only knew a minute bit. Never in their wildest dreams did they think there would actually be someone in this world who was able to arrange an array with such a method.


    In a flash, the sky, earth, and the very world changed in the eyes of these Master and disciples¡¯ eyes. Even the dozens of elites of the Strange Doors who were also enveloped in the spear array suddenly found that the world before them was as though had turned into the Ashura Hell.


    Fire Serpents, Fire Birds, Fire Drakes, Fire Phoenixes¡­


    Countless lifelike species were as though coming to life, as magma from beneath the Earth surged upward, plunging towards them with whooshing sounds. Layers of shadows were like streams of light that constantly moved around them. The whole world was shrouded by the looming destructive aura descending from the firmament as an enormous invisible pressure also enveloped them in an instant.


    AAAARGH¡­


    A miserable scream came from the mouth of a Strange Door¡¯s elite as a thin fire serpent suddenly drilled out of the boiling rock and plunged towards him, piercing his foot and drilling into his body straight to his heart. The sharp pain consumed his bracing soul as the miserable screams he let out made various kinds of flame creatures storm toward him.


    They dismembered his body and divided his flesh.


    In just a few breaths, that Strange Doors¡¯ elite was fully consumed, and not even a trace of his bones was left. The remaining Strange Door¡¯s people did not fare much better as the number of flame creatures was too many to count and quickly killed them.


    Outside the array, though Old Blind was unable to see anything with her eyes, these particularly unusual parallel images were reflected in her mind. Experienced and knowledgeable she may be, yet never did she dream that she would one day see living humans struggling so desperately while whining and screaming so miserably as their muscles suddenly vanished, bones disappeared, and blood evaporated¡­. Ultimately, their whole being was completely erased from existence.


    Mo Awu and the experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall, as well as Gesangjor and the two old men who were watching through the windows in the distance with military binoculars, all of them witnessed these uncanny scenes with dread and fear. The feet went missing, legs gone, head vanished, and arms disappeared¡­ until the whole being of a person ultimately evanesced.


    Tang Xiu sneered inwardly. These people from the Strange Doors had decided to stand behind Daoist Qiankun and his disciples, and thus keeping them alive would only leave a disaster to him in the future. He might as well take this opportunity to directly erase all of them so as to avoid future troubles.


    ¡°Daoist Qiankun old fart, Jin Sanchi, and you, Jin Sijie. Your dogs all are dead now, leaving only the three of you, Master and disciples. Enjoy this treat very well. If you three can break this array, don¡¯t you worry about that, for I will make you taste the goodness of more savage means.¡±


    Inside the array, Daoist Qiankun did not utter anything and neither did he act rashly. He quietly observed the world inside the array despite being extremely shocked inwardly, because this array was something he had never seen before despite his Master once telling him in his childhood that such a formation indeed existed in this world.


    The two brothers, Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie, also did not act rashly. The two fogeys were all over 100 years old and were also old freak cultivators.


    ¡°WHO THE HELL ARE YOU, TANG XIU?¡±


    Finally, Jin Sanchi could not bear it and shout. He was able to hear Tang Xiu¡¯s voice clearly and was sure that it worked the other way around as well.


    However, just as his voice sounded, countless illusionary flame creatures around him howled and stormed toward him. Even the magma surging out from beneath at this moment jettisoned out to the sky to sweep over him.


    A queer expression could be seen in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he laughed loudly and shouted, ¡°Who am I? I¡¯m someone you find difficult to deal with and nearly impossible for you to imagine. Your death is imminent so just go to the infernal hell and be a muddled ghost there!¡±

 Chapter 679

    Chapter 679: Sparing All The Future Troubles


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    As an expert who was half a step away from Golden Core Stage, Jin Sanchi was still unfazed despite being trapped inside an array and facing the crises before him. He blasted out his True Essence and conjured small magic arts to constantly destroy the flame creatures, and his powerful attacks cleaved layer upon layer of spear shadows.


    ¡°The momentum may be great, but its power is too weak!¡± Jin Sanchi revealed a bit of contempt as his counterattacking strength turned more violent.


    Meanwhile, Jin Sijie also began to fight with those flame creatures and evaded the dangers from the impaling and sweeping spear shadows several times. He did not fight as relaxedly as Jin Sanchi since he was, after all, seriously injured at present. Though the residual efficacy of the Holy Healing medicine inside his body was still there, the effect on him was not particularly significant.


    Striking to kill, and smashing to destroy.


    And yet, Jin Sijie¡¯s injuries turned more serious and worsened. At the moment when two fire serpents wrapped around his feet, a spear shadow finally impaled his waist. He bellowed in rage as the impaling wound on his waist gave him a devastating blow, while countless more flame creatures and spear shadows followed behind.


    ¡°BROTHER, AVENGE ME!¡±


    Blood was flowing from Jin Sijie¡¯s seven orifices, but it then evaporated in the heatwave. His strong-built body finally fell to the magma at the side and, despite his hard iron-like body, the magma still engulfed him and eventually left no residue of his existence.


    ¡°SIJIE!!!¡±


    Jin Sanchi clearly heard his young brother¡¯s shrill cry and his heart was as though falling into an ice hole. The anger and hatred made his face twist, and a devastating power blasted out from his hands and feet as it swept over the flame creatures around him; even the spear shadows kicked by him were blasted backward for dozens of meters before exploding.


    Daoist Qiankun, on the other hand, had yet to move from the beginning. He just allowed however many flame creatures came to crawl onto his body, and yet he stood ramrod like a stone in his spot. Through observation and conjecture, he found that as long as he did not move and stayed silent, those flame creatures would not actively attack him. Even those spear shadows also just flew around at random and seemingly had no target.


    However, the shrill cry of his disciple made his heart shake. Finally, along with his trembling body, the crawling flame creatures around his body exploded one after another. The momentum of the explosions was even more direct as everything within a dozen meters was blown up by the rolling airwaves, thrown to the distance and blown to smithereens.


    I must break through! Forcefully breakthrough!


    Power and strength were upheld firmly by Daoist Qiankun. He believed that in the face of absolute power, any obstacles could be pulled, withered, and destroyed in a violent manner. He instantly released the Golden Core inside his body, as his surging True Essence then flowed like a torrential river and shot out his Golden Core along with it against the air in front of him with a loud bang.


    BOOM¡­


    Ripples were bursting inside the blazing world in the surroundings, as some dreadful cracks appeared amidst the undulating ripple in the middle layer of the air. But the instant after, the cracks healed themselves and the swaying ripples gradually faded away. Daoist Qiankun¡¯s complexion turned a bit nasty. He had tried his best, and yet he failed to destroy this array by relying on pure strength. He could not accept it.


    ¡°I want to see how long you can support this array!¡±


    As Daoist Qiankun forced out a mouthful of blood essence, a circle of True Fire then suddenly rose from the Golden Core that was enveloped by an amount enormous of True Essence. As the momentum continued to soar, he slammed it against the air in front of him once again. This time, the ripples in the surrounding air were more intense and the cracks were wider than a while ago, and yet, the array was still recovering just like previously despite the violent quake.


    ¡°JUST FUCKING BREAK! BREAK! BREAK!¡±


    Repeated successive attacks followed by successive explosions. The blazing world in front kept quaking as a crack in the corrugated air continued to increase. As the number of bombardments increased, the blazing world seemed about to be blown away to pieces at any time, and so was the spear array.


    At the core of the array, Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion was somewhat ugly. Although he went all out to release his Primal Chaos Force to feed the array, Daoist Qiankun¡¯s attacks were really too strong. Despite having gone all out to control it, the array still had a tendency to be broken. He hardened himself and flipped his hands to take out five Raging Flame and Lightning talismans, the only remaining offensive talismans he had left.


    ¡°KILL!¡±


    He slightly opened his lips to shout. With the control of his mind, five Raging Flame and four Lightning talismans appeared. Two Raging Flame and one Lightning talismans instantly appeared around Jin Sanchi and exploded, giving him severe injuries, whereas the remaining three Raging Flame and three Lightning talismans instantly appeared around Daoist Qiankun and directly enveloped him within along with the sea of the flame formation. Dozens of lightning bolts then bombarded him in an instant.


    Daoist Qiankun once again forced out a mouthful of blood essence. He could feel his internal organs were injured and in a mess after the impact from the bombardment. The burning sensation caused him to suffocate and the scars of wounds strung together like beads, leaving his body badly tattered, bloody and bruised. And yet, the ferocious nature inside him was thoroughly aroused at this moment. While chanting an incantation in a somewhat shaky voice, he integrated his blood essence into his Golden Core. Nearly bordering on betting his life at stake and going berserk, he plunged forward and blasted out everything he had in an instant.


    Crack¡­


    The spear array was like a glass breaking to pieces and disintegrated in the blink of an eye.


    Tang Xiu, who was in the core position inside the array, withstood the sudden outburst with his body, and the backlash from the array caused him to spurt out a mouthful of blood. If it wasn¡¯t for his extremely formidable body, the force from the backlash was enough to make his body explode. However, this kind of injury was nothing but a common thing he was used to, and he still remained cool-headed in such a downcast situation. His figure instantly flashed as he disappeared and reappeared in a flash in front of the badly tattered and riddled with scars Jin Sanchi, who looked a bit dull and distracted.


    Puff¡­


    Dazzling light erupted from Bloodguzzler as his head flew in an instant. Jin Sanchi, who was half a step away from breaking through to the Golden Core Stage, had his eyes staring wide like a copper bell. He saw the world spinning around, watching his headless body and a column of blood spurting out from its neck.


    Beyond a hundred meters away.


    Old Blind¡¯s divine sense had been enveloping the field of activity all along, and she clearly ¡°saw¡± the entire combat scene. When the array was broken, Tang Xiu shot forward all of a sudden and killed Jin Sanchi much to her shock. That was difficult to believe despite how experienced she was.


    Jin Sanchi¡¯s strength was evidently slightly stronger than that of Jin Sijie¡¯s. Tang Xiu was still young. Even if he did rely on the array, wasn¡¯t it next to impossible to kill Jin Sijie and followed to kill Jin Sanchi?


    Mo Awu, Jin Shi, and the rest were shocked but also looked frantic and fervent. They looked at Tang Xiu with worshipping expressions and loudly shouted ¡°LONG LIVE¡±. Tang Xiu¡¯s performance impressed them very much. But inside the small building in the distance, Gesangjor and the two old men were tongue-tied and dumbfounded, as though they were seeing something unbelievable.


    Jin Sijie, as well as Jin Sanchi, died along with the remaining tens of elites of the Strange Doors?


    Suddenly, Gesangjor felt very fortunate inwardly, rejoicing that the did not involve himself in this incident. Else he and the two elders, and even the entire younger generations of Venom Sect would die without a burial ground. And yet, he too felt a tinge of regret since he could have sold a favor if Tang Xiu and the others were to arrive later.


    Tang Xiu moved and acted quickly, and his timing in seizing the opportunity was very ingenious. Even Daoist Qiankun was unable to react as Jin Sanchi was directly beheaded. At this moment, despite having been through countless storms and waves in his life, Daoist Qiankun was still grieved and wept. He received and raised those two disciples nearly all his life and they were rapidly progressing and nearly stepped into the Golden Core Stage, and yet, they were slain just like this. This was undoubtedly a sharp knife that sheared his heart.


    ¡°I¡¯LL KILL YOU!!!¡±


    Daoist Qiankun roared, causing the luster of his Golden Core to turn extremely dim and its entire body to shrink in half. But he still controlled it and frantically stormed towards Tang Xiu.


    He could never vent the hatred inside his heart if he did not slay this punk!


    He couldn¡¯t care less whether he would be devastatingly injured if he kept engaging in this intense and bitter combat, for there was only one though amidst his berserk mind: KILL TANG XIU AND AVENGE MY DISCIPLES!


    ¡°You still need to cultivate for hundreds of years if you want to kill me. Hahaha!¡± Tang Xiu laughed loudly, his figure plunged forward like a sharp arrow to greet the explosive bombardment of the Golden Core. Vigorous and intense Primal Chaos Force crazily poured into his arms and blasted toward the bombarding Golden Core.


    Old Blind, who was a hundred meters away, had her expression greatly changed and shouted with a horrified expression, ¡°DON¡¯T!!!¡±


    KABOOM¡­


    Tang Xiu¡¯s body was blasted backward for dozens of steps, spurting out a bloody mist as he tried to stabilize his staggering body. Despite having a very formidable body, his finger phalanxes were still broken and his whole fist was covered with blood. Almost as soon as he stopped, he collected the spirit long spear and shot it straight towards Daoist Qiankun and instantly impaled the Daoist¡¯s through the back.


    ¡°H-how¡­ H-how is this possible?¡±


    With his seven orifices bleeding, Daoist Qiankun looked down at the hole in his chest. His Golden Core was exploded and destroyed after the clash with Tang Xiu¡¯s explosive fist. The backlash left him with a grave injury that he could hardly withstand. And yet, adding insult to injury, his chest and heart were directly hit and his life force was unceasingly decreasing.


    Cough cough¡­


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion was devoid of color. After coughing up two mouthfuls of blood, he looked up to Daoist Qiankun and sneered, ¡°I may be inferior to you in regards to cultivation level, but what I¡¯m mastering is fleshly body cultivation, and my physical body and constitution are ten times stronger than yours. Daoist Qiankun, remember my words. Don¡¯t become my adversary in your next life.¡±


    ¡°Is there even a next life?¡± Muttered Daoist Qiankun. With that said, his body crashed into the ground and he drew his last breath.


    Tang Xiu could not help but respond with a bleak smile. He turned to Old Blind, Mo Awu, and the others, who were quickly rushing toward him. He immediately flung his wrist and lightly smiled, ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just a slight injury. Killing these Master and disciples indeed consumed quite the energy and effort, but removing them means we won¡¯t have extra worries.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, how can you be so strong?¡± Muttered Old Blind. ¡°That old fart was a powerhouse at the Golden Core Stage, an old freak who had lived for two hundred-plus years. And yet, you¡­ you¡¯re still so young that you couldn¡¯t have cultivated for that long, right?¡±


    ¡°Nothing is impossible in this world,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Daoist Qiankun and his disciples may have a very high cultivation level, but their combat techniques were just appalling. Even if I did not fight him directly, I still had countless ways to kill him; though it may have taken some more energy and effort to achieve that.¡±


    Old Blind fell silent. She could not see through Tang Xiu completely.


    Tang Xiu slowly looked up and then shifted his vision towards the small building in the distance. ¡°Gesangjor, as the owner of this hunting ground, shouldn¡¯t you greet your guest or something?¡±

 Chapter 680

    Chapter 680: Pledging Allegiance


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Inside another two-story small building, Gesangjor¡¯s breathing stagnated. As he turned to look at the two old men, he saw them nodding at him at the same time.


    After a while, Gesangjor appeared in front of Tang Xiu and the others along with the two old men. He glanced at the dead bodies on the ground as a complicated look could be seen in his eyes. He then forced out a smile and said, ¡°I never expected you to be a cultivator, Mr. Tang, and neither did I expect that you would have such a formidable strength. It seems that my worry was ungrounded.¡±


    ¡°And neither did I expect that you were a member of the Strange Doors, Proprietor Gesangjor. More so that¡­ your status should be pretty high, am I right?¡± Commented Tang Xiu lightly.


    ¡°I¡¯m the Sect Master of the Venom Sect, but I¡¯ve never involved myself in the other factions¡¯ disputes,¡± bitterly explained Gesangjor. ¡°If anything, we¡¯ve been in Kanas for many years and have never provoked others. Mr. Tang, if you are annoyed and unhappy with the people from the Strange Doors, please do not direct your anger toward our Venom Sect. Daoist Qiankun, Jin Sanchi, and Jin Sijie insisted to stay here, while I did not have the guts nor the ability to drive them away.¡±


    ¡°In today¡¯s society, covering-up others¡¯ crimes is also considered as being guilty before the law, don¡¯t you think?¡± Said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Gesangjor spread his hands and said, ¡°I beg your forgiveness, Mr. Tang. You would not stoop down to our level, ignorant and less informed people, would you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easy,¡± said Tang Xiu with a faint smile. ¡°I¡¯m very much resentful for the fact that Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie were able to beguile the forces under the Strange Doors and bossed them around. If you can make up for their previous faults and remove all those forces, I won¡¯t hold you accountable anymore.¡±


    Gesangjor¡¯s expression moved as he suddenly cupped his fists and replied, ¡°Gesangjor is willing to serve you, Mr. Tang.¡±


    Serve me? Didn¡¯t he just want to expiate himself and make up for his faults with merits?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mind turned sharp. Despite knowing perfectly well what Gesangjor¡¯s intention was, he let out a faint smile, stretched out three fingers and slowly said, ¡°Three years. If your Venom Sect¡¯s deeds and actions can satisfy me within these three years, I don¡¯t mind making you go on a step further.¡±


    Is it like an internship period?


    Gesangjor¡¯s eyes lit up and with a bit of excitement, he replied respectfully, ¡°I, Gesangjor, along with the entire Venom Sect behind me, will forever serve and work for Mr. Tang in the future. Regardless of whatever you order us to do, we will definitely do our best to achieve it as long as it is within our capabilities.¡±


    A smile outlined on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth as he nodded and said, ¡°Then your first task is to completely exterminate all the people from the Strange Doors who participated in this incident! His name is Mo Awu, and I¡¯ll instruct him to lead a few men of mine to stay here to aid you. I hope all of them have already reported to the King of Hell ten days later.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡±


    Gesangjor did not know the degree of strength possessed by Mo Awu¡¯s group, yet he presumed that they were also cultivators given the fact that they could follow Tang Xiu. With the help from several cultivators, it would simply be a breeze to eradicate those eight families.


    Afterward, Tang Xiu did not hurry to leave but stayed on the hunting ground to heal himself. Although his injury was not severe, it was not light either. Especially the backlash caused by the explosion of the spear array that made him feel the burning pain from his internal organs. If he did not heal himself as early as possible, it would probably leave a latent danger to himself.


    At noon the next day, just as Tang Xiu came out of the room, Mo Awu told him that Old Blind had already left, leaving a message to Mo Awu to be conveyed to him that she would go to the Shanghai¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall in June this year to find him.


    ¡°Boss, the Venom Sect is all done with the preparation and are ready to proceed.¡±


    At lunchtime, Gesangjor arrived in a hurry.


    ¡°Then, it¡¯s time to start since you¡¯ve already prepared!¡± Said Tang Xiu. ¡°And remember, do not leave any latent dangers behind, and neither must you create too much noise. Besides¡­ the present time is kind of a new society, to begin with.¡±


    Gesangjor nodded with a prudent expression. In fact, Tang Xiu did not even need to remind him as he was also aware of how he should do the job. Under the current circumstances, the media had quick access to information and were well-informed. And what his Venom Sect was adept at was assassination with poison; killing while remaining invisible.


    ¡°Boss, those eight families and forces of the Strange Door have a very big power as far as I know. How should we manage the aftermath after we¡¯re done killing them?¡± asked Jin Shi all of a sudden.


    Tang Xiu looked at him with an unusual expression and suddenly grinned, ¡°Awu, I think Jin Shi is quite good and smart. Alright, I think he¡¯s suitable to be in charge of the matters here! As for you, go back with me.¡±


    Mo Awu was valiant and brave, yet was slightly lacking in thinking things through. Upon hearing the question from Jin Shi, he too realized that he overlooked the matter of how to manage the aftermath and thus let out a hollow laugh and nodded without speaking.


    Tang Xiu then continued, ¡°Jin Shi, call my Grandfather personally if some government officials are involved in this matter, I think he can solve it. In the case that it involves someone from the business community, you can call Kang Xia in person and she¡¯ll handle that for you. Do remember, the killing must be done, and you must not be soft-hearted.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative,¡± replied Jin Shi respectfully before he turned around and left.


    In the evening, Tang Xiu went to Jie Walie¡¯s horse ranch in Kanas. After Jie Walie welcomed him, he then got out of the car and said with a smile, ¡°Brother Jie, I just felt that I must dine in your place tonight.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re most welcome,¡± said Jie Walie with a clear voice and a smiling face.


    Tang Xiu nodded and smiled in response. As he walked inside, he said, ¡°To make nothing of the hardships you endured, I troubled you to venture deep into the forested mountains this time, Brother Jie. I can¡¯t express my gratitude with words, so I¡¯ll just gift you something big after we¡¯re done dinning. Please consider it as a token of my gratitude!¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang, we are friends, you don¡¯t need to be overly courteous,¡± said Jie Walie sternly. ¡°What I like about you is neither your money nor possessions, but you as a person!¡±


    ¡°The thing I¡¯m going to gift you is not something money can buy.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°Alright, please don¡¯t refuse it, and let¡¯s just finish the meal first.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll tell them to get it prepared now.¡±


    Jie Walie was somewhat looking forward to it. He already knew that Tang Xiu was a cultivator, and therefore felt that the gift Tang Xiu wanted to give to him was probably something that countless people could only dream of obtaining.


    As expected! Tang Xiu imparted him a basic cultivation technique to cultivate qi after dinner. The technique could not lead an ordinary person to be called as a cultivator, but it was still able to prolong his lifespan and strengthen his body, nonetheless. Furthermore, it was very easy to practice this cultivation technique, and Tang Xiu even gave Jie Walie a prescription to let him obtain medicinal herbs according to it and consume as a medicated diet.


    With all this done, as Jie Walie was feeling grateful, Tang Xiu led Mo Awu and left the horse ranch and quickly rushed to the airport. What made him helpless was that all the flights from Kanas Airport were canceled due to bad weather. Tang Xiu did not want to waste time here and therefore took a bus with Mo Awu and rushed to the North Xinjiang Train Station overnight.


    ¡°All the train tickets have been sold out, Boss.¡±


    Mo Awu came out of the ticket booth looking a bit helpless. It just after the New Year celebration, thus it was rush time for students and migrant workers to leave their hometowns and return to their school and work.


    ¡°It¡¯s two in the morning now, and it seems like we can only stay here. Let¡¯s find a hotel nearby to spend the night and then leave tomorrow morning,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Mo Awu silently nodded. But then, a glint suddenly flashed in his eyes and he hurriedly said, ¡°I may have another way to buy a train ticket, Boss. Just wait a bit.¡±


    Tang Xiu watched Mo Awu leave quickly and spoke to a few furtive young men in the corner a dozen meters away. He handed over a few paper bills and then returned back with two train tickets, saying, ¡°Boss, those guys are ticket scalpers. But we¡¯ll need to transfer to another transportation means in Ning Province, nonetheless.¡±


    After boarding the train, Tang Xiu and Mo Awu arrived in Ning Province in the evening. Fortunately, the ticket they bought was in couchette car, so they did not feel tired at all. Afterward, the duo rushed to Ning Province Airport without pausing to rest. After successfully buying the flight tickets, they then boarded the plane to Shanghai smoothly.


    ¡°Strange, how come no one is here?¡±


    Tang Xiu and Mo Awu were surprised after boarding the plane since there were no passengers there at all. Other than the four flight attendants, the entire cabin was empty.


    ¡°The flight has been canceled due to the weather, Sir. However, the issue has been lifted due to the changes in the weather as well, but the passengers who originally booked the seats have already been refunded. The two Sirs may have to wait for a while since there¡¯s still half an hour left for four flights to take off. Also, there should be some more passengers boarding later,¡± one of the elegant flight attendants answered.


    Tang Xiu understood in a flash. After taking a seat according to the ticket number, he then waited quietly.


    ¡°Hello, Sir. There are a lot of passengers here, and I like sitting by the window. May I ask whether we can exchange seats?¡± A pleasant voice sounded, as a woman with an alluring figure and wearing a veil stood in the aisle next to Mo Awu and asked him.


    ¡°Exchange seats?¡±


    Mo Awu furrowed his brows and quickly glanced around the cabin. What made him secretly vigilant was that the total passengers that boarded the plane were only five people. This also included the woman next to him. Tang Xiu, who sat by the window with his eyes shut, also heard her voice, as he opened his eyes to look around and found the same issue.


    ¡°Awu, pick any seat in the back,¡± said Tang Xiu calmly after glancing at the veiled female.


    ¡°Alright,¡± replied Mo Awu and quickly took a seat in the back row.


    Tang Xiu calmly watched as the veiled woman took a seat and also smelled the fragrance she exuded out. He then let out a light smile and said, ¡°Sure enough, it really is a small world, isn¡¯t it, Miss Xue? The saying does have its own truth.¡±


    Xue Yu¡¯s eyes curved and let out a smile as she replied, ¡°The Old Ancestress told me that you¡¯d take this flight to Shanghai. It just so happened that I need to go to Shanghai as well to find my fianc¨¦e, and we happened to bump into each other. What is it? Don¡¯t you want me to sit next to you, Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°Your fianc¨¦e? Is it Chu Yuan?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve seen that fianc¨¦e of mine,¡± said Xue Yu, shaking her head.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised. ¡°Where is he?¡±


    ¡°Far from the horizon and yet right here under my nose,¡± said Xue Yu with a smile. ¡°Do you really not know? Or are you intentionally playing the fool?¡±


    Tang Xiu pointed his finger at his nose and said incredulously, ¡°You mean, me?¡±


    ¡°Is there anyone else besides you in front of me?¡± Asked Xue Yu back with a smile.


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes at her and snappily said, ¡°Miss Xue, you can eat whatever food you want, but don¡¯t speak nonsensical things randomly. The room in my home has already been occupied by someone else, and I have no interest to hear such a joke.¡±


    ¡°Had I been unaware of your true identity, I may not be sure that you¡¯re the first man who ever saw my face.¡± Xue Yu shook her head. ¡°Mr. Tang¡­ No, I should call you Tang Xiu. Addressing you with this name feels kinda intimate, right? Anyways, did I speak incorrectly that you¡¯ve already seen my face back when we were in Star City, Tang Xiu?¡±

 Chapter 681

    Chapter 681: Tagging Along Like Dogskin Plaster


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Tang Xiu frowned. After more than ten seconds in silence, only then did he slowly ask, ¡°Who exactly is your Ancestress?¡±


    Xue Yu gently raised her hand to uncover her veil. As the face of a woman that could topple a kingdom appeared in front of Tang Xiu, she then said with a slight smile, ¡°That Old Ancestress of mine is someone blind who also comes from Miao Region like me. She knows the matter of the ancient as well as the present and walks on the path of life divination.¡±


    Startled, Tang Xiu asked with an astounded expression, ¡°Old Blind has neither sons nor daughters, I believe. There¡¯s no way she has any family member whatsoever, no?¡±


    ¡°There are reasons why we address her as our Ancestress. It¡¯s not because we are related by blood.¡± Xue Yu shook her head and said with a smile. ¡°The Ancestress was fated to have fate claim her husband and halt her marriage, thus she naturally has no sons or daughters. However, she is actually the patron saint as well as the oldest elder for us, the Miao people. So, all the clans and tribes of the Miao People address her as Ancestress.¡±


    Tang Xiu understood in a flash. He then touched his nose and helplessly said, ¡°You Ancestress is kind of listening to my commands, so shouldn¡¯t you listen to my command as well?¡±


    A cunning light flashed in Xue Yu¡¯s eyes as she smilingly replied, ¡°I can obey everything you order me to do other than the ancestor¡¯s custom that must not be changed. We, the Miao, have an ancient saying that our woman must stay faithful and content with the man she has married with. You are my future husband, thus I¡¯ll do whatever you ask me.¡±


    ¡°Knock it off!¡±


    Tang Xiu felt like he was stuck with the gum he chewed, and quickly said, ¡°Rules are dead, but people are living! That custom passed down by your Ancestress need to be broken by the later generations. Miss Xue, I already have a girlfriend and we also have an excellent relationship, and with me taking you up as per your condition, do you really want to be a third person between us? Besides, I do think that Chu Yuan is the most suitable candidate for you.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think he is.¡± Xue Yu shook her head.


    With that said, she slowly took out a small porcelain bottle and poured out a black pill from it, saying, ¡°I only have two choices if you don¡¯t want to accept me as per the custom of my clan. First is to kill you, and second is to commit suicide. I know your identity, thus I don¡¯t think I can kill you. So the only choice I have is the last one: commit suicide.¡±


    ¡°If you wanna die, then do it yourself,¡± said Tang Xiu with a frown.


    Xue Yu¡¯s eyes turned dark and her jade-like hand straightly threw the pill into her mouth, and then slowly closed her eyes at this moment.


    Tang Xiu was dumbfounded. He had already identified the efficacy of the black pill through its smell; it was definitely a highly poisonous pill. Let alone an ordinary person, even a cultivator with a low-level cultivation would die if he took it.


    Bam¡­


    His palm patted Xue Yu¡¯s chest. Though he could feel the plump and supple sensation from it, there was no evil in his mind. As his Primal Chaos Force entered Xue Yu¡¯s body, it wrapped and controlled the black pill that was about to melt in just half a second. Meanwhile, his hand pressed Xue Yu¡¯s cheek and forced the black pill out of her mouth.


    ¡°Stupid!¡± Scolded Tang Xiu coldly.


    Xue Yu opened her eyes, but her eyes were still dead. She shook her head and said, ¡°You can save me once, but you can¡¯t save me every time. I will die unless you promise to marry me.¡±


    Tang Xiu fell silent. After releasing Xue Yu¡¯s cheek, he thought for a few minutes before he slowly said, ¡°I don¡¯t have a way to make change the custom of your clan, but that Old Blind should be able to, shouldn¡¯t she? You address her as Ancestress, so you should listen to her words.¡±


    ¡°Ancestress told me personally before I came here that I would only be able to live normally if a certain honorable man were to help me. And she said that man is you. Also, she wanted me to convey a message to you. She said that she wouldn¡¯t appear before you again even if you are to burn three incenses, and she will meet you again later only in Shanghai¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall in June this year .¡±


    ¡°This Old Blind!¡±


    Tang Xiu was flustered and exasperated, for he did not expect that Old Blind had already predicted that he would look for her and had unexpectedly prevented him to do so ahead of time. Suddenly, his expression slightly moved and faintly said, ¡°I already have a girlfriend, thus it¡¯s utterly impossible to dump her just to marry you. Since you are the one who is weeping and wanting me to marry you, then you¡¯ll only be my lover! Or a mistress.¡±


    Xue Yu stared blankly, then a look of shame and anger flashed in her eyes for a moment, and yet, she kept silent for a long while before she nodded with an unsightly expression and said, ¡°I will become your lover without legal certificate and recognition, but you have to go with me to the Miao region and hold a matrimony ceremony to marry me.¡±


    ¡°You agreed with you becoming a lover and even a mistress?¡± Asked Tang Xiu in anger. ¡°Did your brain get fried or something?¡±


    ¡°To live is better than to die,¡± said Xue Yu honestly. ¡°I¡¯m still young, I don¡¯t want to die yet. Besides, it¡¯s not like the polyandry and polygamy practices do not exist among the clans and tribes in the Miao Region, to begin with. There was also a custom in ancient times that a man can have three wives and four concubines, so I can accept this.¡±


    ¡°Holy shit!¡± Tang Xiu was truly rendered speechless and was utterly defeated by Xue Yu without any argument to refute her.


    He had seen this practice of having three wives and four concubines way too much in the Immortal World since numerous Immortal hegemons there had numerous Immortal partners and mistresses. Even among the ordinary people, particularly those empire royalties, the Emperor also had seven palaces and six manors to house seventy-two concubines, while the number of princes and nobilities who had more wives and concubines was also too many to count. It was to the extent that a man having a lot of women was considered as proof of his ability in some countries.


    However, this place is the Earth, for God¡¯s sake!


    More so that this is the 21st century. Such an anamnesis of feudalism is terribly appalling, that even a woman such as Xue Yu is not exempted from such custom!


    Only when the plane took off did Tang Xiu turn his head to Xue Yu and said, ¡°I don¡¯t care whatever you¡¯re thinking. Since you want to be my lover, then don¡¯t affect my normal life, and there is no way the others can find out about our relationship either. I¡¯ll give you a house to live after we arrive in Shanghai, and unless I take the initiative to contact you, then you are not allowed to do so. Of course, if you want to leave me after you¡¯ve thought it through, you can just leave straightly without calling me.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Xue Yu nodded.


    Tang Xiu still wanted to admonish her, but immediately lost the intention to do so upon seeing her cold expression. He did not want to pay attention to her again, so he closed his eyes and slept.


    Shanghai Airport.


    Right as Tang Xiu led Mo Awu and Xue Yu out of the airport exit, Chi Nan, who had received a call from Mo Awu earlier, was waiting for them outside.


    ¡°It¡¯s been laborious on you, Boss.¡±


    Chi Nan looked energetic, and she looked several years younger than the first time Tang Xiu met her. Her appearance looked like she was twenty-seven-plus years old, and even her looks and figure looked more alluring and attractive than before,


    ¡°Not bad. You seem to have gotten a lot of cultivation resources.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°However, do not take too many medicinal pills or elixirs, and it¡¯s best for you to cultivate diligently to lay a solid foundation. Else, you¡¯ll get obsessed and deviate if your cultivation rapidly enhances.¡±


    With a change in expression, Chi Nan immediately replied seriously, ¡°Understood, this subordinate will remember it.¡±


    Tang Xiu did not speak anymore and followed her to the parking lot outside, boarded the car, and then directly headed to Bluestar Villa Complex. After Chi Nan left, he then looked at Xue Yu and faintly said, ¡°The first floor has a lot of rooms, pick one of them. I¡¯ll take you to your new residence tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°But I want to stay together with you,¡± asked Xue Yu.


    ¡°The number of times we met is less than the fingers on my hand, you know!¡± Said Tang Xiu with an annoyed expression. ¡°Do you think living together with me now is the appropriate thing to do? Even if we do become lovers, everything must move forward gradually and normally to cultivate the affection between each other, no?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly because we are lovers that desire should be more important than feelings.¡± Xue Yu shook her head. ¡°Also, I don¡¯t feel secure at all if you don¡¯t want my body.¡±


    ¡°What absurdity!¡±


    Tang Xiu had not the slightest desire toward Xue Yu¡¯s body now. He just slated her in a low voice and then turned around to head to the second floor. As for Mo Awu, though it was his first time visiting the place, he seemed to be quite familiar with the house and soon picked a room.


    On the second floor.


    Just as Tang Xiu entered his bedroom and shot a look at Xue Yu who followed him behind, he was immediately at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh and said, ¡°Tell me something, Jade Beauty, is there a need to be so adamant in clinging to me? Just let me relax for a while after the long travel, will you? Just a few days. Yeah, it¡¯s been a few days. You, a woman, also have several uncomfortable days every month, whereas I, as a man, also need to take a breather! You should have heard from your Ancestress that the trip to Kanas this time was like a hairbreadth escape, and it¡¯s been with great difficulty that I could come back to recuperate from my injuries. Can you just let me have a good rest?¡±


    ¡°This¡­ alright!¡±


    Xue Yu scrunched up for a moment and then turned around, directly opened the door of the opposite room and went in.


    Bam¡­


    After the door was closed, Tang Xiu walked to the bed with a helpless expression and straightly laid himself down while cursing inside, What a dogskin plaster living ancestor!


    ¡°Now that I think about it, the Heavenly Law of this place is kind of affecting me. Is it because I was hurt by love when I was in the Immortal World and now I¡¯m getting compensated after returning to Earth? Else this kind of peach blossoms tribulation is not supposed to be like this!¡±


    Tang Xiu revived the scenes when he was in the Immortal World. He never found any other woman who liked him in the ten thousand years there other than Xue Qingcheng. Logically speaking, he was a prominent hegemon with a terrifying cultivation. Wasn¡¯t it said that beauties loved heroic men? But why he did not have them at that time?


    He was not sure as he had never thought of this aspect when he was in the Immortal World, especially after he had Xue Qingcheng, as he fully devoted his heart to her and no other women could enter his eyes. How would he know how many billion women admired him when he was there?


    But after returning to Earth, he had to consider about romance solely due to his Mother and also had to find himself a wife to bear his children. Else he was afraid that his mother would get angry and also feared that his refusal would make her distressed.


    Tang Xiu exempted himself from cultivating that night. Although he had fully healed from his injuries, tossing around for nights and days still made him weary and struck with fatigue. He then took a shower and changed his clothes. Just as he was about to go to bed, a knocking sound was heard from his door, as Xue Yu¡¯s pleasant voice was transmitted from the outside.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, I need to wash and change clothes.¡±

 Chapter 682

    Chapter 682: Mistress Relationship


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Tang Xiu, who was lying in bed, did not want to move. What he wanted the most now was straightly head to dreamland and have a date with Duke Zhou¡¯s daughter. And yet, that brazen-faced Xue Yu who kept close to him made him weary and tired.


    However, he knew that Xue Yu would definitely open the door and enter his room if he did not give her spare clothes given her disposition. It was highly likely that she would go above board and want more. After struggling hard to stay awake, Tang Xiu sluggishly walked to the cloakroom and found several sets of new clothes Kang Xia bought for herself when she came over. Then, he took one set and also took a piece of underwear, albeit hesitating at first. After he walked outside, he then said, ¡°Whether these suit you or not, just use them for tonight. We¡¯ll go out and buy some for you tomorrow.¡±


    Xue Yu took them without speaking. These clothes made her sure that Tang Xiu did not lie as he definitely had a woman already. Furthermore, she could tell that this woman should be quite a busty judging from the model of the bra. She did not like her own conjecture at all, but she had no other choice. Upon seeing that Tang Xiu looked tired, her expression suddenly moved and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take a shower first, and then I¡¯ll give you a massage afterward.¡±


    With that said, she did not give Tang Xiu a chance to refuse and quickly turned back to the opposite room and slammed the door.


    A massage?


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes at the shut door. After returning to his bedroom, he went straight to bed and tried to sleep, saving himself from having Xue Yu disturb him again. However, the more he wanted to sleep, the more he couldn¡¯t. He only felt he was mentally tired and evidently had symptoms of insomnia.


    He did not force himself as he felt that he really could not fall asleep at all, and quietly thought about what he would do next. Shanghai University had already started classes after the winter vacation. On one hand he had to go back to school to attend classes and on the other hand, he also had to start the construction project in Shanghai as well.


    For that plot of land, Kang Xia had led several senior executives of the Magnificent Tang Corporation previously, and also contacted some government officials of Shanghai and spent quite a sum of money to buy it. Its location was rather remote, almost near the boundary with Su City, and yet was very expensive, while property rights were due for 50 years.


    The construction must start after the New Year. It was a unanimous decision he and Kang Xia made, and both of them were rather confused since all the construction companies they were familiar with had their hands already full with projects. More so that the scale of their projects was very large, making them unable to invest more in a short term. They did consider cooperating with other large domestic construction companies, yet it needed to be analyzed first.


    Eventually, they decided to conduct a tender in Shanghai, and those who had qualifications to bid in the tender were at least the top 20 major construction companies in China.


    Tang Xiu was thinking about this matter and decided to set a bidding date half a month later. He also needed to consider other affairs in this span of time. For instance, tempering his body with a power generator. If it did work well and had the expected effects, he would carry on the plan on a large scale and would apply it for all the cultivators he groomed.


    ¡°A pity that the gravitational force of all the regions on Earth is almost the same. In contrast, there are some special star fields in the Immortal World with a particular gravitational force that would be great in tempering my men,¡± sighed Tang Xiu inwardly.


    Umm?


    Suddenly, his expression slightly moved as he suddenly remembered some high-tech means. If he were to employ some hi-tech means to create an area with increased gravitational force or some gravity chambers, it would not become an issue, would it?


    As Tang Xiu thought up to there, he was a bit excited. If he could employ those hi-tech methods to create a gravity chamber that was several times higher than Earth¡¯s gravitational force to temper a cultivator¡¯s body, that would bring about an excellent effect.


    No rush. When the research team has been transferred to Shanghai, it won¡¯t be an issue to conduct the research in this area, though I still have to discuss it with Mo Yi in advance and try to recruit a lot of scientists and researchers in this field in a short time.


    Time passed, and the more Tang Xiu thought, the more he felt fatigue, but various inspirations constantly emerged inside his mind. Only after the door was knocked and a beautiful figure entered his room did the various thoughts in his mind gradually returned to normal.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at the figure dressed in Kang Xia¡¯s clothes. It was alluringly beautiful. The dazzling beauty, Xue Yu. Despite being used to see outstanding beauties, he could still feel his heartbeat increase and the increased secretion of his hormones. Her white skin was like a Mutton Fat Jade, smooth and bright, coupled with slim and tall flawless body with an untied opening of her outer upper clothes that revealed two satellites and its visible white ravine in between.


    ¡°I once learned a Miao massage from some elders in the clan. It has a soothing and treatment-like effect.¡± Xue Yu came to the bedside and stepped on the bed with bare feet.


    Tang Xiu sobered up from his stunned state. He could feel the changes of his own little brother as he waved his hand and hastily said, ¡°No no no. I¡¯m afraid you can¡¯t practice your massage skill on me. I¡¯m dead tired after working hard for a long time. Just go to rest! I was actually nearly asleep when you entered.¡±


    Xue Yu let out a faint smile and simply ignored Tang Xiu¡¯s words. She straightly squatted down and pulled him from the bed. With the bedding pushed aside, she forcefully made Tang Xiu fall down.


    ¡°Ugh, just forget it. I¡¯m an adult gentleman. If I don¡¯t eat a beauty who is offering herself to me, then I shall offer my ancestor veneration towards Liu Xiahui.¡± Tang Xiu steeled himself and straightly turned over. He could feel Xue Yu sitting on his bottom, and despite being separated by their clothes, he could still feel the warmth transmitted from her body.


    ¡°Relax your body and ease your spirit.¡±


    With hands gently leaning down, Xue Yu¡¯s slender, jade-like fingers pressed Tang Xiu¡¯s shoulders. As his body relaxed, her fingers gently massaged him.


    It was comfortable. Tang Xiu found that Xue Yu¡¯s massage technique was rather interesting as it could clearly press the route of acupoints, either pinching, rubbing, and kneading. She fully understood and thoroughly mastered the distribution of muscle strength of her body, while lightly rubbing the small crevices of the backbone, lightly pinching and pressing the muscles that could ease them, giving off a relaxed sensation and comfort from the inside out.


    Gradually, Tang Xiu¡¯s eyelids turned heavy, and the desire that was ignited a while ago subsided in the comfort. Drowning in drowsiness, he fell asleep under Xue Yu¡¯s massage.


    A smile outlined on the corner of Xue Yu¡¯s mouth and climbed up her face. She only massaged Tang Xiu for a few minutes and he already fell asleep¡­ It gave her a sense of accomplishment. However, she felt both annoyed and helpless upon recalling as how resistant Tang Xiu was towards her.


    After a long while, only then did Xue Yu stop massaging him. She gently got out of bed and pulled the quilt over Tang Xiu¡¯s body. After all, she was still a woman who had never had sex with anyone before. Though she did show gestures of giving herself to him, yet a woman¡¯s constraint nature and timidity inside her were actually there.


    She might not resist if Tang Xiu really wanted her tonight. But it would genuinely create a feeling of rejection inside her. Fortunately, what happened tonight made her realize that this man was a good man and not a pervert who could not see a beauty.


    The next day.


    It was already eight in the morning when Tang Xiu woke up from his sleep. When he came downstairs, he saw Xue Yu donning an apron and sitting in the living room while quietly reading a magazine, whereas the housekeeper, Auntie Zhang, was wiping home appliances with a rag while stealing glances at her from time to time.


    ¡°Mr. Tang.¡±


    Upon finding that Tang Xiu had come down, Zhang Xinlan hurriedly straightened up her body and called out.


    Tang Xiu nodded to her in response and said with a smile, ¡°Did you have a great New Year, Zhang Xinlan?¡±


    With a happy expression, Zhang Xinlan nodded and answered, ¡°Your treatment toward us has been great, Mr. Tang, so my family passed a bountiful year.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded with a smile. Suddenly, he recalled something and put his hand into his clothes¡¯ pocket and quietly took out two stacks of 100 yuan bills from his interspatial ring. After which, he said with a smile, ¡°Aunt Zhang, I left Shanghai in a rush before the New Year, thus I forgot to send you a red envelope. Anyways, this is 20,000 yuan for both you and Aunt Liu; 10,000 yuan for each. It¡¯s a red envelope for the two of you from me!¡±


    ¡°No need to do that, Mr. Tang.¡± Zhang Xinlan quickly waved. ¡°The salary and benefits you give us are already very high, how can we¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu walked towards her with a smile and then stuffed the money into her hands, saying, ¡°Just take it, Aunt Zhang! It¡¯s been quite laborious on you, so please don¡¯t regard me as a stranger later.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ thank you, Mr. Tang,¡± said Zhang Xinlan gratefully.


    Tang nodded at her with a smile. Then, he looked at Xue Yu, who stood up and came to him stretching out her hand. That made him immediately baffled as he asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve given all the money I have to the elders of the clan when I left the Miao Region,¡± said Xue Yu. ¡°I will no longer manage the family business in the future, and thus cannot receive money from the family for my spending. Besides, I¡¯m your lover now, so you gotta spend money to support me.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Upon seeing a matter-of-factly expression on her face, Tang Xiu immediately forced out a bitter smile. He stuffed his hand into the pocket again to take out a bank card from his interspatial ring, then handed it over to her and said, ¡°There should be some money in this card if I remember correctly. The PIN is written on the back.¡±


    A content and a satisfied smile appeared on Xue Yu¡¯s face. After receiving the bankcard, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll look for a job in Shanghai after settling down. Alright, the breakfast is still in the kitchen, I¡¯ll reheat it.¡±


    At the side, Zhang Xinlan watched Tang Xiu and Xue Yu with a strange expression. Never did she dream that such an exquisite beauty who was much more beautiful than celebrities would actually be Tang Xiu¡¯s lover. She had seen many of Tang Xiu¡¯s female friends, such as Kang Xia, who had sex with him, Ouyang Lulu, who often came over, as well as Mu Wanying, his fellow student in the campus¡­ Yet, it was her first time seeing this¡­ lover. She secretly sighed inwardly and felt fortunate that Tang Xiu had not yet married, or else this lover would really have to sit tight in between.


    ¡°Miss Xue, let me do the reheating!¡± Yet, Zhang Xinlan did not look down on Xue Yu and hurriedly interjected.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that myself, Aunt Zhang.¡± Xue Yu shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m his woman, so I must take care of his daily life. Also, this medicated diet is very special, there are still many things in it that need attention despite only reheating it.¡±


    Wearing an apron, it really made her look like a housewife.


    Upon seeing that Zhang Xinlan would speak again, Tang Xiu immediately shook his head at her. Since Xue Yu was willingly serving him, he naturally had to take it for granted.


    As it should be! Like a mistress who took her man¡¯s money, they sometimes still need to do things to please her man as well.

 Chapter 683

    Chapter 683: Getting Shot While Lying Low


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    After Xue Yu brought the fragrant medicinal diet to the dining room, Tang Xiu¡¯s index finger suddenly moved as he could clearly sense the spiritual qi contained within, showing that she added a lot of herbs to the diet.


    ¡°Did you buy them in the morning?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a surprised expression after taking the bowl. He could feel his whole body turning warm.


    ¡°I lived in Shanghai for a while before, so I know a Chinese medicine store that opens early,¡± said Xue Yu. ¡°I originally had some savings, but I used them to buy medicinal herbs, so I¡¯m broke now.¡±


    ¡°The herbs were not cheap, were they?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    Xue Yu nodded and said, ¡°I did not have much money, so I only bought herbs worth 12 million yuan, but it should be enough to make a medicated diet for half a month. So that small pot of medicine is worth hundreds of thousand yuan.¡±


    Crack¡­


    In the corridor outside the dining room, Zhang Xinlan dropped the flower pot. She did not deliberately eavesdrop on the conversation between Tang Xiu and Xue Yu, but the content scared her so much that she nearly dropped her jaw.


    Tang Xiu walked out of the dining room hurriedly. As he saw that Zhang Xinlan was busy and in a flurry with a scared expression, he then realized that she had heard Xue Yu¡¯s words. He forced a smile inwardly and then comforted her quickly, ¡°Aunt Zhang, are you okay? Just throw this broken pot, and do treat yourself quickly if you¡¯re injured.¡±


    Looking at Tang Xiu¡¯s amiable expression, Zhang Xinlan¡¯s intense feeling eased down a lot. She shook her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thanks for your concern, Mr. Tang. I¡¯ll go out and buy exactly the same pot like this one. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll pay it with my own money.¡±


    ¡°Just deduct it from the living expenses I gave you. There¡¯s no need for you to use your money, Aunt Zhang,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°I told you not to see me as a stranger if you want to keep working here later, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Zhang Xinlan shot Tang Xu a grateful look and hurriedly grabbed the cleaning tools. Just as she was about to start cleaning it, she saw Xue Yu going to the kitchen to wash the dishes, as she then walked toward Tang Xiu quietly and said with a hesitating expression, ¡°Mr. Tang, I know you are very rich, but still¡­ you should use money sparingly whenever you can. This is not saving money, but wasting it!¡±


    Tang Xiu could not help but burst into laughter. Seeing Zhang Xinlan stealing a glance at the kitchen, he could tell the reason why she said that. He immediately smiled and said, ¡°Aunt Zhang, Xue Yu used to be very rich and she took out at least 100 million yuan once. She used to be a spendthrift and may not have changed her habit yet. But don¡¯t worry, though, I¡¯ll definitely educate her well later, and I assure you that I¡¯ll train and turn her into a good wife and a kind mother.¡±


    A type of lover that is also a clever wife and a wise mother.


    Zhang Xinlan murmured inwardly, gratified inwardly as she nodded. She was just a housekeeper here and knew how far she could go and when to stop. Reminding Tang Xiu today was the limit she could do.


    After that, Tang Xiu went out with Xue Yu to the shopping mall nearby to buy clothes and daily necessities. He then drove his car to liveliest place in Shanghai, the Binjiang Avenue, and entered the once best luxury villa residential area in China.


    Tomson Villa.


    The interior of the double-decker villa was extremely extravagant and fully equipped with all sorts of appliances, and the Property Management¡¯s sanitation cleaned the villa regularly every week. After taking the key and opening the door, Tang Xiu found it spotless from dust, and everything was placed in an orderly and neat manner.


    ¡°The place is not bad. You can be said to be a man who invests the most in his lover.¡± Xue Yu toured the villa and found that the mansion was about 200 square meters. She was extraordinarily pleased, whether it was its floors or the view outside its windows.


    ¡°Leave out the sarcasm, will you?¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t have many properties in Shanghai. The other one is a bit far from the city, so I can only give this place for you to stay. You can choose to move out if you have a better place.¡±


    ¡°Why would I want to move out of the mansion my man gives me?¡± Xue Yu¡¯s brows pricked. ¡°You can treat me like a canary, or you can regard me as a good wife and kind mother later here.¡±


    Tang Xiu did not want to be entangled in this issue with Xue Yu, so he waved his hand said, ¡°Alright, you¡¯ll live here later then! If anything, I gotta go to the campus so I won¡¯t be staying with you. Just call me directly if there¡¯s something.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Xue Yu gently nodded.


    After leaving the Tomson Villa Complex, Tang Xiu hurriedly went to Shanghai University. The schooling had already started a few days ago and he had yet to appear on the campus at all. Han Qingwu had called him several times already during this time and was discontented. Today was Thursday, and even though he had no class in the morning, he still had to go there to see Han Qingwu and also gather together with his dorm brothers in passing.


    Since he left the luxury sedan for Xue Yu, he took a taxi and came to Shanghai University¡¯s entrance. There, he saw several luxury supercars driving inside, and not only did the guards at the entrance not stop them, they even saluted them with smiles on their faces.


    ¡°Some second-generation¡¯s silk pants again?¡±


    Tang Xiu sighed inwardly and walked inside. Along the way, many students greeted him, and Tang Xiu responded to each and every one of them. He was now considered a celebrity in Shanghai University, and nearly all the teachers and students knew him.


    ¡°Han Qingwu, I, Song Zicong, love you. Please marry me! I promise to love you with all my heart, loving you from generation to generation and until the Earth and Heavens get old.¡± The loudspeaker was placed on a yellow supercar with a handsome young man standing next to it holding a bouquet of roses. Next to the three other supercars nearby also stood three young men respectively, each hugging a tender, slim girl, while smilingly watching the play of Romeo courting Juliet.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s pace came to a halt as he looked up toward at the classroom building in front of him with a slight smile outlined on the corner of his mouth. He wanted to tell that wooing young man to not to be so foolish to set his eyes on Han Qingwu. But the idea immediately vanished as he recalled that those second-generation¡¯s silk pants were not good creatures.


    He was originally in a rush to go to the classroom building¡¯s teacher office to report to Han Qingwu after returning from his leave, but now that he saw such a wonderful courtship in the making, he dismissed immediately and went to the big tree nearby, leaning on it and folding his arms there, while letting out a smile to see Han Qingwu ran out of the building.


    At this time, Han Qingwu was donning jeans and a white goose down coat, with a brown scarf coiled around her neck. However, she wore a very annoyed expression and her eyes were as though blazing with fire. She then ran toward the young man holding the big bouquet of roses and scolded him right in the face, ¡°Are you not done with all this farce, Song Zicong? You went to my house to make a ruckus, and now you even came to the campus to do the same thing? Do you not believe that I¡¯m going to report this to the police?¡±


    With a sincere and serious expression, Song Zicong knelt in front of Han Qingwu and pulled out a heart-shaped red box from his pocket and opened it up. A sparkling, at least two-carats diamond ring was then revealed as he spoke, ¡°Qingwu, I really fell in love with you. Ever since you drove out those seven thugs to save me, your graceful and elegant demeanor caught my heart. I swear to God that I¡¯m in love with you with all my heart. Please give me a chance, I¡¯ll definitely make you happy. Marry me!¡±


    With an indifferent expression, Han Qingwu flatly refused, ¡°Sorry, you¡¯re nothing but a pretty boy covered with makeup without a man¡¯s spirit in my eyes. Hence, you can¡¯t give me a sense of security and neither do I have any feelings for you whatsoever. Just quickly scram and get out of Shanghai University. You¡¯ve caused enough of a ruckus here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll never give up!¡± Song Zicong said seriously. ¡°I will always pursue you even if I have to spend more time, energy, and money, for I firmly believe that feelings need to be cultivated. My efforts will open your heart and you¡¯ll accept me sooner or later one day.¡±


    Flustered and exasperated, Han Qingwu raised her fist towards Song Zicong¡¯s handsome face but did not go further. After pondering for several seconds, she suddenly said, ¡°You may pursue me, but leave this cheap trick of courting me at the campus. Fine, I¡¯ll give you a chance under a few conditions.¡±


    With eyes lit up, Song Zicong hurriedly asked, ¡°What conditions? Let alone a few, I¡¯ll definitely do it even if you give me thousands!¡±


    ¡°Firstly, you are not to bother me later, unless you have trained your own muscles and can defeat several thugs by yourself. I¡¯ll talk to you about the second condition after you¡¯re done with the first,¡± said Han Qingwu.


    Song Zicong was stunned and his complexion turned downcast immediately. He raised his arms, forced a smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m confident I can train my muscles, but beating a group of thugs by myself¡­ isn¡¯t this way too difficult? I never practiced kung fu before, even if I were to practice it now, it won¡¯t bear significant results in a year or so!¡±


    ¡°Take it or leave it, your choice!¡± Han Qingwu sneered.


    Song Zicong¡¯s face turned white and blue and only after a long while did he finally reply, ¡°I promise! But I¡¯ll still come to see you regularly. I love you and I can¡¯t sleep nor eat if I can¡¯t see you. Furthermore, I must make sure that no man sneakily comes to see you, and I¡¯ll also trash Tang Xiu in your class if he ever dares to hit on you!¡±


    ¡°What the hell does this have to do with Tang Xiu?¡± Han Qingwu shouted angrily. ¡°You¡­ JUST SCRAM!¡±


    Hate and envy flashed in Song Zicong¡¯s eyes as he said, ¡°I know that Tang Xiu fella is very famous and you¡¯re also quite close to him. But you¡¯re the woman I fell in love with, thus I will never let him go if he dares to have some bad ideas toward you.¡±


    ¡°JUST GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!¡± Han Qingwu yelled.


    Not far away from there, Tang Xiu watched Song Zicong with an expression of being at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh. This guy was obviously the Romeo courting Han Qingwu, how the hell did he come up with his name all of a sudden?


    Nevertheless, he simply paid no heed towards Song Zicong¡¯s threat. He had decided that he would never have the slightest emotional connection with Han Qingwu at all before the whole story of the reason and cause for Xue Qingcheng¡¯s betrayal were made clear. On the other hand, once bitten and twice shy, he did not feel like entangling with this woman again.


    He was also too lazy to respond to this guy, Song Zicong, as long as he did not have some crooked thoughts to look for him for trouble. After all, this fella was weak and had no strength at all, and he couldn¡¯t care less about what he did even if his family was indeed quite rich.


    A few minutes later, the four supercars left, and Tang Xiu looked at Han Qingwu who looked rather pale. He put his arms down and walked towards her. After he caught up with Han Qingwu who had just turned around to leave, he teasingly said, ¡°Well, well, your market is truly hot, Teacher Han! Even your pursuers are all coming to campus.¡±

 Chapter 684

    Chapter 684: Putting On A Pretentious Dignity


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Han Qingwu¡¯s expression when she turned around to see Tang Xiu was extraordinarily splendid with surprise, joy, bashfulness, anger, and complain¡­ Eventually, these emotions turned into her gnashing her teeth as she forcefully grabbed his arm to pinch and twist his waist.


    Aaargh¡­


    Despite not feeling much pain, Tang Xiu still acted exaggerated and screamed. Upon seeing Han Qingwu¡¯s look of satisfaction as she let him go, he let out an embarrassed smile and said, ¡°What¡¯s the background of that fella, Teacher Han? To think that he¡¯s so arrogant to drive a car to the classroom building just to court you? Such a pretentiousness would be hard if he¡¯s only an ordinary person.¡±


    With an annoyed expression, Han Qingwu replied, ¡°He¡¯s just a rascal relying on¡­ aargh, forget it. You won¡¯t know it even if I tell you. Let¡¯s change the subject. Starting today, if you skip classes for no reason, don¡¯t blame me for deducting your credits!¡±


    Tang Xiu was startled and hurriedly refuted, ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t we reach an agreement before? I can ask for a leave at any time if I have an important matter to tend to if I take you to tour Jingmen Island.¡±


    Han Qingwu rolled her eyes and snorted, ¡°Hmph, that was last year. But I can no longer let you indulge yourself again this year. Furthermore, didn¡¯t you say you were taking me to tour Jingmen Island? I was all by myself touring Jingmen Island and you didn¡¯t even know where I went to that time. You know, I haven¡¯t pursued you and settled that account until now.¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­¡± Tang Xiu felt helpless somewhat. His visit to Jingmen Island that time was due to an important matter, to deal with those two islands in the South China Sea and crazily work to kill those savage beasts and deal with the Yao Family. However, he couldn¡¯t reveal this matter to Han Qingwu, so he could only force out a bitter smile and say, ¡°How about discussing this issue again? I still have to take some time off if something comes up. For instance, I must attend a very important tender meeting in Shanghai a couple days later, and I may have to leave for two days.¡±


    ¡°A tender? What tender bidding?¡± Asked Han Qingwu, baffled.


    ¡°I sent some people to buy a large plot of land in the remote area of Shanghai as of recently,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯m preparing to build the Magnificent Tang Corporation HQ as well as its industrial park here. Several days later, nearly all the top 20 construction companies in the country will come here to bid for the tender.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to move your company HQ to Shanghai?¡± Asked Han Qingwu, astounded.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Shanghai is an international metropolis and is the best gateway to the world. If the Magnificent Tang Corporation sells its products overseas, it would be best if the company HQ was established here. Teacher Han, I must personally attend such an important matter, and I¡¯m afraid I have no choice but to skip classes if you don¡¯t give me a leave of absence. You couldn¡¯t be cruel enough to see me expelled from Shanghai University just because I skipped classes too many times, could you?¡±


    Han Qingwu hesitated, and then hummed coldly, ¡°Hmph, remember to send me your leave application in due course, and hand it to me in person.¡±


    Tang Xiu felt happy inwardly and immediately flattered her, ¡°Thanks for your understanding, Teacher Han! Well, I haven¡¯t seen you during the winter holiday, and you seem even younger and more beautiful than ever.¡±


    ¡°Get lost¡­¡±


    Finally, a bit of smile appeared on Han Qingwu¡¯s face and she charmingly rolled her eyes at Tang Xiu.


    After the talking about some over trivial things with her, one of Tang Xiu¡¯s purposes in coming to the campus had been achieved. He immediately bade her farewell and went to the male students¡¯ dorms. On the way there, he called Yue Kai and learned that he, Hu Qingsong, and Zhao Liang were outside shopping and there was only Xue Chao in the dorm.


    Ten minutes later, just as Tang Xiu arrived downstairs of the dorm, he saw Xue Chao run out of the front door while holding a large envelope. The guy then forcefully stuffed it into his hand after he saw him.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised.


    ¡°That¡¯s your money. My wife and I have been working hard in the Everlasting Feast Hall for six months and earned ourselves quite some money. Besides, Chief Chi had especially gifted us, all the married employees there, a thick red envelope to celebrate the New Year. The amount is enough for us to pass our days for some time.¡±


    Tang Xiu shot a deep look at Xue Chao and stuffed the envelope into his pocket. He let out a smile and grabbed his shoulder, and while they walked toward the campus gate, he said, ¡°I know that you don¡¯t want to owe me too much, so I¡¯ll accept this. Besides, we¡¯re classmates as well as brothers. I¡¯m happy for you if you have money, but do not hesitate to tell me if you have no money in the future, okay?¡±


    Brothers!


    What Tang Xiu said made Xue Chao feel warm inside. He firmly nodded and said, ¡°Where are we going now?¡±


    ¡°To grab a bite¡­ a.k.a. eating,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    At the campus entrance to Shanghai University.


    Four luxury supercars were parked on the roadside while Song Zicong clamped a cigarette on the corner of his mouth, looking bored as he watched his ¡®three partners in crime¡¯, each hugging their girls in a lovey-dovey manner. He hailed from an extraordinary family and was the heir apparent of the Huaxiang Group in China. Born with a golden spoon in his mouth, he had been living a crown prince¡¯s life since childhood.


    However, he became a rebellious juvenile as he entered adolescence, fascinated with martial arts and seeking out many formidable experts through various channels in order to fulfill his dream to become an expert. Pity that it was nothing but a short-lived enthusiasm that cost him quite a lot of money and yet only learned very little.


    A couple years ago, he followed his parents to Shanghai and involved himself in the management, and then went out to try to find himself some buddies, finally hanging out with some of Shanghai¡¯s rabbles. They went into a quarrel with some local thugs and were eventually chased by a gang for a long time. Fortunately, he met with the beautiful Han Qingwu, by with her formidableness that aroused deep admiration in him.


    He could still vividly remember the terrifying strength and speed Han Qingwu unleashed from that gentle and alluring body of hers. She was like a tigress plunging into a flock of lambs, as a bunch of thugs armed with steel pipes were all knocked down on the ground in just a few seconds, wailing and whining miserably.


    At that moment, the Han Qingwu¡¯s graceful bearing was carved deep inside his heart, and he completely fell under her skirt. Therefore, though he did not know her at all, he went all out to find out her identity, social relations and started his desperate pursuit. Unfortunately, the king could only wish, for the Goddess heartlessly refused. Han Qingwu only gave him a look of rejection no matter how he pursued her, refusing him many times.


    Tang Xiu!


    This was one of the people he investigated in passing when investigating Han Qingwu. Once a top student in the Shuangqing province and was also her former student. When Tang Xiu enrolled at Shanghai University, Han Qingwu also went directly to Shanghai University. He even asked some people to find Tang Xiu¡¯s classmates to inquire about the relationship between him and Han Qingwu. The result made him very worried because the news he heard was that Han Qingwu liked Tang Xiu, and the reason why she moved to Shanghai was all because she was pursuing him.


    ¡°Young Master Song, that brat is coming.¡±


    Suddenly, a whistle sounded from the side, coming from a young man who hugged a girl whose hand pointed at the direction of Shanghai University¡¯s campus gate.


    Song Zicong looked toward that side and suddenly saw the appearance of the guy he had been waiting for. Almost in a flash, he strode forward there, blocked the path and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Are you Tang Xiu? Han Qingwu¡¯s student?¡±


    Tang Xiu slightly furrowed his brows as he did not expect that Song Zicong had run here to wait for him instead of leaving. Though he did not know why this guy targeted him, it was definitely related to Han Qingwu.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me.¡± Tang Xiu shot Xue Chao a reassuring look and replied with a calm face.


    ¡°Let¡¯s make a business deal.¡± Song Zicong sneered. ¡°I¡¯ll give you 1 million yuan for you to leave Han Qingwu and not pester her ever again. Also, I¡¯ll add another 1 million if you¡¯re willing to drop out of your university directly. What do you say?¡±


    His arrogant manner was much to Tang Xiu¡¯s indignation. This second-generation nouveau riche never knew the depth and immensity of the Heaven and Earth. He did not even have the desire to punch this guy, and only walked past him, too lazy to respond.


    His attitude angered Song Zicong, ¡°Halt now, surnamed Tang!¡±


    Tang Xiu slightly furrowed his brows again, turned around and indifferently said, ¡°Let me ask you something. Are you not confident about yourself, so you must resort to such cheap means? I¡¯m telling you in advance, I¡¯m not short on money, and even your Dad¡¯s money won¡¯t be as much as I have either.¡±


    ¡°Wow wow. Just WOW! Shanghai University turns out to have such a crazy fella like this?¡± A young man released the girl in his arms and smilingly walked over with a mouth clamping a cigarette. ¡°Do you know how much money Young Master Song¡¯s family have? Do you even know how many listed companies are under his father¡¯s management? The most important thing is, do you even know who his Dad is? Hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    The young man coughed, sorted out his clothes, and smilingly replied, ¡°I¡¯m a local snake of Shanghai; and only a handful few second-generation nouveau riches and officials here who don¡¯t know me. Don¡¯t laugh, I¡¯m not scaring you just to make you afraid and back out so that nonlocal friend of mine won¡¯t have to clean you up. Nowadays, the less the trouble, the better, isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°A local snake here?¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°What¡¯s your surname?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, there¡¯s no way you have heard of him.¡± Song Zicong sneered and interjected. ¡°And yet you even dare to have ideas on a woman such as Han Qingwu? Truly audacious! Do you know the Xinyang Group? He¡¯s the future successor of the Xinyang Group, Zhang Zitao.¡±


    The Xinyang Group?


    A strange expression climbed up Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he looked at the young man and asked, ¡°Are you Zhang Yueming¡¯s son?¡±


    The smile on Zhang Zitao¡¯s face froze. He furrowed his brows slightly and said, ¡°You are not qualified to mention my old man¡¯s name. I can spare you this time, but I¡¯ll make you regret it if you dare say it before me again.¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a smile all of a sudden. That smile was extraordinarily splendid, making Zhang Zitao become rather baffled as he watched Tang Xiu take out his mobile and dial a cell number.


    ¡°Pretentious prick putting on airs!¡±


    Zhang Zitao rolled his eyes as he folded his arms while leaning on the luxurious supercar behind him and showed a playful expression.


    After dialing Zhang Yueming¡¯s cell number, Tang Xiu immediately turned on the loudspeaker. The mobile phone ringed a few times before Zhang Yueming¡¯s loud laughter came out.


    ¡°Hahaha, did you just return to Shanghai, Brother Tang? Gu Changmin spoke to me a couple days ago that he was waiting for you to come back to treat you to dinner!¡±


    The expression on Zhang Zitao¡¯s face instantly froze and slightly gaped. His expression was that of disbelief. It was his father¡¯s voice; the voice he was more familiar with than anyone else¡¯s!


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile while looking at him and then said in a moderate pace, ¡°Zhang Yueming, someone just told me that I would regret saying your name. When did you get along with such a powerful person that can even forbid anyone to mention your name?¡±

 Chapter 685

    Chapter 685: An Unexpected Guest


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    At the Xinyang Group.


    Zhang Yueming left his chair and went toward the window while talking on the phone. He was a bit stunned when he heard Tang Xiu¡¯s words and immediately couldn¡¯t help but laugh, ¡°Hahaha, you¡¯re joking me, Brother Tang. I would have become the United Nations chairman if I had such ability. Who could be running his mouth making such a joke in front of you?¡±


    Upon seeing Zhang Zitao gulp down, the smile on Tang Xiu¡¯s face turned a bit wider as he said, ¡°Other than your treasured son, who else dares to run his mouth like that? If anything, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t dare to go to the dinner hosted by you and Brother Gu, but it¡¯s because I can¡¯t go! Your son is blocking me at the entrance of Shanghai University with his hardcore brothers, threatening to thrash me up by relying on their identity as local snakes. Honestly, I¡¯m really afraid now!¡±


    Zhang Yueming¡¯s expression instantly turned very splendid.


    Threatening Tang Xiu?


    A chill ran down Zhang Yueming¡¯s spine as he recalled Tang Xiu¡¯s methods. Never once did he ever dream that his bastard son would provoke Tang Xiu one day.


    ¡°This should be a misunderstanding. All of them! Brother Tang, slap him if that little bastard disrespects you and let him know that he must respect his elders. The day has ended, so just wait there, I¡¯ll come over now.¡±


    Hearing the tension and nervousness in Zhang Yueming¡¯s voice, Tang Xiu immediately chuckled and said, ¡°No need for that, Brother Zhang. This treasured son of yours is also listening at the side! How about you speak to him on the phone?¡±


    ¡°This¡­ alright!¡± Zhang Yueming scrunched up before finally replying.


    An alarmed and scared expression was all over Zhang Zitao¡¯s face as he watched Tang Xiu cautiously. He first bowed to Tang Xiu under the public¡¯s eyes before receiving the mobile phone, and then said with a bitter tone, ¡°Dad, I¡¯m really sorry. I heard Song Zicong mentioning Tang Xiu¡¯s name, and though I often heard the name from you, I never thought that he would be Tang¡­ ugh, Uncle Tang who often hangs out with you. Even if someone gave me 100 times more guts I wouldn¡¯t have dared to involve myself in this matter if I knew it was him!¡±


    After hearing his son¡¯s explanation, Zhang Yueming immediately cussed, ¡°You damn good-for-nothing shit! Do you think if it was not Brother Tang you could still run amok and bully others? Apologize to your Uncle Tang sincerely and wholeheartedly! You damn bastard, rather than learning to do good deeds you just hang around with your rabble friends all day long. You¡¯ll see how I will teach you a lesson when you get back!¡±


    Zhang Zitao¡¯s expression turned nasty. He was afraid of no one but his own father. What he said was true, nonetheless. Though he heard Song Zicong mentioning Tang Xiu¡¯s name several times, it never crossed his mind that the owner of this name turned out to be the same one he heard many times from his father in the last six months!


    ¡°I¡¯ll apologize to him right away, Dad!¡±


    He did not hang up the call but took the mobile and gave it back to Tang Xiu as he bowed and spoke, ¡°Uncle Tang, I did not expect that I would disrespect you due to my ignorance. Magnanimous as you are, please don¡¯t stoop down to my level of ignorance since I know that I was wrong. You can hit me if you haven¡¯t vented your anger yet.¡±


    At the side, the sudden change shocked Song Zicong; he was utterly dumbfounded by the 180-degree reversal. His heartbeat increased all of a sudden and a chill ran down his bones. He was very clear about how powerful the Zhang Family was being one of the prominent and powerful influences in Shanghai, and yet¡­ how¡­ how did Zhang Zitao suddenly become so docile in front of Tang Xiu?


    Other than that, Zhang Yueming seemed to be anxious and intense, as if this guy was someone of extraordinary status or something.


    He¡­ what kind of terrifying background did this fella have? To think that even such an influential figure like Zhang Yueming dreaded him?


    Upon thinking up to there, regret suddenly filled his heart, regretting not fully investigating Tang Xiu earlier.


    While looking at Zhang Zitao, who was sincerely apologizing, the way he addressed him, ¡°Uncle Tang¡±, rang loudly in his mind. Isn¡¯t he at the same age as Zhang Zitao? How can he unexpectedly become a generation higher?


    Tang Xiu slowly raised his hand while looking at his pale complexion, as patted his shoulder gently and lightly said, ¡°Many second generation nouveau riches and the sons of government officials act immature because they never know how to act low profile and eventually court a calamity upon their family, implicating their entire clans. And you! You had better cultivate some conscience later. You¡¯re no longer an adolescence, so it¡¯s time for you to grow up already. Anyways, let¡¯s end this matter here, shall we?¡±


    With that said, he took back his mobile phone and smilingly said, ¡°Anyways, Brother Zhang, a tiger father never begets a dog son. I believe your son can be someone great in the future, but you must educate him well, and you had better spend some time teaching him some conscience!¡±


    Zhang Yueming, who just heard the apology from his son, let out a hollow laugh after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words and said, ¡°It¡¯s my fault for neglecting him, Brother Tang! I was too busy tending to many affairs in the business, so I have less time to correct and discipline this child, Zitong. But rest assured that I will discipline him well in the future and strive to make him mature early, so he¡¯ll be capable to take my mantle and let me have a relaxed life afterward.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll go find you and Brother Gu to have a meal.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Tang Xiu looked at Song Zicong and found that the guy had his head lowered at this moment. He then shook his head and said, ¡°Your name is Song Zicong, right? I don¡¯t care who your Dad is, neither do I care how much power your family has. Just remember my words: if you really like a woman sincerely, show that woman your sincere attitude to impress her and melt her heart with your love. Treating your love rival with threats is just simply stupid. Get out of the way now, will you? Don¡¯t be such an eyesore in front of me.¡±


    Song Zicong looked up and wanted to say something. But when he saw the indifference in Tang Xiu¡¯s expression, he swallowed back what he wanted to say. Though his Song Family was stronger than the Zhangs, he too felt that the sentence just said by Tang Xiu before was principally correct, that he must not court a disaster for his family so as not to implicate his entire clan.


    After all, he had not yet figured out this guy¡¯s identity until now!


    Not far away, the other two young men who were previously looking at the scene and treated it like a joke while hugging girls were now thoroughly dumbfounded. They didn¡¯t even realize when Song Zicong and Zhang Zitao approached them. The three girls, however, had their eyes lit up and watched Tang Xiu with curious expressions and admiration.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    While feeling hazed inwardly, Zhang Zitao immediately shouted in a low voice upon finding that his two friends were staring blankly like that. He had long wanted to know Tang Xiu but never had a chance to do so. Now that he met him, he turned out to have offended the guy, making him rain down curses at Song Zicong.


    As the four luxurious supercars left, Tang Xiu patted Xue Chao, who was stunned and dumbfounded, and said with a smile, ¡°Look, I¡¯m sure Yue Kai and the others will be starving if we don¡¯t go to the restaurant now.¡±


    Xue Chao snapped back to his senses and spoke with a face full of admiration, ¡°You¡¯re really flamboyant, Boss Tang! Those arrogant and bluffing guys with those extravagant supercars unexpectedly turned docile and got packed up by you! That Zhang¡­ Zhang Zitao, are you really his Uncle? But why did he not know you at all?¡±


    Tang Xiu could not help but burst into laughter and said, ¡°Let me tell you an analogy. How would you address your Dad¡¯s friend if you met him?¡±


    ¡°Young Uncle or Big Uncle!¡± Replied Xue Chao.


    ¡°Hold it. That¡¯s not exactly the case.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°I have a good relationship with Zhang Zitao¡¯s Dad, now tell me, how should his son address me?¡±


    Xue Chao patted his own forehead and said awkwardly, ¡°Man, what a hog brain I have. I never thought of such a question before. Anyways, let¡¯s just go have a bite.¡±


    Propitious Restaurant.


    It was an ordinary restaurant near Shanghai University with no specialties, and yet there were two traits that made it quite popular among the many students of Shanghai University. That was, the meal was fulfilling as well as affordable. Yue Kai and the others often came here whenever Tang Xiu was not with them.


    When Tang Xiu and Xue Chao arrived there, they found that Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong had not yet arrived. After some thinking, he then called Mu Wanying and learned that she had just finished her class and was about to head to the cafeteria with her several dorm sisters to have a meal, thus he immediately invited them to eat together.


    Soon after, Yue Kai, Hu Qingsong, and Zhao Liang caught up, followed by Mu Wanying and her three dorm sisters. After some merry talk, everyone wolfed down their meals, leaving only leftovers on the table, then all of them went back to the campus since they still had a class in the afternoon.


    ¡°We¡¯ll go to the classroom first.¡±


    With a weird expression, Jiang Feiyan winked at Mu Wanying and then looked at Tang Xiu teasingly. She then dragged Li Xinjie and Hu Wei away, whereas Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong¡¯s group also blew a whistle and walked toward the classroom building.


    Mu Wanying herself had been worried about Tang Xiu. Now that she saw him arriving in Shanghai safe and sound, the knot in her heart finally eased. At present, there were only the two of them, so she gently pulled Tang Xiu¡¯s arm and asked in a low voice, ¡°Are you done solving all your things in the Western Region?¡±


    ¡°All solved. Relax!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°Anyways, I wanna go to my company tomorrow. Care to accompany me?¡± Asked Mu Wanying in a whisper, yet there was hesitation and anticipation on her face.


    Seeing the anticipation on her face, Tang Xiu hesitated for a moment before he nodded and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll accompany you! It just so happens that I have no class tomorrow.¡±


    Mu Wanying¡¯s expression turned joyful, and the smile on her face turned brighter. She then left after chatting a little with Tang Xiu. As for the latter, Yue Kai and the others naturally teased him for a good long while after he came to the classroom.


    The two classes in the afternoon ended in a very relaxed manner. Tang Xiu did not follow Yue Kai back to the dormitory but directly left the campus to return to Bluestar Villa Complex. He received a message from Mo Awu when he was in the class that the power generator had been shipped to Shanghai and had now been moved into his villa.


    Tempering the body using electricity generated by a power generator was a method Tang Xiu had thought of. He had yet to conduct an experiment on it until now, so he was anticipating to try it on himself. If it worked well, it would definitely become an important subject for his men¡¯s training.


    However, what surprised him was that he saw an unexpected guest even before he entered his house. Tang Xiu got a bit of a headache after seeing him and if he could, he really did not want to see this person.

 Chapter 686

    Chapter 686: Downhearted


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    An old saying says to not slap people who are smiling at you. Tang Xiu looked at the smiling Chu Yuan who approached him and felt somewhat helpless inside. It was especially because Xue Yu followed him to Shanghai and this Chu Yuan obviously had a crush on her, which was the very reason he did not want to see this guy. However, he also had no reason to drive this fella away.


    ¡°You seem to have fully investigated me, Mr. Chu.¡±


    Tang Xiu did not show what was in his mind on his face and spoke indifferently.


    Chu Yuan had been waiting for 10 minutes there, but those two big guys at the door were like Guardian Gods who forbade him from entering, so he could only stay outside. Now that Tang Xiu had finally arrived, he let out a smile and said, ¡°You misunderstood me, Mr. Tang. I know that you are studying at Shanghai University, so I wanted to come and visit you. Besides, it¡¯s kind of inappropriate if I go to your campus, so I told my men to find your address.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and led Chu Yuan inside. He told Aunt Zhang to serve tea and then took a seat in the living room. After lighting up a cigarette, he then calmly asked, ¡°I just returned to Shanghai yesterday. Is there any urgent matter for you to visit me today?¡±


    Just as Chu Yuan was about to reply, the door was opened from the outside. As Mo Awu came in, he glanced at him first before he quickly walked towards Tang Xiu and whispered to his ear, ¡°Boss, the power generator has been assembled. You can use it at any time.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll see it later,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Mo Awu nodded and left.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, there¡¯s something my man needed to inform me. Please continue,¡± said Tang Xiu with a slight smile after some puffing.


    With an unflinching expression, Chu Yuan said, ¡°I know that we only met a few times, Mr. Tang. But, I¡¯m really sincere in wanting to become your friend. My father has been teaching me since childhood that whoever gets in contact with vermillion will become red. Shortly put, one will be influenced by the people he is associated with. Being a friend with a capable person will put a lot of pressure on yourself and allow you to make continuous progress.¡±


    With that said, he took out something wrapped in a yellow satin cloth from his pocket and put it on the tea table in front of Tang Xiu. ¡°This is a small item I have collected years ago. It¡¯s just a small gift I¡¯m presenting to you, Mr. Tang.¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and said with a faint smile, ¡°This small gift is surely not simple given your status. Isn¡¯t that right, Mr. Chu? People say that one won¡¯t obtain a reward without making a merit. If you still hide your real intentions, I feel that not only can we not become friends, what is going to happen is that we¡¯ll be at odds with each other.¡±


    Chu Yuan stared blankly and immediately replied with a bitter smile, ¡°It seems that Mr. Tang is very thorough concerning what I have in mind. That¡¯s right, I have three main reasons by coming here. Firstly, I do hope that I can be your friend. We are living in a society governed by favors and human relations. Having many friends is equivalent to possessing many ways out. Secondly, I heard that the Strange Doors have just met some accident, and this accident seems to be related to you, Mr. Tang. Thirdly, I want to guarantee a person. She once taught me for some time and could be considered my Half Master.¡±


    ¡°Who is she?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with raised brows.


    ¡°She¡¯s the Elegant Chess Saintess,¡± said Chu Yuan.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression turned cold as he shook his head and said, ¡°Taking care of the weeds without removing its roots will only leave endless troubles in the future. Though I was very curious as to why she left Kanas hunting grounds before, and that she did not die in my hands, she still is an enemy of mine regardless. Chu Yuan, now I¡¯m asking you. If someone were to uproot the Imperial Garden and kill all your relatives, can you let go of this bloody vengeance?¡±


    Staring blankly for a moment, Chu Yuan shook his head and sighed bitterly, ¡°Now that you¡¯ve already made it clear about that, I¡¯d only be a man who doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s good for himself if I were still to involve myself in this matter. I¡¯m not your opponent at all, and since she must die, I can only handle some other matters that I can deal with, such as taking care of the frail elderly and children of her family.¡±


    Tang Xiu scrutinized Chu Yuan with a probing look and said indifferently, ¡°You need to know which matter is important if you don¡¯t want to induce calamities. I don¡¯t give a damn about whether the Imperial Garden is the Ultimate Unity or the Divination Lineage among the Three Arts, but you had better not meddle in this matter. Of course, I¡¯m not that unreasonable either, there are also very good ordinary people produced by those Eight families¡¯ dregs too.¡±


    Chu Yuan shot Tang Xiu a deep look and said unflinchingly, ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Then tell me your third purpose!¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I heard that Jade Beauty also came with you to Shanghai, Mr. Tang,¡± said Chu Yuan.


    ¡°Hehehe¡­¡± Tang Xiu suddenly grinned. He got up from the seat and spoke while walking toward the living room¡¯s door, ¡°The Imperial Garden has been rooted in Shanghai for so many years¡­ It does really have a deep foundation with tons of eyes and ears, even this minor matter can¡¯t escape your eyes. Since you¡¯ve come here, you should know already that Xue Yu is no longer wearing a veil, shouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    Chu Yuan¡¯s heart trembled, and a sense of depression grew inside him. Although he did see the photo of Tang Xiu and Xue Yu leaving the airport and was deeply attracted by the woman¡¯s extremely beautiful face, he was not 100% sure that the woman was Xue Yu.


    However, having heard the confirmation from Tang Xiu himself at this time, he knew that he no longer had a chance. Even though Tang Xiu had no interest in Jade Beauty at all, it was impossible for him to be together with her, given her character and the custom of her clan. He could feel pain in his heart, and yet, had no power to change this result.


    He followed behind Tang Xiu with a complexion somewhat devoid of color and suddenly spoke, ¡°You should be very clear about me, Mr. Tang. Xue Yu and I have known each other since childhood, and since she already made her decision, I will respect it. I only hope that you can treat her well in the future.¡±


    Tang Xiu was about to enter the hall as his pace suddenly came to a halt and turned around to look at Chu Yuan¡¯s unwilling expression. He then let out a light smile and said, ¡°Xue Yu is nothing important in my eyes. I did try to drive her away so as to not pester me again, but I failed. If you can convince her to leave and never see me again in this lifetime, maybe I can accept your friendship.¡±


    What?


    Chu Yuan¡¯s heart quaked, and a sense of shame was spontaneously born. The woman he wanted to pursue was unexpectedly unimportant in the eyes of the other party? He was a proud man and thought highly of himself, and yet, he was now a bit downhearted just because of a woman.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t have the ability for that either,¡± said Chu Yuan after taking a deep breath. There was an expression of bitterness on his face.


    Tang Xiu shook his head as he turned his back and continued walking while leaving his words, ¡°There¡¯s something I need to tend to, so I won¡¯t see you off, Mr. Chu. I believe that you also know where Xue Yu lives. You may look for her at any time whenever you want to see her later.¡±


    With that said, he passed through the living room and walked to opposite door in the corridor, opened it and looked around. The room had already been cleared up from everything else, and only the power generator was installed inside with two thick wires attached to it still being sealed with its plastic seal.


    Chu Yuan did not leave though he heard Tang Xiu asking him to leave. He hesitated for a moment but still followed him.


    ¡°You are not leaving?¡± Tang Xiu took off his coat and turned his head to look at him.


    Spreading his hands, Chu Yuan bitterly smiled and said, ¡°You haven¡¯t even seen the gift I presented you, Mr. Tang. I assure you that you¡¯ll certainly like it.¡±


    There was a surprised expression on Tang Xiu¡¯s face, as he fell silent for a moment before saying, ¡°Since it¡¯s a good object, I¡¯ll wait to see it. Anyhow, have you seen this gadget before? This is the most powerful power generator in the world that can generate electricity up to 1.2 gigawatts. The core equipment boilers, steam turbines, and generators are of the best quality in the world. Do you want to know what I wanna do with it?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t know,¡± said Chu Yuan with a confused expression.


    ¡°Though I may not look like a man who loves cleanliness, I do like to be clean nonetheless.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°Bathing with water is way too boring, and I¡¯m afraid washing with it won¡¯t be able to make myself as clean as I want it to be. Do you think it would be nice to take a shower with electricity?¡±


    Taking¡­ a shower with electricity?


    Chu Yuan could not put on a smile anymore and said, ¡°You¡¯re joking me, Mr. Tang. Whoever can take a shower with electrical current is someone who has practically become an immortal.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and took his clothes off quickly, leaving only his underwear, and then nodded to Mo Awu who was also in the room. As the power generator started, the two thick wires on the floor slightly jolted, as he then grabbed the end of the wires, unsealed the plastic seals on them, and immediately felt the violent electrical current unleashed from it.


    ¡°It¡¯s 10,000 volts, Boss. Started up to its heaviest current state,¡± said Mo Awu in a deep voice after looking at the number on the display.


    Tang Xiu nodded and directly attached the two thick wires onto his chest. The violent current of electricity zapped his body in a flash at this moment. And yet, it only made Tang Xiu slightly furrow his brows, because 10 kilovolts, which was the heaviest current state, could only make him feel slightly numb. He did feel a slight pain in his fingers and toes like they were being bitten by ants, however.


    Hiss¡­


    Chu Yuan¡¯s eyes stared so wide that they almost dropped from their sockets. He was quite knowledgeable regarding the subject of power and electrical currents. Such heaviest current state attached to a human body would definitely electrocute that person instantly, and yet when the electric charge was attached to Tang Xiu¡­ it turned out¡­ to be¡­ like nothing happened at all?


    ¡°Double it!¡± Said Tang Xiu with an unfazed expression.


    Chu Yuan¡¯s heart trembled, and a horrified expression instantly appeared on his face. Despite being very experienced, his legs became soft after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s order.


    ¡°20,000 volts, Boss. Starting to its heaviest current state too,¡± said Mo Awu who looked a bit calm after operating the power generator.


    Tang Xiu did not remove the two wires from his body. He could feel that the violent electric current drilling into his body was more intense as it surged inside him. He even clearly felt that some hidden impurities in his body had been burnt out by the electricity without him being aware of it.


    Following that, his heartbeat accelerated and the circulation speed of his blood also turned a bit faster than before. The numbing sensation was also more intense, and he could feel the cells inside his body splitting and intensifying. Yet, again, it was just a modicum of it.


    ¡°Double it again!¡± Said Tang Xiu in a deep voice.


    Chu Yuan was unable to restrain his shivering body and cried out, ¡°DON¡¯T!¡±


    Mo Awu completely ignored him and increased the power directly to 40,000. He felt some anticipation with the experiment his Boss was currently doing on his own body. It was because Tang Xiu told him that once his plan to use an electric current to temper the body turned out to be feasible, it would bring about great benefits to them as cultivators.

 Chapter 687

    Chapter 687: Refusal


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The violent electric current drilled into Tang Xiu¡¯s body, raging havoc to all his muscles, every bone, and every organ in his body. The pain made Tang Xiu feel like he was reviving the time when he crossed the tribulation.


    The power of thunder and dreadful lightning. It had made a lot of powerful cultivators and high cultivation level Immortals alike perish. Thunder and lightning was a force of nature and the energy of the cosmos that was one of the absolute elements in destruction.


    40,000 volts of an electric voltage in its strongest state made Tang Xiu¡¯s body slightly tremble, yet he felt that this was not his limit, as it was unable to stimulate his potential and only had a slight effect in increasing the intensity and strength of his body.


    ¡°Increase it by 20,000!¡± Words came out from Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth.


    The expression on Chu Yuan¡¯s charming face turned very splendid. 40,000 volts in its heaviest electric current state was able to kill an ordinary person instantly, and yet Tang Xiu was just trembling slightly as though it was unable to injure him.


    This¡­ even if this guy was a cultivator, he shouldn¡¯t be this terrifying, right?


    Chu Yuan thought that he had seen too many unthinkable matters in his life, yet the present scene before him was even more outrageous than anything he had encountered before. What made it hard for him to accept was that this guy claimed that he was using the electric current for¡­ bathing.


    The highest current of 60,000 volts finally made Tang Xiu¡¯s face turn slightly pale, with sweat appeared on his forehead. But the sweat was instantly evaporated by the high voltage right as it emerged. His hair turned erect and a faint redness could be seen on his skin.


    The pain was simply outrageously painful. Yet, Tang Xiu endured and suppressed it and was even struck with intense surprise, because he found his body was being tempered by the electric current. The current damaged his muscles, but the Primal Chaos Force flowed to recover them extremely fast as the current constantly tempered his bones, making it firmer and tougher.


    What surprised him the most was that the stimulation it brought to his internal organs, as it operated twice faster as usual under the current voltage. However many times they were injured, the Primal Chaos Force nourished and repaired it constantly; he could clearly sense that his internal organs were getting stronger by the tempering.


    ¡°Awu, 100,000!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes were faintly red and his hands that held the wires slightly trembled, but he still ordered categorically.


    ¡°You¡­ are a lunatic!¡±


    Chu Yuan was shivering and staggeringly stepped back until his back touched the wall. The expression in his eyes when he watched Tang Xiu was like watching a dead man.


    Zzzt, zzzt¡­


    The powerful electric current burned the only underpants on Tang Xiu¡¯s body and turned it to ashes, yet neither the burning underwear nor the electric current inflicted serious injuries on Tang Xiu.


    The pain was stabbing, but it still made Tang Xiu excited.


    His nerves were as though being cast and turned into steel, and his blood seethed like a boiling magma. His streamlined muscles were beating and shivering, but the grey substances just excreted out on the surface of his body were burned into a solid state.


    Standing by the power generator, Mo Awu¡¯s eyes were frantic and filled with reverence. He could clearly sense the high temperature contained within his Boss¡¯ body. Witnessing his Boss¡¯ ability to endure it, an intense desire birthed inside him¡­ to become stronger. He wanted to become stronger and more formidable so that he could easily take a shower in the electrical current and bath in lightning.


    Chu Yuan, who leaned against the wall, finally gasped for breath. He felt his heart beating faster and his legs turning weak as if all his strength had been siphoned away.


    It¡¯s really appalling! Is he still a human being?


    He wanted to turn around and ran away from this place because he did want to stay with these lunatics and neither did he want to get along with this horrifying monster. And yet, he could not take a step because he wanted to see the entire process and final result of this monster, of Tang Xiu¡¯s words about him ¡°taking this kind of bath¡±.


    Time passed by second by second, and 20 minutes were gone in the blink of an eye. Tang Xiu suddenly put away the two thick wires and laughed loudly, ¡°THIS IS GREAT! SO DAMN GREAT!¡±


    Mo Awu strode forward and hurriedly asked, ¡°How effective was it, Boss?¡±


    Tang Xiu turned his hand to take out a set of clothes from the interspatial ring. After quickly putting it on, he said with satisfaction, ¡°It¡¯s not bad. I can feel the increase in my body strength. Awu, pass my message. Assign someone to buy at least 100 power generators for normal training.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll contact Little Boss later,¡± said Mo Awu excitedly.


    Tang Xiu nodded at him and then looked at Chu Yuan, who was leaning against the wall, and found that the guy looked pale and was wearing a disbelieving expression. He let out a smile and lightly said, ¡°Mr. Chu, it was not very elegant of me to get naked due to the bathing a while ago. But the taste was kind of great, though. Do you want to try, by chance?¡±


    Chu Yuan gulped down, shook his head and said, ¡°You¡¯re really a lunatic! Only a lunatic could do that, so I¡¯ll pass the offer. I don¡¯t want to kill myself.¡±


    A madman?


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°Alright, just forget it since you don¡¯t wanna try. Pity, though. Bathing in electrical current is really nice, you know.¡±


    Taking a deep breath, Chu Yuan quickly adjusted his mood and slowly said, ¡°You were not having a bath at all. You should be using the electricity to temper your body.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t tease you any longer.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°I¡¯m indeed using the electric current to refine my body. Unfortunately, my strength is not strong enough. I¡¯d be electrocuted if the voltage is way too high. Sooner or later, however, the largest power station in the world will become my bathhouse, and I can use the thunder and lightning from the sky to rub my back. Hahaha¡­¡±


    The happy occasion caused him to be in good spirits, so Tang Xiu¡¯s attitude towards Chu Yuan turned better.


    Listening to Tang Xiu¡¯s words made Chu Yuan speechless. And yet, beneath the surface, it also aroused deep envy inside him. He also wanted to possess formidable strength, wanted to use the electrical current to temper his body and finally have thunder and lightning rub his back in the future.


    That was a cultivator! It was a role he had been dreaming for countless times. Pity that his Imperial Garden¡¯s centuries of heritage had not obtained any cultivation methods at all. Though his martial strength could be said to be not bad, he was only able to deal with some small gangsters and was also half a step away from those martial arts grandmasters.


    Is it possible to make a business deal with Tang Xiu? I don¡¯t care how big the price is as long as I can get a cultivation method to become a cultivator!


    The thought crossed Chu Yuan¡¯s mind and he couldn¡¯t contain it anymore. A burning passion filled his eyes as he looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Mr. Tang, what price do I have to pay in order to become a cultivator? Is money¡­ okay?¡±


    Tang Xiu shot him a strange look and immediately produced a wry smile in reply, ¡°Money is a good thing, especially in this age of materialism. Only, do I look like I¡¯m short on money to you?¡±


    Chu Yuan¡¯s breath stagnated and he immediately let out a bitter smile, ¡°With your identity and ability, you¡¯re indeed not short on money, Mr. Tang.¡±


    What did this Big Daddy lack?


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes at the idea. He did not expect that Chu Yuan could be this astute and yet still not stepped on the Dao. He only said those words to counterpoise and did not expect him to follow up. However, he was still reluctant to sell an ancient cultivation technique, nevertheless. After all, the world¡¯s spiritual qi was thin nowadays, while cultivation resources were also scarce. The more cultivators, the more the competition for resources.


    He could tell that Chu Yuan was a very ambitious man. Although he was not afraid of him, what he avoided was troublesome matters and thus did not want to spread out cultivation techniques. After pondering about it, he decided to not trade a cultivation technique with him for the time being.


    As for money! As long as he worked hard to obtain it, he would be able to acquire a colossal amount of funds in a few years. As of now, he would not sow a seed of trouble just for some petty profit.


    Tang Xiu beckoned and smilingly said, ¡°You too know that I¡¯m not short on money, so let¡¯s forget about the transaction. I may be interested in teaching you a cultivation technique a few years later. But not now!¡±


    Disappointment could be seen on Chu Yuan¡¯s eyes, and he could not resign himself to it. After a moment of contemplation, he secretly made up his mind to obtain a cultivation technique by whatever means necessary, so as to cultivate and become an expert earlier. After all, Tang Xiu was not the only person possessing a cultivation technique. He believed that he could obtain it as long as he had money.


    Knock knock¡­


    The door was knocked and a middle-aged man entered the room.


    ¡°Boss, Miss Ouyang is here.¡±


    Tang Xiu was stunned for a second, before he nodded and said, ¡°Tell her to wait outside for a while. I¡¯ll come out shortly.¡±


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu came into the living room with Chu Yuan. He saw Ouyang Lulu with her legs curled up and her mouth seemed to be chewing¡­ a lollipop. With a smiling face, he then said, ¡°You caught the news pretty fast, Lulu! How do you know I have returned to Shanghai?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu jumped up from the sofa and glanced at Chu Yuan behind Tang Xiu. She immediately stretched her hands to hug Tang Xiu and smiled affectionately, ¡°You know that this Miss has a boundless supernatural power, don¡¯t you? I just pointed a finger to calculate and knew that you were coming back. I haven¡¯t seen you during the winter vacation. Did you miss me all this while? I¡¯ll smack you if you dare say you did not.¡±


    Tang Xiu patted her back while smelling her fragrance and smilingly said, ¡°I did miss you, okay?¡±


    With a satisfied expression, Ouyang Lulu released Tang Xiu and her chin then tilted toward Chu Yuan, asking, ¡°Your friend?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Tang Xiu replied with a smile.


    Extending her hand towards Chu Yuan, Ouyang Lulu then spoke, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Ouyang Lulu, the owner of the Paradise Manor, and also Tang Xiu¡¯s wife.¡±


    ¡°The Imperial Garden¡¯s Chu Yuan.¡±


    The Ouyang Lulu¡¯s striking beauty made Chu Yuan stunned, especially her last sentence. At this moment, he finally understood why Xue Yu could not enter Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. Ouyang Lulu¡¯s appearance before him, either her figure or her makings, though they were not superior to Xue Yu¡¯s, they were also a type of perfectness.


    Squeezing out a smile, Chu Yuan spoke to Tang Xiu, ¡°Mr. Tang, there¡¯s something I need to tend to, so I¡¯ll take my leave first. Feel free to visit the Imperial Garden at any time if you have some spare time.¡±


    Tang Xiu said in a strange tone, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to see me open your gift?¡±


    Chu Yuan coughed once and said, ¡°There¡¯s a guest visiting you here¡­ Miss Ouyang, so I won¡¯t stay. Besides, I already gave you that small gift, Mr. Tang. You can appreciate it later.¡±

 Chapter 688

    Chapter 688: Are You Not A Man?


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The lamps in the tens of thousands of households in Shanghai were brightly lit as night fell. The resplendent colorful night was like showing a dreamlike fantasy of flourishing prosperity. The streets with their endless traffic and a long line of lamplights that resembled shining dragons, while the neighboring 40-story buildings willfully gave out warm currents in the chilling cold winter.


    Tomson Villa.


    The windows were all open, but the room itself was dim. Then, in the obscure night, a slender figure was sitting by the window on her knees, holding a yellowish book stitched with gold threads and reading it quietly.


    ¡°Five angles and six starlights. The stars are interconnected and yet the array formation is folded in layers to form the most mysterious Six Starlight Array. The center is the crux whereas the five visible stars form the gate¡­¡±


    Under the dim moonlight shining on the yellowed paper, the Six Starlight Array pattern was drawn on it along with flying dragons and dancing phoenixes. If Tang Xiu was here, he would definitely be astounded, since the cluster of Six Starlight Array on the paper was exactly the same pattern he saw in the cave planted with herbs in the Kanas Longquan Swamp, where the Soul Tranquilizer Stone and solidified Dragon¡¯s Eye were embedded on its ceiling.


    Xue Yu closed her eyes as her slender fingers constantly moved. A special energy descended down from the sky and covered her. In her eyes, it seemed like the trajectory of the stars was revolving along with the blooming moonlight.


    Puff¡­


    A mouthful of blood spurted from her mouth. Her Mutton Fat Jade-like face seemed to break and turned pale, and a look of frustration and disappointment gradually appeared on her face.


    ¡°The Ancestress handed this Six Starlight Array chart to me and I¡¯ve been studying it for a long time, but it¡¯s a pity that I can¡¯t solve the final profound mystery in it. I need to manifest my own value as a woman, as my value in his eyes is close to zero. I must crack this Six Starlight Array to help him open the portal to the Immortal Trove. Ancestress said that my opportunity is on him and that my life is tightly bound with his, for he is the only one able to accompany me in the thousands of years along the fate on the immortal path¡­¡±


    Xue Yu¡¯s expression gradually turned into tenacious. As she took a white silk handkerchief to wipe off the blood on the corner of her mouth, her eyes then returned to the yellowed book stitched with golden thread.


    ****


    Shanghai, Jingding District.


    Located in the Northwest part of Shanghai, the Classical Garden fully reflected the theme of ¡°the beauty of nature¡±. The environment of the venue was beautiful with stacked rockeries, octagonal pavilions, winding bridges, and sparkling clear lakelets. Despite the pathways in the woods that were supposedly ingeniously constructed with machineries, the intricate application of the various landscaping techniques of imitation, adjustment, and separation of the spaces in the garden landscape created a multivariate and complicated scenery, either small or big sized, resulting in an artistic effect of an alternate and surreal landscape.


    Through the folding of layers of hills and waters with gardens planted with flowers and trees, the Classical Garden was a classical architecture that depicted an enjoyable poetic and pictorial splendorous landscape in and of itself, creating an ¡°urban forest¡± in which human and nature coexist in harmony in this bustling metropolis.


    And exactly in this place was the Imperial Garden located!


    Under the curtain of the night, all the lanes in the Imperial Garden were illuminated with big red lanterns, while the lingering fragrance of eaglewood incense lingered in the air. Dressed in floral plaque coat and feet with embroidered shoes were women scattered around in various small courtyards, holding trays and serving delicacies and delicious meals.


    ¡°Young Lord!¡±


    Upon seeing the pale and solemn-looking Chu Yuan, everyone in the Imperial Garden would stop and greet him. Chu Yuan would have nodded and greeted them one by one if it was before, but he was in a hurry today, and his unusual expression made everyone baffled and confused.


    In the center of the Imperial Garden, there was only a three-storied classical pavilion. The smell of Dragon Spittle Fragrance pervaded the air in every corner like an old woman with long white hair was there, caressing a three-footed gold ring and facing the meditation cattail hassock she previously sat on before.


    Creak¡­


    The wooden door was gently pushed open from the outside, as Chu Yuan entered the room in stride and then sat on the cattail hassock next to the old woman. His eyes were devoid of spirit, dragged away by his thoughts and seemed like a man whose soul was taken away.


    The old woman turned her head and was surprised when she saw Chu Yuan¡¯s expression. Her brows suddenly wrinkled slightly, hummed coldly and said, ¡°Heart-fire Cleansing Mantra¡­ ten times.¡±


    Chu Yuan looked startled and then immediately lowered his head and closed his eyes.


    Time passed by, and in the blink of an eye, half an hour had passed.


    When Chu Yuan finished reciting the Heart-fire Cleansing Mantra in his heart, his eyes instantly opened. But this time, a radiant light flashed in them like a sharp blade.


    ¡°Did you have something bothering you inside?¡± The old woman eyes landed on the three-footed gold ring and asked with a calm tone.


    Chu Yuan firmly nodded, ¡°I went to visit Tang Xiu and confirmed that he was the one who killed Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie. He also sent people to besiege all the sects under the Strange Doors and kill those eight Masters. I¡¯ve also confirmed that he¡¯s a typical cultivator and possess a very terrifying strength. The intelligence system of our Imperial Garden assigned 18 investigation teams to all parts of the country, and only 17 of them came back with intelligence reports. The team we lost contact with was the one that was assigned to investigate the force behind him.¡±


    ¡°You made a mistake.¡± The old woman shook her head and sighed.


    ¡°What did I do wrong?¡± Asked Chu Yuan with a confused expression.


    ¡°You should have not sent people to investigate him since you already guessed that what happened to the Strange Doors and the one who made Jin Sanchi and Jin Sanji meet their miserable fate was related to him,¡± said the old woman. ¡°You should¡¯ve ceased your involvement in anything related to him. In this era, our Imperial Garden doesn¡¯t have the power to raise a Dragon to become an Emperor anymore. We can only defend our old-fashioned ways in silence and hide beneath the light and obscurity. But he¡­ or his world is more brutal and cruel, more than the experience of the numerous generations of the Imperial Garden¡¯s ancestors have gone through. It was a good opportunity the likes of a carp leaping through the Dragon¡¯s door and yet also an extremely deep abyssal hell of the world of mortals.¡±


    Chu Yuan fell silent. His expression constantly changed and a look of madness was revealed in his eyes as he said in a deep voice, ¡°Hiding in obscurity to buy time will only make my blood flow slower and my heart to become more depressed. I want to be like him and look forward to seeing what his world looks like.¡±


    The old woman¡¯s fierce gaze instantly landed on him. She retracted back the coverage of her weak spiritual power toward all direction to eventually stretch a few meters away.


    ¡°Have you thought it through?¡±


    Chu Yuan replied categorically, ¡°I have.¡±


    The old woman shot him a deep look and slowly closed her eyes. After a long while, she clapped her palms and four hazy figures appeared in front of them. The tone and expression of the old man turned much colder than before and her momentum soared, ¡°Pass on my decree. Chu Yuan is no longer the Young Lord of the Imperial Garden from today onwards. He will also resign from the opportunity to inherit the position of Imperial Garden Master in the future. Notify Lord Bo of the Imperial Affairs Room to hang his name as the Imperial Garden¡¯s Foreign Affairs Elder. Also, spread this news.¡±


    ¡°This¡­.¡±


    The four old men who showed up lightning fast looked surprised. They had been watching as Chu Yuan developed and grew up. It could be said that he was the most outstanding youth among the younger junior generation in the entire Imperial Garden. What¡¯s more, his father was the Imperial Garden Master and this old woman was his grandmother.


    But why? Why should he be annulled of his inheritance rights?


    ¡°GO!¡± The old woman shouted in a deep and heavy tone.


    The four old man¡¯s expression slightly changed and immediately nodded and left.


    The atmosphere inside the room was a bit solemn, and the smell of Dragon Spittle Fragrance could no longer make people feel relaxed. After a long while, the old woman sighed, waved her hand and said, ¡°Other than the business you yourself have strived to set up, you will hand over the rest of the affairs to the other people in the Imperial Garden! Afterward, you are not to come back to the Imperial Garden unless it¡¯s a holiday or due to a matter of importance. Being a Foreign Affairs Elder is nothing but an idle job, thus you¡¯ll be free in the future.¡±


    Chu Yuan took a deep breath and knelt down to pay a kowtow thrice to the old woman and said, ¡°Please take care and stay healthy, Grandma. The Imperial Garden is my home, and I¡¯ll come back to see you whenever I miss you.¡±


    Following that, he got up, sorted out his clothes and walked out of the door. He did not know that just as his figure disappeared outside the door, the old woman¡¯s cold face was replaced with a bright smiling face, and even the wrinkles on her face stretched out.


    ¡°Pass my command to try to find out information regarding cultivators. Assign people to make a business deal with them, and do that while concealing their identity. They have to get an ancient manual of a cultivation technique even if they must pay more. My grandson has made up his mind, so we¡¯ll let him dash through this hardship and temper himself. Maybe he will open the gate to the future for our Imperial Garden,¡± said the old woman with a smile.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    An indiscernible tiny voice came out a few meters away. The spiritual energy around slightly fluctuated before returning to normal.


    ****


    Shanghai, Bluestar Villa Complex.


    Tang Xiu was struck with a headache seeing the smiling Ouyang Lulu in front of him. He held an invitation in his hand that was just handed over, wanting him to accompany her to attend the Venus Music evening party tomorrow night. In Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes, music was just a seasoning to spice life up, but there was no need to go over to see a show. Not to mention that his attainments in music were far beyond those of today¡¯s music standard several times.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you agreed to accompany me when we talked on the phone back in the winter holiday,¡± added Ouyang Lulu suddenly after seeing the reluctance in Tang Xiu¡¯s expression.


    ¡°Just consider it as I¡¯m afraid of you. Alright, I¡¯ll go tomorrow,¡± said Tang Xiu with a forced smile.


    Ouyang Lulu laughed in a carefree manner and untied the button of her coat, took it off and threw it to the side. She then sat beside Tang Xiu and said, ¡°I¡¯ll stay here tonight?¡±


    ¡°What are you gonna do here?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a more depressed tone. ¡°I still have classes tomorrow.¡±


    Rolling her eyes at him in a charming manner, Ouyang Lulu directly pulled his arm and rubbed it over the two big lethal weapons on her chest, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me. Tomorrow is Saturday, you don¡¯t have classes at your campus at all.¡±


    Tang Xiu did lie to her, but never did he expect that she would straightly expose it. He had already promised to accompany Mu Wanying to her company tomorrow. How could he have the time to stay with Lulu? It was unlikely he would agree if that music soiree was held tonight either.


    ¡°You¡­ can you just sit on your own spot?¡±


    Tang Xiu was not Liu Xiahui. But the feeling of constant rubbing of Ouyang Lulu¡¯s plump breasts on his arms, and then glancing at the snow-white deep trenches outlined by her low collar underdress immediately sent a heat flowing into the lower part of his abdomen.


    Ouyang Lulu stared blankly for a second and then looked down at the part where she and Tang Xiu had physical contact. She blinked her eyes and, not only did she move away, she even snugged more tightly instead. ¡°What? Did you get aroused or something? I¡¯ll be yours sooner or later, Tang Xiu. Tell me, are you still a man? I have been eagerly delivering myself to your door and yet you¡¯ve been shilly-shallying and declining with all sorts of excuses all the time. How about you take off your pants and let me see if you are still a man?¡±


    ¡°Ho¡­ Holy shoot!¡±

 Chapter 689

    Chapter 689: Women Are Troublesome


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Tang Xiu straightly picked her up. After everything was said and done, it was Lulu who sent herself to his door. If he was to admit that he did get aroused, he would really be a damn fool without ¡°balls¡±. More so that he had long thought about it, that perfecting one¡¯s heart in worldly affairs was to pursue a leisure and carefree life, to be in a state of blissful abstraction. For good or bad, he was once a dignified Supreme in the Immortal World, why should he repress his emotions and be depressed due to fear, to begin with? Granted that Ouyang Lulu was a wild horse, but he could tame her into a docile little sheep in the future.


    Tap tap tap¡­


    On the bedroom on the second floor, Tang Xiu turned on the light and put Lulu on the big bed, then straightly walked to the window and pulled it.


    ¡°Come¡­¡±


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s pretty face was blushing and looked shy, yet her untamed wild nature soared to the sky as she raised her busty twin peaks. Her eyes were watery like spring water as they intently looked at Tang Xiu.


    Zip¡­


    Tang Xiu¡¯s hands easily opened Ouyang Lulu¡¯s corsage and took everything off her body in seconds. Her white jade-like body made the nefarious flame inside him crazily surge up, the flame setting the prairie ablaze in just a moment.


    Aaah¡­.


    Amidst the moans, Tang Xiu directly broke the final line of defense.


    Panting and rough breathing, accompanied by seductive moans.


    The awakening spring slowly turned the room warm. Under Tang Xiu¡¯s endless demands and Ouyang Lulu¡¯s initiative to cater to him, the time unknowingly passed by and more than an hour after, Ouyang Lulu began to beg for mercy repeatedly as a heavy curtain closed the affairs between man and woman.


    In the morning, as the first light of the sun shone through the curtain slit into the bedroom, Tang Xiu sat on the sofa in the corner of the bedroom, wearing shorts and a sleeveless shirt. Clamping a cigarette between his fingers, he was silently thinking about what he did last night. He did not regret it since he was, after all, a normal man and was unable to be completely indifferent facing an attractive woman.


    This being the case, he must follow his conscience, then he would accept it as it was. Nobody could predict anything in this world, and he did not feel like thinking much of what the future held, whether it was right or wrong. From the apex of the supremacy of the Immortal World to start from the scratch again, and he even changed his cultivation into a Demon God cultivation technique. Even though the paths walked on by the Immortals and Demons were different, yet the end of the journey was ultimately headed towards the Gods Realm, as they would all then strive to advance toward the highest Primal Chaos boundary.


    Uh¡­


    Ouyang Lulu, who was drooling on the pillow, slowly woke up from her sleep like a lazy kitten. With eyes half open and blurred vision, she did not see the scene in the room and just sat up comfortably and stretched herself.


    Ouch¡­


    She couldn¡¯t help but cry out due to the pain in her lower body.


    At the corner sofa, Tang Xiu got up with a faint smile and walked to the bed. He directly lifted her and, amidst her scream, strode to the bathroom. After filling the bathtub with warm water, he took half a drop of Body Refining Liquid and dropped it into the water, and then put the naked Lulu into the bathtub.


    ¡°It will be painful, but you must endure it.¡±


    Pouting her lips, Lulu did not mind about Tang Xiu¡¯s crude manner, though she did feel a bit shy inwardly. But the pouting she put on could not conceal her happy feelings inside with that happy smile of hers. A dozen seconds after, however, the smile on her face vanished quickly and swayed her lower body unnaturally from side to side with a disbelieving expression in her eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s painful¡­¡± Ouyang Lulu called out and looked somewhat grieved.


    ¡°You have to endure it. It brings about great benefits to your body. The thing I put into the warm water is not something you can buy even for a sky-high price,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    After half an hour, Tang Xiu took Lulu, whose body was now flushed red, out from the bathtub. She did not scream out of pain again after half an hour of pain. She let Tang Xiu hug her and take her out of the bathtub, wrap her in a beige bath towel, and then return her to the bed.


    ¡°Oh? Why do I feel something strange?¡±


    As she rested her head on the pillow, she felt a heat flowing inside her body constantly surging and recovering her strength. The sensation made her surprised and fascinated.


    ¡°I put the Body Refining Liquid into the warm water,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I only put half a drop since your body has an injury, though. But it will still bring about great benefits to you, nonetheless. At the very least, it will double your strength and greatly improve your physical strength. The benefits you got this time, coupled with the abilities you already have, you can beat more than ten small thugs by yourself now.¡±


    ¡°Is this Body Refining Liquid you really that precious?¡± Asked Lulu after blinking her eyes.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s something very hard to buy even if you have the money,¡± answered Tang Xiu seriously.


    A bright smile appeared on Ouyang Lulu¡¯s beautiful face. Though only a small part of her strength was recovered, she jumped up from the bed and threw herself into Tang Xiu¡¯s arm despite still being wrapped in a towel. With a happy smile, she said, ¡°I knew it. You¡¯re even willing to spend that precious thing on me.¡±


    ¡°Eh, what happened?¡±


    Being hugged by Lulu¡¯s white arms and feeling her smooth skin rubbing his neck along with her special fragrance, it ignited the flame inside Tang Xiu¡¯s heart again.


    ¡°Eh¡­¡±


    Ouyang Lulu keenly felt that a hard object below touched her body. When she looked down, her whole face turned red and she called out, ¡°Scoundrel!¡±


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes in response. They may have fought for a long time last night, but the morning was the time when a man¡¯s virility was in its most intense state, as it would also be the first to wake up like a ramrod tower against the sky. And now that it faced a beauty and with him looking at Lulu¡¯s shy appearance, the moment swiftly overwhelmed him¡­


    9:30 AM. Tang Xiu had neatly dressed and left Bluestar Villa Complex in high spirits. At the moment, Ouyang Lulu was sleeping like a log on the bed. They just had tossed about again for two hours, and she was so tired that she was nearly unable to move her fingers.


    ¡°The Night Orchid¡¯s flower petal gotten from Western Nefarious Sangha is indeed a good thing. Burning it produces a fragrance which can act as a very powerful restorative tonic and is very helpful for sleeping. Lulu used up quite a lot, thus she probably won¡¯t wake up in less than ten hours.¡±


    After sitting on the back seat, Tang Xiu glanced at Mo Awu who started the car and suddenly grinned, ¡°Awu, considering your age and Awen¡¯s, shouldn¡¯t the both of you find a wife to bear your children? Do you have someone special?¡±


    A sorrowful light flashed in Mo Awu¡¯s eyes as he replied with a solemn expression, ¡°Women are troublesome. I don¡¯t want to be bothered and be troubled with them anymore.¡±


    Again?


    Tang Xiu stared blankly and asked with a puzzled expression, ¡°What do you mean? I have the impression that you had a woman before from your words. Did you¡­¡±


    Mo Awu fell silent for a long time. Just as the car was about to arrive at the entrance of Shanghai University, only then did he slowly speak, ¡°There was a woman I liked 11 years ago. We were in the same training camp abroad and went through fire and water and did many missions together. We did end up being together later on, but because a bastard from Eastern Europe wanted to kill me and could not find my traces, he bought her information from the Darkwind Organization and threatened me with her. Eventually, she committed suicide in front of me.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression turned cold. He pondered for a moment and then asked, ¡°What about your enemy?¡±


    ¡°Dead. I tortured him for three days,¡± said Mo Awu.


    Tang Xiu slowly nodded, looked outside through the window and said, ¡°Your personal enemy died, but that organization that sold her information still exists. Darkwind Organization, isn¡¯t it? Hehehe¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that, Boss?¡± Asked Mo Awu with a moved expression.


    ¡°The most fearful enemy in the world is not an enemy you can face straight, but the enemy who is in control of intelligence. If I want to be the most powerful man in the world, then I must control the world¡¯s largest intelligence organization. The Darkwind Organization can be said as a latent danger, thus I¡¯ll tear it apart in the future once I have reached a certain level in my abilities.¡±


    With eyes lit up, Mo Awu spoke without thinking, ¡°Awu is willing to charge through the enemy lines and take the lead for you in the future, Boss.¡±


    ¡°No worries! You will have that chance,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    At the entrance of Shanghai University, donning a black windproof coat and wearing black boots and pink sunglasses, Mu Wanying simply ignored the passers-bys who pointed at her and just watched the direction from the Bluestar Villa Complex.


    ¡°He¡¯s coming.¡±


    A smile appeared on her cold face. When the car stopped in front of her, she almost without hesitation opened its back door and boarded it.


    ¡°Are you feeling cold?¡±


    Seeing Mu Wanying wearing a thin attire, Tang Xiu asked with a bit of concern.


    ¡°Nope. I just came out shortly.¡± Mu Wanying shook her head and smilingly said, ¡°Anyways, did I delayed your business in making you accompany me to my company?¡±


    Tang Xiu thought of Ouyang Lulu, who was now still asleep at home, and could only force a smile inwardly. Though on the surface, he said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll still go with you to your company even if the sky is falling down today. Anyhow, you seem to manage an advertising company as far as I know.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the name is Grace Regale Advertising. It¡¯s only a small company with thirty-plus employees, though.¡± Mu Wanying nodded.


    ¡°Actually, given your identity and your meek attitude, your family will probably give you quite a lot of money annually, no? At least it won¡¯t be a problem for you to have a comfortable life,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°No, I rarely receive money from my family ever since I turned 18.¡± Mu Wanying shook her head. ¡°What happened is exactly the opposite since I must allocate some money annually to pay my Dad¡¯s debt.¡±

 Chapter 690

    Chapter 690: The Limit of Being Shameless


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Tang Xiu had seen Mu Wanying¡¯s father, Mu Jianhua, a man of striking appearance and laudable talents. It was just that he couldn¡¯t think it through. Why Mu Wanying wanted to help him pay his debt. Could it be that his business went bankrupt?


    ¡°What exactly happened?¡± Asked Tang Xiu curiously.


    ¡°People say that scandals in the family should not be made public. But you¡¯ll be my closest person in the future and I don¡¯t want to hide it from you.¡± Mu Wanying bitterly smiled. ¡°My Dad is kind of set in his own ways, a headstrongness that is unsuitable to run a business, I may say. He only managed a few businesses in the family, but those two small companies appeared to be in the red every year and he always asked a sum of money from me every year for the sake of his face. If anything, this is not the main concern since the most important thing is that¡­ he has another woman other than my Mom, and children too, even though those half-brothers and sisters of mine are not recognized by the Mu House.¡±


    Tang Xiu instantly understood. It was said that even an upright official finds it hard to settle family troubles. Yet, he did not want to express his own opinion since Mu Wanying¡¯s mother, Jiang Zhenli, seemed able to bear it. After hesitating for a while, he patted her back and said, ¡°Anyways, you can directly speak to me if you don¡¯t have enough money later. Besides, you¡¯re the woman I¡¯m going to marry in the future, so I can¡¯t leave you by yourself.¡±


    A smile broke out in Mu Wanying¡¯s face as she said, ¡°Having your promise is already enough for me. But I still think that women still have to be self-reliant and independent. Also, the business I¡¯m doing now is running well with quite remarkable annual profits, enough for my own spending.¡±


    ¡°Whether it¡¯s enough or not, you still have to look for me first in case that you¡¯re in need of money,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°There are tons of things I need to manage recently and a lot of them require money, but I can still easily take out tens of billions of yuan.¡±


    Mu Wanying faintly smiled and suddenly said, ¡°Back when we first met in Tianjin City, didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯re very poor? I remember that you made money by selling calligraphy and paintings at that time.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, I was really poor at that time, to be honest.¡± Tang Xiu laughed. ¡°The Magnificent Tang Corporation had yet to make a profit and needed quite a lot of money to invest instead. Besides, I originally needed to buy some cultivation resources and that also required quite a sum of money. No, that¡¯s not right. You couldn¡¯t be wanting to settle an account with me, right? I recall making a lot of money from you back then.¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­ Hahaha.¡± Mu Wanying covered her laugh. ¡°Never did I dare to have the idea to settle an account with you. You are now a super-rich man, so I will need you to support me in the future.¡±


    Grace Regale Advertising.


    Located in a bustling area of Hong District, the company occupied an entire floor of a dozen storied high-rise office building. The company only had a small number of employees, around 40, but the interior decoration was extremely extravagant and had its own unique style. It was Tang Xiu¡¯s first time visiting the venue and it gave him a bright feel.


    ¡°You came, Boss. Anyways, Director Wei from Blessed Fortune Jewelry knew that you were coming today, so he brought his friend surnamed Zhang he mentioned before.¡± A slim female secretary wearing glasses and dressed like a college student reported respectfully after shooting a curious glance at Tang Xiu.


    At the moment, Mu Wanying revealed her strong and capable side. She took the document handed over by the female secretary and asked, ¡°Which reception room are they in?¡±


    ¡°No. 2,¡± replied the female secretary.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Mu Wanying nodded. ¡°Call Manager Miao and tell him to go there first. Tell him I¡¯ll be there shortly.¡±


    Following that, Mu Wanying headed to her office with Tang Xiu. The office was nearly 100 square meters, and its interior design was very fashionable and luxurious. Behind the half-moon shaped desk were a row of wall-mounted bookcases filled with books and documents, while at the other end were two big and three small sofas with a tea table in the middle.


    The most notable thing there was that there were a lot of potted bonsais giving off a vibrant feeling even though it was an office.


    ¡°Your office is quite great,¡± said Tang Xiu in praise.


    Mu Wanying let out a smile and personally served Tang Xiu a cup of tea, and then said, ¡°I¡¯m going to see the clients first and then we¡¯ll then go to the 18th floor! The client there¡­ is the type that I hate.¡±


    Tang Xiu instantly realized that that the kind of annoyance Mu Wanying mentioned should be a pursuer of hers. At this moment, he finally understood why she wanted him to accompany her to her company today. It was obvious that she wanted to announce to the others that the precious flower already had an owner.


    Inside the reception room #2.


    Right as Mu Wanying came inside, her brows slightly furrowed since she found that other than her longtime client Director Wei, there was also the other client, Zhang Danyang from the 18th floor¡¯s Shunde Door Industry. As of now, 40% of the advertisement jobs in her Grace Regale Advertising came from the Shunde Door Industry, and even though it was not comparable to the advertising quota from Director Wei¡¯s company, it was not a small client either.


    ¡°How have you been well Director Wei, Chief Zhang?¡±


    The frowning expression on Mu Wanying¡¯s face only lasted for a moment as she let out a smile and greeted them.


    Wei Zongchao got up and said with a smile, ¡°Chief Mu, it never occurred to me that this old friend of mine from Shunde Door Industry is actually having a cooperation with your company too. I was kind of wanting to introduce him to you, but I did not expect you have actually captured his heart a long time ago. Hahaha¡­¡±


    Mu Wanying¡¯s breath lagged and she just glanced at the smiling Zhang Danyang, who also got up and said with a smile, ¡°Ah, you¡¯re joking with me, Director Wei. Chief Zhang¡¯s Shunde Door Industry and my company happen to occupy the same office building, so it¡¯s rather convenient for us to cooperate. Anyways, Director Wei, I heard that you declined the advertising prospectus I made for your company a couple of days ago, may I ask for the specific reasons?¡±


    ¡°I felt optimistic for the plan which Miss Mu personally tailored for my company since it was not done by the people of your company¡¯s design department. I did not think that the plan was without merit, though. Only, I always felt like it missed something. By the way, I just realized it after Chief Zhang mentioning it to me.¡±


    Chief Zhang?


    The smile on Mu Wanying¡¯s face instantly disappeared without a trace, and with her smart head, she immediately realized the reason why Wei Zongchao was making things difficult to her company must be related to Zhang Danyang.


    As she had guessed, Zhang Danyang smiled and said, ¡°Wanying, we are all old acquaintances. It¡¯s easy to carry out an advertising plan as long as it is done well. However, Director Wei owes me a big favor. So, when he learned that I have a business cooperation and also am in love with you, he just wanted to help me. We also have reached an agreement here that, as long as you and I become a family, we¡¯ll hand over all the ads of his company and mine to you.¡±


    Mu Wanying¡¯s face turned a bit unsightly, for she could sense the threat in Zhang Danyang¡¯s statement. After a moment of silence, she said slowly, ¡°Chief Zhang, we¡¯re doing business, I hope you don¡¯t bring your personal feelings into it. Also, I already told you that I have a boyfriend already, so it¡¯s impossible for us to have this kind of relationship.¡±


    ¡°No, Wanying. I still have the right to pursue you as long as you¡¯re not married yet.¡± Zhang Danyang shook his head. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m sure you are also aware of the state of the situation of the society in our country. We¡¯re a society governed by favors and human relations. Doing business here is inseparable from the human relations context.¡±


    ¡°Chief Zhang, you¡­¡± Mu Wanying was angered.


    ¡°I love you from the bottom of my heart, Wanying.¡± Zhang Danyang raised his hand to interrupt her and smilingly said, ¡°I even divorced that tigress in my home and I also gave her our children. I¡¯m really sincere about this and I believe you can also feel it. Also, we have ties in our businesses, so it could be said that we have a double relationship. You can rest assured that I¡¯ll definitely use all of my resources and personal network to aid you in drawing a lot of clients as long as you become my woman.¡±


    ¡°Your divorce has nothing to do with me whatsoever, and I won¡¯t accept you either,¡± said Mu Wanying without hesitation. ¡°Furthermore, this is my own company and I can draw the clients by myself.¡±


    The smile on Zhang Danyang¡¯s face gradually disappeared and his tone became aggressive, ¡°Will you still reject me if I and Brother Wei are to terminate our cooperation? That¡¯s right, I also have a very close relationship with the other clients of your company, Chief Zhao of the Zhongteng Tiles and Chief Hao of the Jianye Wardrobe.¡±


    Mu Wanying¡¯s face was as though covered with frost as she angrily said, ¡°Did you investigate my company?¡±


    Zhang Yan let out a complacent smile and said, ¡°No no no. I did not specifically investigate your company. It¡¯s just that I had a tea gathering with Brother Wei, Chief Wang, and Chief Hao, so we had a chat and inadvertently learned about it.¡±


    Disgust and loathing birthed inside Mu Wanying¡¯s heart. Little did she expect that the usually well-mannered and mature Zhang Danyang turned out to be this low and despicable. Her eyes then fell on Wei Zongchao and asked, ¡°Director Wei, we have been cooperating in several projects before and I believe you¡¯ve seen my Grace Regal Advertising¡¯s capital and reliability. We will soon sign the new cooperation agreement for the new cooperation project as well. Are you really going to leave in a bad term in the final moment and give up the interests of your company for an outsider?¡±


    Wei Zongchao smacked his lips and smilingly said, ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I do it if I will get more benefits later just from giving up this small profit at present?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Right now, Mu Wanying was really fuming.


    Clap clap clap¡­


    The door was pushed open from the outside and applause sounded in. Tang Xiu scrutinized the shameless faces of Wei Zongchao and Zhang Danyang and sneered inwardly. He originally planned to wait for Mu Wanying in her office. But as he recalled how she was quiet and refined usually, he wanted to come and see how she acted when dealing with official business affairs. Who could have thought that he would hear such a brilliant and splendid threat and intimidation?


    ¡°Tang Xiu¡­¡±


    The fuming anger in Mu Wanying¡¯s heart weakened somewhat upon seeing Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu did not pay attention to Mu Wanying but walked towards Wei Zongchao and Zhang Danyang as he then took a seat on the sofa. He then tilted up one of his legs, took a cigarette and lit it up, and then smilingly spoke after drawing several puffs, ¡°Both of you are supposed to be grown-ups, don¡¯t you think that bullying my fianc¨¦e is kind of a bit too much? Also, the first sentence I just heard, you can still pursue her as long as she¡¯s not married yet? Well, well. Don¡¯t you just want to dig around the corner of what is mine openly?¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Asked Zhang Danyang coldly with a vigilant look.


    ¡°Who I am is not something nobodies like you guys can fathom,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°If the both of you don¡¯t want to do business with my family¡¯s Wanying, then take your shot. To be honest with you, for my Wanying to have clients such as you guys, I¡¯m starting to worry about her.¡±

 Chapter 691

    Chapter 691: Comparing Network?


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    For Mu Wanying¡¯s boyfriend to accompany her and enter the stage was out of Zhang Yang¡¯s expectation. It never crossed his mind that this boy was this wild and arrogant, and with jealousy birthed inside his heard, he angrily shouted, ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn care about who you are! This is a company to company talk, so get the fuck out, else you¡¯ll find yourself unable to eat well.¡±


    ¡°This company belongs to our family. You want me to scram, why don¡¯t you get the hell out as well? Also, don¡¯t talk to me like you¡¯re a decent man. I¡¯ve seen tons of people pursue their own interests under the guise of decent deeds, but never once have I ever seen one as shameless as you are. Do you think only you can have some personal network and connections, while we don¡¯t have any whatsoever?¡±


    At the moment, there was also a scowl on Wei Zongchao¡¯s face, yet he was cautious in nature and faintly felt that Tang Xiu was somewhat familiar, though he couldn¡¯t recall anything about him at the moment. Nevertheless, seeing that Tang Xiu was so young and yet was not afraid to act arrogantly, he grew discontent inside, so he said, ¡°Young man, I think you look somewhat familiar. May I know what is your great background?¡±


    Tang Xiu could not help laughing and said, ¡°I thought I was quite well-known before, never thought that you don¡¯t even know me, honest. I¡¯m now relieved.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re surnamed Tang, right?¡± Zhang Danyang suddenly got up and exclaimed coldly. ¡°Young as you are, and yet so arrogant and rampant. Didn¡¯t you say you also have your own personal connections? Care to make us experience it?¡±


    ¡°Why should I?¡± Asked Tang Xiu. ¡°Who are you to me? My Elder or something?¡±


    ¡°What a pretentious prick, a load of trash!¡± Zhang Danyang snorted coldly. ¡°Yet you still dare to bluff before us? That network you said you own is nothing but a fart. Wanying, I¡¯m sure you can see that this stupid guy is unworthy of you. I have ten thousand means to toy him if I want to.¡±


    Mu Wanying was about to open her mouth, but she found Tang Xiu waving his hand to her, and his expression was a bit chilling. He was apparently incensed by Zhang Danyang.


    She suddenly felt a bit of pity towards Zhang Danyang, for this shameless man had provoked someone he could not afford to.


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes, took a drag of his cigarette, and then took out his mobile phone. He stepped out to disrupt things since he knew that Mu Wanying might lose these two clients because of him. Therefore, he already thought it through before entering the room. He would help her pull some businesses regardless of the final outcome.


    The one thing he did not lack was a network and personal connections!


    He then opened a news blog with his mobile and quickly browsed it, searching the name of Wei Zongchao¡¯s company and their names, and finally marked all the cell numbers of his friends who had businesses, and then typed a text message to be sent to them:


    ¡°My girlfriend has been bullied by Shanghai¡¯s Shunde Door Industry¡¯s owner¡ªZhang Danyang, and the Blessed Fortune Jewelry¡¯s old Director¡ªWei Zongchao. Whoever knows these two guys, please quickly get a hump on to cease your relationship with them, since the moral standing of these two fellas is way too bad. Also, I¡¯d like to advertise my girlfriend¡¯s advertising agency, and if you ever have the need of the company services and how to get in touch with them, it¡¯s Shanghai¡¯s Grace Regale Advertising.¡±


    After pressing the send button, Tang Xiu looked up to Zhang Danyang and Wei Zongchao, whose faces were full of contempt.


    ¡°Do you want to show us your personal connection, Kid?¡± Zhang Danyang derided. ¡°Hahaha¡­ how ridiculous! Do you think just by sending a text message you can help draw some clients to the door of the Grace Regale Advertising? To think that you can also pretend to this extent really never crossed my mind!¡±


    ¡°For a guy who doesn¡¯t dare to tell his own identity, what means could he have, huh?¡± Wei Zongchao echoed with a face full of disdain. ¡°I originally wanted to leave, but I erased that thought now. I want to see how much weight you really have.¡±


    Tang Xiu himself did not have full assurance that the text message he sent out would replace the entire amount of job orders of the Shunde Door Industry and Blessed Fortune Jewelry combined. But he was confident that he could help draw some business to Mu Wanying. After pondering for a moment, he slowly stretched out three fingers and, without being salty nor weak, said, ¡°30 minutes. I¡¯ll pay you one¡­ 200 thousand yuan if I can¡¯t pull some companies to ask the service of the Grace Regale Advertising within these 30 minutes. But if it happens, do you dare to pay me 100 thousand each?¡±


    200 thousand yuan? Is this a bet?


    Zhang Danyang and Wei Zongchao exchanged looks and gave cold shoulders. They were both wealthy billionaires, and 200 thousand for them was nothing but the price of their meal and wine in a certain venue. The usual gathering with their friends to play mahjong sometimes cost them several times more than this.


    Wei Zongchao, who still had some concerns previously, was completely relieved after hearing the amount of the bet proposed by Tang Xiu. He preferred toying with a nobody above all others, so he rested his arm on the armrest and laughed loudly, ¡°Young man, you¡¯re too stingy. What would 200 thousand yuan be enough for? To fill the slit between your teeth? Let¡¯s play a bit bigger. 2 million. How about it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Each of us will give you 2 million if you win.¡± Zhang Danyang also grinned and echoed. ¡°And you only need to pay 1 million to each of us. Isn¡¯t it a good deal?¡±


    A bit of hesitation was shown on Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he turned to look at Mu Wanying. As if having made up his mind, he loudly said, ¡°Why should I be afraid of you if you want to bet with me? 20 million! I¡¯ll¡­ give you 20 million if you win.¡±


    Puff¡­ (Cough cough)


    Zhang Danyang and Wei Zongchao were choked by Tang Xiu¡¯s proposal. Never had they ever seen a pretentious prick such as him. Could this trash even have 20 million yuan? One must know that 20 million was already a huge number for them.


    Zhang Danyang chuckled and grinned, ¡°20 million, eh? It¡¯s no big deal for us. But you, young man, just don¡¯t brag before us. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m looking down on you with you coming from a poor house, but it¡¯s quite a bizarre thing for you to be able to fork out 20 million yuan.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Tang Xiu opened his mouth to speak, but then suddenly turned to look at Mu Wanying and asked, ¡°Tell me Wanying, how much is your advertising company worth? Is it valued at around 20 million yuan?¡±


    Since the beginning, as she heard the gambling bet Tang Xiu proposed to the two men, Mu Wanying had been obviously baffled and stunned. But she then gradually realized that Tang Xiu was playing the role of a pig who swallow tigers just to slaughter these two men! Smart as she was, she quickly followed the script and played in tandem with Tang Xiu, quickly pretending to look tense and anxious, and replied, ¡°Tang Xiu, don¡¯t act stupid, will you? Gambling is a nuisance, and you must not gamble with them. Besides, they are all rich people, we can¡¯t afford to play with them.¡±


    Seeing that Mu Wanying was able to respond and play in tandem with him, Tang Xiu laughed inwardly, yet he still pretended to be angry out of shame and fumingly shouted, ¡°Who said we can¡¯t afford to play with them? Isn¡¯t your advertising company earning enough money? Let me gamble with them if you still care about me, else¡­¡±


    Mu Wanying hurriedly grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s sleeve and anxiously pleaded, ¡°Tang Xiu, please listen to me. This is not about how I care about you or not. We still have a life to live on in the future, and we¡¯ll be relying on this advertising company to make money. If you were to lose it now, we¡¯ll be¡­¡±


    Like a gambler who had lost his rationality, Tang Xiu jumped and shouted, ¡°Who said I¡¯m gonna lose? I¡¯m confident I can win against them! Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t believe that I have a very good personal network?¡±


    Mu Wanying also seemed to be incensed by Tang Xiu and shouted back, ¡°Gambling, gambling, and gambling! You only know how to gamble, have our future even ever crossed your mind, just once? Take the company and use it as you will since you want to stake it as a bet!¡±


    With that said, she directly sat down on the sofa next to Tang Xiu, lowered her head and sulked.


    Tang Xiu then looked at Zhang Danyang and Wei Zongchao and shouted, ¡°20 million, then! I¡¯ll put this company as stake. At the worst, we¡¯ll just sell the company to pay you if we lose, but how about you? Are you two still willing to pay me 20 million yuan each?¡±


    Zhang Danyang¡¯s and Wei Zongchao¡¯s expressions slightly changed, for it never occurred to them that Mu Wanying, who was usually rational and incomparably thoughtful, would unexpectedly be willing to give the company to Tang Xiu as a gambling stake. This kind of unrestrained gamble was also not a trivial matter to them for they would gain a lot if they won, and yet would grieve to death if they lost as it would affect the operation of their companies.


    Wei Zongchao shot a look at Tang Xiu and then shifted his eyes on Mu Wanying again, and suddenly spoke in a deep voice, ¡°We¡¯ll have our gamble. But we must have an agreement in advance. You said that you have a strong network, but you have to clearly define how much is the project value you can pull in. Else, if you are indeed able to pull some cooperation projects worth only one yuan, is it reasonable for us to pay you 20 million?¡±


    The value?


    Tang Xiu stared blankly for a second and looked hesitating before he said, ¡°Isn¡¯t it enough for a project worth 100 thousand yuan?¡±


    ¡°A project worth 100 thousand? Hmph.¡± Zhang Danyang snorted. ¡°Are you kidding me? I tell you, kid. You gotta put out more money if you want to gamble. What I see is 20 million as a gambling stake! With that amount, shouldn¡¯t you at least pull in a 10-million-yuan worth project?¡±


    Mu Wanying, who sat beside Tang Xiu, suddenly raised her head and yelled, ¡°Hey, that¡¯s going too far. An advertising project worth 10 million yuan? Were the projects you two gave to me before even worth 10 million yuan?¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly turned his head to Mu Wanying and called out, ¡°Shut up! 10 million they want, then 10 million it is. How can I let them look down on me? I¡¯ll admit my loss if the advertising projects that come here within these 30 minutes are not worth 10 million yuan.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you¡­¡± Mu Wanying looked very tense.


    Tang Xiu ignored her and stared intently at Zhang Danyang and Wei Zongchao, and shouted, ¡°What about you two now? No 20 million, don¡¯t act like a pretentious prick before me.¡±


    At this time, only then did Zhang Danyang and Wei Zongchao thoroughly feel at ease. They just did not believe that Tang Xiu could pull in advertising projects worth 10 million yuan to the Grace Regale Advertising. This bloke was nothing but a petty nobody inside out. He should be penniless and was probably with Mu Wanying due to her beauty on one hand, and was to become her toy boy.


    Nevertheless, it was a pity that Mu Wanying, such a proud daughter of the Heaven, turned into an idiot when encountering an affair with feelings involved.


    Ten minutes later, Zhang Danyang and Wei Zongchao made a call, took out their bank cards and put them on the table. After which, a text message was sent to their mobile phones to prove that 20 million yuan had been transferred to each bank card.


    Everything had been settled, and a smile broke out on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. He then took his mobile phone that he had turned off silently before. After rebooting, the text message notifications started ringing unceasingly.


    Tang Xiu opened them and immediately looked up to see Zhang Danyang and Wei Zongchao, and said in a deep voice, ¡°Wanying, tell me now about the financial situation of your Grace Regale Advertising.¡±


    ¡°The financial liquidity is now around 12 million yuan, more or less,¡± said Mu Wanying. ¡°In addition to that, we also have more than 40 million yuan invested in various projects.¡±

 Chapter 692

    Chapter 692: Is this a Joke?


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    After giving a brief outline about the financial account of her company openly to the two men, Zhang Danyang, and Wei Zongchao, Mu Wanying¡¯s previous worries and anger subsided as she sat next to Tang Xiu and looked the two men with a bit of pity as well as sympathy.


    At the same time, she was also a bit excited. Though they were the players in this gambling, the one who benefitted the most was actually her own company. She did not know how many people Tang Xiu was acquainted with, but she had full trust in him.


    Ring ring ring¡­


    His phone buzzed after Tang Xiu rebooted it. He looked at the screen and the name displayed there was someone he did not expect, Chu Yuan. Tang Xu hesitated for a while, and after he put it through, he said, ¡°Mr. Chu?¡±


    From the mobile phone, Chu Yuan¡¯s voice transmitted out, ¡°Tang Xiu, I just inquired about them. Those two companies in your text message are indeed listed in Shanghai. I myself don¡¯t have many intersections with them, so it¡¯s rather inconvenient to deal with them. However, my company is preparing an advertising for its product and is currently seeking an advertising company to cooperate with. I just sent a facsimile to the Grace Regale Advertising. Once they receive it and are willing to design the advertisement plan for my company to be carried on with the packaging and marketing processes, I¡¯ll immediately inform the Finance Department to transfer 30% of the deposit for the total investment needed for the advertisements.¡±


    Tang Xiu hesitated for a moment before replying, ¡°I see, got it. Chu Yuan, if you have some time in the near future, let¡¯s go out for a few drinks. Also, I haven¡¯t seen that little item from you yet! So, we¡¯ll study it the next time we meet.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Chu Yuan replied. ¡°Anyways, there¡¯s also another thing. I¡¯m no longer the Young Lord of the Imperial Garden. Even though I¡¯m not completely separated from them, my present identity is the Foreign Affairs Elder of the Imperial Garden, and all the businesses under the Imperial Garden I used to manage have also been taken back. I don¡¯t think I can invest much in advertising for the rest other than my own two companies as of now.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± said Tang Xiu calmly. He was not particularly clear about Chu Yuan¡¯s departure from the Imperial Garden and why he would renounce such a high status. After all, Chu Yuan could get a lot of advantages by using the Imperial Garden¡¯s channels with that aloof status and would be of great help for his future development.


    However, what the others were thinking had nothing to do with him whatsoever. Chu Yuan showed him goodwill first, thus he only needed to remember this favor.


    Zhang Danyang and Wei Zongchao exchanged dismayed looks. The call Tang Xiu received made them a bit curious, though contempt was still mainly in their minds. It was nothing but bluff and bluster in their eyes.


    Knock, knock!


    The reception room #2 was knocked and the General Manager¡¯s secretary opened the door and came inside in a hurry while bringing two facsimiles to Mu Wanying, and then said excitedly, ¡°Boss, our business department has just received these two faxes. One from the New Idea Training Firm and the other from the Imperial Wherewithal Venture. They are preparing to hand over all the ads of their companies for this year to our company.¡±


    The New Idea Training Firm and the Imperial Wherewithal Venture?


    Mu Wanying was baffled and seriously read the two faxes with a strange expression. She then forwarded them to Tang Xiu and shot a pitying look at Zhang Danyang and Wei Zongchao.


    That was much a direct shock to Zhang Danyang and Wei Zongchao. They had been running a business in Shanghai for many years and had some knowledge of the New Idea Training Firm as well as the Imperial Wherewithal Venture. Each of these two companies was not inferior to their business at all!


    ¡°Let me see it!¡± Zhang Danyang got up and directly strode to Tang Xiu¡¯s front.


    Tang Xiu just glanced at the two faxes and handed them to Zhang Danyang with a smile. After half a minute, Zhang Danyang¡¯s complexion turned nasty, and anger could be seen filling his eyes. He knew who sent these two letters of intent to the Grace Regale Advertising¡­ They were the companies belonging to Chu Yuan, a freaking talent of the business community in Shanghai who was also managing other companies other than these two.


    ¡°Do you know Chu Yuan?¡± Asked Zhang Danyang to Tang Xiu in disbelief.


    ¡°Yeah, kind of.¡± Tang Xiu shrugged his shoulders.


    Ring ring ring¡­


    Tang Xiu mobile phone rang again. When he looked at the number displayed on the screen, a smile was suddenly outlined on the corner of his mouth. After putting it through, he directly turned on the loudspeaker and said, ¡°Hey, Brother Zhang, did you read the text I sent you?¡±


    ¡°I did read your text, Brother Tang. I never heard of Zhang Danyang¡ªthat Shunde Door Industry¡¯s CEO, though. So he should only be a small fish. But I know the owner of the Blessed Fortune Jewelry, not a big name either. Yet these bastards dare to annoy my sister-in-law? What impudence! Anyways, I¡¯m going to hand over all the advertisements of my Xinyang Group to sister-in-law¡¯s Grace Regale Advertising for the next three years. Brother Tang, just give me these two bastards to deal with if you don¡¯t have the time to do so! I will make them disappear from the business world in Shanghai in at most a week.¡± Zhang Yueming¡¯s voice was broadcasted from the mobile phone.


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile while glancing at the disbelieving faces of Zhang Danyang and Wei Zongchao, ¡°Brother Zhang, there¡¯s no need to bother you in dealing with these two small shrimps. If anything, thanks a lot for this advertising cooperation. I¡¯ll treat you to a drink another day.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then! I¡¯ll be the one who does the treating later, though, to apologize for my son¡¯s action toward you, Brother Tang.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Just as he hung up the phone and was about to speak, Tang Xiu¡¯s phone rang again.


    ¡°Hello, Brother Gu.¡±


    ¡°What exactly is the situation, Brother Tang? From where those two bastards jumped from? To think that they even dare to provoke you? Do you want me to employ my network to deal with them?¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the kind intention, Brother Gu. I¡¯ll deal with this matter myself.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then let it be since you don¡¯t need me to deal with them, Brother Tang. By the way, my Dingshen Media also has an advertising business, and since sister-in-law also runs an advertising company, I think we can have a cooperation. Thus, I¡¯ll provide some important channels of the Dingshen Media¡¯s advertising business, and the Grace Regale Advertising only needs to pay one yuan annually.¡±


    ¡°No, Brother Gu. Just give us a cheaper price. You don¡¯t need to exempt us for free.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Our brotherhood is much stronger than money. Anyways, I¡¯ll disturb you no longer, then. Come to visit my Dingshen Media if you have time. I have good tea here.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    At this time, Zhang Danyang and Wei Zongchao already had a horrified look on their faces. The dignified owner of the Dingshen Media¡ªZhang Yueming. This bloke turned out¡­ to even have such a deep relationship with him? Suddenly, the duo found themselves falling into a trap that was specifically dug up by Tang Xiu for them.


    This thought sent a chill all over their bodies, and their hearts seemed to have fallen into an ice hole.


    Ring ring ring¡­


    Just as Tang Xiu connected the phone and turned on the loudspeaker, Jin Xingkui¡¯s voice came out from the mobile, ¡°What about those two blokes who provoked sister-in-law, Brother Tang? Let this Jin Xingkui kill them!¡±


    ¡°Nah, there¡¯s no need to do that to these two small shrimps. I can deal with them,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°I just learned that sis-in-law is running an advertising company,¡± continued Jin Xingkui. ¡°If that is the case, then all the advertisements of my Jinda Estate¡¯s marketing will be completely handed over to the Grace Regale Advertising. Also, the new project we are cooperating with, I¡¯ll also hand over its advertisement to them. Shortly put, we are like close relatives, Brother Tang. Just tell me directly whenever you need me to do anything. This Jin Xingkui is ready to risk everything and do it for you beautifully.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll keep it in mind,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Jin Xingkui did not hang up but continued speaking, ¡°I know who Zhang Danyang is from that Shunde Door Industry. I have had some business dealings with his company before. A few real estate projects I just released to the market were renovated with the cooperation with his company as of recently. I¡¯ll terminate this cooperation with him later. Also, I¡¯ll also spread out the news to the construction companies circle in Shanghai that whoever dares to cooperate with his Shunde Door Industry will have to face me, Jin Xingkui.¡±


    Hahaha¡­ Tang Xiu could not help but burst into a laughter and said, ¡°Well, it¡¯s your call, Brother! Anyways, let¡¯s meet and have a drink some other day.¡±


    ¡°Deal!¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Tang Xiu found that Zhang Danyang¡¯s body was already trembling and slumped down on the sofa with a face devoid of blood. There was also a panicked and horrified look on his face, whereas Wei Zongchao looked somewhat anxious when he looked at him, and occasionally glanced at Zhang Danyang with a bit of a sympathetic look.


    Ring ring ring¡­


    The mobile phone rang again.


    In the next half an hour, Tang Xiu received dozens of calls, and each caller spoke two matters, one was to deal with Zhang Danyang and Wei Zongchao, and the other one was to give their companies¡¯ advertisement jobs to the Grace Regale Advertising. Tang Xiu directly refused the first one, as he did not need to bother others to do it, though he did accept their offer to hand over the advertising of their companies to the Grace Regale Advertising.


    After more than half an hour, Zhang Danyang and Wei Zongchao were very restless, like they were sitting on a cushion filled with needles. They realized that they had annoyed a big trouble for themselves. This guy before them turned out nothing like a nobody who loved to brag, but he did have a very terrifying network. Even his identity was perhaps extraordinary.


    What made them speechless was that the business department of the Grace Regale Advertising had received dozens of faxes containing letters of intent and agreements, and also transferred a total of 200 million yuan in deposits altogether to their Financial Department¡¯s public account.


    It was 200 million!


    The total assets of Zhang Danyang¡¯s company were even less than 200 million, whereas the total assets of Wei Zongchao¡¯s company was a little more than that. However, he was not the sole shareholder of the company! Even if he was to add up all his personal assets, it would probably not exceed 150 million.


    Tang Xiu put away his mobile phone, then looked at the two men and casually said, ¡°You two have lost. These two bank cards should be mine, no?¡±


    Distressed, long-faced, and sorrowful, Zhang Danyang¡¯s face was that of pleading and begging as he said, ¡°Mr. Tang, I judged you like what a dog would do before. Please be magnanimous, do not stoop down to my level. This 20 million is yours, the PIN is 123456, please accept it. And please spare my business and forgive me this once! I¡¯ll immediately move my company from this edifice and never see Boss Mu again in this lifetime.¡±


    Wei Zongchao somewhat sympathized with him and was even rejoicing that his Blessed Fortune Jewelry had many branch offices spread out across the country though it was indeed headquartered in Shanghai. In particular was the business in Hong Kong, as it accounted for half of his business shares. Hence, his foundation would not be shaken.


    But Zhang Danyang was different. His business was mainly established in Shanghai. Although he also had a market in the surrounding cities, the amount was pathetic. If Tang Xiu really was ruthless with him, it was highly likely that Zhang Danyang would be done for.

 Chapter 693

    Chapter 693: Harboring Resentment


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Although Wei Zongchao lost 20 million yuan and was also shocked by Tang Xiu¡¯s terrifying network, he did not have much concern about it. He thought that if he left in such a crestfallen manner today, it would not take long until he became a laughingstock in the business community, so he slowly said, ¡°We had a gamble and I lost, so this 20 million is yours, Mr. Tang. Everyone loves beauty and so does Chief Zhang who likes Chief Mu, the reason why he pursues her regardless of everything. Please don¡¯t stoop down to our level since you¡¯re a much better and more magnanimous person, Mr. Tang. Please give him a way out to make a living!¡±


    Looking at Wei Zongchao¡¯s relaxed expression, Tang Xiu slightly furrowed his brows. He thought for a while and then took out his mobile phone to dial Hao Lei¡¯s cell number. After Hao Lei¡¯s respectful voice came out from the mobile phone, he directly asked, ¡°How much do you know about the Blessed Fortune Jewelry?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a small jewelry company whose survival depends on our Grand Fortune Jewelries, Boss. The Everlasting Feast Hall is currently holding 20% of its shares, and the source of their goods are also provided by Grand Fortune Jewelries¡¯ channels. The company is headquartered in Shanghai, and its General Manager, Wei Zongchao, holds 55% of the company shares¡­¡± answered Hao Lei.


    Right as an unusual expression appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s face, Wei Zongchao¡¯s face turned vigilant, and Tang Xiu said slowly, ¡°I want to see the Blessed Fortune Jewelry go bankrupt and Wei Zongchao has nothing left anymore. I¡¯ll hand this matter over to you, and I want the result within a week.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Replied Hao Lei respectfully.


    Tang Xiu hung up the phone. After stuffing his phone, he sneered, ¡°You still appeal for another¡¯s mercy and not start to request for your own good fortune? You can be sure that you will regret what you did today within a week, for I¡¯ll make sure to make it happen.¡±


    Wei Zongchao suddenly got up and intently stared at Tang Xiu, and asked, ¡°Who exactly did you call?¡±


    ¡°An employee, or rather, my subordinate,¡± said Tang Xiu faintly. ¡°I think you should know her name, though. She¡¯s Hao Lei, the person in charge of the Grand Fortune Jewelries.¡±


    Wei Zongchao¡¯s body shivered and his legs turned weak as he directly slumped on the sofa and shouted in disbelief, ¡°THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE! How can you know Chief Hao Lei? You¡­ you¡¯re bullshitting me! The Grand Fortune Jewelries is a very prominent business in Hong Kong, even if you do have a very good network in the mainland, it¡¯s impossible for you to have any influence there.¡±


    As he said that, he seemed to realize something and quickly grabbed his mobile phone and dialed Hao Lei¡¯s cell number. After his call was connected, he squeezed out a smile and his tone turned very respectful as he said, ¡°Hello, Chief Hao, I¡¯m Wei Zongchao from Blessed Fortune Jewelry. It¡¯s been a while since the last time I met you. Anyways, my wife recently got a top perfume from France. When do you have some time? How about I personally visit you in Hong Kong and bring it to you?¡±


    Hao Lei¡¯s cold voice came from the mobile phone, ¡°I don¡¯t know how and why you offended my Boss, Wei Zongchao. But if you¡¯re tactful and sensible enough, you had better transfer your Blessed Fortune Jewelry shares to the Grand Fortune Jewelries. Otherwise, you can be sure that I¡¯ll use every means necessary to make you have nothing left in this world, and also send you away to a mine in Africa. You can hope to work to the bones and die there.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡± Wei Zongchao exclaimed. The mobile phone in his hand instantly fell to the floor and he slumped on the sofa with a face devoid of color. It was like all the strength in his body was siphoned away at this moment. Hao Lei¡¯s words were like a Thunderblast in his heart that shook him, making him perplexed to a megrim state.


    The time ticked by bit by bit in a bizarre atmosphere.


    As Wei Zongchao sobered up from his languishment, he raised his head with difficulty to look at Tang Xiu. Under the gaze of Mu Wanying and Zhang Danyang, his body swayed and knelt down in front of Tang Xiu, begging with a trembling voice, ¡°I¡¯m aware it was me who took the road to ruin myself, but could you consider the elderly and the young in my family and spare me this time? I¡¯m willing to transfer 40% out of my 55% shares to the Grand Fortune Jewelries, while I keep the remaining 15% to allow me to live in retirement and to support the young in my family. Is this alright with you?¡±


    ¡°Logically speaking, I should be ruthless and not spare you. But given that you did not go too far in this matter, so be it!¡± Said Tang Xiu calmly. ¡°However, you won¡¯t keep that 15% shares, but will exchange it to cash and then find a place to live out your life in retirement!¡±


    ¡°Yes yes yes. Thank you, Mr. Tang.¡±


    Wei Zongchao wiped off the sweat on his face and got up in trepidation. He did not glance at Zhang Danyang again and left, battered out of his senses.


    As Zhang Danyang found that Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes caught him, he suddenly tensed up. He did not kneel down but put a very low gesture and beseeched piteously, ¡°I¡¯m willing to take out another 20 million yuan, Mr. Tang, and give all of it to you in compensation for spending your time. My company has been in business for decades, and it¡¯s been with great difficulty that I brought it to its current state. Please spare me, do not punish me too heavily. Can you let me go this once? I swear that I¡¯ll hide far away and never ever appear in front of you again.¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his brows, looked at Mu Wanying¡¯s tranquil expression and waved at her. After getting up and walked outside, his voice then sounded into the room, ¡°You have three days to fulfill your commitment. I¡¯m sure it will be very difficult for you to base yourself in Shanghai anymore in the future given the trouble you caused today. You had better think of leaving Shanghai and do your business in some other place!¡±


    General Manager¡¯s Office.


    After Mu Wanying entered the room, she closed the door with her backhand and looked at it directly. With nearly no delay, she rushed towards Tang Xiu and straightly hugged him, leaving him baffled.


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    The words came from the bottom of Mu Wanying¡¯s heart. She was secretly rejoicing that Tang Xiu came to her company and was very moved for everything Tang Xiu did for her. Else, she could have a bellyful of anger and unable to utter anything facing those two shameless and despicable low lives, and even lost some of her business.


    It was a blessing in disguise! This sentence truly depicted the situation she was currently in. And what had happened today made Mu Wanying, who was proud deep down inside, realize how important was it to have a man who would shelter her from the wind and rain, and took her to the safe and blissful harbor.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need of ceremonial talk between us.¡± Tang Xiu patted her back and smilingly said. ¡°Anyhow, the trouble has been solved and your business will become more and more prosperous later, and you¡¯ll probably be very busy too. But, it won¡¯t affect your schooling, right?¡±


    Mu Wanying released Tang Xiu, shook her head and said, ¡°No, it won¡¯t. The schedule for a graduate student is very relaxed. Besides, I already finished the subject I must study, so I don¡¯t need to attend classes on the campus next semester. As long as I do my reviews regularly, I can complete the final graduation thesis.¡±


    With that said, she seemed to recall something and quickly asked, ¡°You just contacted so many people today, will it affect you? If it will, I can return all the deposits, and¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt her and smilingly said, ¡°No worries! It won¡¯t affect me whatsoever. I spared those two guys because they reminded me of one thing. I myself have my own network, and it would be wasteful if I don¡¯t use it. In any case, they also need to find an advertising company to cooperate, to begin with. Since we can earn money, there¡¯s no reason to shy away from it!¡±


    A smile outlined on the corner of Mu Wanying¡¯s mouth. The ¡°we¡± word used by Tang Xiu was like a sweet honey poured into her heart, giving a sweet feeling to her whole being.


    At midday, Tang Xiu stayed at the Grace Regale Advertising with Mu Wanying and had a lunch together before he left. He had pulled in many businesses to Mu Wanying, thus she might be very busy in the following days.


    On the way back to the Bluestar Villa, Tang Xiu then remembered Ouyang Lulu, who should still be asleep at his home. After hesitating, he decided to head to the nearby shopping mall to buy her new clothes. After all, he was rather extreme last night by directly ripping her clothes.


    However, in regards to buying clothes for a woman, especially underwear, he was but a green rookie, and this made him helpless. After giving it a thought, someone appeared inside his mind¨CYue Kai. This guy possessed quite the potential to become a playboy, as his inherent nature was one of being flashy and showy. They had been studying at Shanghai University for a semester, but Tang Xiu heard him talking about dating seven or eight girlfriends already. The speed at which he changed girlfriends was even faster than getting new clothes. So, he thought that this guy was very experienced at buying clothes for women.


    Golden Eagle Shopping Mall.


    It was a high-end shopping mall in Shanghai, with rows upon rows of stores with dazzling goods anyone wished to find. Yue Kai held a handbag in his armpit while biting a toothpick. He dressed up neatly and was strolling around accompanied by a pretty girl he had just acquainted himself with for about ten days.


    ¡°I want a Hermes bag, honey.¡±


    The pretty girl pulled Yue Kai¡¯s arm with a coquettish manner. Her bright eyes were constantly sweeping through each extravagant shop.


    A Hermes bag?


    Inwardly, Yue Kai shivered. Though his family was indeed rich, and his mother secretly gave him more money regularly, his monthly allowance was only 20,000 yuan. Not to mention that he was also a spendthrift, the 20,000 yuan he got after the New Year now remained only 8,000 yuan.


    However, he still had a credit card with a 100,000-yuan limit. But, it could be said that this credit card was like his immovable property, and he did not want to use it unless he came across something that forced him to use it as a last resort. He wanted to refuse his new girlfriend¡¯s request, but looking at her pretty face as well as her coquettish and seductive voice, he did not have the heart to reject her. After some hesitation, he finally nodded and said, ¡°Since you want it, then let¡¯s buy it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really handsome, honey.¡±


    The girl looked pleasantly surprised and then stood on her toes to kiss Yue Kai¡¯s cheek.


    Yue Kai grinned and smilingly said, ¡°Of course, I am. Even those Korean stars are not qualified to even carry my shoes. Anyways, if I hadn¡¯t booked a room at the Shangri-La Hotel to have a pleasant night with you tonight, I would have directly brought you to Jingmen Island to ride a yacht.¡±


    The girl¡¯s eyes turned brighter, but she intentionally turned her head with a shy expression and said, ¡°I do want to go to Jingmen Island to ride a yacht.¡±


    ¡°I wish I could!¡± Yue Kai regretfully said. ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have much time. Wait until my school holidays later, then I¡¯ll take you to Jingmen Island to have some enjoyment.¡±


    Ring ring ring¡­


    At this time, the ringtone of his mobile phone sounded.

 Chapter 694

    Chapter 694: Material Girl & Being Trampled On £¨2 in 1£©


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The aim of Yue Kai in picking up girls was to move their motionless feelings. A beautiful woman was just like wine, who had thoughts and considerations of her own, and a man must act, and at the same time, do everything he could to capture her heart, showing his appreciation with kind words or gifts to showcase himself as a ¡°strong and real¡± man. But in regards to feelings, Yue Kai was not one who was able to invest in them. For instance, this girl beside him. What she settled on was Yue Kai¡¯s money, while the latter was taking a fancy in her flesh.


    Finding amusement when the occasion arises and nothing else but for fun.


    So as to make Xie Xiaotong give up her ballooning appetite, he directly took out his mobile phone and secretly sighed upon seeing that the caller on the screen was Tang Xiu¡¯s name. As a man himself, he deeply admired Tang Xiu in his way of chasing and picking up girls, for those top belles were like moths fluttering to a flame. He had never seen what kind of magic trick and spell Tang Xiu cast on them, and yet, all those belles gathered around him.


    ¡°Big Bro Tang, you¡¯ve always been busy, how come you remembered me? Did you miss me?¡±


    Envy and admiration may mix together, but Tang Xiu was his classmate, dorm mate, and a brother Yue Kai approved and identified himself with, so chit-chatting and teasing was a must-have.


    ¡°Bah, cut the garrulous crap, will you?¡± Tang Xiu mocked him. ¡°Anyways, I got something to consult, or rather, ask your help with.¡±


    ¡°Woah, no kidding?¡± Pretending to be surprised, Yue Kai called out. ¡°Does Big Bro Tang want me to be there for your beck and call? Then, tell me, it will be my pleasure to serve you!¡±


    ¡°Can you not happily chew the rag?¡± Tang Xiu snappily said. ¡°I have some time and want to buy something, but I¡¯m not experienced in this area. Let¡¯s just meet and chat.¡±


    ¡°What thing did you talk about?¡± Asked Yue Kai immediately.


    ¡°Women¡¯s clothes!¡± Tang Xiu touched his nose and smiled dryly.


    Yue Kai rolled his eyes, immediately patted his chest and said, ¡°I may not be sure of other aspects, but I guarantee that I can make you satisfied regarding buying women clothes, buddy.¡±


    Suddenly, his eyes lit up. He quickly glanced at Xie Xiaotong beside him and smilingly said, ¡°What a coincidence! It just so happens that I¡¯m also taking my paid girlfriend to the Golden Eagle Shopping Mall. Do you know the Golden Eagle Shopping Mall in Hong District? It¡¯s on Tianhua Avenue.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know it. I¡¯m in the vicinity.¡±


    ¡°Then come over now! I¡¯m in the Hermes exclusive store on the 6th floor.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Yue Kai stuffed the mobile phone into his pocket and rubbed his hands with an excited expression. He did not know about others, but he knew perfectly well that Tang Xiu was a superrich who lived in an extravagant home and drove a luxurious car¡ªa guy wallowing in money. He was now short on money, and now that this guy came over, it was simply a timely rain from the sky, a friend in need indeed!


    Xie Xiaotong looked at his expression and curiously asked, ¡°Who called you, honey? Seems like that person is coming here too, no?¡±


    With a somewhat brazen smile, Yue Kai said, ¡°A buddy of mine. He owes me some money. I don¡¯t have much pocket money recently. The reason being is, he borrowed most of my money. It seems like this buddy of mine recently hit a fortune and he¡¯ll pay me back my money!¡±


    Xie Xiaotong¡¯s eyes lit up and she held Yue Kai¡¯s hand tighter. Originally, Yue Kai spent money in front of her extravagantly, proving that he was rich and lavish. He even still had more money, but he lent it to his friend! Xie Xiaotong thought that Yue Kai would buy her famous brand clothes and various articles of luxury goods as well as dealing with her bills. The thought immediately excited her and made her lower body feverish at the moment, for she could not wait to employ every trick of horse riding art she had to make him prostrate under her skirt.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s have a look at the bags first!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Ten minutes later, Tang Xiu came to the sixth floor of the Golden Eagle Shopping Mall and spent some time to find the Hermes exclusive store. When he saw the smiling Yue Kai watching a girl who was unceasingly choosing handbags, he immediately came to him and then said, ¡°I did not disturb you, did I, Yue Kai?¡±


    The way Yue Kai looked at Tang Xiu was like he was seeing a gold mountain. He shook his head like a beaten drum, and his face, that was as beautiful as a woman¡¯s, wore a bright smile as he replied while rubbing his hands, ¡°Nope. How come you¡¯re disturbing me? Anyways, you borrowed money from me, can you pay it back? You don¡¯t know, Buddy. I have been so poor recently that I did not have a thing to eat at all. Just look at that pretty girlfriend of mine. She wants to buy a bag but I¡¯m almost broke myself.¡±


    Tang Xiu stared blankly and found that the girl who chose the bag also looked up to see him, but did not pay attention anymore and continued choosing the handbag. Then, he immediately looked at Yue Kai and, shaking his head, smilingly said, ¡°How much is it?¡±


    ¡°50 thousand yuan,¡± answered Yue Kai immediately.


    Tang Xiu smiled and secretly stuffed his hand into his pocket and took out 50 thousand yuan in cash from his interspatial ring. He threw it to Yue Kai directly and said, ¡°Well, I¡¯m returning the money to you, but don¡¯t take your words back and help me get my things done, then the account between us is cleared.¡±


    It was Yue Kai¡¯s turn to stare blankly, with eyes staring so wide they almost popped out, staring at the Tang Xiu¡¯s pocket. If it wasn¡¯t for him holding 50 thousand yuan in hand and counting them, he would have come over to rummage that pocket. How could 50 thousand yuan in cash be stuffed into such clothes?


    ¡°Big Bro Tang, did you just conjure some magic?¡±


    Tang Xiu snappily replied, ¡°That was originally the money I withdrew to buy the clothes. But I did not expect it to be exactly the amount I needed to ¡®return¡¯ to you. So, do you want it or not? If you don¡¯t, then give it back.¡±


    ¡°Hell no, who said no?¡± Yue Kai put the two stacks into his pocket, and then went to the checkout counter and dropped the remaining 30 thousand yuan on it. He then said to his girlfriend¡ªXie Xiaotong, ¡°Hurry and pick your choice, babe. I already put the money in the checkout counter, so you can pay the bill directly. Keep the rest for your pocket money if there¡¯s some left. My buddy and I will go out to the entrance to smoke and have a chat.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    At the moment, Xie Xiaotong held a Hermes bag she took a fancy in, and her sharp eyes glanced at the checkout counter and saw three stacks of red 100 yuan bills placed on it. She immediately put down the Hermes bag in her hand and selected another slightly worse quality and much cheaper bag in the next partition.


    Buying a bag was her motive, but if the rest of the money was for her own pocket money, she did not want to waste too much!


    At the store entrance.


    There was an embarrassed expression on Yue Kai¡¯s face as he rubbed his hand and spoke with a dry smile, ¡°Thanks for this time, Big Bro Tang. I¡¯ll pay you back next month.¡±


    Tang Xiu could not help but laugh and said, ¡°We¡¯re brothers, so leave out talking about money since it¡¯s kinda offensive, don¡¯t you think? Anyways, are you available to help me pick some women clothes?¡±


    ¡°Your matter is of the utmost importance in the Heaven and Earth, Big Bro Tang.¡± Yue Kai nodded. ¡°Let alone girls, even if such a great event as the sky falling, they must be put aside first. Anyhow, lemme see and bade farewell to that girl first before we go shopping.¡±


    That girl?


    ¡°Are you doing it for fun?¡± Asked Tang Xiu curiously.


    Yue Kai lit a cigarette, puffed twice, and said, ¡°Without having some fun, don¡¯t tell me I have to invest in some feelings too now? I know perfectly well that women nowadays are very materialistic. You too heard what Qingsong said before, no? The craving for material things reigns in this age of materialism, where money is the principle of truth! Women¡­ tsk, tsk. Just have fun and playing with them will do. If you do have a good life later, you may meet a good one and marry her so you can be said to make a hit yourself. If you don¡¯t chance upon one, you might as well be muddleheaded.¡±


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes at him. He was helpless as far as Yue Kai¡¯s deranged fallacy was concerned. However, each and every person had their own circumstance, and naturally had a different way of thinking as well. At present, Yue Kai said what he thought as if seemingly the truth, but maybe he would meet a girl one day, one who could satisfy what his heart had been wishing for and step into the matrimony sanctuary ahead of time, ultimately hugging a chubby boy earlier.


    ¡°Dear, I want the latest Hermes bag.¡±


    A coquettish voice came from the left side, as a woman with a voluptuous body and beautiful looks held a handsome young man who was donned in various famous brands from head to toe. Her posture was literally almost hanging on the young man.


    A smile outlined on the handsome young man¡¯s mouth as he said, ¡°Then buy it. You can buy them if you like it, honey. We¡¯ll buy three to five of them.¡±


    The girl¡¯s eyes lit up and she immediately said with pleasant surprise, ¡°You¡¯re the best, dear. I¡¯ll serve you and definitely make you feel great after we go back home tonight.¡±


    ¡°I love it.¡±


    During the chat, the couple walked past Tang Xiu and Yue Kai. They did not even glance at them and headed straight into the Hermes store.


    ¡°What a foolish spendthrift.¡± Yue Kai rolled his eyes and whispered.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s smile looked strange as he commented, ¡°I think you¡¯re just same, mate!¡±


    Yue Kai was stunned and his face immediately blushed with shame. He touched his nose and coughed, ¡°No, it¡¯s different. Absolutely different. At least I never said ¡®Honey, we¡¯ll buy three to five as long as you love them¡¯¡­ Hahaha.¡±


    Tang Xiu ruthlessly slammed him, ¡°That is because you¡¯re poor as dirt.¡±


    Yue Kai¡¯s face was pulled down and said helplessly, ¡°Big Bro Tang, don¡¯t send me such a deadly blow, will you? If I had a financial source like yours, I would have been disinclined to see that woman inside or the woman who just passed by. I¡¯d definitely find myself the best women.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and did not feel like responding to this creature again.


    After the cigarette was completely burned out, Yue Kai then called Tang Xiu and walked toward the Hermes store. Just as he strode inside and saw the situation there, his expression instantly turned gloomy, since his girlfriend Xie Xiaotong acted so intimately, pulling the arm of the handsome young man who had just entered the store and tried her best to fawn upon him, while the other woman also did not want to be outdone by her and took the young man¡¯s other hand.


    Much to Yue Kai¡¯s indignation, the handsome young man seemed to welcome the two beauties, with his arms coiled around their shoulders while his fingers slid across their makeup covered faces from time to time.


    ¡°You both are my babes. This young master is very happy today, so you can pick whatever bag you like and I¡¯ll pay it,¡± said the handsome young man with a particularly bright smile.


    ¡°XIE XIAOTONG!¡± Yue Kai dashed a few steps forward and shouted, looking incensed.


    The girl glanced at him and looked flustered. She hurriedly released the handsome young man¡¯s hand and wanted to break free from his hand. But that handsome young man obviously heard Yue Kai¡¯s shout clearly as he furrowed his brows. Not only did he not loosen Xie Xiaotong¡¯s shoulder, he even forcefully pulled her to his chest.


    Ugh¡­


    Xie Xiaotong somewhat regretted it. She had just seen Young Master Wu and was so excited that she forgot herself and ran straight to the young man and did everything to please him. She knew his identity as the only son of the Wanjian Group, who grew up with a golden spoon since childhood. He was rich and handsome with an illustrious identity¡ªan existence a countless number of people would look up to in the future. He was simply the perfect wealthy husband in her eyes.


    *¡ª This should be chapter 695: *


    Being Trampled On


    Xie Xiaotong was once fortunate enough to be invited when a certain group of scions held a party, and the one she served was this Young Master Wu. She did her best to serve him that night, and not only did she win this young man¡¯s favor, she also obtained tens of thousands of yuan. Following that, she was also often called to serve him from time to time.


    However, she knew she had just created trouble looking at the angry Yue Kai. Though Yue Kai was only a freshman at Shanghai University, he probably came from a notable, wealthy family given his extravagant spending.


    Yue Kai¡¯s angry eyes instantly landed on Wu Guanghui and roared, ¡°LET THE GIRL GO, YOU FUCKTARD!¡±


    Wu Guanghui raised his brows. Not only did he not release Xie Xiaotong, but also lowered his face to kiss her, shot Yue Kai a provocative look, and then casually said, ¡°Who the hell is this rubbish? Xiaotong, honey! Where the hell did this bloke come from? Do you know him?¡±


    Xie Xiaotong knew how Wu Guanghui acted to a certain degree, and in particular, his habit to seek revenge for the smallest grievance, and his pettiness was also notoriously famous in his social circle. She would end up miserable if she made him lose face today. After hesitating and weighing the importance of Yue Kai and Wu Guanghui inside her mind, the balance counter immediately fell to the latter. She raised her pretty face, shook her head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know him, Young Master Wu.¡±


    Wu Guanghui nodded in satisfaction, hoisted his face toward Yue Kai a few times and sneered, ¡°Did you hear that, punk? My honey, Xiaotong, doesn¡¯t know you. You¡¯re just hopelessly picking up a fight, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Yue Kai stared at Xie Xiaotong in disbelief. He had planned to beat the guy, but Xie Xiaotong¡¯s answer was like a heavy slap in the face, literally trashing his complexion and burning his face.


    She doesn¡¯t know me?


    The woman who he had slept with a few days ago now said that she did not know him just to fawn upon another man?


    Yue Kai took a deep breath, trying to contain his anger inside. He pointed at Wu Guanghui and shot a ¡°you got guts¡± look, and then turned around and walk away. Just as he was about to step out of the store door, he suddenly remembered something and walked back to the checkout counter, grabbed the 30 thousand yuan, and then spoke to the elegant and beautiful cashier in a deep voice, ¡°I, Yue Kai, am a rich guy, but I¡¯m not giving my money to that bitch. You, on the other hand, are much better since you make a living by your own skills. I¡¯m leaving this money for you to pick wherever bag you like. Just count it as a present.¡±


    With that said, he went straight to the entrance door without looking back.


    The elegant and beautiful cashier was utterly dumbfounded as she held the 30 thousand yuan Yue Kai gave her. She looked at Xie Xiaotong and then looked at Yue Kai¡¯s back with a sympathetic expression. However, she then turned around to speak to her female colleague in a whisper and then chased toward the outside.


    At the shop¡¯s entrance.


    Tang Xiu heard Yue Kai¡¯s yell, but he did not go inside. Though he did not know what happened inside, he did not want to meddle in the love affair issues between Yue Kai and his girlfriend.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Asked Tang Xiu casually after seeing Yue Kai come out with a sullen face.


    Yue Kai spat to the side, shook his head and said with a scowl, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just had some fun with a bitch for a couple of days, and now I wanna go home to wash my body since I¡¯m done with her.¡±


    Tang Xiu sighed inwardly as he nodded and said, ¡°Since you¡¯re fine, let us just leave.¡±


    The female cashier appeared in front of him holding the 30 thousand yuan quickly blocked Yue Kai¡¯s path and said, ¡°Hello, Sir. This is your money, I can¡¯t accept it.¡±


    ¡°Interesting. This fucking bastard is really interesting. You know, a nobody is still a nobody, for no one will accept money from a fucktard like you.¡± Wu Guanghui came out from the inside while hugging the two women¡¯s shoulders. He had heard Yue Kai cursing Xie Xiaotong as a bitch and was very angry inwardly. He came out and planned to humiliate Yue Kai, but did not expect to be a godsend opportunity just as he came out.


    In an instant, Yue Kai¡¯s face turned extremely nasty.


    The female cashier had watched all the unfolded causes and everything that followed. She knew that this young master Wu was not a good man. She knew that this guy was using her to mock Yue Kai, making her sympathize with the latter, and quickly said, ¡°That¡¯s not true. There¡¯s a regulation in our store that no employees are allowed to receive tips and any benefits from our customers.¡±


    Wu Guanghui frowned, and there was an annoyed look in his eyes, as he shouted at her in a deep voice, ¡°SHUT THE HELL UP!¡±


    Tang Xiu, who stood by at the side and looked at the fearful looking female cashier, as well as the nasty looking Yue Kai, secretly sighed inwardly and spoke to Wu Guanghui, ¡°Dude, go easy on them. You already have the upper hand, so stop it here and now! It¡¯s not worth it for you to make enemies just because of women, especially for such casual women.¡±


    Wu Guanghui let out a complacent smile and only glanced at Tang Xiu. His eyes then fell again on Yue Kai¡¯s unsightly expression. On the contrary, it was Xie Xiaotong who was fuming, unable to bear being the target of Tang Xiu¡¯s ugly remark, as she cussed angrily, ¡°Who the hell are you? It¡¯s none of your damn business! What are you, to mind others¡¯ fucking business? Careful with your words. Who the hell did you say was a casual woman, huh? What a dickhead!¡±


    The other woman also swayed her voluptuous waist and indignantly said, ¡°Did you wash your mouth with shit? Look at your destitute and sour appearance, yet you want to be the third wheel in other¡¯s business? Hmph¡­ relying on yourself you want to trifle with me?¡±


    Wu Guanghui looked overjoyed and kissed Xie Xiaotong and the other woman¡¯s face and unreservedly praised them, ¡°My two babies, you really can talk, eh? Anyways, your Young Master¡¯s mood is very great today, so good that I will treat and love you well tonight!¡±


    Tang Xiu watched the trio in disgust, and then looked at the female cashier and lightly said, ¡°My brother gave the money to you. Just accept it. You¡¯re outside the store now, so the rules of your employer no longer apply to you.¡±


    With that said, he patted Yue Kai¡¯s shoulder, shook his head and said, ¡°Let¡¯s just go! Do you want to bite back the mad dogs who just bit you? Just go back home, take a bath and wash your bad luck.¡±


    Yue Kai nodded. He did not get angry with that female cashier though she had to give back his money and it was used by Wu Guanghui to mock him. He, on the contrary, admired her, because that 30 thousand yuan was probably equal to one or two months of her salary.


    ¡°Yeah, right!¡± Wu Guanghui rolled his eyes and looked at Tang Xiu and Yue Kai with disdain. He was regretting wasting time to taunt these two trashes, so he might as well spend his time having fun with these two women.


    At this moment, his totally unconcerned eyes drifted from Tang Xiu and Yue Kai and were about to turn back to the store, as his eyes caught sight of someone and his expression moved all of a sudden. He immediately released the two women and strode past Tang Xiu towards a pair of handsome man and woman who were passing by another place about a dozen meters away from them.


    ¡°Hello, Brother Chu.¡±


    The man and the woman halted their pace. When the man saw Wu Guanghui rushing over, a disgusted look flashed in his eyes, but he nodded at him and said, ¡°It¡¯s you, Little Wu! Did your Dad send you out of the company?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I did great in the company recently, Brother Chu, so Dad gave me a holiday. I never thought I would bump into you here today. It¡¯s really¡­ a pleasure and honor for me. Anyways, is this¡­ big sis-in-law? Wow, she¡¯s really a fairy. A goddess.¡±


    Wu Guanghui looked at the woman next to Chu Yuan, feeling very envious inside, though he still kept flattering without a change in expression or his voice.


    Chu Yuan only let out a faint smile and did not feel like explaining his relationship with Xue Yu. He did take the initiative to invite Xue Yu out for a walk today. Since Xue Yu herself just came to Shanghai and had already bought her enough daily necessities and clothes with Tang Xiu before, she still proposed to visit the venue and was planning to buy some clothes, accessories, and jewelry for herself. It was because she wanted to dress herself up to look beautiful in order to attract Tang Xiu.


    Suddenly, Chu Yuan¡¯s expression moved, because he caught sight of two men in front, and one of them was unexpectedly Tang Xiu. He subconsciously glanced at Xue Yu and found that she also saw Tang Xiu and straightly walked towards him.


    ¡°How come you are here?¡± Tang Xiu felt somewhat helpless inside upon seeing Xue Yu and Chu Yuan. However, he felt quite amused and annoyed to see Wu Guanghui, who previously acted so rampant and arrogant, now rushed over to Chu Yuan¡¯s front to greet him with such a humble manner.


    Xue Yu let out a faint smile and grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s arm, saying, ¡°Chu Yuan called me out to take a walk today. It¡¯s kinda boring to go to the teahouse, so I brought him here since I wanted to buy some clothes and jewelry.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded at her. He then looked at Chu Yuan and said, ¡°How was it? Were you able to persuade her?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you seen what her character is like?¡± Chu Yuan shook his head. ¡°She¡¯ll never budge on what she has decided upon¨Cnot even ten bulls can pull her. Anyways, it¡¯s you who is too excessive, Tang Xiu. You just left her as your lover only.¡±


    ¡°It was me who was willing!¡± Xue Yu interjected with an irritated expression.


    Tang Xiu could not help laughing. He shifted his sight to Yue Kai, who was gaping in astonishment, and then Wu Guanghui, who was utterly dumbfounded and tongue-tied. While pointing at the latter, he asked, ¡°Do you know this brat?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know his father.¡± Chu Yuan nodded. ¡°I have had some business deals with him.¡±


    ¡°This brat is kind of a rotten apple¡ªthe type of unbridled and arrogant young master,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°You had better lessen your contact with him and his father later since he is probably as bad as him for teaching such a son. If you can opt not to cooperate with him later, then try not to so as to save your own money.¡±


    ¡°Did this brat provoke you or something?¡± Asked Chu Yuan, surprised.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand. ¡°It¡¯s just a trivial thing, there¡¯s no need to stoop down to his level. Anyhow, let me introduce you to this guy. He¡¯s Yue Kai, a brother and a fellow student of mine in university. Yue Kai, this is Chu Yuan, it¡¯s fine for you to call him Brother Chu later.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Brother Chu. I¡¯ve already heard your great name before. You¡¯re simply a legend in the business circle in Shanghai, an awesome figure in the domestic financial industry.¡± Yue Kai hurriedly stretched his hand out to shake hands. ¡°Anyways, I did not expect you to be friends with Big Bro Tang, though.¡±


    Chu Yuan¡¯s acted very humbly, and after he shook hands with Yue Kai, he said with a smile, ¡°Please don¡¯t tease me and compare me with Boss Tang, Brother Yue. I don¡¯t even qualify to carry his shoes.¡±

 Chapter 695

    Chapter 695: A Foolish Rich Man?


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Never did it cross Yue Kai¡¯s mind that Chu Yuan would speak such a lavish praise on Tang Xiu. He then recalled all the performances showcased by Tang Xiu previously and finally realized something: Tang Xiu¡¯s identity was probably very extraordinary.


    ¡°Big Bro Tang, you are¡­¡± Yue Kai opened his mouth but hesitated to continue.


    Inwardly, Tang Xiu felt rather helpless. Chu Yuan praised him too lavishly in front of Yue Kai in a way that it was impossible for him to back down anymore. After hesitating for a moment, he also did not want to conceal it anymore and explained, ¡°I¡¯m the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation as well as the Everlasting Feast Hall. The money I have is probably more than people can imagine, to be honest. But money is nothing but mere worldly possessions in my eyes. Regardless of whatever identity each one of us has, we are brothers of the same kindred spirits.¡±


    Yue Kai looked a bit astonished. He did not know what to say all of a sudden upon seeing how tranquil Tang Xiu¡¯s expression was. On the other hand, Wu Guanghui nearby was unable to restrain his body trying not to shiver, as a horrified expression burst out from his eyes.


    The Magnificent Tang Corporation and the Everlasting Feast Hall?


    The Everlasting Feast Hall was one of the best high-end restaurants in Shanghai, and Wu Guanghui also knew that it was not its main office, but only a branch. He would not have been this shocked if it was only this restaurant franchise, but the reputation of the Magnificent Tang Corporation was too astounding for him.


    In particular, he just heard his father speaking to him a few days ago that the Magnificent Tang Corporation just bought a large plot of land in Shanghai and was preparing to build its HQ as well as an industrial park. Nearly all the top 20 construction companies in the country received an invitation from this company, of which the tender would be held soon.


    His family owned the Myriad Construction Group, and it could only be ranked as a mid-sized construction company in the country, thus not eligible to participate in the construction project tender held by the Magnificent Tang Corporation. But his father also said that if it worked well, they could cooperate with the company that won the bid and that they could make a fortune even if they only got some soup!


    Pa¡­


    Wu Guanghui suddenly slapped his own face, and his unbridled and arrogant manner had completely vanished. Instead, he looked full of remorse and regret as he said, ¡°Tang¡­ Boss Tang, I was just muddle-headed and failed to recognize a great man such as you before. Please do not stoop down to my level if I have offended you.¡±


    ¡°Okay, just hurry up and continue having fun with your girls!¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand in disgust. ¡°Don¡¯t make a fool of yourself here.¡±


    At this very moment, Xie Xiaotong, who just caught up, was stunned, for she had never dreamed that Tang Xiu turned out to be the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation and also seemed to have other industries other than this company as well. She recalled herself ridiculing and insulting him a while ago. Her whole being suddenly turned tense and restless, and the regret made her feel like dying.


    She just compared them and suddenly found that Wu Guanghui, who was already very outstanding in the eyes of many people, was far worse than Tang Xiu. The latter was self-employed and built his own enterprise, and became the true owner of such a major company, while the former was only a scion of a rich family¡ªa second generation nouveau riche, and a playboy silk pants.


    Pa¡­


    Suddenly, a slap hit her face. And the one who did that was Wu Guanghui.


    Wu Guanghui rolled up his sleeves and, after slapping Xie Xiaotong¡¯s face, he pointed at her and cursed furiously, ¡°IT WAS BECAUSE OF YOU, BITCH! YOU¡¯RE THE ONE WHO SEDUCED ME! Had I known you and this Yue¡­ Mr. Yue knew each other, how the hell would I dare to even touch you? Get the hell out of here! And don¡¯t let me see you again later.¡±


    Xie Xiaotong looked dull after getting slapped. Never did she expect that this guy would slap her all of a sudden and make her a scapegoat as if all his mistakes were all caused by her.


    She felt humiliated, and yet, the regret she felt was even more!


    She admitted that she was not a good woman, but little did she think that her flattery would lead to this situation. At this moment, she suddenly felt that her stupidity was already beyond limits, for her snobbishness was nothing but making her a plaything for men¡­ a slut.


    BITCH!


    The vocabulary replayed inside her mind, and Xie Xiaotong¡¯s heart was like being pierced by needles¡ªpainful. Her face was instantly devoid of color. She did not fight back nor did she get angry. She was as though she had lost her soul as she staggeringly walked away, carried by her footsteps.


    Tang Xiu calmly watched as the scene unfolded. He had not the slightest sympathy for Xie Xiaotong. For one to be pitied, she or he must have a detestable side, and yet, she was the one who brought disaster upon herself for the situation and consequences of today¡¯s incident. He was also disgusted by Wu Guanghui and did not want to even look at him again, saying, ¡°Chu Yuan, are you going to continue strolling around? Or¡­¡±


    Without waiting for Chu Yuan to answer, Xue Yu straightforwardly spoke, ¡°No, we won¡¯t go shopping together. I¡¯m going with you.¡±


    Chu Yuan opened his mouth and a forced, wry smile appeared on his handsome face. He then shook his head and sighed, ¡°It¡¯s as people said, that a woman who has gone out to marry a man is truly like something that has been lost and cannot be retrieved. Anyways, Jade Beauty is paying more attention to her lover than her friend, so I¡¯m going back myself first. Tang Xiu, remember your promise to drink with me some other day.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled at him and nodded with eyes following Chu Yuan¡¯s departure.


    At this time, Yue Kai had a complicated mood. He looked at the beautiful Xue Yu beside Tang Xiu and then looked at the latter and spoke, ¡°About your things¡­ do you still need my help?¡±


    Tang Xiu scrunched up for a moment before shaking his head and saying, ¡°Seems like we gotta forget it. You are not in the mood, and since I met Xue Yu here, I¡¯ll take her to accompany me!¡±


    ¡°Okay, then!¡± Yue Kai was indeed not in the mood right now and nodded happily. Just as he walked away for a few steps, he suddenly recalled something and his pace came to a halt. He then turned around and asked loudly, ¡°Big Bro Tang, are the clothes you wanna buy for her?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    ¡°HOLY COW!¡±


    Yue Kai¡¯s heart was as good as dead at this time. The comparison between them was pretty much odious, and his spirit was thoroughly dying. He had seen too many Casanovas, yet never seen such an amazing expert who could outspokenly say to buy clothes for another woman with his lover.


    ¡°Your money.¡±


    The female cashier from the Hermes exclusive store had yet to leave, so she witnessed the entire farce from the beginning to the end. She was extremely disgusted by Wu Guanghui and despised him, and even held Xie Xiaotong in an unusual contempt since she felt that she was a disgrace to all women.


    Nevertheless, she did sympathize with Yue Kai at first but felt happy for him afterward. Although she never expected that the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation turned out to be just a handsome young man, but for Yue Kai to have such a brother was definitely a good karma that was sowed after having been cultivated for several generations.


    What is the so-called brotherhood?


    This Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation had spoken about this, that it was something that the thought of the people involved in the bond that matter. Brothers would not bother mentioning wealth and money. Either being rich or destitute, brothers were brothers. So what this was called? This was the so-called genuine nature of what a real man was!


    Yue Kai was taken aback and looked back to at Tang Xiu again, only to find that Tang Xiu just beckoned at him and brought Xue Yu away.


    ¡°Just take the money! What has been given to someone is something one cannot take back. Taking it back will only mean that person is shameless. If anything, it was Big Bro Tang who actually gave me the money. Besides, he¡¯s a super-rich guy, so you should not take it seriously.¡±


    Finding that Yue Kai was going to leave, the female cashier quickly blocked his path, shook her head and said, ¡°No, a gentleman must never hand out a meal in contempt, and this is not my money either. I already told you that I don¡¯t want it. Besides, I don¡¯t think your brother is likely someone to owe money. It was you who did not have enough money to pick up a girl and borrowed it from him, right? Anyhow, I¡¯ve been wanting to speak to you about this before, but I held back since we¡¯re just strangers. But now, I can¡¯t think that much anymore.¡±


    ¡°Pretending to be a scion from a wealthy family with others¡¯ money won¡¯t make you a real man. You¡¯re still young, so it is the time for you to study or start a business. It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t have money now. Just don¡¯t seek enjoyment and pleasure at first and wait until you earn enough money. Like those two women just now, they definitely cost you a great deal.


    ¡°Thus, I ask you to take this money back.¡±


    Again, Yue Kai was taken aback. He looked at this female cashier in disbelief and felt his face burning. He had just gotten humiliated by Wu Guanghui and it was already quite a grievous blow to him. To think that even an attendant was now looking down on him, a nefarious flame was immediately set ablaze inside his heart. He reached out to grab the 30 thousand yuan and stuffed it into her pocket, and then grabbed her hand and strode towards the store.


    After entering, Yue Kai released the struggling female cashier¡¯s hand. He then picked the nearest four Hermes bags and directly dropped them on the checkout counter. Then, he took out a credit card and spoke in a heavy tone, ¡°Swipe this card. I¡¯ll buy these four bags.¡±


    The female cashier looked stunned, and then her expression turned into that of surprise, Did I just misread him? Didn¡¯t he borrow the money to pick up that girl? Is he really rich?


    Countless question marks fluttered around in her head. She hesitated for a short while, as she forced out a wry smile and said, ¡°If what I spoke to you wrong, I beg you to forgive me and not to be offended by my ignorance. Please don¡¯t be angry and try to prove yourself in front of me. There¡¯s no need for you to buy those four bags all at once. You must know that the total price of these four bags is 110 thousand yuan.¡±


    ¡°I told you to swipe the card!¡± Said Yue Kai with a sullen face.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    The female cashier opened her mouth, only to find that Yue Kai did not even want to hear it. She suddenly felt annoyed and turned the label directly. After registering and calculating the price, she said, ¡°The total amount of these four bags is 118 thousand yuan. Are you sure you¡¯re going to pay them with your credit card?¡±


    ¡°Swipe it!¡± Said Yue Kai adamantly.


    However angry and irritated she may be, the female cashier still hesitated and looked at Yue Kai again. After finding out that his face was cold and gloomy, only then did she pick up the credit card and swiped it. As the bill was printed out, only then did she realize that she had really misunderstood Yue Kai. A customer who spent 118 thousand yuan meant that the person did not even need to borrow money from others.


    Yue Kai shot her a deep look before he turned around and left.


    The female cashier was speechless due to astonishment. The four bags were still on the checkout counter, and he just left like that? After a short blank, she hurriedly called out, ¡°Sir, you haven¡¯t taken your bags!¡±


    Yue Kai did not even look back as he replied, ¡°I¡¯m in a bad mood today. I¡¯m not even allowed to play with money and throw it out? You can take all those bags if you want. Or throw them out if you don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    The female cashier was as though zapped by thunder. Her whole being turned silly and she stood still in her spot with a blank expression. Her several colleagues around could only cast envious looks at her. She did not even remember that Yue Kai had also returned that 30 thousand yuan to her a while ago. Ultimately, in just a short few minutes, four Hermes bags with a total price of 118 thousand yuan were gifted to her.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with everything going on today?


    ¡°Did I just run into a good-for-nothing man? Or did I just bump a silly, rich local guy?


    ¡°And these four bags¡­¡±

 Chapter 696

    Chapter 696: The Might of the Mysterious Array


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Golden Eagle Mall.


    Xue Yu held Tang Xiu¡¯s hand as they slowly passed through each clothing store. The stores that could open its business here were all world famous brands. Some people even said that this place was set up for the rich to spend their money, that even the cheapest underwear or pair of socks sold here was priced at four digits.


    ¡°Who do you want to buy clothes for?¡± Asked Xue Yu with a curious face, since she learned from Tang Xiu that he wanted to buy a set of woman¡¯s clothes.


    Tang Xiu did not try to conceal it and directly answered, ¡°It¡¯s for Ouyang Lulu.¡±


    Xue Yu had never heard of Ouyang Lulu¡¯s name and naturally did not know who she was. She did not even ask what kind of relationship she had with Tang Xiu and asked directly, ¡°How old is she and what¡¯s the size of her body?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s about the same age as you, about 24 or 25 years old?¡± Tang Xiu shook his head with a forced smile. ¡°As for the size of her body¡­ well, I don¡¯t know about it.¡±


    Xue Yu pondered, and then asked again, ¡°But you should know her height, right? Is she busty, and how about her figure? And also, her nature¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu was rendered speechless and dumbfounded being barraged by Xue Yu¡¯s series of questions. After a long while being at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh, he asked, ¡°You need to know one¡¯s nature if you want to buy clothes for that person?¡±


    ¡°That is only natural,¡± answered Xue Yu with a matter-of-factly expression. ¡°I can determine what kind of clothes she likes if I know her character.¡±


    Giving it a thought, Tang Xiu felt that what Xue Yu said was quite reasonable. With his description, Xue Yu straightly took him to several stores and finally chose a good coat, and then directly led him to a nearby underwear store and bought three sets of underwear that should be liked by a busty young woman.


    After half an hour, the duo left the Golden Eagle Mall and stood outside at the entrance. Tang Xiu looked at Xue Yu and asked, ¡°I already bought the clothes, do you have other plans?¡±


    ¡°Would you like to sit there with me? There¡¯s a bit of an issue I¡¯d like to ask you about,¡± said Xue Yu after hesitating for a short moment.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s an issue related to an array,¡± said Xue Yu.


    ¡°You¡¯re not even a cultivator, what do you need to know about an issue with an array for?¡± Tang Xiu was curious.


    ¡°You¡¯ll know of it after you go with me,¡± said Xue Yu.


    After hesitating for a short while, Tang Xiu decided to follow Xue Yu to the Tomson Villa. When he entered the villa, he saw that the place was still the same as before, even the quilt on the table was not moved or changed. When they came to Xue Yu¡¯s bedroom, Tang Xiu took a fast glance around and immediately asked with a curious expression, ¡°How do you have your meal here?¡±


    Xue Yu seemed to recall about it and then said, ¡°I¡¯ve been studying the array ever since I came here, and I think I haven¡¯t had any meals at all. Chu Yuan called me to go out and I planned to have a bite outside. Then, I finally bumped into you¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows slightly furrowed. He took out the mobile phone to dial Mo Awu¡¯s cell number and ordered him to go to a nearby restaurant to buy a meal and send it over. After that, he then said, ¡°What exactly is the situation with the array you mentioned?¡±


    Xue Yu then walked toward the dressing table, took out the yellowing book stitched with gold thread, and then handed it to Tang Xiu and said, ¡°This book was given to me by the Ancestress. She told me that I should thoroughly study it so I can help you crack the array of that Immortal Trove. I was planning to crack it myself so as to make you feel that I¡¯m a useful woman to you. But, after I studied it and even used a forbidden divination art, the divination was only able to reveal the fragments of its abstruseness, and I couldn¡¯t fathom it after that.¡±


    Tang Xiu took the book and read it. He immediately furrowed his brows, since the content recorded on the first page made him baffled.


    The Six Starlight Array?


    It was an array he had never heard of. What was even more baffling to him was that the more he read the contents along with scrutinizing the Six Starlight Array, the more his brows furrowed, until a ´¨ pattern was shown on his forehead. The array was that of an extremely uncommon type as it seemingly grouped into a pattern that did not conform to the common pattern of array design at all, with extreme intricateness and meticulous design. He once researched the totems of the Shaman Clan in the Immortal World, and he found that the pattern of the array outlined on it was somewhat similar to the totems of the Shaman Clan, but this Six Starlight Array was more profound.


    ¡°Xue Yu, tell me what you¡¯ve comprehended about this Six Starlight Array,¡± said Tang Xiu after spending two hours reading more than twenty pages.


    ¡°What I understood about this Six Starlight Array is pretty shallow. My comprehension of its details is very few and far between, yet it is still quite broad and profound. For example, the most basic outline structure of the pattern based on the lines of points as its supporting frame, while the whole entity itself served as an overseer of the pattern. The segmentation constituted by multiple diagrams, with each diagram separated by a distance to be distributed over an area around the crux as its central point¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up and reopened the Six Starlight Array pattern in the chart. His fingers kept rubbing on it, while the trajectory of its paths rippled in his eyes: the basic point, the pattern route of the array, and its collocation¡­


    The triangle served as its power, whereas the whole entity served as a furnace.


    The steady stream flowed backward from the source, and once it was constructed with spiritual power, it would no longer be a simple array anymore. Feng Shui arrays generally only had one crux, while this Six Starlight Array was different as it had six cruxes with each serving as an additional crux that not only doubled its might but also repeatedly overlapped with each other to increase its might by dozens of times, and it was even possible that it could multiply the might for hundreds of times.


    Tang Xiu remembered the cave where Western Nefarious Sangha planted the medicinal herbs. The inlaid Soul Tranquilizer Stone and the solidified Dragon Eye there were perfectly laid out to form this Six Starlight Array.


    Whoosh whoosh whoosh!


    Tang Xiu took out five pieces of jade from the interspatial ring. After visually measuring the distance between them and separately differentiating each according to the five angles of the Six Starlight Array, he then took a larger jade and placed it in the center position.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not correct?¡±


    After designing the pattern, Tang Xiu found that this simple arrangement of the Six Starlight Array did not produce any effect at all, and also found some discrepancies as well.


    ¡°This Six Starlight¡­¡±


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed and he immediately put down the book. He then looked at Xue Yu and asked, ¡°Was it Old Blind who gave this book to you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Xue Yue nodded.


    ¡°She misled me,¡± said Tang Xiu with an expression of being at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh. ¡°This chart is simply a mistake, and this Six Starlight Array is just a prank. Anyways, I¡¯m going to show you a new arrangement for this array, you can see it for yourself.¡±


    With that said, Tang Xiu took another piece of jade from his interspatial ring and placed the other six in a different symmetrical orientation with the same distance separation from the center. Afterward, when he put the last large jade in the middle, he continuously drew the outline of the pattern, which in the end instantly stimulated it.


    BOOM¡­


    A dreadful aura formed on the table, as though a small windstorm had instantly smashed the table, penetrated the floor, and continued shooting down at an extremely fast speed.


    ¡°Oops!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face changed and instantly released his Primal Chaos Force to wrap the windstorm in nearly an instant and forcibly contained while removing the array at a very fast speed.


    Xue Yu was forced back for seven-plus steps from the windstorm that had just formed. After everything vanished, her eyes stared wide with a look of disbelief within. She ran back in front of the table, looking at the tabletop and the floor below. She could see that a circular hole with a diameter of more than ten centimeters was created on the ground in the apartment below.


    It had to be noted that her bedroom was on the second floor of the residential compound! Yet, it drilled down and penetrated two floors in a flash?


    Tang Xiu awkwardly scratched the back of his head and said with a forced smile, ¡°I forgot you¡¯re living in a residential building, and neither did I expect that this array would erupt quickly the moment it was arranged. Luckily, I removed it in a timely manner. Had I been late by ten seconds, that windstorm would not only create the hole in the center, but would definitely destroy the entire building.¡±


    The might of an array was something Xue Yu had never seen before. At this time, her heart was jolted after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s explanation, as it was her first time realizing how terrifying a cultivator was.


    ¡°You¡­ can you teach me to cultivate and step into the Dao?¡± There was anticipation in Xue Yu¡¯s eyes, but her nervousness was even more evident.


    Tang Xiu pondered for a while before he slowly replied, ¡°My cultivation system is different. Though, in fact, it would not be inferior to those cultivators in your cultivation system once you have a breakthrough. For example, Old Blind. I know perfectly well about her strength, and even though some cultivators who are said to have a very good cultivation level, they may not be her match at all.¡±


    ¡°I want to cultivate on both,¡± said Xue Yu.


    Recalling Old Blind¡¯s aid in Kanas as well as considering that this woman did treat him well, Tang Xiu finally nodded and said, ¡°Since you want to become a cultivator, then I¡¯ll teach you a set of the Daoist cultivation system. Cultivating in both systems is actually easy, and though I¡¯m not familiar with the circumstances with your cultivation system, I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t have a conflict. I have seen many people who cultivated in many different cultivation techniques. Some of them were even able to leave their marks in the world, while some others, however, were distracted and it held them back. Since you¡¯ve made up your mind with this choice, it will be up to your diligence and hard work later.¡±


    Tang Xiu was perfectly clear that even her closest person had a similar situation as Xue Yu, such as his disciple, Gu Yan¡¯er, who was an immortal cultivator with a very formidable strength. Her cultivation level was already quite high, yet she also became an in-name disciple under the Heavenly Emperor Tian Ji, from whom she learned the deduction technique of Divinatory Art, and eventually found Earth.


    ¡°I can help find you a teacher if there¡¯s a chance later.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s smile turned somewhat wider, for he suddenly felt that turning Xue Yu into a cultivator would not be a bad thing. If Gu Yan¡¯er could give her some pointers, perhaps she would also have a chance to ascend to the Immortal World in the future.


    Xue Yu herself was unaware of what Tang Xiu was thinking, and asked curiously, ¡°What kind of teacher, exactly? Is it a teacher who can teach me cultivation and step into the Dao?¡±


    Tang Xiu chuckled, ¡°She indeed can teach you a cultivation system and make you step into the Dao, but not only that since she also can teach you divinatory techniques. Furthermore, with her attainments in this aspect, not even the underworld nor the heavenly secrets are considered impossible subjects to her.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding me, right?¡± Xue Yu shook her head. ¡°Even if you do become a Divine Oracle, you¡¯re probably¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at this issue from the angle of your mortal eyes.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand to interrupt her. ¡°There are a lot of things you don¡¯t understand. You will only know about the abilities possessed by Daoist cultivators or immortal cultivators when you¡¯ve reached a certain level of strength.¡±


    Xue Yu seemed to have a hazy notion about it and curiously said, ¡°So, when will you teach me how to cultivate?¡±


    Tang Xiu corrected her, ¡°What I¡¯m going to teach you is not a Daoist cultivation technique, but one of the immortals. But you must keep in mind that you are not allowed to pass this cultivation technique to anyone, no matter what.¡±


    ¡°I promise!¡± Xue Yu firmly nodded.

 Chapter 697

    Chapter 697: Dealing with the Damages


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The differences between Daoist cultivators and Immortal cultivators was something obscure to Xue Yu, so she did not ask anything on this issue. She was had been anticipating to be taught an Immortal cultivation technique by Tang Xiu that could elevate her to become a powerful figure in the future. She found that she had a strong interest in arrays, and decided that she must learn and study this field whenever she had the opportunity in the future.


    ¡°Hey, you haven¡¯t told me when you will teach me!¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at the time and seemingly remembering something, he asked, ¡°You said you haven¡¯t eaten anything yet, right? Didn¡¯t I already tell Awu to buy it?¡±


    ¡°Awu has come back long ago, you know.¡± Xue Yu smiled. ¡°You just didn¡¯t hear him coming since you were so infatuated in studying that book. Anyways, I¡¯m not hungry. How about you teach me now?¡±


    ¡°No need to rush now.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s have a bite first and then I¡¯ll teach you afterward.¡±


    An hour later after, Tang Xiu and Xue Yu were full, the duo came back to the latter¡¯s bedroom and Tang Xiu directly said, ¡°Take off your clothes. I¡¯ll teach you how to identify the acupoints and meridians first. After you¡¯ve thoroughly grasped them, I¡¯ll then impart you which channels to circulate according to the cultivation technique route.¡±


    Take off my clothes?


    Xue Yu hesitated for a short while, but she still took her coat off without speaking. Then, she undressed the shirt underneath it under Tang Xiu¡¯s watchful gaze. When there was only underwear left on her body, her white face had already turned beet red, and even the roots of her ears were slightly reddish.


    Never once had she ever worn so little on her body before any men since she was a child until becoming an adult, for there was a special custom for the tribes who lived in the Miao Region that a girl born there must never let any men see her body, not even their fathers¡­


    Additionally, she was still a virgin and never had any physical contact with men. Even if she did prepare to give her first time to Tang Xiu, or even every time whenever he wanted it afterward, she still felt very embarrassed, shy, and nervous.


    Looking at Xue Yu¡¯s flawless body, Tang Xiu, who was originally going to start immediately, felt a flame starting to burn inside him after seeing her shy and blushing appearance. Despite having a firm self-control and venting his desire with Ouyang Lulu yesterday and today, yet that flame of desire was raging back like before.


    ¡°Undress everything.¡±


    Sometimes, having experienced the first time would lead to the second, and having done it with someone would make one wanting the second one. For instance, a woman who went off the rails. It would be hard for her to escape from this aspect as she would put aside her restraint, believing that it did not matter if she did it again after doing it once.


    It was the kind of psychology Tang Xiu currently had at this moment. He had already ¡°occupied¡± Ouyang Lulu¡¯s body, so it did not matter if he wanted Xue Yu¡¯s body as well. More so that he did not want to be fettered and bound by himself upon facing an attractive woman.


    ¡°C-can¡­ can I not take it off? Umm¡­ I¡¯m having ¡®that¡¯.¡± Xue Yu¡¯s voice was a bit trembling and her ear turned redder.


    Tang Xiu stared blankly and suddenly could not help but groan inside. He felt somewhat awkward and yet vexed inside. He then touched his nose and said, ¡°If that is the case, let it be. I¡¯ll teach you as far as possible, perhaps you can memorize it well.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Xue Yu had been secretly observing Tang Xiu¡¯s expression, only to find herself a bit disappointed as different kinds of emotions were born inside her heart. Tang Xiu used to behave like a gentleman, and she thought that she did not have what it took to make him interested in her. And now, seeing that he looked disappointed, it made her realize that she was actually quite attractive.


    Time fleeted by. Just as the duo was immersed in the atmosphere of ¡®teaching¡¯ and ¡®studying¡¯, a scream suddenly came from downstairs. It was a woman¡¯s scream and was piercingly loud.


    ¡°Shoot! The floor was just drilled through before and I forgot to deal with it.¡± Tang Xiu jumped from the bed, grabbed Xue Yu¡¯s clothes, and threw them at her, saying, ¡°Put on your clothes. Hurry! We gotta deal with this problem quickly before we continue.¡±


    Realizing that they needed to address this issue now, Xue Yu quickly dressed up and followed Tang Xiu to the outside. When the two of them came down from the stairs, they saw a middle-aged man in pajamas rushing out of the compound, followed by a woman with disheveled hair.


    ¡°Are you the landlord of this compound?¡± Asked Tang Xiu after looking at the two of them.


    The man seemed a bit flustered as well as angry after seeing Tang Xiu and Xue Yu coming down from the stairs and loudly said, ¡°That¡¯s right, this is my home. Who are you?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re the tenants of your compound,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°I apologize for the small incident that caused the floor to be pierced and bore a hole in the ground. This has affected you, so other than wanting to apologize, I¡¯d like to pay for the damages no matter how much it costs. I can accept that.¡±


    The middle-aged man¡¯s expression instantly turned gloomier and he angrily replied, ¡°You want to pay compensation? Do you think this is something that can be solved just by paying compensation? My home was all good and neat, and then my roof was hit by something all of a sudden and created a hole there, and even two floors were pierced through. Get inside and have a look at my home yourself! Everything in my study room is in a mess, even my bedroom is like it was just burglarized.¡±


    Tang Xiu knew that he was in the wrong and let out a hollow laugh, and then hurriedly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, Big Brother. Let¡¯s talk about it. The fault is mine, and your life was also affected. Thus, I¡¯ll pay ten times the compensation for everything. If you think it¡¯s troublesome, I¡¯ll immediately find a repairman and also buy all the damaged things in your house.¡±


    The middle-aged man could feel Tang Xiu¡¯s sincerity as well as seeing his humble attitude. The anger inside him immediately vanished, and after being silent for a short while, he then slowly said, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu.¡±


    The middle-aged man faintly felt that the name was familiar, but he could not remember where he had heard it. On the contrary, the woman who was currently tidying up her hair suddenly pointed to Tang Xiu and exclaimed, ¡°I know you! You¡¯re the famous young miracle-working doctor Tang Xiu, aren¡¯t you? You¡­ were you not in Star City? How come you¡¯re in Shanghai?¡±


    Upon hearing the reminder from his wife, the middle-aged man immediately remembered Tang Xiu¡¯s identity, and even his thought went far beyond that.


    ¡°It turns out to be you, Brother Tang Xiu! Alas¡­ had I known earlier who you were, I would not have acted with that attitude just now. I¡¯ve long heard about your resounding name!¡± The middle-aged man laughed.


    ¡°Big Brother and Big Sis-in-law, I never thought you both would recognize me. But I really am apologizing for this incident since it has affected you both,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Nevermind it.¡± The middle-aged man waved his hand. ¡°It¡¯s like we are having a fight with a stranger at first, but then turns out that we¡¯re actually relatives. Hence, let¡¯s cut this ceremonial talk. Besides, people said that close neighbors are better than distant relatives, no? That¡¯s right, I forgot to introduce myself. I¡¯m Yu Kuizeng, the chairman of Tiancheng Group, and this is my wife, Wang Xiaoyue.¡±


    The Tiancheng Group?


    Tang Xiu knew about this company, and there were only a few people in Shanghai who did not know it. The Tiancheng Group¡¯s main business was automobile retails, after-sales, and it also engaged in sales of mechanical parts. He also learned of the legendary figures in the business world while studying economics, and this man in front of him was one of them.


    Before Yu Kuizeng turned 19, he was but a poor and destitute man who worked as a maintenance worker at a dealership. Later on, he resigned from the job and set up his own small repair shop. Since he possessed good skills, was honest and upright, he was eventually able to develop his business and opened a bigger repair shop after more than two years.


    Afterward, he decided to borrow a heavy loan from the bank and cooperated with several auto manufacturers that did not sell well in China. At the same time, they established three brands of auto 4S shops. Because of his sincerity and shrewdness, his business got bigger and bigger, and then came into contact with high-end car businesses about more than a decade ago.


    Eventually, his business expanded and he now had at least a few billions of yuan in wealth. It was no wonder that he could afford to buy a residential house and lived in the most expensive area in China, the Tomson Villa.


    ¡°Ah, it turns out to be Big Brother Yu. I really have to blame my eyes for being unable to recognize you a while ago,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°So to say, I read about you in some financial magazines, and also watched your interviews on TV.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Brother Tang knows me too?¡± Yu Kuizeng was astonished.


    ¡°We both are businessmen, so it¡¯s only natural to pay more attention to other businessmen,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Especially you, Big Brother. You¡¯re a successful businessman yourself, so of course, I know you.¡±


    Yu Kuizeng felt flattered and happy by Tang Xiu¡¯s words. Though he did have billions in assets, he also knew who Tang Xiu¡¯s identity was. This owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation may act low-key, but he happened to have a good relationship with several wealthy people¡ªhis friends in the business world. Among them was Jin Xingkui¡ªhis brother who often mentioned this Brother Tang of his to him.


    ¡°Alright. Come come come, Brother Tang¡­ and this one is¡­ Anyways, let¡¯s talk inside.¡±


    ¡°How do you do, Big Brother? How do you do Big Sis-in-law? My name is Xue Yu,¡± said Xue Yu with a smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re so beautiful, sis-in-law. Like a fairy,¡± replied Wang Xiaoyue with a smile. ¡°Brother Tang Xiu is really blessed to actually find himself such a beautiful wife like you.¡±


    Tang Xiu did not elaborate on his relationship with Xue Yu. After entering Yu Kuizeng¡¯s home, he first went to his study room and saw that the windstorm produced by the array turned out to have produced a much bigger might as it turned this study room in a complete mess.


    Standing in front of Tang Xiu, Yu Kuizeng raised his head to look at the hole in the ceiling. He forced a wry smile and said, ¡°Brother Tang, I can¡¯t help but marvel about something. How did you do it? To think that you actually caused¡­ made such a hole. You also know that my house is on the first floor!¡±


    Before leaving downstairs, Tang Xiu had already thought about this problem and prepared an answer. So, he let out a dry chuckle and said, ¡°The lab I just set up recently has developed a product with a special technology. This product is kind of related with the military, so I can¡¯t disclose it as it¡¯s a under Non-Disclosure Agreement. When I just arrived in the compound, I wanted to show it off to Xue Yu to demonstrate its power. Then, I finally remembered that I was upstairs, so¡­¡±


    Yu Kuizeng¡¯s countenance slightly changed. He did not expect that Tang Xiu had some involvement with the military, and immediately canceled the thought to ask him about it.


    ¡°Brother Yu, I hope you can help me keep this a secret. This product of technology is, after all, produced under cooperation with the military. Furthermore, the Magnificent Tang Corporation must not make it known to the public. It will be very troublesome if you ever disclose this thing out.¡±


    ¡°I understand. You can rest assured about that,¡± said Yu Kuizeng with a serious expression.

 Chapter 698

    Chapter 698: Strange Incidents


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Unwilling to owe a favor due to damaging Yu Kuizeng¡¯s house and ruining many objects in it, Tang Xiu insisted to give compensation. He had a short chat with them since the day was almost over and hurriedly found maintenance workers in the property management office, of whom contacted someone who then spent two hours to patch the holes.


    Late at night, around midnight, Tang Xiu left the Tomson Villa Complex. Though Xue Yu wanted him to stay, Ouyang Lulu was still at his home. After Tang Xiu and Xue Yu had a warm moment together, he then walked out of the villa¡¯s entrance.


    Back at his home, Tang Xiu saw the lights on the second floor lit up. Ouyang Lulu obviously had woken up. When getting there, he saw her leaning on the pillow while reading a fashion magazine and seemingly enjoying it. There was also a red jujube lotus seed soup off on the bedside cabinet.


    ¡°How was it? Have you had enough rest?¡±


    Tang Xiu walked to the bed and said with a smile while watching Lulu, who was wearing a white sling that exposed her bare, lotus-like white and smooth arm and her sexy white flesh clavicle cleavage between the proud peaks. At the same time, he put down the clothes he bought for her.


    Lulu thought that Tang Xiu would not come back tonight, and she did not expect him to come back late at night; that made her happy and excited immediately. She sat on the bed and smilingly said, ¡°I rested well, so very well and sweet. I dare say this is the longest time I¡¯ve ever slept in my life, and also the most comfortable sleep I ever had.¡±


    Tang Xiu pointed to the electronic clock hanging on the wall and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s thirty past midnight. If you keep staying up like this, you¡¯ll probably end up tired and with no spirit during the day.¡±


    ¡°So what? I¡¯ll just sleep during the day at the worst,¡± said Ouyang Lulu with a smile. ¡°Anyways, what did you do today, and why did you come back so late?¡±


    ¡°Accompanied a female friend of mine to her company, and then met my lover and went to her place. Shortly put, I did not do anything serious today, though I did meet some trashes. But forget it, let us not talk about that. I need to take a shower and sleep,¡± said Tang Xiu without thinking.


    That night, Tang Xiu slept while embracing Ouyang Lulu. Though her smooth and delicate body made him eager to have another rumble, he then recalled that it was her first time ¡°bleeding¡±, and she was also tossed about by him twice, hence why he restrained himself to do so.


    Early in the morning.


    When the first sunshine shone through the curtain gap into the room, Tang Xiu woke up from his sleep. Just as he wanted to move, Lulu, who slept like a docile kitten in his embrace, was awakened and then opened her eyes, asking, ¡°What time is it?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at the time and smilingly said, ¡°8:10.¡±


    Sitting up, Lulu then saw that Tang Xiu had turned over, got up and then immediately dressed up. She smiled at him and asked, ¡°It¡¯s Sunday, what are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°Got no plan as of now,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°How about accompanying me to the Paradise Manor?¡± Asked Ouyang Lulu. ¡°You haven¡¯t been there for a long time, and my staff kind of thinking that you dumped me!¡±


    Cough*, cough¡­*


    Tang Xiu coughed twice, looking a bit at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh, and said, ¡°Your employees are really salty to worry about some useless stuff like others¡¯ business. Anyways, I guess it¡¯s fine to go with you today, though! Oh¡­ I bought some clothes for you yesterday. Try putting them on and see if they fit you.¡±


    There was a surprised expression on Lulu¡¯s face. She took them over and had a look at them, and then asked with an incredulous expression, ¡°Did you buy them for me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t your eyes way too amazing?¡± Said Lulu incredulously. ¡°Either the underwear or this coat, the style and color are the kinds I love. Honey, I think you should open a clothing factory directly! Your business will definitely become hot.¡±


    Tang Xiu was secretly embarrassed. He indeed bought these clothes, but he did not say he was the one who chose them! But seeing her expression, he did not want to mention Xue Yu, and just let out a faint smile and said, ¡°Alright, hurry up! Let¡¯s go to Paradise Manor after breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Lulu hurriedly jumped from the bed and quickly took off her underwear. She did not even try to conceal herself in front of Tang Xiu, making his throat dry and the flame start to move into his crotch. So as to avoid the desire from arousing too much, he turned around and left the bedroom.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    On the staircase on the first floor, Mo Awu stood silently with a stack of documents in his hand.


    ¡°Have you been waiting for me?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised, ¡°Is there something up?¡±


    Mo Awu handed over the documents and said, ¡°There was a mysterious incident in Minan District. Four women who were on their way to work in the nightclub were murdered. I received the news at four in the morning and caught up to the scene. When I got there, the cops had already blocked the scene, so I couldn¡¯t see the exact situation.¡±


    ¡°How would criminal cases have anything to do with us?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a baffled expression. ¡°You have never reported to me about this kind of information before.¡±


    ¡°I would never bother you with ordinary criminal cases,¡± said Mo Awu. ¡°But the incident this time is different since those four dead bodies had all their blood sucked clean, all of them. Also, unusual traces of a fierce fight could be seen there from the photos taken from the scene. I have seen these fighting traces before, it should be caused by those divergent races.¡±


    ¡°A divergent race?¡± It was a term Tang Xiu had never heard of after he returned to Earth, so he asked with a curious expression. ¡°What exactly is this divergent race? What is their special trait, exactly?¡±


    ¡°You also know many special species exist in the world. For instance, the fierce beasts who gain sentience,¡± said Mo Awu. ¡°Also, there are some non-human existences, like the Demi-humans such as vampire bats that can turn into humanoids, which are famously called as Vampires. There are also Demi Beastmen who are the half-breed of men and beasts, as well as wizards and magus who practice special arts or cultivation techniques¡­ those divergent races are mostly real human beings that possess extraordinary abilities.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at the photos in his other hand, and also saw that it indeed had many unusual traces of a fierce fight. Such as the ripped wall, and the scattered paw prints with phosphorus powder, some kind of feathers and hairy flesh¡­


    ¡°So, what you mean is that the murderer who killed those nightclub girls should be one with claws and feathers among the divergent races?¡± Asked Tang Xiu slowly.


    ¡°They should be.¡± Mo Awu nodded. ¡°I can tell from this information and photos that the ones who were involved in the fight have at least one from the Beastman, one of the Wingman, and a vampire.¡±


    Tang Xiu frowned and commented, ¡°Aren¡¯t all these things you told me coming from Western mythology? What are they doing in China? There are only a handful of cultivators in China as far as I know, and a few people with special abilities. How come I have never heard of these creatures from overseas before?¡±


    ¡°These divergent races are also rare existences in foreign countries, but they really do exist in our world,¡± said Mo Awu. ¡°Once in a battlefield I witnessed one of the Beastmen slaughter many mercenaries, and also encountered a vampire in an old castle during an assassination mission with my four comrades. Other than me and one of my companions, the other three were all slaughtered in the hands of that vampire. My comrade and I injured that vampire with an anti-tank grenade before we were able to assassinate the target, and then escaped smoothly.¡±


    ¡°You said these creatures are evil?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a frown.


    ¡°Our Everlasting Feast Hall conducted a secret investigation, some other people even purchased this information from the Darkwind Organization. Though we didn¡¯t obtain much information, it¡¯s conjectured that some of these divergent creatures are indeed inherently evil, but some others are not committing evil, nor indiscriminately killing innocent people. As a matter of fact, if not because of the chaotic situation in certain foreign countries, these divergent creatures would have been understood and been able to conceal themselves better than cultivators. Let alone ordinary people, even powerful figures with a formidable background would not be aware of their existence.¡±


    Tang Xiu pondered for a short while, and then slowly asked, ¡°With your current cultivation, how is your chance of defeating that Beastmen you saw in the battlefield or that vampire you met in that old castle?¡±


    Mo Awu scrunched up for a moment before shaking his head and then said with a forced smile, ¡°I can¡¯t answer that. I was far away from that Beastman then. Also, I saw him through high-end binoculars. His speed was very fast and he possessed powerful strength, as well as was being proficient in killing techniques. Simply his momentum and vigor were enough to destroy dozens of heavily armed mercenaries in just half a minute. As for the vampire, maybe I can kill him if I exert all my strength.¡±


    ¡°That being the case, are they actually more powerful than middle-rank fierce beasts?¡± Commented Tang Xiu in surprise.


    ¡°They should be.¡± Mo Awu nodded. ¡°After all, they have the same level of intelligence as human beings, to begin with. Even some of those divergent races have higher intelligence than human beings, while in terms of speed and strength as well as attacking techniques, they are indeed comparable to middle-rank fierce beasts.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes instantly lit up after hearing his explanation. He needed all sorts of natural resources for cultivation. If he could kill those vampires and Beastman and then obtained the materials in their bodies for cultivation resources, then it would be great. Yet, the one thing that must be noted was that he must possess formidable strength since, in contrast, these divergent creatures also had their own cultivation systems. Their powerful strength and formidable bodies were a result of practicing their cultivation system, and thus, the materials that could be obtained from their carcasses would be better as well.


    ¡°Awu, how deep is the intelligence network built by our Everlasting Feast Hall in Shanghai?¡± Asked Tang Xiu quickly.


    ¡°It should be at least several times stronger than the national intelligence agency,¡± said Mo Awu. ¡°Though I don¡¯t dare say we have covered the entire Shanghai, I can say that we have assigned our intelligence personnel in nearly all the areas here. This is why I can receive information about murders by the divergent races and rush to the scene in a short time.¡±


    ¡°If so, immediately send our people to investigate these divergent creatures,¡± said Tang Xiu in a deep voice. ¡°Find them, whether they are vampires, Beastman, or Wingman ones, since they will be a threat to the people. I will be personally involved in this matter and deal with these things.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll arrange it at once.¡± Mu Awu replied and turned around to leave.

 Chapter 699

    Chapter 699: Han Jintong¡¯s Crisis


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    At Jinbai Hotel, Shanghai¡¯s Hong District. It was a hotel that was barely three-stars. Having an average occupancy rate and mediocre business and with only a few guests staying there.


    Han Jintong¡¯s complexion was pale like a sheet, and a bloodstain painted the corner of his mouth. Scars could be seen all over his body as he sat in the corner of the room on the seventh floor, stitching his wounds. Four or five meters from him, a bruised Caucasian woman with blond hair and wearing a tattered robe was also covered with blood.


    ¡°Please leave, Professor!¡±


    The Caucasian woman had scarlet pupils and a pair of hands with sharp nails as her white hands gently stroked a concave bronze mirror she took from her left chest.


    Han Jintong firmly shook his head and said, ¡°Shanjenna, I may not know why they are chasing you, but you¡¯re the best student I have ever had, as well as my sparring partner for several years. Under such a situation, I won¡¯t¡­* cough, cough*¡­ I just can¡¯t leave you alone.¡±


    A desperate expression could be seen on Shanjenna¡¯s face as she said, ¡°You¡¯ve helped me enough, Professor. Now that you have been seriously injured, your chance of living will be very slim if you keep staying with me. I already safely hid that Skull Insignia in the cabinet in the residential building we met at yesterday. I plan to send the Skull Insignia to Salzburg to hand it over to my big brother after ensuring your safety. It¡¯s up to fate whether this only relative of mine can survive.¡±


    ¡°As I said, I won¡¯t leave you alone,¡± said Han Jintong in a deep voice. ¡°If you want to hand over that Skull Insignia to your big brother, wait for this crisis to pass before you go on your own.¡±


    ¡°The one who is hunting me is Grove Bear, Professor.¡± Shanjenna bitterly said. ¡°He¡¯s a Gold Badge assassination agent of the Stygian Club. Though the hunting squad he leads consist of only five people, all of them are Silver Badge elites. Two of them are Beastman, one is a Bloodkin, and the last two are from the Wingmen. Those who fought with us yesterday are a Beastman, a Bloodkin, and a Wingman, while the other two Silver Badges did not appear. The most important thing is, Grove Bear himself hasn¡¯t shown up yet. But I¡¯m sure he has must have come to Shanghai. We wouldn¡¯t have a chance to run away had he appeared last night.¡±


    Han Jintong frowned and asked, ¡°Tell me. Why are they hunting you?¡±


    A fierce expression suddenly covered Shanjenna¡¯s face as she answered, ¡°The Shadow Division of the Stygian Club set up a ¡®Flesh Mill¡¯. Its members secretly kidnap ordinary humans from all over the world to consume their flesh and blood, devour their souls, and even use them as guinea pigs for their experiments and research in some lethal weapons. I happened to find the specific location of this Flesh Mill, and the note that records its coordinates is hidden in the Skull Insignia.¡±


    Han Jintong¡¯s countenance changed, and he angrily said, ¡°I already knew that the Stygian Club was an evil organization, so I refused to join it. Even when I came back from abroad to live a normal life in China, little did I think that they were so insane as to pursue you to China and even murder ordinary people here.¡±


    ¡°You had better leave now, Professor,¡± said Shanjenna. ¡°The enemy is too strong. Once they find us here, I¡¯ll take them on myself. Thus, you gotta hurry and escape.¡±


    ¡°Stop persuading me, Shanjenna,¡± said Han Jintong while gritting his teeth. ¡°There¡¯s no use to go on living without honor when I can¡¯t even protect my own student. However, we won¡¯t be able to deal with these assassins by relying on our strength. It seems I need the aid of my old friends.¡±


    With that said, he propped himself up with difficulty by leaning on the wall, picked up the mobile phone which had its battery thrown out, and reinstalled the battery again. He immediately took a relieved sigh after seeing that the phone was still functional. Just as he was about to dial a number, he seemed to realize something all of a sudden, and then looked at Shanjenna.


    My two old friends have strength comparable to mine, while Shanjenna and I together are not even a match to those three assassins. I¡¯m afraid it would still be useless even if we¡¯re to call them over, and will even implicate them instead. But if I don¡¯t ask for their aid, how can I solve this imminent crisis?


    Han Jintong¡¯s face was constantly changing.


    After a long silence, Tang Xiu¡¯s face suddenly appeared in his mind.


    Will he help if I ask him? With his identity and ability, it will be easy for him to deal with these assassination agents. But, how much must I pay if he agrees?


    He kept thinking and hesitating.


    As Han Jintong glanced at the tattered and battered Shanjenna, he finally gritted his teeth and dialed Tang Xiu¡¯s cell number.


    ****


    At the Paradise Club.


    Tang Xiu and Ouyang Lulu had just arrived. Before they even got off from the car, he heard his mobile phone buzzing. After looking at the number displayed on the screen, he connected it through and spoke, ¡°Do you have a matter for calling me?¡±


    With a bit of expectation in his tone, Han Jintong said, ¡°Can I ask for your help, Mr. Tang? And, what price I must pay for you to help me?¡±


    ¡°Not interested!¡± Replied Tang Xiu and directly hang up. If Han Jintong did not say that last sentence, he would probably consider it, yet that old man actually asked what price he must pay in exchange for his help, a notion that he was rather repugnant with.


    ¡°Who was it, Tang Xiu?¡± Ouyang Lulu, who had gotten off the car, asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°An unimportant person who wants me to help him,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Ouyang Lulu did not ask again and deftly coiled her hand to Tang Xiu¡¯s and smilingly said, ¡°You will be the Boss¡¯s husband of our Paradise Club from today onward. So this will be our family¡¯s business, and you can do whatever you want in managing it. If anything, all the money invested here was hard-earned by myself. So, I got no problem even if it¡¯s completely gone. At the worst, I will just go to my family to ask for money as a dowry.¡±


    The Boss¡¯s husband?


    Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh. It gave him a quite complicated feeling since it truly made him realize what was the meaning of the saying that: ¡°a woman who has gone out of her family to marry is like something that can never be retrieved again¡±. Ouyang Lulu had yet to be joined with him in matrimony, yet she had already begun to turn outward.


    ****


    At Jinbai Hotel.


    Han Jintong¡¯s expression was that of bitterness upon hearing the beeping tone from the mobile phone. Little did he think that Tang Xiu would be this insensible and heartlessly refused directly without him even asking for what help he needed.


    ¡°It¡¯s no use, Professor.¡±


    Shanjenna¡¯s lower lip squirmed, revealing her two fangs. There was desperation in her eyes before it turned cold all of a sudden. Her gaze shifted toward the door as a pair of broken wings sprouted out from her back. The instance they opened up, she dashed and came to Han Jintong¡¯s side almost in an instant, stretched out her hand to grab his shoulder, and sprinted toward the window to the outside.


    Her speed was extremely fast, leaving only afterimages in the air as her figure already rushed to the opposite side of the five-story building.


    Clatter¡­


    A silver bullet shot her in a spiraling move as though tearing the space barrier and instantly hit Shanjenna¡¯s wing. A flame was then set ablaze across the wings, while Shanjenna screamed out miserably and immediately fell to the top of the building. Fortunately, Han Jintong¡¯s reaction was swift, as he instantly grabbed her and jumped to the other side downstairs the moment after.


    He had already been injured, thus affecting his actions at this moment. But since his cultivation level was rather high, his hand instantly grabbed the window on the second floor after the fall, smashing the glass windows with his kick and sprinting while bringing Shanjenna.


    He must run away! He was ready to unleash everything he had to escape!


    Since the enemy had already caught up with them, they must escape as far as possible, or only a dead end would greet them otherwise.


    Never did Han Jintong imagine that these assassins would be this recklessly bold and dared to act in a downtown area in broad daylight. This place was Chinese territory, could it be that these assassins had no fear to annoy the powerhouses residing in China?


    Suddenly, a bold idea churned inside Han Jintong¡¯s mind when he sprinted fast down the corridor. He quickly kicked the door to the room at the side and took Shanjenna inside. He then grabbed a chair, dashed to the window and threw it to the floor below.


    He had to make noise, and it was best to create a huge mess. He did not believe that those assassins were really that bold to expose their dreadful strength amidst a big incident. Furthermore, he thought that only amidst a confusion would they possibly have a glimmer of hope to escape.


    Nearby.


    On the streets where an endless stream of pedestrians walked, passer-bys suddenly heard the sound of smashed glass, immediately followed by a chair and glass fragments falling down. Several people were almost hit as they screamed and ran away. The incident attracted a large number of pedestrians¡¯ eyes, as they looked up at the second-floor window of the building.


    Under a telephone pole, two young men wearing jackets and smoking cigarettes were standing still and looking around aimlessly. They received orders from the leaders above and went all out to find some strange people. The precise order assigned to them was that what they searched were not human beings, but vampires and Demihumans¡ªBeastman from the Western legends.


    ¡°What is going on?¡±


    The two young men exchanged looks and subconsciously walked toward the scene of the accident. They took out their monoculars at this time.


    ¡°Brother Ya, look over there!¡±


    Suddenly, the young man¡¯s body shivered. He has just raised his arm, only to find that the flashing figure had disappeared at the opposite side of the building.


    ¡°What is it?¡± The young man called Ya curiously asked.


    The young man who just called him wore an excited expression and rapidly said, ¡°I dare guarantee that was a flashing shadow of someone before, 100% sure! It¡¯s someone who can fly, for God¡¯s sake! That must be the target we are looking for.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and report it!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Inside the five-story building, Han Jintong dragged the seriously injured, retracted wings, and dizzied Shanjenna and sprinted fast toward the window at the end of the left corridor. The moment he opened the window, he instantly jumped downstairs and blended in the stream of people, finally disappearing in the crowd without much effort.


    At the roof of the building, a robust, stocky middle-aged man with a scarlet glow in his eyes was looking at the direction where Han Jintong and Shanjenna disappeared. He licked his lips and spoke to himself in a thick tone, ¡°You can run, but you can never escape! I can still smell the Darksoul Scent on you from several hundreds of miles away.¡±

 Chapter 700

    Chapter 700: Like a Rat in a Hole


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The curtain of the night had fallen and the lights were lit.


    Nesting himself while quietly reading a financial magazine in Lulu¡¯s bedroom in the Paradise Club, Tang Xiu found that a huge business opportunity was contained within the widespread popularity of the Internet nowadays. It had even brought impact to the business entities in real life, causing the Internet superstars to earn a lot from it.


    As someone who reached a supremacy in the Immortal World and had experienced the hi-tech world of more advanced civilizations, it made him realize other channels of making money and also become aware of the several businesses that were relying upon the Internet for marketing.


    SmartBrain; it was a must-have item in the advanced civilization world, the likes of which was the mobile phone in today¡¯s society! The SmartBrain had complete functionality as an integrated communication and networking tool; was easy to carry anywhere, and connected to the virtual space¡¯s shopping malls. One could even use its virtual reality hologram feature to surf the network and immerse their consciousness to enter the commercial establishments and obtain the same experience of going out shopping in real life while staying indoors.


    Games, in the other hand, were also a lucrative business, such as the ¡°Elite Battleground¡±, ¡°Speed Arena¡±, ¡°The True Kingdom Through the Age Of Warring States¡±, and ¡°Great Interstellar Voyage¡±¡­


    Tang Xiu once visited the star territory of the advanced civilization, during which he learned some elementary knowledge, and these were the games he was most familiar with. However, after he obtained himself a SmartBrain, other than trying out ¡°Elite Battleground¡±, he just ignored the other games after he felt that there were no other contents regarding abilities he could learn in them. After all, given his status, capacity, and strength at that time, it was just a sudden impulse on a whim to hunt for novelty in a spur moment.


    However, he could conceive a lot of ideas just from the SmartBrain and games, and he could even casually write a plan to develop games. But the research and development of the SmartBrain was the very understructure for those products to be produced.


    Tang Xiu put down the financial magazine, looking vexed. If he did not lose his interspatial ring in the Immortal World, he could have a treasure house in his hands now. At the very least, he had stored his SmartBrain gadget inside that interspatial ring.


    ¡°I may still have money in hand, but the rate at which I¡¯m spending it is pretty much the same. It won¡¯t take long to use it all if I can¡¯t find another way to earn more. The earnings of the Everlasting Feast Hall are quite good, yet the internal purchase of New City in Star City requires a huge funding chain, so I can¡¯t rashly put the money to use there.¡±


    ¡°The Everlasting Feast Hall itself is also thriving, but with grooming subordinate cultivators, massive purchase of cultivation resources, as well as cultivating spirit herbs and rearing fierce beasts, is kind of like burning money. Being barely able to maintain the balance is already very good.¡±


    ¡°What should I do to earn more money in the shortest time?¡±


    Tang Xiu was not a money grubber, but he still felt the pinch. There was actually a huge plan he kept in mind: to establish an army consisting of cultivators. In particular was the number of street children he had been looking for all over the country, which now numbered up to 1,200. The funds required to spend on their cultivation would be quite colossal as well.


    Back in the past, he was the type of person who was ignorant of household management, its daily necessities and affairs, and yet, he now profoundly experienced how did it feel to not have enough money.


    Knock, knock¡­


    The door was knocked, and Mo Awu¡¯s voice came from the outside, ¡°Boss, we found some suspicious leads, and our people are currently tracking them.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion moved, and he immediately cast away the ¡°money¡± issues in his mind. After he came outside, he asked in a deep tone, ¡°Is it about those divergent creatures?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Mo Awu nodded. ¡°Some divergent creatures were seen in the Hong District¡¯s Jinbai Hotel today. Our intelligence personnel has conducted an investigation, and according to the traces left by them, they have already conducted a thorough search and are currently in a certain point of the border of Shanghai and Changxi City. Judging from the trail, they should be heading toward Mt. Lao.¡±


    Changxi City, toward Mt. Lao?


    Tang Xiu had been there before when he first came to Shanghai and went to the car race bout through the Laoshan highway with Chi Nan. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, ¡°What has the police found from their investigation?¡±


    ¡°The police investigation officer we bought informed us that they are also baffled and at a loss now, and there is no investigation to be conducted on the murderer who killed those four nightclub girls. So much so that they cannot determine the nature and motives of the criminal case, and are unable to investigate as to what or who the murderer is,¡± said Mo Awu. ¡°I heard, however, that the police have contacted the people from the Special Department, so maybe there will be people from the state soon.¡±


    ¡°Nevermind the police. We¡¯ll head over to Changxi City immediately.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°I want to see how powerful these divergent creatures are.¡±


    ****


    Changxi City, Laoshan.


    In a valley between the peaks of a mountain range, a small lake gleamed a reflection of the sunlight on its waving surface. On a dark spot at the lakeside, Shanjenna curled up in her tattered black robe, shivering all over. Her wings were pierced with silver bullets, and though it was not a fatal injury, it still made her injury worsen.


    Han Jintong sat next to her, looking exhausted, panting and with a ragged breath. His face was as pale as a sheet, while his messy hair fully depicted the sorry situation he was in.


    ¡°S-Shanjenna, I¡­ I¡¯m suspecting that there¡¯s something in our body, some scent, or whatever it is that can be smelled by those assassins. It makes them able to keep a close chase and pester us tightly. I only know a little about vampires like you, but you should be able to think of a key solution or any plans that can deal with this.¡± Said Han Jintong right as he caught his breath and erased the blood on the corner of his mouth.


    Shanjenna hesitated for a moment and suddenly asked, ¡°Professor, can you smell any particular scent on me?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Han Jintong shook his head.


    ¡°Smear my blood on both sides of your nose and then try again,¡± said Shanjenna.


    Han Jintong blanked, and then used a knife to cut her finger and smear the blood on both his nostrils. His complexion changed after smelling it and quickly said, ¡°I smell a scent. It¡¯s very faint and the fragrance makes me feel good, but also brings a bit of dizziness.¡±


    Shanjenna¡¯s face instantly turned nasty, and said with an uneasy expression, ¡°Quickly clean the blood on your nose, Professor. Shit, we¡¯re damned. They will keep chasing us no matter where we run. It¡¯s because they have cast the Darksoul Scent on me.¡±


    ¡°What exactly is this Darksoul Scent?¡± Asked Han Jintong quickly.


    ¡°It¡¯s a type of special drug for the breed Race of Darkness like me, and it has a magical tracking effect,¡± explained Shanjenna. ¡°Once one is smeared by this Darksoul Scent, the other breeds of the Race of Darkness can smell and lock the target even if the target¡¯s position is beyond hundreds of kilometers. They must have smeared it on me while I was unaware of it during the fight last night. Professor, I cannot implicate you any longer. Just quickly go and don¡¯t worry about me.¡±


    ¡°I told you to not persuade me to leave and abandon my own student. I can never do that,¡± said Han Jintong with knitted brows. ¡°Since you already know that it¡¯s a Darksoul Scent, just wash it off. They won¡¯t be able to find us once you lost that scent, right?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t wash it off. The Darksoul Scent is a fragrance that enters your blood and flows with it.¡± Shanjenna shook her head and bitterly said. ¡°It won¡¯t wear off unless I¡¯m dead and the blood in my body cools off, or¡­ wait for half a month before it slowly vanishes. But given the situation we are currently in, let alone lasting for half a month, we can¡¯t even last for three days. Professor, if my guess is not mistaken, they have already caught up.¡±


    Hahaha¡­


    A strange and jarring laughter came from the heights of the forested mountains, and the erratic echo created a gloomy and grim atmosphere in the valley.


    Five hazy figures appeared in the woods from where the strange laughter came. Two Beastmen with hairy bodies, two Wingmen who flapped their wings, and a pale-faced vampire in a black trench coat. The five directly surrounded Han Jintong and Shanjenna the instant they appeared.


    ¡°Hand over the Skull Insignia, Shanjenna!¡±


    The drifting voice seemed not to come out from these five divergent creatures but seemingly came from all directions, making it impossible to judge the position.


    Shanjenna backhandedly wielded a semilunar scimitar while chiding and cursing towards the front, ¡°The Skull Insignia is not in my hands anymore, Grove Bear. I¡¯m being chased by elite assassins, do you think I won¡¯t hide it in a safe place? You¡¯re a Gold Badge Assassin of the Stygian Club, don¡¯t hide your head like a fucking coward. GET OUT!!!¡±


    ¡°The second heir of the Salzburg House is indeed a brave one, eh?¡±


    An obscure silhouette appeared in an instant. Shanjenna was unable to react as a punch sent her flying upside down and thrown into the lake. But in the next moment, she blasted upward from the water, spurted out a few mouthfuls of blood, flapped her broken wings and staggeringly floated on the surface of the lake.


    ¡°Grove Bear of the Bearkin is indeed very strong. You might be able to kill me today, but you won¡¯t get the Skull Insignia, and the content inside it will soon be obtained by the guardians of the Luminance Castle. Your mills will be destroyed when that time comes, and all your efforts will be for naught.¡± Shanjenna¡¯s voice was a bit shrill and yet contained incisiveness and fierceness.


    ¡°No no no, why would I kill you?¡± Grove Bear waved his hand. ¡°You¡¯re a beautiful little bat in my eyes, Shanjenna. I love your body, and it must be mine. I will imprison your soul and ravage your body for days and nights. I wanna see you screaming, moaning, and begging for mercy under my crotch.¡±


    After saying said, his gaze fell on Han Jintong, raised his brows and ridiculed, ¡°You¡¯re not a vampire, and not even one of us, the divergent races¡­ Oh¡­ you¡¯re unexpectedly a human being, eh? This is interesting, truly interesting. Shanjenna turned out to have sought help from a human? Seems like this human is quite powerful, no?¡±


    ¡°In my eyes, all walks of life who possess wisdom are equal. Human beings do have some scumbags, but I can find more scumbags among the divergent races, such as you, the assassination agents,¡± replied Han Jintong with a sneer.


    ¡°If all human beings were of the same mind as you, we¡ªthe Beastman would have long taken control of mankind¡¯s destiny instead of hiding ourselves in the world of darkness, being afraid to use our strength too much, being afraid of openly hunt and kill humans in the broad daylight to consume their flesh and blood¡­¡±

 Chapter 701

    Chapter 701: Drawing A Sword To Render Help


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Grove Bear gave highfalutin remarks on his own audacious and shameless words. But the bloody cruelty among the words and between the lines with the burning ambition within had revealed his genuine state of mind.


    Mankind. This existence in his eyes was probably nothing but ants. He believed that he was standing at the top of the food chain, and yet, was being ruled by the human world. The unwillingness to curb his bloodthirsty nature eventually became the cause for him to become an assassination agent, hiding under the dark sky and mercilessly harvesting lives.


    Desperation filled Han Jintong¡¯s heart, and yet, he suddenly unleashed the thought in his innermost heart of being in a desperate strait with not the slightest opportunity to live. Having defeated his own fear, he proudly straightened his chest and retorted, ¡°This great country of mine, China, has been in existence for five millenniums. During which heroes and wise sages have been unyieldingly clinging onto with their everything in every era. I always believed in the first line stated in the Three Character Classics, that man is fundamentally good in nature at birth, but yours is what the Chinese call ¡®evil¡¯. Since the ancient times, evil can never prevail over good; for why the reason for the pathetic you who have a military force and yet is an evil heathen, can only drag out your feeble existence and hide in the dark as a result.¡±


    An evil heathen?


    Grove Bear clenched his fists, and the killing intent inside him surged out from all over his body. He abhorred this name because those bastards from the Luminance Castle liked calling them by it.


    ¡°KILL HIM!¡± Grove Bear snarled in fury. ¡°I want to see his minced flesh and his blood raining down. Make his soul suffer and scream!¡±


    In the distant mountain forest, two blurry figures stood behind the thick trees, watching the scene in the valley through their binoculars. The night was dim, but they could see everything clearly with the binoculars, and yet, their faces were that of restlessness and their eyes would shift away from those ¡°breeds of evil and demons¡± from time to time. They wanted to leave them and yet kept staying not far away.


    And there! There were four existences lying dormant, ones that they needed to look up to.


    ¡°What should we do now?¡±


    ¡°Just wait!¡±


    The four lurking middle-aged men communicated through gestures. They still did not move although the werewolf-like Beastman wielded his sledgehammer from his shoulder and hideously grinned as he walked toward Han Jintong, whereas the other vampire took out a black bottle exuding an evil aura.


    They would not rashly move and act without instructions, thus would wait until the Boss arrived and give them instructions.


    ¡°It¡¯s really a pity!¡± Jin Shi sighed inwardly.


    He had been abroad for more than a decade, yet he was of a Chinese descent with Chinese blood within him. He felt pity and sympathized upon seeing the white-haired, scarred Han Jintong, who straightened up his chest and unyieldingly spoke those heroic words he approved of, was about to be killed.


    Han Jintong had no weapon, thus he just watched the stocky demi-human stride towards him. He gritted his teeth to mobilize all the True Essence he had left. He would not sit still for death to come. Despite the current dire situation, he secretly vowed that he would make this thing pay a grievous price even if he had to die in this thing¡¯s hands.


    ¡°I can guarantee that you will never leave China alive. Just wait! A terrifying powerhouse who will make you shudder will appear in front of you and utterly obliterate you all.¡±


    Han Jintong roared and did not glance at Shanjenna, who was flying back to him. His body was as though a straight arrow that shot towards the Beastman. His blood was boiling, muscles tightening to the limit, and his power constantly transmitted to his limbs in order to blast out the most strength he could muster at this moment.


    ¡°What a stupid human.¡± A mocking expression painted the Beastman¡¯s face. He flipped his wrist and created a howling sound as he brandished his sledgehammer down. His hammer was extremely fast, even the Iron Man would be smashed to a pulp if he was hit.


    BOOM¡­


    The sledgehammer only struck an afterimage as it heavily slammed on the cold ground. Han Jintong himself did not evade it. He was as though a berserk rushing bull, dashing barbarically to strike at the Beastman, as he quickly pulled out a sharp fruit knife from his body and fiercely stabbed the Beastman in the chest. Just as the Beastman retreated, he sent a somersault kick to the side of the Beastman body.


    The sharp fruit knife broke into two pieces and was only able to pierce the Beastman¡¯s skin without much damage. The Beastman was kicked and staggered for a few meters before he stabilized his footing. On the contrary, the moment he staggered to the side, he threw his sledgehammer on Han Jintong¡¯s hand, breaking his arm and also striking his body.


    ROAR¡­


    Shanjenna flapped her wings and instantly dashed to where Han Jintong fell. She opened her wings and covered Han Jintong, while a heavy killing intent burst from her scarlet eyes. She was already 200 years of age, similar to a 20 years old human girl according to the vampire age. Han Jintong was her teacher, and respect toward Han Jintong had grown in her after so many years in contact with him.


    The Beastman casually wiped off the blood seeping out of his chest and let out a strange grin as he said, ¡°Your level of strength is very powerful for a human! Unfortunately, you have no sharp sacred objects and my skin is even harder than diamonds. So¡­ you can¡¯t kill me, but I can slaughter you easily. Shanjenna, get the hell of my way, you damn little bat! Else, I¡¯ll smash you first.¡±


    ¡°I could kill you easily if they were not here, stupid wolf!¡± Shanjenna shrilly yelled. ¡°SCRAM! Else I¡¯ll drag you to death with me.¡±


    The Beastman shot her a contemptuous look, as though it was the funniest thing he heard in the world. He raised the back of his hairy hand, pointed at his nose and asked, ¡°You wanna drag me to death with you? What a bluff you, little bat. Aren¡¯t you a real idiot? Do you want to explode your Core Nucleus? You won¡¯t be able to kill me even if you do that!¡±


    Shanjenna knew that this Beastman was right. The strongest killing move she could unleash was indeed to explode her Core Nucleus. However, she would also be blasted into smithereens and directly die.


    HAHAHA. The Beastman maniacally laughed and said, ¡°Are you scared? Get the fuck lost to this Granddad! Else, this Granddad will blow up your fucking balls!¡±


    Suddenly, a discernible voice was heard and its tone was full of sarcasm, ¡°Whoever says that the Beastmen have wisdom later, I¡¯ll definitely think that person is an idiot. How come a female vampire has¡­ Hahaha¡­¡±


    The Beastman¡¯s face changed and quickly turned around and took a fast glance at the surrounding, shouting, ¡°Who the hell are you? Get fucking out and face this Granddad!¡±


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Four figures streaked from the woods like a zap of lightning, along with flying swords hovering around them. As they waved their arms, the swords were as though four long rainbows that shot forward to strike at the Beastman. Despite the latter¡¯s extremely swift reflexes, the four flying swords still tore his skin and left four bloody slits on his body.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s figure came floating. Behind him was Mo Awu and six other experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall, as they appeared in everyone¡¯s sight in the blink of an eye.


    Jin Shi¡¯s group of four retracted their flying swords back and intently stared at the Beastman with cold expressions. They only needed Tang Xiu¡¯s order to unleash their fiercest strike without hesitation.


    Grove Bear, who originally thought that victory was imminent, had his pupils suddenly contracted violently. A bad premonition suddenly emerged inside his heart the moment Tang Xiu and the others appeared. It was said that there was a special kind of human being in the mysterious ancient oriental country called Daoist cultivators by the Western forces of darkness.


    In an instant, he determined that these people were absolutely those so-called cultivators because their speed was fast to the extreme, and they wielded weapons the likes of Darkfiend Artifact and Lightsacred Artifact, all of which could be controlled by special means to kill the enemies.


    However, he did not offend them at all. What forces did they belong to, and why did they want to meddle in this matter?


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Unwilling to provoke trouble so as to accomplish his mission, Grove Bear employed a cautious approach. The strength possessed by cultivators were something that many races dreaded. For example, the old geezer who was protecting Shanjenna. Though his strength was mediocre, he should be a cultivator as well.


    Wait¡­


    Grove Bear¡¯s countenance suddenly changed, and his bad premonition grew more intense. Do these people come from the same place as this old geezer who is protecting Shanjenna?


    Tang Xiu ignored Grove Bear completely but blinked toward Han Jintong, who was guarded by Shanjenna. He would have straightly helped Han Jintong had he known that this old man asked him to deal with these Western races of darkness without him regarding it as a favor.


    ¡°Take this!¡± Tang Xiu flipped his hand, took out a porcelain bottle and threw it to Shanjenna.


    Shanjenna was like a bird startled by the twang of a bow-string. The arrival of Tang Xiu and the others was a joyful thing to her, and yet also made her anxious. She was joyful since these people attacked the Beastman, but what worried her was that she did not know what were their origins. If they just acted because the other party said something audacious, she and the professor would still be facing imminent doom.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Asked Shanjenna with difficulty.


    ¡°Take it and give it to that old man so that it can treat his injuries,¡± said Tang Xiu faintly.


    ¡°This¡­¡± Shanjenna hesitated. She did not know if she could trust this man. If the contents inside this porcelain bottle were poison, the professor would be poisoned.


    Han Jintong¡¯s aura was chaotic, but the desperation in his eyes had vanished without a trace when Tang Xiu and his men appeared as ecstasy replaced it.


    ¡°Give it to me, Shanjenna.¡±


    Han Jintong pushed her wings and reached out to pick the porcelain bottle. After opening it, he poured the Holy Healing medicine directly into his mouth. As scarce as the remaining True Essence flowing through his meridians, that pill turned into a surging torrent that flowed to his four limbs and five bones in an instant, as its special efficacy constantly healed his injuries.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Tang,¡± said Han Jintong gratefully from his heart.


    Tang Xiu hummed coldly at him and said, ¡°Do remember my words. I, Tang Xiu, never need others to pay me anything for saving their lives, for I never condone business deals over this matter. I can help you get rid of these foreign divergent races, but you must answer some questions of mine.¡±


    Han Jintong finally realized why Tang Xiu flatly refused his plea for help and did not even try to listen to why he asked for help. It turned out that he had made Tang Xiu disgusted of him due to his tone about making it as a business deal. As he realized this point, he could not describe what he felt through words other than forcing out a wry smile.

 Chapter 702

    Chapter 702: The Might of Immortal Magic Arts


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The tautness in Han Jintong¡¯s heart stretched out as he apologetically said, ¡°Please tell me, Mr. Tang.¡±


    ¡°If I understood it well, you and this vampire called Shanjenna are being hunted by these divergent races. Why is that?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Shanjenna used to be my student, a very kind-hearted soul, not crafty nor evil,¡± said Han Jintong. ¡°I did not know that she was a Bloodkin then, I only thought that she was a genius in martial arts. Only until she got hunted down and ran to China yesterday did I finally learn her true identity.¡±


    ¡°Then, you¡¯re still adamant on saving her despite knowing she¡¯s one of the Bloodkin?¡± Continued Tang Xiu with a pensive look.


    ¡°As long as she¡¯s not wicked, I will still save her regardless of who she is,¡± said Han Jintong seriously. ¡°Of course, what is most important is that she was once my student.¡±


    Appreciation flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. He had seen myriads of alien races when he was in the Immortal World, hence there was no distinction of races in his eyes, only good or evil. But for Han Jintong, as a very weak cultivator, to have this kind of understanding was admirable in and of itself.


    ¡°So, tell me why she¡¯s being hunted down.¡±


    Han Jintong was about to reply but was interrupted by Grove Bear¡¯s rough voice.


    At this time, a flame of anger suffused in Grove Bear¡¯s eyes, along with burning killing intent when he glared at Tang Xiu. Little did he think that he would be ignored outright, even his question was utterly dismissed. He was an assassination agent, one of whom had a strength feared by countless people. Even his position in the Stygian Club was also honored.


    ¡°Damn Orientals. I got words for you. DO NOT meddle in others¡¯ business, else you¡¯ll die!¡±


    Finally, Tang Xiu slowly turned his head toward him, and then indifferently said, ¡°There are only two kinds of fate for the people who threaten me. The first one is to beg for mercy, and the other is death. Which one do you want to choose?¡±


    ¡°Do you really want to stand up for them?¡± Roared Grove Bear furiously.


    ¡°Yup. I will stand for them.¡± Tang Xiu coldly smiled. ¡°What can you do to me?¡±


    ¡°ATTACK! KILL THEM!¡± Roared Grove Bear in a heavy tone.


    The two Wingmen flapped their wings, pulled out their Darkfiend Artefacts and streaked toward Tang Xiu, while the vampire and the Beastmen stormed over toward Jin Shi and the others. After so many battles, cutting men down was like cutting hemp for them, resulting in vicious killing auras after countless killings.


    ¡°KILL!¡±


    A cold voice spat out from Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth as Jin Shi and the other nine men instantly moved. The strongest among them was at the Foundation Establishment Stage, but they were also seasoned powerhouses who had gone through various battles. More so that they were also armed with spirit weapons, their flying swords, and were able to suppress the five Silver Badge assassination agents in just a few breaths.


    Mo Awu soared to the air, wielding a dagger backhandedly, and stormed over Grove Bear. He also released the flying sword to hover around him and posed a huge, looming threat to Grove Bear.


    Tang Xiu did not move, but lowered his head to look at Han Jintong and said, ¡°You haven¡¯t told me the reason yet.¡±


    Han Jintong retracted his eyes from the fierce combat scene and started explained everything from the beginning to the end of what Shanjenna had told him. In the end, there was anger and hatred in his tone and expression as he concluded, ¡°I¡¯m not a superman who can save the world, neither am I a God who safeguard the world peace, but I loathe and abhor their inhuman actions. Let alone that this concerns the safety of my own student, so I must stand up.¡±


    A murderous light flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. He suddenly turned around and shouted, ¡°Awu, get back.¡±


    Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s command, Mo Awu, who was in a mortal combat against Grove Bear, controlled his flying swords to hack Grove Bear and returned back to the front of Tang Xiu in just two breaths.


    At this time, his arm was wounded and bleeding, but Grove Bear¡¯s abdomen and back were bleeding from horribly torn open wounds.


    Tang Xiu stared at Grove Bear and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Are you really affiliated with the Stygian Club?¡±


    Dread and fear had birthed in Grove Bear¡¯s heart after fighting against Mo Awu. But when he heard Tang Xiu¡¯s question, his momentum immediately climbed up, and then he shouted, ¡°You already know that we are from the Stygian Club, yet you even dare to provoke us? Are you not afraid of retaliation from our Stygian Club?¡±


    Tang Xiu did not answer with his mouth but took out the black spear in an instant and his body personally shot forward. His speed was several times faster than Mo Awu¡¯s as he appeared before Grove Bear in almost an instant. For Tang Xiu who lived in the Immortal World for 10,000 years, having command of 18 types of weapons was something not worth noting, as he could even use 18,000 weapons at once with ease.


    Grove Bear could only see a black spear that was as though a black dragon that hovered around his body, undulating under Tang Xiu¡¯s mind control as it blasted through his chest and instantly destroyed his heart.


    ¡°Terra Celestial Bastille!¡±


    In the wake of the spear¡¯s afterimages that shrouded Grove Bear, Tang Xiu took out more than a dozen pieces of jades at the same time. His fingers then frantically outlined an array pattern and controlled each piece of jade to fill each node of the array. In a flash a moment later, he released his Primal Chaos Force to arrange and activate the array, causing Grove Bear to be confined inside the ¡°Terra Celestial Bastille¡±.


    ¡°All of you, draw back!¡±


    Tang Xiu no longer paid attention to the heavily mauled Grove Bear. His figure dashed like lightning and swept away his spear to directly smash the wings of the two Wingmen, as he then shot the spear toward the lone vampire. The other two Beastmen vomited blood repeatedly a few seconds after getting struck with his strike blast, as Tang Xiu eventually kicked them into the Terra Celestial Bastille.


    ¡°What a strength!¡±


    A shocked expression appeared on Han Jintong¡¯s face as he looked at Tang Xiu. He already knew that Tang Xiu had a very formidable strength, yet never did he expect that Tang Xiu was terrifying to this degree. One must know that he was also a cultivator, and despite being at the Qi Refining Stage, 100 martial arts grandmasters were not his match at all. But still, he was not able to defeat a single Silver Badge assassin, let alone Grove Bear who was a Golden Badge assassin.


    However, such a frightening powerhouse like Grove Bear could not withstand even a single blow from Tang Xiu. How strong was he?


    Beside him, Shanjenna dumbfoundedly watched the invincible might displayed by Tang Xiu. It was like she was seeing Steve Cain, the strongest powerhouse of the Bloodkin. In her mind, only the Prince-rank, Lord Steve Cain, could be compared to Tang Xiu.


    At the same time the shock struck her, however, ecstasy also filled her heart since the stronger Tang Xiu was, the safer she and the professor would be. Because, at this time, she had already seen that this terrifying lord in front of her was an acquaintance of the professor.


    ¡°Be praise to the Great Fisher of Souls! Thank you for sending us our savior.¡± Shanjenna piously made a gesture of the highest etiquette of the Bloodkin.


    Tang Xiu dragged the two Wingmen and threw them into the Terra Celestial Bastille like garbage. He did not have the slightest pity toward these ruthless butchers.


    Grove Bear covered his chest as desperation filled his eyes. He had imagined Tang Xiu¡¯s strength, a very young normal human who could not possibly have such a terrifying strength at such a young age, the reason why he dared to move.


    And yet, his estimation of Tang Xiu¡¯s strength was gravely mistaken and finally ended up this miserable. Else, as an assassin, he would have dragged his five men to flee and escape.


    Tang Xiu treaded on the air as he looked at Han Jintong and asked, ¡°How are you going to deal with them if I hand them over to you?¡±


    Abhorrence filled Han Jintong¡¯s eyes as he decisively said, ¡°I¡¯ll kill them, for it means that countless people will be saved from them.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in response. With a wave of his hand, a flame was directly produced, and in almost an instant, the flame surrounded the area around the Terra Celestial Bastille, roasting the six assassination agents inside.


    ¡°YOU DAMN BASTARD! JUST GIVE US AN EASY DEATH!¡±


    Grove Bear could only endure for a few minutes. Getting burned by such intense heat finally made him roar furiously.


    Still, Tang Xiu ignored him, and instead turned to look at Han Jintong and said, ¡°Killing them is too easy for them, I think. It¡¯s better to make them taste endless pain and torture. We can still kill them when their spirits have collapsed.¡±


    After saying that, he gently waved his hand as the burning flame instantly disappeared without a trace, as it was replaced by a biting cold current. Countless silvery ice needles constantly pierced into the Terra Celestial Bastille. Intense heat and chilling frost took turns to unceasingly make Grove Bear and the other severely wounded five Silver Badge assassins taste pain that nearly drove them insane. But as atrocious and vicious as they were, they could still endure it.


    Han Jintong gaped upon seeing the scene in front of his eyes. He felt like his whole being was inside a dream, for this kind of scene could only be seen in Xianxia movies, and yet, it now appeared in front of him. Seeing this scene made his spirit surge up and his heartbeat to rapidly soar.


    It was shocking! A shock that could never be replicated!


    Once in the past, he imagined that he could display all sorts of magical arts the likes of abilities the Gods could perform, and would one day become a very formidable cultivator. He also felt that he was formidable enough after he reached the Peak Qi Refining Stage, and thought that nobody under the heaven could be stronger than him.


    But after knowing Tang Xiu and having been hunted down in the last two days, he finally realized that he was like a frog looking at the sky at the bottom of a well. His vision was too shallow and small, while Tang Xiu was like the true celestial being!


    ¡°If¡­ if I can learn magical arts and become stronger, then¡­¡± A strong desire ignited inside his chest.


    After a long period of time, Tang Xiu looked at pained six assassins, and a smile finally appeared on his handsome face, as he said, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll give you a chance to live, but you must tell me something. I¡¯ll let you go if you beg for mercy. So, how about it? Do you want it?¡±

 Chapter 703

    Chapter 703: Giving a Promise and Denying it in Succession


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Grove Bear was not dead yet. He was still strong although his heart had been blasted since the Life Crystal Core in him was still intact. The dark energy inside it, however, was consumed at a very fast rate, and once its dark energy was completely gone, only death would await him at that time.


    Amidst despair and desperation, regret birthed inside him.


    Originally, he used his connections to mediate and ask an important figure in the Stygian Club to get the mission to hunt down Shanjenna. Certainly, the rewards he would get after accomplishing the mission were very handsome. But now, he had to wait for death to fetch him up, a feeling that seized him with regret.


    Before coming to China, he had heard from that important figure in the Stygian Club that this distant mysterious oriental country had some people with terrifying strength residing there. And yet, he disapproved and did not take it seriously. Only now did he realize that everything said by that bigshot turned out to be true.


    ¡°What do you want to know?¡± Now, Grove Bear¡¯s tone was no longer a roar but a weak inquire.


    ¡°Your status in the Stygian Club should be quite high given your strength,¡± said Tang Xiu slowly. ¡°I want you to tell me intelligence information on the Stygian Club. I can spare your life if your information is consistent with the investigation obtained by the people I sent. If it is not, you can be sure that I¡¯ll immediately treat you and then imprison you with some special means, then you can expect yourself to enjoy suffering and torment for days and nights that will make you want to die, hardly keeping your life and yet you can¡¯t ask any of them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you! Please spare me, Lord!¡±


    The first one to beg for mercy was not Grove Bear, but the Wolfkin Beastman. At this time, he looked very wretched, the pain he felt from the torture had siphoned away his already weak willpower and finally breached his limit.


    Grove Bear¡¯s swept at him with a contemptuous look, though he immediately concealed it, and said, ¡°I give you my word.¡±


    Tang Xiu clapped and smilingly said, ¡°Good. One who knows his situation is a wise man. You opted to treasure this opportunity, so some people will tell me whether what you will tell me is true or not.¡±


    With that said, Tang Xiu¡¯s feet landed on the lakeside, and he immediately took out the jade pieces to arrange a big Feng Shui array. After having laid out six containment arrays with a soundproof array, he immediately removed the Terra Celestial Bastille array and threw the six assassination agents inside the containment arrays separately.


    ¡°I¡¯ve detained and contained you inside. It¡¯s impossible for you to escape from it. Furthermore, I have laid out a soundproof array as well, so no one outside can hear anything you say inside. I will ask you the exact same information I sent my men to investigate on. You can be sure that your death will be very horrible if the answer you give me is different. But if you tell me some secrets my men did not discover, not only will I not kill you, I¡¯ll also give you some benefits, and you can definitely leave the Stygian Club after you obtain them.¡± Tang Xiu stood in the middle of the six arrays and said with a smile.


    Grover Bear did not trust Tang Xiu a bit. He tried to call the name of his comrades in the other arrays, but no one replied to him. Since things had gotten to this point, he had to remember and think clearly, for he would be found lying if he carelessly made up information.


    On top of Mt. Lao.


    Ji Mu lied amidst the rocks, holding binoculars to observe the valley a few kilometers below. He dared to swear that he had never thought that such a situation, whether fortunate or not, could happen in his life where he saw that there really were existences like celestial beings and monsters like in the legends in this world.


    The most unbelievable thing for him was that he unexpectedly saw some someone he knew, an acquaintance, among that group of people. Someone whom he felt dread and was afraid of¡­. Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Brother Mu, you have been using the binoculars for nearly two hours. Shouldn¡¯t it be my turn already?¡± Next to Ji Mu was a lean young man donned in an outlandish attire. Looking bored, he groaned at him. He had not seen the scene below from the beginning to the end, so he felt strange that Ji Mu kept observing that pitch-dark mountain valley.


    ¡°Did you forget what I told you?¡± Ji Mu whispered. ¡°Do not speak without my permission. This night vision binoculars is too precious and you¡¯ll be in trouble if you break it. Just stay still and shut your mouth. We¡¯ll wait here and then leave later.¡±


    The lean young man rolled his eyes at him and grunted in a low voice. Then, he turned around with a resentful expression and looked up at the black sky, silently thinking about his worries.


    As a twilight appeared in the horizon, Jin Mu¡¯s expression suddenly changed. He reached out to wake up the lean young man, and then said in a low voice, ¡°Let¡¯s leave this place and drive our car to the circuit. But remember, you have never accompanied me here tonight, and I slept at my place.¡±


    The thin young man looked baffled and asked, ¡°What the hell happened to you, Brother Mu? Did you get bewitched or something? We¡¯re obviously¡­¡±


    ¡°Just promise me, will you? I¡¯ll give you my Bumblebee sports car,¡± said Ji Mu sternly.


    The young man¡¯s complexion changed and he subconsciously turned his head to look at the valley, but he still couldn¡¯t see anything. He then nodded and said, ¡°Okay. I¡¯m also sleeping at my home tonight and did not leave out of the door at all. Alright, Brother Mu, I¡¯ll keep your word.¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡±


    Ji Mu backed up a few meters and then climbed up from the ground and quickly disappeared on the other side of the hill with that thin young man.


    At the lakeside of the mountain valley.


    Tang Xiu looked at the pile of intelligence data after the whole interrogation, and a smile appeared on his handsome face. After the interrogation in the middle of the night, he had already dug out a lot about the Stygian Club. The most important information was that the Stygian Club was not composed purely by human beings. The person who held the most authority, power and force there was someone named Angus from the Beastman¡¯s Reynard Clan, one who was also known as the first powerhouse of the Stygian Club.


    The Stygian Club itself was a place of interlacing forces. There were a total of eight powerful figures under Angus, who controlled many forces and clans, while those forces and families were also separated by ranks¡­


    Furthermore, other than these forces of darkness, he also learned about the situation of another faction, the Luminance Castle located in Europe. This force was one who was dedicated to exterminating the creatures of darkness. It was very powerful and was the faction who operated the second most powerful organization in the world, the League of Archcrusaders.


    ¡°Release us!¡±


    Shouted Grove Bear inside the array.


    Tang Xiu nodded to Mo Awu. After he turned all the six arrays off, Mo Awu and the other five men moved and struck like a lightning, killing the six assassination agents directly.


    Nearby, Shanjenna was tongue-tied and dumbfoundedly as she watched the killing scenes orchestrated by Mo Awu¡¯s group of six. After Tang Xiu stored the six dead bodies into his interspatial ring, she seemed to have woken up from a dream, and turned to lean on Han Jintong with an apprehensive and alarmed expression, as she then said with a shivering voice, ¡°P-Professor, d-didn¡¯t he say that he¡¯d spare Grove Bear and the others? Why did he take back his words and kill them?¡±


    With his sharp hearing, Tang Xiu did not wait for Han Jintong to answer her. He turned his head, let out a faint smile and said, ¡°What I said was very clear. I gave them a chance but I did not promise anything that my men can¡¯t kill them, did I? Don¡¯t tell me you are pitying these wicked bastards?¡±


    ¡°No no no. I did not pity them.¡± Shanjenna shook her head. ¡°I even wished I could kill them myself. If anything, I thank you for saving us, Mr. Tang. I¡¯ll tell my big brother in Salzburg of the bitter experience I just had today. I think my big brother will thank you, too.¡±


    With a greatly interested look, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Now that you said that, how will your big brother thank me, exactly? Just wagging his tongue for some glib, or would he present me with gifts?¡±


    ¡°About that¡­¡± Shanjenna was rendered speechless.


    Tang Xiu shook his head, as his eyes then fell on Han Jintong and lightly said, ¡°Just count it as I have paid back the favor I owed you. Thus, we don¡¯t owe each other from now on.¡±


    ¡°No. The grace of saving lives is greater than the firmament.¡± Han Jintong shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s the kind of benevolence that I, Han Jintong, will always remember in my heart. Feel free to call me at any time if you ever need me in the future.¡±


    Tang Xiu could not help but smile and said, ¡°Anyways, she won¡¯t be able to stay in China. If you want to avoid unnecessary trouble, you had better think of a way to get her outside and do it fast. Maybe it won¡¯t take long before some fellas from the state¡¯s Special Department to rush to Shanghai.¡±


    Han Jintong was taken aback, and then he immediately said with a grateful expression, ¡°I¡¯ll keep it in mind and deal with it fast.¡±


    Tang Xiu did not speak again and led Mo Awu and the others to leave quickly. He had accomplished his purpose in coming tonight and was rather anticipating to study the bodies of these Beastmen, vampire, and Wingmen. When he was in the Immortal World, a lot of Demon cultivators used the bodies of various races and all walks of life as medication, and some even used them as living specimens. Tang Xiu himself was not a Demon cultivator, though his cultivation technique, the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis, was the best cultivation technique in the Demon Realm.


    As a matter of fact, there was no significant distinction between the cultivation systems of the Immortal and Demon cultivators, but only the difference in personality and conduct. One would not be notoriously hated by the public despite being a Demon cultivator as long as he had a benevolent character. Likewise, evil and wicked Immortals would also become the target of hostility and hatred.


    Good and Evil!


    Immortals and Demons!


    In the flesh, Tang Xiu could be said as cultivating a Demon God body, yet keeping virtuousness and benevolence inside his heart.


    In the valley.


    While looking at the back of Tang Xiu as he departed, Han Jintong muttered to himself, ¡°I knew that his strength was not normal, but never did I think that he was so strong to this degree. Anyways, the feeling to be able to go on living is¡­ really great.¡±


    Shanjenna, who stood next to him, took back her vision and asked, ¡°Who exactly are they, Professor? Though I already knew that you¡¯re very powerful, never did the thought that some people could be more powerful than you crossed my mind. That is, we¡¯re putting my divergent races aside since we already possess strength far beyond humanity since birth, to begin with.¡±


    Han Jintong snapped back from his reverie and said with a forced smile, ¡°Do not ask about his identity, it won¡¯t bring you any good. Shanjenna, what is the most important now is to help you return to Salzburg and go back to your big brother¡¯s side. Else, no one else can help us again if more assassination agents from the Stygian Club were to find us.¡±


    ¡°But you know these people, Professor,¡± said Shanjenna quickly. ¡°Can you ask them to escort me back? I¡¯m willing to pay to hire them.¡±


    ¡°Do you think you can hire powerhouses with money?¡± commented Han Jintong with a wry smile.

 Chapter 704

    Chapter 704: Shanjenna¡¯s Opportunity


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    After thinking about it silently, Shanjenna eventually nodded in agreement. That Tang Xiu was evidently a lofty bigshot. Such a powerful figure, would he even accept other¡¯s employment for some money? Unlikely.


    However, after pondering and giving up the idea, Shanjenna cheered up again nonetheless. At least, the feeling of having survived a dire predicament did feel great. She took a deep breath, and then looked at Han Jintong and said with a smile, ¡°I really have to thank you on this one, Professor. Without your protection, I would have been depraved into some medicament and stinking bloody pulp.¡±


    Han Jintong was thinking about how to obtain more advanced cultivation techniques and how to become a true expert like Tang Xiu. Therefore, he did not pay attention to Shanjenna¡¯s words, perfunctorily replied with ¡°you¡¯re welcome¡±, and then prepared to lead her out.


    ¡°Umm?¡±


    Suddenly, Shanjenna curiously shifted her sight toward the depths of the forested mountain, because she saw a burly man who just left with Tang Xiu return.


    Han Jintong was startled by her. After following the direction of her gaze, he then found Jin Shi flying towards them. He arrived in front of them after several breaths, immediately cupping his hands and said, ¡°Is there anything this Brother wants to tell me?¡±


    ¡°My Boss sent me to ask whether you¡¯re interested to be his guest. If you are, you need to accept two of his requests.¡±


    ¡°What are the two requests?¡± Asked Han Jingtong immediately without thinking. He had been dreaming to establish a relationship with Tang Xiu all this while.


    ¡°Firstly, if you are to go with my Boss to a certain place, you must follow his instructions and cannot leave without his permission. Secondly, he wants to cooperate with her to perform some experiments.¡±


    Shanjenna lifted her bloodstained finger to point at her own nose and surprisedly asked, ¡°Your Boss wants to cooperate with me on some experiments? What exactly are them?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Jin Shi shook his head.


    Han Jintong slightly furrowed his brows. He looked at Shanjenna and then shifted his gaze toward the direction Tang Xiu left, and suddenly asked, ¡°May I ask whether the experiments Tang Xiu wants to perform would injure Shanjenna?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about it either.¡± Jin Shi still shook his head and paused for a moment, and pensively thought before saying, ¡°If my Boss wanted to harm her, he could have already done it before. And I don¡¯t think you could resist either.¡±


    Han Jintong instantly relaxed. He looked at Shanjenna and said, ¡°You can choose to refuse now, Shanjenna. I¡¯ll still do everything I can to send you out of China. But you can opt to stay here as well, on the premise that you cooperate with Mr. Tang to conduct some experiments. I believe he won¡¯t harm you given his character.¡±


    ¡°What about Mr. Tang¡¯s place? Is it safe?¡± Asked Shanjenna cautiously.


    ¡°It should be safer than leaving you alone,¡± said Han Jintong. ¡°Besides, the Darksoul Scent is currently on you, and if the assassination agents from the Stygian Club keep hunting you, you only have a slim chance to escape. If you opt to stay and wait in Mr. Tang¡¯s place until the Darksoul Scent on you completely dissipates, you can then leave quietly.¡±


    Shanjenna felt joyous inwardly and nodded with an excited expression, saying, ¡°Alright. Then I choose to stay. As long as Mr. Tang doesn¡¯t harm me, I¡¯m willing to cooperate and conduct the experiments with him.¡±


    Laoshan Highway.


    Five SUVs were parked on the roadside. Tang Xiu sat in the car in the middle while smoking and watched the young men outside the window, who wore respectful expressions and spoke to them in satisfaction, ¡°You¡¯ve done a very good job this time. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Wang Ya! (Chen Song!)¡± The duo replied separately.


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°Work hard in the future and strive to assume the highest two posts in Shanghai¡¯s intelligence division. I¡¯m looking forward to seeing you render your service under me in the future.¡±


    Chen Song and Wang Ya¡¯s eyes lit up and immediately nodded repeatedly with excited expressions.


    Tang Xiu took two porcelain bottles from his interspatial ring, each of which contained a drop of Body Refining Liquid, and threw it to the duo and said, ¡°When you go back home, pour this into your bathtub along with warm water, and then soak yourselves inside. Do remember, however, that no matter how painful it gets you must endure for half an hour. It will give you some benefits.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Boss!¡± The duo held the porcelain bottles with fervent eyes, as though they just had discovered some precious relics.


    When the duo departed and as Tang Xiu had finished smoking, he saw that Jin Shi, with Han Jintong and Shanjenna, had arrived. He did not speak to the two and let them board the car, and then issued an order to leave.


    The reason why he had a sudden change in mind to bring along Han Jintong and Shanjenna back was that he remembered something. The vampire body he took would definitely have its blood activity weakened, and eventually would have its activity died. But Shanjenna was different since she was a living vampire. Maybe he would gain something if he could study her blood and her organs.


    On the way back, he called Mo Yi and asked the old man to put aside his research and immediately rush to Shanghai alone. Mo Yi was a biologist, and he knew that this man would continue to complete his research on the vampires since he himself also had a faint expectation about the final result.


    Paradise Manor.


    Tang Xiu did not directly go to the Bluestar Villa Complex but straightly took Han Jintong and Shanjenna to Paradise Manor since it was rather convenient to settle them there. Ouyang Lulu who had received a call from Tang Xiu ahead of time and was already waiting in the courtyard in an area of the Paradise Manor that was not open to the public. The area had several foreign-style multi-story buildings, and when the group arrived here, they directly settled Han Jintong and Shanjenna.


    In the living room where Han Jintong just sat down, he saw Tang Xiu watching Shanjenna and scrutinizing her. As an experienced man, he immediately got up and said, ¡°Mr. Tang, I¡¯m injured, so I¡¯ll go to my room to heal myself. Feel free to summon me if you have anything to tell me.¡±


    Tang Xiu just waved his hand casually and did not look at him at all. His eyes were still full of curiosity, making Shanjenna have some gooseflesh inwardly.


    ¡°T-Tang¡­ Mr. Tang, I-I also must heal me if there¡¯s nothing else,¡± said Shanjenna immediately after getting up.


    Tang Xiu stopped her. Though Shanjenna¡¯s whole body was battered and scarred, he seemed to be watching her like she was a fine, exquisite object. After Han Jintong¡¯s back disappeared in the hallway, he then took a Holy Healing medicine and threw it at her, saying, ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯m very curious about. This medicinal pill has a strong healing effect on humans, but I don¡¯t whether it will have the same effect on you. Do you dare to try it?¡±


    Shanjenna looked at the medicinal pill in her hands. She could smell the medicinal fragrance, and there was an intoxicating look on her pale face. She greedily sucked up several breaths of it, looked at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°You mean¡­ you want me to take this pill?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Shanjenna threw the Holy Healing medicine into her mouth without hesitation and immediately felt the pill turn into a heat flow that coursed through her whole body after entering her throat. The heat flow current entered her body and then turned into myriad heat flow currents. In just a few breaths, it had already circulated all over her body.


    Warm and comfortable!


    She felt like every pore all over her body stretched out, while the injuries in her body were constantly being healed. Even part of the medicinal efficacy actually merged into her bloodstream and fused into her Core Nucleus. On the surface of her body, all the horrible bleeding open wounds were healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. Her tall and delicate body twitched unceasingly, eventually slumping on the soft sofa and squirming.


    It was so itchy and yet comfortable.


    The contrasting sensations made her feel like she was floating in the clouds. She greedily covered these two sensations, wishing that she could forever indulge within and never wake up again.


    Flap, bang!


    The bones inside Shanjenna¡¯s body sent out a bean-like bursting sound, as her pair of broken wings that were retracted into her body now opened in an instant. Her delicate body slowly floated from the sofa while a particular stream of energy from all directions fluxed into her body.


    Quickly, her wings were repaired, while her aura was getting stronger and stronger.


    Flop¡­


    A sound like a cork being unplugged was faintly heard from Shanjenna¡¯s body. Her body bloated up and turned bigger in an instant and her wings were enlarged, while the lines on them looked even more complicated than before.


    At this moment, her previously shut eyes instantly opened, and a scarlet blood light flashed on them. A look of ecstasy was shown on her face as she forcefully clenched her fist and swayed her hands, creating a whooshing sound. Her figure flashed in an instant to the front of Tang Xiu, as she knelt on the floor and gratefully said, ¡°Thank you so much, Mr. Tang.¡±


    Tang Xiu, who had been observing Shanjenna, found that her aura was several times stronger than before. At this time, he looked at her grateful face and curiously asked, ¡°What exactly happened to your body? Have your injuries been healed already?¡±


    Shanjenna, who was kneeling and lowering her head toward the floor, raised her head and excitedly said, ¡°My Bloodkin has a strict Bloodline Rank. I was only a small Baron Rank Bloodline, but after taking the pill you gave me, not only has it healed my injuries, but the most important thing is that it has qualitatively changed my Bloodline Rank and now has broken through to the Viscount Rank. Even if I were to meet that Wolfkin Beastman again, I¡¯m confident I can blow his head off.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at her with a strange expression and said, ¡°So to say, the medicinal pill I gave you that was supposed to heal your injuries seems to have an effect like a medicinal pill to increase cultivation strength, increasing your strength and upgrading your Bloodline Rank. Is that right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s exactly what happened.¡± Shanjenna nodded.


    ¡°Is there any adverse effect?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°How could there be any adverse effect?¡± Shanjenna shook her head. ¡°My body is presently very great, and I won¡¯t feel weak even if I don¡¯t drink blood in the next three days.¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly remembered something and asked, ¡°Does the survival of your Bloodkin depends on drinking blood?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We feed on blood since it supplies us with energy,¡± said Shanjenna. ¡°We must take blood to survive and stay alive for a long time. And we can also have our Bloodline Rank undergo a qualitative change and even be promoted if we intake high-quality blood.¡±


    Even when Tang Xiu was in the Immortal World, never did he encounter a situation like the Bloodkin¡¯s. It piqued his curiosity, and he suddenly asked, ¡°What kind of blood can be considered as high-quality?¡±

 Chapter 705

    Chapter 705: A New Toy


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Shanjenna seemed to recall something, as she subconsciously licked her lips and said, ¡°For example, species of divergent races that are of a higher rank than me, or a special human being like you or Professor. The quality of his blood is very high. I injured him when I was sparring with him and secretly tasted a few drops of blood he shed.¡±


    Tang Xiu was stunned. As if having found a new fun toy, he got up and circled around Shanjenna a few times, before he halted in front of her, groped his chin and asked, ¡°What is the particular difference between Bloodkin and human beings?¡±


    She thought for a moment and then answered, ¡°Bloodkin are innately stronger than human beings in terms of physique. We also have wings while human don¡¯t, and we mainly rely on our wings to absorb energy. Umm, our Bloodkin also has a Core Nucleus while humans don¡¯t.¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°Get up. I¡¯ll check your pulse.¡±


    Checking her pulse?


    Shanjenna got up with a puzzled look and stood in front of Tang Xiu with an expression of loss. She did not understand what Tang Xiu meant.


    Looking at her expression, Tang Xiu immediately understood what she thought and let out a hollow laugh to try to conceal his awkwardness, and said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing you need to do, just extend your wrist. Remember, don¡¯t resist when my power enters your body. I won¡¯t harm you.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    At this time, Shanjenna had put down her wariness toward Tang Xiu. After all, Tang Xiu saved her life and even gave her a very powerful pill that upgraded her Bloodline Rank by a level, promoting her strength by several times.


    Tang Xiu held her wrist and to his surprise, Shanjenna¡¯s body had scarcely any meridians channels and veins. There were only a total of 108 veins and acupoints inside her body. These 108 meridians passed through the four limbs, five major bones and the pair of wings, which then formed an unusually perfect great circuit of Heavenly Cycle. However, her body only had six meridians broken through at this time, which were the six meridians connected to the four limbs and wings.


    With his perception, Tang Xiu kept scouring and headed toward Shanjenna¡¯s heart. Despite knowing that Tang Xiu would not harm her, she still blocked it subconsciously. The Core Nucleus in her heart was the most mysterious and the most important existence of the Bloodkin, and if someone were to destroy it, they would die in an instant.


    Tang Xiu did not stop his observation even though he got blocked. When Shanjenna retracted back her consciousness that blocked him, he wrapped her heart smoothly and slowly seeped inside.


    The Core Nucleus was diamond-shaped and looked like a blood-colored crystal. It was very small in size, about the size of a fingernail. But with his perception, Tang Xiu could sense a huge energy inside it. Despite having a very formidable body at present, he could still be injured if this core were to explode.


    ¡°What a very mysterious Core Nucleus. A very mysterious species indeed.¡±


    Tang Xiu secretly lamented inwardly, while at the same time being amazed by the miraculous and mystical creator. He was getting more and more curious about Earth¡¯s existence in the universe, for a lot of rare and very precious treasures in the Immortal World could be found here, and there were even species that had never been seen in the Immortal World.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, I¡¯ve arranged for the meals to be served. I¡¯ll have the waiters send them later¡­¡± Lulu walked inside with light footsteps, but when she saw Shanjenna with her opened wings, the words she was about to say got stuck in her throat. If it was not broad daylight, she would have been utterly freaked out despite having a tough mind. Yet, she still shouted in fright, ¡°GHOST!¡±


    Tang Xiu took back his perception and turned his head to glance at Ouyang Lulu, and suddenly had a faint headache. He was seeping his consciousness into Shanjenna¡¯s Core Nucleus inside her heart and was unaware of Lulu¡¯s arrival. Now that she had seen Shanjenna¡¯s appearance, explaining it to her would probably be quite a headache.


    On the contrary, Shanjenna did not reveal an unusual expression after being seen by Lulu, but flapped her wings and came Lulu¡¯s front, and gave her hand out in a friendly manner, saying with a smile, ¡°Hello, Beautiful Oriental Lady. I¡¯m Shanjenna from the Salzburg Bloodkin.¡±


    Lulu desperately gulped down and stared back and forth between Shanjenna and Tang Xiu several times with widened eyes. She stretched her hand out cautiously to shake hands with her, and then replied with a trembling voice, ¡°H-Hello, I-I am O-Ouyang Lulu from Jingmen Island.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t be afraid of me, Miss Ouyang.¡± Shanjenna smiled. ¡°Though I belong to the Darkness faction, I¡¯m not an evil Bloodkin. Besides, Mr. Tang saved my life and helped me improve my strength. You have his scent and aura, so you must be his woman, thus also my benefactor.¡±


    A Bloodkin! Got rescued! Benefactor!


    Lulu¡¯s heart flipped and flopped, beating at a very rapid rate. She squeezed out a smile and nodded at her before immediately running toward Tang Xiu¡¯s front, a flustered expression still on her face. After sitting next to Tang Xiu, she forcefully grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s hand and said, ¡°What the heck is this situation? How the heck can there be a Bloodsucker in the world¡­ no, that¡¯s not right, how can a Bloodkin exist?¡±


    ¡°The universe is infinite, and it¡¯s possible for every strange thing to exist,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Since we, human beings, exist along with beasts and birds, why can¡¯t the Bloodkin? However, whether cultivators or Bloodkin, they are forces that are hiding in the dark and are rarely discovered by ordinary people. If ordinary people were to discover them, they would use various means to make those who have seen them keep it a secret, even if they have to kill them. This is really bad. You just found out Shanjenna¡¯s secret as a vampire. Do you think she¡¯ll kill you?¡±


    ¡°I, I, I¡­¡±


    Lulu¡¯s pupils violently contracted and shrunk, and instantly approached Tang Xiu with fear on her face. However, the scared look only lasted for a few seconds as she immediately reacted and angrily hit Tang Xiu¡¯s arm out of shame, and snappily said, ¡°How could she possibly kill me? She did not even kill you! Also, you¡¯re her savior and I¡¯m also a half savior to her. How come she would kill me? Bastard, you¡¯re damned. You just want to freak me out!¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed loudly. He rarely saw Lulu look scared, and her expression a moment ago was really funny to him. After hugging her shoulder, Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°Lulu, I¡¯m sure you already know my status as a cultivator. Shanjenna¡¯s secret as a vampire must stay a secret. Don¡¯t expose it to the outside since humans have deep fear toward the existence of the Bloodkin. I don¡¯t want you to create trouble for her.¡±


    ¡°Relax. I know that.¡± Lulu nodded. And her expression this time looked adorable.


    Tang Xiu then shifted his gaze toward Shanjenna and said, ¡°Alright, retract your wings! Since you are going to stay here for some time, I¡¯ll send some people to the hospital to find fresh blood to make sure you have your daily consumption. But you are not to leave this building without my permission!¡±


    ¡°But Mr. Tang, can I go to the roof?¡± Asked Shanjenna hesitantly. ¡°It¡¯s because a Bloodkin like me not only devours blood but also absorbs the moon energy under the moonlight as it also helps in our cultivation.¡±


    Absorbing moonlight?


    Tang Xiu suddenly remembered the lines he observed on her wings. He immediately closed his eyes as the routes of these lines appeared inside his mind. The more he recollected it, the more intense his surprised expression was. Finally, he opened his eyes and ordered Shanjenna to spread her wings and carefully observed them.


    ¡°Wonderful. It¡¯s truly a marvel!¡±


    While studying it, the deeper the amazement Tang Xiu had inside. His eyes turned brighter and brighter, as the brilliance inside revealed his excitement.


    After half an hour, Tang Xiu asked Lulu to find a paper and a pen, and then quickly painted some outlines of a pattern on it. In just a few minutes, he had painted a complete pattern. As the Primal Chaos Force in his body seeped into the pattern, a weak suction in the darkness emerged from above. The faint trace was extremely weak. The energy contained within the moonlight was something a weak cultivator could not even sense, yet it was sucked into the pattern on the paper.


    During the day, the moonlight energy was extremely thin!


    Tang Xiu thought up to this point. He suddenly clapped and smilingly said, ¡°This is great. So wonderful! Little did I think my unintentional action would turn out to bring such an unexpected harvest. It is wonderful that I was able to chance upon this great opportunity.¡±


    That was true! It was indeed a great opportunity. The energy that was mainly absorbed by his Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis was the energy from the stars. The moon was also a kind of star and naturally, the moonlight power itself could be absorbed. If he was to arrange an array according to this pattern, it would definitely speed up the absorption and even increase his cultivation speed by many times.


    At dusk, the fatigued from travel Mo Yi arrived in Paradise Manor. But his appearance was a bit messy and his white hair was even more chaotic. Therefore, he was stopped by Paradise Manor¡¯s security guards.


    ¡°Let me in. I¡¯m looking for someone.¡±


    Mo Yi was anxious to see Tang Xiu. He was curious and wanted to know why Tang Xiu asked him to come here alone, so his tone was particularly stern.


    One of the security guards handed over a towel to him and curiously asked, ¡°Who are you looking for? Maybe I can help you contact that person if you tell me.¡±


    Mo Yi wiped the dust off his body with the towel. He got dusted in the lab, and because he was too anxious and left in a hurry, there was still a lot of dust remaining even after he cleaned himself up; there was grayish dust even on his white hair. He simply looked like a migrant worker old geezer.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for Tang Xiu. He¡­ ah, right. He told me to mention Ouyang Lulu as soon as I arrived here, and this Ouyang Lulu will take me to him.¡±


    The security guards had their expressions changed and one of them immediately took his walkie-talkie and conveyed the message. Without much effort, a mountain view car drove over, as Lulu, donned in a fur coat, looked at Mo Yi with a curious face and asked, ¡°Are you, Professor Mo?¡±


    Mo Yi did not expect that the one who came to pick him up would be such a beautiful girl. After nodding in response, he asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Tang Xiu? I need to see him immediately.¡±


    Lulu pouted. She let out a faint smile and said, ¡°He¡¯s playing with his new toy now. Alright, I¡¯ll take you to see him, Professor Mo. That¡¯s right, maybe there will be a surprise for you there, too.¡±

 Chapter 706

    Chapter 706: The Beaten Dignity Of An Elderly


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Mo Yi was an old man and had experienced too many surprises in life, so the revelation did not create any ripples in his heart. He followed Lulu and then came to the foreign-style pavilion in the deepest part of Paradise Manor. He got off from the viewing car and looked around with a bit of appreciation, nodded and said, ¡°This Paradise Manor has a good environment. Truly a good place to retire and spend my old age.¡±


    Retiring here?


    Ouyang Lulu secretly rolled her eyes. This Paradise Manor was the chicken that laid golden eggs for her, who would want to support the elderly who wanted to retire here?


    ¡°It¡¯s been laborious on you, Professor Mo.¡±


    Tang Xiu walked out of the foreign-style building and warmly greeted him.


    ¡°You¡¯re my Boss now and you want me to come over. How would I dare not to rush over as fast as possible?¡± Mo Yi smiled. ¡°The transportation means are very developed nowadays, so I don¡¯t feel too tired. Anyways, I heard from this young lady here that you have a pleasant surprise for me, is that right?¡±


    A pleasant surprise?


    Tang Xiu glanced at Lulu with a strange expression. Did this girl just dig a hole to prank Mo Yi? If Mo Yi saw Shanjenna¡¯s vampire appearance all of a sudden, he could become scared to death!


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it would a be a pleasant surprise to you. It¡¯s more likely for you to freak out, to be honest. Anyways, I¡¯ll tell you in advance, though. It¡¯s not your ordinary living being you will be seeing.¡±


    Mo Yi could not help laughing and said, ¡°Not an ordinary living being? Hahaha, relax! I¡¯m already old and have traveled to many places in this lifetime and saw a lot of strange living beings and species as well. I won¡¯t frown or freak out even if a ghost appears before me.¡±


    Tang Xiu originally wanted to tell him that it was a vampire he was about to see, but he did not expect that this old man turned out to boast, thus making his intention to tell him to die out. He just nodded and smilingly said, ¡°Alright, since Professor Mo is used to seeing strange living beings, let¡¯s just go in! I¡¯ve told her to get prepared and just wait for you to come!¡±


    After entering the multi-story foreign-styled building, Mo Yi shot a curious look at Shanjenna in the living room. But the instant he saw her, his body trembled and his pace staggered, almost slumping to the floor. Luckily, Tang Xiu¡¯s reflexes were good and propped him up.


    ¡°Are you okay, Professor Mo?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with an expression of being a loss whether he had to cry or laugh upon seeing his complexion that instantly turned deathly pale and horrified.


    Mo Yi¡¯s lips shivered, looking at Shanjenna¡¯s vampire appearance with a disbelieving expression. The opened pair of wings, scarlet blood eyes, and those two sharp fangs¡­


    Isn¡¯t this¡­ a vampire? Like that of in the legends?


    After half a minute, Mo Yi¡¯s breathing returned to normal, but he still felt lingering fear and forcefully resisted his impulse to run away. He squeezed out a forced smile and said, ¡°T-Tang¡­ B-boss. T-this¡­ h-how is this possible? How come vampires exist in the world?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you seen a lot of strange creatures already, Professor Mo?¡± Tang Xiu slightly smiled. ¡°Is the existence of vampires on Earth worth making a fuss about?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡­¡± Mo Yi almost vomited out a mouthful of his old blood, while feeling a burning sensation on his wrinkled old face as though someone had just slapped him a few times. He felt like he wanted to find a hole to burrow himself into to hide his shame, but too bad there was no crack at this moment. Previously, he thought that even if he did encounter some strange living beings, he would not be freaked out and make a fuss about it given his experience. But¡­ but who could have thought that it was a living VAMPIRE!!!


    ¡°Shanjenna, this is Professor Mo, a world-renowned biologist, and a physicist as well,¡± said Tang Xiu with a light smile.


    Shanjenna let out a faint smile. As she came forward and saw Mo Yi subconsciously step back, she tried to reveal her gentlest appearance and said, ¡°Hello, Professor Mo. I genuinely admire the so-called professors with their deep knowledge. A teacher of mine once taught me in a very famous university in the United States, and we¡¯re also quite close.¡±


    Mo Yi¡¯s calves were slightly trembling. But when he saw that Shanjenna was so amiable, he barely controlled himself and said with a forced a smile, ¡°Shan¡­ Shanjenna, right? Y-you¡­ y-you¡¯re really too much of a surprise, to be honest. I, I apologize first, but you just piqued my curiosity.¡±


    ¡°Ordinary humans will definitely react just like you did when they see me.¡± Shanjenna smiled. ¡°The Bloodkin, however, are not allowed to appear in front of ordinary humans in our true form, so I did not scare others before coming here.¡±


    After some talk, Mo Yi, who had strong tolerance and ability to accept anything, finally got used to Shanjenna¡¯s identity as a vampire. As his fear slowly disappeared, an intense curiosity replaced it. He circled around her and then sighed in admiration, ¡°Incredible. It¡¯s really inconceivable. I used to imagine that the existence of vampires¡­ no, Bloodkin is real in this world. Never did I think that the imagination of mine would turn into reality. Miss Shanjenna, may I ask you, how old are you¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m 200 years old. But according to the life system of the Bloodkin, I¡¯m just about the same as a 20-year-old human girl,¡± said Shanjenna with a smile.


    Hiss¡­ Despite having accepted her identity, Mo Yi was still shocked by this revelation.


    She is 200 years old! And yet similar to a young human in his or her twenties? This¡­ Heaven is really unfair!


    Mo Yi lamented and sighed inwardly. He then turned to look at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Boss, you wanted me to come over to Shanghai to see this Miss from the Bloodkin, what is it for?¡±


    ¡°To study her, of course,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Mo Yi¡¯s eyes lit up and his whole being was immediately full of excitement. Studying a vampire? Wouldn¡¯t he become the only biologist in the world to obtain this huge opportunity? After studying her, maybe I can find a lot of biological mysteries and obtain a lot of results that are important to human beings.


    ¡°I agree!¡±


    ¡°Since you agreed, you can make a list of the instruments you need and give it to me, Professor Mo. I¡¯ll assign some people to buy them for you,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°But since Shanjenna¡¯s identity is quite special, you can only cooperate with her and conduct the research here. Also, you are not to expose anything about having seen Shanjenna. Even if you do achieve results, you must keep everything confidential.¡±


    Mo Yi firmly nodded and said, ¡°Rest assured, Boss. I¡¯ll do as you said.¡±


    ****


    Shanghai, the Bund.


    Qin Shaoyang wore a cap and a black windproof coat as he leaned on the guardrail by the river. A smile hung on his face while looking at the slender woman who was coming over from the distance.


    ¡°What brought you to Shanghai, Young Master Qin? Why aren¡¯t you just staying obediently in Blue City? Are you not afraid that Zhang fella will learn that you¡¯re in Shanghai and make you use ointment on your eyes?¡± The graceful and gentle female wore a mink coat with a light blue scarf as she gracefully walked over in her high-heeled shoes. Her face wore a playful smile, and the faint scent of her perfume could be smelled even before her voice faded away.


    Qin Shaoyang stuffed his hands into his pockets and grinningly said, ¡°I heard that the Zhang Family has that guy grounded now. Seems like he has provoked some big shot or something. Else, how could a nobody like me run up to Shanghai which is literally his own turf? Anyways, I heard that Zhang fella has been pursuing you for more than two years. You haven¡¯t softened down, have you?¡±


    The graceful woman rolled her eyes and groaned, ¡°I could still consider it if Zhang Zitao really had the ability, but he is just too inexperienced. What about you, Young Master Qin? Do you have no interest at all on this young lady? Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t like women.¡±


    Qin Shaoyang rolled his eyes and snappily replied, ¡°Can we have a proper talk, Ni Jie? Besides, you¡¯re a few years older than me, can¡¯t you just give me some slack?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m kinda enjoying it.¡± Ni Jie laughed.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t changed even a bit in these years.¡± Qin Shaoyang shook his head and smilingly said. ¡°Anyways, there¡¯s something important I need to discuss with you, how about having a chat while strolling?¡±


    ¡°How about going to the coffeehouse nearby?¡± Ni Jie smiled. ¡°A Civet Coffee is served there, and its flavor is kind of indigenous.¡±


    ¡°Your treat!¡±


    ¡°No prob!¡±


    ****


    Binjiang Avenue, Podo Coffeehouse.


    The elegant coffeehouse was filled with melodious, light music. Though there were only a few guests now, all of them were well-dressed¡ªin a manner and style of successful people. In a spot near the glazed window toward the avenue, Zhang Zitao leaned on the sofa with eyes filled with a burning, fervent expression as he intently gazed at a woman in the corner. That woman was Xue Yu.


    He had seen too many beautiful women to count but a woman who gave off an aura like an orchid in a secluded valley was the type he had never seen. She looked so rare, yet noble and beautiful that she was like a mysterious woman who descended on Earth from the Nine Heavens, looking pure and chaste without the slightest contamination.


    His heart was palpitating and also moved.


    The number of women who could move his heart ever since he was a child until becoming an adult was not more than three, including Xue Yu. The reason why he did not straightly try to speak with her was that he had a ridiculous feeling that this woman could only be seen from a distance, and not to be blasphemed.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s sit by the window!¡± Ni Jie smilingly said after glancing around. She did not see Zhang Zitao since he sat with his back facing them.


    ¡°Alright!¡± Qin Shaoyang needed to discuss something with her, so he did not care about the spot where they would sit.


    However, when they passed by Zhang Zitao¡¯s table toward the seats by the window, Qin Shaoyang¡¯s complexion froze at this moment, since he saw Zhang Zitao there.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Seeing that Qin Shaoyang¡¯s expression was unnatural, Ni Jie turned her head and looked back, and then saw Zhang Zitao whose fervent eyes were intently fixated at the inside corner. A strange expression then immediately painted her face.


    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s really a small world!¡±


    Qin Shaoyang forced out a bitter smile and immediately walked toward Zhang Zitao, saying with a helpless expression, ¡°Young Master Zhang, I did not have to the intention to make any noise in Shanghai, but I must meet with Ni Jie to discuss an important matter and ask for her help. I just didn¡¯t expect that Shanghai would be this small and run into you here.¡±


    Zhang Zitao slightly furrowed his brows and turned around. After he saw that it was Qin Shaoyang, he stared at him and immediately beckoned. ¡°Forget about that trivial thing that happened in the past. Besides, you got nothing to do with the matter in the first place. Don¡¯t take my threat to your heart. Anyways, go tend to your business. I don¡¯t have time to talk to you now.¡±

 Chapter 707

    Chapter 707: Gotten Rid Of By The Uncle


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    A faint smile outlined on the corner of Qin Shaoyang¡¯s mouth. In order to realize the plan to set up the Universe Literature Media company, he stayed in Blue City for some time, aiming to unearth some excellent students in the Regal Classical Music Academy.


    As a result, he accidentally bumped into Zhang Zitao there, and due to a small dispute, his friend suffered a bit of a loss and even got threatened despite acting low key. And now, he ran into Zhang Zitao again in Shanghai. Though he displayed a humble and scared expression on the surface, he secretly made up his mind to really pack up this fella by himself if this guy were to act rampant and unbridled.


    But who would have thought that instead of provoking him again, this guy acted like he did not want to continue the dispute and neither did he want to bother him?


    After seeing Zhang Zitao, Ni Jie followed the direction of his sight and her eyes then landed on Xue Yu, who was quietly reading a book. Despite being a woman, she was still amazed by her looks and was also subdued by her bearing. She finally realized why Zhang Zitao did not see her even though she stood in front of him.


    ¡°Is that young lady a friend of yours, Zhang Zitao? Why don¡¯t you introduce us to her?¡± Ni Jie was originally pursued by Zhang Zitao. Even though she kept ignoring him, yet she too enjoyed the feeling of being pursued. But now she felt sour and upset upon seeing this that guy had a new target.


    ¡°Sshh¡­ you¡¯re bothering¡­¡±


    Zhang Zitao angrily shifted his gaze to Ni Jie. But when he saw her, his voice came to a halt instantly and was seemingly afraid of being found out as he quickly glanced at Xue Yu, and then hurriedly got up and said with a smile, ¡°Little Jie, how come you are here? I was just thinking about things, so I did not notice you, cough, cough¡­¡±


    Ni Jie shot him a harsh glare and mocked, ¡°Heh, I can tell that that beauty has captured your soul, isn¡¯t that right? Speaking about her, her beauty is indeed outstanding and is definitely able to topple a kingdom. With an aura like an orchid in a secluded valley, her figure still looks evidently outstanding even though she¡¯s only sitting there quietly. No wonder you¡¯re completely bewitched.¡±


    Zhang Zitao let out a hollow laugh, and then explained, ¡°Little Jie, I don¡¯t know her either. Also, you¡¯re also very outstanding in my eyes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut it.¡± Ni Jie quickly waved her hand. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in you. I¡¯d love to help you hook up with that beauty if you could stop pestering me. Alright, Shaoyang just came to Shanghai and we have something to discuss. Go appreciate your beauty yourself!¡±


    ¡°Young Master Zhang, we won¡¯t accompany you,¡± said Qin Shaoyang with a smile.


    Fickle as he was, it was simply Zhang Zitao¡¯s natural instinct being fond of beauty. And in his eyes, Ni Jie was also his favorite woman. Now that she had a date with another man, it made him quite vexed. Just as Qin Shaoyang¡¯s voice faded away, he immediately said, ¡°Hold on.¡±


    ¡°Is there something, Young Master Zhang?¡± Asked Qin Shaoyang.


    With knitted brows, Zhang Zitao said, ¡°Who are you really? How can you know Little Jie?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t I already told you when we met in Blue City?¡± Said Qin Shaoyang with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m just a nobody who does a small business to make a bit of pocket money to take back home. I¡¯m nothing but a dwarf compared to you, Young Master Zhang.¡±


    Zhang Zitao¡¯s brows furrowed deeper. The more modest Qin Shaoyang was, the more he felt that this fella was not as simple as he looked. Because he knew Ni Jie¡¯s character ¨C proud like a phoenix ¨C and ordinary people would not be able to enter her eyes at all.


    However, he was proud to the bone. This was Shanghai¡ªhis territory, and the woman who did not look at him in the eyes turned out to be taken by another man. Therefore, his complexion turned cold and he said in a heavy tone, ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn about your status or who you are. Stay away from Ni Jie, else I won¡¯t mind to cash in what I told you in Blue City.¡±


    Qin Shaoyang shot a deep look at him before he suddenly said with a smile, ¡°I finally get it now why you kicked an iron plate a while ago. You know, there¡¯s a line stated in the Art of War: Know thyself and know thy enemies, and only then will you be victorious in battle. You have yet to figure out the identity of who you are facing, yet you dare to act arrogant and provoke others. Could it be that you are not afraid that you will court a calamity upon your family?¡±


    Zhang Zitao was shaken inwardly. He faintly felt that the last sentence spoken by Qin Shaoyang was somewhat familiar. After a while, he suddenly recalled it. It was at that time when he provoked Tang Xiu and he spoke these words to him.


    Could it be¡­


    With a change in expression, Zhang Zitao blurted, ¡°Do you know Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°How can I not know him? Tang Xiu is the idol of all the scions and young ladies of the prominent families in Beijing. What¡¯s wrong? Judging from what you said, you seem to know Tang Xiu too?¡±


    Zhang Zitao¡¯s heart tightened and he asked, ¡°What is your relationship with Tang Xiu? Who exactly are you?¡±


    At the side, Ni Jie looked at Zhang Zitao with some pity and said, ¡°As far as I know, you went to Beijing last year, yet you boasted to those scoundrel buddies of yours that you got the qualification to enter Kangde Club, and then squandered a lot of money there for a couple of days. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know the owner of Kangde Club?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Zhang Zitao was as though getting zapped by thunder, making him limp and numb.


    Kangde Club? The highest-ranked club in Beijing that numerous scions of notable families in the country have been dreaming to be eligible to enter?


    Is this guy¡­ the Big Boss?


    Finally, Zhang Zitao understood what it meant by ¡°playing the pig to swallow the tiger¡± was. That amazing fella who established Kangde Club, whether in terms of wealth, status, or network, each of them was enough to crush him. His father may have a high status in Shanghai and his family might be a genuinely rich and powerful clan, but¡­


    Qin Shaoyang slightly smiled and took out his business card, handed it over to Zhang Zitao and said, ¡°I know Tang Xiu because we are friends and also partners in business. This time, if it wasn¡¯t because I needed to see him and also have something to take care of in Shanghai, I would not have dared to ignore the threat from the local tyrant here, neither would I dare to easily disregard you and visit Shanghai.¡±


    This time, Zhang Zitao really wanted to weep. Never did he think that the bad luck he carried on his shoulder would smash his own heel due to his own fart. The matter he provoked Tang Xiu that day could be said as let the bygones be bygones, but he even provoked Qin Shaoyang, who played the pig to eat the tiger today. The only thing that made him feel relieved was that he did not drag things further with the threat he said in Blue City previously. Otherwise, he would have really courted a huge trouble if he directly started an attack the moment he saw Qin Shaoyang.


    However, the male chauvinism inside him prevailed. Ni Jie was in front of him, and he did not want to bow his head and admit his mistake, thus he could only bite the bullet, ¡°Even if you¡¯re the owner of Kangde Club, I won¡¯t change my original intention¡ªSTAY AWAY from Ni Jie, for she will definitely be my woman in the future. As for Tang Xiu¡­ He¡¯s my uncle.¡±


    Uncle?


    Qin Shaoyang blanked and revealed a strange expression. Though he did obtain the news that Zhang Zitao just kicked an iron plate some time ago due to provoking a powerful figure, he did not know who the person was. But Tang Xiu was surnamed Tang, while Zhang Zitao¡¯s surname was Zhang. How come they were related as uncle and nephew? Could it be that Tang Xiu and Zhang Yueming had become sworn brothers?


    At this time, Ni Jie was similarly dumbfounded. She naturally knew Tang Xiu and even vividly remembered him, since he was also at the scene when that ugly woman slapped her in the face last year. Yet, she did not expect that Tang Xiu was so powerful.


    It should be just the same surname with the same name, right?


    Ni Jie pondered for a moment, as her eyes then fell on Zhang Zitao. She had a faint delusion that this guy seemed to be somewhat different than before. For example, he did not press Qin Shaoyang the moment he met him, and now that he finally knew of his unusual identity, he did not bow his head either.


    Could it be that¡­ his love for me is really sincere?


    The thought crossed Ni Jie¡¯s mind, and she now had a different impression toward the guy. Though she did not have much interest in him, she could opt to become friends with this fella if he could really mature.


    In the corner of the coffeehouse.


    Xue Yu put down the book in her hand, picked her handbag she just bought and prepared to leave. Though she heard the conversation between Zhang Zitao and those people and even heard Tang Xiu¡¯s name being mentioned, she did not want to be involved in the discussion. To her, Tang Xiu was an outstanding man, and for him to be acquainted with many people was just normal.


    Zhang Zitao, who had been paying attention to Xue Yu and now saw that she was about to leave, felt somewhat torn inside. After weighing matters, he decided to go out and then spoke, ¡°Little Jie, there¡¯s something I need to take care off, so I¡¯ll go first. I¡¯ll look for you again another day.¡±


    Ni Jie also noticed that Xue Yu was preparing to leave. Now, hearing Zhang Zitao¡¯s words, the change of impression she just had toward the guy instantly vanished, turning into irritation and disgust. She then waved her hand and said, ¡°Just go take care of your things. Don¡¯t worry about us. Also, you don¡¯t need to look for me later since I already have tons of things to deal with.¡±


    Zhang Zitao seemed to not hear anything she said, and just shot a warning look toward Qin Shaoyang, and then chased after Xue Yu who had just left the coffeehouse. The distance between them was a few hundreds of meters away, so he rapidly caught up and then blocked Xue Yu¡¯s path, saying, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Zhang Zitao. May I know your name, young lady?¡±


    Xue Yu frowned and halted her pace. From the conversation between this guy with Ni Jie and Qin Shaoyang, she thought that Zhang Zitao was the type of man who was fickle in love, the kind she never liked. However, on the account of Tang Xiu¡¯s face, she still spoke, albeit indifferently, ¡°My name is Xue Yu, but you can call me Auntie.¡±


    Auntie?


    Zhang Zitao was dumbfounded. But since he was not someone who could be taken advantage of, he asked after hesitating, ¡°Why? Why should I address you like that?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m Tang Xiu¡¯s woman,¡± said Xue Yu.


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    Zhang Zitao was utterly speechless, and his whole being was as though getting zapped by thunder again. He had imagined numerous identities Xue Yu might have, and even already predicted that she already had a boyfriend or was married already. But never once did he ever predict that she turned out to be Tang Xiu¡¯s woman.


    ¡°You call Tang Xiu as your uncle, so you naturally should call me Auntie.¡± Xue Yu nodded. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m going to Bluestar Villa Complex later, do you want to go with me?¡±


    ¡°SHIT¡­ I¡¯VE GOTTEN RID OF BY HIM¡ªUNCLE.¡±


    Zhang Zitao was completely depressed and roared inwardly. He shook his head and desperately put on a theatrical look, saying, ¡°No no no, I¡­ I have other things to do. I-I can¡¯t go to Bluestar Villa Complex. I-If you¡­If you see Tang Xiu, please send him my regards.¡±


    With that said, he ran away with his tail between his legs.

 Chapter 708

    Chapter 708: Taking A Risk


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    It was Monday, and Tang Xiu fully attended all the three classes he had today to the end. Even though he already finished learning all the contents and knowledge in the books, Han Qingwu did not want to see him skip classes, while he also did not want to haggle over this matter with her.


    As the last class¡¯ bell rang, Yue Kai, who sat next to Tang Xiu, came over and whispered, ¡°Do you have any plans tonight? If not, how about joining us bowling?¡±


    Tang Xiu himself already had a plan in mind, so he shook his head and said, ¡°There¡¯s something I gotta do tonight, so I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t join you. Let¡¯s change it to some other day when I¡¯m not too busy! I¡¯ll treat you all¨Cbrothers to a meal later.¡±


    Having learned about Tang Xiu¡¯s identity as well as his busy schedule in managing his business, Yue Kai nodded and said, ¡°Okay. But be very careful when you go out. Shanghai has not been tranquil and peaceful recently, and there had been several homicide cases in just a few days. You¡¯re a Big Boss, so you should take some bodyguards with you.¡±


    Several homicide cases?


    Tang Xiu was surprised and asked, ¡°What murders? I only heard about the one where four nightclub girls were killed.¡±


    ¡°The murdered nightclub girls¡¯ case is only one of them. Two more murder cases occurred in Fanyu District and Jingning District. I heard that even a cop was killed, and the culprit must be the one who did it. You see, the police are now employing a very strict blockade. I wouldn¡¯t have known about this if my old man hadn¡¯t called me and told me to pay attention to safety when I go out of the campus.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and thought that the other two murder cases should not be extraordinary events, else the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s intelligence personnel would have informed him.


    After the teacher left, Tang Xiu handed over his textbooks to Yue Kai to bring them back while he walked toward the outside of the classroom building alone. He had not bought the research instruments needed by Professor Mo Yi, and Tang Xiu still wanted to know about the past happenings here previously.


    Honk, honk¡­


    A red BMW slowly stopped by Tang Xiu¡¯s side. As the door was opened, Han Qingwu got off and walked toward Tang Xiu. Her walking posture looked somewhat unusual, and there was a bloodstain on her white neck.


    ¡°Do you have time tonight? Let¡¯s have dinner together.¡±


    Tang Xiu slightly knitted his brows and did not immediately reply, but observed her before saying, ¡°Are you injured?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was slightly injured during the training,¡± said Han Qingwu without thinking.


    Tang Xiu nodded and asked again, ¡°Is there something up?¡±


    ¡°I want to speak to you about something,¡± said Han Qingwu. ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s walk and find a place to eat, and then we¡¯ll talk about that while having a bite.¡±


    Tang Xiu did not refuse and sat in the front seat. The red BMW started moving and left the Shanghai University quickly. While sitting on the front seat, Tang Xiu looked at Han Qingwu¡¯s face from the side and suddenly said, ¡°Let¡¯s eat in Paradise Manor! Your Grandpa is also there.¡±


    Han Qingwu was stunned for a moment, and then immediately asked, ¡°How could my Grandpa be in Paradise Manor? And how do you know that?¡±


    ¡°He was injured and now is healing his wounds there,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°He might tell you the cause when you get there.¡±


    Han Qingwu knew Tang Xiu¡¯s character, and if this guy did not want to say it, then she would never get the answer even if she insisted and forced him to. When they arrived at Paradise Manor, Tang Xiu directly led Han Qingwu to the foreign-styled building where Han Jintong was staying, and then found only Shanjenna, who was currently watching TV in the living room.


    ¡°Where are Professor Mo and Han Jintong?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    Shanjenna jumped up and after approaching, she respectfully answered, ¡°Professor Mo is currently sorting out the data and documents in the other room, whereas teacher is also currently healing himself, Mr. Tang. Anyways, thanks for giving him the Holy Healing medicine. His injuries are already better, and Teacher said that he will be fully healed in 2-3 days at most.¡±


    ¡°Go call him! Tell him that his granddaughter is here,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    At this time, Han Jintong walked out of the room into the hallway and he immediately looked surprised after seeing Han Qingwu, saying, ¡°Little Wu, why are you here?¡±


    Han Qingwu, who already knew that her Grandpa was injured, strode toward Han Jintong and asked with a concerned expression all over her face, ¡°I heard from Tang Xiu that you were injured, Grandpa. How is your injury now? What exactly happened and who did it?¡±


    Han Jintong looked at Tang Xiu and immediately said with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my injuries are about to heal, so it¡¯s no big deal. Anyways, about what happened, it¡¯s quite a complicated matter. I¡¯ll tell you about that later. That¡¯s right. This is Shanjenna, my student in the Yale University when I was teaching there.¡±


    ¡°Hi, Qingwu. I¡¯m Shanjenna, and I¡¯m very pleased to meet you.¡± Shanjenna stretched her hand out and said with a smile. ¡°Anyways, Professor often mentioned you when I was in the United States.¡±


    Han Qingwu shook hands with her and said, ¡°Hi, Shanjenna. Anyways, my Granddad doesn¡¯t want to tell me what exactly happened, could you tell me about that?¡±


    Shanjenna glanced at Han Jintong and Tang Xiu. After seeing the calm expression on their faces and as they did not try to prevent her, she immediately said with an apologetic expression, ¡°In fact, it was because of me that Professor got injured. I¡¯m a member of the Bloodkin and was being hunted, so I ran away to China. I knew that he lived here, so I asked for his help and hoped that he could give me a safe place to hide. I never thought that those assassination agents had used the Darksoul Scent on me, the type of agent with a strong tracking effect. As a result, they always knew my whereabouts, while the professor also did not want to leave me alone, hence the reason why we all got injured.¡±


    ¡°What organization is this Bloodkin?¡± Only recently did Han Qingwu learn about some huge international organizations, but she had never heard of this organization.


    ¡°The Bloodkin is not an organization, but the collective name for a race,¡± explained Shanjenna. ¡°And members of Bloodkin turn into what you call as a vampire.¡±


    With that said, she spread out her wings and revealed her fangs. She then continued explaining while releasing her huge aura, ¡°You should have watched the TV about us. And those vampires aired there are of our Bloodkin. But then again, there are some differences between those on TV with us, nonetheless.¡±


    A shocked expression could be seen on Han Qingwu¡¯s face, though she did not look as scared as Mo Yi was. Upon sensing that huge aura that came pressing from the front, she also unleashed a similar huge aura that surged toward Shanjenna.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Han Jintong, who stood at the side, could feel the huge aura from Shanjenna and Han Qingwu. A disbelieving expression painted his old face, while his eyeballs stared so wide that they almost dropped. Shanjenna was very powerful, that he knew. But¡­ but when did his baby granddaughter become such a powerhouse?


    ¡°Alright, stop!¡±


    Tang Xiu glanced at them and then went to the sofa to take a seat, saying, ¡°I never thought that you were already so powerful in such a short time, Han Qingwu. You should have reached the Peak of the Qi Refining Stage, right? You may soon be able to contend with Shanjenna if you keep maintaining this progress rate.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m still weak.¡± Han Qingwu shook her head. ¡°Some martial arts grandmasters may able to defeat me if I don¡¯t use True Essence to fight them. I learned some martial arts skills from your men, but those moves are not suitable for me, because they are specifically used for killing.¡±


    Finally, Han Jintong could not bear it anymore and walked toward Han Qingwu and asked excitedly, ¡°Little Wu, you¡­ you have become a cultivator too?¡±


    ¡°I only practice a set of cultivation technique, Grandpa.¡± Han Qingwu nodded. ¡°While my strength and speed have indeed improved a lot, but I¡¯m not good at the rest.¡±


    Han Jintong¡¯s old face was full of excitement, nonetheless. He thought that it was Tang Xiu who taught his granddaughter a cultivation technique, so he spoke to him gratefully, ¡°Thank you for teaching a cultivation technique to my granddaughter, Mr. Tang. The grace you have bestowed upon the Han Family is greater than the Heavens!¡±


    ¡°What benevolence?¡± Asked Han Qingwu, confused.


    Han Jintong quickly said, ¡°Little Wu, Shanjenna and I were originally being hunted down by the enemies and were in a hopeless situation. If it wasn¡¯t for Mr. Tang who suddenly came to save us, I¡¯m afraid that we would be dead already by now. So, he¡¯s my savior.¡±


    Han Qingwu did not expect that there was such a hidden story at all. Just as she was about to express her gratitude, Tang Xiu did not give her the opportunity as he already got up and said, ¡°Alright, you all continue chatting, I¡¯m going to arrange for the dinner.¡±


    At the door, Mo Awu, who just came over and saw Tang Xiu coming out, quickly said, ¡°Boss, Chi Nan called and said there¡¯s someone from Changxi City who wants to see you. His name is Ji Mu and he¡¯s in Shanghai now. However, Chi Nan did not dare to decide anything without your permission, so she called me to ask you about this.¡±


    Ji Mu?


    Tang Xiu remembered this guy, who he got acquainted with previously when he participated in the car race on the Laoshan Highway. After giving it a thought, he then nodded and said, ¡°Alright, tell Chi Nan to let that Ji Mu guy come to this Paradise Manor!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Mo Awu replied and immediately walked away.


    At this time, Han Qingwu walked out of the room and saw Tang Xiu lighting a cigarette. She then came over and spoke, ¡°Tang Xiu, thank you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± said Tang Xiu calmly.


    Han Qingwu fell silent for more than ten seconds. Then, she seemed to have decided something and said, ¡°Do you have time the day after tomorrow? Care to accompany me to a certain place?¡±


    ¡°Is this the true purpose you wanted to find me today?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Han Qingwu nodded.


    ¡°Where to?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°The day after tomorrow is the finals of the national underground fighting competition. At that time, there will be a lot of Kung Fu masters and even a few at the grandmaster level. One of them is called Li Tong, who is only about 40 years old but has reached the grandmaster level in just about 5 or 6 years ago. His style is very cunning, cruel and vicious at the same time. 60% of those who were defeated by him in the past were killed, 30% turned into disabled, and only 10% who quickly admitted defeat escaped the predicament.


    ¡°I know that my strength is very strong at present, but I¡¯m lacking the confidence when facing a true life and death combat. So, I want you to accompany me there.


    ¡°Would you go with me?¡±


    Tang Xiu frowned and said, ¡°When did you start participating in the underground fighting?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been two months already,¡± said Han Qingwu, biting her lips.


    Tang Xiu secretly sighed. He did not expect that Han Qingwu would be this stubborn as she actually took the risk of participating in the underground fighting just because she wanted to become stronger. He heard of the underground fighting, where those who participate must sign a life and death contract, that whether they would live or die in the ring would fully rely on their own strength.

 Chapter 709

    Chapter 709: A Storm Of Jealousy


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Tang Xiu had hatred toward Xue Qingcheng, and Han Qingwu¡¯s identity was a complicated matter inside his heart. However, he did not want her to die on the underground fighting arena, for he was hoping that she would regain her memory about what had happened in the Immortal World and then settle the matters between the two of them thoroughly.


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go.¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with an expressionless face and directly walked away. He did not want to spend more time idling with Han Qingwu, for it would make his mind keep recalling the years he spent together with Xue Qingcheng in the Immortal World. Those years of blissful and sweet times were now like a sharp knife shearing his heart.


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu came to the dining building of the Paradise Manor. He picked the spot by the window on the second floor at random, took out a cigarette and lit it up. He wondered why Han Qingwu wanted to become stronger. Even if that incident in Jingmen Island was the one that drove her to do so, it should not be a sufficient enough reason for her to participate in the underground fighting arena in a life and death combat to temper herself.


    What is exactly the true reason?


    The more he thought about it, the more he became confused and the more his expression turned serious.


    ¡°What are you thinking about now?¡±


    A fragrant scent came fluttering as Lulu, donned in a black leather jacket, approached with her loose long hair elegantly flowing. She asked the question after taking a seat on the opposite side of Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu stretched out his brows, shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m just thinking over some small things. That reminds me of something. I¡¯m also waiting for a friend to come here, and his name is Ji Mu. Tell your people to bring him here after he arrives.¡±


    Lulu nodded, then took out her mobile and made a call. She then held her chin while staring at Tang Xiu, and said, ¡°Tang Xiu, you gotta teach me how to cultivate. You can¡¯t just favor one more than the other.¡±


    With brows slightly pressed down, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°I¡¯m fine teaching you a cultivation technique, but why did you say I favor one more than the other?¡±


    ¡°Since I saw that vampire, Shanjenna, I realized that you also know how to cultivate. Not only you, but even Xiaoxue knows about it, thus I called Kang Xia,¡± said Ouyang Lulu.


    ¡°Why did you call her?¡± Tang Xiu blanked, baffled.


    ¡°Ugh, do you think I¡¯m stupid?¡± Ouyang Lulu groaned. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if the other women have a vague and indescribable relationship with you, but I¡¯m hella sure of Kang Xia. Because she would not have gone all out to manage the Magnificent Tang Corporation if it weren¡¯t for you. I can even tell that you¡¯re not managing all the affairs in the company at all since she¡¯s the one who does it all.¡±


    Tang Xiu already knew that Lulu was smart, but not to this degree. She definitely made a conjecture herself after calling Kang Xia, else with the latter¡¯s ability and intelligence, it was absolutely impossible for her to speak out this statement easily.


    Nonetheless, he never understood how a woman¡¯s brain worked either. He, however, could faintly feel the many troubles he had with women, since one did not need to experience something first hand when examples were already there¡ªlike those Emperors in the olden times who housed 72 imperial concubines in the three palaces and six manors, which then led to wonderful scenes and plays in the imperial court for one generation after another. Didn¡¯t those figures who had three wives and four concubines eventually have fires break out in their backyards?


    Looking at Tang Xiu who fell silent, Ouyang Lulu¡¯s heart suddenly jolted and she quickly said, ¡°Honey, I¡¯m not complaining about it, neither am I going to compete with Kang Xia about my status or whatever. As long as you care about me and remember that I¡¯m your woman, it is already enough for me. Just like cultivation¡­¡±


    She said that, but her hands under the table were clenched tightly. Lulu realized that Kang Xia¡¯s position in Tang Xiu¡¯s heart was quite firm. Her helping Tang Xiu to manage his business empire was already something she could not compete with. She firmly believed, however, that she could create a hole in the stone by dripping water on it constantly. Tang Xiu might have a frozen heart sealed by ice, but she could use her warm love to melt it and carve herself inside.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here tonight,¡± said Tang Xiu after slowly raising his head.


    Lulu¡¯s eyes lit up and immediately looked full of joy while repeatedly nodding her head. She understood what Tang Xiu meant, and she could also notice the change in his attitude.


    In the past, Tang Xiu always repelled her. Even if they did have sex a couple days ago, it was because she was the one who goaded and lured him to act. And yet, Tang Xiu never touched her again since two days ago. Saying that she did not feel at a loss inside was absolutely a lie, but she was also a woman who had her own restraint. She could not always resort to using aggressive means to lure him, neither she could act like she was desperate.


    Sure enough. He does have a soft heart. Forcing him too excessively will only make me lose everything, and the losses will definitely outweigh the gains. For men, one must use a roundabout way to make his heart open a little before you want to capture his heart. Only then a woman can constantly deepen the relationship in the future, and eventually make him accept her until he cannot separate from her again.


    At this time, Lulu¡¯s smile was particularly brilliant, making her eyes turn into a crescent moon.


    On a road near the Paradise Manor, a Maserati vroomed and rushed toward the venue, while Ji Mu, who was the driver, was filled with a pleasantly surprised mood after learning from Chi Nan that Tang Xiu was willing to see him.


    He could not forget the scene he saw in Laoshan that night two days ago, neither could he erase the magical means Tang Xiu displayed from his mind. Certainly, he also saw the ruthless side of Tang Xiu when he ordered to kill those six monsters. Though he did feel somewhat disturbed inside, the enthusiasm to go all out in his life was entrenched deep inside his bones, and the very reason that made him decide to go forward.


    He wanted to be stronger. He wanted to possess terrifying power like Tang Xiu. He was willing to take a risk and try even if he could only learn how to fly. Hence, he came to Shanghai after spending an enormous time and energy to prepare an extravagant gift, yet it was only a stalk of a two thousand years old wild ginseng that he bought for nearly one billion yuan from his grandfather¡¯s good friend.


    Quickly, Ji Mu parked his car in the parking lot of the Paradise Manor. Before he got off the car, a middle-aged men came over and knocked on the window.


    ¡°You are?¡± Ji Mu asked, puzzled.


    ¡°Are you Mr. Ji? Ji Mu?¡± Asked the middle-aged man.


    ¡°I am,¡± said Ji Mu.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Ji. My Boss asked me to wait for you here, and I was ordered to take you to him immediately after you arrived,¡± said the middle-aged man.


    ¡°Is your Boss, Tang Xiu?¡± Asked Ji Mu.


    The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment and then said, ¡°Mr. Tang could be considered as my Boss too since he¡¯s the man of our Boss.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Ji Mu asked with a curious expression. ¡°Who is your Boss then?¡±


    ¡°The surname of my Boss is Ouyang, from Jingmen Island,¡± answered the middle-aged man.


    Ji Mu already knew that the Ouyang Family resided in Jingmen Island and even had met the young lady of this family a few times. Though he had no relationship with her at all since this young lady of the Ouyang Family was like a proud, lofty princess, he still had a fresh and vivid memory of her.


    His expression suddenly changed as he looked at the middle-aged man and asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t your Boss called Ouyang Lulu?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re correct, Mr. Ji.¡± The middle-aged man smiled. ¡°My Boss is indeed Ouyang Lulu. Do you know my Boss, by chance?¡±


    There was, however, an indescribable feeling inside Ji Mu¡¯s heart. He knew Ouyang Lulu was outstandingly beautiful, who he thought to be almost on par with Zhang Xinya, the woman he thought as the most beautiful. He did not expect that she would be Tang Xiu¡¯s woman. However, when he recalled Tang Xiu¡¯s status and identity, he suddenly felt relieved, since he thought that for such a terrifying existence like Tang Xiu, only a beauty the likes of the Ouyang Lulu¡¯s level who could be worthy to be with him.


    ¡°Yeah, I met her a couple of times,¡± said Ji Mu perfunctorily. He took out the gift from the trunk and followed the middle-aged man into the dining building. When he noticed that Ouyang Lulu was sitting by the window and was chatting with Tang Xiu, he immediately stepped forward and said with a prudent smile, ¡°Brother Tang, Big Sis-in-law, I¡¯m disturbing you, am I?¡±


    Brother Tang? Big Sis-in-law?


    Tang Xiu was struck with a feeling of being at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh by Ji Mu¡¯s address. He just met this fella once, how come they were so familiar already? On the contrary, Lulu, who felt sweet inside after hearing him address her as ¡°Big Sis-in-law¡±, secretly appreciated Ji Mu for that. After getting up quickly, she stood by the table and said with a smile, ¡°Ji Mu, I never thought the friend Tang Xiu mentioned would be you. It seems like my man is so outstanding that he even befriended the young master of the Ji Family from Changxi City. Anyways, have a chat with him, then. I¡¯m going to the kitchen to prepare the meal and a bottle of good wine for you.¡±


    After watching Lulu leave, only then did Tang Xiu make a gesture to Ji Mu to take a seat on the opposite side, and then asked, ¡°Brother Ji Mu, why did you address us like that?¡±


    Ji Mu pushed the four gift boxes tied up by colored ropes and said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since the last time we met in Laoshan last year. I can still remember the elegant style and demeanor you had back then, Brother Tang! You see, I¡¯m kinda unoccupied recently, so I came to Shanghai to visit you.¡±


    ¡°And¡­ what are these?¡± Tang Xiu pointed to the four gift boxes.


    ¡°I recently got some stuff, so I thought to prepare them as a gift to you since I came to visit. I hope you can accept these, Brother Tang!¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and shot a deep gaze at Ji Mu. The sudden visit did as well the gifts he had prepared must contain a deep meaning. After being silent for a while, he slowly asked, ¡°Is there anything I can help you with, Ji Mu?¡±


    ¡°No no no.¡± Ji Mu stared blankly for a moment and immediately shook his head. ¡°I really just wanted to visit you because I admire your abilities, Brother Tang. There are only a few people worthy of my admiration nowadays, so I decided to get closer to you and get along better, that¡¯s all. That¡¯s what I came here for.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Tang Xiu could not help laughing. ¡°You know, the way you make friends is kind of strange. Anyhow, I¡¯ll receive this gift no matter your other purposes are. If you don¡¯t rush back tonight, stay and spend the night here!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Replied Ji Mu, feeling happy.


    Ring ring ring¡­


    The mobile phone in Tang Xiu¡¯s pocket suddenly rang. When he took it out and looked at the caller on the screen, his expression immediately turned strange. After some thought, he answered the call without asking Ji Mu to leave and spoke, ¡°How do you remember to call me, Shaoyang?¡±


    Qin Shaoyang¡¯s voice then came out from the mobile phone, ¡°Brother Tang, I¡¯m in Shanghai now, do you have some time to have a meal together? I¡­ there¡¯s something I want to discuss with you.¡±


    Tang Xiu had a business cooperation with Qin Shaoyang, so he naturally did not reject it. He then covered the phone¡¯s mic and looked at Ji Mu, saying, ¡°A friend from Beijing said that he wants to see me to discuss something. How about I call him here and we all have a drink together?¡±

 Chapter 710

    Chapter 710: A Garden Full of Belles


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Being able to meet Tang Xiu already made Ji Mu rejoice, how would he have the time to care about Tang Xiu¡¯s other friend who would also come? Tang Xiu¡¯s invitation made him very flattered. He secretly thought that Tang Xiu concealed himself very deeply and had a good character at the same time.


    ¡°Ji Mu?¡±


    After more than half an hour, Qin Shaoyang arrived and looked surprised when he saw that the person who was dining with Tang Xiu turned out to be Ji Mu.


    Ji Mu was similarly stunned since he did not expect that the friend Tang Xiu mentioned turned out to be Qin Shaoyang, someone who he had sworn brothers with. Shoving back the chair and getting up, Ji Mu said with a smile, ¡°Brother Tang just told me he was waiting for a friend to come, but I never thought it would be you, Second Brother!¡±


    ¡°I did not expect that the person Brother Tang was having a drink with was you either, Ji Mu,¡± said Qin Shaoyang with a smile. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who is paying a visit to Brother Tang.¡±


    After listening to the conversation between the two men, Tang Xiu waved to Qin Shaoyang, hinting for him to take a seat, and then asked, ¡°You two already know each other?¡±


    ¡°Ji Mu and I are sworn brothers, Brother Tang,¡± said Qin Shaoyang with a smile. ¡°He kind of liked to stroll around everywhere when he was young, having a strong camaraderie and also liked stick to the brotherhood code. I happened to bump into Ji Mu back when I had a fight with some people, and then we gradually got along well from then on. We then found that we were the same kind of people and got along well, so¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu immediately understood and said with a smile, ¡°Well, that saves me from introducing the two of you. Anyways, what are you doing in Shanghai, Shaoyang? Is there something up?¡±


    Qin Shaoyang glanced at Ji Mu, and then finally answered without try to avoid him, ¡°There are two things. Firstly, our company has been set up and the HQ will be in Beijing, and we¡¯ll start the business on May 1st. Can you come over and attend it? We invested quite a lot to hire a CEO for the company, Zhu Changtian, and he wishes to meet you and Chu Yi.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go if I can take a vacation during the May holiday,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Tell me the second reason.¡±


    ¡°The big star Zhang Xinya is currently in Shanghai, and I heard from a friend of mine that you have a good relationship with her. Can you ask her to go to our company, by chance?¡± Asked Qin Shaoyang. ¡°You know, the contract between her and her previous agency is over, so she¡¯s free now.¡±


    ¡°Business is business, and friendship is friendship. I understand this principle, and certainly, it¡¯s possible to use friendship to discuss business as well,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°If that is the case, I¡¯ll phone Zhang Xinya later to ask whether she is interested to join our company. But I¡¯ll respect her choice regardless of which decision she makes, though.¡±


    Looking happy, Qin Shaoyang then looked around first before he spoke in a low voice, ¡°I heard that she¡¯s kind of broke recently, Tang Xiu. As long as we give her a high price and a well-paid contract, I think she would hardly reject it. If anything, just tell her directly that we¡¯ll give her an advance payment bond worth 5 million yuan.¡±


    ¡°Eh, she¡¯s broke?¡± Asked Tang Xiu, surprised.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Qin Shaoyang nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a rumor that¡¯s been widely spread in many circles, that she has invested in some business. It¡¯s kind of related to some property construction business or something, and she has yet to earn any return at all. And now, tons of people in the entertainment industry are waiting to watch the good show.¡±


    Tang Xiu could not help laughing and said, ¡°I get it. But I¡¯m afraid those who want to see Zhang Xinya become a laughingstock will eventually look at her with envy, though. She will not lose her money, and instead, will definitely make a fortune in the future.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Asked Qin Shaoyang, confused.


    Tang Xiu did not conceal it, ¡°It¡¯s because that real estate business she invested, was with me. Have you heard of the Shanghai¡¯s Jinda Estate belonging to Jin Xingkui? The new real estate project he is about to develop in the future was designed by me, while Zhang Xinya and I have shares in it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Qin Shaoyang was taken aback, and even Ji Mu was stunned. Little did they think that Zhang Xinya would have such a deep relationship with Tang Xiu, much less being partners in business.


    Zhang Xinya is doomed to make a fortune. Definitely!


    Qin Shaoyang and Ji Mu exchanged looks, and both of them thought the same, as though having a prior agreement. After all, for one to be able to cling to such a big tree like Tang Xiu, it would be easy for that person to make a fortune.


    About 10 PM, Tang Xiu phoned Han Qingwu to ask for a one-day leave, and then called Zhang Xinya. Having learned that she was really in Shanghai, they then made an appointment to meet tomorrow.


    That night, Tang Xiu spent the time accompanying Lulu and had some rounds of sex. Despite having her body improved a lot, Lulu was still left tired and breathless, before she eventually slept in Tang Xiu¡¯s embrace.


    The next day, Tang Xiu left the Paradise Manor and headed to the place of the appointment he made with Zhang Xinya. What made him somewhat helpless was that this beauty parlor only accepted women, and did not allow gays or straight males to enter. Fortunately, Zhang Xinya had a good relationship with the owner, so a staff brought Tang Xiu from the back door and went directly to office area on the fourth floor.


    Is this a woman country or something?


    What surprised Tang Xiu was that this beauty parlor had at least a hundred employees, and without exception, each and every one of them was a young belle. Despite having good self-control and a firm mind, Tang Xiu still felt awkward and embarrassed upon facing them, since nearly all of them wore a half-exposed gown while coming and going in the corridors.


    ¡°Wow, what a rare sight to see a man here! Who could have such a big face to make our Boss open the back door, eh? Could it be that the Boss is in love?¡±


    ¡°100 yuan bet! He¡¯s definitely not the Boss¡¯ man. She wouldn¡¯t be willing to let her boyfriend come to us here given her disposition, no?¡±


    ¡°Yup, that¡¯s right. Boss would definitely hide her boyfriend from us if she was in love. Saving herself from the trouble of him getting bewitched and taken away by this pack of vixens.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. We sisters are all serving the ladies here. Who wants to make an exception and gang up this handsome fella?¡±


    ¡°Well, if I could go for it, we¡¯d be free at 2 PM¡­¡±


    ¡°SHAMELESS!¡±


    ¡°YOU¡¯RE A FOX¡­¡±


    ¡°HAHAHA¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu could not help but secretly shake his head upon hearing the comments and teasing from this group of women. It was said that three women were enough to make a place noisy like a drama, and yet now there were more than a hundred of them here. This was simply like dozens of big movies being played at the same time, and the scene was comparable to that of a grocery market. Thoroughly a blast!


    He subconsciously sped up his pace and followed the woman who brought him in, quickly crossed the office area, and then entered the innermost General Manager Office. By the window inside, a woman donned in a brown waistcoat, white blouse, white trousers, and short haircut, was waiting while watching the scene outside and looking at him from the sideline. She had a good figure with her hands stuffed into her trousers¡¯ pocket, showing off a very elegant and charming posture.


    ¡°Boss, I brought Mr. Tang here.¡±


    ¡°Okay. You may exit!¡±


    The woman¡¯s voice was neutral, and she did not even turn her head.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The woman left and closed the door.


    Tang Xiu wore a tranquil expression. Though he did not know whether Zhang Xinya was here or not, he also did not believe that this place was dangerous like of a dragon¡¯s pond or a tiger¡¯s cave, so he was not afraid to be engaged in some scheme. Seeing that the woman had yet to turn around, Tang Xiu went straight to the sofa at the side and sat, tilting his leg and asking, ¡°Do you mind if I smoke?¡±


    The woman finally slowly turned around. Her beauty was suffocating, but the neutral dress she wore gave off a different kind of beauty. She looked colorfully beautiful and yet not bewitching, seemingly cold and yet not chilly. She was like a Green Lotus in the shallow pool of winter.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu, who was just about to pull out a cigarette, froze, and an unusual light flashed in his eyes. Her face was nearly identical to Zhang Xinya¡¯s, but he could tell that she was definitely not Zhang Xinya. Two people might have an identical face, but it was impossible to perfectly imitate their temperaments.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? It¡¯s only been a short time since we last met and you don¡¯t recognize me anymore?¡± A smile outlined on the corner of the woman¡¯s mouth. It was a smile with a bit of teasing.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and continued pulling his cigarette, lit it up and took a puff before speaking, ¡°You may look identical to Zhang Xinya, but you¡¯re definitely not her. And I¡­ I¡¯ve never seen nor met you before. If my guess is correct, you should be Zhang Xinya¡¯s twin sister, though I can¡¯t tell whether you are the younger or the older one.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± The woman now gazed at Tang Xiu deeply. His answer surprised her very much. Her name was Zhang Xinyue, Zhang Xinya¡¯s twin younger sister. Nobody had been able to really identify the siblings before since they were small, especially those who first saw them. And yet, this was the first time someone was firmly sure that she was not her sister, Zhang Xinya.


    ¡°Care to explain to me the reason why you said that?¡± Zhang Xinyue folded her arms after turning her back toward the window and looked at Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. You have a different temperament,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°What I¡¯m looking at is not your outside appearance, because one can dress up to look pretty and coquettish, but also dress up to look neutral. I said that you¡¯re not her because the temperament you give off is what¡¯s inside your bones, while there are also some nuances and subtle differences in your speech and gestures. Zhang Xinya has a gentle personality, and she gives off a feeling like bathing in the spring breeze, and you are different. Though this is our first meeting, the feeling you give off is like a cold colorful beauty, and yet not a chilling and bewitching one. Just like a quiet Green Lotus temperament.¡±


    Clap clap clap¡­


    Zhang Xinyue applauded and praised, ¡°I finally get why my sister often mentions you in front of me. You¡¯re handsome, with exquisite mind and extraordinary intelligence. Of course, this may also be the very reason why you can set up the Magnificent Tang Corporation which now became the hottest startup company with huge potential in the business world.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m nothing but an ordinary man and a very ordinary college student.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said with a smile. ¡°Children of the poor are usually able to manage their households earlier, so they can think and do a bit more than what others think.¡±


    Facing Tang Xiu¡¯s modesty, Zhang Xinyue felt a bit uncomfortable. She thought that Tang Xiu should be a young man who had pride carved deep in his bones. For instance, a while ago. He straightly sat on the sofa comfortably and lit up a cigarette when she had yet to give consent. And yet, the modesty he showed was as though coming from his heart and not just a pretense.


    It was very contradictory, the likes of which the fusion of two personalities just like one could see from the fusion of the Good and Evil in the olden times of the Martial World. Nonetheless, it also formed a unique aura of righteousness and evil at the same time.


    ¡°He¡¯s the kind of man that cannot be seen through.¡±


    Zhang Xinyue muttered to herself inwardly. She then came to Tang Xiu¡¯s front, took a seat and asked, ¡°My sister is currently having her makeup done, Mr. Tang. So you may have to wait for some time. While accompanying you, may I ask you a question?¡±

 Chapter 711

    Chapter 711: How About Becoming My Brother-In-Law?


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Tang Xiu had seen numerous twin sisters before, but this was his first time seeing a nearly identical one. He felt the situation was kind of interesting, so he gave a gesture and said, ¡°Ask!¡±


    ¡°Do you like my sister, Mr. Tang? Would you like to become my brother-in-law?¡± Asked Zhang Xinyue. It was a very direct and straightforward question.


    Cough, cough¡­


    No matter how smart Tang Xiu was, never did he ever expect that Zhang Xinyue would ask such a question all of a sudden. But after seeing how intense her stare was, he said with a smile after coughing twice, ¡°I think you misunderstood something here. I¡¯m just an ordinary friend to your sister. Besides, I already have a girlfriend, so I can¡¯t become your brother-in-law.¡±


    ¡°Is your girlfriend more beautiful than my sister?¡± Zhang Xinyue knitted her brows. ¡°More outstanding than her?¡±


    ¡°The excellence of a woman is never about how great she looks, and there¡¯s no way to compare one to another, especially when they have to face emotional problems,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I naturally feel that the woman I like is a very outstanding woman, but there¡¯s no way I can marry a woman I don¡¯t like even though she is very outstanding.¡±


    ¡°What you said is a fallacy, hmph.¡± Zhang Xinyue hummed coldly. ¡°How can an excellent woman possibly be disliked by men?¡±


    Tang Xiu thought for a while and slowly said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that the world will plunge into chaos if a man goes after every outstanding woman he sees and takes a liking to. Let¡¯s take an analogy here. Your older sister is very outstanding, either her looks, stature, temperament, or her status as a famous superstar. The most notable thing about her is her good disposition, and she can have status and position if she wishes to. In the eyes of countless men, she is indeed a very outstanding woman.


    ¡°And you as her sister. You have a similarly striking outer beauty. More so that you can set up such a large beauty parlor in Shanghai, which should earn you quite a fortune. In the eyes of countless women, you have a high stature as well. The capital you have makes you a very outstanding woman in men¡¯s eyes, too.


    ¡°Just because of your excellence¡­. do you think it¡¯s preposterous and ridiculous if I were to fall in love with both of you sisters at the same time?¡±


    Zhang Xinyue was taken aback by Tang Xiu¡¯s reasoning. She thought that the issue was simple and pure. On the days she spent with her sister, she could feel that her sister really liked Tang Xiu, as she mentioned him all day long. She could tell that the feelings her sister had for him were very deep.


    Hence, she used this opportunity today, wanting to know how Tang Xiu felt about her sister. Yet, she did not expect that it would lead to such an unexpected result. Was this like an unrequited love, where the falling flowers were yearning for love but the heartless brook rippled on?


    She suddenly felt downhearted for her sister. At the same time, she could not hate Tang Xiu for this either, and she even admired him instead. After all, with all the capital her sister had, hundreds of men in Shanghai would line up, wanting to marry her. But this man in front of her had enough sensibility and reason, as well as being honest.


    Zhang Xinyue slowly got up. Under Tang Xiu¡¯s gaze, she bowed and said, ¡°Since you can¡¯t be with her, may I trouble you to keep some distance from her later, Mr. Tang? If possible, I hope that this will be the last time you meet her.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get what you mean,¡± said Tang Xiu, frowning.


    ¡°Since my sister is not here, let us have a frank and straightforward conversation,¡± said Zhang Xinyue with a serious expression. ¡°My sister has a good impression of you, and I can tell that her feelings toward you are quite deep as well. You already have a girlfriend, thus it¡¯s impossible for you to marry my sister in the future. Then the best option is to let time kill her feelings. You¡¯re an astute and smart man, Mr. Tang. I¡¯m sure you can understand this. And I¡­ I don¡¯t want my sister to be hurt.¡±


    Tang Xiu fell silent for a while before he finally nodded and slowly said, ¡°I understand. But I can¡¯t guarantee that I will never meet her again. The problem with it is that this is not something I can do alone. You can rest assured, however. I will try to keep a distance from her from today forth.¡±


    The favorable impression Zhang Xinyue had toward Tang Xiu increased a lot after hearing his reply because she found that he was not someone fickle in love, neither did he have an intense self-satisfied feeling upon learning that such an outstanding woman had fallen in love with him. He showed the demeanor of a modest and cautious gentleman.


    It¡¯s no wonder that sis really likes him. This man is really excellent.


    Zhang Xinyue muttered to herself inwardly. She suddenly recalled the summary of what Tang Xiu said ¡°Excellence¡± and ¡°Feelings¡± was, and suddenly could not help but laugh at herself. It seemed that he was correct. If she still only had eyes for excellence, she did recognize that this man was excellent. Did it mean that she liked him too?


    ¡°Please wait here for a while, Mr. Tang. I¡¯m going to see whether my sister is already done.¡±


    After Zhang Xinyue departed, the smile on Tang Xiu¡¯s handsome face gradually disappeared, replaced with a forced, wry smile. It never crossed his mind that he would be struck with such a good luck after returning to Earth, to make even a superstar like Zhang Xinya fall in love with him.


    He just could not think through it all. What was good about him in the first place?


    Other than his not-bad looks, and maybe being a little more handsome than a few others, he did have quite a bit more money than the rest, that was for sure. But then again, there was also a lot more rich people out there. As for his strength, he was a cultivator and also had a very formidable power. But then again, he was not the only cultivator in the world. In terms of personality, he was one that never liked to be ostentatious, even deliberately playing low-profile all the time. It was highly unlikely that he would attract women, no? As for medical skills¡­


    Tang Xiu never gave it a thought, nor was he aware of himself. But he was scared out of his skin after recalling it. He had never had a high EQ, to begin with, but with his high intelligence and after a careful analysis, he then realized that he turned out to have many strong points, with each considered as the best in its respective field.


    ¡°Having a rebirth and crossing over is indeed a great killing tool in life!¡±


    While sitting on the sofa with leg tilted, Tang Xiu released a stream of True Essence and wrapped the cigarette ash to throw it outside the window. The ashtray was not provided in a world full of women, and smoking here was similarly inconvenient.


    Not long after, Zhang Xinyue, who had just left, returned to the office along with Zhang Xinya. When Tang Xiu saw the duo¡¯s identical looks, he could not help but secretly admire the mystical creator. With the similarities of these sisters, it was no wonder that someone would probably recognize them mistakenly no matter how familiar they were with them.


    ¡°Tang Xiu.¡±


    Zhang Xinya looked unusually happy after seeing Tang Xiu. She walked over with a brisk pace, put her bag on the sofa nearby and then sat next to Tang Xiu, saying, ¡°You called me yesterday and said that there¡¯s something you need to discuss with me, what is it? Also, how did you know that I was in Shanghai? I rarely go out since coming here, and neither have I attended any commercial events.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you were in Shanghai, in fact.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°It was Qin Shaoyang who told me. Also, the reason I came to find you is kind of working as a lobbyist for him.¡±


    Qin Shaoyang?


    ¡°The owner of Kande Club in Beijing and the sole heir of the Qin Family?¡± Asked Zhang Xinya, surprised.


    ¡°Yeah, him.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°So, what kind of lobbying are you doing?¡± Asked Zhang Xinya with a confused expression.


    ¡°Well, Qin Shaoyang and I, along with Chu Yi, have set up a type of literature and cultural entertainment company. I invested 1 billion yuan in it and own 30% of the company¡¯s shares, while Chu Yi invested 500 million that accounts for 15% shares, whereas 10% of the shares will be reserved for the company executives in the future. Qin Shaoyang himself owns 45% of the remaining shares on the account of the 1.5 billion yuan he invested in the company,¡± explained Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Of course, Chu Yi and I will not intervene in the affairs of the company management; Qin Shaoyang will take care of it. Anyways, he learned that your contract with your agency has expired, so he asked me to invite you to join our company. Other than offering you 1% of the company¡¯s shares, there¡¯s also a much better treatment for you compared to your previous contract.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± said Zhang Xinya without hesitation after hearing it.


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t.¡± Zhang Xinyue immediately interrupted.


    Tang Xiu glanced at her and understood what she had in mind. Instead, it was Zhang Xinya who frowned and turned her head toward her, asking with a confused expression, ¡°Why do you not agree, Sis? I never planned to set up my own studio, and I got nothing to do now. You also know that I¡¯m short on money recently, and I¡¯ll soon be asking for your support. What can I do if I don¡¯t have a job? Besides, Tang Xiu has shares in this company, and I¡¯m sure that he won¡¯t let me suffer a loss.¡±


    Zhang Xinyue secretly criticized inwardly,* It is because Tang Xiu has shares in this company that I don¡¯t want you to agree. The more you can avoid him in the future, the more chance you have to meet others and the better it will be.*


    However, she could not say what she thought and could only brace forward, ¡°Sis, I think you have been too tired in the past few years, so it¡¯s better for you to take a break for now. Besides, don¡¯t you still have me? I can still support both of us even if you want to take a break for eight or ten years.¡±


    Her sister¡¯s words made Zhang Xinya feel warm inside. However, even though she was touched, she did not want to live off her younger sister, so she firmly said, ¡°Xinyue, you don¡¯t have to persuade me. I¡¯ve decided to join this entertainment company.¡±


    Zhang Xinyue knew her sister¡¯s personality. She may look tender and gentle on the outside, but once she decided on something, only a few people could change her decision. However, after she gave it a thought, she changed her mind since Tang Xiu would not be involved in the affairs of this entertainment company. In such a situation where her sister was kept busy, the chances of them meeting would be very few.


    Therefore, she could only force a smile and say, ¡°I¡¯ll respect your decision since you already made up your mind, Sis. But don¡¯t work too much, okay? Besides, money isn¡¯t everything.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know,¡± said Zhang Xinya with a smile.


    After obtaining Zhang Xinya¡¯s reply, Tang Xiu did not want to stay there for long, so he got up to leave and said with a smile, ¡°Anyways, I still have other things to tend to, so I¡¯ll take my leave. Xinya, I¡¯ll text you Qin Shaoyang¡¯s cell number, you can contact him later!¡±


    ¡°Leaving so soon? Let¡¯s have some time together,¡± said Zhang Xinya hastily.


    Tang Xiu casually glanced at Zhang Xinyue and immediately replied with a smile, ¡°I have many pressing things, so I must go. But I¡¯ll contact you again after I¡¯m done dealing with some matters.¡±


    Although Zhang Xinya was a bit unwilling and felt reluctant to part with Tang Xiu, she was also afraid that she would delay and disturb him in dealing with his business, so she could only nod in disappointment.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    At this moment, Tang Xiu¡¯s mobile phone rang. When he took it out and saw that it was a call from Mo Awu, he immediately put it through and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Awu?¡±


    ¡°Boss, there¡¯s an accident¡­¡±


    In an instant, the smile on Tang Xiu¡¯s face disappeared, replaced with a grim and solemn expression.

 Chapter 712

    Chapter 712: Major Incidents


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Tang Xiu hurriedly left Zhang Xinyue¡¯s beauty parlor and came outside, and immediately asked after boarding the car, ¡°Awu, tell me the specifics about the situation.¡±


    Awu did not start the car but handed over a pile of documents, saying, ¡°The methods used by ¡®the murderers¡¯ in the four homicide cases happened in Shanghai last night were extremely cruel. A team of four from the state¡¯s Special Department who were involved in the incident were also killed. Based on the statistic, the total number of casualties and victims is 16, and the four murder scenes are in the North, South, West, and East of Shanghai.¡±


    ¡°Was there any similar cases before?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a deep frown.


    ¡°Yeah, there have been three murder cases in the past two days.¡± Mo Awu nodded. ¡°One of them was a case with the beasts we already know, the Stygian Club¡¯s assassination agents, while the other two were similar to last night¡¯s case. I suspect that the real culprit of these six murder cases should be of the same group of people, but I still can¡¯t figure out their motives yet.¡±


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and then took out his mobile phone to call Li Xiaojie. What surprised him was that this man, who was a member of the national intelligence department, did not even know what happened. However, he told Tang Xiu another matter. Some members of the Special Combat Squad had secretly rushed to Shanghai.


    ¡°What is their purpose?¡± Tang Xiu touched his chin as a pondering light flashed in his eyes.


    Mo Awu did not disturb Tang Xiu, and only asked after Tang Xiu took out a cigarette and lit it, ¡°So, where are we going now, Boss?¡±


    ¡°To the Paradise Manor!¡± Said Tang Xiu. ¡°I don¡¯t know whether these criminal cases are related to Shanjenna or not, but the situation in Shanghai is very obvious. Some undercurrent is currently happening here. There¡¯s no way that all these incidents are accidental. Thus, you will assign some people to stay hidden in Paradise Manor to ensure Shanjenna¡¯s safety.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative,¡± replied Mo Awu.


    Tang Xiu returned to the Paradise Manor and went to see Qin Shaoyang first to tell him about Zhang Xinya¡¯s decision. Afterward, he went to the foreign-styled building and saw that a heavy container truck was moving down the road. It had delivered the research equipment needed by Mo Yi.


    ¡°Shanjenna, you are not to leave this building without my permission, there¡¯s something happening out there now. Shanghai is currently very dangerous, and I don¡¯t want for any unexpected accidents to happen,¡± said Tang Xiu straight to Shanjenna just after he arrived.


    ¡°What danger?¡± Shanjenna¡¯s face slightly changed; she thought it was the assassination agents sent by the Stygian Club to hunt her down again. It had to be noted that the Darksoul Scent was still on her, and if other assassination agents had come to Shanghai, they would definitely be able to track the smell and find her here.


    ¡°There have been major incidents and murders in Shanghai recently, and some people from China¡¯s Special Department were involved in the cases; even the military was said to have moved as well. I still can¡¯t figure out the motive, so I¡¯ll stay here for the time being. Also, I¡¯ve already assigned my men to stay around the vicinity to protect your safety.¡±


    Shanjenna nodded with a solemn expression. What Tang Xiu said to her was like a shot of tranquilizer that suppressed her fear. After all, she knew that Tang Xiu and his men were incomparably formidable. If they could not protect her, then there would be no safe place anymore under the sky.


    And yet, she was very curious about something. Who could be so bold as to commit such wanton killing in China? She knew some things about this country and naturally knew that they would definitely meet a bad end against the entire country. Suddenly, her body trembled as she recalled something and hurriedly said, ¡°I know something that might be useful to you, Mr. Tang.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°When I fled all the way from Europe I had no fixed route at all, then I accidentally stumbled across a business deal after half a month in the run. I do not know the specific details about that deal, but I know that it was something related to a technological product that can be applied to weapons. When they talked about it, they said that they would come to Shanghai in the near future to carry on the transaction.¡±


    ¡°Who is the other party?¡± Asked Tang Xiu immediately.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Shanjenna shook her head. ¡°I did not pay attention at that time, I only remember that there was a Caucasian man named Austin Cole. That¡¯s right, he said that he has quite a few strings in a certain state-owned enterprise company and that he has full authority to carry on the transaction and is willing to bear the consequences if things go wrong.¡±


    Tang Xiu turned his head toward Mo Awu and said, ¡°Investigate this state-owned enterprise as well as the details of this Austin Cole guy.¡±


    Mo Awu did not move, and after being silent for a while, he slowly said, ¡°I think I know this SEO company, Boss. I also know this Austin Cole. This state-owned enterprise engages in the pharmaceutical industry and deals with drugs and medical equipment, but behind it is a very mysterious arms dealer company in Europe. Austin Cole is the third person in the rank of this SEO and controls half of its armed forces. I once interacted with him in the past. He¡¯s a ruthless fellow.¡±


    ¡°So, he¡¯s an arms smuggler, but why did he come to China?¡± Tang Xiu frowned. ¡°Could it be that he wants to do business here?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡± Mo Awu shook head. ¡°The members of this SEO company stay mostly in the dark, especially those three guys at the top. They are the epitome of a fox¡¯s slyness, the vigilance, and cautiousness of a rat, as well as the ferociousness of a wolf. Very few people dare to provoke these guys in Europe.¡±


    ¡°Send our men to carry on an investigation on this Austin Cole, whether he really came to Shanghai,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I am not someone from the government, but these people came to Shanghai and wantonly killed people here. So I¡¯ll clean them up since I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°This matter is perhaps not as simple as it looks, Boss,¡± said Mo Awu. ¡°If this is really the work of that SEO company they must have quite a huge target, else they would not easily come to China and neither would they choose such a major city like Shanghai as their destination.¡±


    ¡°Just do the investigation!¡± Said Tang Xiu. ¡°We¡¯ll further discuss after we get some results.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Replied Mo Awu, striding out of the room.


    Tang Xiu then glanced at Shanjenna and said with a smile, ¡°I will give you a handsome gift if the people committing murder in Shanghai are really from this SEO company like you said.¡±


    That piqued Shanjenna interest, as she asked curiously, ¡°What handsome gift?¡±


    ¡°If I were to tell you now and the results of the investigation turned out to be different than what you said, you¡¯ll be disappointed,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°So I¡¯ll make you look forward to it while waiting for the investigation results. Anyways, work well with Professor Mo and my men will take care of the security issues.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Shanjenna shrugged her shoulders and nodded.


    Tang Xiu did not stay there for long. After going to Ouyang Lulu¡¯s residence, he directly entered the room, his gaze sweeping over the gift boxes he received last night. He then walked over and opened the first gift box. He immediately started upon seeing a pair of white jade pendants inside, and what surprised him was that the white jades contained spiritual qi within.


    ¡°Eh, this is a magic tool?¡± After a moment¡¯s observation, the surprised expression on Tang Xiu¡¯s face turned more intense.


    He immediately opened the second gift box. Inside was a manual of a fist style illustration, and the manual should be around for many years judging from its yellowed pages. After opening the third gift box, Tang Xiu¡¯s breath slightly stagnated as a well-preserved Millennium Ginseng was presented before him.


    ¡°This gift¡­¡± Tang Xiu recalled Ji Mu¡¯s attitude and gestures last night.


    Though he was the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation as well as a member of Beijing¡¯s Tang Family, it was not enough to make Ji Mu spend so much money. One must know that this pair of white jade pendants could definitely be sold at a sky-high price to people who could appraise fine objects. On the other hand, this 2,000 years old wild ginseng was at least worth nine digits. Even the fist style illustration manual could be sold at a huge profit to people in the martial arts circle.


    ¡°What is his purpose?¡±


    The thought filled Tang Xiu¡¯s mind as he slowly opened the fourth gift box, which was also the biggest one. When the item inside was presented before him, he still got startled despite having seen a lot of treasures before.


    It was a zither made of white jade!


    Its body was cast from white jade while the strings were from an aquatic dragon¡¯s tendons. The Fire Bead was embedded on the right side while the Water Bead was inlaid in the left. The body of the zither was pattern engraved and a surge of spiritual power circulated through the whole body, giving off a dazzling sense of aesthetic on its own.


    ¡°This is a priceless beauty.¡±


    Tang Xiu furrowed his brows, and the baffled expression on his face got even more intense.


    After a long time, he dialed Ji Mu¡¯s cell number and straightly spoke after he accepted his call, ¡°Ji Mu, I¡¯ve seen your gifts. If you have time now, come to Paradise Manor, there are some things we need to discuss clearly.¡±


    ¡°Did you like the gifts I sent you, Brother Tang?¡± Ji Mu did not answer Tang Xiu but raised a question instead.


    ¡°All of them are great items, no one would dislike them,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Then my purpose has been accomplished, Brother Tang.¡± Ji Mu smiled. ¡°You are someone who can appreciate good items, and maybe you can use them well. Those articles will be wasted if I keep them, so they are yours since I already gifted them to you.¡±


    ¡°Just come here and have a chat with me,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°You can request one thing from me as long as it¡¯s not too demanding.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Ji Mu was silent. His purpose was very simple. He just desired to follow Tang Xiu and directly learn those peerless abilities, but he did not know whether he should raise the issue now. It would be equal to a transaction if he were to do that, but all of his efforts to reach his goal would be completely for naught if the deal did not work out.


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Just wait for me,¡± said Ji Mu. ¡°I need two hours to get there.¡±


    Tang Xiu hung up the phone and looked at the items in front of him, and then picked up the one-foot-wide white jade zither. Back when he played in the opening ceremony at Shanghai University, he could definitely have played a more wonderful music if he had this white jade zither then.

 Chapter 713

    Chapter 713: The Old Mouse of Shanghai


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    At the Ji Family¡¯s ancestral residence, Changxi City. Ji Mu was standing in front of his family ancestral shrine, watching as his grandmother the pinched rosary beads and knocked the back of the Mokugyo. His grandmother was a devout Buddhist, and ever since his grandfather passed away more than 20 years ago, she had been living in seclusion in the ancestral shrine. She rarely walked out of the house and was ignorant of all family affairs.


    Ji Mu himself was rather rebellious since childhood, though he was not a bullish character in nature. He spent his youth being wild and arrogant, but the current him was relatively mature and stable. His grandmother was his closest person since he was a child, and he subconsciously came to this place after receiving the call from Tang Xiu.


    He too realized the principle of truth, that one could only seek riches and honor within risks and dangers.


    The scene he saw two days ago was equal to him breaking Tang Xiu¡¯s secret. Though he gifted many treasures and tried his best to befriend Tang Xiu in his endeavor to become an immortal who was able to mount the clouds and ride the mists, that was also something that was as changeable as clouds and rains. Hence, the only way was to bet his life and fight for it.


    ¡°Grandma, I want to speak with you.¡±


    In the past, Ji Mu would never interrupt his grandma¡¯s meditation. But he had an appointment with Tang Xiu shortly, so this time was an exception.


    Hu Shi¡¯s closed eyes opened and, as a ray of wisdom flashed through, she stopped knocking the Mokugyo and gently got up from the cushion. She then turned to look at her grandson outside and said, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Ji Mu blanked out for a second, and then immediately said with a bitter expression, ¡°Grandma, I¡¯ve decided to go forward to do something important, so I want to have some words with you before leaving. I can only calm down if I hear your voice.¡±


    ¡°Is it very dangerous?¡± Asked Hu Shi slowly after being silent for a while.


    Ji Mu nodded, but then shook his head and said, ¡°The ancients said that one can¡¯t catch a tiger cub if one doesn¡¯t enter the tiger¡¯s den, while there are honor and riches amidst dangers. Hence, I¡¯m going to take the risk for these riches and honor.¡±


    ¡°The Ji Family has provided you with riches and honor, is it unable to fill your appetite?¡± Asked Hu Shi, frowning.


    ¡°It¡¯s a different kind altogether, grandma.¡± Ji Mu shook his head. ¡°Money can never buy the type of riches and honor I want, not even a mountain of gold and silver.¡±


    Hu Shi shot him a deep look and said, ¡°Since a mountain of gold and silver are unable to buy it, there¡¯s no harm in you trying then. But think about it clearly, grandson. You¡¯re still a young man. Very young.¡±


    Ji Mu fell silent. He knew that he was still young, but he also thought that it was this very youth that ignited his ambition. It is said that the more we have, the more we are afraid of losing. He had yet to take over the Ji Family¡¯s business, as his father and uncles were still in their prime. He only had a status as a member of the Ji Family as well as the wealthy life it provided.


    ¡°Have you talked to your parents or your uncles about this?¡± Asked Hu Shi.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell them about this.¡± Ji Mu shook his head.


    ¡°Then, what do you need from Grandma?¡± Hu Shi sighed.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need, grandma,¡± said Ji Mu with a smile. ¡°I already did all I could. It¡¯s completely up to fate now. If he wishes for me to die I¡¯m afraid no one can change my fate even if the Ji Family employs everything it has to change it. But don¡¯t worry, though! I¡¯ve gifted him some treasures in advance, so the chance for me to come back alive is very big.¡±


    He? Treasures?


    Hu Shi¡¯s wrinkled face turned slightly dull as she looked at her grandson¡¯s bright smile. She suddenly made up her mind and turned around to the desk where the ancestral memorial tablets were enshrined. From the leftmost drawer of the desk, she took out a rectangular wooden box, gently wiped the dust off it, and then returned to Ji Mu¡¯s front, saying, ¡°Our Ji Family were of aristocracy descent and members of the Imperial Court in the eras of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Though we have lost most of the family treasures during those difficult years, we still kept some good things until now. Take this wooden box and present it to him as a gift! If he has discerning eyes, your chance to come back alive will increase without saying anything about the thing inside this box.¡±


    Ji Mu¡¯s hands were a bit trembling. Though he did not know what treasure inside this wooden box was, for it to be placed in the ancestral hall explained that it was definitely something great. Yet, looking at his grandmother who was willing to give it away for his sake and the love she showed him, he was so moved that he wanted to cry.


    ¡°Off you go, grandson!¡± Hu Shi gently waved and sat back on the cushion.


    ****


    Shanghai, Century Square.


    Yu Shuqing sat with tilted legs on a bench at the northern end of the square while holding a hot milk tea he had just bought, chewing his last sausage. As the captain of the most mysterious Phantom Special Combat Squad in China, he had been through life and death situations countless times. At the moment, however, he looked like a street guy who did some dirty business.


    ¡°Do you think that money loving guy will come here, Captain?¡±


    On the flower bed next to Yu Shuqing, Mo Xiaonan was yawning and looking bored. Only the good-looking belle who occasionally passed by made him look a bit spirited.


    ¡°He will. His mind is full of greed over money, so he naturally won¡¯t miss the opportunity to make a fortune,¡± said Yu Shuqing casually. ¡°Don¡¯t look at that guy like he is just a crooked fella since he does have a lot of abilities. Else, how can he get information that those fellas in the intelligence agency can¡¯t find again and again?¡±


    ¡°He does have the ability, but his heart is way too black. His price got higher after last time, demanding 1 million this time. You know, I still feel pained though the money is not mine,¡± groaned Mo Xiaonan.


    A smile outlined in Yu Shuqing¡¯s mouth as he sipped his milk tea and asked with a smile, ¡°Between 1 million and lives, which one do you think is the most important?¡±


    Ugh¡­ Mo Xiaonan touched his nose, looking embarrassed and no longer spoke.


    Without much disturbance, a young man donned in a gaudy attire, a stick in this mouth, and a chin like an ape¡¯s appeared before Yu Shuqing and Mo Xiaonan like a thief. He sat down on the bench where Yu Shiqing was sitting and then took out a pack of crumpled cigarettes. He took out one, lit it, and then took a deep puff with a happy look on his face. Then, he laughed and said, ¡°Okay, money money money. Gimme my money fast. My time is very precious, and every second wasted is equivalent to a dime slipping from my fingers.¡±


    ¡°I know the rules, Mouse. A penny is equal to one item, but you should not rush to get the money without giving the goods, no?¡± said Yu Shuqing indifferently.


    Mouse took out a dirty black book from his pocket and threw it to Yu Shuqing, saying, ¡°I know you understand the rules, buddy. We have done business more than once or twice. You also know that this Mouse has a guaranteed credibility, so I¡¯m not afraid that you¡¯ll take back your words. Anyways, the information you need is in the book, along with my account number.¡±


    Yu Shuqing nodded and gulped down the remaining milk tea. Then he got up and said, ¡°Same old rules. 50% deposit transferred to your account within half an hour, while the remaining will be transferred after the information has been confirmed with no errors. Speaking about it, are you interested in serving the country? Like being a field personnel of the intelligence department?¡±


    Mouse blinked and asked, ¡°Is the pay good?¡±


    Rolling his eyes at him, Yu Shuqing did not want to bother with this money grubber again and went straight away with Mo Xiaonan, whose expression was rather unsightly.


    Mouse, however, did not rush to leave. He touched his chin while watching Yu Shuqing¡¯s and Mo Xiaonan¡¯s backs. A thought churned inside his mind after hearing the over-formal language used by Yu Shuqing a while ago. He could tell Yu Shuqing¡¯s identity¡­ someone working for the country.


    He should be a soldier, and also not your ordinary serviceman. Mouse bit the cigarette and languidly leaned on the bench, taking out a mobile phone and waiting for the text notification for the transferred money.


    ¡°Are you Mouse?¡±


    Two figures appeared in front of him. The middle-aged man on the left had a fiery gaze with a chilling expression and talked with an imposing manner.


    Mouse frowned and his eyeballs rotated fast. One of his hands was already stuffed in his pocket and gripped a knife. He slowly raised his head, looked at the two middle-aged men and asked, ¡°May I know who you are, two amigos? Can I ask what you need from this Big Brother, eh?¡±


    ¡°Not bad. You are called Mouse, but you¡¯re as sly as a fox, eh? Like a top dog information broker should be, you¡¯re really an intelligence player in nature. Anyways, let me introduce myself. My name is Jin Shi, and I want to make a deal with you.¡±


    ¡°Jin Shi?¡± Mouse squinted his eyes yet maintained extreme vigilance inside. He knew that the other party had already investigated him, so the disguise in his words was useless. He had interacted and had done deals with countless people from all walks of life, but only some people that could make him dread, just like those two servicemen who left a while ago.


    However, this Jin Shi and his companion gave him a huge sense of threat. Nobody knew that all the fine hairs in the pores all over his body had turned erect, and he felt a chill on his neck.


    ¡°What deal?¡± Asked Mouse calmly.


    ¡°I need specific information about the many murders in Shanghai recently, and we also give you a chance to be incorporated in our ranks. Also, you only have two chances to refuse.¡±


    There was a strange expression on Mouse¡¯s face. Never did he think that the other party would offer him such a ridiculous transaction.


    They want me to be incorporated into their ranks? I¡¯m a powerful character who is famous as the Eyes of the Underground in Shanghai, a top dog who has ventured to every sewer beneath Shanghai, and yet, to my surprise, they treat me just like they want to gain something on my loss?


    After clearing his throat, Mouse let out a dry smile and said, ¡°I still need to know who you are before refusing.¡±


    ¡°You will need to use up your two chances, that I know,¡± said Jin Shi. ¡°We are from the Everlasting Feast Hall. Maybe you don¡¯t know much about us, but we are more powerful than you think.¡±


    The Everlasting Feast Hall? The topmost high-end restaurant in Shanghai?


    Mouse let out a curse of contempt inwardly. Even if there is a very strong force behind the Everlasting Feast Hall, can it be compared with the entire country? Just now, I even refused the invitation from the country.


    ¡°I refuse,¡± said Mouse with a clear and firm tone.


    ¡°Alright. You just wasted your first chance,¡± said Jin Shi with a grin. ¡°Now I will give you another chance. Choose between your life and death. Join us and live; refuse and die.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just using coercion!¡± Mouse raised his voice. ¡°What you are doing will only receive contempt from others. Also, this is just the same as forcing a donkey to dance, for there is no way in hell it will happen. Chances are you will get an unsatisfactory result yet feel good about it.¡±


    ¡°Well, I heard you like money?¡± Said Jin Shi with a smile.

 Chapter 714

    Chapter 714: Deterrence


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Mouse liked money. It was something like a mutual consensus among all people who knew him, and each and every one who wanted to make a deal with him also had to be ready to be butchered.


    ¡°Of course! I love money very much.¡± Mouse straightened up his chest said with a straight face.


    ¡°Well, it seems like I just found a really good helper for our Boss this time,¡± said Jin Shi with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re well-known as the Eyes of the Underground, excel at collecting information, and is also adept at controlling intelligence network even though your network only covers a small area like Shanghai. Also, someone who likes money can be a good financial staff. If you are able to gain our Boss¡¯ trust, he may entrust you a heavy responsibility and hand you the key to the treasury vault.¡±


    ¡°Treasury vault?¡±


    Mouse¡¯s eyes immediately turned ablaze. A Boss who could own a treasury vault was definitely not an ordinary top dog! He really wanted jump in now, but he could not. He was used to the feeling of controlling everything. Though it was tiresome having money transferred into his account regularly at intervals, sleeping with his banknotes was what he liked the most.


    He glanced to both sides while the hand that gripped the knife turned tighter as he prepared to refuse the offer the second time. He decided to use the opportunity to launch a sneak attack and then leave.


    ¡°Two Amigos, you know that getting rid of an enmity is better than keeping it, while the present society is governed under the law. This is a public place, so you would not dare to attack me here, no? Besides, this old Mouse is always prepared for both eventualities, for there will be men following me wherever I appear. Just look at that square, maybe some people will come rushing for me at any time.¡± Mouse smirked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think about scaring me, buddy.¡± Jin Shi grinned. ¡°Perhaps you were still a baby when I¡ªJin Shi was crawling and rolling in piles of dead men. Don¡¯t rush to refuse. Maybe you think you can run away today, but have you ever thought that our resources are better than yours since we can investigate about you, and the force behind us is not something you can imagine? Why not¡­ just give yourself a precious escort and protection this time?¡±


    Mouse furrowed his brows, and a solemn expression painted his monkey-like face. It was an expression he rarely showed unless he was faced with a very important choice or a critical moment.


    ¡°Who is your Boss?¡±


    ¡°Our Boss is a man called Tang Xiu,¡± said Jin Shi.


    Mouse gave it a thought and immediately exclaimed, ¡°Is it Tang Xiu, the freshman of Shanghai University, the young miracle-working doctor at Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, the secret Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, and the offspring of the Tang Family from Beijing who was missing for many years? Are you talking about this Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Never thought you would know so much about our Boss, buddy.¡± Jin Shi grinned. ¡°Anyways, since you already know my Boss¡¯ identity, then your second opportunity just turned critical. Pick one. Live or die, submit or refuse. Give me an answer now.¡±


    ¡°Answer me first.¡± Mouse waved his hand. ¡°There are two things I wanna ask you. I¡¯ll naturally pick my choice if you answer me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a talented guy, so I¡¯ll give you the opportunity to ask,¡± said Jin Shi.


    A burst of light flashed in Mouse¡¯s eyes as he asked, ¡°Your Boss should have another identity other than the ones I just mentioned, shouldn¡¯t he? Is his other identity lighter or heavier than those I mentioned?¡±


    ¡°He does have another identity. It¡¯s nothing you can pick on, but it¡¯s much heavier than you think,¡± said Jin Shi without hesitation.


    Mouse¡¯s eyes lit up and he asked again, ¡°Why does your Boss need intelligence on the murder that happened in Shanghai recently? You should also know that the people who can solve these problems should be from the government.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much on this one. My Boss is probably bored and has nothing to do, and wants to find something to kill the time. Or maybe because he feels compassionate toward the people and doesn¡¯t want to see more victims. Anyhow, you already got your two questions. Now it¡¯s time to give me your answer.¡±


    ¡°I just had a change in mind all of a sudden and want to ask you another question. What kind of treatment can I get if I join you?¡± Asked Mouse hastily.


    ¡°I dunno. It¡¯s Boss who can answer that.¡± Jin Shi shook his head.


    Mouse rolled his eyes and released the knife in his pocket. He then stood up, stretched his body comfortably, and then said with a smile, ¡°Well, I gotta say that I don¡¯t wanna die, so I choose to join you. As a token of my joining, I¡¯ll hand over the information on these murder cases to you¡­ Umm, no, to your Boss. Let¡¯s go, then! Take me to him now!¡±


    Jin Shi nodded. He was not afraid that Mouse would take back his words and neither was he afraid that this guy would run in midway. The prey he aimed at was never able to escape from his grasp even if they had wings on them.


    A few minutes later, as Jin Shi¡¯s group left with Mouse, a young man with yellow bleached hair and wearing a very ordinary attire followed them. The guy was called Chen Yangfan, a member of the Phantom Special Combat Squad and also an excellent scout. His task was to track Mouse and figure out where his nest was.


    ¡°Strange. Where the hell did these two fellas come out? What purpose they have for taking Mouse away with them?¡± Chen Yangfan thought in silent as he touched his chin while looking at the car in front.


    Half an hour later.


    BANG¡­


    At an intersection about ten kilometers away from the Paradise Manor, the rear tire of the SUV with a Beijing plate number drove by Cheng Yangfan explode. Fortunately, he was a very skilled driver and constantly pushed the brake while both his hands controlled the steering wheel before the car gradually stopped at the roadside.


    ¡°Something¡¯s strange.¡±


    Cheng Yangfan frowned as he got off the car and walked to the rear to look at the rear tires. He found that a flying knife had stabbed the tire, and the main cause for the tire to burst out was this flying knife.


    Whoosh!


    A hazy figure silently appeared behind him. Despite being a tracker and detection expert of the Phantom Special Combat Squad, he only noticed that someone already had a sharp dagger on his neck just as it happened. The sudden crisis caused all the fine hairs all over his body to stand erect and cold sweat to come out. His whole being was as though falling into an ice hole.


    HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?


    He roared inwardly. He was very confident in his reflexes and sensing ability. Even Yu Shuqing, the captain of his Phantom Special Combat Squad, could only get 7 meters close to him without getting noticed. Closer than that, he would never be able to escape his perception.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look back if you don¡¯t wanna die.¡±


    A low and deep voice sounded behind him. Feeling a bit of fear, Chen Yangfan nodded silently. His voice was a bit hoarse as he asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    A man¡¯s sneering voice replied, ¡°You don¡¯t need to know who I am. Just answer my question. Who sent you to track Mouse, and who are you?¡±


    Mouse?


    Cheng Yangfan recalled the two middle-aged men he had seen before. His mind raced and said, ¡°It seems that you are of the same group of people who took Mouse. I don¡¯t have the convenience to disclose my identity, but I guarantee that I have no ill intention toward that guy.¡±


    The man behind him seemed to ponder for a moment and then said slowly, ¡°The more you know, the quicker you¡¯ll die. Though you have yet to answer my question, I can tell from your words and stance that you¡¯re a soldier, and you should be an elite affiliated with some special squad in the Chinese military. I warn you. Go back and tell your leader. Do not ever try to investigate Mouse again, or else¡­¡±


    Two seconds later, Chen Yangfan realized that the dagger placed on his neck was gone already, and there was no sound of the man behind him anymore. Just as he turned his head, he gasped as he found that no one was behind him. There was no trace of that mysterious man at all. His sharp eyes quickly glanced at the pedestrians passing by, and yet, he could not find any trace of that man with his professional skills.


    ¡°Just two or three seconds?¡±


    Chen Yangfan felt dread and panic. He did not believe that someone¡¯s speed could be quick to this degree. It was just two or three seconds, and he was already 60 meters away at least. He could not even see his form. It was like the man just vanished in thin air.


    His gaze then landed on the throwing knife that pierced the tire. At this moment, he finally realized that it was not the tire that ran on the throwing knife, but someone definitely had shot the throwing knife toward the tire when he drove the car by. Upon realizing this, his heart jolted and he immediately went back to the driver¡¯s seat without hesitation, and then called his captain, Yu Shuqing.


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Yu Shuqing¡¯s cold voice transmitted from the phone.


    ¡°I just encountered an expert, Captain,¡± said Chen Yangfan in a bitter tone. ¡°This guy is simply like a ghost. He used a throwing knife to blast off the rear tires of my car, and he did it when my speed was about 80 to 90 km/h. Furthermore, this fellow appeared behind me and placed a knife on my neck without me being able to realize that he was approaching me. The most terrifying thing is that, two seconds after he stopped talking to me, I suddenly turned around but he had vanished. According to my judgment of the surrounding environment, he had already left for at least 60 meters away in just two or three seconds.¡±


    ¡°THAT¡¯S IMPOSSIBLE!¡± Yu Shiqing shouted. ¡°You¡¯re a soldier, Yangfan. DO NOT make such a joke with me. Even a martial arts grandmaster who is good at speed is impossible to sprint a distance of 60 meters in two seconds. Also, I know perfectly well about your skills. You won the state tracking competition twice in a row, while your combat sense has also reached a better level than mine in the last drill. It¡¯s just impossible for anyone to place a knife on your neck without you being able to react at all.¡±


    ¡°But it is the truth, Captain,¡± said Chen Yangfan in a bitter tone. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it myself, but it did really happen, and I was forced to believe it.¡±


    Yu Shuqing fell silent for a few seconds and asked, ¡°Then what about old Mouse?¡±


    ¡°I lost his track,¡± said Chen Yangfan. ¡°That man correctly guessed that I¡¯m from a special force, but he did not know much further than that. Also, he issued a warning to be passed on to my superior, that is: we are to never investigate Mouse again, otherwise¡­¡±


    Yu Shuqing squinted his eyes, and coldly asked, ¡°What else did he say?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. But his murderous aura is very strong,¡± said Chen Yangfan. ¡°I dare say that the number of people he has killed should be not less than three digits, else he wouldn¡¯t have such a strong murderous aura.¡±


    After pondering for a long while, Yu Shuqing finally said, ¡°Since you¡¯ve lost his track, then come back now! As long as this old Mouse has yet to leave Shanghai, we¡¯ll find him sooner or later.¡±

 Chapter 715

    Chapter 715: Get Rich or Die Trying


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Men would die for riches as will birds for food as it was said in an old adage.


    In Xie Zhiqiang¡¯s eyes, wealth was ranked second in his top priorities, and his puny little life was ranked first. He could kill his parents, murder his wife and children, and do all kinds of evils for the sake of money. His motto in life was: whoever dares to block the source of my money must die.


    And this time, there were more than a dozen guns aimed at him. His life would be claimed in an instant as long as one of them pulled the trigger. In this moment of crisis, however, he was not afraid at all, as he sat on the cozy sofa and even gestured the four men behind him to put the guns down while letting out a smiling face toward a foreigner Caucasian man in front of him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame me for overriding the initial price, Brother Cole. That genetic drug particle developed from our joint research is way too precious. Our previous agreement was indeed stating that you¡¯ll pay me 200 million USD once the research on this gene particle is done. It also stated that you will take away the gene particle along with the research data. But, you too know that the time spent on researching this genetic drug was much longer than expected. You gave up providing more additional funds needed in the past two years, so I got all the money on my own. Hence, it¡¯s 1 billion USD. A penny less and you will never take it away. Tell your men to shoot me on if you dare. My death is just a trivial thing, but you will never get that gene particle.¡± Xie Zhiqiang touched his chin and said with a smile.


    The tall and big Austin Cole was full of momentum and killing intention. When he wanted to kill someone, he would habitually pinch the button on the lower part of his clothes. At this moment, however, his fingers were fastened on it. He had met many greedy bastards, but none had dared to override the initial price agreement with him.


    However, he knew perfectly well that Xie Zhiqiang and his SOE¡¯s Big Boss had a very deep friendship since this guy once saved him. If he were to kill this fella, though his Big Boss would not lash out his anger toward him directly, he could expect bad treatment from him in the future.


    Nonetheless, 1 billion USD was not a price he could bear.


    ¡°Xie, the SOE has had internal problems in the past two years. I¡¯m sure you should have heard something about it. We invested all our funds into a huge project, so we can¡¯t provide the funds you needed on time. That was indeed our mistake. But, 1 billion USD is way too much. Let alone me, even Boss himself won¡¯t agree to it. Our bottom line is 300 million USD. Or you can opt to become our enemy if you don¡¯t agree.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, 300 million USD, eh?¡± Xie Zhiqiang coldly smiled. ¡°Do you take me as a beggar? The total amount of capital I¡¯ve invested in this project for the past two years cost me nearly 200 million USD, as I had to import tons of research material from various countries around the world. You should know something called nanobot, right? Just to get this stuff, I sent my people to some secret research labs belonging to the United States in Africa. Do you know how much I lost? I sent my true bloody combat experts there. Of the 40 of them, 27 died, while 4 men of the remaining 13 who escaped with the nanobots turned disabled.


    ¡°Furthermore, do you fucking know from where I obtained the information about those labs? I spent 25 million USD to buy it from the Darkwind Organization. And yet, you increased the price by a mere 100 million? HELLO??? You have the nerve to bullshit me?¡±


    Austin Cole fell silent. He could not tell if what Xie Zhiqiang said was true or not, but breaching the contract was indeed their fault. It had been eight years since they began the joint research and, while his SOE company had invested a total of 480 million USD for the first six years, there had been no substantial progress with the research. Therefore, just as they had given up on the plan, they unexpectedly caught the news that the experiment was successful.


    It was a gene particle! Something he must get at all costs. Once they obtain this gene particle, they could transform the body of ordinary people and formed a group of mutated gene experts. Though the SOE company had its own armed forces, the gap between them and the top armed forces in the world was like a chasm.


    ¡°500 million dollars, this is my bottom line.¡±


    Finally, Austin Cole could only opt to compromise and directly added 200 million USD. It was also the highest price he was authorized to offer.


    ¡°As I said, I want 1 billion, not a penny less. Else I will not sell these gene particles to your SOE company.¡± Xie Zhiqiang shook his head. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m pretty sure that once I sell the gene particles to other foreign large powers there will be countless forces willing to bid for a higher price.¡±


    ¡°ARE YOU FORCING ME?¡± Roared Austine Cole furiously.


    ¡°You got that right. I¡¯m indeed forcing you,¡± said Xie Zhiqiang. ¡°Take it and we have a deal. Leave it and we separate. This is China. You may have brought a lot of men with you, but wanting to kill me will not be easy. Moreover, it¡¯s uncertain whether you can leave the border of China as well.¡±


    Those who have threatened me are all dead!


    Austin Cole did not say it out loud but chanted it inside thrice. He could only endure and employ patience, for the purpose of the SOE company was to groom a large number of powerful genetic warriors that would finally double the armed forces under the company by ten times.


    As he took out a Cuban cigar, a middle-aged man lit it up for him. After taking a few puffs, he waved his hand, motioning his men to put their guns down. He then stared at Xie Zhiqiang and said indifferently, ¡°I¡¯m only authorized to fork out 500 million dollars, so I need to call Boss about this matter and ask his decision.¡±


    ¡°I can only give you three days.¡± Xie Zhiqiang shrugged his shoulders and smirked. ¡°No answer in three days and the document in the mailbox will automatically send the files. At that time, there will be at least 20 top forces in the world who will send their people to China to discuss a business deal with me.¡±


    Austin Cole subconsciously glanced at the bottommost button of his clothes and nodded with a cold expression, before he got up and left.


    After half a minute, a girl with heavy makeup and a voluptuous, charming figure came out of the next room. There was a sharp butterfly knife in her hand as she fiddled and played it up and down, creating images of blossoming flowers.


    ¡°Tell me something, do you really want money so much that you¡¯re not even afraid to make Austin Cole thoroughly furious?¡± Asked the girl with a smile. ¡°You also know his notorious reputation for being cruel and merciless, no?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve provoked many cruel and merciless people before. He¡¯s not the only one of the many, neither is he among the few. I didn¡¯t see any hope at the beginning, and it drove me into a tight corner. Now that the gene particle has been developed, they came out like hungry wolves after it. The vexed feeling inside me will never dissipate if I don¡¯t make them bleed.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do after this SOE¡¯s Big Boss speaks his piece?¡± Asked the girl with a smile.


    Dread flashed inside Xie Zhiqiang¡¯s eyes. After a long silence, he slowly said, ¡°I know a bit about his character. He definitely won¡¯t make things get worse if this matter can be settled with money. Of course, I will have to sell it to him if he wants to thicken his face and buy it for 500 million USD, nonetheless. Anyways, the gene particle is highly unlikely to be sold to one group only, so help me observe and inspect some contacts; it is necessary to find another two rich clients.¡±


    The girl squinted her eyes and asked with a faint smile, ¡°Are you not afraid that everyone will know that you have the gene particles in your hands? You¡¯ll have numerous forces staring at you by then.¡±


    ¡°Why should I?¡± Xie Zhiqiang sneered. ¡°I¡¯ll hand over the formula of the gene particles to the country after selling to some of them. Do you think the country will let me go at that time?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± The girl gave him a thumbs up, and praise was all over her heavy makeup face.


    ****


    Paradise Manor.


    Tang Xiu sat in the living room of the building where Ouyang Lulu usually lived, looking at the Ji Mu¡¯s gifts. As he fiddled with the strings, a melodious sound of zither gave off a feeling like of a grand feast. Ouyang Lulu, who sat cross-legged in front of the small tea table beside, was now fully concentrated on making tea.


    ¡°Ji Mu¡¯s here, Boss.¡± Mo Awu came in front of Tang Xiu in a few steps and reported.


    Tang Xiu did not speak and kept playing the entire note, and then gently waved his hand. Soon, Ji Mu came in with a beautifully wrapped gift box, carefully placed it in front of Tang Xiu, and then stepped two steps back.


    ¡°What kind of treasure is it this time?¡± Tang Xiu pointed to the gift box without expression.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± Ji Mu shook his head. ¡°When I said goodbye to my Grandmother two hours ago, she told me to take this and gift it to you.¡±


    Tang Xiu pointed to the sofa at the opposite side. After Ji Mu had taken a seat, he then asked, ¡°Tell me! What is your real purpose?¡±


    Ji Mu had already made up his mind and cleared his thoughts previously, but he was still a bit panicked at this moment. However, he suppressed his mood and bolstered up his courage, saying, ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to become an exceptional man, a superman, or a man with mystical powers. Just like what you did in Laoshan, mounting the clouds and riding the mist while controlling flying swords to kill your enemies.¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly looked up. His eyes were cold and brimmed with murderous intent, as he then said in a cold voice, ¡°Were you around back then?¡±


    Ji Mu felt a chill down his spine as Tang Xiu stared at him. He suddenly felt like he was being eyed by a ferocious beast, as though this beast would swallow him at any time.


    ¡°Yeah, I was nearby.¡± Bracing himself, Ji Mu nodded.


    ¡°Who else besides you witnessed it?¡± Asked Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°Also, did you tell anyone else about this?¡±


    Ji Mu shook his head and said, ¡°There was no one else except me. I realized that I couldn¡¯t easily disclose this matter, so I did not tell anyone about it.¡±


    Hmph. Tang Xiu snorted coldly and said, ¡°With this reply, are you not afraid that I¡¯ll kill you, so as to avoid endless trouble popping up later?¡±


    ¡°That is something I¡¯ve prepared myself for,¡± said Ji Mu in a bitter tone. ¡°If I were to come back alive today, it means that I made the correct gamble. But if I were to die here, it¡¯s also the price I have to pay for losing the gamble, even if there would indeed be lots of regrets left behind. Nonetheless, I¡¯ll still accept it.¡±


    Tang Xiu shot him a deep gaze and received the fragrant tea handed over by Lulu. After gulping it down, he put the cup on the table and untied the beautifully wrapped gift box. His expression slightly blanked after he observed the rectangular wooden box clearly.


    ¡°It¡¯s made of Growth Amelioration Wood?¡±

 Chapter 716

    Chapter 716: Sitting On A Treasure Mountain Without Knowing


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Just merely this box made of Growth Amelioration Wood was very much unexpected to Tang Xiu since this type of wood was famous as fine lumber even in the Immortal World. The Growth Amelioration Wood was used to manufacture training swords for the Immortal cultivators who just entered the cultivation path. It was very durable, brimming with life activity, and was even able to accumulate life force within, albeit very slowly, bit by bit nurturing the bearer¡¯s body along with their growth as well as improving their focus and calming their qi.


    Using Growth Amelioration Wood just to store something inside was a luxury even to Tang Xiu! After all, this place was Earth, and it had fewer resources compared to the Immortal World. He looked suddenly forward to the object stored inside the box.


    After opening its lid and clearly revealing the objects inside, Tang Xiu saw a writing brush made of weasel¡¯s bristles. The silvery brush appeared to have nothing particular or special about it, but as a cultivator, he could keenly feel the clear, spring-like spiritual power strands that surged in each bristle. After a while, he focused his gaze and instantly released his spiritual sense.


    ¡°These are¡­¡±


    It was quite a shocking discovery to Tang Xiu. Despite having a broad and deep knowledge, he had never heard of anyone who would record an ancient manual on the strands of a weasel¡¯s bristle brush. The characters written on each bristle were tiny and composed a complete set of cultivation technique.


    That¡¯s right! It¡¯s a record of cultivation techniques!


    This weasel¡¯s bristle brush had at least several hundred strands, which meant that there were hundreds of cultivation techniques recorded in it. Moreover, every cultivation technique was complemented with combat styles and magical spells it was most suitable with.


    ¡°One must use a microscope with at least a hundred magnification levels to be able to see the record written in these strands. In spite of everything, though, who could this powerhouse be? To think that he recorded the cultivation techniques of many small sects on this thing? These cultivation techniques may be ordinary, but they are peerless ancient scriptures to ordinary people. I would be ecstatic getting these ancient manuals if I was not once a Supreme in the Immortal World.¡±


    Retracting back his spiritual sense, Tang Xiu then looked at Ji Mu and let out a faint smile, saying, ¡°Do you really want to gift it to me?¡±


    ¡°Yes! What is gifted is equal to spilled water, and cannot be taken again,¡± said Ji Mu seriously.


    Tang Xiu snapped his finger and waved to Mo Awu, saying, ¡°Find him a room and teach him to recognize the acupoints and meridians in the human body. I want him to memorize all the channels of the main acupoints and meridians by tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Mo Awu nodded respectfully.


    Ji Mu was speechless. He may be quick-witted, but at this moment his brain was like it was short-circuited. Only after a long while did he finally snap back to his senses, as ecstasy covered his face and he jumped up from the sofa, seemingly about to kowtow to Tang Xiu. However, Tang Xiu stopped him and did not give any chance for him to speak.


    Lulu, who sat cross-legged by the table, just watched as Ji Mu followed Mu Awu with an excited expression. Then, she turned her head and ask, ¡°Why did you teach him a cultivation technique so easily? Are these things he gifted you very precious?¡±


    ¡°Each strand of this weasel¡¯s bristle brush records a magical spell, combat style, and cultivation technique. The Ji Family have been in possession of a treasure vault all the time, and yet they were unaware of it. Since he wants this opportunity, then I¡¯ll give him this chance.¡±


    They have been sitting on a treasure mountain and yet were unaware of it?


    Lulu glanced at the corridor where Ji Mu left with an expression of being at a loss whether she had to cry or laugh. She then shook her head and said with a smile, ¡°The Ji Family is really interesting.¡±


    At this time, Jin Shi strode in and then respectfully reported, ¡°Boss, I just caught a very interesting man.¡±


    Tang Xiu blanked and asked with a confused expression, ¡°A very interesting man? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s called Mouse¡ªShanghai¡¯s underground local tyrant to the core,¡± said Jin Shi. ¡°He controls Shanghai¡¯s information network. As long as it is an event that occurred in Shanghai, either a woman¡¯s underwear being stolen, from small incidents to murders, he will definitely be able to obtain results as long as he wants to investigate it. Interestingly, some chaps from the military sometimes find him to buy information in order to solve major cases. Just before we caught him and brought him here, some guys from the army spent a million to buy information on major crime cases that happened in Shanghai recently.¡±


    ¡°What a resourceful guy!¡± Tang Xiu was astonished. ¡°His information network is better than the state intelligence agencies? Speaking about it, what do you mean by catching and bringing him here?¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯ll need such a talented guy like him, Boss.¡± Jin Shi smiled. ¡°He¡¯s very capable, and puts money over his life.¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and said, ¡°Alright, bring him here.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Two minutes later, Jin Shi came to the living room with Mouse. Just as Mouse arrived and met them, he secretly glanced at Lulu, precisely at the jade carving hanging on her neck.


    ¡°About 100¡­ no 3 million. How about selling me this jade carving for 3 million?¡± Asked Mouse with a hoping expression.


    Lulu rolled her eyes and mocked him, ¡°Huh? 3 million? Are you dreaming or just got a fever that made you dumb? You can recognize what this made of and its quality, no? Do you think it¡¯s worth only 3 million?¡±


    Ugh¡­ Mouse was rendered speechless and reluctantly moved his eyes. The value of this jade carving was not a mere 3 million, and even 30 million yuan was not enough to buy it.


    Their exchange suddenly piqued Tang Xiu¡¯s interest, feeling rather amused. He looked at Mouse¡¯s sly, thief-like appearance and the disappointment shown on his face as he clapped and said, ¡°Well, well. Crafty, cunning, and miserly¡ªtraits for capable people in some domains indeed. So, you are Mouse, right?¡±


    Mouse¡¯s expression changed. He let out an obsequious smile and said while saluting, ¡°Have you been well, Boss? You can be sure that Mouse will always follow you from behind, Boss. I also recommend myself to manage a mountain of gold and silver if you have it since I¡¯m very confident that I have what it takes to manage it. Also, this Mouse will never steal anything even if I have the chance.¡±


    Hahaha. Tang Xiu could not help laughing and said, ¡°Anyways, I heard that you have quite a resourceful information network in Shanghai. Tell me about it. The more you can tell, the more it will prove your value as well as how competent you are. I need to assess your ability if you wish to seek a living here.¡±


    Mouse straightened up his chest and said, ¡°I can say Shanghai receives money from me. There are more than 200 thousand people who are willing to supply me with information, whereas the number of people who have earned intelligence fees from me can be counted in the tens of thousands. Unfortunately, Shanghai is way too small, so I can¡¯t display the entirety of my talents. If not, even the world¡¯s famous Darkwind Organization is nothing but a fart to me!¡±


    Hahaha. Tang Xiu slapped the table and laughed loudly, and then said, ¡°Great, it¡¯s just great that you have such boldness and vision. I¡¯m starting to like you even though it¡¯s our first meeting. Anyways, can you tell me who¡¯s the real culprit behind the murder cases that happened in Shanghai recently, Mouse?¡±


    Mouse glanced at the fine tea served on the table, grinning, ¡°I¡¯m kinda thirsty, Boss.¡±


    ¡°Just drink!¡± Said Tang Xiu quickly.


    Mouse picked up a small cup and gulped down the fragrant tea inside. He then used his dirty sleeves to wipe off the water left on his lips and said with a grin, ¡°I can¡¯t really figure out the background of the other party as of yet. But I know who¡¯s the leader of the pack. The guy¡¯s named Austin Cole, and he has some unfriendly bunch who are seemingly not easy to deal with. They are now staying in a motel on the Ye Street in Jingning District. It¡¯s a very ordinary motel and you don¡¯t need to use your ID card to check in and stay there as long as you spend more money. Also, he was recently in contact with Xie Zhiqiang, the owner of Brain Assembly Biotech. But I don¡¯t know the details of their meeting, though.¡±


    Tang Xiu frowned and said, ¡°Austin Cole meeting the owner of this Brain Assembly Biotech is nothing particular, but why did he engineer murder cases in Shanghai?¡±


    ¡°I dunno about that.¡± Mouse shook his head. ¡°I only control a small turf, areas overseas are out of my reach.¡±


    Tang Xiu then looked at Jin Shi and said, ¡°Go look for the one in charge of the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s intelligence in Shanghai. Also, call the men who are in charge of the ten closest cities to Shanghai.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Jin Shi knew that Tang Xiu was about to make a big move and immediately left to execute his orders.


    A light flashed in Mouse¡¯s eyes as he squinted his eyes and asked, ¡°There¡¯s something I wanna ask you, Boss. But, I don¡¯t know whether I should.¡±


    ¡°Just speak it out. I dislike talking in a roundabout way,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly.


    ¡°What kind of existence is the Everlasting Feast Hall, Boss? Isn¡¯t it¡­ just a normal restaurant?¡± Asked Mouse.


    ¡°Do you really want to know about it?¡± Asked Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°You will forever be tied up to my chariot once you learn about it.¡±


    Mouse was taken aback and subconsciously, he did not want to hear Tang Xiu¡¯s answer at all. However, he hesitated, and eventually decided and asked again, ¡°I still want to know about it.¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile. As his right arm slowly lifted up, an invisible current of qi swirled around Mouse, instantly making him float. The latter was horrified and struggled in panic. Tang Xiu made him hang in the air a meter above the floor and made dozens of movements in one breath.


    ¡°You can say that the people from the Everlasting Feast Hall can¡¯t be called as mortals. The capital and power possessed by the Everlasting Feast Hall can destroy any colossal organization in the world, while the wealth it will have in the future will surpass countless financial institutions. I can tell you that the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s status in the future will be above any country and dominate any organization in the world.¡±


    Every word said by Tang Xiu was so strong and powerful that it drilled into Mouse¡¯s ears, shocking him to death.


    ¡°You¡­ A-are y-you a-a human or a ghost?¡± Mouse screamed.


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and threw Mouse out of the door. He fell down in the courtyard and rolled for several meters before stopping. A stream of qi then wrapped and pulled him back to the living room. While looking at the dizzy look on his face, Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯m an immortal cultivator and so are the core members of the Everlasting Feast Hall. Have you seen Xianxia movies? Those who can control flying swords in it cannot even show 1% of our ability.¡±


    Mouse¡¯s pupils contracted, looking panicked and horrified. When Tang Xiu retracted back the stream of qi that wrapped him and his feet landed on the floor, he instantly knelt in front of Tang Xiu and exclaimed loudly, ¡°Daoist Immortal¡­ No, Boss. I¡¯m willing to be work for you, and this Mouse¡¯s life is yours. If you order me East I will never go West, and if you command me to fly to the sky I¡¯ll never drill into the ground.¡±


    Tang Xiu just watched with a faint smile and did not say anything.


    Seemingly afraid that Tang Xiu did not trust him, Mouse stretched out his finger and vowed, ¡°This Mouse begs you to make me into an immortal cultivator, Boss. I swear that you¡¯ll have my absolute loyalty and devotion¡­ for real¡­¡±

 Chapter 717

    Chapter 717: Femme Fatale


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Tang Xiu¡¯s ability in judging people was usually spot on. He also trusted the findings of his intelligence network on this fella. This type that was money-greedy, cherished life, was crafty and shrewd was absolutely a great candidate to be used for personal use as long as one had sufficient benefits to offer them. He also recruited a lot of this type when he was in the Immortal World.


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu felt like he returned to the time when he was mingling in a certain country in the Immortal World. Scheming and planning everything to achieve his goals, frenziedly amassing wealth either by hook or crook and secretly recruiting manpower to raise a large army. His blood boiled as he recalled the feeling of placing himself as the man who pulled the strings behind the curtain back then.


    ¡°Umm, Boss?¡± cautiously asked Mouse in a low voice while looking at the distracted Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu snapped back from his reverie and cast those away memories. He then smiled and said, ¡°I give you three years to help me establish an intelligence network that covers entire China just like the big net you control in Shanghai. I¡¯ll impart you a cultivation technique once you have accomplished this task, so you¡¯ll also have magical power. Until then, I¡¯ll provide you the money and manpower that you need, to aid you in laying out the net all over the world, and you must go beyond the Darkwind Organization in the future.¡±


    Mouse¡¯s eyes lit up and his heartbeat sped up. Though he was forced to come here, he found that he seemed to have seized a huge opportunity at this moment rather than being forced to help.


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely achieve it!¡± Said Mouse with a resolute and decisive tone.


    Tang Xiu nodded in response. With the twitch of his finger, an ancient rune instantly pressed on Mouse¡¯s glabella, as a fascinating red ancient rune seemed to have been printed on it.


    ¡°You must expend something to gain what you want. I need competent subordinates, but I what need more is their loyalty. I have imprinted a tracking rune on your glabella. Even if you run away from Earth, I can sense your aura, direction, and your current position from this ancient rune. I will remove this tracker and regard you as my trusted man completely as long as you have absolute loyalty and achieve what you¡¯ve promised me.¡±


    Mouse¡¯s expression slightly changed and subconsciously raised his hand to touch the red ancient rune on his glabella. He secretly felt that there was a magical invisible line that connected him to Tang Xiu. He could not tell Tang Xiu¡¯s situation at the other end of the line but was sure that Tang Xiu could track him wherever he was from this line.


    ¡°Anyways, is this tracker harmful to me, Boss? Are there any repercussions?¡± Asked Mouse cautiously as he was shocked by Tang Xiu¡¯s method.


    ¡°It won¡¯t harm you, and there are no repercussions either.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s, in fact, the contrary, since I injected my Primal Chaos Force into the ancient rune implanted into your body. Over time, it will subtly change your body system and can make your mind clearer as well as improve your memorization ability in the long run.¡±


    Mouse was taken aback and gratefully said, ¡°Thank you so much, Boss.¡±


    In the next morning.


    ¡°So, have you grasped everything?¡±


    Asked Tang Xiu as he looked at Ji Mu, who looked fatigued yet full of spirit inside his eyes. He followed behind Mo Awu as he came out.


    ¡°All of them.¡± Ji Mu nodded.


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and then personally took him into a room. He then picked a good cultivation technique from the weasel¡¯s bristle brush and taught it to him, saying, ¡°Cultivation is not something you can progress in a flash. Logically speaking, your age has passed the best period of time to cultivate, so it will take a long time for you to barely reach the threshold to become a cultivator without aid from external forces. However, given that you¡¯ve gifted me that two thousand years old wild ginseng, I¡¯ll give you a great gift to improve your physique as well as your cultivation speed when you can feel the flow of spiritual qi inside your body.¡±


    Ji Mu¡¯s expression was joyful as he quickly asked, ¡°How long does it take for me to achieve what you said, Brother Tang?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°Each person has a different physique and thus lead to different cultivation speeds. You only have an average aptitude, so if my guess is correct, it would probably take a year and a half for you to achieve it. But if during this time you can find some precious medicinal herbs and take them as a medicated diet, the rate will speed up a bit.¡±


    Ji Mu immediately nodded and said, ¡°I got it, and thanks.¡±


    Soon after, Tang Xiu came to the living room with Ji Mu. Since he had other things to tend to, he did not let him stay there for long. After Ji Mu left, Mouse quietly walked to Tang Xiu¡¯s side like a thief and whispered, ¡°I never thought that you were also acquainted with the scion of the Ji Family from Changxi City, Boss. This guy usually runs a shady business, but he has quite the skill and finesse. As far as I know, he has control over several secret channels that make a fortune.¡±


    The revelation piqued Tang Xiu¡¯s interest and he curiously asked, ¡°Tell me about his money-making channels.¡±


    ¡°A construction company, four KTVs, two amusement centers, and a car dealership. Nobody can link those establishments to him because they are not under his name, but under his most trusted person, whose name is also used in legal formalities. This young master Ji so often stays in Shanghai that he can be said as a half-local, so I sent someone to investigate him before. It took a lot of effort and energy to clearly find out his depths. And according to the investigation, he earns an annual net income of more than 100 million yuan.¡±


    Tang Xiu was slightly surprised, but after recalling the gifts Ji Mu sent to him, they were indeed things that could only be obtained if he had some channels to make money. However, since he had some spare time to set up these businesses, then why did he not take over the entire business of the Ji Family? With the Ji Family¡¯s status in Changxi City, the entire wealth of this family was definitely over 10 billion or even tens of billions of yuan, no?


    Tang Xiu secretly shook his head. He did not want to ponder about it anymore. He then asked Mo Awu and learned that the man in charge of the intelligence for the Everlasting Feast Hall in Shanghai, as well as the other ten in the surrounding ten cities, had arrived, so he brought Mouse to see them. To Tang Xiu¡¯s surprise, the one in charge of the Shanghai area turned out to be a core member of the Everlasting Feast Hall. Furthermore, he also learned from Mo Awu that even though this man was adept in spying and prying information, his ability to control and manage the information network was subpar. He even sent many applications to resign from his current work and wanted to go to Resting Cemetery Island in the South China Sea to cultivate.


    Hearing that this man was obsessed with cultivation made Tang Xiu quite satisfied. He gave his consent to his request and also introduced Mouse to the other men from the ten cities. It was to make Mouse integrate himself with the intelligence division of the Everlasting Feast Hall while also establishing a thorough information network in Shanghai and its ten neighboring cities.


    Lulu had been accompanying Tang Xiu and watching him deal with each issue, and once in a while, an extraordinary splendor flashed in her eyes as she marveled at the deep heritage of the Everlasting Feast Hall as well as marveled at Tang Xiu¡¯s skills and his style in managing the issues.


    ¡°Honey, how about I go to Shanghai University and accompany you attending your class?¡± Asked Lulu while holding her chin and watching Tang Xiu eat his lunch.


    Tang Xiu swallowed the food in his mouth and snappily said, ¡°I can guarantee that I¡¯ll be in the campus headline tomorrow if you appear there. And if you appear in my classroom, I¡¯m afraid those classmates of mine will have no intention to attend the afternoon classes at all.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lulu was baffled and asked, ¡°But why?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t heard the term of femme fatale?¡± Said Tang Xiu. ¡°You have very good looks, and those boys will definitely stealthily steal glances at you, while the girls will look at you with envy and jealousy. Do you think they will have a mind to attend the classes? Lulu, we must become good people, disturbing others while they are studying is so wrong.¡±


    Puff¡­ Hahaha.


    Lulu could not help laughing, feeling sweet inside even though Tang Xiu indirectly refused her request. However, the sweetness only lasted for a few minutes as she was stirred up with Han Qingwu¡¯s arrival. Her intuition could naturally see that Han Qingwu had special feelings for Tang Xiu. All of them were young, and even though Han Qingwu was probably several years older than Tang Xiu, this particular feeling of hers was definitely love.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, I¡¯ll drive you back to campus,¡± said Han Qingwu with a serious expression.


    Tang Xiu put down the chopsticks, took a sheet of tissue and wiped his mouth. He then nodded and said, ¡°I did not drive my car when I came here, so let¡¯s get back together!¡±


    He then took a ride on Han Qingwu¡¯s car back to campus, and it was still more than half an hour left from the afternoon classes. When he was about to come out of the car, he then asked Han Qingwu about the place of the underground fighting she entered. It turned out to be in Changxi City.


    Ring ring ring¡­


    Just as Tang Xiu pushed the door open, his mobile phone suddenly sounded. He looked at the caller ID displayed on the screen and closed the door again, and then accepted the call.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°I just got news of an accident, Boss. The culprit of those recent murders, Austin Cole from European SOE company and the dozens of men he brought with him, were attacked by the military. Austin Cole was severely injured and fled under the protection of his men. Also, some people from the military were killed in action.¡± Mouse¡¯s voice was transmitted from the phone.


    ¡°About these guys from the military, are they the ones who bought the information from you?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Yeah, I sold it to them,¡± said Mouse.


    ¡°Continue tracking Austin¡¯s gang,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°If you locate him, do remember to find a way to inform the military. Also, keep an eye on that Brain Assembly Biotech¡¯s Xie Zhiqiang. They have been in contact repeatedly, meaning that there¡¯s something confidential that must not come to light. Do everything you can to dig out their secret.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡± Mouse quickly replied and then straightly hung up.


    Tang Xiu did not hurry to get off the car after receiving the call. Instead, he took out a cigarette, lit it up, and then took two deep puffs in silence. What he knew about this Brain Assembly Biotech was minute. Everything he knew from Mouse was that Xie Zhiqiang had made a few calls this morning and met some of his acquaintances in a certain shopping mall in Shanghai all of a sudden.


    Sly, ruthless, avaricious, and seeing wealth like it was his life. These were what best described Xie Zhiqian¡¯s character.


    The Brain Assembly Biotech itself engaged in electronic products and biopharmaceutical business. While Xie Zhiqiang himself did not have a resounding name in Shanghai, he heard that this man had wealth worth several hundred million. The most important point was that this man apparently had several entertainment establishments in the city and also a security company.

 Chapter 718

    Chapter 718: Han Qingwu Is Drowning In The River Of Love


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The undercurrents were secretly surging and brewing in Shanghai, while those who had sinister motives were ready to move and make trouble. While the recent major criminal cases had garnered the attention of countless people, it was all nothing but the flavor of life to Tang Xiu. As a matter of fact, it all would never affect him whatsoever even if he did not involve himself in the matter.


    At present, his top priority was to make money and to cultivate. His cultivation had skyrocketed as a result of chancing upon repeated fortuitous encounters. If he had just returned to Earth, he would have felt that he could sweep all outstanding figures around the world with his current strength. But since he met other cultivators in Kanas, only then did he finally realize that Earth also had hidden dragons and crouching tigers.


    Being with his family and immersing himself in cultivation.


    This was his plan when he just returned to Earth. The yearning to be with his mother for 10,000 years, the family love he always wanted, and even the existence of his father and other family members¡­ he had obtained more than he wanted. But his cultivation was something he built anew after losing the old one. He became a mortal again, and yet now cultivated a much stronger cultivation technique, the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis, that suited him the best now, whether it was its cultivation progress rate or its explosive might.


    After cultivating all night long, Tang Xiu woke up from his meditation the moment the sun shone on Earth. Though he had not slept overnight to cultivate, he recalled the progress rate of his cultivation in Nine Dragons Island, missing it. Inwardly, he silently thought whether he could spare some time to go to Nine Dragons Island again in the near future.


    Having washed his face and brushed his teeth, he had yet to have breakfast as he received a call from Han Qingwu remembering his agreement to accompany her to Changxi City to participate in the underground mixed martial arts fighting. After agreeing to meet at the entrance of Shanghai University, Tang Xiu directly rushed there without eating a breakfast. What surprised him was that, by the time he arrived there, Han Qingwu was already waiting for him.


    ¡°Have you had breakfast?¡± Asked Han Qingwu.


    ¡°Not yet, what about you?¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°If you haven¡¯t, let¡¯s find a place to fill our stomach first. That reminds me, what time does this fighting competition begin?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten either.¡± Han Qingwu shook her head, and then said, ¡°It starts at 8 PM.¡±


    Tang Xiu blanked for a moment. His expression was that of being at a loss whether he had to cry and laugh. ¡°Big Sis, are you not mistaken about it? The fighting match starts at 8 PM, but why did you ask me to come now? Do you want to rush to Changxi City now and wait until evening while looking at each other in consternation?¡±


    Han Qingwu looked a bit awkward. The reason why she called Tang Xiu early in the morning was that she was afraid that he would suddenly come across something and be unable to accompany her. Also, there was a tingling wish she had inside to be with him and spent some time together. Ever since the freshmen welcoming party in September last year, there was a figure carved deeply inside her mind whose appearance was nearly identical to Tang Xiu¡¯s.


    There was something even more unbelievable to her! Tang Xiu¡¯s face often appeared inside her mind. And questions kept popping up inside her mind. What is Tang Xiu doing now? Has he eaten yet? Will he come to the campus today? Can I see him today? As for the time when she saw him, despite Tang Xiu¡¯s mannerism that made her feel a bit uncomfortable, yet she still rejoiced at seeing him. She could not help but feel blissful and happy.


    She had never been in love. Only hearing it from others, reading it on books, or watching it on TV. Yet, she could tell that she had fallen deeply in love with him. No¡­ it should be said that she had fallen deeply into the river of love. Worst still, it was the worst crush of an unrequited love.


    Sometimes she too thought that it was inconceivable, for the one she was in love with was her own student. Moreover, he was several years younger than her. But when she recalled his actions and behavior she gradually felt relieved, because Tang Xiu was not purely a student. Even those professors at the national level were not up to par with his abilities, how many people left worldwide who could be comparable to him?


    And yet, she was also very distressed, as Tang Xiu¡¯s luck in women was really abundant. Only she herself realized that the number of girls, whether it was their great figures or good looks, whose temperament and ability was better than hers, who lined up for him were too many to count.


    This was what an unrequited love felt like! Sweet and bitter.


    Therefore, ever since a cultivation technique inexplicably emerged inside her mind and the danger she encountered in Jingmen, she began to work herself to death to cultivate, going all out to become stronger. She did not hesitate to take risks to participate in the underground fighting arena to go all out in her cultivation, so as not to be left behind by Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s because I have a sister in Changxi City whom I haven¡¯t seen for half a year. So I want to go ahead of time to see her first.¡± Somehow, Han Qingwu¡¯s reply felt weak.


    ¡°But me going with you to see your good sister is kind of out of place, no?¡± Said Tang Xiu helplessly. ¡°As such, just go to Changxi City by yourself first and then I¡¯ll catch up with you in the evening. I will call you again later, and then we¡¯ll meet at the place where this underground fighting match is held. Is that okay with you?¡±


    Pain and bitterness filled Han Qingwu¡¯s heart. There was the hopeful look on her face as she said, ¡°I¡¯m just going to have lunch with my sister, isn¡¯t it fine us going together? Besides, she knows that I¡¯m still single, so I¡¯m afraid that she¡¯ll introduce some of her boyfriends when I meet her.¡±


    Tang Xiu was not a fool and instantly understood Han Qingwu¡¯s intention. She just wanted to use him as a shield and excuse. He hesitated for a moment before nodding, and said, ¡°Alright, then! I¡¯ve got nothing important to do today anyway. But you¡¯re gonna have to treat for lunch.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡± Han Qingwu rejoiced inwardly and replied happily. They quickly walked to the red BMW parked outside as she then opened the front seat¡¯s door and personally opened it for Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu shook his head secretly. After boarding in, he then asked, ¡°By the way, is there only one cultivation technique that appeared in your mind?¡±


    Han Qingwu started the car and silently nodded.


    Tang Xiu knew what kind of cultivation technique Han Qingwu had been practicing, so he only shook his head and sighed, ¡°Your grandfather also wants to get a more advanced cultivation technique. But since you don¡¯t have one to give him, then I¡¯ll find time to impart one to him! But still, he won¡¯t have much success in the future even if he has a more advanced cultivation technique given his age. Nonetheless, he would still have decades to live more if he were able to have another breakthrough, though.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Han Qingwu looked surprised. ¡°Cultivation can increase our lifespan?¡±


    It was Tang Xiu¡¯s turn to become speechless. Never did he expect that Han Qingwu did not know about this common knowledge. But as he recalled that the memory that appeared in her mind was just fragmented, he felt at ease and explained, ¡°For Daoist cultivators, their lifespan increases along with the promotion of their cultivation level, and so will their longevity unceasingly increase. Your cultivation level should be at the Peak of Qi Refining Stage now, so if there¡¯s no accident, you should have 120 years of longevity. When you break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage or even reach this stage¡¯s peak, it¡¯s not impossible for you to have 200 years¡¯ lifespan.¡±


    Fortunately, Han Qingwu¡¯s mind was firm, else she would definitely crash the car due to the shock. Despite so, her heart still shivered, and she was keener than ever on going further in her cultivation.


    As time went by, the car passed through the highway tollbooth and finally entered the highway. After which, Han Qingwu asked, ¡°Is everyone in the Everlasting Feast Hall also a cultivator?¡±


    ¡°Only the core members. About 100 people,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Han Qingwu gaped. It was beyond her imagination. She imagined the spectacle where she saw Tang Xiu with such a huge force under him, and she gasped with amazement.


    In the case that¡­ he wished to expand his power and wanted to gain greater rights and privileges, he probably only needed to use this force and his power and influence would soar by ten times, or even a hundred times.


    Ten in the morning.


    Han Qingwu and Tang Xiu had arrived at Changxi City. Since the time she had agreed with her sister had yet to arrive, Han Qingwu parked the car near a shopping mall and then turned her head to look at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Is there any place you want to go?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°This is my first time visiting Changxi City, so I¡¯m unfamiliar with the place. You decide! I¡¯m just a guest today, to begin with.¡±


    A shadow of a smile appeared on Han Qingwu¡¯s face, and she immediately proposed happily, ¡°Why don¡¯t we go to the movie studio near the college? I didn¡¯t have the chance to visit it the last time I was here since I was full that time. I heard there are a few movie production crews making a movie over there now.¡±


    Tang Xiu had no interest in making movies, but he did not feel like objecting since Han Qingwu had proposed it. The duo arrived at the movie town about half an hour later.


    The weather in March and April was still somewhat chilly despite Changxi City being located in the Southern region. There were a lot of people in this movie town. After briefly inquiring around, they learned that there were indeed several movie production crews making movies there. However, there seemed no famous celebrities involved.


    ¡°I heard that there¡¯s a chance for people to play a small role in the movie production team. A couple of years ago, that good sister of mine liked to come here and join in the fun, hence she became an extra in some TV series and movies. Care to give it a shot?¡± Han Qingwu looked somewhat eager.


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes and quickly stopped her, saying, ¡°No can do. There¡¯s only an hour left from the agreed time with your sister. Even if you want to become an extra and play a small role, an hour or two would probably not be enough to get it finished, no?¡±


    ¡°Ah. You¡¯re right.¡± Han Qingwu finally gave up her idea after giving it a thought, looking a bit regretful.


    Tang Xiu secretly pouted, not wanting to entertain Han Qingwu¡¯s idea at all. Though he was not someone from the entertainment industry, he had formed a partnership with Qin Shaoyang and Chu Yi to set up his own entertainment company and even invested several billion in it. Not to mention that Qin Shaoyang may have signed in with quite a handful of stars at present, of whom were probably top superstars or a tier below. As a Boss himself, wouldn¡¯t he be a laughingstock if Qin Shaoyang and Chu Yi were to learn about him playing in some minor roles?


    The duo wandered around until it was finally 11:30. Han Qingwu had called her sister prior to this, so the latter came directly to the venue and was now standing in front of the duo.


    With a 1.8m height, wearing flat shoes and having a good stature, she looked a bit ordinary but had white skin. People said that whiteness could cover up shortcomings, and contrary to what one might expect, this strong point added a lot more to this woman.


    ¡°Handsome guy, are you the man who Little Wu has been yearning for, for days and nights?¡± While folding her arms and carefully observing Tang Xiu, Yu Hong asked with a faint smile.


    Ugh¡­ Tang Xiu glanced at Han Qingwu and found that her pretty face was blushing. He then coughed twice and said, ¡°How do you, beauty? By the way, I¡¯m Teacher Han¡¯s student. I heard that her good sister was still single, so I come here to meet her in person. Anyways, you are not bad. You got the stature and figure, as well as style and looks. How about having a date with me and watch a movie now?¡±


    ¡°Holy shit¡­¡±

 Chapter 719

    Chapter 719: Having A Good Laugh At Someone Making A Fool Of Himself


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Yu Hong was struck dumb. With a straightforward and pleasant personality, she could hang around men unperturbed, but she was still shocked by Tang Xiu¡¯s words, and her sensual lips opened wide.


    ¡°What the hell is going on here?¡± Yu Hong turned around with difficulty to look at Han Qingwu.


    The latter could not help but laugh and cover her mouth. She never thought that Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth turned out to be this amazing, as his lightly said statement made her good sister overwhelmed and helpless.


    As a smart woman, Yu Hong finally realized that she was just teased by Tang Xiu upon seeing Han Qingwu¡¯s expression. She looked rather heated up, she snapped at her, ¡°Bah, whoever looks good does really have nothing good. Anyways, you gotta be careful with this fella, Qingwu. He¡¯s probably the kind who would give up his love whenever he sees someone pretty.¡±


    Han Qingwu was stabbed right at the heart and the smile on her face retreated like a tidal wave. She glanced at Tang Xiu without being noticed, immediately grabbed Yu Hong¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Oh, shut it. Don¡¯t be ridiculous. Anyways, I¡¯m starving. Let¡¯s find someplace to grab a bite!¡±


    Yu Hong rolled her eyes in response and grinned, ¡°Qingwu, why don¡¯t we have a meal while watching something fun? There will a big event happening in Changxi City today and¡­ it¡¯s about time for it to start.¡±


    ¡°What big event?¡± Asked Han Qingwu, looking confused.


    Yu Hong only chuckled in a mystifying manner while dragging her away. Since Yu Hong came to her car, they drove the two cars to an upscale restaurant in Changxi. After parking the cars, the trio then headed to the second floor and sat by the window facing the street.


    ¡°Alright. You order the dishes, Qingwu. I can¡¯t miss the good play today, so I¡¯m gonna take a look.¡± Yu Hong straightly pushed the menu towards Han Qingwu while playfully looking at the street below.


    Tang Xiu was not someone who liked to gossip, yet his curiosity was piqued by Yu Hong¡¯s mystifying manner. He could not bear to have his eyes involuntarily look at the outside as well.


    Oh? After a short two or three minutes, his eyes suddenly focused on a certain spot where several young men were standing and looked precisely toward their leader.


    Ji Mu? Isn¡¯t this way too coincidental? He seemed to be a local of Changxi when I met him, but I never thought I would see him here.


    ¡°Well, the good show is about to begin, guys.¡±


    Yu Hong pulled Han Qingwu to her side, and then leaned close to the window and looked downstairs. She looked excited with an expression of anticipation and eagerness as she waited for the show.


    ¡°Don¡¯t keep me guessing, Honghong. Just what exactly is this good show that you talked about?¡± Asked Han Qingwu as her curiosity was also ignited.


    ¡°Just be patient, will you?¡± And yet, Yu Hong was still mystifying it.


    VROOM¡­. (SCREECH¡­)


    On the street outside the restaurant, eight extravagant sedans roared and stopped in front of the restaurant¡¯s entrance with sudden braking. Each of the sedans was different in color and brand but common in being expensive.


    Bam, bam¡­


    Those eight supercars¡¯ doors were pushed open as more than 20 people in black leather attire got off carrying different banners, balloons, flowers, champagnes, ribbons, and streamers. The two empty-handed women then ran toward the fourth supercar and opened the door.


    A very beautiful girl in a white bridal gown and holding a large bouquet of red roses, whose age about twenty-four or twenty-five, then got off from the car, taking a megaphone handed by someone and loudly shouting, ¡°JI MU, COME OUT! IT¡¯S REN RANRAN HERE!¡±


    Inside the restaurant.


    Ji Mu, who was just about to walk upstairs, suddenly trembled after hearing the loud shout. The smile on his handsome was uglier than crying. He glared at his buddies behind him and angrily yelled, ¡°Who the hell sold me out? Else, how would she know that I¡¯m here?¡±


    ¡°Err, my phone is connected with my wife¡¯s with a GPS tracker. She knows that I¡¯m having lunch with you today,¡± said a young after letting out a hollow laugh.


    ¡°To hell with your phone!¡±


    Ji Mu really wanted to run from this place right now, but he found that people were looking at him with a curious gaze whether they were upstairs or downstairs, and was immediately struck with a huge headache. This Ren Ranran, precisely the Beautiful Princess Ren, was the most famous girl in Changxi, and the very girl who struck him with a headache the most.


    The young man behind him chuckled and grinned, ¡°Brother Ji, the Beauty Ren has come to find you, so you should not hide from her, no? Just meet her and firmly state your rejection if you don¡¯t feel a thing at all towards her.¡±


    ¡°You knew this farce was going to happen today, didn¡¯t you?¡± Ji Mu was baffled and stared blankly before asking.


    The young man laughed inwardly. A lot of people knew this was going to happen today, except this guy. Even his buddies lent a hand for this to happen today, along with his wife¡¯s sisters who helped had planned it for a long time. Nevertheless, he would never admit it in front of Ji Mu even if he had to die, so the young man said, ¡°I really knew nothing about it, man. Else, given the camaraderie between us brothers, I would have already informed you about it already, no?¡±


    Ji Mu¡¯s response was to roll his eyes at him before he gritted his teeth and walked downstairs. When he came outside and saw the lines of troops ready for battle outside, fright suddenly overwhelmed him and he snappily shouted, ¡°What the hell are you doing, Ranran? Do you want to make a ruckus or something?¡±


    Ren Ranran simply ignored his words as she walked towards Ji Mu while holding the rose bouquet, and then seriously said, ¡°You never proposed to me Ji Mu, so I¡¯ll take the role myself. We both can drag this on and on, but the child in my belly cannot afford it. Promise to marry me!¡±


    A child?


    Ji Mu seemed to be struck by a thunderbolt, striking and scorching his soft side while he stood silly on the spot. He could clearly recall what happened two months ago after he had a drink in some leisure club. He happened to bump into Ren Ranran who were also drinking there. Finally, the two tables were joined. It was at that very night that he got a bit drunk got he got muddle-headed and was deceived to make her pregnant.


    He dared to call the Heavens to witness that he was absolutely in the dark, not knowing what had happened. He only knew that when he woke up the next day, he saw Ren Ranran sleeping in his embrace stark naked, and then realized that he just got done in by her. He did not give it a thought at that time because he felt that he did not suffer any loss. After all, there had been quite a few women he had played with before.


    But who would have thought that Ren Ranran regularly ran over to find him ever since that time? It had been half a month since he started hiding from her, and was afraid to go out casually. And yet, he had made her pregnant because of what happened between them more than two months ago?


    This¡­ was¡­ simply¡­ impossible!


    On the second floor, by the window.


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile while looking at Ji Mu below, and his smile was getting particularly thicker. Even Yu Hong, who was pulling Han Qingwu, whispered, ¡°What a rare sight. This man is just hit by luck in love. It¡¯s darn extraordinary. The dignified Young Master of the Ji Family of Changxi was actually proposed to by a woman. Damn! This will definitely become a sensation in the whole city, a big scandal people when it¡¯s known by everyone! Speaking about it, though, this Ren Ranran deserves my kudos. She rarely shows what she¡¯s made of normally. Who would have thought that she had such a bold attitude and even revealed that she is with a baby already?¡±


    ¡°This drama is a marvel indeed.¡± Han Qingwu echoed with a nod. ¡°I got used to seeing men who proposed to women, but today is the reverse, it¡¯s the woman¡¯s turn to propose. So, what do you do you think, will Ji Mu accept?¡±


    With that said, she deliberately glanced at Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu was keenly aware that Han Qingwu was glancing at him, and was secretly speechless inside while thinking: We are just bystanders who are just passively watching the drama unfold, why the hell is she looking at me?


    After thinking about it, Tang Xiu just replied casually without thinking much, ¡°I bet Ji Mu won¡¯t accept.¡±


    Yu Hong and Han Qingwu shifted their gazes at the same time. Their expressions were different, however. Yu Hong looked puzzled, while Han Qingwu looked a bit complicated.


    ¡°Why?¡± Asked Yu Hong with a curious expression.


    Naturally, Tang Xiu could not tell her that Ji Mu had just obtained a cultivation technique from him. At this time, cultivation was the most important thing to this guy. How could he possibly delay his own great undertaking for women and children? However, under Yu Hong¡¯s curious gaze, he could only laugh and said, ¡°Why asking why? There¡¯s no reason why, to be honest. Leaving aside the misconception that ¡®it¡¯s easier for a man to chase a woman than the other way around¡¯, Ji Mu may have had sex with this woman and made her pregnant, but I don¡¯t think he has much love for her. Otherwise, she shouldn¡¯t be the one proposing to him, but the other way around.¡±


    ¡°What you said does hold a bit of truth,¡± commented Yu Hong with a pensive look. ¡°Though Ji Mu is not lascivious, he did have some girls before. Given his status and personality, he will never waver even if 100 women were to propose him unless he really loved her. But I think your guess is wrong, however.¡±


    Tang Xiu blanked for a moment and asked, ¡°Why are you so sure about that?¡±


    ¡°The Ji Family is an aristocratic family, a very notable one in Changxi and definitely one of the best prominent families here,¡± explained Yu Hong. ¡°But the Ren Family, on the other hand, also has a very strong root here, and the second figure in Changxi is the younger brother of the current head of the family, Ren Ranran¡¯s biological uncle. For the sake of the two family¡¯s faces and reputations, Ji Mu will not refuse her in public. At the most, he will privately discuss it with her.¡±


    Tang Xiu gave it a thought, yet he still shook his head and said, ¡°I still stand on my opinion. He won¡¯t agree.¡±


    ¡°How about having a bet between us then?¡± said Yu Hong with a smile.


    ¡°What bet?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    Yu Hong pondered for a while, before suddenly grinning and saying, ¡°If I win, you gotta propose to my sister, Qingwu. How about it?¡±


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes at her. Though he felt that she did hit his weak point, he still asked, ¡°But what if you lose?¡±


    ¡°What if I lose?¡± Yu Hong looked in disbelief. ¡°How could I possibly lose?¡±


    ¡°Unforeseen things may happen at any time,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently.


    Yu Hong hesitated and then seriously replied, ¡°I¡¯ll hold a big banquet to treat you and Han Qingwu. I got no problem with treating you for a full month.¡±


    Banquet?


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes at her and snappily said, ¡°Hey, what you said is so worlds apart which only you can mesh it up. But since you want to gamble, then so be it. Let¡¯s wait and see! I say Ji Mu will refuse Ren Ranran in front of everyone in less than three minutes.¡±

 Chapter 720

    Chapter 720: I Already Have A Perfect Wife At Home, So There Is No Bed Left For You


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Yu Hong scornfully smiled in response to Tang Xiu¡¯s remark. She had been living in Changxi for many years, and even though her Yu Family could not be considered as a top-ranked family here, they were still a mid-ranked one and naturally understood the thoughts of the juniors of these families.


    This farce, however, related to the faces of the two families, and even if Ji Mu was full of arrogance, it was highly unlikely he would do anything to shame them both.


    In the beginning, she liked Tang Xiu a bit. After all, this guy was the man her good sister had a crush on. But now it seemed like this fella was ignorant about the situation as well as a boaster, simply courting humiliation upon himself.


    At the restaurant¡¯s door, Ren Ranran stood there, with a face full of expectation. She was sure Ji Mu would not refuse her. Her good sisters incited and encouraged her to bet on this rugged, dangerous move. She liked Ji Mu a lot, to the point this feeling was carved deep down inside. And yet, she also realized that this guy felt just a bit affection toward her, and had yet to turn into liking, let alone love.


    ¡°You know my character, Ji Mu. What I hate the most is to have the Family do some kind of acrobatic for an arranged marriage. But ever since three years ago when you escorted me to the hospital due to my illness, only then did I realize that I liked you. The longer the time passed, the deeper this feeling got. My feeling for you is pure, uncontaminated by our so-called status. I like you even if you have nothing and I will follow you with all my heart, till death do us part. Please promise me¡­ to marry¡­ no, to take me as your wife.¡±


    Ji Mu, however, frowned deeply, and there was anger when he looked at her.


    Was the child¡­ she said¡­ anything but only a chip? While she used their statuses to force him under the public witness?


    Ji Mu sneered inside, then took out a cigarette and lit it up under everyone¡¯s watchful eyes. He did not wish to hurt Ren Ranran, but he did not want to be forced either. Had it been a couple of days ago, he might have felt pressured due to their statuses and thus promise her. But now¡­


    ¡°I used to think that you were a smart woman, Ranran. At the very least, you did not pester me after what happened between us last time. So much so that I would start liking you if you were to work this out step by step and had exchanges with me just like how you used to. However¡­ what you are doing today is anything but smart. Aren¡¯t you just using my child as a chip to force me? Like you are using our statuses in Changxi?


    ¡°I, Ji Mu, am not a man who treats affections and love like a child¡¯s play. If there was really a bond that tied our heart, I would be the one to take the initiative to court you and swear to give a happy life, so you would not need to use this kind of means to coerce me.


    ¡°But now¡­


    ¡°I refuse!¡±


    Ren Ranran was stunned and dumbfounded. She had never dreamed that Ji Mu¡¯s reaction would be this intense, so much that the attitude he showed her was like that of¡­ abhorrence.


    Is it wrong? Is my love for him a mistake?


    I have given you my body to the point that I¡¯m now carrying your child.


    *So why? *For what reason he¡¯s ignoring the two families¡¯ faces, even refusing me so heartlessly like this?


    Tears like beads were falling down her face as Ren Ranran desperately shook her head. Her hand that held the megaphone was trembling, as she loudly said, ¡°I don¡¯t have the intention to force you, and neither am I threatening you, Ji Mu. What I¡¯m doing today is just because I wanted you to know how much I really love you. For I, Ren Ranran, will do whatever you want even if I must cast away any constraints a woman must have and throw away my honor and reputation just to be with you.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Ji Mu indifferently shook his head.


    On the second floor¡¯s window.


    Yu Hong was tongue-tied and dumbfounded as she watched the drama unfold. However smart her brain was, it simply ceased to work at this moment. Her expression when she turned her head to look at Tang Xiu was full of disbelief.


    ¡°How is this possible?¡± Her voice was trembling.


    Tang Xiu only let out a tranquil smile since he had already predicted this result. Had Ji Mu not obtained the cultivation technique from him, he might have no will nor energy to refuse. At the very least, he would try to preserve the Ji and Ren Families¡¯ honor and reputation. But now¡­ even the elders of the Ji Family would not blame him, moreover¡­ they would not dare to blame him.


    ¡°Anyways, there are things I need to tend to in this month, so I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t enjoy the banquet you will hold for a time. But if you do still want to realize your promise, throw the feast for Teacher Han since she has quite a lot of time to spare!¡±


    Yu Hong gaped and looked somewhat awkward and flushed. Recalling as how she despised Tang Xiu when they started the bet, she now felt that it was her that was ludicrous.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you already know Ji Mu, don¡¯t you?¡± Suddenly, this thought sprung up in Yu Hong¡¯s heart and she suddenly asked.


    Tang Xiu himself did not try to hide it as he nodded and said, ¡°I do. We¡¯ve met a couple of times.¡±


    Yu Hong was left without words. Originally, she thought that Tang Xiu was a man who did not know the situation at all, a ridiculous boaster who bragged about things. Never did she expect that this guy turned out to have acquainted himself with that young master Ji. Now it was apparent that he was really confident when he made the bet with her and was not just a braggart! She, on the contrary, foolishly held contempt toward him instead of taking a clear picture of the situation.


    As she thought up to there, Yu Hong really wished that there was a hole on the floor where she could burrow herself into. She really had no face to see him again.


    Tang Xiu then looked at the tearful Ren Ranran. His expression moved all of a sudden as he turned to look Yu Hong again and said with a smile, ¡°Do you dare to make another bet?¡±


    Yu Hong scornfully rolled her eyes at him and replied in a bitter tone, ¡°You just won against me, what else can I bet with you?¡±


    ¡°I bet that Ji Mu will take his words back and accept Ren Ranran. Do you believe it or not?¡± Tang Xiu smiled.


    Again, Yu Hong blanked and immediately rolled her eyes again, saying, ¡°Are you still sane? Ji Mu has just firmly refused, and he did that in public. How the hell would he possibly take back his words given his character, huh?¡±


    ¡°I told you, do you dare to bet or not?¡± Asked Tang Xiu again.


    Yu Hong hesitated for a bit and then said, ¡°Fine. I¡¯m in. I¡¯ll treat you for two months if you win, but we¡¯ll be even if you lose.¡±


    ¡°Deal.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled, got up to press his hands on the window, looked below and shouted, ¡°Hey, Young Master Ji, when a woman throws away her dignity and reveals her innermost affection towards her love, it means that the man is the one who gains! Besides, she¡¯s already carrying your child, so why don¡¯t you take responsibility as a man? I heard that an irresponsible man will have a notorious reputation. That¡¯s right, someone told me that grinding a chopper won¡¯t delay the work of cutting firewood. You may have tons of other important things to do, but you still must have a family sooner or later!¡±


    Below¡­


    The moment Ji Mu heard that familiar voice, his whole being suddenly froze. When he looked up and saw Tang Xiu, his eyes were filled with disbelief, for he did not expect that he would see Tang Xiu here. Subsequently, the awkwardness and embarrassed drove him to secretly produce a wry and bitter smile. Tang Xiu had unexpectedly been watching all the while. This¡­ was¡­ virtually¡­ shame and disgrace at its highest.


    Nevertheless, he gave it a thought and suddenly felt that what Tang Xiu just said was reasonable. Ren Ranran even cast away her restraint and dignity as a woman, meaning that she had sealed her own path and that the feeling she had for him was pure and sincere.


    Like Tang Xiu said, grinding a chopper does not mean that the work of cutting wood will be delayed, while those ¡°other things¡± he said should be pointed to his cultivation. Having a family while immersing himself in cultivation could indeed be carried out without affecting each other.


    Should I bear the responsibility¡­ or not?


    Ji Mu¡¯s face was constantly changing as he slowly clenched his fists.


    The tearful Ren Ranran also heard Tang Xiu¡¯s words and felt grateful inside. She did not know Tang Xiu, but she secretly decided to express her gratitude regardless of whether Ji Mu would eventually accept her or not.


    At this moment, a woman in the crowd in black leather attire and holding a helmet suddenly looked up, stroked the hair on her forehead and shouted to Tang Xiu:


    ¡°HEY, YOU, HANDSOME! YOU SHOULD BE A RESPONSIBLE MAN SINCE YOU SAID THAT! DO YOU HAVE A GIRLFRIEND, BY CHANCE? IF NOT, WHY DON¡¯T YOU CONSIDER ME?¡±


    The originally smiling Tang Xiu suddenly froze. He scratched the back of his head with an expression of being at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh, and said, ¡°Sorry, girl! I already got a good wife at home, so there¡¯s no bed left for you!¡±


    With that said, he straightly pulled back his head and picked up the teacup with discomfiture.


    All this while, Han Qingwu had yet to speak anything, but the smile on the corner of her mouth had not receded. She suddenly could not bear to chuckle and laugh upon seeing Tang Xiu who was now trying to conceal his discomfiture by picking up his teacup. Though Tang Xiu did say he wanted to have a bet with her good sister¡ªYu Hong a while ago, all in all, it turned out that he wanted to bring the romance to a happy ending, hence it made her feel that he just did a good job.


    In contrast, Yu Hong felt different and could not help but roll her eyes after hearing Tang Xiu. At this moment, she saw the way Han Qingwu looked at Tang Xiu and suddenly couldn¡¯t bear to comment, ¡°Tang Xiu, Ji Mu is a scion of the notable Ji Family in Changxi, whose eyes are always looking at the top. Do you think he will change his mind just because of your superficial words? Forget it, buddy.¡±


    ¡°Whether or not he¡¯ll change his mind, who knows?¡± Tang Xiu put down the teacup and shrugged with a smile.


    At the entrance to the restaurant.


    Ji Mu¡¯s expression was still changing constantly. He looked at the tearful Ren Ranran, who was full of longing and anticipation. Eventually, he sighed inwardly and stepped forward. After he came before her, he gently wiped the tears on her face and said, ¡°I have no vigorous and true love to give you. But if you are willing to be with me, give me three days. I¡¯ll talk to the elders of my family and then visit yours to discuss our marriage. Even if we can¡¯t marry, we can at least have an engagement first. Love is not a child¡¯s play, so give me some time to slowly nurture it.¡±


    Ren Ranran blinked, and tears flowed down from her eyes again. It was not sad tears this time, but tears of joy. She nodded repeated with a joyful expression, tightly hugged Ji Mu and released him, and then quickly said, ¡°Please wait a bit.¡±


    With that said, she grabbed the sides of her bridal gown and ran into the restaurant. Under everyone¡¯s watchful eyes, she walked upstairs to the second floor, came to Tang Xiu¡¯s front, who was near the window and then said with a grateful expression, ¡°Thank you so much, Sir. I, Ren Ranran, might have not only lost my love but also my future happiness had it not because of your words today. I will always remember this benevolence and kindness. Please let me know if you have anything that requires my assistance, and I¡¯ll definitely do it to the best of my abilities.¡±


    ¡°This girl is not bad.¡± Tang Xiu secretly nodded.

 Chapter 721

    Chapter 721: Helping A Romance To Have A Happy Ending


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Tang Xiu smiled lightly and glanced at the flushed with shame Yu Hong, whose head was almost sunk to the bottom of the table. He then nodded casually and smilingly said, ¡°Lending a hand to bring a romance to a happy ending is something that I¡¯m naturally willing to do. Nevermind about it, I wish you to have a good life in the future.¡±


    At this time, Ji Mu also came to the second floor. Changxi may be his turf, but after he stood before Tang Xiu, he still said with a respectful expression, ¡°I was enlightened by what you just said, Brother Tang. I didn¡¯t know you were visiting Changxi, so I neglected my part as a good host to entertain you well. I apologize for that.¡±


    ¡°If anything, I¡¯m just here for personal matters, so there¡¯s no need for being overly formal.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand. ¡°Anyhow, you already accepted your wife to be and will soon bear your child too, so you had better take her home to have a rest.¡±


    ¡°How could I do that, Brother Tang? You just came and as a host, I should entertain you well. Also, if you are going to stay in Changxi for a few days, I¡¯ll immediately book a hotel for you. Or you can opt to stay in my villa here if you don¡¯t want to. I have an unoccupied villa here, so you can stay there any time you want.¡±


    Everyone around was immediately struck dumb after hearing him, and even his best buddies were dumbfounded and speechless as though they could hardly believe what they heard.


    Even Yu Hong herself was stunned at this time. Though she knew that her good sister Han Qingwu had an unrequited crush on her own student, she also knew that this very student had quite the abilities as he just started his own business and set up a company. But she did not know about anything else other than that.


    But now, it seemed that Tang Xiu was way too good to be true, right? To think that even the scion of the Ji Family of Changxi had to put on such a respectful attitude before him. How was this possible?


    Is it possible that¡­ Tang Xiu has a very honorable identity or something? Could it be that his influence is much more powerful than his Ji Family?


    At the same time, Ren Ranran was also stunned, as she could tell from Ji Mu¡¯s words that not only he knew this young man who helped her, but also was very respectful towards him. She knew Ji Mu perfectly well, and there was no young man in the entire Changxi who could make this guy act this respectful, neither in the whole province and only very few in the whole country.


    Who can this benefactor be? From where this honorable being comes from that can make Ji Mu respect him so much?


    Glancing at everyone¡¯s shocked expressions, Tang Xiu helplessly said, ¡°Your woman is pregnant, Ji Mu, and she just went through such an emotional experience. You had better take her back to rest well so as to avoid a miscarriage. Besides, I came here with a friend to deal with a personal issue, so I¡¯ll return back to Shanghai this evening. There¡¯s no need to trouble you about it while I¡¯m here.¡±


    Looking at Ren Ranran¡¯s belly, Ji Mu hesitated a bit and then said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll escort her back first, and come over again to accompany you after she¡¯s settled. Brother Tang, I¡¯m a Changxi local¡ªa king here you may say, so I can help you deal with things here if you encounter any minor problem.¡±


    ¡°Are you some kind of dogskin plaster or something?¡± Grunted Tang Xiu. After saying that, however, he felt that his actions seemed not to give Ji Mu face, so he continued, ¡°But since you got nothing to do, then fine. Come over again later!¡±


    ¡°Sure thing!¡± Ji Mu was actually a bit embarrassed, but the following sentence from Tang Xiu immediately made him happy. He then grabbed Ren Ranran and went downstairs.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s gaze followed the duo¡¯s back as they left and suddenly spoke, ¡°Hey, do remember to notify me when you get married. I¡¯ll prepare some great gifts.¡±


    JI Mu¡¯s pace halted and his heartbeat sped up. He immediately turned around to express his thanks with a serious expression and then left with Ren Ranran, who looked confused.


    After the noisy event, everyone in the entire restaurant now knew that Tang Xiu was some kind of a great celestial being seeing as even the young master of the Ji Family acted that respectful toward him. Nobody dared to come over to hit a conversation with him. They measured and asked themselves: Do I have enough qualifications?


    At this moment, Yu Hong gaped her mouth so wide that even a duck egg could fit in. The shocked expression on her face lasted for a few minutes, as she then snapped back to her senses like being awakened from a dream. She gulped down and glanced at Han Qingwu, who was still eating. While still being overwhelmed with uneasiness, she asked, ¡°T-Tang¡­ Tang Xiu, exactly which honorable person are you? Ji Mu¡­ he¡¯s a proud man to the bones, but how can he act like a grandson before you?¡±


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes at her and snappily said with a smile, ¡°Hey! You¡¯re an adult belle, yet your mouth kind of running loose, no? I have yet to get married and have a wife, and neither do I have any sons. How could I possibly have a grandson, huh? I told you I met Ji Mu a couple of times and we¡¯re just friends!¡±


    Yu Hong pouted and wore an expression that she did not buy his explanation in the slightest.


    Han Qingwu suddenly raised her head and looked at Yu Hong, saying, ¡°Honghong, just hurry and eat your meal, will you? The dishes have been served for quite a while and it will be cold if you don¡¯t eat them now.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll eat!¡±


    Seeing that Tang Xiu did not want to entertain her, Yu Hong suppressed the resentful yet doubtful feeling she had deep down.


    Below the restaurant.


    Ji Mu sat in the driver seat on his Ferrari. After starting the car, he then drove it away. But Ren Ranran, who sat in the passenger seat, still looked confused, though she was very happy inside. She then asked, ¡°Ji Mu, that Tang¡­ exactly who is this Mr. Tang? You seem to¡­ to value him very much?¡±


    Ji Mu glanced at her and then said slowly, ¡°He has a very special identity that I can¡¯t tell you now. But you must remember something. Later on, you can annoy anyone in the world, but never once must you provoke him.¡±


    ¡°Is he really powerful?¡± Ren Ranran was astounded.


    The smile on Ji Mu¡¯s force was a bit forced as he sighed, ¡°Far more than powerful. Eradicating both our Ji and Ren Families is even easier than killing an ant for him.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Ren Ranran was completely shaken. She had heard a lot about powerful figures, but never once had she heard of anyone who could easily destroy the Ji and Ren Families. Granted that¡­ even if he was a scion of the most powerful clan in the capital, there was no way it was an achievable feat, no?


    However, she too felt that Ji Mu was unlikely to speak out such big words either. Hence, what exactly was all this about?


    Ji Mu seemed to realize what she had in mind and gave a longer explanation, ¡°There are many people in the world who we can¡¯t afford to annoy, Ranran. What I told you is the truth! When I described how powerful he is, that¡¯s the lowest estimation that disparages his power already. You also know about those prominent clans in the capital, don¡¯t you? Even those genuine powerful families are nothing but ants in his eyes. Do remember my words, do not look at him with normal eyes, and you must be respectful in front of him. Even if he wants to kill us, we must be the ones who take the initiative to give it on our own.¡±


    Hiss¡­ Ren Ranran gasped and felt a chill down her spine.


    Ji Mu still felt that his explanation was still not enough and gave a simple summary, ¡°Just forget it, I¡¯ll tell you more. He¡¯s the secret Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, and also a junior of the Tang Family of Beijing. But everything he has is little to nothing related to the Tang Family. The horrifying power he holds is not something even one hundred Tang Families added up can be compared with.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you describing a God?¡± Ren Ranran¡¯s lips were quivering as she interjected.


    Ji Mu suddenly felt that Ren Ranran¡¯s description was quite correct because, in his eyes, Tang Xiu was a definition of what a God was like; the sort who was far removed from the masses and reality, an abnormally dreadful demon god.


    ¡°That¡¯s also one way to describe him.¡±


    Now, Ren Ranran was completely shaken. After a long while, she came back to her senses and said, ¡°Anyways, I just saw Yu Hong there, and she seems to know Mr. Tang.¡±


    Ji Mu stared for a moment as a pondering look immediately appeared on his face. After half a minute, only then did he slowly speak, ¡°There will be some opportunities in the future, so try to get closer to Yu Hong. Also, speak with the elders in your family to maintain a good relationship with the Yu Family in the future.¡±


    As a very smart person, Ren Ranran immediately caught Ji Mu¡¯s meaning.


    After the Ferrari ran past the road quite far, Ji Mu spoke in a low voice, ¡°Ranran, we have known each other for a very long time, thus we both know our own roots and also each other¡¯s characters. I will naturally take responsibility since you are now carrying my child. But then again, I can¡¯t just take this feeling half-heartedly, so I want us to get along well together in the future. I¡¯m sure I can nurture this feeling slowly, so let¡¯s get engaged first. We¡¯ll continue discussing the marriage after the elders of our families have decided the engagement date.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll listen to you.¡±


    Ren Ranran reluctantly released her grip on his hand and nodded with delight.


    Time flew by.


    Tang Xiu, Han Qingwu, and Yu Hong did not rush to leave after having lunch, but let the waiter clean up the table, and then asked for a pot of tea while waiting for Ji Mu to come back.


    During this time, Tang Xiu did not talk much and only listened quietly to Yu Hong and Han Qingwu¡¯s conversation about some funny things they came across in life. At 14:30, Ji Mu finally rushed back.


    ¡°Anyways, we¡¯ll attend to our things at eight tonight, so we got nothing to do this afternoon. Do you a recommendation?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Are you, by chance, going to watch the fights in the underground fighting arena, Brother Tang?¡± Asked Ji Mu, surprised.


    ¡°Eh, you know about it?¡± Asked Tang Xiu again.


    ¡°The underground fighting competition¡¯s final is going to be held in Changxi, so I naturally know about it,¡± said Ji Mu with a smile. ¡°I originally did not have time for that tonight because I already agreed to hang out with my buddies and watch the match together.¡±


    ¡°Alright then. Let¡¯s go together!¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Now, let¡¯s see to our schedule this afternoon.¡±


    Ji Mu thought for a moment, and then asked, ¡°How about going to the Red Pavilion? We can have tea and also watch the theatrical play over there. If you want to watch a concert, there will one in the afternoon. If you two ladies are willing, I happen to know the Manager of the Red Pavilion¡¯s Cosmetics and Hairdressing area, and you can ask the service of the ladies there to apply makeup on you.¡±


    Han Qingwu suddenly asked, ¡°This Red Pavilion you mentioned, do they have a gym?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s also a fitness area there.¡± Ji Mu nodded.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head there, then!¡± Said Han Qingwu. ¡°Anyways, don¡¯t you have something else to do this afternoon, Honghong? You don¡¯t have to keep us company and just tend to your things. You can call us later after you¡¯re done with it.¡±


    Yu Hong hesitated for a moment, and then replied, ¡°Nevermind it. I¡¯ll call them saying that I have something to do and move it to another time. Even Young Master Ji can squeeze his time to accompany you, so if I leave¡­¡±


    ¡°No need, girl. Just go ahead and tend to your things first. You can call me again after you¡¯re done. It¡¯s fine, really. I will feel quite bad if your important matters were to be delayed because of me.¡± Han Qingwu did not want her to know that she was participating in the underground fighting match, hence the interruption.

 Chapter 722

    Chapter 722: Threshing Wastrels


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Changxi City was not a first-tier or second-tier city, but the construction and development of the cities in the Southern Region were still thriving and prosperous. The entertainment establishments here were comparable to Shanghai¡¯s, and the Red Pavilion was a large-scale entertainment center with a variety of leisure and recreational facilities.


    At the fitness area.


    Han Qingwu had taken off her coat and put on a black vest and sweatpants. The fighting match tonight was very important to her, and she did not dare to slack off, so she did warmups ahead of time, adjusting her body and mind to the best condition, as it was her very purpose of coming here.


    Punching out with a thousand pounds striking power was not an issue with her current strength. After the training she had with the expert from the Everlasting Feast Hall, coupled with dozens of matches she had gone through in the underground fighting arena, she could be regarded as a battle-hardened fighter now. While standing in front of the dumbbells, her movements looked very casual and she did not appear to struggle even with the heaviest dumbbells.


    ¡°Brother Chong, there¡¯s quite a belle here, and she got a darn great body!¡±


    At the access to the fitness area¡¯s entrance, two young men came in with a towel, one of them, whose nose was sticking out and had a monkey-like face and sweat on his forehead, looked at Han Qingwu exercising and his eyes suddenly lit up, blowing a whistle and grinning.


    Zhou Chong raised his brow. After observing Han Qingwu a couple of times, he then nodded and said, ¡°The best quality indeed. Great front and awesome back, added with a darn great body. Chen Shuai, wanna gamble with me to win that belle today?¡±


    ¡°You want to gamble?¡± Chen Shuai rolled his eyes. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a masochist? Every time we play this game I always lose to you. The darn Heavens were really unfair to me. How the hell did they name me Shuai (handsome) but did not give me at least a proper face?¡±


    Zhou Chong smilingly said, ¡°You can¡¯t eat with good looks alone, though. You know, although one¡¯s looks are the first thing women see, a few of them are kind of content with men¡¯s inner looks. So maybe¡­ that belle is an exception, a special case like I said, no? Alright, 100 stakes, man. Do you dare to bet with me?¡±


    Chen Shuai blanked and immediately frowned, ¡°You really want to play big, huh?¡±


    Zhou Chong smiled and nodded in response.


    Thinking for a moment, Chen Shuai then seemed to be ready to risk everything and said, ¡°Fine, let¡¯s play! Who¡¯s afraid who, huh? Worse come to worst, I¡¯ll just pass through the month broke. No big deal. You just wait here, buddy. I¡¯ll definitely win this game and come back with that belle.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± Zhou Chong folded his arms while smiling.


    Chen Shuai sorted out his clothes and let out a confident smile. After coming to Han Qingwu¡¯s side, he tried hard to impersonate a gentleman and said, ¡°Care to chat, beauty?¡±


    Han Qingwu only cast a sidelong glance at him and directly treated him like air. She had good looks and stature and was often approached by men who wanted to talk to her, hence the choice she opted the most when facing these type of wastrels was to ignore them.


    As though having expected such a result, Chen Shuai did not seem to be disheartened. Instead, he moved closer to Han Qingwu and said, ¡°Beauty, I¡¯m betting with my buddy whether I can take you with me. The stake is 100. As long as you¡¯re willing, how about we share half of the booty?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    A disgusted look flashed in Han Qingwu¡¯s eyes, and she still did not respond.


    Chen Shuai frowned. He thought about it and quickly added, ¡°That 100 stake I told you is actually 1 million. I know I¡¯m not a handsome guy and only a few women find me to their liking. But since I have taken the gamble, could you at least help me win it this time? As long as you¡¯re willing to cooperate with me, I¡¯ll give you 500 thousand yuan.¡±


    ¡°Scram!¡± Han Qinwu only spat out a word indifferently.


    Chen Shuai¡¯s expression froze and stared blankly at Han Qingwu for a long while. While suppressing his anger, he said, ¡°Do you know the Bitao Group in Changxi City? I¡¯m the son of its chairman, Chen Shuai. As long as you¡¯re willing to play this game with me, I¡¯ll give you the full 1 million bet prize.¡±


    ¡°I told you to scram! Don¡¯t make me say it the third time,¡± said Han Qingwu coldly.


    Chen Shuai gasped for breath. He did not expect this woman to not know chalk from cheese, so greedy and insatiable. 1 million yuan to act for a few minutes, yet she did not give him face at all. If not for the gambling with Zhou Chong, he would directly thrash this bitch.


    ¡°You really don¡¯t know what¡¯s good and bad. Offending me will not end up in a good way if you seek a living in Changxi. I¡¯ll give you one last chance before I turn around and go back to my buddy. If you still refuse, don¡¯t blame me for ignoring any decorum.¡±


    With that said, he turned away with anger.


    Finally, Han Qingwu looked at him and secretly lamented inwardly that there really were too many trash in this world. If it wasn¡¯t for her unwillingness to have more troublesome matters come to her, she really wished to paint this trash¡¯s ugly face with her soles.


    Nearby, Zhou Chong watched Chen Shuai smilingly, who came back alone and intentionally spat out his contempt, ¡°Well, well. Seems like your looks and inner handsomeness are not working, eh buddy? How is the feeling of coming back with your tail between your legs? Doesn¡¯t it feel great?¡±


    Out of shame, Chen Shuai and growled, ¡°This fucking bitch is too arrogant. I would have already trashed her if she was not a woman. Bah, forget it. If you got the ability, you try.¡±


    Zhou Chong blew a whistle as he came to Han Qingwu and smilingly said, ¡°Thanks a bunch for that, Beauty.¡±


    ¡°Scram!¡± Han Qingwu growled without lifting her head.


    Ugh¡­ The smile on Zhou Chong¡¯s face froze instantly and his brain unable to send an impulse to react. This is out of the script I just wrote! She should be asking why I thanked her. How can she¡­


    Thick-skinned as he was, the embarrassed expression on Zhou Chong¡¯s face only lasted for a few seconds before receding like a tidal wave. He then touched his nose and said with a dry smile, ¡°Coming across someone is something preordained by fate, Beauty. Don¡¯t be so fast rejecting people. Alright, let me introduce myself. I¡¯m Zhou Chong, a junior of the Zhou Family in Changxi. May I have the honor to invite you to dinner after you finish working out?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn of what dogs or cats you are,¡± said Han Qingwu coldly. ¡°Scram if you don¡¯t want to get into trouble. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m interested in some coxcomb like you.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Never in his dreams did Zhou Chong ever imagine that he would be rejected this ruthlessly. One must know that by virtue of his handsome looks, famous brands he wore from head to toe, and coupled with the status of the Zhou Family in Changxi City, his adventure in picking up girls had been a walk in the park.


    But today¡­ how could this special situation happen?


    As much as he wanted to unleash a tantrum, Zhou Chong was a man who had a tender heart for the fairer sex and rarely got angry at them. Therefore, he could only suppress his discomfiture inside and walked back toward Chen Shuai crestfallen.


    The latter was immediately ecstatic, and the anger he had after getting thrashed by Han Qingwu dissipated a lot upon seeing Zhou Chong coming back with a black and blue expression. A mocking expression appeared on his monkey-like face as he teased, ¡°Holy cow, how come Young Master Zhou came back alone with a dejected face? You always brag and boast that you¡¯re a Casanova in picking up hot chicks, and yet you were just thrashed by that beauty?¡±


    Zhou Chong was so vexed that his nose felt noxious. In the past, he always hugged a belle back and showed it off to Chen Shuai, enjoying to watch the envious and jealous expression on this guy¡¯s face. But now he was mocked by him, making his anger towards Han Qingwu more intense.


    His face turned ashen. He did not even reply to Chen Shuai, but turned his head and waved at a nearby attendant. After the attendant came over, he said, ¡°I¡¯m gonna give you a task. Keep an eye on that woman. Wait until she finished exercising, and then find out after she leaves whether she has friends here. That¡¯s right. Don¡¯t forget to take some pics of her. It will be useful to me.¡±


    The attendant apparently knew who Zhou Chong was, as he quickly nodded and said, ¡°Rest assured, Young Master Zhao! I¡¯ll do it will!¡±


    Zhou Chong nodded and took out his business card and stuffed it into the attendant¡¯s hand before turning away.


    Inside the teahouse.


    Tang Xiu was savoring his tea while reading a book and enjoying his short tranquil time. He did not speak, and neither did Ji Mu. Although the latter was a bit bored, he just sat on his chair trying to sense the flow of qi inside his body. Since he obtained a cultivation technique, most of his time was spent on feeling the qi flow inside his body. He wanted to become an expert and also a cultivator and thus was willing to work himself to death.


    In a blink of an eye, it was already six in the evening. Han Qingwu was finally back from the fitness area. Since the fitness area had its own bathhouse, she had already cleaned herself up and changed her clothes.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± Said Han Qingwu.


    Tang Xiu looked at the time and asked, ¡°How long does it take to get to the fighting arena from here?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the specifics.¡± Han Qingwu shook her head. ¡°But it¡¯s already six, only two hours away from the match. But as a participant, I must be there half an hour earlier.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush,¡± said Ji Mu quickly. ¡°It will only take 40 minutes from the Red Pavilion to the Emerald Resort by car. Anyways, Miss Han, you spent half the afternoon working out, would you like to have some food first? I went to the dining area half an hour ago and already prepared a meal for us.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Han Qingwu hesitated.


    Tang Xiu got up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s head there and have something to eat! You need the energy for the match tonight.¡±


    In the dining area.


    Zhou Chong and Chen Shuai were with a pretty woman each, and merrily ate and drank. Since their ¡°endeavor¡± in chasing a beauty was completely crushed, the duo called two call girls they used to play with to vent their crestfallen mood.


    Suddenly, Zhou Chong¡¯s phone rang.


    ¡°Yo, how is it?¡± He answered the call and asked lightly.


    The voice of the attendant he met in the afternoon came out of the phone, ¡°Young Master Zhao, I¡¯m the attendant in the fitness area, Xiao Liu. I¡¯ve just accomplished what you tasked me! That beauty went to the teahouse after she finished exercising. I didn¡¯t dare to approach closer, so I only saw her meeting two men there, and they are now heading to the dining area.¡±


    ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll gift you something later,¡± said Zhou Chong before hanging up. A cold light flashed in his eyes as he pushed the woman in his embrace and said, ¡°Continue your meal. I gotta make a call and go out.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Chen Shuai nodded. Suddenly, his expression moved and he hurriedly asked, ¡°Hey, Zhou Chong, was it that attendant who called you to report what you asked him to do in the afternoon? Do remember to call me if there¡¯s a good play to watch!¡±


    Zhou Chong hesitated for a moment before replying, ¡°Then come with me. I wanna see who could be so capable to tame that bitch.¡±

 Chapter 723

    Chapter 723: Getting Beaten Up


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Inside the dining area.


    The quaint corridors were decorated with hanging big red lanterns, while guests were coming and going out, showing the venue¡¯s thriving business. The faint scent of wine and the fragrance of the dishes fluttered in the air, stirring the starving bellies of many guests.


    Tang Xiu and Han Qingwu were not familiar with the place, so Ji Mu took the lead to guide them and explained the specific situation of the Red Pavilion to the duo the reason why this place had a good business. The Red Pavilion was not a top upscale venue and neither was it regarded as mediocre, but middle-class guests liked to come and spend their money there. Even the wealthy also came here because of the variety of leisure and recreation facilities in this place.


    ¡°Private room 0066.¡±


    After Ji Mu who brought the other two arrived, he opened the door and said, ¡°Brother Tang, Miss Han, please go inside and wait for a while. I¡¯m going to see the arrangements and be right back.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    The box was quaint, more than 20 square meters wide. Aside from the tables and chairs, two single sofas and tea tables were placed in the corner. Tang Xiu and Han Qingwu had just sat for two minutes when the box¡¯s door was pushed from the outside.


    ¡°I heard the Feng Shui of #0066 box is great, so we¡¯ll be having dinner here tonight.¡± Said Zhou Chong as he pushed the door open and then entered with a smiling face. When he saw Han Qingwu and Tang Xiu sitting on the sofas in the corner, he pretended to look surprised and said ¡°Holy¡­ what a strange¡­ How come this box is occupied? Furthermore¡­ we can¡¯t avoid our adversary, huh? To think that I¡¯d bump into the woman who refused to give us face here.¡±


    Chen Shuai carefully observed Tang Xiu for three seconds before he determined that he did not recognize the guy. He immediately felt relieved and said with a smile, ¡°I still thought I was trifled with by some icily arrogant woman and was kind of wondering what kind of great dude could have her company! Never thought it was just some teenager, eh? Don¡¯t tell me being an old cattle grazing on young grasses is kind of a popular fashion nowadays. But to find yourself such a pretty boy toy to pet on?¡±


    Zhou Chong touched his chin and fanned the flames while smiling, ¡°Well, we really can¡¯t judge a book by its cover nowadays, eh? One may look like a pure and chaste icy maiden, but who knows if she has some kind of special fetish? Tell me, how come the two of you are here? Did you book this box? Get the hell out fast if you didn¡¯t, but if you have, I¡¯ll call the reception desk to prepare another box for you.¡±


    Tang Xiu slightly knitted his brows and turned to Han Qingwu, ¡°Do you know them?¡±


    ¡°Little punks who wanted to talk to me,¡± said Han Qingwu.


    ¡°Since they provoked you, just throw these foolish things out,¡± said Tang Xiu, waving his hand.


    Han Qingwu coldly smiled and thought that Tang Xiu¡¯s ¡°foolish things¡± remark was spot on. After standing up, she directly asked, ¡°Do you want to scram yourself, or do you need me to throw you out?¡±


    Zhou Chong sneered at Han Qingwu and immediately said to Tang Xiu, ¡°Speak some manners, brat! Nobody dares to provoke me, Zhou Chong, in this Changxi City.¡±


    ¡°Noisy bugs!¡± Tang Xiu was too lazy to look at them again.


    Han Qingwu strode forward and her hands instantly grabbed Zhou Chong and Chen Shuai¡¯s collars lightning fast. She dashed forward and threw them out of the door like garbage.


    Bam (Bam!)¡­


    She then slammed the door from the inside, walked back to the sofa and said with a smile, ¡°Well, the world has been cleaned up, so it¡¯s peaceful and quiet now.¡±


    Outside the door.


    Zhou Chong and Chen Shuai who were thrown into a dizzy state and took a while to get up from the floor. The former looked like a drowned mouse while expression of humiliation hung on his face as he kicked the door of the box open. Right as he was about to storm inside, a man¡¯s figure appeared a few meters from him and his pace suddenly sped up. Ji Mu directly grabbed Zhou Chong¡¯s shoulder and forcefully threw him back, causing the guy to be flung away for a few meters and slam on the floor heavily.


    ¡°FUCK!!!¡±


    Now Zhou Chong was really enraged, and the pain of his body made him furious. The speed he got up this time was very fast. After shouting a curse, he was ready to rumble.


    As for Chen Shuai, his heart instantly sunk the moment he saw Ji Mu. After hearing Zhou Chong¡¯s curse and seeing his stance to fight back, he immediately dashed toward him, blocking his path and immediately covering his mouth, then turned around to shout, ¡°Brother Ji, I did not expect you to be here. Zhou Chong drank too much today, so he kinda went crazy!¡±


    Ji Mu¡¯s face looked ashen. He glared at Zhou Chong, who gradually ceased struggling, and sneered, ¡°You got drunk and wanted to have a brawl, so you wanted to fight me?¡±


    Zhou Chong was struck dumb at the moment. Never did he expect that the man who just threw him back was actually Ji Mu, and felt deep regret for cursing just now. He then apologized submissively, ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was you, Brother Ji. It¡¯s just that that man and woman inside that box were loathsome and threw us out. You¡¯re a great guy and rarely harbors grievance for a nobodies¡¯ past wrongs, so please forgive me!¡±


    ¡°You said a man and a woman threw you out?¡±


    Ji Mu¡¯s heart jolted. He grabbed Zhou Chong and Chen Shuai¡¯s shoulders and dragged the duo into the box. When he saw Tang Xiu and Han Qingwu sitting on the sofa, he closed the door with his foot and then released them after gifting them some heavy slaps.


    ¡°B-Brother Ji, you¡­¡±


    The slaps made Zhou Chong turn dull. He raised his hand to touch his burning face as disbelief appeared in his eyes. Chen Shuai, who also got beaten, looked at Ji Mu but dared not resist. Their families may have big enterprises and wealth that made them scions who commanded respect and prestige in Changxi, but comparing their families with the Ji Family was simply comparing Heaven and Earth; totally not a comparison.


    Ji Mu ignored the duo after slapping them and then prudently looked at Tang Xiu and Han Qingwu before asking, ¡°Brother Tang, Miss Han, did these two assholes provoke and annoy you?¡±


    Hahaha. Tang Xiu could not help laughing, ¡°One should not have such a blazing flame of anger at a young age. Anyways, these two chaps may have dirty mouths, but they haven¡¯t gone too far either. If anything, it was not me who they provoked, though. They were just rejected by Han Qingwu, hence put on a show off out of anger and embarrassment.¡±


    Ji Mu suddenly realized that he was so angry inside that his seven orifices were about to release smoke. Han Qingwu was a distinguished guest to him, and it was highly likely that she was also a cultivator. These bastards, Zhou Chong and Chen Shuai, were womanizer assholes, and even dared to provoke her. This was simply courting their own death!


    As he pondered up to there, he directly turned and slapped their faces. Then he turned to speak to Han Qingwu, ¡°Miss Han, you¡¯re a distinguished guest of mine, and yet got pestered by these two punks. This is virtually a slap on my face. If you don¡¯t want to personally beat them up, let me break their legs so as to make them remember it for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Ji Mu¡­¡±


    ¡°Brother Ji¡­¡±


    Zhou Chong and Chen Shuai¡¯s complexions drastically changed and hurriedly called out. At this moment, they finally realized whether it was Han Qingwu who they used as a gamble between them or that young man were not some easy targets. Even Ji Mu himself had to act prudently in front of them, a fact that made them realize that they were just poking a hornet¡¯s nest, annoying great trouble for themselves.


    Han Qingwu was not an unforgiving and unreasonable woman, so she looked at Zhou Chong and Chen Shuai, who had been slapped six or seven times already. With a disgusted expression, she waved and said, ¡°Alright, just forget it! Just tell them to scram. It¡¯s fine with me. Anyways, let¡¯s have a bite so as to avoid delaying our important things.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Ji Mu raised his hand to slap the duo¡¯s head and scornfully scolded them, ¡°You two bastards, can you make less trouble later? You¡¯re not young men anymore, why don¡¯t you mature and find yourselves wives and stay at home? Now, scram! Don¡¯t let me see you make any trouble again later, or else I¡¯ll beat you to death!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes. We¡¯ll leave.¡±


    ¡°Brother Ji, I¡¯m really sorry. Miss Han, I¡¯m sorry. We¡¯ll leave.¡±


    Zhou Chong and Chen Shuai were like having been pardoned, as they bowed unctuously and replied shortly before running away. Such top dogs who could make Ji Mu value them were not people they could afford to annoy, ever. Now that they did not want to pursue the matter further, they also did not want to be really cleaned up.


    How about revenge? That was simply a joke!


    With what could they exact their revenge? Wouldn¡¯t it be the same as if they were impatient to have these people knock at the door of their families and oppress them?


    The duo ran out of the dining area in one breath and only halted their pace after they caught their breaths. Chen Shuai rubbed his burning face and said with a bitter expression, ¡°I did not even fucking see the almanac when I went out today, else how come I would annoy such ruthless stubble, to begin with. Even that fucker Ji Mu solemnly and prudently served those two sacred Lords. Who are they and what are their origins?¡±


    Zhou Chong¡¯s expression was bit gloomy, and yet he felt helpless at the same time. When he heard Chen Shuai¡¯s words, he had no choice but to comment helplessly, ¡°They are definitely not from Changxi, else we¡¯d absolutely know who they really are. Some big figure from the outside our area, and not only just that but they are also definitely of very deep background.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have photos of that woman?¡± Suddenly asked Chen Shuai. ¡°How about sending someone to investigate her?


    Zhou Chong hesitated before nodding silently, and said, ¡°I¡¯ll find someone to investigate her tonight after I get home. We both have utterly lost our faces today big time. Let¡¯s get the hell out of here! No need to eat.¡±


    Chen Shuai nodded and followed him outside. After a few steps, he suddenly asked, ¡°There¡¯s an underground fighting match tonight, are we going to watch it?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll go. But we gotta find some place to take a bath first and change our clothes, to get rid of this wretched luck,¡± said Zhou Chong without thinking.


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    Inside the private box #0066


    ¡°Miss Han, I know those two chaps. They are not bad in nature, but they were born with a gold spoon in their mouths, being spoiled by their families and finally developing such unbridled personality,¡± said Ji Mu with a bitter smile. ¡°Rest assured, though. I¡¯ll make them repent and educate them, guaranteeing that they will never act absurdly again later.¡±


    Han Qingwu did not take the incident seriously and said with a smile, ¡°Nevermind it. They really did not act too much. Besides, I have packed them up.¡±


    Ji Mu quickly glanced at Tang Xiu and then said with a smile, ¡°Miss Han truly has a broad mind, like a heroine. Anyways, let¡¯s hit the table! The dishes will be served soon. Ah, that¡¯s right. I did not order any wine since Miss Han is going to have a match tonight.¡±


    ¡°I drink wine,¡± said Han Qingwu.


    ¡°Well, wine is indeed a poison for the intestine, so it¡¯s better if you can drink less.¡± Tang Xiu laughed. ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s eat the meal fast so as to not delay the important matter!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    During his contact with Tang Xiu all this while, Ji Mu¡¯s evaluation toward Tang Xiu was that he did not have even the slightest trace of being a dandy. He was mature, prudent, and unfathomably deep.

 Chapter 724

    Chapter 724: It¡¯s A Small World


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    After a simple dinner, the three then rushed to the underground fighting match. Han Qingwu did not want her sister to learn that she was participating in it, so she shut down her phone directly.


    ¡°How many matches are going to be held in the finals?¡± Tang Xiu, who sat back in the seat and glanced at Han Qingwu.


    ¡°Two matches in total, the first being one semifinal and the other one to determine the champion,¡± said Han Qingwu.


    ¡°Be careful in the match, and just throw in the towel if you see that you¡¯re no match for the opponent,¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod. ¡°It¡¯s not worth to lose your life just because of a trivial arena fight.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Though Han Qingwu replied like that, she secretly made up her mind to not lose the match even if she had to risk her life. She could not let Tang Xiu see her in contempt.


    Ji Mu, who was driving, was surprised, ¡°Is Miss Han participating in the underground fighting match, and you¡¯re also one of the top four powerhouses from the thousands of contenders in the entire country in this event?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Answered Han Qingwu casually with an indifferent expression.


    Ji Mu was slightly taken aback. The moment he first saw Han Qingwu, he thought that she was a delicate and weak young woman. The thought that she actually had a dreadful strength hidden beneath her tender appearance had never crossed his mind at all. Nonetheless, when he recalled Tang Xiu¡¯s identity, as well as why he came to personally accompany her, Ji Mu felt relaxed as it was very likely that she was also a cultivator.


    Upon realizing it, Ji Mu suddenly felt that he just made a wise and correct decision today, and he could obtain many unexpected benefits if he could maintain a good relationship with Tang Xiu.


    Moreover, Tang Xiu had promised to bestow him a great gift when he got married.


    Ji Mu was wondering what great gift was it, and suddenly had a burning wish inside and looked forward to it.


    The Emerald Resort was located in the Southern suburbs of Changxi City in a spot that was surrounded by hills and waters¡ªa dreamlike landscape that was decorated with countless lanterns. The resort was very large and also employed an absolute privacy policy, and did not receive ordinary guests. One must obtain a recommendation from two members if they wanted to have a vacation in this place, while they were also required to have at least 20-million-yuan net worth in wealth.


    ¡°The security here is quite good,¡± lamented Tang Xiu, observing through the glass when the car drove toward the entrance of the Emerald Resort.


    More than 40 robust security guards dressed in black suits were directing the arriving vehicles in a systematic order, where the guests who had passed the security checks were then guided to board a viewing car to the inside. While in the dark, there were at least a dozens of experts who were good at concealment and quietly observed their every movement.


    Tang Xiu estimated that if he brought Mo Awu and the other eleven men and tried to enter this place forcefully, he would likely have to spend some time and strength to get inside. Suddenly, his expression moved and looked slightly stunned, since he saw that Mo Au had appeared outside the door.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get off!¡± Tang Xiu touched Han Qingwu and directly opened the door.


    Soon after, the four arrived in the front entrance guarded dozens of stocky men wearing Chinese tunics. An energetic white-haired old man then greeted them with a light smile, ¡°Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen, please show me your identification.¡±


    Han Qingwu took out a black card and lightly said, ¡°I¡¯m a participant of tonight¡¯s event, and they are my friends.¡±


    The white-haired old man stared blankly, surprised. He did not expect that there would be such an elegant and beautiful woman among the top four of the national underground fighting match. After scanning the black card and finding that it was genuine, he immediately said, ¡°You are indeed a participant, but you can only take up to two people according to the rules of the underground fighting arena.¡±


    ¡°I brought my own card.¡± Ji Mu took out a gold card and lightly said.


    The white-haired old man smiled faintly and said, ¡°The Ji Family¡¯s Young Master is a gold card member of our Emerald Resort, so you naturally can enter. The four of you, please get on the viewing car, it will take you to the arena.¡±


    The Emerald Resort boasted a large area, and the viewing car crossed nearly half of it in a circle before stopping in front of a three-story villa about seven-plus minutes later. At the entrance in front, dozens of beautiful girls with slouching and long hairs and donned in white formal dresses were waiting in an orderly line.


    One of them walked out of the line and quickly came to the front of the three, saying, ¡°Good evening and welcome to the Emerald Resorts, three honored guests. I¡¯m Xiaoying, may I ask whether the three of you would like to watch the fighting match?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°Then, please come with me!¡± Xiaoying smiled.


    Under her guidance, the three entered the villa¡¯s hall straight to the elevator. Inside, Xiaoying pressed the basement button and the elevator then dropped down for more than 20 meters. As it stopped and the door was opened, Xioaying smilingly said, ¡°The underground fighting arena is here, and is quite spacious with a built-in arena and auditorium. Three honored guests, please follow me. I¡¯ll take you to the viewing booth assigned to you, and then I¡¯ll lead you to the auditorium.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not here to watch, but as a participant,¡± said Han Qingwu. ¡°The organizers should have notified you ahead of time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a contender?¡±


    Xiaoying was shocked and looked at Han Qingwu with a serious expression. After seeing Han Qingwu take out the black card, she immediately said, ¡°Hello Miss, I¡¯ll immediately escort you to the backstage. Our supervisor has long been waiting there.¡±


    After that, she turned and said to Tang Xiu and Ji Mu, ¡°Two gentlemen, could you please wait a minute? I¡¯ll immediately come back to escort you after sending this lady.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. His eyes then rested on Han Qingwu and he hesitated a bit before saying, ¡°Remember what I told you. Just admit defeat if you can¡¯t win. You haven¡¯t practiced for a long time, so it¡¯s not shameful even if you lose. Alright. I¡¯ll gift you something when you return if you lose, but I won¡¯t gift you anything if you win.¡±


    Han Qingwu stared at Tang Xiu, speechless and dumbfounded. Following that, she immediately rolled her eyes and snappily said, ¡°You just want me to lose? Like exchanging it with a gift when I lose and nothing if I win?¡±


    After she reacted, however, she immediately realized Tang Xiu¡¯s intention. He was afraid that she would risk her life and go all out to fight her opponents in the arena, hence he deliberately mentioning the gifts.


    This¡­ was his way of showing his care and concern toward her.


    Han Qingwu then left with Xiaoying with a warm heart. She decided that she must win the competition tonight regardless of how hard it was, and then win the championship in the final.


    At present, dozens of people were already in the auditorium. In the last row, a plump man with a glossy face and a cigar in his mouth was talking with a thin middle-aged man beside him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not bragging, Xuecheng! Even if I can¡¯t be the champion, securing second place would be easy for me if I were to participate in this underground fighting arena. Don¡¯t look at me as a fatty, my body is fast and flexible!¡±


    ¡°Can you not blow this up, Fatty Li? Maybe I could still believe you a bit if you said it dozens of years ago. But now¡­ Hahaha. Anyways, I heard you went to Shuanqing¡¯s Star City last year to have a duel with Chen Zhizhong, right? What was the result? Didn¡¯t you get punched by him till your teeth broke? Buddy, many of our friends were laughing at you.¡±


    ¡°Darn shit! Who the hell run his cheap mouth? Goddammit! Good news goes on crutches while ill news flies apace. If Chen Zhizhong hadn¡¯t had a good master, I would have¡­ Bah, let¡¯s stop talking about this topic. Just thinking about it gives a bellyful of chagrin.¡±


    ¡°You still feel chagrined about that? I thought you only got a scratched skin! Anyhow, you said that Chen Zhizhong has a good master, who is it?¡±


    ¡°You wanna know?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡±


    ¡°Heh, I won¡¯t tell you. You dare to laugh at me, Li Laoshan. You¡¯re doomed.¡±


    ¡°Holy heaven¡­¡±


    Amidst their chat, Li Laoshan¡¯s self-satisfied expression suddenly froze as his obese body rapidly stood, and under the dumbfounded eyes of his buddy, he dashed fast toward Hall¡¯s entrance.


    ¡°What the¡­ Fatty Li¡¯s body is full of fat, literally. Yet he so swift and flexible?¡± The thin middle-aged man gulped down and muttered in disbelief.


    When Li Laoshan was a dozen meters away from Tang Xiu, he waved his big palm-leaf fan and shouted, ¡°Yo, Brother Tang, come here! HAHAHA¡­. It¡¯s really a small word. We, Brothers, are really fated!¡±


    Tang Xiu heard the call and immediately could not help laughing upon seeing that it was Li Laoshan. He forgot that this fella was also a martial artist and that this underground fighting arena was something he would be really interested in.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a few months since the last time I met you, Brother Li, but you gained weight again?¡±


    Li Laoshan and Tang Xiu exchanged a big hug. After releasing him, the former laughed loudly and said, ¡°Can¡¯t help it, really! Your old brother is always drinking cold water all around. Can¡¯t do anything about it. My old waist luckily still works well, though. Else I wouldn¡¯t have dared to drink cold water anymore.¡±


    Ugh¡­ Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh and rolled his eyes at him. What was this about his old waist still working well? Just be a living eunuch if it doesn¡¯t work well anymore.


    Li Laoshan then glanced at Ji Mu beside Tang Xiu and said with a smile, ¡°Eh, is this your friend, Brother Tang?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s Ji Mu, a young man from the Ji Family here in Changxi.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Ji Mu, this is Li Laoshan, Brother Li.¡±


    ¡°How do you do, Brother Li,¡± greeted Ji Mu hastily.


    ¡°The Ji Family¡¯s boy, eh? Good, good.¡± Li Laoshan smiled. ¡°Anyways, that Ji Chunlei from your family has a bit of friendship with me. We had some spars about 20 years ago. Later on, we joined hands to fight someone else, hence becoming friends through fists.¡±


    Ji Chunlei? Ji Mu was shaken inside. My father?


    At this time, he looked highly at Li Laoshan¡¯s identity. It must be noted that even though his father was an easy-going man on the surface, he was proud to the bones, and Li Laoshan¡¯s identity was anything but normal for being able to befriend him.


    Nearby.


    After having escorted Han Qingwu, Xiaoying came back and asked, ¡°Two gentlemen, would you like me to escort you to your seat first so you can chat more comfortably?¡±


    Li Laoshan glanced at the number in Tang Xiu¡¯s hand. He then took it and gave it back to Xiaoying. ¡°Mine is the 128th. Help arrange to change his seat next to me.¡±


    ¡°About this¡­¡± Xiaoying hesitated, but eventually nodded, taking Tang Xiu and Ji Mu¡¯s seat cards and quickly ran to the outside.


    Li Laoshan hugged Tang Xiu¡¯s shoulder and enthusiastically brought him and Ji Mu to the back row, and then introduced his friend to Tang Xiu.


    The man¡¯s name was Chu Xuecheng, the Boss of the Beigong Group, the leader of the machinery industry in the Northern Region. Though the man had wealth comparable to Li Laoshan¡¯s, he always conducted himself in a low-key manner in society.

 Chapter 725

    Chapter 725: Unrestrained Gambling


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The underground fighting match was to be held at eight in the evening, but the guests had already fully occupied the seats in the auditorium before seven-thirty. The number of guests in the audience was not a lot, but it still numbered up to 400-500 people. Tang Xiu himself had never participated in such an event, so he did not understand some of the unspoken rules, such as black handicap and gambling.


    ¡°Are you going to play the big games, Brother Tang?¡± Li Laoshan wiped his oily face and asked curiously.


    Tang Xiu stared blankly and asked, ¡°What games, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Gambling, buddy! Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re not going to play?¡± Said Li Laoshan.


    Tang Xiu did not answer him straightly, but frowned and asked again, ¡°You can still gamble while watching the underground fighting matches?¡±


    Li Laoshan just rolled his eyes in response, speechless.


    Sitting on the other side, Chu Xuecheng let out a smile and explained, ¡°It seems that Brother Tang never attended an underground fighting match! In actuality, the main purpose of each match in the underground fighting event is to provide a gambling opportunity for the wealthy. Everyone has a dream of martial arts chivalry, but since they don¡¯t have the ability, they will wager their money on the fighter they prefer to replace themselves in an all-out fight in the arena, splashing blood and arousing the boiling blood inside their bodies. To put it bluntly, they want to find stimulation and excitement.¡±


    Tang Xiu understood in a flash and was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh. ¡°I¡¯ve never been in an underground fighting match before, so I¡¯m really ignorant about this. So, what about you two, Brothers? Are you ready to gamble too?¡±


    ¡°Yup. I bet on dozens of matches already, how can I miss these final matches?¡± Li Laoshan proudly said. ¡°Besides, my favorite fighter, the Ironfist Jin Can, has the strength that almost surpasses those at the grandmaster level. Not only did I bet that he will end up in the top two, but I¡¯m also dead sure he¡¯ll become the champion.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t think so.¡± Chu Xuecheng shook his head and smilingly interjected. ¡°The Ironfist Jin Can indeed possesses an innate superhuman strength and a superb fist style that can inflict heavy damage on every opponent he faces. But, his style is too rigid and headstrong, and once he faces against someone who has a soft style, he will definitely fall into a hard struggle. Besides, it happens that there¡¯s one among the top four fighters who are like that, the Ladyboy, Wu Tong. Her Binding Silk Hands and 18 Path Kick styles happen to be the bane that can restrain Ironfist Jin Can. If these two were to fight, though, it¡¯s hard to say who will win.¡±


    ¡°I heard there¡¯s another fighter called Li Tong. Is he very powerful?¡± Said Tang Xiu.


    Li Laoshan and Chu Xuecheng exchanged looks, shaking their heads at the same time. The former then said, ¡°Brother Tang, Li Tong is indeed quite powerful, and he has already broken through to the grandmaster level many years ago. His martial arts style is very ruthless, cunning, and uncanny, while his moves are unrestrained; the kind that must shed blood one it hits. One who gets hit will die or become disabled. But I think he is a level worse than the Ironfist Jin Can and Ladyboy Wu Tong.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded without speaking.


    Once again, Li Laoshan asked, ¡°You haven¡¯t said whether you¡¯ll play or not, Brother Tang! I¡¯m going to the backstage to place my wager, do you wanna go with me?¡±


    ¡°Since all of you are playing, then I¡¯m in.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Anyways, what about you, Ji Mu?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in too,¡± said Ji Mu.


    Quickly, the quartet came to the counter in the backstage where a wide and long table with more than a dozen staff were busy handling the business. A dozen stocky strongmen were standing around on guard and looking vigilant, and yet still retaining an amicable manner when greeting guests who came to put their wagers.


    ¡°Boss Li, Boss Chu, welcome. Are you going to bet? Also, these two unfamiliar handsome young brothers, are you betting too?¡± When the four men arrived, the bouncers immediately greeted them warmly.


    Li Laoshan laughed and said, ¡°Sure thing. Missing such a good chance to play is simply wasting good time. I¡¯ll wager on¡­ Black Widow¡­ I¡¯ll bet on¡­¡±


    Suddenly, he seemed to realize something as he turned his head to look at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Eh, Brother Tang, you haven¡¯t said who you¡¯ll bet on, right?¡±


    ¡°Han Qingwu,¡± said Tang Xiu calmly.


    Li Laoshan was taken back, whereas Chu Xuecheng wore a strange expression. In their eyes, for Han Qingwu to be able to end up in the final matches was an unexpected surprise already. They did not expect Tang Xiu to choose her.


    Squinting his eyes, Li Laoshan¡¯s eyes deeply fixated on Tang Xiu, and then immediately shifted his gaze at the croupier and asked, ¡°Black Widow, what are the odds placed on Han Qingwu?¡±


    ¡°Seven to one,¡± said the croupier.


    Li Laoshan suddenly scratched the back of his head. The amount he was going to wager this time was not little, about 100 million yuan. He would still feel quite a pinch if he were to lose despite being wealthy. However, when he recalled Tang Xiu¡¯s dreadful strength and identity, he hesitated before pulling out his bank card and directly handing it to the croupier, saying, ¡°I¡¯m betting on Han Qingwu to win. 50 million yuan for her first match and 50 million for the second one.¡±


    The croupier looked surprised, but she still nodded and quickly swiped Li Laoshan¡¯s bankcard and swiftly gave him the receipt.


    Chu Xuecheng frowned deeply, as he did not understand why Li Laoshan suddenly changed his mind. It had to be noted that wagering 100 million was not something that would affect them much, but they would still feel disgruntled when they lost.


    Was it¡­ because of Tang Xiu?


    Chu Xuecheng stared at Tang Xiu before he finally chose his favorite fighter, the Ladyboy Wu Tong. The total wager he bet on her was also 100 million yuan.


    Tang Xiu speedily handled his transaction as well. While Ji Mu, who looked up to Tang Xiu as a heavenly being, naturally followed suit by placing his bet on Han Qingwu. He spent too much money recently, leaving him with only 20 million yuan, all of which he placed on the bet.


    ¡°You¡¯re really bold, Brother Tang. You even dare to bet 100 million yuan. It seems that today, this old Li can count the money with you, hahaha.¡± said Li Laoshan with a laugh. His laugh, however, was a bit hollow, showing that he was doubting about the chances of Han Qingwu winning the competition.


    Subsequently, the quartet went back to their original seats in the auditorium and then waited quietly for the beginning of the underground fighting match. They had already placed their wager and were not in a hurry, so they took their time to observe the other wealthy guests in the auditorium. Occasionally, they saw familiar faces and just nodded at them.


    At the entrance, Zhou Chong and Chen Shuai came in together. Though they were slapped by Ji Mu several times, the redness on their faces had faded away after applying cold ice on them.


    ¡°Are you going to bet, Zhou Chong?¡± Chen Shuai did not have much money, so he was going to wager a million. He knew that Zhou Chong had more money, but he just did not know how much he was going to chip in.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m going to wager 5 million. I don¡¯t care if I lose, but it will be great if I can win. I¡¯m kinda vexed today, and just want to see bloodshed so as to vent this depressing mood.¡±


    Chen Shuai nodded and his eyes quickly swept at the audience in the hall. It was a coincidence that at the moment when he was about to take back his glance, he suddenly caught sight of Tang Xiu and Ji Mu.


    ¡°Look at the right rear corner, Zhou Chong.¡±


    Zhou Chong was surprised and followed suit. His complexion instantly turned a bit unsightly after seeing Tang Xiu and Ji Mu, secretly cursing his bad luck inside. Still, he pretended to not see anything and speedily followed the attendant to take their seat number and planned to go to the betting counter in the backstage.


    What made the duo helpless was that they came too late as the all seats had been occupied at the time, so they could only stand behind to watch.


    At eight sharp.


    After the croupier who was called ¡®Black Widow¡¯ by Li Laoshan walked into the arena at the center of the auditorium, she took a microphone, let out a bright smile and said, ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the underground fighting¡¯s final match. I¡¯m Black Widow, the host for tonight.


    ¡°Firstly, I¡¯ll introduce you to the four contestants of tonight. Actually, I¡¯m pretty sure that everyone has already known all the details of these fighters. Some of you not only know them but are also very familiar. Without further ado, the first fighter, please come to the stage!¡±


    Her voice had yet to fade away as a formidable-looking middle-aged man came out from the exit of the backstage. The man had several scars on his face that looked like a climbing centipede, causing his appearance to look extraordinarily savage.


    ¡°The Savage Beast, Li Tong.¡±


    Many rich people were already shouted in the auditorium.


    Nicknamed Savage Beast, Li Tong was the very synonym of savageness and ferocity. Just his name alone caused a lot of these wealthy people to wager on his win. Coupled with his past fist style, almost half of these rich people bet on him to win the competition.


    ¡°TONIGHT WILL BE THE DAY FOR MY OPPONENTS TO SHED THEIR BLOOD, BECOMING DEAD OR DISABLED!¡±


    Li Tong came to the ring, waved his fists and roared.


    Those wealthy among the spectators who placed their bets on him were screaming, infected by Li Tong¡¯s confidence. They ripped off all the masks of hypocrisy they put on the past business deals to reveal their savage and ferocious nature.


    In the second place was the Ladyboy, Wu Tong. He was a man and not at the same time. After having a sex reassignment surgery, it could be said that he was half male and half female, which was very relevant to his name.


    ¡°Keep me off from winning the championship and I¡¯ll kill you without mercy.¡±


    A cold voice came out from Wu Tong¡¯s mouth, while a cold light came out from his eyes. Every rich man he swept his eyes across had the feeling as though they were being stared at by a venomous serpent, terrified and having gooseflesh and a chill ran down their spines.


    The third one was the Ironfist Jin Can, aggressive as well as arrogant. Just as he stepped on the arena, he tore his robe, revealing his naked bronze upper body, and roared loudly, ¡°I AM JIN CAN, THE IRONFIST. IN THE ARENA TODAY, I¡¯LL TWIST THEIR HEADS AND TEAR OFF THEIR LIMBS. I PULL OUT THEIR HEARTS AND EAT THEM IN FRONT OF YOU.¡±


    ¡°JIN CAN!!! (JIN CAN!!!)¡±


    ¡°IRONFIST!!! (IRONFIST!!!)¡±


    Numerous voices shouted and cheered him loudly¡ªthe rich men who placed their wagers on him to win stood up, waving their fists with their blood boiling.


    As for the fourth, it was Han Qingwu with her long hair, looking valiant in her training suit. She stepped on the ring with a chilly expression and glanced around. When she saw Tang Xiu in the auditorium, a smile immediately appeared on the corner of her mouth and said, ¡°Today, my opponents are not them, but myself. If I win, then I¡¯ll leave with my chest puffed. But if I lose, then only my dead body will leave.¡±


    This time, only a handful of rich men reacted. After all, a lot among them did not favor or feel optimistic about her. Even 60% of those who wagered on her did it only because of her looks.

 Chapter 726

    Chapter 726: Self-Death Path


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    In the back row of the auditorium.


    Zhou Chong and Chen Shuai were dumbfounded when they saw Han Qingwu, and a chill ran up their spines straight to the back of their heads. Other than the different attire, the looks and figure were identical, so it was absolutely Han Qingwu. The duo recalled the time when they tried to talk to her, and as they thought about how mistaken their actions were, they were so scared that they nearly wet their pants.


    ¡°Gulp¡­ it feels so good to be alive.¡± Chen Shuai¡¯s throat squirmed, and his trembling right hand wiped off the cold sweat on his forehead. He was afraid to even imagine what would happen if Han Qingwu were to hit them back in the Red Pavilion. Even if they did not die, they would be left only half alive!


    Zhou Chong, on the other hand, unfastened his buttons as though wanting to unleash the depression pressing his chest. Though Ji Mu slapped him a few times and made him regret that he should not have annoyed Han Qingwu, he regretted it the most at this moment. It was because those who could participate in the underground fighting match all the way down to the finals were absolutely not people he could afford to provoke.


    ¡°Chen Shuai, I was a bit resentful towards Ji Mu previously, but now¡­ I can¡¯t find myself to hate him¡­ I¡¯m even feeling very grateful.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, me too.¡±


    Chen Shuai nodded with lingering fear inside as he recalled he had annoyed Han Qingwu. If she wanted to beat them both, wouldn¡¯t they be dead already?


    On the stage.


    Black Widow smiled after introducing the four fighters, and then summoned a beautiful girl, took a sealed box from her and placed it in the center of the ring. She then smiled and said, ¡°There are four cards in this box. Two Great Kings and two Small Kings. Each fighter will draw one, the matches will be Small King vs. Small King and Great King vs. Great King. The winner of each match will then fight in the final.¡±


    It was a lottery, a very fair grouping method, so the four fighters did not object to it. The result came out soon. Han Qingwu and Savage Beast Li Tong drew Small King cards, whereas Ironfist Jin Can and Ladyboy Wu Tong drew Great King cards.


    After Black Widow announced the pairing matches, the four fighters went to the backstage to prepare themselves. The first round would be the Small Kings and the second match would be the Great Kings. The Small King match would start at 8:30 and the fighters had 20 minutes to prepare.


    In the audience, Li Laoshan gazed at the back of Han Qingwu as she left and lightly furrowed his brows. He really could not figure out why Tang Xiu would choose Han Qingwu. He had seen her fighting in more than ten matches and had some estimation in regards to her combat prowess. She was not by any means weak since her strength and speed could be said to be one of the best. And yet, she exposed her biggest flaw during the competition¡­ she was too kind.


    The underground fighting match was the kind of fight where the fighters¡¯ moves would either be to inflict injury or to kill, but the most serious injuries Han Qingwu inflicted on her opponents in her several matches were only breaking several of their ribs or dislocating their arms. That was when she was forced into a miserable state, so she didn¡¯t have a choice but to go all out.


    ¡°Brother Tang¡­¡±


    Li Laoshan did not want to spend 100 million of his own money for naught, so he hesitated and shouted¡ªa shout that carried his regret. At this time, he was questioning Tang Xiu with an ugly expression.


    Tang Xiu glanced at him and lightly smiled, ¡°Relax! She promised me to win this game. She¡¯ll become the champion even if she has to pay the price, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    ¡°You know Han Qingwu?¡± Asked Li Laoshan, startled and astounded.


    ¡°I came here with her this time, else I wouldn¡¯t have known there was an underground fighting competition,¡± explained Tang Xiu.


    Li Laoshan¡¯s unsettled and fidgety heart immediately turned at ease as he rubbed his hands and grinned. ¡°Well, then I can rest my heart easy since she came with you, Brother Tang. Losing money is just a trivial matter, but I¡¯m hella sure Old Chu will laugh at me.¡±


    Chu Xuecheng frowned, and there was a solemn look in his eyes. He really could not understand why Li Laoshan trusted Tang Xiu so much.


    8:30 PM.


    Han Qingwu, still donning her original attire, a black training suit, valiantly entered the ring from the backstage. Her expression was cold, and there was neither dread nor contempt when she saw the fierce and cruel-looking Li Tong. Her eyes swept past Tang Xiu and then landed on the host, Black Widow.


    Black Widow did not waste any more time as she immediately announced the start of the fight and left the ring. If it was a regular boxing match, the referee would stay in the ring and use the so-called rules to restrain the boxer, but the underground fighting match had no rules. One could use any means, however shameless they were, once they stepped onto the ring. They were even allowed to use any weapons but firearms.


    Li Tong smacked his lips when he stared at Han Qingwu and grinned hideously, ¡°Ice Phoenix Han Qingwu. Encountering such a beauty like you in the underground fighting arena is really a rare occasion. Nevertheless, I, Li Tong, will have mercy on you if you admit defeat now.¡±


    ¡°Spare the bullshit, let¡¯s just prove it through our fists,¡± said Han Qingwu coldly.


    ¡°Disregarding dangers and having no idea of death, eh?¡± Li Tong evilly grinned. ¡°Fine. Don¡¯t blame me for destroying your beauty with a heavy blow.¡±


    Han Qingwu did not respond, as her elegant stature dashed and instantly appeared in front of Li Tong in the blink of an eye, the True Essence in her body surging and circulating through the meridians all over her body.


    Hmph¡­


    Li Tong didn¡¯t have the slightest worry. He was very excited after getting paired with Han Qingwu. He had watched all her fights in the competition. He knew that although this woman had quite the speed and strength, she was actually very soft hearted. If he were to fight the others and win the match, it would probably a hard-earned victory, but he did not have to worry about being injured heavily and being unable to fight in the next match as long as he won against Han Qingwu.


    As his toes stepped on the floor, his legs made a tight stance and swept a kick in a flash. As his body soared and the moment Han Qingwu avoided it, the shadows of his legs joined together and delivered continuous kicks at Han Qingwu.


    BAM¡­


    After a dozen of seconds of strikes, Han Qingwu¡¯s arm was finally hit once, but amidst the pain, Han Qingwu¡¯s body swayed and she instantly delivered a kick at Li Tong¡¯s calf.


    ¡°DIE!¡±


    Li Tong did not want to have a long fight because there was still another match. After that brief counter strike, he did not want to take a cheap loss, suddenly arousing his savageness. His body was like a hungry tiger as he sent a barrage of punches at Han Qingwu¡¯s head. In a flash moment after, his right hand grabbed a dagger from his waist. He was confident that as long as Han Qingwu dared to block his heavy punch, he could then strike her head with this dagger.


    A cold light flashed in Han Qingwu¡¯s eyes. Upon seeing Li Tong use a weapon, she knew that this guy wanted to kill her. She immediately kicked her foot on the floor and made a dash backward. Her palm slapped Li Tong¡¯s fist while her left hand¡¯s finger pierced his armpit.


    Puff¡­


    As the trajectory of Li Tong¡¯s fist deviated, the downward stabbing dagger also instantly shifted. The rugged dagger swept the hair on Han Qingwu¡¯s temple, but his body suddenly trembled and a clearly visible wound appeared at his armpit. No one was able to notice that a spurt of True Essence was shot out the moment Han Qingwu¡¯s finger pierced Li Tong¡¯s armpit and then pierced the acupoint in the wound.


    As his body flipped over, the heavy hammering came.


    As Li Tong¡¯s body trembled, Han Qingwu had already done a complete set of smooth flowing movements that only showed white and delicate fists barraging the left side of Li Tong¡¯s neck.


    Crack¡­


    Despite having a hard iron-like body, Li Tong¡¯s neck was broken as though it was smashed by stone by Han Qingwu¡¯s fists. As the sound of the broken bones echoed, his large body flew up for five-plus meters before it heavily fell on the platform.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°How is this possible?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    In the auditorium, the rich men who placed their wagers on Li Tong¡¯s win had drastic changes in expression and could not bear shouting. They did not see his heavy punch destroying the belle, and neither did they see him shedding the exquisite peony¡¯s blood or hacking her in half¡­


    In the back row, a smile painted Tang Xiu¡¯s handsome face. He also felt somewhat surprised, as he did not expect that Han Qingwu could actually shoot her True Essence out. She was evidently at the Peak of Qi Refining Stage, but her being able to achieve this was really a bit unexpected.


    However, it was her win, an easy one.


    Li Laoshan suddenly turned to look at Tang Xiu and said in pleasant surprise, ¡°How come Han Qingwu be so strong? Less than half a minute passed and she already won?¡±


    ¡°She has been trained by a specialist, and what she learned was nothing but killing moves,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°But still, she is not a bloodthirsty killer and maybe, she has yet to unleash everything she has in her previous fights. In fact, Li Tong is quite a powerful man, and his strength and speed can¡¯t be compared to ordinary martial arts grandmasters. Only, he underestimated Han Qingwu¡¯s strength as well as her determination. In actuality, he could have lasted for some time and would be even less likely to fall by the edge of the sword if he did not pull out his dagger.¡±


    Li Laoshan blinked and instantly understood Tang Xiu¡¯s explanation. This Savage Beast Li Tong just created a death path for himself!


    At the side.


    Chu Xuecheng had an unsightly expression. Although the one he placed his wager on was the Ladyboy Wu Tong, yet the combat prowess demonstrated by Han Qingwu was beyond his expectations. He was a martial artist himself, and even though his ability was not as good as Li Laoshan¡¯s, he still had keen and sharp eyes.


    Who would have thought that Han Qingwu, the one he felt less optimistic about, unexpectedly won the match and directly killed Savage Beast Li Tong? What surprised him the most was how easy it was for her to defeat him. It seemed that not even half a minute had yet to pass from the beginning to the end.


    Don¡¯t tell me Han Qingwu will really become the champion?


    He glanced at Li Laoshan and even looked at Tang Xiu. After having observed them for a long time, a bitter smile was cast on his face and he secretly shook his head.


    The fighting match was not over yet, and he did not want to see this result. So he secretly cheered for Ladyboy Wu Tong to pass through. The others may not have noticed, but Ladyboy Wu Tong had yet to unleash his full power as well, something he was clear about.


    He once saw him in action outside the underground fighting arena. Back then, this shemale was simply a berserk deity.

 Chapter 727

    Chapter 727: Crazy Killing Intent


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    ¡°The next match will be Ladyboy Wu Tong¡¯s show. It would be best if he could win smoothly, but if he struggled for victory, then the final champion is none other than Han Qingwu.¡± Chu Xuecheng thought silently.


    In another place, behind the seats of the auditorium, Zhou Chong and Chen Shuai exchanged dismayed looks. Their hearts were as though falling into an ice hole as their complexion turned very nasty.


    ¡°To be alive is a great feeling indeed. Now I finally realize the deeper meaning of this sentence.¡± Chen Shuai raised his hand to caress his neck and said bitterly.


    ¡°She¡¯s really too strong. For anyone who can go all the way to the top four of the underground fighting arena, they are definitely not weak. But even for the Savage Beast Li Tong to not last for half a minute and be beaten to death by her¡­¡± Zhou Chong interjected with a complicated expression. ¡°Chen Shuai, I¡¯m now very grateful to Ji Mu. If he did not appear in time, I¡¯m afraid that we¡­¡±


    He could not continue speaking anymore after speaking to this point. However, Chen Shuai knew perfectly well what he wanted to say. He took a deep breath and then said, ¡°After watching this game, we¡¯ll immediately call Ji Mu and ask him when he has time to have dinner with us so as to express our gratitude to him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Zhou Chong nodded silently.


    ¡°Ji Mu is our savior. Should we send him some gifts as tokens of our gratitude?¡± Asked Chen Shuai.


    Zhou Chong thought for a moment and said, ¡°We must thank him and send him a thank you gift. We gotta discuss the appropriate thank you gift after this fighting match.¡±


    ¡°I heard Ji Mu has been buying precious medicinal herbs in these two days.¡± Chen Shuai¡¯s expression suddenly moved and spoke in a low voice.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Zhou Chong looked doubtful and wondered, ¡°What is Ji Mu buying precious herbs for? Is he ill? Or a family member¡­¡±


    ¡°I dunno.¡± Chen Shuai shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s just a rumor, so I¡¯m not really sure. I will, however, tell my friend to ask around after the fighting match. If it¡¯s true, then we¡¯ll send him some precious herbs.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡± Zhou Chong nodded and looked pensive.


    Black Widow, who stood under the ring and watched as Savage Beast Li Tong was struck and defeated in less than half a minute, could not help but tremble. She was an expert herself, and even though she had yet to reach the martial arts grandmaster level and could be extremely cruel and merciless, she was still shocked nonetheless.


    What a dreadful person! It turns out that Ice Phoenix Han Qingwu has never unleashed her full power.


    Her gaze shifted from Han Qingwu and looked at the fallen Li Tong on the floor, who was no longer moving. She shivered and sighed inwardly before she stepped onto the platform again to check his condition. Following that, she walked to Han Qingwu¡¯s side and applauded, ¡°The Ice Phoenix¡ªHan Qingwu has really concealed herself too deeply. I now announce that Savage Beast, Li Tong, has died. The winner is HAN QINGWU!¡±


    ¡°Ice Phoenix Han Qingwu, you can take a break in the backstage. Your second match will start at 10.¡±


    Han Qingwu nodded. She glanced at Tang Xiu¡¯s direction and immediately replied, then turned around to leave the ring.


    The second match.


    After Ironfist Jin Can and Ladyboy Wu Tong came onto the ring, the two men showcased their soaring fighting intent. Even Tang Xiu, who was sitting in the back row of the auditorium, spared his time to observe the two fighters. Following which, he turned to Chu Xuecheng and lightly smiled, ¡°Brother Chu have good eyes. That Ladyboy Wu Tong seems so weak that even the wind can blow him away, but he¡¯s undeniably formidable. Also, he should have killed quite a lot of people.¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang is kidding me. I can¡¯t even be compared to you. The one you favor, Han Qingwu, easily killed Savage Beast Li Tong, and the result won¡¯t affect her second match. Though this Ladyboy Wu Tong is indeed very strong, yet he would probably be injured and badly battered even if he is able to defeat Ironfist Jin Can. For him to lose in his second match against Han Qingwu is quite likely.¡±


    Tang Xiu just smiled in response and did not talk anymore. Han Qingwu was just unwilling to fully unleash her strength. As long as she made up her mind to go for the kill, she would definitely become the champion. Tang Xiu had confidence in her as well as the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s expert who had taught her.


    As expected, the close quarter fight ended very slowly. Ironfist Jin Can and Ladyboy Wu Tong engaged in an intense fight for more than 10 minutes before the outcome was finally revealed. The winner was the Ladyboy Wu Tong, yet he was also covered with several injuries as well as heavy internal injuries after killing Ironfist Jin Can.


    10:00 PM.


    Black Widow stood in the ring again. Her complexion was a bit unsightly, and there was even faint anger in her eyes. She held the microphone and suppressed her anger as she announced, ¡°Next is our final match. Ice Phoenix Han Qinwu and Ladyboy Wu Tong, please come to the ring!¡±


    After a while, the two people stood on the ring.


    Black Widow held her breath and fiercely glared at the injured Ladyboy, Wu Tong, and coldly said, ¡°Without further ado, I announce the match begins¡­ NOW!¡±


    Wu Tong shot a deep gaze at Han Qingwu before he immediately shook his head and said, ¡°To those friends who have placed their bets on me, I can only say I¡¯m sorry to all of you. I¡¯m so seriously injured that I can hardly support myself. Hence, I admit defeat.¡±


    ¡°YOU WHAT? YOU JUST ADMITTED DEFEAT LIKE THAT?¡±


    ¡°WHAT THE FUCK? WHAT PRANK ARE YOU PULLING? THIS LAST GAME OF THE UNDERGROUND FIGHTING MATCH IS THE ONE I¡¯M MOST ANTICIPATING. HOW CAN IT BE OVER LIKE THIS? THIS BIG DADDY HAS ALREADY BET 50 MILLION YUAN¡­¡±


    ¡°HEY WU TONG! I¡¯LL FIND A WAY TO KILL YOU IF YOU GIVE UP!¡±


    ¡°I PAID TO SEE YOU TO KILL! SHOW ME BLOOD!!!¡±


    ¡°NO BALLS DICKHEAD! YOU¡¯LL REGRET FOR CROSSING ME!!!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Many rich men stood up and cursed furiously, a lot of them directly throwing out threats.


    Wu Tong did not stay for long. Despite his strength, the anger of a lot of rich and powerful people was not something he could afford to face. He knew what situation he was in and only a dead end was there for him if he continued the fight. While those rich people would be targeting him after the competition, yet he believed he could preserve his life, and could just leave China if worse came to worst.


    Han Qingwu was also very surprised, for she never thought that Wu Tong would choose to admit defeat directly. Originally, she planned to resort to killing if Wu Tong had the intention to kill, but now it seemed that her victory was already settled.


    In the audience, Li Laoshan glanced at the pale Chu Xuecheng as he immediately laughed loudly, ¡°Hahaha¡­ Old Chu! I never thought to be so lucky today. Not only did I meet Brother Tang here, but also pocketed 700 million yuan as well. Damn, this is really such a great and joyous event. Brother Tang, spare the talk, let¡¯s just go to the backstage to exchange this receipt to bank notes. This Old Li must treat you to a drink.¡±


    Tang Xiu only smiled. The reason why he came along with Han Qingwu to Changxi was that he was afraid she would have an accident in the underground fighting match. He had yet to have an answer from her, and definitely did not want her to die in such a match.


    What was accidental was that he followed Li Laoshan to gamble and won quite a lot of money.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Just as Tang Xiu let out a smile, Li Laoshan dragged him away. Ji Mu was similarly looking happy and followed them to the backstage. Though his wager was not much, the odds were quite high, so he also earned quite a lot!


    Half an hour later, Tang Xiu, Li Laoshan, Ji Mu and Chu Xuecheng had already taken the elevator to the surface. Without much delay, Han Qingwu, who had changed clothes, came before them.


    ¡°Happy?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    Han Qingwu nodded. With a smile hanging on her face, she said, ¡°Of course, winning money is a happy thing. But I¡¯m not thrilled for the match, though, since I was kinda excited to fight that Ladyboy Wu Tong.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll send you to Jingmen Island later if you want to have a good fight,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    Han Qingwu¡¯s smile turned stiff. She immediately shook her head and said, ¡°No, thanks. Forget it!¡±


    Tang Xiu chuckled and asked, ¡°Anyways, did you place a bet as well? How much did you win?¡±


    ¡°I bet 20 million yuan and won more than 100 million,¡± said Han Qingwu. ¡°I¡¯m a young rich woman now.¡±


    ¡°Huh? I don¡¯t recall your family being short on money, no?¡± Tang Xiu snappily said. ¡°Do you really want to live on your own without asking for support from your family?¡±


    Han Qingwu realized that Tang Xiu knew her grandfather, so he should know about the situation in her family. She then nodded and smilingly said, ¡°I usually spend little, but earning myself quite some money is not bad, you know.¡±


    Tang Xiu only smiled and did not continue talking about this subject, but pointed to Li Laoshan and Chu Xuecheng and introduced them to her.


    Straightforward as he was, Li Laoshan, who won more than 600 million yuan because of Han Qingwu, patted his chest and said, ¡°Miss Han, I gotta say thanks to you this time! I won more than 600 million yuan because of you! This Old Li probably won¡¯t be able to earn this much from my business in a year or two. So I wanna invite you to have some snacks tonight, but this Old Li will prepare you a lavish thank you gift when I visit Shanghai later.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for this.¡± Han Qingwu smiled. ¡°It¡¯s your fortune, Brother Li. Just choose a good place to have some snacks tonight. It¡¯s fine already.¡±


    ¡°Nope, a snack is a must and so is the lavish gift,¡± said Li Laoshan crisply. ¡°Anyhow, Brother Ji, you¡¯re the local snake of Changxi, so you should know the best place for a night snack, right? This Old Li is very happy tonight, so take us to the best place!¡±


    Brother Ji?


    Ji Mu shivered inwardly. He had secretly browsed the Internet while watching the matches, searching for information about Li Laoshan. The result was quite a shock to him since he learned that Li Laoshan was the Iron Steel Magnate from the Northern Region with a net worth of over 10 billion yuan. Though he was a scion from the Ji Family, he did not have the qualification to be addressed as Brother by this man at all. It was more appropriate if it was his father.


    He simply benefitted from associating with someone else!


    Ji Mu secretly glanced at Tang Xiu and saw that the latter nodded to him. He then let out a dry smile and said, ¡°I won quite a lot tonight, too, Brother Li. You are originally a guest, so treating several brothers should be on me as the host! Whenever Brother Li has some time to spare in the future, feel free to invite us.¡±


    Tonight was a night of harvest and thus became a pleasant night.


    It was already 1:30 when the five finished the night snack. Tang Xiu drank a lot of wine and felt a bit drunk since he had not forced the alcohol out of his body. As for Li Laoshan and Chu Xuecheng, both of them drank a lot, so Ji Mu tried to find a few Ji Family¡¯s men to escort them and book a good hotel in advance when they left.


    However, Li Laoshan dragged Tang Xiu at parting time to tell him that he wanted to see him tomorrow and go to Shanghai together. Tang Xiu did not ask for what affair he was going to tend to, while Li Laoshan himself did not explain anything.

 Chapter 728

    Chapter 728: Strange And Unusual Leads


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The next day.


    When the red sun rose from the East, Tang Xiu woke up in a daze from his lodging bed. The place he spent the night was a luxurious villa belonging to Ji Mu, who even changed the main bedroom bedding and gave the room to Tang Xiu, while he himself spent the night in a guest room on the first floor.


    Knock, knock¡­


    The door was knocked and as Tang Xiu opened it, he saw Han Qingwu smilingly standing outside while holding her handbag.


    ¡°You got up early?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Not too early.¡± Said Han Qingwu after entering the bedroom behind Tang Xiu. ¡°I heard some sounds from your room, so I came over. Anyways, are we going back to Shanghai directly or having a stroll around Changxi? Yu Hong called this morning and she was kinda complaining.¡±


    Tang Xiu thought about it and then asked, ¡°Is there something urgent for you to hurry back? If you don¡¯t, let¡¯s return in the afternoon or tonight.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Han Qingwu immediately.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Tang Xiu readily agreed. He hesitantly agreed last night to return back together to Shanghai with Li Laoshan, so he was going to call him directly later. However, Han Qingwu¡¯s following words made him give up on making the call.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have breakfast first, Tang Xiu. After which, how about accompanying me to the ancient town in Yandang? I heard the scenic view there is great, and I¡¯ve always wanted to have a look. I haven¡¯t had a chance to do so until now due to tons of things I needed to tend to. While in passing, I¡¯m gonna call Yu Hong too, so we can have lunch together.¡±


    Tang Xiu pondered and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to attend to some important matters shortly. By then, I¡¯d like you to approve my leave later.¡±


    Upon hearing it, Han Qingwu immediately rolled her eyes at him in a charming manner. With an expression of being at a loss whether she had to cry or laugh, she said, ¡°To think that you are actually haggling over this thing with me. Hmph, so be it then. Who told me to be in a good mood in these two days? Alright, I promise you.¡±


    Tang Xiu was left speechless. He did have a lot of things to take care of in the near future, nonetheless. On the one hand, he had to ponder about making more money, while in the other, the tender for the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s construction project in Shanghai was going to be held as well, and a lot of things must be handled by then. There was also one other thing. He did not go to Jingmen Island to see Gu Yan¡¯er to celebrate the Chinese New Year before, so he planned to go there in the near future. If there was more time to spare, he also wanted to go to Nine Dragons Island while in passing.


    After washing his face and rinsing his mouth, Tang Xiu came to the first floor with Han Qingwu. There, he saw Ji Mu in an apron taking two dishes out of the kitchen.


    ¡°Brother Tang, Miss Han, you two are already up! Anyways, come and have breakfast. It¡¯s my cooking today, so you gotta try and enjoy it,¡± said Ji Mu cheerfully.


    ¡°You did the cooking?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a strange expression.


    Ji Mu straightened up his chest and proudly said, ¡°Of course. I was originally learned it to pick up some hot chicks¡­ ugh¡­ cough, cough¡­ well, to make someone fall in love with me, hence I spent quite an effort to learn cooking. There¡¯s a sentence I kinda believe the most: a man can conquer his woman as long as he can seize her stomach.¡±


    Pfft¡­


    Hahaha¡­


    Han Qingwu could not help giggling, but Tang Xiu burst into roaring laughter. Who would have thought that the respected big playboy of Changxi City, the young master of the Ji Family, Ji Mu, turned out to have learned cooking just to flirt with girls?!


    Four dishes and one soup, paired with meat and veggies.


    Ji Mu did everything thoroughly, even serving fruits and dessert on the table. He seemed to be afraid that Tang Xiu and Han Qingwu would not enjoy the dishes he made, so he also prepared hot milk and bread on the side.


    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s really delicious.¡± Han Qingwu was not a foodie, but she wolfed the meal down this time.


    Tang Xiu tasted a few mouthfuls and praised, ¡°It seems that your wife will be blessed in the future.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it.¡± Ji Mu let out an embarrassed smile. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. What are you planning to do today?¡±


    ¡°Stroll with Han Qingwu and then return to Shanghai in the afternoon,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Also, Li Laoshan told me last night that he wants to return with me.¡±


    Ji Mu looked at Han Qingwu, who was lowering her head to eat the dish, and smilingly said, ¡°Since you¡¯re going shopping with Miss Han, then I won¡¯t be the third wheel, Brother Tang. Anyways, if you¡¯re going to spend a couple more days in Changxi, do call me. I don¡¯t have a plan to stay longer here, so I can¡¯t send you off by then. But I¡¯ll be visiting you again in Shanghai later if I have time.¡±


    ¡°By the way, don¡¯t be over polite toward me later.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand. ¡°We¡¯re going to have a drink together if there¡¯s time.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± A joyful feeling blossomed inside Ji Mu¡¯s heart after hearing it. He felt that what he had done yesterday was really worth it.


    Yandang Ancient Town.


    Tang Xiu accompanied Han Qingwu for most of the morning until noon. The duo then picked a restaurant and waited for Yu Hong to catch up. After swallowing her complaints, they then had lunch together. Originally, Yu Hong proposed to go boating in the afternoon together, but Tang Xiu received a call and gave up on the plan.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± While holding the phone, Tang Xiu asked with eyes lit up.


    Mouse¡¯s voice came from the phone, ¡°I¡¯m absolutely sure, Boss. I spent quite a lot of money to buy the information from a senior executive of the Brain Assembly Biotech. Do you wanna know how much I spent? 6 million! That greedy bastard actually demanded 6 million yuan!!!¡±


    ¡°Let alone 6 million, even 60 million is still worth the news,¡± said Tang Xiu in a deep voice. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ll immediately send someone to contact you. You¡¯ll be in charge of directing them to keep an eye on Xie Zhiqiang for me. Call me at once when he makes contact with those SOE people.¡±


    ¡°Are you not going to come personally, Boss?¡± Asked Mouse. ¡°This is a huge deal!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in Changxi right now, and it will take one hour to get back,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Just tell me the address and I¡¯ll find you when I get there.¡±


    ¡°Got it¡­¡±


    After hanging up, Tang Xiu looked at the enthusiastic Han Qingwu and said, ¡°There¡¯s an urgent matter that I need to hurry back to Shanghai to. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t accompany your boating. Han Qingwu, are you going to go back with me or will you go back later?¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯re going back, then I¡¯ll go with you,¡± said Han Qingwu without thinking.


    ¡°What is this important matter that you have to rush back so urgently, Tang Xiu?¡± Asked Yu Hong with a dissatisfied expression. ¡°It¡¯s not easy for Qingwu to visit Changxi, and even I asked for leave for this occasion. Why don¡¯t you accompany her to have some fun here? Qingwu, Tang Xiu may have things to tend to, so just let him rush back first, do you think that I can¡¯t accompany you?¡±


    ¡°About this¡­¡± Han Qingwu looked a bit hesitating.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. What Yu Hong said is true, you should stay here and have some fun! Loosening and relaxing your mood so you can do your activities better later,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Han Qingwu still hesitated, before she eventually agreed. After all, her good sister had specially asked for a leave just to accompany her. She would hurt her if she were to leave!


    At 16:00.


    Tang Xiu, Li Laoshan, and Chu Xuecheng had already arrived at Shanghai. On the way there, Tang Xiu inquired clearly the purpose of the two for visiting Shanghai. It was to discuss some business deals, and Tang Xiu agreed to gather with them two days later before rushing to the address Mouse gave him.


    Jingning District, Kangsha Pharmaceuticals.


    The place had a good environment and strategic location and boasted a large area. Tang Xiu learned from the intel that this small company was a subsidiary of the Brain Assembly Biotech and was also where its pharmaceutical factory was located; Xie Zhiqiang had even bought the land as well.


    ¡°So, how was it? Is Xie Zhiqiang inside?¡±


    After catching sight of Mouse, who was acting furtively like a thief, Tang Xiu asked the fella directly.


    Mouse handed over a cigarette and personally lit it up for Tang Xiu, and then said, ¡°He has been inside for more than four hours, and has yet to come out. Our men have been keeping an eye on the entire Kangsha Pharmaceuticals, so he¡¯s definitely still inside. He has a secret lab there according to that sky-high price information I bought.¡±


    ¡°What about those SOE people? Is there any movement?¡± Asked Tang Xiu again.


    ¡°Yeah, a total of two groups have been here in these four hours. One of them is from that SOE company, consisting of four or five people. Their identities, however, are still a mystery. I¡¯ve already assigned some men to investigate them, but there¡¯s no result as of yet.¡±


    Tang Xiu knitted his brows and said, ¡°What you mean is, the other group is not from SOE?¡±


    ¡°They should not be,¡± said Mouse. ¡°I¡¯ve investigated all those from SOE who have sneaked into Shanghai, so I¡¯m sure this group is not one of them. I think it¡¯s highly likely this group is also after the genetic particles. Since I can buy a senior executive of the Brain Assembly Biotech, it is very likely that some other forces are keeping an eye on this company to investigate the existence of this genetic particle.¡±


    ¡°What you said makes sense.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s not act rashly. We¡¯ll first observe the reactions from the other forces. That¡¯s right, did those SOE people and the other groups notice our men?¡±


    ¡°I guarantee you that what I¡¯ve secretly arranged can never be found out,¡± said Mouse with a smile.


    ¡°Alright, keep an eye on this place, regardless of whether they are from the SOE, Xie Zhiqiang, or from other forces.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°This gene particle is not your ordinary stuff, and regardless of which force obtains it, I¡¯m afraid they will be able to train a huge number of masters in a very short time. Not to mention that if this gene particle were to spread widely, it will definitely affect the power constellation around the world. I don¡¯t want to see such a situation.¡±


    Mouse understood Tang Xiu¡¯s intention, as he also knew the power of this so-called gene particle. According to the boasting of the bought Brain Assembly Biotech¡¯s senior executive, obtaining the gene particle was tantamount to getting a large number of armed forces, which was equal to having more control, power, and wealth.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We have yet to notice anyone from the military. They just¡­ mysteriously disappeared.¡±


    Tang Xiu stared blankly, before frowning and saying, ¡°Is there a chance that one of the other groups who came here is from the military?¡±


    ¡°Unlikely.¡± Mouse shook his head.


    ¡°Then check it out. Investigate anyone who has the power to spy on the gene particle, including those from the military,¡± ordered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Got it!¡± Mouse nodded.


    Tang Xiu did not stay there. After hopping on the car, he looked at Mo Awu, who was sitting on the driver seat, and directly ordered, ¡°Send some men to bring two sets of night suits. We¡¯re going to move tonight.¡±

 Chapter 729

    Chapter 729: Helpless


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The moonlight shone like water as the slight chill bit people.


    Jingning District. Outside the high outer walls that surrounded Kangsha Pharmaceutical, two ghostly figures silently approached and easily climbed a bleak big tree. Just like two gusts of dark wind, they jumped from the high branches onto the iron sheet stacked on the wall.


    ¡°Put this on.¡±


    In the hidden corner, Tang Xiu took out an Invisible Talisman and handed it to Mo Awu, who was also wearing a night outfit.


    Mo Awu did not even ask Tang Xiu what it was and directly pasted it on his neck, and then whispered, ¡°Boss, this Kangsha Pharmaceutical appears to have only a few security guards on the surface, but there are many people hiding in the dark. The most important thing is that there should be monitoring equipment everywhere. We¡¯ll be discovered unless we dash at full speed.¡±


    Tang Xiu just smiled in response, patted his shoulder and said in a toned down voice, ¡°Just remember. You must not speak no matter what happens. And don¡¯t make any sound.¡±


    With that said, he went straight out of the iron sheet under Mo Awu¡¯s gaze. Even though there were four patrolling security guards in the distance holding flashlights, he did not even try to avoid them.


    ¡°This¡­¡± Mo Awu¡¯s head was full of confusion, for he could not understand why his Boss was exposing their position. But he still grabbed his sharp dagger and appeared beside Tang Xiu. Once the four security guards rushed at them, he would kill them lightning fast.


    What followed, however, made him dumbfounded.


    The four patrolling security guards just stood in line and looking around, as if they did not see Tang Xiu and him at all, flashing their flashlights while looking around and passing by them. Even after the four security guards disappeared in the distant corner, Mo Awu had still not recovered from his astonishment.


    Tang Xiu only smiled and gently patted his shoulder, then immediately went inside. After walking for several meters forward, he saw a dozen surveillance cameras and then led Mo Awu to swaggeringly waltz in front of the camera.


    ¡°Curse it!¡±


    Mo Awu gulped down and followed Tang Xiu to pass by the other four security guards, where he subconsciously raised his hand and touched the Invisible Talisman hanging on his chest. Although he was a cultivator with a body filled with power, he did not know any magical spells nor any talisman¡¯s magical functions at all. He wanted to ask about it, but when he recalled Tang Xiu¡¯s warning a while ago, he could only suppress the urge inside.


    Kangsha Pharmaceuticals¡¯ grounds were very large and there were many buildings inside. There were even rows of factories at the rear, while one thing that made Tang Xiu and Mo Awu speechless was that the entrance they just passed through was only the front yard. They continued going deeper without stopping, and finally found the main gate with a line of sentry posts.


    Taking advantage of the time between patrols to enter and exit the second gate, they successfully sneaked through to the third gate sentry and then stopped before the fourth gate sentry.


    ¡°What should we do now?¡±


    Mo Awu followed Tang Xiu to a remote corner and asked with a voice that only they could hear. There were six security guards standing before the fourth sentry post, but there were no guards coming in and out at all. What made Tang Xiu and Mo Awu speechless was than once they crossed through the fourth sentry post, there was only a corridor cast of steel that went all the way to the entrance of the five-story building with all the windows sealed.


    Tang Xiu had already released his spiritual sense, covering a two hundred plus meters area in the surrounding. Despite wearing an Invisible Talisman and being able to fly, there was no answer he could give Mo Awu.


    ¡°No way to get inside.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head after observing with his spiritual sense. There was no one else in the entire five-story building but 18 sleeping security guards. According to the intel, Xie Zhiqian came here noon yesterday and had yet to leave, but he could not find him at this time.


    Tang Xiu guessed that there should be an underground lab, but he could not even enter the inside, let alone the underground lab. At a time like this, he did not want to alert the enemies, because he had yet to figure out whether this was only a smoke screen left by Xie Zhiqiang.


    Gene particles were something Tang Xiu regarded as very important, as he did not want to see a change in the power constellation pattern in the world. He did not want to see countless mutated human emerge in the world. In the case the gene particles had any side effects, many people would be harmed by it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave! We¡¯ll find another way.¡±


    Tang Xiu sighed inwardly and grabbed Mo Awu¡¯s shoulder as their figures instantly soared to the sky and flew out of Kangsha Pharmaceuticals in just a few breaths.


    Less than two minutes after, fifteen hazy figures rushed out from the fourth gate sentry. All of them wore full-body black steel armor and helmet, with cold weapons in hands.


    ¡°There¡¯s no one here, Boss.¡±


    One of the middle-aged men in armor reported through the intercom after searching everywhere for a long time.


    Tens of meters¡¯ deep underground, Xie Zhiqiang sat in front of the monitor as a chilling light flashed in his eyes. The thermal detector would never make a mistake. His subordinate previously reported that it detected two humanoid-shaped energies, which showed that some people had just sneaked inside.


    ¡°Keep searching and find them even if you have to dig deep into the ground!¡± Said Xie Zhiqiang in a heavy voice.


    ****


    A few kilometers away from Kangsha Pharmaceuticals, Tang Xiu and Mo Awu appeared in a residential building. As they entered the apartment, the monkey-like Mouse greeted them with red eyes, ¡°Did you just personally go into action, Boss?¡±


    ¡°I did, but no gains,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Xie Zhiqiang has managed to fully seal the entire area of Kangsha Pharmaceuticals, there¡¯s no way to sneak inside. I¡¯ve read all the information from you, and yet we were unable to enter that building installed with the infrared mechanism.¡±


    ¡°I have yet to gather much information on Xie Zhiqiang. I can tell this man is very cautious and discreet from the intel. He never leaves a tail. Even the data of his last four years of life is forged. We can¡¯t figure it out, so he should have been out of the country during those four years.¡±


    ¡°Then there¡¯s no need to investigate him for now since you can¡¯t find it.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and asserted, ¡°Remember, I must get that gene particle. This thing is too horrible, so we must be the ones to get it. Notify your men to move back for two kilometers from the current surveillance perimeter. Do keep in mind, all of our intelligence personnel must not be exposed.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured, Boss. I¡¯ll definitely execute it,¡± said Mouse cautiously with a nod.


    Tang Xiu no longer spoke and quickly changed his clothes and left with Mo Awu. This time, he did not head to Paradise Manor but returned directly to Bluestar Villa.


    In the next morning, Tang Xiu left home in great spirits and went to Shanghai University on foot. He hardly studied recently due to being delayed by many things, and he was not prepared to do anything else before the construction project tender bid, hence he would use this tranquil time to learn more things.


    In the library.


    Tang Xiu was quietly reading books on finance and economics. Although the morning class he attended was over already, he always felt that he had forgotten something.


    Buzzz, Buzzz¡­


    His phone that was set to on vibrate mode suddenly buzzed.


    Tang Xiu took it and looked at the number displayed on the screen, and immediately remembered what he had forgotten. He received a text message from Yuan Chuling this morning, saying that he would come to Shanghai University and that he had something he needed to discuss with him. And the call now was exactly from Yuan Chuling.


    Tang Xiu did not answer it and hung up. After which, he sent a short message to Yuan Chuling saying to wait for him at the Shanghai University¡¯s entrance. Then, he put away the book and took all the books he had selected before to the registration counter. After registering the borrowed books, he headed straight to the entrance of Shanghai University.


    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re doing well, Fatty Yuan! A belle in a great car, eh? Awesomely romantic.¡± Tang Xiu immediately teased Yuan Chuling the moment he saw him standing by a white Porsche Cayenne while hugging a gentle and slender pretty girl.


    Yuan Chuling released the girl in his embrace the moment he saw Tang Xiu and grinned, ¡°Big Bro, I¡¯m not gonna take your limelight! Besides, from where would I have the capital if you did not invest in me? Anyways, this is Xiaoting, my babe. Xiaoting, this is the Boss I often mentioned to you, my Big Bro, Tang Xiu.¡±


    Wei Xiaoting gracefully nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about you, Tang Xiu.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded to her in response and immediately asked Yuan Chuling, ¡°What made you rush here? I¡¯m a good student at the campus, so don¡¯t delay my studies.¡±


    Yuan Chuling rolled his eyes and snappily said, ¡°If you¡¯re a good student, there will be no bad students under the sky nowadays. I heard a couple of days ago that the dignified Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation who has been studying at Shanghai University for half a year turns out to have appalling attendance.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing and asked, ¡°You have contacted Han Qingwu, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Woot, you deserve to be called Boss, Big Bro.¡± Yuan Chuling grinned. ¡°To think that you¡¯ve actually captured Teacher Han. Anyways, she seems to be quite resentful towards you, though. She said that you¡¯re too busy to have time to please her.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off!¡± Tang Xiu cursed. ¡°Just tell me, what the hell are you here for? I¡¯m going back to the library if you keep farting!¡±


    Yuan Chuling rubbed his hands and smilingly said, ¡°Well, I need some money.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiu was stunned. ¡°You need some money? What for?¡±


    ¡°Our fitness center is very popular and earned quite a lot last year. But I¡¯m not going to pay you its dividends for the time being, though. I wanna open another branch, so I took a look at the address. But, the investment needed is kinda big. I already asked 10 million from my old man and, added with the earned money, I only have a total of 16 million now. But it¡¯s not enough.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have enough money, so why are you rushing to open a branch in the first place?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a helpless expression.


    ¡°Got no way out, man. I wanna develop this fitness center as my career!¡± Said Yuan Chuling. ¡°Besides, the location for the new branch is really good. After surveying it, I found it has two neighborhoods nearby, and both of them are upscale residential areas. Firstly, it has a high visitor flow rate and secondly, the rent for the shop is cheap! The owner of that shop was hit by bad luck or something, hence he¡¯s been wanting to rent his store.¡±


    ¡°How much do you need, then?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Three million,¡± said Yuan Chuling. ¡°But if you have too much money to burn, then add two million more.¡±

 Chapter 730

    Chapter 730: Research Breakthrough


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Having ambitions to advance and improve oneself is always a good thing, but one must act after calculating one¡¯s capability.


    It was Tang Xiu¡¯s view. He would definitely not be in the mood to respond if it was an ordinary friend asking him to provide several million yuan. But Yuan Chuling was not an ordinary friend. Back then he fought for him, objecting and fighting the school¡¯s decision to dismiss him, and eventually became his sworn, diehard buddy.


    Tang Xiu pulled a cigarette. While smoking, he used his mobile banking to transfer 5 million yuan into Yuan Chuling¡¯s account, and then calmly said ¡°There¡¯s no need to run over to find me for this kind of trivial matter later. Calling me is just fine.¡±


    Yuan Chuling was a bit touched inside, though he did not reveal it on the surface. A smile climbed up on his chubby face as he spoke to his girlfriend, Wei Xiaoting, ¡°Did you see that? This Big Brother¡ªBoss of mine is really so crisp that I don¡¯t have to speak anything. With Big Bro as our patron, you¡¯ll definitely be having a good life if you follow me.¡±


    ¡°Shameful!¡±


    Wei Xiaoting shot Fatty Yuan charming, white eyes. She immediately looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°It¡¯s really great for this lump of fat to have you as a Big Bro. I always heard from him how good you are to him, and I¡¯m witnessing it now. Anyways, do you mind if I address you as Big Bro like this Fatty?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s OK. Feel free.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand.


    ¡°Alright, then. How about having lunch? Can we find someplace to have a meal together?¡± Asked Wei Xiaoting with a smile.


    Tang Xiu did not refuse. He did not spare his time to learn the ability to judge people when he was in the Immortal World. But he was very careful and attentive in this aspect after returning to Earth and had quite good progress on this one. He could tell that Wei Xiaoting did not choose to be with Fatty Yuan because he had money though it was his first time meeting her. Her attitude and the expression in her eyes showed that she really¡­ liked Yuan Chuling.


    In the evening.


    Tang Xiu received a call from Mo Yi and went to Paradise Manor. Though Mo Yi did not explain the details, through his ecstatic surprised tone in his voice Tang Xiu felt that it should be something good. What surprised him was that just as he arrived at the innermost foreign-style building of Paradise Manor, Mo Yi was not the only one there as Han Jintong, Shanjenna, Ouyang Lulu, and Han Qingwu were also present.


    ¡°Alright, is there something urgent that made you call me, Professor Mo?¡±


    While tightly holding lab glassware that was half-filled with dark red blood, Mo Yi replied with excitement and eagerness upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s inquiry, ¡°There¡¯s special active energy within Shanjenna¡¯s blood, Boss. After researching it, I found this special active energy can slow down the cell division in the human body, and also produces more red blood cells. At the same time, I also found that it contains another thing, some kind of dreadful virus substance, which inherently possesses huge harm toward living things. But if it¡¯s fused into the blood, it will evolve into this kind of special energy¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to explain me the details, Professor Mo.¡± Tang Xiu interrupted him. ¡°Just tell me your conclusion.¡±


    ¡°This active energy can slow down the metabolism of living beings and can supplement the internal energy consumption. To put it simply, this active energy can prolong human life if it were to be injected into a human body.¡±


    After a moment of silence, Tang Xiu slowly asked, ¡°But can a human body accommodate this kind of active energy?¡±


    Ugh¡­ Mo Yi¡¯s expression solidified, stunned by the question. He only studied the substances contained in the Bloodkin¡¯s blood but had yet to experiment on it at all. The possibility he just said was entirely hypothetical, and he would not have acted like this given his disposition and scientific manners he held tight in the past.


    However, the results of his research on the Bloodkin¡¯s blood extremely excited him. After all, once he researched it and was finally able to harness this active energy as he had hypothetically predicted, it could lead to a significant increase in humans¡¯ life expectancy. It would mean that he had achieved stellar success in scientific research. If this result were to be spread out to all mankind, he would rewrite history and become the greatest scientist in the history of mankind.


    While looking at Mo Yi¡¯s frozen expression, Tang Xiu lightly said, ¡°Professor Mo, to me, the current result and progress of your research is like the Journey to the West of Priest Tang Xuanzang and his disciples on the quest for the Buddhist scriptures. Just like he could not rescue Sun Wukong who got pressed onto Wuzhi Mountain, this is only the first step of the journey. We can¡¯t deny the fact that you have yet to experiment on this active energy if it is to be injected into the human body. Furthermore, even if you have, whether this active energy can survive in the human body is still unknown. Even if it can survive, will it bring about any side effect? The other point to be considered is, if there are no such side effects and that it could be completely beneficial to humans, there is no way we can promote it to the entire mankind. Such research can never be exposed to outsiders either.¡±


    Mo Yi was endlessly abashed by Tang Xiu¡¯s explanation, but the last sentence still made him somewhat unconvinced as he asked, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just conducting the scientific research, but you probably have yet to consider the risks and consequences.¡± Tang Xiu sighed. ¡°With this active energy and abilities contained within the Bloodkin¡¯s blood, have you thought about the number of Bloodkin in the world? How many of them must provide their blood just to increase a human¡¯s life expectancy? Furthermore, if the extraction of the active energy is too few, and some powerful figures in the world then learn about it, don¡¯t you think it will create turmoil? Can we come out safe and unscathed? Innocent people will get into trouble just because of the wealth they have, and you should know about this truth as well.¡±


    It was a head-on blow on Mo Yi¡¯s excitement. Tang Xiu¡¯s words were like just a hammering blow that sobered him.


    The quantity! And innocent people will fall into troubles just because of the precious things they have.


    Just these two variables made him dissatisfied, and his unconvinced feelings disappeared. Men were insatiable beings with infinite desires, and greed was the most dreadful desire of all. There were all kinds of misfortune and calamity caused by some Sovereigns and Emperors for the sake of immortality. Such a desire was much stronger for the people in the modern world. What kind of disaster would happen when people disregard everything to obtain something at all costs?


    Wouldn¡¯t he and Tang Xiu become the very one responsible for the cause of that doom?


    Cold sweats came out from Mo Yi¡¯s forehead as an apologetic look appeared on his old face. He then nodded and said, ¡°I understand, Boss.¡±


    Tang Xiu sighed and said quietly, ¡°Professor Mo, the research is your responsibility, and I do hope you can achieve great results from it. But, we don¡¯t have the ability to suppress all human beings, so we can only secretly use the results on our own people. Whether they would have their lifespan increased and can live for a few more years, it will all depend on you.¡±


    Our own people? Including myself?


    Mo Yi¡¯s eyes lit up. He nodded solemnly and said, ¡°Rest assured, Boss. I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    Tang Xiu patted his shoulder. He then looked at Shanjenna and said with a faint smile, ¡°Stay here for some more time and work with Professor Mo well. I¡¯ll gift you something great whenever he achieves a new result. Even though you cannot achieve the Prince rank, achieving the rank of Count or Marquis is not bad, no?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely cooperate with you,¡± said Shanjenna excitedly.


    Tang Xiu nodded in satisfaction. He suddenly looked at Han Jintong and said, ¡°As a matter of fact, you will probably obtain another cultivation technique from your granddaughter in the future given her ability even if I don¡¯t give you one now. However, considering your current age as well as the cultivation condition on Earth, it would be difficult for you to have any great achievements even if you spend a lot of time and energy during your short remaining years. I actually feel that you should just let it go of your mind and enjoy your old age.¡±


    There was a bitter expression on Han Jintong¡¯s face as he replied, ¡°Even if I can¡¯t have good achievements, it¡¯s still better than staying idly all the time! Besides, my lifespan will still increase if I can only progress by one level. To live longer is always a good thing.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Following that, he left the building to say goodbye to Lulu. Just after he left Paradise Manor for a while, there was a call from Han Qingwu asking him to wait outside for a few minutes. Han Qingwu then came with her car to catch up.


    ¡°Is there something?¡± Sitting on the driver seat, Tang Xiu opened the passenger¡¯s window and asked.


    Han Qingwu did not get off the car and hesitated, and then asked, ¡°Will you go to the campus and attend classes tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°I should be there if nothing unexpected happens,¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°But why didn¡¯t you spend more time in Changxi?¡±


    ¡°Yu Hong has to work,¡± said Han Qingwu with a smile. ¡°Alright, I just wanna ask you about that and there¡¯s nothing else. Anyways, I¡¯m going first.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Tang Xiu closed the window and could not help but shake his head. A woman¡¯s heart is indeed like a deep ocean¡ªunpredictable. If she just wants to ask me whether I¡¯m going to the campus tomorrow, she just needs to ask by phone, right? Why bother waiting for a few minutes and waste time?


    The next two days passed by without any big events.


    Tang Xiu did not bother thinking about the issue with Xie Zhiqiang and the SOE over the past two days, nor did he ask Mo Yi about his research. Instead, he just attended classes, hung around in the cafeteria, visited the library, and then returned to Bluestar Villa.


    Early in the morning.


    The first wisp of sunlight shone through the curtains and illuminated the bedroom. Tang Xiu was awakened by the pleasant ringtone of his mobile phone. After connecting it and chatting with Kang Xia for a while, he learned that she would personally come to Shanghai three days later to host the construction project¡¯s tender bidding. The tender was imminent, while the various procedures for purchasing the plot had also been completed along with the approved documents. They would only need to finalize the construction company who would carry out the project to start it.


    For the blueprint design, it was Tang Xiu who had personally drawn it, but he only made the outline and sketch of the overall framework, while he left out the details on the distribution of the construction, the specific usage, the segmentation of the buildings, and the type of housing and its specification. Finding the construction company to carry out the project would naturally require them to make adjustments and changes according to the blueprint he drew.


    Tang Xiu himself was a master painter and architect, and he had memorized countless buildings in the Immortal World as references. However, he had yet to grasp the essence of modern architectural design in regards to constructing the HQ and industrial park of the Magnificent Tang Corporation.


    Knock, knock¡­


    His door was knocked and Zhang Xinlan¡¯s voice was heard from the outside, ¡°Mr. Tang, there¡¯s a guest waiting for you in the living room downstairs.¡±


    Tang Xiu opened the door. As he looked at Zhang Xinlan, he asked, ¡°Who is looking for me?¡±


    ¡°Your big sister, Miss Chen,¡± said Zhang Xinlan with a smile.


    Chen Xiaowan?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression moved and immediately came out of the room.

 Chapter 731

    Chapter 731: Being Stared At


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Chen Xiaowan was very busy recently, staying up late all night and terribly fatigued. She could finally relax after having finished an unprecedented large project. Despite being young and energetic, she still rested in her place for two plus days before she recovered.


    She only had a few friends in Shanghai, while the colleagues she had something in common with were even rarer. She still had three or four days left on holiday after recovering, and while today was Sunday, she eagerly rushed to Bluestar Villa to look for Tang Xiu to stroll around.


    ¡°Do you have free time today, Sis?¡± Tang Xiu asked as he walked down the stairs to the living room.


    Chen Xiaowan got up and smilingly said, ¡°Got nothing to do today, so I came here to find you. Anyways, are you free today? Care to accompany me shopping?¡±


    Tang Xiu recalled his activities and found that he had nothing to do today, so he readily agreed. He had a special affection for Chen Xiaowan as a younger brother¡ªa feeling he cherished very much.


    After having breakfast, the two of them then headed to the garage, picked up the cheapest car inside, and then drove to the bustling block of Shanghai. Strolling down the streets, shopping, tasting foods, and even visiting the cinema in the afternoon until the evening, the duo then casually looked for a restaurant.¡±


    ¡°You have a problem with your legs, Sis?¡±


    After ordering the dishes and handing the menu back to the waiter, Tang Xiu looked at Chen Xiaowan, who looked a bit weary.


    Chen Xiayu blanked for a moment, and a bit dispirited look flashed on her face before she let out a thick smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Maybe I¡¯m just a bit tired after strolling all day long.¡±


    ¡°That is not a state caused by tiredness, Sis.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s no need to hide anything between us, Sis. Tell me, what exactly happened?¡±


    Hesitating, Chen Xiaowan force a smile and said, ¡°Did you mean my left leg? Actually, I was seeing a client last week, but then it turned out that the man was a pervert and wanted to molest me, and then threw an ashtray at me. It hurt just a bit at the beginning, but it lasted for a week and doesn¡¯t hurt too much if I don¡¯t walk around for long.¡±


    A client?


    Tang Xiu frowned and asked, ¡°Who is this client?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just an ordinary client whose business was already in the yellow.¡± Chen Xiaowan waved her hand. ¡°Anyways, I don¡¯t want to talk about that man again. Anyways, Brother, there¡¯s something bugging me, can I ask you something?


    Tang Xiu observed her, and seeing that she did not want to talk about it, he did not have a choice but to suppress his doubt and say, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll answer you frankly. Ask anything you want.¡±


    ¡°I really can¡¯t figure out how my company¡¯s Big Boss turned out to be your subordinate, brother?¡± Asked Chen Xiaowan. ¡°Moreover, the respect she shows you is beyond that of the respect of a subordinate to her superior. Did you feed her some kind of bewitching potion? How come she is like someone whose secret is grasped by you?¡±


    Hahaha. Tang Xiu could not help laughing and said, ¡°Your younger brother has a charming personality, so of course my subordinate will naturally obey me. Besides, Kuwako is benefitting from me, so of course, she will value my words very much. Umm, how should I say it? Ah, your younger brother is kind of a nouveau riche billionaire now.¡±


    Pffft¡­ Hahaha.


    Chen Xiaowan could not help laughing. She charmingly rolled her eyes at Tang Xiu. Suddenly, a light flashed in her eyes as she asked with a bit of expectation, ¡°How about you accompany me to a certain place tonight?¡±


    ¡°Where?¡± Tang Xiu immediately asked. He did not expect her to suddenly ask him on a whim and even seemed to look forward to it.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s a gathering for my university graduates, my fellow students. I originally did not intend to attend it, but with you to accompany me I suddenly want to go.¡±


    ¡°How can I go? It¡¯s the gathering of your university¡¯s graduates.¡± Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh, and then continued, ¡°I don¡¯t even know anyone among them.¡±


    Chen Xiaowan thought that Tang Xiu was correct. Her expression turned dark and said helplessly, ¡°Then I won¡¯t go since you don¡¯t want to. Anyways, what are we gonna do after dinner?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you to a good place!¡± Said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°You can enjoy the leisure and entertainment there by yourself if you have some free time later.¡±


    ¡°What is the place?¡±


    ¡°The Paradise Manor.¡±


    Two hours later, Tang Xiu arrived at the Paradise Manor with Chen Xiaowan. After passing through the entrance, however, Chen Xiaowan¡¯s face turned strange. And after they came to the parking lot inside, she could not bear to pull Tang Xiu¡¯s sleeve and say in a toned down voice, ¡°Brother, we already came to this place, are you going to gather with that group of my fellow students over there?¡±


    Fellow students?


    Tang Xiu was stunned and asked with a surprised expression, ¡°Eh? Your fellow students¡¯ gathering is being held here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Chen Xiaowan nodded. ¡°Some of my fellow students are local nouveau-riches here and mixed quite well after graduation. They are also the ones who arranged this college class reunion.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then! Just tell me the specific place.¡± Tang Xiu nodded after giving it a thought. ¡°Wait there and I¡¯ll see you later. I¡¯m going to see the owner of this place to get two bottles of good wine.¡±


    ¡°Do you know the owner of this place?¡± Chen Xiaowan was surprised.


    ¡°Yeah, we are very close.¡± Tang Xiu suppressed his laughter.


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu appeared in Lulu¡¯s office but saw her unexpectedly dressed up today. It was a contrast with her past style since the dress she wore today was a whole set of professional white-collar, with eyeglasses and bleached blonde hair, as she sat on the Boss chair while reading a book.


    ¡°Looking at you in this style¡­ is quite interesting.¡±


    Tang Xiu faintly smiled as he came before her. As his vision casually swept over the book in her hands, his expression suddenly froze.


    ¡°Chibi¡­ Chibi Maruko-chan manga?¡±


    Lulu put the book down and happily walked out of her desk, cheerfully turned around in front of Tang Xiu, and then spread her hands and said with a playful smile, ¡°So, how do I look? Good, right?¡±


    ¡°Not bad!¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile. ¡°But what you¡¯re reading and your attire is kinda not suited. Forget it, let¡¯s not talk about this. Anyways, Sis Xiaowan is with me here, and it just so happens that her fellow students from college are having a reunion here. So, I want to take two bottles of good wine to gather with them. Do you still have some Gods Nectar here?¡±


    When Lulu heard Tang Xiu¡¯s question, her expression turned a bit scornful and resentfully said, ¡°I still have some. But that surnamed Kang is too stingy, you know. I have less than 100 boxes of Gods Nectar in inventory, and my staff grumbled to me a couple of days ago that the rest of the Gods Nectar will be completely sold out in a few days.¡±


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes at her. 100 boxes are few? He was the one who set the rule in the first place. Let alone 100 boxes, nobody was able to buy eight or ten boxes if they did not buy them via the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s exclusive stores in the major cities.


    ¡°Alright, alright. You don¡¯t know how lucky you are. Besides, the Magnificent Tang Corporation has its own rules and regulations, they won¡¯t open the back door for you. But for you¡­ they have given you an exception. Kang Xia will come to Shanghai a couple of days later. Just keep pestering her that you want more Gods Nectar! Whether you can get it from her, it will depend on your skills.¡±


    ¡°Got no problem with that!¡± Ouyang Lulu immediately nodded.


    On the roof of the three-story foreign-style building of the Paradise Manor, Ladyboy Wutong held a binoculars and watched the situation in a distant building. He could clearly see Tang Xiu and Ouyang Lulu through the window of that building.


    ¡°Who exactly is this guy? His relationship with Ice Phoenix Han Qingwu is very close, yet his relationship with other women keeps popping up. Is he not afraid Ice Phoenix will get jealous and hack him alive?¡±


    Wu Tong had been secretly following Han Qingwu for several days. He could tell that Han Qingwu was like a young girl in love. Through his observation, he could see that the guy Han Qingwu liked was Tang Xiu, a student of Shanghai University, a guy with quite unusual behavior.


    ¡°His luck in love is really great.¡±


    Wu Tong let out an uncanny smirk but did not feel the slightest envy at all. He only liked men, and that was particularly so towards Tang Xiu. He even imagined whether he could have some ¡°good and pleasant times¡± with Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    Suddenly, this shemale¡¯s complexion drastically changed, instantly turned around and grabbed his dagger. He then saw a middle-aged man with cold eyes and folded arms staring at him about seven plus meters away.


    ¡°You should already know who I am,¡± said Mo Awu lightly.


    Wu Tong squinted, but a tempestuous shock hit his heart. He knew his own strength perfectly, and how vigilant he always was. Yet, this man was able to approach him seven-plus meters away without him being able to sense. It only meant that this man had very terrifying abilities.


    ¡°It¡¯s you. His bodyguard?¡± Wu Tong extended his hand to point to the distant windows.


    ¡°Now that you already know, you should understand that you¡¯ve already been exposed, no?¡± Said Mo Awu indifferently. ¡°Now tell me, why are you tracking my Boss?¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Wu Tong snorted. ¡°I do as I please. Do I need you to mind my business?¡±


    With that said, he immediately turned around and instantly jumped from the roof. It was a three-story building, yet he could easily jump down. While standing there, he looked up to see Mo Awu and gave him the middle finger.


    Afterward, he turned around and left.


    ¡°With us here, do you think you can come and go as you please?¡± A figure blocked Wu Tong¡¯s path as the sharp dagger in his hand fluttered away like a butterfly.


    Wu Tong furrowed his brows and vigilantly stared at the man in front of him. He did not want to engage in a fight, so he turned around and dashed forward, attempting to leave the place for the time being. However, just as he ran about a dozen steps, another burly figure blocked his path again.


    ¡°SHIT!¡±


    Wu Tong angrily cursed. But he did not try to run and avoid the fight this time, and rushed straight towards the burly man, sending a barrage of punches to his chest lightning fast.


    Bam¡­


    Wu Tong only saw a shadow flash near him and felt nothing but the blooming flower in front of him. His fist did not hit the man¡¯s chest, but it was his lower abdomen that seemed to be hit by a huge force. He felt like his intestines were tied up by the pain at this moment. The most unbelievable thing was that he saw himself flying upside down to the back as the scenery from his sides brushed forward.


    Cough, cough¡­


    After heavily slamming on the cold concrete floor seven-plus meters away, Wu Tong, who had withstood all kinds of sufferings for countless times, suppressed the pain coming from his abdomen and propped himself up with his hands on the ground and stood up again in the blink of an eye.

 Chapter 732

    Chapter 732: Contrary To Expectation


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The shemale, Wu Tong, was a cruel and ruthless character, having committed many killings and climbed out of the pile of dead bodies countless times, and there was never an occasion that made him desperate. He used to believe that the Heavens would never seal off all the ways out, for there would always be a chance to preserve his life as long as he sacrificed everything to fight for it.


    At this moment, however, he was despairing. He could tell the graveness of the situation as he seemed to have trespassed the dangerous Dragons pond and Tigers den¡ªcourting trouble on someone he could not afford to. Just the appearance of the two men in front of him and the other one on the roof gave him the tingling sensation that he was trapped in the camp of a mighty army. What was unfathomable to him was that the seemingly ordinary man turned out to have a dreadful power.


    Speed and strength were originally his forte, but the blitzkrieg, thunderblast-like actions of these people made it difficult for him to breathe.


    ¡°You¡­ are all of you Tang Xiu¡¯s men?¡±


    Wu Tong wiped the blood off the corner of his mouth and stared at the two men around with vigilance, and asked with a sharp tone. However, just as his voice faded away, his pupils suddenly shrank when he saw Mo Awu floating down from the roof. That¡¯s right, he was floating¡ªdefying the physics and going against scientific reasons. It was like gravitation had no effect on him as his feet trod on the ground as though he was walking on cotton.


    Mo Awu¡¯s cold eyes gazed at him as he indifferently spoke, ¡°Give up and be obedient if you don¡¯t want to suffer more pain. Follow me.¡±


    ¡°Where to?¡± Wu Tong clenched his fist.


    ¡°To see our Boss,¡± said Mo Awu.


    Wu Tong quickly grabbed three darts from his waist and coldly said, ¡°Do you really have the confidence to make me stay here? I¡¯m sure I can bury you with me if I fight with all I have.¡±


    Mo Awu looked at him with contempt and lightly said, ¡°You don¡¯t want to cooperate? Let¡¯s do it in a rough way, then. Stun him down. I¡¯ll go to see the Boss first.¡±


    With that said, he left under Wu Tong¡¯s glaring gaze.


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    The two figures instantly flashed toward Wu Tong. Their speed was extremely fast and even faintly reached the limit the naked eyes could see. Amidst the flashing afterimages, Wu Tong clenched his teeth and threw the darts in his hand. Dart throwing was a unique skill he was very confident about, as he never missed to kill the target within a ten meters¡¯ range.


    Schhwaff! Schhwaff! Schhwaff!


    The darts pierced the afterimages as the two auras of Jurassic beasts shrouded him, followed by the terrifying speed and strength that were vividly displayed by the punches of these two men. Wu Tong felt like he had become a human sandbag without the slightest strength to fight back. He could only feel the constant heavy blows hitting him, causing his injuries to become more severe.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    He was in complete despair and wanted to yield, but the man¡¯s fist hammered his mouth and he could not spit out another word. After ten seconds of staying firm and strong, he lost consciousness in despair and fear, as heavy punches knocked him down.


    Inside the General Manager Office of the Paradise Manor, Tang Xiu sipped hot tea while embracing Lulu¡¯s tender body. He had released his spiritual sense to observe the scenes outside, watching as Ladyboy Wu Tong got beaten. Inwardly, he was rather surprised. Why would the runner-up of the underground fighting secretly track him?


    ¡°There¡¯s a situation here, Boss.¡± Mo Awu¡¯s voice came outside the door.


    Tang Xiu patted Lulu¡¯s thigh and said, ¡°Bring him to me! He has been following me for quite long. I¡¯ll talk to him.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Replied Mo Awu, and then there was no other sound anymore.


    Tang Xiu then found that Ouyang Lulu did not get up, and instead held his arm that coiled around her neck. With the special fragrance of a woman, yet nestled herself in his arm like a lazy kitten made Tang Xiu be at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh, and said, ¡°Lulu, get up! I gotta deal with an important matter.¡±


    ¡°They are not here yet!¡± Lulu coquettishly said. ¡°Nesting in your arm is very cozy, you know. I really don¡¯t wanna move. Honey, tell me. If we become fossils like this and maintain such a posture until the oceans dry up and the rocks decay, it would be very great, right?¡±


    Tang Xiu faintly smiled and replied, ¡°Assuming our feelings grow for a long time, they will last for all eternity.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu was stunned and immediately kissed Tang Xiu¡¯s face and sweetly smiled, ¡°I never thought such a sentence would jump out of you. Alright! I¡¯ll sit at the side to watch.¡±


    After a while, Mo Awu came to the office with the fainted Ladyboy Wu Tong. Under Tang Xiu¡¯s order, he woke up Wu Tong and then immediately walked to the side.


    ¡°Where¡¯s this?¡±


    After Wu Tong regained consciousness, he quickly observed his surroundings and instantly determined that this place was where Tang Xiu and his woman were staying in.


    Tang Xiu took out a cigarette as Ouyang Lulu swiftly grabbed a lighter and lit it for him. After taking two puffs, only then did Tang Xiu set his eyes on the badly battered and a swollen-faced Wu Tong who still looked very vigilant, and said, ¡°The runner-up of the underground fighting competition, Ladyboy Wu Tong. I¡¯m quite curious here, what made you come here all of a sudden, more so that you¡¯ve been stalking and monitoring me?¡±


    Wu Tong shot a deep gaze at Tang Xiu. He had seen countless Big Bosses with amazing wealth, deep and strong backgrounds, and a lot of experts under their employment. But none of them could make him dread them. However much he tried to observe Tang Xiu, he could not find anything special about this guy at all.


    ¡°If I were to tell you that it was just out of curiosity, would you believe it?¡± Wu Tong was silent for a while before asking.


    ¡°I don¡¯t buy it.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re in a bad state and situation, while loads of those rich men in China are probably looking for you as of now.¡±


    Hmph. Wu Yi contemptuously spoke. ¡°What skills do they have? They are simply dreaming of they want to find me.¡±


    ¡°Self-confidence is not equal to being conceited, mind you. It seems that you have quite the energy and confidence,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°So, did you notice me because of Han Qingwu?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Wu Tong nodded. ¡°Ice Phoenix is very formidable and her strength and combat strength are beyond the limits of human cognition. I quietly followed her leaving with you after the underground fighting competition a couple of days ago. But then I had to stay low and avoid the harassments of some suicidal clowns for some time. Afterward, I came to Shanghai and found that you have a deep relationship with Ice Phoenix. But she just went back to her routine, going to work and home, so I just planned to observe you. Never did I think that¡­ you¡¯re actually not an ordinary person.¡±


    ¡°When did you start stalking me?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°This afternoon,¡± answered Wu Tong.


    This noon?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows were slightly pressed and a light flashed in his eyes. He first noticed Wu Tong stalking him after finishing lunch and on his way to the Paradise Manor. Little did he expect that this guy had been keeping an eye on him from noon. Apparently, this man was very skillful in tracking and concealment.


    Tang Xiu then asked, ¡°So, what is your purpose in tracking Han Qingwu and me?¡±


    ¡°I just wondered whether you know things about Han Qingwu, and where her Master is,¡± said Wu Tong with a serious expression. ¡°She¡¯s very young, so her master must be very formidable. I want to become stronger, thus I want to become his disciple.¡±


    To be stronger he wants to become a disciple?


    His answer was an unexpected surprise to Tang Xiu. After carefully scrutinizing him, he shook his head and said with a smile, ¡°What she learned is not something you can learn. Your body has been damaged. It can be said that you have a mild deformity. Hence, I¡¯m afraid you can only stop here on your martial path if there is no huge fortuitous encounter.¡±


    ¡°You are saying¡­¡±


    Wu Tong looked down and then quickly looked up and stared at Tang Xiu.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and explained, ¡°Your Yang Qi has been leaking out, while the pseudo-Yin Qi incessantly impairs your body by consuming the system of your vital essence, Qi, and spirit, and thus greatly lessening your lifespan. You should be less than 40 years old at present, meaning you have passed your prime. I¡¯m not afraid to leak out the heavenly secret if I must, but you have only a decade or two to live. It¡¯s best for you to take care of yourself well!¡±


    One or two decades? To live less than 60 years old?


    Wu Tong¡¯s heart shivered as he glared at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°You just want to freak me out!¡±


    ¡°If you think I¡¯m just scaring you, I can¡¯t do anything about it. Off you go then! Just think about it when you¡¯ve calmed down, whether there¡¯s something getting worse and worse in your body in recent years. Your condition can never be compared with the previous state in your prime regardless of how hard you try. After you¡¯ve thought it through later, just find a comfortable place to enjoy your old age and wait for death to come!¡±


    A shiver came over Wu Tong¡¯s heart. He did not have to calm his mind to realize that Tang Xiu was correct. The state of his body was getting worse in recent years, and even the strength he could unleash at present was much worse than the power he erupted with when was on the death line several years ago. To keep drifting along abroad for more than 20 years otherwise became unlikely and he eventually returned to China, so much so that it was unlikely for him to even take part in the underground fighting competition.


    He wanted to return to the peak and wished to fight other martial arts experts to sharpen himself. The result was that his recovery rate was getting slower and slower, and the power he could unleash was getting worse.


    ¡°¡­ You¡­ how did you learn about it?¡± Wu Tong constantly changed his expression and finally asked.


    ¡°Ah, I forgot to introduce myself.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°Maybe you only know that my name is Tang Xiu, but you don¡¯t know one of my identities. I¡¯m a Chinese medical practitioner, and I¡¯m also hailed as the Young Divine Doctor.¡±


    A miracle-working doctor?


    Wu Tong¡¯s body trembled as he incredulously looked at Tang Xiu and exclaimed, ¡°How is this possible? I know a bit about the situation of the Chinese medical field in China. How could one become a Divine Doctor in his twenties? Even Hua Tuo and Bian Que were not able to achieve such a feat!¡±


    ¡°You should have heard the sentence that the universe has no limit and knowledge is infinite, while there are always people better and stronger than you, however strong you are,¡± said Tang Xiu with confidence. ¡°Something that others can¡¯t do doesn¡¯t mean it applies to me.¡±


    Wu Tong only stared at Tang Xiu for a long time, before he knelt down in front of him under the watchful gazes of Mo Awu and Ouyang Lulu. With a pleading and begging expression, he said, ¡°Divine Doctor, please save me.¡±


    Eh, he bought it?


    Tang Xiu wore a strange expression when he looked at Wu Tong and was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh inside. Though he was indeed very confident in his ability to treat illnesses, yet it was not something worthy enough for Wu Tong to act like this, no?


    Tang Xiu lowered his hand as a stream of qi wrapped Wu Tong and instantly pulled him up. After that, he said, ¡°I can¡¯t help you, so off you go! But if you can find some medicinal herbs that could treat your yin deficiency, reinforcing body fluids, nourishing the blood and your kidney, your body can be nursed back to health and warmed up, and thus can increase your lifespan. Be it so¡­ with learning this martial art!¡±

 Chapter 733

    Chapter 733: Frantic Bee and Lascivious Butterfly


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Tang Xiu was not the kind to who return evil with good, more so that he was disinclined to heal such trash who had schemed against him. He motioned Mo Awu, who then took Wu Tong away from the office.


    ¡°Honey, did you accompany Han Qingwu to watch that underground fighting match?¡± Ouyang Lulu asked with a smile after she shifted her gaze the moment the door was shut.


    ¡°Yeah, I went with her.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°She was a participant in this year¡¯s domestic underground fighting competition and went through the finals. I went with her so as to avoid any accidents happening to her. Fortunately, not only was she safe and sound, but she also got the first place. Ah, that¡¯s right. That shemale a moment ago was the runner-up.¡±


    After hearing this, Ouyang Lulu looked a bit dissatisfied and commented even though she was shocked inwardly, ¡°You did not take me to see such a thrilling event. You know, I once watched this kind of underground fighting match in the past. It was very thrilling.¡±


    There was a strange mood surging up inside Tang Xiu¡¯s heart. He thought that she would be jealous that he accompanied Han Qingwu to participate in the underground fighting match. He was under the imagination that she would see him favor one of his women. But apparently, she clearly did not have that idea but rather blamed him for not taking her as well.


    After letting out a hollow chuckle, he reached out to pull Ouyang Lulu to his arm and kiss her, promising, ¡°I¡¯ll definitely take you if there are other thrilling events in the future.¡±


    ¡°Heh, that¡¯s better!¡± Ouyang Lulu nodded and smilingly asked, ¡°Anyways, when are we going to see Sis Xiaowan?¡±


    We?


    Tang Xiu could not help laughing and said, ¡°You¡¯re the Big Boss of this Paradise Manor, why do you want to stop by, anyway? Are you not afraid you will make those Sis Xiaowan¡¯s fellow students feel uncomfortable?¡±


    ¡°Heh, I don¡¯t care however uneasy they are and what they do. It¡¯s fine as long as Sis Xiaowan is satisfied and pleased. Come on now, hurry up!¡± Said Ouyang Lulu with a smile.


    With that said, she called the Manager and ordered him to take two bottles of Gods Nectar and wait on the first floor, and then dragged Tang Xiu out of the office. When they came to the first floor and got the Gods Nectar, Ouyang Lulu cheerfully pulled Tang Xiu to the Catering Section.


    The Catering Section was the Fragrance Hall.


    Chen Xiaowan was a different person than in the past, with leaps and bounds of progress in status and position successively. She was now the Vice President of the Brisk Trading Group, and this was no secret among her classmates. Therefore, her more than 20 classmates gave her a warm greeting which made her feel overwhelmed by the unexpected flattery.


    As a matter of fact, she also attended several reunions with her fellow students in the university before, but their reaction was very weak and only several of them willing to get along and talk with her. Each time after the reunion ended, each and every one of them only had some chit chat via QQ or WeChat in the next few days, and rarely had other contacts.


    Wei Guotao was someone who pursued Chen Xiaowan for a long time and the one who failed to get the title of Mr. Perfect and the Campus Beau. He came from a well-off family and was a bit arrogant in nature¡ªarrogance that Chen Xiaowan had been disgusted with at the time.


    At present, Wei Guotao had become the owner of a textile mill and was considered as a scion who took on the mantle of his father in the industry, and one who grew up with a golden spoon with a cozy, extravagant life as a second generation nouveau riche. After going through struggles and challenging experiences in society, however, he turned a lot mature, and the grinding of society and the world had grounded and smoothed his haughtiness. Back then, his failure in pursuing Chen Xiaowan left a knot inside his heart. Later on, he thought to continue pursuing her but then learned that she already had a boyfriend and thus gave up the idea. More so that he now had the status and wealth, so he would not lack women at all.


    However, seeing and meeting Chen Xiaowan again resurrect the regret inside him. As he saw her looking more mature and more beautiful than before, he could not calm down the surging tide inside his heart despite having indulged himself in ¡°joy¡± and abandoning himself in pleasures in recent years.


    ¡°Beauty Chen, you have to be punished by drinking three cups of wine for coming late. You can¡¯t be exempted from the punishment even if you have become the Vice President of a big company!¡± Wu Xiaoping, most called Little Fatty Wu, attentively pulled the next chair for Chen Xiaowan and cheerfully said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a man like you who can withstand spirits, and I¡¯ll probably faint on Ji Jie¡¯s arm if I drink three glasses of wine,¡± said Chen Xiaowan with a smile.


    The one sitting next to her, Ji Jie, got up and hugged her. After pulling Chen Xiaowan down, she laughed and said, ¡°Wow, getting drunk and faint in my arms, eh? This young lady will definitely take good care of you.¡±


    ¡°Go! Go! Just go!¡± Chen Xiaowan said with a smile.


    Wei Guotao was the leader of this gathering party, and he said with a smile, ¡°Xiaowan, even if you have to be punished yourself with three cups of wine, you still have to sing a song when we go to the entertainment section later. If my memory serves me right, your wonderful voice once attracted many frantic bees and lascivious butterflies back when we were still in Uni.¡±


    Wu Xiaoping let out a strange smile and smirked, ¡°Eh, Wei Guotao, weren¡¯t you also a frantic bee that time? Or were you a butterfly?¡±


    Wei Guotao¡¯s breath stagnated and immediately cursed, ¡°Bah, go to hell, Fatty. You¡¯re really damned. You just touched a sore spot of mine. Do you not believe you will be the first to get drunk?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s afraid of who, huh?¡± Wu Xiaoping raised his head. ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn whether having two or three bottles is too few, or eight to ten bottles are too much, I will accompany you drinking till the end. That is if you dare. Besides, it¡¯s a rare occasion to have the chance to show off like a real man before Beauty Chen. So it¡¯s absolutely impossible to be terrified at this time, no?¡±


    ¡°Holy shit. Shame on you, Fatty!¡± Wei Guotao mocked him.


    The happy atmosphere was much better than in the old times, and Chen Xiaowan did not expect that everyone was not secretly comparing their achievements or showing off in this year¡¯s class reunion. Maybe as years go by and everyone turned older, they became a lot more mature!


    BAM¡­


    The door to the Fragrance Hall was pushed hard as a well-dressed tall man came in from. Yet, his originally handsome face was ruined by the Panda eye mark on his left eye.


    ¡°Huh? What happened to you, Lu Bo?¡±


    Everyone inside the Fragrance Hall looked confused, while Wei Guotao hurriedly approached and asked. Lu Bo excused himself to the restroom and he was still fine about seven-plus minutes ago. Why did he look like this when he came back?


    Lu Bo¡¯s expression was a bit gloomy, but he squeezed out a smile in the face of everyone¡¯s attention and said, ¡°I just met two bastards who drank too much, bumped into me and cursed at me. I hit them first so I didn¡¯t suffer many losses.¡±


    Everyone exchanged dismayed looks as they did not expect Lu Bo to be so unlucky to bump into drunken guests and even have a fight with them.


    ¡°Are you alright? Do you want us to escort you to the hospital to get some treatment?¡± Wei Guotao asked.


    ¡°No need.¡± Lu Bo shook his head.


    ¡°Do you know their backgrounds?¡± Asked Wei Guotao. ¡°Wanna find them and settle the accounts?¡±


    ¡°No. No need,¡± said Lu Bo quickly. ¡°I have already cleaned them up, and I¡¯m sure their companions have sent them to the hospital already! Alright, it¡¯s not easy for everyone to gather together, so don¡¯t let this minor issue sweep away our good time, alright? Come, come, everyone. Let¡¯s have a toast¡­¡±


    Wei Guotao slightly furrowed his brows, because he could see a faint panicked expression in Lu Bo¡¯s eyes. He secretly raised his vigilance. He knew Lu Bo perfectly well. He was a mature and steady guy who did not particularly give any mind about face and reputation. His only shortcoming was that he was just a bit timid.


    Could it be that problems are coming up?


    Wei Guotao thought about it for a moment and then immediately glanced at Chen Xiaowan, who followed with the wine glass in her hand. Seeing her again breathed life in his heart again. He knew that she had broken up with her boyfriend and he was also still single. He might have ambiguous relationships with many women, but those women were just after his money and he had no feelings for them whatsoever. He was very much willing to leave those women to be with Chen Xiaowan, marrying her, having children, and living a tranquil and steady life.


    After gulping down a glass of wine, Wei Guotao pondered for a while before he got up and went towards Chen Xiaowan, as he bent down and whispered, ¡°Chen Xiaowan, let¡¯s go out.¡±


    Chen Xiaowan gawked and then glanced to Wu Xiaoping and Ji Jie at her sides, and saw them teasingly winking at her. She immediately rolled her eyes at them and then followed Wei Guotao out of Fragrance Hall.


    ¡°You¡­ something happened?!¡± As they came to the corridor outside, Chen Xiaowan looked at the other side of the corridor where seven or eight were coming toward them in a very threatening attitude, making her slightly furrow her brows.


    Wei Guotao also saw this group of people and realized in a flash that they should be coming for Lu Bo since the two in the lead were limping and had swollen noses and faces- they had obviously been beaten by someone.


    ¡°Xiaowan, this is my car key. My car is parked in the parking lot outside, help me get the two bottles of wine from the trunk.¡± Wei Guotao took out a car key and stuffed it into Chen Xiaowan¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Chen Xiaowan was at a loss at what to do. Little did she expect that Wei Guotao would call her out just for this matter. At first, she had a good impression on him since he had good looks, and though this guy¡¯s haughtiness was widely known in the past, he never did anything too outrageous. He also never pretended to look great in front of his classmates, nor did he show off his achievements.


    But at this time, a burst of disgust bred inside her heart.


    Why? Why does he want me to get something for him? Is it because he is some small Boss, while I¡¯m just an employee?


    Chen Xiaowan¡¯s expression was a bit unsightly, yet she still took the car key. She seldom turned down others, but she also made up her mind to make an excuse to leave after taking these two bottles of wine.


    Astute as he was, Wei Guotao could tell that Chen Xiaowan misunderstood him from the sudden change of her expression. But now was not the time to explain everything to her, so he just watched Chen Xiaowan¡¯s back as she left. After that, he immediately dashed back to the Fragrance Hall, closed door from the inside and then shouted, ¡°Everyone! BE QUIET! We got a sudden situation here, so get prepared quickly! Lu Bo, I¡¯m afraid those two guys you fought with before are now bringing some people over here.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    Lu Bo¡¯s face turned very nasty. The more than 20 of their classmates in the hall also had a change in expression. They had been living in a society governed by laws and rarely encountered violent incidents. They were afraid to get involved and implicated if a fight were to break out.


    Wei Guotao quickly glanced at everyone around and secretly sighed. He had gone through many things and encountered many violent incidents in the past. He was once stared at and hunted at nightclubs and got badly beaten by some people. But it was because of that experience that he had a stable and calm mind at this moment. He then rushed to the corner and used the intercom to ask the waiter to notify the security guards.

 Chapter 734

    Chapter 734: Being Frightened Out Of Their Wits


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Knock, knock¡­


    The Fragrance Hall¡¯s door was knocked, then Tang Xiu entered with Ouyang Lulu. Just as they stepped inside and saw more than 20 young men and women all standing up and glaring at them with hostile faces.


    ¡°Eh? What happened?¡± Tang Xiu and Ouyang Lulu exchanged looks and were baffled by the reaction from everyone in the hall.


    Upon seeing them, the people in the hall blanked for a moment, as Wei Guotao was a bit stunned when he saw Ouyang Lulu. His vision then fell on Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at everyone inside but could not find Chen Xiaowan at all. He was immediately confused and said, ¡°Could it be that we came to the wrong hall? Sis Xiaowan clearly said her class reunion was being held in the Fragrance Hall, right? Where is she?¡±


    ¡°Are you looking for Chen Xiaowan?¡± Asked Wei Guotao, surprised.


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m her younger brother.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°I heard that you are all here for a class reunion, so I came with two bottles of wine.¡±


    It was now everyone¡¯s turn in the room to become baffled, exchanging dismayed looks. They thought that they were people who came to retaliate Lu Bo, thus they didn¡¯t expect that he turned out to be Chen Xiaowan¡¯s younger brother.


    Wei Guotao himself had 99% assurance that it was true, so he immediately spoke, ¡°Young Brother, Chen Xiaowan is currently out doing something and will come back later. How about you leave first and wait for her to come back? I¡¯ll contact you again later.¡±


    Asking guests to leave?!


    As if realizing something, Tang Xiu turned his head and looked at the seven or eight men who had already walked inside, while the two in front were letting out curses. He then saw the people in the hall turn vigilant and suddenly could not help laughing, ¡°Do you guys have a conflict with them?¡±


    Wei Guotao, Lu Bo, and the others did not reply, but some of the more courageous men among them stepped forward to guard the six or seven females behind them.


    ¡°Wow, so many people here, eh?!¡±


    The swollen-faced Bai Sheng entered the room unsteadily and then looked around. As he found Lu Bo among them, he immediately shouted angrily, ¡°It¡¯s that fucking bastard! I luckily followed you in secret before, so I knew you were in this hall, else you would have run away by now. The ones who dared to beat this Big Daddy are not born yet, but you just jumped out of your mother¡¯s womb ahead of time. And today, I¡¯ll kick you back to your mother¡¯s womb.¡±


    With that said, Bai Sheng wielded the bottle and seemed to be ready to storm Lu Bo.


    ¡°STOP!¡±


    Tang Xiu furrowed his brows and shouted in a deep voice. At the same time, his feet instantly moved toward Bai Sheng. The latter had yet to smash the wine bottle, as he already caught his wrist and said, ¡°This place is the Paradise Manor. You must know the consequences before you want to make a ruckus here.¡±


    ¡°Who the hell are you? It¡¯s no damned fucking business with yours whether this Big Daddy wants to fuck things up here!¡±


    BAM¡­


    A loud, thumping sound was heard as Ouyang Lulu¡¯s foot heavily kicked Bai Sheng¡¯s chest. Despite being a man, Bai Sheng was not tall and his physique was also rather weak, hence he was sent back for several steps by Ouyang Lulu¡¯s kick until he hit the two men behind him.


    ¡°You may curse me, but if you dare to curse him again I will snap your damn legs and tie you up at the entrance of my Paradise Manor like a dog. Do you believe me?¡± Shouted Ouyang Lulu angrily.


    Getting kicked in the chest suffocated Bai Sheng. As he saw Ouyang Lulu¡¯s appearance, never did he dream that such a beauty comparable to a celestial maiden was actually the one who kicked him, and was especially threatening him for another man.


    ¡°YOU¡­¡± Bai Shen was about to roar furiously but was pulled by a middle-aged man beside him.


    The middle-aged man looked at Ouyang Lulu indifferently and said, ¡°Listening to you, are you someone from this Paradise Manor?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m the owner of this place,¡± answered Ouyang Lulu coldly.


    The owner?


    The middle-aged man was struck dumb and suddenly realized something as his expression drastically changed and his attitude reversed 180 degrees. He then nodded and squeezed out an obsequious smile, ¡°It turns out that you¡¯re Miss Ouyang. Blame me for failing to recognize Mt. Tai when I met you. I heard from a friend of mine the other day that you have a good relationship with Mr. Tang, so I brought these friends from Fukang Province to join us. On the account of Mr. Tang¡¯s face, why don¡¯t you¡­¡±


    Suddenly, his words came to an abrupt halt as it occurred to him that it was Tang Xiu who was accompanied by Ouyang Lulu. His expression froze as he gaped and was unable to voice anything else.


    Tang Xiu sneered and said, ¡°My face seems quite big, eh? To think that I can even make you bring people here to flatter me. So tell me, who¡¯s this holy being friend you mentioned?¡±


    The middle-aged man felt like he was falling into an ice cave, for he never imagined that the very person who was just cursed by his companion turned out to be Tang Xiu himself. Though it was his first time meeting Tang Xiu, his name was like a thunderclap piercing his ear.


    ¡°You¡­ are you Mr. Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°I am!¡± Tang Xiu slightly nodded.


    The middle-aged man squeezed out a smile and said with trembling lips, ¡°My friend¡¯s name is Jin Xingkui and he¡¯s my client, and his recent project uses stones bought from me. Mr. Tang, my friend just lashed out his tantrum at you, please don¡¯t stoop to his level and forgive him with your magnanimity.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at him with a strange expression, as he did not expect that this middle-aged man turned out to be Jin Xingkui¡¯s business friend. He also had some shares in Jin Xingkui¡¯s business, so it could be counted that he also had a business deal with this man!


    Bai Sheng, who finally gasped for breath, wanted to lash out his anger again. After all, he was kicked under everyone¡¯s watchful eyes, more so that the one who did it was such a dazzling belle¡ªsomething very humiliating to him. But after hearing Tang Xiu being mentioned by his friend, he could not help but tremble, and his frenzied feelings also faded a lot.


    ¡°You¡­ are you really Tang Xiu? From the Tang Family?¡± Bai Sheng¡¯s attitude had drastically changed as well and asked with a cautious expression.


    ¡°You know me?¡± Tang Xiu frowned.


    Bai Sheng¡¯s heart thumped, nearly weeping. He never feared anyone and even practically ignored the elders of his family. But the fear he had toward that truly fierce and ruthless figure was genuine, and this figure was exactly Tang Xiu of the Tang Family from Beijing.


    ¡°Tang¡­ Mr. Tang. I really apologize. I didn¡¯t know the owner of this place is close to you. I really have dog eyes. I couldn¡¯t recognize you at all just now. My name is Bai Sheng from Fukang Province¡¯s Bai Family.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows raised and asked, ¡°Who is Bai Yang to you?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the Bai Family¡¯s Patriarch. I should call him Uncle according to the seniority,¡± said Bai Sheng.


    ¡°I know a bit about the Bai Family.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Whether it is Bai Yang or the rest of the family, they usually act low-key. I never thought this family had someone like you. Scram to Fukang Province fast, and you had better not to court calamity for your family when you¡¯re outside later.¡±


    Bai Sheng wiped off the cold sweat on his forehead, as he hurriedly nodded and said, ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯ll definitely redeem myself according to your teaching. If¡­ if you have no other instructions, then I¡¯ll take my leave first. I¡¯ll leave early in the morning and return to Fukang Province.¡±


    With that said, all who came with threatening attitudes now quickly left with trepidation, while the more than 20 people in the Fragrance Hall were dumbfounded with dropping jaws¡ªshocked by the series of events.


    Tang Xiu then turned around to look at Wei Guotao and the others. A smile climbed up on his face as he said, ¡°I apologize to all of you for having your dinner at our Paradise Manor disturbed. Hence, I¡¯d like to present these two bottles of wine for everyone to taste. Also, we still have things to tend to, so we can¡¯t accompany you.¡±


    Gods Nectar?


    At least a dozen people among them knew their wine, and also had seen the packaging of this top wine, the Gods Nectar.


    Inwardly, they exclaimed in shock as the two bottles of wine given by Tang Xiu turned out to be Gods Nectar. It must be noted that this wine was very expensive and sold at 18,888 yuan in the exclusive stores. But in the ¡®private market¡¯ many were willing to obtain it for double the price.


    It was an exquisite wine, yet it was very scarce in circulation.


    That was the characteristic of the Gods Nectar.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, please stay.¡± Wei Guotao quickly called out. ¡°We are really grateful for what just happened. I¡¯m afraid we would be beaten if it wasn¡¯t for you.¡±


    ¡°Nevermind it!¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°You chose to dine at Paradise Manor, so it¡¯s our responsibility to guarantee your safety.¡±


    Wei Guotao nodded in response with a smile. There was a hesitating look on his face as he pointed to the two bottles of Gods Nectar on the table and said, ¡°I must decline your kindness with thanks, Mr. Tang. But this wine¡­ is way¡­ too precious. We¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just a liquor, and nothing precious.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and smilingly said, ¡°But you¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re here, Brother? And you too, Lulu!¡±


    At the door of the Fragrance Hall, Chen Xiaowan came inside with empty hands. There was previously a bit of anger on her face, but it then instantly disappeared completely after seeing Tang Xiu and Ouyang Lulu.


    Ouyang Lulu quickly greeted her and affectionately grabbed her arms and said, ¡°I just learned that you and your classmates are having a reunion here, Sis Xiaowan. Else I would have instructed my staff to prepare the best hall for all of you.¡±


    Chen Xiaowan looked a bit embarrassed and replied in a low voice, ¡°No need to be this polite between us, Lulu. Besides, having to meet and gather here together is already great.¡±


    ¡°Just enjoy yourself here like it¡¯s your home, Sis Xiaowan¡ªwherever you feel great. Well, consider this dinner tonight my treat. Just enjoy your dishes and wine and have a good evening. All of your spending tonight is on me,¡± said Ouyang Lulu with a smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Nope. It¡¯s already decided. Else your brother will scold me to death later!¡± Ouyang Lulu interrupted her and smiled.


    Tang Xiu could not help laughing and said, ¡°Lulu wants to exempt you from spending, Sis, so just accept it. Anyways, we won¡¯t bother your dinner. Just call me later after you¡¯re done and I¡¯ll escort you back.¡±


    After a while, Tang Xiu and Ouyang Lulu left, leaving only a group of Chen Xiaowan¡¯s classmates in the Fragrance Hall. Just as Chen Xiaowan threw back the car key to Wei Guotao, voices buzzed from her classmates:


    ¡°It was so amazing. Xiaowan¡¯s younger brother is simply too powerful.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Amazing. Those guys a while ago seemed to be scared out their wits and nearly wet their pants.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a real nouveau-riche for you!¡±


    ¡°Damn! Tang Xiu is really cool!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! He¡¯s my idol!¡±


    ¡°If only I had such a younger brother, it¡¯d be so damn great!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 735

    Chapter 735: Money


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Chen Xiaowan, who was watching Wei Guotao¡¯s face, gradually became astounded. Her old classmates¡¯ comments and envious looks cast a dense fog in her head.


    ¡°What exactly is going on?¡± Chen Xiaowan muttered to herself.


    Wu Xiaoping rubbed his hands. With a smiling face that was full of flattering, he came to Chen Xiaowan and gave her 180 degrees bow, and then grinned, ¡°Wow, Belle Chen, my dearest Goddess Xiaowan, do you still need a devoted and faithful slave? If you still need one, please receive me! I¡¯ll do the laundry, the cooking, serve tea, anything. Absolute satisfaction guaranteed!!!¡±


    Ji Jie slapped his shoulder and forcefully dragged him several meters away. She then came to Chen Xiaowan¡¯s front, reorganized her clothes, cleared her throat, and then revealed a similarly flattering smile as she said, ¡°Big Sis Xiaowan, our relationship should be the best one among our classmates, right? Well, whether you regard me as a very close person like your quilted jacket or your 24/7 attendant, just speak to me immediately if you need anything. I¡¯ll always follow you behind in the future.¡±


    ¡°Me too! You still have me! Being able to serve Goddess Chen will definitely be the highest honor of my life.¡±


    ¡°Xiaowan, being a classmate once is the same as becoming relatives for three lifetimes. Besides, we were all one whole family 500 years ago, so you gotta let me cling onto your thigh in the future.¡±


    ¡°O¡¯ Great Beauty Chen, do you still wish to receive a boy-toy? I¡¯m willing to become the second or third lover under your support.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Chen Xiaowan was struck dumb and rendered speechless as she faced the flatter of her old fellow students. Her lips twitched a few times. She could vaguely tell that the actions of these people should be caused by the arrival of Tang Xiu and Ouyang Lulu.


    As the merriment went by, Chen Xiaowan gradually understood what just happened. At this time, she looked at Wei Guotao with a smiling face. The disgust she had inside not only had disappeared but also replaced by a bit of gratefulness instead. While everyone else was chatting warmly, she secretly used her mobile to send Wei Guotao a text:


    ¡°So, back when you told me to go downstairs, it was intentional, wasn¡¯t it? You were afraid that I¡¯d be in danger when our classmates had a fight with those people?¡±


    After receiving the text, Wei Guotao only replied with one word: ¡°Yes.¡±


    Chen Xiaowan thoroughly understood his intention and replied with a thank you. She directly cast away the idea to leave earlier, and while watching her old classmates gulp clean the two bottles of Gods Nectar, her heart was even more touched by what Tang Xiu, her younger brother, did.


    Paradise Manor, Ouyang Lulu¡¯s residence.


    Tang Xiu sipped fragrant tea while reading the book, looking leisurely content. Ouyang Lulu was not there to accompany him, as she went to tend to business matters.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    The ringtone of his mobile broke the quiet atmosphere at this time.


    Tang Xiu picked up his mobile. After finding that it was a call from Gu Xiaoxue, he immediately put it through and smilingly said, ¡°Hello, Xiaoxue, is there something?¡±


    ¡°Did I disturb you, Grand Master?¡± Asked Gu Xiaoxue.


    ¡°Nope. It¡¯s alright.¡± Tang Xiu smiled.


    ¡°Actually, there are three issues why I¡¯m calling you,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue. ¡°The first is that Master asked me to ask you when will you have time to visit Jingmen Island. She said¡­ she misses you.¡±


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment and replied, ¡°The Magnificent Tang Corporation will hold a construction project tender bidding in Shanghai soon, so I can¡¯t leave for the time being. Convey my message to Yan¡¯er to wait for several days. I should be able to go to Jingmen Island in about a week.¡±


    After complying, Gu Xiaoxue spoke again, ¡°The second issue is about those adopted children you¡¯ve received, Grand Master. Banshou and his team have picked up a lot of street children from all over the country, many of whom have good aptitudes. After a short training and screening, the number of those who have passed the training is 800 people in total. Also, we can¡¯t accommodate more children in Jingmen Island. Do you want to choose another place to resettle them?¡±


    Tang Xiu was slightly surprised since he did not expect that Banshou and Dingzi would be this diligent and hard working. It took only six months for them to find these many street children. After pondering for a while, he then replied, ¡°I¡¯ll deal with this issue after I come to Jingmen Island. Tell me the third reason.¡±


    ¡°The Everlasting Feast Hall here has run out of funds, Grand Master,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue. ¡°Our people have been purchasing a colossal number of precious herbs from abroad, along with a huge number of precious ores, jades, etc¡­ Also, we have withdrawn all the funds held by our branches and stores at present. Furthermore, the consumption of more than 3,000 children, the salary, welfare, and benefits of the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s employees are¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu rubbed his temple and interrupted her, ¡°You don¡¯t have to report those small issues in detail. Just tell me how much funding you need.¡±


    ¡°The financial department has calculated that we need at least 8 to 10 billion in order to alleviate our current financial situation for the time being. Of course, it would be better if you can provide more,¡± answered Gu Xiaoxue.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth twitched. He still had some money, but he was shocked by the number Gu Xiaoxue reported. He still had some money in his account but he did not know its specific amount, though it should be still around 10 billion yuan. He was worrying exactly about the amount of money he had as of recently and did not expect that the call from Gu Xiaoxue would also be related to this issue, making him feel that he was really short on money.


    Tang Xiu lit up a cigarette, took a few deep puffs, and then said, ¡°I don¡¯t have that much money for the time being. I will check it out first, and then give you all the money I can use. If it¡¯s not enough, call me again. I¡¯ll find a way.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    After hanging up, Tang Xiu smoked his cigarette and checked the amount he had in his account through mobile banking. He was a bit dumbfounded when he saw the balance: 9.812 billion.


    Finished smoking, Tang Xiu clenched his teeth and directly transferred 9 billion yuan to Gu Xiaoxue, and then transferred 800 million to Kang Xia for use in the project in Shanghai after it started. Done with the transfer, he looked at the remaining 12 million in his account and could not help but groan.


    Money, money, money.


    He needed money now, desperately. Even if he had no need of it shortly, but once the construction project in Shanghai started, the follow-up was practically a money-burning process. In addition, the development and transformation of Clam Island and Resting Cemetery Island in the South China Sea would also require a colossal amount of funds. If the project in Nine Dragons Island was finished in June, there were still a lot of things he would need by that time. At least, it was a must to purchase a lot of jades.


    The Magnificent Tang Corporation still had some money, but in a few months later the New City project in Star City would progress greatly and the internal purchase of its real estate would definitely require a lot of funds. He must wait until the opening quotation of the real estate market if he wanted to withdraw the funds from circulation.


    How can I make a lot of money in the fastest and shortest time possible?


    Gambling crossed Tang Xiu¡¯s mind, but he directly cast the idea away. Money was not something that just fell from the sky, and casinos actually had some risk controls. It was fine if he only made a small amount of money, but he would probably offend a lot of people once he won too much.


    What about buying lottery tickets?


    As Tang Xiu thought about it, he could not help but force a wry smile. The amount of money in the prize pool of the major lottery institutions was just a drop in the bucket. It would be far from enough. Not to mention that it would garner attention from others if he did it excessively.


    Should I intentionally find faults and blackmail some rich families?


    The idea made Tang Xiu hollowly laugh twice and throw this thought away as well. He did not want to resort to this cheap, tasteless business. Unless those people offended him, he would not be cheeky to rob them.


    That¡¯s right. The Immortal Trove.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes lit up. But the light only lasted for a few seconds before fading away. Firstly, let alone knowing that the Immortal Trove truly had some valuable things, just that Six Starlight Array itself was the thing he had yet to completely figure out. Some of the mysteries contained within were still somewhat tricky to crack despite his deep attainments arrays.


    How about asking for support from the Tang Family?


    The idea made Tang Xiu a bit depressed. The Tang Family indeed should still have a lot of funds as of now, but his grandfather just gave him 50 billion yuan a few months ago, and the money was the savings they had been secretly stowed for many years¡ªan amount that would not affect the Tang Family at all!


    Two hours later.


    When Ouyang Lulu returned to her residence and opened her bedroom¡¯s door, she was immediately choked by the thick smoke inside. The smoke lingered in the heated room, making her cover her nose as she entered the room and quickly opened the windows. She then snappily glared at Tang Xiu, who was lost in thought and nested himself in the sofa, and then angrily said in a charming manner, ¡°Why are you smoking so much? The smell is so bad!¡±


    Tang Xiu snapped back to reality, and only then did he realize that the room was full of smoke. He immediately shook his head and smilingly said, ¡°I smoke a lot without realizing it when I¡¯m lost in thought and pondering about things.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s expression moved and asked with a concerned expression, ¡°What are you thinking about? Is it very troublesome?¡±


    Tang Xiu replied with a helpless expression, ¡°I¡¯m very short on money! I was just a nouveau rich with nearly 10 billion yuan in my account, but it only took seconds before I became broke.¡±


    ¡°Where did the money go?¡± Asked Ouyang Lulu, astounded.


    ¡°Xiaoxue called me. She told me that the Everlasting Feast Hall is short on money, hence I directly transferred 9 billion to her,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°On the other hand, the Magnificent Tang Corporation is preparing to construct its HQ and industrial park in Shanghai, so I transferred the remaining 800 million to Kang Xia. Added with the sum of funds I gave her previously, it should be enough to carry out the initial stage of the project. But then again, I have no money left now.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu took her wallet and took out a bank card from the inside, and then smilingly said, ¡°I can¡¯t be compared to you or those rich rednecks with billions in their bank accounts, but I still have the income from my own private property on Jingmen Island and this Paradise Manor. All the money is in this bank card equal to nearly 80 million yuan. Just take it as pocket money first, and then call me again if you require more.¡±


    Haih¡­


    Tang Xiu sighed twice and pushed her hand back. He just felt upset and complained to himself, but he did not want to take money from Lulu. Seeing her expression, Tang Xiu directly pulled her to his lap and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m not short on pocket money, and I can still get 18 million yuan by myself. I¡¯m just thinking about how to make more money in a short period of time. Just hold the money in this card. You don¡¯t have to give it to me, I will take the initiative to ask you when I really need it.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu looked satisfied and nodded. After taking back the card, she said, ¡°In any case, I have determined to be with you. Everything I have, thus all of my money and all of my assets are also yours. If worse comes to worst, you can also sell this Paradise Manor. Shortly put, you just need to tell me.¡±

 Chapter 736

    Chapter 736: Extremely Expensive Life Essence Pills


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Tang Xiu refused Lulu¡¯s money, not because of his pride as a man, but because he really did not need it. Unless she could give him tens of billions of yuan, he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to solve his money shortage problem for a long time.


    After chatting with her for a while, Tang Xiu then received a call from Chen Xiaowan.


    Ten in the night.


    Tang Xiu escorted Chen Xiaowan back to her flat in the Bishan Lake Sub-District. After her figure disappeared at the entrance of the residential building, only then did Tang Xi drove away.


    Following that, he headed to Tomson Villa Complex. He called Xue Yu before and learned that she had not gone to rest yet, so he went over.


    Tang Xiu then changed his shoes to slippers and took off his coat. After taking a seat on the sofa in the living room, he looked at Xue Yu, who was wearing a nightgown and had her long hair loose, and asked, ¡°Do you still have enough money?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Should be enough for some time.¡± Xue Yu nodded.


    Tang Xiu took his mobile out and transferred 10 million yuan into the bank card he gave Xue Yu before, and then said, ¡°I¡¯m short on money recently, so I sent just 10 million yuan to your bank card. I only have 2 million left on me.¡±


    ¡°Did something happen?¡± Asked Xue Yu curiously.


    ¡°Nothing happened.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s just that the structure of my business is getting bigger, so the amount of money invested in the early stages is a bit more. But then again, it will not be a problem anymore after a year or so has passed, though.¡±


    Xue Yu nodded in response without saying anything and accompanied Tang Xiu chatting. She then hurried to the kitchen, put on a new apron, and swiftly took the medicated diet hot pot before returning to the living room.


    ¡°Do you have some free time tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Is there something?¡±


    Xue Yu nodded and said, ¡°Actually, I was going to contact you tomorrow if you didn¡¯t come tonight. There was a Singular Recherch¨¦ Fruit in the Medicinal Herbs Market yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately, the price was a bit too high. I didn¡¯t have enough money to buy it.¡±


    ¡°Singular Recherch¨¦ Fruit?¡±


    Though Tang Xiu had read a lot of books and memorized thousands of types of Chinese herbal medicines, he had never heard of it.


    ¡°Singular Recherch¨¦ Fruit is a type of spiritual fruit that grows in a special area of the Miao Region. It¡¯s very precious as well as scarce. I heard from the Old Ancestress when I was a child that she obtained two of them, which she used for medicine to treat some viruses in the human¡¯s blood. Also, it is said to have very magical effects according to some cultivators from the Strange Doors. But I don¡¯t know what these magical effects are.¡±


    ¡°How much was it selling for?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°The store owner mistakenly identified the Singular Recherch¨¦ Fruit as a Hoarfrost Fruit. The value of the latter is also quite high, priced at 4-5 million each. The store owner was unaware that if someone who has keen eyes and knowledge were to recognize this Singular Recherch¨¦ Fruit, that person would definitely rush to buy it even for over a billion,¡± said Xue Yu with a smile.


    Tang Xiu dazed for a moment, and then asked, ¡°You also know about Chinese medicine?¡±


    ¡°Anyone who comes out of our Miao Region will have some bits of knowledge on it.¡± Xue Yu smiled and explained, ¡°I myself have been learning from my paternal grandfather and the Ancestress ever since I was a child. Though my medical skills are not that good, I can still treat some ordinary diseases. I also wrote some part of The Hundred School of Thoughts Compendium on Diseases four years ago, a medical book published by the circles of Chinese Medical practitioners.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes lit up. His interest suddenly piqued and he asked, ¡°I suddenly thought of a certain business that would be suitable for you to engage in. You should be able to make a fortune if you do well.¡±


    ¡°What business?¡± Asked Xue Yu with a smile.


    ¡°Premium-quality medicinal herbs business,¡± said


    ¡°What is that?¡± Xue Yu was confused.


    ¡°From what I have seen, major cities in China have medicinal herbs market, and so do second and third-tier cities. They indeed have some precious medicinal herbs in those medicinal herbs markets, but hidden and mixed in a large number of common medicinal ingredients. I found some very precious herbs from the stalls that sell ordinary medicinal herbs on some occasions.¡±


    ¡°So you mean¡­ filling the hole in the market?¡± Interjected Xue Yu.


    ¡°You can say that.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and smilingly said. ¡°However, you have limited strength by yourself, but you can recruit some people to help you find them. It would be best if you can do short-term training to make them memorize the herbs, names, efficacy, and shapes. When they are purchasing it, you can tell them to send pictures or videos for you to appraise and identify the items. You can also remotely control the purchase, whether you¡¯ll buy it or not¡­¡±


    Xue Yu¡¯s eyes lit up. From Tang Xiu¡¯s explanation, she found that this was indeed a good way to make money. The most important thing was that she could also keep the medicinal herbs for personal use while making a bit of money and purchasing them.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to try it.¡±


    ¡°You can think for yourself as for how to do it concretely,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll provide you a sum of money half a month later. Don¡¯t take it as pressure, though. Consider this as something to kill time.¡±


    ¡°No. You don¡¯t have to give me more money.¡± Xue Yu gently shook her head. ¡°I already have the 10 million you just transferred to me. It should be enough.¡±


    Tang Xiu did not speak again and took out his mobile, searching for Li Juren¡¯s cell number. After looking at it for several minutes, he eventually did call him.


    He was indeed able to concoct medicinal pills that could increase lifespan, but finding the specific medicinal ingredients was not an easy task. Though he could refine a few Life Essence Pills from the batches of medicinal herbs Li Juren sent him before, he was still unsure as for how much to sell them.


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Xue Yu untied the apron and then sat next to Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu looked at her and asked, ¡°If there is a medicinal pill that can increase the lifespan of the elderly for 3 to 5 years, what price do you think this medicinal pill could be sold at?¡±


    ¡°How many of these medicinal pills can you produce, exactly?¡± Asked Xue Yu.


    ¡°Only a few. I can refine ten in a short time, that¡¯s my limit,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    Xue Yu was lost in thought for a long time before she slowly said, ¡°An object is valued in proportion to its rarity, and life is something a human attaches great importance to. Nowadays, either in the mainland or overseas, the matter of most importance for many rich and powerful people is being close to death¡¯s door. They will probably spend a lot of their fortune just to be able to live three years more.¡±


    ¡°What about the specific pricing?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with raised brows.


    ¡°Tentatively setting the price at 500 million should not be a problem,¡± said Xue Yu seriously.


    500 million yuan?


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath before he took out his mobile and dialed Li Juren¡¯s cell number. Quickly, Li Juren¡¯s hearty laughter came from the phone, as he then said, ¡°Tang Xiu, I¡¯m so glad you called!¡±


    ¡°I want to discuss something with you,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°You already learned about the Life Essence Pill. If I were to sell you 10 Life Essence Pills for 500 million each, would you buy them?¡±


    ¡°I would!¡± Replied Li Juren with a decisive tone.


    ¡°I will bring 10 Life Essence Pills to Jingmen Island in half a month,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°If you are determined to buy them, then come to the Jingmen Island¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall! As for whether you buy it for yourself or to resell, it¡¯s your business.¡±


    ¡°Pricing a pill at 500 million yuan is very affordable and profitable,¡± said Li Juren with a happy tone. ¡°I¡¯ll personally rush to Jingmen Island and wait for your call.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Tang Xiu replied and directly hung up the phone.


    Xue Yu could clearly hear the conversation between Tang Xiu and Li Juren just now. Though she regarded wealth as something trivial, she still felt genuine admiration inside toward Tang Xiu, as he could sell ten medicinal pills for a total of 5 billion yuan just via a phone call.


    Force, talent and knowledge, moral character, and the ability to make money.


    Xue Yu analyzed these four characteristics inwardly and thought it over and over again. She could see that Tang Xiu possessed all these four, and very splendidly at that.


    ¡°Then, are you going to refine this medicinal pill?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll go with you to the medicine herbs market tomorrow and buy some medicinal herbs in passing.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Anyways, when will the medicated diet be ready? I¡¯m going back home earlier after drinking it up.¡±


    Xue Yu stared blankly, and then immediately said, ¡°Can you¡­ stay tonight?¡±


    Tang Xiu shot her a deep look before shaking his head and saying, ¡°I can¡¯t. There are things I need to deal with. Just wait, I¡¯ll have to take care of something shortly.¡±


    Sure enough. After the medicated diet was boiled and Tang Xiu had yet to finish drinking it, Mo Awu called him to report that a fierce battle just occurred between the SOE¡¯s Austin Cole¡¯s group and the military in the vicinity of Kangsha Pharmaceuticals in Jingning District. The military lost some people, but Austin Cole was injured and had seven or eight of his men killed in the fierce battle.


    ¡°Two people suddenly appeared at the end of the battle, Boss. They are very strong, nearly reaching the level of martial arts grandmaster. They left, taking Austin Cole away after inflicting heavy damage on several experts from the military. They retreated toward Kangsha Pharmaceuticals¡¯ direction.¡±


    ¡°What has Mouse found on them?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a deep frown.


    ¡°Mouse already sent his men to investigate, but the other party retreated so fast that he has yet to obtain any result,¡± said Mo Awu. ¡°However, those two men in full body armor left some traces outside the wall of Kangsha Pharmaceuticals.¡±


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be there immediately. Do not act rashly until I arrive.¡±


    After hanging up, Tang Xiu got up and picked up his coat. He then looked at Xue Yu, who looked to be wanting to speak but hesitated, and spoke to her, ¡°There really is something I need to deal with tonight. I¡¯ll come here to get you tomorrow after I¡¯m done dealing with the matter over there.¡±


    ¡°Please be careful, and do pay attention to your safety,¡± said Xue Yu quickly.


    ¡°OK.¡± Tang Xiu replied and left as fast as possible. It was already late at night when he arrived at Kangsha Pharmaceuticals. Though he had already predicted that the place would not be quiet, he still frowned upon seeing a lot of policemen and a SWAT squad had blocked all the surrounding areas.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    In a dark street corner, Mouse furtively appeared and shouted with a controlled voice when he saw Tang Xiu, and then brought him to Mo Awu¡¯s team.


    ¡°You¡¯re finally here, Boss.¡±


    ¡°How is the situation currently?¡± Asked Tang Xiu. ¡°Have you found out the background of the two men who appeared in the end?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not 100% sure.¡± Mouse hesitant before answering, ¡°But according to the traces left by them when leaving and from what I¡¯ve seen and heard all these years, they should be Xie Zhiqiang¡¯s men. They should have retreated to Kangsha Pharmaceuticals after rescuing Austin Cole.¡±


    Tang Xiu pondered for a while before he looked at Mouse and asked, ¡°So, based on your experience, when will the cops cease blockading the scene of the fight?¡±


    ¡°Most of them should be leaving in two hours,¡± said Mouse. ¡°However, some people will still remain there to monitor the scene.¡±


    A cold light flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he said in a deep tone, ¡°Mouse, tell your men to fully retreat. Awu, we¡¯ll wait here until 3 AM. You and I will rush through and enter Kangsha Pharmaceuticals.¡±

 Chapter 737

    Chapter 737: Dog Eat Dog


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The first time they sneaked into Kangsha Pharmaceuticals, Tang Xiu and Mo Awu had not yet entered the innermost gate sentry. But this time, Tang Xiu had temporality refined ten Invisible Talismans and the group did not encounter any obstacles and arrived at the innermost gate sentry.


    Bam, bam, bam¡­


    Jin Shi and the others instantly stunned the six security guards who were vigilantly standing guard outside the gate.


    Tang Xiu unleashed the Bloodguzzler Dagger and imbued his Primal Chaos Force to slash the iron gate. The entire thick iron gate was cut as easily as cutting tofu, as eleven men then dashed through the interior of the building, greeted by flashing red lights and sirens.


    ¡°Awu, take some men to clean up the mixed fishes. Remember, try not to kill if you can. Just stun them,¡± ordered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Roger!¡± Mo Awu complied and led four experts upstairs to the following floors.


    Tang Xiu stood before the elevator and coldly stared at its entrance. He predicted that some people would rush out given the situation outside and the buzzing alarm. As expected, the elevator¡¯s entrance suddenly opened half a minute later, as six men in black full body armor wielding nearly two-meter long blades rushed out from the inside.


    ¡°ON GUARD.¡±


    A fierce and swift aura exuded from all the pores of the first man¡¯s body to rush out of the elevator door, as he dazed for a moment after dashing out. The sensor inside showed that there were many intruders outside the elevator door, how could there be nobody now? As the prized hatchet man under Xie Zhiqiang, however, he still maintained his vigilance at its highest.


    Tang Xiu was standing in front of him while folding his arms and watching the man¡¯s vigilant look. His fist then heavily hammered the man¡¯s forehead. Even though he wore a hard helmet, the huge force smashed the helmet and slammed onto his temple.


    Bang¡­


    The man in armor crashed to the floor, and yet the gigantic force was unable to kill him. At the moment when Jin Shi and the rest instantly stormed over the other five armored men, the man who was knocked down by Tang Xiu shook his head and propped himself up with difficulty, trying to get up.


    ¡°Oh? This is a bit interesting.¡±


    Tang Xiu stepped on the back of the man in armor and forced him back to lie on the floor, and sneered, ¡°Quite a powerful strength and unexpectedly able to withstand my heavy punch. This full body armor does have good protection, the only pity is that it¡¯s kind of out of place to be worn by you.¡±


    In just a few seconds, the other five armored men were also knocked down by Jin Shi and the rest. Taking advantage of the situation, Jin Shi approached and kicked the armored man under Tang Xiu¡¯s foot, asking, ¡°This elevator should lead to the underground. Shall we get down, Boss?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll go down.¡± Tang Xiu strode into the elevator quickly followed by the others. The elevator descended, and the door directly opened ten seconds after. As more than a dozen men in full body armor outside the elevator saw Tang Xiu and his men, some of them at the front directly stormed over.


    Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh¡­


    Several flying swords were unleashed. Along with the flashing sword lights, the hard armor was easily cut as four or five armored men were killed in an instant.


    The underground space was very large. Other than two large halls, there were still more than a dozen spacious rooms. In the innermost monitoring room, Xie Zhiqiang and Austin Cole had reached an agreement. The latter had even contacted the HQ in Europe and ordered the Financial Director of the SOE company to transfer 1 billion USD to Xie Zhiqiang¡¯s Swiss Bank account.


    At present, however, Austin Cole had a very nasty expression. He was known for his fierceness and cruelty. Fury and anger surged inside his whole being as his fierce and ruthless eyes stared at the surveillance monitor that displayed the scene where the men in armor were constantly being killed.


    ¡°Xie Zhiqiang, those armored warriors of yours have yet to go through genetic modification, yet they are already very formidable, right? Why can the enemy still easily kill them? You can see for yourself that they are not using any guns at all. They are only using¡­ swords?! That¡¯s right, those are ancient swords used by those barbarians!¡± Austin Cole turned around and roared furiously.


    Xie Zhiqiang¡¯s complexion was ghastly pale as a light flashed in his eyes as he got lost in thought. He did not know the origins of these people, but there was something he was very clear about that: his impregnable underground base could not stop their advance whatsoever with their power.


    There was only one way out for him at present. Running away!


    He must escape with the gene particles and his four best Genetic Warriors!


    ¡°A Ming, A Liang. Send someone to secure the core research data and the other data at once and rush to the third exit as fast as possible. Start the self-destruct system and set the countdown to three minutes. The enemies are very strong. We don¡¯t need to be entangled in combat with them here, thus we¡¯ll just evacuate first. I¡¯ll find ways to figure out their identities later.¡± Xie Zhiqiang suddenly got up and walked outside while sending his orders with a solemn expression.


    Anger all over his face, Austin Cole dashed to block the door, took out his gun, aimed it at Xie Zhiqiang¡¯s head and shouted, ¡°I¡¯m seriously suspecting you now, Xie Zhiqiang. Black eats black and dog eats dog, eh? We have already bought the gene particles and their research data. But you obviously have backups!!¡±


    ¡°Watch your words and actions, Mr. Cole.¡± Xie Zhiqiang frowned and coldly said, ¡°If I really wanted to do so, I¡¯d have already ordered my men to kill you right after the SOE company paid me instead of waiting until now. Those who got butchered outside are my men! The masters I have groomed using the gene particles! Other than the gene particles used on them, there are still those armors tailored especially for them. Do you know how much I had to spend on one set of full body armor? FOUR MILLION USD! That¡¯s how much each its worth. Now tell me, how much I lost just to meet you, huh?¡±


    Austin Cole wavered, as he also could tell that there was no need for Xie Zhiqiang to create such a plot. After all, these Genetic Warriors were very formidable and they were Xie Zhiqiang¡¯s men whose loyalty was unquestionable. It was better to order them to kill themselves rather than using their lives to play an act.


    After thinking it through, he put his gun away. Just as he turned to look at the monitor screen, Xie Zhiqiang instantly moved and directly stabbed his neck from the side with a dagger. With a face full of killing intent, he then shouted, ¡°Kill all those from the SOE company!!!¡±


    Bang, bang, bang¡­


    Gunshots were sounded, but the bullets hit no one. The ones who opened fire were Austin Cole¡¯s men, but two seconds after they opened fire, all of them had already been hit by sharp daggers and blades. A Ming and A Qing swiftly killed eight or nine of Austin¡¯s men and picked up the two suitcases in their hands.


    Xie Zhiqiang squatted and patted Austin Cole, whose neck was twitching, and sneered at him, ¡°I would not have the need to kill you had no enemies intruded into my base. But you already suspected me for scheming, thus it would be a shame and unfair to you if I were not to realize that idea of yours. Don¡¯t worry, though. I can shift the blame of your death on the intruders so they can bear the unlucky black pot for me.¡±


    ¡°WARNING TO BOSS! WARNING TO BOSS! The self-destruct system has been turned on. The site will explode within three minutes.¡± A low voice suddenly broadcasted from the walkie-talkie on A Ming¡¯s shoulder.


    Xie Zhiqiang immediately got up and kicked Austin Cole, sending him to his death directly. Then, he ordered in a deep voice, ¡°Notify the rest to immediately retreat to the third exit. Tell the others at the outside to prepare the cars, we¡¯ll leave as fast as possible.¡±


    Outside the underground elevator.


    Tang Xiu, Jin Shi, and the others did not show mercy this time and completely steamrolled more than a dozen armored men in just 20 seconds. As dozens of men in black suits and heavy firearms came out from the inside corridor, Jin Shi and the rest quickly dispersed to find a cover while delivering lethal strikes.


    ¡°Frost Needles!¡±


    Tang Xiu did not run as he condensed ice needles out of thin air. Each black-suited man who appeared was then hit by an ice needle on their vital points. While rapidly advancing forward, dozens of men in black suits were killed.


    Suddenly, two bald and burly men appeared in the corridor ahead as the two sides then clashed fiercely. The two bald men sprinted toward Jin Shi¡¯s group at the front while holding a sharp dagger.


    ¡°HACK ¡®EM!¡±


    Jin Shi and the others scornfully sneered as they controlled their flying swords to sweep the two, but the two burly men avoided the strikes that were originally a sure hit and kill strike with an instant movement.


    ¡°INTRUDERS¡­ YOU¡¯RE DEAD!!!¡±


    One of the bald men with a scar on his face hideously grinned as he swept his dagger toward Jin Shi¡¯s face. Just at this moment, it was a few centimeters away from Jin Shi¡¯s face, however, two ice needles instantly pierced his eyes.


    AAARGH¡­


    A shrill scream came out from the bald man¡¯s mouth as he retracted back his swift and fierce strike instantly. A flying sword flying behind him then hacked his waist the moment he subconsciously tried to evade.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression was cold as he shouted in a deep voice, ¡°Focus and unleash everything you have in combat!!!¡±


    Jin Shi and the others looked ashamed and immediately threw away the thought of underestimating the enemy from their mind, manipulating the flying swords to form a sword array to launch a strike to kill the other bald man.


    Two minutes later, Tang Xiu, Jin Shi, and the others had already rushed to the third exit. Tang Xiu had already guessed that Xie Zhiqiang was responsible for the death of Austin Cole and his men, but he did not pity them at all. After seeing the tightly shut third exit door, Tang Xiu only sneered and released his Bloodguzzler Dagger again to slash the entire dor.


    In a factory inside Kangsha Pharmaceuticals, Xie Zhiqiang had already come out with more than a dozen of his men. A scornful sneer painted his face as he walked outside the factory, and then asked in a deep voice, ¡°Have A Feng and Qiangzi come out yet?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps they won¡¯t come out.¡± A Ming shook his head.


    A thick killing intent suffused Xie Zhiqiang¡¯s eyes, as he imposingly said, ¡°The underground base will explode in less than a minute. Since they won¡¯t come out, then the enemies shall be buried along with them! Have you brought along all the data and gene particles?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve brought everything.¡± A Ming nodded.


    Screech, screech, screech, screech¡­


    Six SUVs quickly stopped outside the factory with only the driver in each car. They were the people Xie Zhiqiang had long arranged to aid and fetch them up at the third exit once the underground base was compromised, so they could evacuate him as fast as possible.

 Chapter 738

    Chapter 738: Prohibited Goods


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Xie Zhiqiang was a very cautious man in nature, and he cherished the life of the men associated with him unless he was forced into a critical juncture. He did not delay in the slightest when he had to retreat from the underground base because he did not know whether the enemy had found the third exit, and if so, whether they were trying to destroy the door.


    When he finally noticed the six SUVs from its roaring engines, he stopped at the gate of the factory and finally felt relieved. There was a side door in the company that only a few people knew about. His escape route would not be affected even if the enemies were to block the company¡¯s front gate.


    As he stopped in front of the car, Xie Zhiqiang turned his head and shot a deep look at the inside of the warehouse, muttering to himself, ¡°This place will become a hell on Earth shortly. Only death shall come to whoever dares to eye the results of my research.¡±


    With that said, he hummed coldly and turned around to board the SUV. A Ming, who followed behind him, suddenly felt an acute sense of crises surging inside his heart at the moment he was about to open the door for Xie Zhiqiang. Almost in a flash, he dashed and pushed Xie Zhiqiang¡¯s body to the ground.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Blade lights abruptly descended from the sky as though they were striking down from the Milky Way, somewhat dazzling under the illumination of the starlight. The blade lights hacked down the six SUVs with loud bangs, as the flame blazed and splattered to all directions to the gas tank, swallowing the six cars in an instant.


    Leading the four masters of the Everlasting Feast Hall, Mo Awu rushed down like a whooshing gale from midair. At the moment when the six SUVs exploded and the fire blazed toward Xie Zhiqiang¡¯s men, the five men bolted and killed five or six people in just a few breaths.


    ¡°SCRAM!!!¡±


    The muscles in A Liang¡¯s body turned tighter. He was also injected with gene particles that transformed him into a Genetic Warrior. Be it was strength or speed, he now was something he did not dare to imagine before, even in his dreams. At this moment, he felt that power was bursting out from all over his body. Without pulling out his weapon, he directly stormed over Mo Awu with punches.


    He did think that the way Mo Awu and his men appeared was quite amazing but digressed since he thought that it should be due to their powerful weapons. He firmly believed he could easily kill them if he was to fight them head-on.


    Mo Awu did not avoid the clash and similarly sent heavy punches. The moment his fist was about to clash with A Liang¡¯s, he released a flying sword from his fist and instantly slashed A Liang¡¯s fist straight through his arm and directly hacked his body into two halves from the side.


    ¡°Like the Boss said, killing the enemy should be done in the most concise and quickest way possible. Release your flying swords to kill them, but leave Xie Zhiqiang alive.¡±


    The other four experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall controlled their flying swords to form a sword array, as the flying swords quickly revolved in the air and claimed the lives of the rest other than Xie Zhiqiang and A Ming, leaving six black suitcases dropped on the ground.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    A ghostly figure sprinted out of the factory. It was Tang Xiu, who then waved his hands, creating a layer of chilling mist out of thin air to shroud the burning SUVs. The previously burning SUVs were shrouded in a light ice layer and the flames were completely extinguished in just a short six or seven breaths.


    ¡°BOSS!¡±


    A few seconds later, a middle-aged man came out. He then stood in front of Tang Xiu and respectfully sad, ¡°I have removed the self-destruct device, so the underground base can be preserved.¡±


    Xie Zhiqiang, who had just crawled up from the ground, had a panicked and horrified expression on his face. Under A Ming¡¯s protection, he stared at Tang Xiu and the others. But when he heard the report from that Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s expert, fear that filled his heart and he shouted with a disbelieving face, ¡°THAT¡¯S IMPOSSIBLE!!! None can remove or stop the self-destruct system once it¡¯s started. I bought this self-destruct system from the black arms dealer¡¯s Kingpin in Germany with a sky-high price.¡±


    The middle-aged man shot a cold look at Xie Zhiqiang and mocked him, ¡°Tell that to others, but not me. Your self-destruct system is something I researched and developed when I was training with some armed forces in Germany. I wrote the code and algorithm myself and created two backdoors concealed by some camouflaged codes.¡±


    Xie Zhiqiang¡¯s body trembled and his pupils contracted, at the same time he suddenly exclaimed, ¡°You, you, you¡­ are you Blood Shark Xue Sha? Damn, how the hell did the famous Xue Sha come to China? Also¡­ he¡¯s¡­ your Boss?¡±


    Xue Sha ignored him and turned to look at Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu nodded at him and said with a smile, ¡°I was worried that troublesome noises would follow before. But it seems the problem has been contained now. You did well. You¡¯ll be rewarded after we get back.¡± After saying that, his vision fell on Xie Zhiqiang and smilingly spoke, ¡°I¡¯ve long heard so much about you, Boss Xie.¡±


    Xie Zhiqiang himself felt that Tang Xiu was somewhat familiar, but was unable to recall where he had seen him. After hesitating, he asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re worthy to learn my name given your capabilities. I¡¯m Tang Xiu.¡± Tang Xiu smiled.


    Xie Zhiqiang¡¯s expression moved and he blurted out, ¡°Tang Xiu the Young Divine Doctor? The owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation?¡±


    ¡°Well, things will be easier since you already know me,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°If anything, I really have to thank you for researching this gene particle. But this stuff will undoubtedly bring about colossal changes in the world¡¯s situation once it spreads out. Hence, I feel the need to keep this stuff for you. You won¡¯t object to it, right?¡±


    ¡°Just spit it out openly that you want to rob it from me! Why the fucking hypocritical face?¡± Roared Xie Zhiqiang furiously.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of death?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Xie Zhiqiang blanked and his expression became very ugly. One indeed had to bow their heads under the eaves, and he was genuinely afraid in the face of death. However, after spending years with a lot of money invested in the research and then having his research results snatched away like this really distressed him.


    It was the first time his anger overcame his fear, driving him to not bow his head before Tang Xiu.


    ¡°If my guess is correct, Austin Cole from the SOE company also came to Shanghai. He should be here to make a deal with you, no?¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°But then this guy secretly came to Shanghai and even engineered many murder cases here just to shroud the eyes and ears of the public in an attempt to divert the Security Department and the police. Should I calculate this account on your head as well?¡±


    Xie Zhiqiang did not even try to deny it. He knew well that it was impossible to escape from this whatever he said.


    ¡°Help me get a sum of money from the SOE company and I¡¯ll spare your life. How about taking this deal?¡± Tang Xiu said again.


    Xie Zhiqiang stared at Tang Xiu deeply and suddenly asked, ¡°You said you don¡¯t want to spread out the existence of this gene particle, no? Why? Do you really not want to gain a fortune from it?¡±


    ¡°Never. Absolutely not.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    Xie Zhiqiang let out a mirthless smile and said, ¡°I get it. I¡¯ll tell you the truth, then. The SOE company has already paid me 1 billion USD into my unregistered account at the Swiss bank. But I¡¯ll never hand it over to you. The information about the gene particle is bound to spread as long as I¡¯m alive, and I know perfectly well that you¡¯ve probably sentenced me to death, right? Only dead men tell no tales.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a while before he slowly nodded and said, ¡°Good inference. Though I feel it¡¯s kind of a pity for such a talented man like you to die tonight.¡±


    Xie Zhiqiang then turned to look at Mo Awu and the experts of the Everlasting Feast hall around, mocking, ¡°The value of the gene particles is simply immeasurable. Possessing it is tantamount to have money, power, and status. You can even have formidable strength if you use it on yourselves. Do you really think that the news won¡¯t spread out? You brought a lot of people to snatch it, to begin with. Hahaha¡­ men will die for riches as will birds for food. There will be ones among your men who will betray you for it.¡±


    There was a contemptuous look on Tang Xiu face, as a similarly disdaining expression on Mo Awu and the other ten men¡¯s faces. Tang Xiu then shook his head and smilingly said, ¡°I thought you were smart, but never did I expect for you to be this idiot. Don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t realized something from what we¡¯ve done tonight?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Xie Zhiqiang frowned.


    Tang Xiu snapped his fingers as the Bloodguzzler Dagger appeared and revolved around his fingers. Along with his will, the dagger flashed and turned into a blood-colored light and pierced A Ming¡¯s throat, then pierced the man¡¯s heart from the back. In less than a second, it then flew back to Tang Xiu¡¯s fingers.


    ¡°Your so-called Genetic Warriors are nothing but a joke to us. Those men in full body armor and those four strongest men of yours should have been injected with gene particles, right? They indeed became very strong, yet they collapsed like dogs before us, though it was a bit more difficult than pinching ants.


    ¡°Alright. For the sake of burying the secret here, then I shall give up this trivial blackmailing money.


    ¡°So¡­ you can die.¡±


    The Bloodguzzler Dagger flashed through and killed Xie Zhiqiang, then Tang Xiu said, ¡°All of you, you have 30 minutes to clean up all the security guards outside. Also, sweep away everything in the underground base and leave no trace or evidence of murder here.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The eleven men, including Mo Awu, instantly disappeared from their spots. Reducing corpses to ashes and obliterating all traces was a skill any expert must have, and it only took half an hour for all the bodies to be disposed of, all the combat traces to be erased, and even remove the explosives installed in the underground base to be piled up together.


    ¡°There are many prohibited goods stored in the underground base, but I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be easy to take them out quietly.¡± Mo Awu came to Tang Xiu¡¯s front and reported with an embarrassed face.


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment before he flipped his hand and took out an interspatial. He handed it over to Mo Awu and said, ¡°Drop your blood on the ring to mark your ownership. This ring will be yours later, and you can deal with those things in the base down there quietly. Also, take all the explosives as well.¡±


    Interspatial ring?


    Mo Awu¡¯s heart thumped and his face was wild with joy. He knew what meaning an interspatial ring was. He saw that Boss, Little Boss, Gu Yan¡¯er, Elder Ji, and some others also had one, and he had been dreaming of having one but never thought that his dream would come true this fast.


    The rest of the men around him looked envious. Though they also wanted to have an interspatial ring, none dared to ask Tang Xiu for one. After all, an interspatial ring was not an ordinary object, and was even considered a priceless treasure in the eyes of countless cultivators.

 Chapter 739

    Chapter 739: Finding A Candidate For Experiments


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Upon seeing his men¡¯s expression, Tang Xiu lightly smiled, ¡°I¡¯ll gift each of you an interspatial ring when you reach the Golden Core Stage as long as you work hard!¡±


    ¡°Thanks a lot, Boss!¡±


    10 men of Jin Shi¡¯s group looked pleasantly surprised as they cupped their fists and thanked him at the same time.


    The smile on Tang Xiu¡¯s face turned a bit thicker. Manufacturing interspatial rings would need several precious materials, such as the rare and difficult to find Void Crack Stone. But the Everlasting Feast Hall recently purchased precious ores in large numbers, and from the list Gu Xiaoxue sent him he learned that there were a dozen fist-sized Void Crack Stones among them.


    At present, it was a good time and opportunity to buy his men¡¯s hearts, something he did not want to waste.


    Tang Xiu then stored all the suitcases Xie Zhiqiang was going to take away into his interspatial ring. And when Mo Awu had stuffed all the contrabands and prohibited stuff in the underground base along with all the explosives in his interspatial ring, the company put on Invisible Talismans and then departed silently.


    Although the previous gunfire occurred inside, the scene was dozens of meters deep in the underground and no noise could be heard at the outside. Hence, no outsiders knew that a brutal massacre had just happened. However, the explosion of the six SUVs had aroused the attention of some people nearby, such as someone from the State Intelligence Agency.


    Chen Bing.


    He was a top soldier, the first line of the intelligence network who had repeatedly accomplished his missions overseas and achieved relatively good results. He was transferred back to the mainland not long after the killings in Shanghai. After his investigation, he had determined that Kangsha Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary company of Brain Assembly Biotech, was very suspicious and highly likely to be the hiding place of the third man in charge of the overseas SOE company.


    ¡°Have you had any contact with the guy called Mouse?¡± Asked Chen Bing, who stood at the gate of Kangsha Pharmaceuticals looking at the eyes of four ordinary security guards.


    ¡°No, we did not see him. It¡¯s like he was just evaporated from the world. We can¡¯t find him at all.¡±


    ¡°Keep looking for him. Make sure you get in touch with him.¡±


    With that order, Chen Bing turned to the car parked on the roadside. Although he did not know what happened inside Kangsha Pharmaceuticals¡¯ complex and why the fire broke out in a short time, he did not intend to give up the investigation. However, it was four in the morning, the time when the security guards inside the company were the most vigilant.


    He could only wait after dawn to let the security guards inside think that nobody would sneak into the venue. Only then would it be the best time to sneak inside and do the investigation.


    ****


    Bluestar Villa District.


    Just as Tang Xiu returned home, he received a call from Mouse. After listening to his report, Tang Xiu fell silent for a while and slowly said, ¡°Can you confirm the identity of the other party?¡±


    ¡°I have no way to figure it out for the time being,¡± said Mouse. ¡°But I suspect that he¡¯s a member of the State Intelligence Agency. There was fierce combat in the vicinity of Kangsha Pharmaceuticals last night, so the party who is most anxious about it should be them. Also, those two men in full body armor involved in the combat have severely injured a few special soldiers from the army, the very reason they ought to be anxious.¡±


    ¡°Drag the time until dawn before you contact them,¡± said Tang Xiu slowly. ¡°If they want to buy information from you, just tell them directly that Xie Zhiqiang has fled abroad and escaped through some special channels. Tell them that you don¡¯t know too much. Furthermore, you will inform them that those SOE company¡¯s people have also left and some people burned the dead bodies inside Kangsha Pharmaceuticals last night. You don¡¯t have to tell them the identity of those bodies. Just tell them that all of them are foreigners.¡±


    ¡°I understand. But¡­¡± Mouse replied and there was a hesitant tone in his voice.


    ¡°Just speak it out directly. I don¡¯t like mutters and mumbles,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Mouse quickly said, ¡°I already sold the information to the military before, Boss. If I were to sell the information to them according to what you told me, I¡¯m afraid¡­ it will cause them to be vigilant. I fear they will put me on the watch list once this matter is over.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll dispatch some men to escort you out of Shanghai tonight,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°We still need to set up the intelligence network of the surrounding cities so you¡¯ll go and stay in Changxi for two days before moving to another city. In addition, I¡¯ll assign two experts to protect you and also to impart you some disguise techniques.¡±


    ¡°Thanks a lot, Boss,¡± said Mouse rapidly.


    Tang Xiu hung up and then took Mo Awu to the study room. After taking out six large and on small suitcases from his interspatial ring, he opened the small one first. It was covered with foam inside with quite a deep block that held six bottles of green granules.


    ¡°Is this the gene particle, Boss?¡± Mo Awu picked up a bottle and curiously asked after observing it repeatedly.


    ¡°It should be, else Xie Zhiqiang would not be so cautious and discrete,¡± confirmed Tang Xiu. ¡°If anything, we have yet to know whether there are any side effects of using this gene particle. Therefore, I must conduct an experiment. I¡¯ve been thinking about some candidates to experiment on the way back here.¡±


    ¡°Who are you going to experiment it on, Boss?¡± Asked Mo Awu, baffled.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to find a way to get a batch of death row inmates who are about to be executed from some state prisons,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°They¡¯re going to die anyway, so it¡¯s rather suitable to experiment it on them.¡±


    Mo Awu¡¯s expression seemed suddenly enlightened with an idea and argued with a serious expression, ¡°The prisons in our country are somewhat different from those in foreign countries. Whether it¡¯s the management system or the attitude of its internal staff, it will be very difficult to get the death row inmates outside. How about I take a trip to a certain country, Boss? As long as we have enough money to offer, we can buy quite a lot of prisoners.¡±


    Tang Xiu pondered about Mo Awu¡¯s idea and felt that it made sense. He did not want to get into troublesome matters in China, especially with the government involved It would be much better and feasible if he could spend money to get some death row inmates from some prisons abroad.


    ¡°From which country¡¯s prisons do you think more are suitable for the plan, Awu?¡±


    ¡°What is the true purpose of your experiment, Boss?¡± Asked Mo Awu. ¡°I mean, once you have tested the gene particle and found that it has no side effects, those people you have experimented it on will definitely have their strength greatly promoted. How are you going to handle them then? If you plan to directly kill them, there are many choices you can pick such as the ten most inhumane prisons in the world which have a large number of inmates dying every year. But if you don¡¯t want to avoid killing and even want to put them to use, we need to screen them out well.¡±


    Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, ¡°I can be ruthless and merciless toward my enemies, I admit that. But for those who have not offended me, it would be difficult for me to do the same. In the case¡­ that if the gene particle does not have side effects, I do have a plan to receive these people to work for me.¡±


    Mo Awu thought it through carefully and finally said, ¡°If that is the case, there¡¯s a suitable prison for that: Israel, Concentration Camp No. 1319. It¡¯s a concentration camp where lethally dangerous prisoners are being detained, and the information regarding this entire place is highly confidential. Awen had been there before to assassinate a notorious arms dealer. According to the intel we acquired before, Concentration Camp No. 1319 is only a large prison in Israel, but few know that 16 countries in the United Nations have signed a top-secret agreement to send the cruelest and lethally dangerous individuals in the world, over 60% of them had been secretly sent to be detained there.¡±


    ¡°You mean, the prisoners being detained there are all terrifying and horrible individuals?¡± Asked Tang Xiu in surprise.


    ¡°Yeah. Nearly all of them have hands stained with blood.¡± Mo Awu nodded. ¡°About 80% of the prisoners detained there will die inside. The number of prisoners being held in this prison is not many, about more than 1200 people five years ago. But if all those 1200 people were to be let loose together in any country, I¡¯m very sure that the country would fall into turmoil in no time.


    ¡°The world¡¯s top hitman organization, Dark Spirit of the Night, that was destroyed 11 years ago, had its most horrifying number-one hitman, Spectre, detained there. He was a terrifying character who was the subject of horror talk of the world¡¯s leaders and with hands that had claimed thousands of people¡¯s souls.¡±


    Tang Xiu furrowed his brows and asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t he escape if he¡¯s so powerful?¡±


    ¡°Concentration Camp No. 1319 is not an easy place to enter and is even more difficult to come out,¡± explained Mo Awu with a forced smile. ¡°Back when I, Awen, and the other six experts of our Everlasting Feast Hall went there, it could be said that we exhausted every trick we had up our sleeves before we were finally able to sneak Awen inside. To get him out, we collaborated with some people in the inside, and yet, we barely came out alive after paying the price with the death of one of us and at the cost of the severe injuries of the other five.¡±


    Hiss¡­ Tang Xiu could not help but gasp. He knew perfectly well about Mo Awu and Mo Awen¡¯s strength. They were already very formidable before they became cultivators. And yet, he never thought that they had to pay such a big price to assassinate their target there.


    Tang Xiu lit up a cigarette. After it was halfway burned, he then asked the issue he was most concerned about, ¡°This prison is horrifyingly terrible, is it really not easy to get him out of this prison?¡±


    ¡°One can make the devils push the millstone as long as he has money,¡± said Mo Awu. ¡°If you can afford the price, it won¡¯t be an issue.¡±


    ¡°How much do you think it will be to get Spectre out of this prison?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It would be extremely difficult without preparing nine digits,¡± said Mo Awu with a forced smile. ¡°And I¡¯m talking about US dollars.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s pupils contracted and commented with an astounded expression, ¡°At least 100 million US dollars?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Mo Awu nodded. ¡°I once heard the news that Spectre had a personal enemy who was willing to pay 100 million USD to enter that prison to exact his revenge and kill him. In the end, that man not only failed to get his revenge but also buried himself inside.¡±


    ¡°Eh? You mean, Spectre killed the guy inside the prison?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Mo Awu nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s interesting.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°This Spectre piqued my interest. Anyways, let¡¯s wait first! I¡¯m kind of broke as of now, and it will be a fool¡¯s dream to get him out of prison right now. The most important thing for me now is to make more money.¡±


    Following that, Tang Xiu opened the other six suitcases, two of which contained a variety of exquisite and sophisticated instruments, dozens of types of them, while the other four large suitcases were stuffed with various documents.


    ¡°Interesting. Other than the data of this gene particle, there is still the data on the development of that full body armor. It seems that the harvest this time is not just the gene particle!¡±

 Chapter 740

    Chapter 740: Contradiction Between Words And Deeds


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Tang Xiu had seen this full body armor worn by those Genetic Warriors. The entire set of armor consisted of multiple parts, but even though they were assembled into a whole piece, the joints were very flexible and the movements were swift during the fight, while exponentially increasing the power of its wearer at the same time.


    ¡°Awu, haven¡¯t you stripped down the full body armors worn by those Genetic Warriors?¡± Tang Xiu put the documents back into the suitcase and asked.


    ¡°Other than four sets of armor that are quite damaged, I stored the other 23 sets into my interspatial ring,¡± said Mo Awu.


    With that said, his thought moved and a new armor appeared in his hand in an instant. The armor was neatly folded and secured inside a transparent container. Obviously, this set of armor suit had not been equipped by those Genetic Warriors.


    ¡°Try it on.¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s expression moved and he immediately ordered.


    Swiftly, Mo Awu put on the full body armor and then tried to move and feel it before saying, ¡°This set of armor is quite heavy, Boss. It should be about 40 kg. If an ordinary person was to wear this stuff, let alone fighting others, even his movements would be very slow. Those Genetic Warriors had their strength increased, so it was quite suitable for them to wear it. But this full body armor is of little value to us, cultivators.¡±


    ¡°So, what do you suggest? Would anyone buy this armor if I were to sell it?¡±


    ¡°Private armies will have no need for such equipment, so it¡¯s best to sell it to the military,¡± said Mo Awu with assurance.


    Tang Xiu himself did not want to have much involvement with the military, at least for now. After pondering about it for a while, he took out his phone and dialed Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s number.


    ¡°Hello, Tang Xiu. Got up early?¡± Yuan Zhengxuan¡¯s voice came out of the mobile.


    ¡°Uncle Yuan, I didn¡¯t disturb your rest, right?¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°Anyways, I have something I¡¯d like to ask your help with, hence why I¡¯m calling you at this time.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Asked Yuan Zhengxuan.


    ¡°I have a full body armor suit that can be equipped by soldiers, plus its research and development data,¡± explained Tang Xiu. ¡°You had dealings with the military before, so I wanna ask whether you can help me sell it to them.¡±


    ¡°Armor suit for soldiers?¡± Said Yuan Zhengxuan, baffled. ¡°As far as it¡¯s concerned and what I know of, the military is currently researching this type of full body armor, but I heard they have not yet made much progress. I won¡¯t ask you where you got it, just tell me, how much are you going to sell it for?¡±


    ¡°The whole package here contains two sets of finished armor suits, plus the complete research and development data¡­ I¡¯ll sell it for 500 million,¡± said Tang Xiu after thinking for a while.


    ¡°That is quite an expensive price!¡± Interjected Yuan Zhengxuan. ¡°But then, I have yet to see this armor suit, so I can¡¯t appraise its specific value. Are you now in Shanghai, by chance? I¡¯ll rush over there today. We¡¯ll discuss it again when we meet.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Sorry for troubling you, Uncle Yuan.¡±


    As the call ended, Tang Xiu took the armor suits from Mo Awu and stored them inside his interspatial ring along with the documents, and then said, ¡°Contact the logistics personnel of our Everlasting Feast Hall in Jingmen Island. Tell them to send me eleven medicinal pills for cultivation. It will be your bonus for the work you have done tonight.¡±


    Mo Awu¡¯s eyes lit up and then left after replying.


    Tang Xiu stored the gene particle back and then went to the cloakroom to take a clean set of clothes, before taking a shower and changing his clothes. It was still very early in the morning, so he spent two hours cultivating. After that, he took his car and personally drove it towards Tomson Villa. A thick fragrance of medicated diet greeted his nostrils as he arrived at the residence where Xue Yu lived.


    ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t come this early. The medicated diet still needs more than an hour to boil.¡± Xue Yu was no longer wearing pajamas, but the bright color dress she wore and her own presence added beauty to the villa nonetheless.


    Tang Xiu took off his coat, nodded and said, ¡°Let us wait here for a while, then. I happen to not have had breakfast yet. By the way, there¡¯s one thing I wanted to ask you. Do you know the origin of that Six Starlight Array?¡±


    Xue Yu pondered for a while and slowly answered, ¡°I¡¯ve flipped over many records and confirmed that this Six Starlight Array originates from Solomon Island, though I dunno whether the records written on these ancient scriptures are true. However, I found interesting information when I checked them out. Rumor has it that this Six Starlight Array is a method used by a certain Demonic God to suppress his subordinates, like a prisoner containment cage.¡±


    A prisoner cage?


    Tang Xiu was lost in thought for a long while before he finally shook his head. He thought that this rumor was not reasonable and unreliable. The Six Starlight Array contained profound mysteries, vastly different from the conventional arrays. He could believe the rumor if it said that it was the creation of cultivators with other cultivation systems but saying it was a containment cage made by a Demonic God to suppress his subordinates was rather ridiculous and nonsensical.


    No matter who created this Six Starlight Array, his strength is pretty terrifying. Even the past me at Supremacy Stage in the Immortal World would probably not be his match. The person who set up the Six Starlight Array in the cave of Kanas¡¯ Longquan Bay was definitely someone with very formidable power.


    Tang Xiu suddenly had the urge to return to Kanas, but there were a lot of things he needed to deal with in the near future, so he could only suppress his impulse. He would only be able to go there after handling these issues. Perhaps, he could produce some unexpected results and would only be able to crack the mysteries by standing before the Six Starlight Array.


    Time went by.


    As the medicated diet was served on the table, Xue Yu accompanied Tang Xiu as he finished his breakfast. After washing the dishes, she suddenly spoke before they went out, ¡°Tang Xiu, I¡¯ll be going back to Miao Region a couple of days later.¡±


    ¡°What are you gonna do there?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Firstly, I need to tell my parents that I¡¯m already your woman, so I¡¯ll erase my name from the family tree and move my residence register to yours. Other than that, I also need to scour the Miao Region to look for precious herbs.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Little did Tang Xiu expect that Xue Yu would actually make such a decision to move her residence register to his. How would she arrange it? Was it even possible to list her residence register as his household register?


    ¡°About that¡­ isn¡¯t it pretty troublesome?¡± Asked Tang Xiu, looking a bit hesitant.


    Xue Yu shook her head and said, ¡°It¡¯s the ancestor¡¯s decree that I must carry on, else I¡¯ll be laughed at by my clansmen who will think that I¡¯m just trash dumped by my man. Please be assured. Nothing will affect you for moving my residence register to your household register. Because¡­ I asked a friend of mine to help me with that. I already bought a property in Star City and that friend of mine has a bit of power there, so moving my residence register will be easy.¡±


    Tang Xiu understood in a flash and then said, ¡°I¡¯ll send someone to help you move your residence register. There¡¯s no need to trouble your friend. As for searching medicinal herbs in the Miao Region, is there a lot of them there?¡±


    ¡°The lands in the Miao Region are rich with medicinal materials.¡± Xue Yu nodded. ¡°Some of which are rarely visited by people. They are located in very dangerous areas geographically but grow many precious herbs nonetheless. In the past, the Miao people used to hold a pharmacist gathering every year in order to travel to some relatively safe places to pick herbs.¡±


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment and said, ¡°Call me before you leave. I¡¯ll send two masters to escort you.¡±


    Xue Yue nodded, but then shook her head and said, ¡°I have to tell you before I go¡­ because¡­ I can¡¯t go back with a perfect body. As for assigning your men to protect me, it¡¯s not necessary. It¡¯s kind of¡­ inconvenient.¡±


    Tang Xiu was confused by her answer and asked, ¡°What is with this ¡®you can¡¯t go back with a perfect body?''¡±


    Xue Yu¡¯s ears turned flushed red and a blush climbed up her face. She did not dare to exchange looks with Tang Xiu. After hesitating for a while, she then spoke in a low voice, ¡°That is to say, losing my virginity.¡±


    Tang Xiu instantly understood and tingling of awkwardness was also shown on his face. After letting out a dry cough, he waved his hand and said, ¡°I know what you¡¯re concerned with. But rest assured, the people I¡¯ll send to protect you are all women and also cultivators. You will inevitably go to some dangerous places if you must look for medicinal herbs in the Miao region. So it will be safer with them protecting you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then!¡± Xue Yu gently nodded and removed the white mink overcoat from the door, picked the sunglasses from the cabinet, and then asked after wearing all of them, ¡°Do you need it?¡±


    Tang Xiu did not have the habit of wearing sunglasses, so he shook his head and pushed the door open.


    The medicinal herbs market in Shanghai was located in Xiafei Road, Dongpu District. Tang Xiu had been here before and was quite familiar with the place. After finding a good place to park his car, he and Xue Yu then entered the medicinal herbs market.


    It was not a holiday this time, so there were not a lot of traffic and visitors in the medicinal herbs market. Other than the stall owners and their attendants, there were only a few elderlies or those who already had the medicinal herbs targeted previously.


    ¡°Boss, where is that fruit?¡±


    As Tang Xiu and Xue Yu came before a certain shop, Xue Yu quickly glanced around and asked with knitted brows.


    The show owner was still young, seemingly in his thirties. He wore a down jacket, jeans and a cap on his head. Upon seeing Xue Yu with a young man with extraordinary bearing, he looked a bit regretful but still replied, ¡°It¡¯s already been sold.¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t we already agreed yesterday?¡± Xue Yu¡¯s face turned a bit unsightly. ¡°I brought the money to buy it, and you told me that I had a day!¡±


    The shop owner probed, ¡°Do you really want to spend 4 million to buy that Hoarfrost Fruit?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I want!¡± Xue Yu replied without hesitation. ¡°Why would I return here today if I didn¡¯t want to buy it?¡±


    The shop owner looked regretful and bitterly said, ¡°When I asked you to give a deposit yesterday, you were only willing to give me 200 thousand, so I thought you were just teasing me! I also thought that your promise yesterday was just a false promise, so¡­ so I sold that Hoarfrost Fruit. Damn¡­ I¡¯m really depressed. I would have gained a bit more. 800 thousand yuan!¡±


    ¡°I really only brought 200 thousand yuan in cash yesterday. You¡­ you really sold that fruit for 3.2 million?¡± Asked Xue Yu.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said the shop owner. ¡°I know the Hoarfrost Fruit should be priced at around 4 to 5 million yuan, but my Hoarfrost Fruit has been on the shelf for too long and I think it should have lost its efficacy a lot. So¡­ so, that Old Gramps Huo was willing to pay 3.2 million for it, hence¡­ the reason¡­ I sold it to him.¡±


    ¡°Who is this Old Gramps Huo?¡± Quickly asked Xue Yu.

 Chapter 741

    Chapter 741: Disrupting Someone¡¯s Plan


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The shop owner pointed to the corner in the distance and said, ¡°He¡¯s the owner of the best shop in that corner of the street. He also has a medicinal herbs business. Nearly all who engage in this business all year round know him. Just go there and you¡¯ll find him.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Xue Yu replied and then grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s hand, leaving the shop. She did not have a good impression of this shop owner at all. Such a short-sighted person who not only failed in his promise but also sold such a treasure cheaply was the type of person she really was disgusted with.


    Tang Xiu himself never heard of the Singular Recherch¨¦ Fruit, and neither did he know what was good about it. Though Xue Yu explained the healing effects of this fruit, he only saw it as a relatively precious spiritual fruit.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You still have the chance to buy it back since you know who bought it. At the worst, you will have to buy it at a much higher price.¡± Tang Xiu consoled her.


    ¡°I have to buy this Singular Recherch¨¦ Fruit even if there¡¯s only one chance,¡± said Xue Yu with a firm look. ¡°I¡¯ll make you the most lavish medicated diet after buying it.¡±


    Medicated diet?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth could not help but twitch. Spending millions to buy a precious spirit fruit was unexpectedly to make a medicated diet for me? Xue Yu¡­ she really doesn¡¯t see paper money as money.


    However, seeing such an uncommonly seen occasion made Tang Xiu disinclined to argue with her. After all, she spent a lot of money to buy it for his own sake.


    Treasure Collection Store. It was a mosaic signboard hanging on the very ordinary door of the shop. The shopfront of the entire medicinal herbs store was very large, but felt particularly empty inside. Other than a young clerk and a man and a woman who were playing with their mobiles, there was no one else.


    As the young man saw Tang Xiu and Xue Yu, his eyes only stayed on Tang Xiu for a moment before moving to Xue Yu, unable to remove his eyes even for a moment.


    Xue Yu was accustomed to seeing men acting strangely when they stared at her ever since she stopped wearing a veil. She ignored him and asked with a cold and clear voice, ¡°We¡¯re looking for Boss Huo.¡±


    The young man seemed to have woken up from a dream. His delicate face instantly blushed. He had seen beautiful women, but not anyone as beautiful as Xue Yu. After all, he was very young and did not have enough self-control yet. He thought that his stare a moment ago was quite rude, and stutteringly said with an awkward expression, ¡°Gramps Huo¡­ my Boss¡­ he¡­ he is receiving guests upstairs.¡±


    Xue Yu gently nodded and said, ¡°Can you take us upstairs? We have a business deal with your boss.¡±


    ¡°A-alright¡­ fine¡­ You¡­ please follow me.¡±


    In order to conceal his discomfiture and embarrassment, the young man answered stutteringly and then turned around, slightly running up the stairs. When he stepped on the second stair, he suddenly realized that his pace was a bit faster and the guests seemed unable to keep up. He then abruptly stopped for several seconds. After secretly glancing to the side, he then continued walking upstairs at a slower pace.


    Tang Xiu only smiled. He knew well how the young clerk felt. If he did not experience the 10,000 years of life and cultivation in the Immortal World, he would be highly likely to act like this young clerk.


    On the second floor.


    Huo Siming¡¯s office was located at the innermost of the shop. The office was usually used to receive important guests, and never once accepted any ordinary person. It was extravagantly and elegantly decorated with neat and lavish wooden furniture. The owner, Huo Siming, was now sitting before a mahogany tea table, stroking his white beard and constantly scanning the guests sitting on the opposite chairs appraising the medicinal ingredients on the table.


    ¡°Two guests, this Hoarfrost Fruit is definitely a good thing. I¡¯ve been in this medicinal herbs market for many years, but only twice have I obtained this fruit. And this one is my second time. Moreover, the 6.5 million yuan I quoted to you is definitely a fair price.¡±


    The two guests were a spirited old man in a Chinese tunic and an aging woman that still looked attractive and someone who attended the underground fighting competition would definitely know. She was the host of the underground fighting match finals¡­ Black Widow.


    The old man in Chinese tunic observed the spiritual fruit in his hand, but he was actually disdainful inwardly. Huo Siming mistakenly took this Singular Recherch¨¦ Fruit as Hoarfrost Fruit, but he was very clear that this one was the former.


    However, the reason he came to Shanghai¡¯s medicinal herbs market this time was to find a Millennium Wild Ginseng and was unexpectedly found this precious fruit. Most importantly, it seemed that he could make a big bargain and did not feel like telling Huo Siming its true value.


    Knock, knock¡­


    The office¡¯s door was knocked, as the young clerk then carefully pushed the door a slit open and looked around through it. As his eyes landed on Huo Siming, he immediately opened the door and said, ¡°Boss, there are two honored guests here to see you. They said they want to make a deal with you.¡±


    Huo Siming did not expect that his sales clerk actually barged in even though he knew what rules were. But after hearing his report, he suppressed his anger inwardly and said with a doubtful expression, ¡°Honored guests who want to have a business deal with me? Who are they?¡±


    Tang Xiu and Xue Yu then appeared at the door. As they entered the room, Xue Yu¡¯s gaze instantly fell on the Singular Recherch¨¦ Fruit held by the old man in Chinese tunic. A light flashed in her eyes as she said, ¡°Are you Boss Huo? My name is Xue Yu and I want to buy that fruit from you.¡±


    Huo Siming stared dully as a series of question tags popped up inside his head. He happened to come across this Hoarfrost Fruit yesterday by chance. Little did he think that he would encounter two waves of customers who were interested in this fruit. But then again, this was a great occasion nonetheless!


    He could not help but feel a bit excited inside. The market should have competitions, to begin with. If these two really wanted to have this Hoarfrost Fruit, they would definitely compete in offering the price, and the last winner who would benefit from it was himself.


    The old man in Chinese tunic turned his head to look at Tang Xiu and Xue Yu and then said before Huo Siming answered the question, ¡°Young woman, I already booked this Hoarfrost Fruit, so your coming is rather unfortunate. Look elsewhere if you need it.¡±


    Huo Siming¡¯s face slightly changed and he quickly interjected, ¡°You said you didn¡¯t want to buy it just now, Mr. Situ, hence they still have the right to buy this Hoarfrost Fruit. You see, they have already stated their intention, so¡­¡±


    The old man in Chinese tunic slightly frowned and a cold light flashed in his eyes. Old and experienced as he was, how could he not tell that Huo Siming wanted him to compete with these two young people who had just arrived? Although he did not like Huo Siming¡¯s attitude and means, he had to admit that he did say that he would not buy it.


    He somewhat regretted saying that, but now was not the time to brood over it. Let alone 6.5 million yuan, he would pay even 65 million.


    But then again, he did not want to spend too much and got conned due to his generosity either. He got up slowly and looked straight at Tang Xiu and Xue Yue, saying, ¡°The two of you, you should also take into account that the first to come will be the first to get the service, no matter what business you do. I already have this Hoarfrost Fruit in my hand, so I hope you leave it as it is.¡±


    Black Widow did not know who Tang Xiu was. After all, there were too many spectators back then in the underground fighting competition, and she did not have the time to remember everyone. As the old man in the Chinese tunic got up, she also hurriedly followed suit and spoke, ¡°Two guests, I introduce you senior Situ Hong from Beijing¡¯s Situ Family. Even the patriarch of the Situ Family must address him as Second Uncle.¡±


    Xue Yu knitted her brows. She could tell that this scantily clothed woman introduced Situ Hong and used the Situ Family to pressure them. Tang Xiu, who stood next to her, also had the same thought after hearing it.


    ¡°Situ Hong? You are determined to obtain it, aren¡¯t you?¡± Asked Tang Xiu slowly.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I need this Hoarfrost Fruit.¡± Situ Hong nodded. ¡°Boss Huo and I have already agreed on the price.¡±


    ¡°If so, less medicated diet for me, then!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°Besides, I do have a bit of friendship with the Situ Family, so I can¡¯t refute your face this time.¡±


    ¡°Presumptuous!¡± Black Widow¡¯s face changed and scolded angrily.


    A bit of anger could be seen on Situ Hong¡¯s face, while he also looked a bit stunned. He never thought that Tang Xiu wanted to buy this genuine Singular Recherch¨¦ Fruit just for a medicated diet. It had to be noted that even if he did not identify this fruit as Singular Recherch¨¦ Fruit and still bought it as a Hoarfrost Fruit, it would still cost him around 5 to 6 million yuan.


    Huo Siming was a bit regretful inwardly. He thought that these two young people and Situ Hong would compete on the price, and he would be the last man who to benefit from it. He did not expect that the young man actually gave it up directly. He could only sigh inwardly as waved his hand and said, ¡°Since you don¡¯t want to buy it, then please go downstairs and wait for me there! I will entertain the two of you after entertaining these two guests.¡±


    Xue Yu was somewhat unwilling. Upon hearing Huo Siming asking them to leave, she said with a hesitant look, ¡°Tang Xiu, I really want to¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine missing one medicated diet!¡± Tang Xiu interrupted her. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not worth it to haggle with this elder of the Situ Family over it.¡±


    The reason he said that was that he was rather broke at present. Except for the 10 million yuan he gave to Xue Yu, there were only a little more than 2 million yuan left in his bank card. He would lose face if he were to compete against Situ Hong on the price.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just go!¡± Tang Xiu grabbed Xue Yu¡¯s shoulder and turned around.


    ¡°Please wait!¡±


    Situ Hong had a slightly changed expression as he stepped forward and called.


    ¡°We already gave it up. What do you want now?¡± Tang Xiu turned around and asked with an annoyed expression.


    There was a probing tone when Situ Hong answered, ¡°This young woman just called you Tang Xiu, right? Could it be that you¡¯re the young Divine Doctor of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Little did I think that I¡¯m so famous!¡± Tang Xiu said lightly. ¡°To think that the Situ Family¡¯s Second Uncle knows my name is rather unexpected!¡±


    This time, Situ Hong¡¯s complexion changed completely. There was a complicated expression in his eyes, as he then said, ¡°It¡¯s really you, Grandmaster Tang! I was really ignorant to not know your identity just now. Please forgive me if I have offended you. I do really want to buy this Hoarfrost Fruit, but I¡¯m willing to gift it to you as a token of apology.¡±

 Chapter 742

    Chapter 742: Strange Turn Of Event


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Situ Hong¡¯s words astounded Tang Xiu. But then he realized that this man probably knew his identity as a cultivator. After all, regardless of whether he was the one who sold the charms needed by the Situ Family or the fact that he killed Jin Sanchi, Jin Sijie, and Daoist Qiankun, as well as the man to be held responsible for the eradication of the eight families and forces from Strange Doors, what and who he was had probably been investigated by the clans under the Strange Doors.


    He¡¯s afraid of me.


    Tang Xiu shot Situ Hong a deep look and could see a burst of fear from his eyes, making him immediately force a smile inside.


    At the side, Xue Yu was left astounded and surprised, while Huo Siming was even more dumbfounded. No matter what he thought, he found it unbelievable. He could not think through why would an elderly go as far as empty his pocket to buy such a precious fruit and then gift it to the others in vain? The most ridiculous thing was that he seemed to be afraid that the other party would not receive it and even spoke in an apologetic manner.


    As for Black Widow, she was tongue-tied and dumbfounded with a disbelieving expression cast on her face. She could hardly believe her ears, for this man was the most honored ancestor, a high ranking member of the Situ Family. To her, he was an aloof and lofty figure, and yet, he spoke to Tang Xiu in such an obsequious and humble manner. What was the most unacceptable fact for her was that this old ancestor of the Situ Family seemed¡­ afraid of this young man in front, and even tried¡­ to fawn upon him?


    What is happening here?


    Is it possible that there is a figure in China who could make such a character to dread him, despite the status held by the Situ Family and the ability possessed by their old ancestor?


    For fear that Situ Hong was muddle-headed by his aging brain, Black Widow immediately reminded after coming back to her senses, ¡°Elder Situ, Senior. Are you not mistaken? He¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not muddleheaded nor I¡¯m mistaken in recognizing him.¡± Situ Hong categorically said. ¡°My treatment towards Grandmaster Tang a while ago was bad, a big mistake that I must correct by myself. Hence, I must compensate Grandmaster Tang with this fruit.¡±


    With that said, he strode forward to Tang Xiu¡¯s front and handed over the Singular Recherch¨¦ Fruit with both hands, saying, ¡°Grandmaster Tang, please don¡¯t stoop to my level of ignorance and forgive me. I sincerely admit my mistake and am willing to correct it. Please accept this fruit as a token of my apology and give me the opportunity to make up for my mistake.¡±


    Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh as he looked at Situ Hong. He could not refuse it since the old man already said such. He received the Singular Recherch¨¦ Fruit and then said with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re Situ Hong, right? Those from the Situ Family are indeed good people. They can make me satisfied every time. Alright. I accept this Singular Recherch¨¦ Fruit.¡±


    Situ Hong looked a bit joyous and sincerely said, ¡°The pleasure and honor is mine. By the way, it should be noon shortly, may I ask whether I can have the honor to invite you to lunch, Grandmaster Tang?¡±


    Tang Xiu thought for a while before shaking his head and said, ¡°I can¡¯t. There¡¯s something I need to tend to, so I can only pass your lunch invitation. However, I¡¯ll send you a big gift on the account of this Singular Recherch¨¦ Fruit. You¡¯d better go to Hong Kong half a month later to see Li Juren. I¡¯m sure you can have a good harvest then.¡±


    Li Juren?


    Situ Hong looked dull for a moment. He also knew Li Juren and had a bit of friendship with him. Although he did not know what kind of big gift Tang Xiu would give him, he still respectfully replied, ¡°I will visit Li Juren in person by that time.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and then bade his farewell before taking his leave with Xue Yu. Their purpose in coming to the medicinal herbs market was for this Singular Recherch¨¦ Fruit, to begin with. Now that they had obtained, he did not want to stay here any longer.


    Inside the office.


    Situ Hong did not rush to leave. There was a relieved expression on his old face like a heavy burden had been unloaded from his shoulders. Even the wrinkles on his face stretched out and a smile climbed up his face when he sat back on the sofa.


    ¡°Elder Situ, I don¡¯t understand,¡± said Black Widow with clenched teeth after taking a seat.


    Huo Siming was similarly baffled and echoed, ¡°I don¡¯t understand either. I know that Tang Xiu is the young divine doctor that recently appeared in the Chinese medical world and I also have a bit of admiration toward him. Despite that, though, given your status and identity, I still can¡¯t think through why you acted so¡­¡±


    ¡°So cautious? So respectful? Or so flattering?¡±


    Situ Hong glanced at him. The smile on his old face did not change as he spoke, ¡°He¡¯s not someone worthy for me to act like this if he was really just an ordinary person. But exactly who is he really, then? The young divine doctor? Hahaha¡­ how honorable and to what degree his true identity is is not something you can ever imagine. Alright, forget all this. This is something you had better not know about. Shortly put, just remember that you must never offend him in the future. Best if you can see him as a little ancestor¡­¡±


    Hmph.


    Huo Siming snorted in disdain inwardly but did not refute Situ Hong on the surface. He was just a medicinal herbs trader and an old man already, but it was unlikely for him to be skinless and unabashed like Situ Hong.


    Other than that, was the Situ Family famous? He knew a lot of prominent families from various provinces, but never once had he heard of a notable family with the Situ surname.


    Black Widow paid attention and attached great importance to Situ Hong¡¯s warning nonetheless. She firmly nodded and looked toward the door with a somewhat complicated expression. She knew Situ Hong¡¯s status in the Situ Family. The man could even make the people from the Situ Family to obsequiously smile at him in response to his casual words. Despite his highly respected and honorable status in the Strange Doors he still had to be respectful before him?


    But then again¡­ exactly which sacred being was this Tang Xiu?


    In the medicinal herbs market.


    Tang Xiu planned to leave directly, but then Xue Yu said that she must buy some additional medicinal herbs for the medicated diet supplements, so he had to follow her seeking them in each store and stall to buy it. In just half an hour, he saw Xue Yu buying the supplemental medicinal herbs and spending more than 270 thousand yuan.


    What a spendthrift! Tang Xiu could not bear but secretly shake his head.


    Eventually, when the last medicinal herb Xue Yu bought was wrapped, she then said with a slightly regretful expression, ¡°I have bought all the medicinal herbs needed to make this medicated diet. But it¡¯s a pity this place is not in the Miao region, else I would have obtained the most important supplemental herb, ginseng, rather than the artificially cultivated common ginseng.¡±


    ¡°Tell me, young lady, do you know the price of wild ginseng?¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s take the Millennium Wild Ginseng for instance; you won¡¯t be able to buy it without preparing nine digits of money. You told me before that the Singular Recherch¨¦ Fruit is valued beyond nine digits. So, added with the Millennium Wild Ginseng and the other supplemental herbs, you would have to spend 200 to 300 million yuan just to make one medicated diet alone. This¡­ isn¡¯t this just wasting money?! Even the richest man in the world won¡¯t be able to withstand the way you toss him over and over again.¡±


    Xue Yu only smiled in response. Though both her hands carried a lot of bags, she went to Tang Xiu¡¯s side to get closer and smiled lightly. ¡°The medicated diet I¡¯m about to make for you this time is not the same as the usual diet I give you. It is made based on the record written by my family¡¯s ancestors. According to it, this medicated diet will be like a panacea elixir and give enormous advantages to the person who takes it. I¡¯m afraid that even I myself can¡¯t drink much even if I want to.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Asked Tang Xiu, baffled.


    ¡°My body can¡¯t take on the medical efficacy, that¡¯s why,¡± said Xue Yu.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes lit up. He gave it a thought and then resolutely said, ¡°Since you really want to make a perfect medicated diet, then I¡¯ll follow your intention. I have a Millenium Wild Ginseng. I¡¯ll give it to you after we got back to the apartment.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Xue Yu¡¯s expression greatly changed and asked with joy.


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s real!¡± Tang Xiu snappily replied. ¡°When have I, Tang Xiu, ever lied? Just take it easy, will you? You can only use a little bit of this Millennium Wild Ginseng! Besides, it¡¯s quite difficult to obtain wild ginseng nowadays. Finding it can make your hair erect due to distress.¡±


    Four hours later.


    At the Tomson Villa¡¯s apartment. Although Tang Xiu was sitting in the living room, the strong scent of medicine fluttered about and filled the entire hall. Be it back in the Immortal World or after returning, he had consumed quite a lot of medicated diets of every kind. But this time, just the scent alone had already aroused his appetite. Something that rarely happened to him.


    ¡°Alright. Wash your hands and have it.¡±


    Xue Yu came out of the kitchen with an apron and a purple casserole in her hands. When she came to the dining room, she carefully opened the lid of the purple casserole while Tang Xiu washed his hands. A mellow and fragrant scent of medicated diet wafted about in the room very fast. After putting it in front of Tang Xiu, she quickly said, ¡°You¡¯re a cultivator, so you¡¯re very strong. Do pay attention after you drink it to not ignore the efficacy and energy contained inside this medicated died because of the flavor.¡±


    Tang Xiu just smiled and didn¡¯t pay her words any mind. Just as he prepared to pick up the bowl and drink it, he saw Xue Yu taking a small spoon of medicated diet from the casserole and then used her pink tongue to lick it with a cautious and careful manner.


    That¡¯s right! She¡¯s licking it.


    Tang Xiu had been used to the serious and cold Xue Yu. Now that he saw her appearance of using her sensual pink tongue to lick the medicated diet, an unusual sense of alluring feeling and even a strong impulse burst out inside him and made his lower abdomen feel hot.


    I¡¯ll be damned!


    Tang Xiu hurriedly lowered his head and silently chanted the ¡°Heart-fire Cleansing Art¡± to suppress the heat down there. At this moment, drinking the medicated diet was the most important thing to do. After all, even though it was less than two bowls, this medicated diet had burned 200 to 300 million yuan; a large amount of money.


    What a luxury!


    Regardless, drinking it made Tang Xiu feel the pinch. After he swallowed it, a mighty torrent of hot sensation instantly burst open. It was as though it had turned into thousand strands of heat, like a tidal wave that rushed to his limbs and bones.


    ¡°Drink it up quickly, Tang Xiu. The efficacy will leak away greatly once the lid is opened. The earlier you drink it, the more of the efficacy will be retained,¡± Xue Yu looked up and reminded Tang Xiu. She finally stopped licking the medicated diet after carefully sipping a mouthful of it.


    Tang Xiu looked dull and immediately gulped down all the medicated diet in the bowl. There was a worried look on Xue Yu¡¯s face as she directly poured the remaining medicated diet in the purple casserole into her half-filled bowl, and gulped it down into her stomach.


    ¡°Hot!¡±


    After Tang Xiu finished it, that was the only sensation he felt. Not only did he feel the heat on his skin, he felt hot all over his body, and even his internal organs were also as though being wrapped by the dreadful heat.


    At this moment, despite how tough his willpower was, Tang Xiu still left dizzy by the sudden burst of medicinal power as he felt that his whole body seemed to have to become a melting furnace.

 Chapter 743

    Chapter 743: The Equilibrium and Harmonization of the Yin and Yang


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Tang Xiu clenched his teeth and circulated the energy with the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis. He was suddenly astounded, as the burst of medicinal force from the medicated diet was dozens of times from what he imagined. Even all the medicinal pills he had refined until now combined could not be compared to the medicinal force from this medicated diet.


    However, that was not his most shocking discovery. The most shocking one was that this medicinal energy turned out to have absorption effect as well as it gathered the world spiritual qi from all directions, welling up around him and then was forcibly sucked into his body. Even the sea of stars in the cosmos above the dark sky had its multicolored lights vibrating as a torrential stars¡¯ energy descended down like the surging ocean waves and was constantly being attracted and devoured by him.


    ¡°This sort of power is¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu went all out to refine it. Unfortunately, his speed could not keep up. Whether it was the potent efficacy contained in the medicated diet, the Heaven Earth Spiritual Qi and the stars¡¯ energy, it was like the river water that burst through the dike as they rushed inside his body¡¯s meridians, surging up in his muscles, blood, internal organs¡­


    In his Dantian, the black hole devoured it slowly and then went faster, gradually forming an energy vortex column that constantly unleashed a huge sucking force to swallow it into the black hole.


    Xue Yu was sitting in front Tang Xiu with the bowl in her hands. Not only was she affected by the medicated diet, but she was also worried about Tang Xiu drinking too much of it. She was not a cultivator, to begin with. Even though Tang Xiu had imparted her a cultivation technique, she had yet to sense the flow of qi at all.


    However, at this moment, she could clearly feel that there were countless energy surges in all directions, which caused the qi flow in the dining room to turn unstable, while the blazing heat wave exuded from Tang Xiu along with his bursting out aura caused her to shudder.


    Chortle¡­


    While holding the bowl, she could only watch helplessly when the clothes on Tang Xiu¡¯s body turned into ashes in an instant. She could see his skin turning redder and his hair faintly emanating scarlet light, even the firm manhood on his lower body made him look especially savage.


    She was unaware that Tang Xiu had already fallen into an extremely dangerous situation at the moment, because of her medicated diet¡­ or special energy contained in it had brought great trouble to Tang Xiu. Though this sucking force that absorbed the energy was slightly worse than the sucking force of the black hole, Tang Xiu¡¯s body now was absorbing various energies, while his body was somewhat unable to support it.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s body seemed to begin trembling. He wanted to separate the Heaven Earth spiritual qi and the stars¡¯ energy, but the special force contained within the medicated diet practically rendered his ability to control it null. Right as he almost reached his limit, a flame suddenly appeared inside his heart, and shortly after, a golden flame appeared in his lungs, a cyan flame in his liver, and a yellow flame in his spleen.


    These were Flame Seed Substances, corresponding to the Fire of Five Elements.


    Even though Tang Xiu had encountered disastrous events countless times, few of them could make him desperate. But at this moment, desperate thoughts came to him.


    Appear should the Divine Fire of Five Elements, offering sacrifice shall the Gods and Demons to the Heavens.


    It was a widely circulated famous sentence in the Immortal World and the Demons Realm. Meaning that once a cultivator had this Divine Fire of Five Elements within his body ignite at the same time, he must use his own soul to pay homage to the Heaven and Earth; even the Gods and Demons were no exception. This kind of sacrifice offering was akin to have his soul erased and scattered, to be integrated into the Heavenly Dao laws. It would then be dissipate and exist in another form of existence for eternity.


    ¡°I¡¯M NOT WILLING!!!¡±


    Tang Xiu roared with his soul furiously. But the stars¡¯ energy and the Heaven Earth spiritual qi that poured into his body not only did not weaken but increased instead. The special energy produced by the medicated diet inside his body became thicker and produced stronger sucking force.


    He used to be vexed with the existence of the black hole that appeared in his Dantian since it devoured too many treasures. It even gobbled up the Heavenly Path Universe Tree and the divine sword he valued and attached great importance to. But at this very moment, he felt that the devouring force of this black hole was far from enough. He hoped its devouring force would become stronger, and would be best if it could cleanly devour the ever-increasing Heaven Earth spiritual qi and stars¡¯ energy inside his body.


    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong!¡±


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion tremendously changed and his body trembled even more.


    He found that the special energy contained in the medicated diet was no longer purely absorbing the Heaven Earth spiritual qi and stars¡¯ energy, but the various energy in the atmosphere instead, as they began to be sucked into his body. Along with the ever-increasing intensity of the burning Divine Fire of Five Elements, the speed at which the various energies penetrated into his body was getting faster and faster.


    ¡°Is it adding fuel to the flames?¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but mourn inside. He was unaware that all the hair on his body had already turned into ashes, his body turned scarlet, blood vessels and tendons became clearly visible¡ªtwisted and turned like earthworms.


    Buzz¡­


    Just as Tang Xiu fell into despair, a dark ancient and vicissitude-filled aura suddenly appeared in his soul sea out of thin air. The two golden ancient runes exuded a radiant glow and gradually dissipated as the golden light spread. Tang Xiu did not know what those two runes were, because he had never seen them before. But he somehow knew the meaning contained within them: Yin and Yang.


    ¡°What does it mean?¡±


    Amid his desperation, hope emerged inside Tang Xiu¡¯s heart. He had come across such dark ancient aura and runes before and therefore knew that it was a reminder prompted by his Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis cultivation. He had also learned and attained some depths on the Yin Yang concept. After the brief confusion, a line written in the Tao Te Ching appeared in his mind: ¡°The Dao begets Unity; Unity begets Duality; Duality begets Trinity, and Trinity begets myriads of things. Everything has the Yin in and contains the Yang, for they are in harmony.¡±


    ¡°Does it mean¡­ the harmonization of Yin and Yang?¡±


    Ecstasy birthed inside Tang Xiu, but then vanished into nothing in just a few seconds. He had already sensed and realized the situation inside his body. The blazing ignition of the Divine Fire of Five Elements was caused by the excessive burning of Yang Fire, while the Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth were the Dao of Five Elements which existed side by side and complemented each other. While his body was indeed the shell of Yang Qi, only Yin Qi could destroy the Divine Fire of Five Elements, and the only way to resolve his predicament was to harmonize the Yin and Yang.


    But¡­ from where can I get Yin energy?


    No! There¡¯s one!


    Tang Xiu, who was frantically revolving his Primal Chaos Force suddenly opened his red eyes. His vision then fell on Xue Yu who still held the bowl, yet with a face devoid of color, anxious, and full of worry.


    ¡°Help¡­ me¡­¡±


    The two words were squeezed out of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth, but his voice was exceptionally hoarse.


    ¡°How can I help you?¡± Rapidly asked Xue Yu.


    Tang Xiu gripped his fists tightly. There were looming cracks on his fingers and the back of his hands. A few words then leaked out from his throat again, ¡°Be¡­ my¡­ woman¡­¡±


    As his voice faded away, he instantly appeared in front of Xue Yu, instantly picked her up and hugged her. The moment he entered the bedroom, the clothes on Xue Yu¡¯s body were torn into pieces. In a flash, the panicked and horrified Xue Yu was stark naked, as she then felt pain from her lower body.


    The soaring spur of the moment and the trembling!


    Tang Xiu felt chilling energy transmitting from her lower body into his own. His mind was still intact, but he had to exhaust all the strength he had to say, ¡°Circulate your cultivation!¡±


    Xue Yu was already suffering and miserable beyond description as she never expected that her chastity would be taken away by Tang Xiu at this moment. Although she had prepared herself mentally for this occasion, the feeling of loss was still there, accompanied by a painful sensation. Tang Xiu¡¯s voice was not loud, but she could clearly hear it. She suppressed the pain and began to try perceiving the qi flow inside her body according to the cultivation system Tang Xiu imparted to her.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Xue Yu was surprised to find that just at the moment she began to perceive the qi flow, a strand of heat current came from her lower body. Furthermore, along with the manipulation of her thoughts, she began to control that hot current to flow through her meridians according to the cultivation technique¡¯s circulation route.


    ¡°It¡¯s painful¡­¡±


    After the hot current flowed to the first clogged acupoint, it directly steamrolled forward forcefully and even broke through the blocking grayish matter that clogged that acupoint to enter the next narrow meridian.


    Pain! Pain! More pain!


    Xue Yu was almost drowned and succumbed to the pain. She felt like she was a lonely boat in a rough ocean. The pain came repeatedly, the heat was constantly expanding, and kept dashing through the acupoints based on the circulation route of the cultivation technique.


    Time flew by.


    Xue Yu felt like she passed a day as if it were a year, wandering about in pain and soon nearly reached the limit of her willpower. Suddenly, there was a rumbling bang as her whole body started to convulse. The heat waves seemingly blasted like a volcano eruption as it surged from her lower body and into the rest of her body. But at this moment, all the clogged acupoints in the course she needed to circulate her cultivation technique were opened and connected to form an entire Heavenly Circuit.


    The pain gradually died down under the rushing boiling heat, replaced by an unspeakable comfort that slowly covered her whole being. That kind of comfort was a feeling she had never experienced in her life. Comparing it with the sensation she felt just now was akin to comparing Heaven and Hell.


    The wonderful sensation aroused her greed and fascinated her.


    At this moment, she suddenly had the thought to never awake if she could indulge herself in this comfort for eternity.


    She was unaware, however, that a faint glittering thread of True Essence began to form amidst the boiling heat, neither did she realize that another special energy was formed into a special energy substance in a liquid state after quietly fusing with her True Essence. With the passage of time, this liquid substance increasingly became more abundant while the meridians in her body turned wider, and its channel¡¯s walls turned more resilient.


    The dim light of the night finally came.


    The big bed was not shaking anymore, and the redness of Tang Xiu¡¯s body had faded away. The Divine Fire of Five Elements inside his body had already been extinguished, and even his faintly cracked skin had recovered to its previous state.


    Tang Xiu crazily controlled the circulation of energy according to the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis. He did not even have the energy to observe the situation inside his Dantian. All his mind was linked with his whole being. Amidst the rapid flowing Primal Chaos Force, he was not even aware of the situation inside Xue Yu¡¯s body.


    He was only aware of one thing. That was, the Great Heavenly Circuit of his cultivation inside his body and Xue Yu¡¯s had formed a perfect cultivation technique circulation route. This was a whole nother level of change, which was formed under the equilibrium state of Yin and Yang.

 Chapter 744

    Chapter 744: The Abundant Harvest of Dual Cultivation


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Tang Xiu did not pay attention to the ragged breathing Xue Yu next to him, and neither did he attend to the situation inside her body, as his consciousness fully immersed inside his body in a flash.


    ¡°What exactly is going on?¡±


    As his consciousness swept over the situation of his internal organs, bones, meridians, ligaments, and muscles, he carefully observed all of them. What surprised him was that there was no improvement and was similar to their previous state, neither did they suffer much damage. But as his consciousness entered his Dantian, only then did Tang Xiu become shocked by its internal changes.


    Inside the vast space of his Dantian, the vortex black hole had completely disappeared, replaced by a miniature world. The previously empty space now had numerous suns, moons, and stars of sesame size. The colors of the stars were varied¡ªred, orange, yellow, green, azure, blue, and purple. The dazzling miniature world was imaginary like a dream.


    Compared to the vast, infinite universe, this was indeed a miniature space, but the area was also hundreds or thousands of times larger than the space inside his Dantian. As Tang Xiu¡¯s thought spread, he was shocked. His thought was able to cover the entire space. Under his precise perception, he found that space was unexpectedly expanding, albeit slowly.


    Other than that, Tang Xiu also saw a tree that had grown tens of meters high, looking verdant and lush. This was the seed of the Heavenly Path Universe Tree that had germinated, taken roots, and grew up gradually. There was also a long sword with dazzling multicolored lights quietly floating near the tree trunk.


    ¡°What about other objects?¡±


    Tang Xiu once stored a lot of objects inside his Dantian, but they all disappeared without a trace at some time. He wanted to clarify the reason and cause, so he now quietly took the Bloodguzzler Dagger into the space inside his Dantian.


    Buzz, buzz¡­


    Right at the moment the Bloodguzzler Dagger entered the Dantian space, a sucking force was transmitted from the longsword and the energy contained in the Bloodguzzler Dagger could not resist but be drawn and devoured by the longsword, and the invisible energy even affected the dagger as it started to corrode.


    ¡°What the? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Tang Xiu quickly controlled the Bloodguzzler Dagger as fast as possible to leave the Dantian space. But as the dagger itself was thoroughly ruined in just a few seconds, he wanted to cry but had no tears. The dagger now was nothing but scrap iron and did not even have any traces of a spirit weapon anymore.


    ¡°Could it be that the longsword¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s thought moved and instantly fused into the longsword. Something inexplicable happened as he discovered that he could actually control it with his mind and released it outside his body. It was completely under his control as he manipulated it with his fingers. He also felt that enormous energy was contained inside it.


    ¡°This is a weapon of divinity. Definitely better than the best immortal weapon longsword I once used when I was a Supreme in the Immortal World. It seems that those things I have stored inside my body were all devoured by this long sword.¡±


    He previously felt a bit distressed, but the feeling then vanished in an instant since he was able to fully control this long sword. No matter how great those objects were, it was nothing compared to this Divine Weapon that really belonged to him. Tang Xiu could even feel the spirit inside it. The energy was very strong, but its sentience and wisdom were still very weak. It would take time and unceasing accumulation before it could birth into a sword spirit and become an immortal or divine weapon that really belonged to himself.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu found there was a planet larger than the rest inside his Dantian space, while the Primal Chaos Force in his Dantian continuously fused and came out of the planet. As he circulated his cultivation according to the route of the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis, the leaking Primal Chaos Force from the planet crazily surged out and entered the meridians inside his body, whereas the majority of the Primal Chaos force inside his meridians gushed out to fuse into that planet.


    The discovery baffled Tang Xiu. But after a long period of studying it, he discovered that this so-called planet was once the phantom that swallowed countless stars in the universe, and was eventually formed from the absorbed Primal Chaos Force.


    In other words, every planet was formed by energy. The planet would become larger as long as there was more energy. It seemed that it was not difficult to form a real planet.


    After a long time, Tang Xiu let out a bitter smile as his closed eyes slowly opened. He only felt helpless after finding that these planets were formed from Primal Chaos Force. Nonetheless, it was still a good deed since the universe and these worlds were formed inside with him as its creator, the God. However, how much Primal Chaos Force would be needed to build tens of millions of planets that then accumulated and turned into a completely huge planet!


    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡±


    It was unknown when Xue Yu had put on her bra. She was now looking at Tang Xiu from the side. Though she found that Tang Xiu had woken up and was somewhat shy and blushing, she still looked at him straight on.


    Tang Xiu felt awkward and embarrassed at this moment. He wanted to ask the condition of her body. It was completely a critical moment, and he was forced to do so. He could still clearly remember the pain she bore previously. After letting out a dry cough, Tang Xiu then sat up and smilingly said, ¡°Are you¡­ alright?¡±


    Xue Yu also sat up, shook her head and gently replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine. And thanks.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re thanking me?¡± Tang Xiu was dumbfounded. Why would she thank me for having taken her as his woman?


    ¡°You told me before that it¡¯s not easy to sense the flow of Qi. And that it would need a year and a half to control it, and it would still need a year or two if I wanted to turn my cultivation into True Essence. I don¡¯t know what means you used, but I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve stepped into the cultivation path, becoming a cultivator who has True Essence.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly recalled the situation previously and immediately took Xue Yu¡¯s wrist to feel her pulse. Half a minute later, a strange expression climbed up his face, because he found that not only did True Essence exist inside her body, but its quantity was also high. The harmonization between Yin and Yang turned out to have propelled Xue Yu up to the early level of the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    ¡°Directly jumping up and skipping the Qi Refining Stage?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth couldn¡¯t help but twitch a few times. It was quite unbelievable and absurd at the same time, and yet he still had to accept it as a fact. Didn¡¯t this mean that it was misfortune turning into a blessing for Xue Yu?


    Xue Yu, on the other hand, was unaware of Tang Xiu¡¯s thoughts. There was a smile on her flawless beautiful face as she said, ¡°I should be counted as a cultivator now, right? When can you teach me some magical spells?¡±


    ¡°You can do it at any time if you want to learn it.¡± Tang Xiu could not help laughing. ¡°However, you should first tell me about this medicated diet.¡±


    Upon hearing his inquiry, Xue Yu¡¯s face slightly changed as she replied in a low voice, ¡°That¡­ I¡¯m really sorry. It was also my first time boiling this medicated diet hot pot. You looked horrifying before, and it was probably very dangerous for you. Are you all right now?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said with a smile, ¡°Not only do I feel great but also greatly benefited from it. Originally, I thought that the medicated died would only have strong and potent medicinal force given how expensive its ingredients were, but I didn¡¯t expect it to contain strange energy. It drove tremendous changes inside my body. It seems like there are indeed many good things in your Miao region!¡±


    ¡°Do you want to accompany me back?¡± Asked Xue Yu with a smile upon hearing it.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t have the time in the short term,¡± said Tang Xiu after he thought about it. ¡°Wait until I¡¯m done handling some matters! I¡¯m going to Kanas again later since I have researched some points of the Six Starlight Array, so I might be able to make a new progress if I go there and see the array again. Maybe I can crack down this Six Starlight Array directly and take that Immortal Trove.¡±


    ¡°Take me with you when you go to Kanas,¡± said Xue Yu quickly. ¡°I also want to see what objects are stored inside the Immortal Trove.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tang Xiu directly agreed.


    Immediately after, both of them turned silent and the embarrassing atmosphere made them feel awkward, neither spoking as they did not know what to say. After some time passed by, Tang Xiu could not bear any longer and asked, ¡°Shall we rest for a while?¡±


    Xue Yu looked at the sky outside. She then nodded and said, ¡°Alright. Will you accompany me?¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    The two embraced each other and soon fell asleep.


    It was unknown how long passed as the sleeping Tang Xiu was awakened by the buzzing noise of his ringing cell phone. Xue Yu, who was sleeping in his arms, opened her eyes and asked, ¡°Someone is calling?¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded, stretching out his hand to take the mobile. He saw that the caller was Kang Xia, and after connecting it through, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s up, Kang Xia?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re in Shanghai now, Boss. Where are you?¡± Said Kang Xia with a smile.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯d be here about two or three days later? How come you arrived in Shanghai today?¡± Tang Xiu stared blankly and asked in a baffled tone.


    ¡°Boss, are you confused or something?¡± Kang Xia was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh. ¡°That was three days ago!¡±


    Tang Xiu quickly looked at the date, finding that it was indeed three days later. He didn¡¯t expect that drinking a bowl of medicated diet, experiencing a crisis, gaining benefits, taking Xue Yu as his woman, and taking a nap for a while turned out to have spent such a long time.


    ¡°Head straight to Bluestar Villa! I¡¯m going there now.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    After hanging up, Tang Xiu put the mobile phone on the bedside table and said, ¡°There¡¯s something I gotta do, so I have to go first. Kang Xia and some people from the company have arrived in Shanghai, and I need to discuss the project tender with them.¡±


    ¡°Is it Kang Xia, the CEO of Magnificent Tang Corporation?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°She¡¯s very beautiful,¡± commented Xue Yu.


    Tang Xiu could not tell if there was any meaning from her comment. But he heard Fatty Yuan once saying that he must not praise another woman before a woman, hence did not reply to her comment and instead said with a smile, ¡°I should be free tomorrow evening, so I¡¯ll come over to take you to dinner.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Xue Yu felt a bit unwilling, but she still managed to control her emotions and then nodded. Prior to this, her relationship with Tang Xiu was not a husband and wife in reality, and she only remembered him occasionally and felt that she should miss him. But saying that she had affection towards him, she only liked him a bit and there was not much feelings attached. But now was different, because she had given her whole self to Tang Xiu, both in the heart and body¡ªand thus felt reluctant to separate from him, even for half a day.


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s get dressed!¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled and kissed her forehead, then took a new set of clothes from his interspatial ring.

 Chapter 745

    Chapter 745: Gifted and Genius


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Bluestar Villa Complex.


    Kang Xia had been there more than twice, so the security guards did not stop her. The two housekeepers in the villa also treated and served her as the mistress of the house, and served her a hot meal. But Kang Xia did not even touch the chopsticks. After Tang Xiu returned home and saw Kang Xia, who was lost in thought in the dining room, he smiled and took a seat on the opposite side.


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±


    Kang Xia snapped back to her senses, a beautiful smile then appearing on her beautiful face as she said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m feeling very tired recently. I want to go abroad for a vacation after handling the issues with the project tender.¡±


    ¡°You can arrange the time yourself.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and smilingly said, ¡°But call me in advance before you go. I will send some people to protect you.¡±


    ¡°No. My bodyguards are enough.¡± Kang Xia shook her head.


    ¡°You feel they are enough, but I don¡¯t think so.¡± Tang Xiu sighed. ¡°It¡¯s relatively safe in China, and those bodyguards of yours can fully protect you, be it in secret or in public. But it will be different when you¡¯re abroad. There are many forces eyeing the several products of Magnificent Tang Corporation with greedy eyes, so I¡¯m sure that many forces will stare at you once you step out of the country. They will do everything they can to ambush and kidnap you.¡±


    Kang Xia¡¯s brows slightly knitted. She gave it a thought and said, ¡°Then forget it. I had better not take a holiday.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s okay with you, I can recommend you a good place, though,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Where?¡± Asked Kang Xia


    ¡°Our future base and HQ, Nine Dragons Island. Yinyin is there now,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    Kang Xia¡¯s eyes shone and said with a looking forward expression, ¡°I know that you bought Nine Dragons Island and that it¡¯s still undergoing reconstruction, but I haven¡¯t once visited the place until now! Alright then, I¡¯ll take a trip there to play.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled and nodded. After telling Kang Xia to eat, they then continued chatting while eating and finished it after a while. As they headed to the living room, he then learned from her that all the senior executives of the Magnificent Tang Corporation who came with her to Shanghai were all arranged to stay in the Paradise Manor. What surprised him was that Kang Xia also set up the venue as the place for the tender meeting.


    ¡°Why did you set up the meeting there?¡± Asked Tang Xiu, baffled.


    ¡°We are now short on money, so we should use every penny very carefully,¡± replied Kang Xia softly. ¡°If anything, the Paradise Manor is not a business belonging to the outside, to begin with. We can be said to not use our resources on some other establishments. The last time Ouyang Lulu called asking more wine she was not courteous at all, but then again, it was still great that we can reduce some costs.¡±


    Cough! Cough¡­


    Tang Xiu felt a bit awkward after hearing that. He could detect a trace of resentment from the Kang Xia¡¯s tone. He instantly recalled another matter, however. She just said that she was tired and wanted to go overseas for a vacation. Was it because of the matter between him and Ouyang Lulu?


    As he thought up to there, a headache struck him. The relationship between man and woman was too complex. He had released the arrows from its bow, and there was no turning back for him anymore. He too felt inside that it was rather unfair to her.


    Kang Xia¡¯s expression turned dark. She could tell that what Ouyang Lulu said to her was true judging from Tang Xiu¡¯s expression. She had prepared for it a long time ago, and yet, intense sorrow and depression still filled her heart.


    Inwardly, Tang Xiu could only sigh. He realized that it was not the moment for him to keep silent. Hence, he stood up and pulled her hand.


    ¡°Where are you taking me?¡±


    As Tang Xiu took out the car key and drove the car to the gate, finally, Kang Xia asked.


    ¡°You have always been busy managing the company. I¡¯m sure you rarely go out shopping. Just put aside everything about work for this whole afternoon. I¡¯ll accompany you strolling around and shopping.¡±


    Kang Xia knew Tang Xiu¡¯s intention. It was his way of apologizing to her. Speaking about it, she and Tang Xiu indeed had been together for quite a long time, but the number of times he could accompany her strolling around and shopping was very few.


    Strolling around, shopping, having a meal, and watching movies.


    Throughout the afternoon and evening, Tang Xiu and Kang Xia were inseparable, leaving behind their footprints in many bustling areas of Shanghai. Only in the early hours of the morning did they return to Bluestar Villa Complex and then carried out the ¡°activity¡± between man and woman, letting their blazing flames burn out until they finally left exhausted and satisfied.


    The both of them were unaware that, just when they were perfectly satisfied, a white-haired young man could not even sleep inside a luxurious business room of a hotel on Wenge Avenue in Shanghai, puffing smoke with a bitter expression.


    His name was Chen Zixue, the General Manager of Senyuan Group from Zhejiang Province, a wealthy man with tens of billions in assets, the idol of many young men, and a perfect bachelor in women¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Can semi-finished products make do?¡±


    With one hand clamping his cigarette and the other boiling the water, he frowned and looked distressed.


    For the Senyuan Group to enter in the top ten construction companies in China, it was inseparable with his Midas Hand. But he looked helpless and out of his wits at this moment.


    He was still young and only 29 years old at present. 8 years ago, he was just a young and frivolous youth, who was regarded as the absolute leader of all the scions of the rich and middle-class in Zhejiang Province; a complete mess of a reputation people might say. He previously thought that he could have a free, leisure and unfettered life, squandering money in his youth and enjoying his happy life. But then, the sky above his head¡­ collapsed.


    The former CEO of Senyuan Group, his father, died of a brain hemorrhage, and the huge pressure and burden suddenly fell on him all of a sudden. Though it didn¡¯t make him collapse, his hair turned white overnight due to the worries. Holding 75% of shareholding succession right made him the new CEO, and numerous people were waiting for him to become a laughingstock.


    In these eight years, however, he changed his previous silk pants lifestyle, frantically learned various kinds of knowledge and constantly filled his shortcomings. It was like he was under a spell and bewitched. The first year he took over the Senyuan Group as its CEO, the price of his company¡¯s stock index plummeted sharply by nearly 20% at once, severely shrinking its assets. In the second year after he took over, the expenditure and income of the company hit a balance, achieving a breakeven point. In his third year, he carried an extremely risky merger, developed and sold a new real estate, and earned back the losses of his first year with still some surplus left.


    Fourth-year!


    Fifth-year!


    The ever-increasing income of the Senyuan Group did not stop and could be said to be soaring, as they acquisition a lot of plots of lands and developing residential areas everywhere, selling commercial buildings¡­


    In the eighth year, the total assets of the Senyuan Group had increased tenfold, while Chen Zixue had also become a famous real estate tycoon with a resounding name.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    The ringtone of his mobile dragged his mind back, causing Chen Zixue¡¯s expression to change. He quickly accepted the call and said in a deep voice, ¡°Have you found it?¡±


    ¡°I have¡­¡±


    After a while, Chen Zixue hung up and then dialed another cell number.


    ****


    Bluestar Villa Complex.


    Tang Xiu had just fallen asleep when he was awakened by the buzzing noise of his mobile¡¯s ringtone. He glanced at Kang Xia who was still sound asleep, leaving him with no choice but to grab his phone. He saw that it was a call from an unfamiliar number, thus he hesitated for a while before accepting it, and then said, ¡°Tang Xiu speaking, who is this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for disturbing you this late at night, Mr. Tang. I¡¯m Chen Zixue of the Senyuan Group.¡±


    ¡°Just tell me what you wanna say.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s tone was a bit rude. After all, he just had a ¡°workout¡± and was a bit tired, while he also just fell asleep before getting awakened by the noise, making his mood quite bad.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for disturbing you this late at night, Mr. Tang. I know it¡¯s improper and I have no rights to do so, but I have no other choice left. Could you spare some time to meet me?¡±


    ¡°Now? Are you kidding me?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at the time and saw that it was half past two in the morning.


    Chen Zixue forced a smile and replied, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be kicked out of the tender if I were to wait until tomorrow.¡±


    Tomorrow?


    Tang Xiu then remembered that tomorrow was the tender for the project. He also recalled that Kang Xia had listed the top ten domestic construction companies. The Senyuan Group was one of them and the real helmsman of the company, its CEO, was Chen Zixue.


    However, it was late at night. Did he want to go through the back door to obtain the project that was about to be tendered?


    Tang Xiu pondered for several seconds before answering, ¡°Where are you now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m at the hotel on Wenge Avenue.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where that is. Go to Shanghai University within an hour if you want to see me. I¡¯ll be waiting for you at the entrance.¡±


    40 minutes later, at the entrance of the Shanghai University campus.


    Tang Xiu was neatly dressed as he waited inside his car while quietly flipping through the information he just found online. It was all about Chen Zixue¡¯s resum¨¦s and portfolios. The content was short but with a lot of highlights. After reading it, he even had the illusion that this Chen Zixue could be compared to him. He was someone who had his personality and nature greatly transformed overnight, the likes of someone who had crossed planes and returned back.


    ¡°The HQ just sent another information, Boss.¡±


    Mo Awu, who stood outside the window, handed his tablet to Tang Xiu.


    After receiving and seriously reading it, Tang Xiu¡¯s expression turned extremely serious. He did not expect that the Everlasting Feast Hall really had information regarding Chen Zixue. The information was very detailed, and it was clear that the record had some matters that were unknown to the public.


    ¡°Pure Yang Constitution, as well as gifted and genius!¡±


    The final note on the document echoed inside Tang Xiu¡¯s mind, while the one who wrote that note was Gu Xiaoxue.


    Tang Xiu hesitated for a while before he dialed Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s number. Then, he asked, ¡°Why is there information about Chen Zixue? And why didn¡¯t you recruit him into the Everlasting Feast Hall?¡±


    ¡°It was Master who met him by chance when he was a child, Grand Master,¡± answered Gu Xiaoxue. ¡°She ordered us to keep an eye of Chen Zixue¡¯s situation. But then, Master stayed inside the exquisite pagoda all the year round, while I was responsible for sending people to investigate him. I finally found that he had a problematic personality, hence ordered the men who gathered his information to not recruit him into the Everlasting Feast Hall.¡±


    A problem with his personality?


    Tang Xiu looked at the document again and there was a comment written by Gu Xiaoxue there: Enigmatic and impossible to predict mind; hard to tame wild nature and unruliness beneath the surface; ruthless and vicious when handling problems; and likes to resorts to unconventional gambits.


    Tang Xiu hung up and gave back the tablet to Mo Awu. Then, he muttered to himself, ¡°He¡¯s quite a good talent. A pity that he was actually born here.¡±


    ¡°Do you wish to subdue him, by chance, Boss?¡± Mo Awu, who looked at his expression, asked.


    Tang Xiu fell silent for a while as he suddenly smiled and said, ¡°I want him to be under more observation and scrutiny. Few people can pique my interest nowadays. If there is a pleasant surprise¡­ maybe I will!¡±

 Chapter 746

    Chapter 746: Personality Test


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The harsh winter had passed, but the air in the night was still full of chill. Under the dim illumination of the streetlights, a few sparrows were fluttering and flying, braving the chill to seek food to alleviate their hunger.


    Right as his cigarette burned out, a black Mercedes Benz drove fast and quickly stopped in front of Tang Xiu¡¯s car. A sturdy man came out and opened the rear door, as Chen Zixue came out and tightened his black windproof overcoat while carrying a roll of papers and going toward Tang Xiu¡¯s car.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Tang.¡±


    Chen Zixue realized that Tang Xiu did not have the intention to get off the car, thus he had no choice but to bow and say.


    Tang Xiu wore an expressionless expression. He threw the cigarette butt from the window and saw Chen Zixue¡¯s face slightly change, then said indifferently, ¡°If you have something to say, then say it quickly. The weather is cold, and sleeping on the bed is much more comfortable than outside.¡±


    For a moment, Chen Zixue was silent. He suddenly let out a smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m very sorry for disturbing you this late at night, Mr. Tang. The chief purpose why I did that is concerning the construction project of your company that is about to be held. There¡¯s also a saying that Mr. Tang may have heard as well, that delicate works require time and slow labor. And due to your company only giving a short period of time, I personally took charge of the architect team to draw the blueprint design. We could only finish 60% of it. Please have a look at it.¡±


    Tang Xiu casually glanced at him, then took the rolled design. His vision immediately focused as he opened it and observed it a few times.


    The design was exquisitely done and showed excellent skills followed the main design given by Tang Xiu. It had been carefully well divided and segmented, either the floor height, the distribution of buildings, the use of architectural design and space¡­ all of them were well designed and simply excellent. Despite having only a shallow knowledge of modern architectural design, Tang Xiu still felt astounded.


    Unfortunately, it was an unfinished, or rather, a semi-finished product!!


    Tang Xiu observed the other dozens of design drawings and then rolled them up again, handed it over to Chen Zixue, and said, ¡°It¡¯s too cold here. Let¡¯s find someplace else to chat.¡±


    A glint suffused in Chen Zixue¡¯s eyes as he returned to his car without hesitation. The two cars drove for less than 10 minutes as they finally stopped at the entrance of a 24 hours convenience store on a nearby street.


    ¡°Welcome.¡±


    The young and beautiful female clerk raised her head and greeted them. This 24-hour convenience store had two male and one female clerks, and all three of them were very young. However, when the female clerk in the counter saw Tang Xiu, she lightly blanked for a moment before she said with amazement, ¡°Tang Xiu?¡±


    Tang Xiu, who just entered the store, did not pay attention to the female clerk. When he heard her calling his name, he glanced at her from the distance. What he did not expect was that the female clerk turned out to be Yi Lianyan.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Seeing Tang Xiu was a pleasant surprise to Yi Lianyan. Looking a bit embarrassed, she said, ¡°I¡¯m short on money, so I¡¯m working to earn my living expenses. What about you? ¡­ How come you are out late at night like this?¡±


    ¡°I just came out to discuss some things with a friend of mine. Never thought I would meet you here,¡± said Tang Xu. ¡°If anything, just tell me if you are short on money, as long as it is less than 7 digits I promise you can work for me later.¡±


    Yi Lianyan couldn¡¯t help laughing. ¡°Do you want to pay my salary in advance, by chance?¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡± Confirmed Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Nah, if a gentleman cannot eat from charity, so am I as a woman.¡± Yi Lianyan slightly shook her head. ¡°Pay me my salary when I officially work for you!¡±


    The nearby male clerks curled their lips and shot contemptuous looks.


    Seven digits?


    What a bull! Pretending to be some rich redneck! If you want to support and take Yi Lianyan as your mistress, just say it directly. Why the empty words to deceive her?


    HYPOCRITE!


    The duo directly labeled Tang Xiu inwardly.


    Tang Xiu turned his head to look at Chen Zixue, who wore a smiling face without speaking behind his back. He pointed to a table placed by the window and said, ¡°Yi Lianyan, give us an Oden serving each and two bottles of water.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Please wait a bit.¡± Yi Lianyan smiled and left.


    Tang Xiu and Chen Zixue came to the window and sat at the table. Then, Tang Xiu straightly spoke, ¡°I have seen the design drawn by your company and they are indeed excellent. But there¡¯s something I don¡¯t get. Why did you still dare to come to Shanghai while you have yet to complete it? More so that you even dared to find me so late at night like this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for benefit and interest. Hence, coming here to find you is a must,¡± said Chen Zixue with a smile.


    ¡°Benefits, huh?¡± Tang Xiu commented with a disdaining expression. ¡°Everyone wants to get benefits. But do you think you can slice a piece of the cake by looking for me now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a simple truth that what I¡¯m doing is a fool¡¯s dream to take the unfinished design, and yet I still want to win this Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s big project tender. I¡¯m very clear about that because I know that no company would hand over the project without a complete design. But I¡¯m betting and turns out that I¡¯ve already gotten 40% of the bet.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with interest.


    ¡°I called you and succeeded in making you leave your comfortable bed in the middle of the night. That proves that I have succeeded in about 20%. Then, you looked at the unfinished design, adding another 20%. Added to the previous, it¡¯s 40%,¡± said Chen Zixue with a smile.


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°You¡¯re very confident, something I can appreciate. So, tell me straight. You came directly and took your semi-finished design to look for me, were you prepared to impress me?¡±


    Chen Zixue himself had recited his own script for countless of times, so he could reply with confidence, ¡°The Magnificent Tang Corporation is planning to build a big construction project of an industrial park and HQ, while my Senyuan Group will only earn a slice, 100 million yuan from start to finish. Once we win this project and start it, your Magnificent Tang Corporation can send someone to supervise all the processes of the entire project, including all the capital expenditure required for the project.¡±


    100 million?


    Tang Xiu furrowed his brows deeply. He did not expect that Chen Zixue only wanted 100 million yuan¡ªway too little. Based on the calculation he made with Kang Xia, the construction investment of the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s HQ and industrial park in Shanghai must be at least 10 billion.


    Earning 100 million from a ten billion yuan worth project was definitely not something any construction company was willing to do.


    ¡°This matter shouldn¡¯t be as simple as that, no?¡± Tang Xiu subconsciously took out a cigarette as Chen Zixue swiftly took a lighter and lit it up for him.


    ¡°Boss Tang, for you to have such achievements at such a young age proves that your intelligence and wisdom are extraordinary,¡± said Chen Zixue. ¡°I want to use your plan to build the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s HQ and buildings in Shanghai as an introduction, or you can call it a gift. As long as Boss Tang gives your promise to give all future construction projects of the Magnificent Tang Corporation to my Senyuan Group.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face slightly changed and a cold glint suffused his eyes. He took out his phone in front of Chen Zixue and quickly dialed a cell number, saying, ¡°Inspect all the senior executives of the Magnificent Tang Corporation. I want to know who has leaked out the new plan of the company¡¯s branch development.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± The voice of the Chief of Intelligence of the Everlasting Feast Hall transmitted out of the phone.


    Chen Zixue kept smiling with a calm expression and waited until Tang Xiu finished the phone call. Then, he touched his nose and smilingly said, ¡°Boss Tang, your company has made this development plan and I believe that the scale of the project and investment in Shanghai will be quite big. Furthermore, it will be inevitable for you to seek cooperation partners. Frankly, my Senyuan Group has been engaged in real estate business for more than 20 years and can be ranked amongst the top ten construction companies in China. However, my company has reached a bottleneck at present. If I want to break through this state and propel our development a level, we must find another shortcut and do unconventional gambits. And your Magnificent Tang Corporation can give us a way out.¡±


    ¡°Then, I wanna ask you something,¡± Tang Xiu said indifferently. ¡°Do you know how many branches and exclusive stores my company is going to build?¡±


    ¡°I dunno about that,¡± Chen Zixue shook his head. ¡°But I dare say that it will definitely be a lot.¡±


    Tang Xiu knocked on the table as he squinted his eyes and said, ¡°Let¡¯s say I hand over the construction project of the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s HQ and industrial park to you, are you not afraid that I¡¯d take back my commitment after you¡¯re done with the construction?¡±


    ¡°What I¡¯m betting on here is your character and moral integrity, to be honest,¡± said Chen Zixue solemnly.


    ¡°Sometimes one¡¯s character is not worth mentioning at all once one is facing the interests and benefits in front,¡± said Tang Xiu casually.


    ¡°I¡¯m betting that your character is worth the stake,¡± once again, Chen Zixue said. ¡°In addition, I give you my personal guarantee that my Senyuan Group will not be greedy in the follow-up cooperation. We will take what we must earn and we¡¯ll constrict ourselves to not take a dime from anything that is not ours. What I can guarantee compared to the other construction companies is that we can definitely reduce the budget for building any branch office and the exclusive store of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, but still ensure the quality of the project.¡±


    ¡°So, what you meant by benefits is just that you want to go over the path of quantity, no?¡± Said Tang Xiu indifferently.


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Chen Zixue firmly nodded.


    Tang Xiu just nodded in response. Not only did he not give any promise to him, but also shifted his vision at Yi Lianyan instead, who now placed two Oden servings on the table, and said with a smile, ¡°This stuff tastes great; I once had it here before. How about trying it first?¡±


    Chen Zixue nodded in response. Although he ate it, he could not taste it at all as he swallowed it. He was calculating inside whether his chance of impressing and moving Tang Xiu had increased, and how much the percentage would be.


    Tang Xiu quietly ate his serving and occasionally glanced at Chen Zixue¡¯s face, scrutinizing his pensive look. It secretly made him surprised and also a bit regretful.


    What made him surprised was that this man really had the ability and the capital that satisfied and moved him. What made him regret was that Chen Zixue had too much ambition. Although he was not afraid of people with ambition, he did not want to waste too much on him.


    ¡°Can I ask you something?¡±


    After finishing half the bowl of Oden, Tang Xiu wiped his mouth with a tissue and smilingly said.

 Chapter 747

    Chapter 747: It¡¯s All About Survival


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Chen Zixue swallowed the Oden, took the water bottle on the table and sipped it before he replied, ¡°Please do ask, I¡¯ll answer the best I can.¡±


    ¡°What would you choose if you had to pick between a wolf and an eagle?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I¡¯d choose an eagle,¡± said Chen Zixue without hesitation.


    ¡°Why? A wolf is wild in nature, always going all-out with its strength, tough and tenacious¡ªjust like you started eight years ago. Although an eagle indeed can fly high in the sky, it doesn¡¯t have a wolf¡¯s personality, and can only survive in the food chain by virtue of its inborn endowment.¡±


    ¡°The eagle can soar to the vast sky and look down at all walks of life and sentient beings. I would rather sit up high and aloof. I don¡¯t want to be a wolf even if¡­ an Alpha of its pack.¡± said Chen Zixue.


    Tang Xiu sighed inside. If it was a wolf he would still have the intention to tame it, but it would not be so easy if it was an eagle. One had to be on guard so as not to get pecked and blinded when catching and taming an eagle, and though Tang Xiu had the ability to protect himself, he did not want to waste too much time for that.


    More so that Chen Zixue had too much wealth. If he were to become a cultivator, he would have the capital to stay in the competition, vying for resources. After Tang Xiu returned to Earth, he found that there were indeed many precious herbs here, but those precious herbs were limited, and he did not want to add more troubles.


    ¡°It¡¯s really a pity.¡±


    Tang Xiu took out his wallet and took a hundred bill yuan and placed it on the table. He then got up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll see you at the project tender!¡±


    Having said that, he greeted Yi Lianyan and directly left the 24-hour convenience store. He could approve Chen Zixue¡¯s means in the striking business deal and also recognized his ability, but he could not acknowledge him as an individual.


    Chen Zixue did not get up. All sorts of thoughts churned up and swirled inside his mind, recalling Tang Xiu¡¯s words before he left. Although he also realized that Tang Xiu allowed him to participate in the project bidding and was highly likely to choose his Senyuan Group, what did he mean with his last sentence?


    He could not figure it out and it somewhat depressed his mood.


    ¡°Would you like to have another serving of Oden, Sir?¡±


    Yi Lianyan came to Chen Zixue¡¯s front with a smiling face and asked after cleaning up the disposable meal box left by Tang Xiu.


    Chen Zixue raised his head to look at her pretty face. Suddenly, his heart moved and he asked, ¡°Are you called Yi Lianyan? I¡¯m Chen Zixue, the Senyuan¡­ Forget it. Just call me Big Brother Chen if you don¡¯t mind!¡±


    ¡°Alright, how do you do, Brother Chen?¡± Yi Lianyan smiled.


    Chen Zixue nodded and said with a smile, ¡°Would you like to sit and have a chat?¡±


    Yi Lianyan complied and sat on the chair previously used by Tang Xiu. She then smiled and said, ¡°Brother Chen should be a quite capable man, right? I just overheard your conversation. You want to have a business partnership with Tang Xiu, right?¡±


    Chen Zixue found it funny, so he asked, ¡°Does it mean I¡¯m very capable because I want to form a partnership with Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s of course,¡± Yi Lianyan smilingly said. ¡°Tang Xiu is a very capable person. If you don¡¯t have any skills, how could he possibly miss his sleep and come here to discuss business with you otherwise? However, I can tell that it¡¯s you who are asking him after hearing the exchange between you two.¡±


    Chen Zixue couldn¡¯t help laughing and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s me who¡¯s asking him to give me a source of income and a fortune.¡±


    ¡°You can make your dream come true as long as you are sincere. That¡¯s what I believe,¡± Yi Lianyan laughed. ¡°As for Tang Xiu, he¡­ sometimes has his soft side in some cases, though.¡±


    ¡°Do you perhaps know him very well?¡± Asked Chen Zixue, surprised.


    Yi Lianyan pondered before shaking her head and saying, ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t know him that well. But I can sense that side of him shine sometimes. Brother Chen, you¡¯re a very handsome man, but you don¡¯t have Tang Xiu¡¯s charm. I recall from before¡­¡±


    Yi Lianyan¡¯s words abruptly halted as though she realized that it was something that could not be said. Finally, she said with a somewhat awkward expression, ¡°I recalled when Tang Xiu saved me.¡±


    A smile outlined on the corner of Chen Zixue¡¯s mouth and his depressed mood turned for the better. He had a calm personality, to begin with, and rarely engaged in idle talk with strangers. But an impulse made him want to chat with Yi Lianyan at this time, so he was not in a hurry to leave. He then smilingly said, ¡°Could you tell me what abilities he has that he can be a savior for such a pretty woman like you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t tell you that.¡± Yi Lianyan declined with a dry smile.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Chen Zixue looked at her straight on.


    Being stared at by him made Yi Lianyan a bit stunned. She secretly regretted talking too much just now. She hurriedly got up and said, ¡°Brother Chen, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re a bad person, so I¡¯m going to tell you something. Do not ever have sinister thoughts toward Tang Xiu, or you will end up very miserable otherwise.¡±


    With that said, she immediately returned to the checkout counter and never looked at Chen Zixue¡¯s direction.


    Chen Zixue slightly furrowed his brows and took back his vision. His eyes reflected that he fell deep in thought. The secret that Yi Lianyan did not want to say was probably because the matter was not simple. Though his curiosity was indeed piqued, he still suppressed the urge.


    ****


    Early in the next morning.


    When Tang Xiu woke up from his sleep, he found that the one who was beside him before had disappeared. After getting dressed, cleaned his face and rinsed his mouth, he went to the first floor, and then heard some sounds from the kitchen.


    ¡°Got up early?¡± Tang Xiu leaned on the door and watched Kang Xia¡¯s back, who was now wearing an apron and cooking.


    Kang Xia turned around and smilingly said, ¡°Wasn¡¯t it you who got up late at night? Why not sleep more?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something very important we gotta do today. It¡¯s best to get up early and join in the fun, no?¡± Tang Xiu laughed. ¡°Anyways, the host of the project tender will still be you, though. I will just listen and watch.¡±


    Kang Xia let out a smile and said, ¡°You really are one hell of a Big Boss, always idle and carefree. Anyways, just go to the dining room and wait there for a while. Breakfast will soon be served.¡±


    Tang Xiu did not leave, however, but said, ¡°Anyways, it was Chen Zixue who called me last night, hence I met him.¡±


    Kang Xia was stunned and she immediately turned around to ask, ¡°What did he want from you?¡±


    ¡°His company, the Senyuan Group, has yet to finish the entire blueprint, but he wanted to make a deal with me,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°This guy is very good, and I admit that he¡¯s by far the most business genius I¡¯ve ever seen. I gotta tell you another issue as well. The latest development plan of our Magnificent Tang Corporation has been leaked out.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Kang Xia¡¯s face greatly changed and there was faint anger in her eyes.


    ¡°I already sent someone to investigate it,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°All of the senior executives of the Magnificent Tang Corporation will be investigated, and I¡¯m sure the results will come out soon. What I want to tell you is this. The Senyuan Group has completed a large part of the overall blueprint design, and I¡¯ve seen more than half of it. It¡¯s excellent. If there is no special design and low bidder at today¡¯s tender, pick this Senyuan Group!¡±


    ¡°But this is not something trivial.¡± Kang Xia frowned.


    ¡°I know. I get what you mean,¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°But Chen Zixue told me his original idea, and it was the kind of ulterior motives behind the bidding. Although the amount of work in Shanghai will be quite big, it¡¯s obvious that he wants to produce the complete high-quality blueprint design, and yet he has not much time for that. He wanted to give up, so he offered another option¡­¡±


    After a few minutes, Tang Xiu narrated Chen Zixue¡¯s plan and finally concluded, ¡°He wants to bet on me, then we¡¯ll let him do the gamble. We¡¯ll hand over the construction of our company¡¯s HQ and industrial park to his Senyuan Group. Once it¡¯s completed, involve him in managing the construction of our branch offices and exclusive stores. As long as he¡¯s not greedy, we don¡¯t have to pay much attention to him again later.¡±


    Kang Xia thought deeply for a while before she forced a smile and said, ¡°You are oversimplifying this matter. This Chen Zixue obviously understands that we must establish branch offices and exclusive stores in the second half of the year, hence he made this request. But you must not overlook something. It¡¯s impossible to finish the construction of the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s HQ and industrial park within half a year. Not even a year is enough. According to our estimation, it can be fully completed at least by the end of next year.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware of that. But then again, we¡¯re also saving the matter of constructing our branch offices and exclusive stores in different provinces one after another, aren¡¯t we? It¡¯s not like we can build them all at once. We can give the Senyuan Group the projects in one or two provinces. After the work in the first province is completed, and if this company dares to rob us in broad daylight and become greedy, we can stop the cooperation in time.¡±


    Kang Xia thought about it and said, ¡°That¡¯s quite sound and reasonable indeed! So be it, then! If there are no good surprises from the other bidders today, we¡¯ll pick the Senyuan Group, then!¡±


    The breakfast was quite lavish and tasted great.


    After Tang Xiu and Kang Xia had finished their breakfast and were preparing to go out and head to the Paradise Manor, an uninvited guest arrived and ruined all Tang Xiu¡¯s plans for today.


    ¡°Why did you come here, Grandpa?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at the worried-looking Tang Guosheng and asked with a surprised expression, while Kang Xia looked somewhat uneasy standing before him.


    The person who accompanied Tang Guosheng was Tang Min. There was an uneasy look on her face when she looked at Tang Xiu, seemingly wanting to speak a few times but hesitated. Despite seeing Kang Xia and Tang Xiu living together, there were no thoughts regarding this issue inside her head at the moment.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have a talk inside your study room, Xiu¡¯er!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Tang Xiu took Tang Guosheng and Tang Min to the study room, while Kang Xia prepared to serve tea. When the tea was delivered and served to Tang Guosheng and Tang Min, she then prepared to leave.


    ¡°Sit there!¡± said Tang Xiu as he pointed to the chair next to the desk.


    Kang Xia looked dull and walked over obediently, albeit hesitantly.


    Tang Guosheng, however, was a bit surprised. He looked at Kang Xia and shifted his vision to Tang Xiu before he slowly said, ¡°A major incident happened. It¡¯s about the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, along with a large number of intelligence personnel and servicemen. It¡¯s also about¡­ the survival and destruction of the hidden force of our Tang Family.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s heart thumped and he could not believe what he heard. One must know that now was the age of peace. How could such a grave issue occur?


    ¡°Exactly what happened, Grandpa?¡±


    Tang Guosheng looked hesitant. He spent a lifetime in the military judging and reading countless people. Although he could see that Kang Xia and Tang Xiu had an unusual relationship, he did not know whether he could trust her, because what he was going to say was of the utmost importance. The situation as a whole was important and what was even more important was the matter regarding Tang Xiu.


    With his excellent wisdom, Tang Xiu found Tang Guosheng glanced once again at Kang Xia and immediately understood what he had in mind. Then, he said, ¡°Grandpa, Kang Xia is my woman. She¡¯s also a cultivator and someone very close who I can trust. You can feel at ease to say anything here.¡±

 Chapter 748

    Chapter 748: Let Bygones Be Bygones, But Be Forever Loyal to the Country


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    It was the first time for Tang Guosheng and Tang Min to hear Tang Xiu personally admit the fact that he had a woman already. Even the outside knew that his woman was Mu Wanying, he never admitted it personally. At this moment, the father and daughter exchanged looks and finally accepted Kang Xia thoroughly.


    Also, she was a cultivator!


    Her status as a cultivator showed that she was indeed Tang Xiu¡¯s most effective assistant. At this moment, both of them realized that it was no wonder Tang Xiu could transfer his authority over the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s management to Kang Xia.


    ¡°Little Kang, you will be the future daughter-in-law of my Tang Family.¡±


    Tang Guosheng turned his head to look at Kang Xia. After saying those words, he directly turned his sight to Tang Xiu and took the cigarette Tang Xiu put down on the tea table.


    The daughter-in-law of the Tang Family?


    A huge wave surged up inside Kang Xia¡¯s heart at this moment, and her tender body could not help but tremble a few times. Intense ecstasy along with joy made her feel more satisfied than ever. She cared a lot about Tang Xiu, and naturally, cared about getting approval from the Tang Family¡¯s elders. She imagined about it sometimes but did not expect her dream to come true.


    External variables were sometimes needed to deepen one¡¯s affection, and those who wanted to love and be loved would truly care. What Tang Xiu just said really made her satisfied, deepening her feelings for him.


    Tang Guosheng lit up the cigarette and took two deep puffs. Then, he slowly said, ¡°The issue is very troublesome this time. It can be said to be big trouble. It will not only cause losses in the entirety of China but also inflict heavy losses to the Tang Family if it¡¯s not handled well.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t keep me guessing, Grandpa. Just go straight to the point,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Do you know about Mist Source Island?¡± Asked Tang Guosheng.


    ¡°Never heard of it,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°Do we have such an island in China?¡±


    ¡°Prior to this, I thought it was a good thing that the country tried to conceal the existence of this island. But I didn¡¯t expect this situation to occur. As a matter of fact, Mist Source Island suddenly appeared about 20 to 30 years ago outside the sea territory of Taiwan¡ªabout 800 nautical miles from it. The moment this island appeared, the country immediately dispatched a large number of troops, geologists, and biologists there. Do you know what situation we found on this island of the same size of Taiwan?


    ¡°It¡¯s completely composed of high mountains, which are filled with virgin primeval forests. There were many savage beasts there at first, along with a lot of precious mineral treasures. Even medicinal herbs also grew there. After some highly respected old Chinese practitioners ventured there, they confirmed that some of the herbs were thousands of years of age. I myself personally went there. And on the summit of the mountain in the center of the island has a palace. It¡¯s very ancient, but none was able to climb up to the mountaintop and venture into it until now.


    ¡°After the country set up development of the island in secret, the Mist Source Island has been completely under our country¡¯s control and a lot of elite soldiers are stationed there, along with the families of some soldiers and researchers for some time in the past. And now, the entire Mist Source Island is inhabited by hundreds of thousands of people.¡±


    Having said that, Tang Guosheng stopped and took another cigarette.


    Tang Xiu was shocked, ¡°How is it possible for Mist Source Island to still be kept tightly confidential in this era? Without mentioning other reasons, the power of the media alone is enough to expose the situation there, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because of the exposure of the existence of Mist Source Island that many countries are staring,¡± sighed Tang Guosheng. ¡°Many countries attempted to take possession of the island several years ago. But our country has already troops stationed there, while it¡¯s also still in our sea territory, hence the failure of their attempts. Taiwan also wanted to set foot there, but they were suppressed and eventually could only choose to be silent.¡±


    ¡°If so, then what exactly is this crisis?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    While suppressing his anger, Tang Guosheng replied, ¡°Those foreign countries have always coveted Mist Source Island and even tried every means available to send people there, but there no major issues occurred since the coastline is always guarded very strictly. In recent years, however, some of those countries have been supporting forces to carry out an intense infiltration into the island. What¡¯s more, several people of these foreign forces are now really infiltrating through the flaws in the barricade, and the number is not small.


    ¡°Just six days ago, a resident of Mist Source Island suddenly fell into a coma. After getting examined by medical personnel there, they found that it was caused by a virus and the infected had contacted many people everywhere before. Hence, the contagion of the virus unceasingly spread out at an extremely terrifying speed. In just day four, 80% of the inhabitants of Mist Source Island were infected. Even the garrison there got infected today. All of them amount up to hundreds of thousands of people! Though the country sent the best virus experts there in the last few days, they were still helpless with the situation. Finally, yesterday the senior Divine Doctor Gui Jianchou from Beijing also went there.¡±


    ¡°From where did this virus come from?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a frown.


    ¡°From one of the most dangerous organizations in the world, the Stygian Club,¡± said Tang Guosheng in a deep voice. ¡°Some people from the Stygian Club infiltrated the island and injected the virus into the first carrier. Some foreign black markets overseas are selling the antivirus, called as strengthening liquid or something. Those who have been injected with this strengthening liquid in advance won¡¯t be infected by the virus again. Therefore, thousands of people from the Stygian Club and some other forces have landed on Mist Source Island in the last seven days. The stationed troops have had several fierce clashes with those people and we suffered quite a few losses as a result. There are some individuals among those people who are very powerful.¡±


    Tang Xiu slammed his fist on the table and angrily said, ¡°That damn Stygian Club again. Its existence is nothing but a scourge!¡±


    ¡°You know about the Stygian Club?¡± Asked Tang Guosheng with fixed attention.


    A cold glint flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he said, ¡°I dealt with people from the Stygian Club in some incidents, and they suffered a loss against me every time. Grandpa, you want me to go to Mist Source Island?¡±


    ¡°I did have such a plan. But the current situation over there is very dangerous,¡± Tang Guosheng nodded. ¡°There¡¯s a virus threat on the one hand, while various forces from abroad are also staring their greedy eyes as well. I¡¯m also worried ab¡­¡±


    ¡°You can cast away those worries, Grandpa,¡± Tang Xiu interrupted his words and said with solemnity. ¡°This virus is nothing but a trivial thing, it won¡¯t harm me whatsoever. As for those foreign forces, they will never be able to pose any threats to me unless they use a nuke.¡±


    Tang Guosheng nodded in response without speaking. Then, he bitterly said, ¡°There are some people of our family on Mist Source Island, a battalion of martial artists in the military training camp I ordered your Second Grandpa to secretly set up on the island. Contact the people under the country¡¯s First Leader when you get there, and then quietly go to the Tang Manor Martial School to find Tang Han.¡±


    ¡°Who is this Tang Han?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°She¡¯s your First Uncle¡¯s daughter,¡± answered Tang Guosheng.


    Tang Xiu was taken aback and asked, ¡°First Uncle has a daughter? How come I don¡¯t know about her?¡±


    Tang Guosheng forced a smile and said, ¡°In order to have a station on Mist Source Island, we announced to the public that your First Uncle¡¯s daughter died at the age of four, but she was in fact sent to Mist Source Island in secret. After having gone through various training since her childhood, she then successfully took over the Tang Manor Martial School by the time she turned eighteen. It¡¯s been 11 years since. That child¡­ she returned to Beijing every two years in secret. She is 29 years old now, but she has only returned 12 times. Our family¡­ owes her way too much.¡±


    The revelation aroused deep respect in Tang Xiu¡¯s heart toward this cousin he had never meet. He nodded and said, ¡°I understand, Grandpa.¡±


    Tang Min took two things from the bag she carried¡ªa small green book with the words Peace and Safe. The other one was a black badge with only a blood drop engraving on it.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er, this green book is the proof of identity of the State Security Department that was done for you, while this badge is the sign of our Tang Family¡¯s secret force. Take this to your sister and she will naturally believe you,¡± said Tang Min in a low voice.


    Tang Xiu nodded in response. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, ¡°Grandpa, there¡¯s someone else who wants me to go to Mist Source Island other than you, right? Who is he?¡±


    Tang Guosheng and Tang Min exchanged looks, as the former immediately let out a bitter smile and said, ¡°Really. I can¡¯t hide anything from you. He¡¯s the one at the top.¡±


    ¡°Which one?¡±


    ¡°The highest one.¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and asked, ¡°Is there any benefits?¡±


    ¡°Just a sentence: Let bygones be bygones, forever loyal to the country,¡± said Tang Guosheng.


    Tang Xiu was taken aback. He subconsciously took a cigarette and lit it. After taking a few deep puffs, he grinned and said, ¡°This Senior chose to compromise and gave me the plenary country power to act! If my guess is correct, this small green book won¡¯t be taken back either, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Tang Guosheng knew that his grandson was smart and immediately nodded and smiled.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Tang Xiu stood up. ¡°That being the case, then I¡¯ll take the job. When do I leave?¡±


    ¡°ASAP,¡± said Tang Guosheng. ¡°The garrison base in Shanghai has prepared a military chopper. You can take off at any time.¡±


    Tang Xiu then looked at Kang Xia and said, ¡°I won¡¯t be able to accompany you in today¡¯s matter. Also, never disclose my whereabouts to anyone.¡±


    There was deep worry and concern on Kang Xia¡¯s face when she got up. Yet, she still nodded and exhorted, ¡°Please do pay attention to your safety.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± replied Tang Xiu.


    Tang Guosheng and Tang Min did not rush to leave. They looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s back as he quickly left the house, sighing at the same time.


    ****


    Shanghai Garrison Base.


    Hu Zhenfeng, who was clad in his army uniform, had been waiting for a long time. He was the Chief of Staff of the Mist Source Island Garrison with a senior colonel rank. Prior to this, he was just on leave and returned to Beijing on vacation, but the major incident that happened on Mist Source Island made him receive an order to escort Tang Guosheng to Shanghai and to stand by at the Shanghai Garrison Base.


    To stand by and wait for someone.


    He did not know who he was waiting for, and neither could he figure out what kind of identity this person had, to even make him, who was a Chief of Staff with a Senior Colonel rank, to wait.


    Honk! Honk!


    Four black SUVs came from a distance and parked near the apron of military helicopters, as a big man in a black suit opened the car¡¯s door. Hu Zhenfeng¡¯s eyes then fell on the rear door of the third car. He knew that someone who could enter straight from the outside was definitely a top brass.

 Chapter 749

    Chapter 749: Ludicrous Bragging


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Going to Mist Source Island this time, Tang Xiu did not bring a lot of men. In addition to Mo Awu who usually followed him, there were only ten other guards. Despite knowing that there were many unknown enemies he was confident that he could completely destroy them.


    Nonetheless, he still made a few phone calls on the way to the Garrison Base. Aside from the class-in-charge teacher, Han Qingwu, asking for leave, he also spoke to Xue Yu and Li Laoshan, who had been busy recently, saying that he would find the time to drink with him later. He wanted to invite Li Laoshan for a meal, but he was in a hurry to leave Shanghai, hence called the man ahead of time.


    When Tang Xiu got off the car, he saw the tall and straight posture of Hu Zhenfeng, who was donned in his military uniform, as he then headed straight toward the man. Following that, he took out the green book and directly spoke, ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu. We need to immediately rush to Mist Source Island. This is the document.¡±


    Hu Zhenfeng took the green book and looked at it a few times, saying, ¡°I¡¯ve received orders from my superior to use this military helicopter to send us to Nanxia Province. We¡¯ll then have to board a ship to Mist Source Island. We¡¯ll be arriving there before evening if the trip goes smoothly.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t fly straight there?¡± Tang Xiu frowned.


    ¡°No flights can travel to and from Mist Source Island according to the Military Aircraft Agreement,¡± Hu Zhenfeng shook his head. ¡°The Air Defense Division has an intercontinental armed system in Mist Source Island. Once a plane is closing about 50 kilometers with 400 meters of altitude, it will be identified as an enemy and shot down.¡±


    ¡°The military helicopters are not an exception either? Isn¡¯t there also a fighter plane there?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°No. Thing is, there¡¯s something unsuited there,¡± Hu Zhenfeng shook his head.


    ¡°What is this something, exactly?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s a strange magnetic field that shrouds an area of dozens of kilometers in the vicinity of Mist Source Island. Any unit with a measuring device will malfunction if it enters the area. Furthermore, there¡¯s a thick, heavy fog around Mist Source Island. We found that the island only had its fog dissipated for two hours every day ever since we discovered the island. Hence, we can only enter and exit Mist Source Island during these two hours.¡±


    Is it a formation array?


    Tang Xiu thought for a few seconds. Then, he nodded and said, ¡°Forget it and let¡¯s go now! Anyways, can this chopper take these many people?¡±


    ¡°With the 2 pilots in the cockpit, only 10 people can board the cabin. I did not know how many men you¡¯d be taking with you, so I only asked the Military Region to prepare this helicopter. I can apply to add one more now, though,¡± said Hu Zhenfeng.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to trouble you,¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Two minutes later, two military SUVs roared and stopped nearby as seven soldiers clad in camo uniform jumped off the car. They put down the camo bag they brought, saluted Hu Zhenfeng and said, ¡°Phantom Combat Squad¡¯s Captain Yu Shuqing reporting to Senior Officer, Sir!¡±


    After returning the ceremony, Hu Zhenfeng smiled and said, ¡°After receiving the order from the top brasses, I knew I¡¯d see you again, old comrades! Your Phantom Special Combat Squad has made admirable distinguished services to the country over the years, and even the Senior Officer hasn¡¯t run out of praises for you all!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s our duty to serve for the country, Sir,¡± said Yu Shuqing with a smile.


    Hu Zhenfeng nodded and his eyes swept the other six members of Phantom Special Combat Squad. He then nodded with satisfaction and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m completely relieved to have your special operations team come with me to Mist Source island. Shuqing, let me introduce you to Tang Xiu, who is in charge of the incidents on Mist Source Island. All members of Phantom Special Combat Squad are now to take command from him.¡±


    Yu Shuqing frowned, but still saluted to Tang Xiu, ¡°Phantom Special Combat Squad¡¯s Captain Yu Shuqing reporting to the leader, Sir!¡±


    There was a bit of anger in the eyes of the other six members of the special operation teams behind him. They could tell that Mo Awu and the rest were very extraordinary when they arrived. More so that they could smell a faint bloody scent from their bodies that gave off quite a sense of threat even to them. But Tang Xiu was too young. The squad had always acted alone, and now that they were suddenly assigned to be under the command of an unknown young man¡­ this greatly dissatisfied them.


    Tang Xiu indifferently nodded and said, ¡°I don¡¯t need any other helpers actually. But since you already accepted orders, it¡¯d be rude if I were to decline and sent you back. When we get on Mist Source Island, I¡¯ll talk to the Military Supervisor there to make you stay in the base.¡±


    A cold glint suffused in Yu Shuqing¡¯s eyes as he said coldly, ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and straightly ignored him. He went toward Hu Zhenfeng and led Mo Awu, Jin Shi, and the rest to board the military helicopter, leaving only two experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall behind.


    ¡°Boss, I have once dealt with someone from this Phantom Special Combat Squad,¡± Xue Sha spoke to Tang Xiu in a low voice after they sat down in the cabin.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows were raised as he asked, ¡°When was that?¡±


    ¡°When I found Mouse,¡± said Xue Sha. ¡°A member of this Phantom Special Combat Squad tracked us down and was intercepted by me. He did not see my appearance, though, so they didn¡¯t recognize me.¡±


    Tang Xiu understood in a flash as he smiled and said, ¡°It seems like they are the ones who fought with those people from the SOE company in Shanghai. If not for our special identity, this Phantom special force is probably regarded as very powerful to ordinary people.¡±


    ¡°If I were to face them I could decimate this entire squad,¡± Xue Sha sneered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that bullshit, will you?¡± Tang Xiu snappily derided him. ¡°They are just ordinary people. What identity do you have? Do you feel great comparing yourself with them?¡±


    Ugh¡­ Xue Sha let out a hollow laugh and bowed his head, no longer speaking.


    Under the military helicopter, Mo Xiaonan, a member of Phantom Special Combat Squad squinted at the two men, Shui Gui, Ye Shisan, and immediately asked, ¡°Senior Officer, what exactly do they do?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask what you shouldn¡¯t ask. I am not clear about it myself.¡± Hu Zhenfeng shook his head.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know them either?¡± Asked Mo Xiaonan. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean we¡¯ll be taking orders from that surnamed Tang brat? Is this a joke or something?¡±


    ¡°This is an order!¡± rebuked Hu Zhenfeng in a deep voice.


    Ye Shisan shot a cold stare at Mo Xiaonan and chillingly spoke, ¡°If you dare say anything more about our Boss with that insulting face of yours, I will kill you here and now even if you¡¯re a soldier!¡±


    Boss?


    Mo Xiaonan sneered, ¡°I was thinking he¡¯s some kind of top brass, big shot or something, it turns out that he¡¯s just a Boss, huh? What the heck has happened to our superiors¡¯ heads? To think that they ordered us to obey orders from a businessman? Besides¡­ just his braggart bodyguards are already a damn funny comedy!¡±


    There was also an unsightly expression on Yu Shuqing¡¯s face. But he thought that there should be a lot more than that what they could see because he felt that it was impossible for a pure businessman to be qualified to come here and also obtain the rights command them. He glared at Mo Xiaonan and scolded him in a deep voice, ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Mo Xiaonan hummed coldly and glared provocatively at Ye Shisan and Shui Guo, no longer speaking.


    Twenty minutes later, another military helicopter was ready. Soon after Hu Zhenfeng and the rest boarded it, it quickly disappeared into the clouds. After more than two hours, two military helicopters had already arrived at the Nanxia Province Garrison Base, while the base itself had sent six military jeeps to send them to the military port.


    ¡°LIBERTY¡± passenger liner.


    After boarding this medium-sized liner, Hu Zhenfeng spoke to the people on the liner and then sailed directly to Mist Source Island. They must bypass Taiwan in order to go to Mist Source Island from Nanxia Province, so the voyage took a lot of time. Only after it was dusk did the liner finally enter a misty sea zone.


    ¡°Interesting.¡±


    While standing on the bow deck, Tang Xiu folded his arms and looked around. He could clearly sense that there was special energy drifting from the side, and it should be the energy coming from the fog. The volatility of this energy, however, had an active and stable regular pattern which was not formed by a natural formation but artificially created by an array technique.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, pay attention to your safety later. This sea area is not peaceful.¡± Hu Zhenfeng walked out of the cabin with a faint smile on his face, as he spoke to Tang Xiu after standing side by side.


    Tang Xiu turned his head and asked, ¡°Care to elaborate?¡±


    ¡°There are savage beasts in this sea area. Do you know what a savage beast is? It¡¯s the kind of wild beast that possess a simple, intelligent mind, but its attack power is many times stronger than wild animals, especially in this foggy area which has black sharks living in. Fortunately, our ship is made of steel. If a wooden boat were to pass through this area, those black sharks would definitely break the boat¡¯s deck in one bite.¡±


    ¡°Why has no one ever tried to hunt these black sharks?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like we have never hunted them. These black sharks are huge in numbers and also social animals. Every time they appear in groups, there will be at least hundreds of them. The army garrisoned here has been dispatching soldiers to clean them up many times already, but they always feel that they cannot kill nor destroy them.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said lightly, ¡°I¡¯ll send some people to help clean them up when the crisis on Mist Source Island is solved. I¡¯m afraid we will no longer able to block the news about this island again after this incident, nonetheless. Civilians from the outside will inevitably come here, so it¡¯s necessary to remove this crisis.¡±


    Hu Zhenfeng¡¯s mouth twitched, and there was contempt in his eyes when he looked at Tang Xiu. He had seen many capable people and many braggarts, but none of them was so arrogant. Even the army was unable to eradicate these black sharks, and yet, Tang Xiu, who had never seen them, actually dared to brag such a ridiculous bull here. He really couldn¡¯t think through why the higher-ups would send such a fellow to solve the crisis on Mist Source Island.


    As the liner sailed forward, it quickly passed through the foggy area and entered a clear field of vision, as a looming distant island was then seen in their range of sight. When the liner anchored on the island, Hu Zhenfeng personally took a batch of masks.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need it,¡± Tang Xiu lightly shook his head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense, Tang Xiu!¡± Hu Zhenfeng angrily said. ¡°The virus epidemic spreading on Mist Source Island is very serious. If it wasn¡¯t for this gas mask provided on board this ship, I would have taken them to my comrades to wear. Just hurry up and put this on. We¡¯re going to get off the ship!¡±


    Tang Xiu did not take it, walking to the edge of the deck before his figure then sprinted forward in an instant. After dashing for six-plus meters, he leaped over in one jump and directly landed on the shore road, while Mo Awu and the others followed suit and also jumped ashore.

 Chapter 750

    Chapter 750: Grave Situation


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    On the deck of the liner, Hu Zhenfeng and the others¡¯ eyes turned saucer when they saw that Tang Xiu and his men easily jumped six-plus meters away. The world¡¯s long jump record was 8.95 meters, but it was achieved through the inertia of a full sprint run-up. Although the deck was only six-plus meters away from the shore, they looked very relaxed to jump over without a run-up. What they did was simply beyond Hu Zhenfeng¡¯s imagination.


    ¡°What monsters! They just lifted their legs and yet jumped so far. Wouldn¡¯t they be able to break the world record if they were to participate in the Olympic Games?¡±


    The contempt inside Hu Zhenfeng¡¯s heart toward Tang Xiu reduced a lot.


    The members of the Phantom Special Combat Squad, including Captain Yu Shuqing, were also surprised by the long jump ability of Tang Xiu and his men. Although they could jump ashore like them, doing it so easily was not something they could achieve.


    ¡°These guys are experts, Captain,¡± said Chen Yangfan, who had always been proud of his speed, leaned towards Yu Shuqing and said with a solemn expression.


    ¡°I already noticed that they all are masters, but I never thought that they were this powerful,¡± Yu Shuqing nodded. ¡°Of all the members of our Phantom Squad, I¡¯m afraid only you who could barely match them.¡±


    ¡°That is if I take a few steps back to run, else it will be a bit difficult,¡± said Chen Yangfan with a forced, wry smile.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I could go anywhere close to the people who can become the envoys sent by our superiors to solve the crisis here either. Alright, keep your vigilance, but don¡¯t displease them.¡±


    ¡°Roger that!¡± The squad nodded.


    On the shore, there was a medium-sized bus that could accommodate twenty-plus people, with a young man donned in a leather suit and wearing a mask standing at the door. After he saw Hu Zhenfeng, his eyes immediately shimmered as he greeted him with a salute, ¡°You¡¯re finally back, Chief of Staff. Our garrison is in huge trouble.¡±


    ¡°How is the situation now, and how many men in the army got infected by the virus?¡± Asked Hu Zhenfeng.


    ¡°Only 88 people not infected by the virus, and they are those who got assigned to the two patrol ships in nearby waters. As for the rest, all of them suffered a cold, fever, and weakened body symptoms. We have taken various antivirus drugs, but it doesn¡¯t have any effect whatsoever, while the preventive medication we bought from that foreign black market will come too late.¡±


    ¡°Do the other officers and our men still retain their combat capabilities other than those on the two ships?¡± Asked Hu Zhenfeng quickly.


    ¡°We can pull it through for some time, but only 3 to 5 days at best,¡± the young man nodded. ¡°Chief, the first carrier died just six hours ago, and there are now dozens of people who are seriously ill on the island. They could die at any time.¡±


    With a slightly changed expression, Hu Zhenfeng asked in a deep voice, ¡°How many people not infected are left on the island now?¡±


    Anger flashed on the young man¡¯s face as he said, ¡°More than 1000 people, but more than 90% of them are from those foreign forces. They took that preventive agent before coming here, hence avoiding getting infected. Division Commander Yang forbid us to take action against them, so they are practically running wild on the island. Although they have yet to do anything too outrageous, they¡­ kind of scattered here, prospecting the mineral resources and inquiring about various information.¡±


    A cold glint flashed in Hu Zhenfeng¡¯s eyes as he asked again, ¡°Did you bring that antivirus gas mask?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I brought them over. Thirty of them in total,¡± the young man nodded.


    Hu Zhenfeng turned to look at Tang Xiu, Yu Shuqing and the others, and then said in a heavy voice, ¡°We have not yet taken any preventive drugs before coming here, so we must wear gas masks on the island to prevent us from getting infected.¡±


    ¡°Chief, we only bought 100 preventive drugs from those foreign forces, so we don¡¯t have to worry about being infected after taking them. We¡¯ll be fine with only wearing the masks.¡±


    With that said, he poured a lot of black pills from the vial he carried along and gave them to Hu Zhenfeng.


    Hu Zhenfeng¡¯s eyes lit up, and immediately grabbed one and stuffed it into his mouth. He then handed the rest to Yu Shuqing and his men while watching as they took them. When he gave it to Tang Xiu, however, he was rejected.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need it.¡±


    Tang Xiu was reluctant and even unwilling to take this drug of unknown origin because he firmly believed that the virus would not be a threat for them, cultivators.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you may be the commander of this operation, but you cannot be arrogant!¡± Hu Zhenfeng angrily said, ¡°This preventive drug is effective, you must take it as precaution and safety¡¯s sake!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not my superior and I don¡¯t have to obey your orders,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s urgent so we gotta hurry up.¡±


    Anger gushed inside Hu Zhenfeng¡¯s heart, but he forcefully suppressed it. He could not figure out the origins of Tang Xiu and his men, and he even thought that they were simply not from the Security Agency.


    On the road, Tang Xiu learned from the young man driving the bus about the situation of Divine Doctor Gui Jianchou who had also taken the preventive drug and was now studying the virus on the island and had not yet been able to find any anything from his study since yesterday.


    After driving for more than two hours, the bus entered a rugged mountain road, and the bumpy travel lasted for an hour before they finally entered an olive green military camp.


    Yang Chuxiong was the commander of the garrison. Despite being a division commander, his rank was Major General. This man was still young, 46 years old, looking sturdy and robust, and had the bearings of a brave, tiger general.


    ¡°Welcome, Tang Xiu.¡±


    The first moment he saw Tang Xiu, Yang Chuxiong was slightly stunned. Though he received the orders from the superior leader that the name of the person who would aid them in the crisis was Tang Xiu, never did he expect that Tang Xiu was as young as the rumors said. Hu Zhenfeng might be unaware how great the achievements Tang Xiu performed before, but Yang Chuxiong had investigated Tang Xiu by using his privileges, and he could tell that Tang Xiu was not that simple on the surface.


    Tang Xiu gave a slight nod in response and said, ¡°Division Commander Yang, right? I already learned the current situation on Mist Source Island. It¡¯s grave, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s far more than grave. It¡¯s simply an indescribable mess!¡± said Yang Chuoxing with a bitter expression. ¡°I¡¯m afraid more than half of the hundreds of thousands of people on the island will die if you can¡¯t solve the virus within 2 or 3 days.¡±


    There are only 2 or 3 days of time?


    ¡°Where is Divine Doctor Gui Jianchou?¡± asked Tang Xiu bluntly. ¡°Take me to him.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s in the temporary lab inside,¡± answered Yang Chuxiong immediately. ¡°We have collected blood samples from the infected people and the Divine Doctor is currently doing everything he can to study the nature of this virus and trying to find a solution.¡±


    Ten minutes later, Tang Xiu saw the legendary Divine Doctor Gui Jianchou, who was now wearing a white coat and a pair of white gloves inside a temporary lab. He was now observing a small piece of carrion with a pair of tweezers.


    ¡°Hello, Doctor. I¡¯m Tang Xiu.¡± Tang Xiu walked forward and introduced himself.


    Gui Jianchou was very thin, and his wrinkled face was full of solemnity. His brows slightly pressed after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, as he carefully scrutinized Tang Xiu and slowly nodded, ¡°The Young Divine Doctor of the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, Tang Xiu. You have made those two conceited disciples of mine feel ashamed of their inferior abilities. Anyways, I have paid particular attention to some cases of your treatment, especially the acupuncture technique you used. It¡¯s simply a technique that turns bad into good, amazingly powerful!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re overpraising me,¡± Tang Xiu politely replied. ¡°Senior Gui Jianchou, since you came here ahead of me, could you tell me the results of your study and the situation with the virus?¡±


    ¡°I have encountered all sorts of diseases since I¡¯ve begun studying medicine, but this virus is very strange. It has a wide range of transmission, be it through saliva, blood, air, water¡­ any healthy person has the possibility of being infected as long as they are within ten meters from the infected. Of course, I have also studied Western medicine as well and have quite some achievements on it. Yet still, I find it very difficult to extract anything from this virus sample no matter what means I try. Furthermore, I¡¯ve also tried over 100 methods, using massive medicinal herbs to carry out mixed research, yet am still unable to create an agent that can kill this virus. Its tenacity is way too strong.¡±


    After a short silence, Tang Xiu took out a porcelain bottle and handed it to Gui Jianchou, saying, ¡°This is a medicine I refined myself. It has a good effect on tempering the human body. Try to put this into it, and let¡¯s see if it has any effect.¡±


    Gui Jianchou looked surprised, but still took the porcelain bottle and carefully poured a drop on the carrion.


    Zzzt¡­


    It was as though a strong sulphuric acid was poured on the carrion as it rotted at a very fast rate and turned into black water with a pungent stench.


    Gui Jianchou¡¯s brows knitted. He forced a smile and said, ¡°Not only does it have no effect, but it also will make the infected die a violent death once used on them.¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes. Then, he grabbed paper and a pen on the table and quickly wrote down a list of medicinal herbs¡¯ names: Honeysuckle, Wild Lily, Venom String Seed, Black Scorpion, and Golden Cicada.


    ¡°Awu, come in,¡± shouted Tang Xiu.


    Mo Awu pushed the door, came in and asked, ¡°Any instructions, Boss?¡±


    Tang Xiu handed him the list and seriously said, ¡°Find these herbs immediately and send them to me as fast as possible. Ask aid from Division Commander Yang as he is more familiar with this place than you.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Mo Awu took the list and left.


    Gui Jianchou took back his vision from Mo Awu¡¯s back and asked with a confused expression, ¡°Tang¡­ well, I¡¯ll just call you Little Tang! Anyways, what exactly is this prescription of yours?¡±


    ¡°That liquid is a body tempering medicine, while the prescription I just made has the opposite medicinal property than the former. I just want to try to make the opposite medicinal property and see whether it¡¯s effective on this virus.¡±


    Gui Jianchou looked to be absorbed in his thoughts before he nodded and said, ¡°The possibility is indeed quite high. I also refined medicinal herbs and prepared some medicines. After pouring it on the carrion, the aggravate decaying and corrosion did not happen. All things will develop in the opposite direction when they turn to the extreme, hence poison can be used to fight poison. Maybe the prescription you just made will have an effect.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also trying anything in a crisis like this, so I don¡¯t want to miss any possibility,¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile. ¡°And to be honest, my medical skills might be special, but one thing for sure is, I admit that I won¡¯t be able to match you at all. You yourself have yet to thoroughly study the nature of this virus, while I have yet to even study the medicine to treat the infected. Hence, what I just refined is perhaps no better either.¡±

 Chapter 751

    Chapter 751: In The Eye Of The Storm


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    ¡°Do not underestimate yourself, Little Tang,¡± Gui Jianchou shook his head. ¡°Perhaps your special medical skills would become an unconventional approach and the very reason to finally find a solution. That¡¯s right. I just had a new idea, we might as well experiment with it before those herbs are found and sent to you.¡±


    ¡°Please do say¡­¡±


    Gui Jianchou explained his ideas, and the duo immediately started to experiment it. After a failure, they kept brainstorming, unceasingly doing experiments, proposing new ideas, and continuing the test on them and had more failures.


    Time passed by.


    The continuous research drained the duo, and as a cultivator, Tang Xiu was able to carry on the research for a long time. But Gui Jianchou was quite old, and despite having paid attention to the training of his body all these years, he still had to stop due to fatigue. He then went to the next room to sleep for several hours.


    In the next afternoon.


    Statistics on the deaths of the infected in Misty Source Island had been made. The number of infected who had died had increased to 562. At the moment the data was sent to Tang Xiu, Mo Awu returned with the herbs needed.


    ¡°All the herbs have been found, Boss.¡±


    Mo Awu put two suitcases in front of Tang Xiu and then wiped off the sweat on his forehead.


    Tang Xiu nodded and immediately began to refine the medicine. After refining for several hours, he successfully concocted a jet black pill. Under Divine Doctor Gui Jianchou¡¯s gaze, he grounded the pill and then sprinkled its powder on the carrion. This time, the carrion did not appear to decay and immediately festered, and yet, it still had little to no effect on the virus.


    ¡°I just found a black line on the carrion after you poured your medicine powder on it, Little Tang. I used a magnifying glass to observe it, and it turns out that it¡¯s composed of countless very tiny active particles and seems like they are alive. From the Western medicine perspective, it can be called as a bacterium,¡± said Gui Jianchou slowly.


    Tang Xiu thought about it for a while. A bright idea suddenly birthed inside his head and he hurriedly said, ¡°If it¡¯s bacteria, or rather, viral bacteria, there are many ways to sterilize it. We can consider sterilizing it by using electric current.¡±


    ¡°Sterilizing it by using electric current?¡±


    Gui Jianchou was stunned. He suddenly recalled something and then immediately said, ¡°There was an eccentric doctor in Northeastern China 42 years ago. He was called Gao Yitong and invented this electric current sterilization method, using static electricity to encircle and suppress viral bacteria with the aid of alcohol and moxa-stick. He eventually succeeded in creating this very special method after his study, and even though only a few people use this method in reality, it has been spread to some mountainous areas of the Northeast Region since. I say let¡¯s try it.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s try it, then!¡±


    Tang Xiu did think of testing it. What surprised him was that the after the next carrion was brought and the static electricity method was used on it, the black lines on the carrion continued to burn, turning into a black smoke with pungent stench, while the piece of carrion itself gradually turned bright. Through the following study of Gui Jianchou and Tang Xiu, it was found that the viral bacteria was unexpectedly suppressed.


    ¡°It does have an effect on it. But the fission speed at which the viral bacteria grow is too fast. Although this static electricity method can kill a large number of these viral bacteria, it will still be difficult to completely eradicate it. We can temporarily allay the death predicament for the infected by electrifying them. We can use this as a temporary suppressing action,¡± said Gui Jianchou excitedly.


    ¡°We need to find a living experiment. Also, it¡¯s necessary to generate static electricity into the human body without harming their health. Only then can we try to use it on all infected persons,¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    There were four commonly used methods in generating static electricity, which was electric charge migration, breaking electrification, induction electrification, and contact-induced charge separation. Among them, the most suitable method to be used on a large number of people was contact-induced charge separation by using objects made of chemical fiber texture such as underwear, carpet, cushion, or wallpaper, whereby static electricity would be generated and induced after the contact and separation.


    Furthermore, household appliances also generated static electricity when used, or passed static electricity to its outer casing, such as TV screens or LCD.


    Huff¡­


    After studying this temporarily curbing plan, Tang Xiu did not hesitate to report the situation to Yang Chuxiong. After relaying the broadcast on TV, radio, and texts to mobile phones, the soldiers in the camp then rushed everywhere to spread the news¡­


    The third night after Tang Xiu landed on Mist Source Island, the virus crisis had been temporarily solved, while numerous people who were dying finally hung on the death line.


    The terrain of Mist Source Island had only four areas suitable for living, which were inhabited by the people who lived here for decades. There were also some villages on the hills, which, according to the official statistics, numbered up to 24 villages. Each village was inhabited by several hundreds of people at the lowest to several thousand people at the highest.


    Python City, Wolfpack City, Twin Brook City, and Mixed Summit City.


    The population of these four major urban areas, with the largest being Python City with 100-200 thousand inhabitants and the smallest one being Mixed Summit City with only 7-8 thousand people. After decades of development, all four cities were now connected with many main roads, dozens of small roads, and mountain roads.


    Mixed Summit City.


    Traveling along the road was rows and lines of the neat and orderly hamlet and village buildings. The bustling commercial streets here were almost no different from the urban areas in the outside world. Though the place was placed under strict concealment, the state had been supporting it secretly, hence the continuous commodity and supplies shipped from the outside. The inhabitants who lived here not only had their foodstuffs provided by the government, but were also able to gather herbs, find minerals and other resources, and many even had their own private factories.


    On a certain street in the north of the city.


    Dozens hardened robust men in suits crowded inside the five buildings, while many people came from various places and entered the five buildings in a rush.


    In the middle of the building, a high-ranking member of the Stygian Club, Keith Moore, was smoking the world¡¯s top Cuban cigar and sipped a delicious coffee while listening to a report from his confidant.


    ¡°The result of our investigation is that the person who invented the electrostatic treatment is called Tang Xiu. From our intel data, he¡¯s the secret Boss of Magnificent Tang Corporation in China and is also hailed as the young Divine Doctor of the Chinese traditional medical field, but we haven¡¯t yet investigated the reason why he came to Mist Source Island. Furthermore, the electrostatic sterilization treatment can only temporarily suppress the virus, but he has yet to find a way to have it under control. As the matter stands, it could be said that he has helped our cause a lot,¡± reported the thin middle-aged man.


    Keith Moore¡¯s eyes shimmered. He nodded and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. We are the ones who brought the virus, but completely eradicating all the humans on this island is not our purpose. We did that just to ruin some people and then take control of a large number of people through their fear, so we can free them and drive them to work for us. Only, there¡¯s something problematic with the environment of this place that affects the multiplication of the virus outbreak that it finally out of our control. Plainly speaking, the arrival of this Tang Xiu is actually a relief for us.¡±


    ¡°So, what should we do now, Sir?¡± asked the middle-aged man.


    ¡°Assign some assassination agents to abduct this Tang Xiu,¡± Keith Moore touched his chin and coldly said. ¡°He has an amazing talent given that he can think of this electrostatic sterilization method. Perhaps, he can be of some use for us later. Furthermore, we must not relax our investigation on the mountain ranges around Mixed Summit City. We have only prospected a small lithium mine here. The more mineral resources we find from the survey, the bigger the harvest we can get from the Chinese government when we negotiate with them.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll arrange it immediately. However, what should we do if Tang Xiu refuses and resists us?¡± asked the middle-aged man.


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill him even if he resists,¡± said Keith Moore. ¡°He just needs a short time to find a way to suppress this Darkening Virus, so I¡¯m sure he can develop a new type of Darkening Virus antidote. We will need a new Darkening Virus antidote after the negotiation with the Chinese government later.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± said the lean middle-aged man as he turned around and left.


    Keith Moore¡¯s eyes followed the back of the middle-aged man as he left. Then, he clapped his hands as two young men in black trench overcoats and pale skin appeared in front of him.


    ¡°The two of you will follow Darksoul team. This Tang Xiu has an extraordinary identity and I believe the Chinese military will protect him. You will take over if the assassination fails.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The two young men replied and their figures instantly disappeared.


    The valley dozens of kilometers south of Twin Brook City was a place of verdant and lush vegetation, with fresh wildflowers and animals everywhere. It was a picture of vibrant biological life compared to the heavy death qi and bleak atmosphere in Twin Brook City. And at present, there were dozens of army tents built there.


    A dark-skinned, foreign old man in a black tuxedo and with a walking stick made of gold was standing on a slope on the south side of the army tents.


    Behind him were two men and two women donned in black leather fur coats with sinister auras exuding from their bodies¡ªexistences that were out of line with the vibrant scene in the valley. Even some of the wild animals were avoiding them.


    ¡°Siou, how is the deployment of the virus gene conversion agents?¡± The foreign old man suddenly asked.


    The man on the far left behind him replied in a moderate and somewhat hoarse voice, ¡°There¡¯s only the last step left. We can expect to have it mixed successfully within three days.¡±


    The foreign old man nodded and then said, ¡°This fella called Tang Xiu does have some skills, much more capable than that group of idiots led by Keith Moore. Now that our Pyramid organization has set our feet here, we¡¯ll ruin the plans and scheme of the Stygian Club, hence we must be ready to have a full frontal clash with them. Send some men to harass and create troubles for them. They want to do some prospecting for mineral deposits here, but we will not let them do as they wish.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go and manage it at once,¡± said Siou respectfully.


    The foreign old man touched his chin and said, ¡°After conveying my order, you will immediately lead some men to kill this Tang Xiu. He thought of and found the method to temporarily suppress the Darkening Virus. It may be a relief for us, but we must not let him find the means to fully cure the Darkening Virus and neither let him be caught by those Stygian Club¡¯s bastards.¡±


    ¡°Let me do it alone, Sir!¡± said Siou with a hideous grin.


    Hmph. The foreign old man hummed coldly and said, ¡°There¡¯s an old adage in China: ¡®Caution is the parent of safety¡¯. You¡¯re a capable man, I admit. But don¡¯t let your arrogance rob you of your life.¡±

 Chapter 752

    Chapter 752: An Accompanying Crisis


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    With Tang Xiu and Gui Jianchou finding a method to temporarily suppress the Darkening Virus, the authorities finally earned themselves a voice to speak. Yang Chuxiong, who was the highest-ranked officer on Mist Source Island, excitedly ordered a celebration feast after several days of infection and the suppression of the Darkening Virus.


    At night, following the end of the celebration banquet, Tang Xiu decided to go out and have a stroll around, while also planning to see his female cousin, Tang Han, in passing. When he told Yang Chuxiong about his intention to leave the military compound, however, Yang Chuxiong opposed his idea strongly.


    ¡°The Mist Source Island is currently in a mess and very chaotic, Divine Doctor Tang. Leaving aside the panic caused by the Darkening Virus which has caused many pessimists to make troubles, just those foreigners alone are running rampant and harboring sinister and evil intentions. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll meet troubles if you run into them.¡±


    ¡°The order I receive is to solve the problem on Mist Source Island, and not just to study this disease outbreak. Division Commander Yang, if I keep staying here because of fear and danger, then tell me, what is the significance of the highest leader sending me here for?¡±


    ¡°The highest leader?¡± Yang Chuxiong was taken aback and his pupils suddenly contracted. There was also a horrified look in his eyes. Although he was ordered to assist Tang Xiu to solve the problems and crisis on Mist Source Island, he did not know specifically which top brass issued the order was. But at this moment, the very person Tang Xiu said¡­ was simply a shock too big for him to accept.


    ¡°It¡¯s really the number one?¡± Yang Chuxiong was silent for a while before he asked with hesitation.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    With a complicated gaze, Yang Chuxiong looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Then I won¡¯t stop you since this is the case, but I must accompany you around. If you happen to run into danger¡­¡±


    ¡°No. You need to stay here to maintain order, Division Commander Yang,¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand to interrupt him. ¡°You can promptly dispatch troops in time in case there are troublemakers attacking the army. As for my safety, do you think that I¡­ have no real skills despite being valued by the highest leader?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s answer made Yang Chuxiong dumbfounded. He observed Tang Xiu for a long time before he smiled bitterly and said, ¡°I¡¯m just afraid that if anything happens to you, even if it¡¯s under the order of the ¡®one¡¯¡­ there¡¯s still Senior Tang! I can¡¯t afford to take the fury of Senior Tang!¡±


    ¡°It was my Grandfather who sent me over here. Besides, I¡¯m already prepared to encounter any troublesome issues as well, hence he won¡¯t be troubling you,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Finally, Yang Chuxiong compromised, ¡°If I can¡¯t follow you, then allow me to assign some men to accompany you!¡±


    ¡°Are still there soldiers in the army who can be assigned to follow me?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    Yang Chuxiong¡¯s breath lagged and he smiled bitterly, ¡°You¡¯re right. All the troops are also infected by the virus now. Let alone acting as guardians, just not catching a fever is already good enough. Ah, that¡¯s right. Didn¡¯t the members of the Phantom Special Combat Squad come with you? I¡¯ll just assign them to protect you.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, it¡¯s my decision. Else I will not feel relieved.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu could only feel helpless inside. He could never bluntly tell him that he was an immortal cultivator, and neither could he say that 11 men he brought with him were all cultivators. After he learned of the threat of the various forces here, especially the Stygian Club, he had realized that the adversaries he would soon face were not ordinary people. If he were to encounter the Stygian Club¡¯s assassination agents again, adding 10 more Phantom special forces still wouldn¡¯t be able to protect him! They¡­ would just become burdens instead.


    Regardless, he could tell Yang Chuxion¡¯s determination from his firm expression and could only nod, feeling a headache coming.


    Half an hour later, after four black off-road cars temporarily picked up by Yang Chuxiong arrived, Tang Xiu boarded it directly along with Mo Awu and the rest, while pretending to not notice the Phantom special forces that followed them behind.


    ¡°Any specific place you want to go, Boss?¡± Mo Awu was in charge of driving, so he asked after they left the military compound.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you clearly investigated the island? Where¡¯s the most central site of Mist Source Island?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It was Zidan and Feng Yang who went there in person and fully investigated it,¡± said Mo Awu. ¡°It¡¯s just over 100 kilometers north of Mixed Summit City, but despite the road connection between the four cities, we¡¯ll need to take a detour to avoid the mountain range. Also, it will take around four to five hours to get there by car.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to hurry with those Phantom special forces¡¯ members behind us,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°But now¡­ let¡¯s go there and have a look at first! Anyways, which car Zidan and Feng Yang are in?¡±


    ¡°They are in the car right behind us,¡± answered Mo Awu.


    ¡°Stop to the side now,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Xue Sha, you will exchange cars with Zidan. I have something to discuss with him.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Xue Sha, who sat next to Tang Xiu, nodded.


    Soon after, the lean Zidan rushed to sit next to Tang Xiu and then spoke after closing the door, ¡°Do you have something to ask me, Boss?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You and Feng Yang went to the mountain in the center of Mist Source Island in person. Did you see the palace on its summit? What is the situation there?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°We did observe it with a telescope since we were far away at that time,¡± said Zidan. ¡°We were indeed able to see the palace. It¡¯s not that magnificent and splendid, yet still gives off a majestic impression. Only, we were blocked by the heavy fog when we were just 600 meters away from the mountain. We then tried to advance forward for about 100 meters, but after we entered, we weren¡¯t even able to see our own fingers. Furthermore, there was also a particular kind of pressure blocking us, rendering us unable from continuing to move deeper.¡±


    ¡°So to say, you couldn¡¯t even get inside?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Zidan forced a smile and said, ¡°Yeah, we couldn¡¯t get in. Though I know nothing about arrays, I¡¯ve been following you for quite a long time, Boss, hence I can judge that it was caused by some kind of array. For us to be able to venture 100 meters deep into that thick fog can be considered as a good result already. If it was an ordinary person who went inside, I¡¯m afraid that they would be forced out by the pressure after they walked several meters inside.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your take on this point of the situation?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a thoughtful expression.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing but only one aspect, Boss,¡± Zidan immediately shook his head. ¡°We circled the mountain and found a nearby village on the southern side of the mountain, which houses around 1000-2000 inhabitants. We also sneaked into the village to observe and found foreign experts staying in the three directions of the village; east, west, and south, to be exact. They have unknowingly occupied several courtyards, which are tightly guarded. Also, there are some people stationed at the northern side of the mountain, about 100 people in total. Judging from their attire, they are highly liked employed mercenaries and led by a lame, old Caucasian man.¡±


    ¡°Have you investigated their identity?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Other than the more than 20 people stationed in the eastern side of the village, I screened through the network and finally determined that they are from the Mexican Mafia syndicate, the Reston, and the leader is the Reston¡¯s second in command, a ruthless person called Zhenlei Duomo. We have yet to investigate the other three forces since there are too few sources of information available here.¡±


    ¡°People from the mafia syndicate?¡± Tang Xiu frowned. ¡°What are they doing on this island?¡±


    Zidan did not reply. It was an issue he was unable to figure it out either.


    Early morning before dawn. Together with the two cars of the Phantom Special Combat Squad members, they arrived at Wolfpack City. If it was in the past, both sides of the road in Wolfpack City would have its street lights brightly lit and illuminating the buildings in the surroundings. But it was different at this time. Both sides of the road were pitch-black, and even though there was moonlight, they still appeared very dark. Only when they passed through the intersection did they finally see the functional traffic light that slightly illuminated the road.


    Regardless, normally at this time, a household may have turned off the lights to sleep, but now, every household had the lights on, and they could occasionally see through the windows some of the residents inside who hadn¡¯t yet rested.


    ¡°We¡¯re being watched, Boss.¡± While driving and watching the road ahead, a cold glint flashed in Mo Awu¡¯s eyes as he reported with a vigilant look.


    Tang Xiu instantly released his spiritual sense to cover the range of 300-400 meters. There was a car that did not turn on its lights about more than 300 meters behind the six cars, while two people in black leather coats were watching them with a telescope on the roadside by the trees. Other than them, there was also a young man who was roller skating and moving forward at a very fast speed from the next street ahead. Tang Xiu could instantly tell that this man was definitely not ordinary. Even if he was an elite soldier of a special force, there was no way he could do roller skate at such a speed.


    ¡°Keep driving down the road and find a hotel,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently while continuing the surveillance with his spiritual sense.


    ¡°The hotels in the entire Mist Source Island have been closed down according to our information, Boss. They only have a few staff now, but there is practically nobody staying there,¡± said Mo Awu.


    ¡°It¡¯s a given considering the current situation. I can understand that. But there will be empty rooms even if they can¡¯t provide services. We are going to spend the night here and hit the road again tomorrow morning,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly.


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Grand Hyatt Hotel.


    It was the tallest building in Wolfpack City with five floors in total. Except for a small number of rooms with lights on, the other rooms were all dark. The glass front door of the hotel had been shut with a chain at this time and locked with a lock. There was not even a trace of humans in the hotel¡¯s lobby on the first floor.


    After the six cars stopped, Mo Awu easily opened the lock on the hotel¡¯s main door. After pushing the door open, Tang Xiu and the others then set their feet inside under the weak light inside the hall.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to find someone to open the rooms for us,¡± said Mo Awu after inspecting around.


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to stop him and lightly said, ¡°No rush. Everyone, get ready for combat. There¡¯s no need for us to shout. Some people will come down to greet us.¡±


    In a flash, other than Mo Awu who stood vigilantly next to Tang Xiu, the other ten masters of the Everlasting Feast Hall instantly dashed to both sides to take cover. They wielded their sharp daggers while vigilantly watching the hotel¡¯s front doors and the corridors on both sides.


    Get ready for combat?


    The members of the Phantom Special Combat Squad looked baffled and puzzled. They did not notice anything in particular, why would they need to get ready for the battle?


    Yu Shuqing was puzzled, but still, he quickly made a few hand motions as they loaded the bullets into their guns and scattered around.

 Chapter 753

    Chapter 753: One Move


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    In the dimly lit hall of the hotel, Tang Xiu stood right in the central spot with his eyes fixated on the hotel¡¯s front door. When two middle-aged men in black leather coats and a middle-aged man with a cold expression entered through the door, the guns of the Phantom Special Combat Squad¡¯s members were instantly aimed at them.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, Divine Doctor Tang.¡±


    The thin middle-aged man in the leather attire on the left had long loose blonde hair. He straightly ignored the members of the Phantom Special Combat Squad who were aiming their guns at him and walked straight to the front before he stopped about seven-plus meters away from Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Where are you from?¡± asked Tang Xiu indifferently.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know our identity for the time being,¡± said the lean middle-aged man. ¡°There¡¯s only a clear point for you. Order these garbage men of yours to put their guns down and follow us alone. You will naturally know who we are when you come to our place.¡±


    ¡°What absurdity. A bumptious, self-opinionated idiot,¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know you have violated the China laws! You¡¯ve committed evil deeds inside the territory of our country!¡±


    The lean middle-aged man looked grim and sullenly said, ¡°The law is nothing but shit before us. And do watch your mouth, Mr. Tang. Finding you this fast has explained what we¡¯re capable of. Now we are inviting you with courtesy to give you face. You Chinese have an old adage, ¡®refusing a toast will only make you swallow a forfeit¡¯. Hence, I hope you reconsider it, Mr. Tang.¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°If soft means fail, then we have no choice but to resort to hard means,¡± the middle-aged man coldly replied. ¡°But before that, I urge you to take this last chance. Follow us.¡±


    Yu Shuqing was holding a gun and aimed its muzzle at the temple of the blonde-haired middle-aged man. While keeping his vigilance, he dashed to the front and said in a deep voice, ¡°Mr. Tang will never go with you. Remember the consequences you will face first before you act!¡±


    The thin middle-aged man turned to look at Yu Shuqing and observed him. He then nodded and said, ¡°No wonder you have no fear, Mr. Tang. You turn out to have been protected by some masters. If I¡¯m not mistaken, these men should be special soldiers of the Chinese military, right? Since you want to resort to force, how about having an appetizer? Let¡¯s pick one man from our side and let them have a spar with each other.¡±


    With that said, he clapped and eight men in suits with a saber on their backs dashed inside. A chilling aura was emanating from them, as they quickly stood in a row behind the thin middle-aged man.


    Yu Shuqing himself could vaguely feel that these people were not ordinary. After pondering for a moment, he took a step back and said, ¡°Gangzi, accompany them to play.¡±


    This member of the Phantom Special Combat Squad was second only to Yu Shuqing in combat prowess. After handing over his gun to Mo Xiaonan, he lifted the other equipment on his body at a very fast speed. He twisted his neck and growled as he dashed a few steps forward and sneered, ¡°Who¡¯s going to play?¡±


    The thin middle-aged man let out a mocking smile, raised his right hand and snapped his finger. The leftmost man in the row then stepped forward and came to Wei Chenggang¡¯s front and said in English, ¡°I¡¯m the weakest in my team, but it¡¯s still easy to pack you up. Come! Let me see the strength of a Chinese special forces¡¯ team member!¡±


    Wei Chenggang put on a combat stance and sneered, ¡°Don¡¯t flap your tongue when you brag. Bring it on!¡±


    Tang Xiu secretly shook his head. The Stygian Club definitely had numerous hidden masters under their flag. The assassination agents he encountered in Laoshan, Changxi City, were all of the divergent races and possessed terrifying strength. This thin middle-aged man and the man next to him were similarly not human beings, and probably had very formidable strength as well. Each and every one of the eight men under this thin middle-aged man also had a thick smell of blood with intense murderous intention and soaring killing aura. It was enough evidence that they were very strong. At the very least, they were masters who had experienced many battles.


    As for Wei Chenggang? He was not the opponent of that fella, not a chance.


    Tang Xiu, however, did not intend to warn Wei Chenggang at all. He did not have a good impression toward these guys from the Phantom Special Combat Squad. Especially at this moment as he had yet to speak, but Yu Shuqing, the captain, already jumped out and let his men spar with the enemy. It was simply stupid.


    At the same time, Tang Xiu also had another purpose. It would be best if all members of this Phantom special forces¡¯ team got injured. In this case, they wouldn¡¯t be able to tail him around, hence they couldn¡¯t affect his actions and movements in Mist Source Island.


    At this time, Wei Chenggang was full of confidence. He won the military regions¡¯ fighting championship twice consecutively. Despite still taking the enemy seriously, he subconsciously refused to believe that he could not win against his opponent. Seeing that the enemy did not take the initiative to attack, he was also disinclined to launch a sneak attack as his feet dashed in an instant and swiftly delivered a fierce kick toward him. This kick would definitely kill or at least severely injure the enemy if he was an ordinary person.


    ¡°Too slow.¡±


    The other party shook his head and snorted. He grabbed Wei Chenggang¡¯s bare feet and sent out a lightning-fast kick on the inside thigh of Wei Chenggang¡¯s another leg. His fist also pounded instantly and directly hammered Wei Chenggang¡¯s face.


    Bam¡­


    Wei Chenggang, who was full of confidence, was kicked and flew backward by the opponent¡¯s punch. His body then flew towards a nearby wall. If it was not for his strong resistance, his opponent¡¯s heavy blow would have knocked him down already.


    Just one move! And yet, it had straightly decided the winner and the loser.


    The man spat on the spot where Wei Chenggang had fallen with a disdaining expression. He did not follow up on his attack, and neither did he go for the kill. With disdain and contempt on his face, he returned to stand behind the middle-aged man, folded his arms, and did not spare Wei Chenggang another glance.


    The other members of the Phantom Special Combat Squad were dumbfounded. The expressions on their faces seemed like they just saw a monster. The whole team knew each other well and naturally realized how formidable Wei Chenggang¡¯s combat prowess was. But never did they think the other party would be able to defeat him in just one strike!


    Yu Shuqing was shocked. The other members of his Phantom squad could not see the attack trajectory of the enemy, as they only felt that the enemy¡¯s speed was very fast with formidable strength. But he could clearly capture the trajectory of the enemy¡¯s attack and could judge the terrifying speed of the enemy.


    What fast speed and strength!!


    No members of my Phantom Special Combat Squad can be his opponent. Even if I were to fight with all my strength I may not be able to defeat this guy. Be it his strength or speed, he is way too strong.


    Yu Shuqing looked at Tang Xiu with an ashamed face. He had begun to secretly regret inside for jumping out too early to protect Tang Xiu. At this moment, only then did he realize that Tang Xiu did not even shout, neither did he say or expressed anything ever since he jumped out.


    Tang Xiu could grasp Yu Shuqing¡¯s mental state from his expression. After a moment of silence, he then said lightly, ¡°Victory and defeat is a common occurrence to a military commander. The failure this time doesn¡¯t mean you will fail again in the future. As long as your ambition and spirit stay high, just continue to work, and then you can be sure that the day of victory will come to you sooner or later. Regardless of that, I¡¯m the one who¡¯s in charge of supervising Mist Source Island. Hence, no one is allowed to jump out without my order anymore.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Yu Shuqing nodded with a bitter expression.


    Tang Xiu then looked the thin middle-aged man and indifferently said, ¡°You want to have a spar first, so I¡¯ll accompany you to the end. Xue Sha, go play with them.¡±


    Xue Sha emerged from the corner of the corridor and instantly appeared beside Tang Xiu. he cupped his fists and walked to the center between the two parties. Then, he grinned evilly and said, ¡°I used to commit senseless killings and slaughters in the past. I always felt that it was very boring. Never did I think that I would meet these many masters to play with today. Hey, you, the brat from before. Come here and let¡¯s play some!¡±


    The lean middle-aged man snapped his fingers toward that man again and indifferently said, ¡°The final time has yet to arrive, so there¡¯s no need to kill out of anger. Still, don¡¯t be merciful. You don¡¯t need to kill him, just hit him enough to make him severely wounded.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The man responded and stared at Xue Sha in contempt as he then sprinted in the blink of an eye. In nearly a flash moment, he had dashed right in front of Xue Sha as he slammed out his palm all of a sudden, trying to slap Xue Sha¡¯s forehead instantly.


    ¡°Hmph. Too slow!¡±


    Xue Sha mockingly snorted. His figure instantly turned into a shadow. Before the man was able to take his strike back, his palm already pierced Xue Sha¡¯s illusory image. His expression slightly changed after his sure hit strike missed. As he was about to prepare the second strike, a pair of slapping palms he could not see suddenly smashed him to the floor. Following that, Xue Sha seemed to send a light kick to the man¡¯s abdomen, sending him to paddle and sweep the floor, as he then kicked the other side of his waist.


    A single move! It was similarly one move, and Xue Sha had inflicted heavy losses to his opponent. As the man¡¯s body swept the floor backward for seven-plus meters, he finally hit the lower part of the wall, badly hit his head, and straightly made him faint.


    ¡°What?¡±


    The lean middle-aged man and his other comrades had their expressions turn extremely nasty. It was as though they had eaten a dead fly, nearly driving them crazy. Nonetheless, they also realized how terrifying Xue Sha was at this moment.


    As for the Phantom Special Combat Squad, Mo Xiaonan was rendered speechless and dumbfounded when he saw Xue Sha take care of his opponent in just one move. He looked at Wei Chengguan who was already up and trembled. Suddenly, he elbowed Chen Yangfan and spoke in a toned down voice, ¡°Tell me that I¡¯m just dreaming, will you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not dreaming! It¡¯s all real.¡±


    Chen Yangfan gripped his fists tightly, and there was a frantic expression in his eyes that fixedly stared at Xue Sha. The others, however, had a disbelieving look along with deep admiration and respect in their eyes. They had never expected that Tang Xiu¡¯s subordinate was able to stand up and even defeat the enemy.


    Mo Xiaonan pinched his own thigh. He then shuddered and muttered to himself, ¡°Just a while ago, Gangzi was defeated by him in just a move, but that expert who defeated Gangzi with one move turned out to be defeated by Tang Xiu¡¯s subordinate with one move also¡­¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    ¡°What does tit-for-tat mean? It just shows that if Tang Xiu¡¯s men want to hit Gangzi, it¡¯s akin to just pinching an ant, no?¡±


    Xue Sha, however, looked a bit regretful when he saw his fainted opponent. He immediately turned to Tang Xiu and said with a smile, ¡°Boss, since they want to pick a fight with you, I might as well clean them up first, don¡¯t you think? Else, it will be annoying if these flies were to gather around us.¡±

 Chapter 754

    Chapter 754: Weird Change


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    A smile formed on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth. How could he not understand Xue Sha¡¯s intention from his words? It was indeed necessary to remove these fellas at present, but the most important thing was to make the Phantom Special Combat Squad leave. Else, once the non-human beings from Stygian Club appeared, it would be inevitable for them to expose their identity as immortal cultivators.


    ¡°You can make your move if they have the guts, Xue Sha!¡±


    Xue Sha smiled and nodded. Then, he looked at the Stygian Club¡¯s people and proudly said, ¡°My Boss says you flies are very annoying. If you want to show off, you had better grab those eggs in your crotches, for I alone will deal with all of you.¡±


    The lean middle-aged man¡¯s face turned grim. A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes as he fixedly glared at Xue Sha. He was of the Werewolf lineage and naturally had great inborn strength. Other than his fellow masters, the remaining seven of his subordinates were all human beings. Although they practiced a strange cultivation system, they were not that strong. They might not face any problem in dealing with ordinary humans, but they would only be beaten once they encountered a genuine powerhouse of the divergent races.


    Nevertheless, he had his own pride, and he would never allow his subordinates to become tortoises. This fellow called Xue Sha may be strong, but this didn¡¯t mean his seven subordinates were unable to fight him head-on if they were to join forces.


    ¡°Kill him!¡± The lean middle-aged man clenched his fists and shouted.


    The Stygian Club¡¯s experts had their spirits immediately soared after hearing his order. The moment Xue Sha threw out his arrogant remark, their hearts were already filled with murderous intention, wishing to kill him.


    Whoosh¡­


    The seven people dashed forward and instantly pulled the sabers on their backs from the scabbards. Their movements were in good formation, and the sharp, cold blades filled the air with a chilling atmosphere.


    Xue Sha slightly knitted his brows. Despite his boldness stemming from his superb skill, he still maintained his vigilance. The Everlasting Feast Hall had its own unique battle formation, but it needed many people to cooperate for it to be able to show great might. The seven people in front of him had outstanding teamwork and understanding, and it was highly likely that they also knew the force joining array.


    ¡°Seven Stars Rapid Succession!¡±


    The footsteps of the seven people suddenly moved. Along with the sound of hissing between their teeth, their figures turned into shadows and instantly shrouded Xue Sha. At first, their speed was not very fast, but along with their cooperation, their sabers continued to collide while the palms of their hands patted the shoulders of their comrades. The order of the trajectory and direction was exactly the same and consistent, therefore increasing their speed a lot.


    ¡°You need to coordinate external force and cooperate with your partners, huh?¡±


    Xue Sha raised his brows, his solemn expression suddenly changing. Smile inside, he instantly released a dart at one of them and accurately hit his saber. In other words, he just took down one of them and created a flaw in the battle formation that increased their strength.


    ¡°BREAK!¡±


    Xue Sha¡¯s figure was closely followed by the shadows. The dagger in his hand swept away along the battle formation¡¯s flaw. Using the technique to smartly use a small force to weather a much powerful force, he made two sabers bounce, while the dagger in his hand was as though alive as it moved in an uncanny trajectory and struck the left ribs of one of them.


    Aaargh¡­


    Right as a shrill scream sounded, two lines of blood appeared on the neck of the other two men, as blood then crazily squirted from the opening slits.


    Xue Sha was like a tiger in the middle of a flock of sheep. His dagger kept flying while creating shadows of blood on its track. He had already suppressed his speed, and yet it was still twice as fast as the people from the Stygian Club. In combat among experts, a nearly double speed advantage inevitably created a one-sided slaughter.


    Fifteen seconds. That was the time needed by Xue Sha to completely end the combat, from unleashing his dart and then returning to Tang Xiu¡¯s front.


    Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!


    Seven bodies crashed onto the floor, twitching and spurting blood for a few seconds before their life force completely ceased to exist.


    The thin middle-aged man clenched his fists with a pale face, a frantic killing intent burning inside his eyes. A blasting aura emanated from his body, as his glare focused on Xue Sha as though he would act at any time.


    How is this possible?


    This question filled his mind because he never expected even in his wildest dreams that, in such a short time, of the eight subordinates he personally trained, seven of them died and one was injured.


    The Phantom Special Combat Squad members were similarly dumbfounded. After seeing those seven people from the Stygian Club collaborating to form a battle formation, only then did they realize how formidable the opponents were. But these seven men were unexpectedly completely destroyed by Xue Sha in such a short time. Such a level of strength was undoubtedly beyond them.


    ¡°Is he still a human?¡±


    Chen Yangfan¡¯s mouth twitched a few times. He could not bear to mutter to himself. Suddenly, he remembered back when he was in Shanghai, that ghost-like figure fellow who put a dagger on his neck.


    ¡°Could it be¡­ could it be it was them from before?¡±


    Instantly, Chen Yangfan¡¯s pupils contracted and his eyes quickly shifted to Tang Xiu. He knew that Tang Xiu came from China, exactly from Shanghai. At that time, that lightning-like fella also appeared in Shanghai, hence, there must be a very close relationship between these two.


    As he thought up to there, Chen Yangfan immediately came to his captain, Yu Shuqing, and spoke in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s really them, Captain.¡±


    Yu Shuqing was baffled by his ambiguous, senseless words, and replied with a confused expression, ¡°Them? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember back when I tracked Mouse, that I had a dagger placed on my neck?¡± Chen Yangfan whispered. ¡°I suspect that man is Tang Xiu¡¯s man. You also saw the speed of this fella called Xue Sha. He¡¯s just way too fast.¡±


    Yu Shuqing¡¯s face slightly changed, and he thought carefully. He too felt that Chen Yangfan¡¯s guess made a lot of sense. There were quite a few coincidences, and if they were to be linked up together, those people should be them. Nonetheless, what did Tang Xiu need Mouse for? Did he also buy information from him?


    ¡°Leave this matter aside for now.¡± Yu Shuqing felt that the aura of the thin middle-aged man was about to blast out and immediately prepared his gun as he spoke in a low voice.


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile while glancing at the lean middle-aged man. Then, he immediately shot a satisfied look and nodded to Xue Sha, saying, ¡°Good job. Has your strength improved?¡±


    ¡°I made a slight breakthrough,¡± said Xue Sha with a smile.


    ¡°Alright. You don¡¯t need to move for the next action,¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Let the others deal with these two if they still want to act.¡±


    The middle-aged man took a deep breath while suppressing his soaring killing intent inside. Then, he said, ¡°I¡¯m giving you a last chance, Tang Xiu. You have to follow us, and if your men search for you, some of them will die. But if you still want to insist on going against us, don¡¯t blame us for being cruel and merciless.¡±


    ¡°I, Tang Xiu, am not afraid of threats!¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°Just bring it on if you got the ability. However, once you expose something that must not be shown before ordinary people, you can expect to the matter spread very fast. By that time, you will find it difficult to conclude the ending.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, no one will fucking know if the ordinary people die,¡± said the lean middle-aged man with a blazing killing aura.


    As his voice faded away, the middle-aged man beside him instantly flew toward the seven members of the Phantom Special Combat Squad. Before he had yet to arrive in front Yu Shuqing, wolf teeth appeared, his eyes turned bright green, and his skin even turned darker with hairs continuously drilling out, turning him into a humanoid beast at a speed discernible to the naked eyes.


    A wolf!


    Stimulating his bloodline could make him return to his ancestor form for a short time, multiplying his strength.


    Tang Xiu once saw a Werewolf stimulating their blood and transforming into his ancestor form in Laoshan, so he did not feel strange at all. But the seven members of the Phantom Special Combat Squad were shocked by this Werewolf transformation. Even at this moment, Yu Shuqing subconsciously pulled the trigger while everyone else stood dumbfounded.


    ¡°Slash him¡­¡±


    Mo Awu¡¯s robust figure dashed in a flash and instantly released a flying sword. Right as the Werewolf¡¯s sharp claws were about to smash Yu Shuqing¡¯s head, it cut the sharp claws. As blood splattered on Yu Shuqing¡¯s face, the other sharp claws of the Werewolf swept over and left four bloody wounds on Yu Shuqing¡¯s chest.


    ROAR¡­


    The figure of the thin middle-aged man had similarly changed. The clothes on his back were split, while two wings were opened in a flash. A sanguine crest grew on his forehead as a blazing flame suddenly blasted out from his eyes. At the same time, the feathers on his two wings flapped and slammed toward Tang Xiu and Xue Sha. The feathers shrouded by flames turned into a rocket-like shape while violently increasing the temperature in the surroundings.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Eight figures instantly appeared in front of Tang Xiu, and together with Xue Sha, they unleashed their flying swords. Shadows of sword images blotted out the sky, overlapping with each other to crush and shatter the rockets in an instant. The sword qi then swiftly formed a powerful sword net as it stormed over towards the flushed, thin middle-aged man who just turned into a Wingmen.


    ¡°China¡¯s cultivators!!!¡±


    The Wingmen had his face greatly changed. It was as though he had recalled something as his figure instantly retreated. When he appeared behind Mo Awu, his wings turned into a light blade that swept toward Mo Awu¡¯s neck.


    ¡°You court death!¡±


    Mo Awu¡¯s cultivation level was the highest among them except Tang Xiu. When he felt a compressed wind coming from behind, he immediately stormed forward toward the Werewolf. His flying sword spun and revolved to blast the Werewolf¡¯s back from Yu Shuqing and his men.


    Rat-tat-tat¡­


    The seven guns¡¯ muzzles erupted, as the bullets seemed to be aimed at vital spots.


    ROAR¡­


    The Wingmen suddenly raved. He grabbed a syringe from his waist and flushed toward Mo Awu. His two wings suddenly disappeared without a trace, while the sanguine crest on his forehead also dissipated. As his eyes turned greenish, hairs were drilling out of the inside of his body, while sharp claws crazily grew longer from his fingers. He, who was originally a Wingmen, unexpected turned into a Werewolf in just a few breaths.


    The change was strange and uncanny!!


    Despite his experience, Tang Xiu was still shocked and dumbfounded.


    ¡°A Wingmen turning into a Werewolf? What kind of monster is this?¡±


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and flagrantly acted at this moment. He instantly unleashed the long sword floating in the world inside his Dantian, as it turned into a streak of light that pierced the back of that man.


    ¡°RUN¡­¡±


    A howling roar came out of the pierced monster¡¯s mouth.

 Chapter 755

    Chapter 755: Blood Rain In The Dark Night


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The monster that turned from a Wingmen to a Werewolf suppressed its fatal injury while its tough body dashed in front of Mo Awu. Attacking him with the intention to perish together, it frantically rushed toward Mo Awu, whereas the other Werewolf who only had his sharp claws cut off then instantly fled.


    ¡°Hold them back!¡± Tang Xiu called his flying sword back in a flash and roared.


    Mo Awu roared. His brutally violent punch bombarded the monster¡¯s face, though his body was also bleeding from eight wounds caused by its sharp claws. At this moment, the flying sword he released flew back and directly slashed the monster¡¯s neck.


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Ten lightning-like figures chased the escaping Werewolf and disappeared at the hotel entrance in the blink of an eye.


    The gunfire had now ceased.


    The captain of the Phantom Special Combat Squad, Yu Shuqing, as well as the other six members of the special force, retreated at the same time and were now leaning with their backs against the wall. Fear still lingered inside their hearts as they saw the headless corpse that fell to the floor at this moment.


    They had seen countless killings in their lives and were involved in numerous massacres, but never once had they ever had a thrilling and soul-shaking battle like this. Even though they were nothing but figurants at present.


    ¡°They are¡­ freaking monsters.¡±


    Mo Xiaonan swiped the blood splattered on his face and spoke with a trembling voice. In the past, he always thought that with a gun in his hands he would never be afraid even if the devil were to appear before him. But he was scared shitless after what he just saw.


    ¡°Cough! Cough!¡­ They are like those Werewolves in movies¡­ and a birdman too¡­¡±


    Yu Shuqing swiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He couldn¡¯t care less about the bleeding wound on his chest as his eyes were full of vigilance, aiming his muzzle at the hotel¡¯s front door.


    Tang Xiu approached Mo Awu. After observing the wound on his chest, he immediately took out a Holy Healing medicine and forcefully stuffed it in his mouth, and then said in a deep voice, ¡°Heal your injuries. It¡¯s your main task now, so take your time to heal yourself. It¡¯s highly likely that there are still many fields for us to sweep.¡±


    Mo Awu nodded without a word and went straight to the corner to sit down.


    Tang Xiu then went toward Yu Shuqing and said indifferently, ¡°Treat yourselves! These divergent races from Stygian Club are not something you can deal with. Like I told you before, I don¡¯t need your protection. For you, being able to protect yourselves is already the biggest help you can provide me.¡±


    Pale and blue complexions could be seen on the faces of Yu Shuqing and the other members of the Phantom Special Combat Squad. Shame now filled their hearts. Tang Xiu did say previously that he did not need their protection, while they thought that he was too arrogant and had no idea of danger nor death. But now, they finally realized that it was the other way around.


    These people¡­ they were indeed not at the same rank, simply at a whole another level!


    Yu Shuqing and his men exchanged glances. Except for forcing out a smile and putting on a helpless face, only deep shame surged up inside their hearts. All their arrogance, pride, and self-confidence had just been blown away at this moment.


    Tang Xiu did not say anything more. After all, they were just ordinary people but still true warriors for the country. He gently patted Yu Shuqing¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Mist Source Island is now in a crisis, while the garrison base is also in the middle of a big crisis as well. I think you should stay in the compound given your abilities. As for those foreign powers on this island, you can leave them to me.¡±


    Yu Shuqing fell silent for a while, and then said with difficulty, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll explain the situation to Division Commander Yang and Chief of Staff Hu. We¡¯ll immediately return to the garrison as long as they give orders.¡±


    ¡°No need to report to them.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°I will explain it to them personally. However, I hope you can help me with something.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Yu Shuqing quickly.


    ¡°Keep this matter a secret,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°You must not speak of what you¡¯ve seen today, and neither can you report it to your superiors. I know all of you are loyal and patriotic warriors, but you must accept this order.¡±


    Yu Shuqing fell silent and no words came out of his mouth.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± asked Mo Xiaonan with a complex expression. ¡°You mean¡­ we must accept your order? A secret and confidential order?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently.


    ¡°We were only dispatched to follow your orders temporarily,¡± said Mo Xiaonan. ¡°We have no responsibility¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and coldly said, ¡°There were some issues I didn¡¯t want to tell you previously, but it seems like I must warn you now. The very person who sent me to Mist Source Island this time is the Number 1 Leader of the state. Who do you think has bigger rights than this senior in the entire China? I¡¯ll tell you another thing. I would have never come to this island even if the Number 1 Leader ordered me because my identity is what you¡¯ve heard from these enemies a while ago. We are cultivators. What we pursue is strength and immortality, to be enlightened with the laws and principle of the Heavenly Dao, and cultivating to sever the shackles of the profane world and link our hearts to our swords.


    ¡°But other than the Number 1 Senior, it was my grandfather who personally went to my home and asked me to come here. I don¡¯t need to hide this fact from you. Tang Guosheng is my grandfather and the Tang Family from Beijing is my family. Do you think it¡¯s necessary for you to report what you¡¯ve encountered today?¡±


    All the members of Phantom Special Combat Squad exchanged dismayed looks. They looked shocked, as it never crossed their minds that the person who sent Tang Xiu over was unexpectedly the Number 1 Leader. And neither did they think that he was also the grandson of Tang Guosheng.


    ¡°No wonder!¡±


    ¡°No wonder the two Senior Leaders sent you to solve the crisis on Mist Source Island. Maybe only you who can deal with these overseas divergent races since you¡¯re a cultivator. Alright. We will treat this matter as the highest military secret, and unless we are asked by the First Leader, we will never let this out of our mouths,¡± solemnly said Yu Shuqing.


    Tang Xiu slightly nodded in response. Then, he said, ¡°We¡¯ll be staying here tonight for the time being! We are bogged down in crisis outside, and I¡¯m afraid the news that we¡¯ve come here is known by many forces already. If my guess is correct, we won¡¯t have a peaceful night tonight.¡±


    ¡°WHO ARE YOU!?¡±


    In the hallway, two middle-aged men wearing security uniforms came out. They were holding flashlights and looked baffled. However, when the security guard on the left asked, he suddenly screamed and said, ¡°Heavens! Murder, there are dead people here!¡±


    As his voice faded away, the two men ran away with fear on their faces. They nearly exhausted all their strength before quickly disappearing into the corridor.


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing and said, ¡°You and the rest, deal with the matter here. I¡¯m going outside to stand guard and wait for you to secure some rooms.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Yu Shuqing nodded.


    Tang Xiu took out a cigarette, lit it up and walked out of the hotel¡¯s front door. Then, he watched the empty curtain of the night outside while his spiritual sense continued spreading toward the surroundings. Covering a scope of 500-600 meters was not a problem with his current ability. Nonetheless, he could not help but worry since Xue Sha and Jin Shi¡¯s group of ten who left to pursue the Werewolf had disappeared from the scope of his perception.


    ¡°Rest assured, Boss. Jin Shi and the others will be able to escape if they encounter enemies they are no match for. They can also still use the flying swords to escape,¡± Mo Awu had recovered. Aside from some light injuries, he was longer affected, as his previously bleeding wound was already much better.


    ¡°No, there¡¯s something bothering me. A bad premonition,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t specifically explain what it is. Also, there¡¯s something strange about the fella I just killed.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ the guy who had characteristics of Wingmen first, and then suddenly became a Werewolf in the end?¡± asked Mo Awu.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Mo Awu hesitated for a moment, and then said, ¡°I think it should have been some kind of drug, Boss. Before that monster slammed me he shot himself with a syringe. I found that there is some residual green liquid in the syringe. After killing him I examined his corpse, and there¡¯s a slightly discernible pinhole in his lower rib, with some dark green residue in his body.¡±


    ¡°That would be very interesting if it¡¯s really caused by some medicaments,¡± said Tang Xiu crankily. ¡°A Werewolf that can transform into a Wingmen. This shows that the Western divergent races are not in peace! Awu, don¡¯t you think that if you really have this kind of drug then you can have the best means to set up a trap and frame someone else after an assassination?¡±


    ¡°Indeed!¡± Mo Awu let out a hollow laugh.


    Suddenly, they both set their gazes in the Southeast direction, because other than the ten controlled flying swords that flew toward them, there was a chasing party behind¡ªfour vampires. They held an unusual weapon in their hands each while unleashing tarrying attack bombardments again and again.


    ¡°Aid them, Awu!¡±


    Tang Xiu instantly streaked up to the air and unleashed the long sword inside his body toward his fleeing men. He immediately lifted his hands and turned the long sword into a hundred meters of light as it heavily hacked toward the four pursuing vampires.


    The earth-shattering and heaven-battering sword seemed to tear open the space barrier. Countless energies came swarming in all directions as they fused into the sword image that hacked down lightning fast. In just a hundredth of a second, the might of the sword had increased several folds.


    ¡°RETREAT!!!¡±


    A sharp roar came out from one of the vampires. His tone was accompanied with strong panic as the four vampires flashed backward frantically.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Their retreating speed was very fast, but the lightning-fast chopping sword image was even faster. With a devastating momentum, it instantly smashed down the four vampires who brandished their uncanny weapons to prevent it. The four vampires were akin to a lonely boat amid the turbulent sea. They flew upside down for several hundreds of meters, spurting out blood and then smashing through several buildings while creating big holes in the process.


    ¡°Diabolus Miasma!¡±


    A vampire rushed out from the shattered building. A jet black smog was sprinkled by him. In just a few breaths the darkness crazily shrouded the room and covered the scenery within half a kilometer. The four vampires drilled themselves into the darkness and then vanished from sight.


    Tang Xiu frowned deeply, for he discovered that his spiritual sense was unable to pierce the black fog. He had no choice but to take back his perception and went around to another direction at an extremely fast speed, pursuing toward the spot where the four vampires vanished.


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu returned to the hotel¡¯s front gate. He looked the distressed-looking Jin Shi and the others, and asked with knitted brows, ¡°Do you know where these four vampires come from?¡±

 Chapter 756

    Chapter 756: Luring In The Enemy Deep


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Tang Xiu was taken aback since his full power strike turned out to be unable to kill the four vampires directly, only causing them to suffer heavy losses. He had learned the vampire ranks from Shanjenna and therefore guessed that these four vampires were at least at the Count rank.


    Count! Shanjenna said to him that in the entire Western vampire race those who had reached the rank of Count numbered less than 20. But today, there were four of them at once, which forced Tang Xiu to be careful.


    ¡°They should be from the Stygian Club, Boss. We¡¯ve wrecked that Werewolf already, but then he was saved by these four vampires,¡± said Jin Shi bitterly.


    ¡°Those four vampires are very powerful indeed,¡± Tang Xiu slowly nodded. ¡°Wanting to inflict heavy losses or killing them would be very difficult unless I use some of the cards up my sleeves. Now that the real enemy has appeared, we have to be extra cautious in our next move, else we are likely to die on this Mist Source Island.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Everyone replied with solemnity.


    Immediately after, Tang Xiu returned to the hotel with his men. Yu Shuqing, who led the members of the Phantom Special Combat Squad, had found the person in charge of the hotel at present, a middle-aged man whose complexion was pale.


    ¡°We¡¯ve already opened the room, Mr. Tang. You can use it at any time. This is the door card of the room.¡± Yu Shuqing respectfully handed over a stack of room cards.


    Tang Xiu ignored the administrator of the hotel, received the room cards, and then directly found the room and went inside.


    ****


    In the forest outside the city, about tens of kilometers away from the hotel, four vampires, with one having their wings cut off, were fleeing into the bushes with fear, while the seriously wounded Werewolf was struggling and begging in front of them. And yet, all the blood essence inside his body was sucked by the four vampires in just half a minute, directly killing him.


    ¡°What a loathsome shit!¡±


    A vampire wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and kicked the withered body of the Werewolf. He angrily growled, ¡°That fucking bastard is too strong, even the four of us collaborating are not his match at all. The way I see it, we have zero chance of catching him.¡±


    Another vampire with bloodshot eyes commented, ¡°Legend has it the Chinese cultivators are descendants of the legendary Oriental celestial immortals. They have been veiled in mystery and similarly have mysterious abilities. Those who were levied in the Crusades in the past ended up miserable when facing these Oriental cultivators. Little did I think we would bump into these Orientals cultivators. We have to notify the leader about this.¡±


    ¡°I already saw everything.¡±


    A hazy shadow appeared, revealing a pale young man donned in black attire. His two fangs were especially long and sharp, while a chilling and sinister aura emanated from him. While holding a black spherical metal ball in his hand, his scarlet eyes swept over the Werewolf¡¯s corpse tens of meters away, but not the slight fluctuation could be seen on his cold face.


    ¡°Chief.¡± The four vampires saluted him.


    Basil. It was the name of this young-looking vampire, a trusted subordinate of Keith Moore, one of the eight highest-ranked bigwigs of the Stygian Club.


    ¡°We must proceed with the command of Lord Keith Moore, there¡¯s no turning back¡ªeven if we have to offer our lives to our primogenitor, Cain. This Oriental cultivator, Tang Xiu, is no doubt very strong, and the might of his sword is very powerful. I myself am highly likely to be gravely injured if I fight him. Hence, there¡¯s only one way to capture him now, to make use of the Blood Poison.¡±


    Basil flipped his hand and took out a porcelain bottle. Handing it to one of the vampires, he said, ¡°Use your stealth mode and strike from the dark. Find a chance when he is distracted and put this Blood Poison in his meal. Even if he is an Oriental ascetic, his power will be constrained by the Blood Poison for a short period of time. He will turn into a reptile that has no power to kill a chicken at all.¡±


    The four vampires stared at the porcelain bottle with fear in their eyes. They were Bloodkin, and they knew the potent might of this Blood Poison. They may be Count-ranked vampires, but they too would have their power greatly weakened once struck with this Blood Poison, whereas the other divergent races would completely lose their strength, and would undoubtedly die even if they could last for several days.


    ¡°We¡¯ll definitely finish the task, Chief!¡± Replied the vampire with a solemn face while holding the porcelain bottle.


    ¡°From the intel I received, one of the Pyramids¡¯ ten War Elders, the War Intelligence Elder Wu Jie, has recently sent people to study the antidote of the Darkening Virus. Our plan will be greatly affected once his people successfully study it. According to Lord Keith, the War Intelligence Elder Wu Jie will definitely send his men to obstruct us in capturing Tang Xiu, so do pay extra attention to the Pyramid¡¯s people when you carry your mission. Kill them on sight!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± The four vampires had their complexions slightly changed and their killing aura surged.


    ****


    Grand Hyatt Hotel.


    Tang Xiu sat cross-legged on the bed while silently cultivating his Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis. With the changes of his Dantian space, he had more Primal Chaos Force to use. Previously, he could only use his Primal Chaos Force for two hours in unceasing consumption, but now, he could use it for ten hours.


    Nonetheless, he also found a problem he had quite a headache about after the transformation. That was, the difficulty he would face later to increase his body¡¯s strength as he would need to absorb more stars¡¯ energy. He couldn¡¯t even see its end point. After all, the world inside his Dantian was very big. If he had to grow every one of the hundreds of millions of planets into the size the true planet was, not even 10,000 years were enough for him to achieve it with his current cultivation speed.


    ¡°I first thought I would be invincible once I reached the Peak of the Viscera Transformation Stage of the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis. Never did I expect that Earth not only has other cultivators but also has Vampires and other Demi-humans. The Count-ranked vampires have slightly inferior strength to mine, while the strength of Marquis-ranked should be comparable to mine. In the case I were to encounter a Duke-ranked or even a higher-ranked one, King of Vampires, I don¡¯t think I have another choice but to run away.¡±


    Tang Xiu opened his eyes, left the bed and went to the window. There, he looked at the faint light appearing on the horizon outside, absorbed into his thoughts. He had many combat techniques, escaping methods, and a lot of life preservation means. And yet, he would still be injured if he had to face a genuine powerhouse even if he could escape and see another day.


    Not to mention that he also brought Mo Awu and the others to Mist Source Island this time. He would never abandon them and run away even if he was really in danger.


    Therefore¡­


    ¡°I need to manufacture array disks!¡±


    Tang Xu pulled the curtains and brought out a massive number of jades from his interspatial ring to refine array disks. His current strength was rather low, thus he couldn¡¯t set up a big array with mighty power in a very short time. Only by using this array disks could he instantly form a powerful array to trap the enemies and kill them.


    Whole two days were spent with Tang Xiu not eating, drinking, nor sleeping, as he fully devoted himself to refine array disks. He had refined 50 array disks in total within these two days, including one set of the most powerful Scintillating Stars Array. He was confident of killing even Duke-ranked vampires with the aid of this array.


    Creak¡­


    As Tang Xiu closed the door and stepped out in the corridor, he saw Mo Awu, Jin Shi, and the others were all cross-legged. After they got up in succession, he asked, ¡°Have those guys of the Phantom squad left yet?¡±


    ¡°No. They haven¡¯t left yet,¡± said Mo Awu. ¡°They said they will be waiting for us to leave before going back.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go, then! We¡¯ll go straight through this Mixed Summit City and head to the mountain to have a look,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°If there are people trailing us, we¡¯ll let them follow us as long as they do not attack.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t directly kill them?¡± asked Mo Awu, confused.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that killing the enemies in the deep-forested mountain is more fun than killing them in the city?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Mo Awu looked dull for a moment before he understood Tang Xiu¡¯s intention. Then, he said, ¡°You don¡¯t want to expose our identity in front of ordinary people? Understood. We know what to do.¡±


    Shortly after, everyone came to the lobby on the first floor. When Tang Xiu saw Yu Shuqing and the others waiting there, he immediately said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget what we¡¯ve discussed before. Also, I¡¯ll treat the Phantom squad to a drink when we go back later.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll prepare the banquet and await your triumphal return,¡± said Yu Shuqing quickly.


    Tang Xiu smiled lightly and strode out of the hotel. At this moment, the feeling that he was being monitored appeared again, but he ignored it and did not even release his spiritual sense. After boarding the car, the four cars then hit the road quickly.


    After two hours of travel, the four cars had bypassed the Mixed Summit City and were now only a dozen kilometers away from the mountain in the center of Mist Source Island. From here, they could faintly see the mist-shrouded mountain about more than a dozen kilometers ahead. However, the top of the mountain was fully covered by fog and they were unable to see the majestic palace.


    ¡°Two groups of people are tracking us on the left and right of our rear, Boss.¡±


    Mo Awu, who was driving, could not bear it anymore and reported after having observed for a long time.


    ¡°Let them continue following us,¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°I want to see what their ultimate goals are.¡±


    Mo Awu nodded and then accelerated. As time went by, they soon came to a spot a few kilometers away from the mountain foot.


    ¡°How high is this mountain, exactly?¡±


    After getting off the car, Tang Xiu looked up at the big mountain and asked.


    ¡°We tried measuring it with our eyes previously, but to no avail,¡± Zidan interjected. ¡°We have no way to measure its exact height with vision, but from estimation, it should be at least a kilometer.¡±


    Tang Xiu then observed the scenery from the halfway up to the foot of the mountain that was covered with mist, while the mountainside to the summit was clearly visible. A smile appeared on the corner of his mouth as he could determine that this mountain was indeed covered in a huge array. This array, however, was quite mysterious. Even though he had yet to try venturing inside, he had no means to completely see through the mystery of this array.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave the cars here. You will all go with me and we¡¯ll try to get inside.¡±


    ¡°Boss, I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t get in for a while.¡±


    Mo Awu stared at the left rear. There was a murderous glint in his eyes as he instantly released his flying sword to hover around him.

 Chapter 757

    Chapter 757: Killing Enemies Under Sword Formation


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Tang Xiu glanced at the distance, his murderous intention soaring in an instant. Five lightning-like forms flashed from the edge of the woods some kilometers away as though they were sharp arrows unleashed from a bow. In just a few breaths, they had dashed in front of them.


    ¡°Mr. Tang.¡±


    Basil¡¯s cold eyes fell on Tang Xiu. He was currently vexed and annoyed inside as the Darksoul squad members under him had been in surveillance for two days, and also snuck into the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Yet, they still couldn¡¯t put the Blood Poison into Tang Xiu¡¯s meal, since Tang Xiu neither ate nor drank anything during these two days.


    Tang Xiu glanced at the four vampires behind Basil and was instantly able to identify them. They were the ones who chased Jin Shi and the others two days ago, which forced them to retreat back by his sword. It seemed their injuries were better already.


    ¡°You¡¯re also a member of the Stygian Club?¡±


    With the graceful bearing and elegance of a noble, Basil used his slender white fingers to fiddle with the metal ball as he nodded and said, ¡°We are Sir Keith Moore¡¯s subordinates from the Stygian Club indeed. Those assassination agents from before were very rude towards you, Mr. Tang, and thus we¡¯ve already executed the escaped werewolf. Our Lord has been wishing to see you, Mr. Tang, so I hope you can give us face and follow us.¡±


    ¡°He wants me to see him and yet you ask me to go?¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°This is China territory, and he¡¯s still this arrogant? This is really more than enough to kick his ass. SCRAM¡­ and tell that guy that he had better move his ass if he wants to see me. I might go to see him if I¡¯m in a good mood.¡±


    Basil stopped fiddling with the metal ball instantly, a murderous glint flashing in his chilling-cold eyes. Then, he said coldly, ¡°I know all of you are all Oriental cultivators, Mr. Tang. But I¡¯ve seen the strength of your men and they can never beat my Darksoul squad. You yourself indeed have some skills to be proud of, but I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be enough to show them off before me. Hence, please follow us if you don¡¯t want us to fully suck all the blood of you and your men.¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± Tang Xiu sneered and ordered, ¡°Awu, replace Zidan and form the Decagon Sword Formation. I¡¯ll personally fix this brat if he dares to move.¡±


    ¡°Roger that!¡±


    Mo Awu, Jin Shi, and the others stood up and instantly released their flying swords to hover around them. Basil only looked at them with contempt and instantly retreated 100 meters. The four vampires grinned and licked their lips, pulling cane knives from the sheaths on their backs. It was their Bloodkin¡¯s outstanding spirit weapon, the Stygian Demon Blade that blossomed dark lights.


    ¡°Defeat his men and capture him!¡±


    A vampire Count grinned hideously. As he spread his wings, he dashed toward Mo Awu in a flash, as he raised the cane blade and hacked down to divide Mo Awu into two halves.


    ¡°ARRAY SET!¡±


    In the face of death, Mo Awu did not panic but shouted loudly. His flying sword instantly grouped with the other nine flying swords as his figure disappeared in a flash to catch up with Jin Shi and the others, who were already floating mid-air. While they trod on the void, their figures turned imaginary and erratically, drifting from spot to spot.


    ¡°KILL THEM AND DRINK THEIR BLOOD!¡±


    The four vampires also streaked to the sky. Their individual strength was a level stronger than Jin Shi and the others, so they slashed their four Stygian Demon Blades, attempting to kill the ten men.


    While Basil, who stood 100 meters away, wore a smile. Two days ago his four Darksoul members were able to chase after Tang Xiu¡¯s men and got them beaten. And now, in his eyes, they would finally kill them. Their ending was already fixed even if they changed another man.


    He really could not understand as to why Tang Xiu would be this stupid. Did he not see how distressed and miserable his men were as a result of the battle two days ago?


    More than a kilometer away from them.


    Several men and women hiding on the other side of the forest could clearly see the scene of the battle, whereas Siou, one among them, tightly gripped a stiletto and looked enthusiastic.


    ¡°Big Bro Siou, it seems like we don¡¯t need to move right now. Basil is now having his Darksoul members getting into action, so we¡¯ll be able to benefit as the third party,¡± A cute girl donned in a black leather coat spoke in a whisper with a smile on her face.


    ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re right,¡± Siou nodded and smilingly said. ¡°No matter who wins and loses, they both will end up losing and we¡¯ll be able to remove all of them the moment we appear. Hehehe¡­ War Intelligence Elder will definitely reward us handsomely.¡±


    ¡°I really can¡¯t wait to see them end up suffering mutually,¡± The girl giggled. ¡°Anyways, who do you think will win between them, Brother Siou?¡±


    ¡°It should be Basil, of course,¡± said Siou. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t noticed it yet! Basil¡¯s Blood Brother, Alody, has yet to appear, and you too know he¡¯s much stronger than him.¡±


    The smile on the girl¡¯s face receded like a tide, hatred now suffused in her eyes, She then said with thick resentment, ¡°Alody, huh? This damned vampire bastard! He¡¯s the one who caught me in the past and imprisoned me in the Blood Pool for 14 years. He ruined my mental ability and also my killed my big sis. I must kill him myself today, and let his soul burn in Hellfire¡­¡±


    Siou grabbed her hand and scolded her, ¡°Contain your aura! Else they will notice you.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± The girl suppressed her hatred and firmly nodded.


    Near the mist-shrouded mountain, ten blurred figures constantly flashed as the ten flying swords were transformed into thousands of sword images that formed layers of blooming lotus made of overlapping sword lights. As the shadows of the four Stygian Demon Blades came hacking at them, one of the sword light lotuses instantly detached and collided with the blade lights.


    BOOM¡­


    Two auras clashed and burst into a thunderous deafening explosion. As the sword light lotus was torn into pieces, the four Demon Blades turned similarly fragile, but its blade lights were still sweeping upwards. The first clash between them showed that the four vampires were much stronger. However, in just a flash moment, the situation was reversed 360 degrees, as another wave of the separated sword light lotus directly countered the blade lights.


    ¡°BE CAREFUL!¡±


    The four vampires had a change in expressions. They quickly swayed their bodies in uncanny ways, floating upward for several meters to escape the sword light lotus that kept crashing down at them.


    ¡°FALL DOWN!¡±


    Mo Awu roared. The Decagon Sword Formation that had been completely formed instantly crashed down, covering the four vampires. The Lotus flower sword lights emerged out of the blue and stormed over toward the four Count-ranked vampires.


    ¡°DAMN! WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS THING?¡±


    A vampire Count smashed two sword lights, but his body was contaminated by more and more sword light lotuses. Immediately, his body was battered with a terrifying wound as his blood splashed. The other three vampires were also facing similar predicaments. Along with the increase of sword light lotuses, more and more wounds were carved on their bodies, and even their flapping wings were also wounded in just a few seconds, slowing down their speed a lot.


    ¡°JOIN FORCES!!!¡±


    A vampire roared and instantly caught up to gather with the other three vampires. They frantically slashed their Stygian Demon Blades and smashed hundreds of sword light lotuses in one go.


    ¡°YOU ARE COURTING DEATH!¡±


    Mo Awu snorted and flung toward the vampire¡¯s front. His flying sword pierced the vampire¡¯s chest and kicked him flying backward. In the next moment, Jin Shi¡¯s form appeared in an instant and stabbed the vampire¡¯s throat with his flying sword. Nearly in a flash, after he stabbed him, his palm also clapped the vampire¡¯s head, while Xue Sha then followed suit¡­


    Puff! Puff! Puff¡­


    The three-dimensional sword formation consisting of sword light lotuses, and amid the flashing forms of ten figures, inflicted great damage to the four vampires, and the several wounds were absolutely fatal to them.


    ¡°VANISH!¡±


    Mo Awu¡¯s group of ten finally stopped attacking and instantly seized their respective flying swords. At the moment, they surrounded the four vampires and hacked them lightning fast!


    AARGH¡­


    Shrill screams sounded from the four vampires¡¯ mouths. Two vampire Counts had their bodies disintegrated by the sword lights as pieces of their flesh fell one by one, raining down blood. The other two vampire Counts, one of which was crushed and smashed to the ground, completely lost his aura, while the last vampire Count was heavily smashed to the ground, dying accompanied by splattering layers of dust.


    ¡°How is this possible?¡±


    The tragic situation left Basil stupefied. The massacre shocked him too much. He was full of confidence that his four subordinates would be able to decimate Tang Xiu¡¯s men. Who would have thought that the result turned out the other way around¡­


    Vexed¡­ distressed! His heart was simply bleeding!!


    It had to be noted that his four subordinates were Count-ranked vampires and also his most powerful underlings, from which he was able to have a higher status in the Stygian Club. Else, by relying on only the strength of his and his Blood Brother, it was impossible for them to be taken seriously in the club.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Mo Awu¡¯s group of ten descended from the sky and stood in a neat order in front of Tang Xiu. Other than having their bodies stained with the four vampires¡¯ blood, they did not suffer any injuries at all.


    ¡°Great job!!!¡± Tang Xiu applauded. ¡°Count-ranked vampire is just mediocre.¡±


    Basil flashed to the side of the battered and only living subordinate he had now. When he checked his injury, he felt a bit better inside since his Core Nucleus was not crushed despite having grave injuries. Hence, there was still hope for him to survive.


    At this moment, Tang Xiu appeared in front of Mo Awu¡¯s group of ten in a flash. As he unleashed the long swords, a sudden burst of power that could tear the sky and devastate the earth asunder was instantly swept out and inundated Basil and the wounded vampire Count. The might of a hundred meters¡¯ sword image greatly increased after absorbing the Heaven Earth energy as it struck Basil. It was just one strike, but the blow made Basil instantly turn frantic. His figure instantly vanished and flashed backward 100 meters. He had not the time to rescue his subordinate at all, leaving him to be cleaved into two halves.


    Despite escaping, Basil had already been hit by the sword qi, and his bleeding wound looked especially terrible.


    Whoosh¡­


    An obscure shadow suddenly swept away from Tang Xiu¡¯s side.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s pupils shrunk, and the invisible crisis made all his hair become erect in an instant. He had no time to release his spiritual sense, relying only on his superhuman perception and instincts to brandish his long sword to the left.

 Chapter 758

    Chapter 758: The Chosen Favorited by the World


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The invisible collision between the two forces caused Tang Xiu to fly sideways for tens of meters before he got a firm footing. In the other direction, another vampire in night black overcoat revealed his figure with arms bleeding after colliding with the sword qi.


    ¡°What power!¡±


    Alody¡¯s wings were splattered by the sword qi, the aching pain almost suffocating him. After flying backward for dozens of meters, he immediately ran away. He already took a blow like this even if it was not a frontal assault, while Tang Xiu had yet to unleash everything he had to counterattack his sneak attack.


    ¡°How is it, Alody?¡± Basil flew to Alody¡¯s side. He looked at his badly mutilated arms with a twitching heart.


    Alody¡¯s deep gaze shifted to Tang Xiu¡¯s direction and said bitterly, ¡°That guy is practically not human. His power is way too strong and the might of his sword can almost be compared with Sir Keith Moore¡¯s fully powered strike. Let¡¯s retreat. Only Sir Keith is likely to be able to defeat him.¡±


    Unwilling as he was, Basil could not refute Alody¡¯s remark, for he knew that Alody was stating the truth. Even if he and Alody were to join hands, it was highly likely they wouldn¡¯t be able to contend with that guy at all.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave!¡± The two figures did not stay any longer and rushed toward the direction from where they came from.


    In a forested mountain a kilometer away.


    Dumbfounded and rendered speechless by the scene that unfolded before his eyes, Siou was simply unable to believe such an ending had occurred. He just firmly stated that the Darksoul squad of the Stygian Club would win, but in just a moment, the four vampires of the Darksoul squad were utterly decimated, while its head, Basil, was forced back and his blood brother, Alody, was defeated. It was like an invisible slap smacking his face.


    Could it be said¡­ that the Oriental ascetics¡¯ strength was formidable?


    With a somewhat dry mouth, Siou felt overwhelmed all of a sudden with this ending. He had more than ten people under his leadership, and their chance of winning or losing the fight was half to half if they were to face against Basil and his vampires. But now, even those four vampires were killed, while Basil and Alody fled in distress. Even if he were to lead his party to pick up the fray, it was likely the price they would pay would not be cheap.


    What should I do? Don¡¯t tell me I don¡¯t have any choice but to leave with a dejected face, abandoning the duty Lord Wu Jie assigned to me?


    The cute girl standing next to Siou tightly gripped her small fists. A fire was blazing out of her eyes. She never thought that the situation would turn like this. Little did she think that the damned vampire, Alody, would shamelessly run away. She had been wanting to kill this vampire, wishing she could hack and devastate him, but now, she had no chance to do so.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    As Siou was lost in thought, his eyes suddenly lit up. His keen eyes caught sight of Tang Xiu, who was surrounded by his men and spurted out a mouthful of blood. What did this show? It meant that Tang Xiu had been injured, and quite seriously it seems.


    This is an opportunity!


    Steeling his resolve, Siou then spoke in a deep tone, ¡°Terra Stalker, Moas. You two will approach them through the underground from a separate direction. Inflict heavy losses to some of the enemies lest they catch us off guard. Shadowless¡­ and King Kong, you two will follow them from behind. Seize the opportunity to sneak up on Tang Xiu and strike him. Even if you can¡¯t kill him, you must make his injury even worse. Three of you from Blackwind, you will go with me.¡±


    In the distance.


    As Tang Xiu spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes casually glanced at the direction where Siou and his men were hiding. His alertness had already given him an early notice and he had long known that there were other forces who were following them other than the ones from the Stygian Club. And he already guessed where they were hiding.


    He, in fact, was not injured. Him spurting out a mouthful of blood was just an act. The sneaking blow from Alody only made his hand a bit numb and the blood inside his body seeth, while his condition had already been restored only a few seconds after.


    ¡°Be careful. Enemies!¡±


    Taking advantage of the moment he was encircled by his men, Tang Xiu quickly warned them.


    Mo Awu and the others had long known that two groups of people had been tracking them. Hearing the reminder from Tang Xiu, they immediately realized that the other group had yet to appear.


    Feng Yang was a core master in the Everlasting Feast Hall. The reason why he was chosen by Gu Yan¡¯er was his good aptitude, while he also had special abilities, and only a few people in the Everlasting Feast Hall knew what his special abilities were, whereas outsiders who knew were already dead.


    He was able to control the Earth element, and using Earth attribute was his special ability.


    Right as everyone saw a figure sprinting beyond a kilometer, Feng Yang¡¯s expression suddenly changed, as he said quickly, ¡°Someone is coming from the underground. He should be someone gifted in manipulating Earth element, an Earth Elementalist.¡±


    A gifted¡­ Elementalist? The world¡¯s favored ones?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes lit up. Despite having seen these gifted people in the past, he had yet to study the subject in depth. In a flash, he quickly took out four array disks and threw them out with extremely fast speed. He instantly drew the lines of an array pattern, and the Four Constellation Array was formed in just two breaths.


    ¡°You know something about Earth Elementalists, Feng Yang?¡± Tang Xiu stared at the ten people who came sprinting toward them. He could sense the killing aura from them and knew that they were up to no good.


    ¡°I¡¯m an Earth Elementalist myself, Boss,¡± replied Feng Yang.


    Tang Xiu stared blankly. He immediately looked at him with a slightly surprised expression, as he nodded and said, ¡°Feng Yang, you will cooperate with Xue Sha to detain this Earth Elementalist underground. Remember to capture him alive if you can. But if you deem it to be impossible, just kill him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to accomplish it, Boss,¡± said Feng Yang with a confident smile.


    ¡°Firstly, stay calm and no rushing,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°If they really want to kill us, they will inevitably enter the Four Constellation Array. You all have learned about this Four Constellation Array, hence you will have the advantage in the fight against enemies inside. But remember to retreat immediately once you get injured. I don¡¯t want to see any of you dying in battle.¡±


    Mo Awu and the others did not speak. Their main duty was to kill the enemies. But whether they would die in the battle was something out of their control. Tang Xiu¡¯s words, nonetheless, made them feel warm inside. They figured out Tang Xiu¡¯s temperament, who was incomparably ruthless to his enemies but very caring to his own people. They also felt that following such a Boss was very worth the effort and sacrifice, even if they had to give their lives for him.


    ¡°KILL!!!¡±


    Siou¡¯s special ability was to control lightning and its derivations, such as electricity. Along with his ¡°KILL¡± shout, a lightning spark appeared out of the blue as though a blazing arrow that shot toward Tang Xiu and the others.


    The men and woman beside him also unleashed their own respective abilities as they shot crystalline ice arrows, orange-yellow metal arrows, and Earth-shattering fiery dragons that overwhelmingly plunged toward Tang Xiu, Mo Awu and the others.


    ¡°Seven Stars Sword Formation!¡±


    Jin Shi roared and instantly formed a Seven Stars Sword formation with the other six. Layers of sword images divided to fill the world in front and blasted forward with overbearing and fierce aura to greet the lightning sparks, ice arrows, metal arrows, and fire dragons.


    BOOM¡­


    The seven men¡¯s bodies greatly shook, and the Seven Stars Sword Formation was similarly distorted and nearly cracked. But Siou¡¯s group of four also vomited out a mouthful of blood and flew backward. Their powers scattered, whereas Jin Shi¡¯s group of seven¡¯s powers overlapped together. From the clash just now, Siou¡¯s group of four had suffered a small loss.


    ¡°Array, activate!¡±


    A cold glint suddenly suffused in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes and he did not hesitate to activate the Four Constellation Array. As Siou¡¯s group of four flew back, their backs then heavily hit an invisible energy shield. The Four Constellation Array itself had four characteristics, respectively for trapping, attacking, hallucination, and supporting control. Unless one was proficient in the Four Constellation Array, they would not only suffer from two forms of attack but also be trapped inside once they fell into the array, unable to get out of the formation whatsoever. In addition, those in control of the Four Constellation Array could also support anyone on their side as long as he acted.


    The might of the Four Constellation Array was very ordinary in the Immortal World, but it was a different story altogether on Earth. Tang Xiu had once studied that it had a horrifying potency once employed on Earth. Normally, only four people needed to join hands and move according to the various changes of the azimuth to unleash strikes in a cyclic pattern that went back and forth constantly. It was practically a continuous reproduction of attacks in an endless succession, extremely subtle, and yet delivered great power.


    Extremely subtle and profound, and yet contained great power!


    Such a case might be ridiculous in the eyes of a modern man, but a laughable to Tang Xiu.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    The ground was suddenly torn apart by six figures. Arrows made of clay blasted out and weapons formed from soil instantly attacked Feng Yang, Mo Awu, and Xue Sha who just appeared. Amidst them, sharp wind blades, water swords, and fire serpents were mixed within¡­


    ¡°DEVOUR AND BITE BACK!¡±


    The muscles in Feng Yang¡¯s whole body shivered and the fight over the soil control was in full swing. The earthen arrows suddenly turned still, while the soil-formed weapons were similarly halted temporarily. In an instant after, the earthen arrows changed direction, while the soil-formed weapons also attacked the surroundings.


    The wind blades were destroyed, and the water swords were broken, as the fire serpents distorted and then dissipated.


    Terra Stalker and Moas soared up from the ground, while the other four Elementalists were caught off guard by the instant changes. At this moment, Mo Awu and Xue Sha stormed forward with their flying swords like shooting meteors. The six people were then entangled in a great bustle, carrying scarlet blood lights away.


    ¡°WARD OFF!!!¡±


    Terra Stalker and Moas roared at the same time. Suddenly, a soil wall warded off in front of the two men. The other four people, however, were less fortunate as they could only unleash their special abilities in a hurry and were then stabbed in an instant. Two flying swords had impaled their chests and swiped their necks in a hundredth of a second. In just a second, four people had already been killed on the spot.


    As for Tang Xiu, who stood in the crux of the Four Constellation Array, he just let out a smile while watching Siou and his men suddenly become headless flies. Just like speaking about his own strength, gifts, and enigmatic innate abilities, these people were very formidable on their own. If he did not have the Four Constellation Array, dealing with them would be more difficult than those vampires.


    Unfortunately, they just found the wrong enemy this time.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s gaze swept through the four Elementalists who were just killed and shouted in a deep voice, ¡°I changed my mind. These ability holders are all enemies. Spare no one, kill them all!¡±


    While shouting, his hands quickly conjured a seal and threw it out. At this time, he began activating the attacking capability of the Four Constellation Array.

 Chapter 759

    Chapter 759: Shifting the Blame on the Scapegoats


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The female Elementalist who controlled the two fire dragons and tried to attack Jin Shi instantly felt a freezing chill in the atmosphere that spread from the bottom of the ground up to her legs. Just as she looked down, her eyes turned saucer with a disbelieving expression.


    ICE!?


    My legs are actually frozen and constricted by ice? And this ice is still spreading to my upper body at a terrifying speed? How is this possible? Aren¡¯t the enemy only cultivators? Could it be that there are also ability holders¡ªElementalists among cultivators?


    Puff¡­


    A sword light crossed away and the neck of the female Elementalist was cut off in an instant. Her line of sight constantly turned around as she saw blood spurting out from her headless body.


    Slaughter! It was a massacre!


    Other than Siou and his three comrades, the other dozens of Elementalists were killed in just two-plus minutes, whereas for the people under Tang Xiu, only Jin Shi¡¯s arm was injured while the rest were not injured at all.


    ¡°What the hell is with this damned place?¡±


    Siou had already noticed the strange situation in the Four Constellation Array. He had desperately launched strikes and also incited lightning to wreak havoc, and yet he was still unable to destroy it. What he could see was his subordinates being successively killed, but he was powerless to fend off against the enemies¡¯ attacks.


    ¡°Brother Siou, use the Blood Curse!¡±


    The cute girl who was tottering to avoid several flying swords quickly took out a paper rune from her sleeves.


    In a flash, Siou and the other two also took out their own paper runes. When the group of four used their special abilities to evoke the paper runes, a rough and primeval aura and scent suddenly burst, as an intense bloody light amalgamated and merged together to form a scarlet blood tempest!


    In the core of the array.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s pupils suddenly contracted after sensing the violent aura. He used the Four Constellation Array to wrap Mo Awu and the others¡¯ bodies and pulled them back instantly. Their bodies were frantically drawn back and then thrown out of the Four Constellation Array. At the time Tang Xiu was retreating, he suddenly sensed that the surroundings of the Four Constellation Array was like cracked glass and then was smashed to pieces by the blood tempest.


    Four figures rushed out of the shattered Four Constellation Array. But right as they dashed out, they immediately opened their mouths and spurted out a bloody mist. The four were as though eggplants that were frosted as their dispirited bodies fell on the ground about a hundred meters away.


    Tang Xiu still felt a tingling fear after seeing the spot where he set up the Four Constellation Array. The hundreds of meters surrounding area were just like had been bombarded, which now become a large two meters deep pit. He didn¡¯t dare to imagine how many from Mo Awu¡¯s group would come out alive if he was late for even a few seconds.


    ¡°Is this the power of the Blood Curse?¡±


    The killing intent in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes increased. His figure flashed lighting fast towards Siou¡¯s group of four. Right as they jumped out, he had already unleashed his long sword and hacked it at them.


    BOOM¡­


    The four people hastily set up their defense in a rush, but it was disintegrated under the long sword slash. The obliterating sword qi smashed and sent them flying upside down for tens of meters before finally falling down on the ground once again.


    At this time, other than Siou who was still struggling to get up, the other three had already passed out.


    Puff! Puff!


    The sword light flashed and decapitated the fainted three Elementalists. Siou tried to block it, but Feng Yang, who had silently drilled out from the underground, split him into two halves from the crotch.


    Everything had been settled.


    Tang Xiu looked around. As he saw Mo Awu approaching him, he then nodded at them and said with satisfaction, ¡°I have yet to identify this group of enemies, but we already decimated them all. But it¡¯s really interesting nonetheless. Anyways, Feng Yang, you stay with me. The rest of you, clean up this mess immediately!¡±


    Feng Yang came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side and asked in a low voice, ¡°Do you perhaps want to set up something, Boss?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± asked back Tang Xiu, puzzled.


    ¡°We¡¯ve utterly decimated these people. But there must be a powerful force behind them,¡± explained Feng Yang. ¡°If we set up another scene on top of this, we can make the other party think that this was the masterpiece worked by the people from the Stygian Club. Hence, we can expect the two forces to fight with each other.¡±


    Tang Xiu touched his chin and looked thoughtful as he replied, ¡°So, your meaning is¡­ shifting the blame?¡±


    ¡°Yup. We¡¯ll shift the blame to the scapegoat,¡± Feng Yang nodded. ¡°We can never coexist with the Stygian Club, to begin with, so let¡¯s give them another enemy. These people we just killed were all Elementalists. If I used my special ability to leave behind some leads and then throw some vampire corpses around, I¡¯m sure the people behind these Elementalists will be pointing their guns at the Stygian Club.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes lit up as he said with a smile, ¡°It seems that each one of you is indeed gifted and talented! That¡¯s a great idea, Feng Yang. Let¡¯s do it!¡±


    ¡°Anyways, do you have any instructions for me, Boss?¡± Asked Feng Yang.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not speak about it for the time being,¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand. ¡°Set up your suggestion with everyone first. We¡¯ll be trekking up the mountain in half an hour.¡±


    After half an hour, when everything had been properly prepped, Tang Xiu took everyone to the place shrouded by white mist. There he released his spiritual sense but was unable to penetrate the white mist at all. It was like the white mist was akin to a tough viscous material, acting as a strong barrier to spiritual perception.


    ¡°Are you going to crack down this array, Boss?¡± Mo Awu, who followed beside Tang Xiu, asked with a curious expression.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and took out a piece of paper from his interspatial ring. He quickly wrote a rune on it, folded into a paper kite and threw it midair. The moment it was released, the paper kite was as though having gained intelligence as it flew towards the white mist. Tang Xiu then led Mo Awu and the others to follow it and quickly entered the white fog.


    ¡°This is a Pathfinder Paper Kite. As cultivators, we need some magic arts and magical technique as well. You all have cultivated your body, but you have no abilities in the aspects of magic arts and techniques. You will suffer quite the losses if you are to face some other cultivators later. After we go back to Shanghai I will slowly teach you some magical arts and techniques.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Mo Awu and the others smiled excitedly and nodded with respectful expressions.


    Pathfinder Paper Kite. It was nothing but a trivial magic art but easy to conjure. It did not have a major function but to follow the intention of its creator and act as front-line scout and vanguard. They would not be lost in the fog just by following it. After they ventured deeper into the thick fog about 100 meters or so, they were now unable to see their own fingers while there was also a special pressure suppressing them, so Jin Shi and the others could not continue moving forward.


    ¡°The pressure is too strong for us, Boss. It¡¯s unbearable,¡± Jin Shi spoke in a deep voice.


    With his sharp eyes, Tang Xiu was able to see his men¡¯s faces. He could see their pale faces; they were obviously struggling from their strenuous appearance. He immediately halted his pace and unleashed an enormous aura from himself to immediately contend with the pressure.


    Puff¡­


    Tang Xiu¡¯s body trembled and instantly staggered several steps back. After standing firm, there was blood seeping out of his mouth. Right as he released his aura to clash with the pressure, there was a vast ocean-like force that came to instantly crush his aura.


    ¡°Are you alright, Boss?¡± Mo Awu and the others paced backward in succession and surrounded Tang Xiu with worried faces.


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to wipe the blood off his lips before he shook his head, forced a smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I was just a bit careless. I never thought the might of this array would be so great, to think that the pressure it sent out was able to injure me. Regardless, I have figured out the main principle of this array, so it will be easy to bring it down.¡±


    ¡°You can break this array now?¡± Mo Awu was pleasantly surprised.


    ¡°I can crack it down, but it can¡¯t be destroyed,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°We don¡¯t know what¡¯s stored inside this array, to begin with. If we were to rashly destroy it, some unforeseen accident may happen. So, follow behind me and pay attention to my footsteps. As long as you follow me, you can avoid the pressure inside this white mist.¡±


    Ye Shisan suddenly asked, ¡°How did you figure this array out, Boss? We have never seen you trying to crack the mystery of this array at all.¡±


    Tang Xiu glanced at him and smilingly asked, ¡°Do you want to learn about arrays, by chance?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I want to,¡± said Ye Shisan with a dry smile.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll compile some books about arrays after we get back to Shanghai and also teach you something on this aspect,¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°As a matter of fact, I have been quietly observing the situation inside to analyze the mystery of this array on the way here. Just like when I resisted the white fog a while ago, I was peeping at the last point I had yet to figure out. As a result, though, something stemmed out from my expectation, and therefore got myself injured. But then again, I was still able to glimpse on the final mystery, so I can now break it if I want to.¡±


    Ye Shisan understood in a flash and admiringly said, ¡°You¡¯re really amazing, Boss.¡±


    ¡°Nope, no flattering,¡± Tang Xiu refuted him. ¡°You can become an array grandmaster yourself if you devote yourself.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Ye Shisan firmly nodded with a look of anticipation.


    Tang Xiu retrieved the paper kite. Under his leadership, the group then trekked through the white mist area for over 600 meters before finally entering the foot of the mountain.


    ¡°WOW! IT¡¯S REALLY WONDERFUL!¡±


    Despite being men who were used to slaughter, everyone was instantly attracted by the wonderful, beautiful scene inside at first glance. The fog there was very light, revealing a picturesque fairyland with fairy spirits. The flowers were tender and beautiful, along with lush trees full of lifeforce and docile wild animals, making a hazy and yet wonderful scenery.


    What was the most unexpected for them was that there was a streaming brook, but the water was streaming in reverse upward to the mountainside? It was a scene of violating physics and the law of gravity, accompanied by fish of various colors in the creek that jumped out of the water from time to time. It was a scene that broadened everyone¡¯s horizons.


    There were many objects with antique flavor on the creek. The footbridges each had different shapes. Some were arched, some were straight, while there were also winding ones as well as crescents, and half-moon shaped ones.


    ¡°Let¡¯s trek up the mountain.¡±


    Tang Xiu continued forward and trekked up to the top fast. Right as he stepped over the bridge and his foot stepped on the ground, however, an invisible force oppressed him in a flash. Despite being very powerful, he was still suppressed, the pressure making his body shake.


    ¡°Be careful! Something¡¯s strange here.¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and warned without turning around. At the same time, he resolutely took a step forward once again. He felt that the pressure increased for every step he made forward, and each step was more strenuous than the previous one. In this way, Tang Xiu led everyone forward.

 Chapter 760

    Chapter 760: Distorted Human Nature


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    An adage says that the more beautiful the appearance of something is, the more dangerous it is. The same thing applied to this picturesque forested mountain. It seemed like a cluster of flowers and piles of brocades with trees providing pleasant shades, augmented with the misty white fog that added a bit of wonderland flavor to it. Yet, Tang Xiu and his men, who had passed through the bridge and continued forward for hundreds of meters, abruptly stopped as though they were about to face a formidable enemy.


    It was a white pigeon. That¡¯s right, it was the usual white pigeon, but with a body that was ten times larger than an ordinary white pigeon¡ªcomparable to an ox. At present, it was lazily strolling through the patches of flowers and grasses. Even though it noticed the arrival of Tang Xiu and his men, it just casually glanced at them and spewed out a spray of flames.


    But then, the flowers and plants were instantly burned through when the blue flame touched them. Right as it landed on the ground, a soccer ball-sized stone exposed to the flame instantly burned into blackened ashes and scattered with the wind.


    ¡°This¡­ is a freaking monster¡­¡±


    Xue Sha was a very brave man, and yet he was still scared and stunned by the scene before him.


    Tang Xiu gazed deeply at the white pigeon as his eyes slowly scoured the surroundings. Just a few seconds after, he found ants climbing a towering old tree. The ants were the size of an adult¡¯s fist, and despite the tens of meters of distance, he could clearly see that it had sharp claws.


    ¡°Look over there¡­¡± Mo Awu suddenly whispered.


    Tang Xiu looked at the direction he pointed and couldn¡¯t help but twitch his eyes. In the bushes about forty-plus meters away, a hedgehog was drilling out from underneath. It was as big as the previously bull-sized white pigeon as it swayed its sharp spines regularly while its pointed sharp mouth exhaled out white air that was like a chilling wind in the winter, so cold that the flowers underneath it were covered with a layer of frost.


    ¡°Keep going forward.¡±


    Tang Xiu did not sense any hostility coming from these beasts. Even when he intentionally approached the white pigeon, it only languidly looked at him before walking away, as though this was its own courtyard.


    After half an hour, Tang Xiu was still calm although he was also rather surprised inside. But Mo Awu, Jin Shi, and the others were so shocked that they became numb. As they trekked all the way upward and hiked up for a quarter of its height under that special pressure, they had already encountered hundreds of animals, but the size of each of these animals were dozens of times larger than the ones in the outside world. These animals evidently had their own characteristics, but their common point was that they all could fly! Even a pig could tread in the air and had a slow flight ability.


    ¡°This is the haven of spirit beasts!¡±


    Tang Xiu recalled the spirit beasts he raised in the Immortal World and let out a smile. All those spirit beasts had their own sentience, and some of them were very intelligent. For instance, a group of two-meter-high apes and monkeys. Although they were not hostile to the humans, oftentimes they played people by throwing melons and fruits.


    ¡°We can no longer trek upward, Boss,¡± Mo Awu breathed raggedly as he spoke with difficulty with a flushed face and sweat on his forehead.


    Tang Xiu shifted his gaze to Mo Awu and also observed the others. Finally, he helplessly said, ¡°Then just stay here since you can¡¯t continue! Awu, you are wearing an interspatial ring, so you and the rest pick up all the herbs, fruits, and ores. Store all of them into your ring.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Mo Awu slightly nodded. They did see many precious and rare herbs. Many of them were even thousands of years old. A massive number of trees had various precious fruits and they could smell their fragrance from far away, and they could find a few precious ores if they looked around. It could fetch a big price once they were to be sold in the outside world.


    The mountain itself had no trails or roads.


    Tang Xiu stepped on the stone to jump and jump again, continuing to climb under the pressure while picking up and storing all the precious herbs, spirit fruits, and ores he could find on the way into his interspatial ring. After spending a full two hours, he finally arrived at the point halfway up to the mountainside. But his harvest in these two hours had already surpassed all the herbs, spirit fruits, and ores he had obtained in the outside world.


    ¡°I can no longer climb up.¡±


    Tang Xiu felt a bit regretful while helplessly looking at the majestic palace atop the mountain summit. The huge pressure was blocking his path forward. He was fortunate that his physical strength was far beyond that of an ordinary person¡¯s, else he would not have been able to reach this mountainside at all. He did have the intention to use this huge pressure to help stimulate and temper the potential of his body, but recalling that he had yet to fully solve the Darkening Virus, he had no choice but to give up and planned to come back later.


    On the way down the mountain, Tang Xiu encountered a few seven-plus-meter-high spirit beasts. One of them was a huge tiger that even its pressuring aura made Tang Xiu shiver inside. Fortunately, these spirit beasts did not have the intention to attack a human and simply ignored Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival.


    Whew¡­


    Tang Xiu jumped from a huge boulder and appeared beside Mo Awu. Then, he said with a smile, ¡°Tell everyone to gather here. We¡¯ll leave this place.¡±


    ¡°There are so many resources here, Boss,¡± said Mo Awu quickly. ¡°Coming here was quite difficult, so I think we should stay here for a while. We must pick up a bit more so we can have more resources in the future!¡±


    ¡°No rush. Besides, this mountain won¡¯t run.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled. ¡°We have to solve the problem outside first, and only then can we have the spare time to seek cultivation resources. Worry not, though! I¡¯ll call Xiaoxue after going out. I¡¯ll tell her to come here with more people.¡±


    Mo Awu understood in a flash and smilingly said, ¡°Well, I was kinda afraid of being poor, to be honest. Don¡¯t laugh at me, Boss.¡±


    Tang Xiu just smiled in response and did not say anything. He understood Mo Awu¡¯s mentality, to begin with. Speaking about it, the Everlasting Feast Hall indeed did not have many resources available. Though they had been buying massive quantities of medicinal ingredients, precious ores, and other cultivation resources through various channels as of recently, the Everlasting Feast Hall had a lot of people, while they also had to train a large number of children. Hence, the number of resources bestowed to everyone was truly very small.


    Quickly after, Tang Xiu and the others left the place and headed toward the mountain foot, smoothly leaving the white mist covered area. After boarding the cars, they quickly left and spent half an hour traveling on the road. After determining that nobody was tracking them from behind, the four off-road cars straightly rushed toward Twin Brooks City. During this time, Tang Xiu ate a red hawthorn fruit, his hunger completely disappearing as the energy contained inside the red fruit integrated into his body. Also, because he had not had slept for nearly three days, he then slowly fell asleep.


    Creak¡­


    The sound of the brakes abruptly awakened Tang Xiu from his sleep. The inertia nearly made him hit the front chair. With wrinkled brows, Tang Xiu looked at the front and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Mo Awu turned his head and answered, ¡°There are dead bodies on the roadside, Boss. A lot of them.¡±


    Tang Xiu frowned and after opening the door to get off the car, he immediately saw dozens of bodies on both sides of the road. Several bodies had even rotted, with insects around them making creaking, crunching sounds.


    ¡°They were not murdered, but¡­ people infected with the Darkening Virus?¡±


    Fury and intense killing intent blasted inside Tang Xiu¡¯s heart toward the main culprits of this Darkening Virus¡ªthe people of the Stygian Club. He had received the news a few days ago that hundreds of people had died due to the outbreak of Darkening Virus, but he had yet to see the scene of the dead, hence did not have such intense anger like now.


    But if at this moment there were any members of the Stygian Club, he could not wait to use all the means he had available to completely decimate these mass killers.


    ¡°Gather up the dead bodies, dig a grave and bury them!¡±


    Tang Xiu issued the order and returned to the car. As he took out a cigarette and lit it up, he took two deep puffs. Right as he was about to call Gu Xiaoxue, he found that his cell phone had no signal. After some thinking, he called Mo Awu since he remembered that Division Commander Yang gave him some communication devices when he was leaving the military garrison compound, and all of them were stored inside Mo Awu¡¯s interspatial ring.


    After operating the communicator device, Tang Xiu dialed Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s cell number and spoke, ¡°Xiaoxue, I will send you a coordinate later. You are to come here and bring some people who are proficient in identifying herbs and ores. We have discovered a treasure trove mountain; the place has massive precious herbs and ores.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Grand Master.¡± Gu Xiaoxue replied.


    ¡°Anyways, how is Yan¡¯er now?¡± asked Tang Xiu after remembering something.


    ¡°Master is still in the exquisite pagoda healing her injury every day. She occasionally comes out to stroll around, but her injury has become a lot better and is expected to completely heal within two years.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Tell her to keep staying in the Everlasting Feast Hall. I¡¯m now carrying out an extraordinarily important mission outside. I don¡¯t know when this issue will be handled properly for the time being, though. But you will understand the situation here when you arrive. Also, tell Yan¡¯er that I will head directly to Jingmen Island when I¡¯m done dealing with this matter.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    After hanging up, Tang Xiu smoked two more cigarettes in a row, while Mo Awu and the others buried the dozen dead bodies. The place was quite remote. There were no villages or shops ahead, while the ambiance in the surroundings was dreadfully quiet.


    However, when the cars just started, two cars came roaring from the front and headed toward them extremely fast. Their speed was nearly 180 km/h, and even after they saw four off-road cars in front, it seemed that these two cars did not have the intention of slowing down at all. On the contrary, its speed accelerated a lot as deafening metal music got closer.


    It was a rampant and arrogant attitude! And also crazy beyond insanity!


    The most shocking scene was that there was someone tied on the roof of the front car. And it seemed that it was a child.


    ¡°Block and stop them!¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes turned cold as he shouted.


    Mo Awu suddenly turned the steering wheel and decelerated the car at once. The SUVs behind followed suit as he lowered the glass to hint the nearby Ye Shisan to stop the cars.


    CREAAAAK¡­


    The two cars hundreds of meters away suddenly slammed the brakes, stopping ten meters away from them. Only at this moment did Tang Xiu clearly saw that the one tied on the roof of the car was a teenage girl¡ªragged, battered, and bleeding.


    ¡°She¡¯s still alive?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s pupil suddenly contracted. After opening the door and going out, he watched as seven burly men jumped out of the two cars and rushed toward him, adding to the fury already stored within.

 Chapter 761

    Chapter 761: Growing Fury


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    As Tang Xiu looked at the dying little girl on the roof of the car, never once did he dream that these damned bastards would be so cruel to tie up a child to the roof of the car and drive fast up to 180 km/h. If the rope was to loosen up and the girl was thrown out, she would definitely die a tragic death and turn into minced meat.


    What inhuman beasts!!!


    The way Tang Xiu looked at these people was as though looking at corpses. There was nothing on his face except a cold and detached expression.


    ¡°HEY, YOU! WHERE THE HELL DID YOU FUCKING COME FROM? YOU MOTHERFUCKING BASTARD, YOU INTENTIONALLY BLOCKED THE ROAD? DO YOU FUCKING NOT KNOW WHO WE ARE?¡± The first burly man quickly grabbed a knife from his waist, pointing it at Tang Xiu and angrily cursed.


    Tang Xiu snorted coldly and raised his hand to stop Mo Awu and the others who came out behind him. While looking at the big man who asked and walked closer, he asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The big man halted four-plus meters away from Tang Xiu and said, ¡°We are your BIG DADDY, PUNK!! You fucking shit, did you not ask around who dared to block our Little Boss¡¯s car?¡±


    ¡°Hey, Big Hu! What the hell are you doing? Just fucking tell them to get aside. Don¡¯t delay this young master¡¯s errand to the power station! Beat them up if they dare to resist. Besides, nobody will care even if you kill some of them. They are just ants!¡± A lazy voice spoke behind the seven burly men. It came from a young, bleached red-haired haughty youth with pierced ears, who yawned and walked over.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before his body flashed in an instant and appeared in front of the seven burly men, and then delivered a barrage of violent punches to their heads. The seven men¡¯s heads were like watermelons getting hit as they instantly blasted, while Tang Xiu straightly kicked their dead bodies and sent them several meters away.


    Hiccup¡­


    The young man blanked foolishly. His languid appearance vanished, replaced with deep fear, realizing that he had made a grave mistake, for he seemed to have just provoked a dreadful desperado¡­ More so that¡­ his men were first-class masters and all of them had practiced martial arts for more 20 years; and yet, how could they be killed by him so easily?


    Tang Xiu grabbed the young man¡¯s neck, lifted him up and interrogated him with a cold and detached manner, ¡°Spare the rod, the child will be spoiled, and the blame is on his father. Tell me, who are you?¡±


    Caught in the neck the young man could not breathe, and his complexion turned flushed red and increased his struggle to release himself. But he stared at Tang Xiu and kept blinking, seemingly wanting to tell him something.


    Bam¡­


    This time, Tang Xiu released him and slapped him to the ground. Then, he stepped on his face and said, ¡°Quickly! Who the hell gave you the balls?¡±


    The young man coughed and shouted, ¡°TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF ME, BASTARD! I¡¯m Miao Wenlei, my father is the richest man in Mist Source Island, asshole! My family is the most powerful one in this island and you¡¯ve practically offended me. Are you not afraid my old man will kill you?¡±


    ¡°Miao Wenlei, eh? Having your name is enough.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s foot pressed down and stepped on his neck. Then, he heavily kicked him away for dozens of meters until his body hit a big tree. After that, he asked with a grim face, ¡°How long does it take to get to the Twin Brooks City?¡±


    ¡°About three hours,¡± answered Mo Awu


    Tang Xiu nodded. He then came to the car a few meters away and floated to the roof. Then he looked at the dying little girl who was still conscious, and quickly cut the rope and carefully picked her up.


    ¡°What damned assholes!¡±


    He found that the little girl had been cruelly beaten, as several bones in her small body had been broken. The most important thing was that she had lost too much blood and her whole body was cold. Tang Xiu quickly injected his Primal Chaos Force into the girl¡¯s body to quickly protect her heart and blood vessels, and then took out a Holy Healing medicine, split one-tenth of it and stuffed it into her mouth.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ve already taken care of those bad guys. Be strong and endure the pain, I¡¯ll mend your bones. It will only take a short while, and you¡¯ll be much better shortly after.¡±


    Yet, there was no reaction in her eyes. She seemed to not feel any pain from her injuries.


    Tang Xiu sighed inwardly. He knew that the little lady had suffered too much pain. Only when one had gone through torture for a long time would they become numb. At this moment, however, he did not want to delay more and quickly took off her coat and started mending her bones. Because there was Primal Chaos Force to protect her vitality, Tang Xiu steeled his heart despite knowing that the process would still pain her. Amid the little girl¡¯s screams, he quickly mended her broken bones back to their previous state.


    With the outstanding healing effect of the Holy Healing medicine, though it was only one-tenth, it still made the girl¡¯s injury recover at a discernible fast rate.


    Tang Xiu then took off his coat and gently wrapped her body. His form then flashed to his car, handed over the little girl to Mo Awu and said in a deep voice, ¡°Keep going down the road. After we arrive in Twin Brooks City, ask around who¡¯s the richest and most powerful man in Mist Source Island. Also, find from which family this Miao Wenlei bastard comes from.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Mo Awu received the little girl and carefully took her to the car, giving the driver position to Xue Sha.


    A few hours later, the sight of a city loomed before their eyes, as the four cars continued driving along the road fast and quickly entered the city. The once bustling city was now dead, with death qi looming over. There were no vehicles on the wide roads, and only a handful of pedestrians passed by on the roadside.


    The Tang Manor Martial School was located in Twin Brooks City.


    After inquiring around, the four cars quickly stopped at the entrance of the Tang Manor Martial School. What surprised Tang Xiu was that the nearby the stone lion statue outside the gate of the martial school were two young men holding a flying swatter and fiddling with their mobile phones with listless faces.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    One of the youths looked up. As he saw Tang Xiu, Mo Awu and the others behind him, he immediately asked with knitted brows.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for Tang Han,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t have any electrostatic gadget with you? Are you, by chance¡­¡± The youth looked at Tang Xiu with a bit surprised expression and suddenly asked.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re not infected,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°How is this possible?¡± the lad was shocked. ¡°Everyone in Mist Source Island is infected. And you¡­ no, something¡¯s not right. Are you from the outside? Also, from those foreign¡­¡±


    ¡°No. We come from the mainland,¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand to interrupt him and said, ¡°if this place is really the Tang Manor Martial School, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve come to the wrong place. Please take us to see Tang Han.¡±


    The young man hesitated, ¡°Our School Master is currently unable to entertain any guests.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m her younger brother,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    The young man was stunned for a moment, before he immediately rolled his eyes with a scornful expression and said, ¡°Our Master is an orphan since childhood, how come she has any younger brother, huh? I¡¯ll tell you something, amigo. You don¡¯t seem to want to make trouble by coming here, so I politely advise you to leave! We of the Tang Manor Martial School may have been infected, but there are still many of us who can still fight.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m indeed her younger brother. Whether or not you find this is the truth, you¡¯ll know it later after you notify her. Alright, I¡¯ll give you several minutes, so come back here quickly,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    The lad hesitated for a while and looked at the people behind Tang Xiu before he eventually ran inside.


    In the Tang Manor Martial School, inside a quaint and antique study room, Tang Han was quietly reading a book. Her face looked faintly pale and from time to time, she grabbed a fly swatter and turned its switch on and off to herself for a while.


    ¡°School Master!¡± a youth shouted loudly outside the study room.


    Tang Xiu looked up and spoke, ¡°The door is not closed. Come in and speak.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a group of people outside, School Master. And the young man leading them said that he¡¯s your younger brother. I wanted to drive them away, but I found the people he brought are like martial arts masters, so¡­¡±


    A younger brother?


    With a slightly changed expression, Tang Han abruptly stood up from the sofa and said, ¡°Take me to see him.¡±


    The youth looked doubtful and suspicious, but he still nodded. Just as he walked for a few steps, he seemed to remember something all of a sudden and spoke again, ¡°School Master, that guy claiming to be your younger brother said that he came from the mainland, and the most unbelievable thing is that they are not infected by the virus.¡±


    Tang Han¡¯s pace instantly quickened upon hearing this.


    When she strode out of the martial school¡¯s front gate her eyes fell on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. A complicated look flashed in her eyes and she felt like wanting to cry all of a sudden. Ever since the outbreak of the Darkening Virus that infected everyone in the entire Mist Source Island, she had been hoping and looking forward to having someone coming from her family.


    And at the moment, a member of her family finally came. More so, the one who came was her younger brother¡­ Tang Xiu.


    She had no deep attachments and feelings toward her Tang Family, and neither did she feel that her parents were loved ones or family members at all. But ever since she received a message for the family six months ago, she suddenly found that there was another relative who had something in common with her, and that was Tang Xiu.


    She had seen Tang Xiu¡¯s photos and read the information about him. She also knew a lot about what Tang Xiu had done in the past six months. Of all the people in the world, she only admired a few people, and Tang Xiu was one of them. She involuntarily felt a sense of attachment towards him.


    ¡°Tang Xiu?¡± Tang Han¡¯s lip squirmed as she quickly came to Tang Xiu¡¯s front and quietly observed his handsome face.


    Tang Xiu himself had an inexplicable caring feeling and respect for Tang Han. Knowing that she had been sent out at a very young age by the family, and only had a handful of the time she could spend with her family, it could be said that she had already paid too much for the sake of the Tang Family as a whole.


    Without the awkwardness and strangeness of ones meeting for the first time, there wasn¡¯t any barrier that separated this feeling in this first meeting.


    Tang Xiu stepped forward, hugged Tang Han under the watchful eyes of everyone at present and softly said, ¡°It¡¯s really been hard on you all this time, Big Sis.¡±


    Tang Han¡¯s body trembled. Tang Xiu¡¯s soft voice hit her innermost feelings. As tears ran down her face, she did not reject his hug and stood still while being hugged by Tang Xiu, shaking her head hard white biting her lower lip.


    He understands me!


    Feeling warm inside, Tang Han felt really close to this younger brother of hers.

 Chapter 762

    Chapter 762: The Son-In-Law of The Wastrel


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    In the study room filled with tea fragrance, Tang Xiu took a seat on a soft sofa while watching Tang Han, who was busy preparing tea with some snacks. Deep inside, he felt warm even though they only had a few exchanges in the outside previously, but it then changed into a warm chat after they came into the study room.


    ¡°How about tasting Pu¡¯er tea, Brother?¡± after taking a seat across Tang Xiu, Tang Han asked with a smile.


    Tang Xiu picked up the small teacup and sipped. Then he gently nodded and sighed, ¡°Tea lovers are always interested in tasting the tea, sipping it while keeping the fragrant aftertaste in their mouths. Speaking about it, this tea is really great, big sis.¡±


    With eyes lit up, Tang Han raised her thumb and praised, ¡°You¡¯re really worthy as an outstanding student of Shanghai University, Brother. Words flow from your mouth like the polished pen of a master. Anyways, I¡¯ll give you the rest of the best Pu¡¯er tea later if you like it.¡±


    ¡°A gentleman doesn¡¯t seize a lady¡¯s thing, Big Sis,¡± Tang Xiu faintly smiled. ¡°Besides, I rarely have spare time to drink tea and calm my mind, to begin with. So it would only be a waste if you give it to me. But I¡¯ll be able to see you again after I have some more time, though. Hence I can taste this Pu¡¯er tea again with you when the time comes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s also fine,¡± Tang Han smiled lightly and took the fly swatter. After turning on the switch and touching it with her finger, the electrostatic currents entered her body and helped her suppress the Darkening Virus in her body.


    When Tang Xiu saw this, he got up and went towards her. Under her astonished eyes, he grabbed her wrist and checked her pulse for half a minute, and then said, ¡°Sis, call someone to get a bowl of clear water. Also, you should have some trusted subordinates since you¡¯ve managed the Tang Manor Martial School for so many years. You can call them to come here as well.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡± Tang Han was confused.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you eliminate the Darkening Virus,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°YOU WHAT?¡± Tang Han suddenly jumped up from the sofa and asked with a shocked face, ¡°Brother, did you say you¡¯re able to treat this infectious disease?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re hailed as a miracle-working doctor in the Chinese traditional medical field, but I never expected you to be this powerful. To think that you can treat also this dreadful Darkening Virus as well¡­ Alright, wait here, then. I¡¯ll find someone,¡± said Tang Han excitedly.


    Tang Xiu stopped her and forced out a smile as he said, ¡°Sis, my method is very special, and the treatment also needs something¡­ special. Hence, you must not spread out the fact that I can treat this Darkening Virus. Unless those people are ones you trust the most, don¡¯t bring nor tell anyone about this.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡± Tang Han was perplexed.


    ¡°Firstly, the drugs for treating this infectious disease are very special, and I¡¯m afraid I have no way to cure everyone on Mist Source Island even if I were to spend days and nights to concoct,¡± explained Tang Xiu. ¡°And secondly, it¡¯s very expensive. Rescuing a few people is fine, but it will be impossible to save too many people even if we sell everything we have.¡±


    Tang Han understood in a flash and replied with a regretful expression, ¡°Suppressing the Darkening Virus now is but only a temporary solution, while static electricity itself would be harmful to a human body. If people are still unable to eliminate the Darkening Virus after a while, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    ¡°Divine Doctor Gui Jianchou is currently doing his best to research the antidote, while the state will also send a large number of medical experts here,¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile and said. ¡°I may be a Chinese medical doctor, but I¡¯m not a saint. I can only make use of the best materials where it is needed most, and therefore can only solve the problem with the safety of the people I care about first.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Tang Han felt warm inside as she gently nodded and said. ¡°I only have twelve people worth my trust in the Tang Manor Martial School. They are all my loyal supporters and have contributed a lot to the Tang Family, while the number of armed forces I¡¯ve trained is around 206 people. I can also vouch for their loyalty and reliability. What do you think¡­ is it too many?¡±


    ¡°No, it is fine,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said. ¡°Call all of them and gather them together. I¡¯ll immediately treat them after treating you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then,¡± Tang Han replied and then went out. Without wasting much time, she came back with a bowl of clear water, watching Tang Xiu break a pill and throw half of it into the water.


    Then, she drunk it up according to Tang Xiu¡¯s instructions.


    A warm current surged inside her body, and the weakness caused by the Darkening Virus was then alleviated at a tremendous rate. Although she could not see the situation inside her body, she still could feel clearly that after the warmth brought along comfort, a pain like being pinched by needles appeared from every part of her body.


    She could still endure the pain, but after a long time, it brought a miserable feeling beyond description nonetheless.


    However, she believed that Tang Xiu would never harm her. But after suffering for more than half an hour, she could no longer stand the stench coming out of her body and rushed into the bathroom at a very fast speed.


    Creak¡­


    As the study room¡¯s door was opened, Tang Han, who had taken a shower, rubbed her stomach and came before Tang Xiu with a strange expression. Though she still felt weak, she could clearly feel that the weakness of her body was caused by the black substances discharged out of her body, as well as the result of diarrhea that made her defecate six times rather than caused fully by the Darkening Virus.


    ¡°I seem to be¡­ quite well, Brother,¡± Tang Han¡¯s eyes shimmered and she spoke with a cheerful expression.


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile. The pill he used was the Holy Healing medicine he got from Ji Chimei. Though he only had a few Holy Healing medicines left, it was a remedy for cultivators, to begin with. So how would its effect be defeated by such a mere Darkening Virus?


    As a matter of fact, after Ji Chimei followed Gu Yan¡¯er to Earth and her interspatial ring got destroyed in the space tempest and lost all her goods, but once she used an Immortal-rank cauldron to concoct medicinal pills, the worst rank she could refine would highly likely be immortal-rank pills.


    ¡°Where are those people now, big sis?¡± Tang Xiu got up and asked with a smile.


    ¡°Come with me!¡± Tang Han said, ¡°They are staying in the dormitory in the martial training field, and are now gathering in the training field.¡±


    A few minutes later, Tang Han took Tang Xiu, followed by Mo Awu and the others to come to the martial arts training field of the Tang Manor Martial School. At this moment, in addition of the 206 core members of the martial school, there were also twelve trusted subordinates who had been trained by Tang Han there. These people were all genuine expert martial artists. Though no one among them had reached the martial arts grandmaster level yet, their strength was still a force to be reckoned with.


    ¡°Freshwater.¡±


    Under everyone¡¯s watchful eyes, Tang Xiu took the clear water Mo Awu gave him and then poured a half-pill of Holy Healing medicine into it.


    Tang Han¡¯s expression this time was very solemn as she said with a deep voice, ¡°Everyone, some of you may already know this guy beside me, while some others may not. Whether you know him or not, now I need to tell you that he¡¯s my younger cousin, Tang Xiu, who was assigned by the family to solve the problem of the infectious disease.


    ¡°Do keep in mind that this medicine is extremely rare, so I can only have my closest and most trusted people take it. Hence, you are not allowed to spread out this matter to anyone once you take the medicine, and completely solve the infectious disease that has plagued us!¡±


    Everyone looked pleasantly surprised. They had been plagued and troubled by the Darkening Virus, driving them into a true despair. Though they could still temporarily suppress the deterioration of their bodies caused by the virus with the static electricity, it was but only a glimmer of hope.


    But now, they finally realized that the crisis would be resolved, guaranteeing their safety.


    As the Holy Healing medicine was dissolved and everyone took it, Tang Han immediately dismissed all of them. She knew what the consequences would be after taking the medicine, and naturally did not want to see the embarrassment of her subordinates, and neither did she want to smell the foul stench.


    After returning to Tang Han¡¯s study room, Tang Xiu, who just sat down, asked, ¡°Sis, do you know who¡¯s the wealthiest and the most powerful man on Mist Source Island, someone with a Miao surname?¡±


    ¡°Miao Hengfu?¡± Tang Han interjected with a surprised expression. ¡°Why are you asking about him?¡±


    A cold glint flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he said, ¡°The spoiled son¡¯s mistakes can never be separated from the teaching of his father! His son Miao Wenlei was simply a beast, but I already killed him with his thugs. Hmph¡­ I¡¯ve already done it, so I might as well weed out the source of the trouble for good.¡±


    With a tongue-tied and dumbfounded face, Tang Han looked at Tang Xiu for a long while before she let out a wry smile and said, ¡°Brother, if you still can¡­ Ah, forget it. You¡¯ve done it already, and weeding out the source of trouble for good will be for the best indeed. Actually, it¡¯s not like his father spared no rod to discipline his spoiled son, but rather the contrary¡ªit¡¯s like father like son. Miao Hengfu is a ruthless, merciless, and cunning man. I don¡¯t know how many people he has harmed all these years, but even if the government want to get rid of him, they have never found any evidence that he was behind those evil deeds, hence why he always comes out scot-free. Besides, there¡¯s also someone else behind his back!¡±


    Tang Xiu frowned and asked, ¡°Someone else behind him? Who is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s someone from the Mu Family of Beijing, Mu Jianhua,¡± answered Tang Han.


    ¡°What!?¡± Tang Xiu exclaimed.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Tang Xiu was puzzled. ¡°Though the Mus are quite powerful and have some influence in the capital, they are still inferior to our Tang Family, no? It¡¯s not like they are worthy enough to make you fuss over about it!¡±


    Tang Xiu hesitant for a while before he forced out a smile and said, ¡°I won¡¯t make a fuss over it if it¡¯s only the Mu Family. But the problem is¡­ Ugh, that Mu Jianhua is my future father-in-law.¡±


    Pfft¡­ Hahaha! Tang Han laughed and was at a loss whether she had to cry or laugh, ¡°I gotta say you¡¯re really great, Brother! To think that you even captured the renowned Capital¡¯s First Belle¡ªMu Wanying, that was really unexpected, you know. Regardless, though¡­ Hahaha¡­ it¡¯s like you just fought with a stranger only to know that he¡¯s your relative in the end. Well, you actually killed the son of a man whose patron is your future father-in-law, and I dare say your future father-in-law will go all out to fight you if you also kill Miao Hengfu.¡±


    Somehow, Tang Xiu felt a bit helpless inside and just forced a wry smile as he said, ¡°It can¡¯t go far to that extent, can it?¡±


    ¡°How could it not be?¡± Tang Han smilingly refuted. ¡°Mu Jianhua is just good-for-nothing trash in the eyes of the other members of the Mu Family. Even if his old man is the patriarch of the Mu Family, there is no way he will inherit that position. I think you should learn something about your future father-in-law. This guy is simply¡­ well, let me tell you something! If you kill Miao Hengfu, that will be akin to destroying your future father-in-law¡¯s biggest source of income, and it would be strange if he wouldn¡¯t lose all decorum with you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± Tang Xiu frowned. ¡°If Mu Jianhua has such a money source from Miao Hengfu, how come he asks money from his daughter to pay his debts?¡±


    There was a surprised expression on Tang Han¡¯s face, but she immediately replied, ¡°I think you may have underestimated the profligacy of your future father-in-law, Brother. People might not be aware, but just three years ago, I heard that Mu Jianhua was in the casino city, Las Vegas, and lost more than six hundred million yuan at a time.¡±


    ¡°Holy cow¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu was really taken aback by how big Mu Jianhua¡¯s deeds were.

 Chapter 763

    Chapter 763: Muddy Waters


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Tang Xiu previously thought that even if Mu Jianhua was just a derelict in duty and incompetent, he would at best only be good-for-nothing silk pant. Little did he expect that he would play so big, burning 600 million in one gamble.


    600 million yuan! This amount may be small in his eyes, but it was an astronomical figure in the eyes of countless people. Some could never earn a tenth or even one percent of that amount in their entire lives.


    What a wastrel!


    Tang Xiu suddenly sympathized with Mu Wanying for having such a ¡°superb¡± father¡ªa blood parasite who had indeed been sucking her profits for a long time. After lighting a cigarette, Tang Xiu took a few puffs and then made up his mind. Killing a man¡¯s son was an enmity that could never be written off. Now that he already killed Miao Wenlei, he could not leave behind a dormant disaster. But then again, killing Miao Hengfu must not be done in public, otherwise, Mu Jianhua would know about it. Even if he wouldn¡¯t dare to do anything to him in return, but he would likely bear a grudge and ill feelings toward him.


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed as an ingenious machination birthed inside his mind.


    Tang Han, who had been observing Tang Xiu, was somewhat curious. After knowing that Miao Hengfu had Mu Jianhua as a patron, what would her younger brother decide to do?


    ¡°What are you thinking?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m pondering about some machinations.¡± Tang Xiu smiled.


    Tang Han¡¯s curiosity was piqued and asked again, ¡°What scheme? Come on, tell your big sis.¡±


    Tang Xiu just smiled in response and did not straightly answer her question. Instead, he called Mo Awu and the others, and then spoke to them, ¡°You should be less than 30 years of age, shouldn¡¯t you, Shisan? And your face is a bit similar to that Miao Wenlei I killed before. If I help you disguise and turn you into Miao Wenlei, can you imitate his arrogant and unbridled manner?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen him once, so imitating him won¡¯t be a problem, Boss,¡± said Ye Shisan quickly.


    ¡°If so, then you, along with Jin Shi, Xue Sha, Hei Xion, Gu Tao, Zhang Jue, and Zidan will immediately leave for the village on the Southern side of the Mountain in the center of Mist Source Island. Zidan has already investigated before that those twenty-plus people stationed there are from the Mexican mafia, the Reston, who are led by its second in command, Zhenlei Duomo. Your mission is to provoke the people from this Reston Mafia. Kill a few of them and leave Miao Wenlei¡¯s name there before leaving the place.¡±


    Ye Shisan¡¯s expression moved, and he asked, ¡°Do you want to make him the scapegoat, Boss?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll make him the scapegoat,¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Miao Wenlei is dead already in any case, while it can be said that there¡¯s no evidence for his death whatsoever. Hence, my order is very simple. Make that Reston Mafia¡¯s second in command, Zhenlei Duomo, go crazy and desperate and storm over Miao Hengfu, taking revenge for his son for Miao Hengfu, so he will fight the Reston.¡±


    ¡°Consider it done, Boss. We¡¯ll make sure to accomplish the task,¡± said Ye Shisan with a firm nod.


    Tang Xiu wave his hand and motioned for them to leave. Then he looked at Mo Awu and said, ¡°Take Feng Yang, Shui Gui, and Hei Wuya with you and investigate all the foreign forces in Mist Source Island in the shortest time. They are harboring some evil schemes, and we must not ignore and leave them alone no matter what.¡±


    ¡°Orders received!¡±


    Mo Awu clearly understood that this was the duty and responsibility on Tang Xiu¡¯s shoulder in coming to Mist Source Island. He immediately left with the other three men.


    Tang Han looked at their backs as they left before she asked with a hesitant expression, ¡°Will they be okay, Brother? Why don¡¯t you wait for some time until my men get better to join them?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for the time being,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Awu and the rest are masters who can face hundreds of enemies. Besides, it¡¯s what they excel at, so no worries! I¡¯ll tell you to move your men if there are any matters that need to be dealt with later.¡±


    Knock, knock¡­


    The door was knocked, and then a middle-aged woman in her forties entered the room. With a grateful expression on her face, she faced Tang Xiu and said, ¡°School Master, Mr. Tang, we¡¯ve investigated Li Wei¡¯s identity and background. She¡¯s an inhabitant of Twin Brooks City, and her parents were killed two days ago. We checked it through the card, done some search and monitoring and we can determine that it was done by Miao Wenlei¡¯s people. Also, Li Wei¡­ she has suffered a lot of torture. Put it simply, be it her chastity, body, and spirit, she suffered great trauma. And she is now sleeping after we comforted her.¡±


    ¡°Those damned beasts!!¡± Tang Han¡¯s face was full of anger. She clenched her fist and slammed the sofa armrest.


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment and said slowly, ¡°Sis, I¡¯ll leave Li Wei in your care here! I have tons of things to do later, so I can¡¯t bring a little girl with me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Tang Han nodded. ¡°When the crisis on Mist Source Island is solved I¡¯ll send someone to investigate whether she still has other relatives. If there is, then it will be for the best, but if she doesn¡¯t, let her stay in the Tang Manor Martial School. I¡¯ll adopt her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine too,¡± Tang Xiu nodded without speaking much.


    In the valley, dozens of kilometers south of Twin Brooks City, dozens of military tents were erected nearby with a throng of heavily armed burly men guarding and patrolling the vicinity. Inside one of the largest tents in the middle, the War Intelligence Elder of the Pyramid organization, Elder Wu Jie, was pacing back and forth before the map of Mist Source Island.


    About two and a half hours ago was the agreed time of communication, and the dispatched subordinates, Siou, and his men did not contact him as per ordered and also did not answer the communication contact whatsoever. All of which became a haze that hung over his mind.


    A drop of water fell.


    It was suddenly falling from the tent as a hazy shadow made of water then immediately formed by the dripping water. Finally, after a scene of quiet solidifying of the water curtain, a young pretty girl appeared.


    ¡°Have you found them, Poseinu?¡± Wu Ji stopped and asked.


    Nodding with a solemn expression, Poseinu then took a small camera. After turning on and choosing a video player feature, she immediately played the video content inside.


    ¡°BASTARD!!!¡±


    After watching the video, a furious look appeared on Wu Jie¡¯s old face as he smashed the golden cane in his on the ground, creating a blasting wave that destroyed the entire tent.


    The content played in the video was a spot of the forested mountain that was in a mess with dozens of his subordinates being bitten and swallowed by the beasts in the mountain forest. There were also several dead bodies near them, corpses of Bloodkin with the Stygian Club¡¯s member crest.


    ¡°War Intelligence Elder, after my investigation, the ones who killed Siou and the others are members of the Stygian Club. Moreover, the dead bodies of the Stygian Club¡¯s members also remained there,¡± said Poseinu in a deep voice.


    ¡°Have you located the position of Keith Moore and his men, Poseinu?¡± asked Wu Jie in a cold voice.


    ¡°I have. They are in Mixed Summit City,¡± answered Poseinu. ¡°However, the group of people targeted by Siou has disappeared. We have spent quite some time and energy to find them, but failed.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. There are only two possibilities. The first is that Tang Xiu has been taken away by the Stygian Club¡¯s people, and the second one is that he¡¯s escaped and is hiding.¡± Wu Jie coldly snorted. ¡°Regardless, we must take action. Notify Bodart and tell him to go to Mixed Summit City himself. If he finds Tang Xiu, then kill him at once. If he can¡¯t find him, then give Keith Moore a lesson.¡±


    ¡°War Intelligence Elder, are you really sure we have to battle the Stygian Club?¡± Poseinu interjected quickly. ¡°If my info is correct, Keith Moore brought a lot of Stygian Club¡¯s experts to Mist Source Island. I¡¯m worried that¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about. The Pyramid also took precaution in numbers when we come to Mist Source Island this time. Our numbers are much more than what appears on the surface,¡± said Wu Jie with a thick tone. ¡°We have yet to lose all decorum, though there have been some frictions with the Stygian Club in the past. But now¡­ Keith Moore must pay the price.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then. I¡¯ll immediately inform War Elder Bodart immediately,¡± Poseinu nodded.


    Wu Jie waved his hand and looked at the direction of Twin Brooks City with a grim expression. He brought a lot of confidants this time, and Siou was his right-hand man. The Elementalists squad led by Siou was also his most loyal force. The loss this time was too big for him, too big that he began to feel vexed and aggrieved.


    Mixed Summit City.


    On a street north of the city was where the Stygian Club was stationed on the island. Keith Moore crushed the teacup in his hand as a ruthless light burst from his eyes. Basil and Alody, who stood in front of him, did not dare to breathe loudly and just bowed their heads without speaking.


    ¡°Four Counts of the Darksoul squad have been killed just like that? What the fuck were you two doing then? I trained those four Counts myself. Do you know how big was my investment in them?¡±


    ¡°Chinese cultivators, huh? ¡­ Even if these Chinese ascetics are very mysterious and extremely formidable existence, that is NOT a damn excuse for your failures! FIND THOSE FUCKING BASTARDS. I¡¯LL BREAK THEIR BONES AND SCATTER THEIR ASHES!!!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After unleashing his tantrum, only then did Keith Moore finally calm down.


    Basil finally heaved a sigh of relief inwardly. He braced himself and continued his report, ¡°Their strength is, in fact, not that powerful. Tang Xiu himself is just as strong as us. But the might of the sword he uses is way too powerful, and I can sense enormous energy within it. Even I¡¯m sure that it¡¯s more superior to the Demon of Darkness artifact belonging to our Stygian Club.¡±


    Keith Moore was stunned and stared at him, and then suddenly asked, ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure about,¡± Basil firmly nodded. ¡°Tang Xiu is not very powerful. I may not be able to defeat him myself, but I¡¯m sure I can defeat him if I join hands with Alody. But his sword is too powerful and way too strange, so we¡­¡±


    Keith More waved to interrupt him. There was greed in his eyes as he said in a deep voice, ¡°If this is the case, then I¡¯ll do it myself. Find out where he is now at the fastest speed possible! Also, notice the other Darksoul squads to aid you, and tell them to immediately report to me at once when they find him.¡±


    ¡°Orders received!¡±


    The defeat Basil previously suffered was too big a humiliation and shame for him. Upon hearing that Keith Moore wanted to act himself, he faintly looked forward to it. He could wash this shame if Keith Moore could kill Tang Xiu. Even if he was not able to do so, he would definitely be able to cause massive losses to him.


    ¡°Sir, I will need your Command Insignia, else the members of the other two Darksoul squads won¡¯t listen to me.¡±


    ¡°Take it!¡±


    Keith Moore gave his Command Insignia to Basil without hesitation.

 Chapter 764

    Chapter 764: Blazing Anger


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    The place on the southern side of the mountain in the center of Mist Source Island was a village with about 2,000 inhabitants, and it was also where the members of the Mexican Reston Mafia were stationed, led by its ruthless second in command, Zhenlei Duomo.


    Zhenlei Duomo had a mysterious origin and, other than the Godfather of the Reston Mafia, the syndicate¡¯s first powerhouse was the likes of a dragon that was very difficult to be tracked. Nobody knew Zhenlei Duomo¡¯s background and history. Ever since at the age of 12, this person wandered from place to place until eventually moving to Mexico. Rumor had it that she grew up in the most inhuman, cruel lairs and lived in the criminals¡¯ havens.


    She was said to be very formidable, powerful enough to make all members of the Reston syndicate who heard her name fear her. Even some organized crime syndicates that were stronger than the Reston dared not easily provoke this mafia not due to its mysterious Godfather, but because of the existence of Zhenlei Duomo.


    The Far East. It was the place Zhenlei Duomo had been dreaming to come back to. But she had never set her foot on any Chinese territory since two decades ago, because she remembered a woman who had supported her until she turned twelve, and also the one who imparted her a magical cultivation technique, had warned her before: Do not enter China again, for your hands are stained with blood.


    But this time, she could not help but make an exception to visit the Far East finally as she believed that Mist Source Island was not Chinese territory. On the one hand, she was instructed by the Godfather to come to this island and seize mineral resources and also seek for wealth. On the other hand, she still harbored hope of finding that woman¡¯s traces in this place. Even if she could not meet her, it was enough for her as long as she could find any leads that that woman was still alive.


    Knock! Knock!


    The door was knocked and the voice of her confidant came from outside the door, ¡°Boss, we found traces of battle near the white fog area on the southern side of the mountain nearby. The traces are very strange, though. There are no signs of hot weapons being used. All the traces left on the battle scene are completely caused by cold weapons.¡±


    Zhenlei Duomo flashed before the door in an instant and opened it, grabbed her confidant inside and closed the door a moment after.


    ¡°Are you sure it was done by cold weapons?¡± asked Zhenlei Duomo coldly.


    Her subordinate felt a chill fill his heart. Though he had long known that Zhenlei Duomo was very powerful and had terrifying power far beyond a normal human being, he still succumbed to fear due to being grabbed inside all of a sudden. He suppressed his fear and braced himself to reply, ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a very shocking battle scene. It¡¯s like some powerful monster beasts fought there, but from what we inferred, it was not caused by them, so it can only be human beings that did it. No, there were also some divergent races.¡±


    ¡°Speak carefully,¡± said Zhenlei Duomo in a deep voice.


    ¡°We have investigated and found traces of vampires, the likes that of in the legends. And¡­ Elementalists as well. Jinla has checked it out and should be returning soon. She may be able to bring back a more thorough investigation result,¡± said the subordinate.


    A cold glint burst from Zhenlei Duomo¡¯s eyes. She had once fought the Bloodkin and Elementalists. She knew that the Bloodkin and Elementalists had terrifying power. Of course, one of the reasons was that her two confidantes were Elementalist themselves, and Jinla was one of them.


    ¡°Go outside and tell Jinla to come to see me once she comes back!¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    As night fell, Zhenlei Duomo stood by the window on the second floor with a solemn expression while looking at the northwest direction. It was the direction of the battle scene left behind at the white misty area on the southern side of the mountain that was reported by her subordinate.


    Suddenly, her face slightly moved and her figure instantly leaped out of the window, appearing in the vicinity about a few hundred meters away from the village. She then looked at the three or four figures who were desperately running away in the distance. She continued flashing forward and then appeared in front of them.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± While observing her four subordinates with battered bodies, there was a blazing fire ready to burst from her eyes. But she still suppressed the anger inside and asked.


    ¡°Enemies, Boss! Our ten men squad was patrolling nearby, but little did we expect that we¡¯d encounter a group of people. As a result ¡­ six of our comrades were killed by them,¡± reported one of the scarred black men.


    Zhenlei Duomo¡¯s complexion changed and she asked, ¡°Who are they?¡±


    ¡°The youth leading them claims to be the only son of Miao Hengfu, the richest man in Mist Source Island¡­ named Miao Wenlei. He¡¯s very arrogant and rampant, but his men are very strong. We had some dispute and they attacked us at once¡­¡± said the black middle-aged man.


    Zhenlei Duomo¡¯s eyes turned cold and she said with a heavy tone, ¡°The richest man in Mist Source Island, huh? Hmph¡­ tell me, where are they heading to and where they should be now?¡±


    ¡°They headed in reverse with our escape, to the southwest. I don¡¯t know where they are now, but the place we fought them was a few kilometers away. It¡¯s been only about ten minutes, so they shouldn¡¯t be too far from here.¡±


    ¡°All of you go back.¡±


    With that order, Zhenlei Duomo rushed to the southwest direction. She did not display her ghost-like movements in front of her subordinates, but after leaving their sight, she immediately streaked midair and used the tip of her toe to tap on tree branches and move in midair.


    In the southwest of the village, where the terrain had high altitude and had an excellent field of vision, six terrible to look at dead bodies were lying near a towering old tree. Two of them were of holes caused by bullets.


    ¡°Bastards!¡±


    Zhenlei Duomo¡¯s eyelids twitched a few times. She heavily stamped the ground as the soil suddenly cracked and spread out like a spider web. She had a lot of subordinates, and them dying was nothing to speak of. But nearly all the men she brought to Mist Source Island were her trusted subordinates, and training them had never been an easy task.


    But now, six of them suddenly died, whereas the four others were seriously injured. This loss left her somewhat aggrieved and distressed.


    She clenched her fist. Just as she was about to use the communication equipment to contact her men in the base, her eyes suddenly focused on something. She accidentally found a line of profane words engraved on the forehead of one of her subordinate¡¯s dead body: MORONS, THIS UNCLE FUCKED YOU UP!


    BOOM¡­


    Zhenlei Duomo turned around and hit the big tree next to her with a heavy punch. The tree trunk that couldn¡¯t be embraced by two men was instantly blown off, flying upward and then crashing to the ground and scattering dust.


    ¡°MIAO WENLEI! MIAO HENGFU!¡±


    Oftentimes, wisdom was much more fearful than combat forces.


    A few kilometers away, Ye Shisan used the infrared high-powered telescope to observe the furious Zhenlei Duomo. He was just joking with Xue Sha, saying that she would stamp her feet in fury when she came to the place where her men were killed. But the result was that she punched and blew up such a towering old tree.


    ¡°She shouldn¡¯t be an Elementalist!¡±


    ¡°She shouldn¡¯t be a vampire!¡±


    Ye Shisan and Zidan, who was also holding binoculars, commented at the same time and similarly fell silent in unison. After a long time and until Zhenlei Duomo¡¯s figure disappeared in the distance, only then did Yi Shisan said, ¡°We gotta report this situation to the Boss! That woman has a very powerful strength and is not someone we can contend with. It will be very troublesome if something goes wrong with our plan.¡±


    Zidan himself was someone who did things confidently but also cautiously, so he nodded and said, ¡°Yeah, we might not know much about Miao Hengfu¡¯s strength as of yet, but he won¡¯t be able to fight Zhenlei Duomo as long as he¡¯s an ordinary man. Such a powerhouse can utterly decimate a lot of ordinary people.¡±


    ¡°Boss doesn¡¯t have the intention to use the hands of the Reston syndicate to tear up Miao Hengfu¡¯s power. Hence you gotta report about this woman to the Boss and we¡¯ll then move to carry out the next plan immediately.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Wolfpack City.


    The Qingyuan Group was located in the center of the city and covered an enormously vast area. The five four-storied buildings formed a circular shape and enclosed the three-storied building in the middle. The five buildings were connected to an air corridor with the three buildings in the middle. It was shaped like the five dragons holding the beads.


    The top floor of the three-storied building was a private restricted area for Miao Hengfu, the chairman of Qingyuan Group; even the top management of the company was not allowed to there. Here was the place where Miao Hengfu relaxed and entertained himself. The interior decoration here was extravagantly luxurious and complete with all sorts of entertainment facilities. The top management of the Qingyuan group knew something else, however. The third floor was arranged by him to house at least ten beautiful women.


    ¡°Do enjoy life to the fullest while in prime you run high, and never let your goblet to lie idle in the moonlight¡­¡±


    It was this line of a poem that Miao Hengfu highly praised, even he especially made the words ¡°enjoy to the fullest¡± to be incisively showcased vividly. He now cozily nested himself on a soft sofa, enjoying the massage of a beautiful woman and tasted the grapes handed by another beautiful woman with an indescribable leisure manner.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    The rapid ringtone of a mobile phone suddenly rang.


    Miao Hengfu did not move. He did not even lift his eyelids, but the beautiful woman beside him took the phone carefully and then said after seeing the unfamiliar number displayed on the screen, ¡°It¡¯s an unfamiliar number.¡±


    ¡°Accept it.¡± Miao Hengfu finally lifted his eyelids and watched as the beauty answered the phone. As she was about to speak, there was a quick roar transmitted from the mobile.


    ¡°BOSS, SAVE US! THIS DAMNED RESTON MAFIA¡­ AAARGH¡­¡±


    No voice was heard coming out from the phone after the shrill scream.


    Miao Hengfu¡¯s expression greatly changed and he suddenly leaped up from the sofa. With a grim expression, he took his mobile phone and went downstairs to the office on the second floor, where two company executives then immediately followed him.


    ¡°Check out this cell number for me!¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    One of the executives memorized the number and quickly left the office. After a minute or so, however, he rushed back and reported, ¡°Boss, I¡¯ve already checked it out. It¡¯s a private number of a security guard of our company security team. He was assigned to the Flame Team by you.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s he now?¡± asked Miao Hengfu in a deep voice.


    The top executive said, ¡°I just inquired about it. The new is¡­ he went out with your son last night and has not returned yet.¡±


    Miao Hengfu¡¯s face looked dull and his pupils violently contracted; there were horror and panic in his expression. He immediately took his mobile out to dial his son, Miao Wenlei¡¯s number, but nobody answered.


    Something happened!


    Miao Hengfu¡¯s heart thumped hard and a bad premonition aroused spontaneously.

 Chapter 765

    Chapter 765: The Gradually Arising Chaos and Madness


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Miao Hengfu immediately shouted, ¡°FIND OUT WENLEI¡¯S WHEREABOUTS! Contact the police and ask them to use their communication equipment. His mobile is still on, tell them to lock Wenlei¡¯s position from it. And send people to seek for him at once. But remember! I don¡¯t care about the method you use or the cost, you must find him as fast as possible.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    The top executive hesitated, but then forced out a wry smile and said, ¡°Boss, the current situation is very particular. All of our people are infected, so it¡¯s unrealistic to carry out such a large-scale search. I think it¡¯s better to send out all the members of the security team given their preparedness. Once the police find the location of Young Master Miao¡¯s mobile, our people can rush there at once.¡±


    Miao Hengfu suddenly awakened. Now was indeed a special period of time as the entire people on Mist Source Island were infected by the Darkening Virus. Even if a method to temporarily suppress the virus had been found, it was nothing but a temporary solution. All the people on Mist Source Island were in a state of confusion and disorder, so it was indeed unrealistic to dispatch so many people on a large-scale search for his son.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do as you said! But send someone to the security to clearly find out the situation. Ask who left with Wenlei. Ask everyone who might know where they went!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it at once.¡±


    As the two company executives left, Miao Hengfu paced back and forth in the office with a hazy head. He cast away the possibility that the company¡¯s security guard would call him and ask for help for no reason because the members selected and assigned to the Flame Team were all his partners in crime in doing evil things and also the goons he specially trained.


    As expected, the results of the investigation were quickly sent to Miao Hengfu. A total of seven men left with his son Miao Wenlei last night, all of whom were members of the Flame Team, plus his son, Miao Wenlei, a total of eight people. And they left just this morning after having a party and enjoying other kinds of entertainment in a multimillionaire club.


    Miao Hengfu watched the traffic surveillance video sent by the traffic police team. What made him burst into fury was because that wastrel son of his even tied a little girl to the roof of his car and sped along the road through the center of the city road and headed towards the mountain in the center of the island.


    ¡°Guo Qiang, take some men and find him.¡±


    Miao Hengfu called the Flame Team¡¯s captain, who was also his trusted goon.


    ****


    At the Tang Manor Martial School.


    Tang Xiu received the report from Zidan. When he heard that Zhenlei Duomo from the Reston syndicate was actually an expert, he immediately became interested. It had to be noted that Zidan and Ye Shisan were all cultivators that had reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, yet their strength was nothing to speak of against the other party. This piqued Tang Xiu¡¯s interest and curiosity about Zhenlei Duomo¡¯s identity.


    ¡°Do you want to go in person?¡± Tang Han asked with a hesitant expression.


    ¡°I¡¯m indeed interested and want to have a look at the situation myself,¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°After all, for a member of an overseas crime organization to have such strength is an abnormal case in and of itself. Sis, stay here and wait for my news! The machinations I¡¯ve been laying out this time are not only against Miao Hengfu and the Reston, but also the other two much stronger forces. As long as the play runs according to my script, it can solve the crisis in Mist Source Island.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you!¡± Tang Han interjected. ¡°Though I have yet to reach the martial arts grandmaster level, I¡¯m just a step away from this stage. Besides, I can also bring a group of experts there in case of emergency.¡±


    ¡°I understand what you have in mind, Sis,¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand, ¡°But for Grandpa to send me here means that he believes that I have the ability to solve all these problems. Please don¡¯t worry! There are only a handful of people on the entire Mist Source Island who can make me wary of them. The reason why I¡¯m resorting to schemes and machinations is that I don¡¯t feel like calling the shots myself. Besides, the Tang Manor Martial School is the escape route of our Tang Family in Mist Source Island. I want it to stay lowkey as far as possible and keep it under the radar if there¡¯s no need to expose it.¡±


    Tang Han hesitated for a while before she finally nodded and said, ¡°Alright, then! But you must pay attention to your safety. You¡¯re not alone here, so don¡¯t put yourself in danger.¡±


    ¡°I know, Sis.¡±


    Tang Xiu replied, and then drove the car away from the Tang Manor Martial School. Right in the middle of the night, he arrived in the forest of more than ten kilometers north of Mixed Summit City and met Ye Shisan and Zidan.


    ¡°How come there are only the two of you? What about the rest?¡±


    ¡°They are currently gathering intel,¡± said Ye Shisan respectfully. ¡°We still need to pay attention to the machinations though we have already laid out the scheme. So we can adjust the plan or add fuel to the flame if some accident happens midway.¡±


    ¡°I really can rest my mind with how all of you guys are doing things, it seems,¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°Anyways, what¡¯s the situation with that Miao guy?¡±


    ¡°Zhang Jue is responsible of keeping an eye on the situation over there, and he has sent me a message two hours and fifteen minutes ago that Guo Qiang, Miao Hengfu¡¯s confidante, has led dozens of security guards from Qingyuan Group to rush to the place where we killed Miao Wenlei. But Hei Xiong sent the news that was not only Miao Wenlei¡¯s mobile that got the calls but also all of his seven goons¡¯. Hei Xiong only turned on and connected the phone for three-plus minutes. But the time should suffice.¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and asked, ¡°You mean¡­ they are tracking its position via satellite? Did people from the Public Security Bureau or the traffic police division got involved in this matter?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Zidan hacked the network and it¡¯s been determined that the traffic police division has intervened,¡± Ye Shisan nodded. ¡°Originally, the police force from Wolfpack City Public Security Bureau had also gathered there, but for an unknown reason, they were suddenly dismissed.¡±


    ¡°For Miao Hengfu to be able to be the richest man in Mist Source Island means that he has a solid network and personal connections. So it¡¯s normal if he has influence in Wolfpack City¡¯s Public Security Bureau. Let¡¯s just wait! We¡¯re going to watch quite a good show.¡±


    ¡°Boss, we may have dug a pit for the Stygian Club and those Elementalists to jump inside, but we have no means to monitor it secretly,¡± Ye Shisan hesitated and said. ¡°If some problems occur on both sides we won¡¯t be able to adjust the plan in time!¡±


    Tang Xiu just smiled and said, ¡°Awu has gathered some intel on that. He has found that those Elementalists belong to the world¡¯s largest organization, the Pyramid. These two organizations, the Stygian Club and the Pyramid, have always been in friction, hence us shifting the blame of the deaths of these Elementalists on the Stygian Club would make them tear off all the remaining decorum between them. What I care about now is how much loss would these two parties suffer.¡±


    Tonight, the several foreign forces on the entire Mist Source Island were in a state of high vigilance and would rumble with the slightest noise. The reason was that dozens of experts from the Pyramid launched a strike against the Stygian Club¡¯s station in Mist Source Island and separately killed four werewolves and some Viscount-rank vampires in silence. Not only that, but they also took away their dead bodies.


    Following that, several other foreign forces also suffered ambushes, resulting in two organizations suffering heavy losses. The traces left in the battle scenes all had werewolf corpses or vampire body parts without exception. Shortly put, all the spearheads were now pointed at the Stygian Club.


    In the early morning, as the first ray of sunshine rose from the eastern horizon, the rays brightly illuminated the entire Mist Source Island.


    Qingyuan Group¡¯s HQ.


    Miao Hengfu received the news and confirmed that Miao Wenlei and the seven company security guards were all killed and the culprit also left a very insolent message. Not only did they acknowledge that they were from the Reston mafia, but they also left behind hues and cries to ruin Miao Hengfu and the Qingyuan Group.


    Miao Hengfu burst into a rage and immediately issued an order to the security forces and his own private armed forces to assemble at once. He then distributed the firearms he bought and smuggled secretly. After which, dozens of cars rushed to the place where Miao Wenlei¡¯s body was dumped, the convoy personally led by Miao Hengfu.


    However, just as the convoy left Wolfpack City for more than several kilometers, they were attacked by dozens of armed forces, causing heavy casualties to Miao Hengfu¡¯s men in just a few minutes.


    About a few kilometers away. Tang Xiu took out the binoculars and watched the fierce battle on the road at the foot of the mountain. There was a satisfied smile on his handsome face. The battle itself was very intense, but the majority of the casualties were from Miao Hengfu¡¯s men, while the people from the Reston syndicate only suffered a bit of loss.


    ¡°She appeared.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression suddenly moved. Through the clear view of the binoculars, he saw a woman with a long saber appearing amidst the convoy in a flash. She was like a God of Death, for every time her saber was unsheathed a life was harvested. In just half a minute, the remaining forty plus people were killed, including Miao Hengfu.


    ¡°That should be the end of the show here. It¡¯s time to go,¡± Tang Xiu put away the binoculars and handed it to Ye Shisan and spoke with a smile.


    ¡°You just casually used some tricks, yet you solved so many troublesome matters, Boss. So darn amazing!¡± Ye Shisan smilingly said.


    ¡°Cut out with the flattering, will you?¡± rebuked Tang Xiu with a smile. Just as he began to walk, a ruthless glint suddenly burst out from his eyes.


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    He instantly unleashed the long sword inside his Dantian as a tens of meters long resplendent blade light slashed down toward the hillside. More than dozens of large trees were chopped apart, creating dozens of meters long ditch with half a meter depth. Then, a lightning-like shadow jumped out from the violent slashing blade images.


    Enemy?


    Ye Shisan and Zidan similarly unleashed their flying swords at the same time as their figures flashed lightning fast and stormed over toward the shadow. In just a few seconds, they had already appeared on both sides of the figure.


    ¡°STOP!¡±


    Tang Xiu, who followed them closely, shouted before Ye Shisan and Zidan unleashed their attacks.


    The shadow turned out to be Zhenlei Duomo. When she killed those dozens of people, she had already sensed that some people were watching in secret. Originally, she was unable to find who the watching people were and only at the moment when Tang Xiu left did she finally find a strange figure.


    And yet, never did she expect that the one that greeted her would be a sword with thunder-like power.


    ¡°WHO ARE YOU?¡±


    Zhenlei Duomo looked rather flustered as she tightly gripped her long saber and furiously shouted. Yet her shock was overwhelming, because she would highly likely be killed instantly by that mighty sword had she not avoided it fast enough.


    Tang Xiu slightly knitted his brows. He had guesstimated about several identities Zhenlei Duomo might possibly have, but it never occurred to him that she was a cultivator as well, more so with such high cultivation level that was only a step away from reaching the Golden Core Stage.


    After staying silent for a while, he then spoke slowly, ¡°A woman from abroad, and you¡¯re also the female ringleader of a mafia of all things. And yet, you are actually a cultivator. This is really beyond comprehension.¡±

 Chapter 766

    Chapter 766: Fate


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    At this time, Zhenlei Duomo had already guessed Tang Xiu¡¯s identity. She was both surprised and glad, and yet, a complicated expression could be seen on her face. One of the very reasons she came to Mist Source Island was to find out the situation with the cultivators in this mysterious Far East country. It would be best if she could find news about the woman who had nurtured and educated her.


    ¡°Do you know my identity, Monseigneur?¡± asked Zhenlei Duomo. Still, vigilance was there on her face.


    ¡°How could I possibly not know the famous she-devil who is the second in command of the Mexican Reston mafia and also rumored of having both wits and strength? Regardless, I never thought that we would meet here on Mist Source Island. It seems that the number of people who cast their greedy eyes on the resources produced by China is quite a lot indeed!¡±


    ¡°Since you already know who I am, please tell me who you are, Monseigneur,¡± said Zhenlei Duomo coldly.


    ¡°Tang Xiu,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly.


    The answer did not satisfy Zhenlei Duomo. Only a name had no significance to her. What she wanted to know was Tang Xiu¡¯s identity. Moreover, she could tell that this fellow should definitely not be here by accident.


    ¡°Have you been scheming on me?¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a dry chuckle. He had indeed schemed her, but he naturally would not admit it since Miao Wenlei had long died while Miao Hengfu had just been killed, leaving no witness to tell the tale. Nonetheless, he felt a bit regretful inside since Miao Hengfu turned out to have no strong capital at all as the fella had no martial arts grandmaster experts under him, and was unable the Reston mafia any damage, otherwise achieving his plan to kill two birds with one stone would be easy.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get what you mean, Zhenlei Duomo. We were just passing this place by and unexpectedly saw such a good show. If anything, I wanna ask you something. This is Chinese territory and you killed its citizens here, what gave you the courage to do so?¡±


    ¡°These people are nothing but trash! How can they possibly kill my men near my own camp giving their abilities? Do the Chinese people like to feign madness and play the fool?¡±


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    Tang Xiu¡¯s communicator suddenly sounded. He accepted the call under her angry glare and then said, ¡°What is it?¡±


    Half a minute later, his expression turned strange. After saying ¡°Oh!¡± he hung up, then smilingly looked at Zhenlei Duomo and said, ¡°Alright! I admit that I¡¯m the one who caused this. But it was out of my good intentions, for your own good and for the sake of your Reston gang!¡±


    ¡°You killed my men and you are saying it¡¯s for my own good!?¡± Zhenlei Duomo angrily yelled. ¡°What fucking nonsense are you playing?¡±


    ¡°If my guess is correct, you have yet to figure out what happened to the camp in that village where you were stationed, right? I don¡¯t think you have received news yet either about what happened to the foreign powers who just tasted a bitter experience last night. But I can tell you that I have helped you and also pulled your Reston gang from a grave situation in exchange for some ordinary people¡¯s lives. In other words, I¡¯m the benefactor who just saved your lives.¡±


    ¡°What the hell happened?¡± Zhenlei Duomo was stunned. She was swayed by Tang Xiu¡¯s serious expression. This guy admitted that he was the one who schemed against me, but how come he turned into my savior all of a sudden? Six of my men died, for fuck¡¯s sake!


    ¡°Are you just farting out nonsense? Or are you intentionally mocking my intelligence?¡±


    ¡°Your Reston gang seems to have an appalling intelligence network, huh?¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°I will tell you something, woman. The third world¡¯s largest dangerous organization, the Stygian Club, has just been attacked by dozens of foreign forces last night, and some of the weaker forces were nearly exterminated. On the other hand, the world¡¯s largest organization¡ªthe Pyramid, retaliated against the Stygian Club, turning the situation messier. The other two forces that were camping in the same village as you suffered great losses. By picking up your Reston gang and making you leave that place temporarily, doesn¡¯t it mean you avoided the attack?¡±


    ¡°What? The Stygian Club?¡± Zhenlei Duomo¡¯s expression enormously changed, with dread filling her eyes. As a cultivator herself, she knew some facts unbeknownst to ordinary people.


    Regardless, how would the Stygian Club dare to pull such a motion?


    ¡°If my guess is correct, all the foreign forces in the entire Mist Source Island have begun to join hands in secret. The Stygian Club has too big an ambition, but they just stirred up the hornet¡¯s nest this time. What will be following next is a life and death battle between all those forces with the Stygian Club. Given the fact I pulled your Reston gang out of this chaotic mess, do you think my statement is wrong?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Despite having a feeling that Tang Xiu¡¯s logic was lame and distorted some facts, she had no words to refute it. But if what he said was really true, then it seemed that she was really fortunate. After all, the Stygian Club was a dreadful influence and power, far beyond what her Reston mafia could contend with.


    No! Accurately saying, even a hundred Reston syndicates could do nothing to the Stygian Club.


    ¡°¡­ I have indeed not yet heard anything about this, Mr. Tang,¡± Zhenlei Duomo took a deep breath and slowly said. ¡°We are not enemies and I don¡¯t have any intention of coming enemies with cultivators from China either. After this, I also hope that we won¡¯t be enemies in the future.¡±


    ¡°Well, making friends is better than making enemies, and I give you my word that we won¡¯t be enemies if you are willing to take the Reston gang and leave Mist Source Island,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why would the Reston people leaving Mist Source Island to have anything to do with you, Mr. Tang?¡± Zhenlei Duomo frowned. ¡°Can you officially represent the Chinese government?¡±


    Tang Xiu straightly took out the green book and crisply said, ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate for you, but I can indeed represent the Chinese authority. I have this thing that gives the rights to do so. Personally coming here with my men was exactly to solve the problems here. I am telling you now that we will regard all foreign forces on Mist Source Island hostile if they keep staying here.¡±


    Zhenlei Duomo¡¯s eyes turned cold, but she instantly restrained her aura and solemnly looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s face, before she finally slowly said, ¡°Answer me a question. I¡¯ll leave Mist Source Island if your answer satisfies me.¡±


    ¡°Do ask!¡± Tang Xiu could see that she was unwilling, but did not dare to be his enemy.


    ¡°Despite being the representative of the Chinese authorities here, you are also a cultivator, so you know about the situation with the cultivators in China, right?¡± asked Zhenlei Duomo. ¡°What I wanna ask you is about someone who is also a cultivator.¡±


    ¡°Who is it?¡± Tang Xiu was astounded.


    ¡°I¡¯m not particularly clear about her situation,¡± Zhenlei Duomo frowned. ¡°I only know that she is called Yan. She was like in her 20s two decades ago, so she should be around forty-plus years old now.¡±


    A woman named Yan and age around forty-plus years old?


    ¡°Sorry, I have never heard of this person.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    There was a disappointed look in Zhenlei Duomo¡¯s eyes as she replied with a bitter tone, ¡°Then I can only look for other cultivators in China to ask around since you don¡¯t know her. I¡¯ll be frank with you. She¡¯s the one who nurtured and imparted me a cultivation technique in the past, but I lost track about her many years ago.¡±


    ¡°I indeed have never heard about the person you mentioned, but I also know little about cultivators in China,¡± Tang Xiu slightly nodded. ¡°Many cultivators choose to stay hidden, concealing their identities or becoming hermits, secluding themselves in famed mountains and large rivers. It¡¯s always difficult to know of their existence unless they are willing to reveal themselves.¡±


    Zhenlei Duomo did not want to spend more time facing Tang Xiu. Now that she could not get any lead about the one she wanted to find out, she immediately cupped her fists and said, ¡°If so, then I¡¯ll take my leave.¡±


    Tang Xiu did not stop her and only looked at her back as she departed. Just as he prepared to call out to Ye Shisan and Zidan to leave the place, Zidan suddenly spoke to him in a toned down voice, ¡°Boss, you forgot someone.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Who?¡± Tang Xiu wondered.


    ¡°She¡¯s the founder of the Everlasting Feast Hall, the previous Big Boss,¡± said Zidan.


    Yan¡¯er?


    Tang Xiu was stunned, and then his expression suddenly changed.


    My little disciple looked to be in her 20s more than two decades ago, while there¡¯s also a ¡®Yan¡¯ in her name. Is there really a connection between them?


    ¡°Catch up with her and call her back.¡±


    Tang Xiu straightly sat cross-legged and took out a pen and paper from his interspatial ring, preparing to paint Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s face. As though recalling something, he took out his mobile, opened the album gallery and picked her picture. A minute later, a vigilant Zhenglei Duomo had returned and stood in front of him.


    ¡°Is there something else you want?¡±


    She was indeed wary of Tang Xiu, but not afraid of him. It was clear for her that she wouldn¡¯t be a match for Tang Xiu, but he would not be able to prevent her from running away either.


    Tang Xiu handed over his mobile and lightly said, ¡°Take a look at this photo, is this the woman you¡¯re looking for?¡±


    Zhenlei Duomo took the mobile with a confused expression. When her eyes fell on the photo, her pupils shrank and her whole body shivered.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s her!¡±


    Her voice trembled. That face was vividly stored itself inside her mind and carved deep inside her heart. At that time, she was so peerlessly beautiful and unparalleled, looking so cool and elegant at the same. She never knew what holiness meant prior to meeting her, but finally realized what it meant the very moment she first saw her.


    Tang Xiu touched his nose and secretly forced out a smile inside. He knew that Gu Yan¡¯er had traveled all over the globe, but it never occurred to him that she would also leave such a legacy in Mexico.


    ¡°Why are you looking for her?¡± after the silence for a while, Tang Xiu asked slowly.


    Reluctantly taking back her eyes from the photo, Zhenlei Duomo said with uncontrollable excitements, ¡°She¡¯s my benefactor, my kind teacher, and also my half mother! Back then, I made a mistake in front of her and shouldn¡¯t have killed that bad man, so she went away and forbade me to come to China. But¡­ I really miss her!¡±


    Tang Xiu stared blankly for a moment after hearing her story. He could guess what concerned Gu Yan¡¯er back then. She would never shut Zhenlei Duomo out only because she committed murder as she herself was someone from the Immortal World. Who in that realm did not have their hands stained with blood?


    It was highly likely that the very cause was her body!

 Chapter 767

    Chapter 767: Joining Hands


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Tang Xiu quietly observed Zhenlei Duomo. He could feel her fluctuating emotions and how she really missed Gu Yan¡¯er. Putting her story bluntly, it could be said that the core experts of the Everlasting Feast were very fortunate, or at least much luckier than her, for they still had the Everlasting Feast Hall as their home¡­ and family, whereas she was like a lonely soul, a ghost, who had been wandering alone outside for many years.


    As his eyes fell on Zidan and Ye Shisan¡¯s faces, he found that their expression when they looked at her was much gentler than before.


    ¡°Zhenlei, do you want to see Yan¡¯er?¡±


    Zhenlei Duomo¡¯s body shook, and then she hastily asked, ¡°Can I see her? Do you know her whereabouts?¡±


    ¡°Of course I know her whereabouts,¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°As for whether you can see her, that will depend on your performance.¡±


    ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± She asked quickly.


    ¡°I may allow your Reston gang to temporarily stay in Mist Source Island under one condition: obey my orders while you stay here. Of course, I can also guarantee your safety in Mist Source Island. I can make sure of your safety even from those two elephant organizations, the Pyramid and the Stygian Club.¡±


    Zhenlei Duomo shot Tang Xiu a deep look. A contemptuous look gradually emerged in her eyes as she shook her head and said, ¡°You don¡¯t know how horrifying these two huge organizations are. If I were you, there is no way I would dare to brag.¡±


    Tang Xiu just grinned in response before he smilingly said, ¡°There is a Chinese saying that one can be a frog sitting in the bottom of a well. You may know some secrets in this world, but what you know is nothing but superficial. I never liked to boast, and you can see for yourself whether I can thoroughly protect you as long as you agree.¡±


    ¡°Tell me, why should I trust you?¡± after a long time in hesitation, Zhenlei Duomo cautiously asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you have any other choices, regardless. You can only choose to trust me if you want to keep staying in Mist Source Island and see Yan¡¯er. Besides, you can throw away your worry that I¡¯ll push you into my machinations because you would be nothing but a corpse now if I really wanted to kill you.¡±


    As an intelligent individual, Zhenlei Duomo could see Tang Xiu¡¯s confident expression and fell silent. Then, she asked, ¡°What exactly do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°I need your help. To completely eradicate the Stygian Club, the Pyramid, and the other forces, or drive them away from Mist Source Island,¡± said Tang Xiu categorically. ¡°When we¡¯re done solving the problem on this island, I¡¯ll take you to see Yan¡¯er.¡±


    Zhenlei Duomo¡¯s pupils shrunk. She suddenly realized that the young man named Tang Xiu before her was not as simple as she thought him to be. At the very least, there was not only him and his two men at present. After taking a deep breath, she asked, ¡°One last question. It¡¯s about you and her¡­ what is your relationship with her?¡±


    Ye Shisan, who was standing at the side, was angered upon seeing her still not agreeing with Tang Xiu. He was finally unable to hold it after hearing her question and shouted in a heavy tone, ¡°You ask too much, Zhenlei! Boss has already valued you highly by answering your previous questions. Give your answer to the Boss, now! Are you willing to work for him while in Mist Source Island or not?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Zhenlei Duomo¡¯s brows wrinkled.


    ¡°I¡¯m warning you! This is your only chance to go home,¡± Ye Shisan waved his hand to interrupt her and shouted. ¡°If you don¡¯t cherish it you can continue living a lonely life wandering abroad. To live and die in loneliness.¡±


    A chance¡­ to return¡­ of going back¡­ home?


    Zhenlei Duomo shivered inside, as though she suddenly realized something. With a bit of inconceivable expression, she looked at Tang Xiu, then to Ye Shisan and Zidan. Countless thoughts swirled inside her head before she finally steeled her heart, clenched her teeth and said, ¡°I promise! But I¡¯ll back out and refuse if your request is too much.¡±


    ¡°First thing you gotta do is to scatter your Reston members. I don¡¯t want them to be killed amidst the slaughter between the other armed forces. I want them to act as intelligence personnel to find out the movements of other forces on the island and to give me feedback in time. You have formidable strength, so you are to stay with me!¡±


    Zhenlei Duomo thought about it for a moment before she slowly nodded and said, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll convey the instructions immediately.¡±


    Tang Xiu stopped her and said, ¡°Tell your men to behave and act dutifully. Don¡¯t do any evil things in Mist Source Island. This place is under Chinese authority and I¡¯m responsible for solving the crisis here, so I don¡¯t want your men looking for trouble that will affect me.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Zhenlei Duomo replied and flashed toward her subordinates in the distance.


    Zidan, who stood beside Tang Xiu, looked at him and spoke in a low voice, ¡°Do you really want to take her into our Everlasting Feast Hall?¡±


    ¡°She has some history with Yan¡¯er, after all,¡± Tang Xiu sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll consider it if her inner making is not bad. Let¡¯s just observe her first. Besides, we still have grave problems to deal with here on Mist Source Island. Those foreign forces are like starving jackals, fixedly setting their greedy eyes on the resources of this island in an attempt to threaten the Chinese government. We don¡¯t have much time left since I must also participate in the research of the cure of the Darkening Virus. So we must be swift and ruthless, be it our movements or actions.¡±


    ¡°So, what do we do next?¡± Asked Zidan.


    ¡°Now that Zhenlei Duomo has killed Miao Hengfu, it can be said we have removed one of the hidden dangers already,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°The next thing we gotta do is deal with those foreign forces. Let them cut one another¡¯s throat till nearly dying. Only then will we move to clean up the mess left behind.¡±


    Mixed Summit City, the northern suburbs.


    The Stygian Club had moved their camp here because the place was surrounded by mountains on three sides, and Keith Moor also thought that the place was quite concealed. Those Elementalists from the Pyramid were as though having gone insane as they launched several strikes in succession, causing two members of the Darksoul squad he personally recruited to suffer heavy losses. Even Basil and Alody were both subjected to severe injuries.


    Keith Moore¡¯s eyes were chilling as his stare was fixated on the young man in front of him.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve thoroughly investigated it. It was the Pyramid¡¯s people who attacked all the other forces last night. They used the dead bodies of our men to frame and make us the scapegoat. And now those forces are joining hands. On the one hand is to keep a distance from the Pyramid, and are also preparing to get rid of us, on the other hand.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me they don¡¯t know that this is the Pyramid¡¯s machination?¡± Keith Moor angrily shouted.


    ¡°Nobody among them is a fool, for they are able to grab and hold power in their hands.¡± The youth bitterly smiled and said, ¡°And yet, they are still preparing to get rid of us, which means that they have always seen our presence here as a threat to them. And thus, despite knowing that this is a machination run by the Pyramid, this incident actually gives them an opportunity to join forces in order to have a chance to contend with us. People with power are ambitious, to begin with, and what they always want is to obtain more resources and profits!¡±


    Keith Moore scowled and asked, ¡°Then what about the Pyramid¡¯s people?¡±


    The young man replied, ¡°They are now only 30 kilometers away from us, stationed in the mountain to the east. We¡¯ve already investigated them, they far outnumber us. Also, we found another thing during the investigation, that is, one of the Pyramid¡¯s War Elders, Bodart, is also here.¡±


    ¡°That Ghoul Demon War Elder, Bodart?¡±


    Keith Moore¡¯s eyes turned icy cold as intense killing intent burst out from his eyes. He had some friction with most of the Pyramid¡¯s War Elders, and this Ghoul Demon War Elder Bodart was one he had a particular grudge with!


    ¡°Arrange the Blood Formation with Blood Poison.¡± Keith Moore issued an order from the slit of his teeth.


    The youth¡¯s complexion changed and hastily said, ¡°But Sir, we will end up perishing together with them if we set up the Blood Formation!¡±


    Pa¡­


    Keith Moor slapped the youth and bellowed, ¡°You damn idiot. We won¡¯t die with them! Go tell the others to get ready! Since they want to exterminate us, then we¡¯ll kill them first!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The youth looked frightened and quickly got up from the ground and run out of the tent.


    Dust came.


    Tang Xiu led Zidan, Ye Shisan, and Zhenlei Duomo as they quietly appeared in the eastern side of Mixed Summit City. After scouting, they found that the forces of all involved parties were already stationed in this place.


    Whoosh¡­


    A ghostly figure silently appeared nearby.


    Zhenlei Duomo pulled her long saber out instantly as a thick killing intent locked on the man in a flash.


    ¡°DON¡¯T!¡±


    Tang Xiu immediately stopped her and looked at Jin Shi who appeared lighting fast, and then asked, ¡°How is the situation?¡±


    Jin Shi shot Zhenlei Duomo a cold glance before he replied to Tang Xiu respectfully, ¡°Boss, the Pyramid is now stationed in the northwest direction of Mixed Summit City. They number up to 62 people from our investigation. Also, we¡¯ve determined that the leader is called Wu Ji, the organization¡¯s Intelligence War Elder.¡±


    ¡°The Pyramid¡¯s War Elder, eh?¡± Tang Xiu nodded and sneered. ¡°Hehehe¡­ They really value Mist Source Island highly for such a bigwig to have appeared here.¡±


    Jin Shi then said with solemnity, ¡°It appears that not only the Intelligence War Elder is here, but also the Ghoul Demon War Elder, Bodart. The attack launched at the Stygian Club was the work of Bodart and his men.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Tang Xiu replied, and then turned to look at Zhenlei Duomo and plainly said, ¡°It¡¯s just some people. Not worth for us to fuss over. Anyways, Jin Shi is my man, and the rest will come here later as well.¡±


    Zhenlei Duomo was somewhat taken aback inside. She did not expect Tang Xiu to have so many cultivators under him. More so that the guy who just arrived also had the strength that could not be underestimated.


    At this moment, the was becoming more curious about the number of Tang Xiu¡¯s men. Inferring from what he said, it was apparent that he should have more of them, no?


    Two hours later, Zhenlei Duomo looked at the nine men in front of Tang Xiu and was greatly shocked. Nine experts! And all of them were cultivators!! Being able to control such a formidable force was already dreadful. They could freely roam anywhere. A terrifying force that could occupy a very large territory with might!

 Chapter 768

    Chapter 768: On The Eve of The Battle


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    In the dense forest, Mo Awu and Shui Gui were like ghosts in the dark night as they flashed lightning fast toward Tang Xiu¡¯s position. In just a short while, the duo arrived in front of Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Shui Gui suddenly frowned. When he saw Zhenlei Duomo standing beside Tang Xiu, a thick killing intent suddenly erupted from him as he released his flying sword in an instant.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression slightly changed and appeared in front of Zhenlei Duomo like lightning and also released his flying sword to ward off Shui Gui¡¯s. As he paced back, he angrily shouted, ¡°STOP IT, SHUI GUI!¡±


    Shui Gui did not realize the meaning of Zhenlei Duomo standing next to Tang Xiu a moment ago. As he saw his own Boss blocking his attack, his expression suddenly changed and instantly took back his flying sword. Yet, his seething killing intent was still locked on Zhenlei Duomo.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with you?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a frown.


    ¡°Heh, turns out to be Shui Gui, eh?¡± Zhenlei Duomo derided. ¡°Little did I expect for your strength to greatly improve after our last encounter seven-plus years ago. What¡¯s wrong? Do you still want to avenge your Brother, Shui She?¡±


    Whoosh¡­


    Other than Mo Awu, the other nine men instantly released their flying swords and glared at Zhenlei Duomo with faces full of killing intent. This made Zhenlei Duomo¡¯s face slightly pale, and she instantly took half a step back.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows tightened even more, and then asked in a deep tone, ¡°Answer me, Shui Gui!¡±


    As loyal as Shui Gui was to Tang Xiu, he hastily lowered his head upon sensing Tang Xiu¡¯s anger in his tone, and then replied, ¡°I once had a brother. He was called Shui She and also a core member of the Everlasting Feast Hall¡­ or he used to be. About seven-plus years ago, we carried out a mission abroad and encountered this woman. She didn¡¯t change much, so I can be 100% sure that this woman is really her! She killed my Brother and severely injured me, causing me to be stranded on the cliff for several days. I almost died in a foreign country back then. I¡¯ve done everything I can to find any leads about her over the years, but I never expected her to appear here.¡±


    Tang Xiu turned to Zhenlei Duomo and asked, ¡°You killed his Brother? Why?¡±


    ¡°We were in different camps and worked for different employers,¡± said Zhenlei Duomo bluntly. ¡°You and your brother resorted to all sorts of tricks and schemes and killed my employer in order to steal intelligence. I did kill Shui She, but it would¡¯ve been me who died instead if I didn¡¯t kill him. All that happened was caused by yourselves, while I was only fighting back.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Although Shui Gui knew that her argument was sound and reasonable, the one who died was, after all, his blood brother. Enmity and hatred had been buried deep inside his heart for so many years, and he just could not let it go like that.


    Tang Xiu had a headache, for he did not expect to encounter such a situation. Nonetheless, he was biased towards Zhenlei¡¯s explanation, because like she said, each worked for a different employer in the past, and thus it was inevitable that they would prey on each other, to kill or be killed.


    Still¡­ there was hatred! How should he deal with it?


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath, as he waved his hand and said, ¡°Shui Gui, the grudge between the both you shall be solved after the problems on Mist Source Island have been dealt with! I¡¯ll tell you ahead of time, Zhenlei has something in common with you. She was also nurtured and taught by Yan¡¯er in her childhood just like you. After I solve the problems here, take his matter back to Jingmen Island and by that time, you should ask Yan¡¯er as for how to solve the grievances between the two of you!¡±


    Having said that, his eyes swept over the rest and plainly said, ¡°Take back your weapons. If you are thirsty for killing, kill those foreign forces first!¡±


    Jin Shi and the others simultaneously took back their flying swords, while Shui Gui hesitated before storing his flying sword back into his body. He did not dare to go against Tang Xiu¡¯s order but secretly decided that he would definitely make Zhenlei Duomo pay the price after the Mist Source Island¡¯s problems were solved.


    Tang Xiu then looked at Mo Awu and asked, ¡°So, what information did you get over there?¡±


    Mo Awu took out a map and respectfully said, ¡°The Stygian Club has just moved their encampment. We have investigated and found that their people are currently setting up a very stray array. We already marked its location, it¡¯s the only path to enter the current Stygian Club¡¯s camp.¡±


    Tang Xiu received the map and observed it for some time. Then he nodded and said, ¡°The Stygian Club can become the third largest organization overseas, meaning that they absolutely have some unknown cards at hand. Our purpose this time is very simple. We¡¯ll make them devour each other, with the only caution that we must guard against being the Pyramid¡¯s members. Alright, let¡¯s go to the mountain and watch the tigers fight with each other.¡±


    Mixed Summit City, at the northern suburbs.


    As Tang Xiu came with Mo Awu and the others quietly, they took a detour via another direction to the Stygian Club¡¯s encampment northwest of the mountain. After looking around for a good location, Tang Xiu immediately set up a Concealment Array quietly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s camp here and wait for those ambitious schemers to cut one another¡¯s throats.¡±


    ¡°Boss, should we push the billows and waves in the dark?¡± Asked Mo Awu.


    ¡°Of course, adding fuel to the flame is a must, but I¡¯ll take on this job myself while you all will be staying here. Awu, do you still have vampire body parts?¡±


    Mo Awu took out battered wings from his interspatial ring and said, ¡°These ones are what I have left.¡±


    ¡°That will be enough,¡± Tang Xiu nodded with satisfaction. ¡°Alright. You all stay here.¡±


    With that said, he seemed to realize something as his eyes swept over from Shui Gui to Zhenlei Duomo and coldly said, ¡°Do keep my words in mind. You two will put down your grievances for the time being, and everything will be solved after we all return to Jingmen Island. I will severely punish anyone who dares to start a personal fight now!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Shui Gui and Zhenlei Duomo exchanged glances and answered.


    In the forests, dozens of kilometers east of Mixed Summit City, dozens of tents were disorderly built. Many heavily armed burly men were now vigilantly scouting and patrolling the surroundings, whereas more than a dozen leaders of all parties gathered inside a certain tent, engaged in a heated quarrel with flushed faces.


    ¡°I suggest that we not rush to attack them. We must lay out the plan well first and make sure all members of the Stygian Club are unable to escape our barricade even if they have wings. Only then shall we completely destroy all the divergent races under the Stygian Club!¡± said a robust, strong black man.


    ¡°All intrigues and tricks are futile in the face of absolute power, for one blow is enough to finish them off. We have more than a dozen forces with tons of combat experts here. Those alien divergent races are very powerful indeed, but we have numbers on our side, hence they will never be able to escape! So I suggest to steamroll them at once,¡± another white man shouted in a deep voice.


    ¡°I think we still have to wait, and it¡¯s best to wait for the Pyramid¡¯s people to act first. Else, once we and the Stygian Club¡¯s people suffer mutual heavy losses, the one who will finally profit from it will be those from the Pyramid!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The Pyramid¡¯s people are eyeing the Stygian Club with hostility and hatred, so we must join forces with them to add more power!¡±


    ¡°If by chance the Pyramid¡¯s people turn their back and point their weapon against us, unforeseen accidents are highly likely to happen. I don¡¯t think we should join them¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The scene was chaotic. Each and every one of them wanted to decide the course according to their own ideas. For a while, the whole situation was in gridlock.


    A few kilometers away from them.


    Tang Xiu was like a ghost in the darkness as he silently approached the two armed foreign burly men. At a time when the two of them were unaware of the situation, his sharp dagger ripped their throats and claimed their souls directly. Then, he continued running around the surrounding and constantly hunted the security forces from all the foreign forces that patrolled the periphery.


    ¡°Twelve men.¡±


    After Tang Xiu felt that it was enough, he intentionally made some noises and threw out a dozen feathers around the dead bodies, and then straightly left.


    Rat-tat-tat¡­


    Blazing flame tongues burst out as howling bullets followed up. Seven men who were in guarding duty opened fire at the direction where Tang Xiu just left and hurriedly chased after him. Unfortunately, even though they were quite fast, the difference in their speed was stark as night and day. As they came near the two dead armed men, only then did they stop chasing.


    ¡°Feathers?¡±


    One of the middle-aged men with a high status picked up the feathers and observed them. The killing intent in his expression turned more intense and he almost rushed to the camping area without hesitation.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    More than a dozen leaders of the various parties, who were previously inside the tent, rushed out as the burly black man asked in a loud shout.


    The middle-aged stout man came before the group and then showed a dozen feathers in his hand. Then he quickly said, ¡°Those who were in guarding duty have just been sneakily ambushed. I just counted the number of casualties, twelve men in total. I found these feathers near our men¡¯s dead bodies. It should be vampire feathers.¡±


    ¡°FUCKING BASTARD!!!¡±


    ¡°This has gone too far!¡±


    ¡°Rampant and arrogant! JUST KILL THEM ALL¡­¡±


    ¡°AVENGE THEM!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The ringleaders of more than a dozen parties had their complexion enormously changed and bellowed as they fell into a rage. They thought that the Stygian Club¡¯s people were now like rats, flustered and wouldn¡¯t dare to come out of their holes. Little did they expect that they would be so rampant and arrogant to mount a sneak attack and stealthily ambush them.


    ¡°KILL!!!¡±


    They were unable to reach a united opinion before, but a consensus was now reached in just a few minutes. The decision was to wait until tomorrow morning, then they would start to take action to kill all members of the Stygian Club on Mist Source Island, no matter the cost!


    After Tang Xiu returned to the Concealment Array, he observed the situation of the Stygian Club with binoculars. Then, he sat on a blue stone as he looked at his men and asked, ¡°If my guesstimate is correct, this alliance won¡¯t be a match to the Stygian Club, and I¡¯m afraid that the Pyramid¡¯s people won¡¯t take action as long as the Stygian Club has yet to suffer heavy losses in the following battle. Any of you has a suggestion or solution as for how we can drag the Pyramid¡¯s people into the fray?¡±


    ¡°I have a way to inflict heavy damage to the Stygian Club without involving the Pyramid¡¯s men from mixing in,¡± said Zhenlei Duomo all of a sudden.


    ¡°Elaborate. How can you do that?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s spirit aroused and he quickly asked.

 Chapter 769

    Chapter 769: Venomous Scheme


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    A cold glint flashed in Zhenlei Duomo¡¯s eyes as she slowly spoke, ¡°I carry a drug, a terrible laxative with me. As long as we can sneak and put this laxative into the meal of the Stygian Club¡¯s members, it will cause them to suffer abdominal pain and insane defecation. It will greatly impact the Stygian Club¡¯s men even if they want to go all out to fight back when both sides are engaged in the battle. Hence, it will inflict them with severe losses.¡±


    Laxative?


    Tang Xiu asked with knitted brows, ¡°Will this laxative have an effect on the divergent races?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s absolutely effective.¡± Zhenlei Duomo nodded and explained, ¡°This laxative is so powerful that even I will also fall into the same predicament if I take it, let alone those divergent races. In fact, I once fought a Marquis-rank vampire a few years ago that ended up in my loss. To wipe away this disgrace, I first looked for a mysterious poison expert and asked him to prescribe this laxative. Then I used it on that Marquis-rank Vampire, which nearly made him pull his intestines out. In the end, I was able to kill directly him even though my strength was pretty inferior to his.¡±


    ¡°That is indeed a good idea, but I¡¯m afraid it will be easy for the divergent races to detect it if they smell that something¡¯s not right with their meals,¡± commented Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Not for my laxative,¡± Zhenlei Duomo proudly said. ¡°It¡¯s because this laxative is colorless and tasteless. They will never notice it when mixed into their meals.¡±


    Tang Xiu thought about it for a while before he nodded and said, ¡°Awu, go to the southeast side and find out when those dozens of parties are going to attack the Stygian Club. Zhenlei, I need you to sneak into the Stygian Club¡¯s encampment and immediately put the laxative in their meals once you receive the news from me.¡±


    ¡°Order received! (Got it!)¡±


    Mo Awu and Zhenlei Duomo answered at the same and left at a very fast speed.


    Early in the next morning.


    When a blazing red ball rising from the east, the colorful rays of sunlight filled half of the sky and illuminated Mist Source Island, as though it was covered with a gorgeous mantle. The total number of forces from more than a dozen parties amounted to more than 560 people as they started to rush over toward the direction of the Stygian Club¡¯s encampment in an aggressive manner.


    At a close distance to the flock were more than 20 ace experts, who could no longer be seen as ordinary human experts anymore. They were responsible to clean up all the obstruction on the road and did it at a very fast speed, while also acting as vanguards to shield the large troops entering the canyon and then charged toward the inner valley.


    Half an hour ago, Zhenlei Duomo had secretly put the laxative into the meals of Stygian Club¡¯s members. After half an hour brewing inside their stomachs, dozens of the Stygian Club¡¯s members felt a stomach ache and had symptoms of severe diarrhea.


    The close quarter fights and the battle were on the verge of breaking out.


    The most powerful man of the Stygian Club here, Keith Moore, had also been caught in a great flurry by the sudden outbreak. Just as the nearly 600 men strong alliance stormed over into the canyon, they straightly launched swift and fierce attacks after rushing through the array formation.


    On the hillside in the northwest direction.


    With a face full of enthusiasm, Tang Xiu watched the slaughtering and killing unfolding below. What made him feel very interested was the fact that the Stygian Club turned out to have many experts. Not only were there a lot of vampires, werewolves, and wingmen, but there was also other numerous Demi-humans. And yet, they could only suppress their diarrhea while fighting back against the enemy attacks.


    The killings! It was a scene where blood continued to be shed along with painful screams.


    In another direction, the Pyramid¡¯s Intelligence War Elder, Wu Jie, had been waiting for a long time along with dozens of the Pyramid experts. Never did they expect that such a large-scale diarrhea outbreak would happen to the Stygian Club¡¯s experts. Despite Wu Jie himself wanting both sides to clash as he reaped the profits as the third party, the scene still stimulated him nonetheless.


    ¡°Get ready! We are going to jump into the battle and fight at any time now.¡±


    Wu Ji looked straight to Bodart, who stood next to him while stroking his beard and grinning.


    Bodart was frowning instead and slowly said, ¡°This situation is a bit particular. It¡¯s kind of fishy, to be exact, more so if the one who gave the order to use laxatives on the Stygian Club¡¯s members is not one of the alliance forces. I suggest to acting rashly and wait for some time until the battles are settled before we move and join the fray.¡±


    Wu Jie was called the Intelligence War Elder and was known for his wisdom. Thus, he nodded without hesitation and said, ¡°We only need to surround the Stygian Club¡¯s camp and its periphery and wait for both sides to suffer losses and then clean up the mess. Everyone, move! Do pay attention to the attack signal and immediately strike once you find any enemies!¡±


    Time passed by slowly.


    The intense battle and killing lasted for half an hour, with both the Stygian Club and the united forces of the dozen parties suffering grieving losses, including that burly black man who was hit by a werewolf and was now severely injured. It was under such a situation that the alliance members began to feel fear and look for an opportunity to run away.


    ¡°STOP THEM! ACTIVATE THE FORMATION!¡±


    Upon seeing that the enemies were gradually weakening, Keith Moor did not hesitate to issue the order. As four Count-rank vampires acted the array was activated, releasing the Blood Poison.


    Aargh¡­


    Shrill screams came from the mouths of the coalition forces¡¯ experts. It was then followed by unceasing shrill screams afterward.


    ¡°BREAK THROUGH THE ENEMY LINES! KILL THEM ALL!¡±


    A caucasian leader bellowed and instantly dashed in front of a Count-rank vampire, but the latter killed him with only a blow, while several heavily armed big men around him met their tragic deaths by the Blood Poison.


    ¡°LIFE FOR LIFE!¡±


    In the coalition army, a young, thin and black youth¡¯s back was shredded by a werewolf¡¯s claws. The moment his blood guzzled out, he suddenly gouged his own eyes out with difficulty. While his blood was flowing out, he screamed out those words with a shrill voice before he fainted, as a nebulous jet black smoke suddenly spread out from him and then formed a black fog twister that turned into a cyclone. The dead bodies on the ground and the pools of blood spilled on the ground were as though being summoned at this moment, quickly flowed toward him and eventually merged into the black fog cyclone.


    BOOM¡­


    In just a few breaths, a black fog cyclone of tens of meters¡¯ height was then formed. Suddenly, at the moment when the thin youth¡¯s body exploded, a mushroom-like cloud like that of a nuclear bomb explosion blasted out and instantly smashed several werewolves and vampires of the Stygian Club into blood mists, whereas seven or eight people from the coalition forces were also killed in an instant.


    On the ground, the Blood Array was broken and the Blood Poison dispersed.


    The frenzied killings raged on. The ever-intensifying losses toward the Stygian Club¡¯s members eventually forced them to retreat with sharp, shrill cries. Their number was originally fifty-plus people, but only twenty of them retreated. The coalition forces of the various parties were even worse as only 200 people survived from the nearly 600 men strong, while more than half of them were battered and injured.


    In the northwest direction.


    Tang Xiu stood on the edge of the Concealment Array while watching the miserable scene below. His mind was still like water. He was accustomed to seeing the scene of killings just like the one in front of him right now, and thus felt nothing at all. But Mo Awu and the others, including the ruthless and merciless Zhenlei Duomo, looked slightly pale. They were also ruthless people whose hands were stained with blood. However, the vast majority of their previous battles heavily relied on firearms, far from the kind of close-combat fights where flesh and blood flew in all directions and bodies were blown to pieces.


    ¡°Are we going to move, Boss?¡± Mo Awu shot a glance at Tang Xiu and asked in a toned down voice. He was secretly taken aback upon seeing how calm and tranquil Tang Xiu was. Because he really could not figure him out in the end. Was it because Tang Xiu¡¯s heart too ruthless, or was it because what he had gone through?


    ¡°Not yet. Today¡¯s most important protagonist has not yet appeared,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and indifferently said. ¡°Let¡¯s just see what is going to unfold as of now. No rush and no worries for us. I¡¯m sure the show is going to be more splendid once our protagonist enters the stage.¡±


    Mo Awu looked at him and asked with hesitation, ¡°You mean¡­ the Pyramid?¡±


    ¡°Saying it bluntly, the Pyramid is the world¡¯s largest organization, while the Stygian Club is at best only an allied force,¡± Tang Xiu chuckled. ¡°The Pyramid is different, for it unites as a whole entity with remarkable wisdom and intelligence in how they operate, whether it is against their enemies or development. Just wait! I¡¯m sure the Intelligence War Elder of the Pyramid must be feeling grateful for the machinations we¡¯ve set up for him.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡± asked Mo Awu, confused.


    ¡°The Sandpiper and the clam fought with each other, and he will be the fisherman who catches them both. Why wouldn¡¯t he feel grateful for us who have spent great effort and time to set it up for him?¡±


    Mo Awu realized it instantly as he grinned and said, ¡°Nope. I don¡¯t think to describe it as both parties fighting and the third party takes all the profits appropriate for this situation, Boss. It¡¯s more perfect to describe it as the mantis stalks the cicada while unaware of the oriole behind them because there are hunters behind the yellow bird. And we will be the last winners¡­ for we are those hunters.¡±


    Tang Xiu could not help laughing and said, ¡°Hahaha, there are so many winding ways to describe it. Oh? Well, well, the protagonist is finally appearing.¡±


    Mo Awu and the rest¡¯s expressions moved and quickly set their visions into the distance.


    From the southeast direction, fifty plus figures flew toward the coalition forces lightning fast. Some of them were chasing the Stygian Club as they flew toward the direction of their retreat. Just as five vampires and three Wingmen of the Stygian Club flew in the air and were about to retreat to the top of the mountain, a gunshot followed by a blasting bullet streaking up to the sky and blocking their retreat path.


    ¡°STAY HERE!¡±


    Three old men possessing soaring auras led more than a dozen high-spirited Elementalists up from the back of the mountain and unleashed their special abilities. Lightning crazily blitzed, cyclones emerged out of the blue, water dragons danced their claws aggressively, and pieces of sharp metals covered the sky.


    ¡°Flame¡­¡±


    Burning flame as though fire burning a prairie blazed out crazily as the low and majestic voice sounded. Several Wingmen were instantly shrouded in raging fire, while the vampires were almost barbecued by the flame and crazily fell down.


    Intelligence War Elder Wu Jie was holding a golden scepter as he stepped on the cloud of flames and swept away two Count-rank vampires. It was like some random, casual blows, and yet it killed the two Count-rank vampires directly.


    ¡°YOU¡¯LL BE DAMNED, WU JIE!!!¡±


    Finally, Keith Moore¡¯s figure shot from the distance. His earsplitting roar contained infinite rage within.


    A thin old man beside the Intelligence War Elder maniacally laughed, ¡°HAHAHA, I think it¡¯s you who will die, Keith! I didn¡¯t kill you in the past, but I will give nobody face today! Hurricane, Myriads Decapitation¡­¡±

 Chapter 770

    Chapter 770: Instant Kill


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Despite there being no terrifying scenes that made the Heaven and Earth be torn asunder, the fight between genuine powerhouses still gave off an inexplicable feeling. The boundless and majestic momentum; the accumulation of killing intent contained within the flashing swords and saber-rattling, accompanied by bloody foul winds and rains of blood. Even the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s experts could not help but have a change in expression.


    ¡°What a show of power!¡±


    Zhenlei Duomo looked at the scene of the Intelligence War Elder Wu Ji, Keith Moore, and the others who preying each other mid-air in disbelief. She felt shocked like a tidal wave hitting her heart. She thought she was already strong enough but never occurred to her that the gap between her and these powerhouses from the Stygian Club and Pyramid was like a chasm.


    Suddenly, her gaze moved from the battle between the two parties and fell on Tang Xiu¡¯s indifferent expression. After hesitating for a bit, she asked, ¡°I know that you¡¯re much stronger than me, Mr. Tang. But how would you compare to these people¡­ who is stronger?¡±


    ¡°I may not be their opponent if I fought them in a friendly match. But their chance of surviving against me is less than 1% if we really have to fight with our lives on the line,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently.


    The answer made Zhenlei tremble inside. She did not think that Tang Xiu was boasting, because in the face of such a bloody and frenzied battle that they possibly had to act and fight at any time, hence bragging would only court his own death.


    Tang Xiu glanced at her before shifting back his eyes to the battle. The crazy battle in front drove away any ordinary human beings in the surroundings. Many people were not aware of that vampires and Elementalists exist in the world and therefore did not have the slight thought to pull the trigger of their guns in the face of these horrifying monsters from legends.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    While watching, Tang Xiu¡¯s face suddenly changed.


    The battle mid-air was originally a few kilometers away. And even though the Intelligence War Elder Wu Ji and Bodart also suffered minor injuries, their strength was still very powerful, while Keith Moore and his several underlings were in a different situation as his other men were all killed other than Basil and Alody.


    What made Tang Xiu¡¯s expression change was that these three vampires¡ªKeith Moore, Basil, and Alody fought desperately but were still forced to retreat back by Wu Jie and Bodart, and were now heading toward his direction. With his farsightedness, Tang Xiu could clearly predict where these three would land on the ground. Once Wu Jie and Bodart caught up with them and fought in the vicinity around them, the Concealment Array would be affected and they would be exposed.


    ¡°Awu, give me a mask!¡± said Tang Xiu in a deep voice.


    Mo Awu quickly took out two bronze masks from his interspatial ring and handed one to Tang Xiu, as he also put on the other one. Jin Shi and the others also grabbed their bronze masks in succession and quickly put them on. Only Zhenlei Duomo looked at them with a puzzled expression, wanting to speak but hesitating.


    ¡°Give her one!¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Got it,¡± Mu Awu glared at her first, but finally took one out and gave it to her.


    ¡°Tempest!¡±


    Bodart, who was wearing a long blue robe and holding a red crystal rod, frenziedly waved the crystal rod and kept sending wind blades while pursuing them. The whole world in front of him was then inundated by hundreds of wind blades that fiercely hacked toward the remaining shadows of Keith Moore¡¯s group of three.


    As the trees on the mountainside were devastated by the wind blades and at the moment a towering big tree loudly fell to the ground, Keith Moor, Basil, and Alody had already landed on a spot less than a hundred meters away from the concealment array where Tang Xiu and the others were hiding.


    ¡°Target those two vampires who escaped previously.¡±


    Tang Xiu instantly released his longsword right when the other party was getting closer. His figure instantly disappeared and appeared in front of Keith Moore. His violent sword was like tearing apart the space barrier as all the energies from all directions swarmed, as a dreadful killing strike was then launched.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Keith Moore¡¯s expression greatly changed, for he never expected that there would be an ambush in front. What scared him the most was that the ambusher was just popped out of thin are, and there were no signs and traces of his presence before.


    Whoosh¡­


    As a sword light swept away, Keith Moore¡¯s wings were instantly cut off. A miserable shrieking scream sounded from him, but two sword lights came following out of the blue, piercing his abdomen and waist, and then struck into Basil and Alody¡¯s chests. The two vampires, who had been injured, were caught off guard and hurriedly avoided the strike hitting their hearts, leaving two horrible bleeding wounds on their chests.


    At this moment, right as Basil and Alody felt they just avoided a disaster and mustered all their strength to get away and escape from this place, eight flying swords came shooting at them.


    Pu! Pu! ¡­


    The eight flying swords impaled their bodies, causing their blood to burst out.


    In desperation, Basil and Alody fell down and crashed on the ground, causing thorough destruction of their Core Nucleus and completely dying.


    Tang Xiu ignored Basil and Alody. He appeared right beside Keith Moore and conjured an art that created a horrible sight of tempestuous lightning that enveloped Keith Moore in an instant, while the long sword that hovered around Tang Xiu flashed and pierced Keith Moore¡¯s head.


    Bam¡­


    At the moment when Keith Moore was hit hard, Tang Xiu sent a heavy punch to his chest. The powerful force did not shatter his Core Nucleus but still sent him flying upside down.


    ¡°Cut¡­¡±


    The longsword hacked away from Keith Moore¡¯s left shoulder through his heart and even cleaved his right in half.


    Everything happened in just four-plus seconds.


    Tang Xiu and the others appeared from the Concealment Array and only took four-plus seconds to finish the assassination, and the very formidable Keith Moore, who had a very high status in the Stygian Club, was killed along with his two men, Basil and Alody.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Wu Jie came down from midair with blazing flames hovering around him. After opening his arms to prevent the Pyramid¡¯s experts who came behind him to continue forward, he stared fixedly at Tang Xiu and his men.


    Tang Xiu sneered at him. After Mo Awu and the rest converged with him, he coldly stared back at Wu Jie and said, ¡°You¡¯re the one causing trouble in the territory of China, my country. And yet, you still ask who we are? You, who is hailed as the Intelligence War Elder of the Pyramid, turned out to be this idiot!¡±


    China? Daoist cultivators?


    Wu Jie¡¯s body trembled and he instantly raided the golden scepter in his hand, saying, ¡°You just killed the Stygian Club¡¯s people and they have nothing to do with us, the Pyramid. An adage says that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. How about joining forces to eradicate all the Stygian Club¡¯s experts on Mist Source Island, and then become friends?¡±


    ¡°Maybe we can be friends if you drag your Pyramid¡¯s people back and leave Mist Source Island,¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°But if you keep coveting the resources of my Mist Source Island and invading our territory, then you¡¯ll be our enemies!¡±


    Wu Jie frowned, ¡°Your meaning is¡­ you represent the Chinese authority?¡±


    ¡°We are people under the Chinese authority and naturally can represent the official stance of the Chinese government,¡± said Tang Xiu coldly. ¡°This Mist Source Island is in China sovereignty and is not open to outsiders. You have come here intruding our territory, thus I give you a chance to leave. Keep staying here, then your fate will not be better than these Stygian Club¡¯s people.


    Intense killing intent burst out from Bodart¡¯s eyes. When Wu Jie had yet to reply, he had already stormed over toward Tang Xiu.


    ¡°YOU COURT DEATH!¡±


    Mo Awu and the others rushed out, unleashing their flying swords to fight against Bodart.


    Tang Xiu threw out 24 array disks. His hands conjured a rune in the air and the Coruscating Stars Array was laid out in just a few breaths and instantly activated. Wu Jie¡¯s complexion drastically changed and flew backward for a hundred of meters in a flurry, and was luckily able to escape right at the moment the array was activated. But Bodart appeared directly inside the Coruscating Stars Array.


    ¡°Retreat! I¡¯ll kill him!¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s figure shifted and appeared in the array¡¯s core as he then loudly shouted.


    In a flash, Mo Awu and the others clearly heard the voice transmission from Tang Xiu commanding them to leave the Coruscating Stars Array. As they left the array, Tang Xiu controlled the big array and unleashed the four Divine Beasts, Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Red Phoenix, and Black Tortoise to appear out of the blue and encircle Bodart from four directions.


    ¡°Kill him.¡±


    With Tang Xiu¡¯s command, the four Divine Beasts unleashed their magical powers and launched unceasing fierce attacks on Bodart. The man himself had a very formidable strength and was a level stronger than Tang Xiu in his peak state. However, Tang Xiu had laid the Coruscating Stars Array according to the 24 principles of the constellation chart and, added with his deep knowledge in arrays, it made the Coruscating Stars Array become more powerful.


    Only the Coruscating Stars Array itself had brought a huge crisis to Bodart, more so that it was under Tang Xiu¡¯s control, making Bodart become surrounded by danger from all sides and almost be killed by the four Divine Beast several times.


    From a spot over 100 meters away.


    Wu Jie looked at the empty space with an expression of fright, for he was able to sense the mighty energy that was continuously being drawn from all directions and forming the special space. But he couldn¡¯t see the scene inside since he stood outside.


    There was no Tang Xiu nor Bodart to be seen there.


    But Wu Jie perfectly realized that Tang Xiu must have used some method to trap Bodart inside, and it was more likely that Bodart was facing an enormous threat at this moment.


    Wu Jie thought for a while and then suddenly called out, ¡°How about chatting first, little boy?¡±


    Inside the Coruscating Stars Array, Tang Xiu who heard that, had his face suddenly turn cold. In almost a flash, the Primal Chaos Force inside his body rushed out, causing the four Divine Beasts to nearly double in size in just a few breaths, the Coruscating Stars Array¡¯s power multiplied.


    Aaargh¡­


    Bodart evaded the sweeping tail of the Azure Dragon, but his back was scratched by the White Tiger¡¯s sharp claws, and badly bleeding. However, his crisis had not yet passed as the Red Phoenix sprayed out billowing flames to burn his body, while the Black Tortoise slammed his chest and broke his breastbone.


    ¡°DIE.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s figure disappeared in the center of the array in a flash. His longsword turned into a streak of light that pierced through Bodart¡¯s chest, while his figure appeared in front of him in order to prevent him from escaping. Then, his fist bombarded his forehead.


    Blood splattered in all directions.


    It was a one hit kill!

 Chapter 771

    Chapter 771: Driving Away With Force


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Buzz¡­


    A strange swing of sound spread out in an instant as a blurry figure appeared out of thin air outside the Coruscating Stars Array. Tang Xiu carried Bodart¡¯s head as he flashed and appeared in front of Wu Jie with a soaring killing aura.


    ¡°Bodart!?¡±


    Wu Ji was horrified. Never did he ever dream that Bodart would be killed in such a short time and that easily.


    Is it an array? The one that is told that Oriental ascetics are good at?


    Wu Jie recalled a record he had read in an ancient book and his heart suddenly twitched a few times. They came to Mist Source Island this time, and though they had prospected some mineral deposits, they had not yet carried out any mining it at all. They just planned how to plant their roots in Mist Source Island and establish a secret base for the Pyramid organization here. All these had yet to be carried out, but they had suffered such a great loss already.


    All is lost, and the losses are too heavy!


    Vexed and unwilling, Wu Jie was perfectly aware of one thing: all his plans for Mist Source Island had ended up in failure.


    Tang Xiu saw his constant change of expression and then spoke in a deep voice, ¡°Intelligence War Elder Wu Jie, you can regard yourself to have very good luck for being able to escape and stay alive from the array I laid out. But I¡¯ll tell you something, you can be lucky for this one time only. Act as you wish again and adamantly stay on this island¡­ then¡­ this Mist Source Island will become your grave!¡±


    Wu Ji looked at Tang Xiu with hatred, because Bodart was his closest comrade, and now he died in Tang Xiu¡¯s hands. This blood enmity was as deep as the ocean, and revenge was a must. Regardless, he was also clear that a wise man must know when to retreat when the odds were against him. One did not need to worry about running out firewood in the forested mountain, for it was never too late for a man to exact his revenge ten years later.


    ¡°Give me Bodart¡¯s body,¡± said Wu Jie in a heavy tone. ¡°Then I¡¯ll immediately take my men and leave Mist Source Island.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Tang Xiu quickly gave Bodart¡¯s body to Wu Jie and personally supervised as Wu Jie led his men to leave. Just when they came out of the white mist area, Tang Xiu coldly said, ¡°Do remember, not even one of your Pyramid¡¯s are people to come to Chinese territory ever again, for we don¡¯t welcome you here. Be it coming alone or in a group, I will kill you all!¡±


    ¡°Who are you, Your Excellency?¡± asked Wu Jie.


    ¡°Your status doesn¡¯t give you the qualification to know my name,¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°I may not take the initiative to fight the Pyramid if you stay still in your hive, but I don¡¯t mind storming over your place with my men otherwise.¡±


    ¡°We will meet again,¡± said Wu Jie coldly.


    Having said that, he led the Pyramid people to board a liner and soon disappeared in the horizon.


    Tang Xiu turned to look at Mo Awu and ordered, ¡°Take some me to clean up the people from other forces on Mist Source Island. Spare none. Kill all of them. Zhenlei, cooperate with Awu and solve these troubles as fast as possible.¡±


    ¡°But, Mr. Tang, isn¡¯t it a bit too crazy to kill all the other forces¡¯ people on Mist Source Island?¡± refuted Zhenlei Duomo quickly. ¡°You must know that none of these forces can be underestimated. In the case that they¡­¡±


    ¡°I dare to kill them, thus I¡¯m not afraid of their revenge!¡± Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt her and said coldly, ¡°Just do what I said!¡±


    Zhenlei Duomo fell silent for a while but still nodded. She knew that Tang Xiu was very strong and also had many cultivators under his command. But it was definitely not a wise move to be in conflict with so many foreign forces. She suddenly despised Tang Xiu at this moment.


    ****


    Mist Source Island, at the military compound.


    As Tang Xiu came back, he went to see Divine Doctor Gui Jianchou at the fastest speed. After learning that the doctor had discovered the nature of the Darkening Virus and was now working hard to prepare the cure, he could finally heave a sigh of relief. As a matter of fact, Tang Xiu was aware of his own abilities; his accomplishments in Chinese medicine were in no way could be compared to Gui Jianchou¡¯s. Reason being, he was able to treat so many incurable diseases was because the means he had as a cultivator.


    ¡°Do you need my help?¡± Tang Xiu asked after he saw Gui Jianchou¡¯s weary face but still busy working.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for the time being,¡± Gui Jianchou shook his head. ¡°If the cure I¡¯m preparing now can¡¯t completely solve the Darkening Virus until noon tomorrow, only then will I probably ask your help to think of another solution.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded. After leaving the temporary lab, he saw Yang Chuxiong rushing towards him with several officers.


    ¡°Division Commander Yang, I need some help from you.¡±


    There was a plan Tang Xiu had brewed, so he spoke to him directly.


    ¡°What do you need us to do, Mr. Tang,¡± said Yang Chuxiong quickly.


    ¡°Contact the state leaders. The higher the level, the better. But I think it will be much easier if you can convey what I need to the Number 1 Leader,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Yang Chuxiong¡¯s expression changed as he asked, ¡°What do you want me to say to the Number 1 Leader?¡±


    ¡°I need jades. A lot of uncarved ones,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°The situation in Mist Source Island is very special, but some people can easily sneak and come here. So I¡¯m going to lay out a very powerful array that encompasses the periphery of the entire island. Unless it is someone who knows how to enter and leave the array, outsiders will otherwise not be able to come here.¡±


    ¡°Set up an array here?¡± Yang Chuxiong was astounded. ¡°Is it like the methods employed by Feng Shui masters in the olden times? You can lay out the likes of invisibility art?¡±


    ¡°I do have some knowledge on it,¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°Obtaining jades is, in fact, very easy.¡± Yang Chuxiong hesitated and said, ¡°As long as those at the top approve it, I¡¯m sure it will be sent over quickly. It¡¯s just¡­ will it create other troubles after you set up the array? Although Mist Source Island has few exchanges with the outside world, it¡¯s not completely isolated either. So in case that¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand what you¡¯re thinking,¡± Tang Xiu interrupted him. ¡°I also have a very good suggestion. The state wants to seal off the news that Mist Source Island exists, hence the barricade for the entire island. Thus, I have a suggestion to set up an entrance and exit in two places on the island just like the security checks at the airport. We can specially set up a department, and only the people of this department can open the passage and provide access service¡­¡±


    The more Yang Chuxiong listened to Tang Xiu, the brighter his eyes became. Eventually, he could not bear himself to slam the table and shouted praise. If it could be set up just like Tang Xiu said, there would be no longer wariness and concern about foreign forces infiltrating Mist Source Island in the future.


    One would have to register to enter Mist Source Island and also re-register to check out.


    It would establish a perfect traffic order, controlling the flow of people coming in and out of the island. The most important thing was that once this method was completed, the country would be truly in control of Mist Source Island.


    Yang Chuxiong excitedly rubbed his hands and suddenly asked, ¡°What exactly is the actual effect of this invisibility method you¡¯re going to set up? Can it also attack the enemies? I watched the Yang Family TV series where they have the ¡®Heavenly Gate Array¡¯. It¡¯s very powerful!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression turned strange and replied, ¡°There are indeed some arrays that can attack enemies, but the array I want to set up is mainly for defending. But setting it up the array to have that feature is not impossible, though. However, the number of jades used will probably increase greatly, though.¡±


    Yang Chuxiong clapped and loudly said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about the jades. As long as it has an attacking effect we don¡¯t need to worry we¡¯ll be attacked by those foreign forces even if they come here. They won¡¯t be able to infiltrate and even more impossible to attack us. Only at this degree, can we call it impregnable!!¡±


    Hehehe¡­


    Tang Xiu was actually laughing inside. The very reason why he proposed to set up a Feng Shui great array and asked for jades was actually out of his selfishness. He needed a massive number of jades, and buying it with his own money was inefficient, hence the need for this minor trick. But if the country could contribute to his endeavor, the number of jades it could provide would definitely much more than he could spend.


    What some people embezzled were money and wealth, but for him was jade.


    Precisely speaking, it was not actually embezzlement per se, as he counted it as his reward after the service. After all, he still had to expend great effort and energy to lay out this Feng Shui great array, to begin with.


    Seeing that Yang Chuxiong was about to leave, Tang Xiu quickly stopped him and said, ¡°Mr. Yang, can we have a private talk? I need to report something to you about something I did on Mist Source Island.¡±


    Yang Chuxiong blanked for a moment. He immediately ordered the other officers around him to leave and curiously asked, ¡°What did you do, Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°Principally, it¡¯s two different matters. The first one is that I have completely solved all those forces who infiltrated Mist Source Island. Other than a group of people from the Pyramid who lost some of their men and were driven away by me, I¡¯ve killed all the rest.¡±


    Hiss¡­


    Despite Yang Chuxionig having fought in many battles in the past and also having killed many people with his own hands, he still could not bear to draw a cold breath upon hearing Tang Xiu.


    One must know that the number of people from all those foreign forces was quite large. All added up were at least 800 to 1000 people. This Tang Xiu¡­ is really ruthless and merciless to the extreme!


    Tang Xiu spoke again, ¡°Also, I met some mobs on Mist Source Island. During this virus outbreak, they were threatening civilians and some even gone so far as to kill civilians in cold blood after torturing them, hence I ordered my men to kill some of them who lost their humanity. But we handled their bodies well, leaving no trace.¡±


    Yang Chuxion nodded after hearing this, and said, ¡°That is under your jurisdiction and you have the authority for that. There¡¯s nothing wrong. We are facing a crisis this time, and yet these people break the laws and commit crimes. I will also drag them to justice if they bump into me.¡±


    ¡°Alright, now I feel relieved since you can understand it, Division Commander Yang,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Ah, right. I will also take my men to stroll around, so I won¡¯t stay in the base. Just contact me directly if there are any developments or news in regards to the matter of setting up the array and the jades needed.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± Yang Chuxiong quickly answered.


    Just as Tang Xiu was about to leave, he suddenly turned around and said, ¡°Anyhow, there¡¯s something else I need to tell you, Division Commander Yang. When we dealt with those foreign forces, we found that the Qingyuan Group¡¯s Boss, Miao Hengfu, had a clash with the Stygian Club¡¯s people, and he and many of his men were killed by them.¡±


    Yang Chuxiong was taken aback and immediately forced out a bitter smile, ¡°That means trouble.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised. ¡°What trouble, exactly? Isn¡¯t he just a businessman, a company owner? How come he can make you feel troubled as the garrison commander here?¡±

 Chapter 772

    Chapter 772: An Idiot Father-In-Law


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Yang Chuxiong looked around. After he found that nobody was nearby, he said bitterly, ¡°You should not have known. This Miao Hengfu has a patron behind his back, someone from the Mu Family of Beijing. This man surely will never let this matter go now that Miao Hengfu has been killed. This is just¡­ aargh!¡±


    Tang Xiu intentionally asked, ¡°I have a relationship with someone from the Mu Family, might you tell me who that man is?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s Mu Jianhua,¡± whispered Yang Chuxiong.


    ¡°You mean¡­ the backer behind Miao Hengfu is Mu Jianhua?¡± asked Tang Xiu, looking surprised.


    ¡°Yeah! Though Mu Jianhua is famous trash, good-for-nothing idiot, he still has the blood of the Mu Family after all. His father is the current head of the Mus, and it would be pretty troublesome if he got upset.¡±


    An idiot?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth twitched a bit and then said with a helpless expression, ¡°I need to be frank with you, Division Commander Yang. That idiot you just mentioned is actually my future father-in-law.¡±


    ¡°Your¡­ what?¡± Yang Chuxiong was utterly dumbfounded.


    ¡°Yeah. My girlfriend is Mu Wanying and Mu Jianhua is her father so that idiot you told me about is my future father-in-law,¡± confirmed Tang Xiu.


    Cough! Cough¡­


    Yang Chuxiong coughed twice, looking awkward and embarrassed. He suddenly wished the floor could have a hole he could burrow himself into. Though he did feel that Mu Jianhua was a disgrace, he had some admiration for Tang Xiu, while he just actually cursed his father-in-law right before him¡­. this¡­ was really shameful.


    ¡°Alright, you didn¡¯t know, so I don¡¯t blame you, Division Commander Yang. You don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± Tang Xiu just let out a smile and said, ¡°Besides, Mu Jianhua is himself, whereas my girlfriend is who she is. Well, let¡¯s cut this topic off, then. Since the one behind the Qingyuan Group can be said as someone close to me, then I¡¯ll help clean up this mess!¡±


    Yang Chuxiong let out a dry, hollow chuckle before he quickly said, ¡°What exactly do you want to do, Mr. Tang? The Qingyuan Group does have some businesses on the surface, but they also have some dirty ones in the back. If it wasn¡¯t for¡­ err¡­ the Mu Family¡¯s support behind them, we could have taken down Miao Hengfu¡¯s operation already.¡±


    Tang Xiu perfectly understood Yang Chuxiong¡¯s meaning and slightly smiled. Then he nodded and said, ¡°I understand. You can rest assured about that, Division Commander Yang. The future Qingyuan Group will not have anything to do with any unclean business anymore. Anyways, I still have to tend to something, so I¡¯ll take my leave.¡±


    ****


    Qingyuan Group.


    When Tang Xiu came to the company with Jin Shi and Xue Shan, he was stopped by several security guards before he entered the front door of the company, even then the security guards were very rude.


    ¡°This is my ID.¡±


    Tang Xiu took out the green book and watched as the security guards had their complexions drastically changing and having their attitudes turn 180 degrees toward him. He then immediately hummed coldly and said, ¡°You are not to speak anything about my identity. Back to your job!¡±


    With that said, he waltzed inside. After passing through the building¡¯s front entrance, Tang Xiu found two young female receptionists fiddling with their mobile phones at the lobby, while several young men and women were gathered having a chat.


    ¡°It¡¯s odd. No one here has any device that produces static electricity,¡± Jin Shi, who was walking alongside Tang Xiu, couldn¡¯t help but comment.


    Tang Xiu also frowned. He then toward the lobby and said, ¡°I¡¯m someone from the government. I¡¯ll have to trouble you to inform call the senior executives of the Qingyuan Group here in half an hour tops!¡±


    The two lady receptionists observed Tang Xiu and his men for some time before one of them immediately shook her head and said with a beautiful smile, ¡°Please don¡¯t pull a prank on us, Sir. We would have already received the news should there be any inspection from the government. Also, our Boss is not here currently. You might have to wait for some time for him to come back.¡±


    Tang Xiu then spoke in a heavy tone, ¡°Contact all the senior executives of your Qingyuan Group to gather in the meeting room here, except for your Boss, of course. This is my ID. Obstruct my work and you shall be prosecuted as acting against the law!¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± The two female receptionists looked at the green book, but neither of them knew what it meant. After some hesitation, the woman said, ¡°We have no authority to do that, Sir. How about calling Vice Li, the Vice President of the Qingyuan Group? Would you like to speak to him first?¡±


    ¡°Fine!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    A few minutes later, a middle-aged man in his 40s came to the lobby along with two young men. After he observed Tang Xiu trio for some time, he said, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Li Heming, the Vice President of the Qingyuan Group. And you are¡­¡±


    After showing his proof of authority, Tang Xiu spoke in a deep tone, ¡°Given your position as the Vice President of the company, you should know what it means being represented by this document. Now, I command you to contact all senior executives of the Qingyuan Group at once to convene in the meeting room. As for your Boss, I won¡¯t wait for him.¡±


    Li Heming looked a bit pale. He had never seen this green book before but he had heard what it represented by the words written on its cover. He quickly nodded and walked to the side. The first one he called was his Big Boss, Miao Hengfu, but much to his headache, the Big Boss did not even answer him at all.


    On the third floor, in the meeting room.


    In just half an hour, nearly all the related people had arrived other than Miao Hengfu, the owner of the Qingyuan Group. More than 20 people were now sitting on both sides of the conference table, each wearing an indifferent look as they saw the person who sat on the chair that was usually reserved for the Big Boss and whispering to each other.


    ¡°Have all of them arrived, Li Heming?¡± The time had come, and Tang Xiu immediately asked.


    ¡°All have arrived,¡± replied Li Heming.


    Tang Xiu gave a slight nod in response. His sharp eyes swept the faces of more than 20 people here and then said in a deep and heavy voice, ¡°I¡¯m going to announce something. Your Boss, the owner of the Qingyuan Group, Miao Hengfu, has died along with his son, Miao Wenlei, while dozens of your security guards have been killed after a clash with some foreign forces. I already investigated Miao Hengfu¡¯s relatives; he has no one else but his son and his old parents. It¡¯s obvious that his parents are no longer suitable to manage the Qingyuan Group¡¯s business, so now all of you are facing two options. The first one is for you to leave the company and seek another career elsewhere. Also, you had better find some stock broker to trade Miao Hengfu¡¯s shares into cash to be inherited by his parents.¡±


    Li Heming was dumbfounded, and so were the rest of more than 20 senior executives of the Qingyuan Group. Tongue-tied and dumbfounded, they looked at Tang Xiu with disbelief in their faces.


    The Big Boss¡­ died?


    The news was as though a blasting thunderclap in their ears, leaving them at a loss for some time.


    Only after a long while did Li Heming finally spoke with shivering lips and low voice, ¡°Mr. Tang, our Boss owned the entire Qingyuan Group. 100% of the shares belonged to him.¡±


    Tang Xiu had already assigned someone to investigate this matter before he came to the Qingyuan Group, so he naturally knew about the situation. While observing everyone¡¯s shocked faces, he said, ¡°Since Miao Hengfu has died and his parents are not suitable to manage the Qingyuan Group, then I will decide this matter. I¡¯ll give a sum of money to Miao Hengfu¡¯s parents and resettle them back under the country care, letting them enjoy their remaining happy years.


    ¡°As for the Qingyuan Group, the country will take a part of the shares, which would be 51%, while senior executives, yourselves, will receive 1% each except for Li Heming. The remaining 25% will then be left to investors.¡±


    After that, Tang Xiu asked in a deep voice, ¡°Is there any opinions?¡±


    Li Heming¡¯s pupils contracted and a glint flashed in his eyes. How could he not see that Tang Xiu was using his position as a representative of the country to take over Miao Hengfu¡¯s business? Upon seeing the excitement of the other senior executives of the company who got 1% of the shares, Li Heming nervously looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Mr. Tang, what about me¡­¡±


    ¡°All of them amount to 22 people, hence 22% of the shares in total, while you will get 3%. But you will be working as the General Manager of the Qingyuan Group henceforth. As for your annual salary, it will still be the same,¡± Tang Xiu elaborated.


    3%? Nearly 100 million yuan?


    Li Heming felt happy inwardly and nodded, ¡°I¡¯m fine with it.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in satisfaction. Then he took out a communicator and dialed Mu Waning¡¯s number in front of everyone, and then turned the speaker on.


    ¡°Hello, Tang Xiu!¡±


    Mu Wanying¡¯s voice came from the communicator, and everyone in the meeting room could clearly hear her voice.


    ¡°Wanying, how much money can you get from your company now? I mean, how much liquid funds you can take without affecting the normal operations of your company?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Mu Wanying hesitated for a moment and then answered, ¡°The clients you introduced to me last time have made the company expand by more than 10 times, and with considerable income as well. I just checked out the financial situation a couple of days ago, and I think it won¡¯t be a problem to take up to 250 million yuan.¡±


    ¡°250 million it is, then,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m going to offer you another business. You should know about the Qingyuan Group in Mist Source Island, right? Your father, Mu Jianhua, is deeply related to Miao Hengfu, the owner of the Qingyuan Group. Now that he died with his son, you will spend 250 million yuan to buy 25% of the company shares.¡±


    ¡°What did you say? Miao Hengfu is dead?¡± Mu Wanying asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. He has died. And now I¡¯m here acting on behalf of the government to solve some issues here,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Then, about my Dad¡­¡± said Mu Wanying quickly.


    ¡°I won¡¯t deal with your father,¡± Tang Xiu interrupted her. ¡°The one who can manage him is you. You have to come to Mist Source Island personally later! The Vice President of the Qingyuan Group, Li Heming, as well as the officials on Mist Source Island, will fully cooperate with you to carry out the equity changes.¡±


    ¡°About this¡­ Okay!¡±


    Tang Xiu hung up and looked at the shocked faces of the top executives of the Qingyuan Group. Then, he spoke, ¡°I believe I don¡¯t need to tell you anything as you should know who Mu Wanying is. Miao Hengfu is dead, but not the Qingyuan Group itself. I hope you keep this issue confidential before the equity changes and the transfer have been finished. Even after those are over, you should still keep my warning in your mind. Else, I will take back what I¡¯ve given you and even make you pay more.¡±


    ¡°We understand!¡±


    The top executives of the company had a change in expression and successively solemnly nodded.

 Chapter 773

    Chapter 773: Severe Punishment in Troubled Times


    Translator: Udeze Editor: Udeze


    Tang Xiu decided to leave after addressing the issue with the Qingyuan Group. The Chinese leaders asked him to come to Mist Source with a clear purpose, that was: solving the problem with the Darkening Virus and to maintain the order and safety of the island¡¯s inhabitants.


    Of these two problems, Divine Doctor Gui Jianchou was now dealing with one and he did not need to concern about it much. He also had nearly solved the second problem.


    The following issue he had to carry out was to maintain order, security, and safety of the Mist Source Island¡¯s people, and deal with whoever took advantage to make things more chaotic and fishing in troubled waters. The most important thing he had to do under such a desperate situation was to deal with the criminals causing riots.


    The police system on Mist Source Island could be said to have been practically paralyzed. The police force had been infected by the Darkening Virus, so how would they still have time to worry about the civilians¡¯ safety? Hence, he could not count on them in any way.


    ¡°Boss, I always felt like something was a bit odd here.¡±


    At the entrance of the Qingyuan Group¡¯s building, Jin Shi frowned and spoke to Tang Xiu, who just sat in the car.


    ¡°What is it, exactly?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°We spent 2 hours and 45 minutes ever since we entered the Qingyuan Group until we left, and a full two hours were particularly spent inside the meeting room. We are cultivators, so we are free from being infected by the Darkening virus since we can use our True Essence to block the virus. But from what I¡¯ve seen, all those top executives of the Qingyuan Group clearly have signs of being infected, but none of them were using any electrostatic generator device to suppress the virus inside their bodies. That¡¯s precisely what feels amiss.¡±


    After hearing this, Tang Xiu¡¯s expression suddenly changed. He did overlook this issue a while ago and did not expect that Jin Shi was able to notice it. After blaming his own neglect inwardly, he immediately said, ¡°Immediately call Li Heming and tell him to come here!¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Jin Shi replied.


    A few minutes later, Li Heming rushed over. When he saw the license plate on the car Tang Xiu was in, a glint flashed in his eyes. The letter and numbers were written in black color and started with a red colored character, a typical military plate. As Li Heming¡¯s gaze fell on Tang Xiu behind the window, he made his posture even lower as he came before the window and respectfully said, ¡°Do you have any instructions for me, Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°Did something particular happened with the Qingyuan Group?¡± Tang Xiu asked, ¡°It¡¯s very obvious that all of you have been infected by the Darkening Virus, but how come none of you are using electrostatic producing devices to suppress it?¡±


    ¡°The company has installed an electrostatic discharger inside since the Boss¡­ err, Miao Hengfu ordered us to buy it from a group of foreign forces. This electric discharger can cover the entire building, so all the employees inside don¡¯t need any other electrostatic producing devices,¡± said Li Heming quickly.


    ¡°An electrostatic discharger?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s spirit shook since he did not expect that there was such an object nowadays. After thinking about it for a while, he immediately asked, ¡°What¡¯s the maximum area that can be covered by this electrostatic discharger, exactly? I mean, can you cover the entire Mist Source Island with it?¡±


    ¡°I also asked about this to Miao Hengfu before. The electrostatic discharger that¡¯s being used by our Qingyuan Group should be the most powerful one in the line, but it can only cover a few kilometers in diameter. This electrostatic discharger was an object of little value in the past, since not only is it not useful to humans, but instead brings harm to the human body.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded without a word as he could tell that Li Heming should be saying the truth. He thought about the issue for a while and then slowly asked, ¡°Can you still buy this electronic discharger?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Li Heming shook his head. ¡°It was Miao Hengfu who bought it, and it seemingly cost him quite a bit. Regardless, though, I know the origin of the seller. They come from the Commonwealth of Micronesia.¡±


    Tang Xiu could only nod helplessly. He knew this group of people. How would he be able to buy such an electrostatic discharger from them since they had been completely decimated by the Stygian Club? He fell into thought for a while and recalled that Divine Doctor Gui Jianchou told him that the results of the antivirus he was developing could only be seen by midday tomorrow. After remembering this, Tang Xiu then suppressed his idea to buy a massive number of electrostatic dischargers.


    ¡°Anyways, is there a relatively clean place in the company? I want to assign some people to stay here.¡±


    Li Heming asked back, ¡°May I ask how many people precisely, Mr. Tang?¡±


    After pondering about it, Tang Xiu eventually shook his head and said, ¡°Ah, forget it, then. In any case, the research for the cure of the Darkening Virus should be finished by tomorrow, so I don¡¯t need to trouble myself with it.¡±


    He originally planned to tell Tang Han to bring her confidantes here. But he eventually gave up the idea since he did not want any outsiders to find out that he and Tang Han were related. The Qingyuan Group itself had many people, and it would be very easy to have their relationship exposed to the outside.


    ****


    Tang Manor Marital School.


    Tang Xiu headed directly there after leaving the Qingyuan Group, while Mo Awu and the rest then rushed to catch up to inform him that they had exterminated the remnants of those foreign forces.


    ¡°This place has turned tranquil now, Boss.¡± Mo Awu spoke in a relaxed voice as he looked at Tang Xiu, who was smoking on the sofa.


    ¡°What you meant by peaceful should be because you just removed all those foreign forces, no?¡± refuted Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°The fact is, we are still far from achieving true peace here. The Darkening Virus has infected all inhabitants on Mist Source Island, creating chaos and panic. Some unscrupulous people who already harbored evil intentions will be fanning the flames of chaos to destroy order right in this period of time. Also, even though the Darkening Virus is being temporarily suppressed, people will still be jittery and panicky as long as it isn¡¯t fully solved. The longer the delay, the more likely it will bring disorder and chaos.¡±


    Mo Awu scrunched up and said, ¡°You mean¡­¡±


    ¡°The twelve people in our team shall be divided into six groups, four of which are to rush to the four big cities, Python, Wolfpack, Twin Brooks, and Mixed Summit City, in order to maintain the order among the civilians. You are to execute and kill anyone who harbors evil intention or commit something extreme. The other two groups will need to work hard as they will have to scour all the villages in the entire Mist Source Island.¡±


    ¡°Orders received!¡± Mo Awu¡¯s reply was very simple as always.


    Tang Han hurriedly interjected, ¡°I and my people will join you, Brother. Besides, we are very familiar with Mist Source Island, to begin with, so we can help you in action.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile. ¡°All of you are not under the threat of the Darkening Virus now, so it won¡¯t be a big problem for you to help us. Regardless, I want you to disguise your appearance, though, so as to avoid you getting be recognized as someone from the Tang Manor Martial School.¡±


    ¡°How should I disguise myself?¡± asked Tang Han.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that! I have my ways,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Changing appearance and putting up a disguise was but an easy task to Mo Awu and the others. They used to practice abroad in the past and had long used these methods to perfection.


    The stability and order on Mist Source Island, particularly its major cities, were indeed very bad right now. Despite the initial small-scale unrest and riots, the police were still able to suppress it with an iron fist, and yet, there were still many people who harbored evil intentions and were preparing to destroy this state. Some people with extreme personality were even sharpening tools and weapons and brandishing their weapons at others once they could not cope with the consequences of facing death due to the virus infection.


    As of now, there had yet to occur a large-scale riot, but chaotic scenes could be seen happening in many neighborhoods.


    Twin Brooks City.


    In a certain district, dozens of young men with knives and sticks in their hands smashed Huimin Supermarket¡¯s door and stormed inside. Although the supermarket cashier did not have much cash, the supermarket itself was full of goods and was worth a lot of money. These people then frantically went insane and seemed to be seeking expensive things, stuffing them into their pockets and bags.


    ¡°ALL OF YOU, STOP!!!¡±


    A middle-aged woman with a mobile phone shouted from the second floor. There was anger and panic on her face as she was afraid to go downstairs.


    The dozens of young men ignored her and kept looting outrageously, scrambling everything they could touch and messing up the first floor of the supermarket.


    About four-plus minutes later, five men with sticks rushed in from the outside, led by a furious middle-aged man who slashed his knife toward a youth who ran outside after loading himself with goods. Another slash chopped down and directly stabbed the neck of another youth who was caught unprepared.


    ¡°Put them down! I¡¯ll kill whoever dares to rob my supermarket!¡± The middle-aged man wiped off the splashing blood on his face and loudly shouted.


    In a flash, dozens of young men who were looting the supermarket stopped moving and turned quiet. But after five-plus seconds, a youth roared, ¡°Who the fuck is afraid? There are just five of them and we are dozens! KILL THEM AND WE CAN GRAB ALL THE GOODS IN THIS SUPERMARKET AND MOVE THEM TO OUR HOMES!!!¡±


    ¡°YEAH, KILL THEM!¡±


    A chaotic fight broke out shortly after. The middle-aged man and his four comrades were chased out of the supermarket, all scarred and battered. One of them, who was gravely injured, eventually collapsed at the supermarket entrance, ganged up and beaten to death.


    SCREECH¡­


    An off-road car stopped nearby and two robust middle-aged men jumped out of it, dashing toward and clashing with them head-on. His berserk strikes and valiant combat prowess had already killed four men before the mob reacted.


    ¡°KILL THESE FUCKING BASTARDS!!!¡±


    The dozens of youths realized that these two men were sharp and powerful, as they roared to bolster up their courage, raised up their weapons and stormed over toward them.


    Puff! Puff! Puff¡­


    What was a tiger storming a flock of sheep like?


    It was exactly this scene in front as the two middle-aged men grabbed the machetes on the ground and hacked at the youths as though they were just like cutting melons. With extreme speed and strength, only less than ten youths were still alive after several breaths from the previously dozens strong.


    ¡°DEVIL!!! RUN!!!¡±


    ¡°RUN!¡±


    The rest of the youths had already lost their wits out of fear, no longer having any energy to stake their lives. They threw away their weapons as well as the supermarket goods and began running away like hell.


    However, their speed was too slow as the two middle-aged men eventually caught up with them and killed them all without a shred of mercy.


    ¡°Are they still human?¡±


    From the corner of the street more than 100 meters away from Huimin Supermarket, the four middle-aged men who got hacked and injured were staring at the scene in front with stunned and dumbfounded expressions. Those were tens of strong and robust young men! And yet, all of them had been completely slaughtered so fast and easily?

 Chapter 774

    Chapter 774: Way of the Heroes


    Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales


    It might¡¯ve been tumultuous outside, yet some people still went out and passed by. The four middle-aged men in the street corner were not the only onlookers who watched the slaughter scene, so were the others who hid and also watched the one-sided massacre in horror.


    It was currently an era of peace and Mist Source Island rarely had a homicide case. Yet currently, an unimaginable massacre where dozens of people were being killed was occurring.


    But suddenly, one of the two killers stood proudly in front of the Huimin Supermarket. His eyes glanced at the onlookers in the distance and he shouted in a heavy tone, ¡°They deserve to die for committing crimes against public safety. The Mist Source Island is under the threat of the Darkening Virus, yet some people are deliberately creating chaos with their arsons, killings, and lootings. Such people must pay a grievous price. Neither the government nor the police has the ability to deal with the virus as they are too busy with other matters. In any case, we will become both the law enforcer and the judge on their behalf. Thus, we¡¯ll punish those who commit crimes against public safety!¡±


    Vigilantes replacing the government?


    The frightened onlookers were instantly in astonishment.


    They perfectly realized that public order was currently at its lowest point since members of the police force were infected by the virus and were unable to maintain the peace. The public law and order was something that directly affected the common people like themselves.


    Suddenly, everyone¡¯s hearts started calming down and those who were about to flee decided against it. Those who had the ability to fight were quietly approaching from every direction to look at two god-like¡­ heroes.


    Exactly. In their mind, they all called these two men heroes.


    The tall and burly man who stood in front of the Huimin supermarket looked around. He could see that the spectators had a change in their expressions. He then continued speaking with a clear voice, ¡°Divine Doctor Gui Jianchou has come from the mainland. He is putting his all into researching the antidote for the Darkening virus. We are hopeful that a good result will appear from his work by tomorrow or in a few days, so I hope everyone can pass this message along and that we can overcome this virus outbreak as soon as possible !¡±


    Having said that, he beckoned to the four middle-aged men and loudly asked, ¡°How are your bodies? Ask these friends around if you have any shallow injuries and help with disposing the dead bodies. Remember to move the bodies to the crematorium to prevent further breakout of the virus.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all right.¡±


    The four middle-aged men were all scarred and bruised¡ªand even one them was in a serious condition¡ªbut they persevered enough to support themselves and walked step by step. It was needless to say, but they knew that the emergence of these two men had saved their lives; they were their savior.


    ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll go first since we need to inspect other areas as well.¡±


    The two burly men cupped their fists and quickly returned to the car, started it, and sped away.


    Python City.


    Wu Li dragged her tired body, carrying food she had just purchased from the supermarket. She crept along the path toward her house that was about a few hundred meters away. She was also infected by the Darkening virus and was in a very serious state. Even though the static electricity curbed the spreading of Darkening virus, it was still tormenting her day and night, sapping the strength from her body.


    She was a single parent¡ªa mother of a six-year-old daughter. Although she had a decently-paid job and was able to hire a nanny, the nanny had left, leaving only herself to take care of her daughter.


    ¡°Bahaha, we¡¯ve got something hot here!¡±


    Two drunkards dressed in suits and with neatly combed hair appeared. Their appearance looked like they should be executives of a company, if not owners of companies, yet their laugh, obscenity, and dirty thoughts revealed their true selves when they saw the pretty Wu Li.


    ¡°WHAT ARE YOU DOING?¡±


    Wu Li¡¯s expression quickly changed as the two men blocked her path. She had heard that the entirety of Python City had fallen into chaos recently, even hearing that there had been many murders.


    One of the men touched his chin, grinning as he plunged toward Wu Li, grabbing her and forcing himself on her to kiss her.


    Slap!


    Although Wu Li didn¡¯t have much strength left and she was unable to follow the man¡¯s speed, it didn¡¯t take much effort for her to slap the man. Unfortunately, she had no power to get rid of the man¡¯s arm with her limited strength.


    ¡°YOU DARE SLAP ME, FUCKING BITCH!!¡±


    The man released Wu Li and punched her in the face, sending her to slump on the ground, yet he continued to kick and punch.


    ¡°Old Zhou, don¡¯t break her! We, brothers, still need to have this meat to vent up our urge today!¡± The other man stopped him and forcefully dragged Wu Li up.


    Wu Li shouted for help, enduring the pain all over her body. There were many people who passed by her, at least a dozen of them within a radius of 200 meters; yet, nobody came to help her. All of them just minded their own businesses, showing their indifferent attitude.


    Creak¡­


    A car stopped and parked nearby. A burly man dashed out and directly stabbed the two men¡¯s hearts.


    ¡°AAAAAH¡­¡±


    The sudden turn of events shocked Wu Li and made her fearful. She staggered backward and slumped down on the cold concrete pavement.


    The big man coldly shouted, ¡°The law enforcers are unable to maintain the law and order, so I will be one to enact justice and punishment. Those who dare harm public safety, committing arsons, murders, and other fucking evil things will be killed with no mercy! Whoever dares to create panic, break the laws, and hinder us will be mercilessly suppressed¡ªAND EXECUTED!¡±


    ¡°Divine Doctor Gui Jianchou is now devoting all of his efforts to study the antivirus for the infectious disease. You can expect his successful report in the next few days. Pass this message on to the others, and I hope you all can abide by the law until then. Wait for the antidote that will be delivered to your door!¡±


    After saying that, the big man strode up to the flustered and panicked Wu Li. He extended his hand and pulled her up, saying, ¡°Go home quickly! Wait for the antidote to be sent to your home so that you can resume your normal life.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you.¡±


    A look of gratitude appeared on Wu Li¡¯s face, followed by constant thanks coming from her mouth.


    The burly man let out a simple smile, ¡°This is what we should do to keep social stability and maintain the law and order. It¡¯s the responsibility for each and every one of us!¡±


    The big man quickly went back to his car and left.


    Wolfpack City; Mixed Summit City¡­


    Similar events also happened in both cities, where those who broke the law had been killed mercilessly and faced bloody repression. The news of these swift acts and the deeds of the ¡°heroes¡± spread to the four major cities through word of mouth. This scared and deterred those who were committing crimes, causing none to dare act rashly for now.


    In addition, the news spread that the Divine Doctor Gui Jianchou would soon see the results of his research into the antidote, and that antidote would be quickly proliferated and distributed to the millions of people in the four major cities. People seemed to see hope on the horizon, only wishing that the Divine Doctor¡¯s research proceeded smoothly and he developed the antidote.


    Mist Source Island.


    In the center of the Southern side of the island was a village with a population of around 1000-2000 inhabitants. Here, Tang Xiu personally killed a large number of tyrannical people whose hands were stained by the blood of innocents. He then announced the news that Divine Doctor Gui Jianchou was currently researching the antidote for the Darkening virus and good results would soon come.


    The inhabitants were instantly grateful to Tang Xiu and had hope. In the midst of their grateful remarks, the old village chief personally invited Tang Xiu and Tang Han to his house.


    After the sumptuous dinner.


    The old village chief accompanied Tang Xiu to drink his personally made wine. Tang Xiu was about to leave as soon as possible to inspect other places yet he still drank a lot.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    His communicator buzzed, dragging Tang Xiu back from his tipsiness. He took the mobile and saw that it was a call from Gu Xiaoxue. He immediately put the call through and asked, ¡°You¡¯ve arrived, Xiaoxue?¡±


    ¡°We just entered Mist Source Island, Grand Master.¡± Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s sweet voice came out from the communicator. ¡°Where are you now? We¡¯ll immediately catch up with you.¡±


    ¡°Go straight to the big mountain in the center of the island,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯m in the village on the southern side of the mountain, and do contact me again once you¡¯re here¡­¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Tang Xiu immediately canceled his plan to go to the other areas. Since Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s team had arrived, he must lead them to traverse the central area of the mountain. It must be noted that there were a lot of efficacious medicinal materials, spirit fruits, and precious ores inside that mountain.


    All of these were the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s scarcest resources for cultivation at the present.


    The evening came and the stars hung in the night sky. Cool breezes were blowing gently creating a cooling sensation. Tang Xiu stood on a large bluestone in the outskirts of the village, looking up at the vast starry sky. It had been a year since he returned to Earth where he had experienced a lot of things. He should be very satisfied, for he had family members, friends, a career, and women. He had even found the one he cared for the most, Gu Yan¡¯er.


    However, at this moment, he felt somewhat at a loss. He missed the days when he lived in the Immortal World. Fond memories made him miss some of his best friends, and also¡­ those few, precious ¡°good friends¡±¡ªthose of whom he wanted to stand before and hack them with his sword.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be benevolent to those who are good to me, and I¡¯ll be evil to those who do evil deeds to me!¡±


    ¡°When I, Tang Xiu, set my feet on the fertile land of the Immortal World once again, I will unfold the foul wind and rain of blood. Those who are against me will perish and those who follow me will prosper. No one has ever succeeded to rule and reign in the Immortal World for eons. But as for me, I will dominate it. I will stand as the hegemon above myriads of races, for I will break and push the threshold of the gate of the Immortal World!¡±


    Tang Xiu clenched his fists as his aura blasted out of his body, punching his fist into the void. Layers of qi created turbulence in the air, creating ripples that spread distantly in all directions.


    Kilometers away from him.


    A dozen cars quickly approached with Gu Xiaoxue sitting inside the front car. She could clearly see Tang Xiu who stood tall on the tree.


    His figure was seemingly thin yet he looked very stalwart at this moment. That handsome look and the charms that he exuded made her heart a complete mess. His surging, imposing aura brought infinite grandeur as if he was the sovereign of the world.


    Badump, badump¡­


    Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s heart suddenly accelerated and remained at a racing pace. The sensation that engulfed her was something that she could not clearly explain nor understand.

 Chapter 775

    Chapter 775: Plundering Resources


    Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales


    The clear and cool breeze blew gently while the shadows of trees danced amidst the wind.


    Tang Xiu was keenly aware that some cars were approaching. He floated down and walked step by step on the ground. Several cars stopped in front of him and he watched dozens of people get out before his eyes fell on the angel-like Gu Xiaoxue in her white dress.


    ¡°It¡¯s been tough on you.¡±


    Tang Xiu gently nodded at her with a smile on his handsome face.


    Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s remarkable glowing eyes were fixated on Tang Xiu¡¯s smiling face as she affectionately replied, ¡°It¡¯s not been that tough, Grand Master. It¡¯s you who has been working hard instead.¡±


    ¡°Alright. How was the situation with Yan¡¯er before you came here?¡± Asked Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Any words she wants to pass on to me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Master did want me to convey her regards to you, Grand Master,¡± said Gui Xiaoxue. ¡°Also, for the time being, she is only able to leave the Everlasting Feast Hall for 2 days at the most. She is waiting for you to take her out for a walk once you visit Jingmen Island.¡±


    She can get out for two days?


    Tang Xiu smilingly replied, ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, are we going to the mountain now that you mentioned, or should we wait before we go?¡± Gu Xiaoxue asked.


    Watching the dozens of people who stood respectfully behind Gu Xiaoxue who did not look weary but instead seemed full of energy, Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and then said, ¡°Have some rest for a while. I¡¯ll take you to the mountain early in the morning. Also, this mountain is rather special as it¡¯s entirely covered by arrays. Without my guidance, hiking up there will be very difficult for you all.¡±


    ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll follow your arrangements, Grand Master,¡± Gu Xiaoxue nodded.


    Once evening came, Tang Xiu took his men to enter the village. As some houses were occupied by the foreign forces before, no one occupied them at this time; thus there was no issue with their accommodation. However, right as everyone settled down, Tang Han came using the advantage of the cover of the night.


    ¡°Who are they, Brother?¡±


    There was a puzzled look on Tang Han¡¯s face when she saw Gui Xiaoxue and the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people.


    ¡°I¡¯ll introduce you to them, Sis.¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said, ¡°This is Gu Xiaoxue, my grand-disciple. The rest are the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people who are also my subordinates. You can treat them as our own people who you can trust to guard your back.¡±


    The Everlasting Feast Hall and¡­ a grand-disciple?


    There was an incredulous expression on Tang Han¡¯s face as she looked at the stunningly beautiful Gu Xiaoxue. She knew that the Everlasting Feast Hall was based in Jingmen Island and was well off. Yet, this younger cousin of hers was just 21-year-old¡ªhow did he have a grand-disciple already?


    Also, judging from the appearance of this girl, she should be a few years younger than her, right?


    Gu Xiaoxue didn¡¯t know about Tang Han¡¯s identity, but hearing Tang Xiu call her older sister, she immediately said with respect, ¡°Hello, Grand Martial Aunt. I¡¯m Gu Xiaoxue.¡±


    Uh¡­ Grand Martial Aunt?


    Tang Han was at a loss whether to laugh or cry and felt absurd and ridiculous for a while. She hesitated and then hastily said, ¡°Gu¡­ Xiaoxue. Can you not address me with¡­ Grand Martial Aunt? Besides, I should be just a few years older than you are. If you don¡¯t mind, just call me sister, or call me¡­ Sister Han. Though I don¡¯t know why you address Tang Xiu as Grand Master, we are people who live in a modern age with different ideas about things, right?¡±


    ¡°About this¡­¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue was dumbfounded. Never did it occur to her that Tang Han would utter such words. She made a subconscious quick glance at Tang Xiu with a confused look on her face.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t care about title trivialities himself, so he waved and said, ¡°Have it your way in addressing each other.¡±


    Tang Han pulled Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s hand and smilingly said, ¡°Alright! You heard him, right? Tang Xiu doesn¡¯t mind it, so just call me either Big Sis or Sis Han. You calling me Grand Martial Aunt kinda sounds like I¡¯m an ancient fossil.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ uh. Alright! Hello Sis Han.¡± Gu Xiaoxue finally surrendered and addressed her as requested.


    With a satisfied smile, Tang Han said, ¡°Alright, since we are all together, discard all the formalities okay? Though there¡¯s a bit I don¡¯t get. Why did you address Tang Xiu as your Grand Master?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because he¡¯s my Master¡¯s Master!¡± replied Gu Xiaxue.


    ¡°Your Master¡¯s Master? Then your Master is¡­¡± Tang Han¡¯s face looked unnatural.


    ¡°My Master is Gu Yan¡¯er. She brought me up since childhood, but Master is Grand Master¡¯s disciple, so I naturally must address him as Grand Master.¡±


    The idea made Tang Han feel dizzy. She felt like she was not on the same page as Gu Xiaoxue, nor was she able to figure out anything. She immediately shifted to Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Hey, Brother, explain to me what¡¯s the situation here?¡±


    ¡°Yan¡¯er is my disciple and Xiaoxue is her disciple. Hence, Xiaoxue addressing me as Grand Master is naturally correct,¡± explained Tang Xiu. ¡°Besides, I also have several other disciples, one of whom is even much older. Do you know the Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical, by chance?¡±


    ¡°I know that company. It¡¯s a big pharmaceutical company in our country,¡± replied Tang Han immediately. ¡°Its Boss, Chen Zhizhong, is a very capable man. I know about some notable people since I have been to the mainland a few times.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°That Chen Zhizhong is also my disciple, though his status is only an in-name disciple. His son, who is older than me, also insisted that he must address me as Grand Master.¡±


    ¡°Chen Zhizhong is your disciple?¡± Tang Han was surprised. ¡°Heavens! What exactly are the skills you have, Brother? To think that you even got Chen Zhizhong to acknowledge you as his Master?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me Grandpa hasn¡¯t told you about my identity as a cultivator?¡± Asked Tang Xiu back with a smile.


    Tang Han stared blankly for a short while before shaking her head. ¡°Nope. Grandpa hasn¡¯t told me about that.¡±


    ¡°Well, since Grandpa hasn¡¯t told you, then I¡¯ll tell you now.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°If you would like to cultivate, Big Sis, I can impart you with a cultivation technique that will give you formidable strength.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll learn it!¡± Blurted Tang Han without hesitation.


    Even though she lived in Mist Source Island all year round, she was also a member of the Tang Family. She understood some of the rumors with the so-called cultivators; for example, they were existences the likes of celestial immortals, yet they really existed in this world. Though never did she imagine that her younger brother would turn out to be one of them.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re a cultivator, Brother¡­ can¡­ can you¡­ fly like those in the legends?¡± Tang Han asked with anticipation all over her face.


    ¡°When you reach a certain extent in your cultivation stage, you will naturally able to fly in the air. Though flying will need the help of some minor spells with the Qi Control technique at the most basic foundation,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Alright, cease the inquiries for now. You will figure it out later when you become a cultivator and have formidable strength.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Tang Han nodded with deep anticipation on her face.


    The next morning.


    Tang Xiu led Tang Han, Gu Xiaoxue, and dozens of members of Everlasting Feast Hall outside the village to quickly hike up the mist-shrouded mountain. Since Tang Xiu thoroughly understood the layout of the array covering the mountain, bringing all of them up it was quite easy.


    ¡°Oh my God! Is this a paradise?¡±


    With a shocked expression, Tang Han¡¯s mouth turned O-shaped as she saw the scenery in the mountain. She saw towering trees that were larger than hundreds of year old trees she had seen, along with abnormally sized animals that broke logic.


    ¡°Is that a rabbit, Brother?¡± Tang Han pointed at a bison-sized rabbit with disbelief.


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s really a rabbit.¡± Tang Xiu smilingly replied, ¡°I guess it¡¯s been alive for at least several hundreds of years. I even guesstimate that it should be over a millennium. Well, you can also regard it as a Demon Rabbit.¡±


    A Demon Rabbit?


    Tang Han shuddered and instantly stopped moving.


    ¡°Take it easy!¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°I came to this mountain previously and found that these animals are very docile. They will not hurt you as long as you don¡¯t attack them.¡±


    The revelation made Tang relax and exclaim, ¡°Sigh. It never occurred to me that you¡¯d be powerful to this extent, Brother. You know, tons of people have been trying everything possible to enter this mountain, and yet it was all for naught. I never expected that I would be able to come here today. This will cause a huge sensation should the people outside learn about this.¡±


    ¡°You must not tell anyone about you coming to this mountain, Sis! Not even your trusted subordinates,¡± Said Tang Xiu hastily. ¡°This mountain can be called a treasure mountain, and since we are the only ones who can come here, this will be the possession of our Tang Family. In case those outsiders found out about this, I fear that they will flock to this place and resort to all means to come here!¡±


    Tang Han cautiously nodded, ¡°I got it. You can don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡±


    Tang Xiu then shifted his eyes to Gu Xiaoxue and the dozens of members of Everlasting Feast Hall, speaking in a heavy tone, ¡°Don¡¯t try to climb higher. This mountain is very bizarre and scary. The higher you climb, the greater the pressure you will encounter. Forcing yourselves to climb higher will harm and even injure you. Alright. Start moving and act now to take all the resources, but pay attention to your own safety! Our Everlasting Feast Hall needs these resources.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue and the rest nodded.


    The expropriation was done frenziedly as they took a massive number of efficacious medicinal herbs, spirit fruits, and precious ores and loaded them into 10 interspatial rings. It was Ji Chimei who recently manufactured these rings in the headquarters of Everlasting Feast Hall in Jingmen Island.


    Tang Xiu spent the whole morning in the mountains before leading the group of people to leave the site in a hurry. After leaving, he immediately called Divine Doctor Gui Jianchou.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ I know you are unable to hold your urge to call me, Tang Xiu! I will tell you good news, I have researched and developed the antidote after finding the right idea based off of the theory you had tested previously. I¡¯m currently studying the data, but I also need to start the mass production of the antidote. It needs a massive number of medicinal herbs. I already told Yang Chuxiong and he has been busy working with the people from the army!¡±


    ¡°Have you already done the experiment?¡± Asked Tang Xiu. ¡°Also, can it completely treat the infectious disease?¡±


    ¡°30 infected patients have been fully treated and cured,¡± replied Gui Jiaosan.


    It was a pleasant surprise for Tang Xiu. ¡°That¡¯s great! It¡¯s thanks to you Divine Doctor! This Darkening virus crisis wouldn¡¯t have been solved if it weren¡¯t for you. I have some important issues to deal with at the moment, but I¡¯ll hurry back to the military base after finishing everything. I¡¯ll treat you to a drink when I get there.¡±


    ¡°God¡¯s Nectar!¡± Replied Gui Jianchou with a smile.


    ¡°God¡¯s Nectar it is. No problem, you can have it until you¡¯re full,¡± happily replied Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Gui Jianchou¡¯s laughter was exceptionally crisp.

 Chapter 776

    Chapter 776: Solving All the Issues


    Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales


    The happy events of having the Darkening virus solved, lifted everyone¡¯s spirit and removed the issue that weighed in Tang Xiu¡¯s mind. After returning to the center area of the mountain, Tang Xiu escorted the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people to continue searching for the precious resources.


    Quickly, two days passed.


    After searching for two days, a large number of precious herbs had been gathered as well as six types of precious ores, enough to fully fill up 6 of the 10 interspatial rings. According to Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s report, the resources they had gathered were enough to support the Everlasting Feast Hall for at least 3 to 5 years.


    It greatly elated Tang Xiu¡¯s mood. While he also stowed away various resources inside his interspatial ring, the thing made him happiest was a Goblet Spirit Stone Milk.


    This Goblet Spirit Stone Milk was definitely not something ordinary, for a sip of it could even prolong the life of ordinary people, making them thoroughly remold their bodies. It was thanks to his good luck to find a small Spirit vein inside the small crevice of the mountain which led to a narrow passage to the bottom of the vein. The quantity of this Goblet Spirit Stone Milk was not much, but still, it was about a few kilograms.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go outside.¡±


    As they were outside the white mist area, Tang Xiu glanced at the direction of the shrouding white mist with delight in his eyes. His curiosity toward the Earth itself increased. He could hardly believe that a small planet amidst the boundless universe such as Earth could have so many heavenly materials and treasures.


    He once encountered such a treasure star in the Immortal World. That star territory was full of treasures, yet it was still slightly inferior to the good things he found on Earth.


    Tang Han, on the other hand, was looking at the shrouding white mist with a smile and a hint of an unwilling expression. She had taken a bit of the Spirit Stone Milk Goblet and had her body thoroughly remolded. Not only had her cultivation broken through the martial grandmaster level, but the True Qi inside her body had also begun to qualitatively transform into True Essence. The enhancement of her strength was thanks to the cultivation technique Tang Xiu imparted to her.


    ¡°How good it would be if I could stay in this place forever,¡± sighed Tang Han wholeheartedly.


    ¡°Well, ordinary people would lose their mind if they lived forever in a place like this, you know,¡± Tang Xiu smilingly interjected. ¡°But for you, just tell me in advance if you wanna come here later, Big Sis. I¡¯ll take you inside again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a promise!¡± replied Tang Han smilingly.


    Tang Xiu then looked at Gu Xiaoxue and the rest as he ordered, ¡°Alright, you all have climbed the area of the mountain range that you can and have finished gathering the resources, so you are to lead everyone to go back first! Improve your strength for the time being and you can come back again in the future to look for more treasures in higher ground.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you finished solving all the issues in this place, Grand Master?¡± Asked Gu Xiaoxue curiously. ¡°You have dealt with the Darkening virus and also have driven out those foreign forces already. Why wouldn¡¯t you come back to Jingmen Island with us?¡±


    ¡°No, I still need to stay for a while here, even though those matters and my mission have been solved.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°A couple of days ago, I suggested to the Garrison Commander of Mist Source Island to lay out a Feng Shui formation array on the surroundings of the island, which I have yet to finish, so I can¡¯t leave yet.¡±


    ¡°You want to lay out a Feng Shui Array that covers the entire of Mist Source Island? Why?¡± a surprised Gu Xiaoxue asked.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it the duty for every citizen to serve their country?¡± replied Tang Xiu with a chuckle. ¡°But of course, the state will provide a large number of jades since laying out such a formation array will require a lot of them, right? Now think, why shouldn¡¯t I seize the chance to earn some money here? Shouldn¡¯t I consider it as reimbursement for the hard work I have done in the last few days?¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue figured out Tang Xiu¡¯s ploy in that instant and couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Grand Master, you¡¯re really¡­ amazing.¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t continue speaking on the topic and said, ¡°Alright. You are to go back directly! I¡¯ll go to Jingmen Island right after I¡¯m done dealing with the issue here.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡±


    As Gu Xiaoxue took the group to leave, Tang Xiu went to the southern village. Mo Awu and the rest had been waiting for him there. They immediately looked relaxed and smiled when they saw Tang Xiu arrive. Tang Xiu, on the other hand, felt rather curious when he saw Shui Gui whose face was swollen and bruised.


    ¡°Eh, what happened to you?¡± asked Tang Xiu as he looked at Shui Gui.


    It was Zhenlei Duomo who looked up and replied instead, ¡°Well, I smacked him.¡± She was at the doorway, fiddling with a dagger in her hands.


    Quizzical and frowning, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°What exactly happened?¡±


    ¡°Shui Gui and Zhenlei Duomo kind of sparred, Boss.¡± Mo Awu wryly smiled and said, ¡°It was Sui Gui¡¯s loss and he was badly beaten. He first wanted to exact his revenge but suppressed his urge due to your command. But now he knows that he isn¡¯t Zhenlei¡¯s match, so it has also alleviated the vented anger in his heart a lot.¡±


    Tang Xiu understood quickly, yet his expression was somewhat puzzled as he looked at Shui Gui. His eyes then landed at the carefree Zhenlei Duomo and said, ¡°Alright. Stop it here. I don¡¯t want to see both of you fight again. If you really want to fight to the death, wait until I¡¯ve broken through the most important stage and only then will I be the witness to your bout.¡±


    Shui Gui turned his head to stare at Zhenlei Duomo and then respectfully replied, ¡°I already thought it through, Boss. If she¡¯s really like all of us, I¡¯ll give up on my revenge. Besides, although the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s rules dictate that we can¡¯t have an internal fight, I want her to pay some compensation.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed. He looked at Zhenlei Duomo and asked, ¡°Let me ask you once again. Are you really adopted by Yan¡¯er and got her inheritance?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± answered Zhenlei Duomo.


    ¡°After we come to Jingmen Island and once Yan¡¯er decides about this matter, do you want to join the Everlasting Feast Hall?¡± Asked Tang Xiu. ¡°I will tell you about this clearly now. Once you join and are a member of the Everlasting Feast Hall, you will forever be a member while you¡¯re alive, and once you die, you will become the revenant of the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s ghosts. They will also exterminate you once you become an enemy with the Everlasting Feast Hall.¡±


    Zhenlei Duomo turned solemn. She fell into thought for a long time before slowly replying, ¡°She has given me everything¡ªmy life, my present achievements. To me, she¡¯s a mother, so I¡¯ll do everything she wants me to do.¡±


    ¡°If she agrees for you to join the Everlasting Feast Hall, a year of your resource quota will be given to Shui Gui as compensation. Are you alright with that?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Resource grants?


    Zhenlei Duomo thought that she should be a member of the Everlasting Feast Hall, regardless, and thought that she could also get some money and salary. She was not short on money; she was even a billionaire, so she nodded and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem with this, I can overlook the feud.¡±


    ¡°What about you? Do you agree?¡± Asked Tang Xiu to Shui Gui.


    ¡°I agree,¡± Shui Gui nodded quietly.


    ¡°Alright. It¡¯s settled then. Your feud is written off until later!¡± Tang Xiu nodded and smiled. ¡°After all, you both belonged to different camps before and it¡¯s difficult to determine who is in the wrong and in the right. Shortly put, I hope you both can become brother and sister who fight side by side, not mortal enemies.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Shui Gui nodded dignifiedly.


    Zhenlei Duomo expressed agreement with Tang Xiu¡¯s decision without much care. Joining the Everlasting Feast Hall actually didn¡¯t interest her a bit because, in her eyes, there was no one in the Everlasting Feast Hall that could be her opponent aside from Tang Xiu. Although she could join such a power, they wouldn¡¯t be able to restrain her.


    ¡°The issue with the virus outbreak has been solved, while we have driven out those foreign forces now,¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said, ¡°We only have one thing left to do¡ªto lay out a geomancy formation to cover the entirety of Mist Source Island¡¯s surroundings. We¡¯ll go to Jingmen Island after we¡¯re done arranging it.¡±


    Suddenly, he seemed to recall something and asked, ¡°By the way, what about the issue of maintaining law and order on the island for the last few days?¡±


    ¡°We killed some people and it acted as a very good deterrent,¡± reported Mo Awu. ¡°The antidote for the Darkening virus has been researched which gave reassurance to the inhabitants of Mist Source Island, so the public safety issue could be said to be under control. Also, the antidote is currently being manufactured on a large scale; the army and government personnel have taken the antidote while the police have taken over the duty to maintain order.¡±


    Jin Shi chuckled and smiled, ¡°You¡¯ve now become famous, Boss. Everyone on Mist Source Island knows your name now and they feel grateful to you. They are kind of wanting to make a shrine for you, you know.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Tang Xiu stared blankly and quizzically asked, ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°Well, Divine Doctor Gui Jianchou developed the antidote based on your research idea that you provided him, Boss.¡± Jin Shi smilingly explained. ¡°It led to the present result. The Divine Doctor explained about it when he had an interview with the media, emphasizing that you¡¯re the greatest contributor to the development of the antidote.¡±


    Tang Xiu was stunned. He never thought that Divine Doctor Gui Jianchou would unexpectedly push the credit directly to him. He came to Mist Source Island with a mission to solve this crisis. It indeed was one of his responsibility, yet he never thought that he would be pushed to the limelight!


    ¡®Nevermind it. I¡¯ll just wait for the massive number of jades to be sent here, lay out the geomancy array, and then leave immediately. Besides, being famous here won¡¯t affect me whatsoever later.¡¯


    Tang Xiu gave it a thought for a moment and easily relaxed.


    Tang Han, who stood next to him, suddenly asked, ¡°If you and I go back to the Tang Manor Martial School, will it expose the relationship between us?¡±


    ¡°Definitely!¡±


    Tang Xiu was perfectly aware of the power of the media. He had become a well-known personage now; the journalists would soon smell something once he appeared at the Tang Manor Martial School. At that time, the media would likely dig deeper that he had been to Tang Manor Martial School.


    ¡°We won¡¯t be going to the Tang Manor Martial School for now, Big Sis. Contact me directly via cell phone if you want to see me the next few days, and let¡¯s have a meal together before I leave this place. Also, I¡¯ll find a way to help you freely enter and exit Mist Source Island, so that you can leave the island to look for me when you miss me.¡±


    Tang Han indeed wanted to spend more time with Tang Xiu. But she knew her mission, so she nodded and replied. ¡°If so, then I¡¯ll leave first. But remember to call me when you¡¯re about to leave, got it? Sis will cook for you.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±

 Chapter 777

    Chapter 777: Embezzlement


    Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales


    Leading Mo Awu and the rest to the military base of Mist Source Island in the evening, Tang Xiu then learned that Divine Doctor Gui Jianchou was currently supervising the manufacturing of the antidote for Darkening virus and so he chose not to disturb him. As Yang Chuxiong came rushing in, the two men entered a meeting room.


    ¡°The first leader has agreed to your plan, Mr. Tang. The country is now gathering a lot of jade and will send them to Mist Source Island shortly.¡± Yang Chuxiong looked very excited since the entirety of Mist Source Island would become an impregnable bastion once the geomancy array has been laid out. He would no longer have to worry about the problem of outsiders sneaking inside.


    ¡°How long would it take, exactly?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°According to my superiors, a batch of jade stored in the country stockpile can be shipped right away, but the quantity is only about five tons,¡± replied Yang Chuxiong. ¡°If it¡¯s not enough, you¡¯ll have more jade that can be sent over, but the higher-ups don¡¯t know how much you need and they wanted me to ask you about that.¡±


    Five tons?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth twitched a few times and he felt excited inside. One must know that only one ton of jade was needed to lay out an array that covered the entirety of Mist Source Island. Yet, the country would send five tons of jade in the first shipment batch. Wasn¡¯t it giving him a chance to embezzle the rest?


    ¡®I just struck gold!¡¯


    As excited as he might be, Tang Xiu¡¯s expression didn¡¯t show any ripples on the surface. Instead, he deliberately frowned, slowly shook his head, and said, ¡°Five tons of jade won¡¯t be enough. You also know that Mist Source Island has a very large area and a massive number of jades would be needed. I would at least need around 15 tons!¡±


    Yang Chuxiong fell into thoughts for a moment before he nodded and said, ¡°15 tons of jade is not a massive number. The quantity of jades produced by the jade mines in our country is a lot more than that, but most of them are under control of private owners, so the country needs some time to buy them. Just wait for a bit! All the jades will be collected and they should be shipped in ten and a half days.¡±


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Tang Xiu nodded, satisfied.


    Tang Xiu then had dinner with Yang Chuxiong. When Divine Doctor Gui Jianchou found out that Tang Xiu had returned to the military base, he rushed to meet him and they had a drink together. Tang Xiu also gifted him two boxes of God¡¯s Nectar when he was about to leave the military base, causing the old man to praise his thoughtfulness.


    Similarly, Yang Chuxiong got the same gift as he was also given two boxes of God¡¯s Nectar. Certainly, the gift was not given without a price. Tang Xiu composed some lies to make Yang Chuxiong grant an army entry pass for Tang Han so she would be able to come and go out of the island freely once the geomancy array has been arranged.


    Late at night.


    Tang Xiu was sitting cross-legged in cultivation when a knock came at the door and Mo Awu¡¯s voice rang from the outside, ¡°Boss, someone is coming from the mainland. It¡¯s your lady, Boss¡ªMu Wanying.¡±


    Uh, Boss¡¯s wife?


    Tang Xiu forced a smile inside. He opened the door and asked, ¡°Where is she now?¡±


    ¡°Jin Shi is escorting her into the army compound. They are on the way here and should be arriving in a few minutes,¡± said Mo Awu.


    Tang Xiu nodded and went back to the room to put on his coat. Right as he came to the entrance of the two-story building, he saw Mu Wanying with four middle-aged men and women get out from two military jeeps and follow behind Jin Shi.


    ¡°Tang Xiu.¡±


    Seeing Tang Xiu made Mu Wanying very excited. Tang Xiu introduced her to a lot of business partners recently, making her so busy that she was simply overwhelmed. She only had contact with Tang Xiu via several phone calls during this time.


    ¡°Alright, rest well tonight. It¡¯s been quite wearing on you.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll escort you to Qingyuan Group tomorrow.¡±


    Gently nodding, Mu Wanying came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side and restrained her urge to hug him, but still grabbed his arm and affectionately said, ¡°I miss you. I really miss you so much.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled in response and gently stroked her shoulders. He turned back to the small building and ordered Mo Awu to contact the management staff to arrange accommodations for the four people Mu Wanying brought with her. He then took her to the second floor.


    ¡°Is it your first time visiting this place?¡± asked Tang Xiu as he entered the room and took off his coat.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s my first time,¡± Mu Wanying nodded. ¡°I heard about this place from my Dad several times, but I never thought the scenery would be so beautiful. If I didn¡¯t have tons of things to do outside, I really would wish to stay here for some time.¡±


    ¡°This place does have an excellent environment; at least the air here is much better than Shanghai¡¯s¡± Tang Xiu smilingly replied, ¡°If you like this place, why don¡¯t you buy real estate here? You can take a vacation and relax whenever you want later.¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ but you must accompany me,¡± replied Mu Wanying with a smile.


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh and said, ¡°I will if I have some time later.¡±


    The duo then conversed about some recent events. Eventually, Mu Wanying said with concern on her face, ¡°You know, my Dad is quite angry after he heard the situation with the Qingyuan Group. Especially when he learned that you were the one who dealt with the problem.¡±


    ¡°So, what do you think, then?¡± Tang Xiu smilingly asked.


    ¡°If you ask me, I understand your idea,¡± Mu Wanying smiled back and said, ¡°I know that my father has been unreasonable these years. Since I have 25% of the Qingyuan Group¡¯s shares, it means his profits are reliant on me. You can relax about that! Dad won¡¯t dare to voice anything about you if he needs the money in the future!¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but burst out in laughter after hearing that and said, ¡°Your Dad would really be choked up in anger if he were to find out what you have in mind, you know. I¡¯m absolutely sure that he will think¡ªa grown-up, married daughter really can¡¯t be kept at home anymore¡­ hahaha.¡±


    Mu Wanying seemed a bit shy but still replied, ¡°In any case, he can¡¯t take back a married daughter. I won¡¯t forget to be filial to him, but I can no longer indulge his temper anymore. Mom has been upset and has suffered a lot of injustice because of him all these years. No way I¡¯ll let him wrong you as well.¡±


    ¡°Having a girlfriend like you is really a great thing to have,¡± interjected Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Mu Wanying used to be very reserved; along with her indifference toward fame and wealth, she looked like a gentle and virtuous lady, like an otherworldly female celestial. But at this moment, an inexplicable impulse inside her drove her to say, ¡°Marry me earlier if you¡¯re really happy with me, then.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu was rendered speechless for a long time. He couldn¡¯t verbalize anything and just let out a hollow laugh for a while, and then said, ¡°We are still young; even we have yet to enter the legal marriage age. Besides, we are still students. Let¡¯s just wait until we¡¯ve graduated from the university¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get married after graduation, then,¡± said Mu Wanying softly.


    Tang Xiu could only sigh inwardly, yet he let out a smile on his face and said, ¡°No problem.¡±


    Tonight, Mu Wanying spent the night in Tang Xiu¡¯s room, while Tang Xiu himself spent the whole night cultivating. As the next day came, he was still in high spirits as he escorted Mu Wanying to the Qingyuan Group and dealt with the company shares. After everything was done, he sent her off and then returned back to the military base.


    After waiting for two days, five tons of high-quality jade was shipped. Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes were glowing when he saw these jades. He had attended the jade meeting event in Star City and had gambled on stones there, even spending quite a lot of money to buy jades. But he had just run his mouth and took a gamble, yet the number of jades he obtained was more than a hundred times greater. Such a refreshing feeling made his mood sky high.


    ¡°How are these jades, Mr. Tang?¡± asked Yang Chuxiong, who accompanied Tang Xiu to the side as they viewed the jades inside the truck¡¯s container.


    ¡°The quality is very good,¡± Tang Xiu nodded with a satisfied look. ¡°They won¡¯t produce any issues using them for the array. However, I¡¯d like Division Commander Yang to send the next batches of jades earlier so that I can lay out the Feng Shui Array as soon as possible and go back quickly too.¡±


    ¡°You can rest assured about that!¡± Yang Chuxiong said, ¡°It¡¯s an order from First Leader, so no one dares to delay it by a bit. Also, I just received the message that the next batch of jades will all be shipped to Mist Source Island within five days. What about you? When will you start laying out the Feng Shui array?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll need a couple of days to inspect the surrounding terrain of Mist Source Island and then I can begin the work immediately,¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°I will bury these jades in some specific positions. If the next batch of jades can be shipped within five days, I can finish the Feng Shui array arrangement in up to half a month.¡±


    ¡°No problem, then!¡± replied Yang Chuxiong with excitement.


    Time fleeted by and a week passed in the blink of an eye. Tang Xiu had collected a total of 15 tons of good quality jades. After inspecting the location, he finally determined that it would only need less than one ton of jade to lay out the Feng Shui array here. Thus, he could pocket the remaining 14 tons for himself.


    Laying out a huge Feng Shui array that covered the entirety of Mist Source Island was definitely not a small project. But with the help of Mo Awu and the others, Tang Xiu was able to arrange it faster as they were able to lay out and bury the jades inside the 16 important foundations that took root around Mist Source Island.


    ¡°Boss, the Mist Source Island¡¯s authorities just called and they want to see you. Also, there are some reporters from the TV station here wanting to interview you. How should I reply to them?¡± asked Mo Awu in a whisper as he came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side.


    While gazing at the white mist in the distance, Tang Xiu replied without hesitation, ¡°Turn down all of them. Tell them that I¡¯m very busy handling important things and that I have no time for interviews or seeing them. If they want to know anything about the project, tell them to contact Yang Chuxiong.¡±


    Mo Awu received the order, took the communicator, and left.


    Time passed quickly again. When all the jades had been delivered on the 13th day, Tang Xiu arranged the entire geomancy array in an array called the Ring Chain Feng Shui array. The array was capable of both defensive and offensive features.


    In the southern coastline of Mist Source Island.


    Thousands of soldiers had blocked all areas within a dozen kilometers so that no one could leave or enter Mist Source Island. The island was fully blockaded for the time being.


    Yang Chuxiong stood beside Tang Xiu while gazing at the two 18-meters-high pillars. His heart was actually filled with confusion and he wanted to ask Tang Xiu several times as to why these two pillars were arranged here. But when he saw Tang Xiu¡¯s solemn expression, he understood that it was inappropriate to disturb him.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost time.¡±


    Tang Xiu, who looked at the setting sun from the West where the billowing white mist surged in the distance, finally turned to Yang Chuxiong and spoke to the man.


    ¡°What¡¯s almost time?¡± Asked Yang Chuxiong, looking confused.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost time to witness the miracle,¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°Division Commander Yang, order your soldiers to evacuate the area and move back five kilometers.¡±

 Chapter 778 - Master, I Miss You

    Chapter 778: Master, I Miss You


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words made Yang Chuxiong immediately realize that the geomancy array had been arranged successfully. Full of excitement on his face, he quickly issued an order for the soldiers to withdraw.


    ¡°All of them have withdrawn five kilometers, Mr. Tang.¡±


    With the corners of his mouth raised, Tang Xiu¡¯s feet stepped in midair as he paced forward dozens of meters up the coastline as if there were an invisible ladder in front of him.


    ¡°Heavens! W¡­ What am I seeing now?!!¡±


    Yang Chuxiong¡¯s heart pounded quickly and his eyes went wide in amazement. He would have never believed that someone could walk in midair had he not witnessed it with his own eyes.


    This¡­ was he still a human?


    In that instant, only then did Yang Chuxiong realize why this youngster he once held with contempt was sent by the First Leader of the country to solve the crisis in Mist Source Island. This young man was simply a god-like figure!


    Tang Xiu was not aware of the shocked Yang Chuxiong, nor did he have the time to care about the man. His eyes gazed around and his hands slowly opened a moment after. In an instant, a suppressing aura suddenly erupted out of his body. Despite being one of the great personages in the country, Yang Chuxiong was suddenly frightened by the surging aura from Tang Xiu. At this moment, the sensation he felt from Tang Xiu was like a sudden emergence of a big mountain in front of him.


    ¡°Activate¡­¡±


    A deep voice came from Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth, along with the torrential power of Chaos Primal Force releasing from his hands and which instantly fused into the array midair. Suddenly, a rippling layer of qi emerged from the sky. Adorned, indistinct ancient runes appeared in the rippling air and then spread to both sides very quickly.


    Ten minutes after.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s body suddenly trembled. His face turned very pale and his body quickly floated down. In the twinkling of an eye, he appeared in front of Yang Chuxiong. The moment his feet landed on the ground, he staggered forward for two steps as Mo Awu hastily rushed to support him.


    ¡°Boss¡­¡± A worried look crept over Mo Awu¡¯s face.


    Tang Xiu raised his hand, shaking his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve overdrafted my power. I¡¯ll be fine after cultivating for two days. The area of Mist Source Island is too large and the energy required to activate the entire array is rather huge. It seems that my cultivation level is still not enough.¡±


    ¡°To be honest, your cultivation level is improving rapidly, Boss,¡± said Mo Awu with admiration. ¡°I believe you¡¯ll be able to reach a much higher level quickly.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly. He looked at a stunned Yang Chuxion and said, ¡°Division Commander Yang, the mission has been accomplished and the Feng Shui array has also been laid out and activated. The distance between these two pillars is 24 meters wide; these will act as the entrance to Mist Source Island. I¡¯ll let you know how to open this entrance. Later, whoever you assign to be stationed in this place will have nothing to do with me. Also, I will let you know the position of the exit and then the rest of the minor matters will be yours to handle.¡±


    While watching the corrugated qi flow that was slowly dissipating to be like before, Yang Chuxiong finally came back to his senses after the shock. He looked at Tang Xiu and replied, ¡°I¡¯ll arrange it, Mr. Tang.¡±


    The next day.


    Tang Xiu, Mo Awu, and the rest finally left Mist Source Island. He had only restored half of his Chaos Primal Force, but the weak sensation he had felt had completely vanished. He now stood on the bow of the ship while looking at the vast sea with a bit of a complicated expression on his face.


    He recalled the tearful Tang Han who was reluctant to be left alone as he left the Tang Manor Martial School last night. At this moment, he mulled over the thought of what he would do after arriving in the mainland, like reporting and suggesting his idea about the matters on Mist Source Island when he met the old Patriarch. The present Tang Family was no longer the Tang Family in the past, for their family would be safe as long as he was still alive. Moreover, the projects in the Nine Dragons Island would be done within a few months. They could use it as the most important escape plan for the Tang Family.


    ¡°Are we going straight to Jingmen Island, Mr. Tang??¡± asked Zhenlei Duomo, who was clad in a black leather coat when she came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side.


    Tang Xiu looked at her face and indifferently said, ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°Can I see her soon?¡± she asked quickly.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t rush to answer but asked instead, ¡°Zhenlei, what are people living for? What would you do if you were stronger?¡±


    Zhenlei Duomo stared blankly and immediately fell into silence What was the point in living? Was it to live in happiness? What would she do if she were to have even more strength?


    Would it be to have wealth and fortune? Or¡­ would it be to have power and privileges?


    She fell into thought for a long time, only to shake her head with an expression of being at a loss and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I only know that I just want to live, survive, and go on living. I just want to live better.¡±


    ¡°Only a handful of people can claim your life given your present strength. More so now that you are at the Foundation Establishment stage; you can even live much longer than ordinary people.¡± Tang Xiu spoke and asked again, ¡°With such a long time to live, do you have anything to pursue?¡±


    ¡°What about you? Do you have something you want to pursue?¡± asked Zhenlei Duomo.


    ¡°You wanna know about my pursuits?¡±


    There was somewhat a strange expression on Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he replied slowly, ¡°What I am pursuing is probably bigger than your pursuits, as I want to live as long as Heaven and Earth exist. I want to stand above the myriads of races. Maybe, I will become a God one day and ascend to God¡¯s Realm just like those in the legends.¡±


    Becoming a God in God¡¯s Realm?


    There was mockery on her face, for she never believed that there were immortals or gods in this world. If immortals and gods really existed, the Earth wouldn¡¯t have turned out like this. Hence, she thought that Tang Xiu was indulging in his wildest fantasy and living in his own illusion!


    Tang Xiu was keenly aware of the ridicule on Zhenlei Duomo¡¯s face. He just calmly smiled and said, ¡°Now tell me. What do you really wanna do in the future?¡±


    ¡°I want to be the Empress of all the organized crime syndicates in the world,¡± she replied after taking a deep breath.


    Cough, cough¡­


    Her reply had nearly made Tang Xiu choke to death.


    She wanted to be a kingpin of organized crime syndicates¡­?


    What was the likelihood of that?


    It was very hard for him to imagine that there was cultivator who was supposed to go against the heavens but instead wanted to be the head honcho of a bunch of gangsters¡­ More so that the one who wanted to pursue it¡­ was a woman¡­


    Zhenlei Duomo¡¯s dream truly left Tang Xiu speechless. He didn¡¯t even have the urge to ridicule her. He turned back and went straight to the cabin and waited for the liner to arrive at Jingmen Island. His endeavor on Mist Source Island could be said to have resulted in an abundant harvest. At least he wouldn¡¯t have any troubles in obtaining cultivation resources for quite some time.


    It could even be said that he could have a breakthrough to a higher level soon. Moreover, he would definitely be able to go anywhere on Earth unhindered once Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s strength was restored.


    Four in the afternoon.


    The passenger liner docked at the shore of JIngmen Island. Right as Tang Xiu walked out of the cabin, he saw Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s slim and graceful posture on the shore. Donned in a fluttering white dress, she looked like an otherworldly pure female celestial, with her suffocatingly beautiful looks and excited expression.


    Whoosh¡­


    A figure instantly flashed behind Tang Xiu lightning fast. In nearly a blink of an eye, Zhenlei Duomo then appeared in front of Gu Yan¡¯er.


    ¡°You are¡­¡±


    Zhenlei Duomo stared at Gu Yan¡¯er with disbelief all over her face. The latter¡¯s otherworldly face had been deeply carved inside her heart, yet it had been two decades and Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s appearance hadn¡¯t changed in the slightest. She still looked so young and beautiful, leading to an incredulous feeling inside her.


    Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s eyes reluctantly parted from Tang Xiu and then landed on Zhenlei Duomo¡¯s face. She looked slightly stunned, as her eyes then widened and she said with a surprised tone, ¡°You are¡­ Little Duomo?¡±


    Tears flowing on her face, Zhenlei Duomo¡¯s white teeth bit her lower lip, and she replied in a trembling voice, ¡°It¡¯s really you¡­ I¡¯m not dreaming. But you¡­ you¡¯re still looking so young and beautiful.¡±


    With a happy look on her face, Gu Yan¡¯er smilingly replied, ¡°I also didn¡¯t expect that I¡¯d see you again after so many years. You¡¯ve grown up, Little Duomo.¡±


    ¡°You forbade me to come to China previously, I¡¯ve been suppressing myself many many times to come when I wanted to see you again. C-could¡­ could I call you Mother? B-because, you¡¯re my mother in my heart.¡±


    Mother?


    Gu Yan¡¯er was somewhat at a loss whether to laugh or cry. She had never married, so how could she have a child? Besides, she had raised too many children; there were hundreds of them. If every one of them were to call her Mother, wouldn¡¯t she become the woman with the most children?


    ¡°Just call me Master!¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er subconsciously glanced at Tang Xiu who was approaching and replied slowly. She could bear a child, but she wanted the child as her own and, most importantly, that child be from him.


    Zhenlei Duomo knew well what the meaning of ¡®Master¡¯ was, so she didn¡¯t hesitate to kneel before Gu Yan¡¯er and solemnly kowtow thrice, before kneeling again and say, ¡°But you won¡¯t leave me alone anymore again, Master?¡±


    ¡°I had important things to deal with in the past, so I made up an excuse to leave you abroad and still kept you out due to the condition of my body.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er sighed and said, ¡°But¡­ how did you come back with your Grand Master?¡±


    Grand Master?


    ¡°Do you mean¡­ him, Master?¡± Zhenlei Duomo looked at Tang Xiu, shocked and surprised.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be impolite, Little Duomo!¡± Gu Yan¡¯er immediately rebuked, ¡°He¡¯s my Master and naturally your Grand Master.¡±


    ¡°B-but Master, his age¡­¡± replied Zhenlei Duomo with disbelief. ¡°Master, I know my mistake. Greetings, Grand Master.¡±


    Tang Xiu faintly smiled and said, ¡°You wanna ask why I¡¯m so young, eh? Hahaha¡­ I indeed look very young. But take a look at your Master, doesn¡¯t she look very young too? Actually, once cultivators have reached a very high realm, their aging will appear to slow down greatly and they even stay young forever.¡±


    The revelation shocked Zhenlei Duomo. She was a woman, how could she not want to stay young forever? Her expression suddenly glowed.


    Gu Yan¡¯er looked at Tang Xiu as they walked together for a few steps. She gently embraced him and said, ¡°Master, Yan¡¯er has been missing you so much.¡±


    Her actions made Tang Xiu somewhat at a loss whether he had to laugh or cry. ¡°Yan¡¯er, we have so many people here looking at us! Even your disciples are here too, you know.¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er shook her head and gently said, ¡°I¡¯ve been living for thousands of years. What kinds of things have I not experienced? Master has always been the most important in my heart. I miss you, I really miss you. I don¡¯t need to hide it in front of anyone.¡±

 Chapter 779 - Shock and Regret

    Chapter 779: Shock and Regret


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu gently patted her back with a warm feeling inside his heart as he smilingly said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll stay in Jingmen Island to stay with you for a while since you miss me. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er loosened Tang Xiu and clung to his arm with a satisfied expression. Whether it was Zhenlei Duomo or those that she had fostered and trained, all of them were not as important as her Master, Tang Xiu. She could live and survive up till now due to him.


    Hundreds of meters away, dozens of men and women in black suits and similar sunglasses stood in front of a row of black cars. Even though there were many people around, they could only stop and stay hundreds of meters away.


    Zhenlei Duomo was following behind Tang Xiu and Gu Yan¡¯er. When she saw those dozens of people, her pupils suddenly contracted and her muscles tightened as she could see some familiar faces among them.


    Previously, she was also one who was born overseas and faced many perils, risking her life countless times. She had fought many people on the battlefield and climbed up from the heaps of the dead. Those familiar faces were also experts she had once encountered; each and every one of them was the strongest who also survived from the heap of those dead corpses.


    Yet there was something she couldn¡¯t figure out. How come these people appeared here?


    Zhenlei slowed down her pace and asked in a whisper to Mo Awu who caught up to her pace, ¡°How come Darknight Lord, Bloodthirsty Serpent, and Golden Bat are also here? Don¡¯t tell me they are also like you as members of the Everlasting Feast Hall and cultivators?¡±


    ¡°Might as well tell you now since you¡¯re one of us,¡± replied Mo Awu indifferently. ¡°They are indeed members of Everlasting Feast Hall, our core members. Not only those three but also the rest of them.¡±


    Zhenlei trembled and looked terrified. She thought that the Everlasting Feast Hall only had 11 cultivators including Mo Awu, all of whom were Tang Xiu¡¯s men. It seemed that she was completely mistaken. A little more than two decades ago, the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people were already powerful and invincible with Gu Yan¡¯er at the helm. Yet now, it suddenly had dozens of powerful cultivators. How terrifyingly powerful was this Everlasting Feast Hall exactly?


    ¡°Brother Awu, how many cultivators does the Everlasting Feast Hall have? Is everyone here as strong as you?¡±


    A smile was sketched in the corner of Mo Awu¡¯s mouth. ¡°The Everlasting Feast Hall has a lot of cultivators; even I can¡¯t tell the number. The person who would know about that should be Little Boss, but it seems like she doesn¡¯t come here. However, they should come, though.¡±


    ¡°They? Who are they?¡± asked Zhenlei Duomo, confused.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you that you have very good luck you know,¡± said Mo Awu. ¡°The previous Boss actually accepted you as a disciple and made all of us very envious. The people I told you about are your Senior Brother and Sister. Do you see the only person who¡¯s wearing white attire over there? His name is Light, and since he appears here, Dark must be nearby as well.¡±


    ¡°Are they very powerful?¡± asked Zhenlei Duomo again.


    ¡°It¡¯s a wide gap comparing us with them, if you ask me,¡± answered Mo Awu seriously. ¡°Even you are far inferior to them.¡±


    Zhenlei Duomo fell into silence. She was not an arrogant woman and was actually very smart. Even though she had not known Mo Awu for a long time, she could also see that Mo Awu wasn¡¯t someone full of hot air. Since this guy was very sure that those people were stronger than her, what he said was likely true.


    The ¡®Everlasting Feast Hall!¡¯


    A complex expression could be seen on her face. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that the Everlasting Feast Hall had unfathomable power. Yet inside she still felt glad that she had successfully joined this organization.


    Suddenly, she seemed to recall something and quickly asked, ¡°Brother Awu, Grand Master said that I must give a year of resource quota to Shui Gui as compensation. Exactly how much does the Everlasting Feast Hall give us annually?¡±


    ¡°Are you asking about money?¡±


    Mo Awu stared at her with a strange expression before replying, ¡°Core members of Everlasting Feast Hall care little for wealth. It¡¯s very easy for us to obtain if we want money. The resource allocation for our members is, in fact, in the form of medicinal pills, weapons, ancient manuals for magic spells, and cultivation resources that will be helpful for cultivators. These resources allocated by the Everlasting Feast Hall are not something you can ever obtain even if you have trillions. The quantity is not much, but we would have to spend at least 1 billion in terms of money!¡±


    ¡°Is it really impossible to buy anywhere?¡± Zhenlei Duomo asked, confused.


    ¡°No outsiders can buy them, only our core members,¡± explained Mo Awu. ¡°It¡¯s just that, the form of the purchase is different. For example, if we need medicinal pills for cultivation, we can buy medicinal herbs needed to refine them and they can be used to exchange for the medicinal pills. In addition, the quantity of herbs is quite large.¡±


    Zhenlei Duomo understood in a flash, yet she still asked, ¡°Are those medicinal pills really helpful for our cultivation?¡±


    ¡°Let me draw an analogy for you,¡± said Mo Awu. ¡°Your current cultivation has reached Foundation Establishment but you should still be at the early stage. The best medicinal pill for you to take is the Essence Amassing Pill that will allow you to reach the middle of the Foundation Establishment stage five years sooner. In other words, if you need ten years to reach the middle stage from the early stage of Foundation Establishment, then you¡¯ll only need five years to break through if you consume the Essence Amassing Pill.¡±


    Hiss¡­


    Zhenlei Duomo sucked in a breath of cold air. What Mo Awu explained shocked her greatly since that kind of medicinal pill was just like the legendary immortal elixir in oriental fables!


    She quickly squinted at the indifferent-looking Shui Gui behind her full of regret. Had she known earlier that the Everlasting Feast Hall possessed such great items, she wouldn¡¯t have easily agreed to pass a year of resource allocation to Shui Gui to write off the enmity between them!


    Jingmen Island, the headquarters of the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    Just as Tang Xiu got out from the car, he could smell a medicinal fragrance in the air. He glanced inside and curiously asked, ¡°Is Ji Chimei currently concocting medicinal pills?¡±


    ¡°Elder Ji has been constantly busy refining medicinal pills in her place, ever since Xiaoxue returned from Mist Source Island and brought back a lot of precious medicinal ingredients. Previously we only had a small number of medicinal pills in our treasure vault, but we now have plenty thanks to her continuous refinement. I¡¯ve inspected those medicinal ingredients. They are of premium quality and several of them are very difficult to obtain even in the Immortal World. In the next few years, our Everlasting Feast Hall should not be lacking in medicinal pills.¡±


    ¡°That would be great.¡± Tang Xiu nodded with a smile.


    Afterward, the duo conversed about a lot of topics, one of which was in regards to Zhenlei Duomo. When Gu Yan¡¯er learned that Zhenlei Duomo had become the second in command of the organized crime syndicate abroad, she cringed and was at a loss whether she should laugh or cry.


    ¡°Master, Grand Master.¡±


    Similarly donned in a white dress, Gu Xioxue came to greet Gu Yan¡¯er and Tang Xiu respectfully.


    Gu Yan¡¯er looked at her and smilingly asked, ¡°Xiaoxue, how¡¯s Elder Ji¡¯s refinement of that medicinal pill? I asked her to concoct Nine Revolving Souls Pill, has she done with it yet?¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue extended her hand to pass over a jade bottle and said, ¡°It has been concocted, but only just two pills. Elder Ji said that the herbs to refine Nine Revolving Souls Pill are too rare, so she was only able to refine two of them at the most.¡±


    ¡°Being able to refine two of them is enough,¡± Gu Yan¡¯er smiled with satisfaction and said, ¡°Master, these are Nine Revolving Soul Pills. Please take them quickly! These pills will be very helpful for your present cultivation.¡±


    After receiving the jade bottle, Tang Xiu unplugged the cap and smelled it, nodding as he said, ¡°It¡¯s indeed the Nine Revolving Soul Pill. Countless immortals in the Immortal World would try everything to get this pill, yet, to be honest, I never thought this would have appeared on Earth. However, I have no way to consume this pill for the time being considering my current low cultivation. Also, taking this Nine Revolving Soul pill would not only have no effect on me but is also highly likely to bring some hidden dangers.¡±


    ¡°Hidden danger? But why?¡± asked Gu Yan¡¯er quizzically.


    ¡°If I were to take it, I would at least need to enter seclusion for several years to fully absorb all the efficacy within this Nine Revolving Soul pill. If I didn¡¯t, the enormous potency contained within would blast my body from within,¡± explained Tang Xiu with a wry smile.


    Gu Yan¡¯er stared blankly before she immediately got the gist and said, ¡°Ah, you haven¡¯t condensed your Golden Core yet, Master. It¡¯s because I want to see you become stronger, so that was why I¡­¡±


    ¡°No. In any case, my current path of cultivation is different from ordinary cultivators,¡± interrupted Tang Xiu. ¡°Precisely speaking, the path I¡¯m taking is Demon¡¯s cultivation.¡±


    ¡°Demon¡¯s cultivation technique? But Master, I cannot sense any Demonic Qi on you?¡± asked Gu Yan¡¯er, looking puzzled.


    ¡°Do you still remember the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis?¡± asked Tang Xiu back lightly.


    ¡°That art makes you¡­¡± Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s eyes widened as she said, ¡°You are now shifting to another cultivation technique? But I recall some rumors¡­ that immortals can never cultivate this Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis, no?¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Practicing this Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis requires extremely harsh conditions, and it was kind of accidental that I just happened to be suitable to cultivate it. Had it been the former me, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to practice this cultivation technique.¡±


    The explanation made Gu Yan¡¯er instantly understand and she replied with a smile, ¡°Since you would change your cultivation technique, I believe it must be much better compared to the previous one Master. Yan¡¯er really can¡¯t wait to see you return to supremacy in the Immortal World once again.¡±


    Tang Xiu just smiled in response but no longer talked about the topic again.


    Both Tang Xiu or Gu Yan¡¯er didn¡¯t plan to tell Zhenlei Duomo about the existence of the exquisite pagoda for the time being and arranged her accommodation elsewhere. The both of them then came to the pagoda.


    There the master and disciple spent their days together, reveling in a relaxing and joyful time.


    However, when Tang Xiu suddenly received a reminder note, he remembered that he had promised to send Li Juren some medicinal pills. He didn¡¯t even have the pills refined yet.


    Immediately after receiving the letter, Tang Xiu went to Ji Chimei¡¯s place and began to get busy concocting the pills. After refining the Life Essence Pill, he didn¡¯t rush to see Li Juren but instead sent someone to deliver them. Then just when Tang Xiu received a huge amount of money and was in a good mood, he received a phone call:


    ¡°Let¡¯s meet tomorrow evening at Jingmen Island.¡±

 Chapter 780 - Bestowed With an Opportunity?

    Chapter 780: Bestowed With an Opportunity?


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    A smile appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he hung up the phone. He did receive a call from the old Patriarch on his way back from Mist Source Island telling him that a special great personage wanted to see him. However, he didn¡¯t expect that he would receive the call now and even abruptly set up a meeting with him tomorrow.


    The others may not know the identity of this special VIP, but he knew very well that this person held great power with a lot of strange abilities. Although this person might have no status on the surface, he possessed great power and privileges. However, there was one thing he couldn¡¯t figure out¡ªthe issue as to why the Chinese authorities didn¡¯t send these ability users to deal with the Mist Source Island problems.


    ¡°The meeting tomorrow definitely can¡¯t be held in the Everlasting Feast Hall since our existence is still a secret for many people. In addition, Grandpa should be just getting the news. I don¡¯t know whether he would like to come together.¡±


    As expected, his cell phone rang a few minutes later. It was a call from his grandfather, Tang Guosheng. The old man told him that he would accompany this special VIP to Jingmen Island tomorrow and the VIP would be checking in at Guomao Hotel. Tang Xiu would be notified later when would he meet them.


    After the phone call, Tang Xiu put the matter to the back of his mind since tomorrow¡¯s business was for tomorrow, while today he still had a lot of precious medicinal herbs in his interspatial ring to process. He wanted to make the best use of his time in Jingmen Island to concoct a batch of medicinal pills for future needs.


    The evening of the next day.


    After Tang Xiu was done concocting the Essence Amassing Pill, Gu Xiaoxue came rushing in, bringing his cell phone from outside and talked to him respectfully, ¡°Grand Master, it¡¯s a call from your grandfather.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows were slightly pressed as he replied, ¡°I¡¯m currently at a critical moment in refining medicinal pills, it¡¯s inconvenient to divert my focus elsewhere. Tell him to wait for a little more than two hours and that I¡¯ll call him back when I¡¯m done.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± replied Gu Xiaoxue as she turned back and walked outside.


    Jingmen Island.


    Inside the presidential suite of Guomao Hotel, Tang Guosheng hung up the phone with a look of embarrassment on his face. He looked at the energetic-looking Duanmu Lin, then forced a wry smile and said, ¡°This brat is kind of playing hard to get, he didn¡¯t even want to pick up my call. His grand disciple just told me that he is currently refining some medicinal pills and is at a critical moment. She said it would need at least a little more than two hours to finish it.¡±


    ¡°Concocting pills?¡±


    Duanmu Lin looked shocked and there was no shred of hesitation as he replied, ¡°Concocting medicinal pills is indeed an important issue, so we naturally can¡¯t disturb him. Let¡¯s just wait.¡±


    A quizzical look appeared on Tang Guosheng¡¯s face. ¡°I really don¡¯t get it, though. Why were you rushing to take a long trip to Jingmen Island? You could just tell him to go to the capital if you want to see him. I¡¯m sure that he would definitely rush over if he knew that you wanted him to go there.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to express a form of sincerity, mind you,¡± replied Duanmu Lin with a smile.


    ¡°Sincerity? What do you mean?¡± Asked Tang Guosheng again.


    ¡°Well, the reason I want to see him personally¡­ is that I want to ask him¡­ for some medicinal pills,¡± replied Duanmu Lin with a smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re seeking him for some pills?¡± Tang Guosheng¡¯s brows pressed further together and he asked again, ¡°Are thinking of obtaining immortality as well?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t dare to think about obtaining immortality,¡± Duanmu Lin shook his head and continued, ¡°What I want is to prolong my life for several years. According to a reliable source of mine, that old man Li from Hong Kong just obtained a ten whole Life Essence Pills. I also heard that the old lady who was in seclusion in the capital say that this Life Essence Pill can prolong her life expectancy. She said that even one with a spent life force could steal several years of time from the God of Death. Even though the old lady did say that I still had at least ten years to live, it¡¯s best to get this Life Essence Pill and be prepared just in case!¡±


    Tang Guosheng¡¯s expression drastically changed. Never did he dream that his grandson could concoct a Life Essence Pill that could prolong life expectancy. The country was now managed by old people with their vitality and life force declining every second. Even if these VIPs did have great power and privileges, there was no telling if they would be exempted from it in the future.


    Shock glimmered in Tang Guosheng¡¯s eyes. It was no wonder that this VIP spared no effort to fly for thousands of miles to visit Jingmen Island to see his grandson. It turned out that he wanted to ask for some help from him!


    ¡®Hahaha!¡¯


    ¡®This is a really a good thing. Even if this precious grandson of mine doesn¡¯t take advantage of this opportunity, I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t be mistreated and my Tang Family can also benefit from him¡­¡¯


    The thought made Tang Guosheng elated inside. He would have burst out into laughter if the said person was not in currently in front of him.


    As the clock struck midnight, Tang Xiu rushed to Guomao Hotel. Although Duanmu Lin came quietly, the security here was very strict. After having his ID inspected a few times, and under the order of Duanmu Lin, Tang Xiu smoothly arrived at the presidential suite.


    ¡°You¡¯re really putting on airs, aren¡¯t you, kiddo? To think that you dare to make these two old men wait until now¡­ you¡¯re really making me¡­ irritated!¡± Tang Guosheng intentionally greeted his grandson with a scolding even though he was very excited to see him.


    Duanmu Lin waved and smilingly interjected, ¡°A young man that is always busy is actually a good thing, Old Tang. There¡¯s no need to discipline him like that. He¡¯s really very good. I just got a message from Mist Source Island¡¯s authority who have reported that he had done an excellent job in solving the issues over there. I want to praise him for it.¡±


    Tang Guosheng smiled, then pointed to Duanmu Lin and said, ¡°Alright, this elderly man is Duanmu Lin, how about you greet him and call him Grandpa Duanmu?¡±


    Tang Xiu observed Duanmu Lin and smilingly said, ¡°This Tang Xiu feels very flattered to have the elderly take a very long hard trip just to see me. There are only a few people worth my respect in China nowadays and you¡¯re definitely one of them.¡±


    ¡°Not bad. I finally found another strong point of yours. You can butter people up,¡± replied Duanmu Lin with a smile.


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh. He didn¡¯t act with restraint in front of Duanmu Lin. However, since this person held great power in his hand, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to be too casual either and mixed intimacy and humility in balance. He continued inquiring, ¡°Anyways, there¡¯s no way you came to Jingmen Island just to give me praise, right? May I know what you need from me?¡±


    Duanmu Lin could smell the fragrance of medicinal herbs from Tang Xiu after he entered the room, thus proving that Tang Xiu was really able to concoct medicinal pills. Facing the inquiry from Tang Xiu, he didn¡¯t beat around the bush and smilingly said, ¡°You¡¯re right. I came here to personally ask you something.¡±


    ¡°And¡­ what is that exactly?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Life Essence Pill,¡± answered Duanmu Lin


    Tang Xiu was a bit stunned but then let out a wry smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be this well-informed, you caught the news already. Li Juren seems like the one who has revealed it, am I right? Nevertheless, I do still have several Life Essence Pills which I prepared for my family members. But since the elderly have already spoken about it, I¡¯ll give them to you first. You have been working hard for the country, after all. It¡¯s been rough on you.¡±


    After saying that, Tang Xiu put his hand into his pocket to conceal the fact that he took out the jade bottle from his interspatial ring. He then spoke to Duanmu Lin, ¡°The Life Essence Pills are in this bottle. Taking one can increase a lifespan for three to five years.¡±


    Duanmu Lin couldn¡¯t help but be shocked inside. He received the jade bottle with both of his hands, carefully scrutinizing it for a long time before speaking with satisfaction, ¡°No one is exempted from Mother Nature, for everyone wants to live for several more years. Tang Xiu, you have a special identity and you may not have a liking for wealth. In this case, I¡¯ll give you an opportunity. Aren¡¯t you cultivators always speaking about fortuitous encounters?¡±


    ¡°Exactly what kind of fortuitous encounter are you talking about?¡± Tang Xiu was both startled and puzzled.


    ¡°Three-star vestige,¡± answered Duanmu Lin.


    ¡°Three-star vestige? What exactly is it?¡± asked Tang Xiu again.


    ¡°Some extraterrestrial beings have appeared on our planet. This is an extremely important national secret and few people have the right to hear this information. You¡¯re not an outsider, so I can take responsibility and tell you about it. The unexpected arrival of these extraterrestrial intelligent beings could be said to bring calamity, yet it could also bring about a good opportunity for study and research. Abiding by the international law on this issue, humanity has found some vestiges and classified them into ranks: One Star, Two-Star, three-star, Four-Star, and Five-Star Vestiges respectively.


    ¡°I have never heard of the appearance of a Five-Star Vestige, but the Four-Star ones have appeared twice. The first one being the Pyramids in Egypt, and the second one being the Bermuda Triangle. The two vestiges have been explored and various countries have obtained some good treasures, strictly speaking. Yet, they have not been able to obtain the most important core secret so far. In addition, the second vestige can¡¯t be explored due to some special restrictions.


    ¡°The three-star vestiges similarly bring about fatal temptations for all countries. The science and technology of all countries have been developing very rapidly in the last 2-3 decades. It could be said that they are a byproduct from the shadows of the technology obtained from these vestiges. The United States has even found a worn-down alien spaceship in the Amazon rainforest. That established the United States as a great world power, advancing their science and technology by leaps and bounds.¡±


    ¡°As for the two-star and one-star vestiges, they are classified as small vestiges. Some are left on Earth by the progenitors of mankind, while some originate from extraterrestrial beings. The treasures obtained by various countries from these vestiges are rather insignificant.¡±


    As Duanmu Lin spoke up to this point, a bit of helplessness appeared in his eyes. He forced a smile and continued, ¡°I did say that I want to bestow upon you an opportunity. But truth be told, I want you to also contribute to the country. As a matter of fact, this three-star vestige is a very recent discovery and obtaining a massive number of alien technologies would be a great boon to our country¡¯s power.¡±


    Tang Xiu only had a bit of interest himself, if any, towards alien science and technology. He was an immortal cultivator, after all, and he would rely on his own strength to smash the void and break the shackles of heaven, then ascend and eventually become an immortal.


    After listening to Duanmu Lin¡¯s explanation, however, he made up his mind to take a trip there, because he currently still needed to make a fortune. He could earn massive wealth if he was able to obtain this alien technology, which would be helpful in his endeavor to obtain more cultivation resources in the future.


    ¡°Could you tell me the situation with this newly discovered three-star vestige?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s located in a place known as the Maritime Crossroad, the Straits of Malacca,¡± answered Duanmu Lin. ¡°To the west is the Burmese Sea, with the southeastern side connected to the South China Sea. The entire length of the strait is about 1080 km, with its southeastern part connecting to the Pacific and the Indian Ocean. This newly discovered three-star vestige is located at the junction near the bottom of the sea, however.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised and interjected, ¡°What kind of people can countries send to explore this three-star vestige at such a location?¡±


    ¡°Our country itself will dispatch people with at least at the martial art grandmaster level, along with some ability users, of course,¡± replied Duanmu Lin with a solemn expression. ¡°As a matter of fact, we have assembled a team for it already and they are rushing to the destination before May 1st. Some other countries will also dispatch people with extraordinary abilities. Although I don¡¯t know exactly what kind of people will be dispatched by the other countries, I¡¯m sure that none of them will be ordinary people.¡±

 Chapter 781 - The Power of Prophecy

    Chapter 781: The Power of Prophecy


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    After the short meeting, Tang Xiu left Guomao Hotel. The compensation Duanmu Lin gave Tang Xiu was not substantial, but he earned a share of the treasures from exploring the vestige. There was still half a month before May 1st, so Tang Xiu was not in a hurry.


    He had taken care of most of the issues that were on Jingmen Island except to stay to accompany Gu Yan¡¯er for a couple of days, after which he decided to return to Shanghai.


    Amidst the shades of the night, two cars headed toward the Everlasting Feast Hall on the wide road, illuminated by street lights on both sides. Tang Xiu sat in the backseat of the front car, a smile on his handsome face, feeling very satisfied as he recalled the scene of the meeting with Duanmu Lin.


    As long as Duanmu Lin and the ability users under his control didn¡¯t make trouble with him, the Tang Family would be able to rest easy and he didn¡¯t have to worry about doing anything. Tang Xiu was crystal clear about the promise he had been given before going to Mist Source Island, and the green book that was given to him was not taken back.


    With that in hand, he could act and execute without prior approval from any authority¡ªhis privilege to exterminate others.


    His eyes saw through the windows outside. It was already late at night, but some cars were still passing by. He finally felt a trace of weariness as he enjoyed the quietness and serenity inside the car after having been continuously plagued with things he had to deal with for many days.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    His cell phone rang for an unknown time, waking Tang Xiu up from his sleep. He found that the car had returned to the parking lot of the Everlasting Feast Hall. Mo Awu sat motionless in the driver¡¯s seat, while Jin Shi and the rest scattered to the surroundings without disturbing him.


    ¡°How long have I slept?¡± asked Tang Xiu as he took his phone.


    Mo Awu turned back and said, ¡°Four hours, Boss. It¡¯s 4:30 AM now. I decided not to disturb you since you were fast asleep.¡±


    Tang Xiu faintly smiled and glanced at the phone screen. It was a call from Xue Yu. He immediately picked up the call and spoke, ¡°Hello, Xue Yu. You haven¡¯t slept yet?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something I need to talk to you about, Tang Xiu.¡±


    ¡°Pray tell!¡±


    ¡°I just ascended in my cultivation last night and I kind of had an impulse to divine your future as well as some people who are related to you. I can¡¯t make heads or tails about your future, but I kind of have the foresight for another situation. I don¡¯t know whether the person is important to you, but there¡¯s someone who is kind of facing peril in the near future. She¡¯s now in the south¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu was startled and quickly asked, ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who it is. The specifics escape me, but she¡¯s a woman,¡± said Xue Yu with a forced smile. ¡°Also, she should have just escaped in a hairbreadth. Her exact position is in the waters near Jingmen Island. Ah, that¡¯s right¨Cthere¡¯s also a lightning storm; she¡¯s inside the lightning storm near Jingmen Island.¡±


    ¡°Any other clue?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Yes. She¡¯s not Chinese and I don¡¯t think she¡¯s entirely human,¡± answered Xue Yu. ¡°Pay attention to your safety if you wanna save her.¡±


    Tang Xiu was stunned. He racked his brain, trying to recall anyone he knew who could be in danger.


    ¡®Not a Chinese¡­ and not a human? But she was very important to me?¡¯


    He kept mulling it over. He felt that Xue Yu wouldn¡¯t have divined this issue for no reason at all, so he opened the door, looked at Mo Awu and ordered in a deep voice, ¡°Send my order to the others, search the location nearby Jingmen Island that currently has a lightning storm, and do it fast!¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± Mo Awu and the rest dispersed into the surroundings.


    A few minutes later, Mo Awu rushed back and brought an intelligence officer of the Everlasting Feast Hall, reporting to Tang Xiu that 180 nautical miles in the water southeastward of Jingmen Island there was a thunderstorm along with nine meters of waves.


    ¡°Call the port to prepare the ship. Tell them we¡¯ll be there immediately.¡±


    Tang Xiu sat back in the car with a bit of a gloomy expression.


    Whoosh¡­


    A figure instantly appeared in front of the car at lightning speed. It was Ji Chimei with her walking stick. She sent out a voice transmission, ¡°This one can follow you if you¡¯re in a hurry, Lord.¡±


    Staring blankly for a moment, Tang Xiu shook his head in distress. He opened the door and came to Ji Chimei and said in a deep voice, ¡°Take me 180 nautical miles southeast from Jingmen Island, Chimei. Awu, all of you are to stay here.¡±


    ¡°Received your order!¡±


    Mo Awu¡¯s group knew how terrifyingly powerful Ji Chimei was. They could only watch with envy as Ji Chimei grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s hand and they streaked into the sky.


    About flying, they were indeed were able to fly, but not so far as flying for thousands of miles. Currently, they could only maintain flying for half an hour. It also would fully consume their True Essence; even flying via a flying sword would only support them less than an hour.


    In a flash, Tang Xiu and Ji Chimei appeared amidst the lightning storm, but the bad weather didn¡¯t have the slightest effect on them.


    ¡°What are we here for exactly, Lord?¡± asked Ji Chimei curiously.


    ¡°Help me search the area within 100 kilometers with your perception. There¡¯s a woman I need to find. She¡¯s not a Chinese and¡­ forget it. Just scour the area within 100 kilometers and see if there¡¯s anyone around,¡± said Tang Xiu with a deep voice.


    Respectfully nodding in response, Ji Chimei released a steady stream of spiritual sense that spread out in all directions. A 100 kilometers area was covered in a flash and she could ¡®see¡¯ everything within the radius no matter if it was a person, a fish, or even a drop of water.


    ¡°There¡¯s an old fishing boat that was probably overturned by the waves about 14 kilometers southeastward from us. There are also two ships southwest of us, luxury liners with a total of 46 people. One of which is only boarded by a man with scantily dressed women. Northwest is a freighter with 24 non-Chinese people, armed with firearms and cold weapons like swords.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Not only that! 14 kilometers southeast, that old fishing boat should¡¯ve been overturned by such a storm and swallowed by the black sea, right? How could it still drift safely all this time? Lord, there¡¯s a woman on that boat. She¡¯s not a Chinese. She¡¯s blonde and is currently injured.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s head to the southeast,¡± said Tang Xiu immediately.


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Ji Chimei flashed forward to the said direction without hesitation. Her figure along with Tang Xiu¡¯s instantly appeared above the old fishing boat. As the two people came close, peculiar fluctuation energy could be sensed there, immediately making Tang Xiu clear about what Xue Yu said.


    She said that this foreign woman was related to him, but didn¡¯t say that this woman had a very close relationship with him. Yet, that slight difference in meaning still made Tang Xiu concerned.


    It was Viviani!


    She used to be a Saintess of the Holy See of the Vatican, possessing a special power, but not much of combat prowess. Her character was very pure and kind, and because of that, she ended up helping others a lot. Yet, she lost her home, loved ones, and nearly everything. He didn¡¯t know what happened to her after he met her at the casino in Saipan. Back then, he asked her about her issue and had not been in contact until now.


    ¡°Are you going to save her, Lord?¡±


    Ji Chimei and Tang Xiu stood on the deck with their perception covering Viviani who was inside one of the rooms in the cabin. At this moment, her appearance was far from goddess-like when Tang Xiu met her; she pretty much looked like a very broken beggar. No, it was even worse than that by the looks of the bruises all over her body. Of all the parts of tattered clothing on her body, only those that covered her sensitive parts were still intact.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just wait first.¡±


    Tang Xiu recalled what Ji Chimei said a while ago and immediately smiled. He came to a realization that it was not the storm that would threaten Viviani, but those 24 people on the freighter northeast from here. He clearly recalled that Viviani left Saipan for revenge and she now seemed to be hunted because of the old conflict.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to another room in the cabin and wait there. We won¡¯t bother her for now,¡± ordered Tang Xiu in a low voice.


    Ji Chimei nodded and followed Tang Xiu as they quietly went to another cabin room. Upon entering the room, she sat straightly cross-legged with her perception surveilling outside.


    ¡°Lord, the freighter northeastward should be catching up to this fishing boat in two hours. But those two liners should be catching up with the boat first,¡± Ji Chimei¡¯s transmitted voice reported.


    ¡°There are people who have the leisure to sail in this bad weather?¡± Tang Xiu replied with a peculiar tone, ¡°This is really strange. Chimei, who are the people on those two liners?¡±


    ¡°One of those two liners is boarded with twenty-plus men and they should be martial artists, while the other liner has a young man who looks like a playboy, judging by him having a good time with several women on it.¡±


    A playboy having some pleasure?


    Tang Xiu was dumbfounded and at a loss whether he should laugh or cry. An old adage indeed said that the world had a plethora of walks of life. Could it be that guy was not afraid of the increasing danger of the storm which could kill him in this vast sea?


    ¡°Tell me something, is this guy a cultivator, or does he have some peculiar abilities or something?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed and quickly asked with a voice transmission. ¡°Else, we should immediately tell his crew to leave this water and go to Jingmen Island¡¯s port for safety.¡±


    ¡°He shouldn¡¯t be a cultivator and is unlikely to have some special ability either.¡± Ji Chimei shook her head and replied with a voice transmission, ¡°He should be just a martial artist at the martial art grandmaster level, according to the martial artist ranks on Earth.


    ¡°A young martial artist grandmaster?¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted and racked his brain to find such person he was familiar with, but found none similar. He immediately decided to ignore it and waited in silence.


    Time fleeted by and half an hour quickly passed. As the two liners got closer and closer with the fishing boat, a large, staunch man on one of the liners finally discovered the fishing boat.


    ¡°Tell the boss we found a fishing boat here.¡±


    The large, staunch man with a raincoat who used his telescope on the liner turned back and ordered the few men behind him.


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    One of them answered and quickly entered the cabin.

 Chapter 782 - It’s a Small World

    Chapter 782: It¡¯s a Small World


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled amidst the heavy rain and winds, setting off large waves. The sea was billowing and the two liners were slowly surfing on its surface. Inside the luxurious cabin of the Seagull liner, a bevy of young girls with exposing clothes and hot figures flocked around Wang Rui.


    At this time, his hands were embracing the girls left and right while he received kisses from the belles from time to time. Cups of champagne were emitting a blurred halo under the colored lights, whereas a beautifully carved plate full of fruits was glittering as these people tasted their servings.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    In the cabin, the intercom suddenly sounded


    With brows pressed, Wang Rui waved to a girl in a swimsuit and the latter immediately picked up the intercom to readily connect him.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    A deep voice answered from the communicator, ¡°We found a fishing boat, Boss. It¡¯s quite strange.¡±


    ¡°Strange? Why did you say it¡¯s strange?¡± asked Wang Rui, surprised.


    The voice from the intercom replied, ¡°The fishing boat is rather small and can only accommodate ten-plus people. It¡¯s at least three times smaller than ours. Even then, we are still having problems sailing smoothly in this rough sea with the bad weather. Yet this fishing boat looks like it¡¯s having it easy. Also, it seems like it¡¯s not sailing but is floating on the sea surface.¡±


    Wang Rui pushed the girl, stood up and said, ¡°Got it! I¡¯ll go out and have a look!¡±


    He got dressed and received a raincoat handed by another girl. Taking a walk and coming out of the cabin, he then went onto the deck. The other liner approached and the staunch man sprinted and leaped up. He flew through the air for several meters before landing at Wang Rui¡¯s side.


    ¡°Take a look at that fishing boat, Boss,¡± the burly man handed over a binocular and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been observing it for some time. It seems like there¡¯s nobody on it, only some faint lights.¡±


    Wang Rui watched through the binoculars for several minutes before he finally nodded and commented, ¡°It¡¯s indeed quite strange. Go over there and have a look. Let¡¯s hope that we come across something good.¡±


    More than six minutes later, the two liners had approached the fishing boats and were only tens of meters away. The four middle-aged men shot two grappling hook guns attached with rope. The roped hooks smoothly caught the boat as they gradually pulled the fishing boat to the liner.


    ¡°Bang¡­¡±


    A gunshot suddenly sounded out. Viviani dashed out from the cabin in her tattered clothes armed with a pistol. She pointed the muzzle to the sky but then directed her killing intent toward Wang Rui and his men on the approaching liner.


    Wang Rui¡¯s face changed as the burly man instantly dashed in front of him and he took a deep breath. He kept watching Viviani as the lightning flashed in the sky. After more than ten seconds, he gently pushed the burly man in front of him, stood on the deck and shouted, ¡°HEY¡­ WHO ARE YOU? WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THIS STORM? ARE YOU NOT AFRAID YOUR FISHING BOAT WILL BE OVERTURNED?¡±


    At this point, Viviani had been plunged into despair. She was all bruised and scarred and was also exhausted. Even if she did have a little energy left, she was still spent. She had been hunted for half a month and was constantly on the run. Though she had a few chances to recover, she was still consuming more energy than she was recovering.


    And yet, she met the storm which forced her to use her ability to control the fishing boat and was barely able to make it drift amidst the waves. But now, it seemed like she was at the end of her struggle.


    ¡°Who are you, people?!¡±


    Viviani¡¯s voice sounded somewhat hoarse. She had a wound on the left side of her neck and it affected her normal pronunciation as it seemed to have damaged her vocal cords.


    ¡°We are Chinese and these are my men!!¡± Wang Rui shouted loudly, ¡°We thought the weather was great so we came to the sea to have some fun! But we never expected to run into this stormy weather, so we are preparing to head to Jingmen Island. Who are you, Miss?! Did you meet some troubles?!¡±


    Viviani heaved in a deep breath. She had been hoping to get some help, but she was also aware of the crisis she was currently facing. From what she had experienced for half this month, she was sure that her enemy should be around which would cause a disaster for these people if she took their help.


    ¡°Just go away! I don¡¯t need your help!¡±


    She steadied herself and stepped to the side of the boat. She fired two shots and accurately hit the two ropes, severing them.


    ¡®What great marksmanship!¡¯


    ¡°You have such great marksmanship, Miss!¡± With eyes lit up, Wang Rui applauded, ¡°Amidst weather such as this, the sight of average people would surely be hindered, yet you¡¯re still able to have such accurate shots. I really admire you. But it seems like you are injured now, aren¡¯t you? I have a medicine box here with all kinds of drugs. I think you¡¯ll need them.¡±


    Viviani didn¡¯t answer. She was indeed in an urgent need of medication, but she was afraid that she would also bring her troubles on these people. She felt helpless and didn¡¯t know what to do for a while.


    ¡°Shoot the grappling hook gun again!¡± Wang Rui keenly observed Viviani¡¯s hesitation and immediately ordered.


    The grappling hook was shot again and flew toward Viviani¡¯s position. Seven-plus burly men then pulled hard on the boat and the fishing boat finally stopped next to the liner. Wang Rui raised his hands, indicating that he didn¡¯t mean harm, and then jumped on the fishing boat and smilingly said, ¡°We, the Chinese, have a saying that fate is the reason why people can meet each other. Since we meet in the sea in this atrocious weather, it must mean it is fated by heaven. Anyways, may I know your name, Miss?¡±


    Viviani¡¯s expression suddenly changed. She instantly backtracked for more than a meter and vigilantly, said, ¡°I know you!¡±


    Wang Rui was surprised for a moment and carefully observed her. Then, he felt that Viviani was indeed somewhat familiar. But he failed to recognize her because of her pale and dirty face, so he asked, ¡°I can¡¯t tell if I can recognize you, Miss. My name is Wang Rui, can you introduce yourself?¡±


    ¡°Viviani.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Wang Rui suddenly recalled the stunning and exotic face of a foreign woman he had once met in Saipan. There, he came across that woman on a gambling table. The woman¡¯s name was Viviani and realized that the visage of this woman¡¯s face¡­ was¡­ not much different than hers indeed.


    ¡°What are you doing here? And how did you¡­¡±


    With disbelief on his face, Wang Rui watched Viviani and asked. After all, the woman before him currently was like a clump of mud compared to the woman he previously met.


    Half a minute passed by in silence without any reply from Viviani. She then slowly spoke, ¡°I ran into my enemies and got into this embarrassing situation. Could you just give me the medicines, Mr. Wang? I¡¯m injured and need medication as soon as possible. Don¡¯t worry, though. I won¡¯t bring trouble for you as I¡¯ll immediately leave after getting the drugs.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Wang Rui shook his head and said, ¡°I told you that it was fate that made us meet each other, Miss Viviani. We met in the sea in this atrocious weather. And I believe that it¡¯s not as simple as that you only need some medicines. Come with me to my ship! You can have a comfortable bath and change your clothes to clean ones. You can take some time to recover from your injuries. Besides, I don¡¯t think your enemy who has been chasing you can come here. Even if they were able to catch up with you, I assure you that we can help you deal with them.¡±


    ¡°No can do. You don¡¯t know what kind of people my enemies are, Mr. Wang,¡± Viviani shook her head and said, ¡°I really don¡¯t want to implicate you. Just give the medicines, please. Also, give me your contact number, so I can repay you a hundred times if I can get to a safe space alive.¡±


    Wang Rui felt a bit vexed and felt that he had been somewhat looked down on. An imposing aura instantly surged out from his body as he spoke in a deep voice, ¡°Miss Viviani, we, the Chinese have an old saying that we never say anything without the power to back it up. I dare tell you that I can guarantee your safety fully. You don¡¯t have to worry that you¡¯ll trouble us.¡±


    Viviani was about to rebuke him but Wang Rui was already moving to be in front of her. While still maintaining a gentlemanly manner, he made a gesture to invite her aboard. For fear that she would again turn him down, he seriously said, ¡°I hope the noble Miss Viviani won¡¯t turn down my invitation as this is my sincere wish to help you in a time when you¡¯re facing a crisis.¡±


    Viviani could only force a wry smile internally. After thinking that her enemies would not necessarily able to catch up with her in a short time, she chose to believe Wang Rui and followed him to board the liner. As she got on it, her keen eyes swept over at the twenty-plus staunch men before she eventually walked into the cabin.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Little did Viviani expect that she would encounter a very dishonorable scene like the one in front of her now. There were more than ten women inside the cabin, each of which with scant clothing that showed off their figures. These women came flocking around Wang Rui the moment the fellow entered the cabin, showing off a coquettish and praising mannerism toward the man.


    As for Wang Rui himself, the fellow only let out an indifferent smile, slapping the buttocks of a blonde girl and smilingly said, ¡°Find me some clean new clothes for Miss Viviani here. Also, escort her so that she can clean her body and her injuries. Prepare the new clothes for her after dealing with her injuries.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    The blonde seemed reluctant but still carried out the order. After she led Viviani to another cabin, the previous big man came to Wang Rui and whispered, ¡°We¡¯ve checked out the fishing boat, and there¡¯s nobody there aside from that woman. There are some traces of fighting there, but there¡¯s nothing peculiar that we can find.¡±


    ¡°Alright, but keep watching and be alert,¡± Wang Rui nodded and said, ¡°Viviani said she¡¯s worried that we will be implicated. That means that the crisis is not yet gone. We might have to face some people who catch up with us and who might bring conflict.¡±


    Half an hour later, Viviani had her injuries treated and got a shower. She was now dressed up in a new set of clean clothes. As she came in front of Wang Rui again, her stunning appearance made the fellow stunned and impressed him, despite him being accustomed to seeing a lot of beautiful women. This resulted in him sighing heartfeltly, ¡°You¡¯re really gorgeous, Miss Viviani. You¡¯re just the same as the beautiful you that impressed me when we met in Saipan. Really, it was fate that made us meet each other! Never did I expect that we would meet again here after our last encounter.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Wang,¡± Viviani slightly nodded and said, ¡°I will forever remember your kindness. However, I cannot stay here with you much longer, so as long as there¡¯s nothing you require of me, I bade you farewell.¡±

 Chapter 783 - Ambushed

    Chapter 783: Ambushed


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Viviani was not someone pure and innocent, especially recently, as her hands could be said to have been stained by blood. But she was still shocked by the miserable scenes after the battle as well as the killings she had done that she even had cold sweats in her sleep.


    Once, before all of this happened, she used to be a saintess in the minds of countless people. She was even a target of worship by millions of people.


    Her whole heart was pure and her nature was on the lawful good side. With virtue after the education like that of the light of God, she did not readily accept facing the kindness from Wang Rui. It was because she didn¡¯t want to involve, and eventually harm, innocent people, even if Wang Rui himself was seemingly not someone average.


    ¡°My enemies possess power that is far from what you can imagine and I guesstimate that they are around this water too, so I can¡¯t involve you in this. But I¡¯m very thankful towards you for these medicines.¡±


    Viviani turned around to leave after saying that.


    Wang Rui moved to block her path quickly as he spoke with a rather firm and overbearing tone and with a deep voice, ¡°I¡¯d let you leave if you had no injuries. But the current you will definitely die if you came across your enemies. You did say that your enemies are very powerful, but we¡¯re not soft and weak people either. Besides, I¡¯d love to have some fun during this very dull time. Of course, we can leave this place immediately if you¡¯re still concerned with the situation and I¡¯ll take you to Jingmen Island to avoid them.¡±


    His words made Viviani excited as it was a hope of hers to come to Jingmen Island to take shelter there, since someone was there that may be able to help her.


    ¡°Shall we head to Jingmen Island now?¡± after mulling it over quickly, she asked with a bit of expectation.


    ¡°No problem.¡± Wang Rui nodded and said, ¡°We can go now.¡±


    Wang Rui¡¯s men then released the roped grappling hooks and released the fishing boat in the open sea. The two liners then braved through the rough wind and waves and sailed toward Jingmen Island. The two liners didn¡¯t have much damage despite the growing sea storm.


    Wang Rui placed a glass of red wine in front of Viviani and went to the soft couch, sitting back while letting the alluring girls flock around him again. Wang Rui was no longer in high spirits from these flowers, however, as the women around him were in no way a comparison to Viviani whatsoever. Regardless of their looks or demeanors, the difference was like the difference between the clouds and mud.


    ¡°This is a red wine from Bordeaux, France¡ªa premium red wine chateau made and preserved for 22 years. No matter its color or taste, it¡¯s definitely top-notch. Have a taste of it, please. This red wine has a good effect in beautifying women¡¯s appearances if they drink it,¡± said Wang Rui with a smile.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Yet, Viviani didn¡¯t touch the red wine cup, nor did she taste the fruits and desserts on the table. She was still a bit wary in her encounter with Wang Rui at sea. The weather was, after all, kind of atrocious recently, yet Wang Rui actually came here seeking pleasure. It just was not right and was unusual.


    On the liner¡¯s bow.


    A burly man stood straight up with his eyes seriously watching the surrounding waters. The sky was getting brighter and the day was gradually replacing the night, yet he was slightly restless inside since the storm was not weakening but was getting even heavier instead. The flashing lightning and thunder rumbling all indicated that the storm was getting stronger.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Suddenly, his countenance slightly changed as his solemn eyes focused in one direction and he fixated on the black dot at sea in the distance. He immediately picked up a telescope and looked toward that side.


    ¡°Cargo ship?¡±


    The staunch man recalled the dialog between Wang Rui and Viviani before and his alertness increased. He waved over towards a middle-aged man, told the man some words, and then the latter rushed into the cabin. The man and two other guards had yet to return to the other liner ever since Viviani boarded the ship. They were not at ease in the slightest even though Wang Rui himself was very strong.


    ¡°We might have some troubles ahead, Boss.¡±


    ¡°What troubles?¡± with brows raised, Wang Rui asked and continued, ¡°Is it because the storm is getting stronger, or are Miss Viviani¡¯s enemies catching up with us?¡±


    ¡°A medium-sized cargo ship appeared several miles away from us,¡± said the burly man. ¡°I used a telescope to view it; the cargo ship has some people with guns, or I should say they are heavily armed, since they even have some heavy machine guns. They should have found us at the time I spotted them. Also, it seems like the cargo ship is heading toward our location judging by their direction.¡±


    Wang Rui turned to see Viviani and asked, ¡°Can you tell us about the background of your enemy? Please don¡¯t misunderstand me. It¡¯s not that want to pry into your private issues, but if these people are really your enemy, we might be unable to hide. The Chinese have a saying that, in battle, we must know our enemy and only then can we be victorious. I want to know the kind of people we might be facing so that it will be easier for us to deal with them.¡±


    Viviani straightly stood up from the couch. The ruddy nuances on her stunning face were replaced by a despairing look, and she bitterly said, ¡°They are the Savage Mammoth, a force of the underworld.¡±


    Wang Rui turned around to see the big man and found the man¡¯s face drastically changed. He pressed his brows and immediately asked, ¡°You know the people Miss Viviani just mentioned, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°This Savage Mammoth is a powerful entity. They are a very strong organization in Europe with a notorious reputation.¡± The burly man nodded and bitterly said, ¡°I dealt with the people from Savage Mammoth once. They are lunatics and harsh on themselves, more so than being savage to their enemies. Strictly speaking, it can be said that they are not human.¡±


    ¡°Elaborate with more specifics,¡± said Wang Rui.


    ¡°Savage Mammoth was originally a small force in the past, with arm and drug dealing as their main businesses,¡± explained the burly man. ¡°A few decades ago, however, that organization secretly developed some drugs that were said able to infuse beasts¡¯ blood into the human body. It was said to lead to the mutation of the human body. The drugs themselves were said to be very dangerous with only two out of ten who took it survived. But those who survived had some kind of abilities from the beasts¡­¡±


    ¡°I once encountered two people from Savage Mammoth who had been injected with some ant¡¯s genes. There¡¯s only one word to describe them: terrifying. Being able to lift a few hundred kilograms is already terrifying for normal people, but those two guys were able to lift a car weighing 2-3 tons!¡±


    ¡°And thus, Savage Mammoth continues to expand very quickly for about a decade or so now. They keep absorbing fresh blood and have become an enormous force. Outsiders are only aware of three major forces in the world: Pyramid, the League of Archcrusaders, and the Stygian Club. Only a few people know about the existence of Savage Mammoth. Of course, Savage Mammoth is indeed weaker than those three major forces, but no forces at the same size dare to provoke them either.¡±


    The meaning in his last few words made it very obvious that he wished Wang Rui keep his hands out of this problem. He knew perfectly well that this Savage Mammoth was an entity Wang Rui couldn¡¯t afford to touch.


    Wang Rui himself frowned, feeling prickly and restless inside.


    And yet, he had given his guarantee in front of Viviani that he had the ability to shelter her; he even boasted that he was able to cope with the people who had been hunting her. He would greatly lose face if he took back his words.


    After mulling it over for a while, Wang Rui suddenly said, ¡°Savage Mammoth is a very formidable organization, but it¡¯s based in Europe, right? This is water belongs to China. It¡¯s not like the Savage Mammoth¡¯s people dare to wantonly kill people here, right? Hmph¡­ it shouldn¡¯t be a problem as long as we are not facing their entire organization for the time being. Tell everyone else, and immediately issue a warning if the enemy is approaching. If they ignore it, get ready for battle!¡±


    The hesitation that Wang Rui had a moment ago was keenly detected by Viviani. The fellow seemed to have made up his mind, but Viviani still had some concerns. After a few seconds of silence, she said, ¡°You have a speedboat on your liner, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Why mention it?¡± Wang Rui nodded.


    ¡°Give me the speedboat and I¡¯ll leave alone,¡± said Viviani. ¡°Mr. Wang, Savage Mammoth has sent its experts. A lot of them this time. I spent a lot of effort to shake them off but I was unable to, so I can¡¯t involve and implicate you on this one.¡±


    Wang Rui raised his hand and was about to speak, but suddenly angry roars came from outside the cabin causing him to swallow back his words.


    ¡°YOU¡¯LL FUCKING DIE, ASSHOLES!¡±


    On the ship¡¯s bow, two foreign youths drenched with rainwater surrounded one of Wang Rui¡¯s men with a dagger in their hands. Another of Wang Rui¡¯s men had his throat slit and was convulsing on the floor.


    The burly man leaped out of the cabin lightning fast. The moment he appeared on the bow, he instantly pulled out a Mitsubishi army knife on his waist and aggressively plunged forward toward the foreign youths drenched in water. His movement was very fast; coupled with his formidable strength, he was at least at the martial arts grandmaster level. In just two breaths, the Mitsubishi army knife in his hand had stabbed the back of one of those foreign youths.


    ¡°Retratto!¡±


    An order to withdraw in Italian was heard from the injured youth. The two men jumped towards the sea without hesitation.


    The big man and another middle-aged man stood at the ship¡¯s side and watched the two foreign youths in the water with obvious murderous intent. As Wang Rui caught up with them, he immediately checked one of his men who was lying on the floor. He found the man¡¯s convulsion weak and saw him gradually lose his breath.


    ¡°Savage Mammoth¡­ Fuck!¡±


    Wang Rui stood and clenched his fists. He was sure now that Savage Mammoth¡¯s people likely had no good intentions towards them, even without Viviani onboard. They didn¡¯t even check whether she was with them on the ship, yet they shamelessly sent their men to ambush them.


    Viviani quietly came behind Wang Rui and her eyes glanced at the dead man. She apologetically said, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I¡¯ve involved your people.¡±


    ¡°No. They shouldn¡¯t have known that you¡¯re here with me yet they still ambushed us.¡± Wang Rui shook his head and said, ¡°This Savage Mammoth is indeed very powerful. They silently came here through the seawater, even in the midst of this atrocious weather and large waves, to launch a sneak attack on my men. It seems like there¡¯s a fierce battle ahead.¡±

 Chapter 784 - The Price of Arrogance and Stubbornness

    Chapter 784: The Price of Arrogance and Stubbornness


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    A few hundred meters in the sky, Ji Chimei released her domain which had a radius of several hundreds of meters. Not even the heavy rains and thunderous lightning were able to pose any threat to her and Tang Xiu.


    ¡°They seem to have some troubles.¡±


    Ji Chimei kept watching the scene with an indifferent look. Her voice was as cold as a glacier stream. Those below were like existences akin to ants in her eyes; she would not even waste her time here if it was not because her Lordship cared about this matter.


    ¡°Well, encountering troubles is pretty much a good thing, you know. There¡¯s no way anyone can be reborn without tempering and sail smoothly forever,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°You were born in the Immortal World, so you should¡¯ve heard the story about the Pure Yang Immortal, yes? He was a fellow who grew up under the shelter of eagles¡¯ wings and never had encountered any hardships, waves, or storms in his life. He had countless resources to support him, resulting in his cultivation reaching Supremacy in the Record of the Immortal. He even reached the stage of the Perfected Golden Immortal. But what happened to him in the end? He had a hard tussle and was directly killed by a new Immortal who just ascended to the Immortal World. He eventually became the laughingstock of countless immortals in the Immortal World.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Lord.¡± Ji Chimei nodded in full agreement and said, ¡°Such flowers in the greenhouse will forever be unable to endure the endless years of hardships. They are not comparable to the weeds which withstand the sweep of wind and are battered by the rains. But may this subject ask you about something, Lord? This lass called Viviani, is she one of our people?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head with an indifferent expression. He was also clueless as to why Xue Yu¡¯s divination was related to him. He and Viviani were just casually acquainted and they had not formed any friendship at all. Even if she was killed before his eyes, it was not something that related to him, right?


    Certainly, this was also the reason why he and Ji Chimei did not immediately appear in front of Viviani after arriving here. He wanted to find out the truth about what exactly Viviani had encountered and how she could be in such a messy and difficult situation.


    ¡°By the way, you also know about Brightwing race, don¡¯t you Chimei?¡± Tang Xiu suddenly turned and asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Ji Chimei nodded and answered, ¡°The Brightwing race is one of the myriads of races in the Immortal World. But this race kind of has a pitiful fate, as countless people are always looking at them with greedy eyes ever since their birth. Especially those females who are born, as each of them is an otherworldly beauty. In the eyes of those countless powerhouses in the Immortal World, they are treated as their plaything. As far as I know, this race only has an incomplete cultivation system and it¡¯s also much more difficult than an ordinary immortal cultivation technique. Thus, there has been no strong powerhouses born from the Brightwing race even after tens of thousands of years.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been having a suspicion that this Viviani has the Brightwing race bloodline. Yet I can¡¯t figure out how someone with the Brightwing bloodline can appear on Earth?¡±


    Ji Chime stared blankly before shock appeared on her face and she said, ¡°Now that I recall, there was a rumor back then, Lord. Even though the Brightwing race has never produced a powerful expert, there was a sage born among them called Paramita Vienna. She once produced a hypothesis that, if their race were to descend to a lower plane and their bloodline was to merge into a mortal¡¯s body, the offspring will have both human and Brightwing bloodlines. If Viviani really has a Brightwing race bloodline, it¡¯s highly likely that she may be an offspring resulting from this hypothesis.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t it way too ridiculous?¡± Tang Xiu frowned and said, ¡°Even if some immortals want to descend to an ordinary plane, the space law won¡¯t allow them to do so even if the space law of that lower plane is not of a high-grade, no? Hardly anyone will able to come here unless those immortals have broken through to the stage of Perfected Golden Immortal. And yet, those who have broken through the realm of Perfected Golden Immortal are a very formidable existence already. It wouldn¡¯t be difficult for them to shelter a weak race should one wish to do so. ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not clear regarding that issue either, my Lord,¡± Ji Chimei shook her head.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and threw his confusion to the back of his mind, concentrating his vision to look below toward the ships instead.


    On the liner¡¯s bow.


    Wang Rui¡¯s stubbornness didn¡¯t make Viviani feel at ease. It made her worry even more instead. She didn¡¯t want to fight hard against the Savage Mammoth¡¯s people as she knew that it would be like throwing an egg against a rock in a head-on battle. She wished Wang Rui would take his men and leave whereas she would take the speedboat and quickly escape.


    This Wang Rui, however, was too arrogant and stubborn at the same time.


    The distance between the liner and the cargo ship kept getting shorter. Wang Rui and Viviani could clearly see fully armed men and women on that ship. On the bow of the cargo ship, they even saw a silver-haired old man standing proudly with hands crossed behind his back.


    ¡°This will be troublesome.¡±


    The big man who stood beside Wang Rui spoke. His heart thumped wildly after seeing the silver-haired old man and a chill even filled his heart.


    ¡°What¡¯s troublesome?¡± asked Wang Rui, frowning.


    ¡°This spells big trouble for us, Boss,¡± The staunch man bitterly said, ¡°It¡¯s highly likely that old man is a bigshot of the Savage Mammoth. His position should be like a sect¡¯s Law Enforcement Hall Master in ancient times of our country. Rumor has it that this man is very terrifying, though nobody has ever seen him in action. This is because, according to the rumors, those who have seen him in action all died. This old codger should probably be the most horrifying power from the mysterious leader of Savage Mammoth.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ are you trying to raise the enemy¡¯s prestige to undermine our own morale?¡± Wang Rui snorted coldly and said, ¡°I¡¯ve reached the martial arts grandmaster level and you¡¯re just a step away from a higher stage as well. I believe we can completely annihilate them even if there are only two of us who take action. What¡¯s more, don¡¯t forget that we also have a non-human that came with us this time.¡±


    The burly man subconsciously glanced at another liner¡¯s cabin and felt greatly at ease. He naturally knew the ¡®non-human¡¯ individual Wang Rui mentioned. That person was one of the strongest even in Qingcheng Mountain.


    Quickly, the distance of the two liners and the cargo ship shortened to less than a hundred meters. As both parties stopped moving, the silver-haired old man on the cargo ship¡¯s bow shouted in fluent English, ¡°All of you surrender immediately, no matter who you are. We¡¯ll check out your ship. We¡¯re chasing our enemy. If you dare to shelter our enemy, we¡¯ll see you as an enemy as well!¡±


    The silver-haired old man¡¯s loud and clear voice made Wang Rui secretly startled inside, yet he was still able to compose himself and loudly shouted back, ¡°Your Savage Mammoth¡¯s people are really arrogant, aren¡¯t you? This is China¡¯s territory and yet you dare to act arrogantly here? Do you not fear that all of you will die in this sea?¡±


    ¡°Unbridled and extremely arrogant? Hahaha.¡± The silver-haired old man burst into laughter and loudly said, ¡°I¡¯ve always been despotic and arrogant. You can choose to refuse but I can twist and dig out your heart. Hahaha¡­ Do not fucking make me say it a second time! Surrender immediately and squat down on the bow! I can spare your puny lives if I¡¯m in a good mood.¡±


    Wang Rui grimly turned his head and ordered, ¡°Get serious and board that cargo ship! Those who dare threaten me must die. KILL THEM ALL!¡±


    Half a minute later, the two liners were just 20 meters away from the cargo ship, while the twenty-plus men were all ready to board the cargo ship to carry out the one-sided massacre. Four shadows suddenly dashed forward and sprinted the 20 meters.


    Four blades made a showy display of their power, fully suffused with killing intent, and hacked down toward Wang Rui. Even their speed was much faster than Wang Rui¡¯s ability to avoid them.


    ¡°SCRAM!¡±


    The big man instantly flashed out his dagger and hardly blocked one of the long blades. The nearest hazy shadow, however, flashed at the same time with a long heavy spear. After being seized by the burly man in an instant, his momentum kept increasing and the long spear turned into layers of spear shadows. They directly blocked all assaults toward Wang Rui.


    ¡°HUMAN LADDER BRIDGE!¡±


    The silver-haired old man on the cargo ship¡¯s bow shouted in a deep voice.


    Suddenly, 12 people who stood behind the old man wearing black robes and covered with black hoods instantly leaped toward the liner. One of them rushed forward and another followed who instantly stepped on his leg; the moment he was about to fall, the other dashed forward again, followed by the rest who sprinted continuously. They used their bodies as supports for the next ones who kept sprinting.


    This ¡®human ladder bridge¡¯ truly had an artistic sense to it. It had a perfect leaping effect, shown by those 12 men in black robes needing only a few breaths to dash and finally board the liner. As those black-robed men scattered around, they pulled out cane blades from their backs and frenziedly dragged Wang Rui¡¯s men into a fight.


    ¡°ROAR¡­¡±


    Suddenly, a man with green eyes let out a loud beastly roar. His nails began to quickly grow and a layer of thick hair emerged and covered his body. His strength, which was previously at the level of a martial arts grandmaster, suddenly increased several times. The moment his feet kicked off from the floor, his figure stormed forward toward one of Wang Rui¡¯s men as though he was a hungry tiger rushing towards his prey. His sharp nails swept at his opponent¡¯s neck, killing him with that one strike.


    ¡°Hiss¡­ hiss¡­¡±


    A layer of thick scales suddenly emerged on the body of another man. His body began to transform as if he was deprived of all of his bones. His entire body turned very soft, swaying and swinging like a willow being blown by the wind, constantly revolving around another one of Wang Rui¡¯s men and attacking him.


    Sharp fangs rapidly grew in that man¡¯s mouth followed by incisive breaths within. This guy¡¯s swift and violent strike directly killed another subordinate of Wang Rui.


    ¡°Poison mist!¡±


    The silver-haired old man on the cargo ship, however, seemed to be very unsatisfied with the current flow of the battle. He loudly shouted another command after several of Wang Rui¡¯s men had been killed.


    Immediately after, 16 experts of Savage Mammoth boarded the liner, each holding a porcelain vase. Quickly following, each unplugged their vase¡¯s cap at the same time. A surge of light green mist billowed out which was wrapped by the strong wind, spreading in all directions.


    Wang Rui¡¯s countenance changed and he ragingly shouted, ¡°BE CAREFUL! THAT MIST IS POISONOUS!¡±


    The moment the poisonous mist was released by the enemy, the staunch man took the opportunity to stab his opponent¡¯s belly with his spear. However, at the moment he wanted to directly kill the enemy, a spear shaft suddenly flew out and stabbed his chest in an instant.


    ¡°Puff¡­¡±


    Blood wildly spurted out as the staunch man¡¯s body violently trembled a few times before slowly slumping down to the floor.


    ¡°BASTARD!¡±


    Wang Rui roared and pushed back the enemy in front of him, then appearing in front of the staunch man. Never once did he ever dream that his powerful subordinate, who was much more powerful than the rest of his men, would unexpectedly fall under the enemy¡¯s attack at this moment.

 Chapter 785 - In Despair

    Chapter 785: In Despair


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The pale green mist was blown disorderly, spreading to a much larger area that shrouded the two liners and the cargo ship therein. Despite Wang Rui¡¯s timely reminder, there were still some combatants who were not able to fully hold their breath and inhaled some of the pale green poisonous mist.


    Puff, puff, puff¡­


    The glint and flash of cold blades were accompanied by flesh and blood that flew in all directions.


    In just a minute or so, Wang Rui¡¯s party of 20 men were heavily struck or killed by the Savage Mammoth¡¯s people. Even his powerful right-hand man lost his combat power after being severely injured.


    Viviani gritted her teeth with hatred evident inside her sapphire eyes. Her eyes tightly fixated on the two men in black robes. Her ability had only been recovered about 20 percent or so after her brief recovery, yet she had fallen into a perilous situation under the frenzied assault of these two men in black robes.


    ¡°Sacred Light, Blood Incarnadine!¡±


    She suddenly retreated. As her back leaned on the cabin wall behind her, absolute resolution suffused in her eyes. She cut her finger with a sharp stiletto and a hazy milky glow diffused from her body, followed by a strand of blood flowing out like a tide and with a milky light that scattered around.


    The light incarnadined with blood, seemingly woven into a big net, instantly stirred and trapped the faces of the two men in black robes. Right at the moment, she went all out to wave her arms. In a flash, the faces of the two men in black robes drastically changed. With ghastly paled faces, they attempted to retreat instead of getting entrapped within. But in the next moment, a flame blazed up above the scarlet sacred light and the dreadful heat it brought completely burned the two men in black robes in several breaths.


    Up in midair, Ji Chimei¡¯s pupils contracted while a flash of surprise gleamed inside them as she slowly said, ¡°My Lord, this lass called Viviani was using the Sacred Light Blood Arts of the Brightwing race. This Sacred Light Blood Art is extremely vicious both to the enemy and the caster as it¡¯s essentially burning their blood essence and life force¡ªone of the ultimate forms of this forbidden art. The most important point of using this art is burning one¡¯s life force.¡±


    ¡°You mean, you¡¯ve already determined that Viviani¡¯s true identity?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s brows pressed on and said, ¡°Is she a member of Brightwing race from the Immortal World who descends and lives on Earth, or according to that theory on the Earth, did she get reincarnated and yet still retained her core bloodline and consciousness?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s likely so, my Lord.¡± Ji Chimei nodded and continued, ¡°But for a member of Brightwing race of the Immortal World to want to descend on Earth, she or he must have a very formidable strength. At least at the stage of Golden Immortal. But, according to my knowledge, there has been no one among the Brightwing race who has reached the stage of Perfected Golden Immortal, just a few who have reached the Golden Immortal stage.¡±


    ¡°It seems like Viviani¡¯s ancestor should have reached a Golden Immortal stage!¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°If so, she has a rather good aptitude and also has human blood. If she cultivates properly, there¡¯s a high chance she could break through to the Golden Immortal stage in the future. If my estimation is correct, however, it¡¯s highly likely that she can regain the memory of her previous incarnation once she ascends to the Immortal World. She could also probably reach the Perfected Golden Immortal based on her previous life¡¯s experience in cultivation.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to recruit her as one of your subjects, my Lord?¡± asked Ji Chimei with a strange expression.


    ¡°I do have that idea.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°If that is so, my Lord must be mentally prepared. You may have to take the entire Brightwing race under your protection when we come back to the Immortal World,¡± said Ji Chimei.


    Tang Xiu laughed casually and confirmed it, ¡°Why would it be a problem for me taking the Brightwing race under my protection? It¡¯s just a trivial issue.¡±


    ¡°Taking the Brightwing race under your protection is naturally an easy matter given your ability, my Lord.¡± Ji Chimei smilingly replied, ¡°If so, shall this subject act now to rescue her?¡±


    Tang Xiu watched the groups in the battle below with deep observation before shaking his head and saying, ¡°No. People will only feel the most grateful when they are rescued after drowning, during their most desperate moments. For instance, you can see that Wang Rui fellow. Viviani was fleeing from a disaster, hence the helping hands from him just resulted in a bit of gratitude from her. It¡¯s incomparable to if she received a helping hand that gives her the only glimmer of hope in despair.¡±


    ¡°Right you are, my Lord.¡± Ji Chimei sighed heartfeltly.


    On the liner in the sea.


    After using the Sacred Light Blood Art, Viviani had practically spent all the energy she had gained from her brief recovery. She had even burned her blood essence¡ªan ability that consumed her life force, resulting in her completely losing the ability to continue to fight.


    ¡°It¡¯s a dead end.¡±


    Her slender body trembled a few times¡ªso much so that she would have probably fallen onto the floor had she not reached out to support herself on the cabin¡¯s wall. She only felt regret at this moment; regret that she had boarded Wang Rui¡¯s ship. Had she not come aboard and just continued to drift away in the sea, the Savage Mammoth¡¯s people wouldn¡¯t have found her. Even if she would have been more distressed, she could at least be able to live much longer. And, most importantly, she wouldn¡¯t have involved and implicated Wang Rui and his men.


    ¡°DIE¡­¡±


    A low, hoarse, and deep voice exploded in the ears of everyone on the liner.


    A sudden surge of aura followed the noise as a longsword swept across the sky. It slashed the necks of two men in black robes, killing them directly and leaving columns of splashing blood. The sword swept again as a figure flashed. A series of shadows kept moving toward the men in black robes who boarded the liner, sending them to their deaths one after another.


    Wang Rui, who was resisting the onslaught of the enemy could feel the pressure turn lighter all of a sudden. Yet he didn¡¯t feel happy in the slightest when he watched several of his enemies being killed directly. He knew perfectly well that the loss was too heavy even if they completely annihilated the Savage Mammoth¡¯s people. All the men he brought here were ordinarily top-notch experts. Several of them had been killed just a step away from reaching the grandmaster level.


    ¡°Interesting.¡±


    An erratic voice drifted from an old man on the bow of the liner. A hazy figure flashed as the silver-haired old man suddenly appeared in front of the old man expert who had slaughtered the men in black robes. Sharp scales that were more than 10 centimeters long protruded from his spine and two black sharp horns drilled out of his head as he pierced the back of his clothes. His aura kept surging out as he pressed forward toward the old man in front of him.


    ¡°Where did this freaking monster come from?¡±


    A cold gleam flashed in the eyes of the Qingcheng Mountain¡¯s old man. His longsword moved, creating layers of undulating and overlapping sword images, instantly shrouding the entirety of the silver-haired old man¡¯s body.


    The silver-haired old man maniacally laughed. He raised his arms and hacked down against the longsword¡¯s strikes with his arms that were entirely covered with scales. At this moment, however, the silver-haired old man¡¯s laughter suddenly came to an end as the scales on his arms were torn apart, revealing bones under two deep cuts that splashed with his blood.


    ¡°SCRAM!!!¡±


    Right as his arms were wounded, the silver-haired old man¡¯s eyes were filled with a vicious, fiendish, and yet bewitching charm. He blasted forward to deliver another heavy blow toward the Qingcheng Mountain¡¯s old man. The enormous impact force was too sudden for the latter to avoid it as the blow hit his body, sending him flying and spurting out a mouthful of blood. The face of Qingcheng Mountain¡¯s old man drastically changed and he kept onto his sword while stabilizing his figure, pushing back the silver-haired old man and then flashed to appear in front of Wang Rui.


    ¡°You¡¯re screwed, brat. When and where did you provoke these monsters?¡±


    Wang Rui watched the battle between these two old men from afar a moment ago. His heart violently shook after finding out that his family elder had been injured. He was perfectly aware of how powerful his elder was as the old man had broken through the grandmaster stage and reached a higher level.


    ¡°They have injected themselves with the genes of beasts and thus become mutated humans with the respective beasts¡¯ abilities.¡±


    Qingcheng Mountain¡¯s old man sharply exhaled. He grabbed Wang Rui and dragged him as he dashed into the cabin in a flash. After throwing Wang Rui inside, he proudly stood in the entrance into the cabin and fiercely shouted, ¡°Hey, old codger over there. Let¡¯s have a talk!¡±


    ¡°You wanna negotiate with me?¡± Contempt flickered inside the silver-haired man¡¯s eyes along with hostility as he smiled densely, ¡°What qualifications do you have to negotiate with me, huh?¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± The Qingcheng Mountain¡¯s old man coldly snorted and said, ¡°You¡¯re very formidable and are slightly stronger than my current cultivation level. That I admit. But you should also be aware of the fact that you also won¡¯t survive today if I decided to go all out and perish together with you. I don¡¯t know what hostility we have against each other, but I think we both should stop right here and now. Let¡¯s get it straight to clear any misunderstanding between us.¡±


    The silver-haired old man fell into silence. He was also aware of the terrifying strength his opponent possessed. Most importantly, he only had limited time to maintain his mutated body, only for at most 10 minutes and he would be suppressed if he couldn¡¯t figure out the means to kill the enemy within this span of time.


    ¡°I want her dead!¡± The silver-haired man suddenly turned around and pointed to Viviani.


    The Qingcheng Mountain¡¯s old man glanced at Viviani and immediately furrowed his brows before turning to Wang Rui and shouting, ¡°Tell me, does this foreign woman have something to do with you?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a friend!¡± Wang Rui¡¯s heart kept sinking inside the cabin. Never would he have imagined that even though his family elder had acted, he had no means to completely annihilate Savage Mammoths¡¯ people. He had so little choice and had to rely on his last hope of negotiating with the enemy.


    He realized he probably had no means to protect Viviani as he promised.


    The Qingcheng Mountain¡¯s old man coldly snorted. He immediately took a fast glance at Viviani and said, ¡°This person is not our people, kill her as you like. But I have one condition. You can¡¯t kill her on our ship!¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± The silver-haired old man nodded.


    With that said, he waved to the two men in black robes. The two men sprinted to Viviani¡¯s front and stabbed her shoulders with sharp nails, then quickly dragged her onto the fishing boat.


    The silver-haired old man then nodded toward the Qingcheng Mountain¡¯s old man and smiled densely, ¡°You¡¯re very formidable Monseigneur. I hope we¡¯ll have another opportunity to fight again. China, however, is a territory forbidden to us, so I very much hope that you can visit and sightsee in Europe.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll surely visit Europe should there be an opportunity. No worries there¡± sneered the Qingcheng Mountain¡¯s old man.


    The silver-haired man strangely chuckled a couple of times and then blasted onto the fishing boat like a cannon shell. In a heavy tone, he ordered out without glancing at the captured Viviani, ¡°Go back!¡±


    At this time, Viviani¡¯s heart died and all her hopes dissipated. She had been completely abandoned, yet she had neither resentment nor complaint. She realized that neither Wang Rui nor the Qingcheng Mountain¡¯s old man was able to protect and keep her.


    ¡®Perhaps this is the best ending! Though it¡¯s a pity that I can never see him again. I can¡¯t tell him myself that I¡¯ve killed several of my enemies¡­¡¯

 Chapter 786 - Holding onto a Straw of Hope

    Chapter 786: Holding onto a Straw of Hope


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Despair filled Viviani¡¯s heart and she had no energy left. The Sacred Light Blood Art was a forbidden art that caused harm to her body. Let alone do anything now, she wasn¡¯t able to use any power for the next three days. There was so little energy that she was currently physically weak. At this moment, even an ordinary person was enough to ender life, let alone one of the experts of Savage Mammoth.


    A look of hatred covered Wang Rui¡¯s face as he saw the ghastly pale Viviani thrown onto the deck of the cargo ship. He stood beside Qingcheng Mountain¡¯s old man for a long time in silence. At the same time, there was a smile blooming on Viviani¡¯s face, followed by the shape of her mouth that spoke ¡®thank you¡¯.


    ¡°Damn bastard!¡±


    Wang Rui clenched his fist as this was the second time he felt powerless, aside from the first time when he got defeated by Tang Xiu¡¯s subordinate in Saipan.


    A chilling expression hung on the face of Qingcheng Mountain¡¯s old man. He shot an indifferent glance at Wang Rui and said, ¡°This is my first time going out to spend leisure time with you, yet what I saw was you being immature and impulsive. I¡¯ll definitely report this to your grandfather when I get back; it will be up to him as to what kind of punishment you¡¯ll get.¡±


    Suddenly, Wang Rui turned around with a look of indignance on his face as he asked in a heavy voice, ¡°You definitely have the ability to rescue her; why did you give up? I told you that she¡¯s my friend!¡±


    ¡°Nobody has absolute friends in this world. Ever,¡± sneered Qingcheng Mountain¡¯s old man. ¡°Between protecting oneself and protecting others, the former comes first. I may be able to kill that old codger if I use my trump card, but then I¡¯ll lose that last resort for good. There¡¯s neither any gain nor obligation for me to help your¡­ insignificant friend. It¡¯s enough as long as you don¡¯t die, no more.¡±


    ¡®Is that really enough?¡¯


    Wang Rui could feel his face burning. He clearly remembered all the boastful words he had said before. He recalled why he stopped Viviani from leaving and let her rest on his ship. But regarding it bluntly, it was he who harmed her as she would have left directly otherwise, then she wouldn¡¯t have encountered Savage Mammoth¡¯s people and got captured.


    ¡°I can never accept this,¡± said Wang Rui bitterly.


    ¡°Then throw away all those thoughts of indulging yourself in pleasure if you can¡¯t accept it. Go into seclusion to practice well in the mountain,¡± sneered the Qingcheng Mountain¡¯s old man. ¡°You may be praised as the best genius of Qingcheng Mountain in the past hundred years, but if you keep loitering around all the time like this, you can expect other youths to surpass you and trample your head. One of them might even become the future heir of Qingcheng Mountain!¡±


    There was no chance that Wang Rui would give attention to this old man¡¯s words if he said that in the past. He thought he had done his very best already since after all, he had reached the grandmaster level at less than 30 years old. Another 8 to 10 years later, he believed that he could break through the limit of the grandmaster level and ascend to a higher level.


    Now, however, all the pride and arrogance he had were practically smashed and disappeared. The harsh reality brutally forced him to see that even if he was able to reach a higher level, he would never become an invincible existence that he thought he would be as there still were many strong people in this world.


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that?¡±


    The face of Qincheng Mountain¡¯s old man suddenly changed. He looked up toward the cargo ship that was gradually disappearing. He vaguely saw a pool of lightning looming several hundred meters above the cargo ship, along with an aqua-blue screen of light that rippled layer upon layer.


    Wang Rui followed his gaze and was immediately stunned, a look of shock moving on his face. The lightning flashes became more distinct and the aqua-blue screen, which was as though descending from the firmament, continuously enlarged before his eyes.


    Likewise, the silver-haired old man on the cargo ship had also perceived the peculiar situation up in the sky. His complexion turned incomparably solemn; the scales on his body that had not yet receded erected again as he readied himself for battle.


    BOOM¡­


    Lightning bolts the size of an arm and comprising of thousand branches gradually formed. The lightning arms flashed through the aqua-blue sphere, merging and dispersing from time to time, while the deafening rumble of thunders in the sky kept getting louder. It was as though an apocalypse was about to descend in this region, bringing a horrifying terror.


    Crack¡­ KABOOM!


    A bolt of lightning suddenly flashed and broke free from the aqua-blue sphere. It flashed from 100-200 meters above to directly strike down the men in black robes on the cargo ship.


    ¡°BE CAREFUL! QUICKLY AVOID IT!¡±


    Panic and horror filled the silver-haired old man whole being as he exclaimed loudly. Yet, he knew very well that however loud his warning was, the mighty power of lightning was so strong and fast that he wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid it, much less his men.


    Crack¡­ KABOOM¡­


    Crack¡­ KABOOM¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Lightning bolts kept flashing and broke free from the aqua-blue sphere. The bolts were as though possessing eyes, as each strike accurately blitzed down to blast a Savage Mammoth member. More than 30 experts of Savage Mammoth were struck with lightning bolts and died a tragic death.


    ¡°How could this happen?¡±


    Fear and horror engulfed the silver-haired old man more and more. He would have jumped into the sea to escape the predicament had it not been for this atrocious water. The lightning bolts were just too evilly frightening in that they didn¡¯t split and disperse anywhere else but instead struck down his men. It was no less than the very epitome of perfect accuracy.


    However, no one could figure out a solution for such a situation, shown by only ten-plus of his men still alive out of the previous dozens. Most importantly, the remaining several people had taken shelter in the cabin and only the weakened Viviani remained on the deck beside him.


    A thousand meters away from here, the old man from Qingcheng Mountain, Wang Rui, and several of his men were watching dumbfoundedly at the tragic situation brought by the peculiar phenomenon that was currently unfolding on the cargo ship.


    ¡°Is it because of the Heaven¡¯s anger, that it sent down its wrath toward the Savage Mammoth¡¯s people for what they¡¯ve done?¡± Wang Rui¡¯s lips squirmed as he murmured to himself.


    The Qingcheng Mountain¡¯s old man frowned and took a deep breath before shaking his head and said, ¡°That¡¯s not it. This is not the wrath of Heavens. It¡¯s likely because of a god-like being who¡¯s targeting those mutants.¡±


    ¡°Is it possible¡­¡±


    Wang Rui couldn¡¯t finish his words as his voice was suddenly as though blocked by a sponge. At this time, he could clearly see two figures descending from the sky and directly land on the cargo ship.


    It¡¯s him?


    Wang Rui¡¯s eyes tightly fixated on the familiar voice, yet disbelief could be seen filling his eyes.


    There was a smile on Tang Xiu¡¯s face the moment his feet landed on the deck and then he circled around the silver-haired old man twice. He watched the old man¡¯s round and staring eyes, whose fear was evident on his face. Tang Xiu raised his hand to touch his chin and spoke, ¡°What an interesting mutated man; transforming one¡¯s body using an engineered beast¡¯s gene so that they possess the ability of beasts for a short time to enhance their strength. Unfortunately, the latent potential of the body has been overly stimulated, and ultimately lost the most important foundation to progress further.¡±


    The silver-haired old man wanted to move, but the terrifying force that directly imprisoned him was as though a mountain. However hard he exerted his power to break free, not only was he unable to move, he didn¡¯t have the strength to even lift his finger. He very much tried to speak but his mouth was as though it had been sewn, leaving the words he wanted to speak stuck in his throat; not even the faintest sound could come out.


    Fear. It was as though a venomous snake was eyeing his heart, sending his whole being in a state like having fallen into an icy hole.


    Tang Xiu shook his head as he turned around and walked toward Viviani who was struggling to get up. He reached out to her and propped her up as he squatted on the deck and let her lean on him. He smiled at her and said, ¡°I¡¯m really curious about something here. What on earth have you done? To think that these people spare no effort just to hunt and kill you?¡±


    A trace of life finally appeared in the previously dead, hopeless-filled eyes of Viviani. She felt like she just had a dream. She could feel Tang Xiu propping her up as she watched the face that had been appearing in her mind countless times recently. She thought that she would never see him again in this life, resulting in a deep regret inside her.


    But now, he unexpectedly appeared before her. He must even be related to that terrifying phenomenon that just happened.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Viviani¡¯s spoke in a hoarse voice, yet she didn¡¯t know what to say all of a sudden.


    ¡°What?¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°You never thought that I would appear here all of sudden giving you hope to survive, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Viviani did see such hope since Tang Xiu was someone deep and mysterious in her eyes. Back when she met him in Saipan, his strength was not that strong, but seeing him again at the present, she could feel a kind of unfathomable sensation coming out from him.


    ¡°Then go live well since you have seen the hope to go on living!¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°The only real thing in life is being alive itself.¡±


    Viviani took a deep breath and tried to suppress the stirring emotions she had inside before she asked earnestly, ¡°How come you appear here? Also, did you¡­ just create that lightning?¡±


    ¡°What? Did you think that I have such an ability?¡± answered Tang Xiu with a pale smile.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Viviani shook her head.


    ¡°Then don¡¯t ask since you don¡¯t know, okay?¡± replied Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°It just happened that I saw you being hunted and came to help since I thought you¡¯re an old acquaintance. Anyways, you haven¡¯t answered my question yet. What on earth have you done, exactly? How come these people spared no effort and hunted you down?¡±


    A smile suddenly appeared on Viviani¡¯s face and the will to live in her eyes kept getting stronger with the smile on her face getting brighter. She was thinking something that was worth celebrating and spoke with a bit of a cheerful tone, ¡°I¡¯ve killed my mortal enemies and some others. It was they who machinated all kinds of traps and engineered all the schemes behind my back that had killed my family members one after another.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Tang Xiu raised his thumbs up.


    Some redness appeared on Viviani¡¯s fair face. She looked a bit embarrassed and said, ¡°But the last one, the Savage Mammoth¡¯s people, found me and began to hunt me down. I¡¯ve been on the run for half a month before they caught up to me here. At first, Savage Mammoth only sent weak people to hunt me down. I killed a lot of them; I can¡¯t remember exactly how many. But it should more than 100 people, no less. But later on, the people who hunted me kept getting more powerful, up until you came to save me just in time, fortunately. They would¡¯ve killed me otherwise.¡±

 Chapter 787 - Methods of Immortal Experts

    Chapter 787: Methods of Immortal Experts


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The more Tang Xiu listened to the hardships Viviani had gone through, the more he secretly and gradually admired her ability. The Savage Mammoth¡¯s people did indeed possess formidable power and some of them were comparable to the early stage of Foundation Establishment experts, like that silver-haired old man.


    Viviani was quite formidable herself since the strength she could fully showcase should have surpassed those at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. It was just that the number of enemies that hunted her down was too many while more and more experts emerged among them. Even if she went all out to kill them, there were times that she was too lenient, and her ability to escape if she tried was also inadequate among these Savage Mammoth members.


    Tang Xiu let out a smile and gestured to Ji Chimei. The latter immediately snorted coldly as those several experts of Savage Mammoth suddenly felt like their necks were grabbed by an invisible hand. Their feet kept convulsing chaotically in the air as they were lifted out of the cabin.


    The strange scene made it so that Viviani¡¯s jaw fell and disbelief filled her face.


    Tang Xiu took out a dagger and put it in Viviani¡¯s hand, smilingly saying, ¡°They are your enemy, it¡¯s up to you what do you wanna do with their lives.¡±


    Shocked as she was, Viviani looked down at the dagger in her hand. Her countenance turned redder the longer she watched the faces of those Savage Mammoth¡¯s members who looked like they were being hung in the air. She struggled in hesitation for a short while before she gradually moved toward those people.


    Puff¡­


    The dagger stabbed the heart of one of them and she quickly pulled it out. Then, the several remaining members of Savage Mammoth were struck and killed by her in a half minute. She walked step by step to the front of the silver-haired old man as she turned to look at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Can I kill him too?¡±


    Tang Xiu gave an allowing gesture and smilingly said, ¡°These people are mutants or hybrids, I don¡¯t know. You can do what you will to these beings neither human nor beasts.¡±


    Viviani nodded heavily and shot a grateful look at Tang Xiu. She then stabbed the silver-haired old man¡¯s heat mercilessly with the dagger. She looked as though she had yet to vent her vexed feelings inside as she fiercely stabbed the silver-haired old man¡¯s throat afterward. Though she was rather weak right now, she was still able to stab him several centimeters deep.


    Huff¡­


    As she pulled the dagger out, Viviani staggered backward for a few steps. She could have fallen again had Tang Xiu not quickly came to catch and prop her up.


    ¡°So, what do you feel now?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°I feel rather complicated, but I¡¯m mainly dying to become more formidable,¡± answered Viviani full of seriousness.


    A smile outlined on Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth. Little did he expect that Viviani would actually be keen and tactful and raise this topic even before he spoke his true intention. He then smiled and said, ¡°Having formidable strength is naturally the dream of countless people indeed. But a dream is nothing but a dream for many, as those who can obtain the opportunity to increase their strength are very rare¡ªa selected few. If anything, what will you do if such an opportunity were given to you but you must pay the price for it?¡±


    ¡°Exactly what price must I pay for it?¡± asked Viviani.


    ¡°For instance, freedom,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    The answer made Viviani fall into silence for a long time before she heavily nodded and answered, ¡°I¡¯m willing to pay for it.¡±


    ¡°Then follow since you¡¯re willing!¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said, ¡°You also saw the terrifying phenomenon a while ago, right? Let alone annihilate these mutants who just hunted you down, you even will be able to eradicate the entire Savage Mammoth and those enemies who had been hunting you down if you follow me.¡±


    ¡°Can you really give me such an opportunity?¡± Viviani was amazed.


    ¡°Of course I can do that, why else did I tell you about it?¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s greet that Samaritan fellow. It¡¯s time to go back.¡±


    Viviani turned around to see the two liners in the distance and saw Wang Rui who stood on one of the ships as she inquired, ¡°You mean¡­ Mr. Wang?¡±


    ¡°You know, I know this Mr. Wang too.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°In any case, he has seen something he shouldn¡¯t see today, so I have to deal with it.¡±


    Having said that, Tang Xiu directly grabbed Viviani¡¯s arms and floated as he walked in the air toward the liner a kilometer away. As he came above the ship, he looked down toward the shocked Qingcheng Mountain¡¯s old man, Wang Rui, and his men before speaking to them with an indifferent smile, ¡°How does it feel to watch such a show, Wang Rui?¡±


    ¡°T-Tang¡­ Tang Xiu, are you a cultivator?¡± asked Wang Rui suddenly. HIs throat had somewhat gone dry and his lips squirmed a few times.


    ¡°I am,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    A bitter expression could be seen on Wang Rui¡¯s face as he slowly said, ¡°I finally understand why you didn¡¯t want to fight me. I was really too proud and arrogant, it seems.¡±


    ¡°For you being able to realize your own shortcomings, that means you have the capability to remold yourself in the future if you could,¡± Tang Xiu said with a pale smile, ¡°Anyways, is this the elder of Qingcheng Mountain? Not bad, you can actually break the limitation of grandmaster level and reach a higher level.¡±


    The Qingcheng Mountain¡¯s old man wore a respectful look as he cupped his fists and said, ¡°Wang Luzhong greets senior Immortal.¡±


    ¡°Dispense with the ceremony.¡± Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°It just so happened that we meet by coincidence, no less. You are rather talented in cultivation, yet lacking in some aspects of the character. I very much hope that you can change such a bad habit in the future. If anything, I think Wang Rui is worth learning from in this regard.¡±


    The Qingcheng Mountain¡¯s old man looked embarrassed for he knew what Tang Xiu was referring to. After all, he just abandoned Viviani, letting the Savage Mammoth¡¯s people capture her. Despite Tang Xiu¡¯s reprimand, however, he didn¡¯t dare to have the slightest complaint and kept his respectful manner and reverently replied, ¡°I¡¯ll definitely correct myself.¡±


    Tang Xiu just let out a pale smile in response before he turned toward Wang Rui and said, ¡°You¡¯ve helped Viviani today so she owes you this favor. Call me if there¡¯s a time you need her to pay this favor. But there¡¯s no need for the rest to remember anything about what has happened today.¡±


    The next moment, Ji Chimei unleashed her magical power and a streak of light thrust into the heads of Qingcheng Mountain¡¯s old man and the rest, causing Wang Rui¡¯s face to suddenly change dramatically.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, you¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him. After half a minute of silence, the Qingcheng Mountain¡¯s old man opened his eyes, looking dazed as he shook head and got up from the floor.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me? Who are these people?¡±


    Wang Rui¡¯s eyes contracted as a tempestuous wave quaked in his heart. He realized what method it was¡ªa terrifying means to tamper and erase people¡¯s memories!


    Who exactly is she? How could this elderly lady have such a terrifying ability?


    Tang Xiu held Viviani¡¯s arm and didn¡¯t put her on the floor so that he could sniff a pleasant fragrance coming out from her. Tang Xiu gently patted her arm and smiled lightly, ¡°I think you know what to do after what happened today, Wang Rui. Viviani is injured and I need to take her with me. We bade you farewell now. We shall meet again someday.¡±


    ¡°We shall meet again someday?¡±


    Wang Rui only felt like he saw a halo in front of him as the figures of Tang Xiu, Viviani, and the terrifying elderly lady vanished out of the blue. A deep sense of loss emerged inside him at this very moment for he knew that he would never surpass Tang Xiu in regards to cultivation, let alone defeat him. He and those people were not of the same world at all.


    The Qingcheng Mountain¡¯s old man took a quick glance around as he exclaimed in alarm, ¡°What¡¯s that ability? Such a speed is¡­¡±


    Wang Rui shot a deep look towards the spot where Tang Xiu just vanished and slowly said, ¡°I can¡¯t tell you who they are, but I hope you can forget the scene you just saw. Only then will there be no harm and only benefits to you and our Qingcheng Mountain.¡±


    Jingmen Island, the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    Viviani only felt a flower halo blooming in front of her eyes. The heavenly thunder and the severe weather had disappeared. Although she was still being held by Tang Xiu, she was filled with amazement as she found that Tang Xiu had landed and stood on the ground, the trees and buildings in the surroundings showing that they had just arrived on solid land.


    ¡°What¡¯s this place?¡± suppressing her shock inside, Viviani asked in puzzlement.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to ask you one last question, Viviani,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Do you have any concerns about yourself? Or something that you have yet to finish?¡±


    Viviani thought over it for a short while before nodding, and said, ¡°Yes. I want to eradicate the Savage Mammoth. I have some dealings with the people from this organization and these people are simply evil, the very devil themselves.¡±


    ¡°Only this one, no less?¡± asked Tang Xiu again.


    ¡°I¡­ probably only this one,¡± said Viviani. ¡°I don¡¯t have a family anymore; neither do I have a relationship with the Vatican anymore. I have nothing left to be concerned about.¡±


    ¡°If so, then stay and live here as a member of Everlasting Feast Hall and became a ghost here after you die.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°This place is Jingmen Island, the headquarter of Everlasting Feast Hall. You can stay here for the time being! I¡¯ll send someone to arrange the daily necessities for your life and to guide you to familiarize yourself with this place.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Viviani replied and inquired again, ¡°When can I get that opportunity exactly?¡±


    Ji Chimei, who stood at the side, interjected indifferently, ¡°For you to be brought here is already an opportunity in and of itself, lass!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Someone will naturally come to you to impart a cultivation technique when you¡¯ve familiarized yourself here so that you can keep getting stronger.¡±


    During their conversation, Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s figure flashed from the distance and arrived in front of Tang Xiu in just several breaths. She curiously sized up Viviani before speaking, ¡°Grand Master, Lulu just called me. She¡¯s looking for you, saying that it¡¯s very urgent.¡±


    ¡°Ouyang Lulu?¡±


    He was filled with a bit of curiosity. Tang Xiu took out his mobile phone and dialed Ouyang Lulu¡¯s number. A short while after he dialed it, his call was picked up as Ouyang Lulu¡¯s hurried voice came out, ¡°Tang Xiu? Is it you?¡±


    ¡°It is!¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Where are you now?¡± asked Ouyang Lulu rapidly. ¡°Can you hurry back to Shanghai? Han Qingwu just got an accident!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s countenance changed and he asked in a heavy voice, ¡°What happened to her?¡±

 Chapter 788 - Mental Demon Possession

    Chapter 788: Mental Demon Possession


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu hung up with an expression that was like the frost of the December solstice, yet he held deep concern in his eyes. Numerous times had he had convinced himself that he and Han Qingwu¡­ or rather, Xue Qingcheng no longer had any relationship. If any, the link between them was just hatred between enemies.


    However, never did he realize that regardless of the Xue Qingcheng in the Immortal World, or the now Han Qingwu on Earth, both of them had been affecting him all this time.


    ¡°I¡¯ll buy a ticket on the next flight back to Shanghai.¡±


    At first, Tang Xiu planned to take Ji Chimei to send him back to Shanghai, but after thinking about it for a while, he thought that it was inappropriate. He dared to order Ji Chimei to take him to the sea area of Jingmen Island because the atrocious weather greatly obstructed the satellite monitoring over the region. But if he were to go to the mainland with Ji Chime flying in the sky, the satellite would definitely catch them.


    Shanghai.


    In the deepest part of Paradise Manor, the ghastly pale Han Qingwu sat cross-legged on the bed inside the room of a western-style building. Her eyes were filled with fierceness and her hair was disheveled; discomfiture was the reflection of her whole being. Four steel chains tightly shackled her four bare limbs, each fixed at the four corners of the room.


    It was a mental demon that led to qi deviation¡ªa problem that a cultivator was prone to encounter.


    For every cultivator who encountered such a mental demon, the symptoms ranged from a mental disorder to serious internal injuries. The backlash of blood and qi all over the body could even lead to an explosion of their body and result in their death.


    Outside the room, a deep concern plastered itself on Ouyang Lulu¡¯s stunning face. She may not like Han Qingwu and even saw her as a love rival, yet she didn¡¯t feel at ease and even felt restless upon seeing her appearance right now. It was more so that she had just started her path into cultivation that made her realize that she might also face a situation such as this mental demon, causing her to pay more caution toward this aspect of cultivation.


    ¡°How? When will Tang Xiu come back?¡± Han Jintong looked at Ouyang Lulu after she hung up, a worried look his aged face.


    ¡°He said that he¡¯ll immediately come back from Jingmen Island,¡± answered Ouyang lulu. ¡°If nothing happens, he should be returning back to Shanghai before 2 PM.¡±


    ¡°Did he say whether my granddaughter will face any danger?¡± asked Han Jintong rapidly. ¡°I¡¯m really worried at just the way she looks currently.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t elaborate on anything.¡± Ouyang Lulu shook her head.


    Han Jintong quickly picked up the mobile phone and searched for Tang Xiu¡¯s cell number. Right as he wanted to dial it, he hesitated and was worried that Tang Xiu would be angry. After hesitating for a short while, his fingers eventually didn¡¯t press the dial key.


    At present, Han Jintong and Ouyang Lulu didn¡¯t realize that Han Qingwu, who was being chained, was falling into her memories during the battle she had in the Immortal Worlds. Countless fragments of memory kept flashing inside her mind one after another. A series of those particular scenes felt like a movie being played, as it continuously went from her last 20 years of experience to her current life.


    ¡°Immortal World¡­¡±


    ¡°Celestial beings¡­¡±


    ¡°Sect¡­¡±


    ¡°Lover¡­¡±


    ¡°Betrayal¡­¡±


    For a long while, Han Qingwu was as though living in the center of this paradise and then fell into hell. Such emotional turmoil nearly drove her into insanity. Her consciousness was completely immersed in the sea of memory fragments. They were interwoven intricately, so much so that her consciousness of the current reality and the one in the dream-like state had combined and she didn¡¯t know that she had been chained up. In the eyes of Han Jintong and Ouyang Lulu, she was just of the brink of plunging into insanity.


    Jingmen Island Airport.


    Although Ouyang Lulu¡¯s voice when she called was very urgent and anxious, Tang Xiu was slightly relieved since Lulu told him that it was qi deviation caused by a mental demon and she lost her mind near the brink of insanity, yet not directly leading to her body exploding


    In order to prevent the unwanted eventuality, however, he still hurried to return back and boarded the flight to Shanghai after some efforts, accompanied by Mo Awu and Jin Shi as usual.


    ¡°Boss, will we also face such a mental demon that leads to a qi deviation in the future?¡±


    As the airliner flew in the blue sky, Mo Awu, who sat next to Tang Xiu asked, a worried expression flashing in his eyes.


    ¡°There¡¯s a chance indeed since every cultivator might have to face such a mental demon crisis that leads to qi deviation.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°As the term implies, such a mental demon manifests in two aspects; firstly, there¡¯s the situation where one¡¯s cultivation strays from the correct path due to some mistakes. It could also be triggered by the shortcomings of his cultivation technique, leading to the possibility where they encounter intractable problems in their cultivation. The second being the shortcomings in their state of minds. Figuratively speaking, obsession such as a mental demon situation belongs to this second type in around 95 out of 100 cultivators. It¡¯s triggered by the shortcomings of their state of minds, causing the breeding of a mental demon in their hearts.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Mo Awu nodded and asked again, ¡°Is there any means to work around this situation, Boss?¡±


    ¡°Definitely,¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°The best method to deal with it is for a cultivator to cultivate a firm and resolute state of mind so that not even a strong mental demon would affect him. Also, there are some magical artifacts which can be used to calm the heart and focus the mind, avoiding the breeding of this mental demon.¡±


    Mo Awu¡¯s expression changed and he asked with some anticipation, ¡°How do you get those mysterious artifacts, Boss? Are you able to manufacture them?¡±


    ¡°I can refine them, naturally,¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°But the materials needed to refine them are very precious. Even those cultivators who have been cultivating for thousands of years may not necessarily be able to obtain these materials.¡±


    A disappointed look flashed in Mo Awu¡¯s eyes. Even though he had become a cultivator himself, he was still in awe toward those who had cultivated for thousands of years. An adage said that if someone gets old and yet death can¡¯t overcome him then there¡¯s something weird with him. For ordinary people who could live past 100 years old, they were called to have a long life. Yet those who could live past 200 years were called old freaks, monsters. Those who could live millennia and yet still lived to see the day, wasn¡¯t it much more proper to call them ghosts or spirits?


    ¡°Then, what exactly is this state of mind?¡±


    ¡°Mood or state of the mind is an issue that can be understood but not described, for it is subtle and mysterious,¡± explained Tang Xiu. ¡°If we have to explain in an easier way, though it is perhaps inaccurate, it can also be interpreted as the state of mental perseverance or toughness. The more experiences one obtains in life, the stronger their heart and mind get tempered, while the more perceptive they are, the higher their state of minds are. You should¡¯ve heard about the term ¡®epiphany or sudden enlightenment¡¯, yes? Cultivators need perception and comprehension to come to some realizations, and thus, the more insights they have, the higher their state of minds and mental state are.¡±


    Mo Awu nodded, though he only had a hazy notion about it. This issue was something that could be felt and understood, but couldn¡¯t be described in words for he had yet to encounter such a state as of now. Only after he reached a much higher realm in cultivation would he be able to comprehend what a mental state and state of mind were.


    The airliner landed at Shanghai Airport at 12:30. Tang Xiu, Mo Awu, and the rest just went out the exit of the airport when they saw Ouyang Lulu anxiously waiting for them outside.


    ¡°You¡¯re back, Tang Xiu. Let¡¯s rush to the Paradise Manor!¡± immediately said Ouyang Lulu after approaching them.


    Tang Xiu nodded while walking and then asked, ¡°How is Han Qingwu¡¯s situation now?¡±


    ¡°She has gone crazy.¡± Ouyang Lulu forced a smile and said, ¡°She¡¯s been staying in the Paradise Manor for a few days, and I¡¯ve arranged her to stay in the multiple-storied western-style building where Han Jintong has been staying. She suddenly went crazy in the middle of the night yesterday and even collapsed the whole building. Fortunately, only Han Jintong lived inside, else ordinary people staying inside would¡¯ve been crushed to death.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu suddenly realized that she went off topic and quickly changed the subject. ¡°Han Qingwu¡¯s present condition is very bad. She looks like she has gone insane. Had it been not for Han Jintong and Shanjenna working together to chain and lock her up to put her under control, I¡¯m afraid she would have made a big mess already.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded after hearing it. Going crazy was indeed a type of insanity. Even if she got injured, there was still a way to deal with her injuries as long as he could arrive there in time.


    Only, such a mental disorder or insanity was very troublesome to deal with. If he were still the Supremacy back like in the Immortal World, it would only need a flick of a finger to solve this issue. His present strength now, however, was very weak and he was probably not a match for a Golden Core cultivator if he encountered one, let alone powerful enough to solve a mental disorder, the most mysterious of the brain¡¯s problems.


    At 2 PM.


    Tang Xiu appeared in the room where Han Qingwu was locked inside. He watched her desperately struggling crazy-like appearance along with her disheveled hair. He could only sigh inside and faintly guessed that it should be related to the memories of her previous life, though he was still not sure about it.


    ¡°Lulu, wait outside. No one can enter this room without my permission,¡± Tang Xiu ordered and then closed the room from the inside.


    Shortly afterward, Tang Xiu came to the table in the corner, taking out cinnabar ink, yellow paper, and a weasel-hair writing brush from his interspatial ring, and then began to draw magical charms.


    Soul Tranquilizer Charm, and Heart-fire Purifying Charm.


    Both charms had a wonderful magical effect to alleviate such mental disorder. If Han Qingwu¡¯s situation was not too bad, she should be calming down in a short time.


    However, when Tang Xiu finishing drawing the two charms and used them on Han Qingwu, not only did they have an effect on her, Han Qingwu even went crazier and treated him as an attack target. Although she was quite strong, her strength broke out to a level higher from her insanity.


    ¡°It seems like I can only use that particular art.¡±


    Tang Xiu sighed inside. The art was very powerful and at least would be able to solve Han Qingwu¡¯s insanity problem right now, yet casting that art would bring about some effects on his body.


    He bit his finger, forcing several drops of his blood out and he began to inscribe ancient runes full of vicissitudes in the air. The golden runes seemed to contain an infinite profoundness as it gradually merged into the blood. The red blood immediately turned gold-colored, covered by a sphere of light around it.


    ¡°Bloodsoul Hex, Demon Suppression.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s body quaked and he slapped the golden blood into Han Qingwu¡¯s glabella. Suddenly, Han Qingwu¡¯s body was as though being struck by lightning as she twitched a few times and slowly fell onto the floor.


    Tang Xiu pinched the steel chain, breaking the shackles on her, and he picked up her delicate body and placed her on the bed. He then stretched the blanket over her body and stood quietly at the bedside for a long time without a word. He could clearly see the painful expression on Han Qingwu¡¯s eyebrows, indicating the volatility and violent fluctuations in her consciousness.


    ¡°Was is the memory of her past life that affected her? Would she remember the days when she was in the Immortal World?¡±


    After a long time, Tang Xiu took a deep sigh and turned around to the door, opened it and went out.


    ¡°How is my granddaughter, Tang Xiu?¡±


    Restlessness completely covered his face. Han Jintong, who waited outside, sprinted to the front of Tang Xiu and asked.

 Chapter 789 - Abnormal Behavior

    Chapter 789: Abnormal Behavior


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    For a short while, Tang Xiu fell into silence and slowly replied, ¡°She¡¯s not in danger, but whether the price she has to pay is big or small after having this mental demon possession will have to rely on herself. If she wakes up in time and adjusts herself to this problem, she will be able to recover to like before after some time. But if she doesn¡¯t, I¡¯m afraid she won¡¯t be able to continue cultivating in the future.¡±


    Han Jintong¡¯s heart thumped as a chill inside his heart madly emerged. He clearly realized what it meant for a cultivator not being able to cultivate. It was like losing the hope of having the ability to become stronger.


    For cultivators who had been going through the bustle and hustle of their lives, going through such a mediocre life without any means to cultivate further was a fate worse than death. He didn¡¯t know whether his granddaughter would be able to endure such an ending.


    ¡°Is there any other way to work around it?¡± asked Han Jintong quickly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like there¡¯s no other way, actually,¡± Tang Xiu said lightly. ¡°It¡¯s just to manufacture the artifacts to alleviate a mental demon in a short time will need some heavenly materials and treasures. However, I don¡¯t have these heavenly materials, at least not on Earth as they are nearly impossible to find here. I¡¯ve done what I can. There¡¯s nothing we can do but see whether she can pull herself out on her own now.¡±


    In fact, there was another method that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t mention as it was a situation with a one-in-a-million chance of success. That was to say, it was a situation where those possessed by their mental demon were able to sober up and even have an epiphany. The insights they obtained from the epiphany would fully remedy the price of the mental demon possession and they would even get some benefits from it.


    That was, they must be able to overcome their mental demon, control it, and then destroy it.


    Those who were able to overcome such a situation not only would be able to traverse further on their cultivation path but would also become more formidable.


    ¡°Awu, you are to stay here and not let anyone approach this place. Do notify me at once when Han Qingwu wakes up,¡± ordered Tang Xiu clearly before taking Ouyang Lulu to leave.


    As they came to Ouyang Lulu¡¯s residence, Tang Xiu straightly sat on the sofa with a headache. An unexpected situation happened to Han Qingwu and caught him by surprise. He originally thought that if Han Qingwu kept cultivating, she might be able to ascend and become an immortal. Even if she couldn¡¯t fully recover the memory of her past life on Earth, she would definitely be able to restore it once she ascended to the Immortal World. At that time, he would be able to settle the account between them in the Immortal World.


    However, if she were to forever halt at this stage, should he wait for her to enter Samsara and be reincarnated to step onto the cultivation path once again? Even if she did have the opportunity to break free from the bitter Sea of Samsara and be reincarnated as a human again, the chances of her restoring her past life¡¯s memory was very minute.


    Realizing that Tang Xiu was in a bad mood, Ouyang Lulu quietly sat down next to him. She even immediately changed the topic in an attempt to adjust his bad mood. ¡°What did you do some time ago, Tang Xiu? You didn¡¯t even attend such an important event like the tender that your Magnificent Tang Corp held a while ago? I really can¡¯t figure out what Kang Xia had in mind either. Why would she hand over such a large project to a company that didn¡¯t even complete the architectural blueprint design?¡±


    The Senyuan Group?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed. He secretly admired the means and resourcefulness of Chen Zixue, even though he did tell Kang Xia previously to give the Senyuan Group the chance to participate in the tender if there were none more suitable than them. She was still the decision maker to give the final green light for the tender. She knew how to handle it much better than himself as she would never easily comply in favor of Chen Zixue because of his opinion.


    ¡°I had been busy to deal with some urgent and important issues recently, so didn¡¯t have much time to pay attention to the company¡¯s business. Kang Xia is very capable and she must have her reasons for choosing Senyuan Group. If anything, I also have met Chen Zixue, the Senyuan Group¡¯s owner, and saw the unfinished design myself before I left. It was quite good.¡±


    ¡°I recently learned something about Chen Zixue and his Senyuan Group. This guy is indeed quite capable¡­ though, he was quite ruthless sometimes,¡± said Ouyang Lulu. ¡°He even dares to resort to many taboo means that are avoided by the business community to get what he wants.¡±


    ¡°Not really. It¡¯s just a natural selection¡ªa survival of the fittest,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Some people say that the market itself is but a battlefield; the field of contest where either we or our enemies die. The means are never important, only the ending and its outcome. In order to become the winner and survive to see another day, why should people fear schemes and intrigues? Why fear being seen as shameless and cruel? As long as you have enough strength and keep getting stronger, all problems are no longer an issue.¡±


    ¡°Your argument is just lame and logically warped, you know,¡± rebuked Ouyang Lulu discontentedly.


    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh and said, ¡°How come this argument is logically warped? Take the analogy for the struggle for imperial authority for instance. The final winners who sit on the throne, which one of them have hands not stained by blood and who have not trampled on heaps of countless people and bones to sit there? There are a lot of other examples; the outcome is what matters rather than the process. Now I ask you, how does Senyuan Group compare to its previous state 10 years ago?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s numerous times stronger,¡± answered Ouyang Lulu.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it just natural?¡± Tang Xiu nodded and continued, ¡°Every successful person will have many enemies, yet you can see for yourself that Senyuan Group is still getting stronger and Chen Zixue is getting wealthier as well, right?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu had nothing to retort. She could tell that Tang Xiu¡¯s argument was justifiable, yet it was still difficult for her to accept it. She was not some pure, innocent individual herself for she also opened a casino in Jingmen Island, indicating that she also had some crazy side in her. However, opening a casino was just going in the same direction to some shady, illegal dealings¡ªa pure underworld business, so to say. But Senyuan Group was a proper business on the surface, yet the operator actually resorted to many foul means, much to her disgust.


    Arguing with Tang Xiu made Ouyang Lulu disinclined to continue the topic. She got up to make some tea and served a pot of it in front of Tang Xiu, then said, ¡°Anyways, that old Mo Yi has been kinda acting weird recently. Are you going to see him? As it seems like Shanjenna is nearly unable to stand it.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked dull for a moment and immediately remembered the research topic being studied by Mo Yi. He then immediately asked, ¡°What exactly happened? Did the research run into a bottleneck or something?¡±


    ¡°Yup. It¡¯s a very serious bottleneck, no less.¡± Ouyang Lulu laughed and said, ¡°I heard Shanjenna complaining, you know. If she didn¡¯t anticipate the medicinal pill reward from you, she would¡¯ve probably resigned and wouldn¡¯t give her blood again.¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡±


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s last sentence instantly shattered the depressive mood Tang Xiu had. He couldn¡¯t help but laugh after hearing it. He took and drank his cup of tea, got up and then said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go see Profession Mo and Shanjenna then!¡±


    10 minutes later, Tang Xiu met Mo Yi. The old man wore a white lab coat with his myopia glasses and was currently busying himself with tons of research instruments around him. Shanjenna, however, was sitting listlessly on a sofa near the door, drowning in drowsiness.


    ¡°Gimme a half-tube of your fresh blood again, Shanjenna. I¡¯m probably heading in the right direction¡­¡± Mo Yi suddenly spoke without looking up.


    Shanjenna¡¯s face changed. She immediately jumped up from the sofa and angrily roared, ¡°YOU WHAT? You¡¯re a fucking asshole, Mo Yi! I heard those fucking words 20 times already. But what¡¯s the result? Do tell me what result you get, huh? The blood of my Bloodkin is very precious and we¡¯ll need a long time to recover every drop of blood we drop! But you¡­ you, you¡­ you¡¯ve taken more than 20 half-tubes of my blood recently, bastard!¡±


    Mo Yi frowned and turned around. Only as his eyes fell on Shanjenna did he realize that some people were calmly standing behind her smiling. It was Tang Xiu and Ouyang Lulu standing there without a word.


    ¡°Ah, you came, Tang Xiu!¡± Mo Yi was pleasantly surprised and put down his things before coming over.


    Hearing that, Shanjenna similarly turned around to look towards the back. She immediately sprinted to the front of Tang Xiu when she saw him, wearing a wronged expression as she complained, ¡°Please save me, Mr. Tang! This old thing has been treating me so badly! He has no skills whatsoever, not even producing an ounce of any drugs from his research, yet he forces me to pump out my blood every day. I will turn into a human if this keeps going.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh and he gently patted her shoulder. He then took out a porcelain vase from his interspatial ring and spoke to Shanjenna while handing it over, ¡°Alright, this is a medicinal pill I just concocted recently. Take it and you should benefit from it. Don¡¯t rush to take it now, though. Wait until the evening break.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡±


    Shanjenna was full of joy and excitedly fiddled with the porcelain vase. She couldn¡¯t wait to immediately unplug the cork and pour the medicinal pills inside into her mouth.


    Tang Xu then turned to look at Mo Yi and smilingly said, ¡°Are you encountering some problems, Professor Mo?¡±


    ¡°Um, yeah!¡± Mo Yi forced a smile and replied, ¡°The Bloodkin¡¯s blood is kinda too active. I still can¡¯t figure out a suitable substitute substance compatible with it!¡±


    Tang Xiu thought it over and said, ¡°Do you think it can be substituted by some herbs?¡±


    Mo Yi looked dull for a moment before shaking his head. ¡°I dunno. Even if there are any, I know nothing about medicinal herbs!¡±


    Mulling it over for a while, Tang Xiu suddenly took out his mobile and dialed a cell number. After his call rang seven times, his call was picked up and an old, hoarse voice spoke, ¡°Is there something you want, Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Senior, I have something that I don¡¯t know whether you¡¯re interested in,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m kind of researching some medicine which I think will bring about a huge contribution to human life once it¡¯s successful.¡±


    ¡°Not interested,¡± said Gui Jianchou. ¡°Even if I do, I don¡¯t have the time for it. Besides, I found interesting stuff myself and need some time to study it.¡±


    ¡°What interesting stuff, exactly?¡± asked Tang Xiu quickly.


    Gui Jianchou was silent for a moment before he slowly replied, ¡°Do you know that there are some other living beings other than humans and animals in this world?¡±


    ¡°I know some,¡± replied Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Do you really know some?¡± asked Gui Jianchou, surprised.


    ¡°I do know some,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    Gui Jianchou spoke again, ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll tell you since you know some. I recently found some arm remains in Mist Source Island. That arm remains is kind of similar to human¡¯s, but it¡¯s covered with golden hair. After I did some analysis and diagnostics to measure the degree of its hardness and blood coagulation, I found something very unusual with this thing.¡±


    ¡°I think I know the arm remains you just obtained. It should be an arm from a half-beastman, a Demihuman. I think you should give up researching it and join my research, though,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°It¡¯s just that the subject of my research is kind of related to some strange breed of a race so to say.¡±


    ¡°Care to elaborate?¡± Gui Jianchou¡¯s interest piqued and he inquired more. ¡°I¡¯ll agree to join you if it interests me.¡±


    ¡°Well, I have a friend here.¡± Tang Xiu glanced at Shanjenna and said with a pale smile, ¡°She¡¯s a member of Bloodkin, well known as vampires by ordinary people. My researchers here are currently researching medicine using her blood.¡±


    ¡°A VAMPIRE?¡± Gui Jianchou¡¯s scream was heard from the cell phone.

 Chapter 790 - My Life Is Only for You

    Chapter 790: My Life Is Only for You


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu was very confident since he believed that a living vampire was much more attractive to Gui Jianchou than the Demihuman¡¯s arm remains.


    As he expected, Gui Jianchou¡¯s tone turned a bit heavier and he nearly replied without hesitation, ¡°Tell me the place and I¡¯ll immediately rush over. I¡¯ll join your research if you¡¯re telling the truth.¡±


    ¡°Shanghai¡¯s Paradise Manor. I¡¯ll be waiting for you here,¡¯ said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Just as he hung up, a look of fear lingered on Shanjenna¡¯s beautiful face as she said with a long face, ¡°Did you just invite someone else, Mr. Tang? Why? He¡­ he won¡¯t do the same thing as this black-hearted old Mo and take my blood every day, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, he probably will,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Hearing it, Shanjenna¡¯s voice immediately increased several octaves, ¡°I REFUSE! I don¡¯t wanna be the first vampire of Bloodkin in history who died after having my blood taken too much!¡±


    The Bloodkin sucked others¡¯ blood to live, not the other way around.


    If she were to become the first vampire in history who died due to having her blood taken by others, a huge tempest would surely quake the entire Bloodkin clan. It would be recorded as a shameful event in the annals of history of the vampires. Her name would definitely be there and such a ¡®title¡¯ was not something to be proud of.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be that bad, you can rest your worries about that!¡± Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°Anyways, would you like to go back and have some rest, even though it¡¯s not that late now? You can take medicinal pills I just gave and see its effect, right?¡±


    Shanjenna stared blankly before she immediately nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right. Right, I¡¯ll have some first, you go tend to your business.¡±


    Having said that, she dashed out in a flash and her figure instantly vanished from the room.


    Mo Yi came over and asked with a worried look, ¡°Will your medicinal pills give a good effect to Shanjenna, Tang Xiu? I mean, it will be quite troublesome if she¡¯s unsatisfied with it and then quit. That will make all the previous efforts go down the drain.¡±


    ¡°Relax! I guarantee that she won¡¯t quit,¡± said Tang Xiu with a confident smile.


    Mo Yi nodded and looked relieved, yet still hesitated since he curiously asked, ¡°Can you tell me in advance about the origin of this Chinese medical practitioner you just invited? Can he cooperate with me to do the experiment?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s Divine Doctor Gui Jianchou,¡± answered Tang Xiu slowly.


    Mo Yi looked vacant with a sudden shocked yet excited change in expression, as he then spoke with a shivering voice, ¡°Y-you¡­ you are able to invite Divine Doctor Gui Jianchou? Damn! He¡¯s a miracle-working doctor who¡¯s like a divine dragon whose tail and head are nearly impossible to catch! I¡¯ve heard about his very resounding name and reputation for a long time!¡±


    ¡°Well, keep your excitement at reasonable levels, though.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°Divine Doctor or not, he¡¯s still a human. I hope his arrival will be helpful to you and that you can research what I need sooner.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! As long as there are any medicinal herbs that can substitute the substance I need, I¡¯m certain I can research the stuff you want in the shortest time,¡± stressed Mo Yi with a heavy nod.


    ¡°Alright, then!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ****


    Time fleeted by and seven days passed in the blink of an eye.


    In a western-style building in the depths of Paradise Manor, Han Qingwu lied on the bed inside a spacious bedroom. Her eyelashes contracted a few times as her eyes slowly opened. As her sight recovered, two tears slowly slid down from her eyes. The glittering tears were unable to conceal the interweaving emotions of pain and remorse. Vaguely, the love that had been imprinted deep down in her bones and inscribed in her heart roamed inside as her innermost feelings.


    ¡®Soul Returning Grass.¡¯


    Han Qingwu slowly sat up. Her vision was still obstructed with the vague tears as the name of the herb came to her mind. She once believed in the past and even firmly believed that it was absolutely necessary to take that Soul Returning Grass. Yet now, she began to hate this herb and she would never think about taking it again if possible.


    It was a debt she had in her previous life¡ªa debt she still had to pay in this current life.


    The pain she felt inside was way too deep and painful, so much so that she was afraid that she would never be able to pay it off.


    She got dressed and quietly walked to the door, coming out to watch the bright sunshine outside. Yet, she sighed deep inside before she continued walking outside to the woods and sat cross-legged quietly.


    She still had internal injuries, but it wouldn¡¯t be a problem for her now. She had just recovered the memory of her past life which brought about all kinds of mental states that allowed her to realize that her state of mind was no longer the same as her former self. She could recover from her injuries in several days as long as she willed it.


    Yet, she opted not to as she was afraid Tang Xiu would be able to sense her true self now. She was afraid that he would find out that she had recovered her memory, and thus opted to keep her identity as only Han Qingwu, Tang Xiu¡¯s class teacher.


    ¡°Hey? You have woken up?¡±


    Not knowing how long she had spent, Ouyang Lulu appeared on the path to the woods. She was surprised to see Han Qingwu sitting cross-legged on a large bluestone and quickly approached her.


    Han Qingwu opened her eyes. It was like she was reacquainted with Ouyang Lulu since she took some time to carefully observe her and then slowly said, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I have troubled you.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu was one who was always fearless and was rather invulnerable to other¡¯s pressuring aura, yet Han Qingwu, who observed her for a short while, gave her an uncomfortable, creepy feeling. She felt that the current Han Qingwu was as though replaced by someone else after she woke up¡ªespecially her eyes that felt like they were able to see through her.


    ¡°You¡­ what happened to you?¡± Suppressing the urge to turn around and run away, Ouyang Lulu braced herself to ask.


    Han Qingwu looked dull for a moment before her expression slightly changed. Using her left hand to lift the long hair in front of her forehead, her eyes that seemed to be able to see through everything gradually faded away while that particular aura also stopped releasing from her body. She seemed to have returned to the former Han Qingwu, as she shook her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine, but I¡¯m kind of having some internal injuries and feel unwell. Anyways, Lulu, did you save me after I got possessed by a mental demon?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s heart lightened. She noticed Han Qingwu¡¯s eyes, which previously seemed as if able to see through everything, seemed to have vanished. She immediately thought the sensation she felt a while ago was just an illusion, yet she still held on to that suspicion and observed Han Qingwu before she replied, ¡°I don¡¯t have such a great ability, you know. It was Tang Xiu. He hurried back from Jingmen Island; I don¡¯t know what method he used to save you either. Anyways, are you hungry? You¡¯ve been in a stupor for over seven days, so do you want me to tell someone to prepare some meals for you?¡±


    Han Qingwu touched her belly and then nodded and said, ¡°Now that you mention it, I¡¯m really starving. Sorry for troubling you though.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu rolled her eyes. ¡°If you don¡¯t feel hungry then something would be wrong with you! There¡¯s no way normal people can go without eating and drinking for a week, can they? Alrighty, you still have internal injuries so just go back to your room and have some rest! I¡¯ll tell someone to prepare the meal and send them to you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Han Qingwu gratefully.


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu received a call from Ouyang Lulu and hurried to the woods. When he saw Han Qingwu sitting cross-legged on a large bluestone, he suddenly frowned and came striding in front of her, carefully examining her face a few times, and then spoke, ¡°You have woken up?¡±


    ¡°Mmm, and thank you. I heard from Lulu it was because of you.¡± Han Qingwu chuckled.


    ¡°No need to thank me, I just don¡¯t want you to die young,¡± Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°By the way, you¡­ can you tell me what happened to you that caused the emergence of your mental demon? Also, do you remember anything else after waking up from your stupor?¡±


    ¡°Um? What do you mean?¡± Han Qingwu replied quizzically.


    ¡°You don¡¯t remember anything?¡± Tang Xiu frowned and said, ¡°Like the scene fragments that appeared in your mind previously?¡±


    ¡°No?¡± Han Qingwu shook her head and said, ¡°I just feel that I have some internal injuries and they are quite serious. It¡¯s impossible for me to recover in a short time. Anyways, Tang Xiu, did something go wrong with my cultivation? How come my True Essence went out of control when I cultivated? It was like it went astray outside the cultivation circulation route outside my meridians?¡±


    Tang Xiu took a deep look at her before he shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m not clear about it either. Anyways, now that you¡¯re awake, there¡¯s nothing I need to do here so help yourself. I still need to tend to my things.¡±


    Han Qingwu quietly watched Tang Xiu¡¯s back as he left. The deep love she had toward this man was now even stronger than the bright sunshine. She previously thought that she could never meet Tang Xiu again, even in all the lives that she reincarnated into. Never did she expect that she would be reborn, though under a strange combination of circumstances, and meet Tang Xiu who was still alive.


    ¡®Please set your mind at ease for I will only live my life for you for eternity.¡¯


    Lips squirming a few times, Han Qingwu whispered with a voice that only she could hear.


    ****


    Tang Xiu indeed had something to do and was about to leave Paradise Manor before Ouyang Lulu called him. He felt rather disappointed that he couldn¡¯t get the answer he wanted, but he still put his concerns to the back of his mind and prepared himself to face the following issue.


    The date to explore the three-star vestige in Strait of Malacca was getting closer and closer, whereas the assigned ability users by the country had also arrived in Shanghai. After Tang Xiu learned about it, the China authority had assigned a total of five people to represent the country in exploring this three-star vestige. Aside from the team captain, the three others had also arrived.


    Adjacent to an old alley located in Jingning District of Shanghai, a relatively remote residential complex existed. The old street itself was quite well-known due to one wine shop and its pot of old wine.


    As the common saying goes, fragrant wine fears no dark alley.


    Feng Wineshop was established decades ago. Its owner had changed once and, despite the changing era and improved living standards, it still existed and was still a good, reputable wine shop in the eyes of many people.


    ¡°Welcome.¡±


    A youth approached and greeted at the tavern¡¯s entrance.


    Tang Xiu nodded and instantly released his perception after entering this Feng Wineshop. Shortly after, he found the person he needed to meet in the corner next to the window. That person was¡­ a middle-aged man whose face had a beard full of messy hair not much better than a chicken nest. The man was now enjoying his wine and was savoring his serving of meat and vegetable dishes.


    ¡°Zhu Long?¡± asked Tang Xiu. He could vaguely sense something extraordinary from the middle-aged man.


    Zhu Long looked up and casually squinted at Tang Xiu and lightly replied, ¡°Now that we¡¯re here, let¡¯s have some drinks first. The rest will arrive shortly and I¡¯ll act as the team captain this time. I hope you will strictly follow my order later.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got no problem with that.¡±


    Despite knowing nothing about the arrangement set up by those people above, Tang Xiu was fine with it and decided to keep quiet since Zhu Long was going to lead the team. Moreover, he had prepared himself and, if there was not much danger in the three-star vestige, he planned to leave the team to conduct an in-depth exploration to find some treasures by himself.

 Chapter 791 - Self-Sacrifice for the Greater Good

    Chapter 791: Self-Sacrifice for the Greater Good


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Zhu Long didn¡¯t know what origin and background Tang Xiu had, nor did he know why his immediate superior would allow this fellow to participate in the highly confidential exploration mission of three-star vestige. He quietly observed Tang Xiu while swallowing the wine. He was rather discontented that he couldn¡¯t see what kind of particularities this fellow might have.


    ¡°Can I ask you something, Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Please do. I¡¯ll answer it without hiding anything as long as it¡¯s convenient for me to answer,¡± replied Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Since we¡¯re a team and I¡¯ll act as the captain, I must know what kind of ability each member has,¡± said Zhu Long. ¡°I need to have the situation under control when we explore the vestige, so tell me what type of superpower do you have?¡±


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment and said, ¡°My power is very strong and I also have very fast speed. But it¡¯s rather complicated to say it. There¡¯s something I need to tell you clearly now, though. I will obey your command before entering this three-star vestige, but I¡¯ll separate from the team after entering and will not be your burden.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Zhu Long slapped the table and angrily said, ¡°The three-star vestige is a very dangerous place, far from what you can imagine! Don¡¯t you fucking try to play a hero if you wanna join my team. Either you fully obey my command or give up now!¡±


    Tang Xiu slightly frowned. He thought for a moment before taking out his mobile and then dialed a cell number. At the same time, he turned the loudspeaker on and spoke after the call was connected, ¡°Senior Duanmu?¡±


    ¡°Ah, Tang Xiu. Have you met Zhu Long?¡± Duanmu Lin¡¯s voice came from the mobile.


    ¡°I met him, but I need you to speak to him to clear up about some issues,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What issues?¡± Asked Duanmu Lin.


    ¡°After entering this three-star vestige, I need to leave the team and explore the vestige on my own,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°He is against it, so I need you to tell him clearly about it.¡±


    A mockery could be seen clearly in Zhu Long¡¯s eyes. He knew better than anyone else about his Boss¡¯s temper. Duanmu Lin would never comply with this ridiculous request. It would be strange if he did¡ªhe would probably revoke Tang Xiu¡¯s eligibility immediately in joining the team to enter the vestige.


    ¡°Give the phone to Zhu Long.¡± Duanmu Lin¡¯s voice came again.


    Tang Xiu put the mobile on the table and pushed it forward and said, ¡°Senior Duanmu wants to talk to you. Speak with him!¡±


    Zhu Long sneered, ¡°Chief Duanmu, if you want to revoke Tang Xiu¡¯s qualification, then let Xiao Bing join! She has long been preparing to join the exploration mission for this vestige.¡±


    ¡°Who told you I¡¯ll revoke Tang Xiu¡¯s qualification?¡± Duanmu Lin¡¯s voice transmitted out. ¡°Zhu Long, you¡¯ll agree to his request to leave the team after entering the vestige.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Zhu Long¡¯s voice increased several octaves and disbelief filled his eyes. Could it be that he happened to have an auditory hallucination or something? How could the Chief give such an answer?


    He¡­ is he out of his mind?


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear it clearly?¡± said Duanmu Lin seriously. ¡°Or should I repeat it for you again?¡±


    Zhu Long swallowed his saliva and looked up to shoot a deep look at Tang Xiu. He then bitterly smiled and said, ¡°Roger that! I will naturally accept it since you¡¯ve decided. However, we won¡¯t be responsible once he leaves the team and faces any danger in the three-star vestige.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡± Duanmu Lin replied shortly and directly hung up.


    Zhu long took a deep breath and pushed the phone back to Tang Xiu and then said in a deep voice, ¡°I dunno why the Chief accepted that ridiculous request of yours. But I gotta tell you those ugly words I spoke earlier. We will have nothing to do with whatever danger you¡¯ll face in the vestige. Whether you can come out alive will be solely up to your own luck!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with that,¡± replied Tang Xiu indifferently as he took back his phone.


    A resentment appeared in Zhu Long¡¯s heart after seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s indifferent expression. He felt that Tang Xiu was an arrogant, unbridled prick that annoyed him greatly. Not only had Tang Xiu taken a spot in his originally five-man team, but he would now only have four people left after entering the vestige. In the case they bumped into other countries¡¯ explorers in the vestige and had a conflict with them, they had lost a portion of their combat power.


    ¡®Shit stirrer.¡¯


    While suppressing his vexed feelings inside, Zhu Long finally gave Tang Xiu such an evaluation.


    Tang Xiu got up and asked faintly, ¡°What¡¯s the specific time that we¡¯ll go to the three-star vestige?¡±


    ¡°Three days later.¡±


    Zhu Long didn¡¯t want to look at Tang Xiu again and just looked down to drink.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you again three days later. You have my number so just text me the gathering location before we go.¡± Then, Tang Xiu turned around and walked outside. He was crystal clear that Zhu Long held contempt and looked down on him, so he didn¡¯t want to stay here only to have his face turn hot and his ass get cold.


    ¡°Fucking bastard!¡±


    Zhu Long glared at Tang Xiu¡¯s back disappearing outside the door and then punched the table. He really couldn¡¯t figure out as to why Duanmu Lin pulled such crazy stunt and put this shit stirrer into his team.


    Half an hour later, a fiery scarlet-haired young man clad in outlandish attire came into the wine shop with a birdcage in hand. He looked around and saw a glum-looking Zhu Long sitting next to the window drinking his wine without a word. A smile immediately appeared on his face as he came over and sat across Zhu Long, whistling while smilingly saying, ¡°Yo, Zhu Long Captain. Don¡¯t you usually act like a big shot who arrives last, eh? How did you come so early?¡±


    Zhu Long lifted his eyelids and replied coldly, ¡°To see an arrogant bastard who knows nothing about life and death, mind you.¡±


    The fiery red-haired youth¡¯s expression moved and inquired again, ¡°As far as I know, the team for the exploration mission to three-star vestige aside from you and I are Aquababy, Electrolady, and another one who was just stuffed in. Don¡¯t tell me ¡®this arrogant prick who knows nothing about life and death¡¯ is that other member?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s him,¡± Zhu Long nodded.


    The red-haired youth¡¯s curiosity was piqued and he exclaimed, ¡°Your temper is usually rather good, Capt. To think that kiddo can actually make you like this, I¡¯m really curious about him, though. Tell me, what background does this brat has? And what¡¯s his ability?¡±


    ¡°Who the hell fucking knows from which block of stone that brat got out of?¡± Zhu Long angrily said, ¡°His power¡­ hmph. He said he has a bit of strength, a bit faster. Just some fucking nonsense superpower.¡±


    The red-haired youth looked disappointed. He shook his head and said, ¡°Naw, boooring. Which one of us who is not strong and fast? Did that old fogey Duanmu pull a prank on us? What¡¯s the point of stuffing such a guy into the team? Didn¡¯t he know exploring three-star vestige is like stepping on a thin wireline? Be careless and pay no attention, then boom! You get your bones crushed and not even your bones remain, no?¡±


    Zhu Long sullenly replied, ¡°Chief Duanmu spoke to me and he agreed to let that brat leave our team once we enter three-star vestige and freely move, you know.¡±


    ¡°SAY WHAT?¡± The red-haired youth abruptly got up and exclaimed in disbelief.


    Zhu Long just shook his head and completely downed the wine in the bowl into his stomach.


    Looking at his vexed expression, the red-haired youth muttered to himself, ¡°Could it be that guy really has a very powerful ability? Or rather, did Chief Duanmu get strongly pressured or something? You know what the three-star vestige means, right? It¡¯s a fucking place full of perils and death traps. Don¡¯t tell me this guy thinks that it¡¯s like the back garden of his house?¡±


    ****


    Paradise Manor.


    Shanjenna was sitting cross-legged on her bed. Her aura kept increasing after she took the medicinal pill. The porcelain vase Tang Xiu gave her only had two pills left, yet this medicinal pill gave her a crystal-clear sensation that her physical strength was being enhanced and strengthened at an extremely rapid pace, greatly improving her strength. The most important thing of all was that the enhancement process was still far from stopping.


    Whoosh¡­


    The clothes on her back were suddenly torn open by a pair of jet-black wings that suddenly blasted out. The black wings looked glossy and smooth while the hazy blood within was shining brilliantly. As time went on, the pair of wings grew a bit and were followed by two sanguine streaks that gradually appeared.


    ¡°Eh? I just broke through?¡±


    Shanjenna immediately opened her eyes with a look of ecstasy in her eyes. She was only a Baron-rank the first time she met Tang Xiu. At this time, however, she didn¡¯t break through to Viscount-rank but straightly to a Count-rank!


    Count! Her elder brother, who was well-known as the best genius of the clan in the past millennium was currently only a Count-rank. This was also due to the support of their clan¡¯s heritage of the blood pool.


    But what about her?


    She only needed two medicinal pills to break through to the Count-rank. If his clansmen were to find out about it, they would probably be slack-jawed and have their eyes pop out, right?


    ¡®This oriental country is really mysterious and magical, so are their so-called oriental ascetics. If I can get a lot of medicinal pills and then bring them back to the clan, my clan will probably become the strongest vampire clan, won¡¯t we?¡¯


    Shanjenna swayed her wings as her imagination fully covered her beautiful face. Mo Yi took a lot of her blood recently and even though it slightly harmed herself, compared to the benefits she obtained now, all of it was simply negligible.


    ¡®Now that I think about it, I can¡¯t leave this place easily. I must comply with Mr. Tang¡¯s request even if he has a more excessive request. I¡¯ll be a Count! The more I get medicinal pills with better effects, the faster I can break through to a Marquis-rank, right?¡¯


    A few minutes later, she flashed like a gust of wind and appeared in Mo Yi¡¯s laboratory. She then watched Mo Yi and Gui Jianchou studying her blood. She didn¡¯t want to retract her wings back and immediately dashed to Mo Yi¡¯s side, stretching out her arms and, speaking with a high spirit, she said, ¡°Professor, you can continue taking my blood out if you don¡¯t have enough today. I¡¯ve made up my mind that I¡¯ll try my best to fulfill your request no matter how much blood you need.¡±


    ¡°Huh? You what?¡± Mo Yi was completely stunned while looking at Shanjenna¡¯s unexpectedly high spirited behavior, leaving him dumbfounded and speechless for a while.


    A weird expression could also be seen on Gui Jianchou¡¯s face. He previously encountered the situation where she angrily yelled at him and Mo Yi when they wanted to take her blood.


    But now¡­ how did she change¡­ or rather¡­ what happened to her?


    Gui Jianchou turned to glance at Mo Yi as a smile immediately appeared on his aged face. ¡°Shanjenna, did you bump into some happy things or something? How come you didn¡¯t yell at me and Professor Mo today?¡±


    Cough, cough¡­


    Shanjenna felt like she had just been seen through and was a bit embarrassed. In order to get Tang Xiu¡¯s recognition and obtain more medicinal pills, however, she braced herself and thickened her face. ¡°Well, it suddenly occurred to me that it¡¯s worthwhile to make contributions to science. Like, self-sacrifice for the greater good?¡±

 Chapter 792 - The Path of Breakthrough

    Chapter 792: The Path of Breakthrough


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu went back to Bluestar Villa Complex¡ªthe place he had not stayed in for a long time. He then received a call from Zhu Long, informing him that they would assemble in Jingmen Island 3 days later. He paid no heed to the indifference in his tone since he thought that Zhu Long just thought that he was very capable, thus leading to his big temper.


    He only had a little time for cultivating recently. Even though he spent a few hours to cultivate every day, the progress was too slow for the tens of thousands of planes inside his Dantian which were like babies starving for food. Only by seizing the time to cultivate could they be developed and quickly become real planets, each containing enormous energy.


    There was one thing that he felt grateful about, however. He still had a lot of Demon Stone in his interspatial ring. As long as he absorbed the demonic energy contained in these stones, the first planet in his Dantian should be completely formed into a real energy planet in the truest sense. Also, even though medicinal pills are only slightly effective on him, it was at least better than nothing at all. He could refine tons of medicinal pills as long as he had sufficient resources.


    ¡®The increase in physical strength should be the bottleneck. If I want to improve it, then I need a higher level of Body Tempering Liquid. Blood Seizing Pill is very suitable for this purpose, but the materials needed to refine it are very demanding and it has almost reached the limit of the top materials on Earth. I got a massive number of medicinal herbs from the mountain in Mist Source Island and I have one or two kinds of ores that can substitute for the materials, but the bones of fierce beasts¡­¡¯


    ¡®The bones of the low-rank fierce beast will no longer have any effect while using mid-rank fierce beast¡¯s bones is also a no go. Unless I have tons of them to extract the essence from, I will have no way to refine Blood Seizing Pill at all. Earth does have high-ranking fierce beasts that exist such as the terrifying beast on the island of Evil Dragon Sea Area, or the living Fire Qilin in the sky crater of a mountain nearby Cangbei City.¡¯


    ¡®With my current strength, however, killing this level of the fierce beast is simply a crazed dream. Chimei or Yan¡¯er may be able to do it, but it will definitely trigger the suppression of Heavenly Dao in this plane that is likely to cause a great backlash to them and expel them from this plane. So, counting on them is a no go either.¡¯


    Tang Xiu sat in meditation next to the window while staring at the green scenery outside, countless thoughts churning out in his mind. To turn all the planets inside his Dantian world to become real planets made of energy was not something that could be done overnight. However, enhancing his physical strength and cultivating the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis to a higher level could have been easily achieved as long as he had adequate resources.


    ¡®If I were in the Immortal World, it would have been easier to buy the cultivation resources I needed. Even if I have to provide tons of money.¡¯


    With a faint regret hidden within, Tang Xiu took out the Demon Stone and absorbed it while cultivating. He had become aware of the fact that he had inadequate strength due to the encounters he faced recently. Regardless of whether it was the divergent races from Stygian Club, those Elementalists from Pyramid, or the mutants from Savage Mammoth, all of them had formidable strength. Even if the present him was very strong, he still had some room for improvement in areas where he was lacking. Despite having a lot of cards up his sleeves that he could use, he would still likely die in the hands of his enemies should he face too many powerful experts besieging him.


    Most important of all was that he was about to enter the three-star vestige soon and explore it to obtain some treasures. Of course, he also knew very well that the better the harvest, the greater the risk is. He also didn¡¯t dare to try the current might of science and technology of today. He knew that he would be smashed into pieces once that terrifying might of technology was directed against him.


    In any case, strength is forever a benefit, no less.


    Having mighty strength was very urgent to him as only becoming stronger could he get more good things. In the situation such as him solving the crisis on Mist Source Island, the huge number of jades that he obtained, along with the various resources he found in the center of the mountain, were definitely full of profits for him.


    Early the next morning, after finishing his cultivation, Tang Xiu took a shower and came to the living room on the first floor. He saw that the housekeeper, Zhang Xinlan, was cleaning, while the drifting fragrance of the meal in the kitchen awoke his appetite.


    ¡°Would you like to have breakfast now, Mr. Tang?¡± asked Zhang Xinlan.


    ¡°Please!¡± replied Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Zhang Xinlan put down the cleaning mop in her hand and was about to walk to the kitchen when she suddenly recalled something and then said, ¡°By the way, a friend of yours came over a couple of days ago, Mr. Tang. He said that it¡¯s urgent and he wanted to see you. You were not here and I didn¡¯t know how to contact you, so he left.¡±


    ¡°Which friend, what¡¯s his name?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°He said his name is Long Zhenglin. He¡¯s quite tall and baldly shaved,¡± answered Zhang Xinlan.


    Tang Xiu raised his brows and nodded. After seeing Zhang Xinlan go to the kitchen, he took his mobile out and dialed Long Zhenglin¡¯s number.


    ¡°Yo, Tang Big Bro?¡± Long Zhenglin¡¯s weary voice transmitted out of the phone.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your mood, Brother? You sound listless,¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Did you indulge yourself too much last night and haven¡¯t yet recovered your blood or something?¡±


    ¡°Dude, I¡¯ve been abstinent for a long time, alright?¡± Long Zhenglin¡¯s yawning voice could be heard and he groaned, ¡°It¡¯s you, who is indulging in partying with wine and women every night and day, aren¡¯t you? Anyways, let¡¯s cut the crap. I came over to look for you a couple of days ago you know. It¡¯s something urgent and I need your help, but I couldn¡¯t contact you back then.¡±


    ¡°What urgent thing, exactly?¡± asked Tang Xiu, surprised.


    ¡°I wanna borrow some money, what else?¡± Long Zhenglin forced a wry smile and said, ¡°I originally asked my Dad and Brother first to borrow the money. Who had ever thought they were so poor that they couldn¡¯t even take out 12 million yuan? Anyways, it¡¯s a pity that I can¡¯t buy that Red Silk Flower, darn it! I heard that thing is very valuable and you can fetch a sky-high price if you¡¯re able to get one and sell it abroad.¡±


    Red Silk Flower?


    Tang Xiu was dumbfounded. As though he recalled something about what this fella was talking about, he hurriedly asked, ¡°What is this Red Silk Flower you talked about? It shouldn¡¯t be a very rare medicinal herb, no?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Long Zhengling was surprised and asked, ¡°You know something about this Red Silk Flower?¡±


    After asking, he then remembered Tang Xiu was also a Chinese medical practitioner and immediately heaved a relieved sigh, ¡°Yup, that¡¯s the thing, I guess. It seems like that stuff fetches a huge price in the foreign market. But unfortunately, that darn profiteer has no connection overseas whatsoever. Though, the Red Silk Flower can¡¯t be exposed to light, so he was willing to sell it for 12 million yuan to that bastard from Qingcheng Mountain.¡±


    ¡°Where are you now, then?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a deep voice. ¡°Let¡¯s meet up.¡±


    As if realizing something, Long Zhenglin asked, ¡°You want that Red Silk Flower too?¡±


    ¡°Definitely,¡± answered Tang Xiu without thinking. ¡°That thing is a treasure that I urgently need now. Just hurry up and tell me where you are. Let¡¯s just meet up and we¡¯ll talk again then.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in Mingyuan Resort, Tianjing City,¡± said Long Zhenglin. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. Bring some money before you come here. I got done in, got cheated by a bunch of assholes recently that has left me with just my fucking pants. Just deduct it from my end-year dividend from Magnificent Tang Corp.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t ask who the people who had conned Long Zhenlin were. What he needed to know was the whereabouts of this Red Silk Flower. This flower was the best main material to refine either the Body Tempering Liquid or the Blood Seizing Pill. It had the best compatibility and also had a frightening fission property, which were two effects that were indispensable for the enhancement of a cultivator¡¯s body.


    ¡°I¡¯m a bit in a hurry so I¡¯m not going to have breakfast at home.¡±


    Tang Xiu informed Zhang Xinlan and hurriedly left Bluestar Villa Complex. He only brought Mo Awu this time to head to Tianjing City, leaving Jin Shi and the rest to stay. Shanghai was very close to Tianjing City and could be reached within two hours of driving.


    9:30 in the morning, Tang Xiu and Mo Awu arrived at the Mingyuan Resort, Tianjing City. However, Tang Xiu was stunned when he found that this resort was a high-class resort and didn¡¯t accept non-members. Therefore, he could only call Long Zhenglin to come out and pick him up.


    ¡°Hahaha, dude! Never thought there¡¯d be a day where you¡¯d be defeated. Weren¡¯t you, Big Bro? This Mingyuan Resort belongs to my buddy. You can only get a membership card here if you spend tons of money and have a referral. Anyways, let¡¯s go in! I already told some people to prepare some meals and wine, I was just waiting for you to come to dine together.¡± Long Zhenglin caressed his big bald head with an especially big grin on his face.


    Tang Xiu had no leisure to eat and drink and directly asked instead, ¡°You said the Red Silk Flower had been bought by someone from Qingcheng Mountain, right? Who was it?¡±


    ¡°Dude, don¡¯t you know haste makes waste or whatever?¡± Long Zhenglin rolled his eyes and said, ¡°Even if I tell you now, you can¡¯t get that Red Silk Flower for the time being. That fella from Qingcheng Mountain already left Tianjing City two days ago, got it?¡±


    Hearing about this, Tang Xiu forcefully suppressed his internal desires and followed Long Zhenglin into the inside of Mingyuan Resort. The venue had an excellent environment. It was still early summer, but a conglomeration of splendid and multicolored flowers had blossomed, complementing each other in an overall feast for the eyes. The layout and pattern here were designed according to Feng Shui auspiciousness, making it a good place for self-moral cultivation as well as a venue for leisure and recreation.


    ¡°Tang Big Bro, the owner of this place is called Ren Qi, quite a VIP in Tianjing City if you ask me. His family is one of the top five here. I had a brawl with him the first time I came to Tianjing since we didn¡¯t know each other, but then, we eventually became buddies,¡± said Long Zhenglin happily.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got no interest in this Ren Qi guy, you know,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Long Zhenglin rolled his eyes in response and led Tang Xiu to head straight to the coffee shop of the Mingyuan Resort. It was still morning but the coffee shop had already opened. There were even a few guests who were currently chatting while drinking their coffee. They picked the table randomly and after taking a seat, Long Zhenglin said, ¡°I know you¡¯re in a hurry and impatient, so I¡¯ll tell you about the situation first. The name of the guy who bought the Red Silk Flower is Wang Tao. I heard he¡¯s quite famous in the Qingcheng Mountain region. I don¡¯t know about his background, specifically speaking, but he¡¯s always surrounded by a bunch of bodyguards every time he shows up in public. Kind of enough proof that he has some deep background, don¡¯t you think? I think he should be related to the Wang Family of Qingcheng Mountain.¡±


    The Qingcheng Mountain¡¯s Wang Family?


    Tang Xiu frowned and asked, ¡°You know, I have an acquaintance in Qingcheng Mountain. His name is Wang Rui.¡±


    ¡°Never heard of him.¡± Long Zhenglin shook his head.

 Chapter 793 - Ridiculous Troublemaker

    Chapter 793: Ridiculous Troublemaker


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    At this time, Tang Xiu was somewhat regretting that he didn¡¯t keep Wang Rui¡¯s number, else he would have been able to ask this guy and would surely get the result quickly. However, although he may not have his number, it didn¡¯t mean that he had no way to get his number at all. He made a few calls and was finally able to obtain it.


    ¡°Sorry, the number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable.¡±


    The reminder phone service center made Tang Xiu more helpless. He resentfully put away his mobile and then looked at Long Zhenglin. ¡°By the way, are you busy in the near future? If not, can you help me go to Qingcheng Mountain?¡±


    ¡°Is that Red Silk Flower really that important to you?¡± asked Long Zhenglin with a strange expression.


    ¡°It is,¡± replied Tang Xiu without hesitation. ¡°I will buy it no matter how high the price is.¡±


    Long Zhenglin took a deep breath and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t we good buddies, Big Bro Tang? Alright, I¡¯ll naturally oblige since you really need it. Gimme some money, and I¡¯ll go tomorrow¡­ No, today! I¡¯ll go there after lunch today. I¡¯ll definitely find that Wang Tao kiddo with whatever means in order to buy the Red Silk Flower from him.¡±


    Tang Xiu took out a bank card and handed it over to him, ¡°There¡¯s some money in this; you can use it first. If you can buy that Red Silk Flower, it would be the best. But if you can¡¯t, find out whether it¡¯s still available. Ah, right. I need to go to Jingmen Island tomorrow to deal with something important. I¡¯ll get back immediately when I¡¯m done dealing with the things over there.¡±


    Long Zhenglin didn¡¯t ask how much money was in the bank card. He directly called Ren Qi and asked him to come over. Afterward, he put away his mobile and said, ¡°Big Bro, what have you been busy with recently? I went to your campus to inquire about you, but you rarely attend the class ever since you enrolled in Shanghai University.¡±


    Tang Xiu spread out his hands and said, ¡°Well, I can only say the greater the ability, the heavier the responsibility, Brother. Who told me to be this capable and powerful and now I gotta have various things done by myself? But man, just look at you, it seems like someone has just pushed you to a pit. What¡¯s the matter with you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fucking mention it, will ya?¡± Long Zhenglin instantly looked depressed. ¡°If anything, I got an investment company after I came to Tianjing City last year. Originally, I just planned to have some fun with it and hired a professional manager who has some skills. In just half a year, he did help me get tens of millions of yuan, so I poured hundreds of millions of yuan from the Magnificent Tang¡¯s dividend. You know what? Those fucking bastards ate me from the inside out, he was even in cahoots with outsiders to trap me, and there went all my money down the drain. You see, if it wasn¡¯t for Ren Qi secretly helping me, my pocket would have been much cleaner than my face!¡±


    ¡°You really can¡¯t find that man?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°The world is so big, dude. They have long gone off to a faraway place after having gotten so much money. Where can I find those bastards in the vast sea of people?¡± said Long Zhenglin bitterly. ¡°Anyways, just forget it. It¡¯s just a couple hundred of millions, no big deal. I can just tighten my belt until the New Year. I¡¯ll get my share of dividend from Magnificent Corp by the end of the year and I¡¯ll become a billionaire again, no?¡±


    ¡°You really got a big heart, man,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Can you even do it with a petty mind? I don¡¯t think so,¡± said Long Zhenglin. ¡°There¡¯s no way I could keep throwing a tantrum and repeatedly attempt suicide just because I got conned once, no?¡±


    During the chat, a slender young man came hurriedly from the outside. He smiled after seeing Long Zhenglin and said, ¡°Zhenglin, you sounded so urgent and called me to come over, what¡¯s up?¡±


    Long Zhenglin pointed to the Tang Xiu who sat at the opposite side and smilingly said, ¡°Well, lemme introduce you to my Big Bro. Tang Xiu this is Ren Qi.¡±


    Tang Xiu got up and shook hands with Ren Qi and said, ¡°My pleasure to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯re Long Zhenglin¡¯s friend, you¡¯re also a friend of mine,¡± said Ren Qi. ¡°But I feel like Brother Tang is somewhat familiar. Forgive me for being ignorant, but I think you¡¯re someone important.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still a student; a freshman this year,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    Ren Qi casually nodded and then looked back at Long Zhenglin and asked, ¡°You were in such a hurry to call me over here. But you didn¡¯t call me just to introduce me to Brother Tang, did you? Anyways, I still have a mess to deal with over there and it will take some time to deal with it. How about you help me to get rid of that bloke Ma first?¡±


    ¡°Is it Ma Weibo?¡± asked Long Zhenglin, surprised.


    ¡°Who else dares to cause me troubles besides that bastard?¡± Ren Qi nodded and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what drugs he took last night. He¡¯s so adamant to make things difficult for the hostesses of this place of mine. Had I not forcefully stopped him, he would have killed my hostesses already.¡±


    ¡°That guy is a lunatic.¡± Long Zhenglin shook his head said, ¡°I can only beat him up at the most, though. I have no means other than that. Besides, this is your site and you¡¯ll get more headaches that way. Well, I also called you to come over because I want to pay the money I owe you. Gimme your account, I¡¯ll transfer the money to you now.¡±


    ¡°You got the money?¡± asked Ren Qi, surprised.


    Long Zhenglin pointed to Tang Xiu and smilingly said, ¡°Getting along with this Big Bro of mine, I can eat and drink whatever, whenever I want. How can I be dirt poor, dude?¡±


    Ren Qi nodded with a thoughtful look and said, ¡°Let¡¯s not make it so troublesome, alright? Just flush the money into the membership card and then swipe it at any checkout counter in the resort if you really have the money. Also, Brother Tang, I won¡¯t be able to accompany you since I really have something to deal with over there. I¡¯ll host and treat you to a drink at noon.¡±


    ¡°Since you have things to tend to, then go ahead!¡± Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°I too still have things to discuss with Long Zhenglin and will return to Shanghai after I¡¯m done.¡±


    ¡°Alright then. Feel free to come to this place of mine to play again later,¡± said Ren Qi before he hurriedly left.


    Tang Xiu looked at Long Zhenglin and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s this guy surnamed Ma, exactly? Why does it sound like he¡¯s some kind of troublemaker?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s more than a troublemaker, man!¡± Long Zhenglin wryly smiled, ¡°That bastard is definitely the epitome of a lunatic. The way he thinks is completely different from normal people. I had a brawl with him twice and had him badly beaten twice! And the outcome? That bastard unexpectedly keeps looking for experts to compete with me. Goddammit, sonuvabitch. I won twice and got badly beaten the third time. In desperation, I invited some non-local helping hands and had some brawls, more than a dozen, and even a full brawl up until Ran Qi meddled a little and we got it settled.¡±


    ¡°This Ma Family is the first family in Tianjing, be it in the business or political field. Members of this family also have a very unusual status here. In the business field alone, whether it¡¯s a proper and legitimate business or a shady one, you can find their tentacles. They are also connected with a powerful family in the capital, one that I think is comparable to your Tang Family. This bloke Ma I faced is the fourth son of the head of the Ma Family, usually called Fourth Ma.¡±


    Tang Xiu had heard about the Ma Family since Tianjing was very close to Shanghai. The Ma Family itself had a striking reputation. Even the Ji Family from Changxi was a bit weaker than them.


    As noon came and Tang Xiu was about to leave the Mingyuan Resort, troubles came to find Tang Xiu. The source of the trouble was none other than this Fourth Ma of the Ma Family.


    ¡°What the fuck, it¡¯s you, Long Zhenglin! I never thought you¡¯d still have the face to kiss Ren Qi¡¯s ass and freeload at his place! Why don¡¯t you fucking go back to your Star City and ask for some money from your old man if you don¡¯t got any? What¡¯s with you freeloading here for, huh?¡± A toothpick clamped in his teeth, Ma Xiaorong spoke condescendingly, looking at Long Zhenglin with contempt as he deliberately and provocatively blocked off Long Zhenglin and Tang Xiu¡¯s path.


    ¡°Fourth Ma, talk however bitchy and arrogant you like if you got the itch, but I got no time to bicker around with you today.¡± Long Zhenglin frowned and said, ¡°I got my brother coming and you¡¯d better behave, else I guarantee you¡¯ll end up being pitiful tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no! I¡¯m so scared. Baldy Lin is actually furious. Man, look at the sun rising from the West!¡± Ma Xiaorong raised his hands to cover his chest and intentionally acted fearful and shouted loudly, ¡°But Long Zhenglin, this Daddy doesn¡¯t want to bitch around with you either because abusing you so many times is so boooring.¡±


    ¡°YOU¡­¡± Long Zhenglin was furious as he rolled his sleeves and readied himself to punch him.


    Tang Xiu stopped him and looked at Ma Xiaorong saying, ¡°Look at you acting like you¡¯re being decent and proper, yet you love to bring trouble on yourself and provoke left and right. Is this how the Head of Ma Family educates his son?¡±


    ¡°From which hole did you come out, dude?¡± Ma Xiaorong rolled his eyes and spoke with contempt, ¡°I¡¯m talking to Long Zhengling, what the fuck are you farting out for? What¡¯s wrong with instigating trouble? So what if this Daddy provokes you? If you fucking got the ability, why don¡¯t you do something to me, huh?¡±


    Slap¡­


    In the next moment, Tang Xiu slapped his face and kicked his chest, sending him flying over six meters away. ¡°What a foul mouth, eh? I¡¯ll help clean it up. If you dare to parade your ability again, then I¡¯ll make it impossible for you to say another word in your life.¡±


    Getting kicked in the chest make Ma Xiaorong unable to breathe properly for a long period of time. After recovering slightly, his face was livid.


    ¡°You¡¯re more powerful than Long Zhenglin, dude. You hit me. That¡¯s cool, very cool. But I¡¯ve already taught Long Zhenglin a lesson, and it seems if I use the same means I can¡¯t show off my real ability to you. How about you come and have lunch together with me? Let¡¯s have a chat about having another round while eating with me, okay?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡±


    Hearing such earnest words from the guy, Tang Xiu was struck was a slight headache. He was not afraid of really crazy people, but he was wary of those who feigned madness and acted like an idiot. Those kinds of people were usually the type who would go to the extreme.


    Finally, Ma Xiaorong looked a bit angry and said with all seriousness, ¡°Hey, I¡¯m talking you to you, dude! Are you deaf or something? Let¡¯s play a game; with whoever wins or loses, I¡¯ll forget the hit you gave me.¡±


    ¡°Just you? You¡¯re unworthy.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Just get lost, as far as possible really, if you think you¡¯re not just an annoying fly.¡±


    Ma Xiaorong was very excited when he got slapped, even though he felt throbbing spasms of pain from his chest and his face burning hot. it was like he had just found a fun game. He made up his mind to target Tang Xiu while staring impudently and even kept pestering him.


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t scram? Nope. Let¡¯s get it on now.¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his hand and made a stance to hit him.


    Ma Xiaorong quickly took out his mobile and turned around to hand it over to a bodyguard behind him. Then, he sat down on the floor and said, ¡°Come at me and hit me, dude. The more pain I feel, the better.¡±

 Chapter 794 - Consecutive Loud Howling

    Chapter 794: Consecutive Loud Howling


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu was someone who never cared about his demeanor, nor was he afraid of the Ma Family¡¯s power in Tianjing. He just saw Ma Xiaorong as a brute as his fist rumbled and punched his face.


    Screaming? No scream was heard because Tang Xiu¡¯s fist would hit Ma Xiaorong¡¯s mouth whenever he was about to scream. Finally, Tang Xiu sent the last blow which broke the guy¡¯s nose and then delivered him another kick under the watch of everyone¡¯s dumbfounded eyes in the surroundings.


    Was this even a savage beating?


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t even use much of his power, yet his beating made Ma Xiaorong overwhelmed with so much pain that he curled up like a shrimp that was constantly twitching on the floor.


    ¡°STOP!¡±


    Finally, one of Ma Xiaorong¡¯s bodyguards reacted and angrily howled as he immediately attacked Tang Xiu. It was a pity that Mo Awu¡¯s fist came and sent him flying upside down before he could reach Tang Xiu. Even Mo Awu didn¡¯t stop here, instead, he rushed toward the other bodyguards like a tiger plunging into a flock of sheep. After the raging fists that Mo Awu sent them, all the bodyguards were knocked down and wailed as they were twitching on the floor.


    After the slapping session, Tang Xiu took a relieving sigh of satisfaction and smilingly said, ¡°Now you saw that, didn¡¯t you, Zhenglin? That¡¯s how you must treat this kind of thuggish, idiotic, unbridled, and reckless chaps. Just beat them up ruthlessly. If they don¡¯t give in after you beat them hard once, then do it a second time. If they¡¯re still not giving in the second time, then fuck them up 20 times, or 200 times if needed. You know, going to a gym for exercise is rather expensive nowadays, so having human sandbags sent to your door is definitely much better than going to a gym, no?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Long Zhenglin¡¯s lips fiercely twitched twice and he looked up towards the sky. He was not an abnormal freak like Tang Xiu for god¡¯s sake. Let alone, he didn¡¯t have combat prowess as Tang Xiu did; even if he did, he still needed to factor in the Ma Family¡¯s power in Tianjing. It was obvious that Ma Xiaorong was not one he could bully that easily either.


    Several minutes later, Tang Xiu and Long Zhengyu swaggered away from the Mingyuan Resort. When Ren Qi, the owner of the resort, came in a hurry to see a bunch of wailing people all over the place and immediately felt like his head was about to explode. He then walked to Ma Xiaorong and gently kicked the guy, asking, ¡°You haven¡¯t died yet, right? Get fucking up if you can stand, will you? Else, I¡¯ll dial 120 and have some ambulances come here.¡±


    Ma Xiaorong struggled to get up from the floor. He still felt throbbing spasms of pain all over his body, but he still wiped his tears and blood off of his nose as he uttered in unclear words, ¡°You, Ren! This Daddy will go all out and fight you if you dare dial the 120 emergency number. Sonuvabitch, goddammit. Where is that fucking bastard who just hit me heading to now?¡±


    Ren Qi rolled his eyes and ignored him entirely. He turned around toward the people nearby who tried to find out what had happened. After which, he immediately got struck with a headache again as he looked at Ma Xiaorong and resentfully said, ¡°Hey, surnamed Ma, can¡¯t you just slightly behave like a human? The Third Old of your family was so drunk when he came here the other day which made me furious. He made my place turn upside down, and you actually took your turn¡­ the youngest moth, making a ruckus in my place. Do you really want to force me to hang a sign at the entrance saying ¡®No Ma Family members allowed to enter¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Hey! My third brother is my third brother, Ma Weibo is Ma Weibo,¡± retorted Ma Xiaorong angrily. ¡°Goddammit, this Daddy got done in today, but this is not finished yet. That bastard Long Zhenglin seems like he¡¯s eaten some tiger¡¯s heart, he even brought his dog to bite me. I¡¯ll definitely crush him to pieces.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t give a fuck whether your name is Ma Weibo, Ma Xiaorong, or Fourth Ma. But I want you to stop looking for them for me. You clearly know what Long Zhenglin¡¯s background is. He¡¯s the second son of the Long Family from Star City and you also know the weight of the Long Family. They are not people you can fight easily. And that one called Tang Xiu¡­ I advise you to stop provoking him. For Long Zhenglin to address him as Big Brother, his background is probably much stronger than his.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ I just got beaten for nothing? Are you out of your mind or am I? Fuck you!¡± Ma Xiaorong angrily growled. ¡°Hmph¡­ Tang Xiu, eh? I¡¯ll remember him. If he¡¯s still in Tianjing in the next two hours, I¡¯ll make him crawl when he leaves Tianjing.¡±


    Ren Qi was speechless but immediately shook his head after watching the furious Ma Xiaorong leave, swaggeringly leading his unlucky bodyguards. After mulling it over, he then took out his mobile phone and dialed Long Zhenglin¡¯s number. With his call got picked up, he spoke with a bitter smile, ¡°Tell me something Second Long, even if your brother wanted to play, he didn¡¯t have to make it this big of a deal, no? You don¡¯t know what kind of man Fourth Ma is. Isn¡¯t this equal to creating some hostility with him?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± replied Long Zhenglin perfunctorily.


    ¡°Ah, forget it, I won¡¯t meddle with your business,¡± sighed Ren Qi helplessly and then said, ¡°But do be careful and take shelter or hide if things go awry, you hear me? That lunatic is definitely going home to find his brother. Also, please advise your brother to leave Tianjing quickly. You know perfectly well how powerful the Ma Family here is.¡±


    ¡°Relax. I know what to do.¡±


    Tianjing City, Hongshan District.


    There was an ancestor site of the Ma Family established here which covered a large area. As early as the time of the Anti-Japanese War, the Ma Family was already a famous notable family in Tianjing City and they still were a landlord with considerable power up to now. Most of the elders of Ma Family had, at the very least, went to study overseas. Due to their deep knowledge on ideology and ideas, they were well acquainted with the Communist Party¡¯s successor in the era of the War of Resistance. Therefore, they had a relatively easy time in passing through the time of the War of Resistance smoothly.


    The wealth and connections left by their ancestors, together with their decades of development, made the Ma Family able to agglomerate enormous power. Even the new, start-up major families found it hard to shorten the gap between them and the Ma Family in Tianjing.


    The Ma Family¡¯s manor itself covered an area of 100 acres in which they had developed distinct floors facing the northern side of the foot of the mountain. Hence, the manor was developed northward. The more northward the members lived, the more rights they had and the more they belonged to the core clan.


    Cough, cough¡­


    In the center of the northernmost end of the Ma Family manor, inside an antique attic, a constant coughing voice was heard. Dozens of core members of the Ma Family were gathering outside the attic, each with a deep worry hung on their faces, while their eyes kept glancing at the closed door from time to time.


    Creak¡­


    The door was opened from the inside as a white-haired old man in a gray long coat came out with several doctors. Among these doctors was a rather famous cardiologist in Tianjing who had made great achievements in Western medical science. The other two were also known to have high expertise among Chinese medical practitioners.


    At the moment, however, be it the white-haired old man or the other five doctors, they all wore a solemn expression, resulting in a growingly bad premonition inside the hearts of the people who had been waiting outside and saw their solemn expressions,


    ¡°Second Uncle, doctors, how is the situation with my father?¡± hurriedly asked Ma Jianfeng, the Head of Ma Family.


    ¡°He¡¯s in a very serious condition.¡± the white-haired old man shook his head and said, ¡°Even if we send him to a big city like Shanghai or Beijing, I¡¯m afraid that no one is able to save him from such a desperate predicament.¡±


    Ma Jianfeng¡¯s heart trembled and he was about to say something more, but when he saw the expression of these five doctors, he swallowed back his words.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We need to take our leave first.¡±


    One of the middle-aged men in a white coat sighed and walked outside. The other few didn¡¯t hesitate to follow him and walked away quickly. However, one of them, a middle-aged man in his 40s who wore very ordinary clothes, suddenly stopped after seven steps. He seemed to mull over something as he turned back to the front of Ma Jianfeng and the others, took a deep breath and then said, ¡°Jianfeng, we are old friends, so I offer you my advice. I don¡¯t dare give a 100% guarantee that it¡¯ll be useful to you. But as long as some certain people are willing to help, there¡¯s still a good chance.¡±


    ¡°Certain people?¡± asked Ma Jianfeng hurriedly. ¡°And they are¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a Chinese medical practitioner and I know a lot of things in this field,¡± explained the middle-aged man. ¡°Your father¡¯s condition is very serious and we are at loss of what to do. But there are some people among our circle; specifically speaking, they are those who are hailed as miracle-working, divine doctors. I know three of these people. Apart from Divine Doctor Leng whose traces haven¡¯t been found for more than a decade, the other one is Divine Doctor Gui Jianchou whose whereabouts is uncertain since he drifts from one place to another. But another one is a young divine doctor called Tang Xiu. He has been rising in fame in recent years. If he is willing to help, maybe your father can live for a few more years.¡±


    ¡°How can I find them?¡± asked Ma Jianfeng quickly.


    ¡°I¡¯m uncertain of Divine Doctor Gui Jianchou¡¯s whereabouts,¡± said the middle-aged man. ¡°But I know the young Divine Doctor Tang Xiu. He¡¯s a doctor at the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, but he rarely works on duty there now. Rumors have it he¡¯s studying at Shanghai University, although I can¡¯t verify it. Your Ma Family has a vast network, you can check it out yourself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send people to check it out at once,¡± said Ma Jianfeng without hesitation. ¡°I¡¯m willing to pay however big the price if it¡¯s for my father.¡±


    The white-haired old man heavily nodded and stressed, ¡°That¡¯s right. Even if we must spend billions of our Ma Family¡¯s assets, I¡¯ll do it to heal my eldest brother.¡±


    At this time, an off-road car vroomed to the inside, followed by a braking sound as its door opened. Just as Ma Xiaorong jumped out of the driver seat with a bloody nose and a swollen face, he shouted, ¡°Hey, I heard there are doctors in our house, where are they? Hurry up here and treat me!¡±


    Tens of the core members of the Ma Family, as well as the middle-aged Chinese medical practitioner who was staying temporarily, were stunned. Ma Xiaorong¡¯s appearance looked very miserable at this moment, given the footprints on his clothes and the injuries on his face.


    Being in an awful mood at this moment, Ma Jianfeng was furious upon seeing his son¡¯s appearance and yelled, ¡°What hell happened to you? And where did you fool around this time?¡±


    Despite being one who feared nothing, his father was someone Ma Xiaorong was very afraid of. Hearing his scolding made him immediately shrink and turn back to the car.


    ¡°STOP!¡± yelled Ma Jianfeng.


    With a bit of fear on his face, Ma Xiaorong halted his pace and said with a bit of a fearful look, ¡°D-Dad, I-I¡¯ve b-been injured, so don¡¯t hit me, okay? Take a look at my nose and my mouth. I¡­ that darn Long Zhenglin and his friend Tang Xiu from Star City did this to me. Third Brother, are you here? Why didn¡¯t you pick my call? Let¡¯s go and help me revenge them.¡±


    Ma Jianfeng¡¯s face turned completely dark, while Ma Weikang, who was in the crowd of the Ma Family, shrunk his neck as he angrily glared at Ma Xiaorong. Even if this bloke wanted to take his revenge, why did he have to speak about it so loudly in front of so many of their family members?

 Chapter 795 - Going Home Just to Get Butchered

    Chapter 795: Going Home Just to Get Butchered


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    As the vice president of Tianjing Chinese Medicine Association, Jiang Kun¡¯s expertise in Chinese medicine was outstanding. Numerous people in Tianjing could be said to have visited him, and the Ma Family was no exception. He also had been acquainted, and had a good relationship with, Ma Jianfeng, the Head of Ma Family for 20 years.


    Therefore, Jiang Kun knew perfectly well about Ma Jianfeng¡¯s situation, including his good-for-nothing son. People said that dragons would beget dragons and phoenixes would give birth to phoenixes, yet a rat that made a hole was enough to drain one¡¯s wealth. He really wondered how such a powerful and capable man as Ma Jianfeng could beget such a lame duck.


    Sigh¡­


    Jiang Kun sighed and was about to bid farewell, when he seemed as if he was struck by lightning. His complexion suddenly changed as two names popped up into his mind: Star City and Tang Xiu?


    His pace came to an abrupt halt as he came to and stood in front of Ma Xiaorong, finally asking, ¡°Where did you say this Tang Xiu is coming from?¡±


    His question made Ma Jianfeng¡¯s expression slightly changed, as well as the faces of the tens of Ma Family¡¯s core members standing nearby.


    ¡°Who knows which hell this bastard is from?¡± answered Ma Xiaorong indignantly.


    ¡°SHUT UP! Just answer your Uncle Jiang¡¯s question,¡± Ma Jianfeng yelled angrily. ¡°What¡¯s this Tang Xiu¡¯s background?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just tell me to shut up?!¡± Ma Xiaorong muttered, yet still conscientiously replied, ¡°I really don¡¯t know what his origin is. I only know that he¡¯s with Long Zhenglin, the second son of the Long Family from Star City.¡±


    Jiang Kun thought for a moment and asked, ¡°How old is he? What does he look like? Does he have any particular feature?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s around 21-plus years old and very handsome, though he¡¯s not as handsome as me. But I didn¡¯t pay attention to any particular features he has.¡±


    You, handsome? Handsome my ass! You look even worse than a pig right now!


    Jiang Kun furiously cursed in his mind a few times before he turned to look at Ma Jianfeng. ¡°I have seen Tang Xiu¡¯s photo, and he does look handsome and looks like a 20 something-year-old. You should have a smartphone, right? Just browse the internet and search his name.¡±


    Ma Jianfeng frowned. He immediately took out his mobile phone to search Tang Xiu¡¯s information online and quickly found Tang Xiu¡¯s photo. He handed the phone to Ma Xiaorong and shouted, ¡°Look at this photo; is it him?¡±


    Ma Xiaorong took a glance and immediately replied, ¡°Yes. That¡¯s the punk. He¡¯s the one who made me like this.¡±


    Slap¡­


    Ma Jianfeng fiercely slapped Ma Xiaorong¡¯s face hard, beating him to the ground. He even kicked Ma Xiaorong several times in front of everyone and furiously shouted, ¡°You bastard! How can I have such a wastrel bastard son like you? Do you fucking know who he is? He¡¯s Tang Xiu, the young Divine Doctor! Your grandpa is still waiting for him to save his life! AND YOU¡­ Yet you actually have a conflict with him?! I¡¯ll kill you, you bastard!¡±


    Several elders of the Ma Family hurriedly stopped him, but one of them was still exasperated at this young chap¡¯s atrocious demeanor and scolded, ¡°You son of a bitch! You¡¯re really are a good-for-nothing wastrel who creates troubles everywhere. Never did I expect that you¡¯d poke a hornet¡¯s nest today. I would have beaten you up just as bad, if your father didn¡¯t just now!¡±


    Ma Xiaorong was perplexed, and even dumbfounded by the cursing.


    ¡°W¡­ W-what happened to grandpa?¡± asked Ma Xiaorong, covering his red cheek while he sat weakly on the ground.


    His question, however, simply added fuel to the flames of the anger of the Ma Family¡¯s tens of core members, even some of whom were nearly unable to hold their urge to beat him to death. The old patriarch was seriously ill, and all the core members of the Ma Family had received a notice, while Ma Xiaorong himself had received several calls and texts about it, but he didn¡¯t see any of them?


    Yet, just now¡­ he even had the face to ask what happened to the old patriarch?


    Several members of the family were holding Ma Jianfeng, but the anger on his face became more intense. He took a deep, heavy breath a few times and snarled loudly, ¡°Starting today, cut off all allowance for this bastard; also, take back all of his cars and outside properties! Anyone in the family who dares to help him secretly will be expelled from this family forever. And spread the news to all of his crook friends outside, whoever dares to give him credit or lend him money will be regarded as the Ma Family¡¯s enemy. And they better be prepared to face the Ma Family¡¯s wrath!¡±


    ¡°Big Brother!¡± hastily cried out Ma Xiaorong¡¯s paternal aunt.


    Ma Jianfeng still roared resolutely, ¡°Don¡¯t even think to persuade me! Whoever dares to do so then get the hell out of the family! This good-for-nothing asshole has always made trouble. If we can¡¯t discipline him, he will become the source of disaster to our family in the future!¡±


    In that instant, everyone fell into silence. Ma Jianfeng had absolute authority in the family, so no one dared to risk his ire at this time.


    Taking a deep breath again, Ma Jianfeng turned around and ordered, ¡°Track Tang Xiu immediately! He happens to be in Tianjing, so you must find him as quickly as possible. Do remember not to startle him after you find him. I¡¯ll see him personally to apologize to him.¡±


    Several core members of Ma Family immediately left in a hurry.


    ****


    Tang Xiu and Long Zhenglin rushed to the residential area where Long Zhenglin lived after leaving Mingyuan Resort. Tang Xiu urgently hoped that Long Zhenglin would hurry to Qingcheng Mountain to find the whereabouts of the Red Silk Flower.


    ¡°Anyway, I need to return to Shanghai and will hasten to Jiangmen Island tomorrow morning. You must get that Red Silk Flower regardless of the price. If that man really doesn¡¯t want to sell it, however, do not push things, but stay close to him. I¡¯ll contact you as soon as I return, and we¡¯ll find another way later.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Long Zhenglin nodded.


    Tang Xiu patted his shoulder and said, ¡°Just leave Tianjing as fast as possible. That Fourth Ma chap is kinda rotten, so don¡¯t provoke him for now. We¡¯ll come back and slowly clean him up after I¡¯m done with my things.¡±


    ¡°Sure. I believe in your ability, Big Bro.¡± Long Zhenglin grinned. ¡°Alright, less explaining and just hurry back to Shanghai then! I¡¯ll pack my things and will rush to Qingcheng Mountain.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± concurred Tang Xiu as he turned and sat back in the car.


    Half an hour later, when Mo Awu was driving on the highway, he glanced at the rearview mirror and reported, ¡°Two cars have been following us for ten minutes or so, Boss.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked back and apathetically said, ¡°Ignore them for now. If they are from the Ma Family and dare to attack us on the way back, there¡¯s no need to refrain.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Mo Awu nodded.


    However, two black SUVs behind them suddenly picked up speed, and then gradually decelerated after overtaking the car driven by Mo Awu. The two cars blocked the road in front of them on the right and left sides. Just as Mo Awu was preparing to change lanes, the window of one of the cars suddenly opened, and a stocky middle-aged man¡¯s head poked out, waving his hand toward the back and gesturing for them to park on the roadside.


    ¡°Stop the car!¡± ordered Tang Xiu immediately.


    Mo Awu parked the car on the roadside. He went straight to the rear door and stood. He watched the two cars stopped in front of them. After a while, four middle-aged men came over, and he talked to them indifferently, ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me; is Divine Doctor Tang in the car?¡± asked the first middle-aged man.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± asked Mo Awu, pressing his brows.


    ¡°I¡¯m Ma Jiandong of Ma Family,¡± replied the middle-aged man smilingly. ¡°The Head of Ma Family, Ma Jianfeng, is my eldest brother. I was sent with a command from him to politely invite Divine Doctor Tang to visit our family. Also, eldest brother is currently on the way, and he should arrive here within half an hour.¡±


    Tang Xiu opened the window to look at Ma Jiandong outside and lightly said, ¡°The Ma Family invite me to visit your residence; do you perhaps want to hold a Hong Men banquet?¡±


    Ma Jiandong clearly understood the meaning behind Tang Xiu¡¯s word and forced a wry smile. ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood it, Divine Doctor Tang. The Ma Family absolutely have no intention to murder our invited, honored guest. The reason we are inviting you is that my brother would like to apologize to you in person, in the hopes that you, in your benevolence, will forgive my nephew¡¯s wrongdoings.¡±


    A gleam flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes.


    ¡®If they didn¡¯t have a plan to hold a banquet to murder the invited guest, then why would they make such a big parade just to invite me? Could it be that the Ma Family have something they want from me? Also, this man addressed me as ¡®Divine Doctor Tang¡¯. Could it be that there¡¯s someone ill in the Ma Family, so they need me to treat that person?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t want to be involved with the Ma Family, nor do I care about what happened,¡± replied Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°If you just want to apologize, don¡¯t delay and waste my time.¡±


    ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, we¡­ we actually would like to request something from you,¡± said Ma Jiandong hastily.


    ¡°Then say it. I¡¯m in a hurry and must return to Shanghai,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Ma Jiandong hesitated for a while and bitterly said, ¡°In fact, it¡¯s about my father. He¡¯s seriously ill, and I want to invite Divine Doctor Tang to treat and heal him. The vice chairman of Tianjing Chinese Medicine Association, Jiang Kun, is a good friend of my eldest brother¡¯s, and he recommended you to us. He thinks you can save my father with your outstanding medical expertise.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time,¡± Tang Xiu flatly refused.


    ¡°Please see it as a humble request of our Ma Family, Divine Doctor Tang,¡± Ma Jiandong pleaded. ¡°Please save my father, for the sake of showing our filial piety to him! My eldest brother said that we are willing to pay anything as long as¡­ you can cure my father¡¯s illness.¡±


    ¡°In case I disagree, then what? You won¡¯t let me go?¡± sneered Tang Xiu.


    Ma Jiandong was stunned and looked hesitant for a while before he forced a bitter smile. ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, my eldest brother did give me a death decree to keep you here no matter what. But I will kowtow to you if you want me to, as long as you can stay and wait for him to see you.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a short while and lightly said, ¡°This is not the place to stay for a long time. Let¡¯s just go to the service area in front! I see your filial piety, so I won¡¯t embarrass you, rest assured!¡±


    ¡°Thank you! Thank you, Divine Doctor Tang!¡±


    Ma Jiandong was overjoyed and immediately returned to the two cars in the front with the other three middle-aged men. They started the car and drove ahead.


    Hongkang Highway Service Area


    After waiting for 20 minutes plus, several cars arrived quickly. A group of people got out from the cars, as the Head of Ma Family, Ma Jianfeng, rushed to the front and came over to the car where Tang Xiu was riding.


    ¡°Are you¡­ Divine Doctor Tang?¡±

 Chapter 796 - Sharpening the Butcher Knife

    Chapter 796: Sharpening the Butcher Knife


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Ma Jianfeng¡¯s posture was very low, since he was the one who needed help from the other party, and more so that his wastrel son had also offended said party. So, he stood outside the window and bent over to greet Tang Xiu with a smile while concealing the solid depressed feeling inside.


    Bam¡­


    Tang Xiu got out of the car and closed the door with his backhand. He looked at Ma Jianfeng and nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Tang Xiu. May I know your name?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Ma Jianfeng. Jian as in development, and Feng as in a mountain peak.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it turns out to be the Head of Ma Family. Pleased to meet you.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled. He was not an unbridled youth. The Head of Ma Family had been acting so humbly, and he could not return such amiable manners with arrogance, for a sane person would never slap the face of those who were smiling at him. Not to mention that the Ma Family was also one of the top families in Tianjing, so it was not easy for Ma Jianfeng to act like this either.


    After shaking hands and some polite and amiable civilities, Tang Xiu slowly said, ¡°I¡¯ve learned the reason why the Head of Ma Family would spend so much time and effort to see me. However, let¡¯s say the unpleasant things first. I don¡¯t know the current condition of the old patriarch of your family, nor do I know what his illness is, so I don¡¯t dare to give a 100% guarantee on if I¡¯m able to cure him.¡±


    Ma Jianfeng retracted back his smile and replied with all seriousness, ¡°I understand what you said, Divine Doctor Tang. Still, I hope that you can do your best. You could say that you¡¯re the last straw of hope that my father might be cured. We will do our best to fulfill whatever requirement you may need. That I can promise you.¡±


    A gleam of surprise flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. He waved and said, ¡°A doctor does have a duty to treat the sick and save people, so let¡¯s put my request aside for now. I¡¯ve long heard of Ma Family¡¯s good reputation, whether in Tianjing or in the country.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re overpraising us, Divine Doctor Tang,¡± said Ma Jianfeng modestly. ¡°But I myself have a guilty conscience. I¡¯m ashamed that my son has acted hastily and offended you. In retrospect, I will make him apologize and plead for your forgiveness.¡±


    ¡°Your son?¡±


    Tang Xiu deliberately pretended to be oblivious and put on a quizzical look.


    Ma Jianfeng was surprised and asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t know Ma Xiaorong is my fourth son, Divine Doctor Tang?¡±


    Cold and indifference suddenly replaced Tang Xiu¡¯s expression. He even opened the car¡¯s door and sat back under the watchful eyes of the Ma Family. He then looked through the window toward Mo Awu and spoke, ¡°Awu, return to Shanghai.¡±


    Ma Jianfeng¡¯s heart thumped. ¡°Dr. Tang, you are¡­¡± he hastily said with a smile, ¡°I know it was all my son¡¯s fault. Please don¡¯t stoop to the likes of my good-for-nothing son and forgive his past wrongdoings with your magnanimous heart.¡±


    ¡°You know, I originally thought the Ma Family was as good as the hearsays,¡± said Tang Xiu apathetically. ¡°Never did I expect that the juniors of your family are an utter disgrace. A friend of mine told me that Ma Xiaorong is the brutish scoundrel of Tianjing, relying on the little bit of power of the family to incite outrages. I¡¯ve experienced his deeds too! Not only did he bully the waiting ladies at Mingyuan Resort last night, but he also ordered his bodyguards to surround me. If it weren¡¯t for my kung fu, I¡¯d have been sent to the hospital by now.¡±


    Ma Jianfeng was deeply shocked. Although he knew his fourth son was usually ignorant and incompetent, little did he think that he would be such a sissy to stoop down to this degree that he even bullied girls, and ordered his bodyguards to surround and beat up others.


    All of a sudden, Ma Jinfeng felt that his punishment for his wastrel son was too light. Had he learned earlier about it, he would have used his whip to flog him dozens of times, forcing him to clearly memorize the disciplining lesson of his family¡¯s ancestors. His thoughts were similarly shared with the rest of the Ma Family¡¯s core members, who came together. All of them could hear every single word Tang Xiu said perfectly. For a while, every one of them looked angry, and their evaluation of Ma Xiaorong dropped in the extreme.


    In actuality, they too had done some shady and shameful business, but it was all for a reason: be it because of personal enmity or for some benefit, and also they produced good results. Yet, provoking trouble everywhere without any cause or reason, nor running amok to act against the law and reason like a tyrant, was something they had never done.


    Ma Jianfeng took a deep breath and solemnly said, ¡°Dr. Tang, I admit that I¡¯ve been so busy developing the Ma Family that I neglected my responsibility to discipline my own son as a father. You can rest assured that I¡¯ll definitely have him under my control and make sure that he won¡¯t carry on his misdeeds ever again. Although I already punished him, it¡¯s still not enough, so I¡¯ll make him taste the consequences of his misdeeds later.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for half a minute, pulled out a cigarette and took a puff after igniting it. As the smoke puffed out of his mouth, he said, ¡°I may be able to cure and save your father, but the visiting fee will be indispensable. I hope you can accept my request.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only natural, and we accept.¡±


    Yet, Ma Jianfeng was quite depressed! He was naturally a shrewd and astute person acting as the Head of Ma Family. How could he not sense Tang Xiu¡¯s vexed feeling and was preparing his butcher knife to chop down the meat of Ma Family¡¯s?


    And yet, he knew perfectly well that he couldn¡¯t blame him either! If it wasn¡¯t for his wastrel son offending him, Tang Xiu wouldn¡¯t have demanded such a ridiculous request since he was, after all, a Divine Doctor! And those who aspired and had become such miracle-working doctors were not only required to have excellent medical expertise to turn the foul and rotten into the rare and ethereal, but they also had the most important medical ethics.


    The lips of the Ma Family¡¯s core members behind him twitched, along with the secretly growing resentment in their heart toward Ma Xiaorong. If it wasn¡¯t for this good-for-nothing bastard, Tang Xiu wouldn¡¯t have thought to butcher them, would he? If¡­ in the case that Tang Xiu¡¯s request was too much, they would definitely ask the family head to break that bastard¡¯s leg.


    They then left the highway service area in convoy and spent nearly an hour on the road before arriving at Ma Family manor. As the ten-plus cars entered the interior of the manor fast, they directly stopped in front of the northernmost antique pavilion where the old patriarch Ma lived.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Just as Tang Xiu got out of the car, his expression slightly changed. He could easily discern the pattern diagram of Feng Shui in the Ma Family manor, particularly the antique pavilion in front of him, which seemingly featured an added finishing touch to activate and revitalize the entire Feng Shui of the Ma Family manor.


    Attracting wealth and fortune.


    Thriving family with many prosperous members.


    Lifetime prosperity of the family.


    Tang Xiu finally understood why the Ma Family had been able to drift with the wind and the current and developed to such large extent so smoothly all these years. A family whose land had such Feng Shui structure arranged would never fail, even if the one at the helm was a fool. It was no wonder that just Ma Jianfeng alone had four sons.


    ¡°Well, it seems that the ancestor of your family once met a very respectable noble!¡± Tang Xiu turned to look at Ma Jianfeng and said apathetically.


    ¡°What do you mean by that, Dr. Tang?¡± asked Ma Jianfeng, looking puzzled.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just I can¡¯t help but exclaim after seeing the characteristics of the Feng Shui structure of your family manor,¡± replied Tang Xiu indifferently.


    ¡°You also understand Feng Shui?¡± asked Ma Jianfeng, surprised and amazed.


    ¡°If acting with modesty is not necessary, I can say that my achievement in Feng Shui is much better than my medical expertise,¡± answered Tang Xiu with a pale smile. ¡°The Feng Shui pattern of your family manor consisted of the East Gate that attracts the Purple Qi of the rising sun; the North Gate that is closed to contain the movement of fortune and wealth inside; the South Gate that is directly connected to vast and brilliant future prospects; and the circuitry West Gate, which will bring about thousands of offspring. Lastly, this pavilion in front of us as the center crux, which likely has a small spiritual vein underground that is continuously accumulating good fortune. If your father has been living here for years, I think I¡¯ve figured out the cause of his illness.¡±


    Ma Jianfeng gasped for cold air as he stared at Tang Xiu in shock. The Feng Shui structure of Ma Family¡¯s manor was arranged more than 100 years ago by a Feng Shui grandmaster who had a debt of favor to his family¡¯s ancestor. That Feng Shui grandmaster spent half a year of painstaking efforts to help complete the arrangement of this pattern.


    For nearly 100 years, no one had ever seen through the mystery of their family¡¯s land, yet Tang Xiu was unexpectedly able to completely discern the entirety of their Feng Shui structure the moment he arrived.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Dr. Tang,¡± said Ma Jianfeng hurriedly. ¡°My father has been living in this attic for many years. His physical condition was originally very good, and he was as strong as a young man even though he was already 70-years-old back then. But I don¡¯t know why his body keeps aging at a frightening speed since the end of this year. He is nearly in a continuous comatose state and occasionally wakes up now.¡±


    ¡°Your Ma Family has been blessed with good fortune and has been prosperous for 100 years. The accumulated good fortune is eventually condensed on one person, which is your father. So he was naturally very healthy back then. To think that he has once had a life free from disease and remained healthy even for so many years is really amazing in and of itself. It¡¯s really a pity¡­¡±


    As he spoke up to there, Tang Xiu sighed deeply and strode into the pavilion.


    ¡®Huh? The power of fate and destiny?¡¯


    Right as Tang Xiu stepped into the door of the attic, he felt an intense power of fate and destiny inside, and it was a rather special power of fate and destiny, no less. Even though the richness was inferior to the enormous power of fate and destiny contained in the treasures inside his interspatial ring, this particular one fully obstructed his perception to sense it.


    He must absorb it!


    Tang Xiu silently circulated his Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis and absorbed this power of fate and destiny in this place. Without guidance from Ma Jianfeng, he paced forward step by step and went to the door on the second floor. He then pushed the door and directly entered the room as his eyes landed on an elderly man lying flat on the bed.


    The others were unable to see that the old man lying on the bed was being shrouded by the multicolored energy of the power of fate and destiny, but Tang Xiu could see it clearly. This power of fate and destiny was so strong that it extracted the old man¡¯s soul and life force. If this extraction speed were to be maintained for half a month, the elderly man on the bed would have his life force and soul completely extracted, and he would die.


    Tang Xiu turned to look at Ma Jianfeng and several of the most powerful members of the Ma Family, and then lightly asked, ¡°You are now faced with two choices: The first one is you can save his life but you will have the roots of Ma Family ruined; the second is that he will die, but the Ma Family is guaranteed to continue flourishing for nearly 100 years.¡±


    The complexions of Ma Jianfeng and the rest of Ma Family members changed drastically, along with a horrified, dumbstruck expression.


    Ma Jianfeng¡¯s second uncle, Ma Chengye, an old man with very high authority in the Ma Family paced forward two steps at this moment. He stared deeply at Tang Xiu and asked with anxiousness all over his face, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, is there any probability that we can have both?¡±


    Tang Xiu shot a deep look at his eyes before he nodded and said, ¡°The elderlies of your Ma Family are very admirable, at least. You don¡¯t have the thought to fight and scheme against each other. There¡¯s another way indeed, but the price you have to pay will be quite great.¡±

 Chapter 797 - The Choice of Ma Family

    Chapter 797: The Choice of Ma Family


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    ¡°What exactly is the price we need to pay, Dr. Tang?¡± asked Ma Chengye without hesitation.


    ¡°In the next five years, the Ma Family will have no single member born; 10 babies under 3-years-old will have a heart pattern on their glabella, and will share the good fortune of Ma Family, but only one of them will survive. Your Ma Family needs to collect magical tools with metal, wood, water, fire, and earth elements each in order to revitalize and accumulate the good fortune for 5 years, and lastly, one member of the family will have his or her lifespan reduced for 10 years to carry on the praying for the blessing,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly.


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡±


    Ma Jianpeng and Ma Chenyu, as well as the other four elders of Ma Family, gasped at the same time, looking at Tang Xiu with a shocked expression.


    Wasn¡¯t this price¡­ way too horrifying?


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯ll get no benefits at all if you choose this option,¡± said Tang Xiu flatly. ¡°The surviving child will at least become the hope of Ma Family in the future. As long as there¡¯s no wicked Feng Shui expert to destroy the Feng Shui structure of your family, he can lead the Ma Family to go further, become stronger, and be more prosperous.¡±


    Ma Jianfeng was silent for a long time before he said with a wry, bitter expression, ¡°This has great influence to the family, so I need to discuss it with the senior members of the family, Divine Doctor Tang.¡±


    ¡°He can only endure up to half a month.¡± Tang Xiu pointed to the old man on the bed and plainly said, ¡°If you haven¡¯t made a decision by then, then not only he will die, but your family will also be in decline until your generation passes on his authority. Also, I¡¯m going back to Shanghai quickly and will leave Shanghai tomorrow to manage some important things for an unknown amount of time. So, please discuss it only until this afternoon.¡±


    Only until this afternoon?


    All the members of Ma Family¡¯s expressions changed, and they quickly exchanged glances. Then, Ma Jianfeng solemnly said, ¡°Could you diagnose my father too, Dr. Tang?¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and went to the bed. He took the old man¡¯s wrist and checked his pulse to diagnose his physical condition, which was no different from his own pre-judgment. As he left the room and came to the first floor, he said, ¡°Give me a quiet room; I need to draw something.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s my father¡¯s study at the end of the corridor to the left,¡± said Ma Jianfeng immediately.


    Tang Xiu nodded and followed him to the study. As he walked in, he observed the antique study before his eyes landed on the writing brush, ink stick, ink stone, and paper on the desk. In this era, only a few people still had these so-called ¡°scholar¡¯s four jewels¡±, while the wall around the room was practically full of calligraphy, and paintings from ancient and modern master calligraphers and master painters. Staying in this place would make one feel capable of appreciating the culture of Confucianism and Taoism.


    ¡°Is there anything else you need, Dr. Tang?¡± asked Ma Jianfeng.


    ¡°Cinnabar ink and yellow paper. If you¡¯re determined to save your father, I¡¯ll need 10 uncut jades as well,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I¡¯ll immediately order my people to find them,¡± said Ma Jianfeng in a deep voice. ¡°Also, I have to discuss this issue with the other family members, so I can¡¯t accompany you here.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead!¡± Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°Just in passing, send someone to deliver some food here.¡±


    Ma Jianfeng was stunned, as he suddenly remembered that it was noon and Tang Xiu had not eaten yet! A smile then appeared on his solemn face as he acquiesced to the request and then left with the rest of the Ma Family members.


    Mo Awu stood in front of the desk as he watched Ma Jianfeng closed the door from the outside. Afterward, he asked with a lowered voice, ¡°Do you perhaps prepare a butcher knife to chop them down, Boss?¡±


    ¡°The Ma Family has so much wealth more than they needed, don¡¯t you think so?¡± asked Tang Xiu back with a curled-up mouth; the faintest smile. ¡°You also know that I¡¯m kind-hearted and generous, so I¡¯m going to help them spend some money or share some other treasures. Well, you know, those kinds of good deeds¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Mo Awu felt his heart twitch and speechlessly looked at Tang Xiu.


    He had been following Tang Xiu for not just one or two days. He saw his actions so many times that the means his Boss had in order to butcher others made him shudder a little.


    Soon after that, fragrant meals were delivered as Tang Xiu and Mo Awu had a meal and drank their fill. The Ma Family then sent cinnabar ink and 10 fine pieces of jade. After sending them off outside, Tang Xiu immediately began to draw the symbols charm and manufactured some magical tools.


    At dusk, Ma Jianfeng came to the study room where Tang Xiu was staying, a gloomy expression on his face. This time, he was only accompanied by his second uncle, Ma Chengye.


    Looking at their expression, Tang Xiu instantly figured out what option they had taken. He sighed secretly inside, yet spoke with an indifferent expression, ¡°Since you have made up your mind to give up the old patriarch Ma, then there¡¯s no need for me to do anything anymore. I¡¯ve just manufactured good charms and magical tools myself, but since you don¡¯t need them, then I¡¯ll just charge you a service fee according to the market price.¡±


    Ma Jianfeng took a deep breath first before he replied with a serious expression, ¡°It seems that you¡¯ve already guessed the result, Divine Doctor Tang. I was very much wanting to save my father, in fact. But I really can¡¯t do anything. The Ma Family has many members but for the entire family to have no descendant in the next 5 years as well as 10 children¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand your difficulties.¡± Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and calmly said, ¡°Alright, I will take my leave then. Also, someone will send you the money for the cinnabar ink and the jade pieces tomorrow, naturally.¡±


    ¡°But Dr. Tang, do¡­ do you have any means to temporarily maintain my father¡¯s life?¡± said Ma Jianfeng quickly. ¡°Just 10 months would be enough.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get you.¡± Tang Xiu frowned.


    Ma Jianfeng steeled his heart and gritted his teeth. ¡°The Ma Family will have a lot of new members come of age in 10 months. As long as we have more than 10 new people by then, we will choose to save my father.¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes to carefully observe his face a few times, and then said lightly, ¡°I do have a way to make your father live for a year and a half, but you¡¯ll need to pay a lot of money. May I ask what price the Ma Family can pay for more?¡±


    ¡°What do you offer us to pay for, exactly?¡± asked Ma Jianfeng.


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and blurted the bluff, ¡°I can double the time for him to live for a price.¡±


    Hiss¡­


    Ma Jianfeng and Ma Chengye gasped and exchanged glances, while quietly calculating the price that was worth the lifespan to pay Tang Xiu.


    After a long while, Ma Jianfeng said in a deep voice, ¡°Feel free to speak your request, Divine Doctor Tang. Our Ma Family will do everything in our power, as long as it¡¯s within our ability.¡±


    ¡°Ore. At least 10 pieces of precious ores of the size of a fist; plus 1 billion yuan,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°Of course, if your family has some particularly strange objects that interest me, there¡¯s no need for that 1 billion.¡±


    Ma Jianfeng thought over it for a moment and answered straightforwardly, ¡°10 precious ores and 1 billion yuan, then. Please give us some time this evening, and we guarantee that they will be in your hands before 12 AM tonight.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± concurred Tang Xiu. He then came directly to the room on the second floor where the old patriarch Ma lived. Ma Jianfeng and the rest wanted to follow him, but Tang Xiu stopped them. After entering the room, he took out a Holy Healing medicine and broke half of it and fed it into the old patriarch Ma¡¯s mouth, then he walked to the side and sat down cross-legged.


    Half a Holy Healing medicinal pill was enough to greatly enhance old patriarch Ma¡¯s life force. Moreover, as long as this elderly man moved out of this building, it wouldn¡¯t be an issue for him to live for another year.


    Time ticked forward and three hours passed by. Tang Xiu controlled his blood and Qi to deliberately make his face look ghastly pale and sweats appear on his forehead. He looked at the old patriarch Ma, who had been breathing smoothly on the bed before he walked out of the room.


    ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, are you¡­ are you alright?¡±


    After seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s appearance, Ma Jianfeng¡¯s heart thumped and he hurriedly asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m fine.¡± Tang Xiu struggled to squeeze out a smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s just that I had to extract my qi and life force out and inject them into the old patriarch Ma¡¯s body, hence consuming much of my energy. Your father will be fine for the time being. As long as you move him from this attic and send another person to live here, he won¡¯t have any problem.¡±


    ¡°Moving my father to live somewhere else is not a problem,¡± said Ma Jianfeng. ¡°But why should we send someone else to live here?¡±


    ¡°Human body itself is but the primordial beginning of the Feng Shui diagram, and only a select few gifted people are able to continue to accept the power of fate and destiny to ensure the Ma Family will continue to be blessed in good fortune,¡± explained Tang Xiu. ¡°Otherwise, this Feng Shui structure of your family¡¯s will not only give you benefits, but it can also make your family decline quickly. Nevertheless, prosperity is always bound to decline as the result of a Heavenly Dao cycle.¡±


    Ma Jianfeng instantly came to a realization but he still asked, ¡°Will the new person meet the same situation as my father¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°Living here for a year and a half will not have disadvantages but will obtain benefits instead.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°As for what kind of benefits they are, you¡¯ll find out about it later.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll immediately send someone else to move here once I move my father out,¡± replied Ma Jianfeng immediately. ¡°Could you please go and stay in my father¡¯s study room and stay there for a while, Dr. Tang? I¡¯ll need to hurry up, but I¡¯ll come immediately when I¡¯m done. You¡¯ll have 10 pieces of precious ores and 1 billion yuan, as promised, by then.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Tang Xiu was naturally unwilling to leave the attic immediately since he had only absorbed less than one-tenth of the power of fate and destiny here, even though he tried his best to absorb it throughout the afternoon and night. If it weren¡¯t for him having something to do tomorrow, he would have tried to stay here until he completely absorbed all the power of fate and destiny in this place.


    It must be noted that the power of fate and destiny in this place was different from the one contained in the Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal treasure. The power of fate and destiny here was very gentle and didn¡¯t go crazy when he attempted to absorb it into his body, whereas the one contained inside the Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal was enormous, and it drilled straight into his body. He had nearly blown himself up and would have died right as he attempted to absorb it.


    The Ma Family indeed had good prestige and reputation. After waiting for half an hour, Ma Jianfeng had hurried back. He ordered 5 stocky men to put 10 precious ores in five trays on the table in front of Tang Xiu. He then waved, gesturing those men to leave and immediately took out a bank card, saying, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, this bank card has 1 billion yuan and the PIN is written on the back. Also, please appraise these 10 precious ores too. If any of these precious ores disinterest you, I¡¯ll send my men to exchange it.¡±


    Tang Xiu put away the bank card in his pocket and reached out to lift the yellow cloth on the tray. Right as he looked down, the black stone was the first thing he saw.


    ¡®This is¡­¡¯


    Tang Xiu¡¯s heart thumped wildly as disbelief flashed in his eyes.

 Chapter 798 - Going Alone

    Chapter 798: Going Alone


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    A Demon Stone? And also, a sealed demon stone, no less?


    Tang Xiu stared fixedly at the black stone the size of his fist with a thumping heartbeat. He believed the small coffin made of demon stone he had found before did not belong to this world, so he decided to use it less once he absorbed the demonic power inside it.


    At this moment, however, he finally realized that Earth may really have Demon Stone in existence somewhere, otherwise it wouldn¡¯t have been possible for another piece to be present here. He needed Demon Stone, and if he had a steady supply of this stone he could completely enhance his physical strength and solidify it to the perfection of the first stage of Stars Tyrannical Body from the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis cultivation.


    ¡°Family Head Ma, where did you get this ore?¡± asked Tang Xiu in a deep voice as he looked at Ma Jianfeng.


    Ma Jianfeng thought about it and answered, ¡°I can¡¯t tell where we got it from specifically. My family has a lot of members and a lot of juniors obtain precious items from outside, then they give the items to the family in exchange for wealth or position. It¡¯s just that this one left a bit of an impression, as it¡¯s so strong that even a divine weapon can barely leave a mark on it.¡±


    ¡°Then I may have to trouble you for help to ask where this piece of ore came from,¡± said Tang Xiu after taking a deep breath. ¡°If you can give a satisfactory answer, then I can help solve the old patriarch¡¯s problem, or the Ma Family¡¯s problem, for free.¡±


    Ma Jianfeng¡¯s face changed and he nodded without hesitation, ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll check it out immediately.¡±


    Half an hour later, however, Ma Jianfeng returned with a dejected look. He wryly smiled when he saw anticipation on Tang Xiu¡¯s face and said, ¡°I¡¯ve asked and checked it out. The stone was brought by a member of Ma Family around 60 plus years ago from outside, but he didn¡¯t leave any information about this ore. Also, he passed away more than 30 years ago.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded with disappointment. After collecting these 10 precious ores, he said, ¡°Since the Ma¡¯s problems are temporarily resolved, then I won¡¯t stay for long. I¡¯ll visit your family again within a year and completely solve your family¡¯s Feng Shui structure problem then.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let me send you off.¡±


    Ma Jianfeng respectfully walked Tang Xiu out of Ma Family manor. He watched the vrooming car leaving and then turned to look at the silent, stocky Ma Chengye, and thoughtfully said, ¡°Second Uncle, this Tang Xiu is definitely not simple. We were lucky that we haven¡¯t completely lost decorum with him, else I¡¯m afraid that our family would be very miserable.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Ma Chengye nodded and said, ¡°If he¡¯s just a divine doctor, there¡¯s indeed no need for us to pay that much importance towards him, yet he¡¯s also a Feng Shui master, which is rather extraordinary. Regardless of in this era or in ancient times, who dares to offend a Feng Shui master? In case that one¡¯s provoked such people, they will definitely arrange an evil Feng Shui diagram on the offender¡¯s ancestral tombs, which will invisibly kill them. Jianfeng, your fourth son is way too outrageous, and it occurred to me that you must severely punish him to give warnings to the others.¡±


    Ma Jianfeng himself had already been disappointed with his fourth son, and he heavily said, ¡°That little bastard almost ruined our family, and I¡¯ll severely punish him over this matter. I may have to trouble you to kick that brat to the ancestral hall for 3 years, so as to make him repent and turn a new leaf, Second Uncle. Also, we must spread the news that Tang Xiu is an honorable guest of our family. Whoever dares see him as an enemy will be enemies with our Ma Family.¡±


    Ma Chengye, however, looked hesitant and argued, ¡°Don¡¯t you think your decision is rather rash? We have yet to completely check Tang Xiu¡¯s background.¡±


    A smile appeared on Ma Jianfeng¡¯s dignified face as he replied, ¡°I just received a message 10 minutes ago. Can you guess what his identity is?¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Ma Chengye quickly while staring at him.


    ¡°He¡¯s an offspring of the Tang Family who was separated and lived outside for many years,¡± answered Ma Jianfeng. ¡°It is said that the Tang Family¡¯s old patriarch is very fond of him. You must know that he usually has a group of experts with him. I¡¯ve asked the bodyguards of my fourth son and finally determined that there¡¯s at least one martial arts grandmaster among Tang Xiu¡¯s men.¡±


    ¡°Martial arts grandmasters working for others?¡± Ma Chengye was struck dumb. He immediately nodded and said, ¡°It should be correct, as only a family such as the Tangs can have such a great ability to send martial arts grandmasters to protect him.¡±


    That night the news of Ma Family¡¯s fourth son, Ma Xiaorong, being badly beaten and then severely punished by his family was spread quickly throughout Tianjing, and even several neighboring cities. A certain number of people with status and ability also obtained the news that the Mas were on friendly terms with Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu! They had heard this name before as the young miracle-working doctor from Star City Chinese Medical Hospital in Shuangqing province. There had been much news and coverage in various media channels about him.


    ****


    Mingyuan Resort.


    Ren Qi was listlessly nesting on the soft couch, quietly watching the news broadcast on the TV. Although he didn¡¯t work in the bureaucracy system, and there was no need for him to know some important political contents in the news, he still persevered on watching it because his father had instilled this habit of watching news from an early age.


    Knock, knock¡­


    A pretty young woman in a tulle skirt was at the door. She waltzed in with a lotus-like manner as her steps brought her in front of Ren Qi, and she smilingly said, ¡°Hey, what have you been thinking about? You just keep watching the news, and yet your mind is somewhere else¡­¡±


    ¡°I just received the news, you know.¡± Ren Qin forced a smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s said that Fourth Ma just bumped into a solid iron sheet and is currently being punished by his elders, and it¡¯s quite severe at that. We won¡¯t be seeing him in the next three years.¡±


    ¡°Ehh?¡± The young woman was surprised. ¡°What exactly happened? Isn¡¯t Ma Jianfeng, that Ma Family¡¯s head, always doting on him so much?¡±


    ¡°I dunno about the details,¡± Ren Qi shook his head and said, ¡°But this is definitely related to Tang Xiu. Because shortly after the Ma Family spread out the news that Fourth Ma is being severely punished, further news had it that they are on very friendly terms with Tang Xiu, and whoever sees Tang Xiu as an enemy will become an enemy of Ma Family as well.¡±


    ¡°Those Ma Family¡¯s old foxes can release such news?¡± The young woman was shocked. ¡°It seems like they really have a very close relationship with Tang Xiu.¡±


    ¡°It could be, but I might have made a bit of a mistake here myself, though.¡± Ren Qi bitterly smiled.


    ¡°Why is that?¡± asked the young woman.


    ¡°You see, Tang Xiu came to our Mingyuan Resort today, but I didn¡¯t even recognize him that time,¡± explained Ren Qi. ¡°Little did I think that he¡¯s that young Divine Doctor Tang Xiu. Also, there¡¯s something you may not have learned. He¡¯s also the secret Big Boss behind the Magnificent Tang Corp, and I¡¯ve sent people to investigate something. He¡­ he¡¯s a junior of the Tang Family of Beijing, and one of the Tangs¡¯ old patriarch¡¯s most doted upon juniors no less.¡±


    ¡°Even if he has a very powerful background and identity, and you didn¡¯t recognize him; what gives, though?¡± The young woman was still surprised.


    ¡°Sigh¡­ You don¡¯t understand.¡± Ren Qi shook his head and sighed. ¡°He¡¯s Long Zhenglin¡¯s Brother and they have a very good relationship. If I can make a good relationship with Tang Xiu, for the sake of Long Zhenglin¡¯s face, it will bring about great benefits not only for me but also for our Ren Family in the future. Don¡¯t forget the fact that the Tang Family is a superfamily, which is one of the best in all of China.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± The young woman was also an astute person and understood everything instantly. Despite having no interest in networking and the benefits it could provide, she could still see that Ren Qi had just missed a great opportunity.


    ****


    Shanghai.


    After Tang Xiu returned from Tianjing, he immediately packed up his stuff and set off to Jingmen Island by overnight train. He bought a sleeping bag so he could pass the night sleeping, and when he changed transport and boarded the ferry he would arrive at Jingmen Island at noon.


    On this occasion, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t bring Mo Awu and the rest because he only earned one quota to enter the three-star vestige, thus he had no way to bring Mo Awu and ordered him to stay in Shanghai. Before leaving, however, he had already informed those close to him of his whereabouts but only told them that he would have a long trip. He didn¡¯t tell them his destination.


    ****


    Jingmen Island.


    In the remote small port to the southeast, dozens of old fishing boats were on the shore with many fishermen smelling of fish. Wang Xiaodong had his own fishing boat, and he always went fishing in the sea diligently during this season, and then traded his hauls with fishmongers.


    However, there was no indication of going out to see today despite the good weather and shining sun. He lazily laid on the deck of his fishing boat, resting his head on his hands¡¯ pillow, knocking his legs while watching the busy figures of the familiar people around him. Occasionally, a few fishermen came skimping with him merrily, and he responded perfunctorily.


    ¡°Are you Wang Xiaodong?¡±


    A group of four people, two men and two women, stopped on the shore as the stocky middle-aged man among them asked him.


    Wang Xiaodong squinted and looked at him, and then immediately sprung up after having seen the person clearly. His eyes wandered away towards the two tall, beautiful women and shouted, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m Wang Xiaodong. Who are you? Anything I can do for you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Zhu Long.¡±


    The stocky Zhu Long jumped on the bow deck and took a stack of hundred-yuan bills from his chest pocket, throwing it to Wang Xiaodong. ¡°The deposit has been transferred to your bank card via the bank. I believe you¡¯ve received it. You are crystal clear about our purpose and deal. We¡¯ll wait until our people arrive and then leave.¡±


    With eyes lit up, Wang Xiaodong visually counted the stack of hundred-yuan bills in his hand and estimated that it should be at least 10,000 yuan. With the thought that he just struck gold in mind, he happily put away the money and asked, ¡°Zhu¡­ Big Bro Zhu Long, right? Well, easy money to get rich. I¡¯m glad to serve you. Anyway, I already have all the things prepped, such as rations and water enough for us for 10 to 15 days at sea. By the way, how many people are going with you, exactly? My fishing boat can only take on a few people. Including the four of you, this babe can only accommodate 10 more.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s only one person left,¡± said Zhu Long indifferently.


    Wang Xiaodong looked relaxed immediately and asked again, ¡°So pray tell, Big Bro Zhu Long¡­ You go to the sea this time to enjoy the magnificence of the ocean, right? I mean, looking at your demeanor and the attire you four are wearing, you all should be quite rich, but why would you rent my fishing boat instead of renting a luxury yacht?¡±

 Chapter 799 - A Man Whos Lucky to be Loved by Pretty Girls

    Chapter 799: A Man Who¡¯s Lucky to be Loved by Pretty Girls


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me the referrer hasn¡¯t warned you yet that your task is only to be responsible for sending us to the Straits of Malacca?¡± Zhu Long said coolly with an indifferent expression, ¡°No matter what you see and encounter on the way there, you must not see it, nor hear it, capiche?¡±


    Wang Xiaodong sneered inwardly and even held some disdain. He was not blind, nor deaf. How could he possibly not see nor hear anything? He even cussed inwardly: Playing mysterious, huh? I¡¯m fucking sure you must be doing some damn dirty shit!


    The red-haired youth, Firedevil, with a birdcage in his hand, interjected in a mystifying tone, ¡°Hey buddy, why on Earth did you ask Boss Zhu Long about it? Just obey him! You got the money to get some work done for us, so behave yourself and do what you¡¯ve been hired for. Dare to make us upset, and we¡¯ll kick you out to feed the sharks in the sea.¡±


    Wang Xiaodong quivered and immediately turned wary. He knew that this red-haired youth was telling the truth¡­ that they could really do something to him in the vast sea, and he could be persecuted to death unjustly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to fuck with me. I¡¯ve taken your photos and passed them on to my family. You¡¯ll be the suspects if I run into danger.¡±


    Hearing Wang Xiaodong¡¯s words, which were full of fear, Firedevil strangely chuckled twice. He turned to look at Zhu Long and asked, ¡°So, Zhu Long Captain, what about that brat surnamed Tang? Is he still coming or not? We are 20 minutes to the agreed time here, and I don¡¯t think we should wait for a damn sissy if he can¡¯t arrive on time.¡±


    Zhu Long hummed twice and didn¡¯t answer his question. He also didn¡¯t want to wait for that arrogant prick. But it was, after all, an order from his Chief, Duanmu Lin, and he dared not simply kick out Tang Xiu either.


    The alluringly hot and beautiful Electrolady had long, loose, purple hair and sharp nails painted purple; she looked very cool, as though she was the embodiment of purple lightning. A faint smile appeared on her beautiful face as she spoke, ¡°Well, it¡¯s so rare to see someone who can make Boss Zhu Long angry and vexed. But that guy kinda interests me though. I¡¯ll take him into my seraglio if he¡¯s a handsome one.¡±


    ¡°You got my spiritual support, Electrolady.¡± Firedevil raised his thumb up. ¡°Well, just hope this kid can be seen by you truly. He¡¯ll be a lucky man who can enjoy all the happiness in the world.¡±


    Electrolady giggled and her willow-like, slender waist swayed. She threw a coquettish wink at Firedevil. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try to enjoy all the happiness of the world by being a lucky man who was loved by belles then, Firedevil?¡±


    ¡°No no no. I don¡¯t have that good of luck.¡± Firedevil was suddenly startled and backtracked agitatedly for half a meter, waving his hand and said, ¡°Please don¡¯t. I don¡¯t have that good of fortune. I can¡¯t bear it!¡±


    ¡°Bah. Coward.¡±


    Rolling her eyes, Electrolady snappily cussed. Her expression suddenly moved with a happily surprised look on her beautiful face. He pointed to a man walking in the distance, and chuckled, ¡°You got small balls, Firedevil, so this lady will let you go. My fresh young target is coming, and he¡¯s so handsome it makes me itch. Gimme 20 minutes, Boss Zhu Long. I¡¯ll make sure that handsome fella kowtows under my skirt.¡±


    ¡°Overruled.¡± Zhu Long growled in a low voice with a gloomy face.


    Electrolady looked dull for a moment before she snorted immediately. She knew perfectly well about Zhu Long¡¯s character when carrying out a mission. Cautious, strict, and fiercely restrictive to his team members.


    ¡°Damn, too bad!¡±


    She sighed inside but still spent some effort to memorize that gorgeous face. She hoped to meet him again in the future to then showcase her unique feminine charm and capture his heart.


    To her surprise, however, the handsome guy in her line of sight turned to head straight towards their location and even halted his pace on the shore.


    Don¡¯t tell me¡­this is the guy who has poked Capt. Zhu Long¡¯s irk. The one he calls ¡°unbridled, arrogant prick¡±?


    Tang Xiu shot a look at Zhu Long and swept over several people on the bow before he immediately said, ¡°I¡¯m not late, am I, Zhu Long?¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Zhu Long snorted coldly and threw his head to the side.


    Firedevil observed Tang Xiu a few times, and then quickly waved and smiled at him. ¡°Hey, you must be Brother Tang Xiu, right? Welcome to the party on this death voyage. Anyway, I¡¯m Firedevil, the one with all of the purple decoration is Electrolady, and the one in the blue attire is Aquababe. By the way, I gotta let you know about Electrolady seriously though. Well, she¡¯s the goddess to all of us men, and she also likes a dashingly handsome guy like you.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Electrolady angrily snapped and raised her hand towards Firedevil, who got scared and hastily backtracked. Her expression then changed to that of a bright, smiling face and happily spoke to Tang Xiu, ¡°Tang Xiu, right? Please ignore what Firedevil said; he just throws his rubbish talk as always. Anyway, I¡¯m glad you can join us, and we¡¯ll have to rely on you to protect us, weak women.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± replied Tang Xiu calmly and then boarded the fishing boat.


    Electrolady came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side. Although every twinkle and smile she had was showing her feminine charm, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t even spare her a glance. Of course, it was a different story had it been another man, as they would have already have been mesmerized by her. But who was Tang Xiu? He was once powerful supremacy, the Supreme who stood at the summit in the Immortal World. Let alone Electrolady, even the alluring Enchantress of the Ninth Heaven¡¯s Nymph race could never captivate him.


    ¡°Alright. Set sail!¡±


    Zhu Long stiffly ordered and turned into the cabin. The fishing boat was not big, just a common vessel for offshore operation. It usually had a dozen-plus people whenever it sailed to the sea for fishing, and it returned with a full load nearly every time. Today, however, it only had a few crew members, only four people including the owner, Wang Xiaodong.


    The sail was hoisted and ready to set sail.


    The fishing boat was not very fast and gradually vanished from the port amid the rippling waves of the ocean. After a full day of sailing, they would sail into the Straits of Malacca area the next day. Although the entire strait was only 1080 km long, the southeastern part was connecting the Pacific and the Indian Ocean, while the three-star vestige was located at the junction. The coordinate location was very distinct, so it didn¡¯t take long before the fishing boat approached a small island.


    ¡°Hmm? Something¡¯s strange. I used to come here in my elder¡¯s fishing boat several times and landed on this small island. Rarely has this island had people¡¯s footprints. How come today¡­ it has so many boats stopped here?¡± Wang Xiaodong stood on the bow deck sweeping over the tens of ships of various types in front of him with surprise all over his face. Some of these boats were yachts, some were liners, cargo ships, but none of them was a fishing boat.


    Zhu Long took his military backpack and came to Wang Xiaodong¡¯s side. ¡°Wait for us here. If we haven¡¯t come back from the island in 5 days, don¡¯t wait for us any longer and immediately set sail back! Do remember not to have any conflict whatsoever with those people on the other ships, nor easily have any contact with them.


    ¡°But why?¡± asked Wang Xiaodong, confused.


    ¡°These people will likely have ill thoughts about you if we can¡¯t come back alive,¡± sneered Zhu Long.


    Wang Xiaodong shuddered. He could keenly see two stocky black men with guns on the nearby liner who coldly glared in their direction.


    Those were guns!


    Who are these people? How dare they bring a gun openly? Is this a major gathering of some underground organizations?


    He secretly made up his mind after mulling over for a while. He would not take the money he hadn¡¯t yet received and would sail back right after Zhu Long left them. Money was important but it was nothing compared to his life.


    Tang Xiu was last to disembark. He could see Wang Xiaodong¡¯s faintly paled face and his attempts to secretly glance at the stocky armed black man over there. He then cooly spoke to him, ¡°You¡¯ll probably be in for even bigger trouble if you sneak away after we leave. If we were to die here then you¡¯ll be fine. But if we¡¯re able to get back, we can find you even if you run away to the ends of the Earth.¡±


    Wang Xiaodong¡¯s heart instantly plunged deep into an ice hole. He looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s cold face, forcing out a smile and said, ¡°I know what I must do, Mr. Tang.¡±


    Tang Xiu patted his shoulder and suddenly whispered right into his ear, ¡°That Zhu Long fella is too arrogant, isn¡¯t he? He doesn¡¯t want to say anything to you, but I can tell you something, though. We are actually members of the special entity of our country and are ordered on a mission here. Once we¡¯ve accomplished our mission well, our country will be enormously benefitted. So, even if it¡¯s not for you, please do it for our country.¡±


    They are from the government?


    Staring at Tang Xiu with a shocked face, Wang Xiaodong¡¯s heart was struck with tempestuous waves. He instantly realized the identity of Tang Xiu, Zhu Long, and the others. Even if they were not from special forces, they should be agents!


    ¡®I¡­ I¡¯m working for such people?¡¯


    Some pride suddenly filled Wang Xiaodong¡¯s heart. The excited emotion surged up inside him as he watched Tang Xiu who jumped to the shore and said loudly, ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you, Mr. Tang! I also won¡¯t receive the rest of the money. Count it as my contribution to the country.¡±


    ¡°Great, you¡¯re a true man!¡±


    Tang Xiu turned around raised his thumb up to Wang Xiaodong before he ran to catch up with Zhu Long and the others.


    As a matter of fact, Zhu Long¡¯s group could hear Tang Xiu¡¯s dialog with Wang Xiaodong perfectly. They were all Elementalists, ability users whose hearing was 10 times better than that of normal people. Even though they were somewhat annoyed that Tang Xiu leaked their identity as the state¡¯s people, they also realized that Tang Xiu spoke to Wang Xiaodong to prevent the latter from leaving and casting them off here.


    This guy is quite meticulous.


    Zhu Long might not like Tang Xiu, but he had to admit that he inwardly admired what Tang Xiu did.


    The group of five carried their simple backpacks and walked along a bare track towards the island. The island only had scarce vegetations, and there were nearly no big trees, even if one were to take a broad view. There was only a layer of green vegetation, and that was the type that grew in rocky crevices and damp places.


    At a few kilometers ahead, Tang Xiu could see a tent in the distance. There were clothes with different colors, various designs, as well as soldiers in military uniforms of different ranks who sealed off the surroundings. He saw that those military uniforms were ones worn by Chinese soldiers.

 Chapter 800 - Degree of Danger

    Chapter 800: Degree of Danger


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    There were 10 countries eligible to explore the three-star vestige in total according to the situation Tang Xiu was informed of, which was also the world¡¯s strongest top ten countries. Therefore, the total number of people who could enter the vestige was 50 people, though Tang Xiu didn¡¯t know exactly how many ability users and their abilities each country had sent.


    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Gao Hongxing, the commander of China army in Haiben Island. Which of you is Captain Zhu Long, please?¡± a middle-aged man came out of the olive-green tent with two military officers and walked towards the group of five.


    Zhu Long saluted and said, ¡°I¡¯m Zhu Long, the captain of the exploration team for this three-star vestige.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re here, at last.¡± Gao Hongxing smilingly said, ¡°The three-star vestige will be jointly opened tomorrow, and the people from other countries have also arrived. Come with me! We have your equipment prepped, and I¡¯ll send it to you later, so my mission is half done.¡±


    Zhu Long nodded. He didn¡¯t introduce Tang Xiu and the rest, and directly followed Gao Hongxing into the military tent. The military tent was quite spacious. There were 7 soldiers in duty uniforms sitting in front of a row of LCD screens to observe the pictures on them. On the other side of the tent, five military bags with bulging sacks were laying on the ground, and apparently contained many items.


    Dismissing the civilities with Gao Hongxing, Zhu Long walked directly to the military bags. He quickly unzipped them, poured all the contents out, and carefully inspected them before he nodded with satisfaction, ¡°Everything¡¯s OK. Thanks for the hard work, Commander.¡±


    ¡°The ceremony is not needed, Captain Zhu. I¡¯m also acting on duty.¡± Gao Hongxing shook his head and happily said, ¡°Also, please do say if you have anything else you need before leaving. We¡¯ll try our best to provide it.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    Just as Zhu Long spat out a word, Tang Xiu¡¯s voice interrupted him. His face turned a bit ugly in that instant.


    Tang Xiu completely ignored Zhu Long. He looked at Gao Hongxing and asked, ¡°I have a request that I hope you can help with, Commander Gao.¡±


    Gao looked at Tang Xiu in surprise and nodded. ¡°Please do say if you have something to ask.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see any ships from the military when we arrived. Did you come here with air transport?¡± asked Tang Xiu. ¡°Are you responsible for sending us back once we come out of the three-star vestige?¡±


    ¡°We did come here by helicopter and our mission is to be stationed here all year round, together with other countries¡¯ soldiers, to seal off this three-star vestige.¡± Gao Hongxing shook his head. ¡°But mobilizing helicopters are out of my jurisdiction, so I have no way to send you back.¡±


    ¡°If so, I¡¯d like to ask you to send your men to the coast and temporarily detain the fishing boat¡¯s owner who sent us here,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Else, we won¡¯t be able to go back once he and his crew leave. It will waste quite a lot of time by then if we go back and need to wait for people from the mainland to pick us up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just a minor matter; leave it to me.¡± Gao Hongxing smiled.


    Zhu Long gazed at Tang Xiu with a sneer, and so did Firedevil, who looked to have some contempt. Even the Electrolady felt that Tang Xiu was fussing over nothing. Only Aquababe, whose brows slightly pressed together thoughtfully, gazed at Tang Xiu.


    ¡°You seem to care so much about going back early?¡± asked Aquababe suddenly.


    ¡°I am.¡± Tang Xiu glanced at her and replied indifferently. ¡°I wanna go back early from this place. I have other things to tend to.¡±


    Aquababe didn¡¯t speak again and just nodded in response. Her eyes moved somewhere else, but Zhu Long, who knew her, looked surprised and slightly pressed his brows.


    The atmosphere was somewhat odd and Gao Hongxing seemed to realize it. Whether it was Zhu Long and Firedevil, or Aquababe and Electrolady, there seemed to be something between them with Tang Xiu, yet couldn¡¯t be explained with words. It was like¡­ there was distance, in a sense. Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t want to get involved much with this five-man team, and solemnly advised, ¡°Everyone, you have a single tent for each of you nearby with your name on it. You can stay there first, and I¡¯ll take you to the submarine location tomorrow morning.¡±


    Submarine?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed. Although he knew the three-star vestige was deep in the sea, he didn¡¯t expect that they would be sent there by a submarine. He did have some interest in this big chunk of iron on the seabed. After all, it was a type of essential technological weapon in ocean warfare.


    After everyone took their respective military bag out of the tent, Tang Xiu unleashed his perception and instantly covered a radius of 300-400 meters; he could clearly ¡°see¡± all the scenes and people within this range. However, he couldn¡¯t tell which people from other countries would go to the seabed to explore the three-vestige, though he easily found his own military tent.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid of sleeping alone at night, Tang Xiu. Can you¡­¡± Electrolady came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side. Her waist was like a writhing water snake, and there was a particular kind of thirst in her eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t play that little trick with me.¡± Tang Xiu raised his hand, waved and said, ¡°You¡¯re obviously still a virgin, yet you act and show yourself like this. If I were to control and take your body, I¡¯m sure you would be hell-bent to kill me, wouldn¡¯t you? Stop messing around with this boring game, Electrolady. We haven¡¯t yet entered the three-star vestige, so you¡¯d better recharge your batteries and adjust yourself to your best condition.¡±


    Electrolady¡¯s face greatly changed and a look of fear suddenly appeared in her eyes when she looked at Tang Xiu. She had some contempt for Tang Xiu before this, but what he showcased just now was definitely not that of a fool who knew nothing whatsoever.


    Tang Xiu ignored her and drilled straight into the military tent. Inside, he unzipped the military bag and inspected the things inside. A Mitsubishi army knife, mini binoculars, a lighter, a box of matches, diving suit, oxygen mask, compressed biscuits and water, and the last, which was unexpected: a mini pistol.


    Does this gun have no clips at all?


    Tang Xiu frowned as he slowly and carefully inspected it for a long time, only to find that the gun truly didn¡¯t have a cartridge clip but something like a cell phone battery inside instead. Unable to figure out what the gun truly was, Tang Xiu had no intention of testing it either. He stored everything into his interspatial ring, but left the diving suit and oxygen mask in the military bag.


    Shortly after, he sat cross-legged and began to adjust his condition.


    Outside the tent. Aquababe silently came to Electrolady¡¯s side. As she saw her ever-changing expression, she softly spoke to her in a low voice, ¡°I don¡¯t know what his true ability is, but he¡¯s the only one who gave a threatening feeling. I dunno why I have this sensation, but there¡¯s no way I can look down on him.¡±


    Electrolady frowned and glanced at Tang Xiu¡¯s military tent before turning back and said indignantly, ¡°Who knows if that bloke is just faking it? A threatening feeling? Why can¡¯t I sense it then? I think Boss Zhu Long is right. He¡¯s an arrogant prick; one who knows nothing about the immensity of Heaven and Earth. Just wait and see later, Aquababe! He will weep when we enter the three-star vestige.¡±


    Aquababe¡¯s face was a bit solemn, and her eyes swiftly swept from the surroundings, shaking her head and said, ¡°That¡¯s actually the second thing that makes me wary, Electrolady. Take a look around! Can¡¯t you see there are none here from the other countries after we came? There used to be someone come to provoke us given their styles of action in the past, right?¡±


    Electrolady¡¯s heart sank. She looked around and didn¡¯t find anyone from other countries who were going to enter three-star vestige either and immediately said, ¡°You¡¯re right. We must keep our vigilance.¡±


    The next day.


    Tang Xiu came out of the military tent and saw Zhu Long and the rest were sitting together, chatting in whispers with hand-painted drawings laid out in the center. He approached them and the four people seemed to not mind him, so he joined the discussion.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know what things, nor the kind of danger there will be beyond this steel door. So, look for any switch there as best you can, if any. Do remember, we must find the monitoring room fast. As long as we can find the control room, we can see the situation inside the vestige clearly, and it will be easier and more suitable for our actions later.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s one more thing. Stay alert and guard against those from other countries. Regardless of any goodwill they show us, keep a distance from them. The dangers we¡¯ll face once we enter the ruins are not the only dangers inside, but also from other countries¡¯ experts who enter with us.¡±


    Tang Xiu was sitting cross-legged between Firedevil and Aquababe. His eyes inspected the hand-painted map, and inquired, ¡°Is this the map for the three-star vestige interior?¡±


    Regardless of how much Zhu Long didn¡¯t like Tang Xiu, Tang Xiu was still a Chinese national after all, so he still explained in order to let him survive longer, ¡°This three-star vestige had once been opened and various countries sent a lot of people back then, but only one person came out alive. That man was our Chinese national, and a martial arts grandmaster. Unfortunately, his injuries were too severe when he escaped, and he only woke up for a short time on the third day before he passed away. And this map is what he brought out.¡±


    ¡°So, have you found out how big this three-star vestige is?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I dunno. It¡¯s said that this map is only a small area of the vestige.¡± Zhu Long shook his head. ¡°Estimation is that it¡¯s not even one-tenth, but even such a small area is more than a dozen football fields wide.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed. He glanced at the Northeast and slowly said, ¡°Perhaps, we need to raise the degree of danger to double time when we enter this three-star vestige.¡±


    Firedevil raised his hand to caress the striking fiery hair on the lower back of his head and said disdainfully, ¡°Don¡¯t be an alarmist, will you? It may be dangerous for you, Tang Xiu, but it¡¯s not worth mentioning for us. If you¡¯re afraid, don¡¯t act like a big shot, but has nothing to back yourself up, and just follow us. I¡¯ll protect you nonetheless.¡±


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll follow you in the early stage of entering three-star vestige, but I¡¯ll go alone after solving some of the dangers.¡±


    ¡°Whatever.¡±


    It was Zhu Long who answered Tang Xiu with a bad tone. He thought that Tang Xiu was afraid. When they entered the vestige and came across various dangers, he felt this guy wouldn¡¯t dare to say anything about leaving the team anymore.

 Chapter 801 - Rooms Made of Steel

    Chapter 801: Rooms Made of Steel


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Midday, 12:00 sharp.


    A while sounded rapidly nearby and the Commander of the Chinese garrison, Gao Hongxing, walked from the distance. After he came to the front of five people, he said with a serious face, ¡°The teams from other countries have begun to assemble. The destination is the East coast and a submarine is already waiting there.¡±


    ¡°Which country¡¯s submarine does it belong to, Commander Gao?¡± asked Zhu Long.


    ¡°The United States, but there are a lot of soldiers from various countries inside,¡± said Gao Hongxing. ¡°So, it¡¯s impossible even if the American people want to scheme something inside the submarine.¡±


    ¡°Sufficient interests will make people lose their reason, regardless.¡± Zhu Long slowly nodded. ¡°Not to mention that the things inside the three-star vestige are enough to drive many people crazy. Commander Gao, please keep in touch with our own side and do pay attention to safety.¡±


    ¡°Our country¡¯s warships are already being mobilized 150 nautical miles away in this water. Many submarines lurking in the depths of the seabed somewhere else too.¡± Gao Hongxin grinned. ¡°The Southern Army is also conducting maritime military exercises over yonder in the South China Sea, so no one will dare to act rashly unless they are out of their minds. But your warning is noted seriously, regardless.¡±


    The distance to the destination was a dozen kilometer and Tang Xiu¡¯s group of five was escorted by a squad of soldiers and quickly arrived there. As they came to the coastline, Tang Xiu finally saw exploration teams of other countries.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s gaze swept over the five members of the Japan team and was quite surprised. Little did he think that he saw two acquaintances among the five members. He was just a bit surprised when he saw Kuwako Yamamoto, but seeing Cheng Xuemei among them was rather beyond his anticipation.


    At this time, Kuwako and Cheng Xuemei also saw Tang Xiu. The former acted normal since she couldn¡¯t expose that she had a relationship with Tang Xiu and just made an indistinct, faint respectful gesture, whereas the latter quickly lowered her head and looked flustered.


    Tang Xiu only knew that Cheng Xuemei had been missing six months ago, causing her sister Cheng Yannan to get bullied at home. Originally, he was absolutely sure that she was not in danger but was currently carrying out a mission in secret, so seeing her now finally confirmed his conjectures.


    Retracting his gaze back without greeting them, Tang Xiu then followed Zhu Long¡¯s group of four. He saw Gao Hongxing conversing with several foreign men and the team of five stood near the various teams of other countries.


    ¡°READY TO EMBARK!¡±


    Right at 12:00 sharp, a stocky Caucasian man shouted loudly.


    Immediately, 50 people from 10 countries queued up to board the submarine and entered the interior of the submarine under the guidance of its crew.


    Half an hour later, the submarine stopped somewhere on the seabed. As the exit docks connected with the entrance to the vestige, 50 people from 10 countries eventually followed the docking passage and entered the vestige.


    ¡°What a spectacular and amazing sight. We should be hundreds of meters in the depth of the sea now, right? But I didn¡¯t expect to not feel even the slightest pressure. There must anti-gravity devices somewhere inside if my guess is correct,¡± sighed Firedevil, who still carried his birdcage in his hand and military bag on his back.


    Tang Xiu nodded lightly and walked through the passage. He could see a small city in front of him consisting of buildings of different shapes, ranging from 100-meters at the highest to dozens of meters at the lowest, all of which were planned perfectly. However, there seemed to ripples in the air and the buildings looked vague and unreal.


    ¡°It¡¯s a hologram, holographic simulation technology,¡± said Zhu Long lightly while squinting at Tang Xiu¡¯s face.


    Tang Xiu looked dull for a moment and instantly released his perception. After detecting the situation in the front, he found that the scene was truly a virtual hologram. Behind it was passageways that extended to far away parts in all directions and it was unknown where they ended.


    ¡°Don¡¯t delay, let¡¯s go ahead!¡±


    Zhu Long immediately ordered in a deep voice when the team of five passed through the turbulent air fluctuations and stood in front of the dozens of passages. They found that other countries¡¯ teams had already picked a passage and quickly disappeared into the channel.


    ¡°Which passage will we take, Zhu Long Capt?¡± asked Firedevil.


    ¡°Find the entrance marked with ¡®3¡¯,¡± answered Zhu Long. ¡°We¡¯ll trace back the steps that our country¡¯s previous team had taken, so we can correctly follow the route on the map.¡±


    ¡°There!¡± Tang Xiu pointed to a channel on the left side and walked over.


    Zhu Long was stunned and an angry look appeared on his face. He hesitated for a moment before he followed. When the five people came to the mouth of the passage, they found a ¡®3¡¯ mark on one side of the steel wall.


    ¡°How did you know it was here?¡± asked Zhu Long, a glimmer flashing in his fixed eyes that were focused on Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t tell Zhu Long that he had observed the situation with his spiritual sense, so he made up some lies, ¡°Back when I met Senior Duanmu, he already told me about it. I calculated a while ago that it must be here. And by the way, one of my special abilities is that I have a very strong perception.¡±


    The power of perception?


    Zhu Long was startled and instantly understood why Tang Xiu could get the quota to explore the three-star vestige given his superhuman perception power. With this ability, he would be of great help when they encountered danger; they could even gain some advantages when exploring the vestige.


    The passage was hundreds of meters long. After the team of five passed through it, they saw a spacious area covered by a steel wall. Just like the steel space on foreign sci-fi movies, this one was also filled with a lot of high-tech products, multicolored indicator lights, various unknown symbols, and some 3D holographic pictures.


    There were various steel buildings inside the steel area, with each door connecting to the paths that connected to the road, though the doors of those building were tightly shut.


    ¡°We¡¯ll come across two robots 50 meters ahead¡ªthey are AI robots and extremely hostile. The man who escaped alive from here said that those two robots shot and killed nearly half of them when they entered.¡±


    Zhu Long¡¯s brows were tightly locked and his vision swept over the two robots while he racked up his brain in order to pass through this hurdle with ease. They must go through this path if they wanted to advance deeper.


    ¡°I got an idea but I dunno if it¡¯s feasible,¡± interjected Tang Xiu.


    ¡°You do? Tell me!¡± Zhu Long knitted his brows.


    ¡°Such a type of robot should have a set algorithm. Even if they are said to be intelligent robots, they can lose their mobility if their internal structures are destroyed. Aquababe¡¯s power should be control over water, right? Just inundate these two robots with water while Electrolady releases her lightning to destroy them. It should be able to create problems with the robots¡¯ interiors.¡±


    Water and electricity?


    Zhu Long¡¯s eyes lit up and he immediately facepalmed his own forehead and praised, ¡°You¡¯re so damn right! Water can conduct electricity. When water breaches into the robots¡¯ interior, the current can cause damage to the robots¡¯ interior even if they are waterproof. Aquababe, Electrolady, try it you two!¡±


    Aquababe paced forward a few steps, drawing a circle in the air with her arms. The water element in the air continuously agglomerated together and then formed circular water-grinding discs in a short time that hovered in her arms. Her hands waved as the water mill discs turned into two water dragons and hurled towards the two robots standing beside the wall.


    ¡°Intruders found. No trace of friendly signature. Hostiles detected. Shoot.¡±


    Two sounds were heard from the two robots¡¯ mouths at the same time. As they moved, two laser pulses initiated through their configured weapons and instantly shot forward through the two water dragons.


    The water dragons weren¡¯t affected much and directly hit the two robots, pushing them backward for several steps. The water shape then dispersed and the robots were drenched.


    A cold glimmer flashed in Electrolady¡¯s eyes as sparks of electricity formed between her fingers, then constantly blitzing forward to shoot at the two robots. The moment the current hit the robots, sparks splashed in all directions, whereas the robots that fired laser pulses suddenly emitted loud sounds along with black smoke that came out of them.


    ¡°Done.¡±


    Finally, the two robots fell to the floor and their AI was also shut down. There was a look of satisfaction on Zhu Long¡¯s face as he turned to look at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°You¡¯re¡­ not bad. At least you got a brain!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s cheek turned red. He couldn¡¯t truly accept the praise from Zhu Long.


    A brilliant glimmer flashed in Aquababe¡¯s eyes as she said softly, ¡°Water in conjunction with electricity can indeed cause special effects, that¡¯s a common fact and a very simple principle that many people have comprehended, but somehow we missed them. You¡¯re amazing Tang Xiu. I believe our team can obtain quite a good harvest with you always in the team.¡±


    Firedevil, however, interjected without being salty nor light, ¡°Don¡¯t talk that much, Aquababe. Besides, the different individual has different aspirations. We have no rights to meddle in anyone¡¯s intention to stay or leave the team either.¡±


    Aquababe discontentedly glared at him, lowered her head and no longer spoke.


    The team of five kept advancing forward. When they came closer to the door of the first building, Zhu Long spoke, ¡°There¡¯s nothing special in the 16 rooms on both sides in front of us, so we need to start searching from room 17. If not, we¡¯ll go through a large number of steel statuaries in front and head straight to the interior area past that door.¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    Tang Xiu strode toward the two robots, pulling out the Mitsubishi army knife and began dissecting the robots. Quickly, he took out two glimmering crystal cores from the two robots. He threw one of them to Zhu Long and took one for himself, and then said, ¡°This stuff must have great research value. If the scientists of our country can fully figure out this type of energy stone, the level of technological achievement of the country will qualitatively leap forward in the future.¡±


    Having said that, he hesitated for a while before he took out a cigarette and ignited it. After two puffs in and out, he continued, ¡°I think the internal boards of these two robots, as well as their energy circuitries, are necessary things to research. It¡¯s best to disassemble one to bring back with you when you leave this place.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense!¡±


    Even though Zhu Long was rather dissatisfied with Tang Xiu, his dissatisfaction was getting lesser and lesser at this time.

 Chapter 802 - Getting More Important and Taken Seriously

    Chapter 802: Getting More Important and Taken Seriously


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Back when his direct superior stuffed Tang Xiu into the team, Zhu Long thought it was a ridiculous move as such a weak chicken would only affect the overall strength of his team and that the guy wouldn¡¯t play any role whatsoever. But those two previously absurd ideas turned out to not only have saved them a lot of troubles but also made them realize that they had gained some harvests from the ideas instead.


    However, he was afraid that Tang Xiu would be full of himself, so he just put the robotic parts into the military bag and said his flat approval without being salty. Due to the weight problems, he discussed it with Firedevil for a while and then decided to hide the military bag containing the robotic parts in the covert corner of the corridor and then bring it when returning back.


    ¡°Keep moving forward.¡±


    Zhu Long inhaled deeply and took the lead towards the interior. At this moment, he had discreetly taken out the mini pistol and his cold eyes observed the surroundings. Even the slightest sound could cause him to be alert.


    A large number of statuaries cast of steel could be seen in the spacious hall in front. The moment Tang Xiu¡¯s vision landed on those statues, his expression immediately changed to a strange expression. These statues seemed to be randomly placed but those who were well versed in array formations could easily see that they were placed in some particular, elegant positions, even forming a simple array.


    It was a kind of maze!


    The moment someone entered the space between these statues, he would be lost inside the formation and they would never come out unless they were lucky to find the correct route. Of course, such a chance was even less than the probability of winning a lottery.


    ¡®Technology and yet with an array involved?¡¯


    ¡®The combination of these two products of civilizations showed that the race that left behind this three-star vestige had a very advanced civilization. Although this one is far from the much higher civilization beings, it¡¯s still several folds more sophisticated than the current civilization on Earth.¡±


    Tang Xiu inhaled deeply and saw Zhu Long who was about to enter the maze. He quickly reached out to grab his arm and said in a deep voice, ¡°This vestige is bogged down with perils and dangers, so let me lead the way ahead. Strong perception can sometimes detect the dangers earlier and be a bit useful.¡±


    At the moment when Tang Xiu grabbed his arm, Zhu Long struggled to let loose his arm, but much to his shock, Tang Xiu¡¯s grip was like steel pinchers and he felt pain due to his struggles. Had it been an average person, he could¡¯ve easily broken free.


    ¡®He¡¯s quite strong,¡± sighed Zhu Long inwardly. He nodded without a word and let Tang Xiu take the lead.


    Firedevil came to his side and looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s back as he lowered his voice and asked, ¡°Zhu Long Capt., is this brat all right? We don¡¯t need cannon fodder here.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s good. Let¡¯s go, we¡¯ll know later,¡± answered Zhu Long. ¡°Let¡¯s not be too far away from him. We can immediately act to save him if there¡¯s any danger ahead.¡±


    In the front, Tang Xiu¡¯s pace suddenly came to a halt as he looked at the four people following behind him and said in a heavy voice, ¡°I sense some dangers here and we seem to have come across something terrifying. Follow right behind me, look at the spot I step and don¡¯t fall behind. It¡¯s best to follow my footprints here.¡±


    Zhu Long was a cautious man, so he focused heavily on the warnings after Tang Xiu finished speaking. Electrolady and Aquababe were also ones who never joked in face of dangers and nodded, indicating that they wouldn¡¯t act recklessly. It was Firedevil instead who still brought the military backpack and carried the birdcage who held some contempt in his eyes.


    The statuaries occupied a large space the size of a regular football field. These statues were rarely in the shape of a human, but mostly in the forms of various beasts such as wolves, tigers, leopards, pigeons, sparrows, and many others beasts no one had ever seen.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Firedevil, who followed in the rear among the five had his eyes lit up all of a sudden. He immediately walked toward a statue a few meters away from the left. The statue was a rainworm-like one but had some strange features in that it had eight legs with many streaks of multicolored lines on its back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡±


    Tang Xiu, who was at the front, was keenly aware of Firedevil¡¯s action. He turned around and growled lowly before he instantly hurled towards Firedevil. What made him angry was that the position of the statue in front of him instantly changed after his feet left the correct route of the array arrangement. As he stopped moving, he fully powered his fist and heavily slammed the floor three meters on the left.


    BANG¡­


    Layers of air rippled as though space was warped and distorted. The statue in front of Tang Xiu¡¯s vision returned to its original state as his figure flashed at lightning speed at the same time and instantly appeared in front of the vacant-looking Firedevil. He grabbed the guy¡¯s shoulder and forcefully dragged him back behind Aquababe.


    ¡°What just happened¡­¡±


    Firedevil looked around with confusion and finally looked at Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I originally thought this team of Elementalists has good discipline and will act with prudence inside this dangerous vestige. I never thought you were so arrogant and stupid,¡± said Tang Xiu apathetically. ¡°Obey my orders if you don¡¯t wanna be lost inside this place forever. This will be your first and last warning. There will never be a second time that I will save you again!¡±


    Having said that, he quickly passed by Aquababe, Electrolady, Zhu Long, and returned to the foremost position. Even if the trio looked puzzled, he didn¡¯t explain anything more.


    Firedevil¡¯s face instantly flushed and recalled the changing scene a while ago. Fear bred inside him. But Tang Xiu¡¯s reprimand without mincing his words left him embarrassed and feeling great shame. If it wasn¡¯t for what Tang Xiu had just done, he would¡¯ve moved to slap him dead!


    ¡°Mind your own business! I can rely on my own strength if I bump into dangers, mind you,¡± rebuked Firedevil indignantly.


    Tang Xiu ignored him and kept advancing forward but made up his mind that he would never rescue Firedevil again if this guy were to get swayed by his own thoughts and decided to deviate from the route he had chosen.


    Zhu Long frowned and looked at the back of Tang Xiu as he asked, ¡°What just happened, Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°For your information, I still have another special ability. I know Feng Shui array formation arrangement,¡± answered Tang Xiu without looking back. ¡°This place may look like a space with statues and no less. But it¡¯s arranged in a form of an array formation, and even worse, it¡¯s the most troublesome maze array. Unless someone has enough strength to break the array with brute force, they will never know they have been trapped inside the maze. The chance of them surviving the predicament is close to nil.¡±


    This place is a maze? And he¡¯s well versed in array formation?


    Zhu Long¡¯s face hugely changed and a chill ran down inside him. Tang Xiu¡¯s words made him faintly realize that this fellow was somewhat a bit unfathomable.


    Electrolady exchanged glances with Aquababe with a likewise shocked expression. They were all Elementalists and with the higher level of connections they had, they naturally learned some knowledge about Feng Shui array formation. Only, little did they think that Tang Xiu would understand the Feng Shu array formation.


    Could it be that¡­ he¡¯s also a very powerful Feng Shu expert?


    If so, then it was no wonder that their immediate superior, Duanmu Lin, forcibly stuffed Tang Xiu into their team, and even complied to Tang Xiu¡¯s excessive demands.


    But Firedevil¡¯s expression turned a lot uglier at this moment. Tang Xiu, who he had been looking at with disdain and contempt, had just saved him once. He felt like his face had been completely swept away. More so after learning that this guy turned out to be a Feng Shui expert, who comprehended the essence of the array formation all of sudden, which was something that he could hardly accept.


    Seven-plus minutes passed by, and Tang Xiu had led the four people through the statuaries field and arrived at a three-meters wide passageway. Tang Xiu looked at the door in the front cast in steel that completely sealed off the passage and immediately released his spiritual sense to detect the interior behind.


    Zhu Long wore a complicated expression as he watched Tang Xiu. He knew very well that every one of them arriving at this point so easily was all because of Tang Xiu. It must be noted that China sent nearly 100 people for the first exploration of this three-star vestige and finally reached this point as well. But the number of people still alive was less than 20, yet only one of them survived after passing through the statuaries field and the attack from the robots and was heavily wounded before escaping.


    Hence, all the contempt he had towards Tang Xiu had now completely vanished. Although he believed that Tang Xiu¡¯s combat prowess was not that good, his special abilities were something that they urgently needed nonetheless.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, we need to find a way to open this door if we want to keep going forward. Else, we won¡¯t have much to gain from our endeavor to explore this place.¡± Zhu Long¡¯s expression twinkled. He was somewhat hoping that Tang Xiu could find the way to open the door.


    Tang Xiu calmly smiled in response. He had already figured out the method to open the steel gate after observing the surroundings with his spiritual sense. In order not to expose this special ability, however, he deliberately looked around and finally stopped in front of some runes inscribed on the steel wall in front.


    It was a conglomeration of connected line sequences that were shaped in a dragon pattern. If one didn¡¯t carefully observe it, they wouldn¡¯t notice that the dragon had one eye missing, its eyeball. Under the gaze of Zhu Long and the rest, Tang Xiu reached out to the spot of the missing eye and pressed it.


    Bzzzt¡­ thud¡­


    A resounding mechanical sound occurred and the tightly shut steel door slowly split open from the middle, revealing a wide corridor that appeared in front of their eyes.


    Zhu Long and the rest were overjoyed and there was admiration in their eyes when they looked at Tang Xiu. Their happy complexion, however, instantly solidified the moment they clearly saw the situation inside the corridor. They even subconsciously backtracked a few steps as though venomous vipers were blocking their path while they put on vigilant stances as though preparing for formidable adversaries.


    Tang Xiu slightly frowned, watching the robots on both sides of the corridor. The corridor of just tens of meters unexpectedly had 18 robots, each with a robodog at their feet.


    ¡°Electrolady, Aquababe, it¡¯s your turn.¡±


    Tang Xiu walked to the side and his expression looked calmer.


    Electrolady and Aquababe exchanged glances and then nodded at each other. The latter then formed water dragons, whereas the other unleashed lightning sparks and blitzed quickly towards the robots.


    Spark¡­ Spark¡­ Spark¡­


    Electricity sparks splashed in all directions, blasting toward the 18 robots and robodogs, shutting down all of them quickly, while pungent black smoke then floated inside the passage.


    Tang Xiu paced forward a few steps and lightly said, ¡°Let¡¯s go ahead! There should be some interesting things in front if my guess is correct.¡±

 Chapter 803 - The Struggles of Different Standpoints

    Chapter 803: The Struggles of Different Standpoints


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    At the end of the corridor was a particular imaginary, dreamlike space filled with multicolored holographic images, a manifestation like a world in science fiction. The most striking scene was the emerging waves of strange subtitles on the walls of the space. The texts were colored in blue that didn¡¯t belong to any form of characters existing on Earth.


    ¡°DIE¡­¡±


    Streaks of flame penetrated the light screen like wild blazing fire dragons that swooped down towards several figures. Behind dozens of those fire dragons, two twin men formed seals with their hands by waving their wands, attempting to control the fire to burn those figures.


    ¡°ROAR¡­¡±


    Three Beastmen, whose bodies were covered with hair and who had shiny green eyes and sharp claws that seemed like they could tear space apart, forcibly pushed forward against the tempestuous frantic energy and firmly stood to withstand the attacks of more than 10 fire dragons.


    Behind them, however, two badly battered Beastmen were dying on the floor. A hole the size of a bowl was in their abdomens, causing them to gradually lose their life force along with the blood that flowed out of the hole.


    ¡°Interesting. The Brazilian and Italian are battling each other.¡±


    Zhu Long was hiding behind a light screen, calmly watching the death battle royale in the distance. Behind him, Aquababe and Electrolady wore vigilant looks and had their eyes fixated on the battle scene.


    The complexion of Firedevil was a bit solemn. His gaze lingered on the twin men, silently measuring the gap between him and those men. He was also a Fire Elementalist and could control the flame himself, yet he realized that he was not comparable to those two men in front of him.


    The focus of Tang Xiu¡¯s attention was not on both parties in combat, but on the Brazilian woman¡¯s hand that was trying to take the crystal ball. The crystal ball was transparent and there was a lightning shuttle contained inside, yet he could clearly see that it was not lightning sealed inside the crystal but a form of a golden insect the size of a fingernail instead.


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed because he saw that another entrance to the passage was opened and some people entered the premises. He had seen those people outside and knew that they were from Britain.


    Pew, pew, pew, pew¡­


    Laser pulses were shot from the guns of those five British people and accurately hit the two Brazilian Fire Elementalists as well as those three Beastmen.


    ¡°BASTARDS!¡±


    ¡°FUCK!¡±


    The two parties in combat were caught off guard. One of the Brazilian twin men, the Fire Elementalist, was hit in the forehead and killed instantly, whereas the other one blocked the shot in time yet paid the price with his arm. But two of the three Beastmen were directly killed. The last one had his chest blast through as he staggered backward and then dropped next to his already fallen comrades.


    ¡°KILL ALL OF THEM!¡±


    The five British Elementalists took back their laser guns and stormed forward aggressively like ferocious wolves. Quickly, all five Beastman from Italy died and they then surrounded the remaining Fire Elementalist from Brazil.


    Behind the light screen.


    Zhu Long pressed his voice and spoke in a whisper, ¡°The last Brazilian Elementalist won¡¯t last much longer I think. I never thought the teams from these two countries would all die here just after they entered the vestige.¡±


    ¡°Just let them die!¡± Electrolady interjected in a whisper. ¡°The more they die, the less danger there is for us. It¡¯s a pity though. Those Brazilians and Italians were just lame ducks, else they could¡¯ve fought those British and perished together, allowing us to be the fisherman who¡¯ll get the catch. It would¡¯ve been more perfect if some other countries¡¯ teams were to barge in the fight.¡±


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Right as Electrolady finished her piece, three shadows flew in through one of the passages. The three figures who seemed to be in rough shape were the Japanese team¡ªKuwako, a middle-aged man, and the now seriously injured Cheng Xuemei.


    Seeing that, Tang Xiu¡¯s countenance slightly changed. It was impossible for him to see Kuwako and Cheng Xuemei die here. Just as he was ready to act, four figures swiftly entered through that passage at the speed of lightning. Although the four people also looked distressed, they only had light injuries.


    ¡°The Germans?¡±


    Again, Zhu Long¡¯s expression shifted and a gloating look appeared on his face. Nearly all Chinese people hated the Japanese due to the historical enmity between the two countries, while at this time, the remaining three people from the Japanese team looked so distressed. He secretly hoped that the combat between the parties inside would be more intense; it would be best if all those Japanese died here.


    ¡°DIE¡­¡±


    The five Brits, who ganged up to surround the Brazilian female, eventually killed her and snatched the crystal ball. Yet, they didn¡¯t rush to move again but secretly formed a defensive line to watch the three members of the Japanese team facing the Germans.


    ¡°Boss!¡± a pleasant voice transmitted into Tang Xiu¡¯s mind.


    Tang Xiu knew that Kuwako had sensed his presence through the soul connection between them. However, he didn¡¯t rush to appear but sent back his thought through the mental link: Contact the Brits and cooperate with them to get rid of the Germans.


    Kuwako¡¯s expression changed and she glanced in the direction of Tang Xiu¡¯s team very secretively. She immediately spoke to the five Britons in fluent English, ¡°British friends, this three-star vestige is filled with perils and dangers, yet each power is hostile to each other. My team is already on the losing side, and I¡¯m afraid all of us will be annihilated should any party attack us now, hence we wish to form an alliance with you. As long you can help us enact revenge and eliminate these people, we will share everything we find in this vestige with you, like this energy panel in my hand.¡±


    After saying that, she took out a cell-phone sized black-colored energy panel from her pocket and swayed it in front of the five Brits.


    The complexion of the four Germans changed. They were confident in faring well if they had to clash against one country¡¯s team, but taking on two countries at once was something they clearly knew would be a pyrrhic victory even if they won. Additionally, they had lost one man already.


    The captain of the Germans was called Moravidel and he wore a grim expression at this moment. The killing intent gleaming in his eyes was evident when he stared at Kuwako. He immediately spoke to the British five-man team, ¡°Jaycee, we can be said as being old buddies and we know some things of each other. Even if you ally with them, you are crystal clear on how big the price you¡¯ll have to pay if you want to eliminate us. It¡¯s better for us to form an alliance and completely destroy these Japanese, then we¡¯ll share the spoils. Besides, this three-star vestige surely has tons of good stuff and there¡¯s no way any country can swallow all of them. It¡¯s better for our team to cooperate and become the final winners.¡±


    The five British exchanged glances, discussing in whispers before finally looking at Moravidel, ¡°These Japanese are indeed posing no threat to us and we¡¯ll accept your proposal under one condition.¡±


    Moravidel was delighted and asked, ¡°What¡¯s your request, then?¡±


    The British team captain, Jaycee, replied, ¡°Attack them first to prove your sincerity. We¡¯ll immediately move once you kill any of them. Else, we¡¯d rather cooperate with these three Japanese to deal with you.¡±


    With a slightly changed expression, Moravidel contemplated for a moment and nodded. ¡°So be it. Then we¡¯ll move first.¡±


    Right as he was done speaking, he issued an order and the four men dashed forward lightning fast toward Kuwako¡¯s team of three.


    Hearing the dialog between Jaycee and Moravidel behind the light screen, Tang Xiu could only feel helpless; he even cursed at Jaycee and the other four British that they had no brains at all. Had it been him, he would have definitely chosen the Japanese rather than Germans.


    The reason being, it was because once they cooperated with the Germans, the latter would remain a powerful adversary after they had the Japanese eliminated. It was much better to join forces with the weaker side rather than the stronger side, as they could easily eliminate the weaker Japanese team later if need be.


    ¡°Captain Zhu Long, you four can continue hiding here. But I have to save those Japanese. Please don¡¯t ask me the reason. Besides, your turn to step into stage won¡¯t be delayed either after I¡¯m done solving those people.¡±


    With that said, he didn¡¯t wait for Zhu Long to speak and immediately moved to the side and appeared in everyone¡¯s sight. Moreover, not only did he move there and act, he literally blasted forward with an irresistible force as a violent aura broke out from him. His two fists were like meteors which bombarded Moravidel¡¯s back who was caught off guard.


    ¡°Puff¡­¡±


    Moravidel himself was a man whose genes had been genetically re-engineered with additional elephant genes. Not only had his strength greatly increased, but even his defense had also become more formidable. Tang Xiu¡¯s rumbling fists which bombarded his back instantly made him severely injured, yet he still retained a glimmer of his life force.


    In the next moment, Tang Xiu appeared between two other Germans Elementalists just as they attacked Kuwako¡¯s team of three. A dagger appeared in Tang Xiu¡¯s hand out of the blue after he easily kicked a German ability user¡¯s lower rib. He then stabbed his dagger to prick the other one¡¯s lower rib, then followed with a lightning-like punch that hit the man¡¯s neck.


    Crack¡­


    The German Elementalist¡¯s neck was broken and he was instantly killed and his dead body was easily kicked away by Tang Xiu.


    All of the British ability users, who stood watching in the distance, had their complexions greatly change. Never once had they ever thought that someone would show up to disrupt the plan and make a scene out of the blue. More so that the one who helped the three Japanese was unexpectedly a Chinese youth. Yet, the one thing that shocked them the most and which wasn¡¯t expected was Tang Xiu¡¯s formidable strength.


    Behind the light screen.


    Zhu Long was really incensed because of Tang Xiu¡¯s decision, as were Firedevil and Electrolady who also looked angry. They really couldn¡¯t understand his action and wondered: Did Tang Xiu just have a mental lapse? Did he get a fever or have a stroke? So much so that he went astray to help the smutty people that were those Japanese?


    Only Aquababe had an expression that looked somewhat strange. She only saw a vague figure of Tang Xiu, yet it caused tempestuous waves to rage inside her heart because Tang Xiu¡¯s figure was too fast which only allowed her to catch his residual shadow with the naked eye. What made her shudder was the realization she made after viewing him. What if Tang Xiu were her enemy? For Tang Xiu, killing her was as easy as pinching an ant.


    ¡®How can this be possible?¡¯


    The furious expression on Zhu Long¡¯s face was instantly frozen, whereas the anger on Firedevil and Electrolady¡¯s faces was now replaced by a dumbstruck expression. They just stood still, staring blankly at the scene where Tang Xiu was in action, in which he killed a German expert and sent heavy blows that severely injured two others.

 Chapter 804 - Showcasing One’s Special Prowess

    Chapter 804: Showcasing One¡¯s Special Prowess


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Zhu Long didn¡¯t have even a sliver of good impression towards Tang Xiu the first time they met. One of the particular reasons was that this guy was forcibly stuffed into his team. He really couldn¡¯t understand why because Tang Xiu was not even an ability user. He believed that Tang Xiu was just an ordinary person and would become a burden once they came across danger and fought with the enemy. Therefore, he had never treated Tang Xiu well on the way here.


    But now¡­ Tang Xiu showcased a very overwhelming action at this moment that made him shudder. How could this be called just a bit stronger or just a bit faster? He was simply a large wolf that stormed over a flock of sheep. He was just that terrifyingly powerful, no less.


    Suddenly, Zhu Long felt his cheeks became hot. He felt like his face was just slapped by an invisible hand. He turned to look to the left and right driven by his guilty conscience, yet he secretly glanced and found that Firedevil and Electrolady were the same. Both were struck dumb and tongue-tied, making him feel a bit relieved. But right as he was about to retract his sight back, he keenly sensed that Aquababe was looking at him with a strange expression. For a moment in time, Zhu Long really wished that he could find a hole to burrow himself into, as he really didn¡¯t have the face to look back.


    To cover up his embarrassment, Zhu Long spoke, yet his voice was rather shaky and strange, ¡°Let¡¯s go and move together. Regardless of how powerful Tang Xiu is, we¡¯re a team after all.¡±


    As his voice dropped, a gust of wind suddenly surged from his clothes and his figure instantly flashed toward the battle scene. Aquababe followed suit and displayed her water bending ability while condensing layers of water waves that suddenly swayed in the air and pushed her forward. Firedevil and Electrolady also recovered from their shock and released flame and lightning respectively, bursting out at their top speed with an irresistible momentum.


    These four people were very powerful. They might be not the strongest people among those who were exploring the three-star vestige at this time, but they were still among the best. As they attacked, the already severely injured Moravidel was easily struck and killed, followed by them easily killing the other two in a short time.


    As of now, there was not only a pleasantly surprised expression gleaming in Kuwako¡¯s eyes but also some worship when she looked at Tang Xiu. Cheng Xuemei, on the other hand, was completely dumbfounded; it never occurred to her that the high school student who previously needed her help in the past would actually have such a horrifying strength. She had received an order to infiltrate and lie dormant in Japan after her special ability was awakened, but she was severely injured during her first mission. After the Chief of China¡¯s Ability User Bureau, Duanmu Lin, took actions to treat and instruct her with great care, she eventually had the ability to manipulate the Earth element. Thus, she received a new secret mission that forced her to conceal her identity and change her face until she eventually became the right hand of a high-ranking politician in Japan.


    She was not a stranger with Kuwako Yamamoto as the Japanese politician she had been assisting was at odds with the Yamamoto House due to their affiliation towards a different party. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that they were team members, Kuwako wouldn¡¯t have saved her life in the previous battle.


    However, she also knew that if she came across anyone from China and they happened to be in danger in this vestige, she had the obligation to help them even at the risk of exposing her identity. She knew that her country could obtain great benefits if they could get the treasures from the three-star vestige.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t glance at Kuwako and Cheng Xuemei at all, but looked at the British team captain, Jaycee, and said indifferently, ¡°Give me that crystal ball.¡±


    Jaycee¡¯s expression was both serious and cautious, but he still stared back at Tang Xiu and replied coldly, ¡°You¡¯re very formidable; even I can¡¯t see through what type of special abilities you could have. But did you think we would be afraid of you?¡±


    ¡°I know you won¡¯t be afraid with only us here,¡± replied Tang Xiu apathetically. ¡°But what if we join forces with these three? Do you think you still have a chance to survive?¡±


    Kuwako Yamamoto stepped forward and glared at Jaycee with hostility. ¡°Fine with me. Since we¡¯re doomed to be enemies, then we might as well join hands with these Chinese friends. Even if we are to die here, we will drag you down with us.¡±


    Jaycee¡¯s face instantly turned extremely nasty. He looked at the crystal ball that they had been protecting in the middle before shifting his vision towards Tang Xiu and Kuwako Yamamoto. Eventually, he and his four comrades conversed in hushed voices before they distanced themselves more than 20 meters away from the crystal ball.


    Tang Xiu just sneered in response and came to the front of a crystal ball. He found that it was fixed and slotted in a meter-high crystal column. He immediately reached out to take it and prepared to forcefully snatch it from the column. However, in the next moment, his expression changed because he had exerted more than 70% of his power but the crystal ball hadn¡¯t even budged.


    Jaycee, who stood more than 20 meters away, grinned and mocked, ¡°Just as we have tried, there¡¯s no way to take the crystal ball out of that crystal column. Even if you got a more impressive combat force, what could you do? We gave it to you, yet you can¡¯t get it either. Hahaha¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu just shot a cold stare at him in response. He then immediately released his spiritual sense into the crystal ball and found that there was a small sealing array inside¡ªand he completely understood the abstruse layout of this sealing array. After solving it smoothly, his perception touched the fingernail-sized golden insect inside.


    ¡®Let me out and I¡¯ll serve you for the length of a ¡®lightyear cycle¡¯


    A weak consciousness intertwined with Tang Xiu¡¯s spiritual sense and instantly transmitted to his mind.


    Tang Xiu quickly responded with his thought, ¡®What species are you and what¡¯s your ability? And why should I believe you?¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m a member of the Star Devourer Insect race. I came across a very powerful Principal Immortal who sealed me inside this crystal ball. That immortal bullied me since my infancy and some time ago I just activated my bloodline inheritance. I haven¡¯t yet mastered any great power. But as long as you can unseal me, I have a way to gain a very powerful ability in a short time and I can serve you for one ¡®lightyear cycle¡¯ as it is the rule of my race to thank our benefactor.¡¯


    ¡®But I¡¯m not lacking hired goons, mind you.¡¯ Tang Xiu directly transmitted his response with a thought.


    The golden Star Devourer Insect became anxious and restless. It had been sealed for eons¡ªso long that it lost the track of how long it had been. Now it had a one-in-a-million-chance to come across a human who could break the seal and give it freedom. If it didn¡¯t seize this opportunity, he would still be tormented and driven to insanity inside.


    ¡®Then what do you need? I will try to fulfill your request as best as I can, no matter what you request of me.¡¯


    ¡®Tell me, where are you from? Also, which civilization in the universe left behind this three-star vestige? And how did they come to Earth?¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m from a unique Posidor stellar system, the Blackcloud star region. It¡¯s the incubation base of our Star Devouring Insect race and is also my hometown. The Blackcloud Galaxy has numerous races, many of which are of races of advanced civilizations. The one who brought me here was the fleet of the Starnet Empire after they had been defeated by other advanced civilizations and became an interstellar wandering race. After fleeing and coming to this planet, the few remaining remnants of the Starnet Empire rushed to establish this base. They thought they would get a new homeworld but they were unable to adapt with the planet¡¯s environment which turned out to be unsuitable for them before they finally got trapped here.¡¯


    Tang Xiu suddenly understood, but then realized some other issues and quickly asked, ¡®How long have you been on Earth, exactly?¡¯


    ¡®One stellar wave unit.¡¯


    ¡®One stellar wave unit? What¡¯s that?¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s a¡­¡¯


    The Star Devourer Insect turned more anxious. It didn¡¯t know the units for time measurement on this planet. He wanted to explain but it didn¡¯t know how to explain it either. It anxiously calculated the countless time cycles that he had been sealed up and finally came up with an idea, ¡®It¡¯s close to one measurement of a calamity cycle.¡¯


    One calamity cycle, a Treta Yuga? Around 1.3 million years?


    Tang Xiu calculated it to the unit measurement of calamity cycle. Back when he lived in the Immortal World, some races used the calamity cycle as a time measurement unit. However, he really didn¡¯t expect that the Starnet Empire¡¯s interstellar battleship actually had come to Earth more than a million years ago. There shouldn¡¯t have been the existence of humankind during that period of time on Earth, right?


    ¡®I can save you and let you come out, but you have to sign a contract with me first. Also, I need to know how long is the ¡®lightyear cycle¡¯ unit you mentioned to me. That¡¯s right, our human time unit is¡­¡¯


    Through Tang Xiu¡¯s explanation, the Star Devouring Insect finally figured out the time measurement unit on Earth. What it said was a ¡®lightyear cycle¡¯ was actually 2,000 years on Earth.


    With a master and servant contract quickly signed between Tang Xiu and the Star Devourer Insect, Tang Xiu easily cracked the seal which in his opinion was quite rough. With a crack on the crystal ball, the Star Devourer Insect finally blasted out from the crystal ball. It cheerfully flew in the air for a while before it landed on Tang Xiu¡¯s finger.


    ¡®You will follow me in the future!¡¯ said Tang Xiu calmly to it.


    More than 30 meters away, Jaycee stared at the Star Devourer Insect on Tang Xiu¡¯s finger with a dumbstruck and tongue-tied expression. He didn¡¯t even have the slightest joy upon seeing the crystal ball explode. Instead, it was dreadful and a sense of disaster that he felt when he saw that Star Devourer Insect because he realized that the existence inside the crystal ball was exactly this Star Devourer Insect. Yet, this entity had been obtained by Tang Xiu.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Just after Tang Xiu had just taken the Star Devourer Insect into his body and let it parasitize in a finger on his left hand, three figures rushed in from another passage.


    ¡°Russian team?¡±


    Everyone¡¯s faces in the spacious hall moved and their eyes instantly fixated on them.


    The three Russians saw the dead bodies on the floor and instantly their complexion greatly changed. They were conscious to keep a distance with Tang Xiu¡¯s and the British team. A man with a full beard, who was the leader, then spoke indifferently, ¡°If my guess is correct, these dead people are from Brazil, German, and Italian teams, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, all of them died here,¡± sneered Jaycee.


    ¡°Did you kill them?¡± asked the full-bearded man.


    Jaycee glanced at Tang Xiu and sneered, ¡°Do you think we have the ability to kill all of them? They were killing each other and finally perished together.¡±


    Kuwako Yamamoto also looked at Tang Xiu and added, ¡°That¡¯s right. They indeed perished together.¡±


    The full-bearded man didn¡¯t believe Jaycee and Kuwako from the very start, yet he didn¡¯t want to inquire further at this moment either. What he needed to do urgently was to preserve his own team, considering that they faced three forces inside.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to waste more time here and slowly said, ¡°Since there¡¯s no need to have any more open feuds between us, I think we should all look separately. There are many good things in this vestige and no one can consume all of them alone. There are 12 gates in this room, our four parties can pick one each.¡±


    ¡°No problem with me,¡± said Jaycee straightforwardly.


    Kuwako naturally wouldn¡¯t go against Tang Xiu, so she nodded and agreed.


    As for the three Russians, for them to not get attacked by the China, British, and Japan teams was already a blessing so they naturally didn¡¯t object.

 Chapter 805 - Like Being Assisted by the Gods

    Chapter 805: Like Being Assisted by the Gods


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    ¡®Take the 7th gate on the left.¡¯


    Just as Tang Xiu was about to choose the gate to enter, the Star Devourer Insect¡¯s thought transmitted to his mind. His expression shifted and he quickly asked, ¡®What¡¯s exactly in the 7th gate?¡¯


    ¡®The main console.¡¯


    The Star Devourer Insect might have been sealed for eons, but it was indeed more familiar with the situation in the entire vestige. It also understood through the exchanges of the human experts that their purpose for their visit was this place. Additionally, since it must serve Tang Xiu for 2,000 years according to the ancestral rule of its race, it was only natural that it would help its master to get the best things.


    The main console was the central area of the entire vestige and controlled all operations. Those who were in control of the main console could easily shift the power in the whole vestige, be it it¡¯s defensive or offensive features.


    Tang Xiu himself had seen an interstellar battleship of an advanced civilization and naturally knew what the main console meant. He hardly had any hesitation; instead of rushing to the 7th gate on the left, he turned to Zhu Long and said lightly, ¡°Now that we¡¯ve arrived here, we can separate. This vestige is huge and there are so many areas to explore. You can pick one gate and I¡¯ll enter another.¡±


    When Zhu Long saw Tang Xiu¡¯s strength, he already knew that the guy must leave the team sooner or later, so he didn¡¯t delay him at this time and just nodded. ¡°Be careful and immediately evacuate if you¡¯re in danger.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded but he didn¡¯t enter the gate directly and just watched Zhu Long¡¯s team of four picks a gate to enter. His eyes then fell on the three remaining members of the Japan team.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time,¡± said Tang Xiu calmly.


    Cheng Xuemei shivered inside and quickly squinted at Kuwako and the middle-aged man before she squeezed out a smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time indeed. And you¡­ you¡¯re much more powerful than the last time we met.¡±


    Tang Xiu calmly smiled in response. He looked at Kuwako and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s this fellow?¡±


    Kuwako pondered for a moment, but a dagger suddenly appeared in her hand and instantly stabbed the middle-aged man¡¯s heart the moment the guy didn¡¯t notice her movement.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    The middle-aged man¡¯s face greatly changed and disbelief filled his eyes. He tried hard to cover his chest and shouted.


    Kuwako sneered before she respectfully cupped her fist and spoke to Tang Xiu, ¡°He¡¯s not of my men, we and Boss just teamed up temporarily. Besides, I¡¯m at odds with the power behind him.¡±


    ¡°Well, since you already have different viewpoints then kill if you have to.¡± Tang Xiu nodded with a smile.


    The middle-aged man looked at Tang Xiu and Kuwako with disbelief and exclaimed, ¡°You called him¡­ Boss? You¡­¡±


    Kuwako sneered and watched him crash to the floor and then asked, ¡°Is this Junko your people, too, Boss?¡±


    At this time, Cheng Xuemei was truly shocked by the sudden turn of the event before her eyes. Never once she ever dreamed that Kuwako would attack her own team member all of a sudden; neither did she expect that Kuwako would even address Tang Xiu as ¡®Boss¡¯. She receded a few steps backward hastily in fear that Kuwako would suddenly attack her as well.


    After a moment of silence, Tang Xiu suddenly asked, ¡°Are you on a secret mission, Xuemei?¡±


    Chen Xuemei hesitated before she nodded. ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°The relationship between me and Kuwako must not be known to outsiders, so now you have two paths you can take,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Firstly, commit suicide in front of me and I¡¯ll take your body when I leave the vestige. Secondly, you pledge your loyalty to me¡ªyou must pick my side, even if you must go against your country. Pick between the two choices.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you also a Chinese national?¡± screamed Cheng Xuemei angrily.


    ¡°I am. But I belong to my own side,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°If you become my people, you must put my interest before everything else; your duty to your country comes next.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you want me to do?¡± asked Cheng Xuemei.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to do anything for me,¡± answered Tang Xiu apathetically. ¡°As long as you remember one thing¡ªthat what you see and hear in this place must stay in your stomach. And you will not report it to your immediate superior outside.¡±


    Falling into silence for half a minute, Cheng Xuemei then slowly replied, ¡°I promise you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold onto your word. Now leave! I¡¯ll guarantee that Kuwako will not only not harm you later, but she can also help you in secret during your mission in Japan.¡±


    Cheng Xuemei didn¡¯t utter a word. The current Tang Xiu gave her dread, even fright.


    ¡°Kuwako will be with me and you can choose another gate to enter!¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°Immediately escape whenever you are in danger, and then head to the 7th gateway on the left to find me. Also, remember to phone your little sister if you have some time.¡±


    Cheng Xuemei¡¯s face slightly changed and she hurriedly asked, ¡°You know my sister¡¯s current situation? She¡­ how¡¯s she?¡±


    ¡°After losing your protection, what kind of situation do you think she has fallen into?¡± Tang Xiu said indifferently, ¡°Feel at ease, though! She has already left your family and I think she won¡¯t ever come back. As for where she is, I¡¯ve already arranged her to stay in a safe place, the place she likes. Look for me first whenever you¡¯re done with your mission and return to the mainland.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Cheng Xuemei gratefully glanced at Tang Xiu and turned to pick a portal to enter.


    Kuwako watched Cheng Xuemei¡¯s back until she disappeared completely and then whispered, ¡°Boss, I think you should¡¯ve killed her directly, else she¡¯ll be a big threat for both of us if she were to expose the relationship between us.¡±


    ¡°No. I know a bit about her personality.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°She will never break her promise even if we can¡¯t use her. What¡¯s more, she might even be very strong. Additionally, the most important person in her heart is now one of our people.¡±


    ¡°Her younger sister?¡± asked Kuwako.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, her younger sister.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°You can ease your worries; she¡¯s more important than herself in her heart. After you leave this vestige and she returns to Japan, help her regardless of what her task is if you could, that is as long as it won¡¯t pose a big threat to you.¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± concurred Kuwako quickly. Since the Star Devourer Insect had picked up the path for him, he headed straight to the 7th portal on the left and gently pressed the button on the door. The door was opened directly and Tang Xiu and Kuwako entered. After passing through the blue corridor that was waving like the tide, a spacious hall appeared in front of them.


    Whizz¡­


    A fuzzy shadow instantly smashed at them. It was so fast that even Tang Xiu had no time to avoid it. He used his backhand to slap Kuwako in the side in a hurry as the fuzzy shadow then struck his chest. A flash of fire blasted in Tang Xiu¡¯s chest, sending him flying and sprayed out a mouthful of blood.


    ¡°BOSS!!!¡±


    Kuwako¡¯s face changed. She only felt a bit of pain of getting hit by Tang Xiu but didn¡¯t suffer any injuries. But the moment she landed on the floor, she saw Tang Xiu flying back towards her. She reached out to catch him almost without hesitation as her feet quickly flickered backward for dozens of meters.


    Cough, cough¡­


    While his body was held by Kuwako, Tang Xiu coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood again. It was just a blow, yet his internal organs felt like they were burning which was mixed with severe pain. If it wasn¡¯t for his formidable physique, that blow could¡¯ve cleaved his body in two.


    In the hall, a green vine swayed its body while dozens of its branches acted like an octopus and put on a threatening stance¡ªyet, the glowing aqua light covering its body made it look extraordinarily beautiful.


    It was one of those branches that attacked Tang Xiu a while ago.


    ¡°Be careful. That thing is dangerous.¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to wipe off the blood from the corner of his mouth. After taking the Holy Healing pill into his mouth, he quickly circulated his Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis.


    Kuwako was somewhat touched inside due to Tang Xiu¡¯s action to save her. The warmness was more than a feeling when Tang Xiu gave her several medicinal pills. However, she could also determine in an instant that the seemingly beautiful vine was actually an endangering threat to them; even her Boss, Tang Xiu, was unable to avoid it and was directly injured.


    Something that eased her worries was that the vine didn¡¯t attack again after that strike. It was probably because its branches were not that long.


    ¡°What should we do now, Boss?¡± asked Kuwako with a cautious stance.


    Tang Xiu inhaled deeply and adjusted the condition of his injury, while at the same time, he communicated with the Star Devourer Insect. Through the transmitted thought from it, he finally figured out the situation regarding that vine. The vine was known as Luminous Vine in the advanced civilizations¡¯ worlds and could keep growing wherever light existed. After years of accumulated growth, it could grow into a plant with sentience and wisdom. It fitted perfectly with the cultivation of plants on Earth which would eventually turn the plant into an evil spirit.


    Only, this kind of Luminous Vine would grow more and more powerful as time went by. Despite its extremely slow growth rate, this vine had been proven to be terrifying to the max after more than a million years. Even in the advanced civilization world in which it originally grew, only a few could be much stronger than it.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me this thing has no restriction to its lifespan?¡¯ Tang Xiu frowned and communicated with the swallowing insects.


    ¡®No. The Luminous Vine still has some restrictions in regards to its life and longevity.¡¯The Star Devourer Insect replied, ¡®It will die if it doesn¡¯t get light energy for 45 days. Of course, the older this vine is, the longer it can endure. From the looks of this Luminous Vine, it can go on living even if it doesn¡¯t get light energy for a few years. It¡¯s just¡­ that strong.¡¯


    ¡®You mean that it can live up till now because this vestige has been providing light energy to this thing?¡¯ asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡®Yes!¡¯ replied the Star Devourer Insect.


    ¡®I want to control the main console here. How can I subdue this Luminous Vine then? Should I kill it?¡¯ asked Tang Xiu, frowning.


    ¡®Intimidate and threaten it!¡¯


    The reply from the Star Devourer Insect was actually very simple.

 Chapter 806 - Submitting

    Chapter 806: Submitting


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The answer from the Star Devourer Insect left Tang Xiu at a loss whether he should laugh or cry. Was this Luminous Vine a toddler in which intimidation would work on and make it submit?


    ¡®Don¡¯t throw me that nonsense. Just quickly gimme ideas.¡¯


    ¡®The Luminous Vine is a very timid race and they also fear flame the most.¡¯ The Star Devourer Insect replied very seriously, ¡®Ordinary flame may be enough to burn ordinary Luminous Vines, but many powerful flames will be needed to burn the stronger ones. Just like the Luminous Vine in front, as long there¡¯s a powerful flame, you can scare it without killing it.¡¯


    This thing is timid and is afraid of flame?


    A strange expression appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. He then cut off the mental connection with the Star Devourer Insect and struggled to stand up from Kuwako¡¯s embrace. As he exerted out his magical power, two burning flames suddenly rose in his hands.


    ¡°Luminous Vine¡¯s like you are usually afraid of special flames, aren¡¯t you? It¡¯s a coincidence that I have a very special flame myself, so today will be your time of death!¡± Tang Xiu transmitted his thought to communicate with it and altered it with his intense killing intent.


    In that instant, the lustrous glowing Luminous Vine retracted back its branches and wound up to cover its body while it transmitted its fear and thoughts, ¡°That¡¯s a Demon Flame! Goddammit¡­ how can you humans on Earth have this magical flame?¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted. To begin with, his cultivation was the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis that was classified as a supreme demonic cultivation technique. The flame made of his magical power naturally had a demonic property. But what surprised him the most was that this Luminous Vine could recognize it as Demon Flame.


    ¡°You guess it right. This is Demon Flame. Even those so-called heaven shaking Demon Kings from the Demon Realm are not necessarily better than me. Since you know the might of the Demon Flame, you should also know these two burning Demon Flames in my hands can instantly turn you to ashes.¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯T KILL ME!¡± The Luminous Vine transmitted its thought rapidly.


    ¡± Hmph . You just ambushed me and this account must be repaid in full.¡± Tang Xiu snorted and coldly said, ¡°Unless you can give me huge benefits, I don¡¯t mind venting my anger and let you suffer and scream inside this Demon Flame. And by the way, I forgot to tell you something. I was once a Supremacy in the Immortal World. Though I don¡¯t know the star region you used to live in, you must know the existence of Immortal World. Also, I have a special ability that is to seal souls. I¡¯ll have your soul sealed inside my Demon Flame after burning your body to ashes. I¡¯ll burn you for days and nights and make you agonize in pain as you get burned for an eternity.¡±


    ¡°You were once a Supremacy¡­ in the Immortal World? Dammit¡­¡±


    The Luminous Vine¡¯s body fiercely shivered. It contracted and squeezed itself tighter, seemingly because it got scared out of its wits. Just as Tang Xiu was about to intimidate it further, he felt pain from his finger as the Star Devourer Insect quickly transmitted its thought, ¡®You¡­ you used to be a Supremacy in the Immortal World?¡¯


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tang Xiu felt that he didn¡¯t need to conceal it from the Star Devourer Insect and straightly replied.


    The Star Devourer Insect¡¯s emotion fluctuated. Its emotion turned exceptionally unusual with both fear and excitement, as well as a bit of wariness and caution, as it then transmitted its thoughts again, ¡®If you really used to be a Supremacy in the Immortal World, I¡¯m willing to submit and serve you forever as long as you take me with you when you ascend back to the Immortal World.¡¯


    ¡°Do you really know the Immortal World?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡®Yes. We know the Immortal World,¡¯ answered the Star Devourer Insect. ¡®It¡¯s because the star region we used to live has a cosmic spatial channel to the Immortal World. It¡¯s just that spatial channel is extremely dangerous. Only those species with a terrifying strength can advance through the channel and come to the higher plane that is the Immortal World. There had been one occasion when an Immortal from the Immortal World came to our star region. He easily killed the most powerful Redfoot Black Dragon and destroyed a big empire.¡¯


    Tang Xiu understood in a flash and agreed to the Star Devourer Insect¡¯s request. He then continued his intimidation towards the Luminous Vine. ¡°I once sent my subordinate Immortal to a star region you used to live in. He seemed to have killed the strongest Redfoot Black Dragon in your star region and easily destroyed an empire there. It¡¯s a pity that my subordinate was very soft-hearted as he just directly killed his enemies. Had it been me, I would have extracted their souls and tortured them through many days and nights, never letting them go even if the cosmos repeated its Samsara cycle!¡±


    *Gasp¡­*


    A tentacle of the Luminous Vine suddenly extended toward Tang Xiu. The dark green tentacle had a shining and transparent diamond-shaped crystal on it. Tang Xiu could sense the enormous energy contained inside even if he didn¡¯t touch it. He even had the feeling that if the energy inside this diamond-shaped crystal were to explode, it would absolutely destroy the whole Earth.


    ¡°What do you mean with this?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    There was a very intense flattering in its thoughts, yet it couldn¡¯t conceal its fear. ¡°This is my energy nucleus and also my core foundation. With my energy nucleus under your control, you can control my life and death. I¡¯m willing to submit to you forever and I¡¯ll do anything you request of me as long as you don¡¯t kill me.¡±


    Tang Xiu asked about it to the Star Devourer Insect and its answer was pretty much identical. He could control the Luminous Vine¡¯s life and death if he controlled its energy nucleus, but it would also have a bad effect on the Luminous Vine itself as its growth rate would be greatly slowed down.


    ¡°Seal of Life and Death.¡±


    Tang Xiu cast magic arts into the energy nucleus and then casually threw it back to the Luminous Vine and said, ¡°I don¡¯t need to control your energy nucleus since controlling your life and death is easy for me. You should be able to sense the powerful seal I¡¯ve cast on your energy nucleus yourself. If you dare to have any idea to go against me, I can make you die completely with a mere thought.¡±


    After taking the energy nucleus back into its body again, the Luminous Vine noticed that something had seeped into its energy nucleus. It gave off such a dreadful sensation that it felt like once it exploded it really would kill them¡ªeven its soul would be blown away.


    Tang Xiu inhaled deeply and walked to the front of the Luminous Vine under the watchful eyes of the horrified Kuwako Yamamoto. He reached out and touched the body of the Luminous Vine and transmitted Shapeshifting Art into its mind and then said, ¡°Cultivate this Shapeshifting Art, so you can transform your body into a human form.¡±


    ¡°An Immortal art?¡±


    The Luminous Vine was excited. Its tentacles opened and quickly absorbed the contents of the Shapeshifting Art. A few breaths later, a crystalline green light bloomed and fully covered its body like a light cocoon. Inside it, a naked girl appeared. She looked like a teenager older than fifteen with pale skin like that of fine chinaware.


    ¡°Create and transform clothes for yourself,¡± said Tang Xiu directly.


    Luminous Vine observed her own body delightedly. The set of clothes was nearly identical with Tang Xiu¡¯s attire, only dark green, and they smoothly went on her naked body.


    ¡°Thank you, Master.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded with satisfaction and said, ¡°You¡¯ll follow me in the future! I¡¯ll come by to teach you for some time, so you can learn some human knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Teng Nu already knows some human knowledge,¡± said Luminous Vine hastily. ¡°This base can monitor anywhere on this planet and I¡¯ve been here for more than a million years, so I know all the history of humankind¡¯s evolution. I even know that you¡¯re from that backward civilization called the country of China.¡±


    ¡°Since you can find out my origins, don¡¯t you also know what I¡¯ve done?¡± Tang Xiu squinted his eyes.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s through your language that I know your origin, Master.¡± Luminous Vine shook her head and said, ¡°But I rarely observe the outside world and sometimes didn¡¯t observe the situation outside for thousands of years. The last I observed it was because some humans who breached inside piqued my interest¡±.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Tang Xiu instantly understood and nodded before asking, ¡°Do you have a name?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t. But after I become your slave, you can call me vine slave, Teng Nu,¡± replied Luminous Vine.


    Uh, Teng Nu¨Cvine slave?


    Tang Xiu nodded and was too lazy to give her a new name. He then said, ¡°If so, then I¡¯ll call you Teng Nu from now on. By the way, is this the main console? I need to completely control this vestige so teach me.¡±


    Teng Nu turned and came to the front of the seat in the center of the hall. She pointed to it and said, ¡°There¡¯s a memory card in this chair. You only need to sit on the chair and download the content from it. The downloaded contents will be transmitted to your brain and you¡¯ll learn how to control this vestige.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Tang Xiu himself was a man with guts and he wasn¡¯t afraid that Teng Nu would scheme him so he sat straight on the chair.


    At this time, Kuwako¡¯s eyes were full of worship and respect towards Tang Xiu. She didn¡¯t know how Tang Xiu could make the vine stop attacking and he even made it transform into a human form.


    Was she a spirit?


    She could conclude that this girl, who said herself as a Teng Nu, was a being the likes of an evil spirit; a vine that had been cultivating. Yet this evil spirit had actually submitted to her Boss, Tang Xiu. It was truly beyond her imagination and she couldn¡¯t help but feel that her decision to follow Tang Xiu was a very wise decision.


    Time passed by.


    Inside another hall in the vestige was a large plant nursery with a lot of precious spiritual medicinal herbs. All of them, however, had developed sentience but none of them were able to leave the seedbed. Hazy lights scattered top down from the roof and provided them all the nutrients they needed.


    After Cheng Xuemei entered this place, she keenly sensed the extreme freshness of the air inside this place. Inhaling it slightly made her spirit shake and also caused all the pores of her body to stretch open. When her eyes landed on the many fruits in this plant nursery, the thick fragrance of the fruit made her drool a little.


    Fortunately, she was able to restrain her desire and quickly observed everything inside.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me this place only has flowers and plants?¡±


    Somewhat feeling disappointed, Cheng Xuemei hesitated before walking closer to the plant nursery. When she stopped half a meter from the edge of the seedbed, she bent down and reached into it.


    Snapped!


    A sharp green long leaf instantly wrapped around her wrist, its sharp edge scratching Cheng Xuemei¡¯s wrist, causing her blood to scatter in a straight line.


    However, the moment the leaf was stained by Chen Xuemei¡¯s blood, it instantly released her wrist and rapidly moved a few meters away under her watchful gaze.

 Chapter 807 - Dragon Soul Blood Spirit

    Chapter 807: Dragon Soul Blood Spirit


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Cheng Xuemei, whose wrist was scratched, was instantly shocked by such a strange scene which she had never thought she would bump into. That was a plant for God¡¯s sake!


    However, even when she hadn¡¯t yet recovered from that shock, several branches and long leaves had already wrapped her body the moment after, pulling her into the seedbed. Except for the half meter-high plant that instantly retracted back its branches and leaves after getting stained by her warm blood, other branches and leaves from the rest of the plants pulled her into the seedbed, causing her to look like a rice dumpling that was being tied up and wrapped.


    ¡°What¡¯s exactly happening here?¡±


    Deep fear welled up inside Cheng Xuemei¡¯s heart. She suddenly recalled some scenes of man-eating plants as well as the monster plants she had seen on TV.


    Suddenly a plant full of beautiful flowers and sharp thorns pricked Cheng Xuemei¡¯s head. There was no blood splattering, nor flowing brain fluid; instead, after the sharp thorn entered Cheng Xuemei¡¯s skull, green energy instantly constructed an airtight net that completely wrapped her brain tissue.


    ¡°Human¡¯s brain¡­ is¡­ really¡­ fragile.¡±


    The penetrating plant¡¯s consciousness greatly shocked Cheng Xuemei as enormous energy flooded into her soul sea that penetrated her meridians, flushing through into her body with an irresistible force.


    Throbbing spasms of acute pains was as though searing her heart. Cheng Xuemei felt like going insane by the pain; she even subconsciously realized that her body would explode if this kept on going on. She attempted to stop the surge of the enormous energy that drilled into her body with her consciousness to no avail.


    ¡°Am I really going to die?¡±


    Cheng Xuemei refused to surrender to such a fate. Fear might fill her whole being but to die here was something she refused to accept. She hadn¡¯t yet accomplished her mission¡ªand even more, she hadn¡¯t found the person she most cared about, her young sister.


    At this moment, intense, powerful courage burst out inside her heart. The moment that powerful consciousness entered her body along with that penetrating branching energy, her consciousness clashed with it and the two consciousnesses intertwined. Originally, Cheng Xuemei¡¯s consciousness was being devoured by the other one when they came into contact with each other¡¯s consciousnesses. However, it was unknown whether it was due to her courage or because she was the true owner of this body, but the particular special energy suddenly drilled out from her heart. The golden-colored energy was very small but was extremely potent.


    ¡°Dragon Soul Blood Spirit? Damn¡­ how can this bloodline appear in the human on Earth?¡±


    The invading consciousness sighed as it was instantly shattered to fragments by the golden energy. Layers of images dispersed and floated in the space of Cheng Xuemei¡¯s consciousness like duckweed floating on water.


    In front of Cheng Xuemei, the dark green plant withered at a slow speed. Even the blooming flowers of the plant slowly turned into ashes and then scattered with the gentle wind.


    In that instant, tens of thousands of plants inside the plant nursery seemed to have been frightened as all of them ran away for dozens of meters, including the plants that wrapped around Cheng Xuemei¡¯s body. They hid far away, watching her body that was gradually being wrapped in a layer of dark green light which eventually formed an oval green light cocoon.


    Inside another room of the vestige.


    Experts from the United States and France were confronting each other in front of a pair of energy crystals. Even though their bodies had scars and wounds besmeared with blood, their lives were not in danger, while four dead bodies of Italian experts were lying nearby.


    ¡°You fucking know my strength clearly, Allante! The one who¡¯ll become the winner will still be us if we really have to fight. Get out of our way if you still wanna live or don¡¯t blame us later,¡± said the American team captain, Sorod, with a surging killing intent on his grim face.


    Killing intent similarly covered the face of Allante. Even the tip of his longsword was still dripping blood as he replied in a heavy voice, ¡°Do you really think you can get these energy crystals if the five of us lock on you? Do you think you can survive if we really burn our lifeforce and fight you to the death? Half of these energy crystals are ours; we can split it with you or we can let the other countries benefit!¡±


    The corner of Sorod¡¯s eyes twitched a few times. It was what he was most worried about from the start. Even if he was confident that they could completely eliminate France team¡¯s of Allante and his four comrades, the losses to his party would be enormous. It was already very great if there were three of them still alive.


    If the situation really went that far and other countries¡¯ experts really appeared, then it would truly fulfill the old saying that the third party would swallow the first two parties that were engaged in combat.


    However, America had a reputation as being hegemonic and Sorod was similarly overbearing. His identity in the United States Ability Users Bureau was a man above thousands of people and only under one man. His stature was too remote and aloof in the entire country; thus, plainly speaking, having the spoils divided by half as proposed by the French was simply a disgrace for him.


    Sorod took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, ¡°Dividing it in half is absolutely impossible but I¡¯m fine if you take three tenths. However. If you¡¯re not satisfied, then let¡¯s get it on! We¡¯ll immediately send someone to bring these energy crystals out after we kill you anyways, then we will return back to compete for other treasures.¡±


    Allante heaved a deep breath and secretly made up his mind to use the card up his sleeves to launch his most powerful blow, to let these damned Americans learn what he was capable of at this time. Then, he would reapportion these energy crystals later.


    ¡°Lightning Blitz Thunder Roar!¡±


    Allante instantly took out a sphere of a round metal object from his sleeves. As rings of lighting appeared, lighting sparks flashed out at Sorod¡¯s team of five. At the same time, the other four also unleashed their most powerful attack. All kinds of abilities were showcased as the five people stormed over towards the five Americans with great momentum.


    ¡°Fucking bastards!¡±


    Sorod¡¯s face dramatically changed. Little did he think that such a little disagreement would make Allante¡¯s team of five straightly attack them. On top of it all, just when the heck did Allante have such a powerful special ability? Hundreds of lightning blasts were formed in just an instant; even he couldn¡¯t stop it at all!


    ¡°DODGE!¡±


    With his roar, layers of flames instantly formed a wall of fire, trying desperately to fend off the lightning strike. Yet, each lightning strike that hit the wall of fire made Sorod¡¯s body tremble. When the hundreds of lightning strikes hit the wall of fire, more than a dozen strikes penetrated the wall, causing Sorod¡¯s body to violently sway and forced him to stagger away to the side.


    ¡°You take cover!¡±


    A handsome, blonde Caucasian youth had his face greatly altered. He formed several walls of metal in front and immediately blocked the lightning strikes that were not blocked by the wall of fire.


    However, the other four men¡¯s special abilities then arrived. Although the metal walls looked firm, the violent barrage of bombardments made dozens of lightning strikes penetrate the metal wall and blast on the chest of the Caucasian youth.


    ¡°ZEKE! (ZEKE!)¡±


    After a few screams, the other four, including Sorod, sprinted to the Caucasian youth¡¯s front and joined forces to fend off the violent barrage of attacks. Unfortunately, the youth called Zeke, who didn¡¯t expect that the enemy¡¯s attack was that powerful, already had his whole body charred black by the lightning and had a hole the size of an adult¡¯s fist in his chest. The lad still had some life in him, but he wouldn¡¯t last for long.


    Allante¡¯s eyes sparkled with excitement. This was his second time using a power booster, but little did he think that the outcome would be this great. He originally thought that injuring some of the Americans was already a great achievement; he never expected that he would directly eliminate one of the American Elementalists.


    ¡°You asked for it, Sorod. Hahaha¡­ I have a power booster so that the power of each of my strikes is so great that it is absolutely unimaginable. Next time, provided that my strike can erupt even stronger, even you may be killed!¡±


    With a face turned extremely nasty, Sorod fixedly glared at the sphere object in Allante¡¯s hand. He inhaled deeply and then said, ¡°We¡¯ll share the energy crystals half to half, but we¡¯ll remember this hatred. You can start dividing them equally if you agree. If you don¡¯t, let¡¯s resort to the killings again! I still have the confidence to kill all of you even you have that treasure!¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Allante deliberately hesitated before he nodded and said, ¡°I accept. For the sake that no other countries are profiting from us.¡±


    As a matter of fact, his power booster could only be used once at a time, as it needed a long time to store energy after using it. For instance, with his special ability to manipulate lightning, it would take him several months to store up such enormous electrical power in the power booster before it could unleash several hundreds of lightning strikes at once.


    In another place, inside the hall of the main console, Tang Xiu could clearly see what happened to Cheng Xuemei and the American and French teams through the holographic surveillance.


    Back when Cheng Xuemei encountered that accident, he also wanted to save her but never expected that she had fallen in the most critical time. When he discovered her, it was too late to rush there even if he had wings. What made him feel at ease was that Cheng Xuemei¡¯s life was not to be in danger and she even seemed to have experienced a huge fortuitous encounter instead.


    ¡°Boss, that American is disgusting.¡±


    Kuwako Yamamato, who stood beside Tang Xiu, had a loathing look in her eyes when she looked at Sorod. She knew this guy and as she witnessed him torture and murder several tramps who unknowingly made him displeased.


    Tang Xiu himself didn¡¯t have a good impression of this American guy. When he heard Kuwako¡¯s words, he thoughtfully said, ¡°If we kill all the Americans here, the French team won¡¯t be able to stay either. Now that I have full control over the power system in the entire vestige, eliminating them is easier than pinching an ant.¡±


    He already obtained the memory heritage, so it was a cinch for him to manipulate the weaponry system in this vestige. He could even clearly see all the scenes in the entire vestige through the main console.


    With a delighted, yet surprised expression, Kuwako said, ¡°Well, the fewer the enemies, the more we gain, don¡¯t you think so, Boss?¡±

 Chapter 808 - Eliminating ‘Scourges’ For Humanity

    Chapter 808: Eliminating ¡®Scourges¡¯ For Humanity


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Adopting Kuwako¡¯s suggestion, Tang Xiu¡¯s fingers were as though turning into shadows as his hands reached out to the virtual keyboard. Just as the Americans and French teams had reached an agreement and prepared to divide the pile of energy crystals, all the lights in the hall where the two teams were staying suddenly shut off.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening here?¡±


    Both Sorod and Allante shouted at the same time as members of both teams backtracked in an instant and vigilantly watched the surroundings, wary against each other that the other party would be up to no good and taking necessary caution to guard against it.


    ¡°Flame¡­¡±


    ¡°Burn¡­¡±


    Both teams had members with fire attributes abilities. Blazing flame rose from the hands of the Fire Elementalists of both teams and illuminated the dark hall.


    Just as they carefully observed the opposite party, the closed wall suddenly split and weak lights appeared from the cracks. A line of red eyes appeared as the eight cracks grew bigger and bigger, showing off eight fully activated robots that stepped out from the inside, each with a robodog at their feet.


    Weng, weng¡­


    A swarm of robotic bees followed and instantly overtook the autobots and robodogs, swarming over towards the nine people in the hall. The autobees were fist-sized and numbered in the hundreds, each with their respective sharp sting. Even their foreheads were decorated with a several centimeters long sharp spike.


    ¡°Be careful.¡±


    ¡°Get away. Quickly!¡±


    Both Sorod and Allante furiously shouted and unleashed each of their abilities in an attempt to eliminate these robot bees. Unfortunately, flame only had slight effects on these machine bee and the same for lightning. The only thing that made the Americans feel at ease was that they had water attribute ability users who worked in conjunction with the lightning attribute Elementalist and were able to destroy a large number of autobees.


    Pew, pew¡­


    16 laser pulses were fired while the eight robodogs spread out strangely-shaped wings on their backs. The moment they flew into the air, sprays of flame jetted out from them.


    The Elementalists evaded them timely, yet it was still hazardous to them. Just after they had escaped the first barrage of attacks from the robots, robodogs, and autobees, a large grid of electrical net sparked out from four directions and covered them nearly in an instant.


    Shortly after, beams of laser pulses penetrated the bodies of ability users from both teams, straightly taking their lives. The flames shot by the robodogs came spraying and burnt their bodies to ashes.


    Kuwako¡¯s eyes glittered with excitement as she watched the holographic images, seeing how the elite ability users from the United States and France were reduced to ashes. She clenched her fists and excitedly exclaimed, ¡°I¡¯ve been watching those bunch of assholes with disgust and now they meet their makers. You¡¯ve just eliminated the scourges, Boss.¡±


    Eliminating the scourges?


    It was so weird, so Tang Xiu glanced at her with a strange expression and smilingly asked, ¡°Are they really that evil?¡±


    ¡°Damn they are.¡± Kuwako heavily nodded. ¡°Just like that damned Sorod, the American team captain. He¡¯s a through and through bastard. I dunno how many times he killed innocent people just because he was an ability user with formidable strength and stature. Most importantly, I saw him wantonly murdered hobos with his special ability.¡±


    ¡°Eh. You didn¡¯t forget your own identity, did you?¡± asked Tang Xiu, looking at a loss whether he had to laugh or cry. ¡°Just from when did you care about some hobos?¡±


    ¡°Ugh, well, it¡¯s not like I really care about those tramps.¡± Kuwako¡¯s face turned red, looking embarrassed, and then said, ¡°It¡¯s just mainly¡­ the main reason is that I once led a team to snatch element attribute stone from Sorod¡¯s hand. He was seriously injured but 20 of my team members died, so it¡¯s just a feud between him and me.¡±


    Tang Xiu instantly caught the gist and nodded. ¡°So, you just wanted to kill him as revenge for your comrades, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°My current team has two of my people; the rest are from the House of Yamamoto.¡± Kuwako waved and said, ¡°Whether they live or die has little to do with me.¡±


    ¡°By the way, how is the development of the House of Yamamoto at present?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s naturally very smooth with the help from you, Boss.¡± Kuwako smilingly replied, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t because I don¡¯t dare to develop my influence on the grand-scale, the entire House of Yamamoto could¡¯ve been in my hands right now. Even though I¡¯m working on it in the dark, I have controlled a third of Yamamoto¡¯s armed forces, as well as half of the Northstar One Blade School¡¯s forces.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done great.¡± Tang Xiu raised his thumb up.


    ¡°Anyway, if you could send me some top experts, I¡¯ll become the true Patriarch of Yamamoto House as well as the Schoolmaster of Northstar One Blade in a short time, Boss,¡± continued Kuwako. ¡°Thinking of it, there¡¯s an adage from your country stating that you can capture the entire kingdom if you catch the king first. As long as I can control those high-ranking bigshots, I can guarantee complete success.¡±


    Tang Xiu mulled it over and nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll send over two experts to assist you when we leave this place. You¡¯ll be able to control those two forces quickly with their help. But after that, what exactly are you gonna do once you¡¯ve controlled those two forces?¡±


    A cold gleam flashed in Kuwako¡¯s eyes and she replied with a heavy voice, ¡°I¡¯ll eliminate Sakura Circle.¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t know the situation of this Sakura Circle in Japan. After learning of it, he then understood that Sakura Circle had always been mortal enemies with the House of Yamamoto. The situation between the two forces looked uneventful on the surface, yet there was always constant friction between them under the radar. They even had an intense conflict a while ago. Kuwako led her team of experts to murder a lot of Sakura Circle¡¯s experts in that conflict, resulting in her being rewarded by the Yamamoto House, elevating her status as the leader of the new generation of the Yamamoto House.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got the courage to do what you will! I have tons of things I need you to handle in the future, so the stronger you are, the easier it will be to deal with some issues in the future. Just tell me whenever you need some funds or manpower even if you want me to come in person. But make sure you can solve your enemies smoothly.¡±


    Kuwako knelt on one knee and excitedly said, ¡°Thank you, Boss. I¡¯ll definitely do everything I can to control more power and do my best to work for you. Even¡­ Even if you want to be the sole sovereign of Japan, I¡¯ll be right behind you to accomplish it.¡±


    Tang Xiu gently patted her shoulder and smilingly said, ¡°Stand! I¡¯m not interested in being the sovereign of Japan, nor do I have the slightest idea about it. But you may one day become the master of your country. Just work hard. I¡¯m looking forward to your success.¡±


    Shortly after that, Tang Xiu heard some sounds from the holographic images and saw the four Chinese ability users were now cautiously exploring the arsenal which stored a large number of various weapons. After testing some of them, the four people looked very excited and put some small but powerful weapons into their military bags. Had it not been because of their limited physical strength, they could¡¯ve swept the entire arsenal clean.


    ¡°Boss, this vestige is fully under your control. Do you really want to let them take all the weapons in the arsenal?¡± asked Kuwako, looking a bit puzzled upon finding Tang Xiu didn¡¯t make even a sound nor expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible for them to take all those weapons out,¡± said Tang Xiu calmly. ¡°Though I¡¯ll give them a big gift when they are about to leave.¡±


    ¡°A great gift?¡±


    Kuwako seemed to look forward to what it was as she really wanted to see what kind of plan Tang Xiu had for these Chinese ability users.


    Half an hour later, Tang Xiu watched Zhu Long¡¯s group of four leave the arsenal and prepare to continue exploring other areas. A smile suddenly appeared on his face as his hands continued tapping the virtual keyboard and he finished setting up a series of procedures. Then, he smiled and indifferently said, ¡°I¡¯ll take a stroll to some areas, you do the monitoring here. Do remember, I have set up a series of procedures to make them not to fall to dangers but incidents will always happen in battle, so press this button immediately if you find them in danger.¡±


    Kuwako looked at the place Tang Xiu¡¯s finger pointed at as she nodded and said, ¡°Got it, Boss. I¡¯ll definitely monitor it.¡±


    The entirety of three-star vestige boasted a vast area, but Tang Xiu had received the memory inheritance and was now very familiar with the place. After leaving the main console hall, he immediately rushed to the other areas: the arsenal, energy storehouse, living quarter, sports area¡­


    And finally, he came to the nursery plant area where Cheng Xuemei was stranded.


    As he saw the dark green light cocoon in front of him, Tang Xiu detected that Cheng Xuemei¡¯s vital signs were stable and she was in good condition, even getting stronger. Then he immediately turned his vision to the tens of thousands of plants in the nursery garden. Though he already knew through the memory card that all the plants planted in this area were just what¡¯s left after more than a million years, each one of them had magical power which made him very excited.


    It must be noted that if these plants were to learn Shapeshifting Art and transform into human beings, the power they possessed was definitely terrifying and they would still become a considerable force to be reckoned with, even if they were in the Immortal World.


    However, so as to prevent unnecessary trouble after leaving, he would still need to make all the plants with sentience and high intelligence submit to him before teaching them the Shapeshifting Art.


    Tang Xiu inhaled a deep breath before speaking in the common language of the Blackcloud star region, ¡°I know you can hear me and understand what I¡¯m talking about. I have now become the owner of this vestige and I accepted the inheritance left behind by the last remnant of Starnet Empire. So, I¡¯m giving you all two choices. First, to be killed here; second, to accept my ruling and become my subordinates!¡±


    Buzz¡­


    The tens of thousands of sentient plants in the entire nursery garden emitted a burst of intermittent humming sounds, which was their unique method to communicate as they quickly fell into conversation with their kind. After a long while, a several meters high plant with a full white body transmitted its thought to Tang Xiu¡¯s mind, ¡°Why should we believe in you? We can casually kill you even if we can¡¯t leave this particular area.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right that you live in an area where people from the Starnet Empire have laid out a special array formation around you. But you can only move here and can¡¯t appear anywhere else in this steely vestige,¡± sneered Tang Xiu. ¡°Hence, you¡¯ll forever be trapped here if no one helps you and that is the very reason why you can¡¯t kill me now. On the contrary, I have many ways to reduce you to ashes, such as using this fire!¡±

 Chapter 809 - A Huge Undertaking

    Chapter 809: A Huge Undertaking


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    As Demon Flames appeared in Tang Xiu¡¯s hands, the excessive temperature instantly caused layers of heatwaves in the whole nursery garden area. Even at the moment when the Demon Flames in Tang Xiu¡¯s hands appeared, the tens of thousands of sentient plants in the nursery garden were as though seeing the most terrible nemesis, the very bane of their existence, and they fled to avoid it.


    ¡°An interesting sight.¡±


    Tang Xiu could clearly sense fluctuations of intense thoughts of fear even if they couldn¡¯t transmit it to him. In order to fully intimidate them, Tang Xiu grinned with mockery and continued, ¡°The weapons system in this vestige is completely under my control. I only need to use the laser cannon and acid poison. It¡¯s so easy if I want to kill all of you.


    ¡°Also, if I think you¡¯re not worth wasting my resources, I don¡¯t even need to use the weapons system. I just need to shut down the photosynthesis device in this nursery garden, destroy the nutrient generator, and completely cut off the nutrient extraction pipe to make you constantly use up your energy. I¡¯m hella sure you¡¯ll gradually wither away and I will completely cut off any possibility of your survival!¡±


    In that instant, the moment Tang Xiu¡¯s voice faded away, countless emotional fluctuations filled with fear came along, accompanied by horrifying thoughts and screams:


    ¡°Submit, we¡¯re willing to submit.¡±


    ¡°Have mercy. We¡¯re willing to serve you as our Master.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t kill us.¡±


    ¡°We choose the second option!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded with satisfaction. What he had to do was coerce and tempt. Now that he had intimidated and threatened them, gentle and amiable treatment came next in the form of benefits he could give them. ¡°I can tell you clearly. You chose to submit to me, and it will only benefit you with no downsides whatsoever, as I can teach you some Immortal techniques. You will not only be able to transform your shape, but also have a high chance to have peerless magical power under the heavens in the future.¡±


    Immortal techniques? As well as changing form?


    In that instant, the tens of thousands of sentient plants turned deadly quiet, using their special means to ¡®watch¡¯ Tang Xiu. Back when they became sentient beings and had wisdom, they didn¡¯t know what Immortal techniques were. They hadn¡¯t had such high intelligence that long so they were simply clueless of what Immortal techniques meant.


    However, ever since the Luminous Vine suddenly came to visit and had some exchanges with them tens of thousands of years ago, only then did they find out what the Immortal arts meant.


    In their view, the Luminous Vine was an extreme existence and the energy it had stored was nearly ten times stronger than theirs. But even the Luminous Vine was yearning, eager to obtain such Immortal arts, meaning that it was something very precious.


    An imposing aura suddenly erupted from Tang Xiu as he shouted, ¡°Release your energy nucleus for I need to cast a seal on them. Once the seal is cast on your nuclei, your lives will be under my control and whoever dares to betray me will die with a mere thought!¡±


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Energy nuclei came flashing from these sentient plants. The cores were numerous and filled with dense energy, causing turbulence inside this space.


    Tang Xiu used his perception to sweep over the surroundings and was immediately dumbstruck. After counting, the energy nuclei that flew toward him numbered 35,680 in total; that even made him somewhat chilled and his heart beat rapidly inside. If these sentient plants were to use their energy cores to attack him, he would perhaps be blasted away and die in an instant. After all, these beings were all freaking bizarre monsters that had lived for a million years!


    Sealing Art!


    No longer wasting any time in hesitation, Tang Xiu frantically began to cast a seal on these energy nuclei. But with 35,680 in total, it was practically a huge undertaking for him.


    Inside another spacious hall in the vestige.


    The four Chinese ability users had obtained a full haul of harvests. Each of them carried a military bag full of weapons with a relaxed mood. Various types of weapons even hung on their bodies. Zhu Long, Firedevil, and Electrolady grinned ear to ear, whereas the rarely talking Aquababe also had a small smile.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how Tang Xiu¡¯s doing right now. We encountered quite a lot of dangers right as we entered the vestige, and there may be more in the interior. But I think he should be fine!¡± said Zhu Long with a smile after entering the hall.


    ¡°Well, he went a separate was, Zhu Long Capt. That man surnamed Tang just boarded our team, but we and he are not on the same boat, like at all. Hence, whether he¡¯s alive or dead has nothing to do with us. There¡¯s no need to be concerned about him.¡±


    ¡°I think Firedevil makes sense, though I still hope that he can survive.¡± Electrolady smilingly said, ¡°At least, that guy is so handsome and he¡¯s my type. It¡¯d be very regretful if he were to die here.¡±


    The smile on Aquababe¡¯s face receded, and she coldly glanced at Firedevil and Electrolady before speaking, ¡°You all don¡¯t forget that we¡¯d have never obtained such a big harvest if Tang Xiu wasn¡¯t with us. Even we might¡¯ve died in the previous crisis.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. There¡¯s no need for you to put him on a pedestal to undermine ourselves, Aquababe,¡± sneered Firedevil. ¡°Who said we couldn¡¯t have safely come inside without him?¡±


    ¡°If we didn¡¯t have Tang Xiu with us, could you easily destroy the robots in the outermost passage? Could you have smoothly passed through the maze formation in the statuary hall and opened its gate without him? Could you make sure we didn¡¯t need to fight with other countries¡¯ ability users without him? Or make sure all of us survive if we had to fight them?¡± questioned Aquababe.


    Getting barraged with the sharp questions that Aquababe shot at him left Firedevil rendered speechless. His face turned a bit ugly as he flung his face to the side and no longer spoke.


    Zhu Long raised his brows. He did feel a bit dissatisfied due to Tang Xiu¡¯s departure from the team even though his impression towards him had changed a lot. Yet, the arguments from Aquababe were undoubtedly true and he couldn¡¯t refute them. He then spoke his mind, ¡°Pipe down, you two! Tang Xiu is still our Chinese national comrade. No matter the benefits he obtains here, they will still be handed over to the country. At the very least, he would never let those foreigners obtain them cheaply. As long as we are still in this vestige, we are comrades-in-arms and will never become enemies!¡±


    ¡°Hey, nobody said that he¡¯s an enemy!¡± Firedevil retorted without holding back.


    Right as Firedevil¡¯s voice fading away, however, a laser pulse instantly beamed forward from the secluded corner of the hall and unexpectedly shot through Firedevil¡¯s arm.


    ¡°What the heck is happening?¡±


    The complexions of Zhu Long and the rest significantly changed as they threw their military bags to the side. They even quickly put down all the heavy weapons they carried on the alert.


    Firedevils¡¯ arm was shot through but the shot didn¡¯t hurt his bones, though the bad wound was still severe. As he unleashed his Fire attribute ability, he quickly used the fire to burn the wound as scabs began to grow at a slow rate which stopped the bleeding.


    Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew!


    Four laser beams were shot from the four corners of the hall and were aimed at the cautious team of four. The target of the laser beam, however, wasn¡¯t on their vital points.


    ¡°AVOID IT FAST!¡±


    Zhu Long¡¯s countenance changed as he instantly pushed Firedevil while he took a dash to the side himself. With their fast speed, they were able to avoid the danger posed by the laser beams.


    ¡°Zhu Long Capt. We passed this place previously but no laser attack targeted us! What¡¯s going on here?¡± shouted Electrolady with disbelief pervading her eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but if my guess is correct, we should¡¯ve triggered some mechanisms here by accident,¡± cautiously said Zhu Long with eyes sweeping to the four corners of the hall. ¡°Be careful, everyone. Carry these high-tech weapons and leave this place immediately if the laser beams start shooting out again.¡±


    Pew! Pew! Pew!


    Laser beams were shot from various locations in a gap of just a few seconds. This time, there were eight laser beams and despite the four people¡¯s strength, they were nearly hit by the laser beams.


    ¡°Fuck. Dash out quickly!¡±


    Zhu Long was keenly aware that the number of laser beams was doubling and they may not be able to leave this place alive if they were to stay here too long. The wind blew as he flashed to reach out and grab two military bags on the floor, then he dashed out towards the end of the hall lightning fast.


    The three others also picked up the military bags and heavy weapons that they previously put down and then rushed toward the front. Unfortunately, their calculation was shattered by the next wave of laser attacks as 16 laser beams formed crisscrossing lines that came head-on in front of them.


    ¡°DISCARD THE HEAVY WEAPONS!¡±


    Zhu Long roared, but when he had yet to avoid the 16 interlaced lasers, he looked back and found the laser grid quickly following their movements. His sharp eyes instantly judged the gap between the laser grid which could only be passed through by one person. He angrily threw the two military bags he carried full of vexed unwillingness.


    Behind him, Firedevil, Electrolady, and Aquababe likewise found the situation in front and similarly discarded their military bags and heavy weapons like Zhu Long, following suit to sprint forward quickly.


    Zzzt! Zzzt! Zzzz!


    In ten seconds, all four people passed through the hall but the weapons in the four military bags they brought from the arsenal were all discarded. The cutting lasers in the hall even ruined those weapons. The most heart-wrenching thing was that some of the small weapons they carried along were also badly damaged by the lasers they passed by.


    The four people stood side by side outside the hall at the entrance. Seeing that there were no longer lasers shooting everywhere, Firedevil furiously cursed, ¡°This is FUCKING HELL!¡±


    Aquababe looked at Zhu Long and asked, ¡°What do we do next? Go back to the arsenal and get some weapons, or just leave like this?¡±


    Zhu Long was silent for a moment before shaking his head. ¡°No. We didn¡¯t encounter danger in this place when we went in, but it appeared when we came out. This means that we were lucky when we went in, and our luck went down the drain the moment we came out. We still got some weapons, so that¡¯s it! Let¡¯s just look elsewhere, I think.¡±


    ¡°What if there¡¯s also danger lurking elsewhere?¡± asked Aquababe again.


    ¡°We¡¯ll evacuate at once if we encounter them,¡± replied Zhu Long in a deep voice.

 Chapter 810 - Departure

    Chapter 810: Departure


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Inside the main control room, Kuwako Yamamoto stood quietly in front of the main console, watching the distressed Zhu Long and his team through the holographic footage. She exhibited a smile. She was already a belle, to begin with, and the floating smile added a much deeper charm to her looks.


    Unfortunately, there was no man nearby but only Teng Nu, a sentient being that hadn¡¯t yet known the way of the world. Just as her eyes inadvertently scanned over the holographic footage next to her, however, a sudden look of surprise appeared in her eyes.


    ¡°Well, the Indians?¡±


    It never occurred to Kuwako that there was an Indian ability user still left in the vestige. The person was severely scarred, struggling to get up from the floor. The fellow should¡¯ve been killed by the American ability users, but he unexpectedly survived his death verdict. Looking at his appearance, however, he was so severely injured that he would be killed instantly should he encounter any further danger.


    Inside the botanical area.


    Tang Xiu was full of sweat after casting the sealing art on 35,680 nuclei. Despite the burden, he kept working without resting which still made it take a long time to finish the work. He had even consumed too much of his mental energy, resulting in his pale complexion.


    Three days passed by in a flash. Having spent his mental energy for the sixth time and after recovering, Tang Xiu had finally completed casting a seal on 35,680 energy cores. Now, plainly speaking, these sentient plants wouldn¡¯t pose any danger to him even if they were released from the nursery plant area.


    However, his task was not yet completed even after casting the seal as he still needed to impart them the Shapeshifting Art. He didn¡¯t want to be seen by outsiders with his crowd of a plant army behind him. That would scare them shitless, no less!


    ¡°Huff¡­¡±


    After being done with imparting Shapeshifting Art to 35,680 plants, Tang Xiu finally inhaled a breath of relief and quietly sat cross-legged. He didn¡¯t hurry to restore his spent mental power but observed the plants instead. Time ticking by and, finally, a grass type plant swayed as an intense green light suddenly bloomed, revealing a seven-plus-year-old child in front of Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°This is amazing.¡±


    The child blinked and immediately looked at Tang Xiu and respectfully cupped his fists.


    Tang Xiu responded with a pale smile and waved at him while moving at the same time to break the array shrouding the nursery garden.


    ¡°Master.¡±


    The child¡¯s voice was clear. He was naked and hadn¡¯t transformed any clothes. After the instruction from Tang Xiu, he created some strangely shaped clothes. Feeling helpless upon seeing him, Tang Xiu had to take out his smartphone to find some photos of children¡¯s wear, hinting for him to change his clothes.


    Immediately after, the plants began to transform into human form unceasingly. After a long while, there was no longer any plant inside the botanical area, as a total of 35,680 men and women, young and old, were all looking at Tang Xiu respectfully.


    ¡°Alright. You all have just turned into human form but you haven¡¯t yet learned human customs,¡± said Tang Xiu with satisfaction. ¡°So be it, then! You¡¯ll stay in this base for a while and I¡¯ll send a group of humans to come here and they will teach you common sense and the knowledge on Earth. If you have mastered the customs and knowledge, I¡¯ll take you to live outside.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Their loud reply made Tang Xiu secretly satisfied.


    As a matter of fact, for Tang Xiu to appear in front of them after using coercion and temptation was also a huge risk in and of itself. After all, these guys were all old monsters that had lived for more than a million years. Even if they didn¡¯t learn systematic cultivation techniques, each of them had a terrifying strength; even he was secretly worried inside, that they would immediately cause a global catastrophe once they came outside.


    ¡°This won¡¯t do. A measure must be put in place in advance. I gotta work hard to manufacture Tribulation Evasion Talisman since only with this talisman will they probably able to hide from the detection of Heavenly Dao allowing them to live well on Earth. But these guys have been living for too long and the energy they possess is too powerful. Even the Tribulation Evasion Talisman might not be able to conceal their aura. I¡¯m afraid they can only stay in this place for the time being.¡±


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and immediately imparted some basic cultivation techniques from the Immortal World to them. ¡°Regarding your duty now, you will all to stay here to safely and steadily cultivate. It won¡¯t be long before I take you to ascend to the Immortal World in the legends. But none of you are allowed to leave this place secretly without my permission. Anyone who dares to violate my command will have their souls wiped clean, so don¡¯t blame me for being cruel and merciless later.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    All the sentient plants that had transformant into human form hurriedly concurred.


    When Tang Xiu returned to the main control room, he saw Kuwako touching her chin and deeply frowning. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Are there any problems? You seem to look deep in thought.¡±


    Kuwako shook and sobered up as she pointed to the holographic footage, ¡°I just found a fish slipped out of the net, Boss. He¡¯s an ability user from India and is kind of severely injured, though his life is not in danger. He is currently recovering from his injury and should probably recover soon.¡±


    A surprised look filled Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes, but he nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s indeed an escaped fish. Seems like those Americans and French didn¡¯t do their job properly. Let him be, though. Let him live since he¡¯s alive anyway. Besides, of all the various countries that jointly entered the vestige, leaving only two teams and everyone else dead might cause some troubles later.¡±


    Kuwako looked dull for a moment before she thoughtfully nodded and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. Needless to say about other countries, but the United States will definitely not give this up given their usual overbearing attitude. That¡¯s right; what should we do if those countries send more people again?¡±


    ¡°Do you not know that this vestige only opens twice every ten years?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised. ¡°And by the way, what date is today?¡±


    ¡°May 5th,¡± answered Kuwako.


    Tang Xiu frowned before he nodded. ¡°Since it¡¯s May 5th, then we still have two days left. You must leave this vestige within two days and bring a dozen energy crystals out with you. If some other countries want to snatch them, give them hell.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ I¡¯m leaving with the Chinese team?¡± asked Kuwako.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Not just the Chinese team of four; you¡¯ll also go out with that Indian man,¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°With people from three countries coming out alive, the other countries will guess that something wrong happened in the vestige, I believe. But they won¡¯t throw all the blame to our two countries either. Also, return to Japan directly after you go out! I¡¯ll send someone to look for you in Japan when I leave this place.¡±


    ¡°You mean, you¡¯re going to stay here for a while, Boss?¡± hurriedly asked Kuwako. ¡°You couldn¡¯t be thinking to stay here more than two days¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt her and smilingly said, ¡°Do I even need the submarine to pick me up if I want to go out? The entire vestige is now under my control, I can even override its system procedures now. I can control the ships in this vestige to leave whenever and as long as I want.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Kuwako then suddenly pointed to the botanical area where Cheng Xuemei was still wrapped in the dark green light cocoon and asked, ¡°What about her?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s exactly why I need to stay here for a while before I leave,¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°I already inspected her situation before I came back from the nursery garden. She¡¯s not in danger, but it will take quite some time for her to wake up. Don¡¯t worry, though! I¡¯ll take care of her properly. You just need to make up some excuses to the Japanese authorities to cover things up.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Kuwako nodded and turned around to leave.


    In the peripheral passages of the vestige, four Chinese ability users were all badly battered. Yet, they brought out some weapons and the previously disassembled robotic parts. Instead of leaving in a hurry, they quietly waited here since they had to board the United States¡¯ submarine to leave this place.


    ¡°Boss Zhu Long, what do you think about Tang Xiu¡¯s chance of survival?¡± asked Firedevil slowly. ¡°Will he come out? We¡¯ve been waiting here for two days already.¡±


    ¡°You ask me but whom should I ask, huh?¡± Zhu Long shook his head. ¡°This vestige is freakishly strange and is full of perils and dangers. The slightest bit of carelessness may cost you your life. We¡¯ve been here for five days but none of any countries¡¯ ability users comes out, which only means that they¡¯ve probably died inside.¡±


    ¡°I believe that he will definitely come out,¡± interjected Aquababe suddenly.


    ¡°Why are you so sure?¡± asked Zhu Long, surprised.


    ¡°Intuition,¡± said Aquababe.


    Electrolady sized her up with a strange expression before she smilingly teased her, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you took a liking for Tang Xiu?¡±


    Aquababe straightly threw her face to the side with an expression that seemed to say ¡®I¡¯m too lazy to bicker with you. Mind your own business.¡¯


    Suddenly, the four people suddenly jumped up from the floor cautiously as they saw Kuwako Yamamoto come out from the inside.


    ¡°The Japs?¡±


    Zhu Long¡¯s team of four frowned. Never did they expect that the first person who came out alive would turn out to be someone they liked the least, a Japanese.


    Kuwako shot an indifferent glance at the four and lightly said, ¡°You truly have excellent luck, losing only a few, and it seems like you¡¯re hauling quite a good harvest too. Care to share some with me?¡±


    Zhu Long sneered, ¡°Are you not afraid we¡¯ll join forces to kill you and snatch the things you brought instead?¡±


    ¡°Had it been people from other countries, I may have to worry about that.¡± Kuwako shook her head. ¡°But you Chinese? Hmph, not your style.¡±


    A cold gleam flashed in Zhu Long¡¯s eyes. As he was about to drive Kuwako away, a staggering figure rushed out. It was the Indian man whose body was all battered. He was holding a dagger and was glaring at everyone else with killing intent.


    ¡°Count yourself lucky.¡±


    Zhu Long sneered and gave the signal to the rest. They then picked up the things they brought out, no longer waiting for Tang Xiu, and they walked straight outside. As soon as the team members of each country returned to the location of the connecting point, the submarine would immediately send them out. That was the agreement between these countries.


    Deep in the vestige.


    Tang Xiu was in front of the main consoles, watching the people from the three parties go out at the same time, a smile carved on the corners of his mouth. He had already thought of countermeasures to immediately shut down the entire vestige after all them left. After Cheng Xuemei woke up, he¡¯d then take her to leave.


    As for the spoils, strictly speaking, he had obtained too many. He could randomly take some and give it to Duanmu Lin when he left. Just that would earn him some great merits.

 Chapter 811 - The Real Me

    Chapter 811: The Real Me


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Haiben Island.


    The garrison commanders of the ten countries stood in a row on the shore, all with eyes wide in anticipation as they stared at the sea in front of them. The length of the vestige exploration was only seven days, and there were only two days left until the time was up. According to previous experience, the strong parties should be almost coming out at this time.


    As a commander of the China side, Gao Hongxin was especially anxious as he was clearly aware of the much deeper significance of this vestige exploration. It was the remains of a more advanced civilization. Even just a few remains of their tech could promote the progress of the entire country.


    A great personage once said that political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.


    As such, the adage couldn¡¯t be more spot on. The armed forces of a country represented the right to speak in the modern era. Although China had been developing rapidly, it was still not able to snatch the position at the top of the world. Therefore, if the Chinese team were able to reap some significant treasures from this vestige exploration, the military might of the whole country would qualitatively advance by leaps and bounds.


    ¡°They¡¯ve come back!¡±


    The commander from France had his expression moved and he shouted with a bit of excitement.


    Instantly, everyone¡¯s eyes were fixed on the submarine that was slowly rising from the bottom of the water. As the submarine¡¯s door opened, the first person they saw was the injured Indian team member. At this time, he was carrying a black leather bag and quickly landed on the shore, greeted quickly by the Indian soldiers who surrounded him.


    The second one was Kuwako Yamamoto, who carried a black suitcase, and the Japan military also quickly protected her with excitement on their faces.


    Afterward, it was Zhu Long¡¯s team of four that came out with a lot of things. Gao Hongxing waved with excitement on his face as a squad of Chinese soldiers quickly surrounded the four people and protected them.


    ¡°Tang Xiu?¡± Gao Hongxing still didn¡¯t forget to ask even though he was overjoyed.


    Zhu Long shook his head silently and said, ¡°We separated inside and we never saw him again. I¡¯m afraid¡­ he met some misfortunes.¡±


    Gao Hongxing nodded without a word, and then shouted in a heavy voice, ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±


    After the team members of the three countries returned, however, the commanders of the other countries turned more anxious and kept waiting, but then were notified by the submarine crew that no one else returned.


    Inside the vestige on the seabed.


    Tang Xiu already had full control over the vestige, yet he didn¡¯t stay idle and steadily visited every place, stuffing a lot of things that could be taken into his interspatial ring. He only brought a few rings with him, which were already full after just two days.


    Teng Nu had been following him all this time. After two days of being together, she had been truly worshipping Tang Xiu. With all of his various magical means, as well as some of the Immortal arts he imparted to her, she was occasionally full of interest causing her blood to boil with the excitement.


    ¡°Could you stay much longer, Master?¡± Teng Nu asked with a face full of hope as they returned to the main control room at the center of the base.


    Tang Xiu smiled in response while watching the holographic footage that showed a light cocoon wrapping Cheng Xuemei inside. It had been getting thinner as the time passed by and there was only a thin layer left. He shook his head and smilingly said, ¡°I still have a lot of things to tend to outside, so I can¡¯t stay here for too long. Also, you¡¯ll need a long time to digest all the things I¡¯ve imparted to you, so stay here and safely cultivate it! I believe it won¡¯t take long for me to come back here. I¡¯ll take you with me to the outside then.¡±


    Teng Nu couldn¡¯t care less about anything else¡ªwhat she cared about was to get stronger and stronger, so she immediately nodded after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words. ¡°Alright. Then I¡¯ll be waiting for you to come back here.¡±


    ¡°Go to the botanical area and bring Cheng Xuemei over,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Teng Nu agreed and her figure instantly vanished.


    Tang Xiu secretly forced a smile inwardly. Teng Nu¡¯s speed was fast to the extreme, so fast that he couldn¡¯t catch her at all. Also, she wasn¡¯t the only one whose speed was very fast, as so were those 35,680 sentient plants that had transformed into human forms. The weakest one among them was even ten times faster than him.


    ¡®Luckily, I already cast a sealing art on them, else they could¡¯ve severely injured me or even killed me should they casually strike at me,¡¯ muttered Tang Xiu to himself inwardly. His hands then began to input commands on the virtual keyboard. He needed to shut all the entrances to the entire vestige, so he even closed the last hidden exit that would close in two days. Once they were all closed, nobody but him could enter.


    Whoosh¡­


    Teng Nu caught the light cocoon and reappeared in front of Tang Xiu. Cheng Xuemei was still unconscious inside the light cocoon and was unaware of the situation outside.


    A day later, the light cocoon disappeared completely and Cheng Xuemei finally woke up. The moment she opened her eyes, Teng Nu¡¯s hands were pressing on her shoulders.


    Tang Xiu observed Cheng Xuemei lying on the floor and asked lightly, ¡°How¡¯s your physical condition?¡±


    Xuemei blinked as a powerful aura burst out of her body. She felt that her body was full of explosive power and even had a feeling that she could level a mountain with a blow of her fist.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    She struggled to sit up but was unable to, even though her physique was full of power. Teng Nu still pressed on her body making her unable to get up.


    ¡°Forget it; you don¡¯t need to explain.¡± Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°Although I don¡¯t know what has happened to you, it seems that you¡¯ve quite benefitted. At least you¡¯re much stronger now; not just a small increase either. Anyways, she¡¯s Teng Nu, the human form of the Luminous Vine. I was afraid that you wouldn¡¯t be able to control your strength the moment you woke up, so I ordered her to hold you down. Listen well and wait for her to loosen you up, but don¡¯t get up all of a sudden or use too much strength. Adapt to it slowly.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    Although Cheng Xuemei was unaware of the reason why her physique had undergone such a change, she obtained the memory of that sentient plant thus understanding quite a bit of information.


    Bang¡­


    Just as Teng Nu released her shoulder, Cheng Xuemei tried to prop herself up with a hand to the floor in an attempt to sit up. Her whole body that was half-sitting suddenly sprung upwards and hit the dozen meter high steel roof.


    ¡°Argh¡­ whoops¡­¡±


    A shallow hole was formed on the steel roof, but the pain made her scream. Yet, when her body lightly floated down and landed on the floor, the pain was mostly gone already.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Cheng Xuemei was dumbstruck. She felt like she was about to break away from the shackles of gravity. Her whole body was filled with power, yet she felt very light. Except for some light spasms of pain in her head that she just bumped, the other parts of her body had never felt better. In particular, it was her spirit¡ªshe felt that it had been completely purified.


    ¡°I told you not to use too much strength, didn¡¯t I?¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re very powerful now, but you can¡¯t fully control that strength of yours. Only by slowly adapting can you gradually control it, else there will be a backlash from the sudden surge of power!¡±


    The revelation left Cheng Xuemei at a loss whether she should laugh or cry. She never thought that she would have such a situation. She carefully stood up slowly and gently moved her body, yet all the bones in her body were creaking. She realized that she had even become taller by at least five centimeters.


    After spending some time in adapting to the new situation, Cheng Xuemei was barely able to use some of her strength. Despite such a small bit of progress, however, she fell over and stumbled dozens of times, feeling faint pain in many parts of her body.


    ¡°It seems like I need to take you to another area and make you have a good workout.¡±


    Tang Xiu took out a set of clothes from his interspatial ring. It was menswear, but Cheng Xuemei had become taller, around 173 centimeters, so it was not too big for her to wear.


    ¡°From where did you take that out?¡± Cheng Xuemei was dumbfounded. Her eyesight was greatly improved and was quick, yet she couldn¡¯t even see Tang Xiu¡¯s movements. It was just like magic.


    ¡°The me you knew before was not the real me, if I must say,¡± said Tang Xiu with a calm smile. ¡°But I¡¯ll tell you more when I help you control your power.¡±


    Having said that, he left some orders to Teng Nu and then walked outside. Along the way, due to the changes in Cheng Xuemei¡¯s physique, it was inevitable that she bumped into things here and there. Finally, after coming to the vestige exit which he left intact, he reached out and pressed the button at the junction of the passage.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Cheng Xuemei¡¯s eyes shrunk and looked with amazement at the previously shut passage opening up. The interior inside looked like a cabin with two robots that had already been activated.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Subaquatic Corvette. Well, I christened it, hence the name,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see that we came all the way here smoothly? To be honest with you, the entire base is controlled by me and I set up all the procedures here. As of now, this is the only entrance and exit that is accessible in the entire vestige; the rest have been fully shut. The people from the various countries have already left, so we don¡¯t have a submarine to pick us up. We can only take this Subaquatic Corvette to leave this place.¡±


    ¡°SAY WHAT?¡± Cheng Xuemei screamed and looked at Tang Xiu incredulously.


    Tang Xiu stepped into the Subaquatic Corvette and indifferently said, ¡°No need to fuss over trivial things, alright? You really have shallow knowledge, seems like I gotta send you some popular science magazines later. Also, you can¡¯t be considered as a normal person now, so you must completely change the path that you¡¯ll take in the future.¡±


    Cheng Xuemei wore a complicated look as she stared at Tang Xiu. After she entered the Subaquatic Corvette¡¯s cabin, the exit passage slowly closed again as well as the Subaquatic Corvette¡¯s door.


    Tang Xiu found the controls and quickly inputted a series of instructions. As the Subaquatic Corvette began to cruise along the seabed, Tang Xiu returned to the main cabin. He saw Cheng Xuemei¡¯s complicated expression and then said, ¡°Well, let me re-introduce myself again. I¡¯m Tang Xiu, an immortal cultivator.¡±


    Immortal cultivator?


    Cheng Xuemei shuddered and seemed to realize something all of a sudden, as she quickly asked, ¡°I¡¯ve only heard of Daoist cultivators, never of Immortal cultivators whatsoever.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you don¡¯t know much,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°An Immortal cultivator is, in fact, essentially similar to a Daoist cultivator; that is, we walk on the path of cultivation, though an immortal cultivator is higher in rank compared to a Daoist cultivator. What I am practicing is Immortal Arts, not Daoist Arts.¡±


    Cheng Xuemei suppressed the shock in her heart and nodded. ¡°No wonder you¡¯ve become this powerful. Turns out you¡¯re an Immortal cultivator. I really understand now.¡±

 Chapter 812 - Crushing Torture

    Chapter 812: Crushing Torture


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The Subaquatic Corvette was speedy and cruised under the sea, distancing itself a few thousand nautical miles away from Haiben Island in just a few minutes. After using the probing sensor to check above, it then surfaced near a desolate island.


    ¡°Let¡¯s land here.¡± Tang Xiu stepped out of the hatch and stepped onto the sea¡¯s surface and then onto the island. Cheng Xuemei, who stood in the cabin door, watched in disbelief. Even though she had become an ability user herself, treading on the surface of the water so easily was something she couldn¡¯t possibly do.


    ¡°I¡¯ll come.¡±


    Cheng Xuemei took a deep breath and quickly manipulated the Earth element to condense and form a pathway to the outside of the cabin hatch. She then stepped out and walked along until she came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side.


    ¡°So how are you going to help me?¡±


    Tang Xiu took a pack of gravity suits from his interspatial ring and handed it to Cheng Xuemei. ¡°Put this on and then run around the island. Keep running for two hours without stopping every day. Then, I¡¯ll keep you accompany for sparring. That will allow you to familiarize yourself with your current strength.¡±


    Cheng Xuemei had become accustomed to the unusual things Tang Xiu took out of thin air, so she nodded and put the suit on. The suit was like mech-armor that directly wrapped around her body, yet she was confused and asked, ¡°How does this suit affect me exactly?¡±


    Tang Xiu just let out a pale smile and reached out to her shoulder. Red numbers appeared on it and the digits began to change.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    Cheng Xuemei was shaken as she clearly felt that the suit she was wearing began to become heavier and heavier as the numbers changed. In just ten seconds, she felt like she was being crushed on the ground by the increased gravity, despite her physique being otherwise fine.


    Tang Xiu pressed her shoulder again and the gravity abruptly kept at that level. He then said, ¡°This is a gravity suit and the maximum gravity it can manipulate is to be about 36 times greater. What you¡¯re now enduring is 12 times the usual gravity of Earth. I think this is the limit you can take for now. Try to walk slowly under the gravity pressure and then run afterward. When it seems like your step feels like flying, you¡¯ve completed the first stage.¡±


    ¡°Do I start now?¡± asked Cheng Xuemei, still somewhat in disbelief.


    ¡°Time is money; wasting it is just shameful, no?¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°So, get started now! I¡¯ll be right behind you to supervise you for two hours. Don¡¯t let me down, got it?¡±


    With explosive power in her bones after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, Cheng Xuemei struggled to get up from the ground. She then took a few deep breaths and tried to lift her thighs.


    BAM¡­


    A step was taken under the pressure of twelve times the usual force of gravity, and Cheng Xuemei was still unable to control her own strength. Her body swayed and then fell heavily to the side.


    ¡°GET UP AND CONTINUE!¡±


    BAM¡­


    ¡°GET UP AND CONTINUE!¡±


    BAM¡­


    ¡°GET UP.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It was just simple walking. Cheng Xuemei was like a toddler who had just learned to walk. She tried her best to maintain her balance and attempted to lift her legs, falling again and again and then having to get up one time after another. The process was painful, but she gritted her teeth and persevered.


    An hour and a half later.


    Cheng Xuemei was now panting and wheezing, sweating profusely all over her body with a face flushed red. She even had green veins faintly protruding on her forehead. At this moment in time, she had nearly reached her own limit and overexerted herself, evident by her aching soreness which made it feel like a cushion of needles was pricking her.


    ¡°Huff¡­ huff¡­ c-can I¡­ can I¡­ have¡­ some rest?¡±


    After falling again, Cheng Xuemei didn¡¯t get up immediately but raised her beautiful face and looked at Tang Xiu. A bit of a painful expression could be seen in her eyes along with some hope.


    ¡°No.¡± Tang Xiu flatly rejected the plea and indifferently said, ¡°The tougher time you can endure, the better you¡¯ll be. You need to improve your physical strength to challenge your limits and stimulate your potential. You still have an hour. Persevere!¡±


    Cheng Xuemei clenched her fist and gritted her teeth, struggling hard to get up. Her body was violently trembling which was accompanied with some tears of grievances in her eyes. She kept struggling bitterly to walk step by step. After the effort of working herself to death, she was able to make some progress. At the very least, she could now maintain her balance despite her speed being slower than the average speed of a walking adult.


    After three steps, extreme fatigue engulfed her and she lost her body¡¯s balance again, falling heavily on the ground.


    ¡°Get up,¡± said Tang Xiu coldly, hands folded being his back.


    Tears finally flowed out of Cheng Xuemei¡¯s eyes. She struggled hard to slowly get up again. This time, it took her nearly half a minute to get up.


    Lifting her legs! Stepping forward! And falling! Again, and again.


    After repeating the same action dozens of times, it was about ten minutes away from the end of the two-hour training. She sat down on the ground exhausted, panting and gasping for breath. She tried hard to get up several times, but the aches all over her body were like pricking needles. However, they gradually became numb; even some parts of her body were itching.


    ¡°I¡­ I-I c-can¡¯t -do it¡­ anymore. Please¡­ let me¡­ have¡­ some¡­ rest.¡±


    The firm determination that was previously on her face finally disappeared as her beautiful face was now looking pitiful.


    ¡°If you wanna waste time here, sorry. I cannot and will not accompany you,¡± said Tang Xiu apathetically. ¡°Take a rest if you don¡¯t wanna have full control over your strength, nor become stronger as fast as possible. Cheng Xuemei, you used to be a policewoman and you¡¯re still a capable, strong policewoman in my eyes. At least you dare to accept the mission from the country, braving the risk and facing dangers to go to Japan alone. Hence, I look forward to your future.¡±


    The pitiful expression on Cheng Xuemei¡¯s face slowly disappeared. She angrily glared at Tang Xiu. She knew that Tang Xiu just deliberately goaded her to motivate her, but she still slowly climbed up.


    Stepping forward, and falling again.


    After she experienced three more falls but got up again, the itchiness from some parts of her body was as though being replaced by heat. The heat flow made her feel that the pressure was getting lighter and she was able to walk for seven steps this time before she fell down again, drowning in the warm sensation.


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes. As he saw Cheng Xuemei trying to get up from the ground again, he immediately came over to two steps in front of her. He then took out a chart of the human body¡¯s meridian routes in front of her. He faintly said, ¡°You can have two hours of rest. During this time, however, try your best to clearly memorize the meridian routes on this chart, as well as the position of each acupoint. If you can do that, I¡¯ll teach you a set of immortal cultivation techniques, but if you fail, you¡¯ll have your exercise time increased by half an hour.¡±


    Cheng Xuemei couldn¡¯t help but shiver in fright. It took just two hours to make her feel like she was in hell. If that time were increased for another half hour, the torment would simply kill her!


    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best!¡±


    Whether it was for the set of immortal cultivation techniques or to not have the exercise time increased by half an hour, she firmly made up her mind to try her best to memorize them.


    Two hours later.


    A smile hung on the corners of Tang Xiu¡¯s lips as he inquired, ¡°So¡­ have you memorized it?¡±


    ¡°Time¡¯s up already?¡± Cheng Xuemei looked up and quickly asked.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Cheng Xuemei¡¯s mouth twitched a few times before she bitterly shook her head and said, ¡°The meridian routes and acupoints on the human body¡¯s meridians chart are just too many. I¡­ I can only memorize less than half¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu took out a porcelain vase and threw it in front of Cheng Xuemei and then smilingly said, ¡°Well, for you to memorize nearly half of them is already very good. But you¡¯ll still have a two and a half hour training tomorrow. Also, this porcelain vase has Body Tempering Liquid. Pour a drop of this medicine into some water in the bathtub inside the Subaquatic Corvette. Soak yourself in the water for half an hour, then come out again to begin the next training session.¡±


    Cheng Xuemei opened her mouth, wanting to tell Tang Xiu that she hadn¡¯t rested enough yet. After realizing that Tang Xiu wouldn¡¯t change his mind, however, she could only swallow her anger and crawled to get up from the ground, then she staggeringly walked step by step towards the Subaquatic Corvette.


    At this time, she finally realized that the two hours of gravity pressure training was just a joke to make fun of her. It would take two hours to walk from here to the coastline where the Subaquatic Corvette was anchored, and two hours was also needed for the return journey if she didn¡¯t turn off the increased gravity. It would probably be much longer in a situation where her physical strength hadn¡¯t yet fully recovered.


    ¡®Shameless bastard.¡¯


    Cheng Xuemei cursed inwardly and gritted her teeth on the way back.


    Tang Xiu still stayed closed to Cheng Xuemei and watched her continue to fall and climb up to walk again. The grin on his face was getting wider and wider.


    At last, after spending two and a half hours, Cheng Xuemei and Tang Xiu finally returned to the Subaquatic Corvette. Tang Xiu took the gravity suit off of her and watched her enter the Subaquatic Corvette. He suddenly remembered that Cheng Xuemei had never used the bathing system in the Corvette previously. He had no choice but to follow her inside; he personally turned on the system and prepared a bath for her, poured a drop of Body Tempering Liquid, and then left.


    The following half hour was an even more painful experience for Cheng Xuemei. The changes that the Body Tempering Liquid brought to her constitution resulted in her eyes to show pain, turning them bloodshot.


    ¡®How come I feel comfier now?¡¯


    After having soaked herself, Cheng Xuemei left the bathtub. She got dressed and felt that the soreness and pain had vanished entirely, replaced with a comfortable sensation all over. She could even feel her strength which had been fully spent was quickly recovering.


    Tang Xiu sat in the rest area of the Subaquatic Corvette. Some food had been served on the table in front of him that he took out from the interspatial ring.


    ¡°Well, I changed my mind. Let¡¯s eat first. Enjoy yourself to the food and get four hours of sleep before you start the next training session.¡±


    Cheng Xuemei was indeed starving now. When she saw the food on the table, she immediately dashed and wolfed it down. Then she patted her small belly and belched contentedly.


    ¡°There¡¯s a bed next door; I already made the bedding. I¡¯ll wake you up in four hours.¡± After saying that, Tang Xiu got up and walked towards the cabin hatch of the Subaquatic Corvette.


    ¡°Only four hours?¡±


    Cheng Xuemei snorted discontentedly, but she still quickly walked toward the next room. She realized that the next training session would not be easy, so she needed to take time to rest. She could feel that her control over her own strength had increased a lot from that short training. At the very least, she didn¡¯t lose control and bump into things here and there in her regular activities.

 Chapter 813 - It’s Absolutely Impossible!!!

    Chapter 813: It¡¯s Absolutely Impossible!!!


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Jingmen Island.


    In the dining area of Everlasting Feast Hall, Duanmu Lin held a cup of God¡¯s Nectar and sniffed the fine fragrance of the wine with a love-struck expression on his aging face. Across from him was Gu Xiaoxue in her usual white dress, looking like a flawless celestial maiden as she quietly gazed out the window.


    ¡°This really is the best wine; it really lives up its reputation. Just the taste alone wakes up all the appetite inside my belly. Xue lass, this old man wants to order a batch of God¡¯s Nectar from the Everlasting Feast Hall. It should be fine, right?¡± asked Duanmu Lin smilingly to Gu Xiaoxue.


    Gu Xiaoxue turned back and shook her head. ¡°If you like it, why bother to order God¡¯s Nectar from our Everlasting Feast Hall? Shouldn¡¯t the Magnificent Tang Corporation be the one you should be paying attention to?¡±


    ¡°Well, I really want to order it from the Magnificent Tang Corp. But that kiddo Tang Xiu has too deep of a background that I can¡¯t bully him even if I wanted to.¡± Duanmu Lin couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°That makes me think, though. The Magnificent Tang company should have a deep relation to your Everlasting Feast Hall, so ordering it from you is no different from ordering directly from Magnificent Tang company, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t particularly get what you mean with this ¡®relation¡¯ you just mentioned,¡± replied Gu Xiaoxue with slightly pressed brows.


    ¡°I know the rules of selling this wine which was set up by the Magnificent Tang Corp.,¡± said Duanmu Lin smilingly. ¡°But you can easily obtain this Gods Nectar, meaning you should have a good relationship, right?¡±


    ¡°Then why should this old man ask something you already know?¡± replied Gu Xiaoxue slowly after being silent for a while. ¡°He¡¯s my Grand Master, and I believe I can¡¯t hide this truth from you, can I?¡±


    Duanmu Lin looked at Gu Xiaoxue meaningfully as he nodded and said, ¡°I know that, but what I want to know is who exactly your master is? Who¡¯s the founder of this Everlasting Feast Hall?¡±


    ¡°I might be addressed as Little Boss by the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue. ¡°But if I have to speak about stature, there are at least five people who hold a higher status than me here. In the case that my Master doesn¡¯t want to have any dealings with the country officials, do you think I dare tell you?¡±


    Duanmu Lin squinted his eyes. A gleam flashed in his eyes and they dropped down to the cup of God¡¯s Nectar. At this moment, a stocky man came striding from the staircase and stood in front of Duanmu Lin. He looked at Gu Xiaoxue with vigilance and then whispered near Duanmu Lin¡¯s ear, ¡°We just received the news from Haiben Island. Four out of the five team members who entered the three-star vestige just came out alive. It was the largest number of survivors among the three countries who came out, and also with the most bountiful harvest.¡±


    Duanmu Lin patted the table with excitement on his old face. He hurriedly asked even with Gu Xiaoxue in front of him, ¡°Four people survived? Who died in the vestige?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu,¡± replied the stocky man, no longer deliberately suppressing his voice.


    The excited expression on Duanmu Lin¡¯s face instantly froze, along with disbelief that burst in his eyes. But Gu Xiaoxue, who sat across him and remained indifferent despite being able to clearly hear the dialog between the stocky man and Duanmu Lin, instantly stood up and cried out, ¡°What did you say? Where and why did you say that my Grand Master died?¡±


    The stocky man pressed his brows and kept silent even though he was quite stunned by Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s stunning looks and manners. The gloomy Duanmu Lin, however, waved his hand at the stocky man, and then took a deep breath and said after the latter left, ¡°Is the relationship between Tang Xiu and your Everlasting Feast Hall very close?¡±


    ¡°Grand Master¡¯s life is more important than mine; much more important than the lives of anyone in the Everlasting Feast Hall!¡± replied Gu Xiaoxue frosty.


    Duanmu Lin¡¯s brows were pressed deeper and a sense of restlessness was growing inside his heart. The moment he heard the news that Tang Xiu had died, he knew that this would lead to a very troublesome situation. He could tell that there would be abnormal movements from the Tang Family. If the unfathomable Everlasting Feast Hall also came into the fray, the troubles would probably be even greater than he could imagine.


    Gu Xiaoxue stared deeply at Duanmu Lin and shouted, ¡°Shadow, go and tell Master that Grand Master is in danger! The last location is on Haiben Island.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Only a voice was heard without anyone else seen around, yet there was a ripple in the air momentarily before it returned to normal again.


    Duanmu Lin¡¯s face changed. Although he knew that many people from the Everlasting Feast Hall were martial artists, and some of them even had an unfathomable cultivation level, the person who just replied a moment ago had absolutely terrifying strength. Even those at the level of a martial arts grandmaster did not necessarily possess such a mysterious stealth ability.


    ¡®Is he also an ability user?¡¯


    Duanmu Lin couldn¡¯t help reestimate his evaluation towards the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s true strength.


    ****


    Beijing, the Tang Family ancestral home.


    Tang Guosheng was sitting comfortably on a rattan chair, savoring the fragrant tea in front of him, while Tang Min, who rarely took time off, was chatting with her father.


    ¡°Your grandson is truly talented, Father. He took care of the Qingyuan Group in Mist Source Island with a simple yet decisive action in such a complicated situation. The one who benefitted the most was even his future wife, Mu Wanying. Also, Wanying just returned to Shanghai from Mist Source Island and she called me, saying that she would visit you and mother a few days later,¡± said Tang Min smilingly after chugging down a whole cup of fragrant tea.


    A content smile appeared on Tang Guosheng¡¯s old face as he nodded and said, ¡°When you can benefit, why bother to draw it out? He did handle the issue well, very well. Even if that Mu brat is not happy, it¡¯s not like he can¡¯t find Xiu¡¯er in the future, no? It¡¯s a pity Xiu¡¯er is still too young. If he were eight or ten years older, I would have really wished to pass along the family Head position to him immediately.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he would accept it even if you wanted to pass the torch as the patriarch, father!¡± Tang Min smilingly said, ¡°Besides, how can common people read the mind of those with great minds and ambitions? And to be honest, I really can¡¯t figure out what Xiu¡¯er has been planning in the end, though I¡¯m sure that it¡¯s absolutely beyond our imagination.¡±


    Tang Guosheng couldn¡¯t help but laugh and said, ¡°Don¡¯t exaggerate like that. It can¡¯t be that he still plans to live forever?¡±


    Tang Min¡¯s expression moved and he said with a pale smile, ¡°I think he does have a plan to reach immortality, and still, it¡¯s also within reason. Don¡¯t forget that he¡¯s an immortal cultivator; one who can live very long if his cultivation reaches a very high level.¡±


    The smile on Tang Guosheng¡¯s old face slowly receded. After the long silence, he said in a deep voice, ¡°If he really dares to live forever, then the Tang Family will go all out to sacrifice everything to support him. Immortality, huh¡­ hehe. Even if he can live for a few hundred years, our Tang Family can become the first family in China in the truest sense. We would even be equal to those foreign families who have been reigning for hundreds of years.¡±


    ¡°Well, if Xiu¡¯er can live for hundreds of years, then I¡¯ll follow suit and profit from him too.¡± Tang Min smiled.


    At this moment, the phone on the table buzzed, interrupting Tang Min¡¯s words.


    Tang Guosheng grabbed the mobile and looked at the caller¡¯s name on the screen. His expression suddenly moved and, after picking it up, he said with a smile, ¡°Hey, Duanmu Brother, is the exploration of the three-star vestige done already? Any earth-shaking things that Xiu¡¯er has brought back?¡±


    A bitter voice of Duanmu Lin transmitted, ¡°Tang Xiu. He¡¯s sacrificed himself.¡±


    ¡°WHAT DID YOU SAY?¡±


    Tang Guosheng was stunned and abruptly jumped up from his rattan chair and roared, ¡°DUANMU LIN, STOP YOUR FUCKING NONSENSE! My grandson has great abilities and I know him better than anyone. I dare say the people who can kill him in this world are still not yet born!¡±


    ¡°I just received the news and it¡¯s been verified. All the passages to the three-star vestige have been completely sealed off, whereas the surviving explorers from the vestige are only from three countries. Our Chinese people, Japan, and India,¡± said Duanmu Lin helplessly. ¡°Out of the five members of our team, only four came out alive, only Tang Xiu¡­ he¡­ he didn¡¯t come out. I heard from Zhu Long, the team captain, that after the five of them went deeper into the vestige, Tang Xiu left the team to go alone and they weren¡¯t able to find him again.¡±


    Tang Guosheng gasped a heavy breath twice and angrily shouted, ¡°THAT¡¯S IMPOSSIBLE!!! I absolutely don¡¯t believe that my grandson died in that trivial three-star vestige. Where the hell are you now? I¡¯ll catch up with you immediately.¡±


    Duanmu fell into hesitation for a while but he still answered helplessly, ¡°I¡¯m on the way to Haiben Island. The other countries can¡¯t accept the result of the vestige exploration this time, given the number of survivors, so I need to go there and solve this issue.¡±


    ¡°Haiben Island? Wait for me there¡­¡±


    Tang Guosheng hung up the phone and fiercely kicked the table in front of him, and then roared, ¡°Command all members of the 1st and 2nd Guardian squads to assemble and immediately set off with me to Haiben Island. Tell them that they will go with me and the possibility of returning alive is close to zero!¡±


    In that instant, Tang Min¡¯s face was devoid of blood. She had heard a lot of bad news in life, but none had brought such a huge impact like this one.


    ¡®My nephew¡­ has sacrificed himself and died?¡¯


    ¡®THAT¡¯S IMPOSSIBLE!¡¯


    Tang Min screamed inside and then turned and ran outside. At the same time, two robust and stocky middle-aged men leaped out from the corner of the courtyard and rushed outside without a shred of hesitation.


    Ten minutes later, dozens of cars appeared near the Tang Family¡¯s residence as a tough and stocky man in a black wushu suit boarded the car. Tang Guosheng, accompanied by Tang Min, then strode into another car. With the cars¡¯ doors closed, the dozens of cars roared and headed off.


    All members of the Tang Family everywhere were the first to receive a notification: the old patriarch was furious and flew into a rage due to an unknown reason, but he left with all members of the 1st and 2nd Guardian squads.


    In that instant, all the members of the Tang Family were shocked. Even all of them headed to the Tang Family¡¯s residence without delay. The only thing they knew was that the most secretive 1st and 2nd Guardian squads were the strongest of the guardian forces belonging to the Tang Family and that they were rarely dispatched unless the Tang Family was in a grave situation.


    What was it¡­ what kind of life and death crisis did the Tang Family encounter?


    However, before they had arrived at the Tang Family¡¯s residence, they were informed with more news: the old patriarch has decreed that all the members of the 1st and 2nd Guardian squads will go with him and the chance of returning alive is close to nil.


    ¡°This¡­ is the Decree of Death Warriors!¡±

 Chapter 814 - Do NOT Provoke Them

    Chapter 814: Do NOT Provoke Them


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The Decree of Death Warriors was a kind of special, extraordinary command. Once issued by the Tang Family¡¯s patriarch, it would allow all members of the 1st and 2nd Guardian squads to resign. But those who chose to follow were required to live and die together with the patriarch while facing the grave crisis with almost no chance to survive.


    At this moment in time, all the core members of the Tang Family shuddered. They realized that the Tang Family was now facing a major issue, the fourth life, and the largest crisis since the family had been established.


    Half a day passed by, and all the major forces and important people had received the news of the abnormal movements of the Tang Family. All the leaders of various forces were continuously dispatching intelligence personnel, trying to find out what happened to the Tang Family and why Tang Guosheng assembled a large amount of manpower with great fanfare and left the Tang Family¡¯s residence to depart from Beijing.


    The vast ocean.


    A passenger ship was sailing through the wind and waves towards the Strait of Malacca. Inside a beautifully decorated cabin room, Duanmu Lin frowned deeply. He just received the news from Beijing that Tang Guosheng had assembled a large number of men and rushed outside the capital.


    ¡°Chief, there¡¯s a fishing boat in front. The signals coming from them indicate that they are one of us.¡± A particularly short middle-aged man dressed in wushu suit quickly appeared in the room.


    Duanmu Lin¡¯s expression shifted, and he strode out of the room. When he came to the bow deck, he saw the fishing boat approaching closer with Zhu Long¡¯s team of four standing on it. At this time, however, Duanmu Lin¡¯s mood was very complicated. China could be said to have won an enormous victory and had obtained the most benefits¡ªthat was the reason that left him the most surprised and excited. However, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t come out alive from the three-star vestige, leaving him somewhat sad and helpless.


    ¡°Chief!.¡±


    As the passenger ship and the fishing boat got closer, Zhu Long, Firedevil, Electrolady, and Aquababe jumped onto the liner and respectfully greeted Duanmu Lin as they came in front of him.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done a good job; the results couldn¡¯t be any better.¡± Duanmu Lin nodded and said, ¡°But this is not the time to find out about the booty. Just tell me, how is the situation with Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Can we speak about some pleasant things first, Chief?¡± asked Zhu Long with a bitter smile.


    ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t want to say some pleasant things to you?¡± asked Duanmu Lin back with a helpless expression. ¡°The Tang Family is now restless and ready to move. Tang Guosheng is personally coming here with a lot of manpower to catch up with me. Not to mention there¡¯s someone else, the unfathomable Everlasting Feast Hall. All of these combined will spell some big troubles. I cannot weather the storm if this issue is not handled well.¡±


    ¡°The Tang Family?¡± Zhu Long frowned and said, ¡°What does this have to do with them?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu is Tang Guosheng¡¯s biological grandson. Now tell me if this has no relation?¡± rebuked Duanmu Lin.


    Zhu Long¡¯s expression slightly changed. Even Firedevil, Electrolady, and Aquababe couldn¡¯t help but have a change in expression. They couldn¡¯t care less about the Tang Family had it been in the past. After all, for Elementalists who possessed magical powers like them, no matter how powerful a regular clan was, they were not a threat they needed to be concerned with.


    That was, however, before the Tang Family eliminated Amur Tiger¡ªDongbei Hu. They also rooted out the Yao Family. Therefore, they couldn¡¯t underestimate the Tang Family despite them being ability users. After all, the Amur Tiger was a well-known Daoist cultivator, while the Yao Family housed a lot of experts. From only those instances, it could be seen that the Tang Family definitely had unfathomable accomplishments.


    ¡°What power does this Everlasting Feast Hall have, Chief?? Why haven¡¯t I heard of it before?¡± asked Zhu Long after he collected his mind and took a deep breath.


    ¡°This Everlasting Feast Hall is headquartered in Jingmen Island. It¡¯s just a restaurant with several branches on the surface, but it possesses dreadful forces under the radar,¡± explained Duanmu Lin. ¡°Even from my observations only, this Everlasting Feast Hal has a lot of martial artists, many of whom have strength comparable to at least a martial arts grandmaster. Not to mention its mysterious founder; even I can¡¯t figure out who he is. But¡­¡±


    ¡°But what?¡± asked Zhu Long quickly with a changed expression.


    ¡°The founder of this Everlasting Feast Hall turns out to be Tang Xiu¡¯s disciple,¡± said Duanmu Lin helplessly.


    Hiss (Hiss)¡­


    Zhu Long and the rest gasped at the same time.


    After a long while, Zhu Long said in a hurry, ¡°If so, this Everlasting Feast Hall is actually the extension of the Tang Family¡¯s power?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what makes me a little uneasy.¡± Duanmu Lin shook his head. ¡°The Everlasting Feast Hall is not the extension of the Tang Family¡¯s power at all. I¡¯ve been dispatching people to investigate it for a long time, yet they didn¡¯t find any link that they were related in any way. If there¡¯s any link, it¡¯s Tang Xiu himself who has this connection.¡±


    Suddenly, a surge of aura blotted out the sky, covering up the earth and pressing down. The dozens of ability users on the passenger ship, including Duanmu Lin and Zhu Long¡¯s team of four, had their complexions considerably change. They felt like a great mountain was pressing down above their heads. They couldn¡¯t even last for a half second before they knelt on the floor and used their arms to support themselves.


    As though a celestial maiden descending from the Ninth Heaven to Earth, Gu Yan¡¯er appeared in her usual white dress from head to toe. Yet, she still looking indistinctly mature in temperament. The moment she appeared on the liner deck with Gu Xiaoxue, not even Duanmu Lin, who was a very powerful ability user, could lift his head due to the suppressing aura.


    ¡°I¡¯m Gu Yan¡¯er. Tang Xiu¡¯s disciple and his most loved apprentice. The Everlasting Feast Hall is just a small business that I casually built.¡±


    Tempestuous waves raged inside Duanmu Lin¡¯s heart, along with deep, intense fear. He was very powerful; even the murdered Amur Tiger was not necessarily his opponent if he had to fight him. Yet, the strength of this person who just arrived was beyond his imagination.


    He wanted to look up, but discovered that the pressing aura had imprisoned him. Regardless of how much power he tried to exert out, he couldn¡¯t even lift his head in the slightest. He wanted to speak, but found that he could make no sound come out of his throat¡ªhis throat wasn¡¯t even able to twitch.


    He felt like he was nothing but an ant, whereas this newly arrived person was the embodiment of a vast, great mountain.


    A bit of anger, somehow with a hint of a menacing intent, filled Gu Yan¡¯er eyes. After restraining her erupting aura, she gently reached out as a stream of qi suddenly grabbed Duanmu Lin¡¯s neck, lifting him up to hang in front of her, as she grimly spoke, ¡°Tell me everything about how and why my Master entered the three-star vestige. Any lies and I¡¯ll kill all of you!¡±


    Duanmu Lin struggled hard a few times but found that he couldn¡¯t break free. In desperation, he could only grab the stream of qi and difficultly spoke, ¡°It was I indeed who asked Tang Xiu to join the three-star vestige exploration. But I never expected him to be in danger. The other four who explored the three-star vestige are my subordinates, and they probably can explain in more detail than I can.¡±


    With a flick of her finger, Gu Yan¡¯er threw Duanmu Lin on the deck and then looked at Zhu Long¡¯s team of four and asked with a cold and detached voice, ¡°Is that you?¡±


    The four people climbed up from the deck, shivering in fear. Although they were shocked by Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s otherworldly beauty, they didn¡¯t dare to have any profane thoughts. Zhu Long respectfully bowed and saluted before he spoke with a ghastly pale expression, ¡°Senior, we did join in the exploration of three-star vestige with Tang Xiu. What happened is like this¡­¡±


    After the narration from Zhu Long, only then did Gu Yan¡¯er figure out the whole matter clearly. Afterward, she coldly glanced at Duanmu Lin and chillingly said, ¡°You¡¯re all just a bunch of gifted people favored by the heavens, trivial nobodies who happen to possess minor abilities but are unaware of the immensity of Heaven and Earth. For my Master to be willing to explore that three-star vestige with you is some good luck. Carve my words in your mind, do NOT investigate our Everlasting Feast Hall ever again in the future; do not bother with our existence. We don¡¯t care about politics, nor do we want to get involved with any countries. In my eyes, the most important thing of all is my Master, and for anyone who dares to disturb him and trouble us, I don¡¯t mind to destroy them all.¡±


    Having said that, she took Gu Xiaoxue and instantly disappeared from the liner deck.


    The shock Duanmu Lin had inside refused to dissipate for a very long time. He stared at the spot where Gu Yan¡¯er just stood. He wanted to say something, but no words could represent what he wanted to say.


    Finally, Zhu Long spoke with a complicated look, ¡°Chief, do you believe that there are celestial immortals in this world?¡±


    Slowly turning his head, Duanmu Lin still stayed silent for a while before replying with a bitter expression, ¡°I refused to believe that such an existence existed previously. But now¡­ I have to believe it!¡±


    ¡°But Chief, this Gu Yan¡¯er claimed that she¡¯s Tang Xiu¡¯s disciple, but we have witnessed Tang Xiu¡¯s strength ourselves. He¡¯s indeed powerful, but compared to this Gu Yan¡¯er, the gap is like a great abyss. It¡¯s just, how does he line up, exactly?¡± said Zhu Long. ¡°Also, I kind of guess that this Gu Yan¡¯er should be a Daoist cultivator and one with an extremely horrifying cultivation level, so then¡­ is Tang Xiu also a Daoist cultivator?¡±


    ¡°You guessed it right; Tang Xiu is indeed a Daoist cultivator.¡± Duanmu Lin nodded and said, ¡°This is also the chief reason why I invited him to join the exploration of the three-star vestige. Legends have it that cultivators who have reached the apotheosis of their cultivations must face a Heavenly Tribulation. If they successfully cross that tribulation, they can break the shackles and tear the voids to ascend to a higher plane that is the Immortal World. I used to think that this legend is nothing but a myth, a fairy tale no less. Now it seems that it is highly likely to be true.¡±


    Hiss¡­


    Zhu Long and the three others gasped the cold air at the same time. They thought that if Duanmu Lin¡¯s speculations were proven to be accurate, the Everlasting Feast Hall was absolutely a terrifying existence. Even if they wanted to dominate the whole Earth, wouldn¡¯t it be just a piece of cake for them?


    No! If Tang Xiu wanted to rule the whole Earth now, wouldn¡¯t it be very easy for him?


    They recalled Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s dreadful power and remembered Tang Xiu¡¯s position as claimed by Gu Yan¡¯er herself. The already intense dread they felt deep down grew to the extreme. If Tang Xiu truly had such a thought, then they¡­


    Likewise, Duanmu Lin had the same concern inside. But what made him feel better was the explicit statement from Gu Yan¡¯er a while ago that she couldn¡¯t care less about politics, nor did she want to get involved with the country.


    And Tang Xiu himself seemed like he was not one who housed such an ambition either, else he might really become the Lord of China if he so wished to, wouldn¡¯t he?


    Countless thoughts swirled inside Duanmu Lin¡¯s mind. After a long time passed and with calmness in his eyes, he looked at the dozens of fearful ability users, his subordinates, and then said, ¡°Convey my commands: anyone from any department must not provoke Tang Xiu, the Everlasting Feast Hall, the Magnificent Tang Corporation, and lastly, the Tang Family of Beijing!¡±

 Chapter 815 - Choosing to Believe

    Chapter 815: Choosing to Believe


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Amid the roaring waves in the vast sea.


    Gu Yan¡¯er suppressed her cultivation to a very low level. Despite her massive strength, the strength she exposed in front of Duanmu Lin and his people was but only 1% of her aura, yet she now faintly detected a fluctuation of Heavenly Dao and the threat it brought to her.


    Flying high in the air, she kept spreading her spiritual sense. Even under the pressure of the Heavenly Dao, her spiritual sense could still cover a range of a thousand nautical miles.


    ¡°Did Grand Master really meet some dangers, Master?¡±


    There was a concern in Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s eyes, a reflection of the restlessness in her heart. She herself didn¡¯t realize that her anxiousness about Tang Xiu¡¯s situation had caused a problem in her heart which had been hardened over the years¡ªshe indeed was utterly upset.


    ¡°I believe in him. He will always have a way to live even if the whole Earth is destroyed because he¡¯s my Master,¡± answered Gu Yan¡¯er coldly.


    The answer slightly calmed Gu Xiaoxue down. ¡°So, are we heading straight to the three-star vestige? Are you able to reopen it?¡±


    ¡°I know some technological civilizations in the universe that have developed their powers to the apex. I also know that they boast about very powerful armed forces. This three-star civilization is nothing but a weak existence in the universe; even I would have been able to destroy this three-star civilization with a flick of my finger during my prime,¡± said Gu Yan¡¯er calmly.


    Gu Xiaoxue shuddered and asked about the last thing she was worried about, ¡°But what about your body, can you shoulder it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine in a short time. Don¡¯t worry!¡± Gu Yan¡¯er calmly nodded.


    Suddenly, her expression moved and she grabbed Gu Xiaoxue to pick up their speed, flying towards the southeast for a thousand miles and then appearing on a desolate island in just a few breaths.


    On the island at this moment.


    Tang Xiu kept fending off Cheng Xuemei¡¯s attack without much effort. Although Cheng Xuemei¡¯s strength had progressed rapidly, she couldn¡¯t pose a threat to Tang Xiu at all. Cheng Xuemei was already sweating at this moment, gnashing her teeth and attacking with all the strength she had. If she kept attacking to such a degree, she would end up exhausting herself and at least fall down in a few minutes.


    ¡°Stop.¡±


    Tang Xiu instantly dodged Cheng Xuemei¡¯s attack and appeared to her side. His right hand heavily pressed her shoulder, as his eyes looked toward Gu Yan¡¯er and Gu Xiaoxue who appeared nearby.


    ¡°How did you come here?¡±


    A delighted look appeared on Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s stunningly beautiful face when she saw Tang Xiu. She rushed over like an arrow and called out, ¡°You¡¯re fine, Grand Master! That¡¯s great. That¡¯s really great!¡±


    Tang Xiu was baffled and his gaze shifted from Gu Xiaoxue to Gu Yan¡¯er. Releasing Cheng Xuemei¡¯s shoulder, he inquired, ¡°What exactly happened?¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er paced a step and stood in front of Tang Xiu with a smile on her beautiful face. She swiftly coiled her hand around Tang Xiu¡¯s and explained, ¡°It¡¯s because of the damn nonsense from your country¡¯s Ability Users Bureau, that old fogey Duanmu Lin. He said that you died sacrificing yourself in the three-star vestige. Hence, we prepared and rushed here. But it never occurred to me that you would actually be flirting with this beauty here.¡±


    Tang Xiu could sniff Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s unique scent and let her hold his arm and smilingly said, ¡°Duanmu Lin spat out some gibberish, but why did you follow his rubbish? By the way, let me introduce you. This is Cheng Xuemei, a friend I got acquainted with back when I regained my consciousness. She took part in three-star vestige exploration on behalf of Japan due to some special reasons. She had some adventures which ended up being a fortuitous encounter¡ªa situation where she inherited the memory and power of some sentient plants. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t control the sudden surge in power, so earlier I took some time to train her and help her control her power.¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er caught the gist instantly and then nodded to Cheng Xuemei with a smile. ¡°Would you like me to help you train her, Master?¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t answer but asked back, ¡°You came out all this way, what about your injury?¡±


    ¡°Well, it won¡¯t be a big problem going out for a short time, just a loss in some recovery time, no more,¡± lightly smiled Gu Yan¡¯er. ¡°But I¡¯d only be relieved as long as you¡¯re fine.¡±


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and slowly shook his head and said, ¡°No. The sooner you get healed, the earlier I can get peace of mind. You don¡¯t need to worry; there¡¯ll be no problem for me here! Just listen to me. Return to Jingmen Island immediately and recuperate well. I¡¯ll go to visit you in Jingmen Island after helping Cheng Xuemei control her power.¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er gave it a thought and suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯m going back, but let Xiaoxue stay to help you, then! She has been improving very quickly recently¡ªjust a step away from breaking through to the Golden Core stage. Maybe following you will speed up her breakthrough as well.¡±


    Tang Xiu turned to look at Gu Xiaoxue who had a look of anticipation on her face, before he nodded and answered, ¡°Might as well. Let¡¯s let Xiaoxue stay, then.¡±


    Though she said she was leaving, Gu Yan¡¯er didn¡¯t look like she wanted to leave at all. What was in her eyes when she looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s handsome appearance was that there was nothing in the world but Tang Xiu.


    Looking at her expression, however, Tang Xiu felt somewhat helpless inside. She rushed out to catch up with him because she was worried, thus sending her back immediately didn¡¯t feel right. Tang Xiu could only choose to look at Gu Xiaoxue, and he spoke, ¡°Since you¡¯ve come, help spar with Cheng Xuemei until she¡¯s too exhausted to get up. Also, let her rest for two hours before starting the running session. She knows how to tenacious.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Gu Xiaoxue gently nodded.


    Tang Xiu then took Gu Xiaoxue to the Subaquatic Corvette and took out some stored fruits from his interspatial ring. He then said with a faint smile, ¡°Have some of these fruits and let¡¯s have a chat for a while, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Alrighty.¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er took the fruit without hesitation, condensing a bulb of water in front of her to directly wash the fruit. She then waved to disperse the floating water, and smilingly said, ¡°You have to have some bites of this apple too, Master.¡±


    On the barren island.


    Cheng Xuemei¡¯s expression was complicated as she looked at the backs of Tang Xiu and Gu Yan¡¯er leaving. She tried to call Tang Xiu out a few times but couldn¡¯t get herself to do so every time. The more she got to know Tang Xiu, the more he became incomprehensible, mysterious, and unfathomable.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start now!¡± Gu Xiaoxue smiled and calmly watched Cheng Xuemei.


    Cheng Xuemei nodded without a word. Two Earth dragons instantly rushed out and wrapped Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s bare feet. The Earth element energy gathered from all directions and then formed a series of Earth spikes that shot out at Gu Xiaoxue. At the same time, Cheng Xuemei dashed like an arrow towards her, and she complimented the move with a barrage of seemingly light flying punches which actually contained enormous power.


    Unfortunately, Cheng Xuemei, who thought that she could easily knock down the girl in front of her after resting and recovering for a few minutes, had to face a result that made her expression greatly change.


    Gu Xiaoxue shook her legs and burst out with them instantly. In nearly a flash, the two soil dragons were shattered and lost their binding effect, whereas the Earth spikes from all directions were also blasted away by Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s waves.


    ¡°Pop¡­¡±


    Cheng Xuemei¡¯s punch was easily caught by Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s hand. The latter lightly pushed it, yet that was still able to send Cheng Xuemei staggering backward a few meters before she finally stabilized her body.


    ¡°So powerful.¡±


    It was all a shock to Cheng Xuemei, for she never imagined that the much younger Gu Xiaoxue actually had such imposing power. Although her attack power was only at 60 to 70 percent of her peak power, it was equal to child¡¯s play in front of her opponent.


    ¡°Continue!¡± lightly smiled Gu Xiaoxue.


    Cheng Xuemei gritted her teeth and began attacking again.


    A few minutes later, Cheng Xuemei weakly slumped to the ground. She then watched Gu Xiaoxue, who stayed spotless, not even have dirt on her. The soil dragons didn¡¯t even leave any stains on her white dress, meaning that she had completely lost. Xuemei then inquired, ¡°Are all Immortal cultivators so powerful like you? I just can¡¯t help but think. My power has rapidly increased by dozens of times, but I can¡¯t even hit Tang Xiu at all, and I even feel much worse after sparring with you.¡±


    ¡°Your strength is not that weak actually,¡± replied Gu Xiaoxue with a smile. ¡°But you seem to be unable to fully utilize your power. Grand Master said that you have figure out a way to control and utilize your power, so I¡¯ll be your instructor and sparring partner for the next few days.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± replied Cheng Xuemei gratefully.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank me. I¡¯m just doing what Grand Master has ordered me to do,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue with a smile. ¡°He¡¯s the one you should be thankful to. Alright, then, what drill should I train you with next?¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡± Cheng Xuemei couldn¡¯t help but chuckle and said, ¡°Please let me rest for now. I¡¯m too exhausted.¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue hesitated but then nodded and said, ¡°Alright. Then have some rest first!¡±


    Cheng Xuemei slowly sat cross-legged and took out the human body meridian chart from her pocket, then she began to seriously memorize each meridian and acupoint.


    ¡°That thing you have¡­¡± interjected Gu Xiaoxue, surprised.


    Cheng Xuemei looked up and replied, ¡°Tang Xiu said he¡¯ll impart me a set of immortal cultivation techniques if I can memorize all the meridians and acupoints on this human body chart.


    Gu Xiaoxue suddenly understood and smilingly said, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I congratulate and welcome you for joining us.¡±


    ¡°Joining you? What do you mean?¡± asked Cheng Xuemei curiously.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that Grand Master didn¡¯t tell you that once you learn an immortal cultivation technique from him then you¡¯ll become a member of Everlasting Feat Hall?¡± asked Gu Xiaoxue in surprise.


    ¡°Nope. He didn¡¯t say anything.¡± Cheng Xuemei shook her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine if he didn¡¯t say it,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue smilingly. ¡°But to put it shortly, you must remember that your background and foundation is that of our Everlasting Feast Hall. We forbid any forms of betrayal, and you must obey the commands from the high-stature members of the Everlasting Feast Hall. Of course, the most distinguished person in our Everlasting Feast Hall is Grand Master himself.¡±


    Cheng Xuemei fell silent for a while before she answered slowly, ¡°I was once a policewoman, and now a member of the Ability Users Bureau. I haven¡¯t thought about joining the Everlasting Feast Hall, and the leaders of my Ability Users Bureau won¡¯t agree to it.¡±


    A trace of disdain appeared on Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s face as she said indifferently, ¡°Will the Ability Users Bureau¡¯s people even have the guts to disagree? You know, we ran into those of the Ability Users Bureau. I don¡¯t know what status that old fogey surnamed Duanmu has in the Ability Users Bureau. But he¡¯ll absolutely not dare to be an enemy of the Everlasting Feast Hall in his entire life.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± asked Cheng Xuemei, puzzled.


    ¡°If Master wishes to, she could destroy the entire Ability Users Bureau with a flick of her finger,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue with a pale smile, ¡°Grand Master only needs to nod and we¡¯ll wipe off all the Elementalists of the Ability Users Bureau in the blink of an eye. Just a while ago, those dozens of ability users were only able to kneel before my Master; they weren¡¯t even able to lift their heads.¡±

 Chapter 816 - Conflict at the Sea

    Chapter 816: Conflict at the Sea


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Although Gu Yan¡¯er wanted to stay with Tang Xiu for a while, she was, after all, being plagued with her injury and finally left despite no matter how reluctant she was. Tang Xiu himself directly passed the task of training Cheng Xuemei to Gu Xiaoxue and then stayed inside the Subaquatic Corvette to cultivate silently.


    In the blink of an eye, Tang Xiu and Cheng Xuemei were on the island for the third day. Tang Xiu was unaware that hundreds of nautical miles from his location, two passenger ships boarded by Tang Guosheng and the members of the 1st and 2nd Guardian squads of the Tang Family were sailing through the winds and waves towards the Strait of Malacca.


    The sea was rough and full of turbulent waves, yet Tang Guosheng stood straight on the front deck of the liner. His eyes sparkled, yet they were cold and frosty. The bad news from Duanmu Lin was nearly impossible for him to accept. He was determined to find his grandson, Tang Xiu, even if he had to annihilate that underwater vestige. He must see his grandson if he lived, but even if his grandson was dead, he also must see his dead body.


    ¡°Report!¡± A loud voice came outside the door.


    Tang Min, who was behind Tang Guosheng, opened the door and then saw the 1st Guardian squad captain, Tang Rong, there. She then asked with a deep voice, ¡°Any issues?¡±


    ¡°We spotted a fleet through our telescope, to our front on the left. Two cruisers, a destroyer, and a medium-sized passenger ship. Judging from the sign on the ships¡¯ hull, it should be the France fleet,¡± reported Tang Rong.


    Tang Guosheng turned around and looked at Tang Rong who was about to head out, and asked, ¡°According to the information from Duanmu Lin, the France team that entered three-star vestige was completely annihilated inside, is that right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tang Rong nodded quietly.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to contact them since the France team members all died,¡± said Tang Guosheng coldly. ¡°Do proceed with caution and stay alert, however. Those French failed to get anything good this time and are likely to be displeased right now. Be careful of any provocations they might send us.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Tang Rong nodded discreetly. He then turned around and walked outside. Just as he had walked a few steps, a youth came running towards him and said in a heavy voice, ¡°Captain, the liner ship from the France fleet separated from the rest of the fleet and is now racing towards our position.¡±


    ¡°Notify everyone. Avoid that liner as much as possible and do not engage them. We¡¯ll change the plan if they keep chasing us,¡± ordered Tang Rong in a deep voice.


    More than 20 minutes later.


    Although the two liners of the Tang Family had deviated from the planned route and were about to take a detour to avoid the other party, the latter still attempted to intercept the two passenger ships. Therefore, Tang Guosheng personally came to the pilothouse. Although he didn¡¯t want to get into trouble, trouble had come knocking his door. His character was someone who never gave second chances as he ordered in a deep voice, ¡°Open communication with them and ask them what they really want!¡±


    After a while, Tang Rong reported with a grim face, ¡°Patriarch, the other party asked us to stop sailing and demanded to inspect our ships.¡±


    Killing intent burst out in Tang Guosheng¡¯s eyes as he growled, ¡°This is international waters! What rights do those French liners have to inspect us? Tell them to leave at once; else we will take it as a provocation and attack!¡±


    Tang Rong concurred and communicated with the other party. After it was finally determined that the other party had no goodwill toward them, Tang Guosheng fell silent for a few seconds and ordered the ship to stop. As the other party¡¯s liner approached, Tang Guosheng appeared on the deck with more than a dozen of people.


    After he came there, he clearly saw more that more than a dozen people were similarly standing on the other passenger ship, led by a stocky man whose face was completely covered with a hood and who wore a sheathed saber on his waist. The rest of the more than a dozen people at his side were also armed with cold weapons, most of which were sabers and longswords


    ¡°Prepare for battle.¡±


    Tang Guosheng might be old, but he was still a decisive man. He immediately issued the command upon seeing the weapons carried by the other party.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Four figures streaked forward from the other liner with breakneck speed. They were just like launched arrows; they traversed over twenty meters without borrowing any power as they straightly arrived in front of Tang Guosheng. At the moment when the four of them made a defensive stance, the stocky leader soared mid-air to fly and then stood in front of the four men in just a breath.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ Chinese, huh?¡± the strong man coldly snorted with more killing intent in his eyes.


    Tang Guosheng looked at the stocky man as if he was facing a formidable enemy and said in a deep voice, ¡°We¡¯re Chinese indeed. You French didn¡¯t get anything good from the three-star vestige and are now running amok and giving us trouble? You¡¯re really asking for death!¡±


    The stocky man replied mockingly, ¡°I never thought that you would know about the three-star vestige. Seems like you have quite the stature! Maybe those four Chinese who came out from the three-star vestige are hiding in your ship.¡±


    ¡°Hiding?¡± Tang Guosheng sneered, ¡°Why should our Chinese experts need to hide?¡±


    ¡°Since you don¡¯t need to hide anything, then why do you look like you¡¯re hiding something?¡± retorted the stocky man scornfully. ¡°Take them out and hand over the things they obtained from the three-star vestige and I¡¯ll keep your bodies intact. Else, don¡¯t blame me for being ruthless when I completely annihilate all the people on your two ships.¡±


    ¡°Depending on you?¡± Tang Rong paced a few steps forward and heavily punched the stocky man.


    He was an elite expert trained by the Tang Family since childhood and had broken through to the level of martial arts grandmaster at the age of 35, and then he retired from the army. After over a year of cultivation, he reached the peak of a martial arts grandmaster six months ago, and was sent to the Everlasting Feast Hall where he finally broke through to a higher level after some inhumane training. At present, he was comparable to a middle-stage Qi Refining expert.


    Faint surprise could be seen flashing in the stocky man¡¯s eyes. A burst of flames suddenly formed as he raised his hands and threw the flames forward to clash with Tang Rong¡¯s heavy punch.


    BOOM¡­


    Tang Rong¡¯s complexion greatly changed. The blazing heat caused his fist to turn red the moment his punch clashed with the flame. The two fire dragons broke free from the flame and moved along his arm to blast his chest.


    One strike and Tang Rong who was at the middle-stage Qi Refining expert was heavily blown and severely injured by his opponent.


    The stocky man didn¡¯t continue attacking after winning the bout but arrogantly mocked, ¡°You still want to strike me with just that trivial strength of yours? You¡¯ve bitten off more than you can chew. I already warned you before. Hand over the things you got from the three-star vestige, else I¡¯ll butcher every one of you!¡±


    Tang Guosheng¡¯s expression drastically changed. Never did he expect that this stocky man turned out to be an Elementalist, even a horrifyingly powerful one. All the experts he brought today were the strongest armed forces of the Tang Family. Among them, Tang Rong was ranked among the best.


    Yet, Tang Rong was so easily defeated and was heavily injured by them?


    At this time, Tang Guosheng felt somewhat bitter inside. What was his stature? Apart from the Amur Tiger before, when and where had he been forced to eat such bitter abuse?


    ¡°FATHER!¡±


    Tang Min led two men and two women as they appeared next to Tang Guosheng with a bit of worry on her face. She propped up Tang Rong first and then looked at Tang Guosheng.


    Tang Guosheng inhaled deeply but didn¡¯t pay attention to Tang Min. Instead, he stared at the stocky man and said, ¡°You¡¯re indeed very powerful, but what about the rest of your people? Are they as powerful as you? I have a similar number of experts on my two ships, no less than you. You want to eradicate us, but are you sure your men can last to the end?¡±


    ¡°You? Causing heavy losses for us? Just depending on you? Hahaha¡­¡± the stocky man mocked, ¡°When did you Chinese learn shit to scare people with, huh?¡±


    ¡°Do I need to say anything just to scare you people?¡± spat back Tang Guosheng coldly. ¡°If you really think so, bring it on! It¡¯s the high seas here; it will be easy to destroy the corpses and leave no trace. I really want to see who will be utterly annihilated¡ªme, or your men!¡±


    The stocky man looked hesitant. Although he was very confident about his men, the enemy he just fought was by no means weak. At least, there were only three people among his men who were stronger than that man. If these Chinese had many people stronger than the man he just fought, easily killing them was out of the question.


    ¡°I want to get the things you Chinese obtained from the three-star vestige, not to kill you. Hand them over, and we¡¯ll leave immediately.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to say that you¡¯ve found the wrong people. Even if we do have those things, I would never hand them over to you,¡± replied Tang Guosheng in a deep voice.


    The stocky man was silent for a moment and then said slowly, ¡°If so, then I¡¯ll take a step back. Divide the things you¡¯ve obtained equally with us. We can share it if its technological products. Old man, this is the most I can offer you; don¡¯t even try to challenge it.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure we have some items from three-star vestige?¡± asked Tang Guosheng.


    ¡°I am sure.¡± answered the stocky man bluntly.


    Tang Guosheng took a deep breath, then stepped back a few steps and roared, ¡°Everyone, listen to me! If these people dare to attack us, strike back at once! We already planned to go out without hoping to come back. If we must die today, we shall die! But we must drag them to the hell with us!¡±


    ¡°YES!¡±


    Tens of members of the 1st and 2nd Guardian squads of the Tang Family appeared from the cabin one after another for a total of 62 people, but 61 that could enter the fight. Tang Guosheng was also aware of the two men and two women brought by Tang Min. He knew that these people were very powerful as they were experts Tang Xiu sent to protect the Tang Family.


    ¡°You fucking old shit!¡±


    The stocky man cursed furiously and raised his hand. Two fire dragons instantly formed in his hands as he paced forward and waved his arms, sending the aggressive fire dragons to flush forward towards Tang Guosheng.

 Chapter 817 - Fierce Battle at High Seas

    Chapter 817: Fierce Battle at High Seas


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Guosheng¡¯s countenance changed and Tang Min was flustered. She hastily ran to the front of Tang Guosheng and shouted, ¡°KILL THEM!¡±


    The two men and two women who had been standing behind Tang Min moved in a flash. One of the women instantly appeared in front of Tang Min and released a dreadful aura. The longsword she always carried in the scabbard on her back was jettisoned upward immediately. The moment she brandished it, she created a layer of swaying sword images.


    A storm blasted out in a flash, which simulated the water to billow upward from both sides of the liner.


    The rolling, billowing waves were accompanied by layers of sword images that instantly swept across the two fire dragons. The stocky man only felt darkness in front of him as his two fire dragons were torn apart and shattered by the bombardment, creating splashes of flame everywhere. Yet, the oncoming sword images were still on their path to strike him head-on. His pupils shrunk and he forcefully pushed his hands forward.


    ¡°Wall of Fire!¡±


    Layers of overlapping flames rapidly coagulated and stretched densely like a cobweb, eventually forming a thick wall of fire. The rolling flame kept flowing and was injected into the wall of fire when it then pressed forward toward the sword images.


    BOOM!


    The stocky man shook and staggered while backing up in that instant. At the moment when the two streams of fire formed above the sea, he flew back to their passenger liner. The four French ability users behind him, however, unleashed their powers one after another, forming a whistling cyclone which was entangled with water arrows. The two powers complemented each other, causing their speed to increase to the max, and they aggressively strode forward at the moment when the wall of fire was destroyed.


    Blast¡­


    The four people were thrown back upside down by the rolling waves. But at the moment when they were blown away, several strops of wind were released by the Wind Elementalist on the passenger liner behind them, wrapping their bodies and taking them back to their liner deck.


    The middle-aged woman who just brandished the sword paced back for three steps in order to stabilize herself. Her sharp eyes were tightly locked on the stocky man and she sneered, ¡°Hmph, such weak ability users, yet you dare to waylay in broad daylight? Surely not all Frenchmen are as wild and unbridled as you?¡±


    The stocky man¡¯s expression turned a bit ugly, and he likewise glared back at the middle-aged woman and growled, ¡°Who the hell are you? What power did you just use, and how can it be that powerful?¡±


    The middle-aged woman just sneered in response and ignored him. Instead, she looked at the surprised Tang Min and nodded at her, then returned to her previous position behind.


    ¡°Do the others have similar strength as you?¡± asked Tang Min hurriedly.


    ¡°More or less, yes,¡± answered the middle-aged woman.


    ¡°If the four of you join forces, can you kill their leader?¡± asked Tang Min once again.


    ¡°I would need some major effort to do so if it¡¯s me alone, but the collateral damage would destroy the ship. If two of us join forces, it would be enough to eliminate him. And he would never leave this sea again even if he had two lives if the four of us join hands.¡± The middle-aged woman nodded.


    ¡°Then what are you waiting for? Just kill them immediately, these French are really screwed!¡± said Tang Min excitedly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t act for now,¡± said Tang Guosheng quickly. ¡°They have too many people and their strength is not something to scoff at. I¡¯ll tell them to retreat first; it wouldn¡¯t be too late for you to act if they refuse.¡±


    The power of the middle-aged woman sent by his grandson, Tang Xiu, truly shocked him. He thought that Tang Xiu had neglected these people. It made Tang Guosheng instantly remember that his grandson told him that all core members of the Everlasting Feast Hall were Daoist cultivators.


    At this time, he looked at the Elementalists on the enemy¡¯s ship. His fear and dread were no longer there as he lifted his head up and stared at the stocky man. He then shouted heavily, ¡°This is your last warning. BACK OFF AT ONCE! Else I will fulfill the threats you gave me, but on you!¡±


    Although the stocky man was a bit perplexed, he was fearless. He still had some deadly cards up his sleeve, so he boisterously laughed at the warning. ¡°Hmph, you wanna scare us away by depending on that old hag? Old man, your old fossil head seems to have been kicked by a donkey, wasn¡¯t it? Waterflood, your turn.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    A hot, voluptuous woman with a willow-like slender waist and provocative attire paced a few steps forward. With the sound of delicate laughter, drizzles suddenly began to pour down from the sky. At the same time, six men and women in azure attire and holding various types of weapons, came from behind her and rose in the air.


    Around the liner they were boarding, the already billowing sea surface suddenly became more violent and the wind increased in intensity. Then, water columns shot up to the sky for a total of 72 pillars, and they absorbed the drizzles around them amid their extreme rotations.


    ¡°Be careful. Don¡¯t let the ship be flipped over!¡±


    Tang Min, who was standing on the deck, swayed a few times.


    In that instant, the four men and women who had longswords on their backs flashed forward like shooting shells and instantly appeared on the ship in front. Their four longswords were immediately spinning and mixing with each other, instantly forming a Four Divisions Sword Array. This was followed by a burst of horrifying aura which caused the increasingly dense water columns around them to become slightly distorted.


    ¡°Sword Shadows¨CLightstream!¡±


    An overwhelming sword light that blotted out the sky howled forward towards the enemy ship. The four figures behind the sword light then stirred up the void in the surroundings and formed an exceptional dark space. The seemingly alive water columns were rushing to attack them, but the violently spinning sword light gradually turned the sea into a terrifying space of endless heavy rain.


    ****


    Ten thousand meters away from the battle scene.


    A cargo ship was floating on the sea, containing a man and a woman dressed in black tuxedos standing atop its roof. The man was tall and handsome yet forceful, while the woman was tender and charming. They were looking at the sea in the distance as though they were able to see through the void. They turned out to be watching the scene of the battle over 10,000 meters away.


    ¡°If my guess is correct, those four should be the Chinese legendary Daoist ascetics, Dorot. Only those kinds of people would be able to unleash such a powerful combat power,¡± said the delicate and pretty woman with a smile as she teased the hair on her temple with her lily-white hands, adding a mature charm to her femininity.


    ¡°Hmph, they are the so-called Chinese ascetics indeed,¡± snorted Dorot. ¡°I once met a brat who was stronger than those four. But that brat was too wild and arrogant, so my Master and his senior brother joined hands to kill him. I wouldn¡¯t have let my Master die at that time due to his heavy injuries if I had possessed my current strength.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± The belle shook her head and said, ¡°Your Master used to be a very powerful ability user in our country, the United States. He also participated in the Crusaders¡¯ eastern expedition; even currently, you are not as good as he once was. Though he passed away due to his severe injuries, you still wouldn¡¯t be able to replace the version of him when he died. In any case, those French ability users are quite capable, like that Waterflood I¡¯m quite acquainted with. I once fought and defeated her, and I know that the six behind her are all ability users of the water attribute. Their combined abilities lead to a drastic increase in power¡ªmore than tenfold. So, what do you think? Who will win the showdown in the end, the Chinese or those French Elementalists?¡±


    ¡°No matter who is stronger or weaker, they will not be the ones who will be the final winner,¡± said Dorot apathetically. ¡°Those French didn¡¯t get anything in three-star vestige, but those Chinese obtained quite a lot. We can¡¯t do anything to them on Haiben Island, but here¡­. We have to get the things they obtained from the three-star vestige.¡±


    The delicate belle smilingly replied, ¡°Let me do it, but know that you¡¯ll still have to pay the price.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. I know what you want.¡± Dorot snorted. ¡°You want the water attribute crystals, don¡¯t you? I¡¯ll give them to you. If you¡¯re still not satisfied, I¡¯ll find someone to help you manufacture a water attribute wand after going back.¡±


    The belle¡¯s eyes lit up and replied without hesitation, ¡°Deal!¡±


    ****


    Back to the battle scene.


    The four experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall had fully unleashed their powers.No matter how imposing and majestic the scenes created by the combined powers of Waterflood and the other Water Elementalists were, they were still far inferior to the Four Divisions Sword Array. Even the French ship was smashed with dozens of fractures created by the sword chops from the violent sword array. The array alone seemed like it was about to solve the predicament, judging by the appearance of the whole ship.


    ¡°MOVE AND SEIZE THEIR SHIP!¡±


    The stocky man roared and hurled toward the four experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall. At the same time, the tens of other ability users soared and unleashed each of their powers one after another, launching a fierce attack toward the Tang Family.


    The battle was brutal and ruthless with combatants dying here and there.


    Despite fighting each other to the death at this time, both sides were trying not to damage the ships. They were aware that whichever side survived the battle would still need the ship to leave this place.


    ****


    Hundreds of nautical miles away from the battle scene was a yellow sand island. Tang Xiu was silently sitting cross-legged on a reef, continually absorbing the star force from outer space. With his diligent cultivation, his Stars Tyrannical Body cultivation became more profound, and he was only two layers away from achieving perfection.


    Kacha, kacha¡­


    A robot bee flickered its metal wings and landed in front of Tang Xiu. As its claws landed on the reef, it finally ejected out some holographic footage.


    As Tang Xiu opened his eyes and watched the scene displayed on the holographic footage, his complexion instantly changed. His fingers slid from the virtual screen as a series of strange symbols emerged, the characters and numbers of the Posdoret galaxy.


    The numbers displayed the exact distance from his position to the location of the scene displayed on the holographic screen.


    ¡°You two, come back!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s figure soared in the sky and looked down, and he shouted to Gu Xiaoxue and Cheng Xuemei from two kilometers away


    After some time passed, two figures sprinted quickly. Cheng Xuemei, who sprinted after turning off her gravity suit, was now able to control part of her power. Although her speed was much slower than that of Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s, she was already delighted with it.


    ¡°You called for us, Grand Master?¡± asked Gu Xiaoxue.


    Tang Xiu instantly flew toward the Subaquatic Corvette anchored on the shore and left his voice behind, ¡°Return to the Subaquatic Corvette at once. Our people are being attacked hundreds of nautical miles away from us. We must rescue them immediately.¡±


    Our people?


    Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s complexion changed. Her figure flashed and instantly appeared next to Cheng Xuemei. Her white-lily-like hands grabbed Cheng Xuemei¡¯s collar and she took her to dash to the Subaquatic Corvette.


    ¡°Who are ¡®our people¡¯ that we need to rescue, Grand Master?¡± quickly asked Gu Xiaoxue as she appeared at Tang Xiu¡¯s side.

 Chapter 818 - One-sided Massacre

    Chapter 818: One-sided Massacre


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    With a dark expression, Tang Xiu swiftly tapped on the virtual keyboard in front of the console of the Subaquatic Corvette. The submarine cruised quickly for a few kilometers before it sank to the depths of the sea. Its power suddenly increased, and it cruised at the speed of lightning towards the passenger ship hundreds of nautical miles away.


    The hundreds of nautical miles only took a few minutes for the Subaquatic Corvette to travel, yet the battle on the ships had become more intense than ever. The French ability users had been unleashing various powers and victory was faintly leaning to their side.


    ¡°GO AWAY!¡±


    The situation of the stocky man, however, was different. Although his men had killed or struck heavy losses to the members of the Tang Family¡¯s 1st and 2nd Guardian squads, he was gradually struggling under the attacks of the two experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall. He was now facing a crisis in which he could meet his maker or be severely injured at any time.


    The other two experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall were now protecting Tang Guosheng and Tang Min. They didn¡¯t suffer any injuries, yet seeing how their family¡¯s most elite experts kept dying or were severely injured one after another, their hearts had dropped.


    ****


    Ten thousand meters away.


    Atop the roof of the cargo ship the French ability users used to board, Dorot was standing with his hands folded behind his back and eyes sparkling as he watched the gradually weakening Tang Family. He nodded and slowly said, ¡°Those French ability users are still seriously difficult to deal with. Back when France was still gathering ability users, they spent quite a huge investment to train them, and it seems like it has paid off. The Chinese may have those four experts, but two of them are left to protect some people¡ªthey don¡¯t dare to move casually. From the looks of the battle, it won¡¯t be long before most of those Chinese experts are killed or are seriously injured. But those French ability users won¡¯t end up better. The final outcome will be a situation where both sides suffer great losses.¡±


    The belle chuckled and said, ¡°Killing each other and dying! The harder they fight, the easier it will be when we act, don¡¯t you think? Well, the Chinese have a common saying: a sandpiper tussles with a clam, but the fisherman catches both. We should be that fisherman, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Dorot glanced at the beauty and indifferently said, ¡°Quite unexpected of you. I never thought that you¡¯d have so much knowledge of Chinese culture. So what next? You planning on organizing some punitive expedition to the East or something?¡±


    The belle rolled her eyes and snapped, ¡°I¡¯m not tired of living happily yet. Why on Earth should I organize some Orient punitive expedition, huh? Besides, it¡¯s not yet time for the ability users to stand at the peak of humanity, to begin with. Ordinary guns may not pose a threat to us, but what about more powerful weapons? Especially¡­ the secret weapons of all countries, the laser guns.¡±


    Dorot¡¯s expression became a lot more serious. He nodded and said, ¡°The exploration conducted by various countries to the various vestiges has caused a gradual progression in their science and technology research, making them more powerful and dominant. The laser guns, with their faster firing speed, longer range, and terrifying might, have now become the secret weapon of various countries. They are indeed able to threaten us.¡±


    The belle was not as intelligent as Dorot, so she shifted her sight to the distance and said, ¡°Well, let¡¯s not entertain ourselves with such fancy thoughts, shall we? Let¡¯s just watch and wait for them to destroy each other! Perhaps there is some good stuff from the three-star vestige that can benefit us as ability users.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind giving you some if we get any,¡± replied Dorot in a deep voice, ¡°But if we don¡¯t get any, the conditions we¡¯ve agreed on can¡¯t be changed.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    ****


    It the vast sea, except for the scenes of slaughter on the several liners and the scenes around them, the surface of the sea farther away was much calmer.


    However, unnoticed by all parties involved, the Subaquatic Corvette had appeared under the passenger ship. Inside the cabin, Tang Xiu¡¯s hands tapped on the virtual keyboard, inputting a series of instructions quickly. He then looked at Cheng Xuemei and said, ¡°You stay here. Xiaoxue and I will go to the rescue. Do remember, do not tamper with any of the control devices in this Subaquatic Corvette. The AI has been protected with my fingerprints and retina scans; no one but me can control it. If you try to, you¡¯ll be attacked by the hidden weapons in the pilothouse.¡±


    ¡°How about I join the battle and rescue¡­?¡± Cheng Xuemei nodded, yet still asked.


    Tang Xiu headed to the cabin hatch while interrupting her, ¡°You¡¯re still on a mission, so you can¡¯t appear in front of anyone else for a while. Also, you haven¡¯t yet been able to fully control your power. The current you going with us now will not help us; it would just be a burden. Just obey and stay here!¡±


    Cheng Xuemei was a bit embarrassed, but she still nodded without arguing back. She knew that Tang Xiu was telling the truth¡ªshe wouldn¡¯t be able to help and might actually be a burden with her current ability.


    As the hatch of the Subaquatic Corvette was opened, an energy shield layer activated half a meter towards the outside, blocking the great pressure from the sea. Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxue then flashed out from the energy shield and the cabin hatch automatically closed. The deep sea was very dark, and they cruised upward against the enormous pressure of the sea to surface.


    ¡°KILL THOSE FOUR!¡±


    Three Water Elementalists manipulated a surging water prison on the deck to trap four members of the Tang Family¡¯s 2nd Guardian squad. Ice arrows were condensed from seawater and easily penetrated the water wall, shooting powerfully at the four people inside.


    One of the four members of the 2nd Guardian squad covered his bleeding left arm. Despite the bulging veins on his forehead and the frantic killing intent in his eyes, he had no way to break out of the water prison, so he could only leave the other three to dodge the sharp ice arrows while they tried to help him resist the barrage of them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. You all just find a way to break out!¡± shouted the man.


    Puff¡­


    Just as his voice fell, an ice arrow shot the abdomen of a middle-aged man who protected him, sending him flying a few meters backward, blood splashing out as he heavily fell to the floor.


    The four people instantly fell into deep despair. They were completely aware that it was nearly impossible to break out of the water prison with their power alone. Even if they did, they would still have to face a constant barrage of attacks from the enemy without any means to strike back.


    Whoosh!


    A lightning-fast silhouette streaked up to the sky near the edge of the nearby ship. A blinding sword light flashed down, slashing the waists of the three French ability users without them noticing.


    A longsword was dancing in the air around Tang Xiu. After killing three ability users in a flash, he didn¡¯t stop at all as his speedy figure appeared again near the other two.


    ¡°Die¡­¡±


    The sword light flashed again. Even though the two ability users noticed Tang Xiu a step before, they could only hurriedly set up a defensive measure, causing them to still be turned into dozens of pieces by the violet sword light.


    At the other side.


    The moment Gu Xiaoxue rushed out of the seawater, the water on her body instantly evaporated. Her white dress fluttered as layers of sword mirages that looked like silvery streams of light flashed down from the Ninth Heaven, demolishing the two French ability users in a flash. At the moment that their flesh and blood splashed in the air, she rushed through the mist of blood and seemingly launched a hefty punch on the back of a French ability user.


    ¡°EVERYONE BE CAREFUL!¡±


    The stocky man, who was being besieged by the two experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall, was on the verge of collapsing. He had been heavily injured, and now that he suddenly found two new killing gods appear, his spirit chilled over.


    At the door to the liner cabin, Tang Guosheng and Tang Min, who were being protected by the two experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall, were immediately overjoyed. They clearly saw the figure of a newly arrived person. In particular, Tang Guosheng was overjoyed. All of his worries and his restlessness vanished after finding that the new powerhouse turned out to be his grandson, Tang Xiu.


    ¡°KILL THESE BASTARDS, XIU¡¯ER!¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled in response to Tang Guosheng. His figure kept flashing, and each time he launched a strike, an ability user was either killed or severely wounded.


    ¡°You two don¡¯t need to protect us anymore,¡± blurted Tang Guosheng. ¡°Move with Xiu¡¯er and kill these French ability users as fast as you can.¡±


    The experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall exchanged glances and tacitly nodded, then quickly hurled toward the nearest ability users. They used to be powerhouses who survived from seas of blood and piles of corpses. With their abundant experience, they were still vigilantly surveying the situation in the surroundings while slaughtering the French ability users. They then immediately retreated from combat to fend off the attacks from ability users who attempt to kill Tang Guosheng and Tang Min.


    The flow of battle, which once seemed like the Tang Family greatly weakening, ultimately turned into a one-sided massacre due to the sudden appearance of Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxue. The French ability users were now unable to fight back.


    Finally, the bulky Frenchman realized that victory was no longer possible for his side, so he went all out to force the two experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall to draw back at the cost of two bloody wounds. He then sped away toward the speedboat hung on the side hull of the ship.


    ¡°Leaving? Dream on!¡±


    The longsword crisscrossed. The two men joined hands and simultaneously slapped their sword¡¯s hilt. The two longswords streaked forward like shooting stars and pierced the back of the stocky man in the blink of an eye.


    BAM¡­


    The powerful man fell into despair as he felt his heart pierced. His lifeforce and strength quickly dissipated while regrets now filled his heart. It was greed that drove him to snatch the treasures of the three-star vestige from the Chinese, and that greed had become the very reason he ended up with a tragic death here.


    ¡°RUN!¡±


    The complexion of another Water Elementalist was that of complete disaster. He could only watch helplessly as his leader was killed, causing his fighting spirit to flush down the drain. After screaming, he fled to the distance in a flash and jumped into the water where the Tang Family¡¯s experts couldn¡¯t chase him.


    The less than 20 remaining French ability users looked desperate. Their abilities were not of the water attribute, making it very difficult for them to survive in the vast sea.


    Puff! Puff! Puff!


    Having lost the will to fight, except for the nearly ten ability users who jumped into the sea in an attempt to escape as fast as possible, everyone was slaughtered in just half a minute.


    At this moment, the deck of the two liners was painted with blood. Many dead bodies were badly mangled, making it a very miserable scene to behold. Tang Xiu then quickly came to the front of Tang Guosheng and inquired, ¡°How can you be here, Grandpa?¡±


    Tang Guosheng was in an excellent mood at the moment. Although the Tang Family lost a lot of their elite experts, his grandson was safe and sound, making him feel greatly relaxed as he answered, ¡°Why else if not because of you?¡±

 Chapter 819 - Seeking World Hegemony?

    Chapter 819: Seeking World Hegemony?


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    After an explanation, Tang Xiu finally knew the whole truth to the matter. He didn¡¯t blame Duanmu Lin for the misinformation since anyone else would also think that he had been stranded and died inside the vestige due to the entire place being closed off.


    He kept his expression calm and tranquil, a stark contrast to his heart full of emotions. He was feeling touched as his grandfather, Tang Guosheng, had practically mobilized an army of the Tang Family¡¯s experts and led them himself to rush out. They were even almost annihilated at sea. The feeling was so warm that he felt like the warmness was flowing into every part of his body and into each nook and cranny of his soul, causing him to feel an incomparable mental comfort.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve believed in my ability, Grandpa. I dare not boast about anything, but know that only a handful of people on Earth can kill me.¡±


    Tang Guosheng looked empty for a moment. His eyes were full of joy, but he still rebuked, ¡°Conceitedness leads to carelessness and stupid mistakes, you hear? I know that you¡¯re an immortal cultivator and quite powerful, but even a tiger still needs to doze off¡ªand who can guard against contingency, brat? This old man traversed a far distance just to rush here, but you¡¯re still complaining to me?¡±


    Tang Xu was flushed red and felt a bit embarrassed but he still smilingly replied, ¡°Uh, how would I dare to blame you, Grandpa? It¡¯s just that paternal aunt told me that you didn¡¯t even tell anyone why you left the whole Tang Family behind to rush here with our men. I¡¯d be very distressed if you were to have any accidents because of me, you see!¡±


    ¡°Nah, no worries! There won¡¯t be a problem even though I left the family without explaining why,¡± Tang Guosheng nodded with satisfaction and said, ¡°Even if I were to encounter an accident, your uncle can be the backbone of our Tang Family. Besides, your Second and Third Grandpa are still there to assist him, so there won¡¯t be any problems. Besides, I just heard a recent rumor that involved you.¡±


    ¡°What rumor?¡± asked Tang Xiu, surprised.


    Tang Guosheng probed with a meaningful expression, ¡°I heard you have a very powerful disciple, so powerful that even Duanmu Lin was suppressed and wasn¡¯t able to lift his head?¡±


    Tang Xiu was stunned and replied quizzically, ¡°I do have a very powerful disciple, but how does it have a thing to do with Duanmu Lin? I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°Umm, Grand Master.¡± To the side, Gu Xiaoxue coughed a bit and smilingly said, ¡°When Master and I were on the way to the Strait of Malacca, we met the China Special Ability Bureau¡¯s people, including that Duanmu Lin you mentioned. Master, well, kinda used a bit of her power to frighten them.¡±


    Tang Xiu stared blankly and quickly asked, ¡°She didn¡¯t mention my name, did she?¡±


    ¡°She naturally mentioned you, Grand Master,¡± answered Gu Xiaoxue with a smile. ¡°Else, how would we figure out your situation?¡±


    Tang Xiu could only feel helpless. He didn¡¯t want to expose his relationship with the Everlasting Feast Hall, at least not yet. But Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s actions had practically revealed what he had been trying to hide. It was likely that all of the bigshots in the country must have learned about his relationship with the Everlasting Feast Hall now.


    Sighing inwardly, Tang Xiu asked again, ¡°You said Yan¡¯er used a bit of her power and scared the members of the Special Ability Bureau?¡±


    ¡°You also know how strong Master is, Grand Master.¡± Gu Xiaoxue gently nodded. ¡°Her power is way too powerful in the eyes of outsiders.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded. Since Gu Yan¡¯er had practically shown how tough they were and frightened the members of the Special Ability Bureau, outsiders should have learned that they were not, by any means, a pushover. It didn¡¯t matter if it made those people wary and they now guarded against himself and the Tang Family, as he had no intention to take over the position of the country¡¯s ruler by force.


    ¡®If the power exposed by Yan¡¯er was strong to the point that it was enough to make Duanmu Lin feel despair and helplessness, it¡¯s highly likely that this will produce dread and fear in those bigshots¡¯ minds towards me. Come to think of it, it¡¯s not necessarily a good thing either, as I¡¯ll still need to have some dealings with people to continue with my future plans. But it¡¯s enough now that we have the safety of the Magnificent Tang Corp., the Everlasting Feast Hall, and the Tang Family as they wouldn¡¯t dare to have any crooked ideas against us now.¡±


    As he thought up to that point, a smile appeared on his face. He then looked at Tang Guosheng and asked, ¡°Is this also the kind of rumor you¡¯ve heard, Grandpa?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more than that.¡± Tang Guosheng shook his head and smilingly said, ¡°Duanmu Lin is the leader of the Chinese Special Ability Bureau and he personally issued an imperial decree that no one must provoke the Everlasting Feast Hall, the Tang Family, and the Magnificent Tang Corp. The heads of several major families in the capital have received the news by now.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but let out a strange smile. It seemed that his treasured disciple had completely terrified people out of their wits! To think that a dignified, distinguished bigshot, the leader of the Special Ability Bureau, Duanmu Lin, was forced to issue such an order. The decree meant that he could practically do anything and go anywhere in the country unhindered.


    Tang Min, who was sitting to the side, asked, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, news passed on from Haiben Island says that all the passages to the three-star vestige have been closed and you never came out. You also know that the vestige is located in the depths of the Strait of Malacca. Without boarding a submarine, nobody can withstand the pressure of the seawater, yet you were still able to come out. How did you do that?¡±


    A smile was outlined on the corners of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth as he replied, ¡°Well, since you¡¯re asking, I shall take you to a certain place, Auntie. Also, I have good news to tell you too.¡±


    ¡°Going somewhere? Where to?¡± asked Tang Min.


    ¡°Come with me,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxue took Tang Guosheng and Tang Min to the liner¡¯s deck. Tang Xiu grabbed Tang Guosheng and Tang Min¡¯s hands as Tang Xiu released his Qi to envelope everyone before jumping into the sea.


    After descending for dozens of meters, the four people came to the front of the Subaquatic Corvette. Tang Xiu inputted a series of instructions outside the cabin hatch as an energy shield pushed against the seawater half a meter outside the hatch. Then, Tang Xiu quickly led Tang Guosheng and Tang Min into the interior.


    ¡°Heavens! What¡¯s this?¡±


    Tang Min stared with wide eyes that were bigger than a bell, which were glimmering with flashes of shock and surprise. Tang Guosheng was doing slightly better than her, even though he was similarly shocked. The facilities and technology inside the Subaquatic Corvette were far more advanced than today¡¯s tech, causing their hearts to race.


    ¡°This is a Subaquatic Corvette I obtained from the three-star vestige¡ªthe base established by the remnants of the Starnet Empire. I was able to smoothly leave the three-star vestige without being noticed by anyone because of this item. By the way, Cheng Xuemei. Lemme introduce you to my Grandpa, and this is my Auntie.¡±


    At this time, Cheng Xuemei had just walked out of the pilothouse. She was slightly stunned upon seeing Tang Guosheng and Tang Min. After hearing Tang Xiu introduce her to them, she was instantly shocked as she had seen Tang Guosheng and Tang Min on TV numerous times. She knew that the duo was the head of the Tang Family and his daughter.


    ¡°Grandpa Tang, Auntie Tang,¡± greeted Cheng Xuemei with a bit of respect, though she was suppressing her shock inside.


    Tang Guosheng was actually surprised seeing Cheng Xuemei appear here but didn¡¯t show it on his face. He just smiled in response and nodded. Tang Min, on the other hand, wore a suspicious look and asked, ¡°Your name is Cheng Xuemei? Why do I feel like you¡¯re quite familiar?¡±


    ¡°I have met you with my mother before,¡± answered Cheng Xuemei.


    ¡°Your mother? Who¡¯s she?¡± asked Tang Min quizzically.


    Cheng Xuemei didn¡¯t answer. She didn¡¯t want to recall the affairs with her parents and was even more reluctant to mention them with outsiders, though she knew that her mother was Tang Min¡¯s best friend since childhood.


    Tang Xiu, however, knew something about Cheng Xuemei¡¯s situation. He realized that she didn¡¯t want to mention her mother, and then immediately interjected, ¡°Auntie, I still have an important issue that I need to tell you about, which is also the main reason why I brought you here.¡±


    ¡°What important issue, exactly?¡± asked Tang Min with a slight frown.


    ¡°Before I tell you, you must promise that you will never tell anyone about this but the closest core members of the Tang Family,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Tang Guosheng realized the importance of what Tang Xiu was about to tell them, so he straightforwardly said, ¡°With your words, we know what to say and what we should not.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ve fully controlled the entirety of the three-star vestige and am now its owner. I can enter it whenever I want to, and naturally can use everything inside it.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± abruptly exclaimed Tang Guosheng full of shock and amazement, yet also with disbelief.


    Tang Xiu repeated his statement and finally said, ¡°I¡¯m telling you the truth. The three-star vestige is the remains left behind by the race from the Starnet Empire of the Blackcloud star region in the Podoret Galaxy. Speaking accurately, it¡¯s a fleet from the Starnet Empire that became fugitives and eventually fled to Earth. They rushed to establish an underwater base here, but eventually died because they were unable to adapt.¡±


    ¡°Was it due to an abrupt change of the catastrophic climate?¡± asked Tang Guosheng rapidly.


    ¡°It was caused by the movement of the tectonic plates, which led to a volcanic eruption and mass extinction,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Tang Guosheng fell silent. The Earth itself has experienced countless natural disasters, a subject that scientists are continually researching. Never did he expect that there was also an extraterrestrial race that suffered such a catastrophic blow here on Earth.


    ¡°Exactly what things are there inside the three-star vestige that can be of use to us, Xiu¡¯er?¡± asked Tang Min. That was what she wanted to ask the most.


    ¡°For instance, imagine our family wants to seek hegemony all over the world. We can achieve it by relying on this three-star vestige. There are technologies far beyond what the Earth has. Putting it shortly, there¡¯s everything that¡¯s essential for a race to survive.¡±


    Tang Guosheng was shaken and was rendered speechless for a very long time, whereas Tang Min deeply frowned as she stared at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°What about you, Xiu¡¯er? Do you want to dominate and rule Earth?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m not interested.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°I can achieve such a feat even if there¡¯s no three-star vestige given some time. Only cultivation is most important to me.¡±


    ¡°Then how do you plan to solve this three-star vestige issue?¡± asked Tang Min again.


    ¡°I seriously think that we should not announce anything about the three-star vestige to the public for the time being, especially since we don¡¯t even need to use it.¡± Tang Xiu looked at Tang Guosheng and seriously explained, ¡°However, I brought a lot of good things from it, so if the country is willing to exchange some objects for me to have, I can take out some of the crudest techs that I obtained there.¡±

 Chapter 820 - Completely Annihilated

    Chapter 820: Completely Annihilated


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Guosheng highly approved of Tang Xiu¡¯s suggestion. In spite of the fact that his grandson controlled the entire three-star vestige, he understood the truth that no human could swallow more than he could chew. Those big shots in China were not necessarily able to endure their greed when meeting such powerful technology. Who among them wouldn¡¯t use it to assemble a powerful army to destroy the balance of world powers and become the ruler of the world?


    ¡°So, what do you need the most now, Xiu¡¯er?¡±


    Tang Guosheng knew that his grandson was a cultivator, so he began to wonder about what would benefit him the most.


    Tang Xiu pondered for a while and slowly said, ¡°I need time.¡±


    Tang Guosheng was stunned and asked again, ¡°How long?¡±


    ¡°At the very least, more than ten years,¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°The current Earth has a minimal number of cultivation resources, resulting in my cultivation progressing at a crawl. Grandpa, as long as I have enough time, I can make sure nothing will threaten the Tang Family, regardless of the balance of world powers in the future.¡±


    Tang Guosheng nodded without a word, yet he felt that the ten years his grandson needed was too short¡ªit wouldn¡¯t be long enough for him to cultivate and become a true powerhouse. For example, the Amur Tiger, Dongbei Hu. How much time of his 200 years in life did he spend cultivating?


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s put this all together and see what we can do to make our country more powerful. But we must not overdo it and make them become powerful too quickly.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Immediately after, the grandfather and grandson duo began discussing as Tang Xiu took out a lot of items from his interspatial ring. After inspecting each object, they finally determined what several types of them were. In addition to the Subaquatic Corvette they were now on, they picked up a kind of manufacturing device that could produce consumer goods, as well as several energy crystals.


    ¡°This Subaquatic Corvette we are riding on has more than a dozen weapon configurations. The one that is the most powerful is the underwater laser cannon as it can blast an entire small island. Hence, I¡¯m going to dismantle its main gun and leave behind some other less powerful weapon systems. I believe that after the executives of our country obtain this Subaquatic Corvette, three to five years of researching it won¡¯t be enough to achieve a notable result. Even if they can research it thoroughly in eight to ten years, they would be able to use the scientific and technological achievements they have researched to manufacture a large number of Subaquatic Corvettes, so we don¡¯t need to worry about it,¡± concluded Tang Xiu at the end of discussion.


    Tang Guosheng nodded with satisfaction and smilingly said, ¡°Well, I know that our country¡¯s top officials will grin ear to ear even if we give them this Subaquatic Corvette with half of its weapons dismantled. For what reason can our country not become the most powerful country in the world? Is there anything forbidding it to be first in military power? Is possessing powerful weapons a mistake?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re Chinese nationals, so it¡¯s natural that we want our country to possess stronger weapons and improve our country¡¯s army to the highest extent possible. But then, I would hope that the high-level officials of our country are not blinded with ambition later,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Even if he spoke like that, he could tell that once China¡¯s military power became the strongest in the world and surpassed the United States, the bigshots in China would definitely implement some plans that would, at the very least, cause some changes to the current balance of the world.


    China was like a sleeping lion. It was getting stronger after its awakening and was currently a first world country. But a lion would always be a lion. Regardless of how many years a lion stayed calm in its territory, it would definitely want to establish itself in the vast territory of the entire forest once its strength was at its peak.


    Tang Xiu also wished for his country to become stronger and more powerful, but he needed more time to make himself stronger first. He realized that before he gained the ability to ascend in the future, his time to play on this planet hadn¡¯t finished yet.


    Knock, knock¡­


    A knock was at the door, and Cheng Xuemei, who didn¡¯t participate in the discussion, moved inside. She looked at Tang Xiu and quickly said, ¡°The sensor just showed a holographic image of some people approaching us. If I guess correctly, they should be Americans.¡±


    Tang Xiu and Tang Guosheng exchanged glances and both wore a surprised expression. But Tang Min was puzzled and asked, ¡°Americans are approaching us? Are they like those French ability users, wanting to rob us of the precious objects from the three-star vestige?¡±


    ¡°They should be,¡± replied Tang Guosheng thoughtfully. ¡°The United States has always seen itself as the hegemon of the world. Not to mention that all the powerhouses they dispatched were completely annihilated in the three-star vestige, and in addition, it¡¯s impossible to send out another expedition to gain any more treasures. Hence, I¡¯m guessing that they are now targeting the precious objects from the vestige that have been obtained by other countries¡¯ expedition teams.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the pilothouse and have a look,¡± interjected Tang Xiu.


    Afterward, the five people came to the pilothouse and watched the footage displayed on the virtual holographic screen. A cold gleam flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes since dozens of people on the U.S. cargo ship were obviously not just average people. The looks that they had when watching the two liners clearly expressed their evil intention.


    ¡°These Americans are really brazen, just because their country is strong and has advanced weapons!¡± said Tang Guosheng coldly. ¡°Do you see that man atop the roof of the cargo ship? His name is Dorot, the Golden Shield leader of USA¡¯s Special Ability Bureau. His position is similar to Duanmu Lin¡¯s but with higher privileges.¡±


    ¡°How did you know that, Father?¡± asked Tang Min, puzzled.


    ¡°I used to work in the confidential archives department, so I naturally saw some special intel files,¡± answered Tang Guosheng. ¡°There are records about this Dorot, but they didn¡¯t contain much.¡±


    ¡°But then why weren¡¯t you able to recognize the identity of any French ability users back then, though?¡± asked Tang Min curiously.


    ¡°The French ability users are a very low-key bunch,¡± Tang Guosheng shook his head and said, ¡°The fact that France has established its own Special Ability Bureau is also news to me. I don¡¯t even know who the person in charge is, nor do I know how many ability users they have. Also, those French are not as aggressive as the Americans, so naturally we¡¯ve been paying more attention to the intelligence towards the USA.


    Tang Min caught the gist quickly. She looked at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°How do we deal with them, Xiu¡¯er?¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a while and then slowly said, ¡°If Grandpa doesn¡¯t like them and we don¡¯t want any more casualties, then we can only annihilate them.¡±


    Tang Guosheng was still before he quizzically asked, ¡°There¡¯s no way we can avoid casualties if we must fight them, right? Those Americans are not, by any means, paper tigers. Aren¡¯t you boasting a bit too much, Xiu¡¯er?¡±


    A smile appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. His hands quickly tapped on the virtual keyboard as he set up a series of instructions. At the same time, all the turrets of the guns installed on the twenty-plus meter long Subaquatic Corvette¡¯s hull began to adjust their aim. Meanwhile, the weapon power generator began to run at full steam.


    Six kilometers away.


    The cargo ship was slowly approaching the two anchored liners. Dorot stood atop the roof of the cargo ship. There was uncertainty on his face while his fingers steadily stroked his chin gently. The smiling belle that stood next to him already had her smile gone, replaced by a look of seriousness.


    ¡°You have to consider it again, Dorot. There were originally four powerful experts on those two Chinese liners, and later came two more experts that are much more powerful. Just by relying on those six, they can completely overpower us. The one who¡¯ll be completely annihilated will be us if we attack them,¡± said the beauty in a cold voice.


    Dorot turned to look at the belle, then took a deep breath and said, ¡°I know that the enemy is very powerful. I admit that I won¡¯t be able to handle the original four experts, whereas those two people who appeared later are also probably stronger than me. But don¡¯t forget what our modified cargo ship has been equipped with. I have made up my mind to approach them and unleash it immediately.¡±


    The beauty was silent for a few seconds and finally nodded slowly. She naturally knew what kind of weapon had been installed on the modified cargo ship.


    ¡°But can the torpedoes blow up those two liners? Can those naval mines completely kill or cause heavy damages to those powerful people?¡± The beautiful woman still faintly worried inside.


    ¡°You know, those Chinese have an old saying that I love the most. Do you want me to say it?¡± Dorot shook his head and asked.


    ¡°What do you wanna say, exactly?¡± asked the belle, curious.


    ¡°They say that you won¡¯t be able to catch a cub if you don¡¯t enter a tiger¡¯s den,¡± said Dorot in a deep voice. ¡°We¡¯ll ultimately get nothing if we give up this plan because we are afraid of their combat force. Besides, if those Chinese experts bring the objects they obtained from the three-star vestige to their country, we can expect the Chinese military power to surpass us within a few years. By then, they will take away our biggest asset.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    As the beautiful woman opened her mouth and was about to concur with Dorot¡¯s argument, a nagging and restless feeling suddenly erupted inside her heart, causing all the hairs on her body to stand upright.


    ¡°RUN¡­¡±


    The beautiful woman didn¡¯t know what danger it was or where it came from, but she instantly dashed to the side towards the sea. She then grabbed an iron chain on the hull and twisted it off to forcefully pull down a small boat.


    ¡°BOOM¡­¡±


    The huge explosion created torrential blasts of waves as the whole cargo ship was blown up in an instant. Apart from a handful of the American ability users who had sensed that something was amiss, the other tens of ability users from the USA Special Ability Bureau were either heavily injured or dead after the explosion.


    Inside the Subaquatic Corvette.


    Tang Guosheng and Tang Min were shocked by the cannon¡¯s attack. They learned from Tang Xiu that it was not even the Subaquatic Corvette¡¯s main gun. If it was a blast from the main weapon, wouldn¡¯t it only need one shot to annihilate the other party completely?


    ¡°Well, this is just the start of a good show, though,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°I¡¯ve already activated the intelligent tracking and locking system. Those American ability users won¡¯t be able to run anywhere.¡±


    Cheng Xuemei, who stood behind Tang Xiu, hurriedly said, ¡°Are you perhaps not going to leave behind some of them to obtain intel from, like regarding the American Special Ability Bureau?¡±

 Chapter 821 - Obsession and Intoxicated Feelings

    Chapter 821: Obsession and Intoxicated Feelings


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Leaving some witnesses behind was meaningless to Tang Xiu. He didn¡¯t have the slightest idea to find out about the Golden Shield Special Ability Bureau of the United States. He wasn¡¯t, and never would be, a politician. His motive was just pure business; he wanted to make money to buy cultivation resources for his family members to become immortal cultivators in earnest.


    Tang Guosheng respected and fully approved of Tang Xiu¡¯s judgment at this time. He shook his head to express his opinion that they didn¡¯t need to act like that and said directly, ¡°Xiu¡¯er has his own plan. Since he doesn¡¯t want to leave anyone alive, we might as well annihilate them completely! Besides, I¡¯m sure the US will stay low for a few years after the Golden Shield Special Ability Bureau suffers such a great loss.¡±


    Having said that, their eyes shifted back to the virtual holographic screen to watch several American Golden Shield ability users unleash their abilities in an attempt to escape from where the cargo ship just exploded.


    The beautiful woman was doing fine. She was a Water Elementalist and also seized the time to quickly grab a small boat while manipulating the water. Hence, she was able to drift over a kilometer away without serious injuries. Dorot, however, didn¡¯t possess such a sharp sixth sense like the belle and reacted much slower. At this moment, his back was dyed red by his blood, with more seeping out from his lips. He desperately manipulated two flames and sprinted on the sea¡¯s surface.


    Bang, bang, bang¡­


    Six explosion sounds came from behind them, causing the fleeing Dorot and the belle to look behind. Their complexions dramatically changed as they saw six members of their Special Ability Bureau being bombarded with artillery shells that streaked out from the water. Their bodies were blown up and turned into a bloody mist as they floated several meters in the air.


    ¡°What the fuck is going on, and what are those shits?¡±


    Torn apart inside, Dorot felt like he was about to explode with fury. Unfortunately, no one could explain, not even the slightly injured belle.


    Sanger Heyburn. A 48-year-old Water Elementalist and a member of the Golden Shield Special Ability Bureau. She was one of the five strongest ability users in the entire Golden Shield Special Ability Bureau and was also Dorot¡¯s best general in battle.


    At this time, her ability was just slightly affected even though she was lightly injured in the cargo ship¡¯s explosion. She was practically like a fish in the water after submerging under the sea, manipulating the current of the water around her to constantly accelerate herself. Not even a supercar at max speed was faster than her speed in the water.


    ¡®The sea is my world. I can still survive after staying in the sea for a few months. No matter what kind of weapons the enemy uses, nothing can threaten me as long as I¡¯m in the sea,¡± imagined Sanger Heyburn.


    Suddenly, a dreadful aura came, followed by buzzing sounds that traveled fast in the water. Two seconds after it caught up with her, she felt a tremendous force on her back. Her body burst apart and dyed the seawater red.


    On the sea.


    The pretty woman rowed the small boat and quickly appeared next to Dorot. Looking at the man¡¯s miserable condition as he coughed up blood, she quickly shouted, ¡°Come aboard. I¡¯m faster than you at sea. I¡¯ll take you and escape.¡±


    The furious flame of anger in Dorot¡¯s chess subsided considerably. He sprinted and jumped onto the small boat and straightly dispersed the flame he manipulated. After looking at the pretty woman whose injuries were light, he then ferociously looked back.


    BOOM! BOOM!


    He clearly saw that the last two members of the Golden Shield Special Ability Bureau were hit by artillery shells that flew out from the sea. Although the shells didn¡¯t reduce them to ashes, it still directly blasted their bodies and killed him.


    ¡°Fucking bastards! Even with torpedoes or naval mines, it¡¯s impossible to have such huge power, speed, and precision. What fucking weapon is that? Who the hell is attacking us?¡±


    Dorot was truly maddened and tormented by the artillery shells that swiftly came out of nowhere like devils. He was forced to see one of his trained men blown up, causing his heart to ache.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s some devilish shit used by those Chinese,¡± said the belle in a cold voice. ¡°There¡¯s no one else in this area but those two Chinese liners. Dorot, we were likely ambushed by the Chinese. I can tell that there are Chinese submarines in the water.¡±


    ¡°CHINA?!¡± Dorot yelled furiously. ¡°I already guessed it should be those damned Chinese. But this bunch of assholes was nearly destroyed by the hands of those French Special Ability Bureau Elementalists. How the fuck do they dare to shoot us? We were still so fucking far away from them, so how the hell did those fuckers find us?¡±


    ¡°Our eyes have undergone surgery that has greatly improved our eyesight. Do you think that no one among those Chinese also had undergone a similar surgery? On top of that, I don¡¯t think those two liners are just ordinary liners. They must have been modified and had a military surveillance system installed. It¡¯s easy to spot us with that kind of instrument. Just pipe down, will you? Things have already reached this point and its useless to get angry over it now. What¡¯s more important now is to escape far away from here.¡±


    Dorot took a deep breath to suppress his anger, then said with a grim face, ¡°As long as I don¡¯t die today, I¡¯ll definitely make those Chinese fuckers pay a terrible price in the future. I¡¯ll massacre their cities,¡ªat the very least, I will slaughter a small town to vent my hatred!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Only by slaughtering the Chinese citizens can we wash away our shame today¡ªonly by using their blood,¡± replied the pretty woman.


    Suddenly, the pretty woman shuddered. Two water columns appeared from both sides of the small boat in almost an instant, wrapping her body in a flash to forcefully move her dozens of meters away.


    ¡°BOOM¡­¡±


    The small boat was hit by an artillery shell. Dorot, who was unable to detect it ahead of time, was instantly hit and he fainted in the flame of the explosion. His body was still intact, but his internal organs were shattered by the impact of the explosion. Unless there was a magical pill refined by a Perfected Golden Immortal, nothing could take him away from death.


    ¡°DOROT!¡±


    The belle was full of sorrow. She didn¡¯t have much of a sense of belonging to the Golden Shield Special Ability Bureau, but Dorot was different. He was the reason why she enlisted to join the bureau. It was not like a sentiment between a couple, rather it was comradeship from when they had gone through a lot together.


    At this time, she was completely infuriated. Dorot, one of a handful of friends she trusted the most, was killed like this.


    ¡°DAMN CHINESE PEOPLE! I¡¯LL MAKE YOU PAY WITH YOUR BLOOD SOONER OR LATER!¡±


    The pretty woman furiously roared as she manipulated the water dragon to wrap her body. It took her away with speed faster than before.


    Shoo! Shoo!


    Two half-a-meter-long artillery shells completely locked onto the pretty woman mid-air. She cursed for a few seconds before the two shells bombarded her.


    Inside the Subaquatic Corvette, Tang Xiu calmly watched the pretty woman being killed by the two shells. The coldness in his eyes gradually subsided as he turned to look at Tang Guosheng and said, ¡°Grandpa, I still need to stay at sea for two days. You must have alarmed a lot of people since you took a lot of our family¡¯s manpower to come here without telling anyone why. Also, we have killed the French and American ability users, so I¡¯m sure the news of their death will reach the people of these two countries. You must take back our family¡¯s men and leave here as quick as possible to return to our country.¡±


    Tang Guosheng asked, ¡°The fact that we killed these two countries¡¯ ability users, should we disclose it, say, to those above¡­¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s best not to tell them directly.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Duanmu Lin should be their spokesman. Just inform Duanmu Lin directly. I believe he will not only solve the following problems but will also erase all traces. He may even become very excited since¡­ well, it¡¯s a kind of a present we are giving to him!¡±


    Tang Guosheng¡¯s eyes lit up and he nodded with satisfaction. ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s do it this way, then. Also, pay attention to your safety after we leave, got it? You must stay alive no matter what.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, grandpa!¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°I would never make any stupid mistakes.¡±


    After a long while, Tang Xiu sent Tang Guosheng and Tang Min back to the liner. He then watched the two ships disappear into the distance and over the horizon. Then he turned to look at Gu Xiaoxue and said, ¡°You know, I used to feel a sliver of a sense of belonging to a family in the past, and the one who gave me that feeling is only your Master. But now that I have more family members, it turns out that such a feeling is really great.¡±


    An envious look flashed in Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s eyes. She was an orphan. She didn¡¯t know who her parents were, not even if they were dead or alive. However, she couldn¡¯t care less about that, for who she cared about was her Master, Gu Yan¡¯er. ¡°Family¡± to her was limited to her Master and the core members of the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    ¡°The feeling of¡­ kinship? A sense of belonging to a family?¡±


    Suddenly, Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s expression slightly changed and she asked, ¡°Grand Master, do you only regard Master as a family member?¡±


    ¡°Being a Master for a day is a father for life,¡± answered Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°If she¡¯s not my family member, then who is?¡±


    Suddenly, Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s heart ached as the complex emotions inside her were in a frenzy. She didn¡¯t know if it was because she felt sorry for her Master or if it was because of other reasons.


    In the next two days, Tang Xiu took Cheng Xuemei and Gu Xiaoxue back to the previous barren island that they visited and he continued to train Cheng Xuemei. After a few days of training, Cheng Xuemei was finally able to control her own power, and she even learned an immortal cultivation technique from Tang Xiu.


    Having tasted what cultivation, she was so fascinated that she even found herself addicted to it. Unfortunately, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t have much time to delay and told her that the training time for her was up, much to her chagrin.


    ¡°Then what I should do next?¡± asked Cheng Xuemei, looking a bit worried.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re worried about. You¡¯re still on a mission, after all, and the people in Japan probably think that you¡¯ve died inside the vestige, so you¡¯ll be questioned if you go back,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°But you can rest assured about that. I¡¯ll help you figure out a way to deal with it properly.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ I can still return to Japan and continue my mission?¡± asked Cheng Xuemei, surprised.


    ¡°Of course, you can,¡± answered Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve told Kuwako to arrange things to cover you up. She¡¯ll even help you in the future, so you naturally won¡¯t have to ditch your mission like that.¡±

 Chapter 822 - Being Conscious of What’s Right and What Principles to Follow

    Chapter 822: Being Conscious of What¡¯s Right and What Principles to Follow


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    After explaining the plan, Tang Xiu used the Subaquatic Corvette to send Cheng Xuemei back to Kuwako Yamamoto in Japan. Kuwako also sent her people to catch up with her, so that everything proceeded smoothly. Tang Xiu also gave one of the tech products to Cheng Xuemei so she could deal with some people in Japan. Without a doubt, that tech product was nothing but trash, a type of auxiliary product that was consumer goods.


    When they separated, Tang Xiu only said a few words to Cheng Xuemei, but he believed that she would understand the meaning, ¡°Cheng Xuemei, you¡¯re one of Tang Xiu¡¯s people from now on. You¡¯ll still be one of my people even after you become a ghost. Only I can make you go further down the path you¡¯ve chosen to walk on for thousands of years in the future.¡±


    Early in the morning.


    The first ray of sunshine rose from the East as the Subaquatic Corvette anchored near the port of Jingmen Island. Following the discussion with Tang Guosheng previously, the space around the small port had been removed of people and ships, and the area had now been taken over by the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    On the shoreside near the port, Duanmu Lin and Tang Guosheng stood side by side while several members of the China Special Ability Bureau waited with expectation.


    ¡°Are you sure Tang Xiu told you today, Old Tang?¡±


    Duanmu was also full of similar expectations. Tang Guosheng informed him that Tang Xiu obtained a type of submarine, a subaquatic corvette from three-star vestige. The news practically gave him insomnia. Another thing he learned was that Tang Xiu used that submarine to kill tens of ability users from the USA¡¯s Special Ability Bureau. Even their number one figure, Dorot, was murdered. Thus, he was even more eager to see the submarine.


    Tang Guosheng smiled at his words and said, ¡°When have I ever lied to you? Xiu¡¯er asked me to inform you. If you don¡¯t believe me, let¡¯s stop waiting here, then.¡±


    Duanmu Lin immediately let out an apologetic smile and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t! I may not believe anyone else, but you, Old Tang, are someone I believe 100%, no, 10,000%! Let alone waiting for a day, I¡¯ll keep waiting for more than a year.¡±


    Tang Guosheng looked pleased and smilingly said, ¡°No worries, then! Xiu¡¯er always keeps his word. I can¡¯t say precisely, but he should appear in front of us in a while¡­¡±


    His voice was abruptly stopped as Tang Guosheng saw the subaquatic corvette emerge and float on the surface ahead. Excitement covered his old face as he raised his hand to point to it and shouted, ¡°Speak of the devil. That¡¯s the submarine I told you about. Xiu¡¯er and the others have come back!¡±


    Duanmu looked around and watched the cabin hatch of the subaquatic corvette open as Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxue came out from inside. He suddenly paced forward and loudly greeted Tang Xiu, ¡°Welcome back, Tang Xiu!¡±


    Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxue walked on the surface of the sea and headed straight to the front of Duanmu Lin and Tang Guosheng. Then he smilingly said, ¡°Well, the feeling of coming back alive is really great; I can taste it, Senior Duanmu. Also, I haven¡¯t let you down either. I can be said to have made great merit and contributions, and I even brought you back a large number of treasures. It¡¯s a pity that I wasn¡¯t able to bring back anything else when I came out though. If I had, it would have really benefitted our country.¡±


    Duanmu Lin grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s hand amiably and said, ¡°It¡¯s enough. This is enough. I learned the specific details of what this subaquatic corvette can do from your grandfather. It¡¯s something that I¡¯ve never dreamed about! It¡¯s just a submarine, yet it can completely annihilate tens of ability users from the U.S. Special Ability Bureau, and even accomplished the most important issue, eliminating Dorot. This subaquatic corvette is definitely the epitome of a seabed terror killer!¡±


    Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s some terrifying killer or not. I just know that its weapon configuration is really great¡ªwell equipped and fast. By the way, it also has an excellent interior too. The extraterrestrial race who left behind these remains really understood how to enjoy life.¡±


    ¡°Can you take me to see the submarine?¡± asked Duanmu with a smile.


    ¡°Senior Duanmu, I obtained this subaquatic corvette from the three-star vestige, but I can¡¯t be said to own it as my personal property. You represent the government who I want to give this submarine to, so the subaquatic corvette will be handed over to you.¡±


    ¡°You truly know what¡¯s right and what principle to follow, Tang Xiu. A role model for the young generation,¡± praised Duanmu Lin with satisfaction. ¡°I accept this subaquatic corvette on behalf of our country, and I believe the reward from the state will be handed over to you soon.¡±


    ¡°Well, this port is kind of a good place,¡± said Tang Xiu out of the blue, a smile on the corners of his mouth.


    ¡°The members of our Special Ability Bureau will withdraw immediately, and this area will be handed over to your Everlasting Feast Hall,¡± said Duanmu Lin without hesitation. ¡°Also, you can expect the government¡¯s approval documents to be sent to you soon. This place will become your Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s private port.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯d like to thank you for that, Senior Duanmu,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll also tell Kang Xia to send 100 roomes of God¡¯s Nectar to the headquarters of the Special Ability Bureau, both as a token of goodwill and my thanks.¡±


    ¡°Good. Good, good.¡±


    The wrinkles on Duanmu Lin¡¯s face stretched out and his smile was sincerely coming from his heart.


    Tang Xiu then looked at Tang Guosheng and inquired, ¡°What are you going to do after this, Grandpa? Do you want to go with me to the Everlasting Feast Hall, or are you leaving Jingmen Island with Senior Duanmu?¡±


    Tang Guosheng keenly sensed the faint peculiar light in Duanmu Lin¡¯s eyes and immediately replied, ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t want to get into the mess that young people like you guys get in. I¡¯m going back to the capital when Brother Duanmu is done here.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s been hectic for me recently, so I¡¯ll stay in Jingmen Island and have a good rest.¡± Tang Min, who was behind her father, suddenly interjected and smilingly said, ¡°Your paternal aunt wants to stay here; are you not going to entertain me, Xiu¡¯er?¡±


    ¡°I naturally must entertain you with the best hospitality since you¡¯re willing to stay, auntie,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll take our leave, Senior Duanmu. Please feel free to contact me whenever you need my assistance.¡±


    A disappointed look flashed in Duanmu Lin¡¯s eyes, but he still nodded with a smile. He thought that Tang Guosheng would choose to go with Tang Xiu. That way, he could have an excuse to visit the Everlasting Feast Hall as well. He couldn¡¯t figure out the actual situation of the Everlasting Feast Hall the last time he visited the premises. But if he went with Tang Guosheng, he might have an unexpected discovery of what he wanted to find out.


    ¡®It¡¯s really a pity¡­¡¯ Duanmu Lin felt somewhat helpless inside.


    Immediately after, four cars left the port, and Tang Xiu brought Tang Min to the Everlasting Feast Hall. The latter received the best hospitality there, and even Gu Yan¡¯er came out of the exquisite pagoda after she got the news. Tang Min was very curious about her, so she grabbed her to have a chat for a long time. She even learned a lot of things from her that gave her a huge shock.


    As the day faded away and night came, and as Tang Xiu had dinner with Tang Min, Gu Xiaoxue came to the private room. She looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Grand Master, Banshou came and he learned that you¡¯re here, so he wants to see you.¡±


    ¡°Banshou is currently in the Everlasting Feast Hall?¡± asked Tang Xiu, surprised.


    ¡°He just escorted ten street children from the Northwestern region yesterday. Except for two children, eight of them have an excellent aptitude and personality. He originally planned to leave tonight, but after learning that you¡¯re here, he wants to see you. He said that he needs to report his work,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue.


    ¡°How many children have been adopted by our Everlasting Feast Hall now, exactly? What¡¯s the specific number?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Combined with the last eight children, a total of 62,200,¡± answered Gu Xiaoxue.


    ¡°That many?¡± Tang Xiu was shocked. ¡°How can it dramatically increase like that all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°The Northwestern region has been struck with droughts that makes life in some impoverished areas very difficult,¡± explained Gu Xiaoxue with a forced smile. ¡°Thus, the situation has led to cases where the inhabitants began to sell their children and women. The government has been working hard to solve the problems there, but there are too many people in need of help. Life has been difficult for a lot of the street children and orphans. So much so that a dozen or so orphanages have been sending out children to Banshou to take care of after exploiting some special means.¡±


    ¡°Why would the orphanages want the children out?¡± Tang Xie was puzzled.


    ¡°Those ten or so orphanages are going to close soon,¡± replied Gu Xiaoxue. ¡°If we don¡¯t take the children, I¡¯m afraid these kids will become homeless sooner or later. Also, those orphanages are actually private orphanages that rely on public donations. There have been only a few kind-hearted people who¡¯re willing to adopt the children there.¡±


    Tang Xiu caught the gist in a flash as he nodded and said, ¡°What about the traces to us? Have you cleared them up?¡±


    ¡°When Banshou¡¯s team reported this to me, I realized some people with ambitions would find out about this large-scale adoption of orphans, so I sent a group of our Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s elites to clean up all the traces. Nobody will find out about any leads even if they want to investigate it,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue.


    ¡°Alright, then.¡± Tang Xiu took a deep breath and looked at her. ¡°Bring Banshou here!¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    As Gu Xiaoxue left the room, Tang Min asked with a surprised look, ¡°What are you gonna do after adopting so many homeless children?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to train and cultivate them to build an army of cultivators,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Forming an army of cultivators?¡± Tang Min was struck dumb with wonder, ¡°What exactly do you wanna do? Could it be that your real intention is to rule the world?¡±


    ¡°Auntie, do you really think the objective of your nephew is just to that point? Only to rule this world?¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and laughed. ¡°Hahaha¡­ When my strength has reached a certain level, even a sneeze of mine would be enough to make the whole Earth explode. Didn¡¯t you just hear the existence of the Immortal World from Yan¡¯er? I brought up these children to cultivate them so that they will be able to follow me. I hope for them to become good helpers for me to move unhindered in the Immortal World later.¡±


    Tang Min was silent for a few minutes before asking with a bit of anticipation on her face, ¡°Do you think your auntie has any hope of going to the Immortal World, Xiu¡¯er?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be a problem in the future if you¡¯re interested,¡± answered Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°At the worst, I¡¯ll just have to trick the Heavenly Dao rules in this world. By then, the entire Tang Family can follow me into the Immortal World.¡±


    ¡°Awesome!¡± Tang Min fiercely clapped and called out excitedly.


    ¡°But Auntie, it¡¯s best not to tell even Grandpa about what you¡¯ve known for the time being,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°After all, these issues are no trivial matter. Once they are leaked, I¡¯m afraid that it will bring unnecessary troubles to our family. And I already have arrangements set up for the Tang Family in the future.¡±


    ¡°Good. Good. Good. I¡¯ll keep it in mind,¡± replied Tang Min quickly.


    Quickly, Banshou came in a hurry to the private room and excitedly shouted when he saw Tang Xiu, ¡°Boss! I can meet you at last. I went to Shanghai a couple of days ago, but found out that you weren¡¯t there.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled and waved at him, gesturing Banshou to take a seat and then smilingly said, ¡°You¡¯ve been working hard these days. I¡¯ll give you a target to reach now. You will stop adopting children when the number has reached 80,000. I will have other arrangements for you and Dingzhi by then.¡±

 Chapter 823 - The Groundwork for the Future

    Chapter 823: The Groundwork for the Future


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu spent some time chatting with Banshou. He could see that the fellow had become more mature and dependable in the past year. He complimented and encouraged the guy sincerely before sending him off.


    ¡°Would you like to visit Clam Island too, Grand Master?¡± Gu Xiaxue asked while standing beside Tang Xiu. The intoxicating smile on her beautiful face was enough to topple a city.


    Tang Xiu thought for a while before he nodded and replied, ¡°Since I came to Jingmen Island and the Clam Island is pretty close to here, let¡¯s go there, then! Would you like to go with me, Auntie?¡±


    Tang Min was interested in seeing the results of Tang Xiu¡¯s endeavors in forming an army of cultivators, so she replied without hesitation, ¡°I¡¯m going with you.¡±


    ****


    Early in the next morning, a liner was moored at the newly built port on Clam Island. Tang Xiu, Tang Min, and Gu Xiaoxue just stepped out of the cabin and saw more than ten strong, burly men standing guard at the port. One of the men came striding in, but his face slightly changed when he saw Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxue. His expression turned wild as he swiftly greeted courteously, ¡°Boss.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded with a smile and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s in charge of Clam Island now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Yuan Ye, Boss,¡± answered the man.


    ¡°How¡¯s it going with the Clam Island construction project?¡± Tang Xiu nodded and asked again, ¡°Also, where are the children being settled down?¡±


    ¡°The project is still progressing, but it¡¯s difficult to see the results as of yet,¡± answered the man. ¡°As for the children, all of them are being settled in the southern peninsula. It¡¯s a restricted area that even we have no rights to enter.¡±


    ¡°Alright, tend to your duties. I¡¯ll go to the southern peninsula to have a look myself,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Affirmative.¡± The man nodded reverently and quietly retreated to the side.


    While leading Tang Min, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t fly to the destination due to the Clam Island being under construction. They slowly approached the southern peninsula along the coastline of Clam Island.


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Two ghostly silhouettes silently dashed out of the dense thicket as two strong men appeared in front of Tang Xiu while releasing obvious killing intent.


    ¡°Presumptuous,¡± scolded Gu Xiaoxue as she stepped forward.


    As the two sturdy men saw that it was Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxue, their killing intent instantly disappeared and they became a bit flustered. They hurried to salute respectfully.


    ¡°No need to blame them; it¡¯s the responsibility of their job,¡± Tang Xiu waved and said with a pale smile, ¡°Notify Yuan Ye¡ªtell him to assemble all the children immediately. I need to have a look at them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±


    One of them replied and vanished instantly, while another man led Tang Xiu and the rest to enter the forested hill quickly. They promptly approached a two-plus meters tall wall which they jumped over to enter a spacious area. A lot of one-meter-high blocks of bluestones were densely laid out on the flat ground¡ªso many that they couldn¡¯t be counted.


    A few minutes later, Yuan Ye sprinted in at his top speed while wearing a black wushu suit and tied-up long hair. He then came to the front of Tang Xiu¡¯s group and reverently greeted, ¡°Boss.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re Yuan Ye?¡± Tang Xiu nodded and smiled, ¡°How¡¯s your cultivation, and what¡¯s the stage that you¡¯ve reached?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment,¡± answered Yuan Ye.


    ¡°Not bad.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°But you need to persevere. Your rank in our Everlasting Feast Hall should be not low since you can be assigned here. According to the reward rules, the first ten members who break through the Golden Core Stage will be generously rewarded. Keep working hard and strive well to get into the top ten.¡±


    A gleam flashed in Yuan Ye¡¯s eyes, and he replied firmly, ¡°This subordinate will strive to do his best!¡±


    Tang Xiu produced a Spirit Amassing Pill and smiled lightly, ¡°Don¡¯t tell the others that I give you special attention and just do your best! Whether you can be one of the best men to stand around me or will be stepped on by someone else, it will all depend on your own efforts.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Boss. I will!¡±


    Yuan Ye was a bit excited. It must be noted that the medicinal pill produced by the Everlasting Feast Hall was a very important resource for cultivation. Additionally, it was quite difficult to obtain even one of them.


    10 minutes later.


    Tang Xiu finally learned the reason why there were a lot of bluestones in this wide area. Shadowy figures came from the low-rise buildings in the area to the north. It was a long line of skinny children marshaled by dozens of strong men who swiftly ran between the orderly arranged bluestones.


    They seemed to know which block of bluestone was supposed to be their position, judging from them climbing on their respective bluestone one by one. Using his spiritual sense to sweep over them, Tang Xiu was both amazed and surprised that there were 62,200 blocks of bluestone, each with a child standing on top.


    ¡°How interesting.¡±


    From his survey using his spiritual sense, Tang Xiu found dozens of children less than three-years-old under the escort of the stocky men who then placed them on the bluestone.


    Yuan Ye then reported respectfully, ¡°All the children have arrived, Boss.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and his feet began to float. The 62,200 children watched him walking in the air as if it was like a staircase. He floated higher in the air with each step before eventually arriving in the north in front of the first row of bluestones. While standing over 10 meters in the air, Tang Xiu looked around before nodding with satisfaction and begun to speak in a deep voice, ¡°Some of you already know who I am; some of you don¡¯t. But now, I¡¯ll introduce myself to all of you. I want you all to remember me and keep me in your heart.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu. I am the one who provides your food and clothing, and the Boss who provides you all your necessities and your education. From this day onwards, you only have to call me BOSS!¡±


    ¡°From today on, you will remember my name, memorize my identity, and keep it in your heart that the most important thing in your life is I, Tang Xiu, for whom you swear fealty and loyalty to in your lifetime.¡±


    During his speech, Tang Xiu secretly released his imposing aura. The oppressing aura was extremely light, yet it still caused the 62,200 children¡¯s faces to change. They were unaware that Tang Xiu had used some special means to imprint his image deep into their hearts.


    <Soul Imprint Technique>


    It was commonly used in the Immortal World¡ªa useful method to subdue ones¡¯ subordinates and those who came under their service.


    Half a minute later, Tang Xiu retracted his imposing aura and said with satisfaction, ¡°Yuan Ye, take them back! All of them will be in your care in the future regarding their life, education, and cultivation. All of them must follow a program and curriculum of a modern military school and academy. If you don¡¯t understand the management model in the military school, I¡¯ll summon Wolf Head from Nine Dragons Island to help you here.¡±


    Yuan Ye floated to approach and respectfully replied, ¡°I know the army training programs of various countries in the world, but I don¡¯t understand the administrative and management model for the military school.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll notify Wolf Head to come over and help you,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Yuan Ye complied and began issuing orders as the 62,200 children were brought back in groups under the leadership of dozens of stocky men.


    Tang Min looked at Tang Xiu who was standing up in the air, eyes full of brilliant light. Everyone had a fantasy of having a pair of wings that enabled them to fly freely in the sky like birds. Though Tang Min had currently become someone with a high stature, she had such a fantasy countless of times in the past.


    ¡± I must start cultivating. I must become a powerful cultivator.¡±


    The recent experiences and knowledge that Tang Min had encountered lately had constantly changed her state of mind. She watched Tang Xiu¡¯s figure in the sky while clenching her fists, and she secretly made up her mind.


    Tang Xiu stayed on the island for the next two days. He communicated with the children to understand and solve their problems while combining grace and might to deepen their impression towards him. At the same time, he also saw the five little fellows again: Tang Jin, Tang Mu, Tang Shui, Tang Huo, and Tang Mu. To his surprise, these five little fellows were now able to sense Qi and were even able to control the flow of qi within their bodies. They could be said to have become young experts at the first or second layer of Qi Refining.


    ¡°Go on. Are there any unsolved problems that came up while training these children here?¡± Tang Xiu looked at Cheng Ye and smilingly asked before he left.


    ¡°We have a total of three of them, Boss,¡± answered Cheng Ye. ¡°First, the identity of these children is highly confidential, so ordinary people can¡¯t contact them. This is especially a problem for the youngest among them; dozens of them are still in need of milk. There are tens of us here, but well, being a father or a mother for them is kinda a real headache.¡±


    Tang Xiu pondered for a while before he slowly nodded and said, ¡°For the toddlers, you can send them to some nearby places temporarily and hire some qualified and good-natured babysitters to bring them up.¡±


    Cheng Ye nodded and then continued, ¡°The second is our logistic supply. It¡¯s seriously lacking. We can hardly keep up with just food and water alone. We have more than 60,000 children here which leads to food problems since the consumption rate is too high, even if we send more food.¡±


    ¡°This issue is easy to handle,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Xiaoxue, assign some people when you go back and build a logistic supply fleet to transport necessary supplies here.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Gu Xiaoxue nodded.


    Cheng Ye continued, ¡°One last thing: we only have dozens of teachers and instructors here, Boss. It¡¯s challenging to train our children comprehensively in accordance with the military management model with so few teachers. Could you assign some more people here?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem with sending more people here. But the most important issue now is that there are too few core members in our Everlasting Feast Hall. Our most secretive plans will face the danger of being exposed and leaked out once we send outsiders here.¡±


    ¡°What should we do here then? We¡­¡± Cheng Ye stalled.


    Tang Xiu raised his hand and said, ¡°For the workers you need, how many people do you think should we send to manage things here?¡±


    ¡°200 people,¡± said Cheng Ye immediately. ¡°At least 200 people should be sent to solve our problem with the scarcity of teachers and instructors here.¡±


    ¡°200 people? That figure is out of the question.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Give me some time. I¡¯ll send over 100 people in two months. However, I¡¯ll need you to assign some people to train those 100 people for three months.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ they are not our Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people?¡± asked Cheng Ye hurriedly.


    ¡°Not yet, at least not now,¡± said Tang Xiu faintly. ¡°But they will be soon.¡±


    The 62,200 former orphans here would be Tang Xiu¡¯s most loyal subordinates in the future¡ªthe very groundwork and foundation of his return to the Immortal World. Thus, the absolute loyalty of the instructors and teachers who trained these children was necessary. The plan he had been brewing and thinking about recently seemed like it was about to start now.

 Chapter 824 - Gentlemanly Manner

    Chapter 824: Gentlemanly Manner


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    There were two plans that Tang Xiu intended to execute in the near future. The first one was to go to Kanas¡ªto Longquan Bay to try to open the mysterious immortal abode. The second was to go to Israel to spend quite a fortune on buying manpower. From the looks of the current situation, however, going to Israel was more urgent than visiting Longquan Bay in Kanas.


    Two days later.


    Tang Xiu came to Hong Kong alone. After getting off the plane, he took a cab empty-handed. He had originally planned to go straight to his residence in Hong Kong, but changed his destination after some thinking. Instead, he headed to the Grand Fortune Jewelry Group. He had never been there before, even though he was the Big Boss of the company.


    He had a lot of jades inside his interspatial ring, most of them being high-quality. Once these jades were processed, engraved, and made into a large number of products, he could make a fortune when they sold. If he could also use the connections of Grand Fortune Jewelry, he could earn more money and even buy more raw jades.


    Central Hong Kong was located on the north shore of Hong Kong Island and acted as the central business district for commerce, finance, and banking. It was also the authority center of the government, making it the special administrative region. The price of the land there was sky high¡ªeven an inch of land might cost you gold. It could be said to be the most prosperous place in Hong Kong.


    The Grand Fortune Jewelry Co. owned a 33-story high-rise building that covered a large area. The 1st through 13th floor were commercial areas with various stores, including luxury brands, restaurants, entertainment establishments, integral whole supermarkets, and other high-end consumer stores. The 14th through 33rd floors were used as the core areas of the Grand Fortune Jewelry Co.


    Tang Xiu took the cab to the south gate of the building and paid the fare. He then strolled into the courtyard and entered the premises. After checking the signs inside, he took the elevator straight to the 14th floor.


    ¡°Welcome.¡±


    Four welcoming ladies with excellent curves who wore cheongsams bowed in ceremony while wearing refreshing smiles on their beautiful faces.


    Tang Xiu slightly nodded at their greetings and headed to the door in front. He then found that the high-end jewelry stores inside had unpleasant staff members, though the number of guests was quite high. He even saw a tour group under the guidance of a tour guide watching the gold and silver jewelry inside, as well as the jades, emeralds, jadeites.


    ¡°Hello, Sir. How may I be of service?¡± A female clerk in a black suit came up and asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m just strolling around.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Please go back to your work; don¡¯t mind me.¡±


    A disappointed look flashed in the female clerk¡¯s eyes. Tang Xiu¡¯s appearance was very handsome; just looking at him made her heart race. There was even more disappointment as Tang Xiu was also wearing famous brands. She thought that he was some kind of second-generation nouveau riche, maybe even third generation.


    ¡®Can¡¯t get him as a boyfriend!¡¯ the salesgirl muttered inwardly and reluctantly left full of disappointment.


    Unaware of the salesgirl¡¯s thought, Tang Xiu strolled around the store in a relaxed and leisurely mood. The items sold here were so common in his eyes; after all, the most expensive one was just hundreds of thousands of yuan.


    15th floor.


    After arriving here, Tang Xiu found the items were priced higher. He even saw several platinum diamond rings priced at more than a million.


    Then he came to the 16th and 17th floors and looked at the items there. The price was much higher, especially on the 17th floor, which only had a few items. Though there were little more than a dozen, they were priced at more than 10 million.


    ¡°Hello, Sir. The 18th floor is an area restricted to the VIPs of our Grand Fortune Jewelry. Are you one of our company¡¯s VIPs?¡± Two burly men in a black suit stopped Tang Xiu at the elevator door, while the beautiful woman at the counter asked politely.


    ¡°No.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    ¡°Are you perhaps a staff member of our Grand Fortune Jewelry?¡± asked the beauty once more.


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment and said, ¡°I think so.¡±


    The beauty slightly smiled and said, ¡°If you¡¯re a staff member of our Grand Fortune Jewelry, you just need to swipe your work card upstairs.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t have one.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head with a wry smile.


    The belle looked empty and immediately replied with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re joking, aren¡¯t you, Sir? Every employee of our Grand Fortune Jewelry has a work card. You can¡¯t get to the top floor without it.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment and then curiously asked, ¡°Is the price of the jewelry on the 18th floor more expensive?¡±


    ¡°They are indeed more expensive,¡± answered the beauty.


    A disdainful look flashed in her eyes during her speech. Even though she concealed it well, Tang Xiu¡¯s sharp eyes could still catch it. However, he was too lazy to care about this beauty¡¯s thoughts. He took out his mobile phone and dialed Hao Lei¡¯s cellphone number.


    ¡®I can¡¯t get through?¡¯


    Tang Xiu was stunned. He immediately released his spiritual sense and found Hao Lei in the jade processing workshop on the 26th floor half a second later. At the moment, she was focusing on carving a fist-sized jade while her cell phone and two-palms-sized notebook were placed on the table.


    ¡°Can you please inform the person in charge here, Hao Lei, to come down?¡± asked Tang Xiu to the beauty. ¡°Also, she should be on the 26th floor right now.¡±


    The belle stared at Tang Xiu with an odd expression. The smile on her face receded greatly as she replied, ¡°Have you made an appointment with our General Manager in advance, Sir?¡±


    ¡°No, I just arrived in Hong Kong and she didn¡¯t know that I was coming,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    The pretty staff member was silent for a moment before she replied with an apologetic look, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Sir, you haven¡¯t made an appointment with our General Manager, so I have no right to contact her. If you¡¯d like to buy jewelry from our store, we have many good things that are highly valued in our store on this 17th floor as well.¡±


    Tang Xiu wryly smiled at her response and walked to the side to sit on the chair there and then said, ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll personally let her know! Just tend to your work and don¡¯t mind me.¡±


    The pretty staff member creased her brows and looked at Tang Xiu for a long time before shaking her head. She could recognize most of the scions of respectable families in Hong Kong, so she was sure that she had never seen Tang Xiu. Moreover, hearing that he had just arrived in Hong Kong, he shouldn¡¯t be a native here.


    ¡®There must be a problem with him. What he said before and now are kind of contradictory.¡¯


    The beauty turned her head to look at the two big men in black suits and gave a signal to them the moment Tang Xiu didn¡¯t notice her.


    Immediately, one of the big men strode to the front of Tang Xiu and made an ill-spoken remark, ¡°Sir, you said you have the means to contact our General Manager, so we¡¯ll give you 10 minutes. If there¡¯s no news after 10 minutes, please leave this place.¡±


    Tang Xiu lightly glanced at the big man in front of him and then decided to put good use of a certain technique to condense his voice to transmit his voice to Hao Lei on the 26th floor.


    ¡°It¡¯s me. Come to the elevator on the 17th floor.¡±


    On the 26th floor.


    Hao Lei was sitting in front of the workbench and was concentrating on the jade in her had. Although she was the GM of Grand Fortune Jewelry, she was very interested in carving jade and usually came here for carving and sculpting whenever she had some free time.


    ¡°Who?¡±


    She looked up and glanced around, but found that there were only some staff members busy with their work. None of them looked at nor spoke to her.


    ¡°That voice¡­ feels kinda familiar¡­¡±


    Hao Lei was sure that it was not some auditory hallucination she heard, but she also couldn¡¯t remember whose voice it was.


    ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu.¡±


    Just as she was confused, the voice rang again in her ears.


    In that instant, Hao Lei abruptly jumped up from the chair and her eyes lit up. She put down the jade and carving chisel almost without hesitation, then took off her overalls as fast as possible and proceeded to head out to the elevator at a jog.


    She finally understood why she felt that the voice was somewhat familiar. It was the Big Boss¡¯s voice! That made her aware of one more thing¡ªher Big Boss had the ability of long-distance voice transmission.


    At the entrance of the 17th-floor elevator.


    A young man wore a smiling face as he followed a hot and voluptuous beautiful girl. When they arrived on the floor, the young man promptly handed out a VIP card and said, ¡°We want to go to the 18th floor for shopping.¡±


    The female staff behind the counter had an envious look flash in her eyes before she received the VIP card and walked out from behind the counter and said, ¡°Please wait for a minute, respected customers. The elevator will arrive soon.¡±


    The young man ignored the pretty staff member and just looked at the girl beside him and fawningly said, ¡°I pestered my Mom for full two days before I got this VIP card, Little Hui. You can pick whatever good things you see and like on the 18th floor of this Grand Fortune Jewelry.¡±


    The girl called Yang Hui was the only daughter of a certain powerful and wealthy man in Hong Kong. She was a goddess in the mind of that young man. Being born with a golden spoon in her mouth, she was spoiled since birth, with a mind that always looked towards above. Even though that young man¡¯s background was not worse than hers, she only had a sliver of interest towards him.


    ¡°You said it, Qi Changxing. I¡¯ve been wanting to buy that love-heart crystal, but it¡¯s too expensive, so I keep hesitating. Now that you want to give it to me, don¡¯t go back on your word.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll take out all of my savings to buy that love-heart crystal for you as long as you like it, Little Hui,¡± Qi Changxing nodded without hesitation.


    Yang Hui curled her lips but was a bit disappointed inwardly. She didn¡¯t know how much savings this guy had, but she knew well how much that love-heart crystal cost.


    As they waited for the elevator, Yang Hui turned around and saw Tang Xiu who was sitting on the chair. She thought for a moment and then called out, ¡°Hello, can you give me your chair?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked and sized up Yang Hui, then lowered his head again.


    When Qi Changxin saw Tang Xiu, he didn¡¯t see Tang Xiu¡¯s face clearly, so he didn¡¯t recognize the devil who had once made his Qi Family lose 2 billion yuan. He wanted to show his manliness before his goddess and immediately came forward to kick Tang Xiu¡¯s calf and said, ¡°Hey, dude. Shouldn¡¯t you at least act gentlemanly in front of a lady? Is it that troublesome for you to give up the chair?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked up and apathetically replied, ¡°Then what if I don¡¯t wanna be a gentleman, huh?¡±

 Chapter 825 - Reckless Use of Excellent Resource

    Chapter 825: Reckless Use of Excellent Resource


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu disliked Yang Hui¡¯s attitude and was even disgusted with the way Qi Changxing pursued girls, especially due to him pursuing such an impolite girl. Still, he lamented that the world was indeed so small¡ªto think that he would bump into his old acquaintance Qi Changxing right as he came to visit Hong Kong again.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Just as Qi Changxing spoke, he clearly saw Tang Xiu¡¯s face. The words he was about to say were swallowed in a flash while even his legs shivered.


    ¡®This fiend¡­ the evil star?!!¡¯


    Regrets and remorse filled Qi Changxin¡¯s whole being. He never once dreamed that the man would be his evil star, Tang Xiu. What frightened him the most was that he just gently kicked this very fiend.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me? You don¡¯t like my answer?¡± asked Tang Xiu coldly, ¡°Or do you think your kick at me was too light or something?¡±


    Qi Changxing instantly shivered inside. If it wasn¡¯t for him being in front of his goddess, he could¡¯ve knelt and pleaded for Tang Xiu¡¯s forgiveness. He squeezed out a difficult smile to make a respectful face, then bowed and said, ¡°This Changxing dares not harbor such dislike towards you, Mr. Tang. I wouldn¡¯t have dared kick you if I was able to recognize you just now; not even if I were to be bestowed 10,000x more courage! Please don¡¯t stoop to my level of ignorance.¡±


    ¡°Sigh. How come you always have such a short memory?¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and sighed, ¡°Was the lesson before too light?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never done anything outrageous ever since you previously left Hong Kong, Mr. Tang,¡± replied Qi Changxing bitterly. ¡°It¡¯s just that I like Little Hui, so I just wanted to show her¡­ well, a good impression.¡±


    Tang Xiu actually knew about his idea, but it didn¡¯t mean that he approved his means of picking up girls, so he lightly said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to rely on material means, nor money, to pursue girls. What you need is love, to be each other¡¯s sunshine. Only a couple who loves each other can stand the test of time and spend their lives together. You better try your best this way.¡±


    Having said that, Tang Xiu no longer wanted to get in contact with Qi Changxing again, so he just shut his eyes and waited for Hao Lei to arrive.


    Yang Hui observed Tang Xiu with a weird yet curious expression and occasionally gazed at Qi Changxing who looked scared yet respectful. She suddenly became curious about this handsome young man whose deeds and words looked very mature. She knew Qi Changxing¡¯s identity, so the person he treated with fear and respect was definitely someone with an extraordinary background.


    ¡°Who exactly are you?¡± Yang Hui couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t reply; he was even too lazy to speak with her. His actions, however, made the pretty staff member at the side quite surprised. The way she looked at Tang Xiu now was different than before. Even the two big men standing next to the elevator door glanced at each other with confused expressions.


    Shwoomp! Swish!


    The elevator door slowly opened and Hao Lei came rushing out. Her eyes swept over from Qi Changxing and Yang Hui before finally landing on Tang Xiu. She paced forward and then respectfully called out, ¡°Why did you come here, Boss?¡±


    Tang Xiu opened his eyes, then stood up and replied, ¡°Well, I was looking for you to deal with something. It just happened that I passed through Hong Kong and was having a stroll, so I came here. But, I had to call you here to get me a work card. I tried to come up but got shut out.¡±


    Hao Lei abruptly turned around and glared at the pretty lady at the counter before shouting harshly, ¡°He¡¯s the Big Boss of our Grand Fortune Jewelry. Did you just shut him out?¡±


    The beauty¡¯s pupils contracted while all the fine hairs on her body stood on end. She was both shocked and scared, so she hastily replied, ¡°I-I am sorry¡­ I didn¡¯t know that you were our Big Boss.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it. I can¡¯t blame you since you don¡¯t know me and your duty is to stop people who aren¡¯t employees.¡± Tang Xiu then waved and said, ¡°Hao Lei, you don¡¯t need to blame her either. Well, alright then. Let¡¯s find a quiet place to talk about some matters.¡±


    Hao Lei quickly nodded and no longer paid attention to the pretty employee. She walked Tang Xiu into the elevator and then pressed the button for the 33rd-floor. As the elevator rose, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°How¡¯s the business of Grand Fortune Jewelry recently? Got any troubles?¡±


    ¡°Our business is quite good as of late,¡± answered Hao Lei. ¡°But the sales volume has been reduced by 20% compared to the first two quarters of last year. It has nothing to do with our funds, gold, or silver, it¡¯s mainly because¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the chief reason?¡± interjected Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I have yet to figure out the specific cause, but there has been a sudden large-scale acquisition of raw jade by domestic forces. This has led to the scarcity of jade raw materials on the market,¡± explained Hao Lei with a forced a smile. ¡°We originally had our own supply channels, but the sudden skyrocket in price recently significantly decreased the number we can purchase, resulting in us having a low stock. Shortly put, the price increase greatly affects the sales volume.¡±


    Tang Xiu grinned since he naturally knew which force in the country would want to buy jade raw materials in the dark. Yet, he never thought that the price of raw jade would skyrocket due to this reason and even impact his own business.


    ¡°Is it only our Grand Fortune Jewelry¡¯s business that got affected? Or¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just us. All the major jewelry businesses in the country were impacted,¡± answered Hao Lei quickly. ¡°There have been businesspersons in the jade business who are now regretting not stockpiling raw jade materials.¡±


    ¡°Since everyone is affected, it¡¯s not because of the internal problems of our Grand Fortuned Jewelry,¡± said Tang Xiu with satisfaction. ¡°You have this need, so I¡¯ll solve it for you. That¡¯s right; how much raw jade materials do you need to solve our low stock issue?¡±


    Hao Lei was stunned. She didn¡¯t expect that it would be Big Boss himself offering to help solve the lack of jade. She pondered for a moment and then answered, ¡°We can solve the urgent need of jade raw materials if we can obtain at least one ton of it. If it¡¯s too much, half a ton should be sufficient, albeit barely.¡±


    ¡°If I give you five tons, can you make use of it to earn more profits?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Additionally, when there are enough raw materials, can we buy more of them by making use of the profits we¡¯ve earned?¡±


    Hao Lei was at a loss whether to laugh or cry upon hearing Tang Xiu. She smilingly replied, ¡°Boss, you don¡¯t understand the scarcity of jade raw materials, do you? Although the world¡¯s major jadeite mines produce a lot of materials each year, the total output is not necessarily more than five tons annually. Yet, you actually have¡­ good, that¡¯s just great. Well, don¡¯t stare at me like that, Boss. If you really can get five tons of high-quality jade raw materials, I can guarantee that the price of immediately selling them will be at least enough to buy two more tons of jade raw materials. Also, it¡¯s only natural that if we process and sell the finished products, we¡¯ll even be able to buy at least five more tons.¡±


    ¡°You can double it?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed and he asked in surprise.


    ¡°That¡¯s right; we can definitely double it,¡± answered Hao Lei with a firm nod.


    Tang Xiu nodded and followed Hao Lei coming out of the elevator. After he came to her office, he took out an interspatial ring to hand to her and said, ¡°Take this interspatial ring. It¡¯s for you¡ªthe future reward for the profits you will earn for the company. There are five tons of jade inside. Use a drop of your blood to imprint your ownership over the ring. Once you do so, you can take out the jade and take a look at their qualities.¡±


    Interspatial ring?


    Hao Lei felt like she was being struck by a lightning bolt as she stood dumbfounded on the spot. Her eyes sparkled with excitement while her hands that cautiously received the interspatial ring were slightly trembling. She then bit her finger and dripped her blood on it.


    Whoosh¡­


    A fist-sized jade appeared in her hand out of thin air and she controlled it to be stowed away again inside the ring. After repeating the test several times, she excitedly said, ¡°Boss, I just observed the inside with my spiritual sense; there is indeed a lot of jade raw materials inside. This is great! With these jade raw materials, our Grand Fortune Jewelry¡¯s reputation will definitely go through the roof. It will make it possible for us to obtain more profits in the short term!¡±


    ¡°The quality is really that good?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°They are of excellent quality.¡± Hao Lei firmly nodded and said, ¡°They might not be comparable to the best jade raw materials, but they are of top quality nevertheless. I¡¯ll immediately contact all the jade carving masters we have to produce the finished goods 24/7!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll take care of the following works, then!¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯ll give you 3 months to give me the money from the jade sales and then buy me a batch of jade raw materials. Keep in mind, the current market price is very high, so find a way to limit the price and maximize the profit.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± replied Hao Lei with all seriousness.


    Tang Xiu suddenly recalled something and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the most valuable item in the VIP area of the 18th floor of our Grand Fortune Jewelry? How valuable is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an aqua crystal christened as ¡®The Heart of the Ocean¡¯. This aqua crystal is just the size of a baby¡¯s fist and it has an aquatic color all over its body. After the most outstanding carving master in Hong Kong spent 16 years to carve it, it has become the treasured object in the advertisements of Grand Fortune Jewelry. As for its price, it¡¯s 1,888,888,888 yuan. There have been some super-rich people in Hong Kong who wanted to buy it but flinched upon facing such a high price before finally getting discouraged.¡±


    Tang Xiu secretly was a bit surprised. He didn¡¯t expect that an aqua crystal would be set at such a high price. After he thought over it, he then said slowly, ¡°Take me to see it.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± agreed on Hao Lei and walked Tang Xiu to the VIP area on the 18th floor. After clearing several security doors, the duo arrived at a transparent glass cabinet.


    ¡°This is the aqua crystal?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes were full of wonder after seeing the crystal-clear and flawless ¡°The Heart of the Ocean¡± inside the tempered glass cabinet.


    Hao Lei didn¡¯t see Tang Xiu¡¯s unusual expression since she couldn¡¯t take her eyes off of the Heart of the Ocean. She gently nodded and said, ¡°Yes. This is the Heart of the Ocean. Rumors say that it was a British man who fished it out of the ocean. Though I don¡¯t know exactly how it was fished out. Boss, you can take it and gift it to your beloved woman if you like it. I¡¯m sure every woman would like it.¡±


    ¡°Gifting it to a woman I love?¡±


    Tang Xiu almost spurted out a mouthful of blood. He glared at Hao Long but didn¡¯t vent his vexed mood at her. Those who have eyes but fail to see Mt. Tai are truly reckless if they were to waste such an incredible precious object.


    What exactly was this thing?


    It was a treasure that immortals could only have in their dreams! A very precious object that countless top immortals could only wait in hope for. It could be foretold that tempestuous waves of bloody struggles would happen in the Immortal World when this object appeared there.


    And yet, this precious treasure was actually treated as¡­ jewelry here?

 Chapter 826 - Underground Gladiatorial Match

    Chapter 826: Underground Gladiatorial Match


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Had it been in the Immortal World, Tang Xiu wouldn¡¯t have believed it if this Water Progenitor Stone was sold as jewelry, but this was Earth. Tang Xiu had seen too many precious treasures in this world that were sold by ordinary people as regular objects.


    ¡°Where else can I buy this thing?¡± Tang Xiu took a deep breath and turned to look at Hao Lei.


    Only then did Hao Lei finally realize that Tang Xiu¡¯s expression was unusual. She was surprised and glanced at the Heart of the Ocean again before slowly answering, ¡°To the best of my knowledge, there¡¯s only one such aqua crystal of this quality. There have been several amethyst crystals in existence, the most famous of which is the ¡®Gem of Rose¡¯ owned by the Kingdom of Great Britain¡¯s royal family and is currently in the Queen¡¯s crown. Unfortunately, that treasure is not for sale no matter how much is offered.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes shimmered, and he nodded and said, ¡°Help me pay attention to the world¡¯s top crystals or gems. If they are of this quality or better, contact me immediately. Also, I¡¯ll take this Heart of the Ocean as it¡¯s very important to me.¡±


    ¡°For this Heart of the Ocean to be fancied by you is truly a blessing for us, Boss,¡± replied Hao Lei with a smile.


    ****


    Inside an exclusive caf¨¦ near the Grand Fortune Jewelry¡¯s edifice, Qi Changxing drank his coffee with a soulless expression. Even he didn¡¯t pay attention to the goddess he had been trying to court for a long time who was now sitting across from him. The unexpected encounter with Tang Xiu had made him shudder in fear, though it was fortunate that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t embarrass him nor make things difficult. He knew that even if he didn¡¯t lose his life, he would at least have a layer of his skin peeled off.


    Undoubtedly, the issue came up because he didn¡¯t remember that the Grand Fortune Jewelry was Tang Xiu¡¯s business. He only suddenly recalled it the moment he saw Hao Lei. Recalling such a thing made him decide that he would never go to Grand Fortune Jewelry to buy anything ever again. He even made up his mind to never approach two kilometers around Grand Fortune Jewelry or the Everlasting Feast Hall, so as not to encounter this fiend, this evil star, ever again.


    ¡°Hey, Changxin, you look out of sorts, you know.¡±


    Yang Hui stirred the sugared coffee with a spoon while she wore a strange expression on her pretty face. Her tone sounded casual, yet had some intention to it.


    Qi Changxing raised his head and bitterly replied, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be scared like this even if I were to encounter the richest man in Hong Kong, Li Juren. It can be said that there¡¯s only one person who can scare me. Only one¡­¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s exactly this ¡®one¡¯?¡± Yang Hui squinted and quickly asked.


    Qi Changxing was silent for a few seconds. He secretly glanced around and found that no one was paying attention to them. He then lowered his voice and answered, ¡°Little Hui, you must not tell this to another soul, else I¡¯ll be damned to die!¡±


    ¡°I promise no one will know what you¡¯re gonna tell me,¡± said Yang Hui immediately with all seriousness. ¡°Nobody else will learn it from my mouth.¡±


    ¡°His name is Tang Xiu, the Big Boss behind Grand Fortune Jewelry and the Everlasting Feast Hall,¡± Qi Changxing whispered. ¡°Also, you should have heard about what happened to Jiang Yu, Chen Fei, and Du Yang, right?¡±


    Yang Hui¡¯s eyes instantly turned into saucers as she exclaimed in alarm, ¡°Their industries were struck with accidents last year. The rumors I heard was that they had offended a very powerful person and ended up with bad luck. That¡¯s right, there was still your Qi Family too¡­ Huh, don¡¯t tell me¡­ it all was because of what he did?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s him, alright?¡± Qi Changxin forced a bitter smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that he¡¯s the only one who can do that in all of China. My Qi Family is quite fine as we only lost two billion. But the other three¡­ damn it, I might as well tell you! Four of us offended Tang Xiu that time and lost 20 billion, at the very least.¡±


    Gasp!


    Yang Hui knew what 20 billion yuan meant. Even if her Yang Family was also a major family in Hong Kong with a lot of assets and industries in other places, the total assets they owned was just half of that, 10 billion.


    As day blended into night, Tang Xiu had dinner with Hao Lei while Mo Awu arrived in Hong Kong with the other ten of his bodyguards and called him. Tang Xiu was then escorted by Hao Lei in her car to Hong Kong Airport.


    ¡°Can I go with you too, Boss?¡± asked Hao Lei, eyes full of expectation.


    ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and smiled, ¡°Just stay well in Hong Kong and do your best to process that five tons of jade and sell them. I expect that I¡¯ll need a lot of them in September, so I hope that this plan won¡¯t delay what I¡¯ve planned by then.¡±


    ¡°Alright, no problem.¡± Hao Lei heavily nodded.


    It would take six and a half hours to fly from Hong Kong to Tel Aviv. If they took off at 20:00, they would arrive in Tel Aviv around 03:30 in the middle of the night. Tang Xiu used his small green book so that he could take the flight all by himself with no other passengers, leaving only 12 people in the passenger plane.


    Tel Aviv was Israel¡¯s second largest city and was a modern international metropolis inhabited by 400,000 people, adjacent to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. It boasted 51.76 square kilometers of an urban area. The location of the labor camp 1319 was not in downtown Tel Aviv but was in Bat Yam, one of the surrounding urban clusters.


    Bat Yam was only inhabited by a few hundred thousand people and had a strong economy. Even though it was slightly worse compared to some third-tier cities in China, it was still comparable to many county towns under municipalities.


    The labor camp 1319 was located more than a dozen kilometers southeast of Bat Yam. It covered a large area and looked like a strong castle from the outside.


    Early in the morning, Tang Xiu and his men checked in their lodging at the highest-rated hotel in Bat Yam city. Mo Awu, who had been here before, was very familiar with this small town.


    On the fifth floor of the hotel.


    Tang Xiu was standing before the window, looking toward the southeast, and asked, ¡°Tell me what you think, Awu.¡±


    ¡°The current top official of the labor camp 1319 is not the one we met that time, Boss,¡± said Mo Awu. ¡°I¡¯ve contacted my former business partner on the way here. He¡¯s a powerful underworld gang leader in Tel Aviv, Gus Gilles. He told me that the new top dog in the labor camp 1319, Augustino, is a particularly greedy man. This guy has been involved in some shady dealings to make some money recently, so it will be harder than in the past if we want to buy a large number of inmates from the labor camp.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s using the inmates in the prison to amass money? How did he do it?¡± asked Tang Xiu, surprised.


    ¡°The gladiatorial fights to the death,¡± answered Mo Awu.


    Tang Xiu frowned. He suddenly remembered the trailer he had seen at the movies. The inmates from many prisons were gathered together for the underground ¡®fight to the death¡¯ tournaments, in which many rich people secretly came to the match arena through shady channels to have some unrestrained gambling.


    If the situation was like in the movies, Tang Xiu realized that it would be tough to buy the world¡¯s top hitman, Spectre, with just 100 million USD.


    ¡°Tell me your idea, then,¡± said Tang Xiu calmly and then lit up a cigarette.


    ¡°I think you should first meet our former partner, this Gus Gilles,¡± said Mo Awu. ¡°He¡¯s one of the best in doing a deal like buying inmates. But this guy is also a greedy man, so it¡¯s going to cost more if we don¡¯t want to expose our identity.¡±


    Tang Xiu pondered for a short while before he nodded and said, ¡°It does inconvenience for us to act openly on this issue. You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s use the local scoundrels to do things for us. It will only cost us a bit more at most, yet will save us the trouble of getting exposed and implicated later. Where¡¯s this Gus Gilles now?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s in Tel Aviv.¡±


    ¡°Can you make him come over?¡± asked Tang Xiu. ¡°Make arrangements to meet him.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Mo Awu said with a smile, ¡°Gus Gilles doesn¡¯t know about our true identity, but he does understand our strength. He won¡¯t dare offend us.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and motioned for Mo Awu to contact Gus Gilles before he mulled over the issue silently. He brought 1 billion USD this time, but he had no idea how many inmates he could buy. He also had to consider some other issues as well. He¡¯d have to implement another plan if 1 billion USD couldn¡¯t do the job. But the plan was dangerous; even the slightest mistake could lead to suppression from the army of Tel Aviv¡¯s authority.


    There was also another issue. He must see these inmates before he purchased them. He decided to enter the prison as a prisoner first if possible while he waited for the designated inmates to be purchased. Then, he would negotiate with the prison¡¯s top dog, Augustino.


    As the afternoon came, four black SUVs roared as they came to the hotel that Tang Xiu was residing in. Several big, strong men protected a middle-aged man in a white suit and sunglasses who got off from the third black SUV. The middle-aged Caucasian man had a shaved head with a tattoo on his left cheek and neck.


    After Mo Awu appeared with the other two bodyguards at the hotel¡¯s entrance, Gus Gilles grinned and strode toward him.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad I can meet you again here in Bat Yam, buddy! You¡¯re still as robust as in the past, even after so many years.¡±


    Mo Awu smiled back and hugged him, then smilingly said, ¡°You also look a lot younger, Gus. You¡¯ve been in control of a mafia that dominates Tel Aviv¡¯s underworld; does that make your life more comfortable or something?¡±


    ¡°Bah, ignore that nonsensical shit people have been spitting out, Wu.¡± Gus Gilles shook his head and smiled. ¡°I¡¯d wake up laughing if I really could rule the entire underworld of Tel Aviv. It¡¯s a pity that today¡¯s youngsters are getting more powerful¡ªeven I got done in quite badly by a bunch of those brat bastards.¡±


    ¡°Tell me something, is there anything I can help you with?¡± asked Mo Awu with a curious yet quaint smile.


    Gus Gilles squinted his eyes and observed the two men behind Mo Awu. Then he immediately said with a smile, ¡°Take it easy, buddy. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m quite curious. What kind of bigshot can make you his subordinate? By the way, I¡¯ve got another question too. Where¡¯s your dear little brother, Wen? Why don¡¯t I see him with you?¡±


    ¡°That younger brother of mine is carrying out another mission, so he didn¡¯t come with me,¡± said Mo Awu with a smile. ¡°As for our Boss. You better act respectfully when you meet him, man. It¡¯s not only because he has a lot of more powerful men than me, but he¡¯s also a powerful terror himself.¡±


    ¡°No kidding, man.¡± Gus Gilles was astounded. ¡°Can you tell me again where you hail from, Wu?¡±


    The smile on Mo Awu¡¯s face receded a lot. He approached Gu Gilles and whispered in his ear, ¡°If you have the force comparable to the Stygian Club¡¯s, it¡¯s fine for me to tell you, else it might as well harm you instead.¡±

 Chapter 827 - Promotion for Power and Fortune

    Chapter 827: Promotion for Power and Fortune


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Gus Gilles was someone who had seen many terrible figures he shouldn¡¯t provoke, yet he had only a sliver of dread toward those people. At this moment, however, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine, and his curiosity died out instantly.


    ¡®The Stygian Club.¡¯


    The name was a legend. A legendary organization he had heard of that boasted terrifying power and influence. He could clearly infer from Mo Awu¡¯s words that his Boss had the strength to fight against the Stygian Club.


    After taking a deep breath, Gus Gilles concealed his feeling with a smile. It was a stiff smile, but it clearly expressed his understanding. ¡°Well, let¡¯s just forget about it if it¡¯s inconvenient. Anyway, I still don¡¯t get something. Why would your Boss want to see me? Is it like last time¡ªyou want some inmates from labor camp 1319?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be rushed, take it easy about that, Gus,¡± said Mo Awu. ¡°Wait until you meet my Boss; you¡¯ll naturally know what his intention is.¡±


    A few minutes later, Mo Awu took Gus Gilles to the room where Tang Xiu was staying. Even though Gus Gilles was quite surprised upon finding out how young Tang Xiu is, he acted more respectful and exchanged some pleasantries with Tang Xi. He then asked about the doubt that plagued his mind, ¡°Boss Tang, I don¡¯t think you brought me here just to have a chat, right? Please speak directly about if there¡¯s anything I can do for you. I¡¯ll never refuse it as long as it¡¯s within the scope of my ability.¡±


    ¡°Alright. How much do you know about labor camp 1319?¡± asked Tang Xiu. ¡°Also, are you familiar with the top official of this prison?¡±


    ¡°Boss Tang, you should have heard from Wu that I was once detained in this labor camp 1319.¡± Gus Gilles nodded and said, ¡°It was very fortunate that I had amassed quite a fortune before I was detained and I was able to buy my freedom. Hence, I know quite a lot about the situation inside the prison. As for Augustino, I have had some dealings with him a few times, one of which regarding his secretly arranged underground gladiatorial death matches.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s true, how about doing some business with me?¡± asked Tang Xiu with satisfaction.


    ¡°What business?¡± asked Gus Gilles.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pay 20 million USD for your work. You help me purchase a batch of inmates from labor camp 1319. Also, find a way to send me inside and give me a week there. I¡¯ll give you a list of inmates I¡¯ll buy by then.¡±


    ¡°You want to buy a group of prisoners from there? Not just one?¡± Gus Gilles was shocked.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to fly in from afar and come here personally if I just wanted to buy one prisoner,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°I want to buy a batch of these prisoners; no less than 100 of them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± bluntly exclaimed Gus Gilles. ¡°Even if Augustino is the highest commander of the labor camp 1319, he wouldn¡¯t dare to sell you so many major criminals. Let alone 100 inmates; he probably doesn¡¯t have the guts to sell more than a dozen of them.¡±


    Tang Xiu frowned and asked, ¡°Does he have insufficient authority, or is he under the surveillance and control of someone else?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a major problem for Augustino to have dozens of heavy convicts for sale with his authority, but the crux of the problem is¡­ the prisoners detained in the labor camp 1319 are all extremely horrible. Releasing tens of them rather casually will do great harm to society. Augustino is sure to worship money like his life, but he would never try to seek death that recklessly either.¡±


    ¡°So, you mean is¡­ he¡¯s too afraid of selling so many prisoners,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°It¡¯s out of fear that the sold convicts will make a major disaster outside, eventually causing trouble for him?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± answered Gus Gilles.


    Tang Xiu squinted and thought about the issue silently. He felt that Gus Gilles made sense. Had it been himself in the position of the highest-ranking officer of labor camp 1319, he wouldn¡¯t take such a big risk for money either.


    But if he didn¡¯t try, wouldn¡¯t his effort in coming here go to waste? Or, should he really resort to putting that very dangerous plan into motion¡­ creating riots to help those convicts escape secretly?


    ¡°I have an idea, Boss,¡± interjected Jin Shi all of a sudden.


    ¡°You do? Tell me.¡± Tang Xiu was surprised.


    A cold gleam suffused in Jin Shi¡¯s eyes as he explained with all seriousness, ¡°It¡¯s highly likely that Augustino won¡¯t dare to sell us so many prisoners. It¡¯s better to contact the camp¡¯s second-in-charge. If he¡¯s willing to sell a lot of inmates to us, we¡¯ll help him remove Augustino, though it will be up to his own efforts if he wants to sit on top of the food chain in the prison.¡±


    ¡°Not bad!¡± Tang Xiu clapped and smilingly said with satisfaction, ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. If the number two character is not an idiot, he will cooperate with us. Gus Gilles, who¡¯s second-in-charge in labor camp 1319?¡±


    Gus Gilles thought for a moment and answered, ¡°Sander.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a way of contacting him to arrange for us to meet in secret?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I¡¯m one of Augustino¡¯s VIP guests, so Sander will give me some face.¡± Gus Gilles nodded. ¡°Boss Tang, if you really have the money and the capital to remove Augustino, you can meet Sander and I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll agree to a deal with you. But¡­¡±


    ¡°But what?¡± asked Tang Xiu with pressed brows.


    ¡°But, can we have some changes in our deal?¡± asked Gus Gilles seriously. ¡°I don¡¯t want money, just your help with an issue of mine.¡±


    ¡°Do tell. What kind of problem do you have?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I¡¯d like you to eliminate four people after your plan is successful,¡± said Gus Gilles. ¡°They are gang leaders in Tel Aviv and quite powerful.¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t immediately answer his request but instead asked with a pale smile, ¡°You want us to kill the other four gang leaders so that you can become the kingpin or godfather of Tel Aviv¡¯s underworld?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. As long as those four are eliminated, those under them will cause trouble. It is highly likely that there will be internal struggles for the leader position. When they fight to the death, it will be the time for me to act. I have 70-80% of confidence that I¡¯ll be the godfather of all of Tel Aviv¡¯s underworld; that is, once they die.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Deal.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Seeing Tang Xiu agree so quickly was not something Gus Gilles expected, so he immediately said excitedly, ¡°I¡¯ll contact Sander then. I¡¯ll personally inform you after the time and place are determined.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Tang Xiu sent Gus Gilles to leave with his gaze before he waved to Jin Shi and said, ¡°Follow him in secret and monitor his actions. If you find him backstabbing us, or doing some shitty trick to expose us, kill him directly.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Jin Shi nodded cautiously and went out silently.


    ****


    Labor camp 1319.


    In the northernmost part of the prison, there was a six-story building with a wide and spacious hall at the bottom. An arena platform, or rather a fighting ring, had been set up in the hall. Two fighters were wearing big boxers and were engaged in a grueling fight on the ring, while hundreds of people sat in the surroundings.


    ¡°Commander Augustino, who do you think will win the final?¡±


    A foreign mean in a suit and shiny shoes was smoking a cigar spoke in a relaxed manner as he asked casually, puffing out smoke as he spoke.


    The highest official of labor camp 1319, Augustino, still wore an obsequious smile and said, ¡°Mr. Newark, the no. 6 Fleshgrinder and no.3 Thanatos are very powerful experts in our prison. Fleshgrinder has a record of 4 wins from 4 fights, but Thanatos also has 5 wins and 1 draw from 5 fights. I can¡¯t tell which one of them will become the final winner from their fight.¡±


    Newark pointed to Thanatos and slowly said, ¡°I think Thanatos will be the ultimate winner. He hasn¡¯t used the weapon he¡¯s good at so far, and his opponent hasn¡¯t been able to push him too hard. That Fleshgrinder, though, didn¡¯t you see that he¡¯s very powerful but a little too sluggish?¡±


    Augustino nodded with a pensive look a few times and then said, ¡°I think you¡¯re right, Mr. Newark. I hope he can win the last game too! Else, I¡¯ll lose quite a sum of money that I¡¯ve betted.¡±


    Newark was the leader of an arms dealer who controlled arms trafficking through various channels in Israel. Rumors had it that he was very close with the state. He was also the main supporter behind Augustino becoming the highest-ranking official of the labor camp 1319 by pouring in a lot of money to help him.


    ¡°In the fights between experts, any negligence or mistakes will cost them their lives. More so that the situation in combat is rapidly changing. Nobody can say who will be the ultimate winner now,¡± Newark nodded.


    Suddenly, Sander, who was sitting on the chair next to Augustino, took out his mobile and was surprised to see the caller shown on its screen. It was because the person who called him turned out to be Gus Gilles, the most powerful gang leader in Tel Aviv.


    ¡®What does he want from me?¡¯


    Sander didn¡¯t want to talk to Gus Gilles, but it was hard to not to at this time. He quickly glanced at Augustino, then bent over and stood up to leave the spectator area and run outside. As he found a remote spot, he picked up the phone and spoke, ¡°Gus Gilles, shouldn¡¯t you take the initiative to find Augustino? Why are you calling me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your promotion. It¡¯s quite a good thing to have more power and fortune, don¡¯t you think? I wonder if you¡¯re interested.¡± Gus Gilles¡¯s voice was heard from the phone.


    ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t get what you mean,¡± answered Sander, frowning.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to understand it for the time being. You just need to remember to cooperate with me. Not only can you be promoted to the highest-ranking position in labor camp 1319, but you can also earn yourself quite a fortune,¡± said Gus Gilles with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll arrange the time and place for you to meet with someone around midday tomorrow.¡±

 Chapter 828 - Friendship Grows from the Exchange of Blows

    Chapter 828: Friendship Grows from the Exchange of Blows


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Sander¡¯s eyes sparkled while he held his mobile phone. He knew what Gus Gilles¡¯s identity was, and he didn¡¯t have much trust in the ruthless gang leader, but Gus Gilles¡¯s words piqued his interest nonetheless.


    He did love money, but he liked being the highest-ranking official of labor camp 1319 more. He was sure that being the top dog in the prison was equivalent to a steady stream of fortune that would enter his pocket.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± After careful consideration, Sander finally gave Gus Gilles his answer.


    Noon of the next day.


    In a remote neighborhood in Bat Yam, there was an inconspicuous caf¨¦ where Sander met Gus Gilles, who arrived ahead of him. After dismissing the two trusted aides who had been following him for years, Sander sat alone across from Gus Gilles. He lit up a cigarette and asked, ¡°Mr. Gilles, I¡¯m a candid man and l love to have dealings with similar people. What matter do you want to meet me about?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Warden Sander. I was looking for you for a good reason,¡± replied Gus Gilles with a smile. ¡°Though it¡¯s not me who wants to meet you today, as I¡¯m just a middleman between you and the said person.¡±


    ¡°And this said person is?¡± asked Sander with slightly creased brows.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter much who is, honestly. What matters is that he can give you what you want.¡± Gus Gilles shook his head and said, ¡°For instance, power and fortune.¡±


    Sander fell into silence, but his curiosity was piqued even more. Who was that person; what was his purpose and objective? He had already prepared for danger when he went out this time. He decided to only agree with the opposite party temporarily if their demand was too excessive. If the worst came to the worst, he would just leave the caf¨¦ and go back on his words later.


    ¡°I¡¯m not late, am I?¡± Tang Xiu greeted in fluent English after he arrived soon after.


    Gus Gilles immediately stood up and introduced him, ¡°You¡¯re not late, Mr. Tang. Let me introduce you to the Vice-Warden of labor camp 1319, Mr. Sander. Mr. Sander, this is Mr. Tang, the person who plans to cooperate with you.¡±


    Tang Xiu reached out and shook hands with Sander, then gestured for them to sit down. He took a seat next to Gus Gilles and smilingly said, ¡°I¡¯m sure Warden Sander must be very curious as to why I want to meet you. It¡¯s very simple. I want to make a deal with you.¡±


    Sander looked at the Oriental young man with gleaming eyes as he asked, ¡°What deal, exactly?¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t hurry to answer, but instead raised his arm to quickly make a gesture to Mo Awu who came from the distance carrying a briefcase. When he put the briefcase on the table, he opened it, showing it full of stacks of US bills.


    ¡°There are one million dollars here, Warden Sander. It¡¯s all yours, no matter if we can agree or not today. Just consider it a gift upon our first meeting.¡±


    Sander¡¯s expression changed. One million dollars was not a large sum of money to him as he had more than 10 million USD himself, but he was impressed by Tang Xiu¡¯s move nonetheless. As he was about to speak, his eyes inadvertently glanced over at Mo Awu¡¯s face.


    ¡°Impossible!¡± Sander abruptly got up from the sofa with eyes gleaming. He was flustered and horrified as he stared at Mo Awu.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since we last met. Isn¡¯t that right, Warden Sander?¡± said Mo Awu with a smile. ¡°Have your injuries been all right? I thought the Death God liked you and would take you away, though.¡±


    Sander glared at Mo Awu and chilling killing intent oozed out of his teeth, ¡°That was the wrong guess. The Death God never likes me and with my good luck, I can still live up till now. But I still clearly remember the dagger you used to leave the stab wounds to the left of my chest back then. If it wasn¡¯t for my heart being positioned slightly different from other people¡¯s, I would¡¯ve probably died by your hands.¡±


    ¡°We were also trying to survive, scraping along the line of life in those years, and you were our enemies.¡± Mo Awu smiled and said, ¡°But now, my Boss wants to make a deal with you, so we are enemies no longer! I, for one, love the saying that all hustles and bustles in the world are nothing if not for profits. There¡¯s no eternal enemy in the world, only perpetual interests, don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    ¡°What I currently want to know the most is, how big is this reward?¡± replied Sander in a deep voice.


    Tang Xiu waved to Mo Awu, motioning him to wait while speaking with a smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that Awu and Warden Sander would share some history together. Well, with no fists exchanged, none would get acquainted, right? As for the benefits and how much you¡¯ll get, I must say that it will depend on how much courage you have.¡±


    ¡°Speak clearly, please,¡± asked Sander after taking a seat again.


    ¡°No. What I can tell you now is that as long as you have enough courage, our deal can reach the hundreds of millions, then add dollars after the millions.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    Hundreds of millions in US dollars?


    Sander¡¯s heart beat faster, and the anger on his face gradually dissipated. After more than five seconds, he was widely grinning as he spoke, ¡°Mr. Tang, isn¡¯t it? Tell me more about our cooperation.¡±


    ¡°I want to buy inmates from labor camp 1319. Quite a lot of them, in fact,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°The number¡­ well, the minimum number of inmates I wanna buy will be in the three digit range.¡±


    ¡°Hundreds of people?¡±


    Sander¡¯s pupils contracted. He couldn¡¯t help but tremble, tempestuous waves ricocheting in his heart and fear filling his eyes as he stared at Tang Xiu. One must know that each convict in labor camp 1319 was a ruthless, wicked, and evil person¡ªa heavy offender who had acted multiple times.


    Sander¡¯s pupils contracted while his body couldn¡¯t help but be stunned. His heart was filled with turbulent waves, and Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes were full of fear. It is important to know that the prisoners in labor camp 1319, each of whom is a wicked person, are the villains who have been shot many times. What is it; why would the young man buy so many prisoners? Is he going to form a terrorist organization?


    ¡°I¡­,¡± Sander was at a loss on how to reply¡ªor really, he didn¡¯t dare! Money was a good thing, more so that the more than 100 million USD was an astronomical sum for him. Yet, he had to be alive to spend them, didn¡¯t he?!


    By observing Sander¡¯s expression, Tang Xiu could tell what his thoughts were. A charming smile appeared on his handsome face as he said, ¡°I know that you¡¯re afraid, Warden Sander. But the selling of inmates would not only not implicate you, but it will also pave the way for you to become the highest-ranking officer of labor camp 1319. So, what do you think about such an outcome?¡±


    Sander¡¯s eyes lit up and he inquired more, ¡°You have a way to achieve that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send someone to kidnap Augustino before we have our deal set in motion,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Then you can use his name to trade with me. After the transaction is over, immediately report to the government and I¡¯ll send my men to evacuate Augustino, change his appearance, and become a runaway fugitive. Augustino then will die in a fierce battle. Dead men tell no tales; they leave no traces nor witness of what has happened.¡±


    ¡°Making Augustino take all the blame¡ªa scapegoat?¡±


    Countless thoughts swirled inside Sander¡¯s mind. The more he thought about it, the brighter his eyes were. After a long while, he finally voiced his last concern, ¡°How can I believe that you have this ability? Augustino loves money, but he¡¯s also very cautious and prioritizes his life more. He usually brings at least a few experts to protect his safety whenever he goes out.¡±


    Tang Xiu pointed to Mo Awu nearby and smilingly said, ¡°What if I tell you that I brought a group of experts when I came to Bat Yam this time and their strength is similar to Mo Awu¡¯s? What do you think? Do you think I can do it?¡±


    ¡°That bastard, huh¡­¡± Sander cursed inwardly before he finally nodded and said, ¡°That man of yours is particularly strong. I know his strength since I fought him once.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s make a good plan of action then¡­¡± concluded Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ****


    Time fleeted by and two days had passed in the blink of an eye.


    Inside the labor camp 1319, Augustino was resting comfortably on the soft sofa, enjoying the service of a blonde beauty, while Sander took a file and placed it on the table in front of him.


    Augustino casually took it and glanced at the file a few times. He grabbed a pen and signed his signature. He then threw the document to Sander and said, ¡°A total of 13 people; you¡¯ll handle all of them! Keep in mind to cross-check their situation first. If you find their hands stretched out took sticky, do inform me at once.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it right away.¡± Sander nodded.


    Augustino stopped Sander, then pulled the drawer out took out two stacks of bills. He threw them to Sander and said, ¡°Give these $20,000 dollars to our men as their share and tell them to work well. As for your share, it¡¯s already in your account.¡±


    Sander nodded with a smile and headed out of the office. His expression turned cloudy after he came outside. Every time he got his share, it was only $50,000 at the most. Comparing to Augustino, who received hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars, it couldn¡¯t even be compared.


    Such an amount of money¡­ isn¡¯t it just a sum given to a fucking beggar?


    Sander cursed inwardly and glanced around. There was no one in the corridor at this time, so he took a pen out of his pocket and quickly added a name to the list of 13 prisoners¡ªRichard.


    10 minutes later, he appeared in the room where the 14 prisoners had just been sent. He watched the 14 of them being tortured on the iron fence. His eyes finally fell on Tang Xiu, and then said to the guard next to him, ¡°Take this Richard out and put him in room number 18. The rest should go in the back cell.¡±


    The prison guards immediately released Tang Xiu¡¯s handcuffs and took him out of the room.


    A young black man among the 13 inmates shouted, ¡°Hey, dude! Why did you put him in cell 18? Do you want to make fucking money out of him? How much? $10,000 dollars, $100,000 dollars? I got money too. Just put me with him in cell 00018.¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up, damn blacky!¡± Sander angrily shouted back with a change in complexion. ¡°The inmates in cell 18 are those who got sentenced for at least 200 years. I can kick you there if you wanna die quickly.¡±


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡± the young black man gasped and instantly shrunk.


    Tang Xiu stopped and turned to look at the black young man and suddenly asked, ¡°What crime have you committed, buddy?¡±


    ¡°Mind your fucking business.¡± The black youth stood ramrod and cursed.


    ¡°Tell me what his crimes are,¡± Tang Xiu looked at Sander.


    Sander lifted the document and read it, ¡°Saptanshu, set fire to destroy 16 stores and burnt nine people alive. Robbed jewelry stores, killed three people and severely injured four more in the process¡­ broke out from prison twice, separately from¡­¡±

 Chapter 829 - A Wise Man Knows When to Retreat

    Chapter 829: A Wise Man Knows When to Retreat


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Hearing Saptanshu¡¯s criminal record piqued Tang Xiu¡¯s interest a bit. It seemed like this guy should be sentenced for a few hundred years judging by his criminal record.


    ¡°How many years is his sentence?¡± Tang Xiu interrupted Sander and asked with a pale smile.


    Sander glanced at Saptanshu and lightly said, ¡°With such heavy crimes, he¡¯s been sentenced to 260 years.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s quite interesting, I think, and should be suitable to stay in cell 18.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°Warden, how about you stretch the rules and put him in the same cell with me?¡±


    ¡°Alright, take him to the cell 18, too.¡± Sander nodded. ¡°Trash this brat first if he¡¯s crossing the line.¡±


    Immediately after, the 13 people including Saptanshu looked at Tang Xiu with a weird expression. They really couldn¡¯t tell something. Is this guy a fellow convict or the Boss of this prison? This fellow convict just talked with the Warden, and the latter actually listened to him?


    The few prison guards who were with Sander were the latter¡¯s trusted men. Although they didn¡¯t understand why their immediate superior would listen to a prisoner, they still immediately released Saptanshu¡¯s handcuffs and pushed him to follow behind Sander and head outside.


    They walked along the corridor with many gates. The longer they passed through the corridor, the heavier guarded it was with tighter security. As they walked halfway through, the group took the elevator to the fourth floor and walked down the dark corridor to the end. They then found prison cell 18. When the steel door to the cell opened, Tang Xiu and Saptanshu were pushed inside.


    ¡°This is your place now; I¡¯ll come to teach you every day,¡± said Sander with some deep, mysterious meanings in his words. He deeply looked at Tang Xiu and then immediately ordered the prison guard to close the door and lock it from the outside.


    There were four prisoners inside the cell already. But Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t believe that there was a woman among them. The woman had the muscles of a bodybuilder and looked exceptionally robust and stocky. There was a fierce scar on the left cheek of her rough face that looked like a poisonous scorpion.


    As for the other three, one was a middle-aged man who boasted a burly and stocky physique with a lot of tattoos on his body; even two-thirds of his naked arms were fully covered in tattoos.


    There was also a thin old man with white hair, seemingly in the last years of his life. However, although the two dumbbells in his hands were at least tens of kilograms, they looked very light in his hands that were continually lifting and putting them down.


    The last one was a gentle looking young man around 25 years old. He wore gold-rimmed glasses and sat in the innermost corner of the cell reading a book. He didn¡¯t even look up, nor did he blink, when Tang Xiu and Saptanshu were sent inside.


    ¡°How interesting. Two prisoners were sent to our cell at once. This is the first time in history,¡± The burly man, who sat on the bunk, stroked his chin and grinned.


    Tang Xiu observed the four people before he finally shifted his sight to Saptanshu and smilingly said, ¡°Well, I heard that the first thing that happens when someone first arrives at a cell is that the old inmates will haze them with beatings. Judging from their looks, you¡¯ll probably suffer from beatings and bruises, mate.¡±


    Saptanshu angrily glared at Tang Xiu and clenched his fist which emitted cracking sounds from his bones. He then grimly said, ¡°Brat, I think I need to teach you a lesson before we get beaten then. No way those fucking guards sent me to this cell if it wasn¡¯t because of your dirty fucking trick, asshole.¡±


    Slap¡­


    Tang Xiu just raised his hand and slapped Saptanshu¡¯s face in response to his words. Before the fellow was able to respond, he pulled him into the air and smashed him into a single bed a few meters away and spoke casually, ¡°Me taking you here is actually good for you, bastard. Don¡¯t swear at me before you figure out how else I¡¯ll make you learn to be docile and obey me.¡±


    Having said that, he looked at the other few people who had surprised faces as they watched him, and then said, ¡°Well, I¡¯m a newcomer here and I¡¯ll probably disturb you all for a few days. The name is Xiu. The four of you, why don¡¯t you introduce yourselves to me?¡±


    The burly man wore a bit of a serious expression when he looked at Tang Xiu. He saw Tang Xiu¡¯s beat Saptanshu a while ago with a speed that secretly shocked him inside. He was also a ruthless man and once killed a tiger bare-handed. He even fought with polar bears to the death and the number of enemies that died to his hands for decades was numbered in the tens of people.


    Yet, he could very well see that the Oriental young man in front of him was definitely an expert.


    ¡°Xiu, eh? That¡¯s a very interesting name, and you¡¯re also very powerful. If you can knock Emily down, it will prove that you have the ability to make us introduce ourselves to you.¡±


    The bodybuilder-like female convict coldly snorted and interjected discontentedly, ¡°Your balls shrink after seeing a powerful expert, Katu? To think that you¡¯re pushing me to beat him, do you find it interesting or something?¡±


    ¡°Well, my balls are indeed shrinking back to my stomach in front of you, Emily.¡± Katu grinned and said, ¡°Spare the nonsense and just play with him, will you? Let us see which of you can stand and have the right to talk.¡±


    Emily rolled her eyes and immediately looked at Tang Xiu, then hooked her index finger and said without being salty, ¡°That shit tried to see us have some play, so I might as well use it as a warm-up. I definitely won¡¯t break your legs, brat. But as for your hands¡­ that will depend on my mood.¡±


    ¡°If I must fight you all, only that old man is worth a fight. As for you, though¡­ I think it¡¯s better for you to forget it!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head indifferently.


    The white-haired old man let out a pale smile that contained meaning. ¡°Do you really want to fight me, child? You wanna bully this gramps?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s better to bully you than beat these few weak people, don¡¯t you think?¡± Tang Xiu smiled.


    Emily seemed to have been insulted by the words. She roared and instantly hurled toward Tang Xiu. Her speed was extremely fast¡ªalmost comparable to the martial arts grandmaster level. Her howling fist appeared in front of Tang Xiu in a blink of an eye and attempted to knock down Tang Xiu.


    Crack¡­


    Tang Xiu reached out and grabbed her fist. He then followed with a seemingly light punch that instantly smashed Emily¡¯s face. The latter screamed as the blow sent her backward over six meters away, and she fell heavily on the bed of the youth who was reading a book.


    The pupils of the white-haired old man contracted and the smile on his face instantly vanished. He watched Tang Xiu with a solemn look and said after taking a deep breath, ¡°You¡¯re very powerful indeed, Xiu. Not even I can become your opponent since I can¡¯t beat Emily in just one strike. Alright, I¡¯ll introduce myself to you. You can call me Old Anji.¡±


    Old Anji?


    The information about the inmates in this cell from the file that Sander gave him appeared in Tang Xiu¡¯s mind. The report said that this Old Anji was once a mercenary, a terrifying character who had gone through hails of bullets from fierce battlefields, yet he still lived for decades. It was said that the number of people he had killed was definitely in the hundreds.


    ¡°It¡¯s really a pity that you¡¯re too old to fight the enemies. You can only be a guard at the nursing home now,¡± Tang Xiu spoke out some words that the Old Anji couldn¡¯t figure out. He then stared at the youth who never looked up and lightly said, ¡°You should be an Asian given your looks. Which country are you from?¡±


    The young man raised his head for the first time while his fingers held his glasses. He let out a shy smile at Tang Xiu and answered, ¡°China. The name is Zhang Xiaohua.¡±


    Zhang Xiaohua?


    Information regarding him appeared in Tang Xiu¡¯s mind. This guy was the world¡¯s top hacker who created the most terrifying virus on the internet, ¡®The Spider¡¯, which paralyzed the network in some European country for four days and indirectly caused a few billions of dollars in losses. The file also noted that he should possess special abilities since he could kill 29 people by himself, plus he destroyed 16 buildings which led to more than 140 people being injured.


    ¡°Can you let me see your special abilities, Zhang Xiaohua?¡± asked Tang Xiu in Mandarin.


    A suspicious look appeared on Zhang Xiaohua¡¯s face. He put down the book in his hand, then leaned on the wall and looked at Tang Xiu as he asked, ¡°You¡¯re also a Chinese?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°How do you know that I have special abilities?¡± asked Zhang Xiaohua curiously.


    ¡°The whole prison detains 1,260 convicts and I¡¯ve read each inmate¡¯s criminal records, including yours,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    Zhang Xiaohua looked empty and he asked quizzically, ¡°The information on the inmates of this prison should be top secret. There are only a few outsiders who can view it apart from the highest-ranking officials of this prison, no? I hacked the prison network system to read information of the prisoners here previously; are you also well-versed in computer networks and a hacker?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a hacker, nor am I well-versed in networks,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s just that you¡¯re gifted and I think for you to stay here is quite a pity. Maybe I¡¯ll tell you more if you get out of prison.¡±


    Having said that, he could see that Zhang Xiaohua didn¡¯t have the intention to show his special ability, so he directly ignored him. Then he turned around to look at Saptanshu and sneered, ¡°Stay obediently there and don¡¯t mess with me, else those four can teach you a lesson.¡±


    ¡°Grandma told me once that a wise man must know when to sit back when the odds are against him,¡± replied Saptanshu as he slumped down to sit on the side and stretched his hands against the bed leg.


    Tang Xiu nodded with satisfaction and turned around to walk to the front of the cell. He then heavily kicked the cell door as two prison guards rushed over in just a few seconds. One of them used his electric baton to slam the iron window and shouted, ¡°Stay still and be quiet!¡±


    ¡°I wanna see the prisoner in front,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°You what?¡±


    The two prison guards outside were shocked, watching Tang Xiu as though he was a lunatic. They were not the only ones, of course, as the old inmates of the cell 18 were similarly looking at Tang Xiu like he was a madman.


    ¡®Is this guy looking for death?¡¯


    The same thought emerged in their minds as everyone in the entire prison knew that the cell in front was cell 1, a cell that only detained one inmate. That was the fellow that could be called the devil himself¡­ Spectre.


    Up till now, no one dared to enter that cell. Those who had gone in before had all turned into corpses.

 Chapter 830 - Rubbing and Pinching

    Chapter 830: Rubbing and Pinching


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Saptanshu had just been detained in this prison, so he naturally was unaware of who was staying in cell 1. He looked at the vacant expressions on everyone¡¯s faces and asked aloud, ¡°Why do all of you have such an expression? Do you think that there¡¯s no way Xiu is getting out of this place?¡±


    Old Anji glanced at him and said, ¡°Every prisoner being detained here is equal to a bird whose wings have been cut off, or a poisonous snake whose fangs have been broken and lost its freedom. Hence, Xiu is just making a joke. He won¡¯t be able to go out this cell 18 to have some exercise or fresh air. As for another reason, that cell in front is cell 1. There¡¯s only one path for those who enter it¡ªdeath. Even the prison guards are no exception.


    ¡°No kidding. Is that cell holding some kind of monster or something?¡± asked Saptanshu incredulously.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a monster,¡± replied Old Anji. ¡°It¡¯s a devil.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh and said, ¡°To tell you the truth, I may be afraid of some things, but never the devil. Hey, the two of you, open this cell door. I gotta go to cell no. 1 in front. I wanna see that devil.¡±


    The two prison guards had received Sander¡¯s order to allow Tang Xiu to move around in the prison, albeit only a small range. They exchanged words in a whisper for a short while before one of them took out the key and opened the prison cell door and said, ¡°If that devil from cell 1 throws your corpse out, we¡¯ll collect your dead body for you by then.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but smile. He headed out of the cell under the watchful eyes of the tongue-tied and dumbfounded others, then went straight to the door of the opposite cell.


    Cell 1 was very large¡ªat least 50 square meters in size. There was only one bed inside, a fancy and high-quality mattress. There were also a variety of home appliances inside that made it feel like a small room and not a prison cell.


    Inside the cell now, Spectre was lying on the bed with a book covering his face. It was unknown whether he was asleep.


    Tang Xiu walked forward to reach a chair and took it. He then directly took a seat two-plus meters away from the bed. He then crossed his legs before he picked up the half-pack of cigarettes and took one and ignited it. He shook his head after blowing out a cloud of smoke and said, ¡°This cigarette is really disappointing and smells like shit.¡±


    Spectre¡¯s fingers moved but turned calm again shortly. However, a cold and detached voice came out from the book, ¡°Smells like shit, huh? It can still make people know that they¡¯re still alive. You had better cherish that cigarette smoke¡ªnobody knows whether they can still puff out once more after one smoke.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but chuckle and said, ¡°Why do I feel like that you¡¯re not like the famous, legendary devil Spectre, but instead are a philosopher?¡±


    Pa¡­


    Spectre lifted his hand to raise the book and directly threw it to the side. Then he sat on the bed, leaned his head and folded his arms, and watched Tang Xiu. He said with a pale smile, ¡°You¡¯re very interesting, Monsieur. At least you dare come to my place alone¡ªthe only one who dares to do so in the last 5 years, so I don¡¯t want to kill you now.¡±


    ¡°Well, it seems like I have quite the charming personality, don¡¯t I?¡± Tang Xiu smiled.


    Spectre¡¯s complexion turned chilly as a stream of wind suddenly erupted between his fingers. The half-pack of cigarettes that Tang Xiu put on the table were wrapped by the stream of wind before appearing in his hands. He took one of them and lit it up. After taking in some puffs and blowing the smoke out, only then did Spectre inquire, ¡°Let¡¯s have a chat. Why did you come here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saving you and taking you out,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    As though he heard something extremely funny, Spectre burst into laughter, ¡°Hahaha, that¡¯s so fucking interesting. Someone wants to save me and take me out? Hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that a problem?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Spectre looked at Tang Xiu as though he was looking at an idiot and smilingly said, ¡°Do you really think that I can¡¯t leave this place if I wanna go out?¡±


    ¡°You do have the ability to escape according to my men¡¯s narrative about you.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know why you keep staying here, but I believe that you¡¯ll end up following me. Also, I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll continue to work under me in the future.¡±


    Spectre squinted his eyes and suddenly swayed his arms as three sharp arrows made of wind shot at Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes and mouth.


    Tang Xiu just casually raised his hand and flicked his fingers, similarly releasing three streams of qi that shattered those wind arrows. Then he smiled and said, ¡°I see, you turned out to be a Wind Elementalist, so you do have an ability to be proud of.¡±


    Spectre¡¯s countenance slightly changed. His body swayed and disappeared in a flash as his shadows revolved around Tang Xiu. The dense wind blades followed as the air suddenly turned dry and a bit hot as a purple-red flame appeared out of thin air and wrapped around the wind blades.


    ¡°Die¡­¡±


    The blazing wind blade with purple flame overwhelmingly swept towards Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu heavily punched his fist out. The overwhelming waves of qi spread out from his fist and formed a violent flux of energy which bombarded the blazing wind blades in the air. The steel chair Tang Xiu was sitting on fell apart, whereas Spectre¡¯s bed also blasted into pieces while the violent energy flux came blasting into Spectre¡¯s chest.


    BOOM¡­


    The reinforced concrete wall now had a hole in it. The two prisoners in the cell next to cell 1 were dumbfounded and slack-jawed as they saw Spectre getting blown away.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the quality of this wall to be this bad, though.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head while smiling.


    Cough¡­ cough¡­


    Blood seeped out of the corners of Spectre¡¯s mouth while his eyes were filled with a dignified look. He tightly stared at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Who the hell are you, and where did you come from?¡±


    ¡°Spare the nonsense of where I come from, shall we?¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°We¡¯ve come to visit these two gentlemen. You shall wait for me to pack them up and make them docile before I continue beating you up. Well, you two¡­ should be Ammos and Ammosai, aren¡¯t you? The two Fire Elementalists?¡±


    Ammos and Ammonite exchanged glances and the former snorted and asked, ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡±


    ¡°The law can¡¯t sentence you to death, but I can easily kill you,¡± directly announced Tang Xiu. ¡°So, I¡¯ll give you a chance to submit to me and be my loyal men later. I can take you outside if you want, but if you don¡¯t agree, I¡¯ll torture you and make you suffer many days and nights before I kill you.¡±


    ¡°Fucking arrogant!¡±


    Ammosai roared angrily and waved his hands as two fire serpents instantly appeared and wrapped around his arms. Layers of flame immediately hurled toward Tang Xiu as the two fire serpents blazed back and forth in an attempt to kill Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Exterminate!¡±


    After Tang Xiu formed a seal, the fire in the surrounding air instantly disappeared. Ammosai¡¯s face drastically changed as the flame and his fire serpents dissolved and vanished without a trace.


    ¡°Impossible!¡±


    Ammosai desperately tried to sense the element of fire, but to his horror, he could no longer feel the least bit of fire energy. Being unable to sense the fire element energy meant that he couldn¡¯t use his superpower at all.


    Ammos could also sense it as well. He ended up like Ammosai¡ªunable to sense the existence of the fire element at all. The strange situation struck him with horror and made him flustered. He stared tightly at Tang Xiu and fiercely shouted, ¡°How the hell did you do it?¡±


    ¡°I can easily control the world¡¯s energy as long as I want to use it,¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°If I don¡¯t want to make them exist, not even Elementalists such as you can even think about using them. Now tell me, are you willing to submit to me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± shouted Ammos and Ammosai in unison.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t ask again and released a violent pressing aura. His figure instantly dashed in front of the duo as his lightning-like fists bombarded the two men one after another. They might be very powerful, but they had no powers left, leaving the duo unable to fight back the barrage of Tang Xiu¡¯s strikes.


    ¡°Aaaargh¡­ (Aaaargh)!¡±


    Their shrill screams came spreading out from cell no. 2. All the prisoners and prison guards within 100 meters could hear them very clearly, yet none of these prison guards came rushing as they had been ordered from the top to ignore everything regardless of whatever the issue was.


    Inside the prison monitoring room.


    Sander stared fixedly at the surveillance screen, a look of horror on his face. Outsiders might be unaware of how powerful Ammos and Ammosai were, but he was crystal clear about the duo. These two brothers were second only to the most horrifying existence, Spectre; hence, they were detained in cell no. 2.


    And yet, these two dreadful men were unexpectedly beaten by Tang Xiu and even screamed out miserably. This made him look at Tang Xiu through the surveillance screen like he was watching some freaking monster.


    ¡°Is this guy a damned devil or something, Warden? How can he be that powerful?¡± asked the prison guard with a shocked face.


    Sander narrowed his eyes all of a sudden as he pulled out a sharp knife and stabbed the prison guard¡¯s heart. The two guards behind him also moved in that instant and killed the other two in the surveillance room. In just a few seconds, they already killed all the three prison guards inside the room.


    ¡°Call our men to come here and keep this monitoring room under our control. No matter what happens in the surveillance footage, it can¡¯t be known to outsiders,¡± ordered Sander with all seriousness.


    ¡°Understood!¡± The two prison guards immediately nodded.


    Inside cell 2, Tang Xiu was still savagely beating Ammos and Ammosai and kept at it for several minutes more. Only after the duo was badly bruised and beaten did he finally stop and kick them to the corner. Then he asked coldly, ¡°Now tell me, are you willing to pledge your loyalty to me in the future?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The duo still didn¡¯t answer because they didn¡¯t want to serve under anyone else.


    ¡°If so, then I¡¯ll keep beating you up,¡± Tang Xiu said. ¡°Rest assured, though. You¡¯ll be able to endure my beatings for a day and a night. Even if you two are made of steel, I¡¯ll turn you into a steel juice. And by the way, I forgot to tell you¡ªyou won¡¯t die even if I savagely beat you for days and nights. One of my identities is that of a powerful doctor.¡±


    BAM¡­ BAM¡­


    As his voice faded away, Tang Xiu began the beating session again. He even used both his hands and feet. After several minutes he kicked the duo into cell 000001. But Spectre frowned deeply, tons of thoughts churning inside his mind as he watched Tang Xiu beating the two brothers Ammos and Ammosai.

 Chapter 831 - Using Carrot and Stick Treatment

    Chapter 831: Using Carrot and Stick Treatment


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Spectre never thought of himself as the world¡¯s strongest man. He had encountered many strong enemies in his multiple decade assassination career¡ªeven some he had to flee from. However, the handsome Oriental youth before him right now had a terrifying strength that sent chills and dread down to his heart.


    ¡®He¡¯s too strong.¡¯


    He was perfectly aware of the strength possessed by the two brothers, Ammos and Ammosai. Defeating the duo would never be an easy feat for him, let alone doing it so easily like Tang Xiu.


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu, who had been beating Ammos and Ammosai brothers, turned to look at Spectre and asked, ¡°Do you think this kind of beating is meaningless?¡±


    ¡°I find it meaningless indeed,¡± indifferently replied Spectre with squinted eyes.


    Tang Xiu smiled and raised his hands to the front of his eyes. Then he turned his palms upward as two glittering blue crystals sudden emerged above, making Ammos and Ammosai feel a sense of foreboding as Tang Xiu penetrated the blue crystals into their bodies.


    ¡°AAARGH¡­¡±


    Tragic screams burst out from their mouths. Their bodies stiffened in that instant, and they suddenly curled and rolled up on the floor with their bodies violently convulsing. Their facial features distorted while their green veins on their forehead bulged out and all the blood vessels inside their bodies suddenly rebelled. The agonizing pain made the duo feel that death was much better than being alive for the first time.


    Tang Xiu turned to look at Spectre and said with a pale smile, ¡°Since I¡¯ve come here, you only have to remember one thing¡ªthat those who follow me will prosper and those who are against me will vanish. It¡¯s better to go out with me than stay in this dark prison or constantly wander around.¡±


    Spectre backtracked two steps, but the dread and solemnity on his face suddenly turned into a smile as he said, ¡°If my guess is correct, you should be a Chinese, am I right? I¡¯ve studied the culture of your country and read a certain sentence in a book that said people might be somewhere while longing to be somewhere else. Hopefully I didn¡¯t misuse idiom. But how are you going to solve this problem? Also, this is the act of punishing others to warn the rest, isn¡¯t it? It won¡¯t work on me, unfortunately. Even if I can¡¯t beat you, I don¡¯t think you can stop me from escaping either.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re overestimating your abilities, you know that?¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently while flipping his hand to take out a jade bottle. ¡°Even if you grow wings, you can never escape from the palm of my hand if I want it so. Try it if you don¡¯t believe me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a chance, then. I¡¯ll leave this place with you and go outside to work for you if you can catch me,¡± sneered Spectre.


    Having said that, his hand instantly slashed the steel door at the speed of lightning as his figure dashed forward like a lightning bolt.


    ¡°Spirit Order Art.¡±


    Tang Xiu activated a seal as hazy energy instantly shot toward the back of Spectre. His body, which was about to rush out of the door, suddenly stiffened. At the same time, Tang Xiu quickly took out four array disks from the interspatial ring and swiftly arranged the Four Divisions Array to trap Spectre inside.


    ¡°BREAK!¡±


    Spectre roared furiously and his complexion flushed red. The energy inside his body violently burst out to shatter that special energy inside his body, restoring his rigid body to normal. He complacently laughed inwardly and continued his sprint to the door.


    BAM¡­


    An invisible shield of energy blocked him. The force of the huge impact caused the energy shield in front of him to sway and ripple as his body was bouncing backward. Yet, his back then touched an energy shield again; he had rebounded and slammed into the floor.


    ¡°What the hell is this thing?¡±


    The pride and complacency inside his heart were diluted by cold bitter water. After bouncing up from the floor in the blink of an eye, he turned to look at Tang Xiu with disbelief on his face.


    ¡°An array formation,¡± answered Tang Xiu calmly.


    ¡°You¡¯re a Chinese ascetic? Daoist cultivator?¡± Spectre exclaimed perplexedly. ¡°I¡¯ll be damned. Why on Earth would a dignified cultivator have so much free time to do such trivial things like this? Exactly why are you coming to this prison for?¡±


    ¡°I can tell you about if you wanna know.¡± Tang Xiu let out a pale smile and said, ¡°But you won¡¯t have any leeway to run away or move once you learn about it. Submit to me and you¡¯ll live; disobey me, and you¡¯ll die a tragic death.¡±


    Spectre gripped his fists and looked like he was struggling. Only after a long while did he finally shout, ¡°Tell me then.¡±


    ¡°I want to form an army of cultivators, so I need a lot of strong people who can charge and shatter the enemy lines for me. The purpose of my visit to labor camp 1319 is to purchase a large number of prisoners. You can say that I¡¯m recycling some trashes here,¡± said Tang Xiu with a pale smile


    ¡°No fucking way I¡¯m some waste,¡± angrily roared Spectre, despite the horror inside him upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s objective.


    ¡°You¡¯re nothing but garbage in my eyes,¡± sneered Tang Xiu. ¡°Don¡¯t think that you¡¯re worthy of being hailed as the strongest hitman in the assassin world, even if you¡¯re a dual attribute Elementalist. You¡¯re nothing but a cockroach in my eyes; killing you is as easy as pinching an ant. Also, I¡¯ll tell you another thing. Some of my men who came with me this time are much stronger than you. They can easily obliterate you even if I don¡¯t act personally.¡±


    ¡°Are they also cultivators?¡± asked Spectre.


    ¡°They are,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    Spectre was speechless, and the anger on his face slowly subsided. He then turned to look at Ammos and Ammosai twitching on the floor, and said desperately, ¡°I¡¯ll agree to follow you, but I also know a Chinese saying that an Emperor never lacks hungry soldiers. What benefits can you give me?¡±


    The jade bottle in Tang Xiu¡¯s hands instantly entered the Four Divisions Array and floated in front of Spectre as he slowly said, ¡°There are two medicinal pills inside this. You can increase your strength, even if you only take one of them. Of course, you¡¯ll have to learn an Immortal cultivation technique before you can take these medicinal pills. But I¡¯ll teach you a set of Immortal cultivation techniques and turn you into an immortal cultivator.¡±


    ¡°I can also become an immortal cultivator?¡± Spectre stared at Tang Xiu dumbfoundedly with disbelief in his eyes.


    ¡°Nothing is impossible in my eyes.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and continued, ¡°Once you become an immortal cultivator and work hard in your cultivation, with the aid of medicinal pills, let alone just surpassing your current strength, it won¡¯t be a problem for you to reach the state where you are 10 million times more powerful than currently.¡±


    ¡°I agree!¡± said Spectre with excitement.


    He might be a prisoner here, but his identity in this prison was very special¡ªeven the highest-ranking official in this prison wouldn¡¯t dare to offend him. Thus, he could leave this place easily if he wanted to do so, despite him being guilty of his crime and sentenced here. Even if he didn¡¯t want to be detained here, there were only a few people in the world who could catch him.


    Hence, that was why he was angry and unwilling to be intimidated! Yet, being tempted with such benefits gave him ecstasy.


    He was never short on money, nor was he lacking in glory over the years. He had his own way to earn if he so wished to, and he had countless women if he wanted them. But today, the desire of becoming stronger filled his heart. Despite being coerced right now, he was given a chance at a great opportunity.


    ¡°I¡­ We agree too.¡±


    Ammos¡¯s distorted complexion, who was still convulsing on the floor, suddenly lifted, as he difficulty squeezed out those words that stiffly came out of his throat. Although Ammosai didn¡¯t speak, he also chose to agree.


    Tang Xiu smiled lightly in response and waved to retract back the two blue crystals. After the two brothers gradually recovered and calmed down, he removed the Four Divisions Array that trapped Spectre inside. Then he turned back to sit on the previous chair said, ¡°I already read all the information on you all. The three of you should be the strongest inmates in labor camp in 1319. However, what I want to build is an army of cultivators and I¡¯ll need a lot of men. The objective of my arrival to Tel Aviv this time is to bring out at least 100 prisoners with decent strength from this place.¡±


    ¡°Over 100 men?¡± Spectre was astounded and perplexedly said, ¡°Do you perhaps want to cause a prison break?¡±


    ¡°Not really. I¡¯ve always believed that things that can be solved with money never require the use of violence and force.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°Besides, my arrival here is a very secretive issue, so I don¡¯t want any outsiders to investigate it. So, I¡¯ll just have to spend some money to buy you out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Spectre shook his head and said, ¡°Even if Augustino values money like his life, he wouldn¡¯t dare to sell so many convicts at the same time.¡±


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t dare indeed, but that¡¯s not true of Gus Gilles and Sander.¡± Tang Xiu sneered, ¡°As long as the criminal charge of selling prisoners is placed on Augustino, Sander¡¯s official position will not only increase, but he and Gus Gilles can also earn a huge fortune.¡±


    ¡°Is this your plan?¡± asked Spectre while squinting his eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°There are a lot of ability users around Augustino from what I¡¯ve found out.¡± Spectre shook his head and said, ¡°He¡¯s also quite a powerful man himself. Although he¡¯s a bit weaker than me, not many can stand up to fight him. You will first need to kill that Augustino fellow. But since I already chose to follow you, I¡¯ll eliminate those ability users around him!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send two people to help you later since he¡¯s a tough guy,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°As for our next move, I still need to stay in this prison to secretly pick the prisoners worthy of my purchase. You three can tell me if you have suggestions or those who you can recommend.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Spectre nodded.


    The two brothers, Ammos and Ammosai, exchanged glances and nodded in unison. They had just suffered from inhuman torture and were heavily injured at this time, so they were self-aware of their condition and didn¡¯t promise to help solve the ability users around Augustino.


    Tang Xiu took out two Holy Healing pills and threw them to the brothers and said, ¡°Take these and your injuries will recover in a short time. Also, I¡¯ll grant you each another medicinal pill, but you¡¯ll take that pill after you learn a set of Immortal cultivation techniques from me in the future!¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    ¡°Call me Boss starting today onward,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Thank you, Boss,¡± said the duo again.


    Tang Xiu lightly smiled. However, he did not feel relieved to accept them like this, so he demanded the three men not to resist as he cast a Restriction Art seal on their bodies and fully controlled their lives.


    At this time, hundreds of prisoners in nearby cells had heard the noises from the cell no. 1. Although many of them were secretly surprised that someone would provoke that fiendish devil inside that cell, none of them actually moved to take a look.


    However, the five people in the opposite cell no. 18 knew that the one who entered the cell was Tang Xiu. But what shocked them the most was that the screams were not from Tang Xiu, but the two brothers in the cell no. 2.

 Chapter 832 - Glazed Golden Physique

    Chapter 832: Glazed Golden Physique


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu stayed in the prison and met with the inmates for three days. After learning the situation, he finally made up a list of 100 prisoners. Considering Yuan Ye¡¯s request, however, he finally decided to pick some more. His action of 100 prisoners was large already, so picking up 100 or 200 people out of the 1000-2000 prisoners was not much more.


    He chose the next batch of people much faster and finally finished the list of 200 prisoners on his fifth day in the prison.


    Inside cell no. 18, Tang Xiu read the list in his hand. Then, he looked up to look at Old Anji, Emily, Kathu, Saptanshu. His vision then finally landed on Zhang Xiaohua as he lightly asked, ¡°Have you thought deeply about going back with me?¡±


    Zhang Xioahua was still wearing his previous undisturbed and indifferent expression. Even after he learned that Tang Xiu was going to purchase prisoners from this prison, he was just a bit surprised. He gently raised his hand to hold onto his glasses and calmly said, ¡°There¡¯s not much of a difference between staying here and going out for me, so why should I go out now that I¡¯m used to living here?¡±


    After staying silent for a short while, Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that your heart has already died even though you¡¯re still young. I won¡¯t force you since you don¡¯t want to go out.¡±


    Zhang Xiaohua spoke no longer, and his eyes fell back on the books he was holding.


    Saptanshu wore a scornful look and shouted, ¡°His brain seems to have broken, Boss. He can no longer enjoy the myriad temptations of the bustling outside world. He¡¯s a fool to stay and suffer here.¡±


    A chill gleam flashed in Zhang Xiaohua¡¯s eyes. A white light suddenly flashed out of his index finger and pierced Saptanshu¡¯s right shoulder in a flash.


    ¡°Aaargh, shit¡­ My arm!¡±


    Saptanshu screamed and covered his right shoulder with his left arm. He clearly felt that he could no longer lift his arm the moment he got pierced, nor could he feel the whole arm.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes sparkled as he could sense a fluctuation of True Essence from Zhang Xiaohua for a fleeting moment.


    He¡¯s a cultivator?


    Tang Xiu squinted and quickly grabbed Saptanshu¡¯s right arm. As his fingers moved, a thin silver needle was shot out from the guy¡¯s right arm and was caught between Tang Xiu¡¯s fingers.


    ¡°You¡¯re a Daoist cultivator, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    With a look of surprise, Zhang Xiaohua immediately smiled and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t realize that since you¡¯re also from China, you should be a cultivator yourself as you were able to make Spectre submit to you.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s feet moved in a flash and he instantly appeared in front of Zhang Xiaohua. His fingers suddenly extended out toward the guy and the two men exchanged dozens of blows in an instant.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡±


    Tang Xiu growled and finally sealed Zhang Xiaohua¡¯s arms with his fingers pressed on this guy¡¯s shoulders, but he looked surprised after his primal chaos force surged into Zhang Xiaohua¡¯s body.


    ¡°The Glazed Golden Physique, and you¡¯re also a half-step Golden Core?¡± exclaimed Tang Xiu with a dignified look as he released Zhang Xiaohua¡¯s arms.


    Zhang Xiaohua¡¯s face suddenly changed. The moment he was able to move again, his figure instantly jumped back over seven meters. With his back against the wall, he stared at Tang Xiu, ¡°Who the hell are you? How can you see through my physique and strength?¡±


    ¡°I once met a guy with a Glazed Golden Physique before. A pity that this fellow died by the hands of a terrifying person when he had not yet grown up. Your cultivation, however, is nothing but a joke in my eyes, even though you¡¯re only a step away from breaking through to the Golden Core,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    As he finished his speech, a jade bottle appeared in Tang Xiu¡¯s hand out of thin air. He let out a pale smile and said, ¡°This is a Neonate Rupturing Pill I¡¯ve refined in passing¡ªthe best auxiliary medicine to break through from the stage of Nascent Soul to the stage of Soul Formation. If you¡¯re willing to submit and leave this place to work under me in the future, you can have this Neonate Rupturing Pill.¡±


    Zhang Xiaohua was struck dumb with amazement, eyes staring at the jade bottle and body slightly trembling. He hadn¡¯t even reached the Golden Core stage, let alone the Nascent Soul and the Soul Formation stage. Yet, the appearance of the Neonate Rupturing Pill still caused a huge wave in his heart.


    ¡°Who exactly are you?¡± Zhang Xiaohua was hardly able to remove his eyes from the jade bottle and looked at Tang Xiu again.


    ¡°Never mind who I am. At least, you don¡¯t need to know that for now.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°All you need to know is if you follow me, you can easily break through in your cultivation in the future, no matter if it¡¯s the Golden Core, Nascent Soul, or Soul Formation stages. You can even get to the extent that you can turn feathers into wings that will make you ascend to the heavens¡ªthat is, if you have such an aptitude.¡±


    ¡°Ascending to heaven and become immortal?¡± exclaimed Zhang Xiaohua in shock. He then shouted, ¡°That¡¯s impossible! Who on Earth can ascend to heaven and become immortal nowadays? I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any cultivator who has reached Nascent Soul stage, no?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re ignorant,¡± sneered Tang Xiu. ¡°I don¡¯t know which school of teachings you hailed from, but I can tell you one thing clearly. There¡¯s nothing impossible in this world for me, Tang Xiu.¡±


    ¡°¡­Huff¡­ huff¡­¡±


    Zhang Xiaohua¡¯s breathing turned a lot shorter while countless thoughts swirled inside his head. He had nothing to be concerned about after getting dispirited by the death of his last loved one. Yet, the words that Tang Xiu said shed a new light for him¡ªa sliver of hope that he could progress further.


    After a long while, he took a deep breath and asked in a deep voice, ¡°One last question. What are you buying so many prisoners for?¡±


    ¡°To build an army of cultivators,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡±


    Despite having a firm and tenacious mind, Zhang Xiaohua was still shocked and frightened by Tang Xiu¡¯s answer. Forming an army of cultivators? Was this a big joke or something? It was already extremely difficult for a cultivator to reach a decent level of cultivation. Just how many resources would there need to be to form an army of cultivators? Even if all the resources on the whole Earth were added up, would it be enough to be used by all members of this army of cultivators? He thought this was a big NO.


    ¡°I¡¯m going with you.¡± Zhang Xiaohua spoke his piece and his whole being immediately relaxed.


    Tang Xiu paced forward a few steps and then said in a deep voice, ¡°I will have to control your life starting today if you choose to follow me. But I can give you a chance to regain your freedom. That is if your cultivation reaches the Perfected Golden Immortal stage.¡±


    ¡°Perfected Golden Immortal?¡± Zhang Xiaohua shook his head and mocked himself.


    Perfected Golden Immortal was nothing but an existence in myths¡ªsomething impossible to achieve in the present piece of the plane that was Earth. Having such an agreement with this future Boss of his simply felt like a comedy.


    ****


    Late at night, the electric iron gate of labor camp 1319 slowly opened as two bulletproof SUVs headed out of the interior. Tang Xiu, dressed in a prison guard uniform, was sitting in the back seat of the second car with the prison¡¯s Vice-Warden, Sander, next to him.


    ¡°Have you arranged everything?¡± asked Sander, who was feeling restless inside, as he turned to look at Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I think Spectre, Jin Sha, and Xue Sha are enough to deal with the ability users around Augustino.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said with a pale smile, ¡°They should be able to drag him out within half an hour. Though I don¡¯t feel that relieved with the people you¡¯ve assigned to bring those inmates outside smoothly.¡±


    ¡°All the forged documents have been stamped with Augustino¡¯s signatures, be it a private or official seal,¡± said Sander categorically. ¡°Even the other powerful figures in the labor camp won¡¯t dare to obstruct them. Once we get the news that Augustino has been lured outside of labor camp 1319, my men will immediately bring out those 200 convicts. But about the money¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu hooked his index finger and said, ¡°Give me the notebook.¡±


    Sander handed over the laptop he had prepared to Tang Xiu. After booting it up, he clicked the transfer software and said, ¡°I already gave you my account number. You can take all those men inside once I receive the money.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled in response and quickly inputted his account number and transferred 400 million dollars to Sander¡¯s Swiss bank account. After the transfer was successful, he shut the notebook down and said, ¡°The money has been transferred to your account. You can check it now.¡±


    Sander made a phone call and received a confirmation that the money had been transferred to his account. He immediately nodded with satisfaction and said, ¡°Working with you is great and enjoyable. Anyways, you haven¡¯t yet dealt with Augustino¡¯s issue, yet you still transferred the money to me. Are you not afraid of any incidents happening?¡±


    ¡°Do you even dare to covet my money?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Sander shuddered inside. He immediately shook his head and answered, ¡°I don¡¯t. And that¡¯s the truth.¡±


    ¡°Relax. Augustino is just a nobody in my opinion.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and continued, ¡°We have had good cooperation this time, so I¡¯m sure that we¡¯ll have many opportunities to have more dealings in the future. At the very least, your prison has a lot of deaths every year, right? If you take better care of those convicts and reduce the number of irregular and abnormal deaths, that number will be the basis of deals later.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± said Sander without hesitation.


    ****


    Labor camp 1319, Warden¡¯s lounge.


    Augustino had already fallen asleep while his loyal ability users were quietly falling in drowsiness outside the door. There were also two of his most trusted confidants standing nearby, standing guard with guns in their hands.


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Blood-red light suddenly appeared as two black shadows wrapped around the necks of the two strong men and soundlessly reaped their lives. In the next moment, two resplendent swords tore open the dark space and instantly appeared to pierce those men¡¯s eyebrows and throats.


    ¡°Enemy?¡±


    The ability user¡¯s face greatly changed. But at the moment that his figure flashed to the side to escape, a big hand grabbed his neck as though it was a steel pincer. Even a blade of wind hovered and revolved around him.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Spectre grinned imposingly, but didn¡¯t answer his question as he directly sliced his neck. As he threw the body to Jin Shi who swiftly caught up with him, the door was easily cut by the wind blade.

 Chapter 833 - Plucking the Hairs of a Miser

    Chapter 833: Plucking the Hairs of a Miser


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Deathly stillness filled the room as Augustino slowly woke up from his slumber. However, his pupils abruptly contracted when a chilling aura came to his neck, causing all the fine hairs all over his body to stand on end.


    ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯


    He had imagined that one day, a butcher knife would be placed on his nape upon waking up, but he never thought it would occur in his own lounge in this prison. He could feel at ease here with the defense system of the prison and the loyal ability users under his command around.


    Augustino¡¯s eyes shifted as they caught the faint light coming in through the window. He could see the bodies on the floor¡ªthe bodies of his loyal men.


    Spectre patted Augustino on the cheek and grinned, ¡°Hello, Sir Warden. Well, I¡¯m done staying in prison, you know, so I thought it¡¯s easiest to have you send me off even though I have many ways to escape. How about you get dressed and take us out if you don¡¯t wanna die?¡±


    A frosty chill filled Augustino¡¯s heart. He felt like falling into an icy hole after having a clear look at Spectre¡¯s face. Of the entire labor camp 1319, the one that could scare him the most, if anyone, was this very devil, ¡®Spectre¡¯. Exactly, he was more of a devil than the very Devil himself.


    ¡°You want me to send you off, Spectre, but you don¡¯t need to go so far as to kill my men, no?¡±


    Although he was aware of the crisis at this time, Augustino still wanted to figure out Spectre¡¯s true purpose. If he sent Spectre outside safely, he feared that he would still be brutally murdered in the end. Spectre was a bold, audacious character to the extreme and there was nothing he dared not to do.


    ¡°You know that I don¡¯t like troubles, and your men will bring me trouble,¡± sneered Spectre. ¡°On top of that, I still have two comrades. It¡¯s easy for me to go out but not for them, so I can only ask for your help.¡±


    Agustino turned ghastly pale as fear completely overwhelmed his whole being. Outsiders only saw him as a greedy man who saw money as his life, but he was actually a smart, willy old fox through and through. He could tell that he still had a sliver hope of living if Spectre didn¡¯t explain, but for this devil to explain things, that meant there was only one conclusion¡ªthere were deeper secrets hidden behind Spectre¡¯s desire to leave.


    ¡°I just wanna live, Spectre.¡±


    Jin Shi strode to the front of Augustino. His hand was like an iron claw that grabbed the latter¡¯s neck as he grimly spoke, ¡°Then cooperate and obey us if you wanna live. You know what? Killing you or not is rather insignificant for us either. way But if you can give us some benefits, or transfer some money to buy your life, of course, you¡¯re more likely to stay alive.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll give it to you,¡± replied Augustino without thinking.


    Spectre slightly creased his brows. His impression toward Jin Shi and Xue Sha instantly turned worse. Little did he think that Tang Xiu¡¯s men would be this greedy.


    Jin Shi himself was unaware of what Spectre had in mind. He put the dagger on Augustino¡¯s waist and coldly said, ¡°Keep in mind, though. The more money, the more likely you can keep your life.¡±


    Spectre interjected without being salty nor light, ¡°Jin Shi, he sees money as his life. It¡¯s best not to waste time if you don¡¯t want any mishaps to happen. Besides, you can get money through many means if you want it, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not short on money, I suppose?¡± commented Jin Shi with a grin.


    ¡°I¡¯m not indeed,¡± said Spectre.


    ¡°Well, rich guy, I¡¯ll share the money from this fella with Xue Sha. We both are so dirt poor that we¡¯re like beggars, you know,¡¯ continued Jin Shi, still grinning.


    Spectre no longer wanted to pay attention to Jin Shi. He could see that Jin Shi and Xue Sha were bent on extorting some fortunes from Augustino as his figure flickered and disappeared from the room.


    Ten minutes later, Augustino had transferred 100 million dollars to Jin Shi¡¯s Swiss bank account. Then Jin Shi and Xue Sha took him as a hostage as they came downstairs, making him call a prison guard to drive a car. The four people then quickly left the prison inside a bulletproof car.


    At a road about two kilometers away from the labor camp 1319, Tang Xiu was sitting quietly in the car while watching the car that was heading out of the prison. Then he said, ¡°You can go! Whether you¡¯ll be successful will depend on your own ability.¡±


    After saying that, he directly got off and watched the car leave to the distance. Then Tang Xiu fumbled out his mobile and dialed a cell number, ¡°Awu, take the car over here!¡±


    ¡°Roger. Two minutes.¡± Mo Awu¡¯s voice came out of the phone.


    Two minutes later, four passenger cars being escorted by two black SUVs quickly headed toward Tang Xiu. As the cars stopped, Mo Awu came down first and respectfully asked, ¡°When can those people come out, Boss?¡±


    Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes and said, ¡°Within half an hour at the most. More than that means that a mishap has occurred. By the way, is the ship ready to leave?¡±


    ¡°It should be moored and waiting for us at the port of Portorua.¡± Mo Awu nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s a passenger ship that we rent and the departure time is four hours later. The ship originally had a lot of passengers, but it will only provide service to us after we bought it.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded with satisfaction and said, ¡°You¡¯ll take care of the route to return. Also, I don¡¯t want to meet any troubles on the way back.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured, Boss,¡± said Mo Awu confidently. ¡°All the formalities for the passenger ship have been taken care of. The Boss behind it is a very capable man, so nothing will go wrong. But I¡¯m afraid that we¡¯ll have to think of some other means to move once the liner leaves this country, though.¡±


    ¡°Use the GPS to find a deserted island in the sea nearby,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I must train these convicts before taking them to Clam Island.¡±


    ¡°Roger that.¡±


    After the conversation, he walked straight to the bulletproof car parked a dozen meters away. As he opened the door, Tang Xiu looked at Augustino and lightly said, ¡°Do as planned and make no mistake.¡±


    At the moment, the despair on Augustino¡¯s face was even more evident. He could tell that the events that were unfolding were larger than just Spectre escaping from prison. This was especially true after he saw the four buses that were parked tens of meters away. Some huge plot was definitely in motion here.


    ¡°Please spare my life. I¡¯ve given you my money.¡±


    Tang Xiu stared blankly and creased his brows as he looked at Jin Shi.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve been dirt poor recently, Boss,¡± said Jin Shi with a grin. ¡°We kinda extorted this guy for 100 million dollars, but I¡¯ll send the money to you when we get back.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter and said, ¡°To make this guy who sees money as his life give so much? You really have some tricks up your sleeves, eh? Never mind the money, though. You can share it with the rest!¡±


    Jin Shi¡¯s grin turned wider and he threw out some flattery, ¡°You¡¯re really great, Boss!¡±


    ¡°Spare the bootlicking, will you?¡± scoffed Tang Xiu with a smile as he turned around to leave.


    Augustino realized that Tang Xiu was the most powerful character among these people and he quickly called out, ¡°Please let me go, I beg you. I can give you more money if you think it¡¯s not enough.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s pace came to a halt. He turned around and smilingly said, ¡°What do you think is more important, money or people?¡±


    ¡°People.¡± Although Augustino didn¡¯t know what Tang Xiu was referring to, he answered without hesitation.


    ¡°You said people are more important, so use your life to exchange for 200 strong convicts in your prison. It¡¯s very cost-effective, I think,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°You see, money is just something that one can¡¯t earn without struggling. But losing talented people is a big loss. Don¡¯t you think so, Augustino?¡±


    ¡°¡­YOU¡­ you want to break into prison?¡± exclaimed Augustino loudly.


    ¡°You know, jailbreaking is kinda bothersome and a waste of energy for us.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Your second-in-command in the prison sold me 200 inmates and received 400 million dollars from me. I think it¡¯s quite a reasonable deal! But for you, you can only become a scapegoat.¡±


    Immediately after, Tang Xiu motioned for Jin Shi as the latter taped Augustino¡¯s mouth, ignoring the struggles of the guy as he begged and pleaded.


    ****


    Inside the prison.


    More than ten prison guards kept opening the cell doors one after another as the prisoners inside came out. Though they didn¡¯t speak, the excited expression on their faces betrayed what they felt inside. They just followed the prison guards and walked down the corridor that headed outside. Soon, 199 prisoners had left their cells and walked quickly to the outside under the curious eyes of many prison guards.


    ¡°Hey, Steve, what the hell is going on here?¡± asked a police officer in the prison. He had just come out of a female prisoner¡¯s room and had yet to fix his belt properly. He was looking at the prison guards who had just come out with a large number of inmates.


    The prison guard¡¯s expression slightly changed, but he quickly composed himself and formally replied, ¡°The Warden personally issued an order to take them outside to do something, and the warden himself is waiting outside now.¡±


    That police officer frowned and said with a puzzled expression, ¡°But these convicts are major criminals. Significant problems are bound to occur if you guys send them out. Alright, I¡¯ll send two squads to help you escort them.¡±


    ¡°Puff¡­¡±


    A stocky bearded Caucasian, Whisker, pulled a steel nail from his waist and tore the police officer¡¯s throat, then covered his mouth and pierced his heart with that steel nail. Afterward, he kicked open the door of the cell where that policeman came out from and directly dropped him in while covering his throat.


    ¡°Tsk, tsk. This shit just fucked a female prisoner? Did I just bump into some fucking pervert? Man, she¡¯s seriously injured too!¡± Whisker looked at the curled-up female prisoner in the corner and uncannily smiled.


    The female prisoner was of Asian descent with a petite body and she looked pretty. Her face suddenly changed when she saw the tragic condition of the policeman who just raped her. She didn¡¯t even pick up her clothes to cover the sensitive parts of her body as she straightly jumped off the bed to the corner, picked up a chair, and smashed it on the dying policeman¡¯s head.


    In just a few seconds, the policeman¡¯s head had been smashed.


    Instead of rushing to leave with the other prisoners, Whisker leaned on the door with folded arms and said with an uncanny smile, ¡°Really. No prisoner detained here is a pushover. Even a young hot chick like you is spicy and ruthless. You¡¯re not bad, lass. Do you wanna leave this shitty hellhole with us?¡±


    The female prisoner looked up. She didn¡¯t even wipe her face that was covered with blood and brain fluid and straightly asked, ¡°Leaving this place, as in¡­ escaping?¡±

 Chapter 834 - Taking Advantages From the Chaotic Incident

    Chapter 834: Taking Advantages From the Chaotic Incident


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Whisker once witnessed Tang Xiu¡¯s combat force and despite his unruly character, he eventually succumbed to Tang Xiu¡¯s dreadful strength, hence why he felt fortunate and rejoiced to be to follow Tang Xiu to the outside, instead of being caged in this dark prison. As he looked at the just abused female prisoner, he grinned and said, ¡°You got quite a good luck to bump into us, you see. But you gotta remember, we never met tonight and the one who told you that you can leave is not me, capiche?¡±


    After saying that, he no longer paid attention to the female prisoner and quickly disappeared into the stream of people who were rushing outside.


    The name of the female convict was Chen Yan, who used to be a vicious and merciless fiendish character as well. She lived abroad with her parents since she was a child, and then faced a tragic fate after the death of her parents when she was still a minor. Afterward, she had been adopted by a certain black force, who then trained her and eventually turned her into a ruthless character who could kill without batting an eye.


    Unfortunately, streaks of bad luck struck her as the black force she had been affiliated with, was then cracked down by the government and she was jailed for being an international wanted criminal. After being sent to the concentration camp 1319, she was desperate upon finding that the prison was not women¡¯s prison, but a hellhole that detained both male and female convicts.


    She was quite capable of herself but not very strong. It thus led to her being cast with covetous and greedy eyes by many male convicts for more than 4 years because of her good looks. If it wasn¡¯t for the Boss of her cell, the 70-plus years old man who had covered her, she could have been tortured and dead. Despite so, the old man couldn¡¯t escape the threat from the prison¡¯s police officer. Without any means left to evade her predicament, she had been repeatedly molested and abused by those police officers.


    Chen Yan watched the stream of people in the corridor. She quickly dressed up, wiped off the blood on her face and then headed out of her cell. To her shock inside, she found those who were now rushing outside were all very strong characters in the prison.


    ¡®Exactly what happened here?¡¯


    She felt a bit restless and disturbed inside, yet she finally steeled herself and started to walk and follow the crowd to the outside. To her shock, yet again, they met dozens of guards at their posts, but they didn¡¯t stop them, and even let the jailers who led the group to smoothly send them to the outermost gate.


    ¡°Open the gate!¡±


    A police officer, who led ten or so jailers, looked at the prison guards who were on guarding duty at the gate and shouted before handing over the forged pass check to them.


    ¡°Where are you going with these many felons, man?¡± quickly asked the prison guard, who was in charge of guarding duty shift, with a change in expression.


    ¡°Warden¡¯s order. He ordered us to go out to have them fight in the underground fighting match. What¡¯s wrong? You wanna go against Warden Augustino¡¯s order? Or, are you jealous of him making money?¡±


    ¡°No no no. Open the gate and let them go!¡±


    The electric iron gate slowly opened as more than ten jailers led the convicts and left quickly. When the crowd stepped out of the prison gate, a look of ecstasy was evident on their faces as they ran straight to the front fast. Chen Yan was amid the stream of people. Little did she expect that she would finally encounter the day she was away from this prison. Her face was flushed red, full of excitement inwardly as she paced forward faster.


    And yet, there was still something that surprised Chen Yan. All the convicts who escaped the prison were unexpectedly heading to the main road ahead. None of them separated and dispersed.


    ¡°Hey, where exactly are we going?¡± Asked Chen Yan to another convict who walked next to her after she deliberately picking up her speed and caught up with her.


    The female convict looked at Chen Yan with a surprised expression and then grinned. ¡°You don¡¯t know where to go? Didn¡¯t Boss tell you before?¡±


    Boss?!


    Chen Yan was dumbfounded. How could she know who that Boss was?! Being able to follow this crowd was completely due to the reminder of that Whisker fella. After the silence for a short while, she hurriedly replied, ¡°Boss only said that he wanted me to go out. He didn¡¯t say anything where to go, though. But I see that you seem to know where we¡¯re heading to.¡±


    The female convict picked up her speed more and quickly said while running, ¡°Then don¡¯t ask if the Boss didn¡¯t tell you. Just follow everyone else and some people will meet and aid us outside.¡±


    ¡®Some people are going to aid us?¡¯


    Chen Yan¡¯s face slightly changed. Seeing that the female convict didn¡¯t want to speak more, she suppressed the puzzlement inside. To her, being able to escape from this prison was the most important, to begin with. She could no longer withstand living inside anymore.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Less than 2 kilometers from the prison gate, she could see two SUVs and four buses parked in front with the aid of the dim starlight in the sky.


    With folded arms behind his back, Tang Xiu watched the dozens or so jailers and around 200 prisoners who were approaching fast. As the prison guard quickly approached, he nodded with satisfaction and said, ¡°You¡¯ve accomplished your mission, and the Vice-Warden should have told you what to do next. Take this, and thanks for your cooperation. There are 10 million dollars in that suitcase as a token of my regard.¡±


    An ecstatic look covered the constable in charge¡¯s face. He respectfully saluted Tang Xiu, and then quickly took the suitcase and quickly disappeared into the night in the distance along with more than ten of prison guards.


    ¡°Boss.¡±


    200 heavily sentenced convicts quickly gathered in front of Tang Xiu, each with fiery eyes that contained deep respect. They still didn¡¯t know Tang Xiu¡¯s origins yet, but they were aware of two facts. Their future Big Boss was very strong, and he was definitely a man who was also adept at in trickery and schemes.


    Otherwise, who would have dared to purchase 200 prisoners from the world¡¯s harshest and most horrible concentration camp 1319? Who else could afford to buy 200 convicts?


    They might be dreadful characters once, but they were also smart people and were crystal clear that they had been purchased today and how much sensation and a huge stir it would make internationally.


    Tang Xiu happily nodded and shouted, ¡°First of all, I want to congratulate you on being able to leave that place and come here alive. I also congratulate you on the more exciting future life you¡¯ll have. However, remember my words, that I¡¯m the sole reason that can go on living in the future. Alright, everyone. Keep the order and board your bus in turn. We¡¯ll soon leave for the waterway and boarded the already prepared liner.¡±


    Mo Awu paced two steps forward and said in a heavy voice, ¡°Form 4 groups and board your bus respectively!¡±


    A few minutes later, all the purchased convicts had boarded the buses. After Tang Xiu taking a seat in one of the SUVs, Mo Awu strode to the car¡¯s window and whispered, ¡°Unforeseen things happened, Boss.¡±


    ¡°What accident?¡± asked Tang Xiu with slightly creased brows.


    ¡°We just counted the number of people and except for Spectre, there should be 199 prisoners here since Spectre is currently with Jin Shi and Xue Sha to carry out their mission, so Spectre is not here,¡± said Mo Awu. ¡°But from the number we just counted, there are a total 200 people here and Spectre is not around.¡±


    ¡°We got one extra?¡± Tang Xiu wore a strange expression.


    ¡°Yes. We got one more,¡± answered Mo Awu.


    ¡°Take some men and cross-check the list, Awu,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Find that extra and bring the person to me.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    As the car started and left to the distance, Mo Awu, who boarded one of the cars, and other members of the escort began to cross-check the list in four buses.


    Inside the third bus.


    Chen Yan was feeling a bit restless as she quietly sat in the last row seat, with two female convicts at her sides. She knew who these two female convicts were as they held quite a name in the entire concentration camp 1319 for being vicious, merciless yet very strong characters. She even had witnessed one of them once tore apart the body of a black man with her bare hand, and thus added 218 years more to her sentence.


    That, however, was not the chief reason she was feeling restless inside. What she was worried about was that young man she had just seen was definitely a very powerful man. Even she couldn¡¯t tell whether she had been accidentally drawn into this huge incident was a blessing or a calamity.


    ¡®No good.¡¯


    Chen Yan¡¯s complexion abruptly changed when she saw two sturdy men holding the list and walked from the front while counting the number of people and calling out their numbers.


    ¡®What should I do?¡¯


    Chen Yan¡¯s mood turned chaotic. She wanted to jump out of the window to escape, but the other convicts around her may not allow her to escape. It was very likely that she would be captured in a flash and be killed on the spot.


    Hei Xiong, who was holding the list, kept counting until the last row of seat. He watched the five female convicts and inquired with a heavy voice, ¡°State your name and your prison number.¡±


    ¡°Ivy Cody, 0001184.¡±


    ¡°Candy, 0000634.¡±


    Chen Yan took a deep breath and said, ¡°Chen Yan, 0000460.¡±


    ¡°Wait a sec.¡±


    Hei Xiong looked at the list and after skimming through it several times, he didn¡¯t find the name of Chen Yan. His sharp eyes sized up Chen Yan and said in a deep voice, ¡°Where the hell did you come from? Your name is not listed on the list of the purchased prisoners!¡±


    Chen Yan steeled her heart and answered, ¡°I accidentally saw a lot of prisoners coming out along the corridor, so I came out of my cell and joined everyone else. But I¡¯m also perplexed, how stupid and confused I was to appear here.¡±


    ¡°You what?¡±


    Hei Xiong was stunned silly and many convicts around him looked at Chen Yan with a strange expression.


    After Hei Xiong collected himself, he responded and immediately ordered, ¡°Come with me!¡±


    ¡°Where to?¡± asked Chen Yao quickly.


    ¡°To see the Boss!¡± answered Hei Xiong with a deadpan expression.


    He made a phone call and the two SUVs in front then stopped. After which, Hei Xiong took Chen Yan to arrive outside the SUV¡¯s window where Tang Xiu was riding, and then respectfully reported, ¡°Boss, I brought the said person.¡±


    Tang Xiu glanced at Chen Yan and lightly said, ¡°Get on the car.¡±


    Chen Yan walked to the other side of the car with some worries inside. After opening the door, she took a seat next to Tang Xiu but didn¡¯t hurry to talk. She was so tense and restless inside and fully guarded against Tang Xiu in case this guy would suddenly attack her.


    The convoy then began moving again.


    Tang Xiu took out a cigarette from his pocket, ignited it and took and blew out two deep puffs. As he blew out the smoke, he slowly said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you owing me an explanation?¡±


    Chen Yan¡¯s lips squirmed a few times before she shook her head and said, ¡°Umm, well¡­ I dunno how to explain it, really. I was at a loss and baffled why I brought myself here.¡±

 Chapter 835 - The Riotous Revelry of the Rogues

    Chapter 835: The Riotous Revelry of the Rogues


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Everyone had their own opportunities, and if one were to seize this chance, one might be able to reach the sky in a single bound. Yet, for Tang Xiu, he did not expect that his action of purchasing prisoners gave Chen Yan such a big chance.


    Escaping from prison, yet encountering the path to become immortal.


    Having learned the whole story, Tang Xiu could only lament inwardly for the rough fate Chen Yan had to go through in the first half of her life, though she found good fortune in the latter half of her life. Although he hadn¡¯t read the file on Chen Yan, for her to be detained in labor camp 1319 showed that she was a criminal who possessed some strength and excellence.


    ¡®It¡¯s a coincidence indeed, so might as well let her stay.¡¯


    Tang Xiu cast a seal on her and spoke no more.


    At present, Chen Yan felt like she was dreaming. She had escaped from the prison by a strange mixture of circumstances and became Tang Xiu¡¯s subordinate. All of a sudden, she truly looked forward to her future life.


    Port of Portorua.


    A passenger ship quietly moored at the port. Even though the spotlights illuminated the surroundings like daylight, there was no sign of anyone in the entire port. Ye Shisan and Hei Wuya stood side by side on the bow of the liner, watching the road in the distance.


    ¡°They are coming.¡±


    As the headlights of the cars shone in the distance, the two men with excellent eyesight had their expression stirred as they jumped and flew to the shore. After the vehicles stopped in front of them, they saw Tang Xiu get out from the SUV as they greeted him, ¡°Boss!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and asked, ¡°Everything prepped?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all arranged. All the crews and attendants are already in place in the liner and we can set sail at any time,¡± said Ye Shisan.


    ¡°No hurry. Jin Shi¡¯s team hasn¡¯t come back yet. We¡¯ll set sail after they come back,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Also, organize the prisoners we brought out of the prison and arrange them to board and wait on the liner first.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative.¡±


    Without much effort, 200 prisoners came down from the buses. Their eyes lit up after seeing the liner and they looked excited as they ran toward the ship. Escaping from prison was tantamount to going to heaven for these people to begin with, and this large luxury liner was something people really liked.


    Tang Xiu himself didn¡¯t share the joy of these jubilant convicts, nor did he care about them scattering about disorderly. He was perfectly aware that it was probably the last time they had a chance to wildly run about together. Once he found a deserted island and drilled them with inhuman training, these fellas would likely refuse to run as wild as now even if they wanted to.


    After half an hour passed by, everyone was settled on the ship. Each prisoner brought out of the prison had their own cabin, as well as their share of a large amount of wine, meals, and fruits. There was also a hall that was originally a gambling establishment for the liner¡¯s guests, and a lot of them had now gathered there to gamble. Nearly every one of them had a private small vault even if they had been sentenced in the prison, so they pulled their wealth out and directly used debt note as chips.


    The whole interior of the liner was now filled with wild lawlessness, filling the air with a pestilential atmosphere, so much so that the crews and attendants of the liner had to avoid them with utmost care.


    On the bow deck of the liner, Tang Xiu quietly waited for the trio of Spectre, Jin Shi, and Xue Sha. Time passed by and the clock now pointed to 4:30 AM as three lightning-like figures dashed from the distance, then stood in front of Tang Xiu after a few breaths.


    ¡°All done, Boss,¡± reported Jin Shi after cupping his fist.


    ¡°Is Augustino dead?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°He has been shot dead by the cops of this country. Also, all the dozens of prison guards who escorted the convicts out have been killed in the fierce battle after they left us, so you can rest assured¡ªwe even joined in the killing. Even if some of them didn¡¯t die there, nobody could save them either.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and motioned for Mo Awu behind him and said, ¡°Let¡¯s leave! Strive to leave the waters of this country as fast as possible. Once we enter the high seas, find a deserted island to temporarily station at. Uncut jade is worthless; these convicts we brought out of prison kind of need some beatings.¡±


    ¡°How do you want to drill them, exactly?¡± asked Spectre.


    ¡°Except you, the rest must undergo inhuman training.¡± Tang Xiu glanced at him and lightly said. ¡°Of the 200 convicts we brought out of prison, there may be 100 of them who can last after the training.¡±


    The answer made Spectre shudder inside and he was rendered speechless.


    ****


    Inside the liner.


    Gillon Touma quietly sat on the bed, watching the coast outside through the window. He was convicted and sentenced to 180 years in prison for his heavy crimes. He originally thought that he would die in prison, but didn¡¯t expect that he would have a chance to go on living outside.


    He longed for freedom more than anyone else.


    He had been rescued from prison, and even though Tang Xiu stressed that he had cast a seal on his body, he didn¡¯t believe it in the slightest. He firmly believed in the ¡®I control my fate not the God!¡¯ creed. Being restrained was a situation he abhorred the most, so he had long thought of a plan to find a way to escape immediately after leaving the prison. Even if Tang Xiu had eyes and hands that covered the sky, the world was so big. He believed he could still enjoy his life free and unfettered as long as he concealed his identity and was low-key.


    ¡®I gotta escape.¡¯


    Gillon took a deep breath and sat up from the bed. He opened the door and quietly headed out to the stern. After looking around, he finally left the cabin and appeared on the aft deck after avoiding many people who came to the stern.


    ¡°Hehe¡­ you wanna make this Gillon Touma pledge loyalty to you? Hmph, dream on! The one who can boss me around in this world isn¡¯t born yet.¡±


    Gillon jumped out of the ship with a queer laugh. During the fall, his palm easily grabbed the chain hanging on the hull as he glided soundlessly into the water.


    Amid the curtain of the night, Gillon dived into the dark sea and swam 100 meters in one breath without break; only then did he reach a dark area. Still, he didn¡¯t dare to lower his guard and kept swimming further towards the distance while trying not to make a sound.


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    However, two hazy silhouettes appeared on the stern where Gillion just jumped out from. Shui Gui and Ye Shisan exchanged glances and smiled at each other.


    ¡°Well, Boss guessed it right. Some people think that the seal Boss told them about was just to frighten them. They refuse to be controlled, so they will seize the chance to escape by jumping off into the sea when the liner is about to sail off. Well, water is your world, Shui Gui, so it¡¯s up to you whether you wanna bring him back!¡± Ye Shisan grinned.


    Shui Gui smugly smiled. His figure then hurled forward like an artillery shell and dashed out on the water¡¯s surface toward where Gillon Touma was fleeing. He went so far as to directly dive into the water when he was only 100 meters away from Gillon and went diving to catch up with him.


    ****


    Tang Xiu entered the interior of the liner and headed straight to the gambling hall. Although many convicts saluted him, it was nearly perfunctory. These fellas who just escaped from prison did that for no other reason other than dreading Tang Xiu¡¯s powerful strength, not out of respect.


    ¡®How interesting.¡¯


    Tang Xiu was aware of it and he didn¡¯t take them seriously either. He knew that bringing these unruly and intractable people under his control was not an easy task. He kept walking quietly to the bar and asked a waiter with a pale face for a glass of red wine. He gently took a sip of it and shook the glass as he watched the crowd and pondered about how to show them who was in charge here.


    Not long after, Ye Shisan came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side in a hurry and whispered, ¡°Boss, a prisoner has just tried to escape and Shui Gui is currently chasing him. He should bring him back soon.¡±


    ¡°That will make things more interesting.¡±


    A strange smile appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s charming face as he dropped all the wine in the glass. He threw the glass to the floor and shouted, ¡°Notify everyone to gather here immediately. I¡¯ll give you all 10 minutes! Should anyone fail to come within 10 minutes, I don¡¯t think they need to leave with us anymore.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡±


    Mo Awu and the other four nearby quickly disappeared from the gambling hall.


    Time ticked slowly as the nearly rescued criminals steadily came in one by one. Not including Spectre, only 195 felons of the 200 had come here when the time was about to reach the 10-minute deadline.


    ¡°There are still 20 seconds left¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu stood at the bar counter as a Mitsubishi army knife soundlessly appeared in his hand.


    ¡°Get fucking away from this Big Daddy¡¯s path!¡±


    A rough, rude voice came from the gambling hall as Chen Yan, who was late, staggered to rush inside with unsteady steps. Once she stabilized her footing, she glared angrily at the burly man behind her, whose upper body was naked and full of scars and tattoos.


    ¡°Close the door!¡± shouted Tang Xiu as the ten-minute deadline was up.


    As the front door to the gambling hall closed, Tang Xiu released his spiritual sense. He swept it over the ship and clearly sensed the three people who didn¡¯t come then immediately shouted, ¡°Awu, go and drag Yale Sass and Getae here!¡±


    ¡°Roger!¡±


    Inwardly, Mo Awu paid a silent tribute for Yale Sass and Getae and headed outside fast. In just a few minutes, he had already grabbed the throats of the two men and dragged them into the gambling hall, then threw them in front of the bar counter where Tang Xiu was standing at.


    ¡°Fucking assholes! This Big Daddy would¡¯ve kicked your fucking balls if it weren¡¯t for your sneak attack!¡± Yale Sass was famous for his fiery temper and as a man difficult to deal with in labor camp 1319. Stirring up troubles was something he liked the most. However, only a few people dared to fight him because of his formidable strength.


    Mo Awu¡¯s expression turned frosty. He dashed to the front of Yale Sass before his feet sent out a lightning-fast kick to his face. Right at the moment that blood splashed out, a dagger suddenly appeared in his hand out of thin air and stabbed both of Yale Sass¡¯s shoulders very quickly, creating two bloody holes.


    ¡°BASTARD¡­¡±


    BAM¡­


    The moment Yale Sass spat out the profanity, Mo Awu¡¯s fist smashed his mouth. Even if this guy had firm and strong teeth, several of them were broken at once.


    ¡°Kneel!¡±


    Tang Xiu, who was now sitting cross-legged on the bar counter, only watched the savagely beaten Yale Sass and Getae with a cold and detached demeanor. Facing these felons who had drenched themselves with crime, he made up his mind to teach them a lesson and make them remember how dreadful and horrifying he was.

 Chapter 836 - Punishing Some People to Warn the Rest

    Chapter 836: Punishing Some People to Warn the Rest


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Yale Sass wiped off the blood on his mouth and provocatively glared at Tang Xiu as he slowly got up from the floor. His unruly and unyielding display generated loud applause from the prisoners around him. It was obvious that they wanted to watch a good show.


    The grim-looking Getae sneered, ¡°Granted that you¡¯ve saved us, you want us to pledge loyalty to you so you can humiliate us, isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°Humiliate you? Do you think you have the competence to be humiliated?¡± derided Tang Xiu. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, I have your life in my hands; a mere thought of mine can make your soul scatter, forever prohibited from reincarnating.¡±


    ¡°I admit you¡¯re very powerful; that you can make Spectre submit to you is a feat that I admire,¡± replied Getae with a heavy voice. ¡°In my eyes, the world is where the strong prey on the weak, so we¡¯re willing to work under you since you¡¯re stronger and even rescued us from prison. But spare your damn arrogance for we only promise to follow and work for you. But never will you imprison us to another cage!¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Tang Xiu snorted as a Mitsubishi army knife twirled and pierced Getae¡¯s heart instantly. Even after he pulled out the knife from Getae¡¯s back, he turned it around to Getae¡¯s neck and neatly cut it, causing his head to fall down.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Except for Spectre and the Ammos and Ammosai Brothers, the other 200 prisoners had a drastic change in expression. The smile on their faces froze and their bodies turned rigid while filled disbelief in their eyes. They were also vicious and ruthless but still far away from Tang Xiu, who directly killed an expert merely out of discontentment, a show that shocked and shook their souls.


    Tang Xiu shifted his eyes to Yale Sass and apathetically said, ¡°Which one will you choose if you must pick: death or absolute obedience?¡±


    Yale Sass¡¯s anger had disappeared in a flash. Tang Xiu¡¯s dreadfulness had already shocked him, but he was now more horrified after seeing his ruthlessness. Under the watchful eyes of so many people, however, he couldn¡¯t just accept his face being trampled on.


    ¡°I can obey your orders but you still have to respect us. Besides, I don¡¯t think you will kill all of us here since you¡¯ve done everything possible to save us.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head while smiling. He formed a seal with his hands as a huge flame appeared around Yale Sass instantly. It was like invisible gasoline was poured around Yale Sass as the fire blazed and set the guy alight outrageously.


    ¡°Aaaargh¡­¡±


    A tragic scream came from Yale Sass¡¯s mouth. He majorly struggled, moving up and down, falling to the floor, rolling back and forth and more, yet the flame burned stronger.


    Tang Xiu took out the cigarette and lit it up with the flame from his finger, then took a deep puff twice. Then he sneered, ¡°You wanna talk respect with me? What absolute ludicrosity! You should have been tortured to death in that labor camp 1319 and met your death a long time ago. I¡¯m the one who gave you the second life, so obey my orders! You know what? You¡¯re nothing but an ant in my eyes; do you think an ant deserves to be respected?¡±


    The billowing voice rippled around and instantly spread out to everyone¡¯s ears.


    In that instant, all the observing prisoners were shocked by the horrifying ruthlessness shown by Tang Xiu. Their anger was also ignited after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s humiliating remarks. Yet, none dared to speak despite their indignance as they instead watched Yale Sass being burnt to ashes by the blazing flame.


    ¡°BAM¡­¡±


    The door to the gambling hall was pushed open and everyone looked to the disruption in a flash.


    It was Shui Gui, now dragging the drenched Gillon Touma. As he came to the front of Tang Xiu, he respectfully said, ¡°This guy just ran away and I caught him, Boss.¡±


    After speaking, he directly dumped Gillon to the floor.


    Tang Xiu nodded with a dim smile. Then he watched Gillon, who had just jumped up from the floor, and asked, ¡°I spent some energy and efforts in rescuing you from prison, and you also promised to pledge loyalty to me. Yet you broke your own word when you ran away and wanted to betray me?¡±


    Seeing Getae¡¯s dead body on the floor immediately shook Gillon¡¯s heart. However, he gritted his teeth and bit the bullet, ¡°You¡¯ve rescued me indeed, but everyone has their own aspirations. What I want the most is freedom, not to be shackled and restricted by anyone. I¡¯ll naturally pay back your grace in the future, but I¡¯ll never give you all of my life!¡±


    The smile on Tang Xiu¡¯s face grew brighter. He watched Gillon¡¯s solemn expression and applauded, ¡°Not bad, you do need freedom indeed.¡±


    Gillon looked excited and hurriedly asked, ¡°So, you¡¯d like to let me go?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Not only will I let you go, but I¡¯ll also send you to a heavenly place myself.¡±


    Gillon looked jubilant and turned around toward the gambling hall¡¯s door under the watchful eyes of the crowd.


    Tang Xiu flicked the cigarette butt and spoke with a crisp voice, ¡°I¡¯ve already told you all that the life of each prisoner I¡¯ve purchased from prison is forever under my control, right? I also said that I have cast a forbidden seal on you all; I can make your soul scatter with only a mere thought and you will never reincarnate.¡±


    Whoosh¡­


    A wind appeared out of nowhere, propping up Tang Xiu¡¯s body to float half a meter high. With arms folded behind his back, he coldly shouted, ¡°Die!¡±


    Gillon¡¯s body, who was quickly heading outside, suddenly turned stiff and blood sprayed out of his mouth in a frenzy. His body then fell softly to the floor with no breath left.


    Spectre, who stood nearby, had a change in expression. He flashed to the side of Gillon and then put his fingers on the guy¡¯s nostrils. Half a minute later, he struggled to stand up from the floor, observing Mo Awu and his group, and cupped his fists as he said, ¡°Spectre will always be loyal to you, Boss!¡±


    He died, just like that?


    Nearly 200 prisoners in the gambling hall watched Gillon Touma¡¯s body with a flustered and horrified look. Back when Tang Xiu killed Getae by manipulating the Mitsubishi army knife and then burned Yale Sass with flames, it was still in their scope of cognition, but when Getae died after Tang Xiu merely shouted at him sent a quake that stirred their souls.


    Could it be that¡­ what he told them was true? That he had control over their life and death and he even could send them to die instantly?


    The vision of the nearly 200 prisoners slowly shifted towards Tang Xiu who was standing in the air. They cupped their firsts with a frightened look, yet their voices were surprisingly in sync, ¡°We will always be loyal to you, Boss.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in satisfaction and casually said, ¡°Though your mouths can say good things, it¡¯s meaningless to me; what I want to see is your actions. Of course, I don¡¯t mind if you betray me because no matter if you flee to the ends of the Earth, you will die immediately should I will you to die.¡±


    ¡°How did you do it, Boss?¡± asked Spectre.


    ¡°I cast a restriction seal on the body; precisely, the heart¡± explained Tang Xiu. ¡°But you¡¯re weak, making it so you are unable to sense that you¡¯re under control while I can clearly sense it. Just wait until your strength progresses by leaps and bounds; then you will be able to sense its horror.¡±


    All the prisoners were so frightened that their faces turned ghastly pale and fear filled their eyes. At this moment, they finally realized their tragic end if they dared to go against Tang Xiu¡¯s will.


    Looking at their expression, Tang Xiu felt more satisfied; he even wanted to thank those three fellows for being reckless with their lives. If not for those three, how would he have warned the rest of these former rouges to completely obey him?


    However, he also knew that continuing with such strong intimidation at this time wouldn¡¯t help without giving the carrot. Only by using the carrot and stick technique could their hearts be truly subdued.


    Hence, Tang Xiu looked around and spoke again, ¡°There¡¯s no need for you all to be restless and anxious. I¡¯m not one who indiscriminately kills those without sins, nor do I resort to wanton killings. As long as you¡¯re loyal to me, not only will I not harm you, I¡¯ll also reward you. I¡¯ll impart you a set of immortal cultivation techniques after we arrive at the next temporary location you all will be staying at. As long as you practice it seriously, your strength will rapidly increase in the future¡ªyou will even become thousands of times stronger than you are right now.¡±


    Although Chen Yan¡¯s parents were Chinese, she had lived abroad with her parents since childhood and had never heard of immortal cultivators. Therefore, she gathered her courage to ask loudly, ¡°Boss, what exactly are immortal cultivation techniques and how should we cultivate? Also, you said that¡­ by practicing it seriously, can we really be thousands of times stronger than we are now?¡±


    ¡°Be patient. You¡¯ll naturally know what immortal cultivation techniques are and how to cultivate them once we arrive at our next temporary base,¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°As for whether you can be thousands of times stronger than the current you, in the end, it¡¯s up to your own efforts.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely work hard, Boss,¡± said Chen Yan loudly.


    Tang Xiu had a bit of a good impression towards this lucky woman and he nodded in response at her words. After discouraging these people, he casually spoke some more words and left directly, while Jin Shi and the rest then disposed of the two dead bodies and the pile of ashes on the floor.


    Prior to this incident, all the attendants had been ordered to go out because Tang Xiu had to have a show. They now came back, but after Tang Xiu ordered these people not to make things difficult for the staff, the prisoners now treated the attendants with a much better attitude. Even some of the desperados who had planned to take the beautiful waiters back to their rooms to vent their anger didn¡¯t dare to have such ideas now.


    The world had a lot of women everywhere, but they only have one life! If they were to molest these waiters on this liner and then Tang Xiu killed them, that was not worth the price and was utterly stupid.


    As daybreak came, earthquake-like news rocked Israel. In just a few hours, all countries all over the world learned about this huge sensation: The warden of labor camp 1319 abused his power for personal gain and organized inmate matches in the underground fighting arena, eventually leading to the successful escape of 201 prisoners from the prison who were nowhere to be found.

 Chapter 837 - The Survival Of The Fittest

    Chapter 837: The Survival Of The Fittest


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    An uninhabited island less than 10 kilometers in area and fully covered by forested hills was seen in the vast sea. The highest peak was nearly 100 meters high and was full of lush vegetation all year round due to the tropical climate.


    ¡°Land on the island!¡±


    After the passenger ship anchored on the shore, Tang Xiu floated to walk in the air as he took the lead to land on the island under the watchful, yet shocked and enthusiastic, eyes of the prisoners who observed him. Mo Awu and the rest then closely followed and stood in a row on the shore. As for the purchased prisoners, they were like a scattered swarm of bees rushing towards the shoreline.


    With hands folded behind his back, Tang Xiu stood in the air and said in a deep voice, ¡°Awu, I¡¯ll give you two days to organize your team of eleven. I want to see them orderly with strict discipline implemented. Of course, you don¡¯t need to pay any attention to someone if they dare to disobey your orders. Just tell me directly who they are and I¡¯ll make them die here.¡±


    Mo Awu knew that Tang Xiu wanted to eliminate a group of people here, so he deliberately asked loudly, ¡°Boss, do you want to drill them like the elite special forces, or do you want them to train as they wish once in a while?¡±


    Tang Xiu instantly caught the gist of Mo Awu and shouted in a deep voice, ¡°All of Tang Xiu¡¯s men have been, and will always be, strong elite warriors. You all know the rules of the jungle¡ªthe weak are nothing but prey for the strong. It¡¯s survival of the fittest. And now, I won¡¯t hide anything from you all. Except for those three dead men, there are still 197 people left. But the number I can bring with me from this island will not exceed 150, for there would be too many people. In other words, if too many people can¡¯t adapt to my drills, no more than 100 of you will be able to leave this uninhabited island alive.¡±


    A burly black man hurriedly asked, ¡°We wanna know the elimination criteria, Boss.¡±


    ¡°You just asked a good question,¡± said Tang Xiu happily. ¡°The elimination criteria is, in fact, very simple. Those who don¡¯t obey orders, slack in training, kill each other, and attempt to escape will all be eliminated!¡±


    ¡°What about the final elimination criteria, Boss?¡± quickly asked that burly black man again. ¡°Will we not be assessed according to our individual combat force?¡±


    ¡°Assessing individual combat force is too shallow an assessment, as there are some stronger and weaker individuals among you all,¡± said Tang Xiu scornfully. ¡°If my memory serves me correctly, some of you are just average people but quite competent in some aspects outside individual combat prowess. It¡¯s simply unrespectful to these talented people if you just eliminate them based on this criterion.¡±


    At this time, nearly everyone understood Tang Xiu and firmly memorized the four elimination criteria mentioned by Tang Xiu in their minds and complied loudly.


    Tang Xiu then looked at Spectre and lightly said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to take part in the training. Follow me to walk around the island. I need to use an array formation to hide our traces.¡±


    Array formation?


    Spectre trembled inside. He had heard about this array term from legends and had also witnessed its might. Back when he was still in prison, Tang Xiu eventually used an array to trap him inside.


    Two days later.


    Tang Xiu had covered the entire island with an array formation. The island would appear uninhabited should outsiders look at it from the outside; they wouldn¡¯t be able to discern anything inside it. Spectre was left with nothing but shock after seeing the Illusion Array. Tang Xiu¡¯s knowledge and expertise in array formation made him admire Tang Xiu more. He couldn¡¯t wait to obtain the said cultivation technique and possess these mysterious abilities as well.


    ¡°Not bad.¡±


    When Tang Xiu returned to the front of the crowd with Spectre, he looked satisfied after seeing five orderly lines of people. These wild and unruly convicts turned out to be able to cooperate with each other. They were working hard and training conscientiously, albeit under the threat of death. Even Mo Awu and the others had already accomplished Tang Xiu¡¯s goal of teaching these people knowledge about acupoints and meridians.


    Imparting and transmitting the cultivation technique itself was an easy and simple issue, but due to the high number of people, Tang Xiu still had to spend several days imparting the cultivation technique to everyone.


    On the coast.


    Tang Xiu floated in the air and shouted in a deep voice, ¡°I¡¯ve already imparted you with what I should teach you. I don¡¯t care what special abilities you¡¯ve ever had, but know that I¡¯ll give this medicinal pill to the first 10 people who reach the early stage of Qi Refining. Remember, only 10 people! So work hard!¡±


    10 people?


    Everyone¡¯s spirit soared immediately and a firm look could be seen in their eyes. To become stronger and be able to fly in the sky like Tang Xiu was something they longed for. They secretly made up their minds to go all out in cultivation and strove to compete for the top ten places.


    In the days that followed, the training sessions were extremely arduous. Even though Tang Xiu gave everyone a few hours to perceive the flow of energy every day, most of the time was still spent on physical drills.


    After 10 days passed by, the enormous amount of physical fitness training made these people suffer terribly, both physically and mentally. Even some of them couldn¡¯t persist and tried to escape, causing Tang Xiu to obliterate them without emotion.


    20 days later, the surviving ones had gradually adapted to the inhuman training. Even though the amount of training kept increasing every 2 days, they had been able to persevere.


    On the 30th day, only 182 people were still alive apart from Spectre, yet nearly all of them had been thoroughly remoulded in just a month of inhuman drills. They even had a completely new mental outlook from before.


    Unfortunately, there were only five people who could sense the flow of energy in their body and control the flow of qi in accordance to the circulation route of the cultivation technique, setting foot into the early stage of Qi Refining. These five people were Spectre, Ammos, Ammosai, Zhang Xiaohua, and the last that was quite a great surprise to Tang Xiu, Chen Yan.


    ¡°Are you sure you can control the flow of qi in the meridians according to the cultivation technique I taught you?¡± asked Tang Xiu in a deep voice while looking at Chen Yan¡¯s much thinner face.


    ¡°I¡¯m certain,¡± answered Chen Yan.


    For a while, Tang Xiu was silent and then asked again, ¡°Have you tried your hands with other techniques similar to the cultivation technique?¡±


    ¡°Does Qigong practice count?¡± asked Chen Yan.


    Tang Xiu instantly understood why Chen Yan could break through to the early stage of Qi Refining. The practice of Qigong was also a method of cultivation, only that the quality and grade of the energy produced was very low. Despite that, it gave Chen Yan a foundation to cultivate with. When she had transformed the qi she had cultivated into True Essence and became familiar with how to control it, she eventually became a cultivator at the early stage of Qi Refining.


    Whoosh!


    A silhouette rushed from the distance lightning fast and then stood before Tang Xiu in just a few breaths. It was Shui Gui and he reported with a reverent look, ¡°Report about this month¡¯s surveillance, Boss. There was a total of 66 recon planes passing by in the sky above us, as well as 122 military helicopters, 52 cruisers, and 23 warships in the nearby channels with 14 trips back and forth. But last week, we only got 2 warships passing by and no recon planes, nor a military helicopter.¡±


    ¡°Continue the surveillance.¡± Tang Xiu nodded in satisfaction and said, ¡°We¡¯ll leave this place after another week. Also, tell Awu to see me. I want to ask him about something else.¡±


    ¡°Roger that, Boss.¡± Shui Gui accepted the order and disappeared before Tang Xiu.


    A few minutes later, Mo Awu quickly appeared in front of Tang Xiu in a black uniform. He didn¡¯t wait for Tang Xiu¡¯s inquiry and respectfully said, ¡°Boss, we¡¯ve figured out the various countries¡¯ scouting force through the intel from our outside contact. We also learned the news about the prison¡¯s situation in Israel.¡±


    ¡°Tell me,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°After a month and a few days of searching, the temporary scouting team mobilized by the various countries have been recalled one after another, leaving only Israel and the surrounding countries who are still searching for us. It will still be a bit troublesome for us to leave now since there¡¯s a chance that we may encounter one of them,¡± said Mo Awu. ¡°Also, our plan kind of fell apart. Not only was the prison¡¯s Vice Warden not promoted to a warden there, but he was also transferred from labour camp 1319 and is still being interrogated by interrogation experts from various countries. There¡¯s also news from Gus Gilles saying that his men suffered a great loss due to the big crackdown operation carried out by the government to clean up underground forces. I¡¯m afraid that the plan to help him become the kingpin of Tel Aviv¡¯s underground forces will have to be put on hold for a while until we get out of the limelight, so to say. Also, he wants our contact details as well.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head apathetically and said, ¡°Tell him to stay under the radar for half a year and we¡¯ll send our people to help him in six months. Also, there¡¯s no need to give him our contact details.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± said Mo Awu.


    ¡°Pass my order on. We¡¯ll stay for another week here and then evacuate immediately by then,¡± said Tang Xiu once again.


    Mo Awu looked hesitant but still spoke, ¡°There¡¯s also a message from our liner, Boss. It said that we¡¯re running out of food and the ship needs to resupply.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± Tang Xiu frowned and said, ¡°Ever since we landed on this island, we have never eaten the reserved food on the liner. How can it be consumed so fast? There are only 20 plus crew and attendants on board. The reserve food on the ship should be enough for them for a few months.¡±


    ¡°I also asked about that, Boss,¡± said Mo Awu with a forced a smile. ¡°Most of the food was spoiled because the weather has been too hot and had to be dumped.¡±


    The weather?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression moved and he immediately let out a wry secret smile. Little did he expect that he would overlook this reason. After mulling over the issue for a short while, he directly said, ¡°You go and tell the captain that we¡¯ll do some hunting on the island. Tell them to also do some fishing and get some fish for themselves for a week. We¡¯ll definitely get enough food for everyone for half a month.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± replied Mo Awu.


    The last seven days marked the end of everyone¡¯s drills. Under the leadership of Mo Awu¡¯s team, members of the five squads were divided into five-man teams and began to hunt on the island. There were many wild animals on the island even though it was small in size. Though nearly all the food they had been eating these days were prey they had hunted, the number of wild animals here somehow was still a lot.


    Finally, a message passed over from the liner on the seventh day, saying that they had enough of a meat reserve. If they were able to preserve it for a long time, they would have enough for the next half month.


    The moment Tang Xiu received the news, he immediately ordered to stop hunting and return to the liner. He also had hunted a lot of wild animals secretly in these seven days, all of which were stowed away inside his interspatial ring. Even if the wild animals¡¯ carcasses stored on the liner were to be spoiled many days later, the carcasses stored in the interspatial ring would still be enough for everyone to eat for a while.

 Chapter 838 - Just A Third of My Strength

    Chapter 838: Just A Third of My Strength


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    South China Sea, Clam Island.


    Yuan Ye, who had been notified in advance of the cargo ship¡¯s arrival, had been waiting for a long time at the northern port before a large cargo ship finally docked. When he saw Tang Xiu floating down from the ship, his tall figure rushed a few steps forward to greet him, ¡°You¡¯re finally back, Boss.¡±


    ¡°Our previous actions were a big display, so I had to delay for a while on our way home,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°But I brought you the people you need; they will stay here to help you later.¡±


    ¡°Where are they?¡± quickly asked Yuan Ye with a surprised but happy face.


    Tang Xiu turned around. After staying silent for 10 seconds, he smiled and pointed to the direction of the cargo ship and replied, ¡°There they are.¡±


    Yuan Ye looked towards the direction of Tang Xiu¡¯s finger. But when he saw a line of men and women of Caucasian, African, and colored descents, the expression on his face turned into wonder. He took some glances at them and then looked at Tang Xiu with a forced smile, ¡°Are you perhaps teasing me or something, Boss? You told us to train those children and turn them into the most elite immortal cultivators to build an army of immortal cultivators. How and where did you get these foreigners from? Do they even understand the path of becoming immortal?¡±


    ¡°I already taught them the immortal cultivation technique and five people have already stepped into the early stage of Qi Refining.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Just give them some time and use some cultivation resources on them. I¡¯m sure that most of these guys can become immortal cultivators in no time.¡±


    ¡°But Boss, they are all¡­ beginners¡± said Yuan Ye with a helpless expression. ¡°How can they teach people? You¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know their origins?¡±


    ¡®Their origins?¡¯


    Yuan Ye wore a blank expression and looked confused as his eyes landed back at the foreign men and women debarking from the cargo ship. After ten seconds or so, his pupils suddenly shrunk and his eyes gleamed. He caught sight of some familiar faces among them.


    ¡°Boss, you¡­ where did you get these¡­ these evil-doers? These pariahs¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you know them?¡± Again, Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and asked thoughtfully.


    Yuan Ye was unable to groan and felt weak inside as he replied with a forced, wry, and bitter smile, ¡°I know a few of them¡ªsome comrades who have fought side by side with me; some enemies I once fought in the battlefield, and there are two faces¡­ two faces that are extremely wicked and vicious. Notwithstanding the fact that I haven¡¯t yet crossed paths with them, none of them are easy to deal with.¡±


    ¡°They are prisoners; convicts that I bought from labor camp 1319 in Israel,¡± said Tang Xiu with a pale smile. ¡°I used some means to subdue these fellas and they will be our Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s peripheral members later. Also, they will be yours to manage other than Spectre.¡±


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡±


    Despite having a firm mind, Yuan Ye was still shocked and gasped after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s explanation. Awe could be seen sparkling in his eyes as he hurriedly asked, ¡°Labor camp 1319 is the world¡¯s most horrifying large prison; those detained there are highly dangerous criminals sentenced for no less than 100 years¡­ and yet¡­ you were able to buy so many criminals from there?¡±


    ¡°You see, money makes the world go round; it can even make the devils work for you,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not so difficult to achieve by resorting on some means and flexing your muscles.¡±


    Yuan Ye understood in a flash, yet he still said with a bitter smile, ¡°But Boss, giving me all these outcasts is kind of too tough of a job for me. Although I¡¯m confident that I can defeat them, they are still vicious and unruly. Managing them will prove to be quite¡­ difficult.¡±


    ¡°I have their lives in my hands. They will only meet one end if they dare to disobey your order: death,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°My request is that you must also drill these guys when you train the children. Carry it out with the harshest of military discipline and do your best to smoothen out their wild and unruly characters as fast as possible. That way, they can become qualified members of the Everlasting Feast Hall quickly.¡±


    Yuan Ye¡¯s expression stirred and he immediately replied, ¡°That would not be a problem then.¡±


    Tang Xiu inhaled deeply and slowly said, ¡°But keep in mind one thing. You must repeatedly brainwash them. Make them loyal to our Everlasting Feast Hall and pledge fealty to me. I don¡¯t want the internal harmony of our Everlasting Feast Hall to get disturbed due to them joining.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best,¡± answered Yuan Ye, a wry smile on his face.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment and suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯ll assign Zidan, Feng Yang, Shui Gui, Hei Wuya, and Ye Shisan to temporarily stay here and help you. Contact me directly if there¡¯s a problem you can¡¯t solve later.¡±


    Yuan Ye knew that these five men including Zidan were the elites of the Everlasting Feast Hall who had been selected to become Tang Xiu¡¯s bodyguards. Anyone of them was much stronger than him, causing the worries in his heart to finally vanish without a trace.


    ¡°With those five staying to help me, I¡¯ll definitely train these evildoers you brought from labor camp 1319 and turn them into a qualified elite force of our Everlasting Feast Hall, Boss.¡±


    Tang Xiu patted his shoulder and looked at the crowd who were now lined up with their respective squad. He spoke in a deep voice, ¡°I¡¯ll introduce you to this man. His name is Yuan Ye and he will also become your highest commander during your stay in Clam Island. His orders are my orders from now on, and you all must obey him unconditionally; else, don¡¯t blame me for being ruthless later.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Most people complied with a respectful face.


    However, two middle-aged men in the squad stood out, wearing a strange expression.


    ¡°Who gave you the order to get out of line? Get back to your position!¡± scolded Mo Awu as he strode to block the two men.


    ¡°We have something to say,¡± said one of them loudly.


    Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes and observed the two men and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if you have ever trained under military discipline, but from now on, remember to ask permission to leave the squad if you want to speak. Alright, you two can come over.¡±


    Mo Awu coldly watched the two men and gave way to them.


    The names of the two men were Kilstrom and Stan Matthew. As they came to the front of Tang Xiu and Yuan Ye, the former said, ¡°Boss, we are acquaintance with the commander you just mentioned and we used to be comrades-in-arms in the past. We are crystal clear of his combat prowess and we admit that he¡¯s very strong, yet he¡¯s just a bit weaker than me. Since he can become a commander, I think I can take the job as well.¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a strange smile and he shifted to Stan Matthew and asked, ¡°Do you also have this idea?¡±


    ¡®Yeah, we are Yuan Ye¡¯s friends but we refuse to regard him as our immediate superior,¡± nodded Stan Matthew without hesitation.


    ¡°Yuan Ye, these two buddies of yours have fought with you side by side and they are not convinced that you¡¯re worthy to be their leader.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°Is there something you wanna say to them?¡±


    Yuan Ye was aware of his two friends¡¯ characters. He let out a confident smile and strode quickly to the front of these two men. He opened his arms wide and smilingly said, ¡°Kilstrom, Stan, I thought you two bastards were dead long ago. Never did I expect that you two would be alive and kicking before me now.¡±


    After the hugs between the men, Kilstrom said with a bewilderingly laugh, ¡°We made you stay in the team back in the past, but you still insisted to leave back then and we lost contact with you all these years. It turns out that this palace is your nest, huh? Now I really admire the Boss more, you know. To think such a guy like you is willing to pledge your loyalty to him, that¡¯s awesome!¡±


    ¡°You see, I¡¯ve always been a member of Everlasting Feast Hall so of course, I¡¯m the Boss¡¯s man,¡± said Yuan Ye. ¡°I¡¯ll always be his man when I¡¯m alive and will forever be a revenant under him after I die.¡±


    Stan Matthew grinned and said, ¡°Spare the nonsense, will ya? We brothers can reminisce about the old days later. But you gotta beat us first if you wanna be our commander. I gotta tell you, Brother, we are much stronger than we were back then.¡±


    Yuan Ye creased his brows and smilingly said, ¡°I guess you¡¯re getting stronger indeed, but to me, there¡¯s still a chasm between us. Nevertheless, I won¡¯t hold back; if you want me to smack your assess, just remember buds, don¡¯t cry if you lose.¡±


    ¡°Weeping? What a boast!¡± Stan Matthew mocked back and instantly sent rumbling punches to attack Yuan Ye. His style was truly vicious as each of his strikes was targeting Yuan Ye¡¯s vital portions.


    Kilstrom didn¡¯t rush to attack but watched the two men engaged in a fight with folded arms. He was stronger than Stan Matthew, so he knew that if this guy could defeat Yuan Ye, there was no need for him to continue fighting the latter.


    ¡°Bam¡­¡±


    After successively avoiding more than 10 strikes, Yuan Ye finally smirked strangely. His fists then counterattacked in a flash and barraged Stan Matthew¡¯s chest as his leg swiftly and fiercely whipped toward the side of Stan Matthew and flogged his face, directly sending him flying before he heavily fell on the beach.


    ¡°FYI, I just used a third of my strength,¡± grinned Yuan Ye.


    Kilstrom was utterly stunned. He didn¡¯t expect that Yuan Ye would directly defeat Stan Mathew as soon as he started to fight back. Adding more to his shock, he could hardly believe that Yuan Ye actually said that it was only a third of his strength.


    ¡°My turn.¡± Kilstrom instantly jumped forward and barraged Yuan Ye with his punches unreservedly.


    Yuan Ye confidently smiled and put his right hand behind his back, only using his left to block Kilstrom¡¯s attack while he kept using his footwork to change positions. Eventually, his left hand grabbed Kilstrom¡¯s attacking fist after more than a dozen moves.


    ¡°GET! DOWN!¡±


    His foot then instantly kicked Kilstrom¡¯s chest lightning fast, causing the latter to fling upside down seven-plus meters away. Yuan Ye¡¯s figure then flickered and all the prisoners could see was a hazy shadow in front of them. The next moment they were able to catch his figure again, Yuan Ye had appeared in front of Kilstrom and spoke, ¡°You¡¯ve made some progress, old buck. But the rift between you and me is substantial now, like I told you. Nevertheless, don¡¯t lose heart. You chose to follow our Boss so you¡¯ll be as powerful as I am in the future.¡±


    Having said that, Yuan Ye looked at the pale-looking Kilstrom who covered his chest before he stretched out his hand and pulled him up from the ground after the later gasped for breath twice.


    Tang Xiu faintly smiled and spoke while watching them, ¡°You¡¯ve lost, so you are no longer qualified to stop Yuan Ye from becoming your immediate superior. You must obey his orders during your stay on Clam Island. Disobey him, and death will come to you without mercy!¡±


    ¡°Aye aye, Sir!¡±

 Chapter 839 - The Richest Man in Qinglin County

    Chapter 839: The Richest Man in Qinglin County


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    A few days later, Tang Xiu had returned to Jingmen Island and arranged for Spectre to join the Everlasting Feast Hall. After accompanying Gu Yan¡¯er for a few days, he took Mo Awu¡¯s team to Qingcheng Mountain in a hurry. Before leaving, he had contacted Long Zhenglin, but the result was disappointing. Long Zhenglin had rushed to Qingcheng Mountain and found traces of Wang Hao, but the man kept avoiding him.


    Red Silk Flower was the best ingredient to concoct Blood Seizing Pill as it had strong compatibility and was an unusually powerful agent to divide the energy¡ªthe two properties that brought an excellent effect of improving the physical strength of immortal cultivators.


    It was rather urgent for Tang Xiu to break through the Blood and Qi Circulation stage of Stars Tyrannical Body because he knew that once he reached this stage, he would be on par with ordinary cultivators at the stage of Nascent Soul.


    After rushing all the way, Tang Xiu and Moa Wu¡¯s group of six finally arrived at Qingcheng Mountain. More precisely, they arrived at a small town decked out in a classical style called Qinglin County.


    Though county was located in a very remote part of Sichuan, its economic development and prosperity were comparable to some small prosperous counties in the Southern Region. The number of permanent residents here was not many, but it was a famous scenic and tourist spot in China that attracted a lot of tourists every season from all over the world.


    On the wide avenue here, two taxis were heading to downtown Qinglin County. Tang Xiu was riding on the second taxi while watching the scenery outside, especially the looming mountain in the distance. He fell in love with this place the moment he arrived.


    ¡°Umm?¡±


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu was surprised to find a star¡¯s poster hanging on the billboards, buses, and even the high-rise buildings around.


    ¡°From the looks of it, Zhang Xinya is quite famous in your county, isn¡¯t she, Uncle?¡±


    The taxi driver was a rather ineloquent man, but he seemed to have the mood to converse when he heard Tang Xiu¡¯s inquiry. A smile appeared on his dark face as he answered, ¡°Well, we¡¯ve kinda been stuffed with the news and coverage of that big star, Zhang Xinya, on TV and the web in the last half month, ever since the preparation of the opening sale for the Golden Goblet Emperor Gauze villa complex. All the media massively covered the news of Zhang Xinya¡¯s arrival to our place half a month ago. Even the Big Boss of this villa complex spent quite a fortune in publicity.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just an opening sale for the villa complex, there¡¯s no need to invite such a big star, no?¡± Tang Xiu was astonished. ¡°After all, your county town is kinda small¡­¡±


    ¡°Little Brother, you thought that our place is just a small county, so it¡¯s not worth it to ask a big star for publicity?¡± said the taxi driver with a smile.


    ¡°I just feel that¡¯s a bit too exaggerated, honestly.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    ¡°Not really that exaggerated, to be honest,¡± said the taxi driver. ¡°The Golden Goblet Emperor Gauze villa complex is the most luxurious villa complex in Qinglin County; those who buy in the complex are rich and powerful people from the outside. Well, you don¡¯t know where the villa complex is located it seems, else you¡¯ll definitely be interested if you have money.¡±


    ¡°Tell me then,¡± requested Tang Xiu.


    ¡°The Golden Goble Emperor Gauze is built halfway up the highest hill peak on the outskirts of Qingcheng Mountain. It¡¯s not in our Qinglin County town, but about five-plus kilometers northward from us, which is at the foot of that said mountain. And today, that highest hill has been transformed into an upscale neighborhood which boasts luxurious dining, entertainment, culture and other facets of establishment for the luxurious complex. It¡¯s equal to a status symbol for those who live there. Of course, above all else, the Golden Goblet Emperor Gauze villa complex is within a scenic spot of Qingcheng Mountain, and ordinary tourists are not allowed to enter it.¡±


    ¡°It seems like the one who established this villa complex is quite a great figure, right?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile after quickly understanding the story.


    ¡°That¡¯s only natural. He¡¯s from the richest family in Qinglin County: Wang Xuegang, the younger brother of the vice-abbot of the Daoist monastery in Qingcheng Mountain,¡± said the taxi driver with a smile.


    Qingcheng Daoist Monastery?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression moved and he asked more, ¡°Where is this Qingcheng Daoist Monastery exactly? Is it also within the scenic tourist area?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s quite far¡ªon a higher peak of Qingcheng Mountain, to be precise.¡± The taxi driver shook his head and said, ¡°Ordinary tourists won¡¯t go there. Only a few who are devoted will go there to consecrate and burn incenses.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and no longer inquired about the Qingcheng Daoist Monastery, and returned to their previous topic. ¡°So, did Zhang Xinya really come to Qinglin County?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know whether she has come yet.¡± said the taxi driver. ¡°The opening sale event of the Golden Goblet Emperor Gauze villa complex is to be held on June 28th, the day after tomorrow¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and turned his gaze to outside the window. He didn¡¯t expect that he would visit this small county town at the same time as Zhang Xinya¡¯s visit. He didn¡¯t prepare to see her, nor did the villa complex interest him as he thought that it was best to avoid her if possible.


    It was an emotional entanglement that he was afraid of. He knew that Zhang Xinya obviously had feelings for him. He even received tens of calls from her in recent months, each of which he perfunctorily dismissed her in using a few words.


    Qinglin County, a famous and bustling Qimao City.


    After getting off the taxi, Tang Xiu searched for a teahouse near the entrance of Qimao City while Mo Awu and Jin Shi entered the city. They would need cars to get to their destination, so Tang Xiu decided to buy two cars for convenience sake.


    After half an hour, Long Zhenglin came running and panting from outside the teahouse. When he saw Tang Xiu by the window, he ran over and took a seat at the opposite side of him, then picked up the teacup Tang Xiu had poured previously. He lifted it before gulping it down fully and said with satisfaction, ¡°You¡¯re here, Big Bro. I¡¯ve been in this damn boring place for more than a month and thought of every means but wasn¡¯t able to see that Wang Tao bastard at all.¡±


    ¡°Alright, tell me, where¡¯s Wang Tao now?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been asking around. I heard that he directly shut himself in at his family residence in Qinglin County after he came back from the outside,¡± narrated Long Zhenglin. ¡°He¡¯s been like an old man from ancient times, just completely become a shut-in and hasn¡¯t even set a foot outside for more than a month, not leaving a shadow that I can see either. I visited his place a couple of times to look for him, but got driven out by his bodyguards.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure he¡¯s at home?¡± Asked Tang Xiu.


    Long Zhenglin looked around. After he saw that no one was paying attention to them, he lowered his voice and answered, ¡°I don¡¯t dare to be 100% certain, but the news that he¡¯s at home is quite reliable. I¡¯ve been hiding surveillance around his family residence in the last few days. There were two doctors from Qinglin County Hospital who went in and out about seven times. You know, I tried to bribe those two doctors, but they refused to tell me anything about what they were doing in the Wang Family, though.¡±


    ¡°Is this Wang Tao quite a powerful figure in Qinglin County?¡± asked Tang Xiu, surprised.


    ¡°He¡¯s more than powerful. He¡¯s simply the Crown Prince here,¡± answered Long Zhenglin. ¡°His father, Wang Xuegang, is the richest man in Qinglin County. Be it wealth or personal connections, the Qinglin County¡¯s locals call him an Emperor.¡±


    Wang Xuegang?


    A surprised look gleamed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. The reason he came to Qinglin County was to buy the Red Silk Flower from Wang Tao, who bought it for 12 million yuan. Tang Xiu planned on buying it for 10 to 100 times the initial price. But if Wang Tao was the son of the richest man in Qinglin County, this meant that he wasn¡¯t short on money, so it would be quite difficult to buy what he wanted with just money.


    ¡°Does this Wang Hao have any special hobbies or something?¡±


    ¡°Yup. He likes a woman, a lot,¡± smirked Long Zhenglin strangely.


    Women?


    Tang Xiu stared dumbfoundedly and eventually shook his head, with a headache. There were a lot of women he could use when he was in the Immortal World since brothels were practically everywhere. But he was on Earth now. Though there were also many prostitutes with good looks on Earth, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to find them in this small county town. Of course, judging from how rich Wang Tao was, this guy wouldn¡¯t spare a glance at ordinary women.


    ¡°He has no hobbies other than being a womanizer?¡±


    ¡°Dunno anything else but that,¡± Long Zhenglin shook his head.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and slowly said, ¡°Let¡¯s take a break today and learn about the situation of this place first. I¡¯ll visit Wang Tao¡¯s place tomorrow morning in hopes that I can buy that Red Silk Flower.¡±


    ¡°You can still resort to harsh means if the soft ones fail, Big Bro,¡± said Long Zhenglin. ¡°Wang Tao might be quite an expert martial artist and has a lot of bodyguards, but I believe you¡¯re far above him.¡±


    ¡°Robbing won¡¯t do. We are not bandits.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°Unless Wang Tao is an evil person, we can only think of ways to trade with him. But if he¡¯s really adamant in not selling it no matter what methods we use and still is unwilling to compromise, I¡¯m afraid we can only leave empty handed.¡±


    Tang Xiu and Long Zhenglin then left together after a long while and checked in to the most luxurious Senbao 5-star hotel in Qinglin County. The room Long Zhenglin had booked was a presidential suite since it was not tourist season at this time.


    On the 12th floor, in the corridor covered by beige carpet, Zhang Xiaoyu brought some shopping bags with a bit of a sad face. When she was about to walk to the elevator, its door suddenly opened.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    She saw a group of men coming out from the inside. The youngest man in front was vaguely familiar to her. But she didn¡¯t want to get into trouble as this place was unfamiliar to her, so she turned away and went straight to the stairs.


    Half a minute later, Zhang Xiaoyu quietly poked her head from the corner for the stairs. She saw that a group of people had already walked deeper into the corridor and she secretly felt relieved. Nevertheless, the puzzlement on her pretty face didn¡¯t diminish and grew more intense instead. She felt that she had seen that young man somewhere but she couldn¡¯t remember where she had seen him.


    ¡°Forget about it. I still need to send Xinya¡¯s clothes to the dry cleaner first. This grand lady is kind of in a bad mood recently. She¡¯ll keep nagging me if her clothes are not dry-cleaned when we leave Qinglin County the day after tomorrow.¡±


    Zhang Xiaoyu shook her head and came to the front of the elevator towards the rear of the floor. She opened its door and entered it before she pressed the 1st-floor button and suddenly recalled something.


    ¡°I remember him!¡±

 Chapter 840 - Paying a Visit

    Chapter 840: Paying a Visit


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The elevator that took Zhang Xiaoyu had arrived on the first floor, yet she didn¡¯t step out of the elevator at all. As she found that nobody else took the elevator, she pressed the button back to the 12th floor. Then, she enthusiastically ran back to the door of the 1206 presidential suite and knocked on the door.


    ¡°Hey, Xiaoyu, aren¡¯t you sending my clothes to the dry cleaner? Why are you coming back now?¡± Zhang Xinya was holding a mobile phone with earphones plugged into her ears as she stood by the door.


    Zhang Xiaoyu squeezed into the room and excitedly said, ¡°Guess who I just bumped into in the corridor, big sis?¡±


    Zhang Xinya charmingly rolled her eyes in response to her words. With a lack of interest, she closed the door and went back to the sofa in the guest partition. She then plugged in another earphone to her ear with a downcast manner, ¡°No matter who you just bumped into, could you just please go and dry-clean our clothes? If you can¡¯t get them done before we leave the day after tomorrow, just be careful, for I¡¯ll punish you by having you stare at me having a meal!¡±


    Zhang Xiaoyu dumped the shopping bags in her hand on a single sofa and then strode to the front of Zhang Xinya¡¯s side and sat down. Then she said, ¡°I dare swear on tonight¡¯s dinner that you¡¯ll definitely regret it if you don¡¯t hear me, Big Sis.¡±


    After saying that, she then realized that the sound coming from Zhang Xinya¡¯s earphone was very loud. She immediately pulled one of the earphones out and repeated what she just said.


    ¡°You do know that I¡¯m in a bad mood, right? So, hurry up and say what you wanna say,¡± said Zhang Xinya helplessly. ¡°I can at least have my mind distracted by listening to music.¡±


    ¡°You see, I just saw the person¡¯s picture on your mobile¡¯s screen,¡± said Zhang Xiaoyu seriously.


    The person¡¯s photo on my mobile photo?


    Zhang Xinya only spared a bit of attention to it and was preparing to plug the earphone into her ear again. But her stunning face suddenly froze and even her hand that was just lifted up turned stiff.


    Tang¡­ Tang Xiu?


    Zhang Xinya abruptly got up and stared at Zhang Xiaoyu before hurriedly asking, ¡°Are you worried that I¡¯m always in a bad mood, so you wanna make fun of me? Or did you really just see¡­ him¡­ Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°I dared to swear before, didn¡¯t I, Big Sis? How could I crack a joke just to tease you?¡± said Zhang Xiaoyu with all seriousness. ¡°I really just saw the man that is on your mobile¡¯s screen in the corridor. He¡¯s very handsome and was followed by six males.¡±


    ¡°He also came to Qinglin County and stays on the same floor of this hotel?¡± muttered Zhang Xinya in a jubilant mood. ¡°Quickly tell me, Xiaoyu, which room is he staying in?¡±


    ¡°I dunno which one, though. I just saw those men and thought that they are not good people, so I avoided them and hid.¡± Zhang Xiaoyu shook her head and said, ¡°I only saw their backs afterwards. I didn¡¯t even see which room they went in.¡±


    Zhang Xinya quickly unplugged the earphone on the other ear before she grabbed her cell phone and headed outside at a jog. As she came to the empty corridor, she wandered for short while before she saw Zhang Xiaoyu and came running to her hurriedly. ¡°Xiaoyu, go to the first floor¡¯s reception counter and ask the staff where Tang Xiu is staying¡­ No, never mind it, I¡¯ll go there myself.¡±


    She rushed toward the elevator after saying that.


    In presidential suite 1208.


    Tang Xiu took two cans of beer from the refrigerator and threw one to Long Zhenglin before saying, ¡°I gave the name of another man for you to ask around about. Got any result on this guy?¡±


    ¡°Wang Rui?¡± asked Long Zhenglin curiously.


    ¡°Yeah, that Wang Rui. I heard that he¡¯s from Qingcheng Mountain, though I don¡¯t know much about his origins,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°But this guy is quite powerful and he should also be someone rich. His style is kinda similar to Wang Tao like you told me since he always has bodyguards around and is kind of a flaunt.¡±


    ¡°I asked around several times but never heard any news on this guy.¡± Long Zhenglin shook his head and said, ¡°I think he shouldn¡¯t be a public figure in Qinglin County.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression moved suddenly as he had a thought in mind. He immediately got up and said, ¡°Stay here and wait for me as l go see Wang Tao now. Maybe, I have a way to get the Red Silk Flower from him.¡±


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu left the hotel with Mo Awu. He didn¡¯t see Zhang Xinya who was asking the receptionist at the hotel lobby. Of course, Zhang Xinya herself didn¡¯t notice Tang Xiu as she didn¡¯t even look back and was full of anticipation for the receptionist¡¯s reply.


    The southern municipality of Qinglin County.


    There was a single villa building with its own entrance and courtyard. The European-style villa had three floors and looked extraordinary stylish with its two-meters high surrounding walls and painted glass, emitting out a blurry but radiant glory of the setting sun¡¯s radiance.


    In the courtyard outside and inside the guard post, two security guards in black uniforms were smoking cigarettes while having a chat.


    ¡°Honk, honk¡­¡±


    A car¡¯s horn sounded and disturbed the two security guards inside. They pinched out the cigarette butt and one of them walked out of the post to see a brand-new black car parked outside, before asking, ¡°What are you doing here? This is a private residence; strangers are not allowed to enter without permission.¡±


    Mo Awu got out from the car and ignored the security guard. Instead, he came to the rear of the car and opened its door. As Tang Xiu stepped out of the door, he looked around before shifting his gaze to the security guard and said, ¡°I¡¯m looking for Wang Rui.¡±


    The security guard was stunned and then replied with creased brows, ¡°Who are you? This place is the residence of our young Boss, Wang Tao. Wang Rui doesn¡¯t live here.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s as I guessed.¡¯


    Tang Xiu smiled inwardly, yet wore a nonchalant expression. ¡°I know Wang Rui doesn¡¯t live here, so I¡¯m going to see Wang Hao first. Pass the message that my name is Tang Xiu.¡±


    The security guard looked at Tang Xiu suspiciously. He faintly sensed that the young man in front of him had an extraordinary status judging from Mo Awu¡¯s attitude towards Tang Xiu. He hesitated for a while before he nodded and said, ¡°Please wait here for a while. I¡¯ll go inside and ask.¡±


    Inside the villa building, the pale Wang Tao was sitting on the sofa, looking lackadaisical with a lazy air emitting out of his whole being. His eyes were staring at the TV, but his pupils looked distracted and not focused on it. He obviously wasn¡¯t even watching the TV series at all.


    ¡°Young master Wang, a security guard just came in and said that someone is paying you a visit.¡± A capable-looking beautiful woman in a grey suit walked inside and reported.


    Wang Hao came back to his senses and looked confused, ¡°What did you just say?¡±


    The capable woman repeated the words she just said and continued, ¡°The security also informed that the person was looking for Wang Rui at first, but then said that he¡¯d like to see you since Wang Rui doesn¡¯t live here.¡±


    Wang Tao frowned. After a few seconds in silence, he said, ¡°Let him come in, since he¡¯s looking for Wang Rui.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu strode into the villa and looked at the young man sitting on the sofa. His eyes gleamed and he could confirm that this young man was Wang Hao who seemed to have some illness.


    ¡°May I know who are you?¡± asked Wang Hao, who still sat while looking at Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu let out a small smile and answered, ¡°Tang Xiu from the Magnificent Tang Corporation.¡±


    Magnificent Tang Corporation?


    Wang Hao was stunned and his expression slightly changed. He put on his slippers and stood up, then smilingly said, ¡°I see, you¡¯re the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corp., Tang Xiu. No wonder why I felt vaguely familiar with the name the security guard reported to me! May I know why are you coming to this small place, and also visiting this humble abode of mine?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook hands with him. After the two men took a seat on the sofa, Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯m actually looking for Wang Rui this time. He has rescued a subordinate of mine in the battle in the South China Sea and he also lost some of his men, so I made a special trip here to thank him and talk about something else.¡±


    ¡®The battle in the South China Sea?¡¯


    Wang Tao seemed to recall something and quickly asked, ¡°You mean my brother encountered some troubles in the South China Sea because he saved your subordinate, so then he had to fight those ability users?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Wang Tao looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s face and his expression turned more respectful. Although he didn¡¯t know the specific details of what had unfolded there, he also knew that the powerful figures in Qingcheng Mountain had lost miserably because of that incident. Even his big brother, Wang Rui, had to receive a severe punishment and was now locked up and facing a wall in Qingcheng Mountain to reflect on his mistakes.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to contact Wang Rui, but his mobile is off all the time, so I can¡¯t get in touch with him,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°I heard him speaking about you, so I came to Qinglin County to find you, in the hope that I can ask you to pass him the news that I came here. Also, the elder who went with him that time is kinda heavily injured and I happened to obtain a certain medicine that has an excellent healing property.¡±


    In that instant, all the doubts and suspicions Wang Rui had toward Tang Xiu vanished. His big brother, Wang Rui, was indeed accompanied by an elder from Qingcheng Mountain who was responsible for protecting his safety. That old man was injured when they came back.


    ¡°Boss Tang, are you¡­ also, someone who walks on the cultivation path?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and asked, ¡°Your brother hasn¡¯t told you my identity?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the aptitude to cultivate, so I don¡¯t know much about cultivation.¡± Wang Tao forced a smile and explained, ¡°My brother is currently being punished by facing a wall in order to reflect on his mistakes inside the dungeon of Qingcheng Mountain after he came back, so he didn¡¯t tell me anything. Brother¡­ Big Brother Tang, may I ask you about the type of medicine you obtained, like whether it¡¯s only effective for internal injuries?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Now that I see it, your condition looks very serious.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and asked, ¡°You haven¡¯t found any means to treat it yet?¡±


    ¡°You can see that I have an illness?¡± asked Wang Tao, surprised and amazed.


    ¡°If I can¡¯t see it, then how can I be a cultivator?¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Just looking at the color of your face, I can see that the cause of your illness should be from your kidney.¡±


    ¡®He¡¯s a cultivator?¡¯


    Wang Tao was shocked inwardly and looked flustered. He jumped up from the sofa almost abruptly and exclaimed, ¡°You¡¯re a Daoist cultivator? One who walks on the cultivation path to becoming immortal?¡±


    ¡°If one¡¯s cultivation realm has reached a high level, it¡¯s indeed possible to ascend and become immortal,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle.


    Wang Tao furiously swallowed his own saliva and asked with a face full of hope and anticipation, ¡°Big Brother Tang, can you see whether I can also become a cultivator? Also¡­ about my illness, could you help cure me? I¡­ I-I¡¯ll definitely repay you if you can cure me.¡±

 Chapter 841 - Establishing Friendship

    Chapter 841: Establishing Friendship


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    It was often said that one must give something first before receiving something else in return.


    Tang Xiu was secretly satisfied with Wang Tao¡¯s attitude. As long as he could cure his illness, even though it was not enough for Wang Tao to respectfully pay back his gratitude, it would also serve as extra points to the cause.


    After diagnosing Wang Tao using Chinese medical art, Tang Xiu clearly figured out the guy¡¯s symptoms. Something that was unexpected to him was that this guy turned out to have contracted a particular disease.


    ¡°Your kidney is kind of having a Yang energy deficiency. There should be symptoms of impotence and premature ejaculation.¡±


    Tang Xiu loosened his hand and looked at Wang Tao with a pale smile.


    An embarrassed look could be seen on Wang Tao¡¯s face as he awkwardly rubbed his hands and asked, ¡°You can only see these symptoms?¡±


    ¡°Of course, they¡¯re not the only ones,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and explained, ¡°You have contracted an STD that is much more serious than normal genital viruses. Your member also begins to become inflamed and has purulent discharge, even ulceration. If you don¡¯t treat it in time, you could become a eunuch and have your life threatened.¡±


    Wang Tao¡¯s expression whitened as he said, ¡°You¡¯re simply a God, Big Brother Tang. I never thought that a cultivator could actually have such deep knowledge in Chinese medicine. Your diagnosis is correct, I¡¯ve been to several large hospitals and the results from their diagnosis are just like you told me. However, they are helpless in being able to cure the virus. I can only have a medication to suppress it, so I already planned to leave for Beijing to seek treatment. That is, after my family has conducted the opening sale ceremony for the Golden Goblet Emperor Gauze villa complex. I might have to seek treatment abroad should it fail.¡±


    Tang Xiu secretly felt lucky since he came to Qinglin County in time. If he hadn¡¯t, this guy would¡¯ve really come to Beijing or overseas to seek treatment, making it difficult to find him.


    ¡°I can cure this disease.¡±


    Wang Tao was overjoyed and said in a hurry, ¡°If you really can cure my illness, I¡¯ll pay anything, Big Brother Tang! You¡¯ll be my great benefactor from now on.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m flattered for such heavy words. But the reason I came to Qingcheng Mountain is to repay a debt of gratitude. And since Wang Rui is your big brother, helping you is equal to paying it,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    The words, however, made Wang Tao a bit awkward and embarrassed. ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood something, Big Brother Tang. Wang Rui is not my biological brother. He¡¯s the son of my uncle, my paternal cousin.¡±


    Tang Xiu frowned intentionally and concealed his real feelings. Just as Wang Tao was anxious that Tang Xiu would take back his words and wanted to speak, Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll still treat you, even if he¡¯s not your real brother. To tell you the truth, I¡¯ve felt like I can relate with you ever since we¡¯ve met, so I¡¯ll still cure you as long as you need treatment, regardless of your relationship with Wang Rui. As for the payment¡­ the best one is as long as you can regard me as your friend.¡±


    Feeling congenial? And becoming friends?


    The words shook Wang Hao¡¯s heart, as he didn¡¯t expect that he had such a strong affinity with Tang Xiu. Even this Magnificent Tang Corp¡¯s Big Boss felt that they hit it off the first time they met. How could such a big fortune fall on him?


    ¡°I also have another identity,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m a doctor at the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. There has been quite a lot of coverage about me; you can find it if you browse the internet.¡±


    A doctor from the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital?


    Wang Tao felt a bit incredulous inside. How come such a dignified cultivator, as well as the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corp., would work as a doctor in the hospital? He thought for a moment before he quickly took out his mobile and searched for ¡®Star City Chinese Medical Hospital Doctors¡¯. After a while, he saw a list of reports about the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital and most of the news was tagged with ¡®the Young Divine Doctor Tang Xiu¡¯.


    ¡°Real¡­ it¡¯s real?¡±


    Wang Tao looked up and asked with a vacant expression, ¡°Big Brother Tang¡­ how exactly did you work as a doctor in a Chinese Medical Hospital¡­ considering your identity?


    ¡°It¡¯s true that I¡¯m the owner of Magnificent Tang Corporation and am also a cultivator,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°But to me, any profession has no distinction of status and rank, be it low or honored. I have the skills, so I must properly put them to use. I went to the Chinese Medical Hospital to render my services as a doctor in my spare time. There have been many patients, be it illness or injuries, that were cured by me. Just as a doctor, I¡¯ve been able to save lives and rescue more and more people. So, Brother Wang Tao, don¡¯t you think you¡¯ll find delight and happiness by helping others at the same time?¡±


    Wang Tao himself had been taught the saying of ¡®taking pleasure of helping others¡¯ since childhood, but he never intentionally helped others; nor did he ever feel happiness and delight in serving others at the same time.


    Tang Xiu was as though sensing Wang Tao¡¯s thoughts and continued again, ¡°Truth be told, when I was in the hospital, I saw many patients who were about to die; injured people who were in pain, whining, and mourning. I especially saw the moments when they were in despair and frightened. And yet, I felt a sense of accomplishment when I reached out my hands to save them. You can imagine that there¡¯s an injured person laying before you with bleeding wounds, and then you finally retain their lives. You then face them while they express their gratitude along with respect, affection, and praise; some of them even wish they could kowtow to express their thanks. Would you feel joy and happiness through such scenes?¡±


    Scenes that depicted Tang Xiu¡¯s words emerged inside Wang Tao¡¯s mind as he fell into his imagination for a dozen seconds. He was then back to his senses with a gradually dissipating smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed a blissful and joyous scene.¡±


    ¡°Let me tell you another analogy,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll be blissful when I¡¯m capable to cure you since I feel that we can be friends. If you put yourself in my shoes and are also a doctor, then when you see your loved ones¡¯ terminal illness and have to act to cure them, will you feel joyful and blissful?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s words deeply touched Wang Tao¡¯s heart. He never thought that Tang Xiu would be so affectionate as to liken himself to caring for relatives.


    ¡°We¡¯re brothers; it¡¯s said and done.¡± Wang Tao looked at Tang Xiu and solemnly said, ¡°I will never say anything about paying you back anymore. Please help me treat my illness, Big Brother Tang, for you are my brother. Others might not dare to say that they will forsake their lives for the sake of their brothers, but I absolutely can do it.¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed in a crisp voice and said, ¡°Great. I¡¯m really not mistaken about you. You¡¯re a man of character.¡±


    Immediately after, Tang Xiu took out a paper and quickly wrote a prescription. Then he handed it to Wang Tao and said, ¡°Tell the men under you to get medicine according to this prescription. Remember, what you must buy are top quality medicinal herbs, these being wild herbs. I¡¯ll start boiling the Chinese herbal medicine for you after you buy all of them, then apply it on the infected part of your body to remove the virus.¡±


    After saying that, he wrote another prescription and gave it to Wang Tao again, ¡°The medicinal herbs written here are as expensive as the previous ones. You can buy them for several hundred yuan. After you buy them, I¡¯ll continue treating the torment you¡¯ve been suffering. It¡¯s medicine for your internal organs and will nourish your kidneys to treat the Yang deficiency symptoms. I dare not say anything else, but you can dramatically improve the quality of your sexual life as long as you take the medication a few times. Drinking it continually for a month will make you able to satisfy your woman repeatedly every night.¡±


    ¡°That would be great!¡± Wang Tao was ecstatic and his eyes were particularly blazing when he looked at Tang Xiu. Then he handed over the two prescriptions to the woman and told her to get the herbs personally. In the meantime, he boiled tea by himself and brought his best Cuban cigar out from abroad and personally served them for Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Big Brother Tang, you¡¯ve come from far away place, so just stay here! We, brothers, are like old friends even at the first time we met. Besides, I also want to know more about you and get along well.¡±


    ¡°Might as well stay here even if we brothers still have plenty of time to meet in the future,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Besides, I can¡¯t go anywhere for the time being and gotta stay with you. I won¡¯t go even if you want to drive me out!¡±


    ¡°But why?¡± Wang Tao didn¡¯t have the slightest idea to drive Tang Xiu away, but the reply confused him and he curiously asked, ¡°Are you staying here temporarily to wait for my brother?¡±


    ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t you say it previously that your brother is being locked up to face the wall to reflect on his mistakes?¡± said Tang Xiu snappily. ¡°How can I not stay here? I must stay here for some time to wait for your subordinate who¡¯s buying those medicinal herbs to come back since I need to personally administer the herbal medicine for you.¡±


    Wang Tao instantly came to his senses and said embarrassedly, ¡°You see, my pig brain is kinda smart¡­ but, well, every man has a fool up his sleeve, no? Anyways, we felt like old buddies at the first meeting today, Big Brother Tang. I¡¯ll tell my people to prepare good wine and meals later today. Let¡¯s get drunk before we part.¡±


    ¡°Nope. Just tea and meals for dinner.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Forget alcohol.¡±


    ¡°Do you think the wine I¡¯ll be preparing is not as good as your Magnificent Tang¡¯s Gods Nectar, Brother Tang?¡± asked Wang Tao quickly. ¡°I admit it¡¯s not comparable to that wine indeed.¡±


    ¡°I gotta say you¡¯re sometimes smart and yet stupid like a pig sometimes. I even feel that you love imagining things to entertain all sort of ideas,¡± commented Tang Xiu helplessly. ¡°You wanna know why you mustn¡¯t drink? It¡¯s because you must drink that herbal medicine today. If you were to get drunk, how can you drink that medicine to treat your illness, huh?¡±


    Wang Tao was instantly petrified and the color of his face turned into the shade of a baboon¡¯s bottom. It took a long time before he could ease up from his embarrassment.


    Outside the courtyard¡¯s gate.


    The female who just went out of the courtyard with the two herbal medicine prescriptions saw a Mercedes Benz business car coming from the distance. She was familiar with its plate number and instantly realized that her Big Boss was coming.


    As expected, Wang Xuegan in a black suit opened its door and came out of the car. He looked at the female and asked, ¡°Is Little Tao at home?¡±


    ¡°He is, Sir!¡± answered the female quickly.


    Wang Xuegang nodded and was about to enter when he suddenly stopped and asked again, ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°A guest came to visit and young master Wang asked me to buy herbs according to the prescription wrote by that guest,¡± answered the female.


    ¡°Who¡¯s this guest?¡± asked Wang Xuegang with a frown.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± The female shook her head and said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t around when young master Wang was conversing with him.¡±


    Wang Xuegang¡¯s brows creased deeper and discontentedly said, ¡°Show me that prescription!¡±


    The female quickly handed the prescription to Wang Xuegang. She knew that her Big Boss had started from a barefoot doctor and his career had been rapidly promoted after he cured a certain big personage of his sickness due to coincidence.

 Chapter 842 - Dramatic Change in Attitude

    Chapter 842: Dramatic Change in Attitude


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    After taking the two prescriptions and reading the names of the herbs on them, Wang Xuegang¡¯s expression turned cloudy. He tightly gripped his fists and crumpled the two notes.


    ¡°This unfilial son¡­ got a venereal disease?¡±


    The female¡¯s expression changed and immediately said with solemnity, ¡°Doctors also said that he has contracted a virus, but not venereal disease¡­ however¡­¡±


    ¡°But what?¡± yelled Wang Xuegang.


    ¡°The virus is much more serious than a venereal one,¡± said the woman quickly. ¡°Even some experts from large hospitals are helpless in how to treat it. But still¡­ the person who wrote these two prescriptions for young master Wang may look a bit unreliable, but the young master ordered me to buy them, so I don¡¯t dare to question it.¡±


    Wang Xuegang snorted angrily and took the two prescriptions as headed into the courtyard gate. After he came to the villa¡¯s living room, his eyes only glanced at Wang Hao before they were fixated on Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Are you the Chinese medical practitioner who wrote these two prescriptions?¡± asked Wang Xuegang in a deep voice as he stood in front of Tang Xiu while showing the two prescriptions.


    Tang Xiu creased his brows and was about to reply, but Wang Tao hurriedly got up and loudly said, ¡°Father, what are you doing? Big Brother Tang is my friend and not your men! Don¡¯t talk to my friend with that attitude.¡±


    Wang Xuegang turned his head and glared at him and then said, ¡°SHUT UP! A kid wants to teach his father, huh? Hmph¡­ you¡¯re a wastrel who always wastes your time visiting brothels and even contracted a venereal disease, I¡¯m not done with this issue; you¡¯ll see how I¡¯ll teach you a lesson later.¡±


    Wang Tao¡¯s face paled after getting reprimanded by his father in front of Tang Xiu. He couldn¡¯t accept it and retorted loudly, ¡°Do you know who this friend in front of me really is? It¡¯s true that I contracted a virus due to my mistake. I can promise you that won¡¯t mess up and be unruly in the future, but you can¡¯t talk to my friend with that kind of attitude, can you?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, friend? What I see is just a fox, a liar! There have been too many conmen nowadays. You¡¯re still too green and you¡¯ll be swindled by him if I don¡¯t keep you in check. Besides, look at his age, where does it look like someone who knows Chinese medicine?¡± sneered Wang Xuegang.


    Tang Xiu got up and indifferently squinted at Wang Xuegang before he looked at the angry Wang Tao. Then he said apathetically, ¡°I¡¯m a swindler, huh? That indeed is true, it¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t expect it to be easily seen. Since your father thinks I don¡¯t have the abilities and have the likes of a cheap conman, I can also leave.¡±


    Wang Tao hurriedly stopped Tang Xiu and said with an apologetic expression, ¡°Big Brother Tang, please don¡¯t be angry. My Dad doesn¡¯t know your identity.¡±


    After saying that, he furiously looked at Wang Xuegang and said loudly, ¡°Dad, I know that you always judge a book by its cover. But I can tell you for sure, Big Brother Tang Xiu is absolutely no swindler!¡±


    ¡°Big Brother Tang? Aren¡¯t you much older than him? Why the hell should you address him as Big Brother?¡± Wang Xuegang¡¯s anger was now mostly replaced with disbelief.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I must address him as Big Brother, though I¡¯m in fact wanting to befriend him due to his high status,¡± retorted Wang Lao loudly. ¡°Do you really not know him? Take a look at his face carefully; what company is the most famous nowadays in the country?¡±


    Wang Xuegang was flabbergasted. This was his first time seeing his son unyielding and very angry with him. He tightly creased his brows and thought carefully for a while and then sneered, ¡°There are tons of famous domestic companies nowadays, who the hell will know the one you¡¯re talking about?¡±


    ¡°You know what? He¡¯s Tang Xiu, the Big Boss of Magnificent Tang Corporation, and also the young divine doctor of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital!¡± said Wang Tao loudly, ¡°Now tell me, Dad. Do you really think that someone like Big Brother Tang, who has such identity, will just visit my place to swindle me?¡±


    Wang Xuegang was stunned and immediately took his mobile out to browse for the ¡®Tang Xiu¡¯ name and quickly found photos of the tagged keyword. His expression dramatically changed as he checked the photo and the man. There was a look of shock as well as disbelief on his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡±


    Wang Xuegang wanted to speak, but was rendered speechless. He could have continued his attitude if he hadn¡¯t discerned Tang Xiu¡¯s identity, but the young man in front of him was indeed the Big Boss of the famous Magnificent Tang Corporation, as well as the young divine doctor of the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. The revelation made him somewhat restless inside.


    With a bit of a proud expression, Wang Tao said, ¡°Dad, the fact is, Big Brother Tang came to me because of my Brother, but he¡¯s still locked up to face the wall in the Qingcheng Monastery. Hence, he is staying here while administering my disease treatment. You also know brother¡¯s status; Big Brother Tang and him are kind of good friends.¡±


    Wang Rui¡¯s friend?


    Wang Xuegang finally understood why Tang Xiu, the Big Boss of the famous Magnificent Tang Corp, would come to such a small place like Qinglin City and appear in the residence of his wastrel son.


    An awkward yet embarrassed expression instantly covered his face. He slapped his own lips, let out a dry cough and then hollowly smiled, ¡°B¡­ Boss Tang, I was really offensive just now because this wastrel son of mine contracted a venereal disease¡­ Well, it¡¯s all my fault, so please forgive my ignorance with your magnanimous heart. I¡¯ve long heard about your famous and resounding name, and I¡¯ve been wanting to pay you a visit for a long time. But I¡¯m just a small time businessman, and I¡¯ve been afraid that I don¡¯t have the qualification, so¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu just glanced at him coldly and detachedly said, ¡°Wang Tao and I are like old friends at our first meeting; we have become good friends due to that. I won¡¯t take this matter to heart since you¡¯re his father, not to mention that you¡¯ve figured out my identity as the young divine doctor from the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. Those big hospitals may not be able to cure him, but not me. If you don¡¯t want to delay your son¡¯s harrowing condition, send someone to buy the herbs according to those prescriptions.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    Wang Xuegang hurriedly called the female he came in with and handed her the two prescriptions and urged, ¡°Hurry to get the medicine and buy the best herbs, you hear?¡±


    The female, who was previously skeptical about Tang Xiu¡¯s Chinese medicine doctor status, felt rather incredulous. However, she was also finally aware that this young man turned out to have a very high stature and should be someone that her Boss couldn¡¯t afford to provoke. She didn¡¯t dare to delay after receiving the two prescriptions and hurriedly left.


    Then, Wang Xuegang turned around to see Tang Xiu and smilingly said, ¡°You¡¯re really a great man, Boss Tang. Someone with a great mind and integrity who is worth learning from. It¡¯s just I¡¯m curious about something; may I know why you want to see my nephew?¡±


    Wang Tao hurriedly called out, ¡°DAD¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and lightly said, ¡°You¡¯re Wang Tao¡¯s father and a member of Wang Family, so I won¡¯t hide it from you. Wang Rui saved one of my people in the South China Sea some time ago. It¡¯s the reason why I came here: to express my gratitude. Moreover, I¡¯m not only the owner of Magnificent Tang Corporation or the young divine doctor of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital¡ªI¡¯m also a cultivator. I don¡¯t think that many people are aware of the term or what being a Daoist cultivator means, but you¡¯re a member of the Wang Family, so you should be very clear, no?¡±


    ¡°Daoist cultivator?¡±


    Wang Xuegang¡¯s eyes grew as big as a saucer and he exclaimed as he backtracked a few steps in shock.


    ¡°I told you this fact because of my relationship with Wang Rui,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°But I hope this issue will never be known to anyone other than you two.¡±


    Wang Xuegang hurriedly waved his hand and replied, ¡°It won¡¯t happen! Only the three of us will know this. We¡ªfather and son, will never tell another soul!¡±


    ¡°Alright, you don¡¯t need to worry about Wang Tao¡¯s illness.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I guarantee that he will recover to his best in 7 days. I¡¯ll have to concoct and administer the medicine to him later, so you can leave if you have nothing else.¡±


    Seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s indifferent attitude towards him, Wang Xuegangg was truly regretting what he did inwardly. However, how would he be willing to miss such an opportunity to make friends with this hard to see great personage? He let out an obsequious smile and said, ¡°Boss Tang, I actually came over to this place for a few reasons. First, I wanted to see how my wastrel son has been doing recently, and the second reason is to bring him over to participate in the opening sale ceremony of our Golden Goblet Emperor Gauze villa complex. Having you visiting Qinglin County is an honor for our county, so I wonder whether you can also honor us to attend the opening sale ceremony of our villa complex later?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested,¡± flatly refused Tang Xiu.


    He did have no sliver of interest in coming to the opening sale ceremony of this villa complex. One of the reasons was because of Zhang Xinya, whom Wang Xuegang had invited to come. He didn¡¯t want to meet her in Qinglin County.


    Wang Xuegang was a bit embarrassed, but he still smiled and turned his head to his son and sent him a signal with his eyes. He even made up his mind that he would spare the lesson he was going to teach his son for being infected by the venereal disease if this brat was able to make Tang Xiu pleased.


    Wang Tao also had similar thoughts at this moment. Now that his father winked at him, he suddenly realized that an opportunity ¡®to render meritorious deeds to redeem his mistakes¡¯ had just come. He hurriedly smiled obsequiously and said, ¡°Big Brother Tang, you¡¯re my brother, while my family is also about to have a big and happy event. You really must give me face and come with us together. I know that my Dad was wrong; please don¡¯t be angry with him.¡±


    A surprising light gleamed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. He hesitated before replying, ¡°To be honest, I just forgot some other matters of why I really can¡¯t attend the opening sale ceremony of your villa complex. It¡¯s because I must go to the Qingcheng Monastery to look for Wang Rui. Firstly, it¡¯s to send him the healing medicine and personally thank him, while secondly, there¡¯s something that I need him to help with.¡±


    ¡°Help on what issue, exactly?¡± Wang Tao was confused.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal, in fact,¡± said Tang Xiu casually. ¡°I heard that the Qingcheng Mountain has so many precious herbs of various types. My cultivation has kind of reached a bottleneck recently, so I need 2 kinds of precious herbs.¡±


    Wang Hao wore a look of delight and replied without hesitation, ¡°Big Brother Tang, as long as those herbs are within Qingcheng Mountain, I¡¯ll help you find them. What are those two magical herbs you need?¡±


    ¡°You really can help me?¡± asked Tang Xiu, hesitating.


    ¡°Of course, I can!¡± said Wang Tao proudly. ¡°You see, I forgot to tell you that my Dad used to be a very famous barefoot doctor in the surrounding areas. He once healed a certain great man from another big city of his sickness. I am also able to identify many herbs due to his edification and influence, so I even organize an annual event to send people to seek precious herbs in the mountain and then send those herbs to Qingcheng Monastery to exchange them with some good things from there.¡±

 Chapter 843 - Yes, I Love Tang Xiu

    Chapter 843: Yes, I Love Tang Xiu


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu had long realized that Wang Tao definitely had some knowledge about Chinese medicine, or at least had some rudimentary knowledge on it, else he wouldn¡¯t just spend 12 million yuan to buy the Red Silk Flower like an ignorant kid who knew nothing of its value. After seeing that the road ahead was almost paved, Tang Xiu intentionally wore a surprised look and asked, ¡°I need a Millennium Wild Ginseng and a Red Silk Flower. Can you help me find them, Wang Tao?¡±


    Wang Tao stared blankly for a while as he patted the back of his head all of a sudden and forced a smile, ¡°Had you come half a month earlier, I could have put them before you in just a minute, Big Brother Tang. But now¡­ I can only take out the Millennium Wild Ginseng since I already gave the Red Silk Flower to my uncle.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed and he looked deeply disappointed.


    He literally traversed thousands of miles to Qingcheng Mountain just to get the Red Silk Flower from Wang Tao. But the latter turned out to have given the flower to his uncle¡ªthe Vice Abbot of Qingcheng Daoist Monastery¡ªhalf a month ago, which made him feel helpless inside.


    Wang Tao¡¯s expression suddenly moved, and he quickly said, ¡°Big Brother Tang, I can accompany you to Qingcheng Monastery to find my uncle if you really need that Red Silk Flower. Although I heard that he also needs that flower as it seems to be related to the configuration of the medicine. Half a month ago, he still had several precious herbs, so the Red Silk Flower shouldn¡¯t be used up by now.¡±


    ¡°How about going there now?¡± asked Tang Xiu immediately. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna delay it any longer.¡±


    Seeing how anxious Tang Xiu was, Wang Tao laughed inwardly. He actually had another intention out of his selfishness to personally bring Tang Xiu to Qingcheng Monastery. Not only did he want to show his goodwill to Tang Xiu, but he also wanted to let his uncle know that he was the one who sent that Red Silk Flower. That flower should be a very good object if such a mighty cultivator like Tang Xiu seemed to be hell-bent on obtaining it.


    ¡°How about waiting until the day after tomorrow, Big Brother Tang? You see, I still have to take the herbal medicine medication, while I also must participate in the opening sale ceremony of my family¡¯s Golden Goblet Emperor Gauze villa complex. If you could wait for me, we¡¯ll immediately leave for the mountain right after the opening ceremony.¡±


    Tang Xiu thought it over and silently nodded. He didn¡¯t know the location of the Qingcheng Monastery, so it was better to wait for Wang Tao for two days to take him there instead of entering the vast mountain without knowing where it was. Yet, he could see the obvious intention of Wang Tao¡¯s words, hoping that he could attend the opening sale ceremony of his family¡¯s villa complex.


    ¡®This really gives me a headache!¡¯


    Tang Xiu was keenly aware of the smug joyful light gleaming in Wang Tao¡¯s eyes. He forced a wry smile and said, ¡°So, where will the opening sale ceremony of your Golden Goblet Emperor Gauze villa complex be held? I¡¯ll be attending on time the day after tomorrow.¡±


    At the side, similar excitement could be seen hanging on Wang Xuegang¡¯s face. He might have a big enterprise and be honored as the Qinglin County¡¯s local tycoon due to his wealth and importance, but the compared to some large companies in China, it¡¯s like the difference between day and night! The Magnificent Tang Corporation may have been established less than a year ago, but he knew that this company was very large and has been developing like a soaring rocket.


    A few months ago, the said company had acquired a very large plot of land in Shanghai and also held a tender for construction companies all over the country. His construction company was not qualified to attend the tender; the rumors were that only the first top 10 of domestic construction companies were eligible for bidding.


    Wang Xuegang thought that he was already rich, but compared to this person before him, the gap was like a chasm. Though the Magnificent Tang Corp. had long been valued to have industries worth no less than 10 billion yuan, it was still unknown whether it also included the other invisible wealth Tang Xiu might have.


    If he could invite Tang Xiu to attend the opening sale ceremony of the Golden Goblet Emperor Gauze villa complex, it would definitely cause a huge sensation in the real estate industry, even the entire business community. That would lead to his company¡¯s reputation to soar and would smooth out the path of development in the future.


    Senbao 5-star hotel.


    Inside the presidential suite 1208, Long Zhenglin rested comfortably on the sofa, imagining the scenes of Tang Xiu getting shut out by Wang Tao when he visited that guy, a frenzied smile appearing on his rough face.


    ¡°Ding¡­ dong!¡±


    The doorbell sounded and Long Zhenglin lackadaisically glanced at the door. He immediately waved to Jin Shi, who was sitting cross-legged in cultivation, and said in a weak voice, ¡°Could you please open the door? Your Boss might have come back and found the door locked.¡±


    Jin Shi just let out a hollow smile in response to his words and headed to the door. If someone else spoke these words to him, he would¡¯ve definitely slapped that person, but Long Zhenglin was an exception. This guy had a very close relationship with his Boss, so Jin Shi didn¡¯t dare to offend him.


    ¡°Huh? It¡¯s you?¡± as Jin Shi opened the door and looked at the slim yet graceful Zhang Xinya with her excited face, he couldn¡¯t help but exclaim.


    Zhang Xinya herself had seen Jin Shi, so she instantly affirmed that Tang Xiu had come to Qinglin City. She was a bit absent-minded at this moment, yet she was very excited inwardly and quickly asked, ¡°Is Tang Xiu here? I wanna see him.¡±


    ¡°Boss is not here. He¡¯s currently outside tending to some things,¡± answered Jin Shi.


    Zhang Xinya took a deep breath and directly squeezed herself into the room. A disappointed look flashed in her eyes when he saw that the man nested in the sofa was actually Long Zhenglin. Then she asked again, ¡°Where he could possibly go to?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the whereabouts of my Boss,¡± said Jin Shi. ¡°He only ordered Awu to follow him to deal with some matters and told the rest of us to say here and wait for him.¡±


    Zhang Xinya was silent for a short while before she took out her mobile to dial Tang Xiu¡¯s cell number. This time, it only ran a few times before her call got picked up.


    ¡°Where are you, Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Qingcheng Mountain, Qinglin County.¡±


    Zhang Xinya couldn¡¯t help but feel happy inwardly. She used to call Tang Xiu, but she could also sense the obvious rejection expressed by Tang Xiu. But now, he didn¡¯t even lie to her and directly told her where he was.


    ¡°I¡¯m also in Qinglin County and am staying in the presidential suite of the Senbao 5-star hotel¡ªthe same lodging as you. Your men told me that you¡¯re outside tending to some things, so I won¡¯t bother you. But I¡¯ll be waiting for you here.¡±


    Having said that, she directly hung up the phone, seemingly afraid that Tang Xiu would flatly refuse her.


    Long Zhenglin got up from the sofa to look at Zhang Xinya with a strange expression covering his face, ¡°You know, if anyone outside knew that the big star Zhang Xinya is actually waiting for a man in a hotel, I¡¯ll be damned if none of the men in the world will be jealous of him, no? You like my Big Bro, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I do. I like Tang Xiu!¡± replied Zhang Xinya without hesitation.


    Cough! Cough!


    Long Zhenglin was so stunned that he choked on his saliva. He was at a loss between either tears or laughter as he said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have asked had I known it earlier¡ªasking or not ends up with the same result, damn it. Big Bro¡¯s luck with pretty flowers is truly against heaven!¡±


    ¡°I know that he has great luck with women, but I don¡¯t care. But¡­ who exactly are you?¡± asked Zhang Xinya.


    ¡°Ehh? Tang Xiu hasn¡¯t mentioned me to you?¡± Long Zhenglin rolled his eyes and resentfully said, ¡°Long Zhenglin, the second young master of the Long Family? Darn it. I have always been his most faithful and loyal brother, for God¡¯s sake!¡±


    Zhang Xinya faintly smiled and said, ¡°I once met Long Zhengyu, so you¡¯re his younger brother! No wonder you have such bearings and temperament. You should also have tons of young women liking you, no?¡±


    My demeanor, huh?


    Long Zhenglin¡¯s eyes lit up before he clapped his hands and smilingly said, ¡°You seem to have good eyes, big sis-in-law. You¡¯re right; though I may be not as charming and handsome as Tang Xiu, I still have my good demeanor, don¡¯t I? Anyways, please have a seat big sis-in-law. Are you thirsty or would you some fruit? I¡¯ll make some tea for you and called the Hotel¡¯s attendant to send them immediately¡­


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Zhang Xinya smiled inwardly. Since Long Zhenglin came to Qinglin County with Tang Xiu, she could tell that this guy had a very close relationship with Tang Xiu. If she could make Long Zhenlin see her in a good light, she could get more news about Tang Xiu and this guy might be able to speak good things about her.


    She was one who had been full of confidence of herself in the past, but Tang Xiu¡¯s estranged attitude toward her had hit her so hard that she could only accept such treatment.


    Qinglin County, at Wang Tao¡¯s residence.


    Tang Xiu calmly concocted the herbal medicine while a rich scent of medicinal herbs filled each corner of the kitchen. Yet, his mind was racing as he silently thought about some issues. At present, what he urgently needed to do was to get the Red Silk Flower as this magical herb was simply too scarce. But the Red Silk Flower obtained by Wang Tao unexpectedly had changed hands to Wang Rui¡¯s father, the Deputy Abbot of Qingcheng Monastery. He didn¡¯t know whether he would get that flower when he visited the Qingcheng Monastery the day after tomorrow.


    ¡®Should I use something to exchange for it?¡¯


    ¡®Exchanging it with the immortal cultivation technique is out of the question since Qingcheng Monastery is also an old sect. Once I impart the immortal cultivation technique to someone from Qingcheng Monastery, this sect will definitely gather cultivation resources wantonly. That will prove to be very disadvantageous for my own progress and the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s development.¡¯


    ¡®What about medicinal pills? This may be a good option, but I don¡¯t know whether Wang Rui¡¯s father will like the medicinal pills refined by me either.¡¯


    ¡®As for something else that can be used¡­¡¯


    Countless thoughts wandered in Tang Xiu¡¯s mind, making him even put the call from Zhang Xinya to the back of his mind.


    10:00 at night, Tang Xiu watched Wang Tao take the herbal medicine and apply the boiling liquid for an external application on the ulcerated area of his member. Then he explained, ¡°Take the medication and apply it every day successively for half a month; then your illness will be completely cured. Also, take the herbs with you when you go with me to Qingcheng Monastery the day after tomorrow. That way, you can still boil and administer them when we get there.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Wang Tao quickly complied.


    Tang Xiu suddenly thought of something and asked, ¡°If I list the names of some precious herbs, can you help me buy them? What I need are premium quality herbs. You can set the price for them.¡±


    ¡°I may not have the ability to accomplish other things, but I¡¯m absolutely good when it comes to buying medicinal herbs.¡± Wang Tao grinned and said, ¡°Qingcheng Mountain may not have various things, but it never lacks herbs. After we come back from the Qingcheng Monastery, as long as the precious herbs you need can be found here, I can buy them for you no matter how many.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll present you a big gift if you can help me buy them,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Big gift? What is it?¡± Wang Tao¡¯s expression moved and he hurriedly inquired.


    Tang Xiu patted his shoulder and smilingly said, ¡°It won¡¯t be a surprise if I tell you now, right? No rush, mate. You know haste makes waste. I¡¯ll naturally fulfill my promise and gift you a big surprise when I obtain a lot of precious herbs from you later.¡±

 Chapter 844 - Doomed Love

    Chapter 844: Doomed Love


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The hazy and misty moonlight shined down, accompanied with a caressing warm breeze of the spring blooming of flowers, sending their faint fragrance to the air of Qinglin County. Several house sparrows flew out of buildings¡¯ windows as though they wanted to race with an SUV that was slowly traversing the road ahead.


    ¡°What do you think about Wang Tao, Awu?¡± asked Tang Xiu while sitting in the back seat, smoking. A faint smile hung on his handsome face while he unfocusedly looked outside.


    ¡°He¡¯s a shrewd and astute one with a silver tongue,¡± answered Mo Awu while driving. ¡°He may have tried to restrain his personality when he met us, but his pride and arrogance as a second generation nouveau-riche can occasionally be seen in his speech and manners. His achievements in life will be limited unless he undergoes some tribulations in life.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed the common problem among the second generation of the rich,¡± Tang Xiu nodded and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s good to have a unique personality, but if you¡¯re too arrogant and domineering, you¡¯ll need a huge tribulation to temper yourself, else that arrogance will only invite a lot of troubles. Nevermind it for now, though. Let¡¯s not talk about him. Let¡¯s stop by the cigarettes and alcohol store on the way back, I need to buy some cigarettes.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± replied Mo Awu.


    Seven-plus minutes later, the SUV was parked near the entrance of a tobacco and alcohol store. Four young men with gaudy attire and boorish complexions were playing mahjong at the entrance of the store. When Tang Xiu waltzed inside with Mo Awu, he found nobody inside and immediately shouted at the door, ¡°Hey, who¡¯s the owner here? I wanna buy some cigarettes.¡±


    ¡°Serve yourself, then take it to the counter and put the money there.¡±


    A youth with blonde bleached hair that was playing cards around the table at the door shouted back without moving his eyes from his mahjong cards at all.


    Tang Xiu secretly shook his head. How could this be called doing business? This guy virtually ignored his job and business. After hesitating for a moment, Tang Xiu spoke again, ¡°I want a lot of them, so you¡¯d better come in.¡±


    The yellow-haired youth frowned and looked at the store. He unwillingly came while taking the cards in his hand and swayed back to the store and asked, ¡°How many is a lot? And what cigarette do you wanna buy?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the Soft China ones, however many you have in the store,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Soft China?


    The yellow-haired youth smiled, yet observed Tang Xiu and lamented, ¡°Soft China is quite an extravagant taste, buddy! I have dozens of packs in my store, do you really wanna take them all?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    The yellow-haired youth smiled and said, ¡°Wait a sec.¡±


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu and Mo Awu held dozens of Soft China packs and left the cigarette and alcohol store. They threw all of them into the back seat and then quickly left the premise.


    The yellow-haired youth walked out of the store and watched the SUV leaving. Then, he returned to the table and grinned, ¡°I just bumped into some county money-bags, guys. He didn¡¯t even ask the price but directly bought all the Soft China in my store.¡±


    A young man with a green snake tattooed on his neck curled his lips and hummed, ¡°Hmph, what a shitty county money-bags, it¡¯s just dozens of Soft China packs. Still, that young master was way too reckless to wander around his grave, though. To think that he spent all of his money to buy hundreds of Soft China, damn it. Anyways, stop spitting out bullshit, will ya? Just get back to your cards and play mahjong!¡±


    Unusual light gleamed in the eyes of the yellow-haired youth as he grinned, ¡°Hehe, you should bring us brothers when you go grave robbing, Huzi Bro! We¡¯ve really wanted to broaden our horizon with you for a long time, you know.¡±


    ¡°No shit!¡± The tattooed youth rolled his eyes and shouted, ¡°Are you fucking not afraid that Zongzi will tear you apart? Or have the Yang energy in your body swallowed by those ghosts?¡±


    The yellow-haired youth shrunk back but immediately said with a dry smile, ¡°That¡¯s what I mean, Bro Huzi!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not impossible if you wanna have more experience by tagging along with me. But let¡¯s have make an agreement first: if any of you were to experience an accident or danger in the tombs, I will have nothing to do with it,¡± said the tattooed young man casually with a proud smile. ¡°Also, each of you can only take up to 10% of the treasures you¡¯ll get from there.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡±


    ¡°Heard you loud and clear, Brother Huzi!¡±


    The three youths immediately looked excited and complied happily.


    ****


    Senbao 5-star hotel.


    When the SUV stopped at the hotel entrance, Tang Xiu spoke to Mo Awu, ¡°Do you still remember the place we just bought the cigarettes at? Go back there and beat that guy with the tattoo on his neck. Remember to break one of his legs and be confined to bedrest for the next few months.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Mo Awu still respectfully complied despite feeling confused.


    Tang Xiu spoke again, ¡°Also, tell that fellow to never deal with the dead or rob tombs again. Else he will not only lose his Yang energy, but also will implicate his family, be it getting sick, disabled, or even death!¡±


    ¡°Boss, you ordered me to break one of his legs¡­ meaning you want to¡­ save him?¡± Mo Awu was amazed.


    ¡°It is to save him from that predicament,¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°The more he keeps robbing tombs, the more his body will be contaminated with Death Qi. He¡¯ll die in the tomb in two months at the most.¡±


    After saying that, Tang Xiu got off alone and entered the 5-star Senbao Hotel. Then he remembered that Zhang Xinya also checked into this hotel and somewhat felt helpless inside.


    To have someone attached to him with such heavy affection was not something Tang Xiu could bear or enjoy. He couldn¡¯t promise to give the said women a future she wanted, let alone have special preference or love for them. Rather than making Zhang Xinya have a sad and painful life in the future, he would rather opt to sever the relationship between them earlier. Thus, he already made up his mind the moment he received her phone call.


    And this time, no matter how sad she would feel, he must thoroughly tell her to completely sever this doomed love and karma.


    Inside the presidential suite 1208, Zhang Xinya was leaning drowsily on the sofa. On the contrary, Zhang Xiaoyu looked very energetic and fiddled with her mobile phone. There was no trace of Long Zhenglin and only his faint snore could be heard in the next room.


    ¡°Ding, dong¡­¡±


    As the doorbell rang, Jin Shi quickly opened the door and looked at Tang Xiu standing outside, and hurriedly reported, ¡°Boss, Miss Zhang is still waiting for you.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in response at his report. He strode to enter the room and looked at Zhang Xinya, whose spirit immediately jolted up, whereas Zhang Xiaoyu hurriedly took back her mobile phone. He nodded at them and said, ¡°It¡¯s so late now; you haven¡¯t gone back to rest? We can still talk tomorrow if there¡¯s time for that.¡±


    Zhang Xinya strode to greet Tang Xiu, shaking her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m not tired; I wanted to see you quickly. I learned from Zhenglin that you came to Qinglin County specifically to buy a very important herb, right?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a medicinal herb I want to buy indeed, but I didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯d come here too.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Anyways, I just saw two suspicious guys nearby when I came in. Are they your bodyguards?¡±


    ¡°The company did give me two bodyguards to follow me closely. But they won¡¯t appear unless I¡¯m in danger,¡± said Zhang Xinya.


    ¡°I see. But it¡¯s too late now. Since we already met, go back and have some rest!¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk tomorrow if you have something to say.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhang Xinya¡¯s eyes turned dark. Tang Xiu¡¯s intention to drive her away was obvious and it made her feel a bit upset inside. Tang Xiu didn¡¯t hide his whereabouts when she called him and she felt that he was no longer repelling her. But now, the feeling of rejection she felt from him was much more intense.


    She didn¡¯t leave and looked at Tang Xiu instead, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t like to see me that much?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like to see you, but I just don¡¯t want to see you,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°You are a famous big star and the man who appears with you is bound to be noticed and paid attention to by others, thus creating a misunderstanding. You also know that I already have a girlfriend and we¡¯ll get married in the future, so I don¡¯t want to make her misunderstand things.¡±


    In that instant, Zhang Xinya felt a shearing and stabbing pain in her heart. She couldn¡¯t care less about being misunderstood by others, but looking at the apathetic and indifferent look on Tang Xiu¡¯s face, she really wanted to tell him that she loved him so much even if he already had a girlfriend.


    However, she swallowed back those words as they reached her mouth because Tang Xiu still cared about the idea even if she didn¡¯t.


    Such a situation made her really have no face to express the feelings she had inside.


    Zhang Xiaoyu, who stood nearby, looked at Zhang Xinya¡¯s upset expression along with the tears that were looming in her eyes. She immediately paced forward and loudly said, ¡°Mr. Tang, this may be our first meeting, but I know my big sister likes you. But why do you want to hurt her heart? Do you know all the things she does all day? She speaks about you, watches your picture in a daze, and even the wallpaper on her mobile screen is you!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Though he felt apologetic, at the moment, Tang Xiu steeled his heart and scolded her, ¡°I¡¯m speaking to Zhang Xinya. You have no right to interrupt us.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the rights to do so, indeed. But I¡¯m angry to see my sister distressed!¡± Retorted back Zhang Xiaoyu angrily. ¡°Aren¡¯t you too cruel a man? My Sis has been waiting for you for five-plus hours here, and you drive her away right as you come back. You really have no heart!¡±


    ¡°Whether I¡¯m unfeeling or not is not yours to judge,¡± snorted Tang Xiu and coldly said, ¡°Leave this room immediately, else don¡¯t blame me for throwing you out forcefully!¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Zhang Xiaoyu was still wanting to talk back, but Zhang Xinya stopped her.


    Tears were now flowing out of her eyes, but she quickly raised her hand to wipe them off. Her eyes deeply stared at Tang Xiu and she even lifted her hands to gently wipe away the traces of dust from Tang Xiu¡¯s left shoulder, and then softly said, ¡°If you¡¯re tired, then we¡¯ll go back to rest first. You can be at ease that I won¡¯t bring any more trouble to you. Although you don¡¯t want to accept me, my heart will still be satisfied as long as I can still see you from afar.¡±


    After saying that, she turned around and headed to the door while enduring the pain of her broken heart.


    While watching her back, Tang Xiu sighed inwardly. It was never his intention to hurt Zhang Xinya¡¯s heart. Yet, it was something he must do. It was just like what her sister, Zhang Xinyue, said. He couldn¡¯t give her happiness in life, so why should he hold her up? Maybe in the future, she would run into a much better man who could love her dearly.


    As the women left, the next room¡¯s door opened and Long Zhenglin stared at Tang Xiu with disbelief, though his eyes were still filled with sleepiness.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you¡­ way too cruel?¡±


    ¡°You see, it¡¯s not half bad for you being a bystander,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly.

 Chapter 845 - Being Half-Hearted Is Hurtful

    Chapter 845: Being Half-Hearted Is Hurtful


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Emotional issues were a topic Tang Xiu never wanted to discuss with Long Zhenglin, nor did he want to express his opinions or explain his stance. On account of the fact that he did like Zhang Xinya, it was needless to say that he would never hurt her, but without major affectionate feelings, he could only be half-hearted and perfunctory, which would hurt her the most.


    Long Zhenglin himself knew Tang Xiu for a long time and naturally understood his character. Apart from forcing a smile, he could only turn back to the room and continue to sleep.


    Inside the room of the presidential suite 1206, Zhang Xinya straightly returned to the main bedroom and burst into tears. The wound created by Tang Xiu¡¯s words inside her heart was very deep and the pain she felt was like having her heart sheared by a knife.


    Outside the room, regrets fully covered Zhang Xiaoyu¡¯s pretty face since she was the one who enthusiastically told her about Tang Xiu just to make her happy, but that unscrupulous and unfeeling bastard just made Zhang Xinya suffer.


    ¡®What should I do?¡¯


    She didn¡¯t want to see Zhang Xinya drown in sadness. She may be her new manager, but she sincerely hoped that Zhang Xinya could work and live in happiness.


    ¡®The opening sale ceremony of the Golden Goblet Emperor Gauze villa complex the day after tomorrow is very important, so Sis Xinya will definitely attend the event and sing a few songs, but her current mood will definitely affect the day. If she keeps crying, she will lose her voice and have swollen eyes, negatively affecting her.¡¯


    Zhang Xiaoyu was so anxious that she wandered around the room for a long time. Suddenly, she remembered another person and immediately went back to her room, hurriedly grabbed her mobile phone, and dialed a cell number.


    ¡°Hey, how haven¡¯t you rested yet, Xiaoyu? Why are you calling me so late?¡± Zhang Xinyue¡¯s lazy voice came from the phone.


    ¡°Big Sis Xinyue, I seem to have made a mistake,¡± said Zhang Xiayu bitterly.


    ¡°What mistake did you make?¡± Asked Zhang Xinyue, ¡°Did my sister scold and reprimand you?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re now in Qinglin County at the foothill of Qingcheng Mountain. We were invited to participate in a business¡¯ publicity event, Sis Xinyue,¡± said Zhang Xiaoyu hurriedly. ¡°But I didn¡¯t expect to meet that bad guy, Tang Xiu, in the same hotel we¡¯re checking in. Sis Xinya waited for him for a long time, and finally met him, but¡­¡±


    After narrating the whole story, Zhang Xiaoyu continued, ¡°Sis Xinya is now crying so badly. She¡¯s truly broken-hearted. Big Sis, what should I do here?¡±


    There was no reply from Zhang Xinyue from the mobile for a long while. Only after Zhang Xiaoyu loudly asked did Zhang Xinyue speak in a deep voice, ¡°When will the commercial event be held?¡±


    ¡°The day after tomorrow,¡± hurriedly answered Zhang Xiaoyu.


    ¡°I¡¯ll rush to get there tonight if it¡¯s the day of after tomorrow so I can catch up tomorrow,¡± said Zhang Xinyue. ¡°But remember, you must stay with her and wait there before I arrive.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Early in the morning, when the first ray of sunshine illuminated the bedroom, Tang Xiu had just concluded several hours of cultivation. He then took a shower and dressed up before visiting the hotel¡¯s dining room for breakfast, then quickly left the hotel. He heard from Wang Tao yesterday that Qinglin County also had a medicinal herbs market, so he was preparing to visit the premises.


    The Eastern municipality.


    The Qinglin County¡¯s medicinal herbs market was not large, but the faint scent of medicinal herbs already drifted in the air even when Tang Xiu had yet to enter it. He didn¡¯t want to waste time and strode fast to the entrance of the market and immediately released his spiritual sense to search for previous herbs.


    His spiritual sense quickly observed all the medicinal herbs in the market in just ten minutes. What made him pleasantly surprised was that he found several previous herbs and with sufficient high age at that. After spending some money to buy them, he quickly lost interest in staying here.


    ¡°You¡¯ll need to wait for half an hour if you want to buy more precious herbs, Boss Tang. Today is the weekly opening time of our Qinglin County¡¯s medicinal herbs market, so a batch of medicinal ingredients will be delivered here at 9 o¡¯clock. Of course, you can expect quite a fierce competition. Some people who do herb business in the surrounding major cities will also come here to buy those herbs, too,¡± Cheng Yan, the owner of the Hall of Myriad Herbs, spoke with a smile. He felt that he had just gained a fortune from the two precious herbs Tang Xiu bought from him. Moreover, nearly half of the medicinal ingredients delivered in the opening week of the market were usually purchased by the apothecary of hi his Hall of Myriad Herbs from various major villages.


    After hearing it, Tang Xiu inquired, ¡°Are there any precious herbs being sent over here?¡±


    ¡°There should be.¡± Cheng Yan nodded and said, ¡°There have been precious herbs appearing every week, even though the quantity is very few. You see, we are very close to Qingcheng Mountain and many people here know about medicinal herbs, to begin with. Especially now that there¡¯s the rapid transmission of information, those herbalists know the value of the precious herbs, so we have a lot of people to gather the herbs. There are even some who are brave enough to go to the depths of Qingcheng Mountain to find them.¡±


    ¡°If so, then I¡¯ll be waiting here,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    As half an hour passed by, several cars headed into the Qinglin medicinal herb market. Two of them then parked at the entrance of the Hall of Myriad Herbs as it was the largest and oldest apothecary store in the entire market. Additionally, many herbalists also visited this store to sell their goods, even though the store itself had its own apothecaries to collect herbs. Unless the medicinal herbs were unable to enter the eyes of his store, half of the delivered medicinal ingredients were usually taken by the Hall of Myriad Herbs.


    ¡®River Root Reed?¡¯


    Even when the two cars hadn¡¯t yet unloaded their medicinal herbs cargo, Tang Xiu had already found some precious herbs with his spiritual sense. However, the appearance of such a herb here surprised him somewhat.


    There was a river in the Immortal World known as the Ebbtide Heavenly River. The riverside of the said river had rich Yin energy, making it the endemic place for this River Root Reed. Soon after discovering this, some powerful immortals discovered that the River Root Reed would grow rapidly if they were to feed the river with corpses.


    And thus, the other name of this River Root Reed was Corpse Eater Grass.


    Yet, it had a very special effect. It could make bones qualitatively change, be it the bones of mortals or immortals. Therefore, many immortals preferred to use the River Root Reed as an auxiliary herb to sharpen their body refinement medicine.


    Shortly after the two cars had unloaded all their goods, Tang Xiu picked up several good quality herbs to buy, including that River Root Reed. But its price was very low: only 280 yuan.


    ¡®With this River Root Reed, once I obtain the Red Silk Flower, the effect of the Blood Seizing Pill I¡¯ll refine will be a lot better. I can definitely break through to the Blood and Qi Circulation stage after taking the Blood Seizing Pill.¡¯


    As noon came, Tang Xiu returned to the 5-star Senbao Hotel. But just as he entered the hotel, he saw Zhang Xiaoyu rushing out from the elevator.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ this bad guy again.¡±


    Zhang Xiaoyu, who also saw Tang Xiu, halted her pace and angrily glared at Tang Xiu before she ran and bypassed from the side, disappearing at the hotel entrance.


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. He neither felt angry nor resentful toward this woman. He even thought that it was great for Zhang Xinya to have such a new assistant. At least, this assistant was unlike the previous assistant when he first met Zang Xinya. That one forced Zhang Xinya to wander around the airport penniless and made her look for him to borrow some money.


    Outside the hotel.


    Zhang Xiaoyu looked around for a while before a red Mercedes-Benz car stopped in front of her. As its door opened, Zhang Xinyue, with a mask and sunglasses on, gave the car¡¯s keys to Zhang Xiaoyu and asked, ¡°On which floor and what room number does my Sister stay here at?¡±


    ¡°12th floor, in presidential suite 1206,¡± answered Zhang Xiaoyu quickly.


    Zhang Xinyue nodded in response and headed toward the hotel entrance.


    Zhang Xiaoyu looked hesitant for a moment before she quickly chased for a few steps and said, ¡°Big Sis Xinyue, that bad guy just returned to the hotel and he stays in the presidential suite 1208. Please scold him for me if you see him.¡±


    Zhang Xinyue halted her pace and replied after turning around, ¡°Xiaoyu, I know you care so much about my sister, but you shouldn¡¯t meddle in her emotional issues. Besides, I have met Tang Xiu and he¡¯s indeed a very good man. It¡¯s me who doesn¡¯t want my big sis to get entangled in any emotional relationship with him.¡±


    Zhang Xiaoyu blanked out and she looked a bit nervous and said, ¡°I understand, Big Sis.¡±


    Then, Zhang Xinyue took the elevator to the 12th floor. She didn¡¯t rush to the presidential suite 1206 but instead headed toward 1208 and rang its doorbell. As the door opened, she took off her sunglasses and mask, and then asked, ¡°Is Tang Xiu inside?¡±


    Mo Awu, who opened the door, was immediately stunned and hesitated but finally replied, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Zhang Xinyue came inside and saw Tang Xiu sitting on the sofa, fiddling with his mobile phone. She immediately smiled and greeted, ¡°We meet again, Mr. Tang.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked up and shook his head and smilingly replied, ¡°To tell you the truth, I¡¯ve seen a lot of twin sisters, but the ones that look identical like you two sisters are really rare. Anyways, did you just rush over to Qinglin County in a hurry? Hahaha¡­ you really care about your big sister.¡±


    Zhang Xinyue came to the front and took a seat across Tang Xiu, and smilingly said, ¡°She¡¯s my Big Sis, after all, so it¡¯s natural that I must care about her so much. And Mr. Tang, I have to thank you for using your words to stimulate my sister.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for such pleasantries, it¡¯s just what I must do,¡± waved Tang Xiu.


    Zhang Xinyue fell into silence and then suddenly asked, ¡°Mr. Tang, is your relationship with your girlfriend is as good as ever?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Why the question, though?¡± said Tang Xiu with a tranquil expression.


    A disappointed look flashed in Zhang Xinyue¡¯s eyes. She then nodded and said, ¡°I see. Then I¡¯ll persuade my older sister to let her feeling go earlier. Also, if it¡¯s not necessary, I¡¯d like to ask you not to meet my sister again in the next few days. We¡¯ll leave Qinglin immediately after she finishes her business event.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to meet her again either, but I¡¯m afraid it will be difficult,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    ¡°Why?¡± Zhang Xinyue frowned.


    ¡°Your older sister is invited to perform a commercial show here, as far as I know,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°And I must also attend the opening sale ceremony of this Golden Goblet Emperor Gauze villa complex tomorrow. We¡¯ll both come to the same place and time, so I¡¯m afraid that it will be difficult not to meet her, unless¡­¡±


    ¡°Unless what?¡± asked Zhang Xinyue.


    ¡°Unless you replace your old sister and attend the opening sale ceremony for the said villa complex on her behalf,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°However, I think she will perform at the opening ceremony tomorrow, so you must be prepared if you replace her there.¡±


    Zhang Xinya spent a while in thought before she slowly nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll discuss this with my sister. I can take her place at the opening ceremony if she¡¯s willing. But I¡¯m not as good as her when performing the program, though it won¡¯t be that noticeable, so I¡¯m confident that I can do it.¡±

 Chapter 846 - Drunken Dragon Powder

    Chapter 846: Drunken Dragon Powder


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Zhang Xinyue only stayed for a short time in presidential suite in 1208. After saying everything she needed to convey, she left in a hurry and came to suite 1206. When she saw her older sister Zhang Xinya¡¯s red eyes and her despondent state, she felt distressed despite having mentally prepared for it.


    ¡°Xinyue, why did you come here?¡±


    Although Zhang Xinya was in a depressed mood, she was still surprised upon seeing her young sister catch up with her in Qinglin County and appear before her. After she asked, however, she suddenly realized that Zhang Xiaoyu must have called her younger sister about her situation here, or else she wouldn¡¯t rush to come.


    Zhang Xinyue gently grabbed Zhang Xinya¡¯s hand and softly said, ¡°Sis, please let everything go.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Please give it some time, alright?¡±


    Zhang Xinya sighed gloomily. But she immediately shifted the topic to avoid causing her sister more agony, ¡°Sis, take a look at your face now. How will you participate in the opening ceremony of that villa complex tomorrow? How about I take your place?¡±


    ¡°No can do. Those people have paid me a lot. I may be not in a good shape, but I can adjust my condition by then,¡± refused Zhang Xinya hurriedly.


    ¡°What they want is your fame¡ªfor you to appear there. We¡¯re almost identical both in height and appearance, so there won¡¯t be a problem if I attend the show instead of you.¡± Zhang Xinyue shook her head and said, ¡°Besides, do you think my singing is inferior to yours?¡±


    ¡°You sing really well and no one can tell who is who unless they are particularly familiar with us, but¡­¡± said Zhang Xinya.


    ¡°Sis, can you please listen to me first?¡± Zhang Xinyue interrupted her and said, ¡°Just have a look at your eyes now. They are all red and swollen and you¡¯re in a depressed state. If you were still to attend the opening ceremony tomorrow, some unfavorable situation will definitely occur. Let¡¯s talk seriously, shall we? If a situation occurs while you¡¯re in the middle of a show, it¡¯s going to have a big impact on your reputation. The gossip news will be very eager to get the scoop and will cover your scandal. Instead of giving them a chance to fabricate gossips and slander you, it would be better for me to take over your show for this event.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Zhang Xinya hesitated.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s just decide as such.¡± Zhang Xinyue smiled and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, have you had lunch? I drove over all night long, so I¡¯m starving and need to fill my empty belly.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll call someone from the hotel restaurant to send the meals now,¡± said Zhang Xinya quickly.


    The next day.


    When Tang Xiu had just finished breakfast and came to the lobby of the 5-star Senbao Hotel, Zhang Xinyue, who wore a mask, sunglasses, and a black windbreaker, stood in the corner of the rest area with Zhang Xiaoyu. Once they saw him, they quickly came to greet him.


    ¡°You are¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu was able to distinguish Zhang Xinya and Zhang Xinyue if he carefully observed them, but at this moment, he was having trouble since the woman was currently wearing a mask and sunglasses.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, let¡¯s go together since you¡¯ll also attend the opening ceremony of the Golden Goblet Emperor Gauze villa complex,¡± said Zhang Xinyue with a smile.


    ¡°It seems you really have a way to convince your sister, huh,¡± replied Tang Xiu and smiled back. ¡°But if you wanna go with me, you¡¯ll have to follow me in seeing my friend first since I¡¯ll go with him later.¡±


    ¡°You have friends here?¡± Zhang Xinyue was surprised.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Can¡¯t I have friends here?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean that. I¡¯m just curious why you came to Qinglin County.¡± Zhang Xinyue quickly waved and said, ¡°Alright then. It¡¯s fine if you take me to go see your friend. We all can directly go to where the show is being held.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked hesitant for a moment before he nodded and said, ¡°If so, let¡¯s do that!¡±


    Zhang Xinyue didn¡¯t take her sister¡¯s bodyguard¡¯s car but took Tang Xiu¡¯s car instead, followed by Zhang Xiaoyu, who was now her temporarily personal assistant and took the front seat.


    ¡°Big guy, drive slowly. Xinyue Big Sis is prone to motion sickness.¡±


    Mo Awu just squinted a glance at Zhang Xiaoyu and started the car without uttering a word, then quickly drove toward Wang Tao¡¯s residence.


    10 minutes later, the car stopped in front of the gate of Wang Tao¡¯s residence. As Tang Xiu and Zhang Xinyue came to the courtyard, Wang Tao was already outside in a bubbly mood.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    When Wang Tao saw Zhang Xinyue, his eyes turned round like beads. Only after Zhang Xinyue came to him with Tang Xiu did he finally come back to his senses, as if he was awakening from a dream. He stretched his hand out in a hurry and said, ¡°Hello, Miss Xinya, I¡¯m Wang Tao. Wang Xuegang is my father, and the villa complex Golden Goblet Emperor Gauze is real estate developed by our family.¡±


    There was a disgusted look gleaming in Zhang Xinyue¡¯s eyes, though it was concealed well. She didn¡¯t shake hands with Wang Tao but turned to look at Tang Xiu.


    Wang Tao¡¯s lecherous nature and his womanizer conduct was something that Tang Xiu had long heard of, so he said with a smile, ¡°My, my, you ignore me directly when you see a belle, huh? And you told me that we are good friends.¡±


    Wang Tao stared blankly and immediately took back his hand before letting out a hollow, dry laugh. He looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Please don¡¯t get offended, Big Bro Tang. Everyone loves a beautiful woman, and this is my first-time seeing Miss Xinya, so feeling attracted to her is kinda normal, no? Anyhow, let¡¯s go and have a chat inside.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s spare the chat inside, shall we? Just use the time to take your herbal medication. Besides, we need to rush to the Golden Goblet Emperor Gauze villa complex. If my guess is correct, they should be prepared there,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Wang Tao thought for a moment and replied, ¡°Alright then. We can still have a chat on the way there.¡±


    With that said, however, he still couldn¡¯t help but be overcome by his urge to glance at Zhang Xinyue before making a quick turn to run into his villa.


    Zhang Xinyue took back her gaze from Wang Hao¡¯s back and whispered, ¡°I don¡¯t like him. His eyes are full of lust. This person is not a good man.¡±


    ¡°He just said that everyone has the heart to love beautiful women, didn¡¯t he?¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°Who makes your appearance look so beautiful? It¡¯s normal for people to look at you more and more. But as you said it, this brat is indeed a notch more lascivious than normal people. Just keep a distance from him if you don¡¯t like him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep a distance from him, but I have to correct your statement, mind you.¡± Zhang Xinyue nodded.


    ¡°What statement?¡± Tang Xiu was puzzled.


    ¡°Everyone has the heart to love a beautiful woman, but this sentence proves that you¡¯re wrong because I¡¯m standing next to a different kind of man,¡± said Zhang Xinyue.


    ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡± Tang Xiu coughed and no longer touched the topic.


    The villa complex Golden Goblet Emperor Gauze.


    The winding road was very wide and was connected to the road with a magnificent gate at the foothill of the highest peak on the outskirts of Qingcheng Mountain. The gate was more than 30 meters in height and width while more than ten security guards in black uniforms were checking the passes on travelling cars.


    At present, two middle-aged men were sitting on a black Buick sedan while looking at the driver¡¯s registration number and the car¡¯s information. After taking the Buick sedan slowly into the gate, one of them slowly said, ¡°Wang Xuegang¡¯s eldest brother is the Deputy Abbot of Qingcheng Monastery, a real power figure of the school. Since we¡¯re going to uproot the Qingcheng Monastery, let¡¯s just kill him in passing!¡±


    Another middle-aged man with a hideous scar on his cheek squinted his eyes and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. Six of our brothers died to the hands of the Qingcheng Monastery, whereas us four kinda escaped by a fluke. Now that we¡¯re here for revenge, let¡¯s play it bigger and kill them all. But there are too many people and a lot more eyes mixed in with them, so we¡¯ll need to carefully consider the number and how to do it.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to think it over. I brought some Drunken Dragon Powder.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Scarface gasped in shock, ¡°Bai Zhen, did you entrust Miao Wentang to buy Drunken Dragon Powder from that foreign toxicologist? And you even brought it here? Don¡¯t tell me you wanna use the Drunken Dragon Power on these normal people too? It¡¯s too wasteful. You¡¯re just killing a chicken using an oxen¡¯s butcher knife!¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s a waste killing Wang Xuegang with Drunken Dragon Powder, but I won¡¯t use too much of it,¡± sneered Bai Zhen. ¡°As long as I put a tenth of the Drunken Dragon Powder for today¡¯s banquet, that damned Wang Xuegang will drink a pot of them. Even if he¡¯s lucky enough not to die, too many people will die here and bring him great trouble. Hehehe¡­ then we¡¯ll send some people in disguise as family members of the deceased to seek Wang Xuegang out for revenge. We¡¯ll evacuate immediately after stabbing him to death so that it won¡¯t attract the attention of outsiders.¡±


    ¡°What a scheme!¡± Scarface murmured, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, not only will we kill Wang Xuegang, but will also ruin his business. It seems that Wang Xuegang and his family are doomed to fall apart and die.¡±


    Bai Zhen nodded and looked northward before coldly saying, ¡°It¡¯s been 24 years that we Brothers fell from that cliff. Yet, we actually had a fortuitous encounter that made us cultivators. We successfully become in-name disciples of the Poison Dao Master because of our good foundation. 24 years of penance and self-torture, all to avenge ourselves and cancel out our hatred. This time, we¡¯ll completely annihilate the Qingcheng Monastery¡¯s people!¡±


    ¡°We can be at ease with that!¡± Scarface sneered, ¡°All the experts we have trained these years have already climbed up the mountain ahead of time. They will immediately kill the Qingcheng Monastery¡¯s people once they receive our orders.¡±


    Inside the villa complex of Golden Goblet Emperor Gauze, Wang Xuegang was waiting for the arrival of two distinguished guests inside the spacious office on the second floor of the three-storied sales center with a face full of expectation.


    He had invited many people for this occasion, including the real power figures of Qinglin County¡¯s government, department authorities, some city officials who held high office, and naturally, some of his cliques in the business community. Even Zhao Xianming, the chairman from the City Heavy Industry Group, had promised to attend the event in person.


    ¡°Boss, Boss Zhao is coming.¡±


    A middle-aged woman strode into the room and looked at Wang Xuegang who was standing in front of the window.


    Wang Xuegang turned and nodded as he replied, ¡°I¡¯ll come out to greet him immediately. Also, clean up VIP room 3. I¡¯ll bring Boss Zhao over there.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Zhao Xianming was a big-bellied middle-aged man. His complexion was rather pale due to his drinking and womanizing habits, yet he was also the Big Boss of the largest company in the city with an extraordinary bearing, contrary to what might be expected. At this time, he was with several company owners at his side. As he saw Wang Xuegang come to greet him, he smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s been a few months since the last time we met, Brother Wang. Yet, you¡¯re still this spirited! That¡¯s right, today is the opening sale ceremony of your Golden Goblet Emperor Gauze villa complex, isn¡¯t it? Well, since you can expect a lot of banknotes flying into your pockets soon, it¡¯s natural that you¡¯d be a spirited and happy man, right, Brother Wang? Come, I¡¯d like to congratulate you ahead of time.¡±

 Chapter 847 - Becoming Well-Known Yet Again

    Chapter 847: Becoming Well-Known Yet Again


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Wang Xuegang might be the richest man in Qinglin County with industry spread out the city, but there was still a big gap in comparison to the billionaire Zhao Xianming. Hence, he still wore a respectful attitude and replied modestly, ¡°Brother Zhao is kidding me; I¡¯m nothing but a small businessman, still very far from you. But still, I¡¯m very grateful that you could honor me in taking time out of your busy schedule to join us. Anyhow, the tea has been served in the VIP room, so shall we head there and have a chat?¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Zhang Xueming with a smile.


    After the two men were done with the pleasantries and came to the VIP room, Zhao Xianming asked with a smile, ¡°You¡¯ve created such a big scene for the opening sale ceremony of your Golden Goblet Emperor Gauze Complex Villa, Brother Wang! I met some business owners when I just came here and I heard that you also spent quite a sum to invite the big star Zhang Xinya, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they are some friends I¡¯ve invited and came to give me face, Brother,¡± said Wang Xuegang with a smile. ¡°As for Zhang Xinya, I did invite her to Qinglin County to ask her to sing at the opening ceremony.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite amazing, Brother Wang!¡± Zhao Xianming squinted his eyes and sighed, ¡°My company held a welcome party for our new blood last year and I tried to invite her to perform at the event with quite a large amount of money. It was a pity that she refused the invitation. I really can¡¯t compare with you in this regard!¡±


    ¡®Compare my ass¡­¡¯ cursed Wang Xuegan inwardly. He had known Zhao Xianming for many years. This fellow was rich and all but very stingy and a miser in nature. It was surely that the contract fee he offered for Zhang Xinya was so low that it would be strange for her to come.


    Whereas he had spent literally millions for this occasion. He had got all the help could muster from his network before he was successful in inviting Zhang Xinya.


    After the small chit-chat of pleasantries, the door was knocked and Wang Xuegang¡¯s middle-aged female secretary entered and reported in a low voice, ¡°Boss, young master Wang has just come along with Mr. Tang and the superstar Zhang Xinya.¡±


    Wang Xuegang¡¯s expression moved. It was rather normal for his son to come along with Tang Xiu since they were acquaintances, but how come Zhang Xinya came with them?


    As he thought up to there, he then looked at Zhao Xianming and smilingly said, ¡°I¡¯ll have to excuse myself, Brother Zhao. I need to go to receive some guests and I¡¯ll introduce you to a great personage later.¡±


    Zhao Xianming blankly stared and stopped Wang Xuegang as he asked, ¡°You¡¯re just piquing my interest, so don¡¯t leave me dry,, Brother Wang? Who exactly is this great man?¡±


    ¡°Soon, Brother Zhao. You¡¯ll know about him soon,¡± immediately replied Wang Xuegang with a mysterious smile.


    Having said that, he quickly left with the middle-aged female secretary. Just as he walked to the staircase, he saw Tang Xiu and Zhang Xinya come upstairs along with his son, Wang Tao.


    ¡°Boss Tang, Miss Zhang. You two seem to have already known each other from your mannerisms,¡± greeted Wang Xuegang with a smile.


    ¡°We have indeed known each other for some time, though we didn¡¯t expect to meet in Qinglin County,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Wang Xuegang quickly understood and smilingly said, ¡°Since you already know each other, it will save me from introducing you two to each other. I¡¯ll take the honor to escort you to the VIP lounge so you two can have some rest. The ceremony is in about 30 minutes and I will depend on you both later.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m just attending to have some fun, Boss Wang,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to say that I will help you with the event, no? Besides, it¡¯s Xinya who¡¯ll sing, so there¡¯s no need for me to get involved.¡±


    ¡°Well, I still have to make money for you, Boss. So, there¡¯s nothing I can do but tire myself out,¡± interjected Zhang Xinyue with a smile.


    Boss?


    Wang Xuegang blanked out with disbelief in his eyes and asked with a surprised yet amazed expression, ¡°Miss Zhang, you just said that¡­ Boss Tang is your company¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ small shareholder,¡± interjected Tang Xiu quickly. ¡°A friend of mine invited me a while back, and I was kinda unable to refuse him regarding investing some money. Don¡¯t listen to her joke, Boss Wang.¡±


    Wang Xuegang shivered inside a few times. Although Tang Xiu¡¯s comment was light, he knew the people, including their background, of who established the entertainment company where Zhang Xinya worked under. Yet¡­ it was unexpected that Tang Xiu and these people were friends. Friends enough that they were able to drag this young man out to invest some of his money, meaning that they must have a very good relationship.


    ¡®¡­Maybe, Tang Xiu also has an official background.¡¯


    The thought crossed Wang Xuegang¡¯s mind. His face suddenly beamed with a smile and he exclaimed, ¡°You¡¯re young and yet very promising, Boss Tang! I just hope that you can give guidance and help to my son since you two are friends.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only natural for friends to help each other out.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    After some perfunctory pleasantries, they came to the VIP lounge. As the tea and dessert were delivered, Wang Xuegang smilingly said, ¡°Please have a chat here, ladies and gentlemen. I still need to greet other guests. Tao, serve Mr. Tang and Miss Zhang with the best hospitality and be sure to satisfy all their needs.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Father,¡± replied Wang Tao as he quickly glanced at Zhang Xinya.


    Time flew by quickly, and the opening sale ceremony finally arrived. Zhang Xinyue, who was now the host and the guest star who would sing in the event to replace her older sister, Zhang Xinya, was cheered by the jam-packed crowd as she came to the entrance of the sales center. It was literally the effect of a superstar as there were at least several thousands of people coming here.


    Zhang Xinyue was not her sister, Zhang Xinya, yet she didn¡¯t look to be anxious in the slightest and took the microphone with a smile. ¡°Welcome everyone¡­¡±


    After her speech, Zhang Xinyue handed the mic to Wang Xuegang next to her. As the owner and developer of the Golden Goblet Emperor Gauze villa complex, he began his speech, ¡°Well, I shall not repeat what Miss Xinya just said, everyone. But I¡¯d like to convey my gratitude for the support you all have given. Also, I especially would like to introduce the distinguished guests who have honored us with their presence. Next to me is the deputy mayor of the city¡­¡±


    ¡°This one is the owner of Auspicious Gold Group, Zhao Xianming, from our city¡­¡±


    ¡°This is the county official, the Chief of Economic Development of our Qinglin County¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ and finally, I¡¯d like to introduce you to a very distinguished guest we have here¡­¡±


    As Wang Xuegang spoke up to there, he immediately made a pause to make everyone guess; yet, at this moment, the several thousands of people were surprised since they could tell that this special VIP was probably extraordinary from Wang Xuegang¡¯s expression alone. Even Zhao Xianming, as well as the city officials and the deputy mayor, were somewhat surprised.


    Wang Xuegang walked to the very edge of the line and came to Tang Xiu. He amicably pulled Tang Xiu back to the place where he just stood and excitedly said, ¡°This man is a guest from afar, the owner of the very famous Magnificent Tang Corporation, Mr. Tang. He also has another identity as the kind-hearted and highly skilled miracle-working doctor: the young divine doctor, Tang Xiu.¡±


    Tang Xiu?


    In that instant, a burst of exclamation came from the crowd, including a surprise from the deputy mayor and Zhao Xianming. The reputation of Magnificent Tang Corporation was growing more resounding each day. It was at the point that they were known to everyone in the country. To think that its Big Boss, a great personage, turned out to have come here! It was very unexpected!


    More so than that, nearly everyone presented here had heard about this young divine doctor, Tang Xiu, a figure who had been the hot topic of major media for years and even won the respect of countless people.


    ¡°Oh my God! I didn¡¯t expect that Tang Xiu, the young divine doctor of the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, is unexpectedly the owner of Magnificent Tang Corporation. The richest family of Qinglin County is truly worth the name; to think they can achieve such an amazing feat like inviting a great celebrity like Divine Doctor Tang to come here!¡±


    ¡°This is big news! My life can be considered to not be in vain since I was able to see such a revered and honorable guru.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so fortunate to come here today; else, how could I possibly be able to see such an amazing great man!¡±


    ¡°This is truly inspiring! I never expected that the Big Boss of Magnificent Tang Corporation is so young, and yet is also the famous young divine doctor of Chinese medicine. He¡¯s my idol, you know!¡±


    ¡°Amazing¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu could only force a wry smile inwardly as he saw the excited faces below the stage. He came here for the Red Silk Flower and he must show his face in public yet again. Both of his identities were even introduced at the same time. This literally barred him from staying low-key even though he wanted to.


    ¡°Alright, for the next part. I invite Boss Tang to have a speech for us here,¡± said Wang Xuegang smilingly.


    ¡°Boss Wang, isn¡¯t this out of the line with rules?¡± said Tang Xiu quickly, ¡°Besides, there are city leaders, county officials, and distinguished people from the business community here. For me to speak here is just rather¡­¡±


    Zhao Xianming was the local¡¯s richest and most powerful man and was a very proud man to the bone. Only a handful of people he could see eye to eye with and took a liking to only a few. But he was actually a genuine admirer of Tang Xiu. Not only was it because Tang Xiu was the owner of Magnificent Tang Corp., but also due to his achievements in Chinese medicine.


    Therefore, Zhao Xianming took a step forward and said with a beaming smile, ¡°You¡¯ve come from afar, Boss Tang, so you are our most honored guest. If you¡¯re not qualified to say a few words, I¡¯m afraid none of us here dare to speak.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled and shook his head. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re Boss Zhao! Since you said so, then I¡¯ll borrow some great courage to speak a few words. I feel very fortunate to be able to attend the opening sale ceremony of the Golden Goblet Emperor Gauze villa complex since I¡¯ve been given a chance to get acquainted with these many friends. I¡¯m very happy myself and while speaking here, I would like to say my sincere wish that the opening ceremony of this villa complex will result in complete success. I hope the villas here will be very popular and be liked by everybody here and you are interested in buying them. That¡¯s all I can say; thank you.¡±


    Wang Xuegang received the microphone Tang Xiu handed him and said with excitement, ¡°With the auspicious words from Mr. Tang, I¡¯m now announcing that the Golden Goblet Emperor Goble villa complex is now open for public purchase. We are pleased to invite all the friends and guests who are interested in buying the villa of their choice to visit our sales center. Also, I¡¯d like to invite all the guests who ordered a villa in the morning to come to attend the lunch banquet we¡¯ll be holding at 12 o¡¯clock. There we will appreciate the passionate songs that will be sung by our famous star singer, Miss Zhang Xinya.¡±


    Shortly after, Wang Xuegang and everyone else came back from the sales center to the VIP lounge building. A lot of people came to visit Tang Xiu because of the exposure of his identity, causing him to exchange greetings with them. After which, he quietly slipped away to the roof with Wang Tao and seized his chance to have leisure time.


    ¡°Your father is truly excellent at business,¡± said Tang Xiu after he lit up a cigarette and sat cross-legged on the roof smoking.


    ¡°However excellent his business wisdom is, he can¡¯t be compared to you, Big Brother Tang,¡± replied Wang Tao with a smile. ¡°You know, the name of your company, Magnificent Tang Corporation, is like a blasting thunder that resounded in everyone¡¯s ears, including me. You also saw how fast my Dad changed his expression and attitude the moment he learned of your identity, right?¡±


    ¡°Hehe!¡± Tang Xiu responded with a chuckle.


    The two men chatted for a long time afterward. Only when the time denoted 12 sharp in the afternoon did they finally come down from the roof and go to the hall provided for the lunch feast.

 Chapter 848 - The Savior

    Chapter 848: The Savior


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The hall for the lunch banquet was set up in the property management area. Nearly 100 guests had already taken a seat when Tang Xiu¡¯s group came in. The staff directly took them to the table at the very center where Wang Xuegang had been waiting for a long time. The latter then immediately got up and smilingly said, ¡°Boss Tang, Miss Zhang, please take a seat.¡±


    Zhang Xinyue took a seat gracefully, but Tang Xiu didn¡¯t immediately sit down. He had faintly smelled a familiar scent when he had just entered the hall, but he couldn¡¯t remember what it was immediately. He took a glance around and found that the nearly 100 guests were having a merry time, yet he couldn¡¯t help but crease his brows deeply.


    He hadn¡¯t yet discovered the source of the scent, but it somehow made him faintly vigilant inside, as if his sixth sense found something amiss, causing him to feel the looming danger.


    ¡°Something wrong, Boss Tang?¡±


    With a surprised yet strange expression, Wang Xuegang looked at Tang Xiu with inquiry and suspicious eyes.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a short while before he slowly took a seat. Then he shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing; I just smelled a familiar scent.¡±


    Wang Xuegang couldn¡¯t help but laugh and said after taking a seat, ¡°Mr. Tang feels a kind of familiar feeling with something here; that means that you have taken a liking to my place. If so, I¡¯ll reserve several villas of my Golden Goblet Emperor Gauze villa complex. You can pick the one you like as a present for your support in coming here.¡±


    ¡°Nevermind it, but thanks for your good intention, Mr. Wang.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°If anything, I can only stay in this place for a short time, so I have no time to occupy it even if I have a villa here.¡±


    Wang Xuegang smilingly nodded and no longer continued the topic.


    A short while after, Zhang Xinya, who sat next to Tang Xiu, was invited to the temporary stage. She sang three songs for all the guests. Her voice was very beautiful, and even though her singing technique was slightly different from her older sister, Zhang Xinya, nobody could tell since there were no skilled musicians among the audience.


    As the singing session ended, other extra singers came on stage and Zhang Xinyue returned to Tang Xiu¡¯s side and sat down again. However, there was something different in the looks of her eyes, as she whispered when no one noticed them, ¡°What happened, Tang Xiu? I can tell that you were somewhat distracted when you came here.¡±


    ¡°Did you smell a particular scent?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a frown.


    ¡­A scent or fragrance?


    ¡°You also said to Mr. Wang that you smelled a familiar scent a while ago,¡± said Zhang Xinyue. ¡°But I didn¡¯t smell any. If anything, it¡¯s maybe because the cold dish was just delivered, so you probably smelled it because your sense of smell is too sharp?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s absolutely not it.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°There was the scent when we just entered the lunch banquet hall. The scent has a very strong medicinal herb fragrance, and I usually can tell the herbs used in a medicinal herb soup. I don¡¯t know what happened or why I can¡¯t tell what the medicinal herb is, just that there is a very familiar feeling to that scent.¡±


    ¡°How come it¡¯s so bizarre?¡± Zhang Xinyue was surprised.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment but the vigilance he felt inside was getting stronger. After that moment of silence and exchange of toasts from everyone at the table, and just as he was about to find an excuse to wander around, his expression suddenly changed and his eyes instantly shifted towards the hall entrance.


    There were more than a dozen staff there carrying the stews, and the scent was getting stronger as they approached. The scent was even drilling into his nostrils even without inhaling it.


    ¡°Do you smell it?¡± Tang Xiu turned to look at Zhang Xinyue and asked in a low voice.


    ¡°What smell?¡± Zhang Xinyue asked back as he looked at Tang Xiu with a confused face, ¡°What exactly did you smell? Is it the familiar scent you mentioned before? No¡­ why don¡¯t I smell anything?¡±


    Tang Xi¡¯s expression changed and he abruptly got up. He quickly blocked the path of the staff who delivered the dishes, whereas nearly 100 guests in the hall were surprised and turned silent, as he asked, ¡°Can I taste this stew first?¡±


    ¡°Uh, what?¡± The staff knew Tang Xiu¡¯s identity but was at a loss that the famous divine doctor Tang Xiu would make such a bizarre request.


    Wang Xuegang didn¡¯t know what happened but he strode up and came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side to ask, ¡°What¡¯s going on, Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°I have to taste this stew first,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, even if you¡¯re starving, there¡¯s no need for you to be this ardent, right?¡± said Wang Xuegang with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll send more pots for you if you like this stew later.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and opened the casserole lid. His heart trembled as he instantly smelled the scent of some medicinal herbs from the billowing mist of vapor.


    ¡°Black Zen seeds, Carrion Reed, Scorpion Fruit¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion abruptly changed and he exclaimed, ¡°This dish is poisonous!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Everyone in the entire banquet hall was shocked and got up from their seat, whereas disbelief covered Wang Xuegang¡¯s face after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s exclamation, and he spoke hastily, ¡°Are you perhaps making a mistake, Mr. Tang? How come this dish is poisonous? I invited all the chefs today from the county town; there¡¯s no way they would poison people!¡±


    Zhang Xinyue quickly ran to Tang Xiu¡¯s side and said, ¡°Don¡¯t talk irresponsibly like that, Tang Xiu! Can you really judge that the stew is poisonous?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! You can¡¯t make a joke about this stuff, Big Brother Tang!¡± added Wang Tao who ran over.


    Killing intent gleamed inside Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he coldly said, ¡°I smelled this familiar scent right as I entered this luncheon hall. I was not sure where the scent came from, but I¡¯ve finally figured it out now. It¡¯s the scent from the stew in front of all of you.¡±


    ¡°Black Zen seed is a very poisonous plant that grows in chilling Yin ground. Just a grain of this seed provides enough poison to kill a whale.¡±


    ¡°Carrion Reed is a plant that grows on decaying corpses, especially from the heart. To make this Carrion Reed grow, it needs to be watered down with blood every seven days for seven weeks straight.¡±


    ¡°The Scorpion Fruit contains a highly potent poison. It is grayish-black in color and somewhat similar in shape to the scorpion. The fruit grows in extremely harsh cold places.¡±


    As Tang Xiu explained up to there, he gripped his fist and was silent for more than 10 seconds before continuing, ¡°These three highly toxic substances can be used as materials to concoct a medicinal poison that is enough to kill hundreds of people. But there should be dozens more highly toxic herbs mixed in the stew as well. However, the most terrible thing is not these herbs, but¡­ the blood from the aquatic dragon¡¯s heart.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t what you just said way too mysterious, Big Brother Tang?¡± asked Wang Tao incredulously. ¡°Let alone saying that those are poisonous plants I¡¯ve never heard of, but that blood of an aquatic dragon¡¯s heart alone is impossible to exist! Where can one even find such an aquatic dragon in this world?¡±


    Tang Xiu shot him an apathetic look and said, ¡°The fact that you¡¯ve never seen nor heard of it doesn¡¯t mean that the aquatic dragon doesn¡¯t exist. I¡¯ve read about this poison in ancient medical records and learned about its name: Drunken Dragon Powder. I can tell you that if even a drop of Drunken Dragon Powder were to be mixed into a bowl of water and poured into dozens of casserole stews, you will be able to poison everyone here now.¡±


    Whizzz¡­


    Everyone¡¯s expression in the luncheon hall suddenly turned very nasty and they watched the casseroles in the hands of the more than a dozen staffers as though they were looking at horrifying vipers.


    ¡°Go and find an animal, whether it¡¯s a cat, dog, chicken, duck or sheep,¡± ordered Tang Xiu with a heavy voice. ¡°HURRY UP!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± A staffer hurriedly ran after hearing the order. Without much effort, he brought a live chicken and sheep.


    ¡°Take a spoonful of stew and stuff it into their mouths,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Several staffers quickly gathered and poured a spoonful of soup into the mouths of the chicken and sheep. Then, they loosened them as per Tang Xiu¡¯s order.


    Two minutes later, Wang Tao, who watched the chicken and the sheep asked with a confused face, ¡°Aren¡¯t they just fine?¡±


    Wang Xuegang also hurriedly asked, ¡°You just used them to test this whether this stew is poisonous, right? They are just fine!¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t speak at all but kept staring at the chicken and the sheep on the ground. Half a minute later, the chicken that had tried to run away suddenly fell to the floor.


    ¡°WHAT? Blood is flowing out from its mouth! Also¡­ look at its eyes, how can they turn bloodshot?¡± screamed some people in panic.


    Instantly, everyone felt a chill run down their whole being. Fear filled their faces as they watched the convulsing chicken that finally died.


    After seeing what happened to the chicken, Tang Xiu focused his eyes on the sheep. After a minute passed, the animal slowly fell to the floor and died after convulsing.


    ¡°A-All¡­ A-all dead!¡±


    Everyone in the room was struck with fear when the chicken was killed by the poison, but they couldn¡¯t help but shudder and subconsciously want to run away after the sheep was passed away.


    Wang Xuegang felt like his whole body was falling into a frozen icy-hole as he muttered with a confused look, ¡°Who the hell poisoned the stew? Who can be so ruthless to poison everyone here?¡±


    Tang Xiu creased his brows and asked, ¡°Have you offended anyone recently, Mr. Wang?¡±


    Wang Xuegang opened his mouth but was at a loss as for how to answer the inquiry. He had a big business. Even if he hadn¡¯t offended anyone recently, he probably had offended many people in the past! For those who were in the business world, and particularly the ones who made their businesses turn into a major entity, it was simply impossible to stay pure and never offend anyone.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment and then slowly said, ¡°Call the police! This is too serious an incident. I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll be too nervous to have an appetite to eat again if we can¡¯t find the real culprit of this poisoning.¡±


    A grateful look could be seen filling Wang Xuegang¡¯s eyes as he looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°I¡¯ll immediately call the police now, Mr. Tang. We are very fortunate to have you among us today, else we all would have¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t finish his sentence, yet everyone in the luncheon hall could see it very clearly. They would¡¯ve been poisoned and dead had Tang Xiu not been there today.


    He¡­ he was truly everyone¡¯s savior!

 Chapter 849 - Clues and Traces

    Chapter 849: Clues and Traces


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    There was not even the slightest joy in Tang Xiu¡¯s heart as he faced the gratitude of the nearly 100 people. He was full of worry inwardly instead. Others may be thinking about who was the real culprit behind this poisoning, but what he was speculating about was whether this Drunken Dragon Powder was concocted by cultivators. If so, then the person must be an evil cultivator¡ªsomeone who was proficient in poison.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, Wang Tao.¡±


    Tang Xiu never liked meddling in anyone¡¯s business. Although he was furious towards those who did this ruthless poisoning, he didn¡¯t want to have a conflict with them before he was sure of their identity. It was because if they were not evil cultivators but good people, or if they were evil cultivators but he couldn¡¯t get rid of them at once, there would be no end of troubles haunting him in the future. He didn¡¯t fear them himself, but he still had family members and friends. It would be nearly impossible to protect all the people he cared about from the attack of these people.


    Zhang Xinyue¡¯s complexion was slightly pale. Only now did she feel glad that Tang Xiu came to Qinglin County. She wouldn¡¯t have rushed from Shanghai to this place otherwise, meaning she would not have replaced her older sister, Zhang Xinya, in attending today¡¯s luncheon.


    It could be said that Tang Xiu¡¯s emergence in this place today had not only saved her life, but also saved her sister¡¯s life.


    At present, she hurriedly spoke after seeing Tang Xiu was about to leave, ¡°Mr. Wang, I¡¯ve accomplished my job for this opening sale today, so I¡¯m going to take my leave first.¡±


    With that said, she didn¡¯t give a chance to Wang Xuegang to reply and hurriedly chased Tang Xiu to leave together.


    At the moment, Wang Xuegang was truly flustered and yet also furious inside. He didn¡¯t know who was so vicious that they wished to kill him and the guests, those who he had invited to purchase his villa real estate, using poison. He didn¡¯t care about the departure of Zhang Xinyue, but couldn¡¯t help but feel restless and more worried with Tang Xiu leaving.


    ¡°Could you please stay, Mr. Tang?¡± Wang Xuegang hurriedly pursued and stopped Tang Xiu at the entrance of the hall.


    ¡°Mr. Wang, the friendship between us has yet to reach the point where I can risk my life and die for you. It¡¯s obvious that someone or some people want to drive you to the edge and to your death, or even keep you from turning over from your fall forever. This is nothing but a mortal enmity; it will never be a good thing if I involve myself in it. If you heed my advice, you can keep doing your business, but you should find a safe place to hide.¡±


    ¡°I know that I shouldn¡¯t get you involved in this matter, Mr. Tang,¡± said Wang Xuegang bitterly. ¡°But I don¡¯t have any means to hide! Besides, I can¡¯t just hide all the time since these people will definitely use all means possible to exterminate me if they really want to.¡±


    ¡°Then sell your industries as quickly as possible if you¡¯re really that scared, then bring your money to distant places,¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°I can¡¯t and won¡¯t say anything else, but for the sake of your son¡¯s willingness to take me to Qingcheng Monastery, I¡¯ll tell you another thing out of goodwill. This Drunken Dragon Powder is not something ordinary people can concoct, so there must be some cultivators behind it. Moreover, the refining of this powder is extremely demanding; it¡¯s nearly impossible for money to measure its value. Therefore, it¡¯s absolutely impossible to make such a heinous poisoning incident like today if you and the other party truly have no mortal enmity. Alright, I¡¯ve already said what I had to say, so I¡¯ll take my leave.¡±


    ¡®Cultivators?¡¯


    Deep fear suffused inside Wang Xuegang¡¯s eyes. He wouldn¡¯t be this afraid had it been ordinary people who did these deeds. He would just relinquish his business affairs for some time and take asylum in Qingcheng Monastery to avoid them.


    But¡­ if it was cultivators, there was a possibility that Qingcheng Monastery¡¯s people couldn¡¯t protect him if he were to run and hide there. He would even involve and implicate the monastery.


    ¡®I¡¯ll go to a very faraway place!¡¯


    A resolute look appeared in Wang Xuegang¡¯s face. He was never one who liked to be tousled, nor be played at by anyone in society, no matter who they were. Since there was a possibility that the culprits were cultivators, he made up his mind to go to a distant place. No matter how much someone owed money, it was all nothing if they die.


    ¡°May I request another thing from you, Mr. Tang? You can rest assured that I¡¯m not going to involve you in my problem. I¡¯d just like to ask you to bring my son to Qingcheng Monastery and entrust him to my big brother.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a request you don¡¯t need to mention; I¡¯ll take him there,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    But Wang Tao, who followed him outside, immediately shook his head and said aloud, ¡°I¡¯m not leaving, Dad! Not a chance. I must go with you now that someone wants to harm us!¡±


    ¡°PIPE DOWN, STUPID!¡± yelled Wang Xuegang angrily. ¡°If the culprits are cultivators, then you¡¯ll die in vain staying with me. But I¡¯ll have nothing to worry about if you are to stay in Qingcheng Monastery. I¡¯m going to deal with our family¡¯s businesses as fast as possible and do as much as I can, as well as quickly gather funds and escape from this place. I¡¯ll naturally find the way to contact you and pick you up later once I settle down.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Wang Tao still wanted to speak but Tang Xiu stopped him.


    ¡°Your father is right. Nothing good can happen if you stay; you¡¯ll be just a burden,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Let¡¯s just go! We¡¯ll head to Qingcheng Monastery first so we won¡¯t affect the things your father must do¡­¡±


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu and the others came to the parking lot. His brows immediately creased when he saw Mo Awu, Jin Shi, and everyone else. Before he fed the soup to the chicken and sheep and waited for the result, he secretly contacted Mo Awu¡¯s team to go to the kitchen to find any suspicious people who did the poisoning. Now that all of them had come back, it indicated that they already got a result.


    ¡°We caught two of them, Boss.¡± Mo Awu quickly glanced at Wang Tao and Zhang Xinyue and then said in a low voice.


    ¡°Where are they?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Mo Awu pointed to the window and answered, ¡°They are inside and all of them are martial artists. Judging from today¡¯s society, it could be said that they are two martial arts masters.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and came to the front of the car. He opened the door and saw two tied up middle-aged men in the back seat, bleeding out seven orifices and no longer breathing.


    ¡°He died?¡± muttered Mo Awu to himself in disbelief.


    Tang Xiu quickly examined the two men¡¯s bodies and finally concluded that they committed suicide by taking poison. However, considering that they had been tightly tied up, that meant that they had already put the poison pill in their mouth in advance. They would simply bite the poison pill to commit suicide once they were caught.


    It spelled big trouble in and of itself and gave a headache to Tang Xiu as he watched the two bodies. If he knew that he would come across such bad luck, he wouldn¡¯t have agreed to attend the opening ceremony of this villa complex today.


    Behind him, Wang Tao and Zhang Xinyue watched the two bodies in the car with a fearful look. One was a second generation upstart, and the other one was a small business owner, so where had they seen such a murder case where the bodies bled from its every hole? If Tang Xiu, Mo Awu, and their group were not in this place at this moment, the two of them might have already run away in deep fear.


    ¡°T-Tang¡­ Tang Xiu, what should we do?¡± Zhang Xinyue subconsciously held Tang Xiu¡¯s arm and asked in a shiver.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. These two dead men are nothing but pawns, whereas the chief mastermind behind-the-scenes hasn¡¯t yet appeared.¡± Tang Xiu patted her back and said, ¡°If anything, I¡¯ll assign Awu to escort you back to the hotel first to meet with your older sister, and then¡­ you¡¯ll leave Qinglin County immediately.¡±


    Zhang Xinyue¡¯s emotions calmed down. But she suddenly realized what she was doing and quickly took out her mobile phone to dial Zhang Xinya¡¯s cell number. After some time speaking with her and learning that her sister, Zhang Xinya, was alright, she quickly hung up.


    ¡°I can¡¯t go back to meet with my Sis now, Tang Xiu.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Tang Xiu was confused.


    ¡°Today¡¯s incident is too bizarre and fishy. Even so far, we have yet to figure out the real identity of the murderer behind the scene is,¡± said Zhang Xinyue. ¡°They didn¡¯t seem to fear that things will go out of control, nor were they afraid of any consequences. They might be trying to kill Wang Xuegang, but what about me? I think I¡¯ll follow you first to make sure of things.¡±


    Tang Xiu frowned and said, ¡°But your older sister there¡­¡±


    ¡°Outsiders have yet to find out the situation with my Sis,¡± interrupted Zhang Xinyue. ¡°They won¡¯t keep an eye on the hotel as long as I don¡¯t go back, and I¡¯ll notice my sister to leave Qinglin County to return to Shanghai now to wait for me back there.¡±


    ¡°But I must go back to Sis Xinya,¡± interjected Zhang Xiaoyu all of a sudden.


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment before he nodded and said, ¡°What you said is reasonable, so I¡¯ll arrange for Gu Tao and Zhang Jue to escort this lass to gather with your older sister and leave for Shanghai. Since you insist on staying with me, you can use your presence to attract people¡¯s eyes and ears. However, we¡¯ll go deeper into the Qingcheng Mountain. Can your untrained physique endure the travel?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s arrangement was much to Zhang Xinyue¡¯s satisfaction and she replied with all seriousness, ¡°As long as you can endure it, I definitely can do it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s decided then,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Gu Tao, Zhang Jue, you two are to immediately escort her away and you must not stay in Qinglin County for a long time. Xue Sha, Hei Xiong, find a way to deal with these two dead bodies. Do not leave any traces behind.¡±


    The four men accepted their orders and cupped their fists.


    Half an hour later, Tang Xiu¡¯s group of five halted their pace at the top of the mountain peak at the outermost part of Qingcheng Mountain. Tang Xiu lit up a cigarette, and just as he took two puffs, two figures flashed and appeared before him lightning fast.


    ¡°We¡¯ve disposed of the two dead bodies, Boss. And absolutely no traces of them remain,¡± reported Xue Sha while cupping his fists.


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and looked at Zhang Xinyue and Wang Tao, who was panting and gasping for breath at this moment. Then he said, ¡°Let¡¯s rest here temporarily. We¡¯ll continue to hurry along the road in 20 minutes. Wang Tao, can you tell me how long will it take us to get to the Qingcheng Monastery?¡±


    Wang Tao gasped for breath twice and looked at the mountain range northward before saying, ¡°If we traverse up the mountain pathway, we should arrive at Qingcheng Monastery by at least tomorrow evening. I know another path, but we may encounter some dangers if we take it since that path is deeper in the forest with a lot of wild animals.¡±


    ¡°Ordinary beasts are not a threat to us. Rest assured!¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently.


    Wang Tao recalled Tang Xiu¡¯s another identity, so he nodded and continued, ¡°I don¡¯t have such worries with you here, Big Brother Tang. The thing is¡­ we didn¡¯t prep water and food before we hiked up, so my only concern is the trouble we¡¯ll encounter due to hunger and thirst on the way there.¡±


    ¡°Hehe!¡± Tang Xiu chuckled but no longer spoke after shaking his head.


    ¡°Whether we carry water and food are not of not our concern as it makes no difference to us whatsoever,¡± said Mo Awu gruffly, ¡°Besides, in our eyes, this deep forest is full of fruits everywhere that can fill our stomach.¡±

 Chapter 850 - Tragic and Miserable

    Chapter 850: Tragic and Miserable


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The mountain peaks in the surroundings of Qingcheng Mountain were evergreen in all seasons. The peaks stood straight in a ring-like shape, like city boulevards with verdant and green trees, deserving its resounding reputation of ¡°Qingcheng, the serene and secluded land under heaven¡±.


    Hiking up and down through the mountains on rough and bumpy pathways proved to be quite hard with everyone having to walk more slowly due to some people in the group being ordinary people, while the howls of wild animals came drifting in the air from time to time as night fell. Wang Tao had repeatedly trekked up the mountain to Qingcheng Monastery and had no worries about the situation in the mountains at night. Zhang Xinyue, on the other hand, had been living in a big city since her childhood and had never spent a night in an old forest of a deep mountain, so was fearful and restless.


    ¡°You¡­ can you just stop following me all the time?¡±


    Just as Tang Xiu exited the diagonally narrow mountain path, he found Zhang Xinyue following him closely as if she was afraid that Tang Xiu would leave her alone.


    Zhang Xinyue picked up her pace faster and used the faint moonlight in the sky to reach out and grab Tang Xiu¡¯s arm. She restlessly watched the surrounding and asked anxiously, ¡°Where are you going? Don¡¯t leave me.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, Miss. Can I not take my time to relieve myself?¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, ¡°Just stay here with everyone. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Zhang Xinyue¡¯s face blushed, but fortunately, it was night and no one else was present. After rushing back to Mo Awu¡¯s group, she picked up a fist-sized stone from the ground and tightly gripped it.


    After a while, Tang Xiu returned to the group as he looked at the dark road in front before saying in a deep voice, ¡°Let¡¯s go trekking up the road. We¡¯ll try to hurry to our destination earlier.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we have some more rest, Big Brother Tang?¡± Wang Tao grinned albeit bitterly, and said, ¡°We are kinda too tired to keep trekking up the mountain.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a while. Then he turned to look at Zhang Xinyue and said in a deep voice, ¡°Promise me one thing.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Zhang Xinyue was puzzled.


    ¡°We came to this mountain now, but you must forget whatever you see and hear after you leave Qingcheng Mountain; never mention anything that happened here to anyone,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Do you need to keep it a secret?¡± Zhang Xinyue wondered. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. You said that you must go and handle some matters in Qingcheng Mountain¡¯s Qingcheng Monastery. What exactly do you wanna do there? Also, is this Qingcheng Monastery the likes of those sects in ancient times?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to know these matters for the time being,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°If you promise to keep this a secret, I¡¯ll take you there, but if you cannot, Jin Shi will send you back now.¡±


    Zhang Xinyue looked hesitant but then helplessly replied, ¡°Alright, I promise you.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and quickly motioned to Mo Awu. The latter then reached out to grab Wang Tao¡¯s shoulder and dashed toward the front, whereas Tang Xiu quickly caught Zhang Xinyue¡¯s slender waist and flashed along the path to the front.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Being embraced by Tang Xiu, the masculine scent emanating from him made Zhang Xinyue¡¯s heart beat faster. She couldn¡¯t help but exclaim when she saw the scenery on both sides retreating fast and blurring as they moved.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make a fuss, just hold me tight.¡± Tang Xiu kept running and picked up his pace faster.


    After a short time being flustered, Zhang Xinyue¡¯s stunning face was full of disbelief as she was shocked to see the quickly retreating and blurring scenery on both sides of her vision, as well as the whistling sound of the wind in her ears.


    ¡®Are they superhuman, or martial arts masters?¡¯


    Judging from her sight, Zhang Xinyue could tell that their journey¡¯s speed was fast to the extreme. She could see that even sprinters at the national level wouldn¡¯t be able to sprint as fast as Tang Xiu and Mo Awu.


    Four hours later, when Tang Xiu and the rest stopped at a mountain peak, they could see a blazing flame in front soaring to the sky, while countless chirping, roars, and howls of various wild animals and birds came from the distance in the forested mountain.


    ¡°What could be happening in front, Wang Tao?¡± Tang Xiu frowned as his sharp eyes had seen some buildings being engulfed in the raging fire, and he even had a faintly bad premonition.


    Wang Tao himself was utterly dizzy as Mo Awu put him down. He heaved a few times before slowly turning his vision upward. When he saw the fire in front, he shouted in alarm, ¡°Heavens! That¡¯s the outer hall of Qingcheng Monastery in front. Dammit, how did it catch fire in the dead of the night?¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Suddenly, Mo Awu shouted as his burly physique flashed toward the bushes on the left suddenly. The dagger in his hand reflected the shining moonlight that pierced through the slits between the branches and leaves as cold light flashed and pierced the left shoulder of a lurker.


    ¡°ENEMY ATTACK!¡± screamed the ambusher, followed by several silhouettes that flashed around the bushes. At the same time, Mo Awu¡¯s big hand caught the lurker¡¯s throat like a steel pincher.


    Whoosh!


    In that instant, Mo Awu flashed and returned to Tang Xiu¡¯s side. Tang Xiu looked at the throat-gripped man dressed in black clothes and asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Cackle, cackle¡­¡±


    A few strange noises came out of the man¡¯s throat. In just a few seconds after the three other men in black attire appeared around him, blood seeped out of his mouth as his breath weakened and he finally died while being grabbed by the neck in Mo Awu¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Suicide by poison, huh?¡± Cold light suffused in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. It was pretty much ludicrous for him to see this. It was very unexpected and bizarre that there was someone who could be so powerful and had the ability to train such a death squad in today¡¯s society.


    ¡°Who the fuck are you, bastards?¡± one of the man in black attire, who stood across Tang Xiu, asked with a saber in his hand.


    Tang Xiu squinted and coldly snorted, ¡°Hmph, it is I who wants to ask who the hell you are. What exactly happened to Qingcheng Monastery in front?¡±


    The man in black stared at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°I suppose you¡¯re not a member of the Qingcheng Monastery. If so, you had better scram; don¡¯t meddle in our business. We¡¯ll flood the Qingcheng Monastery with blood today and anyone who dares to meddle with us must be buried along with them!¡±


    Washing the Qingcheng Monastery with blood?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed and his figure flashed and instantly appeared in front of the man in black. His hand grabbed the man¡¯s neck as he instantly released his longsword to stab the chests of the other two.


    ¡°Awu, take out the poison pill in his mouth.¡±


    ¡°Roger!¡±


    Mo Awu quickly executed Tang Xiu¡¯s order and pulled out a thin silk thread from the black-clothed man¡¯s teeth. The thread was connected to a dark green poison capsule the size of a grain of rice.


    Tang Xiu sealed the acupoints of the man in black and interrogated him with a cold expression, ¡°I give you one last chance. Spit out your identity and why you want to wash the Qingcheng school with blood.¡±


    The man could clearly sense that he had lost control over his body. He even lost the ability to move his fingers even though he exerted his strength to attempt it. The fear on his face, however, died out in a flash. He even talked back harshly, ¡°You wanna squeeze out an answer from me? Fucking dream on! You¡¯ll know who our leaders are later, and that will be the time when you can¡¯t survive or die!¡±


    Tang Xiu flipped his hand and sent a stream of qi into the man in black¡¯s body while also using a sealing art on him as he then said, ¡°Then let me give you the taste of when you can¡¯t survive or die first.¡±


    ¡°Aaargh¡­¡± a heart-rending, painful scream came from the man¡¯s mouth. The body he had lost control over was twitching and trembling due to a pain that he could never imagine experiencing even in his dreams.


    ¡°I know how to refine medicine. Even I can pull the dying out from the gates of hell,¡± scornfully said Tang Xiu with a grim tone. ¡°I had once measured that a human can live for at least 7 days while experiencing this kind of pain, while the medicine I can refine will add three days more, so you¡¯ll live up to 10 days. Hence, you can opt not to answer my question, but be ready to face the next 10 days in your most difficult time of endurance.¡±


    10 days?


    The man in black could tell that he wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand that for a second. Such an enormous feeling of pain was as though coming from his soul, causing his consciousness to nearly collapse.


    What exactly was this pain that could make death much better than being alive?


    Only at this time did the black-clothed man feel such a sensation for the first time in his life.


    Tang Xiu took out a cigarette without him realizing his own action. He fell into thought before flicking the cigarette toward Jin Shi¡¯s hand and then said, ¡°Give it thought carefully and if you want to tell me the answer, then blink your eyes a few times. Ehh¡­ you blink so fast? Your will is kinda laughable it seems!¡±


    With that said, he reached out and stroked some beats on the black-clothed man¡¯s body. At the moment when the man¡¯s body gradually ceased convulsing and the pain on his face eased, he detachedly ordered, ¡°Spit it out now! Else, you¡¯ll have the next opportunity like this 30 minutes later.¡±


    ¡°Can you kill me immediately if I tell you?¡± hurriedly replied the man in black.


    ¡°How interesting. A death squad who are bent on death, huh?¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Alright, I promise you to have a clean, quick death.¡±


    The man in black looked relaxed and quickly said, ¡°Our leaders are cultivators. I don¡¯t know his school lineages, nor do I know where he learned his ability from, but he¡¯s good at using poison. They brought us to Qingcheng Mountain to exact their revenge on the Qingcheng school. Words have it that the Qingcheng Monastery killed four brothers of our two leaders.¡±


    Revenge?


    Tang Xiu frowned. He never expected that for the Red Silk Flower, first he would encounter a poisoning incident at the luncheon banquet of the Golden Goblet Emperor Gauze villa complex¡¯s opening sale ceremony. And now he even came across an incident where the Qingcheng Monastery was getting revenge enacted on it.


    ¡®Seems like I have to protect the Qingcheng Monastery. The most important thing is to keep Wang Tao¡¯s uncle alive. Else, it would be very difficult for me to have a breakthrough in my cultivation in the near future if the Red Silk Flower were to fall in the hands of other cultivators by accident.¡±


    Tang Xiu inhaled deeply before he sent a slap to kill the man in black. Then he said in a heavy voice, ¡°Xue Sha, Hei Xiong, you two are to stay here to protect their safety. We are going to rush forward to take a look at the situation.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to stay here. I want to follow you!¡± shouted Zhang Xinyue immediately with a change in expression.


    ¡°My uncle and cousin are in the Qingcheng Monastery, Big Brother Tang,¡± interjected Wang Tao hurriedly. ¡°I gotta go with you there!¡±


    ¡°No can do. You¡¯re all ordinary people. Involving yourselves in danger is a big no.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Did you see those four men just now? We easily killed them and for people to die in this kind of danger is much more normal than chickens dying here.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± screamed Zhang Xinyue. ¡°You¡­ you just killed them?¡±


    The light was too dim see in the dark night and Zhang Xinyue only saw those four men fall, but was unaware that they were already dead.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you forget your promise to me before. You must forget everything that happened in Qingcheng Mountain after you leave this place and always keep your mouth shut,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    With that said, he took Mo Awu, Jin Shi, and Xue Sha along with him. Their three silhouettes flashed lightning fast towards Qingcheng Monastery. After leaving the line of sight of Zhang Xinyue and Wang Tao, the four men floated in the air and spent a minute to arrive at a spot less than 100 meters away from the burning outer pavilion of Qingcheng Mountain.

 Chapter 851 - A Calamity Brought by a Beauty

    Chapter 851: A Calamity Brought by a Beauty


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu stood before the raging fire while his eyes seemed to replay the fierce fighting scenes that happened previously and those who arbitrarily set the fire.


    It was the scene of murder and arson¡ªatrocities deemed as heavy crimes in today¡¯s society and rarely seen occurring nowadays. Tang Xiu, however, didn¡¯t expect that he would actually encounter such an incident that was merely normal in the Immortal World. Still¡­ it was obviously the revenge of a mortal enemy.


    ¡°What should we do now, Boss?¡±


    The intent for murder similarly gleamed inside Mo Awu¡¯s eyes. He had undergone inhuman training ever since he was a child and had spent decades in risking his life through the blaze of war. Such a scene before him invoked his long-lost desire of battle and combat to rise to the surface.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find Wang Xuezhong first,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I need to see him in person if he¡¯s still alive, or his corpse if he¡¯s dead.¡±


    ¡°How should we find Wang Xuezhong?¡± Mo Awu frowned and said, ¡°We haven¡¯t met him, nor do we have his photo at all.¡±


    Tang Xiu lightly smiled and his figure instantly rose into the sky. When he flew over the burning hall, he saw a group of nearly 100 people surrounding an antique building in front. Without hesitation, he instantly appeared on the highest point of the roof of the building.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Several shouts came from the nearly 100 people crowded around as two shadows then appeared in the air in an instant, staring at Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu glanced at the two people yet still ignored them, even though their cultivation slightly surprised him. He watched the courtyard below instead, and then said, ¡°Who is Wang Xuezhong among you? Come out to see me!¡±


    During his speech, Mo Awu¡¯s group of three also quickly appeared around Tang Xiu.


    At present, there were only a dozen wounded experts left from Qingcheng Monastery in the courtyard, watching the surroundings fully armed. The entire courtyard had been shrouded inside an array and invisible energy protected everyone inside it. Among the dozen or so people was a tall old man with a childlike face sporting a crane hairdo with eyes gleaming with light.


    That loud voice was like blasting thunder. The old man heard someone call his name and the question came from someone outside the enemy¡¯s group. Seeing those who appeared on the roof of the building as well as the two enemies standing in front of them, he could immediately tell that the four people on the roof were definitely not enemies.


    He and the remaining dozen of Qingcheng Monastery¡¯s strongest experts were nearly falling into despair because of their enemies¡¯ acts of revenge, but at this moment, his eyes shone and seemed to have regained back their spirit. Wang Xuezhong then took two steps forward as he looked up and said to Tang Xiu, ¡°I¡¯m Wang Xuezhong; may I know who you are, sir?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at him and observed him for a short while before nodding with a gratified expression, saying, ¡°Great, it¡¯s rather fortunate that you¡¯re still alive, else we¡¯d have to spend quite the effort to find you. Can you tell me whether the Red Silk Flower given by your nephew is still in your hands?¡±


    Red Silk Flower?


    Wang Xuezhong slightly creased his brows but still replied, ¡°It¡¯s still in my hands, why?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t used it yet?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°No,¡± answered Wang Xuezhong.


    Tang Xiu looked glad and asked again, ¡°Since you still have preserved it, how about making a deal with me?¡±


    Wang Xuezhong¡¯s expression changed and he hurriedly asked, ¡°What exactly is this deal you¡¯re offering to me, sir?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you get rid of these people in front; in exchange, give me that Red Silk Flower. What do you think?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Wang Xuezhong¡¯s eyes lit up and he answered, ¡°If you can really help remove the crisis of our Qingcheng Monastery and completely kill these people, I¡¯ll definitely offer you the Red Silk Flower with open hands.¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a pale smile and shifted his gaze towards the two men standing in the air in front. Then he said, ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are. I¡¯m somewhat concerned if we should really cross paths here. Tell me your origins, else you really must die in this Qingcheng Mountain today.¡±


    The burly man with a knife scar on his face, Bai Biao, stared at Tang Xiu and coldly said, ¡°You are not qualified to learn of our origins as of yet, sir. But I advise you to leave this place quickly, else it won¡¯t be us whose bodies will be buried in Qingcheng Mountain¡ªit will be you all.¡±


    ¡°If you can¡¯t differentiate what¡¯s good and bad, then don¡¯t blame for claiming your lives.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°After all, the value of your lives compared to the Red Silk Flower is like the distance across a chasm.¡±


    As his voice faded away, Tang Xiu unleashed a four array disk in an instant. Along with the flashing array disk, he immediately inscribed the array diagram and pushed his hands forward as the Four Divisions Array instantly arranged in just a second. After activating it, Tang Xiu lifted his right hand and shouted, ¡°Lightning inducement, unleash electricity!¡±


    Countless lightning bolts suddenly appeared from the clear night sky all of a sudden and then bolted downward toward the two people inside the Four Divisions Array without any omen whatsoever. Immediately after, a band of thunderbolts radiated a faint blue light as the lightning quickly penetrated the Four Divisions Array and struck down to the heads of the two men lightning fast.


    ¡°GODDAMMIT!¡±


    ¡°BASTARD!¡±


    The two brothers, Bai Zhen and Bai Biao, had their expressions drastically shift. Layers of flame suddenly appeared out of the blue as they turned into two fire dragons that ferociously clawed out of the layer of flame to greet the lightning bolts.


    BOOM¡­


    The dazzling, yet blinding, explosion blinded most of everyone¡¯s eyes present for a short time, while the detonation of the loud explosion caused their ears to buzz. The nearly 100 killer experts around the courtyard, except for more than 10 with a cultivation foundation that could endure and stay safe albeit constantly backtracking, were shaken to the core. They felt their blood and Qi boil and then fell to the ground while spurting out blood.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Three silhouettes moved lightning fast towards those who fell to the ground along with their longsword that cut through the expansive sky, sending out sword beams that claimed the lives of those fallen to the ground.


    ¡°Crack¡­¡±


    Violent energy suddenly destroyed the Four Divisions Array, shutting off the imprisoning function that trapped Bai Zhen and Bai Biao inside it. But as the two fire dragons were shattered by the lightning bolts, the lightning balls directly barraged the two brothers to the ground, causing their bodies to dye red with their blood. Even though they survived the ordeal, the grave injuries caused them to lose their combat efficiency.


    ¡°Who exactly are you?¡± After crazily spraying out a few mouthfuls of blood, Bai Biao looked up and bellowed angrily.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that such a powerful strike would be unable to kill you both.¡± Tang Xiu sighed. ¡°It seems that you¡¯re just a hair away from breaking through to the Golden Core stage. It¡¯s rather unfortunate for you that you¡¯ll only meet a dead end today. There¡¯s no need for you to know who I am either, for I¡¯m not going to go to your so-called hell since you¡¯ll never see me again.¡±


    Bai Zhen struggled to get up from the ground and roared, ¡°Monsignor, if you wish to have the Red Silk Flower, we brothers can find it for you. We admit that we were too arrogant, so I hope that you don¡¯t take it to heart. We came to Qingcheng Monastery this time all because of the blood enmity that is deep as the ocean between us.¡±


    Tang Xiu touched his chin and asked, ¡°Then tell me, what is this deep blood enmity between you and the Qingcheng Monastery?¡±


    A delighted look flashed in Bai Zhen¡¯s eyes and he answered loudly, ¡°Senior, we used to be villagers who lived around Qingcheng Mountain and someone from Qingcheng Monastery recruited us to help them buy daily necessities and living supply from the outside world. At first, they treated us¡ªthe six brothers¡ª quite well and we were also happy and satisfied with our life then. But after a few years, the steward, which was the supervisor in charge of the living materials, began to embezzle and deduct our wages, even often bullying us just because they are martial arts experts.¡±


    ¡°On one occasion, my younger brother, Bai Don, was delivering the kitchen necessities he had purchased to the Qingcheng Monastery. He accidentally saw someone from Qingcheng Monastery practising his martial arts. That someone was the living materials¡¯ supervisor bastard at the time, and he slandered my younger brother in having stolen Qingcheng school¡¯s martial arts and finally beat him to half death.¡±


    ¡°The rest of us five brothers came to him to ask for justice, yet we were also beaten mercilessly. Due to anger, I proposed to no longer help them buy materials in the future and was driven with fury that time. I said that I¡¯ll expose the deeds of these Qingcheng Monastery¡¯s people to the others, which then caused them to be hell-bent on killing us.¡±


    ¡°We used to be brothers of six, either blood brothers or cousins. In the end, they killed four of us. I and my fourth brother, Bai Biao, then fell off the cliff during our escape, and yet it finally saved our poor lives just by a fluke¡ªpure luck.


    ¡°We dragged out our ignoble existence by living in seclusion over the years. Then we had a fortuitous encounter and were able to get some cultivation techniques in our hands, which then greatly improved our strength through cultivation practice. Afterwards, we crossed the ocean and fled abroad until we met with our Master, the Dao Master of Poison. And yet, never has the thought of revenge to avenge our grievance left our mind even for a second all these years.¡±


    ¡°Now that I have told you about it, Senior. Please tell me, is it wrong for us to come to Qingcheng Monastery for our revenge?


    Tang Xiu fell into silence. He could understand this kind of hatred and enmity. Had it been himself, he would probably do something more ruthless than what they did.


    He originally wanted to exterminate these people in front, but after hearing the whole story of the matter, he was a bit reluctant to move his hand.


    Inside the courtyard.


    The Head Abbot of Qingcheng Monastery, Lin Tong, stepped forward and shouted, ¡°It¡¯s nothing but nonsense coming from thieves; pure slander! You all brothers of six were just hiding in our Qingcheng Monastery to steal our martial arts and also the Qingcheng school martial arts ancient manuals, so we sent people to hunt you down to take back our martial arts ancient manuals!¡±


    ¡°What a damn fucking fart!¡± Bai Zhen furiously cursed. ¡°Although we brothers are all hunters, we have no hope of learning martial arts, let alone stealing your Qingcheng school¡¯s martial arts classics! In the beginning, it was the steward of your Qingcheng Monastery who stuffed it into my younger brother¡¯s hand when he killed him. I was able to clearly see what he did even though I was escaping then!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    More than a dozen Qingcheng Monastery experts in the courtyard exchanged glances in dismay. They only knew the report from the steward who said that the six men who usually helped the Qingcheng Monastery to purchase living materials from outside had stolen their Qingcheng school¡¯s martial arts classics, and therefore they were sent to chase and kill them.


    How¡­ and why did it become a trap to frame them as the scapegoats?


    Bai Zhen raised his hand to wipe the bloodstain off the corner of his mouth and angrily continued his piece, ¡°There¡¯s no need for me to lie and deceive this Senior! I always loathe lying, for it was the very reason why the steward heartlessly wanted to kill us in the first place. It wasn¡¯t for those threat words I spoke to him when I was furious, but because his daughter liked my younger brother; that was the chief reason why he had to eliminate us. He told me that time that his daughter must marry a man who¡¯s at least the high-ranking junior of Qingcheng Monastery. You guessed it right! Mu Baizhi.¡±


    In that instant, the eyes of more than a dozen people in the courtyard were all focused on a middle-aged woman holding a duster. Tang Xiu eyes followed their eyes and also observed the middle-aged woman who still retained her graceful and charming bearing.

 Chapter 852 - Inflicted With Heavy Losses

    Chapter 852: Inflicted With Heavy Losses


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The chilling wind blew through and caused Mu Baizhi to shiver. Her expression looked extremely complicated as her eyes lingered on Bai Zhen and Bai Biao who were over seven meters away.


    The Qingcheng Monastery had been hit hard and suffered heavy losses tonight. Nobody knew about the cause of the matter more than she did. Even she was perfectly aware of the fact that she was the very source of this issue. The scene of the past was now playing like a movie as they flashed inside her eyes, causing her distress and making it hard for her to breathe.


    The array that enveloped the courtyard had just been broken by the impact of the fight between Tang Xiu, Bai Zhen, and Bai Biao. Yet, it made her aware of one thing¡ªthat today would become the anniversary of her death for years to come. And now, she could only ask the mysterious young man in hope that he would be able to protect and preserve the rest of Qingcheng Monastery¡¯s people.


    She paced forward a few steps and her eyes shifted to Tang Xiu. Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, she knelt to kowtow to Tang Xiu thrice and said, ¡°Senior, they are telling the truth. All the evil and disastrous consequences today are the fruits of the cause that has been planted in the past. I¡¯d like to take all the blame on myself and use my life to make up for my father¡¯s mistakes, as well as to resolve the enmity between them.¡±


    The body of the Head Abbot of Qingcheng Monastery, Lin Tong, shook as a look of disbelief filled his eyes, whereas the other experts of Qingcheng Monastery looked flabbergasted and tongue-tied as they watched Mu Baizhi with incredulity.


    It was¡­ actually¡­ true. That those six brothers had been framed and became the scapegoats in the past¡­ it was actually the deeds of someone from their Qingcheng Monastery?


    Lin Tong came to the front of Mu Baizhi and furiously shouted, ¡°So it was your father who framed those six brothers and the mistakes are really the deeds of our Qingcheng Monastery?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± answered Mu Baizhi with a mirthless smile.


    Lin Tong gasped heavily a few times and angrily said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us the truth before? And why did you just watch our people chase and kill them, six average people, in the first place?¡±


    ¡°My father locked me up earlier before he made that mistake and I didn¡¯t know about it until he released me.¡± Mu Baizhi shook her head and said, ¡°¡­Head Abbot, I¡¯ve never married for so many years even though my father threatened me with unspeakable words, like that he would never die in peace if I didn¡¯t marry. Yet, I never budged nor compromise. Can¡¯t you understand it now? The man I love has died along with my heart. The reason why I¡¯m still alive today is a self-atonement before the Three Divine Teachers, as well as to atone for the sins of my father.¡±


    On top of the pavilion, Tang Xiu shook his head after figuring out the whole cause of the matter. He then looked at the Deputy Abbot of Qingcheng Monastery, Wang Xuezhong, and said lightly, ¡°Give me the Red Silk Flower first.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t bring the Red Silk Flower with me, Senior. It¡¯s in my abode,¡± said Wang Xuezhong quickly. ¡°Could you please wait for a while? I¡¯ll present it to you immediately after I fetch it.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Awu, the three of you go with him.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Mo Awu trio nodded and followed Wang Xuezhong, whose body was scarred and injured, and quickly headed outside.


    Tang Xiu shifted his gaze at Bai Zhen and Bai Biao and asked them with an indifferent expression, ¡°So what now? How do you want to solve this problem?¡±


    Bai Zhen and Bai Biao similarly exchanged glances, and then the former shouted immediately, ¡°Mu Baizhi must die. She should have gone to be buried along with my deceased brother. But, the one who issued the order to hunt and kill us in the past was Lin Tong, the Head Abbot of Qingcheng Monastery, so he must die as well. Although we brothers are far from being good people, every grievance must have someone responsible since every debt also has a debtor. All the enmity and grievances between us and the Qingcheng Monastery will be written off as long as they commit suicide before us!¡±


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t agree?¡± asked Tang Xiu calmly.


    ¡°If Senior doesn¡¯t agree, then we brothers will risk our lives to fight to the death!¡± replied Bai Zhen resolutely. ¡°Even if we must die here today, it¡¯s still worth it. We won¡¯t let our four dead brothers down.¡±


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and said slowly, ¡°It¡¯s only natural for one to eliminate calamity for others in exchange with what he has received from them. I have received the Red Silk Flower, so I must preserve the people of the Qingcheng school. But now, I only need to ask you one thing and you must answer it.¡±


    ¡°Do ask, Senior,¡± said Bai Zhen with all seriousness.


    ¡°Did you send someone to put the Drunken Dragon Powder into the dishes at the luncheon banquet of the opening sale ceremony of the Golden Goblet Emperor Gauze villa complex?¡±


    Bai Zhen¡¯s expression changed. He looked hesitated yet still answered in a heavy voice, ¡°We did. We sent our men to do it.¡±


    ¡°Why? Do you know how many people would be poisoned if so many people accidentally ate the dishes?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°We know from our investigation that the owner who develops the Golden Goblet Emperor Gauze villa complex, Wang Xuegang, is the younger brother of Wang Xuezhong, the Deputy Abbot of Qingcheng Monastery. We must exact our revenge, and it¡¯s only natural that we must root out the source of the troubles. Those who will be implicated by Wang Xuegang is of not our concern.¡±


    ¡°Great, it¡¯s just great. What a great remark you just said. They are of no concern to you, huh?¡± commented Tang Xiu with anger. ¡°You brothers had been hunted down because you were weak, and now you send your men to poison nearly 100 people just because they are average people? So in your eyes, those who are powerful have the rights and privileges to control the life and death of others? Hmph¡­ if so, then I can¡¯t let you go today!¡±


    Bai Zhen¡¯s complexion changed. He never thought that Tang Xiu would be furious due to some average people. After being silent for a while, he then asked, ¡°We¡¯re all cultivators, Senior. Those average people are nothing but ants in our eyes. Besides, you shouldn¡¯t be an official of the country either, so why would you care about the life and death of these ants?¡±


    ¡°We are all cultivators indeed, but you are also ants in my eyes,¡± sneered Tang Xiu. ¡°More so that you mistakenly stated one thing. I can speak on behalf of this country and I have the rights and privileges to act first and explain later for my every deed.¡±


    As his voice faded away, Tang Xiu instantly raised his hand and a lightning bolt appeared out of thin air in the midst of the clouds in the sky. Then, the electricity serpent bolted down toward Bai Zhen and Bai Biao.


    ¡°No outsiders are allowed to bully the disciples of this old man!¡±


    An old voice came drifting from afar as a large dark net came from the distance and directly shrouded the entirety of the courtyard inside. When the lightning bolt splashed through the black net, sparks splashed to all direction and then disappeared.


    What followed immediately was the appearance of a decrepit old man in a dark green robe sporting a chignon hairdo. He came riding a flying sword and appeared in front of Tang Xiu before instantly releasing a green mist that emanated out from his body and enveloped everyone present.


    ¡°10,000 Dragons Poison.¡±


    When Tang Xiu stopped breathing to disperse the green mist, a drop of transparent liquid solution touched his skin silently. The transparent liquid melted into Tang Xiu¡¯s clothes, and with its powerful penetrating power began to seep into his skin. In just a half a breath, it was dispersed inside Tang Xiu¡¯s body.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s countenance changed as a chilling and pungent colloid substance continuously scattered inside his body, sending sensations of piercing pain. It also included a corrosive effect, making Tang Xiu feel as if his body was frozen while his muscles and flesh were being corroded within.


    The decrepit old man guffawed and said, ¡°The 10,000 Dragons Poison is the beast core of a several thousand-year-old Aquatic Dragon this old man has stored in the chilling Spirit Spring in the center of the Arctic. It is combined with 99 venomous serpent toxins that took me two years to refine. Cultivators who are at the Golden Core stage and below can never escape from death. Even if you break through to the Nascent Soul stage, your power will be greatly sapped and you will still die.¡±


    A black scepter appeared in the hands of that old man out of thin air, along with a rising flame into the sky. The green mist in the surrounding then instantly ignited as the whole space turned into a sea of fire.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s pupils contracted as the layers of flames wrapped him inside while the black scepter instantly appeared in front to strike him. Judging from the aura emanating from this old man, he was a powerhouse who was at least at the middle stage of Golden Core.


    This old man was the most terrifying expert Tang Xiu had encountered so far.


    ¡°Begone!¡±


    The longsword was unleashed, creating layers of sword images that instantly enveloped his body. Sparks burst and splashed as the old man¡¯s black scepter that was about to hit Tang Xiu¡¯s head instantly shattered, whereas the swift and fierce sword qi then flashed and instantly left several bleeding wounds on the old man¡¯s chest.


    ¡°What?!¡±


    The old man¡¯s complexion drastically changed, and he hastily retreated all of a sudden after rigidly shifting position in several directions.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s figure swayed a few times. The chilling Yin Qi had nearly frozen all his internal organs, but what flustered him the most was that most of the colloid substances which entered his body began to drill into his Niwan Palace at lightning speed. After he succeeded in pushing back the old man, a deafening roar suddenly exploded inside his mind.


    The brain was the Niwan that represented soil, as the Earth element within the two arteries that passed through the kidneys¡¯ essence was the ¡®seed¡¯ in his kidneys¡ªthe so-called essence of vitality, which then flowed into the Niwan inside the brain. With the transparent Yin substance exploding there, it instantly caused a huge heat wave, causing Tang Xiu to nearly pass out due to the alternating cold and heat energy.


    BOOM¡­


    Right at the time when Tang Xiu passed out for a brief moment, a heavy punch came rumbling and bombarded his chest. His body was barraged amid the crazily gushing out blood and he flung backward for tens of meters like a cannonball before he heavily fell into the antique building behind him.


    ¡°RUN!¡±


    More than a dozen high-ranking members of the Qingcheng Monastery quickly fled one by one when they saw that Tang Xiu was being barraged. Tang Xiu originally was going to help them, but a much more powerful enemy had now come; it was even more important that he was also Bai Zhen and Bai Biao¡¯s Master. However powerful their wish to help Tang Xiu was, they had a clear estimation of what they could do. Not only would their efforts to help Tang Xiu amount to nothing, but they would also waste their lives for nothing.


    ¡°You wanna run? DREAM ON!¡±


    Although Bai Zhen and Bai Biao were heavily injured which nearly made their combat power down to zero, they forcibly unleashed a forbidden art at this moment to heal most of the injuries, enabling them to exert 50-60% of their power. Yet, that amount of power alone was still adequate to completely annihilate the surviving members of the Qingcheng Monastery.


    Puff¡­


    A longsword, however, came striking from the left side right at the moment when Bai Biao was about to kill an expert of Qingcheng Monastery with a blow. The sword straightly cut through his neck and instantly killed him.


    ¡°BASTARD!¡±


    Bai Zhen¡¯s eyes were as though bursting out with hatred. He gave up chasing his enemy and furiously dashed towards the front of Bai Biao and hugged him. Yet, at this moment, two silhouettes instantly appeared before him.


    ¡°Joint strike!¡±


    Sword images swept over him, creating a form like a blossomed lotus. Bai Zhen hastily blocked it, but his arms were shattered by the sword beams. In the next moment, a shadow appeared behind him and punched his back heavily.


    Puah¡­


    Bai Zhen crazily gushed out blood with his heart destroyed.

 Chapter 853 - Aphrodisiac Poison

    Chapter 853: Aphrodisiac Poison


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Inside the destroyed building, Tang Xiu propped himself up as he spurted out a mouthful of blood in a frenzy. The extremely cold energy in his body had turned into an extremely hot one, causing unimaginable discomfort even though he had tempered his internal organs numerous times.


    ¡°I got poisoned.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s hands quickly sealed the arteries into his heart. Little did he expect that the enemy possessed cultivation at the Golden Core stage. Even he was nearly unable to believe that he had made a ridiculous mistake such as putting his guard down and not guarding against the possibility of the enemy to use poison. He was now sure about the identity of this enemy. The old man should be the person mentioned by Bai Zhen and Bai Biao as their Master¡­ Dao Master Poison.


    ¡°This poison won¡¯t kill me, but¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu clenched his fist and looked up to the sky at Dao Master Poison, who rushed down toward him. His figure instantly blinked toward the open window in front and he came outside nearly in a flash. As the attic behind him shattered and crashed into the ground, Tang Xiu¡¯s shadow instantly disappeared into the distant woods.


    A vexed look flashed in Dao Master Poison¡¯s eyes. If this guy were to fly into the sky, he believed that Tang Xiu could never escape from his palm given that he had been poisoned and heavily injured by him. But if this guy were able to get away deep into the forest, it would be hard to find him, even if his cultivation was at the mid-stage of Golden Core.


    ¡°I must capture him. The secret arts this little beast just used to control lightning and electricity is much more powerful than the arts I¡¯ve mastered. If I can squeeze it out of his mouth, the power I can unleash in the future will be greatly improved. Absolutely.¡±


    Dao Master Poison gritted his teeth and quickly chased toward the direction where Tang Xiu just disappeared.


    Outside the courtyard.


    After Mo Awu trio killed Bai Zhen and Bai Biao, they immediately hurled into the courtyard. But their complexion greatly changed since the entire pavilion had turned into ruin and their Boss¡¯s figure had vanished.


    ¡°A powerful enemy must have appeared a while ago. From the two outbreaks of power we felt just now, one was unleashed by Boss, and the other one must be from that powerful enemy who appeared all of a sudden,¡± murmured Mo Awu in a heavy voice.


    ¡°Then what should we do now?¡± asked Jin Shi hurriedly. ¡°Is Boss being chased and running away, or did he leave to pursue the strong enemy?¡±


    Mo Awu fell into thought for a moment and said, ¡°We¡¯ll leave and immediately meet up with Xue Sha¡¯s group and head northward. The enemy is quite powerful, so we must gather together to become stronger.¡±


    ¡°Roger that!¡±


    At the mountain peak in the distance.


    Zhang Xinyue looked worried and restless as she watched the soaring flame in the sky to the north, while Xue Sha and Hei Xiong looked grim and vigilant as they kept an eye on the situation in the surroundings.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± suddenly, Xue Sha shouted loudly and instantly unleashed his flying sword.


    Mo Awu¡¯s figure then appeared in front of him and said in a heavy voice, ¡°It¡¯s us. Huh? Where¡¯s Wang Tao?¡±


    Xue Sha paced forward and said in a deep voice, ¡°There were some people from Qingcheng Monastery who escaped from the north. Wang Tao knew two people among them, so he followed those two.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine that he left,¡± said Mo Awu indifferently. ¡°But then, we must head to the north at once to find the whereabouts of our Boss¡­¡±


    The worry on Zhang Xinyue¡¯s face turned more visible after hearing Mo Awu¡¯s words and she interjected, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go then? I¡¯ll be just a burden if I go with you.¡±


    ¡°No! You¡¯re going with us since we can¡¯t leave you in this dangerous place.¡± Mo Awu shook his head and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll hurry along the road.¡±


    The northward area of Qingcheng Monastery.


    Tang Xiu dashed lightning fast through the forested mountains, but his eyes and face gradually turned redder and his veins began to protrude with a green color and visibly throbbed on his forehead the longer he ran. He had been suppressing the poison that invaded his body, but to his frustration, the 10,000 Dragons Poison from Dao Master Poison contained a very potent aphrodisiac hormone. He could suppress the poison, but there was no way to force that powerful aphrodisiac hormone out of his system whatsoever.


    Serpents did have an excessive urge for sex in nature.


    He wouldn¡¯t have any fear if it were only the aphrodisiac hormone extracted from the serpent¡¯s body, but refining and extracting out the aphrodisiac from the aquatic dragon¡¯s system with his current cultivation level was outright madness. Yet, the most infuriating thing was that he was being chased by Dao Master Poison at the moment.


    He had been confident that he could kill Dao Master Poison before he got poisoned and badly hit by the ambush. Now, not only had he been poisoned, but his internal organs had also been displaced, causing very serious internal injuries that led to the situation where he had no other means than to escape.


    Given his situation at the present, clashing with Dao Master Poison head-on only gave him a minuscule chance of winning. Even if he did come out as the winner, it was very likely that he would have to pay a very heavy price.


    ¡®I¡¯ll remember this debt and feud!¡¯


    Tang Xiu gritted his teeth and his speed rapidly accelerated again. Yet, the more his speed accelerated, the faster the aphrodisiac poison in his system erupted. When he had run for over 100 km away from Qingcheng Monastery, Tang Xiu suddenly changed his fleeing direction.


    He could hardly manage to keep sober and soon realized that escaping from Qingcheng Mountain in this state was not a good option. The aftermath, in case he did something irrational outside, would be unimaginable and it would be too late to regret later. Hence, he decided to take a long detour and circle back to Qingcheng Monastery.


    ¡®This is bad.¡¯


    While Tang Xiu endured the aphrodisiac poison and was barely able to maintain his soberness, an overwhelming aura suddenly rushed toward his location.


    ¡°Gotta pull me up!¡±


    Tang Xiu flashed forward into the bushes and completely restrained his aura while his hand quickly activated the Invisibility charm.


    ¡°Bastard punk. I¡¯ll torture and squeeze those two arts out of your damned mouth when this old man catches you¡­¡± Dao Master Poison drivelled and cursed as he traversed the forested mountain at the speed of lightning. The distance between him and Tang Xiu was less than 100 meters away previously, yet he couldn¡¯t him at such a close distance and he quickly passed through to continue chasing northward.


    Half a minute later, Tang Xiu put away the Invisibility charm and silently jumped out of the bushes and fled to the southern part of Qingcheng Monastery. If he hadn¡¯t felt the aura of Dao Master Poison behind him previously, he wouldn¡¯t have been fleeing northward all the time. He knew that Mo Awu¡¯s group was in Qingcheng Monastery, while Zhang Xinyue and Xue Sha were in the southern side of the monastery.


    He had been worrying that Dao Master Poison would kill them if that old man couldn¡¯t catch up to him. But it seemed that he didn¡¯t need to worry anymore. He only needed to join them and escape to Qinglin County as quickly as possible. As long as they arrived there, Mo Awu and the rest would be able to take him away to flee to another place without him needing to order it.


    ¡®Pity that I have no Telesthesia Crystal, else it would¡¯ve been easier to find Mo Awu and the rest with it by sensing their presence and location.¡¯


    Tang Xiu lamented with some regrets and picked up his speed again faster.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Just as Tang Xiu was nearly at his limit and lost his sense of reason, he suddenly sensed a few familiar auras in front. His spirit raised up instantly and he flashed toward their direction.


    ¡°Boss?¡±


    Mo Awu and the rest were overjoyed upon seeing Tang Xiu, but when they realized Tang Xiu¡¯s flushed complexion as well as the blood on his lips and clothes, their jubilant expressions were frozen instantly.


    ¡°Take me and run away from here. The farther the better.¡±


    Tang Xiu already had blurred vision. He rushed to issue an order after seeing the worried faces of Mo Awu¡¯s group before he fainted in the next moment.


    ¡°Awu, what happened to Boss?!¡± Jin Shi flashed to Tang Xiu¡¯s side and asked with deep worry on his face.


    Mo Awu checked Tang Xi¡¯s pulse and said in a heavy voice, ¡°Boss has been seriously injured internally. We must find the safest place to hide as fast as possible and then find a way to heal him. We¡¯ll fly southward, but do it stealthily to not get spotted. And Xue Sha, you¡¯ll bring Zhang Xinyue!¡±


    ¡°Roger that!¡±


    The rest replied and controlled their flying swords to fly southward.


    Zhang Xinyue, whose hand was grabbed by Xue Sha, only felt dizzy and heard the strong wind whistling in her ears in the next moment, while the blowing wind made her somewhat unable to open her eyes. A half minute later, she was barely able to open them, and once she did she was frightened and shuddered upon seeing what laid in front of her line of sight.


    ¡®Heavens! I¡¯m now¡­ flying?¡¯


    ¡®No, no, no! Xue Sha takes me up to fly.¡¯


    She was an atheist, one who had never believed in the existence of any demons or ghosts, much less celestial immortals in this world. But at this moment, she pinched her own waist and finally realized that she was not dreaming¡ªshe was being towed, so flying was real.


    ¡®He¡­ and these people¡­ who exactly are they? How can they¡­¡¯


    10 minutes later, Mo Awu and the rest had flown over the ruins of Qingcheng Monastery and flew over the sea of fire. Mo Awu suddenly felt that his waist was being groped and looked down, only to find himself at a loss whether he had to laugh or cry because it was Tang Xiu¡¯s hands that were groping and stroking the contour of his body.


    ¡°Something is wrong!¡±


    Yet, his expression suddenly changed. Before, he just felt that his Boss¡¯s body was very hot, though he couldn¡¯t find any abnormalities other than that. But now, he was keenly aware that there was an abnormality with his Boss¡¯s condition given that he had lost conscious but seemed to have been dominated by something subconsciously. It was as if his body was under the urge to vent up something.


    Xue Sha, who brought Zhang Xinyue flying, was very close to Mo Awu and immediately asked aloud after hearing Mo Awu¡¯s exclamation, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°If my guess is correct, Boss has been poisoned and it should be an aphrodisiac,¡± answered Mo Awu quickly.


    ¡°What?!¡±


    Xue Sha¡¯s expression drastically changed. He knew that his Boss had a very high level of cultivation and average aphrodisiac poison would have no effect on him. But if it was a very potent one, it would definitely threaten his life if the poison was not removed in time.


    Zhang Xinyue similarly heard Mo Awu¡¯s answer at this moment and looked flustered and horrified. She knew how strong an aphrodisiac was because she had seen one of her female colleagues who had been drugged with it. She saw her finally do shameful and disgusting acts involuntarily and then end up in agony.


    Xue Sha frowned and said aloud, ¡°Are you not mistaken; Boss really has been poisoned by an aphrodisiac, Awu?¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be wrong,¡± said Mo Awu firmly. ¡°His body is very hot while he is subconsciously touching and groping my body. We gotta hurry to find a solution.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s speed up and try to get to Qinglin County earlier,¡± said Xue Sha hurriedly. ¡°We gotta find a place with women and solve the problem with Boss¡¯s body as quickly as possible¡­¡±

 Chapter 854 - Sacrificing Chastity

    Chapter 854: Sacrificing Chastity


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    ¡°No can do!¡± Mo Awu interrupted Xue Sha with a heavy voice. ¡°You know Boss hates such casual conduct between men and women the most. Except for his women¡­ he has never touched other women.¡±


    ¡°But where are we now, mind you?¡± yelled Xue Sha angrily. ¡°The aphrodisiac that can make him lose consciousness is absolutely not a joke. It will ruin him or even might kill him if we delay more.¡±


    Mo Awu fell into silence. He was never afraid to cross any line should it concern the Boss¡¯s life. He also believed that his Boss wouldn¡¯t blame them when he learned about it later.


    Zhang Xinyue, who was next to Xue Sha, was shivering inside. Judging from Mo Awu and Xue Sha¡¯s conversation, she could tell that Tang Xiu was in crisis and danger at this moment. What moved and touched her was that they didn¡¯t even plan to make her help Tang Xiu even if she was next to them.


    ¡®What should I do?¡¯


    ¡®Should I just do nothing and watch Tang Xiu being harmed by the poison to his death? Or should I sacrifice myself to¡­ save him?¡¯


    ¡®But if I were to really save him, then more than 20 years of my chastity would be¡­ but still¡­¡¯


    Zhang Xinyue¡¯s expression kept changing. Although the strong winds made her somewhat unable to open her eyes, she could clearly see Tang Xiu¡¯s flushed face while those hands of his indiscriminately groped Mo Awu¡¯s body.


    ¡®I¡¯ll save him! Besides, he has saved my life, after all.¡¯


    Zhang Xinyue steeled her resolve and interjected aloud, ¡°Let¡¯s find a place. I¡¯ll save him.¡±


    ¡°You?¡±


    Both Xue Sha and Mo Awu blanked out after hearing her words as a look of incredulity covered their faces instantly. Then, the latter forced a smile and said, ¡°Miss Zhang, you¡¯re Zhang Xinya¡¯s younger sister, while our Boss wishes that he could forever hide from her at present. If you were to save him, then this relationship¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like because I have feelings for him, I will save him, alright?¡± said Zhang Xinyue. ¡°I just don¡¯t want to watch him die like that without doing nothing. Besides, each step forward in the future can still be carefully considered later! But if you don¡¯t want me to save him, then forget what I said.¡±


    Mo Awu and Xue Sha exchanged glances before the former immediately shouted in a deep voice, ¡°Do you remember the cave we found near mountain brooks back then? Let¡¯s go there immediately.¡±


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Silhouettes moved lightning fast and then appeared in the mountain brooks. As those silhouettes reached the entrance of a dark cave, a wild boar resting there was alarmed. At the moment it roared, a longsword came flashing to strike its neck and directly killed it.


    The cave was a dozen-square-meter long and over two meters in height which was enough to accommodate 20 plus people inside. After everyone sprinted to the inside, Mo Awu pulled away Tang Xiu¡¯s hands and gave them to Zhang Xinyue and said, ¡°Miss Zhang, I won¡¯t speak any words of thanks regarding this huge favour, but you will forever be our benefactor from now on as long as you can save our Boss.¡±


    Zhang Xinyue¡¯s face was slightly blushing as she grabbed and hugged Tang Xiu. She shook her head without a word before she spoke with difficulty, ¡°You all¡­ get out.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting outside.¡± Mo Awu nodded and said, ¡°We don¡¯t know if that powerful enemy can find this place, but we guarantee that we can stop him even if he finds us.¡±


    With that said, the rest headed outside the cave in a rush and quickly dispersed behind the rocks dozens of meters away to keep an eye on the surroundings. While being vigilant, however, there was also a vague feeling of helplessness as for how to explain what happened to their Boss once he woke up.


    Inside the cave.


    Two flashlights with their switches on were placed in the concave of the half-meter-high mountain wall to illuminate the cave. While hugging Tang Xiu, Zhang Xinyue could feel his hot hands caressing her body indiscriminately, causing the redness on her beautiful face to become stronger like the glowing sunset.


    She really didn¡¯t fall in love with this man. She did have had an ambiguous relationship with two young men, but it was only during her student¡¯s days. Later on, due to her meeting many broken-hearted women due to their relationships, as well as the famed status of her older sister as a celebrity, she never had any serious boyfriend once. She had never even kissed a man until now.


    ¡®Exactly how and what should I do?¡¯


    She was shivering inside due to embarrassment and was feeling shy, causing her to hesitate and struggle. Just as she was wavering and felt uncertain, a tearing force tore the clothes on her chest, revealing her white skin and flesh¡­


    ¡®Just go ahead regardless¡­¡¯


    Zhang Xinyue steeled her resolve and coordinated with Tang Xiu¡¯s unconscious movements as he undressed her.


    Outside the cave.


    Mo Awu was standing together with Xue Sha a few tens of meters away from the cave entrance. Their eagle-like sharp eyes glanced around so that even the slightest disturbance could be sensed by them.


    ¡°Aargh¡­¡±


    A painful scream was heard from the cave.


    Mo Awu and Xue Sha exchanged glances with a forced, bitter smile. It was a painful scream from Zhang Xinyue; and they were perfectly aware of what the scream represented. Perhaps from this moment on, Zhang Xinyue¡¯s chastity had been given to their Boss. As for this debt of sentiment that would plague their Boss in the future, they could only hope that he wouldn¡¯t give them a lesson due to this reason.


    ¡°You know, I¡¯m kinda a bit sympathizing with Boss,¡± whispered Mo Awu with a sigh.


    ¡°Who can¡¯t vouch for that, really?!¡± Xue Sha rubbed his temple and replied helplessly, ¡°Although Zhang Xinyue is also a stunning beauty among a million women, the one who loves Boss is her older sister. He doesn¡¯t want to receive her, yet he now has a relationship with her younger sister, so after this¡­ incident¡­ how would he face Zhang Xinya¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not involve ourselves in the messed up feelings between men and women, shall we?¡± Mo Awu shook his head and bitterly smiled, ¡°If Boss were to punish us because of this incident, we can only correct our attitude and bite all the decisions we make to save his life, regardless.¡±


    ¡°No worries! We¡¯re not fools either, mate.¡±


    Xue Sha took out a cigarette subconsciously, but suddenly felt that the environment and the potential crisis situation were unsuited to smoking at the moment. He immediately pinched the cigarette and discarded it at his feet.


    Inside the cave.


    At the beginnings, Zhang Xinyue only felt suffering from pain, followed by some joy in the middle, and lastly a mix between pain and joy. Yet, she was very scared since Tang Xiu had really fallen into a frenzy. She had been holding on while riding the waves for nearly two hours, but she couldn¡¯t see whether Tang Xiu would stop sailing.


    She wanted to push him, but she failed because she had no strength. She even shouted with a suppressed voice in Tang Xiu¡¯s ears dozens of times already, yet it still didn¡¯t work.


    Regardless, the taste of ecstasy with that overwhelming emotion to the peak faintly made her addicted to it. She even wished it would last forever if it wasn¡¯t the fact that she was a beginner in such skinship.


    Roar¡­


    A deep roar came out of Tang Xiu¡¯s throat as his body finally stopped moving in a tremble.


    Immediately after, the cave fell into stillness and tranquility for a long time.


    The day fast-forwarded into the afternoon.


    Tang Xiu finally woke up from his lethargic sleepiness. The instant he opened his eyes, he immediately unleashed his perception toward the outside. But the moment after he sobered up, the expression on his handsome face froze as his eyes he saw the smooth and white woman¡¯s shoulders beside him and he even took back his spiritual sense.


    ¡®Heavens! What have I done?¡¯


    Tang Xiu¡¯s breathing turned sharp faster because Zhang Xinyue slept next to him with a face that looked like she was in a bit of pain. Although she was still wearing clothes, many parts of it had been obviously ripped apart.


    What followed was a deathly stillness. After the long silence, Tang Xiu carefully took out a thin quilt from his interspatial ring and gently covered Zhang Xinyue¡¯s body with it. He also removed her exposed long legs that winded on his waist and took out a few more thin quilts and two sets of clothes, one of which he put next to Zhang Xinyue while he put on the other one. Afterward, he flashed and appeared outside.


    Though he couldn¡¯t see that the moment when he left the cave, two lines of glittering tears flowed out of Zhang Xinyue¡¯s eyes.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Mo Awu, Jin Shi, Xue Sha, and Hei Xiong flashed from dozens of meters away in the distance and quickly stood in front of Tang Xiu, as Mo Awu then excitedly asked, ¡°Are you all right, Boss?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression, however, was looking somewhat gloomy. He watched the surroundings and then asked in a heavy voice, ¡°Who among you asked Zhang Xinyue to save me?¡±


    The four men exchanged glances as Mo Awu dryly smiled and answered, ¡°The poison had invaded your body too deep last night, Boss. I was afraid that you¡¯d be in danger, especially if the aphrodisiac was not solved in time.¡±


    ¡°Bastard!¡± Tang Xiu cursed furiously and yelled, ¡°Don¡¯t you also know the situation between me and Zhang Xinya? Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know Zhang Xinyue is her younger sister either? You decided to let this happen, but how can I solve this problem in the future?!¡±


    Mo Awu forced a bitter smile and said, ¡°We were originally planning to take you to Qinglin County and then find some brothels¡­ but¡­ it was Miss Zhang herself, who decided that¡­ she must save you, so we were¡­¡±


    The revelation sent a headache to Tang Xiu, making him rub his temple and glare angrily at the four men. Then he coldly snorted and said, ¡°Hmph, just wait and see how I will punish you later!¡±


    With that said, he turned around and returned to the cave and found that Zhang Xinyue was still sleeping soundly with the same posture as previous. He stood in silence for a few minutes and then headed to the entrance of the cave to sit cross-legged there.


    The aphrodisiac in his system had disappeared at this moment, but other types of poison still were present inside. Although these poisons only had a slight effect on him, he still had to remove these poisons out of his system as soon as possible. Moreover, his internal injuries might have been a bit better after resting for a while, yet they were still quite serious regardless.


    After taking the Holy Healing pill, Tang Xiu controlled the Primal Chaos Force to clean up the poisons inside his system quickly, and then slowly mended his displaced organs to their previous positions.


    The nourishing process and rejuvenation followed.


    As he had been fully immersed in recuperation and detoxification treatment, he was unaware that Zhang Xinyue, who was inside the cave, had slowly sat up and was gently putting on Tang Xiu¡¯s underwear and jacket beside her.


    She didn¡¯t stand up as she felt her genitalia burning with pain, causing her not to dare to move carelessly. Staying still in that posture, she watched Tang Xiu¡¯s back through the aid of the light coming in from the outside of the cave and fell into her own train of thought in silence.


    In spite of the fact that she did go ahead with her decision, she was utterly confused at this moment.


    Outside the cave.


    Mo Awu¡¯s group of four came together, while Xue Sha whispered and stressed his thoughts over and over again, ¡°Remember, guys. We bit the bullet, yet the purpose was to save our Boss, so we finally accepted Miss Zhang¡¯s suggestion, got it?! Besides, I¡¯m sure even if Boss punishes us, it won¡¯t be too serious given what we know from his character and temper.¡±


    Mo Awu stroked his chin and whispered back, ¡°Be ready to use the money we¡¯ve previously extorted at labor camp 1319! If my guess is correct, the punishment from Boss should be months without our cultivation resource quota.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also gonna find the time to meet Chen Zhizhong once we get back,¡± interjected Jin Shi all of a sudden. ¡°He¡¯s Boss¡¯s disciple, so it will be very easy for us to buy some precious herbs from him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± The other three nodded.

 Chapter 855 - Raising Pedestal

    Chapter 855: Raising Pedestal


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The dim cave was filled with a damp smell as Tang Xiu opened his eyes after discharging the poisons out of his system and recuperating from his serious internal injuries. To his surprise, the sky outside had gradually faded into dimness while the cool breeze brought along with it the fragrance of a meal.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    Tang Xiu turned back and saw Zhang Xinyue leaning against the mountain wall, yet she looked blanked out and seemed to be at a loss. His heart was suddenly inundated with complex emotions he found so hard to express.


    ¡®What should I do?¡¯


    He racked his brains to ponder about this particular issue, yet was unable to figure out any proper way. It was because he was not that close with Zhang Xinya and they both had only met a few times before. If it was Zhang Xinya who lost her virginity to him, Tang Xiu might be able to accept her reluctantly, but he couldn¡¯t think of anything suitable for Zhang Xinyue.


    ¡®Should I take responsibility?¡¯


    Not to mention that it was pretty hard for him to cherish her, the possibility that Zhang Xinya would learn about this matter between him and Zhang Xinyue would probably send painful agony to the former. Furthermore, even if he did become her man and take responsibility for her, without attachment and feelings, it wouldn¡¯t end up better for Zhang Xinyue and might even become her burden.


    ¡°You¡¯ve¡­ awaken already?¡±


    Zhang Xinyue sobered up and came to her senses. She could see the complex expression on Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he looked at her. An awkward look immediately filled her face for a few seconds before she quickly adjusted herself and said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about what happened today. The reason why I was¡­ well, it¡¯s just to repay the grace for saving my life.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Tang Xiu floated and said again, ¡°And thank you!¡±


    Yet, a sour and bitter feeling filled Zhang Xinyue¡¯s heart. She had lost what was most important for a woman¡ª her chastity¡ª but in end, it was exchanged with just thankful words?


    Her eyes could see the apologetic expression on Tang Xiu¡¯s face and she shook her head and said, ¡°Let¡¯s just forget it! You saved me once and I saved you now, so we are even. I just hope that you never mention anything to anyone about what has happened today, while on my part, I naturally will not tell others of what happened in Qingcheng Mountain either. Nothing happens between us after we leave this place.¡±


    ¡°I give you my word.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and looked at her while her body shivered a few times. Then, he suddenly asked, ¡°Anyways, have you had¡­ a bite from yesterday until now?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten anything since last night,¡± answered Zhang Xinyue.


    Tang Xiu nodded without a word. He turned around to stride out of the cave and looked at Mo Awu, who stood next to a boulder dozens of meters away and said in a deep voice, ¡°Did you return with something to eat?¡±


    Mo Awu flew over and then respectfully said, ¡°We were worried that making a bonfire to roast meat would alarm the enemy last night, so we bought food from the county town. Are you hungry? I¡¯ll give them to you now.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded at his words and asked again while Tang Xiu took the packaged meal, ¡°What about the Red Silk Flower?¡±


    Mo Awu spread out his palm and took the Red Silk Flower that was still in full bloom from his interspatial ring before saying, ¡°We obtained this Red Silk Flower from Wang Xuezhong last night, but we also encountered an unexpected situation. We killed two men who sought revenge from Qingcheng Monastery, but the rest of the monastery¡¯s people also fled.¡±


    ¡°I see. Did you find any abnormal situation when you went to Qinglin County town?¡± asked Tang Xiu in a deep voice.


    ¡°We heard the news that Wang Xuegang, the developer of Golden Goblet Emperor Gauze villa complex, was murdered, along with several of his bodyguards that were around him. All of them were beheaded and their heads are now hung on the gate of the villa complex. We asked around and heard that an old man in a green robe is the culprit.¡±


    Dao Master Poison?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression slightly changed. Then he nodded and said, ¡°So, Dao Master Poison hasn¡¯t yet left. He¡¯s probably hiding in some corners of Qinglin County, waiting for us to walk into a trap. Awu, we¡¯ll keep hiding here for the next few days, but we¡¯ll leave after I recuperate from my injuries. However, I need you to do something.¡±


    ¡°Please issue the order, Boss,¡± asked Mo Awu.


    ¡°I¡¯ll write a list of medicinal herbs for you,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°You will go to the Qinglin County medicinal herbs market and purchase them. If you can¡¯t find all of them over there, go buy them in other places. Remember, be sure to buy all the herbs I need within three days!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± replied Mo Awu respectfully.


    Tang Xiu went back to the cave and saw that Zhang Xinyue had put on his clothes, though they still couldn¡¯t hide her stunning charm. He sighed inwardly before taking out a folding table and chair from his interspatial ring. As he put the lunch box on the folding table, he said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s have a bite first. Also, I¡¯m afraid that we must still stay here for the next few days.¡±


    Zhang Xinyue, however, only stared blankly at the table and chairs that suddenly appeared out of thin air and muttered, ¡°Did you just cast some magic? Where did these tables and chairs come out from?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re from my interspatial ring,¡± answered Tang Xiu with a chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s an object used by cultivators like me to store our stuff. I often adventure and sleep outside deep in the forest and mountains; hence, I always bring some daily necessities to be used at any time.¡±


    Zhang Xinyue recalled how Mo Awu and the rest were also able to fly, so she gradually relaxed around Tang Xiu who could also do some magical stuff. It had been two days since the last time she ate something and she was starving. As she opened the lunch box, the fragrant smell of warm rice congee and porridge drifted out to the air and she hurriedly took a few mouthfuls of porridge and wolfed down the rest.


    Looking at her appearance at the moment made Tang Xiu feel amused inside. He was also starving so he followed suit and ate directly. Fortunately, Mo Awu bought a lot of meals, enough for him and Zhang Xinyue to satiate themselves.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m stuffed,¡± said Zhang Xinyue after some time, filled with a look of satisfaction and a slightly bulging belly. With that said, she reached out to clean up the leftovers and quickly got up and prepared to throw them outside. Just as she paced a step, she cried out after her feet staggered and stumbled, her waist bent before she fell onto the ground.


    Tang Xiu quickly squatted beside her, then propped her up and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you hurt?¡±


    ¡°The suffering¡­ is due to you, freak!¡± angrily cursed Zhang Xinyue as she glared at Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Uh, what¡¯s wrong? You seem to be in pain?¡± Tang Xiu was confused.


    ¡°You still dare continue?!¡± Zhang Xinyue was furious.


    Tang Xiu was downright confused by her attitude. He racked his brain for a long time while watching her stand up carefully. Only then did he realize the situation.


    ¡°I¡­¡± He was somewhat awkward and embarrassed because he realized that the ¡°skinship¡± should have been Zhang Xinyue¡¯s first time. He broke her chastity during his unconscious state and he might have made her suffer big time due to his lack of control in strength and timing.


    ¡°You take them out!¡± said Zhang Xinyue angrily as she sat back on the chair.


    Tang Xiu touched his nose and took the leftovers to quickly leave toward the cave entrance. After discarding the leftovers in some hidden bushes, he found a thick tree nearby and cut it into wooden boards and quickly made a rough single bed.


    As he returned to the cave, Tang Xiu put the single bed on the side of the wall, then took out some bedding and a pillow from his interspatial ring as he said, ¡°We¡¯ll be staying here for a while, so you can sleep on this bed later! You don¡¯t need to worry about water and meals since I brought a lot of them with me. It¡¯s enough for us to last a few days.¡±


    Although Zhang Xinyue had seen Tang Xiu¡¯s magical means, she found it still interesting. However, the relationship between them at present was somewhat special, so she was too ashamed to make a detailed inquiry.


    A few days later, after Tang Xiu took another Holy Healing pill, his injuries had finally healed. However, he wasn¡¯t in a hurry to leave this place even though his purpose of coming to Qingcheng Mountain had been achieved. It was because he had yet to get rid of the strong enemies here, while Jin Shi, who had sneaked into Qinglin County many times, also reported that he obtained a lot of news from there.


    Among them were the murder cases that frequently appeared recently in Qinglin County. Nearly all the victims who met with tragic death were from the Qingcheng Monastery. The entire county was now under martial law, and an investigation had been conducted to find the murderer who wore a green robe. Yet, there had been little to no progress so far.


    ¡°Boss, of the dozens of Qingcheng Monastery members who ran away, six of them have already died now. This School might be completely annihilated if the situation continues like this,¡± reported Jin Shi with a bitter smile.


    ¡°Every cause has its result,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°It was a mistake made by the Qingcheng school in the past and what happens now is just retribution. Wang Rui once helped Viviani; thus, she chose to join our Everlasting Feast Hall, so we owe him a favor. Though it¡¯s rather unfortunate that we didn¡¯t see that night, I¡¯m afraid that his situation is fraught with grim possibilities.¡±


    ¡°Speaking about it, Wang Rui is indeed a good talent for cultivation,¡± lamented Jin Shi. ¡°It¡¯s just he has his shortcoming of being rather boastful. It¡¯s a pity that he died in the battle that night, else he might have been able to be a steady power among the Qingcheng school. They have gone through such a catastrophe, which might have stimulated him to achieve some success in the future.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, he is a talented individual, but Qingcheng Monastery is his home, nevertheless,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°If the Qingcheng school is not extinct, he¡¯s not of any use for us, even if he survived. As for you¡­ just don¡¯t make blind and disorderly conjectures.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, since we can¡¯t use that talented individual, that means that he¡¯s not a real talent, no?¡± Jin Shi grinned. ¡°By the way, you¡¯ve been healed from your injuries, Boss, so when are we leaving?¡±


    Not far away from their spot, Zhang Xinyue¡¯s expression moved as she could also hear their dialogue. Her mood was very complicated at the moment. She didn¡¯t have a liking for Tang Xiu at first even though she admitted that he was a talented good young man. After the experience from the incident she had in Qingcheng Mountain¡ªmore so with the fact that she had given him her chastity¡ªthere was now a special feeling in her heart for him. But if this feeling was called love, it was also far from that.


    But after being together the past few days, even though Tang Xiu had been practicing for most of the time, she paid extra attention and had her eyes always fixated on him. She paid extra attention to his every word and deed, to each action and movement he made, and even the apologetic words, deeds, and regrets Tang Xiu expressed while taking care of her. They all felt very incredible to her, making her constantly touched inside.


    And now, after hearing the inquiry from Jin Shi about when they were going to leave this remote and secluded forested mountain, another emotion birthed inside her heart. The feeling of reluctance and unwillingness to end the days when she could be together with Tang Xiu from morning to night.


    ¡®W-what¡­ what¡¯s wrong with this image in my mind?¡¯


    Zhang Xinyue suddenly came back to her senses and quickly justified it to herself with other thoughts, like: The reason why I want to get along with Tang Xiu is more because he has endless mystical means¡­ definitely!

 Chapter 856 - The Growing Charm

    Chapter 856: The Growing Charm


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu took out a cigarette, ignited it and took a few deep puffs before saying, ¡°Everything is ready and just needs the right time to move. Once Awu has bought all the herbs I need, we can leave this place to get rid of that decrepit Dao Master Poison. For safety¡¯s sake, however, I already contacted Dark and Light to come here.¡±


    ¡°Dark and Light are coming here, Boss?¡± Jin Shi was surprised.


    ¡°Yeah. This is the issue I¡¯m about to tell you.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I asked Awu to contact them. I expect them to arrive in Qinglin County this evening, so you are to go quietly in the afternoon, precisely to the hotel suite we checked in last time. You¡¯ll wait for them there and then bring them over.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Jin Shi nodded without a word and then flew away to the distance.


    Not far away from them, after Zhang Xinyue consoled herself, she quickly came to Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Can I go with him to Qinglin County? I haven¡¯t had a shower for a couple of days and it¡¯s quite uncomfortable.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°I can rest my worries if it¡¯s only Jin Shi going by himself, but if you follow him, Dao Master Poison would definitely make you suffer under his hands if Jin Shi¡¯s identity is exposed. Just endure it. Besides, we¡¯ll be leaving in two days at the most.¡±


    A disappointed look flashed in Zhang Xinyue¡¯s eyes and she said bitterly, ¡°This is my first time not having a bath for such a long time ever since I was a child. It¡¯s really too unbearable. These are also your clothes, overcoat, your underwear¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu could only force a wry smile inwardly. The thought of him bringing several sets of women¡¯s clothes and underwear inside his interspatial had never crossed his mind. But they were in such a situation where he didn¡¯t want to let Zhang Xinyue risk her life, especially since he already made her be in such a humiliating state.


    Suddenly, his expression changed and he looked hesitant before he said, ¡°I can actually help you if you wanna have a shower. It¡¯s just¡­¡±


    Zhang Xinyue looked pleasantly surprised and asked, ¡°I can have a shower really? What¡¯s the ¡®but¡¯, exactly?¡±


    Tang Xiu firmed himself and explained, ¡°You can have it by arranging some arrays. But I have to be nearby when you take a shower, at least no less than ten meters.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± a blush appeared on Zhang Xinyue¡¯s pretty face. But since she thought that she already had skinship with Tang Xiu, her reply was just a simple, ¡°That¡¯s fine with me, as long as you don¡¯t peep on me.¡±


    Tang Xiu secretly sighted inside and said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go back to the cave! It¡¯s safe staying outside, but there¡¯s also the possibility of getting found out after arranging the array.¡±


    With that said, he turned back to the cave and quickly arranged the formation of the Auspicious Rain Array and set up an Averting Array around it. Then, he said, ¡°Enter inside and take off your clothes. But do your shower fast, about ten minutes at max, else you won¡¯t have hot water there.¡±


    ¡®Undress myself there?¡¯


    However straightforward Zhang Xinyue¡¯s character was, she was somewhat bashful and hesitated before she asked, ¡°Can you turn around? I¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu took out toiletries from his interspatial ring and handed them to her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! As long as you enter the arrays, nobody outside can see anything inside, but you inside are still able to see the scene outside.¡±


    ¡°For real?¡± Zhang Xinyue still hesitated and confirmed more.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t answer her but directly entered the array. Much to Zhang Xinyue¡¯s surprise, Tang Xiu¡¯s figure suddenly vanished from her sight after he walked a few steps forward. It was as if he had vanished out of thin air.


    After a while, Tang Xiu came out of the array and looked at Zhang Xinyue before saying, ¡°You believe me now, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Zhang Xinyue happily nodded and walked into the array. Her clothes were drenched by the rain inside, but she was unable to bear the cold rainwater that made her shiver, and she backtracked hurriedly. There was an angry look on her face as he asked aloud, ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t you say there¡¯s hot water inside? How come the rain here is so cold?¡±


    ¡°I already told you to undress first before stepping inside, didn¡¯t I?¡± said Tang Xiu helplessly. ¡°Do you see the line over there? You can undress after you walk past that line and then pass through the second one where the rain will shower on you. So, after you walk past the first line, you need to wait for ten seconds before the rainwater turns hot.¡±


    ¡°Eh? What¡¯s the cause for that?¡± asked Zhang Xinyue with visible curiosity on her face.


    ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m using supernatural power to wrap this Auspicious Rain Shower Array.¡± Tang Xiu forced a wry smile and continued, ¡°The high temperature of the fire will cause the rain to heat up while the array is not destroyed. Ah, forget it. You won¡¯t understand it even if I tell you anyway. Just hurry up if you wanna have a shower, I don¡¯t have enough magical power to make it last for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Zhang Xinyue stepped back into the array. Though she was still hesitating when undressing, she chose to believe Tang Xiu after she witnessed him disappear a while ago. After walking past the second line stark naked, she could clearly see Tang Xiu standing outside the array with both hands creating some seals and setting a layer of flame to burn the part past the second line from the outside.


    She felt bashful inwardly because the moment she got naked, Tang Xiu was standing seven-plus meters away in front. But she was also shocked because of this mystical formation array, as well as the flame that enveloped it from the outside.


    After the water temperature was heating up and the chilling cold finally disappeared, she washed quickly with that bit of shyness. It could be said that this shower was the fastest and most embarrassing one she had ever had in her life. After all, she could watch Tang Xiu just over seven meters away from her while taking a bath, causing a tidal wave of emotion that rippled inside her heart.


    She couldn¡¯t help but recall that scene of skinship she had that night¡ªthe taste of ecstasy of reaching the peak¡ªand those scenes of the passionate collision between them.


    ¡°Hurry up! I can only support it for two minutes more.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s voice could be heard from outside.


    Zhang Xinyue¡¯s washing speed increased after hearing that. A minute later, she asked aloud, ¡°I am done bathing. But if you end your support, will the water temperature suddenly cool down?¡±


    ¡°Do you still remember those two lines I told you? Walk past there and you¡¯re done,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Got it!¡± replied Zhang Xineyue to Tang Xiu. But after she stepped outside, only then did she suddenly realize that Tang Xiu gave her toiletries before she took a bath but didn¡¯t give her clean clothes.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face was a bit pale. He constantly generated fire with his magical power and was quite spent at this time. After stopping the spell, he took out a whole set of clean clothes from the interspatial ring without a word, placed them on the bed in the cave, and then said, ¡°Here are the clothes you can wear. I¡¯m going out first.¡±


    Outside the cave.


    Xue Sha and Hei Xiong were hiding in the bushes while keeping an eye of distance areas with their mini binoculars as they sensed that someone was approaching them. The two men turned back and immediately saw Tang Xiu, then made a ¡®silence¡¯ hand signal as Xue Sha then leaned toward Tang Xiu and whispered, ¡°Have a look at four o¡¯clock¡ªabout 450 meters away from us, Boss. Someone from Qingcheng Monastery is over there; we¡¯ve been observing that spot for some time. He¡¯s alone and now is hiding while resting amid the thick grasses over there.¡±


    Tang Xiu frowned and asked, ¡°From which direction did he come from?¡±


    ¡°From Qinglin County¡¯s direction. It seems that he¡¯s heading to the Qingcheng Monastery,¡± answered Xue Sha.¡±


    After staying silent for a while, Tang Xiu said, ¡°You two, stay here to protect Zhang Xinyue. I¡¯ll follow him to see what he¡¯s doing.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t it be dangerous for you, Boss?¡± asked Xue Sha, looking worried.


    ¡°Relax!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Before Awu comes back, I¡¯ll immediately run away if I encounter Dao Master Poison on the way there. Wanting to kill me won¡¯t be that easy as long as that old fogy doesn¡¯t use his poison.¡±


    Ten minutes later, Tang Xiu secretly tailed the expert of Qingcheng Monastery who had already rested and was now quickly heading toward the direction of the monastery. After several hours of running, he finally appeared near the exterior of the Daoist Temple which had stopped burning. The man then hid in the dark, and after observing around for some time, he walked out of the bushes and knelt down before the burnt-out Daoist temple. Afterward, he thumped his head on the ground a few times, then headed northward speedily.


    The man¡¯s movements were very light and he was also very vigilant as he observed any disturbances in the surroundings from time to time. Upon coming to the ruins of the now collapsed tallest building, his figure rushed northwest and appeared in another courtyard in just half a minute.


    Tang Xiu passed by him and watched the Qingcheng Monastery¡¯s man enter a wing-room of the building. After releasing his spiritual sense, he was surprised to see that man held a celadon vase that was more than a meter wide. He turned it around hard, and the originally tightly-shut wall slowly opened, revealing a wide staircase to the room below.


    Tang Xiu followed him. At the moment when the man was walking farther along the ladder and the wall was about to close, he instantly rushed inside.


    ¡°Wang Feng.¡±


    A few voices came fast, followed by a few figures that appeared in front of that man.


    The man, who was called Wang Feng, burst into tears when he saw the men before him. He hugged each one of them hard and then said bitterly, ¡°Our Qingcheng school is literally over. Only eight survive of the 64 people who usually lived above. For the sake of preventing you all from making unnecessary sacrifices, the Head Abbot didn¡¯t allow us to open this dungeon and let you all out.¡±


    A burly middle-aged man hurried asked, ¡°How is the Abbot now?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s safe, but Deputy Abbot passed away,¡± answered Wang Feng. ¡°I received an order from the Abbot to come back here and quietly take you out and flee as fast as possible.¡±


    Several middle-aged men fell into silence for a while. One of them then pulled out a group of keys and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to open cells¡¯ door. We can¡¯t let them die here, even if they did make a mistake in the past.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± the rest nodded without objection.


    A few minutes later, the six cells¡¯ doors were opened and six men and women¡ªmembers of the Qingcheng Monastery who had made mistakes and were held here¡ªcame out fast, one of whom was a young man who was the quickest to come out.


    ¡®Wang Rui?¡¯


    Tang Xiu, who was hiding in the corner by the ladder, could clearly see with his spiritual sense that the young man was Wang Rui.


    Wang Rui quickly ran to the few people and hurriedly asked, ¡°How is the situation above? Has the enemy left yet?¡±


    ¡°They haven¡¯t left yet, but they are still searching for our monastery¡¯s people in the vicinity of Qingcheng Mountain,¡± said Wang Feng bitterly. ¡°Only eight have survived above including me, and the Abbot says that the surviving members of our school must hurry up to escape.¡±


    Wang Rui¡¯s pupils shrunk and he suddenly grabbed Wang Feng¡¯s arm and asked, ¡°What about my father? Where¡¯s he?¡±


    Wang Feng¡¯s expression turned dark and he answered, ¡°Wang Rui, please restrain your grief and accept the inevitable. The powerful enemy caught up with the Deputy Abbot when he ran away to Qinglin County, and he¡­ he died.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!!¡± Wang Rui¡¯s body trembled and his entire being froze on the spot.

 Chapter 857 - Cultivation Art In Exchange For Treasure Troves

    Chapter 857: Cultivation Art In Exchange For Treasure Troves


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    It was unexpected for Tang Xiu to see Wang Rui still alive. He sighed inwardly as he observed his pain through his spiritual sense before he walked out from the corner by the ladder. He knew of the tragedy that befell Qingcheng Monastery and previously thought that he could save the remaining members of the school. However, he got poisoned and heavily injured, leading to nearly half of the remaining dozens of Qingcheng Monastery¡¯s people getting murdered.


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    Except for Wang Rui, nine out of the ten people inside the dungeon spotted Tang Xiu and shouted loudly.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be nervous as I don¡¯t have any evil intentions towards you all.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and sighed, ¡°It was rather unfortunate that Dao Master Poison ambushed me with his poison, else I could have guaranteed the protection of the remaining members of your Qingcheng school.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you?¡±


    When Wang Feng saw Tang Xiu, he looked pleasantly surprised and ran to Tang Xiu under the watchful eyes of everyone else. He knelt and kowtowed a few times before getting up, then gratefully said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be alive. That night, the remaining members would¡¯ve definitely died if it weren¡¯t for your actions in rescue. I¡¯m Wang Feng of the Qingcheng school, and you¡¯re my savior.¡±


    Tang Xiu patted his shoulder and then came to Wang Rui to speak to him helplessly, ¡°The dead can¡¯t be resurrected after death, so restrain your grief and move according to the inevitable. You helped Viviani in the South China Sea, so I¡¯ll help you kill Dao Master Poison in return for the favor.¡±


    Wang Rui didn¡¯t expect that he would see Tang Xiu here, nor did he think that the person who helped them in Qingcheng Monastery that night was Tang Xiu. Nevertheless, there was a look of hatred in his eyes when he turned around and asked, ¡°You mean¡­ the man who killed my father and destroyed my Qingcheng school is called Dao Master Poison?¡±


    ¡°The ones who ruined your Qingcheng Monastery were the disciples of Dao Master Poison, but the one who is currently hunting down and killing the rest of your school¡¯s members is Dao Master Poison,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Your father wasn¡¯t killed that night; he should have been found and killed by Dao Master Poison later on. Put away that hatred, Wang Rui! I¡¯ll help you get revenge in this blood feud.¡±


    Wang Rui was silent for a long while before slowly asking, ¡°Is this Dao Master Poison really that powerful?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s able to fly and is impervious to attacks, so powerful beyond what average people can imagine,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Even if you add up all the members of your Qingcheng school, it won¡¯t be enough against him; he can just swat you away with his palm.¡±


    Slump¡­


    Wang Rui knelt in front of Tang Xiu and enunciated harshly as he said, ¡°Tang Xiu, I know I can never take revenge in this blood feud with my ability, but I hope that you take me with you when you kill Dao Master Poison¡­ I¡­ I want to witness his death with my own eyes.¡±


    Tang Xiu hesitated for a moment before he nodded and replied, ¡°I can promise you that, but what do you want to do next? If you were to exit now, once Dao Master Poison finds you, you probably won¡¯t be able to escape and will die.¡±


    ¡°Are you still unable to beat Dao Master Poison currently, Senior?¡± asked Wang Feng.


    ¡°Maybe I can kill him in a real fight using swords and fists, but the reason why he¡¯s called Dao Master Poison is that he¡¯s an expert in poison and excels in mysterious poisoning methods which are unpredictable even to myself. I don¡¯t know about the poison he uses, which is the reason he got me easily.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and continued, ¡°For example, what happened that night. I wouldn¡¯t have had any problems in keeping my words to shelter the remaining members of your Qingcheng school and would possibly be able to kill him had I not gotten poisoned first.¡±


    ¡°Then what should we do now?¡± asked Wang Feng bitterly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I¡¯ve sent my men to find medicinal herbs. As long as the herbs I need can be found, I can refine the Poison Repellent Pill. As long as I take this pill in advance, even if it can¡¯t keep all types of poisons away, common potent poisons will be unlikely to have an effect on me.¡±


    ¡°If so, what kind of herbs do you need, Senior?¡± asked Wang Feng quickly. ¡°Our Qingcheng Monastery has stored a lot of medicinal herbs in our underground vault. Maybe it has what you need.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed and he quickly told him the herbs he needed. The fact is that the Qingcheng Monastery located deep in the Qingcheng Mountain didn¡¯t cross his mind previously. They had a unique advantage in gathering herbs, and it wasn¡¯t surprising that they would¡¯ve stored a large number of precious herbs.


    ¡°Please come with us, Senior!¡± said Wang Feng. ¡°We¡¯ll go to the underground vault nearby. I know that several types of herbs that you just mentioned are stored inside.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s.¡± Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to delay anymore either and straightly left the dungeon with them.


    The underground vault of Qingcheng Monastery was located in a high-rise courtyard in the Northeast corner. It was a treasure vault of the monastery in the past and also a forbidden place for most people. But now, the Qingcheng school had fallen into distress and had suffered great losses, so the custom of the past had lost its bind.


    At the underground vault.


    Apart from the spacious empty hall under the stairs, there were six storehouses on both sides of the inner corridor that stored some precious treasures belonging to Qingcheng Monastery. The precious herbs, however, were stored in the outermost two storehouses. Tang Xiu entered the first room of the opened storehouses and saw three rows of cabinets filled with precious herbs. There were hundreds of types of them. Tang Xiu glanced over and saw that there were more than ten of the 500-year-old wild ginseng here.


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu found some of the herbs he needed. But he had probed all the herbs stored inside the two storehouses and found that he was still lacking two herbs: the Wild-goose Pond Reed and the Arcane Mugwort Flower.


    Wang Rui walked next to Tang Xiu also knew that they hadn¡¯t yet found two types of herb. He spoke out, ¡°We¡¯ve never heard the names of these two herbs, the Wild-goose Pond Reed and Arcane Mugwort Flower. Can you draw their pictures to make it easier for us to find them?¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Tang Xiu took out a paper and pen, and quickly drew the two herbs.


    After some of them looked at the photos, Wang Rui knitted his brows and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t this Arcane Mugwort Flower just a type of Nepenthes, the Warthog Pen herb? It¡¯s just an ordinary weed endemic to the nearby swamp to the west of Qingcheng Mountain. That¡¯s right, I used to see some of them inside the dungeon, though few in number.¡±


    A Warthog Pen herb?


    Tang Xiu secretly forced a smile inwardly. Even though he had come across and read many literary works on medicinal ingredients, he had never seen any that mentioned the Arcane Mugwort Flower. Yet, such a precious herb was unexpectedly called the Warthog Pen, a common nepenthes plant on Earth. One must know that the processed Arcane Mugwort Flower produced a liquid that could promote blood circulation for removing blood stasis, as well as strengthen muscles and bones. It had a good effect on both average people and cultivators, and the flower had benefits for immortals if it was very old.


    ¡®Earth is truly a giant treasure trove!¡¯ Tang Xiu lamented inwardly and inquired, ¡°Since we can find the Arcane Mugwort Flower, what about the Wild-goose Pond Reed? Do you have anyone who knows this herb?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard about this one.¡±


    All of them shook their heads and had bitter looks on their faces.


    ¡°Then we can only wait if you don¡¯t have it,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I already sent someone to buy it and he might be able to find the herb.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Each of them could only pin their hopes on the people who were sent out by Tang Xiu at this moment.


    Tang Xiu headed out of the storehouse but suddenly asked, ¡°Does your Qingcheng school sell these medicinal herbs? If you are willing to sell them, I can buy them at a high price, or we can exchange it with some other things.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t sell them, but they can be exchanged,¡± said Wang Rui without thinking. ¡°If you exchange it with Daoist cultivation arts, you can take all the herbs stored in these two storehouses.¡±


    The rest immediately looked excited upon hearing that and nodded in agreement with Wang Rui.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a while before he shook his head and said, ¡°Speaking about Daoist cultivation arts is no small matter and it cannot be easily exposed to outsiders either. However, there are some cultivation techniques I can impart to you if you want to be stronger. Although it won¡¯t take you to the realms of cultivators who are able to fly and drain the river or overturn the ocean, it¡¯s still possible to increase your strength more than ten times.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take them!¡± Wang Rui immediately agreed.


    ****


    Qinglin County.


    In the Chief Office of the county Public Security Bureau, the police chief, Zhu Hongguo, was wearing a deep frown while smoking his cigarette intensely. Sitting across from him included the Head of the Communist Party of China¡¯s (CPC) county committee, the party¡¯s second-in-command, and the squad captain of the city¡¯s Criminal Police, Li Gangde. At this moment, the second-in-command of the CPC municipal committee was also smoking and frowning.


    ¡°You must think of a way to solve this problem. The murders that continue to appear in the jurisdiction of Qinglin County have already caused concerns with the provincial authority. Furthermore, these murders have caused public panic and have seriously affected the stability of Qinglin County. If we can¡¯t apprehend this ferocious beast and are unable to solve this problem completely, I¡¯m afraid all of us who are present now won¡¯t end up well off either.¡± The second-in-command of CPC municipal committee, Xiao Kang, put out the cigarette butt and said with a vexed and sullen face.


    ¡°We¡¯ve done everything we could think of, but the culprit is obviously not an ordinary person. Wanting to apprehend and bring him to justice proves next to impossible,¡± replied Zhu Honggue helplessly.


    ¡°I know. The higher-ups have already sent people here, but we haven¡¯t yet learned when they will arrive,¡± said Xiao Kang. ¡°However, we can¡¯t pin all our hopes on those guys while solely counting on them. At the very least, we need to find the whereabouts of this man before the people from the Central authority arrive here.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ we must do the intel work first?¡± asked Zhu Hongguo.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Xiao Kang nodded.


    Knock, knock¡­


    A knock was heard at the office¡¯s door and a middle-aged man in a police uniform entered the room before quickly reporting, ¡°Chief, there are two women here saying that they were sent by the higher-ups. They¡¯re outside now.¡±


    Two women?


    Everyone¡¯s expression changed and Xiao Kang directly got up and said quickly, ¡°Take us to see them!¡±


    A minute later, the group saw two women waiting outside the hall. If Tang Xiu was here, he would be able to recognize them at a glance as they were old acquittances: Electrolady and Aquababe.


    ¡°Two ladies, I am¡­¡±


    Electrolady waved her hand to interrupt Xiao Kang¡¯s introduction and straightforwardly said, ¡°We don¡¯t need to know who you are. Your task is very simple, find a way to help us find the whereabouts of that criminal. At the same time, we are responsible for the operation to capture¡­ or kill him. These are our credentials.¡±


    With that said, the two females took out green books and handed them over to Xiao Kang to inspect them.


    Xiao Kang forced a wry smile inwardly upon seeing the big characters written on the green books. He knew that these two women in front of him had special identities. After returning the green books to them with a bit of a respectful attitude, he said, ¡°We have yet to find out the location of that criminal, but give us some time. I believe we¡¯ll find him as soon as possible and we¡¯ll report our findings to you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s exchange contact details.¡± Electrolady nodded and said, ¡°We¡¯ll move to find him in Qinglin County before we obtain the intel from you. If you find him, do contact us via the number I gave you.¡±

 Chapter 858 - Excessive Confidence

    Chapter 858: Excessive Confidence


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Outside the cave entrance near the mountain brooks, Zhang Xinyue stood restlessly with a face full of worries as her eyes constantly watched the direction of Qingcheng Monastery. She feared that they would encounter dangers after Tang Xiu left them here. Beside her, Mo Awu had returned and brought a lot of herbs, but it seemed like he also lacked two other herbs.


    ¡°Awu, did the Qingcheng Monastery really end up in a tragic situation?¡±


    The matter of the Qingcheng Monastery was never Zhang Xinyue¡¯s concern. She didn¡¯t ask much, even if there was a powerful enemy who could even injure Tang Xiu severely, since she knew that she had no ability to help them and was just a passer-by previously. But now, she was worried about Tang Xiu and thus couldn¡¯t help but ask about it.


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯ve fallen into a miserable state. It¡¯s no different from getting exterminated.¡± Mo Awu nodded and said, ¡°The entirety of Qinglin County is in fear. Right now, there¡¯s a restless atmosphere where even the slightest disturbance could quake the people. It¡¯s because there¡¯s a powerful enemy who¡¯s looking for Qingcheng school¡¯s disciples everywhere and is directly killing them whenever he finds one.¡±


    Zhang Xinyue face turned ghastly. She was about to ask more, but her spirit suddenly shook upon seeing more than ten figures rushing over very quickly from the distance, including Tang Xiu at the forefront¡ªthe very man she was always worried about.


    ¡°Awu, how¡¯s the progress with finding the herbs I wanted?¡±


    Tang Xiu kept thinking about the issue in refining the Poison Repellent Pill, so he immediately asked about it the moment he arrived.


    Mo Awu glanced at a dozen Qingcheng disciples and was slightly surprised upon seeing Wang Rui among them. Then he immediately replied, ¡°I was unable to find two herbs, Boss. I ran to several cities¡¯ medicinal herbs markets, including visiting some pharmacists and herbalists who run a herbs business, but I still can¡¯t find them.¡±


    ¡°Which two herbs, precisely?¡± asked Tang Xiu with knitted brows.


    ¡°The Arcane Mugwort Flower and the Orange Day-Lily Leaf,¡± answered Mo Awu.


    Tang Xiu spaced out before hurriedly asking, ¡°What about the Wild-goose Pond Reed? Did you find it?¡±


    ¡°I found and bought it from a medicinal herb store over there.¡± Mo Awu nodded and said, ¡°But the owner asked an outrageous price of 180 thousand yuan for it. He didn¡¯t even allow me to haggle.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say 180 thousand yuan; it¡¯s still worth it even if it was priced at 100 times more expensive,¡± said Tang Xiu happily. ¡°Give me the Wild-goose Pond Reed first and keep the rest of the herbs for now. Also, these people are members of the Qingcheng school that survived due to luck. You are to settle them nearby while I go seize the time to refine the Poison Repellent Pill.¡±


    ¡°Boss, Light, and Dark have arrived here as well and they are nearby,¡± reported Mo Awu.


    ¡°Tell them to stand by and be ready to move at any time,¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod.


    Immediately after, Tang Xiu arranged a geomancy array inside the cave so as to prevent the leakage of medicinal efficacy when refining the herbs, as well to limit being sensed by people in the vicinity. With the bust furnace Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron, Tang Xiu stayed in the cave for two days and was able to concoct more than ten Poison Repellent Pills.


    ¡°Awu!¡± shouted Tang Xiu the moment he came out of the cave.


    Mo Awu and the rest quickly appeared, even including the more than 10 people from the Qingcheng Monastery. Their eyes held some expectations as they watched him.


    ¡°Awu, you¡¯re to stay here to wait for my news,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Jin Shi and Xue Sha, you are to leave with me along with Wang Rui.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going with you too, Senior,¡± said Wang Feng quickly.


    ¡°You¡¯re too weak and will only become a burden if you follow me.¡± Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°I¡¯ll have no spare hands to protect you when I really have to face Dao Master Poison in combat. Also, the rest of you excluding Wang Rui are to stay here to wait for my message.¡±


    Zhang Xinyue was aware that she was unable to help, so she reached out to grab Tang Xiu¡¯s hand and said with a worried face, ¡°The Great Ancestor once said that you should fight if you can and run if you are no match to your enemies. There will still be times when you can achieve it as long as you¡¯re still alive, so safety is the most important thing.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I always put safety in mind.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ****


    Qinglin County.


    Warm sunlight shined on the whole Earth, while a gentle breeze blew past the blooming purple and red flowers. This warm season should have been the most enjoyable days for people, but now, Qinglin County was full of a chilling and murderous atmosphere. Even the pedestrians on the street were anxious and a bit restless.


    County Public Security Bureau.


    The Captain of the city¡¯s Criminal Police Division, Li Gangde, and Zhu Hongguo, the Chief of Qinglin County¡¯s Public Security Bureau, were in the meeting room to discuss the coordination of work in intelligence personnel.


    Knock, knock¡­


    The meeting room¡¯s door was knocked on and a middle-aged policeman entered the room to quickly report, ¡°Chiefs, the higher-ups have sent another person.¡±


    Li Gangde and Zhu Hongguo exchanged a dismayed glance, though there was also a weird expression on their faces. However, since the person was sent from the authority above, they naturally didn¡¯t dare to neglect him. After they came out of the meeting room, they saw Tang Xiu, Jin Shi, Xue Sha, and Wang Rui outside.


    ¡°Divine Doctor Tang?¡±


    Zhu Hongguo was quite shocked since he knew Tang Xiu. Precisely speaking, Tang Xiu saved his life at the luncheon of the opening sale ceremony of the Golden Goblet Emperor Gauze villa complex.


    ¡°I heard that you¡¯ve encountered troubles and are experiencing a headache in your endeavor to apprehend Dao Master Poison, so I came over to see the situation.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°If you can tell me the whereabouts of Dao Master Poison, I can help you catch or kill him.¡±


    ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, you are talking about Dao Master Poison¡ªis he the murderer in the green robe?¡± asked Zhu Hongguo quizzically. ¡°Also, he¡¯s very powerful and too strong to face, but you¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu took out the green book and handed it to the two men and said, ¡°I know that old fogy is very formidable and powerful. Even if you use military force to face him, it¡¯s impossible to take him down. But I can do it.¡±


    Zhu Hongguo¡¯s pupils suddenly shrunk after seeing the green book. Only now did he genuinely realize how terrifying Tang Xiu¡¯s identity was. For one to be able to become a special existence of the country¡¯s security department, it meant that he was definitely not only highly skilled in medicine and brilliant at business practices, but he also probably¡­ had a very formidable strength and combat prowess.


    As for Li Gangde, he didn¡¯t know who Tang Xiu was, but the green book made him instinctively apprehensive and respectful. Seeing that Zhu Hongguo knew Tang Xiu, he asked, ¡°Chief Zhu, do you know him?¡±


    ¡°Captain Li, do you still remember what I told you before; that Divine Doctor Tang saved nearly 100 people at the opening sale ceremony of the Golden Goblet Emperor Gauze villa complex?¡± asked Zhu Hongguo. ¡°The respected doctor is now in front of you, though I never expected that Divine Doctor Tang is actually someone from the state either.¡±


    Li Gangde suddenly understood and said with awe and respect, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, thank you for coming. Regarding the information on the criminal you asked about, we¡¯re currently looking for him now as well, and the searching area is gradually narrowing down. If our guesstimate is correct, he should be lurking in the Eastern municipality area.¡±


    Eastern municipality area?


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll go looking for him first.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°But do contact me at once if you get the exact location of his hiding place in advance.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something I need to tell you about, Divine Doctor Tang,¡± said Zhu Hongguo. ¡°Two people came here just before you arrived and they are in the same department as you. They are now in Qinglin County and are searching for the whereabouts of the murderer too.¡±


    ¡°What are they called, exactly?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised.


    ¡°One of them is called Electrolady, whereas the other one is Aquababe,¡± said Zhu Hongguo.


    A strange expression appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s face and he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle and comment, ¡°Ah, it turned out to be these two! It seems the murder cases in Qinglin County have already alerted those higher-ups, eh? Alright, I¡¯ll note that. If you don¡¯t have anything else, we¡¯ll take our leave first.¡±


    In the Eastern municipality.


    Electrolady and Aquababe were standing atop a ten-story tenement building, both using binoculars to calmly observe the situation in the surroundings. The intel from the Public Security Bureau said that the murderer was very likely to be hiding in the vicinity, so they decided to stay here and wait for the murderer to expose himself without much effort.


    ¡°Hehe, it seems that there are a lot of people interested in this old man!¡±


    Dao Master Poison appeared behind the two women out of thin air. He didn¡¯t rush to attack them, but just grinned with a strange gaze at the two women. There was a bit of lust and indecent intention in his eyes as if he could undress these two young women with his eyes only.


    The expression of Electrolady and Aquababe greatly changed as they turned back in a flash, ready for battle. When they saw that Dao Master Poison was just ten meters away from them, however, the two women¡¯s hearts were relentlessly falling deeper in despair.


    ¡®Powerful enemy!¡¯


    ¡®He has a very terrifying strength; I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be extremely difficult to take him down with just the two of us.¡¯


    The two women exchanged glances fast while tacitly understanding what each other had in mind and nodded without a word.


    Electrolady treaded a step forward and looked at Dao Master Poison before coldly speaking, ¡°You¡¯re not an average person, so why do you keep killing those of ordinary society and create panic? Don¡¯t tell me you dare to go against the state¡¯s will?¡±


    ¡°The state¡¯s will? What a big joke!¡± Dao Master Poison mocked, ¡°Although this old man once lived in China for more than a hundred years, I¡¯ve never set foot here for the latter half of my life. Had it not been for my two good-for-nothing disciples coming here, do you really think I¡¯d be happy to come over?¡±


    ¡°Regardless of whatever reasons you have, we are now giving you two choices. First, you are to submit without resisting; Second, you are to leave China and are not allowed to step your feet in China¡¯s territory ever again.¡±


    Dao Master Poison touched his chin and smilingly said, ¡°You still want to threaten this old man by relying on the two of you, little babes?! Hahaha¡­ For real?! Well, I won¡¯t hurt you even if you threaten me, though. As long as you¡¯re well-behaved in serving this old man very well, I can forgive those little guys of the Qingcheng Monastery. However, this old man must still find and kill that bastard punk who killed my two disciples and has been badly injured by me!¡±


    A cold glint flashed in Electrolady¡¯s eyes and she angrily shouted, ¡°Old loach, never think that because you have fearsome strength, you can do whatever you want here. The might of a nation is not something you can afford to fight against!¡±


    ¡°Overconfident and trying to bite more than you can chew, eh?¡±


    Dao Master Poison shook his head and with the dragon figurehead walking stick in his hand, he immediately sent a barrage of attacks toward Electrolady.


    BOOM¡­


    A flying sword instantly appeared in front of Electrolady and the dragon figurehead walking stick was shattered along with the scattering flames. Dao Master Poison staggered backwards for several steps in succession before he was barely able to stabilize his body.


    Currently, in front of Electrolady, Light was dressed in white attire donning a stunning and handsome look with a natural unrestrained attitude. He looked at Dao Master Poison and smilingly said, ¡°The two of them may be biting off more than they can chew¡ªunaware that they¡¯re doing something beyond their ability. But what if you add me into the lineup?¡±


    ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± Dao Master Poison¡¯s expression turned grim and he shouted in a rough, heavy voice.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re qualified to know who I am,¡± said Light with a chuckle. ¡°What you need to know is that you¡¯ll only have one end today. That is, to have your soul scattered and vanished.¡±

 Chapter 859 - Man Will Do Anything in His Means For Riches

    Chapter 859: Man Will Do Anything in His Means For Riches


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Dao Master Poison¡¯s face was full of contempt, but greed was visibly flashing in his eyes as he stared at Light¡¯s flying sword. He had sharp eyes and insight and had followed his Master when he was young, where he saw the scenes of powerful cultivators who controlled and manipulated swords to fly.


    Unfortunately, his sect didn¡¯t have the heritage to refine the flying sword, let alone the arts to control it. He felt vexed due to the numerous times that he, as a cultivator, found himself not having a magical weapon such as a flying sword.


    ¡°There¡¯s no use in having such a sharp mouth, brat!¡±


    Dao Master Poison reluctantly took his eyes off the flying sword and slightly flicked his finger.


    Light, who had been vigilantly observing Dao Master Poison, was keenly aware of this finger flick. He immediately flashed back to the middle between Electrolady and Aquababe. His flying swords hovered and danced in a circle mid-air, while both of his hands grabbed the two women¡¯s shoulders as he instantly flashed to step on his flying sword and flew northward towards Qingcheng Mountain.


    ¡°You want to run?¡±


    Dao Master Poison never expected that Light was so alert and powerful that he was even able to find out that he had secretly released a poisonous mist. His figure instantly turned into shadow as he pursued, only to find with amazement that this guy turned out to be able to control his flying sword to fly very fast. Even though he towed two people with him, his speed was on par with his flying speed limit.


    That was truly a treasure!


    The greed he already had turned more intense and he pumped out his speed to the maximum and burst forward in the blink of an eye to pursue him. In just more than ten breaths, the pursuit had passed through the county town and continued to the top of the mountain at the outermost part of Qingcheng Mountain.


    At the entrance of the Qinglin County Public Security Bureau.


    Tang Xiu suddenly looked up as his sharp eyes suddenly shifted to the northeast sky. He clearly saw several figures moving lightning fast and flying to the north.


    ¡®It¡¯s Light with Electrolady and Aquababe, while the one who chases them is Dao Master Poison.¡¯


    Tang Xiu clenched his fists and handed over the Invisibility charm to the other three men. Then, he grabbed Wang Rui¡¯s shoulder and instantly soared to fly toward that direction.


    At the mountain peak around Qingcheng Mountain.


    Light¡¯s wholly smiling face drastically changed as he put down Electrolady and Aquababe. It was because Aquababe looked fine, though she didn¡¯t lack her vigilance as she flashed dozens of meters backward with a dagger in her hand. On the other hand, Electrolady spaced out and stood still as she watched Light¡¯s handsome face, seemingly bewitched and intoxicated by him.


    The sight was, nonetheless, quite amusing to Light, so he reached out to pat Electrolady¡¯s pretty face, and he said with a chuckle, ¡°Hey, Beauty. Wake up!¡±


    ¡°Ah, what?¡±


    Electrolady seemed to have been dragged from a dream. Conscious of how much of a love-struck fool she just looked like, her stunning face immediately blushed ear to ear as she staggered two steps backwards and bashfully twisted and pinched her clothes.


    Dao Master Poison then landed ten meters away from the trio and took out black gloves from his sleeve pouch and quickly wore them. Light¡¯s speed was too fast, and even though he was confident in his own strength, he still had to be careful at this moment.


    ¡°Hand over your flying sword, Brat! I can spare you your death..¡±


    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re catching up very fast, old loach!¡± Light let out a pale smile and said, ¡°Never thought that your cultivation is also at Golden Core stage, more so at mid-stage nonetheless. No wonder you can strike my Grand Master so badly with your poison when he was slightly careless. I gotta admit that I might be unable to beat you in combat alone. But rest your worries, though. It¡¯s not me who must clean you up since Grand Master should be here soon if my guess is correct.¡±


    His Grand Master?


    Dao Master Poison¡¯s countenance changed and looked surprised as he asked, ¡°Who¡¯s your Grand Master?¡±


    ¡°Tsk, tsk¡­ you seem to have lived for too long; to think that your intellect has deteriorated this much.¡± Light shook his head and smilingly said, ¡°You ambushed my Grand Master with your poison. You sneak attacked and even injured him in the Qingcheng Monastery not long ago, am I right?¡±


    Dao Master Poison¡¯s pupils shrunk and he shouted in a heavy voice, ¡°That youngster? He¡¯s¡­ your Grand Master? Are you kidding me? His strength is just equal to yours at most, how could he possibly be your Grand Master?¡±


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    A few figures appeared in front of Dao Master Poison in a flash. Tang Xiu put Wang Rui down as his eyes flickered and he coldly said, ¡°Why can¡¯t I be his Grand Master, even if my strength is just equal to his?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really you.¡± Dao Master Poison was surprised, yet amazed at the same time. ¡°But you have obviously been poisoned; I even struck you hard. How come you¡¯re now¡­¡±


    ¡°You wanna know why, as if nothing happened to me, huh?¡± Tang Xiu grimly sneered and said, ¡°Hehe, if I didn¡¯t have a trivial method to dispel your poison, how could I be worthy to be his Grand Master then? Dao Master Poison, you poisoned me and keep provoking me, and yet you actually dare to stay in Qingcheng Mountain. Do you really think that you¡¯re invincible here?¡±


    Dao Master Poison was secretly turning vigilant and on guard. He had observed them and discovered that of the three people brought by Tang Xiu, two of them were cultivators, though very weak, whereas the last one seemed to be an average person who has practiced some trivial martial arts.


    However, two of them were strong enemies at Golden Core cultivation stage, regardless. One of whom had powerful magical spells, while the other one had a magical flying sword. If he were to really clash with them head-on, he might not be able to seize the upper hand.


    ¡®Poison, then¡­¡¯


    It was his most powerful killing trump card¡ªpoison. Facing two powerful enemies, he instantly took out the jade gourd from his waist and unplugged its cap. Two black venomous bees then flew out from the inside. The two bees, however, didn¡¯t directly attack Tang Xiu and the others but sprayed out two clusters of black mist.


    Tang Xiu just glimpsed at it and flicked a Poison Repellent Pill to the front of Light and another one to the cliff tens of meters away before shouting in a deep voice, ¡°Take this pill.¡±


    Light swallowed the pill without hesitation and respectfully said, ¡°Grand Master, this disciple has arrived here. You might as well give me this ancient poison to resolve? I believe I can kill him here without the need for a burial place in only a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate him and take him lightly,¡± said Tang Xiu faintly.


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Light smiled as a jade flute instantly appeared in his hand and his flying sword hovered around him, while the melodious sound then drifted out from the jade flute.


    A surprised expression flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes after he heard the sound of the flute playing from Light. There was a happy expression on his handsome face since he didn¡¯t expect that Gu Yan¡¯er would pass the Melody of the Floating Sword to Light. One must know that he was the one who created this Melody of the Floating Sword in the past and taught it to Gu Yan¡¯er when she was a teenager.


    Dao Master Poison retreated sharply and then soared to air and stood there. Disbelief filled his eyes as he shouted harshly, ¡°My bee venom has no effect on you?¡±


    ¡°I forgot to tell you one thing. You ambushed me with your poison, so I had to waste some time to refine a Poison Repellent Pill.¡± Tang Xiu sneered at him and continued, ¡°Unless your bees¡¯ venom can kill an expert at the Nascent Soul stage, it won¡¯t have any effect on us whatsoever.¡±


    Poison Repellent Pill?


    Dao Master Poison¡¯s body trembled and the vigilance on his face grew thicker. He was a poison master; even other cultivators who were at the same cultivation stage of Golden Core were afraid of his poison. Yet, the very thing he worried about the most was encountering a powerful person who had the ability to concoct anti-poison pills.


    ¡®What should I do?¡¯


    Dao Master Poison began considering whether he should keep fighting or run away.


    Light, however, didn¡¯t give him more time to think. While playing the flute, the flying sword circling around him seemed to be under the control of a General as it suddenly transformed into overlapping layers of sword images. They blotted out the sky and covered the sun as they flashed toward Dao Master Poison. One only needed spiritual sense to execute the secret art to control flying swords at their will, but the Melody of the Floating Sword had a harsher requirement. Along with the wake of the rhythm and tune of the melody, the flying sword seemed to have transformed into a mirage of thousands upon thousands of horses and soldiers in a battle formation as it strangled the enemy in a peculiar position inside the formation.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯


    Dao Master Poison felt a chill down his spine, and he retreated sharply to the vacant space behind him. From the spectacle of this strike, he didn¡¯t dare to face it head-on, despite having a layer higher of cultivation level than Light¡¯s. However, at this moment, overlapping ripples suddenly appeared in the air tens of meters behind him.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Most of Dao Master Poison¡¯s attention had been focused to the front, making it so he could only notice the air fluctuation from behind at this time, and yet, it made him restless regardless. Being prudent and cautious as he always was, he sharply flashed to the side at the moment he retreated back. But the flying sword flashed in the air and struck his chest. He was barely able to avoid a strike to the heart by a hair¡¯s breadth.


    ¡°Damn.¡±


    Never once in his wildest dreams did Dao Master Poison expect that there was someone in this world who could hide his body and presence in the air. Just as the suddenly appearing flying sword pierced his body, he saw a shadow suddenly emerge and control the flying sword to swiftly strike him hard.


    ¡°One-eyed Dragon, get out and save me!¡±


    Dao Master Poison was truly afraid after getting mauled this heavily since the shadow in a black robe not only controlled the flying sword but also had sealed off all his escape routes. Those sword images seemed omnipresent and appeared in front of him in a flash. He clearly realized that he would only meet the God of Death if there was nobody to his rescue!


    ¡°What sinister and evil two younglings!¡±


    A figure instantly bolted lightning fast from a nearby forested mountain and arrived in an instant. A bronze axe split out and clashed with the flute-controlled flying sword. To Tang Xiu and Light¡¯s surprise, the flying sword was unable to crush the bronze axe; even the overlapping layers of sword images dissipated by the enormous force instead, while the flying sword itself flew back to Light.


    Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!


    Dark, who was wearing a black robe and controlling her flying sword, left more than ten bloody wounds on Dao Master Poison¡¯s body before she flashed down into the forested mountain below. In just nearly half a second, her figure then disappeared into the dense bushes below.


    Tang Xiu watched the old man who had saved the life of Dao Master Poison. He was a one-eyed blind man with loosely hanging white hair, clad in a grayish-black Chinese tunic suit. His blind eye was covered by an eyepatch made of leather, showing that he was really a one-eyed man.


    ¡°Are you in cahoots with him?¡±


    One-eyed Dragon let out a hollow laugh and sighed, ¡°The young truly exceed the old, like how the waves behind push those before them, just like in the old saying, really. This old man truly admires you younglings. It¡¯s just, why did you say I¡¯m this Old Poison¡¯s companion? This old man merely follows this Old Poison to collect his debt, but unexpectedly came across this mess.¡±


    ¡°Old man, I¡¯m really curious what kind of debt Dao Master Poison owes you, to think that he¡¯s worth saving like he¡¯s worthy of your life,¡± sneered Tang Xiu. ¡°Today¡¯s matter has been set in stone and can only end with death. You are rushing in to meddle so rashly, but there¡¯s no way you are allowed to only pay heed to your own moral betterment while ignoring us.¡±


    One-eyed Dragon broke into laughter and then said, ¡°Don¡¯t speak so big of a tone, kid. In spite of that this old man is not your match, you can¡¯t stop me if I want to escape. It¡¯s even to the extent that I have always wondered who could stop me in this world, though I¡¯m sure it wouldn¡¯t be more than five people in total.¡±

 Chapter 860 - Trapped Like A Turtle In The Jar

    Chapter 860: Trapped Like A Turtle In The Jar


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    One-eyed Dragon was full of confidence and the pride of his was unintentionally shown in his speech and manner. Even his eyes when he looked at Tang Xiu contained some contempt and ridicule.


    ¡°Are you sure of it?¡± said Tang Xiu with a faint smile.


    ¡°This old man is certainly sure that those who can stop me in this world are very few, and you¡¯re absolutely not one of them,¡± said One-eyed Dragon proudly. ¡°It¡¯s useless spitting out nonsensical things, kid. If you really have the means to keep this old man in check, how can you wait for me to appear then?¡±


    Tang Xiu gently raised his hand and eight array disks appeared in his hands out of the blue. His body flickered, leaving afterimages behind in succession while he threw the eight array disks out in a flash. His hands danced in the air to inscribe the array diagram in the air as the Eight-Division Dragon Trap Array was successfully arranged in just over a second and completely activated, along with the injection of magical power.


    Tang Xiu then returned to his original spot and gently stroked his chin with his finger as he smilingly said, ¡°Now, I wanna see how will you escape. If you can break this array within ten minutes, I¡¯ll spare your life, old blind man, but don¡¯t blame me for being merciless when I erase your soul to never be able to be reincarnated again if you can¡¯t do so.¡±


    Array formation?


    One-eyed Dragon and the badly scarred Dao Master Poison glanced at each other as they sweat out every pore. They were all cultivators, yet they knew utterly nothing about the array.


    Even in regards to alchemy, they only had a rough knowledge of it and were only able to refine very ordinary medicinal pills.


    They were literally ignorant about the two skills cultivators should usually excel with¡ªalchemy and pill refining. Among the cultivators they were acquainted with, they knew none that were able to refine medicinal pills or weapons, let alone arrays which possessed mystical and magical effects.


    ¡°You¡­ who exactly are you?¡± Trapped inside the array, One-eyed Dragon¡¯s voice penetrated the golden-colored energy shield of the array as he asked aloud with a faint, pale complexion.


    ¡°If you want to know who I am, try to break through the array I just temporarily arranged if you have the ability,¡± replied Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°Of course, there will be more interesting things coming soon even if break through it, though. Shortly put, you can expect to end up very miserable today. And I promise you that it will be very tragic!¡±


    With that said, he straightly ignored them and turned to look at Electrolady and Aquababe who were spacing out. He spoke to them with a smile, ¡°Two ladies, have you been well since our last meeting?¡±


    Aquababe¡¯s lips twitched a few times and she replied with a wry smile, ¡°If we knew that you were here, we wouldn¡¯t have been required to come over, Mr. Tang. Besides, we didn¡¯t know that these people were cultivators before we were sent here, and definitely didn¡¯t know about their strength being this terrifying. It can be said that you¡¯ve saved us yet again this time.¡±


    ¡°Speaking as a matter of fact, we can be said to be colleagues, so it¡¯s proper to help each other in the first place.¡± Tang Xiu slightly smiled and said, ¡°If anything, let me do the work here! You can take your leave first if you two have other things to tend to.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t go back immediately without solving this first, Mr. Tang.¡± Aquababe looked hesitant when she replied, ¡°Besides, I know that you don¡¯t like troublesome matters, so we can wait for you to deal with them and we¡¯ll take care of the aftermath.¡±


    ¡°Fine then!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    From the moment Tang Xiu came here, Electrolady was completely lightheaded. She never thought that Tang Xiu would appear in this place, nor did she expect that he was in a group with that super-handsome guy who made her heartbeat beat faster without end¡ªthe very cause of her being in a complete mess.


    As she came back to her senses, Electrolady pointed to Light and asked, ¡°Mr. Tang, is he¡­ your Grand Disciple?¡±


    Tang Xiu glanced at the handsome and spirited, yet elegant and unconventional, Light in his white attire. Then he smiled and replied, ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s indeed my Grand Disciple according to the seniority of the generations. What¡¯s up? Are you interested in my Grand Disciple now?¡±


    Electrolady blushed and her pretty face reddened ear to ear. But she was still able to reply with all seriousness, ¡°You¡¯re teasing me, Mr. Tang. But he¡¯s indeed really good, much to my liking. If you could help me match with him, you would be my benefactor in the future.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s laughter burst aloud, while Light kept shaking his head and was at a loss to either laugh or cry.


    ¡°You see, everyone does have a heart for beauty and I know that my Grand Disciple is really satisfactory,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s just, you still need to resolve your male and female issues between you and him, so I won¡¯t meddle with you guys. Hey, Light! You make this belle¡¯s heart a mess, so you must comfort her well, but do remember not to hurt her, alright? Hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°Hehehe¡­¡±


    The air a few meters from Tang Xiu swayed and rippled as Dark, clad in a black robe with elegant flowing black hair, appeared and approached Tang Xiu in a gentle manner. She pulled Tang Xiu¡¯s hand and said with a pretty smile, ¡°You¡¯re right, Grand Master. It¡¯s time for my brother to get a wife and have children. I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t dare to disobey you taking the role of a matchmaker for him.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Dark!¡± Light angrily shouted.


    Tang Xiu glanced at Dark¡¯s mask in surprise before he shook his head and couldn¡¯t help but laugh, ¡°Hahaha¡­ you see, I¡¯d like to be a matchmaker for him, but I don¡¯t know what kind of woman he likes. But you, you can¡¯t always live hiding in the dark all the time, Dark. A man should get married upon coming of age and so should a woman. You can tell me secretly if you have someone you like, though.¡±


    Dark¡¯s eyes spaced out and she angrily retorted, ¡°What are you talking about, Grand Master? I won¡¯t marry any man unless he¡¯s as great as you.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter again and said, ¡°There are not many men like me. Even in the Immortal World, a man like me is very rare, you know. You¡¯re too demanding with that request, you should¡­ slightly lower¡­ the criteria. Hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­ hehe¡­¡± Dark was similarly unable to hold her laughter and her body flashed and disappeared into the air.


    ****


    Northward, Qinglin County.


    Atop the roof of a more than ten-story high building, Li Gangde and Zhu Hongguo were standing side by side while using their binoculars to observe the sky above Qingcheng Mountain in the distance. They could clearly see the golden energy shield over there, as well as Tang Xiu and the other people above the mountain.


    ¡°You know, Captain Li, I used to never believe in the existence of supernatural beings, but now I believe that there are celestial immortals in this world!¡± Zhu Hongguo sighed and produced a wry smile.


    ¡°Yeah. I used to know that there were ability users like Elementalists in the world. These people are already very terrifying, and they are under the jurisdiction of a special department, specializing in dealing with extraordinary special cases in the country. But little did I think that there would also be a kind of people who are even more powerful than them. If I¡¯m not mistaken, these people should be the so-called cultivators in the legends¡ªthose who walk the path in pursuit of the imaginary and mysterious immortal realm.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that just hearsay?¡± Zhu Hongguo was surprised. ¡°How on Earth can there be¡­¡±


    Li Gangde put down his binoculars and pointed northward toward the mountain and argued, ¡°Words alone are no proof, but seeing is believing. You don¡¯t mean that you are not convinced by those people, right?¡±


    Zhu Hongguo¡¯s mouth opened before he assented with a nod and forced a wry smile, ¡°That¡¯s right. I believe it.¡±


    ¡°We always missed apprehending the murderer before, but it turns out that he¡¯s not an ordinary human at all, but a cultivator who has magical means. But we can be completely relieved with Divine Doctor Tang now handling this problem. I believe our superiors won¡¯t blame us anymore.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! With so many homicides in Qinglin County, I have long realized that I cannot cover it much longer. But who would have thought that there¡¯s a glimmer of hope at our darkest hour. Things took a new turn when our murderer turned out to be that kind of a person, right? If the higher-ups knew about this matter, in all likelihood, they are unlikely to put the crown of neglecting my job on my head and kick me out of my job.¡±


    ¡°I think you don¡¯t need to worry about that!¡± Li Gangde nodded.


    ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m actually very grateful toward Divine Doctor Tang, you know,¡± said Zhu Hongguo. ¡°He has saved my life before, and now he acts to catch the villain. If our country can have more celestial immortals like him, we¡¯ll probably have a much more peaceful situation.¡±


    ¡°You sound like you admire him a lot?¡± said Li Gangde with a smile.


    ¡°You bet it. It¡¯s not only admiration, but worship plus gratitude added with respect,¡± said Zhu Hongguo.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Li Gangde laughed loudly for some time and then picked up his telescope again.


    ****


    Above the mountain peak.


    The Eight Division Dragon Trap Array was able to continuously absorb the energy from all directions to keep itself operating steadily. It only had a single role¡ªto trap the enemy inside. At present, Dao Master Poison and One-eyed Dragon had fallen into a frenzy as they launched a barrage of attacks to the energy shield formed by the array. Still, they were unable to break it.


    ¡°This is meaningless and won¡¯t do, One-eyed Dragon. This array can isolate the Heaven and Earth energy, while we are constantly consuming our energy with no way to replenish it. We¡¯ll definitely be spent here if we keep attacking it.¡± Though Dao Master Poison¡¯s injuries were no longer bleeding out, the severe injuries he had gotten made him extremely violent and irascible.


    ¡°I know what you said, but I can¡¯t think of any other means except that particular method to break this array,¡± replied One-eyed Dragon bitterly.


    ¡°You mean¡­ that Soul Slaying Spike of yours?¡± Dao Master Poison was shocked.


    ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s that cursed item,¡± answered One-eyed Dragon helplessly, ¡°I¡¯ve been sealing it inside my body for years as I try to subdue it; yet, it still refuses me to use it. Supposing that I barely manage to use it once this array is broken, it will no longer be under my control and I¡¯ll lose the chance from then on.¡±


    Dao Master Poison was silent for half a minute and said bitterly, ¡°Use it! Even if we lose a treasure, it¡¯s better than us being trapped here. If we can escape and get back, I¡¯ll give you my poison dragon.¡±


    ¡°That Golden Thread Snake?¡± asked One-eyed Dragon, surprised.


    ¡°This old man spent 180 years breeding and raising this Golden Thread Snake. Although it¡¯s hopeless to transform into a Flood Dragon in this life, it has really grown up and I think its strength is not much different with that aquatic dragon.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious about this?¡± asked One-eyed Dragon in a deep voice while narrowing his eyes.


    ¡°I mean it, but all the debts I owe you from the past will be written off,¡± said Dao Master Poison.


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    One-eyed Dragon was definitely happy with the reply. Then, he sat directly in the air with hands placed on his chest. At the moment they were separated and moved upwards, a dense blob of qi slowly took shape above his head as a half-foot-long jet-black spike with countless bizarre runes engraved on it appeared inside the dense blob of qi.


    ¡°BREAK!¡±


    One-eyed Dragon floated upward and fiercely waved his hands while controlling the Soul Slaying Spike to blast the golden energy shield. Cracking and explosion sounds were heard as a crack appeared on the golden energy shield before it spread to the surroundings like a spider web. In just a few seconds, the array was thoroughly broken while the eight array disks also exploded.


    Buzz¡­


    An aura of energy suddenly surged up from the jet-black Soul Slaying Spike and instantly broke away from the control of One-eyed Dragon.

 Chapter 861 - Cherishing What Should Be Treasured

    Chapter 861: Cherishing What Should Be Treasured


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes completely lit up the moment the Soul Slaying Spike appeared. He didn¡¯t care even if the Eight Division Dragon Trap Array was broken, but instead moved lightning fast to chase the flying nail. At the same time, he unleashed a technique that caused his Primal Chaos Force to surge out and wrap the Soul Slaying Spike.


    ¡°Retrieve!¡±


    He flashed to the air while his hands formed a seal, wrapping the scrabbling Soul Slaying Spike with his Primal Chaos Force to pull it to him.


    ¡°Impossible!¡±


    ¡°What a powerful Qi!¡±


    The complexions of One-eyed Dragon and Dao Master Poison greatly changed as they were flustered. That art was as though fixated on their bodies, causing them to freeze in the air.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t even glance at them. He bit his finger and a drop of his blood instantly merged into the Soul Slaying Spike, absorbing it into his body in nearly the blink of an eye.


    ¡°Light, deal with Dao Master Poison. I¡¯m gonna take care of One-eyed Dragon.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked a bit excited as his eyes finally fell on One-eyed Dragon and Dao Master Poison. His body flashed like a lightning bolt and appeared in front of them as he instantly unleashed his divine sword. The 100-meter-long sword beam slashed through the sky and chopped down towards the two men.


    ¡°Block it!¡±


    One-eyed Dragon roared and rushed to condense his True Essence into the form of saber, which he brandished toward the sword beam¡¯s tip. At the same time, he released and controlled his Golden Core. The dazzling Golden Core burst out with a blinding light and, along with the saber formed by his True Essence, clashed head-on with the sword beam strike.


    Dao Master Poison roared while pulling out a torn black banner from his sleeve pocket. He frantically infused his True Essence into it, and the palm-sized black banner quickly soared and wrapped him in the blink of an eye. At the same time, his other hand instantly condensed a dark blob of green light in front of him as he threw it toward the sword beam.


    BOOM¡­


    Yet, the divine sword¡¯s momentum was unstoppable and crushed the True Essence formed saber with irresistible force. It then continued hacking on the Golden Core the size of a ping-pong ball, smashing the dark green blob before finally striking One-eyed Dragon and Dao Master Poison.


    ¡°Puff¡­¡±


    ¡°Aargh¡­¡±


    One-eyed Dragon spurted a few mouthfuls of blood while also bleeding from his ears, eyes, and nostrils. His whole body seemed to have been struck by lightning and his spirit quickly wilted. His body flew backwards for nearly a hundred meters, and he barely managed to dash to the front to grab his nearly destroyedblown Golden Core. He could clearly see that his previously dazzling Golden Core now had numerous cracks at this time, almost as if it could completely shatter at any time.


    ¡°Get back!¡±


    One-eyed Dragon pulled the dimmed Golden Core back and swallowed it again.


    Compared to One-eyed Dragon, Dao Master Poison was in a much more miserable state. The dark green sphere he threw was shattered and had scattered into ashes due to the slash. Even the black banner that wrapped his body had already been shred. The sword beam also left a more than ten-centimeters-long bleeding wound on him. He could even see that several bones had broken and his internal organs were faintly exposed.


    ¡°Ancestral Reverse of Myriad Swords!¡±


    Tang Xiu smacked his lips and controlled the divine sword as it miraculously transformed into countless sword images that covered the sky and suppressed One-eyed Dragon. The dozens of sword beams shot directly around the old man, sealing off all possible escape routes One-eyed Dragon could take with torturous momentum.


    One-eyed Dragon knew that death was looming over him. Only at this moment did he realize that the longsword was an absolute terrifying divine weapon; no other magical weapon could unleash such enormous momentum. Right now, he regretted the moment when Tang Xiu had taken away his Soul Slaying Spike since he didn¡¯t seize the chance to immediately flee.


    ¡°Spare me and I¡¯ll serve under you for a hundred years!¡± shouted One-eyed Dragon loudly at the juncture of life and death.


    Contempt and disdain flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he coldly replied, ¡°I have enough subordinates already. I don¡¯t want to receive an old man with a foot already stepping into the gates of hell.¡±


    While speaking, his fingers moved and formed the Lightning Evoker art as a bolt of lightning the size of an arm struck down from the sky and penetrated the slit of the sword beams and bombarded One-eyed Dragon.


    Thunder rumbled and lightning struck, ripping him to shreds.


    One-eyed Dragon howled miserably. His flesh turned into scorched, charred meshes of skin. Right as his cracked Golden Core shot to the distance, a sword beam flashed from the divine sword and accurately hit the Golden Core, shattering it into several petals.


    The other side of the fight.


    The fully clad in white Light was manipulating his flying sword and constantly barraged Dao Master Poison with his strikes. Although his cultivation was a layer lower than Dao Master Poison, merely the early-stage of Golden Core, the latter had been heavily injured and could only use less than 60% of his power; thus, he was on the verge of collapsing under the swift and fierce strikes from Light.


    ¡°Puff¡­¡±


    Although Dao Master Poison already knew that there was another combatant, the merciless Dark, hiding in the darkness, the swift and fierce attack from Light had already made him shake and crumble. He could keenly sense that someone behind him was attacking, but he was unable to dodge or block it since he was too busy fending off Light¡¯s attacks, leading to Dark¡¯s flying sword piercing his back.


    Light had stopped attacking but Dark, who was now exposing herself, still kept assaulting fiercely. Her flying sword had literally lacerated Dao Master Poison¡¯s body and tried to snatch his Golden Core inside. Just as she was about to grab it, however, two venom bees appeared on both of her sides all of a sudden and shot toward her neck.


    ¡°Danger¡­¡±


    Dark was good at sneak attack and assassination, but she realized she couldn¡¯t avoid the two venom bees that popped out all of a sudden. She controlled her flying sword to block one that shot at her left neck, but the other one from the right side had come less than half a meter from her.


    ¡°Puff¡­¡±


    A dazzling beam suddenly flashed through and pierced the venom bee that was about to bite the right side of Dark¡¯s neck. The suddenly appearing beam turned out to be a silver needle that pierced its body and took it down, cancelling the peril that was nearly upon her neck.


    With lingering fear on her face, Dark looked at Tang Xiu before she grabbed the Golden Core. Her body then flickered and appeared in front of Tang Xiu as she gratefully said, ¡°Thanks for the help, Grand Master.¡±


    ¡°You see, Dao Master Poison is an expert at the mid-stage of Golden Core.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s not surprising that he has some lethal and terrifying things in his possession. Just be more careful in the future; even insignificant people in our eyes may be able to unleash an unexpected and terrifying strike that can make us end up miserable or dead. The path of cultivators is rough and full of ups and downs. Only by blazing through all difficulties and keeping your vigilance will you be able to walk further and stay alive¡ªand become much stronger.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll keep Grand Master¡¯s teaching in mind with earnest,¡± said Light and Dark in unison.


    Tang Xiu fell into silence for a while and then suddenly spoke, ¡°From today onward, I¡¯ll bestow upon you the name of my family, Tang. Are you willing to accept it?¡±


    Bestowing his family name?


    Light and Dark exchanged glances before the siblings nodded without a word. They knelt in the air before Tang Xiu and kowtowed thrice to convey their gratitude.


    ¡°Now that you¡¯ve accepted it, let¡¯s untie the troublesome thread that has been troubling you all the time!¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Whether you choose to accept your lineage or sever your blood ties, it¡¯s yours to take.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Yet, a look of hesitation was evident on the siblings¡¯ faces.


    Tang Xiu shot them a deep look before he suddenly turned around and spoke, ¡°Do you want to hear a story?¡±


    Light and Dark, who had just been bestowed a surname and were now called Tang Guang and Tang An, nodded and replied, ¡°Please do tell, Grand Master.¡±


    ¡°I once encountered such a person in the past¡ªone who sprung from a prestigious house of a big sect. It can be said that he was an existence that countless people envied and must have looked up to,¡± narrated Tang Xiu. ¡°One day, however, he seemed to have changed in nature, transforming into a very diligent and hard-working man instead of feeding himself with the golden spoon he had always had since birth. And yet, he still felt very lonely inside, even though he had his parents, relatives, and friends. That loneliness was even very painful to him sometimes because he had always been missing someone¡ªhis real loved one, a family member that was his mother, who had born bitter hardships to bring him up, but lived in the blue planet in the distant starry sky.¡±


    Tang Guang and Tang An looked at each other. They had listened to some small part of the story and immediately realized who the said person in Tang Xiu¡¯s story was. It was because the main character in the story was in line with the story of their Grand Master.


    ¡°After he returned to Earth, he was no longer at the supremacy¡ªno longer the Supreme of the Immortal World who stood on the aloof pedestal.¡± Tang Xiu continued the story, ¡°Yet still, he was very happy and satisfied. He didn¡¯t have his former power and strength, but he was willing to start over from scratch. He didn¡¯t have prominent stature, but he could strive to achieve. But even more so, the unforgettable family love and bond that had been carved deep inside his bones and heart had been regained and was worth cherishing.¡±


    ¡°You two, brother and sister, should be aware of who I am talking about.¡±


    Tang Guang and Tang An nodded at his words.


    ¡°The story of the lesson I just told you is nothing but a beginning,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°After I returned to Earth, I also solved some of the riddles that had plagued my mind, such as what happened to my father and the relatives of his family line¡ªwhich was¡­ the Tang Family of Beijing.¡±


    Tang Guang and Tang An trembled at the same time. They already had learned some facts about their Grand Master, Tang Xiu, to begin with, so they understood what their Grand Master wanted to tell them. They realized that their parents probably gave them to their current Master not only to obtain cultivation techniques, but also probably due to the hope inside their hearts for them¡ªa hope that they could follow their Master and became an immortal existence like her¡­


    After a long time passed by, Tang An took off her mask, revealing her stunning face that could topple a kingdom. The complex expression that was covering her face was gradually replaced by a firm and resolute look as she said, ¡°Grand Master, we, brother and sister, are surnamed Tang, while our mother is surnamed Gu. We¡¯re very grateful to those who gave birth to us, and we¡¯re also very thankful to those who abandoned us as well. Dark (An) already understands that it¡¯s great to have more family members and kinship, and one should appreciate what they currently have before it¡¯s gone. Grand Master, I understand what I must do.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d like to see them, Grand Master,¡± interjected Tang Guang in a heavy voice.


    ¡°Off you go, then.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Regardless of one being a Daoist cultivator or Immortal, one still has seven emotions and six desires. Only when one refines the heart amid the tumultuous matter of the world can their state of mind be so strong and impregnable that not even countless demons could invade it.¡±


    ¡°We understand.¡±


    Tang Guang and Tang An looked at each other before the duo flew in the direction of Qinglin County in a flash.


    As Tang Xiu landed back on the ground, he saw Wang Rui stab and mutilate the body of Dao Master Poison with a dagger in hand. He already had done it dozens of times, yet didn¡¯t stop at all. He was seemingly releasing all the hatred he had in his heart while cutting.


    Tang Xiu shook his head secretly. Then he looked at Electrolady and Aquababe and said, ¡°Your mission has been accomplished, so you can go back! Also, give my regards to Duanmu Lin when you see him.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± replied Aquababe while cupping her fists.


    Electrolady, however, looked somewhat spaced out and only cupped her fists perfunctorily. Her eyes glanced at the direction where Light had just vanished from, and asked with a hesitant look, ¡°Tang Xiu, can you tell me whether I can see Light again in the future?¡±


    ¡°Ehh?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised, ¡°Did you really fall in love with Light?¡±

 Chapter 862 - Improving Cultivation

    Chapter 862: Improving Cultivation


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu¡¯s impression of Electrolady was that she was a shallow woman;. she only saw men for their looks while ignoring their inner qualities. She was the type of woman Tang Xiu never had a good impression of, while Aquababe actually gave him a good impression. He might act as a matchmaker a bit to tie the two if Aquababe were the one who liked Light. But as for Electrolady¡­ Tang Xiu didn¡¯t feel like he wanted to make Tang Guang get occupied with this¡­ ill-fated relationship.


    ¡°Just forget it! You¡¯re not suitable for him.¡±


    Tang Xiu took out a cigarette and lit it up. After taking and blowing out the smoke a few times, he turned and left. He didn¡¯t want to answer more, even if she had more questions.


    Electrolady strode to chase after him, and angrily asked, ¡°What the hell do you mean? Why are we not a match? I¡¯m an ability user and an Elementalist, while he¡¯s a cultivator¡ªwhy isn¡¯t it a perfect match for us?!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s pace came to a halt and he said with a pale smile, ¡°Do you think the abilities of Elementalists can be compared to that of cultivators? Do you think you¡¯re a good match for him?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± answered Electrolady firmly.


    ¡°Ability users do have some power to be proud of, as powerful Elementalists are as equally powerful as some cultivators. But how long can an Elementalist live, may I ask?¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°100 years? Or 200 years? Do you know how long cultivators can live if their cultivation keeps getting stronger?¡±


    ¡°What does this have to do with how long you can live if two people don¡¯t love each other, huh?¡± retorted Electrolady angrily. ¡°Besides, there had been a super strong person among the ability users who lived for two-hundred-plus years before. Pity that it was during the Anti-Japanese War of Resistance, so I wasn¡¯t able to meet him.¡±


    ¡°This issue of your lifespan doesn¡¯t matter? Are you kidding?¡± Tang Xiu berated her. ¡°If Tang Guang cultivates with my instructions, his cultivation will keep improving and he can have a lifespan of at least a millennium. If he cultivates diligently and has some luck, he even can become an ascending immortal in the future. By then, he won¡¯t only have a lifespan of thousands of years, but even possibly tens of thousands of years. What about you? Even if you become a super powerful Elementalist one day, you can only live for at most two-hundred-plus years. When you die by then, do you really want to push Tang Guang to drown in loneliness and walk the path of cultivation in solitary?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Electrolady was not a cultivator. She had heard some hearsay about cultivators and knew that a very strong cultivator was indeed able to live for a very long time.


    However, she really fell in love with Tang Guang the instant she saw him. She truly realized that it was love at first sight. She hadn¡¯t had such a feeling of falling in love at first sight, even though the number of people she had fallen in love with was in the three digits. But the story was very different now. Her heart moved the very moment she saw Tang Guang. That feeling burst forth by itself and she couldn¡¯t extricate herself of it.


    Upon seeing such disdain from Tang Xiu¡¯s expression, only then did Electrolady realize that there was such a gap between her and Tang Guan. But she was really unwilling to give up. After hesitating for a while, she said with all seriousness, ¡°Can you teach me how to cultivate, Mr. Tang? As long as I become a cultivator, I can be with Tang Guang for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Do you think you can become a cultivator just by moving your tongue? What a big joke!¡± Tang Xiu rolled his eyes and snappily replied, ¡°There¡¯s an unwritten rule in our cultivation world: you can never impart the art easily. Who do you think you are and what qualifications do you have to ask me to teach you the cultivation technique, huh?¡±


    With that said, Tang Xiu really couldn¡¯t be bothered by her anymore and strode to Wang Rui who had vented his anger and said, ¡°Your mortal enemy has died, and the crisis that befell upon your Qingcheng school has also been lifted. I¡¯ve delivered on the promise I gave you and have paid back your favor. We¡¯ll see each other again later if fate wills it!¡±


    Wang Rui looked at Tang Xiu with a bloody face. His lips squirmed a few times and suddenly asked, ¡°If I were to practice according to that type of cultivation technique you¡¯ve imparted to us, is it possible to have the strength you currently have at present?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°There¡¯s no hope for you to achieve it in your life unless you happen upon other opportunities. What the Qingcheng school has is only martial art heritage to begin with. With what I¡¯ve taught you, you can make it ten to twenty times stronger. It¡¯s already good enough a gift for you.¡±


    Wang Rui looked disappointed and fell into silence for a while. Then he said, ¡°Tang Xiu, what price do I have to pay so you can teach me a cultivation art to practice? Do you want me to exchange it for my life in serving you?¡±


    ¡°No. You¡¯re not the kind of man who will serve others, ever.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t need you to serve under me, while the path to the Dao cannot be passed on easily either. I always weigh the situation of those who I will impart cultivation art to. The previous you may still have the chance to walk on the cultivation path, had it not been for the calamity that befell upon your Qingcheng school and led to the death of your father who had been killed by Dao Master Poison. But now, your situation is not just suitable for it.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± asked Wang Rui in a heavy voice.


    ¡°The current you has a heart that is filled with too much grudge and with evil tendencies,¡± explained Tang Xiu. ¡°Even if I bring you to the threshold of the cultivation path, you won¡¯t achieve much in the future. There¡¯s even a high probability that the higher your cultivation is, the more likely you are to fall into an obsession which will lead you to the blazing path of evil. It would be very easy for you to fall into a calamitous path of devils with no way to return.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Wang Rui stared at Tang Xiu deeply. Yet, even though he said he¡¯d given it up on the outside, he became more adamant to be a cultivator inwardly, wanting to be a very strong powerhouse such as Tang Xiu in the future.


    Tang Xiu himself couldn¡¯t be bothered with the aftermath of the incident this time due to the presence of Electrolady and Aquababe. After leaving with Jin Shi and the rest, they went directly to the cave near the mountain brooks where Mo Awu and Zhang Xinyue were staying.


    To begin with, the purpose of his visit to Qingcheng Mountain was to obtain the Red Silk Flower. But, he didn¡¯t have a plan to leave immediately after achieving it.


    It was due to the Blood Seizing Pill. He must concoct it as soon as possible to break through in his cultivation. Else, he would be in for big trouble if he ever met with another cultivator at the Golden Core stage again.


    ¡°When will we leave this place, Tang Xiu?¡±


    Zhang Xinyue had a very complicated mood at this time. She felt rather reluctant to be separated from Tang Xiu, yet she also didn¡¯t want to stay much longer in such a remote and isolated place like the Qingcheng Mountain either. She didn¡¯t even realize that after spending many days getting along together, including an incident of them becoming husband and wife, Tang Xiu had taken a place deep inside her heart.


    ¡°I still need to stay here for some time; at least a week or so.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°But I can send someone to send you back to Shanghai if you don¡¯t want to stay here. It¡¯s been many days, and I¡¯m sure your older sister must be worried sick about your safety too.¡±


    Zhang Xinyue hesitated and then made up her mind, ¡°Then I won¡¯t go back now since you still need a week to tend to your things. Besides, I¡¯m kinda in a need of rest since I¡¯ve been living in the big city all year round while constantly working hard for my studies and developing my career. I think I¡¯ll spend this week staying in Qingcheng Mountain to enjoy the beauty of nature here and to relax.¡±


    ¡°Since you decided so, then I¡¯ll assign Awu to protect you.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°He¡¯ll guard you whenever you want to go anywhere to enjoy the scenery here.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so kind to me?¡± asked Zhang Xinyue all of a sudden. ¡°Are you trying to make up for the debt you owe in your heart?¡±


    ¡°I, uh¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth was opened, but he didn¡¯t know what kind of reply he should come up with. Truth be told, he did have the idea to make it up for Zhang Xinyue, though it might not be fair to her as a woman if he were to express it.


    Zhang Xinyue¡¯s expression was a bit dark. But then she smiled and said, ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s forget it, shall we? Don¡¯t reply to me if you don¡¯t want to, regardless of whether you want to make it up to me or are falling in love with this Missy. In any case, we¡¯ll forget all the things that have happened here and return to our own lives in seven days.¡±


    Tang Xiu fell into silence. Zhang Xinyue said it in such an easy way, but could she really forget everything that had happened between them?


    The threads of sentiment and feelings between two people would lead to a confused state of mind if they were to keep cutting it.


    Tang Xiu was a free and easy person to begin with. He couldn¡¯t clear up such a situation between them, but he didn¡¯t want to be kept entangled with it either. He firmly believed that there must be a way out of every problem, so what he needed to do was to tread carefully with each step taken in the future.


    He no longer bothered himself with this relationship issue and finally immersed his mind and heart to begin refining the Blood Snatching Pill. He had definitely earned a huge harvest by coming to Qingcheng Mountain. Needless to say about the Red Silk Flower, the large number of herbs he obtained from the Qingcheng Monastery¡¯s underground vault were significant cultivation resources for him.


    There was also¡ªthat Soul Slaying Spike.


    As he recalled this object, Tang Xiu suppressed his mind immediately and used the Demon God Soul Devourer Cauldron to start concocting the pill. Though the rest of the herbs had been prepped properly, Tang Xiu¡¯s pace while concocting the pill was rather slow, though he kept it very smooth. An explosion sound was heard from the cauldron on the fourth day as Tang Xiu threw in the last precious herb, the Red Silk Flower, into the Demon God Soul Devourer Cauldron.


    He cast the pill concocting technique and started to form the medicinal pill.


    When he opened the lid of the cauldron, a strong medicinal scent filled the whole cave. Everyone stayed inside in the cave for the last four days, and Zhang Xinyue, who hadn¡¯t left to enjoy the scenery outside, felt her spirit dim while all the pores over her body stretched out as she was intoxicated in the rich medicinal scent.


    It was comfortable!


    It made her look at the Demon God Soul Devourer Cauldron while her throat unknowingly gulped a few times, swallowing her saliva.


    ¡°Absorb!¡±


    Tang Xiu cast a secret art rune and took a peanut-sized, red-blooded Blood Seizing Pill immediately to ingest it.


    ¡°Awu, none shall stay in the cave without my order!¡±


    Tang Xiu shouted and quickly retrieved back the Demon God Soul Devourer Cauldron into his interspatial ring. Then, he sat cross-legged in the same spot and crazily began to digest the efficacy and energy contained in the Blood Seizing Pill.


    After the Blood Seizing Pill entered Tang Xiu¡¯s stomach, a torrent of blood burst out and flooded every corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s body. The tide of blood flushed on and on, washing his muscles and tempering his bones, including his internal organs over and over again while increasing the flexibility and firmness all the way through.


    The surging blood was gradually encapsulated by the red-blooded energy of the medicinal force inside Tang Xiu¡¯s blood vessels, which underwent a qualitative change. With the passage of time, the amount of blood in his blood vessels was getting less and less. On the third day after he took the pill, the amount of blood in his blood vessels only remained at a quarter of what it had been before.


    However, even though it was just only a quarter of the previous amount, Tang Xiu was not affected by it whatsoever. His blood that was originally red seemed to have been covered by a layer of golden light like it was being coated with a glossy red and golden color.


    ¡°I¡¯m so starving!¡±


    The moment Tang Xiu opened his eyes, strong hunger made him particularly uncomfortable. He quickly took out a lot of food and wolfed them down under the curious gaze of Zhang Xinyue.


    Two hours passed by, yet Tang Xiu didn¡¯t stop munching. While crazily eating and drinking, his body extracted the energy to nourish his blood and qi and added it into his blood vessels.

 Chapter 863 - May You Live The Life With No Worries

    Chapter 863: May You Live The Life With No Worries


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Zhang Xinyue, who sat across Tang Xiu, was watching the food that kept popping out of thin air but was constantly devoured by this Hungry Ghost with her jaw wide open, unable to utter a word. She roughly estimated that Tang Xiu had at least wolfed down several hundred kilograms of food in the two hours.


    ¡®What a whale of an appetite!¡¯


    Zhang Xinyue finally found that Tang Xiu no longer took out the food, but turned to take out a bottle of fine wine and tossed it down fast. She was previously afraid that Tang Xiu would be bursting out due to being too full, but it turned out that her fear was unfounded. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly heard Tang Xiu shout, ¡°Hey, Awu, go catch some game and roast them for me. I can still wolf down several hundred pounds of barbecued meat!¡±


    Bam¡­


    She fell to the edge of the bed. When Tang Xiu stood up and came to her with a confused face, she just sat back with a hand covering her forehead and said with an expression of being at a loss between laughter and tears, ¡°Did you just get reincarnated as the Hungry Ghost with that appetite? You¡¯ve been eating for a full two hours you know, and yet you still want to devour a few hundred kilograms more?¡±


    Only then did Tang Xiu suddenly realize that his frantic dining truly scared Zhang Xinyue. Yet, he did still feel starving. If he hadn¡¯t yet cleaned up all the food stored inside his interspatial ring, he would have probably been unable to stop eating now.


    However, the nutrition from the food was indeed the best way for him to supplement his blood and Qi. After all, his system¡¯s blood vessels lost three-quarters of their blood. He was afraid that he would feel weak if he didn¡¯t eat more to supplement it.


    ¡°Cultivators like us can¡¯t be regarded with common sense, to begin with. People in ancient times did say that one can devour a cow when he¡¯s starving, no? That statement holds true, you know. It¡¯s not an exaggeration that people like that exist. I have exerted too much energy these days, and the food is the best to supplement the life energy I have spent,¡± explained Tang Xiu with a light smile.


    ¡°But eating that much is rather excessive, even if your energy consumption is indeed a bit large, no?¡± rebuked Zhang Xinyue. ¡°You just ate hundreds of kilograms of food, you know! I¡¯m really suspicious of how your stomach works while being fully loaded like that. Even if your digestion system is great and is able to directly digest the food right as it enters your belly, why didn¡¯t I see you go to the toilet at all?¡±


    Cough, cough¡­


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t argue back at Zhang Xinyue¡¯s words. He couldn¡¯t say that he could absorb 99.9% of the nutrients contained in the food. As for the 0.1% of the remaining waste, could it make him go to the toilet now? He might have done that if he had devoured a few hundred more kilograms of food.


    However, the problem was not that he couldn¡¯t explain it, but that it was too embarrassing!


    Tang Xiu shook his head and replied with a dry smile, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this topic, shall we? Shortly put, you can¡¯t see those who walk on the cultivation path with normal people¡¯s eyes. Also, come to eat when Awu has roasted the game.¡±


    Zhang Xinyue nodded at his words. But then she suddenly said, ¡°Tang Xiu, can you gimme a taste of that medicine you just concocted? Just smelling that scent of the medicinal pill made me feel spirited these days. Also, I couldn¡¯t move the bed previously, but when my mobile fell a day ago, I moved the bed without thinking. I didn¡¯t expect that I would be able to do that, so it means that my strength has increased.


    ¡°The smell of such a medicinal pill does have a very good effect on normal people,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°It indeed can change your physique if you¡¯re subtly influenced by it. However, the pill I just concocted was the kind that you cannot consume, else it would harm you instead.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± asked Zhang Xinyue


    ¡°You¡¯re not a cultivator,¡± explained Tang Xiu. ¡°If you were to take that medicinal pill rashly, the enormous energy from its efficacy will make your body burst and explode.¡±


    A chill filled Zhang Xinyue¡¯s heart and she no longer mentioned about taking the medicinal pill anymore. She changed the position of her lower body and changed the topic, ¡°Anyways, when are we going to leave this place? I haven¡¯t taken a shower for a few days. You see, I just broke the record of how long I haven¡¯t taken a bath since my childhood.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll go back to Qinglin County to rest after we have satiated our hunger,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Alright!¡± replied Zhang Xinyue with a surprised, but happy look.


    ¡°By the way, didn¡¯t you say you wanna enjoy the beauty of the scenery around Qingcheng Mountain? How come I have never seen you go out this week?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡­¡± Zhang Xinyue¡¯s face blushed and she let out a dry smile and replied, ¡°I was afraid that you¡¯d run into troubles here alone, so I didn¡¯t go out to do that.¡±


    These days, she had been thinking through her feelings and finally realized that she ended up like her older sister and had unknowingly fallen in love with this guy. Of course, she didn¡¯t deny the fact that it was related to her ¡®first time doing it¡¯ with him. But love is love. Even if she denies it, she still couldn¡¯t free herself from this feeling¡­


    Nevertheless, she kept thinking about it over and over again¡ªthat she finally experienced such a dreamlike love this time she went out. She decided to immediately sever any contact with him and give up all these feelings once she left Qingcheng Mountain.


    Late at night, Tang Xiu took Zhang Xinyue, Awu, and the rest back to Qinglin County. The whole county town looked very quiet at present. Back when he previously came here, some pedestrians or vehicles could be seen passing by at night, but now, they hadn¡¯t even encountered a single pedestrian or car on the road to the Qinglin County¡¯s five-star hotel, Senbao.


    ¡°Why do I feel like something is amiss here, Tang Xiu? This is not a normal situation!¡± commented Zhang Xinyue, who just got out of the car and subconsciously looked around at the quiet and empty night scenery.


    Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, ¡°Maybe the recent murder cases that have appeared suddenly in a row scares the people here! Besides, it¡¯s already midnight, so it¡¯s kinda normal to see nobody outside.¡±


    Zhang Xinyue, however, could only reluctantly accept his reply.


    ¡°Welcome, Sir, Ma¡¯am. May I know how many rooms you need?¡±


    Four on-duty staffers looked at the group at the same time behind the hotel¡¯s lobby counter. Two of them subconsciously glanced to the left at the rest area where the hotel had assigned four security guards to stand guard.


    ¡°Two presidential suites, please,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    The four female receptionists looked surprised. But after they observed Tang Xiu for a while, one of them suddenly asked, ¡°Are you the Young Divine Doctor Tang Xiu? I think you¡¯re somewhat looking familiar.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh and replied, ¡°Uh, when did I become so famous? If anything, I stayed in this hotel previously, so how did nobody recognize me before?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really you?!¡± The female receptionist looked pleasantly surprised. ¡°Great, I am finally able to see the face of a great personage like you! You see, my uncle was almost poisoned in the opening sale of the Golden Goblet Emperor Gauze villa complex not long ago. I heard from him that it was very fortunate that you were there as he was saved from the clutch of death. Divine Doctor Tang, you¡¯re my uncle¡¯s savior, and thus the savior of my family as well. We are really thankful to you. Thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°Uh!¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯re welcome. But saving people is the responsibility of being a doctor.¡±


    A few minutes later, with warm greetings from the four female receptionists, they finally checked in and entered their respective presidential suites. What made Tang Xiu unable to utter any word was that Zhang Xinyue insisted that she must stay with him in the same suite. She even picked the side room for herself.


    ¡°Boss, what¡¯s your plan next?¡± Mo Awu was the only one remaining in the presidential suite¡¯s hall and he immediately asked right after Tang Xiu finished bathing.


    Tang Xiu thought for a while and slowly said, ¡°We¡¯ll return to Shanghai first, and then head to Longquan Bay in Kanas. We haven¡¯t yet opened the Immortal Trove there, so it¡¯s time to find out about it.¡±


    Mo Awu nodded and said, ¡°There¡¯s also another matter, Boss. It seems that it won¡¯t be long before you need to take the exam at your college. When you were busy concocting pulls a couple of days ago, your class teacher called you and I picked it up.¡±


    The exam?


    Tang Xiu blanked out and let out a forced, wry smile on his handsome face. If he had to count it, the time he spent on campus was perhaps only less than two months ever since he studied at Shanghai University for nearly a year. He had almost finished all the curriculum for the freshmen, yet his attendance rate was, so to say, truly appalling.


    ¡®I gotta use some personal connections to make the teachers of those subjects give me the green light. Else, my credits, GPA, and the graduation certificate I¡¯ll get in the future will be affected, even if I do pass the exams.¡¯


    Tang Xiu lit up a cigarette and thought inwardly. In fact, obtaining a diploma was not a matter of significance to him, but his mother was very much looking forward to seeing him obtain a graduation certificate from a famous university; thus, he had no choice but to force a smile without any other options left.


    Of course, his mother wouldn¡¯t blame him either if he really didn¡¯t want to continue studying. After all, those who had diploma certificates from the world¡¯s top universities might not be able to achieve his current achievements at present. However, he was certain that his mother would be disappointed if he had no certificate from a higher institution.


    ¡°Go and have a rest, Awu! We¡¯ll rush back to Shanghai tomorrow morning.¡± Tang Xiu waved and then gazed up to see a few twinkling stars in the dark sky outside the window.


    Ten minutes later, Zhang Xinyue came out of her room with wet hair. When she saw Tang Xiu sitting alone on the sofa drinking beer, his gaze fixated outside the window, her eyes couldn¡¯t help but filled with gentleness.


    ¡°Have something on your mind?¡±


    Tang Xiu turned his head and looked at Zhang Xinyue¡¯s slender and curvy figure, along with a face that was almost identical to Zhang Xinya¡¯s. He smiled at her inquiry and said, ¡°Yeah, been thinking about something.¡±


    Zhang Xinyue let out a faint smile and picked up the unopened can of beer on the tea table. After taking two sips of it, she then smiled and said, ¡°Care to tell me about it?¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t understand it even if I tell you about it.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°But I do have another issue I need to discuss with you, though.¡±


    Zhang Xinyue¡¯s expression slightly changed and there was a look of hesitation on her face for several seconds before she slowly asked. ¡°Can we not talk about it?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t. Some issues need to be resolved.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°No matter what you think, what I want to tell you is that I can¡¯t give you romantic feelings, because I already owe a lot of emotional debts. I admit that there¡¯s something happening between us even though it was caused by a mistake arising out of circumstances. But still, I can¡¯t let you feel upset about having been wronged either. I won¡¯t promise you money because I don¡¯t want to see this issue as a transactional matter. However, I can promise to make you live your life with no worries in order to make up for my debt to you.¡±


    ¡°A life without worries, eh?¡±


    Zhang Xinyue smiled and muttered to herself in a self-mocking tone. She then stood up and came before the window before speaking to Tang Xiu behind her back, ¡°In what way, and how can I live my life without worries?¡±

 Chapter 864 - Back to Campus

    Chapter 864: Back to Campus


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu got up and came to Zhang Xinyue as he took out a jade bottle out and handed it to her. ¡°There¡¯s a drop of the Body Tempering Liquid inside. Pour it into the hot water when you take a bath. It can improve your physique and you¡¯ll know the benefits after you use it. But keep in mind that the process can be a bit painful; try your best to endure it and soak yourself for half an hour or more.¡±


    Immediately after, Tang Xiu took out a pen and paper and quickly wrote a cultivation technique on it. It was not cultivation from the Immortal World but one of the many cultivation techniques he had obtained back when he was in Changxi City.


    ¡°This is called the Pure Ice Art, a type of cultivation technique that is suited for women. I have drawn the meridians and acupoints of the human body as well as marked the energy circulation route for this cultivation technique. You can practice the cultivation technique written here later, but you¡¯ll rely on yourself for the stage you can achieve, though.¡±


    Zhang Xinyue took the jade bottle and the cultivation technique note as she looked at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Is this what you said as I can live my life without worries?¡±


    ¡°Not really. You can contact me whenever you¡¯re short on money or you need help for some other things too in the future anytime.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°If you can¡¯t contact me, you can go to the Magnificent Tang Corporation to find Kang Xia or Ouyang Lulu in the Paradise Manor in Shanghai. Of course, you can also head to the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s branch in any place in the country. The person in charge of every branch will learn of your name from now on.¡±


    ¡°Also, I¡¯ll personally refine an amulet after returning to Shanghai and send someone to deliver it to you. Your safety will be guaranteed as long as you carry it at all times. Because of my current cultivation, however, the amulet only has limited use and can only protect you up to three times. Regardless of any accident such as a car accident or falling down from a height of tens of meters, including someone shooting at you, you won¡¯t be harmed by it in the slightest.¡±


    ¡°Besides that¡­¡±


    Zhang Xinyue raised her hand to interrupt him and shook his head. ¡°Forget everything else. It¡¯s enough. But can you give me two amulets?¡±


    Two amulets?


    Tang Xiu stared blankly for a moment before he realized that Zhang Xinyue asked for two amulets because she wanted to give one to her older sister, Zhang Xinya. He nodded and said, ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll give two amulets to you.¡±


    Zhang Xinyue turned around and gently put the cultivation technique note and jade bottle on the tea table before she returned back to Tang Xiu¡¯s front. There was a gentleness in her eyes as she said softly, ¡°Since we must part ways when we return to Shanghai and then completely forget everything that has happened in Qingcheng Mountain, will you satisfy my request again?¡±


    ¡°What wishes do you want me to grant, exactly?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Zhang Xinyue opened her arms and gently hugged Tang Xiu and said, ¡°I want you to be my boyfriend for half a day before we leave today. To be honest with you, there have been several young men I have had a liking to in my life, but never could I have said I love any one of them.¡±


    Tang Xiu understood what she meant, yet there was a look of embarrassment and awkwardness on his face. He could feel her delicate body which only wearing pajamas in his embrace. He similarly opened his arms, yet was unable to truly hug her. What had happened previously was an accident, and even if he did have such a relationship with Zhang Xinyue, he didn¡¯t feel such a feeling at all since he couldn¡¯t remember the situation at that time.


    ¡°This is my last wish.¡± Zhang Xinyue could feel Tang Xiu¡¯s body stiffen. Her forehead touched Tang Xiu¡¯s chin and the side of her face leaned on his neck as she said in a faint voice.


    Tang Xiu could only sigh inwardly and relaxed his body to hug her gently. Then he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the room and have a rest earlier! We must hurry back home tomorrow.¡±


    This night, however, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t return to his room but sat on the bed where Zhang Xinyue was sleeping, watching her fall asleep with sweet dreams until she woke up from her sleep at nine in the morning.


    As dusk came¡­


    A passenger plane landed at Shanghai Airport, and not long after, Tang Xiu, Zhang Xinyue and the rest appeared at the airport¡¯s exit lane.


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡± As they came out of the airport, Zhang Xinyue stopped walking.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Zhang Xinyue took a deep breath and spoke with all seriousness, ¡°I hope you can remember our agreement. We must forget what happened in Qingcheng Mountain from now on and we should not meet again in this life if possible.¡±


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment before he nodded and replied, ¡°I understand.¡±


    Zhang Xinyue herself felt very depressed inside, but she was perfectly aware that it was her older sister who had fallen deeply in love with Tang Xiu. Fate seemed to not allow for her to be with him in her lifetime. ¡°Then, we¡¯ll part ways here!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send someone to escort you back,¡± replied Tang Xiu.


    ¡°No need, I¡¯ll take a cab to go back by myself.¡± Zhang Xinyue shook her head.


    Tang Xiu looked hesitant before he nodded and said, ¡°Alright, then! Wait for Jin Shi, who drives your car from Qinglin County. I¡¯ll send him to deliver your car along with the amulets.¡±


    At the airport¡¯s exit.


    Tang Xiu watched Zhang Xinya turn around and leave with complex emotions surfaced in her eyes. But he didn¡¯t notice that after she turned around and walked a few steps, tears welled up in her beautiful eyes and rolled down along her cheek.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back home!¡±


    An hour later, Tang Xiu had returned to the Bluestar villa complex. Nothing had changed since he left this house and the two housekeepers still took good care of the house diligently. He didn¡¯t notice anyone in advance that he had come back, so nobody disturbed him. Two days later, which was Sunday, he stayed at home and made ten amulets, two of which were given to Jin Shi to be delivered to Zhang Xinyue¡¯s store along with her car.


    As Monday came and the first wisp of sunshine rose from the east, Tang Xiu came out of the house and took a walk to his campus. After finding that it was still early, he bought breakfast boxes in the cafeteria and took them to his dormitory. Given what he knew about Yue Kai¡¯s habit, this fella should be just crawling out of his bed at this time.


    Knock, knock¡­


    Just as he came to the dormitory door, Tang Xiu knocked on the door and found that it was left unlocked. There was no other sound except someone¡¯s snore. After pushing the door and coming inside, he saw Yue Kai, Hu Qingsong, and Xue Chao still lying in bed and snoring loudly.


    ¡®Did they have a drink last night?¡¯


    Tang Xiu glanced with a strange expression at many bottles disorderly discarded on the floor and the cupboard. Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong were normally lazy bums, but not Xue Chao, the diligent one! How come he¡­


    A smile climbed up his face and while still carrying the breakfast boxes, he shouted loudly, ¡°FIRE!!!¡±


    ¡°W-What? FIRE?!! Where is it?!!¡±


    Hu Qingsong abruptly sat up from the bed and didn¡¯t even see Tang Xiu as he straightly jumped from the bed in a rush. Yue Kai was better than him and desperately threw out the quilt with a stance that was about to run from the bed.


    ¡°Huh? Big Bro Tang?!¡±


    Xue Chao, however, just took a slow motion to sit down, while his sleepiness instantly vanished upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s face.


    ¡°Well, you three of you were truly inside dreamland, eh?¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°Did something good happen to you or something? You should have had a great drink last night, right?¡±


    ¡°Shit¡­¡±


    ¡°Bastard¡­¡±


    Hu Qingsong and Yue Kai straightly spat out the profanity after realizing that Tang Xiu had pranked them.


    It¡¯d been a long time since they got along together and, after the merriment, Tang Xiu knew why the trio drank so much alcohol. It turned out that the girl targeted by Hu Qingsong was snatched by a handsome rich fella who also had good academic grades.


    ¡°Hey, Old Hu, there are like tens of millions of girls in China, why should you bother to drown yourself over just one flower?¡± commented Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Just ask these buddies of yours to help you by introducing you to a better one.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m unhappy that she was pursued and snatched by this guy, mate,¡± smiled Hu Qingsong bitterly. ¡°The thing is that damn bastard is way too unbridled. He relies on his wealth, and I admit that he¡¯s richer than me, but it feels like he¡¯s abusing me, you know. You don¡¯t know him, Big Bro; that guy is nothing but a jerk and is also quite famous for being unfaithful and fickle in love in our campus, while he also has tons of chicks outside. That brat even stopped and violently beat someone outside the campus at the end of last year.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Tang Xiu was amazed and asked, ¡°To think that he even dares to fight outside the campus, does this guy have many resources and abilities?¡±


    Yue Kai patted Hu Qingsong¡¯s shoulder and said with a dry smile, ¡°Well, he does have quite an impressive background, Big Bro. Rumors have it that he¡¯s the son of a rich and powerful man in Haiqing Province. I admit that my family is quite well-off, but comparing to him, it¡¯s like a chasm. Do you know how he pursued that girl Old Hu had been targeting? I never knew how that guy could do it, but he got a helicopter and landed it on open space behind our campus, then confidently showered her with roses and all kinds of gifts. That kind of spectacle ¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but chuckle and said, ¡°It¡¯s no fun to nail girls who love material things, mate. Besides, just relax, Old Hu! Don¡¯t give up the whole forest just for a tree.¡±


    ¡°I chased her for half a year and never once had I ever touched her, which got me depressed,¡± said Hu Qingsong helplessly. ¡°Bah, forget it; please do not console me, alright? I won¡¯t be bothered by that brat Miao if he¡¯s no longer acting arrogant before me.¡±


    A surname of Miao? And one from Haiqing Province?


    Tang Xiu was quite surprised and interjected, ¡°This fellow you told me, is he the son of the Big Boss of Miao Group in Haiqing Province?¡±


    ¡°Nah, he¡¯s not. But I heard that the Miao Group¡¯s Big Boss is his uncle, though.¡± Hu Qingsong shook his head.


    ¡°Ah, so it turns out that he¡¯s Miao Wentang¡¯s nephew! No wonder he acts so arrogantly since Miao Wentang does have the wealth and is a very powerful man, to begin with.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s stop talking about this topic and take a bath, won¡¯t you? I¡¯ve brought you all breakfast and we¡¯ll go to class after grabbing them.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have any class this morning, Big Bro Tang!¡± replied Yue Kai with round eyes.


    ¡°Say what?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised and spaced out. He hadn¡¯t come to campus to attend class for a long time and thus didn¡¯t expect that the schedule had been changed. Then he helplessly said, ¡°Let¡¯s just go outside and hang out since we have no class, then. I haven¡¯t been on campus for a long time and feel kinda estranged now.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t go to sleep again anyway, so why don¡¯t we come over to hear song rehearsals?¡± suggested Yue Kai all of a sudden.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea! (Second that!).¡±


    Hu Qingsong and Xue Chao nodded in agreement at the same time.


    ¡°Listening to song rehearsals? Where?¡± asked Tang Xiu, looking confused.


    ¡°It¡¯s our class teacher, Big Bro. She¡¯s just great, period,¡± said Yue Kai with a grin. ¡°Well, let¡¯s spare the explanation, shall we? Words are no proof; just wait and come with us. You¡¯ll know it.¡±


    The class teacher, Han Qingwu?


    The revelation caused Tang Xiu to be confused. After the trio gorged down the meal, the group of four quickly left the dormitory.

 Chapter 865 - I’m Sorry

    Chapter 865: I¡¯m Sorry


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    With a mind full of confusion, Tang Xiu followed Yue Kai and the others to leave Shanghai University. They soon turned into a lane and after going past seven turns on the road, they finally stopped outside a high-walled courtyard.


    ¡°What¡¯s this place?¡± Tang Xiu looked up at the plaque and looked surprised.


    The plaque had three golden characters written in bold cursive calligraphy with majestic grandeur.


    ¡°Big Bro Tang, this should be your first time visiting this place, right?¡± Yue Kai grinned and said, ¡°Tons of great musicians have studied in this place and those big singers kinda regard it as a holy place. Those who are lucky enough to study here for a period of time usually become quite famous in the entertainment industry.¡±


    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t keep people on tenterhooks, won¡¯t you?¡± interjected Tang Xiu. ¡°Just tell it to me straight.¡±


    ¡°You see, there¡¯s an elderly person residing in this Magical Syllable Memorial Archway. Rumors have it that he has been living here for a few decades and that he never leaves its premises,¡± explained Yue Kai. ¡°But his fame has been so resounding in the ears of countless top musicians; even some foreign maestros often come to visit him. This person is said to be a maestro in music and an expert of tens of musical instruments, while his musical accomplishments seem to have reached an unparalleled realm.¡±


    ¡°Then, what does this have to do with teacher Han?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It had nothing to do with her had it been more than a month ago. But that man announced the news a month ago and the music circles kinda got swept over with a great sensation since. It¡¯s said that he has taken the English teacher of Shanghai University, Han Qingwu, as his Master.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression slightly changed. Han Qingwu knew nothing about music as far as he knew, and it was Xue Qingcheng in his previous life who was quite a maestro and even had very high attainment in music.


    Could it be¡­


    Tang Xiu inhaled a deep breath and asked, ¡°So teacher Han is currently here now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, teacher Han comes here every Monday morning to teach that old guy.¡± Yue Kai nodded and said, ¡°We were looking for her for about half a month ago to consult some small issues with her and learned it from her own mouth. You might not believe it, Big Bro Tang! But our teacher Han is unexpectedly a grandmaster maestro of music.¡±


    ¡°Not really, I think,¡± interjected Hu Qingsong, who suddenly frowned. ¡°If I remember correctly, Big Bro Tang is also very skilled in music. That¡¯s right, you were teacher Han¡¯s student in high school, Big Bro. Your zither performance in the freshmen welcoming party is still clear in my mind. Did you get your musical skills from teacher Han during high school?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s reply was rather cold and he went straight to the closed door. He pushed it open and went inside. He wanted to see Han Qingwu and ask how she became a maestro of music all of a sudden.


    Inside the compound.


    A white-haired old man, though still full of vigor, was dressed in a white Chinese tunic suit and was sitting on a bluish-green bamboo mat while reading a zither musical score. As he noticed that someone came inside, he slowly looked up and there was a displeased look on his face.


    ¡°How come you are here again?¡±


    Yue Kai swiftly took out a half a pack of Chinese cigarettes from his pocket before extracting one and passing it over while grinning. ¡°Well, Elderly Qu, didn¡¯t you tell me before that you can¡¯t get that God¡¯s Nectar wine off your mind? You see, we come here to deliver this wine.¡±


    ¡°The God¡¯s Nectar? Where is it?¡± The old man¡¯s spirit soared and his displeased look vanished right away.


    Yue Kai pointed to Tang Xiu while smilingly said, ¡°Now comes the time that I¡¯ll introduce you to a great personage. This brother next to me is Tang Xiu, the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s Big Boss. God¡¯s Nectar is produced by his company. If you want to drink this wine every day, you can get it from him.¡±


    The old man carefully observed Tang Xiu and slowly got up. Under the gazes of Yue Kai, Hu Qingsong, and Xue Chao trio, he came down and walked to the front of Tang Xiu, cupping his hands to greet with a bow, ¡°This old man, Qu Jie, greets Divine Doctor Tang.¡±


    ¡°Elderly Qu.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t understand why would this old man greet him with such a respectful attitude, yet he still returned the salute with similar politeness.


    ¡°I have long heard your honored name, Divine Doctor Tang. Pity that this old man has taken an oath that he will never head out of this pavilion for a lifetime and is thus unable to see you. You¡¯ve honored this humble cottage of mine with your visit!¡± said the old man with a smile.


    ¡°Elderly Qu, I actually come to your residence just to find teacher Han this time,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    The old man stared blankly for a moment and glanced at Yue Kai¡¯s group before he suddenly sighed and said, ¡°Now that I recall it, you are still teacher¡¯s student too.¡±


    At this moment, a beautiful figure appeared in the inside of the round arch entrance. It was Han Qingwu, who now wore a plain dress. Her eyes flashed with joy upon seeing Tang Xiu as she walked over and said, ¡°You¡¯re back, Tang Xiu. I thought you weren¡¯t even going to take the first year¡¯s final exam!¡±


    ¡°Can I have a minute to talk with you in private?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Han Qingwu felt her heart tightened, yet her expression was still. ¡°What do you want to discuss with me?¡±


    ¡°Some private issues,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    Han Qingwu was silent for a moment, but still nodded and said, ¡°Come with me.¡±


    Yue Kai, Hu Qingsong, and Xue Chao trio nearby raised their thumbs up while watching Tang Xiu with admiration visible in their eyes. They already learned that Tang Xiu¡¯s luck with women was nothing but great, yet they didn¡¯t expect that his methods of nailing girls were similarly awesome. To their surprise, he even requested to have a private talk with teacher Han in front of them.


    ¡°Man, he really deserves to be called our Big Brother! Even teacher Han has fallen to his charm!¡±


    ¡°You know, I definitely won¡¯t take you to accompany me drinking to dispel my sorrow when I can learn one or two-tenths of his tricks to pick up chicks.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The old man Qu Jie, however, was a very experienced person and he was keenly aware that the relationship between Tang Xiu and Han Qingwu was far from ordinary. He immediately berated the Yue Kai trio upon hearing their comments, ¡°Refrain yourselves from spitting out such drivel, brats. Teacher Han is also your teacher. You must remember that and honor her as a student should.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we speak nonsense, Elderly Qu,¡± replied Hu Qingsong with a grin. ¡°Our teacher Han does like Big Bro Tang and many of us already know this fact. Besides, it¡¯s true that respecting a teacher is really a must, but this is already a new era where it¡¯s normal to see a teacher and a student falling in love with each other. There have even been plenty of them getting married.¡±


    Qu Jie only shook his head at his response and forced a smile. He was not an outdated person who was bound to the old traditions, nor was he a feudal-minded either. He was naturally aware of some trends in the current era, and despite there were many ideas he couldn¡¯t approve of from this era, he could do nothing to alter it either.


    There was another compound in the interior arch with a row of spacious room on the left side of the courtyard. After Han Qingwu brought Tang Xiu to one of the rooms, she made tea after Tang Xiu came inside and served a cup before speaking, ¡°What exactly do you want to discuss with me?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s gaze was like a torch as he asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you have something you want to explain to me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to explain to you.¡± Han Qingwu shook her head.


    ¡°Should I call you Han Qingwu, the teacher Han now, or shall I call you Xue Qingcheng now?¡± sneered Tang Xiu.


    Han Qingwu¡¯s figure shuddered and her expression turned somewhat pale in that instant while her eyes tried to somewhat dodge Tang Xiu¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°Judging from your response and expression, you should have recalled your memories, haven¡¯t you?¡± followed Tang Xiu coldly.


    Han Qingwu nodded, but then, she shook her head and said bitterly, ¡°I recalled a lot of things, but there are still many things I can¡¯t remember. Until now, even I can¡¯t still figure out what relates Xue Qingcheng to me, like with what you just asked.¡±


    ¡°What have you recalled, then?¡± asked Tang Xiu in a deep voice.


    Han Qingwu pointed to a row of instruments in the room and said, ¡°I saw a lot of scenes, some of which were scenes where I used musical instruments, and then I found myself to be an expert at music and dance all of a sudden. Also, I seem to have seen a whole new world called the Immortal World. I didn¡¯t understand it before, like why did I suddenly have so much power and why would cultivation techniques appear inside my mind. But now, I figured out that there was seemingly a woman named Xue Qingcheng, and part of her memories are inside my mind now. However, even though I¡¯ve figured out a lot of things and there are a lot of fragments and scenes in my mind, there are many things I feel very familiar with but can¡¯t understand why.¡±


    ¡°What I wanna know is how many things you¡¯ve remembered about me,¡± asked Tang Xiu in a deep voice.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see it clearly.¡± Han Qingwu shook her head with a bitter smile. ¡°There¡¯s always a man appearing in my mind, but all I can see is only his back and I have no means to see his face whatsoever. But I have a hunch that the man should be related to you.¡±


    Disappointment flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes, and yet, there was also a relief.


    He really wanted to know the answer. He truly wished to find out as to why Xue Qingcheng had to betray him in the past. Yet, he was also scared of getting the answer and wreck himself.


    Gu Yan¡¯er had told him a lot of things, particularly all the rumors about Xue Qingcheng. But he didn¡¯t know whether the rumors were reliable and true, nor was he able to know for certain what her true intention was.


    Silence fell for a very long time before Tang Xiu took a deep breath and slowly said, ¡°I really hope that you didn¡¯t lie to me since I hate being deceived by anyone.¡±


    With that said, he turned around and headed toward the outside.


    Han Qingwu kept watching Tang Xiu¡¯s back as he left through the door with tears welling up in her eyes. Only after Tang Xiu¡¯s back had finally disappeared outside the door for a while did she finally mutter two words:


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Tang Xiu himself returned to the front courtyard and didn¡¯t even bid farewell to Qu Jian. He just told Yue Kai trio that there were some issues he needed to tend to before he left in a hurry. He didn¡¯t even respond back even though they called him.


    He couldn¡¯t tell whether Han Qingwu told him the truth or not. But there was one thing he could be sure of¡ªthat even if Han Qingwu really hadn¡¯t yet restored all her memories, the time for her to remember everything probably wouldn¡¯t be long.


    That resentment and hatred still enveloped his heart and mind, regardless.


    He needed to figure out the truth of the matter, or at least, learn the reason for the betrayal. There was also the question¡ªwhy she was reincarnated on Earth?


    Everything turned Tang Xiu¡¯s mood for the worse and he had no intention of returning to campus whatsoever and directly headed to his house. After he got there, he called Gu Changmin, the owner of Dingshen Media.


    ¡°Brother Gu, do you have an acquaintance at Shanghai University?¡±


    ¡°I do, why?¡± Gu Changmin¡¯s reply was short and neat.


    ¡°You also know that I¡¯m a first-year student there, but I have too many things to tend to this year; hence, I often take a leave of absence,¡± explained Tang Xiu. ¡°So, there are two things I¡¯d like to ask you for help with if it doesn¡¯t trouble you.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you leave out the polite pleasantries between us, Brother Tang? Just speak it out freely to me if you need something from me,¡± said Gu Changmin with a chuckle. ¡°And yes, I¡¯m a good friend of Vice President Li of Shanghai University.¡±

 Chapter 866 - Courting Disaster

    Chapter 866: Courting Disaster


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    As common saying said, there was always someone in any place who could get the job done.


    And, as a famous rich man in Shanghai, Gu Changmin naturally had a very strong network. With just a brief phone call, he had already resolved Tang Xiu¡¯s problem.


    Truthfully speaking, what Tang Xiu requested was very simple. He wanted the campus to give him a green light to smoothly graduate from the university and for him to obtain his diploma from Shanghai University. He just would be allowed to choose whether or not to attend class based on his schedule.


    ¡°By the way, I don¡¯t understand one thing, Brother Tang.¡±


    Just as Tang Xiu was about to hang up, Gu Changmin¡¯s voice came again from his mobile phone.


    ¡°What exactly?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Well, given your stature and fame, it¡¯s needless to say that the Shanghai University wouldn¡¯t make things difficult for you because of this trivial issue,¡± said Gu Changmin. ¡°They will likely comply should you propose a special request. It¡¯s because your fame has affected the reputation of Shanghai University in and of itself, while your existence makes it even more in the limelight in the education sector.¡±


    ¡°For real?¡±


    But, when Tang Xiu thought it over, he suddenly came to an understanding. It was as people said that those who were concerned in the matter were rarely able to see as clearly as those who weren¡¯t themselves involved. Thus, he ignored his identity and regarded himself as an ordinary college student at Shanghai University. On second thought, however, he understood the root of the problem because of Han Qingwu.


    He had been studying in the university for a year and his class attendance could be said to be appalling. Yet, none of the major or elective teachers had ever made things difficult for him; even the higher-ups in the university turned a blind eye. Every time such a big fuss came to scare him, it was all coming from none other than Han Qingwu.


    ¡®This woman again¡­¡¯ It made Tang Xiu feel vexed and amused at the same time. After hanging up, the bits of his depressing mood had dissipated a lot. He also thought that since he hadn¡¯t attended class for a long time, he decided not to attend them before the final exam since it was meaningless for him to go anymore. He would rather review the course by himself since his efficiency was much higher than when attending the class.


    As dusk came, Tang Xiu had reviewed the contents of the entire major course. As he was preparing to go downstairs to have dinner in the dining room, a beautiful figure appeared outside the study.


    ¡°You¡¯ve come back.¡±


    Mu Wanying stopped at the door of the study and smilingly said. She was clad in professional attire that outlined her perfect figure, along with long flowing hair that was fluttering in the breeze.


    Tang Xiu smiled and got up as he came to her and said, ¡°I just came back for two days. Well, the trip this time was kinda exhausting so I just stayed at home straight away and had a good rest. But how did you know I was back?¡±


    ¡°Jiang Feiyan told me. She probably learned it from your dorm mates,¡¯ replied Mu Wanying with a smile.


    Tang Xiu suddenly realized this and then walked downstairs with Mu Wanying as he asked with a smile, ¡°Well, I did go to campus today and none seem to know that I¡¯ve come back except for Yue Kai and them. Anyways, how¡¯s your company doing now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been great. The company has expanded several times in scale and is very busy,¡± replied Mu Wanying softly. ¡°That¡¯s right; Lulu also helped me pull some top domestic advertising designers. She¡¯s really a capable woman.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Tang Xiu wondered, ¡°How did she get along with you?¡±


    ¡°Well, we met at a business gathering and we had an amiable chat,¡± said Mu Wanying. ¡°Lulu and I are now business partners. I help her promote her Paradise Club, while she¡¯s helping me headhunt a batch of business designers.¡±


    Tang Xiu secretly shook his head as he really couldn¡¯t figure out how women¡¯s minds worked. He was ignorant on this matter both in the Immortal World and now. Whether it was Mu Wanying or Ouyang Lulu, they knew of each other¡¯s existence and their relationship with him; and yet, these two had actually established contact and even friendship in private.


    As they came to the dining room¡¯s door, Mu Wanying suddenly halted her pace. There was hesitation on her face before she asked, ¡°Tang Xiu, do you have any plans tonight?¡±


    ¡°None that I can think of!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and asked, ¡°What is it? Do you have something in mind?¡±


    ¡°Well, I have an important charity gala tonight but have no male escort,¡± said Mu Wanying. ¡°Care to accompany me?¡±


    ¡°A charity gala?¡±


    Tang Xiu blanked out and immediately broke into laughter before saying, ¡°So you came here to ask me to go to the charity party with you. Well¡­ you really exert your strength out, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Shyness covered Mu Wanying¡¯s expression. ¡°I miss you so much, which is the main reason I came here. If anything, I wasn¡¯t going to attend this evening¡¯s charity gala, but then I thought it¡¯d be fine if you¡¯re okay with it, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s ditch the explanation and grab dinner first before we leave, shall we?¡± interjected Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Or, do you want to leave now?¡±


    Mu Wanying thought about it and then said, ¡°Let¡¯s have something to fill our belly first, then.¡±


    Shanghai Century Hotel.


    A luxury car stopped at the entrance of the hotel as a well-dressed man and woman got off from it and entered the hotel. They headed straight to the 18th-floor hall where the charity gala was being held.


    It was nearly seven o¡¯clock when Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying arrived there. Tang Xiu had already learned the information about tonight¡¯s charity ball on the way here. The gala was hosted by Zhang Qingfeng, a famous rich businessman in Shanghai and the chairman of the Zhang Group, renowned as a philanthropist in the country.


    Rumors had it that the amount of money Zhang Qingfeng donated each year to charity exceeded nine digits.


    At the entrance of the banquet hall on the 18th floor.


    Several security guards in black suits calmly verified the authenticity of the invitations, while a beautiful young woman greeted the guests to the sign the register book as she spoke to several distinguished guests, ¡°I really apologize, sirs. We can¡¯t let you in since you all have no invitations.¡±


    ¡°Take it easy and make an exception this time, lass.¡± The leader of the group, an old man, keenly glanced around with a smile on his face.


    The woman shook her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, sir, I can¡¯t stretch the rules that I¡¯ve been ordered to follow. You really can¡¯t go inside if you don¡¯t have an invitation. Else, I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll lose my job if my superior blames me for it. Please refrain from making things difficult for me.¡±


    Just as Tang Xiu came to the entrance, he saw some familiar figures and knitted his brows without him realizing. Then he went over and said with a smile, ¡°They mustn¡¯t go inside since they have no invitations. There are too many people wanting to get some profits by disturbing things nowadays. Don¡¯t give a chance to those who just want to dine and drink freely.¡±


    In that instant, everyone at the entrance shifted their attention to Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying.


    A middle-aged man standing behind the old man turned his head and glanced at Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying. Despite being surprised by Mu Wanying¡¯s peerless appearance, he couldn¡¯t endure it after the comment and berated loudly, ¡°Don¡¯t speak nonsense, kid. Do you know who we really¡­¡±


    ¡°Pipe down.¡±


    The old man raised his hand and interrupted him while a smile outlined the corners of his mouth as he smilingly berated back, ¡°What a brat! Are you intentionally coming to beat up this old man squeeze and hit this old man out? What freeloading, huh? Do I look like the kind of person who wants to dine and drink here for no reason?¡±


    ¡°Ouch. Well, I¡¯m kinda too tired recently and often do strenuous things that are not good for me which tire out my eyes.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°It turns out to be you, Senior Duanmu! You elderly, you¡¯ve been constantly taking care of a lot of problems for the good of the state and its people. Why did you come here? Could it be¡ª¡±


    Duanmu Lin couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter before he slightly nodded and said, ¡°Don¡¯t waste the time, will you? Just take us in since you brought the invitation!¡±


    Tang Xiu assented inwardly and nodded, ¡°Got it. Go in with us!¡±


    From the very start to the end, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t introduce Duanmu Lin to Mu Wanying. Although Duanmu Lin had a meaningful look as he looked at her, he didn¡¯t take the initiative to speak about it either.


    As they walked through the hall¡¯s entrance, Tang Xiu came to Duanmu Lin¡¯s side and asked in a whisper, ¡°What exactly happened that it was worth it for you to personally head over here, old man?¡±


    ¡°Bloodkin,¡± whispered Duanmu Lin back.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t China a forbidden zone for the Bloodkin?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised and stared for a second. ¡°From where did this Bloodkin come from? How could they be so ignorant to act blindly, regardless of life and death?¡±


    ¡°There was an uprising in the stronghold of the Bloodkin in Europe and a small clan of vampires that have been staying low profile for centuries suddenly swept over to devastate and root out the other clans with powerful deterrence and massacre. Some of the vampire clans are under the Stygian Club sphere of influence. But in all probability, some other clans that have joined that organization ended up in the most tragic state and have been massacred.¡±


    ¡°A small clan of vampires who have been staying low-key for centuries?¡± Tang Xiu was confused, ¡°Are you sure they are just a small clan?¡±


    ¡°They are indeed a small clan based on the past intelligence data.¡± Duanmu Lin nodded. ¡°I thought that clan only had less than twenty members or so in the past. Only now is it clear that this clan has at least two hundred members, most of them terrifyingly powerful. One thing that must be noted is that this clan has a very strong powerhouse¡ªa Vampire Lord.¡±


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but gasp.


    Had it been in his past life, a flick of his finger could kill such a Vampire Lord. However, with his present strength and even though his cultivation had just greatly improved and had broken through a realm, he would have to spend a great deal of effort to kill a Vampire Lord.


    ¡°Is there any other Bloodkin clan who escaped here due to the Bloodkin civil war in Europe?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s exactly the members of that clan who came here.¡± Duanmu Lin shook his head.


    ¡°That clan of vampires?¡± Tang Xiu stared blankly for a moment and asked quizzically, ¡°What do they wanna do in China? Do they want to cause problems in our country?¡±


    ¡°How would I know that?¡± Duanmu Lin shook his head and forced a smile. ¡°We just received the information about this; hence, we rushed to come over. In case we couldn¡¯t drive them away, we¡¯d have to resort to killing them.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in agreement. He wouldn¡¯t be a busybody by involving himself had it not been because he had met him since, and in any case, Duanmu Lin¡¯s group was all ability users. But if the vampire clan members went so far so as to disturb the order and harm ordinary people, he definitely wouldn¡¯t just stand idly by.


    ¡°Go and do your things, then. But don¡¯t hesitate to contact me at any time should you have any need of my assistance.¡±


    Duanmu Lin gladly nodded and said, ¡°Anyways, come to Beijing later if you got time! My department has a merit and reward system and we learned of what you did in Qingcheng Mountain. You should collect your reward personally.¡±


    ¡°What kind of reward it is, exactly?¡±


    Tang Xiu, who was about to leave with Mu Wanying, suddenly halted his pace and asked immediately.


    ¡°Let me keep it a secret as to what the reward is for now, alright?¡± Duanmu Lin smilingly said, ¡°Shortly put, it¡¯s definitely a good surprise for you, though.¡±


    Tang Xiu curled his lips and muttered inwardly: ¡®As long as it¡¯s not frightening, then fine.¡¯

 Chapter 867 - Flushing the Crown

    Chapter 867: Flushing the Crown


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    With Duanmu Lin¡¯s team leaving, Tang Xiu took Mu Wanying to the leisure area at the corner of the banquet hall. He then randomly picked a sofa to take a seat on as his eyes glanced towards the groups of three to five well-dressed men and women before he shook his head and sighed, ¡°You know, if I must speak frankly, I never liked this kind of occasion at all. It¡¯s like a waste of time seeing a bunch of people with masks who speak hypocritical things that hold no value whatsoever.¡±


    ¡°Well, humans live in the secular world so they must follow their customs. Just do as the Romans do in Rome.¡± Mu Wanying chuckled. ¡°Although this kind of charity gala is very stereotyped and everyone has a mask of hypocrisy on their faces, it¡¯s not without any merit nonetheless. Chinese do pay heavy attention to personal connections and networking, and this is such a good place to make friends regardless. Do you see those men and women of our age who get along together and seem to enjoy the merriment? They are the typical second or third generation nouveau riche. And, on this occasion, their elders brought them here so they can get acquainted with each other and get along well; thus, they will form their own network of contacts in the future, which is also an alternative to teach and cultivate their juniors!¡±


    ¡°What you said makes sense.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°You know, I don¡¯t like this kind of occasion either.¡± Mu Wanying chuckled. ¡°However, Zhang Group is my client, after all, while Zhang Qingfeng also gave me an invitation, so I planned to come over to support the event.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised. ¡°Your advertising company has business dealings with the Zhang Group?¡±


    ¡°It was you who introduced those various businesses to me in the first place.¡± Mu Wanying deeply gazed at Tang Xiu. ¡°It then caused my advertising company to become well-known in Shanghai; most of them are from the people you introduced me to. They then introduced me to some others¡ªeven Zhang Qingfeng personally looked for me¡ªand only then did I learn that Zhang Yueming of the Xinyang Group recommended me to him. Now, the Zhang Group is a big client of my company.¡±


    ¡°Well, then I need to perform a show, it seems,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile after learning it.


    ¡°Ehh? You wanna do something?¡± Mu Wanying was astonished.


    ¡°You¡¯re my girlfriend, so it¡¯s natural that I must give Zhang Qingfeng face, right?¡± Tang Xiu replied with a faint smile. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna say it, but I seem to see some big TV stars here.¡±


    Mu Wanying turned around and suddenly found several famous first and second-tier stars who were quite famous in the entertainment world. They were all wearing evening gowns, each with a male or female companion next to them. All of them beamed with smiles as they greeted and engaged in small talk with people who were usually quite difficult to meet.


    Time fleeted by and at eight in the evening, the charity gala began and everyone went to the round table on the side of the hall to take their seats. Several men and women who shared a table with Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying didn¡¯t recognize them. But since the duo was a charming male and a stunningly beautiful female, it prompted in a curious gaze towards them from several middle-aged men and women.


    ¡°You¡­ are you, Boss Tang Xiu?¡± asked the middle-aged man sitting across from Tang Xiu all of a sudden.


    ¡°I am indeed,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a smile.


    The middle-aged man immediately looked pleasantly surprised. He hurriedly got up to take out his business card and handed it over to Tang Xiu. ¡°Hello, Mr. Tang. I¡¯m honored to meet you here! I¡¯m the owner of Ziyang Home Appliances, Wang Mingwei. Please take good care of me in any way you can later.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t bring my business card. I¡¯m really sorry,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    The smile on Wang Mingwei¡¯s face froze and he seemed a bit unhappy inwardly even though his expression went back to normal. Yet, he still replied, ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡±


    Tang Xiu then took out his mobile phone and dialed Wang Mingwei¡¯s cell number written on the business card. It made the latter immediately dull for a moment as he looked at Tang Xiu quizzically.


    ¡°Truthfully speaking, I don¡¯t have the habit of carrying a business card with me, but this is my cell number.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°We can be in contact directly later if Boss Wang doesn¡¯t shut me out.¡±


    Wang Mingwei suddenly realized that he had misunderstood Tang Xiu and his smile now had sincerity on it. Then he nodded with a smile. ¡°Certainly. Please don¡¯t feel troubled and resentful if I disturb you in the future.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t!¡± Tang Xiu nodded and smiled at his words. After which, he looked at Mu Wanying and smilingly said, ¡°Wanying, why don¡¯t you greet Boss Wang as my girlfriend too?¡±


    Mu Wanying was startled but she immediately caught Tang Xiu¡¯s intent. She took out her business card and handed it to Wang Mingwei and smilingly said, ¡°Hello, Boss Wang. I¡¯m Mu Wanying.¡±


    Wang Mingwei swiftly read the business card and looked slightly astonished. He then got up to conscientiously receive it with serious mannerism. ¡°Miss Mu is truly the proud daughter of the heavens. So young, yet you have established such a big advertising company. I¡¯ll look for the Marketing Director of my company once I get back and tell him to contact you further. I¡¯m looking forward to seeing you taking care of our advertising in the future!¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± replied Mu Wanying with a smile.


    At this time, the other middle-aged men and women at the same table looked shocked by Wang Mingwei¡¯s actions and words. They were acquainted with the man and naturally understood his character. But the meaning in Wang Mingwei¡¯s words was very obvious! Was it necessary for him to just give the advertisement work of his company to this beautiful woman?


    ¡°Brother Wang, who exactly is this Boss Tang?¡± The middle-aged man sitting next to Wang Mingwei couldn¡¯t help but curiously ask.


    Wang Mingwei smiled and said, ¡°Brother Zhu, you don¡¯t even know the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s owner, Tang Xiu? He¡¯s God¡¯s favored person, the most legendary personage in our business circles!¡±


    Tang Xiu of the Magnificent Tang Corporation?


    In that instant, the men and women who shared the table with them had their expressions changed and the shock couldn¡¯t stop covering their faces. Their businesses were not big in scale, while Wang Mingwei, who was the most successful among them, only had a few billion yuan in net worth. Those who only had a few hundred million in assets rarely had a chance to be invited to this occasion today. Therefore, even though they knew some things about Tang Xiu, they never met him in reality.


    The middle-aged man surnamed Zhu hurriedly took out his business card and said with all smiles, ¡°Boss Tang, I truly have ignorant eyes and was unable to recognize you. I¡¯m Zhu Tao, the owner of Golden Bridge Co., Ltd.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Boss Tang, I am¡­¡±


    ¡°Boss Tang¡­¡±


    In just a few minutes, Mu Wanying had received four business cards. What made her at a loss between laughter and tears was that these four obviously wanted to fawn upon Tang Xiu and all of them said they wished to cooperate with her advertising company in the future.


    What should this occasion be called, then? They should have just simply taken part in this charity gala, yet to her surprise, it could even help her to expand her business?


    Mu Wanying had already learned of Tang Xiu¡¯s abilities before, but she was truly in awe of him at this moment.


    At this time, Zhang Qingfeng appeared with a microphone in hand on the stage in the interior was specifically built for this occasion. With a smiling face, he said, ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, I¡¯m very glad that you all are able to spare precious time out of your busy schedules to come tonight¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu, who was seated below the stage, observed Zhang Qingfeng. The man was not old and seemed to be in his early forties, yet his whole being looked mentally vigorous and he could be said to be quite handsome and stylish. His smiling face was very gentle, while his words and mannerisms were more genuine and sincere than most people.


    At the end of his speech, the racket of bidding finally began.


    The items auctioned during this occasion were actually very common, at least for the first five items. To give Zhang Qingfeng face, however, there were still many people who bid and paid for the auctioned items, of which the most expensive items was a fan that was sold for hundreds of thousands of yuan.


    ¡°The next auctioned item is a pair of jadeite bracelets that have been around for a long time. It¡¯s also jewelry that was worn by a famous big star on Shanghai beach during the time of the Republic of China. The starting bid is 100,000 yuan. And the auction starts now!¡±


    The beautiful dark green jadeite bracelet was then shown on the projector screen and suddenly attracted the attention of a lot of female guests present.


    With his sharp eyes, Tang Xiu could tell at first glance that the jadeite bracelet was of good quality, though it was not the best. In order to give Zhang Qingfeng face, however, he decided to gift it to Mu Wanying.


    ¡°150,000!¡±


    ¡°160,000!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°240,000!¡±


    The price kept soaring and quickly rose to 240,000.


    Tang Xiu glanced at Mu Wanying who kept silent yet smiling before he raised his hand and shouted, ¡°300,000!¡±


    Suddenly, a pair of eyes belonging to someone in the chamber looked over, while more than a dozen more looked surprised since they knew Tang Xiu. Most of them even had a good relationship with him, such as the owner of the Xinyang Group, Zhang Yueming.


    ¡°400,000.¡±


    Just as everyone observed Tang Xiu, a handsome young man sitting with his legs crossed shouted from one of the distant tables.


    Tang Xiu glanced at him and suddenly smiled and shouted again, ¡°One million! I think my girlfriend will like these jadeite bracelets.¡±


    The young man¡¯s expression changed and he angrily glared at Tang Xiu. When everyone thought that he would not bid again, he said aloud, ¡°Two million! My girlfriend should also like this one.¡±


    At that moment, Zhang Yueming and Gu Changmin, both inside the banquet hall, also got up. Under the watchful eyes of everyone else, the former coldly stared at the young man and said in a deep voice, ¡°Brother Tang¡¯s female companion takes fancy to the jadeite bracelets, so I¡¯ll bid ten million. But I¡¯ll gift it to Brother Tang after the auction.¡±


    Gu Changmin also followed suit indifferently, ¡°Mister, if you want to increase the price, then I¡¯ll double the amount of your bid!¡±


    The young man apparently knew who Zhang Yueming and Gu Changmin were. His face slightly changed with a resentful expression and he no longer spoke.


    Tang Xiu got up and under the watchful eyes of the audience, he cupped his fists to Zhang Yueming and Gu Changmin and smilingly said, ¡°Two Old Brothers, it¡¯s very kind of you. But tonight¡¯s protagonist is Mr. Zhang and the purpose of this gathering is for charity. I did say that my companion likes that jadeite bracelet, but how can I let you all pay for it? Alright, then I¡¯ll bid twenty million yuan for the jadeite bracelets. Does anyone want to increase the bid further?¡±


    The hundreds of guests in the entire banquet hall suddenly erupted with commotion after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words. Many of them were engaging in discussion in whispers:


    ¡°Who exactly is this guy? He¡¯s so awesome, yet rather cocky, no? This pair of jade bracelets are only worth hundreds of thousand yuan, yet he actually bid 20 million for it?¡±


    ¡°From where did this rich great man come from? Even rich people don¡¯t spend that much, do they?¡±


    ¡°Something¡¯s strange with him. Zhang Yueming and Gu Changmin are both famous great personages in Shanghai; why are they standing up for him in this kind of occasion? Is this guy very powerful?¡±


    ¡°Sweet! His girlfriend must be very happy!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s really crazy¡­¡±


    On the stage, Zhang Qingfeng himself didn¡¯t expect that Tang Xiu would personally come tonight. He did send the invitation to Mu Wanying and she didn¡¯t affirm whether she would come. To his surprise, however, not only had she come here, but she also brought Tang Xiu and gave him such a big honor.

 Chapter 868 - Hopelessly Stupid

    Chapter 868: Hopelessly Stupid


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    With everyone¡¯s eyes following him, Zhang Qingfeng left the podium and came to Tang Xiu as he bowed to shake hands and smilingly said, ¡°I truly didn¡¯t expect Mr. Tang would be willing to honor me with the grace of your visit to my humble abode. Your presence really makes tonight¡¯s charity party flourish! All the blames are on me as I didn¡¯t have time to check the guest list, else I wouldn¡¯t have dared to be this negligent.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook hands with him and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s all right. I¡¯m just here to join in the fun while expressing my gratitude on the behalf of my girlfriend.¡±


    Zhang Qingfeng was full of smiles and he knew that Tang Xiu was just returning the plum in exchange for the peach he had given. With him personally visiting, this gave him enough face. He knew that it was because he had handed over the entire advertising planning of his Zhang Group to Mu Wanying¡¯s advertising company.


    ¡®That is how a man should conduct and behave himself¡ªwith integrity!¡¯ sighed Zhang Qingfeng inwardly.


    He finally understood why Tang Xiu was able to make his business so big since the character of this young man was definitely worthy of deep friendship.


    ¡°You¡¯ve spent quite the expense tonight, Mr. Tang. We shall have a private discussion another day since I have some friends who have a good network and I¡¯m worried that their company doesn¡¯t have an advertising company to cooperate with. I¡¯ll tell introduce them to you and Boss Mu.¡±


    A smile outlined on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth as he replied, ¡°No problem. And, I shall express my thanks to you, Boss Zhang.¡±


    ¡°Well, speaking of age, I¡¯m much older than you, but if you don¡¯t reject me, you might as well call me Brother Zhang,¡± said Zhang Qingfeng with a smile. ¡°Addressing me by Boss Zhang feels like I¡¯m being treated as an outsider.¡±


    ¡°Alright then. But please don¡¯t call me Mr. Tang either, Brother Zhang.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Just call me Tang Xiu or younger Brother Tang. Old Brothers Zhang and Gu always call me such.¡±


    The smile on Zhang Qingfeng turned brighter as he nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s settled, then. We brothers will get along well later since I can¡¯t talk much with you now due to us holding a photo shoot, Brother Tang.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Tang Xiu nodded with a smile.


    As Zhang Qingfeng walked back to the podium, all the guests of the evening charity gala in the hall, who didn¡¯t know Tang Xiu, looked shocked and burst into commentaries:


    ¡°Who exactly is this young man named Tang? To think that he can make Zhang Qingfeng call a break on the auction to come down and personally greet him? Besides, judging from his words, Zhang Qingfeng wants to hand over the advertising of some companies to this young man¡¯s girlfriend? Isn¡¯t this the same as fawning upon him?¡±


    ¡°Zhang Qingfeng¡¯s net worth is not less than 10 billion yuan, yet even he acts very humble to befriend him? What great personage is this young man called Tang, exactly? Who is behind him?¡±


    ¡°Amazing! With just one auction, he literally attracted Zhang Yueming and Gu Changmin to stand up for him. Even Zhang Qingfeng is now currying favor with him. Even those scions from the rich families of Beijing probably don¡¯t have that ability.¡±


    ¡°I feel that he¡¯s rather familiar, but I can¡¯t recall where I have seen him. But seeing how many bigwigs came to flatter him, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s definitely not your ordinary person.¡±


    ¡°If only I were as great as him, then I would¡¯ve been the role model for my generation. It seems that I¡¯ll have an idol in the future.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s so handsome. His girlfriend must be very happy to find such a handsome and resourceful boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°I know that woman! She¡¯s the First Belle of Beijing, Mu Wanying. Just WOW! This guy is truly awesome. He could even nail such a fairy maiden.¡±


    ¡°Argh¡­ it¡¯d be great if he didn¡¯t have a girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    On the guest table.


    Miao Jinlei clenched his fists with a grim face. The envy in his eyes was as though nearly spraying a blazing flame as they glared at Tang Xiu. It was just that he didn¡¯t compete in the bid with Tang Xiu for no reason. He hadn¡¯t ever seen Tang Xiu before and no enmity existed between them either.


    But he was jealous because he had already recognized Mu Wanying¡¯s identity, who he had been pursuing for some time, yet she, the most beautiful flower of Shanghai University, didn¡¯t even spare a glance at him. He also brought a female companion to this charity gala tonight, and she was also a flower of Shanghai University that he had just pursued recently. His new girlfriend looked great usually, but was very far away when compared to Mu Wanying in his eyes.


    ¡®Fucking bastard!¡¯ Only at this moment did Miao Jinlei finally recognize Tang Xiu.


    He was able to study at Shanghai University due to his uncle, Miao Wentang, who had spent enormous financial resources and used his network to make him a transfer student. This was to make him become friends with Tang Xiu there, and it would be best if he could become his hardcore buddy.


    That was the original plan, and he did want to befriend Tang Xiu. After all, he knew that behind him was the Tang Family of Beijing. Befriending a scion with a deep background had many more benefits than downsides. But the sudden meeting and tonight¡¯s conflict swept away all the thoughts he had of befriending Tang Xiu. There was nothing but intense embarrassment and anger in his heart now.


    ¡®Amazing? What¡¯s fucking amazing about it? Is it because he has the shade and shelter of his family elders? You are nothing but lesser than a fart without your Tang Family. I really can¡¯t get what uncle has been thinking. Why on Earth did he want me to befriend this fucking asshole? There are so many other powerful and wealthy families in Beijing and much more scions who are very resourceful as well. With the power and wealth my Miao Family in the Haiqing Province has, they¡¯ll probably be very happy to express their goodwill and make friends with me, no?¡¯


    As Miao Jinlei thought up to there, he suddenly slapped on the table and straightly dragged his girlfriend from her chair and headed outside with grim face.


    He thought that Zhang Qingfeng, the host of the party, had smacked his face by fawning upon Tang Xiu; hence, he believed that there was no point in him staying any longer. He didn¡¯t need to give Zhang Qingfeng face although his uncle had urged him to come to support Zhang Qingfeng, he refused to heed him anymore.


    At this time, Zhang Qingfeng, who had just returned to the podium, looked dark and gloomy instantly. His eyes followed the back of Miao Jinlei and his female companion as they left, while a sliver of anger rushed from his heart into his head.


    Meanwhile, the rest of the guests in the hall of the charity gala were keenly aware of Zhang Qingfeng¡¯s unusual expression. They similarly turned around and saw the back of Miao Jinlei and his female companion, followed by a burst of whispers in the next moment:


    ¡°Whose junior is that to be so folly? With just a trivial dissatisfaction, he straightly slaps Zhang Qingfeng¡¯s face?¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know which family has educated such a dumb brat. Who will be the most displeased by his actions? It¡¯s none other than Zhang Qingfeng! He even has literally smacked Zhang Yueming and Gu Changmin!¡±


    ¡°Well, this young man really has no brain, so it doesn¡¯t matter if he leaves. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m afraid he has offended the three giants at the same time. Whatever he wants to do in Shanghai, he¡¯s doomed to hit stumbling blocks in the future.¡±


    ¡°Remember him and keep in mind that regardless of whether you already knew him or not before, you must never have any interactions with him again in the future. This kind of idiot is the likes of who will bring calamity to his elders and family.¡±


    ¡°Idiot!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu himself also saw Miao Jinlei¡¯s departure and the corner of his mouth curled up in a sneer. Then a smile climbed up his face to replace it as he leaned toward Mu Wanying and asked, ¡°Do you know that guy?¡±


    ¡°I know him. He¡¯s also a student of our Shanghai University.¡± Mu Wanying chuckled. ¡°He grew up as a self-made man and has a wealthy family, though he¡¯s also a womanizer.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Why do I feel like you sound like this guy is chasing you?¡± asked Tang Xiu with an odd expression.


    ¡°He does pursue me, but I flatly ignore him,¡± said Mu Wanying with a smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s the first Campus Flower of Shanghai University and the First Belle of Beijing I know of. You know, you always bump into your former pursuers wherever you go.¡± Tang Xiu smiled while raising his thumb up. ¡°By the way, you said this guy hails from a wealthy family; what does his family do, exactly?¡±


    Somehow, Mu Wanying looked shy and she slightly lowered her head and replied, ¡°His family is in Haiqing Province. He¡¯s the nephew of Miao Group¡¯s Big Boss, Miao Wentang.¡±


    ¡°So, he is that Miao Jinlei? The second-generation rich boy who just snatched the goddess in Old Hu¡¯s mind recently, huh?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised. ¡°Speaking about it, the female companion who is with him just now is¡­¡±


    ¡°I also heard about Hu Qingsong¡¯s unrequited secret love for the goddess, who had been pursued for a long time, you know.¡± Mu Wanying chuckled and said, ¡°It seems that he dragged Yue Kai and the others to get drunk yesterday. It¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t know if the one who was pursued by Miao Jinlei was that girl next to him.¡±


    ¡°Whether she is or not, I gotta call Miao Wentang to tell him that this brat is not good. This guy would spell doom for the Miao Group if the company were to be handed over to him in the future,¡± commented Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°I already know that you have a good relationship with Miao Wentang,¡± said Mu Wanying with a chuckle. ¡°But will your words be useful?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to hear and watch something later?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a faint smile.


    ¡°Huh? Watch what?¡± Mu Wanying was confused.


    ¡°Well, be patient and wait for now, alright?¡± Tang Xiu mysteriously smiled and grinned, ¡°I¡¯ll show you quite the major drama later.¡±


    The charity auction continued.


    Zhang Qingfeng naturally wouldn¡¯t let the departure of Miao Jinlei to affect tonight¡¯s charity gala. He continued the entire auction program for nearly an hour to completion.


    It was then followed by the evening banquet in the next hall.


    Zhang Yueming, Gu Changmin, and more than a dozen or so businesspeople who knew Tang Xiu came over to gather here and engaged in conversation. Zhang Qingfeng, who acted as the host, also pulled Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying to the innermost inside to take a seat at the main table.


    The evening banquet was then concluded at eleven in the evening.


    At the hotel entrance.


    Tang Xiu parted ways with Zhang Yueming, Gu Changmin, and the other friends here as he watched all of them leaving. Then he immediately called Mo Awu to drive the car.


    After taking a seat beside with Mu Wanying, Tang Xiu took out his mobile and asked with a smile on his face, ¡°Do you still remember what I told you before? Be prepared to watch a major drama that I¡¯m about to show you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I remember it!¡± Mu Wanying nodded and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to call Miao Wentang?¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a hollow laugh a few times and said, ¡°Not really. I won¡¯t only call him, but also turn his face red instantly. You can believe me or not, but once Miao Wentang picks up my call, he will definitely be furious and he will even kick his nephew out of the Miao Family.¡±


    Mu Wanying shook her head and smiled tenderly, ¡°I can believe you if you can make Miao Wentang give a severe lesson to Miao Jinlei. But I don¡¯t think he will drive away Miao Jinlei from his family. It¡¯s impossible since blood is thicker than water. Even if you do have a good relationship with Miao Wentang, I don¡¯t think you can do a thing to a member of his household, no?¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t believe it. Then just sit tight and see!¡± Tang Xiu let out an enigmatic smile.


    With that said, he then called Miao Wentang¡¯s cell number and waited for his call to be picked up.

 Chapter 869 - Sending Barrage of Blows

    Chapter 869: Sending Barrage of Blows


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Seeking revenge for the slightest resentment was not Tang Xiu¡¯s nature. He also didn¡¯t bother to care about trivial matters usually. He would never call Miao Wentang just because of the trivial incident at tonight¡¯s charity gala, but it was for Hu Qingsong, his classmate and a good friend who had suffered under Miao Jinlei¡¯s hand that made him unwilling to let this fellow get off scot-free.


    At this time, he already had turned on his mobile phone¡¯s loudspeaker.


    As his call was picked up, Miao Wentang¡¯s voice came out of the phone and Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Old Brother Miao. Where are you?¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang, what a rare occasion of you to call me on your initiative!¡± Miao Wentang chuckled and replied. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m currently in Blue City since I¡¯ve got some things to be done here. I should be leaving for Shanghai afterward a couple of days later.¡±


    ¡°Well, I got something important to tell you, but since you¡¯re coming to Shanghai a few days from now, just forget it! I¡¯ll be waiting for you to come over and tell you directly later,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t! You said it¡¯s very important, so go ahead, tell me,¡± replied Miao Wentang in a hurry.


    Tang Xiu intentionally hesitated for a moment as he pretended to sigh and said, ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll tell you since Brother Miao wants to know it. Anyways, is Miao Jinlei your nephew? I just saw him today.¡±


    Miao Wentang loudly laughed and said, ¡°What do you think about him, Brother Tang? He¡¯s passable, no?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s indeed.¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, ¡°Definitely a man who will court disaster and cause calamity to befall upon his family. I even experienced it from him today.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my nephew for¡­ No! What did you say? He¡¯ll court disaster for the family? What do you mean by that, Brother Tang?¡± Miao Wentang¡¯s voice from the mobile suddenly changed tone.


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Tang Xiu sighed and said, ¡°I truly didn¡¯t want to call you this time, but we have an excellent personal relationship¡ªcomrade-in-arms, who have fought shoulder by shoulder with our lives on the line. I even hesitated for a long time before I decided to call you! But alas¡­ I could be suspected of complaining, so to speak, nonetheless!¡±


    Miao Wentang¡¯s tone turned solemn and he seriously said, ¡°You said we are brothers since we have braved dangers and had our lives on the line together, so do tell what you wanna tell me.¡±


    Tang Xiu glanced at Mu Wanying next to him and said, ¡°Brother Miao, something happened tonight¡­ I¡¯ll tell the short version of the story. It was just a trivial incident of a bidding session at the charity gala¡¯s auction, but I couldn¡¯t be bothered to lengthen it since I know that he¡¯s your nephew. Besides me, however, he also offended Zhang Yueming, Gu Changmin, and Zhang Qingfeng.¡±


    ¡°That damned bastard!¡±


    Miao Wentang was so angry that he nearly fainted and cursed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get anger flushing to your head first, Brother Miao.¡± Tang Xiu sighed and continued, ¡°You also know about the Old Blind lady from Miao Region, right?¡±


    ¡°The Old Blind lady of Heavenly Secrets Lineage?¡± exclaimed Miao Wentang suddenly, shocked.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s her.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I can tell you that I¡¯m very close with her and I¡¯ll be taking care of her as she passes her remaining days in the future. You can say that she¡¯s an elder quite close to me. I also learned some divination arts to calculate fate from her, and even though I have yet to reach great accomplishment, I can still peep into some Heavenly Secrets from the Heavenly Dao and I¡¯ve verified it with the inheritance imparted to me.¡±


    Miao Wentang knew Tang Xiu¡¯s abilities and he had long guessed that Tang Xiu had a very terrifying heritage. Added with the abilities learned from that mysterious Old Blind, he would be able to surpass the latter, meaning that his cultivation in divination art must have reached a frightening level as well.


    While suppressing the shock he had inwardly, Miao Wentang hurriedly asked, ¡°Please continue, Brother Tang.¡±


    ¡°I already told you the incidents I encountered today, didn¡¯t I,¡± sighed Tang Xiu. ¡°Tonight¡¯s charity gala was pretty much bland in and of itself, but your nephew turned it into an excessive show, hence why I used divination art to peer into his fate on impulse. And, the result was¡­ alas!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the result, Brother Tang?¡± asked Miao Wentang hurriedly, ¡°Please don¡¯t keep me hanging like this. Just tell me¡ªwhat did you see when you peered into my nephew¡¯s fate?¡±


    ¡°He is an evil star that is the bane of other¡¯s existence and has a bloody path to walk on,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Miao Wentang, who was in Blue City, instantly paled with disbelief. His heart couldn¡¯t bear it and shuddered a few times.


    ¡°He should have a magical tool that can protect him, allowing him to grow up safely up until now, and he will stay safe and sound for the next few years,¡± said Tang Xiu solemnly. ¡°But when he turns twenty-seven, the accumulated disaster will break out abruptly; when that time comes, huge changes will befall upon your Miao Family. What I saw was bloodshed as the blood of your family flows like a river and their dead bodies lied around everywhere. He¡¯s the only one who survives the ordeal, destined to live alone and to be tormented for the rest of his life as he spends his remaining years in loneliness until death comes to take him away.¡±


    ¡°How could that happen? How can this be?¡±


    Instantly, Miao Wentang¡¯s face was as though devoid of blood. He didn¡¯t doubt Tang Xiu who had too many magical and mysterious abilities.


    Yet still, how could that be possible?


    He was a cultivator, while his Miao Family was also the richest and most powerful family in Haiqing Province. They had power, influence, and wealth; how could such a giant suddenly collapse?


    Inside the car.


    Mu Wanying was tongue-tied and dumbfounded as she watched Tang Xiu, and even her eyes contained a particularly strange expression. Never once had she ever thought that she would learn that Tang Xiu would be spitting out such nonsensical things that even made Miao Wentang scared shitless.


    A long time had passed before Miao Wentang asked with a bit of a trembling voice, ¡°Then what should I do, Brother Tang? How can I cast away the disaster that will plague my family?¡±


    Tang Xiu produced a dry grin and said, ¡°I already must pay some price for revealing what should be classified as Heavenly Secrets. If I were to reveal more, the punishment from Heaven will come swifter and heavier than the previous, so I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t help you.¡±


    Miao Wentang fell into silence for a while and said, ¡°Are you now in Shanghai, Brother Tang? Please wait for me there; let¡¯s just meet there and talk.¡±


    As the call ended, Tang Xiu put away his mobile and glanced at Mu Wanying who was looking both hesitant and eager to speak. He spoke out, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m evil?¡±


    ¡°No. Miao Jinlei is too wicked. It is exactly as you said¡ªif he keeps acting like this, he will definitely bring disaster to his family in the future. But I don¡¯t understand why you are so serious about this issue?¡±


    The smile on Tang Xiu¡¯s face faded away as he turned his head to look at the scenes of the street outside the window. His expression turned a lot colder when he replied, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have been bothered to stretch this issue if it were just a trivial incident that happened tonight with him. It¡¯s not because I spent twenty million yuan either. The money has been paid off from the exchange with Zhang Qingfeng to introduce you to more businesses, so it was worth it. But Miao Jinlei has literally made my brother suffer for many days, causing him to drown in alcohol just to cast away his depression. It is this account he must pay for.¡±


    ¡°You did all this just for Hu Qingsong?¡± asked Mu Waning incredulously.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°If Miao Jinlei attaches importance to people¡¯s feelings, he should be able to treat that girl he snatches in the future well, and I won¡¯t take a hard stance like this. But I¡¯m sure you know about him better than I do. Why would such a young master degenerate like him possibly be able to have special feelings for a girl? Therefore, it is because he can¡¯t do that and has made my brother suffer that I must take severe action.¡±


    ¡°Truthfully speaking, I might not have taken the initiative to find and bully Miao Jinlei if we didn¡¯t meet him tonight. But now that I met him, it¡¯s like all the old and recent grudges have now combined.¡±


    Mu Wanying caught everything quickly and a smile appeared on her face. Then she said, ¡°Well, I suddenly realized that being your family member and friend is quite a good thing since we at least need not fear getting bullied.¡±


    ¡°Let me tell you one thing. Why do I cultivate? It¡¯s because I want to have the absolute power to protect my loved ones,¡± said Tang Xiu with a pale smile. ¡°There¡¯s only one rule in this world, or rather the world with living beings¡ªthat the weak will stand as easy prey to the strong. Only with absolute strength can we live happily ever after.¡±


    ¡°I believe you can do it,¡± said Mu Wanying softly.


    Time fleeted by and it now was four in the morning.


    The door of the deluxe private room of the Century Hotel in Shanghai was kicked open and four burly men rushed into the room aggressively. Following behind them was the grim and angry-looking Miao Wentang.


    Inside the bedroom, the naked Miao Jinlei abruptly awakened from his sleep. The girl who was only wearing her underwear screamed in fright as she woke up and saw the big men who rushed inside. She hid under the quilt and shivered.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡±


    Miao Jinlei jumped out of the bed in a panic before grabbing his pajamas on the floor and putting them on hurriedly. Just as he was about to tie the pajamas, however, a rough palm slapped his face and directly sent him flying for a few meters before his body heavily fell on the soft carpet.


    ¡°FUCK! It¡¯s you, you wretched bastard! You¡¯re just the dog my uncle has raised, yet you dare hit me?¡± Miao Jinlei, who was knocked dizzy, didn¡¯t get up but cursed loudly instead.


    Bam¡­


    This made Miao Wentang angrier, and right at the moment when Miao Jinlei tried to get up, he heavily kicked his nephew¡¯s waist. He didn¡¯t use too much strength to slap him previously, but the kick just now was very heavy and at least broke a few of Miao Jinlei¡¯s ribs.


    ¡°Open your fucking dog¡¯s eyes, shithole! Look who I am!¡±


    Miao Wentang¡¯s anger seemed not yet vented out, so he straightly grabbed Miao Jinlei¡¯s long hair and picked him up from the floor, slapping his face continuously while angrily chiding him.


    Miao Jinlei¡¯s vision was full of stars after getting beaten and blood filled his mouth. After he was thrown to the floor, he tried to open his eyes to look towards the direction of the familiar voice. His body suddenly shivered as he exclaimed, ¡°Uncle, you¡­ what are you hitting me for? It¡¯s so painful¡­ you¡¯re killing me.¡±


    Miao Wentang pointed at his nose and shouted, ¡°Hitting you? I wish I could kill you. You truly have done a fucking great job of offending four families in just a day, wretched bastard! Your father will definitely break your legs and sew your dog¡¯s mouth if he knows what you did.¡±


    ¡®Offending four families?¡¯ Miao Jinlei was dumbfounded. ¡®When and where did I offend four families at once?¡¯


    ¡°Uncle, are you not mistaken? I never did that!¡±


    ¡°You still dare to talk back?!¡± Miao Wentang yelled. ¡°So Tang Xiu called me to smear you for no fucking reason?¡±


    Miao Jinlei instantly understood the cause of the incident. A look of hatred burst in his eyes as he recalled Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying, so he angrily yelled back, ¡°How come you only listen to that damn bastard? Right, I offended that guy surnamed Tang, but that was only at the charity auction. It¡¯s not a big grudge whatsoever! You told me that I¡¯ve offended four families? It¡¯s nothing but a damn lie!¡±


    Pa!

 Chapter 870 - Adding the Trimmings

    Chapter 870: Adding the Trimmings


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Flustered and yet exasperated by his anger, Miao Wentang couldn¡¯t believe how his beloved nephew would be this hopelessly stupid. He had obviously offended some people, yet he still couldn¡¯t realize it.


    ¡°Pa¡­¡±


    He slapped Miao Jinlei out of anger and yelled, ¡°They are Tang Xiu¡¯s Tang Family, Zhang Yueming¡¯s Zhang Family, Gu Changmin¡¯s Gu Family, and Zhang Qingfeng of the Zhang. Of these four families, you already fucking know the Tang Family, who is a truly powerful house in Beijing, but the Zhang, Gu, and Zhang Qingfeng¡¯s family are all powerful aristocratic families in Shanghai. Which any of them has wealth less than 10 billion yuan or has no strong network and connections? Yet you provoke four of them all of a sudden. Do you want them to join up and destroy our family?¡±


    Miao Jinlei covered his cheek and trembled in pain. He was almost going mad. He felt that except for Tang Xiu who he had offended, Zhang Yueming and Gu Changmin were the ones who bullied him! And, where and when did he make Zhang Qingfeng displeased?


    Miao Wentang saw the angry and confused expression of his nephew and felt more disappointed immediately. With trembling hands, he took a cigarette, lit it up and took a few puffs before taking a seat at the edge of the bed and said indifferently, ¡°You still don¡¯t get it, do you?¡±


    ¡°How can I understand it? I only offended Tang Xiu; where and when did I provoke those three?¡± screamed Miao Jinlei.


    The statement made Miao Wentang really want to kick him again, but he finally held back and angrily said aloud, ¡°Zhang Yueming and Gu Changmin stood for Tang Xiu back in the charity auction. Do you know what that means; that they will stand up against you if they don¡¯t have an excellent relationship? Last night¡¯s charity event was hosted by Zhang Qingfeng and you¡¯ve literally slapped his face and made him look ugly in the public¡¯s eyes. Now tell me, are those not enough to offend them? Whether it¡¯s Zhang Yueming, Gu Changmin, or Zhang Qingfeng, they will think that you have disrespected them. Is this not offending them?¡±


    Miao Jinlei didn¡¯t realize this issue back then as anger barred him from being able to notice it. Only now did he suddenly wake up after hearing the reprimands from his uncle, Miao Wentang. His anger subsided instantly and his whole being felt the pressure and was scared.


    Miao Wentang snorted and turned to look at the girl shivering under the quilt and shouted, ¡°Pick up your clothes to get dressed and quickly scram from this place. If you ever dare to contact this kid later, I¡¯ll throw and feed you to the fish in the Huangpu River.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡­¡±


    The girl was flustered and glanced at Miao Jinlei only to find that he didn¡¯t spare a glance at all. She hastily wrapped her body with a quilt in a terrified manner before picking up her clothes scattered everywhere on the floor, then rushed out of the bedroom with bare feet. After dressing quickly, she dared not stay much longer and left the room in a hurry.


    Miao Wentang finished smoking the whole cigarette and accurately threw the butt into the ashtray. Then one of his feet kicked Miao Jinlei before he got up and walked toward the door, ¡°You guys take him to the hospital and keep an eye on him properly. If he goes out to make trouble again, I¡¯ll skin him alive.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The two middle-aged big men glared at Miao Jinlei with a grim face and pulled him up from the floor roughly. They still vividly remembered when this fella called them the dogs raised by Miao Wentang.


    ¡°Hey, be gentle!¡± screamed Miao Jinlei pitifully.


    Miao Wentang only glanced at his nephew being dragged out with apathetic look. He had an impulse to rush to Bluestar villa complex to see Tang Xiu right away, but he looked at the time and knew that Tang Xiu was probably unavailable now. If he were to rashly disturb him from his sleep, it was more likely that Tang Xiu would be very angry at him.


    ¡°Alas! It doesn¡¯t matter if those three got offended even though they have power and money in Shanghai since they won¡¯t be able to affect my family in Haiqing Province. But the big problem is having Tang Xiu riled up, particularly with those words he mentioned to me on the phone. If he refuses to help solve that predicament, then¡­¡±


    Miao Wentang took out a cigarette again while the words Tang Xiu told him kept echoing inside his mind. Only after a long time did he finally take out a mobile phone from his pocket and dial a cell number. Then, he said, ¡°There¡¯s a yellow box in the safe at home. Give it to Er Hu and tell him to leave for Shanghai to give it to me ASAP. I need that urgently.¡±


    With that said, he hung up and dialed another cell number.


    ¡°It¡¯s very early for you to call me, Second Brother. Something happens?¡± The voice of Miao Wentang¡¯s big brother, Miao Wenye, was heard inquiring over the phone.


    ¡°Quite an accident, Big Brother¡­¡± said Miao Wentang with a bitter smile.


    After narrating the whole story, Miao Wentang finally said bitterly, ¡°I know too well about Tang Xiu, older brother. He definitely isn¡¯t a revengeful man for trivial grievances, nor will he speak out nonsensical things for no reason.¡±


    ¡°What a waste, that bastard! You help me break his legs, Second Brother!¡± Miao Wentang furiously thundered on the phone. He was truly enraged and hated his son, even if he was his own kin.


    ¡°First, pipe down, Big Brother. I already taught that wastrel just now,¡± said Miao Wentang bitterly. ¡°The most important thing for us to do is to find a way to make Tang Xiu comply to help solve the disaster looming over our family. You also know about the Old Blind from Miao Region and her terrifying abilities. Tang Xiu is her successor and I believe he can help our family with his terrifying heritage.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a way to make him help us?¡± asked Miao Wenye hurriedly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t; that¡¯s why I want your jade tiger,¡± said Miao Wentang. ¡°Added to the jade dragon in my hand, he may be willing to help us after seeing these two objects.¡±


    ¡°About that¡­¡± Miao Wenye hesitated.


    ¡°I¡¯m well aware that the jade dragon and tiger are our family heirlooms, big brother,¡± said Miao Wentang. ¡°It¡¯s also recorded in our genealogy that these two are the treasures of the whole set of zodiacs made of jade. But if our family really encounters the calamity that Tang Xiu has prophesied, even these two things won¡¯t be able to help us then!¡±


    Miao Wenye considered things for a long time before sighing, ¡°Haih¡­ alright. Send someone to come over to fetch it!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    ****


    Shanghai, Bluestar villa complex.


    Tang Xiu had just wakened up from his sleep. After taking a shower, he came downstairs and saw Mu Wanying just came out of the kitchen in an apron, accompanied by the scent of meal that hit his nose.


    ¡°Well, I was just thinking as for when I have to wake you up,¡± said Mu Wanying with a smile after seeing Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu scrutinized her appearance and sighed, ¡°Say, Wanying. Other men will likely be surprised and jaw dropped if they see you wear an apron like a housewife, don¡¯t you think? But still, seeing you dress up like this kinda gives you another vibe, you know.¡±


    Mu Wanying smiled with eyes bent and said in a shy and gentle voice, ¡°Well, I can stay at home every day and be your housewife if you want me to.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter and said, ¡°Although I really want to, thanks, but forget it! I¡¯ll be too excessive and condescending to ask you to stay at home. I¡¯ll be wasting your talent then. Anyways, let¡¯s have a meal, shall we?¡±


    Mu Wanying was quite a cook, as her four dishes and one soup were full of flavor and delicious.


    Just as the duo put down their chopsticks, Mo Awu came in from the outside and whispered, ¡°Boss, Miao Wentang is here.¡±


    Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying exchanged glances with a similar expression as the former chuckled and said immediately, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that he would be truly scared of my nonsensical drivel yesterday. Alright, Awu. Tell him to come in.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Mo Awu complied and walked away in strides. Without long, he took Miao Wentang to the living room.


    After Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying came out of the dining room, they saw the gloomy Miao Wentang. Tang Xiu deliberately let out a forced smile and said, ¡°Brother Miao, didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d be coming to Shanghai a couple of days later? How come you are you coming over now? Is it for your nephew?¡±


    ¡°I have beaten that bastard brat and sent him into the hospital, Brother Tang,¡± said Miao Wentang with a bitter smile. ¡°I also rushed to the other three families, hoping that they wouldn¡¯t take offense of what he did. Though yes, I did come here mainly regarding what you told me last night.¡±


    Tang Xiu greeted Miao Wentang to take a seat. Then he shook his head and said, ¡°Brother Miao, I said some things that I shouldn¡¯t have said last night, so there¡¯s no need for you to look for me for the following matter. Having ten years of lifespan taken away for revealing it is not something I can afford.¡±


    The price was ten years reduced lifespan?


    Miao Wentang¡¯s heart was as though severely struck by a thunderbolt. He couldn¡¯t help but tremble a few times with a pale face as he said, ¡°We¡¯ve been through hardships together and we¡¯re brothers, Brother Tang. I know it¡¯s not proper for me to pay you with money to help me and my family no matter the amount. But¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t reply and stayed silent for a long time before he said, ¡°Alright then, let me consider it! Also, it¡¯s still a few years away from that day so there¡¯s no need to be anxious.¡±


    Except for the helplessness that filled his heart, Miao Wentang truly didn¡¯t know what else to say. Tang Xiu might not be anxious, but for him, he was literally restless! After all, this was all about the safety of his Miao Family.


    Immediately after, the two men engaged in brief small talk and Miao Wentang could see that Tang Xiu really couldn¡¯t make up his mind. He didn¡¯t want to force him anymore and found an excuse to leave, but he told Tang Xiu that he would come again the night before he left.


    In the living room.


    Mu Wanying watched Miao Wentang¡¯s back as he disappeared and then asked in a whisper, ¡°How do you want this to end up?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s super easy,¡± said Tang Xiu calmly. ¡°I want Miao Jinlei to learn his lesson. If the Miao family expels him and makes him live on his own, it would be for the best. I can casually pick the means I have to fool them and get this thing done.¡±


    Mu Wanying nodded and said, ¡°Let¡¯s be done talking about this. By the way, what are your plans for today?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t thought about it yet,¡± answered Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Mu Wanying suddenly looked spirited and asked, ¡°Would you like to go with me to my firm? The company has expanded and it¡¯s now several times bigger. The business is very great nowadays, but I want you to come with me again to deter the people in my company.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh, ¡°Aren¡¯t you the respected Boss? Why would you need me to deter your own employees?¡±


    Mu Wanying looked a bit squeamish as she grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Of course I need you to do that! It¡¯s all because of you that the firm has grown to this scale, so the top executives in the company are kinda reverent towards you. I¡¯m absolutely sure that as long as you come to my company to keep them in check, none of them will have any disloyalty toward me from now on.¡±


    ¡®Why do I feel like a Buddha Rulai, who really has the power to slap Wuzhi Mountain?!¡¯


    Tang Xiu smiled after speaking. He thought that he had nothing to do today, so he simply said, ¡°Well, since I have such great power and influence, then I¡¯ll go accompany you! But promise you¡¯ll treat me to lunch today!¡±

 Chapter 871 - Who Is Your Boss?

    Chapter 871: Who Is Your Boss?


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Mu Wanying¡¯s advertising firm was now thriving and booming in business with more than a hundred employees, several of whom were among the top advertising planners in China.


    And now, Tang Xiu had become the legend of this advertising agency. Whether it was a senior or a newly recruited employee, everyone knew that the company was able to grow to this extent in just half a year by relying on the boyfriend of their Boss, the owner of Magnificent Tang Corporation, Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu walked by Mu Wanying in the spacious corridor to the general manager¡¯s office. He didn¡¯t know that his arrival had caused a stir in the entire company.


    ¡°OMG! Boss¡¯s boyfriend is so handsome. I¡¯ll probably wake up laughing from a dream if I can have such a resourceful and handsome boyfriend!¡±


    ¡°Is he the Big Boss of Magnificent Tang Corporation? Truly a match for the Boss. Look at how handsome he is and compare it with those ugly bumpkins in our company who fancy her. What a contrast between Prince Charming and the toads!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the legendary Big Boss of Magnificent Tang Corporation. He¡¯s also the young divine doctor in Chinese medicine who has caused sensation throughout China. I finally see my idol today!¡±


    ¡°Oh, God! Why didn¡¯t I bump into him just now? No, no. I must go and see this great guy¡­¡±


    ¡°Awesome man!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Inside the general manager¡¯s office.


    Tang Xiu crossed his legs while sitting on a soft sofa as he looked down at the bustling square below. With his back to Mu Wanying, he said with a smile, ¡°When a person stands alone at a high place, to feel lonely at the top is inevitable when they overlook all living beings below. Everyone makes an all-out effort to achieve what they want, and yet they are unaware that only loneliness awaits them in the end.¡±


    Mu Wanying broke into laughter and said, ¡°Have you not yet reached the apex point either?¡±


    Tang Xiu turned and looked at Mu Wanying as he shook his head and replied, ¡°There are some matters I can¡¯t tell you for the time being. But I¡¯ve truly tasted the loneliness an expert feels.¡±


    Mu Wanying knew that Tang Xiu was a cultivator, so she nodded and said, ¡°Regardless of whether you¡¯ll reach the apex and look down on all sentient beings, or are stranded among a sea of faces and people, I will be with you.¡±


    ¡°Wow! I didn¡¯t expect such romantic words from the Great Belle Mu,¡± teased Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Well, that¡¯s beautiful to hear, though.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re annoying.¡± Mu Wanying rarely showed her girlie side and charmingly rolled her eyes at Tang Xiu.


    Knock, knock¡­


    The door was knocked and Mu Wanying¡¯s female secretary stood outside, ¡°Boss, Mr. Tang, this is the freshly brewed tea.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Tang Xiu nodded with a smile.


    The female secretary returned back with a smile. Just as she came outside, her voice was heard screaming, ¡°Hey! What are you all doing here? Get back to your work!¡±


    A lot of voices that belonged to a bevy of young women came from outside the door. These girls were not afraid of the female secretary at all and instead grinningly asked about Tang Xiu¡¯s affairs.


    Inside the office, Mu Wanying chuckled, ¡°I dare bet that none of the female employees of the company has the mind to do their work today, eh?¡±


    ¡°Well, the male employees are likely to have no spirit to work today either, though,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    With that said, the duo smiled at each other.


    As noon came, Tang Xiu stayed at the advertising agency to have lunch and then left afterward. Mu Wanying was busy since Zhang Qingfeng, who they met last night, came with a few of his friends from the business circle to introduce them to Mu Wanying. Zhang Qingfeng really came very quickly to return their present with his.


    ¡°There¡¯s a fight, Boss.¡±


    On the way back, Mo Awu, who had answered a call while driving, turned his head and reported.


    ¡°What and who¡¯s fighting?¡± Tang Xiu was confused.


    ¡°I just got a message that some members of the Special Abilities Bureaus are fighting the Western Bloodkin in the Paradise Manor.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed and he suddenly remembered that Shanjenna was there. Did these Westerner Bloodkin come for Shanjenna? Or, were they from the Stygian Club?


    As he thought up to there, Tang Xiu ordered in a deep voice, ¡°Notify those who stand on guard in Paradise Manor to warn those Bloodkins not to act rashly, and refrain from showing mercy if they don¡¯t listen.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± replied Mo Awu and he grabbed his mobile phone back.


    ****


    Paradise Manor.


    Duanmu Lin was leaning on a walking stick with a dragon figurehead as a trace of blood spilled out from the corner of his mouth. All the twelve ability users from the Special Abilities Bureau were likewise similarly injured as they surrounded and glared at the seven people¡­ to be precise, that would be seven vampires with their wings open.


    One of them who stood in the middle was a handsome young man with blonde hair and blue eyes clad in white casual clothes but was besmeared with blood. At the moment, his imposing aura was surging out and he was holding a skull scepter that emitted out a dark aura.


    ¡°I advise you to get the fuck off, else I won¡¯t care about your identity as Chinese nationals, nor will I show mercy to your people anymore!¡± The handsome young man twisted his neck while his blood red eyes and thick fangs seemingly gave a sign that he would keep attacking.


    ¡°I already warned you last night to get the fuck out of China. This is our country, not your Western world,¡± retorted back Duanmu Lin coldly. ¡°But not only did you not listen, but you also attacked Chinese people and sucked their blood.¡±


    ¡°Blood is our food and we need it, alright? Don¡¯t tell me you wanna make us weak or something?¡± The handsome young man made an unnerving smile. ¡°Besides, we just suck their blood. We didn¡¯t kill them, nor make them thralls either. Do you people of the Chinese Special Abilities Bureau care about such trifles?¡±


    ¡°Those who are not our kind are sure to be of a different heart,¡± replied back Duanmu Lin coldly. ¡°You staying in China will eventually be a hidden danger to us, so get lost from our country. Else, don¡¯t blame us in resorting to killing and leaving you all here.¡±


    The handsome young man¡¯s wings shook as he swung the skull scepter in an instant and two black cyclones formed out of thin air to violently storm two ability users.


    ¡°Golden Shield!¡±


    Right as the two ability users were flying backward, a burly middle-aged Elementalist man from the Special Abilities Bureau unleashed his special ability, causing numerous metals to instantly melt to form a protective wall in front of the two ability users in order to intercept the black cyclone. At the same time, a metal needle shot through the black tornado lightning fast and pierced the chest of that handsome youth.


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± the handsome youth disdainfully smiled. He tightened his chest muscles, so the metal needle was only able to pierce half a centimeter of his chest and stuck on it.


    And thus, the fight commenced once again.


    At this time, however, four figures moved like lightning blots from various directions. They were two men and two women with surging auras. Their sudden appearance made the two parties have a drastic change in expression and caused them to cancel their attack and suspend the fight.


    ¡°Our Boss has commanded. You are not allowed to fight in Paradise Manor. Don¡¯t blame us if we get rid of you ruthlessly if you all go against his orders!¡± The tall and burly expert from the Everlasting Feast Hall shouted in a heavy voice along with his boiling killing aura.


    Duanmu Lin frowned as he looked and asked the burly man, ¡°Who¡¯s your Boss?¡±


    ¡°I believe you¡¯ll see him soon,¡± answered the burly man indifferently. ¡°He¡¯s catching up and should be here in half an hour at most.¡±


    Half an hour?


    Duanmu Lin shot a cold stare at the seven vampires and said in a deep voice, ¡°Since your Boss is the owner of this place, we¡¯ll wait for half an hour.¡±


    The handsome youth of the Bloodkin looked vigilantly at the four people who just appeared. He could sense the great strength these four possessed. Even though he was confident he could kill them, he wasn¡¯t sure whether there were no other experts hiding in this place besides them, waiting to ambush.


    ¡°These Chinese people are too rude, Lord. Let¡¯s just straightly kill them!¡± said a vampire who flapped his wings.


    The handsome youth raised his hand to stop the other six vampires who were ready to attack. He then looked at the burly man who had just spoken and said, ¡°Who exactly is your Boss?¡±


    The burly man coldly replied, ¡°I already told you to wait for half an hour and you¡¯ll see him naturally. Especially for you all, Bloodkin. You come here as guests, but if you dare to continue fighting before our Boss arrives, don¡¯t blame us in exterminating you all completely!¡±


    ¡°Bloody pompous!¡±


    The handsome youth was angry, yet he didn¡¯t attack.


    The time elapsed bit by bit in deadlock.


    Ouyang Lulu, who sat atop the loft nearby, looked at the people in a temporary stalemate with a solemn face. She only knew the four people who appeared later. They were the people Tang Xiu assigned to stay and protect the safety of Paradise Manor. She had also seen a vampire before, Shanjenna, when she was living in Paradise Manor. However, Mo Yi took a lot of her blood yesterday, and thus she went to look for Han Jintong in anger but was currently not here.


    ¡®Damn! It would have been fine if Tang Xiu was here. You all dare to have a battle royale in my place, like seriously? I¡¯ll be kicking all your asses out for severely affecting my business.¡¯


    Ouyang Lulu yawned and watched her mobile phone¡¯s screen in boredom.


    As more than twenty minutes elapsed, her spirit soared when she saw a car driving fast toward this direction. She didn¡¯t know who was inside it, but at least it was much better than wasting time in idleness like this.


    ¡®It¡¯s so bustling and lively here! I hope this is some more powerful people.¡¯


    That was what Ouyang Lulu was imagining.


    Just as she saw the car rushing to the crowd and stopping there, however, her eyes were filled with pleasant surprise because she had identified the man. It was Tang Xiu who had come back.


    The appearance of Tang Xiu attracted the attention of everyone nearby. Tang Xiu himself, however, slightly creased his brows upon seeing two buildings collapsed and ruined due to the fight in the surroundings.


    ¡°Senior Duanmu, let the matter end here. I also gotta charge you to deal with the renovation of this place.¡±


    Duanmu Lin snappily glared at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°I already guessed the Boss they mentioned after these few people appeared. I really never thought this Paradise Manor to be your industry. Also, my Special Abilities Bureau is not dirt poor. We¡¯ll compensate you for this.¡±


    Tang Xiu faintly smiled at his words and then looked at the handsome Westerner youth. He calmly spoke to him, ¡°I don¡¯t care which Bloodkin clan you come from. But you¡¯ve made a mess in my turf, so compensation is necessary. I hear your Bloodkin are very rich, so you¡¯ll have to pay 100 million!¡±


    ¡°Who the bloody hell are you?¡± asked the handsome youth coldly.


    ¡°I¡¯m the Boss of this Paradise Club,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    The handsome youth looked at Mo Awu next to Tang Xiu, and after thinking for a moment, replied, ¡°As long as you can make these ability users not bother us, I¡¯ll compensate you.¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡± Tang Xiu mockingly grinned and said, ¡°Judging from your words, you seem to have come to China just to stir up trouble, haven¡¯t you?¡±

 Chapter 872 - Colossal Deal

    Chapter 872: Colossal Deal


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The handsome youth retracted his wings back while his blood-colored eyes and fangs also gradually receded. He stared at Tang Xiu for a long while before he finally decided to not act foolhardy. He then said in fluent Mandarin, ¡°We are looking for someone in China, not to stir up some troubles. We won¡¯t kill anyone here, but your Chinese Special Ability Bureau¡¯s people attacked us.¡±


    ¡°Be it the killing and blood sucking, either is similar concept,¡± said Duanmu Lin. ¡°You all Bloodkin need blood, but don¡¯t suck it out of Chinese citizens.¡±


    ¡°We only took a small volume of blood from them! Their lives will never be in danger and they will only feel weak for a short time,¡± angrily retorted the handsome youth. ¡°Besides, we made them faint before we sucked their blood. There¡¯s no way we¡¯ll expose our identity, to begin with. On top of it, those women all like money and we left them quite a sum of money for them in the hotel.¡±


    ¡°You left them money too?¡± Tang Xiu was amazed. ¡°How much?¡±


    ¡°Ten thousand,¡± answered the youth.


    ¡°Ten thousand yuan? Quite a lot indeed.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°It should be enough for them to buy nutritional supplements to recover the lost blood.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in GBP, mind you. Pound sterling¡± added the youth. ¡°But those women were just idiots. They didn¡¯t know GBP, even they call the cops. Truly bloody idiots.¡±


    Cough, cough¡­


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but feel shame for these women. Their blood was taken for a small volume, yet they were actually paid for eighty thousand-plus yuan. If they truly liked money, he was sure they would be glad after figuring it out.


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu jogged from the distance and happily grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s arm. Her looks made everyone around shocked, including even Duanmu Lin.


    Tang Xiu slightly smiled at her. He then looked at the youth and asked again, ¡°Anyways, who¡¯s this person you¡¯re looking for, exactly?¡±


    ¡°My sister, Shanjenna,¡± answered the handsome youth.


    ¡°Are you from Salzburg, by chance?¡± Tang Xiu asked in surprise.


    The expression of the handsome youth slightly changed and he asked in a heavy tone, ¡°How did you know? Who the bloody hell are you?¡±


    Tang Xiu beckoned with a smile and looked at Duanmu Lin, ¡°Elderly Duanmu, you can give them to me! I can assure you that they will never make any trouble in our country, nor will any blood-sucking incidents like before happen again. I¡¯ll make them leave China in up to a week.¡±


    ¡°I can set my mind at rest and I trust you. But do you know them?¡± asked Duanmu Lin with a frown.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s a Bloodkin living in this Paradise Club actually. And, it¡¯s exactly his younger sister, Shanjenna,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Duanmu Lin thought for a moment before he nodded and said, ¡°If so, then you¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡±


    With that said, he didn¡¯t dilly dally nor muddle anything in the slightest and led the Elementalists of the Special Ability Bureau to leave quickly. After they left Paradise Manor, a burly middle-aged man asked Duanmu Lin with indignant face, ¡°Chief, who exactly is the owner of this Paradise Club, and why did you give him those Bloodkin? If these vampires were to create chaos, wouldn¡¯t it be hard for us to get rid of them?¡±


    A smile appeared on Duanmu Lin¡¯s old face as he replied, ¡°You¡¯ve just come out from your cultivation in seclusion, so you don¡¯t know much about recent events. The most powerful force in our country is not our Special Ability Bureau, but his Everlasting Feast Hall. Even I still can¡¯t figure out how terrifying the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s power truly is so far.¡±


    ¡°The Everlasting Feast Hall? How come I haven¡¯t heard of it before?¡± The middle-aged man was confused.


    ¡°The Everlasting Feast Hall has been staying extremely low-key in the past; even I only learned about it two years ago,¡± explained Duanmu Lin. ¡°Only after a recent special high-profile appearance of Tang Xiu did I figure out some facts about them, yet even the tip of the iceberg shown by the Everlasting Feast Hall displayed a strength that surpassed our Special Ability Bureau, maybe even a thousand times.¡±


    Hiss¡­


    The middle-aged man gasped and asked in a shock, ¡°That¡¯s truly a very terrifying force, but how can the country allow¡­¡±


    Duanmu Lin raised his hand to interrupt him. He shook his head and forced a bitter smile. ¡°The Country? Let alone our country, even if all the countries in the world were to join forces, I¡¯m afraid it will be close to impossible to annihilate the Everlasting Feast Hall. Do remember to never provoke this group of cultivators in the future. They won¡¯t intervene in mundane affairs, nor will they encroach the precincts of another.¡±


    Cultivators?


    The burly middle-aged man shuddered a few times inwardly. He had seen such powerful cultivators in the past, yet it was still a great shock to him that the Everlasting Feast Hal was actually comprised of cultivators.


    ¡°So, that Tang Xiu is¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t really figure out his identity either, truthfully speaking,¡± said Duanmu Lin helplessly. ¡°All the cultivators of the Everlasting Feast Hall address him as a Boss, but the terrifying existence who founded the Everlasting Feast Hall calls him Master. Some people who are older than him even address him as Grand Master.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    The stocky middle-aged man was dumbfounded. Such seniority and generational ranks made him faintly shudder inside. It was because Tang Xiu was very young, yet he already had grand disciples. Most important of all was, who exactly was his Master and did he have other elders in his school?


    Back to the Paradise Manor.


    Tang Xiu brought the seven vampires from Salzburg to the European-styled building where Shanjenna was staying in. Ouyang Lulu brewed fragrant tea as Tang Xiu asked her, ¡°Where is Shanjenna, though? There was a fight here; it¡¯s unlikely that she didn¡¯t notice it and is not showing up.¡±


    ¡°Well, Professor Mo Yi took a lot of her blood yesterday, so she got angry and then went out to find Han Jintong to complain about last night. I tried calling her, but she shut off her mobile.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Shanzeley¡¯s complexion drastically changed as he abruptly got up and shouted, ¡°You dare you to take out my younger sister¡¯s blood? Don¡¯t you know taking out the blood of vampires will cause great harm to us?¡±


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes at him and lightly said, ¡°If Shanjenna thinks that she¡¯d be harmed, she would¡¯ve ditched her cooperation with us to study her blood already. Just have a taste of this medicinal pill. If you feel that it tastes good, then stay here for a week and help the research of my researchers.¡±


    Medicinal pill?


    Shanzeley had received a call from his younger sister, Shanjenna, and learned the matter about the said medicinal pill from her. He looked at the crystal-clear medicinal pill in his hand and hesitated for a short while. Then he threw it to the Bloodkin behind him and said in a deep voice, ¡°You take it.¡±


    ¡°Aye!¡± the young vampire didn¡¯t hesitate and straightly swallowed the medicinal pill right into his belly.


    ¡°Aargh¡­¡±


    That Bloodkin¡¯s face massively changed after a few seconds as his body began spasming. His wings suddenly spread out in an instant, with eyes turned bloodshot and fangs elongated.


    In a flash, Shanzeley and the other five vampires vigilantly released their wings and prepared for battle.


    ¡°Idiot,¡± commented Tang Xiu as he shot an indifferent glare at Shanzeley. He crossed his legs and took out a cigarette before lighting it up leisurely and smoking.


    Time fleeted by and after two-plus minutes, a strong aura bust out from that vampire. His wings grew much bigger, while the lines on them became clearer and the mysterious runes inscribed on them increased in number. The scene made Shanzeley and the rest of the vampires instantly realize that this was the sign of his strengthening bloodlines as well as his strength promotion.


    ¡°I¡­ did I just break through to the Count rank?¡± exclaimed the vampire with overjoyed surprise.


    Shanzeley¡¯s jaw dropped and he was hardly able to turn his head to look at Tang Xiu. He finally understood why Tang Xiu called him an idiot. He clearly gave him the pill, yet he threw it to his underling. What if¡­ it was himself who took that pill? Wouldn¡¯t he be able to break through from Count to Marquis rank?


    ¡®Bloody woe me!¡¯


    Shanzeley watched his underling with an envious look. He took a deep breath and retracted back his wings and withdrew his bloody eyes and fangs. Then he let out a dry smile and said, ¡°You¡¯re¡­ Mr. Tang, yes? May I know whether you still have that medicinal pill?¡±


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes again at his words and snappily replied, ¡°You think such a miraculous pill is common as cabbage¡ªthat you can ask for them however much you want? Do you know how many resources I spent to concoct that kind of pill?¡±


    ¡°¡­ This¡­¡±


    Shanzeley scratched his hands and replied with a remorseful yet vexed face, ¡°I admit I was in the wrong, Mr. Tang. But you Chinese have an old adage like an adult should be magnanimous for kid¡¯s mistake, right? Could you please ¡­ sell it¡­ err, right, sell me some of these pills? I promise to buy them at a high price!¡±


    ¡°High price, eh?¡± said Tang Xiu with a strange expression, ¡°How high is high?¡±


    The moment Shanzeley heard it, his spirit soared to the sky and he replied immediately with shocking enthusiasm, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a hundred million pounds for one pill!¡±


    Cough, cough¡­


    Tang Xiu just inhaled a big puff of smoke and directly choked after hearing Shanzeley¡¯s offer. A hundred million pounds for one pill? This stuff only spent a few million yuan at most¡ªcould he sell it for such a sky-high price? Nevertheless, he felt relieved when he gave it a thought since this type of pill was rather common to him, but for vampires, a medicinal pill that could upgrade their bloodline rank was an absolute treasure!


    ¡°200 million pounds. Take it or leave it.¡±


    After thinking it through and clearly understanding it, Tang Xiu straightly demanded an exorbitant price.


    Shanzeley looked hesitant for a short while before he finally nodded heavily, ¡°I¡¯ll take it. How many do you have?¡±


    ¡°A hundred,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Come again?¡±


    Shanzeley shivered for a while, dumbstruck with astonishment as he watched Tang Xiu and asked again.


    Tang Xiu repeated, ¡°A hundred.¡±


    Shanzeley¡¯s jaws dropped before he immediately gritted his teeth, ¡°If your pill has the same effect as the one you just gave me, I¡¯ll buy them all. But twenty billion pounds is not a small amount and I¡¯ll need half a month to get the money.¡±


    Tang Xiu casually nodded at his words, yet he was quite shocked inwardly. It must be noted that 200 million pounds converted to Chinese yuan was nearly around 200 billion yuan! How could these vampires have such a huge fortune? Granted that if¡­ they had accumulated such wealth for centuries or even millenniums, could they still have enough to burn it like this?


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu was reminded by something. He followed up, ¡°If you can¡¯t get so much cash, it¡¯s fine to exchange it for some other things such as jadeite and agate; gold, silver, pearls, and other treasures; or even precious mineral and herbs. You can exchange it with the remains of high-rank fierce beasts!¡±

 Chapter 873 - Surprising Takeaway

    Chapter 873: Surprising Takeaway


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The offer made Shanzeley pleasantly surprised. Collecting twenty billion pounds in a short time was far from easy. Even if his Salzburg clan were to sell all the properties they had been accumulated for millenniums, such a sum of money entailed strenuous effort to pay even for them.


    However, if he could pay with jade, agates, gold, silver, jewels, and other treasures, then he didn¡¯t have to try to sell these items to outsiders anymore. It was actually very great since they didn¡¯t have to pass through transit shipment agents¡¯ links. In addition, his clan had been restraining for several centuries and the other clans thought that they had been defeated, though, in fact, they were not. They had been planning something for these few centuries, and only recently did their plan go into action.


    Vampire Lord.


    It was the plan of his clan by gathering the power of the whole clan to cultivate a super powerful expert at the Lord rank. The one who finally became Vampire Lord was Shanzeley¡¯s great grandfather after a few centuries of preparation. This was also the chief reason why his clan was highly in motion recently to destroy the other clans that had been glaring at them with their greedy eyes, and then finally occupied the huge resources of those clans.


    ¡°What about antiques, Mr. Tang? Do you need them? My clan has more than a millennium of heritage and we have a large collection of antiques and curios. If I remember correctly, the Chinese have a saying to gather gold in troubled times and collect in flourishing times, right? Well, it¡¯s an era of peace nowadays, so you¡¯re gonna like it,¡± said Shanzeley confidently.


    ¡®Antiques and curios? Were they the objects that held significant pasts?¡¯


    ¡°What do I wanna do with that stuff anyway? Keep them to waste space at my home? Forget it.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m only interested in jadeites, agates, and those gold, jewels, and pearl-like treasures. What interests me other than those are precious ores, precious herbs, the remains of fierce beasts, and rare and very unique objects. As for others, forget it!¡±


    Shanzeley looked regretful and sighed, ¡°Well, it¡¯s a pity, though. I thought you were interested in antique and curios since the Salzburg kind has quite a massive collection, many of which come from China, like that Imperial Jade Seal of China¡­¡±


    Having said this point, he shook his head helplessly.


    Imperial Jade Seal of China?


    Tang Xiu suddenly stared dumbfounded as he also recalled the Qin Emperor¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal which symbolized a great seal of the authority in the Qin Dynasty. There was literally an endless power of faith like a vast ocean contained within; even he couldn¡¯t absorb it with his current cultivation. However, he knew very well that once his cultivation reached a critical point, like when ascending to the Immortal World, he would be able to absorb that power and turned it into his own. An immortal who bathed in this kind of power would be able to condense a spiritual body and his strength would soar and become mighty.


    The most profound and all-encompassing cultivation technique from the Buddhist school went by the name of Myriads Buddha Canonical Scripture. Tang Xiu obtained a copy of this cultivation technique after killing a scum from the Buddhist Realm and the art recorded a method to absorb this so-called power of faith for own use.


    ¡°Shanzeley, can you elaborate more about this Chinese Imperial Jade Seal?¡± sternly asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s an Imperial Jade Seal from the ancient times of China. Ah, right, one that is carved with Mr. He¡¯s Jade, the Heirloom Seal of the Realm,¡± said Shanzeley casually.


    ¡°Tell me more about this Heirloom Seal of the Realm,¡± continued Tang Xiu.


    Shanzeley thought for a moment and then said, ¡°It¡¯s square-shaped and about four inches long with five-clawed dragons carved on top of it. Right, there¡¯s a line engraved on the front side with the words ¡®Having Received the Mandate of Heaven, May the Emperor Lead a Long and Prosperous Life¡¯. My great grandfather once studied the calligraphic style and characters. He said that it seems to be the characters from the early period of China.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s heartbeat was beginning to race, as he had already determined that this mentioned object was the real Imperial Jade Seal of China. But how could this seal fall into the hands of these vampires?


    Moreover, as a comparison, the Qin Emperor Imperial Jade Seal had already condensed an enormous power of faith; what about this Heirloom Seal of the Realm then? During the era of the Qin Dynasty, Prime Minister Li Si ordered someone to carve Mr. He¡¯s Jade and it has been passed down from generation to generation. This heirloom was even still used during the Qing Dynasty, where a line said that the Heaven bestowed mandate was given to the emperor to govern the realm with a lawful and proper manner. Would this Heirloom of the Realm also condense the power of faith, and, if any, how vast would it be?


    As Tang Xiu thought up to this point, he immediately asked, ¡°How exactly did you get my country¡¯s Imperial Jade Seal?¡±


    ¡°It was a man from¡­ Rumors have it that he spent quite a fortune and a great deal of effort to get it out of China,¡± said Shanzeley with a smile. ¡°I dunno how he got it, though. What I know is that my great grandfather sucked his blood and picked it out of his collections.¡±


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and said slowly, ¡°I may not like antiques and curios, but the Heirloom of the Realm has been passed down for generations in China and indeed has significant meaning to my country, so it¡¯s necessary for me to recover it since I know its whereabouts. If so, then I¡¯ll take that Imperial Jade Seal of China with an estimated worth of ¡ê5 billion!¡±


    ¡ê5 billion? A quarter of the total?


    Shanzeley¡¯s eyes lit up and he replied without hesitation as though he was afraid Tang Xiu would take his words back, ¡°No problem, then the payment will be offset by ¡ê5 billion. Anyways, my Salzburg Clan also has may great objects from China, you see¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want anything else except for that Imperial Jade of China for now.¡± Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°But I¡¯ll take a look at them when I leave China and visit your Salzburg Clan in the future. You and I will naturally exchange it with the pills if I like them.¡±


    ¡°Awesome!¡± Shanzeley clenched his fists and excitedly waved them.


    As evening came, Shanjenna finally returned from Han Jintong¡¯s residence. She got out from her car dispirited, but suddenly, a look of surprise covered her gorgeous face. Her nose twitched a few times as she spoke in disbelief, ¡°How is this possible? There surely was a fight here, and there is also the scent of Bloodkin¡¯s blood left behind. But, how could there be more Bloodkin here?¡±


    Whoosh!


    A figure instantly appeared lightning fast in front of her. It was Mo Awu, whose expression was indifferent. ¡°Miss Shanjenna, my Boss wants to see you.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu is back?¡± asked Shanjenna quickly.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± answered Mo Awu.


    She then pointed at the place and asked, ¡°But what has happened here? I mean, I can smell the scent of my Bloodkin¡¯s blood here.¡±


    ¡°Is your big brother called Shanzeley?¡± asked Mo Awu.


    ¡°How did you know?¡± exclaimed Shanjenna in alarm.


    ¡°Your brother has just come to Paradise Manor with six other vampires and fought with the people from the Special Ability Bureau,¡± explained Mo Awu. ¡°However, the battle was concluded after my Boss arrived here. Your brother, Shanzeley, is with the Boss now.¡±


    ¡°Where are they?¡± quickly asked Shanjenna with an excited face.


    ¡°In your place,¡± said Mo Awu.


    Whoosh!


    An afterimage flashed and she disappeared instantly.


    Inside the European-styled building.


    The siblings, Shanjenna and Shanzeley, had their reunion. Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to disturb them, so he left with Ouyang Lulu to visit her residence. Before Tang Xiu could catch his breath, however, his mobile rang. As he saw the screen light up, he noticed it was a call from Miao Wentang. Tang Xiu hesitated for a while before he picked it up.


    ¡°Where are you, Brother Tang? I need to see you now,¡± the Miao Wentang¡¯s hurried voice was heard from the phone.


    ¡°You still have that matter plaguing your mind, Brother Miao? You better forget it, I think.¡± Tang Xiu let out a dry chuckle and said, ¡°I do know two methods to solve it, but I dare not disclose the heavenly secret that easily, so please forgive me.¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang, could you please remember the time we spent facing life and death together?¡± Miao Wentang¡¯s voice was almost pleading. ¡°Please help my family!¡±


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes at his plea. Nothing will happen to the Miao Family in the future. He had spat out some nonsensical things to frighten Miao Wentang to lead him to punish his nephew. But it seemed that he truly had scared him deeply.


    ¡°Alright, come to Paradise Manor!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    After hanging up, Tang Xiu let out a wry smile and went to Ouyang Lulu¡¯s king-sized bed as he shook his head with a forced smile, ¡°Lulu, tell me, is it wrong for us to scare off our friend?¡±


    ¡°It depends on the issue and the cause,¡± answered Ouyang Lulu with a smile, ¡°Eh, honey. Who was it; whom have you scared, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Miao Wentang,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Pfft¡­ Hahaha.¡± Ouyang Lulu couldn¡¯t help but laugh and grinningly said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you both good friends? How did you scare him? He sounds very scared listening from his tone on the phone.¡±


    Tang Xiu explained the whole story roughly and finally said with a helpless expression, ¡°You see, my main goal was to make him clean up his nephew, but who would have thought that he took every nonsensical shit I made up in my call seriously and he now wants me to help his Miao Family? I kinda shut him out my door this morning which was quite difficult already, but he said he¡¯s gonna see me tonight.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu was so amused by Tang Xiu¡¯s story that she had a good laugh for a long time. Then, she said, ¡°Honey, you¡¯re really awesome! Even you fooled such a bigwig like Miao Wentang. Anyways, it¡¯s easy to solve, though. Just make up some drivels or do something to fool Miao Wentang again if he comes and asks for your help. Just con him to the end.¡±


    ¡°I did have that idea,¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Half an hour later, Miao Wentang had come to the Paradise Club with two men. When he saw Tang Xiu in the spacious box of the dining area, he promptly brought out two beautifully wrapped gift boxes he personally delivered and said with a listless face, ¡°Brother Tang, these two objects are the treasures of my family that my ancestors obtained with great difficulty. These two objects will be yours as long as you can help my family through this difficult time.¡±


    Cough, cough¡­


    Tang Xiu coughed a few times to conceal the embarrassment he had inside. He then said to him, ¡°Please don¡¯t. These are your family heirlooms; how can I take them? Brother Miao, I¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re looking down on this brother of yours if you refuse, Brother Tang.¡± Miao Wentang interrupted Tang Xiu and said with all seriousness, ¡°Count it as me asking you a favor; could you accept it?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu opened his mouth but swallowed back the words that he nearly spoke.


    Seemingly afraid that Tang Xiu wouldn¡¯t like the objects he brought him, Miao Wentang swiftly unwrapped and took out what was stored inside the gift boxes. He then took out the two red-colored jade objects, the jade dragon and the jade tiger, from the inside.


    ¡°These are¡­¡±

 Chapter 874 - The Signet of Heavenly Dao

    Chapter 874: The Signet of Heavenly Dao


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The two jade carvings were all red as though there was blazing flame inside, and yet, they were also lifelike, like two living creatures. However, there was a slightly invisible grey imprint on each head of the two jade carvings. Fortunately, Tang Xiu had sharp eyes and he could catch it. He wouldn¡¯t have been able to do so with the naked eye if he were an average person.


    Miao Wentang, in fear that Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t tell the good quality of these two objects, hastily explained, ¡°Brother Tang, these two jade carvings are the most precious treasures of my family and have been passed down for generations. Legend has it that this jade carving is part of a set of twelve pieces, each shaped according to the twelve zodiac signs. Although my family cannot figure out the mystery of this jade carving, it¡¯s been documented in my family¡¯s historic records that whoever can get ahold of the whole set of the twelve jade zodiac signs, he can reveal a certain secret and obtain enormous benefits.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression at this time, however, was very solemn and his eyes were fixated at the dragon and tiger jade carvings. He picked them up and was especially careful in holding them separately.


    There was energy contained within them. The torrential energy was the most colossal energy contained within an object Tang Xiu had ever encountered on Earth. If the Qin Emperor Imperial Jade Seal contained energy that was as vast as the ocean, then each of these jade carvings contained the energy of countless stars!


    If¡­ if there was someone who could detonate this jade carving, Tang Xiu was absolutely sure that it wouldn¡¯t only be able to destroy Earth, but even a hundred Earth would be blown into smithereens.


    Tang Xiu cautiously seeped his Primal Chaos Force into the jade dragon, yet he felt like his power was like a fish in the water and was not rejected in the slightest. But after he moved his injected power into the gray imprint in the head of the jade dragon, his body suddenly shook and all of his consciousness was sucked inside¡ªno¡­ accurately speaking¡­ it was sucked into the gray imprint.


    It was a sea of stars in the vast universe.


    Tang Xiu suddenly found himself standing in this vast universe. Countless stars revolved around him everywhere, while a series of golden lines connected the boundless stars together to form a three-dimensional celestial map filled with infinite mystery.


    ¡®These golden threads are¡­¡¯


    Tang Xiu¡¯s lips trembled and his eyes turned fiery. For cultivators on Earth, they wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize these golden threads, but he was able to do so since he had once used these golden lines like an arm directing their fingers.


    These lines were¡­ the Heavenly Dao trajectory¡ªthe route of Heavenly Dao in Earth¡¯s plane.


    ¡®Who exactly did this? Who could possibly possess such a terrifying ability to imprint this plane¡¯s Heavenly Dao trajectory onto these jade carvings? Not even I can do it. Even when I was still a Supreme in the Immortal World and possessed the might to tear the earth and sky asunder, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to achieve this. Unless¡­ unless it was done by someone who has reached divinity and has broken through the shackles of the Immortal World to ascend to a higher plane¡ªto reach Godhood?


    ¡®But then¡­ does that mean that there was once a real Divinity on Earth? If this God was not a native of the plane, it would be impossible to imprint the Heavenly Dao trajectory of this plane onto these jade carvings at all. Those who have reached Godhood from other planes may all be extremely powerful and terrifying, but they can only destroy the plane world, never able to control the Heavenly Dao laws of the world.


    ¡®Destroying it is very easy, but controlling it is very difficult.¡¯


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu felt pained like there was a needle pricking his brain. It caused his consciousness to be driven out from that particular space instantly. Not only did he spray out a mouthful of blood at this moment, but his blood also flowed out of his eyes, even his nostrils.


    ¡°Brother Tang!¡± Miao Wentang¡¯s face drastically turned shocked and he hurriedly called out.


    Tang Xiu composed his mind back, shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just a backlash. Brother Miao, these two jade carvings are truly precious, so precious that even those who have been cultivating for thousands of years will find them very difficult to control. I won¡¯t hide anything from you. Those who have ascended to the Immortal World, or even the true Perfected Golden Immortal, won¡¯t be able to control them. Unless¡­¡±


    ¡°Unless what?¡± asked Miao Wentang quickly.


    ¡°Unless you can reach a Supremacy stage in the Immortal World; only then will you barely be able to control them,¡± said Tang Xiu in a line. ¡°Also, if my guess I correct, once one collects the entire set of twelve and can control them completely, these objects will be able to aid the Immortal World¡¯s Supreme to pass through the Heavenly Tribulation smoothly, breaking through the shackles of the Immortal World and ascend to the Gods Realm.¡±


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡±


    Miao Wentang gasped as ¡®Immortal¡¯ was very far away for him. More so the Supremacy stage and the Gods Realm. They were all out of his comprehension.


    ¡°Brother Tang, do the Immortal World and the Gods Realm really exist?¡± asked Miao Wentang prudently.


    Tang Xiu shot him a deep look and solemnly nodded, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hide them from you anymore now. There are indeed other higher planes aside from the plane our Earth is located on, such as the Immortal World, Buddhist Realm, Demon Realm, Monster Realm, Specter Realm, Spirit Realm, and so on. But above these realms is the Gods Realm, which has myriads of races of monsters, demons, ghosts, immortals, buddhas, and saints.


    ¡°Let me tell you one thing. If our Earth plane is just a grain of sand, then the Immortal World is the Milky Way, while the Gods Realm is the vast and boundless universe.¡±


    Miao Wentang trembled and gasped as he asked, ¡°Can you tell me something, Brother Tang? How do you know all of this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s inconvenient to tell you for now, but give me some time.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯ll naturally tell you once I shatter the void and ascend to the Immortal World one day.¡±


    Breaking the void and ascending to the Immortal World?


    Miao Wentang¡¯s body froze as though he was struck by a lightning bolt.


    Tang Xiu looked at the two jade carvings with fascination. Only after a long time did he slowly say, ¡°Brother Miao, how about making a deal with me?¡±


    ¡°What deal?¡± asked Miao Wentang.


    ¡°Give these two jade carvings to me and I¡¯ll give you a real immortal cultivation technique,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°You will definitely see the hope to ascend to the Immortal World in the future if you cultivate well. If you want it, I promise to protect you until you become the peak stage of a Golden Core expert.¡±


    The peak stage of Golden Core? Wasn¡¯t that the existence in legends?


    Miao Wentang nearly shouted that he agreed with it. But he then recalled his purpose of meeting Tang Xiu tonight and immediately said, ¡°Brother Tang, about the disaster that will befall upon my family a few years later¡­¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you and solve it once and for all,¡± said Tang Xiu with a deep voice.


    ¡°A deal, then!¡± said Miao Wentang excitedly.


    He just weighed the pros and cons inwardly and thought that he had figured out some issues. These two jade carvings evidently had tremendous aid for Tang Xiu while they were of no effect on him and his family. Other than them being kept and passed down for generations in his family, they had no other use, so it was better to exchange them for the immortal cultivation technique from Tang Xiu.


    Two hours later, Tang Xiu had imparted a cultivation technique from the Immortal World to Miao Wentang. He watched his shocked yet overjoyed expression and then said with all seriousness, ¡°You already have a foundation of Daoist cultivation, so if you practice this immortal cultivation technique, you can take your cultivation a step further. If you want to speed up, however, you¡¯ll have to cultivate assiduously in the future; I¡¯ll make sure to provide you with resources for your cultivation. I can guarantee that you¡¯ll be a powerhouse at the peak stage of Golden Core in ten years at the most¡ªthat is, as long as you work hard.¡±


    Becoming a peak stage Golden Core within ten years?


    Miao Wentang was so excited that he nearly cried out. This was a huge opportunity he had never dared to imagine or dream about. He even felt like he was dreaming when he recalled that he had learned an immortal cultivation technique.


    ¡°Then, about my family¡­¡± Yet, Miao Wentang still didn¡¯t forget the purpose of his visit.


    ¡°About that¡­ there are two methods,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°One, the Miao Family cannot have new family members within three years, while each one of you must make a sacrifice by cutting one of your arms and legs. Only after you¡¯ve broken your hands, feet, and bloodline will you be able to cast away the disaster that will bring about the utter destruction of your Miao Family.¡±


    Miao Wentang¡¯s expression enormously changed and he hastily asked again, ¡°What about the second one?¡±


    ¡°The origin of the calamitous destruction is because of one person. He must shave his head, be driven out of the Miao family tree, and leave China. Only if he doesn¡¯t set foot in China for the rest of life can your family be safe from danger.¡±


    ¡®Miao Jinlei?¡¯ Miao Wentang thought inwardly and immediately chose the second option.


    Had it been before, Miao Wentang could only believe 99% of everything Tang Xiu said¡ªthere was still that 1% of doubt and suspicion. But after Tang Xiu taught him the immortal cultivation technique, only then did he fully realize how terrifying Tang Xiu¡¯s means and abilities were.


    ¡°I know what has to be done, Brother Tang,¡± said Miao Wentang solemnly.


    Tang Xiu nodded and then took out a bottle of medicinal pills. He handed it to Miao Wentang and said, ¡°There are ten Essence Amassing Pills inside; you¡¯ll take one every two weeks You should be broken through to the peak stage of Foundation Establishment once you take all of them. Five months later, go to Jingmen Island¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall to find Ji Chimei, and she¡¯ll give the next pills that you¡¯ll need.¡±


    ¡°Got it, and thanks, Brother Tang.¡±


    Miao Wentang received it excitedly and sincerely conveyed his heartfelt gratitude.


    Tang Xiu shook his head while sighing inwardly since he had actually taken advantage of this guy with a cheap exchange. However, though he could only help him with this for the time being, he promised to help him again if he encountered something difficult in the future.


    Amidst the obscurity of the night, Tang Xiu walked Miao Wentang to the parking lot of the Paradise Club. Then he inquired about the issue he most wanted to find out about, ¡°Brother Miao, your family only has the jade dragon and tiger out of the twelve sets of zodiac signs. Where should I find the rest of these jade carvings?¡±


    ¡°My family really only has these two, but I can help you find the rest in secret if you want to, though,¡± said Miao Wentang. ¡°I¡¯ll notify you right away once I get the news.¡±


    Tang Xiu thought about it for a while before he shook his head and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to find them secretly. Let¡¯s just do this openly. As long as the rest of the jade carvings are still in our country, I believe they will be found soon, so I¡¯ll be issuing an announcement that I¡¯ll provide 100 million US dollars for anyone who has a zodiac jade carving. 10 million US dollars will go to anyone who provides accurate information of its whereabouts.¡±


    Miao Wentang produced a wry smile and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you playing it a bit big, Brother Tang? The whole country will be swept over by a huge sensation once you announce that.¡±


    ¡°If I can find more jade carvings, then even only one of them is worth the money and announcement,¡± said Tang Xiu.

 Chapter 875 - Visiting with Sincerity

    Chapter 875: Visiting with Sincerity


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    After Tang Xiu sent Miao Wentang away, he immediately went to see Mo Yi and Gui Jianchou. He learned from the duo that they had successfully extracted the active cell in the Bloodkin¡¯s blood. They were now trying to fuse it with Chinese herbal medicines to research drugs that would benefit humanity.


    Therefore, Tang Xiu lent the interspatial ring that he obtained from Ji Chimei to Mo Yi temporarily, while Shanzeley and his six underlings donated quite a lot of their blood and stored them away inside the jade bottle. The jade bottle was then stowed inside the fully sealed interspatial ring.


    Shanjenna also left three days later with her big brother Shanzeley. The latter promised to ship the Imperial Jade Seal of China along with the huge resources Tang Xiu requested to China within a week. All the goods had been measured in worth and the estimated total value was to be deducted from the remaining fifteen billion GBP.


    Finally, Tang Xiu¡¯s life had returned to peacefulness. In the days that followed, he occasionally went out or met with his friends, and spent the rest of his time to study and read at home. As the days passed, there were only two days left before the end of his freshman year.


    The sun blazed like a ball of fire as it hung high in the sky.


    Bluestar Villa Complex.


    Tang Xiu was currently reading the book silently, yet his mind was racing. It was about his next plan of action¡ª the most important thing he needed to do, to make a trip to the Longquan Bay in Kanas to open the Immortal Trove. After that, he needed to make a trip to Nine Dragons Island, as the renovation project there had reached its most critical time. The island would be his home base in the future, so there must not be any problems arising there later.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    His mobile suddenly rang loudly and interrupted his train of thoughts.


    Tang Xiu glanced at the mobile screen. He immediately creased his brows and asked, ¡°What¡¯s up, Awu?¡±


    ¡°Chief Kang came to Shanghai, Boss!¡±


    ¡°Kang Xia?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    Tang Xiu said with a curious tone, ¡°Why did she come to Shanghai without notifying in advance? That¡¯s weird. Anyways, just forget it. Where¡¯s she now?¡±


    ¡°Our men just saw her at Shanghai Airport,¡± answered Mo Awu.


    Tang Xiu replied shortly, and, after hanging up, he directly dialed Kang Xia¡¯s cell number. He hadn¡¯t yet talked but her voice already spoke from the phone, ¡°This isn¡¯t fun, you know. I wanted to surprise you, but you turned out to get the news of me coming to Shanghai already.¡±


    ¡°Well, why did you come to Shanghai at this time?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a chuckle.


    ¡°I miss you.¡± Kang Xia chuckled and said, ¡°It just happens that the last few days I have been relatively idle, nor do I have anything to do in the next couple of days, so I just gave myself a few days of vacation. I¡¯ve been mulling over it for some time, but any place without you is kinda boring, so I just came to Shanghai. Anyways, let¡¯s go back to Star City after you¡¯re done with your final exams.¡±


    ¡°Return to Star City with you? What should I do there?¡± asked Tang Xiu quizzically.


    ¡°You know, Boss Tang. Your bad memory is kinda getting worse. You only ask others to do things without getting involved yourself, huh?¡± berated Kang Xia with a wry tone. ¡°The New City project originally planned to be opened for sale June 1st. But since the Long Family had a problem with the Walled Hill Village a year ago, the project was affected and it has been delayed until now. We¡¯ve prepared quite a sum this time, yet how can we open without you personally attending?¡±


    Tang Xiu came to his senses suddenly and smilingly said, ¡°I would have truly forgotten about it if not for you reminding me. Alright, then head straight to my place in Bluestar villa complex.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Wait for me there.¡±


    At noon, Kang Xia came with a suitcase in hand. She didn¡¯t hide the look of excitement on her stunningly beautiful face when she saw Tang Xiu. She gave him a big hug, and, while leaning in his embrace, she asked, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve met. We¡¯ve only been communicating by phone; have you been missing me?¡±


    ¡°I miss you!¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Kang Xia pouted and said in a whisper, ¡± Hmph , you miss me yet you didn¡¯t even come to see me in Star City at all. I heard you went to Qingcheng Mountain a few days ago and stayed there for quite a long time.¡±


    ¡°There was a very important thing I needed to tend to there,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I know that you have things to do and it was very important. But seriously? How busy are you exactly?¡± commented Kang Xia. ¡°What thing do you have to do besides managing our Magnificent Tang Corporation and the Everlasting Feast Hall?¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh and said, ¡°What else but cultivation besides those two things, right? You know well that wealth and fortune are nothing to me in reality, regardless of what kind of status and privileges I could have from them. What I always pursue is strength by reaching higher cultivation realms.¡±


    ¡°I know that, so I¡¯m gonna tell you good news,¡± said Kang Xia with laughter. ¡°You see, this lady has just broken through into the Foundation Establishment stage. I¡¯ll be quite a powerful expert later too.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ just broke through to Foundation Establishment?¡± asked Tang Xiu, amazed and surprised.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t expect that, did you?¡± said Kang Xia proudly. ¡°Hahaha. My luck was so good¡ªa friend of mine who works abroad all year round came to China and visited me. She showed me a string of beads when we spent our time together. I loved them so much because I could feel a very strong spiritual qi flowing from them. Later on, after my friend saw me enjoying that string of beads, she gave them to me. And¡­ tada! This is the string.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s vision fell on Kang Xia¡¯s raised wrist. The string of beads had a dim but colorful luster, consisting of 36 beads in total. What surprised him was that when his fingers touched it, he could clearly sense a surge of spiritual qi, including spiritual energy that reacted by swarming toward his hand and entering his body.


    ¡®A magical tool, and one that is inscribed with the Spirit Amassing Restitution Array?¡¯


    It was very unexpected for Tang Xiu to see a magical tool inscribed with the Spirit Amassing Restitution Array on Earth. It was a very common magical tool in the Immortal World that regular artificers could manufacture.


    ¡®How could I be so stupid all this time? While I don¡¯t have to constantly absorb the world¡¯s spiritual energy to strengthen myself¡ªthose who cultivate under my instruction are formally Daoist cultivators. If everyone wears such magical tools with the Spirit Amassing Restitution Array inscribed on it, their cultivation will definitely advance by leaps and bounds!¡¯


    Kang Xia was unaware of Tang Xiu¡¯s thoughts and she proudly smiled, ¡°What do you think? These beads are quite a good item, aren¡¯t they? I¡¯ve been thinking about giving it to you once I meet you to help improve your cultivation.¡±


    Tang Xiu loosened her wrist before shaking his head and replying, ¡°I don¡¯t need this string of beads as it doesn¡¯t have much help to me. To be honest, I can and will also manufacture this kind of magical tool. I¡¯ll refine a batch of them when I have some spare time.¡±


    ¡°Magical tool? You will manufacture things like this too?¡±


    Kang Xia¡¯s face was full of amazement as she looked at Tang Xiu¡ªbut the proud and satisfying feeling in her heart actually turned into a loss. It was her specific purpose in coming to Shanghai to give such a precious treasure, and the result? It turned out that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t need it!


    ¡°Yeah, I can refine them indeed.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Although I don¡¯t need this string of beads, you remind me that I have those whom I¡¯ve been training. If everyone has this magical tool, it would be very helpful to their cultivation a lot. Thank you, Kang Xia.¡±


    The feeling of loss Kang Xia felt inside was alleviated a lot, and she replied with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t thank me, though. Being able to help you is my biggest joy.¡±


    Endless whispers of love were forever the best emotional comfort. It made Tang Xiu still feel warmness despite having a heart that was as hard as stone. He picked up Kang Xia¡¯s suitcase while his other hand held her hand and smilingly replied, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go upstairs and have some rest! We¡¯ll have dinner this evening.¡±


    But today, it was destined that huge, shocking news would sweep the entirety of China like a tornado.


    TV stations, newspapers, magazines, the Internet, and communication media¡­ all of them were focusing on one topic: That Grand Fortune Jewelry is looking for the twelve zodiac jade carvings. Anyone who has a zodiac jade carving can contact the Grand Fortune Jewelry¡¯s General Manager, Hao Lei. Once it¡¯s appraised to be truly part of the set, Grand Fortune Jewelry will purchase it at the price of 100 million US dollars.


    100 million US dollars. It was a stratospherically large amount of money in the eyes of countless people. The news was like a nuke falling into the hearts of Chinese citizens, starting a great uproar.


    ****


    Zheng Province, Lianying County.


    Yang Pengchao was smoking a cigarette while squatting in front of the old and shabby paper kiosk at the entrance of the county¡¯s top high school. His eyes kept glancing around as if he was looking for someone.


    ¡°Have you asked around clearly, Mengzi? Did Yue Li really say she would be a girlfriend to anyone who has money?¡± Yang Pengchao frowned and asked the thin youth named Mengzi next to him.


    ¡°Yeah, I have asked around clearly about that,¡± said Mengzhi. ¡°Yue Li did say so. I also heard that Beauty Queen Yue received a call from Wang Wei, a young master of Dongda Steel¡¯s Boss in our county, and they talked for a long time too.¡±


    ¡°Wang Wei?¡± Yang Pengchao frowned and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that the guy who depends on the wealth and influence of his family to live a prodigal life all day? Wasn¡¯t he the guy you beat last time? How come he¡¯s still in contact with Yue Li?¡±


    ¡°I beat him once, and he found someone to beat me back thrice,¡± said Mengzi in a whisper. ¡°Boss, you¡¯ve been staying in Zheng City for these two years, and those bastards in the county have been giving us no face they accounted for a long time as well. I didn¡¯t tell you about this before in fear of losing face.¡±


    Yang Pengchao¡¯s face turned cold. He snorted coldly and said, ¡°Hmph; don¡¯t worry! Ten years is not too late for a man to exact his revenge. If Wang Wei has got the guts to smash you, then I¡¯ll clean him up sooner or later all the same. Huh? Yue Li is out.¡±


    Yang Pengchao put down the cigarette and ran to the school gate. As a beautiful girl with a good figure walked out with her bag, he blocked her and said, ¡°Yue Li, I wanna talk to you.¡±


    There was a look of excitement in Yue Lie¡¯s eyes when she saw Yang Pengchao, but the light faded back into the depths of her eyes in a flash as she squeezed out a smile and said, ¡°When did you come back, Pengchao?¡±


    ¡°I just came back today for only one purpose,¡± said Yang Pengchao, ¡°I wanna ask you something; is the recent rumor about you true?¡±


    The smile on Yue Li¡¯s face disappeared instantly and the ruddiness on her checks quickly faded away. She looked a bit flustered and also paled in silence. But it couldn¡¯t hide the truth from betraying her in Yang Pengchao¡¯s eyes.


    Yang Pengchao took out a bank card and handed it over while speaking, ¡°I know that I only made a small amount of money in the past two years, but compared to those students, I still have a lot more. This card has 65,000 yuan, my savings for the past two years.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Yue Li looked up and watched Yang Peng incredulously.

 Chapter 876 - Lives That Turn For the Better

    Chapter 876: Lives That Turn For the Better


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The thin bank card was pricking Yue Li¡¯s eyes and her soft heart. She never dreamed that she would sell herself out because of money and that the man who wanted to buy her was a boy she had grown up with and liked since childhood.


    Yue Li¡¯s white teeth bit her lips and she was silent for half a minute before looking up and spoke with a heavy voice, ¡°300,000 yuan. I¡¯ll be your girlfriend if you can give me 300,000 in a week. I¡¯ll even marry you if you want me to.¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± yelled Yang Pengchao.


    Yue Li smiled. But it was a smile full of sadness, her eyes finally unable to hold on any longer as tears came rolling down from them. Her sobbing was carried in her voice, but she tried hard to restrain her emotions and said, ¡°I¡¯m not insane. But I like money. I like the thrill and satisfaction money brings me. Like I told you, 300,000 yuan; give me the money and you can do anything to me. But if you don¡¯t have it, just stay away from me and don¡¯t ever see me again.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Yang Pengchao¡¯s heart was tumultuous as well. He too was in love with Yue Li, but he always felt inferior due to his poor family situation. Regardless of how he set his feet in many things in this county town, the problem of his family was like a chain to him, making him feel depressed.


    After graduating from high school, he gave up continuing to study and went to Zheng City alone, suffering hardships and pains, doing all despicable things and crimes. Everything was for one goal¡ªto make money and wait for Yue Lin in this city. It was because she said that she would take a college exam and enroll in Zheng City College and that she would need to have him to have the ability as well as money to protect her during her time there.


    However, that was a total of 300,000 yuan!


    At present, even if he tried his very best to scrape some money together, he could only get 100,000 yuan at most, still less than half of the 300,000 yuan.


    There was slight contempt in Yue Li¡¯s eyes. She didn¡¯t want to see Yang Pengchao in such a state, but she must do so because she needed money to save a life. It was the life of her mother who had been living through thick and thin with her.


    ¡°Hehehe¡­¡±


    With grim laughter, Yue Li restrained herself not to look at Yang Pengchao again. She walked past him and walked into the distance.


    Multiple times, Yang Pengchao opened his mouth and wanted to say something. But never once could he spit it out. He didn¡¯t have money which was like a knife stabbing and sticking into his heart. He could faintly guess something, however, such as why was Yue Li was so anxious to get 300,000 yuan.


    ¡°Mengzi, I¡¯m returning back to the city after this smoke. Keep an eye on Yue Li for me for the next seven days. Do contact me right away if there¡¯s anyone who dares to bully her.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Mengzi heavily shook his head.


    The duo returned to the shabby kiosk and sat down outside on the camp¡¯s stool. They blew up smoke after smoke while Yang Pengchao grabbed a newspaper and forced himself to stir it up a few times.


    ¡°This is really unfortunate¡­.¡±


    Mengzi seemed to think of something, but he smiled bitterly while shaking his head.


    To divert himself from his vexing thoughts, Yang Pengchao asked, ¡°What is unfortunate?¡±


    ¡°We are so unfortunate to be poor, brother. Alas¡­ let alone for being rich, we could¡¯ve struck it rich right away if we had a precious heirloom passed down in our family. Brother Pengchao, tell me about it, why haven¡¯t our ancestors left us an heirloom like a jade carving to us, their descendants?¡±


    ¡°What fucking nonsense are you spitting out?¡± Yang Penghcao frowned. ¡°You¡¯re just rambling; I don¡¯t follow.¡±


    Mengzi rolled his eyes and grabbed the newspaper in Yang Pengchao¡¯s hands. He placed the headline on the front page in front of him and said, ¡°You wanna know what I said? Take a look and read it yourself.¡±


    Yang Pengchao glanced at it and his pupils suddenly shrank after a few seconds. He was overjoyed as he ran fast toward the direction where Yue Li left without even saying anything to Mengzi.


    ¡°YUE LI!¡±


    A few minutes later, he had caught up with Yue Li.


    Yue Li was still pale. She looked at him in front and said, ¡°What else do you wanna say to me?¡±


    ¡°You only need to answer a question for me in good faith,¡± said Yang Peng with all seriousness. ¡°If you answer it and I still can¡¯t give you 300,000 yuan, I give you my word that I¡¯ll never pester you forever.¡±


    ¡°Do ask,¡± replied Yue Lie after taking a deep breath.


    ¡°Why exactly are you rushing in obtaining 300,000 yuan?¡± asked Yang Pengchao.


    ¡°I wanna take my Mom to a doctor,¡± answered Yue Li.


    ¡®It¡¯s truly the reason!¡¯


    Yang Peng also thought that it was the reason just now. Now that he had heard her answer, he kept Yue Lie in excitement and said tremblingly, ¡°I know that you¡¯re not a woman who loves vanity. Come with me! Let¡¯s go to Shanghai to the appraisal convention held by the Grand Fortune Jewelry. I promise the money I can give you in a week is more than 300,000 yuan. I can give you more than that¡ªbe it three, thirty, or even three hundred million yuan.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy,¡± shouted Yue Li while pushing him aside.


    Yang Pengchao moved the newspaper in front of her and said in a deep voice, ¡°I dunno if you have seen the content on this newspaper. But I can clearly tell you that I have a jade carving mentioned in it. It¡¯s the jade monkey, one of the Chinese zodiac carvings.¡±


    Yue Li¡¯s eyes stared so wide as she took and read the newspaper with incredulity. She then looked at Yang Pengchao and asked with a trembling voice, ¡°D-do¡­ you really have the jade monkey?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the newspaper has pictures of the jade dragon and jade tiger in it. Their whole bodies are red and the carvings are vividly lifelike. My jade monkey is also all red and very lifelike. It¡¯s similar to the pattern of the jade dragon and tiger, very likely one of a set.¡±


    Yue Li squirmed and only after a long while did she finally spit out a sentence, ¡°Then I¡¯m going with you.¡±


    ****


    Somewhere in the Northeast Region, the black market.


    Chen Jianshe had been standing at the door of the old man¡¯s house for four hours. In midday, while it was blazing hot, despite having a strong physique, he still felt uncomfortable in being exposed to the sun.


    ¡°Just scram! Scram far away from here. Do you want my ox jade? Dream fucking on!¡± a curse from an old man came from the inside of the courtyard.


    Chen Jianshe pleaded, ¡°I really have no choice left, Dad! Little Lin wants to marry his future wife, while we also need to renovate your house and yard. Yaya still has to study and she also needs money for that. Do you really have the heart to watch your grandson stay a bachelor all his life? Or do you have the heart to watch your granddaughter drop out of school and stay at home? Dad, even if you want to keep that ox jade, you can¡¯t even eat and drink. It¡¯s better to sell it to Great Fortune Jewelry.¡±


    There was no sound for a long time from the interior of the pavilion.


    Finally, the door opened and a white-haired old man threw out a box wrapped in yellow linen while angrily cursing and yelling at Chen Jianshe, ¡°Take this shit and scram the fuck out! And do not wander around before me again later. A loser who leaves the family in ruin with only this old thing still remaining. I never expected that even I must lose it in during my lifetime. I truly have committed sin!¡±


    Chen Jianshe held the object and kowtowed in front of the old man. After heavily kowtowing a few times, he got up and ran towards the distance.


    ****


    Beijing.


    Nearby the Horse Bridge outside the Sixth Ring Road was a residential building. Mo Xiaohan was fiddling with the rooster jade in her hand while a hesitant look was evident on her delicate face.


    She was not short on money. As a senior white-collar worker of a foreign company in Beijing, she had a very decent income and her family situation was likewise quite excellent. They were quite well-off and had no problem going through the day by day.


    However, the sky-high price of 100 million USD still shocked her. She never thought that she would happen upon such an opportunity to obtain an astronomical wealth of 100 million USD in her life. Never did she expect that a rooster jade, the heirloom left by her mother after she passed away, was so valuable.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    The sound of her ringtone interrupted her train of hesitating thoughts.


    As she grabbed the mobile and saw the name on the screen, she suddenly pouted. Only ten seconds later did press the button to answer and said, ¡°Chief Li, you¡­¡±


    ¡°Spare the damn you and you. Why are you absent today for no reason and when will you give me the planning book I want? This is preposterous and absurd. Do you really want to go against your superior?¡± an angry voice of a middle-aged man came roaring from the handset.


    Mo Xiaohan quickly replied with an obsequious tone, ¡°Chief Li, I really have something urgent to tend to today. Besides, I already wrote half of the planning book. Could you give two more days?¡±


    ¡°Bullshit! I¡¯ve given you nearly a weeks time, and you tell me it is only half done? Mo Xiaohan, just do it if you¡¯re competent, but get the fuck out if you aren¡¯t. I give you half an hour of time. If you don¡¯t show up here within time, I¡¯ll let you know how many eyes Lord Ma has!¡± The raging roar came from the phone again.


    Ma Xiaohan¡¯s expression changed. Anger erupted from her chest and she shouted back, ¡°Scram and get the fuck out, huh? This lady of yours won¡¯t wait for it. You¡¯ve already sent your damn underlings to throw my stuff out of the office! And fucking no way will I go to the company to see how many eyes you have!¡±


    With that said, she hung up and panted in anger and thus came to a conclusion¡ªshe¡¯ll go to Shanghai.


    ****


    Fukang Province.


    Inside a European style villa, Zhan Moyuan read a financial statement with such a gloomy frown that a few of his remaining hairs were torn off. The business of his company has been worse than it was in the beginning of the economic crisis of a few years ago, and now the situation of capital turnover was even worse.


    ¡®Money! If I could chance upon such a windfall from the sky, this would have been fine.¡¯


    Zhang Moyuan took the last cigarette in his box, rubbed his temple, and took his handset and opened a WeChat group. He had tons of old friends, many of whom were rich businesspeople. He was mulling over his options for a long time, but he had no idea of whom he should borrow money from.


    ¡°Friends are everywhere when you¡¯re in a normal situation, but in times of danger and hardship, only then we realize they are just brothers in debauchery.¡±


    Zhang Moyuan shook his head with a helpless expression. Just as he was about to throw his handset to the table, a headline suddenly attracted his attention. To be precise, it was the information about the pattern of the two jade carvings.


    ¡°The dragon and tiger jade carvings?¡±


    Zhang Moyuan¡¯s eyes stared wide. He carefully watched the news for a while before he shifted his eyes to the text above. When he finished reading the above content, the frown on his face completely disappeared and was replaced by ecstasy.


    ¡°100 million USD?!!¡±


    He headed outside in a rush and sprinted to his study before grabbing a box from the corner and cautiously opening it. What appeared before him was a completely red jade carving that was vividly lifelike¡ªthe jade rabbit.

 Chapter 877 - Shaking Up the Whole Country

    Chapter 877: Shaking Up the Whole Country


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Chapter 878: Shaking Up the Whole Country


    Shanghai was a prosperous and bustling cosmopolitan city and a financial center.


    However, the eyes of the people all over the country were now focused on this city due to the astronomical offer by the Grand Fortune Jewelry. The country¡¯s major media flocked to this bustling city while countless fans who loved to collect antiques, people who liked jades, experts who studied jade carvings, and even some businesspeople came to the city one after another.


    As for Paradise Manor, this dining, leisure, and entertainment venue was full of tourists in recent days as numerous people had filled the hotels and cottages near it, so much so that the available rooms were unable to entirely fulfill the demand.


    For the people that couldn¡¯t find accommodations, they simply set up tents outside the Paradise Manor while waiting for the people who owned the twelve zodiac jade carvings to appear.


    ¡°Who will become rich billionaires?¡±


    It was the topic that was widespread and was all the rage nowadays.


    Hao Lei was now inside the VIP building of Paradise Manor. Her name was quite a sensation and quite famous now. She sat near the window, frowning and looking distressed as she watched the crowd streaming in tides outside without saying a word for a long time.


    Creak¡­


    The door was opened and Chi Nan entered with a small smile as she looked at Hao Lei who turned around in surprise. She spoke with a smile, ¡°Well, how¡¯s the taste of becoming a big star, Sis Lili? Is it fascinating enjoying the taste of fame?¡±


    Hao Lei forced a wry smile. ¡°If I knew this would turn into this kind of carnival, I wouldn¡¯t have agreed to supervise this matter when Boss asked me to¡ªeven if I was beaten to death. Do you think I¡¯m enjoying this? This is simply torturing; it is making me afraid that this will affect all the tasks I¡¯ll carry out in the future, you know. Anyways, why are you here? Aren¡¯t you always cultivating in seclusion in our Jingmen Island¡¯s headquarters?¡±


    The smile on Chi Nan¡¯s face was getting thicker and she gave her a gentle hug. She tenderly smiled and said, ¡°I can¡¯t always be in seclusion for cultivation, can I? It¡¯s natural to go out and get some fresh air. Never would I have thought that I would hear this interesting thing when I just returned to Shanghai, though.¡±


    ¡°Damn, you¡¯re just gloating.¡± Hao Lei rolled her eyes and snappily replied.


    ¡°Why should I gloat over you?¡± Chi Nan replied with a tender smile, ¡°I¡¯m sympathizing with you. Hahaha¡­¡±


    Hao Lei thought for a moment and said, ¡°Well, how about I talk to Boss to give you the work here? It won¡¯t be a problem as you¡¯ll work on the behalf of Grand Fortune Jewelry. I only need to announce to the public that you¡¯re the person they need to look for regarding the twelve zodiac jade carvings.¡±


    ¡°No no no!¡±


    The smile on Chi Nan¡¯s face froze as she waved again and again, ¡°My good sister Lili, please let me go, will you? I¡¯m not suitable to show my face to the public! Besides, the Boss has given the task to you and you¡¯ve become a famous person, so how would I have the nerve to go against his words? Boss will scold us, definitely.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so unlucky, sigh!¡± Hao Lei shook her head and sighed. ¡°My goodness, Boss really has me to stand for him.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, Sis, what would Boss look for these twelve zodiac jade carvings for? 100 million US dollars for a piece is simply an astronomical price. Does he think that having too much money is a burden and simply wants to burn it?¡±


    Hao Lei hesitated for a moment before she replied in a low voice, ¡°I dunno much about this either, even Mo Awu doesn¡¯t dare to ask about it. Nana, you are also well aware of Boss¡¯s character, aren¡¯t you? Don¡¯t talk too much if he doesn¡¯t want to tell us personally.¡±


    ¡°I know that,¡± replied Chi Nan quickly with a nod.


    ¡°Given what I know about him, he will never do things for no reason such as burning money, Nana. Even if he has made a fortune recently,¡± said Hao Lei, ¡°I think he has a definitive purpose for this matter. Either that, or there is something about these zodiac jade carvings that is quite extraordinary, so the 100 million US dollars should be well-spent.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Boss has never made a loss in business, that I know,¡± assented Chi Nan. ¡°Anyways, you just said that he just struck a gold mine. What exactly is it?¡±


    ¡°Well, it can be said that it is due to the Salzburg vampire clan from Europe. They made a deal with him and Boss sold them a hundred medicinal pills,¡± answered Hao Lei with a smile. ¡°You know what? They paid 200 million GBP for each, or paid with equivalent items and useful resources for cultivation.¡±


    200 million GBP?


    Despite knowing some significant big business transactions, Chi Nan was still shocked by the news. The deals she learned of in the past were worth tens of billions of Chinese yuan. But such a business deal with 200 million GBP for each pill for a total of two billion GBP was unheard of even to her.


    ¡°Sis Lili, is this vampire clan way too generous and easy to deceive? How come they actually spent so much just to buy a hundred medicinal pills? Are they so rich and so flustered to waste their money?¡±


    ¡°You see, the medicinal pills Boss took out are of enormous help to the vampires. I heard that Shanjenna, who used to live in the Paradise Club before, also benefitted from it greatly.¡± Hao Lei smiled.


    Chi Nan suddenly understood and sighed, ¡°The Bloodkin seem to stop at nothing to spend their capital for the sake of becoming stronger.¡±


    At the entrance of Paradise Manor.


    Yang Pengchao and Yue Li were panting after running. They hadn¡¯t had breakfast, nor lunch, and the hot weather made them hungry, thirsty, and tired. Yang Pengchao held a black leather bag as he squeezed through the crowd of media workers outside with Yue Li to come to the gate blocked by dozens of security guards.


    ¡°You two, please show us the VIP membership card of Paradise Manor.¡±


    Jin Shi, who temporarily served as the captain of the security guards, coldly looked at them and spoke.


    Yang Pengchao and Yue Li exchanged glances and said with hesitation, ¡°Hello, we don¡¯t have VIP cards for your venue.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± said Jin Shi. ¡°You only need to pay two million and you can apply for a VIP membership cards of Paradise Manor. Of course, your money will also be saved in your VIP cards and you can spend it here.¡±


    Two million yuan?


    Yang Pengchao secretly smacked his tongue as he looked at the indifferent Jin Shi. He quickly turned to look at the hundreds of media workers nearby and then whispered, ¡°Actually, we are here to sell some objects. Isn¡¯t Hao Lei, the General Manager of Grand Fortune Jewelry, currently inside this Paradise Manor? We¡¯re looking for her¡­¡±


    Jin Shi¡¯s expression immediately moved and he said, ¡°Please come in with me, you two.¡±


    Ten minutes later, Jin Shi had brought Yang Pengchao and Yue Li to the temporary VIP room and said, ¡°I have just notified Manager Hao and she should be coming soon. You should rest here first.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± said Yang Pengchao and Yue Li hurriedly.


    Both of them came from the bottom of the society; how would they ever come to such a luxurious venue previously? They had been literally astonished along the way here. As Jin Shi left and they were the only people left in the several hundred square meter VIP room, Yang Pengchao turned to look at the tea table in front of the huge sofa with several fine cakes already served on it.


    Growl¡­


    Yang Pengchao¡¯s stomach growled and he looked at Yue Li with embarrassment. Then he asked with hesitation, ¡°Are you hungry? There are cakes, pastries, and tea on the table; you should eat them first if you¡¯re hungry.¡±


    Yue Li endured her hunger as she shook her head and said, ¡°Let¡¯s not eat them, shall we? If we were to eat them here and we need to pay, we¡¯ll be¡­¡±


    Yang Pengchao steeled his heart and interrupted her by pulling her to the sofa and took a seat. Then he grabbed two plates of cakes and drink and said, ¡°It¡¯s all right. As long as they buy my jade monkey, aren¡¯t we going to have the money to spend here? Besides, you¡¯re hungry and I can still afford to pay for these cakes and drinks even if the jade monkey isn¡¯t sold later.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then,¡± said Yue Li while feeling warm inside as she received the plate and remained silent afterward.


    Creak¡­


    The VIP room¡¯s door was opened and Hao Lei strode inside along with four burly experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall in black suits. When she saw them hurriedly standing up from the sofa while holding the plate of cakes and drinks, a look of surprise flashed in her eyes as she smiled at them and said, ¡°How do you do, both of you? I¡¯m Hao Lei, the General Manager of Grand Fortune Jewelry. I just heard that you have one of the twelve zodiac jade carvings; is this true?¡±


    Yang Pengchao put the plate down. He was somewhat anxious upon seeing Hao Lei who had a dignified aura and came along with these cold-looking burly men in black suits, yet he still braced himself forward and replied, ¡°That¡¯s right, I have the jade monkey.¡±


    ¡°Please sit down. There¡¯s no need to be nervous,¡± said Hao Lei with a smile.


    ¡°How may I address you, Mister?¡± asked Hao Lei smilingly.


    ¡°I¡¯m Yang Pengchao and she¡¯s Yue Li,¡± said Yang Pengchao in a hurry.


    ¡°Alright, Mr. Yang. You mentioned that you have the jade monkey. May I see it?¡± asked Hao Lei smilingly.


    Yang Pengchao hesitated and didn¡¯t take the jade monkey out immediately, but instead hurriedly inquired, ¡°The newspaper said that you¡¯re willing to pay 100 million US dollars to buy one of the twelve zodiac jade carvings, is this¡­ is it true? If I give you the jade monkey, what if you don¡¯t give me the money?¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡± Hao Lei chuckled and said, ¡°Little Brother, you don¡¯t need to worry about that issue. The most important trait my Boss never lacks is his integrity and good faith. I¡¯ll definitely pay you 100 million US dollars as long as the jade monkey you¡¯ve brought is what my Boss needs. We¡¯ll even keep your identity confidential for your safety.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Yang Pengchao was surprised.


    ¡°Our words are more precious than gold,¡± said Hao Lei with a nod.


    While Yang Pengchao prepared to take out the jade monkey from the black leather bag, Yue Li, who was next to him, suddenly asked, ¡°Sis Hao Lei, you just mentioned that the person who wants to buy the twelve zodiac jade carvings is your Boss? But I checked your information on the Internet; you¡¯re supposed to be the General Manager of Grand Fortune Jewelry!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still student, aren¡¯t you?¡± Hao Lei smiled and said, ¡°The term of General Manager and Big Boss are two different concepts. I¡¯m only responsible for managing the Grand Fortune Jewelry as its General Manager, but I am not the owner, nor the Boss in a real sense. Of course, our Boss will meet you if your jade monkey is real.¡±


    Yue Li suddenly understood and nodded in embarrassment.


    Yang Pengchao took the jade monkey out from his bag and handed it over to Hao Lei. ¡°This is the jade monkey. I bought it for 200 yuan before.¡±


    ¡°200 yuan?¡±


    Hao Lei was dumbfounded as her eyes lingered on the jade monkey for a few minutes, then took it in her hands and carefully appraised it. She had seen the dragon and tiger jade carving from Tang Xiu and learned from him that each zodiac jade carving had a gray signet on its head.

 Chapter 878 - It’s Never Good to Win a Lover with Wealth

    Chapter 878: It¡¯s Never Good to Win a Lover with Wealth


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Hao Lei quietly observed the red jade monkey and used the power of her True Essence in her eyes, making them brightly lit as she watched the jade monkey¡¯s head.


    ¡®Yeah, there¡¯s a gray signet on it.¡¯


    A surprised expression flashed in her eyes and she immediately placed the jade monkey on the tea table in front and took out her handset to dial Tang Xiu¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°The jade monkey is found, Boss.¡±


    ¡°Wait for me.¡±


    Hao Lei hung up and then looked up to see the anxious Yang Pengchao and Yue Li. She smilingly said, ¡°You guys don¡¯t need to worry; I just appraised this jade monkey. If I¡¯m correct, this is what my Boss is looking for¡ªthe jade monkey of twelve zodiac jade carvings. Of course, the final decision will be in the hands of my Boss, but he¡¯ll immediately catch up soon. Once he has determined the authenticity, we¡¯ll transfer 100 million US dollars to your account right away.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Yang Pengcaho exclaimed in surprise.


    ¡°Little Brother, I just heard you say that you bought this jade monkey for 200 yuan. Can you tell me about the situation?¡± asked Hao Lei smilingly.


    ¡°This¡­¡± Yang Pengcaho regretted when he said that. He was afraid that Hao Lei or her Boss wouldn¡¯t give him that 100 million US dollars after knowing that he had only spent 200 yuan to buy it.


    ¡®What comes will come, I guess. Even though they don¡¯t give me the 100 million USD, I¡¯m still willing to sell it as long as they can give me more than a million yuan.¡¯


    Yang Pengchao decided to set a price inwardly.


    Immediately afterward, he looked at Yue Li and then said, ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve been crushing on Yue Li since high school. I had always wanted to gift her something on Valentine¡¯s day, so I looked around for a gift. I originally wanted to buy something at a boutique or some novelty shop, but then I found this jade monkey on a roadside stall. I thought it was very beautiful, and it was priced at 200 yuan, so I bought it. But then¡­ Yue Li was taking a leave of absence on that Valentine¡¯s Day; hence, I couldn¡¯t gift her this jade monkey. It has been on my bookcase in my house since.¡±


    A trace of joy filled Yue Li¡¯s eyes as she said, ¡°You were¡­ in high school¡­¡±


    Yang Pengchao grabbed her hand and didn¡¯t let it go even though she struggled twice. Then he nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been crushing on you since junior high and even after you enrolled in the top high school in the county you are studying at now.¡±


    Hao Lei watched the two eighteen-years-old teenagers in front of her. She could tell that their feelings were very real. She let out a faint smile and said, ¡°You guys are really great and I can tell you like each other. Also, you truly have very good luck; to think that you can sell a 200-yuan object for 100 million US dollars, that is the blessing and care that Heaven has bestowed upon you. However, there are some words I¡¯d like you to hear.¡±


    Yang Pengchao and Yue Li hurriedly shifted their visions to Hao Lei. ¡°Please do say!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen too many couples who can share hardships and difficulties, yet are unable to do so when they get rich,¡± said Hao Lei. ¡°If my Boss has appraised the jade monkey as a real one, you¡¯ll have 100 million dollars, so you¡¯ll become a millionaire. But I hope you won¡¯t be blinded and confused by money and lose your most sincere and pure love because of it. You guys are still young and you haven¡¯t understood what the greatest loss is. But I can tell you one thing; even if you have a hundred times more than 100 million US dollars, money and riches cannot necessarily buy true love.¡±


    Yang Pengchao looked at Yue Li and then turned to Hao Lei and said, ¡°I¡¯ll forever keep your words in mind. As long as she doesn¡¯t leave me in this life, I won¡¯t give up on her either.¡±


    Yue Li didn¡¯t utter a word, yet her hands that grabbed Yang Pengchao¡¯s gripped tighter.


    It was four in the afternoon and Tang Xiu was rushing to the Paradise Manor. He asked Hao Lei where she was and soon caught up to the VIP room. To his surprise, the owner of the jade monkey was actually a couple younger than him.


    ¡°Boss, this is Yang Pengchao and she¡¯s Yue Li.¡±


    Hao Lei introduced them after greeting Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu produced a faint smile and nodded at the duo as he said, ¡°I¡¯m very pleased to meet you; I¡¯m Tang Xiu. I¡¯m really hoping to buy the zodiac jade carving from its owner at a high price.¡±


    Yang Pengchao was a bit surprised when he saw Tang Xiu since he felt that this person was familiar. But the most surprising thing for him was that this Boss was so young and seemed to be just a few years older than himself.


    ¡°You are Tang Xiu?¡± asked Yue Li with round eyes and disbelief.


    ¡°Do you perhaps know me, by chance?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Yue Li¡¯s small head nodded so fast like a chicken pecking on rice and quickly replied, ¡°I¡¯ve read and seen the news about you. You¡¯re not only the renowned miracle-working doctor of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, but also a real philanthropist. That¡¯s right, I think you¡¯re also the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation!¡±


    At the side, Yang Pengchao suddenly came to his senses. He just thought that Tang Xiu looked familiar, but suddenly remembered his identity after the reminder from Yue Li. At this moment, he was still shocked and nervous even though he had entered society for two years and tempered himself with experience.


    It was Tang Xiu, the idol he had been worshipping!


    ¡°You have good eyes. That¡¯s right, that person is me,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Idol, you¡­ you have a heart of gold; could you save my mother?¡± asked Yue Li hurriedly.


    ¡°Come again?¡±


    Tang Xiu was stunned. Didn¡¯t he come here to buy the jade monkey? How come he turned into a rescuer now?


    Yang Pengchan suddenly recalled the situation of Yue Lie¡¯s mother and quickly said, ¡°B-Boss¡­ Tang, Yue Li¡¯s mother currently has a very serious illness, leukemia. We came to Shanghai to sell the jade monkey for the sake of raising money to treat her mother.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment and nodded. ¡°Alright, save my private cell number later and take your mother to Shanghai after you go back! Regardless of whether the jade monkey you bring here is what I need or not, I give you my word.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, thank you.¡± Yue Lie sobbed and burst into tears.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and motioned for Hao Lei to give Yue Li a tissue. Then he said, ¡°Calm down. We sill have important things to do now. Anyways, did you guys bring the jade monkey here?¡±


    Yang Pengchao, who was somewhat moved by Tang Xiu¡¯s decision, immediately replied, ¡°That¡¯s right, we brought it.¡±


    Tang Xiu picked up the jade monkey and, after a few seconds, determined that it was the real jade monkey¡ªone of the twelve zodiac jade carvings he was looking for. He felt joy inwardly and said to Hao Lei, ¡°Give them a bank account and then transfer 100 million US dollars to them.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, Boss Tang,¡± interjected Yang Pengchao quickly. ¡°You don¡¯t need to give us so much money as long as you can cure Yue Li¡¯s mother. Just one¡­ one million yuan is enough.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Tang Xiu looked at him in surprise and asked, ¡°Do you really want to give up the 100 million US dollars?¡±


    There was a hesitation on Yang Pengchao¡¯s face, yet he still firmly nodded and said, ¡°I do. As long as you can cure her mother, that is.¡±


    ¡°Are you still a student?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I dropped out of high school.¡± Yang Pengchao shook his head and continued, ¡°I¡¯ve been working for two years in Zheng City now.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what 100 million US dollars would mean for you?¡± asked Tang Xiu again.


    Yang Pengchao said, ¡°I know, but I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a smile and walked to his front and smilingly said, ¡°Anyways, are you interested in working under me later?¡±


    Yang Pengchao blanked out after being caught off guard by Tang Xiu¡¯s reply that was out of topic. He then replied, ¡°What do you mean by working under you?¡±


    ¡°Well, I need smart people as well as those with good characters.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°Even if you have ten billion, it¡¯s worthless in my eyes, but if you have good character, your value is more than 10 billion. So, as long as you agree and can be loyal to me in the future, I¡¯ll give you the opportunity to have a rapid advance in your career.¡±


    Yang Pengchao shook inwardly as though his heart was struck with a thunderbolt.


    Who was Tang Xiu? He was an amazing great personage in China. Even his sole Magnificent Tang Corporation had tens of billions in assets.


    Not only that, he had even checked the details about the Great Fortune Jewelry on the Internet. It was a large jewelry company with billions of assets. Yet now, it seemed that this industry was also owned by Tang Xiu. He simply couldn¡¯t imagine how much other wealth Tang Xiu had that was unknown to the public.


    However, to think that such an amazing great personage¡ªthe real super-rich would actually value him in such regard and also gave him the opportunity to fly¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m willing,¡± said Yang Pengchao quickly with trembling lips.


    Tang Xiu happily nodded and smilingly said, ¡°Alright, give your bank account to Hao Lei, then! Wait for her to transfer 100 million US dollars into your account. Also, you seem to be very tired, so just stay in Paradise Manor to rest! I¡¯ll send someone to prepare the room for you; the food, clothes, and accommodation are free of charge.¡±


    Yang Pengchao was dumbfounded. He truly couldn¡¯t understand why Tang Xiu would still include the 100 million US dollars. He hesitantly asked in order to understand, ¡°Do you still want me to give me 100 million US dollars? Really?¡±


    ¡°I, Tang Xiu, have always put honesty as the greatest importance,¡± said Tang Xiu sternly. ¡°I never go back on my words. You¡¯re willing to sell me the jade monkey, so I must pay you 100 million dollars.¡±


    With that said, he took the jade monkey and turned to head outside. After he was outside, he looked at Hao Lei who followed him and said, ¡°Announce the news that we have found the jade monkey immediately. Because the seller wants to keep this a secret, we can¡¯t announce his identity.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± said Hao Lei respectfully.


    ¡°There¡¯s one other thing. Send someone to go back with them since Yue Li¡¯s mother is going to Shanghai to see me. That way, it would be easy to tend to,¡± continued Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Well, Chi Nan just returned to Shanghai, Boss. Why not assign her to the task?¡± asked Hao Lei with a smile.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised, ¡°Chi Nan came back? That¡¯s good! Tell her to assign someone to make a trip and take care of the patient on the road.¡±


    Inside the VIP room.


    Yang Pengchao was still dizzy for a long while as he felt like he was in a dream. He muttered to himself, ¡°Today is the most unreal day I¡¯ve ever had since I was born. Yue Li, can you pinch me? I wanna feel that I¡¯m not dreaming.¡±


    Yue Li didn¡¯t comply with his request and said with all seriousness, ¡°You¡¯re not dreaming. It¡¯s all real. It¡¯s just that we never thought that the real buyer would be Tang Xiu.¡±


    Yang Pengchao looked at her and nodded, ¡°I¡¯m willing, even if he doesn¡¯t give me a penny, as long as he can cure the illness of your mother. I feel its worth it as long as you¡¯re willing to be my girlfriend and will marry me in the future.

 Chapter 879 - The Crush of A Young Lady

    Chapter 879: The Crush of A Young Lady


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The catering department of Paradise Club provided delicious meals and drinks that made the starving Yang Pengchao and Yue Li drool and finally satisfy their hunger. The desserts and fruits after dinner made the duo move their fingers to feed their mouth while rubbing their bellies while lamenting as for how they had been so poor and powerless.


    ¡°Young Lady and Sir, please feel free to say if you have other requests. Our Boss has told us that. Also, please receive these two VIP membership cards as well. The VIP rooms for you two have been prepared and this is the room card. You can rest there at any time.¡± The tall and gorgeous Paradise Club¡¯s staffer said with a chuckle.


    ¡°Your Boss?¡± asked Yang Pengchao curiously. ¡°You mean, the owner of this Paradise Manor?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, our Boss,¡± answered the female staffer.


    ¡°But¡­ we didn¡¯t even know who your Boss was,¡± said Yang Pengchao with a puzzled expression. ¡°Why did he give us VIP membership cards? Is it because of the arrangement of Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°Is this Mr. Tang you said named Tang Xiu?¡± asked the female staffer.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Yang Pengchao nodded.


    ¡°Our Boss is surnamed Ouyang and she¡¯s Mr. Tang¡¯s girlfriend, so the staffers here also call him Boss. The reception for you two is what he has arranged for you.¡±


    Yang Pengchao was inwardly startled. He never imagined that such a luxurious and upscale Paradise Manor was actually established by Tang Xiu¡¯s girlfriend. Was this also his industry?


    ¡°Mr. Tang is truly great,¡± sighed Yue Li heartfeltly. ¡°He can be said to have the wealth of an entire nation.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think the Forbes ranking list that is evaluated publicly and always announced annually is incorrect.¡± Yang Pengchao nodded in agreement and said, ¡°Mr. Tang is definitely at the top of the list.¡±


    ¡°Well, our Boss doesn¡¯t like to be in the limelight, though,¡± said the female staffer with a smile.


    Ding, ding¡­


    During their conversation, Yang Pengchao¡¯s handset ringtone sounded. When he took his phone out and opened the text he just received, he was dumbfounded all of a sudden.


    ¡°1, 2, 3¡­ 9.¡±


    ¡°1, 2, 3¡­¡±


    ¡°1¡­, ¡­.¡±


    Counting repeatedly three times, Yang Pengchao muttered with a dull face, ¡°Nine digits? 690 million?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Yue Li looked at him in confusion and asked.


    Yang Pengchao¡¯s face turned red and his body slightly shivered as he replied with trembling lips, ¡°Yue¡­ Yue Li, just pinch me. I think I¡¯m dreaming.¡±


    ¡°What exactly is it?¡± Yue Li asked with a strange expression. ¡°You just looked at your phone and become like this?¡±


    Yang Pengchao¡¯s tone turned higher and he hurriedly replied, ¡°690 million, more than 690 million! Tang Xiu¡­ Mr. Tang truly keeps his words¡­ he really ordered someone to transfer 100 million US dollars into my account. It¡¯s more than 690 million if it¡¯s converted to Chinese yuan. What a good person! He¡¯s really a good, great man!¡±


    Yue Li rushed to his side and read the text several times before sighing with overjoy, ¡°A gentleman¡¯s words are truly precious and weighed like a mountain. Mr. Tang is truly honest and sincere. Pengchao, you must work well for him in the future. I firmly believe he can give you a brilliant future.¡±


    Yang Pengchao firmly nodded and replied with all seriousness, ¡°I will. Definitely.¡±


    At the entrance to Paradise Manor.


    Mo Xiaohan was dressed beautifully in a way that showed her youthfulness as she carried her bag and headed to the entrance. Her eyes, however, were constantly focusing at Jin Shi who was in front of her with a pounding heart.


    This man¡­ truly had a macho style!


    This guy was not handsome but was definitely cool. She had long passed the age of being a shy teenage girl and had seen so many handsome guys. But she found that those handsome men she saw before were worse than this security guard in front of her now.


    ¡®If this lady¡¯s jade chicken is genuine and gets me 100 million US dollars, I¡¯ll be sure to nail this Cool Uncle and make him do nothing in the future. I¡¯ll just watch this cool guy do the laundry, cook and wait upon me.¡¯


    Her thoughts fleeted in fantasy for a while as she unwittingly followed Jin Shi into a spacious, hundreds of square meters wide VIP room. Despite having visited upscale venues, she was still shocked by its interior decoration.


    ¡°Hey, Cool Uncle, what¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°My name has nothing to do with you, right? You should just wait here. I¡¯ve already informed my Boss; he¡¯ll come here to see you soon,¡± replied Jin Shi indifferently.


    After that, he turned and headed to the VIP room¡¯s door.


    Mo Xiaohan raised her hand, but no words came out of her mouth. Right as Jin Shi was about to disappear from the room¡¯s door, only then did she have the courage to say aloud, ¡°Hey, Cool Uncle! When you are tired with your security job, after I get 100 million US dollars, I¡¯ll support you in the future!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Jin Shi, who just stepped out of the door, staggered and almost fell. He was at a loss whether he had to laugh or cry before he stared at Mo Xiaohan and left quickly.


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu came to the VIP room and looked at the pretty young lady, Mo Xiaohan. Then he smiled and said, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Tang Xiu, the person who is looking for the zodiac jade carvings. May I know how I should address you, Miss?¡±


    ¡°My surname is Mo,¡± said Mo Xiaohan. ¡°Anyways, it¡¯s kinda strange, though. Why do you look familiar? Also, your name is¡­ Tang Xiu? It seems like the name of a very kind divine doctor¡­¡±


    Her voice abruptly stopped and Mo Xiaohan¡¯s bright pupils instantly turned into saucers as she was shocked. She exclaimed, ¡°I remember you. You¡¯re the Young Divine Doctor, Tang Xiu!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s me,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    ¡°Well, is it necessary for you to spend 100 million US dollars just to buy zodiac jade carvings? Oh, God! How are you so rich? That¡¯s not right, though. You don¡¯t just spend 100 million US dollars since you still need ten zodiac jade carvings, no? Then¡­ aren¡¯t you going to spend a billion US dollars?¡±


    ¡°Oh, please don¡¯t entertain all sorts of ideas,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s discuss the deal since we¡¯ve introduced ourselves! You said you have the jade rooster; where is it?¡±


    Mo Xiaohan gulped and asked in an anxious and doubtful tone, ¡°Would you really give 100 million dollars if I have the jade rooster?¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± said Tang Xiu firmly.


    Mo Xiaohan joyfully nodded and took out the red jade rooster from the bag she carried. She handed it to Tang Xiu and said, ¡°This is it.¡±


    After receiving and appraising it, Tang Xiu suppressed his joy inwardly and noddingly said, ¡°Yes, this one is the jade rooster from the whole set of zodiac jade carvings. Miss Mo, this jade rooster belongs to me from now on. Tell me your bank account and I¡¯ll assign someone to transfer your money.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Mo Xiaohan suppressed her excitement and nodded before she told Tang Xiu her bank account.


    At this moment, Jin Shi, who had just left, returned and quickly came to Tang Xiu and reported, ¡°There¡¯s another guest who claims to have a zodiac jade carving. Our men are bringing him here.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes lit up and replied quickly, ¡°Did he say he brought the zodiac jade carving with him?¡±


    ¡°I asked him that. He said it¡¯s a jade rabbit,¡± said Jin Shi.


    Tang Xiu nodded happily and turned to look at Mo Xiaohan, ¡°Miss Mo, you must have rushed from another region to Shanghai, right? If you¡¯d like to, you can have a rest in Paradise Manor. You¡¯re exempted from any expense during your stay here.¡±


    ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, can you let me have a look at that jade rabbit?¡± asked Mo Xiaohan quickly.


    Tang Xiu hesitated for a moment before he nodded and gave her permission, ¡°You can see it, but you must tell the other party that you¡¯re also the person who brought the jade rooster. After all, supposing that you don¡¯t want to disclose your identity, we want it to keep it secret for your sake.¡±


    ¡°Got no problem with that.¡± Mo Xiaohan nodded quickly and said, ¡°I agree.¡±


    Immediately after, Zhang Moyuan hurriedly arrived with the escort of the security guard. He recognized Tang Xiu¡¯s identity the moment he saw him, and, with a bit of an anxious yet excited look, he greeted Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu smiled at him and said, ¡°Mr. Zhang, this is the previous owner of the jade rooster. If you don¡¯t mind, could you please take out the jade rabbit now?¡±


    Zhang Moyuan nodded to Mo Xiaohan and immediately took the jade rabbit out and handed it to Tang Xiu. After Tang Xiu appraised it, the object was also a genuine piece of the twelve zodiac jade carvings.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, is it exactly what you need?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Zhang Moyuan excitedly asked, ¡°Then when are you going to¡­¡±


    As Tang Xiu saw his hesitant look to speak his mind out, he smiled and said, ¡°I understand what you mean. Give me your bank account and I¡¯ll immediately transfer the money to you. I¡¯ve already negotiated with the bank about this transaction, so the money will be in your account up to two hours after we transfer it.¡±


    ¡°Good. Great!¡± replied Zhang Moyuan joyfully.


    ¡°You can rest assured about the confidentiality issues,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Also, the two of you have come from afar, so you can rest at our Paradise Manor. All expenses are free of charge.¡±


    Zhang Moyuan looked reluctant and replied, ¡°Mr. Tang, is it alright if I say that I don¡¯t need you to keep it confidential?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to keep it a secret?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised. ¡°Of course, we can even hold a press conference to announce your real situation to the public if you¡¯d like to.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m grateful for that,¡± said Zhang Moyuan seriously. ¡°I want everyone in the whole country to know that I was the previous owner of the jade rabbit and sold it for 100 million US dollars.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Tang Xiu readily consented and smilingly asked, ¡°Mr. Zhang, few people want to deliberately publicize after they obtain some riches, though. Care to tell me how are you different from others?¡±


    ¡°To tell you honestly, I mainly want those who have refused, despised and even jeered at me to see it.¡± Zhang Moyuan said with a bitter face. ¡°I want to tell them that Zhang Moyuan is not driven into a corner and desperate. Before I came here, my company¡¯s business had been in trouble and the capital chains are kind of in a tight spot with serious problems. I originally borrowed some funds from many friends that I thought were good comrades. Yet, everyone seemed to avoid me as though I was a plague or something. Too many words they uttered that were kinda unpleasant to hear¡­¡±


    After a while, Tang Xiu finally figured out his motive and was secretly glad inside. It was kind of fortunate for him that Zhang Moyuan¡¯s company was in such a situation and that his friends didn¡¯t lend him money, otherwise, would he even come to Shanghai to sell his jade rabbit to him? It was unlikely.

 Chapter 880 - Drop the News Bomb on Them

    Chapter 880: Drop the News Bomb on Them


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The day had turned into dusk and the journalists who had been squatting outside of Paradise Manor looked listlessly as they glanced at the imposing gate. Peddlers were also seen pushing their three-wheelers, shouting the kind of meals they sold loudly, and yet, the journalists didn¡¯t have much desire to grab any food even though the rumbling of hunger growled from their stomachs.


    For media people like them, having no scoop to publish was simply endless torture.


    ¡°All the friends from the media, I¡¯ve just received a notice to invite you all to the East Expanse Square in the Manor. We also have prepared dinner for you and there will be an important issue announced to everyone,¡± Jin Shi strode out of the gate of the Manor before looking around at the thousands of journalists outside.


    ¡°Important issue? Is it a scoop?¡±


    ¡°God! The Grand Fortune Jewelry is going to disclose some news?¡±


    ¡°They have also prepared a dinner party? Wow! I never thought I could have a meal at Paradise Manor one day, though. If it¡¯s a big scoop, that¡¯s equal to tons of meals for me today!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, hurry up. We must get a good spot!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The thousands of journalists were thrilled as they cheered and rushed into the gate of Paradise Manor that was guarded by the security guards who kept the order.


    At the East Expanse Square, hundreds of round tables filled the square. Beautiful female staffers with an elegant attitude attended each. Accompanied by fragrant meals and drinks, the rich flavor of the delicacies stirred up the appetite of all the reporters there. Yet, none of them moved their chopsticks after they took a seat and instead, just readied and set up their cameras, all aimed at the half a meter high platform that was temporarily built on the northern end.


    Jin Shi walked onto the platform. He didn¡¯t take the microphone, but his loud voice was transmitted to every reporter¡¯s ears anyway, ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, our Boss said that you should dine and drink first before you listen to the news, else you all probably won¡¯t have the thoughts to touch them when the major news is announced. Also, the Boss said that wasting something is shameful, so please cherish every bit of the food and avoid wasting it. Thank you.¡±


    With that said, Jin Shi strode off the platform.


    All the journalists were dumbfounded. This was the first time they encountered a situation in which they were invited to have a meal first before the important news was announced. Yet, such an arrangement made them feel warm inside. It was evident that the owner of Grand Fortune Jewelry knew very well about their present situation, and was obviously aware that the first thing they would do was to write the press release news and submit the photos, striving to be the first to report the news.


    ¡°Yo, comrades, let¡¯s eat faster. Have enough and hear the news afterward!¡±


    A stalwart reporter shouted aloud from his table before grabbing his chopsticks and devouring the meals like a wolf. The thousands of other reporters were driven by him and gobbled up the meals and sipped the tea. None of them touched the wine on the table whatsoever.


    After half an hour, Hao Lei came with three staffers carrying a tray behind her as they walked onto the platform. She was now wearing a floral skirt, and, with her loose long hair, her whole being looked particularly elegant and dignified. She took the microphone and looked at the crowd with a smile. ¡°All the friends from the media, I welcome you all to this place. I¡¯m Hao Lei, the General Manager of Grand Fortune Jewelry, and I have two things I¡¯d like to announce now. The first is that Grand Fortune Jewelry has already received three distinguished guests who brought us three genuine jade carvings which are precisely the ones we have announced to buy.¡±


    ¡°Three guests?¡±


    All the reporters were thrilled, and one from the nearest table to Hao Lei shouted, ¡°Miss Hao, can you disclose the identity of those distinguished guests to us and what kind of zodiac jade carvings they brought?¡±


    ¡°Revealing the identity of them is precisely the second matter today,¡± said Hao Lei with a smile. ¡°And now, I¡¯d like to show you all the zodiac jade carvings they sent first.¡±


    With that said, she gestured to the three staffers behind her. The three of them immediately took off the yellow silk cloth that covered the tray. In that instant, all the cameras were focused at the three sets of red and vividly lifelike zodiac jade carvings.


    ¡°These are the three zodiac jade carvings: the monkey, rooster, and rabbit,¡± said Hao Lei with a beaming smile. ¡°Together with the dragon and tiger jade carvings that we already have, we now have five pieces in the set. It is my hope that all the friends from the media would like to help us in advertising this endeavor to help find the remaining seven zodiac jade carvings.


    The lights from flashes were constantly illuminating the area while the focus of everyone present hovered around the three jade carvings.


    Hao Lei continued, ¡°The second matter I want to announce is that the distinguished guests who brought us the jade monkey and rooster do not want to reveal their identity, so we can¡¯t inform everyone of who they are. But we have already paid 100 million US dollars to them. As for the distinguished guest who brought the jade rabbit, he¡¯s willing to accept the interviews of everyone.¡±


    ¡°GREAT! Where is the person now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better to have one to be interviewed rather than having none, though. But where is the person?¡±


    ¡°Who could it be?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Zhang Moyuan then came to the stage from behind the platform while escorted by four security guards. He then stood in front of Hao Lei and hurriedly nodded and saluted in haste.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give an introduction to everyone here,¡± said Hao Lei with a smile. ¡°This gentleman is Zhang Moyuan from the Fukang Province. He is the owner of Prosperous House of Construction Materials in Fukang Province. Next, I¡¯d like to invite Boss Zhang to speak here.¡±


    Zhang Moyuan took the microphone as his deep eyes swept underneath the stage. After a few seconds of silence, a bitter smile appeared on his face as he started to speak, ¡°As a matter of fact, I should be very rich with hundreds of millions of assets in the eyes of many people, considering that I¡¯m a business owner. That fact was correct a few months ago when I was really very rich. I was someone who at least didn¡¯t have to worry about having enough to eat and drink, and even lived in a mansion with a luxury car, along with numerous rich friends.


    ¡°However, it¡¯s hard to do business these days and it¡¯s even harder for the business owner. My company, the Prosperous House of Construction Materials, has shrunk dramatically due to some unforeseen events that led to its worsening capital turnover.¡±


    ¡°The jade rabbit is, in fact, my favorite collection item. I even fantasized about leaving it as an heirloom of my Zhang Family and passing it on to my descendants. At the moment when my company ran into problems, however, I had to take it out and bring it to Shanghai¡ªto Paradise Manor.


    ¡°Just two hours ago, more than 690 million yuan was transferred into my account, whereas I already transferred 190 million to my company¡¯s public account. You can say that the jade rabbit has saved my company and made my assets soar.¡±


    ¡°I do have regrets deep down, though. But there¡¯s also happiness and satisfaction. This satisfaction comes not only from getting the money, but also from the fact that the jade rabbit is not the only one of the zodiac carvings in the world¡ªthere are also eleven other ones. I already brought the jade rabbit and I sincerely hope that Grand Fortune Jewelry can find all of the twelve zodiac jade carvings as soon as


    Zhang Moyuan¡¯s speech was neither slow nor so fast, yet all the journalists below the podium were all ignited at this time. A jade rabbit just saved a company valued at hundreds of millions of yuan according to the market. It made this rich man, who had many friends but none that wanted to help, to avoid the possibility of filing bankruptcy¡­


    Various key points and all kinds of highlights were stressed on it.


    All the journalists were flushed red in the excitement. Even the green veins on their forehead were dancing.


    As the day fleeted to the dead of night.


    At the Shanghai Train Station, Chen Jianshe dragged his weary body outside. He carried the stool in hand and a worn black leather bag on his shoulder. His cousin, Chen Jiawei, walked alongside him.


    ¡°Brother, we came to Shanghai, but where can we find the buyer?¡± Chen Jiawei had dark facial features and a robust body, accompanied by a deep and gruff voice.


    Chen Jianshe looked hesitant as he answered, ¡°The newspaper said the person is in Paradise Manor, though. But¡­ how do we know where this venue is? How about we call the contact number on the paper to ask about it?¡±


    ¡°Then do it!¡±


    It was the first time for Chen Jiawei to visit such a bustling metropolis. It made him a bit uneasy and he hurriedly nodded in consent.


    Chen Jianshe grabbed his old Nokia mobile phone he had been using for five-plus years and dialed the phone number in the newspaper. It wasn¡¯t long before his call was picked up.


    ¡°Hello, Hao Lei speaking, may I know who you are?¡±


    ¡°Hello, hello. We are here to sell the jade ox. The newspaper said that you want to buy it; is this true?¡± Chen Jianshe controlled his mood and said expectantly.


    ¡°The jade ox? Where are you now?¡± asked Hao Lei. ¡°I¡¯m Hao Lei, the General Manager of Grand Fortune Jewelry, and I really want to buy the zodiac jade carvings.¡±


    ¡°We¡­ we just arrived in Shanghai, kinda just coming out of the train station now,¡± said Chen Jianshe. ¡°But¡­ this is our first time coming here. We know nobody here and are unfamiliar with the place, so we don¡¯t know where to go.¡±


    ¡°Please tell me which train station you are now. I¡¯ll immediately send someone¡­ No, I¡¯ll immediately rush over to pick you up myself,¡± said Hao Lei.


    ¡°Which train station? Isn¡¯t this Shanghai Train Station?¡± asked Chen Jianshe quizzically.


    Hao Lei was at a loss between laughter and tears before she replied, ¡°There are several train stations in Shanghai, you¡­¡±


    Forty minutes passed by and Hao Lei had arrived at Shanghai Train Station along with Jin Shi and some others. After calling the other party, they finally found Chen Jianshe and Chen Jiawei who were sitting on the bench in the square, looking listless while heavily smoking.


    ¡°Two gentlemen, who among you is Mr. Chen Jianshe?¡±


    Chen Jianshe hurried stood up as he looked at the dignified and elegant Hao Lei with her noble aura. He also glanced at the tall and stalwart Jin Shi and his group who had imposing auras as he stutteringly replied, ¡°¡­I, I-I am Chen Jianshe. And you are¡­ are you that¡­ Hao¡­ Hao Lei, the General Manager?¡±


    Hao Lei stretched her hand out and smilingly said, ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m Hao Lei, the General Manager of Grand Fortune Jewelry. I welcome you two to Shanghai. Mr. Chen, the car is in the parking lot. Please come with me with your companion.¡±


    ¡°Ah, oh¡­ alright.¡±


    Chen Jianshe was blushing a bit when shaking hands with Hao Lei. He unwittingly rubbed his fingers on his clothes after taking it back. Then he pulled Chen Jiawei as the duo followed Hao Lei¡¯s group to the parking lot.


    After they returned to Paradise Manor, Hao Lei took them to the VIP room and told the staffer to prepare them meals. Then she said with a smile, ¡°Two gentlemen, you told me that you brought the jade ox, so please take it out since I need to appraise it. If it¡¯s a genuine jade ox, we will buy it from you for 100 million US dollars.¡±


    100 million dollars!


    Both Chen Jianshe and Chen Jiawei instantly became excited. After all, it was such a huge amount of money. It was literally an astronomical figure for them.


    Immediately after, Chen Jianshe took the jade ox out of the worn-out black leather bag and handed it to Hao Lei, ¡°This is the jade ox. It¡¯s an heirloom of our Chen Family, and I begged my old father for a long time before he gave it to me. Manager Hao, you must not deceive us! My son is still waiting for the money to get married while my daughter needs it to pay her tuition fees. If¡­ if you don¡¯t want to give me that much, you can give less than it was supposed to be.¡±

 Chapter 881 - A Wisp of Hope

    Chapter 881: A Wisp of Hope


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    While looking at Chen Jianshe¡¯s simple and honest face which now appeared slightly unsettled, Hao Lei soothingly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Mr. Chen. If the jade ox you brought is one of the zodiac jade carvings we¡¯re looking for, we won¡¯t take a penny from the 100 million US dollars.¡±


    ¡°Good, good. We¡¯ll listen to you then.¡±


    Chen Jianshe¡¯s emotions were finally stabilized and he exhaled a relieved sigh as he walked back after greeting Hao Lei. Just as his bottom sat on the sofa, however, he abruptly bounced up flustered and spoke, ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really sorry¡­ M-my clothes are too dirty. I can¡¯t sit and make your sofa dirty. I-I¡¯m fine sitting on the stool.¡±


    With that said, he went a few steps to the edge of the sofa, opened the campstool and sat directly.


    While looking at his actions, Hao Lei was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly noticed Tang Xiu outside the door. She immediately headed out to greet him and said, ¡°This is the jade ox, Boss.¡±


    Tang Xiu received it and shot a deep look at Chen Jianshe before he observed the jade ox. After his appraisal, he verified that this jade ox was indeed one of the twelve zodiac jade carvings¡ªgenuine.


    ¡°Hold this, Hao Lei.¡±


    After Tang Xiu handed the jade ox to Hao Lei, he walked to Chen Jianshe¡¯s front and said, ¡°You¡¯re Uncle Chen Jianshe if my guess is correct, right? I¡¯m Tang Xiu, the buyer of this zodiac jade carving. I¡¯ve just appraised it and what you brought is indeed the object I need. It¡¯s still early in the morning, however, and transferring the money via online banking must wait until daytime.¡±


    ¡°I know you. You¡¯re that amazing divine doctor!¡± said Chen Jianshe excitedly. ¡°You¡­ do you really want to buy it?¡±


    ¡°I do. It¡¯s been said and decided,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    Chen Jianshe excitedly said, ¡°Tang¡­ Divine Doctor Tang, 100 million US dollars is too much. You can just give us however much you think enough is fine for us, as long as my son can buy a house and get married and my daughter can finish college.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t, Uncle Chen. I, Tang Xiu, is one who always keeps his word.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°The promise is 100 million US dollars and absolutely not a penny less must be paid. Let¡¯s do it this way, then. You can give me the jade ox first and I¡¯ll tell someone to transfer 690 million yuan to your account later. You¡¯ll also get some cash for the odds.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t have a bank account! I only have a checkbook,¡± said Chen Jianshe with some worries while scratching his head.


    Chen Jianwei at the side pulled him and whispered, ¡°Jianshe Brother, the account number is on the checkbook, you know!¡±


    Tang Xiu produced a wee smile. Then, he asked about the two brothers¡¯ bumpy trip today and exchanged pleasantries. They were hungry, so he accompanied them to dine and drink some wine. After that, he personally sent them to the luxury VIP room. Before he left, Tang Xiu ordered someone to measure their bodies to prepare two sets of clothes for each of them according to their measurements.


    Inside the luxury VIP room.


    Chen Jiawei stepped on the soft carpet and looked up at the crystal lamps that illuminated soft light. He sighed a few times and then went to the bedroom, observed the bathroom, and eventually came to a small balcony. His vision had blurred after seeing too many dazzling things. He then went back to the living room and saw Chen Jianshe sitting on the sofa in silence as he said excitedly, ¡°Brother Jianshe, going with you this time is truly great. The luxury, the grandeur style¡ªeverything is just like having a dream in paradise. I really never thought that I could live in this luxurious room all my life.¡±


    Yet, Chen Jianshe frowned and stayed silent but his worry was evident on his face.


    Chen Jiawei finally realized his unusual attitude and quizzically asked, ¡°What happened to you, Brother?¡±


    ¡°Divine Doctor Tang took the jade ox away¡ªhow do you judge him? Do you think he¡¯ll go back on his word?¡± asked Chen Jianshe hesitantly.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Chen Jiawei¡¯s expression froze and he mulled hard over it for a long while. With a bit of an unsettled look, he worriedly said, ¡°That¡¯s right! Why did he take the jade ox away? We¡¯ll get nothing if he¡¯s a fraud. Let¡¯s go out to find him now.¡±


    Chen Jianshe grabbed him to hold him back and said hesitantly, ¡°Let¡¯s not find him first and put all the pieces together clearly, shall we? Divine Doctor Tang wouldn¡¯t deceive us, I think. What kind of person do you think he is? He¡¯s the famous young Divine Doctor; many TV stations in the country have reported his deeds. It¡¯s just¡­ I still have some concerns in my heart, though.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s go see him and ask for some money first,¡± said Chen Jiawei with a nod. ¡°At least, we don¡¯t have to worry about money anymore!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± immediately nodded Chen Jian in agreement.


    Ten minutes later, once the duo had left the VIP room and was looking for Tang Xiu everywhere, Hao Lei appeared before them and handed them a black bag as she smilingly said, ¡°This is 500 thousand yuan in cash. The small odds up till the total amount will be given to you in cash, whereas the rest will be transferred to your account! You can expect to have the money in your account by tomorrow at noon.¡±


    ¡°Five¡­ five hundred thousand?!¡± Chen Jianshe couldn¡¯t help but tremble. He quickly received the black bag and pulled its zipper and looked at the stacks of one hundred-yuan bill that had been put in order inside. He trembled. He had never seen so much money all his life, yet all this money was now his?


    Suddenly, he seemed to recall something and looked at Chen Jiawei, ¡°We¡¯ve been wrong by suspecting Divine Doctor Tang, Brother. He¡¯s like the rumors say: a good person¡ªa great kind-hearted man! He doesn¡¯t deceive us and he really means what he said. The worries we both had before¡­ were truly a mistake.¡±


    Chen Jiawei also looked at the money and his eyes were nearly bursting out light as he said, ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right, Brother Jianshe. Divine Doctor Tang is truly honest and sincere. He¡¯s really a good man.¡±


    Hao Lei was again at a loss between laughter and tears upon seeing the true feelings of the two brothers revealed. Then she smilingly said, ¡°Truly, my Boss does have good integrity. Besides, the way he looked and treated you is very kind compared to how he sees other distinguished guests who sold the jade carvings to him. If anything, I can now understand why my Boss did that, though. It¡¯s because he sees that you are honest and simple people. Anyway, you two can go back to have some rest. When the money has been transferred to your account, you can either choose to tour Shanghai for a few days, or you can go home directly. The Boss has told me to reimburse all the expenses during your stay here.¡±


    There were several European-styled buildings deeper in the forested part north of Paradise Manor, one of which was recently built and had just been renovated. It was then taken by the owner, Ouyang Lulu, who officially moved there a few days ago.


    Basking under the moonlight, Ouyang Lulu was sleeping soundly. Her slight snoring sounds were like the wind blowing outside the window, highlighting the stillness and tranquility of the villa amid the shadows of leaves that fell through the window.


    The six jade carvings¡ªthe ox, tiger, dragon, rabbit, monkey, and chicken¡ªwere neatly placed on the table next to the bed, exuding a hazy glow under the basking of the moonlight. Tang Xiu was now sitting in front of the table with eyes that were particularly lit up as he observed every zodiac jade carving.


    He already had made up his mind. He was sure that if he could collect the whole set of twelve jade carvings and was able to figure out some profound meaning of them, and even made his cultivation to progress rapidly in a short time, the time he could ascend wouldn¡¯t be too far away.


    ¡®I¡¯ll immediately set off to Longquan Bay in Kanas by the end of the final exam to open that Immortal Trove. No matter what fortuitous encounter I can obtain there, regardless of everything, I have to go into seclusion to comprehend the Heavenly Dao trajectory in these six jade carvings. I must comprehend the Heavenly Dao laws of this world however difficult it is.¡¯


    Tang Xiu clenched his fist with unprecedented firmness in his eyes.


    He always wanted to soar and ascend back to the Immortal World. He would pay off all the old scores for himself, starting anew and reappearing once again there proudly, overlooking the myriad of living beings in the Immortal World.


    And yet, what he wanted the most was to have his family members and loved ones to accompany him traverse the vast Immortal path¡ªespecially his mother, who had never cultivated. He must do everything possible to take her with him. Prior to this, there was always a struggling feeling in his heart even though he had been cultivating. It was because he had no other way to successfully bring his mother to the Immortal World.


    But now, he could see a wisp of light, the dawn, and also hope after the appearance of these zodiac carvings.


    The Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis was the canonical scripture, the supreme cultivation of the Demon Realm that even the top Demon Lords there had been dreaming to obtain. Yet, he cultivated this canonical scripture of the Demon¡¯s cultivation path. He believed that he would become stronger than ever in the future. But the drawback was that even if he did break the shackles of this plane, he could only leave by himself and couldn¡¯t take his relatives with him.


    But now, even though he cultivated the Demon¡¯s cultivation path, he would be able to use it for himself as long as he could comprehend the Heavenly Dao laws of this world. At that time, needless to say, he could leave this plane and re-enter the Immortal World easily, and he would also be able to take all his relatives and subordinates he had been cultivating to leave this world.


    Even so much that he could bring all the human races of the entire Earth to the Immortal World without a problem if he wished to do so.


    ¡®I¡¯ll set two years of time. I¡¯ll even tell Yan¡¯er and Chimei to act to scour every nook and corner of the Earth if I can¡¯t find the remaining six jade carvings within this time. And that is¡­ as long they are still on Earth.¡¯


    As the next day came, per Tang Xiu¡¯s order, Hao Lei announced that the fourth jade carving had been found: the jade ox. However, Grand Fortune Jewelry kept the identity of the seller secret as they didn¡¯t want to disclose their identity.


    Through the competing reportage of the journalists, the news broke and proliferated as though growing wings by itself. The massive hype of numerous media helped it once again to be known to everyone in the whole country. The power of the media made it so that the news of Grand Fortune Jewelry spending hundreds of millions of US dollars to buy zodiac jade carvings began to spread all over the world. Moreover, the event was still fermenting and it may not take long before it caused a great sensation all over the globe.


    A few days later.


    Tang Xiu comfortably headed out of his exam room. He had taken all the subjects tested and was confident that he could pass what was required, even scoring excellent results.


    Honk, honk¡­


    The sounds of a car¡¯s horn suddenly came from outside the exam building, pulling Tang Xiu¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Hey, handsome guy, wanna take a ride with me?¡± a soft voice carrying the unique sweetness of a woman came from several meters away.


    Tang Xiu looked at the source of the voice and suddenly felt a bit at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh.


    It was Mu Wanying who stood next to a few million yuan luxurious supercar. She looked gorgeous in her light cyan floral skirt and pink sunglasses that accompanied her loose long black hair, looking at Tang Xiu in front of the car with a beaming smile. Her figure and her appearance simply like a Goddess coming out of a picturesque painting.

 Chapter 882 - Raising Price of the Deal

    Chapter 882: Raising Price of the Deal


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu shifted his gaze from Mu Wanying and glanced around. What made him feel at a loss between laughter and tears was that there were many male and female students in the surroundings, even those who just came out of the examination building, that were somewhat out of sort upon seeing her.


    ¡°Why do you have to be this dazzling, belle?¡± muttered Tang Xiu with a wry smile as he walked forward while shaking his head.


    Mu Wanying stood upright with her arms half opened and made a turn in place. Her skirt danced in the wind while her perfume permeated the air as she asked with heartfelt laughter, ¡°Well, why the long face after seeing your girlfriend so dazzling, though?¡±


    The beaming smile that Mu Wanying wore at the moment attracted Tang Xiu so much so that, despite having a firm mind and being familiar with her, he couldn¡¯t help but feel assurgent astonishment. He collected himself quickly and grabbed Mu Wanying¡¯s delicate wrist to pull her to the car¡¯s door. He opened the door, closed it, and then came to sit in the passenger, saying, ¡°Drive.¡±


    ¡°Gimme a reason,¡± said Mu Wanying smilingly.


    Tang Xiu pointed out what she was referring to and hummed, ¡°You see, the most beautiful side of my girlfriend can only be appreciated by me. No other men are allowed, else I won¡¯t feel happy. Is that good enough of a reason?¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­¡±


    Mu Wanying sweetly smiled again, while even her bright eyes that reflected that beaming smile were sparkling as though they were drops of clear water. As she started the car, she smilingly asked, ¡°So, where are we heading to?¡±


    Tang Xiu gave it a thought and said, ¡°I¡¯ll treat you to a great meal since you¡¯ve dressed up so gorgeously. That reminds me, though. There¡¯s a stall that sells delicious barbecue in a nearby alley. Well, that is if you wanna have the sky as the roof and use the floor as a table to enjoy the steak well, though.¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡±


    Mu Wanying couldn¡¯t help but laugh and she rolled her eyes with infinite charm in response at Tang Xiu¡¯s suggestion. Then she smilingly said, ¡°I¡¯ll treat you today to celebrate the end of your freshman semester, though. Let¡¯s have a great meal and head to the Arabesque Garden Mansion!¡±


    ¡°Well, looking at your sincerity and good looks, let¡¯s go to this Arabesque Garden Mansion then!¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    With the sweet laughter of the belle, the car gradually drove away.


    And yet, countless mourning could be heard from those among the crowd. Even some boys sang the ¡°Valentine¡¯s Day Without a Lover¡± song to vent out their innermost feelings.


    Arabesque Garden Mansion. It was a famous upscale dining venue in Shanghai, where all the guests who could enjoy the delicious delicacies here were among the haves. The place had been widely recognized as a venue that provided the most delicious meals, though it also came with the most expensive prices.


    ¡°Wanying, you seem to be familiar with this place, no?¡±


    After following Mu Wanying into the interior of the Arabesque Garden Mansion, Tang Xiu found that she was rather familiar with the pathways that led into the hall with a plaque signed Emperor¡¯s Hall, and he asked with a bit of a surprised expression.


    ¡°Yeah, been here twice before,¡± replied Mu Wanying with a chuckle.


    ¡°Words have it that dining here is quite expensive, the most expensive in Shanghai, though. Never thought you wanted to visit this venue, really,¡± commented Tang Xiu smilingly.


    ¡°Not really, I¡¯ve been here twice but not to dine, though.¡± Mu Wanying shook her head and said, ¡°My first time visiting this place was to find my Dad a couple of years ago. And the second time was when I came with my best friend, though she happened to bump into her boyfriend here who secretly met with another woman.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Tang Xiu laughed and smilingly said, ¡°I can tell your best friend kinda ended up feeling very bad, didn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that, though?¡± asked Mu Wanying.


    ¡°Well, does this good friend of yours have a good temper?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Not at all, she¡¯s exactly a bomb waiting to go off,¡± grinned Mu Wanying wryly. ¡°Tang Xiu, do you know why I¡¯m still willing and happy to be with you until now even if I¡¯m not the only woman for you?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Only then did Tang Xiu feel regretful why he had to talk so much. But the words had been spat out by his long tongue regardless, so he could only brace forward and ask, ¡°Why is that?¡±


    With bitterness somewhat concealed in her eyes, Mu Wanying said, ¡°My love for you comes first and it¡¯s a feeling that can never be replaced with anything. After that comes the issues with society and environment issues. You also know that the status of women has been better after the reformation and the opening up of our country. But in fact, carved deep into people¡¯s bones and inside their blood, there is still that inferiority feeling flowing inside women, whereas men still retain their superiority. Even I am no exception. It is said that ¡°women account to occupy half of the sky¡± and the remark was indeed better than ¡°men are the pillars of the household¡±. Deep down, however, many women still feel weak, and yet they want to have someone to rely on and thus became the crux of the problem.


    ¡°As a woman myself, I actually am fully aware of how much the environment will affect women. For example, Ouyang Lulu and the famous Kang Xia. The men in the circles we come into contact with cannot be fully imprisoned by the monogamy system. Those powerful men have more than one wife either in Hong Kong, Macao, or Taiwan. Like my Dad, he does indeed love and care a lot about my Mom, but the love for beauty is carved deep in his bones. That led him to have other women besides my Mom.


    ¡°The patriarch of the Ouyang Family that is Ouyang Lulu¡¯s father likewise also has more than one woman, even though Ouyang Lulu¡¯s mother is also a very powerful woman whose name I¡¯ve long heard a long time ago. Yet, that didn¡¯t stop Lulu¡¯s father for being unable to keep his integrity pure either.¡±


    Having said that, the bitterness was getting more evident on her face.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and shook his head, ¡°If a man does really love a woman, he can give up everything for her and he won¡¯t fall in love with another woman.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Mu Wanying couldn¡¯t help smiling.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve seen such a man,¡± said Tang Xiu with a deep voice.


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen one? Where?¡± Mu Wanying was startled and asked in astonishment.


    Tang Xiu fell into silence. The man he mentioned was actually himself. Even if he had more than one woman at present, he dared say that back when he was in the Immortal World, if Xue Qingcheng didn¡¯t betray him, he believed that there would never be another woman who could move him beside her.


    They spent thousands of years getting along well together, understanding each other inside out¡­


    Instead of being fed up, bored, or tired with their relationship at that time, he loved that woman more and more as time passed by. It was like old wine; the more it aged, the more mellow and tasty it was.


    Even the Emperor Qing, who went insane due to his pursuit of love before he ultimately died on the path of that love, didn¡¯t hesitate to fight Heaven while struggling against the Samsara cycle of life and death just to protect his wife for thousands of years. He did all that even if he had to be suppressed by the Heavenly Dao laws, devastated by Heavenly Thunder tribulation, and ravaged by mental demons; and yet, the very one thing that made him persevere was the face of his wife, the name he had been calling out for millenniums before dying.


    Mu Wanying watched Tang Xiu who fell into silence and she faintly felt pained inwardly. She could tell that Tang Xiu once had a loved one, even though she couldn¡¯t guess what form of existence his love was.


    She was a smart woman and could be said to have a heart with a seventh sense. Through Tang Xiu¡¯s words, she could even tell that the man Tang Xiu mentioned was none other but himself.


    ¡®What exactly has changed him in the end?¡¯


    Mu Wanying wanted to find out the answer, but she was afraid to go deeper into the matter seriously.


    Knock, knock¡­


    The door was knocked and pushed open as two young and beautiful waitresses came inside to deliver two menus. Tang Xiu was dragged back from his recollection and wiped off the trace of pain and grief in his eyes before he motioned Mu Wanying to order the meal.


    Dining with gourmet and fine wine made Tang Xiu and Mu Wanying tacitly leave out their previous topic and enjoy their food while having a chat.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    Tang Xiu took out his handset and saw that it was Hao Lei. His mind immediately moved since it just had been a few days after some people sent him four zodiac jade carvings, whereas there was no news about the remaining six. Was Hao Lei about to give him some good news?


    ¡°What is it, Hao Lei?¡±


    Hao Lei¡¯s tone, however, carried a bit of killing intent within, ¡°Boss, we found the whereabouts of the jade rat, but there¡¯s quite a problem regarding it.¡±


    ¡°What problem?¡± Tang Xiu knitted his brows.


    ¡°The person who called me was from overseas and he said that he has the jade rat we¡¯re looking for,¡± explained Hao Lei. ¡°He sent its photo via the Internet and he said that he wants the price increased by at least 500 million US dollars if we want to buy his jade rat, else we¡¯ll never collect the whole set of the twelve zodiac jade carvings.¡±


    ¡°Agree with his demand!¡± said Tang Xiu without hesitation.


    ¡°But Boss, about this¡­¡± Hao Lei hastily replied back.


    ¡°These jade carvings are very important objects to me,¡± said Tang Xiu in a deep voice, ¡°This concerns an earthshaking deed I¡¯m going to do in the future. Promise him that we can transfer 500 million US dollars to him at any time as long as we get that object.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± complied Hao Lei before she hung up.


    Mu Wanying herself had never asked Tang Xiu why he must collect the zodiac jade carvings. After hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words at this time, she finally asked, ¡°It¡¯s just a jade carving; is it really worth spending that much money?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s worth it because these zodiac jade carvings can never be measured by money in my eyes.¡± Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°To tell you the truth, if I can collect the whole set of the twelve zodiac jade carvings, not only will it be of great benefit to me, but also very great for you.¡±


    ¡°What benefits?¡± asked Mu Wanying curiously.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you for now,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°But please believe me. You¡¯ll know sooner or later.¡±


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    Hao Lei called again. When Tang Xiu picked it up, the anger in her tone was stronger as she spoke aloud, ¡°Boss, that man has no goodwill whatsoever. I just agreed the 500 million dollars price he demanded as per your order, but he actually raised the price 300 million more. He now wants to sell it to us for 800 million dollars. Also, he also has a request to transfer 300 million dollars as a down payment to his Swiss Bank account.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s looking for death!¡± a chilling light flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes and asked again in a heavy voice, ¡°Can you trace his location?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very difficult, but possible,¡± replied Hao Lei.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s prepare for both eventualities. Tell him that we¡¯ll comply with his request. It¡¯s no longer 800 million dollars again this time, but a billion,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°As long as he¡¯s willing to sell his jade rat to me, I¡¯ll give him that one billion. However, tell him that we need some time to raise the money for at least half a month first. We¡¯ll transfer half of the money to his account in half a month.¡±

 Chapter 883 - Greedy Like A Snake that Wants to Swallow An Elephant

    Chapter 883: Greedy Like A Snake that Wants to Swallow An Elephant


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Astute brilliance flickered in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he said again, ¡°The second one is to prepare for the other eventuality¡ªtrack the source of his phone call. Be sure to find his position while I go ask someone to help to investigate it as well. I hope our men can find him first if he¡¯s on the mainland.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Hao Lei directly hung up after replying briefly.


    Although Tang Xiu sat calmly at the dining table, deadly intent was assurgent inside his heart. He never liked being coerced or played. The other party was too greedy, and he had secretly made up his mind to make him absolutely regret what he did if he could find him.


    ¡°Is this all necessary for the zodiac carvings, though?¡± asked Mu Wanying curiously after putting down her chopsticks.


    Tang Xiu nodded, ¡°Yeah, we already have a lead on the jade rat, but the owner is too greedy, raising the price again and again and simply broke my bottom line.¡±


    Mu Wanying nodded without speaking anything. She knew that Tang Xiu was someone who was easy to speak with. He would never be so angry if the other party was not that excessive.


    Beijing.


    It was a city cast by reinforced concrete, showing a scene of its prosperousness. Located outside the Southern Fifth Ring Road was a very special and heavily guarded residential complex with four patrol teams on guard 24 hours a day, as well as various surveillance equipment to monitor every part of the neighborhood, creating a three-dimensional surveillance network.


    The center of the block was surrounded by a nearly three meters high wall with only a small three-story building that looked very ordinary. For outsiders, this small building was the complex¡¯s Property Management Office, but to the families of the Special Ability Bureau¡¯s ability users, this small building was a mysterious place only those Elementalists could enter.


    Four floors underground.


    Aquababe was fiddling with a satellite phone while pacing back and forth outside the training room. She had just pressed the doorbell, yet there was no response. Duanmu Lin was currently training inside and he hadn¡¯t even come out.


    ¡°Hey, Aquababe, what are you doing here?¡±


    Electrolady leisurely strolled in while carrying a cup of green tea. Her face, however, was rather pale and her black training suit was drenched with her sweat, making it literally being pasted on her body, revealing her hot, alluring stature to the fullest.


    ¡°Tang Xiu just called and asked the Chief for something,¡± answered Aquababe with a wry smile. ¡°I just pressed the doorbell, but there¡¯s no response,¡±


    ¡°Girl, don¡¯t tell me you forget that he likes to wear a headset while training, eh?¡± Electrolady smiled and said, ¡°Anyway, if you wanna let him know that you¡¯re looking for him, you gotta press the bell uninterruptedly. Besides, he¡¯ll take off the headset every ten minutes or so.¡±


    Aquababe blanked out for a moment and hastily nodded.


    At last, the heavy metal door slowly opened and the heavily sweating Duanmu Lin wiped his wet hair with a white towel and asked, ¡°What is it?¡±


    Aquababe hurriedly handed over the satellite phone and said, ¡°Tang Xiu just called. He wants to speak with you, Chief. He said there¡¯s an important thing he needs your help with.¡±


    Tang Xiu?


    Duanmu Lin grabbed the phone and saw a number on the screen. He called it back and waited for a few seconds before his called got picked up. Then he spoke, ¡°Are you looking for me, Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Elder Duanmu, there¡¯s something I need your help with.¡±


    ¡°Tell me!¡±


    Duanmu Lin¡¯s expression turned strange the more the conversation went on. Then he interjected, ¡°It turns out that the Big Boss behind the Grand Fortune Jewelry is you, and also the culprit who created a babel of criticism and sensation with the billions of US dollars for treasure hunts recently, huh? What exactly are these zodiac jade carvings? Is it really worth your time to spend such a great deal of effort to look for them?¡±


    ¡°Well, the zodiac jade carving has no effect on ordinary people. There aren¡¯t any uses for ability users like you either. But for me, it is no small help,¡± explained Tang Xiu. ¡°You must have heard some facts about cultivators, right? The further cultivators like me walk on our cultivation path, the harder it is for us to break through the realm. Therefore, I need the zodiac jade carving for my use. I need to comprehend the profound principles contained within it and strive to break through to the higher realm as soon as possible.¡±


    Duanmu instantly caught the gist and nodded, ¡°I did hear about this fact. Alright, I promise you. I¡¯ll contact the Head of Intelligence Service immediately. I believe that a person can be found soon as long as he¡¯s in our country. But I¡¯ll still need to ask permission from the top brass if he¡¯s in any foreign country, though. If they approve, I can use the Skynet Intelligence System overseas.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Senior Duanmu. I¡¯ll be waiting for your news,¡± Tang Xiu directly hung up after thanking him.


    Duanmu Lin threw the satellite phone back to Aquababe and quickly issued a series of orders.


    Macao.


    Inside one of the presidential suites on the 24th floor of the Conrad Hotel, five old men in black robes were sitting in a circle while sinister aura came out of their bodies. At the center of the circle was a one-meter diameter round table with a fully red, vivid lifelike jade rat placed on it. The redness of the object was as though a surging flame of magma, emitting out a hazy glow.


    On the sofa against the wall not far away from them was a young man with long white hair nesting lazily and shaking a crystal cup of red wine in his hand. There were ten mobile phones on the tea table in front of him, two of which had their batteries and mobile cards removed.


    ¡°Young Master, will the other party give us a billion US dollars?¡±


    A petite yet gorgeous looking woman looking around 27 was neatly dressed and standing behind the white-haired youth. Her eyes glittered with a thoughtful look on her face as she asked in a soft voice.


    ¡°This zodiac jade carving contains enormous energy. I thought it was one of a kind in this world, but never did I expect that there were twelve of them,¡± said the white-haired youth smilingly. ¡°It¡¯s highly likely the owner behind the Grand Fortune Jewelry has discovered what¡¯s contained within these jade carvings; thus, they went so far as to announce such a huge reward to find them. Although I can¡¯t tell why he has to find the whole set of these zodiac jade carvings, I¡¯m absolutely sure that it¡¯s of great use to this person.¡±


    ¡°They can¡¯t find them, so now they are doing everything possible to find them and are preparing the funds for us,¡± said the petite woman softly. ¡°Then, what¡¯s your next plan? Are you going to Shanghai now to snatch the jade carvings they have obtained?¡±


    The silver-haired youth hooked his fingers at her and the petite woman immediately walked to him gracefully before she sat beside him and put her head on his thigh. The youth then stroked her long, soft hair, yet his eyes were particularly detached and unconcerned, ¡°Going there now? No hurry. They only have six jade carvings now. I need to wait for them to find more before robbing them.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t understand why you asked for money from them, though? We are not short on money right now, right?¡± asked the petite woman.


    ¡°Who says we¡¯re not short on money? We are short of cash now,¡± said the youth with a chuckle. ¡°I need to equip that mercenary regiment. I already poured down some initial capital, but if I can make a billion US dollars, then I can solve the financial issues for the time being. Even we can get two water defense guided missiles with it.¡±


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    Suddenly, one of the mobile phones rang.


    The silver-haired youth grabbed it and looked at the number shown on the screen. He smiled and picked up and said, ¡°What¡¯s up? Have you made up your mind, General Manager Hao?¡±


    ¡°One billion US dollars, but we need some time to prepare it. I¡¯m currently very suspicious that you have no sincerity in cooperating, though,¡± Hao Lei¡¯s angry voice came out of the phone.


    ¡°I have no sincerity, eh?¡± The silver-haired youth chuckled and said, ¡°Whether I mean it or not is not your shit to concern yourself about, no? I have the jade rat you want, so you better listen to me, else I¡¯ll disappear with it right away and you¡¯ll never be able to collect the twelve zodiac jade carvings for the rest of your life. I give you three days of time. If there¡¯s no money I can see within this time, I will never contact you again.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Hao Lei called out, ¡°Our Grand Fortune Jewelry is rich, but we just spent quite a lot to purchase two big shipments of jade materials, so we don¡¯t have that many funds right now. The three days you just gave is too short; I need some time to find a way to raise the money.¡±


    The silver-haired youth was silent for a short while and categorically said, ¡°Five days! I give you two more days; do not bargain with me again. If you don¡¯t transfer the down payment into my account within five days, there¡¯s no need to have any deal between us anymore.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Hao Lei complied and then said, ¡°But I don¡¯t trust your words, so I wanna see that jade rat and whether it is the one we need.¡±


    ¡°Relax! I¡¯ll naturally satisfy your demand since I want this money,¡± sneered the youth. ¡°Wait for ten minutes, I¡¯ll stream the video and show it to you.¡±


    ¡°Deal!¡± Hao Lei finished talking and directly hung up.


    Time passed by and two days flashed by in the blink of an eye. Tang Xiu was still in Shanghai, and, aside from the news of the jade rat, he didn¡¯t receive other news about the remaining five zodiac jade carvings.


    He even gave up his immediate plan to leave for Longquan Bay in Kanas for these jade carvings and just waited calmly for any news. He turned down banquet invitations from many people and also put on hold many unimportant issues. He even put his mobile phone away except when Hao Lei was not with him. He kept looking at his mobile phone from time to time, hoping to get the news he wanted quickly.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    Just as Tang Xiu felt a bit impatient while waiting for the news, he received a call from Duanmu Lin. After pressing the answer button, he hurriedly asked, ¡°How¡¯s the investigation on your part, Senior Duanmu?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s coming from the Conrad Hotel in Macao,¡± said Duanmu Lin. ¡°No other information is gathered yet, but you can expect it to come soon.¡±


    Macao?


    Tang Xiu abruptly got up and quickly put on his coat to rush to the outside. He had found the hiding place of that person and decided to go there in person. The other issues were not as important as this zodiac jade rat which held much significance.


    ¡°Awu, are there any of our men stationed in Macao?¡± asked Tang Xiu after leaving Bluestar Villa Complex.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that; we¡¯ll need to ask Little Boss,¡± answered Mo Awu.

 Chapter 884 - Alerted

    Chapter 884: Alerted


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    After contacting Gu Xiaoxue, only then did Tang Xiu know that the Everlasting Feast Hall had some people stationed in Macao. Accurately speaking, they had just been sent to open a new Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s branch there and the security they had was quite recognizable.


    Hu Zhiwu was the General Manager of Macao¡¯s Everlasting East Hall, as well as the one in charge for the intelligence network. He was only in his early thirties, yet he was someone who had made substantial footmarks in the mercenary and assassination world. He looked gentle like a weak scholar on the surface, but he was known as a ruthless killer who could kill without batting an eye to those who knew him.


    ¡°Ajin, what¡¯s the situation with the medicinal herbs issue?¡±


    Hu Zhiwu was now inside the branch office, looking solemn as he stood before the window while asking with his back against the youth behind him.


    The youth was twenty-seven something looking, with a monkey-like face which had eyes flickering with intelligence. Upon hearing Hu Zhiwu¡¯s question, he nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ve used all the money you gave me as per your instruction, Manager. It¡¯s just that the precious medicinal herbs are kinda expensive nowadays, so I can only buy a few of them.¡±


    Hu Zhiwu nodded after hearing his answer, ¡°However few we have, just give them to me and I¡¯ll squeeze some time to send them to Jingmen Island to get some pills so I can break through to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment earlier.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± the youth hurriedly nodded.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    One of the two cell phones on the desktop suddenly rang.


    Hu Zhiwu blanked out for a moment and his countenance immediately changed. He had two handsets; one was used as his private number, and the one that was ringing now was a mission call from the Everlasting Feast Hall. Whenever that ringtone sounded, that meant he had an important mission to carry out.


    After he picked it up, Hu Zhiwu said in a deep voice, ¡°Hu Zhiwu speaking.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu.¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s voice was coming out from the phone.


    The moment Hu Zhiwu heard the name, his face turned respectful and reverently said, ¡°Are you looking for me, Boss?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I heard you¡¯re in Macao; is that right? If so, there¡¯s something I need you to do,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Please do tell, Boss,¡± replied Hu Zhiwu respectfully.


    Tang Xiu told him the issue and finally concluded in a deep voice, ¡°Take some men to keep an eye on the situation at Conrad Hotel, and record and report to me about those who check in and out of the hotel. If you find anyone suspicious, keep monitoring them closely. Also, some of our Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people will be coming from headquarters as fast as possible. You should assist them when they arrive while you¡¯re monitoring all the various channels of the whole island. Once we recognize their identity, you and they are to target them. Make sure to make them stay put.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll arrange it right away.¡±


    Hu Zhiwu could tell the seriousness of the mission and answered with a solemn look. After hanging up, he immediately called the youth and said in a deep voice, ¡°A Jin, we¡¯ll put the medicinal herbs issue on hold for the time being as there¡¯s more important thing we must do now.¡±


    ¡°Was the person who just called you the Big Boss?¡± asked A Jin.


    ¡°Yeah, he personally issued the order and we must accomplish it perfectly.¡± Hu Zhiwu nodded and said, ¡°Thus, you are to immediately gather all of our security force¡­¡±


    Macao city port.


    A passenger liner slowly anchored and, after the passenger had disembarked, Tang Yunde saw a middle-aged man on the coast with four bodyguards in black attire protecting him as he quickly approached to greet the man.


    ¡°Anhu!¡±


    Tang Yunde smiled beamingly and strode fast to greet him. He and the middle-aged man hugged each other. It was the second time for Tang Yunde to meet his comrade-in-arms after he woke up from his comatose state.


    ¡°You finally came here, Yunde,¡± said Chen Anhu excitedly.


    ¡°I received your call and immediately rushed here. Don¡¯t worry, though. I¡¯m coming to solve your problem this time,¡± replied Tang Yunde with a smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s the concern I¡¯ve been worrying about, Yunde. I think I really need you to solve it this time,¡± Chen Anhu let out a bitter smile upon hearing it. ¡°The said party I told you about has a big background and is backed by the Zhao Family from Beijing who support them with a group of experts from abroad. I really can¡¯t hold them much longer.¡±


    Tang Yunde patted his shoulder and said, ¡°I brought a lot of men this time, but they have already come here through other means in order not to be noticed by those people though. Alright, shall we go now? I kinda spotted some suspicious people just as I got off the liner nearby.¡±


    Chen Anhu¡¯s complexion slightly changed as he nodded and said, ¡°Let¡¯s.¡±


    Macao, an hour later at Island Palace Garden in the Tangxia residential block.


    The district was the most upscale luxurious villa complex in the whole of Macao; those who could reside here were all wealthy and respectable people. The block had a total of 100 villas and covered a large area with each villa located in an extremely private and secretive location quite far from each other.


    At villa A-058


    Tang Yunde and Chen Anhu were sitting in the study on the second floor, but both of them had a cloudy expression. Right now, even their fragrant scented tea didn¡¯t evoke their interest to taste it.


    ¡°Tell me the specific situation here, Anhu.¡±


    Chen Anhu nodded and said, ¡°The Zhang Family we are facing against in Macao this time is also one of the giant families who control 60% of casinos in the whole Macao. The Zhangs had been kind of low-key in the past and can be said to be making a big fortune while staying low-profile. They are very different now, however, due to a very proud and talented young man popping out of this family. He¡¯s still 28-years-old, yet he has replaced his grandfather and became the real decision maker of the Zhangs. Furthermore, the Zhangs began to reform their industries after he took the helm several years ago. And now, their businesses are not only limited to gambling establishments, but they have also expanded to real estate, jewelry, and the car industry. Rumors have it that the Zhangs even also had several mines in Africa.¡±


    Tang Yunde narrowed his eyes. It reminded him of his son¡¯s ability which made him unable to look down on this talented and gifted young man from the Zhang Family. Since the Zhang Family was so powerful, however, this meant the issue couldn¡¯t be as simple as it looked on the surface. His coming here was likely to have some other variables and risk factors.


    ¡°So, the Zhangs have the Spirit Shaker Martial School under their control now then?¡±


    Chen Anhu nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ve sent some people to investigate it. It¡¯s not only the Spirit Shaker Martial School, but even the Black Garb Company is also controlled by the Zhangs. This company is the largest security company in Macao with nearly 1,000 security guards. The investigation also showed that these security guards are not ordinary security guards; some of them have quite a diverse background.¡±


    Tang Yunde was silent for a few minutes. After smoking a cigarette, he slowly said, ¡°The two ports have always been our most profitable business and freight shipping is very important here. It¡¯s just absolutely impossible for the Zhangs to strong arm and force us to hand over the ports with their powerful force. We¡¯ll see that freakish talent of the Zhang tomorrow. If he¡¯s really powerful, then I can only ask for aid from outside.¡±


    ¡°Seeking aid from outside?¡± Chen Anhu was stunned and asked, ¡°What exactly do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You know. Find some people to help us; what else?¡± said Tang Yunde as he forced a smile.


    Chen Anhu quickly caught the gist and said with a nod, ¡°We would be able to suppress the Zhang if the Tang Family acted indeed. I believe they won¡¯t dare to oppose your family for those two ports.¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not my family.¡± Tang Yunde shook his head and said, ¡°The person I¡¯m looking for is my son.¡±


    Chen Anhu was utterly dumbfounded and at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh, ¡°You¡¯re looking for help from your son, Yunde? Are you joking with me? He¡¯s doing a great job with his business on the mainland, but there¡¯s no way his hands have reached Macao, no?¡±


    ¡°I know my son very well,¡± said Tang Yunde. ¡°He can solve the problem easily, even if we can¡¯t.¡±


    Chen Anhu shook his head and couldn¡¯t help but wryly smile. He had heard of Tang Xiu from Tang Yunde. He had established the Magnificent Tang Corporation by virtue of his own hands at a young age. His entire company had been rapidly expanding and catching up with the large enterprises in China at present. And yet, Tang Xiu wouldn¡¯t be able to extend his reach to Macao by himself without the aid of the Tang Family whatsoever.


    Late at night at the Conrad Hotel.


    In the presidential suite on the 24th floor, the silver-haired youth was hugging two blonde foreign girls as they laid on the king-sized bed. Nearby, five old men in black robes were sitting cross-legged in meditation around a small round table as though they were monks in meditation.


    Only, the jade rat that was previously on that table had now disappeared.


    The petite woman, however, was now standing before the big window, watching the situation around the hotel through the curtains with a telescope. She had been observing for more than ten minutes and was pretty sure that some people were acting suspiciously.


    ¡°Kitty, being too excessively suspicious will just tire you out. Preserving your strength is the most important thing about keeping yourself safe. Rather than observing the outside at this time, you might as well go back to your room to cultivate,¡± one of the old men who sat cross-legged suddenly opened his eyes and spoke.


    The petite woman turned while putting down her telescope. Then she said, ¡°Regardless of how strong I am, there¡¯s no way I can fully guarantee the safety of Young Master if I can¡¯t spot danger promptly. Besides, we have you guys here. I may be quite weak, but as long as I can spot danger in advance, I can alert you to prepare a defense in time.¡±


    The old man in a black robe shook his head. The five of them brought this child up and were naturally aware of her nature and thoughts. Even though their Young Master loved beauties and was often promiscuous, she still loved him and even stubbornly believed that she would become his woman one day.


    Unfortunately, the five of them were perfectly aware that if their Young Master usurped the power of the Raven Clan, he mustn¡¯t fall in love with nor marry any woman.


    ¡°Just go back to your room and rest!¡± The black-robed old man closed his eyes again and slowly said.


    ¡°No.¡± The petite woman shook her head and said, ¡°There¡¯s a situation around the hotel, so I must keep an eye on it.¡±


    The old man opened his eyes again frowned, ¡°You said there¡¯s a situation nearby the hotel? What is it?¡±


    The petite woman said, ¡°I observed the situation around with a telescope a dozen minutes ago and I spotted some suspicious people. There have been at least six people strolling aimlessly and doing nothing near the hotel these last ten minutes or so. They are like intelligence agents, monitoring all the people in and out of the hotel. Even one of them is hiding in a car, like their recording something.¡±


    The old man in a black robe floated up and came to the window quickly. He then looked outside through the curtain slit. His eyes flickered and, and after he calmly observed for several minutes, he said indifferently, ¡°Go and wake up Young Master. We¡¯ll move immediately.¡±


    ¡°But what Young Master hates the most is having someone disturbing his sleep. Besides, the target of those people might not be us; should we wait a bit more?¡± asked the petite woman.

 Chapter 885 - Clever Rabbits Have Three Burrows

    Chapter 885: Clever Rabbits Have Three Burrows


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    ¡°We just came to Macao and we¡¯re unfamiliar with the situation here,¡± the old man shook his head indifferently and said, ¡°There have been a lot of terrifying figures appearing in Macao ever since this territory returned to China, so we must cut off all the risk factors and promptly move.¡±


    The petite woman thought about his words before she nodded and came to the master bedroom¡¯s door and called out, ¡°Young Master, we need to move now.¡±


    The silver-haired youth opened his eyes with an angry look as he immediately got out of the bed and dressed himself up. He didn¡¯t even glance at the two beautiful blondes who slept like a log before he opened the door and then came out asking, ¡°What happened? Why we must move late at night?¡±


    ¡°Some suspicious people are strolling around the hotel, though it¡¯s not yet clear what their purpose is,¡± said the petite woman. ¡°But we should immediately move to a safer place so as to avoid any unforeseen events. I¡¯ll contact our men in safehouse no. 2 as long as you agree with the move. They will immediately prepare to meet you.¡±


    A chilling light flashed in the youth¡¯s eyes as he said coldly, ¡°Do you suspect them to be Grand Fortune Jewelry¡¯s men?¡±


    ¡°If we¡¯re not their target, then they shouldn¡¯t be from Grand Fortune Jewelry,¡± said the petite woman. ¡°But if they are indeed monitoring us, they are either the Grand Fortune Jewelry¡¯s people or your big brother¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible for Grand Fortune Jewelry to have such a powerful intelligence network that can lock onto our position from just a few phone calls,¡± said the white-haired youth with a snort. ¡°It seems that good brother of mine is really ready to move! Alright, let¡¯s move and leave this place.¡±


    A few minutes later, a group of seven people left the hotel but didn¡¯t exit the normal way. Instead, they quietly headed to a secluded corner of the hotel and directly jumped down from the 24th floor before disappearing into the back garden. Just half a minute after they left, a ghostly figure silently appeared following the direction of the traces they left.


    ¡°Huh?¡± the man¡¯s shadow abruptly stopped at the edge of the garden just half a minute later. To be precise, he was blocked by a black mist that was spreading toward the surrounding area.


    ¡°They are from the Dark Shaman clan?¡±


    Dread filled Hu Zhiwu¡¯s eyes as he stood atop the towering tree. He didn¡¯t continue his pursuit because he was well aware of the function of this black mist. Even if he were to rush through the mist, he would probably lose his direction inside. However, he couldn¡¯t give up on the mission assigned by his Boss.


    Hu Zhiwu took his mobile phone and activated his chatting app. He quickly issued an order, ¡°A Jin, A Tong. They just left the hotel and are heading toward your position. Keep an eye on them and I¡¯ll catch up with you right away. They are from the Dark Shaman clan, so keep in touch with me by reporting your position.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± the reply was simple.


    Hu Zhiwu hung up and dialed Tang Xiu¡¯s cell number. His call was quickly picked up and he immediately spoke before Tang Xiu had spoken yet, ¡°Boss, I¡¯ve got a new situation to report.¡±


    ¡°Tell me,¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s voice was heard from the cell phone.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been monitoring Conrad Hotel as per your order and a group of seven just left a few minutes again,¡± reported Hu Zhiwu. ¡°I found their tracks and am kind of obstructed by a black mist. I suspect that they are from the Dark Shaman clan.¡±


    ¡°What clan is this Dark Shaman clan, exactly?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°We have information about the Dark Shaman clan in our Everlasting Feast Hall archives,¡± said Hu Zhiwu. ¡°They are from Thailand, but their influence has reached all the various other countries in Southeast Asia. This Dark Shaman clan is also known as having a witchcraft lineage, kind of similar to black magic in Europe but not quite the same. The Dark Shaman clan is also one of the top experts in Southeast Asia.¡±


    ¡°Is this Dark Shaman clan very powerful?¡± asked Tang Xiu in a deep voice.


    ¡°This clan was very powerful some decades ago since they had many people who were proficient in witchcraft. At the peak of their time, however, they provoked powerful enemies, one of which was the world¡¯s second largest organization¡ªThe League of Archcrusaders¡ªleading to an earthshaking war between the two. The latter finally gained victory and nearly annihilated the Dark Shaman clan. This clan should have recovered some of its strength after a few decades, but they have long lost their past glory since.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°Keep tracking them. You must not lose them. I¡¯ll catch up with you in Macao within two hours.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± said Hu Zhiwu with a solemn and respectful tone.


    Two hours later, Tang Xiu arrived in Macao along with Mo Awu and the rest. Just as he disembarked from the liner, two stalwart men strode to greet him.


    ¡°Boss!¡± saluted the two men respectfully.


    ¡°How¡¯s the current situation; where are the Dark Shaman now?¡± asked Tang Xiu after nodding at them.


    ¡°They are in a farmhouse in the agritourism area of East Dragon Bank,¡± answered one of them. ¡°Captain Hu already has the place surrounded by our men and is now waiting for you to arrive, Boss.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go there then!¡± said Tang Xiu.


    East Dragon Bank, a farmhouse in the fishing village.


    Inside the dimly lit house, the white-haired youth¡¯s face looked frosty and his eyes were full of fierceness. There was no one else behind him but the petite woman and the five black-robed old men who were now in silence.


    ¡°Creak¡­¡±


    The door was pushed open and a skinny middle-aged man entered and quickly closed the door from the inside. Then he reported in a low voice, ¡°Young Lord, we¡¯ve investigated those people. There are a total six of them scattered around the farm cottage area. But¡­¡±


    ¡°I never liked anyone who withholds their speech with fear, you know that? Continue and finish your report!¡± said the youth coldly.


    ¡°Understood!¡± the skinny middle-aged man continued, ¡°But I suspect their number is far more than six. Also, I can tell that they are experts given their actions and positions. They are at least on par with ordinary martial arts grandmasters.¡±


    The silver-haired youth¡¯s pupils contracted and he interjected incredulously, ¡°Six men who possibly on par with martial art grandmaster level experts? That¡¯s just the number on the surface too?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The middle-aged-man nodded and said, ¡°They are very fast and very vigilant. I intentionally sent our men to patrol outside, but they can easily avoid them. After the patrol squad I sent left their locations, they then appeared again silently without doing anything.¡±


    The white-haired youth clenched his fists and he replied in a heavy tone, ¡°That good brother of mine truly sees highly of me, eh?! To think that he didn¡¯t hesitate to pay so much to seek so many experts for the sake of my inheritance, the True Conception of Witchcraft. Hmph¡­ it¡¯s just that he never imagined that I¡¯ve imparted you with the compendium eight years ago so that your strength has increased greatly. Let alone six experts at the martial art grandmaster level, even if there are sixty of them, you can exterminate all of them here.¡±


    ¡°So what should we do next, Young Master?¡± asked the petite woman quickly. ¡°Shall we go out and kill them now?¡±


    The white-haired youth was silent for several seconds. The killing intent in his eyes slowly faded away as he shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s not yet time to tear all decency with him completely. I still need to finish the deal with Grand Fortune Jewelry¡¯s people first. At the very least, not until I get a handful of money from them will I deal with these people. Let¡¯s just go and leave this place to the third safe house.¡±


    ¡°Young Lord, we still have men outside¡­ what should we do with them?¡± asked the skinny middle-aged man quickly.


    The youth narrowed his eyes to look at him and ask, ¡°Do these people you¡¯ve cultivated outside know your true identity?¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t know about it.¡± he shook his head.


    ¡°Then let them stay here to attract the attention of those people,¡± said the youth coldly. ¡°Do remember. I gave you your life, so you must be absolutely loyal to me. You know the consequences if you lied to me with this issue.¡±


    ¡°I can fully guarantee the people I¡¯ve trained outside are really unaware of my true identity. They are just the tools I gathered and trained to make money here.¡±


    ¡°Then lead the way!¡± the white-haired youth nodded.


    ¡°Please follow me, Young Lord,¡± said the skinny middle-aged man hastily.


    Quickly after, the group followed the skinny middle-aged man as they passed through two hidden doors inside and entered a room where sundries and rubbish were placed. As a pair of scissors in the rubbish pile slowly rotated, a slit suddenly opened on the dirty wall, becoming wider with time to eventually form a gateway.


    ¡°Young Lord, we¡¯ll go down the rope. Five meters below is an underground passage. We can leave the house and come to the other bank of a hidden river nearby by following this underground passage,¡± whispered the thin middle-aged man.


    ¡°Go!¡±


    The white-haired youth motioned to the petite woman. The latter grabbed the rope immediately and went down flying. After a while, the eight people all went down and the cracked wall slowly merged behind them. There were no clues nor traces that could be seen from the outside whatsoever.


    Outside the farmhouse, Hu Zhizu never ever had a thought that there would be an underground passage here. He and the dozens of Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s experts he brought here didn¡¯t notice that some people had left.


    Time fleeted by and four black off-road cars suddenly came from a distance like the wind. After they stopped at the gate of the agritourism area, dozens of stalwart men rushed out of the villa with machetes and sticks in their hands, each looking aggressive and threatening like a tiger. The leader of these elite strongmen looked very threatening as his eyes fixated on Tang Xiu and the rest who got out from the car.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    Hu Zhiwu then quickly appeared before Tang Xiu along with A Jin and greeted.


    ¡°Who are these people? Are people inside?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°We¡¯ve tracked them all the way here. That group of seven entered the row of houses in this farm cottage area. They haven¡¯t left this place since we have the whole block surrounded,¡± reported Hu Zhiwu.


    Tang Xiu nodded at him in response and looked at the stalwart leader at the opposite side. Then he said in a deep voice, ¡°Go tell the people inside to come out.¡±


    The stalwart man vigilantly stared at Tang Xiu and his men, and asked back in a heavy voice, ¡°What do you mean ¡®people¡¯? I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡±

 Chapter 886 - I’m Exactly That Black Sheep Of The Family, Dad

    Chapter 886: I¡¯m Exactly That Black Sheep Of The Family, Dad


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to hide it anymore,¡± said Tang Xiu with a sneer. ¡°The Dark Shaman clan used to be magnificent, but there¡¯s no need to hide in a rat nest now, is there? Tell those people inside to get out, else don¡¯t blame me for resorting to slaughter!¡±


    The stalwart man frowned and turned to speak to a middle-aged man behind him. As the latter quickly ran inside, he turned around again and said indifferently, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean, but this place is where we in the farming district do our business and not someplace you can make trouble with!¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Tang Xiu snorted and beckoned to Mo Awu and the rest who then spread out quickly to surround the entire farmhouse. He didn¡¯t hurry to move but quietly waited.


    A few minutes later, the middle-aged man who just left, ran back from the inside with a flustered expression and quickly came to the stalwart man and said, ¡°Big Brother, there¡¯s nobody inside.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± the stalwart man blanked out and looked in disbelief as he quickly said, ¡°Nobody is inside you said? What about our Boss and those guests?¡±


    ¡°I dunno. But there¡¯s nobody there really.¡± The middle-aged man shook his head.


    Tang Xiu, who stood nearby, had a change in complexion as he shouted in a heavy voice, ¡°Capture them all.¡±


    A few lightning fast shadows quickly hurled forward all of a sudden. They were extremely fast and their actions were very aggressive. In just ten seconds or so, dozens of big men were all knocked down to the ground, some of whom who tried to struggle and received broken legs for their efforts instantly.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion was grim as he unleashed his perception to cover the entirety of the farmhouse in an instant. What made him angry was that there indeed was nobody else in the entire place.


    ¡°Hu Zhiwu!¡±


    With an incredulous expression in his eyes, Hu Zhiwu quickly ran to Tang Xiu¡¯s front and asked, ¡°An order for me, Boss?¡±


    ¡°Where are they? Did you really keep an eye on the people I told you to monitor?¡± asked Tang Xiu aloud with a grim expression.


    ¡°They¡¯re definitely inside, Boss,¡± said Hu Zhiwu hurriedly. ¡°I can guarantee none have left since we came here.¡±


    A Jin, who came over, quickly added, ¡°Captain Hu is telling the truth, Boss. We have the farmhouse already surrounded and not a single path was missed. They can never escape our eyes, even if they can fly away.¡±


    Tang Xiu frowned. Given the report of these two men, those people were still inside the farmhouse? Yet, he had scoured it with his spiritual sense. Apart from these big men they had beaten and had stopped resisting, there was nobody else, not even a trace of their shadows. Could it be¡­ this farmhouse had a secret, hidden room?


    As he came to this conjecture, Tang Xiu released his perception again to carefully scour every nook and cranny in each room. Finally, he discovered there was something amiss with the pile of rubble in a sundries room that gave off a bad feeling when his spiritual sense probed it.


    A moment later, Tang Xiu appeared in the sundries room. His fist swiftly punched forward and instantly created a hole on the wall.


    ¡°It¡¯s empty. There¡¯s a rope here though, Boss.¡± Mo Awu went ahead to probe and observe for a moment before he turned back and quickly reported.


    Tang Xiu nodded slightly and punched the hole to make it bigger until he could drill through it. He then grabbed the rope and went down fast as he quickly traversed forward in the underground passage. He kept scanning the place with his spiritual sense and didn¡¯t find any danger inside.


    ¡°Reflected light? This isn¡¯t a secret room¡­ that¡¯s right¡­ this is an underground passage then?


    ¡°Did these Dark Shaman clansmen leave through this underground passage? If so, it¡¯s no wonder Hu Zhiwu and his men were unable to notice their escape in time. However, this place is just a small farmhouse, though. How can there be underground passage here? Is this the secret base of the Dark Shaman family?¡±


    Drilled-out hole?


    Tang Xiu looked at the dark underground river in front. The space was quite large while the river wasn¡¯t too wide. Yet, the water current was simply a rapid. He could faintly see the starlight up there through the hole in the soil.


    ¡°Boss, there¡¯s an exit ahead and this underground river is rather short, about a kilometer long. It is connected to the entrance of the large river outside,¡± Mo Awu went ahead and made a quick report.


    Behind Tang Xiu was Hu Zhiwu who looked bitter now. Never once had he imagined that this small farmhouse had such hidden passage underground. He thought those people could never escape, but he never expected that they would escape under cover and had long slipped away.


    ¡°This is all my mistakes, Boss.¡±


    Hu Zhiwu felt very vexed inside. It was the first mission the Boss assigned him, yet he screwed things up eventually.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault; I can¡¯t blame you with this.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Nobody expected that there was an underground passage here. I might be unable to see anyone either had it been me on the watch. Don¡¯t blame yourself. We can still drag them out if they¡¯re still in Macao, though. Let¡¯s go! I need you to arrange accommodation for us and dismiss our men.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Yet, the vexed and guilty feeling grew more inside Hu Zhiwu¡¯s heart. At this point, he might actually feel better if Tang Xiu were to blame and even punish him.


    Early in the next morning, Tang Xiu woke up from his sleep and looked at the time. It was already half past seven, so he took a shower. After that, he took his handset to dial his father Tang Yunde¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°Hey, Xiu¡¯er. Why did you suddenly remember to call me, eh? Is there something up?¡± Tang Yunde¡¯s surprised voice came out of the phone.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m afraid I need help from you to deal with something, Dad.¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s replied with a rather strange tone.


    ¡°Huh? I also have something I need your help with, Sonny!¡± Tang Yunde burst into laughter and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to call me for help first, though. Tell me, what problem is it that you can¡¯t handle exactly?¡±


    Tang Xiu, however, was startled and asked quizzically, ¡°You have some issues that need my help? What is it?¡±


    ¡°Speak yours first,¡± said Tang Yunde with a smile.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m now in Macao since I gotta track some people,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I recalled you have some acquaintances here, so I need you to contact him to provide some assistance to us in Macao.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re in Macao?¡± Tang Yunde was surprised and asked again, ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°The Sheraton Hotel,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    Tang Yunde was silent for a moment before he said again, ¡°Tell me your room number.¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t understand why his father asked him his room number, but he quickly told him nonetheless, and then¡­ his father finally hung up the call.


    ¡®What¡¯s exactly going on with him?¡¯


    Tang Xiu blanked out for a while and just looked at the screen of his phone and didn¡¯t even respond for a long time.


    After a few minutes passed by, a knock was heard at the door.


    Tang Xiu was in the hall, looking indecisive about whether he needed to make a phone call again. He looked up at the door and motioned for Mo Awu to open it. To his surprise, once Mo Awu opened the door, the one who was coming inside was unexpectedly his father, Tang Yunde.


    ¡°Dad¡­ why are you here?¡± asked Tang Xiu incredulously.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that on the phone just now, did I?¡± Tang Yunde chuckled and said, ¡°I got some trivial things I need your help with in Macao, but I never thought that you would have come over here either, though. Alright then. Who are those you want to track and what¡¯s their background?¡±


    ¡°I have yet to fully grasp their real identity, but they should be from Thailand, the Dark Shaman clan,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°That¡¯s right, my men have captured his photo last night and it will soon be sent to me.¡±


    ¡°Then finding them won¡¯t be a problem as long you got some of their photos.¡± Tang Yunde nodded.


    ¡°These people are not some ordinary laymen, Dad. I know this Dark Shaman clan. They are a very mysterious lineage of witchcraft heritage and are a very special kind of people,¡± said Tang Xiu cautiously. ¡°If you are to ask some others to look for those people, you must warn them not to alert those people and catch their attention as they could kill them easily if they begin to act.¡±


    ¡°How did you provoke such people, Xiu¡¯er?¡± asked Tang Yunde with a frown.


    ¡°It¡¯s the other way around. They were the one who provoked me,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°You should have heard about the treasure hunt that will be paid with an astronomical price in our country, right?


    ¡°Yeah, I heard of it.¡± Tang Yunde nodded and said, ¡°I dunno which family¡¯s wastrel it is who must find the whole set of those zodiac jade carvings, though. To think that he burns 100 million US dollars just for each piece of jade carving. If he were to find all of the ten jade carvings, it would be a billion USD! Even if he does have the money, he shouldn¡¯t have burned it like that¡­¡±


    Suddenly, his soliloquy came to an abrupt end when he realized how awkward his son¡¯s expression shifted to all of a sudden. With a disbelief assurgent in his heart, he asked, ¡°X-Xiu¡¯er¡­ you couldn¡¯t be that wastrel black sheep, right?¡±


    Cough, cough¡­


    Tang Xiu nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood and let out a hollow, dry smile, ¡°Well, I¡¯m that black sheep wastrel, Dad¡­¡±


    Tang Yunde was utterly dumbfounded. He never thought that the black sheep that had caused such a big disturbance turned out to be his treasured son.


    This was¡­


    Along with a dry smile, Tang Xiu continued, ¡°There¡¯s actually a very important reason for me to spend such a large sum of money to find the zodiac jade carvings, Dad. You also know that I¡¯m a cultivator. The zodiac jade carvings are top treasures in my eyes due to them being related to the huge future plan I¡¯ve made. They also have an enormous boost to my cultivation. To us, as cultivators, what we desire the most is to always to snatch the fate of becoming immortals, and the whole set of zodiac jade carvings is exactly the opportunity for me to obtain that fate.¡±


    Tang Yunde felt relieved after hearing the explanation from his son. Yet, as a father, he didn¡¯t want to lose face in front of him either and hurriedly shifted the topic and said, ¡°Let¡¯s just forget it and leave this topic, shall we. I knew about your matter and business, though. If anything, I¡¯ll arrange everything whenever you got the photos later. But you gotta be careful in dealing with my issue here too, Sonny! It¡¯s regarding my business here that always pays me hundreds of million yuan annually in dividends.¡±


    ¡°Please tell me about it, Dad,¡± said Tang Xiu with a serious face.


    Tang Yunde thought for a while before he suddenly said, ¡°Bah, just forget it! I¡¯ll solve it myself. If I can¡¯t solve it, then I¡¯ll find you to deal with the problem. Your issue is extremely important, so we¡¯ll deal with it first.¡±


    ¡°Alright then!¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I won¡¯t hurry to ask you since you don¡¯t wanna tell me now. The jade rat is really important to me and I must find it no matter how difficult it is, regardless of price. But you can tell me about your problem at any time too if you need me.¡±

 Chapter 887 - A Cat-and-Mouse Game

    Chapter 887: A Cat-and-Mouse Game


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Shipan, the famous commercial street, was located in the Beiwan District of Macao. It was a shopper¡¯s paradise and very close to the coastal expressway. Visitors and tourists that were familiar with Macao were well aware that this place was a must-see venue on their trip there.


    ¡°So happy and feeling good now, buddies?¡±


    Yue Kai drove an Audi as they sped on the coastal expressway. He looked cheerful and happy amid the heavy metal music as he shouted at Hu Qingsong sitting shotgun.


    Hu Qingsong¡¯s eyes were currently fixed on the shoreline¡¯s beach not far away, looking at a group of beautiful women in bikinis. His eyes seemed to have turned into two big bulbs that fully lit brightly. Especially when he caught sight of several speedboats in the distant sea that gave him the urge to drive one of them to cruise freely across the sea.


    ¡°This is cool¡ªso fucking damn cool!¡±


    Yue Kai laughed loudly and shouted, ¡°Wait a bit more. Your good buddy will take you to the beach to play. I know a place with many hot chicks. You got the money, you can have ¡¯em do some ¡°tricks¡± and they¡¯ll treat you as a prince!¡±


    ¡°No shit¡­¡±


    Hu Qingsong¡¯s expression suddenly froze and then turned to look at Yue Kai who was still beaming with a cheerful smile. He helplessly replied, ¡°How the heck do we got the money for that, man? Goddammit. Had I known such a good place existed, I wouldn¡¯t have gambled with that bunch of fucking assholes in the casino yesterday. I bet 100,000 yuan, you know. A whole fucking 100,000! I¡¯ve worked hard with great pains to save that money and lost 80,000 yuan there. I¡¯m fucked up. I won¡¯t have enough for next semester¡¯s tuition as well as my living expenses.¡±


    Yue Kai patted the steering wheel hard. His face seemed like he couldn¡¯t care less about the issue, and he said, ¡°It¡¯s alright, buddy! I got money and I can ask my old man for some more. If he won¡¯t give me, I¡¯ll just sell my car and go back. Besides, this holiday is hard to come by and we already came to Macao, the dazzling world with a myriad of temptations. How can we be worthy of ourselves if we don¡¯t have a good fucking time playing here, man?¡±


    ¡°True that.¡± Hu Qingsong put his depressing feeling to the back of his mind and urged, ¡°Hurry, speed up faster, man. I can¡¯t wait to pick up some hot chicks here.¡±


    ¡°Sex maniac!¡±


    ¡°You are no better, shithead!¡±


    ¡°HAHAHA¡­¡±


    In Shipan Street, in a building more than 20 stories high, the white-haired youth looked at the seascape outside with a grim expression. Killing intent flashed in his eyes from time to time.


    ¡°Young Master, we just received the news: The Eldest Young Master just had a clash with the Black Wizard Ailo. Also, the two sides have been vying and fighting in secret recently and he has never left Thailand since,¡± reported the petite female while taking a stack of documents which he handed to the white-haired youth.


    The youth frowned and skimmed it. He looked confused after that and muttered, ¡°If those people are not my older brother¡¯s men, whose men could they be?¡±


    The petite woman¡¯s expression changed and she suddenly interjected, ¡°Could it be that they are the Grand Fortune Jewelry¡¯s men, Young Master?¡±


    The silver-haired youth turned to her and sneered, ¡°Do you think a mere jewelry company can have a bunch of experts with powerful combat prowess?¡±


    ¡°Everything is possible, I think. Even if they are not from Grand Fortune Jewelry, they may be the people they hired,¡± said the petite female. ¡°Young Master, haven¡¯t we had investigated this company previously and they only have assets of less than ten billion? They probably have the money to hire, but where did they get the money to buy that many zodiac jade carvings? If they were to purchase all of the ten zodiac jade carvings, the total they would spend would be at least equal to their total assets, no?¡±


    The white-haired youth¡¯s face slightly changed and he said in a heavy tone, ¡°You mean¡­ this Grand Fortune Jewelry has been hiding some secrets, and the one who¡¯s buying the zodiac jade carvings this time is not the company?¡±


    ¡°I think it should be so, otherwise Grand Fortune Jewelry would never burn their wealth only to buy the ten jade carvings,¡± said the petite woman. ¡°Perhaps, there¡¯s someone who has commissioned this company to buy them. Shortly put, the real buyer is someone else.¡±


    The white-haired youth finally looked wary and vigilant. If that was the case, it meant that he just pushed himself into great trouble. After all, those who could spend billions of US dollars to buy zodiac jade carvings were highly likely to be people who had a very deep background.


    At this moment, one of the five black-robed old men who was sitting cross-legged on the floor suddenly floated and came to the youth and said, ¡°I need to remind you of something, Young Master.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± asked the youth with a frown.


    ¡°The Chinese have a long history and have given birth to countless terrifying forces,¡± said the black-robed old man. ¡°The western world thought that China is very mystical and mysterious, but I know a lot about this country. If possible, we must not provoke some Chinese powers unless it¡¯s absolutely necessary; otherwise, we¡¯ll be in for great troubles.¡±


    ¡°Elaborate in detail,¡± said the silver-haired youth.


    ¡°Many families in China have a very strong force, some of whom even have ancient heritages with immeasurably deep origins,¡± said the black-robed old man. ¡°Also, according to my knowledge, China used to be advocating martial strength over others with countless of people practicing martial arts. There have been many schools and sects in China, but the most mystical and terrifying one was represented by Daoist cultivators. It was them, the oriental hermits, who had defeated the invasion of the Dark World of the West during the crusades era.¡±


    ¡°Cultivators?¡± The white-haired youth also had heard that such people existed in China. But he thought that they were nothing but a myth¡ªan existence in legend. Little did he think that they truly existed.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. They are Daoist cultivators,¡± affirmed the black-robed old man. ¡°You should also know that the world¡¯s top three largest organizations have only a handful of people dare to set foot in China. One of the reason is the China Special Ability Bureau has a lot of ability users, while another reason is that they dread the Chinese cultivators. It can be said that there are countless crouching tigers and hidden dragons¡ªthose types of hidden powerhouses in this country.¡±


    The white-haired youth squinted his eyes and coldly asked, ¡°So, you mean that the person who¡¯s looking for the zodiac jade carvings should likely be a Chinese cultivator?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a very frightening energy contained within the jade rat,¡± continued the black-robed old man. ¡°We have been trying everything possible to absorb that energy inside, yet we can barely achieve it and are only able to extract a very minute part of it. It¡¯s likely that some Chinese cultivators are aware of it; thus, they spent a lot of money to look for it everywhere.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. No wonder those people can easily find the hotel we stayed at yesterday,¡± snorted the youth. ¡°It¡¯s also no surprise that they can keep track of us to the No.2 safe house. Money is indeed good stuff, but we can only give up here if Chinese cultivators are in this shitty business deal. We must leave this place and go back to Thailand.¡±


    ¡°They will come knocking on our door if they are really cultivators,¡± the black-robed old man shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m sure that our photos have already appeared in their hands.¡±


    The silver-haired youth opened his mouth and was about to talk when the petite woman suddenly had her expression slightly altered and quickly interjected, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that trouble is now coming to us, Young Master.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± asked the youth.


    She pointed to the ground outside the big window and said quickly, ¡°I¡¯ve been seeing the same bunch of people coming inside from below in just two hours. Their actions are very obvious. They are looking for someone. But these people are not those who had tracked and monitored us yesterday since they are seemingly just ordinary people. But it¡¯s very likely the one they¡¯re looking for is us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± said the youth coldly. ¡°Even if those people have great power in China, their tentacles shouldn¡¯t have reached Macao yet, should they have?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s actually very easy for them,¡± the petite female shook her head and said, ¡°Macao is part of Chinese territory now.¡±


    The white-haired youth thought about it and quickly took out a mobile phone to dial Hao Lei¡¯s number. After his call was picked up, however, a male voice came speaking from the phone:


    ¡°Well, well¡­ I¡¯m so glad to have you called again.¡±


    The silver-haired youth¡¯s expression slightly changed and he asked in a heavy voice, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Who I am is not important an issue. What¡¯s more significant is you, the Dark Shaman clansmen who really have such big guts and greed. You see, I honestly feel that you should be very glad that I only have a few of my men to manage business here and the fact that Macao is not my turf; otherwise, you would have been kneeling before me, begging for your life by now.¡±


    The youth¡¯s heart thumped loudly. He didn¡¯t expect that the other party knew his true identity. ¡°Who exactly are you?¡±


    ¡°Worry not, buddy. You already chose to play a cat-and-mouse game with me, so I¡¯ll accompany you to play it,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°The Dark Shaman clan, eh? Hehehe¡­ well, I can tell you with sincerity, though. The clan with such a name will cease to exist in Thailand this evening at the latest. As for you, a poor worm who dares not to poke your head out and runs with your tail in between your legs, you¡¯ll become a stray dog that mourns and flees to the end of the horizon. Of course, the premise is that you can escape the net I have laid for you in Macao and avoid all the informers I¡¯ve sent toward you.¡±


    The white-haired youth¡¯s pupil shrunk and he growled, ¡°Are you a Chinese cultivator?¡±


    ¡°Well, well. You guessed it right. But there¡¯s no reward for you, unfortunately.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°Well, I wish you good luck. Try to strive and live until tomorrow.¡±


    With that said, the call was ended.


    The white-haired youth heard the beeping sound from the mobile phone and his handsome face turned extremely nasty. Never once had he ever dreamed that he actually would provoke Chinese cultivators, nor did he expect the other party to be so arrogant, daring to speak like that through a phone call even when he hadn¡¯t yet obtained the jade rat.


    Suddenly, he seemed to realize something and the turned to look at the petite female and quickly said, ¡°Contact the Thailand Air and Oceanic Bureau. Report to me clearly if some Chinese foreigners have entered Thailand from yesterday till today!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± replied the petite woman as she walked to the side and made some phone calls.


    Half an hour later, she received a call and after talking for half a minute, she hung up and came to the white-haired youth, saying, ¡°Our men have already investigated it. They found that a tourist group from Jingmen Island entered Thailand about three hours ago. They reported that those people are very strange and unlike ordinary tourists; more like¡­ soldiers or bodyguards instead. Also, some people in Thailand who monitored them secretly, eventually lost their trail not long after they were tracked.¡±


    The white-haired youth trembled and he hurriedly asked, ¡°How many people in number?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s only a few of them, only 20-plus people,¡± answered the petite woman.


    Only more than 20 people?

 Chapter 888 - Losing Everything

    Chapter 888: Losing Everything


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The silver-haired youth felt a bit relieved. The number of members in his Dark Shaman clan was not as many as they were in their glorious past, but there were still hundreds of them, most skilled in dark witchcraft. Even ordinary special forces¡¯ soldiers posed no threat to them.


    For the sake of safety, however, the silver-haired youth still made a phone again and this time, his call was on hold for a while before it got picked up.


    ¡°Can we have more discussion about this issue, Monsieur?¡±


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s still necessary for us to talk?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a chuckle. ¡°20-plus of my men, all of which are cultivators, have arrived in Thailand now, and they should appear in the land of your Dark Shaman clan within several hours. You can expect the land of your clan to be littered with corpses and rivers of blood hours later. Ah, right. There¡¯s something I gotta tell you, though. Take a look below if you¡¯re inside the Northern Gold Edifice.¡±


    The silver-haired youth looked down the building and was shocked that four black SUVs were parked outside the main entrance of the edifice. Twelve stalwart men were standing in front of the SUVs, while a handsome youth was holding a mobile phone and waving in the direction of the building.


    ¡°How did you find us?¡± the white-haired youth asked with a bit of a trembling voice.


    ¡°Well, I forgot to tell you the last time I spoke with you,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m not only a cultivator, but also a member of the Chinese Special Bureau. I only need a phone call and I can make the entire information network in China work for my own use. Macao is Chinese territory, so I can naturally track your position when you called me.¡±


    ¡°Goddammit!¡± The silver-haired youth cursed, preparing to hang up and flee immediately.


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush to hang up. I would think about how to live instead of just escape if I were you,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Believe me. With my ability to spend a billion or two billion US dollars to purchase the zodiac jade carvings, I¡¯m also able to put out a hundred or two hundred million US dollars worth of bounties to hunt members of Dark Shaman clan, including you. Do you think you¡¯ll have a safe hiding place on Earth if I were to throw tens of billion US dollars at it?¡±


    ¡°You indeed have the ability to mercilessly exterminate all the members of the Dark Shaman clan if you¡¯re really a Chinese cultivator,¡± said the silver-haired youth in a deep voice. ¡°But I can also tell you something¡ªif you dare touch anyone in my Dark Shaman clan, you¡¯ll never find the jade rat¡ªever.¡±


    With that said, he directly hung up the phone and took the jade rat out before handing it over to the petite woman. He stated in a heavy voice, ¡°Take this and do your best to escape Macao. Remember, go to the next safe place and wait for me there. If I die here, throw this jade rat into the Pacific Ocean.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna go, Young Master,¡± called out the petite woman.


    ¡°Do what I told you to do if you don¡¯t want me to die,¡± said the youth sternly, ¡°He wants the jade rat and he won¡¯t kill me as long as it¡¯s in our hands. Hurry up and find a way to escape this place and avoid them.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± the petite woman bit her lower lip before she firmly nodded her head and dashed toward the outside. Of the entire Dark Shaman clan, she was the best at hiding and deserved to be called the ¡®first¡¯, the only one in the entire clan who had thoroughly comprehended the Dark Domain.


    However, she met Tang Xiu, a freak who could cover several hundred square meters of area with his spiritual sense. With his shadow flashing, he had already arrived in the corridor on the fourth floor of the building and blocked her.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to fly and escape, even if you have wings. That¡¯s what your situation is now,¡± said Tang Xiu while folding his arms smilingly at the petite woman.


    The petite woman¡¯s eyes held some contempt as she released Dark Force to billow out. The tens of meter long corridor was instantly covered by a thick black mist while she flashed away toward the nearest room.


    ¡°Still wanting to escape, huh?¡±


    A sneer snickered out. Just as she rushed near the window, a big hand grabbed her neck like steel pincers. The contempt on her face also froze in an instant.


    Tang Xiu took out the red, lifelike jade rat from her sleeve as a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He then went outside while pinching her neck.


    A few minutes later.


    BAM¡­


    The door was kicked open, causing the white-haired youth and the five black-robed old men in the room, as well as the middle-aged man who managed to get them here from the second safe house, have a drastic change in expression.


    After Tang Xiu, Mo Awu, and the rest entered the room, he smiled faintly as he looked at the six people inside. He then threw the petite female to the front of the sofa as he took a seat and put his feet on her back. He looked at the silver-haired youth and said, ¡°Those who once threatened me have been sent to hell by myself. You dare to threaten me with the jade rat¡ªyou truly have the guts to act recklessly. You didn¡¯t know how to differentiate the good from the bad, huh?¡±


    The white-haired youth¡¯s complexion turned ghastly pale as he looked at Tang Xiu and his men. It was his first time that he finally felt intense regret inwardly. He knew perfectly well of the escaping ability the petite woman possessed, yet she couldn¡¯t escape and was caught by these people. It was evident that these people had absolutely terrifying abilities to the point that they were people he needed to look up to.


    ¡°I still have one thing that I can use to negotiate with you,¡± said the white-haired youth in a deep voice after taking a deep breath.


    ¡°You have piqued my interest,¡± said Tang Xiu grinningly. ¡°Tell me then. What do you got to escape your death, eh?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about the jade pig,¡± said the silver-haired youth quietly. ¡°I know its whereabouts.¡±


    The jade pig?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression slightly changed. His eyes were as though turned into sharp arrows, causing stinging pain in the white-haired youth¡¯s eyes that made him subconsciously close them.


    ¡°Tell me. Where¡¯s this jade pig?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a deep voice.


    The white-haired youth opened his eyes and said solemnly, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you where the jade pig is if all the enmities between us are written off! I¡¯ll give you the jade rat, but I wanna buy the lives of most members of my Dark Shaman clan with the information of the jade pig.¡±


    ¡°You only need to buy the lives of more than half of your clansmen?¡± Tang Xiu knitted his brows and said, ¡°You¡­ seem you want to use me?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that,¡± the white-haired youth shook his head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t mean to use you.¡±


    ¡°Your life in my eyes is simply worthless.¡± Tang Xiu, who was silent for a while, slowly said, ¡°All I want are the zodiac jade carvings; it was your greed that enraged me, to be honest. Else, I¡¯d have bought it from you for 100 million US dollars. Alright, tell me where the jade pig is! As long as your information is correct, I can spare the lives of most members of your clan, including yours.¡±


    With his spirit more mellow, the white-haired youth answered, ¡°That jade pig is in my big brother¡¯s hands. I¡¯ve been planning to completely have my clan under my control and then grab the jade pig, but I never thought¡­¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯d lose the jade rat instead of successfully conning me. Is that correct?¡± interjected Tang Xiu.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said the white-haired youth bitterly.


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and slowly asked, ¡°Do you also know that the zodiac jade carving is a valuable object, by chance?¡±


    ¡°It is a great object as it contains enormous energy within.¡± He nodded and said, ¡°My Dark Shaman clan can improve our power by absorbing the energy inside it.¡±


    ¡°Come again?¡±


    Tang Xiu stared blankly with disbelief on his face. He had been studying the zodiac jade carvings as for how he could absorb the energy inside them; yet, the Dark Shaman clan had actually figured it out?


    He fell into silence and instantly made up his mind. Regardless of what method he used, he must get the ability of the Dark Shaman clan to control these objects. If the technique was indeed able to absorb the energy from the zodiac jade carvings, he could make use of it to boost his strength, making his cultivation likely rise sharply.


    ¡°Tell me the method to absorb the energy contained in the jade carvings then. I¡¯ll help you get rid of your big brother and his men. Also, I can give you a billion US dollars,¡± said Tang Xiu with a deep voice.


    The silver-haired youth was startled and immediately beckoned to the black-robed old man.


    The black-robed old man understood tacitly and took a book out of his sleeve as he handed it to Tang Xiu, saying, ¡°This is our Shaman Devouring Art which has been passed down by our Dark Shaman¡¯s primogenitors from generation to generation. The method to absorb the energy inside the jade rat is written on it.¡±


    Tang Xiu received it and kicked the petite woman away. He then spent two hours to carefully read the whole book.


    ¡®I understand it now.¡¯


    Tang Xiu suppressed his excitement inwardly and turned to look at Mo Awu, ¡°Contact Hao Lei. Tell her to transfer a billion US dollars to this kid. Also, inform our men who have snuck into Thailand and tell them to put the attack on the Dark Shaman clan on hold and wait for my new order.¡±


    ¡°Roger that!¡± Mo Awu immediately nodded.


    Tang Xiu looked at the white-haired youth and then pointed at him, asking, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Singluen,¡± answered the white-haired youth.


    ¡°You got a good name.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°So what¡¯s your status in your Dark Shaman clan?¡±


    ¡°My father is the patriarch of the Dark Shaman clan and I¡¯m the Second Young Master of the clan,¡± replied the white-haired youth.


    ¡°Well, I was going to kill you, but it turned out that not only did you provide me the whereabouts of the jade pig, but you also told me how to absorb the energy inside the zodiac jade carvings, so I¡¯ll make an exception and change my decision,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Now tell me the detailed information about your big brother, the person you want to get rid of.¡±


    ¡°His name is Singkuo. I¡¯ll tell my men to give you detailed information about him,¡± said Singluen hastily. ¡°I won¡¯t take your one billion US dollars as long as you can get rid of him.¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m going to get rid of your big brother not because you want to use me, but because of the jade pig. I¡¯ll still transfer the one billion US dollars into your account.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°That is on the premise that you take me to Thailand right away. I¡¯ll keep my word as long as I can get the jade pig, but you¡¯ll know the consequences if I can¡¯t get it there.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± said Singluen respectfully.


    Tang Xiu nodded and was about to speak some more when Jin Shi walked in from the outside and quickly whispered next to his ear, ¡°Your father is looking for you, Boss.¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his brows and recalled that he stored his handset inside his interspatial ring which barred any cell signal. He immediately headed outside and took Jin Shi¡¯s cell phone and said, ¡°Are you looking for me, Dad?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I need your help to deal with my problem here, Xiu¡¯er.¡± Tang Yunde¡¯s voice came out of the phone. ¡°You better come in person if you have the time. I¡¯m afraid that there will be an accident here.¡±

 Chapter 889 - Conditions and Transactions

    Chapter 889: Conditions and Transactions


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The Zhang Family resided in the plot of land located in the northern section of Shengluo Avenue. There were many residential complexes in the area but they were all upscale ones. The Zhang Family¡¯s land covered an area of more than ten acres between two upscale villa complexes. Its gate was red painted with a high stone wall that covered the entire courtyard, and was regarded as a very upscale mansion that gave off an imposing grandeur.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave.¡±


    At the entrance of the Zhang Family residence, Tang Yunde, whose complexion was a bit ugly, just nodded to the person who walked him outside as he hurried to enter his car and beckoned to the driver to start and drive the car away.


    Shortly after, two Audi cars drove towards the distance.


    At this time, two figures appeared at the gate of the Zhang Family residence, one of whom was an old man and the other young. Both of them had straight tall statures. The youth, who was wearing black training suit with long loose hair, watched the two cars leaving with frigid eyes. Then he said with contempt, ¡°The garbage of the Tang Family who had been in comatose for so many years dares to come to our Zhang Family and act so arrogant, huh? Truly unaware what¡¯s good and bad when acting recklessly. I¡¯d have definitely killed him if he didn¡¯t have the Tang Family behind his back.¡±


    The old man whose hands were folded behind his back shook his head and said, ¡°Jian¡¯er, this Tang Yunde is indeed a waste and is relying on the protection of the Tang Family, yet his luck is not bad since his family is the top family in Beijing; even our Zhang Family may be unable to contend with them. There¡¯s also his son, who is despite his young age and his lack of involvement in politics, was able to establish the Magnificent Tang Corporation. He is someone who we can¡¯t underestimate in the slightest.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to play down our own means and praise others. It¡¯s disheartening, Grandpa,¡± sneered Zhang Jian. ¡°Besides, our Zhang Family has been growing up until the present day since we have a powerful heritage ourselves. We also have two reliable and powerful allies. Even if the Tang Family is a top giant in Beijing, what can they do to us? They¡¯ve provoked my anger, and I¡¯ll massacre all of their arms here. As for his son with that small company of his, do you think he¡¯s really that amazing? I wanna have a good look at his Magnificent Tang company after idling for some time. If it¡¯s really a chicken that can lay golden eggs, then I¡¯ll take it from him.¡±


    ¡°You had better not act rashly, Jian¡¯er,¡± the old man narrowed his eyes and silently shook his head and continued, ¡°While we¡¯re not afraid of his Tang Family, we cannot afford to contend with them for now. The fact that the Tang Family was able to destroy the Yao Family is evident that they hide a lot of armed forces. You also know that only by understanding our opponent will we be able to blaze through hundreds of battles and secure victory; otherwise, we¡¯ll only court crisis and disaster to befall upon our family.¡±


    ¡°I have discretion about that well, Grandpa,¡± replied Zhang Jian.


    The old man nodded and said, ¡°You¡¯ll go and see Kutu tonight; let his men seize the time and act. We must snatch those two ports as fast as possible as it will be more convenient for the import and export of shipments.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    ****


    Macao, the Island Palace Garden in the Tangxia District.


    A-058 villa.


    Tang Yunde had just entered the villa when he saw his brother Chen Anhu who came to greet him. With a bit of a nasty expression, he shook his head and said, ¡°They are very polite on the surface, but I wasn¡¯t able to meet the Zhang Family¡¯s patriarch. They literally sent out someone insignificant and irrelevant to entertain me. Truly reflecting the play of sending a heavy blow but wrapping it up smoothly.¡±


    Chen Anhu was silent for a moment and produced a wry smile, ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work, then we don¡¯t have a choice but to give them those two ports! It¡¯s a great loss to us indeed, but it¡¯s better than being uprooted by the Zhangs.¡±


    ¡°They will never be able to uproot us, even if we don¡¯t have to give them these two ports. Just wait! My son happened to be in Macao. I¡¯ll ask him to find a way out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, what does Tang Xiu wanna do by coming to Macao? Also, he asked me to find some people before. Who are they and what exactly is their background?¡± asked Chen Anhu.


    ¡°He¡¯s looking for the zodiac jade carvings, but the seller turned out to be very greedy and demanded an exorbitant price, so he had to come to Macao in person,¡± explained Tang Yunde. ¡°The person he asked you to find was exactly the one who had that zodiac jade carving.¡±


    ¡°The zodiac jade carvings?¡± Chen Anhu was astonished. ¡°The ones that have been causing a huge commotion recently and are being bought at a high price by Grand Fortune Jewelry?¡±


    ¡°Anhu, we¡¯re comrades who have sworn to live and die together¡ªI won¡¯t hide anything from you,¡± said Tang Yunde smilingly. ¡± Grand Fortune Jewelry is actually an industry owned by my son. In fact, he¡¯s the main character behind the seeking and purchasing of those zodiac jade carvings at a sky-high price. Though I dunno his real purpose of the zodiac jade carvings, he¡¯s always doing things prudently and those objects should be of great use to him.¡±


    ¡°The Grand Fortune Jewelry turned out to be Tang Xiu¡¯s?¡± Chen Anhu was shocked. ¡°How could that be? You must know that the company has been operating in Hong Kong for decades. It has been developing rapidly in the past ten years, but I don¡¯t think its total assets have reached ten billion yuan yet. I¡¯m afraid the number is even lower than that. Besides, how old is your son? This is simply¡­¡±


    ¡°Anhu, there are tons of things you don¡¯t know about,¡± said Tang Yunde with a forced smile. ¡°In fact, I don¡¯t know much about his affairs either. But you¡¯ll probably know some facts about him soon, though.¡±


    ¡°What facts?¡± asked Chen Anhu curiously.


    ¡°Let¡¯s save it for later, shall we?¡± Tang Yunded mystifyingly smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯ll know when the time comes.¡±


    Ten minutes later, a middle-aged man strode quickly to the hall on the first floor. He looked at Chen Anhu and said, ¡°There¡¯s a guest coming, Boss. He said he¡¯s Tang Xiu, the son of Mr. Tang.¡±


    Chen Anhu immediately got up and smilingly said, ¡°Let¡¯s go there and meet him.¡±


    Tang Yunde waved his hand said, ¡°Just tell your men to take him inside, Anhu. We don¡¯t need to go out and greet him personally.¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡± When Chen Anhu thought about it, he immediately smiled and said, ¡°Since you insist, then tell Tang Xiu to come inside.¡±


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu came into the room with Mo Awu and saw his father sitting on the sofa. He hadn¡¯t yet acquainted with Chen Anhu, so he let up a faint smile and said, ¡°Dad, is this the Uncle Chen you often mention to me?¡±


    Chen Anhu observed Tang Xiu before he got up and smilingly said, ¡°Well, well. What an energetic young man: a handsome, intelligent, and talented youth, worthy as Big Brother Yunde¡¯s son. Yeah, I¡¯m Chen Anhu, your father¡¯s friend who has sworn to be brothers with him in life and death.¡±


    ¡°Have you been well, Uncle Chen? Well, Dad often mentions you since he woke up from his comatose state and it¡¯s great that I can see you today since you¡¯re the real hero. Also, I have to thank you for your help in finding the Dark Shaman clan.¡±


    Chen Anhu waved his hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s just a minor matter.¡±


    After greeting each other, they took a seat and Tang Xiu heard the whole cause of their issue. He himself had never heard of the Zhang Family in Macao, but he knew some information about them from the Zhao Family in Beijing. After all, the Tang Family would have been slightly inferior to them if not for his existence.


    ¡°You mean, the main guy related to the current issue is a man called Kutu from Thailand?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, this Kutu guy is indeed from Thailand, though I heard that this man was actually not the real leader since there¡¯s someone bigger behind him.¡± Chen Anhu nodded and explained, ¡°I¡¯ve contacted some friends in Thailand about it, yet they weren¡¯t able to find out the big tree that Kutu is leaning on.¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted and took his phone out to dial a cell number. After his call was picked up, he spoke, ¡°There are some issues I need your help with. I¡¯m waiting for you in the Island Palace Garden in the Tangxia District¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    After he hung up, Tang Xiu then looked at Chen Anhu and his father and smiled, ¡°Well, it¡¯s rather coincidental that the target I was looking for is someone from Thailand too. He seems to have quite a deep background there, so he may be able to tell us some answers.¡±


    An hour later, the white-haired young man, Singluen, came with the petite woman and five black-robed old men. Tang Xiu briefly introduced them and, after everyone took a seat, he then asked, ¡°There¡¯s someone called Kutu from Thailand¡ªdo you know him?¡±


    ¡°Kutu? Which Kutu is it?¡± asked Singluen with raised brows, looking surprised.


    ¡°We can¡¯t fully investigate his identity in detail, but he has a deep connection with Macao¡¯s Zhang Family and he¡¯s also here now,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right, Uncle Anhu has his photo here. Take a look at it.¡±


    Chen Anhu immediately took his phone out and transferred Kutu¡¯s photo to Singluen. The latter then looked at it and a strange expression immediately appeared on his face. ¡°I know him; I even know a lot about him. He¡­ well, he¡¯s also a clansman of my Dark Shaman clan with a different surname, as well as the right arm of my father¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°So the people who work with the Zhang Family in Macao are also from your Dark Shaman clan?¡± sneered Tang Xiu.


    Singluen quickly waved and replied, ¡°I really don¡¯t know about this matter, Mr. Tang. Kutu is my father¡¯s close confidant and he doesn¡¯t give me face normally. I have nothing to do with all the issues here in Macao.¡±


    Suddenly, the petite female at his side interjected in a whisper, ¡°This is an opportunity, Young Master.¡±


    Singluen blanked out and his expression slightly changed. He stared deeply at her and then turned to look at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Mr. Tang, would you like me to buy Kutu¡¯s life for that one billion US dollars?¡±


    ¡°Well, are you perhaps wanting to remove him with a borrowed knife?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°I think this is a fair trade,¡± said Singluen. ¡°Of course, if you can help me take the patriarch seat of the Dark Shaman clan, I¡¯m willing to pay you a fortune as well.¡±


    A smile outlined on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth as he asked, ¡°And how much exactly is that fortune?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have money; there¡¯s not even a hundred million dollars that I can take out now,¡± said Singluen. ¡°But I have some treasures, while the vault of my clan also has a lot. As long as you can help me take the patriarch seat of my clan, I¡¯m willing to pay you fifty¡­ a hundred Sorcerer Stones.¡±


    ¡°What stuff is this Sorcerer Stone?¡± asked Tang Xiu, looking puzzled.


    Singluen turned over and took out a piece of coal-like ore. He handed it to Tang Xiu and said, ¡°This is the Sorcerer Stone. It is the most needed item for every member of my Dark Shaman clan who is proficient in witchcraft. Each stone contains a lot of sorcery energy which you can absorb for yourself as long as you know how to extract it.¡±


    The moment Tang Xiu received the Sorcerer Stone, he could clearly feel the power contained in it. His eyes instantly lit up at this moment and he was ecstatic inwardly.


    ¡®Sorcerer Stone? What nonsense. This is exactly Demon Stone.¡¯


    Tang Xiu gripped the Demon Stone and absorbed a very minute fraction of demonic force contained within it a few minutes later. His eyes then shifted to Singluen as he said, ¡°There¡¯s a condition I have for you. If you agree to it, we can conclude this deal.¡±


    ¡°What conditions?¡± asked Singluen quickly.


    ¡°I need this Demon Stone which you call Sorcerer Stone,¡± said Tang Xiu with a deep voice. ¡°I will buy this from you henceforth every year; the more there is, the better.¡±

 Chapter 890 - Eldest Brother Must Die

    Chapter 890: Eldest Brother Must Die


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    It never occurred to Singluen that Tang Xiu would put forward such a condition. The Sorcerer Stone was the most important developmental issue of his Dark Shaman clan since a lot of this stone must be consumed by each member of the clan who wanted to be a powerhouse every year.


    Not only that, the Sorcerer Stone mine under their control had been mined for centuries and it had been severely depleted, leading to the clan elders to strictly regulate the annual amount released. Right now, only 2,000 pieces of stones could be mined every year. Even for him, as the Second Young Lord of the clan, he only had a quota of 50 Sorcerer Stones annually.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, my Dark Shaman Clan does control the Sorcerer Stone deposits, but the number we can mine annually is not much. In addition, my people also need it to absorb the sorcery power from this stone for their cultivation. Perhaps¡­ I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t get much of it to sell to you,¡± said Singluen with a wry smile.


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment and said, ¡°We can negotiate to agree on the quantity. If it¡¯s like that, I won¡¯t make things difficult for you. As long as your Dark Shaman clan sells me 1,000 pieces of Sorcerer Stone every year, I¡¯ll use other resources in my possession to exchange with you.¡±


    ¡°A thousand? That¡¯s impossible,¡± replied Singluen categorically. ¡°The total quantity of Sorcerer Stone my Dark Shaman clan has been mining annually is but a few, yet you ask for a thousand pieces of them. That¡¯s absolutely impossible.¡±


    Tang Xiu knitted his brows and asked, ¡°Then tell me, how many is appropriate?¡±


    Singluen looked hesitant before he replied, ¡°A hundred, no less. That¡¯s the upper limit my Dark Shaman clan can afford. After all, every clansman also wants to cultivate and my clan will soon be defeated if we have no Sorcerer Stones. I can never break the hope of my clan even though I want to take the Patriarch seat as soon as possible.¡±


    Tang Xiu thought about it and said, ¡°I¡¯ll exchange medicinal pills for 730 Sorcerer Stone annually. This is the bottom line I can bear. If you agree with the deal, then we¡¯ll have a good cooperation. If you don¡¯t, then count it as I don¡¯t offer you anything.¡±


    ¡°Medicinal pill? What is that?¡± Singluen was confused and looked at Tang Xiu.


    At present, the five black-robed old men behind him had their eyes lit up instantly, one of whom then asked, ¡°Can you tell us the effect of this said medicinal pill, Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°The name is Essence Amassing Pill which gives a lot of benefits for every cultivator who takes it,¡± explained Tang Xiu. ¡°The specific benefits, however, are different and vary from person to person. But you can try it here and now.¡±


    The black-robed old man paced a step forward and respectfully said, ¡°I want to try it, Young Master.¡±


    ¡°I have yet to discuss it, and yet you wanna try it?¡± questioned Singluen with a frown. ¡°Is this medicinal pill some kind of miraculous elixir or something?¡±


    Tang Xiu flicked the medicinal pill into the hands of the black-robed old man and said indifferently, ¡°Take this medicinal pill and cultivate here. I¡¯ll give you four hours. Regardless of how much efficacy in it you can absorb four hours later, you must stop and speak about its effect.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    The black-robed old man could smell the intoxicating scent and he felt that his spirit suddenly soared and his mind was now extraordinary clear. He nodded to Singluen, sitting down cross-legged on the floor, and then took the pill directly.


    Chen Anhu, who had been quietly watching the conversation between Tang Xiu and Singluen all this time, finally couldn¡¯t bear it and came to Tang Yunde¡¯s side and asked in a whisper, ¡°Brother Yunde, what are they doing? What is that Sorcerer Stone and what¡¯s this cultivation something they are talking about, exactly? They are practically confusing me.¡±


    ¡°You see, Xiu¡¯er is a cultivator and so are a lot of men under him,¡± replied Tang Yunde in a low voice.


    ¡°What?¡± Chen Anhu¡¯s voice spiked a few octaves, garnering the attention of the others in the room.


    ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Chen Anhu felt Tang Yunde pulling him. He hastily waved and sat back beside Tang Yunde and asked excitedly, ¡°Big Bro Yunde, you didn¡¯t lie to me, did you? Your son is actually a cultivator? But how is that possible? Man, cultivators are like celestial figures to us. We both went through fire and water at the risk of our lives back in the past, yet we only had the privilege and luck of encountering a cultivator once!¡±


    ¡°Why should I lie to you? We¡¯re brothers. Xiu¡¯er is indeed a cultivator, to begin with,¡± retorted Tang Yunde in a whisper. ¡°More so that he¡¯s also a very strong one, mind you. You also know about the Amur Tiger, don¡¯t you? He helped the Yao Family of Beijing to deal with my family, and Xiu¡¯er eliminated him because of that. But you gotta promise me you must bury this fact in your belly and not tell another soul.¡±


    Chen Anhu firmly nodded and promised, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Even if someone uses a knife on my neck to threaten me, I¡¯ll never say it. Damn¡­ this is so fucking amazing and powerful! The Amur Tiger was so famous all over the country¡ªwho doesn¡¯t know of his fierceness and terror? Yet, I didn¡¯t expect him to be killed by my own nephew. Now I get it. No wonder you said that my nephew is the helper from outside Macao you wanted to invite back then. It turns out to be like this!¡±


    ¡°Stay low-profile, got it?¡± replied Tang Yunde smilingly in a whisper.


    ¡°Yeah, got it.¡±


    Chen Anhu rubbed his hands while his eyes that stared at Tang Xiu were full of spirit.


    Time flew by and after half an hour, a burst of aura emanated out of the black robed-old man who did everything he could to absorb the efficacy of the pill, while a layer of black mist visible to the naked eyes shrouded him in an instant.


    ¡°Breaking through?!¡±


    The other four black-robed old men were incredulous, yet there was also intense envy in their eyes. Never did they think that the efficacy of the Essence Amassing Pill would be strong to this extent. Their Second Brother broke through only after having taken it for half an hour, no less.


    The all knew clearly that he had just broken through the previous realm of his cultivation just a year ago!


    Singluen and the petite woman were likewise shocked. They also knew the situation with the old man.


    Three and a half hour later, that black-robed old man¡¯s face turned red and he suddenly sprayed out a mouthful of blood along with a burst of aura that was much stronger than the previous one, as well as black mist again. Had Tang Xiu not waved his hand to impede it, the whole room would have been fully shrouded in the black mist.


    ¡°What happened?¡± rushed Singluen in a shout.


    The other four black-robed old men were dumbfounded and tongue-tied. The disbelief on their faces turned more intense.


    He broke through again?!


    It was just three and a half hours, yet he had broken through two stages in his cultivation realm?


    This¡­ is this medicinal pill something like the likes of the immortal pill?


    ¡°Stop it, Second Brother!¡± shouted one of the black-robed old man after a while.


    The old man who sat cross-legged in cultivation opened his eyes and raised his hand to wipe off the blood from the corner of his mouth. Afterwards, he floated up and cupped his fists toward Tang Xiu, ¡°Mr. Tang, your medicinal pill is definitely the legendary elixir. Even if my Eldest Brother didn¡¯t make me stop, I¡¯m afraid I wouldn¡¯t be able to cultivate much longer either, since I¡¯ve made a successive breakthrough in just a short time. Yet, I can feel that the efficacy of the pill has yet to be fully absorbed and refined by me. More so that I have a feeling that I can break through another stage if I absorb and refine all of its efficacy.¡±


    Gasp¡­


    The other four black-robed old men couldn¡¯t help but gasp after hearing his words.


    Singluen himself was not stupid. Through the shows displayed by the old man after taking the pill and the words he spoke, he realized that the medicinal pill given by Tang Xiu was definitely the so-called immortal pill treasure.


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s finalize the deal, Mr. Tang.¡±


    Now, only then did he realize that he seemed to have found a big tree to take shelter under. Even he realized that cultivators were really as powerful and mysteriously magical as they were in legend.


    In the case that¡­ he fully followed these cultivators in the future, he could perhaps obtain the benefits that were far more valuable than what he experiences in the present.


    Suddenly, he was reminded of another issue that weighed inside his heart as he then spoke in a heavy voice, ¡°Mr. Tang, Kutu has made things difficult for your father and Uncle Chen, so I¡¯m willing to deal with him with you. If he dares act rampant, I¡¯ll be the one to clean him up without you asking me to do so.¡±


    Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes. With his experience in life and through Singluen¡¯s statement, he realized that this guy wanted to establish a friendship with himself. Tang Xiu was naturally not one who refused those who could bring about benefits to himself, so he produced a faint smile and said, ¡°I got no problem with that. We¡¯ll leave for Thailand together once we¡¯ve dealt with the problem here. But there¡¯s something I want to figure out, though. What are you gonna do with your father and elder brother?¡±


    ¡°The latter must die since we¡¯ve reached the point where one of us must perish,¡± replied Singluen. ¡°But I don¡¯t want my father to get hurt since he¡¯s always been good to me. It¡¯s best that he agreed to pass his authority and privileges to me so I can take good care of him in his retirement.¡±


    ¡°Had you told me to murder your own father, I¡¯d probably kill you too after solving the issue in Thailand later,¡± said Tang Xiu with a faint smile. ¡°All the friends I have can only be good people¡ªones that are humane. It¡¯s obvious that you are, so I hope we can get along well in the future.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    The reply was much to Singluen¡¯s assertion inwardly, so he nodded.


    Then, Tang Xiu looked at Tang Yunde and smilingly said, ¡°Dad, there¡¯s no need for you to go to the Zhangs since you already did so. Let Uncle Chen accompany me in making a trip there! I promise that I¡¯ll solve this problem within three days.¡±


    Tang Yunde and Chen Anhu exchanged glances before the former immediately nodded, ¡°That¡¯s fine with me. Anhu, you¡¯ll go with Xiu¡¯er! I can feel more assured if you¡¯re with him.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± replied Chen Anhu smilingly.


    ****


    At the northern end of Shengluo Avenu, at the entrance to the private land of the Zhang Family.


    Six black off-road cars just stopped and more than ten security guards of the Zhangs rushed out. One of them, a stalwart man, shouted aggressively, ¡°Who are you? This place is a private residence. You can¡¯t park your cars here.¡±


    Bam, bam, bam¡­


    The six cars¡¯ doors opened as a stocky man came out from each.


    After Tang Xiu and Chen Anhu came out of the car, the former then spoke smilingly, ¡°Well, well. The Zhangs are truly stylishly imposing, eh? It seems that this family is very prominent and ranked as one of the best in Macao, no?¡±


    ¡°They can¡¯t be said to be the most powerful per se, but they should be in the top ten,¡± Chen Anhu shook his head and said, ¡°They have always been arrogant, however. Just look at the stylish and grand land of their residence.¡±


    ¡°Hehe!¡±


    Tang Xiu chuckled. He then looked at the big man who was full of vigilance and said, ¡°Go inform your employer. Tell him that Tang Xiu has come to visit.¡±

 Chapter 891 - No Strength, No Pressure

    Chapter 891: No Strength, No Pressure


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The big man who worked for the Zhangs had a rather uncommon eyesight himself, as he could see the imposing aura these people had within them. He realized that these people were of uncommon origins, so he used his walkie-talkie to report the situation here to the person who was in charge of the family¡¯s security issues.


    Deep inside the residence, the Patriarch of the Zhangs, Zhang Pinqin, was now watching calligraphy and painting in his study, while Zhang Wendi, the most outstanding junior of the new generation of his family, was standing beside him. He was also Zhang Pinqin¡¯s grandson.


    ¡°What do you think about this calligraphy painting?¡±


    Zhang Pinqin reluctantly retracted his eyes from the calligraphy and asked his grandson.


    ¡°This painting is just a string of numbers in my eyes,¡± said Zhang Wendi indifferently. ¡°The longer the number of digits, the better it is. Grandpa, you only need to tell me how to sell this object and with how much money you can buy it.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of things that can¡¯t be measured by money, Wendi.¡± Zhang Pinqin shook his head and forced a wry smile, ¡°The same concept can be applied with the advice that you should never look at the issues at hand with a careless attitude. I can tell you one thing¡ªit¡¯s money that is a series of numbers. Whether it is 100 million or 100 billion, it¡¯s no different in my eyes.¡±


    ¡°Yet, the wealth can make our family more and more powerful, no?¡± talked back Zhang Wendi with all seriousness.


    ¡°Sigh, it seems the way I taught you over the years has really been a problem,¡± reluctantly sighed Zhang Pinqin. ¡°Even now, I can see you not as a child twenty-something years old, but rather a full-pledged, copper coin-smelling businessman who chases benefits with a rigorous and cold attitude. Well, it may be a good thing for our family, but for you¡­¡±


    ¡°I think I like it quite well, Grandpa,¡± cut off Zhang Wendi with an indifferent expression.


    Knock, knock¡­


    The opened door was knocked and the security captain, Zhang Wenzhao, came inside and said in a deep voice, ¡°Uncle, Wendi, there¡¯s someone outside who has shown up at the entrance. He said that he¡¯s Tang Xiu.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu? Surnamed Tang, huh?¡±


    Zhang Pinqin¡¯s eyes raised and he looked at Zhang Wendi, ¡°What do you think? Should we warmly welcome him, or rather drive him away?¡±


    ¡°Well, today is really interesting, isn¡¯t it?¡± Zhang Wendi grinned, ¡°We drove away the old one and now comes the young one. The Tangs are really an amazing marvel, don¡¯t you think? He¡¯s the famous miracle-working doctor, and the Big Boss of Magnificent Tang Corporation, as well as the Young Master of the Tang Family of Beijing, yes? With such halos shrouding this guy, I do want to see him so much.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll hand over this issue to you since you wanna see him,¡± said Zhang Pinqin indifferently. ¡°But keep in mind that Kutu is busy taking over those two ports as quickly as possible. If¡­ in the case that they really don¡¯t want to give them up, I¡¯ll personally visit the highest official of Hong Kong, while you yourself can run amok slaying.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Zhang Wendi¡¯s reply was very casual and he left the room with Zhang Wenzhao.


    Ten minutes later, inside the other pavilion of the Zhangs, Zhang Wendi sat in front of the stone table while quietly savoring the scented tea. As a small group of people came inside, his eyes then fixated on Tang Xiu who was at the forefront. Disdain and contempt flashed in his eyes after a few seconds of observation before his eyes then fell on the teapot again.


    ¡°Quite crazy, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Tang Xiu went straight to Zhang Wendi¡¯s front and took a seat. He then snatched the teapot from his hand to pour himself a cup of fragrant tea. He took a sip and lightly said, ¡°I thought I could taste a genuine good tea from Young Master Zhang, but little did I think this one just tasted so-so. Young Master Zhang, you¡¯re Zhang Wendi, aren¡¯t you? Can I ask you a question?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Anger flashed in Zhang Wendi¡¯s eyes, yet Tang Xiu interrupted him just as he spoke a word.


    ¡°You know, my question is quite simple and you should 100% be able to answer it, to be honest,¡± said Tang Xiu with a trace of curious look on his face. ¡°Just listen to my question well. Do your parents know that you¡¯re so arrogant?¡±


    Bam¡­


    Zhang Wendi slapped the stone table with killing intent glittering in his eyes. He coldly said, ¡°Surnamed Tang, you can eat any food at your will, but never speak shit carelessly. This place is not your family¡¯s in Beijing, but my home.¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile and said, ¡°Well, I can understand that. But¡­ are you threatening me?¡±


    ¡°How is this threatening you?¡± asked Zhang Wendi coldly, ¡°It¡¯s easy for me to make you never come out of here if I want to.¡±


    ¡°Truly an idiot!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. He then waved to Singluen and said with a light smile, ¡°You¡¯re the VIP I¡¯ve invited, so don¡¯t stand far away with the background people, will you? To be honest, the tea of his family is rather ordinary. But, today is a hot day. Let¡¯s ignore the taste, and just have some sips to relieve our thirst!¡±


    Singluen just smiled as he came over to the stone table and took a seat. He imitated Tang Xiu¡¯s style, grabbing the teapot and pouring himself a cup of tea. After sipping it, he pursed his lips and snorted, ¡°Hmph, it¡¯s like what you told me indeed, Mr. Tang. Even if I know nothing about tea ceremony and I don¡¯t like tea that much, this tea indeed has an unpleasant taste. The Zhangs are said to be wealthy with lots of assets in Macao, yet they don¡¯t have much while being so petty to entertain their guests? I really didn¡¯t expect it!¡±


    ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± shouted Zhang Wendi angrily.


    ¡°Speak to Mr. Tang if you got anything to say, will you?¡± Singluen waved and said, ¡°There¡¯s an adage that says, in your country that a man is just a passer-by when he¡¯s just a hired thug, right?¡±


    Zhang Wendi suddenly stood up. A smile crept up on his handsome face and it was getting thicker as time passed. He finally burst into laughter and said, ¡°Not bad. It¡¯s just great. Nobody has ever dared to act arrogantly before me ever since I can remember. Tang Xiu has it great since he has his Tang Family of Beijing to cover him, but I wonder who¡¯s the one who shelters you? Otherwise, you will never get out of this place alive, even if Tang Xiu is here today.¡±


    Clap, clap, clap¡­


    At this moment, a round of applause came from outside the pavilion as a robust and stalwart middle-aged man waltzed in with a dozen of strongmen. ¡°Young Master Zhang spoke correctly. You must have enough background if you want to be flippant and impudent. Those who have neither background nor strength to pressure others will eventually die, getting struck by lightning.¡±


    A chilling light flashed in Singluen¡¯s eyes. He didn¡¯t even turn his head as he recognized who the owner of the voice was. With his back facing that man, he sneered, ¡°I don¡¯t know whether I have a strong background or not. How about you tell me about my background then?¡±


    ¡°You are¡­¡± Kutu knitted his brows. He faintly felt that the voice was a bit familiar.


    Singluen then turned his head to look at Kutu who was coming over step by step. He sneered again, ¡°You haven¡¯t answered my question. Is my background strong enough to be compared to yours?¡±


    Kutu¡¯s body was shaken and incredulity crept up on his face. Never once did he ever dream that he would encounter his clan¡¯s Second Young Master here.


    Had it been before, he might not take this Second Young Master seriously. But now, he was perfectly aware that the Patriarch had begun to assess the two young masters¡ªcomparing their abilities and who was much stronger and would succeed the Patriarch seat in the future.


    It was not only that. The most important issue was that he just realized a couple of days ago that the current Patriarch turned out to value this youngest pretender, and the possibility of him becoming the future Patriarch of the clan was very large.


    ¡°Second Young Master!¡± Kutu squeezed out a smile and saluted in a ceremonial attitude.


    ¡°How would I dare to receive the address of Second Young Master from you?¡± sneered Singlueng grimly, ¡°Besides, I have no strength and have no rights to be arrogant since my Dark Shaman clan is so weak. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be blasted by lightning if I¡¯m to boast here. Well, it¡¯s different for you, though! I really admire your aggressive and domineering gesture. It¡¯s so damn amazing!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that it was you just now, Second Young Master,¡± said Kutu awkwardly. ¡°Thus, I said some disrespectful things. I just hope that you ignore it. Besides, the Zhangs are our clan¡¯s ally, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± snorted Singluen coldly.


    There was shock on Zhang Wendi¡¯s face. He never thought that the kiddo who followed Tang Xiu would actually be the Second Young Master of the Dark Shaman clan. He had seen the First Young Master of the clan, yet it was his first time seeing this second one.


    Words had it that the Second Young Master of the Dark Shaman clan was a very talented youth, though cruel and merciless at the same time. He had now taken control of some of the Dark Shaman clan¡¯s power and was recognized and approved by some of the older members of the clan. But¡­ how did he get together with Tang Xiu?


    ¡®This is gonna be troublesome.¡¯


    Zhang Wendy stared at Tang Xiu deeply. He then said in a deep voice, ¡°You¡¯ve invited the Second Young Master of the Dark Shaman clan here; is he your trump card up your sleeve?¡±


    ¡°This issue is nothing but trivial to me; why should I need a trump card?¡± asked Tang Xiu rhetorically.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need any?¡± sneered Zhang Wendi. ¡°Your old man has come here today, yet he was also forced to leave frustrated. You think you¡¯re more powerful than him?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave out this nonsensical talk, shall we? It¡¯s useless,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Get the Zhang Family¡¯s Patriarch to get out to make his stance! I¡¯ll give you a chance; it¡¯s up to you to grab it or not.¡±


    ¡°Depending on your words?¡± sneered Zhang Wendi. ¡°You don¡¯t have the qualifications to make my grandfather see you.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment. He tossed down a cup of tea and indifferently said, ¡°So¡­ will your gramps immediately come out to see me if I kill you?¡±


    Whoosh¡­


    Jin Shi¡¯s figure instantly streaked lightning fast from the crowd afar, along with a glittering sword tip that straightly targeted Zhang Wendi¡¯s throat.


    ¡°Shitty bastard!¡±


    An aged and hoary voice sounded like a thunderclap as a decrepit old man appeared in front of Zhang Wendi in an instant. He grabbed a two-foot-long ax in his hand and formed a rumbling layer of ax shadows to fend off Jin Shi¡¯s sword strike.


    Bam¡­ puff¡­


    The decrepit old man abruptly staggered backward with his body shaken. Fortunately, Zhang Wendi¡¯s reaction was fast and supported his back instantly so that he didn¡¯t fling backward and fall. Yet, the old man still spurted out a mouthful of blood that made all the members of the Zhangs present especially looked grim.


    ¡°Carry on,¡± spoke Tang Xiu with a very calm voice.


    That old man raised his hand to wipe the blood off the corner of his mouth and shouted, ¡°Wait! There¡¯s something I want to say?¡±


    ¡°What do you wanna say?¡± asked Tang Xiu apathetically. ¡°Don¡¯t say that you wanna beg for mercy. It¡¯s just a waste of time and spits.¡±


    ¡°You want to see our Patriarch, so I¡¯ll immediately notice him see you,¡± said the old man in a deep voice, ¡°Let¡¯s not use force to solve the issues we can discuss at the negotiating table, shall we? Putting it bluntly, we all pursue profits and fortune, to begin with.¡±


    Tang Xiu observed him and smilingly said, ¡°You are afraid, aren¡¯t you old thing? It¡¯s no wonder, though. After all, you¡¯ve already broken through the barrier of martial art grandmaster and reached a higher realm, yet you can¡¯t even cope with fifty-plus percent of my man¡¯s strength. You got your blood running cold, don¡¯t you?

 Chapter 892 - Might Makes Right

    Chapter 892: Might Makes Right


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Humiliation could be seen in the old man¡¯s eyes and his face flushed red. He was a martial art grandmaster of his generation that even other martial art grandmasters had to be respectful of and reverent upon seeing him; yet, how could he even be taunted and sneered at by this young man?


    However, he was also aware that Tang Xiu was right. He indeed had his blood running cold, alarmed and afraid. It was because from the clash with that guy, whether it was strength or speed, that man was better than him. He wouldn¡¯t have believed that the guy was that strong had it not been the aching sensation of his internal organs and the uncomfortable feeling in his chest. It was impossible for that man to be this strong, even if he had been practicing since he was in his mother¡¯s womb.


    ¡°Who is he?¡± The old man deeply looked at Jin Shi before he turned his head and asked.


    ¡°Does it make sense to you to have such a question now?¡± asked Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°People said that powerful dragons can never suppress local snakes, but I never believed this false saying. Your Zhang Family is indeed very strong in Macao, but there¡¯s no need to exert all of my power to suppress you here.¡±


    Whoosh, whoosh¡­


    As his voice faded away, Jin Shi¡¯s figure flashed again and instantly stormed toward the old man. Xue Sha also followed suit as he appeared in front of Zhang Wendi instantly, along with a Mitsubishi army knife that appeared out of thin air in his hand, its tip slashed toward the latter¡¯s throat.


    ¡°STOP!¡±


    Two middle-aged men rushed out of the crowd, one of whom who dashed lightning fast to the front of Zhang; the other fended off Xue Sha from the side.


    Bam, bam, bam¡­


    The Zhangs¡¯ old man was barraged with dozens of punches and his old body was flung backwards like a fallen leaf. The two middle-aged men, however, all had fresh blood dripping from their shocking wounds all over their bodies. They had been barely able to avoid their vital parts from being injured while protecting Zhang Wendi.


    ¡°Alright; it¡¯s enough.¡±


    Tang Xiu took out a half-pack of cigarettes. He ignited one and threw the rest to Singluen. He came to the Zhangs this time to solve the problem, not for a massacre.


    Jin Shi no longer attacked and went straight behind Tang Xiu, whereas Xue Sha pursed his lips and seemed to be unsatisfied as he commented, ¡°Boss, let¡¯s just straightly exterminate all these rookies and annihilate the Zhangs directly. Besides, in the past, we often rooted out all sources of the problems.¡±


    ¡°Do your annihilation and rooting out desires abroad, but never make trouble for me at home,¡± said Tang Xiu with a cold face.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ got it, Boss,¡± replied Xue Sha with embarrassment as he shuffled back a few steps and no longer talked. Meanwhile, Jin Shi and the rest let out strange and awkward laughter towards him.


    Tang Xiu looked at Zhang Wendi who was ghastly pale and with fear on his face. He then said lightly, ¡°You see, one must have enough capital to act arrogantly. You act arrogant before me and so does your family, which is very stupid in my eyes. My father is a softhearted and kindhearted man since he doesn¡¯t want to lose all decency with your family. But I¡¯m different from him. You all just annoyed and provoked the hell out of me, while I only need a nod to annihilate your family thoroughly. Thus, I¡¯ll give you three minutes to make your Patriarch appear before me. If he doesn¡¯t come out within three minutes, then none of you should appear here.¡±


    Zhang Wendi glanced at the three elders of his family and finally realized how terrifying Tang Xiu was. He didn¡¯t even think as he shouted, ¡°I¡¯ll inform and ask my grandpa to come here!¡±


    ¡°No need.¡±


    Zhang Pinqin, who was surrounded by more than ten members of the Zhangs, entered the pavilion. His pupils suddenly shrunk when he had taken a clear look of the situation inside. He then strode quickly to the severely wounded old man, propping him up and asking, ¡°Are you alright, Second Brother?¡±


    The old man shook his head and forced a bitter smile, ¡°I¡¯m heavily injured, but its not fatal. They¡¯re too strong, Big Brother.¡±


    Zhang Pinqin turned to look at Tang Xiu and spoke in a heavy tone, ¡°You¡¯re Tang Xiu of the Tang Family, yes? Are you relying on your wealthy and powerful family to come here and bully my family?¡±


    ¡°You got that right!¡± said Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°I come to bully your Zhang Family, so what do you guys wanna do to me? I¡¯ll keep entertaining you if you wanna play around still.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Little did Zhang Pinqin expect that Tang Xiu was so arrogant. However, he knew the strength of his Second Brother and his two nephews, yet they had been badly injured just now, evidence that the opponent was much stronger.


    ¡°Don¡¯t use ¡®you¡¯ to me, will you?¡± said Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°If anything, I didn¡¯t have a plan to slaughter your Zhang Family during my visit here. Yet, you dared to threaten us, so I won¡¯t let this matter go. Now tell me, how does your family plan to pay the collateral?¡±


    ¡°You want me to pay compensation?¡± Zhang Pinqin was shaken inwardly as he asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, your family wants those two ports, but they are my father and Uncle Chen¡¯s industry,¡± sneered Tang Xiu grimly. ¡°Now think for yourself, aren¡¯t you, the Zhangs, quite unbridled here? You¡¯ve traumatized us, so isn¡¯t it proper to demand some compensation for the mental and spiritual damages?¡±


    Meanwhile, Chen Anhu, who had just been shocked by the fierce battle, now looked at Tang Xiu wearing an indifferent expression before him. Only then did he finally realize why his brother, Tang Yunde, wanted his son to come over. It was because there were a lot of powerhouses around his son!


    Yet, he also recalled how powerful the Zhangs in Macao were, so he finally began talking his piece with a bitter smile, ¡°You can spare the compensation for mental damages, Tang Xiu. We can let it go as long as they no longer have the thoughts to snatch those two ports.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± commented Tang Xiu with a faint smile that didn¡¯t quite seem like one.


    Zhang Pinqin, on the other hand, looked at the meek Kutu who was standing in silence nearby. He then spoke to him in a low voice, ¡°Kutu, my family is not only the only one who wants those two ports, but also your Dark Shaman clan. What¡¯s wrong with you now? They are now picking my family to bully us, yet you¡¯re just watching in silence like that?¡±


    Kutu glanced at Singluen and he let a hollow smile and said, ¡°Patriarch Zhang, we may be allies, but the Second Young Master of the clan is here, so I have no room to have any say.¡±


    The Second Young Master of the Dark Shaman clan? That Singluen?


    Zhang Pinqin glanced at the crowd and his eyes finally landed on the said guy.


    ¡°I¡¯m just a hatchet man hired by Mr. Tang Xiu now,¡± said Singluen apathetically. ¡°Whoever dares to cross him will have to face me. Your Zhang Family may have allied with the Dark Shaman clan, but you¡¯re not my ally. Therefore, I do hope that your family lowers your guard before me, or else¡­¡±


    ¡°You dare to go against your own Dark Shaman Patriarch, Singluen?¡± shouted Zhang Pinqin angrily.


    With that said, he grabbed his mobile phone to call the Patriarch of the Dark Shaman clan, Krida.


    ¡°Have you thought about it clearly, Patriarch Zhang?¡± interjected Tang Xiu with a faint smile. ¡°Once you call it out, it¡¯s tantamount to tear all the decorum with me. I don¡¯t know if your family can afford to bear the consequences.¡±


    Zhang Pinqin¡¯s expression turned stiff instantly and his fingers hung above the dial button. He eventually didn¡¯t press it and turned to look at Tang Xiu, speaking in a deep voice, ¡°You want my family to bow down to you, but that will have to wait until you can beat the most powerful expert of my family first. But I must tell you one thing in advance. The ancestor of the Zhangs has been living for 206 years and has reached the acme of perfection in his cultivation¡ªeven those the likes of martial art grandmasters are nothing but ants before him.¡±


    ¡°So, your family will comply with any condition I put forward if we can beat your ancestor then?¡± asked Tang Xiu smilingly.


    Disdain gleamed inside Zhang Pinqin¡¯s eyes as he proudly replied, ¡°That¡¯s right. If you can defeat the most powerful forefather of the Zhangs, my family will be univocally unhesitant to even cede our territory as compensation.¡±


    ¡°Big Brother!¡± the heavily injured old man hurriedly called out.


    Zhang Pinqin raised his hand and sneered, ¡°You need not say more. Our family may have our blood bleeding out and heads severed, but we will never be humiliated!¡±


    Clap, clap¡­


    Tang Xiu applauded and sighed. ¡°The Zhang Family¡¯s Patriarch is truly a brave man indeed. Alright then, I¡¯ll accept your condition to let your forefather appear! You can have my word that as long as we lose, not only will we immediately leave the House of Zhang, but we will also compensate you. Whether you want money or those two ports, we¡¯ll have them offered to you immediately.¡±


    At the side, Chen Anhu¡¯s expression drastically changed and he interjected quickly, ¡°Tang Xiu, this is¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and indifferently said, ¡°Uncle Chen, please let me handle this issue if you trust me. You¡¯re the brother of my father¡¯s and I¡¯ll never let you suffer any losses no matter what the outcome is.¡±


    Chen Anhu¡¯s complexion changed and he looked indignant as he retorted loudly, ¡°What the hell are you spitting out? I¡¯m your father¡¯s brother, so my things are also his. Do whatever you see fit since you¡¯ve made up your mind. Worse comes to worst, the compensation is nothing but those two ports.¡±


    Tang Xiu happily nodded at his response. He then looked at Mo Awu and said, ¡°You are to go on the stage to entertain him next.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± nodded Mo Awu respectfully.


    Ten minutes later, a bald old man in a white track suit came in from the outside. He had a thin stature, yet his eyes were full of spirit. His eyes fell on Mo Awu¡¯s group when he entered the pavilion.


    ¡°This is interesting. Truly interesting,¡± muttered the old man as he continued, ¡°It¡¯s been centuries without seeing an interesting event like this. I originally thought that nobody apart from those famous extraordinary people would dare to propose a fight with me in this world, so I never thought that I would actually run into some bold baby dolls today.¡±


    A smile climbed up the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth as he watched the old man and said, ¡°Well, well. I never thought that the ancestor of the Zhang Family would turn out to be endowed with extraordinary talent. To think that you¡¯ve ascended from the martial path into the Dao. You have even entered the Foundation Establishment Stage, the one with the highest achievement on the path of martial arts I¡¯ve encountered so far.¡±


    The old man¡¯s countenance became extraordinarily dignified. He looked at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°You also know the Foundation Establishment Stage? Who exactly are you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, please. Please don¡¯t put on such a strange face and remark just because you¡¯re ignorant, will you?¡± said Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°You just need to know that you gotta put a restraint on your family if you¡¯re defeated later¡ªdon¡¯t let them be frogs who only know to view the sky from the bottom of a well, yet still act domineering and arrogant.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I can¡¯t tell how powerful you are, but it¡¯s pointless trying to be a hero with your mouth,¡± snorted the old man coldly. ¡°Just bring it on and let me see your strength.¡±


    ¡°Just relying on you?¡± talked Tang Xiu back smilingly. ¡°You don¡¯t have the qualifications to make me show anything. Awu, entertain him.¡±


    Mo Awu strode forward and surged his aura out. He cupped his fist over and said, ¡°My Boss has commanded it, so I can¡¯t directly kill you. Then, I can only entertain you according to the rules of a sparring match. Old fellow, don¡¯t blame me for not reminding you. Give me everything you got, else you¡¯ll completely lose your prestige of having that old face if you lose.¡±

 Chapter 893 - You Wanna Send The Money Or Get Beaten?

    Chapter 893: You Wanna Send The Money Or Get Beaten?


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The eyes of Zhang Hongding, the ancestor of the Zhang, were blazing with anger. He could easily tell that Mo Awu erupted an aura that was stronger than what he could muster. The oppressive feeling brought by his momentum forced him to cast away his previous contempt.


    ¡°You must still hold the virtue of respecting the old and cherishing the young, young man.¡±


    As his voice faded away, he turned into a shadow and flashed towards Mo Awu with dozens of fist strikes that were swiftly delivered in just a second.


    BOOM¡­


    The dull clashes of punches made the majority of the onlookers slightly change in expression. Chen Anhu was the most shocked as he was once one of the top special commandos in China. He had gone through hails of bullets and storms of fire and water, blazing through the path of killings, encountering many experts an unknown number of times. Nevertheless, he had never encountered such terrible existences like these people; they were much more powerful than the martial art grandmasters he saw in movies.


    A few seconds later, Zhang Hongding staggered seven steps backwards with green veins protruding on his old face. His eyes gleamed with disbelief while the gray coat on his chest was torn, a mark of a palm clearly printed on his chest.


    Mo Awu retracted and composed his aura back while looking at Zhang Hongding contemptuously. He then came to Tang Xiu immediately and respectfully reported, ¡°This old guy has lost, Boss.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded with satisfaction and gently flicked his fingers. As Mo Awu retreated to the side, he calmly said, ¡°So, how was it? Do you think it¡¯s still necessary to go further than that?¡±


    Zhang Hongding shook his head with an astringent face. He just had a blow with Mo Awu. The clash had been only several seconds. The others might not be able to see the crux of the issue, but he was perfectly clear that he had lost¡ªand even badly at that. If Mo Awu just wanted to kill him, he would have had at least several chances to do so.


    ¡°I lost,¡± Zhang Hongding watched Mo Awu with a complex expression, then turned to Tang Xiu as he sighed, ¡°Sigh, this old man admits to have completely lost. Please state your purpose of coming to my Zhang House, young man!¡±


    Tang Xiu got up and clapped his hands, then smiled, ¡°You admit your defeat, so things will be much easier now. So, Patriarch Zhang, can I still count on your word?¡±


    There was shame in Zhang Pinqin¡¯s eyes when he coldly replied, ¡°Choosing to gamble means that I dare to pay the losses as well. State your conditions.¡±


    A cold expression covered Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he replied in a heavy voice, ¡°From now henceforth, the Zhangs are forbidden to have any thoughts on those ports. Additionally, you will transfer at least two other ports you own within three days to compensate the mental damages Uncle Chen has gone through.¡±


    ¡°You have my word,¡± replied Zhang Pinqin while clenching his fists.


    Tang Xiu scornfully sneered, ¡°I only will take two ports from you this time. But all of you Zhang guys had better remember my words. Ask me clearly first before you do your machinations involving the people I care about. I don¡¯t care if you provoke others, but if you do that to my people, then I¡¯ll destroy your whole family.¡±


    Just as his voice faded away, a surge of aura blasted out from him along with the appearance of a longsword in his hand, causing numerous people in the courtyard feel suffocated by the pressure. Tang Xiu brandished that sword toward the three-story European-styled pavilion in the north.


    The sword qi flashed unhindered with a rainbow-like sword beam.


    The stylish European-style pavilion instantly split in half before it rumbled and collapsed, sending a mist of dust into the air.


    Hiss¡­


    A cold gasp was let out by Zhang Hongding, the ancestor of the Zhangs. He shuddered violently while his eyes watched Tang Xiu with a look of fear.


    That aura¡­ and that strength¡­


    It was so obvious to him, making him realize that Tang Xiu¡¯s accomplishment in martial arts was at least several realms higher than his. This young man was highly likely to be a cultivator himself, even at least at the stage of Golden Core. It came to him that if it were Tang Xiu who clashed with him a while ago, a slap from him could have killed him easily.


    The shocks and horrified expressions of the Zhang Family¡¯s members made Tang Xiu feel satisfied as it meant that he had achieved his purpose to set up his might and prestige to them. Therefore, he didn¡¯t feel like staying any longer. He then looked at Kutu coming from Thailand and indifferently said, ¡°Go back to Thailand earlier and pass my message to your Dark Shaman Patriarch: ¡®I¡¯ll come to visit your clan a few days from now¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Despite being a powerful shaman, Kutu didn¡¯t dare to be disrespectful before Tang Xiu. The longsword Tang Xiu had just showcased sent a chill down his spine and he was perfectly aware that he was absolutely not Tang Xiu¡¯s opponent, not even his Patriarch.


    On the way back, Chen Anhu felt like he was dreaming. The difficult problem that had plagued his mind recently had been resolved by Tang Xiu so easily. More so that he never thought that he could even snatch two more ports from the Zhangs. It must be noted that those two ports occupied by the Zhangs were very good places which would be a great boon to expand the scale of his business and earn a fortune.


    ¡°By the way, Tang Xiu, can you tell me whether this Uncle Chen of yours can be as powerful as you?¡± Chen Anhu couldn¡¯t help but ask as he looked at Tang Xiu beside him who closed his eyes and didn¡¯t speak.


    ¡°If you were 20 years younger, maybe there would be hope for you, Uncle Chen,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and smilingly replied. ¡°But now there is not, though you can cultivate some cultivation techniques to strengthen your body and can prolong your lifespan. If you want it, I¡¯ll stay in your place for a day and impart you with something.¡±


    It was a happy surprise for Chen Anhu and he excitedly replied, ¡°Good, great! You¡¯re welcome to my place!¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled at his response and turned to look outside the window.


    Macao had a very good environment and he also liked it here, especially its sunny beach. It made him suddenly recall the dream he had of going to school and seeing the sunny beach on TV. It was a dream that he could play there someday.


    ¡®Haha, I was so na?ve back then, wasn¡¯t I¡­¡¯


    Tang Xiu inwardly laughed at himself. Just as he was about to retract his vision back, his expression suddenly changed and, in almost a flash, he pushed the door open and dashed out.


    ¡°Stop and park the car quickly!¡± Chen Anhu, who sat beside him, was like a blind man that was unable to react, and instantly shouted when he saw the seat next to him became empty and he looked at the door that opened and closed. His anxiousness shot up to the roof.


    He truly couldn¡¯t figure why Tang Xiu was looking for his own death. What exactly happened? The car was travelling at least at 100 km/hour, yet he just dashed out like that?


    Creak¡­


    The car braked and stopped at the roadside quickly as Chen Anhu hastily leaned to the seat Tang Xiu just sat in and looked out the window. But he was dumbfounded when he saw Tang Xiu dashing like he was flying towards the beach not far away. He was just like those kung fu masters in the martial world in the movies.


    ¡®Over there?¡¯


    About two kilometers away were more than ten young people in outlandish attire surrounding two young men in the middle. The duo had bloody noses and swollen faces with bloodstains on the corners of their mouths. It was obvious that they had been badly beaten. The duo was Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong who had just come to Macao for a fun trip.


    ¡°Call and fucking ask your family to prepare the money. 100,000 yuan and not a penny less; otherwise, this Big Daddy will take your limbs off,¡± loudly shouted the red bleached-hair youth with earrings and a needle piercing the corner of his lips. He was remarkably like the stereotype of a delinquent gangster with his baseball bat arrogantly pointed at the duo.


    ¡°Puah¡­¡±


    Hu Qingsong spat out a mouthful of blood and saliva. He ferociously glared at the red-haired youth and growled, ¡°I got no money and only one life. Just chop my fucking limbs off if you got balls!¡±


    Yue Kai struggled to get up from the ground and grabbed Hu Qingsong¡¯s arm. He hurriedly called out, ¡°Don¡¯t show off, Old Hu. And you, Big Bro, we were in the wrong and we admit that, but we didn¡¯t know that those two belles were yours. 100,000 yuan is way too much for us. Let alone us alone, but even our families are probably unable to afford it. Do you see this? I got 50,000 yuan here and we¡¯ll immediately make a phone call and try our best to immediately give you the rest of the 50,000 soon.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Yue Kai, why did you have to bow down to this bunch of punks?¡± scowled Hu Qingsong, ¡°They just messed with this Daddy, yet you wanna fucking drag me from paying it back¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you finished yet?¡± interrupted Yue Kai as he angrily shouted back, ¡°A man knows better than to fight if the odds are against him. Don¡¯t you get it? They can fight even though they only have a few people. If you can fuck all of them up, then keep showing off. But if not, then shut up!¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Hu Qingsong opened his mouth but eventually flung his face to the side.


    He was good at brawling himself and a few ruffians were usually not his match. But this time, he was hitting a solid iron board. These guys obviously practiced martial arts. They may be dressed up outlandishly, yet they were good at punching and kicking. At the very least, he didn¡¯t have the confidence to knock one of them if he were to fight all of them alone.


    While enduring aches all over his body, Yue Kai grabbed his mobile phone and thought for a second before he found a number and dialed it.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    A ringtone of a mobile sounded, making Yue Kai blank out because the sound came from someone¡¯s handset nearby. He thought that it was a coincidence and turned his head to look towards the direction of the ringing phone, only to have disbelief cover his bloody nose and a swollen face.


    ¡°Tang¡­ Big Bro Tang?¡± Yue Kai rubbed his eyes hard and thought that he was just seeing things.


    Tang Xiu was standing several meters away from the group of people, already had taken out a cigarette and lit it up. He had fully heard all the threats toward Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong from these people. When everyone¡¯s attention was garnered at him, Tang Xiu slowly walked over and witnessed his two buddies with bruised faces and blood on the corner of their mouths. It made him angry, yet his face didn¡¯t flinch at all and remained smiling.


    ¡°You two got some fun time, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    After determining that the one who came was truly Tang Xiu, Yue Kai finally called out ecstatically, ¡°Boss Tang! How are you here?¡±


    ¡°You came here yourself, so why can¡¯t I be here?¡± replied Tang Xiu. ¡°Anyway, what happened to you? Are you two coming here to play, or did you just get kidnapped or something?¡±


    Meanwhile, Hu Qingsong looked embarrassed after seeing clearly that it was Tang Xiu. With eyes full of shame, he wished that could find a burrow to bury himself into. His lips squirmed a few times upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s inquiry, but he bit the bullet and said, ¡°We made a trip to have some fun here, Big Bro Tang, yet we got set up by this bunch of wretched punks!¡±


    ¡°So, tell me then. How did they set you up?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    The red-haired youth raised the baseball bat in his hand and pointed it at Tang Xiu while strangely smirking, ¡°Wow, Big Bro, Boss Tang, huh? You turn out to be the Big Bro of these two boys? Did you come here to send the money, or do you wanna get beaten together with them?

 Chapter 894 - This Guy Is Really Cool And Handsome

    Chapter 894: This Guy Is Really Cool And Handsome


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu watched the red-haired youth with a strange expression. As he smirked with a sneer and was about to speak, he suddenly noticed that two belles wearing bikinis and sunglasses came over. They had good stature and had fine skin. He even noticed Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong gulp down at the same time at the sight of them.


    ¡®What a bunch of immature brats!¡¯


    Tang Xiu was a bit at a loss whether he had to laugh or cry and asked them, ¡°You two couldn¡¯t be thinking to bounce up some fairies to heaven here, could you?¡±


    Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong instantly blushed at the same time.


    When the red-haired youth saw Tang Xiu ignore him, he suddenly yelled angrily, ¡°Hey you, PUNK! You¡¯re crazy enough, aren¡¯t you? This Big Daddy is talking with you, yet you feign madness before me?¡±


    Tang Xiu knitted his brows and said, ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn if you are annoying the hell out of others, but these guys are my buddies. You just put them in this state, so we have an account to deal with here. Do you think I¡¯m crazy and feigning madness? You¡¯ll know about it right away.¡±


    With that said, Tang Xiu raced to the front of the red-haired youth and fiercely slapped him. He then pulled him from the ground and looked at the other dozen youths who wanted to storm over at him as he shouted with a heavy voice, ¡°Think clearly boys. Fight me, and the consequences you¡¯ll experience will be very serious.¡±


    That stylish imposing manner immediately overwhelmed the onlookers!


    More than ten youths who wanted to gang up on him had a slight change in expression. They were not with many connections and were without any sound background, yet they still could tell that Tang Xiu might be not ordinary given his imposing manner.


    ¡°Whoops, who¡¯s this handsome guy?¡±


    ¡°So cool! I¡¯ll definitely accept if he¡¯s the one who pursues me!¡±


    The two girls in bikinis now clearly discerned that Tang Xiu was handsome and called out grinningly¡ªone was even quite bold and had a thick face as she came to Tang Xiu to pinch his arm.


    Pa! Pa!


    Tang Xiu directly slapped their faces, slumping them down on the beach before he coldly snorted at them, ¡°You two are the sluts who have made these two brothers of mine get beaten. This will be the lesson for you two to not play the trick of the thorny rose in order to get laid.¡±


    The red-haired youth struggled to climb up from the sandy beach and glared at Tang Xiu incredulously. With blazing anger, he burst out all the vexation inside his chest, ¡°Are you all fucking stupid? BEAT HIM TO DEATH!¡±


    Over a hundred meters away from them.


    Mo Awu and the rest were bolting toward them. In just a few seconds, they had sprinted to a position nearby Tang Xiu and, right at the moment these ruffians stormed at Tang Xiu, Mo Awu¡¯s group straightly acted, sending barrages of punches and kicks to beat dozens of them.


    ¡°Gulp¡­¡±


    Once the stalwart men appeared with powerful kung fu, only then did the red-haired youth realize that they seemed to have provoked powerful people.


    He had been a martial artist himself. More so that he had been practicing the True Spirit Martial School for about ten years. Ordinary groups of even five strong young men were not his opponents at all, while all the brothers around him were also his comrades who had been practicing kung fu at the same school for five-plus years. They usually had it easy in facing against two or three people; yet, more than ten of them had all been beaten in less than ten seconds, indicating that these big men were really powerful.


    ¡°You¡­ who are you exactly?¡±


    The red-haired youth paced back a few steps and asked vigilantly.


    Tang Xiu ignored him and looked at Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong instead as he asked them, ¡°Now tell me, both of you. What do you wanna do to these punks? Do you wanna make them disabled or straightly make them scram?¡±


    ¡°Give ¡¯em a beating to vent our anger,¡± said Yue Kai loudly.


    Hu Qingsong¡¯s expression, however, was a bit strange. He was silent for several seconds before he held Yue Kai and shook his head, ¡°Just let them scram! It¡¯s indeed our fault for being careless and falling for their shitty trick this time. I¡¯ll remember today¡¯s lesson and will be more careful in the future.¡±


    ¡°They are nothing but some rabbles, Yue Kai,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°No need to stoop down to their stupidity for you either. If you¡¯re still irate with them, then beat them if you want. I and my men will break their limbs if any of them dares to fight back.¡±


    Yue Kai hesitated for a moment and looked at Hu Qingsong. Then he shook his head and let out a dry smile, ¡°Forget it then, man. They are just rabbles like you said and I¡¯m too lazy to give a shit about them. Old Hu is right in any case. I won¡¯t let any thoughts of getting laid cloud my judgement whenever I bump into this kind of situation again in the future.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded at his response with a smile. He then glanced at the crowd and said, ¡°You all heard them. Do you still want the money then?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s our fault.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no. How dare we ask for that?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll scram at once.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    More than ten of the badly beaten bludgers struggled to crawl up from the ground and ran toward the distance while replying, including the red-haired youth who also ran for tens of meters. When he felt that Tang Xiu¡¯s group wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up, however, he halted and turned around, shouting, ¡°Just you wait for me! I¡¯m not a man if I don¡¯t pay this back. I¡¯ll make you look great sooner or later!¡±


    Mo Awu¡¯s expression changed and he was about to immediately chase him.


    Tang Xiu reached out to stop him and smilingly said, ¡°They are just children. Speaking so fierce just to save face after experiencing a substantial loss. Let them scram and ignore them.¡±


    Mo Awu nodded.


    The two girls who had been slapped by Tang Xiu, however, didn¡¯t run away like those young rabbles at the moment, nor did they look angry. What was strange from their actions was that they only looked surprised as the got up from the ground and just stood about seven-plus meters away, watching Tang Xiu as though they were looking at a rare, exotic animal.


    ¡°Hey, you two. If you don¡¯t learn well while you¡¯re still young, you¡¯ll just become the parasite of the society later. Scram from this place and do think carefully to not walk further on the wrong road, will you?¡± reproved Tang Xiu at the two girls while pulling Hu Qingsong and Yue Kai to leave.


    The two belles on the beach watched Tang Xiu¡¯s back as he left. Suddenly, one of them called out loudly, ¡°Hey, handsome, what¡¯s your name and do you have a girlfriend?¡±


    Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t get the answer she wanted, yet they didn¡¯t leave until Tang Xiu and the rest had disappeared on the distant road.


    ¡°Yueyue, he¡¯s a real, cool guy. You know, I¡¯m gonna clear things up with Red Hair immediately after I get back. I¡¯ll definitely draw a clear line with him in the future. You see¡­ I¡­ I gotta set my sight on the journey of finding my love. I¡¯m gonna chase up that cool, handsome fella,¡± vowed the taller girl while clenching her small fists.


    The girl called Yueyue, replied, ¡°I¡¯m going with you, so let¡¯s have a fair match, shall we? We¡¯ll see whose skirt that cool and handsome fella will fall under.¡±


    ¡°Deal!¡±


    Shortly after, the two belles let out happy laughter on the beach as they quickly strode towards the two luxurious supercars in the distant parking lot.


    On the far side of the road, Chen Anhu watched the group of people returning back. His eyes fell on the swollen faces of Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong who got badly beaten. Then he looked at Tang Xiu as he strode forward towards him and said unhappily, ¡°Your action was way too rash, Tang Xiu! You know the car was speeding at 100 km/hour, yet you still dashed out. What would I do if you got injured?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Uncle Chen,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly, ¡°It¡¯s just that I suddenly saw these two brothers of mine getting bullied, so I couldn¡¯t¡¯ resist rushing over. Yue Kai, Old Hu, this is Uncle Chen, the Big Boss of the Dingfeng Group in Macao.¡±


    ¡°How do you do, Uncle Chen. I¡¯m Yue Kai,¡± greeted Yue Kai politely.


    ¡°How do you do, Uncle Chen. I¡¯m Hu Qingsong,¡± said Hu Qingsong.


    Chen Anhu nodded at their greetings. With his eyesight, he could see that both of them were just ordinary people. They shouldn¡¯t be people who had practiced martial arts. However, their attire indicated that they were not children of poor families, even though their clothes were not branded ones.


    ¡°Hello, you two!¡± nodded Chen Anhu, smiling. ¡°So, you two clashed with some people? Do you want me to send some people to teach those kids a lesson?¡±


    ¡°Thanks for your kindness, but no thanks, Uncle Chen,¡± Hu Qingsong shook his head and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to teach them. Big Bro Tang and his men have already taught them by beating them intensely, so we¡¯ve already vented out our vexed feelings.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great then. Feel free to find me if you got some problems later, though,¡± said Chen Anhu smilingly.


    Tang Xiu patted their shoulders and smilingly said, ¡°Well, since you both already made a trip to Macao, just have some fun here, got it? Though I want you two to behave for at least two days since you guys got injured. Wanna head over and stay in Uncle Chen¡¯s place with me?¡±


    Yue Kai exchanged glances with Hu Qingsong as the latter shook his head and said, ¡°No, we¡¯re not going to disturb Uncle Chen. But we¡¯ll visit your home after we get better, though. Anyway, Big Bro Tang, what¡¯s your next plan? You got some time to spare to have some fun with us?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯ll only stay in Macao until tomorrow and will leave for Thailand the day after. That¡¯s right, if that bunch of people get you in trouble again after I leave, you can directly contact Uncle Chen and he¡¯ll help you deal with it.¡±


    ¡°Got it! (No problem!)¡± nodded the duo.


    Island Palace Garden, Villa A-058 in Tangxia District.


    As the motorcade of off-road cars parked outside the villa¡¯s entrance, Tang Yunde, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately rushed out and asked with concern, ¡°How was it? Has the problem with the Zhangs been solved already?¡±


    Chen Anhu happily nodded and praised, ¡°Brother Yunde, I finally get why you said that now. Looking for Tang Xiu for help was absolutely correct! There have been only a few I admire in this life, and I gotta add one more to the list: Tang Xiu.¡±


    ¡°Ehh?¡± Tang Yunde couldn¡¯t help but chuckle and responded, ¡°What exactly did he do? To think that he¡¯s worthy of such high praise from you.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t see it for yourself!¡± exclaimed Chen Anhu. ¡°Tang Xiu not only has so many powerful men under him, but his own combat force is also astonishing. People said a powerful dragon can never suppress a local snake, but I saw a major drama subvert that saying. A powerful dragon does have the power to suppress a local snake until it cannot lift its head up high. Well, we¡¯ve got our problems dealt with now. Even made a huge profit.¡±


    ¡°Huge profit?¡± asked Tang Yunde with a strange expression, ¡°What exactly did we profit from?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll let Tang Xiu tell you that!¡± said Chen Anhu with a smile. ¡°You¡¯ll definitely be ecstatic after you hear it, though. Anyway, let¡¯s go and talk inside, shall we?¡±


    Tang Yunde looked at Tang Xiu with satisfaction before he nodded and took the lead to briskly stride into the villa.

 Chapter 895 - You’ll Never Suffer A Loss For Calling Me A Brother

    Chapter 895: You¡¯ll Never Suffer A Loss For Calling Me A Brother


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The beautiful sunshine bestowed its brightness on the Earth amid the blooming beautiful purple and red flowers, adorning the villas and courtyard in a beautiful and picturesque scene. Tang Xiu was calmly sitting on the stone bench in the courtyard while holding a book, yet he didn¡¯t have any thoughts to read it. He just received sudden news that made him put his plan leaving for Thailand on hold temporarily.


    ¡°We can only wait more time, Mr. Tang,¡± said Singluen with a helpless expression, though with a bit of regret in his eyes while he sat across Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu nodded without a word and didn¡¯t speak for a long while. Then, he remarked, ¡°Well, since your Big Brother is in Europe for some time, we¡¯ll talk about it again later then! Just keep an eye on the situation over there. Once you get a message that he has returned to Thailand, do inform me immediately.¡±


    ¡°You can rest assured about that. I¡¯ll send some people to keep an eye on him,¡± said Singluen. ¡°Also, about our deal¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you in Shanghai three days from now,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°As long as you bring me a batch of Sorcerer Stones, I¡¯ll give you the medicinal pill. Singluen, we did have some conflicts before, but I shall let bygones be bygones and I hope you also do the same.I really hope that we can become friends and not enemies in the future.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Mr. Tang,¡± said Singluen solemnly, ¡°Although there¡¯s a mutually beneficial relationship between us, I dare not provoke you and I can¡¯t afford to. I also know that it¡¯s better to be friends with powerhouses rather than becoming their enemies, to begin with. I¡¯ll also never do anything unfair to you in my life as long as you don¡¯t harm me either.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold onto your words. You can go,¡± said Tang Xiu with satisfaction.


    Singluen didn¡¯t stay any longer and left under Tang Xiu¡¯s watchful gaze. He knew that he had encountered a huge opportunity due to the jade rat. He wanted to seize it and thus, he must hurry to go back to figure out the whereabouts of his brother and try his best to help Tang Xiu get the jade pig.


    The zodiac jade carvings may bring about good effects for him, yet the gap between it with the miraculous elixir was like a chasm. He wanted to get a lot of medicinal pills. He wanted to be a genuine powerhouse, and hoped that he could use that miraculous elixir to cultivate a large number of experts. At least, they must be at the level of Tang Xiu¡¯s men who had powerfully crushed even the renowned Zhang Family in Macao and frightened them.


    ****


    Inside the compound, Tang Xiu was watching Chen Anhu who was now cultivating in accordance to the cultivation route he had taught him. While looking at him, however, he secretly sighed inwardly. As a matter of fact, he had actually helped Chen Anhu to embark on the path of cultivation, yet the path to immortality was fraught with dangers. One might even lose their souls and be consigned to eternal damnation once they failed.


    As for the present¡­ he had imparted cultivation technique to his parents, as well as several core members of the Tang Family. Even then, he didn¡¯t have much hope for these people either. After all, cultivating on the path to immortality was not something that could be achieved overnight. Whether they could have great accomplishments, or whether they could ascend to the Immortal World in the future, everyone could only rely on themselves alone.


    ¡°Are you thinking about something, Xiu¡¯er?¡±


    Tang Yunde, who came inside from the outside, accidentally found himself walking in front of his son. He hadn¡¯t even noticed it.


    Tang Xiu came back to his senses and smilingly said, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been in thought about something, Dad. Anyway, what¡¯s up? Are you busy with something?¡±


    ¡°Sure. I do have something to be busy with,¡± said Tang Yunde with a chuckle. ¡°I just looked at the financial statements of the company in Macao and kinda learned about some business of the company here. In fact, it¡¯s your Uncle Chen who¡¯s the real busy man. That reminds me, though. What¡¯s up with him now? He also wants to follow your path and cultivate now?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Chen is no longer suitable to walk on the cultivation path, Dad,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°At least not for now. I did teach him some physical exercises to keep his body healthy and to prolong his lifespan, giving him the taste of cultivation first.¡±


    ¡°Everyone wishes to obtain the fate of becoming immortal, yet how would such a path be easy to traverse? Otherwise, there would be tons of cultivators in this world, so not as scarce as it is now. That¡¯s right, have you dealt with your business here in Macao? What¡¯s your next plan, continue on to Thailand?¡±


    ¡°Nah, Singluen just told me that his brother just left for Europe, so I won¡¯t set off to Thailand for the time being¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m planning to go back to the mainland tomorrow to deal with some important issues.¡±


    Tang Yunde produced a wry smile, ¡°I really felt that I¡¯ve become more and more useless when compared to you, son. But you¡¯re still young, so don¡¯t work too hard. Money has no bounds and struggle is a never-ending phenomenon. As for your cultivation, you should also relax a bit and slowly progress forward. I just wanna say that you also need a good rest, to have a love life, and enjoy your time. Besides, your mother is looking forward to holding her grandchildren.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m only 21 now, Dad, so there¡¯s no rush about that,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Besides, being young means that I am full of energy to work hard and struggle more! My path is already fated and I¡¯m already destined to be very different from others. I will fall into difficulties in the future if I¡¯m not working hard now.¡±


    Tang Yunde fell into silence for a while. Then he seriously asked, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, can you tell me what your ultimate dream is? I always watch you struggle and go all out; what is it for?¡±


    Tang Xiu stood up and pointed to the vast expanse of the sky, ¡°The goal of the first phase is to break the shackles of the sky above my head and ascend to a higher plane. As for the future, I¡¯ll become an eagle that flies in the sky or a fish that traverses the bottom of the ocean¡ªone who struggles to compete with myriads of others to break free from the frozen sky¡ªone who upsets the lonely corridor that presides over mother earth and becomes a sovereign who oversees the ups and downs in life.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Tang Yunde stared at him with a dull face. He opened his mouth, yet swallowed back all the words he was about to say. His son¡¯s remarks made him realize that his son¡¯s ambitions and heart were so big that he dared not imagine them.


    Tang Xiu produced a faint smile and looked at Tang Yunde. Then, he suddenly said, ¡°Father, I just changed my mind. I¡¯m going back to the mainland now and won¡¯t waste my time here. I¡¯ll make a trip back right away. Ah, that¡¯s right, when will you go back?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to stay here for a while. I¡¯ll be going back after settling all the issues with the ports,¡± answered Tang Yunde.


    Tang Xiu nodded at his answer and shouted in a deep voice, ¡°Gu Tao, Zhang Jue! You both will protect my father¡¯s safety for some time. I¡¯ll arrange some others to take over your duty once I get back.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Gu Tao and Zhang Jue appeared outside the courtyard¡¯s gate and respectfully replied.


    ****


    As dusk came, Tang Xiu had already returned to Shanghai. The first person he contacted was Xue Yu and learned that she was currently in the Xichang Province. He immediately caught up with her along with Mo Awu, Jin Shi, Xue Sha, and Hei Xiong. It was already ten at night when he arrived there.


    Chang City was the capital of the Xichang Province in the western region. It had been rapidly developing in recent years and was now ranked as a second-tier city in China. In the center of its downtown area was Bayi Square, which contained high-rise buildings accompanied by upscale commercial establishments. Here, the Chang City Hotel Hotel was located.


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡±


    At the entrance of the hotel, Xue Yu in her usual long white dress saw Tang Xiu get out of the car in front of her. Happiness was evident on her face because they had not seen each other for a while since she was in another region while having nothing much to do, whereas Tang Xiu was always busy elsewhere.


    Tang Xiu let out a light smile and came to hug her. Then, he smiled and asked, ¡°What kind of busy work do you got going on here?¡±


    ¡°Well, it was the idea you told me before,¡± said Xue Yu with a smile. ¡°I felt that it was easy to do, so I did it. Well, I now got jades and antiques apart from medicinal materials. And the company I just registered is kinda growing very fast and is quite profitable from the business.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay doing business, but don¡¯t forget to cultivate. Don¡¯t make it delay your progress,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°The path we¡¯ll be walking on in the future is destined to be different from ordinary people.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± replied Xue Yu with a smile.


    Tang Xiu nodded and asked, ¡°Alright, shall we go now? Let¡¯s take a rest here today and we¡¯ll head to Longquan Bay in Kanas tomorrow morning at once. We¡¯re going to open the Immortal Trove there early to see what¡¯s stored inside.¡±


    Xue Yu looked hesitant and asked, ¡°Can we stay a day more? I need to tend to some more things here. I already invited some guests that will arrive in Chang City tomorrow afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Who are they?¡± asked Tang Xiu, surprised.


    ¡°There are two of them, one of whom is an herbalist, while the other one is a Dragon Vein specialist,¡± explained Xue Yu. ¡°Both of them are not ordinary people and I just got acquainted with them through the elder of my family when I returned to the village. The elder said that if I get the help of these two people, it would equal to having two right arms for me in the future.¡±


    ¡°I know an herbalist is someone who makes a living by gathering medicinal herbs in the mountains, but what is a Dragon Vein specialist exactly? I never heard of it before?¡± asked Tang Xiu with confusion.


    Xue Yu grabbed his arm and entered the elevator under the countless envious gazes of people in the surroundings. The former then said, ¡°A Dragon Vein specialist is actually a kind of Feng Shui expert, just with a specialty to look for the earth vein which is called Dragon Vein. These kind of people are very proficient in Feng Shui and what they are best at is finding and prospecting mineral deposits. Rumors have it that this Dragon Vein specialist has made sensational feats, though I can¡¯t tell you about it specifically now. Besides, you¡¯re going to see him anyway.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s good at finding minerals, you said?¡± asked Tang Xiu with raised brows.


    ¡°Of course!¡± affirmed Xue Yu. ¡°Besides, he seems to be a world-renowned geologist as well.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll stay a day more and will meet him tomorrow then.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s not talk about this. How have you been all this while? You¡¯re not tired after running about everywhere?¡±


    A smile covered Xue Yu¡¯s face and she replied, ¡°I¡¯m not, but I often think that I don¡¯t have sufficient funds, though. It¡¯s been kinda limiting my moves.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh and said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me if you¡¯re short on money? Your man may be lacking many things, but money isn¡¯t one of them. Alright, I¡¯ll transfer one billion yuan to you later. Just tell me if it¡¯s not enough.¡±


    ¡°Pfft, hehe¡­¡±


    Amid the wake of their simmering laughter, a discordant voice suddenly sounded in the elevator, ¡°I¡¯ve seen people bragging so amazingly, yet never once have I seen one that blows it up to this height. A billion, huh? Why don¡¯t you say 10 billion outright?¡±


    Tang Xiu and Xue Yu exchanged glances as the duo gazed at the only outsider in the elevator at the same time. It was a young man in a suit and tie, clamped with a briefcase beside his elbow. He had just sneered at them.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name, buddy?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    The young man rolled his eyes, showing that he didn¡¯t feel like answering. His eyes, however, swept over the fine skin on Xue Yu¡¯s neck and her face before he finally spoke to her, ¡°Name is Wu Mingkun; I should be a few years older than you. You won¡¯t suffer a loss if you call me a brother.¡±


    Tang Xiu broke into laughter and didn¡¯t talk to Wu Mingkun again. When the elevator reached the fourth floor, Xue Yu pulled him out of the elevator and they passed through a long corridor before entering a deluxe room.


    ¡°I know that young man, Tang Xiu. He¡¯s a very persistent salesman and he seems to be coming to this hotel to pester a business owner here every day. It seems like he wants to discuss some big deals or something,¡± said Xue Yu smilingly while taking off Tang Xiu¡¯s coat gently.


    Note:


    Wu Mingkun here means a man who wins a female heart, a kind of sarcastic reply from the character, not truly his name

 Chapter 896 - Inborn Rebellious Nature

    Chapter 896: Inborn Rebellious Nature


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu comfortably sat on the couch while a smile appeared on the corners of his mouth, ¡°You look a bit interested in that youth?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the course of his life is very interesting indeed,¡± replied Xue Yue with a smile.


    ¡°It is indeed,¡± consented Tang Xiu. ¡°He has an innate rebellious nature; one who goes against the mainstream and has a rough path ahead, though he could become someone powerful in the future if he doesn¡¯t die midway his journey.¡±


    ¡°No, he only has seven days to live.¡± Xue Yu shook his head.


    ¡°You¡¯re practicing divination now?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised.


    ¡°Yeah, I always practice it whenever I have nothing to do,¡± replied Xue Yu smilingly. ¡°What¡¯s ridiculous is that he got into a recent disaster exactly because of his mouth.¡±


    ¡°Silence is golden for many people and one will probably be in trouble if they can¡¯t control their mouth indeed,¡± sighed Tang Xiu. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s forget it and don¡¯t talk about him. Tell me how the progress of your research on the Six Starlight Array is going? Are you confident in cracking it by yourself?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Xue Yu shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t think I can comprehend more than 20% of the Six Starlight Array yet, though I¡¯m confident that we can get that Immortal Trove if we come straight to Longquan Bay in Kanas.¡±


    ¡°Why so?¡± asked Tang Xiu in astonishment.


    ¡°I have confidence because of you.¡± Xue Yue chuckled, ¡°I know you. You¡¯ll never waste your time in going to Kanas if you don¡¯t have enough confidence, no? So, what about you? Have you completely comprehended the Six Starlight Array?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not 100% sure either.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°I must go there to observe it on the spot again and get more insight. If I get some good luck, then we can open that Immortal Trove to seize what¡¯s stored inside.¡±


    ¡°Well, I did some divination to calculate my chance after you called me yesterday,¡± said Xue Yu with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s just the outcome is the same for me, while I can¡¯t calculate yours.¡±


    ¡°Then it doesn¡¯t matter if you can¡¯t figure it out!¡± Tang Xiu laughed and said, ¡°It¡¯s great if we can get something from the Immortal Trove, but it¡¯s also okay if we get nothing as well. By the way, come with me to a certain place after the trip to Kanas. All of us may have to live for a long time to cultivate there later.¡±


    ¡°Where to?¡± asked Xue Yu curiously.


    ¡°Nine Dragons Island,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    Xue Yu¡¯s eyes lit up and she quickly asked, ¡°Is that the place the Ancestress has always been wanting to live in seclusion? That island you bought overseas?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s there,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°The construction project of Nine Dragons Island was originally scheduled to finish in early June, but it¡¯s been delayed due to some circumstances. At present, though, it will soon be finished and we can settle there within two months.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going with you then.¡± Xue Yue nodded.


    ****


    On the fifth floor of the Chang City Hotel, inside the corridor with red carpet, Li Qiang was leaning on the corridor wall with eyes staring at the door of the room in the front. This was the ninth time he came here, waiting for the owner of the machinery factory to sell the mechanical parts produced by his company. It could be said he had racked his brain about the issue.


    ¡®I¡¯m still lacking 90,000 yuan. I can collect enough money as long as I close this deal. I¡¯m gonna kick out that squid bastardly manager of the company then.¡¯


    Li Qiang recalled the shameless face of his company¡¯s Sales Department Manager with disgust. He had made eight Sales Manager get fired in the last few years; each time before he got them kicked out, he was able to earn a lump sum of money before they left. Unfortunately, his family was a bottomless pit and spent hundreds of thousands of yuan for medical expenses every year, causing him to live in dire straits.


    Suddenly, he remembered the guy he just met in the elevator. He was aware of what the concept of a billion yuan meant. Those who could throw that amount of money easily¡ªwhich one of them was not some big personage in the business world? Yet, that brat¡­


    ¡®It¡¯s really a pity for that belle, though. How come she found such an unreliable guy. Alas, this handsome dude already has his owner, otherwise, I could have given that belle a good future.¡¯


    Li Qiang smiled and laughed at himself. The thoughts then flashed by when he saw that the door of the room in front was opened. Two alluring women with long legs and slender, guitar-like waists came out of it, while the machinery factory owner, who he had been pestering in the last nine days, also came out with a flushed face.


    ¡°Hello, Boss Huang.¡± Li Qiang hurriedly greeted him.


    The red-faced Boss Huang had his smile froze all of a sudden after seeing Li Qiang. It only took him two seconds to slam the door and close it from the inside.


    Bam¡­


    Li Qiang stared at the shut door, choking with vexation inwardly.


    The two females, however, grinningly halted their pace and looked at Li Qiang whose face unceasingly changed expressions. One of them then suddenly spoke with a grin, ¡°Hey, handsome! You want this Sister to accompany you? You¡¯ll get me at an absolutely fair price. You¡¯ll also get absolutely better services than we gave Boss Huang.¡±


    ¡°Scram!¡± shouted Li Qiang after he gasped for breath quickly and stepped back to lean on the wall.


    The woman angrily glared at him and turned around while cursing, ¡°Nothing but a destitute ghost, huh? What the hell are you pretending about with that fucking fancy suit? Rich men roll up the bedsheets with women on the bed, while poor men can¡¯t help but be anxious and be unable to do shit outside. Come on, let¡¯s get the hell out of here. He¡¯s just bad luck. I thought I could do more business.¡±


    A poor ghost, she said?


    Li Qiang was deeply irritated and agitated by her remarks and watched the two women¡¯s swaying waists and bottoms leave as he punched the empty air. He liked beautiful women, yet he also had his bottom line. It was enough for him to have a love life and find himself a woman, get married once, and be firm and secure together with her for a lifetime.


    ¡®Looking for women and waste my money with prostitutes like you, hmph ? If had the money, I might as well buy some boxes of my wife¡¯s medication and buy her some delicious food!¡¯


    Creak¡­


    The door of the room across him opened again. Boss Huang reappeared in front of Li Qiang again with a gloomy face. He now had a cigarette that had just been lit in his fingertips and said, ¡°Come in.¡±


    Li Qiang looked happy and hurriedly entered and shut the door from the inside. After closing it, he looked at the toilet paper scattered on the floor and felt like vomiting.


    ¡°Help me clean up the room.¡±


    Boss Huan turned around walked into the bathroom. Soon after, the sound of the shower running came from the inside.


    Li Qiang raised his fists to the bathroom¡¯s door, but he still swiftly moved to pick up the toilet paper on the floor and threw them into the trash can. After he was done cleaning the room, he even made the bed. Then, he walked to the corner and took a seat, waiting for Boss Huang to come out.


    Half an hour passed by, and finally, Boss Huang came out of the bathroom with his waist wrapped in a bath towel. He then looked around the room and said with satisfaction, ¡°Not bad. It¡¯s already been cleaned up well.¡±


    Li Qiang got up and obsequiously smiled, ¡°Being able to serve you is my pleasure, Boss Huang. I¡¯ve been wishing to help you clean up every day!¡±


    ¡°All you salesmen really have quite the silver tongue, very eloquent.¡± Boss Huang smiled, ¡°I asked you to come in, not to have a business chat with you, though. It¡¯s mainly for some other reasons.¡±


    Li Qiang¡¯s expression slightly changed, yet he still replied politely, ¡°Please say what you want to say, Boss Huang.¡±


    Boss Huang went to the couch and took a seat. He then shot a deep look at Li Qiang and said, ¡°You also know that I¡¯m in the mechanical part business, right? Are you interested in working for my company?¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡± Li Qiang was caught off guard by his question. He hesitated for a moment before he said with a smile, ¡°Having myself to be noticed by you is kind of an honor for me, Boss Huang, but I have some difficulties and have no way to leave my current employer.¡±


    ¡°Is it because of your contract with your company?¡± asked Boss Huang with raised brows.


    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± Li Qiang shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m short on money and in urgent need to pay something. It¡¯s only half a month before next month¡¯s pay and commission. If I can¡¯t get the money, I can¡¯t take my wife to have her surgery.¡±


    ¡°Your wife is going to have surgery? What happened to her?¡± asked Boss Huang, surprised.


    ¡°Heart disease,¡± answered Li Qiang bitterly.


    Boss Huang fell into silence for a while. He lit up a cigarette and took a few puffs before he asked, ¡°How much do you still need?¡±


    ¡°90,000,¡± answered Li Qiang.


    Boss Huang¡¯s eyes turned wide and he asked incredulously, ¡°Can you get 90,000 yuan in a month?¡±


    ¡°If I can close a deal with you, and with my other sales commissions as well, earning 90,000 yuan is not a problem,¡± said Li Qiang with a helpless expression. ¡°But if I can¡¯t strike a deal with you, I¡¯m afraid things will turn for the worse.¡±


    Boss Huang raised his thumb up and praised, ¡°The saying that different generations have their own talented people and excellent individuals appear in each century is honestly true! For a young and small salesman to earn such a high income in a month is really amazing in and of itself. I really feel that you¡¯re a talented man more and more. Of course, I also began to pay attention to your company, though. To think that even its salesman can earn so much is evident that your company¡¯s business has been very good.¡±


    However, Li Qiang sternly interjected, ¡°I¡¯m sorry if have to contradict your opinion, Boss Huang. A third of my company¡¯s sales have been contributed by my own sales.¡±


    A third?


    ¡°How many salesmen does your company have, exactly?¡± asked Boss Huan. Curiosity was evident on his face.


    ¡°More than 20 people,¡± answered Li Qiang.


    Boss Huang was shaken inwardly and he looked at Li Qiang incredulously before he said, ¡°More than 20 salesmen, yet a third of the sales of your company are from you? That¡¯s so damn amazing! Alright! Come work for my company then. I¡¯ll give you the base salary of 10,000 yuan a month, plus sales commission and a year-end bonus. Also, I can pay you that 90,000 yuan you need in advance. How about it?¡±


    ¡°Boss Huang, I only need to have an order from you and I can earn 90,000 yuan from it,¡± said Li Qiang with a frown.


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t make this sales deal?¡± Boss Huang shook his head.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m afraid I can only wait for you until next month,¡± answered Li Qiang.


    Boss Huang casually threw a cigarette to Li Qiang and lightly said, ¡°Let¡¯s change the proposition, then. I¡¯m gonna give you a million in annual salary and you can have 500,000 in advance. Of course, I can terminate the contract at any time if your sale records are appalling and you won¡¯t get the rest of 500,000 yuan, though. How about it?¡±


    Li Qiang was shocked inwardly. He looked at him and asked, ¡°May I ask you something? I want to know why you value me so highly. You don¡¯t know much about me and you have yet to verify what I told you either.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because of your persistence,¡± answered Boss Huang. ¡°Only because you have stopped and pestered me for the sale nine days in a row. I like that tenacity of yours.¡±

 Chapter 897 - You Got Cuckolded?

    Chapter 897: You Got Cuckolded?


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The morning sun shined on the whole world and pierced through the French window, illuminating the king-sized Simmons bed. Last night¡¯s madness caused a problem with Tang Xiu¡¯s fixed biological clock. He quietly woke up at ten and sat up, stimulated by the smell of the food.


    ¡°It smells great.¡±


    Tang Xiu sat with his arms propping him up while watching the small round table in the room full of delicious food. Xue Yu had changed clothes, but she still wore a long white dress accompanied by her black and soft long hair. She looked even more conspicuous by donning a necklace, a pair of earrings, and a platinum bracelet on her wrist, making her look more beautiful.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± Xue Yu let out a smile and said, ¡°The waiter just sent the dishes over. I just bought some toiletries from the outside for you. Come on, hurry up and take a shower! Let¡¯s have a meal together.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°We spent most of the night with our ¡®activities¡¯, causing me to be tired. I don¡¯t even want to move now, so why don¡¯t you feel tired at all? Instead¡­¡±


    Xue Yue blushed and scornfully said charmingly, ¡°Don¡¯t speak carelessly, will you? Get up and go have a shower.¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed heartily and lifted the thin quilt as he got out of bed and quickly entered the bathroom. An old adage said something about intercourse¡ªthat while a man may be exhausted, the more exercise for his woman, the more skilled she would be. Tang Xiu had many experiences on this matter and thoroughly understood the meaning of this sentence.


    After getting dressed after his shower, Tang Xiu took a seat and grabbed a bite as he asked, ¡°When will those two people you mentioned come?¡±


    ¡°It should be this evening,¡± answered Xue Yu.


    Tang Xiu nodded and asked again, ¡°Since they¡¯ll arrive at night, what are your plans for today then?¡±


    Xue Yue chuckled, ¡°I originally had planned to do some business and arranged to carry them out before you came. But now, I¡¯ve nothing to do today, so I¡¯ll go wherever you wanna you go.¡±


    Tang Xiu pondered what to do and said, ¡°If so, let¡¯s steal some time to stroll and go shopping around Chang City! It¡¯s my first time coming here, frankly.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Xue Yu herself didn¡¯t like to shop around, but that was because Tang Xiu didn¡¯t accompany her. She was now a bit excited upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s suggestion.


    After the meal, the duo then left the hotel. Right as they were outside, they saw the young man they met in the elevator yesterday. The other party likewise also noticed them and astonishment filled his face when he looked at Xue Yue while he shot a contemptuous look towards Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Damn brat!¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but chuckle and shook his head.


    ¡°He lied to you yesterday, you know. His name is not Wu Kun, but Li Qiang,¡± whispered Xue Yu.


    Tang Xiu blanked out before he rolled his eyes said with an expression of being a bit at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh, ¡°Well, this guy is truly an exotic marvel, isn¡¯t he? Well, let¡¯s forget it and ignore him. Besides, we¡¯re going out to take a stroll, to begin with. By the way, isn¡¯t Bayi Square nearby here?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± Xue Yu chuckled and said, ¡°There¡¯s also Qingshan Road and a street for pedestrians nearby. Though you gotta be careful with your wallet today.¡±


    ¡°Got no problem with that. You know I¡¯m a rich guy.¡±


    Right as Tang Xiu got done talking, he realized that Li Qiang and a fat middle-aged man approached them from not far away.


    Just as expected!


    When his voice just faded away, he heard Li Qiang¡¯s voice taunting him, ¡°Women are devils who cost money. Don¡¯t brag too much now, else you¡¯ll be ashamed big time when you pay the bills. Hmph¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu just smiled at his words and raised his middle finger towards him as he loudly said, ¡°I¡¯ll take it that you¡¯re jealous and envious of me, buddy. Well, I¡¯m not you, though. Honey, let¡¯s go shopping.¡±


    Xue Yu embraced his arm while smiling and they left under the thorny look of Li Qiang who rolled his eyes.


    Meanwhile, Boss Huan was zoning out as he stared at Xue Yu leaving. Only after she and Tang Xiu had walked very far did he finally sober up from his daze as he hurriedly looked at Li Qiang and asked, ¡°Young Li, do you know them?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Li Qiang shook his head.


    The former raised his brows and unhappily asked, ¡°You clearly just talked to them. How come you don¡¯t know them?¡±


    As a perfect mixer in all classes of society, Li Qiang could tell why Boss Huang wanted to inquire about them given the expression in his eyes. He immediately smiled and said, ¡°I really don¡¯t know them, Boss. I just bumped into them in the elevator yesterday. That brat was bragging that he¡¯ll give that woman a billion yuan, so I mocked him a few times then. I never thought I¡¯d run into them again today.¡±


    Boss Huang¡¯s eyes rolled and he said in a whisper, ¡°Young Li, you agreed to work for me, so I¡¯m gonna give you a test. If you can get me that woman¡¯s phone number, I¡¯ll directly promote you to be the Deputy Manager of my company¡¯s Sales Department. How about it?¡±


    ¡®No way, shitty bastard.¡¯ Li Qiang cursed inwardly, yet he still put a smile on his face and said, ¡°Consider it done, Boss. Alright, let¡¯s go to our company to discuss the contract first! After all, I¡¯m gonna be your employee so I¡¯ve gotta see the price of manufacturing the company¡¯s products and cut its sales price¡¯s discount to the minimum. It will save tons of money for you!¡±


    Boss Huang, however, shook his head and said, ¡°Go and get the phone number of that woman first. Hurry up! I¡¯ll be waiting for you in the hotel.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Li Qiang hesitated. But he still nodded as he quickly chased toward the direction of where Tang Xiu and Xue Yu had just left towards.


    As dusk came, Tang Xiu walked alongside Xue Yue out of Fortune Plaza. The duo carried a lot of bags with various stuff. The rest of the stuff they bought was stored into interspatial rings when nobody in the mall paid attention to them.


    ¡°That guy has been following us, Tang Xiu!¡± whispered Xue Yu as they stood to the side of the avenue.


    A smile crept up on Tang Xiu¡¯s face and he replied, ¡°Let him be. Just think of him as our dog who follows us. That is if he¡¯s not tired, though. That reminds me of something, are you tired? I already called Awu to come over, so let¡¯s go back by car.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you come here by plane?¡± asked Xue Yue in surprise. ¡°Where did you get that car?¡±


    ¡°Awu always gets a few cars whenever we make a trip to other cities,¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°We won¡¯t take the plane going to Kanas this time but will travel by car. Think of it as self-driving tour.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± replied Xue Yu immediately with a joyful expression. It was rare for her to be together with Tang Xiu for a long time like this.


    Dozens of meters away from them, Li Qiang frowned as he watched the back of Tang Xiu and Xue Yu. He didn¡¯t feel puzzled anymore as he now realized that this young fella was indeed a rich man. He had followed them today and had witnessed him spend at least a million.


    There was something amiss, however! They definitely bought a lot of things, but they only brought several bags with them now; where was the rest of the stuff? No way they just threw away all the stuff they just bought, right?


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    Just as he fell into confusion, a stylish and domineering black Mercedes-Benz came into his sight clearly. It parked in front of the couple who boarded it immediately and drove away quickly.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t it a luxurious car?¡¯


    Li Qiang had sharp eyes and he immediately recognized what type of car it was. It was a Mercedes-Benz AMG G-Series that was priced at a million yuan. He blanked out for a while. Those who could afford such a luxury car were all rich bigshots.


    Could it be that¡­this brat was really rich?


    Then¡­ the billion he said in the elevator yesterday was the truth?


    Li Qiang gulped and immediately flung his head to cast away all these thoughts in his head. Even if this guy was very rich, he was too young a man. Maybe he had a rich family, but throwing a billion like that was absolutely impossible. After all, not even the son of the richest Emperor could do so just to flatter and woo a woman.


    ¡°Shoot! I¡¯m gonna lose them.¡±


    Only then did he suddenly realize the duo had left by a car while he stood in a daze here. However, he quickly noticed that the car was driving slowly in front, so he quickly dashed to chase it with a speed that was faster than the running speed of an average person.


    ¡°Gotta chase it!¡±


    Almost without hesitation, he chased the car in front.


    Inside the Mercedes-Benz off-road car, Xue Yu glanced towards the back and immediately said with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re really so bad, Tang Xiu. I just realized it now. You know he¡¯s chasing us, but he¡¯s on foot! He¡¯ll probably run out of breath and will get leg cramps by the time we come to the restaurant we just reserved a table at.¡±


    ¡°What else can I do? He¡¯s tracking us, so I can¡¯t help but cooperate with him, no?¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°I would otherwise disrespect his hard work today if I did that, wouldn¡¯t I? By the way, Awu, pay attention to that boy, got it? If he gets a cab, then you don¡¯t need to drive slowly.¡±


    ¡°This street only has a few cabs, Boss. Besides, it¡¯s rush hour, so I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be easy for him to get one,¡± replied Mo Awu with a strange expression.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I told you to drive slowly. It¡¯s to make him hanging around, Awu,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Anyway, when we get to our destination, take him to me. I wanna ask him what his purpose is for following us today.¡±


    After a few kilometers, Li Qiang was already drenched in sweat and his legs were close to rebelling against him; only then did his eyes eagerly look around for a cab which he caught eventually. After boarding it, he pointed to the Mercedes-Benz G-Series AMG in front and shouted, ¡°Uncle, help me¡­ Chase¡­ and¡­ catch up with¡­ that Mercedes-Benz in front.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± The cab driver hesitated.


    Li Qiang panted heavily and gasped for a few breaths, loudly pleading, ¡°I¡¯ll pay you. Is 500 enough? I¡¯ll add more if it¡¯s not enough.¡±


    ¡°Enough. It¡¯s enough!¡± hurriedly nodded the cab driver as he picked up the car¡¯s speed.


    A minute later, however, Li Qiang suddenly realized that the car in front was also picking up its speed. It was even faster than before, nearly reaching the street¡¯s speed limit. Only at this moment did his smart brain finally realize that he just got played by the other party who intentionally made him hang around while pursuing them¡­


    ¡°Asshole!¡± cursed Li Qiang angrily while clenching his fist.


    The cab driver was stunned and looked furious. He turned to him and glared angrily, ¡°What the fuck is wrong with you, young man? I already picked the speed up, so why are you cursing at me?¡±


    Li Qiang¡¯s face turned stiff and he immediately suppressed his anger and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t curse you, Uncle. It¡¯s the person inside that Mercedes-Benz in front. That asshole¡­ argh¡­ forget it. Just help me follow them wherever they go, alright?¡±


    Upon hearing his explanation, the cab driver¡¯s anger subsided. His eyes, however, looked at Li Qiang sympathetically and said, ¡°Young man, did your girlfriend just run away for a rich man inside the car in front? Alas, women nowadays are too materialistic! Young man, listen to my advice. Just give up that materialistic woman as soon as possible. Otherwise, she¡¯ll definitely cheat on you after you marry her in the future. You¡¯ll get a green hat¡ªyou¡¯ll get cuckolded by her.¡±

 Chapter 898 - All The Troubles Come From The Tongue

    Chapter 898: All The Troubles Come From The Tongue


    Translator: Exodus TalesEditor: Exodus Tales


    The words of this cab driver made Li Qiang vexed and grieve inwardly; he even nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood. He was no longer able to suppress his anger and furiously yelled, ¡°Shut the hell up, will you? Are you gonna die if you don¡¯t shut up? Fuck! You know nothing that happened and yet spit out such bullshit!¡±


    The cab driver, however, wasn¡¯t angry. He shook his head instead and looked more sympathizing at the guy and sighed, ¡°Alright, alright. I won¡¯t talk again. It¡¯s just human nature to be angry at such things. You¡¯re the one who earns the money, so you gotta vent what you can¡¯t vent out. No, I won¡¯t talk again.¡±


    Myriads of curses rushed wildly in Li Qiang¡¯s head and he angrily glared at the cab driver before his furious face shifted to the Mercedes-Benz in front. He was truly itching and wished he could drag that punk out and rip him to pieces.


    Bowen Restaurant.


    The venue looked very ordinary from the outside. It was a three-story building with a classical style, containing a lot of red lanterns hanging around. Under the dazzling golden signboard, four welcoming ladies in red cheongsam stood on both sides, whereas several security guards were walking in the surroundings.


    ¡°Welcome, Miss, Sir.¡±


    Tang Xiu held Xue Yue¡¯s hand as they got off the Mercedez-Benz and the welcoming ladies greeted them respectfully. However, a woman in her 40s still retaining her graceful charms hurriedly ran out from the inside. She looked hesitant upon seeing Tang Xiu and Xue Yu before her eyes fell on the latter and asked, ¡°Are you, Miss Xue?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± Xue Yu nodded.


    The graceful woman hurriedly took two placards and gave them to the duo. She greeted them, ¡°Welcome. I¡¯m the manager of this restaurant; you can call me Manager Hu. Elderly Chang and Elderly Bao have arrived and they have been waiting in the VIP lounge.¡±


    ¡°You know Chang Pinggui and Bao Anle?¡± asked Xue Yue, surprised.


    ¡°They are always honored patrons of our restaurant,¡± said Manager Hu. ¡°They always come to Chang City every two years to have a meal and deal with some issues here. Besides, my husband is also the disciple of Elderly Chang.¡±


    ¡°Your husband is also an herbalist?¡± Xue Yu was astonished.


    Manager Hu¡¯s expression slightly changed before her face turned more respectful. She nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. My husband is indeed an herbalist.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Please lead the way then.¡± Xue Yu nodded.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu and Xue Yu followed Manager Hu up to the VIP lounge on the third floor. What surprised them was that there were also several other people there besides the two elderly people, one of whom was a thin middle-aged man who stood respectfully behind them, whereas the other two were a white-haired old lady accompanied by a handsome young man.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Right as the young man saw Tang Xiu with Xue Yue who came inside, a startled voice came out from him. His expression, however, turned a bit ugly. He strode toward the duo and arrogantly asked Xue Yue, ¡°Who is he, Xue Yu?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at Xue Yu with a strange expression and smilingly asked, ¡°You know him?¡±


    Xue Yu just merely shot a glance at the handsome young man and lightly said, ¡°I know him, but I¡¯m not familiar with him.¡±


    The said person¡¯s face turned black and he angrily said, ¡°Xue Yu, you know I¡¯ve been pursuing you for quite a while. How can you say that you¡¯re not familiar with me? And you, brat, who the hell are you? Keep your hand off Xue Yue¡¯s, otherwise, don¡¯t blame me for acting impolite.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh and said, ¡°Now I get it. You should be one of Xue Yu¡¯s pursuers then? No wonder, though. This woman of mine is indeed a stunning beauty like a celestial maiden, so it¡¯s only natural that men who pursue her are as many as the carps crossing the river. Alright, stop acting like a kid and threatening, got it? You can never change the fact that she¡¯s my woman by breaking your throat either.¡±


    Xue Yu looked as though she was very happy upon hearing Tang Xiu acknowledge her as his woman in front of others. A smile appeared on her stunning face and she said softly, ¡°He¡¯s right. He¡¯s the only man in my life. So, Mr. Liu, please have some dignity and stop pestering me.¡±


    The handsome young man looked at the couple with incredulity. Just as he was about to yell, the white-haired old lady shouted in a deep voice, ¡°Little Meng, come back here.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    The handsome young man opened his mouth, but he seemed to be afraid of the old lady. He shot a furious glare at Tang Xiu before he turned around to come to the old lady and sat by her side.


    Xue Yu and Tang Xiu came to the front of these people. The former then looked at the two old men who got up from the sofa and lightly smiled, ¡°You two are the herbalist, Elderly Chang Pinggui, and the Dragon Vein specialist, Elderly Bao Anle, right? I¡¯m Xue Yu, and this is my man, Tang Xiu.¡±


    Chang Pinggui and Bao Anle exchanged glances. They nodded a pleasantry to Xue Yue before their eyes stayed on Tang Xiu.


    ¡°This¡­ Young Brother Tang, why do I feel that you look so familiar? Have we met before?¡± asked Chang Pinggui curiously.


    ¡°It¡¯s fortunate that Elderly Chang is not a woman, otherwise, I¡¯d have thought that I was too handsome, while you are just seeking a pretext to talk to me,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m sure this is the first time we¡¯ve met, so let me introduce myself. I¡¯m Tang Xiu from the Magnificent Tang Corporation.¡±


    The Magnificent Tang Corporation?


    Chang Pinggui zoned out before his eyes suddenly turned wide with a gleam of disbelief in them. His body even shook a few times and he tremblingly said, ¡°You¡­ are the Young Divine Doctor whose great reputation has shaken the Chinese medicine field, Tang Xiu? The Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t expect that Elderly Chang would have actually heard things about me,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°This junior is truly honored.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s me who should feel honored to have met you, Divine Doctor Tang! The renowned young miracle-working doctor Tang Xiu; who in China doesn¡¯t know you nowadays? Besides, you¡¯re the very person most herbalists like me look forward to meeting. We have the hope that the precious herbs we collect would be able to treat patients through you, Divine Doctor Tang.¡±


    Bao Anle was likewise looking surprised. He scrutinized Tang Xiu before he said, ¡°I¡¯ve also heard the renowned name of Divine Doctor Tang. But meeting in person is much better than just hearing rumors. You¡¯re indeed a talented young man! No wonder the successor of the Elder Ancestress is actually you.¡±


    ¡°Is this Elderly Ancestress you mentioned to me the Old Blind?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Bao Anle stared in a daze for a moment before a surprised look on his face disappeared instantly and was replaced by a bit of indignant look. He creased his brows and said, ¡°Please show some respect to the Elderly, Tang Xiu. Besides, your woman is her granddaughter, so you should call her Old Ancestress.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t mention it, Elderly Bao,¡± interjected Xue Yu hastily. ¡°Even the Ancestress herself came personally in front of Tang Xiu, so she doesn¡¯t want Tang Xiu to address her as such. As a matter of fact, it was her request that Tang Xiu should address her as Old Blind, to begin with.¡±


    Tang Xiu patted her shoulder and smilingly said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Elderly Bao is correct, though. I should¡¯ve addressed her as Ancestress given the relationship between us. Please forgive me, Elderly Bao. I was just used to call her Old Blind, so I forgot to change address when I spoke about her.¡±


    ¡°The Old Ancestress requested it herself?¡± muttered Bao Anle with a dumbfounded expression. ¡°How is that possible?¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled and didn¡¯t explain more. Instead, he looked at the white-haired old lady sitting on the sofa instead. He then smiled and asked her, ¡°Greetings, Senior. How should this junior address you?¡±


    The white-haired old day looked at him and smilingly said, ¡°You can call me Old Cripple.¡±


    Old Cripple?


    Tang Xiu was startled as he suddenly felt a cool breeze-like aura sneak into his mind. In nearly a flash, he abruptly unleashed his spiritual sense to annihilate the invading wisp of spiritual sense and pursue it after driving it out of his mind.


    ¡°Please stop, Divine Doctor Tang!¡± hastily cried out the white-haired old lady. Her body violently trembled and she coughed up several mouthfuls of blood.


    Tang Xiu took back his spiritual sense and frowned as he spoke with a chilling tone, ¡°We should have been on good terms with no enmities, right, Old Cripple? Yet you dare to invade my mind with your spiritual sense? It¡¯s a capital offense that deserves death!¡±


    ¡°What fucking death, bastard¡­¡±


    The handsome young man suddenly jumped forward, but a shadow instantly flashed in front of him and a loud slap followed, sending him flying upside down to slam into the wall in the corner seven-plus meters away.


    Tang Xiu returned to his previous spot and coldly said, ¡°Be careful with what you say, for troubles always come from the careless talk from your mouth.¡±


    The white-haired old lady looked at Tang Xiu in disbelief. She stood up in shivers and paced a few steps forward to the front of Tang Xiu and respectfully said, ¡°This Old Cripple didn¡¯t mean to offend you. I felt that someone Old Blind recognizes and values so highly must have something special. That¡¯s why I was tempted and rashly probed you. Please don¡¯t take it as offending you, Divine Doctor Tang.¡±


    ¡°Had it not been because I also noticed that you had no malice, you¡¯d have probably ended up with your soul exterminated already,¡± replied Tang Xiu coldly. ¡°Do keep in mind to never try to probe others on a whim like that. Otherwise, you can¡¯t guarantee that the person is as kind and soft as I am.¡±


    ¡°Yes, this Old Cripple will keep it in mind.¡± Old Cripple looked panicked and horrified and hurriedly nodded.


    The events that just unfolded made Chang Pinggui and Bao Anle nearby dumbfounded, shock fully covering their faces. Even the middle-aged man behind them was thoroughly stunned and paralyzed.


    Is he¡­ a cultivator?


    Chang Pinggui and Bo Anle exchanged glances, yet their hearts were struck with tumultuous waves.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to get entangled more with the white-haired old lady, so he nonchalantly said, ¡°Also, take good care of your junior. If he dares to run his mouth carelessly again, don¡¯t blame me for breaking all courtesy between us.¡±


    The white-haired old lady hurriedly replied, ¡°You can rest assured! I¡¯ll guarantee that he¡¯ll never say a word anymore.¡±


    ¡°Grandma¡­¡± the handsome young man struggled to get up from the corner and called out with a grim face.


    The old lady, however, yelled at him, ¡°Shut up! Else I¡¯ll discard your limbs and expel you from the family!¡±


    The handsome young man¡¯s breath came to a halt and he instantly looked terrified. His eyes when he looked at Tang Xiu, however, were somewhat filled with hatred.


    BAM¡­


    The VIP lounge¡¯s door was knocked open, and Li Qiang, whose face looked enraged, rushed in from the outside. He angrily glared at Tang Xiu and called out, ¡°You damn bastard. You were intentionally toying with me!¡±


    When Tang Xiu saw him, his face looked amused. He came to sit on the couch, crossed his legs, and then smilingly replied, ¡°Alright, take a seat first, will you?¡±


    After saying that, he observed Li Qiang while maintaining his smile and asked, ¡°So, tell me about it. How did I play you, eh? Lemme make it clear to you. If you can¡¯t spit out anything, don¡¯t blame me for packing you up.¡±


    ¡°You intentionally made the car¡­¡±


    Right as these words came out, Li Qiang¡¯s whole being turned stiff and dull as though he just transformed into a fossil that stood still on the spot.

 Chapter 899 - Immeasurably Deep

    Chapter 899: Immeasurably Deep


    Translator: Exodus TalesEditor: Exodus Tales


    Li Qiang hastily sent out such a psychological attack just now out of anger. He was so anxious to catch up with Tang Xiu and, without thinking, slammed the door and accused him. But now, after Tang Xiu asked him, his rage couldn¡¯t help but swirl around and around inside his chest, unable to break out from his gaffe.


    ¡®What and how should I explain? No way do I tell him that I¡¯ve tracked them, right? Yeah right, that will be so damn embarrassing!¡¯


    At present, his face was flushed red, wishing he could find a hole he could burrow himself into. After standing stiffly for some time under the strange gaze of everyone present, he coughed twice and bit the bullet, ¡°I¡¯ve got to deal with you for something. Ah, no. I¡¯m looking for her.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no rush, you can talk with her later,¡± said Tang Xiu casually. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about how I toyed with you.¡±


    Li Qiang instantly felt vexed! He could only feel helpless about Tang Xiu poking fun and toying with him. Smart as he was, nevertheless, he still let out a dry laugh and said, ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t think a nouveau riche like you needs to stoop down to my stature, right? Besides, the reason why I spoke like that to you was actually to find a reason for coming in. Well¡­ I¡¯m kinda looking for¡­ erm¡­ your woman. There¡¯s something I need to ask her.¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and smilingly said, ¡°That was quite a forced and ridiculous reason, don¡¯t you think? Now tell me, what are you looking for Xue Yu for? Don¡¯t tell me you wanna pursue her, else I won¡¯t mind to beat you up, punching you until you kneel and spit out some blood like a certain somebody.¡±


    A certain someone?


    Li Qiang was stunned and stared blankly. Only then did he notice the handsome young man who was leaning on the wall with a bruised red face and blood on his lips. The sight made him startled. He had seen many second-generation rich officials and nouveau riche who shared this common hobby. He was just here to get done with that ¡®business¡¯, rather than fail and get beaten by others.


    ¡°Uh, Brother, you seem to be called Tang Xiu if I remember correctly. The Tang like the character from the Magnificent Tang Corporation, and Xiu, which means cultivating and developing it, right? It¡¯s truly great a name and it has connotations for a handsome young man with great accomplishments. In fact, I¡¯m looking for this¡­ erm¡­ your woman¡­ It was completely because I know someone who is kind of going crazy with her beauty and wants to do something bad to her, so I have a good intention to inform you about that.¡±


    A smile sketched out on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth and he smilingly said, ¡°And? Who is this person plotting against my woman then? Can you tell me?¡±


    Li Qiang let out a twisted smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s my new Boss¡ªthat old pervert who stays in Chang City Hotel. You might not know this, but he insisted and forced me to do this¡­ to get your woman¡¯s¡­ cell number. He threatened me that he won¡¯t make a deal with me if I didn¡¯t get your woman¡¯s number, let alone work at his company. To be frank, though, I promised to work at his company mainly for expediency, simply out of an improvisation to take advantage of him. I was hoping that he¡¯d sign the business order first, then I¡¯d see how far he would go.¡±


    ¡°So, do you think I¡¯m gonna let my woman give you her cell number?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Under normal circumstances? You¡¯ll never allow it. Absolutely.¡± Li Qiang shook his head.


    ¡°Is that so? Then tell me this irregular circumstance you thought of,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Li Qiang¡¯s eyes lit up. He quickly organized his speech in his mind before he said, ¡°The first moment I saw you, I knew that you were a handsome and good-hearted rich man. It was definitely because you felt sour back when you pretended to speak those harsh words to me. Brother Tang, you and big sis-in-law aren¡¯t locals here, right? How about you help me pull an act until I strike the sales contract with him and get the high commission? I¡¯ll be the host to treat you and big sis-in-law to a feast; I can even be your tour guide around Chang City. I can give you a good time while enjoying the great scenery, friendly people, good food, and the awesome customs here.¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­ hahaha.¡± Xue Yu couldn¡¯t help but laugh. She reached out to touch Tang Xiu¡¯s arm and said, ¡°That¡¯s not bad, I think.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled and nodded in response, ¡°Eloquent. Got a silver tongue and good brain, doesn¡¯t he? If he quits this current job of his, it should be the ninth time, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it should be the ninth time if he changes job again,¡± said Xue Yu smilingly.


    Tang Xiu looked amused and said, ¡°Your name is Li¡­ Li Qiang, right? I don¡¯t mind helping you, though I have some conditions. If you agree with it, we¡¯ll go back to the hotel together later.¡±


    Li Qiang cautiously followed along and asked, ¡°What conditions do you have, Brother?¡±


    ¡°Promise that person that you¡¯ll work in his company. You¡¯ll sign the contract and work for him for two months, only to sink his company down. After that, leave and find me. You¡¯ll work for me later,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Pardon?¡± Li Qiang was dumbfounded and had countless thoughts swirling inside his mind. It never occurred to him that Tang Xiu would set such a ridiculous demand.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you disagree with it?¡± chuckled Tang Xiu playfully.


    ¡°Working for you is a minor thing, Brother,¡± said Li Qiang as he probed further, ¡°It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t get it. Why do you want me to switch jobs and go to a new company? Besides, you want me to sink the company of that person down? Is it because he got some bad thoughts towards big sis-in-law, or is it because you¡¯re furious?¡±


    ¡°You see, there are tons of men in this world who harbor such thoughts towards my woman. I would be dead tired if I had to deal with each one, don¡¯t you think?¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle. ¡°As for the reasons, you don¡¯t need to know that. You only have two choices now. Agree, or refuse!¡±


    Li Qiang hesitated for a while and asked, ¡°What business are you doing exactly, Brother?¡±


    ¡°The Magnificent Tang Corporation,¡± said Tang Xiu with a light smile.


    Magnificent Tang Corporation?


    Li Qiang was dumbfounded yet again. It was the company he just mentioned.


    ¡®Could it be that this guy remembered what I just said and is now making fun of me?¡¯


    Tang Xiu seemed to have read his thoughts and said with a light smile, ¡°Don¡¯t make blind conjectures, will you? I promise that I¡¯m not making fun of you this time. I¡¯m Tang Xiu, the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation. If you agree and succeed in bringing a miserable situation to your new company, then I welcome you to join mine.¡±


    Li Qiang quickly grabbed his smartphone and searched the name of ¡°Tang Xiu¡± on the Internet. Quickly, countless news articles about Tang Xiu that includes his portrait showed up in the results.


    ¡®Oh my God! It¡¯s really HIM!¡¯


    Li Qiang gulped down desperately and looked up with a dumbstruck expression. It took him a long while to suppress his shock before he said with major flattery, ¡°Brother¡­ Tang, you¡¯re such a big man, yet you can see something in me, a very small, ordinary salesman?¡±


    ¡°Whether or not I can see anything is my business, don¡¯t you think?¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°But your business is whether you agree or not. Alright, I already said what I wanted to tell you, so now it¡¯s your turn. Though there is one thing you need to remember. If you promise me today but go back on your word, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll end up in a very miserable state¡ªa state so bad that it¡¯s beyond your imagination.¡±


    Li Qiang hesitated. He had been planning to raise enough money to start his own business after his wife had surgery. He would strive to make the business bigger and become a boss himself in the future.


    But¡­ this was the Magnificent Tang Corporation!


    It was not only the company with the fastest development in the business world nowadays, but it was also one with a future that would soar all the way to space in the future. He even dared say that if Tang Xiu truly wanted to make his company go international and do business worldwide, his company would definitely be in the world¡¯s top 500 companies in the future.


    No! It wouldn¡¯t be a problem for it to be in the top 100 companies in the world.


    Li Qiang eagerly looked at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Brother Tang, how would you arrange my position if I join your company?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll start from the bottom,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Li Qiang¡¯s heart sank.


    Tang Xiu then continued, ¡°Just come to Magnificent Tang Corporation first. You¡¯ll be assigned as the Deputy Sales Manager. If you have an excellent track record, maybe you¡¯ll become the Sales Manager for all the company¡¯s products. The opportunity is provided for you.¡±


    ¡°I agree!¡±


    Li Qiang was excited again inwardly and replied firmly.


    Tang Xiu nodded happily at his response. He then waved his hand and said, ¡°Alright, now wait nearby. I still have some things to deal with here. Xue Yu, it¡¯s your call now.¡±


    Xue Yu faintly smiled and looked at Chang Pinggui and Bao Anle who wore a strange expression. She then spoke to them with a smile, ¡°Elderly Chang, Elderly Bao, I think you both know the purpose regarding why I invited you to come. The number of issues I need to deal with is increasing along with time; thus, I need more and more skilled people as well. One of you is a famous herbalist in Chinese traditional medicine, while the other one is a renowned Dragon Vein prospector specialist in the Feng Shui circle. If you two agree to join and help me, you can freely state your conditions.¡±


    ¡°About this¡­¡±


    The reason why Chang Pinggui and Bao Anle came to Chang City this time was mainly that they wanted to see the descendants of the legendary immortal figure, as well as the fact that they wanted to obtain some opportunities. After all, they were already old and didn¡¯t need many mundane things anymore. They no longer had much interest in wealth, power, and beauty.


    Thus, they didn¡¯t have a plan to work for Xue Yu when they came this time.


    When Tang Xiu saw their expressions, he realized that these two men were unwilling to work for Xue Yu. He pondered for a while and then said, ¡°If you two agree, then I¡¯ll send good fortune to you.¡±


    Chang Pinggui and Bao Anle exchanged glances and the latter immediately asked, ¡°What good fortune, exactly?¡±


    While pointing to the white-haired old lady, Tang Xiu said, ¡°The good fortune I¡¯m going to gift you is absolutely not lower than her achievements. If you want to achieve much higher, it would depend on your own efforts.¡±


    Bao Anle trembled as he hastily asked, ¡°You mean¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and faintly said, ¡°Don¡¯t speak it aloud if you understand. That¡¯s the best outcome you can get.¡±


    Chang Pinggui and Bao Anle were full of ecstasy inwardly. The invisible fight between Tang Xiu and the old ancestress of the Liu Family had already made them guess the identity of this young man. They naturally didn¡¯t want to miss such an opportunity that came to them at this moment. The two men quickly nodded to give their consent nearly at the same time.


    Yang Shi looked zoned out when she saw Chang Pinggui and Bao Anle. At the same time, envy birthed inside her. The others didn¡¯t know how powerful Tang Xiu was, but she knew it perfectly well since she just used her spiritual sense to peep at him. After all, she had ended up suffocated by his powerful spiritual sense.


    Not only that, but Chang Pinggui and Bao Anle were nearly sixty years old now! Yet, Tang Xiu actually guaranteed that they would be stronger than her in the future. That meant that Tang Xiu was immeasurably deep. If she could also obtain such an opportunity herself, then she could also¡­


    As she thought up to there, Yang Shi hurriedly said, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, in case¡­ that I want to work for you¡­ or work for your woman, do you think I can go further¡ªto the next level?¡±

 Chapter 900 - Concealed Killing Intent

    Chapter 900: Concealed Killing Intent


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu just smiled at Yang Shi¡¯s contradicting words. This old lady was at least a hundred years old, yet she still wanted to go further. It was truly rare. However, he didn¡¯t hurry to refuse her, but lightly replied instead, ¡°If my guess is correct, you should have a big family behind you, right?¡±


    ¡°Give me three days,¡± said Yang Shi immediately after hearing it. ¡°I¡¯ll be on my own three days later without being concerned with anything.¡±


    Tang Xiu fell into silence. Yang Shi¡¯s persistence and her determination touched his heart. Back when he was in the Immortal World, he had met countless cultivators and immortals who abandoned their families and jobs just to cultivate and become stronger.


    The Great Dao is indeed ruthless and merciless. Of those who had been able to blaze their way through the brambles and thistles to reach the summit of Supremacy in the Immortal World, each of them was someone who always struggled and fought against other beings and Heaven alike before they finally stood above the myriads of races.


    Tang Xiu then looked at Xue Yu and asked, ¡°Do you accept her, or not?¡±


    Xue Yue didn¡¯t answer Tang Xiu immediately but asked Yang Shi instead, ¡°Can you tell me what you excel at?¡±


    ¡°I know Chinese medicine and am quite knowledgeable in medicinal herbs as well,¡± said Yang Shi as she continued, ¡°I also understand Feng Shui, am an expert in finding Dragon Vein, have deep knowledge old objects and antiquities, and I also know a lot of things in other aspects, even some superficial knowledge about the divination technique of Heavenly Secrets from your clan.¡±


    ¡°Do you perhaps know my old ancestress?¡± asked Xue Yu.


    Yang Shi nodded and said, ¡°You should have heard about the Four Imperfect of China: Old Blind, Old Cripple, Old Deaf, and Old Mute. Your ancestress is called Old Blind, whereas I¡¯m called Old Cripple.¡±


    Xue Yu shook and she bitterly smiled, ¡°Senior, you¡¯re from the generation of my ancestress, how would I dare to¡­¡±


    ¡°No. I finally understand now why Old Blind crossed paths with Divine Doctor Tang,¡± interrupted Yang Shi with all seriousness. ¡°She now has a deep origin with him because of you. She truly has played her cards well. It¡¯s a pity that I don¡¯t have such outstanding descendants as you. The Great Dao is a ruthless path to take that depends on one¡¯s own struggles. I can go further and soar higher in the future as long as I can seize the opportunity at hand.¡±


    Xue Yu didn¡¯t speak anymore and simply turned her head to nod to Tang Xiu.


    ¡°That being the case, then you¡¯ll help Elderly Chang and Elderly Bao to take care of Xue Yu¡¯s business!¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°If you can sever everything from the mundane world that concerns and shackles you, your achievement in the future won¡¯t be worse than Old Blind, regardless of how high she achieved.¡±


    ¡°Great, great, just great.¡±


    Yang Shi said three great words in a row with an excited expression on her aged face.


    The handsome young man, Liu Meng, was now incomparably shocked. He never dreamed that his grandmother would actually bow down so humbly just to work for someone else. It must be noted that his Grandma was revered as the Ancestress of the Liu Family, one who held the highest status in his family; even his father, the Liu Family Patriarch, was very obedient in front of her.


    It could be said that Grandma Yang was the most important pillar that supported the Liu Family. His family would be losing its backbone with her leaving.


    ¡°Grandma! Please think about it again!¡± Liu Meng sprinted to the front of the sofa and pleaded.


    Yang Shi fondly looked at him. But she shook her head and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been married into the Liu Family for eighty years already, helping the family to have many children and grandchildren. It¡¯s been sixty years since I¡¯ve been in charge of the Liu Family, and I¡¯ve brought it up from a small family in the past to a big family today. I¡¯ve already done what should be done. And now, the Liu Family will need to rely on its coming generations like you in the future, whereas I too will pursue my own dream and take the road that belongs to me.¡±


    ¡°Grandmother!¡± Liu Meng¡¯s heart sank deep into the bottom of the valley.


    Yang Shi shook her head and looked at Tang Xiu and Xue Yu, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, Proprietress Xue, I¡¯m going to the Liu Family to bid my last farewell first. I¡¯ll find Little Chang and Little Bao three days from now.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Tang Xiu, Xue Yu, and the rest got up as they watched Yang Shi and Liu Meng leave. Tang Xiu then looked at Chang Pinggui and Bao Anle, ¡°Anyway, I can¡¯t accompany you both for dinner. But Xue Yu perhaps has something to discuss with you, so she¡¯s going to stay.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Chang Pinggui and Bao Anle nodded with a smile.


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu took Li Qiang out of the restaurant and came to the street outside. He didn¡¯t call Mo Awu to pick him up, but instead took out a cigarette and lit it. He then threw the rest to Li Qiang and said, ¡°You¡¯re the local snake here, so why don¡¯t you take me to stroll around and taste some good food that¡¯s offered by Chang City?¡±


    Li Qiang rolled his eyes and said in a low voice, ¡°I do know quite a good agritourism venue. The venison there is absolutely delicious, but the price¡­ it¡¯s pretty expensive too.¡±


    ¡°Is it far from here?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°More than half an hour of driving,¡± answered Li Qiang.


    After smoking up the cigarette, Tang Xiu then called Mo Awu to drive the car over and said, ¡°You are to point the direction to Awu, Li Qiang. Let¡¯s go to that agritourism venue you told me about.¡±


    Green Lake Agricola.


    It was located at a lakeside, surrounded by lush hills with pavilions that gave off an antique flavor. Quaint red lanterns hung high on the building, beautifying the night scenery here. Many patrons were walking in the long corridor, while waiters carrying trays shuttled back and forth from private rooms, leaving behind the appetizing fragrance of delicious meals.


    ¡°There¡¯s something strange here.¡±


    The Mercedes-Benz SUV stopped at the Green Lake Agricola parking lot, but Tang Xiu looked slightly surprised just as he got off from the car. He faintly sensed something amiss in the environment¡ªthis seemingly picturesque place seemed to conceal killing intent.


    ¡°What¡¯s strange, cousin?¡± asked Li Qiang, confused.


    Tang Xiu took back his gaze towards the distance. He shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Alright, lead the way!¡±


    Li Qiang disregarded his confusion and brought Tang Xiu to pace several meters forward as he suddenly asked, ¡°Hey, cousin, will that big bro who drives the car not eat?¡±


    ¡°They can deal with their food and drink by themselves, mind you,¡± said Tang Xiu with a faint smile.


    They?


    Li Qiang blanked out. He keenly captured the meaning of these words and instantly gazed toward the distant road. He found that another car was slowly approaching at this moment. He may not be a great personage, but he heard that many bodyguards wouldn¡¯t appear near the person they were protecting but stayed hidden nearby. If that is so, those inside that car that should be bodyguards then?


    ¡®He truly deserves to be the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation!¡¯


    Li Qiang sighed inwardly and continued leading Tang Xiu into the antique pavilion.


    As they came to the reception desk, there was an awkward and embarrassed look on his face when he looked at the expressionless middle-aged woman in front of him and said, ¡°Manager Wang, could you please think of something to arrange a place for us to have a meal here? Besides, we¡¯re already here.¡±


    Manager Wang shook her head and said, ¡°I really can¡¯t. Except for those two boxes that are not yet reserved, the rest are booked and the other boxes are already full. You can either wait or go to another restaurant to have your meal.¡±


    Li Qiang turned to look at Tang Xiu and helplessly said, ¡°Brother Tang, you see¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu just smiled at his words and said, ¡°Manager Wang, right? My family also runs a restaurant business, so I know quite a lot about the situation of each restaurant. If my guess is correct, you should have some reserved boxes in case some big personages come to patronize and have nowhere else to go, right? Well, you should even have at least two reserved boxes here, no?¡±


    Amazement flashed in Manager Wang¡¯s eyes. She stared at Tang Xiu as though she wanted to discern something extraordinary from him.


    Tang Xiu spoke again, ¡°I just want to have dinner in peace in a quiet place, to taste the most famous delicacy of the Green Lake Agricola of Chang City, so I hope you can give us a box. Of course, please don¡¯t rush to say that you don¡¯t have it, because I have ways to even make your Boss come out to arrange it if I really insist on dining here.¡±


    Manager Wang¡¯s expression changed and she asked, ¡°May I know your name, Sir?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surnamed Tang,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Mr. Tang.¡± Manager Wang nodded and said, ¡°We do have two boxes usually reserved here, but I don¡¯t have the rights to arrange the guests there. Please wait a moment, I¡¯m going to inform my Boss first.¡±


    ¡°What for? Isn¡¯t it just a box?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s because the two boxes we have left are very special,¡± answered Manager Wang.


    ¡°Alright, then. Please be quick¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Inside a VIP room at the deepest part of the Green Lake Agricola, its owner, Song Donglai, was accompanying two guests who were his sworn life-and-death brothers. They were also very powerful people in China.


    ¡°Brother Ao, you called me before you came here and said that you¡¯d bring the Cruor Python here to arrange the Blood Python Array. Is this true?¡± Song Donglai looked a bit solemn as he asked the two people.


    The man who looked to be in his 40s and gave a calm vibe was named Ao Wei. He nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯ve brought the Cruor Blood and put it in the lake outside. We can start arranging the Blood Python Array tomorrow night as long as you agree with it.¡±


    ¡°A truck containing a shipment of jade will also arrive early in the morning tomorrow,¡± added Gong Quan.


    Song Donglai touched his chin as he fell into thought with gleaming eyes. After a long time, he then said slowly, ¡°Arranging the Blood Python Array with just the Cruor Python and jade stone won¡¯t be enough. We still need to sacrifice the blood of 18 living people. But where do we go to find 18 people?¡±


    ¡°We assigned some men to spread some rumors before we came over,¡± said Ao Wei in a deep voice, ¡°The Lian Family¡¯s people should have caught the news and they probably have sent some people to catch up with us. Us three brothers have killed many of their people in order to prevent their shameless scheme to harm people with their plague virus back in the past, and the Lians have been tracking down the three of us to seek revenge over the years. I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t let this opportunity go.¡±


    Song Donglai was shaken inwardly and he hurriedly said, ¡°Our three families¡¯ combined forces are indeed able to face the Lian Family, but don¡¯t forget that you cannot bring all the forces of your two families. Just look what happened to me last year¡ªI was punished by my own family. The forces left in my family are now only those men we¡¯ve been training in recent years. If the Lians were to launch a large-scale attack, how can we stop them?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve considered this issue as well, so I invited a friend of mine,¡± said Ao Wei, ¡°Our chances of winning will increase as long as he catches up in time tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s he?¡± asked Song Donglai hurriedly.


    ¡°Han Sen,¡± answered Ao Wei.


    ¡°That traitor of the Han Family¡ªthe martial arts lunatic who got possessed by a mental demon?¡± cried out Song Donglai in alarm, ¡°You actually dare to invite him¡­ Did you just eat some tiger balls or something?¡±

 Chapter 901 - It’s All A Matter Of Face

    Chapter 901: It¡¯s All A Matter Of Face


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    It seemed that Ao Wei had long guessed that Song Donglai would react like that, so he said seriously, ¡°In the eyes of many people, Han Sen is indeed a lunatic for rebelling against his family. But in my eyes, he¡¯s both just and evil with an unsociable and eccentric character. He¡¯ll never provoke others on his own initiative if they don¡¯t provoke him first.¡±


    Still, Song Donglai didn¡¯t let go of his prejudice because of Ao Wei¡¯s explanation. He retorted back in a heavy voice, ¡°Our Blood Python Array plan is very important; we must not let any outsiders mix in unless we have life-and-death camaraderie with the person. Just think. We¡¯re currently facing our mortal enemy, and if some miscalculations do happen, we¡¯ll end up very bad off.¡±


    ¡°You and Gong Quan have yet to get in touch with Han Sen, so you both don¡¯t understand him,¡± said Ao Wei calmly. ¡°But I have a very close bond with him since we are brothers in life-and-death. I can guarantee you that he won¡¯t only help us, but he can also be friends with both of you.¡±


    Friends?


    Gong Quan didn¡¯t flinch upon hearing that since he had heard of the relationship between Ao Wei and Han Sen many times, but Song Donglai had not. He felt his scalp tingling on the thought of this lunatic as it was his first time hearing of the idea.


    After some time passed, Song Donglai reluctantly nodded and said, ¡°Brother Ao, I¡¯ll take your gamble since you said Han Sen is your friend. But if we were to lose, then we three brothers will definitely set off towards the path to the Netherworld. Though if we do win this gamble, we¡¯ll be the carps that leap the dragon gate and become the existences in legend.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the gamble,¡± firmly shouted Gong Quan.


    Ao Wei looked at his two brothers with satisfaction and contained a soaring spirit inside. He then said loudly, ¡°I don¡¯t have 100% confidence about the outcome since I¡¯m also gambling. But I¡¯m sure the process will be splendid while gambling with you both, my two brothers!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    The trio burst into wild laughter.


    Amid their laughter, the door was knocked and a bald middle-aged man in a black suit came inside. He looked at the trio who were laughing loudly as he quickly came to the front of Song Donglai and respectfully said, ¡°Boss, there¡¯s something I need to report to you.¡±


    Song Donglai raised his brows and asked, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Two guests just came to our venue; one of them asked to dine in the boxes we have reserved since the rest of the boxes are completely occupied,¡± reported the bald man.


    With a slight change in expression, Song Donglai asked, ¡°Who¡¯s he? How does he know we have reserved boxes?¡±


    The bald man shook his head and said, ¡°I only know that this man¡¯s surname is Tang. He looks around 21 something and his family seems to have a restaurant business as well. But I dunno about anything else.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know much about him, yet you reported this matter to me? Is your brain dead or something?¡± chided Song Donglai angrily. ¡°Tell him we have no boxes left reserved. Let them wait for ordinary boxes and get the hell out if he doesn¡¯t want to wait.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± answered the bald man immediately.


    Inside the reception lounge.


    After Manager Wang received the message from her walkie-talkie, she looked at Tang Xiu with a cloudy expression, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was just informed that the two reserved boxes have already been occupied by other people who are dining there. Two Sirs, you may have to wait for other boxes! Of course, you can also have a look at other places if you don¡¯t want to wait.¡±


    Tang Xiu slightly frowned. He didn¡¯t care if he really couldn¡¯t dine in this place. But he sensed something very particular when he just arrived here, so he was a bit reluctant to leave now. He pondered for a moment before he took out his handset and dialed a cell number.


    ¡°Old Cripple, you haven¡¯t completely left the Liu Family yet, and there¡¯s something I need your help with. I think it can be solved by using the status of the Liu Family in Chang City.¡±


    ¡°What instructions do you have for me, Divine Doctor Tang?¡± asked Yang Shi.


    ¡°Have you heard of the Green Lake Agricola? I¡¯m currently in the venue and want to dine here,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°But there¡¯s not even an ordinary box left at present here. Do you have any way to make the owner of this venue give me a box?¡±


    ¡°Give me a few minutes, Divine Doctor Tang,¡± said Yang Shi without hesitation.


    Manager Wang, who stood in front of Tang Xiu, could hear his conversation. She was surprised and amazed¡ªthe Liu Family of Chang City? She knew that it was the first family in Chang City, yet this young man surnamed Tang knew someone from this family? If he did, then the Boss must really use that box reserved for the distinguished guests.


    Li Qing raised his thumb up and praised, ¡°Making use of your network is kinda great, Brother Tang. You just made Old Cripple submit to you, and you use it now. I¡¯m truly convinced!¡±


    ¡°Then accomplish what I told you well, and work hard for me in the future,¡± said Tang Xiu with a faint smile, ¡°Maybe you can also accumulate personal connections like me later.¡±


    Li Qiang rubbed his hands and grinningly said, ¡°Well, people do say that one can benefit from having influential friends, so you¡¯ll be my big backer in the future.¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡±


    Manager Wang couldn¡¯t help but laugh as she felt that the conversation of the duo was very funny.


    In the innermost box of the Agricola.


    Song Donglai, Ao Wei, and Gong Quan just tossed down two glasses of wine and were about to continue discussing some more important issues when a mobile phone began ringing. The former grabbed the phone, but when he saw the name on the screen, his expression suddenly changed and made a shushing gesture to Ao Wei and Gong Quan. Then he picked up the call and smilingly said, ¡°Patriarch Liu, it¡¯s been a long time since our last meeting. I always think of you! How did you remember to call me?¡±


    ¡°Well, I never went to someone¡¯s place except on business or needed some help, Boss Song. It¡¯s also because of this issue since a very distinguished guest of my Liu Family wants to dine in your Green Lake Agricola. Could you please arrange a box for him?¡± the voice of Liu Pinxin, the Family Head of Liu Family was heard from the handset.


    Song Dong stared blankly before he hurriedly said, ¡°Since its an honored guest of the Liu Family, then he¡¯s also an honored patron of my Green Lake Agricola. May I know when the said party will come over? I¡¯m going to greet him in person.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s surnamed Tang and he¡¯s already in your Green Lake Agricola.¡±


    ¡°A family name Tang?¡±


    Song Donglai suddenly recalled the matter that had been just reported to him. He abruptly got up and said, ¡°I think I know who the person is, Patriarch Liu. Please rest assured. I¡¯ll arrange it immediately.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    As the phone call ended, Song Donglai wore a strange expression and said, ¡°It seems like there¡¯s quite a great personage coming to my place. To think that he can actually move the Patriarch of the first family of Chang City to speak for him; his background surely must be very extraordinary.¡±


    ¡°The Lius of Chang City?¡± asked Ao Wei with a surprised expression. ¡°That Old Cripple¡¯s family?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± affirmed Song Donglai with a solemn face.


    ¡°If so, then you¡¯ve gotta arrange it well!¡± Ao Wei nodded and said, ¡°The Lius of Chang City are not some ordinary folks, especially that Old Cripple. She has quite deep friendships with the elders of many families under our Occult Sect.¡±


    Song Donglai nodded without speaking and quickly left the box. He soon appeared in front of Tang Xiu after the bald big man took him there.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for being disrespectful; all the fault is on me. I¡¯m Song Donglai, the owner of this Green Lake Agricola. I didn¡¯t know that Brother Tang was visiting my venue, so I didn¡¯t greet you! Additionally, I didn¡¯t know that you¡¯re also a distinguished guest of the Liu Family of Chang City. I hope Brother Tang doesn¡¯t feel offended for being neglected previously,¡± greeted Song Donglai politely.


    Tang Xiu casually looked at him and said indifferently, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Please lead the way!¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Right as Song Donglai saw Tang Xiu¡¯s face, he didn¡¯t exchange more amenities and was somewhat annoyed by Tang Xiu¡¯s indifference. However, he didn¡¯t want to take it out on Tang Xiu out of respect to the Liu Family. He no longer spoke and directly brought Tang Xiu and Li Qiang to the VIP box.


    ¡°Manager Wang, you¡¯ll be the host!¡±


    After speaking, Song Donglai cupped his fists to Tang Xiu and Li Qiang, then turned and left.


    As for Manager Wang herself, she was secretly shocked and amazed back when Song Donglai appeared. As one who was very experienced in dealing with people, however, she could tell that Tang Xiu and her Boss were in a rather odd situation at this moment. After pressing down her shock, she said, ¡°Two Sirs, the menu will be sent by the waiters immediately. But if you both need anything, please don¡¯t hesitate to tell them.¡±


    ¡°We know. You can go tend to your own business,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Manager Wang nodded and quickly headed to the outside. In normal times, she was usually the one responsible with entertaining the distinguished guests in the VIP box. However, today her Boss was obviously not happy, so she couldn¡¯t risk being partial to these two young men.


    After half an hour later, Tang Xiu and Li Qiang were thoroughly enjoying themselves with their meals. The venison dishes of the Green Lake Agricola did indeed taste great. However, Tang Xiu still remembered the peculiar circumstances that shrouded this place, so he abstained from drinking.


    ¡®I should take a stroll around after this,¡± thought Tang Xiu.


    However, just as this thought fleeted away, the VIP box¡¯s door was knocked on. After it was opened, Yang Shi came in along with a fifty-plus-year-old man.


    ¡°We¡¯re not disturbing you, Divine Doctor Tang?¡± Yang Shi walked in with her walking stick and asked.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes swept over before falling on the old man. He inquired, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Who¡¯s this, though?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my son, Liu Pinxin, the current Head of the Liu Family, Divine Doctor Tang,¡± said Yang Shi quickly. ¡°Hey, Pinxin! What are you gawking for? Hurry and greet Divine Doctor Tang!¡±


    ¡°Greetings, Divine Doctor Tang,¡± hurriedly greeted Liu Pinxin while cupping his fists.


    Tang Xiu nodded at him and, after a moment of contemplation, he said, ¡°Thank you for tonight¡¯s matter. Although your mother promised me to leave the Liu Family, I¡¯m going to give you a promise as well. If your family faces difficulties in the future that even your mother can¡¯t solve it, you can find me once.¡±


    Li Pinxin¡¯s eyes lit up and he immediately looked excited. He had already heard about Tang Xiu¡¯s identity from his mother, so he knew that this young man was an unfathomable cultivator. Yet, such a powerful person gave his commitment to his Liu Family.


    This commitment¡­ was definitely a good deed for the Liu Family!


    With a look of gratitude, Liu Pinxin responded, ¡°Thank you so much, Divine Doctor Tang. Also, is there anything else you need here? I¡¯ll arrange it immediately.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    Liu Pinxin nodded and glanced at his mother, Zhang Shi, and then paced back half a step, no longer speaking.


    Zhang Shi smiled and said, ¡°How about I make Pinxin accompany you during your stay in Chang City, Divine Doctor Tang? You can tell him if there¡¯s anything you need.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh and said, ¡°No need for that! Besides, he¡¯s a dignified Patriarch of the first family of Chang City. How could I do that to him? Thanks for the good intention, though. You two can go back.¡±

 Chapter 902 - Being Haughty First And Respectful Afterward

    Chapter 902: Being Haughty First And Respectful Afterward


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Inside the innermost box of Green Lake Agricola, Song Donglai, along with Ao Wei and Gong Quan, were discussing plans for arranging the Blood Python Array and how to arrange manpower to hunt down their powerful enemy easily. They were perfectly aware of the incoming huge gamble they were about to take, and what success or failure signified to them.


    If they were to succeed, they would become carps that leaped through the dragon gate and soared to the sky, though a failure would send them straight to the path of no return to head to the Netherworld.


    Just at the moment when the trio was about to discuss the details, the box¡¯s door was knocked again. The bald stocky man came in and quickly came to Song Donglai and whispered, ¡°Boss, the Liu Family¡¯s Head, Liu Pinxin, and the crippled old lady of the Lius are here now. Manager Wang just informed me about it. They went to see that young man surnamed Tang in the VIP box.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Song Donglai was shaken with disbelief in his eyes. He knew very well the influence and power of the Liu Family in Chang City. Nobody in the entire city dared to provoke the Lius. They were simply a giant here. It was needless to say that about the Liu Family¡¯s Head, though that crippled old lady was much more horrifying than the entire Liu Family itself.


    And yet¡­ why did they come over to visit his Green Lake Agricola? Was it just because of that young man surnamed Tang?


    Ao Wei and Gong Quan stood up with eyes gleaming. The former then said in a deep voice, ¡°With such an elderly visiting, we should go to greet her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Although she¡¯s not a member of our Occult Sect, she has a deep friendship with a lot of elders in the sect¡ªA great personage we must look up to, so greeting her with respect is a must.¡±


    The duo¡¯s eyes were very bright, but there was also surprise in them.


    Song Donglai expression changed and he suddenly said, ¡°Do you think it would be more beneficial than harmful for us to bring the Liu Family into our plan, or the other way around?¡±


    ¡°How much do you know about the old lady of the Liu Family?¡± asked Ao Wei.


    ¡°Not much, even though I¡¯ve been in this city for decades.¡± Song Donglai shook his head and said, ¡°But I know the Liu Family¡¯s Head, Liu Pinxin, quite well though.¡±


    ¡°Tell us about him,¡± said Ao Wei.


    ¡°Liu Pinxin is a man of big ambition,¡± said Song Donglai. ¡°He can be said to be a very resourceful person; he only makes moves after mature deliberation, but I suspect that he¡¯s also very strong.¡±


    Ao Wei was ruminating for a while before he nodded and said, ¡°Let¡¯s meet him first then. We¡¯ll decide the rest depending on the situation. But if we eventually want to pull his family, I¡¯m afraid the odds of him agreeing with our plan is very slim. No, let¡¯s drop the idea so as not to cause new problems to crop up and complicate things.¡±


    With that said, he took a seat again, apparently giving up on the idea of meeting the Liu Family¡¯s ancestress.


    Song Donglai nodded without speaking. Then he said, ¡°If that is the case, then I¡¯ll go see them first. Also, I gotta ask them what background this boy surnamed Tang has. The fact that he can make the Liu Family¡¯s Head and their ancestress come at the same time is rather intriguing.¡±


    Ao Wei and Gong Quan nodded in unison. They too were curious as to who this great personage could be that was able to make the Liu Family¡¯s Patriarch and ancestress come for him.


    Two minutes later, under the lead of the stocky bald man, Song Donglai came to the front of Zhang Shi and Liu Pinxin right as they came out of the box. He then spoke with a face full of respect, ¡°I didn¡¯t know that Elderly and Patriarch Liu came to visit, so I didn¡¯t greet you. Please forgive me.¡±


    ¡°And you are?¡± asked Yang Shi, surprised.


    Liu Pinxin knew Song Donglai, so he smiled and said, ¡°He¡¯s Song Donglai, the owner of this Green Lake Agricola, Mother. I called him before to arrange the box for Divine Doctor Tang.¡±


    Yang Shi instantly understood and she nodded with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m pleased to see you, Boss Song. Your hospitality towards Divine Doctor Tang is quite satisfactory.¡±


    Song Donglai¡¯s expression changed and he asked hurriedly, ¡°He¡¯s Divine Doctor Tang?¡±


    ¡°You actually didn¡¯t know the famous Young Divine Doctor Tang, Boss Song?¡± asked back Liu Pinxin with a smile. ¡°He has a very famous reputation and he¡¯s also my Liu Family¡¯s honored guest.¡±


    The Young Divine Doctor? Tang Xiu?!


    Song Donglai zoned out and his pupils shrunk all of a sudden. Waves of panic burst inside his heart. His body violently trembled and he paced back two steps in an instant with a ghastly pale face. He remembered that this Young Divine Doctor Tang also had another identity¡ªa very terrifying cultivator, who had once killed a lot of people of the Occult Sect in Kanas. He was also the fiendish Killing God who sent his henchmen to root out many families under Occult Sect.


    ¡®Heaven! Haven¡¯t I just treated him coldly?¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m dead! So dead! I hope he has a big heart and doesn¡¯t care about it. Otherwise, I can never escape even if I have 100 lives.¡¯


    Song Donglai¡¯s lips squirmed a few times and dense sweat drilled their ways out of his forehead. He then difficultly spoke, ¡°A-are you really sure that he¡¯s the famous Young Divine Doctor Tang Xiu in the Chinese medicine circle?¡±


    Yang Shi and Liu Pinxin exchanged glances. They both could see the strangeness in Song Donglai¡¯s mannerism. The latter then asked with a puzzled expression, ¡°Boss Song, looking at your face, why do you seem very afraid of Divine Doctor Tang? He¡¯s indeed the Young Divine Doctor Tang Xiu and the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation.¡±


    Song Donglai reached out to prop himself on the wall while squeezing out a smile that was uglier than crying. He then tremblingly muttered, ¡°I¡¯m dead. I didn¡¯t recognize him just now and even held some contempt while looking down on him when I received him. I¡­ I would be very miserable if he harbors some resentment towards me.¡±


    Liu Pinxin smiled and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think you should worry about that, Boss Song. Even though this is my first time meeting him, I got quite a grasp on his character. Divine Doctor Tang is a broad-minded, genial and kind man. He won¡¯t be angry because you don¡¯t pay much attention to him. There¡¯s no way he would do anything unfriendly towards you.¡±


    Kind and gentle?


    Song Donglai suppressed his fear and said with an astringent face, ¡°Patriarch Liu, if Divine Doctor Tang is truly kind-hearted and genial, I wouldn¡¯t be so scared stiff like this. But in the eyes of the Occult Sect¡¯s people like me, he¡­ he¡¯s literally a fiendish Grim Reaper¡ªa living Evil Star.¡±


    Liu Pinxin was startled and turned around, but found his mother was also surprised. He then immediately asked with a curious face, ¡°What exactly happened? How come Divine Doctor Tang has such an ominous title?¡±


    Song Donglai looked around. After he found that nobody around was paying attention to them, he suppressed his voice and bitterly said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you both haven¡¯t heard of the big incident that happened in the Occult Sect six months ago? A lot of members from many families were massacred, including a lot of powerhouses passing away in the incident. It was all because of him¡ªthey were all killed by Divine Doctor Tang.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    Both Yang Shi and Liu Pinxin were greatly shocked at the same time with eyes full of disbelief. How could they not know of the tragedy that happened to the Occult Sect six months ago? They had investigated it for a long time, yet they were unable to find the cause. It turned out that it was actually Divine Doctor Tang who did the massacre. But then again, for what reasons did the Occult Sect¡¯s people provoke Tang Xiu?


    ¡°What exactly was the cause?¡± asked Yang Shi in a whisper.


    Song Donglai hesitated for a moment before he answered, ¡°I don¡¯t know the specific causes, but I heard some news from the rumors. Many families under my Occult Sect received a summon from some cultivators to go to Kanas to carry out something big. But for reasons unknown, they got into a conflict with Divine Doctor Tang there. Not only were a lot of Occult Sect¡¯s people killed, but even those cultivators who summoned them were all dead as well. I¡¯ve been under punishment from my family and I haven¡¯t returned back for decades, yet my family sent me a warning that I can provoke anyone but I must never provoke the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡ªTang Xiu.¡±


    Yang Shi was seriously shocked. Although she knew that Tang Xiu was very strong, she didn¡¯t expect that he was powerful to the extent that he could easily slaughter so many people from the Occult Sect. What¡¯s more, he also ruthlessly annihilated those cultivators.


    ¡®He¡¯s a big tree¡ªa huge backer¡¯


    Yang Shi shifted her way of thoughts and suddenly got excited. It was because she had decided to follow Tang Xiu and her decision proved to be correct. She had faint worries previously, afraid that Tang Xiu only had a few means to propel her cultivation further due to her old age. But now it seemed that Tang Xiu was truly powerful beyond everything she could imagine!


    Shooting a deep gaze at Song Donglai, Yang Shi spoke to him in a deep voice, ¡°You didn¡¯t say anything about this matter and we didn¡¯t ask you about that either. Divine Doctor Tang has picked your place to dine, so you must serve him well and be on good terms with him. We still have time, but we won¡¯t stay any longer.¡±


    ¡°I will. Please rest assured!¡±


    Song Donglai originally wanted Yang Shi and Liu Pinxin to speak good about him in front of Tang Xiu. But he finally realized that they didn¡¯t have that intention at all. It made him vexed inside, though he didn¡¯t dare show it.


    A short while after the departure of Yang Shi and Liu Pinxin, Song Donglai gritted his teeth and turned his head to speak to the bald middle-aged man, ¡°Go to my office immediately and take two bottles of God¡¯s Nectar. There¡¯s also some Dahongpao tea in my office. Take it to the Tea Master to brew a pot of tea and deliver it later.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The bald stocky man didn¡¯t dare delay and left in strides.


    Ten minutes later, when the bald stocky man along with Manager Wang came to Song Donglai, the latter stopped pacing back and forth and took a deep breath before handling the two bottles of God¡¯s Nectar. He then ordered the bald man to leave and led Manager Wang to the VIP box¡¯s door and knocked on it.


    ¡°Two honored patrons, how were our Agricola¡¯s dishes? I hope you both are magnanimous enough to forgive us if there was any slight neglect you felt from our treatment.¡± Song Donglai pretended to not know Tang Xiu¡¯s identity and spoke with a beaming smile.


    Tang Xiu glanced at Li Qiang who stood in front of them and spoke expressionlessly, ¡°The venison is not bad, but it seems to have many special ingredients put on it, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Song Donglai¡¯s heart suddenly thumped and he gulped upon hearing that being mentioned. He let out a dry smile and said, ¡°You can rest assured that even though some ingredients are indeed very special, it won¡¯t have any harmful effects on the human body after we mix them up in our kitchen.¡±


    ¡°Relax, I don¡¯t have any other meaning mentioning that,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Well? Isn¡¯t that Gods Nectar? Does your Agricola also provide Gods Nectar wine?¡±


    ¡°No, no, no,¡± replied Song Donglai in a hurry. ¡°God¡¯s Nectar is the best wine available. How can we have such high-grade of wine here? It¡¯s just that everyone who dines in our VIP box is our honored, distinguished guests. I also spent great efforts and difficulties to obtain these two bottles of God¡¯s Nectar for us to have. Manager Wang, why are you dozing off here for? Quickly pour tea for Mr. Tang!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Although Manager Wang didn¡¯t understand why her Boss had a 180-degree turn in his attitude towards Tang Xiu, she still respectfully poured the brewed tea into the cups and served them in front of the duo.

 Chapter 903 - Ineffable Difficulties

    Chapter 903: Ineffable Difficulties


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu was somewhat surprised as he could see that Song Donglai was attempting to curry favor with him. Nevertheless, he still felt at ease as he recalled the influence of the Liu Family¡¯s Patriarch and Old Cripple, since the eminent families nowadays did have the power to make these ¡°Little Bosses¡± have great importance attached to them.


    Yet, Tang Xiu recalled the unusual circumstances shrouding this agritourism venue and he said immediately, ¡°How about we have a private chat?¡±


    Song Donglai¡¯s heart thumped and groaned inwardly upon hearing Tang Xiu. He thought that Tang Xiu harbored a grudge after his disrespectful attitude previously so he wanted to get rid of him secretly. His lips quivered a few times as he put on a long face and said, ¡°I admit that I¡¯m in the wrong and I shouldn¡¯t have neglected you previously, Mr. Tang. But please don¡¯t stoop to my ignorance and spare me. You have my word that I¡¯ll treat you as my ancestor in the future.¡±


    Cough, cough¡­


    Tang Xiu, who just took a sip of tea, couldn¡¯t help but choke upon hearing his words. He put the teacup down and took a tissue to wipe off the corner of his mouth. With an expression of being at a loss of whether he should laugh or cry, he said, ¡°Boss Song, is it? Since when did I, Tang Xiu, become a petty and narrow-minded man? I want to talk to you alone because of something else, mind you.¡±


    Most of Song Donglai¡¯s worry was finally relieved upon hearing that as he asked with caution, ¡°Then, what do you want to talk to me about, Mr. Tang?¡±


    Tang Xiu got up and looked at Li Qiang, ¡°You stay here and continue to have your meal. This God¡¯s Nectar is good stuff, so drink it to your heart¡¯s content. I¡¯m going out to talk to Boss Song.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Li Qiang himself usually hated drinking. But as a salesman, he had to entertain his clients and drink with them whenever he had to. Yet, there was also a type of liquor he didn¡¯t hate and even hoped that he¡¯d be able to taste again one day. That¡¯s right, he always wants to drink it again.


    It was because he had met a certain Big Boss six months ago, who, by coincidence, tried to force him to drink two cups of wine. It was a taste full of flavor that he could never forget¡ªGod¡¯s Nectar.


    The full moon hung high above the lake and the moonlight was as though a downpour of water that sprinkled over the lake¡¯s surface. The cool breeze slowly gusted away, creating glistening waves on the rippling surface of the body of water. Tang Xiu stood straight up on the shore of the lake like a tall pine tree with eyes that gleamed with an unusual light. As he did so, he released his spiritual sense to quickly seep into the lake.


    He could sense a faint bloody smell from there.


    After a long while, he took back his spiritual sense and felt a bit regretful. His spiritual sense was rather weak, so he could only scour ten meters under the lake¡¯s surface, making him unable to detect much deeper towards the bottom of the lake.


    ¡°Boss Song.¡±


    Finally, Tang Xiu turned his head to look at Song Donglai whose face looked restless.


    The latter hurriedly said, ¡°Mr. Tang, you said¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded at him and said, ¡°I know. You want to know why I kept insisting on staying and dining here, even though all the boxes in your place were occupied, don¡¯t you? Even I didn¡¯t hesitate to use my connections and contacted the Lius in order to do so?¡±


    Song Donglai blanked out and shook his head, ¡°I didn¡¯t know that¡­¡±


    ¡°To be honest with you, the venison your Green Lake Agricola is serving is quite good, but it can¡¯t be said to be a delicious dish like some others say. The reason I¡¯ve been insisting on staying was that I felt a concealed killing intent just as I entered your place. However, this killing intent isn¡¯t being emitted from someone, but is rather concealed in the surroundings.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand everything you said.¡± Song Donglai shook his head, feeling restless deep down.


    He was restless because he knew that Tang Xiu was correct. His Green Lake Agricola did conceal such a killing intent. Not only was it because Ao Wei and Gong Quan brought some experts to hide here, but also, more importantly, it was due to the presence of the Cruor Python in the lake. He was well aware of how powerful this fierce beast was as it would emit a vague but fierce ominous aura even if it was unintentional.


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and faintly said, ¡°I know that every person and place has their own secrets. This is your place and I shouldn¡¯t have asked about that. But you have many guests who dine here, and given my identity, you are required to explain to me the whole situation.¡±


    With that said, he took the green notebook and swayed it before Song Donglai, making his expression enormously change instantly. Tang Xiu then continued, ¡°If my guess is correct, you should be from the Occult Sect. But don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t mean to be hostile to the Occult Sect¡¯s people, even though I have once killed many people from your sect myself.¡±


    ¡°How did you guess it?¡± asked Song Donglai with quivering lips.


    ¡°The Occult Sect¡¯s concealing and divination traditions and arts are the subjects that many powerful array experts in your sect know best, yet they don¡¯t have the best materials for it. I know that your Green Lake Agricola has many jades in storage. Additionally, you have an aura like that of many Occult Sect¡¯s people I have met.¡±


    ¡°Your eyes are truly sharp,¡± said Song Donglai bitterly. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m indeed someone from the Occult Sect, a member of the Song Family. It¡¯s just that I made some mistakes and was driven out by my family, so I¡¯ve been staying in Chang City for a few decades and finally opened this agritourism here.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded at his explanation and asked, ¡°So tell me now; what is there in this lake, exactly?¡±


    ¡°About this¡­¡±


    Song Donglai¡¯s body trembled and the already surging bad feelings inside his heart became more intense. The Cruor Python was a fierce, ominous beast that could cause calamity in the eyes of many people, to begin with. While Tang Xiu¡­ he had an identity as a member of a certain special bureau of the state, so he was undoubtedly against the idea of having such a beast reared in the city.


    Just in case! That if¡­ he knew of the existence of this Cruor Python, the hard work of the three bothers for decades would be down the drain.


    ¡®What should I do?¡¯


    Never once had Song Donglai ever felt so powerless as he felt now. He could never beat Tang Xiu, and it was unlikely that he had the chance to escape either. More so that the Liu Family was also aware that he and his two brothers were in Chang City. Even if the three of them could now escape, they could trace and track their whereabouts.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Does Boss Song not want to explain it?¡± asked Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°If you really can¡¯t explain it, then I¡¯ll send my men to thoroughly investigate this lake.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t,¡± blurted out Song Donglai.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows creased and he said thoughtfully, ¡°You don¡¯t want my men to act, so tell me about it now! Otherwise, you will find that today¡¯s matters won¡¯t end up good for you.¡±


    Suddenly, his expression changed and the tone of his voice spiked up as he continued, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s also fine with me if there¡¯s someone else who wants to come to explain it.¡±


    ¡°Please let me do the explanation!¡±


    Ao Wei and Gong Quan appeared from the dark corner. As they came to the front of Tang Xiu, they cupped their fists and the former said, ¡°I¡¯m Ao Wei from the Ao Family. Greetings to you Grandmaster Tang.¡±


    Tang Xiu turned and looked at them before he slowly asked, ¡°Do you know me?¡±


    ¡°This Ao has heard of the resounding reputation of Grandmaster Tang for a long time. It¡¯s truly an honor and great fortune for me to be able to meet you today,¡± said Ao Wei.


    ¡°Dismiss the flattery and just answer my question,¡± said Tang Xiu with a faint smile.


    Ao Wei nodded to Song Donglai without a word. Then he spoke to Tang Xiu, ¡°Grandmaster Tang, this lake actually has a Cruor Python that we put here when we came yesterday. We three brothers have been raising it slowly for dozens of years.¡±


    A Cruor Python? A fierce, ominous beast?


    Tang Xiu instantly understood and curiously asked, ¡°What exactly do you wanna do with this Cruor Python? This kind of ominous beast is something only demonic cultivators want to rear.¡±


    ¡°We are arranging the Blood Python Array, so as to help us to break through our current barriers. We want to leap through the dragon gate as carps, embarking from our martial art path into the Dao of cultivation to become cultivators like you,¡± smiled Ao Wei bitterly.


    ¡°The Blood Python Array?¡± asked Tang Xiu with astonishment. ¡°What is that?¡±


    Ao Wei was also perfectly aware of their current situation, so he didn¡¯t attempt to conceal anything, ¡°The Blood Python Array is a kind of array that is formed by using the Cruor Python¡¯s blood essence and mixing it with human blood aligned in an array arranged by jades. It only has one effect¡ªto infuse the blood in order to cleanse our physique and refine our qi essence, leading to qualitative changes in our strength. We learned about this array from an ancient record.¡±


    Tang Xiu quickly understood it, yet he frowned and said, ¡°I understand if it needs the blood essence of the Cruor Python. But for it to require human blood, what it will be like?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s by sacrificing eighteen living people,¡± answered Ao Wei.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion slightly changed and he shouted in a heavy voice, ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re talking about? Sacrificing living people for their blood is nothing but a diabolical demonic art and the behavior of those evil cultivators on the demonic path.¡±


    ¡°Grandmaster Tang, we know that sacrificing people and their blood is indeed the methods of those evil cultivators of the demonic path, but what if we use the blood and lives of our mortal enemies?¡± asked Ao Wei.


    ¡°Enemies? What do you mean?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a heavy tone.


    ¡°I dare not conceal the truth from you, Grandmaster Tang,¡± said Ao Wei. ¡°We have been in a deep blood feud with the Lian Family in the Occult Sect because of some issues. It¡¯s a situation in which one of us perishes once we meet. We can never sacrifice the lives of ordinary people, but we have no mental burden to do it to the Lian Family, our mortal enemy who also wants our lives. It¡¯s just that we have already spread out rumors before we came to Chang City, so the Lians must have surely caught the news and already arrived by now. Maybe it won¡¯t be long before a large number of the Lian Family¡¯s experts storm this place to kill us.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t lying to me?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Every word I said to you is but the whole truth, Grandmaster Tang,¡± Au Wei said with a severe countenance. ¡°Please think. We could¡¯ve already accomplished our plan and not have waited until now had we sacrificed the lives of ordinary people and their blood. The main reason why we have yet to fight the Lian Family was not just us waiting, but is rather due to not having enough strength to contend against them. But now, we haven¡¯t only trained many trustable and reliable confidants to become experts, but also have invited another expert from the Occult Sect. Hence, we intend to wage life-and-death combat with the Lian Family shortly after we arrange the Blood Python Array in this place, and then break through to a new realm in the battle.¡±


    Tang Xiu calmly observed the trio, and only after a long while did he lightly nod and say, ¡°This is the internal fight between you all¡ªthe people of the Occult Sect¡ªso I won¡¯t involve myself in this matter. But answer a question for me¡ªhow long will it take for this issue to be concluded?¡±


    Ao Wei ruminated for a moment and said, ¡°Three days at most.¡±


    ¡°Since it¡¯s only three days, I¡¯ll stay here¡±. Tang Xiu nodded and continued, ¡°I¡¯ll leave Chang City after you¡¯ve dealt with your enmity. But I hope you haven¡¯t deceived me, or you¡¯ll know what end will await you otherwise.¡±

 Chapter 904 - Forceful Medical Treatment

    Chapter 904: Forceful Medical Treatment


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Although Tang Xiu¡¯s words were quite harsh and rude to the trio, he truly appreciated them since they were staking everything just to seize the opportunity to embark on the path of cultivation. He was as though seeing the scene of a grand festive in the Immortal World, where myriads of living beings fought against the Heaven, facing the world, all while battling against other living beings.


    After half an hour, Tang Xiu left the Green Lake Agricola by car but ordered Mo Awu to closely monitor the situation in the venue. He then brought Li Qiang to return to the Chang City Hotel.


    ¡°So, has everything been arranged well?¡± suddenly asked Tang Xiu after taking off his coat and looking at Xue Yue. She had taken a shower, and was now wearing pajamas while sitting on the couch reading a book.


    Xue Yu put the book down and nodded, ¡°Everything¡¯s done. Also, I got a call from someone surnamed Huang. He invited me to a coffee caf¨¦ on the first floor of the hotel.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh and said, ¡°This guy is truly impatient, isn¡¯t he? So, what then? Did you promise him?¡±


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t promise, then how will I play my role in your script?¡± Xue Yu chuckled and said, ¡°Anyway, do you really plan to use Li Qiang?¡±


    ¡°This guy is talented; taking him to use later might result in a good outcome in the future,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°But I think he has some concerns in mind. I can tell that he wanted to speak to me about it many times tonight, but he ended up saying nothing.¡±


    ¡°Well, he has an ill family member,¡± said Xue Yu with a smile.


    ¡°Did you just use your divination art again?¡± asked Tang Xiu curiously.


    ¡°Nope. It¡¯s the finding I got from the previous divination.¡± Xue Yu shook her head. ¡°He seems to be short on money and should¡¯ve been raising money to treat his family member. Also, I found something else interesting. Back when he betrayed every company that employed him, he always pushed each of its Boss to a miserable fate. He may be hated by those Bosses, but there were also some other variables in them too.¡±


    Tang Xiu ruminated for a moment before he suddenly said, ¡°Alright. Let Hei Xiong and Xue Sha take care of Boss Huang, while you and I have a trip to Li Qiang¡¯s house then.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± gently nodded Xue Yu.


    ****


    At about ten at night, Li Qiang, who was a bit tipsy, returned to his home in the Qingya District. He then opened his bedroom door and saw his wife, Luo Yu, leaning on the bedside lamp while standing in a daze, lost in thought. He let out a faint smile and reached out to untie his tie, saying, ¡°It¡¯s so late now, why haven¡¯t you rested yet?¡±


    Luo Yu came back to her senses and softly said, ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep since you hadn¡¯t come back yet.¡±


    Li Qiang wanted to sit down on the bedside as he suddenly realized that he was reeking of liquor. Then he said immediately, ¡°Well, I just had a drink with a client tonight and kinda reek of alcohol. I¡¯ll take a shower first and come back soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± nodded Luo Yu slightly, watching her husband enter the bathroom in the back. There was, however, a distressed and dear love on her face as she did so. She knew that she had been dragging her husband down all these years. Sometimes, thoughts of suicide came to her, but oftentimes when she was about to do so, she could only hesitate. It was not because she was afraid of death, but rather because she didn¡¯t want to leave her beloved husband alone in this world.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Luo Yu sighed gloomily and looked up at the ceiling, trying to prevent her tears that were about to burst.


    Shortly after, Li Qiang was done with his shower. After he put on his pajamas and was about to get into bed, he gently hugged Luo Yu and said, ¡°I¡¯ll probably be very busy in the next two days. But as long as I succeed, I won¡¯t only make enough money for your surgery, but we¡¯ll also have some left for the post-surgery care. If you feel bored, I¡¯ll call my younger sister to come back to accompany you.¡±


    ¡°No. Don¡¯t disturb Xinjie,¡± said Luo Yu hurriedly. ¡°She just finished her freshman year, and she wants to find a part-time job during her summer vacation in Shanghai. Just let her temper and train herself without disturbance. Besides, the living expenses she has been receiving from you have been kinda not enough, all due to you needing to pay my medical expenses. I really don¡¯t want to drag her down again and again.¡±


    ¡°You see, Xinjie¡¯s reason for staying and working in Shanghai is mainly to earn more money and save the tuition fee for the sophomore year I gave her,¡± said Li Qiang with a smile. ¡°But I just told you that I can make quite a fortune in the next few days, didn¡¯t I? We¡¯ll solve the problem at hand in the next two weeks, so there¡¯s no need for her to work and earn money outside. She just needs to come back to keep you company and taking care of you.¡±


    ¡°Is it the sales order you mentioned to me that you¡¯re currently negotiating?¡± asked Luo Yu curiously.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Li Qiang nodded and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t only negotiated it, but I¡¯ll also shock many people after I disclose what has happened to me these past two days. Well, let¡¯s drop it now, shall we? I won¡¯t tell you the details for now. Shortly put, you just have to trust me that we can have a good life soon.¡±


    ¡°I believe you,¡± said Luo Yu with a smile.


    Following that, the couple chatted for a while. Just as they were preparing to rest, the doorbell suddenly rang. Li Qiang, who was drowsy, frowned and said, ¡°Who could it be at this hour?¡±


    ¡°Just go and have look!¡± said Luo Yu softly.


    A short while after, Li Qiang opened the door and saw that it was Tang Xiu and Xue Yu outside. Disbelief covered his face and he asked in astonishment, ¡°Brother Tang, Big Sis-in-law, why are you here?¡±


    Tang Xiu forged ahead into the door and said with a faint smile, ¡°Are we disturbing you and your family¡¯s rest by coming this late?¡±


    Li Qiang quickly shook his head and said, ¡°No. I¡¯m just a bit curious how you knew where I live, though.¡±


    ¡°Would it be difficult for me if I wanted to investigate someone¡¯s address?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Li Qiang recalled Tang Xiu¡¯s identity and he immediately let out a dry smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s a cinch for you indeed.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s spare the small talk, shall we?¡± said Tang Xiu as he continued, ¡°If my guess is correct, you should have an ill family member here, right? You¡¯ve been with me tonight and you also heard that a lot of people address me as Divine Doctor Tang, so I came to your place to dissolve the rest of your worries.¡±


    Li Qiang was shaken inwardly and he hastily said, ¡°B-Brother Tang¡­ I¡­ I indeed have an ill family member. It¡¯s my wife. She has heart disease, as well as some mild symptoms of kidney failure. However, I just signed the sales contract. With the commission from it, I will have enough money for my wife¡¯s surgery.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t believe me, do you?¡± asked Tang Xiu smilingly.


    With his thoughts pointed out and laid bare, Li Qiang let out a dry smile and said, ¡°¡­ Why would I? You¡¯re a famous Young Divine Doctor. It¡¯s just, can Chinese medicine cure heart disease?¡±


    ¡°Can it? Well, you gotta try to know,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Alright, get ready. If your wife is still awake, I can treat her soon.¡±


    ¡°But, Brother Tang¡­¡± Li Qiang hesitated, ¡°The hospital has given her a specialized treatment program, I¡­¡±


    ¡°I can leave immediately if you don¡¯t believe me,¡± interrupted Tang Xiu immediately. ¡°Of course, if you want me to try it, I¡¯ll never harm your wife even if I¡¯m unable to cure her illness.¡±


    Upon hearing those words, Li Qiang immediately felt at ease and hurriedly said, ¡°Brother Tang, Big Sis-in-law, please have a seat first. I¡¯ll call my wife out.¡±


    Immediately after, Li Qiang quickly entered the bedroom half-running.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard everything. Who exactly is that Young Divine Doctor?¡± asked Luo Yu softly.


    ¡°He¡¯s the Young Divine Doctor Tang Xiu from the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. He¡¯s also famous as a very amazing practitioner of Chinese medicine in the country,¡± said Li Qiang in a whisper. ¡°Wife, he said that he won¡¯t harm you even if he can¡¯t cure your heart disease. Would you like to give it a try?¡±


    Luo Yu nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard of him too. He¡¯s a very amazing young miracle-working doctor. I¡¯m going to try it since you say it¡¯s OK.¡±


    Outside, in the living room.


    Tang Xiu could clearly hear the couple¡¯s conversation and, after they came out, he observed the complexion of Luo Yu as he nodded and said, ¡°A Yin-Yang deficiency and renal function decline. Can I check your pulse?¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Luo Yu extended her wrist after taking a seat in front of Tang Xiu.


    Quickly after, Tang Xiu let out a smile and took out a box of silver needles from his interspatial ring and said, ¡°You only have a very common heart disease, a very easy case for me. That¡¯s right¡ªLi Qiang, boil some water. We¡¯re going to use it a bit later.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± replied Li Qiang immediately as he dashed to the kitchen.


    A smile began outlining on the corners of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth. He grinned and said softly, ¡°Take off your pajamas quickly. I need to take out the heart pacemaker in your chest. Also, you may feel some pain, but please endure it.¡±


    ¡°Pardon? You¡­ Do you want to take out the pacemaker device in my heart? This¡­¡± Luo Yu was scared stiff and dumbfounded, looking at Tang Xiu with a dumbstruck expression.


    Tang Xiu glanced at the kitchen door and immediately stunned Luo Yu, making her faint. With Xue Yu¡¯s help, he undressed Luo Yu out of her pajamas and moved lightning fast. He constantly pierced the main acupoints in the area around Luo Yu¡¯s heart with silver needles, before taking out a sharp scalpel¡­


    ¡°HEY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!!¡±


    A few minutes later, when Li Qiang came out of the kitchen with a half-pot of hot water, the scene he saw made him scream and fly into a rage as he roared and dashed forward.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t wanna have your wife have complications, just shut up!¡± shouted Tang Xiu back.


    Li Qiang put the hot water pot on the floor and watched Tang Xiu¡¯s hand that kept dancing and moving smoothly with the scalpel. His eyes were seething in rage, but he forcefully suppressed it and angrily growled, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, I don¡¯t give a fucking shit whether you¡¯re a true miracle-working doctor or not. But if something goes wrong with my wife, I¡¯ll drag you to hell with me!¡±


    ¡°Noisy,¡± hummed Tang Xiu apathetically as he kept moving the scalpel¡¯s tip to take out the pacemaker device from Luo Yu¡¯s chest, quickly injecting his Primal Chaos Force into her body to stop the bleeding and support the repairment of her heart.


    Time fleeted by, and, after more than 20 minutes, Tang Xiu finally ceased injecting his Primal Chaos Force. He then took out the needle thread and carefully began to suture the wound. Both his hands were very steady and calm. Even though the stitching wasn¡¯t dense, the effect was remarkable. After he was done with the suturing process, he washed his hands in the basin of warm water and looked at Li Qiang, stating, ¡°There are 12 silver needles around the heart of your wife¡¯s. Keep in mind that you must not pull them out in the next 24 hours. I¡¯ll come back here 24 hours from now; at that time, you¡¯ll know if my treatment worked or not.¡±


    Li Qiang truly wanted to put up a desperate fight with Tang Xiu so much. Tang Xiu actually dared to do such a surgery to his wife without his or his wife consent, even using such a crude and superficial method. However, at this point, he could only accept the state of his wife. He could only pray to the Gods, to Heaven for a blessing and protection of his wife¡ªfor her to be safe and sound in the end.

 Chapter 905 - I’m Not A Man If I Don’t Avenge This Enmity!

    Chapter 905: I¡¯m Not A Man If I Don¡¯t Avenge This Enmity!


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu acted irresponsibly and directly set off with Xue Yu after treating Luo Yu. The only thing he left was a prescription with a few simple explanations.


    Inside the spacious hall, Li Qiang wanted to cry yet no tears came out. It never occurred to him that today¡¯s encounter would lead to bizarre and strange events that eventually ended up with his wife getting surgery. The series of sudden changes caught him by surprise and, for a time, he didn¡¯t know what to do to cope with the aftermath.


    ¡®Should I call the cops, or call the ambulance?¡¯


    The thoughts kept swirling in his mind, but Li Qiang couldn¡¯t make up his mind at all. He didn¡¯t dare to rashly do anything against Tang Xiu¡¯s words either. It would be very troublesome if his wife¡¯s life fell into danger if he were to pull out those silver needles.


    ¡®What should I do?¡¯


    Without him realizing, he took out a cigarette before he recalled that his wife would be exposed to the second-hand smoke. Then he threw the cigarette down with a vexed expression.


    ¡®It¡¯s all my fault for not having power nor ability. If I were to be just like those from the Liu Family who possess such power, this fucking Tang punk couldn¡¯t have easily¡­ Huh? The Liu Family¡¯s people¡­¡±


    He seemed to recall something and quickly grabbed his smartphone and took out a business card. He dialed the numbers on it, quickly contacting the owner of the Green Lake Agricola, Song Donglai. From him, he smoothly obtained the cell number of the Liu Family¡¯s Patriarch, Liu Pinxin. Of course, he could get the number smoothly because Tang Xiu made Song Donglai think that he was Tang Xiu¡¯s man.


    ¡°Hello, may I know who I am speaking with?¡±


    After his call got picked up, Liu Pinxin¡¯s voice came out from the phone. This man seemed to have not been resting given the tone of his voice.


    Li Qiang took the handset and cautiously said, ¡°Hello, Patriarch Liu. My name is Li Qiang who dined with Tang Xiu in the Green Lake Agricola tonight. Did I¡­ not disturb your rest?¡±


    ¡°You are¡­ Mr. Li?¡± asked Liu Pin from through the phone. He sounded surprised.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s me,¡± replied Li Qiang quickly. ¡°I really apologize for disturbing you so late, but I have something I need to ask you, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ Brother Li! Please say it freely. I won¡¯t hide anything from you as long as I know the answer,¡± Liu Pinxin¡¯s hearty laughter came out of the phone.


    ¡­B¡ªbrother Li?


    Li Qiang couldn¡¯t help but shiver inwardly. Given Liu Pinxin¡¯s identity, wealth, power, and influence, his existence was probably nothing but an ant in this man¡¯s eyes. Never once did it occur to him that such a famous bigshot would address him as ¡®Brother Li¡¯ one day.


    ¡®This should be because of Tang Xiu, shouldn¡¯t it?¡¯


    A complicated expression filled Li Qiang¡¯s eyes. Then he asked again, ¡°Patriarch Liu, I don¡¯t understand something here. Why did you give such respect towards Tang Xiu tonight? It wasn¡¯t only you, but even your mother seems to attach great importance to him. Even if he is the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, I think your family is comparable to his Tang Family. Even if he¡¯s indeed an expert in Chinese medicine, he can¡¯t be as good as the experts and professors in the big hospitals, can he?¡±


    Liu Pinxin fell into silence for several seconds before he slowly asked, ¡°Are you not very familiar with Divine Doctor Tang yourself?¡±


    Li Qiang¡¯s heart thumped and his eyes gleamed with intelligence as he said, ¡°I¡¯m really not familiar with him. The reason why we got acquainted today was due to a very special reason. However, he wants me to work for him in the future. He said that he wants to train me into his confidant, so I want to ask you about him more.¡±


    Liu Pinxin¡¯s shocked voice came, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang wants to train you to be his confidant?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± replied Li Qiang with a dry smile.


    The reply brought intense envy in Liu Pinxin¡¯s voice as he sighed, ¡°Brother Li, I didn¡¯t expect you to have such good luck and be able to make Divine Doctor Tang favor you. If I were in your shoes, I¡¯d take his offer to work for him even if I must resign from my position as the Liu Family¡¯s Head. I can answer your question, but you must not forget me after you¡¯ve grown with him, Brother Li.¡±


    LI Qiang was frightened by his reply. It took him a long time to reply, stutteringly and with hesitation, ¡°No¡­ no problem. I won¡¯t forget you if I really get riches and honor by working under him.¡±


    Liu Pinxin was very happy with the reply. He cleared his throat and said, ¡°Since Divine Doctor Tang wants to train you as his close confidant, it means that you have something extraordinary in you, Brother Li. Nevertheless, I believe you¡¯ll also find out his true identity sooner or later, so I¡¯ll tell you about it in advance. It¡¯s under one condition, however. You must never disclose it to anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Please tell me. I¡¯ll never disclose it to another soul,¡± replied Li Qiang quickly.


    ¡°Divine Doctor has another title¡ªGrandmaster Tang,¡± said Liu Pinxin. ¡°He¡¯s a Daoist cultivator who has mysterious powers. Someone who possesses a very formidable strength and extraordinary power. I¡¯m afraid that we, ordinary people, are probably nothing but ants in his eyes.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s Daoist cultivator? Is it the likes of Daoist Priests in Taoist monasteries?¡± asked Li Qiang, confused.


    Liu Pinxin¡¯s tone sounded forced as he replied, ¡°How can the Daoist priests in the ordinary Taoist school compare with Grandmaster Tang? He¡¯s a true Daoist cultivator, a great figure who pursues strength on the path of cultivation. From the perspective of mortals like us, he¡¯s practically a living celestial immortal. That¡¯s right, you also know there are a lot of Xianxia novels on the internet too. Search and read about it. He can be said to be such an existence.¡±


    Xianxia novel?


    Li Qiang then ended the call with a confused expression. He quickly turned on the computer and searched with keywords ¡°cultivators¡± and ¡°Xianxia novels¡± on the Internet. Soon after, tons of search results popped up.


    Li Qiang spent two full hours reading. He looked at the countless information he had found by searching the keywords, yet his heart was shivering at the moment. The revelation of Tang Xiu¡¯s identity made him shocked to an unprecedented height. Never did he expect that this world really had entities such as those celestial immortals in myths and legends. He even unexpectedly had just encountered one.


    He might not believe it had the news came from someone else, but since it came from Liu Pinxin, the Patriarch of Liu Family, he had to believe it. This man had too high a status, making it impossible for this man to deceive him. Moreover, he just realized that looking at all the events that unfolded today, Tang Xiu¡¯s identity as a cultivator was probably the truth.


    A true supernatural-like person!


    Li Qiang shut the computer down. He then looked up to see his wife who had fallen into a deep sleep on the sofa. After checking her breathing and measuring her body temperature with a thermometer, he found that his wife seemed to be biologically stable. It caused his restlessness to slowly dissipate.


    The next day came.


    Li Qiang hadn¡¯t stepped out of his home even half a step. Although his wife had woken up at noon, he still stayed at her side to protect her. He already asked a good friend of his to buy all the herbs needed in the prescription in the Medicine Market.


    ¡°How are you feeling, wife?¡± asked Li Qiang immediately with a concerned face. He had brewed the medicinal herbs and now looked at his wife who was taking a bowl of the herbal medicine.


    Luo Yu let out a light smile and said, ¡°I feel great. I¡¯ve never had a very comfortable feeling like this for so many years. I used to feel dreary and depressed like being pressed by a boulder. But that boulder suddenly disappeared and I feel very relaxed now. Also, after I took this bowl of herbal medicine, I felt warm and nice, definitely more energetic than before.¡±


    After hearing her explanation, Li Qiang finally confirmed that Tang Xiu¡¯s treatment was really effective. It was much better than the effect of the surgery in a hospital. Excitement filled his face and he said, ¡°Oh, you gotta wait a bit more, though. Divine Doctor Tang said that the silver needles on your body can only be pulled out at night. I¡¯ll call him later to ask whether he¡¯ll come in person.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty!¡± nodded Luo Yu with a smile.


    ****


    Chang City Hotel.


    After Tang Xiu and Xue Yu came to the dining hall on the second floor, they saw the beaten and bruised Boss Huang. He was now hiding in the corner and making a phone call. The dishes in front of him were steaming hot, wafting out their strong fragrance, yet he didn¡¯t seem to have the appetite in the slightest.


    ¡°He seems to have gotten beaten very miserably, Tang Xiu.¡± Xue Yu pulled Tang Xiu¡¯s arm and spoke softly with a smile.


    ¡°He¡¯s a lascivious man and lustful in nature. And this time, he got blinded by lard and wanted to scheme you,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Besides, for such a man, it is hard for them to be taught a lesson unless they pay a price. I¡¯ll tell you a secret, though. He¡¯ll completely lose his manhood ability in half a year.¡±


    ¡°Damn, you¡¯re really rotten,¡± said Xue Yu with a chuckle.


    ¡°Not really.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s got little to do with me. It was the work of Xue Sha and Hei Xiong. Alright, let¡¯s not talk about this guy and just dine first. We¡¯ll go out this afternoon and visit Li Qiang¡¯s home again. Although I already cured his wife¡¯s heart disease, she still must undergo rehabilitation for a period of time later. I need to explain it to them when I take out the silver needles.¡±


    Xue Yu nodded in response and glanced around the dining hall before she suddenly asked, ¡°As far as I know, Awu is usually with you. But I haven¡¯t seen him ever since you came back. Where did he go?¡±


    ¡°I ordered him to monitor some people,¡± answered Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Wait for some time, and I¡¯ll take you to see a good show tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°What good show?¡± asked Xue Yu curiously.


    ¡°A struggle,¡± said Tang Xiu briefly.


    ¡°A struggle?¡± asked Xue Yu, puzzled. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. The struggle to survive, the fight to go against the world, and the struggle for the opportunity to chance upon the Great Dao,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle. ¡°Well, I won¡¯t spoil you the details for now, though. You¡¯ll know everything by tomorrow evening.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t continue,¡± said Xue Yu with a smile. ¡°Anyway, ancestress sent someone to call me last night to ask me when you are going to Nine Dragons Island. She seems a bit anxious.¡±


    Tang Xiu ruminated for a moment before replying, ¡°We¡¯ll set off to Nine Dragons Island after we come back from Kanas. The reconstruction project over there should be in the final stage and it would require me for the final touch. Otherwise, it won¡¯t become the ideal blessed land in my vision, a heavenly paradise.¡±


    At the corner of the dining hall.


    Boss Huang¡¯s face looked a bit angry after he hung up the call. He was played and tricked by a woman and two punks that thrashed him last night. It made him furious and flipped out. Therefore, he called his henchmen to catch up with him. They must find those assholes who pummeled him and the slut who tricked him last night.


    ¡°You motherfuckers. Don¡¯t let me find you all, or I¡¯ll definitely kill you.¡±


    Boss Huang threw the handset on the table before grabbing the chopsticks and taking a bite from each dish. But the wound on the corner of his mouth was affected every time he opened his mouth, causing him to gasp and writhe in pain.


    ¡®I swear I¡¯m not a human if I don¡¯t have my revenge on this shit!¡¯ vowed Boss Huang inwardly while suppressing the pain. After losing the thought to dine, he then glanced up, his vision falling on Tang Xiu and Xu Yu nearby.

 Chapter 906 - The Joy of Having Several Partners

    Chapter 906: The Joy of Having Several Partners


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    With seething rage inside, Boss Huang strode to Tang Xiu and Xue Yu. He already figured out this issue. Xue Yu must have set him up with that pigeon and those two big men who trounced him yesterday, completely playing him. He pointed the duo and hissed in rage, ¡°You two actually dare to pit me, you wretched bastards. This Big Daddy will change my surname to yours if I don¡¯t kill you today.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that you¡¯re that stupid, though.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and smiled. He flipped the menu while shaking his head and smilingly said, ¡°You wanna change your family name to ours? Nope! We dare not agree with the plea! We haven¡¯t planned to have children yet; and there¡¯s no way we must have a son, nor grandson all of a sudden, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    A cunning look flashed in Xue Yu¡¯s eyes and she cooperated with the play, ¡°I don¡¯t want it either. Besides, if I had a lustful pervert as a son or grandson, I¡¯d definitely choke him to death!¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t expect that Xue Yu could say such a vicious strike and glanced at her with a happy smile. He then turned to look at Boss Huang and smilingly said, ¡°Did you hear her? You¡¯re not even qualified to become our offspring, so get the hell out. It¡¯s not a fun sight if you get choked to death here.¡±


    Boss Huang¡¯s complexion flushed red and shame gleamed in his eyes. His glare at Tang Xiu and Xue Yu was as though he could murder them. He laughed in a fury and said, ¡°Good. Just great. You guys have planted the seed, but just wait. This is not over yet.¡±


    After saying that, he turned back to his dining table, picking up the briefcase and grabbing a phone on the table, striding away without finishing the dishes.


    Tang Xiu watched his back as he left. He then shook his head and said, ¡°He becoming a business owner actually proves his ability, no matter how mediocre it is. Pity that he has such bad conduct and is driven by his lust¡ªthose will give him a bad end in the future. Alright, let¡¯s drop the subject about him, shall we? It¡¯s just a waste of our time.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± nodded Xue Yu gently with a smile. In her eyes, Tang Xiu was too excellent and too dazzling, so she couldn¡¯t glance at other men anyway.


    As day replaced the night, Tang Xiu and Xue came again to Li Qiang¡¯s house. After Tang Xiu pulled out the silver needles from Li Qiang¡¯s wife, Luo Yu, and checked up on her condition, he let out a happy smile and said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing serious with her anymore. She only needs to rest to convalesce for the next two or three months. I guarantee her health will be the same as a normal healthy person in two-plus months. She must keep taking the herbal medicine in my prescription, however, as its efficacy is not only to nourish the heart but also to treat kidney deficiency and kidney failure.¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang, can my wife really be like other people in the future?¡± asked Li Qiang hurriedly. ¡°Then¡­ can she bear a child also?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s naturally not a problem,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    Li Qiang looked excited and said, ¡°That¡¯s great! We have literally gone everywhere to seek medical help; each place concluded that she hadn¡¯t only had contracted heart disease, but also had problems with the function of her kidney so she couldn¡¯t have a child. Brother Divine Doctor Tang, it¡¯s all thanks to you. Thank you!¡±


    Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°Dispense the polite remarks with me. It¡¯s enough for you to push that Boss Huang to the pit and then come to work in my Magnificent Tang Corporation.¡±


    ¡°I give you my word that I¡¯ll accomplish that,¡± replied Li Qiang firmly.


    Knock, knock¡­


    A knock was heard at the door and someone called out from the outside, ¡°Hey, Brother. Are you at home? Please open the door.¡±


    Li Qiang was in a daze, but he immediately replied with happy surprise, ¡°That¡¯s my younger sister! She¡¯s back.¡± Striding fast to open the door, he looked at the tall girl standing outside with a beaming smile as he greeted her, ¡°Xinjie! I never thought you would be back this quickly. Hurry up and get inside. We got some honored guests at home.¡±


    ¡°Honored guests? Who are they?¡±


    The tall girl smiled in response and moved quickly inside. After she came to the living room and clearly saw Tang Xiu there, she was slightly stunned and called out with incredulity, ¡°Tang Xiu? Why are you at my house?¡±


    Tang Xiu also looked at who just arrived and likewise showed a strange expression, ¡°Is this your family, Li Xinjie?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± answered Li Xinjie.


    Li Qiang and Luo Yu, who sat on the sofa, exchanged a puzzled look. After some time, the former asked with a slightly astonished expression, ¡°You also know my sister, Brother Tang?¡±


    ¡°Well, we both are students at Shanghai University,¡± answered Tang Xiu with a light smile.


    ¡°No way, right?¡± Li Qiang was amazed and said, ¡°Your name is known far and wide as the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, yet you¡¯re still a student of Shanghai University? You¡­ you didn¡¯t just make fun of me, did you?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu didn¡¯t kid you, Brother,¡± interjected Li Xinjie. ¡°He¡¯s a freshman at Shanghai University like me. We¡¯ll be sophomores after this summer.¡±


    Tang Xiu also smiled and said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I can be the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, but I can¡¯t be a student at Shanghai University? Our forefathers have said that there¡¯s no end to learning. Only by learning more when one is still young will he be able to go further in the future and have greater achievements. This line also needs to be presented to you. You will join Magnificent Tang Corporation in the future; even if you¡¯re a sales expert, you still must work and learn at the same if you want to move fast and climb higher.¡±


    ¡°Umm, I know.¡± Li Qiang firmly nodded and replied with all seriousness.


    Li Xinjie, on the other hand, was shocked and asked in surprise, ¡°You just said that my Brother will work for your Magnificent Tang Corporation, Tang Xiu? That reminds me, how did you guys get acquainted? Why did you come to Chang City?¡±


    The series of the question made Tang Xiu smile and he replied, ¡°There was something I had to do here, and I just happened to meet your brother. He¡¯s definitely a good salesman, so I want him to work for my company.¡±


    Li Xinjie instantly understood and happily said, ¡°Thanks a bunch, Tang Xiu. I know that my brother is great.¡±


    Li Qiang let out a hollow laugh in response. He glanced at his wife, Luo Yu, and said hurriedly, ¡°Xinjie, we must thank Brother Tang properly since he has cured your sister-in-law¡¯s heart disease. He¡¯s our family¡¯s great benefactor.¡±


    Li Xinjie zoned out and immediately said with joy, ¡°Sis¡¯s heart disease has been cured? That¡¯s great! Thank you, Tang Xiu! Thanks a lot. Damn, I should be the one to blame here. I already knew that you¡¯re a famous Divine Doctor, yet I¡¯ve never once asked you to help treat my sister-in-law.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, please don¡¯t say any thanks again.¡± Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Lemme introduce you to her, Xue Yu. She also is a student at Shanghai University and is Mu Wanying¡¯s roommate.¡±


    Mu Wanying?


    Xue Yu¡¯s expression slightly changed, yet she concealed the surprised expression on her face.


    Li Xinjie herself had noticed the suffocating beauty of Xue Yu right as she came home. Although she had been suppressing her suspicion and doubt inside her heart, she now realized that Tang Xiu definitely had an extraordinary relationship with this woman named Xue Yu, given how Tang Xiu introduced her.


    ¡°You are¡­¡± said Li Xinjie while hesitating.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment and said, ¡°She¡¯s my woman.¡±


    ¡°What did you say? If she¡¯s your woman, then¡­ what about Wanying?¡± exclaimed Li Xinjie.


    ¡°She knows about her too,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Disbelief covered Li Xinjie¡¯s face and she asked incredulously, ¡°Wanying knows her? Does she also know Wanying?¡±


    Xue Yu stretched her hand out and calmly interjected, ¡°I know Mu Wanying. She¡¯s Tang Xiu¡¯s nominal, true girlfriend, the most beautiful flower of Shanghai University as well as the First Belle of Beijing. She¡¯s also a very outstanding woman.¡±


    Li Xinjie¡¯s lips squirmed and he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Then, why are you¡­¡±


    Xue Yu calmly cut her off, ¡°What you wanna ask is¡ªwhy am I still willing to be with Tang Xiu, right? Well, I can answer that. I chose and am willing to be with him, more so that I want to be with him for the rest of my life. I¡¯m not the only one like this, but also his other women know that there¡¯s also Mu Wanying, yet they still are dead set on being with him.¡±


    ¡°You guys¡­¡± Li Xinjie was shocked. She truly couldn¡¯t understand this celestial maiden-like beauty whatsoever.


    Tang Xiu himself didn¡¯t want to engage more in such a topic and remarked, ¡°By the way, I¡¯ve done what I must do, so please remember what I told you. You must pay attention to rest and convalesce in the next two or so months. And keep taking that herbal medicine for three months. We will take our leave since we still have other matters to tend to.¡±


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu left with Xue Yu.


    Inside the hall, Luo waved and called Li Xinjie to her side. She took her hand and asked, ¡°Xinjie, you seem to be very familiar with Divine Doctor Tang, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°How could I possibly be unfamiliar with him, Sis? His true girlfriend is my dormmate and we¡¯re like sisters,¡± answered Li Xinjie with a forced smile. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I didn¡¯t expect him to also have some other women besides Wanying. More so that this woman of his is no worse than Wanying, be it her appearance, stature, or bearings.¡±


    For a short while, Luo Yu was silent before she shook her head and said, ¡°Xinjie, you must remember that his affairs are his, not ours. Even if you do have a deep friendship with this girl named Mu Wanying, it¡¯s best not to involve yourself in the matter, else you¡¯ll end up the one embarrassed.¡±


    Li Xinjie nodded without a word.


    ****


    The next day.


    Tang Xiu and Xue Yu just checked out of the Chang City Hotel and walked out of the hotel¡¯s entrance. However, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t expect that there were some people with outlandish attire in the vicinity, looking like small gangsters.


    ¡°Trouble comes knocking,¡± whispered Xue Yu.


    ¡°They might be troubles for others, but it¡¯s nothing much to us,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go! We¡¯ll head to the Green Lake Agricola directly. The play we¡¯ll watch should unfold tonight.¡±


    Creak¡­


    A Mercedes-Benz offroad-car stopped in front of them. Tang Xiu and Xue Yu directly boarded it. Tang Xiu watched those gangsters in the vicinity move quickly, including their two black SUVs behind them. After watching, he let out a sneer and ordered, ¡°Jin Shi, drive slowly and let those bunches follow us.¡±


    ¡°Would you like to notice Xue Sha and Hei Xiang in order to deal with them, Boss?¡± asked Jin Shi.


    ¡°No need.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°That man surnamed Huang wants to play now, so we¡¯ll accompany him.¡±


    A major event was bound to unfold at the Green Lake Agricola. Those who would come to the party should be powerful characters, including some martial art experts. If this Huang guy were to direct his henchmen to rush into the Green Lake Agricola, then a fun yet awkward predicament would unfold for them.


    ¡°You know, Tang Xiu. That smile of yours looks rather insidious and sinister,¡± said Xue Yu smilingly.


    ¡°Is it? Why don¡¯t I feel it so, though?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a strange smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s obviously there. I seem to see that Huang pervert having some bad luck soon from your smile,¡± said Xue Yu smilingly. ¡°There¡¯s something I wanna ask, though. Will cleaning him up now affect your plan? After all, you wish to have Li Qiang work for Magnificent Tang Corporation, to begin with.¡±

 Chapter 907 - Cannon Fodders

    Chapter 907: Cannon Fodders


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu himself was very concerned about the life and death Boss Huang. After all, Li Qiang would follow him soon. Yet, an idea suddenly popped up inside his mind after he found this man wanted to retaliate against him. It was a good idea and it would kill two birds with one stone.


    ¡°Nothing will be affected.¡±


    Tang Xiu lit up a cigarette and looked out the window. Then he spoke again, ¡°That Huang guy won¡¯t die, just taught a lesson at most. However, those gangsters under him won¡¯t be as lucky as him.¡±


    Quickly, the Mercedes-Benz was just a few kilometers away from Green Lake Agricola. Jin Shi, who was driving, noticed Mo Awu in the front on the roadside, so he immediately stopped the car on the side of the road.


    ¡°Boss, the Green Lake Agricola is now temporarily closed,¡± respectfully reported Mo Awu to Tang Xiu while standing outside the window.


    ¡°How¡¯s the situation in there?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Hidden killing intent, no less,¡± answered Mo Awu. ¡°Song Donglai, Ao Wei, Gong Quang and 64 experts trained by them are all concealing themselves. While there¡¯s also another kung fu master surnamed Han who came yesterday. This man, added with the Song Donglai trio, adds up to a total of 68 people there. The entirety of the Agricola is in a battle formation. It¡¯s now easy to enter but difficult to come out.¡±


    ¡°Get in the car!¡± Tang Xiu lightly nodded and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go inside.¡±


    Mo Awu complied and, after he sat shotgun, the Mercedes-Benz Suv drove toward Green Lake Agricola. As they entered the wide road, the entrance of the venue soon came into view, but there was no usual lively scene this time. Even those security guards who were responsible for guard duty were all gone.


    Tang Xiu unleashed his spiritual sense right as he got out from the car and covered the surrounding area of 200-plus meters. Within his observation range, he saw tens of stalwart men armed with weapons hiding in hidden corners, including some of them who had noticed their arrival.


    ¡®They carry guns?!¡¯


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t expect that Song Donglai¡¯s men would have guns and some may have sniper rifles. Inside the range of his spiritual sense coverage, there were a total of four snipers hidden in every direction, each with their guns aimed towards the gate.


    ¡°Someone is coming, Boss.¡±


    Jin Shi, who followed behind Tang Xiu, suddenly spoke.


    Tang Xiu nodded and looked at Song Donglai who came from a nearby location towards his position. He only came alone without his two friends. Not even his men were seen.


    ¡°Mr. Tang!¡± shouted Song Donglai respectfully as he came before Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°You have a good arrangement here.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°This battle array formation is quite interesting.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding me, Mr. Tang,¡± said Song Donglai with a forced smile. ¡°It¡¯s all we can do while we know nothing about how many people from the Lian Family will come. If too many of them come here or the ancestor of Lian Family is the one who comes, I¡¯m afraid that we¡¯ll fall into a dire strait. If Mr. Tang is able to, would you¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and shook his head, ¡°I have no enmity with the Lians; neither do I have any reason to get rid of them. The enmity between you and them are yours to resolve. I only came here to be a witness and will not participate in the fight.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Tang, you¡­¡± said Song Donglai said bitterly.


    Tang Xiu interrupted him once again and calmly said, ¡°Actually, there will be no advantages for you guys if I act and help you. You guys want to chance upon that opportunity¡ªthat is, to be genuine Daoist cultivators¡ªwhich is something you must rely on yourselves for. If you rely on me and have the Lians dealt with easily, you will lack this sense of tempering. It will lead to problems in your mind¡¯s state later. Your battle with the Lians now is yours to take on.¡±


    State of mind? A battle and struggle with oneself?


    Song Donglai faintly realized the notion of what Tang Xiu wanted to express. After being silent for a while, he said, ¡°If so, could you please comply with one request of ours, Mr. Tang? It¡¯s a very simple issue. If we brothers are all killed here today, could send our bones back to our families? Fallen leaves eventually return to their roots, and our families are the final resting place for us to sleep.¡±


    ¡°I give you my word!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Song Donglai gratefully looked at Tang Xiu and suddenly said, ¡°Mr. Tang, if we brothers are all killed in this battle, we¡¯d like you to have this Green Lake Agricola! It¡¯s a token of our gratitude for your word.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°A man may love riches, but he must obtain them in a proper and just way. If we are enemies, I can kill you and take possession of your property. But I can¡¯t accept your offer. If you guys all die in battle, the Green Lake Agricola will be your Song Family¡¯s industry, no less. Nevertheless, I wish for you to survive. I hope you can snatch that slim chance of survival to enter the Dao through martial arts and become a true cultivator.¡±


    ¡°Donglai will always bear Mr. Tang¡¯s instructions in mind,¡± said Song Donglai respectfully.


    ¡°Although I will not intervene in the issues between both you and them, I don¡¯t mind to have a deal with you on the premise that you can survive and successfully break through the Qi Refining Stage,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°What transaction?¡± asked Song Donglai, confused.


    ¡°I¡¯ll sell you a cultivation technique for cultivators,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    Song Donglai¡¯s body trembled violently and an ecstatic look filled in his eyes. He then hurriedly asked, ¡°Mr. Tang, so long as we can break through the Qi Refining Stage as you told me, we will buy that cultivation art regardless of the price.¡±


    ¡°Alright. You can continue your preparation!¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s improper for us to stay here since this place is about to become a battlefield. But keep my words in mind¡ªI won¡¯t intervene in the battle between your side and the Lians, but neither of you can affect ordinary people. Else, I won¡¯t hesitate to eliminate anyone who becomes a threat to public safety.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Song Donglai with a serious expression.


    Tang Xiu put his hand around Xue Yu¡¯s shoulder and embraced her as he walked towards the depth of the Agricola. With Xue Sha and Hei Xiong following him, the group of six crossed the venue and came to the edge of a hill. The Blood Python Array may be powerful to others, but it was full of flaws and loopholes in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. He brought his people outside of the array easily and they quickly came to halfway up the hillside several hundreds of meters away.


    ¡°This place is quite good.¡±


    As they came to a relatively flat spot halfway up the hill, Tang Xiu¡¯s gaze swept over the few large bluestones. He immediately jumped to one of them and looked down towards the Green Lake Agricola at the foot of the hill with his hands behind his back.


    ¡°Those people who have been tailing us should have arrived outside Green Lake Agricola. What are you going to do next?¡± asked Xue Yu.


    ¡°Then I surely must find a savior for Boss Huang,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    Having said that, he took his handset out and dialed Li Qiang¡¯s cell number. After the latter picked up his call, he said, ¡°Contact the owner of Green Lake Agricola, Song Donglai, now. Tell him that some people just arrived at his farming venue and to not stop him. Take them to some spacious hall and provide them with dishes and liquor. Consider it as the cannon fodder I gift them. Do remember, your first priority after you come here is to protect the safety of Boss Huang and gain his trust.¡±


    ¡°I must go there now?¡± asked Li Qiang.


    ¡°Yup. Get here now,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    At the gate of Green Lake Agricola, two black SUVs were been parked outside. In the passenger seat of the car in front was a stalwart middle-aged man with a terrifying scar on his left cheek. He was now frowning and took his mobile phone out. After dialing a cell number and getting his call got picked up, he said, ¡°These people just entered Green Lake Agricola, Boss.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t alert them and wait for me there!¡± Boss Huang¡¯s deep voice came replying from the phone.


    After more than half an hour, a black Audi and two gold-colored vans arrived. Boss Huan then came out of the Audi and asked, ¡°Where are those bastards now?¡±


    ¡°They are inside and have yet to come out, Boss,¡± answered the scarred face big man.


    Boss Huang sneered, ¡°I¡¯ve visited this Green Lake Agricola a few times and this road is the only path to come in and out of this place. Since they are still inside, I¡¯ll kill them today. Wait and be ready to move. But keep my order. Trash the men to death but don¡¯t ever touch the woman. I¡¯m gonna fuck her unless she does 108 poses for me.¡±


    The scar-faced stalwart man grinned, ¡°If you get tired with your playing, can you give her to us to play? I saw that woman myself, and damn¡­ she¡¯s the best beauty I¡¯ve ever seen in my life.¡±


    Boss Huang shot him a glance before he took a cigarette and lit it up. After taking two puffs, he nodded and said, ¡°Wait till I get done and am tired of her, then you can have your wish.¡±


    Several minutes later, Boss Huan entered the Agricola with more than 20 gangsters armed with clubs. But something puzzled him. It was almost noon now, and the business should be bustling here. So how come there were no guests right now?


    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong here.¡±


    When he walked past the corridor and came to the spacious hall inside, his pace abruptly came to a halt and he shouted in a deep tone.


    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong? What is it, Boss?¡± asked the scar-faced big man, confused.


    Boss Huan carefully observed the situation in the surroundings and said in a heavy voice, ¡°Don¡¯t you see? We¡¯ve been inside for a few minutes, yet we haven¡¯t seen anyone¡¯s shadows whatsoever? I told you that I¡¯ve been here a couple of times. This place has good business with a lot of guests, security guards at the gate, and many staffers. But now, there¡¯s nobody here.¡±


    The scar-faced stocky man¡¯s heart suddenly thumped upon hearing it. He then immediately asked, ¡°Could it be that we entered their trap, Boss?¡±


    Boss Huang took a deep breath and immediately replied with a cautious face, ¡°Let¡¯s get the hell out of here first and head outside.¡±


    At this moment, Song Donglai came with the middle-aged Manager Wang. After seeing Boss Huang and his men, he smiled and called out with a crisp voice, ¡°Aren¡¯t you Boss Huang? What brings you here today? But¡­ what kind of song are you singing today? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve offended you, and yet, how can you bring so many men here? Do you want to smash my Agricola or something?¡±


    Boss Huang himself knew who Song Donglai was. He was well aware that this man also had some abilities and influence in Chang City, so he let out a dry smile and said, ¡°You misunderstood me, Boss Song. How could I take my men to smash your turf? It¡¯s because some punks were running to your place and we came to pursue them.¡±


    Song Donglai intentionally showed a sudden understanding look and said, ¡°Ah! I know who you are talking about. I only have a group of guests today. It¡¯s just that they seemed to have some unexpected accident all of a sudden and then left!¡±

 Chapter 908 - Invisible Infiltrating Attack

    Chapter 908: Invisible Infiltrating Attack


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Boss Huang was dumbfounded. He watched Song Donglai, but his expression and tone didn¡¯t seem to show that he was lying. He hesitated and turned to look at the scar-faced big man.


    The latter hastily said, ¡°I dare swear that those people have never left this place, Boss. We stayed outside the gate ever since they entered. If what you said is true¡ªthat the Agricola only has one entrance¡ªthen they must be still here.¡±


    ¡°Those guests left as early as half an hour ago.¡± Song Donglai shook his head and said, ¡°They left their cars here and hurried back behind the hill. They looked very flustered though.¡±


    They just ran?


    Boss Huang was stunned yet again, as well as the scar-faced man, both at a loss of what to do.


    After a long period of time, Boss Huang then looked around before he asked, ¡°Boss Song, this place of yours is kinda different from its usual vibe today. There used to be a good business here, as it was full of patrons at lunch if I recall correctly? How come it looks deserted today? Not only are there no patrons, but also none of the service people.¡±


    Song Donglai happily said with a smile, ¡°Boss Huang, you truly are a very informed man! Don¡¯t you know that I have suspended my business for three days? I¡¯m going all out on prepping the next big plan of mine.¡±


    ¡°You have a big plan? What is it?¡± asked Boss Huang with a puzzled expression, ¡°I¡¯ve been occupied by many issues, so I didn¡¯t have the time to visit and dine here.¡±


    Song Donglai clapped and smilingly said, ¡°Arriving early isn¡¯t as good as arriving at the most opportune moment. It¡¯s a truly good fortune of mine to have you come here today, Boss Huang. My big plan is that our chef here has been studying new recipes, resulting in quite the achievements recently. I believe that once the new menu is introduced to our patrons, everyone will greatly welcome it!¡±


    Boss Huang smiled and said, ¡°Ah¡­ then why would my visit today be your great fortune? It is indeed a happy event to have a new menu, though.¡±


    ¡°Well, everyone knows who you are, don¡¯t they, Boss Huang?¡± Dong Songlai said, ¡°You¡¯re a bigshot who literally has tasted all kinds of delicacies. We have just researched this new product successfully, and then you happened to come here. Isn¡¯t this good fortune for me? I was worrying that nobody would be eager to taste it, yet you finally came. So be it then. Please stay and try our new dishes along with these brothers you brought today. You can¡¯t rest your worry about the expense, it¡¯s all on the house. Just taste the dishes and tell us your opinion.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Boss Huang looked at Song Donglai with a dumbstruck expression. Never did it occur to him that he would run into a situation like this. He came to Green Lake Agricola this time to enact revenge, yet he ended up unable to find his enemy at all, instead getting to freely dine and drink here?


    He turned his head to look at the more than 20 men behind him whose faces looked enthusiastic. He hesitated for a while before he nodded and said, ¡°Boss Song, we can¡¯t refuse your kindness for inviting us. Since that punk and prostitute have already run away, then I¡¯ll find them the next day to settle the account.¡±


    ¡°Alright, please follow me to the Dining Hall then,¡± said Song Donglai with a smile. ¡°You can wait there first while waiting for the dishes from the kitchen. I¡¯ll tell the staff to prepare and send them over. Ah, that¡¯s right. Since Boss Huang has greatly helped me deal with my issue today, I also have an unopened God¡¯s Nectar bottle here. Shall the two of us friends drink two cups of the wine later?¡±


    ¡°God¡¯s Nectar?¡± Boss Huang¡¯s spirit soared and he gulped down without him realizing. He nodded without hesitation and said, ¡°Great, that¡¯d be great! I love God¡¯s Nectar wine.¡±


    ****


    Chang City.


    On the road dozens of kilometers away from Green Lake Agricola were six Wrangler SUVs speeding up toward the venue, only leaving the deafening sounds of their roaring engines behind.


    Inside the third car, Lian Bai sat with a cigarette clamped between his lips. His eyes were gleaming with killing intent, and the bushy scenery that brushed past outside didn¡¯t attract him enough to even spare a glance.


    The enemy had killed his younger brother. This blood feud was absolutely irreconcilable.


    As the Patriarch of the Lian Family, Lian Bai had gone through many hardships and difficulties in life, yet the most difficult thing to bear was to see his younger brother die at the hands of those bastards. He could¡¯ve acted outrageously if these people were just ordinary folks, but these three enemies were not.


    ¡®The Ao, Song, and Gong Families¡­¡¯


    Lian Bai threw the cigarette butt out of the window. The killing intent that already filled his heart was raging stronger.


    ¡®I¡¯ll first remove Ao We, Song Donglai, and Gong Quang. I¡¯ve spent quite a lot to bring out the two ancestors who have always been in seclusion for many years, as well as many experts of the family. I swear I¡¯m not a human if I can¡¯t slaughter the three of you!


    ¡®With the three of you dealt with, then your three families¡¯ turn will come. My Lian Family isn¡¯t afraid of any of your families. But, I can¡¯t face the three of them at the same time. Just wait for me to build up my force. I¡¯ll root out your three families by bloodshed one day.¡¯


    Suddenly, a blazing flame emitted out of his palm. The egg-sized flame sent out intense heat and caused the temperature inside the SUV to rise instantly.


    ¡°Patriarch,¡± called out Lian Peng, sitting in the passenger seat, in a low voice.


    Lian Bai looked at him and immediately retracted the flame back. He then asked in a deep voice, ¡°How far are we from our destination?¡±


    ¡°More than 30 kilometers,¡± answered Lian Peng.


    Lian Bai was silent for a moment and then slowly said, ¡°Keep in mind what I told you. Spare no attention to anyone if you¡¯re in danger and give your all to escape as fast as possible. I¡¯ve been feeling a bit uneasy and restless recently. It¡¯s like there¡¯s a trap waiting for us.¡±


    ¡°This is indeed a trap actually,¡± said Lian Peng, ¡°However, traps also have differences in scale. If the trap is too small and feeble to deal with huge prey, then it will be useless. We¡¯ve invited the two ancestors to come out this time. Those three will surely meet their maker even if they have the ability to fly.¡±


    Lian Bai was silent for a moment. He then slowly said, ¡°Yet, we can¡¯t be careless. Xiao Ya is a new face, so just let him go to scout ahead and get some news. With his abilities, those who can catch him are far and between even if he does run into problems.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Ya is indeed a genius for practicing the Shadow Art.¡± Lian Peng said with a smile, ¡°Even if Song Donglai¡¯s place is ridden with crisis and dangers, it won¡¯t be a problem for him.¡±


    Quickly, the six cards parked a few kilometers away from Green Lake Agricola before a young man clad in a black training suit and black longsword came out from the second car. He looked around before quickly dashing towards Green Lake Agricola.


    He was Xiao Ya¡ªa genius of the Lian Family had been training since he was a child due to his special abilities. Through inhuman training, he had transformed into a man who possessed terrifying abilities in assassination, tracing, and investigation. He even had taken an assassination mission from abroad and earned the nickname of ¡°Revenant Shadow¡± in just three years, propelling himself to a spot in the top 20 hitmen worldwide.


    A few minutes later, Xiao Ya was closing in towards Green Lake Agricola. His figure suddenly swayed a few times and flickered before it disappeared under the sunny day, leaving only rippling fluctuations in the air which indicated that he had easily entered the venue.


    ¡®It¡¯s really a trap.¡¯


    Xiao Ya continued to appear in the hidden corners of the Agricola as he saw more than a dozen experts hiding there. He quickly grasped the general situation in the site as well as its interior. Right as he was about to lurk away from the place, however, his complexion suddenly changed.


    ¡®What the fuck is this?¡¯


    An invisible energy shield blocked his way out.


    Inside a hidden room in the depths of Green Lake Agricola, Ao We¡¯s expression greatly changed and he shouted in a deep voice, ¡°Go out and inspect the outside quickly! Go see who the other party is. Someone wants to leave the Blood Python Array.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The four stocky big men rushed out of the room at the same time. The quartet searched for ten minutes, yet they couldn¡¯t find the sign of anyone who was attempting to leave.


    ¡°There¡¯s nobody here, Boss!¡± One of the stocky men reported using a walkie-talkie.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s definitely attempting to leave the site!¡± replied Ao Wei in a heavy voice, ¡°The Blood Python Array was touched and he¡¯s still constantly attacking the energy shield created by the array. Do a careful search and assign more men to your team. You must find this person!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The number of men increased to more than 20 in search now. Yet, no matter how hard they look for the infiltrator, they couldn¡¯t even find his trace.


    Gong Quan silently appeared at the Agricola¡¯s gate with a dagger wielded backhandedly. A cold gleam flickered in his eyes as he observed the surroundings. Suddenly, there was turbulence from the rippling air a few meters away from him, causing his expression to change. Almost without hesitation, he dashed toward the rippling air as though an arrow released from a bowstring.


    ¡°DIE!¡±


    The dagger swept over without a specific target. But after Gong Quan waved it for several seconds, a bloody trail suddenly appeared out of thin air. In a flash moment after, Xiao Ya in a black exercise suit appeared and, at the same time, threw two darts in his hands to Gong Quan¡¯s glabella and throat.


    ¡°SHIT!¡±


    Gong Quan himself possessed astonishing strength. After all, he had already broken through the martial art grandmaster level. He could sense that danger approached him and he stiffly moved lightning-fast half a meter to the side, avoiding his glabella and throat getting pierced by the darts. Yet, due to the lack of a warning of an attack, the dart still scratched his cheek and left a wound.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± shouted Gong Quan while glaring at Xiao Ya after he flashed back more than seven meters away.


    Xiao Yan frowned deeply. But he disdainfully looked at Gong Quan before his figure suddenly disappeared without a trace. His speed was very fast, and he pushed deeper into the Agricola site hastily in the absence of Gong Quan¡¯s ability to see him.


    ¡°Invisibility? Damn! Everyone, listen! Pay attention to your surroundings. One bastard has infiltrated the place. He has the ability to stay invisible!¡±


    In a flash, most of the people in the entire site heard his shout.


    Inside the dining room, Boss Huang and his more than 20 henchmen were waiting for the dishes and wine to be delivered, yet not even one had been sent to them, causing him to be a bit displeased.


    ¡°Who¡¯s shouting?¡±


    The scar-faced big man heard the shout, but he couldn¡¯t hear it clearly, so he immediately asked with a confused face.


    ¡°It seems like someone is yelling, but I can¡¯t hear what he shouted,¡± replied Boss Huang curiously. ¡°It¡¯s really weird! This Agricola today is truly a bit¡­ strange!¡±

 Chapter 909 - Nine Fetuses of Hundred Ghosts Streamer

    Chapter 909: Nine Fetuses of Hundred Ghosts Streamer


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Hundreds of meters away from the flat open space halfway up the hillside, Tang Xiu calmly watched the situation in Green Lake Agricola with his arms crossed behind his back. Others may not be able to see clearly, but he could very clearly see the short-lived fight between Gong Quan and Xiao Ya.


    ¡°Invisibility Art?¡±


    He didn¡¯t expect that there was such a sophisticated invisibility technique on Earth that even he himself was unable to notice how the youth clad in black sneaked into the Green Lake Agricola.


    Behind him, Mo Awu frowned and said in a deep voice, ¡°That¡¯s the Revenant Shadow, Boss.¡±


    Tang Xiu turned his head and curiously asked, ¡°Do you know him?¡±


    ¡°This guy¡¯s appearance matches with the intel report I once read.¡± Mo Awu nodded and said, ¡°And his invisibility technique is identical with the Revenant Shadow¡¯s. He can disappear and appear out of thin air. This man is ranked in the world¡¯s top 20 assassins list¡ªa cold-blooded beast that has left a record of inhumane massacres in Southeast Asia and some parts of Africa. He¡¯s just any other lunatic killers. He doesn¡¯t only kill the target of his mission, but also massacres innocent people wantonly. As far as I know, the number of innocent victims who have died under his hands has exceeded a thousand.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion turned cold and he asked, ¡°So, he¡¯s the Lian Family¡¯s man as well?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡± Mo Awu shook his head and said, ¡°His origin is very mysterious. Even the assassin organization he once belonged to never knew the true details about him. It¡¯s like he just appeared out of thin air, wantonly did the slaughters in various countries around the world, and then disappeared without a trace a few years later.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and no longer spoke.


    Inside Green Lake Agricola, Xiao Ya¡¯s whole face was grim. Even though he activated his invisibility technique and hid in the hidden spot, he couldn¡¯t help but feel restless. He used to be killing people wantonly, yet he had never been as fearful as he was now. It was because he found that this agritourism venue was too bizarre. He could smoothly come inside, but he couldn¡¯t leave at all.


    ¡®What the hell is that energy shield exactly?¡¯


    Xiao Ya looked at the corner of the wall a dozen meters away from him with two stalwart men with machetes vigilantly looking around, though they were particularly suppressed their aura. He didn¡¯t attack those two stocky men, since there were six experts from the other two directions hiding, ready to ambush. Once he killed those two big men, those from the other two directions would discover him immediately.


    Through his observation, he could tell that these enemies were not too strong. Yet somehow, he was restless and frightened. It was as if there was some terrifying thing was staring at him somewhere. As if it was in waiting to strike him at any time.


    ¡®I must get out of this place and find a way to inform the Patriarch. Otherwise, any of family members who rashly rush over will probably be wiped out.¡¯


    A few kilometers away from Green Lake Agricola.


    The six SUVs had parked on the roadside, and Lian Bai was now smoking. His eyes kept flashing from time to time and apparently ruminating over some issues.


    ¡°Bai¡¯er.¡±


    Two white-haired old men came. They had a suffocating aura that exuded out of their tall bodies as they walked with very stable footsteps.


    Lian Bai quickly threw the cigarette butt and reverently replied, ¡°Ancestors.¡±


    The Lian Family¡¯s two ancestors were called Lian Wentian and Lian Wenxin. The former then asked, ¡°What¡¯s the situation? You already know where they are; why haven¡¯t you left?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve sent Xiao Ya to Green Lake Agricola to scout ahead,¡± said Lian Bai. ¡°He should be able to easily find out the situation there given his abilities. However, he has been there for a while without returning yet.¡±


    ¡°All the elite forces of our family have come out this time; why are you so careful just to deal with those brats of the several families under the Occult Sect?¡± questioned Lian Wentian apathetically. ¡°I tell you, just go and directly behead them in an irresistible destructive manner.¡±


    ¡°You also know that we must know our enemies and ourselves to be ever victorious in battle, Ancestor,¡± said Lian Bai quickly. ¡°I have no doubt that we can completely neutralize these bastards. But I¡¯m also the family¡¯s head, so I must consider the members of our family. We can make a better operation plan after we grasp our enemy¡¯s situation, so as to reduce the losses of some of our family members.¡±


    Lian Wentian thought for a while before he nodded and said, ¡°What you said makes sense. We¡¯re all aware of Xiao Ya¡¯s ability. Since he hasn¡¯t yet returned, that means that Green Lake Agricola is not a simple situation either. Alright, let¡¯s wait then! We¡¯ll directly storm over if Xiao Ya hasn¡¯t returned in 10 minutes.¡±


    Lian Bai pondered about it and then said, ¡°Then we¡¯ll rely on you, Ancestor.¡±


    Lian Wenxin, who kept his silence the whole time, suddenly interjected with his cold voice, ¡°My Nine Fetuses of 100 Ghost Streamer still lacks 39 souls. If the number of enemies is less than 39, you must catch and give me some commoners. I don¡¯t want to come out from seclusion just for the sake of dealing with some trivial things like your enmity.¡±


    Lian Bai was shaken inwardly, but he still respectfully replied, ¡°You can rest assured, Ancestor. I¡¯ll definitely help to collect 39 souls for you. Each will be done as per your custom, tormenting and killing them afterward.¡±


    Lian Wenxin nodded with satisfaction before he praised, ¡°It¡¯s truly a wise decision to entrust our Lian Family to be helmed by you. You have to be tough and go all out if you want our family to be the strongest one in the Occult Sect. So long as the family can become strong, even if we wantonly slaughter and turn the world upside down, what about it?¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± replied Lian Bai respectfully.


    More than 10 minutes passed by. The Lian Family¡¯s people drove the six SUVs towards the Green Lake Agricola even though Xiao Ya hadn¡¯t come back yet. It was because the two ancestors had spoken, so Lian Bai decided to launch the attack even if he was still a bit concerned and worried. They believed that every trick and scheme was futile in the face of absolute power. As long as they were powerful enough, even if the Green Lake Agricola had a huge trap waiting for them, it wouldn¡¯t pose a threat to them.


    At present, inside the inner hall of Green Lake Agricola, Li Qiang, who had arrived in a hurry, accompanied Boss Huang with a beaming, smiling face. The latter, however, was in a foul mood. He probably recalled how he had been beaten the day before yesterday, so he gave a cold shoulder and face to Li Qiang the whole time.


    ¡°Boss Song, when will your newly created dishes be delivered, exactly? We¡¯ve been waiting for a long time and we can¡¯t wait forever here, can we?¡± shouted Boss Huang with a dissatisfied and unhappy expression as he saw Song Donglai entered the hall.


    ¡°Soon. They will be coming soon and your wait will be over soon, Boss Huang,¡± replied Song Donglai with a smile. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re coming too, Young Qiang? Do you also know Boss Huang?¡±


    Li Qiang himself had discussed the plan with Song Donglai on the phone, so he played his script, ¡°Of course I know Boss Huang, Cousin. He¡¯s my Big Boss, to begin with. Ah, that¡¯s right. Since my Boss has come to dine here, then you have to give at least¡­ well¡­ 40% discount.¡±


    Song Donglai chuckled and crisply replied, ¡°Today is on the house, mind you.¡±


    ¡°You both¡­¡± interjected Boss Huang with astonishment.


    ¡°Young Qiang is my younger cousin,¡± replied Song Donglai with a smile.


    Boss Huang suddenly understood. His expression when he looked at Li Qiang turned more at ease. He then nodded and said, ¡°Li Qiang, take that sales contract out if you brought it. I¡¯ll sign it.¡±


    Li Qiang took the briefcase and took out the proposed sales contract from the inside. He then placed it in front of Boss Huang and smilingly said, ¡°I¡¯ve already brought it, Boss. As long as you sign it, I¡¯ll give it my current company and resign after I receive my money. Then I¡¯ll work for you afterward.¡±


    For a while, however, Boss Huang hesitated. He shot a glance at Song Donglai first before he finally signed his name on the contract.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    Song Donglai¡¯s mobile phone suddenly rang in his pocket. He grabbed it and picked up the call. His complexion suddenly changed and his breathing turned short as he said, ¡°Young Qiang, quickly take Boss Huang to leave this place. Hurry up! This place is going to be full of danger soon!¡±


    Li Qiang pretended to look puzzled and asked, ¡°What do you mean, Cousin? How come some dangers are coming to your place? The society is governed by law nowadays. Are there some people coming here to make trouble for you?¡±


    ¡°Spare the chit-chat, will you?¡± Song Donglai pretended to be angry, ¡°Just hurry up and leave this place with Boss Huang! Otherwise, you won¡¯t be able to escape later.¡±


    Boss Huang stood up and asked with knitted brows, ¡°What exactly happened, Boss Song? We¡¯ve been waiting here and we are yet to have our grub whatsoever!¡±


    ¡°I just received the news that my mortal enemies unknowingly have found that I¡¯ve been hiding here for decades,¡± smiled Song Donglai with a forced, bitter smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that they would find me either. Regardless, you gotta hurry up and leave this place. My enemy has a substantial background.¡±


    Boss Huang still looked hesitant before he nodded and said, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then we won¡¯t disturb you any longer. We¡¯ll come back to patron your place again some other day, Boss Song.¡±


    Having said that, he called out his group of more than 20 men and quickly walked outside. Just as they came to the parking lot, however, they saw six SUVs come at them.


    Song Donglai, who followed behind with four stalwart men, also saw the approaching SUVs, and shouted, ¡°Young Qiang, bring Boss Huang back quickly! Dammit, how come they got here so fast?!¡±


    Li Qiang instantly grabbed Boss Huang¡¯s hand upon hearing it and ran towards Song Donglai. But more than twenty henchmen hooligans exchanged dismayed glances. However, there was no look of fear on their faces since they often fight in the brawl. Such an occasion was like a regular meal to them. Not to mention that the arriving people were not their enemies. Even if they had enmity with them, they were not afraid since their side¡¯s numbers were larger.


    Creak¡­


    After the SUVs stopped, Lian Bai came out of the car in strides. His eyes were full of killing intent as they fell on Song Donglai. He tightly gripped his fists instantly and ferociously shouted, ¡°Song sonuvabitch! I¡¯ve been looking for you for 21 years and finally found you. The blood feud of killing my younger brother, the hatred of killing my clansmen¡ªI¡¯ll pay you back a hundredfold today!¡±


    Song Donglai watched more than 20 people come out of the six cars. His expression enormously changed when he saw the two ancestors of Lian Family. As more than 20 people dashed from the interior of farmhouse, he shouted in a deep voice, ¡°You also know what happened in the past, Lian Bai. Your younger brother was at fault and in the wrong! He was guilty of doing evil deeds and slaughtering people wantonly. We, three brothers, happened to witness his evil doings, and naturally couldn¡¯t stand idly by. He deserved his death for the crimes he had done!¡±


    Lian Bai strode over and ferociously yelled, ¡°Nobody has the right to criticize and order my Lian Family of how we do things, ever! In short, the blood feud between us is way too deep and must be put to an end today. But be rest assured! I won¡¯t kill you immediately; I will torture you! Your fate will be worse than death and I¡¯ll offer your soul to my ancestors!¡±

 Chapter 910 - Soul Devourer

    Chapter 910: Soul Devourer


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Song Donglai was restless inwardly, while fear gleamed in his eyes. The Lian Family was indeed under the Occult Sect and they looked like they did things in a just and correct way, yet they secretly committed evil and wicked deeds behind the scenes. It was something that he and his two brothers were very aware of.


    He still remembers the members of the Lian Family he has killed in the past. Some of them used demonic tools to commit their atrocious inhumane deeds. Song Donglai then inhaled deeply to calm down his restlessness and sneered back, ¡°Who¡¯ll live or die today is still hard to say now!¡±


    ¡°Do you think we are afraid of you since you¡¯ve set up a trap here?¡± shouted Lian Bai as he ferociously laughed, ¡°Where are those two fuckers beside you? Ao Wei and Gong Quan? Make them roll out too!¡±


    Not far away from them, Gong Quan came with a dozen of his confidants. Yet he didn¡¯t even spare a glance to the aggressive and threatening Lian Bai¡¯s group, and kept observing and sensing the air fluctuations in the surroundings with full vigilance. For him, the hidden assassin he just encountered was the most dangerous existence.


    Halfway up the hillside.


    Tang Xiu wore a profound expression and his eyes kept lingering on the Lian Family. Several hundreds of meters of distance were not far to him, and he could sense that the surrounding temperature drop all of a sudden right as these people arrived. It was like there was some hidden death qi coming from the Lian Family¡¯s direction.


    Is it the Ghost race, the resentful specters, or one who has cultivated a ghost cultivation technique?


    It never occurred to him that such an interesting matter would present itself to him; after all, he was only here to watch and observe the battle. All that which has been unfolded piqued his interest as to what other existences Earth had. Not only has he found the traces of immortals and the legacies they left behind, but now has also encountered such a rich death qi. Could it be that a ghost race cultivation technique also exists on Earth?


    Xue Yu, who stood beside Tang Xiu, also watched as the two sides drew their weapons and aimed them at each other. She then asked, ¡°Tang Xiu, which side do you think is more powerful?¡±


    ¡°Dong Donglai and his people will definitely die this time if there¡¯s no unforeseen accident,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Is it because of those two old men?¡± asked Xue Yu in surprise.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and explained, ¡°I¡¯ve seen the ancestors of some families under the Occult Sect. They¡¯re so decrepit and just half a step from their grave, yet they possess horrifying strength. Nearly all of them are martial artists who have embarked on the cultivation path. Although most of them don¡¯t have any cultivation techniques, making it nearly impossible to break through the Foundation Establishment stage, many of them could still contend with those at the Foundation Establishment Stage just by their Qi Refining Stage cultivation.¡±


    ¡°So, are you really not going to help Boss Song?¡± asked Xue Yu.


    ¡°No.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Song Donglai actually possesses great talent¡ªhe reached the martial art grandmaster level at less than 50 years old. It¡¯s not an easy feat to achieve. This time, he wants to take advantage of the Blood Python Array to chance upon the opportunity with his two brothers¡ªan endeavor they must only rely on themselves with, no less.¡±


    Xue Yu didn¡¯t ask again, yet she was mulling over some thoughts inside her mind.


    Tang Xiu turned to look at her and said again, ¡°Do you think I should help him because I, at least, are familiar with him?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s very respectful to you.¡± Xue Yu nodded.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°There was once a time when countless people respected me. Those who once begged for my help were too many to count, just like the school of fishes that cross the river. I also could have saved countless people if I wanted to, yet I just watched them die. It¡¯s not that I have a heart made of stone, but it was because the Heavenly Dao is merciless and ruthless. Ever since I set my foot on the cultivation path, I¡¯ve been struggling and fighting on my own¡ªthough of course, there have been some exceptions to the case, regardless.¡±


    ¡°Which exceptions?¡± asked Xue Yu.


    Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°They are those whom I care about. Even if they are cripples or the so-called dregs on the cultivation path and are unwilling to get into danger, I will always help them. I¡¯ll provide them all the cultivation techniques, resources, and experiences. I¡¯ll also guarantee their safety.¡±


    ¡°I suddenly feel that I¡¯m very lucky,¡± said Xue Yu softly.


    ¡°You know, luck is oftentimes an important factor in success,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle.


    In Green Lake Agricola.


    The Lian Family¡¯s ancestor, Lian Wenxin, slowly walked to Lian Bai¡¯s side and likewise, watched the people in front of him as though they were already dead. He slowly took out some black ink from his green long robe and said in a grim voice, ¡°What a waste of a quarrel, using just words. Just annihilate all the enemies today and don¡¯t delay their move to reincarnation.¡±


    Lian Bai unsheathed his saber and shouted ferociously, ¡°KILL THEM ALL!¡±


    Dozens of meters away, Boss Huang and his more than 20 henchmen were originally harboring the thought of watching the fun, even though they were also a bit restless. However, when the Lian Family¡¯s ancestor spoke, a chilling current seeped into their mind, sending a chill down their spines.


    The combat between martial artists always involved the glints and flashes of cold steel with a foul wind and a rain of blood in its wake. When arms were flying and blood splashing and the two sides suffered casualties and injuries during the fight, Boss Huang and his henchmen felt as though they were falling into ice holes, filled by a fear that nearly made them scream out.


    Li Qiang suddenly grabbed Boss Huang and said in a pressed voice, ¡°Boss, tell your men to help my cousin quickly! Otherwise, the other party will probably not let us leave if he gets defeated.¡±


    Boss Huang was hardly able to turn head as he looked at Li Qiang with a face full of fear, saying, ¡°These people¡­ are from the martial world! How can I help them? Don¡¯t tell me you want me to send them to their deaths?¡±


    ¡°Even if they can only gang up against one man, that¡¯s still great merit as long as they can bring down some of them!¡± said Li Qiang hurriedly, ¡°Besides, I must take you to hide somewhere right away. If there are too many people with us, we¡¯ll be easily exposed even if we¡¯re hiding.¡±


    Boss Huang¡¯s lips squirmed a few times and he immediately shouted, ¡°All of you, go there and help Boss Song. Anyone of you who can injure those people, I¡¯ll reward you a million yuan. 2 million yuan for whoever can kill one of them. Hurry up!¡±


    People do say that there will always be one who is brave enough to take the risks if the rewards are generous enough.


    These rabbles were henchmen¡ªgangsters raised by Boss Huang himself. They usually help Boss Huang to deal with some unspeakable shady deals, which has earned them tens of thousand yuan each time. It was not a small amount of money in and of itself, but when they heard Boss Huang¡¯s promise, their eyes shined brightly. Although they realized that they were far from being a match for those people, they were actually smart enough to gang up against one of them.


    The number of men under Song Donglai was many times more than those of the Lian Family¡¯s. Although the gap of strength between them and the Lian Family¡¯s people was quite big, the number of people was indeed able to make up for the differences in individual combat prowess, albeit barely. More than 20 hooligans divided into three groups and ganged up on the three experts from the Lian Family quickly.


    Pew, pew, pew¡­


    With a fluctuation in the air, Xiao Ya soundlessly appeared next to the scar-faced big man, while his sharp dagger pierced the latter¡¯s stomach like a venomous snake. After pulling out the dagger, he moved lightning fast and kill the other three rabbles.


    ¡°Gunshots?!¡±


    Amid the chaotic scene of battle, the experts of Lian Family who had the upper hand and were dominating the battle had their complexions slightly changed. They could clearly hear the faint gunshots, while some of them who were proficient in firearms were aware that it was not coming from ordinary pistols, but from a very powerful sniper rifle.


    ¡°Xiao Ya! Deal with those snipers!¡± shouted Lian Bai after his saber cleaved down the enemy and turned to glance around.


    ¡°CRUOR PYTHON!¡±


    Ao Wei, who had yet to make an appearance on the stage, appeared from the direction of the lakelet. Behind him were strong stocky men lifting a big steel cage two meters in width and height, dashing into the fray. As they were closing on the fighting crowd, Ao Wei ferociously roared and cleaved the chain outside the steel cage and opened its door.


    Whoosh!


    A more than three meters long blood-colored Cruor Python violently raged and slithered out of the cage. Its mouth opened, exhibiting its chilling, cold fangs at the moment it flashed behind a member of the Lian Family and instantly bit on the left side of his neck.


    Aaaaargh¡­.


    A horrifying and shrill scream came from the man. The Cruor Python didn¡¯t stay still and flung toward the other member of the Lians.


    ¡°Fucking asshole!¡±


    The Lian Family¡¯s ancestor, Lian Wentian, who had just killed several men under Song Donglai, noticed the bloody-colored python who had just appeared and already killed two of his family members. He immediately wielded a longsword and hurled lightning fast towards the Cruor Python. He had encountered such a ferocious ominous beast before, so he had no fear in facing it.


    The battle between the Cruor Python and Lin Wentian caused the spot to be devoid from anyone else. The anaconda-like Cruor Python was far more powerful than all of the fierce beasts Lin Wentian had killed before. At the moment when a man and a beast were deadlocked in their fight, Lian Wenxin, who had killed a dozen people, finally opened the dark ink bottle in his hand and instantly threw it into the air.


    ¡°Soul Guardian¡ªDEVOUR!¡±


    Lian Wenxin rose up into the air and, as his roar echoed around, the black ink bottle opened and unleashed a murky-grayish weapon all of a sudden. At the same time, the Nine Fetuses of Hundred Ghosts Streamer the size of a palm instantly appeared from the black bottle, while the gushing eddy that came out with it grew bigger and stronger.


    Halfway up the hill, Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion suddenly changed greatly. His pupils contracted, and disbelief filled them as he could sense the thick death Qi repeatedly surging out at the moment the Nine Fetuses of Hundred Ghosts Streamer unleashed into the air.


    ¡°The Ghost race tool?¡±


    He easily recognized this Nine Fetuses of a Hundred Ghosts Streamer, since it radiated a very powerful ghosts¡¯ aura containing the grief of the souls within it.


    ¡°What is this Ghost device?¡± asked Xue Yu confused.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes were flickering, containing some killing intent within them. He replied with a heavy voice, ¡°It¡¯s a device that uses human souls¡ªthe souls of those who have been inhumanely tortured with countless cruel and brutal methods. Their souls then turn into wraiths before they get absorbed into this ghost device, which then forms it into a powerful weapon. This Ghost Streamer has at least devoured several hundred human souls, all of them which were tortured inhumanely before they got murdered, making their souls still even be tormented now.¡±


    ¡°That evil?!!¡± Xue Yu exclaimed, ¡°Isn¡¯t that the likes of the demon in the legends?¡±


    ¡°True. There¡¯s not much of a difference between Ghost and Demonic tools, to begin with.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Both are just two forms of power, but they are a similarly diabolical evil object. This Lian Family is under the Occult Sect on the surface. I didn¡¯t expect that some of them have refined such a Ghost device. This makes it obvious that this family is wicked!¡±


    ¡°So, what should we do?¡± asked Xue Yu quickly.


    ¡°What should we do? Hmph¡­ What other than making sure whether this Ghost device was made or was just refined by the Lian Family?¡± snorted Tang Xiu coldly. ¡°If they are the ones who did that, or by something else¡­ hmph¡­ then they are damned! All the deceased souls, even the souls of the Lian Family¡¯s deceased members, all must have been swallowed inside that Ghost device!¡±


    After he said that, Tang Xiu¡¯s figure instantly flew down.

 Chapter 911 - You Want to Become My Enemy Relying On Your Family?

    Chapter 911: You Want to Become My Enemy Relying On Your Family?


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The Lian Family had it easy in the brutal fighting in Green Lake Agricola as they only had four casualties and only five men injured, in contrast to the tremendous losses suffered by the Song Donglai, Ao Wei, and Gong Quan, who lost a lot of men. The number might be on their side, but their strength was generally too weak.


    In addition to that, more than 20 rabbles under Boss Huang were just ordinary people without much combat power either. Even though they formed three groups, the three elite experts of Lian Family just maniacally slaughtered them. Excluding the scar-faced big man, the rest of them were killed in just a few minutes.


    Hiss, hiss¡­


    The Cruor Python itself was being ganged up on by Lian Wentian and Lian Wenxin, having been badly battered by their barrage of attacks. Its blood-colored body was rolling and now trying to escape towards the lake. However, the black bottle that floated in the air unleashed a strong suction force and continuously released a gray-blackish mist, pulling all the souls of the killed humans¡¯ bodies under it, swallowing into the Nine Fetuses of a Hundred Ghosts Streamer.


    Lian Bai, the Patriarch of Lian Family, had also reached the martial arts grandmaster level and was quite formidable himself, even though his cultivation had yet to reach the new realm. After he brandished his saber to slash a man wearing a bronze mask and forced him back, he shouted sternly, ¡°Who are you? Your strength is on par with Song Donglai, Ao Wei, and Gong Quan. You¡¯re absolutely not their man!¡±


    ¡°Ask the King of Hell after you die!¡±


    Han Sen¡¯s wushu suit was rustling, and his crazy killing intent was locked on Lian Bai. Their strength was well-matched and the short exchange of blows made them feel like their qi and blood were surging all over their body.


    ¡°Hmph, hiding your head and tail. What a shameful shit you are!¡± grinned Lian Bai hideously. ¡°Since you¡¯re seeking your death, don¡¯t blame me for being ruthless.¡±


    Lian Bai brandished his saber right after he spoke, while his left hand quickly condensed a ball of fire. Along with his powerful strike, he threw the ball of fire that exploded into a blazing flame that stormed toward Han Sen.


    ¡°Elementalist?!¡±


    Han Sen¡¯s expression changed enormously. Just as he hastily moved to fend it off, the air behind him rippled as a dagger pierced his back all of a sudden.


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    Never once Han Sen dreamed that an assassin was hiding in the dark and had actually launched a sneak attack on him at this moment. A bit of despair filled his eyes, yet the madness inside him was raging more. Just as the dagger was piercing his heart, he threw himself toward the spot of the fluctuated air.


    ¡°You want me to die? Then I¡¯ll drag you with me!¡±


    Xiao Ya had just appeared in the air as Han Sen appeared in front of him, sweeping his saber and leaving a long, deep bleeding wound. Xiao Ya hadn¡¯t yet reached the martial arts grandmaster level. He was best at assassination. He literally didn¡¯t have enough time to avoid the strike of a martial art grandmaster powerhouse face to face.


    ¡°SAVE ME!!!¡±


    Xiao Ya roared hurriedly. He could only pin his hopes on Lian Bai at this moment. If Lian Bai could kill Han Sen as quickly as possible, then he had a hope of living. Unfortunately, Han Sen knew that his heart was already pierced and realized that his death was imminent, so he ignored the attack from Lian Bai behind him. When the long blade in his hand beheaded Xiao Ya, his back was also injured and left a twenty-plus centimeters long deep wound.


    A flame arrow then pierced Han Sen¡¯s body, causing his lifeforce to elapse quickly. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and was hardly able to turn his head to glare at Lian Bai full of killing intent.


    ¡°Pity that I can¡¯t drag you along to die with me!¡±


    Likewise, Lian Bai was also seething with rage and killing intent. Xiao Ya was killed, a feeling like he just had his right arm cut off, making him difficult to breathe and feel distressed. It must be noted that Xiao Ya was very young. Even if he hadn¡¯t yet broken through the martial arts grandmaster level, he would probably be able to reach it in the future.


    He was a martial art genius, but he was killed just like that. Lian Bai truly couldn¡¯t wait to hack Han Sen into pieces. But instead of continuing to attack, he stood a few meters away from him and spoke in a heavy voice, ¡°Do you want to die that badly? Did you not see what my Ancestors have brought here? I tell you now. That¡¯s the Nine Fetuses of a Hundred Ghost Streamer¡ªan object that can devour human soul, transforming it into a resentful wraith and eternally trapping it inside the streamer. Just wait. You¡¯ll struggle in endless pain soon, while your soul with scatter along with the destruction of the Nine Fetuses of a Hundred Ghosts Streamer some day in the future.¡±


    Han Sen¡¯s pale face only responded to his threat with contempt. He never believed of the existence of ghosts in this world. What souls and resentful spirits? All those were nothing but a damn unfunny joke.


    Hmph¡­


    A deep, yet chilling snort was heard. Han Sen was slightly shaken with a look of horror on his face. Even though he felt thankful for the rapid loss of his lifeforce, he could still clearly see the fear on Lian Bai¡¯s face before him¡ªthe previously arrogant Lian Bai was now being grabbed on his neck by a young man behind him.


    Tang Xiu indifferently glanced around before his eyes fell on Han Sen and he lightly spoke, ¡°What he said is true. Had I not intervened, your soul would have been imprisoned. You¡¯d suffer the cruelest torture all day and night until your body completely disappeared, then your soul would have turned into a resentful energy¡ªthe so-called resentful spirit. Once you get into such a situation, you will forever be unable to reincarnate. Just another form of a soul disappearing into nothingness.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± shouted Lian Bai with a look full of fear after his neck was grabbed by Tang Xiu.


    ¡± Hmph .¡± Tang Xiu coldly snorted at him and asked, ¡°Are you the Patriarch of the Lian Family?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± answered Lian Bai quickly. ¡°Let me go, otherwise you¡¯ll become the enemy of my family. My two ancestors are here as well, and they are very strong!¡±


    ¡°Just two ants who have reached Qi Refining Stage, yet you call them very formidable?¡± Tang Xiu mocked him. ¡°Truly a frog who looks at the sky from the bottom of a well. Your knowledge is too shallow.¡±


    During his talk, two of the elite experts from the Lian Family blitzed over since they saw that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t look back and slashed their sabers to cleave Tang Xiu from behind.


    ¡°DIE!¡±


    Tang Xiu moved away lightning fast. As he appeared in an empty spot two meters away, his thoughts moved and dozens of electric sparks appeared out of thin air, shooting forward like arrows toward the two men¡¯s vital points, directly killing them.


    Lian Bai, whose neck was still being grabbed by Tang Xiu, could only helplessly watch his two family¡¯s experts meet their tragic death. His heart was as though falling into an ice hole, birthing deep dread and fear inside him. Even though they hadn¡¯t yet reached the level of martial arts grandmaster, they weren¡¯t that far from it, but this young man could use such an electric special ability to kill them easily. His power was definitely ten times more powerful than the fire attribute special ability he possessed.


    ¡°ALL OF YOU, STOP!¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at the two Lian Family¡¯s ancestors who had joined forces to kill the Cruor Python and then looked around and shouted loudly. His deafening voice was like rolling waves that continuously transmitted in all directions.


    Hundreds of meters away from him, Song Donglai and Ao Wei, who both struggled to fend off the four experts in the Lian Family¡¯s encirclement, had been besmeared by blood. Gong Quan, on the other hand, had been killed and laid on the ground nearby.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°The Patriarch?¡±


    ¡°Who is that?¡±


    More than ten experts of the Lian Family stopped attacking and quickly gathered together. They looked at Tang Xiu as though they were facing a formidable enemy. But they couldn¡¯t help but be shaken inwardly upon seeing that their Patriarch, Lian Bai, was actually caught by that person.


    Lian Wentian frowned and shouted, ¡°Wenxin, deal with this Cruor Python.¡±


    After saying that, he flashed and instantly appeared ten meters away from Tang Xiu. Then he asked in a heavy voice, ¡°Speak your conditions!¡±


    Tang Xiu just shot him a cold look and apathetically said, ¡°Awu, grab that old fossil. And drag that Cruor Python over to me.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡±


    Mo Awu, who had been following Tang Xiu in sprinting down from the hillside, dashed toward Lian Wenxing like a lightning bolt and appeared in front of the old man nearly in a flash, causing the latter to have a huge change in expression. Mo Awu then delivered a heavy punch to his stomach and sent him flying backward. He closely tailed him and instantly imitated Tang Xiu¡¯s method in grabbing his neck.


    ¡°Get down to me!¡±


    There was no technique nor skill in the least¡ªjust a straight punch, as he once again bombarded the Cruor Python¡¯s body, causing it to let out shrill hissings. Mo Awu slammed his feet and kicked it, causing it to fly backward. It then heavily fell to the ground 20 meters away in front of Tang Xiu. It struggled and hissed but was unable to move at all.


    So high-handed, and so powerful!


    Mo Awu¡¯s show of strength made everyone present feel a chill down their spines. More so for the Lian Family as their eyes turned wide open, bigger than a bronze bell, shocking them to the extreme and causing them to pace back subconsciously.


    ¡°Mr. Tang.¡±


    At this time, those who felt joy and gratitude were none other than Song Donglai and Ao We. The duo had already noticed that Han Sen had been badly hit and injured, and it seemed that he wouldn¡¯t survive given his injuries. They thought that they wouldn¡¯t escape death here. The had never expected that Tang Xiu would act and deal with the situation all of a sudden.


    Tang Xiu only nodded to him in response. His left hand kept forming secret art seal, while the Nine Fetuses of a Hundred Ghosts Streamer that had been suspended in midair was as though being pulled stiffly by a cart before he finally grabbed it.


    ¡°Did you refine this object?¡±


    At this moment, Lian Wentian was likewise scared out of his wits. He thought that he and his brother, who had been cultivating for more than 100 years, had their strengths reach the peak of perfection. Never did he expect that such an undistinguished middle-aged man could neutralize and capture Lian Wenxin so easily.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Lian Wentian didn¡¯t answer Tang Xiu¡¯s question and asked loudly with a face that seemed like he was facing a very formidable enemy.


    Tang Xiu sealed Lian Bai¡¯s acupoints and threw him to the ground like a dead dog. Then he indifferently replied, ¡°Who I am is not important. What more important is, did you or did you not refine this object?¡±


    Lian Wentian took a deep breath and said, ¡°We did. We refined it.¡±


    ¡°You members of the Lian Family are truly damned! You dare refine this wicked, evil, and sinister Ghost device!¡± said Tang Xiu coldly.


    As his voice fell upon everyone present, Jin Shi, who stood next to Tang Xiu, instantly blitzed and punched Lian Bai lying on the ground, directly killing him. With a seething killing intent, he then glared at Lian Wentian and Lian Wenxin.


    Lian Wentian¡¯s pupils contracted and he roared, ¡°You dare to kill my Lian Family¡¯s current Patriarch? Do you really want to be a mortal enemy with my family?¡±


    ¡± Hmph , you want to become my enemy relying on your Lian Family alone?¡± snorted Tang Xiu coldly.

 Chapter 912 - A Perfect Result

    Chapter 912: A Perfect Result


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu once was able to set foot at the apex of the Immortal World and become a Supremacy. He naturally wouldn¡¯t care about the life and death of several humans. Yet, whether it was in his past or current life, he abhorred the massacre of ordinary people or the outrageous wanton killing of the weak.


    The Devils.


    It was the title coined for such people in the Immortal World; countless people with a sense of justice would quickly hunt and kill them. The Lian Family needed to kill innumerable people just to refine this Nine Fetuses of a Hundred Ghosts Streamer. He couldn¡¯t care less if they did that by killing their enemies. But the situation he just witnessed was seeing them wanting to kill everyone in the entire Green Lake Agricola, torture them, and then devour their souls to ultimately turn them into resentful spirits. This deed was absolutely something the likes of those Devils would do!


    Tang Xiu watched the furious face of Lian Wentian and coldly hummed, ¡± Hmph, I wanna know something. Are all members of the Lian Family involved in refining this Ghost device?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what Ghost device you¡¯re talking about,¡± growled Lian Tian angrily. ¡°If you¡¯re talking about this Nine Fetuses of a Hundred Ghosts Streamer, I tell you that you only snatched one of them. There are a total of 9 streamers controlled by the nine strongest members of the Lian Family. If you dare to be an enemy of my family, you¡¯ll face the wrath of my family¡¯s experts!¡±


    Nine?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s pupils contracted and his killing intent skyrocketed instantly. The divine sword instantly appeared in his hand and shot forward like a meteor, directly hacking Lian Wentian into two halves as he roared, ¡°KILL ALL MEMBERS OF THE LIAN FAMILY HERE!¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡±


    Mo Awu, Jin Shi, Xue Sha, and Hei Xiong instantly attacked. Their strength was ten times stronger than that of the Lian Family¡¯s members. They were simply like tigers that raged over a flock of sheep. Under the horrified gazes of Song Donglai, Ao Wei, and their men, everyone from the Lian Family was killed in less than half a minute.


    Tens of meters away from the scene, behind the window of a building, the hiding place of Boss Huang and Li Qiang was tucked away. The former couldn¡¯t help but show his hatred when he saw Tang Xiu appear. However¡­


    ¡°HEAVEN! How is this possible?!!¡±


    Boss Huang was violently trembling. He felt as though his heart was bitten by a viper, creating deep fear in his whole being. Never once did he ever dream that the man¡ªhis personal enemy who he so aggressively hunted with his men¡ªwould turn out to be this terrifying. More so that¡­. among each of the men under him, which one of them was a normal person?


    They¡­ they were simply a bunch of Killing Gods!


    Li Qiang narrowed his eyes. Although he was likewise shocked with the fighting and killings here today, and also shaken by the terrifying strength of Tang Xiu and his men, he never forgot about his mission. After he noticed how frightened Boss Huang was, he immediately grabbed his arm and consoled him in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Boss. I¡¯ll protect you no matter what happens.¡±


    Boss Huang¡¯s lips squirmed a few times and he pressed his voice to reply, ¡°You? Protecting me? Why would you do that? Do you think you can be those killing fiends? I¡­ I have a grudge with that murderous punk!¡±


    Li Qiang pretended to be alarmed and frightened, and replied with a trembling voice, ¡°W-what¡­ what did you say? Do you have a conflict with Tang Xiu? Damn¡­ this is bad, so damn dead! He¡¯s a murderous fiend, a devil! Many people know that although he is called by everyone in the country the Young Divine Doctor, he¡¯s also known as one who abhors evils like his enemy! B-Boss¡­ how did you offend him?¡±


    ¡°Young Divine Doctor?¡±


    Boss Huang gawked and was stunned. He suddenly slumped to the floor with a look of wanting to cry, though no tears could come out. ¡°I¡¯m so dead! It¡¯s all over! No wonder I felt that he looked familiar back then. It turns out that he¡¯s the Young Divine Doctor Tang Xiu! I¡¯m so damned, Goddammit! How the hell did I provoke the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, Tang Xiu?¡±


    Yet, a medicine to cure regret did not exist to buy in this world. Otherwise, Boss Huang would have been willing to buy such regret reversal medicine even if he had to spend his property. He knew who Tang Xiu was; he had a distant relative who lived in the Shuangqing Province who used to have a famous big family in Star City, but his family was eventually destroyed under various forces invited by Tang Xiu.


    Li Qiang himself didn¡¯t know such a situation. He just remembered what Tang Xiu had tasked him with. His expression kept fluctuating and he grabbed Boss Huang¡¯s hand much stronger as he said sternly, ¡°Boss, I already chose to be your underling. I¡¯m not afraid even if he¡¯s a lunatic murderous fiend. Even if I have to die today, I¡¯ll die in front of you.¡±


    Boss Huang turned his head with disbelief and saw his firm expression. He suddenly felt warm and touched inwardly.


    ¡°Thanks. That¡¯s mean a lot.¡±


    ¡°Things might not have reached the worst, Boss.¡± Li Qiang shook his head and said, ¡°This Green Lake Agricola belongs to my cousin, and you can also see the situation outside. My cousin and those Lians are enemies, while Tang Xiu brought his men to annihilate the latter, right? You also know that the enemy of our enemy is our friend, no? My cousin is there and I¡¯m sure Tang Xiu will give him face.¡±


    Boss Huang was as though seeing a life-saving straw to clutch onto. He hurriedly grabbed Li Qiang¡¯s hand and said with a quick breath, ¡°Li Qiang, Young Brother Qiang. If your older brother can leave here alive, then everything will rely on you. But you can rest assured that I will never forget this kindness. I guarantee that your life will be rich and full of honor when you follow me in the future.¡±


    Li Qiang heavily nodded and said, ¡°I naturally choose to follow you, Boss. In fact, I already decided to sell you my life. I¡¯ve done quite well mixing in the world for so many years, yet I¡¯ve also tasted the ficklenesses of people who have a change in mind and feeling. Nobody cares about me because of my abilities. Even my peers always pushed me out when I worked in several companies before. It was all because of my excellent performances, even causing me to get threatened by my Boss¡¯s relatives, who then eventually drove me away. It was only you¡ªonly you who saw my capability. Not only did you sign the sales contract so I could earn some money for my wife¡¯s treatment, but you also let me work in your company. This Li Qiang will never forget this kindness and trust.¡±


    The way Boss Huang looked at Li Qiang changed after hearing it. He finally understood why Li Qiang refused to abandon him even though the situation was very dangerous.


    Originally, he thought that it was his value that made Li Qiang feel thankful to him, albeit there were many factors involved. However, this young brother turned out to be a passionate and righteous man!


    Inside the pavilion.


    Song Donglai and Ao We came to Tang Xiu. With eyes full of joy and excitement, Song Donglai respectfully said, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Tang!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank me.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Those who commit heavy sins are doomed to destruction, to begin with. The Lian Family has been using extremely cruel methods to refine the Nine Fetuses of a Hundred Ghosts Streamer, and it¡¯s my duty to neutralize them due to their diabolic deeds. If I found you committing some evil deeds in the future, I¡¯ll also be the one who¡¯ll kill you personally.¡±


    ¡°You have a magnanimous and benevolent heart, Mr. Tang,¡± said Song Donglai sincerely. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely cast myself away from doing such atrocious and despicable deeds. Yet, I have to say that if you didn¡¯t intervene today, I¡¯m afraid that we¡¯d have been killed by those Lian Family¡¯s experts and completely annihilated. We will forever remember this gratitude. Feel free to call us if you have any need of our assistance in the future.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. He didn¡¯t refute him and asked, ¡°Do you know where the Lian Family lives?¡±


    ¡°Ning City of Haiqing Province,¡± answered Song Donglai.


    Tang Xiu nodded at his answer. He then flipped his hand to take out an ancient scripture containing a cultivation technique and threw it to Song Donglai, ¡°Now tell me. How many of you want to cultivate?¡±


    Song Donglai stared blankly, shocked by Tang Xiu¡¯s action of taking out the manual out of thin air. After he opened and read the manual, however, ecstasy suddenly appeared on his face immediately., ¡°Four¡­ no, two.¡±


    Tang Xiu turned to glance around and asked again, ¡°Two of you all have died?¡±


    Only after hearing these words did the ecstatic expression that covered Song Donglai¡¯s face recede, replaced with a bit of a pained expression. He then nodded and said, ¡°Gong Quan died and¡­ Han Sen, who we invited, might be unable to survive either.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s gaze then shifted to Han Sen, whose body was shaking yet never toppled over. He then asked him all of a sudden, ¡°If I give you a chance to survive, would you say goodbye to them?¡±


    At this time, Han Sen was drowning in dizziness. But he tried hard to listen to Tang Xiu when he was still conscious. He was a man who was both good and evil, and everything he had done always depended on his mood when he conducted himself in society; hence, he didn¡¯t like Tang Xiu¡¯s benign principle, who tried to never offend anybody.


    ¡°I¡­ cough, cough¡­ I only have tomorrow to face¡­ no¡­ nothing I have¡­ in the past¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted and turned to ask Song Donglai, ¡°What does he mean?¡±


    ¡°Brother Han is a rebel, the traitor of his Han Family.¡± Song Donglai forced a smile and said, ¡°¡­He¡­ he¡¯s always seen as the alien of the family and so was driven out by his family many years ago. Ao Wei told me that he has always been a lone wolf.¡±


    Tang Xiu instantly understood. His figure suddenly flashed and instantly appeared in front of Han Sen. A jade bottle containing Holy Healing medicine appeared in his hand as he poured one pill from the inside, stuffing it into Han Sen¡¯s mouth and saying, ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, your heart has been pierced and your injuries are quite fatal. But I¡¯ll give you your life back, though your life belongs to me from now on.¡±


    Han Sen just sneered in response. He was perfectly aware of what kind of situation he was in at present. Even if Bian Que reborn, or Hua Tuo came back to life, they probably wouldn¡¯t be able to save him. Therefore, Tang Xiu¡¯s statement to him was simply¡­


    ¡°What?¡±


    The sneer on his face abruptly froze. The Holy Healing pill was just stuffed in his mouth for several seconds, but it had turned into a strong current that flowed down his throat and into his chest and stomach, before finally transforming into countless hot streams that swept across his whole body.


    ¡°Now sit cross-legged and circulate your True Qi according to your previous cultivation technique,¡± said Tang Xin with a deep voice.


    Han Sen¡¯s body was trembling and he sat cross-legged without hesitation.


    Tang Xiu then looked at Song Donglai and lightly said, ¡°Since Gong Quan is dead, there are only you and Ao Wei left who need this cultivation technique. But keep my word in mind. Memorize the content of this cultivation technique and immediately burn the manual later. You both can cultivate it, but you are not allowed to pass it to anyone without my permission! Otherwise, I can bestow you your strength, but I also can take it back. I¡¯ll contact you if there¡¯s something I need you to do in the future.


    Song Donglai and Ao Wei exchanged glances and the duo respectfully said, ¡°Please rest assured. We¡¯ll never pass it along to anyone.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded at their promise. He then waved to Xue Yu, who had sprinted down the hill and was now standing tens of meters away. Then he spoke again, ¡°The matter here is over, and the enmity between you and the Lians have been solved as well. Cultivate well later since I¡¯m hoping that I can see you become stronger in the future.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Tang, the Lians have lost many men here; even their Patriarch and two ancestors died,¡± said Song Donglai hesitantly. ¡°The enmity and blood feud between us and them has probably gone deeper. I believe that they will soon¡­¡±

 Chapter 913 - The Strange State of The Body

    Chapter 913: The Strange State of The Body


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu had already given a death sentence to the Lian Family in his heart, yet he didn¡¯t know anything about this family whatsoever. He quietly thought for a while and then said, ¡°If I let you help me investigate the Lian Family, can you investigate them thoroughly? Also, how long would it take?¡±


    Song Donglai and Ao Wei exchanged glances as they faintly felt that Tang Xiu seemed to have the intention to get rid of the Lian Family. The thoughts made the duo look pleasantly surprised immediately, and Song Donglai was the first to reply, ¡°We can compile all the information about the Lian Family for you within three days.¡±


    Ao Wei also nodded and said, ¡°Yes, three days are enough. We three brothers have been guarding against the Lians the past few years¡ªhence, we¡¯ve been collecting massive amounts of information about them in secret. It¡¯s just that we have yet to figure out and calculate how many forces they are hiding in the dark; that includes their ancestors, whom we haven¡¯t figured out yet how many of them are still alive.¡±


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment and said, ¡°If so, then I¡¯ll give you three days. I want detailed information about the Lian Family within three days. Keep in mind that the more detailed the information you give me, the more thorough the members of this family will be eradicated. You¡¯re all enemies with them, and I don¡¯t think you also want to have worries left behind, right?¡±


    ¡°Consider it done,¡± replied Song Donglai with a deep voice.


    Tang Xiu nodded and prepared to leave, but he suddenly remembered something and said, ¡°There¡¯s one more thing. I need you to play my script. I need Boss Huang to trust Li Qiang completely¡ªhe even must regard Li Qiang as his benefactor and trusted confidant.¡±


    ¡°Please tell us, how would you like us to help?¡± asked Song Donglai with a strange expression.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to scare him, and you¡¯ll follow the act according to the circumstances,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Although Song Donglai wanted to seize the time to use the Blood Python Array to have a breakthrough in his cultivation, he still complied to Tang Xiu¡¯s request.


    Tang Xiu then turned around. He looked at the direction where Li Qiang and Boss Huang were hiding and shouted, ¡°Hey, you, Meatball Huang! Drill out of your hole at once if you¡¯re still alive¡ªotherwise, I¡¯ll shred you to pieces!¡±


    In a certain spot in the distance.


    Boss Huang was trembling violently. Never did he expect that Tang Xiu would harbor such a grudge and be vengeful. He even knew that he was hiding in this spot. He instantly grabbed Li Qiang¡¯s hand and pleaded, ¡°Brother Qiang, please ask your cousin to save me. You all will be my greatest benefactor for the rest of my life as long as you can save me.¡±


    Li Qiang couldn¡¯t help but laugh inwardly, yet he still maintained his facial expression and said, ¡°I¡¯ll naturally save you since you see me as a brother, Boss. I always subscribe to the notion that brothers must help each other in braving dangers, even at the cost of their lives. But¡­ are we really going to go out?¡±


    ¡°What if we don¡¯t go out now, you say?¡± blurted Boss Huang bitterly. ¡°If we don¡¯t go out on our own initiative, I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t have any chance of living once they find us.¡±


    After saying that, he slowly headed out of the corner. When he appeared in Tang Xiu¡¯s line of sight, he ran over with a deep fear on his face, bowing unctuously and speaking with an obsequious smile and manner, ¡°B-brother¡­ Brother Tang, I¡¯m Huang Bingren, whom you have packed up into submission. Uh, well¡­ I didn¡¯t know who you were before, so I spoke discourteously in front of you. Please forgive my ignorance with your magnanimous heart.¡±


    Tang Xiu was secretly laughing inside, yet he maintained his frosty face on the surface and coldly said, ¡°So, you got a chill after you figured out who I am, huh? You dragged those gangsters of yours and tracked me here for revenge against me, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Boss Huang was short on breath and he gasped as he replied, ¡°No, no, no. I really didn¡¯t have any thoughts to retaliate, absolutely! We¡¯re here to help Boss Song deal with his enemies, no less. Isn¡¯t that right, Boss Song?¡±


    Upon hearing his remarks, Li Qiang quickly caught the role, ¡°Cousin, you gotta say some good words about my Boss! We really came here to help you, after all.¡±


    Song Donglai looked hesitant. He let out a dry smile and said, ¡°Mr. Tang, about this¡­ they did come to help me. It¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t expect the Lian Family to come with so many powerful enemies and eventually kill all of Boss Huang¡¯s men except that scar-faced man.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s facial expression eased a lot, but he still sternly replied, ¡°Those who have offended me deserve their deaths. Even if you don¡¯t come knocking to find me for revenge, I¡¯ll still have to kill you since I bumped into you now. But you can rest your worries; I¡¯m sure that there¡¯s someone who¡¯ll burn paper money for your departure day next year.¡±


    BAM¡­


    Boss Huang¡¯s expression was grim as he instantly knelt on the ground, anxiously begging, ¡°Brother Tang¡­ Ancestor Tang¡­ please forgive and spare me! I have an 80-year-old mother¡­ And¡­ I also have an unmarried daughter. Please have mercy and spare my lowly life. I promise I¡¯ll absolutely treat you as a bodhisattva in the future. I¡¯ll brave through fire and storm no matter what you request of me.¡±


    ¡°You still deserve your death!¡± Tang Xiu raised his longsword and put on a pose to chop down.


    Li Qiang instantly rushed to the front of Boss Huang to stop him and hurriedly pleaded, ¡°Your Honor, Mr. Tang, please have mercy and forgive my Boss! He¡¯s really a good person; he was just blinded because he wanted to save face. He didn¡¯t know your identity before, so he had offended you without him realizing. P-please¡­ please have a look at my cousin¡¯s face and forgive him this time¡ªotherwise, you can kill us both here.¡±


    Song Donglai¡¯s expression enormously altered as he dashed to Li Qiang¡¯s front and slapped his face, yelling angrily, ¡°What the fucking hell are you talking about?¡±


    After saying that, he turned to look at Tang Xiu, letting out an obsequious smile and saying, ¡°Mr. Tang, this younger cousin of mine is still too young and ignorant, please ignore and forgive him. Also¡­ about this¡­ could you please spare and not punish them severely on the account of my face?¡±


    Tang Xiu sneered, ¡°I should give you face properly speaking, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Mr. Tang, Young Qiang is my closest cousin. My aunt will definitely be very grieved if he¡¯s gone,¡± said Song Donglai with a resolute voice, ¡°10 million. I¡¯ll take out 10 million to save his life.¡±


    ¡°Me¡­ me too,¡± interjected Boss Huang rapidly. ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I¡¯ll also take out 10 million for my life.¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted and coldly snorted, ¡°Hmph. Do you think I give a damn about a meager 20 million? Snort¡­ not to mention 20 million, I won¡¯t even spare a glance at 200 million. However, you truly have a good cousin here. He¡¯s worth befriending given his attitude to save his Boss even at the cost of his life. Alright, I¡¯ll drop this matter on the account of his face.¡±


    Boss Huang was so glad that a look of ecstasy appeared on his face. He kowtowed to Tang Xiu thrice and thanked him, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Tang. Thank you for not killing me. You¡¯re my idol in my heart now. I¡¯ll never have the slightest disrespect towards you again in the future.¡±


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes at his vow and lightly said, ¡°I won¡¯t kill you, but you cannot escape from your capital crime. You¡¯ve brought many people to their deaths here this time, so you will compensate their families as their pension, 10 million yuan each! Keep in mind, do well to get along together with this little brother of yours¡ªor, I won¡¯t mind castrating your manhood, before butchering you and feeding you to the dogs.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes!¡± Cold sweat drenched Boss Huan¡¯s wet while he nodded his head repeatedly like a pecking chicken.


    A short while later, Tang Xiu left the Green Lake Agricola. After the Mercedes-Benz SUV passed through the gate, he immediately told Mo Awu to book a plane ticket to Ning City in Haiqing Province.


    As he sat in the back seat, Tang Xiu held the Nine Fetuses of a Hundred Ghosts Streamer and observed it. He then found that the streamer had more than 450 souls. Nearly half of them had been refined and turned into vengeful spirits with no consciousness left. He wouldn¡¯t be able to help these vengeful spirits to recover. Not even a Perfected Golden Immortal would be able to do so unless he himself could become a Supremacy just like back when he was in the Immortal World.


    There was also something else. The refinement of this Nine Fetuses of a Hundred Ghosts Streamer was very rough. Although there was a double layer of arrays inside it, they were just low-rank arrays and he was able to grasp them thoroughly after slightly studying it.


    ¡°Dust returns to dust¡ªand unto the earth shall you return from the soil you have originated from. For all the sins of your past¡ªand into reincarnation, you shall rebirth for your retribution and be born anew to do new things in your next life. It¡¯s all the Six Path of the Wheel of Samsara and the cycle of karma. I was fated to encounter this matter today, and it¡¯s inevitable that I can¡¯t stand idly by. Go and enter your reincarnation earlier! I hope good fortune will be bestowed upon you all in your next life.¡±


    Tang Xiu pinched his fingers and a wisp of dark Heaven and Earth energy condensed at his fingertips. In a flash moment, hundreds of souls swarmed towards the wisp of energy. Just before they were sucked inside by that energy, all the souls turned around and kowtowed to Tang Xiu.


    ¡°The rest of the vengeful spirits¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu was contemplating for a while before he finally decided to let them back to the world where they belonged to. The origin of their karma had come to an end. There was no need for them to be trapped inside the Nine Fetuses of a Hundred Ghosts Streamer anymore¡ªneither did they have to stay in this world as vengeful spirits in the human world and harm others. Just as he pulled out around 200 vengeful spirits inside the streamer, his body suddenly trembled while countless planets inside his Dantian sent out a very strong vibration. One of the most obvious was the planet the size of the table tennis ball. Not only did it send out a strong sucking force, but it also directly absorbed these vengeful spirits into Tang Xiu¡¯s Dantian and completely swallow them.


    Buzz¡­


    Tang Xiu could clearly see that the planet, which was originally only the size of a table tennis ball, turn bigger, twice its previous size. The vibration lasted only a few seconds before everything returned to normal again.


    ¡°What exactly happened?¡±


    Tang Xiu watched his hands turn completely dim. The Nine Fetuses of a Hundred Ghosts Streamer had become the source of all mundane things in this planet. He observed the planet inside his Dantian and only sobered up from his shock after a long while.


    Xue Yu, who sat next to Tang Xiu, looked at him with a tongue-tied expression. After a short while, she couldn¡¯t help but grab his hand and ask with a worried face, ¡°Are you¡­ are you alright?¡±


    Tang Xiu turned his head. He could see the worried expression on her face and answered, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Xue Yu still didn¡¯t feel at ease and said again, ¡°I just saw countless black smoke seep into your body. I thought something from the Nine Seed of a Hundred Ghosts Streamer was harmful. I¡¯m really relieved that you¡¯re fine.¡±


    ¡°To tell the truth, I don¡¯t really know what just happened to me either,¡± said Tang Xiu bitterly. ¡°I just pulled out those vengeful spirits from the Nine Fetuses of a Hundred Ghosts Streamer, yet they suddenly penetrated my body. Even¡­ I even feel that I¡¯m stronger after devouring their resentment. Those vengeful spirits didn¡¯t have consciousness, only resentment, yet it¡¯s like¡­ their resentment was a strong tonic, a miraculous elixir in the eyes of cultivators.¡±


    ¡°You devoured them?!!¡± Xue Yu was dumbstruck. She was frightened by Tang Xiu¡¯s explanation.

 Chapter 914 - Greeting Honored Guests?

    Chapter 914: Greeting Honored Guests?


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Green Lake Agricola.


    Boss Huang got up from the ground and looked at Song Donglai full of gratitude as he expressed his thanks, ¡°Boss Song, thank you for helping me today. I¡¯ll always bear this huge benevolence in my heart. Feel free to call me whenever you have any need of my assistance in the future. As long as it is within my capability, I¡¯ll never balk, even if I must cross a mountain of fire and sword.¡±


    Yet, Song Donglai gave him a cold shoulder. He shook his head and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me. I didn¡¯t even think that Tang Xiu would give me face actually. Of course, the main reason was because of my cousin since I think Tang Xiu appreciates him very much. If you want to thank someone, thank him!¡±


    ( Box novel.c om )     Li Qiang quickly waved and said, ¡°No, Cousin. Boss Huang regards me as his brother. I naturally treat him like a respectable big brother, no less. There¡¯s no need to thank me either.¡±


    Boss Huang felt warm inside. He stretched his arms to hug Li Qiang and patted his back, saying, ¡°Brother Qiang, I absolutely will never forget this grace. From now henceforth, you¡¯re the Sales Manager of my company. Let us brothers share the joys and sorrows later!¡±


    He was not a man without a brain. Firstly, it was needless to say that Li Qiang did save his life today. Just his identity as Song Donglai¡¯s cousin was already enough to see him as a man to be reckoned with. Who was Song Donglai? Although this man couldn¡¯t compare with Tang Xiu, he was also someone powerful, yet concealed himself deeply! Which one of his men was not an expert martial artist from the martial art community? The man himself was heaven-defyingly powerful!


    For him, being able to make a relationship with such a powerful man through Li Qiang would be a great advantage for him in the future if he was able to forge a good relationship with him.


    Song Donglai nodded with satisfaction and said, ¡°Thank you for taking good care of my younger cousin, Boss Huang. Please continue doing that in the future. Also, you mustn¡¯t forget what Mr. Tang has told you¡ªotherwise, if he were to send someone to investigate you and find that you didn¡¯t heed to his demand, I¡¯m afraid that you would face a very severe consequence.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I will. I absolutely won¡¯t forget it!¡± Boss Huang hurriedly nodded.


    Song Donglai then waved and said, ¡°Alright. Keep everything that happened here today to yourself. You must never disclose it even if you are drunk or dreaming. Otherwise, you don¡¯t need Mr. Tang to act, for I will never spare you myself either.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes!¡±


    Boss Huang and the surviving scar-faced man nodded as hard as they could. What happened today was beyond their cognition to begin with. Even if they had 100x more courage, they would never dare to disclose it, ever!


    And yet, he had a bit of a headache. More than 20 of his men died. Taking out 10-million-yuan compensation for each person was not an issue to him, but how could he explain it to their families?


    Li Qiang seemed to have seen his thoughts and said in a pressed voice, ¡°Boss, we can say that they got a traffic accident together. You can even fabricate the scene of the accident with their cars exploded, then burn down and cremate their bodies.¡±


    Boss Huang¡¯s eyes lit up. He raised his thumb and praised Li Qiang, ¡°That¡¯s a great idea! You truly are my good luck, Young Qiang. I¡¯m completely relieved that I¡¯ll have you with me in the future. Do your job well. So long as your performance is excellent, I¡¯ll give you the Deputy General Manager position of my company to you.¡±


    ¡°En, en!¡± Li Qiang intentionally put on a pleasantly surprised look and nodded repeatedly.


    Half an hour later, Boss Huang had quietly transported more than 20 of his men¡¯s dead bodies outside. Song Donglai, in fear that something would go wrong, also sent some of his men to help him.


    By the lake.


    Song Donglai and Ao Wei were sitting cross-legged, facing the waving sparkling surface of the lake, while the fatally injured Cruor Python was lying on the shore of the lake. It was still breathing, though without vigor, as it stared at Ao Wei, eyes expressing its hope to continue living.


    Ao Wei took out a porcelain bottle from his sleeve. He pulled out the cork to pour out a red pill from the inside before throwing it into the Cruor Python¡¯s mouth. The beast immediately swallowed it into its stomach. Shortly after, its body suddenly exploded, turning into a bloody mist that shrouded Ao Wei and Song Donglai two meters away.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stimulate it now!¡±


    The duo exchanged glances and stimulated all the important acupoints all over their body without a shred of hesitation. The blood mist that covered several meters of area in the surroundings didn¡¯t drift with the wind, but constantly swirled and welled up towards them.


    ****


    Haiqing Province.


    Ning City was its capital city and the best city in the province, having the fastest development and growth economically. A lot of skyscrapers now decorated the city, along with a countless number of commercial establishments. All were connected with wide roads that outlined and extended in all directions.


    Southern Municipality.


    ( Box novel.c om )     The Manor of the Miao Family covered more than 10 acres of land here. It was the place regarded by most of the Ning City locals as the most mysterious place. Its front gate was always tightly shut, overrun with guards who had strict discipline. The Miaos were the first family in Ning City and had a deep heritage and many offspring.


    On the northern side of the place was a small artificial lake with a three-story European-style villa building. Inside the study on the second floor, Miao Wentang was now focusing on reading a stack of documents in front of him.


    ¡°4.8 billion yuan.¡±


    Satisfaction revealed itself on his face after he saw the final summary of the number. Business was doing unusually well this year. The group under his family turned out to earn a total gross revenue of 4.8 billion in half a month, much to his satisfaction.


    ¡°How was it, Big Brother?¡±


    An aging woman, yet still looking beautiful and retaining her graceful charm, sat across Miao Wentang and asked with a smile after seeing his expression.


    ¡°We¡¯re doing great, Fengling,¡± replied Miao Wentang with satisfaction. ¡°Our family¡¯s business is getting bigger and better. I¡¯m afraid that the pressure will be much greater in the future as well. You must have boldness and courage to shoulder it. Just tell me if you feel overwhelmed. I¡¯ll assign more people to help you.¡±


    Miao Fengling shook her head and smilingly said, ¡°No need. I already have many assistants that can help me. Anyway, there¡¯s an internal purchase issue in Star City, so what¡¯s your decision regarding this issue? The Magnificent Tang Corporation and the Long Group have begun to move.¡±


    Miao Wentang ruminated for a while before he shook his head and said, ¡°If those two want to buy it, then let them. Besides, it¡¯s already our good fortune, since we are kind of boarding other trains and obtained the rights to cooperate for the New City project. I¡¯ve discussed this issue with some other shareholders, who likewise made the same decision.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite unfortunate, though,¡± commented Miao Fengling with a regretful expression. ¡°That New City development and construction project is a gold mine. It will definitely become the largest and most prosperous city in the Shuangqing Province with many inhabitants and quite resourceful people living there. It¡¯s truly regretful if we waste this kind of great opportunity.¡±


    ¡°What are you feeling pity for, though?¡± Miao Wentang smiled again and said, ¡°The New City development project just entered the first phase. We¡¯ll still have the second, third and fourth phase that will be issued later in the future. We won¡¯t take part in this phase, but it doesn¡¯t mean we won¡¯t later. We¡¯ll have a long time to make money as long as we keep relying on the Magnificent Tang Corporation and the Long Group in the future.¡±


    ¡°True that.¡± Miao Fengling nodded and said, ¡°But I really want to meet Kang Xia, the General Manager of the Magnificent Tang Corporation. That woman is truly capable and amazing.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. The really capable and amazing one is not her, but her Boss, Tang Xiu.¡± Miao Wentang shook his head and continued, ¡°I¡¯m not saying that Kang Xia is not capable. She¡¯s great of course. Besides, her feat for being able to capture Tang Xiu¡¯s heart is already a heaven-defying ability, in and of itself.¡±


    ¡°I know Tang Xiu is a very capable and resourceful, Second Brother. But how can I meet such a high-ranking great personage myself?¡± Miao Fengling couldn¡¯t help but laugh.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    Miao Wentang¡¯s phone on the table rang. After he picked it up and saw the screen, a strange expression crept up on his face as he muttered, ¡°Sometimes I feel like that we must not talk about this person at all. Speaking about the devil and the devil himself is now calling me. Anyway, I¡¯m gonna pick up Tang Xiu¡¯s call now.¡±


    Having said that, he pressed the answer button and chuckled as he spoke, ¡°Hey, Brother Tang, how come you remembered to call me?¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s something I need to deal with in Ning City, Brother Miao,¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°Are you in Ning City currently? If you are, how about having a drink?¡±


    Miao Wentang abruptly got up and excitedly exclaimed, ¡°You¡¯re coming to Ning City? That¡¯s great! Where are you? I¡¯ll catch up right away!¡±


    ¡°I just got off the plane, still at the airport,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Wait for me there. I¡¯ll hurry over!¡± said Miao Wentang without thinking.


    ¡°Just tell me your place¡¯s address, Brother Miao,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯m heading there directly, so we can save time.¡±


    Miao Wentang thought for a moment before he nodded and said, ¡°If so, then head to the Miao Family Manor in the Southern Municipality of Ning City. If you take a taxi, just tell the chauffeur directly about it. Only a few locals of Ning City don¡¯t know where my family¡¯s manor is.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Wait for me there,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Miao Wentang hung up the phone and looked up to see his sister, Miao Fengling, and said excitedly, ¡°Tang Xiu has come to Ning City, Fengling. Immediately prepare everything and clean up our manor¡¯s best guest room. You¡¯ll also come with me to greet him later at the gate.¡±


    Miao Fengling hurriedly complied and set out right away.


    Half an hour later, Miao Wentang led Miao Fengling and all the core members of the Miao Family who were in the manor to the villa¡¯s gate. All the six security guards, who were on guard duty at the gate of the manor, were shocked. While all the high-ranking members of the Miaos didn¡¯t pay them attention, the security guards spoke to each other in whispers:


    ¡°Any of you know what¡¯s happening? How come the family is kinda in a rush and so anxious today? Not only have most of the top members come out, but even the Patriarch is also coming outside. They seem to be waiting for some bigshots¡¯ arrival.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid some major event is going to happen to our Miao Family.¡±


    ¡°Who could the bigwigs possibly be? To think that they deserve our Patriarch coming out and greeting them personally? You guys also know that the family is unlikely to mobilize so many experts even if the top officials of the Haiqing province came here, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll know about it later, regardless.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The time ticked by and ten minutes had passed. Yet, Miao Wentang and the rest of Miao Family¡¯s members didn¡¯t look impatient at all; some of the other high-ranking members who just came from the outside even hurriedly joined in the waiting.


    It was a situation that gave another wave of shock to the Miao Family¡¯s security guards.


    ¡°How long will it take Tang Xiu to arrive here, Big Brother?¡± asked Miao Fengling, who stood next to Miao Wentang, in a low voice.


    ¡°Around 50 minutes,¡± answered Miao Wentang. ¡°It¡¯s been 40 minutes, so he should be coming soon.¡±

 Chapter 915 - A Mountain With Two Tigers

    Chapter 915: A Mountain With Two Tigers


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    On the wide and flat road, two taxis were heading fast towards the Miao Family Manor. The taxi in front was driven by a chubby driver. He glanced at the rearview mirror to see Tang Xiu and Xue Ye sitting in the back seat. He then turned off the music in the car and let out a dry smile as he said, ¡°We¡¯ll soon arrive at the road outside the Miao Family¡¯s manor, so I¡¯m going to drop you at the intersection. You just need to walk about a kilometer to get to the gate of the Miao Family¡¯s manor.¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his brows and said, ¡°Just drive us directly to the Miao Family¡¯s manor.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to drop you there, Little Brother,¡± said the fat driver with a bitter smile. ¡°It¡¯s just the road outside the Miao Family¡¯s manor is impassable for outsiders. Everyone in Ning City who¡¯s still sane knows about this.¡±


    ¡°Ehh? Why does it sound like the Miao Family is some kind of brigand that occupies the road and doesn¡¯t allow anyone to pass through it?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a weird expression.


    ¡°No. The Miaos in Ning City are not bandits!¡± sighed the fat driver while shaking his head. ¡°The family is a very famous philanthropist family. It¡¯s just that this road belongs to them since they built it and they are the only ones living in the vicinity. Nobody else lives there. Certainly, it was also because of some other matters many years ago.¡±


    The revelation piqued Tang Xiu¡¯s curiosity and he asked, ¡°A matter in the past? Can you tell me about it?¡±


    ¡°About this¡­¡± the fat driver hesitated.


    Mo Awu, who sat in the front seat, took out a few hundred-yuan bills and placed them on the dashboard. ¡°My Boss told you to speak; now tell the story!¡±


    The chubby driver was inwardly shaken and smilingly narrated, ¡°It wasn¡¯t a big deal actually. It¡¯s just that the Miao Family was robbed many years ago. I remember the news that some thieves stole a very precious heirloom of the Miaos that had been passed down for generations; thus, their whole residence was installed with surveillance instruments, along with many security guards posted around the vicinity. That is why people gradually avoid passing the road built by them.¡±


    Tang Xiu quickly understood and smilingly said, ¡°I see. Then, Uncle, just directly drop us at the gate of the Miao Family¡¯s manor! It¡¯s fine, I assure you.¡±


    ¡°Little Brother, please don¡¯t harm me, alright?¡± said the fat driver helplessly. ¡°There was an incident when someone drove down that road. He¡¯s just like me¡ªa cab driver, too. But he got smacked by those security guards. Although the Miao Family did give him compensation for his medical and supplement expenses, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Though you didn¡¯t speak it out loud, if those Miao¡¯s security guards dare to do something to you, I¡¯ll be the one smashing the door of their houses, regardless,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle. ¡°Hahaha¡­ I¡¯m just kidding you, though. I¡¯m a friend of Miao Wentang actually and he knows that I¡¯m coming over to his place. I phoned him before and told him that I¡¯d take a cab to his family¡¯s manor.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make fun of me, Little Brother,¡± said the fat driver with a bitter smile. ¡°Miao Wentang is the Head of the Miao Family and is also the Big Boss of Miao Group¡ªthe person with the highest status in the family. You and he are¡­ well, please don¡¯t misunderstand me, Little Brother. I don¡¯t mean to despise you or anything. Giving you a ride and dropping you at the gate of the Miao Family¡¯s manor is not a funny joke. Please spare me and don¡¯t put me in a difficult situation.¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his brows yet again.


    Mo Awu, who was looking towards the backseat, noticed Tang Xiu¡¯s expression. He instantly pulled out his dagger and placed it on the fat driver¡¯s neck. He coldly said, ¡°My Boss told you to drive there, so you¡¯re going to go there¡ªelse, it won¡¯t be the Miao Family¡¯s security guard who¡¯s gonna kill you, but me instead.¡±


    The chubby driver was trembling. He hurriedly nodded and said, ¡°Yes, yes¡­ could you please put away the knife? I¡¯ll do as you say and go there.¡±


    Mo Awu snorted and put the dagger away.


    The chubby driver glanced at Tang Xiu through the rearview mirror again, yet harbored his disdain inwardly. Although he knew that this young man brought several bodyguards with him this time, what kind of existence was the Miao Family? They were literally the largest and strongest House in the Haiqing Province. Tang Xiu was nothing but a young man; how big of a face does he think he has?


    Shortly after, he communicated with the driver of the taxi behind him through the intercom and drove the car into the West road from the east¡ªstraight to the Miao Family¡¯s gate.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    As he drove about a kilometer ahead, the chubby driver suddenly looked astonished. He might have never seen most of the top members of the Miaos, but he had seen Miao Wentang on TV and in the newspaper numerous times.


    ¡®This is so strange! Did my eyes fail and I¡¯m just seeing things? How come I see the Miao¡¯s Head, Miao Wentang, there? Why is he standing at the gate? Why does it seem like he¡¯s going to greet someone important?¡¯


    The fat driver subconsciously turned his head to glance at Tang Xiu and was secretly shocked inside.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me the Miao Family¡¯s Patriarch, Miao Wentang, and those people beside him are going to greet my passengers?¡¯


    Creak¡­.


    The taxi then stopped at the gate of the Miao Family¡¯s residence.


    Miao Wentang, who had been waiting for a long time, strode over to the first taxi and quickly opened the rear seat¡¯s door. He slightly gawked after seeing a breathtaking beauty inside before he immediately bowed as he looked at the woman and said with a beaming smile and voice, ¡°You truly just scared me, Brother Tang. I thought I just greeted the wrong person, you know!¡±


    After Xue Yu got off, Tang Xiu also came out the other side. He smiled and looked at Miao Wentang, then walked around to the front of the cab and gave him a big hug. He smiled and said, ¡°Brother Miao, you may not know anyone else, but you should know about Xue Yu, right?¡±


    ¡°Certainly. But you¡¯re truly blessed, Brother Tang,¡± replied Miao Wentang with a smile. ¡°Miss Xue is literally a stunning beauty; I¡¯d be blind if I said I didn¡¯t recognize her! Miss Xue¡­ no, it¡¯s incorrect. I should call you Sister-in-law¡ªmy younger brother¡¯s wife.¡±


    Xue Yu nodded and smiled in response to his words.


    Tang Xiu then looked at dozens of meters away, towards the more than 10 members of the Miao Family at the gate. He let out a wry smile and said, ¡°Brother Miao, had I known earlier that you¡¯d prepare such a big parade here, I definitely would not have called you in advance. We are brothers¡ªno need for such a big show!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t blame me, though. If you wanna blame someone, blame yourself for having a very resounding reputation, Brother Tang,¡± rebuked Miao Wentang with an exceptionally bright smile. ¡°That¡¯s what made the rest of my family members so eager to see you¡ªa rumored great personage! I just told my younger sis to clean up the guest room. Who would have thought that everyone else also rushed over after they heard that you¡¯d be coming over?¡±


    Tang Xiu only shook his head with a smile in response. He suddenly recalled something and glanced at the driver¡¯s seat. The fat driver now looked so dumbstruck and shocked, as Tang Xiu then said with a smile, ¡°Brother Miao, I gotta tell you something. The cab driver didn¡¯t allow us to be dropped off by the entrance of your family¡¯s residence. We got here because Mo Awu put his dagger on his neck, so he had no choice in doing so. You gotta tell your security guards not to beat people too.¡±


    Miao Wentang blanked before he immediately let out a wry smile and said, ¡°Since when did my family¡¯s residence turn so ominous for outsiders, that not even cab drivers dare to come here? This is really shameful. I¡¯m really embarrassed and have lost a lot of face before you, Brother Tang. Rest assured, I¡¯ll definitely tell them.¡±


    Tang Xiu gave a wee smile and then looked at the fat driver and said, ¡°Uncle, what we did was a bit excessive, so please forgive us!¡±


    The fat driver violently shuddered. He shook his head so fast like rattling a drum and hastily said, ¡°No, no, no¡­ there¡¯s no need. You¡¯re an honored guest of the Miao Family, so you¡¯re also a very distinguished guest of our Ning City. I, I, I¡­ cannot take your money.¡±


    Having said that, he turned his head to the dashboard, wanting to return the money.


    ¡°You deserve it, Uncle,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly as he continued, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ve already arrived, so you can go tend to your work again!¡±


    Meanwhile, many security guards of the Miao House that were crowded together were so shocked that they were unable to utter any sound when they saw the Miao Family¡¯s patriarch personally open the car door for Tang Xiu. They then saw the exchanges between him and Tang Xiu. It was obvious that the patriarch showed his goodwill to the guest¡­ no, it should be said that he was trying to flatter him.


    As they gradually came back to their senses, the bunch of men broke into whispers.


    ¡°To think that he has such face that he can even make the family head open the door for him personally; who exactly is he?¡±


    ¡°Who is this great personage? He looks so young, but why do I feel that he¡¯s a bit familiar?¡±


    ¡°The background of this distinguished guest should be very amazing, definitely!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu was now acquainted with the core members of the Miao Family through Miao Wentang¡¯s introductions. He then entered the Miao Family¡¯s manor under their great hospitality.


    ¡°Brother Tang, I just observed your men. How come one of them looks like he¡¯s injured?¡± asked Miao Wentang to Tang Xiu with a lowered voice as they walked side by side.


    ¡°That¡¯s the one I just recruited. He¡¯s indeed injured,¡± answered Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°What exactly happened?¡± asked Miao Wentang quizzically.


    ¡°I visited Ning City this time due to some important matters. His injury relates to the purpose of my visit as well,¡± explained Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go ahead and talk more.¡±


    Miao Wentang immediately nodded.


    There were a few villas built around the main manor, in which the most distinguished guests of the Miao Family usually stayed. Miao Wentang, Miao Fengling, Tang Xiu, and Xue Yu were now sitting in the living room on the second floor of the manor. They were waited on by attendants that delivered pastries, fruits, and fragrant tea.


    ¡°Can you tell me what happened, Brother Tang?¡± asked Miao Wentang with a smile.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t recall that he¡¯d said that he would speak about the purpose of his coming, but asked instead, ¡°Brother Miao, as far as I know, the Lian Family of the Occult Sect also lives in Ning City, right?¡±


    Miao Wentang¡¯s countenance changed as he nodded and replied, ¡°That¡¯s right, the Lian Family of the Occult Sect is indeed in Ning City. Don¡¯t tell me your visit here is related to them?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not related to them¡ªit¡¯s because they were the one who came over,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Brother Miao, we¡¯re people on the same side, so I won¡¯t conceal or beat around the bush. There¡¯s something I wanna ask you; how much do you know about the Lian Family?¡±


    Miao Wentang thought for a while before he answered, ¡°The Lian Family is a large family in Ning City with a very deep background and heritage. Truth be told, my family may be known as the first family of Haiqing Province, yet if both sides are to be compared, we are still quite distant from them¡ªespecially in the heritage aspect. The Lians have been operating in Ning City for centuries, which is a fact that outsiders are unaware of. However, I¡¯m well aware that something is very strange with the Lian Family, making it so I don¡¯t even want to provoke them.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s like a mountain that houses two tigers, huh?¡± commented Tang Xiu with squinted eyes.


    ¡°I know what you mean. This is why I also feel something is weird,¡± sighed Miao Wentang. ¡°Properly speaking, my family is very powerful in Ning City and we should not co-exist with another powerful family like the Lians here. Yet, it¡¯s a fact that it has been happening for centuries here. We still co-exist and have a good relationship¡ªand none are hostile to each other.¡±

 Chapter 916 - A Sheer Fantasy

    Chapter 916: A Sheer Fantasy


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    ¡°That¡¯s rather interesting,¡± commented Tang Xiu with a faint look that was both a smile and not.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the only interesting fact, I tell you,¡± continued Miao Wentang with a forced smile. ¡°The Lian Family has been acting low-profile all these years¡ªso inconspicuous that it feels abnormal. I¡¯ve tried to send people to investigate them, and guess what results I got? Those men I sent were like stones who have drowned on the ocean floor. No news, no messages, nobody was known alive, and I can¡¯t even see their corpses.¡±


    ¡°So, you haven¡¯t figured out the Lian Family¡¯s situation either, then?¡± commented Tang Xiu calmly.


    Miao Wentang took a deep breath and answered, ¡°I already have since I did the investigation myself many times. I was finally sure that they are very abnormal and wicked. Members of this family have never known how come their ancestors are still able to live until today; even the oldest ones have been living for over 260 years. However, these ancestors rarely go out and are even seldom in their ancestral hall either.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s indeed very bizarre and wicked; they can be described as evils.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Nevertheless, I¡¯ve already killed the Lians¡¯ Patriarch, along with their two ancestors and more than 20 experts. Hence, I decided to come to Ning City to eradicate this ominous tumor.¡±


    Miao Wentang¡¯s eyes turned wide in but a moment; a look of disbelief filling his face. Miao Fengling was tongue-tied and dumbstruck while staring silly at Tang Xiu.


    The Lian Family¡¯s Patriarch, Lian Bai¡­ is dead?


    Miao Wentang gulped down and asked with a shocked face, ¡°Brother Tang, what exactly happened between you and the Lians? How come you have a conflict with them?¡±


    ¡°I had no grudge with them whatsoever before this incident.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°But I happened to encounter a group of people from the Occult Sect a few days ago. They have a blood feud with the Lians, and I originally didn¡¯t have the intention to meddle in the feud. However, the Lian Family¡¯s ancestor unleashed a ghost device to devour the souls of all the killed people. And from them, I learned that this Ghost device is called Nine Fetuses of a Hundred Ghosts Streamer. Additionally, I learned that there¡¯s a total of nine of them.¡±


    A Ghost device¡ªone that can devour souls?


    Miao Wentang was so astonished that he asked, ¡°There are still such evil weapons in this world?¡±


    ¡°I never thought that it would exist before, either.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and continued, ¡°Only after I discovered the Nine Fetuses of a Hundred Ghosts Streamer was I finally aware that such Ghost devices still truly exist. For every streamer, if they want to fully refine it, they should need 77,490 souls to devour. Then, they need to torture these souls for many years, and eventually turn them into vengeful spirits without sentience, becoming an energy full of resentment, no less.¡±


    ¡°So damn evil!¡± Miao Wentang¡¯s heartbeat spiked up, along with his fury that was evident his face


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have given a damn care if those who were killed by the Lians were guilty people who deserved their punishment, but they even murdered ordinary people. It turns out that calamity has reached the center of the pond, and I still don¡¯t know how many innocents have met a tragic end in their hands either. I think the people you¡¯ve sent to investigate them should have probably met their doom like this as well!¡±


    ¡°Say what?¡± Miao Wentang was so flushed red that he abruptly got up from the sofa. His eyes flashed with killing intent as he said, ¡°Brother Tang, now I finally understand why the Lians have so many of their ancestors still living, as well as why I always feel something is bizarre and wicked about them. Are these bastards not afraid of the retribution from karma and the Heavenly Dao?¡±


    ¡°The Lian Family has fallen into a diabolical demonic path,¡± sneered Tang Xiu.


    Miao Wentang inhaled deeply and said with a deep voice, ¡°Brother Tang, had I not known about this fact, my family cannot easily have a blood feud with the Lians. But now, we must eradicate them so as to destroy those wicked Ghost devices. What are you planning next then, Brother Tang? My family will fully cooperative.¡±


    ¡°How many cultivators does your family have, exactly?¡± asked Tang Xiu after pondering for a moment.


    ¡°Only I,¡± answered Miao Wentang with a forced smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re already a cultivator back when we first met; why would your family still only have one cultivator?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a puzzled face. ¡°Why don¡¯t you teach them the cultivation technique too?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a custom set by our ancestors that my family must always have only one person to practice it: the patriarch of each generation,¡± explained Miao Wentang. ¡°Also, the main reason is the concern of infighting and internal competition for power and authority, which will ruin the fraternal brotherhood.¡±


    Tang Xiu quickly understood as he nodded and said, ¡°Your cultivation is already high enough, and you still have much room for improvement in the future. You should break this established custom if possible since I think you have good family members¡ªespecially when you¡¯re at the helm here. I¡¯m sure that there won¡¯t be big problems arising in the future.¡±


    ¡°You told me that I¡¯m not allowed to impart the cultivation technique to others back when you taught me the more profound technique. So¡­¡± Miao Wentang hesitantly said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know the nature of your other family members before, so I naturally didn¡¯t want a large number of cultivators to appear,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Now I have changed my mind, yet my original intention still remains. You can impart to the members of your family who have good aptitude, but not too many of them. You must know that once you cultivate to a certain realm, you¡¯ll need massive cultivation resources¡ªand I don¡¯t think your family can support much more than ten cultivators at a profound cultivation realm given the wealth possessed by your family now.¡±


    Miao Wentang¡¯s complexion slightly changed and he fell into contemplation for a while. Then he said, ¡°I¡¯ll pick a few good family members and teach them cultivation technique since you say so. I can change the custom set by my ancestors, but I¡¯ll also re-establish a new rule that the number of cultivators in my family must not exceed ten people!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded with approval and said again, ¡°Alright. So, how about having a visit to the Lian Family¡¯s place tonight?¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ hitting them directly?¡± asked Miao Wentang with a slightly changed expression.


    ¡°No. We should know ourselves and our own enemy better to be victorious.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°I may have absolute confidence in myself, yet many things have gone down the pit due to some erroneous judgment in this world. Hence, we¡¯re only going to investigate the Lian Family in the dark so as to figure out their strength before we hit them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re always so calm and steady, but it¡¯s what makes you fearful, Brother Tang,¡± sighed Miao Wentang. ¡°If I had fearful strength and so many powerful men under me like you, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯d already had become an unscrupulous and reckless man. Anyway, I got no problem with the idea, so let¡¯s set off to the Lian Family¡¯s place tonight.¡±


    ¡°One does have to be prudent when making a ship that could last for millenniums. Current society is quite peaceful and there¡¯s only a small factor of risk and dangers involved in everything. But if you go to another place one day in the future, where cultivators are everywhere and strong people are as many as clouds, you¡¯ll only last for a few days and will die should you not be careful,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Miao Wentang was shaken and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s that place?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you since you won¡¯t benefit by knowing it now.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°Just keep cultivating well! Someday when you have become much stronger and have surpassed the Nascent Soul Stage, I can tell you about that and even give you a huge opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Miao Wentang was shocked on the inside and he nodded with excitement.


    Before dawn came, Tang Xiu took Miao Wentang and quietly left the Miao Family¡¯s manor, leaving Xue Yu and Mo Awu¡¯s group there. This time, they were heading out to gather intel, so he didn¡¯t want to bring too many people.


    ****


    The Lian Family¡¯s land was a much bigger area than that of the Miao¡¯s. It was not located inside Ning City, but in the northwestward area of the city near Qilian Mountain. In addition to the wide flat road on the southern side of the residence with a village there, the three other directions were densely forested land.


    Amid the dim night, Tang Xiu and Miao Wentang were as though ghosts in darkness as they were silently closing in on the Lian Family¡¯s manor. Tang Xiu didn¡¯t even flinch as he had already seen numerous traps and guards hiding in the corner. However, Miao Wentang, who rarely saw such a situation, kept spotting the hiding figures of Lian Family¡¯s clansmen, as well as finding various types of traps and surveillance devices.


    ¡°I truly never expected to find out about these!¡± In a dark, hidden corner, Miao Wentang sighed as he looked at the two-and-a-half-meter brick wall.


    ¡°What did you never expect, exactly?¡± asked Tang Xiu in a whisper.


    ¡°I never thought that the current defensive measures prepared by the Lian Family would be so strong,¡± whispered Miao Wentang. ¡°I was here several years ago, but I didn¡¯t find anything out of ordinary. There had been no defensive measures at all. But now, when we just came closing in a few kilometers away, we had already discovered several guards and dozens of installed traps, as well as surveillance devices. I dare say that had the people who infiltrated this place tonight not been us, they likely would have long discovered who the infiltrators were.¡±


    ¡°I too feel that the Lian Family is very particular in this sense.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯m suddenly regretting easily killing the Lian Family¡¯s Head a bit now.¡±


    ¡°All the Lian Family¡¯s ancestors are the most inner circle of this family. All of them had once served as the Patriarch in the past. They are also the ones who know the Lians inside out. Had you tortured and squeezed out some information from him, you could¡¯ve gotten a lot of useful intel.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go inside!¡±


    Tang Xiu took out two Invisibility Charms. After placing one on Miao Wentang¡¯s body, his body floated and directly flew over the electric grid on the tall wall, then quickly entered the interior of Lian Family¡¯s manor. Miao Wentang, however, was slightly startled when he saw Tang Xiu fly up and jump over in such an ostentatious manner. He couldn¡¯t help but inwardly shout. But then, he recalled how powerful Tang Xiu was, so he gritted his teeth and jumped over as well.


    As they came inside, a dense coverage of trees and planted flowers greeted them, as well as their flowery scent that wafted with the night wind and assailed their nostrils.


    ¡°Why did you sneak inside in such an ostentatious manner, Brother Tang?¡± questioned Miao Wentang with a low voice after following Tang Xiu. There was a forced smile on his face, however.


    Tang Xiu only gave him a faint smile in response. He didn¡¯t explain anything to him, but instead directly headed to the other side of the woods. Even on the edge of the woods, there were two men of the Lian Family smoking there, and yet, he still waltzed in nonchalantly.


    ¡®What? Didn¡¯t he say that he¡¯d come here to investigate? How come he just waltzed in so casually? Is he not afraid that he¡¯ll be discovered?¡¯


    Miao Wentang wanted to scream out loud to warn Tang Xiu, but the next scene made his eyes nearly pop out.


    It was because Tang Xiu walked right to the front of the two smoking men. He even halted his pace and waved to them with a beaming smile.


    It made Miao Wentang completely dumbfounded. Never once did it occur to him that he¡¯d see such a bizarre scene. Tang Xiu obviously stopped right before those two members of Lian Family, but they seemed to be unaware about him. They seemingly couldn¡¯t see him at all and just kept smoking and talking to each other.


    ¡°Dammit! This is beyond fantasy!¡±

 Chapter 917 - The Living Dead

    Chapter 917: The Living Dead


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The scene before him was so bizarre that Miao Wentang was extremely shocked. He suddenly recalled the paper charm Tang Xiu placed on him outside the courtyard wall. He grabbed the item and observed it for a while only to find some unusual symbols on it; he could even sense a faint fluctuation of spiritual force on it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ this is an Invisibility Charm? An item that can make one who wears it invisible to others?¡±


    Miao Wentang himself knew that Tang Xiu also excelled at making various charms. It made his heartbeat spike up immediately. He gritted his teeth and walked toward Tang Xiu¡¯s direction and the two big men of Lian Family. He kept walking to Tang Xiu¡¯s side while his eyes were fixed on the two stocky men, yet they still seemed to be unaware of their presence.


    Cough, cough¡­


    One of the stocky men coughed twice. He suddenly glanced around a few times before he raised his hand to scratch the back of his head. With a puzzled expression, he muttered, ¡°How come I feel so spooked and scared? It¡¯s like I¡¯m being stared at by a venomous viper or something.¡±


    His comrade also frowned and astonished, ¡°You got such a feeling too? What an ominous sign. I thought it was only I who had fallen into illusion. I too feel that something is staring at me, sending a chill down my back.¡±


    Miao Wentang¡¯s face slightly changed. He immediately shifted his vision from the two men and turned to Tang Xiu with eyes full of admiration.


    It was definitely because of the Invisibility Charm! The one that was told in the legends!


    If he were to have this Invisibility Charm, he¡¯d definitely have a lethal weapon for killing! In such a situation where nobody, not even the Gods and ghosts, were unable to sense his presence, he could behead his enemy for sure.


    For a short while, the two men of the Lian Family still kept looking around, but they couldn¡¯t find any abnormalities whatsoever. They just shook their heads and then headed towards the distance.


    Tang Xiu himself stood still in his current spot. He then looked at Miao Wentang smilingly and asked, ¡°So, how do you feel?¡±


    ¡°I shuddered with fear at first, but then felt relieved when I realized that they truly can¡¯t see us,¡± replied Miao Wentang with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re truly amazing, Brother Tang! If memory serves, the charm you placed on me outside the courtyard wall must be an Invisibility Charm, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I manufactured some Invisibility Charms before due to some special reasons.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and explained, ¡°I never thought that it would show its uses during an investigation this time, though. Also, the prevention measures deployed by the Lian Family is kinda tight. If it weren¡¯t for this Invisibility Charm, we couldn¡¯t have been so relaxed and easily snuck inside.¡±


    Miao Wentang¡¯s turned bright and he asked eagerly, ¡°How many Invisibility Charms do you have now, Brother Tang? Can you sell me some of them?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression turned strange and he replied, ¡°I don¡¯t have many of them at hand as of now. Just some of them.¡±


    ¡°Please state your price. I¡¯ll buy however many you have,¡± said Miao Wentang straightforwardly.


    ¡°Just 3 yuan is enough. I¡¯ll sell them to you at 3 yuan each,¡± replied Tang Xiu smilingly after he thought for a moment.


    Cough, cough¡­


    Miao Wentang let out a hollow cough and waved as he spoke again, ¡°I won¡¯t buy it, so I¡¯ll exchange them with some other items! I know that you¡¯ve been searching for the twelve zodiac jade carvings recently. I just caught wind of one of them and am currently verifying it. I¡¯ll send it to you after I¡¯m sure about it.¡±


    ¡°For real?¡± Tang Xiu was pleasantly surprised.


    ¡°For real.¡± Miao Wentang nodded and said, ¡°But the other party is so difficult to deal with, so I¡¯m afraid that it will take some time, though. Anyway, let¡¯s stop talking about that first. Since we have the Invisibility Charms, then we shall continue to go inside to find out the situation of this place! We gotta make sure what the hell is going on with the Lians tonight.¡±


    Tang Xiu suppressed his excitement deep in his heart. He nodded and glanced towards the depths of the Lian Family¡¯s manor interior. Then he said in a whisper, ¡°Try not to make any sound as best as you can. Let¡¯s use hand signals when something happens; I have a hunch that the Lian Family¡¯s manor is not as simple as it looks on the surface.¡±


    ¡°I got you.¡± Miao Wentang nodded firmly.


    Most of the area in front of the Lian Family¡¯s manor was covered with lush trees, along with flowers, plants, rockery stones,, and gazebos everywhere¡­ but when Tang Xiu and Miao Wentang headed deeper into the interior and bypassed the fountain square in the center of the manor, they suddenly sensed a change in the atmosphere.


    The dark-painted houses in front were all wooden and painted pitch-black on the outside. In addition, be it the trees or the other buildings in the surroundings, they were all painted black as well. Even the ground was covered with black asphalt. There was no other color other than black, even if they observed carefully.


    ¡°This place is way too bizarre.¡± Miao Wentang leaned over to Tang Xiu, who was carefully treading northward, as he said in a whisper.


    Tang Xiu squinted, as he could sense a faint surging diabolical energy. His body was also slightly shivering, driven by the impulse to immediately dash and smash something that was somewhere deep inside the Lian Family¡¯s manor. Such an impulse was like a feeling of hunger, as though there was something deep inside the manor that attracted him.


    Suddenly, Miao Wentang grabbed his arm and whispered, ¡°Wait, Brother Tang! Don¡¯t you think this place is too strange? Ever since we passed through the fountain square, we haven¡¯t heard anything, nor seen anything move here, not even a living person. No¡­ not only that. There¡¯s not even any living creatures such as chickens, dogs, ants, or anything else.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°How about withdrawing first, Brother Tang?¡± Miao Wentang hesitantly said, ¡°I¡¯ve started to have a feeling that there¡¯s something horrible waiting for us in front. It makes me feel restless.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and was about to speak when his expression slightly changed. He instantly grabbed Miao Wentang¡¯s hand and their figure disappeared into the corner of a building in but a moment. He clearly saw that a boy around 7 years old walked over from the north, smiling with a rope bouncing about in his hand under the cover of the dim night. Tang Xiu looked up and saw that the rope was connected to a kite flying dozens of meters high.


    ¡°That¡¯s strange. Has my hearing been impaired or something?¡±


    Miao Wentang suddenly whispered with a voice that only the both of them could hear.


    Tang Xiu shot a deep look at the boy who was jumping and skipping about. The boy¡¯s mouth seemed to be shouting something, yet he felt just like Miao Wentang. He could tell that the boy was clearly shouting, but there was no sound coming from him. He was also jumping about, but there was no sound of his footsteps either.


    The surrounding area was as though in a deathly stillness, as though there was something wrong with their hearing.


    After a while, Tang Xiu retracted his gaze from the boy. He shook his head and said, ¡°He¡¯s not a human being. He¡¯s a kind of apparition¡ªa Spiritual Protoplasm.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a Spiritual Protoplasm?¡± asked Miao Wentang with a confused face.


    ¡°It¡¯s a state of the soul, yet it¡¯s also a different kind of being altogether,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°A Spiritual Protoplasm is a kind of creature with a special constitution. If it¡¯s attached to a human being, it can be integrated into the human soul and replace it. That boy is probably possessed by the Spiritual Protoplasm, and it forcefully seized his body. I never expected the Lians to have such a thing. It seems that this family hides things well!¡±


    Shortly after, the boy ran from their sight and disappeared at the other end of the pitch-black manor. After Tang Xiu and Miao Wentang came out from the corner, they ignored the Spiritual Protoplasm boy and walked slowly towards the deeper part of the villa. A few minutes later, Tang Xiu halted his pace at the crosswalk of the road to the manor.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Miao Wentang asked curiously. He had looked around and found no traces of humans in the surroundings.


    ¡°There¡¯s an array here,¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°The path ahead of us is blocked and is covered by an array. Unless we can crack the array formation silently and make a hole in it, it will be hard for us to not alarm the members of the Lian Family if we want to go deeper.¡±


    Miao Wentang looked eager and said, ¡°I can¡¯t drill a hole through an array, though. I can only rely on you.¡±


    He knew that Tang Xiu was well-versed in arrays. Back when they adventured and braved dangers together, he had witnessed Tang Xiu arrange arrays, and he knew that the array Tang Xiu arranged then was terrifyingly mighty.


    Tang Xiu unleashed his spiritual sense to probe the fluctuating layer of energy in the air several times. He continuously released his Primal Chaos Force and integrated it into the energy layer in front.


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu suddenly opened his eyes and whispered, ¡°Interesting. This is really interesting. Some people of Lian Family unexpectedly have laid out an Underworld Great Array here. What do these people want to do, exactly? All the living beings inside the Underworld Great Array will be shrouded in the Yin Qi of the Netherworld, gradually becoming the living dead.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Miao Wentang was confused and asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°There are things you don¡¯t understand yet, but I can tell you for sure.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Those of the Lian Family who have been living inside this array are no longer normal human beings. It¡¯s no wonder that I found that the dead bodies of those two Lian Family¡¯s ancestors had a grim luster after I killed them. I didn¡¯t pay much attention to it back then. But now I think they have some force of the Netherworld inside their bodies.¡±


    Miao Wentang¡¯s expression suddenly changed and he asked in a whisper, ¡°Could it be that they were cultivators with another kind of cultivation system? The likes of those Ghost cultivators I once read in ancient records?¡±


    ¡°Hmph,¡± hummed Tang Xiu coldly. ¡°Ghost cultivators are living humans whose souls have been baptized with Netherworld force after their deaths. They then practice the cultivation system from the Ghost Realm. They are the genuine Ghost cultivators. Those humans who practice the cultivation technique will become neither human nor ghost¡ªjust half-human and half-ghost. Even if one can have a very long lifespan and a very formidable strength, that person will never have great accomplishments in the future.¡±


    Miao seemed to be hazy with the explanation; he understood yet couldn¡¯t grasp it well. He continued questioning, ¡°So, what are we gonna do next? Can you crack this array?¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a confident smile. He grabbed his hand and treaded forward instantly. After his footsteps traversed and changed directions a few times, they quickly appeared inside the Underworld Great Array and a different scenery was presented before them.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    Miao Wentang always thought that he had a lot of knowledge; yet, after seeing the scene inside the Netherworld Great Array, his eyes turned into saucers and he couldn¡¯t help but gasp the cold air.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows, however, raised and he muttered, ¡°There are altars here? What does the Lian Family wanna do by building so many altars?¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang, I¡¯ve seen such an altar somewhere in the Miao Region.¡± Miao Wentang whispered, ¡°As far as I know, there¡¯s but a few of this type of altar in the entire Miao Region¡ªno more than three of them, I think. But here, there are dozens of them.¡±


    Tang Xiu quickly glanced around and spoke again, ¡°There are 49 altars altogether here, with a blood pool in front of each. Damn wretched evils! That should be humans¡¯ blood! How many people have been harmed by the Lian Family to amass so much blood?¡±

 Chapter 918 - The Biggest Reliance

    Chapter 918: The Biggest Reliance


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    After seeing the size of each of the blood pools, Tang Xiu could hardly imagine how many people needed to be hunted and killed to fill the 49 pools like these, especially considering how peaceful today¡¯s society was. From the looks of the pools¡¯ sizes, each of them would at least need 1,000 people¡¯s blood. 49 blood pools meant that it would need at least 50,000 or more people¡¯s blood!


    50,000 people for God¡¯s sake! How did the Lian Family succeed in reaping the lives of 50,000 people?!!


    Tang Xiu hardly suppressed the killing intent that raged inside him. He instantly unleashed his perception to monitor the area covered by the Underworld Great Array. To his surprise, there was a gateway inside a seven-plus meters rockery which actually led to a subterranean open space.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Through his perception, Tang Xiu was surprised to find that the underground had a 100 square meters wide hall with three corridors that extended to 49 secret rooms. At the moment, there was nobody inside the hall except for two of them, but the rest of Lian Family¡¯s members were in other secret rooms, and they looked very old.


    In addition, there were also three old men sitting cross-legged on the futon in the wide hall. A dark mist could be seen constantly swirling around them, giving off an unspeakable bizarre feeling.


    ¡°I get it now.¡±


    Tang Xiu inhaled deeply, yet the killing intent gleaming in his eyes turned more intense. He softly patted Miao Wentang¡¯s shoulder and turned back to the previous direction of where they came from.


    Miao Wentang looked doubtful and suspicious, yet he still caught up to Tang Xiu¡¯s side and asked, ¡°What did you find you out, Brother Tang?¡±


    ¡°I understand what the Lian Family is doing now. I¡¯ve figured out what they rely on the most,¡± explained Tang Xiu. ¡°There¡¯s something I have not yet clarified, though. As long as I can verify it, completely eradicating the Lian Family is just a matter of time.¡±


    ¡°What exactly is it?¡± hurriedly asked Miao Wentang.


    Tang Xiu grabbed his shoulders and kept treading forward. After quickly leaving the Underworld Great Array, only then did he release Miao Wentang and speak, ¡°The Lian Family¡¯s arrangement of the Underworld Great Array acts as an array protective measure from the Netherworld. But if it¡¯s augmented with a blood sacrifice and combined perfectly, it can be used to enhance the strength of Ghost cultivators. I just saw through a rockery in there. There¡¯s a big open space underground with a channel to the Underworld; it can continuously pull out the Netherworld energy to help in tempering humans¡¯ body, making them much stronger.¡±


    Miao Wentang was astonished and he asked again, ¡°How could it be possible to have a link to the Underworld? Isn¡¯t that a ridiculous fantasy? What¡¯s more, is there really an Underworld in this world?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no such plane in this world naturally since this world is of mortals,¡± said Tang Xiu with a thin smile, ¡°Yet, the Underworld does exist in higher planes. Of course, the Yama¡ªor what people call the King of Hell in legend, is nothing but a story in myths, though there are also terrible existences that are similar to a King of Hell. They are the ones who control the Six Path of Samsara and reincarnation¡ªthose who judge good and bad karma in death. They are also the ones who will decide the path of reincarnation through their judgment.¡±


    Miao Wentang¡¯s lips squirmed a few times and he asked again, ¡°So, shortly put, I¡¯d meet them if I were to die and go to hell?¡±


    ¡°Others perhaps would. But for you¡­ it will be very difficult.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    ¡°Then¡­ could it be said that you can go to heaven without going to hell?¡± asked Miao Wentang with a pleasantly surprised expression.


    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter. ¡°How and where is there any Heaven in this world? That¡¯s only the place assumed to be existed by those Western people who believe in spiritual Gods. If you died now, you would enter the Underworld before heading to one of the Six Paths of Samsara, and then be reincarnated again. But if you reach a certain level of strength in the future, once you die, you¡¯ll lose both shape and soul.¡±


    ¡°Lose both shape and soul?¡± Miao Wentang was horrified. ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and smilingly said, ¡°Once people like us die, their soul will fly away and scatter into nothingness. Or they could seize their rebirth, or even turn into a Soul cultivator. Yet, the ultimate goal is to make yourself stronger and stronger to finally shatter the shackle that binds us, then ascend to the Immortal World.¡±


    ¡°It seems like I must be extra careful in the future; otherwise, I might lose any chance to be reincarnated once both my body and soil get destroyed,¡± said Miao Wentang cautiously with a heavy nod.


    ¡°Not really.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and continued, ¡°In a higher plane such as the Immortal World, once those Immortals died, they can still enter the Six Paths of Samsara and be reincarnated or transmigrated. It¡¯s just that the lower and higher plane do not belong to the same wheel of reincarnation paths, nor is it the same for the Underworld. In short, you¡¯ll understand all these when you can break through and become an Immortal in the future. I tell you that there too many things that you can¡¯t possibly understand as of now.¡±


    ¡°How come there¡¯s a chance for me to break through the Immortal realm?¡± Miao Wentang self-deprecatingly mocked himself with a forced smile. ¡°Just becoming a Nascent Soul Stage expert will definitely wake me up from a dream laughing.¡±


    Tang Xiu just patted his shoulder in response and headed towards the outside. The duo came inside in leisure and was also able to leave easily. Without alarming anyone, they left the Lian Family¡¯s manor silently and returned to the Miao Family¡¯s manor at two A.M.


    At the back-left of the artificial lake, inside a European-style villa, Xue Yu was sitting on the balcony, holding a cup of red wine while watching the swaying trees in the forest and the dark path there.


    ¡°You¡¯ve come back?¡±


    Suddenly, her stunningly beautiful face showed that she was pleasantly surprised. She put down her glass of wine and immediately ran toward the room, soon meeting Tang Xiu on the stairs on the first floor.


    ¡°How was it?¡± asked Xue Yu with a smile. She had been worried about Tang Xiu¡¯s safety, hence the restlessness inside her heart faded away upon seeing him return safely.


    Tang Xiu reached out to hug her slender waist and walked side by side to the second floor while speaking, ¡°It¡¯s almost clear that the core members of Lian Family have already fallen onto the demonic path. From another perspective, we can say that they have fallen into the Ghost path¡ªand those kind of people are absolutely ruthless and cruel. We need to eradicate the Lians as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°The question is, can we easily eliminate them?¡± asked Xue Yu.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say,¡± said Tang Xiu after he thought for a moment. ¡°Eradicating the members of the Lian Family is an easy task, and so is breaking their wicked means and techniques. But what worries me the most now is that there¡¯s a deeper dimension involved within. For instance, some ghosts from the Underworld.¡±


    ¡°The Lian Family is really connected to the Underworld?¡± interjected Xue Yu with astonishment. ¡°Also, you have mentioned to me the existence of the Underworld¡­ but is that place really¡­ the Netherworld?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°So, what should we do next?¡± asked Xue Yu.


    ¡°We¡¯ll head to Kanas first,¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°If we can crack the Immortal Trove in Longquan Bay, we¡¯ll take what¡¯s stored inside. But if we can¡¯t open it, then we¡¯ll come back immediately. We¡¯ll set seven days as a limit. Regardless of whether we can succeed or not in the end, we¡¯ll come back right away. I¡¯ll assign Awu to stay here and thoroughly dig up some intel on the Lian Family.¡±


    ¡°What other information do you still need?¡± asked Xue Yu with a confused face. ¡°Haven¡¯t you gotten the intel yourself tonight?¡±


    ¡°What I wanna know is whether there are other fiends or devils behind the Lians,¡± explained Tang Xiu. ¡°Or, whether their family members have a connection with the Underworld. If there are indeed some devils involved, I don¡¯t have much concern even if they are very formidable. But if they are really connected to the Underworld, then this matter will be quite tricky to deal with.¡±


    Xue Yu slowly nodded and said, ¡°If so, could you inform someone from the Green Lake Agricola? After all, the Lian Family¡¯s Patriarch, their two ancestors, and more than 20 of their experts died there. I¡¯m afraid that they will be in danger once the Lians send their men again over there, given that we can¡¯t solve this problem right now.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to meet Han Sen tomorrow morning, so I¡¯ll send him back to Chang City by himself!¡±


    As the next day came and the blob of a red glow rose from the East, Tang Xiu neatly dressed and went out of the villa. He then found Han Sen sitting cross-legged at the edge of the woods dozens of meters away, and he immediately headed over.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    Han Sen¡¯s injuries had not yet fully healed and he was only around seventy-percent recovered. He learned how to address Tang Xiu from Mo Awu¡¯s group and called out respectfully.


    Tang Xiu nodded to him and said, ¡°If my guess is correct, Song Donglai and Ao Wei should have broken through now and become Qi Refining Stage cultivators. What do you think about that?¡±


    A chilling aura exuded from Han Sen¡¯s body, yet his expression was extraordinarily calm as he replied, ¡°My life is yours, Boss. Just tell me everything that I must do. You want me to be a cultivator, then I¡¯ll become one. You want me to stay as I am now, then I¡¯ll have no complaints either.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and ordered, ¡°Then off you go to Chang City! Tell Song Donglai and Ao Wei to burn down the Green Lake Agricola and erase their traces completely. Then, take them to Jingmen Island and directly head to the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s headquarters there.¡±


    ¡°What do I do thereafter?¡± asked Han Sen.


    ¡°Some people will naturally settle you down when you arrive there,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Also, someone will teach you an Immortal cultivation technique and help you embark on the cultivation path. But keep in mind, you are an outer member of the Everlasting Feast Hall starting today.¡±


    ¡°I know about the Everlasting Feast Hall,¡± said Han Sen. ¡°I once tried to break through the array there. Too bad that I was only able to break two layers before I had to retreat.¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a thin smile at his statement and said, ¡°What you know about the Everlasting Feast Hall isn¡¯t all they are. Just go ahead. You¡¯ll know what kind of existence the Everlasting Feast Hall is when you get there.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Han Sen nodded and left after cupping his fists.


    Tang Xiu looked at his back with a smile outlined on the corner of his lips. He found that Han Sen had the suitable making and aptitude to be an assassin. He was cold in nature and always did his best to stop at nothing to achieve what he must do. He could do everything he could as long as he approved of the endeavor. But in the future, he needed to obey his orders. Tang Xiu had been considering taking him together to the Immortal World and throwing him into the wild. There, he¡¯d definitely transform into a terrifying Grim Reaper, a Killing God in the Immortal World.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu summoned Mo Awu and his group. He gave them his orders and watched them leave. He then walked alone to the outside of another villa not far away.


    ¡°You got up so early, Brother Tang?¡±


    Miao Wentang, who was practicing Tai Chi in the villa courtyard, immediately halted and greeted him with a smile after he saw Tang Xiu.

 Chapter 919 - Acting As an Agent for Heaven

    Chapter 919: Acting As an Agent for Heaven


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu looked at the spirited Miao Wentang and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to delay the eradication operation of the Lian Family for now, as I need to go to Kanas first. I should come back a week later after I¡¯ve finished the matter there. I¡¯ll find ways to get rid of them by then.¡±


    ¡°You wanna go to Kanas?¡± Miao Wentang was surprised and asked, ¡°What do you wanna do there?¡±


    ¡°Some trivial things,¡± answered Tang Xiu with a faint smile.


    Seeing that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to explain it, Miao Wentang no longer asked but nodded and said instead, ¡°I¡¯ll send some men to continue investigating the Lian Family during the week you¡¯re gone, so as to provide you with as much help as possible.¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Leave them to Awu and his comrades. They¡¯ll be responsible for the intel, so your family doesn¡¯t need to be involved for the time being. The Lian Family will certainly be seething in a rage after finding that their Patriarch, two ancestors, and more than 20 elite experts have been killed. Any clues that they might discover at such a time would be very dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Had we not investigated and found something last night, I¡¯d perhaps proudly say that the Miao never would fear the Lians. But now, I realized that my family doesn¡¯t have what it takes to fight them. Alright, I¡¯ll listen to you and hold back until we receive your next message,¡± said Miao Wentang with a forced smile.


    Tang Xiu nodded. Even he was wary of the Lian Family now, let alone Miao Wenatang. If the Lian Family were to find out that the Miao harbored some bad intentions towards them, they might vent their rage towards the Miao; even the whole family may be massacred.


    Certainly, given Miao Wentang¡¯s strength, he would be able to kill a large number of the Lian Family¡¯s experts easily. Yet, even a hungry tiger isn¡¯t able to fight against a pack of wolves. If those 40-plus ancestors of the Lians were to join hands, the probability that Miao Wentang would be able to escape unscathed was close to nil.


    As the afternoon came, Tang Xiu and Xue Yu arrived at Kanas Airport. They had contacted Jie Walie before, so the duo saw the man already waiting for them with arms folded not far away right after they came out of the airport.


    ¡°Yo, Brother Tang!¡±


    Jie Walie approached and called out. He was a bit surprised after seeing Xue Yu, but he was still warmly greeted.


    Tang Xiu exchanged a hug with him and then smilingly said, ¡°I must trouble you this time, Big Brother Jie. By the way, this is my woman, Xue Yu. Xue Yu, this is a big brother of mine I told you about, Jie Walie.¡±


    ¡°Big Brother Jie Walie,¡± greeted Xue Yu smilingly with a nod.


    Jie Wali raised his thumb up to Tang Xiu and praised, ¡®You¡¯re truly blessed, Brother Tang. To think you can find and marry a stunning and beautiful goddess such as this Miss Xue. Anyway, the car is waiting outside, so shall we go now, or do you want to visit my place first? Or, do you have something else in mind¡­¡±


    ¡°Just send us directly to that village in Longquan Bay!¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°That¡¯s the reason we came here this time. I failed to open the Immortal Trove back then, so I gotta try again this time to see what kind of treasures are stored inside it.¡±


    ¡°Got no problem with that!¡± Jie Walie chuckled.


    At Longquan Bay.


    After Jie Walie gave a ride to Tang Xiu and Xue Yu to their destination, he didn¡¯t stay long as he was aware that some things were meant to be avoided. He just casually left the Wrangler jeep for them and then left.


    At the entrance of the village not far away, Xue Yu asked, ¡°Is this the place where you had a battle back then? It seems like there are only a few people inhabiting this place.¡±


    ¡°There aren¡¯t many locals indeed. But from my previous contact with them last time, I found these people here are very kind and easy to get along with. Alright, let¡¯s head there. I¡¯ve rented a house here for a year, so we have the right to occupy it.¡±


    Xue Yu smiled and nodded in response, then walked alongside Tang Xiu to enter the village. Shortly after they entered, they saw an old man with a harpoon come out from the inside. The old man suddenly looked surprised when he saw Tang Xiu. He looked hesitant for a moment before he ran over and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°You really got a good memory, Uncle Jia,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s me.¡±


    Uncle Jia turned to glance around the village twice before he hurriedly turned his head and said, ¡°Are there only two of you coming here, Mr. Tang? Did you bring the rest of your people like last time?¡±


    ¡°Uh?! They didn¡¯t come with me this time.¡± Tang Xiu was confused and asked, ¡°What exactly happened here for you to ask such a question, Uncle Jia?¡±


    Uncle Jia forced a wry smile and said, ¡°Mr. Tang, I advise you not to go to the house you rented last time if you didn¡¯t bring those people with you. If anything, I still have an empty room in my place, so let¡¯s head to my home first. I¡¯ll tell my wife to clean up the room for you to stay in.¡±


    Tang Xiu realized that there was something wrong and asked, ¡°Exactly what happened here, Uncle Jia?¡±


    ¡°A bunch of bad and rampant people came to the village in these past few months. Not only are they always bullying the people in our village, but they also have taken away and currently occupy the house you rented. You¡¯d just invoke trouble if you were to rashly come over there,¡± said Uncle Jia with a helpless expression.


    Having said that, he then pointed to Xue Yu and then shook his head.


    Coldness flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes, yet he let out a smile and said, ¡°We¡¯re all reasonable people, plus I have rented that house, so I have the right to stay there. We are not people who bully others, but if they want to bully us, I¡¯ll never let them feel better doing that. Ah, that¡¯s right. Do you know the origin of these people?¡±


    ¡°Just listen to me, will you?¡± Uncle Jia waved and said, ¡°You mustn¡¯t mess with them. They¡­. They¡¯re drifting hunters from some other places.¡±


    ¡°Hunters?¡± Tang Xiu was confused.


    ¡°Uncle Jia, the hunters you just mentioned, are they the kind of illegal hunters¡ªpoachers who illegally hunt rare animals?¡± asked Xue Yu.


    ¡°You also know those kinds of people, lass?¡± said Uncle Jia with amazement. ¡°You¡¯ve guessed it right. There are a lot of precious animals near Longquan Bay, some of which are quite valuable, so they come here every few years and stay here for several months. Come on and head to my home, you two. There aren¡¯t many people coming this time, so the spare room in my house should be enough for you to rest in.¡±


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and felt that there was no need to make things complicated. Since he could stay in Uncle Jia¡¯s home, then he might as well lodge there. In any case, they would only stop by for a few days before the entered the depth of Longquan Bay to open the Immortal Trove, to begin with.


    ¡°Hey, Fifth, get your ass move fucking fast. The Boss wants Shaojiu liquor. If you can¡¯t buy it again, be warned that he¡¯ll skin you alive!¡±


    ¡°I know. I know, motherfucker! What a nuisance! What are you pushing me for? Even if this father had three legs, I still would have to run there, wouldn¡¯t I?¡±


    Two loud shouts were heard, followed by two strong big men who ran in tandem from the outside into the village. When the big man in front saw Tang Xiu and Xue Yu, however, he abruptly stopped his pace. His eyes widely stared at Xue Yu without blinking, looking like he was nearly drooling.


    ¡°What the fuck are you doing, Fifth? Why the hell aren¡¯t you running faster?¡±


    Behind him was a bald man with a tattoo on his neck, who then cursed and slapped the head of the big man in front.


    The stocky man who was called Fifth pointed to Xue Yu and stutteringly said, ¡°A beauty¡­ such a beautiful woman¡­ she¡¯s even more¡­ beautiful than those¡­ celebrities on TV.¡±


    The bald man stared blankly and looked up to see Tang Xiu and Xue Yu. His eyes instantly glued on Xue Yu as he voraciously looked up and down her body. He gulped down and exclaimed, ¡°Holy cow, who is this woman? She¡¯s so hot and so fucking beautiful!¡±


    Xue Yu looked at them with obvious disgust and immediately reached out to grab Tang Xiu¡¯s hand.


    A cold light gleamed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. He then turned to ask Uncle Jia, ¡°Are they those hunters you told me about? Those rampant and wicked guys?¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t speak carelessly, Mr. Tang! It will spell trouble,¡± said Uncle Jia in a hurry. ¡°We¡­ we can¡¯t afford to provoke¡­ these people. They have guns¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu sneered and sternly yelled at the two stocky men who were staring at Xue Yu, ¡°What the hell are you looking at? Look at her again and I¡¯ll gouge your eyes out. Scram and get the fuck out¡ªelse be careful, since I¡¯ll clean you up.¡±


    Only then did the bald man¡¯s eyes leave from Xue Yu¡¯s body. As his eyes fell on Tang Xiu, he creased his brows and cursed, ¡°From which stone did you come out from, punk? Careful with your shitty mouth or I¡¯ll trash you up!¡±


    The big man who was called Fifth looked at Tang Xiu a few times and then pulled the bald man¡¯s hand, whispering some words to him. The duo then left without forgetting to shoot a threatening glare to Tang Xiu before they turned around and ran towards the village.


    After seeing the situation, Uncle Jia immediately said in a panic, ¡°Mr. Tang, I advise you, please leave here quickly! Looking at those two bastards¡¯ drooling face, I¡¯m sure they are harboring evil intentions. If you stay in the village, if they enact their evil plan, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    ¡°I suddenly have changed my mind, Uncle Jia,¡± interrupted Tang Xiu. ¡°These hunters are bad people, so I won¡¯t give them the house I already rented for free. Just go back to your home first. I¡¯m going to see them.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t, just stop, Mr. Tang,¡± said Uncle Jia hurriedly. ¡°Don¡¯t do it. Don¡¯t be tempted to act on impulse. As far as I know, those people not only kill rare animals but also dare to kill people. I heard that¡­ I heard they killed people two years ago and also murdered some local policemen.¡±


    ¡°They murdered policemen, yet nobody has caught them?¡± asked Tang Xiu, confused.


    ¡°Who would dare apprehend them?¡± said Uncle Jia with a forced smile. ¡°This region is vast and sparsely populated and there¡¯s a lot of places for them to hide here literally everywhere. Besides, these guys come and go without a trace. It¡¯s so easy for them to avoid the lawmen¡¯s hunt.¡±


    ¡°Since they even kill people, then I¡¯ll act as an agent to enforce justice on behalf of the Heavens today,¡± sneered Tang Xiu. ¡°Uncle Jia, please go back to your home first! I¡¯ll treat you to a drink tonight.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t show off, Mr. Tang!¡± said Uncle Jia in a hurry. ¡°There are seven or eight of them, none of who are a good person. You¡­ if you were to rashly see them, you¡¯ll be just like a meat bun fed to the dogs. You won¡¯t be able to come back¡­ and also, if this lass follows you, she¡­¡±


    ¡°I appreciate your kindness, Uncle Jia, but I apologize,¡± waved Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Having said that, he pulled Xue Yu¡¯s hand and strode toward the direction of the house he had rented. He wouldn¡¯t have decided to go directly if it was just those two guys. But now, he obviously couldn¡¯t stand idly by. Even if he didn¡¯t want to bother with making trouble with these guys, it was highly likely that they would try to find him first and cause misfortune.

 Chapter 920 - You Deserve to Die for Your Crimes

    Chapter 920: You Deserve to Die for Your Crimes


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu grabbed Xue Yu¡¯s hand and walked confidently into the village. The house he rented was at the northern end of the village and was at a relatively remote location. Despite the fact that Uncle Jia shouted worriedly to call him back so many times, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t look back, nor did he stop.


    ¡°What do you wanna do to them?¡±


    Xue Yu didn¡¯t have the slightest sympathy for these hunters whatsoever. She was even disgusted by those two men whose eyes voraciously looked at her with perverted thoughts. Nevertheless, she didn¡¯t want to see Tang Xiu commit murder either, even if those people truly deserved it.


    ¡°The net of Heaven is so vast. It may be loose, but it never misses anything,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Since those hunters are wicked people, then let them taste how evil the consequences for what they¡¯ve done are. I won¡¯t kill them, yet I won¡¯t let them off scot-free either. The folks of this village are but good, ordinary people, so I¡¯m going to give them a chance to make a meritorious deed.¡±


    ¡°That would be for the best, then,¡± said Xue Yu with a chuckle.


    As they came to a worn-out house, the faint smell of gunpowder wafted in the air and they could hear a hoarse cough come from the dilapidated house. Two men with ugly and sullen faces leaned against the door, drowsing, whereas a hunchbacked middle-aged man was seen in the corner of the courtyard, stuffing the carcasses of several rare animals into sacks, and then threw them into the temporary wooden shed.


    ¡°Hey, Second, I¡¯m gonna kill the wild boar I hunted yesterday. We¡¯re gonna have wild pork stew tonight.¡± The hunchbacked man went into the front door and kicked the drowsy big man on the left side.


    ¡°Got it,¡± replied the big man on the left as he raised his head and looked up. Then he closed his eyes again.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    ¡°Several Brothers!¡±


    The baldy and the Fifth strode fast into the house and shouted loudly.


    The hunchbacked middle-aged man turned his head and found them coming empty-handed. He immediately yelled angrily, ¡°What the fuck are you ghost howling for? Didn¡¯t I tell you to buy me some liquor?¡±


    The Fifth hurriedly said, ¡°We didn¡¯t have time to buy the wine, Big Brother. But we saw a truly beautiful woman here. She¡¯s really hot, so much hotter than the female stars we¡¯ve seen on TV. I dare swear to heaven that you won¡¯t be able to blink when you see her.¡±


    The baldy also nodded and said, ¡°The Fifth Brother said the truth and I dare to prove it. That woman¡­ damn¡­ be it her body, her looks, or her making, she¡¯s definitely top of the top. You won¡¯t find anyone like her among ten thousand others. Big Brother, I¡¯ve seen many women, but never once have I ever seen one as beautiful as her.¡±


    Surprise flashed in the eyes of the hunchbacked middle-aged man. He may not bother to spare any attention had it been only one of them testifying about it. But since both of his brothers said so, that woman must definitely be a top product!


    ¡®How the hell does that have a thing to do with me?¡¯


    A cold light flashed in the hunchbacked middle-aged man¡¯s eyes and he shouted in a grim voice, ¡°We brothers are gathering here for money, you fucking hear that? If you wanna fuck women, go deal with your work and earn your money. But now, you gotta do your fucking job properly. Don¡¯t make new problems crop up and cause issues later.¡±


    ¡°But, Big Brother, we¡­¡± stalled the baldy.


    The Fifth raised his hand to interrupt him and quickly said, ¡°We don¡¯t want to make more troubles, Big Brother! It¡¯s just that woman is like a celestial maiden. Just wait and see her for yourself. Your eyes will definitely be full of greed when you see her. Also, she¡¯s with a 20-something-year-old young man. He¡¯s extremely arrogant and even threatened us.¡±


    BANG¡­


    The house¡¯s front door was kicked open and Tang Xiu pulled Xue Yu inside. He quickly glanced around and then sneered, ¡°Yup, I¡¯m really arrogant and I threatened you too. So what? You wanna seek revenge?¡±


    The Fifth was dumbstruck; he never dreamed that this young man would dare to track him. Was this brat¡¯s brain broken or something? Wasn¡¯t he aware that he was like a sheep entering the tiger¡¯s mouth?


    The hunchbacked middle-aged man vigilantly observed Tang Xiu. But when his eyes fell on Xue Yu, he looked shocked all of a sudden. It took him a few seconds to wake up from his stunned state as he coldly hummed and said, ¡°Who are you, Mister? You dare kick the door, huh? You truly have some big balls!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not qualified to know who I am,¡± said Tang Xiu apathetically. ¡°Neither have you got the ability to judge how big my courage is. Now, you¡¯re either going to submit and will hold your head on the wall, or I¡¯ll trash you all up until you faint!¡±


    The two sleepy big men next to the door got up at the same time. The man on left, whose body was very robust, cracked his neck. He made the crackling sounds with his clenched fist to bring out an intimidating sound, then glared at Tang Xiu with obvious killing intent, ¡°Punk, your grandfather will kill you today and I¡¯ll have your woman¡­¡±


    Slap¡­


    Tang Xiu¡¯s body flashed and appeared in front of him. With the sound of a loud slap in the face, the stalwart man was as though turning into a kite that snapped from the line, flying upside down through the house¡¯s door and falling heavily on the cold ground outside.


    ¡°An expert?¡±


    The hunchbacked middle-aged man¡¯s pupils shrunk and his killing intent appeared indistinctly. He knew the strength of his Second Brother; not even a very skilled martial artist would necessarily be able to fight him. He himself was just a half step away from reaching the level of martial arts grandmaster, yet he couldn¡¯t catch how this young man moved and acted.


    ¡°You¡¯re very strong.¡± He quickly took out a pistol from his waist and quickly pulled the safety lock as he pointed its muzzle to Tang Xiu, ¡°But I wanna know who¡¯s faster. You, or my bullet!¡±


    The other stocky men also quickly rushed into the house. In just but a few seconds, they quickly grabbed firearms and air rifles and aimed at Tang Xiu one after another.


    Tang Xiu, however, turned his head to look at Xue Yu and asked with a faint smile, ¡°Are you afraid?¡±


    Xue Yu showed no fear at all. There even was some pity in her eyes. She shook her head and smilingly said, ¡°Those who are ignorant truly have nothing to fear. Instead of fear, I just feel pity for them. Do you sense it too? Their killing aura is so thick. Their hands should be stained with the blood and lives of more than two people.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, especially this humpbacked man.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°He has at least killed 10 lives and should have tortured his victims. Yet I¡¯m rather surprised how come they still live to the present.¡±


    ¡°Please be a bit gentle to them,¡± said Xue Yu.


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile and looked at the grim and angry bunch of these mobs. Then his eyes fell on the hunchbacked middle-aged man, whose face was full of vigilance, and smilingly said, ¡°My words are accurate, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    The hunchbacked middle-aged man¡¯s heart kept sinking. Although he and his brothers pointed their guns at Tang Xiu, he felt that this young man was too bizarre. He hesitated for a short while and asked again in a grim voice, ¡°Who exactly are you, Mister?¡±


    Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°You naturally can look at my ID card and know who I really am if you can kill me, but otherwise it is unnecessary for you to know who I am if you can¡¯t do so. That¡¯s right, didn¡¯t you ask me which is faster between me and your bullet? Go try it. I¡¯ll stand here and won¡¯t move.¡±


    ¡°You court your death!¡±


    The big man who had just been slapped and sent flying by Tang Xiu hideously grinned. He aimed the cold muzzle of his gun at Tang Xiu¡¯s head and didn¡¯t hesitate in pulling the trigger.


    Bang¡­


    After the gunshot, however, the evil grin on his face froze.


    ¡°How can this be?¡±


    ¡°Holy shit! Is he a man or a revenant?!¡±


    ¡°He caught the bullet empty-handed? Motherfucker! Am I going crazy or has this world gone nuts?!¡±


    ¡°Shit¡­ he¡¯s too frightening.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The hunchbacked middle-aged man¡¯s wrist shivered a few times and his finger that was ready on the trigger was pulled back in an instant. With a look of horror on his face, he paced back two steps and anxiously said, ¡°L-Little Brother, w-we¡¯re at fault before; we admit it. I-I¡¯m Western Humpback and all the friends on the road know me. We don¡¯t have any enmity whatsoever, so this is just a small misunderstanding caused by mistiming remarks. How about we drop everything that happened here today and we¡¯ll leave this place at once?¡±


    Tang Xiu pinched the bullet and asked with a faint smile, ¡°If I hadn¡¯t caught the bullet just now, do you think you can easily ask to drop everything, huh?¡±


    The hunchbacked middle-aged man fell into silence for a while, and then slowly asked, ¡°Then¡­ how do you want it settled, Mister?¡±


    Tang Xiu threw away the pinched bulled and gently opened his hands as he smilingly said, ¡°No worries! Although I¡¯ve killed many people, I don¡¯t want to commit a massacre today. You¡¯re gonna die for sure, but what should kill you must be the bullets from the cops.¡±


    In a flash, two streaks of Primal Chaos Force shot out from Tang Xiu¡¯s hands. It acted like invisible ropes that instantly tied down all the guns in the hands of the seven men and took them away instantly, while Tang Xiu¡¯s figure was flashing lightning fast and constantly appeared in front of the seven men. His fist sent punches to their bodies, causing them to fly upside down and backward.


    Cough, cough¡­


    Aaargh¡­


    Amid the shrill scream of pains, the seven men heavily fell to the ground one after another.


    Tang Xiu walked over to the hunchbacked middle-aged man with both hands crossed behind his back. He then stepped on his head and said, ¡°Old Western Humpback, huh? You¡¯re so fucking funny. Just with your strength, you¡¯re very famous with all the brigands on the road? Is the Western region full of nobodies like you?¡±


    The hunchbacked middle-aged man could only lay on the ground honestly, letting Tang Xiu step on his head without even an ounce of courage to struggle. He had met fierce people in the past and he even offended a martial arts grandmaster before, yet he still managed to escape eventually. Where had he been trampled on like this?


    ¡®A monster! This young man is definitely a monster, or else, how can a normal person possess such a frightening power?¡¯


    Tang Xiu shook his head and kicked his head until he got dizzy. Then he kicked him again several times before he finally came to the side of the big man who was called the Fifth. He squatted down and patted his cheek, smilingly speaking, ¡°Don¡¯t pretend to be dead, will you? I may just hit them hard, but I could have some reservations about you.¡±


    ¡°P-please spare me¡­ don¡¯t kill me.¡±


    The Fifth struggled to sit up from the ground, begging for mercy with a face full of fear.


    ¡°If you can answer my questions, you have my word that I¡¯ll never kill you,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡± I won¡¯t even make you crippled.¡±


    ¡°Please do ask,¡± said the Fifth with eager eyes.


    ¡°I wanna know what you¡¯ve whispered to that baldy back when you both in the village, and why did you both give up buying wine and run back directly?¡± asked Tang Xiu. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, else this bullet will burst and strike your head!¡±


    The blood on the Fifth¡¯s face instantly receded and his face turned ghastly pale. Then he stutteringly answered, ¡°Yes¡­ that¡­ that was¡­ I-I said to look¡­ for our brothers¡­ to find¡­ the way¡­ to kill you¡­ and then¡­ we, brothers¡­ will enjoy¡­ your woman¡­ together¡­¡±


    SMACK¡­


    Tang Xiu stunned him with a punch and then stepped on his legs. He then took out his mobile phone and dialed the 110 emergency number to call the police.

 Chapter 921 - Opening the Immortal Trove

    Chapter 921: Opening the Immortal Trove


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    An adage says that those who sow virtuous deeds will harvest rewards, while those who plant evils will reap retributions. It¡¯s not that the retribution never comes, it¡¯s just the time hasn¡¯t yet arrived.


    These vicious and fiendish people had done inexplicable crimes and evils¡ªand now, retribution had come knocking at their door. No matter if it was Tang Xiu or Xue Yu, none of them had the slightest sympathy for them, while Tang Xiu himself was a man who had experienced too many things. He was deeply aware of the truth that eradicating fiendish people meant that countless good people would be protected from their scourge.


    ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll hike up the mountains tonight.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked up and spoke to Xue Yu after he hung up the call.


    Xue Yu nodded. She understood Tang Xiu¡¯s character. He never liked to be in the limelight and never liked to deal with trivial yet troublesome matters. Since the police would come over later, it was better for them to leave earlier.


    ¡°COME ON EVERYONE, HURRY UP! Don¡¯t let Mr. Tang and his wife have any accidents!¡± Uncle Jia¡¯s voice was heard outside the courtyard fence, whereas they could hear people¡¯s footsteps getting clearer.


    Tang Xiu and Xue Yu exchanged glances and they stepped out of the house. Outside, they saw Uncle Jia leading hundreds of men, women, and children and they were now just less than 20 meters away from the front gate.


    When Uncle Jia saw Tang Xiu and Xue Yu coming out, he suddenly looked pleasantly surprised. He then ran over and asked, ¡°Are you all right, Mr. Tang?¡±


    Tang Xiu was somewhat touched on the inside. He could easily imagine how Uncle Jia felt restless for him and Xue Yu. After he came here, he immediately summoned all the villagers. All of these hundreds of people made up almost all of the inhabitants of the entire village.


    ¡°Uncle Jia, we¡¯re all right, really.¡±


    Uncle Jia heavily nodded and said, ¡°This place is not safe, Mr. Tang. Hurry up and leave while there are only a few of the bad guys here!¡±


    ¡°How many hunters came here exactly?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Just seven, but each of them is a ruthless man,¡± answered Uncle Jia.


    ¡°If there are only seven of them, then there¡¯ll be no problem anymore,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°They are all inside the house now and I¡¯ve knocked all of them down. By the way, the police will soon arrive, so we need to set off first. When the police get here, you can hand over these hunters to them.¡±


    Uncle Jia gawked and stared blankly before he snappily said, ¡°You¡¯re an adult, Mr. Tang; how can you spit out such a joke at this time? Just listen to me. You¡¯d better leave the troubles here and snatch the time and chance to leave. We can find some reason to avoid those bad people when they come again.¡±


    Many villagers of this village had met Tang Xiu before and also shouted:


    ¡°Yeah, Mr. Tang. You don¡¯t know how bad those people are. They have machetes and guns, so you gotta hurry in leaving this place!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Tang, Grandpa Jia didn¡¯t joke with you. Just hurry up, else you won¡¯t be able to go after those bad guys come back here.¡±


    ¡°Aiya, you¡¯re still too young. You have no idea what danger is looming ahead. Those bastards are simply evil. They even dare to kill people.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and go!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu watched those simple yet pure appearances, each containing an expression of concern on their faces. He silently put aside what emotions he felt on the inside and said, ¡°Everyone, just come to the house with me if you don¡¯t believe me. I¡¯ve already subdued those seven bad guys and they are now inside.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Tang¡­¡±


    Upon seeing that Tang Xiu was still talking ridiculously, Uncle Jia immediately felt so vexed that he angrily stamped his feet and said, ¡°You really like to brag, huh? Alright, I¡¯ll go inside and have a look.¡±


    Having said that, he strode into the house¡¯s door, yet his pace came to an abrupt halt when he saw the scene inside, while a look of disbelief was cast on his aging face. The dozens of villagers who followed behind him also stopped suddenly. They were like losing their souls: tongue-tied and dumbfounded. They stared at the seven men who laid on the ground like dead dogs.


    ¡°Oh my God! Am I not dreaming? These¡­ did these bad guys really get beaten by Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s this possible? These bastards have machetes and guns. How can they be trashed like this by Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°Is Mr. Tang an expert martial artist from the martial arts world¡ªsomeone not even afraid of bullets? I clearly heard gunshots before!¡±


    ¡°Damn. This is amazing!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu kept smiling while listening to the voices of the villagers who were sobering up from their stunned state. Then he said with a smile, ¡°Everyone, you¡¯ve seen everything now. All these bad guys have been beaten by me, so hurry up and search if they have some dangerous goods. Also, it¡¯s best to find some strong rope to tie them up. If they were to wake up before the police arrive, they would definitely try to do something dangerous to you.¡±


    Uncle Jia seemed like he just woke up from a dream and hurriedly shouted, ¡°Yes. Yes. That¡¯s right. Mr. Tang is correct. All adults, you go and find some rope. They must be thick and strong to tie all these bad guys. Our village will be peaceful again as long as the lawmen come here and take them away.¡±


    Quickly, Tang Xiu and Xue Yu left the village under the respectful gazes of all the villagers, leaving the off-road car left by Jie Walie in the village.


    As the hazy dim night came and the stars appeared in the night sky, the duo finally arrived at their destination. Back then, Tang Xiu originally planned to use the cave to grow the efficacious medicinal herbs, yet he eventually took all of those herbs due to the appearance of Occult Sect¡¯s people, which included the events of killing Jin Sanchi and Jin Sijie here. Nevertheless, the spiritual qi of the world in this place was still much richer than the outside world.


    ¡°Hey, are you tired?¡±


    Tang Xiu, who was looking up at the top of the cave, took his gaze back and found that there was a weary look on Xue Yu¡¯s face and that she appeared a bit dispirited.


    ¡°A bit.¡± Xue Yu gently nodded.


    ¡°You should take rest first while I¡¯m studying this Six Starlight Array,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m going to ask you again if I bump into something I don¡¯t understand, though.¡±


    ¡°No. Let¡¯s study it together!¡± Xue Yu shook her head and said, ¡°I wanna try to open this Immortal Trove soon.¡±


    She was very clear that the Lian Family in Ning City would always be a mortal malady to them. If they couldn¡¯t eradicate them as fast as possible, then it was needless to say that Tang Xiu was also concerned, while she herself felt a bit uneasy. She also knew that this Immortal Trove had been in existence for a long time, yet it had never been opened once. It kept nagging Tang Xiu¡¯s mind, so the earlier they could open this Immortal Trove and make sure what was stored inside, the earlier Tang Xiu could resolve his concerns.


    After spending all night studying it, the duo constantly attempted to grasp it and discussed their findings. Yet, the more they understood the mysteriousness of this Six Starlight Array, the more mystery they discovered from it. Nevertheless, after days and nights passed by and the third day came, the duo finally comprehended all the mysteries of the Six Starlight Array.


    ¡°Let me try it.¡±


    Tang Xiu pointer finger acted like a flying sword as he began cracking the mystery of the array according to the orientation of the Six Starlight Array. When he had done all the correct methods he thought of, to his surprise, the Six Starlight Array only emitted a strong beam and then dissipated again silently.


    ¡°No, it shouldn¡¯t be!¡± exclaimed Xue Yu, frowning. ¡°Our cracking method should be correct given the reaction from the Six Starlight Array. How can it be terminated halfway?¡±


    Tang Xiu was similarly puzzled. After being silent for a while, he touched his chin and murmured, ¡°I think there¡¯s something we overlooked. The Six Starlight Array is not an array from our country, but from the Western countries. The person who originally arranged this array must have other considerations in mind, but what exactly is it?¡±


    Xue Yu shook her head and looked a bit frustrated, ¡°Let¡¯s drop it now and have some food! I haven¡¯t had any grub for a day now.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in response. He and Xue Yu had spent enormous energy after researching it for days; they had even overdraft their physical strength a bit. He was actually fine since he was an expert with a formidable physique and strength, allowing him to pass on drinking, eating, or sleeping for three to five days, but it was different for Xue Yu.


    Immediately after, Tang Xiu took out some tableware from his interspatial ring before taking out some cooked meals, cold dishes, and some drinks and other types of delicacies. Then he said smilingly, ¡°You should take a good sleep after the meal, alright? Maybe you¡¯ll have some miraculous insight after relaxing and will suddenly think of the crux of the problem.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s sleep together,¡± said Xue Yu with a chuckle.


    Tang Xiu inhaled deeply and forced a wry smile, ¡°I¡¯m not that sleepy, actually. I¡¯ll be fine if don¡¯t sleep for several days. Besides, I have an agreement with Miao Wentang that I¡¯ll return to Ning City in seven days. Today is already the fourth day, so I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll go back disappointed again if we don¡¯t have any way to open this Immortal Trove.¡±


    ¡°Did you forget what you just told me¡ªthat you should turn around and forget it first?¡± rebuked Xue Yu. ¡°Maybe you can have a revelation after the meal and after taking a good sleep. Besides, we¡¯re just stuck one step away, so you may be able to open this Immortal Trove at any time as long as you can figure it out.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh after hearing that his speech to Xue Yu just now was now used to strike him back. After hesitating a bit, he then took out two crystal cups and a bottle of red wine from his interspatial ring. After uncapping the cork, he filled the two cups and smilingly said, ¡°People say that red wine is great for beautifying your face. Although it doesn¡¯t taste good, let¡¯s have a drink and have a good night¡¯s sleep.¡±


    Xue Yu took the red wine glass and gently swayed the bloody red wine inside. Just as she was preparing to toast with Tang Xiu, her expression suddenly changed and her eyes blinked, saying, ¡°What do you think if this Six Starlight Array would need blood to be fully activated? You see, there are so many plots in the magical story from the Western people where they need all kinds of medium to achieve it, right? Perhaps, blood is exactly the medium of this Six Starlight Array!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed. He immediately put the red wine cup down as his body floated to the top of the cave. He took out his Divine sword to scratch his finger. A drop of his blood instantly hit the line of the Six Starlight Array.


    Buzz¡­


    The dazzling white beams suddenly burst and shined the whole cave in a flash, appearing like the daytime sunlight. Along with a violent vibration and cracking sound, the Six Starlight Array was thoroughly activated. Wild joy immediately covered Tang Xiu¡¯s face when he saw the scene. He didn¡¯t expect that the key to activating the Six Starlight Array laid in the idea of a metaphorical of a bed of flowers that were arranged on the surface, while at the same time, inserting the willow to become the shade that covered them. It was the last moment¡¯s idea of Xue Yu that was unexpectedly the key to activating the Six Starlight Array.


    At this moment, Tang Xiu could vividly feel each streak of the Six Starlight Array, including every mysterious structure and the Six Starlight Array overall, which all seem to be imprinted in his mind.


    The vibration then led to dust falling unceasingly from the rocks inside the cave, causing all the dishes and drinks on the table to be no longer able to be enjoyed. Tang Xiu floated down quickly to hug Xue Yu while at the same time releasing his Primal Chaos Force to protect both of them.

 Chapter 922 - The Frightened Immortal

    Chapter 922: The Frightened Immortal


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Inside the illuminated cave that seemed like it was covered in daylight, the ground under Tang Xiu and Xue Yu¡¯s feet suddenly rotated as an enormous sucking force suddenly swallowed them, causing the duo to instantly vanish from their spot.


    ¡°What¡¯s this place?¡±


    In only a flash, the couple appeared in an empty and spacious subterranean space, where a converged river made of magma flowed before them as it poured into the seemingly endless cave. Suspended above the river of magma was a head-sized bulb of light that emitted out a strong life force, giving off a soothing effect to all the opened pores of their body.


    ¡°Look over there, quickly!¡± said Xue Yu as she pointed to the rock wall opposite the magma river.


    Tang Xiu followed the direction of her finger. His expression immediately changed as he saw something resembling a statue on the gigantic bluestone in the center of the shallow pool that surrounded it. Some inscriptions could be seen carved on its surface.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go there and take a look.¡±


    Tang Xiu embraced Xue Yu and floated up as they streaked forward to the front of the statue in just a few seconds. He looked around the shallow pool surrounding it before his eyes slowly moved and eventually landed on the writing on the bluestone wall:


    ¡°I am Dao Master Guai, the only title I¡¯ve truly been using among the countless existences of my endless reincarnation. This is the place I¡¯ve been cultivating, which will belong to someone that has been predestined with me. Those who wish to worship me as a Master, kowtow to me and you will accept my legacy.¡±


    Tang Xiu and Xue Yu exchanged dismayed glances. There was no Immortal Trove, even though they had been looking for it for a long time, and they instead became eligible to accept an inheritance of some Daoist cultivator. Tang Xiu himself was downright disappointed as this was a letdown to the extreme. Why would he need to inherit someone¡¯s legacy with his former power and identity in the first place?


    ¡°Well, it turns out that this Immortal Trove is kind of an inheritance place of Dao Master Guai,¡± softly said Xue Yu.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have tried to open this Immortal Trove had I known about this,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a forced smile. ¡°This is such a waste of time!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Xue Yu looked puzzled and asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t it a good thing that we can get his inheritance though?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°This type of inheritance is of no use to me unless this person is someone who has reached godhood and became a deity of the Gods Realm. Anyways, let¡¯s forget it. Since you¡¯ve tried your best to open this Immortal trove and also have already come in here, you can try it! I¡¯m not interested in any of Dao Master Guai¡¯s inheritance whatsoever.¡±


    For a moment, Xue Yu hesitated before she walked over to the cushion outside the shallow pool under Tang Xiu¡¯s instruction and kowtowed there. Just as she finished with her kowtow and raised her head, the statue emitted out an enormous aura while the dark green liquid in the shallow pool turned into an aquatic dragon that instantly enveloped her within. The head-sized green sphere that was floating above the magma river suddenly shrunk a hundred times its original size, turning into a thumb-sized light sphere before drilling into Xue Yu¡¯s forehead.


    Buzz¡­


    A magical aura was formed in the entire subterranean space. Tang Xiu instantly took a look around and found that there were green energy streams coming out from the nine green beads that were embedded in the wall as they began to interconnect together with Xue Yu, whereas a green mist filled every small corner of the space in just a few seconds.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu took a heavy breath and looked surprised as he could clearly feel that the green aura that was flooding around him was strongly rejected by his body. It seemed like there were two kinds of magnetic poles, positive and negative, that wanted to force him out of this space.


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu quickly grabbed some array disks and arranged them into the Four Division Array position lightning fast while releasing his Primal Chaos power. After the green aura was dispelled for a few meters, he immediately activated the array, driving away all the traces of the suppressing aura in his chest instantly.


    After that, Tang Xiu raised his hand to touch his chin while a ruminative look flashed in his eyes. He could tell that this inheritance was not likely to be from just some ordinary Daoist cultivator, unless the person had reached an Immortal realm. It would be close to impossible for one to achieve such a feat unless that person used an array to do so.


    ¡°I had never heard of someone named Dao Master Guai back when I was in the Immortal World, though. I presume that he¡¯s not someone powerful? But now, the inheritance ceremony is about to unfold, so I¡¯ll wait!¡±


    Tang Xiu then sat cross-legged and prepared to absorb the energy of the stars and began cultivating. However, he was immediately stunned when finding that the green energy floating outside the Four Division Array unexpectedly isolated and separated this space from the outside world completely; now, even if he forcefully cultivated here, he was unable to absorb any bits of the stars¡¯ energy from the outside world.


    ¡°So weird!¡±


    Tang Xiu sighed and gave up his idea of cultivating here. He took a book from his interspatial ring and then took a seat on the ground to watch the scene quietly.


    Time fleeted by and twelve hours passed. Tang Xiu had just finished the fourth book and digested all the contents in all of them as his expression slightly changed. He shifted his sight at Xue Yu, who was still being enveloped inside the green light.


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Xue Yu¡¯s red lips slightly opened as she looked at the statue in front of her, but there was no emotional fluctuation coming from her voice. As her voice faded away, she gently waved her hand and all the green lights in the underground space suddenly swarmed into her body. Then, the whole space returned to its original state in just a few breaths.


    ¡°What a strong aura.¡±


    Tang Xiu was quite shocked as he looked at Xue Yu. He could sense that her body was now full of power; even the mere aura she emitted out made him feel suffocated. He couldn¡¯t even figure out whether this powerful aura came from her or from Dao Master Guai who passed this inheritance to her.


    ¡°Tang Xiu.¡±


    Xue Yu called out after she floated to the Four Division Array after giving a kowtow to the statue.


    Tang Xiu removed the array and circled around her while observing her whole being for a long while. Then, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s your current cultivation now?¡±


    Xue Yu seemed to think for a short moment before a smile suddenly sported on her face. With the wave of her white long dress¡¯s sleeve, a miniature version of herself that was enveloped in green light then emerged out of thin air. This mini-version of Xue Yu even winked at Tang Xiu while covering her mouth and chuckled.


    ¡°Nascent Soul?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s heart quivered a few times. He was quite shocked after looking at the naked and mischievous mini-version of Xue Yu in the green sphere of light. Even in his dreams, he never expected that Xue Yu would directly break through to the Nascent Soul Stage from the Qi Refining Stage by just merely obtaining someone¡¯s inheritance.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m at Nascent Soul Stage, though.¡± Xue Yu chuckled and continued, ¡°I should be at¡­ Soul Formation Stage.¡±


    ¡°No shit!¡±


    Tang Xiu was so shocked that he was rendered speechless and could only stare blankly at Xue Yu¡¯s Nascent Soul.


    All of a sudden, a blush covered Xue Yu¡¯s pretty face and she waved her long sleeves to immediately take her Nascent Soul back into her body. She didn¡¯t feel that it was inappropriate when she first unleashed her Nascent Soul out naked, but Tang Xiu¡¯s staring at it afterward was somewhat unbearable.


    Tang Xiu looked up in astonishment and found the shy and blushing face of Xue Yu. He immediately realized what caused it and loudly laughed, ¡°Hahaha, we¡¯re wife and husband already. There¡¯s no need for you to be shy about. If anything, there¡¯s also some good stuff. We can do wife and husband things in double cultivation all day and night sooner or later. Ah, that¡¯s not right. I¡¯ve already changed my cultivation technique, making it practically unable to form any Nascent Soul at all.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t cultivate a Nascent Soul?¡± asked Xue Yu, confused. ¡°Why?¡±


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath, and with a bit of regret in his voice, he spoke, ¡°What I once cultivated was a peerless Immortal technique, so I was able to cultivate a Nascent Soul all through the Nascent Immortal. But later on, due to special circumstances, I turned into an ordinary person, so I began cultivating a whole different, yet more profound, cultivation technique that emphasizes on physique tempering and refining. It¡¯s a kind that is practically impossible to cultivate Nascent Soul with.¡±


    Xue Yu gently nodded in response. She may have had her cultivation greatly increased by acquiring an inheritance, thus obtaining a lot of useful knowledge, yet she couldn¡¯t understand much about Tang Xiu¡¯s situation.


    No longer wanted to prolong the discussion about his own issues, Tang Xiu looked at Xue Yu and asked, ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s talk about your inheritance from this Dao Master Guai. Who exactly is he and what did he impart upon you?¡±


    Xue Yu spread her palm, causing a green sphere of light to suddenly appear on it. Then she spoke, ¡°This is a medium sphere of my Master. His soul avatar will appear here.¡±


    With that said, she instantly activated the green sphere of light.


    However, Tang Xiu was stunned and his complexion suddenly changed and urgently shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t activate it, I¡­¡±


    Buzz¡­


    A terrifying aura emerged out of the green light sphere and, in almost an instant, the green sphere blasted open, forming a green-colored figure before Tang Xiu and Xue Yu. The figure was thin, yet exuded a sage-like aura of an immortal.


    ¡°Xue Yu? I truly never thought my Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect would have a female disciple again. This would spell trouble.¡± Dao Master Guai shook his head and helplessly continued, ¡°Haih, whatever will be, will be. Give me a wisp of your soul. You¡¯re now henceforth a disciple of my Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect. However¡­ you must not directly look for me after you¡¯ve ascended to the Immortal World. I¡¯m going to leave a mark in your soul sea, so you can go to that place to find me once you¡¯re there.¡±


    Xue Yu hurriedly knelt and respectfully kowtowed to him thrice. Then she asked while kneeling, ¡°Why can¡¯t I go directly to the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect to find you, Master? Aren¡¯t you one of the elders there? You mentioned it in your inheritance!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll answer that question of yours instead of him! His Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect only receives males as disciples and doesn¡¯t accept females.¡± Tang Xiu sighed and reached out to pull Xue Yu up and calmly said, ¡°It was once bitten by a snake, and has gone forever meek for thousands of years already.¡±


    Dao Master Guai zoned out, as only at this moment did he find out that there was still a young man with his disciple who had accepted his legacy. There was a bit of shock on his face as he asked, ¡°Who are you? This place should be Earth, right? How do you know about my sect¡¯s situation in the Immortal World?¡±


    A smile was sketched on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth, ¡°I may not know how much time in the Immortal World has passed, but there¡¯s one thing I know of. The Ancestor of your Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect was killed by my follower. It was also because of my subordinate that your sect vowed to never accept female disciples again. Although I¡¯ve never heard of the name Dao Master Guai, I¡¯m familiar with that Pristine Stream guy from your sect.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± exclaimed Dao Master Guai in alarm. He instantly stepped back a few steps, starting at Tang Xiu¡¯s faintly smiling face for a long while. Then, he suddenly knelt in front of Tang Xiu with a bit of fear and respect in his voice, ¡°Dao Master Guai, the 326th generation Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect¡¯s disciple, pays respect to the Venerable Supreme. Please forgive this junior who has been ignorant and acted in discourtesy before your presence.¡±

 Chapter 923 - Forethought To Prepare For Rainy Days

    Chapter 923: Forethought To Prepare For Rainy Days


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu could only sigh inwardly. If it wasn¡¯t for Xue Yu who moved faster than his speed in preventing her, such a problem like exposing his identity wouldn¡¯t have occurred. But fortunately, the Pristine Immortal Confucian Sect was famous for being an outstanding and upright sect. All the disciples of the sect were a group of Immortal Confucianist scholars.


    Additionally, Tang Xiu had already done research about this Confucianist scholars sect, and the patriarchal positions such as the sect¡¯s elders were extremely demanding in terms of mentality for those who took the office. It was required of them to uphold and advocate the Rule of Etiquette, Rule of Virtue, and lastly, emphasizing the Rule of Man as a whole. Of those three, the etiquette and morality of human affairs were of the most importance.


    Hence, so long as he could make this Dao Master Guai make a promise today, the crisis caused by exposing his identity would be reduced to a minimum¡ªunless, of course, this man wanted his state of mind to be encroached by hidden dangers, causing him to be unable to have any breakthroughs in the future.


    After keeping silent for a long while as he looked at Dao Master Guai who was kowtowing to him, Tang Xiu then said indifferently, ¡°The Pristine Confucianist Immortal Sect is just a third-rate sect in the Immortal World. Your sect may occupy a plot of land there, but I only need to speak if I want to root you out. It¡¯s just that I have no malice towards your sect and have only paid attention to it once. However, today, I want you to promise me something¡ªthat way, I won¡¯t send anyone to seek out your sect. Certainly, if you help me do a certain thing, not only will I present you with lavish gifts in the future, but I¡¯ll also give your sect a karmic bond with me.¡±


    ¡°Please do tell, Supreme Lord,¡± replied Dao Master Guai hurriedly.


    ¡°One thing I want you to do is that you must conceal the appearance of my avatar here on Earth,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Xue Yu is my woman on this planet. And since she has already taken you as her Master, then we¡¯re already tied with karma. I hope you can shelter her by the time she has ascended to the Immortal World.¡±


    Dao Master Guai¡¯s pupils contracted. He looked up to look at Xue Yu deeply and immediately said, ¡°I, Dao Master Guai, vow to my very soul that I¡¯ll never reveal to anyone about your appearance on Earth. Whereas¡­. About your wife¡­ so long as Xue Yu ascends to the Immortal World, I¡¯ll do everything I can to shelter her.¡±


    Tang Xiu was satisfied and nodded, ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯m quite curious about, though. How can you leave your inheritance behind on Earth? Could it be that you¡¯re an Earthling and then ascended to the Immortal World?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I was born in the era of the Tang Dynasty.¡± Dao Master Guai respectfully replied, ¡°At that time, Confucianism had declined whereas Buddhism was more prevalent. I originally lost hope and then left my legacy here, though I never expected that someone would be able to crack open the Six Starlight Array I arranged here and obtain my inheritance.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°It seems like there¡¯s indeed an enormous difference between the flow of time on Earth and in the Immortal World. Alright, get up.¡±


    Dao Master Guai cautiously stood up. He shot a look at Xue Yu before shifting his eyes to Tang Xiu. His expression suddenly changed and he asked, ¡°Venerable Supreme Lord, how can you¡­¡±


    ¡°You wanna ask why and how I can be here on Earth, right?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Well, what are the rumors flying around there, exactly?¡±


    ¡°There really are some rumours about you in the Immortal World. It was said that when you were ascending to the Gods¡¯ Realm, your body shattered and your soul dissipated. Many of your former disciples, as well as your subordinates, even rushed over to your abode where you lived in seclusion before. They held a huge memorial service for you there.¡±


    ¡°My soul and body disappeared, huh?¡± Tang Xiu faintly hummed. ¡°What a joke! My ascension to the Gods¡¯ Realm was unusually easy. Anyway, just forget it. I have nothing to do with anything going on in the Immortal World for some time. Just wait for me to go back there in the future. I¡¯m going to see those old friends of mine again!¡±


    Dao Master Guai scrutinized Tang Xiu in front and hesitatingly asked, ¡°Supreme Lord¡­ your appearance and¡­ your cultivation¡­ how can¡­¡±


    Buzz¡­


    A rushing burst of aura came into the subterranean space instantly, followed by Gu Yan¡¯er in her usual white dress appearing out of thin air. She looked like a celestial maiden who descended into the mortal world. When her eyes fell on the soul avatar of Dao Master Guai, she immediately flicked her finger with thick killing intent gleaming in her eyes.


    ¡°You are¡­¡±


    Dao Master Guai was extremely shocked and was about to shout out loud. But after seeing her face, he desperately swallowed what he was about to exclaim. With deep fear evident on his face, he called out and bent down on his knees, ¡°The 326th generation disciple of the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect, Dao Master Guai, pays respect to Immortal Rakshasi Monarch.¡±


    Xue Yu, whose face greatly changed, instantly blitzed in front of Tang Xiu to keep her off. She was a Soul Formation expert now, yet she still felt hugely threatened by Gu Yan¡¯er. The suffocating beauty before her was as though a huge mountain she needed to look up to. Even she could tell that slaying herself would be absolutely trivial for this woman.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s brows gently creased and she just shot an indifferent glance at Xue Yu before gracefully greeting Tang Xiu.


    Master?!


    Xue Yu was stunned. She turned her head and saw Tang Xiu smiling. She then looked at the stunning beauty Gu Yan¡¯er again, while a stream of strange emotions filled her heart.


    It was very fortunate that Dao Master Guai only had his soul avatar present at this moment. If his true body were here, he would absolutely be shocked by a ¡°Master¡± address from Gu Yan¡¯er. Who doesn¡¯t know this female devil? She¡¯s a notoriously famous and horrifying female Ashura of the Immortal World!


    Millenniums ago, he once followed his sect elder and happened to see this Rakshasa Queen. He still can vividly remember the scenes when this woman¡¯s palm only moved plainly, yet she killed countless mortals and immortals in a certain ancient country. At that time, the Immortal World¡¯s sky there was dyed red with blood, which was the very scene that was deeply implanted in his heart and could never be forgotten even after thousands of years.


    But¡­


    ¡­ But how come such a ruthless, lunatic female devil¡­ how come she became this Venerable Supreme¡¯s disciple? He knew that even though this Venerable Supreme also used to slaughter countless Immortals and Buddhas alike, he never once killed innocent people, ever!


    Of course, Tang Xiu himself didn¡¯t know what thoughts were swirling inside Dao Master Guai¡¯s head. He just smiled and asked, ¡°Yan¡¯er! Why did you come here?¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er waved her hand and constrained Xue Yu before she pushed her a few meters away. After that, she sported a sweet smile and said, ¡°I sensed an enormous immortal aura in this pocket dimension, so I came to investigate it, Master. I truly never expected that someone from the Immortal World would be here.¡±


    ¡°Well, set them free first!¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Gu Yan¡¯er slightly smiled in response. As she swiftly embraced Tang Xiu¡¯s arm, she immediately took back the spell that imprisoned Dao Master Guai and Xue Yu.


    Xue Yu ran to the other of Tang Xiu and vigilantly stared at Gu Yan¡¯er, ¡°Is she your disciple, Tang Xiu? And¡­ you really were a Supremacy back in the Immortal World?¡±


    In response, Tang Xiu just lightly smiled. Instead of explaining it to her, he spoke to Dao Master Guai, ¡°Do remember what you¡¯ve just vowed; I really hope you never break your promise. Also, this soul avatar of yours is probably unable to go back, right? Then just give its immortal spiritual force to Xue Yu since she¡¯s your disciple, after all.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± replied Dao Master Guai respectfully.


    Tang Xiu then took a deep breath and continued, ¡°On my part, I¡¯ll also remember my promise to you. I¡¯ll naturally help you to embark to a higher realm in the future as long as you can keep your word. I¡¯ll even give your Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect a huge chance.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Supreme Lord.¡±


    Dao Master Guai respectfully responded. But he cautiously stole a glance at Gu Yan¡¯er before his avatar turned into Immortal spiritual force and fused into Xue Yu¡¯s body.


    ¡°Xue Yu, absorb this Immortal spiritual force as it will give you great benefits,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I know you have your doubts inside, but I¡¯ll explain everything to you after you absorb it.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Xue Yu complied and then walked to the side and sat cross-legged.


    Gu Yan¡¯er, on the other hand, shot a deep look at her before she immediately spoke afterward, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just let me kill that Dao Master Guai, Master? He¡¯s someone from the Immortal World. Should he reveal anything about you, I¡¯m afraid it would be very bad for you.¡±


    While looking at Xue Yu, Tang Xiu softly replied, ¡°Now tell me, did you yourself have any way to exterminate his avatar and follow his divine sense to enter the Immortal World and erase his soul there?¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er looked stiff. She shook her head and said, ¡°I have yet to recover my power; I¡¯m not even able to recover to a Golden Immortal realm. It¡¯s impossible to destroy his Immortal soul.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the reason.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and explained, ¡°If you could track his soul into the Immortal World and straightly erase his Immortal soul, I would have let you exterminate him in the first place to prevent any contingencies. But since you aren¡¯t able to do it, I made a gamble that he¡¯ll stick to his vow to conceal the news about me there. Well, there¡¯s no need to worry about it too much, Yan¡¯er. I know a couple of things about his Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect. The disciples of this sect will never easily break their vows as the price they must pay would be very great. He won¡¯t easily reveal our traces unless he really has to.¡±


    For a short while, Gu Yan¡¯er fell into silence. She then shook her head and said, ¡°No, this can¡¯t do. I¡¯m still feeling somewhat uneasy, Master. How about asking Ji Chimei to leave Earth to return first to the Immortal World to erase him?¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be done. Besides, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that easy for Ji Chimei to return there.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Also, although she has recovered from her injuries, it also won¡¯t be easy to return back to her peak cultivation realm. One other thing is that even though the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect is just a third-rate sect in the Immortal World, that sect still has some Perfected Golden Immortal at the helm. Should the assassination fail, it would instead expose us more quickly.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ what should we do?¡± asked Gu Yan¡¯er helplessly.


    Coldness flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he responded in a heavy voice, ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do except race against time from today. We must strive to return back to the Immortal World as fast as possible. As soon as we return back, I can directly take you to a certain special place. Even though those who have harmed us know that I¡¯m still alive, they won¡¯t be able to do anything to us.¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er repeatedly nodded and then asked, ¡°What do you want me to do now, Master?¡±


    ¡°Your most important task is to heal yourself and recover,¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°You can begin to restore your strength once your injuries heal, whereas for me¡­ I¡¯m going to pick up the pace of my cultivation. Once I can break all the shackles of this plane and successfully ascend to the Immortal World, I¡¯ll have the means to bring a large number of people there by then, for the Immortal World is bound to be our battlefield one day in the future.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to seize the time to heal myself and recover my previous strength, Master,¡± responded Gu Yan¡¯er. ¡°Also, you can rest assured that I¡¯ll spare the time to train a lot of elites as well.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it as quickly as possible!¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Also, I always feel that Earth is somehow very special. For example, there¡¯s a problem of time discrepancy between Earth and the Immortal World. It seems like a year on Earth is equal to ten millenniums in the Immortal World, so our enemies are bound to be stronger. We must face much more dangerous situations in the future.¡±

 Chapter 924 - Tang Xius Women ARE the Shortcut

    Chapter 924: Tang Xiu¡¯s Women ARE the Shortcut


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Light from countless stars sprinkled down to Earth from the vast expanse of the sky that was now covered by the curtain of the night, while summer brought the wind to carry its heat waves along the way. Tang Xiu, Gu Yan¡¯er, and Xue Yu had returned back to the surface, and Tang Xiu immediately decided to return to Ning City. However, he faintly noticed that something was a bit wrong with how the two women interacted with each other.


    ¡°You both already know each other now, so we¡¯re our own people in the future, got it? I want you two to get along well in the future.¡±


    While standing on the hillside and looking up to the starry sky, Tang Xiu spoke in a very particular low and heavy voice.


    Gu Yan¡¯er grabbed his arm and went silent for a long time. Then she slowly said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a junior under her, Master.¡±


    ¡°I could care less about that,¡± interjected Xue Yu coldly.


    Tang Xiu forced a wry smile and said, ¡°Yan¡¯er, Xue Yu is my woman, I¡­¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er raised her hand to interrupt his words and said, ¡°You¡¯ve clearly known about what¡¯s inside my mind, Master. The one and only thing that has made me able to survive these past thousands of years is the thought of finding you and accompanying you forever. I can never leave, nor will I ever give you up, even if the Immortal World must be destroyed¡ªand even if the total destruction of all myriads of living beings must happen. I couldn¡¯t care less, nor do I want to spare any mind, about your other women. But there is one thing for sure¡ªI must follow you, and nobody can separate us, ever!¡±


    Looking somewhat distressed, Tang Xiu patted her shoulder and softly responded, ¡°Silly child, how could I have the thought to abandon you, huh? I¡¯m the one who has raised you. You¡¯re my dearest disciple and there¡¯s no one more important to me than you. Even¡­ your position in my heart is the same as my mother.¡±


    ¡°I always knew that I was the most important thing in your mind, Master,¡± said Gu Yan¡¯er excitedly. ¡°But I¡¯m not the previous little girl I was anymore. I¡¯ve already grown up. It¡¯s been thousands of years and my age is just equal to the ancestor of her ancestors, so I don¡¯t wanna be a junior below her.¡±


    ¡°About this¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu felt both helpless and overwhelmed.


    Xue Yu squinted her eyes. She was also a woman and could clearly feel what feelings Gu Yan¡¯er had towards Tang Xiu. Back when they were still in the underground cave, she also admired this female after she learned of her true identity. After being silent for a while, she broke the deadlock and said, ¡°Tang Xiu, she won¡¯t give up on you, so you shouldn¡¯t give up on her either. Besides, she has survived many millenniums and has managed to get here. Even you can see that the girl you once knew has now become a woman. I do think that the sentiment between you both has surpassed a relationship of a Master and his disciple already, so why must you rigidly get tied down by such punctiliousness? Besides, you already have a lot of women, to begin with. Whether you add her to the total or not doesn¡¯t really matter. What I wanna say is that she doesn¡¯t want to be a generation below me, so just simply make her your woman too.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± chided Tang Xiu angrily.


    After hearing Xue Yu speak, Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s eyes gleamed with surprise and happiness. She looked at Xue Yu and asked, ¡°Do you really have those thoughts in mind?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± answered Xue Yu. ¡°Frankly, I¡¯m also a latecomer myself. If I were to use the addressing form on Earth, the most pleasant address to hear is that I¡¯m his lover, whereas the unpleasant title is I¡¯m the third woman, or maybe fourth, or fifth¡­¡±


    ¡°Alrighty!¡± Gu Yan¡¯er immediately snatched the moment and said, ¡°Then call me Big Sis! I¡¯ll call you Lil Sis Yu, and you can call me Sis Yan¡¯er.¡±


    ¡°Sis Yan¡¯er,¡± gently responded Xue Yu with a nod.


    With a pleased and satisfied expression, Gu Yan¡¯er said, ¡°Sis Yu, since we¡¯re already sisters, then I gotta give you a gift for our first meeting. But then, what I should gift you though?¡±


    She frowned and mulled over it for dozens of seconds. Right as Tang Xiu was about to speak out his piece, she suddenly spoke happily, ¡°Got it! Your current cultivation level has reached the Soul Formation Stage, right? Then I¡¯m gonna gift you a flying sword! The name of this flying sword is Snow Cicada Star Monarch. I spent some thousands of years to collect many precious treasures in the Immortal World to refine this one, so it can be said to be a top-grade weapon even in the Immortal World.¡±


    After saying that, an immortal sword as thin as a cicada¡¯s wing appeared out of thin air in her hand. The sword¡¯s whole body was covered in a faint blue light and caused a huge turbulence in the surrounding air the moment it appeared. It was as if the space itself was about to split apart.


    Xue Yu could sense the extraordinariness of this immortal sword. Merely the pressure it emitted out the moment it appeared already made her body freeze. She also fell in love with it at first sight.


    ¡°Thanks a lot, Sis Yan¡¯er!¡±


    This time, it was truly a sincere thanks from the bottom of her heart.


    Gu Yan¡¯er affectionately grabbed Xue Yu¡¯s hand and then scratched her finger with the immortal sword. Then, she taught her how to unleash and cultivate the sword, concluding with her complacent statement, ¡°Sis Yu, you don¡¯t need to thank me. We¡¯re of the same family in the future, so there¡¯s no need to say such trivial words anymore.¡±


    She was happy. Truly and unusually happy and satisfied.


    Prior to this time, she used to know that Tang Xiu was always reluctant and unwilling to have any romantic relationship with her given their Master and disciple status. But now, she seemed to see a shortcut¡ªa shortcut that could make him accept her and become his woman.


    That is¡­ to get the approval of all his women.


    Yet, it gave a headache to Tang Xiu after he saw how the two belles became so close all of a sudden, especially the address Xue Yu gave to Gu Yan¡¯er and her attitude. He truly wanted to reprimand them, but he was afraid that it would make Gu Yan¡¯er sad. Thus, he could ultimately bury that depressing feeling in his heart.


    ¡°You should go back now, Yan¡¯er.¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s smiling face replied, ¡°No worries, Master. I just came, so I don¡¯t need to go back that quick. That¡¯s right, where are you off to next? Shall I send you there?¡±


    Tang Xiu gave it a thought for a moment. His eyes suddenly lit up and he smilingly suggested, ¡°If so, then you can tag along to deal with something with me! Take us to Ning City in the Haiqing Province.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty!¡±


    She grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s hand and also gently held Xue Yu¡¯s shoulder. A huge aura then exuded out of her as their figures instantly disappeared.


    By the time Tang Xiu and Xue Yu felt that heaven and the world were spinning around for a short while, they appeared in a remote place in the Eastern Municipality of Ning City.


    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived!¡±


    ¡°Already?¡±


    Xue Yu looked around in surprise and looked puzzled.


    ¡°Yan¡¯er¡¯s actual strength is of an Immortal, so let alone a distance like this, even going to the moon would only take her a second,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s set off! Now that we¡¯ve arrived in Ning City, there¡¯s no rush to go to that place, so we¡¯re heading to the Miao to make some plans first.¡±


    Xue Yu only stared at him with a half-believing, half-doubting look. She may have transformed into a powerhouse at the peak stage of Soul Formation all of a sudden, but she hadn¡¯t yet learned any spells at all, so it was natural that she never knew of such a flight speed.


    Quickly after, the trio then took a taxi. Only after they entered the bustling downtown street did Xue Yu really realize that they had indeed returned to Ning City. As shocked as she was, she yearned even more to learn how to fly. She could only imagine how free and happy it would be to be able to fly freely in the sky.


    The Manor of the Miao Family Residence.


    After combining coercion and bribery to force the taxi driver to drive to the manor¡¯s gate, Tang Xiu gave the driver several hundred-yuan bills and entered the Miao Family¡¯s manor under the respectful gaze of the six security guards.


    ¡°Brother Tang!¡±


    When Miao Wentang received the news of his arrival, Tang Xiu was already at his residence. After he rushed over, however, his mouth turned into a big O and his eyes turned big when he saw the two women around him.


    ¡°A-Again? ¡­ another superb¡­ peerless beauty?¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh and said, ¡°Brother Miao, why are you showing that current face of yours, huh? Anyway, lemme introduce you to my disciple. Her name is Gu Yan¡¯er.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also Master¡¯s woman,¡± added Gu Yan¡¯er hurriedly.


    Her comment invited Tang Xiu¡¯s angry glare as he said, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to this girl¡¯s nonsensical talk, Brother Miao!¡±


    As for Miao Wentang, he composed himself and wryly smiled, ¡°I¡¯m truly convinced now, Brother Tang. Each and every woman around you is truly a stunning beauty. You make me feel like all the belles under the sun have become your woman, you know that?¡±


    Though smiling, Tang Xiu snappily snarled at him, ¡°Hey, old man, can you not make fun of me here? Let¡¯s just sit down and have a cup of tea. We shall head off to the Lian Family directly after Awu comes with his report. We¡¯re going to completely eradicate this wicked family.¡±


    The last word from Tang Xiu made it so that Miao Wentang had to suppress his shock inside, and he was able to respond with a solemn face, ¡°The Lian Family is literally a malice cancer if they are not removed ASAP, that I know. But¡­ we just can¡¯t weed them out just like that, can we? In case¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°Nah, there won¡¯t be any predicaments later. You also know that I naturally won¡¯t strike them if I don¡¯t have assurance, don¡¯t you? Just put your worries in your belly, Brother Miao!¡±


    ¡°But Brother Tang, then the card in your hand is¡­¡± replied Miao Wentang with a confused face.


    While pointing at Gu Yan¡¯er, Tang Xiu smilingly said, ¡°Well, it¡¯s rather fortunate that my dearest disciple came here; I¡¯m kinda using her strength to deal with them. Even if both of us don¡¯t act, the Lians will definitely be doomed today. Completely.¡±


    Miao Wentang looked at Gu Yan¡¯er and incredulously exclaimed, ¡°What did you say, Brother Tang? Miss Gu? Is¡­ this even possible? Please don¡¯t throw such a joke at me.¡±


    ¡°Well, well. Aren¡¯t you looking down on women?¡± questioned Tang Xiu smilingly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not holding any contempt because she¡¯s a woman, mind you,¡± rebuked Miao Wentang with a bitter smile while shaking his head. ¡°It¡¯s just that Miss Gu is a young lady and she¡¯s also your disciple, so how could she have a way to deal with the Lians? Brother Tang, we are facing quite a serious problem here, so let¡¯s be serious. We cannot harm Miss Gu in any way.¡±


    Tang Xiu, however, let out a strange smile and said, ¡°You also know about the Everlasting Feast Hall, don¡¯t you? But do you know who established it?¡±


    ¡°Of course I know about that. It¡¯s that Little Boss Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s Master who founded it,¡± answered Miao Wentang with a nod. ¡°You¡­ huh, what? You mean¡­¡±


    Nodding and smiling, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°Yup. She¡¯s Xiaoxue¡¯s Master, so now you should understand, right?¡±


    Miao Wentang desperately gulped down. He looked at Gu Yan¡¯er with shock fully covering his face. He then muttered, ¡°It turns out that once one¡¯s cultivation has reached a certain realm then that person can really keep their youthful looks. M-Miss¡­ Miss Gu¡­ No. That¡¯s not right. I should address you as Senior Gu. It¡¯s just that I never expected that the founder of the Everlasting Feast Hall would turn out to be so young and as stunningly beautiful as you are.¡±


    Tang Xiu burst into laughter and smilingly said, ¡°Oh, my. Please don¡¯t throw the flattery. That trick won¡¯t work on her.¡±


    However, Gu Yan¡¯er smilingly interjected, ¡°But I think his words are very effective on me, Master. I¡¯m indeed a very beautiful flower as well as so young and promising. How can I otherwise deserve to be your woman, right?¡±


    In the end, it was Miao Wentang whose head got short-circuited, as he was now unable to figure out what kind of relationship there was between Tang Xiu and Gun Yan¡¯er.

 Chapter 925 - The Backers Behind the Lian Family

    Chapter 925: The Backers Behind the Lian Family


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    At night, in the residence of the Miao Family¡¯s Head, Mo Awu, Jin Shi, and the rest who had received the news from Tang Xiu finally arrived. They reported the results of their investigation in the last few days. Yet, they couldn¡¯t find out who the backers behind this family were at all.


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯m heading there with Yan¡¯er, so you guys will stay here and wait for the result,¡± decided Tang Xiu eventually after he gave it some thought.


    ¡°But Brother Tang, though I know that you and Senior Gu are very formidable, with only you two going over to the Lian Family, it¡¯s kind of¡­ what if¡­¡± blurted out Miao Qentang quickly.


    ¡°Spare your ¡®Senior¡¯ this and that regarding Yan¡¯er, Brother Miao. It¡¯s fine for you to just call her by her name.¡± Tang Xiu waved her hand and said, ¡°You can rest your worry about us going alone, though. Even if those people are from the Netherworld, there won¡¯t be a problem with Yan¡¯er here.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Miao Wentang was still hesitant a bit, but he eventually nodded and said, ¡°You don¡¯t want my clansmen to go with you, so please at least let me and Mo Awu¡¯s group tag along! They are very formidable and I think quite comparable to myself. Only when you make the men stand guard in the vicinity for assistance will I feel relieved!¡±


    ¡°If so, then you guys will follow us! Alright, let¡¯s not delay matters, shall we? It won¡¯t be convenient for us to act if its daytime, so let¡¯s directly head off to the Lian Family¡¯s place,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Gu Yan¡¯er slightly chuckled and said, ¡°Just tell me the place where the Lians live or tell me the appearance of their residence. I¡¯ll take you all there.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­¡± Looking confused, Miao Wentang asked, ¡°Gu¡­ Boss Gu¡­ have you ever been in Ning City before?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I have once visited this place before, but it was over 20 years ago,¡± answered Gu Yan¡¯er.


    Miao Wentang understood instantly and then told her the address of the Lian Family¡¯s residence, including with the features of the building as she had requested. After some time, just as Miao Wentang was about to call someone to prepare a car, he only heard the buzzing sound of the wind and felt the world spinning around him. Soon after, he saw the environment in the surroundings had changed.


    ¡°This¡­ what¡¯s going on?¡±


    He looked around with a dumbfounded look and couldn¡¯t help but exclaim. Just a moment ago he was sitting in his house, so how did he end up somewhere else in the blink of an eye?


    ¡°That¡¯s not right¡­ this place is¡­ the vicinity near the Lian¡¯s residence?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve never experienced it, so it surely seems strange to you. But you don¡¯t need to feel confused, Brother. Yan¡¯er¡¯s power is beyond your imagination,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°Anyway, you guys just wait here. I¡¯m heading straight there with Yan¡¯er. Also, don¡¯t worry. We still have a way to inform you should we encounter any danger inside.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Mo Awu glanced at the shocked Miao Wentang. Even though his group was also shocked, they were still able to compose themselves much better than this man.


    It was some time before daybreak and the Lian Family¡¯s residence was in the midst of a serene atmosphere. In particular, the villa in the north looked like it was being engulfed by a deathly stillness. There were literally no other living beings other than the Lian Family¡¯s ancestors who lived in the underground space. But Tang Xiu and Gu Yan¡¯er were able to find that there were more than 40 experts of this family in the surroundings outside the Underworld Great array. They were divided into six teams that kept patrolling the place.


    ¡°Quite a tight security measure, huh?¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er commented with a smile. She looked like she was enjoying the time spent alone carrying out the task with Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed quite tight.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°If we didn¡¯t have the Invisibility Charm I refined, we could¡¯ve been discovered by them already. Anyway, this Underworld Great Array is nothing to us, so I¡¯ll take the lead towards the inside.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Her beautiful face beamed with a thicker smile as Tang Xiu¡¯s hand winded on her waist.


    A short while after, they had silently appeared in the underground space below the rockery. As Tang Xiu saw an old man sitting cross-legged, he blitzed lightning-fast and instantly sent a blow to kill him. A smile was now worn on his face as he said, ¡°There were three Ancestors of the Lian Family here back then; they probably noticed that I killed two of them, so they replaced them with two others to fill up the secret chambers. Yan¡¯er, if my guess is correct, a new array should¡¯ve been arranged here to cover all the forty-nine underground secret chambers. Each chamber has great benefits to the Lian Family¡¯s ancestors.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Netherworld Great Array,¡± said Gu Yan¡¯er.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows creased and he replied, ¡°The Underworld Great Array is on the outside, while there is another Netherworld Great Array on the inside? How did the Lian lay out these two arrays? You also know that these two arrays need very special materials as well as some very particular methods to arrange. Even cultivators at the Golden Core Stage could only dream about it if they wanted to arrange them.¡±


    ¡°The Lian Family¡¯s ancestor has already become a half-revenant, Master,¡± sighed Gu Yan¡¯er. ¡°I can sense that there¡¯s some particular thing inside their bodies.¡±


    ¡°What object exactly? And how come I was unable to notice it?¡± responded Tang Xiu with a puzzled face.


    After he questioned himself, only then did Tang Xiu¡¯s face turn slightly red as he realized that his present strength compared to Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s was simply like the difference between day and night. She could sense it, but he may be unable to do the same.


    Gu Yan¡¯er just chuckled and said, ¡°Please wait a bit. I¡¯m going to tell you about it later, Master.¡±


    After saying that, she gently raised her hands as two enormously powerful streams of qi shot up instantly. In just a few seconds, all of the forty-nine Lian Family ancestors inside those secret chambers were all dragged out to the front. While watching their expressions enormously alter, Gu Yan¡¯er instantly acted to constraint all of them.


    ¡°Curse it! Who the hell are you?¡±


    One of them tried to struggle and growled loudly with a flushed face. He was wearing a red robe, sported a chignon hairdo in front of the temple, and had a black mole at the corner of his mouth.


    Tang Xiu just coldly snorted at him before his eyes swept over to the 49 people. He then slowly asked, ¡°If you answer a question of mine, I¡¯ll give you a bit better death; otherwise, you¡¯ll taste my methods that will give you a sensation that you might as well die instead of being alive. Did it ever come to mind that all those you¡¯ve harmed also tasted that feeling?¡±


    The old man in the red robe furiously yelled, ¡°Give us your origins if you want us to answer your question! Else, we¡¯ll never answer your question even if we have to die!¡±


    ¡°The thing is, you¡¯ll never know who I am.¡± Tang Xiu faintly smiled. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s just a waste of words even if I tell you about me. But¡­ I can dispel some of your doubts, though.¡±


    The red-robed old man asked, ¡°What doubts?¡±


    ¡°Well, didn¡¯t the Patriarch of your family just lead your other clansmen to seek revenge?¡± asked Tang Xiu. ¡°You see, all of them died to my hand, though.¡±


    The face of the red-robed old man enormously changed. Although he couldn¡¯t move his body, he still furiously roared, ¡°Guodong! Tell me the cause!¡±


    The only old man in a Chinese tunic glared at Tang Xiu with an incredulous expression and called out, ¡°You were the one who killed them? You wretched punk! My father and my sixth uncle were also killed by you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I did kill two old men of your Lian Family,¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°Well, I suppose those two are your father and your sixth uncle.¡±


    The old man in the Chinese tunic shouted, ¡°Ninth Grandpa, Lian Bai, the current Head of our family, took out some of the clansmen to seek revenge on his mortal enemies, the ones who killed his younger brother as well as some of our past geniuses.¡±


    The red-robed old man coldly hummed and stared at Tang Xiu. ¡°Do you also have a mortal enmity with my family?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and continued, ¡°But now I have.¡±


    His answer made the red-robed old man silent for a few seconds as he slowly asked, ¡°What exactly do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°Well, what exactly is going on in your family? Why did you have some people arrange the two great arrays from the Underworld and the Netherworld? Also, from where did you get this Ghost cultivation art? And lastly, the one thing I want to know the most¡ªwhat¡¯s the origin of those behind your family?¡±


    The red-robed old man was so shocked that he blurted out, ¡°You know about the Underworld Great Array and the Netherworld one? Curse it! Who exactly are you?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m just a cultivator,¡± replied Tang Xiu.


    The other party ferociously stared at Tang Xiu and replied with a heavy voice, ¡°I know you¡¯re a cultivator. But we have no enmities whatsoever, so why the hell did you kill the members of my family, and why did you rush here to our place and attack us tonight?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a line that I never like to say it myself¡ªGood and Evil can never coexist. Of course, it sounds so forced, right? But then, I really abhor when the strong abuse and torment the weak. In particular, I detest those who¡¯re cultivating and become neither human nor ghost, yet cruelly harm common people in the process.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, Good and Evil are always in conflict for eternity,¡± snorted the red-robed old man. ¡°But I warn you that the ones behind my family are a horrifying existence beyond what you can imagine. He needs my family to provide them with humans¡¯ souls and blood, while my family also needs cultivation arts to get stronger. If you dare shake the foundation of my family and ruin all the hard work we¡¯ve done, you can be sure that they will come haunting you and rip you to pieces!¡±


    Suddenly, he blinked and grinned, ¡°Ah¡­ sorry. I seem to have said it a bit lightly. Ripping you to pieces won¡¯t even be enough to vent out their grudge. They will absolutely pull your soul out and imprison it in the endlessly burning Ghost Flame, burning you inside it so you¡¯ll scream in extreme pain and agony until your soul is decimated.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression slightly changed as he could sense that the temperature in the surroundings suddenly dropped several degrees. A particular and erratic chilling wind blew as four blobs of black Ghost flame appeared out of the blue.


    ¡°Hmph, playing some cheap tricks, huh?¡± snorted Tang Xiu coldly.


    The instant after, however, a black sickle appeared in Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s hand. She gently swept it to the front as two shrill screams suddenly sounded out. The two blobs of will-¡®o-the-wisp then condensed into human forms, turning into two humanoid figures formed by Yin Qi whose waists had been cleaved and were screaming on the ground in agony.


    ¡°CURSE IT! What kind of horrifying people did you Lians just provoke? IT¡¯S IMMORTAL¡¯S SPIRITUAL POWER! You¡­ are¡­ someone from the Immortal World?!!¡± The other two will-o¡¯-the-wisps transformed and eventually condensed into two humanoid shadows with blue faces and fangs in their mouth, making them look extremely nasty.


    Gu Yan¡¯er flicked her finger to bind these two ghosts and sneered, ¡°Just Ghost commanders-in-chief from the insignificant low plane of the Ghost Realm, yet you dare to meddle in the mortal world? Are there some big problems in the Netherworld and your Ghost Realm or something, causing even your Ghost Monarch to be no longer able to contain you?¡±


    ¡°Please spare us, Venerable Immortal.¡±


    The two ghosts were scared shitless as they let out an extremely panicked scream. Their voices were high-pitched and jarring to the ears, like sounds made by a fork scraping against a plate.

 Chapter 926 - Undetected By Anyone

    Chapter 926: Undetected By Anyone


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    After a series of inquiries, only then did Tang Xiu find out the reason. It turned out that these four Ghost Generals obtained an ancient secret art manual in the Underworld, from which they learned how to create a channel between their world and the mortal world. The end of the tunnel coincidentally ended up in the Lian Family¡¯s place.


    ¡°So, that Underworld Great Array outside and the Netherworld one inside were laid out by the four of you, and you also imparted the Underworld cultivation art to the Lians?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a heavy voice


    ¡°Yes, and please spare our lives, Venerable Immortal.¡±


    The two Ghost Generals were full of trepidation and were scared stiff as they replied.


    Tang Xiu shook his head. He no longer cared about it after clearly figuring out the root of the matter. He turned to look at Gu Yan¡¯er and faintly said, ¡°Finish everything here!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s eyes were gleaming with killing intent. Her mind moved, and she instantly killed the two Ghost Generals as well as the Lian Family¡¯s 49 ancestors. Be it the Ghost Generals or the Lian ancestors, all were the same in her eyes¡ªants. She had her share of massacring countless people in the past. Nothing would make her flinch.


    ¡°Expand your search to comb through every soul of each Lian Family¡¯s member¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Completely erase any of them who practice any cultivation art from the Underworld. Do the same to those martial artists under this family too.¡±


    ¡°What about the weak; the elderly, women, and children?¡± asked Gu Yan¡¯er.


    ¡°Spare those who had no ability to participate in all of the wicked deeds carried out by the Lians,¡± answered Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°Remember, we must not kill any innocents, but never let the sinners free whose hands are stained by blood.¡±


    In but a few minutes, all those who had practiced martial arts in the Lian Family¡¯s manor silently met their maker, for a total of dozens of martial artists.. Gu Yan¡¯er even conducted a thorough search on their souls to find out the situation of other Lian Family¡¯s clansmen. Ultimately, tens of other clansmen of the Lians in every part of the country were all killed without anyone noticing.


    Certainly, Gu Yan¡¯er also did a thorough cleaning up regarding the Underworld Great Array as well as the Netherworld one, including the altars and the blood pools. She also destroyed the tunnel.


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s head back,¡± said Tang Xiu in a heavy voice after Gu Yan¡¯er completed her tasks and handled all the problems.


    In a flash, Tang Xiu and Gu Yan¡¯er, as well as Miao Wentang and Mo Awu¡¯s team who had been waiting in the vicinity near the Lian Family¡¯s residence, all returned to the Miao Family¡¯s residence. They arrived precisely at the living room of the villa belonging to Miao Wentang.


    ¡°Has everything been done, Brother Tang?¡±


    Miao Wentang, who had been waiting anxiously for the news, found that everyone had returned back. He asked with a puzzled face immediately after they arrived.


    ¡°Everything¡¯s been solved.¡± Tang Xiu solved and said. ¡°The malicious cancer that was the Lians has been completely rooted out. However, there is something you need to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Me doing some things is not a problem, but did you say you¡¯ve completely cleaned up everything?¡± asked Miao Wentang with obvious disbelief on his face. ¡°How did you do it? Didn¡¯t you just enter their residence?¡±


    ¡°Brother Maio, the Lians who have practiced the cultivation art of the Underworld have been killed by us,¡± said Tang Xiu with a faint smile. ¡°All martial artists under them were included. No longer will there be a Lian Family in the Occult Sect in the future. Any surviving members will decline by themselves.¡±


    With a shocked face, Miao Wentang shot a look at both Tang Xiu and Gu Yan¡¯er. Especially the latter. Unprecedented shock struck him after knowing how powerful she was. After a long silence, he then said, ¡°Then what is it that you want me to deal with, Brother Tang?¡±


    ¡°Well, the Miao Family will be the scapegoat. You¡¯re to spread the news that you¡¯ve removed the Lians,¡± said Tang Xiu.¡± It¡¯s not all without benefits, though. Their industries will be yours, except those still being managed by the surviving members.¡±


    ¡°Can you lend me Awu and his brothers for several days?¡± requested Miao Wentang with hesitation. ¡°The Lians are from the Occult Sec, and if some of the other families have a good relationship with them, they will definitely use the pretext to attack my family, so I need some experts to help me.¡±


    Tang Xiu gave his consent with a nod. He then looked at Mo Awu and the rest, ¡°You guys will all stay in Ning City for some time to carry out all the arrangements by Brother Miao. Stay here until all the issues related to the Lian Family have been completely dealt with. You can return to Shanghai to find me afterward.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± respectfully replied Mo Awu¡¯s team in unison.


    Suddenly, Xue Yu interjected, ¡°Tang Xiu, I want to go to Jingmen Island.¡±


    For a moment, however, Tang Xiu hesitated. He then looked at the smiling Gu Yan¡¯er before he nodded and said, ¡°Yan¡¯er, Xue Yu wants to go to Jingmen Island, so bring her with you when you go back! Although she has obtained Dao Master Guai¡¯s inheritance and has had her cultivation improved rapidly, she still does not have the ability to control her own power. Do well to help her control it. Also, it¡¯s best if she can progress in her state of mind as well.¡±


    ¡°No worries, I know what to do.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er nodded with a slight smile.


    ****


    After some time, Tang Xiu had returned back to Shanghai since Gu Yan¡¯er sent him back there. The two females, however, didn¡¯t stay long and went directly to Jingmen Island.


    Bluestar Villa Complex.


    Tang Xiu had taken a shower and was recollecting everything that happened recently. There was a wry and bitter smile on his handsome face, however. He had gone through troubles and hard work to research the Six Starlights Array and was finally able to open that Immortal Trove, yet the result was meant for someone else¡ªhe had even taken the risk of having his identity and whereabouts leaked.


    ¡°Haih, let¡¯s drop it. Besides, it¡¯s not like the results were obtained by some outsiders anyway.¡±


    He took a seat on the bed and couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Suddenly, he recalled that he put his mobile phone inside his interspatial ring, and it had been many days since he had checked it, so he didn¡¯t know whether any of his acquaintances had any issues they needed to talk to him about. Just as he took his handset out, however, he found it had been automatically shut down¡ªout of battery.


    Several minutes later, after he had it charged enough, he turned it on and was greeted by a swarm of incoming texts. There were tons of missed calls from many people. Most of the calls came from two particular cell numbers. One that he never expected was Zhang Xinye¡¯s, whereas the other one was unfamiliar.


    However, it was late at night, so he wasn¡¯t in a hurry to call back. The most important thing he should do at present was to have a rest, as it had been more than four days since he last slept.


    As morning came, the ringtone of his phone woke Tang Xiu up. He opened his eyes and grabbed the phone before seeing that it was a call from Zhang Xinyue.


    ¡®It¡¯s strange. She keeps calling me; what could have happened to her?¡¯


    With that thought in mind, Tang Xiu pressed the button to answer and spoke, ¡°Hello, Xinyue. It¡¯s me, Tang Xiu.¡±


    Zhang Xinyue¡¯s complaining voice came out from the phone, ¡°You finally turned on your phone now, Tang Xiu? I¡¯ve called you so many times these past few days, and you never picked up! Where are you now? There¡¯s a very urgent issue, so I want to meet you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m at home in the Bluestar Villa Complex. What¡¯s so urgent?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    After falling into silence for a moment, she finally replied, ¡°I¡¯ve not been looking for you regarding myself. It¡¯s about my Big Sis. Can you see her, Tang Xiu? I¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiu was confused and asked, ¡°What happened to Xinya?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s been in a very foul mood recently after she came back from Qingcheng Mountain,¡± answered Zhang Xinyue in a bitter voice. ¡°Especially very recently. She¡¯s kinda tormenting herself by drowning all her time into work, and she flew around the world to accept a lot of business gigs without reserve at all. I just saw her a couple of days ago¡­ I just realized that¡­ she has lost weight so drastically¡ªtens of pounds of weight¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu opened his mouth, but didn¡¯t continue commenting and instead spoke out something else. ¡°You also know that it¡¯s pretty much impossible for me to be with your sister, Xinyue. I¡¯d only stimulate her more if I were to contact her¡ªand it won¡¯t even help her in the slightest. I think cutting off all contact would be for the best to get out of this sentimental mess quickly.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m well aware that quickly severing the relationship would be the best result, but I¡¯m afraid that she¡¯ll keep tormenting herself and continue cracking apart,¡± replied Zhang Xinyue astringently. ¡°Tang Xiu, she¡¯s the most important person in my life. I can never allow myself to ignore her and let her fall into peril. Even if¡­ I know that¡­ her being with you is not a good decision either¡­ I just can¡¯t manage it anymore.¡±


    Tang Xiu fell into silence.


    Severing all contacts to straighten out the mess caused by such feelings was indeed for the best, as he knew that he couldn¡¯t give Zhang Xinya a future she deserved to have. Rather than letting her drown in agony in life, it was best to have her to suffer for a much shorter time until she could break free from all that. It was just that he didn¡¯t expect that she was so stubborn in nature, giving him a great headache. But Zhang Xinyue was also presumably correct. He wouldn¡¯t be able to let go of the guilt for a very long time if Zhang Xinya were to break apart and fall into trouble.


    ¡°Where¡¯s she now?¡± After considering, Tang Xiu let out a bitter smile and asked.


    ¡°She flew to Thailand yesterday and I was unable to stop her,¡± answered Zhang Xinyue. ¡°I¡¯m going to text you the address shortly.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± said Tang Xiu and then hang up.


    Suddenly, he remembered the dozen missed calls from another unfamiliar number these past few days. He then dialed the number to call it back.


    ¡°Hello¡­ Boss Tang?¡± an excited cry came out from the phone.


    ¡°I am Tang Xiu, and you are?¡± asked Tang Xiu back.


    ¡°I¡¯m Yang Pengchao! The one who sold you the jade monkey. Didn¡¯t you send someone before to fetch my girlfriend, Yue Li¡¯s, mother in Shanghai previously? We¡¯re already in Shanghai, but I¡¯ve been unable to contact you recently.¡±


    It was Yang Pengchao¡¯s voice.


    Tang Xiu zoned out and let out a hollow laugh. Then he said, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. Something happened recently so I forgot about it. Alright, where are you now? I¡¯ll catch up with you later.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re at Paradise Manor,¡± answered Yang Pengchao.


    ¡°Wait for me there! I¡¯ll be there in an hour,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Previously, Tang Xiu thought that there wouldn¡¯t be many other issues he needed to tend to after he opened the Immortal Trove. He never thought that things that he had to deal with come again one after another. It was like there was a pair of invisible hands that kept pushing him forward.


    The problem with Zhang Xinya, the treatment of Yang Pengchao¡¯s future mother-in-law, his own preparations for going to Nine Dragons Island, and the issue regarding the jade pig, of which he had been waiting for the news of before he left for Thailand¡­


    That was a pile of issues indeed, reminding him that he was truly busy enough.


    As he recalled Nine Dragons Island, he immediately called Long Zhengyu. Then, he learned that the construction project there had reached the last stage and it was expected to finish in half a month. But he was required to be there to finish the work personally.


    ¡°Hey, Tang Xiu. I just came back to Star City a couple of days ago to deal with some things here. I¡¯ll be back to Nine Dragons Island in a week, but when will you go there exactly?¡± Finally, Long Zhengyu asked about it from the phone.


    Tang Xiu thought about it for a moment and then said, ¡°About a week later. But, I¡¯ll head over to Nine Dragons Island from some other place, though, so let¡¯s keep in touch. Anyway, when you head back to Nine Dragons Island, can you help me by stopping by in Hong Kong? Go to Grand Fortune Jewelry and find Hao Lei. Tell her to prepare some jades and bring them with you there.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Got it!¡± Long Zhenyu promised and then hung up.

 Chapter 927 - Love Rival Provocation

    Chapter 927: Love Rival Provocation


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The current summer was blazing hot, but Paradise Manor¡¯s business was particularly thriving due to its beautiful and picturesque scenery. Even this morning, Tang Xiu found that many guests were literally scattered everywhere here. Many of them were families of three or couples enjoying the sunshine and the beautiful scenery of the venue.


    ¡°This is quite interesting¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu sported a smile as he commented when excavators and hanging cranes entered his sight. Ouyang Lulu did tell him that she was going to set up a resort hotel in a spacious plot of land here, preparing it to be the best hotel resort. Since those construction vehicles were here, then her plan should have been set in motion already.


    Knock, knock¡­


    Just as Tang Xiu parked the car and looked at the construction in the distance, the car¡¯s windows were knocked on from the outside. He looked outside and immediately saw Ouyang Lulu bend down, showing off the fair skin of her waving bust and deep cleavage. He let out a faint smile, opened the car¡¯s door, and got out. He then shot a look at her clad in a fiery red dress with her elegant long black hair. Asking with a smile, Tang Xiu inquired, ¡°So, you¡¯ve started to build that resort hotel?¡±


    ¡°Yup! That¡¯s why I¡¯ve been looking forward to your return!¡± answered Ouyang Lulu smilingly.


    ¡°Huh? Looking forward to my return?¡± Tang Xiu stared blankly before he immediately burst into laughter and asked, ¡°Hahaha, what does it have anything to do with me, though? I don¡¯t even know how to build a resort hotel, you see. What I can do for you is to draw the design plan at best.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu raised her brows. She then patted the back of her head with a regretful expression, ¡°Damn. Why the hell did I forget that? I forgot you can design buildings yourself. I lost money for nothing. I even paid someone to draw the design for the resort. Bah, it¡¯s no use to brood over it. Apart from some other stuff, you also gotta help me to make the design for our exclusive hotel then.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s OK with me. But what is this other stuff you just mentioned?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    She reached out and mischievously smiled. ¡°Well, I¡¯m short on money, so I want money.¡±


    Cough, cough¡­


    Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he should laugh or cry. ¡°Wait, wait. If I recall correctly, haven¡¯t you told me repeatedly for the past few days that the Paradise Manor¡¯s business and its turnover have been so great? It¡¯s been running for half a year already, yet you¡¯re still short on money?¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Ouyang Lulu just laughed at it and said, ¡°You know what? You never managed a household, so you have no idea that daily necessities are quite expensive today! You might earn a lot, but there are tons of times when you must spend it. Besides, above all things, the resort I¡¯m gonna build is five-star, so it¡¯s natural that six months¡¯ earnings won¡¯t be enough for it.¡±


    Tang Xiu understood quickly and ruminated for a while before he said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take a look at how much money I have left in my account later. But since you want it based on a five-star standard, then build it!¡±


    ¡°Erm, there¡¯s another thing I want to discuss with you too,¡± said Ouyang Lulu smilingly.


    ¡°There¡¯s still another?¡± muttered Tang Xiu with a puzzled face.


    Ouyang Lulu blinked and spoke in a whisper, ¡°Yeah. Can I have debit access to the Everlasting Feast Hall?¡±


    ¡°Debit access to the Everlasting Feast Hall?¡± Tang Xiu got more confused and asked, ¡°What for?¡±


    ¡°I need to cultivate! You also know that cultivation needs resources, while the medicinal pills provided by the Everlasting Feast Hall are so expensive,¡± said Ouyang Lulu. ¡°Expanding Paradise Manor will make me end up dirt poor for a very long time, and without money, I can only buy the pills on a checking account.¡±


    Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he should cry or laugh yet again. ¡°If you need medicinal pills, it¡¯s fine if you just tell me directly. Anyway, let¡¯s head inside, shall we? I must treat Yue Li¡¯s mother first. I¡¯ll give you some pills after I¡¯m done, so you don¡¯t need to worry about cultivation resources for the next few years.¡±


    ¡°Awesome!¡± Ouyang Lulu was so ecstatic that she pecked Tang Xiu¡¯s neck and kissed his face.


    Not far away from them, two handsome young men were heading towards the parking lot. One of them caught Ouyang Lulu¡¯s action and immediately could not believe his eyes. His face turned nasty when his eyes fell on Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Well, well. Your rival in love has just appeared, Yang Yang.¡±


    With a smile on the corners of his mouth, Wang Wei shot a squinted look at Yang Yang before he pulled out a cigarette and ignited it, commenting nonchalantly.


    Yang Yang ignored his comment and strode over towards Ouyang Lulu and Tang Xiu who were heading in their direction. He stopped in front of them and questioned in a heavy voice, ¡°Who¡¯s he, Lulu?¡±


    The smiling and beaming face of Ouyang Lulu immediately receded upon seeing the two of them. It was replaced by a clearly indignant look as she coldly snorted, ¡°Hmph, I told you many times already, Yang Yang. Lulu is not a name you can call out at will¡ªyou must call me by my full name! Besides, who he is has nothing to do with you. Just scram far away from me; otherwise, don¡¯t blame me for throwing away any courtesy with you!¡±


    Yang Yang felt suffocated. He vented out his anger by glaring angrily at Tang Xiu and growled, ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn about who you are. Lulu is a woman I like, so scram from her.¡±


    ¡°And who are you?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Who am I?¡± Yang Yang sneered, ¡°I¡¯m the man you must never provoke! You better realize what you¡¯re capable of and leave, else you¡¯ll face an extremely serious consequence!¡±


    Tang Xiu burst into laughter at his remark. He shook his head and asked Ouyang Lulu, ¡°From which stone did this thing come out of, Lulu? Is he pursuing you?¡±


    ¡°He comes from Sichuan; from the Yang House, which is an ancient martial arts clan,¡± answered Ouyang Lulu. ¡°His mother and my Mom are kinda friends, so I always give him some slack. Otherwise, I¡¯d have driven him away.¡±


    It was, however, a house Tang Xiu had never heard of, so he said to Yang Yang, ¡°Young man, there¡¯s nothing wrong with young men like us loving belles. But if you got the ability, you should pursue them by yourself. Don¡¯t just run around and threaten others with such a tone. That makes you look like a child. Also, it¡¯s best if you verify the identity of the ones you threaten first. You¡¯ll just invite a calamity to befall upon your family otherwise.¡±


    Yang Yang¡¯s expression turned nastier. Ouyang Lulu¡¯s remark had already made him vexed, but Tang Xiu¡¯s attitude just added more fuel to the flame. He furiously growled, ¡°Punk, do you know how reckless and blind you are?¡±


    ¡°Hold it!¡±


    Wang Wei, who was just standing at the side, reached out to grab Yang Yang¡¯s shoulder. He curiously looked at Tang Xiu and spoke, ¡°Friend, what you just said is correct. He should¡¯ve checked your identity if he wanted to act so arrogant. It would be a very dumb thing that stupid people could do, no? But you see, we¡¯re all young men here, so there¡¯s no need to act with such a disguised mannerism, right? Just tell us who you are.¡±


    As an answer, Tang Xiu embraced Ouyang Lulu¡¯s waist and lightly smiled, ¡°Well, I¡¯m her man. Isn¡¯t that enough of an identity?¡±


    ¡°Sigh.¡± Wang Wei shook his head and sighed, ¡°You¡¯re a young man yourself and should be 21 something, right? But you just called Yang Yang a young man before, so it¡¯s quite laughable to me. Alas, it feels so ludicrous that even you yourself don¡¯t dare to say who you are.¡±


    ¡°And you are?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°The Wang Family from Singapore,¡± answered Wang Wei.


    ¡°Ah, a Singaporean Chinese? Your house¡¯s hands can reach China?¡± asked Tang Xiu curiously.


    ¡°Can it? You need not concern yourself about that, I think.¡± Wang Wei confidently replied, ¡°But of course, I don¡¯t need to hide my head and wag my tail behind legs like you, afraid to tell your own identity. My family is preparing to invest big in China in the near future to gradually shift our industries. You¡¯ll find my name appearing in the business circle of China soon.¡±


    ¡°Well, congratulations then,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°But thanks to your cynicism, I give you my guarantee that your Wang Family¡¯s industries will never return to the mainland. You can wait and see if you don¡¯t believe me.¡±


    Wang Wei rolled his eyes at it and mocked, ¡°Pfft, who the hell do you think you are, huh? Do you think you represent the policy of a country to push away incoming money? Truly idiotic!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu looked at him with some sympathy and said, ¡°Everything he said is true. The business strategy of your family will probably fail here. I thought you were much better than Yang Yang before. I really didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯d ruin the chance of your family going back to the mainland just because you want to win him over.¡±


    Wang Wei was slightly stunned with creased brows. His face turned solemn and he asked Tang Xiu again, ¡°I¡¯m going to ask you again, friend. Who are you, exactly?¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t feel like experiencing the bickering of these two fellas anymore, so he directly put his family¡¯s name forward, ¡°Tang Xiu of the Tang Family from Beijing.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, so you¡¯re the offspring of one of those government officials?¡± Yang Yang sneered and said, ¡°No wonder you got such a big tone and dare to threaten us. But my house is an ancient martial art clan with a legacy with which your family can never compare to. I give you back your advice. Don¡¯t court disaster to fall upon your family; else, hehe¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face turned frosty and he asked with a chilling voice, ¡°Otherwise what?¡±


    ¡°Else, your Tang Family will suffer heavy losses and your close relatives will become targets for retaliation,¡± stated Yang Yang coldly. ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯m just scaring you. You don¡¯t know how deep my family is. And you, Lulu¡ªyou had better make him scram immediately if you want the best for him. You too are well aware of how powerful my family is!¡±


    ¡°What a moron!¡± Ouyang Lulu grunted and turned to look at Tang Xiu, ¡°Alright, we gotta talk first. My Mom is like sisters with his mother, so if the Yangs were to be destroyed, his mother will definitely seek shelter with my Mom. Honey, you must keep her alive should you decide to do anything on account of my face, alright?¡±


    Her request made Tang Xiu between laughter and tears. ¡°Hey, why do you make me like I¡¯m some kind of loony murderous Demon? I won¡¯t wantonly exterminate his entire house just because of this trivial thing!¡±


    With that said, he took his handset out and dialed Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s number. After his call got picked up, he said, ¡°Investigate the Yang House in Sichuan for me. I dunno anything specific about this family, so Lulu will tell you about it later.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Grand Master,¡± replied Gu Xiaoxue respectfully. However, she seemed hesistant before she continued, ¡°Umm, Grand Master, have you¡­ have you have approved¡­ Master as your woman? ¡­ just like Miss Xue?¡±


    Tang Xiu was dumbstruck and stared blankly. He let out a bitter smile and said, ¡°You, girl. You¡¯re still a child, yet you just asked me about such a matter? Just focus on your cultivation.¡±


    The annoyed voice of Gu Xiaoxue replied, ¡°I¡¯m not a child anymore, Grand Master. I¡¯m much older than you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just still a toddler in my eyes,¡± replied Tang Xiu back. He then promptly hung up.


    Yang Yang and Wang Wei exchanged glances as they were keen enough to catch the crucial term¡ªcultivation¡ªfrom Tang Xiu¡¯s dialog.


    Could it be that¡­ he¡¯s also practicing cultivation art?


    Yang Yang took a deep breath and sneered, ¡°So, if my guess is correct, you should also be someone who has been practicing martial arts; isn¡¯t that right, Mister? I¡¯ve always been regarded as the best talent to cultivate in my House and have been touted as the strongest junior of the youngest generation. How about we have a spar? I won¡¯t bully you; I¡¯ll even let you have a move ahead!¡±


    ¡°Nah, not interested.¡± Tang Xiu lightly shook his head.


    Yang Yang¡¯s eyes turned cold. His figure dashed to Tang Xiu¡¯s front in an instant, sending a very fast barrage of punches accompanied with a twisting wind to quickly come in front of Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression slightly changed, as he didn¡¯t expect that this fella would directly attack him. He didn¡¯t even care that Ouyang Lulu was still in his arms.

 Chapter 928 - My Boss Is Really Strong

    Chapter 928: My Boss Is Really Strong


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Chapter 929: My Boss Is Really Strong


    There was a personal code Tang Xiu had always insisted on upholding. He would never start any fight with anyone should they not attack him first. While he was too lazy to care about such an insignificant person like Yang Yang, unexpectedly, this fella couldn¡¯t see eye to eye with him and directly attacked.


    ¡°SCRAM¡­¡±


    With a seemingly light punch, he directly clashed with Yang Yang¡¯s fist. The sound of broken bones was heard, along with Yang Yang¡¯s scream. His entire arm was instantly broken and twisted. His body was flung backward under the huge impact and heavily slammed on the concrete pavement seven-plus meters away.


    Wang Wei¡¯s pupils shrunk with a burst of a horrified look. He knew Yang Yang¡¯s strength; on that point, he had to admit that he himself was much inferior. So he never imagined that the clash of fists between them ended up in the immediate defeat of Yang Yang, and so badly at that.


    With fear breeding in his heart, he sprinted to Yang Yang¡¯s side, propping him to sit down and asking with concern, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Yang Yang shot a disbelieving look towards Tang Xiu as though he just saw a ghost in broad daylight. He was quite formidable himself; even though he couldn¡¯t compare to those martial art grandmasters, average martial arts experts were not his match.


    And yet! He got defeated just like that?!


    Tang Xiu disdainfully looked at him and apathetically said, ¡°I didn¡¯t even use all my strength when I killed Amur Tiger last year. And your strength? You lost so pathetically that you are not even qualified to make me use even 1% of what I¡¯m capable of. I was originally too lazy to pay attention to such a nobody like you. I just didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯re really so ignorant and reckless.¡±


    The Amur Tiger?


    Yang Yang was dumbfounded. He suddenly realized something, and while suppressing the piercing pain in his fist and arm, he struggled to crawl up from the ground and hurriedly called out, ¡°Was it you who killed the Amur Tiger? That¡¯s impossible! Absolutely impossible! The one who killed him is Beijing¡¯s Tang¡­¡±


    At his point, his expression froze and his body shivered¡­


    Of all the ancient martial arts clans in the country, who among them didn¡¯t know how terrifying the Amur Tiger was? Well-known rumors had it that the Amur Tiger was not even a martial artist! He was a cultivator! And yet, the rumor that the long-lived Amur Tiger whose formidable strength literally shook everyone under the sun was killed in Beijing already spread out to those who were concerned.


    It was the Tang Family of Beijing!


    Yang Yang couldn¡¯t remember it just a moment ago, so he held no fear to those families in the capital. But as he recalled the matter regarding the Amur Tiger being killed, he was literally frozen. It was as if his whole being was falling into a hole inside a glacier. After all, ancient martial arts clans would probably dare to pick a fight with any family save the Tang Family of Beijing.


    He still vividly remembered what his father once told him:


    ¡°If my guess is correct, the Tang Family of Beijing must have a very powerful expert, and this person should be a Daoist cultivator. If he¡¯s not, then his martial arts mastery has reached a very terrifying level. I¡¯m afraid that this person is also able to completely eradicate our family.¡±


    Not even in his dreams did Yang Yang ever imagine that the expert his father had appraised was actually this 21 something young man in front of him.


    Wang Wei, however, didn¡¯t know all of this. He just saw that his brother was hit badly. Although he knew that he was not Tang Xiu¡¯s match at all, he still angrily looked up with a furious face and growled, ¡°Friend, aren¡¯t you just too ruthless? You just wasted his arm! Don¡¯t you also know what this means to a martial artist?¡±


    ¡°Hmph,¡± sneered Tang Xiu. ¡°If I were just an average person and not very strong myself, his punch should¡¯ve taken half my life out. I only broke his arm, which was already mercy on him, no?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    The answer made Wang Wei unable to retort this time. He was well aware of Yang Yang¡¯s strength and he knew that Tang Xiu was right. It was Yang Yang who attacked him first in his fury and didn¡¯t show mercy at all.


    Being disgusted with both of them, Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°Get the hell out of this place! Don¡¯t think you can rely on your pathetic kung fu and your family¡¯s background before me. But I¡¯m not that ruthless a man and I¡¯m not in the mood to bicker with you. Else, let alone you all, even your family will be implicated.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re very strong indeed, but it¡¯s still worse than your mouth!¡± Wang Wei yelled again angrily, ¡°We¡¯ll bump into each other again and see what happens later!¡±


    ¡°Stupid!¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head. He didn¡¯t want to bother to even look at them anymore, so he just took Ouyang Lulu to head inside the villa. The incident was just a trivial episode that had close to no influence on him. But to prevent the issue bothering him in the future, he still must investigate Yang Yang¡¯s family background. If they still dared to annoy him again, he would make them learn a lesson at the worst.


    ¡°Lulu, don¡¯t forget to tell Xiaoxue to send some men to visit the Yang Family and give them some shock and fright. They can kick their martial hall plaque. That¡¯s right, just use that custom.¡±


    ¡°Do you perhaps want to make the Yangs lose face in the ancient martial arts clan circle?¡± asked Ouyang Lulu.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that losing face is much better than the whole family being destroyed?¡± asked Tang Xiu back. ¡°Besides, I may have just ruined a certain family in Ning City last night.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu curled her lips, apparently not buying Tang Xiu¡¯s words. ¡°If you were in Ning City last night, it¡¯s impossible for you to return to Shanghai so early today, huh? Even if you¡¯re boasting, please don¡¯t leave such a loophole.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh and didn¡¯t bother arguing back with her over such a trivial matter. As they walked deeper, he soon met Yang Pengchao and Yue Li.


    ****


    Coldness gleamed in Wang Wei¡¯s eyes as they watched Tang Xiu¡¯s back as he left. After he left, he let out a low growl, ¡°What a very arrogant guy. So rampant while just relying on his very formidable strength? I admit my loss today, but I¡¯ll pay you back one day!¡±


    There was a complicated expression on Yang Yang¡¯s face as he shook his head. He took a deep breath and bitterly said, ¡°Just forget it, Wang Wei! We won¡¯t be able to enact revenge, much less deal with him.¡±


    Wang Wei was irritated upon hearing Yang Yang and unhappily retorted, ¡°What did you say? Your hand was broken by him, yet you unexpectedly have gotten so down? Don¡¯t you know the most stupid thing is to raise your enemy to a pedestal and destroy your own spirit?¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have said that had you known who the Amur Tiger of the Northern Region was.¡± Yang Yang shook his head. ¡°Just forget it. I admit I deserve this punishment today, and I have decided to give up on Ouyang Lulu since she¡¯s his woman now.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck did you say?¡± chided Wang Wei furiously. ¡°I really misread you. I thought you were a man, but now I see you are so cowardly! Even if he¡¯s very formidable, what about it? Is he even much more powerful than bullets? Worst comes to worst, I can just spend some money to hire a powerful hitman and directly erase him silently.¡±


    Yang Yang¡¯s pupils shrunk and he looked around quickly. After he found that there was nobody around, only then did he feel relieved. He lowly shouted, ¡°Can you cut your crap? You may want to court your death, but not with that method! I¡¯ll tell you something. If he¡¯s really the one who killed the Amur Tiger, let alone any powerful hitman, even the top in the world Spectre would never be able to kill him!¡±


    Wang Wei slapped his face hard as his answer, then pointed his nose and chided, ¡°You¡¯re full of shit! Now you are scared of him? You¡¯re telling me the world¡¯s best assassin Spectre wouldn¡¯t be able to kill him? Even if there are 10,000 people like him, Spectre can eliminate them. You know shit. I coincidentally saw Spectre kill while I was watching through a telescope two kilometers away.. But I guarantee it¡¯s a cinch for him to kill this punk.¡±


    ¡°Nope. You¡¯re wrong. I would never be able to kill him.¡±


    Spectre, clad in a black Wushu suit with arms folded, suddenly appeared by a tree a little over five meters away from them. It was him who spoke while groaning and leaning on that tree.


    Yang Yang¡¯s face drastically changed. He had just observed the vicinity, so he was sure that nobody was around within a large radius. How was this man able to come over? Is he a ghost or something?


    ¡°You are¡­¡±


    After Wang Wei clearly saw Spectre¡¯s face, his legs went so soft that he almost knelt down on the ground. He grabbed Yang Yan¡¯s arm, and once his body stopped shaking, he paced back a few steps further and stutteringly said, ¡°Y-you¡­ you are¡­ you¡¯re that seclusive¡­ Spectre? The best assassin in the world, Spectre?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it yourself¡ªthat you accidentally saw me kill someone before?¡± Spectre chuckled and said, ¡°So what¡¯s the fuss for? Is it even needed?¡±


    Wang Wei released Yang Yang while deep dread and fright remained on his face.


    Plop!


    He knelt down while looking up to Spectre and called out, ¡°¡­ Please¡­ please don¡¯t kill us. I¡¯ll pay 10 times the price if someone has paid you to kill us¡­ no, no, no. I¡¯ll pay 20 times the price. But please spare us.¡±


    Yang Yang was utterly dumbfounded. He never expected that after they just spoke about the Devil, the Devil himself came right away! To think that the top hitman in the world unexpectedly appeared before them. Yet, why did he come to China and even to Shanghai? How come he has appeared here in Paradise Manor?


    This¡­ isn¡¯t this way too coincidental? Or, is Wang Wei mistaken?


    Spectre lackadaisically looked up toward the glaring sun. Then, he shook his head and sighed, ¡°Dammit, I¡¯m so bored, so very bored. It thought I could kill two punk chickens to throw my boredom away. But I didn¡¯t expect you to be so afraid of annoying my Boss further right in front of his face, while only daring to make a fuss when his back is turned. Bah! He¡¯s too softhearted, really. That Boss of mine is too kind and merciful.¡±


    His Boss? Spectre¡¯s Boss?!!


    Yang Yang and Wang Wei suddenly remembered Tang Xiu. The duo instantly was filled with disbelief at the same time. To make sure their guess was correct, Yang Yang hurriedly asked, ¡°You mean¡­ Tang Xiu is your Boss? How is this possible? What qualifications does he have to be your Boss? You¡¯re the best hitman in the world!¡±


    Spectre rolled his eyes at him and snarled, ¡°Man, Boss was right. You truly are stupid and ignorant. Umm, I recall there¡¯s an adage in your country. What is it? The frog at the bottom of a well? That¡¯s right, that¡¯s it. You both really are like frogs stranded in the bottom of a well. You can never know what kind of power my Boss possesses. Haih, forget it. You won¡¯t even understand it even if I tell you. But then again, he seems to have become much stronger after he came back, though. My legs kinda shivered even though he didn¡¯t unleash his aura deliberately.¡±

 Chapter 929 - A Must Not Be Broken Rule

    Chapter 929: A Must Not Be Broken Rule


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Spectre was indeed very bored now, to the point that he thought that it would be so funny if he teased these two idiots. He nearly burst into laughter upon seeing how panicked and horrified they were.


    It¡¯s been 13 years.


    It was the time he had been confined in mental training that nearly choked him to death. And thus, the moment he came to Shanghai from Jingmen Island, he could be said to have turned into a talker. He gossipped with the girl who sold tickets, chatted with the tourists on the bus, talked with the driver, and even had chit-chat with the security guards at the gate. Shortly put, he literally spewed out anything he had in mind and was unwilling to miss any chance to chat with anyone.


    It was because of the phrase, ¡°a day in heaven is equal to a year on Earth¡±.


    Only now did he thoroughly understand what this line meant. Back when he came to the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s HQ in Jingmen Island, a celestial maiden-like woman threw him into a bizarre array. What was more unbelievable was that he had experienced years inside. It wasn¡¯t until he came out of the array that he found out that it was a time-accelerating array, and the woman who did that to him was called Gu Yan¡¯er¡ªhis Boss¡¯s disciple!


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I was just reminded of something, though.¡±


    Spectre blinked to watch the horrified faces and spoke to them all of a sudden.


    Wang Wei gulped down and frightfully replied stutteringly, ¡°W-what¡­ w-what did you just recall?¡±


    Spectre ruminated for a while and grinningly said, ¡°Well, ever since I set my feet into the assassination world, I think I always rip off the heads of those who happen to see me. I think I stabbed their hearts and cut off their limbs, each and every one of them. You just said that you once saw me kill my target, didn¡¯t you? Hmm¡­ what should I do? Should I cut off your head, stab your heart, or chop your limbs off? Man¡­ this multiple-choice question really gives me a headache.¡±


    ¡°NO, NO, NO! Please don¡¯t!!!¡± Wang Wei screamed out in horror. ¡°Please spare me! It¡¯s all my fault. I shouldn¡¯t have poked my nose out and provoked your Boss before. Please, I apologize. I¡¯ll see him at once to apologize. I¡¯ll do it even if I have to kneel and kowtow to him.¡±


    He was truly frightened. And while this fear did come from Spectre, it was also Tang Xiu who gave him much of this horror. Who was Spetre in the first place? He was the ruthless ghost, the best assassin in the world that even those heads of the state were very afraid of. And yet, such a ruthless man was actually Tang Xiu¡¯s henchman. That was simply unthinkable.


    At this moment, he was so scared to hear how terrifying the power possessed by Tang Xiu was, which definitely had reached an unthinkable terrifying level! He was still so young and death was far from being his wish, so he could only cast his pride away. He bent down and knelt, begging for mercy and hoping to keep his life.


    Spectre just grinned in response, ¡°Well, my Boss actually likes money so much, though. I may regard money like dirt, but not him! It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t know how much your life is worth, so tell me how much it is¡ªand I¡¯ll only give one chance!¡±


    Only then did Wang Wei¡¯s face looked extremely relieved and joyful as he blurted out without hesitation, ¡°240 million, which is all the fortune I have. I¡¯ll transfer it to you right away as long as you don¡¯t kill me¡­ no to your Boss¡¯s account.¡±


    Yang Yang was now left dumbstruck. He was a rich man as well, but practicing martial arts had been his focus all his life so he didn¡¯t go all out to seek fortune. Let alone 240 million, he didn¡¯t even have a tenth of that amount.


    ¡°C-can you¡­ please give me some time? I have no money now, but I have a wealthy family. I¡¯ll call my house to ask for the money immediately¡­ P-please, give me some time. I¡¯ll prepare the amount as needed,¡± said Yang Yang with a bitter face.


    Spectre rolled his eyes as his answer and said, ¡°Then you must also take out 240 million. A penny less means your life is much cheaper than this guy. I couldn¡¯t care less about the likes of a cheap life.¡±


    Yang Yang shuddered violently. He immediately grabbed his phone, dialed a cell number, and anxiously spoke in a hurry, ¡°Mother, I need money¡ª240 million. Please don¡¯t ask me what for and why now. I can only tell you that it¡¯s concerning my life and death. Just transfer it to the man, or you¡¯ll only see my dead body.


    ¡°What happened to you, Son?¡± a hushed and anxious voice came replying.


    Yang Yang¡¯s voice hiked up and he hastily cried out, ¡°Please don¡¯t ask about it now, Mom! Just hurry up and transfer the money! Only that money can save me now.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright! Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll transfer it to you immediately,¡± a panicked voice came replying again.


    Yang Yang hung up and cautiously looked at Spectre and said, ¡°The money will be transferred soon. Please¡­ just wait.¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Spectre let out strange laughter and then said, ¡°Well, well. You both seem to value your life. Alright, seeing that you¡¯re so sincere to pay, I¡¯ll spare you guys, but¡­ my rule is still on and must never be broken. I don¡¯t give a fuck how powerful the forces behind you two are. You dare to reveal even a word about me, then I guarantee you will see your maker, including your family members!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. We¡¯ll definitely keep our mouth shut!¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t dare do anything.¡±


    Yang Yang and Wang Wei frightfully promised and pleaded.


    ¡°Just prepare the money and give it to my Boss when you personally apologize to him,¡± said Spectre with a happy smile.


    With that said, his figure vanished in an instant.


    Yang Yang and Wang Wei exchanged glances. After a very long while, the former muttered to himself, ¡°Is he a ghost, or a human? How come he¡¯s just vanished like that?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t disappear out of thin air. It¡¯s just that he¡¯s too fast and our naked eyes can¡¯t see him,¡± said Wang Wei bitterly. ¡°Spectre is the first and the best assassin in the world, to begin with. Perhaps, he¡¯s the only one who possesses such a horrifying speed. What you said is right, Yang Yang. We just provoked a very frightening existence, so we indeed deserve it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Yang Yang nodded and took a deep breath.


    ****


    Deeper inside Paradise Manor was a European-style building near the woods. Yang Pengchao and Yue Li stood before the windows, waiting for Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival. Behind them was a middle-aged woman with a pale face, who looked fragile while leaning on the bedside. Her eyes, however, were full of eagerness for living.


    She had been inquiring about all the issues relating to the Young Divine Doctor Tang Xiu in the last few days. What she found made her spirit to keep on living, which was originally dying out inside her, light up again, as though she saw a beacon of light to continue on living.


    ¡°Pengchao, Lili, has Divine Doctor Tang come yet?¡± Cui Yanru watched the back of the two teenagers and asked.


    The duo turned around and Yue Li was the one who answered, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang said that he¡¯d be here in an hour, Mom. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be here since he¡¯s someone whose words can be trusted.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Auntie. Lili tells the truth.¡± Yang Pengchang also nodded and said, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang is someone who upholds his promises. He¡¯ll definitely deliver on his promise. Please rest your worries he¡¯ll probably arrive soon.¡±


    ¡°Alright. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m rather impatient and anxious.¡± Cui Yanru nodded and said, ¡°However, there¡¯s something I want to discuss with you both before Divine Doctor Tang comes.¡±


    ¡°Please tell us, Auntie,¡± said Yang Pengchao.


    ¡°Pengchao, you also know what kind of illness I have and how I got it, Pengchao. The chance for me to survive is so slim. I don¡¯t doubt the medicine expertise Divine Doctor Tang has, but the chance that severe leukemia can be cured is very unlikely. If¡­ I mean¡­ if, in the case that Divine Doctor Tang cannot cure me, I really hope you can take good care of Lili in the future. I know my daughter. She has chosen you, so she will follow you to the end.¡±


    ¡°I believe that Divine Doctor Tang will be able to cure you, Auntie,¡± replied Yang Pengchao. ¡°But you can also rest assured that I¡¯ll definitely carry out your wishes. I¡¯ll never give up on Yue Li no matter what happens to us in the future. I¡¯ll take good care of her.¡±


    Cui Yanru nodded with a satisfied and pleased face, ¡°Lili is truly blessed!¡±


    Yue Li went to the bedside and sat beside her, saying, ¡°You¡¯ll definitely able to live for a long time, Mom. I believe that. Pengchao¡¯s parents have already passed away and he has no relatives left, so there¡¯s only you now. We¡¯ll be filial to you and take care of you in the future. Therefore, you must be strong and must believe in Divine Doctor Tang to actively cooperate in the treatment. I believe that you¡¯ll be fine in no time.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    Near the window, Yang Pengchao turned his head and looked outside without a word. He then suddenly saw a pleasant surprise as he quickly cried out, ¡°That¡¯s Divine Doctor Tang. He¡¯s coming. Lili, accompany Auntie here. I¡¯m going to greet him.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to do so.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s voice suddenly entered Yang Pengchao¡¯s ear all of a sudden.


    In just a few seconds, the door was pushed as Tang Xiu and Ouyang Lulu came inside in strides.


    ¡°You, you¡­¡±


    Yang Pengchao was totally stunned. He dared swear to Heaven that Tang Xiu and Ouyang Lulu were still on the pathway outside this European-styled building a few moments ago. That was tens of meters away. But how did they get here upstairs in just a few seconds? How was it possible for them appear before him so fast? Not even the fastest sprinter in the world, the winner of the 100m dash, could do it!


    Tang Xiu blinked at him with a faint smile. Then, he looked Cui Yanru on the patient bed and smilingly said, ¡°You must be Yue Li¡¯s mother, right? I¡¯m Tang Xiu, and this is Ouyang Lulu.¡±


    Cui Yanru struggled to get up, but Tang Xiu stopped him so that she was leaning on the bedhead. Then she gratefully said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard your name for a very long time, Divine Doctor Tang. Also, Proprietress Lulu has been very kind to look after us for the last few days. You both are good people. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank us,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°If you want to thank someone, thank Yang Pengchao. He¡¯s a good young man who has a fine future ahead of him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already given my consent to both of them,¡± said Cui Yanru. ¡°I already know Pengchao is a good young man, so I can feel relieved to hand over Lili to him even if I have to leave this world.¡±


    Tang Xiu went to the bed and reached out to pick her hand and check her pulse, ¡°You won¡¯t die with me here unless you yourself commit suicide. Besides, it¡¯s not like leukemia is an incurable disease, although there have been some cases that were difficult to treat.¡±


    After a half-minute passed by, Tang Xiu took out a porcelain insulator and handed it to Yue Li, ¡°There¡¯s a drop of medicinal liquid inside made by myself. Just pour a drop of this medicinal liquid into warm water and let your mother take a bath in it. Please remember, the process will be very painful, but she must endure it. She should be able to hold on for 10 minutes given her current physique. After she comes out of the bathtub, you can also have a shower with the water. It¡¯ll be of great benefit to you too.¡±


    ¡°Ehh?¡± Yue Li blanked out and asked, ¡°I need to take a shower too?¡±


    ¡°This medicinal liquid not only has an effect on your mother, but is also very good on you,¡± explained Tang Xiu. ¡°As long as you can endure soaking yourself inside the water for 10 minutes, you¡¯ll have your physical fitness greatly improved.¡±

 Chapter 930 - Paying A Visit To Send Money

    Chapter 930: Paying A Visit To Send Money


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The medicine Tang Xiu gave them was the usual Body Refining Liquid to temper one¡¯s physique. The medicinal liquid was also effective as a treatment for many illnesses. As long as the efficacy of this medicine entered Cui Yanru¡¯s system, it would be able to kill all those cancerous white cells and save her from danger. The reason why he told Yue Li to soak herself inside the water was that he didn¡¯t want to waste the medicine¡¯s efficacy.


    After Yue Li received the porcelain bottle, she asked, ¡°I¡¯ll definitely do what you asked of me, Divine Doctor Tang. But when are you going to treat mother?¡±


    ¡°I gave you that medicine; isn¡¯t that a cure for her?¡± asked Tang Xiu smilingly.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Yue Li was so confused and asked again, ¡°Just taking a bath will cure her?¡±


    ¡°Alright, just turn on the water now and then take your mother to have a bath,¡± said Tang Xiu, ¡°You¡¯ll know the effect after she has taken a bath. Besides, I¡¯ll be in Paradise Manor for the time being. I¡¯ll be back here in two hours.¡±


    It was so difficult for Yue Li to make anything out of Tang Xiu explanation, so she just nodded in a daze, watching Tang Xiu and Ouyang Lulu leave. Then, she looked at Yang Pengchao and whispered, ¡°Do you understand what Divine Doctor meant? I just never heard of anything like a drop of medicine curing leukemia patients, like ever. He¡­ he wouldn¡¯t be making fun of us, right?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll never make fun of us for no reason at all, absolutely.¡± Yang Pengchan firmly replied. ¡°He¡¯s hailed as a miracle-working doctor, and he is definitely a master at his expertise. Let¡¯s not question anything about him first, Lili. Just take Auntie and try the medicine first. We can still see Divine Doctor Tang if it¡¯s not good and let him find another way.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Yue Li complied and cautiously propped up her mother.


    After Tang Xiu and Ouyang Lulu left the European-styled pavilion, Ouyang Lulu then asked with curiosity evident on her face, ¡°Hey, Tang Xiu. Is that drop of medicinal liquid able to cure a leukemia patient? Isn¡¯t that pretty much ridiculous?¡±


    ¡°I concocted that medicine myself. If it can¡¯t cure the illness of ordinary people, then it¡¯s just trash, completely useless,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t worry! That drop of Body Refining Liquid won¡¯t just have an effect on her, but it will also fully clear out all the harmful white cells in her system, as well as gives great benefits to her physique. She¡¯ll definitely live and stay healthy for the rest of her life, unless she gets into an accident and dies that way.¡±


    Though half-believing and half-doubting it, Ouyang Lulu still nodded and no longer thought about it. She instead asked with a smile, ¡°Have you had breakfast this morning? You want me to prepare you a meal?¡±


    ¡°That reminds me. I haven¡¯t had a bite at all, frankly,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    Quickly after, the couple appeared in the dining hall. There were some guests staying in the establishment, so the dining hall was quite full of people. But seeing Mo Yin having a meal in the corner of the dining hall was quite a surprise to Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Mo,¡± greeted Tang Xiu after walking over and sitting across from Mo Yi.


    Mo Yi looked up and joyfully replied after he found out that it was Tang Xiu, ¡°Hey, when did you come back and why didn¡¯t you tell me in advance? There¡¯s something very important that I need to tell you about!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s interest piqued and he asked, ¡°Is it about the result of the research?¡±


    Mo Yi firmly nodded and said to the point, ¡°Yeah. It was thanks to the help from Divine Doctor Gui Jianchou, so the research products have taken shape. We also have conducted some tests, though we haven¡¯t yet experimented it on the human body. But all in all, all the tests are very satisfactory. Just two days ago, we sent some samples to the Shanghai First Public Hospital to be used on patients.¡±


    ¡°It can also be used to treat illness?¡± asked Tang Xiu in astonishment.


    ¡°Of course!¡± Mo Yi affirmed with a smile, ¡°It can treat many illnesses. Also, we actually have a plan to do some experiments to use it on healthy people. But then, we were afraid that it would have side effects, so we canceled it. We¡¯ll wait and observe more and, if there are no side effects on the patients, we¡¯ll experiment on healthy average people.¡±


    Tang Xiu went silent, but then suddenly said, ¡°Send someone to retrieve the samples back from Shanghai First Public Hospital immediately. I¡¯ll provide you some people for the experiment.¡±


    ¡°But about the side effects¡­¡± said Mo Yi quickly.


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that! I¡¯ll be there as well, so even if the samples have any side effects, I have a way to remove it for them. And, Professor Mo, I wish that you won¡¯t announce the results of your research for some time.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡± Mo Yi looked confused and asked, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing and it will benefit all mankind!¡±


    ¡°The result of your research will definitely cause a stir worldwide once it spread out ahead of time,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°At that time, countless bloodshot and greedy eyes will fall on this Paradise Manor and you. Hence, we must keep it confidential as it is still in the early stage; at the same time, it will also ensure your safety.¡±


    Mo Yi ruminated for a while and he felt that Tang Xiu was right, so he nodded and said, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll listen to you! If anything, we won¡¯t need to worry about the following steps of this research later. I¡¯m also preparing to go back to Star City a few days from now. I spent quite some time to review the research over there and have some grasp of it, so I must go there and help with the research.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. You can go back if you need to,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Shortly after, he asked Ouyang Lulu to call the experts from the Everlasting Feast Hall stationed here. After telling them to carry out some tasks, only then did he begin to eat the meal Ouyang Lulu gave him. Just as Mo Yi put down his chopsticks and was about to leave, however, Spectre waltzed in from the outside.


    ¡°Hello, Boss!¡±


    The lackadaisical manner of Spectre vanished instantly upon seeing Tang Xiu, and he called out in high spirits.


    Tang Xiu nodded at him in response and asked, ¡°So, how has your progress in immortal cultivation been recently? Are you familiar with the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s HQ in Jingmen Island now?¡±


    Spectre forced a smile in response and shook his head, ¡°Well, I¡¯m just started to get used to it, though I was forced to experience one day as if it was the length of a year! But then, my mental power kind of magnified and my cultivation has reached the early stage of Foundation Establishment.¡±


    Looking satisfied, Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I have been long aware that you can break through to the early stage of Foundation Establishment. After all, you already had a very solid foundation previously. But I don¡¯t get it when you mentioned that you went through a day that was equal to a year in cultivation? What kind of issues did you have in the process, exactly?¡±


    ¡°It was not just mere issues, Boss.¡± Spectre sighed, ¡°It was big problems! And Boss, your disciple is truly way too powerful. The array she arranged can actually¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and calmly said, ¡°I already know she¡¯s very strong and has made grand accomplishment in arrays as well, so you don¡¯t need to mention more. But since you already came to Shanghai, you¡¯re going to follow me. Awu and the rest are now in Ning City dealing with something, so you¡¯ll be my driver and bodyguard later.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Spectre immediately complied.


    Tang Xiu then shifted his attention to Mo Yi and said, ¡°You can go back first, Professor Mo. I gotta fill my belly first as I haven¡¯t eaten for a couple of days. I¡¯m starving right now.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡±


    Mo Yi, however, shot a deep glance at Spectre. He overheard the word ¡°cultivation¡± from Tang Xiu and Spectre¡¯s dialog. He didn¡¯t understand what this ¡°cultivation¡± word meant previously, but now he was well aware that this term Tang Xiu used meant he was cultivating in Dao to become the likes of celestial immortal in the legends.


    ¡°Mr. Tang.¡±


    Just as Mo Yi left the dining hall, Wang Wei hurriedly ran in from the outside. After he came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side, he respectfully handed over a bank card and said, ¡°Mr. Tang, we were in the wrong previously, driven by our reckless youth mentality. Please don¡¯t stoop to our stupidity and ignorance. If anything, this bank card has 240 million in it, a token of my apology for offending you. Please don¡¯t think of it as too small a number as this is all the money I have.¡±


    ¡°Ehh?¡± Tang Xiu frowned and asked, ¡°Who wants your money?¡±


    Wang Wei subconsciously stole a glance at Spectre and replied, ¡°I know you like money, Mr. Tang, so the money in this bank card is my token of apology to you. I promise I¡¯ll never make the same mistake again in the future, nor will I rely on my family and wealth to act bossy and arrogant.¡±


    Tang Xiu could tell Wang Wei¡¯s purpose in giving him money from this guy¡¯s mannerisms and expression. He was sure that Spectre had something to do with it. But then, it was stupid to refuse the money that was offered right before your eyes, so he took the bank card and tossed it to Ouyang Lulu. ¡°You take this! Just talk directly to the construction developer which part of Paradise Villa you need to build. Tell them to do their job well and money is not a concern.¡±


    As for Ouyang Lulu, she of course received the bank card happily. ¡°Well, 240 million is quite a lot, but it¡¯s still much less than the number we need for the whole project, though.¡±


    Then, Spectre interjected, ¡°Well, another guy is going to send another 240 million too.¡±


    After Tang Xiu sent Wang Wei out, he then looked at Spectre and asked, ¡°Why did you do that? Aren¡¯t you some billionaire who¡¯s not short on money?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not short on cash indeed, but it feels so wrong to refuse a fortune that walks itself right to your door, no?¡± Spectre lightly grinned and said, ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t want the money from them. It¡¯s your call how to deal with it, Boss.¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile as he took out a jade bottle and flicked it to Spectre, smilingly saying, ¡°The stuff inside will give you great benefits. Since your state of mind has been improved, it¡¯s best to seize the chance to progress yourself further.¡±


    Not long after, Yang Yang also came and gave a bank card. This time, he didn¡¯t look at Ouyang Lulu even once, but instead stole glances at Spectre a few times instead.


    ¡°You really want to give this to me?¡± asked Tang Xiu as he looked at him smilingly.


    ¡°Boss Tang, we were indeed just like frogs looking at the sky from the bottom of a well previously.¡± Yang Yang bitterly spoke, ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you were so powerful. And since Lulu¡­ no, Ouyang Lulu is your woman, then I naturally don¡¯t dare to harbor any thoughts about her anymore. Please take this money. I hope that you can be magnanimous and won¡¯t make things difficult for me in the future.¡±


    ¡°You know, people are usually unable to be convinced until they are faced with grim reality, so they end up losing much more than they should have in the end.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°Your name is Yang Yang, isn¡¯t it? I advise you to not practice martial arts to only act foolishly. Learn well of how to conduct yourself in the world, and cast away that nature of displaying a pretentious manner quickly. I¡¯ve spared you today, but you won¡¯t know what kind of figure you¡¯re going to provoke in the future should you not change yourself. Cause later, maybe that person won¡¯t be as good as I am.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. What you said is correct. I¡¯ll certainly correct myself,¡± replied Yang Yan hurriedly.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to prolong the talk with him anymore. After tossing the bank card to Ouyang Lulu, he said, ¡°Alright, you can go now and we¡¯ll drop everything here and now! But I hope you can keep your mouth shut about some things you just found out; otherwise, your fate will end up grim.¡±

 Chapter 931 - The Miraculous Effect of Body Refining Liquid

    Chapter 931: The Miraculous Effect of Body Refining Liquid


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Inside the European-style pavilion deep within Paradise Manor, Cui Yanru was in the bathroom soaking herself in the bathtub. She was sweating from head to toe and gasping for breath. The pain she felt was like having her body sheared by a knife, generating the increasing fear inside her heart. She felt like she would definitely die if she kept soaking herself in the bathtub.


    ¡°Is it very painful, Mom?¡±


    Yue Li, who was supporting her, could see her distressed and pained look as she asked with deep concern.


    Cui Yanru¡¯s whole body trembled. She lifted her trembling hand to rub off the sweat on her flushed face, replying with a hoarse voice, ¡°It¡¯s painful like countless ants biting my body. I have had injuries and have experienced physical pain countless times before, yet none could compare with soaking in this water. Lili, if you can¡¯t endure it later, just come out.¡±


    ¡°I know, Mom. I know.¡± Yue Li nodded and took a deep breath.


    She trusted Tang Xiu and firmly believed that he wouldn¡¯t harm them. After all, this man fulfilled his promise to pay 100 million USD to them. He absolutely wouldn¡¯t harm them for no reason at all. Hence, she undressed and walked into the bathtub barefoot. She then felt the water temperature which hadn¡¯t cooled off even though her mother had been soaking inside for 10 minutes.


    ¡°I can do it.¡±


    Yue Li clenched her fists and slowly sat in the warm water in the tub. She began to feel very comfortable at first. But then, itchiness came from inside her, as if countless brushes were now stroking her body. A half-minute later, however, it was replaced with a growing pain all over her body.


    ¡°It¡¯s painful, Mom.¡±


    Clear tears were now gleaming and whirling in her eyes. Her pretty face was flushed red, and green veins on her forehead throbbed and protruded out; thus, she could only speak such a short sentence through hissing.


    Cui Yanru, who had taken a break, felt that the pain in her body had disappeared a lot. She now looked at the painful look on her daughter¡¯s face and replied with concern, ¡°Come out if you can¡¯t stand it, Lili! Mom already experienced it and knows how painful it is. You have no illness, so you don¡¯t need to experience it as Mom did.¡±


    Yue Li may look delicate, but she had a stubbornly strong will. Combined with her trust in Tang Xiu, she stubbornly shook her head and said, ¡°I can do it, Mom!¡±


    Time fleeted by, and, after over five minutes, the painful expression on Cui Yanru¡¯s face gradually disappeared and ruddiness now moved to replace it on her face. Shortly after, she felt that the itchiness that was raging inside her body now turned into a warm sensation. She even felt that her body began to restore its strength, growing in power.


    ¡®It feels¡­ so comfortable?¡¯


    Cui Yanru zoned out for a while. She suddenly looked at Yue Li and called out with pleasant surprise, ¡°I don¡¯t feel any pain again, Lili! It¡¯s¡­ I feel¡­ very comfortable now, more comfortable than I¡¯ve ever felt, even compared to when I wasn¡¯t ill. Divine Doctor didn¡¯t lie to us. I can feel that I¡¯m getting stronger.¡±


    Yue Li, on the other hand, was now suffering in pain at the moment. She even had a thought of giving up several times. But when she heard her mother¡¯s exclamation, her spirit soared and she gritted her teeth to continue holding on. After a few minutes, when she felt that she couldn¡¯t hold on anymore and her body would break apart if she remained, she finally got up and came out of the bathtub, albeit while struggling in the process.


    Outside the bathroom.


    Yang Pengchao was restless and paced back and forth anxiously. If it wasn¡¯t for his future mother-in-law also being inside the bathroom, he could¡¯ve rushed inside to see Yue Li¡¯s situation. Tang Xiu said that the process of soaking inside the warm water with that medication would be very painful, so he was afraid that Yue Li would face some problems.


    Originally, he had full trust in Tang Xiu, but the treatment process he just heard was absurd and he couldn¡¯t believe it. A drop of medicinal liquid can cure leukemia? It¡¯s not a very funny joke to him!


    Right now, he was thinking for a long time outside the door. Even the idea to take Yue Li¡¯s mother abroad to seek treatment at the best hospital overseas came to his mind should Tang Xiu¡¯s treatment not work. In his heart, Cui Yanru was also his mother, even though she was actually Yue Li¡¯s. They might have just gotten along these last few days, but he could feel that she warmly treated him as a true family member and his elder.


    Creak¡­


    The bathroom¡¯s door was opened and Yue Li appeared in neat attire in front of Yang Pengchao. Behind her was Cui Yanru neatly dressed as well.


    ¡°Yue Li, you¡­¡±


    Yang Pengchao truly couldn¡¯t believe his own eyes. Yue Li looked like she had just been reborn at this moment. Her whole being looked so fresh, stunning, and gave off a dazzling halo. Her skin seemed fairer than it used to be, looking extremely smooth and glossy.


    ¡°What happened?¡± asked Yue Li in surprise. ¡°Why are you looking at me with such a face? Is there something wrong with my face?¡±


    Only then did Yang Pengchao sober up from his daze as he murmured, ¡°You look much more beautiful, Yue Li. Your skin seems much fairer and better than it used to be.¡±


    ¡°Huh, is that so?¡±


    With a shy smile on her face, Yue Li came to the mirror in the room after stepping out of the bathroom.


    Yang Pengchao was about to follow her, but his eyes advertently caught Cui Yanru. It was just a short glance, but his body trembled and the disbelieving expression on his face reappeared again. The shock he got this time was truly big. Before Cui Yanru entered the bathroom, she was spiritless, languid, pale, and her skin looked to have lost its luster. It may be because of her age, so she simply looked that old.


    But now¡­ the current Cui Yanru seemed like she had just shed skin. She looked like she was tens of years younger, just like in her teens. Her skin was equally fair and full of luster; her whole being was full of spirit, not seeming like she had leukemia at all.


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    Yue Li, who was standing in front of the mirror, covered her mouth as she cried out in shock after looking at herself in the mirror. She never dreamed that she would become so beautiful. Not even in her dreams did she think such amazing changes would happen to her, especially to her skin, as it was¡­ it was like a baby¡¯s.


    ¡®How can this be¡­¡¯


    Her heartbeat sped up and pounded hard. Such a shock, though a happy one, made her whole being stunned.


    ¡°Hey, Yue Li, have you looked at Auntie¡¯s appearance?¡± Yang Pengchao called out quickly, ¡°She seems to have turned tens of years younger. She looks like she is in her teens now; I don¡¯t think she looks like a terminally ill person at all.¡±


    Yue Li turned around, and only then did she realize that her mother was indeed different than before. She suddenly recalled what Tang Xiu had said and immediately spoke to Yang Pengchao, ¡°What do you think? Has that drop of medicinal liquid really cured Mom of leukemia?¡±


    Yang Pengchao thought for a moment and asked back hastily, ¡°There¡¯s still some time left before the two hours of time is over; should we go to the hospital to have a checkup?¡±


    Yue Li¡¯s mind moved, but then she realized that the time was too tight, so she shook her head and said gently, ¡°I believe Divine Doctor Tang, Pengchao. He said that he can cure Mom¡¯s leukemia, so she¡¯ll be cured. You just saw it, didn¡¯t you? We just soaked in that medicinal bath, which already has made our appearance change so much better than before. Let¡¯s just wait for him to come over. We¡¯ll talk about the idea of going to the hospital after that.¡±


    ¡°I think Lili is right, Pengchao. Haste makes waste,¡± added Cui Yanru. ¡°And although I feel that I¡¯m much stronger and better than even before I got sick, it¡¯s better to wait for now rather than be anxious. Let¡¯s ask Divine Doctor Tang about the effect first when hecomes.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then.¡±


    Yang Pengchao nodded. His trust in Tang Xiu raised again several points.


    Half an hour later, Tang Xiu then came back to this building along with Ouyang Lulu. After seeing Cui Yanru and Yue Li¡¯s new look, he immediately smiled and said, ¡°The external effect looks good, but I am yet to know how effective the treatment is. Alright, Ms. Cui, I¡¯m going to check your pulse again to check your condition.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Cui Yanru hurriedly.


    After taking a seat, Tang Xiu conducted a thorough examination and found that the harmful white blood cells inside Cui Yanru¡¯s system had been completely eliminated. He immediately praised the effectiveness of the Body Refining Liquid inwardly as it turned out to have such good effect in treating patients indeed.


    ¡°What¡¯s my condition now, Divine Doctor Tang?¡±


    Seeing that Tang Xiu retracted his hand back, Cui Yanrui hurriedly asked.


    ¡°The effect is great. All the harmful white blood cells in your system have been removed,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°But if you don¡¯t feel relieved, you can go to a large hospital to have a check-up. If they say that you¡¯ve been cured, you don¡¯t need to come back here and can leave directly. Of course, you can also return here and stay for a few days if you still want to stay in Shanghai.¡±


    Having said that, he then looked at Yang Pengchao and said with a light smile, ¡°Don¡¯t forget your commitment. After you¡¯ve settled this, remember to come to Star City and find the General Manager of Magnificent Tang Corp.¡ªKang Xia. She¡¯ll arrange everything for your work.¡±


    ¡°B-Boss¡­ Boss Tang, can I take them to Star City with me as well?¡± asked Yang Pengchao. ¡°Since I must work in Star City later, I wish that they can also live there, so that I can take care of them.¡±


    ¡°That would be the best.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re specially scouted and hired by me, so you would usually be assigned a house in Star City. But you¡¯re a rich man now, so buy it yourself instead.¡±


    ¡°Hehe,¡± Yang Pengchan grinned and said, ¡°You gave that much money, Boss. It¡¯s enough even if I bought 100 of them. Also¡­ Should I take Auntie to the hospital to have the check-up first?¡±


    ¡°Go then.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled lightly.


    After their departure, Ouyang Lulu stood before the window and asked, ¡°What¡¯s your next plan then, honey? It¡¯s summer holiday, so your campus is on holiday too. Got some time for a vacation?¡±


    Tang Xiu only bitterly smiled and said, ¡°Even if the campus is not on holiday, I won¡¯t be able to properly attend class either. I don¡¯t think I can have anything like a vacation as I need to go to Thailand next. There are some things I need to deal with there.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s expression changed and she asked, ¡°Is it about the jade zodiac carving? You caught the news of the jade pig?¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t tell her the issue about Zhang Xinya. But in any case, he indeed still had to leave for Thailand to conclude the issue about the jade pig while in passing, so he said, ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve collected half of the zodiac jade carving, so I need to find and collect the rest of them as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°Would you like me to go with you?¡± asked Ouyang Lulu.


    ¡°If there¡¯s no expansion of Paradise Manor, you can actually tag along, Lulu.¡± Tang Xiu replied with a smile, ¡°But you now have things to do here, so you can¡¯t. Don¡¯t worry, though. I should be back soon.¡±


    ¡°How about stopping by the project first, then?¡± asked Ouyang Lulu again. ¡°I just want to go out with you. It¡¯s been a long time since the last time we had a date!¡±


    Comments (2

 Chapter 932 - Opening The Opportunity

    Chapter 932: Opening The Opportunity


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu thought about it, and he knew that Ouyang Lulu was correct. Ever since they both started their relationship, he hadn¡¯t taken her on a date literally, so he smilingly said, ¡°Alright, wait till after I¡¯m done with this issue, and I¡¯ll take some time to accompany you. How about it?¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± replied Ouyang Lulu with a pleasantly surprised face.


    Tang Xiu then released his perception. When he found Spectre downstairs, he immediately spoke, ¡°Lulu, I¡¯ll be leaving as soon as possible, so could you help book plane tickets for me and Spectre?¡±


    ¡°A flight straight to Thailand?¡± asked Ouyang Lulu. ¡°Which city do you want to go to?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll head to Jingmen Island first as there are some things I need to tend to there,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°We¡¯ll leave for Thailand afterward.¡±


    ¡°What are you gonna do in Jingmen Island?¡± asked Ouyang Lulu with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°I encountered some things in Chang City a few days ago. Some friends were having troubles there, so I assigned them to leave for Jingmen Island,¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯m going to see them there.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu understood, but her face was now covered with worry. ¡°I know that you¡¯re an important man, Tang Xiu, and I know that you¡¯re very strong. But you often go to dangerous places, so no matter what, please pay attention to your safety.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll do that.¡± Tang Xiu gently hugged her while smiling.


    ****


    As dusk came, Tang Xiu and Spectre arrived at Jingmen Island. Once landed, he didn¡¯t notice anyone from the Everlasting Feast Hall, so he just took a cab to go their HQ.


    ¡°Anyway, Boss. I truly don¡¯t want to step foot here again for the rest of my life if I have a choice,¡± muttered Spectre while sighing and looking at the scenery through the window. There was a hint of fear on his face.


    ¡°Ehh?¡± A smile sketched on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s lips. He then said with a thin smile, ¡°Well, well. I never thought that there could be someplace in the world that even could make you so afraid, Spectre. But, having some dread is kinda a good thing, though.¡±


    Spectre gave a long face and said, ¡°Could you not make fun of me, Boss? How about I get off here and you go there by yourself. Just call me when you¡¯re about to leave.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Damn. I am really amazed, though. What exactly happened to you to make you so afraid like this?¡±


    Spectre touched the bridge of his nose and let out a dry smile, ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ I was scared by¡­ by your disciple, Boss. I sure as hell never want to get trapped inside that array again. You see, I was grounded to improve myself inside it for 13 years. It made me unsure whether I¡¯m 32 or 45 years old.¡±


    ¡°Say what?¡± Tang Xiu blinked with gleaming eyes.


    ¡°What¡¯s what? I said I¡¯m afraid of your powerful disciple, Boss,¡± affirmed Spectre again.


    ¡°No, not that line.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and continued, ¡°About the 13 years, what exactly was it? Is it involving the Chrono Array?¡±


    Spectre nodded. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s the Chrono Array. Time is accelerated by a 1:365 scale inside it, meaning a day is equal to a whole year. You see, anyone might be able to live for a day, 10, or even 100 days inside alone. But I¡¯d been through 13 years inside. That was 4745 days. Saying it is a miracle for me not to fall insane with such torment is an understatement.¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly remembered that Gu Yan¡¯er had learned a very mysterious secret art from being a disciple of the Shade Demon, Zhu Wushou. Laying out such a time accelerating array might be impossible for others, but not Gu Yan¡¯er. And what did he need the most at the present? It was time.


    Quickly after, the taxi stopped at the parking lot of a manor. Gu Xiaoxue had received the news in advance and was already waiting there.


    The moment Tang Xiu got out the car, he asked her in a deep voice, ¡°Where¡¯s Yan¡¯er?¡±


    ¡°Master is inside the alchemy chamber,¡± answered Gu Xiaoxue. ¡°Master said that she¡¯s going to concoct some pills and give them to Miss Xue.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows creased. He strode to the alchemy chamber at his top speed. As he got there, blazing heat greeted him as he found Gu Yan¡¯er standing by the furnace, throwing some miraculous herbs into the furnace unceasingly. Standing beside her was Ji Chimei, silently reading a book about herbs.


    ¡°Lord¡­¡±


    Ji Chimei saw him arrive and respectfully greeted.


    Tang Xiu lifted his hand to stop her from speaking more. He saw that Gu Yan¡¯er was in the critical point of the concoction process, so he didn¡¯t want to disturb her.


    After half an hour, the lid of the furnace flew up, followed by the rich scent of medicine. Gu Yan¡¯er reached out to grab the pill floating in the air. The pill that was radiating gentle golden light appeared in her hand and she quickly conjured a secret art to seal it and stuff it inside the prepared long jade bottle.


    ¡°Why are you here, Master?¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er looked pleasantly surprised and greeted Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I wanted to see the situation here, while there¡¯s also something important I need to ask you,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Please ask, Master,¡± replied Gu Yan¡¯er.


    ¡°Spectre told me that you threw him inside the Chrono Array, which reminded me that you once learned the mystery about secret arts relating to time with the disciple of the Shade Demon, Zhu Wushou, allowing you to arrange the Chrono Array,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°One thing I wanna ask is: can one also cultivate inside?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Why?¡± Gu Yan¡¯er nodded.


    The answer was much to Tang Xiu¡¯s delight. ¡°If so, then you¡¯re going with me to Clam Island! Cultivating inside the Chrono Array will be a great boon for the growth of those children we¡¯ve been cultivating there. I¡¯m sure they can quickly grow up.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it turns out to be about that.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er chuckled and said, ¡°It¡¯s not a problem for me as I can go right away, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But what?¡± asked Tang Xiu


    ¡°My Chrono Array only has the ability to temper one¡¯s state of mind. It¡¯s unable to help the growth of cultivation unless I can get the Chrono Crystal and True Psyche,¡± answered Gu Yan¡¯er. ¡°With these two kinds of peerless treasures, I can build a special dimension of the time-space array, so anyone can truly live and cultivate both body and mind inside.¡±


    ¡°The last Chrono Crystal was used up on you, so we have none of it now. ¡°Tang Xiu frowned. ¡°Additionally, the True Psyche can only be obtained by those Golden Immortal experts in the Immortal World who took the Heartseeker school and have gone through 49 Heavenly Tribulations. In addition, it¡¯s also after they¡¯re able to understand and elucidate true and false, essence and exterior¡ªonly then can they obtain this True Psyche. We could find a way to get it if we were in the Immortal World no matter how difficult it is. But this place is Earth, so there¡¯s no way we can get it.¡±


    ¡°Well, then I can only lay out the illusion Chrono Array. The only use of it is to temper the mind. It will make their state of mind progress rapidly, even beyond their age limits.¡±


    Tang Xiu thought about it and said, ¡°It¡¯s already great for it to be able to improve the state of mind. However, there¡¯s no hurry to leave for Clam Island right away. You should cultivate well first. After you¡¯re sure there¡¯s no problem with your body anymore, you can go there and return back ASAP.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll do that.¡±


    Her reply was accompanied by a bright smiling face, as she could feel the concern in Tang Xiu¡¯s words. It made her feel warm and happy inside.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I just recalled that I sent some people from Chang City. Where are they now?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°You sent some people from Chang City?¡± asked Gu Yan¡¯er with a puzzled expression. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that!¡±


    ¡°I was the one who settled them here, Grand Master.¡± Gu Xiaoxue hurriedly interjected, ¡°I didn¡¯t tell Master since it was just a trivial issue. They are now in the Everlasting Feast Hall. I¡¯ll summon them immediately if you want to see them.¡±


    Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need. Just take me to them. I¡¯ll see them and leave for Thailand afterward.¡±


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu left with Gu Xiaoxue while Gu Yan¡¯er took the concocted pills and left to find Xue Yu. Neither Tang Xiu nor Gu Yan¡¯er took the initiative to mention anything about the concocted pills.


    Inside the guest room of the restaurant.


    Tang Xiu met Song Donglai and Ao Wei while observing their respectful manners. He waved to gesture them to take a seat and said, ¡°I¡¯ve culled the Lian Family and killed every one of them who has any combat force. The surviving members are only the weak, elderly, and young, so you don¡¯t need to hide here anymore. You can leave after our talk.¡±


    Song Donglai and Ao Wei exchanged glances. The duo, who had just taken a seat, actually got up again and cupped their fists to Tang Xiu, ¡°We¡¯d like to cultivate and follow you, Senior Tang.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Please accept us, Mr. Tang.¡±


    While being surprised, Tang Xiu observed them for quite a while before he shook his head and said, ¡°You both are different from Han Sen. He¡¯d have been a dead man had I not saved him before. But you both¡­ you both still have families and friends. Any emotional relationship of the mundane life will continue to pester you, so you two are not suitable to follow and work for me.¡±


    Disappointment appeared on their faces. But Song Donglai didn¡¯t give up and seriously said, ¡°Then please take us as your in-name disciples, Senior Tang. We would appear to look older than you, but those who have reached a much higher realm deserve to be called Masters in the cultivation path. Please don¡¯t shut the door on us. We have a genuine and sincere desire to follow you.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t. The path I¡¯m taking is different from yours entirety.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°If I were to accept you as my in-name disciples, the karmic ties between us will be created and I don¡¯t want to affect my own cultivation because of you. So, you both have no need to mention this issue again.¡±


    Having said that, however, he suddenly looked hesitant for a moment as an idea then came to his mind, saying, ¡°However, I was literally your guide who took you on the cultivation path, so I can provide you with some opportunities. I can give you some cultivation resources if you want to go further on your cultivation path. However, you have to buy them.¡±


    ¡°What cultivation resources are they, exactly?¡± asked Song Donglai hurriedly.


    ¡°Medicinal pills, for instance,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    With eyes staring wide, Song Donglai asked in shock, ¡°You will concoct medicinal pills?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m going to concoct some.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°But refining pills is a very difficult process. The number I can refine each time is but a few; hence, the price is very expensive. If you need them, you must buy them for quite a fortune.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re willing to buy them.¡± Song Donglai hurriedly said, ¡°But how much is the price exactly¡ªand what kind of pills?¡±


    ¡°You can ask Xiaoxue about that!¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°She¡¯s the present manager of the Everlasting Feast Hall and also my grand disciple. You can directly contact her whenever you need to buy any pills.¡±

 Chapter 933 - Profiting From Other’s Relationship

    Chapter 933: Profiting From Other¡¯s Relationship


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The salty smell of the sea was swept away by the hot waves, accompanied with the sound of the waves that hammered the shore. A black Mercedez-Benz SUV was speeding like a wild horse as it vroomed along the coastal highway amid the roars of its engine.


    However, Tang Xiu, who was sitting in the back seat, was puzzled after seeing that four black Land Rover SUVs were gradually following them from behind, hot on their heels.


    ¡°You want me to deal with those cars, Boss?¡±


    Spectre sat shotgun in front with a lackadaisical manner. He really looked like he was an entirely different person after he came out of that Chrono Array. He had been unusually cheerful yet very impulsive, more like a reckless and impulsive juvenile punk ever since.


    Tang Xiu shot him a glance and indifferently said, ¡°You should go find some women and get laid if you got time, you know. You got too much impulse inside, so you gotta vent it out well.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Spectre¡¯s skittish expression instantly froze, and he looked at Tang Xiu with a dry smile, turning his head directly to look outside through the window while groaning inside: ¡®Who the hell said I haven¡¯t found myself some women? Just three days ago, I spoke to six belles and talked about life and ideals, then rolled them up and down on the bed.¡¯


    As for Gu Tao driving the car, his eyes were shining. After he picked up the car¡¯s speed, he looked to the side and said, ¡°Boss, there are four cars in front of us, similar to those behind us.¡±


    ¡°Park!¡± ordered Tang Xiu.


    Gu Tao nodded and slowed the car down to park on the roadside. Zhang Jue, who sat beside Tang Xiu, got off fast and turned around to open the door for Tang Xiu and said in a low voice, ¡°There are 16 people in those 8 cars, Boss. They should be martial artists from their appearances.¡±


    Tang Xiu got off and then lit a cig, smoking it while watching the 16 men come striding from the back and front. His eyes then fell on the man in the lead of the eight men from the front.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Tang.¡±


    The man looked young gentle and wore gold-rimmed glasses, carrying a briefcase while donning a very famous brand-name suit which looked fit on him. His expression facing Tang Xiu was unusually respectful.


    Observing him for a while, Tang Xiu then shifted his vision to the rough seas in the distance and spoke indifferently, ¡°You stop me with such a parade on the coastal expressway. Are you coming to pick up some troubles, or are you seeking help? Firstly, let me tell you. Be it picking up troubles or seeking help, I don¡¯t have time for either, so scram at once!¡±


    The young and gentle-looking middle-aged man said, ¡°We¡¯re neither looking for trouble, nor are we asking for help, Mr. Tang. It was because my Lady wants to see you.¡±


    ¡°Got no time.¡±


    He was in a rush to leave for Thailand; how would he have the time and leisure for this Lady?


    Face turned stiff, the middle-aged man immediately let out a dry smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m Sun Bo, the Vice CEO of the Ouyang Group, Mr. Tang. My Lady is on the beach a few kilometers ahead. We naturally don¡¯t dare to stop you if you don¡¯t want to see her, so I¡¯m going back to report to Madame immediately.¡±


    Someone from Ouyang Group and his Madame?


    A strange look on his face, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°What is she to Ouyang Lulu?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s the Young Lady¡¯s mother,¡± answered the middle-aged man with a smile.


    ¡®No shit!¡¯


    Tang Xiu cursed inwardly. Had it been someone else, he absolutely didn¡¯t want to bother, but this Lady was Ouyang Lulu¡¯s mother, so his future nominal mother-in-law, no less. No matter how eccentric or flamboyant he ever was, he had no choice but to show his respect regardless! Tang Xiu threw and stomped the cigarette, then forced a smile and said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me who she was? I wouldn¡¯t have dared to say I won¡¯t see her! Anyway, just give the heads up; why is she looking for me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just an errand boy, Mr. Tang. How would I know about that?¡± replied the middle-aged man with a smile. ¡°If anything, you¡¯re the future son-in-law of the Ouyangs, so even if I knew something, I don¡¯t have any room to say anything ahead of time, do I?¡±


    Cough, cough¡­


    The reply made Tang Xiu cough a few times. He waved and said, ¡°Alright. Get on the road and show me the way.¡±


    A few minutes later, the convoy stopped at the edge of the coastal expressway a few kilometers away. As Tang Xiu got off, he saw a woman donned in a white long dress standing on the nearby beach ahead. She stood there with arms crossed behind her back, so Tang Xiu was unable to tell her age. However, he knew that it felt like she was in harmony¡ªperfectly fused with the world.


    ¡®An expert,¡¯ praised Tang Xiu inwardly. As he came alone behind her, he greeted, ¡°Did you¡­ want to see me?¡±


    Mu Qinxin turned gently, showing her graceful appearance to Tang Xiu as well as her smiling face. She was Lulu¡¯s resemblance, though a much more matured version. As the bells hanging on her wrist rang, she greeted with her slightly magnetic voice, ¡°It¡¯s our first meeting isn¡¯t it, Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed our first meeting, Auntie,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°But you look much younger than I had expected.¡±


    Mu Qinxin smiled and suddenly lifted her hand. She pointed to the sea and asked, ¡°What do you feel and sense about that?¡±


    Unable to figure out what kind of thoughts Mu Qinxin had in mind, Tang Xiu zoned out and found himself confused upon hearing such a random topic raised. However, he still answered, ¡°Rivers and tributaries are heading into the ocean. Vast and boundless it may be, it¡¯s filled with peace yet, also full of crisis, for it contains treasure so infinite while being ridden with endless killings and murders.¡±


    ¡°What else?¡± asked Mu Qinxin


    ¡®Anything else?¡¯ Tang Xiu really couldn¡¯t figure out what she was thinking, so he thought for a moment and asked, ¡°What kind of aspect about it are you referring to, exactly?¡±


    ¡°What is it in your vision? Is it something big, or insignificant?¡± asked Mu Qinxin with a smile.


    ¡°Man originates from water, while the sea is a vessel of this water.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Whether it is this body of the sea here, or the whole ocean on Earth, it¡¯s just a dot and trivial in my eyes.¡±


    ¡°Pathetically small and trivial? But can you conquer it?¡± asked Mu Qinxin.


    With a proud face, Tang Xiu replied, ¡°What I need is time. Give me some time, let alone the sea in front of me, even the whole Earth is nothing but a drop of water in the ocean for me.¡±


    She nodded and asked again, ¡°If I also want to make the whole Earth just a trivial thing like you, what method do you think I can do to achieve it?¡±


    It made Tang Xiu instantly realize what she had in mind. Looking at Mu Qinxin¡¯s smiling face, he wryly smiled and took out an ancient manual for cultivation from his interspatial ring, combined with two jade bottles. He then said, ¡°If you can grasp the cultivation technique recorded in this scripture and you¡¯re able to break the shackles of Heavenly Dao, you can then ascend to the Immortal World. Also, there are 20 Essence Amassing Pills in these two bottles. I concocted these auxiliary pills myself with difficulty, so please don¡¯t regard it as some worthless things.¡±


    Mu Qinxin¡¯s eyes turned bright. She clapped and looked at Tang Xiu, speaking gently, ¡°Lulu truly has good eyes. She¡¯s my precious daughter, though I never thought that I would also profit from being associated with her someday. Tang Xiu. Any descendants have their own luck and blessings, that I know. But I need your promise and commitment.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment and then answered, ¡°For so long as she never lets me down, I¡¯ll also take care of her for eternity.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve passed the test,¡± said Mu Qinxin, looking satisfied. ¡°But there¡¯s also something else I need to ask from you. If you can give it to me, then you will henceforth be the Ouyang House¡¯s son-in-law.¡±


    ¡°And, what is this something?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°The zodiac jade carving, any one of them,¡± answered Mu Qinxin.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed. Without even a shred of hesitation, he refused, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t comply. The whole set of jade carvings has 12 pieces. Having one or eleven of them has no purpose, as only the whole set will be of great use for me in the future. Aunt Mu, the zodiac jade carvings are way too important¡ªmillions of times more important to me compared to the cultivation technique and medicinal pills I just gave you.¡±


    Shooting a deep look at Tang Xiu, Mu Qinxin then calmly took the bag on her shoulder, and took out a lifelike red-colored jade dog from the inside. She handed it to Tang Xiu and smilingly said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that speaking about wealth, the Ouyang House can¡¯t compare to you. I¡¯m also sure that there will be no dowry that can enter your eyes, so I¡¯ll give you this jade dog instead for Lulu¡¯s dowry. What do you think?¡±


    The jade dog?


    A look of ecstasy burst from Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. After receiving and affirming that it was one of the twelve zodiac jade carvings, he looked up to look at Mu Qinxin¡¯s faintly smiling face and then seriously said, ¡°This is more than enough, Auntie. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I give you the dowry for Lulu, but I still need something from you,¡± said Mu Qingxin with a smile. ¡°However, I don¡¯t have anything appropriate in mind, though. Lulu¡¯s father likes antiques, artifacts, and relics. Do you have any appropriate item as your token of regards?¡±


    Tang Xiu ruminated for a while and gently spread out his hand. In an instant, a big Golden Dragon¡¯s head appeared in his hand. Even though the object was very heavy, the weight didn¡¯t apply very much pressure on him. He then said, ¡°What do you think about this Golden Dragon¡¯s head, Auntie?¡±


    ¡°This one¡­¡±


    Mu Qinxin¡¯s heart skipped a beat, daunted. She had heard about the origin of this Golden Dragon¡¯s head and knew that it was a national treasure. There had been bloody storms that happened in the past because of this object. All of a sudden, she didn¡¯t dare to accept it.


    Thinking that Mu Qinxin was not satisfied after looking at her expression, Tang Xiu immediately said, ¡°Alright, if uncle won¡¯t be satisfied with it, then I¡¯ll¡­¡±


    Mu Qinxin raised her hand quickly to interrupt him and forced a smile. ¡°That will be enough. It¡¯s just that I was hesitating before. I just thought that it¡¯s too precious and too¡­ too hot to hold.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Tang Xiu laughed and said, ¡°This Golden Dragon¡¯s head is indeed very precious, but it can¡¯t compare to Lulu in the slightest. Since I¡¯m the one who gifts this object to Uncle, I believe there will be no one who dares to pick up troubles with the Ouyang House, regardless. Besides, you just got a cultivation technique manual yourself, so the Ouyang House¡¯s power will greatly increase in the future, so it¡¯s unlikely you¡¯ll be defeated.¡±


    She pondered for a moment and felt that Tang Xiu was right. This Golden Dragon¡¯s head may be very precious, but it was of much lesser value compared to the ancient cultivation technique manual. Since she dared to accept the manual, why must she be afraid to accept this object?


    ¡°Alright. Put this object back, Tang Xiu!¡±


    After Tang Xiu took back the Golden Dragon¡¯s head and was about to speak more, Mu Qinxin took out something and handed it over to Tang Xiu. She then said, ¡°This is a remnant map said to be a treasure map where treasures of legend are buried, though I¡¯m not clear myself of what it is. I¡¯m heading back home and will go into seclusion for a while. I won¡¯t seek any buried treasures again in the future, so I¡¯m gifting this to you! You can look for it later if you¡¯re interested.¡±


    A remnant map for buried treasure?


    Tang Xiu observed the map made of sheepskin. There were a lot of symbols and patterns on it. His expression changed because he faintly felt that the marked terrain painted on it was rather familiar.

 Chapter 934 - Those Who Can Kill Me Haven’t Yet Born

    Chapter 934: Those Who Can Kill Me Haven¡¯t Yet Born


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The sun in summer was scorching and blazing hot, but it didn¡¯t bring the slightest discomfort to Tang Xiu. On the contrary, he felt peaceful and comfortable smelling the sea breeze. He particularly felt satisfied even though he just gave out an ancient cultivation manual, two bottles of pills, and the Golden Dragon¡¯s head.


    The jade dog was the object he had been urgently seeking. As of now, he had already obtained the jade ox, tiger, dragon, rabbit, monkey, and rooster. Combined with the jade dog, he had seven pieces of the zodiac jade carvings. He had also obtained the whereabouts of the jade pig, which was in the possession of Singkuo, Singluen¡¯s big brother from the Dark Shaman clan. What¡¯s more, Miao Wentang seemed to have caught the news about another piece of zodiac jade carvings as well.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time, Boss.¡±


    Zhang Jue strode closer nearby and respectfully reported.


    Nodding at him in response, Tang Xiu put the jade dog into the interspatial ring. He then looked in the direction of Mu Qinxin¡¯s departure and let out a faint smile to say, ¡°You know, the Ouyang House is slightly interesting, more so regarding this future mother-in-law of mine. She¡¯s not a cultivator, yet is able to reach the state of the Unity of Heaven and Man and has become an expert at the peak stage of Qi Refining. She could be said to be the most impressive expert in the ancient martial arts circle I¡¯ve ever met. It¡¯s no wonder the Ouyang House was able to become the biggest family in Jingmen Island.¡±


    ¡°I know a lot about the Ouyang House.¡± Zhang Jue chimed in, ¡°Its Patriarch¡¯s Lady is indeed the most special figure. She¡¯s very mysterious, just like a dragon whose head and tail are always shrouded in fog. I recall that this family has faced several crises in the past, and she was the one who solved them all.¡±


    Tang Xiu turned to look at him and smilingly asked, ¡°What¡¯s her background, exactly?¡±


    ¡°I dunno about that,¡± said Zhang Jue. ¡°I¡¯m not able to investigate it.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t investigate it?¡± Tang Xiu frowned and said, ¡°That¡¯s very interesting in and of itself. Alright, I¡¯ll draw a picture when we arrive in Thailand later. I want you to take a photo of it with your smartphone and send the picture to Xiaoxue. Tell her to check the design on it.¡±


    ¡°What picture?¡± asked Zhang Jue.


    ¡°Did you not notice the ancient jade ornament worn by my mother-in-law around her waist?¡± asked Tang Xiu. ¡°That jade ornament is something that is usually worn by some particular people, usually to distinguish their identity.¡±


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu remembered something and immediately took out his handset. He dialed Xue Yu¡¯s cell number and, after his call was picked up, he asked, ¡°There¡¯s something I wanna ask about the Ouyang Family of Jingmen Island. It¡¯s about its Patriarch wife, Mu Qinxin¡¯s background. How much do you know about her?¡±


    ¡°Quite a lot,¡± answered Xue Yu in a soft voice.


    ¡°Tell me about it. What¡¯s her origin?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Mu Qinxin is a member of one of the secluded hermit clans,¡± said Xue Yu. ¡°Members of these clans seldom come out to interact with the secular world. They also never use many common products from the outside world, even if society has gone through rapid development and advancement. They generally seclude themselves from the outside world and live like people of ancient times. What they pursue is a sense of a carefree life without secular worries, as well as freedom from any bindings. Mu Qinxin, however, is a different kind of breed of her clan. I once followed Ancestress to visit the Mus of these hermit clans, so I know about them.¡±


    ¡°Where is this hermit clan living?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°In some mountains in the Yunnan Province,¡± answered Xue Yu.


    ¡°Judging from a member of this clan being able to reach the peak of Qi Refining Stage, this clan is by no means simple.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I presume the elders of this clan could even be much more impressive. Most important of all is that they are not even cultivators, nor are they likely martial artists. On the contrary, they seem to have taken another path of cultivation.¡±


    ¡°What they are cultivating is their psyche and heart,¡± said Xue Yu.


    ¡°Ah, you actually know about it too.¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll call you again about this issue later as I¡¯m about to leave for Thailand. I¡¯ll see you again once I come back.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Pay attention to your safety.¡±


    Some dangers always occurred whenever Tang Xiu went out, and since Xue Yu was aware of them, she couldn¡¯t help herself in urging him to be careful.


    ¡°No worries!¡± replied Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Those who have the ability to kill me have not yet been born in this world, so there are no threats to me. It¡¯s actually you who needs to pay attention to yourself, though. You just had your cultivation progress extremely sharply and it¡¯s not all that good for you, so you have to stabilize the foundation of your current realm and quickly control your power as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Alright, will do.¡±


    ****


    As the clock struck midnight, Tang Xiu arrived in Bangkok, Thailand¡¯s capital, along with the trio of Spectre, Zhang Jue, and Gu Tao. Bangkok is the biggest city in Thailand, hailed as the ¡°City of Angels¡±, and was also the second-largest city in Southeast Asia. The city is the center of all aspects of Thailand¡¯s politics, economy, trade, transportation, culture, religion, and even science and technology.


    Bangkok is also a trading center for precious metals and gems, accounting for 44% of the total economy of the country. In addition, its tourism industry is also very developed and one year obtained the popular vote as the most popular tourist city in the world. Hence, there are many foreign tourists here.


    Just as they came out of the airport, Zhang Jue, who walked beside Tang Xiu, reported in a whisper, ¡°We just got news, Boss. Ms. Zhang is staying in a five-star Amanda Hotel near the Chao Phraya River. She¡¯s not at the hotel now, however, but is now currently holding a night photo session on the Mekong River. Also, the intel said that she ran into some problems yesterday. She got robbed and lost her passport, wallet, and other carry-on items, as well as blackmail phone calls from some people.¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted and lightly said, ¡°Let¡¯s head over to the place of her photo session, then! Besides, I¡¯ve always heard about the famous Chao Phraya River in the mainland.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, this Chao Phraya River is also called the Maenam Chao Phraya, the longest and largest river in this country, earning it the moniker Mother of Rivers here,¡± Zhang Jue replied, ¡°Some also call it the Venice of the East due to its very convenient water transportation. Anyway, we can get there by car first and then by foot to the nearby neighborhood. After that, we can board the famous Chao Phraya ferries to Ms. Zhang¡¯s shooting location.¡±


    ¡°You have all been to this place, so you¡¯ll take care of our trip here!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°Understood!¡± complied Zhang Jue respectfully.


    It was Spectre who volunteered himself to go out and fetch them a car. Soon after, he appeared driving a worn-out jeep and stopped in front of Tang Xiu and the rest. As he jumped out of the driver¡¯s seat, he sheepishly grinned and said, ¡°This baby is great, Boss. Good performance and the feel of the breeze while riding is great.¡±


    Dismissing the questions about where and how he got the car, Tang Xiu directly took the back seat and lightly said, ¡°I¡¯m not interested in being the chauffer, nor do I like racing, so it¡¯s your call if you like it.¡±


    Seeing his indifferent response, Spectre just let out a hollow chuckle twice. He gave up the idea to be a driver and came to the front seat, saying, ¡°Anyway, there¡¯s a fun place in Chao Phraya River worth visiting, Boss. It¡¯s called Exquisite Fallen Petals. However¡­¡±


    ¡°And, where is this Exquisite Fallen Petals?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Sitting beside Tang Xiu, Zhang Jue explained in a low voice, ¡°Exquisite Fallen Petals is a large cruise ship, Boss. Only those with this cruiser pass can board it. This luxury liner belongs to Kanaja, the Kingpin of Bangkok¡¯s underworld. It¡¯s his main tool to amass his fortune here. You can have things you can¡¯t imagine on other cruisers on this luxury liner. As long as you have money, you can get women, privileges, or even kill people if you wish to. They will send you someone to hand over the knife and a living person for you to murder¡­¡±


    This made Tang Xiu frown and he asked, ¡°Is this Kanaja fellow quite powerful here?¡±


    ¡°Very. He can paint black or white on a whim,¡± answered Zhang Jue.


    ¡°Comparing him to the Dark Shaman clan, which one is more powerful?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Zhang Jue was slightly hesitant and forced a smile. ¡°I dunno about that, boss. The Dark Shaman clan has rarely been in contact with the outside world, while its more experienced members also rarely interacted in society, nor are they involved in politics. It¡¯s hard to compare them.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s set off and head to Zhang Xinya¡¯s shooting location. Still, my main purpose in coming to Thailand is for the jade pig in the hands of the Dark Shaman clan¡¯s young lord, Singkuo, so I don¡¯t want any complicated issues to crop up here.¡±


    It was night, and the night scenery by the Chao Phraya river was entirely different from the daytime scenery. Sightseeing tourist cruise ships shuttled back and forth along the river course, while multicolored lights ornamented the night to create a dreamlike scenery. It was very late at night, but the bustling scenery still greeted them. It was like the place never sleeps.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s group of four now boarded a crude and simple boat, the Chao Phraya Express ferry. The boat trudged through the hot breeze and soon approached a small harbor. As it anchored and came to shore, the four men disembarked and crossed a riverside street into an exotic complex of buildings.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­¡±


    Zhang Jue¡¯s phone rang. He picked it up and exchanged some words with the caller. Then he hung up, walked to Tang Xiu¡¯s side and said, ¡°Ms. Zhang seems to have encountered small problems, Boss. But her bodyguards have dealt with it. However, the news I just received is that the background of those who just made the trouble makes things slightly problematic. If not handled in time, maybe Ms. Zhang¡¯s next photo shoot won¡¯t be so smooth.¡±


    ¡°What caused it, exactly?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Someone invited Ms. Zhang for a midnight snack or something,¡± explained Zhang Jue. ¡°She rejected the invitation and the other party provoked her; thus, they got beaten by her bodyguards.¡±


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    This time, Tang Xiu¡¯s phone rang all of a sudden. When he took the phone and saw the screen, he picked it up and said, ¡°Hey, cousin. Are you looking for me regarding Zhang Xinya¡¯s issue?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I heard you went to Thailand,¡± said Chu Yi. ¡°It so happened that she just ran into troubles there, so can you take a look at it in passing?¡±


    ¡°One of my purposes in coming here is exactly to meet her,¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°Also, there¡¯s something I need to tell you. Don¡¯t put any work on her schedule again for some time. If some things have been scheduled, cancel or push them off! She¡¯s currently having a problem psychologically. It will prove troublesome for her to continue working in this condition.¡±


    ¡°I heard she has turned into an extreme workaholic recently too,¡± replied Chu Yi with a forced smile. ¡°Alright, you deal with this issue since you are friends with her. I¡¯ll completely suspend all her work.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Tang Xiu shortly replied and then hung up. He turned to talk to Zhang Jue, saying, ¡°You¡¯ve inquired about the specific location, right? Lead the way there.¡±


    Zhang Jue carried out the order and lead Tang Xiu to walk for a few minutes on foot. They then saw Zhang Xinya¡¯s figure under the light of the lamps on the bank of the Chao Phraya river. At this time, she was quietly sitting on a chair while reading a document in her hand. Two men and two women stood around her, while four bodyguards were also situated nearby, watching around vigilantly.

 Chapter 935 - The Love So Deep That It’s Unforgettable

    Chapter 935: The Love So Deep That It¡¯s Unforgettable


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    A foul and nasty mood had been shrouding Zhang Xinya, be it at night or in the day¡ªor whether she was with anyone or was alone. Even breathing was so depressing, containing the emotional pain she currently felt. By tiring herself out and spending all her energy on her work, she thought she could probably forget this pain, albeit temporarily.


    Bangkok was a very beautiful place and the night view of the Chao Phraya River was even much more impressive. The sailing liners and buildings that produced the multicolored lights were so beautiful that it looked like a mirage, yet all of those were unable to incite any appreciation of Zhang Xinya, nor were they able to cast away the foul mood she was in.


    ¡°Sis Xinya, please listen to me. Let¡¯s leave and not take any shots here; instead, we¡¯ll pick somewhere else! I have a hunch that hoodlums are going to come back to pick trouble with us again,¡± urged Zhang Xiaoyu. There was a worried look on her face as she gently squatted before Zhang Xinya with arms crossed.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to be afraid of him even if he makes a ruckus again, Xiaoyu. Besides, the company has arranged very reliable bodyguards,¡± lightly replied Zhang Xinya as she looked up.¡± Besides, haven¡¯t we already reported it to the local police? This is Bangkok; the cops won¡¯t sit idly by doing nothing.¡±


    ¡°Could you please mature a bit, my lady?¡± Zhang Xiaoyu forced a wry smile and said, ¡°Bangkok or not, this place is still his turf. People say that the lackeys are even more difficult to deal with than their Boss. Besides, we¡¯re not locals and no matter how powerful a dragon is, it cannot suppress local snakes. We can¡¯t prevent this man in doing anything bad if he¡¯s to make any evil moves.¡±


    Zhang Xinya fell into silence for a while. But she stubbornly shook her head and said, ¡°Our marketing video shoot has yet to finish. Coming here was difficult, so we can¡¯t give up halfway. No need to persuade me more, Xiaoyu.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re really¡­ really stubborn like a bull, you know that?¡± grunted Zhang Xiaoyu helplessly. ¡°Haih, forget it. You wanna stay, then stay! But if we run into dangers again, you must listen to me and leave immediately.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Her grunts just earned Zhang Xinya¡¯s plain and dull response, and the face that could bring her a sense of security reappeared again in her mind. A restless, nervous look appeared in her eyes. She couldn¡¯t read the document in her hand anymore and instead moved her eyes to look in the distance.


    ¡°Am I¡­ Am I not seeing things?¡±


    Her expression froze. She jumped up from the chair and stared towards the distance upon seeing a very handsome man who came closer from afar. Her heart pounded and beat faster.


    ¡°What happened to you, Sis Xinya?¡± Zhang Xiaoyu was surprised and asked. She also got up and turned to look back.


    Zhang Xinya suddenly closed her eyes. The excitement that was as though a blazing flame inside her was quickly extinguished by a bowl of cold water from her own reminder. She shook her head, sat back on the chair and muttered, ¡°Hallucinations indeed appear if you think too much.¡±


    Zhang Xiaoyu, who also saw Tang Xiu, immediately looked surprised and hurriedly grabbed Zhang Xinya¡¯s arm and excitedly cried out, ¡°You didn¡¯t hallucinate, Sis Xinya. It¡¯s really¡­ It¡¯s really Mr. Tang. He¡¯s coming here!¡±


    Opening her eyes again, Zhang Xinya looked again in the direction of Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival. When she saw the face that always appeared in her dreams and reveries, only then did she finally determine that she really didn¡¯t hallucinate. He¡­ he¡¯s really came¡­


    With both hands in his pockets, Tang Xiu came in front of Zhang Xinya and greeted with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s such a coincidence, isn¡¯t it? You didn¡¯t expect that I¡¯d appear here?¡±


    Streams of tears came and drilled out of her eyes, sliding down her cheek. It was an unexpected surprise that she was unable to control herself. She dashed a few steps forward and threw herself to hug Tang Xiu, wrapping her hands around him and hugging him very tight.


    Tang Xiu thought that she was afraid due to the accident she encountered here, so he didn¡¯t push her away. He gently patted her shoulder instead and smilingly said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve heard about the things that happened to you here. It¡¯s just some ruffian, no less. You don¡¯t have to worry about being harmed since I¡¯m here now.¡±


    ¡°I miss you!¡± With eyes bursting with tears, Zhang Xinya said with a sob.


    The statement made Tang Xiu turn stiff at once. He could feel her slightly shivering body in his embrace. He could sense all the emotions coming from the bottom of her heart. Saying that he never had the slightest feeling for Zhang Xinya was absolutely lying to himself. If he had to turn back time and face her like this, he might have accepted her directly. After all, it was very difficult for him to see a woman who loved him so deeply cry and weep in his embrace.


    But then¡­ what about Zhang Xinyue?!


    He was not a man with a single woman anymore. Although he liked Zhang Xinya, there were also some issues relating to Zhang Xinyue. He and she already had skinship, and if he were to give a commitment to Zhang Xinya now, then what about Zhang Xinyue? Should he take these two sisters simultaneously?


    Amid the hugs and sobs, time passed by, and Zhang Xinya was finally able to compose herself and control her emotions. She looked up with teary eyes and asked tremblingly, ¡°You¡­ how¡­ why did you come here?¡±


    ¡°There was a very important thing I must deal with in Thailand, so I came here,¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°But then Chu Yi called and told me that you¡¯re also in Thailand, and have even run into some problems; hence, I directly came here. But you¡­ you lost weight¡­ a lot of it.¡±


    Zhang Xinya¡¯s emotions nearly went out of control again. She looked at Tang Xiu with tearful eyes and sobbed with every single word, ¡°I miss you. Whenever I¡¯m eating; whenever I¡¯m doing things; whenever I¡¯m working, and even in my sleep, I always miss you¡­. Sleeping, eating, everything is sour, everything is so foul since I cannot see you.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth was opened, but he couldn¡¯t find any word to reply.


    Lifting her hand to trace and press Tang Xiu¡¯s lips gently, Zhang Xinya took a deep breath and said, ¡°Please don¡¯t. Don¡¯t say anything. I¡¯m already very happy just being able to see you. Please, let me be happy for a while. I¡¯m so happy and touched that you worry about my safety, so please let me feel so touched for a while as well¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu fell into silence. He could feel her flurried emotions and the pleading that came bursting out of her heart. He suddenly felt how distressed this woman had been, causing him to feel extremely dear toward her. He already had several women at present. Whether it was Kang Xia and Ouyang Lulu or Xue Yu and Mu Wanying, they had also expressed such deep feelings to him. And now, he could clearly feel that Zhang Xinya¡¯s feelings for him was not lesser than theirs¡ªeven much deeper.


    Such an unforgettable love, one that had been carved deep into the bones and soul, was something Tang Xiu had experienced himself. It was the love he once had towards Xue Qingcheng in the Immortal World. He once thought that she was his most important significant other, his world, his everything ¡­


    And at this moment, he finally made a decision inside. He gently hugged her, stroking her long beautiful hair with tenderness and said, ¡°Come with me! I need to tell you something.¡±


    With that said, he looked at Zhang Xiaoyu and said, ¡°Notify them to pause the filming work. I¡¯ll give you 10 minutes to pack up and we¡¯ll leave this place.¡±


    Zhang Xiaoyu looked excited since she could tell that Tang Xiu actually had such a deep affection toward her sister, Zhang Xinya. When a man loved a woman so dear, that woman was definitely inside that man¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Alright, everyone. Let¡¯s call it a day and go back,¡± cried out Zhang Xinyue hurriedly.


    At this time, Spectre silently came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side and whispered, ¡°Some people have been around the vicinity and are monitoring this place, Boss. There are two groups of them, one towards our ten o¡¯clock and the other in the direction of four. The first one is just a bunch of street ruffians and have no monitoring instruments, but the last group is quite a pack. Their concealment skill is rather good and they have military-grade equipment.¡±


    Tang Xiu creased his brows and instantly released his perception to cover the radius of 300 to 400 meters. He found two groups of people just like reported. One group towards their four o¡¯clock was quite particular. The group consisted of two middle-aged men in casual attire looking ordinary. The one that stood out was a man hiding behind an erected billboard, using a hole on the billboard to observe towards their direction.


    ¡°Deal with those at our 10 o¡¯clock and interrogate them. I¡¯ll see those two at our 4 o¡¯clock myself,¡± ordered Tang Xiu. With that said, he held Zhang Xinya¡¯s hand and left the place.


    At the five-star Amanda Hotel.


    Tang Xiu followed Zhang Xinya to her business suite and watched her make tea. Her smiling face made her look like a blooming flower. She even took out a box of Yellow Crane cigarettes from her bag and handed them to him. Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, ¡°You don¡¯t seem to smoke; how come you carry cigarettes in your bag?¡±


    She blushed and answered in a low voice, ¡°I know you smoke, so whenever I want to see you, I always imagine lighting your cigarette with my hands.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu gaped before he then took out a cigarette and let Zhang Xinya cautiously light it up for him. He took some deep puffs and then walked to the window. While watching the lights outside with his back facing Zhang Xinya, he asked, ¡°Do you really¡­ like me so much?


    The question made Zhang Xinya¡¯s delicate body shudder. But she immediately lifted her head up and walked to Tang Xiu¡¯s side. She spoke without hesitation, ¡°What I feel for you cannot be described as ¡°like¡±. It¡¯s love. I really love you. So much.¡±


    Tang Xiu turned around and saw the firm look on her face. He forced out a wry smile and shook his head. ¡°In actuality, I don¡¯t deserve it. I am not a man worthy for you to love, at all. It can even be said that I¡¯m a man who is so fickle in love in the eyes of many people. I have a lot of women already, even too many of them to count. I always refuse you because I can¡¯t give you a happy marriage, for I¡¯m unable to give you my heart wholeheartedly.¡±


    ¡°I already know that, but I don¡¯t care,¡± replied Zhang Xinya.


    Again, Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, ¡°There¡¯s also something else, and I dunno how I should tell you. It was a mistake¡­ but¡­ it¡¯s also a very substantial issue¡­¡±


    ¡°What issue?¡± asked Zhang Xinya with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s about me and your sister, Zhang Xinyue,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°We had skinship.¡±


    ¡°You what?¡±


    Zhang Xinya¡¯s pupils contracted and her complexion turned ghastly pale. She shot Tang Xiu an incredulous look, pacing backward a few steps with her right hand quickly covering her chest.


    ¡°You¡­ you were¡­¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­ Please don¡¯t misunderstand,¡± sighed Tang Xiu. ¡°We did have skinship, but it was caused by a special circumstance. Do you still remember when we were in Qingcheng Mountain? I sent someone to escort you back at that time, but Zhang Xinya took your place in attending the villa complex opening ceremony. Something happened at that time¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu narrated all the previous incidents to Zhang Xinya and finally said, ¡°I was poisoned, and the poison was very potent. Only a woman was able to help me detoxify it with her body; otherwise, I¡¯d have died. Undoubtedly.¡±

 Chapter 936 - Men of Iron

    Chapter 936: Men of Iron


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tears trickled down Zhang Xinya¡¯s face as she looked at Tang Xiu in a dismayed daze. A pang of regret bit her heart as she had asked her sister, Zhang Xinyue to take her place at the opening ceremony of the Emperor Gauze Villa Complex back then. If¡­ if she had been there herself, such an incident between her sister and Tang Xiu wouldn¡¯t have happened.


    ¡°A-and then?¡±


    She wanted to know what happened next. The urge was pressing here, even though the final fact could never be changed.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know where I was and what happened to me when I lost my reason,¡± continued Tang Xiu. ¡°When I woke up, only then did I realize that Zhang Xinyue used her body to help me detoxify the poison. She saved my life and I¡¯m very grateful for that, yet I don¡¯t love her. When I was in dilemma thinking about how to shoulder this responsibility, she told me that nothing happened between us. She asked me to keep everything a secret forever and once we leave Qingcheng Mountain, we¡¯d never see each other again.¡±


    The burden inside Zhang Xinya¡¯s heart eased down a lot in that instant. Countless justifications for the incident swirled inside her mind, but none of them felt much better than Tang Xiu¡¯s explanation.


    At this moment, she even thought that what her sister did was the right thing. After all, the main point is that she did that to save Tang Xiu¡¯s life. Regardless of not having feelings for Tang Xiu, she probably found it difficult to just watch him die. Additionally, it also meant that Tang Xiu owed her sister a life-saving grace.


    Seeing the constant changing expression on Zhang Xinya¡¯s face, Tang Xiu forced a bitter smile and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been suppressing this issue, and have been keeping it buried inside my mind. I thought I¡¯d never tell any soul about it in this life. But I don¡¯t want to hide it from you anymore now. Just please don¡¯t blame Xinyue. All the blame is on me, so blame me. She saved my life, after all.¡±


    Lips squirming, Zhang Xinya bit her lower lip and shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t, and would never blame her. Instead, I¡¯m very grateful to her for¡­ she has saved the man I love.¡±


    Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, ¡°You still love me even though such a thing happened between me and Xinyue? After all, with all the things between us, there¡¯s no way we can¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡± Zhang Xinya waved and interrupted him loudly. ¡°I don¡¯t care whether it was Xinyue or other women who took that role. As long as you¡¯re safe and sound, I don¡¯t care even if you want all the women under the sun. I¡¯d still see it to the end. You can say that my love is way too extreme. You can say that I¡¯m too stubborn in love. But this is the true feeling I have. As long as you¡¯re okay; so long as there¡¯s a place for me in your heart, no matter how small it is, I¡¯m willing to love you. I will always follow you.¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­ but why?¡± sighed Tang Xiu helplessly.


    ¡°I never knew what it felt like to love, nor how to love someone before, and I¡¯ve never loved any other man,¡± said Zhang Xinya. ¡°But I¡¯ve decided and imprinted that feeling to you and only you. I can either live my life alone and spend my days until death in loneliness if you don¡¯t want me¡ªor, I can give you the love of a lifetime if you want me. The love that is ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times beyond the love you can give me.¡±


    Tang Xiu paced forward to the front of Zhang Xinyue. He could see the tenacity and the firm expression on her face. He reached out and gently pulled her into his arms and whispered, ¡°Once upon a time in the Immortal World, I was a Supreme. Once upon a time in the entirety of my life, I thought I could only love her. But after I came back to Earth, a realization came to me and changes happened to my heart. You can say I¡¯m a man with a melancholic yet passionate heart. You can argue that I had a change in heart and mind after I left broken-hearted. You open your heart to me, and I¡¯ll also take you to be my woman by my side for thousands of years.¡±


    Leaning her head on Tang Xiu¡¯s chest, Zhang Xinya said with her whole body, ¡°For millenniums or even eons, even if the seas dry up and the rock decay¡ªeven if the world comes to an end, I¡¯ll never give up on you. I¡¯ll never leave you.¡±


    Tang Xiu gently released her, but his hands still held her shoulders. He looked at her with a solemn expression, vowing in a deep voice, ¡°You, Zhang Xinya, are now Tang Xiu¡¯s woman from now henceforth. And you have no chance to object nor take your words back after tonight.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll never regret it, nor do I need such a chance,¡± replied Zhang Xinya firmly.


    ¡°You¡¯re a fool.¡±


    Tang Xiu hugged her again with eyes staring at the night scene outside the window, yet while containing a very fulfilled feeling, happiness, and unusual affection.


    Ten minutes passed by.


    Knock, knock¡­


    The door was knocked from the outside, causing Tang Xo to release Zhang Xinya from his embrace. He waved his hand to open the door. He saw Spectre walk in while dragging the two middle-aged men who had been monitoring Zhang Xinya. Then, he ordered Gu Tao and Zhang Jue who also tagged along, ¡°You two stand guard outside and keep an eye on any suspicious people in the vicinity. Should you find any, report to me at once.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Both of them replied and went out.


    Tang Xiu turned and came to the sofa. He took a seat and asked, ¡°So, what¡¯s the result of your interrogation?¡±


    ¡°These rabbles are nothing but a spineless bunch, Boss. I didn¡¯t have to spend much energy, yet they already spat out everything they know,¡± said Spectre. ¡°The culprit who sent them to monitor Ms. Zhang is Alloway, a famous gangster in the Mekong River area. There, he controls most of the entertainment venues in a radius of tens of kilometers with hundreds of hired thugs at the ready. Additionally, he¡¯s also Songzan¡¯s underling, a rather famous fella in Bangkok¡ªa two-faced businessman.¡±


    Tang Xiu creased his brows and looked at the two middle-aged men as Spectre threw them before him, asking, ¡°So, those street thugs are Alloway¡¯s hatchet men, the fella who got trashed by Xinya¡¯s bodyguards. Then what about you two? Who sent you?¡±


    The two middle-aged men exchanged glances. They had obviously been beaten badly given their swollen faces and bloody noses. One of them sneered, ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re not from around here, are you, Mister? You command quite the good English; mind telling us who you are?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to tell us anything about you, so why the hell should we tell you our identities? Hmph,¡± snorted the middle-aged man coldly.


    A knife appeared in Tang Xiu¡¯s hand out of thin air. He stabbed the man¡¯s arm with it, but the man didn¡¯t even make any noise and just gritted his teeth. Tang Xiu then lightly said with a smile, ¡°You got quite some hard bones, eh? Definitely not the likes of those street thugs. You wanna know about me? I got your life in my hands and I can you kill at any time given my mood. Afterwards, I¡¯ll throw your dead body into the Chao Phraya River.¡±


    The man shot an angry and hateful glare at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°You won. Songzan is our Boss, the Underboss who controls the fate of thousands of people in Bangkok. Your men have injured Alloway and those he sent to monitor you. Just wait for our Boss to send his men to hound you.¡±


    ¡°So, your Boss is gonna stand up for his men, huh?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a strange expression. ¡°He won¡¯t ever let us go?¡±


    ¡°Maybe you can leave Bangkok safely, but that is if Ms. Zhang apologizes to our Boss first,¡± sneered the middle-aged man.


    ¡°So this Songzan fella has no goodwill whatsoever, huh?¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°If so, I might as well help the Thai lawmen remove the tumor of the society here. Spectre, kill them and throw their corpses into the Chao Phraya River. But do remember, you¡¯re not to kill good people, though I do allow you to massacre those evil ones at your will. Certainly, spare me all the troublesome shits afterward.¡±


    ¡°Hehe. I got it, Boss.¡± Spectre grinned.


    Tang Xiu waved his hand. As Spectre directly killed the two men and took their bodies out, he then turned to talk to Zhang Xinya, ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to witness the killings, but some people must die, else they will keep pestering us and give us trouble. Also, you¡¯ve chosen to be beside me, so you must be prepared for some killing. After all, the path I¡¯m taking is destined to contain slaughter to move forward.¡±


    Zhang Xinya had already seen Tang Xiu murder people, even dozens of them at one time with a very ruthless and powerful method. But she was not afraid of it. As long as she could be with Tang Xiu, it was enough to give her the sense of security she needed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll learn.¡±


    Tang Xiu pulled her to make her sit beside him. He forced a smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m an immortal cultivator and I¡¯m not going to stay on Earth for a long time. You might be feeling disgusted and indignant to murder, but you¡¯ll know that later on, some people will be hell-bent on killing us even if you don¡¯t wanna resort to homicide. The path of an immortal is one ridden with battles; only the strong will survive. The brutality you¡¯ll see in the other world is a million times crueler than this.¡±


    Dumbfounded, Zhang Xinya asked, ¡°You always mention this another world, but where is it? What is immortal cultivation, exactly? Is it like becoming some kind of celestial beings?¡±


    ¡°You can say that it is becoming a kind of celestial being,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°This another world is called the Immortal World¡ªa higher plane in the universe. There are things I can¡¯t tell you for now, but I¡¯m gonna teach you an immortal cultivation art to cultivate. I¡¯ll also lead you to the Immortal World should you wish to come, and I¡¯ll tell you some important matters about it then.¡±


    Zhang Xinya smiled and repeatedly nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll follow you wherever you go. I¡¯ll be the tail that follows you everywhere as long as you don¡¯t give up on me.¡±


    ¡°Haha. Then my little tail of mine is too tired now.¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh and said, ¡°Alright, go take a shower and have a good sleep! The commercial filming is gonna be put on hold for now, and you¡¯ll return back to the mainland with your crew. I¡¯ll take you on a trip to Thailand someday later.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty!¡± replied Zhang Xinya happily. It was a pleasant surprise for her.


    Tonight, Tang Xiu held her in his embrace until she went to sleep. After she soundly phased away to the dream world, he quietly nourished her body with his Primal Chaos power to repair and adjust her system¡¯s functions.


    The next day came, and when the first wisp of sunshine pierced through the slit of the window curtains in the early morning, Tang Xiu woke up from his sleep and looked at the mobile phone vibrating on the counter. He looked at the soundly-sleeping Zhang Xinya, quietly got up, and then picked up the mobile phone as he walked to the living room.


    ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± said Tang Xiu in a low voice.


    ¡°Boss, I investigated last night and found some info about this Songzan fella.¡± Spectre voice came reporting, ¡°His men have already found those two dead bodies, and currently, there are many thugs near the hotel we¡¯re staying at. I reckon they should have been sent by Alloway and Songzan.¡±


    ¡°Take Gu Tao and Zhang Jue and get two heads to send to Songzan,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Tell him to wash his neck clean and wait for me. I¡¯ll visit him in person in two days.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Didn¡¯t you say that you hate troublesome things, Boss?¡± Spectre chuckled. ¡°Might as well let me kill them directly, I think.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t like troubles. But we can get more profit by solving the trouble in another way, though,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯m gonna see this Songzan; we could get a happy surprise from him. Alright, just carry out my order as I told you.¡±


    ¡°Roger that!¡± complied Spectre as he hung up.

 Chapter 937 - Lavish Gifts

    Chapter 937: Lavish Gifts


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Bangkok was blazing hot and one could smell a strong smell of sweat wafting in the air everywhere. The scorching sun felt like it wanted to turn the Earth into a gigantic oven to cook the living within. And yet, the locals and tourists, who braved the heat, were still lingering in the bustling area of Galois District, be it those who wandered to make a living, or those who strolled about for amusement.


    The Sand Lotus Club.


    It was the top entertainment club in the Galois District. It was always booming in business and was filled with guests year-round. With the various entertainment it offered, it was a paradise for those with deep pockets full of money. As thriving as it was on the surface, it was also the nest of Songzan, the man who controlled the entire underground world of the Galois District.


    Amid the building complex in the deepest corner were two low-rise houses that were built between lush old trees. Even the blazing hot sun was unable to send its beams of light to shine on the two houses and nearby forest path.


    ¡°Boss.¡±


    An ugly and ferocious-looking stalwart man donned in a black suit and black sunglasses strided across the woods and walked straight to the courtyard in front of the houses. Eyes full of respect, he looked at the big man in white attire sitting on the sofa in front of the pool as he called out to him in a low voice.


    That man was Songzan. He looked up and lifted the brim of his sunhat, calmly asking, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Someone wants to see you outside. He said he has lavish gifts to send you, Boss,¡± said the strongman. ¡°He¡¯s very strong and six of our guards on duty have been severely injured by him. Also, I can smell a strong stench of blood from him.¡±


    ¡°You know where he comes from?¡± asked Songzan with squinted eyes.


    ¡°He¡¯s a new face. It¡¯s our first time seeing him.¡± The strongman shook his head.


    ¡°A very reckless fella still dares to come to see me directly.¡± Songzan shook his head and smilingly said, ¡°Bring him in over! I¡¯ll see who dares to come to see me by the pretext of sending me gifts, yet wants to make trouble.¡±


    ¡°As you will it!¡± The big man replied and took his phone, dialed a cell number and spoke, ¡°Bring him over here!¡±


    A few minutes later, wearing a black casual outfit with sunglasses and a sunhat, Spectre came bringing two black handbags. Tens of guns¡¯ muzzles were pointed at him as a greeting. As he walked to the front of the sofa, he directly threw the two black handbags before Songzan, nonchalantly taking a seat on the sofa next to him, and then lifted one of his legs onto the other, saying, ¡°Frankly, this is my first time visiting someone so gentlemanly and openly like this. But you know, it feels so cool regardless.¡±


    ¡°Reckless and arrogant as you are, I hope that the gift you¡¯ve sent me doesn¡¯t disappoint,¡± said Songzan while shooting a look at Spectre. ¡°Why don¡¯t you introduce yourself first before I see your gift, Mister? I¡­ never speak with strangers, unless they are going to part with their lives.¡±


    ¡°Well, well. I think it¡¯s best for you to have a look at the gift I sent you, though.¡± Spectre grinned and said, ¡°If anything, don¡¯t be deceived by its light and worthless appearance. I guarantee you¡¯ll show me a very interesting face once you see the lavish gift I sent you.¡±


    For a moment, Songzan fell into silence. He motioned to the stalwart man next to him. The latter nodded without a word and came to the front of the two black handbags. He squatted and pulled the zipper down only to be greeted by a dripping blood head before him. It was a face he was familiar with!


    ¡°Boss¡­¡±


    The stalwart man¡¯s face was devoid of any other color but red. He instantly grabbed his pistol out from his waist, training its muzzle right at Spectre.


    Seeing the two heads of his men, killing intent gleamed in Songzan¡¯s eyes. He turned to glare at Spectre and growled coldly, ¡°They were my loyal men and my powerful lieutenants, yet you¡¯re able to kill them. But I assure you, Mister. You¡¯ll never take even half a step out of this courtyard without giving me a satisfactory statement today!¡±


    ¡°Heh? These two trashes were your powerful lieutenants? Man, it seems like the so-called famous Underboss Songzan turns out to have such worthless underlings,¡± snorted Spectre with contempt. ¡°Right, though. I think the Chinese correctly say ¡®some shits of worthless trash¡¯. Man, it seems like my knowledge about Chinese culture has improved recently.¡±


    He took out the cig slowly and smelled it, lit it up and took a puff. As he puffed out smoke, he spoke again, ¡°Well, that¡¯s the gift my Boss ordered me to send you, though. He also sent you his warning to restrain your men to not come out and stop annoying him for two days since he¡¯s gonna visit you two days later in person. He said he hopes that you have sufficient reason to keep your life intact.¡±


    ¡°Who the fuck is your Boss?¡± asked Songzan with a heavy voice.


    Spectre didn¡¯t hurry to answer, and instead leisurely smoked half of the cig and then flicked the butt to the pool. Then he got up and lightly said, ¡°You think you can know my Boss¡¯s name just because you want to learn it? Man, listen to my advice. You¡¯d better think about how to keep your life. That¡¯s a much more important issue for you right now.¡±


    With that said, he took out black-gold plated cards from his pocket. He then calmly put them on the small round table and spoke, ¡°You see, I used to leave this card to the dead. You¡¯ve made me make an exception for the second time.¡±


    As his voice faded away, a golden thread instantly appeared between his fingers. As it swept toward the strongman¡¯s neck, the latter screamed while he raucously laughed and headed to the front gate.


    On the nape of the strongman, however, appeared a tiny red mark. Along with the pace of Spectre leaving, the slit kept expanding with seeping blood until his head separated from his neck and fell to the ground near Songzan¡¯s feet.


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ Bastard!!!¡±


    Songzan abruptly got up and, as dozens of stalwart men around him instantly pulled out their guns, his eyes inadvertently swept over the black gold-plated card on the table. There was a flaming black mist insignia carved on the card that was like a demonic fire that sent a painful sensation to his eyes.


    At this moment, Songzan suddenly shuddered with violently contracting pupils. He loudly ordered.


    ¡°DON¡¯T SHOOT!!!¡±


    Tens of his men who were about to open fire at Spectre abruptly stopped before pulling their guns¡¯ trigger, looking at Songzan with confused faces.


    With eyes fixed on Spectre, Songzan growled, ¡°Are you Spectre? The world¡¯s first assassin Spectre?¡±


    Spectre¡¯s pace came to a halt. He turned around and put on a slightly regretful face and sighed, ¡°You see, for you to figure out who I am is quite a pity. I was hoping that your garbage underlings would shoot me. My Boss did order me not to hurry to kill you, but he didn¡¯t say anything about me not fighting back. Do you remember what I just said, Songzan? You¡¯re the first man I ever visited so openly and the first one alive after receiving Spectre¡¯s Soulcatcher Insignia.¡±


    Songzan shuddered violently inwardly and shouted fiercely, ¡°When and how did the world¡¯s first hitman become someone¡¯s lackey? Just tell me, who exactly is your Boss?¡±


    Instead of answering him directly, Spectre turned and waltzed outside and spoke to Songzan with his back facing the man, ¡°You see, the Chinese have an adage that you don¡¯t eat the tofu while it¡¯s still hot¡ª haste will make waste. I told you my Boss will visit you personally two days later. You¡¯ll know him by then naturally.¡±


    Tightly clenching his fists, Songzan viciously glared at Spectre leaving. However, a complicated feeling surged inside him. Had it been someone else who came today, he wouldn¡¯t have had any shred of hesitation to order his men to shoot the man. However, the person was Spectre¡­ a man he was very afraid of. The moniker of the world¡¯s first assassin was absolutely the most horrible existence, and not someone he could confidently order his men to shoot at.


    ¡°Boss!¡± called out a big man hurriedly.


    ¡°SHUT THE FUCK UP!¡± roared Songzan angrily.


    A while after, as Spectre¡¯s shadow disappeared from his sight, he sat back on the sofa with a grim and nasty expression. He looked at the three heads in front of him and fell into silence for a long while. Then, he fished his phone out and dialed a cell number.


    ¡°Something¡¯s up, Songzan?¡± a slightly hoarse voice came out from the phone.


    With a slightly respectful appearance on his face, Songzan replied, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m in deep trouble, Godfather.¡±


    ¡°Speak.¡±


    ¡°Spectre, the world¡¯s first hitman, just came to visit me. He injured six and killed three of my men,¡± said Songzan.


    ¡°What did you say? Are you sure he¡¯s Spectre?¡± replied the voice from the phone. The man¡¯s voice sounded a bit rushed.


    ¡°I have no way to verify his true identity, but he left a Soulcatcher Insignia. I have once seen a photo of his insignia before and it¡¯s exactly the same,¡± answered Songzan.


    The other party fell into silence for a long while and then said in a heavy and deep voice, ¡°Wait for me there.¡±


    As the call hung up, Songzan thought over what had happened recently and immediately called his caporegime, Alloway, to come immediately.


    At the five-star Amanda Hotel.


    As Tang Xiu finished teaching the human body¡¯s acupoints diagram to Zhang Xinya, the suite¡¯s door was knocked on. When he opened the door, Spectre immediately came forward and reported, ¡°I visited Songzan as per your order, Boss.¡±


    ¡°Give me the details,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Spectre reported in detail and finally said, ¡°I know he¡¯s scared of me and I¡¯m afraid that he¡¯ll order his men to investigate things about me after I leave, which in extension, will point to you, Boss.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯d be damned if he didn¡¯t investigate anything about us given his position as the local Underboss,¡± replied Tang Xiu calmly. ¡°Alright, let him investigate us as long as he doesn¡¯t bother me for these two days. Also, I need you to investigate something else.¡±


    ¡°And that is?¡±


    ¡°I need to know who¡¯s the real Kingpin of Bangkok¡¯s underworld. I want to know the details before tomorrow night if possible.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± said Spectre. ¡°Shall I get in touch with my contacts here?¡±


    ¡°You got some contacts in Thailand?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°My intel network can be found in every country all over the world, Boss,¡± explained Spectre, ¡°They are the people of the Darkwind Organization. I only need to buy intel from them if it¡¯s just my personal business.¡±


    ¡°The Darkwind Organization?¡± cold light gleamed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes and he faintly said, ¡°Tell me how to contact them. I¡¯m gonna buy the intel from them myself. As for you, I don¡¯t want you to be noticed by anyone for now. You¡¯re now my subordinate, to begin with.¡±


    ¡°Some people already sniffed out that I¡¯m your man, Boss,¡± replied Spectre.


    ¡°You mean Songzan?¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°No worries. Unless some variables happen, he¡¯ll only have 3 days left.¡±


    ¡°What variables?¡± asked Spectre.


    Instead of answering, Tang Xiu slowly said, ¡°Among those that I brought out from the 1319 Concentration Camp, I only took you with me to roam outside. The rest of them are on Clam Island. The fact that you¡¯ve broken free from there should¡¯ve been known to the outside world already, so we¡¯ll try to stay as low-profile as possible so as not to be targeted by some forces.¡±

 Chapter 938 - A Display of Authority

    Chapter 938: A Display of Authority


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Sand Lotus Club.


    Brows tightly pressed, Songzan kept smoking cigarette after cigarette and threw the butts on the floor. The appearance of the world¡¯s first hitman, Spectre, had literally birthed endless restlessness inside him. Alloway had arrived and stood beside him silently. The fella could still see the dried-up blood on the floor that hadn¡¯t yet been cleaned up, making him tremble with fear.


    ¡°Boss, Boss Kan has come!¡±


    A young man with a thin stature sent out a vigorous aura from the outside as he strode fast inside.


    Songzan raised his head and got up, heading to the courtyard gate. As he saw Kanaja with tens of big men in black uniform coming over, he hurriedly paced forward to greet him and called out, ¡°Big Brother.¡±


    Kanaja shot him an indifferent glance in response. After entering the yard, he directly took a seat on the sofa and asked, ¡°Where¡¯s this Spectre?¡±


    ¡°He just left,¡± answered Songzan.


    ¡°Tell me everything!¡± said Kanaja. ¡°I wanna know why and how did you annoy him or how you provoked the Boss behind him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about it either.¡± Songzan shook his head and said, ¡°But I suspect that it¡¯s related to that female star from China.¡±


    ¡°Tell me the details,¡± said Kanaja with pressed brows.


    ¡°All this shit is caused by Alloway, Big Brother.¡± Pointing at Alloway, Songzan said, ¡°He likes that Chinese female star. Her name is Zhang Xinya and has come here to do some commercial filming. Since he covets her beauty and keeps pestering here and got rejected, he also got a lesson from Zhang Xinya¡¯s bodyguards. After I found out that her bodyguards are kind of experts, I sent my men to investigate them. But then, the two men I sent were murdered and I found their dead bodies in the Chao Phraya River. I originally assigned some men to investigate the details of the other party, but then Spectre came bringing the heads of my other two men.¡±


    ¡°Zhang Xinya?¡± Kanaja picked his brows and asked again, ¡°Is this the only trouble you¡¯ve caused recently?¡±


    ¡°It was Alloway who caused this, accurately speaking, Big Brother,¡± corrected Songzan with a wry smile.


    Complexion turned pale, Alloway knelt before Kanaja and spoke in a shiver, ¡°Godfather, I¡¯ve investigated Zhang Xinya¡¯s background and she¡¯s just a singer in China! Although she brought some bodyguards with her, it¡¯s impossible for her to have anything related to the world¡¯s top hitman, Spectre! P-probably¡­ Spectre¡¯s appearance here¡­ is not¡­ related to this matter.¡±


    ¡°And, where is this Zhang Xinya now?¡± asked Kanaja.


    ¡°She¡¯s staying at the five-star Amanda Hotel. I have shares in the said hotel, so I already sent my men to gather the surveillance footage there,¡± said Alloway.


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Kanaja coldly hmphed and said, ¡°It seems you¡¯re not too stupid. Tell your men to send the footage here at once after they get it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes.¡±


    The fella hurriedly took out his cell phone and made a phone call.


    ****


    As dusk came, Tang Xiu accompanied Zhang Xinya to the Amanda Hotel¡¯s restaurant. Just as he took a seat at the dining table by the window, Singluen came over. The guy didn¡¯t bring the five old geezers with him and only brought the petite female.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Tang.¡± He came before Tang Xiu with a smiling face.


    Responding with a smile, Tang Xiu then said, ¡°Has your big brother come back yet, Singluen?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡± Singluen shook his head and said, ¡°But I got some good news that he¡¯s going back in two days. He seems to have recruited several experts after he left this time, however. From the intel, it was determined that one of them is Herde, a formidable man who was once a member of the Golden Flame mercenary group.¡±


    Tang Xiu waved and motioned him to take a seat. Then he lightly smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m not interested in how many experts Singkuo invited, though. I just hope that he comes back soon.¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡± Singluen chuckled and said, ¡°If anything, I¡¯ll inform you right away the moment he comes back, Mr. Tang. Also, why didn¡¯t you tell me in advance when you left for Thailand? This Hotel is indeed satisfactory, but quite far from my place. I have a beach villa with beautiful scenery. It¡¯d be much more comfortable for you to stay there.¡±


    ¡°Forget about it for now.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°There¡¯s a trivial issue I need to deal with in Bangkok.¡±


    Singluen zoned out and an angry look appeared on his face after hearing it. ¡°You¡¯re the most distinguished guest of mine, Mr. Tang. Who the hell dares to annoy you in my turf? Tell me who are they. I¡¯ll send my men to deal with it at once!¡±


    As Tang Xiu was about to reply, he suddenly saw Spectre approaching with hands in his pocket, whereas Gu Tao and Zhang Jue, who were supposed to be standing guard nearby, also came over unnoticeably.


    Something happened!


    After instantly judging the situation, Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes then caught a group of people coming into the dining hall¡¯s gate. With just a glance, he recognized that Songzan was among them as he had seen his photo from Spectre.


    Following Tang Xiu¡¯s line of sight, Singlue also saw the arrival of these people. His expression abruptly changed. As the Young Lord of the Dark Shaman clan, he seldom worked hard to manage the clan¡¯s industries, but he still had his own reliable intel network and personal connections. These people were headed by Kanaja, a man even his father couldn¡¯t ignore.


    ¡®Is it them who Mr. Tang just said to have annoyed him?¡¯


    He recalled how terrifying Tang Xiu was and his expression when he looked at Kanaja and Songzan turned ugly.


    Walking straight to the dining table where Tang Xiu and Singluen were sitting, Kanaja just gave a Tang Xiu a glance before his eyes landed on Singluen. His slightly overweight body came to a stop as he greeted with a smile, ¡°Ah, I never thought that Young Master Singluen would also be here. It¡¯s been six months since the last time I saw your father. Has he been well?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s great,¡± replied Singluen, brief and apathetic.


    Such hostility from Singluen was keenly felt by Kanaja. Unnoticeable by anyone, his brows creased slightly. His eyes then landed back on Tang Xiu and he smilingly said, ¡°Are you Mr. Tang?¡±


    Tang Xiu just sat on his chair and didn¡¯t get up, but his eyes were locked on Kanaja before they fell on Songzan, ¡°I recall that I already warned you through Spectre to not annoy me for two days. Yet you didn¡¯t listen. You should be very clear about the consequences.¡±


    Songzan¡¯s heart pounded and he quickly glanced to his big brother, Kanaja, and then lowered his head fast.


    After speaking, Tang Xiu then shot a look again at Kanaja and said, ¡°It seems your status is higher than his. A man who can make Songzan lower his head and follow in Bangkok should be the Godfather of Bangkok¡¯s underworld forces. You¡¯re Kanaja, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I am!¡± replied Kanaja with stretched brows, smiling wider.


    ¡°As I reckon, this hotel has a guest reception room on the second floor. Take your men there since I want to dine here first,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Kanaja¡¯s expression changed slightly. As an experienced man himself, he was reluctant to recklessly act given that he hadn¡¯t yet figured out Tang Xiu¡¯s identity, so he nodded and said, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be waiting for you there, Mr. Tang.¡±


    As Kanaja and his men left, SIngluen raised his thumb up and praised, ¡°So imposing and domineering, Mr. Tang! You see, Kanaja is a definite Lord of the underground forces in Bangkok indeed. His power might be less than my Dark Shaman clan, but he is not one to be scoffed at either. Yet, I didn¡¯t expect that he¡¯d be careful before you though.¡±


    Tang Xiu pointed to Spectre at the side whose hands were in his pockets and said with a light smile, ¡°Well, he¡¯s not afraid of me but him.¡±


    The revelation made Singluen surprised as he observed Spectre and asked with a puzzled face, ¡°And he¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t hide it from since we¡¯re friends. He¡¯s Spectre, my man,¡¯ explained Tang Xiu smilingly.


    ¡°Spectre?¡±


    Singluen still looked puzzled. He faintly felt that the name sounded familiar, but he was unable to recall where he had heard of the name.


    At this moment, the thin stature of a middle-aged man with glasses came over while holding two bottles of wine. He respectfully presented the bottles and said, ¡°Sirs, Ladies, I¡¯m Khan Long, the General Manager of this hotel. My boss asked me to present you these two bottles of wine. He purchased this wine with difficulty from China, in the hopes that it would be able to satisfy you.¡±


    ¡°God¡¯s Nectar?¡± a smile showed itself on Zhang Xinya¡¯s face while she sat next to Tang Xiu.


    ¡°My Boss is Songzan, the major shareholder of the hotel,¡± answered Khan Long.


    ¡°Eh? Haha¡­¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh and commented, ¡°Does this fella want to lick my boot or something¡ªor, does he want to test me? Hehe¡­ that¡¯s interesting though. Alright. Just put the bottle and go tend to your business.¡±


    Khan Long frowned, but he still nodded slightly before he turned to leave.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, if they no longer want to look for us for trouble again, let¡¯s just drop it!¡± said Zhang Xinya in a whisper. ¡°I know you¡¯re powerful and you¡¯re not afraid of these people. But this place is their domain. The less trouble, the better for us.¡±


    ¡°I know. You can rest your worries.¡± Tang Xiu smiled.


    The second floor of the Amanda Hotel was partitioned into six conference halls, the best of which was a small reception room more than 100 square meters in size. There, Kanaja quietly sat on a leather sofa with fingers clamping a genuine Cuban cigar while silently ruminating about the issue.


    Ring, ring¡­


    Suddenly, his cell phone rang twice.


    He took his mobile out. After opening the text and reading the sender¡¯s name, he saw that it was Bai Tao. He opened the phone book and dialed his number.


    ¡°Something up, Kanaja?¡± a young man¡¯s voice was heard from the phone.


    ¡°I know that we haven¡¯t met for the last few months, Young Master Bai,¡± said Kanaja with a smile. ¡°How about visiting Bangkok whenever you have some free time later? You see, there are some European and American ¡°canaries¡± here. I guarantee that they will make you satisfied.¡±


    ¡°We got a saying here that nobody visits a temple without a reason, Kanaja,¡± said Bai Tao with a chuckle. ¡°You won¡¯t call just to invite for play time in Bangkok, so there must be something else, right?¡±


    ¡°Smart, Young Master Bai,¡± said Kanaja with a smile. ¡°Well, I do have something I wanna ask for calling you. It¡¯s about a person¡¯s identity.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± asked Bai Tao.


    ¡°There¡¯s a singer called Zhang Xinya in your country as far as I know,¡± said Kanaja. ¡°She¡¯s affiliated with a large entertainment company in China. Additionally, I also found a young man with her here whose name is Tang Xiu. To tell you the truth, one of my men seems to have a misunderstanding with this Tang Xiu. Time doesn¡¯t allow me to fully investigate this young man¡¯s background or identity for now, so might you know anything about this young man?¡±

 Chapter 939 - Horrifying Conjecture

    Chapter 939: Horrifying Conjecture


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    On the phone, Bai Tao was reticent to say much. As brothers old and young, their relationship was a very complicated one. They had known each other for a long time, yet it was not too important a connection to him, though they did have secret cooperation to get a copper mine in Africa. Although he didn¡¯t directly involve himself in the endeavor, he still received his share of tens of millions of yuan annually.


    But at this moment, his heartbeat hiked up for no reason and a slight worry was evident in his eyes. Although he knew that Kanaja was still waiting for his reply, he didn¡¯t speak as his mind was analyzing the seriousness of this matter.


    After all, it was related to Tang Xiu! He knew how tough a figure he was. Ever since he knew him, he deliberately did everything he could to be on good terms with this guy as he knew how powerful this fella was. In particular was the recent events he had heard of. Even though he didn¡¯t take the initiative to contact Tang Xiu about them, he learned about all his deeds from many people and channels.


    ¡°What¡¯s your opinion about him, Young Master Bai?¡± Kanaja¡¯s voice came asking again from the phone.


    ¡°I seriously ask you about this issue,¡± said Bai Tao after taking a deep breath. ¡°Have you reached the point where a life-and-death struggle must occur between you and him?¡±


    ¡°How is this issue related to a life and death situation?¡± Kanaja was left in deep thought for a moment and asked again, ¡°Like an all-out conflict to the death between me and him?¡±


    ¡°If the situation has come to a life-and-death conflict, then I¡¯ll hand over all my shares in the copper mine in Africa to you, but I¡¯m going to sever any relationship we have in the future,¡± explained Bai Tao in a heavy voice, ¡°But if the situation hasn¡¯t yet reached such a point, then there¡¯s still some room to work around it. Regardless of everything, I advise you to lower your head as humbly as possible, admit your error, and accept your penalty. Kanaja, I can call you Brother Kan now, so I sincerely warn you that even if you can admit your fault and settle your dispute with him, it¡¯s best not to have any misgivings about whether lowering your head to him will make you lose face.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious, Young Master Bai?¡± Kanaja¡¯s complexion changed upon hearing everything and he said in a heavy voice, ¡°No matter how powerful this Tang Xiu is, this place is Bangkok¡ªmy turf! Even if I lose all decorum with him, can he still kill me here?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something I can tell you that happens when you¡¯ve lost all decorum with him,¡± said Bai Tao. ¡°He can kill you, cull your power, and even exterminate all the people related to you¡ªyour entire network. Everything.¡±


    Acting completely serious, Kanaja asked, ¡°Are you very familiar with him?¡±


    ¡°Very, very familiar,¡± answered Bai Tao. ¡°That¡¯s why I know how horrifying his power is. I know you have a very formidable root in Bangkok, Kanaja. You have both wealth and power, as well as the energy to get what you want. You may be able to turn Bangkok and even the whole of Thailand upside down. However, Tang Xiu has a very high status in China. He¡¯s the Young Lord of the Tang Family of Beijing as well as the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation. Even I¡¯m still in the dark of how many industries or armed forces he has under him.¡±


    Kanaja fell into silence. Everything Bai Tao just revealed to him was like a thunder blast that quaked his whole being. He knew the Tang Family from Beijing. It was a super-powerful family in China. He also knew of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, which hailed as a company group with the fastest development in the said country. Even the God¡¯s Nectar that was his favorite wine was a product of this company.


    But still, this is Bangkok! However powerful that guy is in China and no matter how high the authority he can command there, shouldn¡¯t he at least act low-profile in Bangkok?


    Suddenly, Kanaja was reminded of something. He asked in a heavy voice, ¡°Young Master Bai, have you learned that Spectre, the world¡¯s first assassin, is now working for Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Gasp¡­ what did you say?¡± Bai Tao gasped and shouted in alarm.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t mishear me,¡± affirmed Kanaja. ¡°The world¡¯s top hitman, Spectre, is his man. I just saw that man with him today.¡±


    ¡°The incident with the max-security prison #1319 in Israel shocked the whole world. And top hitman Spectre, who had been detained there, went missing along with several hundred other convicts¡­ if¡­ in the case¡­ that Spectre became Tang Xiu¡¯s man¡­ then the rest of them¡­¡± muttered Bai Tao.


    With pupils shrunk all of a sudden, Kanaja felt the strength disappear in his legs and he nearly slumped to the floor. He also paid attention to the incident that happened in the said prison and was likewise greatly shocked after hearing it. He couldn¡¯t see anything related to it previously as he was only bothered about the dreadful identity of Spectre. Only now did he realize a terrifying conjecture on this issue:


    If¡­ in the case that¡­ Tang Xiu was really the mastermind behind the incident of the max-security prison 1319 in Israel, then¡­ isn¡¯t he too terrifying?


    ¡°No way¡­ that¡¯s very unlikely, no?¡± murmured Kanaja with trembling lips.


    ¡°I know who he is and what he¡¯s capable of, Kanaja,¡± replied Bai Tao hollowly. ¡°There¡¯s nothing he dares not to do¡ªeven things I can¡¯t even think of. His personal combat prowess, his power, and influence, his crazy rocket-speed money-gathering methods¡ªeverything has proved his ability. Spill out everything, Kanaja. What exactly happened between you and him?¡±


    Kanaja told him the whole story of the issue and finally said with a hollow voice, ¡°I just learned about this issue today myself. Also, the Young Lord of an ancient Dark Shaman clan in Thailand is also together with him. I can see that they have a very unusual connection.¡±


    ¡°Listen to me,¡± urged Bai Tao. ¡°It¡¯s best to lower your head as humbly as possible. Offer him everything you can think of. If he wants to beat you, curse you, or even kill you, just offer your neck directly. From what I understand about him, he¡¯s likely to let you off if you take the initiative to admit your fault and act soft before him. Give him a tough attitude and he¡¯ll give you a much tougher attitude. I already told you everything you should do, Kanaja. The rest will depend on yourself, so do your best.¡±


    ¡°Wait a sec!¡±


    Knowing that Bai Tao wanted to hang up, Kanaja immediately called out, ¡°Young Master Bai, I see you as my younger brother and we¡¯ve known each other for years. How about¡­ giving me a helping hand? I¡¯m in deep shit now, so please help me. I don¡¯t know about¡­ how is your relationship with him, exactly?¡±


    Bai Tao realized what Kanaja had in mind, but he didn¡¯t want to poke his nose in this turbid issue. However, he remembered the tens of millions of yuan dividends he obtains from Africa annually, and he felt rather reluctant to lose it. More so that he also understood Kanaja¡¯s nature. If he helped this guy to solve this problem, he might secure more benefits from him.


    Countless thoughts popped in and out of his mind as he weighed all the pros and cons of every option. But knowing that the situation between Kanaja and Tang Xiu hadn¡¯t yet reached a life-and-death conflict, he concluded that the former definitely had nothing to do with the matter. Even if he were to make Tang Xiu displeased, he was the younger brother of both Kanaja and Tang Xiu¡¯s cousin [1]. Hence, it was very likely that Tang Xiu would drop the matter if he helped clear the issue by pulling their relationship to the table.


    After giving it some thought, Bai Tao said, ¡°You must wait for Tang Xiu with prudence, Kanaja. And be sure to lower your head. I¡¯ll call him later, but I don¡¯t dare give you a 100% guarantee that he¡¯s going to drop this matter. After all, it¡¯s Zhang Xinya who holds the key in this matter.¡±


    ¡°Exactly what kind of relationship exists between her and him?¡± asked Kanaja quickly.


    ¡°You see, Tang Xiu kinda has too strong a charm as a man. Combine that with his devilish luck,¡± said Bai Tao with a wry chuckle. ¡°My guess is that she is his woman. Also, Zhang Xinya¡¯s works in Bangkok are related to the entertainment company she¡¯s affiliated with. This company is founded by some scions who have a powerful background in China, and Tang Xiu is among the shareholders. Your men harbored untoward intention towards Zhang Xinya, so I¡¯m guessing that the scheme against Zhang Xinya that offended Tang Xiu is not just one person.¡±


    ¡°Songzan and Alloway! These two fucking bastards just pushed me to into this deep shit! Had I known earlier about this, I¡¯d never have come to this hotel and would have kept myself out of this fucking shit! I hope you really can help me out of this shit, Young Master Bai. I¡¯ll remember this huge favor later and you can be sure that you¡¯ll have my thanks after this shit is dealt with properly.¡± Kanaja had a hunch that Tang Xiu was the real mastermind behind the #1319 max-security prison in Israel. That thought made his scalp tingle and sent a chill down his spine.


    ¡°I will,¡± replied Bai Tao.


    ****


    Inside the Amanda Hotel¡¯s restaurant, Singluen felt like the dishes he ate were tasteless at first. He was aware of how powerful Tang Xiu was, yet he was unsure whether Tang Xiu could overwhelm Kanaja with absolute strength in Bangkok. He still was yet to take control over the Dark Shaman clan, so he was unable to gather enough manpower to help Tang Xiu even if he wanted to.


    However, seeing that the man himself seemed to show no fear and even chatted with the belle next to him so leisurely, his slight worry disappeared and he was back to normal again.


    ¡°What¡¯s your plan to deal with Kanaja regarding this matter, Mr. Tang? I already chose to cooperate with you, so you can expect that I¡¯ll stand with you no matter the situation. Even if you must fight that man, I¡¯ll charge forward with you,¡± said Singluen with a serious face. He had already considered it.


    Tang Xiu put down his chopsticks and raised his head. He looked at him with a smile and said, ¡°This is nothing but a trivial issue, so you don¡¯t need to involve yourself, though. I can completely cull all the power Kanaja has if I want to. However, this guy has quite an influence in Thailand, regardless. If he¡¯s able to lower his head and also can accept my condition, I can give him some leeway and let him off.¡±


    ¡°What conditions have you thought of to make him accept?¡± asked Singluen quickly.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t you think that having many more helpers would be good for you when we deal with your big brother later?¡± asked Tang Xiu smilingly.


    Singluen¡¯s eyes turned wide instantly and he replied in surprise, ¡°You mean, you will let him off in order to make him help us? But is this even possible? You see, aside from the fact that he also has a certain friendship with my father, I¡¯m afraid that just his hegemonic nature alone¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you afraid of, though?¡± asked Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°Alright. Put your worry in your belly for now. It¡¯s not like I have already told him my conditions yet, so how would we know whether or not he¡¯d keep that attitude?¡±


    Singluen nodded without a word. Tang Xiu¡¯s idea had piqued his interest regardless. If Kanaja could really stand on his side in the power struggle between him and his brother, becoming the heir of the Dark Shaman clan was a sure shot.


    Suddenly, he recalled another issue and hurriedly asked, ¡°But Mr. Tang, are you not afraid any leaks will occur from his side?¡±


    ¡°You mean you¡¯re afraid that he¡¯ll leak our plan to get rid of your big brother in advance?¡± asked Tang Xiu back with squinted eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Singluen nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a plan that we must keep confidential. I don¡¯t know if my brother has any friendship with Kanaja. If they are friends, then it will spell big trouble.¡±


    Note:


    [1] To make it not confuse readers, I changed Tang Xiu¡¯s younger brother to Tang Xiu¡¯s cousin here since Bai Tao is Chu Yi¡¯s friend (younger brother) and the latter is Tang Xiu¡¯s cousin.

 Chapter 940 - One Yuan For One Life

    Chapter 940: One Yuan For One Life


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    ¡°Such a possibility like you just said won¡¯t happen.¡± Tang Xiu calmly nodded and said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s drop the subject for now. I¡¯ll just ask him to give his word. There¡¯s nothing of concern once we start moving even if he turns his back and aims his gun to us by then.¡±


    ¡°Alright. The idea is sound.¡± Singluen nodded and said, ¡°Prepping for the worst, as well as its countermeasure, in advance.¡±


    Tang Xiu lightly smiled and waved to Zhang Jue and Gu Tao nearby. As the duo came over, he said, ¡°You both will escort Xinya back to her suite and be responsible for her safety. Also, contact Awu. Ask him about the matter in Ning City. If they are done with it, tell them to leave for Bangkok directly.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± answered the duo in unison.


    Turning to look at Zhang Xinya, Tang Xiu then said, ¡°Go back to your room and wait for me there. I¡¯m going to settle this issue.¡±


    ¡°Would you like me to go with you?¡± she asked with a worried face. ¡°I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    ¡°You have seen what I¡¯m capable of, haven¡¯t you?¡± Tang Xiu interrupted her and said smilingly, ¡°It¡¯s alright. Let alone Kanaja, even the most powerful Kingpin in this country cannot possibly harm me. Alright, listen to me. Go back and have some rest. I¡¯ll be back in half an hour at most.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then!¡±


    Zhang Xinya realized that she wouldn¡¯t be able to help even if she came along. She immediately nodded and left.


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu and Singluen came to the conference hall. When they saw hostile men under Kanaja, their eyes shot back at them with contempt as they nonchalantly waltzed forward to the front of Kanaja and apathetically said, ¡°Don¡¯t think of playing some cheap tricks on me. You¡¯ve come with both of them, meaning you¡¯re going to stand for them. Whatever path you choose to take, I¡¯ll take them all.¡±


    ¡°You misunderstood me, Mr. Tang,¡± said Kanaja with a hollow smile. ¡°I¡¯ve come to you because I already know that the fault is on my men and is quite big nonetheless. That¡¯s why I brought them to you to apologize to Ms. Zhang. I¡¯ve already heard of your resounding distinguished name. My men are in the wrong, so punish them however you see it fit.¡±


    This made Tang Xiu crease his brows due to his surprise. This wasn¡¯t Kanaja¡¯s attitude just a bit ago, right? What made him change his attitude¡ªor, what exactly happened before he arrived?


    Even if this fella did have some ways to investigate his identity in China, what he could find on the surface should be his status as a scion of the Tang Family, the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, and a young Divine Doctor from the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. It was impossible for him to figure out his relationship with the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    So where is the problem then?


    Tang Xiu observed Kanaja and was withdrawn for several seconds before he slowly said, ¡°It seems like I just looked down on you, Kanaja.¡±


    Although Kanaja couldn¡¯t see Spectre around, it didn¡¯t spare him from shuddering with fear inside. He let out an obsequious smile, saying, ¡°No, no, no. You¡¯re overpraising me, Mr. Tang. Just like the Chinese adage says, I¡¯m just as light as a feather¡ªnothing compared to you.¡±


    ¡°You also know about Chinese culture?¡± said Tang Xiu in surprise.


    ¡°I know some trivial things, no more,¡± answered Kanaja in awkward Mandarin. ¡°I like Chinese culture, but I have little time to learn it; hence, I only have some shallow knowledge about it.¡±


    This was a surprise to Tang Xiu as he didn¡¯t expect that the Underground Lord in Bangkok was not only proficient in English, but was also able to speak Mandarin. This guy was definitely not your ordinary layman! It¡¯s no wonder that he can paint anything black or white as he pleases in Bangkok. It seems that this guy is exceptionally adept in doing various things well.


    ¡°You¡¯ve truly opened my eyes, Kanaja. Alright, let¡¯s go back to speaking in English since your Mandarin is rather awkward. You see, your men have truly annoyed me and I¡¯m very angry at them for harboring such untoward intention and conspiring against my woman! You can expect that I¡¯ll never drop this shit if you don¡¯t give a satisfactory explanation!¡±


    Instead of answering, Kanaja directly got up and maliciously kicked Songzan and Alloway¡¯s legs to make them bend and kneel before Tang Xiu. He then obsequiously smiled and said, ¡°I admit that it was these two bastards¡¯ mistakes; all the blame is on them. But I also hope that you can be magnanimous and take mercy on them to spare their lives. I¡¯ll order them to make up for their mistake and compensate you. Additionally, Songzan has told me four times that he admires you. It¡¯s just that he didn¡¯t know that Miss Zhang is your woman and thus harbored some crooked intentions to her. Please spare and forgive him this time, given how loyal of your admirer he has always been.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my admirer, huh? And tell me, why would you become my admirer in the first place ? ¡± asked Tang Xiu with a faint smile. ¡°I don¡¯t think my name has spread to Thailand or would be known to anyone here, though.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, the company that produces the God¡¯s Nectar.¡± Kanaja hurriedly interjected, ¡°That¡¯s a great wine all of us have dreamed of tasting here!¡±


    ¡°You know so much about me?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s countenance changed and he faintly said, ¡°Well, well. You seem to have investigated me thoroughly, huh?


    ¡°No no no.¡± Kanaja hurriedly waved. ¡°I didn¡¯t. Absolutely. I was just¡­¡±


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    At this time, however, Tang Xiu¡¯s smartphone rang, interrupting Kanaja¡¯s speech.


    Tang Xiu took his handset out and looked at the caller displayed on its screen. It was Bai Tao, which somehow made him feel a bit strange since the guy hadn¡¯t once called him for a long time. How did he suddenly remember to give him a call now? Although he felt puzzled, he still picked up his call and spoke with a light smile, ¡°Hey, Old Bai. I got a trivial issue I need to deal with now, so I¡¯ll call you back later if you have nothing urgent.¡±


    ¡°No no. Don¡¯t rush to hang up, Tang Xiu,¡± said Bai Tao. ¡°There¡¯s something I wanna ask you about, hence why I¡¯m calling you now.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Uh, well. It¡¯s a plea from someone else that I want you to hear, frankly,¡± said Bai Tao with a wry voice, ¡°Kanaja should be with you now, right?¡±


    ¡°You know him?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I got acquainted with him several years ago. Well, a kind of discord lead to concord between us,¡± narrated Bai Tao. ¡°But then we partnered to do some business in Africa. He just called to ask about you and I learned that it was his men who have annoyed you.¡±


    ¡°No shit, Old Bai. When did you have such a godly ability to get acquainted with a Kingpin of Bangkok¡¯s underworld?¡± commented Tang Xiu with a strange voice, ¡°You even went so far to become his partner?¡±


    ¡°Can you not make fun of me, Tang Xiu?¡± Bai Tao wryly smiled and said, ¡°If anything, if you don¡¯t have a deep grudge with him, can you give him a chance to apologize¡ªon the account of my face?¡±


    ¡°Well, since it¡¯s you who has reached out, it would be hardly justifiable if I don¡¯t give you face,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Besides, he¡¯s not the one who has annoyed me. He just gives his men his support. Alright, I won¡¯t hold him responsible, but as for the two men under him¡­¡±


    ¡°His men are his men and I won¡¯t poke my nose about them,¡± said Bai Tao in a hurry.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, then.¡± Tang Xiu smiled.


    As the call ended, Tang Xiu gave a thumbs up to Kanaja and praised, ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect that you got yourself a shield to protect your life with. You know, I have a very good relationship with Bai Tao, so on the account of his face, I won¡¯t hold you responsible for what your men did. But that doesn¡¯t mean I can spare them and let them off scot-free. Especially him¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu then pointed to the ghastly pale Alloway and said in a heavy voice, ¡°You¡¯ve annoyed my woman, resulting in only a dead end. This shit not only sent his men to carry out his untoward intention, but also personally acted.¡±


    Alloway didn¡¯t speak English, but he was perfectly aware of how deep the trouble he just dug was. To make even his Underboss, and the Godfather of Bangkok¡¯s underworld Kanaja act so humble and obsequious before this person meant something else entirely. Upon seeing Tang Xiu point at him, he hurriedly shouted, ¡°Please forgive me. Godfather, please help me. I¡¯m willing to apologize and compensate for my fault.¡±


    Taking a deep breath, Kanaja turned and nodded to the man next to him. The lean man then dashed to Alloway and pierced his heart with a sharp dagger. In just a short few seconds, the fellow was dead.


    Songzan was horrified and quickly panicked. He anxiously looked at Kanaja and called out, ¡°Big Brother!¡±


    Kanaja was unresponsive for a while and then commanded, ¡°Immediately prepare 50 million USD as a token of apology to Mr. Tang and Ms. Zhang after you go back. I remember that you also have a very good diamond in your collection. Ms. Zhang is a very beautiful woman. She¡¯s the only person qualified to wear it.¡±


    Songzan was pleasantly surprised. However, though he was distressed and unwilling as he was losing 50 million USD and that 40-carat diamond, he was secretly relieved inwardly if it meant that his life was spared. He nodded without hesitation. ¡°I¡¯ll send my men to deliver them once I get back.¡±


    ¡°You will deliver them by yourself!¡± shouted Kanaja in a growl.


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes. I¡¯ll do as you say,¡± replied Songzan hurriedly.


    Looking satisfied, Kanaja nodded and turned to look at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°What do you think of this solution, Mr. Tang? Is it to your satisfaction?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not short on money, nor do I have a need for diamonds, Kanaja.¡± Tang Xiu let out a faint smile and said, ¡°Apologizing in this manner is meaningless to me. Of course, I¡¯ll completely drop this matter should you accept my condition.¡±


    This immediately made Kanaja¡¯s heart tighten and he immediately asked, ¡°What condition?¡±


    ¡°You just need to comply in advance. I¡¯ll only tell you about the condition when the time is right,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Kanaja then recalled the Soulcatcher Insignia Spectre left to Songzan before. He then nodded and said, ¡°I give you my word. I¡¯ll definitely keep my word as long as it is within my capability.¡±


    Tang Xiu was satisfied and nodded. He then waved to Songzan, motioning him to get up and said, ¡°Kanaja, how about we have a private chat?¡±


    With his complexion shifted, Kanaja immediately nodded and said, ¡°All of you go and wait for me outside!¡±


    Shortly after, only Tang Xiu and Kanaja remained inside the reception room. Although Singluen was very curious what kind of subject the former wanted to discuss with the latter, he still left.


    ¡°What do you want to talk to me about, Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Kanaja, if I were to compensate you to buy the lives of your men, can you or can you not comply with my request?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a faint smile.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± inquired Kanaja. His complexion, however, changed noticeably.


    ¡°What I mean is, I want to buy human lives for one yuan each,¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about the number, but it should be more or less around a dozen.¡±


    Note:


    The underboss is a position under the Godfather. Songzan (underboss) and Kanaja (Boss). I intentionally separate the position and title according to the context but based on mafia ranks, titles, and structures.

 Chapter 941 - A Commitment

    Chapter 941: A Commitment


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Complexion turned grim, Kanaja clearly recalled that he had just concluded the negotiation with Tang Xiu and thus cleared out all the enmities between both sides. Yet now Tang Xiu proposed such a request? Isn¡¯t this equal to going back on his commitment?


    As a shrewd and experienced man, however, he didn¡¯t let his rage take over and instead stared at Tang Xiu deeply and asked instead, ¡°Firstly, may I know whose lives you wanna buy, Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°All who know the existence of Spectre here besides yourself,¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°If my guess is correct, aside from your lieutenants and trusted men, that would also include Songzan¡¯s men.¡±


    The request made Kanaja abruptly get up and cry out in shock, ¡°But why, Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°Kanaja, the fact that you can hold your ground to mix and stir the turbid water in Bangkok is the evidence of your power and resourcefulness, meaning that you also have your own reliable intel network,¡± said Tang Xiu with a dead serious face. ¡°Based on that, you must have heard the incidents regarding what happened to the #1319 max-security prison in Israel that detained a large number of highly dangerous convicts all over the world, right? And you should¡¯ve guessed the mastermind behind it, which is me.¡±


    ¡°It was really you?!¡± Kanaja trembled, both surprised and shocked.


    ¡°You¡¯re a smart man, so don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re unable to draw out the conclusion that it was my doing given the presence of Spectre here,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently.


    ¡°It was your friend, Young Master Bai, who reminded me about it. I myself wouldn¡¯t have come to this conjecture otherwise.¡± Kanaja forced a wry smile and said, ¡°But how does it have anything to do with buying my men¡¯s lives?¡±


    ¡°Well, only dead men tell no tales,¡± said Tang Xiu apathetically. ¡°You may be able to keep your mouth shut about the appearance of Spectre, but speaking the same for your men is hardly a guarantee. I give you my word that I won¡¯t hold you accountable for the previous issue, yet the more important issue still remains¡ªthe trace of Spectre and the rest of the convicts. Now you think for yourself, if anyone who is concerned with the whereabouts of Spectre and the rest learn about this, would they just give it up? Instead of letting all these convicts go to Bangkok to deal with this problem themselves, it¡¯s better for you to take a stand and save yourself the trouble.¡±


    With his scalp tingling, Kanaja felt a chill run down his spine. Just Spectre alone already made him a bit scared. What if hundreds of those dreadful convicts came here later? It was definitely better for him to commit suicide right here and now.


    But then again, while he couldn¡¯t care less about Songzan and his men, the rest under him were men he had trained to be his trusted confidants. Erasing all of them would be too much of a loss for him.


    Seeing that it was difficult for Kanaja to decide on the issue, Tang Xiu then spoke again, ¡°You may have to lose some of your men, but I think obtaining my friendship is still a very good deal should you take my offer. There¡¯s also something else you haven¡¯t learned of yet. Singluen will become the Patriarch of the Dark Shaman clan, which I¡¯m sure is an entity you have some knowledge about. With a clan with such deep heritage and Singluen who is my good friend at the helm, you will not only obtain my friendship, but will also secure Singluen¡¯s friendship. Hence, I think having his friendship will be of great help to you should you want to develop and expand further in Thailand later.¡±


    ¡°Singluen is going to be the Dark Shaman¡¯s Patriarch? How is this possible?¡± asked Kanaja in shock. ¡°To the best of my knowledge, the current Head of this clan is still in his prime, while Singluen also has a big brother called Singkuo.¡±


    ¡°Be it the current Head of the Dark Shaman clan, Singluen, or Singkuo, they are nothing but ants in my eyes. Removing them from existence is as easy as turning my hand.¡± sneered Tang Xiu. ¡°But Singluen is a young man with aspirations. While the power he controls is recognizable, it¡¯s absolutely easy for him to be the Dark Shaman¡¯s Patriarch with my help.¡±


    Kanaja instantly understood Tang Xiu¡¯s intention and also grasped Singluen¡¯s plan in extension. He quickly analyzed all the variables in mind and, after weighing the pros and cons, he got up and put on a dead serious face, asking, ¡°Are you really sincere in offering me your friendship, Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°We, Chinese, have a saying that the more friends we have on the road, the better the voyage.¡± Tang Xiu also got up and said, ¡°I, Tang Xiu, am a very formidable man myself. It¡¯s unlikely for me to offer my friendship to those unworthy of it. It¡¯s now your call whether you¡¯ll take the offer and get it.¡±


    Eyes gleaming with killing intent, Kanaja responded with a nod and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll need assistance to do that with Spectre¡¯s hands. I¡­ I can¡¯t do it by sending my other men to kill them.¡±


    Tang Xiu clapped and said, ¡°Those who are not stuck at trifles are bound to achieve great things. You¡¯ve proven yourself worthy and deserve to be the Godfather of Bangkok¡¯s underworld, Mr. Kanaja. I believe you can go further in the future while having much more loyal and powerful men under you.¡±


    Kanaja¡¯s eyes were as though blazing¡ªa sign of the flame of his ambition. Then he said, ¡°This is a big gamble as I see it, Mr. Tang. But I¡¯m willing to bet on you. However, do you mind answering my question?¡±


    ¡°Do ask,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What did you want to achieve by enacting such a prison break from the #1319 labor camp?¡± asked Kanaja.


    Instead of answering, Tang Xiu rhetorically asked with a faint smile, ¡°Who cares more about having additional men under their own hands nowadays?¡±


    ¡°You did that just to find some more men?¡± asked Kanaja in shock. ¡°But you also know that these guys are all cruel and ruthless figures, don¡¯t you? I admit that I¡¯m not a good person myself, but comparing me with them will make me look like a saint!¡±


    ¡°Even if they are wicked and evil, what about it?¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°They are still a bunch of ants to me. For whoever among them who dares to disobey my orders or betray me, I can just easily make them meet their maker. I believe they know what to choose when they are faced with life and death on the stake.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you overestimating your own power? These people are¡­¡± said Kanaja with a strange expression.


    Tang Xiu just shook his head in response. Right after he opened his arms, two flames appeared on his palms and his body began to float while still remaining in his sitting posture.


    ¡°You, you, you are¡­¡± Shocked and horrified, Kanaja pointed at Tang Xiu and shouted in alarm, ¡°Are you an ability user¡ªan Elementalist?¡±


    ¡°Ability user? Hmph.¡± Tang Xiu scoffed and said, ¡°I¡¯ve killed too many ability users to count. I¡¯m not one of them and not even an ounce of my power can be achieved by those ability users. 10,000, or even a million ability users can stand before me, yet they will be thoroughly eradicated should I will it so.¡±


    ¡°Are you kinda invincible under the sun then?¡± asked Kanaja yet again, unable to find a more appropriate response.


    ¡°Me? Invincible? Nobody is invincible in this world!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°What you know about humans is not much, nor do you have deep knowledge of certain things pertaining to this issue. You should¡¯ve heard of the top-three organizations in the world, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the Pyramid, the League of Archcrusaders, and the Stygian Club. There¡¯s also another I know of, the Darkwind Organization,¡± answered Kanaja.


    ¡°Yes. You also know how powerful the forces possessed by these three organizations are. They literally boast tons of powerhouses at the ready,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯ve fought the Stygian Club¡¯s vampires, their werewolves and even Wingmen. I¡¯ve killed a lot of them. The strength of these people is beyond your imagination.¡±


    Vampire? Werewolf? And Wingmen?


    Kanaja gasped. He had also heard that these kinds of species in the world truly exist, yet he never had seen them once. But Tang Xiu claimed that he had killed these terrifying existences? ¡­ Isn¡¯t this way too powerful, making him a very terrifying existence himself? Suddenly, he was truly glad that he called Bai Tao, rejoicing that he didn¡¯t go as far as tearing all decorum with Tang Xiu. If he did, he would¡¯ve been turned into a corpse by now, wouldn¡¯t he?


    Tang Xiu then got up before waving his hand and speaking again, ¡°Alright. I already spoke a bit too much today, so let¡¯s drop it now. Remember to give me the list and I¡¯ll give it to Spectre to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± nodded Kanaja with a solemn face.


    ****


    Inside the suite of the Amanda Hotel, Zhang Xinya was somewhat restless as she didn¡¯t know how the issue would turn out and be dealt with between Tang Xiu and Kanaja. She didn¡¯t wish to see Tang Xiu resort to murder again since she didn¡¯t want him to encounter any dangers.


    Knock, knock¡­


    The suite¡¯s door was knocked and she rushed to the door to open it. Her hand hadn¡¯t yet reached the doorknob, but it was already opened from the outside. Tang Xiu appeared in her sight beyond the door.


    ¡°You¡¯re back! Are you alright?¡±


    Zhang Xinya hurriedly observed Tang Xiu¡¯s body. After seeing that he looked fine, only then did she finally feel relieved.


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile and shook his head as he paced into the room. There, he took out his phone to dial a number. After his call got picked up, he spoke, ¡°Bai Tao, I hope the appearance of Spectre won¡¯t be found out by another soul from your mouth.¡±


    ¡°You can be sure about that,¡± assured Bai Tao.


    ¡°You¡¯re really too smart a man, you know that?¡± Tang Xiu sighed. ¡°You can correctly guess that I was the mastermind behind the prison break incident of the #1319 labor camp. It seems like I gotta bribe you with some meals and wine once I get back to the mainland just to seal off your mouth!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Bai Tao hollowly laughed but then curiously asked, ¡°You know, Tang Xiu. It still makes curious, though. Why did you incite such a prison break and take them out? Those guys are nothing but murderers who can kill without batting an eye. Can you really contain and have them under control?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be frank with you, mate. I¡¯ve been short on manpower, but there¡¯s one thing I can tell you. I have absolute control over them,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°They are now my men and they are simply like lambs before me. I order them to head toward East, they won¡¯t dare to go West; nor will they enter the ground if I order them to fly to the sky.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s beyond what I can imagine of how powerful you have become now, Tang Xiu!¡± Bai Tao incredulously called out, ¡°Alright, brother. I¡¯ll erase everything about this matter from my mind later.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s settled, then.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°Anyhow, let¡¯s meet and have some wine later with Chu Yi once I get back.¡±


    ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect that Chu Yi turned out to be your cousin back then.¡± Bai Tao chuckled and said, ¡°You two are now relatives, but you had better not take advantage of it to pick up on me later.¡±


    ¡°Well, it may happen, though.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled.


    ¡°Bah, shameless!¡± Bai Tao cursed.


    They both chatted for a while and ended the call after some time.


    Tang Xiu then looked at Zhang Xinya and smilingly said, ¡°I¡¯ll accompany you out for a day tomorrow and one of my men will escort you back to the mainland the day after. There¡¯s still an important thing I need to tend to in Thailand, so I¡¯ll be staying here for a while.¡±


    ¡°Is it dangerous?¡± asked Zhang Xinya with concern.


    ¡°I already told you nothing dangerous will happen to me, didn¡¯t I?¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Besides, even the leader of the biggest underworld force in Bangkok, Kanaja, must act with respect before me. Who else could bring me danger here?¡±

 Chapter 942 - Asking For A Slap In The Face

    Chapter 942: Asking For A Slap In The Face


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu¡¯s acceptance of Zhang Xinya was not purely for sentimental reasons, but rather due to his difficulty in his own nature to eliminate the grace of a belle. He had always been a man with a soft heart, even in his past life. Once upon a time, he regarded himself as an idealist, believing that if he only loved one woman in his life, he would be able to be together with her until the earth and heaven got old. And yet, the final outcome shred that dream of his to pieces.


    Certainly, there was also another variable in the works. After he came to Earth, he chose to cultivate in the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis, the most profound cultivation art originating from the Demon Realm. It began affecting his nature without him realizing it. Previously a man of self-restraint, he was now gradually turning into a man who followed his own whim¡ªa free and unfettered man who does as he wishes for his entire life¡ªwhich was the condition set by the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis to reach its highest cultivation realm.


    A warm feeling filled Tang Xiu¡¯s heart as he looked at the slightly worried expression that Zhang Xinya was showing him. It was the sincerity of the heart, and he also wished to give it back to her. He gently hugged her and smilingly said, ¡°I¡¯m always careful in whatever I do. When I fight or run into danger, I¡¯ll win or stay away from it if I can¡¯t win and deal with it another time. Besides, those who could possibly kill me haven¡¯t yet been born into this world.¡±


    Zhang Xinya nodded gently. She herself absolutely didn¡¯t wish to become Tang Xiu¡¯s burden, even though he had accepted her as his woman. That way, she wouldn¡¯t affect his affairs.


    To her, returning back the feeling was the best course to take.


    She was a smart woman and knew that her current self was only able to support him from the back in silence. Becoming his woman was already enough of a joyful thing to her.


    And tonight, she shed away all the constraints and unfolded all the curtains that cocooned her virginity, completely immersing herself in the world of love. Although it was her first time having her chastity broken, she still braved it to completely become Tang Xiu¡¯s woman. Nevertheless, it was still her first time and she woke up full of shyness the next day with spasms of pain in her lower parts.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s stroll around.¡±


    She was now looking like an ordinary girl who was eager to spend time strolling around with her boyfriend, enjoying their time as a couple. Regardless of the faint ache she felt, she walked alongside Tang Xiu to leave the hotel.


    Bangkok had many scenic spots and the couple visited many of them, tasting various delicacies and buying many things. The display of their sweet lovers attitude from the couple even provoked the envy of countless men and women. However, they still kept it under control to stay low-profile due to Zhang Xinya¡¯s celebrity identity and dressed in simple disguises.


    The vicinity near the Chao Phraya River.


    On the edge of the avenue was a gathering crowd, most of whom who wore a travel agency¡¯s red caps and watched street magic gigs. Bursts of praises could be heard from the crowd from time to time.


    ¡°Amazing!¡±


    Despite knowing that the show involved some kinds of tricks, Zhang Xinya still praised as she saw the thin man with a scar on his left eyebrow unleash a flame from his palm and pull out a dove from the burning flame.


    The trick shown by the middle-aged magician itself had been figured out by Tang Xiu after he released his perception, so he shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s all a trick, something you can also perform in front of ordinary audiences if you have some special stage props to perform with. If you wanna see what a true magic show is, I¡¯ll perform it for you once we get back.¡±


    ¡°You can do magic gigs too?¡± asked Zhang Xinya, surprised.


    ¡°What I can do is much better than magic.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°Using stage props to perform such a feat is only for ordinary people. You definitely won¡¯t be able to conceal it from experts¡¯ eyes.¡±


    ¡°Hmph! What a boast.¡±


    A girl standing next to them was unable to hold herself back from rolling her eyes and ridiculed. Her name was Li Yan, a Chinese tourist from a tour group. She was blown away from the magician¡¯s wonderful performance, driving her to let out ridicule when she heard someone criticize it in Mandarin.


    The young man beside her, Yu Xu, patted her shoulder and smilingly said, ¡°Hehe, China has more than a billion people. You don¡¯t need to be surprised if there¡¯s any strange breed popping up among us. But this guy is indeed quite amazing, though, daring to talk so big when he¡¯s abroad.¡±


    Glancing at the couple who ridiculed him caused Tang Xiu to be unable to hold in his chuckle. Zhang Xinya, however, was unhappy after hearing some people mock Tang Xiu and grunted, ¡°Who do you say is talking big, huh? My boyfriend always means what he says. He never speaks anything he cannot do!¡±


    Li Yan faintly felt Zhang Xinya¡¯s face was familiar. But she couldn¡¯t recognize her with the sunhat and black big sunglasses that blocked most of her face, so she said, ¡°People say that women in love always lose their mind, pretty girl. I think you¡¯re way too infatuated with him. Lemme tell you, girl. Tell your boyfriend to grow up. It¡¯s ridiculous hearing him brag like that, you know.¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡±


    Instead of getting irritated, Zhang Xinya was laughing as she suddenly thought that it was particularly interesting when she recalled Tang Xiu¡¯s ability and nature. Tang Xiu himself was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh and shook his head, ¡°Hey, pretty girl. Haven¡¯t you heard that you can destroy everything except one¡¯s relationship? I don¡¯t think we have any ill feelings, no?¡±


    Li Yan smiled yet still rolled her eyes Tang Xiu, ¡°I¡¯m a beauty¡ªthat¡¯s a fact. Not the likes of your fake bragging. But what you just boasted about doesn¡¯t do justice for that magician. Just look for yourself¡ªhow many can perform better than him? Even everyone else around is applauding him! If you¡¯re better than this awesome magician, you can expect my apology right away!¡±


    Yu Xu, who was Li Yan¡¯s admirer and pursuer, quickly chimed in after hearing it, ¡°That¡¯s right, man. I¡¯ll immediately apologize to you on her behalf if you can prove you¡¯re better than this magician.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t bother with this little thing, so spare the apology.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and smilingly said, ¡°Besides, even if I want to show it off, I¡¯m going to show it to my woman rather than have a full-blown performance on this avenue.¡±


    ¡°Hehe,¡± Yu Xu burst into laughter after hearing it, thinking that Tang Xiu was afraid. He immediately shouted aloud, ¡°You guys shouldn¡¯t be a member of a tourist group, right? Everyone, he just boasted that he¡¯s a great magician himself and his magic is much better than this magician. I asked him to perform in public but he actually¡­. Hahaha¡­ any of you want to see this guy¡¯s performance too?¡±


    In that instant, those in the surroundings turned their heads to look at Tang Xiu¡¯s group. Even the performing magician looked indignant. He knew Mandarin and had been to China to perform his gigs. Although he was not that famous, he still felt irritated to have someone berate him.


    Seeing that everyone¡¯s eyes were trained on them, Zhang Xinya was worried that they would be exposed. She immediately grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s just leave! There¡¯s nothing fun to see here. Let¡¯s head somewhere else!¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and smiled. Just as they were about the walk away, that magician squeezed through the crowd and blocked their path.


    A sullen Basong stared at Tang Xiu. He spoke out, ¡°You can do magic performances yourself?¡±


    ¡°A bit, though it¡¯s a shallow one,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    A look of contempt betrayed Bassong¡¯s face, ¡°Shallow, huh? Then don¡¯t brag just to influence others.¡±


    ¡°I affected your performance? It¡¯s him who did that.¡± Tang Xiu pointed to Yu Xu and said, ¡°I and my girlfriend just watched the show; it was this guy who yelled. If you wanna throw your tantrum, why don¡¯t you pick on him?¡±


    Yu Xu immediately glared and scowled, ¡°What the hell? Don¡¯t throw your shit on my head. It¡¯s clear you just said that this magician¡¯s magic is garbage, so we laughed at you. So what? You mocked others, but you won¡¯t admit it now?¡±


    ¡°Is what he says true, young man?¡± Bassong growled, ¡°You said my magic performance is trash?¡±


    Seeing the hostility from these two fellas made Tang Xiu feel slightly helpless. Had he known that his comment would create such a ruckus, he wouldn¡¯t have talked too much previously. He then looked at Zhang Xinya and asked, ¡°Do you really want to see me performing magic?¡±


    ¡°I do. But¡­¡± Zhang Xinya hesitated and said, ¡°But not here. It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t like this guy who sells out his fellow countryman and causes trouble.¡±


    ¡°What rubbish are you talking about?¡± Li Yan was unhappy and shouted, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with what my friend did? Selling out a fellow countryman and causing troubles? It was you who obviously mocked the magician and made us Chinese lose face. And now you speak like that? If you really got the ability, why don¡¯t you show it off to everyone here?¡±


    ¡°You both are really noisy busybodies!¡± Tang Xiu creased his brows and said, ¡°You really want to court some slaps in the face here? Fine! I hope you can take this lesson well so as not to provoke others and invite trouble later.¡±


    With that said, he looked around and spoke aloud, ¡°Everyone, since you want to see me performing magic, please retreat back so you won¡¯t be affected when I¡¯m performing my magic.¡±


    Immediately, the crowd on the scene receded a few meters away, including the locals who didn¡¯t even speak Chinese.


    Tang Xiu then shifted his sight to Basong and sneered, ¡°I did say your magic performance is just trash. Now lemme open your eyes as to what kind of magic can be called real and true!¡±


    He slowly opened his hands elegantly, slightly blowing his breath towards his right hand. A small flame then appeared on his palm and was swayed by the wind. Tang Xiu blew again to his left hand and created another flame on his left palm.


    ¡°Everyone, I can also change the shape of this flame to any shape I wish to. Just tell me what shape you want to see this flame become. I¡¯ll change it for you.¡±


    A teenage girl amid the crowd shouted, ¡°Can you change it to become a white dove? Just like what that magician did?¡±


    ¡°Change it to a white dove? That¡¯s not even a challenge.¡± Tang Xiu laughed and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give you a flaming pigeon and make it dance around you.¡±


    As he said that, Tang Xiu manipulated the flames to quickly transform into the shape of a dove. He gently waved to make the two flame pigeons get as big as the size of a normal pigeon in two seconds.

 Chapter 943 - The Aspect A Man Could Really Satisfy His Woman

    Chapter 943: The Aspect A Man Could Really Satisfy His Woman


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The two flame pigeons flapped their wings and flew from Tang Xiu¡¯s palms to dance around the teenage girl for some time. But the intense heat from them caused everyone else to pace back a few steps from her, including her parents, though the little girl didn¡¯t feel any heat at all.


    ¡°Awesome!!!¡±


    The girl covered her mouth with sparkling eyes. She looked at the sparks of fire fluttering around her from the two flame pigeons as though they were flame spirits.


    The onlookers in the surroundings were shocked as they couldn¡¯t see any props used by Tang Xiu. He only lifted his hands, yet the flames turned into flame pigeons.


    ¡°Mind-blowing! He¡¯s truly able to perform magic!¡±


    ¡°This guy truly didn¡¯t brag! He¡¯s really awesome.¡±


    ¡°What marvelous flame doves. They can really fly!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Eyes staring wide, Li Yan and Yu Xu looked at the dancing flame pigeons in the air with a look of disbelief. Even in their dreams, Tang Xiu being able to perform such magic never came to mind. He was even able to change the flame into flame pigeons without any stage props whatsoever.


    ¡°How did he do that?¡±


    The same question popped up inside their mind.


    It was likewise the same wonder that swirled in the mind of the magician, Basong. The man looked extremely shocked since he couldn¡¯t see any props that possibly could be used by Tang Xiu. This young man¡­ is truly able to perform magic? It¡¯s like¡­ he had prepared everything in advance and came to snatch the stage!


    With a faint smile hung on his face, Tang Xiu created two bubbles of bluish water under his feet that made him float slowly. When his feet were a meter up from the ground, his fingers flicked and Zhang Xinya suddenly cried out since she was also lifted by two bubbles of water up into Tang Xiu¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Are you afraid?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Looking at her feet, Zhang Xinya could see that it was not too high and was secretly relieved. Then she shook her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°Well, since you¡¯re not afraid, how about having a dance?¡± asked Tang Xiu smilingly.


    ¡°What dance? Here?¡± asked Zhang Xinya.


    Dancing was something Tang Xiu never learned, but he had seen people dancing many times, so he imitated the dancing stance and its steps from his memory and took Zhang Xinya along directly. Zhang Xinya herself danced gracefully while Tang Xiu cooperated according to her movements. Their dance was flowing smoothly as their body¡¯s movements seemed like passing clouds, showing a graceful and breathtaking scene to the audience.


    Shortly after, countless gorgeous flame pigeons came out of nowhere and swirled around them. They constantly changed their formations along with their movement, adorning the air around them to change it into breathtaking and splendid scenery.


    Basong, however, looked exceedingly shocked with his heart pounding hard. Even his eyes looked sparkling at this moment.


    Shock and disbelief were the only feelings that raged inside his heart at the moment!


    Whereas, regarding Li Yan and Yu Xu, they had long been standing dumbstruck and utterly tongue-tied as they watched Tang Xiu and Zhang Xinya dance in the air. They would¡¯ve thought that they were dreaming if they hadn¡¯t just witnessed such a scene with their own two eyes.


    Along with the passing time, people flooded into the vicinity and created a huge crowd. In just half a minute, easily 300 people had come to watch the scene in the sky, many of whom who spoke their mind in shock:


    ¡°God! This is so unbelievable! This scene is what we can only see on TV, no? I never thought that I could see this scene live. So crazy that it¡¯s striking to my eyes!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so breathtakingly gorgeous! I suddenly feel that it¡¯s so unreal. Doesn¡¯t it look like a scene in a fairytale world? How is it possible for any man to do this?¡±


    ¡°They both wear hats and big sunglasses, but they have lovely statures. They look so graceful and have good chemistry. I¡­ I really want to see what they really look like.¡±


    ¡°Is this really a magic performance? How come there is such a mysterious magic?


    ¡°There¡¯s no way any world-class magician would be able to perform this kind of gig, right?¡±


    ¡°This is awesome¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The performance lasted for several minutes as Tang Xiu floated down to the ground along with Zhang Xinya in his arms. The blobs of bluish water also gradually faded away.


    Tang Xiu raised his head and gently waved his hand, causing the flame pigeons that were dancing in the surrounding air to gently disappear, including the ones around the little girl. Then, he spoke with a light smile, ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, that¡¯s the end of my performance. I hope that everyone loved it.¡±


    ¡°I like it!¡±


    ¡°I love it!¡±


    ¡°Can you perform more?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu faced the loud praises and requests of the onlookers with just a smile before he turned to look at Li Yan and Yu Xu whose faces were still shocked as he spoke to them, ¡°How about you both? Ashamed with the impulsive to hide yourselves now? Humiliating others is equal to disgracing yourself. We¡¯re all Chinese, so I hope you can conduct yourself well. Don¡¯t ever make a fool of yourself when you go abroad in the future.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Both of them opened their mouths but didn¡¯t say anything eventually. They indeed felt that they were exactly like what Tang Xiu said. Their cheeks felt hot like they had just gotten slapped in the face a couple of times. They were not stupid and were naturally able to distinguish that Tang Xiu¡¯s magic performance was much better than the previous magician. It was even more mysterious and magical.


    After shaking his head, Tang Xiu pulled Zhang Xinya to walk away from the crowd.


    Basong¡¯s face, however, looked grim and uncertain. When he saw that the couple was about to leave, he immediately ran and blocked Tang Xiu¡¯s path yet again, calling out, ¡°Who exactly are you? Your¡­ your performance just now was definitely not magic.¡±


    ¡°Heh, don¡¯t make such an absurd conjecture if you know nothing,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently, ¡°You¡¯re a magician, so concern yourself with the gigs you¡¯re performing on the stage instead of finding trouble and pestering your audience. Regardless, I apologize if you think I¡¯ve disturbed your performance, but if you must blame someone, throw your tantrum with those two provocateurs! If it weren¡¯t for them, I wouldn¡¯t have performed in public like that and ruined your stage.¡±


    ¡°Just tell me, what you just performed was not magic, wasn¡¯t it?¡± said Basong loudly. ¡°H-how¡­ how did you do it?¡±


    With his face turned cold, Tang Xiu replied with a question instead of answering him, ¡°Ask yourself. You¡¯ve worked your ass off and bitterly learned your magic tricks; do you want to tell outsiders your techniques and secrets?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t¡­.¡±


    Basong turned pale and was hardly able to answer it.


    ¡°So why bother pursuing me and asking about it since you won¡¯t do it yourself, huh?¡± sneered Tang Xiu. ¡°Don¡¯t you also know that poking your nose into other magician¡¯s tricks is a taboo thing to do in this industry?¡±


    The questioning made Basong looked awkward and embarrassed. He lowered his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was wrong.¡±


    ¡°You know, we Chinese, have a saying that those who can admit their mistakes will be able to reform themselves. It¡¯s one of the most important virtues a person could have, so stop bothering me again since you won¡¯t get anything at all,¡± continued Tang Xiu. ¡°I won¡¯t bother talking to you again for whatever you have in mind. Goodbye.¡±


    With that said, he pulled Zhang Xinya to walk past Basong and leave the place quickly.


    Eyes staring at Tang Xiu¡¯s back, Basong murmured, ¡°His performance just now was definitely not magic. There¡¯s no way a magic gig would be that mysterious. But who exactly is he and how did he do it?¡±


    A middle-aged man who stood very close to him asked with curiosity, ¡°Is what you just said true? What he did is not a magic gig?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Basong shook his head and said, ¡°Although I don¡¯t how he did it, it was definitely not magic. Magic performances require a stage set, but he didn¡¯t use any of them whatsoever.¡±


    ¡°He couldn¡¯t be a celestial-like being, could he be?¡± exclaimed the middle-aged man.


    A celestial being?


    Basong¡¯s lips squirmed and he finally replied with a bitter face, ¡°Perhaps he can only be described as a celestial being indeed.¡±


    ¡°Goddammit! How come I was as stupid as a pig? Such a stunning scene, yet I forgot to take a video with my smartphone?¡±


    ¡°Darn right you are! I¡¯m truly an idiot myself. If I videoed the scene just now and sent it to my friends, I¡¯m hella sure it would create a huge sensation.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really a pity. No photos and no videos?!¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s that guy¡¯s fault. Blame him for his magical performance! It was too amazing and beautiful, making me forget to do that¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    In a corner behind the crowd was a young man holding a smartphone. He was looking towards the direction where Tang Xiu and Zhang Xinya left in a daze until the shouts from the onlookers around him pulled him back to reality. He then looked at a group of people screaming with a vexed expression and rolled his eyes. Only then did he realize something, so he suddenly shouted out loudly, ¡°I recorded the scene, everyone! If you want it, you can come here and buy it. 10¡­ no, 100 dollar and you¡¯ll have it!¡±


    ¡°Someone recorded it? I¡¯ll buy it!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll buy!¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    In just ten minutes or so, hundreds of people bought the video. The young man excitedly transferred the video to the people around him while constantly stuffing hundred-dollar bills into his pocket.


    ¡°Hehe¡­ I got more than 10 grand.¡±


    Tang Xiu himself was unaware that his and Zhang Xinya¡¯s performance was recorded, nor did he know that this guy sold the footage and earned more than 10,000 dollars in just 10 minutes. He and Zhang Xinya didn¡¯t go far after they left that place and just entered a nearby shopping mall.


    There, they literally bought all the famous brand goods, as well as ordinary articles, in a happy and joyous mood. Despite being someone who didn¡¯t like spending money extravagantly, Tang Xiu still poured out his money with Zhang Xinya. Certainly, it was also because every floor had different stuff. It was not until the couple entered the city¡¯s special food court did their shopping spree come to an end.


    As they came back to the hotel, Zhang Xinya was completely exhausted, while Tang Xiu likewise felt slightly weary. Just as Zhang Xinya slumped down on the sofa drained, however, he exercised his masterful technique to use the Tuina massage on her and made her weariness gradually disappear.


    ¡°You¡¯re really amazing, Tang Xiu!¡± She groaned softly while enjoying the comfort of her body.


    ¡°Amazing?¡± Tang Xiu smiled and asked, ¡°In what aspect are you talking about, though?¡±


    ¡°What aspect?¡± asked Zhang Xinya, looking puzzled.


    Tang Xiu stopped massaging her and picked her up onto his lap. He brought her to the bedroom while grinning, ¡°You know, telling a man that he¡¯s amazing in a particular aspect refers to the stuff we¡¯re going to do shortly. Don¡¯t worry, though! I¡¯ll wholeheartedly do my best to serve you and let you¡­¡±

 Chapter 944 - Crisis in Nine Dragons Island

    Chapter 944: Crisis in Nine Dragons Island


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The first wisp of sunlight was rising from the East horizon as Tang Xiu woke up from his sleep. He looked at Zhang Xinya who was still soundly asleep with a rosy complexion before he reached over to grab his mobile phone on the bedside counter and looked at the dozens of unanswered calls on it.


    ¡°Huh? Long Zhengyu?¡±


    Brows wrinkled, Tang Xiu put on clean clothes with a puzzled expression. He didn¡¯t even take the time to shower and just headed to the living room instead to call back.


    His call just rang twice before it got picked up, followed by Long Zhengyu¡¯s hushed voice, ¡°We got an accident here on Nine Dragons Island, Tang Xiu.¡±


    The news made Tang Xiu¡¯s expression change and he asked in a deep voice, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Two black-robed old men landed on the island last night. They said that they had buried something here and must dig it out,¡± said Long Zhengyu. ¡°They claimed that it¡¯s buried in the center of the island where we¡¯ve built the houses. We¡¯ll have to demolish them if they want to dig it up.¡±


    ¡°Do you know who are they?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I dunno their identity¡­ but they are¡­ just dreadful. The island has quite a number of experts on guard, yet those two black-robed old men were able to injure tens of them. If it wasn¡¯t for the help from six very powerful mysterious people, those two black geezers would¡¯ve succeeded.¡±


    ¡°There were other six other people?¡± asked Tang Xiu again, ¡°You know those six?¡±


    ¡°I dare say that I¡¯ve never seen them.¡± Long Zhengyu shook his head and said, ¡°These six look very young, seemingly around seventeen years old, yet their combat force is nothing to scoff at. Their magic spells are still shocking even though they didn¡¯t summon wind or call for rain.¡±


    ¡®They are cultivators?¡¯ Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed and he asked in a heavy voice, ¡°What¡¯s the current situation now?¡±


    ¡°Those two black-robed old men are now battling these six teenagers and they seem to be in a deadlock. No one has the upper hand,¡± said Long Zhengyu with a wry voice.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be there tonight at the latest,¡± said Tang Xiu with a deep voice, ¡°Zhengyu, remember to pay attention to safety first and don¡¯t enter any conflict with them if possible. Demolishing the buildings is not an option¡ªprevent them in doing do so. And do anything you can to buy some time until I arrive.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± answered Long Zhengyu.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath. After hanging up, he dialed Mo Awu¡¯s number and learned that he had arrived in Thailand along with Jin Shi, Xue Sha, and Hei Xiong. They were expected to come over in a few hours, so Tang Xiu immediately ordered Mo Awu to immediately depart to Saipan and they¡¯d meet there.


    It had been a longtime plan of Tang Xiu to make Nine Dragons Island an important site of cultivation in the future. He had literally burned so much money to buy it and even invested 20 billion yuan for the construction project there. Additionally, he still had to invest a lot of jade there to arrange a large array. With such a problem occurring there, it was a must for him to rush over and deal with it personally.


    He couldn¡¯t guesstimate who those two black-robed old men were, but he had a faint hunch that the other six youths were definitely cultivators. He had assigned quite a number of experts to guard the island, save for Wolf Head¡¯s team, including some Everlasting Feast Hall experts just like Mo Awu.


    ¡°These people should be very formidable.¡±


    Tang Xiu woke Zhang Xinya up and slightly felt sorry for her after seeing her sleepy face. Nevertheless, he still spoke to her, ¡°Xinya, I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t escort you back to the mainland. You have to hurry to take a shower and leave Bangkok with me. I¡¯m going to take you somewhere else.¡±


    With her spirit aroused, Zhang Xinya¡¯s face was the epitome of joy as she asked, ¡°You won¡¯t escort me back to China? That¡¯s great. But where are we going, though?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll head to Saipan and then leave for Nine Dragons Island,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Nine Dragons Island?¡± Zhang Xinya was confused and asked again, ¡°Where is this island located?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an island I bought in the Pacific Ocean. I set it up as our future base,¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°Something just happened there, so I have to rush over and deal with it.¡±


    Even though Zhang Xinya didn¡¯t understand why Tang Xiu must leave for the island he bought in the Pacific Ocean, nor what he meant as a ¡®base¡¯ later, she immediately understood and quickly got up to wash and rinse out her mouth. She then got everything packed up.


    Ten minutes later, they came out of the suite. Tang Xiu then saw Spectre, Gu Tao, and Zhang Jue outside. There was also Singluen with them and the latter quickly greeted him, ¡°You¡¯ve woken up, Mr. Tang!¡±


    ¡°Something important came up, so I must leave Thailand right away,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Singluen, I¡¯ll have to put our plan on hold for now, but I¡¯ll be back here to find you once I¡¯ve dealt with the problem in that place.¡±


    The words made Singluen let out a forced, wry smile, ¡°Can¡¯t you put that matter on hold first, Mr. Tang? My brother has already returned. I¡¯ve sent my men to keep an eye on him, but he just mysteriously vanished. I suspect he¡¯s already sniffed out that we¡¯re going to carry out the scheme against him. If we don¡¯t rush to deal with him now, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu frowned and he fell silent for a while before he answered, ¡°Singluen, we really need to leave and hurry over to deal with this urgent matter. I know we can deal with your brother first while I¡¯m here. But just think about it. If we were to carry it out now and then I leave after killing your brother, your father will be furious. Besides, I think assassinating him is a much better option than killing him in the open since you two are brothers.¡±


    Singlue was silent as he knew that Tang Xiu was correct. Their previous agreement and plan also said that they would set up the preparations to secretly assassinate his big brother before taking over the position of Patriarch from his father, nominally making him the new Head of his Dark Shaman Family. If he were to resort to killing directly, many other issues would come up.


    ¡°I understand! Then I¡¯ll be waiting for you,¡± concurred Singluen with a wry smile.


    Tang Xiu patted his shoulder and smilingly said, ¡°You¡¯ve been enduring it for many years, so waiting a few more days is nothing, right? Anyway, there¡¯s no need to worry about it. So long as I solve the issue over there, what I¡¯m gonna do first is to come back here.¡±


    ****


    Bangkok Airport.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s group of five had just arrived and hadn¡¯t yet boarded their flight as two middle-aged men in black suits and black sunglasses rushed over. The one who had a scar on his mouth asked, ¡°Are you Mr. Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°And who are you?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a frown.


    ¡°You¡¯ll soon know who we are, Mr. Tang,¡± said the man. ¡°We were ordered by our Young Master to ask Mr. Tang to wait about ten minutes or so. He will rush over here to see you.¡±


    It was still half an hour until their flight, so Tang Xiu immediately said, ¡°I can wait for him, but I won¡¯t entertain you longer than 10 minutes.¡±


    In less than 10 minutes, a young man with a burly figure, though only 170cm tall, came striding over along with a group of black-suited big men. As he came in front of Tang Xiu, he shot a fast glance to Spectre, Gu Tao, and Zhang Jue around Tang Xiu before he gently nodded and said, ¡°Are you, Mr. Tang?¡±


    Tang Xiu had seen this man and knew his identity.


    This man was Singkuo! The oldest prince of the Dark Shaman clan and Singluen¡¯s older brother. The moment he saw him, Tang Xiu immediately concluded that his plan with Singluen may have been exposed, and thus, there was likely a traitor around Singluen.


    ¡°I am,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently.


    ¡°There¡¯s something between us which I think is a bit of a misunderstanding, Mr. Tang,¡± Singkuo smiled and said, ¡°However, since you have some matters to tend to and are going to leave Bangkok, it¡¯s rather inconvenient for me to speak about it. But still, I¡¯d like to present you with these two gifts which I hope are to your liking.¡±


    ¡°Accepting gifts without any merits? I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any need for you to give me anything,¡± said Tang Xiu with a frown.


    Singkuo received two gift boxes from two of his men and handed them over to Tang Xiu, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to see what I wish to gift you, Mr. Tang? I guarantee that you¡¯ll like this gift.¡±


    After being silent for a short while, Tang Xiu motioned for Spectre to receive a box. Tang Xiu personally opened the first gift box, and to his surprise, inside he found a glittering crimson crystal in the shape of a diamond which emitted out faint energy fluctuations.


    ¡°A Flame Crystal?¡±Tang Xiu shot a strange look at Singkuo and questioned, ¡°This is quite a gift. I wouldn¡¯t have expected that you¡¯d have it in your collection.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it turns out you also know about this precious mineral, Mr. Tang,¡± said Singkuo with a smile. ¡°However, I think you¡¯ll agree that you¡¯ll like the other gift as it¡¯s much better than this one.¡±


    Tang Xiu continued to open the second gift box by himself and his expression slightly changed after he clearly saw the object. He shot out a deep yet meaningful look at Singkuo and smilingly said, ¡°You see, I can still get these two items soon even if you don¡¯t give them to me today.¡±


    ¡°If memory serves, the Chinese have an old saying that it¡¯s much better to cast away enmity than to keep it alive,¡± said Singkuo with a faint smile. ¡°You and I have neither a grudge nor enmity. You just want to get this jade carving; hence, I hope you can drop your cooperation with my little brother.¡±


    Taking out the scarlet lifelike jade pig from the gift box, Tang Xiu then asked, ¡°Well, Singluen should have a traitor around him, shouldn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Frankly, my father has been wanting me to be the heir of the clan ever since I was small. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever disappointed him. I am not the cr¨¨me de la cr¨¨me perhaps, but I think I¡¯m competent enough to be an heir of my Dark Shaman clan. Besides, I don¡¯t think my brother knows yet that most of my clan¡¯s power is under my control and it was my father who passed it to me silently.¡±


    ¡°Since you have that much power under your control, then why did you bother to send this zodiac jade carving personally?¡± asked Tang Xiu. ¡°Besides, I only took these few men with me now, so don¡¯t tell me you want to play with me in another way, eh?¡±


    ¡°No. It is not my wish to become your enemy.¡± Singkuo shook his head and said, ¡°The Dark Shaman clan¡¯s way is to never annoy others unless outsiders provoke us first. Even if outsiders are to provoke us, we¡¯ll try to resolve the discord and strive to become friends with them.¡±


    Tang Xiu observed Singkuo in front of him who was not too humble nor servile. He suddenly let out a smile and said, ¡°I have to admit that you¡¯re indeed stronger than your little brother. It¡¯s just¡­¡±

 Chapter 945 - Believing In Fate

    Chapter 945: Believing In Fate


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Singkuo didn¡¯t know much about Tang Xiu, but he was still able to investigate some things about his recent deeds through various channels. One thing he found out that made him dread Tang Xiu was his background¡ªthe Tang Family of Beijing in China. The intel he had obtained even indicated that Tang Xiu was someone responsible for the death of the Amur Tiger.


    He knew who the Amur Tiger was as he had once visited this man. Although this man was not exactly a very powerful rival nor subordinate, his actual strength was nothing to scoff at either.


    Thus, after he found out that Tang Xiu¡¯s purpose was the zodiac jade carving, he didn¡¯t hesitate to take it out. He even offered another precious mineral in his collection to him, intending to bury the hatchet that was against him.


    ¡°Just? Just what?¡± asked Singkuo with a smile, still training his eyes on Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that I have a commitment that I will definitely keep,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°You have a lot of men with you now, so you have two options: you can either remove me immediately, or you can face a dead-end when I come back here after I¡¯m done dealing with some other issues.¡±


    With a complexion turned slightly solemn after hearing that, the smile on Singkuo¡¯s face disappeared. He shot a deep look at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°So we can¡¯t see this eye to eye then? Even though I have respectfully presented you the jade pig you¡¯ve been wanting, as well as a precious mineral I¡¯ve kept for many years as a gift?¡±


    Tang Xiu pondered for a while and then slowly said, ¡°I¡¯ll accept the jade pig and the Flame Crystal. In exchange, I¡¯ll give you some time to make preparations. Your Dark Shaman clan has two heirs¡ªI only want to see a sole heir once I come back. It doesn¡¯t matter who it is.¡±


    Singkuo seemed to be moved and asked again, ¡°What if that sole heir is me? Can we still get along in the future?¡±


    ¡°Not only will we have peace, but we can also cooperate in some aspects.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡®A cooperation, huh?¡¯


    Singkuo sneered inwardly. He hadn¡¯t yet found out all the details about Tang Xiu at present, and he didn¡¯t want to rashly act. He was now finally certain that Tang Xiu¡¯s commitment to helping his foolish little brother would involve some conditions that would damage his own interests. It was likely that these conditions would include some considerable losses to his Dark Shaman clan.


    10 minutes later, Tang Xiu was sitting in the first-class cabin on the plane. He immediately took his mobile out and dialed a cell number. After the call got picked up, he spoke, ¡°Xiaoxue, immediately send 20 members of our Everlasting Feast Hall at the Foundation Establishment Stage to Bangkok. They are to find Singluen and protect his safety. Put Light and Dark in charge of the team if they are free from their assignment!¡±


    ¡°Understood, Grand Master,¡± answered Gu Xiaoxue.


    After pondering for a short while, Tang Xiu said again, ¡°Also, prepare 50 Essence Amassing Pills. Tell Light and Dark to give them to Singluen as an up-front payment. Tell the man to race against time to enhance the strength of every expert under him. Also, there¡¯s a traitor around him¡ªsomeone who¡¯s very close to him. Tell him to discover and neutralize the spy.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll pass your message to him.¡±


    As the call ended and after he had put away the handset into his interspatial ring, coldness gleamed inside Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. He admitted that Singkuo was a more outstanding option compared to Singluen¡ªa level higher in excellence. Yet this man had a deep scheming mind, a type of person he never liked getting along with. If he wanted to obtain the Demon Stone from the Dark Shaman clan and gradually make this clan under his control and work for him in the future, Singluen was the best candidate.


    Hence, there was no better option left other than Singkuo¡¯s death, including his father¡¯s demise¡ªthe current Patriarch of the Dark Shaman clan. At that time, it would be much easier for him to control Singluen.


    Outside the airport.


    Singkuo got into a limousine and, as the car started up, he spoke to the confidant next to him, ¡°Call our contact in China and tell them to investigate this Tang punk. I want a complete and thorough investigation. Also, get into contact with the intel leader of the Darkwind organization in China to purchase any intel regarding Tang Xiu.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    The middle-aged man with a goatee and a short braided hairdo complied and made some phone calls. However, his complexion turned a bit dazed after he made his last phone call. He then shook his head and said, ¡°Young Master, I just called the head of intel for the Darkwind Organization in China. We¡¯ve got some bad news.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Singkuo with a deep voice.


    ¡°He told me that they have a lot of information about Tang Xiu, but none of it is substantive information. The Darkwind have been able to get all the information about Tang Xiu that any other organization could get, but they, just like many others, have been unable to dig up any other substantial information either. Also, he told me something else¡ªthat a lot of dreadful figures are likely to be around Tang Xiu at all times. The Darkwind have lost tens of elite intel agents that have investigated the details of him; thus, they have been unable to find anything substantial regarding his core secrets.¡±


    Singkuo¡¯s expression changed. He knew perfectly well what the Darkwind organization was truly capable of. It was the biggest intelligence organization in the world and an existence that was absolutely able to investigate everything through every opening. It was to the extent that they could even investigate the color of the underwear the President of the United States wore today if they wanted to. Yet, why have they been unable to investigate any meaningful information about Tang Xiu at all?


    There are two possibilities regarding this issue:


    Firstly, there is a very formidable character who¡¯s always around Tang Xiu and possesses a very formidable counter-detection ability. Even though there¡¯s no other card in Tang Xiu¡¯s hand, this character is responsible for ruining all the investigations conducted by the Darkwind organization.


    Secondly, there¡¯s another powerful entity behind Tang Xiu, causing even the Darkwind organization to be unable to investigate the existence of that power.


    Singkuo suddenly felt a bad premonition. No matter which possibility it was, it only meant that Tang Xiu was not simple. Therefore, if he didn¡¯t want to be his enemy, then he must completely resolve all the enmities between them, including any possible future conflicts. Only then would he be able to remove his younger brother.


    ¡°I originally planned to let this little brother bastard of mine live for a few more years. I didn¡¯t expect that he¡¯d act first to remove me. Since this is the case, I can¡¯t be blamed for being ruthless and throwing away all the kinship between us.¡±


    ****


    The hazy night was filled with the occasional breeze from the sea. Tang Xiu took Zhang Xinya, Spectre, Gu Tao, and Zhang Jue to board a taxi that took them to traverse the coastal highway of Saipan. Under the dim light of the street, Zhang Xinya looked like a kitten that was shrunk in Tang Xiu¡¯s arms fast asleep, whereas Spectre sitting shotgun wore a bored expression and watched the night outside the window.


    ¡°There¡¯s police blockade. The road ahead is closed, Sir.¡±


    The taxi driver suddenly turned his head and reported.


    ¡°It¡¯s past 3 AM; why would the police close the road at this hour?¡± Tang Xiu frowned and asked, ¡°Also, this is not the only road to the Lao Bay Resort, right? Can we take a roundabout route?¡±


    ¡°I dunno why the police have blockaded this road,¡± said the taxi driver, ¡°However, this road is the nearest path to the Lao Bay Resort. It would take us more than 30 minutes to make a detour.¡±


    ¡°For now, drive over there and inquire as to what happened and why they have closed the road ahead,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    The taxi driver complied. He picked up the speed again and quickly moved ahead. When the taxi stopped at the front of the four police cars, the cab driver opened the window and asked aloud, ¡°Hey, police officers, why is this road closed off? I¡¯m driving my passengers to the Lao Bay Resort through here.¡±


    ¡°Please get out of your car for inspection.¡±


    The middle-aged policeman strode over and waved the baton in his hand.


    ¡°This¡­¡± The cab driver hesitated and turned to look at Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu turned to Spectre and ordered, ¡°Tell him that I¡¯m a friend of Tom Reggie.¡±


    Spectre nodded and called out to the policeman outside, ¡°Hey, our Boss is a friend of Tom Reggie, so I hope you can make way for us. Besides, my boss is very tired now and needs a rest. You can expect some miserable repercussions if you affect my Boss¡¯s trip here.¡±


    Tom Reggie¡¯s friend?


    The policeman¡¯s expression changed. As he was about to report this to his leader, a few headlights came from the distance and three black SUVs parked near the taxi shortly after.


    ¡°Hey, what happened here?¡± a big man in the frontmost car came out and shouted loudly.


    Upon seeing the license plates of the SUVs, the policeman¡¯s complexion changed yet again. He stood straight to give a salute and answered with a respectful face, ¡°Honored Sir, we¡¯re setting up a roadblock here to chase two criminals who committed murder two days ago. Please forgive us if this affects you.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and make way.¡±


    That policeman immediately shouted a few times and two police cars moved to the roadside to make way. The burly man then went back to the SUV as the three SUVs restarted their engines and moved ahead.


    Tang Xiu was still sitting in the taxi as he saw Spectre striding to block the path of the three SUVs with cold light gleaming in his eyes. He had already guessed that the people in these three SUVs were people of power in Saipan.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡±


    The stalwart man poked his head out of the window and shouted at Spectre.


    Spectre ignored him and looked at the police instead and asked aloud, ¡°Why the hell can they pass through but we can¡¯t? Do they have some privileges here or something?¡±


    ¡°You fucking bastard!¡±


    Several policemen rushed over to try to drive Spectre away.


    Tang Xiu released his perception to inside the SUVs and looked surprised after he saw more than ten people sitting inside them. It was because he found a familiar face inside, someone he knew through his father.


    He gently pushed Zhang Xinya away and made her lean on the seat to continue her sleep. He then opened the car¡¯s door to get out and headed to the front of Spectre. While pointing at the policemen who rushed over to them, he let out a smile and spoke in Mandarin, ¡°I believe in fate; may I know if Mr. Song believes in it too?¡±


    A belief in fate?


    Inside the second SUV, Song Guanghui, who had just awoken from his sleep due to the stop, suddenly heard the voice outside. Surprise flashed in his eyes as he opened the window to look outside with a puzzled expression on his face.


    A young man¡­ and an outsider, too?


    He thought for a moment and asked, ¡°Young man, are you from China¡ªand do we know each other?¡±


    Tang Xiu paced forward to the SUV, but was stopped by five burly men who rushed out of the car. Several policemen even quickly drew their pistols, aiming their muzzles at him.


    Looking at this scene, Tang Xiu only shook his head and smilingly said, ¡°I heard my father say that Uncle Song is a senior official of Saipan. It seems like it¡¯s really true.¡±

 Chapter 946 - Common Enemies

    Chapter 946: Common Enemies


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Song Guanghui¡¯s eyes glinted in the dark. He had been concealing his identity in Saipan for 20 years and had severed nearly all contact with anyone he knew of in mainland China. He knew very few people who still remembered his real name¡ªSong Guanghui.


    Who is this young man, and how does he know my real name?


    Shooting a deep look at Tang Xiu, he said, ¡°Young man, are you not mistaking me with someone else? I¡¯m indeed a senior official here in Saipan¡ªyou can call me Sen Hui. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surnamed Tang,¡± answered Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Family name of Tang?


    Song Guanghui pondered for a short while. Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat and his hands trembled. He rushed to grab the door¡¯s handle and, while trying hard to restrain his emotions, he intentionally let out a relaxed smile and said, ¡°I have a good impression of China as I once had a friend surnamed Tang there. So, what situation are you in right now, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Ah, we¡¯re currently heading over to the Lao Bay Resort, but found that the road is blocked,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Uncle Song, could you help me by having these lawmen let us pass through?¡±


    Eyes squinted, Song Guanghui carefully observed Tang Xiu before he shifted his sight to the policemen and said, ¡°These people and I have met through fate. Make an exception and let them pass!¡±


    ¡°Yes yes yes¡­¡±


    The police officers nodded hurriedly and complied.


    Song Guanghui then closed the window, though his eyes were still trained on Tang Xiu. As the SUV began to move, he ordered, ¡°Stop two kilometers ahead and wait for that taxi behind.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Several minutes later, the taxi zoomed along and Spectre, who still sat in the front seat, reported in a low voice, ¡°Boss, those SUVs we just met are now parked in front of us.¡±


    ¡°Stop and park the car ahead.¡±


    The cab driver turned to look at Tang Xiu with a curious look. But he still nodded and drove the car over to there. As Tang Xiu got out from the car, a middle-aged man came over and spoke to him, ¡°Mr. Tang, the General wants to see you.¡±


    General?


    Nodding in response without speaking, Tang Xiu then headed over to the nearby beach where Song Guanghui was standing at.


    ¡°Uncle Song.¡±


    Song Guanghui turned around and scrutinized Tang Xiu yet again. Then he silently nodded and said, ¡°I guesstimate that you¡¯ve already found out my real identity. However, those who still know of my real identity in this world amounts to less than 5 people.¡±


    ¡°Including a man surnamed Tang¡­ who¡¯s your life-and-death brother?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Yes. A friend in life-and-death and a sworn brother¡± answered Song Guanghui with a heavy voice.


    ¡°Uncle Song, my father is Tang Yunde, and I¡¯ve seen Uncle Chen Anhu in Macao recently.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m sure you know both of them.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Song Guanghui trembled and hurriedly said, ¡°Big Brother Yunde is still alive? Where¡¯s he now and¡­ are you¡­ really his son?¡±


    ¡°Ehh? My Dad hasn¡¯t contacted you yet?¡± asked Tang Xiu, confused.


    ¡°No.¡± Song Gonghui shook his head.


    ¡°No way!¡± exclaimed Tang Xiu, ¡°It¡¯s been half a year after Dad woke up, so he should¡¯ve contacted you properly speaking. How can he¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± interjected Song Gonghui after being silent for a while. There was, however, a bitter smile on his face.


    ¡°What do you understand?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Your old man should¡¯ve told you that we three brothers have very powerful enemies,¡± said Song Gonghui. ¡°It must be the reason why he hasn¡¯t contacted me yet. I presume that he doesn¡¯t want to expose my identity.¡±


    ¡°Dad did say that you all have a very powerful enemy. So much so that Uncle Chen and you had to change your name for the sake of safety, as well as causing you to be unwilling to return to the mainland. Instead of coming home, you both respectively stayed in Macao and Saipan to develop your forces,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°My Dad was found by the enemy about 21 years ago, which was probably caused by some factors that attracted their attention.¡±


    ¡°What exactly happened to your old man 21 years ago, Tang Xiu?¡± asked Song Guanghui rapidly. ¡°I used to keep in touch with your father previously, but I couldn¡¯t contact him all of a sudden one day. I¡¯ve been to China dozens of times since then in an attempt to find his trace. Yet, every time I go there with hope, I always return with disappointment¡­¡±


    ¡°Dad was severely injured and went vegetative. My family elders in Beijing then found and received me from Star City,¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°In actuality, I never once saw my Dad ever since I was born before I met him recently. I used to think that he was just a man who abandoned his wife and children; only last year did I finally learn the whole truth¡ªthat he had actually been in a comatose state in Beijing for years. Since I have some medical skills, I rescued him from that state a little more than 6 months ago.¡±


    Turning vegetative and in a coma for more than 20 years?


    Song Guanghui shivered and tears appeared in his eyes. He and Tang Yunde were life-and-death brothers. They were compatriots¡ªcomrades who had blocked hails of bullets for each other. He had no relatives when he enlisted into the army as an orphan, making his comrades in his platoon become closer than family to him since.


    After years of duty and missions, they became brothers who had gone through thick and thin together for years.


    In that battle, however, only the three brothers remained, scarred and wounded. The three of them stripped off their military uniforms to infiltrate the enemy¡¯s base camp. There, they conducted sneak attacks and assassinations for several months, killing dozens of enemies before escaping under intense pursuit.


    The scenes of the past kept appearing in his mind as he recollected all those memories. The episodes of his life-and-death struggles, those brothers, the rain of blood that was shed by his brothers as they braved the hail of bullets¡­ all of which was vividly being replayed again in his head.


    ¡°Uncle Song, Dad told me that he only has very few brothers left,¡± Tang Xiu spoke again, ¡°Excluding those in the Tang Family, there are only two others left¡ªUncle Chen and you. I presume that your guess is correct¡ªthat the reason my Dad hasn¡¯t yet contacted you these past six months is that he doesn¡¯t want to bring any dangers to you. I presume he and Uncle Chen must still remember the hatreds of the past since they are currently training experts and developing their forces.¡±


    Song Guanghui tightly clenched his fists, while blazing killing intent shrouded in his eyes as he replied with a deep and heavy voice, ¡°He¡¯s right. The hatred of the past is too deep of a debt of blood and must be paid off. The lives of so many brothers of ours are something that can never be ignored. I have a recurring nightmare that has haunted me all these years, waking me up in tears with a drenched pillow. Those damned bastards will have to pay a terrible price sooner or later. Tang Xiu, give me your father¡¯s number. I¡¯ve been secretly training a lot of experts here while I¡¯ve been in control of the Saipan garrison myself. I¡¯ve also been supporting some mercenary companies in Africa, so I need his number to exact our revenge together.¡±


    Tang Xiu gave his father¡¯s cell number to him and said, ¡°Uncle Song, we¡¯ll never give up on this hatred from the past. But give me some time. I promise that half a year later at most, I¡¯ll become your sharp blade that will mercilessly exterminate all of your enemies.¡±


    Song Guanghui patted Tang Xiu¡¯s shoulder in response and happily said, ¡°Brother Yunde truly gave birth to a good son! Alright, let¡¯s head off to my house. I¡¯ll introduce you to my two boys.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an urgent matter I need to tend to first, Uncle Song. So I must set sail early in the morning.¡± Tang Xiu hesitated and said, ¡°How about I visit later after I¡¯m done with everything?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going out to sea?¡± Song Guanghui was confused and asked, ¡°What matter are you dealing with, exactly?¡±


    ¡°About this¡­¡± Tang Xiu hesitated again. He was unsure whether he should tell Song Guanghui about Nine Dragons Island.


    Song Guanghui furrowed his brows and said in a deep voice, ¡°Tang Xiu, I really wish that you can regard me as your relative since I and your old man are sworn brothers in life-and-death. You¡¯re his son, meaning that you¡¯re my nephew. I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m a very powerful man, but there¡¯s nothing I cannot do in Saipan.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really happy hearing it straight from you, Uncle Song. But to be honest you, it¡¯s not too important of an issue, so dealing with it won¡¯t require your assistance at all. I can deal with it myself,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°If anything, it¡¯s regarding an island I bought last year. On it, I have a construction project going on to rebuild it. There was an accident recently, so I must hurry to get there.¡±


    ¡°An island?¡± Song Guanghui zoned out and his complexion suddenly changed as he asked with a deep voice, ¡°Are you talking about Nine Dragons Island?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s exactly that Nine Dragons Island,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°That means¡­ you know Tom Reggie?¡± asked Song Guanghui. ¡°From the men I sent to investigate it, there are two people in charge of Nine Dragons Island¡¯s construction project, one of which is Long Zhengyu from Star City¡¯s Long Group, while the other is Tom Reggie.¡±


    ¡°Tom Reggie is a close friend of one of my men,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°However, judging from your attitude, then the relationship between you and Tom Reggie¡­¡±


    ¡°Tom Reggie is the right hand of my political opponent here and has been at odds with me for years,¡± said Song Guanghui, ¡°Especially recently, as he has been recruiting many experts. He has even taken over several of my industries. I would¡¯ve completely had Saipan under my control if not for this guy.¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and suddenly asked, ¡°May I ask whether you have some time to spare now, Uncle Song?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. What do you want me to do?¡± asked Song Guanghui.


    ¡°Come with me to see Tom Reggie if you have the time,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I assure you that he¡¯ll never be at odds with you again from today henceforth.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to boast like that, Tang Xiu.¡± Song Guanghui shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m perfectly aware of the nature of this fella because I¡¯m his enemy. He¡¯s very loyal to my political adversary. The very reason why he can paint anything black or white in Saipan is all because of Tom Reggie.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll know soon whether or not I can achieve what I say if you come with me, Uncle Song,¡± said Tang Xiu confidently. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give him a call now.¡±


    Song Guanghui raised his hand and was about to stop Tang Xiu when he recalled something all of a sudden, causing him to give up on preventing Tang Xiu from making the call.


    4 AM at the gate of the Lao Bay Resort.


    Tom Reggie took his two confidants to wait here while he quietly watched the distant road under the surprised gaze of the dozen security guards on duty.


    ¡°When will Mr. Tang arrive, Boss?¡±


    A stalwart strongman asked with expectation and eagerness.


    ¡°Just be patient and tell the others to wait. He should be here soon,¡± replied Tom Reggie. ¡°That¡¯s right, what about the accommodation I told you to prepare? Are you done arranging everything?¡±


    ¡°Everything¡¯s been prepared, Boss!¡± the middle-aged man respectfully replied.


    Suddenly, his expression changed as he pointed to the taxi and three SUVs coming over, saying, ¡°Boss, that should be Mr. Tang. But something is strange. Why are those three SUVs heading here too? And the license plate of those cars¡­¡±


    Tom Reggie also knew the license plates of those three SUVs and his complexion changed.


    ¡°Sen Hui? How come Tang Xiu is arriving with him?!

 Chapter 947 - How Is This Possible?!

    Chapter 947: How Is This Possible?!


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    As a man who could literally do anything he wanted in Saipan, Tom Reggy was definitely someone with a brain. He was absolutely a shrewd man of a sophisticated mind and formidable nature, with a set of skills to boot. Even after he got acquainted with Tang Xiu, he inquired about the news regarding this young man and learned that Tang Xiu was a very formidable character¡ªmuch more powerful than anyone he ever knew.


    He regarded this young man as his friend, and yet, how could he get along with his enemy? Even from the looks of their interaction, they seemed to be very close!


    ¡°Mr. Tang!¡±


    While suppressing the restlessness and confusion inwardly, Tom Reggie strode to greet and hug Tang Xiu, only sparing a glance at Song Guanghui.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for me to introduce you to this man, right, Tom?¡± said Tang Xiu with a faint smile. ¡°You¡¯re always in Saipan, to begin with, so I¡¯m sure you both know each other.¡±


    With a bit of a strange expression, Tom Reggie nodded, ¡°General Sen Hui, the number two figure in Saipan. I never thought that he would come to my resort. More so that he tagged along with you, Mr. Tang.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s anything but an outsider, Tom; he has a very deep relation with me.¡± Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°I can tell you that he¡¯s my elder, someone on my side in the truest sense. I already know about what kind of relationship exists between you both, so don¡¯t give him that hostile look. Alright, how about you find some peaceful place so that we can have a chat?¡±


    ¡°No can do.¡± Tom Reggie shook his head and said, ¡°There are tons of things I¡¯d like to chat with you about, Mr. Tang, but there¡¯s nothing I want to say to him. I¡¯m Mr. Dawes¡¯s man; nothing good will happen if he hears the news that I was in contact with this man late at night. I hope you can understand.¡±


    Seeing Tom Reggie¡¯s manner, Song Guanghui¡¯s appraisal toward Tang Xiu dropped a few degrees. He first thought that Tang Xiu was a talented young man, as great as his father used to be. He didn¡¯t expect his mind to be so simple, wanting him to get in touch and tied to Tom Reggie.


    Only after recalling the face of Tang Yunde¡ªhis life-and-death sworn brother¡ªwas he barely able to repress his dissatisfaction, allowing him to calmly wait for Tang Xiu¡¯s next move.


    ¡°Tom, I already told you that I understand the problems between you two,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I have my purpose and a reason to discuss it with you. You can trust me that I won¡¯t harm you at all.¡±


    After slightly hesitating, Tom Reggie still shook his head, ¡°You¡¯re Awen¡¯s Boss, Mr. Tang. You¡¯re also a friend and my business partner, so I naturally trust you. But this man is not someone I can trust, so I can¡¯t comply.¡±


    Spectre, who was wearing a black cap, paced forward and mocked, ¡°Hmph, nobody in this world is allowed to refuse my Boss¡¯s request, let alone you, Rookie! You have two options now. Number one: immediately prepare a place to chat with my Boss. Number two: I¡¯ll kill you now and support your confidant to replace your place. Pray tell why I shouldn¡¯t waste my strength doing so, Rookie.¡±


    Being unable to see Spectre¡¯s face, Tom Reggie was quite angry. ¡°Who the fuck are you to interrupt our talk? I¡¯m talking to your boss, not you!¡±


    Spectre slowly raised his cap. When his entire face appeared in Tom Reggie¡¯s sight, he looked at the latter¡¯s paled face and grimly sneered, ¡°If it weren¡¯t because your heart¡¯s location is different compared to normal people, you wouldn¡¯t be qualified to stand here and talk to my Boss now, would you?¡±


    The big shock made Tom Reggie pace backwards a few steps. He pointed to Spectre and exclaimed in fright,¡± You¡­ w-why are you here? Aren¡¯t you¡­¡±


    ¡°A word more and I¡¯ll kill you!¡± cut Spectre with a chilling snort.


    Tom Reggie looked like he ran into his most formidable, unbeatable nemesis. With frightened eyes and a pounding heart, extreme restlessness now engulfed his entire being. Although he used to be a killer who had executed countless people, there were still some people in this world who truly caused him dread. Spectre was exactly one of them. Without him realizing, he raised his hand to touch the location of his heart. There was a scar near there, and the very person who gifted it to him was Spectre, now sitting right before his eyes.


    Tang Xiu creased his brows and asked in surprise, ¡°You know him?¡±


    ¡°He was once an underling of my target, Boss; and quite a competent one, I admit,¡± explained Spectre with a grin while licking his lips. ¡°Though it¡¯s rather unfortunate that he¡¯s nothing but trash in my eyes. I didn¡¯t attempt to find and kill him again even after I knew that he was still alive. After all, he wasn¡¯t originally my target back then.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me that only a scant number of people in the world can recognize you?¡± Tang Xiu frowned and said, ¡°While you have been out with me, how come so many people have recognized you, huh?¡±


    ¡°I promise you there won¡¯t be a third person, Boss!¡± said Spectre in a hurry.


    Tang Xiu just coldly snorted at him before he looked at Tom Reggie again and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to repeat what I said for the third time. He¡¯s my elder and truly someone of my own. It¡¯s fine if you still refuse, but do consider what consequences will you have to face later. Because the enemy you¡¯re going to face would probably be me!¡±


    Throat feeling dry, Tom Reggie shifted his eyes from Spectre to Tang Xiu and astringently nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll arrange it right away. But¡­ could you tell me how he became your man? I can¡¯t think it through at all.¡±


    ¡°What is it that you can¡¯t understand?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I just can¡¯t figure out as to why such a dreadful man like him would be willing to be your man,¡± said Tom Reggie. ¡°He¡¯s an entirely different kind of breed than Awen.¡±


    ¡°Do you really know and understand who I truly am?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a faint smile.


    The question made Tom Reggie stunned. He understood what Tang Xiu meant, causing his fear of Tang Xiu to turn more intense than ever before. He took a deep breath and then glanced towards Song Guanghui, saying, ¡°Please come inside, everyone.¡±


    With an expression turned very strange at this instant, Song Guanghui truly didn¡¯t expect that the twist of events would be reversed just like this. It only took one of Tang Xiu¡¯s men to stand up and speak some vague words, yet Tom Reggie was stricken and panicked, reversing his previous attitude.


    ¡®Who is Tang Xiu¡¯s man, exactly?¡¯


    Full of confusion, Song Guanghui followed Tang Xiu and the rest to the already prepared villa.


    In the living room on the second floor, Tang Xiu gently patted Zhang Xinya¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°You go to the room to rest first¡ªwe need to discuss something here. Take your time to rest since we¡¯ll be going out to sea early in the morning.¡±


    Zhang Xinya herself didn¡¯t know too much about Tang Xiu¡¯s affairs, so she understandingly nodded as she went straight towards the stairs to the bedroom on the third floor to rest.


    Tang Xiu took a seat on the sofa in the living room as he looked at Tom Reggie and said, ¡°If I told you to change allegiances and switch to Uncle Song¡¯s camp, would you agree?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Who¡¯s Uncle Song?¡± asked Tom Reggie, confused.


    ¡°His real name is Song Guanghui, a life-and-death sworn brother of my old man.¡± Tang Xiu pointed to Song Guanghui and explained. ¡°That¡¯s why I told you that he¡¯s truly someone from my circle in the truest sense.¡±


    Eyes with incredulity and shock, Tom Reggie stared at Song Guanghui. Even in his wildest dreams, he never thought that Sen Hui would have another name. It was even highly likely that he had some other identities.


    ¡°Tang Xiu didn¡¯t lie. My real name is Song Guanghui, and I was once an elite commando for the special forces in China,¡± narrated Song Guanghui in a deep voice. ¡°Later on, a certain accident happened, and I deserted the army. Then, I came to Saipan and have been living here under a new name while climbing the ladder to arrive at my current position now.¡±


    Tom Reggie instantly understood why Tang Xiu said that he had very deep relations with Sen Hui. They were both Chinese, and Sen Hui was even a sworn brother to Tang Xiu¡¯s father.


    ¡°Tom, there¡¯s something I must say, though I think you should already know it,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°The force under my control is very formidable, while what you know about me is just the tip of the iceberg. So now, I¡¯m going to give you a chance. Be my subordinate.¡±


    With a changed complexion, Tom Reggie glanced at Spectre standing beside Tang Xiu and asked with a sour face, ¡°Do I have the right to refuse?¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s because any connection between me and Uncle Song must be strictly kept confidential for the time being, as well as the issue of Spectre becoming my man. A proper saying for the current situation is that the more you know, the more dangerous the situation will be. You now know something about me, so you only have two choices to avoid trouble.¡±


    Two choices?


    Tom Reggie was perfectly aware of what the two choices would be. The first one would be to submit to Tang Xiu and became his subordinate, resulting in him keeping his life, while the second would be him to be killed right here and now for refusing.


    He didn¡¯t believe that he had what it took to escape if he refused. Aside from Tang Xiu who was a very powerful man himself, just Spectre alone was someone he wouldn¡¯t be able to face.


    ¡®What should I do? Is submitting to Tang Xiu the only choice I have?¡¯


    Looking at the uncertain and gloomy expression on Tom Reggie¡¯s face, Tang Xiu indifferently said, ¡°You can rest assured that your wealth will still be yours even if you choose to submit to me. I won¡¯t give you too many orders either, and even will give you rewards the more you accomplish things for me. I remember that I once told you that maybe you¡¯ll be as strong as Awen someday.¡±


    Tom Reggie seemed to be moved and asked, ¡°You¡¯re going to teach me Chinese Kung fu?¡±


    ¡°What Chinese Kung fu?¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°What I can teach you is something different entirely, something that is beyond your imagination. Of course, the situation you¡¯ll face will also become more dangerous once you¡¯ve become very formidable. It is highly likely that the enemies you¡¯ll face will no longer be ordinary humans.¡±


    ¡°Not humans? What are they? Are they the likes of those fierce beasts in the sea?¡± asked Tom Reggie with a confused face.


    ¡°Heh, those fierce ocean beasts are indeed very strong, but the enemies you¡¯ll face in the future may be much stronger than they are,¡± sneered Tang Xiu. ¡°Let me give you a comparison. You also know the likes of vampires, as well as demi-humans including the Beastmen, Wingmen, sorcerers, and wizards from the Western world, no?¡±


    Stricken with shock, Tom Reggie asked, ¡°You mean, I have a chance to be as powerful as those terrifying monsters and even will have them as my enemies?¡±


    ¡°You think these vampires, Beastmen, Wingmen, and wizards are powerful? Hmph!¡± Tang Xiu let out a contemptuous snort and said, ¡°You prove your loyalty to me, and you¡¯ll have the power to smash them in the future. But the enemies I¡¯m telling you about are a much more powerful existence than them.¡±


    Tom Reggie was dumbfounded. He never imagined that Tang Xiu could actually say such a claim. It was like Tang Xiu presented a window in front of him. Now, he was waiting for him to reach his hand out to open it and see the magical and mystical world beyond.

 Chapter 948 - Beyond Logic Technique

    Chapter 948: Beyond Logic Technique


    Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales


    At this moment, Tom Reggie wasn¡¯t the only one shocked, as even Song Guanghui who took a seat on the next sofa was now looking at Tang Xiu with a dumbfounded, incredulous expression.


    As someone whose position was at the top of the pyramid, Song Guanghui naturally knew many things beyond what was known to the average person. He knew that terrifyingly powerful divergent races such as vampires and Beastmen truly existed on Earth, as well as those the likes of wizards and reclusive figures and experts who stayed under the radar. Back in the day, he and his brothers had also faced these kinds of existences.


    And yet, why would Tang Xiu dare to promise Tom Reggie that he would become as powerful as these terrifying things? Is he talking nonsense, or is he telling the truth?


    ¡°Tang Xiu¡­¡±


    Song Guanghui called out, but Tang Xiu raised his hand and interrupted him to finish his words.


    Tang Xiu shot an intense look at Tom Reggie and continued speaking with a deep voice, ¡°You must understand that you won¡¯t become my confidant even if you choose to submit. But I can guarantee that your strength will greatly improve, and your lifespan will even be several times longer.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean a longer lifespan?¡± asked Tom Reggie.


    ¡°For instance, if you can normally live to 100 years old and choose to submit to me, I will not only make you stronger, but even stronger than the current Spectre. You can live for 200, 300, or 400 years more. Don¡¯t doubt me about it. You clearly know my character and I never talk big, nor have I talked about any nonsensical things.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Absolutely impossible.¡± Tom Reggie shook his head and said, ¡°How can humans live to 200-300 years old?¡±


    ¡°How long do you think those vampires live?¡± sneered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Tom Reggie was rendered speechless and dumbfounded. He knew that vampires lived for thousands for years, while the most terrifying ones even lived more than that. Yet, can human beings really live that long?


    Suddenly, with slight impatience in his voice, Tang Xiu said, ¡°I need your answer now. Be it your acceptance or refusal, I want it now.¡±


    ¡°Tang¡­ Boss, do you think any option to refuse still remains?¡± asked Tom Reggie with a hollow smile.


    ¡°Since you don¡¯t refuse, it¡¯s settled then.¡± Tang Xiu nodded in satisfaction. ¡°You¡¯re my man starting today, and I¡¯ll send someone to teach you a cultivation technique once I¡¯m done dealing with the problem in Nine Dragons Island. I give you my word that your combat prowess will increase several folds in just three years.¡±


    ¡°Umm.¡±


    Tom Reggie nodded without any words. He had already chosen to submit to Tang Xiu, so all the ideas he had in mind changed as well. He thought that becoming Tang Xiu¡¯s subordinate was not shameful since even the terrifying world¡¯s first assassin, Spectre, had become Tang Xiu¡¯s underling as well.


    ¡°There¡¯s another thing I want you to remember, Tom,¡± warned Tang Xiu. ¡°I want you to maintain absolute respect in front of Uncle Song. Also, should there be any conflicts between him and your former backer, you must stand on his side. You¡¯re also to obey all his commands even when I¡¯m not in Saipan.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Tom Reggie shot a look at Song Guanghui first before nodding and complying, ¡°I¡¯ll follow your order.¡±


    Song Guanghui squinted and slowly spoke, ¡°I¡¯m very glad to have you join us, Tom. I do. But I can tell that you¡¯re not that willing to submit to Tang Xiu, so I warn you now to stick to your word. You already promised him, so if you don¡¯t follow through, I¡¯ll get rid of you with everything I have even if I have to break the agreement with Dawes.¡±


    Tom Reggie didn¡¯t flinch at all and bluntly said, ¡°Even Awen and Spectre have already submitted to Mr. Tang. It shows that Mr. Tang¡¯s power is much more terrible than I ever imagined. I¡¯m a bit reluctant¡ªthat I admit. But since I¡¯ve made my choice, you can be sure that I¡¯ll take my place appropriately.¡±


    ¡°You are not that willing to submit, eh?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a mischievous smile.


    ¡°I am,¡± replied Tom Reggie without trying to conceal it.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s figure flashed like a shadow and instantly disappeared from the sofa. In just a millisecond, he was already standing in front of Tom Reggie. He pulled him up from the sofa and directly stuffed a pill into his mouth as he shouted aloud, ¡°Relax your body and sense the flow of energy inside your system. Endure the pain. Even if you feel like your body is being sheared, endure it and try your best to sense the energy!¡±


    With that said, a torrent of Primal Chaos energy crazily rushed into Tom Reggie¡¯s body and began to circulate according to a Nascent Soul cultivation technique route.


    ¡°Damn¡­ it¡¯s painful¡­¡±


    Tom Reggie screamed as his body violently shivered.


    Tang Xiu ignored him and just controlled his Primal Chaos energy to circulate faster and open up the clogged acupoints and meridians. After breaking through his meridians, he quickly repaired and nourished them. In just ten minutes, Tang Xiu had broken through 36 of the blocked acupoints in his body, and circulated the energy according to the Small Heavenly Circuit foundation of the cultivation technique and completed the openings to form a full circulation cycle.


    ¡°Uh, something stinky came out?¡±


    Everyone inside the living room could smell the putrid stench from Tom Reggie¡¯s body.


    Tang Xiu released the man¡¯s body and then threw him on the sofa. He watched him pant and gasp for breath with the clothes on his body drenched in his own sweat. He threw him a smile and said, ¡°Go have a bath in the bathroom downstairs. Tell one of your men to send you a new set of clothes. You have half an hour; I¡¯ll be waiting for you here.¡±


    While trembling, Tom Reggie replied with a slightly hoarse and shivering voice, ¡°I¡­ have no strength. It¡¯s so damn painful, like having my flesh being sheared by knives.¡±


    ¡°Trust me. You¡¯ll no longer feel that pain again in a few minutes. It will instead be replaced by a very comfy feeling, like you¡¯re in seventh heaven.¡± Tang Xiu let out a faint smile and said, ¡°Alright, go! I don¡¯t have much time and can¡¯t afford to delay more. I want you to appear in front of me half an hour from now.¡±


    ¡®Goddammit, bastard!¡¯


    Tom Reggie cursed inwardly and struggled to prop himself up as he straggled to the stairs, moving down step by step.


    Song Guanghui, who had been paying full attention to Tang Xiu¡¯s actions and Tom Reggie, asked with a surprised expression on his face after Tom Reggie disappeared down the staircase, ¡°What did you just do, Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Well, I just helped him open up some of his meridians while also improving his strength at the same time,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°He has submitted to me, but he¡¯s a bit reluctant, so after he tastes the sweetness of his choice and becomes stronger, his heart will completely give in. Anyway, Uncle Song, Tom Reggie is my gift to you for our first meeting. I hope it¡¯s to your liking.¡±


    Song Guanghui fell into silence for a short while. Then, he suddenly said, ¡°I need to contact your old man.¡±


    Tang Xiu extended his hand which was holding his handset and smilingly said, ¡°I already sent you my Dad¡¯s number, so you can call him at any time.¡±


    Song Guanghui thanked him and got up, gave orders to his men, and then walked into an empty room next door.


    After half an hour, he came out of the room with eyes now full of tenderness when he looked at Tang Xiu. There was also unconcealed excitement on his face.


    ¡°Have you finished talking to my Dad, Uncle Song?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Song Guanghui heavily nodded and said, ¡°I learned quite a lot about you from your old man, Tang Xiu. You¡¯re really great¡ªamazing! I just learned that the Magnificent Tang Corp. actually was founded by you, even without the support of the Tang Family. But one thing that I never imagined is that you¡¯re also a cultivator, as are a lot of your men.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it seems Dad really trusts you given that he even told you about it,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    ¡°Whether it¡¯s the present or two decades ago, we¡¯re brothers¡ªlife-and-death sworn brothers,¡± said Song Guanghui straightforwardly. ¡°Be it 20 years later, we¡¯ll still keep off bullets and are willing to die for each other.¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his thumbs up and praised, ¡°I truly admire that pure brotherhood you¡¯ve shown me, Uncle Song. So, what do you think about the gift I gave you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s great; I like it.¡± Song Guanghui spiritedly replied, ¡°Tom Reggie is Dawes¡¯s right-hand man, an enemy I used to face with prudence and importance. But now he has become one of my men. I can tell that dealing with Dawes will be much easier with him.¡±


    ¡°It is said that you¡¯re the number two figure in Saipan, right, Uncle Song?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Do you want to be the definitive Boss here? I can help you achieve it easily if you wish.¡±


    ¡°Can you do it?¡± asked Song Guanghui hurriedly.


    ¡°It¡¯s easy to forge a car accident that will claim the number 1 man¡¯s life, don¡¯t you think?¡± said Tang Xiu with a faint smile. ¡°Or, you can tell Spectre about it. It¡¯s easy for him to get the job done.¡±


    Sparing a glance at Spectre with a confused face, Song Guanghui said, ¡°His real identity is¡­¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t hide it from you, Uncle Song. He¡¯s Spectre, the best assassin in the world.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°You¡¯re someone with high position and authority, so you should know a lot of things. Don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t heard of his name?¡±


    Spectre? As in, Spectre the number one hitman in the world?


    Song Guanghui¡¯s pupils shrunk and his face turned pale. He heard Spectre name from Tom Reggie previously. He only felt that the man sent out a chilling sensation, yet it never came to his mind to relate him to that dreadful assassin.


    How would he not know of the existence of Spectre? This fella was a notoriously dreadful existence to countless great personages all over the world; even he himself was afraid that this notorious hitman would someday cut his head off while he was sleeping.


    And yet¡­ this guy¡­ how could he become Tang Xiu¡¯s man? How come such a monster like Spectre would submit to others and become someone¡¯s henchman?


    All of sudden, Song Guanghui recalled what his sworn brother just told him on the phone about his son. He felt that Tang Xiu¡¯s father knew too little about his own son.


    ¡°AWESOME!¡±


    Just as Song Guanghui was still shocked, Tom Reggie ran up the stairs with a flushed, yet intense, excited face. He dashed to Tang Xiu¡¯s front and said aloud, ¡°Tang¡­ Boss, how exactly did you do it? I can feel I¡¯ve become much stronger than I used to be¡ªat least twice of my former strength. Also, my body feels so healthy and comfortable, comfier than any massage I¡¯ve ever had. Yeah, my strength is two times greater. I can feel that I¡¯m at least two times stronger than I used to be!¡±


    ¡°Your strength absolutely won¡¯t be just twice greater than before after you¡¯ve truly familiarized yourself with it,¡± said Tang Xiu smile. ¡°Do you believe me now that I have the ability to make you stronger?¡±


    ¡°Sure hell I do!¡± exclaimed Tom Reggie excitedly.

 Chapter 949 - Heavy Casualties

    Chapter 949: Heavy Casualties


    Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales


    Watching how excited Tom Reggie was made Song Guanghui¡¯s expression turn strange, yet a billowing tide surged inside his heart. He didn¡¯t understand what Tang Xiu did to this man previously, but after he learned of Tang Xiu¡¯s real identity from Tang Yunde, only then did he come to a realization that Tang Xiu¡¯s actions were like those scenes in martial arts movies when some experts imparted their abilities to others, causing the cultivation of the imparted person to improve by leaps and bounds in a short period of time.


    ¡°Are you really sure you got stronger, Tom?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely.¡± Tom Reggie heavily nodded and said, ¡°I tested it right after I took a shower. The max weight I used to able to lift was 100kg, but now I can lift or move a 200kg object.¡±


    This made Song Guanghui shocked, and the way he looked at Tang Xiu was entirely different than before. What Tang Xiu did to create an expert in just 10 minutes was simply like a scene in a movie. It also proved that he was truly powerful.


    In the case¡­ that if¡­ Tang Xiu could help him open the passages of his meridians, could he also have the strength to move several hundred kilogram objects?


    Eagerness and enthusiasm were boundless in Song Guanghui¡¯s eyes as he looked at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Tang Xiu, I¡¯ve always been a soldier myself, and I always revered combat prowess and strength ever since I was small. Even though I¡¯ve left the army for more than 2 decades, I never neglected my kung fu, and even hired grandmaster-level martial artists to teach me martial arts.¡±


    Tang Xiu immediately understood what Song Guanghui wanted, but this kind of steroid-like cultivation enhancement was never a good thing. For instance, Tom Reggie. His power indeed progressed rapidly now, yet he¡¯d have a shaky foundation that would make his achievements limited and progress to be more difficult. Even if he were to consume massive cultivation resources, he would hardly be able to reach the Golden Core Stage, while reaching the Nascent Soul Stage was nothing but a dream.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t be in a rush, Uncle Song.¡± Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°I just helped Tom to upgrade his strength which made me consume quite a lot of energy. Besides, I¡¯ve been traveling all day today and I still must leave for Nine Dragons Island soon. The urgent issue there is quite tricky to deal with, so let us talk about helping you later.¡±


    Song Guanghui was silent for a while. Then he slowly nodded and said, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll see to it later since you say so! Anyways, do you want me to send you there with a special plane?¡±


    Tang Xiu seemed moved but he shook head and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need, Uncle. I already contacted my men on the island. A chopper will come to fetch me.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then.¡± Song Guanghui then got off the couch and said, ¡°Also, I already gave you my number, so just call me anytime whenever you have anything that needs my help. I won¡¯t come with you to Nine Dragons Island, though. Just remember to contact me once you come back and visit my home.¡±


    ¡°Will do,¡± replied Tang Xiu.


    Soon after, Tang Xiu and Tom Reggie walked Song Guanghui outside. At this moment, as the dim dawn of the sun came rising from the East, the helicopter from Nine Dragons Island arrived. After it landed on the helipad of Lao Bay Resort, Tang Xiu led Zhang Xinya, Spectre, Gu Tao, and Zhang Jue to board the helicopter. Right at this time, however, Tang Xiu received a call from Mo Awu that his team also had arrived in Saipan and were now on the way to Lao Bay Resort.


    ¡°Tom, lend me one of your resort¡¯s choppers! Awu¡¯s team has arrived here too and we¡¯ll leave for Nine Dragons Island together.¡±


    With a changed expression, Tom Reggie replied, ¡°Copy that. The chopper is ready to take off at a moment¡¯s notice. But how many people are there in Awu¡¯s team?¡±


    ¡°There should be four of them,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Only four? Then I¡¯m coming there too!¡± said Tom Reggie hurriedly. ¡°Long Zhengyu called me before about it, so I¡¯m going to go there to take a look at the situation as well.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go together then.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and added. ¡°But don¡¯t take too many people with you!¡±


    ¡°Roger that!¡±


    ****


    At eight in the morning, the two helicopters arrived at Nine Dragons Island. After they landed on the helipad, Mo Awu and Long Zhengyu ran over along with four other men.


    ¡°Tell me the current situation!¡±


    Tang Xiu had just seen the reconstruction work on Nine Dragons Island from above. After extensive renovations, the plan had been finished and the building complexes had now been built in clusters in different areas, whereas the greeneries on the island had also been improved. Series of intricate roads and pathways had been built in all directions, connecting the buildings all over the island.


    Aside from that, the nine extended slopes were still unchanged and were now surrounded by guardrails. The areas apparently became restricted spots on the island. All cargo ships, yachts, liners, and other vessels were orderly moored at the two re-established ports with a large number of armed personnel guarding them. There were even several newly built lighthouses and water beacons.


    ¡°We have investigated the identity of those six teenagers, Boss,¡± reported Mo Awu in a deep voice. ¡°They¡¯re all Singaporean Chinese and members of an ancient and mysterious sect which fled China around 50 years ago and re-established itself in Singapore. Those two old geezers, however, are very hostile to us. Although they temporarily gave up their intention to destroy the buildings on the island, they still are occupying the hilltop and refuse to leave.¡±


    ¡°Any other specific information about this ancient sect, like its name?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t asked them about that; those six young men are reluctant to say more.¡± Mo Awen shook his head and said, ¡°They seem to be afraid of us, I think. Although we have provided them all with accommodations, they didn¡¯t even try them and instead just use the rations they brought with them.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in response. As he came to the stone bridge, he took a seat in the car that came to transport him. As the car turned and went towards the palace, he asked again, ¡°How about our casualties?¡±


    ¡°Two men killed, six severely injured, and more than a dozen with minor injuries,¡± answered Mo Awen. ¡°Wolf Head is also seriously injured and is now recuperating in the palace.¡±


    The news made Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes gleam with frosty light. He looked through the windows to the outside at one person and suddenly said, ¡°She¡¯s Zhang Xinya, my woman.¡±


    ¡°Madame!¡± Mo Awen¡¯s mind shifted and he hurriedly called out.


    Zhang Xinya already knew that Tang Xiu had bought this Nine Dragon Island. Yet, she was still shocked by the scene she saw here since she realized that the budget needed to fully finish such a construction project for the whole island would be stratospherically high. More so that there were not only many ships of various types, but also a lot of airplanes. This place simply looked like a private armed base.


    Additionally, she didn¡¯t expect that the island would also have a majestic palace aside from other various buildings. She even found that many men armed to the teeth were stationed near the stone bridge.


    ¡°Hello there.¡±


    The address Mo Awen just used to call her made Zhang Xinya happy, so she smilingly replied with a nod.


    ¡°Xinya, Awen and Awu are brothers. This island is ours, so you can regard this place like your own home in the future,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s too big for a home, you know. It¡¯s like a garden city and stunningly beautiful.¡± Zhang Xinya chuckled.


    ¡°Relax. This place is my private territory and not under the jurisdiction of any country,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°You just need to remember that you¡¯re the lady of the house here.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty!¡± Zhang Xinya nodded firmly.


    Soon after, the convoy arrived at the gate of the palace. While still in the car, Tang Xiu saw Mu Qingping standing while holding Gu Yin¡¯s hand at the entrance. They obviously had been waiting for a long time.


    ¡°Yinyin dear!¡±


    After he got out of the car, he walked toward Mu Qingping and Gu Yin while opening his arms.


    With melodious laughter, Gu Yin moved like a graceful dancing butterfly as she plunged herself into Tang Xiu¡¯s embrace and kissed him on the cheek, excitedly saying, ¡°It¡¯s been half a year since Yinyin last saw you, Master. I missed so you much.¡±


    ¡°Master missed you so much too, Yinyin.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°So, how have you been here? Happy and getting used to being here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Yinyin already has gotten used to this place. I love this island,¡± answered Yinyin with a smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said, ¡°Have you been well too, Sis Mu?¡±


    ¡°Everything¡¯s been great, Mr. Tang,¡± replied Mu Qingping with a nod and a beaming face. ¡°There¡¯s nothing much to do with Awen and the rest of the men here.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and then introduced Zhang Xinya to Mu Qingping. Then he said, ¡°Sis Mu, please take Xinya and settle her first. Awen and I will tend to some things first.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll arrange everything for Miss Zhang, Mr. Tang. But please do pay attention to your safety,¡± said Mu Qingping hurriedly. ¡°Those people who just landed on the island are very powerful.¡±


    ¡°No worries!¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°They are not people that I need to pay precaution to.¡±


    A short while after, Tang Xiu looked around and said, ¡°Awen, send someone to bring those six little guys to the place where those two geezers are. In the meantime, we¡¯re going ahead to see the situation first. I want to see how good their abilities are since they¡¯ve dared to come to my Nine Dragons Island to make trouble.¡±


    Mo Awen complied and waved to his men to carry out the order before taking Tang Xiu into the car. More than a dozen cars then quickly moved further inland on the island. Ten minutes later, the convoy stopped in front of a building halfway up the hilltop.


    ¡°The car can only travel up to here. Though it¡¯s not too far, we need to hike up to the top, Boss,¡± said Mo Awen. ¡°We can get to the hilltop in ten minutes at the most¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded as an answer and led his men to hike up to the hilltop. On a nearby boulder, he saw two old men in black robes with unkempt hair and grey and aged complexions. In their hands were diamond-studded staffs, and their faces were covered by totem tattoos, making them look particularly ghastly and grim.


    Aside from them, there were also two long giant pythons that were over 5-meters long and as thick as a bucket, hissing and slithering around the boulder. The two pythons stopped in front of the boulder as Tang Xiu¡¯s group approached and stared at them with chilling eyes, seemingly ready to attack at a moment¡¯s notice.

 Chapter 950 - Pre-Battle

    Chapter 950: Pre-Battle


    Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales


    The two colorful pythons with such intimidating auras made Tang Xiu taken aback inwardly. He was keenly aware of the increasing bulged flesh on their heads which was apparently a precursor feature of these creatures before becoming aquatic dragons.


    Prior to this, Tang Xiu himself had seen the Cruor Python raised by Ao Wei, yet that creature was far inferior compared to these two pythons in terms of strength and level. It could be said that any of these two creatures would be able to slay 10 Cruor Pythons easily.


    What made Tang Xiu surprised, however, was these two black-robed old men themselves, who now sat on the boulder. Their faint power fluctuations made him feel a bit threatened.


    ¡°What, and who, are you people?¡±


    After being silent for ten seconds, Tang Xiu shouted at them around 20 meters away.


    Hiss¡­ hiss¡­


    The two old men simply didn¡¯t pay attention to Tang Xiu at all¡ªor it was more like they ignored his question. They steadfastly sat at their spot, eyes closed and motionless. On the contrary, the two colorful pythons were the ones to move and hiss, seemingly attempting to drive everyone away.


    ¡°Hmph!¡± after coldly snorting, Tang Xiu said in a heavy voice, ¡°Very arrogant, aren¡¯t you two geezers? I really hope you do have what it takes to be arrogant here. Nine Dragons Island is my territory. You now have a chance to scram at once; otherwise, you¡¯ll lose your chance to leave.¡±


    At this time, only then did one of them slowly open his eyes. As he lightly stood up, the staff in his hand suddenly radiated with a fluctuation of energy. His eyes, however, did not consist of just black and white, but also blue and grey, giving off a slightly enchanting vibe.


    ¡°What you said made me laugh, young man. Do you want to know who we are? You¡¯re not entitled to know that. You may have many experts here, but getting rid of them is not impossible for us. However, I¡¯ve heard that one needs to pay with money for anything that they want in the outside world. We didn¡¯t bring much cash when we left our clan, but our children will. I can promise you money and you¡¯ll leave this island.¡±


    Tang Xiu slightly frowned and said, ¡°I already told you that Nine Dragons Island is mine. I will never sell it¡ªnot even if you offer me a mountain of gold. Tell me, where do you come from?¡±


    ¡°Ah, ants are really pitiful.¡± The black-robed old man sighed, ¡°These ants don¡¯t know that death has arrived. The sacred God of the Celestial Wizard Clan once said that low-class people are stupid and stubborn in nature¡ªonly force can tame them. But I didn¡¯t expect that even among ants, there would also be someone with the ability to see through the mystery of this island. Nevertheless, this island is bound to be acquired by my clan as there will be many of us coming here later. So right now, you are the ones that need a chance to live; else, it won¡¯t be us who¡¯ll die, but you instead.¡±


    This made Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion slightly change. He turned to look at Mo Awen, ¡°The telecom tower has been built here and you can now contact the outside world by phone, correct?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s per your order, Boss!¡± said Mo Awen, ¡°The telecommunication tower has been built and it¡¯s already operational now, so we can contact the outside world by phone from here.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s heart sank and he said with a grim face, ¡°This Nine Dragons Island is mine and nobody can snatch it from me. You want to rob my territory, and the only path that remains is through slaughter. Nonetheless, I¡¯ve been worrying about my men as well. Their power may have progressed rapidly, yet they have no enemies to sharpen their skills with and nobody to give them the experience of facing true powerhouses. You said your Celestial Wizard Clan is going to bring them here, huh? Might as well use Nine Dragons Island temporarily as their battlefield.¡±


    Having said that, he turned to look at Mo Awu and ordered, ¡°Contact Xiaoxue to send all core members, except those who are currently undertaking important missions. The rest are to come here!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Mo Awu replied and paced backward in strides.


    Tang Xiu then looked at the black-robed old man again and said, ¡°Old geezers, I give you 3 minutes. If you stubbornly stay after that, then there¡¯s no need to waste any more saliva.¡±


    ¡°No need for those three minutes.¡± The old man shook his head and said, ¡°We won¡¯t leave.¡±


    ¡°Jin Shi, He Xiong, Xue Sha, Gu Tao, Zhang Jue! The five of you kill these two wretched animals!¡± coldly shouted Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Affirmative!¡±


    The five men under Jin Shi¡¯s leadership complied as they instantly released their respective flying swords. As they unleashed the sword battle formation in an instant, their five figures flashed like shadows and appeared in front of the two giant pythons.


    Whoosh, whoosh¡­


    The two pythons spewed out two blobs of dark smoke. The blobs spread out quickly to shroud a radius of dozens of meters; if it wasn¡¯t for the extreme speed that Tang Xiu and his men used to quickly move backward, they would have found themselves shrouded by the black fog.


    However, Jin Shi¡¯s group of five didn¡¯t retreat and instead released their True Essence energy to fend off the black fog from entering their body. Relying on their feeble spiritual sense, they controlled their flying swords to form a twister of sword beams. In just a few seconds, hundreds of slashes had already attacked the two pythons.


    Clang, clang, clang¡­


    Yet, the two python¡¯s scales were exceptionally hard. Even the indestructible flying swords were only able to make the serpents wounded¡ªnone of them were able to fatally injure the creatures. Moreover, the two giant pythons were thoroughly stimulated by the drowning pain and finally revealed their ferociousness. Even though their sharp fangs failed to strike over and over again, their flexible physique made it so that they were able to whip their heads and tails to hit Jin Shi¡¯s group.


    ¡°Final Strike!¡±


    With blood dripping from his mouth and a blazing killing intent burning in his eyes, Jin Shi shouted, whereas Xue Sha, Hei Xiong, Gu Tao, and Zhang Jue followed and tacitly cooperated to unleash the most powerful strike of the sword battle formation.


    The swords turned into a line, twisting and turning to create a blooming lotus composed of sword beams which instantly dispersed the stirring black fog in the air. A ray of sword beams jetted out of the blooming lotus and gloriously blossomed, while at the same time, they summoned the energy of Heaven and Earth to swarm over into the sword beam lotus, dramatically increasing its volume.


    ¡°Devour!¡±


    As Jin Shi¡¯s team of five roared inwardly at the same time, the lotus flower crashed down toward the two giant pythons. In just the blink of an eye, the first sprinting python¡¯s head was swallowed by the lotus flower and got devoured, splattering large volumes of blood in a mist.


    ¡°Goddammit!¡±


    The other black-robed old man who was still sitting on the boulder suddenly spewed black smoke from his mouth. His pale complexion turned paler, almost as if his face was devoid of blood, and was followed by his figure floating in the air a moment after. He then raised the gemstone head staff and waved it away, transforming a black dragon from the black smoke which torrentially smashed down at Jin Shi and his team.


    ¡°Guard!¡±


    Jin Shi cried out. The five of them retreated at the same time instantly and shifted their target to the other python the instant it fled. They instantly manipulated their swords to form stacked layers of a sword wall in front of them.


    Violent energy erupted the moment the black dragon and the sword shield clashed. As the former turned into black smoke, Jin Shi and the rest were thrown backward. At this moment, however, a lightning-like figure flashed among Jin Shi¡¯s group. It was Mo Awu who wielded his sword, dashing to impale the black-robed old man¡¯s chest.


    ¡°SCRAM!¡±


    The black-robed old man furiously roared and unleashed intricate black fog out of thin air that instantly wrapped Mo Awu¡¯s limbs. Just as the black fog was going to invade Mo Awu¡¯s body, however, Mo Awu unleashed his True Essence to prevent it.


    Standing among the crowd was Tom Reggie. His rough face was showing his extreme shock, while his hands rubbed his own eyes several times, wanting to make sure that he wasn¡¯t hallucinating.


    ¡°This¡­ such terrifying power, yet it can be possessed by human beings? I know Awu¡¯s strength; he was clearly more powerful than me six months ago, yet he¡¯s now much stronger than before? How can he be strong to this extent now?


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ not even 100 of me would be a match to him? With the power he just blasted out, isn¡¯t it enough to flatten a small hill?


    ¡°Also¡­ those two giant pythons are really dreadful. And those two geezers¡­ what power do they have exactly? Why can they unleash such black fog and even turn into the shape of a dragon and tiger to attack?¡±


    He was well aware of his own strength. It could be regarded as the power of a first-class expert even among foreign mercenaries. Even if he admitted that some experts were better than him, the gap was not wide.


    Yet, the combat which was unfolding before his eyes finally made him realize what a true powerhouse really meant, making him aware that he was nothing but a frog looking at the sky from the bottom of a well.


    ¡°I must get stronger. Absolutely!¡±


    Fists clenched tightly and eyes sparkling with a resolute look, Tom Reggie suddenly rejoiced that he chose to submit to Tang Xiu at this moment. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have had the chance to witness combat at this level, nor would he have the hope of becoming a true powerhouse in the future.


    While he was acting determined, next to him stood Long Zhengyu, though his expression was much better and not as shocked as him. However, Long Zhenyu¡¯s expression was not much better than him a couple of days ago either. After all, Long Zhengyu was but an average man; he wasn¡¯t even a martial arts practitioner. The shock he got was so much that it was nearly impossible to calm down after he saw the dreadful combat between the black-robed old men and Wolf Head, Mo Awen, and the rest. He also saw all the techniques that were displayed by those six teenagers. Had it not been for the protection from the hundreds of members from the Everlasting Feast Hall, he would¡¯ve been affected and swept out by the battle and died amid the fray.


    Hence, only then did he realize that the many guards around¡ªTang Xiu¡¯s subordinates¡ªwere a bunch of terrifying existence. The incident also opened his eyes to the fact that bizarre and mysterious things truly existed in the world. At the same time, he secretly made up his mind to wait for Tang Xiu, looking for a chance to talk to him to tell him that he also wanted to enter the cultivation path.


    ¡°DIE, you wretched geezer!¡±


    A yellow paper charm suddenly burned in Mo Awu¡¯s palm. It was followed by a blazing heat that spread out in an instant, causing dozens of fire arrows to hit the chest of the black-robed old man at point-blank range.

 Chapter 951 - Submitting To Pressure After Turning Down The Demand

    Chapter 951: Submitting To Pressure After Turning Down The Demand


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Despite the sneak attack, Mo Awu¡¯s attack was very effective. Be it by him impaling the opponent¡¯s heart, or by the flame arrow that hit the old man¡¯s chest, the black-robed old man was severely injured. This time, instead of spraying out black fog, the old man gushed out black and greyish blood.


    ¡°Big Brother!!!¡±


    The other black-robed old man immediately waved his magic staff upon seeing his situation, creating a giant tiger made of black fog that forced Mo Awu to have no choice but to retreat to Tang Xiu tens of meters away.


    The old man didn¡¯t pursue, and instead quickly took a porcelain bottle out from his inner pocket and retrieved a gray-black pill from the inside, forcefully stuffing it into the injured old man. A black fog was then released from the slit of his fingers and constantly fused into the injured old man¡¯s heart.


    A few kilometers away from the scene, six youths carrying swords in black wushu suits were under the lead of the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s experts as they marched in strides toward the hilltop. They also clearly saw the scene of the fight a moment ago.


    The youth in the lead had eyes sparkling upon witnessing the fight as he turned his head and said in a low voice, ¡°They¡¯re using flying swords. It seems that they¡¯re also cultivators just like us. Those five men who just attacked are not that strong and may be weaker than us, but the last one is very formidable and has comparable strength to us. I didn¡¯t expect that we¡¯d run into so many cultivators, especially on an island amid the boundless sea like this. It seems that our Master is incorrect. There turns out to be many cultivators in the world.¡±


    A youth next to him nodded and added, ¡°You¡¯re right, Brother. I guess it¡¯s because Master has always been in seclusion for a long time, so she doesn¡¯t know the situation about the outside world. Our sect moved to Singapore from China, but China itself has a long history and boasts such a large population. It¡¯s bound that talented people will also appear from the masses. We were just traveling this time and found those two wizards committing murder, finally catching them at this place. Let¡¯s try not to have any conflict between us and these cultivators if not necessary.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I got it.¡± the first youth nodded without speaking much.


    Atop the boulder, the injured black-robed man, Wznie?? Soloch, raised his hand to erase the grayish-black bloodstains around his mouth and said, ¡°Relax. Our life nucleus is not in the heart. I won¡¯t die even if he twists and smashes my heart into pieces. But you gotta be careful with them. The fire these people unleashed is not the likes of fire elementals, but is likely the fire element of magicians.¡±


    Wykres Soloch nodded with a solemn face and replied, ¡°They may be insignificant, but their power is indeed nothing to scoff at. Also, we just lost one black dragon and the other one is severely injured. Just like you, I won¡¯t be able to continue to fight soon as well.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s negotiate with them. We must remain on this island no matter what,¡± said Wznie?? Soloch with a nod. ¡°We have contacted everyone else in our Celestial Wizard clan. So long as we stay on this island, our people will catch up as fast as possible. At that time, no matter how strong these people are, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any possibility that they will be able to contend with our clan. It¡¯s not too late for us to have our revenge then.¡±


    Wykres Soloch pondered about it for a moment. Then, he raised his head to look at Tang Xiu and the rest dozens of meters away from them and shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too extreme to bully us by relying on your numbers here? You can expect a lot of people from my Celestial Wizard clan to come here in less than two days. Keep your arrogance by then and my clan will drive you out and kill you all.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    This made Tang Xiu burst into laughter, and his figure flashed and appeared several meters away from Wykres Soloch. He spared a glance at the last giant python around the two men that protected them inside. Then, he immediately said with a heavy voice, ¡°Every country has its own territory, and so does every clan. I told you this island is my private territory. I¡¯ve spent a fortune to buy it, as well as invested huge capital, manpower, and resources for its construction. Now you¡¯ve come to my site and unexpectedly want to drive us out? What kind of fucking reasoning are you spitting out?¡±


    ¡°I told you that we¡¯ll buy this island from you,¡± retorted Wznie?? Soloch with a deep voice. ¡°The children of my Celestial Wizard clan gave us a lot of money. It should be enough to cover all your expenses.¡±


    ¡°Heh!¡± Tang Xiu responded in a sneer, ¡°Now tell me;if I like your Celestial Wizard clan¡¯s territory¡ªfor instance, your clan¡¯s land¡ªwould you be willing to sell your land to me if I want to buy it?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Wznie?? Soloch was stunned and rendered speechless.


    His Celestial Wizard clan had occupied and lived on their land for thousands of years. They would never sell it even if they were offered countless mountains of gold!


    ¡°What do you say?¡± Tang Xiu sneered again. ¡°Cat got your tongue so you can¡¯t answer it? Hmph, you¡¯re nothing but damned bandits with your attitude of robbing others of their possessions. Know what you can do and what you can¡¯t and get the fuck out of this place at once. Tell your Celestial Wizard clan to fuck off and never step on my Nine Dragons Island; else, we¡¯ll be mortal enemies. Once we are, I can slaughter your whole clan when I unleash all the power I have in hand!¡±


    Threat! A bare and bold threat!


    Had it been declared by someone else, the two brothers Wznie?? Soloch and Wykres Soloch would have scoffed at it and responded in contempt. But it was coming from Tang Xiu, sending a quake to their hearts, causing them to have no choice but to act more cautious.


    It was because they didn¡¯t know Tang Xiu¡¯s origins, plus the fact that this young man had so many experts as subordinates, forcing them to face the threat as a serious matter.


    ¡°Who exactly are you?¡± asked Wykres Soloch in a deep voice.


    ¡°You have no qualification to know who I am,¡± answered Tang Xiu apathetically. ¡°What you need to know is that I can erase your life today if I really wish to. Even if I¡¯m bent on removing your entire Celestial Wizard clan from the face of the earth, no matter if your clan escapes from Earth, I still have the means to annihilate you all!¡±


    Wykres Soloch and Wznie?? Soloch exchanged glances. They didn¡¯t believe Tang Xiu¡¯s claims, yet the boasting still made them feel a bit downcast. The latter then spoke again, ¡°We can move a step back. What we just need is the dragon stone in the center of the island. Once we get it, we¡¯ll leave immediately.¡±


    Dragon stone?!


    Now, Tang Xiu wasn¡¯t trying to hide the killing intent blazing in his eyes. The so-called dragon stone was the core of the dragon¡¯s vein, exactly its essence. Once it was taken away, the Feng Shui that once blessed this land would disappear, turning this place into nothing but ordinary due to the dissipating dragon¡¯s vein and the declining Heaven and Earth spiritual qi.


    ¡°Kill them!¡±


    Sending an order in a shout, Tang Xiu took the lead and instantly unleashed his divine sword, flying over to the two men while brandishing it lightning fast. The instant the sword flew over, a tens of meters long sword beam came slashing down at the two old men and directly shattered the boulder behind them.


    ¡°KILL!¡±


    Tens of guards who accompanied Tang Xiu to come here, including Mo Awu¡¯s group, followed suit, whereas Mo Awen and several core experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall also unleashed their flying swords for the first time. Killing aura erupted and besieged both Wznie?? Soloch and Wykres Soloch within.


    ¡°Damn! How can you be so strong?!¡±


    Getting straightly injured by the sword energy, Wykres Soloch coughed up grey blood and roared in alarm. He could only watch his heavily injured brother, Wznie?? Soloch, being swept over by the sword energy, leaving a wide wound and causing his blood to spring out. Even the giant python that protected them was directly killed.


    Regret and remorse filled his whole person like a tide that was drowning him within. Only then did he realize that he just made a fatal mistake¡ªunderestimating Tang Xiu¡¯s power. He also realized that what made Tang Xiu¡¯s killing intent flare up was because he demanded the ¡°dragon stone¡±, this island¡¯s secret.


    ¡°Gotta flee!¡±


    He glanced to the northwest before he immediately returned to his big brother, Wznie?? Soloch, and grabbed his arm in an attempt to escape to the northeast.


    It was a pity for him that his fast speed was much slower than Tang Xiu and Mo Awu¡¯s group, both flying on their swords. In just a few seconds, the brothers were surrounded by flickering flying swords that vehemently began to strike them in intricate flying paths.


    ¡°PLEASE STOP! WE¡¯LL GIVE UP ON THE DRAGON STONE!¡±


    Wykres Soloch could only resist and fend off the bombardments for several seconds as he cried out to these experts.


    The divine sword manipulated by Tang Xiu transformed into torrential layers of sword beams. Layers of sword beams were as though continuous waves that constantly assaulted Wykres Soloch and Wznie?? Soloch.


    ¡°You go and run away! Quickly!¡±


    Wznie?? Soloch, who had been fatally injured, suddenly blasted out a terrifying aura. He suddenly grabbed Wykres Soloch and unleashed all of his strength to throw him to the northeast. Yet, at this instant, several flying swords pierced his body. His body began to bulge like a rubber ball while a black fog formed a twister that swirled around him.


    ¡°You want to kill me? Then be ready to be buried with me. I¡¯ll drag you all to hell with me!¡±


    Wznie?? Soloch let out a grim grin and exploded his body. The twister formed by the grayish-black fog instantly burst out and expanded tenfold, engulfing several weaker members of the island guards.


    ¡°DRAW BACK! This black fog is poisonous!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s skin was exposed to the black fog and his expression instantly changed upon seeing its potent corrosiveness. He decisively conjured a secret art, causing a heavy rain to suddenly pour down from the sky in the surroundings. At the same time, he also released a stream of Primal Chaos power to wrap the waist of a man and push him away to the distance.


    Not far away from the scene, the six youths were all looking shocked. They were just slightly surprised when Mo Awu and Jin Shi¡¯s team acted. But when Tang Xiu went into action, they could instantly tell that Tang Xiu was much stronger than they were.


    ¡°How could he be this strong? Not even all the powerhouses at the Golden Core Stage are able to do that, right? But Master said that there should be no other cultivators on Earth who have cultivated to the Golden Core Stage nowadays,¡± muttered one youth to himself with a slightly pale face.


    Beside him, another youth gulped down while staring with shocked and bulging eyes at the intense battle. ¡°He¡¯s very strong. I don¡¯t think that our Master can even contend with this man. No way any cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage can do that!¡±


    As their voices faded away, the two youths exchanged glances and their paces abruptly came to a halt.


    If Tang Xiu¡¯s age was just like those middle-aged men involved in the battle, they would¡¯ve been able to reluctantly accept it. After all, he could have been a senior who had been cultivating for many years. But Tang Xiu was much too young, just a few years older than them. It was a hard blow to them as people who used to be proud and arrogant, causing them to be somewhat unable to accept it.

 Chapter 952 - Mobilizing Experts

    Chapter 952: Mobilizing Experts


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Amid the fierce fight, as Tang Xiu sent dozens of his men out of the black fog, Mo Awu¡¯s group didn¡¯t stay idle. After Primal Chaos power broke away the restriction of the black fog, they immediately bypassed the area shrouded by the black fog and continued the pursuit to the northeast.


    The killing must be done and all the enemies must die! Even if Wykres Soloch was much stronger than them, they must accomplish Tang Xiu¡¯s order no matter what.


    Killing intent was still billowing in Tang Xiu¡¯s mind. He passed through the black fog to continue chasing, following closely. He could sense the grief and indignation from Wykres Soloch who was running ahead, yet he had no compassion and pity at all. Enemies were enemies, and he had decided to kill them. Leaving a witness alive was not an option so that they could avoid much bigger troubles cropping up later.


    ¡°You can never escape!¡±


    The divine sword under his feet flashed ahead like a shooting star, carrying him and finally blocking Wykres Soloch on the edge of Nine Dragons Island in less than a minute. At that instant, he conjured the Lightning Evoker Art. Dark clouds suddenly combined to cover the clear sunny sky as lightning sparks and the rumbling of thunder followed. Arm-sized lightning bolts came blasting down from the layers of cloud in the firmament and bombarded the frantically fleeing Wykres Soloch the instant after.


    Two kilometers away in midair, the shocked expressions of the six youths turned much more intense, causing one to shout frantically, ¡°Lightning Evoker Art?! He unleashed a genuine Lightning Evoker Art! Its might is much more powerful than the same art our Ancestor Master once used.¡±


    ¡°Who exactly is he, and why does he have such a high cultivation level? How can his Lightning Evoker Art be this powerful to an unthinkable extent?¡±


    ¡°Look! The number of lightning bolts is increasing. It¡¯s like a sea of lightning!¡±


    ¡°Amazing!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The youngest one among them shouted with a shocked face, ¡°Quickly activate the Communication Charm to inform Master and our Ancestors! Tell them about the situation here.¡±


    Towards the northeast of Nine Dragons Island, lightning and thunder raged within a one kilometer area, causing it to be shrouded in lightning. The scene was as though a downpour of electric rain from the heavens. Even though Wykres Soloch was very powerful and kept fending off the powerful lightning bolts, he could only persist for a short time before he was turned into a charred crisp by the continuous downpour of lightning.


    Tang Xiu flew higher and stood in the air as he retracted back the divine sword into his body. Along with the dispersal of the Lightning Art, the lightning stopped descending and the dark cloud in the sky quickly dissipated. He then looked at Wykres Soloch¡¯s charred corpse and chillingly shifted his sight to the vast sea in the distance.


    ¡°The Celestial Wizard clan.¡±


    He knew that the issue was not yet over. Aside from those six young cultivators who came from a mysterious sect nearby, the two black-robed old men had also informed their Celestial Wizard clansmen. This issue was bound to be very troublesome.


    ¡°Is everyone alright, Awu?¡± asked Tang Xiu as he turned to Mo Awu¡¯s group who just caught up.


    ¡°Four died and six are injured. But everyone else is alright,¡± answered Mo Awu. ¡°You¡¯re much stronger now, Boss.¡±


    ¡°Walking on the cultivation path is just like boating against the current. You¡¯ll only be left behind if you can¡¯t move forward,¡± responded Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Yet, the speed of your progress is still too fast, Boss,¡± said Mo Awu with a forced smile. ¡°Every one of us thought that we¡¯d catch up with you soon, but then we realized we are just getting further and further. These two old geezers were very powerful. I don¡¯t think I would¡¯ve been able to face any of them had it been a one-on-one fight.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re all already very good regardless,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°After all, you guys started from ordinary martial artists and began cultivating less than a year ago. However, I admit that there¡¯s still a big gap between you and those six youths. To my surprise, they¡¯re so young, yet they have all advanced to the late stage of Foundation Establishment. That makes me wonder how strong their sect is.¡±


    ¡°You previously told me that this island is a blessed land¡ªa treasure trove that cultivators dream to have, Boss,¡± replied Mo Awu hurriedly with a slightly changed expression. ¡°Those six boys now also know about this; have you thought about it and decided on anything? Do you want us to remove them?¡±


    Tang Xiu shot a glance at the southern sky before he shook his head and said, ¡°Let¡¯s not deal with them for now. However, tell everyone to guard against them nonetheless. As long as they don¡¯t commit any harmful deeds on the island, don¡¯t clash with them. It¡¯s likely that the sect behind them is quite powerful judging from them being so young while being at the late stage of Foundation Establishment. We are still weak and need time for now.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Mo Awu nodded.


    Tang Xiu ruminated for a short while before he flew straight to the six youths who were floating midair in the distance. As he came before them, he sported a smile on his handsome face, cupping his fists over to say, ¡°Little Brothers, I¡¯m rather surprised to see you all. So young, yet at such a cultivation level. Let me introduce myself. I¡¯m surnamed Tang with a given name Xiu, the owner of this Nine Dragons Island. May I know your name and the sect you guys come from?¡±


    The first youth returned the ceremony and said, ¡°My name is Jin Chanzi. These are my five brothers: Jin Xingzi, Jin Fengzi, Jin Yungzi, Jin Huozi, and Jin Yanzi respectively. We¡¯re all disciples of the Unitary Whole Sect with Daoist Zixuan as our Master. Fellow Daoist Tang, may I also know from which sect you originate from?¡±


    ¡°I did not originate from any sect or school,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°And these men have been trained by myself as well. May I know the reason why you have come to my Nine Dragons Island, Jin Chanzi?¡±


    ¡°Our elders ordered us to leave our Small World and travel outside to gain experience. It¡¯s just we happened to run into these two Western wizards when they committed some evil deeds, so we tracked them all the way here. I know we came here without your consent and permission as the land owner, so we hope that Fellow Daoist Tang can forgive us.¡±


    Upon hearing such a cultured reply from Jin Chanzi, Tang Xiu felt like he fell into his own reverie since all the cultivators in the Immortal World also addressed each other with ¡°Fellow Daoist¡±. He didn¡¯t expect that he would also run into the same custom on Earth today.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I already heard about it from my subordinates. In fact, it is I who should thank you guys. If it weren¡¯t for you all coming here in time, I could have lost more men and those two old geezers may have ruined the whole island.¡±


    ¡°Fellow Daoist Tang is too polite. We naturally cannot let those wicked wizards off with their atrocious deeds,¡± replied Jin Chanzi modestly.


    ¡°I think you guys are just a few years younger than me, so there¡¯s no need to call me Fellow Daoist,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°How about we just address each other with Brother? You can call me Big Brother Tang, and I will call you Little Brother.¡±


    The six martial brothers exchanged glances and all of them nodded in agreement. They had witnessed Tang Xiu¡¯s power and knew that he was definitely stronger than them. Seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s humble attitude wanting to befriend them, they were naturally unwilling to refuse.


    ¡°Alright then, Little Brothers. We¡¯ve killed those two Celestial Wizard geezers, so it can be said that we¡¯ve removed the source of a disaster, making my island peaceful for the time being,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s head to my place and have a chat there.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± nodded the six youths.


    Shortly after Tang Xiu took the six youths to the palace, he ordered some people to prepare some dishes and wine, while he headed to the reception room on the first floor to chat. After the talk, he learned that the Whole Unitary Sect only had a few disciples, about a few dozen, and the six of them were the disciples at the lowest rank there.


    ¡°You guys are the lowest rank in your sect, yet you have reached such a cultivation level. Then I suppose the elders of your sect should be much more powerful, yes? Does your sect have experts at the Nascent Soul Stage?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    The question made Jin Chanzi hesitate, yet he still nodded and said, ¡°Our sect¡¯s respected Grand Elder is at the Nascent Soul Stage. But the elderly have always been in seclusion for many years and seldom appear for decades. I heard from Master that the elderly only came out when a world phenomenon occurred a few decades ago. It may sound laughable to you, Brother Tang. But we all have never met with our Grand Elder either.¡±


    ¡°You just said about the world phenomenon a few decades ago; what kind of phenomenon was it, exactly?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know much about it either. But I heard from the sect¡¯s elders that it was like two terrifying auras,¡± said Jin Chanzi as he added further, ¡°It is said that the whole sky looked as if it was bleached by blood when those two auras appeared, like the advent of the world was arriving. Also, our sect elder conducted divination and said it was probably an omen that something big will happen. Ultimately, a few decades passed by, yet nothing big has occurred.¡±


    Two auras?


    A sudden realization came to Tang Xiu¡¯s mind immediately. He felt that the world phenomenon at that time should have occurred due to the arrival of Gu Yan¡¯er and Ji Chimei.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu asked about another issue again, ¡°Your Whole Unitary Sect used reside in China, right? How did the entire sect and the disciples migrate to Singapore all of a sudden? Was it because some accidents occurred in your sect?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not because my sect had any accident whatsoever,¡± replied Jin Chanzi with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s because our elder found an entrance to a pocket dimension which leads to a Small World somewhere in Singapore. The elderly then conducted explorations and finally determined that this Small World was a blessed land. Another reason was due to the situation in the mainland where China had just been founded as a country. The country was in turmoil, hence our decision to move into this small world.¡±


    Tang Xiu was suddenly enlightened. He already knew that there were entrances to small worlds on Earth. For instance, there was the report from his subordinate who had discovered one such entrance. However, due to a lack of power at that time, he didn¡¯t want to take a risk and directly explore it, thus putting the idea on hold until now.


    ¡®I should allocate some time to explore this small world after I¡¯m done dealing with the upcoming battle. Such small worlds usually have a lot of precious resources and treasures, so I hope that this small world also has a lot of cultivation resources,¡¯ thought Tang Xiu before he immediately shifted his attention to the six youths again.


    Suddenly, Jin Chanzi inquired, ¡°Big Brother Tang, you told me you have no sect nor school and that you train all of your men yourself. Could you tell me more details about that? Could it be that your cultivation art is an inheritance from your family?¡±


    ¡°No. I accidentally obtained cultivation art and unintentionally tried to practice it.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and smilingly said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to be successful, nor did I expect to continue practicing until I arrived at my present cultivation level. I also had some chance encounters during several adventures and obtained a few cultivation manuals.¡±


    Jin Chanzi immediately understood and replied with envy, ¡°I once heard from the sect¡¯s elders that there are indeed some ancient cultivator¡¯s inheritances scattered around Earth. But it seems like we don¡¯t have the kind of luck you have and haven¡¯t yet chanced upon any fortuitous encounters. Also, Big Brother Tang, I saw your fight with those two shamans. You conjured the Lightning Evoker Art back then. It looks very powerful.¡±

 Chapter 953 - Preparation For Rainy Days

    Chapter 953: Preparation For Rainy Days


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Europe, Poland.


    Wroclaw is the fourth largest city in Poland and the second-largest financial center of the country after Warsaw. Located in the southwest of Oder River¡¯s bank, the city holds its important status in Poland due to its economic, cultural, and transportation developments.


    Northeast of Wroclaw is an area containing a black castle with roads surrounding it, though the landscape itself is somewhat bleak with sparse towns and people. The only distinctive feature of the land was the majestic castle which is famously known by Wroclaw¡¯s denizens as the residence of a famous big family in Poland.


    Deep inside the castle was a room with gray-toned interior design, decorated with various antiques and furnishings, giving off a very elegant and classic style. Sitting on a European-style sofa was a solemn-looking Wyj?tkowy Soloch, holding an ancient record in hand, comparing it with a map drawn on a sheepskin roll. Two black-robed decrepit old men stood still nearby like human skeletons wrapped in robes.


    BAM¡­


    The door was fiercely pushed on from the outside as a graceful and handsome youth with a pale complexion came running inside. He panted as indignance betrayed his face, shouting at the angry-looking three men, ¡°The Life Crests of Clan Elders Wykres Soloch and Wznie?? Soloch just shattered. They¡­ they are dead.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    Wyj?tkowy Soloch¡¯s complexion changed instantly and the other two old men were petrified in that instant, glaring incredulously at the young man. Killing intent burst out from the three men, locking on the youth.


    ¡°SAY THAT AGAIN!¡± roared Wyj?tkowy Soloch.


    The young man gulped down but hurriedly said, ¡°The Life Crests of Clan Elders Wykres and Wznie?? Soloch just shattered and their wisp of souls dissipated, indicating that they passed away. The Ancestral Hall Elder ordered me to report it to the Patriarch and the two Clan Elders.¡±


    Fists clenched tightly, Wyj?tkowy Soloch¡¯s eyes were filled with killing intent as he spoke with a heavy voice, ¡°The two Clan Elders just sent the news that they were on an island in the Pacific Ocean. We can know their exact location through the use of our witchcraft. But if they died, we don¡¯t have any means to pinpoint their location at all. What exactly happened to them that could claim their lives? They are among the 20 strongest people in our clan!¡±


    ¡°The message from Clan Elders Wykres and Wznie?? Soloch before they were killed said that the island is not far from the main landmass,¡± interjected the black-robed old man with murderous intent in his voice. ¡°But there¡¯s no such island at all on the map we¡¯ve collected, nor do we have the exact coordinates of their location. How can we find it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care how difficult it is. We must find the location of where they were killed! And whoever killed them, they must pay a terrible price!¡± replied Wyj?tkowy Soloch with a chilling voice, ¡°Summon Grand Elder Warto??! Tell him to take some clan elders and form a team to immediately scour the Pacific region. They must find the specific coordinates of the last message and find the murderers of our clan members.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡±


    The two black-robed old replied and left immediately.


    ****


    Nine Dragons Island.


    Tang Xiu chatted with the six young disciples from the Whole Unitary Sect for a long time and learned a lot about the situation in the cultivator community. It was Tang Xiu¡¯s first time to find out that there were also some other sects aside from the Whole Unitary Sect that still passed down their inheritance. The number of sect members was few, but they still existed. However, most of them were living in seclusion in some mountains, islands, or other small worlds.


    According to Jin Chanzi¡¯s story, the Nascent Soul Stage was considered as the peak realm among cultivators on Earth, with around five people on Earth reaching such a realm. Those who had reached the Golden Core Stage, however, probably amounted to less than 30.


    ¡°It seems that the number of Daoist cultivators, as well as those who practice other cultivation systems, is much larger than I had thought. But I¡¯m curious about something. How did you guys advance to the later stage of Foundation Establishment in such a small period of time, given the fact that the Earth is short of resources for cultivation and the Heaven and Earth spiritual qi is so thin nowadays?¡± asked Tang Xiu curiously as he looked at the six youths.


    ¡°You may know something else, Big Brother Tang. Our Small World is very rich in Heaven and Earth energy, several folds denser than the outside world,¡± said Jin Changzi with a smile. ¡°One other aspect is the fact that our Sect cultivates many herbs, many of which are more than 1000 years old, while we also keep planting them to substitute our consumption rate. Other than that, we also gather precious medicinal herbs everywhere, so we are not in short supply of cultivation resources.¡±


    Jin Chanzi¡¯s explanation enlightened Tang Xiu immediately. It was essentially the foundation of the cultivator and Daoist schools and sects. Those cultivator sects with thousands of years inheritance were highly likely to have deep foundations just like the Whole Unitary Sect.


    Suddenly, Jin Chanzi said, ¡°Brother Tang, there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to ask you.¡±


    ¡°Ask away,¡± replied Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s about the Lightning Art you used previously. Its might is amazing, so I arbitrarily took a decision and told Xingzi to inform our Master about it,¡± said Jin Chanzi. ¡°My Master also excels in this art; she is even extremely obsessed with it. I think she¡¯ll be ecstatic after hearing about it and will immediately catch up with us so she can ask you about the Lightning Evoker Art.¡±


    This made Tang Xiu¡¯s face slightly changed. Although he didn¡¯t know how high of a cultivation level Jin Chanzi¡¯s Master was, knowing that such a powerful cultivator would come soon was far from good news for him.


    It was because Nine Dragons Island would become his future base. He was instinctively unwilling to let other powerhouses come over in case they were able to discover the island¡¯s secret, as well as to prevent any incidents where others had greedy thoughts to occupy it.


    He hadn¡¯t yet figured out on what side of morality this Whole Unitary Sect belonged to. He had seen countless sects with decent disciples who posed as people of high morals, yet committed disgusting deeds regarding their interests. What¡¯s more, he didn¡¯t even know what kind of person Jin Chanzi¡¯s Master was.


    This being the case, it was rather urgent for him to arrange the array ahead of time, so as to avert any accident before it was too late.


    While looking at the calm faces of the six youths, Tang Xiu said without flinching, ¡°Since some seniors will be coming soon, I¡¯ll naturally welcome them. I¡¯ll also compare notes with your Master when she arrives, in hope of our mutual progress.¡±


    Tang Xiu spent some time chatting with the six youths before excusing himself to tend to some other issues. He left in a hurry and came to the third floor of the palace, where Mo Awu, Mo Awen and the other men had already converged.


    ¡°Have you disposed of those two Celestial Wizard¡¯s experts?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been done and no traces can be found Boss,¡± reported Mo Awen.


    Nodding at him as an answer, Tang Xiu then shifted to Mo Awu and said, ¡°Contact Xiaoxue and tell her to pass my message to Tang Guang and Tang An. Their task is to protect Singluen and then head over with them to Nine Dragons Island secretly. Kill any group sent by Singkuo should this guy make a move on them. Also, transfer all the remaining core members of our Everlasting Feast Hall here.¡±


    ¡°But what about the other members on Clam Island, Boss?¡± asked Mo Awu, hesitating. ¡°Do you want them to be transferred here too?¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a short while before shaking his head and said, ¡°Those assigned to Clam Island don¡¯t need to come over for now. But the construction project on this island will be finished soon, and they will escort the talented children who have been carefully selected to this island by then.¡±


    Mo Awu nodded, but whispered shortly after, ¡°Boss, I kinda have a hunch that a storm is brewing. Are we going to battle these wizards and shamans from this Celestial Wizard Clan soon?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure. But given the fact that their two experts have died here, it¡¯s highly likely that they won¡¯t let this matter go,¡± sneered Tang Xiu. ¡°The battle with the Celestial Wizard clan is inevitable, but we still have to be on guard against cultivators from the Whole Unitary Sect regardless.¡±


    ¡°Is that the sect of those six youths?¡± asked Mo Awu.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°From what they told me, this sect has some Nascent Soul Stage experts and several others at the Golden Core Stage. If all of the disciples of this sect were to attack us, I don¡¯t think we can fend them off unless Yan¡¯er or Ji Chimei came over to deal with them. It¡¯s unlikely that we can obtain any benefits even if all of our Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s people come over.¡±


    With a changed complexion, Mo Awu felt that the more he progressed, the more he became aware of the gravity of the gap between cultivation levels. There was no need to speak about the arrival of those at the Nascent Soul Stage, as he and the others would probably be unable to fend off the arrival of some experts at the Golden Core Stage.


    The resourceful and quick-witted Mo Awen had eyes sparkling upon overhearing the conversation between Mo Awu and Tang Xiu. He interjected, ¡°Boss, if we¡¯re really going to have a battle with the Celestial Wizard clan or the Whole Unitary Sect, I think it¡¯s best not to set up the battlefield on Nine Dragons Island. You just said that this island is going to be our main base in the future, so I¡¯m afraid that if we have a battle here, our place will be ruined after the battle. Carrying out the construction project here is very intensive, so we must set up the battlefield elsewhere since we have the initiative.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression shifted and he asked, ¡°Do you have a suggested location?¡±


    ¡°There are 16 small barren islands around our Nine Dragons Island,¡± said Mo Awen. ¡°The nearest island is about 50 nautical miles away, while the furthest is about 200 miles. I recommend setting up a monitoring station on these 16 islands. That way, we can spot the enemies as early as possible no matter the direction they come from. We can use choppers to transport our men on the other islands and use ships to carry the troops on Nine Dragons Island. This way, we can set up the battlefield on those barren islands.¡±


    ¡°But we don¡¯t have many helicopters now, while the signal at sea is also quite bad. It will be even more difficult to send a message should any stormy weather occurs,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°If such a situation does occur and the enemy arrives, it¡¯s gonna be us who¡¯ll fall into a passive situation.¡±


    ¡°We can purchase the choppers immediately if there¡¯s not enough, Boss,¡± said Mo Awen. ¡°I have the means to buy at least 10 of them in a short time. As for the environmental issues, I don¡¯t think it will affect our ability to communicate, Boss. I think you forgot our identity¡­¡±


    Our identity?


    Tang Xiu stared blankly.

 Chapter 954 - Li Juren’s Choice

    Chapter 954: Li Juren¡¯s Choice


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    It is said that every man has a fool up his sleeve. It was exactly the case with Tang Xiu at the moment. Mo Awu¡¯s reminder made him remember that all of them were cultivators and they could still move very fast at sea using their flying swords. Other than that, he could also refine some communication jade slips that wouldn¡¯t be affected by any electromagnetic storm should it occur.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Awen.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and then asked, ¡°Anyway, where¡¯s Long Zhengyu? Tell him to come over. I have something to discuss with him.¡±


    ¡°Got it, Boss!¡±


    Jin Shi immediately strode away after hearing that.


    A few minutes later, Long Zhengyu was brought by Jin Shi. The former immediately said after he saw Tang Xiu, ¡°Brother Tang, are we people who are very close?¡±


    The question made Tang Xiu raise his brows as he nodded and answered, ¡°We are; we have a very good relationship indeed.¡±


    ¡°If so, then why can¡¯t you teach me cultivation art?¡± asked Long Zhengyu. ¡°I used to be like a frog watching the sky while sitting at the bottom of a well. I never knew that people like you existed in the world. Now that I know about it, I¡¯ve been imagining I¡¯m like you, flying in the sky and having terrifying combat prowess.¡±


    Tang Xiu himself had long guessed Long Zhengyu¡¯s wish, so he already expected that he would request this. After thinking about it, he replied, ¡°I believe you¡¯re also clear on what¡¯s going on here, Zhengyu. Although we¡¯ve killed those two wizards, the problem is far from over. It is likely more experts from the Celestial Wizard clan will soon arrive to this island. Facing such an enemy now, let¡¯s put aside the matter of teaching you cultivation art for now. I¡¯ll definitely teach you cultivation art and help you embark on the path of cultivation once we¡¯ve completely solved the crisis brought by the Celestial Wizard clan.¡±


    The response made Long Zhengyu pleasantly surprised and he immediately said, ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll listen to you, Brother Tang. Also, I can¡¯t help you in the battle, but tell me anything I can do in some other aspects if you need my assistance. I¡¯ll do my best to accomplish it as long as it¡¯s within my abilities.¡±


    ¡°I want you to pick up the pace of the construction project. It¡¯s best if you can finish it within half a month,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I still have a big plan to implement once the construction team on the island has left.¡±


    ¡°A big plan?¡± Long Zhengyu was confused and asked, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s drop the subject regarding it for now. I just need your assurance whether or not you can finish the work within half a month,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Long Zhengyu pondered for a while and gritted his teeth before saying, ¡°Completing the project within half a month is not a problem if we work overtime.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Anyway, I asked you on the phone before to pass by Hong Kong and help me bring a batch of jade here. Have you brought them?¡±


    Long Zhengyu zoned out for a moment and immediately said, ¡°I brought some, but I heard from Hao Lei, the General Manager of Grand Fortune Jewelry, that she hasn¡¯t gathered enough jade yet.¡±


    Tang Xiu fished out his handset and dialed Hao Lei¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°Hello, Boss.¡± Hao Lei¡¯s voice came from the phone, though her voice was rather perturbed.


    ¡°What¡¯s your current situation?¡± asked Tang Xiu in a deep voice. ¡°You haven¡¯t yet collected enough jade for me still?¡±


    ¡°I should¡¯ve been able to get enough, Boss, but I encountered some difficulties,¡± said Hao Lei with a bitter smile. ¡°Some people are also buying jade on a large scale, so its price has been ceaselessly rising. Our Grand Fortune Jewelry has made a fortune from the jade you previously gave me. But if we were to wantonly purchase raw jades at this time, we¡¯ll have no profit at all.¡±


    ¡°Do you know who the other buyers are?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Yeah. I already sent some people to investigate it. It¡¯s Li Juren from Hong Kong,¡± answered Hao Lei.


    Li Juren?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows creased and he looked puzzled. Li Juren was just an ordinary person; this man bought some pills from him to increase his life expectancy. What does he wanna do by buying so many raw jades? After thinking about it but still not figuring it out, Tang Xiu decided to call Li Juren directly after he ordered Hao Lei to hurry and buy raw jade regardless of its price.


    Hong Kong.


    Li Juren was reading a stack of documents in his office. In front of him were two tall middle-aged men in Chinese tunic suits, each carrying a long sword and looking straight at him.


    ¡°Alas¡­¡±


    After spending a long time reading, Li Juren put down the documents in his hands and looked up at the two middle-aged men. Forcing a smile, he spoke, ¡°Two gentlemen, frankly, I really don¡¯t have the means to gather the raw jade you need in a short time. The number you need is too many, after all. More so with the current situation where it is quite scarce in the market, leading to its soaring price. Its current price has even reached higher than it ever has in the past.¡±


    The middle-aged man standing on the left shook his head and said, ¡°Money is nothing in our eyes; we don¡¯t care about the price, Mr. Li. We urgently need a lot of raw jade now, so I hope you can help us. We can accept your grandson as our in-name disciple so that your Li Family can have a cultivator in the future. That¡¯s the sincerity we can offer you.¡±


    Li Juren¡¯s eyes, however, fell back on the documents on the table. Some of the contents written on it made him very cautious because it involved Hong Kong¡¯s Grand Fortune Jewelry. It may be unknown to others who ran this business, but he was clear about it.


    Grand Fortune Jewelry had been buying raw jades on a large scale for some time. He could tell that it was Tang Xiu who was in urgent need of it. If he were to choose to compete with Tang Xiu for raw jade at this time, he was afraid that he would offend him. Yet, he wouldn¡¯t be able to fulfill the agreement with the two men in front of him should he back away from the battle to purchase the jades in the market with Grand Fortune Jewelry.


    This was simply a headache and a dilemma for him!


    Li Juren rubbed his temples and was about to talk when his phone on the table suddenly rang. He swallowed back the words and his expression changed after he saw the caller¡¯s name on his phone screen.


    Tang Xiu is calling me now? His men should¡¯ve investigated that I¡¯m the one who¡¯s been buying a large amount of raw jade on the market, right?!


    As he thought up to this point, Li Juren immediately looked at the middle-aged men dressed in Chinese tunics, saying, ¡°Two gentlemen, can you give me some more time to think about it and find the solution? Also, I¡¯d like to invite you to dine at the Everlasting Feast Hall tonight; I¡¯ll give you my reply at that time. How about it?¡±


    The two middle-aged men exchanged glances and immediately nodded. After rejecting Li Juren¡¯s offer to send them off, they left the office directly.


    Li Juren then picked up the call and spoke, ¡°Hello, Tang Xiu.¡±


    ¡°Elder Li, I need an explanation from you,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I know what explanation you want from me, Tang Xiu.¡± Li Juren bitterly smiled and said, ¡°I hope you don¡¯t take it as an offense since I didn¡¯t know before that your Grand Fortune Jewelry has been buying raw jade as well. Two mysterious men came to me ten days ago. Their true identity is of cultivators, but I still have no idea about their origins. I made a deal with them to accept my grandchild as their disciple and thus learn cultivation art in exchange for my help in buying them raw jades. They were standing in front of me just before I picked up your call, asking me to keep buying raw jades.¡±


    ¡°You really don¡¯t know who they are and why they need to buy so many raw jades?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know about it,¡± confirmed Li Juren.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a short while and said, ¡°Old Li, I urgently need raw jades. I must get enough jade within 15 days to carry out one of my major plans. Therefore, I hope you can give up your continuous purchase of it. I¡¯ll also teach your family a cultivation art as your compensation.¡±


    Li Juren¡¯s eyes lit up since he could pull out another meaning from Tang Xiu¡¯s words. The previous two cultivators only promised to accept his grandson as an in-name disciple. There was another request from them that his grandson was forbidden to impart the cultivation art to someone else. But Tang Xiu¡¯s words didn¡¯t have such a meaning. He would impart the cultivation art to his Li Family, meaning that once his family obtained it, they had the right to decide who could learn it.


    One person compared to the whole family!


    It was easy for Li Juren to make up his mind in an instant. Then, he said in a deep voice, ¡°Tang Xiu, most of the raw jade I¡¯ve bought have already been handed over to the other party, but I still have some of them stored in my warehouse. I¡¯ll secretly send them over to Manager Hao at Grand Fortune Jewelry later. Also, I¡¯ll stop buying raw jades for at least half a month.¡±


    ¡°If so, then you have my thanks, Old Li,¡± said Tang Xiu with a satisfied smile. ¡°I¡¯ll visit Hong Kong after some time; I¡¯d like to invite you for a drink to express my thanks.¡±


    ¡°This is nothing to speak of. We¡¯re friends, and I¡¯ve previously gotten a lot of benefits from you,¡± said Li Juren with a chuckle.


    Nine Dragons Island.


    Tang Xiu hung up the phone and looked at Mo Awu. ¡°Call Xiaoxue. Tell her to pass my message to Ji Chimei to suspend her tasks in Jingmen Island and rush over to Nine Dragons Island. My current power is still weak and I am probably not a match for Nascent Soul Stage experts should any of them come here. This place is our base; I need her to take command here.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± replied Mo Awu with a nod.


    As the next day came, Tang Guang and Tang An arrived on Nine Dragons Island with Singluen under their protection, along with the petite female and five guardian elders of Singluen. After receiving them, Tang Xiu placed them in one of the newly built buildings on the island. In order to avoid troubles, however, he didn¡¯t tell them anything about the situation on the island and even asked them to stay in the assigned building cluster and not stroll around the island at will.


    On the third day, a group of 80 experts from the Everlasting Feast Hall arrived. Under Tang Xiu¡¯s arrangement, they were scattered throughout the island and were on security duty. To prepare for the upcoming battle, however, Tang Xiu took his time to teach them many magic spells, though he spared himself from finding out how much they could manage to grasp in such a short time.


    Additionally, Tang Xiu also assigned a team of peripheral members to be stationed on 16 small barren islands within 200 nautical miles. They were responsible for monitoring the situation of the surrounding sea, reporting to him at once should they spot any suspicious vessels or people.


    Time fleeted by and fourteen days passed in the blink of an eye. At the moment when the first beam of sunlight rose from the East, Tang Xiu, who was sitting cross-legged atop the palace roof, heard Long Zhengyu¡¯s shout to him.


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    Chapter 955: Nine Dragons Alignment Array


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    After floating down from the palace rooftop, Tang Xiu landed on the ground and stood in front of Long Zhengyu, asking, ¡°Is there something?¡±


    ¡°The work is all done as per our agreement,¡± said Long Zhengyu with a smile. ¡°We can take all the workers to leave Nine Dragons Island today, while all the machinery can be transported within 3 days.¡±


    ¡°Leave some of the machinery here in case we¡¯ll need them in the future, though,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯ll arrange Awen to settle the accounts with you. Also, Zhengyu, you¡¯re one of us, so I hope you keep the existence of this island a secret. Even those workers who have worked here must maintain the secrecy of this project.¡±


    ¡°I already gave them some money to seal their mouths,¡± said Long Zhengyu with cold eyes and a deep voice. ¡°You can rest your worries about that. Those workers are very clear about what can they spit out and what they cannot since I have shown them some bloody shits should they violate it. I also planned to assign some men to list their addresses and residences, as well as that of their relatives and friends, to threaten them. They won¡¯t dare to disclose anything if they don¡¯t wanna die.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in satisfaction and patted his shoulder. ¡± Nine Dragons Island will be my home base in the future will be guarded by a lot of armed personnel. No outsider is allowed to land here without my permission. Though, you¡¯re always welcome here at any time.¡±


    ¡°You treat me as a brother, and I¡¯ll treat you as my blood relative,¡± said Long Zhenyu smilingly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold on to your words, brother,¡± replied Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°Alright, go pack up your things and take care of the workers of the construction team then! I¡¯m afraid the island won¡¯t be peaceful any time soon and I don¡¯t want you to get implicated.¡±


    ¡°You just said that we¡¯re brothers, Tang Xiu. I can¡¯t just stand by and watch you deal with everything by yourself here,¡± said Long Zhengyu sternly. ¡°Tell me what you want me to do. I¡¯ll cooperate with you to the best of my ability.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t, brother.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Ordinary people staying on Nine Dragons Island will be more of a burden to me than help. Just listen to me and hurry up in leaving. Wait for me to return to the mainland and gather there.¡±


    This made Long Zhengyu silent for a while before he nodded and said, ¡°Then be careful. I¡¯ll be waiting for you to return to the mainland so we can have some wine later!¡±


    ¡°No worries.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    With the departure of Long Zhengyu and the construction team, Tang Xiu came to the reserve warehouse built on the island the next evening. The importance of the raw jade stored here made him arrange Mo Awu to guard the warehouse these last few days.


    ¡°Boss!¡± immediately greeted Mo Awu after seeing his arrival.


    Nodding to him in response, Tang Xiu said, ¡°I put the raw jade here since there were outsiders on the island previously. You don¡¯t need to stay on guard anymore as I¡¯m going to take them away. However, there¡¯s a task I need you to complete.¡±


    ¡°What task is it, Boss?¡± asked Mo Awu.


    ¡°I want you to head to Clam Island personally and pick 3,000 of the best children there from the tens of thousands being trained,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Bring them here with utmost secrecy. Do keep in mind that nobody can know of your whereabouts; make sure to neutralize anyone who discovers you, whoever they are.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely accomplish that, Boss. Rest assured,¡± said Mo Awu with a solemn face.


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment and added once again, ¡°There are many convicts that I took out from the #1319 labor camp in Israel. They¡¯re still in the screening and inspection phase and have yet to become members of our Everlasting Feast Hall. Hence, they must not find out anything about where the 3,000 children are heading to.¡±


    ¡°What should I tell them if they ask about it?¡± asked Mo Awu.


    ¡°Tell them that I ordered you to transfer 3,000 children to somewhere else,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Emphasize it to them that this is an absolute secret, and that I told you not to tell anyone.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± replied Mo Awu as he immediately left.


    Tang Xiu then took away all the piled up raw jade into his interspatial ring and began to carry out his previous plan to lay out the Feng Shui array around Nine Dragons Island.


    The array was called the Nine Dragons Alignment Array, a cultivation protection array he had once arranged in the Immortal World. Due to his limited power at the present, however, he could only lay out a simpler version of it. However, he believed that once this array was arranged, let alone experts at the Nascent Soul Stage, even those at the Soul Formation and Body Integration Stage wouldn¡¯t be able to break it.


    A full day was spent without eating, drinking, or sleeping as Tang Xiu arranged the geomancy array. After he successfully arranged it, a golden-colored energy shield covered the entirety of Nine Dragons Island. Countless quaint golden runes constantly wandering about the shield as the Heaven and Earth energy within 500 km was absorbed into it.


    ¡°The richness of the world energy here has increased more than 10 times. I can even feel such a dense world energy entering my body when breathing. This sensation¡­ is truly wonderful.¡±


    The same thought filled the minds of the hundreds of people on Nine Dragons Island.


    ****


    Amid the vast sea, a medium-sized liner was swiftly cruising towards Nine Dragons Island. A graceful female Taoist in a blue robe was standing on the bow with a duster in her hand. Behind her were four beautiful girls in long white robes, ornamented with hairpins. From the looks of it, they were apparently immersing themselves inside the mysterious atmosphere of cultivation.


    ¡°What¡¯s currently going on?¡±


    Suddenly, the Taoist nun in the blue robe had her complexion changed. She could keenly sense the energy of the world in the surrounding was now swarming over towards the southeast like a tide. It was as though there was a black hole there that was currently devouring the world energy.


    The four girls in white dresses also opened their eyes at the same time with a surprised look on their faces as they shifted their attention southward.


    One of them paced two steps forward and respectfully spoke, ¡°Master, the course of spiritual qi is aligned with our ship¡¯s destination. Could it be heading to the Island where our Junior Brothers are?¡±


    ¡°You all stay on the ship. Keep exploring ahead and scout the situation for me,¡± said the female Taoist in a deep voice, ¡°You all remember that I received your junior brothers¡¯ message that they are on some barren island around Nine Dragons Island. The owner of this island assigned some of his men to guard these barren islands. Tell them your identity when you run into them and they won¡¯t stop you.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± replied the four girls respectfully.


    The female Taoist¡¯s figure floated and disappeared towards the southeast. The jade hairpin under her feet kept growing bigger until it carried her away quickly to approach Nine Dragons Island.


    ¡°Huh? What is that?¡±


    Her eyes contracted upon seeing the golden energy shield that covered the entirety Nine Dragons Island. The scene sent huge ripples in her heart. She knew what it was, yet it was still shocking to her, causing her to be hardly able to believe it.


    That was an array! More so, an array with peerless might!


    She had seen a lot of array formations, and it could be said that she also had some mastery in it, yet she never imagined that she could actually see a mysterious array that produced such a gigantically powerful aura in her life.


    ¡°Who could it be? Who has arranged a geomancy array at this level? Not even the Mountain Guardian Array in the sect is as powerful as this one. Comparing the might is like the difference between night and day.¡±


    As she came closer to the golden energy shield, the female Taoist didn¡¯t rush to contact anyone on Nine Dragons Island, and instead flew around the island, circling it a few times to study it for more than an hour. Yet, she was still unable to see through the mysteriousness of this array. She had a feeling that not only would she not be able to break through it, she¡¯d also be killed trying.


    Ultimately, as the liner came over, she landed on its deck and shouted out, ¡°Daoist Zixuan of the Whole Unitary Sect is paying a visit to the owner of Nine Dragons Island. I hope the Island Master will allow me to dock to have a meeting.¡±


    ¡°The array has just been activated and will need seven days to complete. The island¡¯s array will completely take shape after the seventh day, so I¡¯ll naturally open the array entrance for you to come inside. Opening it now would otherwise destroy it. I hope Daoist Zixuan can understand, and I do apologize if it¡¯s slightly improper.¡±


    The answer made Daoist Zixuan fall into silence for a long while. She then slowly replied, ¡°If so, then we¡¯ll wait for seven days.¡±


    Atop the palace¡¯s rooftop, Tang Xiu brought a lunch box and wolfed down his meal. He hadn¡¯t yet had any grub or water for quite a long time due to him arranging the array, while at the same time he had spent a lot of energy, making him starving.


    Ji Chimei behind him, however, had an amused smile sported on her face. She thought that it was interesting because she was perfectly aware of how high Tang Xiu¡¯s status once was. Who could imagine that such a Venerable Supreme in the Immortal World paid no heed of his own image and just sat on a rooftop while casually wolfing down his meal and drink like this? If his present appearance were to be seen by the myriads of races and living beings in the Immortal World, they would probably be shocked with eyes staring wide.


    ¡°You should eat slowly, my Lord. I¡¯ll go get some more for you if it¡¯s not enough,¡± said Ji Chimei respectfully after enduring her smile for a long time.


    At this time, Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth was full of food, so he didn¡¯t feel like speaking at all and just casually waved his hand. After he finished the second serving brought by Ji Chimei, he wiped his mouth and sighed, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether you¡¯re an immortal or not, everyone still needs to eat and drink, although the food might be different. I¡¯m nothing but an ordinary man now, so grabbing some rice and bread to eat is indispensable¡­ Nonetheless, having filled your belly to the max is a good feeling to have, though. Anyway, I¡¯m gonna have some rest for a while, Chimei. Don¡¯t disturb me if there¡¯s nothing important.¡±


    ¡°As you will it, my Lord,¡± said Ji Chimei with a smile.


    Tang Xiu then floated down. Just as he arrived at the palace, he saw the Whole Unitary Sect youths being led by Jin Chanzi who still stayed here. They hurriedly rushed over to him carrying their longsword.


    ¡°I know what you want to say to me. It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have any hospitality, but your Master¡¯s arrival is just bad timing. She came right after the island¡¯s protection array was activated. Like I just said, I can¡¯t deactivate the array for now, so she has to wait before she can come in seven days¡ªotherwise, my hard work and the days I spent to lay out the array will be wasted.¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang, my Master can¡¯t get inside. But how about us? Can we go out?¡± asked Jin Chanzi with a forced smile.


    ¡°You can¡¯t go outside either.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Unless you think you have the ability to do so, your only choice is to stay on the island for another week.¡±


    The six youths exchanged glances and shook their heads with forced and wry smiles. They could sense how powerful the array that protected the island was. The knew the outcome if they were to forcefully break through it. Doing so would absolutely grant them a tragic death.

 Chapter 955 - Nine Dragons Alignment Array

    Chapter 955: Nine Dragons Alignment Array


    After floating down from the palace rooftop, Tang Xiu landed on the ground and stood in front of Long Zhengyu, asking, ¡°Is there something?¡±


    ¡°The work is all done as per our agreement,¡± said Long Zhengyu with a smile. ¡°We can take all the workers to leave Nine Dragons Island today, while all the machinery can be transported within 3 days.¡±


    ¡°Leave some of the machinery here in case we¡¯ll need them in the future, though,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯ll arrange Awen to settle the accounts with you. Also, Zhengyu, you¡¯re one of us, so I hope you keep the existence of this island a secret. Even those workers who have worked here must maintain the secrecy of this project.¡±


    ¡°I already gave them some money to seal their mouths,¡± said Long Zhengyu with cold eyes and a deep voice. ¡°You can rest your worries about that. Those workers are very clear about what can they spit out and what they cannot since I have shown them some bloody shits should they violate it. I also planned to assign some men to list their addresses and residences, as well as that of their relatives and friends, to threaten them. They won¡¯t dare to disclose anything if they don¡¯t wanna die.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in satisfaction and patted his shoulder. ¡± Nine Dragons Island will be my home base in the future will be guarded by a lot of armed personnel. No outsider is allowed to land here without my permission. Though, you¡¯re always welcome here at any time.¡±


    ¡°You treat me as a brother, and I¡¯ll treat you as my blood relative,¡± said Long Zhenyu smilingly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold on to your words, brother,¡± replied Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°Alright, go pack up your things and take care of the workers of the construction team then! I¡¯m afraid the island won¡¯t be peaceful any time soon and I don¡¯t want you to get implicated.¡±


    ¡°You just said that we¡¯re brothers, Tang Xiu. I can¡¯t just stand by and watch you deal with everything by yourself here,¡± said Long Zhengyu sternly. ¡°Tell me what you want me to do. I¡¯ll cooperate with you to the best of my ability.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t, brother.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Ordinary people staying on Nine Dragons Island will be more of a burden to me than help. Just listen to me and hurry up in leaving. Wait for me to return to the mainland and gather there.¡±


    This made Long Zhengyu silent for a while before he nodded and said, ¡°Then be careful. I¡¯ll be waiting for you to return to the mainland so we can have some wine later!¡±


    ¡°No worries.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    With the departure of Long Zhengyu and the construction team, Tang Xiu came to the reserve warehouse built on the island the next evening. The importance of the raw jade stored here made him arrange Mo Awu to guard the warehouse these last few days.


    ¡°Boss!¡± immediately greeted Mo Awu after seeing his arrival.


    Nodding to him in response, Tang Xiu said, ¡°I put the raw jade here since there were outsiders on the island previously. You don¡¯t need to stay on guard anymore as I¡¯m going to take them away. However, there¡¯s a task I need you to complete.¡±


    ¡°What task is it, Boss?¡± asked Mo Awu.


    ¡°I want you to head to Clam Island personally and pick 3,000 of the best children there from the tens of thousands being trained,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Bring them here with utmost secrecy. Do keep in mind that nobody can know of your whereabouts; make sure to neutralize anyone who discovers you, whoever they are.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely accomplish that, Boss. Rest assured,¡± said Mo Awu with a solemn face.


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment and added once again, ¡°There are many convicts that I took out from the #1319 labor camp in Israel. They¡¯re still in the screening and inspection phase and have yet to become members of our Everlasting Feast Hall. Hence, they must not find out anything about where the 3,000 children are heading to.¡±


    ¡°What should I tell them if they ask about it?¡± asked Mo Awu.


    ¡°Tell them that I ordered you to transfer 3,000 children to somewhere else,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Emphasize it to them that this is an absolute secret, and that I told you not to tell anyone.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± replied Mo Awu as he immediately left.


    Tang Xiu then took away all the piled up raw jade into his interspatial ring and began to carry out his previous plan to lay out the Feng Shui array around Nine Dragons Island.


    The array was called the Nine Dragons Alignment Array, a cultivation protection array he had once arranged in the Immortal World. Due to his limited power at the present, however, he could only lay out a simpler version of it. However, he believed that once this array was arranged, let alone experts at the Nascent Soul Stage, even those at the Soul Formation and Body Integration Stage wouldn¡¯t be able to break it.


    A full day was spent without eating, drinking, or sleeping as Tang Xiu arranged the geomancy array. After he successfully arranged it, a golden-colored energy shield covered the entirety of Nine Dragons Island. Countless quaint golden runes constantly wandering about the shield as the Heaven and Earth energy within 500 km was absorbed into it.


    ¡°The richness of the world energy here has increased more than 10 times. I can even feel such a dense world energy entering my body when breathing. This sensation¡­ is truly wonderful.¡±


    The same thought filled the minds of the hundreds of people on Nine Dragons Island.


    ****


    Amid the vast sea, a medium-sized liner was swiftly cruising towards Nine Dragons Island. A graceful female Taoist in a blue robe was standing on the bow with a duster in her hand. Behind her were four beautiful girls in long white robes, ornamented with hairpins. From the looks of it, they were apparently immersing themselves inside the mysterious atmosphere of cultivation.


    ¡°What¡¯s currently going on?¡±


    Suddenly, the Taoist nun in the blue robe had her complexion changed. She could keenly sense the energy of the world in the surrounding was now swarming over towards the southeast like a tide. It was as though there was a black hole there that was currently devouring the world energy.


    The four girls in white dresses also opened their eyes at the same time with a surprised look on their faces as they shifted their attention southward.


    One of them paced two steps forward and respectfully spoke, ¡°Master, the course of spiritual qi is aligned with our ship¡¯s destination. Could it be heading to the Island where our Junior Brothers are?¡±


    ¡°You all stay on the ship. Keep exploring ahead and scout the situation for me,¡± said the female Taoist in a deep voice, ¡°You all remember that I received your junior brothers¡¯ message that they are on some barren island around Nine Dragons Island. The owner of this island assigned some of his men to guard these barren islands. Tell them your identity when you run into them and they won¡¯t stop you.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± replied the four girls respectfully.


    The female Taoist¡¯s figure floated and disappeared towards the southeast. The jade hairpin under her feet kept growing bigger until it carried her away quickly to approach Nine Dragons Island.


    ¡°Huh? What is that?¡±


    Her eyes contracted upon seeing the golden energy shield that covered the entirety Nine Dragons Island. The scene sent huge ripples in her heart. She knew what it was, yet it was still shocking to her, causing her to be hardly able to believe it.


    That was an array! More so, an array with peerless might!


    She had seen a lot of array formations, and it could be said that she also had some mastery in it, yet she never imagined that she could actually see a mysterious array that produced such a gigantically powerful aura in her life.


    ¡°Who could it be? Who has arranged a geomancy array at this level? Not even the Mountain Guardian Array in the sect is as powerful as this one. Comparing the might is like the difference between night and day.¡±


    As she came closer to the golden energy shield, the female Taoist didn¡¯t rush to contact anyone on Nine Dragons Island, and instead flew around the island, circling it a few times to study it for more than an hour. Yet, she was still unable to see through the mysteriousness of this array. She had a feeling that not only would she not be able to break through it, she¡¯d also be killed trying.


    Ultimately, as the liner came over, she landed on its deck and shouted out, ¡°Daoist Zixuan of the Whole Unitary Sect is paying a visit to the owner of Nine Dragons Island. I hope the Island Master will allow me to dock to have a meeting.¡±


    ¡°The array has just been activated and will need seven days to complete. The island¡¯s array will completely take shape after the seventh day, so I¡¯ll naturally open the array entrance for you to come inside. Opening it now would otherwise destroy it. I hope Daoist Zixuan can understand, and I do apologize if it¡¯s slightly improper.¡±


    The answer made Daoist Zixuan fall into silence for a long while. She then slowly replied, ¡°If so, then we¡¯ll wait for seven days.¡±


    Atop the palace¡¯s rooftop, Tang Xiu brought a lunch box and wolfed down his meal. He hadn¡¯t yet had any grub or water for quite a long time due to him arranging the array, while at the same time he had spent a lot of energy, making him starving.


    Ji Chimei behind him, however, had an amused smile sported on her face. She thought that it was interesting because she was perfectly aware of how high Tang Xiu¡¯s status once was. Who could imagine that such a Venerable Supreme in the Immortal World paid no heed of his own image and just sat on a rooftop while casually wolfing down his meal and drink like this? If his present appearance were to be seen by the myriads of races and living beings in the Immortal World, they would probably be shocked with eyes staring wide.


    ¡°You should eat slowly, my Lord. I¡¯ll go get some more for you if it¡¯s not enough,¡± said Ji Chimei respectfully after enduring her smile for a long time.


    At this time, Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth was full of food, so he didn¡¯t feel like speaking at all and just casually waved his hand. After he finished the second serving brought by Ji Chimei, he wiped his mouth and sighed, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether you¡¯re an immortal or not, everyone still needs to eat and drink, although the food might be different. I¡¯m nothing but an ordinary man now, so grabbing some rice and bread to eat is indispensable¡­ Nonetheless, having filled your belly to the max is a good feeling to have, though. Anyway, I¡¯m gonna have some rest for a while, Chimei. Don¡¯t disturb me if there¡¯s nothing important.¡±


    ¡°As you will it, my Lord,¡± said Ji Chimei with a smile.


    Tang Xiu then floated down. Just as he arrived at the palace, he saw the Whole Unitary Sect youths being led by Jin Chanzi who still stayed here. They hurriedly rushed over to him carrying their longsword.


    ¡°I know what you want to say to me. It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have any hospitality, but your Master¡¯s arrival is just bad timing. She came right after the island¡¯s protection array was activated. Like I just said, I can¡¯t deactivate the array for now, so she has to wait before she can come in seven days¡ªotherwise, my hard work and the days I spent to lay out the array will be wasted.¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang, my Master can¡¯t get inside. But how about us? Can we go out?¡± asked Jin Chanzi with a forced smile.


    ¡°You can¡¯t go outside either.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Unless you think you have the ability to do so, your only choice is to stay on the island for another week.¡±


    The six youths exchanged glances and shook their heads with forced and wry smiles. They could sense how powerful the array that protected the island was. The knew the outcome if they were to forcefully break through it. Doing so would absolutely grant them a tragic death.

 Chapter 956 - Trading Resources For Cultivation

    Chapter 956: Trading Resources For Cultivation


    Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales


    Time fleeted by quickly and seven days passed by. The Nine Dragons Alignment Array had been finally completed and the radiant golden shield gradually disappeared. The world energy fluctuation seemed to have returned to its original state just like nothing had happened. However, the female Taoist, Daoist Zixuan, who had been stranded outside Nine Dragons Island, was perfectly aware that the might of the array had already reached a very terrifying level, given that it had crazily absorbed the world energy from all directions for the last seven days.


    ¡°Something is strange, Master.¡±


    The girl in a white dress that was fluttering in the wind stood on the bow deck while staring at Nine Dragons Island and suddenly spoke.


    Daoist Zixuan opened her eyes and slightly turned to her, asking, ¡°What strangeness are you sensing?¡±


    ¡°I feel like the scenery in front is gradually turning kinda blurry, Master,¡± answered the girl. ¡°Also, if you listen to the sounds in the surroundings, there were some sounds coming from the island previously, but now nothing can be heard but the sound of the tide hitting the shore.¡±


    This made Daoist Zixuan¡¯s expression slightly shift. Her expression suddenly changed and she released her perception toward the front quickly as her face went pale. She coughed up a mouthful of blood just as her spiritual sense touched an invisible layer of obstruction. It was like there was some kind of monster that was able to swallow and devour her spiritual sense there.


    Cough, cough¡­


    After coughing two mouthfuls of blood, Daoist Zixuan stared at the island in front in disbelief. She vaguely realized that the Nine Dragons Island at present was blurring and not even the slightest voice could be heard from there.


    The longer she and her disciples observed the island, the more blurred the island became, up till it completely disappeared from their sight. Daoist Zixuan was still able to confirm that Nine Dragons Island was still there with her spiritual sense, but not with her eyes. There was nothing in her vision but the boundless sea.


    ¡°Master,¡± called out the girl, a look of hesitation on her face.


    ¡°Be at ease! I¡¯m fine and there¡¯s nothing to worry about,¡± said Daoist Zixuan with a forced smile. ¡°A very powerful array expert has arranged a peerless array to surround and cover the entirety of Nine Dragons Island. Even with my ability, I still wouldn¡¯t be able to figure out the mystery of this place had I not seen the island previously. You all must remember not to easily provoke anyone on this island once we land later.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re a Golden Core Stage expert, Master,¡± said the girl. ¡°Even if the person on that island is very powerful in arrays, it¡¯s only one skill. That person¡¯s cultivation is probably not on par to yours, right?¡±


    ¡°We are yet to know the owner of the island, so don¡¯t draw such a conclusion easily.¡± Daoist Zixuan shook her head and said, ¡°Also, even if the cultivation level of the person who has arranged this array is lower than mine just like you said, it¡¯s easy to kill me once he activates this peerless array.¡±


    Suddenly, Daoist Zixuan and her four disciples suddenly saw the air in front of them fluctuate and a portal appear out of nowhere. Inside it, they could clearly see the scenery of Nine Dragons Island.


    Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh¡­.


    Several figures came flashing through the portal lightning fast. The first to appear before Daoist Zixuan was her six disciples, followed by Tang Xiu and the Mo Brothers.


    ¡°Master.¡±


    Jin Chanzi, Jin Xinzi, and the other four knelt in the air and respectfully called out.


    Daoist Zixuan raised her jade-like fingers slightly as six streams of qi raised them up. Then, she nodded to them with satisfaction and said, ¡°You¡¯ve done well, my disciples. You ran into evil people and got rid of them. Additionally, you also inadvertently came to Nine Dragons Island, providing us the chance to meet other powerful cultivators, a great merit in and of itself. I¡¯ll give you a handsome reward once we come back to our sect.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Master!¡± the six youths happily replied.


    Seeing that Daoist Zixuan¡¯s eyes shifted to him, Tang Xiut then smiled and cupped his fists, ¡°I must apologize for the negligence I¡¯ve shown you while you¡¯ve visited my Nine Dragons Island, Senior. I¡¯ve ordered some people to boil some good tea, and I invite Senior to come to my island to enjoy it.¡±


    ¡°Is your distinguished self the Island Master?¡± Daoist Zixuan slightly bowed and said, ¡°May I know your distinguished self¡¯s title?¡±


    ¡°My name is Tang Xiu; I¡¯m indeed the owner of this Nine Dragons Island,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    ¡°May I know which sect, school and under which respectable elder¡¯s tutelage Fellow Daoist Tang comes from?¡± asked Daoist Zixuan again. ¡°We¡¯re all fellow Daoist in the ascetic circle; maybe I know your Master as well.¡±


    While pointing to Jin Chanzi¡¯s group of six youths, Tang Xiu lightly smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that my answer would be to your disappointment, Senior. I don¡¯t come from any school or sect, but I did chance upon a fortuitous encounter that made me obtain the inheritance that a certain Senior Daoist left behind, thus making me embark on the cultivation path.¡±


    The answer made Daoist Zixuan look surprised, yet she didn¡¯t ask more about the inheritance or the Daoist senior who had left it. Asking about that was taboo among cultivators. More so than that, Tang Xiu gave her a vague threatening feeling even though this young man was very young. She even found herself unable to see through Tang Xiu¡¯s cultivation level at all, although she could see that the two men behind this young man were at the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    ¡°Is it you who arranged the array protecting this island, Daoist Tang?¡± asked Daoist Zixuan again.


    ¡°I arranged it indeed. It took me half a month and quite a lot of material to complete it.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°It also consumed a lot of my power. I wouldn¡¯t have spent too much of power if my cultivation level was much higher, though.¡±


    ¡°The fact that you¡¯re able to arrange such a peerless array among today¡¯s cultivation circle is already an amazing ability in and of itself, Daoist Tang!¡± sighed Daoist Zixuan in surprise. ¡°I dare say that there is no other cultivator on Earth who has higher attainment in array than you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re joking with me, Senior. What I¡¯ve achieved in array is nothing but the surface; it can hardly be called being an expert at it.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°Anyway, you¡¯ve waited for a week outside, Senior. Now that Nine Dragons Island¡¯s door is opened, would you like to continue our talk inside?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Daoist Zixuan couldn¡¯t help but laugh and said, ¡°The shock you gave me when you arranged the protection array on this island is really great. I do feel intrigued and can¡¯t wait to learn more about that, but I hope Daoist Tang doesn¡¯t take it as an offense. Also, thank you for your hospitality.¡±


    ¡°Please¡­¡±


    With a light smile on his face, Tang Xiu led Daoist Zixuan¡¯s people to the array portal, and quickly landed on the square outside the palace.


    The moment Daoist Zixuan entered Nine Dragons Island, she found that the number of guards here was much higher than she had seen previously. Just the places that entered her vision had hundreds of guards being stationed in various spots.


    Yet what made her feel incredulous was that most of these guards were cultivators. Although the aura they emitted out was weak and the strongest among them was just at the Foundation Establishment Stage, the hundreds of cultivators alone still gave her a shock. One must know that training cultivators was a very difficult endeavor as the resources invested in each person was astronomical.


    But this place had so many cultivators, and every one of them gave out intense killing aura, evidence that they were ruthless people who had gone through numerous killings.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s appropriate, but there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to ask you, Daoist Tang,¡± said Daoist Zixuan as she stopped several meters away from the palace gate behind Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Please speak.¡± Tang Xiu also stopped his pace.


    ¡°It¡¯s about the number of cultivators on this island. It¡¯s far beyond imagination,¡± said Daoist Zixuan. ¡°You just said that you obtained some kind of inheritance and then embarked on the cultivation path. But what about them? Did you train them yourself?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve been fostering and training them.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°As far as I know, Earth nowadays is scarce on cultivation resources, while the world energy itself is now very thin.¡± Daoist Zixuan slightly frowned and said, ¡°Wanting to train so many cultivators nowadays will be a very difficult task, but after I¡¯ve observed around, most of them are at the Qi Refining Stage, though there are also some at the Foundation Establishment Stage. Isn¡¯t the resources needed to invest in them quite astronomical?¡±


    ¡°This matter is actually a private issue and rather inconvenient to disclose to outsiders. But I think it¡¯s okay to answer your question, Senior,¡± replied Tang Xiu slowly after he thought for a while. ¡°Today¡¯s Earth is indeed quite scarce on resources for cultivation. The world energy is also very thin, but I didn¡¯t just obtain an inheritance, but also some cultivation resources as well. Aside from that, I¡¯m a businessman in the secular world. With capital in hand and the good networking I have, I¡¯ve naturally been able to procure a lot of precious herbs in a short time by spending money. Thus, training my men to this level is not a problem for me. It¡¯s just¡­¡±


    ¡°Just what?¡± asked Daoist Zixuan with a curious expression.


    ¡°The more cultivators I have under my command, the more I¡¯m in short supply of cultivation resources,¡± said Tang Xiu with a forced smile. ¡°I don¡¯t have any means to alleviate the predicament quickly should this situation continue any longer. Frankly speaking, the reason why I held your six disciples on my island and waited for your arrival is that I hope to grow a way to obtain cultivation resources.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ you want to obtain cultivation resource from my Whole Unitary Sect?¡± Daoist Zixuan¡¯s brows raised and she added, ¡°Or, do you want to make a deal with me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just like you said, Senior. That¡¯s the plan I have in mind.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°If Senior can provide me some cultivation resources, I¡¯m also willing to exchange goods with you or your sect.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s head inside and talk some more, Daoist Tang,¡± said Daoist Zixuan with a light smile.


    Tang Xiu also smiled and continued to enter the place with her and the rest. He personally led them to the spacious reception room on the second floor. After tea, snacks, and fruit had been served, Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°I rarely meet any fellow cultivators from the cultivation world, so I don¡¯t know the proper etiquette to entertain visiting cultivators in the community. I apologize if there¡¯s anything unsatisfactory in my hospitality, Senior.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for such a polite manner, Daoist Tang. I¡¯m always a straightforward person in nature and never like to speak in a roundabout manner,¡± said Daoist Zixuan casually while waving her hand. ¡°Also, I¡¯m very interested in the proposition you just told me about.¡±

 Chapter 957 - Enemy Trace

    Chapter 957: Enemy Trace


    Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales


    Daoist Zixuan¡¯s response this time was much to Tang Xiu¡¯s satisfaction. He made up his mind, making a plan to establish a relationship with the Whole Unitary Sect right after he learned this sect¡¯s situation, and if possible, he would obtain some cultivation resources from this sect which had thousands of years of rich heritage.


    The Everlasting Feast Hall itself was not in short supply of cultivation resources at the moment; it even had enough inventory for the next year. But the number of cultivation resources to carry out his plan to raise an army of cultivators while simultaneously raising and training a large number of children in the future would be astronomical. Hence, the more resources he procured, the better.


    From Jin Chanzi and his five brothers, as well Daoist Zixuan now, Tang Xiu could tell that they were from a righteous sect. He had been secretly observing them and confirmed that they were not people with wicked and scheming minds, so making a deal with them was unlikely to go wrong.


    ¡°Senior Zixuan, since you¡¯re interested in the deal I offer you, may I know how many cultivation resources your sect have accumulated in the past millennium?¡± asked Tang Xiu seriously. ¡°I need to know whether it can meet my needs.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Daoist Tang has quite a big appetite it seems.¡± Daoist Zixuan let out a faint smile and said, ¡°You just said that my Whole Unitary Sect has accumulated cultivation resources for over a thousand years. With such a long time, we indeed have accumulated a lot of resources. However, I¡¯d like you to ask in return. What kind of benefits will you offer our Whole Unitary Sect in exchange for our massive cultivation resources?¡±


    Tang Xiu spread his hand out, and an ancient scripture suddenly appeared on his palm. He looked at Daoist Zixuan¡¯s curious face and asked, ¡°I don¡¯t know the level of cultivation art the Whole Unitary Sect has, so I¡¯d like to ask how high the realm of cultivation one can achieve in your sect?¡±


    With a slightly shifted expression, Daoist Zixuan thought for a while and said, ¡°Frankly speaking, the most important cultivation art my sect has can make one break through to the Spirit Formation Stage. There¡¯s none at the said realm in my sect at the moment, but we do have some powerhouses at the Nascent Soul Stage.¡±


    ¡°This ancient manual in my hand is a cultivation art that can make you breakthrough to the Great Ascension Stage,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Also, I can assure you that this cultivation is much more profound than any art your Whole Unitary Sect may possess. Additionally, I can also trade a cultivation art at the Crossing Tribulation Stage with your sect should anyone from the Whole Unitary Sect break through to the late stage of Great Ascension.¡±


    ¡°Say what?¡±


    Daoist Zixuan had been cultivating for centuries and had a firm and tempered mind. Despite that, she was still shocked as disbelief obviously filled her face upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words.


    The Great Ascension and Crossing Tribulation Stages?


    Is it possible that such profound cultivation art still exists on Earth nowadays?


    ¡°What I told you is the whole truth. The manual in my hands now is a cultivation art up to the Great Ascension Stage, while I also have its continuation to the Crossing Tribulation Stage,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°If your Whole Unitary Sect wants to get one, I need to know how many cultivation resources you can exchange to satisfy my needs.¡±


    Daoist Zixuan¡¯s eyes were fixated at the cultivation manual in Tang Xiu¡¯s hands. If it wasn¡¯t the fact that she was on Nine Dragons Island and she had no confidence in dealing with Tang Xiu at the moment, she would have moved and snatched it immediately. If these cultivation arts were as profound, or even stronger, than her sect¡¯s cultivation technique as Tang Xiu said, then it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that was equivalent to the utmost valuable treasure for her Whole Unitary Sect.


    ¡°This matter is of great importance, Daoist Tang, so I need to discuss it with the elders in my sect first.¡±


    Putting away the cultivation manual, Tang Xiu then replied with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. I don¡¯t have many cultivation resources, but I have time. However, I¡¯m not one who likes to waste time, so how long do I need to wait to know how much cultivation resources your Whole Unitary Sect can exchange with me?¡±


    ¡°Seven days,¡± answered Daoist Zixuan without hesitation. ¡°Give me at most seven days of time. I¡¯ll leave now to return to my sect and discuss this matter with the elders. A week later, I¡¯ll come again and give you a reply as to how much we can afford to exchange with you. But I hope you don¡¯t deceive me, Daoist Tang¡ªor my elders will be furious, spelling bad things for us.¡±


    ¡°If so, then I¡¯ll be waiting for good news from you, Senior Zixuan,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    Immediately after, Daoist Zixuan said, ¡°Daoist Tang, I heard from my young disciples that you have deep attainments in the Lightning Evoker Art, which I have some mastery in as well. Would you mind sparing some time to compare notes?¡±


    ¡°Since Senior Zixuan has such interest, shall we go to the sea outside then?¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°I don¡¯t want this newly reconstructed Nine Dragons Island to be destroyed by us.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Quickly after, Tang Xiu opened the portal of the island¡¯s array so that he and Daoist Zixuan could flash outside, leaving the rest of the people to appear several kilometers away from Nine Dragons Island.


    While floating in the air, Daoist Zixuan looked at Tang Xiu dozens of meters away from her as she seriously said, ¡°Please be careful, Daoist Tang!¡±


    BANG¡­


    Just as her voice faded away, thunder roared from the firmament and dark clouds began to emerge, covering hundreds of square meters. A series of numerous lightning sparks followed, but each bolt was very thin, the thickest just thumb-sized.


    Tang Xiu smirked with a slight contempt while watching the lightning magic conjured by Daoist Zixuan. He was thinking whether he had to show off his fullest power or not since he also needed to showcase a shocking display that would act as a deep deterrent to Daoist Zixuan. He was afraid that this female would look down on him and pay him no attention in the next transaction should he avoid doing so.


    After all, his lightning conjuration magic was too mysterious. Added with his current cultivation which was comparable to the late stage of Golden Core, the might that it produced was something that not even any Nascent Soul or Soul Formation powerhouses could achieve. Yet, if he were to expose too much, it would make Daoist Zixuan think that his Lightning Evoker Art was very powerful, thus inciting her greed and probably driving her to make a bad move.


    ¡®Haih, whatever. I¡¯ll just expose the level of power I used when dealing with those two old farts from Celestial Wizard clan then!¡¯


    After he made up his mind, the display of ability showcased by Daoist Zixuan also ended. At this time, his figure streaked into the sky and appeared hundreds of meters above the surface of the sea. He stretched his arms out and the dispersing dark clouds in the sky began to gather again. The number and intensity of the dark clouds now were even more substantial than the ones produced by Daoist Zixuan¡¯s lightning conjuration magic prior, also covering a much larger radius in the sky.


    Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed amid the dark clouds hung over in the sky. For whoever looked up at the sky, it was like the world was waiting for the arrival of doomsday. Lightning flashes were looming in the clouds and the rumbling of thunderclaps sent shocks that pierced the eardrums.


    Flashing backward for hundreds of meters away from the area, Daoist Zixuan looked up and stared at the sky dumbfoundedly with her body slightly trembling. The current scene before her was something out of her expectation. What¡¯s more, it was just a phenomenon created by the conjuration of lightning art, no less.


    ¡°H-how¡­ how is he able to achieve this? What kind of profound Lightning Art has he been cultivating exactly? This phenomenon alone has exceeded my wildest imagination already; how terrifying is the level of power when it blasts out?¡±


    ¡°Lightning Ocean!¡±


    Standing at hundreds of meters mid-air, Tang Xiu¡¯s shout suddenly rumbled in the sky. All of a sudden, lightning bolts the size of an arm flashed down from the layers of cloud like countless falling meteors from the night sky, blasting the distant sea surface. The lightning blasts covered a half kilometer radius, and whether it was its number, speed, or might, it was at least 10 times stronger than the ones displayed by Daoist Zixuan.


    The lightning bolts flashed down and the phenomenon lasted for a minute. The moment the lightning downpour stopped, the dark clouds in the firmament dissipated and the rumbling thunderclaps were also disappeared. At the same time, the half kilometer area that was baptized by lighting bolts was now covered by a massive number of dead sea creatures. The more time passed, the more dead fish came floating onto the surface.


    Tang Xiu then flew to the front of Daoist Zixuan and looked at her dazed beautiful face, saying with a faint smile, ¡°It seems my lightning conjuration magic is much better than yours. That¡¯s right, I also heard from your disciple, Jin Chanzi, that you¡¯re very obsessed with lightning magic. We can also have an exchange if you want to learn more advanced lightning magic from me.¡±


    Daoist Zixuan returned back to her senses and looked at the faintly smiling Tang Xiu. But now, admiration had birthed inside her heart. She was not afraid of Tang Xiu if they had to have a mortal combat since lightning magic was not the only power she possessed. But she had to admit Tang Xiu¡¯s mastery on this aspect and was convinced by him.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll hold onto your words today, Daoist Tang,¡± said Daoist Zixuan seriously. ¡°I¡¯ll bring a lot of cultivation resources when I come again later, so don¡¯t take back your words later.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I won¡¯t take it back.¡±


    After a long while, Tang Xiu returned back to Nine Dragons Island, whereas Daoist Zixuan brought her ten disciples and left on the liner. Therefore, there was no one from the Whole Unitary Sect staying on the island anymore. The rest of the remaining people were now Tang Xiu¡¯s subordinates.


    Just as Tang Xiu arrived outside the palace, Mo Awen appeared in front of him and reported with a solemn face, ¡°We got news from the 14th island, Boss. Our men have spotted two liners cruising towards us not far away from them. Also, judging from the direction of Daoist Zixuan¡¯s departure, they are bound to run into these two liners within two hours.¡±


    ¡°Have you confirmed the identity of these people?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a frown.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have 100% certainty, but the report from our men on the 14th island said that these people wear the same attire as those two Celestial Wizards killed by us,¡± answered Mo Awen.


    ¡°If these people are really from the Celestial Wizard clan, then our time to play has come,¡± sneered Tang Xiu. ¡°Notify everyone and prepare the choppers for taking off. I want all Foundation Establishment members to board the choppers in 10 minutes and head to the 14th island. It seems like the battlefield I need has finally been delivered.¡±


    ¡°Your order will be carried out immediately, Boss,¡± said Mo Awen. ¡°However, casualties among our men will be inevitable once the battle begins. While we are currently recruiting men, if we lose too many men, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quality that counts in an army, so what are you afraid of?¡± sneered Tang Xiu. ¡°Don¡¯t you also understand that only in battles can you sharpen yourself and make rapid progress in your cultivation and practical experience?¡±

 Chapter 958 - Unavoidable Clash

    Chapter 958: Unavoidable Clash


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Back when Tang Xiu made up his mind to form an army of cultivators, he still had another concern in mind. Since this age was a peaceful era, it was an entirely different situation from the brutal and cruel environment of the Immortal World. But for those who wanted to be true cultivators, they must frequently experience the edge of life and death and grow up in bloodshed and slaughter. Only then would they be able to become stronger and ultimately transform into real powerhouses.


    At the present, after he realized that he just provoked a very dangerous clan, instead of having any fear, he felt very excited and even had faint anticipation for the upcoming battle.


    Chakk, chakk, chakk¡­


    Amid the roaring and whirring propellers, a total of 10 helicopters were rushing into the sky, leaving behind the billowing sea and flying toward the 14th barren island towards the southeast.


    ¡°Lord, the people of this Celestial Wizard clan are nothing but ant-like existences in my view. But why do you have to pay so much attention to them and have even dispatched your men to clash with them? You only need to send me and I can completely annihilate them.¡± Ji Chimei, who had been sitting next to Tang Xiu, spoke. Her eyes were full of indifference and she ostensibly didn¡¯t care at all about any threats that might be brought by the Celestial Wizard clan.


    ¡°I have many means to annihilate this Celestial Wizard clan if I want to, Chimei,¡± said Tang Xiu calmly. ¡°But I need to train our people, and only enemies can make our Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s members grow. They will have the actual combat experience necessary to become battle experts from this.¡±


    Ji Chimei was immediately enlightened, yet she was still puzzled and asked again, ¡°But there¡¯s something I have yet to fully understand, Lord. Why do you want to form a cultivator army on Earth, though? Let¡¯s ignore the fact that the cultivation conditions on this planet are abysmal¡ªthere¡¯s just hardly any enemy for them here. Besides, I think you can still form an army of cultivators once we return back to the Immortal World. Aren¡¯t you still able to recruit a large number of immortal warriors there, both saving trouble for you and being much more convenient?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± Tang Xiu shook his had and answered, ¡°Education must start from when they are still babies. Those cultivators and immortals already have their own cultivation foundation. What they have experienced, as well as their background and whether they are sincere in following me are issues I must consider. The environment of the Immortal World is complicated and we can expect to have our enemies¡¯ people easily mix into our rank should we recruit experts there.¡±


    ¡°Still, your reasoning is rather weak, Lord,¡± argued Ji Chimei.


    ¡°What if I tell you that I just don¡¯t want to waste my time idling here, while I also need a bunch of loyal experts under me, then?¡± said Tang Xiu with a faint smile. ¡°You also know it¡¯s very boring living on Earth. Do you think it¡¯s a waste of time finding something to do here? Besides, we don¡¯t know how long we need to stay on Earth, to begin with. Thus, we need many people to accomplish light work for us, so it¡¯s a good thing to have more subordinates, no?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Ji Chimei respectfully nodded.


    After nearly an hour of flight, the helicopters finally arrived at the 14th barren island. The figures of strong men jumped from the dozens of meters high choppers and quickly formed two teams totaling 48 people, all of whom were at the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    Tang Xiu then walked step by step in the air to the ground.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    A swarthy and sturdy man among the dozens of men who had long been waiting here quickly ran to the front of Tang Xiu and respectfully saluted.


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± inquired Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Reporting as ordered, Boss!¡± saluted the burly man. ¡°The deep-sea tracker we¡¯ve released has been monitoring these two liners and the liner that just departed from Nine Dragons Island. Given their speed, the two parties are expected to run into each other within half an hour and the estimated location is near the 9th island.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any map?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    The strongman took out the map from his arm and unfolded it before pointing to the coordinates of the 9th barren island.


    Tang Xiu ruminated for a while and then spoke, ¡°Continue your surveillance duty and keep in touch with us. Do remember to stay hidden and pay attention to your own safety. If you find any other suspicious vessels apart from those two enemy¡¯s ships, contact me at once. Also, if you find that the enemy is going to land on the island, immediately evacuate and take precautions for your own safety.¡±


    ¡°Do you want us to engage them, Boss?¡± asked the strongman.


    ¡°No. They are not your ordinary laymen and your strength is absolutely not their match.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Do keep in mind, you must follow my order in the future if you want to engage the enemy in battle. The better you perform, the more chances you get to become much stronger.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± replied the burly man reverently.


    Tang Xiu shifted his vision to the 48 Foundation Establishment experts and motioned for them. He then streaked up into the sky and entered the helicopter suspended more than 10 meters in the air in the blink of an eye. The rest followed and quickly returned to the helicopters.


    On the 9th barren island.


    Cui Jian was typing on a laptop keyboard in front of him, inputing a series of instructions. The laptop¡¯s screen then split into four small displays, showing live footage of two liners slowly cruising on the calm sea.


    ¡°Our tracker has just captured the liner leaving from Nine Dragons Island, Captain. It¡¯s only six nautical miles from the other two ships. If those ships are also equipped with detection instruments, they should¡¯ve spotted each other,¡± a young man who was standing a few meters away from Cui Jian, turned his head and reported.


    Cui Jian¡¯s expression slightly shifted and he immediately inputted another series of instructions. The monitor in the upper left corner of his laptop then changed and a liner was quickly displayed on it. He could clearly see two youths sitting cross-legged in a cultivation posture on the ship¡¯s deck.


    ¡°Notify Boss!¡±


    The ocean stretched as far as the eyes could see, but Jin Chanzi sat cross-legged on the deck, silently immersing himself in the cultivation art of his sect. He was not at the late stage of Foundation Establishment and had yet to sense the threshold of the Golden Core Stage. But he believed that he would have a breakthrough to the Golden Core Stage one day in the future if he kept cultivating diligently, earning himself the honor of becoming an illustrious powerhouse among cultivators.


    BEEP, BEEP, BEEP¡­


    Suddenly, the sound of alarm inside the liner rang and Jin Chanzi instantly opened his eyes. The moment he and Jin Xingzi floated above, Daoist Zixuan¡¯s figure flashed and appeared beside them.


    ¡°We got some bad company ahead.¡±


    Eyes squinted, Daoist Zixuan trained her vision on the ships in the distance that were cruising toward them as she spoke with indifference.


    ¡°What do you mean, Master?¡± asked Jin Chanzi. ¡°You already know who those people are?¡±


    ¡°The Ship Master has already contacted the ships from the bridge through their comms and asked about their identity. They just simply ignored. He also said that if we encounter such a situation at sea, then it¡¯s usually people with hostile intentions. Additionally, did you forget why you came to Nine Dragons Island in the first place?¡±


    Jin Chanzi was zoning out for a moment and immediately said, ¡°You mean those people are highly likely to be the Celestial Wizard people, Master? And they came here to avenge their slain clan members?¡±


    With her acutely keen eyesight, Daoist Zixuan had already been able to clearly see those standing on the liner¡¯s deck in the distance. Those people were dressed in black robes with staffs and weapons in their hands. It was the attire of Celestial Wizard clan members according to her knowledge of this clan.


    ¡°You all must remember that our cultivation emphasizes seeking the mystery of Heavenly Dao and pursuing immortality, not fighting for power and killing for no reason. Once we run into them, we are not to engage them in battle if they don¡¯t attack us first.¡±


    ¡°But you just said yourself that the likelihood for them to not attack us is very slim, Master.¡± Jin Chanzi frowned and said, ¡°Besides, the reason why these Celestial Wizard people came here is for revenge, as well as probably to rob Nine Dragons Island.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t interfere too much on the issue between Nine Dragons Island and the Celestial Wizard clan.¡± Daoist Zixuan lightly said, ¡°Our Whole Unitary Sect doesn¡¯t fear this Celestial Wizard clan, but there¡¯s no need to have any needless conflict if it¡¯s avoidable. I just hope Daoist Tang and Nine Dragons Island¡¯s people can deter this clan since we are trading with them, after all.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ we¡¯re not going to help Big Brother Tang, Master?¡± asked Jin Chanzi.


    ¡°We naturally won¡¯t stand idly if these Celestial Wizard people kill ordinary people for no reason,¡± said Daoist Zixian lightly. ¡°But Daoist Tang and his men are all cultivators, and they are the ones who killed the members of this clan nonetheless, so we¡¯ll avoid being involved in this matter as much as possible.¡±


    Jin Chanzi fell into silence. He didn¡¯t know much about this Celestial Wizard clan, but he was aware that it was him and his five martial brothers who had been in conflict first with Wznie?? and Wykres Soloch. Although these two brothers didn¡¯t fall under the six brother¡¯s hands, they were the ones who had destroyed their wicked deeds.


    Moreover, he also knew that there was a business deal between Tang Xiu and his Master. The Celestial Wizard people were very powerful, and if they ultimately defeated Tang Xiu and his men, wouldn¡¯t it mean that the deal was as good as gone already, meaning that they also wouldn¡¯t be able to obtain the cultivation manual that could make them possibly reach the Great Ascension Stage?


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Suddenly, he keenly sensed a bursting killing intent coming out from his Master, Daoist Zixuan.


    At this moment, Daoist Zixuan¡¯s attention was trained on the two ships that were getting closer and closer. When the distance between the ships was less than a kilometer, a figure flashed lightning-fast from the opposite liner and stood in front of her in the blink of an eye.


    ¡°Why are you boarding our ship, wizard from the Celestial Wizard clan?¡±


    The black-robed old man shot a look at Daoist Zixuan with brows slightly creased, saying, ¡°You know who we are? Who exactly are you?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re cultivators,¡± replied Daoist Zixuan indifferently. ¡°You can call me Daoist Zixuan.¡±


    The black-robed old man narrowed his eyes and cautiously observed her for a short while. Then he coldly said, ¡°Ascetics from mysterious oriental China? But why are you here, and did you see anyone from my clan several days ago?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen them, but my young disciples did,¡± answered Daoist Zixuan. ¡°Wznie?? and Wykres Soloch of your clan killed ordinary people and thus clashed with my six young disciples. I also know your two clansmen have been killed. You¡¯re all thousands of miles from your home; did you come here to avenge them?¡±


    The black-robed old man¡¯s complexion changed and he held the gem-inlaid staff upward, asking with boiling killing intent, ¡°Did you kill them?¡±


    ¡°What if I did?¡± asked Daoist Zixuan unflinchingly. ¡°And what if I didn¡¯t?¡±

 Chapter 959 - The Battle of Powerful Experts

    Chapter 959: The Battle of Powerful Experts


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    ¡°If you killed Wznie?? and Wykres, then you¡¯ll all die here today!¡± The black-robed old man grimly growled tyrannically. ¡°If you didn¡¯t kill them, prove you¡¯re not involved with their deaths, else you won¡¯t escape your death sentence!¡±


    Daoist Zixuan sighed inwardly and instantly unleashed her own killing aura, proudly saying, ¡°Even if we didn¡¯t kill your two clansmen, they deserved their deaths due to all the wicked deeds they had done! We are cultivators¡ªseekers of the Great Dao who never wantonly kill innocents. We¡¯ll never shy away from erasing you should you dare to bring the fight to us!¡±


    The black-robed old man no longer spoke. He quickly bit his finger and drew a row of exquisite blood-colored runes in the air, then fiercely pointed his staff towards Daoist Zixuan.


    A raging black fog suddenly blasted out of nowhere. As the blood runes began to disperse, countless interconnected blood threads began spreading out. They all seemed to have a life of their own and gradually turned into a sketch of a domain made of black fog.


    ¡°Tenebrous Domain!¡±


    A dazzling beam suddenly blasted out from the gem inlaid in the staff in the black-robed man¡¯s hand. Gorgeous scarlet blood threads pervaded the black fog, forming a skull with bloody eyes. At the same time, countless smaller skulls stacked atop each other and ultimately formed a humanoid skeleton warrior.


    This made Daoist Zixuan¡¯s complexion greatly changed since she knew a bit about the Celestial Wizard clan. Those from this clan who were able to cast Tenebrous Domain were the strongest among them.


    ¡°You wish to fight? Then a battle you¡¯ll have!¡±


    Daoist Zixuan streaked into the sky. The black fog was highly viscous with a pungent stench, yet she was able to instantly create a clean passage and flashed several hundreds of meters upward into the sky. There, she shouted, ¡°Never once have I, Daoist Zixuan, ever killed insignificant cretin. For being able to cast Tenebrous Domain, your distinguished self must be a top expert among the Celestial Wizard clan, right? Then bring it on! Let¡¯s see who¡¯s stronger between us!¡±


    ¡°Wizard of Origin, Blask Soloch!¡±


    The black-robed old man¡¯s mouth only opened slightly, yet his voice was as though the sound of a raging sea that rapidly cruised its way toward Daoist Zixuan. The skeleton monster made of black fog followed by formed a bone whip in its hand and aggressively hurled itself toward Daoist Zixuan.


    ¡°Ocean of Swords!¡±


    Daoist Zixuan instantly unleashed the sheathed longsword on her back. Its blade multiplied by two, to four, to sixteen¡­ and, in just less than half a second, turned into thousands of sword blade shadows, truly representing its name as a turbulent ocean wave made of swords. The roaring tide of swords turned into overlapping layers made of swords that stirred the black fog in the sky and stormed over toward the skeleton monster.


    On the 9th barren island.


    -As the ten helicopters stayed still in the air several meters above the land, shadowy figures flew out from the helicopters¡¯ cabins and landed on the coast. Cui Jian, who had long been waiting on the island, immediately put the laptop down and swiftly sprinted to greet Tang Xiu. He then saluted and reported, ¡°Cui Jian is reporting, Boss!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the current situation?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°The Whole Unitary Sect¡¯s ship has run into the Celestial Wizard¡¯s and they are now engaging in combat,¡± reported Cui Jian. ¡°You can watch their battle on the laptop there, Boss.¡±


    Tang Xiu then came to the front of the laptop. When his eyes fell on the laptop screen, he happened to see the scene when Daoist Zixuan¡¯s sword clashed with the black fog.


    ¡°She deserves to be called a Golden Core Stage expert with such powerful striking power. But the technique of that Celestial Wizard clan¡¯s expert somehow looks like the ghost cultivation system¡¯s one. Anyway, Cui Jian. How far are they from this island?¡±


    ¡°About 26 nautical miles, Boss!¡± answered Cui Jian.


    Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes before he turned around to look at the 48 Foundation Establishment experts who had neatly stood by in rows. Then he issued an order in a deep voice, ¡°You are to stay here and are not to move without my orders. Chimei, Awu. You both come with me to observe the battle.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a speedboat nearby, Boss,¡± interjected Cui Jian quickly. ¡°I¡¯ll tell the men to take it there.¡±


    ¡°No need for that.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°Let¡¯s set off, Chimei!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    As Ji Chimei replied, a stream of qi instantly wrapped Tang Xiu and Mo Awu, and all of them quickly flashed into the distance. With her power, Ji Chimei had already pinpointed the location of the fight easily with her spiritual sense. In just a few seconds, the three of them had arrived more than 20 miles away from their prior location.


    However, Tang Xiu wanted to see the ability showcased by the Whole Unitary Sect¡¯s people first, so he ordered Ji Chimei to stay a few kilometers away and used binoculars to observe the battle.


    ¡°They are very strong, Boss. At least a lot stronger than me.¡± Mo Awu, who stood beside Tang Xiu, spoke with a solemn face.


    Tang Xiu shot him a glance and lightly said, ¡°Daoist Zixuan is an expert at the Golden Core Stage, so of course she¡¯s much more powerful than you. But her striking power and technique don¡¯t show it. She¡¯s either hiding her power intentionally, or she has shallow combat experience. That wizard is weaker than her, but he obviously has richer combat experience. Although he¡¯s controlling the attacks of that skeleton monster, he still looks relaxed. But¡­¡±


    ¡°But what, Boss?¡± Mo Awu looked at him with a slightly changed expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s just like I said previously. Even if he has rich combat experience, his cultivation is still not Daoist Zixuan¡¯s match. He¡¯s at least able to fare well for several minutes, but he¡¯s on the losing side and will die.¡±


    A few kilometers away from them, the overlapping layers of sword images were as though waves hammering the shore as they kept smashing the skeleton monster, forcing it to keep retreating. No matter how powerful the bone whip was, it was practically unable to fend off the ocean of swords, and was far from being a threat to Daoist Zixuan at all. The skeleton made of black fog and its bone whip kept collapsing while its attacking power was getting weaker every second.


    ¡°Fucking bitch!¡±


    The black-robed old man¡¯s face turned more savage. Two streams of black fog suddenly wrapped around his legs and instantly propelled him up, carrying him onto the skeleton monster¡¯s left shoulder. He then used a sharp black stiletto to cut his own fingers, causing his blood to immediately drop down and be absorbed by the skeleton¡¯s body.


    BUZZ¡­


    A billowing aura erupted from the skeleton monster, while the endless black fog around it formed a large number of black skulls which quickly merged into the monster. In just a few seconds, the size of the skeleton monstrosity nearly doubled and the bone whip grew bigger, bringing more explosive power.


    ¡°BREAK!!!¡±


    Green veins protruded and pulsed on Blask Soloch¡¯s forehead as he fiercely waved his hands. The skeleton monster was as though imitating his movements and swiftly swung its arms as well. The tens of meters long bone whip flogged out, bringing with it roaring gales as it frantically clashed with the overlapping layers of the ocean of swords.


    BOOM, BOOM¡­


    The ocean of swords seemed to be divided, forming an opening amid its wake. Countless sounds of the explosion shortly followed, but the bone whip¡¯s momentum seemed unstoppable as it crushed the overlapping layers of the sword sea. In just the blink of an eye, it already appeared hundreds of meters away right before Daoist Zixuan¡¯s eyes.


    Even while facing such a predicament, only disdain and contempt were present in Daoist Zixuan¡¯s eyes. A chilling voice then came out of her mouth, ¡°Hmph, just this bit of skill? You¡¯ll face your defeat today if this is the best you can do!¡±


    The sword images that looked like they were being defeated eventually turned into a longsword, dancing and hovering around her. Quickly, it began absorbing the Heaven and Earth energy in the surrounding area frantically. Although the world energy in the surroundings was very thin, the rapid rotation of the sword sent out a blazing radiance as if a blazing and scorching sun was sending out its brilliant rays amid the darkness.


    ¡°Swords of Blazing Sun¡ªInfinite Beams!¡±


    The moment Daoist Zixuan¡¯s voice came out, countless sword beams unceasingly burst from the blazing sun, shooting at the skeleton monstrosity.


    Each sword blade was tens of meters long, and now seemingly formed a long sword chain in the sky. Thousands of sword images slashed down, while the impact force shattered the bone whip in the skeleton monster¡¯s hand. The rainbow-like sword beams didn¡¯t stop and unceasingly striking forward, shattering the skeleton¡¯s arm and tearing its body. In just a short few breaths, both the skeleton monster¡¯s arms were shattered and a few wide holes were present in its chest.


    ¡°BE CAREFUL!!!¡±


    Two black shadows suddenly streaked upward from the two ships belonging to the Celestial Wizard clan like two lightning bolts. As the two people bit the tip of their tongue, they each spew out a blood fog, which quickly flashed and appeared in the dense black mist. While each holding their own staff, the two men unleashed their magic power to form a black globe shield around them.


    Crack!!!


    The skeleton monster was finally crushed by the sword blades and the countless others now slashed down to crush the black shield down. A series of cracks began to appear on the black shield, while the two black-robed old men cast incantation as two giant axes then formed over the shield!


    ¡°Slash!¡±


    The two old men shouted at the same time, causing the two humongous axes to quickly merge into one. With an irresistible force, it crashed down to greet the sword beams head-on. At this moment, the paled Blask Soloch, looking particularly dire, suddenly took out a silver needle more than 10cm long and fiercely pierced his own heart. At the moment he pulled it out, a stream of blood jetted out from his chest. Right as the blood mist touched the surrounding black fog, a dreadful black flame blazed out with a terrifying heatwave, boiling the seawater underneath and causing the death of countless fish and shrimp, covering the ocean with their dead bodies.


    ¡°Sanguine Hex!¡±


    A look of madness was gleaming in Blask Soloch¡¯s eyes. The moment the black flame fused into the obsidian giant ax, the ax¡¯s size became hundreds of meters in size. With its striking might increasing its strength several times, it moved down to crush the sword blade in front, shattering them like splitting bamboo as it blasted its path forward with irresistible force towards Daoist Zixuan.


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    Daoist Zixuan shouted a curse, and her figure instantly streaked up much higher into the sky. Although the Tenebrous Domain in the surroundings obstructed her, she was still able to dash away a kilometer higher in the sky in an instant, freeing herself from the shrouding of the black fog. In the next moment, her longsword also followed lightning-fast back to her hand.


    However, the sword that used to look brilliant with flickering cold light, now had a visible crack on its blade, while the corrosive black fog continued to linger around it.

 Chapter 960 - Fighting For Survival

    Chapter 960: Fighting For Survival


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    With just a glance, Daoist Zixuan knew that the sword that had accompanied her for hundreds of years had been practically ruined by the corroding black fog.


    ¡°My magic weapon.¡±


    Her lips quivered with distress. Her Whole Unitary Sect had many magic weapons and tools, but the top-tier ones were few and far between. She received this sword as an inheritance from the sect¡¯s elder, her Master. She had painstakingly nourished it with her True Origin power for hundreds of years, yet all of it went to waste now.


    At this time, gushing killing intent finally birthed inside Daoist Zixuan¡¯s heart despite the firm mind she had been cultivating. She truly hated all these Celestial Wizard people and was hardly able to contain herself from killing all of them. Yet, her sane self still reminded her that it would be a huge endeavor, even if she staked everything.


    Even if she did try by staking everything and going all out, it was highly likely that she¡¯d also die in the process, dragging her 10 disciples on the ship into this battle.


    A few kilometers away, Tang Xiu could clearly see the battle scene in the distance through the high-powered binoculars. The outcome of the fight so far was not within his expectations, as only three experts of the Celestial Wizard clan were able to take the upper hand and force Daoist Zixuan to retreat, and her magical sword was also ruined.


    ¡°It¡¯s really a pity.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head secretly.


    Mo Awu put down the binoculars and said, ¡°I think that Whole Unitary Sect¡¯s female expert won¡¯t be able to face these Celestial Wizard people. Also, there¡¯s something strange with that black fog. It¡¯s so corrosive and able to corrode and ruin her sword.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. If there was only one of the wizards, Daoist Zixuan would¡¯ve been able to kill him easily.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and added, ¡°But she¡¯s facing against three while her opponents excel at team cooperation. Killing the three of them will prove very difficult for her. With her current situation, she¡¯d pay a grave price to kill those three, even if she puts her life on the line.¡±


    ¡°I think the Celestial Wizard clan has also brought some other experts besides those three, Boss,¡± added Mo Awu in a deep voice. ¡°There are more than forty more people on those two ships, so it¡¯s very likely that some more powerful experts are hiding among them.¡±


    ¡°No, there are no more powerful experts on those two ships.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head after there was silence for a short while. ¡°But there are some men on the newly arrived ship. They are at least not weaker than those three.¡±


    Mo Awu was stunned, but recovered quickly to lift up the binoculars to look in the surroundings again. He quickly found that there was another ship near the two previous ships. There were only a few people on it, about a dozen, but the old man sitting on a chair on the deck looked to be strikingly atypical.


    ¡°The Celestial Wizard clan¡¯s reinforcements just arrived?! Boss, it will be very difficult for those Whole Unitary Sect cultivators to return back alive if we don¡¯t help them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± replied Tang Xiu. He then shot a glance at Jin Chanzi¡¯s group of ten from the Whole Unitary Sect and added, ¡°This sect has a long history and heritage that has been passed down for millenniums. The cultivation resources they have hoarded must be huge given that Jin Chanzi and his martial brothers were able to reach the Foundation Establishment Stage despite their young age; therefore, this sect must have invested a lot of resources on them. We have an agreement with this sect, and I need cultivation resources from them, so Daoist Zixuan mustn¡¯t die.¡±


    ¡°Would you like me to contact everyone on the 9th island to come over?¡± asked Mu Awu.


    ¡°No need.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Our men are at the Foundation Establishment Stage, so they won¡¯t be able to fight in the air for a long time. Their True Essence power will be consumed quickly and they will fall into problems once they join the fight. We need to lure these Celestial Wizard people to the 9th island.¡±


    ¡°Let me do it, Boss,¡± said Mo Awu.


    Tang Xiu thought about it and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll give you this task later, but not now. We¡¯re going to rescue the Whole Unitary Sect¡¯s people once they are in dire peril. With a life-saving grace that they owe us, we¡¯ll have much better leverage in the next business deals with them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really wise, Boss!¡± praised Mo Awu while raising his thumbs up.


    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter and said, ¡°You also learned to flatter now, Awu?¡±


    Mo Awu let out hollow laughter in response while scratching the back of his head, saying, ¡°Anyhow, Boss. I¡¯ll only be able to save Daoist Zixuan if we wait for all the Celestial Wizard clan experts to join the fray. What are we gonna do with Jin Chanzi and the nine others?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them!¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°These Celestial Wizard clansmen came for revenge in a blood vendetta, so you only need to tell them that we¡¯re the ones who killed their clansmen. I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t pay much attention to Jin Chanzi and the rest.¡±


    In the sky, Daoist Zixuan also saw the arrival of another liner. After observing it, she knew that they were from the Celestial Wizard clan, causing her to finally feel nervous. She was confident that she could escape easily should she choose to flee, but all the disciples she had trained and fostered with painstaking efforts until they reached Foundation Establishment Stage would hardly be able to survive the pursue of the Celestial Wizard clan experts.


    ¡®What should I do now?¡¯


    Daoist Zixuan was anxious and restless. She couldn¡¯t watch her ten pupils have any tragedy. She brought up all of them, taught them cultivation art and how to cultivate it, and watched them grow up in the process. In her heart, Jin Chanzi and his martial brothers and sisters were her children.


    The Blask Soloch trio originally wanted to chase Daoist Zixuan, but after they found that their clansmen had caught up, they immediately gave up on the idea since the Grand Elder who held higher standing than them was on that ship.


    ¡°Welcome Grand Elder!¡±


    The three old men landed on the incoming liner and respectfully greeted the old man sitting on the chair looking past his prime, Astraeus Soloch. The latter¡¯s eyelids opened, and he glanced over at the three old men before finally laying his eyes on Blask Soloch, asking, ¡°You¡¯re injured?¡±


    ¡°The enemy is a very formidable Chinese cultivator, Grand Elder,¡± said Blask Soloch with a bitter expression. ¡°I¡¯m not her match at all, so I used Blood Hex in the fight.¡±


    This made Astraeus Soloch¡¯s expression slightly changed and he said with a heavy voice, ¡°You¡¯re too reckless. Conjuring the Blood Hex will damage your life force and it will be very difficult for you to break through to the realm of Wizard Avus for the rest of your life.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured, Grand Elder.¡± Blask Soloch hurriedly said, ¡°I happened to get an Obscurum Magus Fructus when I was traveling many years ago. I can make up for the shortened lifespan by taking this fruit.¡±


    Astraeus Soloch looked surprised and nodded. ¡°I see. Then you can ignore the effect of using Blood Hex since you have the Obscurum Magus Fructus. But still, the lifespan you can recover by this fruit is only a few hundred years. Unless it¡¯s absolutely necessary, you are not to chant the Blood Hex again.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± replied Blask Soloch hurriedly.


    Afterward, Astraeus Soloch slowly looked up. His eyes looked immensely deep, as though they contained infinite mystery within. Even though Daoist Zixuan was standing thousands of meters away in the sky, he could still clearly see her.


    ¡°Come down!¡±


    His voice torrentially transmitted far away and eventually was carried into Daoist Zixuan¡¯s ears.


    The latter fell into silence for a moment before she finally floated down from the sky. After she landed on her ship, she shot a look at Astraeus Soloch a kilometer away and sneered, ¡°No wonder the Celestial Wizard clan acts so bold and dares to take my Whole Unitary Sect as an enemy, huh? It turns out that it was because of you, the Grand Elder of the Celestial Wizard clan, Astraeus Soloch. It¡¯s been a few centuries, so I¡¯m really curious as to why an old fart like you hasn¡¯t died yet.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s been 300 years since we last met; right, Daoist Zixuan?¡± replied Astraeus with a light smile. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯d be as beautiful as you were then.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still beautiful as ever indeed, but you¡¯re about to become an old Skeleton, Astraeus,¡± sneered Daoist Zixuan. ¡°Do you really want to tear all of the decorum with my Whole Unitary Sect?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to lose all decorum between us.¡± Astraeus Soloch shook his head. ¡°Your Whole Unitary Sect resides in the East region, far away from my Celestial Wizard clan. But still, two elders of my clan have been killed here; hence, it¡¯s a must for my clan to find the murderer to avenge their deaths. If you killed those two elders of my clan, then I¡¯ll put the fault on you, and your sect and my clan will no longer be decent and will settle this feud with battle.¡±


    Daoist Zixuan was silent for a moment and coldly hmphed, ¡°Hmph. I already told your men that we¡¯re not the ones who killed your clansmen, yet my disciples and those two clansmen of yours had feuds regardless. If you want to put this account on our head, then bring it on.¡±


    ¡°A feud? What feud are you talking about?¡± asked Astraeus Soloch with raised brows.


    ¡°Your Celestial Wizard clansmen massacred ordinary people, which is not something I can tolerate either,¡± answered Daoist Zixuan. ¡°Murderers are murderers. Now that they killed ordinary people, then they must be prepared to be killed by stronger people as well.¡±


    ¡°Stronger people, huh?¡± Astraeus Soloch snorted and said, ¡°Who are the powerhouses you¡¯re referring to?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you.¡± Daoist Zixuan shook her head.


    Astraeus Soloch¡¯s figure suddenly floated up and instantly appeared above the sea tens of meters away from Daoist Zixuan. His feet then landed on the surface of the sea, yet the ocean didn¡¯t even wet his boots. He calmly shot a deep stare at Daoist Zixuan while faintly smiling. ¡°Since you don¡¯t want to tell me about it, I¡¯ll force it out of your mouth. It¡¯s been 300 years since our last encounter. I really wanna know how strong the proud woman of the Whole Unitary Sect is currently.¡±


    This time, Daoist Zixuan¡¯s complexion changed. She could tell that this old man¡¯s cultivation was definitely not inferior to hers. Given the aura emitting out from Astraeus, he must¡¯ve broken through the realm of Magus Avus. From what she knew about the Celestial Wizard clan, those at the Magus Avus Realm were comparable to powerhouses at the Golden Core Stage for cultivators.


    ¡°You wanna fight? Then let¡¯s go!¡±


    Daoist Zixuan grabbed the long swords on Jin Chanzi¡¯s back. Suddenly, a huge aura erupted from her once again. As she glared at Astraeus Soloch, she didn¡¯t hurry to move, and instead wanted her disciples to evacuate safely first.

 Chapter 961 - A Pressing and Critical Situation

    Chapter 961: A Pressing and Critical Situation


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Daoist Zixuan turned her head and condensed her voice to transmit to Jin Chanzi, ¡°I¡¯ll hold them off while you all immediately escape this place. Remember, head straight to Nine Dragons Island. As long as you get there, Daoist Tang will definitely be able to save your lives.¡±


    ¡°Master!¡± hurriedly shouted Jin Chanzi.


    With an angry face, Daoist Zixuan glared at him and transmitted her voice again, ¡°This is my order, and you must obey it! The Celestial Wizard Clan¡¯s Grand Elder is very strong; his cultivation is comparable to mine. I have the confidence to escape from here myself, but I can¡¯t protect you all with so many of you here. Go quickly!¡±


    Jin Chanzi clenched his fists tightly. He was intensely unwilling and angry in his heart as he hated himself for being weak. If he were powerful enough, he could stay and fight side-by-side with his Master, instead of leaving her alone amid a serious dilemma.


    At the same time, a pang of regret was also nipping at his heart. If it weren¡¯t for his decision to inform his Master, they wouldn¡¯t have fallen into such danger, nor would his Master have fallen into such a grave situation.


    While gritting his teeth, Jin Chanzi sent out his voice to his five martial brothers and five martial sisters, relaying their Master¡¯s message to them, telling them, ¡°Junior Brothers, Senior Sisters, we must escape as quickly as possible so as to not become Master¡¯s burden¡ªelse, Master¡¯s life will be in danger if we can¡¯t escape from this place.


    ¡°RUN!¡±


    The other nine people had the same feelings as Jin Chanzi¡ªangry, yet helpless, making them only to have one choice. They immediately unleashed their magical tools or weapons to fly towards Nine Dragons Island and abandoned their ship.


    A contemptuous smile appeared on Astraeus Soloch¡¯s lips. He coldly snorted and said, ¡°Hmph, capture them alive! Don¡¯t let anyone of them escape!¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡±


    Dozens of figures streaked into the sky from the three liners lightning fast. At the same time, black mist billowed and quickly pursued Jin Chanzi¡¯s group of ten. Three figures among the others were particularly fast and were able to intercept the ten people who had just fled a few kilometers away.


    Daoist Zixuan¡¯s face turned a bit pale and her figure flickered toward her ten disciples. However, another blob of black fog suddenly appeared out of nowhere as Astraeus Soloch was seen holding his staff. The old man looked frail and decrepit, yet the aura exuding out of his body was immense.


    ¡°We are yet to have our fight, so where are you going?¡± Astraeus Soloch blocked Daoist Zixuan¡¯s path, waving the magic staff faster to create bubbles of black fog that revolved around Daoist Zixuan, constricting her movements and surrounding her within a radius of 100 meters.


    At this moment, immense killing aura blasted out from Daoist Zixuan. Sword beam energy jetted out as she brandished the long sword in her hand and stabbed the black fog bubbles. With such intensity, the air current in the surrounding space turned chaotic.


    ¡°Fused Myriad of Swords!¡±


    The sword qi shattered the black fog bubbles and ultimately formed a sword beam 100 meters long that sent out a chilling sensation. The brilliant sword beams then swept over to steamroll Astraeus Soloch instantly.


    ¡°Tenebrous Domain!¡±


    With raucous laughter, a scythe-shaped weapon suddenly appeared in Astraeus Soloch¡¯s hand. The scythe suddenly revolved around him lightning-fast and clashed with the hundred-meter sword beam head-on in that instant. Numerous black fog bubbles then appeared yet again and densely covered every direction around Daoist Zixuan.


    BOOM!!!


    The collision of the two weapons produced huge shock waves, causing Daoist Zixuan¡¯s body to greatly tremble. Obviously shocked, she cried out, ¡°The Grim Reaper Scythe? Dammit¡­ your Celestial Wizard clan succeeded in obtaining the Death God magical weapon, the Grim Reaper Scythe, from the exploration 300 years ago?¡±


    ¡°You guessed it right. Hahaha¡­¡± Astraeus Soloch burst into laughter. ¡°My father got this scythe while all of you were fighting the other forces then. If I remember correctly, your Whole Unitary Sect should¡¯ve lost a lot in the battle for the treasure back then, no? Hahaha¡­ I was finally able to fully control this Grim Reaper Scythe as my own magical weapon after 300 years of refining it. Unless you can destroy it, it will definitely drink your blood today.¡±


    As a response, Daoist Zixuan swiftly casted a secret art, causing dark clouds to quickly appear in the sky, followed by bolts of lightning that flashed down from the heavens to crush the black fog bubbles beneath. At the moment when the bubbles were combusting, another sword beam swept over from her and blasted toward the revolving Grim Reaper Scythe that was striking at her.


    While her defense was by no means weak, the power of the Grim Reaper Scythe was too immense. Despite going all out to fend it off, it was still able to penetrate her defense and create a small wound on her body.


    ¡°Linked Strike¡ªDevastation!¡±


    Astraeus Soloch suddenly shouted. Tens of black fog bubbles that hadn¡¯t yet been destroyed by lightning bolts suddenly blasted out and created a blazing black flame, surrounding Daoist Zixuan within as it continued bombarding her.


    ¡°Puah¡­¡±


    Daoist Zixuan¡¯s body was trembling even more as she coughed up a mouthful of blood. At this moment, a desperate expression appeared on her face. Had her top-tier magic longsword not been broken, she was confident that she would be able to fend off Astraeus Soloch¡¯s strike. Yet now, she seemed to see the future where she had to flee and suffer heavy losses while her ten disciples were also killed.


    A few kilometers away from the battle scene, Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes were flickering as he issued an order, ¡°Awu, you¡¯re to enter the stage now!¡±


    Nodding in silence, Mo Awu flashed forward as though he was an artillery shell being shot into the battlefield from the distance. His flying sword was extremely fast, and he appeared in the middle of the battle in the blink of an eye, shouting loudly, ¡°Dammit, how come so many wretched Celestial Wizard clansmen are crowding here? I obviously killed those two old farts previously, but from which shithole do their other wretched clansmen appear from, huh?¡±


    In that instant, all the experts from the Celestial Wizard clan had twisted faces. They ceased their movements and attacks on the Whole Unitary Sect members and turned around to look at Mo Awu with intense killing intent evident in their eyes.


    Astraeus Soloch¡¯s expression instantly changed upon hearing Mo Awu¡¯s declaration. He previously intended to launch a final blow to kill Daoist Zixuan and claim his victory, but he gave up on chasing Daoist Zixuan after seeing Mo Awu. He instantly shifted his flying direction and immediately flung toward the latter, shouting ferociously, ¡°Are you the one who killed Wznie?? and Wykres Soloch?¡±


    Mo Awu¡¯s eyes sparkled and he laughed loudly, ¡°Hahaha, so those two old farts were the Soloch Brothers Wznie?? and Wykres, huh? Heh, those two shitheads previously said that I wasn¡¯t qualified to know their names when I asked about it. I¡¯m fucking sure they must be regretting not telling me their names now. Hey, old fart! What¡¯s your shit name? Mo Awu never kills a nameless person.¡±


    The profanity from Mo Awu made Astraeus Soloch¡¯s eyes blaze with fury as he propelled over instantly. Surging black fog blotted out the sky and flooded toward Mo Awu, while the Grim Reaper Scythe also spiraled forward to strike him.


    ¡°You cretin. I swear I¡¯m not a human if I don¡¯t kill you today!¡± roared Astraeus furiously as he launched his attacks.


    Mo Awu himself was perfectly aware of how terrifying Astraeus was, and thus didn¡¯t want to face him at all. He just spared a glance at the steamrolling black fog that came at him and let out a strange laugh before he quickly fled from the direction of his coming, crying out loudly, ¡°Holy cow! This wretched old fart is really too strong! From which grave did all you Celestial Wizard demon spawn come from, huh?! I thought this Big Daddy had enough power; I never thought that there was an old fart stronger than me. Heh, if my Boss knew that you¡¯re bullying me, he would definitely kick and blast your balls off. Ah, no! I was wrong. You¡¯re almost old enough to be a fossil, so you must have no balls left, right?¡±


    All the profanities spat out by Mo Awu truly enraged Astraeus Soloch to the extreme, causing his face to be red in fury.


    How many years had it been since someone dared to curse him with such profanity? Never once had he ever imagined that he would run into an unknown loony in the sea, a reckless lunatic who knew nothing about death and dared to curse him with such toxic words.


    ¡°You¡­ Must. Die!!!¡±


    Astraeus Soloch accelerated even faster. With his greater power, he was able to catch up with Mo Awu despite the latter possessing a top-tier flying sword.


    ¡°You wretched old fart!¡±


    Yet, Mo Awu still threw vicious curses while fleeing. He had escaped more than a dozen nautical miles in less than half a minute. However, behind him was not only Astraeus Soloch hot on his heels, but also all the other experts of the Celestial Wizard Clan who gave up on besieging the Whole Unitary Sect¡¯s members, leaving only Mo Awu in their eyes, the culprit who had murdered their clansmen.


    Thousands of meters high in the sky, Ji Chimei and Tang Xiu stood atop the clouds while watching Mo Awu being pursued, each with sneers on their faces. They had calculated that even though Astraeus Soloch was faster than Mo Awu, the latter would definitely be able to arrive at the 9th island before the enemy caught up.


    ¡°Those from the Whole Unitary Sect are not continuing their escape, my Lord,¡± reported Ji Chimei after she unleashed her spiritual sense.


    ¡°Let¡¯s ignore them for now,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°We need to keep some of these Celestial Wizard Clan experts on the 9th island. I just hope that only a few of my men die from this trial.¡±


    ¡°I think the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s experts won¡¯t be their matches if we¡¯re not involved, my Lord,¡± said Ji Chimei. ¡°Especially the old fart who¡¯s chasing Awu. He at least has the power comparable to a late-stage Golden Core expert. I think he wouldn¡¯t even be at a disadvantage if he had to contend against some quasi Nascent Soul Stage experts either.¡±


    ¡°What about Tang Guang and Tang An?¡± asked Tang Xiu. ¡°Is there a possibility for them to win against him?¡±


    ¡°Tang Guang and Tang An have made rapid progress recently and they just broke through the middle-stage of Golden Core,¡± answered Ji Chimei as she added, ¡°They may be able to fight him if they both fight him together, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But what?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Tang Guang and Tang An can fight that old fart equally, but there are still the other three experts among the Celestial Wizard clansmen,¡± said Ji Chimei. ¡°Those three are very strong, and I¡¯m afraid no one from the Everlasting Feast Hall are able to fight them, while we also don¡¯t have an advantage in number.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before turning his head to look towards the direction of the Whole Unitary Sect members.


    Above the sea, Daoist Zixuan was gathered with her ten disciples. The battle they just fought a moment ago had left her with injuries, while bleeding wounds could be seen on the bodies of Jin Chanzi¡¯s group of ten as well.


    ¡°Master, it¡¯s Mo Awu.¡±


    Jin Chanzi stared at the disappearing figures above the sea and said with a bit of concern in his voice.


    Daoist Zixuan herself looked a bit distracted and in a daze at this moment. She was just faintly in a moment of despair a while ago, yet the sudden arrival of Mo Awu lured the enemy away from them, straightly preventing their impending doom. One thing that made her shocked the most, however, was the sword that was under Mo Awu¡¯s feet.

 Chapter 962 - Harboring Bad Intentions

    Chapter 962: Harboring Bad Intentions


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Having lived for a few centuries, Daoist Zixuan naturally had a lot of knowledge. She had personally refined magical devices herself, so it was natural that she knew the might of such tools. However, the long sword manipulated by Mo Awu was absolutely not such magical devices. Additionally, flying with such speed was impossible considering Mo Awu¡¯s power. Yet, he was able to escape smoothly, evidence that his speed was definitely inseparable with his sword.


    ¡°Could it be an immortal sword?¡±


    Daoist Zixuan suddenly realized something and her eyes turned wide and sparkling.


    Jin Chanzi, who stood next to her, heard her murmurs. He asked in confusion, ¡°What did you just utter, Master? What is an immortal sword?¡±


    This time, Daoist Zixuan suddenly remembered that Tang Xiu once said that he obtained a mysterious inheritance, allowing him to cultivate to his present realm. He also mentioned having a karmic relation to immortality, as well as an acquisition of some cultivation art up to the Great Ascension Stage, including up till the stage of Crossing Tribulation.


    Could it be that¡­ Tang Xiu also obtained more than those cultivation arts? Such as those immortal swords?


    Just as Daoist Zixuan reasoned up to there, she immediately turned to look at Jin Chanzi and asked in a deep voice, ¡°You spent some time on Nine Dragons Island; do you know the origin of the flying sword in Mo Awu¡¯s hand?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, Master. But many people under Tang Xiu have it. Also, I reckon that they can store their flying swords inside their bodies, and only unleash them whenever they must fight. Our Whole Unitary Sect doesn¡¯t have any technique to store flying swords inside our body, but they definitely have it.¡±


    ¡°Flying swords that can be stored inside the body?¡± exclaimed Daoist Zixuan. ¡°¡­ that¡¯s definitely immortal swords. Are you sure many of Tang Xiu¡¯s men have an immortal sword?¡±


    ¡®Those swords are called immortal swords?¡¯


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Jin Chanzi nodded and said, ¡°I think there are more than a dozen people who have it, at the very least! When Mo Awu killed those two Celestial Wizard Clan¡¯s Elders, he used such a flying sword.¡±


    The shock that engulfed Daoist Zixuan¡¯s heart was like a tide as she looked towards the direction of Mo Awu¡¯s departure. An intense impulse now raged inside her heart, as she coveted such an immortal sword greatly. It was a divine artifact belonging to immortals! She could even tell that Astraeus Soloch would be far from her match if she had an immortal sword like that.


    ¡®I gotta find the opportunity to trade with Tang Xiu for it. It would be best if he¡¯s willing to exchange some immortal swords for cultivation resources. If he doesn¡¯t want to, I¡¯m going to snatch an immortal sword even if I must strike a vicious blow in secret!¡¯


    A ruthless glint flashed in Daoist Zixuan¡¯s eyes, and she asked again with a deep voice, ¡°Let¡¯s catch up with them. We must help Mo Awu fend off those Celestial Wizard experts.¡±


    ¡°But the Celestial Wizard clan has too many experts, Master. I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t do anything to help Mo Awu even if we catch up with them,¡± argued Jin Chanzi while hesitating. ¡°I suggest that we retreat and immediately go back to our sect to ask some of our experts to come over.¡±


    Eager to obtain the immortal sword, Daoist Zixuan was unwilling to give up on chasing after Mo Awu¡­ or missing the opportunity to fight side-by-side with Tang Xiu¡¯s men. She didn¡¯t know Tang Xiu¡¯s character, but if this young man attached importance to righteousness and virtue, then her chance of getting an immortal sword would be much greater should they become his ally.


    ¡°Mo Awu just helped us, and now he¡¯s being chased by the Celestial Wizard clan¡¯s powerhouses. If we just turn a blind eye and do nothing despite knowing that he¡¯s facing death, it¡¯s equivalent to a foul act of bad faith and disgrace. All of you, listen to me. Even if we are to perish together with the Celestial Wizard clansmen here, we must never make our sect lose face.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The ten people, including Jin Chanzi, replied with firm expressions.


    On the 9th uninhabited island.


    Tang Xiu and Ji Chimei had returned a step ahead of time. Tang Xiu had made up his mind to get involved in this trial personally so as to avoid many of his men¡¯s deaths. His current strength was on par with the Grand Elder of the Celestial Wizard clan. As long as this Grand Elder was no longer a threat, Tang Guan and Tang An would be able to deal with the other three experts. As for the rest of the less powerful experts from this clan, Tang Xiu believed that the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s members would be able to deal with them.


    ¡°All of you, listen up! Ji Chimei won¡¯t provide you a helping hand here, so it will be a deadly mortal battle for you all. Only the brave can seize victory after facing their enemies on the battlefield at this 9th island. Unleash all the deadly skills you¡¯ve used to kill your enemies in the past, and I¡¯ll reward you with a lot of cultivation resources as long as you can survive this trial,¡± said Tang Xiu with a deep voice while gazing at the 48 Foundation Establishment Stage experts.


    Aside from these 48 experts, there were also nine other men present who had been his bodyguards, such as Jin Shi and Xue Sha, as well as Tang Guang and Tang An. In terms of numbers, the manpower was no less than the Celestial Wizard Clan¡¯s


    ¡°KILL!¡±


    ¡°KILL!¡±


    ¡°SLAUGHTER THEM!¡±


    Each and every one of the 48 Foundation Establishment Stage experts unleashed intense killing auras. Each one of them was a battle-hardened veteran who had frequently been at the verge of death and rose from piles of corpses. While they may have broken through the Foundation Establishment Stage, causing their strength to greatly increase with their cultivation, they hardly found anyone that could contend with them. Their combat experiences from the past gave them confidence in their strength.


    Feeling satisfied with the weighty aura from these men, Tang Xiu turned his head to look at Mo Awu who had already appeared in the horizon, Astraeus Soloch hot on his heels. He then issued an order in a deep voice, ¡°Get ready for battle!¡±


    Above the sea, Astraeus Soloch was getting closer and closer to Mo Awu. With excitement in his eyes, he judged that he could overtake this man in just a few minutes. He truly couldn¡¯t wait to kill this man, an impulse he hadn¡¯t had for a very long time.


    As he looked at Mo Awu who fled in front, the scene where this man would scream in pain after getting impaled by his scythe, blood splattering everywhere, seemed to play in his eyes.


    ¡°Heh, you won¡¯t be able to kill me, you old shithead!¡±


    Mo Awu raucously laughed and rushed lightning-fast to the 9th barren island and quickly stopped beside Tang Xiu.


    At this moment, only then was Astraeus Soloch able to see that there were many people on this 9th island. It never occurred to him that there would be so many people here, nor that these people would be seemingly waiting for him.


    ¡®A trap?¡¯


    The thought flashed in Astraeus¡¯s eyes. When he saw Mo Awu stop and land among the people on the island, a bad premonition suddenly arose inside his heart. However, his restlessness finally calmed down after seeing that most of these people were just middle-aged men.


    In his knowledge, be it the members of his Celestial Wizard Clan or cultivators, those who were older meant that they were also stronger. But these people on the island, aside from the frail-looking old lady, were middle-aged men; only one was young. He thought that even if the other party was very strong, the possibility that they were much stronger than his side was close to nil.


    ¡°Did you deliberately try to lure me here, young man?¡± Astraeus Soloch stopped a kilometer away from the 9th island and shouted in a deep voice.


    A smile appeared on the corners of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth, yet the smile exuded a bit of an evil vibe. ¡°Heh, it seems your fossil brain hasn¡¯t withered yet, old fart! You were able to tell that my man intentionally lured you here. Ah, my bad. You and the rest of your Celestial Wizard experts, correctly speaking. Take a look at this place; isn¡¯t it good? I chose this place as our battlefield so I can train these precious troops of mine.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± asked Astraeus Soloch with creased brows.


    ¡°Hehe. Defeat me first; only then are you qualified to know my name.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°Your Celestial Wizard members may have enough strength for me to recognize it, but you still need to fight to make me pay attention to you. Anyhow, you¡¯re called Astraeus Soloch, the Grand Elder of the Celestial Wizard Clan, right?¡±


    ¡°Nobody is more powerful than me in the Celestial Wizard Clan except my Patriarch,¡± said Astraeus Soloch coldly. ¡°The same could be said for those in the outside world, for only a handful of people would be able to defeat me today!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, another frog who is stranded at the bottom of a well, looking up at the vast sky.¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh, professing, ¡°Haih, forget it. I¡¯m too lazy to waste my saliva on arguing with you. Besides, I¡¯ve been waiting for a large number of experts from your clan to come here for training. Well, I really hope that you can give me a good surprise, though.¡±


    ¡°So arrogant, huh?¡±


    Yet, Astraeus Soloch still acted very cautiously. He might hold some contempt for this young man before him, but he didn¡¯t act rashly; instead, he waited for the arrival of a large number of Celestial Wizard clan experts. Then, he said indifferently, ¡°Young man, you already know who we are, so I¡¯m sure you already know our power as well. I advise you to hand over the culprit who has murdered Wznie?? and Wykres Soloch; otherwise, this place will be the grave for all of you!¡±


    Tang Xiu answered his demand with a simple gesture. He hooked his finger towards himself, proclaiming, ¡°Just bring it on if you got the ability. We were able to kill Wznie?? and Wykres. Killing you is also within our reach.¡±


    Astraeus Soloch coldly hmphed and issued an order in a cold voice, ¡°Hmph, M??, Zalegly, probe the enemy¡¯s strength, but keep in mind to not underestimate them!¡±


    Two black-robed old men who had previously helped Blask Soloch immediately dashed from the crowd and stopped less than 100 meters away from Tang Xiu and his men. The two old men stood mid-air with black fog whirling around them. The old man called Maz Soloch then raised his staff and said in a deep voice, ¡°Don¡¯t say that we are bullying you, youngsters. Some of you can come out to accept your deaths. I¡¯ll kill you and use your skull to drink my wine!¡±


    Tang Xiu looked sideways slightly and calmly said with indifference, ¡°You both go and deal with them. Remember, it doesn¡¯t matter if you can¡¯t kill them. Just don¡¯t make me lose face.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Tang Guang, who was dressed in entirely white attire, treaded in the air. As he raised his head, an immortal sword appeared and hovered around his palm as though it was bonded with it. At the same time, Tang An, who was also floating mid-air, looked graceful in the air with her enchanting body. She had previously used a spatial field to cover up her body ever since she became Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s disciple. Nobody had seen her figure since, even though she stood right before their eyes.


    ¡°Tenebrous Domain!¡±


    Both Maz and Zalegly Soloch unleashed the dark Tenebrous Domain at the same time. The area that was covered by their domain was even larger than Blask Soloch¡¯s, with an even denser black fog. Each of the skeleton monsters that were composed of black skulls from the black fog they created then fused instantly.


    They were twin brothers and had been inseparable for 2 centuries. Be it when facing a single foe or numerous enemies, they always acted together. Their joint attack technique and power could multiply the might of their attacks explosively.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you first to pay homage to our clansmen!¡±


    The two old men swung their staffs, controlling a dozen meter high skeleton monster to bombard Tang Guang. The weapon used by this skeleton monster was not a bone whip, but a bone knife composed of countless crossbones.


    ¡°Purification Light Art!¡±


    A faint smile sported on Tang Guang¡¯s face as he cast this art. A luminous blob of light floated out of his finger. Its size turned ten thousand times greater a moment after, thinning out the black fog within a few dozen meter radius.


    At the same time, the immortal sword that had been swirling around his palm suddenly streaked into the sky. In just a thousandth of a second, it acted like a lotus flower, blooming to a size of hundreds of meters in the sky.


    ¡°Sword Lotus!¡±

 Chapter 963 - Bloodbath On The Barren Island

    Chapter 963: Bloodbath On The Barren Island


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The resplendent sword lotus bloomed hundreds of meters in the sky, creating a scene like the red glowing sun was descending from the firmament while pouring out its brilliant rays, whereas the already dimmed Tenebrous Domain was diluted yet again by the sword beams.


    Looking elegant and graceful in his white attire, Tang Guan waved his arm, and his sword blade seemed like a linked rainbow bridge that fell from the sky as it crashed down to impale the gigantic skeleton monster.


    This move was Tang Guang¡¯s strongest killing technique. At the moment when the sword beam clashed with the bone knife, a hazy figure seemed to be riding the sword and silently appeared near the skeleton monster. Spatial turbulence then occurred, and that figure suddenly appeared behind Maz Soloch.


    ¡°BE CAREFUL!!!¡±


    Astraeus Soloch who was watching in the distance suddenly had his expression drastically change, and he shouted in alarm.


    However, the shadowy figure was too fast, like an immortal sword, and silently slashed Maz Soloch¡¯s neck powerfully, beheading him. The powerful slash even made the head that was flying away to explode instantly.


    BOOM¡­


    The skeleton monster also exploded and shattered loudly. Although it had wreaked havoc with its crushing blows to fend off the sword beam shot by the sword lotus, it was only able to do so for a fleeting moment. Now, the sword beam continued striking forward toward Zalegly Soloch.


    ¡°Tenebrous Domain!¡±


    Zalegly Soloch crazily blew out mouthful after mouthful of greyish black blood and narrowly avoided the vital parts of his body getting pummeled. Yet, he quickly fled nearly 100 meters away after his left arm was cut off by the sword beam.


    With anger and fury visible on his face, Astraeus swiftly dashed to Zalegly and blocked the rest of the sword beams for him. He furiously snarled, ¡°You fucking bastard! You shamelessly resort to a sneak attack?! All my clansmen, KILL THEM ALL! I will reward whomever kills the most and who earns the biggest merit with a Sacred Fruit of Darkness once we return home!¡±


    Sacred Fruit of Darkness?!


    Hysteria could be seen in the eyes of the tens experts of the Celestial Wizard Clan. The Sacred Fruit of Darkness was the sacred object of their clan, as it was the fruit of their holy tree. The Sacred Tree of Darkness only bloomed once every 100 years and produced only 10 Sacred Fruit of Darkness each time.


    It could be said that the Sacred Fruit of Darkness was among the top three treasures in the Celestial Wizard Clan. Consuming even just one fruit could make one¡¯s strength greatly improve in a short time, even if that person was a newly born child. But for powerhouses, taking this fruit would increase their cultivation for hundreds of years.


    ¡°KILL!!!¡±


    ¡°KILL THEM ALL!!!¡±


    A cluster of black fog suddenly burst out, and shadowy figures flung over toward the 9th island. The scene looked like they were evil spawns that rushed out of hell, bringing with them boiling killing aura along with the black fog.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes were still trained on Astraeus Soloch. After seeing that this man had yet to rush over, he immediately raised his hand and waved forward while shouting, ¡°SLAUGHTER THEM! None of you can step back unless you fight to the death in this battle. The more you kill, the better your reward!¡±


    On the sea in the distance, Daoist Zixuan and her ten disciples just caught up and saw that the battle between the two sides had just begun. Although Daoist Zixuan had experienced several battles, seeing over a hundred powerhouses in the fray at the same time still gave her no small shock.


    Her gaze, however, locked on the immortal swords in the hands of the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s experts. She spent some time observing those swords and determined that they were immortal swords, and that the number of people who owned them was definitely more than 20.


    ¡°Master.¡±


    Jin Chanzi¡¯s complexion looked slightly pale. He and his martial brothers and sisters had never seen such a battle scene and looked nervous.


    Deep thought filled Daoist Zixuan¡¯s eyes, and she stayed silent for more than ten seconds before she finally made up her mind. After steeling her heart, she then said in a deep voice, ¡°Daoist Tang and his men from Nine Dragons Island, including Mo Awu, have saved us. Now that they are battling those Celestial Wizard clansmen, we can¡¯t stay still and do nothing. All of you, get ready to join the battle. Even if we must die today, we must help Daoist Tang and his men.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Regardless of them feeling nervous and restless, Jin Chanzi¡¯s group of ten still had the courage to instantly release their swords and they flushed away toward the battlefield along with Daoist Zixuan. They were all at the Foundation Establishment Stage and each of them was comparable to the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s experts; yet, their lack of experience in combat was instantly revealed after joining the battle and battling against the experts from the Celestial Wizard clan.


    In the meantime, neither Tang Xiu nor Astraeus Soloch moved and just coldly observed the battle from the sideline.


    The flickering light of the cold blades, as well as the sounds of rattling sabers, were getting louder amid the rain of blood that quickly made the 9th island into a huge battle stage with combatants being engaged in deadly combat everywhere. The barren island had become a field of bloodshed, dyeing the sky with blood and energy.


    As time went by, however, Astraeus Soloch¡¯s brows creased and knitted deeper. He was keenly aware that his side would suffer more and more casualties and injuries should the battle continue any longer. Moreover, he could see that his side was gradually having complications.


    ¡°How is this possible? These young people¡¯s strength is not that powerful; yet, how can their combat experience be so rich? The most frightening aspect is that the longer they battle, the stronger the power they can unleash. They are even able to easily fix the clumsy moves they were doing previously.¡±


    Fists clenched tightly, Astraeus¡¯s eyes suddenly shifted to Tang Xiu. The words this young man told him before the battle were reverberating in his mind: Training his men.


    ¡°He¡­ he¡¯s using my clansmen¡­ to drill his men?! This lunatic bastard! Doesn¡¯t he know that it¡¯s very difficult to train an expert? Even if the situation is in their favor, they will also suffer heavy casualties, regardless of them being able to kill the experts from my clan in the battle to this extent! Could it be that he doesn¡¯t care about the many experts, like they are just worthless things in his eyes?¡±


    Only at this moment did Astraeus Soloch have a faint regret that he closed all the room for negotiation and tore all the decorum with these people before his eyes. That young man might not care about his own men, but he just couldn¡¯t do the same. One must know that training an expert was very difficult, even for his Celestial Wizard Clan. And yet, more than a dozen experts from his clan had already been killed, while dozens more had been wounded in a little more than ten minutes.


    ¡°Four men? Only four men on their side have died?!¡±


    Astraeus Soloch stared at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Young man, my Celestial Wizard Clan has several thousand clansmen, and over a hundred of them are great wizards. I only brought less than one-tenth of my clan¡¯s experts here. You can let your men continue the battle if you¡¯re not afraid of my clan¡¯s retaliation.¡±


    ¡°Heh? Are you threatening me?¡± sneered Tang Xiu. ¡°I may be afraid of many things, but threats are not one of them. But I¡¯ll be honest with you. I only have a few experts under me, probably not even one-tenth of what your clan has. But what about it? Only cultivators who have gone through the baptism of slaughter can be regarded as true powerhouses. Those who die in battle mean that they are not good enough, while those who survive will get stronger and stronger in the future.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡± snarled Astraeus Soloch angrily.


    ¡°I¡¯m a lunatic? You¡¯re right, old fart. I really am a madman,¡± sneered Tang Xiu yet again. ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯ve experienced battles and murders¡ªfar too many to count. So much so that treading on the line of life and death in battle is nothing to me. This era is just too peaceful. I want to give my men some opponents to gain experience, as such a chance is hard to come by. Your Celestial Wizard Clan has graciously delivered yourselves to my door, so how can I waste this opportunity?¡±


    Gripping his fists tightly, Astraeus Soloch was finally unable to compose himself and unleashed the Tenebrous Domain killing technique as he raised the staff in his hand high and rushed toward the fighting crowd.


    Tang Xiu let out wild laughter and slashed his hand forward. The divine sword in his hand turned into a hundred-meter mighty torrent that carved an opening amid the black fog. With the torrential sword energy that blasted forward, he instantly appeared right in front of Astraeus Soloch.


    ¡°Lightning¡­¡±


    ¡°Fire¡­¡±


    ¡°Wind¡­¡±


    ¡°Rain¡­¡±


    Right after he cast the technique, lightning blitzed down from the sky; a flame appeared out of nowhere from the firmament, forming a sea of fire in the blink of an eye; a tornado arrived and violently raged, and finally, a downpour of acidic rain from the floating dark clouds ultimately followed.


    ¡°What is this?!¡±


    The scene made Astraeus Soloch¡¯s face enormously change. He felt like he had been transported into a magical world, yet the magic power inside posed a great threat to him.


    ¡®Is this a kind of magic spell?¡¯


    Astraeus Soloch bit the tip of his tongue and swung his staff faster, forming layers of black fog to protect himself, while also instantly releasing the Grim Reaper Scythe to chop forward toward Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu responded with a laugh and controlled the divine sword to clash with it head-on without hesitation.


    CRACK! BOOM!!!


    A sound like an eggshell being broken was heard, followed by the eruption of a gigantic energy shockwave that made the many battling experts in the surroundings fly upside down. The shockwave even created a huge pit 100-meters wide and seven-plus meters deep.


    Astraeus Soloch spurted out a mouthful of blood, and his face turned as pale as paper. His body was trembling as he stared at the shattered Grim Reaper Scythe. The pain of losing it made him almost burst into tears.


    This magic weapon was obtained by his father after risking his life in the past, while he had spent more than 300 years to refine it after his father passed it down to him. With this Grim Reaper Scythe in his hands, his power had greatly improved, which is the reason why he held it so dear.


    Yet now, it had actually been shattered by the enemy¡¯s longsword?


    How is this possible?!!


    Astraeus Soloch¡¯s eyes were full of hatred as he glared at Tang Xiu. He furiously roared, ¡°All Celestial Wizard clansmen! The enemies have laid a trap for us, and we¡¯ve suffered too many losses here! Heed my order and escape from this place at once!¡±


    In that instant, all the experts of the Celestial Wizard clan lost their fighting spirit. Many of them witnessed the clash between Astraeus and Tang Xiu a moment ago. Never in their wildest dream would their revered Grand Elder, a figure whom they admired, unexpectedly lose to a young man. Even the Grim Reaper Scythe, his iconic magic weapon, also shattered.


    ¡°RUN!¡±


    Regardless of the deep humiliation and disgrace they felt inside, they knew that life was more important than fighting here. Choosing to prolong the battle would very likely cost them their lives, while even their Grand Elder no longer had the spirit to continue fighting.


    Quickly after, tens of clansmen of the Celestial Wizard clan quickly fled while injured. However, the experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall were hot on their heels and kept pestering them, causing them to be unable to flee to a safe place in a short time.


    A smirk was displayed on Tang Xiu¡¯s face since he was quite happy with the toughness and ferociousness shown by his men. Nearly 20 people from the Celestial Wizard Clan died, compared to four men from the Everlasting Feast Hall, after ten minutes of battle.


    ¡°Everyone, heed my order! CHASE AND KILL THEM!¡±


    Tang Xiu himself took the lead, and his body streaked forward as fast as a meteor, pursuing the Celestial Wizard Clan¡¯s experts. The divine sword he unleashed was as though a harbinger of death, as each of its attacks would heavily maul some of the Celestial Wizard experts. Even if those who got hit were not killed immediately, it greatly obstructed their movements and delayed their escape.

 Chapter 964 - To Return Back To The Apex In The Immortal World

    Chapter 964: To Return Back To The Apex In The Immortal World


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The outcome of the battle was a total defeat.


    The Celestial Wizard Clan¡¯s Grand Elder had been injured and lost his fighting spirit, directly affecting the fighting spirit of the rest and dropping their battle power. When he lost and was forced to flee, some of them dyed the sea with their blood while their corpses became food for the creatures of the sea.


    ¡°KILL!¡±


    Another formidable player was Daoist Zixuan. She was as though becoming a bereaved wolf in pursuit of those who had killed her closest relatives. She spared nothing at all when unleashing all kinds of magic spells and secret arts to inflict heavy losses to the Celestial Wizard clansmen. If it wasn¡¯t for this clan¡¯s Grand Elder, Astraeus Soloch, who made himself a shield to protect his clansmen from the pursuit and attacks from Daoist Zixuan in exchange for some serious injuries, there would have been only a very few clansmen of the Celestial Wizard to escape from the area.


    As Tang Xiu landed on the 13th empty island, he stopped his men from pursuing and let the 20-plus Celestial Wizard clansmen disappear in the distance. The loss his men suffered in this battle was not small, yet each of them who had been baptized by this battle had a more intense killing spirit, as well as a stronger aura, than before.


    ¡°Awen!¡± Tang Xiu observed his men who now stood in a neat row in front. He could see their bodies stained by blood as he suddenly shouted to Mo Awen in a deep voice, ¡°Take this interspatial ring and put the dead bodies of our brothers in it. Once we return back to Nine Dragons Island, immediately find a place for a cemetery. All the brothers who die in future battles will be buried in that cemetery henceforth.¡±


    Mo Awen took the interspatial ring and replied, ¡°I¡¯ll get it done once I get back, Boss.¡±


    Tang Xiu then turned to look at Ji Chimei and asked, ¡°Are you done collecting all the things I ordered you to get?¡±


    ¡°All of them have been collected, my Lord,¡± replied Ji Chimei respectfully. ¡°I also collected the souls of two disciples from the Whole Unitary Sect. How would you like to process them next?


    Tang Xiu glanced at Daoist Zixuan, who was sitting cross-legged on the reef in recovery. Then he said indifferently, ¡°Give those souls to them. We can be said to be allies and comrade-in-arms, after all.¡±


    Ji Chimei replied, ¡°My Lord, I think we can use it in the transaction¡­¡±


    ¡°No. What we need is cultivation resources; we don¡¯t need to use the souls of our allies as playing chips.¡± Tang Xiu lifted his hand to interrupt her and added with a deep voice, ¡°Remember, Chimei. There are things we can do and some others we cannot, so you must weigh everything with your heart and hold a moral code. If those from the Whole Unitary Sect just turned a blind eye to the situation, my goal of drilling my men might have still been achieved, yet the casualties could¡¯ve been heavier as well.¡±


    ¡°This subordinate will remember it,¡± replied Ji Chimei respectfully. ¡°But my Lord, I still don¡¯t understand what you referred to in your last line.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all about the natural selection of the world¡ªthe survival of the fittest,¡± said Tang Xiu with a deep tone. ¡°I want to drill my men so as to make them experience a bloody battle. I want them to grow while on the edge of life and death, but it doesn¡¯t mean that I view their lives as cheap and expendable. In my heart, they are my men as well as my brothers. In future battles, they would perhaps become my second life, third life, and so on¡­ hence, my top and most important priority is not only to upgrade their strength, but also trying to avoid too many deaths among them.¡±


    ¡°But still, their lives are given by Master and their achievements are due to your and Master¡¯s tutelage, my Lord,¡± said Ji Chimei. ¡°For them to die for you is only natural. Not to mention, they are simply insect-like existences in my eyes. I believe that they are not much stronger than ants in your eyes either; yet why are you¡­¡±


    ¡°Chimei, stop!¡± Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt her yet again and coldly said, ¡°The Chinese have an old adage that is perfectly appropriate for this: a man must never forget their origins and roots. Each and every one of us is just like an ant who grows up step by step¡ªso am I, and so are you. The moment you¡¯re born, you¡¯re nothing but a baby who just knows to cry and waits to be fed. If the other powerhouses also had the same mindset as you back then, do you think you would have been able to live to the present or have such high achievements today?¡±


    Ji Chimei just quietly gazed at Tang Xiu with a calm expression. She suddenly understood the values that existed in Tang Xiu¡¯s mind. A smile then sported on her face as she suddenly felt that the revered Lord she served now had affection and faith, completely different from the Supreme she once knew in the Immortal World in the past. Although the then-Supreme Tang Xiu rarely slaughtered the weak, his eyes and expression had been forever indifferent. But now, the Lord she served had a flame in his heart. His strength may be weak at present, but she firmly believed that it wouldn¡¯t take long before the flame in his heart began to blaze and burn everything in the boundless plane.


    Ji Chimei looked at Tang Xiu again and suddenly asked in a low voice, ¡°This subordinate emboldens herself to ask once again, my Lord. What have you been cultivating in, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Mental and psyche,¡± answered Tang Xiu as he looked up at the vast clear sky above. His deep gaze was as though able to see beyond the firmament and overlook the world of mortals beneath it. He then added in a murmur, ¡°My heart is Heaven, and thus I am the very Heaven itself. I¡¯m a man who lives his life in a free and unfettered manner as my heart tells me so. Be it men, immortals, gods, monsters, demons, devils, or ghosts¡ªnobody and nothing can restrain my heart. Even if that shackle above my head restrains me now, I will make a hole in it someday sooner or later.¡±


    Ji Chimei¡¯s eyes were gleaming with radiance and she saluted reverentially, ¡°You reached Supremacy in the Immortal World back then, and you will once again be back to the apex of the Immortal World, my Lord.¡±


    The apex of the Immortal World and reach Supreme standing once again?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mind quickly converged and he gradually immersed himself in the universe inside his Dantian. Ever since he made a breakthrough in his cultivation, he had been sensing that there was some kind of life force within it. Therefore, he deduced that once his strength had another breakthrough again, he would be able to fully sense its existence and see how big the transformation it brought.


    ¡°The Heavenly Path Universe Tree.¡±


    If he could make this Heavenly Path Universe Tree grow steadily and healthily to the point that it became a Divine Tree, entering the God¡¯s Realm would be very easy for him. At that time, the expedition and campaign he waged would no longer be restricted to the planes of the immortals, demons, and monsters, but rather would include a higher plane¡ªthe God¡¯s Realm.


    After a long time, Tang Xiu shifted his attention to the neatly arranged team and said in a deep voice, ¡°Chimei, bestow all the members who participated in the battle with a Holy Healing pill each, as well as pills as a reward according to their merits. Tell them that apart from Tang Guang, Tang An, and Gu Xiaoxue, whoever can break through the Golden Core Stage first will be in command of the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s core disciples.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± Ji Chimei complied and flashed to in front of the troops.


    As for Tang Xiu himself, he went over to Daoist Zixuan. The latter opened her eyes and stopped recovering after she noticed him. Tang Xiu then handed over the pendant Ji Chimei just gave him and said calmly, ¡°Here¡¯s a gift for you.¡±


    Daoist Zixuan¡¯s eyes were slightly reddish. After she received the jade pendant, she glanced over at the remaining 8 disciples of hers nearby and said bitterly, ¡°Thank you, Daoist Tang.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know what gift I just gave you?¡± asked Tang Xiu indifferently.


    Daoist Zixuan stared blankly and immediately asked, ¡°This one?¡±


    ¡°There was a technique to collect souls in the inheritance I got, so I collected Jin Yunzi and Jin Yanzi¡¯s souls on the account of the goodwill the disciples of your Whole Unitary Sect have given us by fighting side-by-side with us,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Once anyone from your sect breaks through the Crossing Tribulation Stage and goes through the Nine Thunder Tribulation for the third time, you can then mold corporeal bodies to revive them.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    An incredulous expression full of disbelief filled Daoist Zixuan¡¯s eyes. She quickly raised her hand and stared at the jade pendant in her palm, her breathing turning shallower.


    ¡°You¡­ you mean Yunzi and Yanzi¡¯s souls are inside this jade pendant? All three immortal souls and seven mortal forms, allowing me to resurrect them in the future?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But your sect will have to trade some things for that technique,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I can give you their souls, but you¡¯ll still have to obtain the technique.¡±


    ¡°W-what¡­ what do you need, Daoist Tang?¡± asked Daoist Zixuan, wild with joy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you already know what I need?¡± asked Tang Xiu back with a faint smile.


    The question made Daoist Zixuan fall into a daze for a long time. As her expression turned much clearer, she seriously said, ¡°I see. You can rest assured that I¡¯ll try my best to meet your needs regardless of how much it would cost. I only hope to revive my two disciples in the future.¡±


    ¡°The battle between my side and the Celestial Wizard clan has come to an end, albeit temporarily,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°They just suffered heavy losses this time, so I think they wouldn¡¯t invade other¡¯s territory again on a large scale so nonchalantly anymore. But you need to return to your sect, so don¡¯t delay right now. I¡¯ll be staying in Nine Dragons Island two months from now, and I¡¯ll be waiting for your arrival then.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll bring many cultivation resources when we visit again as soon as possible,¡± said Daoist Zixuan. ¡°However, I also have another request which I hope Daoist Tang can agree to.¡±


    ¡°Please say,¡± replied Tang Xiu calmly.


    With a bit of expectation on her face, Daoist Zixuan said, ¡°If my guess is correct, the swords you and your men can store inside their body should be on par with an immortal sword or a higher-tiered magical weapon. Could you trade some immortal swords in exchange for a lot of cultivation resources from my sect?¡±


    ¡°Your appetite is really not small, Daoist Zixuan,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly with squinted eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure you already know what kind of weapon the immortal sword is. How many cultivation resources do you think can be exchanged with it?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Daoist Zixuan fell into silence without being able to utter any words since she knew what kind of weapon the immortal sword was. This sword was absolutely a treasure any cultivators on Earth would dream of obtaining, yet it was something that even a mountain of gold couldn¡¯t buy. Her Whole Unitary Sect did have massive amounts of cultivation resources, but it was far from enough to obtain one of these swords.


    ¡°Well, whatever. I won¡¯t make things difficult for you,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll make a list of cultivation resources I need later. If your sect can gather the quantity I need, I can trade two immortal swords with you.¡±


    ¡°Great! As long as those cultivation resources exist on Earth, my sect will definitely able to obtain them and strike a deal with you,¡± said Daoist Zixuan firmly.


    Half a day later, Tang Xiu led the surviving core members of the Everlasting Feast Hall to return back to Nine Dragons Island. The first time he came back, however, he issued an order to set up an airtight monitoring area that covered 200 nautical miles around Nine Dragons Island, surveilling whoever appeared within the radius.


    After explaining everything, he then returned to the palace and went straight into cultivation. He needed to seize the time to recover his peak strength to set up some arrays for the training field since the 3,000 best children would soon arrive here.

 Chapter 965 - Killing Two Birds With One Stone

    Chapter 965: Killing Two Birds With One Stone


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Saipan Port.


    In the dead of the night, many ghostly figures appeared from the sea and appeared on the shore with their whole bodies wet. As the smoke in the air gradually converged, more than a dozen experts from the Celestial Wizard clan gathered together. Injuries were apparent on their bodies, and some of them were even dying, falling to the ground when they appeared next to their companions.


    Miserable and distressed were the perfect words to describe their condition!


    The hand of Astraeus Soloch that held the staff was slightly trembling, yet his billowing killing intent emitted out, making the surrounding temperature to drop a few degrees. He was like a human that had turned into an ice sculpture. The death of Maz and Zalegly Soloch, the two elders of his Celestial Wizard clan, in the previous battle was a very heavy loss to them.


    It was not like the Celestial Wizard Clan never lost members; many of them had died over the centuries due to battles against experts from the Pyramid organization or the League of Archcrusaders, but losing so heavily to this degree was a first. Added with the Wznie?? and Wykres Brothers, his clan just lost four Elders as well as dozens of elites.


    ¡°Grand Elder.¡± With a ferocious and sorrowful expression on his face and black fog lingering around his body, Zalegly Soloch clenched his fists as he said in a heavy voice, ¡°My brother is dead and so are many elites of our clan. The blood vendetta is due and must be avenged. Please give me the Sacred Fruit of Darkness and a few months of time. I want to command the warriors of Bloodspirit Hall¡¯s regiment to thoroughly eliminate the enemies!¡±


    ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t want revenge?¡± Astraeus Soloch angrily glared at him and furiously said, ¡°You know that the enemy is too strong and they¡¯re allied with the Whole Unitary Sect. There¡¯s no way we can completely eradicate them unless we mobilize all the power our clan has!¡±


    The response made Zalegly¡¯s breath halt for a beat, as it reminded him the power possessed by the enemy as well as those horrifying magic spells and arts. He was suddenly unable to speak. The Grand Elder, Astraeus, was much more powerful than him, and he also realized that he couldn¡¯t surpass the Grand Elder¡¯s realm even though he took the Sacred Fruit of Darkness. Regardless of his effort to lead the Bloodspirit Hall¡¯s warriors, it was impossible to completely eradicate the enemy; it was more likely to return in a corpse bag.


    But he wouldn¡¯t be a man if he didn¡¯t exact revenge!


    His blood brother, as well as many elites of his clan, had been killed. Must he just let it go and forget his revenge? Absolutely not!


    Eyes gleaming with chilling light, Astraeus gazed towards the south distant sea covered by the night. Then he said in a heavy voice, ¡°The blood of our clansmen must and will be paid by them, but we need to plan well. Though we may be able to exterminate all of our enemies by stubbornly facing them head-on with force, it¡¯s very likely that our clan will also suffer heavy casualties. We¡¯ll return back to the clan first and discuss it with our Patriarch.¡±


    Using strategy?


    Zalegly looked vacant for a moment before his eyes lit up and he said in a deep voice, ¡°I think I have an idea about that, Grand Elder.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡± Astraeus looked confused and asked, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Since we cannot have revenge using force against force ourselves, then how about using third party¡¯s assistance and lure the parties to weed out the trouble?¡± said Zalegly. ¡°We know that the three largest organizations¡ªthe Pyramid, the League of Archcrusaders, and the Stygian Club¡ªhave been competing in fierce fights for various resources. Although we are affiliated with the Stygian Club, our people are still independent, so we don¡¯t need to participate in their affairs unless the organization is facing a life-and-death crisis. If we were to spread rumors that there are buried treasures in that sea area, I¡¯m sure those three organizations will send their people to investigate it. As long as those people are still in that region, they will clash with them. By then, we can become the third party who will reap the fruit without much effort after the people from these three organizations fight with those people.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea!¡± Astraeus¡¯s eyes lit up and he clapped. ¡°We¡¯ll have a chance to take advantage of the situation once all the parties have been mutually damaged. If it¡¯s the case the Stygian Club has suffered a big loss and asks our assistance, we can push the boat along with the current, thus creating a good chance to slaughter those enemies once we return back to this area again!¡±


    Zalegly repeatedly nodded and said, ¡°I concur about that. But the most important thing is that as long as the Stygian Club requests our clan¡¯s assistance, we must demand a lot of benefits in exchange. That way, we can make up for all the losses even if we must get into battles again, thus killing two birds with one stone!¡±


    The idea was much to Astraeus¡¯s approval, and he nodded with satisfaction. Saying in a deep voice, ¡°It¡¯s a feasible and good plan, yet we must carry it out in secret. Let us return to our clan first to discuss it with the Patriarch and other elders. We¡¯ll spread the rumors afterward and then watch the tigers fight with each other¡±


    ¡°Alright. We shall go back.¡±


    Zalegly nodded and looked at the rest.


    ****


    Nine Dragons Island.


    Tang Xiu spent half a day to restore his Primal Chaos power. He faintly sensed that his power seemed to have increased even after such huge consumption. Therefore, he directly took out the Demon Stone and began absorbing the energy inside it until it was fully absorbed.


    ¡®That planet has grown bigger.¡¯


    With a satisfied face, Tang Xiu jumped off the bed and went to the bathroom to take a shower. After changing to a new set of clean clothes, he then headed straight to the northeastern part of the island.


    A barrack had been built there. In fact, one barrack had been built in the Northeast, Northwest and Southeast parts of the island after the reconstruction, each of which could house 20,000 soldiers. There was also another barrack built in the center area of the island, but it was much smaller and could only accommodate 1,000 soldiers.


    While standing on the rooftop of the six-story building, Tang Xiu glanced at the surrounding environment. In his mind, he was ruminating about the arrangement of the array, which he planned to have superposition effect for cultivation. The world energy in Nine Dragons Island was extremely dense, at least 10 times denser than the outside world. Yet, it was still not enough for Tang Xiu. He wanted it to be at least ten times, or even hundreds of times, denser, just like the blessed land in the Immortal World.


    ¡°The array should be the Spiritual Energy Gathering, Spiritual Energy Refining, and Star Energy Absorber arrays.


    ¡°The protection array for all of Nine Dragons Island already possesses a function to gather spiritual energy. It will continue absorbing the world energy in a 500km radius from the surrounding area, so the Spiritual Energy Gathering Array is no longer needed. But the Spiritual Energy Refining Array must be arranged so as to increase the purity of the world energy here. This array will also refine the absorbed stars¡¯ energy into essence, thus bringing enormous benefits to those cultivating inside.


    ¡°So be it, then!¡±


    After he ruminated and made up his mind, he immediately began to arrange the Spiritual Energy Refining and Star Energy Absorber arrays. The scale of these two arrays was small, so it was much easier for Tang Xiu to arrange them, taking only half a day to lay them out completely and making them fully compatible with each other.


    ¡°Here¡¯s some water for you to drink, Master.¡±


    Gu Yin had been around for half a day as well, and she immediately ran over to hand Tang Xiu a pink cup upon seeing him done arranging the arrays.


    Tang Xiu threw her a smile and stroked her soft black hair. Then, he took the cup and sipped two mouthfuls of water. He spoke, ¡°Apart from me and Ji Chimei, you should be the third most powerful person on the island, no? You have reached the early stage of Golden Core, and you should be able to break through to the middle stage of Golden Core soon. Yinyin dear, I think you¡¯ll reach the peak of Golden Core in a short time if you keep progressing at your current rate. Maybe you can have a break through to the Nascent Soul Stage within the next few years.¡±


    Gu Yin looked up with her adorable petite face and grinningly said, ¡°My first goal is to ascend and becoming an immortal, Master. Didn¡¯t you tell me that you¡¯re going back there in the future? Yinyin must be with you no matter where you go, Master.¡±


    ¡°Sure. As long as Yinyin strives and is smart,¡± said Tang Xiu with a rush of warmness inside his heart.


    ¡°But Yinyin wants to learn from Senior Sister, Master.¡± Gu Yin shook her head and said, ¡°Elder Ji told Yinyin a lot of things, especially about her, so I really like Senior Sister and admire her. When are you going to take Yinyin to see Senior Sister, Master?¡±


    ¡°Well, soon,¡± answered Tang Xiu smilingly.


    ¡°Would you like to take me with you to Jingmen Island?¡± asked Gu Yin, pleasantly surprised.


    ¡°Not now.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Master is going tomorrow, but heading for Thailand to stay there for several days. Only then will Master return back to the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s headquarters. After that, your Senior Sister will leave for Nine Dragons Island, so you can meet her by then.¡±


    ¡°Awesome!¡± Gu Yin exclaimed with shining eyes. ¡°Then Yinyin will be able to ask Senior Sister about cultivation. Elder Ji told Yinyin that Senior Sister is very powerful and that she¡¯s already an Immortal!¡±


    Tang Xiu was stunned and stared blankly before a bitter smile covered his face.


    It made him realize that he was their Master, yet a very weak one. However, Yinyin found out that her older Senior Sister was actually very powerful, thus making her think that she was the first expert.


    ¡®Haih. It seems I must speed up the pace of my cultivation progress. Even if I can¡¯t catch up to Yan¡¯er in a short time, I cannot stay relaxed and become a slacker. Only by becoming stronger will I be able to protect the people I care about in the future.¡¯


    Tang Xiu looked up at the night sky. The Immortal World plane was beyond this vault of heaven. It was the place of his mortal enemies that kept biting his heart. His heart will never feel at peace unless he gets rid of them.


    After a long while, he then came to the area specially built for entertainment on the island and walked through the streets that headed to the edge of the sea before he looked at the villa built there.


    ¡°Mr. Tang.¡± Singluen¡¯s closest aide, the petite female, was the first to spot Tang Xiu and quickly greeted him.


    Tang Xiu nodded to her and asked, ¡°Is Singluen inside?¡±


    ¡°Since you ordered us to not stroll around the island at will, Young Master has been staying here and is waiting for you, Mr. Tang,¡± answered the feminine woman.


    Nodding in response, Tang Xiu then entered the courtyard of the villa. He saw Singluen sitting cross-legged there amid the flowers in the courtyard. His hands were holding a Demon Stone each, and there was a faint black fog lingering around him.


    ¡°Singluen!¡± called Tang Xiu.


    Singluen opened his eyes, and after he saw that it was Tang Xiu, he immediately put away the two Demon Stones and strode to the front of Tang Xiu, asking, ¡°Are you done with your business here, Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost settled, yeah.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Pack up your things. We¡¯ll leave Nine Dragons Island by tomorrow to solve the issue with your big brother in Thailand.¡±

 Chapter 966 - Favoritism

    Chapter 966: FavoritismTranslator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales


    With eyes lit up in surprise, Singluen excitedly said, ¡°Alrighty! The day I¡¯ve been waiting for has finally come. If anything, I¡¯m ready to leave at a moment¡¯s notice from you.¡±


    ¡°Frankly speaking, I¡¯d have chosen your older brother if we hadn¡¯t had an agreement first,¡± said Tang Xiu with a faint smile. ¡°You¡¯re a little behind him in doing things, though perhaps it is due to your age.¡±


    ¡°I know that I¡¯m not as good as Singkuo in many aspects. That I admit,¡± said Singluen with a wry expression, ¡°But there¡¯s one thing that I¡¯m much better than him at, though. That is what makes me sure that I¡¯ll be the final winner.¡±


    ¡°Mind telling me which aspect is it?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a curious face.


    ¡°It¡¯s luck,¡± said Singluen smilingly.


    His answer made Tang Xiu think for a moment and he immediately said with a smile, ¡°True that. You¡¯re the one who first met me, so your luck is better than your older brother. Also, I¡¯m a man who always keeps my word, so I¡¯ll make sure to hold my part of the agreement, even though your big brother eventually found me and wanted me to stay out of the issue between you both. Well¡­ that includes ignoring the fact that he also gave me the jade pig I want.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± exclaimed Singluen. ¡°He gave you the jade pig already? This¡­.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that.¡± Tang Xiu patted his shoulder and said, ¡°He did give me the pig jade and I gave him my word that I wouldn¡¯t be involved in anything happened between the both of you while you¡¯re in Thailand. If he can kill you there, you can only blame your bad luck and fate. Pity for him that he wasn¡¯t able to kill you, though.¡±


    It made Singluen remember the time when Tang Xiu had just left Thailand. That night, his older brother took a lot of experts to besiege and kill him. He would¡¯ve died that time had he not taken his closest men to escape via his underground tunnel.


    Regardless of succeeding in fleeing that day, he still suffered from being chased even three days later. If it weren¡¯t for two experts who suddenly appeared, he¡¯d have lost his life under the hands of the many men under Singkuo who chased him. However, he already knew that those mysterious people were Tang Xiu¡¯s subordinates.


    Shortly after, Singluen said, ¡°Anyway, I sensed something amiss when I first came to this island, Mr. Tang. Do you mind if I ask you about it?¡±


    ¡°Do ask,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I sensed a kind of mana that had yet to dissipate the moment I came here,¡± said Singluen. ¡°This magic power was different from the one that my Dark Shaman clan¡¯s cultivation system is based on, however. It was much purer and a bit like the mana left behind by the Celestial Wizard clan.¡±


    ¡°You know about the Celestial Wizard Clan?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a changed face.


    ¡°How would I not know about them?¡± said Singluen. ¡°I know a lot about the Celestial Wizard clan. This clan is from Poland, and it has many clansmen, about 10 times more than my Dark Shaman clan. They also have a lot of powerhouses, so much so that even my current strength is just equal to average experts among them. No, I may be just an average person among them.¡±


    ¡°What exactly is the relationship between your clan and the Celestial Wizard clan?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°We are related, and it is quite a deep relationship if I may say,¡± said Singluen. ¡°The Dark Shaman clan was separated from the Celestial Wizard clan a little over seven centuries ago. It was because my clan ancestors broke the custom of the Celestial Wizard clan, thus facing the situation of being killed and excommunicated. Therefore, my ancestors led dozens of clansmen from our family branch to blaze a bloody path before they finally came to Thailand and took root there. But after more than seven centuries, and after the elite clansmen continued to fall, our wizardry arts can no longer be compared to as they were in the past.¡±


    Tang Xiu immediately understood and asked again, ¡°Then what do you feel about the Celestial Wizard clan now?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any particular opinion about them.¡± Singluen shook his head and said, ¡°If they don¡¯t provoke us, my clan has simply been a bystander. After all, if it weren¡¯t for the ancestors carving a bloody path back then, the Dark Shaman clan descendants wouldn¡¯t exist nowadays.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Well, I will tell you that I and the Celestial Wizard clan are mortal enemies. I won¡¯t take any action to get rid of them for the time being as I have many things to deal with at hand at the moment. But if they dare to come and make trouble again, then I¡¯ll make sure to completely destroy them. It¡¯s good that you don¡¯t want to have anything to do with the Celestial Wizard clan anymore.¡±¡°Ehh?! You have a blood feud with the Celestial Wizard clan? What exactly happened?¡± asked Singluen, surprised.


    ¡°This clan¡¯s people came to Nine Dragons Island to rob and occupy my place,¡± said Tang Xiu calmly. ¡°The two people who came were killed in the following fight, so a large number of Celestial Wizard clan experts came rushing to nearby waters, thus clashing with my men.¡±


    ¡°And the result of it?¡± asked Singluen hurriedly.


    ¡°Heh. That clan¡¯s Grand Elder led a lot of powerhouses, but they eventually fled miserably after many of them were killed by me and my men. Only more than ten of them were able to escape.¡±


    Tongue-tied and dumbfounded, Singluen stared at Tang Xiu. He had heard about the Grand Elder of the Celestial Wizard clan who possessed terrifying power. The man was absolutely a dreadful figure, so much so that even his father and most of the Dark Shaman¡¯s experts were far inferior to.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Singluen wanted to speak out something, but his mind was so chaotic that he didn¡¯t know what to say.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re not related to this problem, Singluen. This has nothing to do with your Dark Shaman clan either,¡± said Tang Xiu with a light smile while patting his shoulder. ¡°Oftentimes staying out of the way is a wise decision to make. Just continue your cultivation, and we¡¯ll gather to leave for Bangkok tomorrow. This time, apart from killing your older brother, your old man should also abdicate and give up his position. I look forward to having more business deals with you as the Patriarch of the Dark Shaman clan in the future.¡±


    What Tang Xiu¡¯s said was understandable for Singluen, so he nodded and said, ¡°No worries about that. The Dark Shaman clan will always be your closest ally as long as I live.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    ****


    Bangkok, Thailand.


    Surrounded by vast towering mountains, there existed a complex of reinforced buildings. The eldest prince of the Dark Shaman clan, Singkuo, hurriedly walked toward the complex with a grim complexion. Behind him were dozens of his men, many of whom glancing at him with concern and worry.


    Deep inside the building complex was a low-rise building, a house with an altar, in which the current Patriarch of the Dark Shaman clan lived in. Singtuo was on that altar with black fog covering his whole body, including his face. Despite it, his eyes were extremely keen and lit up as his vision looked around the altar and saw Singkuo coming in from the outside.


    ¡°You seem to be in a foul mood, Singkuo?¡±


    A voice that seemed like it was from afar came out of Singtuo¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°I can¡¯t hide anything between me and Singluen, can I, Father?¡± Singkuo nodded and said, ¡°He¡¯s going to kill me, so I¡¯ve got to give him back the same kindness in return.¡±


    Singtuo fell into silence for quite a while before he sighed and said, ¡°You both are already grown up, and I understand what you have in mind. I know that there¡¯s no room left for any peaceful resolution between you and him from now on, so I have no other choice. I¡¯m still the current Patriarch of the Dark Shaman clan and I have no way to be partial to you nor Singluen. Hence, you can only solve this life and death issue between you both.¡±


    ¡°You know the power I have, as well as that more than half of the Dark Shaman clan listen to my command, Father,¡± said Singkuo. ¡°Singluen has allied with the head of a mysterious force in China, and he wants to remove me by relying on the help of this foreign power. Should we engage in the final battle, our clan would very likely suffer serious damage even if I come out as the victor, so I need your help in this matter.¡±


    A chilling light flashed in Singtuo¡¯s eyes as he asked with a deep voice, ¡°Is the other party really strong?¡±


    ¡°They are very strong,¡± answered Singkuo. ¡°I took my men to besiege Singluen and his men a couple of days ago. But two mysterious people came and saved all of them in the end. I even lost quite a number of my men.¡±


    This time, Singtuo was silent for a very long time and asked again, ¡°How do you need me to help you?¡±


    ¡°Issue a decree to return to the clan,¡± said Singkuo. ¡°It will make Singluen come back immediately. As long as he returns to Bangkok, the problem between me and him can be easily be dealt with. That Chinese man has promised that as long as I can defeat Singluen before he is done dealing with his affairs, then he won¡¯t become enemies with our clan. He even said that he and our clan could also strike business deals.¡±


    ¡°What kind of deal exactly?¡± asked Singtuo.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about for now, but it should be beneficial to us.¡± Singkuo shook his head.


    ¡°If so, then I¡¯ll issue the decree to return to the clan.¡± Singtuo nodded and said, ¡°But you will rely on yourself for the rest.¡±


    ****


    Hong Kong.


    Li Juren was sitting on the sofa in his office, groaning and complaining inwardly while looking at the two middle-aged men in front. Their expression was that of anger, and they released their oppressive auras as they glared at him.


    These two men before him were really too strong-headed and powerful! These men came with seething anger, wanting to punish him just because he didn¡¯t help them collect enough raw jade. It was due to him giving Tang Xiu the rest of the raw jade he had acquired.


    ¡°I really had no means left. The price of raw jade has risen nearly twice as high as before on the market, while a large number of jewelers are also desperately buying raw materials for jade. Some small jade businesses are even in crisis due to the short supply nowadays. Two gentlemen, I told you that I need at least half a month. I will definitely give you enough raw jade at that time, even if I must steal them,¡± said Li Jure with a forced, wry smile while wiping off beads of sweat on his forehead.


    The two middle-aged men looked at each other, and the oppressing aura coming out of them weakened a bit. One of them the coldly hmphed and said, ¡°We have no time to waste, so we can¡¯t give you two weeks! We¡¯ll give you seven days, and we¡¯ll fulfill our end of the deal if you get all the raw jades we need. But if you fail, don¡¯t blame us for being ruthless when we make you taste regret.¡±


    Li Juren gulped and said with a helpless face, ¡°I can only say that I¡¯m going to try my best. Killing me if I still can¡¯t fulfill the deal in the end is also no use.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± snorted the middle-aged man as he got up and said before he left, ¡°We¡¯ll be back seven days from now. I really hope you can show us a good result.¡±


    Li Juren wanted to stand up and send them off, but his legs were slightly trembling, so he remained on the sofa and waved, ¡°Take care, gentlemen.¡±

 Chapter 967 - Moving Openly

    Chapter 967: Moving Openly


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The mid-summer heat blazed, making the world feel like it was a melting pot, as though it wanted to steam the humans within. The busy port was packed with people hurrying to and from the moored and sailing ships.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    Tom Reggie had received the notice in advance, and he had long been waiting with a few of his trusted men. Ever since he went to Nine Dragons Island with Tang Xiu a few days ago and saw the power of the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s experts under Tang Xiu, he had firmly made up his mind to work and follow Tang Xiu for his entire life, and thus obtain himself a cultivation art that would make him stronger. He returned back earlier a couple of days ago since he received a very important message.


    Tang Xiu walked forward and came to the front of Tom Reggie as his eyes swept the surroundings. Then, he asked with an indifferent face, ¡°How is the progress with the task I gave you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve confirmed the identity of the other party, Boss. But we have been standing still so as to avoid alerting them,¡± answered Tom Reggie. ¡°Sen¡­ ah, Mr. Song told me to wait until you return to Saipan to make a decision, though.¡±


    ¡°Heh, they haven¡¯t given up on spying on me. Might as well pull out these nails,¡± sneered Tang Xiu with squinted eyes. ¡°Taking action during the day will create unnecessary problems, so we¡¯ll move tonight to avoid trouble. Anyway, you know where Uncle Song lives, right? Tell me the address. I¡¯m going to visit him.¡±


    Tom Reggie told Tang Xiu the address, but there was hesitation on his face as he reported again, ¡°Mr. Song¡¯s residence is under the surveillance of the Darkwind organization¡¯s people, Boss. If you visit him this openly, I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll also enter their eyes. How about I send someone to inform Mr. Song first to tell him to meet you elsewhere?¡±


    ¡°The Darkwind organization is the largest intelligence agency in the world, and it is said that they have a lot of spies literally everywhere,¡± sneered Tang Xiu. ¡°Who can guarantee that their branch here hasn¡¯t caught the news of my return to Saipan when I set foot on the shore? There¡¯s no need to hide from them now that I¡¯m here. It¡¯s even possible to dispel their suspicions if I visit Uncle Song openly.¡±


    Tom Reggie seemed to think about it for a moment before he nodded, ¡°True that. It will look even more suspicious if you¡¯re avoiding being seen. Nevertheless, the Darkwind organization will likely be able to conclude that there¡¯s something between me and Mr. Song if they know that you¡¯re coming.¡±


    ¡°Do you think that if your former backer didn¡¯t go and find someone from the Darkwind organization, then their spies wouldn¡¯t take the initiative to tell him about the private meeting between you and Uncle Song?¡± asked Tang Xiu indifferently.


    ¡°Not really. I know a bit about how they work, Boss.¡± Tom Reggie shook his head and said, ¡°They won¡¯t take the initiative to sell intel unless there¡¯s someone wanting to buy it. However, there¡¯s a possibility regarding that matter as far as I¡¯m concerned.¡±


    ¡°Which possibility?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°My former backer himself is a member of the Darkwind organization, Boss,¡± said Tom Reggie.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed. But he shook his head and said, ¡°He won¡¯t easily rely on any non-governmental forces if he becomes a high-ranking official. Otherwise, even if he did it in secrecy, there will be a day of exposing his tail. The Saipan authorities won¡¯t sit idly by and do nothing about them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re also right, Boss.¡± Tom Reggie nodded and said, ¡°Still, please be careful since I won¡¯t be able to follow you when you visit Mr. Song.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to follow me, Tom.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°Just take care of the preparation well, as your role is indispensable when Uncle Song takes on the Big Boss of Saipan.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful. You can rest assured about that, Boss.¡± Tom Reggie nodded.


    Tang Xiu nodded and ordered Tom Reggie to bring Singluen¡¯s group to the Lao Bay Resort. Then, he took his eleven bodyguards under Mo Awu and Jin Shi¡¯s leadership to rush to Song Guanghui¡¯s residence. This time, he also took Tang Guang and Tang An from Nine Dragons Island. But just like Jin Shi and his team, they didn¡¯t directly follow Tang Xiu, but were simply nearby. They wouldn¡¯t appear unless Tang Xiu summoned them.


    The Jinla Mansion.


    Located near Hepburn Avenue was a complex with a beautiful environment and convenient transportation, with residents of the high stature in society. The Jinla Mansion was the most expensive mansion in this complex and was guarded by dozens of soldiers all year round, including even more guarding in secret.


    ¡°Who are you? This is a private residence of an official. Nobodies must leave immediately!¡±


    Just as Tang Xiu and Mo Awu came to the gate of Jinla Mansion, the shout of a big man in a military uniform immediately greeted them, while four other armed soldiers followed.


    ¡°Is this the mansion of General Sen Hui?¡± asked Tang Xiu calmly, ¡°I¡¯m General¡¯s acquaintance and have a close relationship with him. Please notify him that Tang Xiu has come to visit.¡±


    The soldier observed Tang Xiu and rose his gun¡¯s muzzle, coldly replying, ¡°Are you even qualified to visit the General¡¯s mansion, huh? If everyone else is just like you, then those who have seen the General once will flock over here and make his residence be just like downtown. Leave at once, or don¡¯t blame us for arresting you!¡±


    Tang Xiu creased his brows and took out his cell phone and said, ¡°Since you¡¯re so rigid with your rules, you won¡¯t mind if I directly call General Sen Hui, will you?¡±


    The response from the soldier was only a contemptuous look, although he didn¡¯t force Tang Xiu to leave. Instead, he kept his vigilant attitude in observing Tang Xiu, guarding against any sudden attack.


    Tang Xiu then dialed Song Guanghui¡¯s private number. After several rings, his call was picked up and Song Guanghui¡¯s hearty laughter greeted him on the other side.


    ¡°You¡¯re back, Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡± Tang Xiu let out a smile and said, ¡°I just returned to Saipan, so I went to your home to visit you. However, your soldier guard stopped me at the gate.¡±


    ¡°Eh? You¡¯re at my house?¡± said Song Guanghui with a surprised voice, ¡°That¡¯s great! Alright, give your cell phone to the guards at the gate. I¡¯m still busy with official business at the moment, so I¡¯m afraid I can only be at home two hours from now. But your auntie is at home, so I¡¯ll call her after this to tell her to entertain you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll wait for you, uncle.¡± Tang Xiu replied, then handed over the mobile phone to the soldier and said, ¡°It¡¯s General Sen Hui on the phone. He wants to talk to you.¡±


    With a half-doubting and half-believing face, the soldier took the mobile phone. The moment he recognized Song Guanghui¡¯s voice from the phone, his expression turned more respectful and he repeatedly nodded. As he eventually hung up the call, he looked at Tang Xiu and apologized, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Mr. Tang. I had no idea that you¡¯re an honored guest of the General, so I was rude to you. Anyhow, the General has told me that you can go straight to his residence and wait for him.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and led Mo Awu to enter the mansion¡¯s front door under the watchful eyes of the soldiers. The Jinla Mansion had a large area, comprising of at least several acres of land. It took Tang Xiu and Mo Awu more than 10 minutes to pass by the garden in the outer courtyard alone.


    Suddenly, a young army officer in full military uniform came out from the inside courtyard. After he saw Tang Xiu and Mo Awu, he immediately asked with a curious face, ¡°Eh? Who are you guys?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu from China,¡± answered Tang Xiu with a light smile. ¡°Your appearance is a resemblance to Uncle Song¡¯s. Given your young age and you strolling so casually inside the Jinla Mansion, you should be Uncle Song¡¯s son, right? Are you Song Xiang, or Song Yang?¡±


    ¡°Ah?! So you¡¯re the Tang Xiu that Dad mentioned?¡± the young officer was surprised and said, ¡°I¡¯m Song Xiang by the way.¡±


    ¡°A heroic posture; an elegant and imposing appearance. You truly depict the adage in China that a tiger father would never beget a dog-like son,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly while stretching out his hands. ¡°You should be half a year older than me, so I¡¯ll call you Brother Xian. Nice to meet you.¡±


    Instead of replying, Song Xiang quickly glanced around; only after he found that there was nobody in the surroundings did he finally shake hands with Tang Xiu, amiably replying, ¡°Tang Xiu brother, Dad has told me and my family about the issue regarding Uncle Tang. Well, too many times to count, in fact. I¡¯m glad you came to visit us here. Please come in and let¡¯s chat inside.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded with a smile in response. He then moved his hands into his pocket to take out a small gift box. He handed it to Song Xiang, saying, ¡°Brother Xiang, this is a gift for our first meeting. I hope you accept it.¡±


    Song Xiang¡¯s smile turned wider and, after receiving it, he said, ¡°It¡¯s kind of you, Brother Tang. Can I open it?¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± said Tang Xiu with a nod.


    Song Xiang swiftly opened the small gift box. When he saw a beautifully carved jade tablet inside, he immediately said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s a very expensive gift. Brother Tang surely has spent a fortune on it. Anyway, Dad said that he¡¯s a sworn life-and-death brother with your father, so we are also brothers. We¡¯re a family, so you don¡¯t have to regard us as strangers in the future.¡±


    ¡°Exactly the same sentiment is in my heart,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a smile.


    The three people had yet to enter the inner courtyard when a graceful, yet pale-looking, woman came out of the courtyard gate. Her appearance was like a beautiful lady who was ill, but her gorgeous eyes suddenly turned bright when she saw Tang Xiu, softly greeting him with a smile, ¡°You must be the son of Big Brother Tang, Tang Xiu, right? I¡¯m Guanghui¡¯s wife. Just call me auntie.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Auntie. Pleased to meet you. I¡¯m Tang Xiu indeed,¡± greeted back Tang Xiu hurriedly.


    Wen Jing nodded with a happy face and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen Big Brother Tang for so many years. You know, we originally thought that he had encountered an accident, so it¡¯s really a happy surprise to us that he¡¯s still alive and even has a grown-up son. A tiger father truly won¡¯t have a dog-like son. Your father has been a big hero in the past, and as his son you¡¯re not inferior to him. I¡¯m truly very happy for him.¡±


    ¡°Dad has also mentioned you to me, Auntie,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°He said that you were always with Uncle Song when performing your duties overseas. He even told me that he and Uncle Song wouldn¡¯t have survived if it weren¡¯t for your care back when they were gravely injured.¡±


    Wen Jing grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s hand and amiably said, ¡°Well, it¡¯s all in the past; it¡¯s nothing to speak of today. Anyhow, your Uncle is still working outside, but we shall have a feast tonight when he comes back. Alright, let¡¯s go and sit inside. Auntie is going to cook and personally serve some delicious meals for you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, and thank you, Auntie.¡±


    After he said that, Tang Xiu turned around to grab the gift box prepared in advance from Mo Awu. He handed it over to Wen Jing and said, ¡°I brought a gift for you, Auntie; please receive it. I hope you like it.¡±

 Chapter 968 - You Know But Fart

    Chapter 968: You Know But Fart


    Translator: Exodus Tales # Editor: Exodus Tales


    ¡°Why would you bring a gift to our home, child?¡± Wen Jing¡¯s voice was a bit scolding. ¡°Song and your father are closer than blood brothers, while I also have a very good relationship with him, so this place is also your home! I can let this slip this time, but do not bring any more gifts. I¡¯m already very happy with you simply visiting us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to remember that, Auntie,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    Afterward, they entered the inner courtyard and took a seat in the living room of the villa. Wen Jing then personally served some fruits and snacks and even made some tea, all of which made several housemaids nearby dumbfounded and exchange glances in confusion.


    Upon seeing his mother¡¯s busy figure, Song Xiang smiled and said, ¡°Well, you really got a big face, Tang Xiu brother. You see, even when that emperor-like Dad of mine comes home, Mom is rarely busying herself like that. Looking at her attitude and treatment toward you makes me quite envious of you.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s the love shown by Auntie for me,¡± responded Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s right, Auntie¡¯s complexion is rather pale; does she have an illness?¡±


    The smile on Song Xiang¡¯s face slowly receded. His eyes glanced at Wen Jing, and he said bitterly, ¡°Mom has been sick with a serious illness that doesn¡¯t have a cure. It¡¯s just that we¡¯re hiding it from her.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a liver disease, isn¡¯t it?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Song Xiang was stunned and asked in surprise, ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°I have another identity in China as a young Divine Doctor in Chinese medicine,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I just observed her complexion a moment ago and my finger happened to touch her pulse when she grabbed my hand. Hence, I was able to tell that she contracted quite a serious liver disease.¡±


    With eyes full of incredulity, Song Xiang stared at Tang Xiu. Only after Wen Jing came over with tea did he finally come back to his senses. He said with amazement, ¡°You¡¯re really amazing, Brother Tang; you¡¯re just awesome. I can say that I¡¯m quite knowledgeable about Chinese medicine. Those who are hailed as Divine Doctors or miracle-working physicians have always been figures with amazing expertise in this field. Even many Chinese medicine practitioners who have been in the field for decades are not necessarily qualified to be called a Divine Doctor. That¡¯s right; I heard there¡¯s a famous Divine Doctor in China called Gui Jianchou. It¡¯s a pity that I have been unable to find his trace even though I¡¯ve sent some people to China many times.¡±


    ¡°I know Divine Doctor Gui Jianchou. I have even worked with him for many days before,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°He¡¯s indeed a great senior doctor of a noble character, highly respected, and one with great expertise in medical skills. I also know how to contact him.¡±


    Song Xiang abruptly got up and hurriedly said, ¡°Brother Tang, please tell me how to contact him quickly! I need to find him. I must.¡±


    ¡°Who exactly are you looking for? Xiang¡¯er?¡± asked Wen Jing as she arrived with tea. There was a puzzled look on her face.


    Song Xiang¡¯s face slightly changed, and he gave a signal with his eyes to Tang Xiu quickly before he quickly responded with a dry smile, ¡°It¡¯s just an old friend I know, Mom. It¡¯s been a very long time since I last met him, so I didn¡¯t expect that Brother Tang Xiu would also know him and could contact him after this chat.¡±


    Wen Jing looked at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Instead of answering her question, Tang Xiu just slightly smiled and said, ¡°Auntie, I can see that your body seems to be in a poor state, so you should have been ill for a while. Do you mind letting me treat you? I happen to have some expertise in Chinese medicine. I dare not say that there¡¯s a 100% guarantee that I can cure you, but I am at least 99% sure.¡±


    ¡°What a darn fart!¡±


    A disagreeing voice came from the door as a young man wearing a white t-shirt, denim pants, a hat, and slippers walked inside. He looked a bit angry as he came to Tang Xiu¡¯s front and said loudly, ¡°Hey, kiddo. Where the heck did you come from? You dare to spit bullshit in our house and even talk about Chinese medicine? Do you even know what Chinese medicine is, huh?¡±


    Tang Xiu shifted his gaze and looked at his face. He was able to recognize this young man¡¯s identity at once. He didn¡¯t even have the slightest anger at all and instead put out a faint smile as he stretched out his hand and said, ¡°You¡¯re Song Yang, right? I¡¯m Tang Xiu. Nice to meet you.¡±


    Song Yang rolled his eyes and then raised his nostrils upward, saying, ¡°I never shake hands with nobodies, let alone with people I don¡¯t like. I¡¯ve heard about Uncle Tang and I admire him. But you¡­ hmph¡­ don¡¯t expect me to look up at you just because you¡¯re acting like a passionate person.¡±


    ¡°Hey, shut up!¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth!¡±


    Wen Jing and Song Yang shouted at the same time.


    Tang Xiu only smiled in response as he waved his hand. He looked at Song Yang¡¯s contemptuous expression and lightly smiled, ¡°Well, you seem so hostile to me. Care to tell me the reason?¡±


    ¡°Why should I? How old are you, kid? Hmph¡­¡± sneered Song Yang as he said, ¡°I thought Uncle Tang¡¯s son would also be a heroic-like figure just like him. But I never thought that you¡¯re just a braggart¡ªone who doesn¡¯t know the immensity of heaven and earth.¡±


    A braggart who doesn¡¯t know the immensity of the world?


    In that instant, Tang Xiu understood why Song Yang was hostile to him. It was because he took the initiative to treat his Auntie, Wen Jing, from her illness, thus causing his ire. It was no surprise since Song Xiang told him that they had been hiding the condition of their mother¡¯s illness, rubbing him the wrong way and naturally making him angry.


    After figuring out the reason, Tang Xiu straightly ignored Song Yan and looked at Wen Jing instead, saying, ¡°Auntie, you don¡¯t yet know what kind of illness you¡¯ve contracted, but you should be experiencing painful attacks often, right?¡±


    Wen Jing shot a look at her two sons first and fell into silence for a while. She then shook her head and sighed, ¡°As a matter of fact, I know what illness I have. They think that they can hide it from me despite the fact that I already knew that I have liver cancer at a late stage.¡±


    ¡°What did you just say, Mom?¡± interjected Song Xiang hurriedly. ¡°There¡¯s no way you can get liver cancer.¡±


    After glaring fiercely at Tang Xiu, Song Yang chimed in, ¡°Please don¡¯t make a blind conjecture, Mom. What cancer? You¡¯ve definitely not contracted cancer. It¡¯s just a minor illness. You¡¯ll definitely be able to live for a hundred years in the future. I can tell that this damn man surnamed Tang is not a good man. Please don¡¯t listen to him. I¡¯m sure that he¡¯s just trying to fool you.¡±


    ¡°What exactly happened to your head, Yangyang? When did Tang Xiu annoy you to make you always target him, huh?¡± scolded Wen Jing with a cold expression. ¡°Whether he can cure my illness or not, the filial piety he shows me is just right!¡±


    ¡°He said that he knows Chinese medicine. But I said it¡¯s a damn fart, Mom!¡± rebuked Song Yang with an unhappy face. ¡°Those who have expertise in Chinese medicine are seniors in that field¡ªones who have real talents at that! Having the idea that he¡¯s good at it is nothing but ridiculous. If anything, he can deceive others, but there¡¯s no way he can fool me.¡±


    ¡°Well, I get where you¡¯re coming from, especially the mood you have, but it¡¯s best not to entertain any thought to the extreme.¡± Tang Xiu looked at him and said, ¡°As for whether me being a practitioner of Chinese medicine is a lie or not, why don¡¯t you see it for yourself? Auntie may not know how serious her condition is, but you should know about it, right? Since her sickness has arrived at this stage, how about letting me try to cure her? Won¡¯t it become a fortunate matter that is worth rejoicing if I happen to be able to cure her?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Song Yang was about to rebuke, but he suddenly felt a numb sensation in his throat and was unable to let out any sound from his mouth. The moment after, his body trembled a few times, and some other parts went numb before his whole body was no longer under his control.


    ¡®What the hell? What the fuck is going on with me?¡¯


    ¡®How can I not talk or be able to move at all?¡¯


    ¡®What exactly is happening? What were those numb sensations a while ago? Did my acupoints get attacked?¡¯


    His eyes chaotically glanced around nervously, yet he tried hard to free himself from the predicament. It was a pity for him that he was unable to no matter how hard he tried.


    ¡°Is there a quiet room, Auntie?¡± asked Tang Xiu. ¡°Just trust me, just like the faith you had in my father and Uncle Song in the past.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Wen Jing sighed inwardly after looking at the three children in front of her. Ever since she noticed that her health was deteriorating and that she contracted an illness, she went to the hospital for a check-up and looked at the result herself. On the check-up report, it was clearly written that she had contracted cancer and the symptoms she had were exactly the symptoms that liver cancer patients suffered with.


    However, even though she held similar thoughts as her second son, Song Yang, doubting that Tang Xiu could cure her liver cancer, it was Tang Xiu¡¯s first visit to their home. It was also Tang Xiu¡¯s goodwill in having the intention to treat her, a good starting point of their relationship. Hence, she didn¡¯t reject Tang Xiu and even missed the abnormality happening to her son, Song Yang. She then led Tang Xiu to the end of the corridor and came to the massage room.


    As for Song Xiang, he was keenly aware of the peculiarity happening to his younger brother. But he was more worried about his mother. He walked in strides to catch up to them as Wen Jing and Tang Xiu were about to enter the massage room. Song Xiang quickly reached out to grab Tang Xiu¡¯s hand and said in a whisper, ¡°Brother Tang, your guess is correct. Mom has contracted liver cancer at a late stage and her condition is quite serious. It¡¯s almost impossible to cure her with the current level of medical care out there. Please don¡¯t act recklessly. It¡¯s fine to give up if you have no means since Mom is at least still alive.¡±


    ¡°No worries!¡± Tang Xiu slowly nodded and said, ¡°I will use my discretion.¡±


    As they entered the room, Tang Xiu gestured Song Xian to stop following them. Then, he closed the door from the inside before turning around to Wen Jing, smilingly saying, ¡°Auntie, do you want to feel some comfort and enjoyment?¡±


    ¡°What comfort?¡± asked Wen Jing curiously.


    ¡°Tuina Massage. The method is a technique in Chinese medicine,¡± explained Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Frankly speaking, I can tell that you¡¯re doubting my expertise in this field too. The reason why you accepted my idea to treat you is that you don¡¯t want to refuse my good intention for fear that it would make me feel embarrassed.¡±


    Wen Jing observed Tang Xiu and suddenly found that this child in front of her was actually smarter and more sensible than she thought¡ªa character that would become very powerful in the future. It was just unfortunate that she had contracted cancer, now at a late stage. Else, she wanted to witness the success and achievements that could stir the world be brought by this child in the future.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try it then! Let your aunt see your ability, Tang Xiu. Auntie will definitely cook delicious meals that will satiate your cravings if your Tuina Massage skill is truly outstanding,¡± said Wen Jing with a smile as she laid down on the massage bed.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Tang Xiu nodded with a smile.

 Chapter 969 - Overwhelming Stench

    Chapter 969: Overwhelming Stench


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Calmly looking at Wen Jing laying in front of him, Tang Xiu gently lifted his hands and controlled his Primal Chaos power to flow and circulate in the palm of his hand.


    The Tuina Massage itself was able to balance the Yin and Yang energy, as well as blend, manage, and reinforce them. It could also unclog the energy channels in the meridians and activate all the key points and other significant effects, such as regulating the nerves and bodily functions that governed the immune system, promoting visceral health and beautifying one¡¯s skin. Certainly, the principal effect it brought was to improve blood circulation, eliminating fatigue and improving one¡¯s capacity to exercise.


    Wen Jing¡¯s physical condition was such that her bodily functions had deteriorated so much that the cells inside her body had been constantly devoured by the cancer cells, causing her physical condition to drop into an abysmal state. It was best to improve the condition of her physique first before any treatment began, that way her body would be able to endure the treatment.


    The various techniques of Tuina Massage that are used in the process of massage are intended to stimulate the meridians and acupoints in one¡¯s body, even just a specific section of them. There are more than 100 kinds of techniques, but the most commonly used ones are only four kinds: pressing-based, kneading-based, pushing-based, and holding-based ones. There are also some other techniques that are mainly based on rubbing, such as flat-pushing, rolling, and rubbing techniques, whereas some other techniques involve body shaking like patting, tapping or shaking, and so on. Other than those, there are also techniques to exercise and move the joints between limbs like cracking, pulling and turning, as well as stretching and so on.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s tuina massage therapy did not consist of a single technique, but instead was a combination of dozens of massage techniques that ultimately formed a unique massage therapy. Regardless of the duration of the massage, the movement and strength that were applied constantly changed according to the various techniques being applied.


    The limbs and the waist were the parts that Tang Xiu mainly massaged. As he found that Wen Jing was drowsy, the look of pain on her face that was previously hard to conceal also gradually disappeared. He immediately released his Primal Chaos power to wrap her limbs and waist and lifted her up several meters, turning over her body extremely quickly to lay her down on the massage table.


    Feet, legs, hips, waist, back, arms, neck and head.


    Tang Xiu secretly released his Primal Chaos power to circulate in her meridians and determine every acupoint all over Wen Jing¡¯s body, strengthening them to the utmost while nourishing them with his power secretly. The sleepy Wen Jing was deeply drowning in an unspeakable yet comfortable state, so much so that she didn¡¯t even realize that she lightly moaned during the continuous technique applied by Tang Xiu.


    After half an hour, Tang Xiu stopped massaging and took out silver needles box from his interspatial ring. Despite the obstruction from the clothes worn by Wen Jing, every silver needle was accurately inserted into several important acupoints all over her body.


    The process of invigorating and nourishing the blood followed every breath, as Tang Xiu sent a wisp of his Primal Chaos power into every silver needle applied to the acupoints over Wen Jing¡¯s body. After he was done applying them, he held her arm and checked her pulse with his finger while slowly pouring his power into her meridians.


    Speaking in another sense, the human body could be said to be a net, while energy acted like its wire. Intricate energy lines were being waved by his Primal Chaos power, along with the meridian network inside Wen jing¡¯s body, stretching into her four limbs and five main internal organs.


    This washing process was applied to remove the cancer cells in her body and slowly force them out of her system. Due to her frail physical state, it was necessary for Tang Xiu to spend a great amount of energy and work towards an early stage of treatment since he didn¡¯t dare to use much power than needed. His only option was to slowly eliminate the cancer cells and then discharge them by applying this cleaning method step by step.


    Time fleeted by, and Song Xian continued waiting outside the room in restlessness. He had even stopped his younger brother, Song Yang, from going in several times already. He did hear from his father that Tang Xiu was a young man with outstanding skills. Therefore, although he didn¡¯t believe that Tang Xiu would be able to cure his mother of cancer, he was still able to hold himself back while feeling restless.


    ¡°Be careful, Brother! You stop me again and you¡¯ll face my rage!¡± roared Song Yang with a furious face.


    ¡°Song Yang, you gotta remember that this world is so big. Countless strange phenomenon and things can exist and occur,¡± said Song Xiang with a heavy voice, ¡°We don¡¯t know much about Tang Xiu and nobody can guarantee that he¡¯s not one of those people with bizarre abilities. You also clearly know about Mom¡¯s illness. I don¡¯t give a damn about what kind of means are used. We must attempt everything to cure her, even if our efforts fail again and again.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you see that fucking man surnamed Tang is nothing but a shit conman?¡± angrily shouted Song Yang. ¡°Have you ever seen any Chinese medicine practitioner as young as him? That punk must be just a braggart if you ask me. There¡¯s no way he has such a skill!¡±


    ¡°Heh, how do you know if he doesn¡¯t have it?¡± sneered Song Xiang. ¡°It¡¯s not something we can conclude yet. Besides, to me, he¡¯s much better than you in some respects.¡±


    ¡°Better than me?¡± Song Yang clenched his fists and angrily asked, ¡°I dare you to tell me in which aspects he¡¯s better than me?¡±


    ¡°If I remember correctly from what Dad told me about his identity, he¡¯s the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation in China. Yet, he founded his company without using any power or connections the Tang Family has,¡± said Song Xiang. ¡°Now you tell me. Do you have what it takes to establish anything that can compare to his company with your own skill, huh? Can you earn hundreds of millions of dollars in such a short time like him?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    The argument made Song Yang¡¯s anger subside. He opened his mouth, but found himself unable to retort. He didn¡¯t know about Tang Xiu, but he at least knew about the Magnificent Tang Corporation and that Tang Xiu was its founder.


    ¡°Tang Xiu also has another identity. He¡¯s hailed as the Young Divine Doctor in the Chinese medical field,¡± added Song Xiang with a solemn face. ¡°I dunno whether it¡¯s true or not, but you can check it on the internet. There should be reports about him on the Internet if he¡¯s really famous.¡±


    ¡®The Young Divine Doctor, heh?¡¯


    Song Yang snorted in contempt, but still swiftly took out his smartphone and quickly searched for ¡°Young Divine Doctor Tang Xiu¡±. In just a few seconds, the contemptuous look on his face a moment ago instantly froze and his eyes turned round, nearly bulging out of their sockets.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Upon seeing his younger brother¡¯s expression, Song Xiang looked puzzled and reached out to snatch Song Yang¡¯s smartphone. As he took a fast glance at the screen, a look of disbelief and incredulity covered his face since there were so many articles about Tang Xiu on the Internet, especially regarding his identity as a miracle-working doctor who had saved patients and cured their disease. There was a lot of hype and praises about him, hailing him as the reincarnation of Bian Que and the living Hua Tuo.


    ¡°No way. Could it be that all these reports on the Internet are real?¡± muttered Song Yang with a somewhat strange voice, ¡°He¡­ he really excels in Chinese medicine? But¡­ but how is this possible?¡±


    Song Xiang standing next to him was also shocked, yet there was also a happy expression on his face. He said in a deep voice, ¡°I told you nothing in human life can be predicted so easily, and to never judge someone based on their appearance, didn¡¯t I? Have you forgotten the old adage that says that men cannot be judged by their looks and that you can¡¯t measure the ocean with a bushel? He comes from China¡ªa country with more than a billion people, where hidden dragons and crouching tigers have always appeared for countless generations. Maybe Tang Xiu really has an extraordinary talent in traditional Chinese medicine.¡±


    Song Yang snatched back his smartphone and swiped the screen with his finger to read the news, continuing his search for more information. Only after a long time did he finally stop and heave a sigh of relief. At this time, however, there was no longer anger on his face, but an embarrassed expression instead as he let out a dry smile and said, ¡°What you said may be right, Big Brother. It is I who looked down on him.¡±


    A smile was now worn on Song Xiang¡¯s face and he nodded. ¡°Regardless of the outcome of whether he is able to cure our mother or not, you owe him an apology. Let alone that he did it out of goodwill, just the fact that he¡¯s the son of Uncle Tang is a must for us not to have a fight with him, got it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll behave and be more polite to him later,¡± replied Song Yang. ¡°But if he can really cure Mom, let alone apologize, I¡¯ll pull out my own heart if he wants it. I¡¯ll never apologize to him if he can¡¯t cure her!¡±


    His response made Song Xian frown. But, as he was about to rebuke him, his nostrils suddenly twitched a few times and he looked at the other end of the corridor and said with a confused face, ¡°Where does this stench come from?¡±


    Song Yang also smelled the stench and then pointed to the massage room¡¯s door and said, ¡°This stench seems to be drifting out from that room. But¡­ it¡¯s strange, though. The housemaid usually cleans the massage room very deeply, and there¡¯s nothing rotten there either. How can this stench come from there?¡±


    The two men exchanged glances and their expressions suddenly changed as they dashed nearly at the same time toward the door and pushed it open.


    Cough, cough¡­.


    A putrid stench burst out and greeted them, catching the two brothers off guard and causing them to choke and cough at the same time.


    At the same time, Tang Xiu was standing by the massage bed. He turned around and saw Song Xiang and Song Yang coming in. Upon seeing their choking and miserable expressions, he immediately let out a smile and said, ¡°I told you not to come inside, didn¡¯t I? Yet you ignored it. Did you really doubt me and worry about my treatment perhaps?¡±


    Song Xiang stopped coughing and held back the overwhelming nausea in his stomach. His eyes moved from Tang Xiu to his mother on the massage bed, only to notice that his mother¡¯s clothes were drenched, while a dark and sticky grayish-black substance was covering her exposed skin. That grayish-black substance was the culprit of this putrid stench.


    ¡°Tang¡­ Tang Xiu brother, how is my Mom?¡±


    ¡°The treatment process has been applied smoothly, but it¡¯s not done yet,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Well, if you both can ignore the smell, then you can stay here and watch. But remember; do not disturb me. Of course, you can just leave the room and wait outside if you can¡¯t stand the smell in the room.¡±


    Song Yang firmly pressed his nostrils and looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s calm expression. Strong admiration now birthed inside his heart. The pungent stench in the room was so unbearable that he felt like he couldn¡¯t stay inside for even a minute, yet Tang Xiu seemed to not be disturbed by it whatsoever. Just this willpower was something he couldn¡¯t compare with him.


    ¡°Damn. You¡¯re amazing.¡±


    He used his other hand to raise his thumb before turning around and rushing outside.


    Song Xiang himself held his breath, but the stench still kept drilling in his nostrils. He wanted to stay inside to see Tang Xiu treat his mother, but the pungent smell irritated his nostrils too much, making eyes turn watery. He could only choose to go back outside, but quickly remarked before he left, ¡°Thanks a bunch, Brother. I leave Mom in your hands.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s spare all the polite chit-chat, shall we? I¡¯ll definitely do my best.¡± Tang Xiu waved and smilingly said, ¡°Also, remember to close the door when you¡¯re outside and keep anyone from coming in. I¡¯m afraid that they will disturb my treatment process.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± replied Song Xiang without hesitation. He then closed the door with his backhand.

 Chapter 970 - Excessive Hospitality

    Chapter 970: Excessive Hospitality


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Song Xiang¡¯s eyes were gleaming as he gazed at the massage room¡¯s door with a heart full of admiration as well as gratitude. Regardless of whether Tang Xiu could cure his mother, just the fact that Tang Xiu was able to stay inside with such an intensely pungent odor all around was admirable.


    ¡°I¡¯m fully convinced, Brother,¡± sighed Song Yang as he gasped while looking towards the massage room¡¯s door, a bit of awe on his face.


    ¡°Hahaha. Now you admit it, huh?¡± Song Xiang loudly laughed. ¡°We were only able to endure the pungent odor for a few minutes inside. It¡¯s kinda a miracle for Brother Tang to treat it as nothing. Just this alone is enough for us to look up to him.¡±


    Song Yang nodded, but he seemed to recall something all of a sudden and curiously asked, ¡°Brother, can you tell what¡¯s going on there? Could that grayish substance on Mom¡¯s body be a special medicinal ointment concocted by Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°It should be.¡± Song Xiang nodded.


    An hour then passed by in the blink of an eye. Song Xiang and Song Yang were waiting outside the massage room as Song Guanghui came rushing from the outside. When he saw his two sons standing at the massage room¡¯s door, he creased his brows and quickly asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Tang Xiu, and what are you two doing here? Ugh¡­ what¡¯s this stench?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu is currently treating Mom in the massage room, Dad,¡± answered Song Xiang. ¡°This stench comes from there and seems to be from some ointments used by him.¡±


    Song Guanghui was stunned, but he suddenly remembered Tang Xiu¡¯s identity as a young Divine Doctor. He immediately patted his forehead and said self-mockingly, ¡°How the hell did I forget about it? Tang Xiu is hailed as a young Divine Doctor in Chinese traditional medicine in China, so he must have great expertise in this field¡­ if he really can cure the illness of your mother¡­. That¡­ that would be great!¡±


    But Song Xiang poured out a bucket of cold water and said, ¡°Let¡¯s not be so optimistic for now, Dad. Even if he is touted as a miracle-working doctor of Chinese medicine in China, curing Mom would be very difficult. After all, cancer is not as easy to treat as other diseases to begin with. I¡¯ve never heard of any hospital or doctor who can cure patients with cancer at a late stage, at least not at the present level of medical care today unless there¡¯s some miracle in work.¡±


    The reminder made Song Guanghui¡¯s expression turned stiff, and he immediately nodded with a solemn expression.


    Ultimately, as Tang Xiu opened the door from the inside, Song Guanghui, Song Xiang, and Song Yang shifted their gazes immediately. They could see a bit of a weary expression on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. Song Guanghui then asked hurriedly, ¡°How is your aunt, Tang Xiu? Was your treatment effective on her?¡±


    ¡°Rest assured, Uncle Song,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°I have eliminated two-third of the cancer cells in Aunt¡¯s body; only one-third of it remains in her system. I¡¯ll stay in Saipan for the next two days to continue her treatment, so I should be able to remove all of the cancer cells in her body.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± exclaimed Song Guanghui with a trembling body due to his shock.


    Song Xiang and Song Yang were likewise shocked and dumbfounded, making them paralyzed as they stared at Tang Xiu with shocked faces, unable to utter anything for a long while.


    ¡°Actually, cancer is not a serious illness to me,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°I have cured some patients with late-stage cancer before. They are now healthy, and even if they can¡¯t live for a very long time, they should have decades to live their life.¡±


    Grabbing Tang Xiu¡¯s arm, Song Guanghui asked with a slightly trembling voice, ¡°Is¡­ is it¡­ for real? Can you really remove all the cancer cells in your aunt¡¯s system thoroughly? You¡­ you can completely cure her?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said Tang Xiu with a faint smile. He could feel the excited mood Song Guanghui had.


    Song Guanghui then released Tang Xiu¡¯s hand and clenched his fists excitedly as he punched the air a few times. With a face turned red due to the excitement, he said, ¡°It¡¯s great. That¡¯s really great! Blame me for not asking for your help earlier, otherwise, your aunt could¡¯ve been cured of cancer already. Thank you, Tang Xiu. Thank you so much.¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re very happy, Uncle Song. But please don¡¯t mention it,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. I¡¯m a Chinese traditional medicine practitioner, so it¡¯s my duty to treat and free patients from their illnesses. Besides, we¡¯re just like relatives, so it¡¯s kinda an obligation for me after knowing that Auntie has contracted cancer. If I just did nothing and Dad knows about it, I¡¯m sure he would definitely break my legs.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ well said! We¡¯re indeed a family, so I¡¯ll skip all the polite talks with you,¡± said Song Guanghui. ¡°That¡¯s right, though. Can I go inside now to see your aunt?¡±


    ¡°Of course, you can,¡± said Tang Xiu with a strange expression. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ you gotta be mentally prepared, though.¡±


    ¡°Mentally prepared? What for?¡± asked Song Guanghui after staring blankly.


    ¡°Well, the cancer cells I forced out from auntie¡¯s system are now plastered all over her body, producing the pungent stench from the impurities brought out by the cancer cells,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°Hence, I think you¡¯re the best person to wash auntie¡¯s body, although you must endure this stench.¡±


    Song Yang, who stood nearby, exclaimed, ¡°What did you say, Tang Xiu? You mean that grayish-black substance on Mom¡¯s skin is not a special ointment concocted by you? But¡­ it is the impurities brought out by the cancer cells inside her system?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± Tang Xiu nodded with a smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t use any ointment at all. I just used acupuncture techniques to stimulate the potential of her body, and then controlled the cancer cells to be discharged out of her system.¡±


    The answer made Song Yang stunned silly, whereas Song Xiang practically turned into a stone sculpture.


    The two brothers¡¯ gaze at Tang Xiu was as though they were seeing a kind of monster¡ªone that was not purely bred on Earth, but instead was like a super monster from space. They had heard countless magical stories and they had also seen some bizarre things, yet they never encountered such an incredible situation like this.


    Half an hour passed, and when Song Guanghui walked out of the massage room while propping up Wen Jing, he had already washed her body inside massage room¡¯s bathroom. The pungent stench had completely dissipated, and now all they could smell was the nice-smelling coconut milk-flavored soap from Wen Jing.


    ¡°Thank you, Tang Xiu.¡±


    The way Wen Jing looked at Tang Xiu was much softer and gentler than before. It was like she was looking at her own son, full of love and satisfaction.


    Tang Xiu paced forward to support her arm and smilingly said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for such small talk between family members, Auntie. This is just what I should do.¡±


    Nodding in response, Wen Jing then said, ¡°You¡¯re a good boy. Then I¡¯ll skip the small talk. I feel a bit weak, but the pain caused by the cancer cells are gone. As time passes by, my body feels even more comfortable. It feels nice and warm, the kind of warmness brought by a heater.¡±


    ¡°You will indeed feel weak for some time.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°It¡¯s because you had so many impurities from cancer cells forced out of your system. As a matter of fact, the cancer cells¡¯ impurities are also a kind of energy which can be said to be an extra energy source for your body, yet this kind of energy has a bad effect on your system instead of being beneficial. Have some rest for a while and then take some nutritious hot porridge, Auntie. I¡¯ll prescribe something for you to boil and prepare later, so you¡¯ll have a good sleep after taking it. You¡¯ll feel a hundred times more energetic by morning.¡±


    ¡°Alright. But I must cook for you first before resting, though,¡± said Wen Jing smilingly.


    ¡°No need to cook for me, Auntie,¡± said Tang Xiu quickly. ¡°Your body is too weak now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Tang Xiu can feel your good intention, but your body is more important.¡± Song Guanghui also nodded and added, ¡°Besides, it won¡¯t be too late to show your culinary skills to Tang Xiu after you get better tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°No. I like this child.¡± Wen Jing stubbornly shook her head and said, ¡°This is his first time visiting our home, so I must cook for him myself. That¡¯s right, don¡¯t you have two bottles of fine wine in your collection? Go and get them. Let us all have a drink tonight.¡±


    ¡°Haih¡­ alright.¡±


    Song Guanghui was perfectly aware of his wife¡¯s stubborn character. Nobody would be able to change her mind once she made it.


    Upon seeing this, Tang Xiu no longer refused either and just signaled Song Xiang with his eyes. The two of them then helped Wen Jing to go to the kitchen to help her cook.


    As for Song Yang, his eyes followed his mother and Tang Xiu as they vanished into the kitchen. He then turned his head to look at Song Guanghui and asked in a low voice, ¡°Dad, do you really believe what Tang Xiu just said¡ªthat he can fully cure Mom?¡±


    For a short while, Song Guanghui fell into silence before replying in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about something, Kid. But you must bury everything I tell you inside your stomach. There¡¯s probably nobody in this world who can cure your Mom of cancer except Tang Xiu. He¡¯s a cultivator, and if you don¡¯t know what a cultivator is, you can search about the existence of cultivator on the net. But keep it in mind to never tell this to anyone, ever.¡±


    A cultivator?


    Song Yang nodded and whispered, ¡°I don¡¯t need to search for this type of information, Dad. I know what kind of existence a cultivator is. But then¡­ isn¡¯t that the kind of people regarded as deities and immortals in the myths? Those kinds of people really exist in this world?¡±


    ¡°They exist; I know that,¡± said Song Guanghui with a dead-serious expression.


    In that instant, the expression in Song Yang¡¯s eyes turned totally different than before. He gazed towards the kitchen with eyes full of enthusiasm, yet there was also thirst faintly mixed deep within.


    Cultivators, as told in legends and myths, were those who could summon the forces of nature, change the seasons, and fly in the sky with a life that could span for centuries.


    In case¡­ that Tang Xiu was really a cultivator and truly possessed these abilities, then he must think of the means and do everything to learn from him.


    After dinner, Wen Jing went to the bedroom to rest, whereas Song Guanghui took Tang Xiu, Song Xiang, and Song Yang to the study on the second floor. Song Yang diligently and attentively boiled a pot of tea and came to the front of Tang Xiu. Then, he poured a cup and handed it over to him, saying solemnly, ¡°Big Brother Tang, you¡¯re two years older than me, so I should call you Big Brother. This younger brother of yours was ignorant, so I hope you can tolerate me in the future.¡±


    Tang Xiu received the cup of tea with a light smile and said, ¡°We¡¯re all brothers, so no offense taken.¡±


    ¡°You are truly a great man with a big heart and a broad mind, Big Brother Tang.¡± Song Yang responded with a wide smile. ¡°We are brothers, so we must be close in the future.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for sure.¡± Tang Xiu smiled.


    Unaware that there was a small dispute between Tang Xiu and Song Yang previously, Song Guanghui interjected with a smile, ¡°You¡¯re all brothers, so you must be close to each other in the future indeed. I and Big Brother Tang Yunde are already old, so the future is for juniors like you to take. I really wish that I can witness you all make progress and support each other in life in the future.¡±

 Chapter 971 - The Surviving Members Of The Yao Family

    Chapter 971: The Surviving Members Of The Yao Family


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    A faint smell of tea filled the study as everyone engaged in small talk before Tang Xiu then raised up a more serious issue, ¡°Uncle Song, you¡¯ve been monitored by the Darkwind organization, and some of their eyes are currently set on Tom Reggie as well. I¡¯m sure that this organization has found out about our previous private meeting.¡±


    Song Guanghui¡¯s expression changed to have a bit of dread on his face, saying, ¡°The Darkwind, as in the largest intelligence agency in the world that can infiltrate and spy any entity¡¯s movements all over the world? But why are their eyes set on us?¡±


    ¡°My guess is because of you and Tom¡¯s identity, Uncle.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°The Darkwind organization¡¯s people have never investigated common folk. You¡¯re the second-in-command figure in Saipan, while Tom can be regarded as weilding a recognizable power aside from his identity as the confidant of the number one figure here. The meeting between you both will naturally attract their attention.¡±


    ¡°Could it be that geezer Karst found some clues about us because he hired the intelligence personnel of the Darkwind organization to investigate it?¡± asked Song Guanghui with worry on his face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t rule out this possibility, though the chance is slim,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯ve decided to visit the Darkwind organization branch to confirm this issue. Also, please don¡¯t have any meeting with Tom for the time being, Uncle. You can continue doing so after I root out the spies the Darkwind organization planted in Saipan. Also, make a plan to get rid of Karst as soon as possible so you can take over his position as the most powerful man here. It¡¯ll be easier to manage things here later.¡±


    After all was said and done, Tang Xiu himself had another idea in mind this whole time. It was due to Saipan¡¯s location, a location which made it the closest land to Nine Dragons Island. It could be said that Saipan was a gateway to his island, so Nine Dragons Island¡¯s secret in the future could be safely contained if Saipan was under the control of the people under him. Therefore, it was necessary to push Song Guanghui to the top position of leadership in Saipan. He was ready to take on those who could be in the way to stop it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll work it out with Tom for the operation,¡± said Song Guanghui. ¡°Since it¡¯s decided that we¡¯ll get rid of Karst, then the best course is doing it without causing suspicion.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a forged accident, then,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I can assign my men to carry it out if you¡¯re constrained. They can get the job done perfectly. But the following work can only be carried out by yourself.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. But be careful on your part,¡± replied Song Guanghui.


    As dusk came, and after Tang Xiu left Jinla Mansion, Jin Shi, who had been staying hidden, appeared from a dark corner and quickly came to Tang Xiu¡¯s front.


    ¡°Everything¡¯s done?¡± inquired Tang Xiu.


    ¡°There were three of them, but we¡¯ve dealt with them,¡± nodded Jin Shi.


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve dealt with them, then let¡¯s head straight to the Darkwind branch here,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Keep in mind to not let any of them escape, as it would expose us and bring out unnecessary troubles later.¡±


    ¡°Copy that!¡± said Jin Shi respectfully.


    The Darkwind organization had been one of the concerns Tang Xiu had in mind. This power was the world¡¯s largest intelligence agency with a terrifying number of intelligence personnel, at least a million, and possibly even more. It was unknown how many terrifying powerful characters were among them.


    He naturally held no fear against the Darkwind organization with the current force possessed by the Everlasting Feast Hall. He believed that he could eliminate most of the top dogs of this organization should he raid their headquarters. But still, weeding out the grass was nearly impossible without culling out its root. He must be prepared to have crazy retaliation from this organization in the future should he fail to completely eradicate this agency. While he didn¡¯t fear them, his friends and family would be dragged into the swamp and experience dangers.


    Other than that, while it was true that individual combat prowess was of paramount importance in this world, there was still another danger stronger than an individual¡¯s strength¡ªmodern weapons, such as bombs, missiles, nukes, and some others. A large organization such as the Darkwind surely had its own exclusive armed forces. Should they get desperate and use a dreadful weapon such as a nuclear warhead, even he himself wouldn¡¯t be able to stop them.


    Coastal area.


    In a forested hill of Saipan were several foreign-style villas owned by the Darkwind organization. There, over a hundred armed forces were stationed.


    Inside the villa in the center of the complex, Yao Guchun quietly sat on the sofa. The room was pitch-black, yet his eyes were particularly gleaming and were filled with killing intent.


    On the coffee table in front of him laid three photos: Tang Xiu, Song Guanghui, and Tom Reggie respectively. There was also a mobile phone next to these photos.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    The ringing tone of the phone pulled him back from his daydream as the slightly bright screen barely illuminated the darkroom. Yao Guchun quickly grabbed the phone and pressed the answer button, inquiring in a deep voice, ¡°How was it? Did you get something?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, but we have found some other things, though.¡±


    ¡°What did you find?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu just went to Jinla Mansion to visit Sen Hui today. Our men are still monitoring the vicinity of Jinla Mansion, but we have yet to get any news of Tang Xiu leaving.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Yao Guchun then hung up with eyes sparkling. He had long hated Tang Xiu and even wished that he could mutilate him to pieces. He accidentally found Tang Xiu¡¯s figure after the Darkwind¡¯s intelligence personnel had investigated and noticed the contact between Song Guanghui and Tom Reggie.


    Thus, he inferred that there was a secret conspiracy brewing between Song Guanghui and Tom Reggie, with Tang Xiu playing a very important role in the middle. Therefore, he scattered all the Darkwind¡¯s intelligence personnel all over Saipan with the main purpose to investigate the relationship between Tang Xiu, Song Guanghui, and Tom Reggie.


    ¡°If you haven¡¯t found out about it, I think you got assassins hiding here.¡±


    The room¡¯s light was lit up all of a sudden as Tang Xiu and Tang Guang appeared in front of Yao Guchun. Tang Xiu had even sat across Yao Guchun, legs crossed and sporting a faint smile on his handsome face.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Yao Guchun abruptly jumped up from the sofa. Outsiders may not know how dreadful Tang Xiu was, but how could he not? For someone who was able to kill the Amur Tiger, saying that the killer was not powerful was an absolute understatement. But still, even if he was indeed very strong, how was he able to appear here before him so silently?


    ¡°Ehh?¡± Tang Xiu smiled faintly and asked, ¡°Why do you look so shocked?


    While staring at Tang Xiu vigilantly, Yao Guchun asked in a deep voice, ¡°How did you come inside? This place is guarded by a lot of guards and the various monitoring equipment here leave no blind spot at all. There¡¯s no way you can come here without being spotted by my men.¡±


    ¡°I think you overestimate your men too highly.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°They are all just a bunch of trash to me. Just the thought that they can track me is already a ridiculous notion. Alright, let¡¯s spare the chit-chat, shall we? As I see it, you seem to have a photo of mine on this coffee table.¡±


    This made Yao Guchun¡¯s complexion change, but he narrowed his eyes and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re unaware of my identity since you came here, Tang Xiu. That¡¯s right. I¡¯m the Branch Supervisor of the Darkwind office in Saipan. Now tell me what your purpose is in coming here!¡±


    ¡°Purpose?¡± Tang Xiu lightly smiled. ¡°My purpose is simple. I want to get information from you, no less!¡±


    Feeling slightly relaxed inwardly, Yao Guchun asked with a deep voice, ¡°Then what information do you wanna buy? The Darkwind¡¯s objective is always clear. So long as the price is right, you can get even the sleeping posture of the U.S. President should you want it.¡±


    Tang Xiu lit up a cigarette and waved. ¡°Spare me the U.S. President¡¯s sleeping posture. What interests me is you. Accurately speaking, it¡¯s your Darkwind organization that interests me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get you.¡± Yao Guchun knitted his brows.


    ¡°Playing a fool, huh?¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°If you don¡¯t get it, then let me rephrase. Why has your Darkwind agency been digging up info about me, as well as Song Guanghui and Tom Reggie? What¡¯s your purpose in sending your men to secretly monitor Song Guanghui and Tom Reggie?¡±


    Yao Guchun was silent for a while and then answered, ¡°That¡¯s my job here. Song Guanghui and Tom Reggie¡¯s identities are not ordinary. There is a high chance that someone will buy information about them. I naturally won¡¯t miss any intel that can fetch a fortune.¡±


    ¡°How insightful you are. You also got some shrewd business acumen in you, eh?¡± Tang Xiu gave a thumbs up and praised. ¡°Well, if it weren¡¯t for my visit tonight, I¡¯m afraid you could have been promoted to a higher position in the Darkwind organization in the future.¡±


    ¡°I accept your compliment,¡± said Yao Guchun. ¡°Just tell me what kind of intel you need if you¡¯re coming to buy information. But if you¡¯ve come to make trouble, I have many men here that will make you pay much more than you can even imagine, even if you¡¯re strong enough that even the Amur Tiger is not your match.¡±


    ¡°Wow! I like those words of yours.¡± Tang Xiu clapped and happily said, ¡°Well, it seems that I must do something to prove you wrong, though.¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± responded Yao Guchun quickly.


    ¡°Jin Shi, do it,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, there¡¯s no enmity between the Darkwind and you!¡± Yao Guchun¡¯s face greatly changed as he shouted, ¡°We did investigate some information about you, but why do you want to kill us? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re not afraid to be a mortal enemy of my Darkwind organization?¡±


    Whoosh!


    Tang Guang flashed and instantly appeared in front of him. He grabbed his neck and lifted him from the floor, sneering, ¡°Heh. Do you fucking think my Boss would care about being your Darkwind organization¡¯s enemy? What shit is your Darkwind, huh? Should my Boss will it so, he¡¯s fully capable of completely destroying your organization!¡±


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t scare this guy, Guang.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°If you scare him to death, I won¡¯t be able to squeeze some valuable info from him.¡±


    Tang Guang nodded slightly and threw Yao Guchun to the floor and flashed back to stand behind Tang Xiu.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s your name?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Guchun,¡± answered Yao Guchun after being silent for a while.


    ¡°Guchun is just your name. What I wanna know is your surname.¡± Tang Xiu rolled his eyes and mocked him. ¡°Don¡¯t try acting like a smartass. I can find your Darkwind organization¡¯s branch, so I can naturally find the name of who¡¯s in charge of the branch here. You¡¯ve just confirmed now that my suspicion about you is correct; isn¡¯t that right, Mr. Yao?¡±

 Chapter 972 - Only Dead Men Tell No Tales

    Chapter 972: Only Dead Men Tell No Tales


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Mr. Yao?


    In that instant, these two words sent a chill all over Yao Guchun¡¯s body. With fear now gushing out and reflecting in his eyes, the shadow of death seemed to have come to loom over his head. He had long hated Tang Xiu and wished that he could mutilate him to pieces, pulling out his tendons and skinning him alive. Yet, he didn¡¯t want to die. He must live and accumulate power. Only then would he be able to carry out his vendetta for the blood shed by his family.


    That¡¯s right. Yao is his family name, the Yao from Beijing, China.


    His family was once a force to be reckoned with in China and possessed great energy and power. He had been sent overseas by his family in secret, and after many years of operation, he succeeded in becoming an intelligence officer of the Darkwind organization before he was appointed as the Branch Supervisor in Saipan due to his merits. Those who knew about his identity even in House Yao were limited only to the Family Head and a very few senior members, so how could he not know Tang Xiu in front of him even though the others may not?


    ¡°Are you curious how I found out about it?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Standing up from the floor, Yao Guchun jumped two steps backwards vigilantly, putting his hands in his trouser¡¯s pockets. He asked with a bitter expression, ¡°I am. I¡¯m really curious how you found out that my surname is Yao. Not even the Darkwind¡¯s top management have been able to investigate my true identity no matter how pervasive their network is.¡±


    ¡°Well, it was just a guess,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°What?!¡± Yao Guchun stared blankly, but it was quickly replaced by anger as he growled, ¡°You just fucking set me up with your words, fucking bastard! You do want to completely annihilate us, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Tang Xiu raucously laughed and said, ¡°I did send my men to kill the core members and those whose combat prowess was enough to work for your family. But I have nothing to do with the rest of the ordinary members of your family, nor did I do anything to those average martial artists. Ask yourself who made your family be so arrogant and rely on their tyrannical power to offend people left and right? The Yao isolated themselves, which was the very cause of your own downfall. There were too many clans, families, forces, and people to count who immediately jumped out to beat your family right after your downfall. If you want to resent and hate someone, hate your own family for what they have done for so many years.¡±


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you; no, if it weren¡¯t for your Tang Family, how could my Yao Family have fallen so miserably?¡± roared Yao Guchun. ¡°I fucking hate you, yes. I can¡¯t wait to slice your flesh, skin you alive, drink your blood and eat your flesh, but what about it? I¡¯m the Saipan Branch Supervisor for the Darkwind organization, a senior officer of the Darkwind. Do you dare kill me?¡±


    Having said that, he pulled his hand out of his pocket, now holding a small black remote control. His finger was ready to press the red button on the remote.


    Tang Xiu creased his brows and had a bad hunch.


    It was a crisis!


    A sense of emergency intensely grew inside him at the moment Yao Guchun pulled out the remote control. A pang of regret also ate at his mind as to why he didn¡¯t directly kill Yao Guchun or had him under control, leading to a situation where he lost the ability to act.


    ¡°You have your own trump card, it seems,¡± said Tang Xiu slowly after being silent for several seconds.


    A ferocious look on his face, Yao Guchun growled, ¡°You guessed it. This is my trump card¡ªa life-saving one, making it so you won¡¯t dare to take any audacious and reckless move. This is the branch of the Darkwind in Saipan, the very place for us to be able to drag our enemies to hell with us. You didn¡¯t expect it, did you? This place has been rigged with highly explosive TNT everywhere. Once I press this button, all of them will detonate and everything will be blown into pieces.¡±


    Tang Xiu instantly unleashed his perception and quickly covered hundreds of meters area. Much to his dread, the said explosives had indeed been planted in several extremely hidden places in the surroundings. However, what he dreaded was not exactly the bombs in these places, but the ones deeper underground. Those gave him a dreadful sensation, almost like great suffering was looming over him, which could bring him death.


    ¡®With my Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis, I may be able to survive, albeit barely. But Mo Awu, Jin Shi and the rest who are also hiding here won¡¯t make it once all these explosives are detonated.¡¯


    ¡®Do I have to give up this chance to kill Yao Guchun? If I am to let him off this time, it¡¯s highly likely he¡¯ll pass on the intel about me to the Darkwind headquarters. Once it happens, they will definitely set their sight on me and do everything in their power to investigate anything about me. Regardless of how good the Everlasting Feast Hall has been concealing our existence, clues that eventually expose information about me are inevitable.¡¯


    ¡®Is there any way to kill Yao Guchun now while still preventing him from detonating the explosives?¡¯


    ¡®Should I order An to secretly assassinate him now? But this is not a realistic option, since it¡¯s unlikely for her to be able to prevent his finger from pressing the button the moment she acts.¡¯


    ¡®I don¡¯t think the Body Controlling Art is an option either as it¡¯s too late to cast it.¡¯


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Countless thoughts popped in and out of Tang Xiu¡¯s mind until he was finally at his wit¡¯s end. He then looked at Yao Guchun¡¯s ferocious expression and shook his head slowly.


    ¡°You win,¡± said Tang Xiu while looking at Yao Guchun. ¡°I can¡¯t kill you indeed. But you must promise me that no info about me will be passed to the Darkwind headquarters. I¡¯m sure you already know what I¡¯m capable of. If I want to kill you, even if you flee to the ends of the Earth, you will only have a dead end in any corner of the world.¡±


    Only then did Yao Guchun¡¯s tightened heart feel relaxed. He stared at Tang Xiu with a complicated expression before nodding. He didn¡¯t want to die. It was better to live than to die. As long as he was alive, everything was possible. He could achieve nothing while dead.


    Aside from that, Tang Xiu was correct. No matter where in the world he ran to hide at, he wouldn¡¯t be able to survive if Tang Xiu was really hell-bent on killing him.


    As someone in the management of the Darkwind, Yao Guchun was perfectly aware that interest and profit were the supreme code of his agency. As long as the interest and money were sufficient, the top management of the Darkwind organization wouldn¡¯t hesitate to sell him out should Tang Xiu decide to purchase him. So much so that his own employer would even send a lot of assassins to kill him if Tang Xiu was able to pay a lot.


    ¡°I give you my word.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Just remember the perpetual custom of the world, that those who have been defeated end up as villains and the victors turn into kings. The Yaos only have themselves to blame for their downfall that ended up at this fate. My Tang Family didn¡¯t take the initiative to go against your family. It was your family who wanted to take advantage of the weakened state of my Tang Family. You all had been coveting my family with your constant provocations and attacks. It is already doomed that you won¡¯t be able to enact revenge for your clansmen, so cast away your hatred for me.¡±


    For more than 10 seconds, Yao Guchun fell into silence before he said with a dull and gloomy expression, ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll never take the initiative to pass the information about you to my organization unless I¡¯m tired of living. But I assure you that I¡¯ll leave behind a contingency measure and the information about you will be on the desk of my Big Boss should you dare to kill me!¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself!¡±


    Tang Xiu replied and turned around to head to the door. Just as he stepped out of the room, he suddenly stopped his pace and looked at Yao Guchun, ¡°This is a deal between us, but I¡¯ll add another condition. Should you break today¡¯s deal, then all the clansmen of your Yao Family will follow you to Hell. You can rest assured that no matter how big the price I must pay, I¡¯ll investigate everyone with Yao blood in them, so play no tricks and behave yourself if you don¡¯t want your family bloodline to be completely exterminated.¡±


    With that said, Tang Xiu strode away.


    With seething killing intent inside him, Yao Guchun¡¯s finger on the hand that held the remote control was placed on the red button, and his eyes followed Tang Xiu out of the room. After seeing a lot of Darkwind people come rushing out to stop Tang Xiu and Mo Awu on the way out, he issued an order to them to not attempt to halt their departure. It wasn¡¯t until Tang Xiu and Mo Awu left the area did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.


    ¡®The top management will definitely hear the news that Tang Xiu and his men intruded this place today. I gotta think of a perfect way to solve this pressing issue. This Tang Xiu bastard is too bizarre. It seems like it¡¯s impossible for me to avenge my family in this life. But still, I must sort out and find any information about him and then hand it over to someone trustworthy. He can expect to have endless troubles haunting him if he dares to kill me.¡¯


    Yao Guchun turned back into the room but didn¡¯t put away the remote control. His finger was not even removed from the button.


    Time passed by and after a few hours, it was already late at night.


    Yao Guchun still observed the surroundings with a dead-serious expression. After he found that there wasn¡¯t the slightest sign of disturbance or sound in the surroundings, only then did he finally lift his finger from the remote control¡¯s button.


    Whish¡­


    Just half a meter away, a flickering light of a sword suddenly flashed and directly cut off Yao Guchun¡¯s arm, then beheading him. In that instant, the black-dressed Tang An appeared and snatched the remote control from the chopped arm¡¯s palm.


    As Yao Guchun¡¯s head was cut off, he continued to see the swirling and flashing world around him. He saw his headless body, as well as a female with a bronze mask take the remote control from his chopped arm.


    ¡®Fucking asshole. He didn¡¯t keep his word¡­¡¯


    ¡®Only dead men can tell no tales indeed¡­¡¯


    With these last two thoughts in mind, Yao Guchun¡¯s consciousness finally dispersed into nothingness.


    Tang An apathetically looked at Yao Guchun¡¯s dead body before her figure flickered and instantly disappeared out of thin air. In just dozens of seconds, she appeared a few kilometers away in front of Tang Xiu and called out while giving him the remote control.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    ¡°Well done.¡± Tang Xiu nodded in satisfaction and said, ¡°There¡¯s another task I need you to carry out. I want you to get all the information available here tonight, especially the list that records the Darkwind¡¯s members in Saipan. Once you get them, eliminate them no matter how many of them there are!¡±


    ¡°Consider it done!¡± replied Tang An.


    Her body then flickered and disappeared again. At the same time, Jin Shi and the rest simultaneously moved to lurk toward the Darkwind branch.


    Mo Awu, however, looked indifferent and asked, ¡°Would you like me to stay behind, Boss?¡±


    Tang Xiu handed the remote control to Mo Awu and nodded, ¡°There¡¯s no need to stay here after you¡¯ve accomplished the mission.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Mo Awu complied and quickly followed Jin Shi and the rest.

 Chapter 973 - Schemes Within Schemes

    Chapter 973: Schemes Within Schemes


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Lao Bay Resort.


    Tang Xiu began cultivating after returning to the villa Tom Reggie had arranged for him. He didn¡¯t cease cultivating as of late, but he hadn¡¯t had much progress after the battle at sea and on the barren island.


    He had been reminded once again by the fact that his power was still weak after tonight. If he was at least twice as strong as he was at the present, he wouldn¡¯t have been at his wits end when Yao Guchun held a remote control and threatened him with detonating the explosives.


    He only possessed a few Demon Stones, while he also hadn¡¯t gotten more of it from his deal with SIngluen so far. Nevertheless, even though the Demon Stone was dwindling, he still took out two more pieces and began to absorb and refine them, rapidly improving his strength.


    As morning came, while Tang Xiu was immersed in his cultivation, he suddenly felt a big tremor as though an earthquake had just begun and his eyes suddenly opened.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    His mobile phone rang.


    Tang Xiu grabbed his cell phone and quickly glanced at the caller on the screen. A smile immediately appeared on his face as he picked it up and said, ¡°Is it done?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been done, Boss.¡±


    It was Mo Awu¡¯s voice coming out of the phone.


    ¡°Well done,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯m waiting for you and the rest to come back, then.¡±


    After saying that, he directly hung up.


    10 minutes later, Tom Reggie came in a hurry. Upon seeing that Tang Xiu was standing on the second floor¡¯s open balcony facing and looking at the sea in the distance, he immediately shouted, ¡°Something happened, Boss!¡±


    Tang Xiu creased his brows and his figure floated down. After arriving in front of Tom Reggie, he asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I just got the news that there was a big explosion in the forested hill in the coastal area here,¡± said Tom Reggie, ¡°The explosion was so powerful that nearly all of the forest was blown up. I already sent my men to ask around. I heard that the forested hill was originally a Darkwind organization branch in Saipan.¡±


    ¡°Is that all?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®is that all¡¯, Boss? Is this just a minor matter?¡± asked Tom Reggie hurriedly. ¡°The Darkwind is the largest intelligence agency in the world and their branch in Saipan has been blown up. With serious casualties, this will definitely shock the world, Boss.¡±


    ¡°Pipe down, will you?¡± replied Tang Xiu. ¡°It¡¯s nothing but a small branch of the Darkwind organization in Saipan, no more; what¡¯s the big fuss for? Besides, it was Awu and the rest who did the work.¡±


    ¡°Ehh? What?!!¡±


    Tom Reggie was so dumbstruck his jaw went wide as he looked on in disbelief.


    ¡°The Darkwind organization has been monitoring you and Song Guanghai, but you both haven¡¯t found out about it yet,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°I ordered Jin Shi¡¯s team to neutralize all their intelligence personnel around you yesterday, and then I led them to the Darkwind organization branch last night. I just didn¡¯t expect that the Saipan Branch¡¯s Supervisor to be my former personal enemy, though. Hence why I might as well eliminate them directly once for all.¡±


    Tom Reggie gulped down and his head went blank, unable to express his feelings in words. The news he got mentioned that the big explosion killed at least a hundred people. But such a great disturbance turned out to be the work of the men sent by Tang Xiu?


    ¡®Damn. He¡¯s a true Grim Reaper!¡¯ whispered Tom Reggie inwardly while looking at Tang Xiu full of awe.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stare at me with that kind of look, will you?¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°All my enemies will meet their makers, while all my friends deserve peace and prosperity. The Darkwind is indeed the world¡¯s largest intelligence agency now, but the agency I¡¯ve established will definitely replace it in the future.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve established your own intelligence agency, Boss?¡± asked Tom Reggie hurriedly with a shocked face.


    ¡°Of course! If you want your own secret to be contained in the dark while obstructing others to investigate it, then you must become the Lord of the information network yourself,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°Now you realize that following me is a blessing, don¡¯t you? It¡¯s the same for Awu and the others. Not only am I bestowing you with strength, I am giving you opportunities, but you¡¯ll also face much more formidable enemies with me. If you can live to the end, you can also drive yourself to be one of the most powerful men in the world. But if you die earlier, then you can only be recorded in the monument tablet of our organization.¡±


    Opportunities and challenges were two sides of the same coin, and Tom Reggie also understood this principal truth. He also had his share of opportunities and challenges all these years. He had heard about the existence of dreadful characters, yet none of them could compare to Tang Xiu.


    A man must indeed strive and rely on himself to be strong, for those who are able to stand out from the rest in the world in the future are those who must pave their path through bloodshed and piles of corpses.


    An intense fighting spirit birthed inside Tom Reggie¡¯s heart. He was willing to devote his loyalty to a tough and fierce man like Tang Xiu. With this ambition in his heart, he also perfectly realized that he must follow Tang Xiu if he wanted to become stronger and achieve infinite success.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m devoting my life to you, Boss.¡±


    ¡°Those who are willing to entrust their life to me are my brothers,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Regardless of the countless dangers and crises that I¡¯ll come across along the journey, I¡¯ll try my best to ensure that my brothers stay alive. Keep striving hard since I think highly of you.¡±


    ¡°Will do!¡± firmly nodded Tom Reggie with a serious expression.


    Tang Xiu fished out a cigarette, but hadn¡¯t yet taken out a lighter before Tom Reggie quickly reached out with a lighter and ignited it for him.


    ¡°Tom, contact Uncle Song immediately. The big explosion in Saipan will definitely become a good opportunity that we can take advantage of,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Karst won¡¯t live past tonight, but throwing mud by blaming the explosion on him will depend on your ability to make use of it.¡±


    Tom Reggie¡¯s complexion turned a bit complicated but he still nodded and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll get in touch with him right away.¡±


    He was afraid. It was the dread that blasted into the sky, along with the admiration he had for Tang Xiu inside him. Each of Tang Xiu¡¯s works interlinked with another, leading to other purposes. Some people resorted to schemes and gained success over others, then reaping the benefits to become rich. But Tang Xiu¡¯s machination didn¡¯t stop at the fruition of schemes, but also to obtain more benefits for other purposes while making some others to be a scapegoat.


    While standing in the courtyard, Tang Xiu watched Tom Reggie leave with a satisfied feeling in his heart. He could tell that Tom Reggie had genuinely pledged his allegiance and loyalty to him now.


    The reason why he valued Tom Reggie was because he was aware of his usefulness¡ªusefulness that even exceeded Mo Awu¡¯s. Of course, it was not in martial arts prowess, but in terms of the ability to manage things.


    Mo Awu was very strong, and his ability to kill people was outstanding. But expecting him to achieve achievements like Tom Reggie had, who, by relying on his own ability, commingled in a certain place and formed his own force, was an extremely tall order for him.


    In a way, Mo Awu was a warrior or general, but he couldn¡¯t become a commander-in-chief. Tom Reggie could, on the other hand, could serve both as the general who could charge forward in the battlefield, as well as a natural commander-in-chief who mapped out strategies to lead his own army.


    ****


    Under the clear blue sky, a large luxurious yacht slowly stopped cruising on the rippling waves of the sea as melodious laughter spread out from it. On the liner, beauties were serving champagne, good wine, and other delicacies.


    A look of enjoyment and pleasure was plastered on Karst¡¯s face as both of his hands moved. A flirting master like he was, he teased and laughed again and again with more than a dozen belles in bikinis.


    Two stalwart men with cold expressions quietly stayed on guard in the yacht¡¯s cabin. Their expressions never changed in the slightest, even though they were surrounded by several belles in revealing clothes. They were completely ignoring them.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    A mobile phone rang out, and one of the big men took out his cell phone. He looked at his cell phone¡¯s screen before picking up the call and asking, ¡°Something happened?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Half a minute later, the sturdy men rushed forward and quickly reported to Karst, ¡°Something big just happened, Sir!¡±


    The smiling face of Karst receded and he fell into silence for a few seconds before motioning the girls to go out. Shortly after, there was only him and the stalwart men in the cabin. As the hatch was closed, he said with a sullen face, ¡°I¡¯ve just gone out for a vacation. Just two days in the last six months for fuck sake! You¡¯ve successfully ruined my mood. You¡¯ll know the result if the content of your report is something trifle.¡±


    ¡°The news I got said that there was a big explosion in the coastal forested hill of the Morsen area with a death toll of at least a hundred people. More accurately, the specific location of the big explosion is the Darkwind organization branch in Saipan.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!¡±


    Karst jumped up from the sofa all of a sudden with a horrified and stricken look.


    ¡°The news should be true since the cause of the big explosion was a large number of explosives stored in the explosion site,¡± continued the stalwart man. ¡°The death toll could¡¯ve been greater, up to tens of thousands, if those explosives were placed in the city.¡±


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    As his voice faded away, the cell phone rang again.


    The big man picked up the call once again. He stayed quiet and listened to the report for a while before he hung up and spoke, ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re in trouble, Sir.¡±


    ¡°What trouble?¡± asked Karst in a hurry.


    ¡°News has it that you were not able to tolerate the establishment of the Darkwind organization¡¯s branch in Saipan, so you sent your men to blow it up,¡± explained the big man. ¡°Also, some people said that you¡¯re going out on vacation in order to avoid suspicion. Shortly speaking, the fact that you¡¯re out on vacation has been spread out.¡±


    ¡°This is sheer fabrication!¡± roared Karst furiously. ¡°Someone is framing me and making me the scapegoat!¡±


    ¡°Be that it may, the troublesome issue is that several dead bodies of your bodyguards have been found in the explosion site,¡± said the stalwart man. ¡°There are also forged traces of a fight there, so¡­¡±


    At this instant, Karst realized the seriousness of the issue. The first thought that came to his mind was his political enemy, Song Guanghui, a man he suspected as the prime culprit who framed him.


    With a seething murderous aura, Karst ordered, ¡°Get in touch with Blanc and Tom Reggie. Someone is conspiring against me, but I won¡¯t sit still and wait for death. If he wants to fight, then I¡¯ll just rip everything and let hell loose!¡± shouted Karst with a voice that carried his murderous intent.


    ¡°Aah¡­¡±


    ¡°God! Is that a man?¡±


    ¡°Am I dreaming? How is this possible?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Exclamations and screams from the girls were heard from the outside of the cabin.


    Karst and the stalwart men exchanged glances. The two men suddenly realized something and immediately rushed out of the cabin. When they came to the deck above, the sight that appeared before their eyes was a handsome youth in white attire treading on the water dozens of meters away, walking toward the ship step by step.

 Chapter 974 - The Death of Karst

    Chapter 974: The Death of Karst


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Karst was unable to believe what he was witnessed. He had never believed in any existence of a god in the world as he was an atheist. Yet, a scene that depicted a god-like existence which could only appear on TV was taking place before his eyes at this moment.


    ¡®Am¡­ Am I¡­ having a dream? Is this an illusion?¡¯


    Shaking his head hard, Karst looked around. As he saw all of his men and the bikini girls wearing dumbstruck expressions with eyes trained on the handsome youth trodding the surface of the water towards them, he realized that neither was it a dream or illusion clouding his eyes.


    ¡°Are you Karst, the governor of Saipan?¡±


    There was a smile on Tang Guang¡¯s face, yet his eyes gave off a vibe of murderous intent somehow. Although he had received information that Karst took several of his men and brought a lot of ¡®butterfly socialites¡¯ on vacation at sea, he still had to spend quite a lot of energy and effort to find this man.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± asked Karst, vigilantly looking at Tang Guang.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know who I am.¡± Tang Guang shook his head and smiled. ¡°Just answer me. Are you Karst, the Governor of Saipan? Of course, you can refuse to answer, but for the price of your dead body becoming food for the fishes.¡±


    Karst moved his hands to his back, only to find that his gun, usually holstered behind him, was left in the cabin. However, his eyes swept to his two men on either side of him before immediately moving. He quickly unholstered one of their guns, aiming its muzzle and saying in a deep, cold voice, ¡°That¡¯s correct. I¡¯m Karst. Your distinguished self has a special background and is doing something I thought that only God could do. But I just recalled something all of a sudden; that you¡¯re not any god, for this world has no god whatsoever!¡±


    ¡°Who said I¡¯m not a god?¡± teased Tang Guang with a smile. ¡°Many people view me as a god.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡± Karst sneered and said, ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re just a quite powerful ability user, no more. Your special ability should be water manipulation, right?¡±


    ¡°Me, an ability user?¡± responded Tang Guang with contempt. ¡°You actually are comparing me to those ability users? Do feast your eyes carefully on what I¡¯m capable of doing!¡±


    Having said that, he slowly raised his arm. Two blobs of flame suddenly appeared on his palm that immediately invited exclamations of shock from the girls in bikinis on the yacht.


    Pupils shrunk, Karst said with a shocked voice, ¡°You are an Elementalist with water and fire attributes? You¡­ who¡­ exactly are you?¡±


    Rolling his eyes in response, Tang Guang coldly snorted and said, ¡°You got a frozen brain, huh? What a retard!¡±


    The instant after, the two flames floating above his palms flashed and hit the yacht, leading to a violent explosion the moment they hit, killing Karst, his two bodyguards and all the bikini girls in just a second.


    ¡°Heng¡­¡± a cold snort was heard.


    Tang An in her usual black suit and bronze mask coldly glanced at the exploding yacht and the floating corpses on the sea surface as she indifferently said, ¡°You made a mistake. You talked too much, making you an unqualified assassin.¡±


    ¡°Who said that I¡¯m an assassin in the first place?¡± grinned Tang Guang after turning around, ¡°I¡¯m always a warrior who openly charges forward in battle. It¡¯s your role as an assassin who strikes from the dark, An.¡±


    ¡°Heh, ambushes and surprise attacks are always the better fight in battle,¡± sneered Tang An, ¡°It¡¯s best for you to learn spacetime-based spells, you know!¡±


    ¡°What I need is a higher level of cultivation and individual combat force, though you would definitely benefit from spacetime-based spells yourself.¡± Tang Guang waved and said, ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve told me this countless times already; aren¡¯t you getting tired of bothering me? Haih, it seems that I need to speak with Boss whether he can keep you guarding him, saving myself from having you pester me every day.¡±


    Tang An glared at him before she released her sword out of thin air. Sword energy then flashed, precisely striking all the dead bodies. Her figure then flickered and disappeared into the air.


    Tang Guang rolled his eyes in response before he turned around and flashed in the direction of Saipan.


    ****


    Tang Xiu enjoyed himself in the villa of the Lao Bay Resort, sunbathing and allowing the sea breeze to massage his skin. At the moment, he remembered Zhang Xinya since he felt that if she were to come back with him at this moment, she probably would stay by his side, massaging his arms and legs and devoting herself to serve him with her lovable manner.


    As of late, she had practically been staying around him constantly and literally agreed to his every activity. She kept accompanying him often whenever he had things to do as long as they were together. But this time, Zhang Xinya didn¡¯t come with him. She said that she liked Nine Dragons Island and was prepared to stay for a while there, mentioning that she should give herself a holiday and vacation.


    Whoosh!


    A blurry figure flashed from a distance and appeared in front of Tang Xiu in the blink of an eye. It was Tang An with her usual black robe and bronze mask as she greeted respectfully, ¡°Karst is dead, Grand Master.¡±


    ¡°With you doing the job, I can rest assured about that, An,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Also, where¡¯s Guang? How come you¡¯ve reported alone?¡±


    ¡°Ah, about brother¡­.¡± Replied Tang An with a helpless expression, ¡°He¡­ he went to find himself a woman.¡±


    ¡°Ehh?!¡± Tang Xiu stared blankly and asked in a surprise, ¡°He actually went out to find himself a woman? Is he in love with someone?¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ the woman he¡¯s looking for is not a decent one,¡± said Tang An with a resentful face. ¡°He just dumped himself into some obscene place in the resort, justifying it by saying he is venting his murderous impulse.¡±


    ¡°Pfft.. haha¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head with an expression between tears and laughter. ¡°I thought that Tang Guang had a different sexual orientation and didn¡¯t like women. It turns out¡­ well, let him be. Let him do what he wants. It¡¯s normal for men to vent out their physiological needs, to begin with.¡±


    The response, however, made Tang An zone out, and she replied with a helpless face again, ¡°Boss, I see you as a person with a proper manner. How can you indulge your subordinate with drowning himself in such a messy obscenity? What I want to say is, you should drag my brother out and give him a hard lesson, then give him a death command to never fool around with such women in the future.¡±


    Her request made Tang Xiu force out a wry smile. ¡°I don¡¯t think I have the right to poke my nose into his private affairs, do I? Tang Guang is a grown-up man and he has his own preferences. I may be his Grand Master, but it¡¯s not like his affairs are something I must manage. An, he¡¯s indeed your brother, but I advise you to give him some space with his private life. Besides, he won¡¯t act so unruly and indulge himself anymore once he has enough playing around or has met the woman he loves in the future. Then what about you? You¡¯re also an adult, and you should also have some time for your love life and find yourself a good boyfriend, no? Our Everlasting Feast Hall has many good men. Do you have anyone that has entered your eyes?¡±


    Having the topic rebounded back at her by Grand Master was something Tang An never expected to occur. Ever since she met and stayed around Tang Xiu, she came to a realization that other men simply couldn¡¯t compare to her Grand Master. Despite the fact that he was a bit a fickle in love affairs and also had many women, he was an outstanding man given that he was not the kind who indulged himself in debauchery and slept with women without any sort of affection whatsoever. Just this sense of responsibility was countless times better than her own big brother.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I can tell you that, Grand Master.¡±


    Tang An stomped her feet with womanly shyness on her face before she disappeared.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu raucously laughed. As he stopped laughing, he fished out his cell phone and dialed a number. After his call got picked up, he said, ¡°Karst is dead and the following matter will be yours to take on, Uncle. I¡¯m leaving Saipan with my men tomorrow to go to Bangkok to deal with something.¡±


    ¡°Great! Worry not about that. There won¡¯t be any problem with me and Tom Reggie here,¡± a pleasantly surprised voice belonging to Song Guanghui came replying from the phone.


    Tang Xiu replied shortly and then hung up directly.


    ****


    Early in the morning, as the first ray of sunlight greeted the world, Tang Xiu, who was sitting cross-legged on the reef on the beach, opened his eyes. He had spent all night absorbing the magical force in the Demon Stone, causing the planet in space inside his body to slightly enlarge. The other exoplanets, however, were still lifeless and unchanged.


    ¡°Grand Master.¡±


    Looking highly spirited, Tang Guang stood several meters away in front of Tang Xiu. He immediately floated forward upon seeing Tang Xiu wake up from his cultivation state and respectfully greeted.


    ¡°Had some fun and enjoyed yourself yesterday?¡± asked Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°Well, your little sis came running to me and complained about it, you know.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Tang Guang stared blankly and immediately let out a dry smile. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll pay attention to it later, Grand Master.¡±


    ¡°Nah, there¡¯s no need to take any action. I don¡¯t care about that.¡± Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°Just try to hide it from the sight of women, though, and do pay attention to safety measures if you don¡¯t know the exact details of your partners. Anyway, I don¡¯t want to give you a sermon on this matter. Just tell Awu and the rest to pack up. We¡¯re leaving.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, Singluen wants to see you, Grand Master,¡± said Tang Guang. ¡°He¡¯s been waiting for you for several hours. I was going to wake you up, but he told me not to.¡±


    ¡°Is it urgent?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a frown.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly what the matter is, but it seems urgent given his expression,¡± answered Tang Guang.


    Tang Xiu nodded and turned his head to look towards the direction of a sound of approaching steps dozens of meters away. His eyes then caught Singluen treading toward his position, and he flickered to appear before him, asking, ¡°Something happened?¡±


    ¡°I just received a summon to return to the clan, Mr. Tang. The order was issued by my Father last night,¡± said Singluen hurriedly. ¡°I must return to the clan no matter where I am, so I¡¯m afraid that something has happened.¡±


    ¡°An order to return to the clan?¡± Tang Xiu frowned.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a death decree that only the Clan Patriarch can issue,¡± explained Singluen. ¡°Any members of the Dark Shaman Clan, regardless who and wherever they are, must return to the clan at once. In the past, it has been issued by the Patriarch when my clan encountered a life-and-death crisis. I never thought that it would also be issued again now.¡±


    ¡°Is your Dark Shaman currently facing some troubles?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I just called my men in Bangkok a few hours ago. He hadn¡¯t heard anything about the crisis facing my clan.¡± Singluen shook his head.


    A particular expression flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes, and he said in a deep voice, ¡°I need you to answer a question honestly. If your father must select a successor, who do you think he will choose? You, or your big brother?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve long thought about this matter and have already reached a conclusion about it,¡± said Singluen with a bitter expression. ¡°No matter how much I don¡¯t want to admit it, the fact is that I know my Father will definitely choose my big brother.¡±

 Chapter 975 - You Deserve To Be Packed Up

    Chapter 975: You Deserve To Be Packed Up


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    ¡°Haih, your old man seems to have really chosen your older brother.¡± While looking at Singluen¡¯s bitter expression, Tang Xiu sighed, ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s just a veiled scheme to strike you when you go back this time. If your father indeed acts against you, then you must be prepared for the next thing we¡¯re going to face¡ªyour entire clan.¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t believe my father will act to strike me personally.¡± Singluen shook his head. ¡°My position in his heart may not be as high as my big brother, but I¡¯m sure he still cares a lot about me.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope so.¡± Tang Xiu was cautious and said, ¡°However, we still have to be prepared to guard against any attack from the forces under your Dark Shaman clan after returning to Thailand. It seems the previous plan to go back there openly must change.¡±


    ¡°What plan?¡± asked Singluen with a changed expression.


    His question was not answered by Tang Xiu, who instead looked at Tang Guang and ordered, ¡°Find a way to contact Snakehead to sneak us into Bangkok from Saipan. You and An will go with me. Tell Awu and the rest to find a way to follow us on their own.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll arrange it immediately.¡± Tang Guang nodded.


    As noon came, two off-road cars quickly headed for the port, rumored as a property of the fourth powerful figure in Saipan. The port was a small, but it still had several cargo ships anchored there.


    At present, more than a dozen black-suited middle-aged men with sunglasses stood around a black youth standing by several off-road cars. The youth was talking to a lean man wearing a long robe with a flower pattern and a cap, yet their exchange looked icy and tense.


    ¡°We¡¯ll sail 15 minutes from now. I don¡¯t give a fuck who you are. The schedule has been set and that¡¯s it. Find yourself other means to leave here if you don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll transfer 1 million dollars to your account if you set sail now,¡± said the black young man in fluent English.


    A look of greed flashed in the thin middle-aged man¡¯s eyes, but it was soon replaced by hesitation as he stubbornly shook his head. ¡°No. This is our rule and I can¡¯t break it. What¡¯s more, your group is not the only guest we have. There are some other groups, so wait for them before we set sail.¡±


    His response made the black youth spit out curses. The dozen stalwart men around him quickly pulled out their pistols and aimed at the thin middle-aged man. Right as their muzzles were aimed at him, however, a group of people looking like simple fishermen appeared all of a sudden. These men and women emitted out intense killing aura. Each of them was armed with submachine guns and rifles, while the stalwart men had only pistols.


    Upon realizing the situation, the black youth immediately raised his hand and said, ¡°Alright! You won buddy! Just hope that we won¡¯t bump into each other again in the future.¡±


    With that said, he led a dozen strongmen and quickly boarded the nearest cargo ship.


    Tang Guang, who had been following Tang Xiu, watched the scene in front with a contemptuous look, whispering, ¡°That¡¯s just a frequent scene we¡¯ll see among smugglers, Boss. Some who are lucky will reach their destination, but those with bad luck will only get robbed and thrown into the sea as corpses. It seems like we¡¯re about to get some tough guys this time.¡±


    ¡°Do you think they are tough?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Nah. Not to us, but to average people, yes.¡± Tang Guang shook his head and added, ¡°For laymen, those guys are very hard to deal with, especially those who just boarded the ship. They should have killed many people in the past.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for us to complicate things.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°We just need to arrive in Bangkok secretly. If they don¡¯t provoke us, just ignore them unless they wanna court death.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Tang Guang nodded.


    Quickly after, Tang Xiu¡¯s group of nine came to the front of the thin man. Tang Guang quickly made several gestures to him and then paced forward and said, ¡°I already transferred the money to your account this morning. My group¡¯s code is Shadow of Ghost.¡±


    ¡°No need to speak much since you already know the procedure.¡± The middle-aged man looked at the group and said, ¡°But keep in mind to obey our arrangements along the journey, lest you want to face us. Alright, get on board! We¡¯ll set sail in ten minutes.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s another thing I wanna know,¡± said Tang Guang. ¡°How many people are you smuggling this time?¡±


    The lean man looked at Tang Guang with a slightly surprised expression and grinned, ¡°Well, well. It seems like I¡¯m facing a group who has been in the business for a long time, huh? Alright, there¡¯s no harm in telling you, though. We already got 40 souls with us going to Bangkok this time; combined with you lot, it will be almost 50 in total. But you gotta be careful, dude. Those shits who just boarded the ship are no saints. We¡¯ll do nothing if you get into a conflict with them along the journey.¡±


    ¡°Roger that,¡± said Tang Guang.


    A little bit later, everyone had boarded the cargo ship. The ship was very dirty, and one could see garbage and dirt everywhere, along with tons of scattered goods all over. As everyone entered the ship, they could all smell a faint stench from the cabin. The situation inside was abysmal, with people scattered among the goods in groups of three to five, although there were also groups with seven or eight people.


    Furthermore, old and young men and women were also seen on the ship. The most noticeable was a young, ordinary-looking woman with braided hair and two mixed-race children not much older than seven in tow.


    Tang Guang flipped his hand and took out a dagger as he strode to the inside corner. He glared at the three men sitting there and coldly said, ¡°Scram. This spot is ours.¡±


    The three men looked at Tang Xiu and Singluen¡¯s group and quickly exchanged glances before standing up to hide elsewhere.


    Tang Xiu just let out a faint smile. When he passed by the woman, he threw a few candies to the two children and then went to the corner to sit down.


    Afterward, several other small groups of smugglers came aboard, each group with four people at the most, including group of two and a lone traveler.


    10 minutes later, the thin middle-aged guy came in from the outside with two young men armed with submachine guns. The former glanced coldly around the cabin and loudly said, ¡°Welcome aboard, everyone. It¡¯s an honor to have you all aboard. I¡¯m Mark, the Head of Snakehead. I¡¯ll tell you all in advance about the journey. We¡¯re going to stop by an island midway; there, other ships will pick you up and bring you to your destination. One thing you must do is obey the rules on my ship. For those who dare to cause trouble, I warn you that the gun in my hands will deal with you no matter who you are.¡±


    The ship then started cruising.


    A few hours later, the ship had cruised further a ways away from Saipan. There was nothing to be seen but the endless blue ocean. It was the afternoon and the sun was very bright, sending its warmness and comfortable light into the cabin through the window.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry, Mom,¡± a feeble voice drifted over from afar.


    Tang Xiu looked at the source of the voice and saw the boy on the left side of the woman, stroking his belly.


    The woman gritted her teeth, tears visibly hanging on her eyelids. She reached out to hug the little boy and whispered, ¡°Little Bu dear, Mom didn¡¯t bring any food this time since we were in a hurry to leave. Please endure it for some time. Mom will immediately buy some meals for you once we arrive in Bangkok.¡±


    Despite his disappointment, the little boy nodded silently.


    Tang Xiu sighed inwardly. He put his hand into his clothes¡¯ pocket and secretly took out three bars of chocolate from his interspatial ring. Then, he stretched out his hand to throw them over to the mother and children, saying faintly, ¡°Adults can endure hunger, but growing children can¡¯t. Hearing you speak, you are from China, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    With a slightly changed expression, a look of vigilance could be seen on Zuo Qing¡¯s face. She shot a deep look at Tang Xiu before picking up the chocolate bars in front of her to give to the two children. ¡°Thank you. We¡¯re indeed Chinese.¡±


    Tang Xiu just nodded in response and didn¡¯t speak again.


    At this time, the black youth looked at Tang Xiu before he shifted his attention to the woman and her children. He suddenly whispered to the men around him. Two ferocious-looking Caucasian big men then came to the mother and children and quickly snatched the chocolate bars in the children¡¯s hands and then walked back to give them to the black youth.


    Tang Xiu knitted his brows and looked at the two children. Their faces were scowling, but they didn¡¯t dare to speak. Tang Xiu then shifted his eyes to the black youth and faintly said, ¡°Give it back to those children and I¡¯ll let this go. Otherwise, you can expect to end up miserable!¡±


    The black young man looked at Tang Xiu and his men while also observing Singluo¡¯s group, especially the five white-haired old men and the feminine, delicate woman. He suddenly said to his men, ¡°I fucking hate those who threaten me. Go and grab all the food they have. Give them some bullets should they dare to refuse, and throw their corpses to feed the sea critters.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Four big men then pulled out their pistols and hideously grinned as they walked over to Tang Xiu¡¯s group.


    Seeing the four big men walking over with guns in their hands, Zuo Qing¡¯s pupils contracted and fear was evident in her eyes. However, just as those four big men were about to arrive in front of Tang Xiu¡¯s group, she immediately shouted, ¡°Please don¡¯t disturb them. We don¡¯t want that chocolate!¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up, BITCH!¡±


    A big man turned his head and ferociously glared at Zuo Qing, cursing her.


    SLAP!


    A loud slap was heard in the cabin as Tang Guang moved lightning-fast, striking with his palm to slap and kick the strongman¡¯s chest, sending him flying seven-plus meters backwards to heavily smash against a pile of goods. He then coldly shouted, ¡°Your fucking guns are nothing to those who are truly strong. You deserve to be killed for going against my Grand Master!¡±


    ¡°FUCKING ASSHOLE!¡±


    The other three strongmen had enormously changed faces. They instantly unlocked their guns¡¯ safety locks and aimed the muzzles at Tang Guang with fury. Just as they were about to pull the trigger, however, the dagger that circled around Tang Guang¡¯s hand instantly swept over their necks, followed by a swift kick. Blood splattered, and their dead bodies flung several metes backwards before heavily slamming against the floor.


    Tang Xiu saw that Zuo Qing quickly covered the two children¡¯s eyes and indifferently said, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have used such bloody means in front of children, Guang. Throw their bodies outside and directly neutralize those who try to stop you!¡±

 Chapter 976 - I’m not A Busybody

    Chapter 976: I¡¯m not A Busybody


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The black youth got up from the bench and glared at Tang Xiu as he and the rest of his men pulled out their pistols. Right as they aimed the muzzles at Tang Xiu, however, Tang Guang¡¯s chilling voice sounded, ¡°Put the gun down if you don¡¯t wanna die here. I already told you that your gun is useless and is nothing but a toy in my eyes.¡±


    ¡°What fucking arrogance!¡± shouted the black youth.


    A chilling light flashed in Tang Guang¡¯s eyes. The dagger in his hand instantly shot at the guy¡¯s wrist. As the fella¡¯s pistol fell to the floor, the delicate woman bounced up a few times and appeared in front of the seven or so big men as the silver thread in her palm swept at them, directly cutting off their wrists that held their guns, causing their wrists to fall onto the floor along with their pistols.


    In that instant, all the smuggled people inside the cabin were stricken with panic, looking incredulously at Tang Guang and the delicate woman racing hearts.


    At the doorway of the cabin, the lean middle-aged man who constantly looked drowsy suddenly raised his head and indifferently said, ¡°Go fucking outside if you wanna shed blood here. I hate the smell of blood, though I don¡¯t mind the making of bloody scenes.¡±


    Tang Xiu shot a look at the black guy and his men whining in pain. He shook his head and said, ¡°Let¡¯s stop here and now since the Snakehead Boss already said that he doesn¡¯t like the smell of blood. And you, black dude. I don¡¯t care who you are and what background you have. Just carve in your mind that I¡¯m not one who you can afford to provoke on this ship. Just behave if you still value your life.¡±


    The black guy glared at Tang Xiu with visible hatred. He gritted his teeth and sat back on the bench. Despite everything, he couldn¡¯t cast away a deep fear in his heart toward Tang Xiu since he was well aware that each of his men was comparable to experts who were able to contend with a group of average people. Yet, they didn¡¯t even have any chance to fight back at all when facing a single man and woman. They had been easily dealt with even after they had pulled their guns out.


    These people were experts and ones that were very powerful.


    The turn of events that evolved to this dramatic outcome was out of Zuo Qing¡¯s expectation. The reason why she spoke out was because of her gratitude to Tang Xiu for giving her children candy and chocolate bars, while she also worried that he would be bullied by these men. However, it never came to her mind that the real ruthless man turned out to be this good-looking and kindhearted young man.


    At this time, she secretly glanced at Tang Xiu, while Tang Xiu himself was keenly aware that she was peeking at him. He just let out a smile towards her and lightly said, ¡°Thank you for the warning. It¡¯s fate that brought us to meet, which was the reason why I protected you and your children.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Zuo Qing with gratitude.


    Previously, she had been worrying that the process of people smuggling was dangerous. And now, she had witnessed it personally, thus causing her worries to grow deeper, and she even feared that they would encounter an accident on the ship. But her restlessness subsided a lot after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words.


    Yet, she couldn¡¯t cast away the familiar feeling she had with Tang Xiu. She felt that she had seen him somewhere, and the thought kept popping up even though she couldn¡¯t remember where from.


    After a long while, she suddenly emboldened herself to look at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Do you know someone named Zuo Daquan?¡±


    Zuo Daquan?


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t know about him.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    A disappointed expression flashed in Zuo Qing¡¯s eyes. Her father was once a very famous character in China and had extensive connections. If it wasn¡¯t because he had provoked a very powerful family, he wouldn¡¯t have fled from China and lived abroad while hiding their name.


    This time, her husband¡¯s family had been defeated, while her husband died in a strange car accident. Being alone, helpless, and with no one to turn to, her only option was taking her two children back to her father overseas. However, so as to avoid being traced by their enemy while looking for her father abroad, she contacted a few close brothers of her father who could only take her two twin children to enter Saipan illegally. She had to leave Saipan on a smuggling ship to Thailand afterwards.


    Tang Guang, who had returned to Tang Xiu¡¯s side, looked a bit surprised and whispered, ¡°I know about Zuo Daquan and I once met him, Boss. It¡¯s just I don¡¯t know whether he and the man she just mentioned are the same person.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡± asked Tang Xiu. ¡°Who exactly is this Zuo Daquan?¡±


    ¡°He was quite a famous character in the southern provinces some time ago,¡± answered Tang Guang in a whisper. ¡°Although he didn¡¯t have a direct connection to the highest officials in the country, he was still considered a powerful figure. He¡¯s a businessman, a big one who practically can make money out of anything. But about a decade ago, he had to abandon most of his family¡¯s business and fled abroad because he offended the Huang Family from the Fukang province.¡±


    The Huang Family?


    A smile appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s as he inquired again, ¡°Do you know the cause of the conflict?¡±


    ¡°That I don¡¯t know, but Sis Xiaxue definitely knows about it,¡± answered Tang Guang.


    Tang Xiu took out his cell phone before remembering that he was at sea right now with no signal. Then, he stood up to walk to Zuo Qing¡¯s side. After sitting cross-legged, he took out two bars of chocolate and handed them over to her as he looked at Zuo Qing and said, ¡°Well, I got nothing to do anyway, so tell me what happened between your old man with the Huang Family.¡±


    The statement made Zuo Qing¡¯s expression enormously changed. She quickly hugged her two sons with fear in her eyes, saying, ¡°You just said that you never heard of Zuo Daquan? How did you¡­. how did you know¡­ the matter between him and the Huang?¡±


    ¡°I have never heard of him, but my subordinate knows something about it,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Zuo Qing shot a look at Tang Guang and asked with hesitation, ¡°Who exactly are you? Are you someone working for the Huang Family?¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t misunderstand me.¡± Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°I¡¯m not one of them.¡±


    The answer made Zuo Qing relaxed, but still very vigilant, ¡°You haven¡¯t answered my first question; who are you?¡±


    ¡°Well, lemme introduce myself then.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and answered, ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu; that¡¯s the Tang character of the Tang Dynasty, and Xiu meaning cultivating. What¡¯s yours?¡±


    ¡°My name is Zuo Qing,¡± replied Zuo Qing. The instant after, a thought suddenly flashed in her mind and a look of disbelief quickly appeared on her face as she exclaimed, ¡°I remember you. You¡¯re the young Divine Doctor Tang Xiu!¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but chuckle and said, ¡°Ah, I never thought that I was so famous. To think that I would meet people on a smuggling sea amid the vast ocean that turn out to recognize me.¡±


    The moment Zuo Qing recognized Tang Xiu, most of the fear in her heart instantly dissipated. Although it was her first-time meeting Tang Xiu in person, she had long heard the resounding reputation of the young Divine Doctor. Most importantly, all the reports about him were positive.


    Thus, she concluded that this young man must be a good person!


    ¡°Are these little guys your sons?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°They are cute twin brothers.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they are my sons.¡± Zuo Qing nodded with a bitter face. ¡°Accidents befell my family, and only the three of us have survived. I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here, Divine Doctor Tang. I often heard about your name before.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°So, tell me about the matter between your father and the Huang! I think you should be very clear about the story from the beginning to end, no?¡±


    ¡°You already guessed that Zuo Daquan is my father, so I¡¯ll not hide it from you,¡± whispered Zuo Qing. ¡°It happened 10 years ago; I was less than 20 years old at the time. My father clashed with the Huang from the Fukang province over a business matter, which concluded in the defeat of my father after losing big in their battle. In a rage, my father sent his men to secretly attack Huang Jinfu, the younger brother of the current Huang Family¡¯s Patriarch, and severely wounded him.


    ¡°At first, my father thought that he could handle the Huang by relying on his own ability since they only had power. But it turned out that the Huang Family¡¯s power far surpassed my father¡¯s calculations, thus leading to the deaths or crippling of many of his men, leading to the take over of his business. If he hadn¡¯t of escaped quickly, he would¡¯ve also lost his life by the Huang Family¡¯s hands.¡±


    ¡°Your father should¡¯ve started his enterprise from the bottom up, right?¡± asked Tang Xiu suddenly.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. My father was once a poor man coming out of the countryside.¡± Zuo Qing nodded. ¡°Later on, he relied on his own abilities and amassed hundreds of millions in assets. It was the very reason that he gradually changed and was somewhat arrogant, which eventually led to him provoking people he shouldn¡¯t have.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°But this is just a grievance of the past. I think the Huang Family should have forgotten the grudge by now. So, the reason why the three of you are sailing abroad now is to go back to see your father then?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Zuo Qing nodded and said, ¡°My husband passed away after he got in a bizarre car accident, and his family¡¯s business went bankrupt all of a sudden. Although I don¡¯t have any evidence, I guessed that it was because of the hands of the Huang Family. Further, I¡¯m afraid that I will become the next victim of the Huang¡¯s retaliation if I keep staying in the mainland, so my only option is to take my two children and flee overseas. The Huang¡­ are too ruthless. They just simply want none of us to survive.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something that makes me curious, though,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°The Huang knew that you¡¯re in China for more than a decade, so why didn¡¯t they retaliate against you earlier and only act now?¡±


    ¡°That was because of my husband,¡± answered Zuo Qing with a helpless face. ¡°He got drunk and then blabbered about our identity. Back then, I attended a boarding school since my father feared that I would become the target of those people who he had offended due to his business. He concealed my existence, so the Huang had been unable to find me until lately.¡±


    ¡°Haih. It seems that the retribution for the bad deeds that were done by your father in the past now fall on you.¡± Tang Xiu sighed as he understood the whole story. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯ve already brought your two sons to live abroad, so live your life well! I¡¯ll try to call Huang Jinfu from the Huang Family and hope that he won¡¯t pursue you anymore.¡±


    ¡°You know the Huang Family¡¯s Patriarch, Huang Jinfu?¡± asked Zuo Qing with a surprised face.


    ¡°Yeah. I know him.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    The answer made Zuo Qing suddenly restless and nervous. ¡°D-Divine Doctor Tang¡­ you¡­ are you going to tell the Huang where the three of us are heading to?¡±


    Seeing her anxious and worried face, Tang Xiu let out a light smile and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I rarely meddle in others¡¯ business. Besides, our meeting is preordained by fate and I have a good relationship with the Huang, so I might as well help you in passing! But keep mind to cast away any thoughts of enacting revenge in the future. Forget everything about their relation to the death of your husband or how your family went bankrupt. The Huang are not any average clan you can provoke, lest you stain your children¡¯s hearts with hatred.¡±

 Chapter 977 - Helping Out Till End

    Chapter 977: Helping Out Till End


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    ¡°We¡¯re already content if we can live safely. How can we even have the thought of revenge?¡± said Zuo Qing with a bitter expression, ¡°All I can ask is to have the hatred of the Huang Family to go away and no longer trouble us.¡±


    Tang Xiu then looked at the cabin entrance and asked aloud, ¡°Hey, Snakehead Boss. How long does it take to get a signal for a cell phone?¡±


    The middle-aged man glanced at him and answered, ¡°We¡¯ll reach the midway island for you to change ship in four hours. Only then will you be able to receive a cell signal. However, none of you are allowed to make a phone call.¡±


    ¡°How about letting me make a phone call, or simply letting me slaughter all of you?¡± asked Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°It¡¯s your call, though.¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he shot a deep look at Tang Xiu for a long time before he silently nodded and spoke out, ¡°Your men are very strong, and we don¡¯t want trouble. But keep in mind that we are never to see each other again once you leave this ship.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got my word.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Time passed by and noon of the next day of the journey quickly came in the blink of an eye. After a day of sailing, the cargo ship smoothly arrived in Manila. Now with a signal, Tang Xiu dialed the phone number of Huang Jinfu, the Huang Family¡¯s Head, in front of Zuo Qing.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Tang,¡± a pleasantly surprised voice belonging to Huang Jingfu came out of the phone.


    ¡°Have you been well, Family Head Huang?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s not bad, thanks.¡± Huang Jinfu replied with a happy voice, ¡°Well, is there anything I can do for you since you¡¯ve contacted me, Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d like to ask a favor from you,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Please tell me directly, Mr. Tang. As long as it¡¯s within my means¡­ or what the Huang can achieve, we¡¯ll definitely try our best,¡± replied Huang Jinfu hurriedly.


    ¡°It¡¯s about Zuo Daquan; you should know about him,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I and his daughter, Zuo Qing, have a bit of a relationship, so I learned about the animosity between you both and I want to be the peacemaker. Anyway, the grudge from the past has been kept far too long, right, Huang Jinfu? Can you consider letting it go?¡±


    The question made Huang Jinful fall into silence for a while before his wry voice replied back, ¡°If it is your wish, then my family will pursue it no longer, Mr. Tang. Though I¡¯m afraid that I can¡¯t suppress my younger brother on this matter.¡±


    ¡°As I heard it, your younger brother was injured in the past. How¡¯s his condition now?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°He stayed in bed for more than a decade, and is said to be crippled for the rest of his life,¡± answered Huang Jinfu with a bitter voice. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the great effort by my family to sustain his life with medication, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to survive.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m currently overseas, but I¡¯ll find time to visit your younger brother once I return,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with his disability problem!¡±


    ¡°If you can cure my younger brother, ah¡­ no, no, no. I talked too much. With Mr. Tang¡¯s great medical skills, I don¡¯t think any symptoms are outside of your ability,¡± said Huang Jinfu excitedly. ¡°I¡¯ll prepare lavish gifts for you after you return to the mainland and visit my younger brother¡¯s home.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll visit for his treatment, but there¡¯s no need for any gifts. Well, there¡¯s nothing else to speak about, so see you later.¡±


    Tang Xiu directly hung up after he said that. He had his phone on speakerphone while talking with Huang Jinfu, so Zuo Qing was able to hear the conversation.


    At this moment, despite the shock she had due to Tang Xiu¡¯s ability to make the Head of the Huang Family of Fukang province act so respectful, the most intense feeling she had was the joy that the Huang would write off their grudge over the years and would no longer send their men to pursue her family.


    ¡°Thank you, Divine Doctor Tang. Thank you,¡± said Zuo Qing wholeheartedly.


    ¡°Nevermind it. It¡¯s just a minor matter and easy to deal with.¡± Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go outside. We¡¯re going to change the ship for the journey ahead.¡±


    Zuo Qing grabbed the two children¡¯s hands and followed Tang Xiu to board another cargo ship. Just as she sat on the cabin, she asked, ¡°Do you mind giving me your number, Divine Doctor Tang? Although my father fled to Thailand many years ago, he has developed a business again from scratch after many years. You¡¯ve enormously helped us, and I¡¯m sure that he¡¯ll be very grateful to you as well. Also, if you have no place to stay at in Thailand, you can stay at my father¡¯s manor. I guarantee you that it has a very good environment there.¡±


    A manor?


    ¡°What business does your father do in Thailand now, though?¡± asked Tang Xiu curiously.


    ¡°He has a lot of businesses, but he lives at a coconut plantation now,¡± answered Zuo Qing with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s August now, the ripening season for coconut. If you come with me there, you can taste the most delicious coconut meat and milk.¡±


    ¡°Is it located in Bangkok?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s in the Bangkok suburbs, about an hour¡¯s drive from downtown,¡± answered Zuo Qing.


    Tang Xiu gave it some thought for a short time before nodding, ¡°If so, then I will bother you with a visit. But there¡¯s a very important matter I need to deal with in Thailand this time, so the whereabouts of me and my men must be kept a secret.¡±


    ¡°I understand that. You wouldn¡¯t have boarded a smuggling ship otherwise given your identity.¡± Zuo Qing nodded and said, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll call my father after the ship is docked so he can send his men to pick us up.¡±


    ¡°You give something to others, and you¡¯ll get something else in return,¡± commented Tang Xiu smilingly, ¡°The line seems to hold true. I didn¡¯t expect to earn myself some temporary lodging due to helping others on a whim.¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡± Zuo Qing chuckled and said, ¡°You¡¯re hailed as a Young Divine Doctor in China, a figure respected by tens of thousands of people. It should be our pleasure and honor for being able to help you.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s spare the pleasantries. We¡¯re setting sail soon, so take your time to quickly have a meal and rest well.¡± Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°Nobody knows what¡¯s going to happen next, but the most important thing is to keep your spirit in the best condition possible.¡±


    On the long river that divided the land, more than 100 kilometers away from downtown Bangkok was a suburb with large plantations and estates belonging to many wealthy landowners.


    In a large manor estate in a strategic location with convenient transportation, Zuo Daquan, who was wearing a flowery coat and a necklace with an ivory pendant, was standing by the pool before a multi-storied building, a look of worry evident on his square face.


    ¡°We still have no news, Boss,¡± reported a stalwart youth that came striding from the distance.


    ¡°Huya and Shezi still haven¡¯t sent any news either?¡± asked Zuo Daquan with knitted brows. ¡°Do you mean the journey arranged by Snakehead to smuggle them has been compromised?¡±


    ¡°Something came up and Feifei has met with a mishap,¡± said the young man with a bitter face. ¡°He seems to have offended a powerful clan and got dumped into the sea. We lost contact with him and we were unable to get in touch with Snakehead at the midway point either. However, both Huya and Shezi have mobilized men to find the young lady¡¯s traces. Worry not, boss. I¡¯ll inform you immediately once we find their trace.¡±


    ¡°Are you all so fucking trash that can¡¯t even get things done?¡± growled Zuo Daquan angrily. ¡°Just remember that if my daughter and two grandsons encounter any danger, you will bear all the consequences.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± nodded the youth quickly.


    Taking out a cigar, Zuo Daquan lit it up and took a deep puff twice before sighing, ¡°That child Little Qing has never enjoyed a happy life with me. She spent her early life in a boarding school and sometimes was only able to see me every six months. Right as she grew up, I offended someone and escaped from the mainland. When I saw her life finally stabilize, I never thought that what I had done would catch up with her. The damn Huang Family¡­ I¡¯d have already returned to the mainland and exterminated them if I had the ability to do so.¡±


    ¡°The Huang have a deep foundation, as well as a lot of experts working for them,¡± said the young man hurriedly. ¡°Just limiting ourselves from their investigation is already a very tall order, so please cast away any thoughts of revenge, Boss.¡±


    ¡°Blame me for being very impulsive in the past, causing me to clash against the Huang clansmen directly. It¡¯s just that they have never let me go even after I fled overseas,¡± said Zuo Daquan with a helpless face. ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t know how powerful the Huang is? They are determined to get us and don¡¯t want to drop this matter at all.¡±


    The youth fell into silence as he was aware that Zao Daquan was speaking the truth. His boss would¡¯ve already let go of the grudge and would bury the hatchet if he could, yet the fact of the matter was that the younger brother of Huang Jingfu, the Head of the Huang Family, ended up with a lifelong disability. Him being alive until now was already a miracle in of itself. Even if they wanted to cast away the animosity, the Huang probably wouldn¡¯t let it go just like that.


    ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ve done my best for any means to defend against them regardless.¡± Zuo Daquan waved with an irritated expression, saying, ¡°The Huang are very powerful in the Fukang province, and they have quite the power in China. But I don¡¯t believe that they can extend their hands in Thailand and Bangkok. Just continue tracking the whereabouts of Qing¡¯er. Be ready to go and send reinforcements once you find her.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± replied the youth as he turned and walked away.


    Zuo Daquan kept smoking the cigar while standing by the pool and silently praying: Nothing must happen to you and your two sons, Qing¡¯er! Else, in the future, I will only live my life in pain.


    As the next day came, a cargo ship docked on the shore near the Chao Phraya River. A few stealthy men came ashore and had a talk with the port official and, quickly after, the forty-plus smuggled people on the ship left in a hurry. Tang Xiu didn¡¯t allow Zuo Qing to contact her father, but instead ordered Tang Guang to catch some taxis to head toward the address Zuo Qing told him.


    ¡°We got company tailing us, Boss,¡± whispered Tang Guang all of a sudden.


    Tang Xiu instantly released his spiritual sense. There was indeed a black SUV trailing behind them. Further, some of the men in the car were the black youth¡¯s subordinates who were also passengers on the smuggler ship.


    ¡°Deal with them, An.¡±


    With his perception, it was easy for Tang Xiu to find Tang An who had been on the car¡¯s roof this whole time to give the order to.


    CRASH


    A loud crashing sound was heard, and the black SUV behind them suddenly overturned and crashed into the store on the side of the street, causing several men in the car to be seriously injured.


    Less than two hours later, three taxis then stopped before the gate of a manor. Four security guards in black uniforms then quickly came out with batons in their hands as Tang Xiu and the rest got out from the cabs.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± asked a man in Thai.


    Zuo Qing was apparently very fluent in Thai, so she paced forward while holding the hands of her two sons, saying, ¡°I¡¯m Zuo Qing; Zuo Daquan is my father. I need to trouble you with notifying him that I¡¯ve come with my two sons!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the Young Lady?¡± exclaimed the security guard with a bright smile and lit up eyes.

 Chapter 978 - Profiting from Other’s Ill Luck

    Chapter 978: Profiting from Other¡¯s Ill Luck


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    In the spacious and bright room, Zuo Daquan continued smoking his cigar while quietly reading the financial statement in his hand. His business had been in trouble as of late, which involved a particular case that was his gold mine. The gold sand had been mined, smelted and refined; yet the gold price plummeted, thus leading to abysmal sales. It made him depressed since he was in dire need of cash.


    ¡°Boss, Kanaja just sent someone to give another reminder again.¡±


    A middle-aged man whose appearance was far from looking handsome, though with eyes full of wisdom and experience, walked inside with a briefcase and reported with a helpless expression.


    ¡°What the fuck? When it rains, it fucking pours, and now another shit comes hitting with another headache?¡± Zuo Daquan slapped the table furiously. ¡°It¡¯s only six days until I have to pay back the money we owe him; how can we have the price of gold bounce back again? How come we haven¡¯t had any big buyer within six days?¡±


    ¡°Kanaja told us that he agrees with us paying our debt with gold. But he said the arrears must be paid according to the current gold price on the market,¡± said the middle-aged with a bitter smile.


    ¡°He¡¯s just fucking robbing the house while it burns!¡± Zuo Daquan furiously shouted.


    ¡°He¡¯s indeed taking advantage of our ill fortune,¡± said the middle-aged man. ¡°But we have no other option than to pay the arrears with gold. We practically have no liquidity left in other businesses we can use, while we also need 80 million more to fully pay the debt.¡±


    The cloudy expression on Zuo Daquan¡¯s face turned grim. He dared not default on his debt to Kanaja since he knew who this man was. If he were to offend this man, he would end up far worse than when he offended the Huang. Although the latter had been hunting him and destroyed many of his businesses, they still didn¡¯t dare to act to the extreme due to the legal restraints in China. But Kanaja was a different breed of man who had great influence and power in Bangkok, a ruthless man who could paint anything black or white on a whim. He was known as a lunatic who would utterly destroy someone for the sake of profits.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    The cell phone on the table suddenly rang.


    Zuo Daquan took a deep breath and directly picked up the call, asking in a heavy voice, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°The young lady is here, Boss.¡±


    The voice of the estate¡¯s security captain came out of the mobile phone.


    Zuo Daquan looked vacant for a moment before a look of joy covered his face. Although he needed to resolve the debt with Kanaja, the most important thing in his mind was the matter with his daughter and his two grandsons. He couldn¡¯t care less about paying his debt with gold regardless of its plummeted price as long as they could come here safe and sound.


    ¡°Take and escort her here immediately! I¡¯ll be waiting.¡±


    As he hung up, Zuo Daquan looked at the middle-aged man and said, ¡°Tell Kanaja that I¡¯ll definitely pay back his money within six days. Tell him that he¡¯ll get the gold if we don¡¯t have cash by then.¡±


    Having said that, he hurriedly ran outside with eagerness and loudly yelled unceasingly, mobilizing his men nearby to prepare the grand welcome for his daughter.


    After six-plus minutes, four cars parked in a small square outside the courtyard of the multi-storied building. Zuo Daquan quickly ran with an overjoyed expression the moment he saw Zuo Qing and his two grandsons, hugging her and saying, ¡°I¡¯m really glad you¡¯ve come here safe and sound, Qing¡¯er. It¡¯s been hard on you. Blame me for being a useless father, causing you to be in so many hardships and pains.¡±


    Zuo Qing hadn¡¯t seen her father for more than six years. All the restlessness she had all this time finally disappeared after the hug. With a constant flow of tears, she sobbed and whimpered, ¡°I never blamed you, Dad.¡±


    Zuo Daquan released his hug and shook his head. He then looked at the two boys beside his daughter and immediately squatted down.¡± You¡¯re Yangyang and Doudou, right? It¡¯s our first time seeing each other after you were born. Blame your Grandpa for being incompetent.¡±


    ¡°Yangyang, Doudou, quickly greet your grandfather!¡± said Zuo Qing hurriedly.


    The two sensible boys greeted, ¡°Hello, Grandpa!¡±


    With a face full of joy, Zuo Daquan nodded to them. He grabbed their small hands and said, ¡°Good children. You both are good children. Let¡¯s walk. Grandpa has told the maids to prepare delicious meals for you. Qing¡¯er, the journey must¡¯ve been very hard on you. Take a hot bath and rest well.¡±


    ¡°We did encounter a lot of trouble on the journey into this country illegally,¡± said Zuo Qing. ¡°We are here because of Divine Doctor Tang who has been protecting us all the way here. Let me introduce you to him. This is Divine Doctor Tang, and the rest are his men and his friends.¡±


    Only at this moment did Zuo Daquan notice a group of people behind his daughter. He suddenly frowned and glanced at the crowd. Then, he walked to Tang Xiu¡¯s front and amiably stretched out his hand. ¡°Hello, Divine Doctor Tang. I¡¯m Zuo Daquan. I¡¯m very grateful to you for helping my daughter.¡±


    ¡°I just happened to run into her. I just did whatever I could do.¡± Tang Xiu smiled lightly and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for such courtesy, Boss Zuo.¡±


    Eyes lit up, Zuo Daquan then smilingly said, ¡°In any case, you¡¯ve helped my daughter, so you¡¯re our friend. Please walk with me and have a chat inside.¡±


    ¡°Divine Doctor Tang not only has helped me, Dad. He has helped you too!¡± interjected Zuo Qing.


    Zuo Daquan stared blankly and asked with a puzzled face, ¡°He has helped me too? What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Divine Doctor Tang has a close relationship with the Huang Family¡¯s Head, Huang Jinfu, Dad,¡± explained Zuo Qing. ¡°I told him that you have a grudge against the Huang Family from the Fukang province when were at sea, so he called Huang Jinfu. I also listened to their conversation, and Huang Jinfu personally promised that all their grudges with you have been written off.¡±


    The smile on Zuo Daquan¡¯s face instantly vanished, replaced with a bit of vigilance and murderous intent. He shot a deep look at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, may I know your other honorable identities?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not harboring any hostility toward you, Boss Zuo. You don¡¯t need to guard against me,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°Let me introduce myself. My name is Tang Xiu, and I¡¯m known as the young Divine Doctor of the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital in China. Certainly, as you¡¯ve guessed it, I also have another identity which is a businessman like you.¡±


    ¡°May I know about the business Mr. Tang runs?¡± asked Zuo Daquan again.


    ¡°The Magnificent Tang Corporation,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    The answer made Zuo Daquan¡¯s heart skip a beat instantly. Then, he said in a cautious manner, ¡°I¡¯ve heard of the Magnificent Tang Corp, which has been touted as a dark horse in the business community in China. The company mainly produces cosmetics, health products, wine, among businesses, whereas its General Manager, Kang Xia, was once Wall Street¡¯s finance genius in the U.S. Are you really¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. I¡¯m the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, and Kang Xia is working for me,¡± answered Tang Xiu with a smile.


    A wave of dread flooded Zuo Daquan¡¯s heart, for he never imagined that the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation would appear before him one day. Yet, the more bizarre thing was that he had also illegally entered Thailand and came to Bangkok along with his daughter.


    ¡®Something is wrong!¡¯


    Zuo Daquan¡¯s heart skipped a beat yet again. It was because Tang Xiu had an extraordinary identity, and it was absolutely easy for him to come to Bangkok. There was no need for him to smuggle himself into this country whatsoever.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, for you to secretly come to Bangkok all of sudden should be because of a very confidential matter, shouldn¡¯t it? It shouldn¡¯t be a problem for you to enter this country openly given your identity otherwise,¡± said Zuo Daquan with a very low voice. ¡°Even the authorities and businesspeople in Bangkok would regard you as an honorable guest.¡±


    ¡°I do have a confidential matter I need to deal with here in secrecy.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have run into your daughter on my journey here otherwise. Of course, we can leave your place if you¡¯re afraid that we¡¯ll bring about troublesome matters to you.¡±


    Countless thoughts flashed in Zuo Daquan¡¯s mind before he finally let out a faint smile and said, ¡°You came here as a guest, Mr. Tang. As a host, it¡¯s a duty of mine to entertain you with hospitality. But if Mr. Tang and everyone else still have things to tend to, then I won¡¯t be adamant for you staying here either.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, Dad?¡± Zuo Qing quickly interjected after hearing her father¡¯s words. ¡°Divine Doctor Tang has not only helped me, but he also has helped you! They just arrived in Thailand and are not familiar with places here. Why don¡¯t you let him stay here? Besides, we don¡¯t have many guests occupying the guest rooms here anyway.¡±


    Her rebuke made Zuo Daquan¡¯s face sink. He glared and Zuo Qing and said, ¡°The reason why Mr. Tang came to Thailand is due to a very important issue he has to deal with, so how can they stay here for a long time? Alright, take your children for a bath and change to clean clothes. I¡¯ll send someone to call you up after the meals have been prepared.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Zuo Qing opened her mouth and wanted to argue again.


    ¡°Boss Zuo is correct.¡± Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt her and smilingly said, ¡°We do have some matters to attend. Miss Zuo, we¡¯ve accomplished our duty since you¡¯ve already arrived here; there¡¯s no need for further hospitality. We shall take our leave as there are things we need to tend to.¡±


    Zuo Qing hurriedly said, ¡°You can¡¯t go, Divine Doctor Tang. I¡­¡±


    Zuo Daquan reached out to grab her and shouted, ¡°How can you be so ignorant, Qing¡¯er? Divine Doctor Tang has an important matter to tend to and naturally can¡¯t waste his time. I¡¯ll welcome them here once they¡¯re done with their business.¡±


    Tang Xiu just let out a faint smile and nodded to Zuo Qing. Then, he led his group back to the LSV cars and left the manor at the escort of four security guards.


    With a face turned pale due to anger, Zuo Qing angrily called out, ¡°Why did you do that, Father? Why did you shut our door and force them to leave? Divine Doctor Tang has helped me and you. You also know how honored his identity is in the mainland. Numerous people have tried to invite him to their home, yet he rarely accepts their invitations!¡±


    ¡°Hmph. You¡¯re just fooling around, Qing¡¯er.¡± Zuo Daquan snorted and coldly said, ¡°If this surnamed Tang had no relationship with the Fukang province¡¯s Huang Family, I naturally would have welcomed them to stay here. But he knows the Huang Family¡¯s Patriarch. Who can guarantee that he¡¯s not in cahoots with the Huang, huh? You bringing him over is already a grave mistake. If he is to stay here and then informs the Huang Family¡¯s people, you can expect that we¡¯ll meet our tragic end here.¡±


    Zuo Qing¡¯s face looked vacant for a moment but then shook her head. ¡°No. There¡¯s no way Divine Doctor Tang would help the Huang to deal with us!¡±


    ¡°Heh, there¡¯s no knowing what¡¯s in a man¡¯s heart,¡± sneered Zuo Daquan. ¡°Who knows what he really thinks? Besides, don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t notice that something is fishy? He¡¯s a dignified young Divine Doctor in China, as well as the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation. With all that, why did he enter Thailand illegally?¡±

 Chapter 979 - His Purpose

    Chapter 979: His Purpose


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The series of questions from her father made Zuo Qing simply stumped, both speechless and dumbfounded. She hadn¡¯t thought about any of it back when she was sailing at sea, for safety was all that was in her mind then. At this moment, however, she finally realized that Tang Xiu¡¯s purpose in coming to Bangkok was highly likely suspicious and problematic.


    Did he get into trouble in the mainland too?


    The thought popped up in her mind, but she denied it right away and shook her head. Tang Xiu was well-known as the Young Divine Doctor in China, the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, as well as someone who had a deep relationship with the Huang from the Fukang Province. Who was possibly able to force him out and make him flee China?


    Therefore, there was only one possibility left that made him illegally enter Bangkok, which was absolutely related to this very big secret. And yet, what secret could it be?


    Countless thoughts swirled inside Zuo Qing¡¯s mind, but still, she couldn¡¯t find any answer at all. It wasn¡¯t until her father patted her on the shoulder did she finally give up on thinking about it.


    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t think about it first. Just have a shower and rest well,¡± whispered Zuo Daquan after he retracted back his eyes from the direction where Tang Xiu and his men left from.


    Zuo Qing nodded without a word, no longer blaming her father for refusing Tang Xiu to stay in his place. She was weary and sleepy right now. She had practically exhausted her spirit just on the journey to leave for Bangkok in such a rush. She really needed to take a hot bath, have a meal, and then take a good rest.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    Just as Zuo Daquan took his daughter and two grandsons into the European-style building, his mobile phone rang. He took out his cell phone and picked up the call as the voice of the security captain then reported, ¡°Boss, Mr. Tang wants to borrow two cars of ours. He said that it would help him with his work in Bangkok.¡±


    Pondering for a moment, Zuo Daquan then said, ¡°Give him two cars, but replace the license plates before you give them away. And do tell him about it.¡±


    ¡°Roger that, Boss,¡± respectfully replied the security captain.


    Outside the manor, the burly security captain put away his mobile phone and then spoke to Tang Xiu. ¡°My men will take the two cars and they will be here immediately, Mr. Tang. But the car¡¯s license plates will be changed, so you need to pay attention to that.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Shortly after, two black SUV stopped in front of Tang Xiu. Two men jumped out of the driver¡¯s seat and quickly handed the keys to the security captain. The latter then gave the keys to Tang Xiu and nodded, ¡°I wish you all the best, and Godspeed, Mr. Tang.¡±


    ¡°Send my thanks to Mr. Zuo,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    On the straight road in the suburbs, two black off-road cars quickly headed toward the downtown area. Singluen and Tang Xiu were sitting in the back seat of the second car, and the former spoke with a scowl on his face, ¡°It was really unexpected. You¡¯ve helped them so much, Mr. Tang, yet they didn¡¯t even want us to stay in their manor? What a loathsome attitude. I¡¯ll definitely teach him to taste regret once I¡¯ve become the Dark Shaman clan¡¯s Patriarch.¡±


    ¡°I understand where he¡¯s coming from and why he doesn¡¯t want us to stay, though,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°As a cautious and meticulous man like Zuo Daquan, the worries that he has that I would join his enemies to strike him is understandable. The other point is that he holds suspicion about our purpose in coming to Bangkok. If I were in his shoes, there¡¯s no way I¡¯d let strangers stay in my place either. Anyway, let¡¯s just forget it. Him being tolerant and giving us two cars is already a good thing, though.¡±


    ¡°Haih, I really don¡¯t get you, Mr. Tang. It¡¯s like your character is rather contradictory,¡± sighed Singluen. ¡°You¡¯re so heartless and ruthless against your enemies, yet you¡¯re so tolerant when facing this kind of situation. I have even seen you turn into a good person sometimes.¡±


    ¡°You mean I kinda have a variable temperament or something like that?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Singluen nodded.


    ¡°Well, the Chinese have an old adage that all men are naturally born with goodness and kindness at heart,¡± said Tang Xiu with a light smile. ¡°Everyone¡¯s conscience leans towards goodness, which is carved deep in the bottom of their hearts. The more one grows older, the better the ability and the more people with various characters and natures she or he has to face in life. Stretch your hand out to help those who are weak yet kind people, but be ruthless when facing powerful enemies before you. No matter how good your heart is, cruel people you will encounter are too many to count. There¡¯s also another saying in China that exterminating evil people can save countless good people from their torment.¡±


    ¡°If so, then are you a good man?¡± asked Singluen.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not, and yet I¡¯m not an evil man either.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Every man has their own set of codes¡ªmoral codes that serve as a scale to weigh their own actions. But there¡¯s one thing you must remember, Singluen; the reward is reaped after you sow kindness. Retribution will come for all the wicked deeds you¡¯ve done. Don¡¯t ever bully the weak even though you¡¯ve become the Patriarch of your Dark Shaman clan later. You¡¯ll find that cultivating goodness in your mind and actions, as well as learning to help others, is a very interesting and enjoyable life in and of itself. Further, there¡¯s also an old saying in China that a man who is down usually becomes a target, for there will be others who¡¯ll take the opportunity to suppress those who suffer setbacks. When you have power and fall to wickedness, those who hate you because of your repression will rally up and jump out to haunt and destroy you once you lose your power someday. But any kindness you give to people will perhaps make those who remember your grace extend their helping hand when you¡¯re down.¡±


    Singluen¡¯s eyes lit up with a pensive look within them. He fell into silence for a long while and then silently nodded. ¡°I think I get what you mean, Mr. Tang.¡±


    Tang Xiu patted his shoulder. Then, he looked at Tang Guang in the front seat, saying. ¡°Quickly find somewhere for us to stay for some time. Do pay attention to conceal our tracks as well. If my guess is correct, Singkuo must have invited some other forces to find Singluen¡¯s tracks and deal with him. It¡¯s very likely that he¡¯ll find the Darkwind organization and the Godfather of Bangkok, Kanaja, for this purpose.¡±


    ¡°Jin Shi might be able to get us a safe house to stay at, Boss,¡± replied Tang Guang.


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± asked Tang Xiu in surprise.


    ¡°As far as I know, he has been tasked with some missions in Thailand previously and he stayed here for quite some time, so he¡¯s familiar with the situation here,¡± answered Tang Guang. ¡°Also, given his nature, he definitely has a safe place for himself here.¡±


    Tang Xiu then took his cell phone out and dialed Jin Shi¡¯s number. After the latter picked up his call, he asked, ¡°Where are you now, Jin Shi?¡±


    ¡°We just arrived in Bangkok, Boss.¡± Jin Shi¡¯s voice came out of the phone. ¡°We¡¯re now heading to a safehouse where I used to stay in Bangkok. Would you like to join us, or do you have another intention in mind?¡±


    ¡°Just tell me the address. We¡¯ll catch up with you,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Feather Palace Club in Don Mueang District,¡± replied Jin Shi.


    ¡°That¡¯s it for now. I¡¯ll contact you again when we get there,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Keep in mind to conceal your tracks and whereabouts, lest you expose yourself and all of us.¡±


    Downtown Bangkok.


    In the wide Springforth Manor was a cluster of connected buildings. The interior was filled with lush vegetation and beautiful surroundings with small bridges, rock gardens, and a small artificial lake, similar to the Lakeheart Pavilion that was built with an oriental architecture atmosphere.


    Wearing white casual attire, Kanaja was standing by the lake while holding a fishing rod and sitting quietly on the shore fishing. Accompanying him were two pretty girls who served him tea, whereas Songzan silently sat next to him reading a stack of documents.


    ¡°I¡¯ve read it, Godfather,¡± said Songzan respectfully.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re done reading it, then go to the club!¡± Kanaja turned to look at him and calmly said, ¡°You must stay low there and take care of the business for three years. You can then take over the Don Mueang District as your site after this three-year period is over.¡±


    Songzan silently nodded and then said, ¡°My loyalty is forever yours, Godfather. You¡¯ve kept my life, and I¡¯ll do everything you want me to do.¡±


    ¡°Just take care of some of the younger ones with a bright mind later, and avoid giving any important position to those who have obvious defects, lest they court trouble later, alright?¡± said Kanaja as he sighed, ¡°Haih¡­ that Mr. Tang has too big a background. I¡¯ve sent some men to China in secret just to investigate anything about him, yet there has been no news and none of them have returned. If my guess is correct, I¡¯m afraid they are all already dead, hence why I killed those who know about that matter besides you. For the sake of keeping it a secret, don¡¯t let me down again, Songzan.¡±


    The face of a young man appeared in Songzan¡¯s mind and he immediately shivered inwardly. Then he said respectfully, ¡°I won¡¯t let you down, Godfather.¡±


    At this time, a burly man leading more than a dozen people approached from afar. They were the Dark Shaman clansmen, while the burly young man who led them was Singkuo.


    ¡°Kanaja!¡±


    With an indifferent expression, Singkuo called out as he came to Kanaja¡¯s side.


    Kanaja turned his head and immediately put down the fishing rod in his hands upon seeing Singkuo. Then, he let out a smile and said, ¡°Ah, it¡¯s you, Young Master Singkuo. You¡¯re a rare guest. What wind blows you here to see me today? It¡¯s been a long time since I met your old man. Did he ask you to come here to call me over for a drink or something?¡±


    ¡°He has been in seclusion as of recently, Kanaja,¡± said Singkuo with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s why he rarely contacts outsiders. I need your help, which is why I came to you this time.¡±


    ¡°What kind of help though?¡± asked Kanaja smilingly. ¡°I won¡¯t ignore your plea as long as I can do it. We¡¯re friends, after all.¡±


    Singkuo took out a few photos and handed them over to Kanaja, stating, ¡°I want you to help me by mobilizing your men to find these people. They are probably not in Bangkok now, but I hope that your men can find them once they enter Bangkok and then pass the news to me.¡±


    Kanaja took the photos. An dull light flashed in his eyes after he glanced at them. He was silent for a short moment and then slowly nodded. ¡°This is just a minor matter. I¡¯ll inform you once I get the news.¡±


    ¡°I will trouble you then, Mr. Kan,¡± nodded Singkuo. ¡°Also, I¡¯d like to invite you to have a few drinks after some issues have been dealt with.¡±


    Kanaja then continued to engage in small talk for a while. After he watched Singkuo and his men leave, he threw the photos to the ground and stamped on them as he sneered, ¡°Hmph¡­ I, Kanaja, have been muddling along in this shit for many years. I know those who I can provoke and those who I can¡¯t afford to mess with. Your Dark Shaman clan is indeed very strong, but don¡¯t fucking expect me to help you for nothing and no reason at all. Heh, this whole fucking shit is your clan¡¯s shitty infighting, and you all even have that harbinger of death involved.¡±


    Songzan picked up the photos and took a look at them. His complexion then changed after seeing them, and he said in a whisper, ¡°Isn¡¯t this that Mr. Tang, Godfather?¡±

 Chapter 980 - Favor

    Chapter 980: Favor


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    ¡°Now I get why Tang Xiu has a connection to those Dark Shaman clansmen. It turns out that he¡¯s going to assist Singluen in defeating Singkuo, huh?¡± sneered Kanaja coldly. ¡°It seems there will be a good show coming up soon in Bangkok. I don¡¯t want to be involved in this shit, but it¡¯d be great if I could get some profit out of it.¡±


    Songzan¡¯s expression slightly shifted and he asked respectfully, ¡°What exactly are you planning to do, Godfather?¡±


    ¡°Spread out these photos to our underlings and tell them to keep their eyes on every part of Bangkok closely,¡± said Kanaja. ¡°Report to me at once when you find Tang Xiu and Singluen¡¯s traces. I can expect to get a surprise if I can take advantage of this situation.¡±


    As much as he knew of Kanaja, Songzan was well aware of how resourceful and shrewd this dreadful man was. This guy would stop at nothing once he sniffed out a profit he could get from any situation.


    However, he had no idea which side Kanaja would give his help to and gain favors from¡ªSingkuo or, Tang Xiu and Singluen.


    ¡°What about me, Godfather? Shall I head to the club for the time being?¡± asked Songzan. He felt rather puzzled, yet intrigued at the same time. He also wanted to get involved in this matter, hoping to get benefits. Yet, he was afraid that the matter would be too big and he would just trap himself in a mess instead of getting any benefits.


    ¡°Help me deal with this matter first,¡± said Kanaja. ¡°Once you find that Tang Xiu and Singluen are in Bangkok, contact me at once. Also, tell the boys to avoid any conflict with them. If they find you first, tell them that all of you are Kanaja¡¯s men and are under my orders.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± replied Songzan as he turned and left.


    ****


    Don Mueang District, Feather Palace Club.


    As Tang Xiu, Singluen, and the rest arrived, the club¡¯s manager took them to the innermost area of the club. To Tang Xiu¡¯s surprise, the Feather Palace Club turned out to be a clubhouse with various business establishments, the most popular ones being horsemanship and shooting, painting, a casino, and boxing halls.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, this manager knows me, but your men told us to come here. Wouldn¡¯t it be too easy to expose our whereabouts?¡± asked Singluen in a whisper as he walked beside Tang Xiu.


    The question made Tang Xiu slightly frown, and he thought for a moment before replying, ¡°Jin Shi has always been cautious in dealing with things. I also have already told him to be discreet and keep our tracks in the dark. So I think this manager should be reliable.¡±


    ¡°This manager may be reliable, but the rest of the people in this club are not necessarily trustworthy,¡± replied Singluen in a whisper. ¡°As I recall, many people working for Kanaja often come here in their spare time. I had a clash with his underlings here once, and even though I didn¡¯t lose much, I wasn¡¯t able to get the upper hand either.¡±


    Tang Xiu observed the surroundings and then said in a whisper, ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone has discovered us. Just take a look around the route we took. Haven¡¯t you noticed it? The path is not the main one to the interior. This place is also surrounded by trees and is quite covert. Those who we¡¯ve seen here are not ordinary patrons who have come here for recreation. They¡¯re obviously the security guards of this club.¡±


    Singluen hadn¡¯t noticed what Tang Xiu just pointed out. He suddenly realized the situation after Tang Xiu¡¯s reminder, finally appeasing his restlessness.


    Deep in the club was an office inside a Western-style building. Surrounding it was a garden encaged in high walls that gave off a peculiar sense of grandeur. Outside the courtyard was a five-meter wide small river with a concrete road that led to a seven-plus meter wide courtyard gate. There, four cold and grim-looking middle-aged men in black uniforms and armed with submachine guns were standing guard.


    ¡°Boss.¡±


    Jin Shi, Mo Awu and their teams had been waiting outside the courtyard and immediately paced forward to greet Tang Xiu¡¯s group respectfully.


    The scene instantly made the faces of the four men standing guard on both sides of the courtyard gate change to a look of shock, including the middle-aged manager now wearing a look of incredulity.


    ¡°You know the purpose of our trip and how we must keep it the dark, don¡¯t you?¡± questioned Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°This Feather Palace Club has got all kinds of people, so is it really suitable for us to stay here?¡±


    ¡°The Feather Palace Club is run by our headquarters, Boss,¡± said Jin Shi respectfully. ¡°It was established when I was in Bangkok to carry out my missions here. I rarely manage this club, so I gave it to Taylor to manage. He¡¯s a reliable and trustworthy guy. I¡¯ve trained these four men since long ago and their loyalty to me is unquestionable.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and he glanced at Taylor, the manager, as well as the four men. Then, he said, ¡°We¡¯ll stop over and stay here since they are trustworthy! Alright, let¡¯s have some rest first. We¡¯ll move later tonight.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Tang, you said we¡¯re going to move tonight¡­¡± asked Singluen hurriedly.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to see the Head branch of the Darkwind organization in Bangkok.¡± Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and lightly said, ¡°We need some information, so we¡¯ll buy it from him. Our operation will be carried out after that.¡±


    ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll follow your order.¡± Singluen nodded.


    The interior decoration of the three-story Western-style building was extraordinarily luxurious. There were four housekeepers managing the building, one man and three women. Jin Shi also explained that only a select few people could come to the building, all of whom were their own.


    It was Tang Xiu¡¯s plan to help Singluen take over the Patriarch seat of the Dark Shaman clan. The very reason was to obtain Demon Stone, so he immediately called him over after coming here.


    Inside the study, Tang An, wearing a black robe and a bronze mask, appeared in front of the crowd and personally served tea before coming out and standing guard silently.


    Tang Xiu drank a cup of tea and then initiated conversation, ¡°Singluen, I need to know the specific details of your Dark Shaman Clan, such as the forces under your clan and the armed forces under the control of your big brother. This information is very crucial since victory can only be in our grasp if you know what we have and the situation of our enemy.¡±


    ¡°I reckon the Darkwind organization has penetrated my clan deeply,¡± said Singluen. ¡°A member of this organization was found in an incident a few years ago, so it was necessary to buy intel from them about it. As for my brother, I have sent my men to carry out investigations on him many times, and I believe that he controls a lot more forces compared to what I¡¯ve previously investigated.¡±


    His answer made Tang Xiu ponder for a while. Then, he nodded and said, ¡°Since we need to find out about how many forces our opponent has, then our first move is to buy the intel from the Darkwind organization and compare them with yours. Also, the only suggestion I have is to remove Singkuo and his loyal men. But it¡¯s best to keep alive all the forces under the Dark Shaman clan as much as possible. After all, these forces will be yours to manage once you take over the Patriarch seat of your clan.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. The number one enemy is my big brother and his loyal dogs,¡± said Singluen. ¡°Yet still, I think we must guard against my father now.¡±


    ¡°I know that. Your old man is leaning toward your big brother, and thus you must carry out the worst plan,¡± sighed Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯ll still help you kill your big brother, but there¡¯s one thing I must know. Once we kill him, what will you do if your old man puts this account on my head?¡±


    Singluen¡¯s eyes overflowed with dull light. He never had considered this issue before. But after Tang Xiu mentioned it to him, he instantly realized that, given his father¡¯s character, such a possibility was indeed very likely to occur. At that time, his father probably would not kill him, but he¡¯d definitely go after Tang Xiu.


    Furthermore, Tang Xiu himself was not a saint, and it was impossible for him to just sit still when his father was trying to kill him. When that time came, the death of his father by Tang Xiu¡¯s hands was inevitable.


    As he came to this conclusion, Singluen then immediately said, ¡°Mr. Tang, if my father really goes against you due to hatred at that time, could¡­ you please spare him? If¡­ if you can¡¯t, then just abolish his cultivation. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to have him under control and won¡¯t bother you anymore in the future as long as he¡¯s crippled.¡±


    ¡°It seems like this is the only option we have.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ****


    It was late at night.


    A few hazy figures arrived silently at the Bangkok branch of the Darkwind organization. Their movements were so discreet that nobody was able to notice them even when they appeared outside of the Branch Supervisor¡¯s bedroom.


    Knock, knock¡­


    The knock on the room¡¯s door awakened Charlie from his sleep. The man instantly grabbed his pistol under the pillow and swiftly unlocked its safety lock. Charlie was always a very cautious and alert man despite being ordinarily timid. It was because of his overcautious and meticulous nature that he was able to climb up to his current position as the Branch Supervisor in Bangkok for the Darkwind organization.


    Therefore, all of his subordinates were well aware of his habits. None of them would knock on his bedroom door late at night unless there was a huge issue to deal with. Even if something big happened, they would call him and ask to meet him on the phone first.


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    With a gun pointed at the door, Charlie asked with palpable murderous intent. His voice was so loud that the Darkwind organization¡¯s martial arts experts who were responsible for the security and protection around him realized that an intruder had infiltrated this place, causing them to rush over to his room.


    Tang Xiu, Singluen, Mo Awu, and Tang Guang stood outside the room, surrounded by strong men training guns at them. Tang Xiu let out a smile and then said, ¡°Well, I took the liberty for this night visit, Mr. Charlie. I hope you¡¯re not angry. But there¡¯s nothing to worry about, as I want to strike a big deal with your Darkwind agency.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± asked Charlie away behind the door.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s group of four were all wearing bronze masks in order to not reveal their identity. Upon hearing Charlie¡¯s question, Tang Xiu lightly smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s rather inconvenient to expose our identity, Mr. Charlie, let alone that there¡¯s no need for you to know who we are. I just told you that I want to strike a big deal and buy information from you, didn¡¯t I? You just need to give us the intel I need and I¡¯ll pay you enough for it.¡±


    Charlie was silent for a while and then shouted ¡°Hey, Yale! Are you here?¡±


    One of the big guys that surrounded Tang Xiu¡¯s group replied in a deep voice, ¡°We got them under control, Sir Charlie. Don¡¯t worry!¡±


    Only then did Charlie feel relieved. Yet after he came to the door, he still carefully opened it with his gun first to peep outside, only feeling fully relaxed after seeing the scene outside.

 Chapter 981 - A Lesson

    Chapter 981: A Lesson


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    As Charlie came in front of Tang Xiu¡¯s group of four, he shot a cold look at them. He had encountered the likes of people who acted mysteriously and covered their faces to hide their identities, yet none of them had been as fearful as these guests. After all, these people had the ability to infiltrate his bedroom without being spotted, meaning they had the ability to directly kill him in his sleep.


    More so that many big incidents had happened recently.


    One of which was the destruction of the Darkwind agency branch in Saipan that had secretly claimed all the lives of the agency personnel. Although Saipan¡¯s highest official was said to be the final suspect and mastermind, there was no motive that linked him with it. Furthermore, the confusing fact was that the top official of Saipan had been on vacation, yet didn¡¯t come back alive.


    ¡®Maybe these people in front of me also have the ability to destroy a regional branch.¡¯


    The thought came to his mind, making him apprehensive yet again. Then, he asked in a deep voice, ¡°To think that you can infiltrate a Darkwind agency location to arrive outside my room without getting spotted at all; you guys are amazingly able. But I still demand your answer. Exactly what is your real purpose in coming here? I don¡¯t buy your reasoning for coming here as to just buy intel since there¡¯s no need to infiltrate this place so secretly, nor would anyone stop you if you openly came here.¡±


    ¡°You are asking why we came here so secretly?¡± While pointing to the bronze mask worn on his face, Tang Xiu lightly said, ¡°One is to hide our identities, while second, it¡¯s completely unnecessary if you¡¯re really our enemy since you won¡¯t have any chance to fight back if we really want to kill you. So, is my answer enough proof?¡±


    This made Charlie fall into silence for a moment. Then, he nodded while waving and ordering the rest. ¡°You guys drawback. None of you are to come here unless I summon you.¡±


    Dozens of strong men quickly retreated, leaving only the man called Yale, who stood next to Charlie with a vigilant attitude, guarding against any sneak attacks from Tang Xiu¡¯s group.


    ¡°Gentlemen, can you wait for me in the living room first?¡± asked Charlie. ¡°I¡¯ll immediately come over to see you once I¡¯m done changing my clothes.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Tang Xiu nodded


    A few minutes later, after Charlie had changed clothes, he arrived at the reception room. He shot a look at Tang Xiu sitting on the sofa savoring some tea. Then, he smiled and said, ¡°What should I call you Mister?¡±


    ¡°Call me Tang. He¡¯s Sing,¡¯ answered Tang Xiu lightly.


    Charlie glanced at Singluen and immediately nodded. ¡°Mr. Tang, Mr. Sing, may I know what information you¡¯d like to buy that would even make you visit me so late at night? The Darkwind agency is the largest intelligence agency in the world and we can provide anything of concern worldwide to our buyers. Certainly, Our Bangkok¡¯s branch has the collection of our intel work in the region, which is under my jurisdiction. You can rest assured for the reliability and authenticity of our intel.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already heard of your agency¡¯s resounding fame.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Since Mr. Charlie has spoken about the deal, then I won¡¯t beat around the bush about our purpose either. I need intel about the Dark Shaman clan in this country. In particular, intel on the eldest prince of the Dark Shaman clan, Singkuo. The more detailed it is, the better.¡±


    Charlie¡¯s complexion shifted. He suddenly shot a look at Singluen and grinned, ¡°Well, I think I know the real identity of this Mr. Sing. If my guess is correct, you should be Young Master Singluen, right?¡±


    His guess made Singluen¡¯s expression change. He slowly took off the bronze mask on his face and indifferently said, ¡°Your guess is correct. I¡¯m indeed Singluen. I can tell that my big brother has also come here recently to buy intel about me from you. It¡¯s very likely that he wants to know whether I¡¯m already in Bangkok or not.¡±


    Clap, clap¡­


    Charlie clapped and applauded as he said, ¡°You¡¯re correct. Your big brother, Mr. Singkuo, has indeed been here to buy intel about you. It¡¯s just unfortunate that we were only able to guess that you had left Bangkok and the country despite how good our intelligence network is. We haven¡¯t been able to figure out where you left from either.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Charlie, you¡¯ve correctly guessed about the purpose of me and my big brother. But there are things that your Darkwind agency can¡¯t get involved with,¡± said Singluen. ¡°We came here this time to do nothing but buy intel from you. State your price and we¡¯ll pay you right away.¡±


    Charlie pondered for a moment and then said, ¡°8 million dollars for the Darkwind agency to sell you this particular intel. It¡¯s worth the price, I think.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Singluen took out his cell phone and said, ¡°I¡¯ll transfer the amount directly to your account.¡±


    However, Tang Xiu stretched his hand to stop him and lightly said, ¡°I think your big brother has been monitoring all your accounts in Thailand. He can quickly find out the flow of cash from your account. 8 million dollars is nothing to me, so I¡¯ll pay for it.¡±


    With that said, he used his mobile phone to transfer 8 million dollars to Charlie¡¯s account. Then he said, ¡°The money has been sent, so give us the intel, Mr. Charlie! Also, I¡¯m sure your Darkwind agency has an outstanding reputation given the fact that it has become the world¡¯s largest intelligence agency. I¡¯d hate it if you sell us out to others like you just did with Singkuo after we¡¯ve struck a deal.¡±


    The statement made Charlie look dull before his expression dramatically shifted, causing him to instantly realize that he had already leaked secret information of a customer who bought intel. Further, he never thought that Tang Xiu could actually pinpoint this issue and later point it out to him.


    ¡°It¡¯s a mistake of mine indeed,¡± said Charlie with a dead-serious expression. ¡°But you can rest assured, the intel about the Dark Shaman clan you just bought won¡¯t be sold again to anyone.¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a non-committal smile and said again, ¡°Well, your guarantee is nothing but a joke without enough benefits. It¡¯s understandable of course, but I hope you can understand that the ending will be very grim should any outside forces want to get involved in the internal struggle of the Dark Shaman clan just to get more benefits, okay?¡±


    ¡°The Dark Shaman clan is very special indeed.¡± Charlie nodded and said, ¡°I understand and have my discretion. I won¡¯t dare get involved.¡±


    Quickly after, the intel needed by Tang Xiu and Singluen was handed over. After receiving it, they no longer stayed and quickly disappeared into the darkness without passing through the main entrance. Even though Charlie had assigned his men to secretly monitor everything, they were unable to find out how these people left.


    ¡°Sir Charlie,¡± called out Yale in a low voice behind Charlie while standing in a dark corner near the window and gazing outside.


    Charlie came back to his senses and said in a deep voice, ¡°Track the account used to transfer the money immediately. I want to know who that man is! Also, inform our headquarters that the Dark Shaman clan in Bangkok is currently in an internal struggle. It¡¯s very likely that the struggle will lead to a large-scale battle.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± replied Yale as he walked toward the outside.


    Charlie stroked his chin as light now gleamed in his eyes. Some powerful people appeared in his mind, yet he was unable to associate any of them with the man who wore the bronze mask just now. Regardless of their age, face, figure, or the terrifying power they had, none of them matched up.


    After half an hour, Yale returned to Charlie¡¯s side and reported, ¡°Sir Charlie, our men have checked it, but the money was transferred from an unregistered Swiss bank account, so we can¡¯t trace the true identity of the other party. Also, I¡¯ve already informed headquarters about this matter as per your order. The reply from HQ is to act according to the circumstances. You can act if it¡¯s profitable, but don¡¯t attract unnecessary troubles for the agency later.¡±


    Charlie creased his brows deeply and said, ¡°I already expected that the account used by that man would be an unregistered Swiss bank account, yet it never occurred to me that these people would have such a bizarre ability to come and go so freely like that at our own location. It seems like our security measures here are flawed. Yale, rebuild our security surveillance system. Make absolutely sure to cover the whole site so as to make sure nobody is able to infiltrate here so covertly in the future.¡±


    ¡°Understood! I¡¯ll get it done immediately,¡± replied Yale as he turned around and left the room.


    Charlie turned around and walked to the table. After pulling out a drawer, he took a black notebook from the inside and quickly flipped through a few pages. He then picked up his mobile phone to dial a certain cell phone number on it. It didn¡¯t take long before his call was picked up and a deep voice asked:


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°20 million dollars and I¡¯ll sell you some more intel,¡± said Charlie with a slightly smiling face. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find this intel of the utmost importance to you.¡±


    ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll tell my men to transfer it to your account right away.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll send the intel to you immediately once I get the money,¡± said Charlie smilingly.


    Having said that, he hung up and returned back to the sofa to sit down. His expression was that of smugness as he took out a Cuban cigar and happily muttered to himself, ¡°Heh, they can fight all they like, but I¡¯ll fish the money out of them. This Dark Shaman clan may be a bit able and bizarre, but it¡¯s worth to take a bit of risk to make more of a profit. Well, 20 million dollars is worth it for my sweat!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that you won¡¯t have the chance to spend it if you die, though!¡±


    A faint wind blew all of a sudden, and a chilling voice came from behind Charlie. At the same time, a sharp dagger was placed on his neck. The hand with the dagger only needed a slight motion to leave a deadly wound on Charlie¡¯s neck.


    ¡°W-who are you?¡±


    Charlie¡¯s body stiffened and his heart chilled in that instant. He rarely encountered such a terrible situation that could make him scared shitless like this. Yet, he was keenly aware that the kiss of death was so close to him at this moment.


    ¡°Well, well, your sweat seems to have earned you quite the fortune in your private account, isn¡¯t that right?¡± Tang An¡¯s chilling voice spoke again as she came out of the shadow. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a chance to redeem your life. Transfer all the money in your private account into mine. Otherwise, I¡¯ll kill you immediately.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll transfer it to you,¡± shouted Charlie hurriedly. ¡°B-but please don¡¯t kill me. I have a lot of money and you can have all of it.¡±


    ¡°You got a shit ton of money, huh?¡± Tang An sneered and mocked him. ¡°I¡¯ll still kill you if the number doesn¡¯t satisfy me.¡±

 Chapter 982 - Setting A Trap

    Chapter 982: Setting A Trap


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Albeit with difficulty, Charlie struggled to grab his phone and used online banking apps to transfer more than 200 million dollars to the account Tang An just gave him. After the notification was displayed on the screen, proving that there was no money left in his account, he then said with a bitter voice, ¡°Miss, I didn¡¯t see your face so I don¡¯t know who you are. I already gave you all my money, all for my life.¡±


    ¡°The money from your private account is for the compensation of your own sins!¡± sneered Tang An. ¡°You can be sure to meet your maker along with your loved ones should you dare to sell us out again. Heh, don¡¯t ever think that because you¡¯re a member of the Darkwind agency, it can deter my Boss from killing you. As long as the price is right, let alone you, even all your family members and friends will be ruthlessly hunted and killed by countless people.¡±


    Charlie gulped and fearfully replied, ¡°Yes, yes, yes. You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll never sell you out again. Absolutely.¡±


    ¡°Then you must play your script we give you to prove it,¡± said Tang An with satisfaction. ¡°Your performance will determine whether you can keep your shitty life.¡±


    ¡°What script should I follow?¡± asked Charlie hurriedly.


    ¡°You just called Singkuo, the eldest prince of the Dark Shaman, didn¡¯t you?¡± asked Tang An. ¡°He wants to buy the intel about us, doesn¡¯t he?¡±


    Charlie said bitterly, ¡°Yes. I just wanted to make a lot of money in private, so¡­¡±


    ¡°You really had no idea how powerful the man you just wanted to sell out is, Charlie. If you did, I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯d be scared out of your wits after pulling such a stunt even if you gave 20 billion dollars.¡± Tang An interrupted him coldly and lightly added. ¡°What I need you to do is to inform Singkuo that Singluen has returned to Bangkok and is now hiding in a coconut plantation about 100km to the southeast of downtown Bangkok. The owner of that plantation is a man called Zuo Daquan.¡±


    ¡°I know him!¡± blurted Charlie in surprise. ¡°Do you have a grudge against him?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t stick your nose in it,¡± said Tang An coldly. ¡°Do what I just told you and pass it to Singkuo. Also, you must know that Singkuo¡¯s death is inevitable. Associate yourself and give him a favor, and you¡¯ll find death knocking at your door.¡±


    Charlie had witnessed the mysteriousness and dreadfulness of the other party. He could only brace himself to write the information personally, sending it to Singluen via email. Everything was to keep his own life.


    ¡°I did what you told me to do. Can you let me go¡­¡±


    Just as his fingers left the keyboard, he spoke and looked back, only to be dumbfounded since not even the shadow of that person was seen behind him.


    ¡®Was it just an illusion? That¡¯s impossible! That woman was definitely here!¡¯


    ¡®But¡­ the door and windows are closed. They were never opened in the first place. How did she come in? How did she leave? Is she a ghost or something?¡¯


    Wiping off the beads of sweat on his forehead, Charlie got up and checked every corner of the room. After confirming that there really was no other person inside, only then did he feel relieved, taking a sigh of relief. As he came to the sofa, he felt weak as he took a seat. The sensation of having death knocking at the door was so intense and real, leaving him with a lingering fear up till now.


    ¡®No longer will I stick my nose in this shit again. I won¡¯t give a damn shit to Singkuo, nor will I get involved in anything related to this clan again even if they give me a mountain of gold. Those guys around Singluen are too dreadful and it¡¯s very easy if they want to kill me. Anyone around me is nothing but shit. They can do whatever.¡¯


    Charlie felt more relaxed after ruminating about this issue clearly.


    ****


    Don Mueang District, Feather Palace Club.


    Tang Xiu had just come back and was now holding a stack of documents as he returned to his room when his expression suddenly moved slightly and he asked, ¡°Have you accomplished the task I gave you?¡±


    A shadow flickered, and Tang An appeared in front of Tang Xiu out of thin air. Then, she respectfully reported, ¡°It¡¯s been done, Grand Master. It was as you predicted. Charlie tried to fish out more from Singkuo again for some personal gain, so I forced him to pass the fake intel you prepared to Singkuo.¡±


    ¡°Heh, the Darkwind agency may be the world¡¯s largest intelligence agency, but they have too many corrupted crooks,¡± sneered Tang Xiu. ¡°Everything is just for money and interest to them. With too many people in their organization, it¡¯s inevitable that they are rotten and decent people in their ranks. As such, there will be numerous people who forget their own code at the prospect of profits. Their promises are worth nothing.¡±


    A smile was now sported on Tang An¡¯s face as she said, ¡°Well, he has quite a fortune, Grand Master, so I forced him to transfer the money in his Swiss private account to mine. The total amount is around 240 million dollars, which I¡¯m going to transfer to your account later.¡±


    ¡°Huh? You what?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression turned vacant. An expression between laughter and tears appeared on his face a moment after. ¡°Haih, why do I feel like all the people around me have kinda turned into fearful bandits lately? How come all of you always extort money every time I deal with the enemy?¡±


    A smile appeared on Tang An¡¯s face yet again. ¡°Well, we¡¯re short on money, Grand Master.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right. You¡¯re all short on money to buy cultivation resources, huh?¡± said Tang Xiu snappily.


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s all because we need a massive number of cultivation resources, especially pills. It¡¯s dwindling fast.¡± Tang An nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s why we must find ways to get more money and buy the pills from HQ.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but chuckle and said, ¡°Right, the world never provides free lunch. You gotta pay if you want cultivation resources. I know the annual pay given by the Everlasting Feast Hall is not decent for you all, but you guys indeed have the ability to make it up and earn yourselves quite a fortune. I won¡¯t bother with what you do as long as you don¡¯t kill innocents and rob the weak. Well, you can keep the money. We¡¯ll have more people join our ranks in the future, and everyone will be more restless to get cultivation resources. There¡¯s no harm in buying them now indeed.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Grand Master,¡± said Tang An with a joyful expression.


    ¡°Spare me the courtesy, okay?¡± Tang Xiu waved and said again. ¡°Also, don¡¯t use all the money for yourself. After you spend it on some cultivation resources, give your brother a share. As I see it, he seems to have nothing else to do except cultivation and fooling around with women.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that brother of mine is indeed an exotic marvel,¡± commented Tang An with a helpless face. ¡°I¡¯ve often given him money over all these years and he¡¯s been wasteful while spending it.¡±


    ¡°Well, you can push him to find himself a wife to help him manage his life as soon as possible, though,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°Else, I¡¯m afraid you gotta take care of him for a lifetime.¡±


    Tang An secretly clenched her fists and replied with a dead-serious expression. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely push him to find himself a wife.¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°Okay, okay, get some rest now! I need to read this intel about the Dark Shaman clan to make some plans.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, would you like me to head to that coconut plantation, Grand Master?¡± asked Tang An all of a sudden. ¡°You¡¯re setting the trap there. In case Singkuo sends his men there tonight, Zuo Daquan and his men perhaps won¡¯t be able to deal with them. Besides, there are Zuo Qing and her two children. They could be in danger.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to go there now.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯ll personally lead our men there once I¡¯m done devising the plan tonight. Also, I assigned Jin Shi¡¯s team to go there when we were in the Darkwind branch. I believe they¡¯ll be able to make Zuo Qing and his two children stay out of trouble even if Singkuo¡¯s men arrive there earlier than us.¡±


    ****


    At the Dark Shaman Clan location.


    Singkuo hastily draped his coat over him as he walked out of a building. As he came to the entrance of the Dark Shaman clan, dozens of people had already gathered there. All of them were dressed in black with magic staffs and cold weapons. More than a dozen cars came from afar, and when they stopped at the gate, Singkuo and the men immediately boarded the cars before they quickly headed toward the distance.


    Several minutes later, the Dark Shaman¡¯s Patriarch, Singtuo, silently appeared at the gate, looking grim and icy. He took out a sharp dagger and threw it to the left side of the entrance. A black mist suddenly appeared at his left side as a white-haired old man came out of the black mist and caught the dagger.


    ¡°Follow them! That child, Singluen, may be incompetent, but he¡¯s still my son. If Singkuo really wants to kill him, you must immediately act and save him when he¡¯s in the most critical situation!¡±


    ¡°What if Singluen defeats Singkuo and becomes the final winner?¡± asked the white-haired old man.


    Singtuo shook his head and asked back, ¡°Do you think he¡¯s got what it takes to defeat Singkuo?¡±


    ¡°I know that it¡¯s unlikely, but there¡¯s nothing absolute in this world either.¡± The white-haired old man shook his head and said, ¡°Unforeseen accidents that lead to an unexpected situation may still happen. Besides, Singluen seems to have some helpers from China. Although we don¡¯t yet know clearly about these people, China has had many hidden experts for countless generations. It will be Singkuo who will suffer losses if the people invited by Singluen are very strong.¡±


    Singtuo touched his nose deep in thought. Then, he nodded and said, ¡°You¡¯re right. There¡¯s some truth in what you said. China does have too many powerful people, so we¡¯ve got no choice but to guard against any contingencies. Alright, take 13 Shaman Protectors with you! You should be able to deal with the circumstances should any accidents occur.¡±


    The white-haired old man nodded and took the dagger as he turned into a black mist, quickly vanishing in front of Singtuo.


    ****


    At the coconut plantation.


    Zuo Daquan was leaning by the window while looking at the dark scenery outside. Dark haze filled his heart, even though his daughter had come with his two adorable two grandsons. Furthermore, he was experiencing a feeling of restlessness that was getting more intense as time went by. It was a feeling he had never had for more than a decade.


    About a decade ago, he had relied on this mysterious sixth sense he possessed to detect any possible dangers brought by the Huang ahead of time. It was also the reason why he had been able to flee in advance, eventually saving himself from being killed by the Huang clansmen. But the feeling he had this time was far more intense than it was a decade ago. It was as though the scythe of the Grim Reaper had been placed around his neck, making it difficult to breathe and causing him to be restless.


    ¡®What could be the reason?¡¯


    The thought kept plaguing his mind before he finally came to one conclusion. His hunch told him that the danger he would face soon was related to Tang Xiu, the man who came to his place with her daughter today. It was even very likely that it was also related to the Huang Family.


    ¡®This won¡¯t do. There¡¯s no way I can sit still and wait for death to come. I gotta make preparations in advance and send Qing¡¯er and my two grandsons to away to run from this place first. After that, I gotta go to some spot in the vicinity for surveillance and observation.¡±


    Right at 400 sharp, after Zuo Daquan had secretly sent his daughter and grandsons away, the dreadful sensation he had turned more intense. It was as if he was being stared at by a venomous serpent that could bite him at a moment¡¯s notice. It was the kind of bite that was very fatal and deadly.

 Chapter 983 - Expressing Goodwill?

    Chapter 983: Expressing Goodwill?


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    ¡°Old man Ange!¡±


    Just as Zuo Daquan appeared in another manor more than 10 kilometers away, a fifty-plus something old man he had messaged came and appeared in front of him.


    The old man Ange looked puzzled and asked, ¡°It¡¯s so unusual for you to come here at this time, Boss Zuo. What happened?¡±


    ¡°Would you mind letting me take refuge in your place, Ange?¡± asked Zuo Daquan with a solemn expression. ¡°I got a hunch that somebody is monitoring me and that my place will be quite messed up tonight.¡±


    The old man Ange was silent for a while and then nodded. ¡°You saved my life before and you¡¯ve helped several times, so it¡¯s my turn to help you this time. But you also know that I¡¯m not as strong as your well-trained troops. I only got a little more than a dozen men here.¡±


    ¡°Just letting me take refuge in your place is already the greatest help for me, Ange,¡± replied Zuo Daquan gratefully. ¡°I can¡¯t say thanks now, but I¡¯ll definitely do it properly after I make it through this crisis safely.¡±


    ¡°Nah. There¡¯s no need for that between us, Boss Zuo,¡± said the old man. ¡°Anyway, I got a secret room to hide some things here. Do you want to hide there with your men? I won¡¯t leak anything to those who come to find you should there be any.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve not come here to hide, Ange.¡± Zuo Daquan shook his head and said, ¡°I just need to stay in your place to have a look at those who are gonna make a mess in my place. Besides, even if I can hide tonight, there¡¯s no way I can feel safe in the days to come. Well, can I go to your water tower? I need to go up there.¡±


    The old man Ange looked dull for a moment before he patted his head and said, ¡°Damn. How come I forgot the water tower is also a good place to hide? Come on, I¡¯ll take you there myself. That spot seems very unsafe, but it¡¯s the safest spot in my place indeed.¡±


    Ten minutes later, Zuo Daquan led tens of his men to the water tower. The space in the tower was very small and Zuo Daquan only took a few of his trusted men into it above, while the rest stayed below.


    The taste of waiting, with restlessness overwhelming your whole being, was never a good feeling. While waiting, a stalwart middle-aged man using binoculars suddenly had his expression change and he reported, ¡°Boss, a convoy seems to be heading to our coconut plantation. There are 13 of them, and each is full of people.¡±


    With a changed expression, Zuo Daquan grabbed the binoculars in his hand and aimed towards the reported direction. He immediately saw that the said convoy consisted of 13 cars. At this moment, his eyes looked as though they were blazing flames as he cursed in a low voice, ¡°The Young Divine Doctor, huh? What a shitty fart! And so is his Magnificent Tang Corporation. You got a good life, Tang Xiu, so I never thought that you¡¯d be just a hunting dog for the Huang. The enemy this time should be the Huang¡¯s men he brought.¡±


    An ordinary-looking middle-aged man beside him put down the binoculars and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think those people are Chinese, Boss. They shouldn¡¯t be the lackeys of the Huang. Those men in the cars are new faces, but they should be Thais from their appearance. Also, I just looked around and I haven¡¯t seen anyone from Tang Xiu¡¯s group who have come to our coconut plantation today.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be. I have no other enemies besides the Huang.¡± Zuo Daquan shook his head and said, ¡°These people are definitely up to no good, and I can¡¯t think of anyone else except the Huang Family.¡±


    ¡°But if they are indeed the Huang clansmen, Tang Xiu would definitely not be so stupid to come ahead of time with the young lady. It¡¯s just kinda unreasonable to make us alert.¡± The middle-aged man argued.


    His argument made Zuo Daquan frown. He thought about it for a moment and then nodded. ¡°Your reasoning is sound, but the convoy has stopped at the gate of our coconut plantation. If they are not the dogs of the Huang, then who could they possibly be? Kanaja¡¯s men? It¡¯s very unlikely. The relation between I and him is just due to the money he lent to me with no grudge whatsoever. He won¡¯t proactively come here and take me as an enemy.¡±


    The man concurred with a nod. As he raised his binoculars and observed the scene in the distance, his expression suddenly shifted and said, ¡°Have you noticed the weird attire these people are wearing, Boss? The most peculiar thing is the things in their hands. It seems like they are holding cold weapons.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s bizarre indeed.¡±


    The scene made Zuo Daquan frown deeper. A puzzled and incomprehensible look on his face was quickly becoming much more evident. If these people were really to strike him with these cold weapons, there was only one possibility: these people were all martial artists.


    ****


    Two worn-out cars were driving fast on a certain empty street of Bangkok.


    With a look of surprise and amazement on his face, Tang Xiu sat in the second car and received a phone call from Jin Shi. This was due to Zuo Daquan¡¯s foresight ability, a variable he didn¡¯t expect. The man had sent his daughter and two grandsons away to other places the same night and then took his men to take refuge in the nearby estate.


    ¡°We got traffic police blocking the road in front, Grand Master.¡± Tang Guang, who was sitting in front, whispered all of a sudden.


    ¡°Seriously, is this a normal occurrence?¡± asked Tang Xiu with squinted eyes.


    ¡°From my little knowledge about Bangkok, traffic police shouldn¡¯t close the road unless there¡¯s a big incident.¡± Tang Guang shook his head and said, ¡°Doing so at 4 AM is rather peculiar.¡±


    ¡°So you mean they are coming for us?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°The chance is very likely.¡± Tang Guang nodded.


    Tang Xiu went silent for a moment. He then suddenly turned his head to look at Singluen, asking, ¡°Can you deal with the traffic police in front?¡±


    ¡°It should be no problem, but I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯d expose our whereabouts.¡± Singluen hesitantly replied, ¡°The constellation of forces in Bangkok is rather complicated, and every traffic policeman could be an informer for others. But there¡¯s one man who could help to deal with it. Of course, that¡¯s as long as he doesn¡¯t leak our whereabouts to anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s this man?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Kanaja,¡± answered Singluen.


    The revelation made Tang Xiu frown. His arrival in Bangkok was a secret and Kanaja was the last man he wanted to find out about it since this man had a good relationship with Singluen¡¯s father. The latter was obvious to be partial to Singkuo. In case Kanaja informed Singluen¡¯s father of his arrival, then it was very likely that Singkuo would receive the news right away.


    ¡°Is there any other way beside it?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a frown.


    ¡°I got no other idea but that.¡± Singluen shook his head.


    Tang Xiu was a bit disappointed. Singluen¡¯s ability being this abysmal to deal with such a problem was really out of his expectations. He hesitated for a moment before deciding not to contact Kanaja. It wouldn¡¯t be too late to contact this man should they have a clash with these traffic police me later.


    The two cars then stopped in front of the roadblock.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t let Singluen get out the car; instead, he walked out with Tang Guang towards the policemen. With a smile on his face, he then greeted, ¡°Hello, police officer. It¡¯s so late; you haven¡¯t rested yet? Isn¡¯t it too much hard work for you?¡±


    The first police officer, a middle-aged man, looked at the two cars several meters away. Then, his eyes shifted to Tang Xiu. ¡°It¡¯s really hard indeed, but it¡¯s an order from above that we must obey. May I know who you are? We need to inspect your cars.¡±


    Tang Xiu swiftly took out two stacks of dollar bills from his interspatial ring and quickly gave it to the middle-aged policeman, smilingly saying, ¡°Please accept these tens of thousands USD as my appreciation for everyone¡¯s hard work then. Anyhow, we¡¯re in a hurry here. Could you let us pass?¡±


    The middle-aged policeman hurriedly returned the money back. Then he took out his mobile phone and looked at the screen before asking, ¡°Are you Mr. Tang Xiu?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed as he asked in a deep tone, ¡°How do you know me?¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t misunderstand us, Mr. Tang,¡± said the policeman. ¡°Someone entrusted me a message for you. He said that a powerful man called Singkuo is currently looking for you. Also, more than a dozen cars just passed by an hour ago, which were Singkuo and his men.¡±


    ¡°Then tell me who¡¯s the man who entrusted you with this message?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a frown.


    ¡°Kanaja,¡± answered the middle-aged man in a whisper.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression shifted and he inquired again, ¡°How did he know that I¡¯ve come to Bangkok?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Kanaja told me that you¡¯d ask this question and he wanted me to explain to you that Mr. Xingkuo just visited him recently, hoping that he¡¯d help him investigate your whereabouts,¡± explained the policeman. ¡°That¡¯s why Mr. Kan assigned his men to be stationed in all the streets in Bangkok. As a matter of fact, Mr. Kan has also found out where you stayed last night. He didn¡¯t visit you then since it was inconvenient, so he had to resort to this method to inform you.¡±


    ¡°I see. Kanaja truly has quite supernatural power here, doesn¡¯t he?¡± said Tang Xiu with a faint smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that he could find our whereabouts so quickly. It seems that he¡¯s more powerful than I had imagined. Alright, please tell him that Tang Xiu will remember this favor and that I require his help to bring us to our destination.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass your message on to Mr. Kan right away,¡± said the policeman.


    Tang Xiu returned to the car as a cool light flashed in his eyes. He had been looking down on Kanaja¡¯s ability and power in Bangkok indeed. But the arrow had left the bow and couldn¡¯t be retracted. Hence, he could only leave it to chance. Hopefully Kanaja wouldn¡¯t leak his whereabouts¡ªotherwise, the upcoming battle would probably end up more difficult.


    ****


    At the coconut plantation.


    Singkuo brought forty-plus men with him after the cars had been parked in the vicinity. They quickly approached the manor silently and then sneakily jumped up the wall. There were more than a dozen guard dogs that moved about vigilantly in the garden, yet none of them were able to detect the many people with murderous intent in the dark fog drifting in front of them.


    ¡°When are we going to strike them, Young Master?¡±


    ¡°Just wait a bit. We need to scout the situation inside first.¡±


    Singkuo acted very carefully and was prudent even though he had bought the intel from the Darkwind organization for fear that he would fall into the enemy¡¯s trap. He had sent some people to investigate Tang Xiu¡¯s identity, but the findings he had recieved resulted in a dreadful feeling inside him.


    His trash younger brother, Singluen, was not someone he was afraid of. It was the experts around Tang Xiu that gave him this much dread.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Suddenly, an alarming voice sounded out and a gun was fired. Jin Shi, disguised as Zuo Daquan¡¯s subordinate, unceasingly opened fire and immediately ran to the back after firing a series of shots. In just a few breaths, he had already disappeared from Singkuo and his men¡¯s line of sight.


    ¡°CATCH HIM!¡±


    Singkuo, who wanted to figure out the situation in this coconut plantation, ordered without hesitation.

 Chapter 984 - The Eve of The Storm

    Chapter 984: The Eve of The Storm


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Sporadic gunshots echoed over the coconut plantation. Yet, it was as though the scythe of the Grim Reaper activated every time gunshots were heard as they harvested the life of the person shot. In just a few minutes, six big men with heavy murderous auras were killed, falling into their own pool of blood.


    ¡°FUCK!¡±


    Singkuo could only helplessly look at his men that were constantly being targeted by the mysterious sniper. His eyes were as though spewing out flames. The anger on his face quickly turned into a ferocious expression and the killing aura around him turned more intense. He had investigated the men under Singluen, and there was no outstanding sniper such as this one. More so that the other party was nothing but assassins from all over the world. None of them was a practitioner of his Dark Shaman clan.


    ¡°The marksmanship of the enemy is too accurate, Boss. He also keeps moving, so we can¡¯t lock onto his position.¡± Herde, who was wearing a tinted camouflage suit and held a sniper rifle, reported with a scowl on his face. He used to be the ace sniper of the Golden Flame mercenary group and a death reaper on the battlefield who had killed countless enemies. Encountering another sniper who was able to suppress him was a very horrific feeling for him.


    A chilling light flashed in Singkuo¡¯s eyes. He was well aware of the many abilities possessed by Herde. Yet, the fella was unable to lock onto the enemy at all. It was obvious that the enemy¡¯s strength was formidable.


    ¡°Cease attacking and immediately investigate the owner of this coconut plantation. I want accurate intel in 30 minutes!¡±


    A few kilometers away from the scene, Zuo Daquan, who was hiding atop the water tower, stared dumbly at the scene in front of him through his binoculars. Never in his wildest dreams would a gun battle occur in his coconut plantation, nor would so many enemies come to attack it. The most surprising thing was that there was also a mysterious sniper that was able to deter and force the enemies back.


    ¡°Who the hell is this guy?¡± He put down his binoculars and turned to look at the few confidants around him, inquiring.


    The men around him exchanged glances and shook their heads at the same time. The scene had likewise made them shocked because they had already evacuated everyone in the plantation. It had simply been deserted. Furthermore, although they were also skilled men who had encountered powerful figures, none of them could be compared to this sniper who was in a killing spree and claiming a human life with each bullet shot out.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way he¡¯s one of us, Boss,¡± whispered a middle-aged big man.


    Zuo Daquan looked again with his binoculars and carefully observed the scene. Then he said, ¡°This man is using a bunker to cover himself, but his concealment ability is extraordinary; only a true expert would be able to do it. All I can say is that we¡¯re just unlucky if this incident has nothing to do with us. We got someone hiding in our plantation but we never found him, yet his enemy found him and now came for revenge.¡±


    The middle-aged man nodded, ¡°The chance is very likely¡ªotherwise¡­¡±


    Bang, bang¡­


    Suddenly, the gunshots sounded again in the coconut plantation. This time, however, the shootings didn¡¯t come from one person, but four or five men at the same time. Above all, the shooters were not the dozens of people who attacked, but people who were defending the coconut plantation.


    In that instant, the middle-aged man¡¯s face turned extremely nasty. Even Zuo Daquan wore a look of disbelief. The fact that more than 4 people were in his coconut plantation simply overthrew his speculations, smacking him in the face.


    ¡°What the hell is going on there? Who exactly are those fellas?¡±


    Zuo Daquan was completely stunned. His hands that held the binoculars slightly shivered.


    Deep inside the coconut plantation, Jin Shi was hiding behind the window of a building as he picked up his earphones and spoke, ¡°Everyone, Boss is coming in 30 minutes, so we shall sweep them over to pick off as many as possible. Hold them in their spot and leave no chance to advance or leave. The intel the Boss just sent me says that it¡¯s Singluo who has come here with his direct subordinates. Our mission will be half done if we can remove them.¡±


    Chilling light gleamed in Mo Awu¡¯s eyes as he said coldly, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the Boss¡¯s order, we would just completely annihilate them directly. Anyway, where the heck is Xue Sha? He didn¡¯t appear in his assigned spot just now.¡±


    ¡°Whoosh!¡±


    A figure suddenly flickered lightning-fast and then appeared next to them. It was Xue Sha as he joined the conversation with visible killing intent in his eyes, whispering, ¡°I got a bunch of mysterious company near my position before. They should be the Dark Shaman experts planning an ambush in the dark. I can sense that some of them kinda gave me a threatening feeling.¡±


    ¡°Heh, they must be the manpower Singkuo has arranged to ambush us!¡± Jin Shi coldly snorted and said, ¡°Xue Sha, keep an eye on them and inform us at once the moment they take action.¡±


    ¡°Our present task is to hold them up and buy some time, guys.¡± Mo Awu pulled his pistol out and coldly said, ¡°Let¡¯s give them a warning and let them know that we¡¯ve found them.¡±


    With that said, he fired his gun several times towards the hiding position in the southeast of Jin Shi, and then quickly moved to another position and appeared by another window.


    In the southeast, behind lush greenery and trees, more than a dozen ghostlike shadows were hiding. Their whole bodies were covered by blurry fog with auras that made the temperature in the surroundings drop several degrees. A white-haired old man in a black robe, Singli, had his eyes glued to the front. His eyes were as though able to penetrate the darkness and able to see the dangers of hiding in the dark from the building in front.


    ¡°Heng¡­¡±


    As a few bullets came from that direction towards his position, Singli quickly waved his long sleeves. Several blobs of black fog instantly appeared and wrapped the bullets, making them float in the air over four meters away.


    ¡°Leave this spot! They¡¯ve found our position.¡±


    In that instant, the dozen ghostly figures quickly retreated back behind the shade of the tree without any sound.


    Time passed by and the situation fell into a deadlock.


    Half an hour later, two cars came and parked on the road over five kilometers away from the coconut plantation. Tang Xiu and the rest quickly came out, followed by Singluen and the dozens of men he had trained, quickly lurking toward the coconut plantation.


    ¡°Keep moving while covert!¡±


    As they approached the coconut plantation, several cars parked by the roadside entered Tang Xiu¡¯s line of sight, along with several of Singkuo¡¯s men with firearms guarding them.


    Singluen came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side and whispered, ¡°What do we do next?¡±


    With killing intent gleaming in his eyes, Tang Xiu answered, ¡°We¡¯ll find out the specific position of the enemy first, and then inform Jin Shi¡¯s team in the coconut plantation to attack them on both sides at the same time to kill Singkuo and his men as quickly as possible. None of them must be left alive.¡±


    ¡°I concur. These guys are all Singkuo¡¯s trusted men, so let¡¯s kill them all.¡± Singluen firmly nodded. ¡°My side¡¯s strength has progressed steadily as of late. We¡¯re at least several times stronger than before. Even if some freakish old monster in our clan is there to protect Singkuo, we¡¯ll definitely be able to hold and neutralize them here.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and then said to Tang Guang, ¡°Confirm the enemy¡¯s position, especially the spot where Singkuo is hiding. Kill him if you find any chance, but return at once to report to me if you¡¯ve got no chance. We¡¯ll strike them in five minutes.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Tang Guang nodded and replied.


    His figure then flickered and instantly disappeared into the darkness in front like a flashing arrow. Two minutes later, he returned back to Tang Xiu¡¯s front and shook his head. ¡°Singkuo has got many experts around him, so I can¡¯t kill him. Furthermore, there are forty-plus men at our 11 o¡¯clock; a few of them have firearms, while the rest have magic staffs and cold weapons. They should be the Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s experts. I also found more than a dozen men towards our 1 o¡¯clock. They are able to hide their presence very well and should be more powerful than the experts around Singkuo.


    Having said that, Tang Guang took out a piece of paper and handed it to Tang Xiu, continuing his report, ¡°An just made a sketch of an old man who leads the 1 o¡¯clock group.¡±


    Singluen observed the sketch a few times before his pupils suddenly contracted, an expression of hatred filling his eyes. He then said in a deep voice, ¡°I know him. Nobody in my clan doesn¡¯t know this man. He¡¯s Singli, my father¡¯s right-hand man and also my third uncle. He¡¯s known by my clansmen as the second most powerful expert in the clan. It seems that our guess is correct, Mr. Tang. My father is really on Singkuo¡¯s side, or else Singkuo wouldn¡¯t be able to make this old man move with his identity.¡±


    ¡°We guessed that it would turn out like this before; now it¡¯s been confirmed,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°Singkuo wants your life, and he shall die. If these people sent by your father also want to kill you, I don¡¯t think that keeping them alive would have any advantage for you, Singluen.¡±


    The statement made Singluen hesitate, and he said with a bitter face, ¡°He¡¯s still my father in any case. He probably doesn¡¯t want to kill me since he didn¡¯t come here. Let¡¯s just wait after we get rid of Singkuo. I¡¯ll personally return to the Dark Shaman clan to resolve this issue with him.¡±


    Tang Xiu could only sigh inwardly before nodding, ¡°I understand. He¡¯s your father after all. Although the pain of killing your own father will eventually be buried in your heart, some of the pains will never be erased no matter what. Alright, let¡¯s get rid of Singkuo and his men first before dealing with that.¡±


    Five minutes passed by.


    Tang Xiu then contacted Jin Shi with his mobile phone and issued an attack order. The moment after, Jin Shi¡¯s group of eleven in the building deep inside the coconut plantation moved out lighting fast toward Singkuo¡¯s position, putting away their guns and unleashing their respective immortal sword. In just half a minute, they had already killed six men assigned by Singkuo to keep an eye on them.


    ¡°Bastard!¡±


    A hoary and furious shout belonging to an old man in a black rob was heard. He quickly swung the staff in his hand as a layer of black fog gradually emerged in the surroundings.


    ¡°Slash them!¡±


    The black crazily converged and instantly condensed into a black long blade. As the surrounding space distorted, the black saber covered by the black haze flickered and appeared before Mo Awu and Jin Shi in an attempt to slash their bodies in the blink of an eye.


    ¡°Rainbow Sword¡ªBreak!¡±


    Mo Awu¡¯s leg stepped forward, and sword energy burst out from his immortal sword, causing a gale that smashed forward to clash with the black saber.

 Chapter 985 - The Suffering of Bystanders

    Chapter 985: The Suffering of Bystanders


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The sheer power of the sword qi powerfully swept forward, yet the black fog was extremely viscous. Despite being slashed by the sword qi, it quickly condensed again. The sword¡¯s length, however, lessened by half and its power plummeted.


    Just as the black-robed old man was full of confidence and thought that Mo Awu and Jin Shi could be killed at once, the sword qi suddenly turned and shot at him. If it wasn¡¯t for his swift reflexes in waving his staff to block the sword qi, he would¡¯ve been pierced by the sword energy.


    BOOM¡­


    The gem inlaid on the staff exploded and shattered to pieces before scattering them on the ground. The black-robed old man only felt his hand go numb in that instant while his blood and energy inside his body turned chaotic.


    ¡°Lame¡­¡±


    Jin Shi sneered as the immortal sword shot forward from his hand, bringing with it a blazing flame to crush the black saber. As the black saber turned into a black mist, it finally collapsed and dispersed in front of them, while the unstoppable killing momentum flooded forward and burned the black-robed old man the moment after.


    ¡°DRAW BACK FAST!¡±


    At the same time, the other four black-robed old men floated away and joined forces to form a wall made of black fog in front of the immortal sword. A black bubble quickly floated from the surroundings and formed a black cyclone to contain the explosion. It acted as an obstruction, and was finally able to stop the immortal sword¡¯s advance in front of them.


    ¡°It¡¯s a magical weapon?!¡±


    The face of the second black-robed old man on the left changed. A greedy look appeared on his face. He quickly dashed to the immortal sword in front and wrapped his palm with a layer of black mist and swiftly grabbed the sword¡¯s hilt.


    A dozen of meters away from him, Jin Shi was stunned upon seeing the scene before him. However, his expression turned strange the moment after. Right as the black-robed old man grasped the immortal sword¡¯s hilt, his lips ever slightly moved, and he instantaneously casted a cantrip to unleash the energy inside the immortal sword he had refined for nearly a year. Suddenly, a dazzling radiance erupted from his sword.


    Swift and powerful sword energy wrapped in flames instantly burst out in all directions from the immortal sword. The blast caused the black mist-covered hand of the black-robed old man who stood before the immortal sword to instantly combust, turning it into ashes in the blink of an eye.


    Puff¡­


    The man coughed up a mouthful of blood with a disastrous face. The instant after, the flaming sword qi struck his chest. The blazing flame burned him inside out instantly, turning him into a pile of ashes just as the other black-robed men rushed over.


    Tens of meters away from the scene, Singkuo wore a look of disbelief watching his elder guardian get turned into ashes. He¡¯d had five guardian elders protecting him since his childhood. They were the ones who had been directing him in cultivation as he grew step by step until the present. They acted as the select few people he trusted the most.


    And yet, the most powerful Second Elder who loved him the most just died like this?


    Clenching his fists tightly with furious rage in his eyes, Singkuo quickly pulled out a crescent saber from his waist, waving it and shouting, ¡°KILL THEM ALL! KILL THESE BASTARDS! Spare Singluen¡¯s life, for I¡¯ll be the one who kills him. I¡¯ll make him taste suffering and torture before he dies!¡±


    Slash, slash¡­ puff, puff¡­


    Just as his voice left his lips and the dozen men around him had yet to move, however, seven men behind him had their throats slashed and their hearts pierced silently.


    ¡°ENEMY ATTACK!!!¡±


    The black-robed middle-aged man¡¯s face enormously changed. He shouted loudly while dashing to the side to avoid the sword that had cut off his arm.


    The scene made Singkuo ¡®s expression drastically change. A chill ran down his spine as he saw tens of figures appear behind him. He saw Tang Xiu and Singluen, who he hated the most, along with his subordinates. Yet, what made him unable to believe it was the especially powerful aura gave off by the five guardian elders and the petite woman around Singluen.


    ¡°KILL THEM!!!¡±


    However, Singkuo couldn¡¯t care less about anything now. One of his guardian elders had been killed. It was just like adding fuel to a flame, causing his rage to blaze even more.


    A contemptuous look was seen on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. If it weren¡¯t for the consideration to prevent any of these men from escaping and leaving behind any future dangers, let alone Singkuo and his men in front, these people would still pose no threat to him even if their number and strength doubled. After all, he was also an expert who could contend with powerhouses at the Golden Core Stage. More so that he still had Tang Guang and Tang An who also possessed similar cultivation levels.


    ¡°Singluen, you and your men can deal with Singkuo. I¡¯ll deal with the rest so that we can get rid of them as fast as possible.¡± Tang Xiu quickly glanced at Singluen and said with a cold voice.


    A hideous grin appeared on Singluen¡¯s face. He led the feminine woman and the five black-robed guardian elders to aggressively storm over toward Singkuo. Prior to this event, neither he nor his men were able to contend with Singkuo and his subordinates. But since had a deal with Tang Xiu and obtained the pills, their powers had advanced by leaps and bounds, making them now a level more powerful compared to them.


    Further, one of the guardian elders who protected Singkuo had been killed, while the other four were also being engaged by Jin Shi¡¯s team. This time was literally a golden opportunity.


    ¡°KILL THEM! The more you kill, the bigger the reward you¡¯ll get after this battle. I¡¯m not a miser, so give me your all if you want to get more benefits!¡±


    Attractive rewards will indeed attract those who are brave enough to take the risk.


    Tens of people under Singluen rushed forward, although their strength was several levels weaker. But they were aware that they had the support from Tang Xiu and his men. That spirit made them able to get the upper hand as they engaged the enemy.


    A few kilometers away from the scene, on the tens of meters high water tower, Zuo Daquan was utterly dumbfounded as he watched the scene. He had his share of seeing some powerful people such as some ability users with mysterious powerful abilities he had met a few years ago,


    And yet, the abilities of those people were nothing to speak of compared to the people engaged in combat before his eyes. It was like he was watching some magical foreign blockbuster¡­ no¡­ the scene now was even much better than those movies. The scene he was witnessing was like a battle between troops of celestial immortals and devils, clashing as they mounted the clouds and rode the mist, causing a bloody fight that created flashes of lightning and the rumbling of thunder. All these scenes gave him a chill that froze his whole body.


    ¡°Bo¡­ B-Boss¡­ this Tang¡­¡±


    The middle-aged man who stood next to him stutteringly spoke.


    ¡°Speak properly for fuck sake, will you?¡± growled Zuo Daquan as he cursed at him. ¡°I know how shocking this battle scene before you is. I¡¯m sure they are humans, but humans with magical abilities.


    The middle-aged man gulped and quickly said, ¡°It¡¯s not that Boss. It¡¯s Mr. Tang¡ªthe man who escorted the young lady previously!¡±


    This made Zuo Daquan¡¯s face slightly change, and he asked with a deep voice, ¡°Where is he?


    The man quickly pointed to one direction and said, ¡°Look at that side. The one wearing black casual attire is Mr. Tang. I still remember that it¡¯s the attire he wore when he came to our coconut plantation yesterday.¡±


    Zuo Daquan followed the direction of his finger and carefully observed the spot for ten seconds. He finally spotted Tang Xiu among the combatants. However, Tang Xiu looked inconspicuous and didn¡¯t show any terrifying action at all. With daggers in his hands, he kept moving around randomly among the combatants in the fight.


    ¡°No way!¡±


    With contracted pupils, Zuo Daquan¡¯s expression turned into a horrified one. He kept observing Tang Xiu¡¯s stance as he moved around smoothly. He noticed he was simply in a killing spree as he harvested the lives of all combatants there. The two daggers in his hands were as though the Grim Reaper¡¯s scythe, constantly slashing his enemies¡¯ neck and piercing their hearts. He was even able to assist the people on his side, reducing their losses.


    ¡°Boss, I just don¡¯t understand one thing,¡± said the middle-aged man suddenly. ¡°Mr. Tang clearly left yesterday. So why did he and his men appear in our coconut plantation tonight? Also, you can see that they are now using our plantation as their battlefield, causing the buildings and the trees to be severely damaged. If both sides keep battling like this, it will be us who¡¯ll suffer great losses, regardless of the winner.¡±


    The moment Zuo Daquan saw Tang Xiu among these people, he already understood the truth of the matter. A wry and bitter smile appeared on his face as he replied with a helpless expression, ¡°It¡¯s I who must be blamed. This situation wouldn¡¯t have happened if I didn¡¯t refuse him from staying in our coconut plantation. It¡¯s just his way to pay me back, albeit indirectly!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± The man replied with a puzzled look.


    While watching the battle of the two sides, Zuo Daquan let out a forced smile and said, ¡°It was I who had suspected this solemn Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation. I doubted him, wondering why he had to enter Bangkok illegally and so secretly. I mistakenly thought that he was the Huang Family¡¯s hunting dog who wanted to stay in our place in order to wait for the reinforcements of the Huang and then deal with me from the inside. It turns out that everything is off the mark given the present situation.¡±


    ¡°He has enemies in Bangkok; a very powerful one. Don¡¯t you see familiar faces among his enemies there? One of them is Singkuo, the eldest prince of a mysterious clan here. Tang Xiu and his men likely covertly came to Bangkok with the purpose of dealing with this man.¡±


    ¡°Also, Tang Xiu must have had no place to stay here when he first arrived yesterday, so he accepted Qing¡¯er¡¯s invitation and then came to our place. Yet it was I who refused to give some temporary lodging here.¡±


    In that instant, several trusted men under Zuo Daquan understood everything. They exchanged dismayed glances at each other and were speechless for a long time.


    Doesn¡¯t this mean that they are nothing but bystanders who will suffer from the battle?


    The current situation they were in was simply like they were innocent bystanders who got implicated and suffered because of others¡¯ actions. Furthermore, it was also a deliberate action to make them implicated in such a situation. It wouldn¡¯t have happened if Zuo Daquan were polite and gave them shelter yesterday.


    ¡°So, what should we do now, Boss?¡± asked the middle-aged man in a whisper.


    ¡°What else can I do?¡± asked Zuo Daquan back with a forced smile. ¡°Nothing but wait and see. Their battle is not the likes of something we can meddle in to begin with. But if Tang Xiu ends up as the winner, I¡¯ll personally apologize to him.¡±

 Chapter 986 - Choice

    Chapter 986: Choice


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    There was also another issue that kept nagging on Zuo Daquan¡¯s mind, which was something his daughter Zuo Qing told him. She said that Tang Xiu had helped resolve his enmity with the Huang. He had previously ignored the thought because he thought that Tang Xiu had no ability. But now it seemed that his daughter was right. All things considered, it was he who had looked down on Tang Xiu.


    ¡°All of you, remember this. Be sure to be polite and respectful whenever you meet Tang Xiu later! He¡¯s a very powerful man, much more terrifying than the Huang Family of the Fukang province in China. He¡¯s someone who we cannot afford to mess with.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± replied the few middle-aged men respectfully.


    ***


    In another direction, Singli led 13 Shaman Guardians of the Dark Shaman clan to silently lurk above tens of coconut trees. Shielding themselves amid the leaves of the coconut trees, they calmly observed the battle scene in the distance.


    Their purpose in coming here was originally to prepare for Singluen¡¯s rescue and not to be involved, even though if the people under Singluen were all killed. However, the current situation really shocked him too much after Singkuo and his men couldn¡¯t get the upper hand at all. Even more accurately, they were completely unable to defend themselves against Singluen¡¯s side.


    ¡®What should I do now?¡¯


    The thought kept nagging his mind, yet he was still unable to find a solution. Help Singkuo? That was not even an option as it was not the order he received from the Patriarch. He could not take any action rashly; yet, could he just sit still while watching Singkuo and his men get completely destroyed?


    He fell into a dilemma for quite a while.


    The scene of the battle was decorated with the glint and flash of cold steel as it reached max intensity. Tang Xiu moved lightning-fast and killed nearly 20 people under Singkuo in just a few minutes, all alone. In a similar fashion, Tang Guang also reaped in the battle, every flicker of his sword harvesting a combatant¡¯s life.


    ¡°Singkuo, my dear big brother. If I were you, I would just kneel and obediently give me your neck for me to cut your head off,¡± said Singlue. The excitement made his blood boil and his body tremble. It was the scene he had been dreaming of countless of times that had finally come true.


    Singkuo was currently being besieged by Singluen and the feminine woman, and the man had a look of despair evident on his face. Even in his wildest dream, he had never once thought that the trash that was his younger brother would have equal power to him. He also thought that the little bitch next to him was nothing but trash. But now, she turned out to be as powerful as him, even enough to force him to bow his head when the two of them joined forces to fight him.


    The most important thing of all was that his side with forty-plus people were now currently being crushed by the other party up to the point of being nearly annihilated. Only a dozen of them now remained, all wounded, and some were even gravely injured.


    He had lost!


    He knew that he had fallen into a trap devised by Singluen and Tang Xiu tonight. The outcome was his tragic defeat and the deaths of his men. It was such a grave mistake that it suffocated him.


    ¡°SCRAM!!!¡±


    Two of his subordinates among the five guardian elders were trying hard with bloodied bodies to fend off Mo Awu and Jin Shi¡¯s group of eleven, and were just barely able to survive the encounter. The other two elders had now even determined to perish together as they rushed over to Singluen¡¯s five guardian elders and began engaging in combat.


    ¡°There¡¯s no escaping for us.¡±


    One of the guardian elders suddenly wore a firm look. He heaved a long sigh as his figure streaked into the sky and shouted, ¡°The rest of you, protect Young Master and run! Just remember to avenge me.¡±


    In a flash, he dashed tens of meters higher. Suddenly, his body combusted with a black flame. A heatwave came rolling out of him, moving into the surroundings and increasing the temperature by at least seven degrees Celsius. The faster he cast the incantation, the more blazing and increasingly powerful the black flame became.


    At this moment, whether it was Tang Xiu, Mo Awu, and the rest, all of them wore a surprised expression. Everyone could faintly sense that the old man was likely casting a forbidden art with formidable might.


    Singluen and his men, however, looked horrified and panicked. They never thought that Singkuo¡¯s guardian elder would make this decision. They knew that once the Darkness Forbidden Art was cast by their clansmen, the result was not as simple as just dying.


    Those who died still had their souls retained. Those who cultivated in shamanism and wizardry also cultivate their souls, and their clansmen could help gather their souls once they died. After years, they could make their souls enter reincarnation and be resurrected. But this Darkness Forbidden Art only had one outcome, which was to make their souls scatter into nothingness.


    ¡°DON¡¯T DO IT, FIFTH ELDER!!!¡±


    With a painful expression on his face, Singkuo let out a shout and wept.


    The Fifth Elder floating in the air just let out a smile and shot a deep glance at Singkuo before his body exploded. As his flesh and blood splashed over along with the black flame, the flame instantly descended from the sky. It was like a rain of fire, though the flame was black and brought about devastation.


    A few kilometers from the battlefield, the scene made Zuo Daquan atop the water tower infinitely shocked. No matter how knowledgeable he was, such an artificial horrifying scene was something he had never seen.


    ¡®Are they supernatural beings?¡¯


    Rumor had it that such people existed in the world; Zuo Daquan had heard about it as well. He also had heard about people with bizarre abilities, as well as a group of people called cultivators. The two groups of people before his eyes were a perfect testimony to this legend.


    ¡®But still¡­ it¡¯s very strange. Some people with Tang Xiu should be from the same origin as their enemy. Tang Xiu himself looks like an outsider, whereas the two sides should similarly have experts with the same abilities, making them genuine rivals. Don¡¯t tell me there¡¯s an internal fight in that mysterious clan and one of them is seeking Tang Xiu¡¯s help? If so, is this the real reason why Tang Xiu brought his men to Bangkok with such secrecy?¡¯


    Zuo Daquan stroked his chin in thought.


    In the other spot, the thought that Singkuo would lose had never come to Singli¡¯s mind. The thought that nearly fifty people under Singkuo were almost annihilated was simply unbelievable, especially since Singluen¡¯s side lost very few people. On top of that, two of the five guardian elders under Singkuo had died. One of them even died after casting the Darkness Forbidden Art.


    This was really tragic and miserable!


    Singli himself had experienced numerous battles, yet he had never encountered such a tragic situation. The fact that Singkuo¡¯s guardian elder sacrificed himself only to give Singkuo a chance to escape was unimaginable.


    ¡®Alas! It seems like there¡¯s no need for me to act.¡¯


    Singli shook his head. Singkuo¡¯s guardian elder had used the Darkness Forbidden Art, so Singluen and the rest must have escaped already. Although only Singkuo and his three guardian elders were left alive, it was much better than all of them being annihilated.


    ¡®You damn Chinese. You want to get involved in the internal strife of Dark Shaman Clan, huh? Regardless of who wins between Singluen or Singkuo, I must report this to the Patriarch. Revenge is a must. They must know how great the price is for killing any clansman of the Dark Shaman Clan.¡¯


    ¡°Shall we go back, Elder Singli?¡±


    The leader of the 13 Shaman Guardian, a middle-aged man with a chilling aura, whispered to him. He thought that the problem was gone with the escape of Singkuo.


    Yet, Singli hesitant for a moment. Then, he shook his head and said, ¡°We¡¯ll wait a bit more. The battle was brutal and the outcome could change at any moment. We can¡¯t afford to have any peculiar circumstances occur here.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    After having a killing spree that claimed the lives of the Dark Shaman clansmen, Tang Xiu looked up to sky. His eyes were gleaming with a chilling expression as his figure then flashed into the sky. At the same time, his hands constantly moved, casting a seal art. Overlapping layers of water curtains then formed tens of meters away from the ground. Although the black flame was hugely destructive, the water curtain had too many layers, and the volume of water contained in it was too much for it to evaporate. Most of the black flame was simply being extinguished by the water.


    ¡°Heh¡­ what a trivial skill!¡±¡±


    At this moment, Tang Xiu cast another seal. Dark clouds quickly enveloped the blue sky and quickly crashed down. In just a few breaths, all of the black flames had been completely extinguished and had dissipated in the air.


    ¡°KILL THEM ALL!¡±


    Tang Xiu relentlessly issued another order.


    In the distance, Tang Xiu¡¯s technique made Singli shocked and frightened. He never thought the Darkness Forbidden Art of his clan would be so easily broken by others. It must be noted that the price to cast this forbidden art was too far too great to pay.


    He was hardly able to turn his head to look at the leader of the 30 Shaman Guardians next to him. He could also see the shock on the man¡¯s face and how stiff his body was.


    ¡°Act now! Protect Singkuo and leave!¡±


    Lips squirming a few times, only then did Singli issue an order with a bitter expression.


    The 13 Shaman Guardians moved like arrows unleashed from their bows atop the coconut tree. In just a few breaths, they had arrived around Singluo with their respective crescent sabers. Overlapping layers of mist instantly emerged and covered all of them within.


    Singli came flying and stood a few dozen meters above the ground. He stared at Singluen and said, ¡°Let¡¯s stop here and now! The Patriarch won¡¯t interfere with the power struggle between you both, but neither of you can die!¡±


    Just as Singluen saw Singli, a scowl instantly appeared on his face and he furiously shouted, ¡°Did father send you here to help Singkuo to kill me?!¡±


    ¡°He did send me here, but it was to protect you, not Singkuo.¡± Singli shook his head and forced a smile. ¡°Your father said that power struggle between you both will prove who has the ability to be the future Patriarch of the clan. But he absolutely doesn¡¯t allow anyone of you to die!¡±


    Singluen was stunned and shocked, looking at Singli with an incredulous expression. Inwardly, he also agreed with what Singli said. Perhaps in his father¡¯s heart, he was not as good as his big brother, Singkuo, and thus believed that he would fail in the end.


    However, now was the perfect chance for him. As long as he killed Singluo, he had a chance to be the Patriarch of his clan! If he were to let Singkuo go because he was afraid of Singli and these 13 Shaman Guardians, it would be equal to letting the tiger go back to the mountain freely, leaving behind endless troubles that would haunt him in the future.

 Chapter 987 - Disowned Dogs

    Chapter 987: Disowned Dogs


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    A complicated look was visible on Singluen¡¯s face as he looked at Singli, just as countless thoughts of uncertainty flooded his heart. He had gradually learned Tang Xiu¡¯s character during the contact he had with him. He was well aware that Tang Xiu helping would be very unlikely in the future no matter how hard he tried if he didn¡¯t kill Singkuo now.


    ¡®What should I do? Kill or not?¡¯


    Tang Xiu floated down to his side and said indifferently, ¡°I still remember that your ultimate goal is not just killing your big brother, Singluen. You¡¯re bound to kill those who go up against you should you want to claim the Patriarch seat of your clan and take over the clan¡¯s power. Just remember, petty kindness will end up bringing you endless troubles in the future.¡±


    After this reminder, Singluen¡¯s face slightly changed. He shot Tang Xiu a deep gaze and then raised the saber in his hand, loudly shouting, ¡°Everyone, heed my order! Singkuo must die today. Kill whoever dares to intervene without mercy!¡±


    The declaration made Singli¡¯s face drastically change. He glared at Tang Xiu first before yelling, ¡°Knock it off, Singluen. Is this not enough already? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ll also kill your father for your ultimate goal? You¡¯ve won today; the Patriarch seat is bound to be yours. Why do you still want to kill your brother and your own clansmen?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯d kill my father. I know he¡¯s always good to me, but age has come to him and he rarely has time to manage the clan¡¯s affairs after cultivating. It¡¯s a much better idea for me to replace him, as he can¡¯t fulfill his responsibility. As for Singkuo¡­ hmph¡­ He and I have come to the point of no return. Do you think he¡¯d just behave and won¡¯t try anything against me in the future after I let him go today? Get the fuck out of my way, lest you¡¯ll die with him.¡±


    A smile crept up on Singli¡¯s face despite the extreme anger he had. He then shouted, ¡°Then we might as well help your big brother since you¡¯re so stubborn and are so adamant in killing him. 13 Shaman Guardians! Protect Singkuo and return! The three of you, the situation has come to this point; do you think you still have any chance of leaving this place alive?¡±


    Singkuo¡¯s three guardian elders exchanged dismayed glances. They understood the meaning of Singli¡¯s words. A sorrowful smile appeared on their faces and the trio gathered in the blink of an eye. Their figures then flashed upward and overlapping black flames emerged around them.


    One of them then shot a deep stare at Tang Xiu and shouted in a clear voice, ¡°Young man from China, you have formidable power and you¡¯re also a very powerful cultivator among your kind. You just broke the Darkness Forbidden Art cast by my brother, but can you stop this forbidden art cast by the three of us?¡±


    ¡°Really, seriously?¡± sneered Tang Xiu with his hands crossed behind his back. ¡°Are you sure the three of you can join hands and put it to use?¡±


    Puff¡­


    The air around the guardian elder was as though distorted, and a black figure appeared behind him in that instant. At the same time, a sword pierced his heart and slashed the muscles, bones, and meridians to the left of his chest. The glittering cold and sharp sword then continued to chop off his left arm.


    ¡°Let us deal with these three buffoons, Grand Master!¡±


    Tang Guang flew up into the sky. His white robe rustled in the air and, in almost an instant, he joined Tang An to form a sword array. Images of swords flickered and swept the black flame as it trapped the two guardian elders within.


    A smile appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. He retracted back his eyes from them, shifting them to Singli, stating apathetically, ¡°Well, I think you¡¯re the only one who can cast the Darkness Forbidden Art now. It makes me curious, though; can you really rescue Singkuo? If anything, I am even more curious whether my men have what it takes to kill all their prey.¡±


    At his statement, Mo Awu laughed aloud as he and Jin Shi¡¯s team of ten flashed and instantly appeared around the black mist, forming the Decagonal Heaven Extinguisher Sword Array. He then laughed and said, ¡°They are nothing but ants, Boss. But I¡¯m afraid you have to deal with that Singli geezer personally.¡±


    Singluen paced two steps forward and said in a deep voice, ¡°No. There¡¯s no need for Mr. Tang to act. I¡¯ve long been wanting to see the ability of the second strongest expert of my Dark Shaman clan. Five guardian elders, I need your assistance to kill him here.¡±


    At this time, only then did Singli feel an intense feeling of crisis looming over him. He just observed Singluen and his five guardian elders and was aware that they must not be underestimated. It was likely that he wouldn¡¯t be able to face the six of them together. Further, there was also Tang Xiu¡ªa fearful man whose eyes kept staring at him, making him feel dread.


    Inside the black mist and while protected by 13 Shaman Guardians, Singkuo¡¯s expression was ghastly pale as he appeared lifeless. He knew that he had lost. It was a complete defeat, and even if he had a chance to make a comeback in the future, he would likely be unable to contend with Singluen anymore.


    He may have had the chance to fight Singluen¡¯s side if his five guardian elders were still alive. But now, the chance was as sure as gone already.


    Cough, cough¡­


    He coughed severely a few times and slowly closed his eyes. But after a few seconds, he immediately opened them again and shouted in a heavy voice, ¡°I admit your victory, Singluen. I¡¯ll leave Thailand and will never go back again to this land forever.¡±


    ¡°Seriously, dear brother? You¡¯ve been a very smart man before, but why have you become so muddleheaded today?¡± mocked Singluen. ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll just let a tiger run back to the mountain to give me endless troubles in the future? Your promise is nothing but bullshit in my eyes.¡±


    ¡°Do you really want to spare none of us here?¡± shouted Singkuo angrily. ¡°You even want to take over father¡¯s position?¡±


    ¡°Che, the Dark Shaman Clan has been silent for too long. What era are we living in now?¡± said Singluen coldly. ¡°It¡¯s better to move forward, else you¡¯ll fall behind if you wish to live better in this era. Let alone a small Dark Shaman clan, I will also take a chance to face the Celestial Wizard Clan in the future!¡±


    A billowing aura flowed out of Singkuo¡¯s body. He raised his hand and crossed the black crescent machete in front of his chest, saying in a heavy voice, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then let¡¯s get it over with! As long as I¡¯m not dead today, I¡¯ll forever haunt you until I kill you!¡±


    At his declaration, Singluen¡¯s expression turned more solemn, and he ferociously roared, ¡°No more useless talk. KILL!¡±


    The mortal combat unfolded again. It much more intense than before, causing the buildings in the coconut plantation to collapse, destroying the coconut trees and throwing their leaves everywhere. It was like the advent of the apocalypse. A lot of birds flapped their wings as they passed by the scene, but ultimately met their unfortunate end after being shattered by the clashes of sweeping sword energy, as well as the black mist that filled the air.


    Atop the water tower in the distance, Zuo Daquan¡¯s lips twitched as he looked helpless and dismayed. It was a calamity caused by others, but as a bystander he still had to bear the brunt. The cost was too big for him to bear. The nest he had been operating for more than a decade now actually became the battlefield for outsiders and was eventually destroyed.


    ¡°Boss¡­¡± called out a middle-aged man in a whisper with a dismayed scowl on his face.


    ¡°Say no more. It¡¯s the price for the mistake I made.¡± Zuo Daquan shook his head and said, ¡°But Tang Xiu is truly a ruthless man. Not only does he kill so many people, but he also remembers my rejection and brings ruin to my coconut plantation. Nevermind it, there¡¯s nothing we can do. We¡¯ll just need to rebuild it after the end of their battle.¡±


    ¡°What I¡¯m worried about is not the destruction of our site, Boss. But¡­ the underground warehouse where we store a lot of our gold bars,¡± said the big man. ¡°If the underground storehouse is exposed and these people find it, that will be too great of a loss.¡±


    The gold?!!


    Only then did Duo Zaquan¡¯s mind turn blank and a panicked expression appeared on his face. Before he left the coconut plantation, he didn¡¯t order his men to move all the gold from there and instead just sealed the underground storehouse.


    Yet now, the battle was too intense and had destroyed the building. If the entrance to the underground storehouse was exposed, saying that it wouldn¡¯t attract the greed of these people was nearly impossible. It was very likely that they would seize the massive gold he had accumulated.


    ¡®What should I do?¡¯


    Zuo Daquan paced back and forth a few times as an idea suddenly came to his mind. He took out his mobile phone and dialed a number. After his call was picked up, he asked, ¡°Have you settled Qing¡¯er and the two children?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve got them settled, Boss.¡±


    The voice of his trusted man came out in a low voice from the phone.


    ¡°We got some unforeseen events here. You¡¯ll bring back Qing¡¯er and the two boys secretly here,¡± ordered Zuo Daquan. ¡°But remember, do not go to the coconut plantation. Take the southeast path and head to Old Ange¡¯s place directly.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied the man as they directly hung up.


    As Zuo Daquan put away his mobile phone, he said with a helpless face, ¡°As of now, I can only hope that Tang Xiu will look at Qing¡¯er¡¯s face and take no offense from the rejection before. Perhaps only Qing¡¯er can help preserve the gold should they find it.¡±


    ¡°We got no option but to keep the gold, Boss,¡± said the middle-aged strongman in a deep voice, ¡°We won¡¯t be able to fulfill Kanaja¡¯s demand otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Of course I know that but¡­¡± said Zuo Daquan with a helpless expression, ¡°You also know those damned bastards. One side is a bunch of monsters and demons, the other one is a bunch of freaks and ghosts! We can¡¯t afford to mess with any of them.¡±


    At this moment, several kilometers away from the scene, three black SUVs came rushing toward the coconut plantation. Inside these cars were eight men and a woman with quaint attire and particularly strange auras. Each of them brought a cold weapon and emitted out a faint bloody smell from their body.


    From another direction, more than a dozen cars also rushed to the coconut plantation. In one of these cars was Kanaja, eyes gleaming.


    ¡°Godfather, we¡¯ve come at this time. Are we going to be involved in their fight?¡±


    There was a look of worry on Songzan¡¯s face. He couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°We¡¯ll just stand to the side if we need to get involved in this,¡± said Kanaja lightly. ¡°We¡¯ll take the side of the winner and have some wine over their victory if we get involved. The situation in Bangkok will and must change. We got a dragon who crossed the driver and a bunch of local snakes. It will be very troublesome for us in the future if we don¡¯t prepare as soon as possible.¡±

 Chapter 988 - Rebellion Before The Battle

    Chapter 988: Rebellion Before The Battle


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    At this time, the two party¡¯s combatants no longer hid their full strength in order to exterminate their opponents in the coconut plantation¡¯s battle. They literally unleashed everything. Most of the buildings inside the plantation were ruined, while dozens of acres of the plantation had been destroyed. The Dark Shaman Clan itself was far inferior to the Celestial Wizard Clan and their experts were much weaker than the Celestial Wizard Clan¡¯s experts.


    Therefore, Singli, who was the nominal second strongest expert of the Dark Shaman Clan, was hardly able to fend off the onslaught of the encirclement. Bloody wounds now decorated his body and made him alarmed.


    The 13 Shaman Guardians were very strong, especially when all of them joined forces. The Tenebrous Domain they just formed was a great obstruction to Mo Awu and his team. Even if the latter had formed a sword array, they could only barely gain the upper hand, and they weren¡¯t able to cause fatal damage to the 13 Shaman Guardians and Singkuo.


    ¡°Break the siege quickly!¡±


    Singli furiously roared during his struggle to fend off the besiegement. He gritted his teeth as a decisive look appeared on his face. He pulled out two black metal balls and retreated backward in the blink of an eye. After distancing himself from Singluen and his five guardian elders, he shouted, ¡°You¡¯ve just forced me, Singluen. We came to save you, yet you actually want to exterminate us. If so, then let¡¯s perish together. After all, Singkuo is much better than you as the Head of the Dark Shaman Clan.¡±


    The moment Singluen saw the objects Singli took out, his pupils instantly shrunk and he looked horrified. He shouted, ¡°Taking out the Dark God Thunder, are you fucking crazy, Singli? How dare you use the Dark God Thunder? You want to use it so all of us die with our souls scattered into nothingness, unable to reincarnate?!!¡±


    In response, Singli¡¯s eyes just sparkled with a chilling light. He said fiercely, ¡°It¡¯s all forced by you. I don¡¯t have the ability to fight you all, so the only option is to drag you all to hell with me. But if you draw back now, I won¡¯t resort to this desperate measure either.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Singluen knitted his brows. After stopping the five guardian elders, he then turned to look at Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What¡¯s Dark God Thunder exactly?¡± asked Tang Xiu indifferently.


    ¡°It¡¯s a fearsome mine-like object our Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s ancestors have spent a lot of effort to refine. Once detonated, the explosion will raze an area of several hundreds of meters. If two Dark God Thunder were to be detonated simultaneously, the explosive power would increase by several times, and everything within a radius of a kilometer will vanish in the blink of an eye. Further, it also has two other horrible effects. One of which is it contains potent poison. Even if one can resist the explosion, they will still die by the poison. But the second effect aims at the soul of human beings, a Witchcraft Flame that will burn the souls and simply erase them¡ªleading to a true death. It¡¯s rather similar to the Darkness Forbidden Art of our Dark Shaman Clan.


    ¡®That¡¯s quite vicious and malevolent.¡¯


    The explanation made Tang Xiu comment in his mind with a bit of apprehension. He then looked at the two Dark God Thunder in Singli¡¯s hand before he fell into silence for a short while. Then, he asked in a low voice, ¡°Does your clan have many of this thing?¡±


    ¡°No. The manufacturing process of the Dark God Thunder is very difficult. We only have about 20 of them even after manufacturing it for generations after generations.¡± Singluen shook his head and forced a smile. ¡°Also, as far as I know, eight of them have been used, meaning that my clan only has 12 of them left. The Dark God Thunder is usually under the control of my father and is sealed in our clan¡¯s vault. I never thought that Singli would turn out to have taken two of them.¡±


    ¡°Does your father allow any members of your clan to have it?¡± asked Tang Xiu. ¡°This object is definitely a fatal threat to him as well, don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    The question made Singluen¡¯s eyes sparkle. He then replied in a heavy voice, ¡°Your question is on the mark, Mr. Tang. All the Patriarchs of the Dark Shaman Clan have a strict decree that none of us are allowed to have the Dark God Thunder as a private possession. Otherwise, the person will be regarded as rebelling against the clan. The punishment for the crime is death. Hence, nobody among us would dare to hold the Dark God Thunder secretly, unless that person has a malicious intention. It¡¯s evident now that Singli has been harboring evil intention by having this object in his hands.¡±


    In that instant, Singli¡¯s face paled like a sheet. He had indeed been hiding the truth from the Clan Patriarch, Singtuo, for taking two Dark God Thunders. He had been planning to use it on Singtuo once he had a good chance someday.


    As long as Singtuo was killed by then, he would become the most powerful man with the highest position in the Dark Shaman Clan. It was very likely that he would become the Patriarch of the clan. He had secretly vowed to himself that he wouldn¡¯t take the Dark God Thunder out unless he faced a critical moment of life and death. But now, he was facing such a crisis, which forced him to take this object out and prepare to use it to save his life.


    ¡®Alas¡­ I don¡¯t think I can go back again to the Dark Shaman Clan. The Patriarch won¡¯t let me go even if I survive here. Shit, forget about it now. It¡¯s an issue for later! I must pass this crisis safely now. I¡¯m not too old and still have decades to live. It¡¯s still possible for me to reach a higher cultivation level and extend my lifespan for many decades.¡¯


    He understood deeply that being alive was much better than death. Although he unleashed a seething killing aura and put on a ferocious appearance, he was still worrying that Tang Xiu would still insist on killing him due to not knowing the power of the Dark God Thunder.


    Tang Xiu himself was currently staring at Singli while analyzing countless solutions in mind. Then, he asked with an apathetic face, ¡°You are Singli, who¡¯s said to be the second expert of the Dark Shaman Clan, yes?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± replied Singli in a deep voice.


    Tang Xiu took out a cigarette and lit it up. He took two deep puffs and then said slowly, ¡°When you took out the Dark God Thunder, it is a fact that you¡¯ve violated the decree of your Dark Shaman Clan, as well as rebelling against the code made by your ancestors. You¡¯ve been harboring malicious intent and have been covering up your sinister scheme. Once the news gets to your clan¡¯s Patriarch, you¡¯ll definitely pay a painful price even if he doesn¡¯t kill you.¡±


    ¡°What exactly do you wanna say?¡± asked Singli in a heavy voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. You¡¯ve lost your place in your clan and will soon be exterminated by your own clansmen, so you¡¯re nothing but a stray dog now,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s still worth it to tear off all the decorum with us now?¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ you want me to give up protecting Singkuo?¡± Singli¡¯s eyes filled with coldness. ¡°Are you planning to let me go as long as I give up on him?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± answered Tang Xiu without hesitation. ¡°We won¡¯t bother you as long as you don¡¯t hinder our operation. I¡¯m sure you know the whole story that has unfolded here. You¡¯re also perfectly aware of everything that happened between Singluen and Singkuo. Now, it comes down to a simple matter. Singluen¡¯s purpose is to kill Singkuo and to become the Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s Patriarch. You can leave at any time if you¡¯re not in our way.¡±


    Singli¡¯s complexion changed several times. After being silent for several seconds, he finally nodded and said, ¡°I give you my word. I won¡¯t bother Singluo with anything regarding his life. But there¡¯s one condition I demand from you.¡±


    ¡°You think you¡¯re qualified to make a demand? You¡¯re not,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I can tell you one thing. You¡¯d definitely die if I wanted to kill you, even if you use those two Dark God Thunder bombs. I¡¯d only need some other means to do that aside from killing you directly here and now.¡±


    ¡°FUCK IT. My condition is very simple,¡± said Singli angrily. ¡°Singluen must not send any clansmen to hunt me down after he becomes the clan¡¯s Patriarch. I can vow that I¡¯ll come to help him three times if he needs help in the future!¡±


    Tang Xiu just stared at him for a moment, then couldn¡¯t help but laugh.


    But Singluen looked joyful and he said in a deep voice, ¡°I can promise you that.¡± He then turned his head to look at the black mist nearby and asked, ¡°What should I do with these 13 Shaman Guardians, Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°Those who follow will prosper, while those who resist shall die; and those who suit their actions to the times are wise,¡± said Tang Xiu with a grim expression. ¡°There¡¯s no need to kill them if they give up resistance and no longer fight for Singkuo. They are, after all, the elites from your clan. If you¡¯re going to be the Patriarch of the Dark Shaman Clan, then you¡¯ll need their assistance as well.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The 13 Shaman Guardians are the elite of the Dark Shaman Clan. Losing them will be a great loss for the whole clan, but each generation of Shaman Guardians only pledges loyalty to the Patriarch,¡± said Singluen. ¡°All of you, you have my word that once I become our clan¡¯s Patriarch, I¡¯ll definitely entrust you with better position and responsibility. I¡¯ll also foster your cultivation to a much higher level than my father¡¯s. I¡¯ve already told you all that the Dark Shaman Clan has been idle for far too long. Our clan needs drastic and decisive reform. We must give our everything to make progress. Only when the influence and power of the clan as a whole has increased will we be able to have higher status and power among the others. And I firmly believe that someday in the future, our clan will be much stronger than Poland¡¯s Celestial Wizard Clan!¡±


    The killing aura of several Shaman Guardians inside the Tenebrous Domain was weakened by half. They exchanged glances and used special techniques to discuss Singluen¡¯s words.


    They were Shaman Guardians, the most loyal supporters of the clan¡¯s Patriarch, while also a group boasting powerful strength in the clan. They always stayed away from the internal struggle of the clan, and wouldn¡¯t have come here if it wasn¡¯t for the order from the Patriarch. Even if Singkuo and SIngluen were to perish together, they wouldn¡¯t even spare a glance.


    But now Singli, who was supposed to lead them, had been a traitor, causing a dilemma.


    Singkuo, whose body was battered and wounded, could keenly sense the ideas the 13 Shaman Guardians had in mind. He felt like he had fallen into a glacier hole. Fear crept up and inundated his whole being, nearly making him freeze.


    ¡°You¡¯re all Shaman Guardians, the most trusted men of my father, as well as the most elite warriors of the Dark Shaman Clan! Father wants you all to save me; are you all going to defy his order? You also know that SIngluen has yet to become our clan¡¯s Patriarch!!!¡±


    A firm and decisive look appeared on the 13 Shaman Guardians¡¯ faces. What Singkuo just said was correct. Singluen indeed hadn¡¯t yet become the clan¡¯s Patriarch. However, the command given by their Patriarch was to rescue¡­ no, this was all wrong!


    Suddenly, the captain of the Shaman Guardians wore a strange expression. He then quickly used a special technique to communicate with his comrades. The decision had been made in just half a minute.


    ¡°We will withdraw!¡± shouted the Shaman Guardians¡¯ captain.


    The declaration made Singkuo¡¯s face drastically change. He instantly guarded against the Shaman Guardians. With a vigilant look, he exclaimed loudly. ¡°Are you really going to betray the Patriarch and the whole clan?! He ordered you¡­¡±

 Chapter 989 - The Sudden Unforeseen Turn of Events

    Chapter 989: The Sudden Unforeseen Turn of Events


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    ¡°Shut up!¡± the Shaman Guardian captain scolded grimly, ¡°The Patriarch commanded us to rescue Singluen. He never said to save you. The victor takes all the rights, and the loser takes the blame. You¡¯re the loser in the power struggle of the clan, so we have the rights to abandon you. Singluen, can we leave now?¡±


    Singluen was pleasantly surprised. He grinned and said, ¡°Alright, you can leave immediately. Also, you can expect that all the words I¡¯ve spoken just now will always be effective. As long as I become the Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s Patriarch, you deserve to get a just treatment, and I¡¯ll lead you to develop our clan!¡±


    A smile outlined on Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth as he ordered with a deep voice, ¡°Deactivate the sword array and let them leave!¡±


    Soon after, the black mist gradually dissipated and the 13 Shaman Guardians directly left silently with a look of indifference. Singkuo, however, instantly dashed toward the distance right at this moment. He decisively attempted to blaze a bloody path forward even though there were Xue Sha and Hei Xion in his path.


    ¡°The struggle of a trapped beast is futile.¡±


    There was no sympathy on Tang Xiu¡¯s indifferent face as he watched Singkuo try to break through the encirclement from Xue Sha and Hei Xiong. He was in line with the statement of the Shaman Guardian¡¯s captain that the victor is the law and the loser becomes an outlaw. Singkuo had aggressively led a lot of men to kill Singluen, so he needed to be prepared for failure and death as well.


    In this world, the principle of survival is cruel and brutal.


    A few kilometers away from the spot, atop the tens of meters high water tower, Zuo Daquan¡¯s eyes filled with a sympathetic gaze upon seeing Singkuo¡¯s predicament. He shook his head and sighed, ¡°Who could¡¯ve imagined that such a tragic end has come to a formerly powerful man? He had the world under his feet and is exceptionally adept in schemes. I guess nothing is truly absolute in human affairs in this world. I suddenly feel that being an ordinary person is a much better fate.¡±


    A middle-aged man next to him replied with a face of approval, ¡°You¡¯re right, Boss. Those who resort to murder will end up being killed. Singkuo took so many powerful men and aggressively came here to kill others, yet the wheel of fortune reversed and he got himself trapped in the well-designed scheme devised by the other party. I¡¯m now sure that the mastermind who laid the trap is Mr. Tang. Also, this victory is not a single win at all, but kind of killing two birds with one stone.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Zuo Daquan looked vacant for a moment and asked with a puzzled expression, ¡°What do you mean by killing two birds with one stone?¡±


    ¡°Well, our coconut plantation is just destroyed like this, Boss. Don¡¯t you think that he¡¯s killing two sides with only one arrow? He has just retaliated against us, no?¡±


    Cough, cough¡­.


    Zuo Daquan coughed and raised his hand. A look of embarrassment could be seen on his face as he touched his nose and was unable to speak anything.


    Suddenly, another middle-aged man standing behind him had his face slightly changed, and he said with a quaint expression, ¡°There¡¯s a lot in this matter; at least more than meets the eye, Boss. What we just saw should be the first half of the play, whereas the most thrilling scene should be coming up later.¡±


    ¡°Singkuo is isolated and acts as a loner now. How is there any chance for any following scene to come up?¡± argued Zuo Daquan with a bitter smile. ¡°Well, I can only pray that they¡¯ll leave earlier now. I will otherwise lose a lot more should they accidentally find the gold stored under the rubble.¡±


    ¡°Take a look at the right side, Boss,¡± exclaimed the man behind him. ¡°The road next to the river.¡±


    Zuo Daquan was stunned for a moment before shifting his sight to the right side. A look of surprise showed itself on his face as he muttered, ¡°Some more people are heading here? Is this matter not over yet?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this will be over just like this, Boss,¡± said the middle-aged man. ¡°Take a look at them, quickly! Those cars that have now stopped there! Oh my god. Their movement is so fast. It looks like¡­ they¡¯re even faster than ghosts! I can only catch their afterimages. It will only take them half a minute to arrive at our coconut plantation.¡±


    In the coconut plantation.


    Singkuo had used all the trump cards he had, yet he was still unable to shake off Xue Sha and He Xiong. The sword formation formed by their immortal swords completely suppressed him and kept creating wounds on his body. In just a minute or so, he had turned into a bloodied man, looking like he had just crawled out of a river of blood. If he remained stranded in this situation, it was absolutely impossible for him to endure another minute. He would be doomed to his death by Xue Sha and Hei Shiong.


    ¡°Who are you?!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion changed all of a sudden and he instantly unleashed his divine sword. At the same time, his figure flew up into the sky and unleashed dozens of sword lights toward the spot behind the ruined buildings dozens of meters away.


    ¡°Heh, what a laughable attempt.¡±


    A hoarse and old voice came from behind the rubble. A string of black Buddhist beads raised upward, their size magnified dozens of times in an instant and blocking the sword lights unleashed by Tang Xiu. However, several beads on the Buddhist necklace then suddenly exploded and shattered the moment after.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Eight shadows flickered and instantly appeared in front of Xue Sha and Hei Xiong. Afterwards, numerous darts shot at them from all directions, causing Xue Sha and Hei Xiong to retreat dozens of meters away. They staggeringly retrieved back their immortal swords before appearing next to Tang Xiu. Singkuo, who had been previously besieged by them, was now being tied by two black chains on his arms as two handsome Caucasian men in black tuxedos towed him away.


    ¡°Well, well. You look very miserable, Young Master Singkuo.¡±


    A monk with nine burn marks on his forehead, decked out in a Buddhist robe while holding a golden Buddhist staff, spoke with a smile. The string of Buddhist beads he used to block Tang Xiu¡¯s sword had flown back to his hands. This monk looked very old, humpbacked and with a faint aura; yet, it was this faint aura that made Tang Xiu feel a bit apprehensive secretly.


    Upon seeing this person, an intense desire for survival appeared on Singkuo¡¯s despaired face. He hurriedly shouted, ¡°Death Dhyana Buddhist Master, Vajra Rakshasha, save me and I¡¯ll agree to your previous condition to join the Stygian Club! If you can help kill Singluen, Tang Xiu, and all of them, I¡¯ll also bring the entire Dark Shaman Clan to be your vassal after I become its Patriarch!¡±


    Tens of meters away from them, Tang Xiu shot a vigilant glance at the eight people who just appeared. Their appearance was very different from that of average people. For instance, Death Dhyana Buddhist Master¡¯s thin figure was like a skeleton, looking so ancient and bizarre with his humpback, yet it gave off a more fearsome vibe than shamans and wizards usually gave off.


    Next to this monk stood a huge man built like an iron tower. He was nearly twice the height of an adult man¡ªover four meters high. The giant had bronze skin with iron chains wrapping his body. He gave off an enormous suppressing aura, like that of a beast from ancient times. Tang Xiu, who previously thought that Mo Awu was a burly giant, now thought he seemed to be a dwarf who paled in comparison to this mammoth of a man.


    The other six people apart included two handsome Caucasian men that looked like vampires, a white-haired woman with a ruddy and frail complexion, a tall man who wore female clothes and thick make-up that made him look demonic, a long-haired young man with a cross on his back and outlandish attire, and a black woman with iron rings piercing her nostrils, ears, and eyebrows.


    All of them, without a doubt, were far from being average people. It was very likely that they were also formidable people.


    The Death Dhyana Buddhist Master still wore a faint smile. He circled around Singkuo a few times before sighing, ¡°Well, we kindly offered you the invitation, didn¡¯t we? Yet you ended up declining it with all sorts of excuses. Now that you¡¯re facing an imminent disaster, you want to rely on our power, huh? Young Master Singkuo, how can such a good thing happen in this world?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to join you with my position as the Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s Patriarch!¡± replied Singkuo hurriedly. ¡°I¡¯ll bring the entire Dark Shaman Clan to work for you in the future. Isn¡¯t that enough?¡±


    ¡°Enough? Of course, that is sufficient.¡± Death Dhyana Buddhist Master raised his hand while his thumb kept pressing on the beads of his necklace. ¡°However, I¡¯ve seen too many people burn the bridge after crossing it. There¡¯s a little price you must pay if you want us to fully trust you.¡±


    Singkuo¡¯s face slightly changed, and he asked in a deep voice, ¡°What price must I pay?¡±


    The monk took out a black porcelain bottle from the sleeve of his robe. He then threw it to Singkuo and said, ¡°There¡¯s a Death Zen Pill I concocted in there. You can say that it¡¯s a very potent poison pill. If you dare take this pill, we¡¯ll move to save you. We can even help you to take over the Patriarch seat of your clan.¡±


    The Death Zen Pill?!


    At this moment, a look of dread filled Singkuo¡¯s eyes. He knew that this pill was used by Death Dhyana Buddhist Master to control the life and death of those who took it. Those who took it must obey his order and could only obtain the antidote from him every six months to guarantee their own life and safety temporarily. If they dare to go against his order, not only would they be barred from obtaining the antidote, they would also be miserably tortured by the violent poison for a very long time until they died.


    It was simply vicious and ruthless!


    He couldn¡¯t imagine what his fate would be like if he were to take the Death Zen Pill.


    With a cold expression, Death Dhyana Buddhist Master asked lightly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t dare to take it?¡±


    Singkuo turned his head to look at Tang Xiu and Singluen. His sight then shifted to the rest of his enemies in front, saying with gritted teeth, ¡°I¡¯m going to die. It¡¯s inevitable. No matter how unwilling I am, I have no other option left to preserve my life. You¡¯ve given me the chance, so I¡¯ll take your pill. To live is always better than to die. As long as I¡¯m alive, I can make my enemies pay the most painful and terrible price later.¡±


    ¡°Che, are you sure they can preserve your life, Singkuo?¡± sneered Tang Xiu with squinted eyes.


    Singkuo shot a stare again at Tang Xiu and fiercely replied, ¡°I¡¯m sure, so damn fucking sure! They are the top eight assassins of the Stygian Club¡ªfearsome figures at the peak of the totem pole among the rest. If they can¡¯t save me, that means you¡¯d be able to enact your hegemony over the world. Just wait, Tang Xiu. I¡¯ll definitely able to kill you one day. At that time, you won¡¯t be dying alone, but all your loved ones will also meet a tragic and cruel death. I¡¯ll mercilessly slaughter your friends and all the people you care about. I¡¯ll make sure to make every one of their souls vanish into nothingness and never reincarnate!!!¡±


    In that instant, killing intent seethed and boiled in Tang Xu¡¯s heart. Touching his friends and relatives crossed a line. Whoever dared to have such a thought must die thoroughly and have no chance to be reincarnated.


    ¡°Singkuo, you only need to die and then you can be free. That was the original intention. But now, I¡¯ll make sure to make you completely vanish from this world! The Stygian Club, huh?! Hmph¡­ I¡¯ve killed a lot of them; I don¡¯t mind exterminating eight more!¡±

 Chapter 990 - The Anomaly of The World

    Chapter 990: The Anomaly of The World


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    At Tang Xiu¡¯s statement, Death Dhyana Buddhist Master¡¯s eyes appeared profound. He paced a few steps forward and smilingly said, ¡°There are too many people in the Stygian Club to count. But those people are nothing but insects in my eyes. It¡¯s no surprise if you can kill some of them. But don¡¯t boast today, and be careful with your tongue, lest we act and cut it off.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. How dare you be so arrogant and spit out such bullshit? You¡¯re just a former Buddhist who has fallen into a demonic path and transformed your Dharmic divine power into a Demonic one?¡± sneered Tang Xiu. ¡°Old fart, I also know some Buddhist and Daoist powers. Since you want to court your death, then I¡¯ll fulfill your wish with the ability you most excel at.¡±


    Death Dhyana Buddhist Master focused his attention on Tang Xiu now, looking a bit grave and dignified. He had indeed been a Buddhist practitioner and could be said as an eminent monk of his generation. It was a pity that his evil tendencies and thirst for blood had prevailed over his goodness, leading him astray and turning himself from a Buddhist into a Demon. He rebelled against the Buddhist school and then fled China, eventually becoming the Grim Reaper under the Stygian Club.


    From the clash he had with Tang Xiu a moment ago, he had determined the latter¡¯s identity as a Daoist cultivator. But how come a young Daoist cultivator is also proficient in Buddhists¡¯ divine abilities? How can it be possible for one to excel at dual cultivation on the Buddhist and Daoist paths?


    ¡°Hmph. Don¡¯t wag your tongue too freely. Bring it on; let me see what you can do!¡±


    The Buddhist staff in his hand fiercely pierced the ground as a blast of aura spread out in all directions. The blast of qi swept all the broken trees, leaves, bricks and rubble in the surroundings directly and sent all of them flying away.


    Vajra Rakshasha, whose body was wrapped by steel chains, suddenly treaded forward step by step. Dust flew upward as his right foot stomped on the ground, causing a small tremor, and he then threw a fist-sized steel hammer into the air. It immediately grew in size and enlarged to a weapon three-meters long with a gigantic hammerhead in a flash.


    ¡°Death Dhyana, you know I hate arrogant bastards the most, just like these shits! Especially those who wanna look like a fucking bigshot despite their young age. Stay still and lemme smash them into meatloaves!¡± Vajra Rakshasha raised his right hand. The moment after, the hammer fell into his grasp.


    Overbearing, wild, and violent!


    There was also contempt on his face, as if this Vajra Rakshasha didn¡¯t take Tang Xiu seriously. He didn¡¯t put everyone else in front of his eyes.


    His provocation made Tang Xiu knit his brows deeply. This King Kong may look extremely imposing and strong, yet he didn¡¯t feel much of a threat from this giant. The one who gave off a much bigger threat to him was none other than the Death Dhyana Buddhist Master. As he saw that King Kong was about to move, he retreated a few steps backward and ordered in a deep voice, ¡°Guang, accompany him!¡±


    Dressed in his usual white robe, the casual and elegant Tang Guang just let out a smile. His figure smoothly flew like a floating cloud with his immortal sword revolving around him. At the moment when he looked to be about to sprint toward the giant, the trajectory of his immortal sword changed, cunningly sealing off any possible routes for the Vajra Rakshasha to retreat back.


    ¡°Well, big fella, I hope you¡¯re not the kind who looks big but is trash!


    Vajra Rakshasha¡¯s pupils shrunk. They just came here, and he knew nothing about Tang Guang¡¯s power at all. But the latter¡¯s speed sent a chill down his spine. He fiercely slammed his hammer down, and a series of sparks suddenly splashed. He indeed possessed enormous power and his speed wasn¡¯t affected by the size of the hammer at all. The hammer¡¯s shadows crazily swept to left and right as his footsteps made some sure footing forward.


    ¡°What I hate the most is fucking pretty boys like you! I¡¯ll change my name to yours if I don¡¯t kill you today!¡±


    With a ferocious look on his face, the King Kong man sprinted and appeared before Tang Guang in no time. His fist that was the size of a cooking pot sent an onslaught of punches to Tang Guang¡¯s forehead. The black chains that wrapped both his arms were constantly squeaking under the tremor of his bulging muscles.


    A contemptuous look flashed in Tang Guang¡¯s eyes. If it weren¡¯t for the chains wrapping this giant¡¯s arm, this King Kong may have been able to give him a headache, as he needed to find a better solution to deal with him. But now, a brilliant idea came to mind.


    ¡°Lightning¡­¡±


    As he cast a seal, a flash of lighting suddenly blitzed down amid the dark night, accurately hitting the chains that wrapped the Vajra Rakshasha¡¯s arm.


    ¡°What?¡±


    King Kong¡¯s body turned stiff. In an instant, a slit appeared on the hammer shadow shield he waved. The immortal sword then moved like a living creature and passed through the gap. The moment after, a blood fountain sprayed into the air and the huge giant¡¯s head was thrown away.


    Tang Guang retrieved his sword back and flew back to Tang Xiu¡¯s front. With a casual and gentle look, he respectfully reported, ¡°The enemy has been killed, Grand Master.¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his thumbs up and praised, ¡°The method you did was very effective. That fella was so proud and arrogant like Lucifer, yet he ended up being killed by you so easily. Anyway, it was tribulation he deserved, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Tens of meters away from them, Death Dhyana Buddhist Master stared at the headless corpse of Vajra Rakshasha with blood still spraying out from his neck. His eyes were gleaming with a look of disbelief. He was as though just swallowing up a dead rat, creating nausea in his stomach. He had long known Vajra Rakshasha and was naturally aware of how strong he was. Yet, he was easily killed by his enemy¡¯s calculation of the chains that wrapped his body.


    The two vampire-looking men behind him exchanged glances and stepped back at the same time. They also used chains as their weapons. They were afraid that if they had to fight Tang Guang, the latter would use the lightning bolt to paralyze them and then seize the chance to kill them with this despicable tactic.


    ¡°That was interesting. I never thought Vajra Rakshasha to be so unlucky, though. He ran into a cultivator proficient in lightning spells and just got killed like that by his opponent¡¯s deadly scheme. Anyhow, would you like to exchange some moves with me, Mister?¡± The petite female with white hair and a ruddy complexion stepped forward and spoke to Tang Xiu with a faint smile.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a short moment. Then, he suddenly smiled, revealing his white teeth, stating, ¡°Well, having individual combat is kinda boring, though. It¡¯s kinda wasting time and now it¡¯s close to dawn already, so I think we better have a gang fight. What do you think about it?¡±


    The petite female¡¯s face immediately changed, and she replied with contempt, ¡°Hmph, you wanna gang up on us because you got numbers on your side?¡±


    ¡°Yup. We¡¯re gonna use our numbers to bully you. What¡¯s wrong with it, anyway?¡± Tang Xiu nodded and smilingly replied, ¡°If you¡¯re so upset, why don¡¯t you come over and bite me?¡±


    ¡°You court death!¡±


    A baleful look burst out in the eyes of the female with a childish face and white hair. She took out a flute made of bone from her loose robe in that instant and blew it. As she played the flute, the residual branches and leaves around were instantly blown up by an invisible wind, forming a twisting wind.


    Ding, ding, ding¡­


    Suddenly, the sound of a metal string of a zither collided with the sound of walloping armored horse¡¯s feet. Although the flute¡¯s sound was loud, the zither sound was able to suppress it in but a moment. The twisting gale composed of broken leaves and branches instantly broken and scattered.


    The female¡¯s pupils shrunk, and her complexion enormously changed. The gale surged out and rolled ahead ceaselessly like a continuous flood at her.


    At this moment, everyone present was looking northwest because the zither came from that direction. Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes also sparkled. He had no idea that there was someone else lurking around them, more so that this person was also proficient in music, using its rhythm to help his side to fend off their enemies. It was evident that the other party was a friend.


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Tang Xiu cupped his fists and spoke in a deep voice toward the northeast.


    In that instant, the zither music turned fiercer and more violent. It was like a flash flood of ferocious beasts coming down from a mountain peak with abnormal overbearing momentum. It was acutely sharp and somewhat rushing forward, just like the sound of the friction between boulder and steel. Except for Tang Xiu, the rest felt tremors in their eardrums and their hearts trembled. But the childish-looking woman who became its target bore all the brunt and felt like an earthquake had hit her heart. She shook her head violently and was forced to stop playing her flute.


    Puff¡­


    She then felt salty sweetness in her throat before coughing up blood crazily. Her body then trembled and swayed a few times before staggering backward.


    Shoo¡­


    While she was unprepared, an immortal sword suddenly emerged behind her out of thin air. The complexion of Death Dhyana Buddhist Master and the other five greatly changed, yet it was too late for them to rescue the female as her head was cut off directly. Tang An¡¯s figure then flickered before she vanished without a trace after her appearance.


    Tang Xiu, however, looked at the northwest directly and shouted aloud, ¡°Your distinguished self, why don¡¯t you show up since you¡¯ve come here? Tang Xiu is grateful and appreciates your assistance.¡±


    A note of zither came out as the response.


    As the last note dissipated, the world was back to its calm state. Silence descended, yet no one appeared. Tang Xiu quickly released his perception toward the northeast, only to frown afterward since the other party had left quietly. He guessed that the person had not yet gone far away, but the distance was beyond his scope of observation.


    ¡°You go!¡± Tang Xiu looked at Tang Guang and ordered.


    Tang Guang slightly nodded in response. His figure flickered and left an afterimage as he instantly flew to the northeast. He appeared beyond ten kilometers away after half a minute. To his frustration, there was no shadow of the other party in the surroundings. It was as if the person¡¯s speed was much faster than his, like the person had already left and was more than tens of kilometers away.


    ¡°I failed to find the person, Boss.¡±


    After Tang Guang returned to Tang Xiu¡¯s side, he reported with a bitter smile and shook his head.


    Tang Xiu nodded wordlessly. That person didn¡¯t want to appear, nor did he want to force it. In fact, he had a faint idea of who the person was, but he wasn¡¯t 100% certain since he didn¡¯t see the person himself.


    Death Dhyana Buddhist Master shot a deep look at Tang Xiu and the rest. Murderous intent was looming in his eyes, yet he also had the intention to drawback. Two out of eight people among his party had kicked the bucket in just a short time, which was already a fearful occurrence to him. It must be noted that every time one of them went out, it was enough for each member to create a storm in the region and inflict severe damage to that area.


    ¡°You¡¯re Tang Xiu and a cultivator from China?¡± asked Death Dhyana Buddhist Master in a deep voice.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m indeed called Tang Xiu and am Chinese cultivator,¡± confirmed Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you want to retaliate later so you asked me this question?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just natural that I want to know the identity of our enemy,¡± replied the monk coldly, ¡°Since we¡¯re enemies, you can expect to have us retaliate against you in the future. Tang Xiu, huh? Hmph¡­ I¡¯ll remember your name.¡±


    ¡°You know, if you wanna run, just say so. Yet you¡¯re still using words with me? Do you find it so fucking fun or something?¡± asked Tang Xiu a smile.

 Chapter 991 - Alone Against Three Enemies

    Chapter 991: Alone Against Three Enemies


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Death Dhyana Buddhist Master didn¡¯t even try to refute it. He did have the intention to retreat as Tang Xiu said and naturally didn¡¯t want to waste time arguing. He gave a gesture to retreat, and the two handsome vampire-looking Caucasian men instantly grabbed Singkuo¡¯s shoulder and dashed backward all of a sudden along with the rest of them.


    ¡°The power of Dharma is endless¡ªlet Sea of Flames Burn the Demons!¡±


    The Buddhist staff in Death Dhyana Buddhist Master¡¯s hand fiercely swept away. A black flame instantly set ablaze as he smashed several black metal balls to his front. A black mist then suddenly spread out in all directions as the balls exploded.


    The black flame seemed like a flame being ignited by kerosene as it touched the black mist. In but a moment, the black flame blazed in the dark of the night. At the same time, however, the blazing black flame combusted in a large area and posed as a great obstruction to Tang Xiu and the rest.


    Suddenly, Singluen paced a step forward and quickly grabbed a sharp dagger, cutting his finger. He forced several drops of his own blood to drip and threw it toward the black flame in front. At the same time, his other hand formed a seal while casting an incantation. In just a few breaths, the drops of blood he threw ignited and turned into a black flame that looked similar to the sea of fire in front of everyone.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, please lead everyone to chase them quickly. I just cast a forbidden art of my clan so that you can open a passage in this sea of fire,¡± shouted Singluen hurriedly. His profile looked somewhat pale.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes lit up, and he shouted without hesitation, ¡°Everyone, CHASE! We must completely kill them today¡ªelse, there will be endless troubles later!¡±


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Numerous figures flickered and moved lightning fast toward the passageway amid the sea of fire. The path created by Singluen in the sea of black flame could be said to be very perfect. In less than half a minute, nearly everyone present had crossed the passage and escaped from the sea of black flame.


    ¡°Lotus Sword!¡±


    Overlapping layers of sword images from an immortal sword bloomed like lotus flowers. The flashing of cold light glittered even in the dark night.


    Tang An¡¯s figure flashed and appeared in front of the Death Dhyana Buddhist Master¡¯s group of seven. She was hardly able to block their escape route. But after she unleashed the Lotus Flower sword technique, the monk instantly sensed that if he were to rashly rush into the sword light, his chance of getting out alive would be very slim.


    He quickly held the Buddhist staff and hacked it forward. Light and shadow instantly burst out from his staff. The moment they clashed against the lotus made of swords, the flow of energy in the overlapping layers of sword energy turned chaotic. Right as the light and shadow dissipated, however, two figures flashed lightning-fast and appeared in front of the sword lotus.


    One of the figures was a burly man in a long skirt with thick make-up caked on his face. He gave off a slightly demonic feeling. The cross flesh on his face constantly shivered, and the heavy killing intent on his face made him look particularly ferocious and devilish. At the same time, there was a youth with long hair and outlandish attire with a cross on his back as well who floated in the air and sent black smoke forward.


    ¡°Thousand Feather Needles!¡±


    ¡°Infernal Punishment!¡±


    The two men joined forces and launched a fierce onslaught in an instant.


    Tang An¡¯s body warped. Spatial energy suddenly distorted the space around her, and her figure instantly vanished, only to instantly appear in the distance. Space seemed to solidify as she distorted space and time, enormously slowing down the onslaught of the monstrous man and the outlandish youth instantly. At this moment, Tang An then appeared ten meters in front of the two men. Her black-gloved hands seemed to be weaving an invisible big net, the lines of which were space cracks that came to envelop the two men.


    ¡°Spatial Power?!¡±


    A shocked look burst out from Death Dhyana Buddhist Master¡¯s eyes. His skeleton-like figure suddenly rushed forward. The moment that he was a few meters away from the big net, he powerfully swept away his Buddhist staff to the front and threw his necklace which had already lost a few beads. The string of Buddhist beads suddenly rose a hundred times. The string then broke and the beads exploded.


    Crack!!!


    The space turbulence turned more chaotic, but the big net formed by the space cracks was also collapsing before it eventually dissipated and vanished the moment it touched the devilish strongman and the outlandish youth.


    Tang An¡¯s face slightly changed. She used to fight others by ambushing them using spatial and time powers to smoothly get the upper hand. But this time, in order to block Death Dhyana Buddhist Master¡¯s group, the monk met her attack head-on and had actually broken her technique.


    ¡°Three Thousand Slashes!¡±


    Eyes filled with immense killing intent, Tang An manipulated her immortal sword to stir up the wind and mist in the surroundings. A wall of long swords then instantly formed and crushed down in front of her.


    ¡°JOIN POWER AND BLOCK IT!!!!¡±


    A horrified look was cast on Death Dhyana Buddhist Master¡¯s face as he shouted. He could sense an imminent fatal crisis headed right toward them. He instantly used everything he had at this time, frantically circulating the Dark Dharmic power in his body. His Buddhist staff suddenly elongated several times as he resolutely brandished it to the front. At the same time, the outlandish youth manipulated the cross to constantly circle at a high-speed. The black smoke seemed to turn into a ferocious devil that bared its fangs and brandished its claws against the oppressing wall of swords, while the devilish strongman made a seal with his thumbs and middle finger, forming a sharp line that looked like a sharp needle. However, due to extreme velocity that pierced the air, the black needle created an ear-piercing sound as it pierced through the onslaught of swords!


    Attacking is indeed the best form of defense!


    The three men were forced to join forces to use almost all their strongest moves to instantly clash against the bombardment of the sword wall formed by the Three Thousand Swords technique.


    Puff¡­


    Tang An¡¯s body trembled, and her figure vanished into the distance. Her blood spurted out from her mouth and dyed the space where she was blood red.


    The Death Dhyana Buddhist Master trio just used their bodies to form such a formation. Yet, the spatial force made them feel extremely constrained and restricted. Even though they succeeded in breaking Tang An¡¯s onslaught, their bodies still trembled as they staggered backward for a dozen steps, feeling faintly numb in their hands that held their weapons.


    ¡°What a powerful sneaky bitch! That bitch is so young, yet cannot be scoffed at!¡±


    The monk tried hard to calm the chaotic flow of energy in his body as he vigilantly watched the surroundings and slowly spoke.


    The black woman behind the three men interjected with a grim voice, ¡°Death Dhyana, we mustn¡¯t force our way out and clash head-on with these people if we don¡¯t wanna die here. They are very powerful, so it¡¯s best for us to flee.¡±


    As the words left her mouth, the two vampire-like handsome young men instantly rushed forward to the front. Singkuo, who was brought by them, realized that even Death Dhyana Buddhist Master, who was the most powerful man among these people, was not necessarily a match for that mysterious woman. It was a fact that he must admit, even though he was unable to acknowledge how great Tang An¡¯s strength was.


    Running away to escape this place. It was the only hope he had at this time. Even if Death Dhyana Buddhist Master¡¯s group were all dead at the cost of protecting him in this escape, he¡¯d be very satisfied.


    At this time, he could finally realize his situation clearly. No matter how strong he¡¯d become in the future, and no matter how many men he trained, it would be nigh impossible to have his revenge against Tang Xiu. This man was very powerful and so were his subordinates. Beyond a doubt, retaliating against him was like an egg trying to crush a boulder. However, he still had a chance to eliminate Singluen and his guardian elders completely. He could even erase the Dark Shaman Clan if Singluen were to use the clan¡¯s power in the future.


    ¡®There are some more left! Those fucking Singli and the 13 Shaman Guardians! They just yielded to the threats of the enemy and gave up on me. They too must die in pain by torture and endless suffering!¡¯


    Eyes full of cold, chilling thoughts, Singkuo was quickly healing himself with the faint black mist that covered his body as the two vampire-like youths grabbed him. He would be able to heal most of his injuries if he was given another ten minutes. His wounds wouldn¡¯t affect him in any way even if he must be engaged in the fight.


    A few kilometers away, atop the tens of meters high water tower, Zuo Daquan secretly heaved a sigh of relief and now looked relaxed. He turned around to glance at his men who also acted in a similar fashion, and then sighed, ¡°Seriously, I never thought so many fearsome people like them existed in this world. We have been lucky to not provoke any of these kinds of fearsome existences while we were on the run all these years. We must be very careful in the future to not easily provoke their kind. We¡¯ll probably be killed at a moment¡¯s notice if we provoke such fearsome people.¡±


    ¡°That was a good reminder from you, Boss.¡± The middle-aged man nodded and forced out a bitter smile. ¡°Comparing us with them is like ants in the face of lions. It¡¯s useless to compare us with them. To them, killing us is just like pinching ants!¡±


    Zuo Daquan¡¯s eyes glittered, and he said in a heavy voice, ¡°We mustn¡¯t go out our way to provoke these kinds of people, yet it¡¯s a must to find ways to improve our strength. We never knew that such fearsome people existed in this world before; hence, we felt that we were already very powerful. But now, we know that we¡¯re like frogs in the bottom of a well looking at the sky. Anyhow, I got an idea in mind now, though I don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s feasible for all of you.¡±


    ¡°What idea do you have, Boss?¡± asked the middle-aged man with a confused face.


    ¡°Well, since such fearsome existences exist in this world, that means that there¡¯s a way for us to be stronger and become powerhouses, right? I did offend Tang Xiu before. But I have Qing¡¯er. If I can apologize and express my goodwill to him, perhaps it¡¯s possible to build a little friendship. What do you think about the chance of me obtaining any means to become stronger from him by spending a lot of money later?¡±


    In a flash, the few men who were loyal to Zuo Daquan had glowing eyes. It would be very great for them if their Boss truly could obtain the means to become stronger from Tang Xiu! It was a good thing that could make them wake up from their dreams laughing.


    ¡°Please try it, Boss!¡± said the middle-aged man with an excited face.


    Zuo Daquan lifted his hand and stroked his chin slowly. Then, he nodded and said, ¡°Such a chance must not be missed, so I must grasp it. So let¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Boss!¡± another man called out and interrupted him with a low voice all of a sudden.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± asked Zuo Daquan with knitted brows.


    While pointing to another direction, the man whispered, ¡°Another group of people is coming! Also, given the number of cars, the number of people this time is probably a lot more. It should be similar to the number of people brought by Singkuo previously.¡±

 Chapter 992 - Dealing With The Aftermath

    Chapter 992: Dealing With The Aftermath


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Zuo Daquan grabbed the binoculars and aimed at the direction pointed by his subordinate as shock yet again immediately covered his face. The continuous arrival of groups of people to this place tonight was just a surprise. And now, another group with so many people came again. Could it be that they also wanted to join in the fray?


    ¡°Are they Tang Xiu¡¯s men, or Singkuo¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°Take a look at the limo in the middle, Boss,¡± added the middle-aged man. ¡°It looks like Kanaja¡¯s car!¡±


    The dull look fleeted on Zuo Daquan¡¯s face as it was replaced with incredulity. He spoke out, ¡°You¡¯re right. That must be Kanaja¡¯s since he¡¯s the only one who has this type of limousine in Bangkok. But what is he coming here for? There¡¯s no way he¡¯ll be able to join this kind of battle given his resources and ability.¡±


    ¡°Could it be that he¡¯s come here for us and not because of those people?¡± asked the middle-aged man again.


    The notion made Zuo Daquan frown deeply. He carefully gave it some thought for two minutes before he shook his head, saying, ¡°It¡¯s unlikely. The debt deadline is not due yet, and he won¡¯t trouble us as he has yet to get the money back. There¡¯s no reason for him to come to me at this time. My guess is he must¡¯ve been involved with those who just battled, but not Tang Xiu I think.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± asked the middle-aged man, confused.


    ¡°Tang Xiu wouldn¡¯t have come to our place to stay here after he entered Bangkok illegally in secret if he had a deep friendship with Kanaja. That¡¯s why,¡± said Zuo Daquan. ¡°Kanaja is a definite leader of Bangkok¡¯s underground forces. The places he has for such purposes may be more covert and safer than ours.¡±


    At the coconut plantation entrance.


    After more than ten cars slowly stopped and parked, Kanaja got out from the limo in the middle of the convoy. As he walked to the interior of the estate and saw the scene in the surroundings, a stunned look covered his face and disbelief overflowed in his eyes.


    ¡°God! This place was fine when I came here yesterday. How can it be in such ruin now? It¡¯s like¡­ some terrorist organization just attacked this place? But even if they used bombs, it¡¯s just impossible to be this ruined!¡± a black-suited big man with a scar on his face exclaimed in horror and shock.


    Kanaja knitted his brows and asked in a deep voice, ¡°You mean this place was still fine yesterday and became like this today?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± The man nodded and said, ¡°It was just fine yesterday and now has turned into ruin.¡±


    Eyes gleaming, Kanaja realized that it must be the outcome of the battle between Tang Xiu and Singkuo¡¯s group which had ruined Zuo Daquan¡¯s site. He already knew that Tang Xiu¡¯s side was very strong, while Singkuo¡¯s side contained all the Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s practitioners who also had similarly powerful strength. But the scene made it obvious that their power was far from what he had imagined.


    However, with this place destroyed, what about the outcome of their battle? Who ended up the victor? Tang Xiu and Singluen, or Singkuo?


    Whoosh¡­


    A figure flashed and appeared in front of Kanaja and his men. The man didn¡¯t even flinch upon having guns trained at him and just asked in a deep voice, saying, ¡°Who¡¯s Kanaja?¡±


    Kanaja raised his hand to stop his men. He paced forward and said, ¡°I am Kanaja. May I know who you¡¯re, Mister?¡±


    The black-robed young man with the magic staff said in a deep voice, ¡°I¡¯m Young Master Singluen¡¯s subordinate. He and Mr. Tang are currently after Singkuo and some other enemies with the rest. Mr. Tang ordered me to wait for you here to pass his message. He said he needs your assistance.¡±


    Chasing enemies?!


    In an instant, Kanaja knew that Tang Xiu must have won the battle against Singkuo. He then put on a bit of respectful expression and asked, ¡°And exactly what assistance could I offer Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°He said that the battle with Singkuo¡¯s side has ruined this place, something that can¡¯t be justified. He hopes that Mr. Kanaja can help in dealing with the aftermath,¡± said the youth. ¡°He¡¯d like Mr. Kan to explain this incident to Zuo Daquan, cremate all the dead bodies, and rebuild this coconut plantation. He¡¯ll reimburse the rebuilding cost.¡±


    Only then did Kanaja understand Tang Xiu¡¯s intention. His smile grew wider, and he crisply replied, ¡°Please tell Mr. Tang that I have a little friendship with this coconut plantation¡¯s owner, so Zuo Daquan will naturally give me face. I¡¯ll assign some men to deal with these dead bodies, but there¡¯s no need for Mr. Tang to reimburse the reconstruction cost for the plantation. It will be a gift for his victory.¡±


    ¡°If so, then I¡¯ll pass your message to Mr. Tang. I will trouble you with all that.¡± The youth nodded and said, ¡°Anyway, I still need to gather with the rest, so I shall take my leave.¡±


    Kanaja nodded and watched the youth leave quickly. His smile turned much wider, and he eventually let out a loud laugh, saying, ¡°This is great! Very great! Men, get your ass moving and work! Clean up all the dead bodies here and leave no trace!¡±


    With that said, he took out his cell phone and searched for Zuo Daquan¡¯s number before dialing it.


    A few kilometers away, atop the tens of meters high water tower, Zuo Daquan was still observing Kanaja through binoculars as he heard his mobile phone in the pocket suddenly ring.


    ¡°Huh? A call? Kanaja is also calling now, could it be¡­¡±


    He then took his cell phone out and looked at the caller on the screen. He immediately frowned and said, ¡°It¡¯s really Kanaja. It¡¯s him who called me, but what exactly does he want?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pick up the call at this time, Boss,¡± said the middle-aged man.


    Zuo Daquan thought for a moment and shook his head. ¡°No, it will be bad if I don¡¯t pick it up. Besides, Kanaja doesn¡¯t know where we¡¯re hiding at now, so I¡¯ll pick up his call to figure out his purpose.¡±


    Having said that, he pressed the answer button and smilingly said, ¡°What¡¯s up calling me this early, Mr. Kan?


    ¡°Zuo Daquan, I¡¯m outside your coconut plantation now. Immediately come here to meet me if you¡¯ve got nothing to do,¡± said Kanaja.


    ¡°If you¡¯re there, then you must know what it has become, Mr. Kan,¡± replied Zuo Daquan bitterly after a moment of silence. ¡°I took my men to flee when I noticed something before my place turned like hell. I don¡¯t wanna die by going there now!¡±


    ¡°Hey, I dunno why Mr. Tang picked your place as a battlefield, but I tell you that I¡¯m not coming to your place for troubles,¡± said Kanaja coldly. ¡°He entrusted me to deal with the collateral damage here. You can be sure that I¡¯ll take over this coconut plantation if you don¡¯t move your ass here!¡±


    Helping Tang Xiu?!


    Zuo Daquan¡¯s complexion change with a look of incredulity. He just couldn¡¯t understand one thing. Tang Xiu definitely knew Kanaja and they seemed to be on good terms. Yet, why did he follow his daughter to hide in his place before then?


    ¡®Hold it!¡¯


    A thought popped up in his mind and he suddenly understood one thing. Kanaja was indeed the Godfather of Bangkok¡¯s underground forces, yet he had too many people under him with their own vested interests. For fear that some people under Kanaja sold his whereabouts, then he came to him¡ªa bystander?


    As he thought up to this point, only then did he truly regret that he refused Tang Xiu before. He cleared his throat and replied back, ¡°Please wait for 10 minutes, Mr. Kan. I¡¯ll catch up with you there. Frankly, Mr. Tang has a good friendship with my daughter and I¡¯ll help you too since he needs your assistance.¡±


    A confused look flashed in Kanaja¡¯s eyes. He didn¡¯t expect Tang Xiu to have a good friendship with Zuo Daquan¡¯s daughter at all. Apparently, the way he treated Zuo Daquan must change later.


    Five-plus kilometers away.


    Tang Xiu led the troops and finally arrived to where Tang An was coughing up blood. The murderous intent in his eyes turned more intense as he instantly controlled the divine sword and flashed forward toward the enemy lightning fast.


    ¡°Array on! You all must die!¡±


    The divine sword transformed into layers of thousands of sword images as they torrentially steamrolled forward toward Death Dhyana Buddhist Master¡¯s group of seven. This time, Tang Xiu no longer held back and unleashed all his power. His figure appeared over a hundred meters in the air the moment the thousands of sword images struck forward and cast various spells and techniques. Groups of flames emerged and encaged the area tens of kilometers in the surroundings, while series of lightning bolts came blasting down from the sky through the sea of fire.


    Shoo, shoo, shoo¡­


    He then took out eight array disks from his interspatial ring and quickly threw each into eight directions. At the same time, he made use of the street intersections, surrounding trees, street lights, and the small artificial lake on the left side to arrange the Octagonal Desolation Array.


    Simple yet intricate runes formed the array pattern that quickly transformed into one whole shape with interlaced lines of runes emitting vague energy fluctuations. In just ten seconds, Death Dhyana Buddhist Master and his group were stranded inside the newly arranged array.


    ¡°JIN SHI!¡±


    Tang Xiu shouted as the Octagonal Desolation Array activated and completely encaged the surrounding area.


    Jin Shi instantly appeared before Tang Xiu and respectfully asked, ¡°Your command, Boss?¡±


    ¡°You have read many ancient scriptures and several books of arrays that I wrote during your time with me, and you¡¯ve studied them, haven¡¯t you?¡± asked Tang Xiu. ¡°Can you recognize what kind of array this is?¡±


    Jin Shi was stunned and looked dull for a moment. Although he had studied a lot of content about arrays, he had yet to arrange any basic array and rarely saw any of them in reality. He immediately glanced around at the array and spent 10 minutes thinking about it. Afterwards, he answered with a guess, ¡°Judging from the route, pattern and outlined runes, everything is similar to the Octagonal Desolation Array, isn¡¯t it, Boss?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re good!¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°You can recognize this array, so you know only one person can enter and control it. Can you control it smoothly and kill them with it?¡±


    ¡°I can do it!¡± Jin Shi nodded with a serious face.

 Chapter 993 - The Remaining Few

    Chapter 993: The Remaining Few


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Being discreet and meticulous was Jin Shi¡¯s usual nature in doing things. He never boasted about anything if he wasn¡¯t sure of his own abilities. He had studied the contents of arrays and fully memorized them. He had even arranged every position and every angle of the array in his head.


    ¡°Enter the array!¡± shouted Tang Xiu in a deep voice.


    Jin Shi took a step forward, and in the next moment, he appeared in the center of the Octagonal Desolation Array. When he saw a fireball rushing toward him, his foot moved in a flash and he instantly appeared a few meters away. At the same time, his line of sight quickly changed and he found the spot he must be positioned at in just a second.


    ¡°BREAK¡­¡±


    Quickly, four fireballs appeared by him, but the immortal sword that hovered around him directly broke them. He moved again and evaded another group of four fireballs before appearing at a certain position.


    Suddenly, all the fireballs that were aiming at him inside the array dissipated as he stood at a safe position.


    At the same time, Death Dhyana Buddhist Master¡¯s group who was being trapped inside the Octagonal Desolation Array had a hard time avoiding the bombardment. Lightning bolts, rainstorms, hurricanes, and soil spikes came at them from time to time¡­ it was simply countless weather changes, yet it made them badly battered and enormously consumed their cultivation power.


    ¡°We must break this fucking array formation! Otherwise, we¡¯ll keep on being stranded inside.¡± The outlandish youth who controlled the black cross shouted. A wound continued to bleed on his face, and he had just barely escaped a hurricane attack.


    Death Dhyana Buddhist Master himself had been observing the array since the beginning. His injury was the lightest among all and his strength hadn¡¯t been affected that much. He was even able to help his companions while avoiding the bombardment. Yet, even after spending ten minutes observing the array, he was still unable to find the crux of the array at all.


    ¡°We only got one method left now,¡± said Death Dhyana Buddhist Master with a heavy voice.


    ¡°What is it, Death Dhyana?¡± asked the outlandish youth hurriedly, pleasantly surprised. ¡°We have all been injured here. We won¡¯t be able to persevere much longer if we can¡¯t break this array quickly.¡±


    ¡°The only means we¡¯ve got left is the stupidest method¡ªusing brute force,¡± answered Death Dhyana Buddhist Master in a deep voice. ¡°Unleash everything you got and attack the same spot to break this fucking damn array!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    ¡°Agreed!¡±


    The rest nodded and quickly moved closer to the Death Dhyana Buddhist Master.


    The monk then pointed to one spot and said, ¡°I can sense that this spot is the weakest point in the whole formation, yet most of the attack forms from this spot as well. We¡¯ll need to fend off all the attacks from that direction in order to break this array, but we also must increase the intensity of our strike to create an opening there. I¡¯m sure we can destroy this array as long as we succeed.¡±


    ¡°Attack, NOW!¡±


    As Death Dhyana Buddhist Master shouted, all of them unleashed the rest of their remaining power toward the bombardment that was aiming at them. The might of the group of fireballs mixed with the lightning bolts was unquestionable, yet they were able to destroy all of them. Their residual power was also bombarding the energy shield, creating ripples on its layers which then led to thin cracks on the shield. The moment the array sent out another barrage of attack, however, the shield fluctuated and the cracks were automatically restored, while the ripples caused by the shock also disappeared.


    The outlandish youth looked disappointed. However, the instant after, he keenly spotted the difference and shouted in a pleasantly surprised voice, ¡°The array¡¯s striking power is weakening!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! We didn¡¯t break the array with the last barrage, but we¡¯ve definitely damaged it!¡± Death Dhyana Buddhist Master grinned and said aloud, ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s striking power is now weakening. Let¡¯s keep attacking! We can overload this array with our attack, and it will forcibly be broken sooner or later!¡±


    The monstrous burly man shouted ¡°What are you waiting for? Keep attacki¡­¡±


    Puff¡­


    Just as he was about to finish speaking, an immortal sword that moved like a snake struck from the dark and unknowingly pierced his heart. The sword vibrated and swayed, ripping his body into pieces of meat as they exploded, creating a gruesome scene of splashing blood and flying body parts.


    Jin Shi¡¯s eyes were full of bloodlust as he appeared. He immediately stepped back after the strike and then vanished.


    ¡°What the fuck is going on?¡±


    The scene made the faces of Death Dhyana Buddhist Master and the rest change drastically. None of them was able to spot the ambusher. They only felt a cold sensation and a wave of energy fluctuations. When they turned their heads in a hurry, they only saw the savage big man¡¯s body explode. The bizarre situation made their complexion very ugly, while fear now bred deep inside them.


    The outlandish youth with the big cross subconsciously leaned toward Death Dhyana Buddhist Master while vigilantly observing the surroundings. He didn¡¯t even try to block the fireballs and lightning bolts that were aimed at him. At the same time, the black woman suddenly removed her cloak and swung her hand. The black cloak then formed a wall made of black mist and blocked the barrage of fireballs and lightning bolts.


    ¡°My dark coat can only fend off the strikes for half a minute. Everyone, hurry up and attack the previous spot! Otherwise, we must resist the upcoming barrage from the surroundings once it gets destroyed!¡± shouted the black woman.


    ¡°ATTACK AGAIN!¡±


    Death Dhyana Buddhist Master was keenly aware of the crisis they faced at the moment. He raised his Buddhist staff without hesitation and powerfully swung it forward.


    Jin Shi, who was hiding in the concealed spot and planned to keep ambushing, was suddenly a bit frustrated after the black woman used her dark coat as a shield. He hurriedly sent a voice transmission to Tang Xiu, ¡°The enemy got a protective magic tool, Boss. I¡¯ve got no means to keep striking them at the moment. Also, they¡¯re attacking a certain point in the array and they will soon break the array if they keep at it.¡±


    Coldness overflowed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he stood outside the array. His figure flickered and instantly entered the Decagonal Desolation Array. His footsteps moved in a bizarre fashion as each step was unusually peculiar, yet his seemingly dancing figure was not affected by any attack inside the array at all. In but a moment, he appeared close to Death Dhyana Buddhist Master and his companions.


    ¡®Interesting bunch¡­¡¯


    He then unleashed the divine sword. A fearsome crushing aura erupted, and the sword was enlarged by a hundred times instantly, forming a terrifying sword nearly 100m long which then smashed down toward the dark coat.


    BOOM¡­


    The dark coat was crushed to pieces. Jin Shi¡¯s figure suddenly emerged behind the black woman and his immortal sword swept away. The female¡¯s expression was full of horror as she was decapitated. Apart from the Buddhist monk, the rest of the group frantically scattered outside the radius of the shockwave of the divine sword.


    ¡°Tenebrous Domain!¡±


    Singkuo, who had now recovered his power, cast his technique. Although he had been injured, it was no longer serious. But his restlessness shot through the sky upon seeing Death Dhyana Buddhist Master¡¯s group suffer such heavy losses. His escape and a chance of survival depended on them; hence, he was forced to act as he formed a black mist to cover a large area around them.


    He was also still able to observe everything inside this domain, protecting himself against enemy attacks.


    ¡°BREAK! BREAK!¡±


    Death Dhyana Buddhist Master also rushed to the previous spot. Using his Buddhist staff, he powerfully slammed the weakest point of the formation. As a dozen cracks appeared on the shield, he threw the staff through the cracks as it cracked it open and created an opening.


    ¡°Run fast!¡±


    The monk didn¡¯t even spare a glance to help the rest and quickly dashed forward through the opening.


    ¡°RUN!¡±


    ¡°ESCAPE QUICKLY!¡±


    The rest of them were as though seeing a chance of escaping bestowed by the Heavens. They sprinted toward the opening, including Singkuo who had just cast the Tenebrous Domain as he followed behind the Death Dhyana closely.


    ¡°You wanna run, heh? Did you ask for my permission?¡± chillingly shouted Tang Xiu.


    The divine sword turned into countless swords yet again and overwhelmingly crushed toward the direction of the crack. In the blink of an eye, the last two vampire-like men were pierced by the overlapping sword energy and fell outside the crack.


    The moment the array was broken, Tang Xiu and Jin Shi appeared next to the two dead bodies, whereas Death Dhyana Buddhist Master, Singkuo, and the outlandish youth frantically fled toward the distance.


    ¡°Guang, An, that Buddhist monk and Singkuo must die, no matter what!¡± Tang Xiu shouted loudly as he flashed forward to chase the trio.


    ¡°Affirmative!¡±


    Tang Guang flashed forward extremely fast. His speed was even several times faster than Jin Shi¡¯s. After overtaking Jin Shi, he followed behind Tang Xiu in the pursuit of the trio. However, the air in front of Tang Xiu and Tang Guang kept rippling and a faint aura could be sensed from it, just like there was another creature that smoothly traversed forward a bit faster than them.


    A look of surprise flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he thought inwardly: ¡®Tang An¡¯s speed should be the fastest under Chimei and Yan¡¯er in the whole Everlasting Feast Hall. Even though I have numerous movement techniques, I¡¯m sure she can surpass my speed with her spatial technique if her power is at the peak of the Golden Stage.¡¯


    ¡°This heavy loss is all because I saved you, Singkuo! It¡¯s your turn to repay us now. Stay here and stop them. As long as you don¡¯t die this time, I swear you¡¯ll be our brother later!¡± Death Dhyana Buddhist Master¡¯s heart thumped harder and faster. He could sense the vague and faint fluctuations that quickly approached them, so he guessed that it was the mysterious female assassin they encountered before.


    Singkuo¡¯s face enormously changed. He didn¡¯t expect that Death Dhyana Buddhist Master would actually make such a request at this time. It was obvious that staying here to stop Tang Xiu and his men only meant one thing: his death.


    But¡­ he can¡¯t die here!


    Even if he must offend Death Dhyana Buddhist Master and would need his antidote six months later, he just couldn¡¯t stay here and die. The world was so vast, and he could find a place to hide if he could escape and survive here. Certainly, he could also return to the Dark Shaman Clan as a last resort if worse came to worst. He believed that his father wouldn¡¯t sit still and watch him be killed by Tang Xiu and Singluen.

 Chapter 994 - The Final Stand

    Chapter 994: The Final Stand


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Endowed with high intellect, Singkuo¡¯s brain revolved faster as he faced the imminent crisis of life-and-death. The betrayal of Death Dhyana Buddhist Master made him furious, yet he didn¡¯t lose his reasoning. His killing intent surged inwardly as he took a roll of golden threads from his sleeve.


    ¡®Bind!¡¯


    The golden thread unfolded and instantly shot forward toward the monk¡¯s feet. The moment it bound his feet, Singkuo quickly pulled it back powerfully, dragging the monk¡¯s feet and causing him to fall and fling backwards. In nearly an instant, he had overtaken Death Dhyana Buddhist Master¡¯s position and had bolted to the front.


    ¡°DAMN YOU, SINGKUO!!!¡±


    Death Dhyana Buddhist Master was so furious that his heart was inundated with endless regret. He had scouted Singkuo as a very talented youth and thus took a long journey with his companions to follow up in their effort to recruit him. Who would have thought that he must lose six companions just to rescue this fella, only to get stabbed in the back at this moment?


    Right as Tang Xiu¡¯s lightning-like figure appeared tens of meters away from the monk, he slashed the divine sword forward. At the moment when the monk frantically avoided his strike, an immortal sword appeared out of the blue, aimed at his neck. Although the slash wasn¡¯t able to decapitate him, it still left a bleeding wound on his nape.


    Tang An herself had been injured and she practically ignored it due to the death sentence Tang Xiu had given to Death Dhyana Buddhist Master, preventing this monk¡¯s escape at all costs. Therefore, she kept chasing this monk closely. Even though her moves didn¡¯t have overwhelming power, it was still powerful, making the monk unable to spare his attention on anything else.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, we have no enmity whatsoever; why are you still vehemently aiming for the kill?¡± growled Death Dhyana Buddhist Master furiously with a disastrous face while avoiding Tang An¡¯s barrages. In the countless battles he had encountered, never once had he been so fearful and vexed as he was right now.


    Tang Xiu flew up and stood mid-air as he fiercely retorted, ¡°We had no enmity before, Death Dhyana. But you just created it by being a busybody, leading to this situation. Singkuo is but a dire wolf full of ambition that I must kill. Besides, did you forget what you just said? Hmph¡­ rather than having you nagging my mind, might as well kill you now to spare me any worry.¡±


    ¡°You really want to shut out any reconciliation?¡± shouted Death Dhyana Buddhist Master. ¡°Don¡¯t force me to unleash my forbidden art, for I¡¯ll drag you to hell with me. I¡¯ll definitely kill that fucking bastard Singkuo myself if you let me go now. I just put on a strong front before you previously; how would I dare retaliate against you? Just let me go on my way.¡±


    ¡°Sword of Divinity¡ªHomage to Heaven!¡±


    At the monk¡¯s pleas, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to bicker more. Instead, he simply hacked the divine sword forward to intercept the monk¡¯s movement to escape. Death Dhyana Buddhist Master was in a grave crisis involving Tang An who kept appearing and disappearing mysteriously to strike him.


    A look of madness filled the monk¡¯s eyes. He gritted his teeth as the Buddhist staff in his hand suddenly split into two parts. A centipede half a foot long then shot out of it and appeared in front of Tang An¡¯s face in the blink of an eye. Death Dhyana Buddhist Master was more prepared than Tang An and brandished the two parts of his Buddhist staff to seal the left and right movements of Tang An.


    While standing mid-air, Tang Xiu¡¯s expression greatly changed. His body dived down suddenly as his hand formed a circle gesture, manipulating the divine sword to shoot at the Buddhist monk. It was the only move he could do at the moment since it would be too late for him to rescue her unless the monk retracted back his strike.


    ¡°Empty Shell Vanishing Art!¡±


    Death Dhyana Buddhist Master roared. His body suddenly flickered to the side as the two halves of his staff pierced Tang An¡¯s shoulders, whereas the centipede that shot at her finally fell on her nape and bit her neck.


    Puff¡­


    However, a rain of sword light also pierced the monk¡¯s body. Right as he crazily spurted out blood, his figure vanished and appeared four-plus meters away before he staggered and fell to the ground.


    Is it teleportation?


    What he did surprised Tang Xiu inwardly. Yet, he ruled out this idea the moment after, since a teleportation technique could only be achieved by those who had broken through to the Nascent Soul Stage. For those under that cultivation level, it impossible to do it. Death Dhyana Buddhist Master¡¯s power was only comparable to the middle stage of Golden Core, so teleportation was impossible. Further, teleportation techniques could reach a far greater distance, whereas what he did was only four-plus meter away, meaning that he had just shown profound footwork.


    ¡°DIE!!!¡±


    The sword elongated and flashed forward as though carried by the wind, leaving its afterimage.


    Death Dhyana Buddhist Master¡¯s body violently trembled a few times. He looked down at his chest with despair on his face. The spot where his heart was located was hollow, instead replaced by a fist-sized hole. There were also wounds on his shoulders and legs.


    ¡°Tang Xiu¡­¡±


    The monk shot a stare of deep hatred towards Tang Xiu. His life force rapidly left his body, yet he still flew up into the air as though wanting to unleash all his remaining strength to kill Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡±


    The same intense killing intent also flew out from Tang Xiu. He had no idea about Tang An¡¯s current condition now, so he instantly unleashed two Explosion Charms upon seeing the monk who threw himself to him.


    BOOM¡­


    Death Dhyana Buddhist Master¡¯s body shook greatly. A look of despair was evident as the divine sword came slashing his neck. Further, a blood-colored blob suddenly appeared which was sucked into the sword.


    At this time, Tang Xiu could clearly sense that the divine sword¡¯s might had been greatly increased and his sense of control over its power greatly improved. His body flickered a few times before he appeared next to Tang An who had taken out a dagger and killed the centipede. He then grabbed her wrist to check her pulse.


    ¡®A vicious venom?¡¯


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion changed. He swiftly took several silver needles out of his interspatial ring and instantly sealed up several acupoints in Tang An¡¯s neck. At the same time, his other hand quickly ripped Tang An¡¯s robe, revealing her shoulder in order to pierce the last acupoint there. He quickly grabbed her shoulder and hurriedly used his nails to pierce a certain spot on her flesh.


    ¡°Grand Master!¡±


    Tang An was shocked and looked puzzled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak, and don¡¯t circulate your energy,¡± ordered Tang Xiu with a deep voice. ¡°The centipede poison is very potent; it has flowed into your shoulders. I must force it out of your system.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Tang An no longer felt strained. Instead, a hint of shyness flashed on her face and she silently nodded.


    ¡°The blood must be forced out and some veins must be sealed up.¡±


    He retracted back his finger that sealed the spot, while his other hand slowly traced Tang An¡¯s shoulder to control the blood and extract it out into his palm. The extracted blood was black and smelled a bit pungent originally, but turned red after a few seconds.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu threw the extracted blood away. He continued by holding Tang An¡¯s neck, while his other hand¡¯s finger began pinching and stroking her neck, followed by him pulling out several needles that pierced the acupoints. Blood also sprayed out from each point that was originally pierced by the needles. It kept flowing out, along with the constant pinching of Tang Xiu¡¯s finger, although the extraction was now much slower.


    Whoosh¡­


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu loosened his grip on Tang An and looked at the dozen people around him, shouting in a heavy voice, ¡°What the hell are you doing here?! After Singkuo!¡±


    ¡°Tang Guan has gone to chase him, Boss,¡± replied Jin Shi in a low voice. ¡°Our speed is too slow to pursue him¡­¡±


    ¡°No matter how slow you are, just go and kill him!¡± scolded Tang Xiu with a deep voice. ¡°I don¡¯t care if the road is blocked or not, you must not lose him. He¡¯ll become a big headache later if we don¡¯t kill him now.¡±


    The moment his order came out, Jin Shi and the rest immediately moved toward the direction of Singkuo and the outlandish youth. Singluen and his men also followed suit. Singluen was the one who was impatient to see Singkuo die since he would have no worries left in the future after he took over the Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s Patriarchal seat.


    After that, Tang Xiu took out the Holy Healing pill from his interspatial ring and stuffed it into Tang An¡¯s mouth, speaking in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯ve forced out the poison from your system; it won¡¯t affect you for the time being. But your injuries are quite serious, so you must recuperate for some time. I¡¯ll protect you.¡±


    ¡°Just chase Singkuo, Grand Master! I¡¯ll be fine by myself.¡± Tang An shook her head.


    ¡°No. Your condition is critical!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°No one knows whether there¡¯s another enemy coming here. We¡¯re going back to the coconut plantation. Kanaja should have arrived there if my guess is correct, so we¡¯re heading back. I¡¯ll be staying there to protect you after we get there.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Tang An no longer refuted Tang Xiu¡¯s suggestion and let him grab her waist as they flew into the sky and headed toward the ruined coconut plantation.


    At the coconut plantation.


    Kanaja was smoking a cigarette and stared at the helpless-looking Zuo Daquan before him. He wouldn¡¯t have given him face previously. But, after learning that this man¡¯s daughter was on good terms with Tang Xiu, he had no option but to treat him differently.


    ¡°Speaking bluntly¡­ you rejected Mr. Tang¡¯s request before and drove him out of your place?¡± questioned Kanaja.


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s because I didn¡¯t know his identity before, neither did I know what kind of relationship he had with the Huang,¡± answered Zuo Daquan with a helpless face. ¡°The Huang Family is my mortal enemy. It is a powerful clan that has many experts and a formidable force. I thought that I would suffer more than I would gain if I were to give him shelter.¡±


    ¡°Dammit. You really just wasted a huge chance. That¡¯s so fucking stupid, you know that?¡± Kanaja shook his head and sighed, ¡°Alas¡­ forget it. Nothing I can do about it. This place is yours, so tell your men to deal with the damage here quickly. Of course, I¡¯ll also assign my own men to dispose of those dead bodies, and I won¡¯t neglect my own part to rebuild your place since Mr. Tang asked me to help you with that. You can deduct the reconstruction cost of your place from the money you owe me!¡±

 Chapter 995 - Favors

    Chapter 995: Favors


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    In front of Kanaja, Zuo Daquan felt like he was suppressed instinctively. Had it been a decade prior, he would¡¯ve been able to stand upright when facing this man. However, he only had trivial energy in Bangkok, whereas this man was much richer, more powerful, and better than him; so he could only lower himself.


    ¡°You can just leave the reconstruction to me. It¡¯s my place so I must be the one to handle it. I appreciate your intention, but I have to decline,¡± said Zuo Daquan.


    ¡°You misunderstood me.¡± Kanaja¡¯s complexion changed and he seriously said. ¡°Rebuilding your site is what Mr. Tang wants me to do, so it¡¯s I who¡¯ll find the construction team and provide the fund. You owe me some money, so I¡¯m going to deduct it from your debt. I hope you know what to report to Mr. Tang about it later.¡±


    Zuo Daquan immediately realized Kanaja¡¯s intention. It was to express goodwill to Tang Xiu! If Tang Xiu was someone who always paid his grace back, he would take it as a favor. As he came up to this point, Zuo Daquan forced a smile inwardly. As people said, it¡¯s easy to repay the money debt, but favor and grace were the most difficult to pay!


    He had that chance to have Tang Xiu owed him a favor, yet he just wasted it away and could only have regret after he lost it. It was the most regrettable thing he had ever done in this world. If God was ever given him another chance to come again, he would¡¯ve never missed it. If he could add such opportunity to what he already had, he¡¯d have absolutely given his all to work under him, even if he must regard him as an ancestor.


    Yet now, he could only that bits of regret bit his heart. Just as he was about to speak, his expression suddenly shifted as he saw Zuo Qing approaching with his two adorable grandsons and several trusted men who escorted them.


    ¡°Qing¡¯er!¡± Zuo Daquan strode to welcome them.


    At this time, Zuo Qing was so shocked and paralyzed. She never dreamed that the place she just left had turned into ruins.


    Could it be that¡­ father¡¯s guess was correct that Tang Xiu is in cahoots with the Huang and came here to retaliate them?


    ¡°What is going on here, Dad?¡± asked Zuo Qing with a bit ugly expression.


    ¡°What else? It was because of Tang Xiu!¡± replied Zuo Daquan with a bitter smile.


    It¡¯s true!


    The reply made Zuo Qing depressed somewhat. Then she said astringently, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Dad. But Divine Doctor Tang is famous in China and is a good man. I just can¡¯t believe that he¡¯s colluding with the Huang. Could it be just a mistake?¡±


    The question made Zuo Daquan stunned. He could see the bitter expression on her face and immediately let out a dry smile. ¡°It¡¯s been a big misunderstanding indeed, Qing¡¯er. But it was on my part who did that. Mr. Tang never colluded with the Huang. I even believed what you told me that he¡¯s our family¡¯s benefactor since he has helped us mediate the grudge with the Huang. What I just said it was caused by Mr. Tang was due to the battle between him and his enemies here. We just kind of got implicated by it.¡±


    Zuo Qing¡¯s eyes bulged out as she exclaimed, ¡°What did you say, Dad? You mean¡­ Divine Doctor Tang didn¡¯t have the intention to ruin our place and it was caused by the battle with his enemy? He¡­H-he, how is he now? Is he injured?¡±


    ¡°Even if you care about him, you don¡¯t need to ask so many questions at a time, Qing¡¯er,¡± said Zuo Daquan with a dry smile. ¡°Besides, I really dunno about all those.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the worries, Miss Zuo. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Tang Xiu floated down from the air while carrying Tang An and quickly appeared in front of everyone. As he released Tang An¡¯s waist and held her arm, he let out a faint smile and said, ¡°I apologize for ruining your site, Mr. Zuo. But you can rest assured that I¡¯ll compensate you for it.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no. Please nevermind it, Mr. Tang,¡± said Zuo Daquan hurriedly. ¡°You fought your enemies and you didn¡¯t intend to destroy my site. I¡­¡±


    As he said up to there, he suddenly remembered Kanaja and immediately turned his head to look at the man. His heart skipped a beat upon seeing his face turned a bit ugly. If he said that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t need to compensate him, it was very likely that Kanaja would lash out at him. He could expect this man to take revenge on him after Tang Xiu left.


    Certainly, Tang Xiu could tell there was something between the two men and smilingly said, ¡°Well, I may have to trouble you this time, Mr. Kan. But you can consider it as I owe you a favor and you can expect to have my assistance in the future once.¡±


    Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s statement, Kanaja was overjoyed inwardly and he smilingly said, ¡°That¡¯s very kind of you, Mr. Tang. To be at your service is an honor for me. You can rest assured that I¡¯ll cremate all the dead bodies later. I¡¯ll also find the construction team since you already asked me to rebuild this place. I can tell the construction team to work overtime to have it rebuilt quickly. You can leave all the issues here to me and feel relieved.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to trouble you for it.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Just call me after you rebuild this place, I¡¯ll reimburse you and transfer the money to your account directly.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t!¡± said Kanaja quickly. ¡°You¡¯re my guest here, how can I let you pay for it? Please consider the renovation¡¯s cost as a token of my gift for you! Also, I¡¯ve already arranged to invite you to my Exquisite Fallen Petal tomorrow night. Would you like to come?¡±


    The Exquisite Fallen Petal Cruiser?


    The name made Tang Xiu remember the cruiser on the Chao Phraya River which rumored as the Paradise on Earth. However, he still had many issues to deal with and there was no time at all for anything else, so he said, ¡°You¡¯ve seen the situation here today, Kanaja. Singkuo has escaped and another fish also slipped away. I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have yet the time to accept your invitation for now. It¡¯s better to wait until we have Singkuo and all my enemies in Bangkok been dealt with. But I¡¯ll prepare a gift for you when I visit you later and we¡¯ll dine by then.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s refusal didn¡¯t make Kanaja unhappy at all and even felt more excited after hearing it. He repeatedly nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to prepare my place after Mr. Tang has tended to your business then.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you can tend to business first. My grand disciple has been seriously injured and I need to find a quiet place to treat her,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Zuo Daquan, who had been looking for any means to express goodwill to Tang Xiu immediately interjected upon hearing it, ¡°Mr. Tang, I still have an underground storehouse even though my place is ruined. You can use it for the treatment if you¡¯d like to.¡±


    His offer instantly made his men looked shocked, confused and also worried.


    ¡°If so, then I¡¯d like to trouble you to lead me the way!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Zuo Daquan replied and then ordered his men before leading Tang Xiu and the rest to walk toward the ruins. When they came to a certain collapsed building, dozens of strong men quickly cleaned up the surroundings, revealing the entrance to the underground space.


    Screech!


    The entrance door was sounded and a downward staircase slowly appeared in front of everyone.


    While leading everyone down, Zuo Daquan explained, ¡°I¡¯ve been using this underground space to store gold actually. The interior is quite messy, but it¡¯s very clean and I also have placed various furniture and appliances inside. I often came here whenever I need to think about something.¡±


    An underground space to store gold?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face shifted and he quickly used his perception to survey the surrounding. The large size of the warehouse surprised him, nearly a thousand square meters with massive gold bars neatly stored on the shelves inside. The interior also had decent ventilation installation as well as looking clean and well equipped with needed objects.


    ¡°Please come here, Mr. Tang.¡±


    Zuo Daquan, who had been observing Tang Xiu¡¯s facial expression until everyone came to the entrance only found that Tang Xiu just glanced at the gold and then ignored it, causing him his hope and expectation plummeted.


    ¡°This is a good place.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Recuperate well, An. We¡¯re staying here for some time.


    ¡°Yes, Grand Master,¡± replied Tang An respectfully. She then strode into the room and closed the door from the inside. She was not used to be in the sight of others for a long time and could¡¯ve left already if she wasn¡¯t with Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu then turned to look at Zuo Daquan and lightly said, ¡°Would you mind telling me what are you storing so many golds here for, Mr. Zuo? Are you buying it at a low price to sell them at a much higher price?¡±


    ¡°Speaking frankly, I own a gold mine which I mine a lot of gold ores from annually, Mr. Tang. Some of it is exchanged for cash and the rest is stored. Though the plummeting gold price recently kind of causing me to stop selling my gold reserve,¡± said Zuo Daquan with a dry smile. ¡°Due to that, I¡¯m planning to use gold to pay off a lot of money I owe Mr. Kan which I haven¡¯t been able to pay back for a while.¡±


    Tang Xiu was surprised before nodding. ¡°The gold price has been mediocre some time indeed. But for you to own private gold mine is kinda rare and unexpected!¡±


    ¡°I bought that gold mine with quite a price long ago. Although I¡¯ve earned the investment back for quite some time, the gold ore reserve is also dwindling. I originally planned to exchange all of them when its price goes up, but as of recently, it seems impossible.¡±


    ¡°Care to tell me the current gold price?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s 290,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu then turned to Kanaja and asked, ¡°Do you mind if I want to buy gold from Zuo Dakuan, Kanaja? I know that he¡¯s gonna use it to pay the debt to you with a lower price, but I can buy it for a higher price than the current market price.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind about that.¡± Kanaja directly shook his head and said, ¡°He doesn¡¯t owe me that much anyway.

 Chapter 996 - A Chance To Earn Fortune

    Chapter 996: A Chance To Earn Fortune


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Nodding slowly, Tang Xiu shifted to Zuo Daquan again and said, ¡°You have quite a large pile of gold here, Mr. Zuo. Its price may not bounce back for a short time. Why don¡¯t you sell all of them to me? You can rest assured that I¡¯ll buy it at a higher price. How about 320?¡±


    320? 30 yuan more than the current price?


    ¡°I¡¯ll sell them to you if you want them, Mr. Tang,¡± answered Zuo Daquan without hesitation. ¡°But may I know for what purpose you are buying so much gold for?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you just saw a lot of things you shouldn¡¯t have seen tonight, so I won¡¯t hide it from you,¡± replied Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°I need gold to refine some magic tools and weapons. You seem to have hoarded a lot of them here, and you can¡¯t refine them into magical artifacts, so I want to buy however many you have in reserve.¡±


    Manufacturing magic tools from gold?


    Zuo Daquan¡¯s eyes instantly sparkled. He recalled the battle Tang Xiu¡¯s people just engaged in. They used their immortal and divine swords to fly in the air. If¡­ if he could have such a magical sword, then it would be great.


    The thought, however, made him hesitate for a moment. He asked in a low voice, ¡°Can you sell me a magic weapon you¡¯ve refined from the gold, Mr. Tang, in exchange for gold? Also, how much gold do you need for it?¡±


    Trading gold for a magic tool?


    With a strange expression, Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh, ¡°Haha, you misunderstand me, Mr. Zuo. The magical artifact I refine can only be used by cultivators. It¡¯s something ordinary people can¡¯t control and would be of little use for you even if you buy it.¡±


    A look of disappointment appeared on Zuo Daquan¡¯s face. However, as he remembered how powerful those immortal swords were, he gritted his teeth and said, ¡°No matter how little its use is, I¡¯d still want it. At worst, at least I can treat it as the treasured heirloom of my family.¡±


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment before he nodded and smiled. ¡°If so, then I¡¯ll trade one of them to you after refining it. However, what kind of tool or weapon do you need exactly?¡±


    ¡°A sword. It¡¯s best if it¡¯s like the sword you and your men used,¡± said Zuo Daquan. ¡°It¡¯s truly amazing and very powerful.¡±


    His answer courted Tang Xiu¡¯s contempt inwardly. He wanted to trade gold for immortal or divine swords? That was the unfunniest joke ever! Let alone his divine sword, just the immortal swords used by Mo Awu, Jin Shi, and the others were of high-grade even in the Immortal World. The value of such magical artifacts was something that not even 100 mountains of gold could buy, which was just worlds apart.


    Kanaja, who stood at the side, also had eyes lit. Although he didn¡¯t witness the scene of the battle, for the coconut plantation to be ruined by cold weapons only meant that the weapons were very powerful. Perhaps, the destruction was partly because of these weapons.


    Astute, experienced, and as crafty and sly as a fox was a perfect description of Kanaja. The conversation made his heart perk up and he interjected, ¡°Can you also sell much such an artifact, Mr. Tang? I want to buy it from you too. I can also exchange it with gold. If you wish, I can also get more than the gold stored here in a few days.¡±


    A smile crept up on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. He seemed to have found another means to make fortune here. He then nodded and said, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll also refine one for you since you want it, Kanaja. Alright, I¡¯ll stay in Bangkok for some time, so you and Mr. Zuo should find your way to get the gold. The more, the better. If you got some tons of gold, I¡¯ll also give you some extra benefits.¡±


    Extra benefits?


    Kanaja and Zuo Daquan exchanged glances and immediately nodded.


    ¡°Whoosh¡­¡±


    A figure bolted lightning-fast from the outside and appeared in front of Tang Xiu in the blink of an eye. It was Xue Sha, who then reported with a bit of worry on his face, ¡°We lost them, Boss.¡±


    ¡°You lost them? What about Tang Guang?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s face changed, and he asked in a deep voice.


    ¡°Tang Guang was able to catch up with Singkuo and the other one, but a group of people suddenly got in the way. Although they were very weak, their defense was very strong. There were too many of them, so he killed them all, but Singkuo and the other guy had already escaped by then. He and Mo Awu are still after them, but the chance to catch up with them is slim.¡±


    Tang Xiu clenched his fists and looked at Kanaja, saying, ¡°You¡¯re Bangkok¡¯s local snake; you¡¯ve got forces all over this place. Help me find Singkuo and one man. If your people can find any of them in advance, I¡¯ll strike a much bigger deal with you later after Singkuo has been neutralized. You can expect that it will be the biggest opportunity you¡¯ve ever had in your lifetime.¡±


    Kanaja¡¯s eyes completely lit up, and he answered without hesitation, ¡°I¡¯ll assign my men to look for them at once. We¡¯ll definitely find them even if I must overturn the whole of Bangkok.¡±


    At his promise, Tang Xiu nodded. He looked back at Xue Sha and asked, ¡°What about Singluen? Where¡¯s he?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s on the way back, but they are much slower than I am, so I got here first,¡± answered Xue Sha.


    Shortly after, Singluen and some of his trusted men arrived. When he appeared before Tang Xiu, his expression was particularly intense and bitter. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mr. Tang.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to feel sorry about anything, Singluen.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Singkuo is our common enemy. I already asked Kanaja to help find him. We just need to find and then kill them. Also, I suggest that you take on your father as well now.¡±


    Singluen hurried said, ¡°We haven¡¯t yet been able to kill Singkuo, I¡¯m afraid that if we strike my father now¡­¡±


    ¡°What you¡¯re afraid of is a subject to deal with later.¡± Tang Xiu sneered and said, ¡°Besides, those Shaman Guardians who are loyal to your father have returned. They must have notified your old man of our deeds. It¡¯s best to take on your father as well. Only then will you be able to be your clan¡¯s patriarch.¡±


    ¡°About this¡­¡± Singluen still hesitated.


    At the side, a horrified look could be seen plastered on Kanaja¡¯s face as he rapidly interjected, ¡°Singluen, you want to kill Singtuo? But he¡¯s your old man! I know that he truly cares about you two brothers.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t have the intention to kill my father, really.¡± Singluen shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s just that he¡¯s been a Patriarch of my clan for too long. He¡¯s quite spent now due to it. It¡¯s necessary for him to pass the patriarch seat and just enjoy his life to its fullest.¡±


    Kanaja understood at once and sighed, ¡°The Chinese say that every place produces talented people every generation who will replace their predecessors. Now that you¡¯ve literally grown up, your old man should indeed pass his seat. Furthermore, with Mr. Tang supporting you, I believe the Dark Shaman Clan will be more prosperous in the future.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no use speaking about that now,¡± commented Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°So, what¡¯s your decision, Singluen?¡±


    Singluen took a deep breath and made up his mind, stating in a heavy voice, ¡°Mr. Tang, you¡¯ve suggested that it¡¯s time for my father to abdicate. That time is ripened now, so we¡¯re going to take the seat! But please spare his life if he refuses.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with that.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°We only have one purpose; to create a new Dark Shaman Clan Patriarch. It¡¯s not a problem to spare him if he doesn¡¯t refuse as long as you sit in that seat.¡±


    ¡°My father will definitely agree.¡± Singluen gratefully glanced at Tang Xiu and added, ¡°He¡¯s always been a wise man.¡±


    ***


    The Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s land.


    Singtuo silently stood by the window while looking towards the distance. He had been waiting for a long time and felt a bit restless since he hadn¡¯t yet received any news.


    Cultivators from China?


    He knew how powerful those cultivators were. Their divine abilities and magical powers were simply overwhelming and invincible. He had once fought several cultivators in the past, but he neither lost nor won.


    ¡°Are you restless?¡±


    An old voice suddenly came from behind him as an aged face with a frail figure appeared.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t ask what you know already, Father,¡± replied Singtuo with a forced smile after turning back. ¡°I fought my big brother in the past to take over the patriarch seat, and you also knew about that clearly, didn¡¯t you, Father? Weren¡¯t you also worried when we battled each other then?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± The old man slowly nodded and sighed. ¡°But you must realize that the young will do all right on their own. The world is always for the strong, whereas the weak will sweep the bottom. Singkuo has courage and resourcefulness and is definitely the most suitable candidate as patriarch. While Singluen is helped by Chinese cultivators, he¡¯s likely to not have what it takes to weather the storm. And you¡­ why don¡¯t you ease up a little?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve fought with several cultivators, so you also know how powerful they are, Father.¡± Singtuo shook his head and said, ¡°The cultivators who appear around Singluen are very young, but I¡¯m afraid they are harboring malice.¡±


    ¡°Then send Singshou out if you¡¯re still uneasy,¡± said the old man after thinking and nodding. ¡°You¡¯re the most powerful expert in our clan on the surface, but the fact is I and Singshou are more powerful than you. I¡¯ve been stuck in my cultivation for years and have been unable to break through, but Singshou already has shown signs to transcend.¡±


    ¡°Singshou¡¯s cultivation has reached to that degree?¡± Singtuo was shocked.


    ¡°He obtained the God of Wizardry canonical scripture half a year ago and learned a powerful wizardry art. He doesn¡¯t deserve to be regarded as the most outstanding cultivation genius of the Dark Shaman Clan for the last several hundred years if he couldn¡¯t achieve his current status.¡±


    Singtuo trembled. It took him a long time before he snapped back and shook his head, muttering while sighing, ¡°It seems like Singshou will be the most powerful expert of our clan then. But what about you, Father? Why don¡¯t you tell our clansmen that you¡¯re still alive then?¡±


    ¡°I keep getting a hunch that a huge incident is going to happen to our clan shortly, so don¡¯t tell anyone that I¡¯m still alive. Not even Singkuo and Singluen,¡± said the old man vaguely.


    Suddenly, the old man gazed out of the window and lightly said, ¡°Well, they are back. But is Singli not with the 13 Shaman Guardians?¡±

 Chapter 997 - A Greedy and Savage Wolf?

    Chapter 997: A Greedy and Savage Wolf?


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Singtuo was also frowning. He could see the thirteen Shaman Guardians returning, but injured, and not bringing Singluen back.


    Could it be¡­ An accident happened?


    He dashed out of the window and appeared in front of them in the blink of an eye, questioning, ¡°Where¡¯s Singli and Singluen? You are all injured, though only minor wounds. What exactly happened?¡±


    The 13 Shaman Guardian ceased their pace and knelt on one knee at the same time in front of Singtuo. The middle-aged man reported with a complicated and bitter face, ¡°A mishap happened, Patriarch. We weren¡¯t able to save Singkuo, while Singli, who harbors malice and covets the Patriarch seat, ran away.¡±


    The report made Singtuo¡¯s complexion enormously change and caused him to shout angrily, ¡°What rubbish are you talking about? Singli is a high-rank clan elder! How come Singli wants to take over the patriarch seat? You¡­ No! What did you just say? I ordered you to rescue Singluen, but why did you tell me you were unable to save Singkuo? What the hell is going on?¡±


    The 13 Shaman Guardian quickly narrated the whole event and finally said, ¡°Singkuo¡¯s men were all killed, and I¡¯m afraid that he is also dead now. Singli has been harboring malice all this time; he even has two Dark God Thunder. If it wasn¡¯t for Young Master Singluen¡¯s side that forced him to the edge and endangered his life, he wouldn¡¯t have taken out the Dark God Thunder to save his life, making them known.¡±


    Singtuo stared with an incredulous look. He simply couldn¡¯t believe the report, yet he had to since these were his most loyal warriors of the clan. It would mark the end of the Dark Shaman Clan if even the Shaman Guardians were no longer reliable.


    Yet, why did this matter end up like this? Was Singkuo really killed by Singluen and those Chinese cultivators?


    The 13 Shaman Guardians looked hesitant and spoke again bitterly, ¡°It¡¯s best for us to seize the time to prepare, Patriarch. Young Master Singluen, he¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± asked Singtuo with a heavy voice, ¡°It¡¯s still not enough for him to kill Singkuo, so he wants to kill his own father?¡±


    ¡°He said that killing Singkuo will be the first task, and he¡¯ll immediately come to the clan after he kills him,¡± explained the captain. ¡°He wants you to step down from the patriarch seat and pass it to a more qualified person. He¡­ his ultimate goal is to be the Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s patriarch.¡±


    ¡°How dare he!¡± roared Singtuo.


    ¡°The other party is very powerful, Patriarch,¡± continued the captain. ¡°Ignoring those Chinese cultivators, Young Master Singluen, his five guardian elders, and that girl have become much stronger now. We thought that Young Master Singluen was not a match for Young Master Singkuo, but they are now equals.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nonsense!¡± yelled Singtuo angrily. ¡°I know Singluen¡¯s cultivation level. I tested his strength some time ago! His power is just weak. There¡¯s no way he can catch up with Singkuo.¡±


    ¡°I stand by my report, Sir. Young Master Singluen is much more powerful now,¡± replied the captain with a forced smile. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be easy for me to win against him in a one-on-one fight. Furthermore, the previously mediocre five guardian elders at his side have also become much more powerful now. I can tell that my chance to kill any of them is less than 60%.¡±


    The report was pretty much a shock for Singtuo. Sparks of disbelief clouded his eyes, and he remained silent for a long time.


    Whoosh!


    A figure flickered and instantly appeared in front of Singtuo and the 13 Shaman Guardians. A thoughtful look was on the old man¡¯s face as he slowly said, ¡°It¡¯s actually not impossible for Singluen and his guardian elders to have their cultivation progress rapidly in such a short period of time. There are indeed some means to make one¡¯s strength progress that rapidly.¡±


    ¡°What kind of means is it, Father?¡± asked Singtuo rapidly.


    ¡°Medicinal pills of China,¡± said the old man vaguely.


    Singtuo himself was well aware that there were some powerful people among Chinese cultivators who were masters at concocting medicinal pills. But it was a thing from legend only. To the best of his knowledge, pill refiners among Chinese cultivators were few and far between, causing each pill to be a priceless treasure for these cultivators.


    If¡­ if there was a pill refiner among the cultivators Singluen had befriended, it was impossible that person would give so many of them to Singluen and his men at once!


    At the moment, the 13 Shaman Guardians were petrified and stared silly at the old man in front of them. Their hearts were beating several times faster.


    ¡®The previous Patriarch? How can this be? Didn¡¯t the old patriarch die more than a decade ago? How come he¡¯s still alive and now appears here?¡¯


    The old man looked at the 13 Shaman Guardians and let out a pale smile. ¡°I know you¡¯re all confused and asking why I, who have died, have turned out to be still alive and now appear before you. Might as well tell you about it now that I¡¯m here. I faked my death since I¡¯ve been in closed-door cultivation in the clan. I decided I wouldn¡¯t show up unless our clan faced an imminent life-and-death crisis.¡±


    The 13 Shaman Guardians instantly understood and respectfully kowtowed to the old man and greeted, ¡°Paying respect to previous Patriarch!¡±


    The old man happily nodded and waved his sleeve. A stream of energy flowed out from it and raised up the 13 Shaman Guardians as he said, ¡°You¡¯ve carried out your job well. It was I who trained you in the past; all of you have become much stronger now. You also have contributed a lot to the clan while assisting Tuo. After we pass through this crisis, I¡¯ll open the Dark Altar to help improve your cultivation further.¡±


    Ecstasy covered the 13 Shaman Guardians¡¯ faces. The last time they used the Dark Altar to enhance their cultivation was more than a decade ago. If they could use the Dark Altar¡¯s power to raise their power again to a higher level, it was very likely that their strength would compare to the current Patriarch.


    ¡°We offer our gratitude to the old patriarch.¡±


    Singtuo looked at the old man and said, ¡°What do you suggest in resolving this incident, Father? Is it really necessary to give Singluen the patriarchal seat?¡±


    ¡°If you pass him the patriarch seat, the position of our Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s patriarch is his. But if he seized it with force, then he commits a capital crime for rebellion,¡± said the old man faintly.


    Singtuo slowly nodded and said, ¡°I understand what you mean, Father. You can rest assured about it. I¡¯ll prepare everything right away. If Singluen keeps working hard, I¡¯ll pass the patriarch seat to him in the future. But if he dares to rebel and seize it by force, I¡¯ll get rid of this scourge of a son by my own hands.¡±


    Shortly after, a lot of Dark Shaman clansmen received orders from the patriarch to return to the clan at once. The decree made all of the clansmen of the Dark Shaman Clan around the world stop their activities to rush to the clan¡¯s land in Bangkok.


    ****


    Near the ruins of the coconut plantation.


    ¡°Huh?¡¯ Singluen¡¯s face suddenly changed after receiving the news.


    Tang Xiu, who was next to him, saw his face and immediately asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°It must be because of the report by those 13 Shaman Guardians. Hmph, they must have told my father that I want to seize the clan¡¯s patriarch seat by force.¡± Singluen coldly snorted and said, ¡°My father just issued a decree that all the clansmen outside the clan must return at once. Oddly enough, my men and I didn¡¯t receive it.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it seems your old man has begun to take precautions against you, Singluen,¡± sighed Tang Xiu. ¡°We¡¯re probably going to face your whole clan if we don¡¯t speed up our pace.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s rush to my Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s land now, Mr. Tang,¡± said Singluen. ¡°It¡¯s obvious that my father doesn¡¯t want to pass the patriarch seat to me. The only option left is to use force.¡±


    ¡°That being the case, we¡¯re going then!¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Jin Shi, you¡¯re staying here to protect Tang An. Make sure she¡¯s safe.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let anyone disturb her unless I die, Boss,¡± replied Jin Shi respectfully.


    ¡°No need for that!¡±


    A hazy shadow suddenly flickered from the distance and appeared in front of the group instantly. Tang An was still in her usual black suit, bronze mask, and black gloves. After she turned to Tang Xiu, she respectfully said, ¡°I¡¯ve recovered more than seventy percent, Grand Master. I believe my injuries will be much better by the time we arrive at the Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s land if I keep recuperating on the trip.¡±


    ¡°Are you really okay now?¡± confirmed Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Grand Master. It won¡¯t affect me much, even if I have to fight again,¡± ensured Tang An. ¡°I¡¯m best at sneak attacks while you fight at the front.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s set off now, then!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Quickly, more than a dozen cars rushed toward the Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s ancestral land. Tang Xiu borrowed these cars from Kanaja and Zuo Daquan to seize time and facilitate movement.


    After half an hour, the cars had passed downtown Bangkok and continued traversing the wide roads. A shadow flickered and moved lightning-fast from the distance toward the car. After the car¡¯s door opened and shut again, Tang Guang was already sitting next to Tang Xiu.


    ¡°How was it? Did you get them?¡±


    Tang Xiu turned his head to look at him and lightly asked.


    ¡°Got no traces on them yet, Boss.¡± Tang Guang forced a smile and added, ¡°Singkuo has got quite the good means of hiding, while that fella who fled with him is quite capable as well. I found their traces a couple of times and pursued them, yet still lost their tracks.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve got quite a number of enemies we have recently provoked, don¡¯t we? It seems like we need to take some measures once we get back to the mainland, huh?¡± sneered Tang Xiu. ¡°Guang, there¡¯s something I need you to carry out once Singluen becomes the Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s patriarch.¡±


    ¡°Please instruct me, Grand Master,¡± said Tang Guang respectfully.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been planning to send you to Japan. You¡¯re to help Kuwako to take over the House of Yamamoto completely,¡± explained Tang Xiu. ¡°Also, help her train a group of experts. They will be pivotal for future battles with our enemies. Having some Japanese fighters to charge and shatter our enemies would be a good option.¡±

 Chapter 998 - Using Poison

    Chapter 998: Using Poison


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Dark clouds still occupied the sky even though it was the time for the sun to rise from the East, covering Bangkok in the dark. Rolling thunderclaps felt like they were coming down from the Ninth Heaven. The atmosphere was like being suppressed, as though a storm was brewing, giving off a suffocating feeling in everyone¡¯s heart.


    The smell of blood was as though covering everyone¡¯s nose, while vague killing intent permeated in the air, making the hot summer bring out a chill. Tang Xiu looked like he was sitting calmly in the car, yet his mind was thinking rapidly. No matter how heartless the path of the Great Dao was, he was still a man with emotions. Unfortunately, the higher he wanted to reach, the more he must make himself treat his enemies with ruthlessness.


    ¡®Dark Shaman Clan.¡¯


    His finger kept tapping on his thighs as he kept thinking about how to cope with this clan¡¯s patriarch, Singtuo. From the information he got from Singluen, he learned that Singtuo was a powerful wizard, said to be the first expert of his clan.


    Tang Xiu himself was not afraid to face this man head-on in a fight. However, he didn¡¯t come to annihilate the entirety of the Dark Shaman Clan, just to make Singluen take over the patriarch seat. Yet, Singluen didn¡¯t want to resort to murdering his father directly. Therefore, the only option was to rack his brain to find another means to make Singtuo step down from his position as the current patriarch of this clan.


    It was best if it could be achieved without any bloodshed!


    Tang Xiu slowly raised his head, and his eyes shifted to Tang Guang next to him before turning to Mo Awu who sat in the front seat, and then changed again to Jin Shi who was driving the car. After a few minutes of silence, he asked indifferently, ¡°Got any ideas of how to cope with the Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s patriarch?¡±


    ¡°How about we capture him directly, Boss?¡± said Mo Awu from the front seat coldly. ¡°Just finish him off mercilessly if he dares to resist. Besides, swords have no eyes and Singluen won¡¯t be able to say anything if he dies in the fight.¡±


    ¡°What about the two of you? Got any suggestions?¡± asked Tang Xiu again.


    Jin Shi spoke without turning his head, ¡°I agree with Awu, Boss. We can just force the current Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s patriarch to step down since we have enough power to do so. Singluen is his own, it¡¯s only natural that he has the rights to inherit that position. We can stomp down those who resist and raise up those who follow, as Singluen is the one who¡¯s the most concerned about this patriarch seat anyway.¡±


    Tang Guang glanced at Tang Xiu first before saying his piece slowly, ¡°I¡¯m actually against the option of killing the current patriarch of the Dark Shaman Clan. In fact, it¡¯s best not to kill him. Right now, we only have a relationship of cooperation with him. If we kill his father, it would create a hole in his heart no matter how good we treat him. He won¡¯t dare to oppose us now since he¡¯s aware that his clan¡¯s power is too weak. But there¡¯s no guarantee that he won¡¯t betray us once his clan becomes formidable.¡±


    ¡°Tell me more,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I suggest to use a strategy,¡± said Tang Guang. ¡°The best means is to have the Dark Shaman¡¯s current patriarch under our control. As long as we can control his life, there¡¯s no need to fear that he won¡¯t obey and he will step down from his position.¡±


    A smile crept up on Tang Xiu¡¯s face and he asked again, ¡°Do you have any suggestion as to what method we should use to control the life of this clan¡¯s patriarch?¡±


    ¡°If memory serves, don¡¯t you have similar techniques like the one you used to control that Japanese female, Kuwako Yamamoto, Boss?¡± asked Tang Guang as he continued, ¡°If you could cast this technique on the current Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s patriarch, it could be said that we have struck a nail in this clan even though Singluen will be the new patriarch. Additionally, we can make his father replace him should he turn his back on us in the future.¡±


    ¡°Using this technique is definitely a good idea, but it¡¯s only effective in a case like Kuwako.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°It will be very difficult to cast it on the current head of the Dark Shaman Clan.¡±


    The technique was the Soul Ruling Spell! But casting this art on someone required two prerequisites. First: one must have powerful strength to suppress the target before piercing the target¡¯s soul, exerting power to rule over the soul. The caster must be much more powerful than the target. Second: the target must cooperate in accepting it, which was equivalent to taking the initiative to hand over his or her life to the caster.


    Although Tang Xiu had never met the Dark Shaman¡¯s current patriarch, he could tell that this person would never take the initiative to open his soul and let him control his life with the Soul Ruling Spell.


    Tang Guang was silent for a short while and then slowly spoke again, ¡°Since your previous method is not feasible, then we only have one method left, Boss.¡±


    ¡°Say it!¡± said Tang Xiu calmly although he had guessed Tang Guang¡¯s idea.


    ¡°By using poison,¡± said Tang Guang.


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Using poison is indeed a good way. I can concoct a lot of types of powerful poison pills. Unfortunately, we don¡¯t have enough time, so it¡¯s kinda unrealistic to refine them. Unless..¡±


    ¡°Unless what, Boss?¡± pursued Tang Guang rapidly.


    ¡°Unless there¡¯s a well-preserved high-grade fierce beast¡¯s blood,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I can use it to spray out the poison in a short time. Unfortunately, I only have the blood of low and mid-grade fierce beasts. I don¡¯t have any high-grade blood. I¡¯d have been able to poison the Dark Shaman¡¯s current patriarch without him realizing it otherwise.¡±


    Mo Awu¡¯s face slightly shifted and he interjected, ¡°I might have the blood of some high-grade fierce beast, Boss.¡± Having said that, he took out a jade bottle from his interspatial ring and handed it over to Tang Xiu as he spoke again, ¡°I got it from a tribal chief when I carried out my mission in Africa several years ago. He said that it¡¯s the blood of a divine beast or something which his ancestor spent great effort to obtain. He said that this blood can improve the lifeforce and physical function of average people. I¡¯ve taken this blood with Awen and it does give a lot of benefits.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression shifted. After receiving the jade bottle, he pulled the cork and smelled it. A pleasantly surprised look appeared on his face as he praised, ¡°Yes! This is indeed the blood of a high-grade fierce beast. It¡¯s quite precious, and the fact that it¡¯s still well-preserved is quite uncommon. Well, I can refine the poison in a short time with this.¡±


    ¡°Do you happen to know what kind of fierce beast this blood was extracted from, Boss?¡± asked Mo Awu with a curious face.


    ¡°It¡¯s from a python that has evolved into an aquatic dragon,¡± said Tang Xiu with a light smile. ¡°It has survived for thousands of years and then gradually entered the path of cultivation. Therefore, its bloodline has been improved, which is the reason why it had such terrifying might. You¡¯re not even able to fight it with your present strength. I¡¯d expect you to die fighting it unless you can break through to the Nascent Soul Stage. Speaking about that, that tribe you met definitely has more than meets the eye, Awu!¡±


    ¡°They are an extraordinary bunch indeed.¡± Mo Awu nodded and said, ¡°The sacrificial offering ritual practiced by this tribe seems to have a special ability which gives them the ability to communicate with animals. However, they can¡¯t communicate with all animals per se, nor ones with low intelligence, though.¡±


    ¡°There are indeed a group of people like them called Beast Tamers. Strength wise, these people are just very average, but they can get the help of fierce beasts, spirit beasts or even immortal beasts. Every full-pledged Beast Tamer at least has one beast companion for life. Anyway, let¡¯s stop talking about it now. After we arrive at the Dark Shaman Clan, we won¡¯t rush to meet their current patriarch, Singtuo. Instead, find some quiet and secluded place for me to refine the poison.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± replied several people in unison.


    Two hours later, the convoy appeared in the area near the Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s site. Although Singluen was anxious to return to his clan to force his father to abdicate with the help of Tang Xiu¡¯s military power, Tang Xiu himself was unwilling to go there for the time being. Thus, Singluen could only suppress his dissatisfaction inwardly while quietly waiting in the car.


    ¡°How long do we need to wait here? Where did Mr. Tang go?¡±


    After waiting for more than half an hour, Singluen couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and finally asked Mo Awu outside the window.


    ¡°Boss already said there¡¯s something he has gotta do. We just need to wait for him here,¡± replied Mo Awu. ¡°Young Master Singluen, I think you also know his temper well, don¡¯t you? He would never delay going to your clan for no reason. Maybe he¡¯s prepping something so nothing will go wrong when he goes with you to your clan.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± replied Singluen with an anxious face. Just as he spoke, however, Mo Awu interrupted him.


    ¡°My Boss has never fought battles unprepared, Young Master Singluen. You¡¯re also aware that the main purpose of this trip to your Dark Shaman Clan is to make you the clan¡¯s patriarch, right? If Boss is not well-prepared, should an unforeseen accident happen, he won¡¯t be able to help you to be the patriarch. Isn¡¯t this quite irresponsible? In fact, I also think that the more prepared Boss is, the happier you¡¯ll be,¡± said Mo Awu slowly with a smile.


    Singluen was stunned. He knew what Mo Awu said was the truth. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that it was justified. The more well-prepared Tang Xiu was, the more likely he was to sit on the patriarch seat of his own clan.


    ¡°Do you have some leads on Singkuo?¡±


    After he composed himself, Singluen remembered his big brother who they hadn¡¯t been able to kill yet and suddenly felt a bit restless.


    ¡°We got nothing on him as of yet.¡± Mo Awu shook his head and said, ¡°You know, we Chinese got a saying that clever rabbits have three burrows to hide in. Singkuo has been operating in Bangkok for so many years, so he must have prepared quite a lot of safe houses in advance. Still, there¡¯s no need to worry about it for now. The first thing we gotta do is help you take over the patriarch seat of your clan. Only then can we go all out to track him. We¡¯ll have him executed once we find him.¡±


    Singluen nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s the only option we have now it seems. I just hope that my father won¡¯t be too wary of me. Many experts of my clan are rushing back now. It won¡¯t be easy to compel my father to abdicate by using force after they come here.¡±


    ¡°For your information, my Boss always achieves what he wants. Even if all the clansmen of your Dark Shaman Clan are to gather at one place, we can still suppress them with force if my Boss wills it,¡± cut Mo Awu with a deep voice.


    At his statement, Singluen shivered inwardly. He didn¡¯t utter any sound again and fell into silence.


    As noon came, Tang Xiu returned back with Tang Guang. After taking a seat in the car, he made an order to head to the Dark Shaman Clan immediately. He stored a lot of medicinal herbs in his interspatial ring, so he had been able to refine the poison and its antidotes. As long as Singtuo was exposed to it, even if his cultivation level was at the Nascent Soul Stage, he¡¯d still be poisoned.

 Chapter 999 - The Death Of An Expert

    Chapter 999: The Death Of An Expert


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s Land.


    In the sacred and stately clan¡¯s ancestral hall, aside from the high-level clansmen who worked in the outside world, there were also several top-level clansmen gathered in an assembly. Each of them was a wizardry expert and none were inferior to either Singluen or Singkuo.


    As the clan¡¯s patriarch, Singtuo was always composed and indifferent, but everyone present was able to tell that he was rather restless and had a vague killing aura leaking out of his body.


    What exactly is going on? What could be the reason the patriarch was so restless? He didn¡¯t even hesitate to summon all the clansmen from the outside, and appeared vigilant like they were about to face possible dangers?


    ¡°Patriarch.¡±


    A burly, strong middle-aged man with seething murderous aura came in from the outside. His eyes were filled with chilling light as he came to the front of Singtuo.


    Singtuo¡¯s expression shifted, and he asked in a deep voice, ¡°How¡¯s the situation? Any change of their movements?¡±


    ¡°Their convoy just moved a few minutes ago. They¡¯re coming to our clan¡¯s location.¡± The man began reporting, ¡°We can expect them to arrive at our gate in ten minutes. Also, I¡¯ve issued an order that Singluen and those who follow him in entering the gate must hand over their weapons.¡±


    Nodding wordlessly, Singtuo¡¯s eyes then shifted to the several high-up clansmen in the ancestral hall. He then said in a deep voice, ¡°I know that you all should be confused by the situation as to why I summoned you all of a sudden, as well as why our clan appears to be ready for battle. It¡¯s time to inform you all that our Dark Shaman Clan is currently facing misfortune. One of us has been colluding with foreign enemies. It¡¯s all in an attempt to drive me out, for me to step down from my position as the clan¡¯s patriarch to replace me with the unworthy descendant of mine, none other than my own blood, Singluen!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°How is this possible, Patriarch?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! We have seen Young Master Singluen grow up. We are well aware of his nature and personality. There¡¯s no way he would dare to act that rash even if his courage grew a hundred times! Did you¡­ are you not mistaken?


    ¡°Are you sure you didn¡¯t misunderstand that child, Patriarch? He has been cultivating diligently all these years and has been absolutely loyal to the clan! His cultivation is much weaker than Singkuo, and he¡¯s not as adept at strategy; why would he covet your Patriarch seat?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure there must be some misunderstanding between you both! Let¡¯s just ask Young Master Singluen about it openly once he comes here. He¡¯s your own blood no matter what. He knows the customs and rules of our clan¨Cthat he must have formidable strength if he wants to be our clan¡¯s patriarch.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Several top clan members expressed their views with looks of disbelief on their faces.


    A sad and sorrowful look flashed in Singtuo¡¯s eyes, and he addressed their questions in a heavy voice, ¡°I know that you found what I just told you hard to believe. The truth is, if my guess is correct, he has already killed Singkuo. I sent Singli and 13 Shaman Guardians to rescue Singluen a while back. But¡­ the 13 Shaman Guardians were driven away, while Singli was forced to take out the Dark God Thunder he illegally possessed as leverage to save his life. The opposite party was afraid of the Dark God Thunder, so they let him go. But Singli himself has committed a capital crime, so he didn¡¯t come back with the 13 Shaman Guardians. He has escaped; we haven¡¯t found any traces of him yet.¡±


    The news was like a giant earthquake to the top-level clansmen, making them shocked to the core, unable to speak for a long time.


    Singtuo then added, ¡°Everyone, I¡¯ll give you a few minutes to calm down before you prepare yourself to face the enemy with me! If Singluen really wants to carry out his misdeeds and threaten us by force with the help of foreign enemies, we are to kill him and those people! This is the tribulation for our Dark Shaman Clan. Whether we can get through this safely or not, it will rely on the unity of all of us to face our common enemy!¡±


    Suddenly, a grayish-white haired old man who looked vigorous stood up from his chair. He raised the staff in his hand and shouted, ¡°No foreign enemy is allowed to bully our clan! If Singluen really dares to collude with foreign enemies, then he has turned his back on us and has become our clan¡¯s enemy. Death is the only proper treatment for our enemy. KILL THEM!¡±


    ¡°KILL!!!¡±


    The rest followed suit and shouted.


    At the gate of the Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s land.


    The convoy had just stopped. More than a dozen experts of the Dark Shaman Clan wore grim faces as they stared at Singluen, Tang Xiu, and the rest get off from the cars. Under the gate, the 13 Shaman Guardians were in battle-ready stances, eyes vigilantly observing Tang Xiu and Singluen¡¯s people.


    ¡°HOLD UP!¡±


    Singshou was a man with broad shoulders, a burly physique, and large eyes that depicted an ancient beast. He came forward with a machete in his hand and shouted loudly with aggressive killing aura.


    Upon seeing Singshou, a look of dread filled Singluen¡¯s eyes. There were the only two people he was afraid of in the entirety of the Dark Shaman Clan. One of whom was his father, Singtuo, while the other one was Singshou in front. He was regarded by all the clansmen as the top cultivation genius for the last century in their clan¡ªthe first person who could chade after the first expert of the clan, his father, Singtuo.


    Furthermore, Singshou was a rough and brutal man with savagery etched in his bones. Fearless in nature, the man was never afraid of his father as the clan¡¯s patriarch. Yet his loyalty to the clan was unquestionable and he was very respectful to Singtuo.


    Singluen informed Tang Xiu about Singshou by whispering and finally concluded, ¡°Mr. Tang, my five guardian elders¡¯ cultivations have been progressing rapidly. But even if they reached a higher level, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s still very difficult for the five of them to be a match for Singshou. Some clansmen have even rumored that his strength has overtaken my father¡¯s.¡±


    Tang Xiu himself was able to determine Singshou¡¯s actual power from the aura emitted out by this man. This man¡¯s cultivation was comparable to cultivators at the Golden Core Stage and should be an equal match to Tang Guang. However, Tang Guang was not the only one who came with him to the Dark Shaman Clan this time; there was still Tang An who was concealing herself, while he was also enough to kill him.


    ¡°Tell him to scram, or he¡¯ll die!¡±


    There was killing intent in Tang Xiu¡¯s voice towards Singshou. This man should be ten years older than him, but he had already possessed such power at a young age. It was obvious that his talent in cultivation was remarkable. If he were to let this man go alive while Tang Xiu helped Singluen to be this clan¡¯s patriarch, Singshou would become a strong pillar who would assist Singluen in the Dark Shaman Clan in the future.


    And yet, the purpose as to why Tang Xiu helped Singluen was only to strike a trade deal. In the unlikely event that the Dark Shaman Clan was getting more and more formidable under Singluen¡¯s control, it was very likely that Singluen wouldn¡¯t be so respectful to him by then. The likelihood that he would harbor malice or disloyalty was high.


    At the moment, Singluen, who thought that he was backed by formidable power from Tang Xiu and his men, immediately steeled himself as he paced a few steps forward. He directly stared at Singshou and shouted, ¡°Singshou, why have you brought everyone here to drive me away? I¡¯m also a member of the Dark Shaman Clan. I¡¯m the Young Master of this clan, so don¡¯t tell me that I need your permission to enter my own home?¡±


    ¡°Patriarch has commanded that non-members of the clan are not allowed to enter the clan¡¯s land. Even clansmen must hand over their weapons before entering!¡± shouted Singshou. ¡°Singluen, you¡¯re the Second Young Master of the clan, and I¡¯ll naturally won¡¯t stop you here. But the rest are outsiders and must not enter the clan! You also must hand over your weapon. The Patriarch is waiting for you inside.¡±


    Tang Xiu came to Singluen¡¯s side and looked at Singshou who let out his boiling murderous aura. Then he said coldly, snorting, ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re very strong, but it¡¯s not like you¡¯re unkillable. I¡¯m very clear of the power your Dark Shaman Clan possesses. It¡¯s very easy for me to destroy all of you here. Stop blocking our way¨Cdon¡¯t be a mantis that tries to stop a carriage. Otherwise, I don¡¯t mind killing you first!¡±


    ¡°SHUT THE FUCK UP! You¡¯re all foreign enemies of the clan. It¡¯s you who must get the hell out of our place!¡± shouted Singshou.


    ¡°Heh, you refused a toast, but you¡¯ll be forced to drink forfeit,¡± sneered Tang Xiu. ¡°I hope you got what it takes to shout at me. Tang Guang, kill him.¡±


    Tang Guang¡¯s figure flickered and moved lightning-fast. He appeared in front Singshou in the blink of an eye and unleashed his immortal swords. Overlapping layers of sword images rolled forward as though torrential raging waves, storming over to devour the burly beast that was Singshou.


    ¡°Tenebrous Domain!¡±


    Singshou stomped his foot as dark fog suddenly emerged around him. It quickly enveloped the area of nearly a hundred meters. He then raised the machete in his hand high and crazily fed it with his mana, creating a dozen meter machete image that slashed forward in an attempt to destroy all the sword images in front.


    BOOM¡­


    The collision between the immortal sword and the machete formed a huge fire. The smoldering shockwave forced most of the people around them to retreat staggeringly. It took them ten steps backward to stabilize their footing and figures.


    Tang Guang and Singshou respectively stepped back ten steps, but everyone could sense that their killing aura kept soaring fast.


    ¡®He¡¯s a powerful enemy!¡¯


    The two men had a similar thought, yet it also aroused their fighting spirit. Even Tang Guang shouted at this moment, ¡°I¡¯ll deal with him alone. He¡¯s my enemy and he must die under my sword!¡±


    Tang Xiu, who stood nearby, surged out his Primal Chaos power to force back all the dark fog within a radius of over four meters around him. At this time, a concealed transmitted voice entered his ear:


    ¡°Would you like me to move and strike, Grand Master?¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment and transmitted his reply, ¡°Our purpose here is very simple¨Cthat is to kill him! If Tang Guang wants a match, I¡¯ll arrange one for him later. But now is not the time.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± replied Tang An shortly. There was no other sound from her afterward.


    The display of exquisite swordsmanship was now being showcased at the scene. The barrage of offensive magic spells emerged in an endless stream, combined with the power erupted from the mid-stage Golden Core Tang Guang, causing the Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s gate to be destroyed by the aftermath. Singshou¡¯s movements themselves were very simple, but each of his strikes accurately aimed at the critical points despite the wild and savage moves. In addition to that, the Tenebrous Domain he just cast proved to be an obstruction to a certain degree for Tang Guang, thus making them well-matched opponents.


    ¡°Heart Shredding Strike¡ªKILL!¡±


    Tang Guang¡¯s figure rose from the ground. His immortal sword flickered and turned into unconstrained long sword lights that crushed down from the firmament. Sands and pebbles were blown away, while some soil and stones then formed a sword shape that shot forward to strike Singshou.


    Singshou¡¯s complexion was solemn to the extreme. He kept brandishing his machete, while the images of the blade erupted a much greater might. He had always been a man who held a firm belief that those who faced his enemy head-on were the brave ones. He was never afraid of death, and instead had always been expecting such a thrilling battle with his life on the stake to temper himself.

 Chapter 1000 - Arguments

    Chapter 1000: Arguments


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Chapter 1001: The Battle of Words


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s gonna die!¡±


    Singshou roared furiously as his body was similarly rising up into the air. The dark fog billowed and the black machete formed its own shadow to powerfully clash with the sword light head-on.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    However, Singshou¡¯s face drastically changed. Just as his voice left his mouth, a sword light flashed lightning-fast from his bottom left. He was unable to dodge it as it penetrated his left lower ribs. The sword then continued sweeping at his ribs, cutting off several.


    ¡°Lightning¡­¡±


    Tang An appeared all of a sudden as an undetectable tiny lightning bolt came after the sword light and drilled Singshou¡¯s body. At the moment his body stiffened, the immortal sword exited his body and slashed his neck.


    Puff¡­


    The sneaky strike led to insta-kill.


    Tang Guang was dumbfounded. He just made his intentions clear regarding this fight! Why did his sister, Tang An, still move and attack his target? His fury erupted as he watched the decapitated body of Singshou fall from the air, furiously shouting, ¡°Who the hell told you to strike him, An?!¡±


    The black-suited Tang An appeared out of thin air and glared back at Tang Guang coldly. Then she indifferently said, ¡°It¡¯s Grand Master¡¯s intention to kill him. He was an enemy that must be neutralized; he doesn¡¯t wish for you to temper yourself at this time. Grand Master said he¡¯ll find you the opponent you need later, but now is the time to kill the enemies in order to help Singluen take over the patriarch seat of the Dark Shaman Clan.¡±


    Grand Master¡¯s order?!


    Tang Guang¡¯s anger froze instantly. After a long while, only then did he shake his head and let out a bitter smile. He floated down to Tang Xiu¡¯s front and spoke with a dry smile, ¡°That was a good opportunity for me to whet myself, Grand Master. I even had a feeling that I¡¯d have a breakthrough once I killed that guy.¡±


    ¡°There are important things I need to do; I don¡¯t have the time to waste here,¡± replied Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°I just told you through An that I¡¯ll give you the well-matched opponent you need, didn¡¯t I? But now is not the appropriate time for that.¡±


    Tang Guang heaved a deep breath and respectfully said, ¡°I understand, Grand Master.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and looked at the group of Dark Shaman Clan experts whose complexions were now extremely ugly, staring with dread and fear. He said in a deep voice, ¡°13 Shaman Guardians, you should¡¯ve understood power clearly. You guys won¡¯t be able to stop us, so know your limit and give way! Otherwise, I don¡¯t mind resorting to slaughtering you all in your own home!¡±


    At this time, the 13 Shaman Guardians were in shock due to the situation before them. They were Singshou¡¯s seniors who had helped instruct his cultivation. Later on, Singshou surpassed their cultivation levels, making them no longer necessarily his match even if all of them cooperated in fighting him. And yet, how come he just got killed like that?


    They were all the top soldiers and the most loyal warriors of the Dark Shaman Clan, but it didn¡¯t mean that they were not afraid of death. The death of Singshou sent a chill down their spines as thoughts to retreat filled their minds.


    The dozens of guards all looked frightened and retreated backwards. In just a few seconds, they had already paced back in front of the 13 Shaman Guardians. Should any of them shout to retreat, they would very likely run and hide far away immediately.


    The captain of the 13 Shaman Guardian quickly conversed with his comrades. After a short while, he then shouted, ¡°These people are courting their own death by entering our site, so we shall fulfill their wish. Everyone, retreat back into the clan and wait for the order to fight back!¡±


    In that instant, more than 20 people quickly ran and entered the Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s land.


    Disdain flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he issued an order, ¡°Let¡¯s head inside! No need to be merciful if you encounter any resistance!¡±


    At this time, Singluen had already rushed back to Tang Xiu¡¯s side. He glanced at Singshou¡¯s dead body, causing him to unceasingly shiver inwardly. He had never been close to Singshou and even feared the fella a bit. But seeing that this guy unexpectedly died in by the hands of Tang Guang and Tang An sent a chill to his heart.


    He already knew how powerful Tang Xiu¡¯s individual prowess was. He was aware that the collaboration of Tang Guang and Tang An was not necessarily enough to contain Tang Xiu. But the collaboration of the two people was enough to kill Singshou. Does that mean Tang Xiu has the ability to kill his father? If his father vehemently refused to step down from his position as the clan patriarch, will he issue an order to slaughter all the members of the Dark Shaman Clan?


    Suddenly, a pang of regret filled his heart. He regretted letting his own anxiousness and eagerness lead to wolves getting into his own house. If Tang Xiu were to order to annihilate the entire Dark Shaman Clan, he would then become the sinner for his clan¡¯s demise.


    ¡°Tang Xiu¡­,¡± amid his worries and restlessness, Singluen called out.


    ¡°I know what you wanna say, Singluen.¡± Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and said indifferently, ¡°You can rest your worries! I did say that I¡¯d resort to slaughtering in your home, but I won¡¯t carry it out. Just chill out. It¡¯s all to make us meet your old man smoothly, that way nobody else in your clan needs to die and you can become the patriarch. Besides, you can take advantage of this opportunity to weed out those who are hostile to you, no?¡±


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t do that.¡± Singluen shook his head.


    His response made Tang Xiu narrow his eyes. He let out a vaguely smiling expression and immediately floated upward, flying towards the Dark Shaman Clan lightning-fast.


    Inside the ancestral hall, Singtuo held back his killing aura while his eyes kept sweeping to the gate of the ancestral hall. He had been waiting for the news of Singshou¡¯s return. As long as Singshou was able to keep out the enemy at the gate, this issue would naturally be solved. But if he couldn¡¯t stop them and were even defeated, that would mean that the battle between the clan and the other party was inevitable.


    Whoosh¡­


    A figure flickered and instantly bolted into the interior of the ancestral hall. It was the captain of the 13 Shaman Guardians, looking pale and reporting with a bitter face as he came in front of Singtuo, ¡°Singshou was killed, Patriarch. We can¡¯t stop them; they started the slaughter when they came. They¡¯ll be here soon.¡±


    Singtuo¡¯s complexion enormously changed, a look of disbelief evident on his face. He even doubted his ears.


    ¡®Singshou just died? How can this be?¡¯


    ¡®Even father vouched that the present Singshou is very formidable and that he¡¯s comparable to me, didn¡¯t he? But how could he be killed by the enemy?¡¯


    Singtuo glared at the Shaman Guardian captain and densely shouted, ¡°What rubbish are you talking about? I know very well of Singshou¡¯s power! I¡¯m not even necessarily his match now, and yet you¡¯ve just told me that the enemy killed him? Tell me clearly, what the hell happened out there?¡±


    ¡°This subordinate speaks the truth, Patriarch. Singshou has been killed by the enemy. But it was because of the despicable move from the enemy. Originally, Singshou fought with an enemy who¡¯s equal in strength with him, but an assassin suddenly appeared and sneakily struck him, leading to his death.¡±


    The white-haired old man looked Singtuo with disbelief, ¡°What did you just say though, Patriarch? You said that Singshou was much stronger than you? But how is that even possible? You¡¯re the first expert of our clan!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right. Singshou was indeed more powerful than present-day Singtuo. If Singshou had a few more years, even I wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat him, which means that our enemy this time is very powerful.¡± An old man suddenly emerged out of thin air and interjected in a heavy voice.


    ¡°You are¡­¡±


    ¡°The old Patriarch!!!¡±


    ¡°Oh God! Are my eyes deceiving me? Didn¡¯t the previous Patriarch pass away a decade ago? But he¡­ H-how come he¡¯s back to life again?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s the old Patriarch. What the hell is going on here?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Several high-level clansmen of the Dark Shaman Clan couldn¡¯t help but exclaim in shock. Two of them even ran in front of the old man, wanting to confirm that they were not hallucinating.


    ¡°I know that you all will be confused due to my appearance here,¡± said the old man faintly. ¡°I can only tell you that I didn¡¯t die a decade ago. I didn¡¯t want to manage all the minor affairs in the clan anymore, so I faked my death and have been cultivating in seclusion since. I wouldn¡¯t have appeared before you all if it weren¡¯t for this crisis that can possibly lead to our clan¡¯s demise.¡±


    The white-haired old man excitedly said, ¡°You¡¯re still alive, old Patriarch! That¡¯s great. I¡¯m sure that we can defeat the enemy under your leadership no matter how powerful they are.¡±


    ¡°Tsk, tsk. Bragging so early, huh?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s figure appeared outside the ancestral hall as he glanced over at the dozens of top-level clansmen inside with a look of contempt.


    However, Singluen, who followed behind him, was instantly petrified upon seeing the old man¡¯s face. If it wasn¡¯t for Tang Xiu who poked him, he would¡¯ve stood in a daze for a very long time.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± asked Tang Xiu in a whisper.


    Although Singluen had sobered up from his shock, fear had already swallowed his heart. He had calculated literally everything, but he ruled out the possibility that the previous patriarch, his own grandfather, was still alive. More so that judging from his aura, the old man seemed to be even more powerful than a decade ago.


    Had he known that his grandfather was still alive, he wouldn¡¯t have dared to collude with Tang Xiu, nor would he had dared to covet the patriarchal seat, even if he obtained 10,000x more courage.


    ¡°Uh, i-its¡­ h-he¡¯s my grandfather.¡± Singluen¡¯s voice was shivering a bit while looking at Tang Xiu with a bitter expression.


    ¡°Is he very powerful or something?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°He was already the first expert of the Dark Shaman Clan decades ago. His power became more unfathomable more than a decade ago. With him becoming so strong, the clansmen originally thought that the clan would become more and more powerful and that it wouldn¡¯t take long for us to catch up with the Celestial Wizard Clan. Every one of us never expected that he would just suddenly pass away; none have seen him since. It turns out¡­ he¡­ he faked his own death.¡±


    ¡°Heh, no matter how strong he is, he¡¯s still weaker than me!¡± sneered Tang Xiu. ¡°Well, the previous measure I prepared before was truly a wise move. Otherwise, we would¡¯ve ended up paying a very painful price, even if it can finally help you sit on the Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s patriarch seat.¡±


    Singluen¡¯s face shifted and he hurriedly asked, ¡°What arrangement did you prepare, Mr. Tang? Can you really help me to be the Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s patriarch even though my grandfather is still alive?¡±

 Chapter 1001 - The Poison’s Effect

    Chapter 1001: The Poison¡¯s Effect


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    A small jade bottle appeared in Tang Xiu¡¯s hand as he moved his finger. Using his thoughts, he wound the cork up its neck. In but a moment, the bottle cap was pulled out, and the colorless and odorless gas floated out from the bottle mouth. He then exerted his power to wrap the gas to drift toward Singtuo and the old man.


    He did all of that very secretively, causing Singtuo and the old man inside the ancestral hall to be unable to detect his actions, as even Singluen who stood next to him was unaware of what he was doing.


    ¡°So, which one of you is really in charge of the Dark Shaman Clan then?¡± asked Tang Xiu smilingly as he looked at Singtuo and the old man. There was a bit of a playful tone in his voice.


    ¡°Tuo¡¯er is the patriarch. He naturally holds the right to manage the clan,¡± answered the old man indifferently.


    ¡°Well, then it¡¯s much easier for us to deal with this issue since the one with the rights is here, don¡¯t you think?¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t you feel that the Dark Shaman Clan has been stagnant for too long all these years? You see, even your own son, who is supposed to be the Young Master of Dark Shaman Clan, is so dirt poor that he doesn¡¯t have enough money to buy things, no?¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡± responded Singtuo coldly.


    ¡°What I mean is very simple. Just step down from your position and give way to a more qualified person.¡± Tang Xiu grinned and said, ¡°But of course, it¡¯s best to give it to Singluen, though. I believe that your Dark Shaman Clan will become more formidable under his leadership.¡±


    ¡°Heh, this is the internal affairs of my Dark Shaman Clan. Why should your distinguished self worry about that anyway?¡±


    ¡°What I¡¯m telling you is the truth; it¡¯s the intention Singluen has always had in his heart.¡± Tang Xiu shrugged and lightly smiled. ¡°Just ask him if you don¡¯t believe me.¡±


    Upon seeing how calm Tang Xiu¡¯s expression was, Singluen, who had been inwardly restless after seeing the sudden appearance of his grandfather, took a deep breath. He then looked straight at Singtuo and said, ¡°Father, you¡¯re old and you being the clan¡¯s patriarch will affect your own cultivation. Hence, you might as well pass on the patriarch seat to me. You can rest your worries about the clan¡¯s prosperity. I¡¯ll definitely able to develop our Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s power as long as I¡¯m the clan¡¯s patriarch. I¡¯ll make every clansman¡¯s strength progress by leaps and bounds in a short period of time; that way you can have a peaceful time cultivating in seclusion, no longer affected by the mundane affairs in the clan.¡±


    ¡°Shut the hell up, you unfilial son!¡± roared Singtuo angrily. ¡°I could¡¯ve considered passing on the patriarchal seat to you prior to this. But you have colluded with outsiders; you¡¯ve committed treason just to deal with your own father! A man like you is worthless! You¡¯re unworthy of being the Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s patriarch¡ªyou¡¯re even unworthy of being a member of the clan!¡±


    Singluen¡¯s expression turned cold, and he said in a deep voice, ¡°So, you¡¯re that adamant to not pass the patriarch seat to me, Father. You know, Singkuo is as good as dead already. You no longer have another son to pass on the position except me.¡±


    Singtuo¡¯s eyes lit up and he asked in a deep voice, ¡°So you say that Singkuo is still alive?¡±


    ¡°He is now¡­ But you can expect his death soon,¡± replied Singluen coldly.


    ¡°Where is he?¡± asked Singtuo in a deep voice.


    ¡°You still care about where your damned eldest son is?¡± Singluen scornfully talked back with a bitter laugh,¡± Hahaha¡­ I knew it. You¡¯ve always been partial to him, but I really didn¡¯t expect you favor him to this degree. Singkuo has been suppressing me all these years, leaving me no room to breathe at all. So much so that he¡¯d push me to my end just for the sake of becoming the patriarch. And yet you¡¯ve never once helped me. Instead, you helped him all the way through. I¡­ I¡¯m so very fed up and disappointed with you¡­¡±


    ¡°Singkuo is more resourceful and bold¡ªsomeone who is the most suitable to inherit the patriarch seat of the Dark Shaman Clan. I just chose who¡¯s the most outstanding; you can¡¯t compare with him,¡± said Singtuo regretfully. ¡°Aside from all that, I never wanted you to die. Back before you had a final stand with Singkuo, I sent Singli and the 13 Shaman Guardians to catch up and protect you.¡±


    Tang Xiu patted Singluen¡¯s shoulder and lightly said, ¡°It¡¯s no use talking anymore. Things have gotten to this point; it¡¯s obvious that he won¡¯t give you the patriarch seat easily. So, we can only threaten with our combat forces, unless they¡¯re not afraid of death.¡±


    ¡°It seems like you really want to meddle in our internal affairs, huh, Chinese man?¡± Singtuo glared at Tang Xiu and shouted, ¡°Are you not afraid of meeting your own demise here?¡±


    ¡°Me? Dying here? Are you an idiot dreaming of the impossible?¡± mocked Tang Xiu. ¡°Just try to circulate your mana, Singtuo, then tell me what you feel.¡±


    Singtuo was stunned and secretly circulate his mana immediately. His face was devoid of color as he faintly felt a weakening sensation in his body. He tried to circulate his mana in the meridians and found that it was hard to control.


    ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯


    He quickly turned his head to look at his father.


    The old man frowned and secretly circulate his mana in his body. His complexion changed in a similar fashion as fear flashed in his eyes. He looked up to stare at Tang Xiu and growled, ¡°What the hell did you do? Why¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean why you¡¯re finding it hard to circulate the mana in your body, and why you feel a numb sensation on the insides, yes?¡± interrupted Tang Xiu with a grin. ¡°Well, you see, I¡¯m someone who loves a happy ending, so I¡¯ll satisfy your curiosity. I poisoned you secretly when we just arrived, along with everyone else in the temple. No one but me in this world can remove that poison.¡±


    ¡°DAMN!!!¡±


    The old man¡¯s complexion greatly changed and he flung himself toward Tang Xiu instantly.


    Tang Xiu grabbed Singluen¡¯s shoulder and towed him back by jumping backwards dozens of meters away. Then he laughed loudly and said, ¡°Hahaha, I think it¡¯s best for you to hurry up if you want to deal with us. The longer you waste the time, the more difficult it will be for you to circulate your mana and the more weakened your body will be. Of course, you must be prepared once you really want to battle us, as I¡¯ll kill you after your strength has greatly decreased. Well, I can still help Singluen to train a batch of wizards though.¡±


    ¡°Go back!¡±


    Suddenly, Tang Guang appeared in front of Tang Xiu and fiercely brandished his immortal sword, causing the old man¡¯s heartbeat to thump faster. Right as he was about to parry it, another immortal sword appeared in front of him soundlessly. The sword¡¯s power appeared much weaker, yet it was too fast and extremely cunning. He didn¡¯t have a choice but to give up attacking Tang Xiu, retreating back to the ancestral hall instantly.


    Tang Xiu took out a cigarette from his pocket before lighting it up and taking two puffs. He spoke after blowing the smoke out, ¡°All of you, people say that those who know times are wise. We came here, meaning that we are fully prepared. No matter how hard you struggle, your fate is still ultimately under my control. If you want to live, let Singluen be the new Patriarch of Dark Shaman Clan. Though if you wanna die, it¡¯d be even easier since I¡¯ll definitely help you with that wish.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯LL KILL YOU!¡±


    Singtuo instantly unsheathed the crescent machete from his waist. Raising the staff in his left hand, he chopped the machete in his right hand toward Tang Xiu.


    ¡°ENOUGH!¡±


    The old man flashed and directly canceled Singtuo¡¯s attack. Under the disbelieving eyes of Singtuo, he looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Is your goal really that simple? Just to help Singluen be our Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s patriarch? Or is there another deal between you and him?¡±


    Raising his thumbs-up, Tang Xiu praised, ¡°Well, old ginger really is hotter than the younger ones. You¡¯ve guessed it. I do have a deal with Singluen and the transaction is beneficial for both of us since I don¡¯t want it to be one-sided. Am I right, Singluen?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Singluen nodded.


    The old man narrowed his eyes and asked again, ¡°I want to know the content of the transaction first. Don¡¯t try to conceal anything or lie about it. A lie can never be hidden forever, while more unforeseen accidents can happen once it is exposed.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Tang needs Sorcerer Stone, Grandpa. He¡¯s willing to exchange it with pills,¡± explained Singluen. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that such pills existed before Mr. Tang gave them to me. I found that the pills can greatly help our wizardry cultivation.¡±


    At his words, the old man responded with an incredulous face before angrily shouting, ¡°SHUT UP! Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know the meaning of Sorcerer Stone to our clan?!! That¡¯s our foundation and the best supplement for our cultivation. Without it, our clan will no longer be able to reach the higher cultivation realms. You¡­ you¡¯re really a bastard!!!¡±


    Singluen just brushed the curses aside and continued his explanation, ¡°Grandpa, you don¡¯t know yet what that pill can do for us. Just one pill was enough to enhance my power by leaps and bounds in just a few days. I¡¯ve advanced my cultivation by two stages since I¡¯ve known Mr. Tang. Just think, would I be able to break through two stages in such a short time if I just relied on absorbing the Sorcerer Stone?¡±


    The old man was surprised, yet was still doubtful as he looked at Singluen. After staying silent for a long while, then he said, ¡°Nonsense! If that pill is useful to our cultivators, why haven¡¯t any clan elders found out about it before?¡±


    Singluen then pointed to the woman and his five guardian elders, saying with a serious face, ¡°I didn¡¯t lie, nor do I need to. All of them have taken the pill and their cultivation and power have been greatly promoted. You may not know about it, but Father definitely knows about my strength and these six¡¯s. Father, can you sense it? Aren¡¯t we much stronger than before?¡±


    Singtuo sensed the aura released by Singluen and the other six. After a few seconds, his expression was that of disbelief, and he was so dumbfounded that he was paralyzed.


    Prior to this, he had heard from the 13 Shaman Guardian that Singluen and his subordinate had their strength progressed by leaps and bounds, on par with Singkuo¡¯s five guardian elders. He didn¡¯t believe it then, but the fact had now been proven otherwise!


    ¡°You¡¯re surnamed Tang?¡± asked Singkuo as he looked at Tang Xiu.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Surnamed Tang, Xiu as my given name,¡± answered Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°If you¡¯re well-versed with the situation in China, you¡¯d probably know about me.¡±

 Chapter 1002 - Tang Xiu’s Fury

    Chapter 1002: Tang Xiu¡¯s Fury


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Singtuo shot a deep look at Tang Xiu before turning to the old man and whispering something. He had never heard of Tang Xiu since he never paid attention to the situation in China. At this time, however, they were just a fish on the chopping block. They had been poisoned, and the poison was spreading all over their bodies at an extremely fast rate, erasing any chance for them to fight the other party.


    After a long while, he then looked back at Tang Xiu and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Are you going to leave immediately if I pass my position on to Singluen?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I have no enmity with your Dark Shaman Clan.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°I came here purely to help Singluen to sit on the top seat, so naturally, I won¡¯t stay any longer after reaching my goal.¡±


    Singtuo slowly asked, ¡°What about the antidote?¡±


    Tang Xiu flicked a porcelain bottle to Singtuo and said, ¡°This is the antidote. But the poison in your system is very special and cannot be fully removed all at once. You¡¯ll need to take the antidote once a year, though I¡¯ve given enough of it to Singluen for 10 years. If you guys are loyal to him and don¡¯t make things difficult for Singluen for a decade, I¡¯ll naturally remove the poison from your system.¡±


    What?!


    The expression of Singtuo and the old man drastically changed, while several top clansmen of the Dark Shaman Clan looked pale. They glared at Tang Xiu, but dared not say anything for fear of offending him. They could sense that they were beginning to feel weaker and weaker at this time, even experiencing painful sensations in their bodies.


    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand me. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m trying to control your life,¡± said Tang Xiu sternly. ¡°It¡¯s all for the sake of Singluen since he¡¯s in a weak position in your clan. What can he do if you bully him after I leave? All things considered, you got only two options before you. One is to keep resisting so you can die without a grave, while the second option is to fully support Singluen to be the clan¡¯s patriarch. The last option will not only give you benefits, but you can also witness your clan growing in power.¡±


    The old man paced two steps forward to Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Tang Xiu, isn¡¯t it? You keep telling us today that letting Singluen take the patriarch seat will give us huge benefits. But what exactly are the benefits? Suppose that we exchanged the pills with the Sorcerer Stone, will the pill be as potent as Singluen said?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe it, you can exchange the pills with your Sorcerer Stone,¡± replied Tang Xiu calmly. ¡°But I can only give you 1 pill for 200 Sorcerer Stones.¡±


    ¡°Come again?¡±


    The old man¡¯s face greatly changed to incredulity.


    ¡®200 Sorcerer Stones are only worth 1 pill? It¡¯s simply greedy¡ªdaylight robbery! It¡¯s just treating us as profligate idiots?!¡¯


    ¡°Mr. Tang, what are you¡­¡± interjected Singluen as he looked at Tang Xiu in surprise.


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him. He looked at the old man and said, ¡°Well, the price is naturally not the exchange rate with Singluen of course. We are friends; I can¡¯t just screw him over like that. But what am I to you? Do we even have a relationship? You want the pill, you must be prepared to get robbed, no?¡±


    Singluen instantly understood Tang Xiu¡¯s intention and shot a grateful glance at him. The more he knew Tang Xiu, the more he felt that this man was a huge benefit to him.


    ¡°You see, Singluen himself has gotten quite a lot of pills, though it¡¯s just the advance payment I gave him.¡± Tang Xiu let out a dry smile. ¡°I¡¯m now waiting for him to pay me back with Sorcerer Stone. If he has taken over the Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s patriarch seat, I don¡¯t think it¡¯d be a problem.¡±


    The statement made Singluen shocked yet again, deepening his gratitude towards Tang Xiu. He realized that Tang Xiu was helping him to gain recognition from his clan. He suddenly realized that all the actions Tang Xiu did since coming to Bangkok were all for one purpose¡ªto help him, be it by establishing a friendship with Bangkok¡¯s underground leader Kanaja, or now after coming to his clan.


    ¡®This is what a real brother is.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t help but compare Tang Xiu with his blood brother Singkuo, only to find that the latter was a villain with malice to him, while the former truly regarded him as a brother.


    Tang Xiu himself was unaware of the thoughts Singluen had in mind. As he looked at his distracted face, he reminded, ¡°It¡¯s your call to take a shot, Singluen.¡±


    The reminder made Singluen wake up from his daze. He shot a deep look at Tang Xiu before shifting his eyes to the top clansmen of his clan. ¡°Grandpa, Father, and Clan Elders. You all have raised me and have seen me grow up. I¡¯ve never harmed our clan¡¯s interests since the beginning. Not now, not before. But Singkuo, my own blood brother, is always looking at me as a thorn in his side. He¡¯s always wanting to remove me. I don¡¯t wanna die, but be it strength or power, I¡¯ve never been his equal at all. Resisting is the only thing I can do, which is the very reason why I relied on Mr. Tang¡¯s strength.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have dared imagined taking over the patriarch seat prior to this. But since I got the pill Mr. Tang refined himself, my cultivation has been progressing very fast; I am at least 10 times stronger than I used to be. The same thing happened to my subordinates, the five guardian elders. I¡¯ve literally changed the circumstances of myself and my men, especially in cultivation. So I thought, why can¡¯t I do so for the entire clan and propel the overall strength of our clan even more?¡±


    ¡°I promise you that I¡¯ll definitely make everyone¡¯s cultivation advance a level higher within 3 months after I become the Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s patriarch. I¡¯ll give the patriarch seat back to Father should I fail to achieve it, and I¡¯ll exile myself, severing any relationship with the clan. That¡¯s my promise.¡±


    Singtuo was shaken and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an adult. My words are my weight; I¡¯ll take responsibility for what I said,¡± said Singluen with a dead serious face. ¡°You can disown and do anything should there be any falsehood in what I do.¡±


    Singtuo looked at his father who nodded to him in response. Then he immediately said, ¡°Today I¡¯m declaring that I step down as the clan patriarch and pass the seat to Singluen. From today onward, he is the Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s patriarch. The ceremonial homage will be held 3 days from now. Also, Mr. Tang. Since Singluen is your friend, I hope you can stay to attend it.¡±


    3 days later?


    Tang Xiu slightly knitted his brows. He wanted to leave Bangkok as soon as possible as he needed to go back to Jingmen Island. He wanted to cast a secret are to move Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s hidden exquisite pagoda to Nine Dragons Island.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    His mobile phone suddenly sounded at this moment.


    He frowned yet again and took his mobile phone out. An inquisitive look suddenly flashed in his eyes as he saw the screen. He picked up the call, saying, ¡°Something happened?¡±


    ¡°We got a situation here, Boss.¡± Tom Reggie¡¯s voice came out of the phone. ¡°Some people spread the news that some kind of treasure will be born in the waters near Nine Dragons Island. The treasure is rumored to be very beneficial for many practitioners. There have been many suspicious foreigners appearing in Saipan as of late. Most of them have contacted local shipping companies and have gone out to sea.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion changed as intense killing intent filled his eyes. Nine Dragons Island was located deep in the Pacific Ocean. A treasure being born there was simply impossible. The people who spread this news definitely harbored malice and simply wanted to expose Nine Dragons Island to all practitioners.


    As of now, he had already learned that there were many practitioners on Earth. Although the number of Daoist cultivators were few, there were too many practitioners from other cultivation systems, such as those of the wizardry lineage, Buddhist schools, and the divergent races in the Dark Council. If all the practitioners in the world were to head to the vicinity of Nine Dragons Island, stating that the island would never be exposed was impossible.


    By that time, if some people were to brew another sensational rumor that the treasure was on the island, he would become a public enemy and would have to face all the forces of the practitioners.


    ¡®Goddammit! That damned Celestial Wizard Clan!¡¯


    Tang Xiu clenched his fists with eyes full of murderous intent. He had to admit how ruthless the scheme played by this Celestial Wizard Clan was. For the sake of aiding in their revenge against him, they lured practitioners from all over the world there. It was very likely that they planned to strike when all the forces, including those on Nine Dragons Island, had been damaged. At that time, the Celestial Wizard clansmen would come out and reap the benefits.


    By now, everyone presented at the scene turned their attention to Tang Xiu, looking confused. They didn¡¯t understand why such an enormous killing pressure erupted from him.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    Mo Awu came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side and called out in a whisper with a concerned face.


    ¡°Relay my orders to our people. Hunt and assassinate any clansmen of the Celestial Wizard Clan and resort to any means to kill any of them who leave their land!¡± said Tang Xiu with an awe-inspiring voice. ¡°The more you kill them, the more rewards you¡¯ll get from me! Also, contact the world¡¯s largest hitman organization. List a total bounty reward of 1 billion USD. I¡¯ll pay 1 million USD for one Celestial Wizard life. The bounty will go until 1 billion USD is used up!¡±


    Mo Awu¡¯s complexion changed. They just had a battle with the Celestial Wizard Clan¡¯s experts recently, defeating them completely until they miserably fled. But now, Boss issued such an order in a fury. The Celestial Wizard Clan had definitely done something that made him extremely furious.


    ¡°I¡¯ll contact them right away, Boss.¡±


    Similar killing intent filled Mo Awu¡¯s eyes as he walked in strides toward the distance.


    Tang Xiu then looked at Tang Guang and said in a deep voice, ¡°Do you still remember the plan I ordered you to carry out? Go find Kuwako immediately and be sure to accomplish it. I give you 3 months to assemble a group of elite experts that can be dispatched at any time for me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave now, Grand Master.¡±


    Tang Guang cupped his fists and replied before flashing toward the distance fast.


    Tang Xiu spoke again, ¡°An, Jin Shi¡¯s team is under your command from now on. I don¡¯t want any clansman of the Celestial Wizard Clan to appear outside of their clan¡¯s territory! Also, pay attention to anyone from the Stygian Club. Assassinate any member of this club should you find them outside alone. Leave no traces so there aren¡¯t future troubles.¡±


    ¡°Acknowledged!¡±

 Chapter 1003 - Enemy’s Foes Are My Ally

    Chapter 1003: Enemy¡¯s Foes Are My Ally


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    As the chilling voice drifted in the air, the black-suited Tang An appeared in front of everyone. She quickly made a gesture to Jin Shi¡¯s team to immediately follow her.


    Tang Xiu looked straight at Singtuo and the old man, saying, ¡°I know your clan once belonged to the Celestial Wizard Clan, but the blood feud between me and the Celestial Wizard Clan will only end until one of us is gone. I want your clan to make a stance now. If you still want to come back to them, then we¡¯re enemies. If you have no friendship with them, then you¡¯re my friend!¡±


    Singtuo¡¯s eyes sparkled and he replied in a deep voice, ¡°The ancestors of Dark Shaman Clan were chased and hunted by the Celestial Wizard Clan¡¯s experts in the past. Many of our clansmen died in their hands as well. If there¡¯s any relationship between us and them, it should be as enemies and never as friends!¡±


    One of the top clansmen of the Dark Shaman Clan, a white-haired old man echoed. ¡°It¡¯s as Patriarch said. The Celestial Wizard Clan once hunted our ancestors and damaged our lineage greatly. It has been so many years, but we have never forgotten this hatred. Pity that our clan is too weak compared to them, or we could¡¯ve sought justice for our ancestors.¡±


    Singluen took a deep breath and solemnly stated. ¡°What my father and everyone else said is correct, Mr. Tang. We never had any good impression toward the Celestial Wizard Clan, and have been wanting them destroyed instead. We won¡¯t meddle in the blood feud between you and them. But if you provide us with many pills by which we can enhance the strength of the entire clan greatly, we can even help you in the future should you need our assistance.¡±


    ¡°SINGLUEN!¡±


    Singtuo¡¯s expression changed and he shouted. He didn¡¯t want the Dark Shaman Clan to be involved in the blood feud between Tang Xiu and the Celestial Wizard Clan. Although he knew how close Singluen and Tang Xiu were, he still shouted to prevent it.


    The old man, Singtuo¡¯s father, however, looked surprised and slowly said, ¡°Tuo¡¯er, I approve Singluen¡¯s suggestion. Our clan has never been able to seek justice for our ancestors. It¡¯s all because we¡¯re weak. But if our clansmen¡¯s strength grows by leaps and bounds, I don¡¯t see any reason why we can¡¯t help Mr. Tang later.¡±


    Singtuo quickly retorted. ¡°But father, this matter is¡­¡±


    The old man raised his hand to interrupt him and said to Tang Xiu, ¡°Mr. Tang, we need the pills, but I hope you can exchange it with our clan at a fair price. I¡¯m certain that you¡¯ve heard from Singluen that the amount of Sorcerer Stones our clan has is but a few, so I hope you won¡¯t cut us off from this resource.¡±


    ¡°You can rest assured about that. I¡¯ve already considered it.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Also, I hope that all the Dark Shaman Clan¡¯s senior members can keep this matter a secret. I don¡¯t want my men¡¯s hunt to kill the Celestial Wizard clansmen to be affected because of you.¡±


    The old man raised his hand and vowed in a deep voice. ¡°The Dark Shaman Clan will keep your secret as long as I¡¯m alive. Should any of us violate it, they¡¯ll be charged with treason! However, there¡¯s one presumptuous request I¡¯d like to ask you. And I hope Mr. Tang can help us.¡±


    ¡°Speak then!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°Singli is a senior member of our clan, and his strength is second only to my son, Singtuo,¡± said the old man. ¡°He has betrayed the clan and is a sinner. If your men find his trail during their missions, I hope you can tell us promptly.¡±


    ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll tell you his whereabouts should we find any news of Singli,¡± replied Tang Xiu. ¡°Also, I can¡¯t attend the ceremonial homage for the patriarch seat coronation. I also hope that we can be friends and not enemies in the future.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The members of Dark Shaman Clan nodded together. They may not like Tang Xiu since many of their clansmen died in Tang Xiu¡¯s hands, but their lives were in Tang Xiu¡¯s hands now, and it was very likely that they and the clan would obtain many benefits from him in the future. It was just natural that they didn¡¯t dare to act otherwise.


    A few minutes later, in order to fulfill his promise, Singluen asked his father to open the clan¡¯s vault and hand over all the Demon Stones he owed Tang Xiu. He even gifted the Radiance Bloodstone to Tang Xiu to thank him for his help.


    ****


    Bangkok, at the coconut plantation.


    After Tang Xiu and Mo Awu returned to this place, he found that Zuo Daquan was supervising his men as they cleaned up the rubble. Upon seeing his sweaty and tired face, Tang Xiu took a porcelain bottle from his interspatial ring, then took a drop of Body Tempering Liquid and put it in the bottle before coming before him.


    ¡°Mr. Zuo.¡±


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival, Zuo Daquan immediately looked pleasantly surprised and a bit respectful, saying, ¡°You¡¯re back, Mr. Tang. Kanaja has just left, but he left a message for you inviting you to his place if you have time.¡±


    ¡°I already called him on the way here,¡± replied Tang Xiu. ¡°Anyway, I need to leave soon since there¡¯s an urgent matter, so I won¡¯t be able to visit him. Also, I¡¯d like to borrow your place to do something and will immediately leave after that.¡±


    ¡°Here?¡± Zuo Daquan¡¯s expression turned strange. ¡°But this place is already a ruin, Mr. Tang. I¡¯ve settled Qing¡¯er and my two grandsons in the hotel. May I know why do you want to borrow my place?¡±


    ¡°I need that underground warehouse of yours,¡± replied Tang Xiu. ¡°As for what I wanna do, you¡¯ll know after I¡¯m done.¡±


    ¡°Since Mr. Tang needs it, please use it freely,¡± said Zuo Daquan hurriedly. ¡°Also, I¡¯ll order someone to prepare daily necessities if you¡¯d like to stay here for a long time. They will also serve you meals on time if you¡¯d like to.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for all that.¡± Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, ¡°I won¡¯t be here for a long time. It¡¯ll take up to two days at the most. I¡¯ll leave Bangkok and return to China once I¡¯m done, so there¡¯s one thing I need your assistance with.¡±


    ¡°Please tell me!¡± said Zuo Daquan respectfully.


    ¡°You also know that I and my men came to Bangkok illegally on a smuggling ship. I¡¯m done handling all the things I need to do here and am in a hurry to return to China directly by plane. Can you get me a temporary passport and arrange it at the airport?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite difficult to apply for passports here, Mr. Tang. You¡¯re not a Thai, and the passport you hold is a Chinese one,¡± said Zuo Daquan looking a bit embarrassed. ¡°Also, I don¡¯t know anyone at the Airport, so I can¡¯t help you with that. But¡­¡±


    ¡°But what?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°But Kanaja may be able to deal with that,¡± said Zuo Daquan. ¡°You don¡¯t need to buy a ticket, neither will you need a passport and other documents. He can also send the plane for you and your men.¡±


    Kanaja?


    Being reminded of this man¡¯s identity, Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Then help me contact Kanaja about this matter! Also, get however much gold you can as fast as possible in the next two days. I¡¯ll give a magic tool if you get enough of it before I leave.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡±


    It was a happy surprise for Zuo Daquan. He immediately grabbed his mobile phone and dialed Kanaja¡¯s phone number.


    Tang Xiu then came to the underground warehouse and entered it directly. The ventilation and lighting were excellent, so he had no problem to adapt to the environment.


    ¡°Come out!¡±


    He took out the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron from his interspatial ring and then placed it in the middle of the warehouse. He had hoarded a lot of precious ores in the ring, so the first thing he needed to do was to extract the gold essence.


    ¡°True Fire!¡±


    As Tang Xiu cast the technique, the True Fire was ignited under the cauldron. He then continuously threw the massive piled-up gold in the warehouse into the furnace.


    Melting the gold itself was a very simple process since one just needed to burn all its impurities, leaving only the gold essence. With the powerful True Fire, the gold would be easily smelted and leave a trace of gold essence. After a long time, all the gold in the warehouse had been smelted, leaving only liquid gold essence the size of a table tennis ball floating in the center of the furnace.


    ¡°Refining immortal tools with this little gold essence is nothing but a ridiculous dream. But this amount is enough to manufacture quite a number of magical tools. The Everlasting Feast Hall has a lot of people now, but weapons and tools are few in number. Except for the immortal swords Ji Chimei refined for Mo Awu and his team, there are only a few magical tools for the rest. Not to mention the magic weapons and tools needed by those children after they have grown and can enter combat. The number will be huge.


    ¡°If this gold essence is well distributed to complement other material, it should be enough to refine 20 magic tools. Yet, it¡¯s still too few. It seems like I need to rely on Zuo Daquan and Kanaja¡¯s power to get me a constant supply of refining materials.¡±


    Gold, silver, bronze and pig iron respectively could be refined into gold, silver, copper, and iron essences.


    The mineral deposits of these four ores were the easiest to find on Earth nowadays, and they were also the most common materials to refine magic tools and weapons. As long as the precious ores were added into the smelted essence, a lot of magic weapons could be manufactured.


    Tang Xiu fished out his mobile phone. After finding that he got a signal in the underground warehouse, he immediately dialed Zuo Daquan and Kanaja, telling them that he needed a lot of gold, silver, bronze, and pig iron. Afterward, he used the precious ores in his interspatial ring and began refining some magic tools.


    ¡°Sword is the most common weapon for cultivators. Back when in the Immortal World, I also trained a group of powerful men excelling in swordsmanship.¡±


    As Tang Xiu himself had mastered sword formations, the sword array he had developed in the past was able to make his men produce fearsome might by themselves. The sword formation he developed could be formed by ten, hundred, thousand, or even ten thousand people. He even had developed an array that was suitable to be performed by one million immortals.


    ¡°If Zuo Daquan and Kanaja can send a lot of gold, silver, bronze, and iron, I can refine more than a hundred magic swords in two days.¡±

 Chapter 1004 - Beyond Expectation

    Chapter 1004: Beyond Expectation


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    With such a tight time schedule he gave to Zuo Daquan and Kanaja, Tang Xiu thought that they wouldn¡¯t be able to get many refining materials. But he was left stunned once he saw container trucks coming one after another and carts of bronze and pig iron with over a thousand porters moving them into the underground warehouse.


    Furthermore, gold and silver were also sent in large numbers. A lot of them were even manufactured products such as fine jewelry. Although he didn¡¯t do a specific calculation, he could estimate the value of all the gold and silver. If they were converted into cash, it would definitely exceed 100 million USD.


    However, no matter how fast the gold, silver, copper, and iron were sent, the rate at which they were thrown into the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron was faster. With the True Fire kept burning, the refining and extraction process to get the essences of gold, silver, copper, and iron were unceasingly carried out, and Tang Xiu eventually stored all of them into the jade bottles.


    ¡°I have enough now.¡±


    After calling Kanaja and Zuo Daquan, the container trucks coming from all over Bangkok stopped coming and the porters gradually decreased.


    Tang Xiu then stood in front of the cauldron, his eyes sparkling. The impression he had toward Zuo Daquan was neither good nor bad, but he found Kanaja to be a very interesting man. This man had an outstanding intellect, was prudent, and was also meticulously astute. Just for a piece of magic tool, he didn¡¯t hesitate to invest so much. It was beyond his expectations. The refining materials in his interspatial ring added with the gold, silver, copper, and iron essences he just extracted from each respective ore were enough for him to manufacture magic-rank swords.


    ¡°Haih¡­ refining is always a waste of time!¡±


    Tang Xiu muttered. His eyes swept over the neatly placed jade bottles. When the last pig iron had been smelted, he collected the iron essence into the jade bottle and removed the precious ores from the ring lightning-fast, throwing them into the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron.


    The most important step in the refining process was to inscribe the array, integrate it to the embryo of the shaped sword, and then use the True Fire to burn through until it eventually formed a perfect magic-rank sword. Furthermore, due to the needs of massive mental power, Tang Xiu decided to refine many weapons at once.


    ¡°Melt the spirit¡ªform the sword.¡±


    As Tang Xiu controlled the lid of the cauldron and lift it up, a full set of 20 swords quickly flew out from the cauldron. With his spiritual power, he controlled them to hover around him unceasingly.


    Standing ten meters away from him was Mo Awu. He watched dumbly at the 20 swords that flying around Tang Xiu with a gaping mouth. He knew that Tang Xiu was refining weapons, but never once had he expected that he would actually produce 20 swords at one shot.


    Truly worthy of a Boss. His artificer skills are truly amazing.


    Sighing inwardly, Mo Awu paced back. He suddenly felt a bit funny deep down. He had been watching the Boss refining something, yet he was unable to learn anything from it. Had it been Jin Shi, he was sure he would surely be able to learn a lot.


    He knew that Jin Shi was very interested in array formations, while the basis of being an artificer was the requirement to draw the arrays for specific uses. If Jin Shi was here now, he¡¯d definitely study it tirelessly and would ask Boss for advice if he couldn¡¯t understand something.


    Ah, forget it. It¡¯s just an auxiliary technique. I¡¯m still good at frontal clashes, so I don¡¯t need to care much about arrays and refining techniques.


    With a smiling face, Tang Xiu gently raised his hand. 20 scabbards then flew out of the cauldron. With his exquisite control, he manipulated the 20 swords to be sheathed in the scabbards instantly and wrapped the blades¡¯ brilliant light.


    At this time, Mo Awu spoke. ¡°Boss, two days have just passed. Are we not in a hurry to go back to China?¡±


    Tang Xiu hesitated for a moment and then said, ¡°Let¡¯s wait for a while. No need to rush even if we need to hurry. Spending a little more time won¡¯t be a problem. But after we return to Jingmen Island and meet Yan¡¯er, it¡¯s necessary to store the refined magic weapons into our armory. They will be distributed to those who perform great merits and contributions in the future. Also¡­¡±


    Seeing that Tang Xiu paused, Mo Awu was confused and immediately asked, ¡°Also what, Boss?¡±


    ¡°We are facing archenemies at hand nowadays, so the more magic weapons we have, the better it will be for all of us,¡± said Tang Xiu in a deep voice. ¡°I¡¯ve been preparing to test all the peripheral members of the Everlasting Feast Hall to face strong enemies. If they can pass this trial, they will be incorporated into the core members. They will also be taught more advanced and profound cultivation arts. I¡¯ll also open the Classics Library Pavilion for them, so they can learn other magic spells and the necessary knowledge for cultivators.¡±


    ¡°Classics Library Pavilion? Where is that?¡± asked Mo Awu with a confused face.


    His question made Tang Xiu roll his eyes at him and snap. ¡°Did you notice that I wrote a large number of books back when we left Nine Dragons Island? I put a lot of cultivation manuals, rare magic spells, general knowledge on cultivation, as well books that covered various aspects into the attic room. I wrote the inscription there myself and named it Classics Library Pavilion. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know about that?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Mo Awu shook his head vacantly and muttered, ¡°I never heard of anyone mention it! When Boss was busy with something, I got nothing to do and went to seclusion and cultivated every day. But it¡¯s strange, though. Why haven¡¯t Jin Shi and the rest mentioned it to me?¡±


    At his muttering, Tang Xiu forced a wry smile and said, ¡°Awu, I know that you¡¯re a cultivation lunatic. You always spend your time in cultivation whenever you¡¯re not with me. But you must keep in mind that being a cultivator needs not only cultivation, you also need to understand more practical knowledge, learn various spells, and delve into all kinds of secret arts. All things considered, you must still learn other important skills, be it array formations, refining, or alchemy, even if you¡¯re not proficient at any of them. Still, you must grasp at least common arrays, refining, alchemy, and other skills. Otherwise, you¡¯ll suffer losses when you follow me to a new place someday.¡±


    ¡°I thought that as long as my cultivation is high enough and I¡¯m powerful enough, wouldn¡¯t it be just fine if I don¡¯t learn other subjects, Boss?¡± asked Mo Awu.


    ¡°You also know that you must know yourself and your enemies to be unbeatable, don¡¯t you?¡± Tang Xiu became serious and solemnly said, ¡°What if your enemy is an array master and trapped you inside the array he created? How can you fight with him head-on? You¡¯ve seen that I also laid out a big array to trap and kill enemies before, haven¡¯t you? In the case of alchemy, you¡¯ll need to concoct heavenly and earthly treasures into pills to provide yourself cultivation resources. What if you happen to go to some places in the future and there¡¯s no alchemy expert to help you concoct them? Are you just going to watch the resources go to waste and lament at your weakness? Another example is being an artificer. You can always refine the most suitable weapon for yourself whenever you need it. Even if you have your immortal sword now, what about it? How much do you really know how to master it and how much power it can unleash?


    ¡°Magic spells are also another aspect you must know.¡±


    Note: Wow¡­ the shortest chapter I¡¯ve ever translated. LOL

 Chapter 1005 - Curiosity Might Kill The Cat

    Chapter 1005: Curiosity Might Kill The Cat


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    While observing Mo Awu, whose face turned serious, Tang Xiu continued, ¡°You will fight enemies where you must use magic spells in the future. Some amazing spells have fearsome power, and you¡¯ll find yourself in a very difficult situation if you have no spells equal in power. If you battle powerhouses, you may lose your life no matter how trivial the difference in skills between you and your enemies is.¡±


    Mo Awu fell into silence. What Tang Xiu had said shook him to the core. Only at this moment did he realize how na?ve had he always been. Being a cultivator turned out that one didn¡¯t need to be a versatile person, yet one must have enough proficiency in everything.


    More so that having more skills was never a bad thing. As long as one had enough skills, plus his own strength, one would be able to sweep the enemies away. Only then did one truly become the best warrior.


    With a respectful face, Mo Awu saluted. ¡°I understand your admonishment, Boss. Please rest assured that I¡¯ll definitely learn more knowledge and master more skills in the future. I wish to be the best warrior under you, and I¡¯d like you to instruct me more in the future.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll support you as long as you¡¯re willing, Awu,¡± said Tang Xiu with a faint smile. ¡°You must remember that what I need is true powerhouses. Only those who¡¯re truly powerful who will be qualified to follow me in the future. You won¡¯t keep staying beside me and charge forward to face the enemies if you are surpassed by others.¡±


    Mo Awu tightly gripped his fist and firmly said, ¡°I will definitely double my efforts, Boss. Rest assured.¡±


    ¡°Alright, go to Ji Chimei and ask her cultivation resources for half a year once we return to Nine Dragons Island.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and smilingly said, ¡°Consider it as the compensation for the blood of the high-rank fierce beast you gave me!¡±


    Mo Awu didn¡¯t decline and respectfully said, ¡°Thank you, Boss!¡±


    He didn¡¯t decline because cultivation resources were a very significant need for every cultivator. Although he was not short on cultivation resources at the present, he knew that the higher his cultivation level was, the more he needed those cultivation resources in the future. Rather than having a headache due to being short on cultivation resources in the future, it was better to hoard more of them now.


    After giving Mo Awu a short lecture, Tang Xiu spent all day long refining and was finally able to manufacture 200 magic swords. However, he refined two more to give Zuo Daquan and Kanaja one each.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave!¡±


    After storing everything into his interspatial ring, Tang Xiu and Mo Awu left the underground warehouse. When he appeared above ground, the rubble had been cleaned up and many trucks with building materials had arrived at the site. There were also several cranes working to place a large number of building materials everywhere.


    ¡°Divine Doctor Tang!¡±


    Zuo Qing grabbed her two son¡¯s little hands and came to Tang Xiu. A vibrant smile painted her face as she looked at Tang Xiu with a warm expression.


    ¡°How come are you here? Didn¡¯t your father arrange for you to stay in downtown Bangkok?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Ah, living there is so boring, so we kind of escaped and ran back here,¡± replied Zuo Qing with a smile. ¡°Anyway, I heard from Dad that you were in the underground warehouse, so we waited here. Also, are you going back to China soon, Divine Doctor Tang?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll immediately rush to the airport.¡±


    The smile on Zuo Qing¡¯s face disappeared and she said in a low voice, ¡°Well¡­ could you help me with something?¡±


    ¡°Just say it. What is it can I do for you?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Zuo Qing said, ¡°I was able to flee China with my two sons due to the help of my father¡¯s friend and my bosom friend. But for the sake of helping me, she ended up offending a gangster-like guy in Jingmen Island. She said that she immediately went to Beijing to hide after the three of us left Jingmen Island. I called her a few times but couldn¡¯t contact her at all. Could you find and help her after returning to China?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s her name? Give me her number and home address,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! As long as I can find her and she¡¯s in trouble, I¡¯ll help her.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Divine Doctor Tang. You¡¯re really a good person,¡± said Zuo Qing gratefully.


    ¡°Alright, but please don¡¯t label me as a good guy.¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said, ¡°Anyway, I got not much time since we need to rush to Jingmen Island. I also have some gifts for these two little guys!¡±


    ¡°No need to¡­¡± said Zuo Qing.


    Tang Xiu interrupted her by raising his hand. He took two jade pendant necklaces from his interspatial ring and hung them on their necks, and then smilingly said, ¡°Remember, don¡¯t take them off no matter what happens. Keep them wearing it as it may save their lives when they encounter any danger in the future.


    ****


    As dusk came, Tang Xiu and Mo Awu arrived at Bangkok Airport. Just as their car parked in the parking lot, Kanaja hurried rushed to them with several bodyguards.


    ¡°Everything has been arranged, Mr. Tang. Your flight will take off at 8:30 PM and you should arrive at Jingmen Island Airport at 1:00 AM. Since you have no passport and proper visa to enter Thailand, the flight attendants will arrange for you to stay in their workplace. Are you alright with this arrangement?¡± asked Kanaja respectfully.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as we can return to China smoothly.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and smilingly said, ¡°Nobody can stop me once we arrive in China. That¡¯s right. I¡¯m giving you this magic sword. It doesn¡¯t have many uses for you, but it¡¯s a genuine magic weapon nonetheless. You can regard it as a family heirloom you can pass on to your descendants in the future, though.¡±


    Kanaja looked excited and seemed to regard the sword as an exquisite art. The moment he received it, he could sense a cool aura entering his arm and body through his palm. He originally felt a bit uncomfortable due to the hot weather, but he now felt cool and refreshed.


    He couldn¡¯t help but sigh in praise. ¡°What a great treasure!¡±


    Inwardly, Tang Xiu felt a bit amused. This man was not a cultivator. How could he tell the quality of magic tools? However, without breaking Kanaja¡¯s imagination, he said smilingly, ¡°The magic weapons and tools I refine are always of top quality. You provided me a lot of gold, silver, bronze, and iron before, so I¡¯ll give you another one aside from this magic weapon.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Curiosity appeared on Kanaja¡¯s face and his heart was full of expectation. For someone as extraordinary as Tang Xiu, he thought that anything Tang Xiu gave him would very likely be unordinary.


    Tang Xiu took out a jade pendant from his interspatial ring and handed it to him. ¡°I refined this magic tool for protection purposes when I had some free time. But I didn¡¯t have enough refining materials back then, so the effect only lasts for three uses. But you must remember to wear it every day since it can protect you from any danger thrice.¡±


    ¡°But this is just a jade pendant, Mr. Tang. How can it help me, exactly?¡± asked Kanaja, looking confused.


    ¡°It will form an invisible protective shield that will cover your body once you are attacked,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Even if someone shoots you with a powerful sniper rifle at a close range, it¡¯s impossible to kill you.¡±


    ¡°This object is that powerful?¡± Kanaja was shocked to hear how powerful this body protection tool was. For it to be able to nullify a sniper rifle¡¯s bullet at point-blank range, wasn¡¯t it something that even the best bulletproof vest was unable to achieve? If the effect was really as good as Tang Xiu said, then it was equal to having three more lives!


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯d never lie to you about that!¡± Assured Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Well, you can, of course, test it if you don¡¯t believe it, though.¡±


    ¡°Test it? How?¡± asked Kanaja hurriedly.


    ¡°Wear this jade pendant magic tool after you get back and order one of your men to shoot at you at close range,¡± Tang Xiu explained smilingly. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re afraid to try it, you can just tell someone else to wear it and shoot him yourself.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Thank you, Mr. Tang,¡± said Kanaja respectfully. ¡°This jade pendant magic tool is much better for me than the magic sword, actually.¡±


    ****


    At Bangkok Airport.


    The flight from Bangkok to China¡¯s Jingmen Island had finally landed. To show his regard and concern to Tang Xiu as someone of great importance, Kanaja personally led Tang Xiu and Mo Awu to the plane, where he greeted the captain and other staff and smoothly brought them to the staff cabin.


    ¡°Mr. Tang, we have prepared a meal for you. Mr. Kan bought it from the outside. Please enjoy it,¡± said an elegant and beautiful flight attendant respectfully after bringing delicious dishes to Tang Xiu and Mo Awu.


    Tang Xiu raised his thumbs up and praised. ¡°Seriously, I didn¡¯t expect Kanaja to be this good at handling things. This guy¡¯s wisdom really can¡¯t be underestimated. Anyway, Kanaja seems very capable. Is he a bigshot in Bangkok?¡±


    ¡°We dare not judge Mr. Kan privately, Mr. Tang,¡± replied the flight attendant in a whisper. ¡°But as far as I know, he is indeed very powerful. Even the owner of our airline acts very respectfully whenever he sees him.¡±


    At 1:00 AM sharp, Tang Xiu and Mo Awu exited from Jingman Island Airport. Someone from the Everlasting Feast Hall had long been waiting for them since they had been notified in advance. The person turned out to be Chi Nan, who Tang Xiu had not seen for a while.


    ¡°Welcome back to China, Boss!¡±


    With a bright smile on her face, Chi Nan greeted and slightly bowed.


    ¡°Eh? How come you¡¯re the one picking us up, Chi Nan?¡± Tang Xiu nodded and smilingly replied.


    ¡°Well, most of our people have left Jingmen Island to our base, Boss,¡± answered Chi Nan with a smile. ¡°But I need to take care of the business, so I¡¯m not in a hurry to leave for Nine Dragons Island. I just heard about your return to China, so I volunteered to pick you up.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and then said, ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s go back! We¡¯ll go to the headquarters here since I have an important matter to do there.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do, Boss?¡± asked Chi Nan curiously.


    ¡°You seem to have many issues at hand yourself, Chi Nan. But remember, don¡¯t ask all sorts of questions from now on.¡± Tang Xiu looked at her and said, ¡°Oftentimes, the more you know, the less good it will do you.¡±

 Chapter 1006 - There’s Always Someone Better Than You

    Chapter 1006: There¡¯s Always Someone Better Than You


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The existence of the exquisite pagoda was an absolute secret that only six people in the entire Everlasting Feast Hall knew about. Aside from Gu Yan¡¯er and the loyal Ji Chimei, only he and Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s three disciples knew of its existence.


    Therefore, even though Chi Nan was a core member of the Everlasting Feast Hall and also loyal to him, he still couldn¡¯t tell her the existence of the exquisite pagoda, or at least not now.


    Chi Nan¡¯s smiling face vanished, replaced by a bit of veneration as she replied in a low voice, ¡°Your subordinate accepts her mistake, Boss.¡±


    ¡°Knowing and admitting one¡¯s own mistakes is the best way to improve oneself, Chi Nan. And the warning I gave you is for your own good,¡± said Tang Xiu faintly. ¡°We¡¯ll face a lot more problems in the future and the more you know, the more you¡¯ll expose yourself to dangers. The most important thing for you is to cultivate with seriousness. Only by becoming stronger will you have the qualification to make me value you highly in the future.¡±


    ¡°This subordinate has just broken through to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment and won¡¯t be someone that can be neglected in the future. I¡¯m sure I¡¯m at the top of the list among all the core members of our Everlasting Feast Hall,¡± said Chi Nan hurriedly.


    At her reply, a strange expression appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s face as a look of sarcasm flashed in his eyes. Then, he said indifferently, ¡°Hearing from your tone, you seem to think that reaching the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment is great? You think you¡¯re now among the best of all members, huh?¡±


    ¡°This subordinate doesn¡¯t dare think so,¡± said Chi Nan quickly.


    ¡°Out of responsibility I have to remind you, among the less than 200 core members of the Everlasting Feast Hall at present, three of them have broken through the Golden Core Stage with two at the mid-stage of Golden Core, 19 have reached the late-stage of Foundation Establishment, and 46 others are at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. You just broke through to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment and just barely entered the list of the 46 people in this realm. Do you think you can regard yourself as one of the best among less than 200 people?¡±


    ¡®What?¡¯ With disbelief evident on her face, Chi Nan gaped and was unable to utter anything for a long time. ¡®I¡¯m placed at 46th?¡¯


    She had been spending most of her time cultivating aside from her work and spent quite a fortune to buy a lot of cultivation resources from the Everlasting Feast Hall. She had done all she could and yet was still ranked at 46th?


    ¡®This¡­ how is this possible?¡¯


    As Tang Xiu walked toward outside, he spoke again, ¡°What you just heard is the truth. You¡¯re ranked at 46th even at your cultivation stage among nearly 200 core members of the Everlasting Feast Hall. Combat experience and battle efficiency-wise, you can¡¯t even be ranked at 46th. Cultivation realm is not a measure of one¡¯s strength, for only those who frequent the edge of life and death and battle the best experts can be called true powerhouses. Aside from those who are in Nine Dragons Island and some who stayed in Jingmen Island, many others have experienced brutal battles and even some of our core members have fallen.¡±


    As of now, Chi Nan had been completely shaken, for she never thought that enemies had appeared on Nine Dragons Island and even engaged in a frantic battle with her other comrades. It also never occurred to her that some of her brothers and sisters had died in battle.


    What exactly happened there?


    Only then did she feel embarrassed to be that conceited just because she had advanced to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. It turned out that rest had also been improving and many of them were likely more hardworking than her.


    ¡°I was wrong, Boss,¡± said Chi Nan with an ashamed look as she lowered her head.


    Tang Xiu stopped walking and turned to look at her. Then, he lightly said, ¡°We are relatively close since you have more contact with me, so you must remember that there¡¯s always someone better than you. The ultimate result of arrogance and conceitedness is finding yourself to keep being surpassed by others. In actuality, I think highly of you, and you will still have great achievements in the future as long as you¡¯re willing to work hard.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely work harder for that, Boss,¡± replied Chi Nan firmly.


    Tang Xiu no longer talked. After they came to the parking long, he just sat in the back seat as he looked at Chi Nan in the driver seat and said, ¡°Also, investigate a woman named Yang Yan. She¡¯s a fashion designer and has her own studio¡­¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± replied Chi Nan. She then started the car and headed towards the Everlasting Feast Hall headquarters.


    ****


    Paradise Club of Jingmen Island.


    The super-luxury cruise ship had quietly docked at the port. It was late at night, yet a lot of visitors still entered and exited the ship. Most of them were well-dressed with the bearing of successful people. Eight middle-aged men dressed in black suits were seen standing on both sides of the passage as they carefully examined all the guests entering and exiting.


    Donning a red evening gown and wearing a sparkling platinum necklace on her neck was Ouyang Yun. A charming smile was on her face as she checked the membership card of the guests coming in.


    ¡°Hello, could you please show me your membership card?¡±


    Still smiling, she looked at the female whose eyes always looked evasive and seemed to be in a tight corner.


    The female whose name was Yang Yan touched the corner of her dress with her fingers. She hesitated for a moment and then asked, ¡°Dining in the Paradise Club needs a membership card? I know a waiter here; he¡¯s my brother. Could you let me pass? I need to see him.¡±


    Ouyang Yun slightly knitted her brows and faintly said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t let you in if you don¡¯t have a membership card. If you want to find your brother, you can call him. Tell him to come outside to see you.¡±


    ¡°I already called him, but my call didn¡¯t get through,¡± replied Yang Yan quickly.


    ¡°What¡¯s your brother¡¯s name?¡± asked Ouyang Yun.


    ¡°Yang Fei,¡± answered Yang Yan.


    Ouyang Yun looked at the middle-aged man on the side and said in a deep voice, ¡°Go inside and ask whether we have a waiter named Yang Fein in our club. Bring him here if there is.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± The sturdy middle-aged man replied and strode towards the luxury liner.


    A few minutes later, he came back with a sleepy young man. When they arrived at the entrance the youth looked surprised as he strode towards Yang Yan and said, ¡°Why are you here, Sis? Didn¡¯t I tell you that you can¡¯t come to disturb me at work unless there¡¯s something important?¡±


    Yang Yan shot a glance at Ouyang Yun and seemed to hesitate to speak.


    Ouyang Yun, who had just checked the membership of several guests, noticed Yang Yan¡¯s expression and immediately said, ¡°You can go to a farther place if your conversation is inconvenient for outsiders. However, the liner will set sail in half an hour and I don¡¯t want any personal matters interferes with your work here as a waiter.¡±


    ¡°I understand, General Manager,¡± replied Yang Fei quickly.


    After a short while, Yang Yan and Yang Fei came to a spot ten meters away from the entrance. The latter wore a curious look and asked in a low voice, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Sis? Why did you come here?¡±


    ¡°Little Fei, you have to hurry and quit your work here,¡± said Yang Yan bitterly. ¡°We must immediately leave for Beijing. I¡¯ve called my classmate. We¡¯ll stay in her place for some time while making our plans.¡±


    ¡°Why must we go to the capital, Sis?¡± asked Yang Fei, looking confused.


    ¡°I just offended someone and he¡¯s a powerful man in Jingmen Island. They are chasing me now and they should be here soon to get me through you,¡± explained Yang Yan. ¡°That¡¯s why we must leave Jingmen Island first. We must stay in Beijing for some time until things have cooled down. We¡¯ll come back in secret later to sell our property since this place is no longer suitable for us to live.¡±


    Yang Fei¡¯s complexion turned pale and he quickly asked, ¡°Who is it you¡¯ve offended, Sis? What exactly happened? Please tell me clearly.¡±


    ¡°I offended the stud farm¡¯s owner in the countryside in order to save my close friend,¡± said Yang Yan with a bitter smile. ¡°You and I used to go to that racecourse for horseriding, so you should know the owner, Gu Fugui. He¡¯s a powerful man here. Even if his palm can¡¯t cover the heaven, it¡¯s easy for him to deal with people like us. Also, there¡¯s still someone behind Guo Fugui who is likely much bigger than him. That¡¯s why we must run away to Beijing to lie low until things cool down.¡±


    The sudden news scared Yang Fei so much that a chill ran down his back. He naturally knew who Guo Fugui was. What he knew about this man was even more than his sister.


    On the surface, Guo Fugui was just a countryside stud farm¡¯s owner. However, he controlled more than ten casinos, a few five-star hotels, and was one of the major money laundering players in Jingmen Island.


    To think that his sister had caused such big trouble by offending this man was something Yang Fei could not imagine. Guo Fugui was infamous for being an extremely ruthless man in Jingmen Island and those who offended him hardly ended up in a good ending. And yet there was still a much powerful person behind him? This¡­ this was simply a disaster for life!


    ¡°Wait here for me, Sis. I¡¯ll see the manager and tell her that I¡¯m resigning. We¡¯ll then leave Jingmen Island as fast as possible,¡± said Yang Fei in a deep voice.


    Yang Yan nodded wordlessly and watched the back of his brother walking into the distance while guilt filled her heart. Their parents passed away five years ago and they had been living and sharing hardship together since. Although she worked to meet ends meet and support her younger brother until he graduated from university, he never asked her a dime since and often bought her gifts with his salary.


    And yet, he got implicated by her this time.


    Yang Fei strode to the ship¡¯s boarding entrance. As he saw Ouyang Yun, he hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth. ¡°I want to resign, General Manager.¡±


    ¡°And your reason?¡± asked Ouyang Yun indifferently.


    ¡°My older sister has offended someone, so we must leave Jingmen Island immediately,¡± answered Yang Fei with a bitter face.


    A look of surprise was cast on Ouyang Yun¡¯s face and she asked again, ¡°Offended someone? Can you tell me who the person is?¡±


    Yang Fei also knew the Paradise Club¡¯s background and the identity of Ouyang Yun. After thinking deeply for a short while, he whispered, ¡°It¡¯s Guo Fugui.¡±

 Chapter 1007 - Getting Snatched From The Jaws of Death

    Chapter 1007: Getting Snatched From The Jaws of Death


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    As a member of the Ouyang Family of Jingmen Island and one that was assigned as the General Manager of Paradise Club, Ouyang Yun naturally had extraordinary status and identity. Even the princess of the Ouyangs, Lulu, must call her elder cousin. It was just natural that she knew Guo Fugui¡¯s identity.


    Still, she couldn¡¯t imagine how would this waiter¡¯s sister had the guts to provoke Guo Fugui.


    After being silent for a few seconds, Ouyang Yun slowly said, ¡°Your sister has offended Guo Fugui and has been forced to hide. But you¡¯re one of Paradise Club¡¯s people, so you don¡¯t need to fear any retaliation from him.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t, General Manager.¡± Yang Fei shook his head and said, ¡°Big Sis is the only relative I have left. There¡¯s no way I can leave her alone. Please approve my resignation.¡±


    ¡°Haih.¡± Ouyang Yun sighed. ¡°Then I agree since you insist on leaving. Go inside and hand over your resignation, then¡­¡±


    Suddenly, she stopped talking and a quaint expression appeared on her face. She then shook her head and sighed again. ¡°I think it¡¯s impossible for you to leave now. There are at least ten of Guo Fugui¡¯s men in the surroundings and they are quite powerful hunting dogs. Even that ruthless Earth Mole person came.¡±


    Yang Fei immediately turned his head and found his sister Yang Yan looking panicked, running toward him. He glanced around and saw that a few figures had appeared in the illuminated spot. Two men were walking behind his sister with seething killing intent.


    ¡°Little Fei, leave quickly!¡±


    Yang Yan frantically pulled out a fruit knife from his bag and hurriedly called out while running.


    ¡°I can¡¯t, Sis.¡± Yang Fei shook his head and said, ¡°Be it a fortune or misfortune, we can¡¯t avoid the calamity if it¡¯s meant to come. But rest assured for I will never let them harm you as long as I¡¯m still standing. General Manager, I¡¯m grateful for your agreeing to my resignation. I¡¯m not Paradise Club¡¯s staff now. I hope that we siblings won¡¯t cause trouble for you.¡±


    ¡°Just Guo Fugui alone is not enough to bring trouble to me,¡± Ouyang Yun disdainfully said. ¡°But what about you? Have you clearly thought about it? Once you leave Paradise Club, the next thing awaits you is only death that will have nothing to do with us.¡±


    For a moment, Yang Fei was silent, before he replied with a bitter face, ¡°I understand about the custom, General Manager. Whether I live or die today, it¡¯s not related to you anymore.¡±


    Having said that, he snatched the fruit knife in Yang Yan¡¯s hand and pulled her behind him as he coldly watched the two men striding towards them.


    Watching his actions, Ouyang Yun somehow felt a bit regretful. She shook her head and inwardly sighed. She appreciated Yang Fei¡¯s courage and uprightness, but her Ouyang Family and Guo Fugui had never interfered with each other and she didn¡¯t want to cause any conflict between them, even though her side was not afraid of him.


    ¡°Ms. Ouyang.¡±


    A black-suited middle-aged man with a scar on his face only glanced at Yang Yan and Yang Fei before greeting her a bit respectfully.


    ¡°Earth Mole, you guys rarely show up in the middle of the night for no reason,¡± replied Ouyang Yun smilingly. ¡°You brought so many people here today, do you want to provoke us or is there something else?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Ouyang is mistaken. I dare not bring my men to provoke you even if I got more courage.¡± The scar-faced man shook his head and said, ¡°I came here for this bitch. She has injured our brothers, so I¡¯ll take her back and hand her over to our Boss.¡±


    ¡°Looking at her, she doesn¡¯t have any strength to even unfeather a chicken, how would she able to cause any harm to your people? Aren¡¯t you mistaken about something here?¡± asked Ouyang Yun with a smile.


    ¡°We¡¯ve investigated it clearly, Ms. Ouyang. She¡¯s the one who has injured one of our brothers, and cruelly at that.¡± The scar-faced man shook his head and said, ¡°My brother is now being hospitalized and probably will have to live in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Is she¡­ is she one of your people?¡±


    With a look of surprise, Ouyang Yun gazed at Yang Yan before shaking her head. ¡°She isn¡¯t related to my Ouyang clan at all, and I won¡¯t meddle in the affairs between you all. But know it well, this place belongs to the Ouyangs. Please leave if you must resolve your private conflict.¡±


    The scar-faced man nodded and shot a grim look at Yang Fei, coldly saying, ¡°You must be Yang Fei, Yang Yan¡¯s younger brother, right, Kid? We¡¯ve investigated you siblings. Please follow us now!¡±


    Yang Fei took a deep breath as his hand reached out to grab Yang Yan¡¯s hand, saying in a deep voice, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll go with you.¡±


    Ouyang Yun just looked at their backs as they left. She secretly shook her head since she was well aware that once Yang Yan and Yang Fei left with this Earth Mole fella, it was nearly impossible for them to survive. However, she had seen too many of such a death struggles to count ever since she took over the Paradise Club and couldn¡¯t care less to involve herself in this matter.


    Tut, tut, tut¡­


    Text incoming sounds suddenly rang from her mobile phone. As she took it out and opened the MMS, a surprised look was suddenly cast on her beautiful face, because the photo on the message was Yang Yan who just left before.


    It¡¯s strange really!


    She muttered and was about to dial the number that sent the MMS when her phone suddenly rang. It was exactly the number that just sent the MMS.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± asked Ouyang Yun.


    After a short while listening, she hung up and shouted an order, ¡°Stop them immediately! Take the woman named Yang Yan and bring her to me!¡±


    In a flash, eight stalwart men rushed toward the people who brought Yang Yan and Yang Fei and were just tens of meters away. Upon seeing that they were blocked off, the scar-faced man pulled out a Mitsubishi army knife and watched Ouyang Yun approaching step by step with his snake-like eyes.


    ¡°Ms. Ouyang, what¡¯s the meaning of this?¡±


    While shaking the mobile phone in her hand, Ouyang Yun wore a helpless expression as she replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to meddle in your business before, but I got a call from the seniors in the clan to find her, so I have no choice but to take action.¡±


    She then pointed at Yang Yan.


    The scar-faced man frowned and asked, ¡°What did she do? Did she also provoke your Ouyang Family?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to explain to you about what she did, do I?¡± Ouyang Yun shook her head and said, ¡°You just need to know that she¡¯s very important to me since someone has asked my Ouyang Family to guarantee her safety. Well, off you go fellas.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Ouyang! Are you saying you want to go against our custom?!¡± roared the scar-faced man. ¡°She has harmed my brother and my Boss has commanded me to capture her, yet you actually want to protect her? Is it worth it to go to such lengths to make my Boss unhappy?¡±


    ¡°Heh, why wouldn¡¯t I dare to make your Boss unhappy, huh?¡± Ouyang Yun¡¯s complexion turned cold and she sneered at the man. ¡°Even if we must tear all decorum with your Boss, what about it? Do you think the Ouyang Family fears Guo Fugui and can do nothing to him? Scram. Otherwise, don¡¯t blame me for being impolite!¡±


    The scar-faced man was furious inwardly, yet he suppressed all the anger deep down since he knew Ouyang Yun¡¯s identity. He turned to look at Yang Yan and said in a heavy voice, ¡°You¡¯re damned, bitch. You¡¯re lucky the Ouyang is protecting you. But just wait and hope they can protect you forever¡­ if not¡­ hmph!¡±


    Yang Yan and Yang Fei had been despairing a moment ago, as only a tragic end waited for them after they fell into Guo Fugui¡¯s hands. Never did they ever expect that Ouyang Yun would suddenly intervene.


    Yang Yan watched the scar-faced man leave with the rest. Only fater their figures disappeared did she retract her vision. She then turned to look at Ouyang Yun, looking somewhat uneasy as she spoke, ¡°Ms. Ouyang, thank you¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank me. I just got a call that someone is looking for you. I¡¯ve sent the message back that I¡¯ve found you and I believe that some people will come over soon,¡± said Ouyang Yun vaguely. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re to wait here until they come to fetch you, so I won¡¯t have anything to do with you anymore.¡±


    ¡°Who are these people?¡± asked Yang Yan hurriedly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± Ouyang Yun shook her head.


    ****


    On the coastal road, a black car speedily moved towards the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s headquarters. The one who was driving it, Chi Nan, suddenly had her expression shift. She put on her earphones and picked up the call. After listening to the caller and conversed for a few moments, she said, ¡°Thank you. Please wait for a moment.¡±


    She took away the earphones afterward and spoke, ¡°The woman has been found, Boss. She¡¯s in the Bay Port and had been caught by her enemy just now. I sent the news that we¡¯re searching for her half an hour ago, and the Ouyang¡¯s intelligence division kinda helped us greatly this time.¡±


    The Bay Port? Tang Xiu knitted his brows and asked, ¡°How far is it from here to the Bay Port?¡±


    ¡°Not far, about 10 minutes driving,¡± answered Chi Nan.


    ¡°Then head to the Bay Port first,¡± ordered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Roger that!¡±


    Ten minutes later, they arrived at Bay Port. Tang Xiu saw through the window and had already seen the situation in the surroundings. His attention was especially focused on Yang Yan, who stood next to Ouyang Yun. He could recognize her at a glance.


    Ouyang Yun led four middle-aged men, approaching the car in strides. She wanted to know what kind of bigshot could move the person in charge of the Ouyang¡¯s intel division to help him.


    After Mo Awu got out of the car, he indifferently glanced around and then walked to the back to open the rear door. An astonished look appeared on Ouyang Yun¡¯s face upon seeing Tang Xiu come out of the car.


    Isn¡¯t it Tang Xiu? The owner of Magnificent Tang Corporation and the future son-in-law of the Ouyang family? How could it be him?


    She strode a few steps towards Tang Xiu¡¯s and smilingly said, ¡°Hello, Mr. Tang. I¡¯m Ouyang Yun, Lulu¡¯s older cousin.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook hands with her and smiled. ¡°Nice to meet you, Sister Yun. It seems I¡¯ve troubled you this time.¡±


    At his words, Ouyang Yun shook her head and smiled. ¡°Not really. Today¡¯s incident is just an accident. Yet I never thought that the person who¡¯s looking for Yang Yan was actually you, though.¡±


    ¡°I was entrusted to find and help a woman named Yang Yan by someone,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle. ¡°Also, Sis Yu. You¡¯re Lulu¡¯s older cousin, so we¡¯re related. Please don¡¯t call me, Mr. Tang. Just call me Tang Xiu directly.¡±

 Chapter 1008 - A Crisp Yet A Bit Upset Feeling

    Chapter 1008: A Crisp Yet A Bit Upset Feeling


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll take the liberty since we¡¯re now relatives, then,¡± replied Ouyang Yun smilingly. ¡°Anyway, Yang Yan has provoked some troubles¡ªyou can see from the people in the surroundings. They are Jingmen Island¡¯s locals, Guo Fugui¡¯s men. They only scattered under my threats and are waiting around, hoping to seize a chance to take Yang Yan and her younger brother, Yang Fei.¡±


    Tang Xiu glanced at the dimly lit area dozens of meters away from them, asking with a curious face, ¡°Who is this Guo Fugui fella?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a quite capable man in Jingmen Island and has a lot of shady business here,¡± answered Ouyang Yun. ¡°Though my Ouyang Family never put him in our eye.¡±


    ¡°Then just ignore him since he¡¯s only small fry,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll send someone to warn this Guo Fugui later. Sis Yun, I just came back from abroad and still have many things to do. I¡¯ll take Yang Yan away, but I¡¯ll be sure to thank you later should the opportunity come.¡±


    ¡°Nah, no need to thank me. Just treat my little sis well, I¡¯ll already be satisfied if you do that,¡± replied Ouyang Yun smilingly.


    ¡°Lulu is my woman, so of course I must treat her well. You can rest assured about that, Sis Yun,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Ouyang Yun nodded with a smile in response.


    Tang Xiu strode towards Yang Yan and then inquired. ¡°Are you Yang Yan, Zuo Qing¡¯s best friend?¡±


    Yang Yan¡¯s pupil instantly shrunk and she retreated a step. With a vigilant face, she asked, ¡°Who are you? How do you know Zuo Qing?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be afraid of me. I and Zuo Qing¡­ can be called friends! She bade me to tell you that she has arrived safely with her two children in Thailand. They are now safe under her father¡¯s protection. But she believed that you, who helped her flee China, must have provoked the Huang. Even though Huang has written off the enmity they had with the Zuo, Zuo Qing was sure that you¡¯d be in trouble, so she asked me to come over and help you out. She also asked me to ask you whether you¡¯re willing to leave for Thailand.¡±


    ¡°Are you really Zuo Qing¡¯s friend?¡± asked Yang Yan in astonishment.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need for me to lie, right?¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°Your name is Yang Yan, right? I think you should know about my Ouyang Family, right? Tang Xiu is the son-in-law of my family. He¡¯s my little cousin, Ouyang Lulu¡¯s man, and what he said is the truth. You don¡¯t have anything that forces him to deceive you.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu? The infamous devilish woman of Jingmen Island? This handsome young man is actually her man?


    A feverish expression suddenly appeared on Yang Fei¡¯s face as he respectfully spoke, ¡°I¡¯m really happy to see you again, Mr. Tang. Big Sis, I can vouch that Mr. Tang is really the Ouyang¡¯s Ms. Lulu¡¯s boyfriend. I¡¯ve seen him in the Paradise Club before and heard many of his legendary feats!¡±


    Cough, cough¡­


    Yang Fei¡¯s vouch left Tang Xiu between laughs and tears as he looked at this young man. What the hell is this about me being a legend? How can there be any legendary stories about me? He shook his head and smilingly asked, ¡°And you are?¡±


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Tang. My name is Yang Fei. I was a waiter in the Paradise Club prior to this. Yang Yan is my big sister, my blood sister,¡± answered Yang Fei.


    ¡°I see.¡± Tang Xiu finally understood and smilingly said, ¡°Well, I have to advise your sister and you to leave Jingmen Island earlier, though. Although I¡¯ll send some men to warn Guo Fugui, the lackeys are much troublesome to deal with than their Boss. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll immediately send his men to pester you again whenever I don¡¯t pay attention. That would be quite troublesome.¡±


    Yang Fei hesitant before nodding. ¡°Mr. Tang is right, Big Sis. We must indeed leave Jingmen Island. I know some facts about Guo Fugui. He¡¯s a very ruthless man and is also infamous for taking revenge over the slightest offense. Leaving for Thailand is indeed the best and only choice we have.¡±


    Yang Yan nodded repeatedly. She and her brother had gone through such a turbulent and winding journey. Now that they had a chance to guarantee their safety, she thanked Heaven for the sudden emergence of their savior, and she¡¯d agree regardless of what Tang Xiu told them to do.


    After saying goodbye to Ouyang Yun, Tang Xiu brought the siblings to his car. Then, he said in a deep voice, ¡°Chi Nan, assign some men to escort them to Thailand, precisely Bangkok. I don¡¯t want any mishap to happen on the journey. Also, you are to go and see Guo Fugui in person. Warn him to never pester Yang Yan again in the future.¡±


    ¡°What if he is adamant to make trouble for Miss Yang, Boss?¡± asked Chi Nan.


    ¡°If he refuses, then there¡¯s no need for him to set his foot in Jingmen Island ever again,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°Go and deal with it fast so you can go back earlier to the headquarters.¡±


    Chi Nan nodded and suddenly asked again, ¡°Boss, that¡¯s the only car for you, so¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about it. Just go!¡± Tang Xiu ordered with a light smile.


    After her departure, Tang Xiu walked back to Ouyang Yun and asked, ¡°Sis Yun, can you lend me a car? I still got something important, so I want to deal with it quickly.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a minor matter. I¡¯ll immediately tell someone to bring you one.¡± Ouyang Yun smilingly replied, ¡°Anyway, I just called my cousin and told him that you are here. Whether you want to wait for him, he¡¯ll be here soon.¡±


    Her cousin? Tang Xiu asked again, ¡°Who¡¯s this cousin of yours? Is it Ouyang Lei?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s him,¡± replied Ouyang Yun smilingly. ¡°He was born four days earlier than me, so I call him cousin.¡±


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and nodded. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll wait for him for a while since he¡¯s coming over! Also, this reminded me of something. Wasn¡¯t this Paradise Club the one Lulu managed before? How is it still under the Ouyang¡¯s management?¡±


    ¡°Ah, Lulu did sell this luxurious cruise ship, but the buyer was one of the Ouyang Family¡¯s members,¡± answered Ouyang Yun with a smile. ¡°You know, Lulu said that she¡¯d be stuck with her man and be contented with him regardless of his lot no matter what happens. She has decided to be with you, so she kinda rushed to make sure to be out of touch with the family. You see, uncle has been kinda lamenting, wondering why his daughter ran away like that. She hasn¡¯t gotten married yet, but she has begun to carry out her plan to manage the household of her future husband.¡±


    Cough, cough¡­


    Tang Xiu could only cough twice to cover up his awkwardness. But as he recalled everything Ouyang Lulu had done, he realized the truthfulness of what Ouyang Yun just said. Whenever he was with Lulu, the girl had always been calculating to figure out how many things and how much her Ouyang Family would need to prepare the dowry for her in the future!


    Half an hour passed by. Tang Xiu was now sitting in the most luxurious hall of the Paradise Club while chatting with Ouyang Yun, waiting for Ouyang Lei to arrive.


    Bang¡­


    The hall¡¯s door was thrust hard from the outside as the burly Ouyang Lei strode in a rush into the room. As he saw Tang Xiu, he immediately showed a pleasantly surprised face and opened his arms, shouting, ¡°Wow, it¡¯s really you, future bro-in-law! I thought the Intel Director pranked me when he told me you were here! Hahaha¡­ it¡¯s been six months since the last time we met, right? I never thought you¡¯d be so much more handsome now!¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter and gave him a big hug. After the hug, he smilingly said, ¡°It¡¯s so late and you haven¡¯t slept yet, Brother Lei. Anyway, I heard that you¡¯ve gradually taken over the Ouyang Family¡¯s affairs recently. I believe you¡¯re going to be the new Patriarch of the Ouyang Family soon, no?¡±


    ¡°Nah, that old man of mine¡¯s still hale and vigorous. He¡¯s even much stronger than me nowadays.¡± Ouyang Lei waved and smilingly said, ¡°No way I¡¯ll be the Ouyang Patriarch any time soon! Then, what about you yourself, huh? Your business is doing so well, and I can see your power and influence are getting bigger by the day. Whenever I called Lulu, she always said you¡¯re always busy and doesn¡¯t have much time to accompany her!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t deny that. I always have some things that need to be dealt with.¡± Tang Xiu smilingly replied, ¡°But you know her. She always oppresses me and makes me promise to accompany her for a while after some time. Anyways, what about you? Lulu told me that you just found your sweetheart? So, when will you get married? You can expect to get a lavish gift from me by then!¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡± Ouyang Lei grinned and said, ¡°Soon. Maybe by the end of this year. Anyway, why don¡¯t you just give me the gift first?¡±


    His response left Tang Xiu between laughs and tears. ¡°Heh, what the hell are you asking the gift first for? You haven¡¯t gotten married yet! But I do have some good things I wanna gift you, though.¡±


    Having said that, Tang Xiu took a porcelain bottle from his interspatial ring and handed it over to Ouyang Lei. ¡°There are ten drops of Body Tempering Liquid in it. Drop one into the bathtub and soak yourself in it. The process will be a bit painful, but it will be very beneficial to your physique. Keep in mind, the longer you soak yourself, the bigger the benefits you can get. Also, this is a manual for a tempering physique that should be suitable for your cultivation.¡±


    Joy and surprise covered Ouyang Lei¡¯s face, and he almost rushed to grab the porcelain bottle and manual. He looked like he would never put it down as he fiddled with them. He then nodded and said, ¡°Well, my Lil¡¯ sis can find such a husband like you is truly a blessing, bro-in-law. Anyway, I heard you¡¯ve seen my Mom, though! Did she make you bleed?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t help but skip a beat. He recalled the meeting he had with his profiteer mother-in-law previously, and he did get fleeced by her literally. Looking at the excited Ouyang Lei, Tang Xiu rolled his eyes and grinningly said, ¡°Well, are you interested in becoming a true expert, Brother Lei? Like those who can fly to the roof, vault over the walls, and use a leaf to injure their opponents?¡±


    Ouyang Lei rolled his eyes, but he grinned and replied back, ¡°I already can do all that. Don¡¯t look down on me, dude. I can be regarded as an expert myself now. I just challenged a martial art expert at the grandmaster level recently and I only needed a dozen moves to beat him!¡±


    Tang Xiu instantly understood that his profiteer mother-in-law must have taught Ouyang Lei the cultivation art manual he gave her. Tang Xiu himself was just a bit upset upon finding a bit shameful conduct from her, but he didn¡¯t show it on the surface and spoke in a low voice, ¡°Brother Lei, you¡¯ve probably learned something else about me, haven¡¯t you? But one must seize every opportunity he encounters to become stronger. So now, I¡¯m giving you a chance. Do you want to be trained by my men? I can guarantee that you¡¯ll be ten times stronger or even more after the training!¡±


    ¡°More than ten times stronger? Are you kidding me?¡± exclaimed Ouyang Lei. ¡°No way I¡¯ll refuse that. I¡¯ll do everything you tell me to as long as I can become stronger!¡±


    Tang Xiu clapped and smilingly said, ¡°Well, you got the desire to be much better and stronger, huh? Then, put away everything you got at hand and hand them over to someone else. I¡¯ll send you to the training place after that.¡±

 Chapter 1009 - Tang Xiu’s Plan

    Chapter 1009: Tang Xiu¡¯s Plan


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    While looking at Ouyang Lei who was full of excitement, Tang Xiu secretly laughed inwardly. This guy had just leaped into the Qi Refining Stage that was even much weaker than the first batch of homeless children¡¯s cultivation level. Tang Xiu could imagine a very interesting scene after he sent this guy to train with the children he had been fostering on Clam Island.


    ¡°It¡¯s getting late. It¡¯s time for me to go back and rest.¡±


    ¡°No rush, Brother. I still got something to tell you,¡± said Ouyang Lei quickly.


    ¡°Pray tell,¡± replied Tang Xiu.


    ¡°My family just got a treasure recently, but all my relatives can¡¯t figure out what it is. We have even invited various domestic antique experts and famous collectors, yet none of them managed to get a clue. Ah, there were also some famous figures from the Occult Sect who tried to examine it but to no avail. Can you help me identify it?¡± asked Ouyang Lei.


    ¡°Ehh? Why are you so sure to call it a treasure even though you can¡¯t identify it?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a surprised face.


    ¡°I dunno what it is, but that thing is definitely a treasure. I just know it.¡± Ouyang Lei proudly said, ¡°Do you know what material it¡¯s made from? The scientists said that it was made from some alien meteorite or something. Moreover, it¡¯s not some kind of ordinary meteorite but one that contains rich energy substances.¡±


    ¡°Is it as in a lump meteorite or what?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Naturally not, Dude.¡± Ouyang Lei shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s an oval-shaped container with many patterns etched on it, kinda similar to some bizarre runes or something. Unfortunately, even the most famous historian in China couldn¡¯t figure out the content of those runes.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s curiosity perked up and he asked, ¡°Where¡¯s it? Lemme take a look at it.¡±


    Ouyang Lei said, ¡°It¡¯s stored in my family¡¯s vault. Let¡¯s head to my house then, shall we?¡±


    Tang Xiu slightly furrowed his brows since he¡¯d rather not go to the Ouyang¡¯s.


    ¡®Lulu may have become my woman, yet I couldn¡¯t give status nor marry her. Wouldn¡¯t it be too embarrassing if I were to visit them with my son-in-law status?¡¯


    He pondered for a moment and then said, ¡°Brother Lei, I still got some important things to do in the Everlasting Feast Hall, so I gotta go there first. Also, it¡¯s so late at night and it¡¯s kinda inappropriate to visit your family home at this time, no? How about you bring that treasure to the Everlasting Feast Hall? I¡¯m gonna deal with my things first and will be waiting for you there afterward, how about it?¡±


    Ouyang Lei gave it a thought. It was indeed inappropriate for Tang Xiu to follow him to his family¡¯s residence in the middle of the night. Thus, he nodded and said, ¡°Well, I¡¯m fine with that. Then, I¡¯ll go to the Everlasting Feast Hall with that treasure later.¡±


    ****


    At the countryside stud farm.


    In a western-styled villa, Guo Fugui was sleeping soundly with two fair-skinned pretty girls like kittens in his arms. Their white thighs and arms were like octopus tentacles that wrapped around his body.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    The rapid ringtone of his mobile phone broke the silence amid the darkness and woke Guo Fugui up. A scowl appeared on his face as he shoved the two girls¡¯ limbs. Then, he grabbed the phone on the bedside table and looked at the caller. After picking it up, he angrily cursed. ¡°Do you fucking wanna die, Hao Zi? It¡¯s so late at night, for fuck sake. Don¡¯t you already know I hate to be disturbed when sleeping?!!¡±


    ¡°Things went wrong, Boss,¡± the voice from the phone replied in a low voice.


    Guo Fugui looked vacant for a moment. He turned to look at the two girls sitting up with blurry and dazed eyes. Then, got out of bed and walked to the window, asking in a low voice, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°We caught Yang Yan along with Yang Fei, her younger brother, in the Bay Port where the Ouyang¡¯s luxurious cruiser is docked, boss. But the Paradise Club¡¯s General Manager, Ouyang Yun, intervened all of a sudden and took them back by force. We¡¯re still here, but Ouyang Yun seems to have given them to someone,¡± replied the low voice from the phone again.


    The Ouyang¡¯s Ouyang Yun?


    A cold light flashed in Guo Fugui¡¯s eyes. He used to fear the Ouyangs since this family was one of the most powerful families in Jingmen Island with a deep background. Yet now, he no longer feared them and just dreaded them at most.


    The Huang Family from the Fukang Province was his backer, as his sister married to a prominent junior of the Huangs last year, so he and the Huangs were now relatives. Moreover, sending his men to chase Yang Yan was also in line with the Huang Family¡¯s intention, and they wouldn¡¯t stay still if the Ouyangs were to deal with him.


    ¡°Where are they now?¡±


    ¡°They have been taken away. I sent some men to follow and snatch them halfway, but the other party has outstanding counter detection measures and shook us off after detecting our tracks. I brought some men back to the Bay Port to keep tabs on the Ouyangs and the person who brought the Yang siblings away.¡±


    ¡°Trash! Wait for me there. I¡¯ll be over shortly.¡± Guo Fugui cursed coldly.


    ¡°But Boss, Ouyang Lei just came and entered the Paradise Club. If you come here in person, in case¡­¡±


    Ouyang Lei? Why did he go over? What exactly is the identity of the person who wants to save the Yang siblings? To think that he can make Ouyang Lei come over in the middle of the night? Could it be that his background is much more powerful than the Ouyangs?


    As Guo Fugui fell into silence and then was about to speak, the voice came out of the phone again suddenly:


    ¡°Boss, Ouyang Lei just came out with a young man. They are going to leave the Paradise Club from the looks of it. What should I do? Should we follow the young man?¡±


    ¡°Track them and figure out who they are!¡±


    ¡°Acknowledged!¡±


    Guo Fugui hung up the phone. His sleepiness had completely disappeared, but his eyes were glittering with a thoughtful look, silently analyzing the key issues of this matter.


    He was instructed by the Huang Patriarch to find and chase Zuo Qing! In the end, this woman had been able to leave Jingmen Island secretly with Yang Yan¡¯s help, making him fail to accomplish the Huang Family¡¯s request, thus smearing his face towards the Huang Family¡¯s patriarch.


    This was the cause of this hatred for Yang Yan, since she was the one who helped Zuo Qing. Thus, he sent his men to investigate her identity and background. He also sent many men to chase and kill her. Unfortunately, that cunning woman was able to escape and they had not been able to capture her even after several days.


    At thirty past three in the morning, Tang Xiu and Mo Awu rushed to the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s headquarters. Most of the members had left for Nine Dragons Island, so there were only a dozen members staying here, although Gu Xiaxue had returned back ahead of time.


    ¡°You¡¯re staying here, Awu.¡±


    As they came to the parking lot, Tang Xiu issued an order and walked towards the beach. Just as he arrived there, he saw Gu Xiaoxue sitting cross-legged in cultivation on a lone boat on the sea under the starlight. Tang Xiu let out a faint smile and floated upward, appearing on the boat¡¯s bow in a flash.


    ¡°Grand Master,¡± called out Gu Xiaoxue immediately with a pleasantly surprised look.


    ¡°So diligent. That¡¯s great!¡± Tang Xiu nodded at her and said, ¡°However, Tang Guang and Tang An are now stronger than you, so you need to work harder to advance to the late-stage of Golden Core earlier.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll work harder, Grand Master.¡± Gu Xiaoxue nodded.


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile again and looked at the sea in front. He immediately cast a secret art as a stream of qi entered the sea surface. In but a moment, the sea split and created a passageway. A white-clad Gu Yan¡¯er then jumped out lightning-fast and instantly appeared in front of Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er seemed like a young girl as she let out crisp laughter and swiftly held Tang Xiu¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Get prepared to leave this place!¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°I¡¯ve already arranged an array in the waters near Nine Dragons Island suitable for the exquisite pagoda.¡±


    ¡°Are you also going to stay in Nine Dragons Island in the future, Master?¡± asked Gu Yan¡¯er with a smile.


    ¡°I still got a lot of things to do, so I can¡¯t stay in Nine Dragons Island for the time being.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°But I¡¯ll be there any time soon to remove all the enemies who dare eye the island.¡±


    ¡°They are nothing but insects to me, Master. Just tell who the enemies are. I can kill them easily,¡± Gu Yan¡¯er chuckled and replied lightly.


    ¡°I can¡¯t let you do that. Earth is a too peaceful place to live nowadays and rather unsuitable to train our talents.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°I want our men to deal with the enemies and survive on the border of life and death. Those who survive will have the qualifications to follow us in the future.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, Master,¡± replied Gu Yan¡¯er smilingly.


    Tang Xiu stretched his hand to stroke her long black hair and said with a smile, ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m going to found a sect there and am thinking of a name. Do you have any opinions about it?¡±


    ¡°Why do you have to ask, Master? All Yan¡¯er has is all yours,¡± said Gu Yan¡¯er bluntly. ¡°Besides, I found the Everlasting Feast Hall and trained a group of talents to help me find you as the main purpose. Now that I¡¯ve found you, they mean nothing much to me.¡±


    ¡°No. They are our people, Yan¡¯er.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°I know what you think, but you must remember something. You raised them up and taught them. They are equal to family now. You also know what identity I once had. And yet I neglected one aspect¡ªthe more people we have, the more powerful we are. If I had followers who followed me all the way to the apex all around me back then, those bastards wouldn¡¯t have had any chance to scheme against me.¡±


    His statement made Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s eyes glitter with a thoughtful look as she silently nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll keep your words in mind, Master.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked up at the starry sky. His deep eyes seemed to be able to pierce through the layers of clouds and shoot through space, as if he was seeing the magnificent scenes of the vast Immortal World, gazing at his enemies who also kept progressing and advancing.


    And yet, there was no dread nor fear in his heart. He was once a Supreme in the Immortal World and possessed millenniums of knowledge as well as the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis as his greatest advantage¡ªthe top cultivation art of the Demon God. He once spent 8,000 years to reach Supremacy. He was confident he would only need a shorter time to make a comeback now.

 Chapter 1010 - Knocked Out By A Single Blow

    Chapter 1010: Knocked Out By A Single Blow


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The law of survival in the Immortal World was extraordinarily brutal and only the strongest would survive. One must have a big background if one wanted to get ahead in that world, or could only resign to his fate.


    It was rather fortunate that Tang Xiu had nothing left to lose when he left that world. Although he couldn¡¯t contact his followers and was unable to inform them that he was still alive, he still had his disciple, Gu Yan¡¯er. She may be injured and her cultivation level had dropped to the point where she was like a new Immortal, but once she returned to the Immortal World, she would be able to restore her power at an extremely fast pace.


    It must be noted that Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s cultivation had reached the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage before she came to Earth and nearly reached Supremacy Stage, yet she was still a force to be reckoned with there. No Supreme in the Immortal World could underestimate her power.


    ¡°Yan¡¯er, do you think you can refine the Nascent Shattering Pill now?¡± asked Tang Xiu after shifting his eyes to Gu Yan¡¯er.


    Gu Yan¡¯er hesitated but still replied, ¡°Not only that pill, but I think I can also refine Immortal Pills now, Master. It¡¯s just that Earth is scarce on the main alchemy materials needed to concoct the Nascent Shattering Pill. I only know that this planet has Soul Collapsing Grass and nothing else, so it¡¯s very difficult to refine Nascent Shattering Pills here.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about alchemy materials. I¡¯ll solve this problem.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°I¡¯m also thinking about a set of rules since we¡¯re going back there in the future. Those who are eligible to follow us must have enough strength. Hence, those who haven¡¯t reached the Spirit Formation Stage are not eligible to leave with us.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think the limit is a bit low, Master?¡± asked Gu Yan¡¯er in hesitation. ¡°We can find people at the Spirit Formation Stage literally everywhere in the Immortal World, yet they are but weak people there. In my opinion, it¡¯s best to set the limit at the Great Ascension Stage. Any lower than that is not eligible to follow us.¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°You¡¯re also well aware of the cultivation environment on Earth, Yan¡¯er. The environment here is harsh and resources are also scarce. Advancing to the Great Ascension Stage is very difficult here. Even I myself dare not to say that I can advance and compete with experts at this cultivation realm. That¡¯s why I think the limit at Spirit Formation Stage is already enough. We can find a blessed land when we return to the Immortal World. After gathering massive cultivation resources there, I believe we can stimulate their potential to the limits, which I reckon will make their cultivation advance enormously. I¡¯m sure they can break through the Immortal Stage in 100 years.¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er thought about it and approved Tang Xiu¡¯s point. She then nodded and said, ¡°You can rest assured, Master! I can refine a lot of Nascent Shattering Pills as long as there are enough ingredients. With that pill, I believe it won¡¯t be long for us to have a large number of Nascent Soul Stage experts.¡±


    ****


    At the countryside stud farm.


    Dozens of burly men had gathered outside the western-styled villa and Guo Fugui, whose face was full of murderous intent, came out of the villa followed by two strong men. He glanced around at the group of his men indifferently and began speaking in a deep voice, ¡°Men! You must have heard of a restaurant called Everlasting Feast Hall. This restaurant is now sheltering the murderer who has injured our brothers, so the owner of this restaurant must die! You¡¯re going with me to force them to hand over the culprit and ask for justice or we¡¯ll teach them a hard lesson!¡±


    ¡°Teach them a lesson!¡±


    The tens of strong men raised their fists and roared aggressively.


    Guo Fugui nodded happily and strode towards the row of cars nearby. After getting on the cars fast, the convoy headed to the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s headquarters.


    Sitting on the back seat, Guo Fugui¡¯s eyes glittered. He had been to the Everlasting Feast Hall several times. The dishes there were really good and it was also a good place for recreation. But what he remembered the most was its celestial maiden-like Little Boss, Gu Xiaoxue.


    He had seen a lot of beauties in his life, but only a handful of them could compare to such a peerless beauty like Gu Xiaoxue. There were only two stunning beauties in the entirety of Jingmen Island, one of whom was Gu Xiaoxue and the other was the princess of the Ouyang Family, Ouyang Lulu.


    He didn¡¯t dare to harbor any thoughts toward the latter since he was afraid that the Ouyangs would go all out to exterminate him. Gu Xiaoxue, however, was a different case as she seemed to have no background and had nothing to be feared of aside from the number of security guards in the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    ****


    At the parking lot of the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    Mo Awu was leaning on the car while clamping a cigarette. He looked to be deep in thought. He was well aware that the Everlasting Feast Hall had many secrets, the biggest of which should the Boss, Gu Yan¡¯er. He didn¡¯t know much about her even though she had literally raised him up and taught him some skills.


    Be it her origins, age, or how powerful she was, he practically knew nothing about all that. Yet he knew that Boss Gu Yan¡¯er was equal to his mother, his closest relatives, while Tang Xiu was a man he admired the most and served with absolute loyalty.


    ¡®Guang, An, and Gu Xiaxue have all broken through to the Golden Core Stage. The three of them should be strongest experts in the entirety of the Everlasting Feast Hall. But my cultivation only reaches the late-stage of Foundation Establishment. I may be at the front of the list among all members here, yet it¡¯s still far from what I want it to be.¡¯


    ¡®I know the two Bosses have an extremely fearsome origin since they are related to the existence of another plane. Let¡¯s not say anything about Boss Gu Yan¡¯er, just Boss Tang Xiu¡¯s strength advancement is way too fast. If I can¡¯t advance to the Golden Core Stage in a short time, I¡¯ll become further and further away from him and may lose the opportunity to keep following him in the future.¡¯


    ¡®I must become stronger¡ªmuch stronger. Tang Guang, Tang An, and Gu Xiaoxue are stronger than me since they started cultivating earlier. But I don¡¯t think my talent and efforts are inferior to them.¡¯


    Mo Awu tightly gripped his fists and a resolute look filled his eyes.


    Suddenly, his complexion shifted slightly as he looked at the flickering figure that moved lightning-fast towards him. Then he asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Some people have been following you and Boss, but they have yet to enter our manor and are just lingering in the vicinity.¡± Reported the figure.


    Mo Awu furrowed his brows and said in a cold voice, ¡°Let¡¯s have a look at them. They should be experts since they can track us and come here while avoiding our detection.¡±


    A few minutes later.


    At the road junction outside the Everlasting Feast Hall was a plot of land full of lush trees and vegetation. Shielded by the darkness and hiding in the thick patch of bushes was the scar-faced man Liu Hao, who was like a cat that quietly observed the interior of the Everlasting Feast Hall with binoculars in hands. At this time, he had observed most parts of the site clearly.


    By his side were three lean young men tightly grasping their machetes while vigilantly watching the surroundings. Any slightest movement or sound would be noticed by them immediately.


    ¡°Brother Mole, how long will it take for Boss to arrive here?¡± asked one of the youths in a low voice after he leaned toward Liu Hao.


    ¡°They should¡¯ve just left and Boss must be bringing quite a lot of our brothers with him now,¡± replied Liu Hao grimly. ¡°No matter how many security guards the Everlasting Feast Hall has, they will be nothing but flies who will beg for mercy by then. Those bastards, hmph. If it wasn¡¯t for the sake of not alerting them, the four of us would¡¯ve been broken in and captured those two already.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, we¡¯re Boss¡¯ men, Brother Mole.¡± The youth proudly grinned and said, ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know Boss Guo Fugui¡¯s name in the whole Jingmen Island? Just relying on the security guards of the Everlasting feast Hall, yet they dare to fight us? I don¡¯t think they can even fart if we break in to catch some people.¡±


    Liu Hao just lightly smiled at his words. He was very content with his current life. As the top lieutenant of Boss Fugui, he was respected by a lot of people. He may have been nicknamed as Mole, but nobody really dared to trample this rat whatsoever. Over the years, he had been enjoying a good life and always got what he wanted; be it money or women, proving how comfy and easy his life was.


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    Suddenly, Liu Hao¡¯s face drastically changed and a shocked look burst in his eyes. He was a capable fighter himself and had been practicing Sanda freestyle boxing for twenty-odd years. Normally, just seven-odd experienced gangsters were not enough to defeat him, yet he wasn¡¯t able to notice some people approaching him in the dark.


    In a flash, the other three youths raised their machetes and quickly gathered around Liu Hao, glaring at the light outside the shade of trees. Under the street lights five-plus meters away from them, Mo Awu, with hands crossed behind his back, was followed by four experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall. Their killing aura had locked the four men.


    ¡°You still ask as if you didn¡¯t know, huh? You¡¯ve tracked us here, yet you still ask who we are. What stupidity is that? So tell me, from which group of rascals and thieves are you? How dare you follow us and spy on our restaurant?¡± asked Mo Awu lightly.


    Upon hearing the question, Liu Hao¡¯s stiff body suddenly relaxed with a contemptuous look gleaming in his eyes. He stood up and walked out of the dark shades of the trees and sneered. ¡°Heh, you¡¯re really the people of the Everlasting Feast Hall, including that Kiddo? Why didn¡¯t he come with you?¡±


    ¡°Man, things won¡¯t end up peacefully judging from your words, will it?¡± Mo Awu shook his head and vaguely said, ¡°Just tell me, who are you and why are you following us?¡±


    Liu Hao rolled his eyes and observed Mo Awu and the four core members of the Everlasting Feast Hall instead. He then shook his head and said, ¡°Looking at your burly physiques and all, you¡¯re all look but no bite. I believe you¡¯ll know about it soon, but only bad luck will await you by then.¡±


    Mo Awu slightly furrowed his brows and ordered in a deep voice. ¡°Capture them! We¡¯ll interrogate them later.¡±


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Two stalwart middle-aged men appeared in front of the four men in a flash. Their movements were very precise and neat as they used palm strikes to hit the four men¡¯s neck and directly stunned them.


    At this sight, Mo Awu rolled his eyes and couldn¡¯t help chuckling. ¡°Heh, I thought you were all great experts or something! To think that you¡¯re all just shrimps. You got knocked out with one blow, truly disappointing. Drag them in, guys! They must have a purpose for daring to track me and Boss here.¡±

 Chapter 1011 - Demanding Justice?

    Chapter 1011: Demanding Justice?


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Several minutes passed by.


    At the parking lot of the Everlasting Feast Hall, Liu Hao¡¯s group of four was thrown on the cold concrete floor like dead dogs. As a big man kicked their bodies to wake them, their expression greatly changed as they saw Mo Awu sneering at them. ¡°You foursome truly know how to blow your mouth and talk big, yet you just fainted with one hit? Spit out, who are you? Of course, you can choose to keep your mouth shut, but I don¡¯t think you shits can afford the result.¡±


    Liu Hao crawled up from the ground and reached out to touch his waist, only to have his expression change as he found that the dagger on his waist was no longer there.


    Mo Awu¡¯s hand moved to the back, took out the dagger, and threw it in front of Liu Hao. Then, he lightly smiled and spoke, ¡°You¡¯re looking for this? That junk poses no threat to us at all.¡±


    ¡°Who the hell are you guys? For security guards of a restaurant to have such strength is just impossible,¡± roared Liu Hao angrily. ¡°Might as well tell you that we¡¯re Boss Guo Fugui¡¯s men. You¡¯ve provoked my Boss since you saved Yang Yan and her brother!¡±


    ¡®Guo Fugui?¡¯ Mo Awu¡¯s eyes blinked as a puzzled look was cast on his face. It was a name he had never heard of. ¡®Is he some kind of bigshot or something?¡¯


    ¡°Never heard of him.¡±


    Liu Hao stared awkwardly before flipping into a rage. He originally wanted to use his Boss¡¯ name to deter these guys, only to find such a response. They never heard of his Boss? There were still are people in Jingmen Island who had never heard Boss¡¯ name?


    ¡°You got some big balls, Kid!¡±


    ¡°Heh, spare me the shit talk!¡± replied Mo Awu coldly. ¡°But I got one thing as to why you followed us here. It¡¯s because of the Yang siblings, huh.¡±


    ¡°What about Yang Yan and her brother?¡±


    Tang Xiu, who just came to the parking lot with Gu Xiaoxue, asked with a strange expression after seeing the scene in front of him.


    ¡°Boss!¡± Immediately saluted the four core members of the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    ¡°We have been followed on the way back here and we¡¯ve interrogated them, Boss,¡± reported Mo Awu. ¡°They are the subordinates of someone called Guo Fugui, but I¡¯ve never heard of this man before. The one who issued the order to chase Yang Yan and her brother is this man.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked blank for a moment, then said with a strange expression, ¡°I recall I¡¯ve sent someone to warn this Guo Fugui guy. To think that he still sent his men to track us here is kinda unexpected. Well, it¡¯s kinda funny, though. It seems like I can call Chi Nan back.¡±


    ¡°Let me call her, Boss,¡± said Mo Awu as he went to the side to call Chi Nan.


    Liu Hao shot a deep look at Tang Xiu and sneered. ¡°Are you the owner of this Everlasting Feast Hall? Hmph. You¡¯re just a small businessman, yet you dare to poke your nose into my Boss¡¯ business! Are you really that tired of living? Just wait until my Boss comes here, I hope you won¡¯t wet your pants and beg on knees for mercy!¡±


    ¡°Noisy bug!¡±


    Tang Xiu slapped Liu Hao¡¯s face, breaking several of his teeth as he sprayed out blood and left him swollen cheek. Then, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Those who yelled and bragged before me never lived for long. This is your first time, but I can spare you. If you dare to spit some more shit I¡¯ll feed you to the sharks!¡±


    Liu Hao covered his face, losing all his previous confidence. He was a veteran fighter who was a Sanda boxing-style expert for twenty-odd years.


    ¡®Yet¡­ how come this young man¡¯s speed is so fast? I can¡¯t even follow his movement, and only my vision blurred as he slapped me. How is this possible?¡¯


    Tang Xiu took out a cigarette and clamped it in the corner of his mouth. Gu Xiaoxue swiftly took out a lighter and lit it up for him. Tang Xiu approvingly chuckled as he felt that it was a new, good feeling having his cigarette lit up by a beauty. He then looked at Liu Hao and smilingly asked, ¡°You said your Boss, Guo Fugui, will come over soon, no? How long will it take for him to get here?¡±


    While covering his cheek, Liu Hao glared at Tang Xiu with visible hatred and answered, ¡°Soon. He¡¯ll be here very soon! He¡¯s already on the way and should arrive in 30 minutes. Call your men now if you wanna. But my Boss is bringing a lot of men here, and you¡¯ll definitely regret it by then!¡±


    Tang Xiu just shook his head and didn¡¯t bother to refute or talk to him again. He jumped onto the roof of a car, sat cross-legged and slowly closed his eyes.


    In his eyes, Guo Fugui was just a buffoon. Back then in the Paradise Club, Ouyang Yun told him about this gangster fella. He might as well take him on and send him packing if this guy dared to bring his men here.


    Suddenly, his expression shifted and his eyes opened as a mobile phone appeared in his hand. He waved to gesture Mo Awu and the rest to drag Liu Hao¡¯s group a few dozen meters away. Then, he dialed 110 emergency number and called, ¡°Put me through to your Police Chief!¡±


    ¡°Hello, may I know who you are?¡± a sweet voice replied from the phone.


    ¡°Tell your Chief that I¡¯m someone from the Security Department!¡± said Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°My name is Tang Xiu. And if he doesn¡¯t believe it, tell him to call his superior!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The other party¡¯s voice didn¡¯t reply for a long time. Just as Tang Xiu was getting impatient, the voice of a middle-aged man came out, ¡°Hello. I am Wang Sen, the Deputy Chief of the Public Security Bureau. You said that you¡¯re someone from the Security Department, is there any evidence you¡¯d like to tell us?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to call your superior immediately if you don¡¯t believe me?¡± asked Tang Xiu. ¡°I got something for you to do. Be quick about it!¡±


    Jingmen Island, City Public Security Bureau.


    Wang Sen deeply furrowed his brows. There was hesitation in his eyes as he didn¡¯t know whether the caller was genuine or not. But if it was just a prank and he contacted his superior, he could be in for big trouble, or at least get a warning from his superiors.


    However, if the caller was telling the truth, he could expect to have unlucky things happen to him.


    Thinking for several seconds, only then did Wang Sen reply, ¡°Please wait a bit, Mr. Tang. I¡¯ll contact my superior right away. Also, you can tell me more on the phone if you have anything else to report.¡±


    ¡°Tell your superior that Jingmen Island is quite chaotic now with too many stray puppies and kittens,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯ll help him do some clean-up tonight, but the aftermath will be yours to deal with!¡±


    Wang Sen pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Alright. Please wait for a moment.¡±


    In a high-end residential area five-plus kilometers away from the City Public Security Bureau, Xing Ting was awakened by the ringtone of his mobile phone. The sleepiness on his face instantly vanished shortly after he picked up the call and his expression turned a bit solemn before dialing Tang Xiu¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°Hello. I¡¯m Xing Ting, the City Public Security Bureau Chief. You said that you¡¯re Tang Xiu from the Security Department, is that right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°This matter is too big, so please don¡¯t jest, Mr. Tang. You should also be aware of the consequences if you deceive us,¡± said Xing Ting.


    ¡°I already told you that you can contact your superior if you don¡¯t believe me,¡± replied Tang Xiu. ¡°He should be able to get in touch with the people in my department. Also, you can contact someone from the Special Ability Bureau. I¡¯m sure Duanmu Lin can confirm my identity as well.¡±


    The Special Ability Bureau and Duanmu Lin?


    Xing Ting¡¯s face changed enormously and looked panicked. The City Public Security Bureau Chief was but an ordinary position, and he couldn¡¯t have known the existence of Duanmu Lin at all. However, he was perfectly clear about this person since he had once been in contact with him during a major criminal case in the past. Only then did he learn that China had a Special Ability Bureau with ability users, and Duanmu Lin was the head of that agency.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for confirmation, Mr. Tang. Please tell me if you have any instructions for us. Our City Public Security Bureau will cooperate with you,¡± said Xing Ting with a respectful voice.


    ¡°I know that I have no jurisdiction over public law and order in Jingmen Island, but some people are now coming to disturb and bully me. He is said to be some kind of underworld kingpin in Jingmen Island. Hence, I decided to remove this trash at once. Bring your men to the Everlasting Feast Hall immediately to help me deal with the aftermath!¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Xing Ting¡¯s face turned black, for he didn¡¯t expect for Tang Xiu to criticize Jingmen Island¡¯s security problem. Never once it came to his mind that there were some bastards who were so ignorant and caused trouble for him now. Despite feeling helpless, he still replied respectfully, ¡°I¡¯ll take my men there right away, Mr. Tang. Do you mind disclosing who the responsible party is?¡±


    ¡°How many underground force leaders are there in Jingmen Island?¡± asked Tang Xiu back coldly.


    ¡°About this¡­¡±


    Xing Ting forced a bitter smile. His police department was of course very clear of how many underground forces there were in Jingmen Island. It was numerous, at least a dozen of them. Nevertheless, although some of their shady and criminal activities were against the law, they hadn¡¯t done anything that incited public wrath. Even though they committed crimes, they had always kept their activities in the dark and left no trace. That made it impossible for the police department to deal with them.


    ¡°Alright, seize the time and bring your men here! You¡¯ll know who they are after you come.¡±


    Xing Ting shook his head with a helpless face. After thinking about it for a moment, he immediately called the city leader to convey the situation. After the city leader heard Duanmu Lin¡¯s name, he immediately decided to go over in person.


    Back to the Everlasting Feast Hall, Tang Xiu waited for less than half an hour when more than a dozen cars rushed inside. Nobody stopped the convoy since the members of the Everlasting Feast Hall had received notification and orders in advance.


    Creak¡­


    As the sounds of brakes suddenly sounded, a lot of strong men with lethal weapons quickly came out of the cars with eyes threateningly glaring at Tang Xiu and his men. Guo Fugui came down from the car and stared dazedly as he saw Liu Hao¡¯s group of four under the other party¡¯s control. His expression immediately turned chilly as he walked towards Tang Xiu and the rest, asking in a grim voice, ¡°Which one of you call the shots here?¡±


    Tang Xiu opened his eyes and looked at him for a short while. Then, he let out a faint smile and said, ¡°Ah, how fate works in a marvelous way. You should have lived a noble and rich life all this time, just like your name implies. But who would¡¯ve thought that you would annoy me, making your fate take a sharp turn? It seems like your next destination is staying behind bars.¡±


    ¡± Hmph , so you are the one who calls the shots here, Brat!¡± said Guo Fugui contemptuously. ¡°I, Guo Fugui, know no fear. Those who can make me stay behind bars aren¡¯t yet born. Spit it out, where did your men hide Yang Yan?¡±

 Chapter 1012 - Criminals

    Chapter 1012: Criminals


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    ¡°I¡¯ve sent the siblings abroad, so you don¡¯t need to move your ass again in vain.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and calmly said, ¡°What about you? Why have you been chasing Yang Yan so hard? To think that you must put her death, do you know that the Huangs are no longer pursuing the matter about Zuo Daquan and Zuo Qing?¡±


    Guo Fugui was surprised and asked in a deep voice, ¡°You also know the matter between the Huang and Zuo Families? Who¡­ who are you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know me already?¡± asked Tang Xiu back smilingly. ¡°I¡¯m the owner of this Everlasting Feast Hall.¡±


    ¡°No way.¡± Gu Fugui frowned and shook his head. ¡°From what I know, the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s Boss is Gu Xiaoxue. Where the hell did you come from?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not your concern for you now since you must think about your own safety,¡± replied Tang Xiu. ¡°I already told you that my men are responsible to escort the Yang siblings away. You can find me if you don¡¯t like it, though I believe you¡¯ll regret it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll regret it? Just relying on you alone?¡± Guo Fugui sneered. ¡°Do you think you¡¯re that great just because you¡¯re the owner of the Everlasting Feast Hall? I¡¯m telling you brat! You must face me and the Huangs of the Fukang Province behind me since you¡¯re sheltering the Yang siblings! The Huangs want Zuo Daquan and Zuo Qing¡¯s lives and I wanna kill Yang Yan who helped Zuo Qing escape. You¡¯ll die if you don¡¯t give me an explanation today!¡±


    ¡°I told you all the grudges between the Huangs and Zuo Daquan have all been written off! The Huangs will no longer pursue Zuo Qing anymore. As for Yang Yan, she just helped her friend¡ªa favor to whom she paid her debt and got little to do with all the issues. You had better drag your men out of this place if you know what¡¯s good for you and never pester Zuo Qing and the Yang siblings anymore in the future. Remember, this is the chance I¡¯m giving you on the account of the Huang Patriarch, Huang Jinfu. You can choose otherwise, but then I won¡¯t spare you even if Huang Jinfu comes here!¡±


    Guo Fugui looked at Tang Xiu as though the young man was some kind of an idiot, sighing. ¡°Tsk, tsk. You know, Kid, who the fuck do you think you are? Are you taking me for an idiot? You did that on the account of Huang Jinfu¡¯s face? You got no idea how to read a dead word and the immensity of Heaven and Earth or something?¡±


    Having said that, he paced back a few steps and flung his hand down.


    Suddenly, dozens of strong men raised their machetes and other weapons. Some of them even pulled out their pistols and trained the muzzles at Tang Xiu and the rest.


    However, Tang Xiu was unmoved. But his expression turned frosty and he ordered, ¡°Men, you can discard them, but refrain from killing! Just pack up these social scum. At least you¡¯re reducing some harm to those good people outside.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, so heroic and true, aren¡¯t you?¡± Guo Fugui jeered. ¡°Do you think you¡¯re some lawman? It¡¯s so fucking funny!¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head yet again and just watched as Mo Awu¡¯s group of five threw themselves into the crowd in a flash. They were just like tigers that ran over a flock of sheep, using only a simple and brutal way to strike them. The other party simply had not enough time to fight back, even those middle-aged men armed with pistols and firearms had their tendons cut off by Mo Awu¡¯s dagger in a flash.


    In just a few seconds, dozens of ruthless men had been easily knocked down by Mo Awu¡¯s group of five. A thick smell of air wafted in the air along with miserable shrieks. Guo Fugui, who thought that victory was already in his hands, was dumbfounded and felt a frosty chill filling his heart.


    How is this possible?


    All of his men were talents he recruited himself and all had martial arts background. The most powerful of whom had participated in the martial arts competition and obtained top results.


    A faint smile crept up on Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he floated down from the car¡¯s roof and looked at the shocked Guo Fugui. ¡°I just gave you an opportunity. Pity that you chose to waste it. I don¡¯t care even if you mention anything about the Fukang Province¡¯s Huang Family anymore. Kneel and kowtow now if you don¡¯t wanna end up as miserable as your men!¡±


    Kneel down?!!


    Intense murderous intent burst in Guo Fugui¡¯s eyes. He may not have absolute power in Jingmen all these years, yet he was never one who was at the mercy of others either. If he acted like a soft coward, how could he set a foothold in Jingmen Island in the future? How would he still have the face to face others later?


    Suddenly, he grabbed a pistol from his waist and stepped back while facing Tang Xiu. ¡°Your men are very powerful. They are just as good as the martial arts grandmasters I know. But I wanna see if they are faster than bullets. Don¡¯t force my hand. I¡¯ve won many shooting competitions, and blasting your head is very easy for me.¡±


    ¡°WOW!¡± Tang Xiu applauded and chuckled. ¡°No wonder you can have such big businesses in Jingmen Island. But you seem to have made a mistake. Didn¡¯t you see that your men also have guns and how they ended up?¡±


    Complexion turning as white as a sheet, Guo Fugui called out densely, ¡°They were just taken out by your men by surprise, no biggie. I don¡¯t wanna kill you, Kid. But don¡¯t force my hand. Let¡¯s end this shit for now, but you must give me an explanation for letting Yang Yan go!¡±


    ¡°Hmph. You got no idea how blind and reckless you are.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and snorted.


    Whoosh¡­


    Mo Awu¡¯s figure flickered and instantly appeared in front of Guo Fugui. As his hand caught the gun in Guo Fugui¡¯s hand lightning-fast, his other hand punched Guo Fugui¡¯s cheek, causing the man to scream out and his cheekbone caved in. His body then flew to the right and slammed down.


    BAM¡­


    Guo Fugui¡¯s burly and vigorous body fell on the concrete floor. The man felt the pain he had never felt for a very long time on his cheek and body as he fell.


    Tang Xiu just glanced at him apathetically and said in a deep voice, ¡°Stun all of them and let them wrap their injuries. I don¡¯t want them to die in our place.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Mo Awu¡¯s group of five immediately broke the legs of those who had fallen to the ground wailing. After stunning them, they quickly took out the bandages to treat their bleeding injuries.


    A few minutes later, police flashing lights were seen as more than a dozen police cars came roaring. Tang Xiu and the rest watched them come as they quickly came to the parking lot. A lot of policemen and SWAT members rushed out of the cars as they aimed their guns at Tang Xiu and the rest.


    Li Daoren, who was the city leader and was the most powerful man in Jingmen Island, inhaled cold air upon seeing the scene in front. But Xing Ting and Wang Sen had their eyes bulged out and looked horrified. Despite being experienced in leading the operation to fight against many lawless elements, where could they have seen such a scene? A total of forty-odd people fell on the ground like dead dogs, unknown if they were still alive or dead. The rest of the policemen were so shocked by the scene that their hands were slightly trembling.


    Li Daoren strode forward and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Which one of you is Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± answered Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Tang. Please show me your credentials.¡± Li Daoren nodded.


    Tang Xiu directly took out the green book of the Security Department and handed it over to him, saying, ¡°You¡¯re not bad for coming over in such a short time. However, I¡¯m really disappointed with the public security order in Jingmen Island. I just rescued two people late at night from these people, and then they came here to retaliate and kill me in my own place. Just look at the weapons, pistols, and other firearms on the ground, for god¡¯s sake! Don¡¯t you know these people are supposed to be the black forces?¡±


    Upon seeing several large characters inscribed on the green notebook, Li Daoren¡¯s pupils instantly shrunk. He flipped the papers a few times, then he gave it back to Tang Xiu and said bitterly, ¡°I¡¯m Li Daoren, Secretary of Jingmen Island. I apologize to you, Mr. Tang. You can rest assured that I¡¯ll thoroughly investigate this matter to prevent it from happening again in the future.¡±


    ¡°As a city official, providing a peaceful living and working environment for the common people is the minimum responsibility. The Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s security guards have subdued these criminals, so I¡¯ll hand them all to you.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°These people have violated the laws, I assure you that they will face trial by law.¡± Li Daoren immediately nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you, Mr. Tang. If it weren¡¯t for you, I¡¯m afraid all these felons would go unpunished and be beyond the arm of the law!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my duty and responsibility, there¡¯s no need to be polite,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Also, the leader¡¯s name is Guo Fugui. I heard he has quite a power in Jingmen Island with many shady and illegal businesses. I hope you can completely investigate all the bad deeds this man has done.¡±


    The Police Chief, Xing Ting, immediately replied, ¡°I¡¯m Xing Ting, the City Police Department¡¯s Chief, Mr. Tang. I must apologize for everything that happened today. You can rest assured that we will completely investigate Guo Fugui inside out aside from the crime he has committed today. We¡¯ll leave no stone unturned and throw him into the prison if there¡¯s anything else.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then. Take them away!¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    At this time, two SUVs drove fast and entered as they quickly stopped next to the police cars. Ouyang Lei, surrounded by several strong men, pushed the police blockade aside and came toward Tang Xiu and Li Daoren, asking with a curious face, ¡°What happened here and why are you here too, Uncle?¡±


    Li Daoren pointed to Tang Xiu and answered, ¡°It was an emergency call from the Security Department official, Mr. Tang. He found some criminals attacking the Everlasting Feast Hall, so I came here personally. What about you? It¡¯s so late at night and you¡¯re still up. What are you here for?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Tang Xiu is from the Security Department? That¡¯s so damn amazing!¡± exclaimed Ouyang Lei with a strange expression. ¡°Anyway, you don¡¯t recall anything about Tang Xiu¡¯s identity, Uncle?¡±


    ¡°Ehh? What identity are you talking about?¡± asked Li Daoren back with a confused face.


    Cough, cough¡­


    Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh. He never dreamed that Li Daoren, whom he just gave a sermon, turned out to be Ouyang Lei and Ouyang Lulu¡¯s uncle. That meant he should also call him Uncle according to seniority, right?


    Ouyang Lei looked at Li Daoren first before shifting to Tang Xiu, who wore a forced, dry smile. He immediately burst into laughter and said, ¡°Oh my¡­ Uncle, how many people in China are called Tang Xiu? Which Tang Xiu could it be other than the one who is related to the Ouyang Family?

 Chapter 1013 - A Little Fairy

    Chapter 1013: A Little Fairy


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Li Daoren flinched, before recalling something all of a sudden. A quaint expression was suddenly cast on his face. ¡°I remember¡­ aren¡¯t you Lulu¡¯s¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu continued his words with a dry smile, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m Lulu¡¯s boyfriend. Anyways¡­ Secretary Li¡­ I didn¡¯t know that you were her uncle before, so I got¡­ well, a bit overboard. Please don¡¯t mind. Cough, cough¡­¡±


    Li Daoren touched his nose, at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh. He knew who Tang Xiu was. Be it his famous reputation as a miracle-working doctor in Chinese traditional medicine or from his niece, Ouyang Lulu. It was just due to the prior incidents that Tang Xiu¡¯s identity didn¡¯t come to his mind. Now that he learned about it, it did feel really¡­ awkward, to think that he got lectured by his junior.


    However, Tang Xiu¡¯s identity as a member of the Security Department was nevertheless still a shocking fact to him. ¡°I had no idea, either. I¡¯ve been wanting to meet Lulu¡¯s boyfriend, yet I never thought that I¡¯d meet him like this. Anyway, Lei, why did you come here in the middle of the night, though?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about the treasure our family got recently, Uncle,¡± replied Ouyang Lei with a smile. ¡°I brought it here for Tang Xiu to have a look, so we agreed to meet here an hour ago. But I didn¡¯t expect that such incident happened here either.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then I won¡¯t ask any more about the things between you two.¡± Li Daoren nodded and said, ¡°Well, Tang Xiu, you¡¯re Lulu¡¯s boyfriend, so we¡¯re relatives. But remember to bring her to visit me later, got it? And give my regards to Senior Tang too.¡±


    ¡°Ehh?¡± Tang Xiu nodded and asked curiously asked, ¡°Do you know my grandfather?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. My father used to be Senior Tang¡¯s bodyguard. But he retired after he got injured and has been living in Jingmen Island since. I met Senior Tang with my father about 20 years ago.¡±


    Tang Xiu instantly understood and felt much closer to Li Daoren as he smilingly said, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll follow Lulu and call you uncle as well, then. I¡¯ll definitely pass your regards to my grandfather.¡±


    Li Daoren happily nodded and smilingly said, ¡°It¡¯s truly a blessing for Lulu to have a talented young man such as you as her boyfriend. But make sure to treat her well in the future, or I forbid you to call me uncle.¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± replied Tang Xiu smilingly.


    Just like their fast arrival, Li Daoren and the people from the police department left very quickly. In just ten minutes, they had taken away Guo Fugui and his men, leaving only the smell of blood wafting in the air. Due to Tang Xiu¡¯s identity, only Gu Xiaoxue dealt with the police tape, so the fate Guo Fugui ended up with later had nothing to do with Tang Xiu anymore.


    However, Tang Xiu thought that he should find some time to visit the Patriarch of the Huang Family of the Fukang Province, Huang Jinfu, since Guo Fugui and the Huangs seemed a bit related.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu and Ouyang Lei came to a spacious room in the restaurant under Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s leadership. She then took a seat silently after serving the two men tea.


    Ouyang Lei glanced at Gu Xiaoxue and forced a smile. ¡°You know, if I didn¡¯t have a girlfriend already, I¡¯d have lost my mind sitting in front of you, Ms. Gu. I¡¯ve seen tons of belles, but I can¡¯t seem to pick one all over the world who can compare to you.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying I¡¯m much prettier than your little sis Lulu, Ouyang Lei?¡± replied Gu Xiaoxue with a faint smile.


    Ouyang Lei looked black for a second before letting out a hollow chuckle.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not waste time dilly-dallying, Brother Lei,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Show me the treasure. You really got my curiosity piqued. What exactly is it?¡±


    Ouyang Lei nodded, lifted up a lock combination suitcase and placed it on the coffee table. After entering several number combinations, the suitcase was then opened.


    ¡°This is the treasure my family has found, Tang Xiu. No one among archeologists, historians, and even famous collectors in China knows what this thing is. Take a look at it. It would be great if you can identify it.¡±


    A look of intense disbelief covered Tang Xiu¡¯s face upon seeing the oval object in the suitcase. It was an object he never dreamed that he would see it again in this life.


    ¡°How did you get this thing?¡± Asked Tang Xiu after barely being able to raise his head.


    Ouyang Lei¡¯s face shifted. He didn¡¯t rush answering Tang Xiu and asked back instead, ¡°Do you know what this is?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression was a bit ugly and his eyes looked a bit hazy. Yet, that haziness brought out a vague painful feeling as he replied in a low voice, ¡°No one knows about this object better than me in this world. No one.¡±


    His response made Ouyang Lei realize Tang Xiu¡¯s unusualness. Despite the eagerness to find out about the object, he said, ¡°A distant uncle of the Ouyangs sent his men to an overseas island to catch some fierce beasts recently. It was to prepare to make wine with the beast¡¯s viscera soaked in it. Eventually, they killed a beast and brought its body back and found this thing after dissecting it.¡±


    The object was found in the fierce beast¡¯s body?


    Tang Xiu slowly closed his eyes. He thought that it was indeed the only possibility for this object to not be eroded, as it would otherwise scatter if it were to be exposed to the air for several years.


    After a while, Tang Xiu opened his eyes. His fingers trembled a bit as he gently picked up the oval object and held it. There was a pained expression as he quietly caressed it for a long time. ¡°I just said that no one knows about this better than I do in this world. It¡¯s because I refined this object myself.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ouyang Lei was surprised and pursued. ¡°You were the one who manufactured this thing?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°Give me this thing, Brother Lei. I¡¯m willing to exchange it with anything your family needs.¡±


    ¡°Say what?¡± Ouyang Lei was shocked by Tang Xiu¡¯s words, difficulty betraying his face.


    ¡°I refined this object, so this thing belongs to me. It¡¯s indeed a treasure in my hand, but useless for others. There are only two people in this world who can open it,¡± explained Tang Xiu.


    ¡°In can be opened?!¡± Ouyang Lei stared dazedly and looked confused. ¡°What do you mean by that? Does this thing has space inside, like there¡¯s something stored inside?¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t answer any of his questions and bit his finger. He forced a drop of blood of his and drew a quaint rune with his blood on the oval object. In that instant, the ancient rune turned into tiny stars of blood that constantly spread out on the oval object.


    Crack¡­


    The object was opened and a glittering white pearl appeared in front of Tang Xiu, Ouyang Lei, and Gu Xiaoxue.


    There was a complicated look on Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he picked up an egg-sized white pearl while muttering to himself, ¡°An oath of eternal love that was made for two trees that tied for eternity in the previous life; for the everlasting union of your heart and mine that would last until the end of our lives. Yet now it feels so ridiculous, leaving only the most painful feeling of betrayal¡­¡±


    Buzz¡­


    A brilliant glow emanated from the white pearl in his hand and gradually dissipated in just a few seconds. A little fairy appeared in front of Tang Xiu flapping her wings, her eyes staring wide with curiosity as she looked around. As her eyes fell on Tang Xiu, she blinked and asked, ¡°W-who are you? Why do I feel that you¡¯re so familiar? Ah, Master¡­ where¡¯s my Master? She hasn¡¯t summoned Little Wu out for a very long time.¡±


    Tang Xiu inhaled a deep breath. A murderous intention arose in him as he snapped. ¡°SHUT UP!!!¡±


    The little fairy trembled a bit and looked frightened. After flying out from Tang Xiu¡¯s palm and standing in the air five-plus meters away, she said, ¡°Y-you scolded Little Wuwu¡­ Little Wuwu wants to scold you back¡­. B-but why can¡¯t Little Wuwu lash out at you? Who are you? Why does Wuwu feel familiar with you? You feel so familiar, but Wuwu has never seen you.¡±


    ¡°I told you to shut up!¡± said Tang Xiu fiercely. ¡°If you dare to say a word, I¡¯ll use the Nine Lotus Karmic Flame to burn you to ashes.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    The little fairy looked horrified and flew to the wall in the distance, wings flapping yet trembling. She just suspended there with eyes staring wide, afraid of uttering any sounds. She recalled that no one but her Master¡¯s outstanding husband, the Supreme Tang Xiu, was able to unleash the Nine Lotus Karmic Flame.


    It was no wonder that she felt that his aura was so awfully familiar. It turned out that he was her Master¡¯s husband, just that his appearance was different.


    The little fairy was anxious to ask where her Master was, but she could only look at Tang Xiu without saying a word after seeing the boiling murderous intent on his face. He also threatened her to not utter any more words just now.


    Tang Xiu took another deep breath. He then looked at Ouyang Lei and said, ¡°Brother Lei, forgive me since it¡¯s inconvenient to tell you about it. I have a deep relationship with her Master. I was also the one who refined her container. Give it to me and you can ask for any compensation you want.¡±


    Ouyang Lei stood dumbly after witnessing the appearance of the little fairy. He would probably stay in a daze for a very long time if not for Tang Xiu¡¯s words pulling him back to reality.


    ¡°I¡­¡± He gulped down and looked a bit lost.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a while, then suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you an immortal tool. The real one with infinite power that¡¯s definitely the divine armament for cultivators.¡±


    An immortal weapon?


    Ouyang Lei shot a look at the little fairy and thought about the immortal weapon. He immediately slapped his thigh and exclaimed, ¡°It¡¯s a deal. I¡¯ll take responsibility!¡±


    Tang Xiu turned to Gu Xiaoxue and said, ¡°Remember to take an immortal sword from Ji Chimei and deliver it to the Ouyangs. Also, teach them the technique to manipulate the immortal sword.¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue was likewise in shock at the moment. But as a cultivator at the Golden Core Stage, she had a firmer mind than Ouyang Lei, so she calmly nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll ask Elder Ji for an immortal sword when I see her later.¡±


    Tang Xiu then shifted to the confused-looking little fairy. His fingers moved and made a seal. A stream of qi wrapped the fairy and pulled her into the oval container.


    ¡°Don¡¯t shut Little Wuwu, please. Wuwu doesn¡¯t want to stay inside anymore.¡± The fairy frantically screamed, ¡°Please, let Wuwu out. Wuwu wants to see Master. Sob, sob¡­ Wuwu misses Master.

 Chapter 1014 - Domineering

    Chapter 1014: Domineering


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Without any shred of pity, Tang Xiu resolutely shut the oval container. The little fairy¡¯s cry was completely shut and he put the vessel into the interspatial ring. Just as he was about to speak, Gu Yan¡¯er suddenly appeared in front of him.


    ¡°I just sensed the appearance of a spiritual being, Master,¡± said Gu Yan¡¯er with a puzzled look. She was donning her usual white attire.


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s the spoiled princess of the Violet Fairy Clan whom I happened to meet. I bought her from the slave trader after her clan was destroyed. I have no idea how she came to Earth, but something is sure to be related to her.¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s face slightly changed. It was the woman she never liked Tang Xiu mentioning. She hesitated for a moment and then said, ¡°Do you perhaps want me to exterminate this Violet Fairy Princess?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯ll need to use her to verify something.¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er nodded wordlessly.


    At the moment Ouyang Lei saw Gu Yan¡¯er, he seemed to be struck by lightning that paralyzed his whole person. He had seen numerous beauties, even the best-looking ones, yet he was sure that none of them could compare to Gu Yan¡¯er. She was simply a Goddess who possessed a holy and sacred beauty that stirred his very soul and made his heart beat faster.


    He once heard that such a holy and pure beautiful Goddess must only be gazed at from the distance and was not be blasphemed. It was the saying he had always been scornful at; something that people exaggerated since there was no such woman in this world. But now, he believed it. He even thought that it would be blasphemy if he looked at her directly.


    ¡°B-B¡­ future bro-in-law, w-who¡­ who is she?¡±


    After he woke up from his daze, he stutteringly asked with a blushing face and thumping heart.


    Tang Xiu looked at him with an odd expression and answered, ¡°She¡¯s my disciple and the founder of this Everlasting Feast Hall. Why?¡±


    ¡°Come again?!!¡±


    Ouyang Lei was utterly dumbfounded. This soul-shaking beauty in front of him looked like she was just 20 years old. How could she be the founder of the Everlasting Feast Hall? Everyone knows this restaurant was founded decades ago. There was no way its founder was younger than 20-odd years, right? So to say¡­ this goddess¡­ was already 40-something-years-old?!


    He didn¡¯t notice that Gu Yan¡¯er was looking at him with chilling eyes after he called Tang Xiu with that address. Neither did he feel that the temperature around him had dropped several degrees.


    ¡°Are you making fun of me, future bro-in-law? I can barely accept if she¡¯s your disciple. But it¡¯s impossible for her to be the founder of the Everlasting Feast Hall! How old is she and how long has the Everlasting Feast Hall been founded for?¡± Ouyang Lei finally no longer stuttered as he asked in disbelief.


    ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± Gu Yan¡¯er was longer able to endure and angrily snapped. ¡°If you address Master like that again, I¡¯ll take your soul away and burn it with the Nine Hells Flame until your soul scatters into nothingness and you never reincarnate!¡±


    Address?


    Never did it occur to Ouyang Lei that such a breathtaking beauty would go ballistic at him with such vicious words all of a sudden.


    But¡­ it is just the correct address, right? Tang Xiu is my Sis¡¯s boyfriend, so calling him my future bro-in-law since they haven¡¯t married yet is the proper address, no?


    ¡°Yan¡¯er.¡±


    Although Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want Ouyang Lei to address him as ¡°future brother-in-law¡± either, this guy was still Ouyang Lulu¡¯s older brother. He didn¡¯t want to make him look ugly regardless. Not to mention that this fella just gave him a favor by bringing the Violet Fairy.


    Gu Yan¡¯er came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side and immediately wrapped Tang Xiu¡¯s hand with her right after she took a seat, saying with an unhappy face, ¡°Master, Yan¡¯er doesn¡¯t want you to be addressed as such. Besides, you haven¡¯t married his sister. He can¡¯t just advance a relationship like this. If you don¡¯t want him to address you as such, then I¡¯ll seal his mouth.¡±


    Cough, cough¡­


    Tang Xiu coughed a few times and glanced at the stunned and shrunk Ouyang Lei. He let out a dry chuckle and said, ¡°Yan¡¯er, Ouyang Lei is Lulu¡¯s brother. He¡¯s one of us. Talk a bit more politely to him, alright. Also, Ouyang Lei. Pay attention to what you speak out later and please don¡¯t use ¡®future brother-in-law¡¯ to address me. Naming someone sometimes will make others resentful.¡±


    Nodding like a chicken pecking rice, Ouyang Lei hurriedly replied, ¡°No¡­ alright¡­ Tang Xiu brother. I¡¯ll never call you with a random address later then. Uh¡­ well¡­ Ms. Yan¡¯er¡­ I¡¯m really sorry about the jokes I made. Please don¡¯t mind it.¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s face changed again and she scornfully replied, ¡°No one can call me Yan¡¯er beside Master! Those who did have died already, so keep in mind that I¡¯m surnamed Gu!¡±


    Ouyang Lei was really vexed. He would¡¯ve been snapped already if it wasn¡¯t the fact that this goddess was too beautiful. While suppressing his depression, he let out a dry smile and said, ¡°I understand, Ms. Gu.¡±


    At his reply, Gu Yan¡¯er snorted and turned to look at Tang Xiu. Her tone changed again and spoke with a bit of coy, ¡°Master, there¡¯s something Yan¡¯er was wanting to tell you in private.¡±


    Feeling helpless inwardly, Tang Xiu was well aware that it was Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s way of kicking Ouyang Lei out. He looked at the fella with a dry smile and said, ¡°Well, you should go back first if there¡¯s nothing else, Brother Lei! I¡¯ll send the immortal sword to the Ouyang residence through Xiaoxue in two days at most.¡±


    ¡°Ehh? What immortal sword, Master?¡± asked Gu Yan¡¯er curiously.


    ¡°The Ouyangs found the Violet Fairy for me, so I promised to compensate them with an immortal sword,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    Gu Yan¡¯er understood instantly and took a finely shaped immortal sword from her interspatial ring. She threw it to Ouyang Lei and said, ¡°This is the immortal sword Master promised you. Take the sword and go quickly! It¡¯s in the middle of the night and my Master must rest even if you don¡¯t!¡±


    It made Ouyang Lei so depressed that he wanted to vomit blood. He couldn¡¯t figure out why such a beautiful goddess like Gu Yan¡¯er would be so relentless to trample his feelings. She just euphemistically drove him away, and now blatantly kicked him out. It was Tang Xiu who asked him to come here, for God¡¯s sake! Why would he rush to Everlasting Feast Hall at this time otherwise?!


    As he got up and prepared to leave, he suddenly recalled something very important and said with a hollow smile, ¡°Well, uh¡­ Ms. Gu, I still have something to ask Tang Xiu, you see¡­¡±


    ¡°Just say it if you shill have something to say,¡± replied Tang Xiu with an expression being at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh.


    ¡°Well, you haven¡¯t taught me the technique to refine and control this immortal sword! It¡¯s kinda useless for me to take it back, no?!¡± said Ouyang Lei with a somewhat peculiar face.


    Without waiting for Tang Xiu¡¯s reply, Gu Yan¡¯er raised her fair hand and flicked a series of golden runes to enter Ouyang Lei¡¯s soul sea. ¡°That¡¯s the technique to refine and manipulate the immortal sword. I¡¯ve directly engraved it in your soul sea. You can learn it yourself later after you go back.¡±


    Yet, it made Ouyang Lei stunned in fright as fear frantically erupted in his heart. He truly found many golden runes in his mind all of a sudden; a very strange situation that far exceeded his cognition.


    ¡°Brother Lei, Yan¡¯er is correct. She has sent the technique to refine and manipulate the immortal sword into your soul sea, so you can learn it after you back,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Ouyang Lei stood up, still looking dazed and walked out of the room with the immortal sword as he came to the parking lot. He looked as if he just awakened from a dream as he sat in his S-series Mercedes Benz, sobering up with cold sweat due to fright. Ignoring his men¡¯s inquiries about where to go, he quickly looked at the golden runes as they immediately changed to tiny rays of light that fluttered in his soul sea and dissipated in just a few seconds.


    This is so fantastic. Very mysterious! If someone keeps using this mysterious method to put all kinds of knowledge into my brain, then I only need to look at it and just master it completely! That¡¯s so fucking cool!


    But how did she do it, though? Is this a technique any cultivator can perform? If so, I must become one in the future, so I can also perform this kind of marvelous technique!


    Ouyang Lei clenched his fist and waved it a few times before loudly issuing an order, ¡°Go back to the family!¡±


    ****


    Inside the room.


    Tang Xiu looked at Gu Yan¡¯er and asked, ¡°You just said that you got something to talk about. What is it?¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er chuckled. ¡°Uh, hehe. It was just an excuse to make Ouyang Lei leave. Anyway, I¡¯ve already collected the exquisite pagoda, Master. When are we going to Nine Dragons Island?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re setting out now!¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°The place has been hectic for the last two days and there are also traces of cultivators. Letting the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s members fight those people without proper preparation in advance is bound to inflict losses on us. Besides, the existence of the Nine Dragons Island must not be exposed, so I¡¯m planning to find a deserted island and lay out a large geomancy array there to attract the attention of practitioners all over the world.¡±


    ¡°You can hand over the matter to me, Master,¡± said Gu Yan¡¯er smilingly.


    ¡°No.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°The Heavenly Dao of this plane is suppressing you. Even if you have the power of an immortal, you cannot easily unleash it here. Besides, you have yet to recover from your injuries, so you mustn¡¯t use your ability too much. I¡¯ll do the work and you only need to place the exquisite pagoda and recuperate inside it later.¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er gave it a thought and nodded. ¡°Yan¡¯er will follow your arrangements, Master.¡±


    Quickly, Tang Xiu, Gu Yan¡¯er, and Gu Xiaoxue appeared in the parking lot, where a dozen members of the Everlasting Feast Hall had arrived and were waiting for them.


    Tang Xiu glanced around at them before his vision landed on Chi Nan and said, ¡°Chi Nan, you¡¯re staying here to take care of the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s business. You¡¯re the general manager of the restaurant from now on. Someone else will come a year later to replace you, so you can go to Nine Dragons Island to cultivate.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Instinctively, Chi Nan wanted to decline since she really wanted to go to Nine Dragons Island to fight with those who had been harassing the island. However, under Tang Xiu¡¯s gaze, she could only brace herself to nod and accept the assignment.


    ¡°I know you feel wronged.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°But you know, you¡¯ll have a double allotment of annual resources from the headquarters for each year as your compensation!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Boss!¡± Most of Chi Nan¡¯s depressed emotions dissipated upon hearing this.

 Chapter 1015 - Establishing Tang Sect

    Chapter 1015: Establishing Tang Sect


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The distance from Jingmen Island to Nine Dragons Island was more than 500km and would take a day or two to journey there by normal means. However, it would only need a few seconds with Gu Yan¡¯er bringing Tang Xiu and a dozen members of the Everlasting Feast Hall and arriving outside the Nine Dragons Island¡¯s array.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that only Master can lay out such a sophisticated great array on the whole Earth. Even Ji Chimei won¡¯t be able to arrange it as well as you, Master.¡± Gu Yan¡¯er sighed in admiration with a smile.


    At her comment, Tang Xiu slightly smiled. He then looked at the dozen core member of the Everlasting Feast Hall who looked shocked and dumbfounded, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s not waste time here. Besides, it¡¯s easy to enter with your strength.¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er faintly smiled before her figure flickered and she suddenly appeared on the square in front of the palace of Nine Dragons Island. Dozens of figures flickered and moved lightning-fast as the experts around appeared in front of the group in just a few breaths.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    More than ten experts looked pleasantly surprised, saluting to Tang Xiu and Gu Yan¡¯er.


    Waving his hand, Tang Xiu ordered, ¡°Go tend to your work! Also, tell Awen to see me.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Quickly, a dozen men dispersed, whereas Mo Awen, who had received the notice, appeared before Tang Xiu and Gu Yan¡¯er at his fastest speed. An exciting look flashed in his eyes especially upon seeing Gu Yan¡¯er as he reverentially bowed at her.


    ¡°Awen, they just came here, so you are to settle them first. Then, summon all the core members to the assembly point. I have important things to announce,¡± ordered Tang Xiu.


    Mo Awu received the order and nodded repeatedly before leaving with more than a dozen of people. He already knew his Boss¡¯ personality¡ªTang Xiu would never rush to summon everyone if there was no important matter to report. Ever since most of the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s core members arrived in Nine Dragons Island, the Boss had also taught them at the small conference hall.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    Gu Yin looked like a dancing butterfly flying in the air with her color dress fluttering. Her crisp laughter wafted in the air from the distance before she flung herself and hugged Tang Xiu affectionately.


    With a beaming face, Tang Xiu picked her up and hugged her. After turning her around twice, he put her down and smilingly said, ¡°Yinyin, greet your Senior Sister.¡±


    Gu Yin gazed at Gu Yan¡¯er and immediately imitated the posture of the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s members and saluted. ¡°Yinyin pays respect to Senior Sister.¡±


    A smile outlined on the corner of Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s mouth. She then handed her a top-grade immortal sword along with some ancient talismans. While smiling, she spoke, ¡°I give you the immortal sword with its refining and manipulating art. There are also some secret arts I once comprehended for you to learn. You¡¯ll be able to read the secret art¡¯s contents once you reach the Nascent Soul Stage. Also, Yinyin, you have a special physique; one that is very rare in the Immortal World. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll have limitless achievements in the future if you practice diligently.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely work hard and cultivate diligently, Senior Sister.¡± Gu Yin firmly nodded and said, ¡°You can expect me to protect you and Master in the future.¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Gu Yan¡¯er covered her mouth and chuckled while gently stroking Gu Yin¡¯s black hair affectionately.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu introduced Mu Qingping to Gu Yan¡¯er who also came. Having experienced many things in the Immortal World, Gu Yan¡¯er was naturally aware of what it meant for being her Master¡¯s steward. It meant that Mu Qingping was someone her Master trusted the most, while also being Gu Yin¡¯s mother. Thus, she acted very politely to her, though her mannerisms made Mu Qingping feel flattered greatly.


    Two hours later, apart from the dozen of the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s core members who were performing their mission around the world, everyone else on the island had rushed to the main assembly hall in the central area of Nine Dragons Island. The hall was large enough to accommodate 100,000 people, so it looked pretty empty with only a little more than 100 people inside now.


    With hands crossed behind his back, Tang Xiu stood straight on the podium on the northern end of the site. On his left was Gu Yan¡¯er, Mu Qingping on the right, while his eyes glanced around at more than 100 core members of the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    ¡°Everyone is here, Boss.¡± Mo Awen came from the outside of the venue lightning-fast and respectfully reported as he came before Tang Xiu.


    After Tang Xiu nodded at him, Mo Awen returned to the orderly row below the stage. Then, he started speaking in a deep voice, ¡°Today is the time most of the core members of the Everlasting Feast Hall gathered together. Even my disciple Gu Yan¡¯er is also attending. We¡¯ve been getting along for nearly two years now, so I believe all of you have already understood my character and temper. Herein I announce that the Everlasting Feast Hall is now dissolved. But today is also the day our new sect is established! Now I¡¯m asking you all. Who among you is unhappy? Those who feel so can quit now. But if you all choose to stay, you will be demanded unquestionable loyalty for you will face battles and required to be more formidable and powerful in the future!¡±


    ¡°Is there anyone who wants to quit?¡±


    Nearly 200 people in the entire assembly hall looked at Tang Xiu with solemn looks. No one spoke and only firm and fanatical looks were on their faces. They raised their right fists, placing them on their left chest.


    ¡°Very good!¡± Tang Xiu continued with a satisfied look. ¡°I will need you all to follow me in the future; to fight side-by-side with me. You will fight and kill millions of enemies; to contend will myriads of races. All of you will follow me to step on the mountain of corpses and bathe in the sea of blood to fight our way to reach the apex in the Immortal World, the Demon Realm, Monster Realm, Spirit Realm, Buddhist Realm, Ghost Realm, as well as countless mysterious small worlds. As long as you live and as long as you follow my footsteps, there will appear some among you who will follow me to the higher plane of the God¡¯s Realm far above the immortals, demons, monsters, and spirits!


    ¡°The immortals are existences you look up to, like would Gods to me. Following me means that you must be prepared to kill the immortals and kill the gods when you encounter them. You might be fated to meet your death where your souls may be spirited away and disappear forever in the world. But as long as you live, you¡¯ll be able to become the existences that countless people will look up to.


    ¡°The Everlasting Feast Hall was built by Yan¡¯er as a small force, a temporary means to find me. From now on, the Everlasting Feast Hall will serve as a pure restaurant, a business in the land of China to make money for buying resources. But now¡­ we need a much stronger society. And that is a sect!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Tang Sect. Our sect is called Tang Sect from henceforth, and I¡¯ll be its first Sect Master!¡±


    When Tang Xiu¡¯s speech came to this point, his countenance turned extremely solemn. He looked at the excited and thrilled members and felt satisfied inwardly. He could sense their respects and worship. He could also feel that they loved this collective society, be it the Everlasting Feast Hall or the now Tang Sect.


    It was a deep sense of belonging and support that were the very foundation of a sect!


    It was very difficult for a single tree to become a forest. Only the sense of belonging, approval, and supports of many people could the entire sect develop and become much stronger and stronger in the future.


    ¡°Tang Sect!¡±


    ¡°Tang Sect!¡±


    ¡°Tang Sect!¡±


    The yells were like the roaring waves as they soared tens of meters high and pierced through the roof. The voices streaked into the sky, causing all the Heaven and Earth to tremble.


    At the same time, the sunny sky above the vault of heaven turned dim all of a sudden. In just half a minute, clouds gathered along with flashes of lightning and the rumbling of thunder!


    Antiquity aura loomed over the Nine Dragons Island while gigantic pressure fell down from the firmament. In but a flash, the Nine Dragons Island was shaking as though it would be broken at any time.


    Standing beside Tang Xiu, Gu Yan¡¯er looked grim and cold. Her figure flickered and she instantly disappeared as she appeared hundreds of meters high in the sky in a flash. A sword slashed into the sky unleashing constant fearsome might. In just a flash, the world fell still.


    ¡°BREAK!¡±


    A hazy shadow detached from Gu Yan¡¯er and expanded ten million times in a flash. Just like a towering pillar that supported the sky, the sword light shattered the dark clouds and lightning blasts. The invisible gigantic net hidden in the dark clouds and the lightning were torn apart and shattered by the sword formed by the phantom.


    Then, the clouds unfolded while the lightning and thunders dissipated.


    As the world reverted back to its sunny sky, Gu Yan¡¯er crazily coughed up a mouthful of blood. Yet she looked frenzied and wildly laughed at the firmament before her body fell downward.


    Tang Xiu and the nearly 200 members of Tang Sect rushed out of the assembly hall. Although they didn¡¯t witness what Gu Yan¡¯er had done, they could guess some of it.


    ¡°Yan¡¯er!!!¡±


    Tang Xiu was so angry and furious for he never dreamed that the establishment of the Tang Sect would trigger such a world phenomenon. He never expected that the Heavenly Dao of this plane would sense him and even sent down the Heavenly Lightning Wrath. Neither did he expect that Gu Yan¡¯er would be so rash to straightly faced against and break the power of the Heavenly Dao.


    His figure turned like a rocket shell and instantly appeared hundreds of meters high mid-air to hug Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s falling body. Tang Xiu looked at the bloodstain on her lips, yet wore a beaming smile. He couldn¡¯t help but scold her with concern and distress. ¡°Did you want to die or something? You have yet to recover from serious injuries. Use your head before you do something in the future, disobedient girl! Regardless of the Heavenly Dao punishment and the Thunder Baptism it sent down, they won¡¯t be able to break through the shield array I¡¯ve arranged on this island, nor will it affect anyone here.¡±


    Gu Yan¡¯er coughed a few times. She rubbed her delicate face on Tang Xiu¡¯s chest and weakly said, ¡°I won¡¯t let even the Heavenly Dao bully you, Master. The Tang Sect is the first sect you¡¯ve established and the family you will devote your blood and efforts to. Yan¡¯er must protect Master and the Tang Sect even if it costs me my life.¡±


    Tang Xiu shivered inwardly and just looked at Gu Yan¡¯er¡¯s beaming face. He didn¡¯t blame her again and gently kissed her forehead, murmuring, ¡°I may have done a lot of good deeds in my life, but the most correct decision I¡¯ve made was to raise you up and take you as a disciple.¡±


    His murmur made Gu Yan¡¯er elated. The ripple of happiness filled her heart and her eyes were full of joy like spring waves surging with brilliance. She grasped Tang Xiu¡¯s hand and whispered, ¡°I¡¯ll always be your disciple and child, but I¡¯m not satisfied, Master. I still want to be your woman, to live with you for generations to come until the universe meets its demise. No longer will Yan¡¯er be willing to be separated from Master even if the Immortal World and the God¡¯s realm go old and face destruction!¡±


    Tang Xiu no longer spoke and just hugged her tighter. Be it her status as his disciple or woman, he was perfectly conscious at this moment as he hugged her. Gu Yan¡¯er had already taken root in his heart, even in the deepest recess of his soul. The feeling that was such would never be easy to be touched again.


    Once upon a time, there were only two women who took root deep in his heart. One was his mother, Su Lingyun, who had been haunting his dreams back when he was in the Immortal World for thousands of years. The other one was his beloved wife, Xue Qingcheng. And yet, she was also the very one who created a wound his heart and soul.


    And now, there was another one in his heart¡ªGu Yan¡¯er.

 Chapter 1016 - The Embryonic Form

    Chapter 1016: The Embryonic Form


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The Tang Sect had been established and its disciples received many cultivation resources as rewards from Ji Chimei and the magic swords Tang Xiu had refined since he didn¡¯t have any immortal swords to bestow them. Not to mention that Gu Yan¡¯er had been seriously injured, so he personally placed the exquisite pagoda in the sea that was still covered by the island¡¯s protective array so she could stay there and recuperate in peace.


    As he returned to the assembly hall, Tang Xiu said with a deep voice, ¡°And now, I¡¯m announcing the establishment of four departments, which are also the traditional custom of developments used by orthodox monastic sects. These departments respectively are God-warfare Hall, Logistic Pavilion, Intelligence Edifice, and Assassination Hall.


    ¡°Mo Awu will be the Hall Master of the God-warfare Hall and will be in command of the army. This hall will the biggest armed force of our Tang Sect in the future and will absorb most of the recruited young blood to build a very strong army, as well as be responsible for opening up the territory in the future.


    ¡°Ji Chimei will hold the post of Logistic Pavilion¡¯s Master and be in control of all the Tang Sect¡¯s resources. I¡¯ll formulate the resource allocation form later so you must provide a steady supply of cultivation resources to all the disciples of Tang Sect and ensure enough resources needed by all the disciples¡¯ cultivation.


    ¡°Jin Shi will take responsibility as the Master of Intelligence Edifice and be responsible for establishing the intelligence service. Within two years, you must establish a comprehensive intelligence network all over Earth. You are to coordinate with the God-warfare Hall to weaken and eradicate the current largest intelligence agency, the Darkwind Organization.


    ¡°Tang An will serve as the Master of Assassination Hall. You can pick two assistants from all the members of the sect to train a large number of competent assassins. We have thousands of seedlings and you¡¯re free to choose from them. I expect to see the results of their cultivation within two years.¡±


    With the appointment of these four people, it meant that these four had become the top executives of the Tang Sect, responsible to manage a large number of disciples in the sect as well as its respective privileges and rights. The reason why Tang Xiu selected these four was due to his understanding of them and to develop the design plan according to their areas of expertise.


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The four people appeared in front of Tang Xiu under the numerous watchful eyes.


    Nodding at them with satisfaction, Tang Xiu took four Command Tokens he personally refined and handed one to each. Then, he said with a deep voice, ¡°The Tang Sect has just been established and only four divisions have been set up. But it¡¯s just temporary since you can expect that each department will be branched out in the future. I hope that you¡¯ll be devoted to your duty and forever be loyal to the Tang Sect and me.¡±


    ¡°Loyalty.¡±


    ¡°Loyalty.¡±


    ¡°Loyalty.¡±


    ¡°Loyalty.¡±


    The four people clenched their right fists and placed them on their left chests.


    Nodding with satisfaction, Tang Xiu gestured for them to retreat. Then, he said with a deep voice, ¡°You¡¯re all the earliest members of the Tang Sect and will become the leaders of the sect in the future. I expect you to make huge merits and contributions, and I wish to see all of you growing stronger.


    ¡°The books I¡¯ve written in the Library Pavilion are no many, but there should be more than 200 books there. Among them contains knowledge on refining, alchemy, arrays, beast taming, body cultivation as well as soul ones, etc. Apart from carrying out your duty, you must allocate your time to read and enlighten yourself in the Library Pavilion.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take many powerhouses in the sect with me to tear open the sky above our heads and leave for the Immortal World in the future¡ªa place a billion times vaster than Earth. We¡¯re all cultivators, and the path to immortality is the primary drive and foundation. However, I can¡¯t wait for you that long to fight the battle in the Immortal World. Maybe a few years or a decade later, you can expect to see my final plan to be implemented.


    ¡°If you want to follow me to climb up to a higher plane; if you want to get to a more expansive stage; then your cultivation stage must reach the Spirit Formation Stage. It¡¯s still very far away for you all, so I¡¯ll provide you the resources and opportunities. However, the final results, whether you can grasp it or not, will depend on your own efforts.¡±


    At this moment, all the Tang Sect¡¯s people were shocked. They never knew of Tang Xiu¡¯s final plan prior to this. They only knew that Tang Xiu had very mysterious and brilliant origins which would provide glorious achievements in the future should they follow him into the future. Yet, they never imagined that Tang Xiu¡¯s ultimate goal on Earth was to fight their way out to the Immortal World.


    But what shocked them the most was that they also had the opportunity to follow Tang Xiu to fight in the nigh impossible place that all the cultivators had been dreaming of ascending to.


    After a long while, each department had taken their positions and began assuming their duties. Every member of the Tang Sect was very excited. They felt the pressure. Yet, it also served as a great motivation for them. It was because Sect Master Tang Xiu had been straightforward to them, and they also wished to follow him to rush into the Immortal World, even though they were expected to advance to the Spirit Formation Stage. Further, they had not much time left and the Spirit Formation Stage was a long journey to achieve with their current cultivation.


    Two days later.


    Tang Xiu was sitting cross-legged atop the palace roof in cultivation while facing the rising sun and absorbing the Purple Qi coming eastward into his body. After such a long period of cultivation and constantly promoting his strength, he had reached the full closure of perfection for the first stage of the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis, the Star Tyrannical Body.


    I must become stronger.


    Tang Xiu slowly opened his eyes, which were full of ambition to become stronger. Regardless of the era, the world, or plane, survival of the fittest was the absolute rule. Only the strong deserved respect and had the right to speak.


    The current him may look strong, but he was definitely not invincible. Tang Xiu was perfectly aware that there were still some fearsome characters residing on the Earth, such as the Nascent Soul Stage expert from the Whole Unitary Sect he just learned of a while ago.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Several shadows flickered from the distance and appeared in the air in front of the palace in a few breaths. Mo Awen then walked step by step in the air until he came in front of Tang Xiu and respectfully reported. ¡°All the materials have been transported, Sect Master. Our people also found two ships near the thirteenth deserted island. However, the people on those two ships obviously are not from the same group and they had a brief clash, apparently to probe each other¡¯s strength.¡±


    ¡°Are these two groups the first few who have recently appeared near the barren island in the surroundings?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°If we don¡¯t count those two groups, we already got six, so we now have eight groups. Most of them have frictions but no mass fighting. Also, there¡¯s no one from the Celestial Wizard Clan among them,¡± said Mo Awen.


    ¡°Heh, those Celestial Wizards are wanting to be the third party who profit from others¡¯ battle, so they are obviously in the back at the ready.¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°Nevertheless, Jin Shi has hit them before and the Celestial Wizard Clan suffered a lot, losing over 100 people. Added with the hitmen from the various assassin organizations taking the bounty to hit them, they can only become a turtle.¡±


    ¡°What should be our next step then, Sect Master?¡± asked Mo Awen.


    ¡°Since we have transported all the material to the ninth deserted island, then we¡¯re going to set out,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯ll arrange that island to be the battlefield to fight the invading enemies. But there¡¯s another thing you need to do. I want all those children who have broken through the late-stage of Qi Refining to be concentrated in one group. I¡¯ll carry out special training for them for a few days.¡±


    Mo Awen nodded and asked, ¡°Should those who have advanced to the Foundation Establishment Stage be added apart from those who have advanced to the late-stage of Qi Refining?¡±


    Tang Xiu was stunned and asked with a dull face, ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about those who are at the Foundation Establishment,¡± replied Mo Awen. ¡°Sect Master is going to give special training to those children at the late-stage Qi Refining, but we also have those at the Foundation Establishment Stage. Would you like them to attend the special training too?¡±


    ¡°You mean some children have advanced to the Foundation Establishment Stage?¡± asked Tang Xiu in disbelief. ¡°How is this possible? How can they break through to that stage in such a short time?¡±


    ¡°I was very surprised as well, Sect Master.¡± Mo Awu smiled and said, ¡°But that¡¯s the fact, and we have nine of them. The best one among them has even advanced to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.¡±


    Tang Xiu got up all of a sudden and asked in a deep voice, ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡±


    ¡°28,¡± answered Mo Awen.


    ¡°What do you mean, 28?¡± Tang Xiu furrowed his brows.


    ¡°His name is 28, Sect Master.¡± Mo Awu grinned wryly said, ¡°When Banshou brought him over, the others called him little beggar, little wild boy, etc. But he said his name is 28. I had no idea why he gave himself that name.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s he now?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°He¡¯s in the training camp,¡± said Mo Awen. ¡°Also, he has rarely participated in group training due to his particularity and spends most of his time cultivating alone in his room.¡±


    ¡°Gather the other eight who have advanced to the Foundation Established in one group for my special training.¡± Tang Xiu ordered in a deep voice. ¡°And immediately summon this 28 to see me.¡±


    Mo Awu took the order and immediately bolted to the training camp. When Tang Xiu appeared on the airfield on the island, Mo Awen brought a thin seven-odd-years-old boy lightning fast.


    ¡°He¡¯s 28, Sect Master.¡±


    Tang Xiu observed the thin boy in front of him and was able to determine that he indeed had advanced to the mid-sage of Foundation Establishment from his aura. To his disbelief, the boy¡¯s aura was very stable and had stabilized his cultivation stage.


    ¡°You¡¯re 28?¡±


    The thin boy looked much more mature than his peers. His gesture and body language even similar to the adults. He cupped his right fist and placed it on his left chest, replying, ¡°I¡¯m 28, Boss.¡±


    Squinting his eyes, Tang Xiu spent another minute observing him before nodding. ¡°You¡¯re great. The first to advance to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment and make yourself stand out among the tens of thousands of people. That¡¯s far beyond my expectations. But I have a question for you. Why did you give yourself 28 as a name?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been three years since I was four until seven, and I now have saved a total of 28 yuan although I barely had enough to eat and wear warm clothes. If I could have saved 28 yuan when I was four, my grandma and sister wouldn¡¯t have starved to death then. So, my name is 28. I want to remember this number forever.¡±


    Tang Xiu silently nodded and then said, ¡°Gimme your left hand.

 Chapter 1017 - The Shadows

    Chapter 1017: The Shadows


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    After half a minute, Tang Xiu had checked his pulse and made clear of 28¡¯s physical state. But he was still puzzled since he couldn¡¯t find anything particular that made this boy marvelous even though he had an excellent physique. Yet, this boy had literally jumped from a precarious child to a cultivator at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. All things considered, his advancement speed was too fast.


    ¡°Tell me, is there something special about your daily practice?¡±


    ¡°Nothing?¡± said 28. ¡°I just follow the cultivation methods taught by the instructors and keep circulating my True Essence in my body every day. I have no idea why my cultivation is faster than everyone else.¡±


    ¡°Ehh? Just that?¡± Tang Xiu felt more bizarre inwardly.


    Tang Xiu shook his head secretly. Just as he was about to speak again, his complexion shifted and a look of disbelief covered his eyes as he hurriedly asked, ¡°You just said that you¡¯ve been constantly circulating True Essence in your body every day? You haven¡¯t ceased doing it once?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Isn¡¯t cultivation carried out like this?¡± 28 nodded.


    Tang Xiu grabbed 28¡¯s wrist once again. He used his spiritual sense to seep into his body and ultimately discovered this boy¡¯s particularity. His meridians were very wide, but the most shocking thing was that 28¡¯s meridians were somewhat abnormal compared to average people. His meridians¡¯ walls were very tough and elastic, while there were also microscopic blood spots on its surface.


    Isn¡¯t this Sanguine Meridians? He actually has Sanguine Meridians!


    The discovery made Tang Xiu speechless for a long while. Back when in the Immortal World, he once read the records from a secret ancient collection. It was said that there had been a peerless genius with Sanguine Meridian Physique in the Immortal World hundreds of thousands of years ago. This genius only spent a little over two millenniums to reach the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage. Unfortunately, he died halfway and met his demise under the hands of a certain Supreme. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve advanced to the Supremacy Stage in just another millennium given his potential. That secret record even stated that if this peerless genius didn¡¯t die prematurely, he was the most promising one to ascend to divinity at that time.


    And yet, another cultivation genius with the Sanguine Meridians Physique was present before him? What was more incredible was¡­ why did he appear on Earth?


    ¡°Boss, I¡­¡±


    28 couldn¡¯t understand why Tang Xiu kept holding his wrist. However, he didn¡¯t feel any malice from Tang Xiu either. Ever since he was found in the rubbish heap a year ago and then sent to Shanghai, he saw Tang Xiu the Boss there. Yet, he couldn¡¯t figure out why Tang Xiu wanted to adopt him and so many other children. Tang Xiu was the one who provided him the daily necessities he needed. And the most important thing was that he also sent people to teach them a cultivation art¡ªthe very reason why he had formidable power now.


    It was that the reason why those children regarded Tang Xiu as their Boss on the surface, yet saw him as their relative¡ªthe closest one; a similar feeling he also had. Just like the other children, he was willing to be loyal to Tang Xiu just to pay him back for everything.


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt the boy. After loosening his hand, he asked seriously, ¡°28, would you like me to give you a family name?¡±


    A family name? For me? 28¡¯s eyes lit up as he nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯d like to have it.¡±


    ¡°If so, then your name is Tang 28 from now on,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Joy and excitement set ablaze in 28¡¯s heart. He knew that the Boss had bestowed his surname to some children among all the children he had been training with. Just like those five who were named after the five elements; metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. They were separately called Tang Jin, Tang Mu, Tang Shui, Tang Huo, and Tang Tu. He also had the same surname as Boss, which was Tang.


    ¡°Yeah. Then, I¡¯ll bear the name Tang 28.¡±


    With a satisfied face, Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Tang 28, do you want to stand out among others, like having higher cultivation and more powerful strength in the future?¡±


    ¡°I think so. Only by becoming stronger can I have enough food, a place to live, clothes to wear. I can also protect you, Boss,¡± said Tang 28 aloud.


    A smile crept up on Tang Xiu¡¯s face while secretly admiring the brainwashing methods of those instructors. It had been just a year, yet these children had engraved his figure in their hearts.


    ¡°Alright, Tang 28. From henceforth, you¡¯ll leave the training camp and become the Shadow of I, Tang Xiu! I¡¯ll give you the authority to pick four partners from the training camp to be in your team. They must be ready to be dispatched at any time for assignments. Go now! I want you to bring your chosen companions in a few days. You all are to stay here and wait for my return.¡±


    Tang 28 firmly nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you with the others, Boss.¡±


    ¡°Ah, remember to not call me Boss again. Call me Sect Master from now on,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯ll send someone to record your name in the Tang Sect¡¯s registry record as you¡¯re now the new disciple of Tang Sect.¡±


    ¡°Tang Sect?¡± Secretly, Tang 28 silently engraved this name in his heart after nodding.


    ****


    Shortly after, two helicopters¡¯ roars were heard as they flew toward the ninth deserted island. After an hour-plus flight, they landed on the ninth deserted island. A few people had been stationed there. The number was but a few, just a little over 20 people.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Figures flickered and emerged out from the helicopters¡¯ cabin lightning-fast and landed on the ninth deserted island. Among those in the group who had long been waiting were Old Anji and Chen Yan and most of them were the former dangerous convicts Tang Xiu rescued from the 1319 labor camp. Few of them were former members of the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    A chilling aura emanated from the men standing in an orderly formation. As the men saw Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival, they loudly shouted, greeting him with a frenetic excitement.


    Looking at these people stand in a neat row before him, Tang Xiu felt satisfied inwardly. Especially towards the nearly 20 heavy criminals he had rescued from the 1319 labor camp. They looked like they had just been reborn and lost their former brash and sloppy personality. The auras emanating from their bodies gave off the vibe of an iron-blooded warrior.


    ¡°Have you been well, everyone?¡± Tang Xiu looked at them and finally nodded. ¡°It¡¯s been several months, but you guys truly surprised me. Each of you now has the threshold of becoming a cultivator with¡ªexperts at the Qi Refining Stage. Tell me, do you regret your choice?¡±


    ¡°NO REGRET!!!¡±


    More than 20 people replied in unison.


    ¡°Great!¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Since you don¡¯t regret it, then I hope you won¡¯t regret what you are about to face next. We¡¯ll soon be facing other powerhouses of the world¡¯s major forces, many of whom are the experts among the experts. Some even comparable to the Golden Core Stage experts. But all of you will participate in this fight. Now I ask you, are you afraid of them?¡±


    ¡°NEVER!¡±


    The group shouted again.


    ¡°Good.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Since you¡¯re not afraid, then take your time to practice and be prepared for battle! Any of you who scores great merits in the upcoming battle can join the Tang Sect when you¡¯ve advanced to the Foundation Establishment Stage. I think you¡¯ve heard the name of Tang Sect in the last two days, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an opportunity.¡±


    More than 20 people looked surprised and happy with burning eyes filled with battle spirit. Becoming a disciple of the Tang Sect was a must for them to be stronger and go further. It was an issue they had figured out in these two days. As long as they became Tang Sect¡¯s disciples, they would be able to get more cultivation resources and study more advanced cultivation art manuals to master more abilities.


    All in all, it was an opportunity that would make them like carps that leaped through the dragon gate. As long as they earned great merits and advanced to the Foundation Establishment Stage, it was equal to moving towards their own success.


    ¡°Alright, everyone. I still have things to do. Go to tend to your own,¡± concluded Tang Xiu.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu spent a lot of materials to arrange the array that covered the whole ninth deserted island. Besides the island¡¯s protective array, he even laid out the illusion array that would make anyone who broke the protective array to bump into an illusion and enter the illusory world.


    The Ninth Dragon Island was planned to be a substitute for Nine Dragons Island. It was set to be exposed as the vault of the rumored treasures for the major forces who were searching for it, and would also serve as the main battlefield. After arranging the array, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t hurry to leave but sent orders to dispatch a large number of peripheral members to participate in the upcoming battle.


    ¡°What date is today, Awen?¡± asked Tang Xiu suddenly as he stood on the coastline of the ninth island.


    ¡°It¡¯s September 4th, Sect Master,¡± replied Mo Awen.


    September 4th?


    Tang Xiu was stunned and looked dull as a wry smile appeared on his face. It was the date the Shanghai University began schooling. Just like his first year, he also skipped classes on the first day of his sophomore year now.


    Haih, I must go back as soon as possible¡­


    Tang Xiu then recalled the Violet Fairy in his interspatial ring and the thought led to Han Qingwu. He had been thinking to use this Violet Fairy to confirm something with her, which the result was something he was very concerned about.


    Whoosh¡­


    A shadow flashed from the distant sea and stood in front of Tang Xiu and Mo Awen in a flash. It was Spectre.


    ¡°I got a situation to report, Boss.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°There has been a liner sailing around the nearby waters recently, but what made us surprised is that there¡¯s no passenger on it on the outside,¡± said Spectre. ¡°Then, I sneaked inside. I only found a dozen crew members inside. I also asked the crew members, but they said that there¡¯s only one passenger on the liner who chartered the ship to sail here. But the strange thing is that we didn¡¯t find any of her traces when looked for her.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t ask who she is?¡± Tang Xiu frowned.


    ¡°I only know that the person is a woman around her 20s.¡± Spectre forced a smile and said, ¡°She is said to wear black robes and a mask, so the crew members don¡¯t know what she looks like. Ah, that¡¯s right. They said she¡¯s good at music since they heard her playing several instruments while they were sailing on the sea. The music she played was very pleasant to hear, they say.¡±


    Skilled in music?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face slightly changed and he suddenly recalled the incident that happened in Bangkok when they fought the Death Dhyana Buddhist Master. An expert who was proficient in music appeared in the dark and yet didn¡¯t show up. He also sent some men to find her, but couldn¡¯t find her traces.


    Could it be¡­ the mysterious woman in that liner is the same person who helped out in Bangkok? If not, who else could the mysterious figure be? But if she¡¯s the same person, who exactly is she? Why would she always come and go like a shadow and stalk me wherever I go?


    ¡°Where is this liner now?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a deep voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s about 100 nautical miles from this island,¡± said Spectre. ¡°However, the ship has been sailing around in the nearby waters without a fixed destination. I reckon that it¡¯s time for it to sail back.¡±


    ¡°Take me to the last spot you found that ship!¡± said Tang Xiu with a deep voice. ¡°I really want to know who this mysterious stalker is.¡±

 Chapter 1018 - Brave Women

    Chapter 1018: Brave Women


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Friendly wind blew amid the blue sea under the beautiful sun of the blue sky. A black helicopter equipped with state-of-the-art military equipment flew northeastward of the ninth deserted island like a goshawk overlooking the sea surface. Inside the cabin, Tang Xiu held binoculars to observe the sea underneath, looking for the liner that drifted alone in the nearby waters.


    When the helicopter was about to run out of fuel a few hours later and he couldn¡¯t find the traces of the liner, he had no choice but to return to the ninth deserted island.


    Ah, forget it.


    Although Tang Xiu was curious about this mysterious person who was proficient in music, he faintly had a hunch that the other party was friendly and not an enemy. That person wouldn¡¯t have helped him otherwise back in Bangkok. After he put this issue to the back of his mind, he went back to deal with the current concern¡ªthe situation on the ninth deserted island. It was because he had issued an order to station two men on other islands in the surrounding to observe the nearby waters in secret and the others to leave the ninth deserted island. Hence, a liner then came from other places to transport his men.


    ¡°Cut some trees and build some houses. Make it look like a base as soon as possible.¡±


    After issuing this order, Tang Xiu handed the command to Mo Awu, Jin Shi, Tang An, and Ji Chimei who had caught up. With the super powerful Ji Chimei at the helm, latent dangers could be said to not exist even if the enemy consisted of a large number of Nascent Soul Stage experts. Only then did Tang Xiu feel more relieved and assured.


    Half a day later, Tang Xiu returned to Nine Dragons Island. Just as the helicopter landed, he saw Tang 28 and four other boys sitting cross-legged on the shore. Each of them seemed to be eight years of age. Aside from Tang 28, the other four looked dignified and strong. It was rather obvious that they were excellent seedlings.


    ¡°Grand Master.¡±


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival, Gu Xiaoxue came forward and asked, ¡°What are your plans next, Grand Master? Are you leaving Nine Dragons Island, or commanding the battle on the ninth deserted island?¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°From the current situation analysis, the world¡¯s major forces shouldn¡¯t be coming here, so our men won¡¯t have a clash with them in a short period of time. I¡¯m going back to the mainland since it¡¯s September and Shanghai University has begun schooling. I need to report to the campus. Also, there¡¯s something I need to verify.¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue nodded and said, ¡°Ms. Zhang also wants to go back to China, Grand Master. Would you like to take her back together?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. She¡¯ll go back with me.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°She¡¯s a modern person, after all, and she must keep living her current life. When she can understand our world and customs thoroughly, I¡¯ll bring her back to Nine Dragons Island. Also, only tell Yan¡¯er after she¡¯s finished recuperating from injuries. I won¡¯t tell her that I¡¯m leaving now since she¡¯s in seclusion.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass your message to Master,¡± replied Gu Xiaoxue. ¡°Also, what about Mo Awu and Jin Shi, Grand Master? You assigned them to stand guard on the ninth deserted island, so who will go back with you? Someone needs to follow you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine now this time.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and smilingly said, ¡°I¡¯m going back with Tang 28 and his four companions. They can take care of some trivial things for me.¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue, however, hesitated and said, ¡°I know their strength is good since they are at the Foundation Establishment Stage. But they are too young and there are a lot of things inconvenient for them to do. Do you want to bring one more man?¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu visited the training ground in the southeast area. 842 children who had broken through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining and 128 more at the late-stage of Qi Refining had been concentrated here, all sitting cross-legged on the big training ground and silently cultivating.


    There were also two boys and girls, members of child soldiers, who had broken through to the early-stage of Foundation Establishment. They were sitting on four square stone platforms two meters in width and half a meter high.


    ¡°Cease cultivating. Everyone, stand up!¡±


    Wearing a black uniform, the cold-looking Wolfhead immediately shouted upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival. His voice was like a mighty bell that spread over the entire training ground.


    974 child soldiers who were grouped in this place opened their eyes in that instant, getting up and standing straight as their eyes trained at Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    They had all seen Tang Xiu and each of them even had his photo, the Master whom they must pledge their loyalty for life to.


    Tang Xiu glanced at them as he nodded with satisfaction and spoke aloud, ¡°You all should have heard that the Tang Sect has been officially established. The sect¡¯s rules will be more perfect. Those of you who have been brought to Nine Dragons Island yet haven¡¯t had the opportunity to join the sect don¡¯t need to worry. All the children here will become the official juniors of the Tang Sect!


    ¡°You¡¯re all good children and you also have a good aptitude for cultivation. You¡¯ll become the pillars of the Tang Sect in the future. But if you want to pass the test and succeed in becoming a member of the Tang Sect, then prove your worth. You can prove yourself by two means: first is performing your duty. The bigger your merit, the more likely you¡¯ll join the Tang Sect in the future. Secondly, your cultivation must advance to the Golden Core Stage.


    ¡°Disciples needed by the Tang Sect are those powerful experts. We don¡¯t need garbage. You can stand out from the tens of thousands of children soldiers, yet the weakest among you have broken through the mid-stage of Qi Refining. That means you¡¯re all worthy to be fostered and trained. I¡¯ll give you special training for the next three days and you can expect to face bitter, tiresome, and dangers in this training. Endure it and face it bravely for me!¡±


    At this moment, Tang Xiu exposed his cold and ruthless side because he was perfectly clear that these children could go all out and devote themselves to cultivation if they were under pressure. It was the only way for them to have a better chance to survive when they must risk their lives in life and death battles in the future.


    The first day.


    Tang Xiu had the illusion array arranged in the training ground. He only arranged a very weak array due to the weak cultivation stage of these children. But as long as they didn¡¯t take the illusion array lightly and were able to fully unleash their mid-stage Qi Refining power, they could survive inside the array.


    Illusions, in and of itself, could make people lost, yet it could also temper their hearts and mentality.


    The 979 children, including Tang 28, must face endless streams of enemies which were weaker than them yet many in number. Furthermore, Tang Xiu also set up this illusion to create enemies as children of their age in order to adapt them to fighting. However, their opponent would be getting older and they must eventually face big and burly men.


    An hour passed was another round of fighting, and they could restore their strength by taking a pill.


    For 12 hours, the 979 children all experienced 12 rounds of fighting with over 200 opponents for each round.


    Tang Xiu told the children that they would fight alone, yet he still controlled the entire illusion array in the back. Whenever any of them faced death, he would secretly let them off. It was all to gradually enrich their combat experience.


    The second day.


    Tang Xiu took all of the children out of Nine Dragons Island and dived down to endure the pressure of the sea. Further, he also made a rigid rule for the children to dive very deep nearly at the limit they could manage.


    The third day.


    Alone facing 979 children, Tang Xiu let them employ various tactics to face him, be it besiegement, individual combat, or ganging up, all the while instructing combat skills. He even taught them how to use magic spells in battle. He crushed them all constantly to make them benefit from the fight and continued making rapid progress.


    The fourth day.


    Tang Xu taught them the method to train their spiritual sense and reviewed the training results of the last few days so they could learn from the experience. He went as far as answering every issue they couldn¡¯t understand carefully while at the same time, generously taking out a massive amount of pills whenever resources for cultivation were insufficient. Ultimately, he told the children to write all the harvests they obtained for the last few days and share them with their peers.


    Ultimately, all the children progressed rapidly after four days of special training, with 36 children advancing to the late-stage from the mid-stage of Qi Refining and five children breaking through to the early-stage of Foundation Establishment. Tang Xiu believed that these days of special training would make the children have continuous breakthroughs in a short time, with some of them very likely advancing one or two stages.


    ****


    On September 10th, Tang Xiu brought Zhang Xinya, Tang 28 and his four team members back to China. Just as they exited Shanghai Airport, Zhang Xinya looked a bit excited and Tang Xiu could sense it despite the big sunglasses and the mask she wore.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re back. Let¡¯s live our daily lives well, shall we?¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile while holding her hand.


    Nodding in response, Zhang Xinya looked like she recalled something and glanced around like she was looking for something. Shortly after, her eyes were locked on a female who dressed up just like her with sunglasses, mask, and duckbill cap.


    ¡°Hey, over here!¡±


    She waved her hand and loosened Tang Xiu¡¯s hand, striding toward the girl as the latter approached. After hugging her, she smiled and said, ¡°I told you not to pick me up, didn¡¯t I? Haih, you didn¡¯t even listen to me, girl.¡±


    Seeing the scene of Tang Xiu holding hands with Zhang Xinya gave Zhang Xinyue a complicated feeling, though she still tried hard to hide it. Putting on a calm face, she smiled back and said, ¡°You¡¯re finally back from abroad, so of course I must fetch you up, Big Sis. Anyways, that brother-in-law of mine didn¡¯t bully you all these days, right?¡±


    ¡°Uh, brother-in-law?¡±


    Zhang Xinya¡¯s smiling face receded a bit. She turned her head to look at Tang Xiu and suddenly whispered, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to call Tang Xiu brother-in-law ever again, Xinyue.¡±


    ¡°Come again?¡± Zhang Xinya was stunned and looked a bit at a loss.


    ¡°I already know what happened between you two, so you don¡¯t have to explain anything to me,¡± whispered Zhang Xinya again. ¡°Tang Xiu has already told me everything about it. But let¡¯s save the talk for after we get back, okay? If anything, it¡¯s fine if you call him Tang Xiu directly.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Zhang Xinyue¡¯s mouth opened but was at a loss to say anything. Inwardly, she felt a bit angry toward Tang Xiu as to why he must tell her big sister about the things that happened between them. It made her at a loss as she didn¡¯t know how to face her older sister.


    Zhang Xinya herself was aware of how Zhang Xinyue felt at this time. In fact, telling her sister about this matter in advance was because she wanted to find an opportunity to let her understand some issues. Likewise, she had long predicted that Zhang Xinyue would react like this.

 Chapter 1019 - Back To Shanghai

    Chapter 1019: Back To Shanghai


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    With his particularly sharp hearing, Tang Xiu could naturally hear Zhang Xinya and Zhang Xinyue¡¯s dialog. Regardless, he was really at wit¡¯s end of how to face these nearly identical twin sisters. Especially towards Zhang Xinyue, since things had happened and gotten to this point. Regardless of how big her heart was, he could tell that it was nearly impossible for her to just brush the matter away.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, guys.¡±


    Having no solution as to how to deal with it, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t bother to think about the issue any longer. He believed that it would eventually sort itself out. He believed that Zhang Xinya had her own plan since she had notified Zhang Xinyue in advance to pick her up at the airport.


    The Toyota Erffa was a spacious car. Though it only had a few seats, it was enough to accommodate Tang Xiu, Zhang Xinya, and Tang 28¡¯s group of five. Zhang Xinyue served as its driver and took everyone to the Bluestar Villa Complex.


    ¡°Are you guys going to stop by?¡± asked Tang Xiu after he and Tang 28¡¯s team got off, looking at the Zhang sisters.


    ¡°We¡¯re not stopping by.¡± Zhang Xinya shook her head and smilingly said, ¡°Just take the little guys and rest earlier. We¡¯ll come here later if we have time.¡±


    ¡°Alright then,¡± replied Tang Xiu as he watched them leave. Afterward, he immediately turned to look at the villa¡¯s front door. He finally felt relaxed after having been away from home for so long. Things always piling up and kept him so busy and strained his mind all these days.


    ¡°Little guys, you can pick any of the guest rooms on the first floor.¡±


    Tang Xiu gave them an order before heading to the second floor alone. The two housekeepers were not at home, so he went straight to the bathroom on the second floor, took a shower, changed his clothes, and then went to the study. Just as he was about to take a seat, he heard familiar voices from the outside the window.


    ¡°The brown sauce spareribs cooked by Auntie is definitely a must, Xiaowan. I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t be able to forget it after you taste it. But Auntie can¡¯t cook the crabs that well though, especially with this recipe. I don¡¯t think I can do better than the ones prepared by those seafood restaurants. Well, I think I¡¯ll need you to cook it yourself.¡±


    ¡°No worries, Auntie. Just steam the crabs and I¡¯ll prepare the ingredients and seasonings.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡±


    While standing at the window, Tang Xiu never thought that the two women who just came back with shopping bags turned out to be his mother, Su Lingyun, and his adopted sister, Chen Xiaowan. Just as he was about to call them, he saw Tang 28¡¯s group of five children rush out of the villa, stopping them with cold faces and daggers in their hands.


    ¡°Eh¡­ who are you guys¡­¡±


    Su Lingyun and Chen Xiaowan were completely dumbfounded. They just left home shortly, but how come the house had so many children all of a sudden? More so that these children looked so savage with boiling murderous intent just like some small devil spawns.


    ¡°28!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s figure flashed and appeared outside the villa¡¯s door in just a blink. A smile appeared on his face as he said, ¡°The five of you, keep in mind that they are my family members and the ones who you need to protect in the future. Put your weapons away!¡±


    Tang 28¡¯s group of five put away their daggers instantly.


    Excitement instantly suffused Su Lingyun¡¯s face after seeing Tang Xiu. She cast away all her confusion and strode towards him, observing him from head to toe for a while, and then said concernedly, ¡°Just where did you go this summer vacation, Sonny? Look at you¡­ you¡¯re a lot tanned and thinner than before. You definitely had a bad diet, didn¡¯t you? Why didn¡¯t you take care of yourself well, huh?¡±


    ¡°Uh, I was kinda busy with things abroad, Mom. That¡¯s why I just returned to China. Anyhow, how did you come to Shanghai, though? And where¡¯s Dad?¡± replied Tang Xiu with a beaming face.


    ¡°Your Dad went to the capital. He¡¯s busy preparing for your grandpa¡¯s 80th birthday in advance, though it¡¯s still a week later,¡± said Su Lingyun with a smile. ¡°Anyhow, I thought you¡¯ve all started your new semester, so you didn¡¯t go back to Star City. I was worried that you had gotten into some kind of accident, so I came here. But fortunately, that girl Kang Xia told me that you were busy with things abroad, so I didn¡¯t call you and just stayed here to wait for you to come back.¡±


    ¡°Well, you could¡¯ve just given me a call, Mom,¡± replied Tang Xiu smilingly.


    ¡°Who said I didn¡¯t call you, Kid?¡± Su Linyung snappily said, ¡°I called you dozens of times these days, and not once could I get it through. I just guessed that you got a bad signal abroad.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    Only then did Tang Xiu remember that he had been training the children soldiers before going back to the homeland without stopping by anywhere. He forgot that his cell phone had run out of battery and he didn¡¯t even bother to charge it. After shaking his head, he then looked at Chen Xiaowan and smilingly said, ¡°Well, it¡¯s been just a few months, but you look much more beautiful now, Sis Xiaowan.¡±


    Chen Xiaowan chuckled and tenderly replied, ¡°You got a sweet mouth now, boy. Just wait for a bit, Big Sis will steam the crabs for you.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and smilingly introduced. ¡°Mom, Sis Xiaowan, this is Tang 28. He and the other four are orphans adopted by me a year ago, and I brought them back with me this time. They didn¡¯t know who you both were previously, so¡­ Ah, well, please don¡¯t mind it.¡±


    An understanding look crossed Su Lingyun¡¯s face upon hearing his words, yet she still scolded him with a bit of a blaming tone. ¡°Don¡¯t you see that they¡¯re still children, Xiu¡¯er? Why did you let them carry a dangerous thing like those daggers? What if they accidentally hurt themselves, huh?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about it, Mom. They are all quite powerful cultivators,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°They won¡¯t hurt themselves and such accidents won¡¯t happen to them. Anyhow, I just came back and am going to campus after the meal, though. It¡¯s September 10th today and I haven¡¯t reported to the school yet.¡±


    Su Lingyun gave a quick nod and said, ¡°You¡¯re indeed a few days late, Kid. You¡¯re always too busy, but you can¡¯t ruin your studies, alright?! Anyways, Mom will cook something for you now. You can go to your campus after the meal. And do remember to apologize to your professors!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tang Xiu nodded with a smile.


    As Su Lingyun and Chen Xiaowan entered the villa and went straight to the kitchen to cook, Tang Xiu said to Tang 28¡¯s group of five, ¡°Remember not to easily reveal your daggers and offend people randomly from now on, got it? Also, Tang 28, you¡¯re going to follow me in the future, while the four of you will stay here to watch the house. Keep in mind that you¡¯re all cultivators and you¡¯re not allowed to show your strength in front of common people.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Tang 28¡¯s team of five hurriedly complied.


    During mealtime, Su Lingyun and Chen Xiaowan repeatedly asked Tang 28¡¯s group to have a meal together, but the latter kept stubbornly refusing them. Even until the former gave them the dishes, they just carried their meals to their rooms and ate there. Certainly, Tang Xiu got another round of reprimands from Su Lingyun and Chen Xiowan because of it.


    To skip around the predicament, Tang Xiu still used the sacred word of ¡°custom and rules¡± and hurriedly left for Shanghai University after having a rushed meal. Just as he arrived at the campus gate, however, he saw some luxurious supercars vrooming and stopped near the campus gate with some arrogant young masters in gaudy fashions leaning on the cars, pointing and commenting on the girls who came in and out of the campus.


    ¡®Haih, these silk pants keep spawning wherever and whenever.¡¯


    Tang Xiu shook his head and walked straight to the campus gate as troublesome things bumped into him.


    ¡°Mind helping me and lend me your cell phone for a second, handsome?¡± Several girls donning infamous brand attire and apparent make-up blocked Tang Xiu¡¯s path. The leader of the girls acted even bolder by grabbing his hands.


    ¡°You¡¯re all belles, yet you¡¯re striking up a chat by calling me handsome?¡± Tang Xiu forced a wry smile. ¡°Asking some guy¡¯s cell phone number is a bit of an outdated trick, no?¡±


    ¡°Got no other way, handsome!¡± The girl laughed and said, ¡°A beau suddenly came into our sight and made us excited, so no time to think about any new ideas to strike. Just give us your cell number, handsome. If you got some spare time, we want you to have a meal with us.¡±


    ¡°I already have a girlfriend, so no thanks.¡± Refused Tang Xiu smilingly.


    The girl was stunned and looked somewhat disappointed. ¡°That¡¯s fine either way, though. You got a girlfriend or not, for couples to break up is just normal nowadays, right? No walls can last forever and no boyfriend can¡¯t be snatched in this world. Besides, you¡¯re not married yet. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s immoral to pursue the man we like, no?¡±


    This time, Tang Xiu was utterly dumbfounded and couldn¡¯t help laughing. He just didn¡¯t expect that the girls nowadays would be this bold and so thick-skinned. He recalled the time when he was in mid-school when boys and girls didn¡¯t have many contacts. Even when he was in elementary school, there was a demarcation line between the desks for male and female students.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu gave them a fake cell number and then took his out-of-battery cell phone out to show them, earning himself a smooth escape at the exchange of their dissatisfied expressions.


    As he came to the dorm, he was quite surprised to see nobody there. No trace of Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong. But there should be no class at this time, so they shouldn¡¯t be grabbing a bite either even if they went out.


    ¡°Shoot! Here comes the rare guest!¡±


    When Tang Xiu pushed the unlocked dorm¡¯s door facing his and went inside, Zhao Liang, who was listening to songs with earphones, suddenly had his eyes lit up. He grinned widely and removed the earphones.


    ¡°I¡¯m just a few days late to report to campus. No need to make a fuss over it, no?¡± Tang Xiu grinned back and said, ¡°Anyways, where are Yue Kai and the rest? I just went to my dorm and none of them were there.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, you got no idea, don¡¯t you Big Bro Tang?¡± Zhao Liang grinningly replied, ¡°That bastard Yue Kai and the others got nothing to do and just ran to the girls¡¯ sorority house. I heard that they are helping Hu Qingsong to pursue a first-year girl. I guess they must be going to that girl¡¯s dorm now.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so Old Hu has his hormones in heat now?¡± asked Tang Xiu grinningly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just him, so is Yue Kai. Speaking of it, we got tons of belles among the freshmen this year. Some of them are damn top chicks! They may not compare to the Campus Belles, but damn¡­ they are not that far off either.¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­ cut the crap, will you? Anyways, I¡¯m going out to find them,¡± said Tang Xiu with a grin.


    Zhao Liang hurriedly stopped Tang Xiu and let out a strange smirk. ¡°Ehh? No way. You can¡¯t go out, Big Bro Tang. Otherwise¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh? Otherwise what?¡± Tang Xiu was confused.


    ¡°Otherwise things will go south for Old Hu.¡± Zhao Liang laughed and said, ¡°Your charm index has kinda broken the roof of our campus, you see. You¡¯re at the top of the Campus Beau list now. With you going out, Old Hu and the rest won¡¯t catch the girls they have a crush on and it will be you who¡¯ll get some peach blossoms yet again instead.¡±


    Cough, cough¡­


    No matter how reluctant Tang Xiu was to admit it, he was well aware that he was a bit of a flower admirer. Regardless, he already had many women now and didn¡¯t want to court other women anymore, be it intentionally or unintentionally.

 Chapter 1020 - Final Confrontation

    Chapter 1020: Final Confrontation


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Despite being mentally mature, such a pure friendship between classmates without mixed interests and intrigues was something Tang Xiu enjoyed a lot during his schooling in the university.


    After borrowing a battery charger from Zhao Liang and charged his cell phone, Tang Xiu dialed Yue Kai¡¯s number and learned that they were in the girls¡¯ dormitory building now. Aside from letting out a forced smile, he had no idea what kind of emotion he should use to voice his feelings.


    Men were bound by their desires for food and sex.


    The words of the ancient truly had its own truth. Men in heat couldn¡¯t control their male hormones regardless of everything. Speaking about it, finding a girlfriend was indeed a good and reasonable choice. At least they wouldn¡¯t have to bother five girls more, but they could harmonize the Yin-Yang elements inside them, which were conducive to their physical and mental health.


    ¡°Anyway, I need to deal with something first, Zhao Liang. I¡¯ll head straight to the classroom in the afternoon later.¡± Tang Xiu unplugged the cell phone charger and went out even though his cell phone¡¯s battery was less than 10% charged.


    ¡°Where¡¯re you going to, Big Bro Tang?¡± called out Zhao Liang.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna go find Teacher Han!¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    Zhao Liang left his dorm, leaned against the door and grinningly said, ¡°Well, you¡¯re asking for luck, you know. Teacher Han returned to the campus a few days ago, but it¡¯s obvious that she¡¯s kinda in a foul mood. Be careful not to annoy her, lest she packs you up, got it?¡±


    Staring blankly for a moment, Tang Xiu furrowed his brows and asked, ¡°You said that Teacher Han just returned to campus a few days ago? So to say, she wasn¡¯t here before school started?¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡± Zhao Liang nodded. ¡°I heard she took sick leave or something. But she looked awful when she came back a couple of days ago. I heard that the Director himself advised her to rest for a few more days, though she refused to do so.¡±


    A pensive look flashed across Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. Falling ill for Han Qingwu was nearly impossible given her physical condition. After all, she had become a cultivator and her power was by no means weak. Such a bad complexion meant only one thing: she had been injured.


    Who could have injured her?


    With various thoughts swirling in his mind, Tang Xiu bade farewell to Zhao Liang and left the dormitory building. As he strolled through the forest path on the campus, Tang Xiu then called Han Qingwu¡¯s cell number.


    ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re back?¡±


    ¡°Where are you now?¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    Han Qingwu was silent for a while before slowly replying, ¡°At the canteen.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you at the campus gate,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    He hung up and walked straight outside the campus. He had two main purposes before coming to Shanghai, one of which was to report back to the campus and the other was to probe and confront Han Qingwu. He had now determined that Han Qingwu was Xue Qingcheng¡¯s reincarnation, yet he still needed to figure out whether she had completely restored her memory. He couldn¡¯t determine it before obtaining the Violet Fairy. But now was a different story since the appearance of the Violet Fairy gave him a way out to do so.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    His cell phone¡¯s ringtone sounded, and Tang Xiu looked at the caller¡¯s name on the screen. It was unexpectedly Chen Zhizhong.


    ¡°Is there something up, Zhizhong?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m now at the entrance of Shanghai University, Master,¡± said Chen Zhizhong with a respectful voice. ¡°I stopped by at the Bluestar Villa Complex to find you, but I heard you went to campus, so here I came. Is it convenient for you to meet me now?¡±


    ¡°What are you in Shanghai for, though?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°There¡¯s something very important I need to report to you, Master,¡± answered Chen Zhizhong. ¡°I also want to consult some cultivation aspects with you.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Wait at the campus gate, I¡¯ll catch up with you soon,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    After hanging up, he then continued heading toward the campus gate. He knew that Chen Zhizhong would never come to Shanghai should he have no important things to consult with him. Chen Zhizhong was his disciple¡ªthough he was just an in-name disciple¡ªhe still needed to guide him in his cultivation path.


    When Tang Xiu walked out of the campus gate, the previous few luxurious supercars that were parked outside the gate had disappeared along with those silk pants young masters. There were a black Mercedes Bens parked there now, and Chen Zhizhong was standing in front of that car, waiting for him.


    ¡°Zhizhong.¡± Tang Xiu called as he came over. He found that Chen Zhizhong¡¯s cultivation had advanced to the Foundation Establishment Stage, more so that he had reached the late-stage and was only a step away from reaching the Golden Core Stage.


    ¡°Did I disturb you, Master?¡± asked Chen Zhizhong after respectfully bowed.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right. I was just coming out when you called me. Tell me, what important things you want to tell me?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Chen Zhizhong looked around. After seeing that no one around paying attention to them, he whispered, ¡°A senior executive in my company recently heard that some herbs with psychic property were found in the depths of Cangbai Mountain, so I took someone and secretly went there. We eventually found nothing there. There was no Soulpsyche Herb, but a mysterious cave instead.¡±


    ¡°What did you find in that cave?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°We did everything we could to open the portal of that cave, but it didn¡¯t budge at all,¡± answered Chen Zhizhong with a bitter smile. ¡°But we found a few precious ores at the entrance instead.¡±


    Having said that, he immediately opened the Mercedes Benz¡¯s trunk, pulling out a lock-combination silver suitcase from the inside and returned back to Tang Xiu. He then put the silver suitcase on the car¡¯s hood, entering some numbers and opened it as he spoke to Tang Xiu, ¡°These are the ores I told you about, Master. I¡¯ve browsed through a lot of records and finally figured out that these ores are called Bloodsoul Stones. As recorded, this Bloodsoul Stone was put into the dissected body of a living person. If that person didn¡¯t die and the stone has been stored in that person¡¯s body for at least 10 years, it will solidify. After hundreds or thousands of years, it ultimately turned into a Bloodsoul Stone. As recorded in the ancient records, this Bloodsoul Stone has a function to calm or suppress souls.¡±


    Tang Xiu calmly grabbed a piece and carefully observed it. After some careful observation, he sighed. ¡°This is indeed a Bloodsoul Stone, though I never expected for this object to also exist on Earth. You¡¯re right. Bloodsoul Stone is a very precious ore, and it¡¯s also very rare¡ªan extremely precious gem for cultivators.¡±


    ¡°You know how to use it, Master?¡± asked Chen Zhizhong.


    ¡°I do.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    A pleasantly surprised look appeared on his face, then Chen Zhizhong said again, ¡°Since you said that it¡¯s an extremely precious gem, it means that there are definitely some things better in that cave, Master. This is also the reason why I came here to report it to you.¡±


    Light flashed across Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. He was well aware of Chen Zhizhong¡¯s meaning. For an excellent object such as Bloodsoul Stone to be found outside that cave, it was very likely that there were more good findings to be expected inside it. If they could find more good things for cultivators there, then he had made a great contribution.


    ¡°Stay in Shanghai for some time first, Zhizhong. I still have some things to do here, then I¡¯ll immediately contact you after I¡¯m done and we¡¯ll set off to Changbai Mountain together,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I already planned to stay here for a while. I¡¯m staying in the Hilton Hotel now,¡± replied Chen Zhizhong respectfully. ¡°I¡¯ll text you my room number later then.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in response. His eyes then saw Han Qingwu walking out from the campus gate and he spoke, ¡°Alright, you should go back first. I¡¯ll find you after I¡¯m done with my things.¡±


    ¡°As you will it, Master,¡± replied Chen Zhizhong as he boarded the car and quickly left.


    Tang Xiu then turned around and walked towards Han Qingwu. He looked at her in silence for a while before speaking, ¡°There¡¯s a skating rink nearby. Let¡¯s have a chat there.¡±


    An ice-skating rink?


    For a while, Han Qingwu fell into silence. But she found Tang Xiu had turned around and led the way first. Despite hesitating, she followed him. She had no idea why Tang Xiu wanted her to go with him. But she had been preparing herself for more than a year, yet the days went by with a prayer that such a day would come later on.


    Shanghai was still burning hot even though it was already September. Noon was even the hottest time of the day lately. The ice-skating rink was empty and there were only two employees with no guests. They looked bored and engaged in small talk while crunching melon seeds.


    ¡°How much does it cost to rent the whole venue?¡± asked Tang Xiu directly after he came in front of the two employees.


    Upon hearing this, the two employees suddenly jolted. They looked at Tang Xiu and Han Qingwu, thinking that it was natural for some rich scion of a wealthy family to bring a belle over. One of them then immediately replied, ¡°It¡¯s 3,000 yuan per hour. How long will you reserve the whole venue, though?¡±


    Tang Xiu took out his wallet and took out a stack of hundred-yuan bills from inside. Then, he handed it over to the man and said, ¡°Here are five grand for an hour. But I have one request. You can¡¯t stay here. We don¡¯t want to be disturbed.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± The staff member took over the bills in surprise and happily pulled his colleague to leave quickly.


    Han Qingwu just watched Tang Xiu calmly and wordlessly. She knew that Tang Xiu was not the kind to waste money on a whim, even if he was so rich now. He must have his intentions to bring her here and fork out so much money. Yet, she could tell that his intention was very likely aimed at herself.


    Peng! Peng! Peng!


    Tang Xiu¡¯s wrist moved and three silver needles were instantly shot at the same time, accurately hitting the CCTV cameras in three directions. Then, he turned to look at Han Qingwu and apathetically said, ¡°Have you remembered everything now?¡±


    The question made Han Qingwu¡¯s heart tremble. However, she still put on a confused look on the outside and asked, ¡°Pardon?¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a sneer and walked to the center of the ice rink. Then, his pace came to a halt and he said in a heavy voice, ¡°You can hide it for a while but not for a lifetime. If my guess is correct, it was you who helped me in Bangkok. And it was also you the woman who appeared in the Pacific Ocean, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get what you mean.¡± Han Qingwu shook her head.


    ¡°So, are you now playing dumb?¡± Tang Xiu sneered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t beat around the bush and speak straight if you got anything to say, Tang Xiu,¡± said Han Qingwu. ¡°I really have no idea why you have so much animosity towards me. Just tell me, what did I do to wrong you? I believe we can make it clear if it¡¯s a misunderstanding.¡±


    Speaking out everything? Clearly?


    A faint pain panged deep inside Tang Xiu¡¯s heart. It wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t want to make everything clear with Han Qingwu, but it was because he couldn¡¯t figure out whether she had restored all the memories of her previous life.


    Buzz¡­


    An oval container appeared in Tang Xiu¡¯s palm out of the blue as he shot a straight gaze at Han Qingwu¡¯s face. With an indifferent and apathetic face, he said, ¡°I refined this thing myself in the past¡ªthe one thing I gave to someone who once had been my true love¡­ You¡­ you should¡¯ve seen this before, shouldn¡¯t you?¡±

 Chapter 1021 - The Shattered Hearts

    Chapter 1021: The Shattered Hearts


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    An inconceivable look flashed across Han Qingwu¡¯s eyes, but she firmly shook her head and said, ¡°I really haven¡¯t seen this object, nor do I know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Tang Xiu slowly opened the oval container as a milky white light was released and a Violet Fairy flapped her thin wings, running out of the vessel with a cheer. ¡°Hahaha, Little Wuwu finally comes out again. You¡¯re a bad guy. Little Wuwu doesn¡¯t want to stay in that small world anymore.¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t even spare a glance at the Violet Fairy. His eyes looked like they were able to see through people¡¯s minds as they locked on Han Qingwu¡¯s face, scrutinizing every minute of her expression. He keenly captured the moment when Han Qingwu¡¯s pupils shrunk as the Violet Fairy rushed out of the container. He could also see that her body was slightly trembling.


    Sure enough!


    Eyes filled with a frosty light, Tang Xiu¡¯s figure flickered and instantly appeared in front of the Violet Fairy. He caught her lightning-fast and his vision trained back at Han Qingwu. ¡°You said you¡¯ve never seen this immortal tool from the Plant World, so you¡¯ve never seen this little thing either, haven¡¯t you? Violet Fairy, the last bloodline of the Violet Fairy race in the Immortal World with such a lofty status as the Princess of the Violet Fairy Clan.¡±


    Han Qingwu¡¯s fingers subconsciously pinched the corner of her clothes. The more her eyes fixedly stared at the Violet Fairy, the more intense the palpitation quaking her heart became.


    The Violet Fairy struggled in pain due to the huge force of Tang Xiu¡¯s grasp. She looked at Han Qingwu and immediately looked excited after seeing her face, screaming joyfully, ¡°MASTER!!! Little Wuwu really misses you! Quickly save Little Wuwu, Master!¡±


    Han Qingwu¡¯s shivering heart became more intense as she watched Tang Xiu exert increasingly more strength to his fingers. She hurriedly called out, ¡°Don¡¯t hurt her, Tang Xiu!!!¡±


    ¡°Heh, you haven¡¯t answered my question yet.¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°Besides, didn¡¯t you say you have never seen her?¡±


    Han Qingwu fell into silence. ¡®What and how to answer? Say I haven¡¯t seen her?¡¯


    Tang Xiu kept exerting more strength on his fingers. Amid the panic screams of the Violet Fairy, he slowly said, ¡°It¡¯s truly pitiful, isn¡¯t it? To think that the last bloodline of Violet Fairy clan would be abandoned by her Master, being left alone and forsaken in this world. But I think that death would indeed be her salvation and relief. At least she doesn¡¯t need to endure pain and loneliness in her life yet again. Maybe she can even see her relatives after passing through the cycle of reincarnation! No¡­ I recall that all her relatives should have had their bodies and souls shattered, no? Then I¡¯ll help her till the end. I¡¯d better destroy every lasting mark of her soul and let her disappear from the world for eternity!¡±


    At this time, only then did Han Qingwu¡¯s countenance looked tragic. Pain flitted across her eyes as she clenched her fists and nails deeply pierced her palms. Her blood bleeding out as she tried to stand firm despite her swaying figure. She shook her head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t hurt her, Tang Xiu. I¡¯ll tell you everything. I¡¯ll tell you everything you want to know!¡±


    Tang Xiu loosened his fingers and shouted fiercely, ¡°THEN TELL ME, WHY DID YOU DO IT?!¡±


    White teeth biting her red lips, Han Qingwu shot a deep glance at the Violet Fairy caught by Tang Xiu. She shut her eyes while despair and desperation were all over her face.


    Time ticked by and a minute and a second passed by!


    After ten minutes, only then did she open her eyes again. But her eyes now looked dead and her voice was somewhat hoarse as she uttered the words, ¡°Master¡¯s commandment is hard to break.¡±


    Frosty light gleamed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes and he coldly snorted. ¡± Hmph . Zhu Wushou truly has a good disciple, doesn¡¯t he? Scheming for thousands of years; disregarding and ruining the happiness of his innocent eldest disciple just so she committed suicide to kill me. Hmph ¡­ Still, one thing is unclear. Just when did the Shade Demon Zhu Wushou see me as an enemy?¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡­ you know my Master is the Shade Demon Zhu Wushou?¡± Han Qingwu muttered with disbelief on her face. ¡°H-how¡­ how is this possible?¡±


    ¡°Heh, what¡¯s done by night will appear by day.¡± Tang Xiu sneered yet again. ¡°You haven¡¯t answered my question yet. Why did Shade Demon Zhu Wushou scheme against me and want my life?¡±


    ¡°My life is his, and I¡¯ve given it back to him in the Immortal World.¡± Han Qingwu bitterly said, ¡°I entered the reincarnation cycle and transmigrated to Earth, freeing myself from the bond between master and disciple with him, no longer bound by the threat of the Curse of Time he cast on me. That¡¯s why I can tell you about it, but I hope you promise to fulfill my request after that.¡±


    ¡°Then, pray tell,¡± replied Tang Xiu frostily with surging killing intent in his heart.


    Han Qingwu calmly walked to Tang Xiu¡¯s front, disregarding his killing intent. She opened Tang Xiu¡¯s fingers one by one, took the Violet Fairy and gloomily said, ¡°Promise me first that you¡¯ll fulfill any request I ask from you.¡±


    ¡± Hmph . You know me, why insist on a promise?¡± hummed Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I do understand you, Tang Xiu, so that¡¯s why I want your word,¡± said Han Qingwu. ¡°You can rest assured that I won¡¯t request anything that will harm any of your interests, nor will I let you make a difficult decision. It¡¯s even an absolutely easy promise for the current you to fulfill.¡±


    ¡°I give you my word,¡± replied Tang Xiu.


    While staring at Tang Xiu deeply, Han Qingwu unhurriedly said, ¡°As a member of Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, you should be very clear about the meaning of this line: White Aigrette and Unscathed of Vermillion Bird Holy Sect slaughtered myriads of races and the Perfected Golden Immortal Pathmarker, shouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    White Aigrette and Unscathed slaughtered myriads of races?


    Tang Xiu trembled, countless turbulence rippling in his heart. White Aigrette and Unscathed were his mother¡¯s and father¡¯s names in the Immortal World. White Aigrette was the daughter of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect¡¯s Sovereign, whereas Unscathed was just a common disciple, and they were in love with each other. However, their love led to the opposition of countless people even though the Acting Sovereign, Tang Xiu¡¯s grandfather, was very satisfied with Unscathed. He treated and fostered him like his own biological son until the couple eventually stepped into the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage.


    As for the Pathmarker Zheng Dao, when White Aigrette and Unscathed left the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, they traversed the Immortal World, Demon Realm and Monster Realm for 3,000 years unhinderedly, where they slaughtered countless of their enemies and finally advanced to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage after killing Pathmarker.


    Eyes fixedly staring at Han Qingwu, Tang Xiu said with a deep voice, ¡°Among those people killed by my parents, was there any of the Shade Demon Zhu Wushou¡¯s relatives?¡±


    ¡°It was far more than relatives. His parents, brothers, sisters and all the friends he had when he was young. All of them died in the hands of your parents,¡± answered Han Qingwu gloomily. ¡°Harboring this blood enmity for a very long time, Zhu Wushou kept advancing in cultivation level and got stronger and stronger. In order to control time for the purpose of reviving his loved ones from the perpetual river of time, he then chose the Dao of Spacetime.


    ¡°However, your parents always stayed at the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect ever since they broke through into the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage. They rarely went out of the sect, and even though they did leave occasionally, they quickly returned. Hence, Zhu Wushou kept waiting for many years and didn¡¯t give up his revenge. But he gradually began to transfer his hatred to the loved ones of White Aigrette and Unscathed. You have been fortunate since you had two Perfected Golden Immortal experts protecting you in secret. Unless you encountered life and death crises, they always hid in the dark while protecting you as you slowly grew up.


    ¡°However, you had many clansmen, many of whom met their demise or disappeared without a trace under Zhu Wushou¡¯s schemes. Your Vermillion Bird Holy Sect also noticed it and conducted the investigation for a very long time, but found no clue and just let it go.


    ¡°As you grew stronger and stronger and then advanced to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage, the two experts who always protected you returned to the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. And that was about the time when Zhu Wushou put me as a chess piece in his machination.


    ¡°Unfortunately for him, and despite his countless divinations and calculations, your aptitude and talent in cultivation was so heaven-defying that you broke through into the Supremacy Stage a step ahead of him. All his plans were all for naught. Only then did he perceive the dissatisfaction your close friends had towards you behind your back.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s countenance went grim and he coldly said, ¡°So to say, you then came onto the stage and waited until I faced my tribulation and ambushed me back then?¡±


    A painful look flashed across Han Qingwu¡¯s eyes, then she easily concealed it. ¡°That¡¯s right, the Shade Demon Zhu Wushou vowed that as long as we collaborated to kill you, then he would release me from the Curse of Time he cast on me, as well as freeing all my family members; whereas he promised Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao to borrow his time-accelerated Chrono Sanctuary to cultivate inside for 1,000 years.¡±


    All the puzzles, all the thick fog that had long been shrouding Tang Xiu¡¯s heart had now been blown away by Han Qingwu¡¯s story. And yet, the betrayal of his former close friends and his true love left only a shattered heart with heart-rendering pain and a bleeding soul.


    The love that was misplaced, and the kindness that was undeserved.


    Ultimately, everything was just a machination against him¡ªa plot to kill him.


    Had it not been for Han Qingwu poisoning him in advance, it would¡¯ve been very unlikely that he¡¯d lose his life even though Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao joined hands to kill him. Bluntly put, it was Han Qingwu in front of him now who left the gravest and deepest injury¡­ NO¡­ she should be Xue Qingcheng.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you hide then?¡± shouted Tang Xiu, a frosty chill filling his eyes.


    Han Qingwu loosened the Violet Purple and let her fly to her shoulder. Then, she answered with a bitter face, ¡°I owed my Master¡ªa debt I¡¯ve paid off. But I haven¡¯t paid off the debt I owe you. You should be very clear of my, Han¡­ Xue Qingcheng¡¯s personality. Why bother asking?!¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t afraid that I¡¯ll kill you?¡± yelled Tang Xiu angrily. ¡°Are you not afraid that I¡¯ll erase your soul into nothingness and bar you from reincarnation for eternity?¡±


    A tender look filled Han Qingwu¡¯s eyes as a gentle smile appeared on her face. She shook her head and said, ¡°I¡¯m not afraid at all. You still remember the request I just told you?¡±


    The divine sword suddenly appeared in Tang Xiu¡¯s hand out of thin air and pointed to the sky as he sneered. ¡°You want me to spare your life? Dream on!¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Han Qingwu shook her head and said, ¡°My request is for you to kill me.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!¡±


    Tang Xiu incredulously stared at Han Qingwu. She had her wish fulfilled; to be reincarnated, reborn, and gain a new life. Reaching the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage was not impossible for her given her former aptitude and abilities. It was even likely that she could advance into the Supremacy Stage given time.


    And yet¡­ her request turned out to be for him to kill her?!!


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu recalled something at this moment and asked with a heavy voice, ¡°Back when you plotted against me with the likes of Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao, why did they kill you? After all, you were the Shade Demon Zhu Wushou¡¯s disciple and you¡¯d completed the mission he gave you.¡±


    ¡°Does it still have any meanings for you to ask about it now?¡± asked Han Qingwu back faintly.

 Chapter 1022 - Severing Past Life

    Chapter 1022: Severing Past Life


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Pointing to his heart, Tang Xiu yelled with a heavy voice, ¡°No longer do I want to harbor the last question in here! Spit it out! Just how did you die? How did you have the opportunity to leave your True Soul behind after you died and enter the cycle of reincarnation to be reborn?¡±


    Han Qingwu just shook her head without answering Tang Xiu¡¯s question. She slowly shut her eyes and gently opened her hands as the last scene in the Immortal World emerged in her mind: a woman dressed in red from head to toe as if the song of blood had been cast on her. She hugged the dead body of her true love she killed by her own hands, before committing suicide and finally dying.


    At that moment in time, her True Soul had yet to dissipate. Due to her Chrono cultivation art, she found that Tang Xiu¡¯s True Soul hadn¡¯t yet been swallowed by the perpetual river of time but rather tore open the void amid the Heavenly Tribulation and was about to enter the chaos of nothingness. Right at that moment, she cast a forbidden art to follow the last wisp of Tang Xiu¡¯s True Soul and entered the cycle of reincarnation of this plane.


    ¡°Do it!¡±


    At this moment, Han Qingwu looked oddly calm as her table tennis ball-sized Golden Core flew out of her body and floated in front of her eyebrows.


    Tang Xiu angrily glared at Han Qingwu. Seeing her wholeheartedly ready-to-die face made the tempestuous killing intent inside him to rage crazily. The hand that grasped the sword slightly trembled, and his already bleeding heart felt more and more painful. Being reincarnated, reborn, and gaining a new life looked like it was a sweet dream of grandeur that was so picturesque and beautiful. But now, it felt like nothing but a struggle to crawl out of the Ninth Purgatory of Hell.


    KILL!


    KILL, KILL!!


    KILL, KILL, KILL!!!


    The deepest recess of Tang Xiu¡¯s heart kept roaring. But he felt the divine sword in his hand become heavy to the extreme. He kept struggling and yet kept hesitating, only to find himself unable to finish everything with his hand. That¡¯s right. He just couldn¡¯t do it; regardless of having ascertained the truth of the matter; despite the fact that Xue Qingcheng was the one who made him drink the poison and stabbed his heart. To his sorrow, he found himself drowning in hatred, yet he just couldn¡¯t reap the soul of the one he once loved with all his heart with his divine sword.


    ROAR¡­


    A roar the likes of a beast came out of Tang Xiu¡¯s throat. He looked like the God of Killing as he finally brandished his sword to tear Han Qingwu¡¯s facial muscle, leaving a bleeding wound on it.


    The stunning beauty of a woman was finally ruined in but a fleeting moment.


    It was but one sword that severed all the last nostalgia between Tang Xiu and Xue Qingcheng. One slash to sever the connection to their past lives, turning it into clouds and rain. He couldn¡¯t kill her, but nothing could prevent him from ruining the face that had been haunting his dreams.


    All that was left was just a melancholic desolation and sorrow.


    All the murderous intent he had toward her had now completely dissipated, replaced by loneliness and vicissitudes of life that took over its place deep in his soul. He slowly turned around and didn¡¯t even glance at Han Qingwu¡¯s current face. After he walked a few steps away from her, he spoke with a hoarse voice with his back facing her, ¡°The sun shined brightly upon the Great Dao, yet only the lone bridge remains. From now henceforth, nothing remains between you and me.¡±


    Han Qingwu¡¯s sparkling eyes were filled with distressing feelings, yet contained deep love as they followed Tang Xiu¡¯s back. A bright smile suddenly appeared on her face while blood flowed out from the scary wound on her face. Even so, she didn¡¯t lift her hand to wipe it off. Had it been before back when they were in the Immortal World, perhaps she would take the initiative to lift that sword to end her life from this mortal coil even if Tang Xiu didn¡¯t kill her.


    But now, she didn¡¯t do so, for the memories of her past life had now blended with her current life. Her personality had gone through a little change. She knew that nothing remained between them, but she was still able to see him¡ªeven if she could only do so from the far corner; even if she must hide in a different spacetime. But she could still look at him from far away.


    When he needed something, then she¡¯d move and act for him!


    When he needed nothing, then she¡¯d just gaze at him!


    At this moment in time, Han Qingwu had already understood what her future life would be like. She existed only for him.


    Under the odd gaze of the two staff outside the door, Tang Xiu listlessly left the ice-skating rink. He didn¡¯t go back to campus, nor did he return to the Bluestar Villa Complex. He didn¡¯t even recall his plan to head to the Hilton Hotel to find Chen Zhizhong. He just strolled on the bustling streets of Shanghai as if he was in a trance, walking everywhere as his feet take him to without aim, just drifting on with no destination.


    The day bled into the night as Tang Xiu came to his senses from his dazed state. He found himself standing at the entrance of the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s branch in Shanghai. Eight strong men stood around him forming a circle with him firmly in the middle, preventing anyone from disturbing him.


    The worried-looking, red-dressed Chi Nan was standing and looking at him firmly.


    ¡°Dismiss!¡±


    Tang Xiu inhaled a deep breath as his Primal Chaos force surged in his meridians. He just unshackled his whole being from his muddled state. The reckoning of the grievance had shaken off the shackle of a mental demon in his psyche. He felt strange as the disappearance of the mental demon unexpectedly improved his soul and perfected the first layer of his Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis, the Stars Tyrannical Body, without him realizing it.


    ¡®It¡¯s enough to kill a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator.¡¯


    He began walking and stepped into the front door of the Everlasting Feast Hall. Under the odd gazes of numerous pairs of eyes, he went straight to the manager¡¯s office on the second floor.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    Chi Nan, who kept following him, seemed she wanted to speak. But she hesitated, and the worry in her eyes had yet to dissipate.


    Tang Xiu just shook his head and sat on the soft leather sofa. He took out a cigarette and lit it up. After taking in and out a few puffs, only then did he slowly speak, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Chi Nan secretly relaxed upon hearing it, asking, ¡°I just came from Jingmen Island this afternoon, Boss. I¡¯ve already handed over the business management here to some others. Are there any other instructions you¡¯d like me to carry out?¡±


    ¡°Get me something to eat! And accompany me to drink,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have it arranged right away, Boss.¡± Chi Nan nodded.


    As Chi Nan left the office, Tang Xiu no longer thought about Han Qingwu. The purpose of his return to Shanghai this time had been achieved, and he had already figured out the truth of this matter and solved it. What had happened in the past and the matter with Xue Qingcheng; he no longer wanted all those to bother him ever again. Everything related to Xue Qingcheng was over, leaving only the enmity with Emperor Danqing, Zither Demon Jiuyao, and some others. As for the Shade Demon Zhu Wushou, he must die.


    That second issue still remains.


    As Tang Xiu recalled the issue with Shanghai University, he suddenly got a faint headache. He didn¡¯t kill Han Qingwu and she probably worked as a teacher at Shanghai University and could be the teacher-in-charge of his class as well.


    ¡®Haih¡­ forget it. I¡¯ll just suspend my studies.¡¯


    Straightly dropping out of school was not Tang Xiu¡¯s intention since it was the long-cherished wish of his mother to see him getting a university diploma. He just couldn¡¯t let her down on that.


    After he finished smoking the cigarette, Chi Nan returned and respectfully said as she stopped in front of Tang Xiu, ¡°Boss, I already ordered some people. The meal will soon be served. But there¡¯s something I want to report to you before you dine.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Kang Xia looked for you a few days ago. She couldn¡¯t contact you before, so she gave a call,¡± said Chi Nan. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask her about the issue, but it seems very urgent judging from her voice at the time.¡±


    ¡®Kang Xia?¡¯


    Only then did Tang Xiu remember that he hadn¡¯t contacted Kang Xia for a long time. But he knew that she must be very busy managing the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s affairs in the last few months; especially dealing with the issues of the New Metro of Star City insider purchase. That was likely the reason why she didn¡¯t take the initiative to call him. Although it was also possible that she didn¡¯t call him since he often went to places with no phone signal.


    Taking out his cell phone, Tang Xiu dialed Kang Xia¡¯s phone number. Soon after, her voice came out of the phone, ¡°Is it you, Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! I just returned to China and am in Shanghai,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave for Shanghai now. I need to see you,¡± said Kang Xia.


    ¡°I heard from Chi Nan that you¡¯ve been looking for me these days and you seem very anxious. What happened?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s Andy. She got some problems with her body,¡± answered Kang Xia. ¡°I want you to take a look at her if you have nothing urgent to do.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face slightly changed and he asked with a deep voice, ¡°What happened to her?¡±


    ¡°It seems like she got a problem in her cultivation, like qi deviation or something,¡± explained Kang Xia bitterly. ¡°She has been in a coma in recent days, so I sent her to the hospital for examination. But the experts there can¡¯t figure out what happened to her, nor can they tell about her condition.¡±


    ¡°Wait for me in Star City. I¡¯ll be back there right away,¡± replied Tang Xiu in a deep voice.


    After hanging up, he called Chen Zhizhong and told him to head to the airport and wait. He refused to stay in the Everlasting Feast Hall for dinner and Chi Nan sent him back to the Bluestar Villa Complex as he met his mother, Su Lingyun there.


    ¡°Mom, I need to go back to Star City immediately. Someone is seriously injured there, so I need to rush back to treat her. Are you going to stay in Shanghai for some time or go back to Star City with me?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Who¡¯s injured, Son? Do I know the person?¡± asked Su Lingyun hurriedly.


    ¡°You know her. It¡¯s Andy,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°That Andy girl? What happened to her?¡± asked Su Lingyun quickly. ¡°Then let¡¯s hurry up and go back to Star City! I came to Shanghai to find you, but since you¡¯re going back to Star City, it doesn¡¯t make sense for me to stay here. Everything else is not important. Andy¡¯s injury is the most urgent thing now.¡±


    Tang Xiu heeded and then called Ouyang Lulu, saying that he needed her private jet to send him and the rest to Star City directly. Just as they exited the Star City Airport, the driver arranged by Chen Zhizhong in advance was already waiting with several cars outside.


    ¡°May I ask where are you going, Master?¡± asked Chen Zhizhong.


    ¡°I¡¯m heading back to South Gate Town. You can go home with your men first!¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°Andy is injured and she needs me to treat her. I¡¯ll find you again after stabilizing her condition.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going with you, Master!¡± said Chen Zhizhong quickly. ¡°Besides, I have medicinal herbs business, so I can immediately provide you the herbs you need during the treatment.¡±


    Tang Xiu gave it a thought before refusing his request. He didn¡¯t mind to have Chen Zhizhong following him if Su Lingyun was not around. However, Chen Zhizhong was of the same age as his mother. His mother would definitely feel awkward and uncomfortable when she heard Chen Zhizhong addressing him as Master.


    ¡°Just go home first and wait for me. I¡¯ll call you later when I need your assistance.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, Master!¡± Chen Zhizhong nodded.


    ****


    In the King Villa of South Gate Town.


    Kang Xia had brought Andy over and was now worried sick as she paced back and forth at the entrance of the villa courtyard, glancing at the South Gate Town complex¡¯s gate every few seconds.


    Andy suddenly had a qi deviation when cultivating, it was something that made her very worried. She regarded Andy as her closest relative beside Tang Xiu, and she didn¡¯t want any mishaps to happen to her, nor did she want to see any accidents that she couldn¡¯t accept.

 Chapter 1023 - Overdosed

    Chapter 1023: Overdosed


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    When Tang Xiu hurriedly arrived at South Gate Town, he saw a worried-looking Kang Xia. He couldn¡¯t spare time to comfort her and just strode past her to see the unconscious Andy in the guest room.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone disturb me.¡±


    After issuing this order, he grabbed Andy¡¯s wrist and checked her pulse, only to find out that she had overdosed on medicinal pills. Her body that was unable to withstand the potent energy from the pills was eventually out of control. Her pulse now was very chaotic, while her True Essence was in utter disorder. If she didn¡¯t get timely treatment to unclog the energy flow, even if the predicament wouldn¡¯t kill her, the only choice was to scatter her cultivation for her to fully recover.


    .She¡¯s so foolish and just messing around, isn¡¯t she?.


    Tang Xiu smiled wryly and loosened Andy¡¯s pulse and wrist. He shook his head, sighed inwardly and then lifted her from the bed. After making her sit cross-legged, he began to manipulate and adjust the chaotic True Essence in her meridians. Luckily, her cultivation was still weak at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment¡ªotherwise, Tang Xiu would¡¯ve been really at a loss as to how to help her recuperate and adjust her physical condition.


    Time fleeted by. In the last six hours, Tang Xiu spent a lot of energy to help Andy adjust her condition. After helping her lie down, he then left the room.


    ¡°How is she?¡± Kang Xia, who kept waiting outside the room, hurriedly asked.


    ¡°Her condition has stabilized.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°She¡¯ll be fine. And it won¡¯t be a problem after she wakes up and recuperates. It wasn¡¯t because of qi deviation, though. She took pills that are way too potent for her and got overdosed. Such pills are not something she can bear with her current cultivation level, thus causing this problem.¡±


    ¡°Ehh? She got overdosed?¡±


    Kang Xia¡¯s restlessness finally dissipated, yet she looked speechless and wore a strange expression after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s explanation.


    Tang Xiu let out a smile and reached over her shoulder. ¡°You got so rich recently, didn¡¯t you? Well, don¡¯t burn your money on pills even if you got more money. She¡¯s quite lucky this time and no danger to her life, but if she takes another high-grade pill, her body could explode from the potent energy.¡±


    Kang Xia smilingly said, ¡°We got quite a fortune recently, indeed. Haven¡¯t you checked your account balance?¡±


    ¡°Got too many things to tackle abroad recently, so I really haven¡¯t checked my account.¡± Tang Xiu looked dull, before shaking his head and saying, ¡°Anyways, what exactly happened? Where did we get so much money from?¡±


    With an expression of being at a loss whether she had to cry or laugh, Kang Xia said, ¡°I know money is nothing but a number to you. If anything, the products of our Magnificent Tang Corporation are booming and the supply never meets the demand. But I allocated all the income from the products into the company headquarter project in Shanghai. But don¡¯t forget about the insider purchase of the New City. The real estate¡¯s price of the New Metro is about there-odd times higher than its previous opening price, and half of them have been sold already as of now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve asked about the New Metro¡¯s real estate issue back when it was at the early stage, though I no longer follow its later-stage development. How much was the capital invested by our company in the early stage?¡± asked Tang Xiu curiously.


    Kang Xia stretched out a finger and then extended two more. After laughing, she asked, ¡°Guess how many?¡±


    ¡°12 billion yuan?¡± Tang Xiu confirmed in amazement.


    ¡°Smart. No wonder you¡¯re really the man I chose, huh!¡± Kang Xia praised while giving him a thumbs up. ¡°That¡¯s right. The total capital we invested to purchase the real estate in the previous phase was 12 billion yuan. Be it the residential or commercial establishments, the total market value has reached about 40 billion yuan. Most of the residential estates have been sold out for a total of 18.5 billion yuan, and I¡¯ve transferred 15 billion into your private account. 3 billion went into the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s public account, and the remaining 500 million yuan are dividends.¡±


    ¡°It seems that the real estate business is indeed very lucrative.¡± Tang Xiu sighed. ¡°It¡¯s no surprise that most of the richest people in the country consisted mostly of real estate developers in the past. Anyways, what about the current progress of the new metro?¡±


    ¡°The first phase of the development project has been finalized and we¡¯re currently finishing some miscellaneous works,¡± answered Kang Xia. ¡°Most of the works for the second phase have been done and it¡¯s expected to be fully finished by early next year. The third and fourth phases of the project have already started and, once the second phase has been fully finalized, it¡¯s possible to carry out the third and fourth phases at the same time. The documents issued by the government also pointed out that we¡¯re fully authorized to develop the New Metro while the government will provide assistance. Long Hanwen has been wanting to meet you recently, but he couldn¡¯t contact you, unfortunately. Hence, he could only give up for the time being.¡±


    ¡°What did he want?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s about architectural complex design. Did you forget you were the one who designed it?¡± Kang Xia forced a smile and said, ¡°That¡¯s the main reason why the sales are so good and the very cause why rich celebrities all over the country ran over to buy these real estates. The architectural design and the buildings in the new city are highly acclaimed and the metro is said to be a dream city. But you¡¯re always the so-busy-man and only designed the first and second phase of the project. You haven¡¯t even mentioned the third and fourth phases until now. Long Hanwen is not the only one worrying about it, even I¡¯m a bit restless here.¡±


    ¡°Did the government really give the full authority to us?¡± Tang Xiu frowned and asked, ¡°Are they really unwilling to be involved, like, at all?¡±


    ¡°They must be involved, of course, but things like this are always very complicated. But Long Hanwen and the various parties are dealing with the government, so our company is much more relaxed,¡± said Kang Xia.


    ¡°I see.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and asked again, ¡°How large is the area of the new city occupied by the first four phases of the construction project?¡±


    ¡°About one-fifth,¡± answered Kang Xia.


    Cough, cough¡­


    Being at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh, Tang Xiu looked at Kang Xiu and said, ¡°The first four phases of the project only occupied one-fifth of the entire new city? Doesn¡¯t it mean I still have to design tons of architectural blueprints?¡±


    ¡°You also know capable men must do most of the work, no?¡± Kang Xiu grinned and said, ¡°Besides, it¡¯s a joint venture and we can get most of the profits with the cheapest means, so work hard to increase our fortune, got it?¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but shake his head helplessly. Luckily, the complete architectural design didn¡¯t need to be drawn all at once. He could do the design for the next two phases of the project and it would be enough to tackle the situation¡ªotherwise, he would rather put all the things at hand for a while and just devote himself into drawing the architectural designs.


    Speaking about it, he may have to spend some time, but the cost of drawing building cells and blocks were not that much either. After all, he had countless buildings in the Immortal World as a reference, and drawing the designs was very easy since he could just plagiarize the suitable buildings for the purpose.


    At the corner of the corridor.


    Su Lingyun appeared in an apron. As she saw Tang Xiu and Kang Xia conversing and looking very intimate, she suddenly let out a smile and asked, ¡°How about Andy¡¯s treatment, Xiu¡¯er?¡±


    Tang Xiu loosened Kang Xia and approached her, saying, ¡°She¡¯ll be fine, Mom. She¡¯ll recover after she wakes up and recuperates for a few days. Also, isn¡¯t there a housekeeper to help you at home, Mom? Why are you cooking?¡±


    ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I cook personally since my son is at home?¡± asked Su Lingyun back smilingly. ¡°I asked Xiaxia this afternoon and she hasn¡¯t had any meals for two days. Perhaps she¡¯ll have the appetite now that Andy is going to be fine, so Xiaxia must be starving now, no?¡±


    ¡®Uh, Xiaxia?¡¯


    Tang Xiu stared at Kang Xia with an odd gaze. ¡®When did they get so close and what exactly does Mom mean by saying so?¡¯


    The person in question just squinted at Tang Xiu and blushed. She quickly walked to Su Lingyun, swiftly held her hand, and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m not that hungry, Auntie.¡±


    Su Lingyun smilingly said, ¡°Why are you that shy, child? You¡¯ll be the daughter-in-law of the Tang Family sooner or later, to begin with, so why can¡¯t you eat more? Besides, I can only count on you to give me a healthy and chubby grandson earlier.¡±


    ¡°Guh¡­?!¡±


    Tang Xiu was utterly dumbfounded, for he didn¡¯t think that his mother had known all along about the state of the relationship between him and Kang Xia. To think that she was expecting to have a healthy and chubby grandson from Kang Xia¡­ Wasn¡¯t that already making it clear that Mu Wanying was the woman he¡¯d properly marry in the future? Did she really approve of him having many women at the same time?


    He really couldn¡¯t figure out what his mother was thinking at all. After secretly shaking his head, he smiled and said, ¡°Well, it seems that Andy needs some time to wake up, so let¡¯s eat first! I was quite busy this afternoon, so I¡¯m a bit starving now. Do you cook a delicious meal, Mom?¡±


    ¡°No worries, Kid. Mom has prepared everything you love to eat!¡± replied Su Lingyun smilingly.


    During dinner, when Su Lingyun wasn¡¯t paying attention, Tang Xiu quietly whispered to Kang Xia next to him, ¡°Hey, since when did you get so close to my Mom? It seems she has been treating you as the Tang Family¡¯s daughter-in-law already.¡±


    Kang Xia¡¯s mouth curved and she whispered back smilingly, ¡°Auntie often comes to the company in recent months and brings me meals, you know. We occasionally invite each other and go shopping together too.¡±


    ¡°Ehh? What¡¯s the catch?¡± Tang Xiu was confused.


    ¡°Well, it was because of the company dinner for executives six months ago, so we kinda chose your family¡¯s restaurant for the party! After having some drinks, I was preparing to go home and rest, but then bumped into your Mom when she was moving some things. She got strained and I hurriedly carried her to a nearby Chinese medicine clinic. The old doctor then treated Auntie and we just hit it off and meet more often since.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Tang Xiu quickly understood and smilingly said, ¡°Well, I never thought that you¡¯d make such a smart move to fawn upon your future mother-in-law. Mom will definitely love you so much even if you can¡¯t get the official status of the Tang Family¡¯s daughter-in-law in the future, no?¡±


    ¡°Bah! Go! Go! ¡±


    Out of shyness, Kang Xia hurriedly flung her face to the side to avoid being teased by Tang Xiu. She was well aware that she wouldn¡¯t be the Tang Family¡¯s daughter-in-law nominally. Countless times had she reminded herself that she didn¡¯t need such status publicly and it was enough for her as long as Tang Xiu really had her in his heart.


    Hence, although she felt slightly at a loss upon hearing such words from Tang Xiu, she was able to quickly adjust her mood.


    Suddenly, Kang Xia turned back and whispered, ¡°What¡¯s with those five little guys, though? They are kinda odd, like some robots or something. So very disciplined and yet old-fashioned at the same time. I thought they were like other average children, not like some old geezers.¡±

 Chapter 1024 - The Tang Sect’s Tokens

    Chapter 1024: The Tang Sect¡¯s Tokens


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    ¡°They are of the best cultivation geniuses among the children army and also much more mature than their peers.¡± Tang Xiu sighed. ¡°It¡¯s like the saying from the ancient times that the children of the poor are growing up earlier. They lost their family since they were very young. Hard and rough life tempered them as it¡¯s the only way to make a living.¡±


    ¡°So to say, they are all the street children you adopted before?¡± Kang Xia was shocked. ¡°But I can sense that all five of them have reached the Foundation Establishment Stage? How old are they? How can they advance to Foundation Establishment Stage? Especially that Tang 28. He¡¯s at the mid-stage Foundation Establishment.¡±


    ¡°They are naturally very talented in cultivation for being able to stand out among the tens of thousands of children soldiers,¡± explained Tang Xiu. ¡°With a steady supply of cultivation resources, it¡¯s still possible to advance to the Foundation Establishment Stage.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re getting more and more amazing, Tang Xiu.¡± Kang Xia sighed in admiration.


    ¡°The situation forced me to do so, and I must do my best to train more powerful experts under me.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°The dangers we will face in the future are far beyond your imagination, and only by constantly growing more powerful and expanding our forces will we be able to seize more chances to survive. Also, Kang Xia. I know you¡¯ve been managing the Magnificent Tang Corporation all this while, but I¡¯d like you to take more time to cultivate, as much as possible. Only by becoming stronger will you able to protect the people you want to protect in the future.¡±


    ¡°Definitely. I¡¯ll do my best as well.¡± Kang Xia nodded.


    After dinner, Tang Xiu accompanied his mother and Kang Xia and chatted with them for a while. Then, he took Tang 28 and left South Gate Town to visit Chen Zhizhong¡¯s residence.


    Inside the classical-styled villa, Chen Zhizhong was sitting cross-legged and quietly absorbing the world¡¯s spiritual energy. He was a bit too old when he began his journey on the cultivation path, thus the reason why his cultivation progress was slow despite having many cultivation resources. He was only able to reach the late-stage of the Foundation Establishment at this point.


    ¡°Master.¡±


    Suddenly, he opened his eyes and saw Tang Xiu, who stood quietly in front of him. He immediately floated up and respectfully bowed.


    ¡°Your progress is indeed much slower compared to those cultivation geniuses.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°You¡¯re even slightly worse than the most talented children from the orphans I¡¯ve adopted.¡±


    ¡°Disciple is dull and has you disappointed,¡± said Chen Zhizhong, ashamed.


    ¡°Not really. Aptitude and age are equally important.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°Besides, I only had a few resources back then, so I couldn¡¯t help you much before. But now is different since I have so many precious herbs I¡¯ve obtained in the past year. I can concoct some precious herbs to help solve the problems with your aptitude. However, I still lack spiritual herbs. I need you to find them for me.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong looked blank and immediately looked joyful and enthusiastic. ¡°What kind of medicinal ingredients do you need, Master?¡±


    ¡°Dragonbone Herb,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Dragonbone Herb? I¡¯ve never heard this name, Master.¡± Chen Zhizhong frowned and said, ¡°What does it look like? Like the shape and its obvious characteristic?¡±


    ¡°The Dragon Bone Herb has nine buds and looks like Willow soft shoot,¡± explained Tang Xiu. ¡°There are white dots on it, a bit like a five-star pattern. It¡¯s also recorded on the Compendium of Materia Medica with one line, but nonetheless explains its complete functions. You have herbs business and your company has many herbs as well as a wide range of channels. You can take your time to find this Dragonbone Herb. I¡¯ll concoct the Marrow Purifying Pill for you. Your physique will be remolded and reborn once you take it.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured, Master. As long as there¡¯s this Dragonbone Herb in our country, I¡¯ll definitely find it as soon as possible no matter the price,¡± said Chen Zhizhong excitedly.


    ¡°Anyways, do you live here by yourself? I just noticed when I came here,¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Yeah. My son has been staying in the Capital to develop himself and I don¡¯t have the intention to let him take over the company for the time being,¡± said Chen Zhizhong. ¡°Whereas my parents¡­ they don¡¯t want to live in Star City since they are used to the life in their hometown, so my wife stays there to take care of them and only comes back occasionally.¡±


    ¡°If so, then I¡¯ll refine something for you here while directing your cultivation.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll assign some people to arrange a room for you right away, Master,¡± said Chen Zhizhong immediately.


    ¡°No need.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Just tell your men to clean up the garage. Also, I need a few days for the refining process, so tell your bodyguards not to disturb me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell them immediately. Also, please notify me at once should there be anything you need, Master,¡± replied Chen Zhizhong immediately.


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    In the next few days, Tang Xiu accompanied his mother during the day and occasionally visited his company and secretly came to Chen Zhizhong¡¯s place at night.


    The tools Tang Xiu wanted to refine were identity tokens. Every refined token had a protective function that was similar to protective amulets. However, this token would only activate once its owner was in danger and was only one-time use before it lost its protective effect.


    In a few days, Tang Xiu had refined 10,000 tokens and christened them as Tang Sect¡¯s Token as identity tokens for all juniors under the Tang Sect.


    At the same time, he also paid attention to the Nine Dragons Island¡¯s situation. The ships appearing in the nearby waters around the ninth deserted island kept increasing in number, and the forces of various parties were getting more active as well. Some of them were hostile forces and thus led to some clashes. Although the scale of the fight was small, dozens of people had forever fallen into the vast sea.


    A few days later, Tang Xiu bade farewell to his mother and left for Changbai Mountain with Chen Zhizhong.


    The Changbai Mountain range was the source of origin of the Yalu, Songhua, and Tumen rivers. The region boasted a total area of 1964 square km with 758 square meters at the core. The highest peak of Changbai Mountain range, the Jiangjun Peak, was within the border of North Korea with an altitude of 2749 meters, whereas the highest peak in China that Tang Xiu was now heading to was the Northeast Peak with an altitude of 2691 meters.


    Prior to coming here, Tang Xiu believed that the data recorded in the book was correct while he also had some knowledge about the Changbai Mountain range through the map. But after he personally entered the place, he realized that it was all off the mark since the Changbai Mountain range was far more complex and very steep. Many areas even had naturally formed arrays.


    ¡°This place is interesting.¡±


    As he came halfway up the main mountain peak, a smile hung on his handsome face. He observed the array in front of him and determined that such a huge geomancy array wouldn¡¯t be so easily formed naturally without the involvement of some people¡¯s hands. After studying it, he then fully comprehended the array.


    ¡°Is there any problem here, Master?¡±


    With Tang Xiu¡¯s instructions in the last few days, Chen Zhizhong had made great progress in his cultivation as well as his state of mind. Although his cultivation was still at the early-stage of the Foundation Establishment, there were signs of breakthrough to the mid-stage. As he saw the smile on his Master¡¯s face, he hurriedly asked.


    ¡°Mountains have a lot of formations, and the likes of geomancy arrays formed by nature are very powerful ones, yet contain less mystery therein. The current array before us is, however, very different. It¡¯s intentionally arranged to cover a huge region of this mountain range. Average people won¡¯t be able to enter it, let alone notice the existence of this geomancy array at all. It seems that this Changbai Mountain has more than meets the eye!¡±


    Chen Zhizhong couldn¡¯t grasp even a single word from Tang Xiu¡¯s explanation. However, he didn¡¯t go to the bottom of things since his purpose of bringing Tang Xiu to this place was because of the cave he had been unable to open.


    ¡°So, what are we gonna do next, Master?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll bypass this area and head straight to the cave to have a look at it!¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°The Bloodsoul stone is a precious ore and there are so many there. It¡¯s very likely that we can find better things inside the cave. However, you¡¯re too weak, so you must pay attention to your safety.¡±


    ¡°Will do, Master,¡± said Chen Zhizhong. ¡°After we¡¯ve crossed this mountain, we¡¯ll find a snowy peak where that cave is located. I brought some people there several days ago and the mountain pathways in that snowy peak are covered by snow, so it¡¯s very difficult to traverse.¡±


    Tang Xiu just let out a light smile. He grabbed Chen Zhizhong¡¯s shoulder and they floated up mid-air. In just half a minute, they had already crossed the mountain. Tang 28 also led the members he picked up and followed them very quickly.


    ¡®Awesome!¡¯


    Chen Zhizhong lamented in a sigh. However, it was not for Tang Xiu but Tang 28¡¯s group of five. He was already over 40 years old, but his cultivation just reached the early-stage of Foundation Establishment, compared to Tang 28 who had advanced to the mid-stage and the other four at the early-stage of Foundation Establishment.


    ¡°Where is it?¡±


    Tang Xiu stood mid-air as he asked while letting the snowy wind brush past him.


    After spending some time to observe the surroundings, Chen Zhizhong pointed to the snow-capped peaks in the distance and said, ¡°Do you see the mountain valley over there, Master? The cave is halfway up the valley. Given your flight speed, it¡¯ll take only half a minute to get to the cave entrance.¡±


    Tang Xiu kept releasing his spiritual sense and quickly found the entrance to the grotto after flying toward the direction Chen Zhizhong pointed.


    Another array?


    Just as his feet landed on the ground, Tang Xiu¡¯s face slightly shifted and he covered the area with his spiritual sense. He easily pulled two Bloodsoul Stones the size of a small thumb and held them. Although he was an array expert, he didn¡¯t rush to study the array here and seriously scoured the nearby area.


    The Bloodsoul Stone was a very rare ore that could be used as a container for a cultivator¡¯s soul. Further, it could also be refined to extract the essence of blood contained inside and was also a top ingredient to concoct pills. Aside from those, it was also a good material for refining.


    After a long while, Tang Xiu returned to the cave looking a bit disappointed. He couldn¡¯t find anything else in the nearby area aside from the Bloodsoul Stones he found previously.


    ¡®I¡¯ll research the array, then.¡¯


    Tang Xiu then sat cross-legged outside the entrance to the grotto to decipher the sealing array at the entrance. After analyzing it for a short time, he figured out the principle of the array and was confident that he could crack it down.

 Chapter 1025 - A Strange Pocket World

    Chapter 1025: A Strange Pocket World


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Back in the past, Tang Xiu¡¯s attainments in arrays were close to the peak. He could even completely cover up a certain starfield in the Immortal World with an array with formidable might. His current spiritual sense was only one-tenth that of in his heyday, but cracking an array was just a breeze for him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head inside.¡±


    Tang Xiu floated and his finger made a slashing move forward. The air rippled like a net being split and then shattered in the blink of an eye. The newly revealed fine steel door was easily cut open like tofu before crashing to the ground.


    Eyes full of excitement, Chen Zhizhong¡¯s admiration for Tang Xiu reached the peak. Back when he and his men first came to this place, they literally exhausted all the means they could think of and spent great effort to break inside only for naught. But his Master achieved it so easily, it was far beyond his imagination.


    ¡°Strange. There¡¯s no spiritual qi here at all,¡± muttered Tang 28 with a look of disbelief behind Tang Xiu after they walked along the cave for dozens of meters.


    It must be noted that spiritual qi could be found everywhere on Earth, although its concentration was already thin enough in some places that it could be disregarded. But the concentration of spiritual qi in this place was even thinner, completely negligible and couldn¡¯t be sensed the deeper they walked.


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Tang 28, you wait outside the cave with the rest and don¡¯t come inside without my order. Keep guarding outside and block anyone who comes here.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Tang 28¡¯s team halted their pace and turned around to the outside of the cave.


    Afterward, Tang Xiu took Chen Zhizhong deeper into the cave for more than a dozen meters before he faintly heard a roaring voice from deeper inside. The voice was unlike a beast¡¯s roar and more like from a human roaring in anger. After going deeper for a hundred meters, a bright ray greeted them.


    ¡°God! How is this possible?¡±


    Chen Zhizhong suddenly exclaimed upon seeing the scene in front; he couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. Never in his wildest dreams would he ever imagine that such a different world existed inside the massif belly. Although there were no sun and moon, the pocket world had its own blue sky, white clouds, and undulating mountain range. Countless birds and beasts could literally be seen everywhere along with towering ancient trees and various colorful flowers. It simply looked like a fairyland.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fuss over nothing. This is just a pocket world constructed within an array,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°But I must admit the array here is more interesting than the one at the entrance.¡±


    For Chen Zhizhong, who knew nothing about arrays, he naturally couldn¡¯t see the abstruseness of this place. He pulled out his dagger and vigilantly glanced at the surroundings and any slightest disturbance would alert him.


    ¡°This place is so big. So, what are we gonna do here, Master? Shall we search around and hunt for treasures?¡±


    ¡°This small world is constructed by an array, and it¡¯s way too big for its sake. Pity that the oxygen here is too thin and the spiritual qi is negligible. With such a thin spiritual qi, not even the Golden Core Stage expert can absorb the world energy here,¡± said Tang Xiu, looking a bit regretful. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can find any precious herbs here even though there are so many flowers and trees.¡±


    ¡°Why, though?¡± asked Chen Zhizhong, looking confused. ¡°Plants can grow here, but why can¡¯t medicinal herbs? Aren¡¯t they also plants?¡±


    ¡°Medicinal herbs are indeed plants, but for it to be called a medicinal herb is because it needs to absorb the essence of the Earth and grow under the nourishment of Heaven and Earth¡¯s spiritual energy. Only after years of accumulation can it have a strong medicinal efficacy. Using an analogy in this case, even if we grow wild ginseng here, it won¡¯t have a medicinal property at all. Do you think it can be regarded as a medicinal herb?¡±


    Chen Zhizhong instantly understood Tang Xiu¡¯s explanation. He then shook his head and forced a smile. ¡°Ah, it can be called as such then. The reason why ginseng is treated like a treasure is because of the medicinal efficacy it contains. It¡¯s no different from a weed without it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I inferred that there may be no medicinal herbs in this small world,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°If there is any good thing here, it¡¯s very likely to be ores.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s the case here, Master.¡± Chen Zhizhong chimed in hurriedly. ¡°Besides, we found some Bloodsoul Stones outside the grotto entrance, so I think there must be something better than that ore. How about looking around? Maybe we can find some unexpected surprises here.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll naturally look around since we¡¯re already here,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a smile.


    The small world itself had a picturesque environment with mountains, rivers, birds, and beasts around. However, with such vibrant lifeforms in this fairyland, it was bound to have immense danger and horrible fierce beasts around. The roar they just heard was a sign that even Tang Xiu must be cautious despite the negligible spiritual qi of this world.


    Bluntly speaking, it was the energy consumption that was the deadliest problem for cultivators in this kind of environment, unless they brought with them a massive number of pills. Once they over-consumed their True Essence energy and fell into crises, surviving would be very difficult for them. Fortunately, Tang Xiu had a lot of pills in his interspatial rings. Even if the pills didn¡¯t have much effect on him, he¡¯d be able to support Chen Zhizhong should he need to take them in an emergency.


    It seems like I must go to Bangkok again to get some Demon Stones from the Dark Shaman Clan. The number I have to absorb and refine is only enough for a few years. But if I were to be trapped in a small world like this one in the future, it¡¯s very likely that I¡¯ll fall into great danger then.


    Walking on the cultivation path is indeed like sailing against the current. Those who can¡¯t move forward will only be left behind. The Primal Chaos Force I¡¯ve accumulated in my body is but only one aspect. I still need to advance in cultivation, which needs me to absorb the stars¡¯ energy. But just like the rivers that flow into the ocean, all kinds of energy can still be used. I can use spiritual qi as an auxiliary energy, though I still need a massive amount of Demonic force to fill it once in a while.


    After a long while, Tang Xiu and Chen Zhizhong had traversed into the depths of the small world, but they were still unable to figure out how big this small world really was. Further, what made them downright disappointed was that they couldn¡¯t find any treasure; though they also didn¡¯t encounter any dangers.


    ¡°We can¡¯t keep searching like this, Zhizhong. Even spending months to search anything here, I don¡¯t think we can search the whole area of this small world given its size. As of now, I¡¯m afraid I must focus on the array of this small world,¡± said Tang Xiu as he stopped with a pensive look on his face.


    For a moment, Chen Zhizhong looked hesitant, then he said, ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about arrays, Master, so you can research it slowly. I¡¯ll just keep searching around.¡±


    At his words, Tang Xiu took out two jade bottles from his interspatial ring and handed it over to him. Nodding, he said, ¡°Remember, the more beautiful the environment, the more deadly the dangers it hides. Don¡¯t be fooled by the scenery of this place and always keep your guard up. Return here immediately if you¡¯re in danger. Also, there are 20 pills in these two jade bottles that will be helpful to you.¡±


    Suddenly, he seemed to have recalled something and took out the Tang Sect¡¯s Token he just refined from the interspatial ring and handed it to Chen Zhizhong. ¡°The Everlasting Feast Hall is nothing but a normal restaurant now. All its core members have now become Tang Sect members. I¡¯m the one who established this Tang Sect¡ªa sect for cultivators. So, take this Tang Sect¡¯s Token as a proof that you¡¯re also a disciple of the Tang Sect.¡±


    A look of surprise flashed on Chen Zhizhong¡¯s face. He knew what the monastic sect meant. The sect as a whole was like a big family in ancient times. For his master, Tang Xiu to establish the Tang Sect meant that he himself was also a cultivator with origin and foundation now.


    After receiving the Tang Sect¡¯s Token with a solemn face, Chen Zhizhong saw Tang Xiu shake his head.


    ¡°Ehh? What is it, Master?¡±


    ¡°Drop your blood on the token. It will then be fused into your body and the token pattern will appear on your finger. The Tang Sect¡¯s Token is strictly a magic tool with two functions. One of which is to prove your identity and the other mainly for protection. It can protect you from a fatal blow once you encounter a hopeless situation. Remember, it won¡¯t activate unless you face a desperate situation at the most critical moment of life and death and you don¡¯t have enough time to activate it.¡±


    With his expression turning serious, Chen Zhizhong firmly nodded. He made a little cut on his finger with his dagger and dropped the blood drop on the Tang Sect¡¯s Token. Suddenly, he noticed a strange connection between his spiritual power with the token in his hand.


    Whoosh!


    The token suddenly disappeared and a token pattern appeared on Chen Zhizhong¡¯s thumb immediately after. It looked like a tattoo and looked identical to the Tang Sect¡¯s Token.


    ¡°You only need a thought to control the token,¡± continued Tang Xiu. ¡°Go now! Don¡¯t go too far and lose your way here. As long as I fully comprehend the array of this small world, I can easily detect any treasures inside this world by using this array.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong nodded and tried to release the token first, before taking it back. After repeating it a few times, only then did he go into the distance excitedly.


    Tang Xiu took a fast glance around randomly before heading to a flat, large bluestone nearby. After sitting cross-legged on it, he constantly released his perception and quickly touched the invisible array.


    ¡®It¡¯s interesting indeed.¡¯


    After perceiving and having a brief comprehension, Tang Xiu realized that this array was very abstruse. Although he could grasp most of the arrays in existence, the small part of this array felt very novel even to him. Something that he had never felt and thought of back in the past. Such a discovery piqued his interest and made him more eager to find out more. He genuinely realized that the more he knew about this array, the more he felt how infinitely wide and profound the array was.


    In the deep valley was spring water with rising white mist above it. A flock of exotic and peculiar animals resembling sheep and dogs with a horn just like of the rhinos on their heads were drinking around the spring.


    Some of them, looking like owls as big as lions, were seen squatting on the rocks, glancing around. They didn¡¯t open their mouths but kept chirping out ¡°cluck, cluck¡± sounds.


    ¡°Ehh? What is that?¡±


    Chen Zhizhong, who just came here, suddenly staggered. Luckily, he responded fast and reached out to clutch onto a few meters high boulder before falling to the ground. His face was full of shock as though he saw ghosts in broad daylight.

 Chapter 1026 - Imprisoned Creatures

    Chapter 1026: Imprisoned Creatures


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Even a man of big guts as Chen Zhizhong couldn¡¯t help but panic and become shocked. The sight in front of him was far beyond his imagination. The moment he could stabilize his footing, he frantically dashed backward instantly for tens of meters. Only after he reached another high boulder several meters back did he finally stop, gasping and panting.


    Headless humans; armless humans; legless humans¡­


    Some of them had even ten centimeters wide holes in their chests¡­


    If these humans were just corpses, Chen Zhizhong wouldn¡¯t be that frightened, but he couldn¡¯t help but panic seeing that these people were absolutely not dead¡­ All of them were still alive!


    That¡¯s right, they were all alive.


    It was very hard for him to imagine what kind of lifeform could still survive without a head?! It was beyond his cognition that these monster-like humans looked extremely wretched and miserable. Yet, how come they still had still signs of life?!


    ¡°Hehe¡­ this is so fun and interesting. To think that some living creatures appeared here. How many years has it been? A thousand? Or is it ten thousand years? I finally see some foreign lifeforms¡­ It¡¯s a human! Hehehe¡­¡± Among the hundreds of incomplete humans was a man who lost his arms and had a bloody wound on his chest. He mechanically raised his head as his eyes looked at the direction of Chen Zhizhong¡¯s hiding place.


    ¡°It¡¯s very interesting to have a living human coming here. Is he also a dissident who has been exiled to this godforsaken place? But why didn¡¯t he get a corporeal punishment? Did he bribe the criminal officer? Is it because of his background?¡±


    ¡°Whatever his background or origins, for him to come here intact means that he¡¯s not a friend but an enemy! Treat him as an enemy and kill him!¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ let¡¯s play with him and try his strength first, guys. It won¡¯t be too late to kill him after we ruin him, no?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s going first?¡±


    ¡°My turn!¡±


    ¡°Me!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Dumbfounded and tongue-tied, Chen Zhizhong looked at these people¡­ No¡­ they should be monsters! If he was given another chance, he would never want to come here and be stared at by this group of monsters.


    With his hiding spot already discovered, Chen Zhizhong no longer hid. He moved to the side of the boulder and shouted, ¡°Who are you, people?¡±


    A legless man around 40 looking like a bearded middle-aged man looked particularly aggressive and ferocious. Floating like a ghost, he stopped ten meters away from Chen Zhizhong and laughed wildly. ¡°Hahaha, you really don¡¯t know who we are? When the heck did the Sacred Pristine Palace become so interesting to imprison such a dumb brat like you here?¡±


    ¡°What Sacred Pristine Palace?¡± Chen Zhizhong frowned and said, ¡°I don¡¯t get what you mean. Nobody took me here. I came here with my Master.¡±


    ¡°Your Master?¡± The legless man blinked and suddenly burst into laughter. ¡°Hahaha, he¡¯s not some fucking dissident who got banished here, but just followed his Master into this prison? That¡¯s so damn absurd and ridiculous! Is there anyone who would come into this prison willingly? Am I getting it wrong, or are you fucking shitting me?¡±


    Pacing backward several steps, Chen Zhizhong vigilantly asked, ¡°Who are you really?¡±


    The legless man¡¯s face changed and his aura fiercely burst out instantly just like a gale that blasted forward, instantly pressuring Chen Zhizhong. However, at the same time his blasting aura rolled four-plus meters forward, it was blocked by a transparent shield as two black chains appeared out of thin air, binding his neck and waist.


    ¡°Goddammit!¡±


    The legless man looked furious, raving and roaring a few times before taking back his bursting aura. However, with his eyes staring fixedly at Chen Zhizhong, he said in a deep voice, ¡°We¡¯re all the most formidable warriors of Diablo Praecantator Clan. Those abominable robbers from Sacred Pristine Palace expanded their territory by using our clan. We killed and plundered for your campaigns. After they made us the scapegoat to the entire cultivation world, you all actually betrayed us, killed our king, massacred our people, and imprisoned all our loyal disciples who had paid so much. You¡¯re all so fucking wretched! Damnable abominations!¡±


    Diablo Praecantator Clan? Sacred Pristine Palace?


    No tail, head, nor anything came to Chen Zhizhong¡¯s mind. He was utterly confused. He was not a cultivator before and knew very little about the happenings in the cultivation world. However, he was sure of something at this moment. The fact that these people¡¯s ability to move and act was limited and subject to restrictions. They seemed to be unable to come out of the energy shield, nor were they able to free themselves from those black chains. Hence, they posed no threat to him.


    ¡°Gotta leave this place fast!¡±


    Chen Zhizhong thought for a moment before turning around and frantically dashing the way he came from. Running as fast as he could, he shuttled back through the forested mountains and appeared before Tang Xiu 20 minutes after.


    ¡°Master.¡±


    Tang Xiu opened his eyes and asked in surprise, ¡°Weren¡¯t you searching around? Why did you come back so soon?¡±


    Chen Zhizhong gulped and hurriedly said, ¡°I found some monsters in the valley tens of kilometers away, Master. They said that they¡¯re from Diablo Praecantator Clan and things like Sacred Pristine Palace I know nothing about. I didn¡¯t get anything they said, so I hurriedly returned. Ah, that¡¯s right. I also saw something. These monsters are all prisoners here. They are imprisoned.¡±


    Diablo Praecantator Clan and Sacred Pristine Palace?


    Disbelief and incredulity were obvious on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. He had heard of these two names; not on Earth but in the Immortal World!


    It was recorded in the Immortal World that the Diablo Praecantator Clan and the Sacred Pristine Palace had once existed. But according to that ancient records, they were around more than 100,000 years ago.


    ¡°Take me there,¡± said Tang Xiu with a deep voice after he immediately got up.


    Quickly after, Tang Xiu arrived at the valley and was quite shocked when he saw several hundred monsters there. Even in his dream, he never expected that there would be the Diablo Praecantator Clan on Earth. It must be noted that this clan was said to have been exterminated by the Sacred Pristine Palace 100,000 years ago in the Immortal World. Putting it bluntly, it was a true genocide. The incident led to the changes of the Sacred Pristine Palace that eventually led to its demise, destroyed by its former arch-enemies.


    ¡°Another human?¡±


    The headless man fluttered and appeared behind the transparent energy shield as his voice came out of thin air. He pointed to Tang Xiu and his voice was heard again, ¡°Are you the Master of this insect? Are you here by yourself? Those bastards from the Sacred Pristine Palace didn¡¯t imprison you?¡±


    Tang Xiu observed these people before his eyes finally landed on the headless man again. Then, he said with an indifferent face, ¡°My disciple said that you¡¯re Diablo Praecantator clansmen. Is this true?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The headless man¡¯s voice got louder and seething killing intent could be sensed in his voice.


    The legless man stared at Tang Xiu and fiercely asked, ¡°Who are you? How did you get into this prison world?¡±


    ¡°May I know your honorable name?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°This Lord is the general of the Diablo Praecantator Clan, Garza Dracomando¡ªknown to my enemies as the Discalceate Diabolos,¡± answered the legless man. ¡°You haven¡¯t answered our question, Brat!¡±


    ¡°Garza Dracomando, as in the Discalceate Diabolos of Diablo Praecantator Clan?!¡± exclaimed Tang Xiu incredulously. ¡°Weren¡¯t you one of the 18 generals under the King of Diablo Praecantator Clan, the Discalceate Diabolos who laid waste to 36 Immortal Kingdoms and massacred their armies of 100 million strong?¡±


    ¡°You know this seat? Who are you?¡± asked the legless man in surprise.


    Tang Xiu cupped his fists and introduced himself. ¡°My name is Tang Xiu, a junior of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect from 100,000 years after your Diablo Praecantator Clan was destroyed. My Vermillion Bird Holy Sect has been in existence in the Immortal World for one million years, so you must have heard of it.¡±


    The faces of several hundreds of Diablo Praecantator clansmen drastically changed at that instant. Due to the fearsome reputation and prestige of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, this sect was not a strange name to them, although their immortal kingdom in the Immortal World was far away from the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect¡¯s territory.


    ¡°Tang Xiu? You have a peculiar aura and your soul is very strange. Have you ever died and your soul occupied someone¡¯s mortal coil?¡± asked the legless man after observing Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu raised his eyes and nodded. ¡°Yes, I have.¡±


    ¡°Then how did you come here? This is the prison world created by the Sacred Pristine Palace to imprison us,¡± asked Discalceate Diabolos. ¡°No one except those from the Sacred Pristine Palace can enter this place.¡±


    ¡°This world is not the Immortal World, but on another plane.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Although I have no idea how this prison world connects to Earth, the Sacred Pristine Palace you just mentioned has long been destroyed more than 100,000 years ago, while the remaining disciples of this sect were all massacred by the ancient Gorefiend Diabolos.¡±


    ¡°That Gorefiend geezer?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, so it turned out to be Gorefiend Diabolos!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s retribution! It¡¯s all fated punishment! How could the Sacred Pristine Palace fend off the revenge of their powerful enemies without us, Diablo Praecantator Clan? Gorefiend Diabolos, huh¡­ Hahaha¡­ This seat once massacred hundreds of thousands of clans and tribes with him in the past. I didn¡¯t expect him to come back from the Immortal Sea of Evil!¡±


    ¡°So they¡¯ve died, huh? But goddammit. Pity this seat can¡¯t escape this place, or I could¡¯ve them beheaded, ripped out their hearts and scattered their souls by my own hands.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really unexpected that it was the enemy who gave us our revenge¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Hundreds of Diablo Praecantator clansmen fell into ecstasy. But suddenly, they all fell into silence as all of them shut their eyes and lain down on the ground, followed by bizarre notes that came out from them as though they were chanting and holding memorial services.


    Tang Xiu calmly observed them until all of them stood up again. Then, he slowly asked, ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened between you and the Sacred Pristine Palace. I just want to know something. You now learned that your archnemesis has already been destroyed. So, do you have any plans for the future?¡±


    ¡°Plan?¡±


    The hundreds of Diablo Praecantator clansmen were all bewildered and at a loss. The drive that motivated them to survive was to kill off the Sacred Palace¡¯s enemies first. Having been betrayed by the Sacred Pristine Palace and now that all their enemies were now gone, they suddenly lost the spiritual pillar that was the reason for their existence.


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu asked again, ¡°Since you haven¡¯t thought about it, then let me change my question. You should¡¯ve been imprisoned by the Sacred Pristine Palace for more than 100,000 years here. But it¡¯s impossible for you all to live this long in a place with negligible world spiritual energy. How can you still live until now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because of the Diablo Praecantator Forbidden Curse, the Life and Death Nightmare.¡±


    Diablo Praecantator Forbidden Curse?


    The Life and Death Nightmare?


    Wearing a disbelieving and incredulous look, Tang Xiu hurriedly asked, ¡°That legend is real? Such a dreadful curse really exist?¡±


    Note:


    Did they use Chinese to converse, though? Damn plot holes.

 Chapter 1027 - Requiting Favors

    Chapter 1027: Requiting Favors


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    While quietly listening to the conversation between Tang Xiu and the Diablo Praecantator clansmen, a great shock hit Chen Zhizhong¡¯s whole being. Even in his dreams, to think that his Master Tang Xiu actually came from another world that all humanity longed for¡­ the legendary Immortal World¡­


    At the same time, he was also shocked by these Diablo Praecantator clansmen. They had been imprisoned here for hundreds of thousands of years and yet still survived to the present¡ªsomething that was much more unbelievable and mysterious than the myth itself.


    ¡°What exactly is the Diablo Praecantator Forbidden Curse and the Life and Death Nightmare, Master?¡± Chen Zhizhong inquired while suppressing his shock.


    ¡°It¡¯s a fearsome curse exclusive to the Diablo Praecantator Clan known as Life and Death Nightmare,¡± explained Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Is this curse very powerful?¡± asked Chen Zhizhong with a curious face.


    Narrowing his eyes, Tang Xiu glanced at the Diablo Praecantator clansmen and slowly narrated. ¡°That¡¯s something told in the legend that the legendary Magus of this clan is proficient in casting a very mysterious and secret magic curse. This curse has no effect on others aside from their clansmen. Once the Diablo Praecantator clansmen use this curse on themselves, their lifespan will increase by tens of million times with 10,000 years in a cycle where they can only wake up for 100 years for every cycle and spend the rest of the cycle time sleeping. It¡¯s for this reason that they can live for so long, much longer than the immortals who are at the same cultivation level as them.¡±


    The face of Discalceate Diabolos turned grim and his murderous aura seemed to have condensed into substance as he said fiercely, ¡°You¡¯re right. Everything said about this legend is true. I just don¡¯t know whether you¡¯re lucky or not since you happened to meet us when we¡¯re at the waking phase. The Life and Death Nightmare is a secret curse of my Diablo Praecantator Clan which indeed can make our people live for a long time. Yet, it¡¯s also the alternative of death itself. We can only be awake for 100 years, but every time we wake up, the world changes along with everything we know. When we haven¡¯t yet fully understood the new world, we then fall into slumber yet again for nearly 10,000 years, only to wake up 100 years later again. The cycle continues on and on. It becomes torture and torment no average men can ever imagine to feel. If¡­ if we did have a choice and weren¡¯t forced by the situation, there wouldn¡¯t have been anyone from my clan to cast this Life and Death Nightmare curse on themselves.¡±


    Tang Xiu gazed at these Diablo Praecantator clansmen with some pity. He never knew what situation these people faced, but the Discalceate Diabolos made it clear that only agony and torment were the results of this curse, that every member of this clan would rather die than seek such long lifespan yet limited in each cycle.


    Discalceate Diabolos gradually took back his murderous aura. Then, he looked at Tang Xiu and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Disciple of Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, can you help us escape from this place?¡±


    ¡°Frankly speaking, my hands are tied now even though I do really want to help you.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Your power may have declined, less than one-thousandth of your prime, but you should be able to sense that there¡¯s a big issue in my body and soul. The current me is far too weak, and regardless of how eager I am to help you, there¡¯s nothing I can do. Unless¡­ unless I can restore my power to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage.¡±


    The man thought for a long while and nodded wordlessly. Then, he said with a regretful face, ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s indeed nigh on impossible with your current power. This damn Diablo Array is too abstruse to crack, not even those at the Perfected Golden Realm Stage can break it unless they really comprehend the Diablo Array. In the beginning, there were tens of millions of Diablo Praecantator Clan¡¯s warriors here. But no matter how hard we tried, we have never been able to break it, and couldn¡¯t escape from this place.¡±


    Tang Xiu frowned and said, ¡°You mean, there were tens of millions of your clansmen warriors imprisoned here? But how come there are only you remaining¡­¡±


    Discalceate Diabolos bitterly smiled and said, ¡°Freedom and slaughter are instincts endowed to my clan. Without freedom, my clansmen might as well choose to commit suicide. Hahaha¡­ tens of millions of elite warriors of my clan with the weakest at the Celestial Immortal Stage and tens at the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage, yet they chose to commit suicide¡­ How fate ordained the most shameful way of death to fall on my clansmen¡­¡±


    ¡°But why are you still alive, though?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    While pointing to his chest, he replied, ¡°It¡¯s the flame in this heart that must keep burning. It¡¯s the blood of our enemies that must be shed to wash away our shame. The choice of those tens of millions of my clansmen, the abysmal and worst luck that befell us, some of us chose to ignite the flame of revenge. For a long time must we survive, all to wait¡­ wait for the day we can escape and see the light of day and use the blazing flame of revenge in our hearts to burn all the traitors and betrayers from the Sacred Pristine Palace.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just unfortunate for you that all the people of the Sacred Pristine Palace have been killed more than 100,000 years ago.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°You¡¯ve been barely lingering on your last breath of life, yet you can¡¯t wash away your shame with their blood. But thankfully, your enemies are dead and your hatred-bound hearts can be freed now.¡±


    Discalceate Diabolos slowly turned around and looked behind him at the hundreds of his clansmen who had been dragging out their feeble existences. He saw the gradually dissipating anger on their faces that now was being replaced by deep despair. Suddenly, he let out an ugly smile which was more unsightly than crying as he wildly laughed before shouting, ¡°All my clansmen, did you hear it? Our enemies are dead. They are all dead. We¡¯re still alive now, but what for? Isn¡¯t the Sacred Pristine Palace already destroyed? All the wait we have been enduring has given us the result, so what are we still alive for?¡±


    Amid the rave of madness, he suddenly raised his arm and a four-plus meters long warblade suddenly appeared out of thin air in his hand. Hundreds of his fellow clansmen also unleashed each of their immortal weapons, raising them up high in the air.


    Outside the array, Tang Xiu¡¯s countenance drastically changed as he saw the actions of hundreds of Diablo Praecantator clansmen. He then let out a deafening shout, ¡°Legend has it that the Diablo Praecantator Clan are those who understood grace and gratitude the most. I brought you the news of the Sacred Pristine Palace¡¯s destruction. Is it not a great grace that gives you a chance to liberate yourselves? Will you just commit suicide now and leave your debt unpaid?¡±


    The several hundred Diablo Praecantator clansmen went stiff. They loved fighting, slaughter, and freedom. They had been a simple clan far from intrigues and machinations¡ªthe very reason why their clan was never the leader of a force and could only be a vassal race of a certain power.


    The biggest merits their clan had been proud of was loyalty and sincerity was their strength!


    Tang Xiu¡¯s reminder made them temporarily cancel their thought to commit suicide. Hundreds of pairs of eyes stared at Tang Xiu, as Discalceate Diabolos then asked, ¡°Disciple of Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, how would you like us to requite you our debt?¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment, then suddenly pointed to Chen Zhizhong and replied with a deep voice, ¡°Rumor has it that your Diablo Praecantator Clan has a secret art to turn other races¡¯ physiques to yours while also inheriting your bloodline, all the while transforming them into the most perfect warrior. In any case, you¡¯re all determined to leave this world, so you might as well help my disciple.¡±


    Discalceate Diabolos deeply gazed at Chen Zhizhong before turning around and exchanged words with several hundreds of his clansmen. Then, he nodded and said, ¡°He¡¯s the first to discover us in the past 100,000 years, so it¡¯s fate that made him the predestined friend of our Diablo Praecantator Clan. Although the current him is very weak, you¡¯ve given us a grace¡ªa favor we shall requite well. But all this requires consent from both sides. We shall comply with your request, but you need to enter this array if you want to obtain our heritage and become a perfect warrior. But once you come inside, you¡¯ll never be able to get out.¡±


    Tang Xiu turned to look at Chen Zhizhong and said with a deep voice, ¡°Zhizhong, our ancestors once said that glory comes with danger. A vast path has now been laid bare before you, so I shall ask you. Do you dare or to enter this array to accept the inheritance of these Diablo Praecantator Clan seniors?¡±


    Chen Zhizhong¡¯s complexion changed. Should the Discalceate Diabolos tell the truth, what if I really can¡¯t go out after entering the array? Can I endure the torment of loneliness of being imprisoned for countless years?


    No!


    His heart shook and he suddenly recalled another scenario. His Master, Tang Xiu, was an expert proficient in arrays. He might be able to break the array in front of him.


    At this moment in time, Chen Zhizhong was in a dilemma. If his Master couldn¡¯t break the array, then he¡¯d be imprisoned for eternity. But if he could crack it down, didn¡¯t it mean that it would be a huge chance for him?


    What should I choose?


    As time went by, Chen Zhizhong finally made up his mind and decided to choose to believe in his Master. He had decided to walk on the path to immortality¡ªa journey and a game between life and death in and of itself. If he won, then he¡¯d be reborn and achieve greatness in the future. If he lost, he could only blame his bad luck.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the chance, Master,¡± replied Chen Zhizhong with a resolute face and firm nod.


    Tang Xiu looked satisfied, nodding and loudly replying, ¡°Then you¡¯re worthy of being Tang Xiu¡¯s disciple! Just with your mentality and state of mind, you will have great achievements in the future! Then go inside! As long as you can get the inheritance of the Diablo Praecantator Clan seniors, I¡¯ll definitely become a Perfected Golden Immortal in the future and I¡¯ll absolutely be able to save you.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± replied Chen Zhizhong. He then walked towards the hundreds of Diablo Praecantator clansmen. The transparent energy shield didn¡¯t stop his footsteps and he easily entered the array and arrived in front of Discalceate Diabolos.


    Discalceate Diabolos looked at him with appreciation and highly praised. ¡°My clan has always held unquestionable respect to those with heroic spirit, tough men with undying will and determination. You¡¯re one hell of a man; a real tough guy!¡±


    Chen Zhizhong took a deep breath. He turned to look at Tang Xiu and turned back again as he immediately cupped his fist and saluted. ¡°In this way, then I must trouble you for the grace, Seniors.¡±


    Discalceate Diabolos shifted his sight to Tang Xiu and said in a deep voice, ¡°Dying is much better than passing into oblivion. I hope you don¡¯t deceive us and I hope everything you said is true that all those from the Sacred Pristine Palace have been decimated.¡±


    ¡°Trust starts with truth and ends with truth,¡± said Tang Xiu solemnly.


    Discalceate Diabolos nodded in response. He suddenly let out a sharp, long howl. Suddenly, hundreds of Diablo Praecantator clansmen floated up tens of meters high at the same time, each constantly changing their positions and soon forming a pattern like a spinning disc.

 Chapter 1028 - The Best Salvation And Ending Is Death

    Chapter 1028: The Best Salvation And Ending Is Death


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Scarlet blood continually flowed from hundreds of Diablo Praecantator clansmen. Their bodies began cracking as though lands that struck by drought. Blood fluttered and rushed into the disc-shaped array and gradually, the entire sky was painted blood red.


    It was the forbidden art! The most dreadful and unfathomable art belonging to the Demon Praecantator Clan was being displayed at this moment. The blood pillar extended downward from the disc-shaped array, covering Chen Zhizhong underneath as ancient and primitive runes poured and flowed into his body.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ ROAR¡­¡±


    The moment the blood column covered Chen Zhizhong, a sharp scream of pain came out of his mouth. Along with time, his screams turned into the likes of a beast¡¯s roars due to the rending pain.


    Standing outside the array, Tang Xiu just smilingly watched Chen Zhizhong¡¯s pained and twisted face. Such an inheritance process brought along absolute pain, but the benefits gained after the pain was equally enormous.


    He did consider getting the Demon Praecantator Clan¡¯s inheritance himself, but he knew better. Once he chose to get it, he would never be able to continue cultivating the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis¡ªa case where the loss outweighed the gains. All things considered, once he achieved great success in the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis, he would be infinitely stronger than the result he could get from the Demon Praecantator¡¯s inheritance.


    Immediately after, Tang Xiu sat cross-legged right where he stood. He released his perception to seep into the small world array. What he must do right now was to devote himself to comprehend this array. He wouldn¡¯t have to do so prior to this and could¡¯ve retreated with Chen Zhizhong.


    But the current situation begged different measures. He must fully comprehend all the arrays in this place and then crack the array in front to rescue and take out Chen Zhizhong from the inside; even though he could leave by himself, his disciple would be trapped forever otherwise.


    Time fleeted by and six days passed by in the blink of an eye.


    When Tang Xiu opened his eyes, the blood column that shrouded Chen Zhizhong gradually disappeared from this piece of the world. But countless ancient and primitive runes surged toward Chen Zhizhong¡¯s naked body like tidal waves. Tang Xiu could even see those countless runes etching themselves in Chen Zhizhong¡¯s muscles, viscera, and bones.


    ¡°It¡¯s successful?¡±


    Expectation and anticipation were evident in Tang Xiu¡¯s eye. But when his sight shifted to the spot tens of meters high in the air, a look of sadness could be seen gleaming in his eyes. The hundreds of Diablo Praecantator clansmen now looked like dried out corpses suspended in the air, holding their one last breath and waiting for the inheritance process to complete.


    At this moment, Discalceate Diabolos suddenly opened his eyes and only the shadow of death was visible in his eyes as he scrutinized Chen Zhizhong¡¯s body. He was perfectly aware that his clan would not completely disappear from the world¡ªwith Chen Zhizhong inheriting their heritage and having his physique transformed, he was now the last seedling of their Diablo Praecantator Clan. In his bloodline now flowed the blood of his clansmen and within his soul now etched the insignia of Diablo Praecantator Clan. So long as he didn¡¯t die, their clan would be able to take roo and a newly born Diablo Praecantator Clan would re emerge yet again.


    ¡°Your Excellency Tang Xiu, the disciple of Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. The promise has been fulfilled and grace has been requited. We¡¯re about to vanish from this world, and it is our wish that you can save the seed of our clan. Shall he live for ten thousands of years for the days to come, and be extended shall the bloodlines of our Diablo Praecantator Clan,¡± said Discalceate Diabolos slowly.


    Tang Xiu raised his right hand and placed it on his left chest, pledging. ¡°Then I, Tang Xiu, shall vow to free my disciple from this place and lead him to infinite greatness. And shall be the bloodlines and fighting spirit of your Diablo Praecantator Clan to return to the Immortal World, and let your clan reclaim back your former glory in the countless years to come.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    The war blade reappeared in front of Discalceate Diabolos, followed by the reappearance of immortal weapons before the hundreds of his clansmen to end their own life.


    ¡°Return!¡± Discalceate Diabolos roared as he vanished.


    ¡°Return!¡±


    ¡°Return!¡±


    ¡°Return!¡±


    Hundreds of Diablo Praecantator clansmen also roared as they picked up their own blades and hacked themselves. As flames burst from their bodies, the blazing flame began to burn them inside out until they were completely gone.


    It was a pure and complete death! The uncommon death where the souls truly vanished into nothingness.


    Chen Zhizhong slowly opened his eyes as two lines of tears streamed down his face, dripping down to his bronze chest and finally falling down to the earth beneath his feet.


    He then kowtowed three times and prostrated nine times¡ªthe greatest salutation and homage a human could perform.


    After finishing all those, Chen Zhizhong shifted his sight to Tang Xiu with a sorrowful face. After stopping before the transparent energy shield, he kowtowed to Tang Xiu three times and asked as he got up, ¡°Why, Master?¡±


    Tang Xiu knew what Chen Zhizhong was referring to. A complicated look filled his eyes. He shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m sure that I can crack this array and break this prison to free the Diablo Praecantator clansmen. They could have left this small world and come to a wonderful world outside.¡±


    ¡°Then why?¡± asked Chen Zhizhong again.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know anything about them, nor do you know those of them who have cast the Life and Death Nightmare curse on themselves.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Living for them is nothing but a torment¡ªa never-ending pain and torture. Death is just their salvation, the best ending and the ultimate relief for them.¡±


    ¡°But as long as they¡¯re alive, will not be hope for them in the future, Master?¡± Chen Zhizhong argued. ¡°Who can be sure that no one can remove the curse they cast on themselves in the future? You¡¯re someone omnipotent in my heart, you will definitely have the means to do so in the future.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not speak about the future and see what we must face at the present,¡± said Tang Xiu with a deep voice. ¡°If I were to release and take them out of this small world to our Earth, do you think I can have them under control with their bloodthirst nature? With just humanity on Earth, can these Diablo Praecantator clansmen with Golden Immortal Stage cultivation be stopped? Only earth littered by corpses and rivers filled with blood remain should the fight between both sides occur.


    ¡°Keep in mind that what I just said is the best ending possible. If we must think about the bad ending, they can easily blow up the Earth, leading to the complete destruction of humanity and Earth. They can tear apart the spatial barrier with their power to another world and even find their way back to the Immortal World. But can you bear the fate of the Earth being destroyed and the end of humanity? Can you bear to just watch helplessly as your loved ones and family die in the hands of the Diablo Praecantator clansmen?¡±


    Every word Tang Xiu said was powerfully spoken.


    Chen Zhizhong was utterly stunned by Tang Xiu¡¯s explanation. He just had a bit of wondering as to why Tang Xiu would deceive hundreds of Demon Praecantator clansmen. But now, he could understand it. It wasn¡¯t that his Master didn¡¯t want to save them, but the fact that he couldn¡¯t bear the dreadful situation after he released them.


    His tightly clenched fists loosened. Ashamed and uneasy were cast on his face as he knelt yet again before Tang Xiu. He recalled his Master¡¯s last request to the Diablo Praecantator Clan. He remembered all the benefits he just obtained because of that request. The regret in his heart grew thicker as indebted and grateful feelings toward Tang Xiu crazily grew inside him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion eased as he shook his head and said, ¡°No apology needed. We are master and disciple, to begin with. In the brutal Immortal World, we only have two kinds of people we can call the closest and our own. The first one being all the blood-connected relatives, and the second one being similar to the relationship between fathers and sons¡ªmaster and disciples. You¡¯re my disciple, that means you¡¯re my closest relative. Regardless of any mistakes you made, I¡¯ll never blame you as long as its redeemable.¡±


    Masters and disciples were such as fathers and sons!


    The line was deeply etched into Chen Zhizhong¡¯s heart and firmly engraved into his soul.


    ¡°Alright, get up now!¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Now tell me, how far have you comprehended the inheritance of the Diablo Praecantator Clan, and how much benefits have you obtained?¡±


    Chen Zhizhong stood up and cupped his fists again, saying, ¡°Master, I don¡¯t know how strong I am now, though I¡¯m indeed much stronger than before. I have a feeling that even if there¡¯s a hill before me, I can blow it up with just one punch.


    Tang Xiu happily nodded and asked again, ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°Hundreds of Diablo Praecantator clansmen Seniors passed on all of their lifelong experience, heritage, and studies to me. The knowledge they passed to me is simply enormous, including their witchcraft, secret arts, and spellcasting. In a strict sense, I¡¯m now one of them.¡±


    ¡°Very good.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°You should be very clear about the commitment I made to the seniors of this clan. It is also my wish for you to regain back the former glory of the Diablo Praecantator Clan. Let all living beings know that the Diablo Praecantator Clan still exists instead of going extinct 100,000 years ago, be it immortals, demons, wizards, ghosts, monsters, spirits and deities. Keep living and live a good life. You¡¯re my disciple whom I hope to be able to follow my footsteps who will also obtain infinite achievements and become a supreme being in the Immortal World. It is also my hope for you to have the opportunity to accompany me in the campaign in the higher plane that is God¡¯s Realm.¡±


    A great devotion filled Chen Zhizhong¡¯s mind as he shouted, ¡°I¡¯ll definitely follow your footsteps through your campaign, Master. Be it in the Immortal World or God¡¯s Realm. I, Chen Zhizhong, will forever be a disciple closest to you!¡±


    Tang Xiu laughed loudly in response and then said, ¡°Great! I was once a Supreme back in the Immortal World, and I¡¯ll also become the Supreme in God¡¯s Realm. You must not be worse than me as my disciple!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    Chen Zhizhong¡¯s expression suddenly froze and disbelief filled his eyes. He looked at Tang Xiu and asked stutteringly, ¡°M-Mas¡­ Master, could you repeat what you just said? You said¡­ y-you, you were once a Supreme in the Immortal World?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t hide it from you anymore now that you¡¯ve received the Diablo Praecantator Clan¡¯s inheritance.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I had been once a Supreme in the Immortal World¡ªa mighty expert who stood above the myriad races there. My enemies ambushed me, then I eventually crossed the plane and returned back to Earth. But keep in mind that you must not tell anyone about this matter, even your closest people. Otherwise, once the news that I¡¯m still alive passes on to my several enemies who are also Supremes in the Immortal World, then you can expect that we¡¯ll all die!¡±

 Chapter 1029 - It’s still A Harvest All The Same

    Chapter 1029: It¡¯s still A Harvest All The Same


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    A dignified and solemn look appeared in Chen Zhizhong¡¯s face and eyes. He had obtained an inheritance and gained enormous knowledge as a result. To think that his Master was once at the Supremacy Stage in the Immortal World, yet he was still ambushed by the enemy. Although he didn¡¯t know how his Master survived, he could tell how catastrophic it was like to think that he ended up at the bottom.


    All in all, it meant one thing¡ªhis Master¡¯s enemies were all very powerful. At least people who he couldn¡¯t afford to fight against. And thus, it was critical to block all the news about this matter.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master! I¡¯ll never tell a soul. Not even my family,¡± said Chen Zhizhong.


    ¡°Just remember it well.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s not waste time here. I¡¯ve already figured out most of this array¡¯s features. I should be able to crack it two days later and we should be able to leave directly then. You can consolidate your current cultivation while I analyze this array.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    After saluting, Chen Zhizhong turned around and walked to a bluestone nearby, sitting cross-legged and steadily stabilizing his present cultivation level.


    Unwilling to waste more time, Tang Xiu fully set his mind on cracking the array. He still needed to spend some efforts to crack the array laid out by the Diablo Praecantator Clan since he only had bits of knowledge about their arrays, whereas the arrays arranged by the Sacred Pristine Palace had similar principles to the ones he had comprehended. Unfortunately, his cultivation was still too low despite how great the efforts he spent. Otherwise, he¡¯d have been able to comprehend the array in front of him in a flash and easily break it with a flick of his finger.


    Two days passed by quickly. When Tang Xiu had taken control of the entire small world formation, he had comprehended all the abstruseness of this array. The arrays here were all connected and subtly interlinked. Fortunately for him, he had directly analyzed the entire small world array and comprehended it now. If he were to directly analyze it, it was very likely that he couldn¡¯t fully understand it. The design of this array formation and several novels outlining methods about it still gave some benefits to Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Break¡­¡±


    Along with a small movement of Tang Xiu¡¯s finger, the layers of transparent energy shield that covered the valley suddenly rippled and an opening suddenly appeared in a flash.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    At the moment Tang Xiu broke the array, Chen Zhizhong had already woken up from his cultivation. As the opening was getting bigger, he bolted lightning-fast towards Tang Xiu. Due to the sudden increase in his cultivation, however, he was still unable to control his power and he would¡¯ve hit Tang Xiu¡¯s arm if it wasn¡¯t for Tang Xiu moving aside to avoid it.


    Tang Xiu laughed at him and then said, ¡°Well, it will take some time for you to fully stabilize your cultivation level and control your current power. I think you need to hand over your business to your son after we get back! Even if he doesn¡¯t want to do so, tell him to return to Star City to take it over. You¡¯re to go to our sect¡¯s domain and cultivate in seclusion. Your cultivation will yield double the results if you practice there.¡±


    ¡°And where¡¯s our sect¡¯s land, Master?¡± asked Chen Zhizhong quickly.


    ¡°Nine Dragons Island,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Chen Zhizhong understood quickly. He knew the backstage story back when Tang Xiu purchased Nine Dragons Island. Tang Xiu didn¡¯t have enough money then, so he provided most of the funds for him. In addition, he also knew that Tang Xiu carried out a reconstruction project there, although he didn¡¯t expect that his Master would establish the Tang Sect and chose that island as the sect¡¯s holy ground.


    ¡°I¡¯ll arrange it right away once I go back, Master.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and his body flashed towards the array. Under Chen Zhizhong¡¯s puzzled eyes, his figure kept flashing and a small twister was formed while pieces of artifacts kept falling into Tang Xiu¡¯s hands and were stored into his interspatial ring.


    After a long while, Tang Xiu came out from the formation and threw the war blade to Chen Zhizhong, smilingly saying, ¡°This war blade belonged to Discalceate Diabolos. He was once a famous and prominent figure in command of countless Diablo Praecantator Clan¡¯s experts. This war blade of his is also a fine immortal weapon. You must refine this war blade and use it as your weapon before you advance into the Immortal Stage. When you¡¯re powerful enough and have refined this war blade in the future, you¡¯ll have a genuine immortal weapon for yourself.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± replied Chen Zhizhong happily.


    Although the Diablo Praecantator Clan left behind a large number of objects and all of them were taken away by Tang Xiu, he was perfectly aware that he was the person who benefitted the most. Just the inheritance of this clan and the transformation of his physique was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him.


    As for the weapons, they were nothing but external objects.


    However, he didn¡¯t know that all the weapons and interspatial rings left behind by the Diablo Praecantator Clan Tang Xiu had just taken away contained many treasures even in the Immortal World. He had no idea how valuable these objects were.


    It must be noted that the number of Diablo Praecantator clansmen who left their interspatial rings and weapons behind was not just in the hundreds, but more than 12 million. Tang Xiu¡¯s technique to gather all of them was so fast and yet he still needed a long time to collect all of them. Fortunately, he directly refined these Praecantators¡¯ interspatial rings¡ªotherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to store so many objects.


    Chen Zhizhong had never been to the Immortal World and his knowledge about immortal weapons was very limited. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve realized that the value of these immortal tools and weapons taken away by Tang Xiu was enough for him to buy a vast area of a starfield in the Immortal World while recruiting millions of immortals to work for him.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head out!¡±


    Tang Xiu glanced at the fingers on his left hand happily and smilingly said.


    ¡°Ehh?¡± Chen Zhizhong hurriedly said, ¡°But we haven¡¯t explored this small world yet, Master! If there¡¯s a lot of ores here, we must bring them out, no?¡±


    ¡°I already have this small world under my control, so I can easily sense everything here through the array.¡± Tang Xiu lightly smiled and said, ¡°This place is actually a prison. There are no other precious ores except those 36 Celestial Stones. I¡¯ll take them away directly when we leave this place and this small world will cease to exist.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong quickly understood and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯d like to learn array formations from you later, Master.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Don¡¯t tell me you have no knowledge about arrays in the inheritance you obtained from the hundreds of Diablo Praecantator experts?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I did obtain it, but they are all wizardry arrays. And they are not that powerful either.¡± Chen Zhizhong forced a smile and said, ¡°Their arrays pale in comparison to the really powerful ones in the Immortal World, Master.¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°That¡¯s true. The Diablo Praecantator Clan boasted formidable individual power. What they pursued were individual might and the quality of their weapons and regarded geomancy array as auxiliary and rather neglected it. Alright then, since you want to learn it, I¡¯ll teach you later. Ah, I forgot something. Try to unleash your strongest strike. Let me see what stage you¡¯ve reached now.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong accepted the order and flashed away to the distance. A kilometer away, he unleashed a powerful punch at the hilltop in front of him.


    One strike! Yet, the tens-of-meters high hilltop was directly blasted. The might of the punch was comparable to a strike by a Nascent Soul Stage expert. In the next moment, he brandished the war blade and hacked it towards the big mountain. The powerful bombardment created a huge hole a dozen meters wide and a hundred meters deep on the massif.


    ¡°How do you see my current power, Master?¡± asked Chen Zhizhong hurriedly as he returned to Tang Xiu¡¯s front with an excited face.


    ¡°Not bad.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Your power is enough to match experts at the late-stage of Nascent Soul. I can¡¯t compare to you in terms of cultivation level, but the likelihood of you being killed by me is high if we fight. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, you¡¯re still unable to fully control your power. Secondly, you¡¯re lacking in combat experience; especially between experts. Thirdly, even experts at Nascent Soul Stage will find it hard to win me.¡±


    Deep worship filled Chen Zhizhong¡¯s eyes as he replied, ¡°Well, your power is kinda progressing too fast, Master. I still remember when we first met. Your strength was probably far weaker before I got the inheritance. But it only took you a year and a half and you¡¯re already able to defeat the Nascent Soul Stage experts. That¡¯s way too amazing. I think you¡¯ll be able to cross the tribulation and ascend to become an Immortal in a few years, no?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter. ¡°How can it be so easy to cross a tribulation and become an Immortal? It¡¯s just a matter of course for one to progress very fast at an early stage of their cultivation. But it will be more difficult to advance in cultivation in the future as it will take more time to break through each layer. My luck is quite good and I got many fortuitous encounters, that¡¯s the reason why I can contend with experts at the Nascent Soul Stage in just one and a half years. But it¡¯s hard to say in the future!¡±


    Chen Zhizhong was stunned and suddenly realized that he didn¡¯t know much about the cultivation path. The inheritance he obtained from the Diablo Praecantator Clan was limited to the circumstances faced by this clan as well as their cultivation¡ªfar from being enough to grasp even the common and superficial knowledge in the Immortal World.


    However, his worship towards Tang Xiu didn¡¯t diminish even if the latter admitted such. After all, he knew how mighty powerful those at the Supremacy Stage in the Immortal World were. Not even in the heyday of the Diablo Praecantator Clan had any of its members broken through to the Supremacy Stage. Even all the previous sages and kings of this clan were only at the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage.


    Quickly after, Tang Xiu and Chen Zhizhong appeared at the exit passage to the grotto. They looked back at the small world in front of them. Without flinching, Tang Xiu then told Chen Zhizhong to wait outside as he immediately cast a technique to break the whole array.


    ¡°Come to me, Celestial Stones!¡±


    As his shout rolled forward, 36 Celestial Stones flew to him and he directly stored them in his interspatial ring. These Celestial Stones only had small uses for him, but they were the best treasures for Gu Yan¡¯er and Ji Chimei. With them now living on Earth and Earth itself not having immortal energy, the rate of restoring their power and healing was very slow.


    A tremor shook the earth and the mountains swayed.


    Tang Xiu watched as the small world in front of him gradually became illusory. He no longer stayed there and his figure was as though turned into lightning as he bolted outside through the passage in the grotto.


    Whoosh!


    After he appeared outside the cave in just less than a minute, the entire mountain peak then collapsed along with the destruction of the small world.

 Chapter 1030 - Accidents On The Way Back

    Chapter 1030: Accidents On The Way Back


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu took Chen Zhizhong and Tang 28¡¯s group of five into the sky as they stood hundreds of meters high mid-air, looking at the collapsed mountain peak.


    The Diablo Praecantator Clan was pitiable, while the Sacred Pristine Palace turned into an abomination.


    Whatever happened between them hundreds of thousands of years ago, be it right or wrong, and all the grievances, enmities, and whatnot, it had now come to a complete end with the destruction of the small world and the collapse of this mountain peak. As of now, only a deep puzzle occupied Tang Xiu¡¯s mind. What exactly was the existence of Earth? Why would so many strange pocket worlds connect to it?


    However, he also realized that it was very difficult for him to figure it out in a short time no matter how long this question plagued his mind. Thus, he no longer thought about this matter and led Chen Zhizhong, Tang 28, and the rest out of Changbai Mountain quickly. Halfway on the road back, he separated from Chen Zhizhong.


    ¡°Please take care, Master. I¡¯ll be waiting for you in Star City.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong looked somewhat reluctant. The journey and the experience this time gave him a very deep impression that deepened his feeling towards Tang Xiu as his true Master.


    ¡°I won¡¯t stay in the capital for a long time,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Go and take care of your business. I¡¯ll take you to Nine Dragons Island after I go back.¡±


    ¡°Acknowledged, Master!¡± replied Chen Zhizhong as he left quickly.


    ****


    Beijing.


    It was the first time for Tang 28 and the other four kids visiting the capital. They all knew that Beijing was the capital of China and one of the most bustling metropolises in the country. It made them quite curious despite being much more mature than their peers.


    ¡°Where are we going, Sect Master?¡± asked Tang 28 after they exited the airport.


    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to ask any more questions later, remember that!¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°You just need to follow me wherever I go. Keep in mind that you¡¯re my shadow later, and you four are Tang 28¡¯s shadows. Learn to stay silent and execute my orders whenever you¡¯re with me.¡±


    Tang 28 and the four others hurriedly nodded and didn¡¯t dare to speak again.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s visit to Beijing this time was due to the 80th birthday of his grandfather, Tang Guosheng. He wouldn¡¯t have come back in a rush if he was abroad. But now that he was in China and on the way back home, he decided to stop by at the capital to congratulate the old patriarch.


    As they caught a cab and Tang Xiu told the driver the Tang Family¡¯s address, the taxi driver shot a strange look at him and asked, ¡°You¡¯re not from Beijing, are you, Little Brother? A curfew has been imposed on that area in recent days. Even if I send you there, I can¡¯t get you to the address. Just stopping by and parking nearby.¡±


    ¡°Ehh? A curfew over there? Why?¡± asked Tang Xiu in surprise.


    With a mystifying voice, the taxi driver replied, ¡°Then you must be an outsider, Little Brother. So you have no idea about it. Tomorrow is the 80th birthday of the old patriarch of the Tang Family. The Tangs were very low-key in the past, but recently they are getting more and more powerful. It¡¯s just so happened that the Tang¡¯s old patriarch is celebrating his 80th birthday, so the Tangs seem to be preparing a great deal for something. Hence, so as to avoid anyone creating trouble, a curfew was imposed on the streets around their residence. It¡¯s fine during the daytime, but the streets will be sealed off starting from 10 PM and no vehicles are allowed to approach the area.¡±


    ¡°Ah, this Tang Family seems very famous!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    The taxi driver gave him ¡°don¡¯t speak carelessly because you¡¯re ignorant¡± look. After starting the car, he spoke again. ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know the Tang in the entire capital, Little Brother? I bet those with a bit of power in China definitely know who Tang Xiu is. The Tang¡¯s old patriarch used to be the elder of the nation¡ªa real bigshot and a former general. What¡¯s more, have you ever heard about the Tang Family¡¯s arch-nemesis, the Yaos? The latter inexplicably fell into demise last year. I¡¯m sure that even if the present Tang Family is not ranked as the best House in the capital, they are definitely in the top three.¡±


    ¡°They are that powerful?¡± Tang Xiu confirmed with a light smile.


    The taxi driver didn¡¯t notice Tang Xiu¡¯s expression and kept holding the steering wheel while looking at the road ahead. He nodded and said, ¡°Of course, they are powerful! Pity that I didn¡¯t reincarnate into that House, though. I would¡¯ve lived a kingly life if I were a member of the Tangs. You got no idea of how prestigious the status and identity the Tang House¡¯s members in the capital enjoy, do you? Some time ago, a scion from the Tang House called Tang Wei smacked the renowned Heavenly Grace Club of Beijing and made a big ruckus there. Can you guess the ending? Nobody can do shit to this Prince Tang Wei. On the contrary, the Heavenly Grace Club¡¯s Boss and the few silk pants who offended him bowed their heads to apologize to him. The grapevine has it that Young Master Tang Wei racked quite a fortune from the compensation they gave him.¡±


    ¡°Tang Wei?¡±


    Tang Xiu was a bit at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh. He didn¡¯t expect that Tang Xiu would cause such a big mess. But he was sure that no matter how big the fortune this guy got, he must have been packed up after he got home. Definitely! It was because the death decree from the elders of the Tangs saying that the juniors of the family were forbidden from acting like those silk pants and cause troubles outside.


    This guy is definitely not feeling well recently, no? Tang Xiu gloated.


    After half an hour, the taxi passed downtown. Just as it was crossing the flyover and coming down, there was congestion in the road ahead.


    ¡°Why is Qingfeng Road blocked again? Is there a traffic accident in front?¡± the taxi driver used the intercom and asked. He quickly got the answers he wanted.


    ¡°It¡¯s because of a traffic accident. And lemme tell you, the scene is straight out of a blockbuster! Some cars were in hot pursuit and the number of victims is probably more than 10 people. It¡¯s been a long time since such a big mess that happened in Beijing. You¡¯re unlucky, Brother. You gotta pray for more blessings and good luck if you¡¯re stuck in Qingfeng Road. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re gonna be stuck for a few more hours.¡±


    ¡°Who the hell is so bold to make such a big ruckus in the capital?!¡± asked the cab driver hurriedly. ¡°With so many people dying at the holy ground of the emperor, are they not afraid of getting bad luck?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything more, sorry.¡±


    ¡°Got it, thanks!¡±


    As the conversation ended, the cab driver looked at Tang Xiu. Then, he forced a smile and said, ¡°Well, it seems like we¡¯re stuck here until morning, Little Brother. It¡¯s impossible to turn around now either. If you¡¯re in a hurry, you can get off now and take the subway there, though.¡±


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment and then took out 200 yuan from his pocket and handed it over to the cab driver, saying, ¡°Then we¡¯re getting off here, Uncle! Take the money and keep the change.¡±


    The cab driver didn¡¯t expect Tang Xiu to be so generous and said quickly, ¡°It¡¯s too much, Little Brother. I can¡¯t accept it.¡±


    Tang Xiu pushed the door open and just waved with a smile. He then led Tang 28¡¯s group of five to the roadside and then walked along the road. Back when the cab driver used the intercom to ask about the accident, he was also very curious as to who could be so bold to make such a big mess in downtown capital.


    Ten minutes later, Tang Xiu and the rest appeared near the accident site¡ªa wide intersection that now looked so chaotic with more than a dozen cars crashed. A lot of rescuers could be seen everywhere treating the wounded or lifting the dead bodies from the cars, causing him to furrow his brows slightly.


    ¡°What exactly happened here, Big Brother?¡±


    Tang Xiu approached a middle-aged man who kept sighing and asked him after offering a cigarette.


    ¡°It¡¯s because of those evil guys!¡± The middle-aged man forced a smile and explained, ¡°Some people unknowingly offended the Second Young Master Fan. That fella brought many men with a dozen cars to chase and kill them and eventually led to these series of accidents. Alas, three of them died here and the remaining ones are injured and escaped. Yet that Second Young Master Fan didn¡¯t let them go and led many men to pursue them, abandoning those who got implicated in a car accident.¡±


    ¡°Who is this Second Young Master Fan?¡± asked Tang Xiu, frowning.


    The middle-aged man glanced at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Judging from your accent and that you don¡¯t know Second Young Master Fan, you¡¯re not local, are you, Little Brother?¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know him. I¡¯m from Star City and just came to Beijing today.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    ¡°I see. It¡¯s no wonder, then.¡± The middle-aged man nodded and explained, ¡°Second Young Master Fan is the son of the Fan House¡¯s Patriarch. Although no one from this family goes into politics, it¡¯s a very famous wealthy family nonetheless. Do you know the Skypigeon Group listed in the Top 500 companies in the world? That¡¯s the Fan Family¡¯s company. This family had a good reputation in Beijing prior to this incident, and now that its Second Young Master caused so much a mess, I¡¯m afraid their reputation is pretty much notorious now. Bah, if I were to have a son like him, I¡¯d definitely break his legs and chain him at home, lest he go outside to court calamity and causes troubles.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and asked curiously, ¡°Where are they heading now?¡±


    ¡°How would I know? A group of men in hot pursuit and the other one running like hell,¡± said the middle-aged man. ¡°Who knows where are they going?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know which direction they are heading to?¡± asked Tang Xiu again.


    The middle-aged man pointed to the northeast direction and said, ¡°I know that. They¡¯re heading there. You can¡¯t be thinking of joining in the fray, can you, Little Brother? Don¡¯t get yourself involved, lest you get burned! You¡¯d better put your curiosity away.¡±


    ¡°Roger that and thanks a bunch, Big Brother.¡± Tang Xiu smiled.


    Immediately after, Tang Xiu led Tang 28¡¯s group of five and quickly rushed to the northeast. He wouldn¡¯t have bothered to get involved in this matter if he didn¡¯t happen to bump into this accident. But now that it happened before him, he might as well figure out what happened. He had heard of the Fan Family but hadn¡¯t had any contact with them yet, although one of his friends, Qin Shaoyang, had.


    From what he learned from Qin Shaoyang, the First Young Master of the Fan Family was his sworn brother and he intended to introduce him to Tang Xiu before. The most important thing was that the Qin Shaoyang also had a business partnership with the Fan Family that it would affect the former if an accident happened to the later.


    ¡°Hello, Shaoyang. Have you heard that the second son of the Fan Family just made a big mess?¡± Tang Xiu dialed Qin Shaoyang¡¯s phone as he headed northwest.


    ¡°I heard the news about that ten minutes ago,¡± replied Qin Shaoyang hurriedly. ¡°This damn Second Fan is really outrageous. He just caused such a big shit this time. I¡¯m afraid he¡¯ll implicate the entire Fan Family and lead them to the abyss. I¡¯m at home now and talking to my old man about the business we have with the Fans. Alas, it seems like my family will get burnt one way or the other regardless.¡±

 Chapter 1031 - He’s A Fearsome Man

    Chapter 1031: He¡¯s A Fearsome Man


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    While holding the phone in his hand, Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes were filled with sympathy. The pursuit and homicide scene on the streets of Beijing would surely attract the attention of countless people. More so that this incident was just the beginning, premediating the more horrible killings in the capital.


    ¡°There¡¯s one piece of advice for you, my friend. Cease all the business dealings you have with the Fans. You must come out clean no matter how big your losses are.¡±


    Tang Xiu immediately hung up after delivering this line. He didn¡¯t bother to think about any decisions Qin Shaoyang and his father would make.


    He sensed Cadaver Qi at the scene of the murders and was sure that those who left this cadaveric energy were likely to be one of the Second Young Master¡¯s group. Should this be proven, the Fan Family could expect a calamity to befall upon them while dragging along all those who had a deep connection with them.


    ****


    Beijing, Dragon Hamlet Villa Complex.


    Of the most luxurious villa in this complex was a European-style Kingview villa boasting four floors with extravagant interior decoration. In the spacious study filled with poetry paintings, Qin Shaoyang hung up the phone. In front of him were a middle-aged man and another young man looking at him with a dissatisfied look.


    The man with a thin figure and wisdom-filled eyes was Qin Xuefeng, the Big Boss of Qin Group with a net worth easily reaching 50 billion yuan and one of the top billionaires in China. Although he had some dissatisfaction with his son, Qin Shaoyan, for taking a call at this time, he lit a Cuban cigar and took a few deep puffs before speaking, ¡°Shaozhi will serve as a government official as usual, but what about you, Shaoyang? Tell me your opinion about what we should do now.¡±


    ¡°I think we must draw the line and cease all of our business partnerships with the Fan Family.¡± Qin Shaoyang looked up and replied with a deep voice, ¡°We must sever any future connections with them as well.¡±


    BAM¡­


    ¡°NONSENSE!¡± Qin Xuefeng yelled, ¡°I thought you¡¯d made great progress in these years, but to think that you¡¯re so dumb in this matter is too much! Don¡¯t you know our cooperation with the Fans is worth nearly 10 billion yuan? It¡¯s 10 billion, I tell you! And you want it to stop just like that? Our family will definitely suffer a great loss, don¡¯t you know that?¡±


    Qin Shaozhi frowned and voiced his opinion afterward, ¡°We have invested 10 billion yuan in this cooperation project, Shaoyang. It will be a big blow to us if we quit now. Even the board of directors will definitely be against it. Unless Father takes a hard stance, it will be hard to convince them otherwise if we don¡¯t give them a sound reason.¡±


    Qing Shaoyang raised his phone and bitterly said, ¡°Dad, Big Brother, do you know who just called me?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± asked Qin Shaozi curiously.


    Qin Xuefeng likewise frowned, although he looked puzzled.


    ¡°Tang Xiu,¡± answered Qin Shaoyang.


    ¡°Tang Xiu? Which Tang Xiu? I¡­¡± blurted Qin Xuefeng. But he didn¡¯t finish his line and abruptly stopped. A handsome face appeared in his mind and his heartbeat sped up. Then, he said, ¡°Did you say he¡¯s the one from the Tang Family of Beijing? The owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, famously hailed as China¡¯s Young Divine Doctor?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s him, indeed. My answer is actually his words,¡± said Qin Shaoyang with a forced smile.


    A solemn look now covered Qin Xuefeng¡¯s face and he said with a deep voice, ¡°Can you repeat his words word-per-word, Shaoyang?¡±


    After Qin Shaoyang repeated Tang Xiu¡¯s words verbatimly, he finally said, ¡°Dad, I know about Tang Xiu¡¯s nature a bit since we¡¯re both friends and partners. He may be 21 years old this year, but he¡¯s very mature and steady. Everything he says is always through careful thinking. Calling me all of a sudden means that he knows that we have a deep cooperative relationship with the Fans, the reason why he disclosed some info to me.¡±


    Qin Xuefeng got up from his chair and paced back and forth in the study while smoking the cigar. Hesitation could be seen on his resolute face. From Tang Xiu¡¯s call just now, he could faintly notice something¡ªthe Fan Family would surely be in a big mess that would also drag the cooperation between the two families to the bottom. Should his family be dragged down due to a certain issue, then they would be in for quite a big trouble.


    However, they had invested tens of billions of yuan! Even if they immediately issued an order to cease the cooperation and recovered some of the scraps as much as possible, a final loss of at least five billion yuan was still very likely.


    What should I do?


    Qin Xuefeng stopped by the window and watched the scenery outside. Then, he suddenly asked, ¡°Can I talk to him in person?¡±


    ¡°That will be very difficult, Dad,¡± replied Qin Shaoyang bitterly. ¡°Tang Xiu hung up right after he told me that, meaning that he doesn¡¯t want to speak any longer. I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t tell you anything more even if you call him.¡±


    Sighing in response, Qin Xuefeng helplessly said, ¡°There¡¯s no choice but dropping it, then. The Fans are definitely facing big trouble since he himself gave the news. We¡¯ll fully dissolve our cooperation with the Fans and withdraw all the capital we¡¯ve invested as fast as possible no matter how big our losses.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think the decision is too hasty, Dad?¡± Qin Shaozhi interjected quickly. ¡°You made such a big decision just because of Tang Xiu¡¯s call? We¡¯ll be completely offending the Fan Family should nothing happen to them later.¡±


    ¡°There are things you don¡¯t understand, Shaozhi.¡± Qin Xuefeng said, ¡°The Tangs of Beijing are one of the most powerful families in China. Be it their wealth, privileges, or network, it¡¯s easy for them to crush the Fan Family. It¡¯s best to have a deep relationship with such a colossus¡ªsomething I¡¯ve long been wanting to do, yet unable to achieve. But Shaoyang finally did.


    ¡°After I learned that Shaoyang became friends with Tang Xiu, I sent some people to investigate him in secret. The results were very shocking. Tang Xiu has become the most outstanding offspring of the Tangs. In particular was the fact that he cured his own father, Tang Yunde, which made his position in the Tang Family soar so high that even the Tang Family¡¯s patriarch cares a lot about him.


    ¡°Our family may have gambled too big and we lost the bet, though it isn¡¯t unrecoverable in the truest sense. We may lose five billion yuan, a blow that our family must admit. But it¡¯s much more worthwhile to deepen the relationship between Shaoyang and Tang Xiu.¡±


    The light of wisdom in Qin Xuefeng¡¯s eyes turned more intense. As he stopped talking, he took several puffs of his cigar and then sighed. ¡°Regardless of the news Tang Xiu gave us being reliable or not, Shaoyang has unreserved trust in him, and so shall our family trust in Shaoyang since he can secure Tang Xiu¡¯s friendship. But if¡­ the whole thing is proven true and the Fans fall to the bottom, our family can steer off of any connection with them. This will definitely be our wisest choice ever.¡±


    ¡°Your analysis is sound, Dad. But I still have a few questions. Can Tang Xiu really inherit the seat of Tang Family¡¯s patriarch from the current old patriarch in the future?¡±


    ¡°Your vision is too narrow, son.¡± Qin Xuefeng shook his head and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think the patriarch seat enters Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes at all. Do you know how much wealth he has now?¡±


    ¡°How much is his wealth? Don¡¯t tell me his private property exceeds 10 billion yuan?¡± asked Qin Shaozhi with a confused look.


    ¡°You gotta update yourself faster if you wanna go further in the future, Shaozi.¡± Qin Xuefeng derided him. ¡°From my previous investigation, Tang Xiu has tens of billions of yuan in private property. In just the recent half-year, his company, the Magnificent Tang Corporation keeps moving upward. Not to mention the lucrative profits from this company¡¯s extremely popular products, just the revenue from the New Metro development project in the Star City has raked in so much fun from the sale of its internal purchase.¡±


    ¡°How is this possible?¡± asked the shocked Qin Shaozhi.


    ¡°Why impossible?¡± Qing Xuefeng sighed. ¡°The demands for the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s products far outstrip the supply in the market. However many they can produce, the market is still starving for their products. Such an enormous lucrative situation is something that all the businesspeople are very jealous of. Also, do you even know how many parties are partnering with the Magnificent Tang Corporation in the Star City¡¯s New Metro development project?¡±


    ¡°I dunno about that either.¡± Qin Shaozhi shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you the rundown about it, Big Brother!¡± Qin Shaoyang interjected. ¡°The Star City¡¯s New Metro construction project is being developed by a total of seven powers: The Bai and Chu Houses of Beijing, Star City¡¯s Long Family, Jingmen Island¡¯s Ouyang Family, Haiqing Province¡¯s Miao Family, and a mysterious man with unknown origin, Shao Mingzhen. The wealth and power of each of these seven parties are in the billions of yuan. There¡¯s also one thing that I don¡¯t think Dad is aware of.¡±


    ¡°Ah, what is it?¡± asked Qin Shaozhi with a puzzled look.


    ¡°Back when these seven forces joined to develop the Star City¡¯s New Metro, Tang Xiu still wasn¡¯t considered as a member of Beijing¡¯s Tang Family. He didn¡¯t know that he was an offspring of the Tang Family at that time, yet he could still collaborate with the other six parties relying only on his own personal abilities and even took the leadership role.¡±


    Gasp¡­


    Qin Shaozhi was so shocked and awed by his younger brother¡¯s explanation that he couldn¡¯t help but gasp. He had heard that some people had fearsome talent, but one with such terrifying talent was something he had never heard of. This was simply¡­ too fearsome.


    Qin Xuefeng himself was a bit shocked and sighed after a long while. ¡°Tang Xiu¡¯s power is more than that. Rumors have it that the Amur Tiger, Dongbei Hu was killed by him. Words flying around said that the Tang Family was able to defeat the Yaos, also due to Tang Xiu¡¯s involvement. You know Zhang Yueming, right? He¡¯s an old buddy of mine for many years, and even he said when I was drinking with him that the future world will definitely belong to Tang Xiu.¡±


    Qin Shaozhi fell into silence. He may not buy the words of his younger brother, Qin Shaoyang, but it was a different case with his own father. Both of them saying all these only meant that Tang Xiu was truly fearsome and terrifying.


    After putting off the cigar, Qin Xuefeng waved and said, ¡°Alright then. Shaoyang, you¡¯re to help me cease all the business partnership with the Fans. Also, see if you can contact Tang Xiu and get more useful info from him. And Shaozi, you can go back first since you don¡¯t know how to run the business!¡±

 Chapter 1032 - Heroes

    Chapter 1032: HeroesTranslator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales


    The bustling block was filled with high-rise buildings and rows of shops with many goods in displays. But the place was now filled with the sounds of gunfire as well as the smell of blood wafting in the air.


    The nearer Tang Xiu approached this block along with Tang 28¡¯s group of five, the clearer the gunshots sounded. As they eventually appeared at the crossroads, a tragic scene greeted them with dozens of cars in a series of crashes and a lot of victims everywhere.


    ¡°What a mess.¡±


    He saw more than a dozen police cars blocking the streets in the surroundings, while tens of armed policemen were engaged in an intense gunfight with a dozen bad guys. A look of helplessness appeared on his handsome face and he could sense cadaveric energy again from those dozen men.


    ¡°You guys deal with those people,¡± said Tang Xiu calmly.


    Tang 28 nodded. Just as he walked a few steps forward, he suddenly stopped as he saw his companions standing still. He immediately looked at Tang Xiu and shifted again to the four children, stating. ¡°I picked you guys before, so if you want to follow Sect Master, then you¡¯re to obey his command.¡±


    ¡°But we haven¡¯t killed people before,¡± one of the boys hesitantly replied.


    Tang 28 looked at Tang Xiu again with hesitation on his face since he never killed anyone either. And, though he used to have a bitter and rough life, was homeless and had no one to depend on, and fighting with other children and getting bullied by people was a common thing, yet he still had inexplicable fear when it came to killing.


    While looking at the five children, Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°I told you to deal with them, but I didn¡¯t say that you must kill them, did I? This situation is not suitable for killing, so you just need to discard their ability and stun them. But I just found quite a serious issue today, really. Your hands have yet to be stained by blood and you¡¯ve never killed the enemy until now. It seems that you still have things to work with, given your ability to put the experience and the mental state you¡¯ve transformed in that illusion into practice.¡±


    Tang 28 was shaken and quickly said, ¡°We¡¯ll leave immediately, Sect Master!¡±


    As his voice faded away, he and his four companions ran into the distance. At their speed, even those who had their eyes trained on them would only see their afterimages, while those who didn¡¯t pay attention wouldn¡¯t even notice them brushing past.


    Tang Xiu then glanced around to the dead bodies at the crossroads before his sight eventually fell to a wounded man curled up on the ground whining in pain.


    ¡®It¡¯s time to save people!¡¯


    He no longer hesitated and ran to the crossroad even though he had to brave the hail of bullets. He used the colliding cars as shields to avoid the bullets and successfully came to a nearly crushed car.


    ¡°Help me! My legs are stuck.¡±


    A Buick sedan¡¯s driver door was opened and a fat middle-aged man whose face full of blood and looked in pain pleaded to Tang Xiu when he squatted outside his car¡¯s door.


    Tang Xiu spread out his perception to cover hundreds of meters in a circle. He could even capture the trajectories of the bullets flying around in the covered area. He then looked at the pained middle-aged man before him, quickly stood up and entered the car. Exerting his strength, he easily pushed away from the object that made the fat man¡¯s leg stuck.


    Puff, puff¡­


    He quickly took out the silver needles and pierced the acupoints around the two serious wounds on the fat middle-aged man¡¯s body before carefully pulling him out of the car. He then spoke to him in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m a Chinese medicine doctor. You have serious injuries and your legs are broken. I¡¯ve already sealed up your wounds, so you won¡¯t lose too much blood and it won¡¯t endanger your life. Just sit still here and don¡¯t move. Wait for the bad guys to be subdued by the cops and the medics will come here to treat you.¡±


    The fat middle-aged man grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s hand and hurried asked, ¡°Can my legs be cured later, Doc? I¡­¡±


    Patting his shoulder, Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°No worries! I¡¯ll go to the hospital to find you myself once all this is over. You can be sure that I can cure your legs then. I still need to find and treat the others, so pay attention to your own safety now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to save more people, Doc? God! Are you crazy? Those villains are trading bullets with the cops. If you walk around now¡­ bullets have no eyes, Doc! W-what if you get shot?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Tang Xiu gave him a calm smile and said, ¡°I can snatch people¡¯s life from the King of Hell, so I have my ways to protect my own life.¡±


    Seeing that Tang Xiu had made up his mind and seemed about to move, the fat middle-aged man immediately asked, ¡°What¡¯s your name, Doc? You saved me, so please gimme your name.¡±


    ¡°My name¡¯s Tang Xiu.¡±


    Tang Xiu replied without turning back. He then used another car as cover and ran towards the wounded who fell to the ground seven-plus meters away. Bullets flew around him and the police nearby shouted at him, though he ignored everything. Several times the bullets came his way, but he avoided them all without anyone noticing.


    After a short while, Tang Xiu was holding a severely wounded person. After picking him up, he rushed towards a crashed SUV a few meters away. Yet, those few seconds still made the dozens of policemen full of cold sweat in worry and some people hiding in some hidden spots felt their hearts tighten.


    At the northeast corner from the crossroads.


    A building with 30 floors, the Big Golden Eagle Store, had its first to twelfth floors full of a variety of expensive goods for sale. The sixth floor was a clothing area, full of all kinds of famous women¡¯s foreign clothing brands. Yet, by a certain window, Tian Xiaomeng was sweating profusely while nervously holding the display case and pointing the camera at the fierce gun battle below.


    ¡°Guys, I¡¯m very vexed, sad, and angry. My grieving is for those innocents who have fallen in their own pool of blood. Yet, I feel so angry¡­ so damn angry at myself that I can¡¯t do anything at all and just watch them lose their lives. Those fucking damn villains are truly so heartless and cruel. They dare to kill people in this bustling block full of people in Beijing!


    ¡°All dear fans, Little Meng really didn¡¯t expect to encounter this horrible incident! I was just going to Beijing to attend an entertainment program, yet I must see such a hell loose on earth now. Dear fans and all the friends who are now watching this live broadcast platform and seeing all those innocent victims below, please join me and pray for their survival¡­¡±


    At this moment, the number of people across the country watching Tian Xiaomen¡¯s live channel had reached over a hundred thousand. As time passed by, the number of viewers flocking in and the number of subscribers also increased at an incredibly fast rate. In just five-odd minutes, the number of subscribers watching the live channel had exceeded 300,000.


    And yet, none of them talked nor sent gifts!


    Each pair of shocked and sympathetic viewer eyes only stared at the tragic scene playing on the screen. Many timid girls and kind boys even covered their mouths and burst into tears.


    Suddenly, Tian Xiaomeng slightly shivered and disbelief appeared in her bright, big eyes. Although the hands that held the camera were shaking, she still exclaimed in alarm, ¡°Who is he? It¡¯s very dangerous over there, yet¡­ w-why did he rush over there?¡±¡°Who?¡±


    Her voice that was now heard by hundreds of thousands of people led to an intense curiosity. At this moment, some people among the hundreds of thousands had identified the figure in the footage. The footage itself was bit blurred, but some were still able to recognize that person¡¯s face.


    ¡°Tang Xiu.¡±


    It was unknown who the person that typed the two words in the comment section was.


    Suddenly, the hundreds of thousands of viewers were pulled by the scene where a figure ran to a smashed SUV and quickly recognized him as Tang Xiu, a well-known small business owner and a kind, good doctor with a golden heart.


    ¡°That¡¯s Tang Xiu!¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Numerous viewers began typing these two words in the commentary box and the name made the commentary box crazily scroll downward.


    Eyes fixedly staring at Tang Xiu¡¯s figure, Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s breathing turned faster while worry and restlessness filled her eyes. Tears even burst out from her eye sockets as they quickly slipped down a delicate and lovely face.


    ¡°He¡­ he¡¯s saving them!¡±


    Muttering in a sob and mixed emotions filling her heart, Tian Xiaomeng watched as Tang Xiu rescued the pained and whining injured man curled up on the ground. He picked him up and sprinted to the side of the SUV to avoid the bullets flying around him.


    Suddenly, she seemed to recall something. Even though her face didn¡¯t appear in the footage, her voice was spread to the hundreds of thousands of viewers:


    ¡°Dear friends, you are all not mistaken! He¡¯s indeed Tang Xiu. The brother I respect the most and the most famous Young Divine Doctor in our country! It¡¯s really him who is now rushing out into the rain of bullets to save the lives of the injured. I¡¯m pleading to Heaven and to the Gods¡­ please bless him. Please let him be safe and bless him in his endeavor to save that injured man¡­¡±


    ¡°Bless him.¡±


    ¡°Bless and protect him.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The ¡°Bless and protect¡± words replaced Tang Xiu¡¯s name in the commentary box. The deep worry and concern they had for Tang Xiu and their blessing and prayers for him filled the commentary box. Tang Xiu¡¯s name had been etched deep inside their hearts and they remembered his face all along deeply.


    What was bravery? What was a hero?


    Prior to this, they knew that the existence of a hero was very difficult to find nowadays. But now they just saw what a hero was. They watched as someone ignored his own safety and braved the dangers under the hail of bullets where he could possibly be shot and die at any time, yet still rushed forward to save people.


    Time fleeted by and the number of viewers watching Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s live channel had increased more and more and exceeded 1.5 million in just ten minutes. However, everyone who got shocked by the footage had now sobered up and could see clearly the figure that kept running to save the victims under the rain of bullets.


    ¡°The eighth one! He has treated eight injured victims and also brought them to a temporary safe place. This man is my idol. A man I deeply respect. Please be safe.¡± With tears on her face, Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s voice passed into the ears of more than 1.5 million people.

 Chapter 1033 - Bizarre Ending

    Chapter 1033: Bizarre EndingTranslator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales


    The dangerous situation with bullets flying around at the crossroads didn¡¯t affect Tang Xiu whatsoever. Relying only on his perception to avoid the bullets unnoticed, he kept rescuing the injured victims. Aside from the more than a million viewers who were watching Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s live channel, there were also thousands of people hiding in spots in the nearby streets with eyes trained on him.


    These eyes were full of worry and concern, yet also filled with respect!


    These were the true expressions that came from their inner hearts.


    In the meantime, there was also Wang Hai, a Deputy Director of the Public Security Bureau of Jinfan District of Beijing. He also once served in the professional army for four-odd years as a special soldier of a special task force and possessed extraordinary skills. After receiving the alarm he led the police force of his department and a small SWAT team there.


    However, it was beyond his expectation that these murderers would be this difficult to deal with. Despite being a skilled gunman and being able to kill several murderers, the battle was still in a deadlock. He already asked for reinforcement from his superiors, but the number of the policeman who arrived in the last few minutes was not many, totaling only a little over forty.


    ¡°Who is he?¡±


    While leaning behind a police car and watching Tang Xiu hide behind the crashed car, Wang Hai¡¯s face was that of respect and yet puzzlement upon seeing the young man treating many seriously injured victims. To encounter such a doctor that was even braver than the field doctors back when he was in the army was something he never dreamed of.


    Next to him was another policeman who was also hiding behind the police car. He replied, ¡°Chief Wang, his name is Tang Xiu, a very famous Chinese medicine doctor in our country. He¡¯s also hailed as a Divine Doctor by ordinary people. I just didn¡¯t expect that he isn¡¯t afraid to rush to save people amid this intense gun battle, ignoring the danger.¡±


    Sure enough. He¡¯s a doctor!


    The respect Wang Hai felt inside deepened and he said with a deep voice, ¡°It would be a blessing to our people if all the doctors in China were like him. Let¡¯s not speak about him now and just hope that he can ensure his own safety. Hurry up and contact our superiors and ask for more reinforcement!¡±


    ¡°Roger!¡±


    The policeman replied. But just as he touched the comms, he suddenly looked puzzled because he was keenly aware that the number of bullets fired from the opposite side was decreasing, thus the sound of gunfire reduced a lot.


    ¡®What¡¯s going on? Could it be that they run out of ammo?¡¯


    At this moment, Wang Hai could also sense the situation. He carefully poked his head out to observe the surroundings for a while, doubt and suspicion arising inside him. Aside from the last man of the opposite side who still kept shooting, the rest of them were all silent.


    ¡®This is bad! Are they running away?¡¯


    As he thought to this point, Wang Hai suddenly shouted, ¡°Some of you come with me! Follow me over there. This incident is already so damn shitty, we must not let any of these murderers run away!¡±


    Four armed policemen immediately followed Wang Hai and quickly circled around in another direction. A few minutes later, they appeared behind the murderers¡¯ position. But at this time, the last gunshots had already ended.


    ¡®What exactly is going on?¡¯


    With a head full of suspicions and puzzlement, Wang Hai quickly sprinted forward. When he saw the murderers¡¯ cars, each of the men had fallen to the ground and it was unknown whether they still lived or died. With disbelief and incredulity in his eyes, he carried out a fast check and found no more murderers resisting.


    ¡°Go go go!¡±


    Wang Hai took the lead and quickly sprinted to the murderers¡¯ car. He grabbed the handcuffs lightning-fast and quickly cuffed them. Further, he called the rest of the policemen on the opposite side to move over quickly, causing more than a dozen murderers to be apprehended in just a few minutes.


    However, all the murderers had fainted by the time they caught them. Aside from one man whose arms were pierced by a dagger, no one else had even a single injury.


    ¡®This¡­ is too bizarre.¡¯


    After falling into silence for a long while, only then did Wang Hai walk towards Tang Xiu. Although he admired Tang Xiu very much, he still shouted at him angrily, ¡°You¡¯re Doctor Tang, right? What you did was really reckless! Don¡¯t you know you just took a big risk by rushing into danger while saving the injured?¡±


    At this time, Tang Xiu was still treating a seriously injured man. Upon hearing Wang Hai¡¯s angry shout, a smile appeared on his handsome face. He looked up, shook his head and then continued treating the gravely injured man.


    Seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s response, Wang Hai immediately frowned and said in dissatisfaction, ¡°I know that you¡¯re a brave man and also have a good heart. But you must know that you can¡¯t make fun of your own life. You would have died already under the murderers¡¯ guns if you got unlucky. You¡­ you¡¯re just acting willfully and making a scene.¡±


    This time, Tang Xiu slightly furrowed his brows in response and then treated the seriously injured man at his fastest speed. After stabilizing his wounds, he quickly went towards Wang Hai, then took out the green book and shook it before his face. Then, he quickly put it away and said, ¡°It¡¯s my duty to save lives and the injured, and it¡¯s also my responsibility to defuse the crisis. Those murderers have been dealt with and it¡¯s now your turn to hurry up and take care of the aftermath. Also, I have a piece of advice for you if this place is under your jurisdiction: immediately seal this place and stop all the residents from taking photos and videos. If this incident were to spread out throughout the country, then I¡¯m afraid those at the top will be very furious.¡±


    Wang Hai looked at Tang Xiu with incredulity. The green book Tang Xiu just took out made his heart thump faster.


    ¡°Yes, Sir! Consider it done, Sir!¡±


    After Wang Hai saluted, he immediately summoned the policemen under his command and sealed off all the neighborhood around as per Tang Xiu¡¯s instructions, and prohibited everyone from taking photos and videos. He was also perfectly aware of one thing. This incident was so big that even if they went all out to block the news, suppressing it was nigh on impossible since today was, after all, the age of media where anything could be spread out through the Internet in no time.


    Tang Xiu then looked around and found several people injured in the crashed cars. He stopped paying attention to everything else and began treating the victims as quickly as possible.


    Inside the Big Golden Eagle Store.


    Standing by the window on the sixth floor, Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s face was full of excitement. Tears were still seen on her face, but her face was beaming with a smile as she continued the live broadcast. ¡°Dear friends, the gun battle is over. Although I still don¡¯t know how those villains were dealt with, the police force has arrested them. This is definitely a happy event for all of us. My idol, Mr. Tang, is also safe and sound. He has saved so many wounded people under the rain of bullets, but he didn¡¯t get injured at all. I think God must have pitied his endeavor and blessed him.¡±


    As of now, the number of viewers watching her live broadcast had exceeded two million. Every one of them typed their admiration for Tang Xiu and expressed their anger and hatred towards the murderers while listening to Tian Xiaomeng.


    However, during the live broadcasting, a hazy figure appeared behind Tian Xiaomeng and a sharp dagger suddenly pierced the mobile phone in her hand. Tang 28 stomped the phone right as it fell on the floor.


    Tian Xiaomeng instantly turned around and looked at Tang 28 with a horrified look. However, when he saw that the person was only an eight-plus-years-old child, her horrified look was instantly gone and she scolded a bit angrily. ¡°Hey, what are you doing? You¡¯re still a child yet you pierced my phone with a dagger? You¡­ where are your parents, kid? I¡¯ll take you to your parents and ask for their explanation!¡±


    ¡°My Sovereign has a lot to deal with and he asked me to tell you that he has no time to deal with you for the time being,¡± said Tang 28 with a cold voice. ¡°He said that you¡¯ll be in trouble for your live broadcast, and told you to shape up!¡±


    Tian Xiaomeng caught up with him in a few steps, blocked his way, and angrily said, ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? Did your head got screwed up or something? Who¡¯s your Sovereign? Why does he have things to do about me and my live broadcast, huh? Take me to your parents and pay for my phone!¡±Tang 28 was silent for a moment and then took out a stack of hundred-yuan bills from his pocket. He threw them to Tian Xiaomeng and said, ¡°10,000 yuan should be enough to compensate for your loss. I don¡¯t feel like telling you who my Sovereign is. Just wait here and you¡¯ll be fine after some troubles.¡±


    Having said that, he brushed past Tian Xiaomeng and ran away quickly. Tian Xiaomeng was unable to stop him even though she wanted to. She just stood in the corridor, looking at the stack of hundred-yuan bills in her hand with twitching lips. She felt like she wanted to cry hard yet the tears wouldn¡¯t come out of her eyes.


    She didn¡¯t care about the money. What she cared about was her live broadcast. Yet, she got interrupted all of a sudden. She could tell that the two million viewers in her live broadcast channel must be going ballistic now.


    At the crossroads.


    As an ambulance arrived, Tang Xiu, who had stabilized all the injuries of the gravely injured victims, walked to Wang Hai under the gaze of countless people and calmly said, ¡°I have some private matters to talk to you about.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Wang Hai hurriedly.


    After a short while, the two of them came to a secluded spot a dozen meters away. Wang Hai curiously looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°What do you want to talk to me about, Divine Doctor Tang?¡±


    ¡°You already know my identity, but I want you to not publicize it,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Also, the people who neutralized those murderers are my men. If those at the top want to conduct a thorough investigation, tell them to come to me. I¡¯ll be at the Tang Family¡¯s ancestral residence for the next few days.¡±


    Wang Hai was truly shocked deep down since he didn¡¯t expect that the people who solved more than a dozen of those murderers turned out to be Tang Xiu¡¯s men. He didn¡¯t even notice nor see their shadows at all. However, upon noticing that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to explain further, he forced himself to ask again, ¡°May I ask which Tang Family¡¯s residence you just told me about, Divine Doctor Tang?¡±


    ¡°Huh? How many Tang Families are there in the capital?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a light smile.


    ¡°Tang¡­¡± Wang Hai opened his mouth as his pupils suddenly contracted. With a shocked face, he asked again, ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re from that Tang House?¡±


    ¡°My surname is Tang, so of course, I¡¯m a member of the Tang House.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°Anyways, I already told you everything I needed to say. There are things you can say and things you cannot. Shortly put, just deal with things here. I can¡¯t stay any longer since I gotta get back to celebrate my grandfather¡¯s 80th birthday.¡±

 Chapter 1034 - The Second In Command

    Chapter 1034: The Second In Command


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The incident in Beijing had garnered the attention of the people in the whole country. It was all due to Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s live broadcast that led all the bigshots to finally realize one thing¡ªno matter how hard they tried to suppress it, this information was already spread wide and was impossible to suppress. Therefore, the major media also began to report it after gaining a high-level authorization.


    And thus, public opinion was created! And the wind blew toward the expected ¡°healthy and upward¡± direction. Despite the violent incidents, the intentional directions of the media led the public of the whole country to turn their anger on the murderers.


    However, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t bother to pay attention to these things at all. What concerned him at this time was Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s live broadcast since he thought he must not be famous and to be in the limelight again, else it would be very inconvenient for him later.


    At the Tang Family¡¯s ancestral residence.


    Tang Guosheng was sitting calmly in the courtyard, watching the scene play on the projector. A happy and satisfied smile vaguely appeared on his ruddy, aged face, while Qin Changyue, his spouse beside him, however, looked extremely nervous and worried.


    Next to them also sat Tang Guoxing and Tang Guoshou, the two elders of the Tangs, while Tang Yunpeng, Tang Yunde, Tang Min, Tang Dong, Tang Yan, and Tang Yunqing were behind these elders. Even the juniors such as Tang Ning, Tang Ying, Tang Wei, Tang Tang, Tang Ji, and the rest, all had their attention focused on the screen with both nervousness and admiration visible on their faces. All their eyes were focused on a certain figure¡ªTang Xiu.


    Finally, as the live broadcast stopped playing on the screen, Tang Guosheng burst into laughter and happily said, ¡°That¡¯s my Tang Guosheng¡¯s good grandson, you see! He deserves to be my grandson! Rushing forward at the critical moment and treating the wounded just relying on his own strength! I dare say that my grandson¡¯s name will be known to all the people in the country by tomorrow¡ªthe young hero of the Tang House, my family!¡±


    ¡°That brat is a hero?!¡± said Tang Yunde smilingly. ¡°You¡¯re praising him too much, Dad.¡±


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er is a hero, Yunde. He¡¯s our Tang House¡¯s hero and he¡¯s a hero in the hearts of the people of this country.¡± Tang Guoxing shook his head and continued, ¡°Even old geezers like us won¡¯t dare to rush into a hail of bullets just to save strangers¡¯ lives. This boy is our lucky star and the hope of our Tang House!¡±


    ¡°Haih, not you too, Second Uncle.¡± Tang Yunde helplessly sighed. ¡°On the contrary to your opinion, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s doing it right this time. We all know Xiu¡¯er¡¯s power, and that he didn¡¯t deal with those villains and saved people instead. I¡¯d have dealt with the former if I were in his shoes.¡±


    Tang Guosheng squinted his eyes as a ray of wisdom flashed across his eyes. He shook his head and said, ¡°Xiu¡¯er must have something else in mind, Yunde. He must have his reason for not taking the initiative to deal with these evil guys. Well, he¡¯s come to the capital, so he¡¯ll be here soon. We¡¯ll know it soon once he comes.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, Grandpa misses me, ehh?!¡±


    Clear laughter came from outside the courtyard. Then, Tang Xiu, leading Tang 28¡¯s group of five, came inside. Everyone in the courtyard instantly turned around and their eyes fell on them.


    Tang Guosheng stood up from the wicker chair with a happy face. He smiled and said with a crisp voice, ¡°You just did such a great deed, Xiu¡¯er! Grandpa rarely admires people in this life, but you¡¯re definitely on the list!¡±


    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s overpraising, Grandpa,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle. ¡°If anything, I learned of your 80th birthday a few days ago, so I made a special trip to congratulate you and wish you good health and long life.¡±


    ¡°Nah, living a long life for hundreds of years is not something I dare imagine.¡± Tang Guosheng waved and smilingly said, ¡°I¡¯m already content if I can live a happy life until 100. Anyways, all the members of our family are here, Xiu¡¯er. Care to tell us why you chose not to deal with those villains but saved and treated the seriously injured victims instead? Also, how can those evils be dealt with so inexplicably? Did you order some people to deal with them?¡±


    Tang Xiu pointed to Tang 28¡¯s group of five and lightly smiled. ¡°Well, these are Tang 28 and his four companions, Grandpa. And they are the ones who neutralized those bad guys. I may be a bit powerful, but I didn¡¯t wish to be recognized by outsiders. Hence, doing the saving was the best choice.¡±


    Tang Guosheng understood instantly and stared at Tang 28¡¯s group of five with a surprised face. ¡°Xiu¡¯er, they are¡­¡±


    ¡°They are all orphans I¡¯ve adopted and trained to be excellent cultivators,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°They are the best among the tens of thousands of children and are qualified to be by my side.¡±


    It was really a shock for Tang Guosheng. He knew that his grandson, Tang Xiu, had secretly adopted homeless children a while back, but he didn¡¯t expect that he would teach these children cultivation arts and turned them into cultivators. What shocked him the most, however, was that he knew that those murderers were by no means weak. Judging from their marksmanship skill, speed, and strength, they were definitely first-class experts. But these children had only been cultivating for at most a year. How could they have such powerful strength?


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t bother to explain the cultivation level of Tang 28¡¯s group of five. He just greeted the other elders in the courtyard and smilingly said afterward, ¡°I think the Fan Family will be hit by bad luck this time. The leader of those murderers is the second son of the Fan Family¡¯s Head. With them making such a big mess, the Fan Family¡¯s Head won¡¯t be able to cover it up.¡±


    As someone who understood politics, Tang Guosheng naturally understood his grandson¡¯s words. He then nodded and sighed. ¡°That¡¯s true. The Fans will be in for big trouble and no one can save them this time. But that girl who did the live broadcast just is like pouring salt on their wounds this time!¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think that Xiaomeng girl was even aware of how much influence her live broadcast would create before she did it, though.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°The Fan House can be said to be very unlucky for having such an offspring that courts calamity to the whole family.¡±


    ¡°Ehh? You know that little broadcaster?¡± asked Tang Guosheng in surprise.


    ¡°I know her and we¡¯re kinda related way back, Grandpa.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have become so famous if it weren¡¯t for her. Back when I was at Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, she just took footage and publicized what I was doing in a live broadcast. Later on, it was due to her scoop on the condition of the Star City¡¯s Welfare House that made me face the public. I never thought that it would be so coincidental that she actually came to the capital and happened to be at the incident site, though.¡±


    ¡°This incident will likely be blown up big time, Xiu¡¯er.¡± Tang Guosheng nodded and smiled. ¡°So, I want you to partake in dealing with something.¡±


    ¡°Ehh? On what matter?¡± Tang Xiu was confused.


    Tang Min walked out of the crowd and forced a smile. ¡°It is I, your aunt, who needs your help this time, Xiu¡¯er. The Chus and Fans were going to cooperate in certain businesses. and the Chus will inevitably be affected once the Fans collapse. I¡¯m the daughter of the Tangs, yet I¡¯m married to the Chus. As the daughter-in-law of the Chu Family, I need you to help the Chu Family in this matter!¡±


    Tang Xiu looked dull for a moment and forced a bitter smile. ¡°Uh, then what can I do, Auntie?¡±


    An astute light flashed in Tang Min¡¯s eyes as she said, ¡°The Fans¡¯ businesses will be seized when they collapse. At that time, if you were to meet some people, their seized businesses will also fall into the hands of the Chu Family. The Chus will, of course, take over them on the surface, but half of the benefits will be obtained by our House.¡±


    Tang Xiu raised a thumbs up to express his approval and admiration. ¡°I¡¯m really still far from you in creating such a script, Auntie. I originally thought it would be better for the other families to stay clear of any connections with the Fans, but I didn¡¯t think there¡¯s still a huge interest in it. Alright, just leave it to me and cousin Chu Yi, then! I think we can work it out.¡±


    ¡°Well, Auntie promises you that you won¡¯t work for nothing, Xiu¡¯er,¡± said Tang Min in satisfaction.


    ¡°If I can get benefits from this, then why not?¡± Tang Xiu grinningly said, ¡°Besides, I heard that the Fans have a notorious reputation in the capital. Since they deserve this tribulation, then we might as well let them fall either way!¡±


    At this moment, all the Tang Family members in the courtyard were perfectly aware of one thing. Although the current patriarch of the Tang House was Tang Guosheng and he was the one who had the say, the second person who had the right turned out to be not the other elders but Tang Xiu. It meant that his conduct and abilities would directly affect the future and destiny of all the Tang Family members.


    As the next day came, Tang Xiu finally got precise and positive news that the patriarch of the Fan Family was now under control by the authorities of the state under the pretext that he had been indulging his son, who then caused such a huge bloody incident. As a result, all the Fan Family members were now under scrutiny by the state, and all their businesses had been ordered to suspend their operation for rectification.


    The next story after the tree fell was the scene where the monkeys scattered about and everyone else joined the fray to kick the newly collapsed giant.


    In just one day, the Fan Family had been reduced from the second-tier family of Beijing to the existence everyone avoided and scorned at. Nearly all the prominent families and people who had a friendship with them had begun to do everything they could to steer off of their relationship with them, while all the families and those who had enmity with them added fuel to the flames and begun to act in attempts to ruin the Fan Family completely.


    However, none of these pieces of news had any significance to Tang Xiu. He neither cared about the fate of the Fans or what kind of miserable ending they would end up with. The one thing he had been concerned about to figure out at present was why would someone among criminals under the Fan Family have Cadaveric Qi.


    Cadaveric energy could affect humans¡¯ mental state that, in turn, would transform them into demon spawns who would kill people without batting an eye. That Second Young Master Fan was born in a prominent family, so he must know what kind of fate would befall upon them if he created such a bloody incident in the capital. However, he still did it, which meant that his consciousness had been affected by Cadaveric Qi.


    ****


    At Northmoon Restaurant.


    Tang Xiu had an appointment to meet the Special Abilities Bureau¡¯s Chief, Duanmu Lin. As he saw his frowning and worried look, Tang Xiu secretly sighed inwardly and walked to the opposite side of him and took a seat. Then, he let out a smile and asked, ¡°What kind of annoying thing is making you look so upset, Senior Duanmu? Is it because of yesterday¡¯s incident?¡±


    Duanmu Lin raised his head and suddenly forced a bitter smile upon seeing Tang Xiu. ¡°What else? My hair is nearly turning white worrying about it.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, no way!¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing and then said, ¡°You¡¯re the Head of the Special Abilities Bureau, so there¡¯s no way you need to worry about this kind of trouble, no? Some people will naturally clean up the incidents caused by the Fan Family members, right?¡±


    Duanmu Lin¡¯s face turned solemn as he shook his head and sighed. ¡°It would have been very easy to solve if the case was really just caused by average people. But things have changed since an unforeseen accident just cropped up!¡±

 Chapter 1035 - The Bounty Hunters

    Chapter 1035: The Bounty Hunters


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face shifted and he asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re also a member of my agency, so it¡¯s fine telling you.¡± Duanmu Lin forced a smile and said, ¡°But it¡¯s a confidential case, so you can¡¯t disclose it. Two core members of the Fans have shown inhuman power and killed more than a dozen intelligence personnel who were keeping an eye on them before escaping. We investigated the scene of the massacre and discovered that the killing method was very bizarre.¡±


    With a slightly changed expression, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°You should have the photos of the murder scene, right? Please show them to me.¡±


    Duanmu Lin pushed the paper bag on the table in front of him to Tang Xiu. As Tang Xiu grabbed it, he spoke, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you give me an explanation for yesterday¡¯s incident?¡±


    After opening the paper bag, Tang Xiu looked at the photos while speaking, ¡°I just arrived at the capital yesterday and happened to encounter this incident, so I took action. However, it wasn¡¯t me who discarded the criminals, but some of my men. You also know that it¡¯d be very troublesome if I took action personally and exposed my identity in that situation.¡±


    A smile finally appeared on Duanmu Lin¡¯s face. He nodded and said, ¡°I know that it was your men¡¯s doing, else it¡¯d be absolutely impossible to neutralize those people so silently. Those criminals under the Fan Family all have been secretly detained in the prison of the Special Abilities Bureau¡¯s HQ. It¡¯s just a pity that we have no means to pry anything from them.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve lost their minds, haven¡¯t they?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Huh? How do you know?¡± Duanmu Lin stared blankly and asked with a confused face, ¡°Did your men do something that made them lose their minds?¡±


    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t because of my men. They¡¯ve lost their sanity even before they committed crimes.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and explained, ¡°Although I met them by chance yesterday, I sensed Cadaveric Qi from them. They were under the influence of cadaveric energy and thus led to this bloody incident. I¡¯m now even more certain of it after seeing these photos.¡±


    The dozens of photos showed the scene of the two core members of the Fan Family killing the intelligence personnel last night. The dead in the photos had wounds left by the claws and teeth. If those weren¡¯t caused by beasts¡¯ teeth, it was very likely caused by humans who got affected by cadaveric energy¡ªthese kinds of people were called half-ghouls.


    Eyes lit up, Duanmu shot a deep gaze at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Do you have any way to find those two running Fan House¡¯s members?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll need the blood of the Fan Family¡¯s member. It¡¯s better if it¡¯s fresh blood,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Then come with me to the prison of the Special Abilities Bureau,¡± said Duanmu Lin.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat and head there afterward.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°It¡¯s rather improper for me for not having been to the Special Abilities Bureau¡¯s HQ in the capital as its member, no? That¡¯s right. I also need to borrow something from you.¡±


    ¡°What is it you want to borrow?¡± asked Duanmu Lin.


    ¡°The Subaquatic Corvette,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Huh? What do you wanna do with that submarine?¡± asked Duanmu Lin, frowning.


    ¡°I have conflicts with some foreign forces and kinda got struck from the dark,¡± said Tang Xiu helplessly. ¡°My men are currently fighting these foreign cultivators in the Pacific Ocean, so the Subaquatic Corvette can help me deploy manpower as well as eliminate the enemy.¡±


    ¡°Foreign cultivator forces? What do you mean by that and who are they?¡± asked Duanmu Lin with knitted brows.


    ¡°There are a lot of them. My side is likely fighting the world¡¯s top three powers, and there are also other powers. In brief, the enemies are very strong. Additionally, the culprit is the Celestial Wizard Clan¡ªa clan you must have heard of, Senior Duanmu,¡± explained Tang Xiu with a forced smile.


    Duanmu Lin shook and nodded with a solemn face. ¡°Not only have I heard of them, but I also clashed with them. Unfortunately, it has been our Special Abilities Bureau who lost some manpower and some more fell. Those Celestial Wizard clansmen got some mysterious wizardry arts and they are very powerful, Tang Xiu. And you¡­ you¡¯re fighting them?¡±


    ¡°I have the confidence to destroy this clan completely if it¡¯s only them,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°But victory is a very tall order with a lot of cultivator forces intervening now, especially with the Big Three around. That¡¯s why I want to borrow the Subaquatic Corvette from you.¡±


    Duanmu Lin pondered for a moment and asked, ¡°Can you guarantee its safety? You also know this submarine is from a more technologically advanced civilization. Once it falls into the hands of other countries, we can expect huge threats to our country in the future.¡±


    ¡°I can guarantee that.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll file the request to the top authority.¡± Duanmu Lin nodded and said, ¡°But I don¡¯t have a 100% guarantee of approbation.¡±


    ¡°Then pass my message to the top authority. I¡¯ll make a deal with the military if they lend me the Subaquatic Corvette,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I have a brand-new tech product which functions will greatly help the military.¡±


    Duanmu Lin¡¯s mind shook and he hurriedly asked, ¡°Can you disclose what product is it?¡±


    ¡°I can only say that it¡¯s a kind of aviation product,¡± said Tang Xiu with a mystifying smile.


    Aviation?


    A solemn look appeared on Duanmu Lin¡¯s face. Then, he got up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s arrange the meal in the Bureau and not waste time here, shall we? Let¡¯s hurry up and find the Fan Family clansmen and resolve the matter of borrowing the Subaquatic Corvette.¡±


    Tang Xiu had no choice but to leave with Duanmu Lin after hearing this. Just as the two of them left the restaurant¡¯s entrance, however, Aquababe hurriedly got off from a car nearby and ran toward Duanmu Lin and Tang Xiu. After nodding to the latter, she quickly said, ¡°We have a situation, Chief.¡±


    ¡°What situation?¡± asked Duanmu Lin.


    Aquababe glanced at Tang Xiu and hesitated.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to hide anything from Tang Xiu. He¡¯s also a member of our Special Abilities Bureau. Speak, what is the situation?¡± ordered Duanmu Lin.


    ¡°We just received news that the two fleeing members of the Fan Family appeared in Lianggang City. They took a cab and then killed its driver, whose body was then found in the remote seaside with his taxi. However, we got news from our men who are tracking them that there¡¯s also another group of people chasing them.¡±


    ¡°How is this possible?¡± Duanmu Lin¡¯s face changed and he quickly said, ¡°Chasing them is the jurisdiction the state has given us, there¡¯s no way other forces can get involved! Is this new group the enemy of Fan Family?¡±


    ¡°The footage showed three people; one old man, and two other¨Cmiddle-aged men, and a woman. I¡¯ve assigned our bureau¡¯s intel operatives to search the databank for them and they inferred that those people are not Chinese nationals.¡± Aquababe shook his head.


    ¡°Can you find their traces?¡± asked Duanmu Lin.


    ¡°We have yet to find the two members of the Fans. They just disappeared,¡± said Aquababe. ¡°But we have those three people under surveillance. We may be able to see them if we rush to Lianggang City as fast as possible.¡±


    Duanmu Lin turned to Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just head there. Also, send some men to bring one Fan family member to Lianggang City,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°It¡¯d be best if we can find those people right away. But if we can¡¯t find them, we still need the Fan family¡¯s blood.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll move as such then.¡± Duanmu Lin nodded and said, ¡°Aquababe, go fetch a member of the Fans and bring him to Lianggang City.¡±


    ****


    Lianggang City. It was a coastal city, the southernmost city in the three northern provinces. The rapid development of this place made the city the most prosperous metropolis in the three northern provinces.


    North Hamlet Fishery. The establishment was surrounded by hills and beautiful scenery with lakeside stretched far and vast with the sparkling surface under the sunlight. On a certain fishing boat, a conversation using fluent English was heard.


    ¡°Master, the tracking disc has shown the direction of those two half-ghouls. They are running toward the Lushunkou region. Are we going after them?¡± asked the blonde middle-aged man with black sunglasses as he looked at the old man sitting at the opposite side.


    The old man shook his head and slowly said, ¡°No. They¡¯ll be back secretly since they¡¯re hiding their corpse container here. They will need the cadaveric qi in that corpse container to be powerful half-ghouls. They will definitely come back here within three days.¡±


    The blonde middle-aged man furrowed his brows and said, ¡°But what if they have more corpse containers and deliberately hide one of it here to confuse us?¡±


    A chilling light flashed across the old man¡¯s eyes before he nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s possible. But we don¡¯t know much about the cities in China and it will be much worse for us compared to those two half-ghouls. If you follow their tracks with the tracking disc, it¡¯s very easy for us to get rid of them by taking a detour to confuse and appear behind them. We¡¯ve locked them with the tracking device, so, as long as they are not more than 300km away from us in these three days, we can judge their orientation.¡±


    The blonde middle-aged man said, ¡°But we¡¯ll lose their tracks if they go more than 300km away, Master. It won¡¯t be easy to find them again by then.¡±


    ¡°Not really. We¡¯ve determined the direction of their escape. We can immediately track them toward Lushunkou once the tracking devices stop. It¡¯s easy to keep them within the range of 300km with our speed.¡± The old man sneered.


    Whoosh!


    A figure flickered lightning-fast from the shore into the fishing boat. A middle-aged female in black leather attire and killing intent on her face reported in a deep voice. ¡°We got company around keeping an eye on us. They should be officials of Chinese authority.¡±


    The old man¡¯s face shifted, but then he sneered. ¡°Heh, we found those two half-ghouls. No need to act reserved if they want to compete with us for the spoils. Those two half-ghouls will fetch a fortune in the black market. There¡¯s no way bounty hunters like us would miss this chance.¡±

 Chapter 1036 - Transaction

    Chapter 1036: Transaction


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Bounty hunters were a legendary group of people who possessed mysterious and unpredictable abilities and often hovered on the edge of life and death in pursuit of their prey. The evil races in the world were their targets, including the Bloodkin, demi-humans, zombies, and fierce beasts.


    The killing was just basic means to make a living for these people. Only by killing their prey could they sell them on the black market and obtain the things they wanted. The Bounty Hunters¡¯ only code was that they weren¡¯t allowed to kill the average people.


    ¡°What are we gonna do now, Master?¡± the slender middle-aged female who wore black sunglasses asked in a low voice.


    ¡°Heh, I once clashed with Chinese ability users. They are just a bunch of weak people.¡± The old man snorted. ¡°We¡¯ll ignore them if they don¡¯t annoy us when catching our prey. But if they get in our way, kill them without mercy!¡±


    ¡°But this is Chinese territory, Master,¡± the middle-aged female said in a low voice. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll attract quite the trouble if we rashly kill their people. We may be lions, but the bites of a wolf pack are unbearable regardless.¡±


    The old man pondered for a moment before nodding. ¡°You¡¯re right. But my injuries have yet to heal, and continue chasing those two half-ghouls will affect my healing rate. Alright, go find the people who are monitoring us. Tell them I want to meet their leader.¡±


    The middle-aged female replied. But as she was about to leave the cabin of the fishing boat, the old man¡¯s face suddenly shifted and he floated outside, appearing on the fishing boat deck.


    ¡°They are coming.¡±


    A solemn look was cast on his face. He considered himself very strong, but it was just against some weak ability users of China¡¯s Special Abilities Bureau. Yet, he dared not guarantee that he could win the director of this bureau¡ªthe powerful Duanmu Lin. More so that he had yet to heal from his injuries.


    After half a minute, Duanmu Lin came to the shore with more than ten ability users of the Special Abilities Bureau. Tang Xiu stood next to him with hands crossed behind his back, looking at that old man. He learned from Duanmu Lin on their way here the true identity of these three people. They were Bounty Hunters.


    ¡°We meet again, geezer Zhong!¡±


    A faint and vague smile appearing on his face, Duanmu Lin greeted.


    ¡°I never thought you would still be alive after our last meeting a couple of years ago, Duanmu Lin.¡± The old man knitted his brows and said, ¡°Are those around you the ability users from China¡¯s Special Abilities Bureau? They look like trash!¡±


    ¡°How can I die if you¡¯re not dead yourself, geezer?¡± Duanmu Lin smilingly said, ¡°They are indeed ability users from my Bureau, but do I need your comment or something? Well, those two brats you saved the other day have grown this old now, huh? It seems like they also got your inheritance, no? How about a contest between my trash men with yours?¡±


    ¡°I know this place is your country¡¯s territory, Duanmu Lin. But Bounty Hunters like us are not restricted to any international treaty. We can appear anywhere when hunting any irregularities and divergent races,¡± said the old man indifferently. ¡°Further, I didn¡¯t come here to be your bureau¡¯s enemy, but chasing those dreadful sinners of prey.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t mean that I don¡¯t welcome you to China.¡± Duanmu Lin nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s just that your prey this time is related to a big incident in China, so I hope you can stop and let us clean our own courtyard.¡±


    ¡°Heh, do you think it¡¯s possible?¡± The old man coldly replied, ¡°We killed a dozen half-ghouls abroad just to clarify the info of our prey here and I got injured in the process. You tell me why, should we just give up after working our ass off for a few months, huh?¡±


    Duanmu Lin was silent. He was well aware of the code and morality of the Bounty Hunters. The old fella before him was even more paranoid and he would disregard any extreme danger if he was about to succeed in nailing his prey.


    ¡°How much for those two half-ghouls, then?¡± Tang Xiu stepped forward by half a step, looked at the old man and asked. ¡°We can cooperate if they are cheap enough.¡±


    The old man knitted his brows and a mocking look appeared on his face. ¡°I didn¡¯t think someone from your Special Abilities Bureaus would be this unruly, Duanmu Lin. Since when a subordinate can make decisions for you, huh? Are you perhaps going to retire soon and give your position to this brat?¡±


    Duanmu Lin turned to look at Tang Xiu, shaking his head and smilingly saying, ¡°Geezer Zhong, if this kid wants to take over the director position of my bureau, I won¡¯t hesitate to give it to him at once. I don¡¯t mind being a small soldier under his command.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    The old man¡¯s face changed and he shot a disbelieving look at Duanmu Lin and Tang Xiu. He knew Duanmu Lin¡¯s personality¡ªa man so loyal that he dedicated everything to his country and cared about the director position of the Special Abilities Bureau very much. How could he be so willing to let it go now?


    A smile crept up on Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he let out a light smile and said, ¡°I have not the slightest bit of interest in becoming the Director of Special Abilities Bureau. No need to sow any dissent, Senior Zhong. Just tell me how much is the price for two half-ghouls in the black market.¡±


    The old man shot a deep look at Tang Xiu and stretched out a finger. ¡°10 million dollars.¡±


    Tang Xiu gave him an OK sign and lightly smiled. ¡°Rather than slaying those two half-ghouls yourself and then selling them in the black market, I think it¡¯s better to sell them to us, no? Certainly, we can still help you to find those two half-ghouls and you can even join us in killing them.¡±


    The old man narrowed his eyes. The proposal from the other party made him interested. Moreover, he was the least afraid that the Special Abilities Bureau wouldn¡¯t keep their promise. At this moment, however, he was much more interested in learning Tang Xiu¡¯s identity. ¡°What¡¯s your name, young man?¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu,¡± answered Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re good, kid. This old man likes a young talent like you,¡± said the old man with a nod. ¡°Alright. I agree with the deal, but I need you to wait for me to heal up.¡±


    Tang Xiu flipped his hand and a jade bottle appeared on his hand. Looking at him, he said, ¡°Senior Zhong, Bounty Hunters like you do business with blade and blood, right? Injuries, more so the serious ones, should affect you greatly, right? I have some medicinal pills here and I want you to see whether they¡¯re useful to you. We can discuss the price!¡±


    ¡°Medicinal pill? As in the likes of healing pills?¡± said the old man with a strange face. ¡°Aren¡¯t you an ability user, or are you an oriental cultivator¡ªone that can concoct medicinal pills?¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t try to hide it and smilingly said, ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m a cultivator who can refine medicinal pills. So, are you interested in this transaction?¡±


    ¡°I need to inspect it first,¡± said the old man. ¡°If the efficacy of the medicinal pill you refined is really great, I¡¯ll buy it. But if the effect is negligible, forget mentioning it ever again.¡±


    Tang Xiu opened the jade bottle and sucked out a Holy Healing pill from the inside. He immediately flicked it and it instantly floated in front of the old man¡¯s face. Then, he said with a smile, ¡°This Holy Healing pill is priced at 20 million USD. If you want to try it and the efficacy is good, you must pay me 20 million dollars. But I won¡¯t take a dime if the effect isn¡¯t good.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t your asking price just extorting me?¡± yelled the old man. ¡°20 million dollars? Why don¡¯t just rob me straight?¡±


    The smile on Tang Xiu¡¯s face receded and was replaced by a bit of indifference. ¡°If you are to get seriously injured during a fight and it affects your combat effectiveness, you can expect to meet your demise. But taking the Holy Healing pill I refined will heal you quickly and is equal to having half a life. Tell me which is more important, 20 million dollars or half a life?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    The old man was unable to retort. No matter how much money one had, it was useless if one died! However, a 20-million-dollar pill was too expensive! He may be rich, but buying a dozen Holy Healing pills and got fleeced like that would still make him distressed.


    ¡°Well, the call is yours,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°You decide whether you¡¯ll take the deal.¡±


    The old man sensed his internal injury and looked at the pill floating in front of his eyes. After weighing the pros and cons, he finally compromised and grabbed the pill, tore off the wax paper and directly swallowed it.


    ¡°Be careful of poison, Master!¡± The blonde man hurriedly called out with a change in his complexion.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be wary and worrying about that if it was someone else.¡± The old man shook his head and said, ¡°But I can feel at ease if he¡¯s Duanmu Lin¡¯s man.¡±


    A smile outlined on the corner of Duanmu Lin¡¯s mouth. With a pale smile, he cupped his fists and said, ¡°I never thought a sharp-tongued man like you could speak such warm words, Old Zhong. That¡¯s so rare coming from you! Well, I know Tang Xiu¡¯s character. He won¡¯t harm you.¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t speak, but Duanmu Lin was correct. After learning the existence of Bounty Hunters, he wouldn¡¯t harm such a professional old man. Bounty Hunters may rely on killings to make a living, yet all their targets were irregularities and divergent races. But they also never easily killed the divergent races that didn¡¯t do evil deeds when they encountered them either.


    In other words, the vast majority of bounty hunters could be considered as good people.


    After the old man took the Holy Healing pill, he felt a heat rushing out of the pill. It flowed into his chest through his throat and then poured into his abdomen. Ultimately, the huge medicinal efficacy dispersed and spread out into his limbs and five internal organs.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The old man¡¯s complexion shifted and he immediately sat cross-legged.


    Duanmu Lin turned to glance at Tang Xiu and smilingly said, ¡°I never knew that you¡¯re able to refine medicinal pills prior to this. I think 20 million dollars is a cost-effective price for your Holy Healing pill, Tang Xiu. How many of them you have? I want to buy them too.¡±


    Tang Xiu thought for a while and transmitted his reply, ¡°I can sell 100 pills for 10 million dollars each annually. That¡¯s¡­ the limit of Holy Healing pill I can produce.¡±


    Duanmu Lin raised his thumbs up and praised. ¡°You truly deserve being one of our people. That¡¯s a good preferential offer. The deal will be as you said. The Special Abilities Bureau will buy 100 Holy Healing pills from you annually.¡±

 Chapter 1037 - Trapped

    Chapter 1037: Trapped


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Time quickly passed by and ten minutes were gone in a flash. As the old man sitting cross-legged on the fishing boat¡¯s deck sobered up, his eyes gleamed with an excited look. His figure floated and came before Tang Xiu. Looking at him fixedly, he said, ¡°I need 10 Holy Healing pills with the same effect.¡±


    A smile outlined on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he nodded and said, ¡°No problem. I still have nine pills left in this jade bottle. You just need to transfer 200 million dollars to my account.¡±


    ¡°Deal!¡±


    The old man nodded without hesitation. After receiving Tang Xiu¡¯s account number, he immediately transferred the money to that account.


    An incredulous look appeared on the blonde man¡¯s and the female¡¯s faces. They watched as their Master received the jade bottle and looked satisfied. The former then immediately asked, ¡°How¡¯s your injury now, Master?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost healed,¡± said the old man happily. ¡°I only need to adjust my breathing later to return to my peak state. This Holy Healing pill has much better efficacy than I thought. This Little Brother Tang is correct, having such Holy Healing pill is equal to having half a life during the fighting with enemies.¡±


    The blonde male and female exchanged glances and they also looked eager, unable to remove their eyes from the jade bottle in their Master¡¯s hand. The duo quickly conversed in whispers, then the female immediately looked at Tang Xiu and asked with a smile, ¡°Can you sell us some more Holy Healing pills, Mr. Tang? My Senior Brother and I want to buy five pills for 100 million dollars.¡±


    Tang Xiu let out an odd smile and said, ¡°That¡¯s OK! You got better luck since I still have ten of them. To prevent you from dying first from your predecessor, I¡¯ll sell you five pills.¡±


    Having said that, he took out another jade bottle and took five Holy Healing pills from it. After giving it to them, he said, ¡°Pay me 100 million dollars now!¡±


    ¡°Please wait a bit!¡± The duo quickly transferred the money to Tang Xiu with happy faces.


    As the transaction was completed, Tang Xiu looked at the old man again and said, ¡°Senior Zhong, what do you think of joining hands to chase those two half-ghouls since you¡¯ve healed now? I¡¯m sure you can track them easily since a Bounty Hunter has the means to do so.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, those two half-ghouls have already fled to the direction of Lushunkou about less than 200km from us. However, we¡¯ll need transportation, else we can¡¯t chase them in a short time if they keep running away.¡±


    Duanmu Lin nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll get it arranged at once.¡±


    Ten minutes later, two military helicopters quickly arrived as the group floated up to the cabin without the helicopter landing. Duanmu Lin issued an order and the two choppers then flew towards Lushunkou¡¯s direction.


    On the way there, Duanmu Lin received another message: A homicide case happened in Lushunkou and the bodies of the victims lost half of the blood in their bodies, allegedly from having their blood sucked out.


    ¡°It¡¯s really abominable!¡±


    Killing intent overflowed from Duanmu Lin¡¯s eyes as he hung up. He had encountered the likes of half-ghouls in the past. This irregularity had spiritual wisdom similar to that of cultivators and also boasted formidable force that made killing an easy job for them.


    Half an hour passed by as the old man sitting next to Duanmu Lin suddenly spoke, ¡°They¡¯re nearby. The tracking disc traced their position in the forested mountain southeastward about five kilometers ahead.¡±


    Tang Xiu glanced at the tracking disc in the old man¡¯s hands and said, ¡°Can you tell me the principle of this tracking disc? How can it lock the target and what is the longest distance it can track?¡±


    ¡°This thing is the lifeline of Bounty Hunters and each of us just can¡¯t live without it,¡± said the old man smilingly. ¡°In actuality, it¡¯s very simple to use it. As long as you encounter the target and collect a drop of their blood, you can track them as long as their position is no more than 300km away.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so you have fought these two-ghouls previously?¡± asked Tang Xiu in surprise.


    ¡°They were threatening a taxi driver when we bumped into them,¡± said the old man with a bit of a solemn face. When we intercepted them, they killed the cab driver and we got into a brief clash with them. I would never have let them escape if it wasn¡¯t because of my injury. Luckily, I injured one of them, and used his blood on this tracking disc.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked a bit enthusiastic and asked, ¡°Can you sell it to me? Or if you have an extra, I¡¯m willing to buy it.¡±


    The old man shook his head and said, ¡°I only have this one. We even spent quite an effort to buy this from the black market since my previous tracking disc was ruined during the fight. If you wanna buy it, you can go to the black market. To my knowledge, however, there are better tracking discs than mine there.¡±


    ¡®The black market?¡¯ Tang Xiu thought for a moment and asked again, ¡°Where is this black market you¡¯re talking about?¡±


    At the side, Duanmu Lin looked amazed as he asked, ¡°Ehh? You never knew the existence of the cultivation world¡¯s black market all this while, Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°I really had no idea.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    ¡°I thought you knew about it, so I never told you.¡± Duanmu Lin was at a loss of whether to cry or laugh. ¡°In fact, the cultivation world¡¯s black market is established in Philadelphia, United States. The place wasn¡¯t in that city originally, but since there was a need for resource exchange between cultivators and other practitioners, the market for practitioners all over the world was gradually formed there. The development scale then got faster and bigger over the past decades and now it can be compared with a medium-sized city.¡±


    ¡°The world has so many practitioners and they also formed a medium-sized city?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a strange expression.


    ¡°There are a lot of cultivators as well as different races over there,¡± added Duanmu Lin with a smile. ¡°But most of the inhabitants are average people who moved due to the gradual development. Whether they are cultivators or divergent races, they are blending among ordinary people. They only reveal their identities when needed and during the transaction with others.¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly understood and nodded. ¡°I see. It seems I¡¯ll need to find time to visit Philadelphia later. Anyways, let¡¯s get down and deal with those two half-ghouls since they¡¯re nearby.¡±


    ****


    In the depths of a vibrant and lush forested mountain, two runaway clansmen of the Fan Family looked a bit dark and distressed¡ªthe result of being covered by cadaveric qi.


    ¡°Where do we go now, Fourth Brother? Those three Bounty Hunters are just like dogskin plaster that can¡¯t be shaken off. We¡¯ll be in trouble if we don¡¯t kill them.¡± Thick killing intent filled Fan Jinzhong¡¯s eyes. There was still a bloodstain in the corner of his mouth.


    ¡°Those three Bounty Hunters are indeed quite a bit skilled, though I¡¯m not that worried about them,¡± replied Fan Jinxing coldly. ¡°It¡¯s those Chinese ability users I¡¯m concerned about. The fucking thing is those bastards who were unable to control their cadaveric energy. They even got affected by it and killed people wantonly and brought calamity to our family. Do you think such a big incident in the capital won¡¯t make those people from the Special Abilities Bureau to appear?¡±


    ¡°That Second Fan brat is really a motherfucker!¡± Fan Jinzhong exclaimed angrily. ¡°Our family spent so much to obtain this cultivation art. Even though we got it from unearthing a cultivator¡¯s corpse from an ancient tomb, it does give us formidable power. It would¡¯ve taken us a few decades before our family can have a huge powerful army and scheme against the country according to our original plan. But ultimately¡­ everything is for naught in the hands of that bastard!¡±


    Fan Jinxing strongly suppressed his anger inside and coldly said, ¡°We¡¯ve escaped for the time being, but the rest of our family members are still in the capital. I can tell they are all likely under control now. However, there¡¯s no way to save them in our present situation either. Our only option is to flee China first before coming back later to save the rest.¡±


    ¡°Our family has arranged a retreat route more than a decade ago, Fourth Brother.¡± Fan Jinzhong nodded. ¡°We can escape quickly once the matter that we¡¯re cultivating in a ghoul cultivation art is exposed. We still have dozens of kilometers to go before arriving at the concealed ship, and our men over there are at the ready too.¡±


    ¡°Uncle¡¯s arrangement is wise indeed,¡± said Fan Jinxing. ¡°Those damn Bounty Hunters and Chinese officials¡ªjust wait! We, brothers, will soon kill you all!¡±


    Suddenly, Fan Jinxing¡¯s complexion changed and his slightly grayish pupils shrunk all of a sudden. His body instantly bounced off the ground as he grabbed Fan Jinzhong¡¯s hand and quickly fled towards the distance.


    ¡°They caught up this quickly?¡±


    Fan Jinzhong loosened his hand from Fan Jinxing¡¯s with a disbelieving look while running.


    ¡°Those fucking bounty hunters must have some way to track us,¡± replied Fan Jinxing. ¡°Let¡¯s speed up running. Otherwise¡­¡±


    He abruptly stopped speaking as his heart shuddered upon seeing dozens of figures blocking their path ahead. The brothers were top members of the Fans and naturally knew about China¡¯s Special Abilities Bureau. They also knew the person in charge of the bureau, Duanmu Lin. Yet, they didn¡¯t expect that Duanmu Lin would actually lead his men to block their path in advance, and even the bounty hunters who had been chasing them were just a few hundred meters away from them.


    ¡°They are¡­ cooperating?¡±


    At the scene, Fan Jinzhong couldn¡¯t help but feel despair. No matter how powerful he was, the people from the Special Abilities Bureau were not weak either. More so that they were collaborating with the bounty hunters¡ªa force that they wouldn¡¯t be able to face against.


    ¡®What should we do? Are we really going to die here?¡¯


    Fan Jinzhong clenched his fists and grabbed a rusty bronze sword, then he immediately rushed leftwards to escape.

 Chapter 1038 - Truly Rich

    Chapter 1038: Truly Rich


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Everyone present smirked upon seeing the Fan Brothers¡¯ attempt to escape. The net had been laid, preventing them from any chance of escaping. They wouldn¡¯t be able to escape their doom even if they were twice as strong.


    ¡°Dragon Trap!¡±


    ¡°Lightning Grid!¡±


    Two ability users of the Special Abilities Bureau flashed like shadows while unleashing their special abilities as they pursued the Fan Brothers. The soft soil beneath floated up and turned into two long clay dragons that instantly wrapped their legs, while electric sparks appeared out of the blue to form a big net to cover them.


    Fan Jinzhong¡¯s eyes turned around and fury burst out from them. As his arms fiercely waved forward, the bronze sword in his hand burst out into greyish rays and, in nearly in a flash, cut off the earthen dragons and the lightning grid. Taking advantage of this gap, the two brothers frantically ran away again.


    Duanmu Lin¡¯s complexion changed and he coldly said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect them to have such a magical weapon. But they must die today no matter what.¡±


    ¡°No. The weapon in his hand is not a magic weapon, but a ghost one.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°This Fan clansman does have a bit of ability to be able to obtain such a rare ghost weapon.¡±


    ¡°Ghost weapon? What is that?¡± asked Duanmu Lin, confused.


    ¡°It¡¯s a weapon refined by zombies and half-ghouls, nourished and refined by their death energy that ultimately formed after they tempered it,¡± explained Tang Xiu. ¡°The cultivation of this Fan clansman, however, is not enough to refine such ghost weapon, so that rusty bronze sword in his hand must have been obtained from somewhere else.¡±


    The old man floated over and interjected. ¡°Tang Xiu is right. Although ghost weapons are rare, some places have them. For instance, in the black market. But this weapon is very evil and nobody but those cultivating in the ghost cultivation system can buy them.¡±


    ¡°Ah, there seem to be a lot of good things in the black market for it to even have ghost weapons?¡± replied Tang Xiu with amazement.


    ¡°The black market indeed has things that you can¡¯t imagine, things you can hardly find anywhere else.¡± The old man let out a smile and said, ¡°You can get them as long as you¡¯re rich. But that Holy Healing medicine you refined will sell like crazy if you were to sell them in the black market. Some people will buy them even if the price is higher.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense.¡± Tang Xiu thought about it and nodded. ¡°It seems that I must visit this black market in the near future.¡±


    ¡°If you do plan to visit it, then we can go together, Tang Xiu.¡± The old man¡¯s face shifted and he smilingly said, ¡°I¡¯m planning to deal with these two half-ghouls and then leave for the black market afterward. Though it isn¡¯t to sell these two half-ghouls, I still have some half-ghouls I need to sell there.¡±


    After pondering for a moment, Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°We have each other¡¯s contact number, Senior Zhong. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to go with you since I still have things to tend to in the near future. I¡¯ll contact you when I¡¯m free and we can go together if you¡¯re available.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine with me!¡±


    The old man nodded. Then, his body instantly flashed toward the Fan Brothers. His speed was very fast and a few silver spikes shot out from his fingers in a flash, piercing the Fan Brothers¡¯ backs in just a few seconds.


    ¡°Demon-Lock Shackle!¡±


    The blonde man¡¯s figure moved like an arrow and appeared behind the Fan Brothers who had fallen to the ground in the blink of an eye. He wrapped the two brothers with a dark chain while four wind belts came the moment after and bound their limbs.


    ¡°BREAK!!!¡±


    The two Fan Brothers roared. But right as the dark chain and four wind belts that bound them were about to break, the old man pulled out a steel ring and directly wrapped their necks.


    ¡°GET AWAY FROM US AND DIE!!!¡±


    A gust of suffocating aura burst out from Fan Jinxing as he broke free from the chain and wind belts, rushing to the old man in an instant. He unleashed the rope with a golden hook from his waist and swept it at the latter¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°You¡¯re courting death!¡±


    As the old man shouted and avoided the golden hook, a yellowish sword emerged from the scabbard on his back. Just as he was ready to launch a counterattack, the bound Fan Jinzhong suddenly flicked his finger and shot a black needle at him.


    ¡°You wanna trick me, huh?¡±


    The old man was full of energy and used his sword to sweep away the black needle instantly. At this moment, however, Fan Jinxing flicked the rope and the golden hook moved lightning-fast and instantly tore open a bloody wound on the old man¡¯s left arm.


    Not far away from them, Tang Xiu slightly furrowed his brows as he faintly noticed that something not right was occurring with the Fan Jinzhong and Fan Jinxing. Although these two men were frantically fighting back in madness, their eyes were now filled with greyish qi while the horrifying aura of darkness being emitted by them gave a sign that something evil was going to burst out.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill them.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s toes flicked, lunging his body upward, and dashed toward the Fan Brothers like a cannonball. As he unleashed the divine sword, layers of sword lights swept forward in a flash.


    Puff, puff, puff¡­


    Fan Jinzhong and Fan Jinxing¡¯s souls screamed as fearful looks appeared on their faces. Despite their desperate resistance, layers of swords kept inundating them and bloody wounds appeared on their bodies.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    Tang Xiu flicked his wrist and the overlapping sword images instantly condensed into one. A violent aura burst out as the two men were slashed.


    Duanmu Lin, who saw the whole scene, shuddered, for he never thought that Tang Xiu would actually be this powerful and just need one strike to kill the Fan Brothers. The aura and power Tang Xiu emitted out made him realize that the gap between him and the current Tang Xiu was huge.


    It wasn¡¯t only Duanmu Lin who was shocked at this time, even more than a dozen Elementalists from the Special Abilities Bureau gaped with slack jaws. The old man Zhong was especially surprised with disbelief in his eyes and face, staring Tang Xiu just like he was looking at a monster.


    It was an insta-kill!


    Tang Xiu just needed one blow to kill two very powerful half-ghouls. It was simply unthinkable. He was crystal clear that he was very powerful himself, yet it would take everything he had to kill these two half-ghouls.


    ¡®He¡¯s a cultivator! But what cultivation level has he reached now? Has he broken through to the Golden Core Stage?¡¯


    The old man was someone who revered power, and such a powerful expert was naturally someone who deserved respect, regardless of gender and age. Although Tang Xiu seemed to be in his early twenties, the strength he just displayed deserved his respect. As he took back the silver spike from the Fan Brothers¡¯ backs, he looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°You¡¯re very strong, Mr. Tang.¡±


    ¡°It was they who were too weak, actually.¡± Tang Xiu calmly smiled and said, ¡°Had they been stronger, it would not have been so easy to kill them.¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± The old man shook his head and said, ¡°They would only likely be on par with me had they been stronger. I don¡¯t think I could last even a few moves if I faced you. Can you tell me whether your cultivation has reached the Golden Core Stage?¡±


    ¡®The Golden Core Stage?¡¯


    Tang Xiu felt amused inwardly. Even if his current strength was to be compared to those experts at the early-stage of Nascent Soul, the gap wasn¡¯t much. He could even slay those at the late-stage of Nascent Soul with the endless means he had at hand.


    However, it was necessary to hide it so as to preserve some people¡¯s faces! On the other hand, he didn¡¯t want to expose his strength too much either, so he nodded and smilingly said, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m indeed at the Golden Core Stage!¡±


    The old man gave a thumbs up and praised. ¡°I¡¯m afraid us the bounty hunters will get a huge blow if you become a bounty hunter, Mr. Tang. You can even make us lose our jobs.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t worry about that, Senior.¡± Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh. ¡°I have no interest in becoming a bounty hunter. I¡¯m even more lazy to chase down those evil creatures who harm ordinary people. In actuality, my real identity is a businessman whose main job is to make money.¡±


    ¡°A businessman?¡± The old man sounded surprised and asked, ¡°What is your business, Mr. Tang?¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile and flicked his finger. A box of Gods Nectar then appeared in his hand. After sending it before the old man, he smiled lightly and said, ¡°It¡¯s our first meeting and we also just faced a common enemy, so we can be considered friends. Thus, I¡¯d like to gift you this box of wine for this first meeting!¡±


    ¡°The Gods Nectar?¡± The old man¡¯s eyes lit up and his throat suddenly squirmed.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s a wine produced by my company.¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said, ¡°I hope Senior Zhong likes it.¡±


    The old man raised his head suddenly and said incredulously, ¡°Your company is that Magnificent Tang Corporation?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    The old man shot a deep look at Tang Xiu. He just got acquainted with Tang Xiu, but the longer he knew him, the more shocked he became. From knowing his identity as a cultivator at first to the medicinal pill he refined, to the killing of two half-ghouls just now, and now he found out that he was the Magnificent Tang Corp.¡¯s owner. The old man suddenly realized that he, who had encountered and figure out countless people in his life, had been unexpectedly unable to see through Tang Xiu, and even got shocked by him the first time they met.


    ¡®The new generation is truly replacing the old and is even much stronger!¡¯


    Sighing deeply in his heart, the only man then let out a serious expression for the first time and said, ¡°Mr. Tang, this old man is called Zhong Zhicheng. I¡¯m also a Chinese national who was fated with a chance to learn under a bounty hunter¡ªmy teacher. It¡¯s really a blessing and fortune that I can get acquainted with you this time, Mr. Tang. I hope that we can cooperate more in the future.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re overpraising me, Senior Zhong.¡± Tang Xiu cupped his fist and smilingly said, ¡°I¡¯m sure that there will be many chances for us to cooperate later. However, since we¡¯ve solved these two half-ghouls, then I¡¯ll transfer 10 million dollars to your account!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to pay it yourself, Tang Xiu.¡± Duanmu Lin stopped Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Killing these two half-ghouls is the duty of Special Abilities Bureau and the responsibility of the country. Hey, geezer Zhong, you haven¡¯t changed your previous account, right? Should I transfer the money to that account?¡±


    The old man, Zhong Zhicheng, nodded and said, ¡°Yeah. I haven¡¯t changed it. It¡¯s still the old one.¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t refute Duanmu Lin. He was naturally happy to see Duanmu Lin rush to pay the bill since his money didn¡¯t come because the wind blew it to him.

 Chapter 1039 - Saving The Little Girl

    Chapter 1039: Saving The Little Girl


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Beijing, at a seemingly ordinary building.


    Soldiers in camouflage uniforms and armed with rifles were standing guard, while many men and women with solemn expressions came in and out with documents. Inside the innermost room, two rows of LCD screens displayed various patterns and data with many people stroking the keyboards in front of them and occasionally engaging in conversations.


    Wei Changsheng was sitting on the sofa in the corner while quietly reading the information in his hand. As one of the heads of the intelligence department, the recent troublesome case had caused him quite a headache. Even though most of the Fan Family members were now under custody, the progress of the interrogations was very difficult.


    ¡°Chief.¡±


    A burly man came towards him in big strides. On his cold face was a bit of a helpless look, and his voice seemed a bit different.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± asked Wei Changsheng as he looked up and frowned.


    ¡°That girl has been crying for a day and hasn¡¯t touched any food and drink. She doesn¡¯t have any sleep either,¡± said the burly man helplessly. ¡°What should we do? Should we just send her to the detention center, or¡­¡±


    At his report, Wei Changsheng slammed the documents in his hand on the table and yelled, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for that wench, the major case in the capital wouldn¡¯t have been exposed! No matter how it looks, I¡¯ll never believe that such a coincidence can happen in the world. There¡¯s no way she can be at such an excellent position when the Fan clansmen committed the massacre in the downtown area.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve checked out everything. She hails from an ordinary family and her profession is an anchor of a live broadcast platform, no less. I believe you¡¯re also crystal clear with our interrogation methods, Chief. It¡¯s simply impossible for her to hide any secrets with her personality.¡± The big man said, ¡°It¡¯s very likely that she was at the spot by chance and began her live broadcast directly.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t give a fuck about that!¡± Wei Changsheng angrily said, ¡°Even if she was there by chance, we must still detain her! This is a big and sensational case, and yet she spread it out on the Internet! Do you know how much impact and troubles she has caused us? Later on, I¡¯ll assign some people to scrutinize all those broadcasting platforms carefully, and block them if there are any violations!¡±


    ¡°About that¡­¡±


    The big man hesitated and finally nodded with a bitter smile. The Chief¡¯s command in this place held much more say than even the Heaven¡¯s. It was useless to argue with him since he had already made up his mind. If there was somebody to blame, it was that wench herself. Broadcasting many things were not wrong, but why must she broadcast such a serious case on the Internet? One must know that even the state had blocked news of this case, yet she just planted the bomb and pushed it up to cause such a big mess.


    Suddenly, the intercom in the big man¡¯s hand rang. A voice of a soldier who was in charge to block the road was then heard. ¡°Captain, we got a comrade requesting to see to Chief Wei.¡±


    The stalwart man was stunned. He glanced at Wei Changsheng and asked, ¡°Which comrade?¡±


    ¡°He claims to be Tang Xiu and he has a credential of our Security Department.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu?¡± The man slightly furrowed his brows since the name sounded familiar to him.


    Wei Changsheng, who was still sitting on the sofa, looked surprised. He immediately got up and said, ¡°Our great hero turns out to be here! He belongs to our department, but it¡¯s his first time reporting here. Let him in.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    After five-odd minutes, Tang Xiu came into the backyard of the quadrangle building. As he saw Wei Changsheng greet him with a beaming face and extended his hand cordially, he let out a smile and said, ¡°You¡¯re Chief Wei, right? Tang Xiu is reporting to you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve long heard about you, Tang Xiu.¡± We Changsheng chuckled and said, ¡°I know all members of our security department, but you¡¯re the only one I¡¯m not acquainted with.¡±


    ¡°Well, Chief Wei must forgive me about that.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°I have too many things at hand, so that¡¯s why I¡¯ve never reported here.¡±


    ¡°A man with great talent and abilities in the country such as you must be very busy. Let¡¯s spare the small talk, shall we? It¡¯s great that you can come here at this time.¡± Wei Changsheng laughed and said again, ¡°Anyways, it was very fortunate that you were present when that big case occurred, though. I already learned from our superiors that it was your men that dealt with those murderers, right? That¡¯s great. You all deserve to be the people of our security department!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty much overpraising, Chief Wei. It¡¯s nothing but my duty and responsibility,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°No arrogance and modest without being servile. That¡¯s great,¡± said Wei Changsheng with a nod. ¡°Anyways, Tang Xiu. If memory serves, today is the 80th birthday of Elderly Tang, right? I got too many things at hand recently, so I can¡¯t attend and congratulate Senior Tang in person. I can only assign some men to send my regards. Well, why did you come here today though? Is there something else you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°Frankly speaking, I have two main purposes in coming here today, Chief Wei,¡± replied Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°Firstly, is to meet you and report to you. Secondly, is about that rash girl. I hope you can give her some leniency. I¡¯ll educate her well so she won¡¯t cause such trouble ever again.¡±


    Wei Changsheng stared blankly for a moment before he instantly understood the purpose of Tang Xiu¡¯s arrival today. Still, there was a bit of a strange look on his face as he inquired, ¡°You know this Tian Xiaomeng lass?¡±


    ¡°To my bad luck, I¡¯m indeed acquainted with her, I guess.¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, ¡°She was the one who reported several matters I did before. I wouldn¡¯t have been exposed to the public eyes otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Wei Changsheng was surprised and said, ¡°The way I get it, you don¡¯t want to be famous?¡±


    ¡°Just like pigs dread being fat, fame will only portend trouble for me,¡± said Tang Xiu with a helpless face. ¡°I¡¯ve always intended to keep a low-profile, but who would¡¯ve thought that this girl had secretly made her scoop about me without my permission. I know that she had no bad intentions. What she has been promoting is all the positive energy she could broadcast all the time, so I can¡¯t blame her even if it¡¯s against my will.¡±


    Wei Changsheng nodded. After pondering for a while, he then said, ¡°I was going to give that lass a lesson, at least shut her in detention for 15 days, so that she can take the lesson well. However, since you¡¯re advocating for her, then I¡¯ll drop it. You can take her away, but keep in mind to educate her well to let her know what can be reported and what cannot.¡±


    With a face full of assurance, Tang Xiu complied. ¡°No worries. I¡¯ll educate her well about that. That¡¯s right, Chief Wei. Do you like to drink? I got a nice wine here, would you like me to sell you two bottles of it?¡±


    Staring blankly for a moment, Wei Changsheng immediately smiled and said, ¡°Is it the Gods Nectar?¡±


    Tang Xiu took out the Gods Nectar from the interspatial ring and handed it over to Wei Changsheng with a smile. ¡°That will be two yuan. I hope Chief Wei doesn¡¯t mind me collecting the money.¡±


    ¡®Two yuan? That¡¯s funny!¡¯


    Wei Changsheng¡¯s lips curled upward and a smile crept up his face. He slipped his hand into his pocket and found some money. But the smallest bill was five yuan, so he just gave it to Tang Xiu and grinningly said, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind buying three more if you have it. Our security department has many people who love drinking you know.¡±


    Tang Xiu grinned back and took out three more bottles of God¡¯s Nectar from the interspatial ring. Then, he said, ¡°Well, since Chief Wei and the other comrades like the Gods Nectar, just directly contact Kang Xia. I¡¯ll tell her about it in advance.¡±


    Wei Changsheng squinted his eyes, watching Tang Xiu take out the Gods Nectar out of thin air. He had faintly noticed something. To verify upon his guess, he asked in a whisper, ¡°Hey, Tang Xiu. Duanmu Lin told me that you¡¯re a cultivator. So, the thing you used to store these Gods Nectar must be an object unique to cultivators like you, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s an interspatial ring,¡± answered Tang Xiu without hesitation. ¡°The space is not bad and it can store some Gods Nectar. Pity that the country has regulations that we can¡¯t gift presents to superiors, though. I would¡¯ve gifted you ten boxes of God¡¯s Nectar otherwise as a show of filial piety, Chief Wei!¡±


    ¡°Bwahaha¡­¡± Wei Changsheng burst into laughter and said, ¡°No need for ten boxes. One or two boxes are enough for me. You¡¯re great, Tang Xiu! I like you even though this is our first meeting, young man! I believe you got a great future ahead of you.¡±


    ¡°I take your words as a blessing and I¡¯ll surely work hard for it,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Nodding with a smile in response, Wei Changsheng asked again, ¡°Are you ready to take the girl away now, or¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take her away now since I¡¯m going home to congratulate Grandpa on his birthday,¡± Tang Xiu said. ¡°Also, I¡¯ll be sure to invite you to drink and report my work to you whenever I got some spare time, Chief Wei.¡±


    ¡°Okay! Senior Tang¡¯s birthday cannot be held without the presence of his cherished grandson now, can it? Be sure to come here more often,¡± Wei Changsheng smilingly said.


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Tang Xiu replied and followed the burly man towards the partial room in the front courtyard. When the door was pushed away from the outside, sobbing was heard from the inside. Tang Xiu let out a smile and came inside as he saw the single bed in the corner and Tian Xiaomeng shrinking in the corner of the bed, crying.


    ¡°Well, have you learned your lesson now, girl?¡±


    Tian Xiaomeng looked up with a teary face. She was stunned upon seeing Tang Xiu, crying out ¡°WOW¡± and cried again as though venting all the grievances. At the same time, she struggled to stand up from the corner of the bed and jumped out to rush into Tang Xiu¡¯s arms.


    The burly man just stood at the door, looking at Tang Xiu and Tian Xiaomeng with a strange expression. At this moment, he straightly misunderstood Tian Xiaomeng as Tang Xiu¡¯s girlfriend after seeing how close the relationship between the two was.


    Tang Xiu himself could feel Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s emotions. He hugged and patted her back and smilingly said, ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you a big girl already? Stop crying so bitterly, would you? I told you before that you know nothing about how serious the matter is, didn¡¯t I? Yet you still dared to broadcast that kind of scene. It doesn¡¯t matter how many years you have, you won¡¯t be let off lightly for it.¡±


    Tian Xiaomeng slightly shuddered. She tried hard to stop her crying and her face was ghastly pale. With a stuttering voice, she asked, ¡°I¡­ I-I¡¯m g-gonna b-be j-jailed?¡±


    Inwardly, Tang Xiu felt so funny and pinched her nose hard, saying, ¡°You should¡¯ve been sent to prison for a few years to renovate yourself already. But since I¡¯m here, I can naturally save you. But you¡¯re forbidden from carelessly making any rash live broadcasts in the future. I will no longer be able to save you even if I sell my face again, you got that?¡±


    Tian Xiaomeng understood Tang Xiu¡¯s meaning and gratefully nodded, but her eyes still couldn¡¯t stop the tears from coming out.


    At this moment, in Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s heart, Tang Xiu was not only her idol but was elevated to her patron saint that could give her a sense of security.

 Chapter 1040 - A Distinct Status

    Chapter 1040: A Distinct Status


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The sight of a long queue of flowing vehicles on the wide road was like a dragon¡ªa display of the capital¡¯s elegance and prosperity. Riding on a BMW sedan, a smile was cast on Tang Xiu¡¯s handsome face, whereas Tian Xiaomeng was sitting in the co-pilot seat, still unable to fully cast away the lingering fear and yet able to fully calm down.


    ¡°Do you want me to send you to the airport or to the hotel?¡±


    After a long while, as Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s face turned a bit rosy, Tang Xiu asked with a smile.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± asked Tian Xiaomeng hurriedly.


    ¡°Me? I¡¯m going home!¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t your home in Star City?¡± asked Tian Xiaomeng, looking confused.


    ¡°My family does live in Star City, but I also have a home in the capital!¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°There¡¯s no law that forbids someone from having a house both in Star City and Beijing, is there?¡±


    Tian Xiaomeng quickly realized as she recalled Tang Xiu¡¯s identity and his ability to make money. Let alone buying a house in the capital, even buying several big villas wouldn¡¯t be a problem for him. She was still afraid that the department would be looking for her for being accountable, so she said with a restless face, ¡°I¡¯m going with you wherever you go.¡±


    Cough, cough¡­


    At her statement, Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh. While looking at her, he said, ¡°Are you afraid that they will find trouble with you again?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid as long as I¡¯m with you,¡± replied Tian Xiaomeng plausibly.


    Tang Xiu was stunned. ¡®This lass should have the nerve and boldness, no? Why does she sound like she¡¯s relying on me?¡¯ After thinking about it, he positively replied, ¡°Tian Xiaomeng, those people before are all special people who are responsible for the stability of the country. I brought you out, so they won¡¯t find you again as long as you stop reporting that kind of news. If you¡¯re worried, of course, you can follow me to my home. I can take you back with me when I return to Star City.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going with you to your home,¡± said Tian Xiaomeng without thinking.


    Secretly feeling helpless inside, Tang Xiu still nodded and said, ¡°Alright then! It just happens that today is the 80th birthday of my grandpa, so you¡¯ll follow me to join the party! However, you¡¯re not allowed to perform any live broadcasts for these two days, and neither can you expose my private information.¡±


    ¡°I promise you. I absolutely won¡¯t do that,¡± replied Tian Xiaomeng while making a vowing gesture.


    In the alleys surrounding the Tang Family¡¯s ancestral home, several soldiers had been standing guard, while numerous others in plain clothes patrolled the vicinity to prevent any unforeseen event and anyone who could cause trouble for the 80th birthday of Senior Tang.


    Despite so, however, many people were still coming from all over the country to celebrate and congratulate him. All of them brought invitations they received in advance and had prepared a variety of gifts, causing the surrounding alleys to be livelier than ever. Tang Guosheng himself wasn¡¯t concerned about these gifts since he had spoken that he wouldn¡¯t especially hold a big celebration. He was no longer holding any public office seat whatsoever, so didn¡¯t need to worry about anything affecting him. Further, the Tang Family had unofficially become the strongest prominent family in Beijing, so no one would attack them because of such a minor matter that even the top leaders would turn a blind eye to.


    Creak¡­


    As the white BMW sedan stopped at the outer alley, Tang Xiu took Tian Xiaomeng off the car and casually threw the key to a young man who came over half-running.


    ¡°Is this your home, Tang Xiu?¡±


    Just like a curious baby, Tian Xiaomeng glanced around and asked while pressing her voice. She had seen the soldiers who were standing guard on both sides of the alley, while some men in casual clothes were seen patrolling the vicinity and looked to be bodyguards.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    Noticing that many eyes were on her, Tian Xiaomeng suddenly grabbed Tang Xiu and nervously said, ¡°What does your family do, though? How can you have soldiers serve your family as guards? Also, looking at those around you, they are like those who caught me before¡­ a bit fearsome¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but laugh. It was indeed like people said: once bitten twice shy. This girl was just apprehended by people of the Security Department previously, leaving her with trauma and shadows.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! They are all good people. You¡¯ll see,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a vague smile. Suddenly, he remembered something and curiously asked, ¡°Anyways, that reminds me of something. I forgot to ask you, why did you come to the capital at this time?¡±


    Tian Xiaomeng looked blank for a moment, then she immediately patted her forehead and answered, ¡°Aargh, I¡¯m done! No, I¡¯m dead! A TV station invited me to Beijing to participate in their program. The session of the program will be recorded this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Ehh? What program?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s a talk show,¡± answered Tian Xiaomeng. ¡°It was because the number of my subscribers dramatically increased recently, and I got hundreds of thousands of viewers watching every time I went live. Sometimes my viewers surpassed a million, hence why I got invited.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to become such a big star, though.¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said, ¡°Anyways, we¡¯ll attend my grandpa¡¯s birthday banquet first. If I got some time to go out in the afternoon, I¡¯ll send you to attend the program myself, else I¡¯ll tell someone to send you there if there¡¯s no time.¡±


    ¡°But still, I gotta contact the TV station first,¡± said Tian Xiaomeng with some hesitation.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±


    While talking with her, Tang Xiu soon entered the end-point of the alley. Tens of guests were being checked by security personnel there and most of them were people Tang Xiu never got acquainted with, although he had seen some familiar faces from the news programs of some TV stations.


    ¡°Hey, Dude. Can I borrow a lighter?¡±


    When the duo arrived behind these people, a handsome young man in his 23-odd-years turned and greeted him, accompanied by a middle-aged man in his 40s.


    ¡°You also got addicted to smoking, eh?¡± Tang Xiu took out a lighter and smilingly asked.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I got that addicted to smoking. Either that or because of my old man who always sermons me¡ª¡¯Don¡¯t make trouble! Be polite¡¯. Well, things that kinda make me vexed, you know. Frankly speaking, if it wasn¡¯t for my old man forcing me to come, I really wouldn¡¯t have come to this occasion, though.¡±


    ¡°My thoughts exactly,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°I don¡¯t like these kinds of occasions either, though I had no choice but to come.¡±


    The young man nodded in agreement and handed over a cigarette as he asked, ¡°What¡¯s your name, Brother? Mine is Qin Ling from the Wu City of the Beihu Province. My old man is the second man in command there.¡±


    The second man in command of Beihu Province?


    Tang Xiu understood in a flash. Instead of igniting the cigarette, he smilingly said, ¡°My name is Tang Xiu, Star City¡¯s local. Anyways, we¡¯re going forward. Let¡¯s chat again later.¡±


    Qin Ling stared blankly before bursting into laughter. ¡°Hahaha, are you joking me, dude? I¡¯ve been lining up for a few minutes here. I guess I still have to wait for 10 minutes more to get in. You came later than us, how can you just go in? Let¡¯s just smoke here. We¡¯re of the same age as well. Rather than stay idle, let¡¯s just chat here!¡±


    ¡°I really can¡¯t stop here for long, though. So, I¡¯ll be waiting for you inside,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Having said that, he led Tian Xiaomeng toward the people in charge of security inspection. He nodded at them and went straight inside.


    ¡°¡­ Eh¡­ he passed just like that? The security didn¡¯t even inspect him?¡±


    Those in the queue behind, including Qin Ling, were all stunned and wore looks of incredulity. Everyone knew that this place belonged to the Tang Family! The super-powerful prominent family of Beijing! Yet that young man just went inside with his female companion?


    After Tang Xiu entered, he walked along the other alley for dozens of meters before he saw Tang Wei standing outside the courtyard of the Tang Family¡¯s residence, along with his uncles, Tang Yunpeng and Tang Yunqing, to receive the guests.


    ¡°You¡¯re back, Xiu¡¯er?¡±


    Tang Yunpeng, who was greeting several guests, called out to Tang Xiu while smiling. However, his eyes were that of curiosity, as they glanced at Tian Xiaomeng a few times.


    ¡°I just tended to some issues and hurried back, First Uncle.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°Let me introduce you to a friend of mine. She¡¯s Tian Xiaomeng. Xiaomeng, this is Uncle Yunqing, and that kid over there is my brother, Tang Wei.¡±


    After seeing Tang Yunpeng, a nervous look was cast on Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s face. She was shocked since she knew who Tang Yunpeng was. She had seen him in the news more than once. This¡­ man¡­ was a big figure in the country!


    Tang Wei came over and looked highly spirited. He squeezed his eyes and cast a meaningful glance at Tang Xiu. ¡°Tang Xiu, Wanying came early in the morning, and she¡¯s chatting with and keeping Grandma accompany!¡±


    ¡°Well, then I¡¯m going inside to see her and the rest. I¡¯ve been too busy recently, so I haven¡¯t seen her for a long time,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Anyways, First Uncle, Uncle Yunqing, I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡±


    ¡°Go inside, kid! But we got quite a lot of guests today so remember to come over and greet the guests after you meet your Grandpa and Wanying, got it?¡± said Tang Yunpeng smilingly.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Tang Xiu replied and entered the front door of the courtyard with Tian Xiaomeng, whose nervous face looked evident. On the contrary, Tang Wei¡¯s face, who followed them, was full of curiosity.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, is this the new sis-in-law? Tell me, how many wives do you have now?¡± Tang Wei was smiling, and his eyes kept glancing at Tian Xiaomeng secretly.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you got beaten up recently, Brat? I heard you just stirred up trouble again, no?¡± Tang Xiu berated him. ¡°I tell you, Tian Xiaomeng is my friend, not my girlfriend. Just be careful to run all baloney off your mouth again, else I¡¯ll pack you up later, got it?¡±


    Tang Wei shrunk and touched his bottom without realizing it. Then, he forced a wry smile and said, ¡°Goddammit. The good news goes on crutches and bad news does travel on wings. To think that even a busy man like you heard about it. Okay, okay. I¡¯ll just move my ass to find Chu Yi and the rest then!¡±


    ¡°Hey, wait up!¡± Tang Xiu called out and said, ¡°There are things that will make me busy soon, so take Xiaomeng with you. Do take care of her and don¡¯t bully her, alright!¡±


    Tang Wei looked black for a second before immediately nodding and saying, ¡°Well then, follow me, beauty! I¡¯ll introduce a few friends to you.¡±


    Tian Xiaomeng shot a nervous look at Tang Xiu and whispered, ¡°I¡­ can I go with you? I¡­ I¡¯m a bit¡­ scared¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. This place is my home, no one dares to bully you here,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Besides, this Tang Wei fella is a devilish superhero, he¡¯ll guarantee that nobody dares to bully you. I¡¯ll look for you after I¡¯m done with some things.¡±


    Tian Xiaomeng hesitated for a moment and then nodded wordlessly.

 Chapter 1041 - The Six Family’s Cooperation

    Chapter 1041: The Six Family¡¯s Cooperation


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    As Tang Wei took Tian Xiaomeng away, Tang Xiu came to the backyard alone. He met several acquaintances on the way here, such as the Guangyang Province¡¯s Bai Family¡¯s patriarch, the Fukang Province¡¯s Huang Family¡¯s patriarch, and several familiar faces he knew in the business community. Certainly, there was also someone that made him feel interested, which was his future father-in-law, Mu Jianhua.


    After greeting them and exchanging some pleasantries, Tang Xiu came to the main room and saw his grandfather, Tang Guosheng, accompanying several old men. He immediately came over and greeted. ¡°Everything has been solved, Grandfather.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. I heard from Duanmu Lin that your performance was great this time too, Kid,¡± said Tang Guosheng happily. ¡°Anyways, come here. I¡¯ll introduce you to these elders¡­¡±


    Chu Heng, the patriarch of the Chu Family. Song Gang, the Song Family¡¯s patriarch. Mu Hongtao, the Mu Family¡¯s patriarch. Bai Yichen, the Bai Family¡¯s patriarch. And lastly, Li Shirong, the Li Family¡¯s patriarch.


    After Tang Xiu greeted each and every one of them, he then smilingly said, ¡°Grandpa, please talk amongst yourselves first. I haven¡¯t greeted Grandma yet, and I must go outside to welcome guests as well.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re exempted from receiving guests, Xiu¡¯er. Yunpeng and Yunqing are enough to handle it.¡± Tang Guosheng waved and said, ¡°Anyways, we have some issues to discuss here, and the elders want to talk to you as well.¡±


    After hearing this, Tang Xiu pulled a bench and took a seat next to Tang Guosheng. Then, he curiously asked, ¡°What¡¯s the issue, though?¡±


    Tang Guosheng exchanged glances with the other old men and said, ¡°There¡¯s a big project planned in the country recently, which is the opening and development of the Mang City in the western region. This is a big project with a total investment exceeding 100 billion yuan¡ªand it could exceed hundreds of billions of yuan should there be any unforeseen events. No matter how good the national policy is, the country can¡¯t afford the funds needed. Therefore, it¡¯s been decided that a national tender for it is going to be carried out. We¡¯ve just discussed it and we hope to obtain the right to develop it.¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s something I want to know first, Grandpa.¡± Tang Xiu furrowed his brows and asked, ¡°What is there that makes Mang City worth developing?¡±


    ¡°There are three aspects.¡± Tang Guosheng began explaining, ¡°First, the Mang City¡¯s geographical position is very special¡ªit¡¯s at the junction point of the three Western provinces. If it can be transformed into a real metropolis, the country will invest some funds to build road connections that fully connect it to the three provinces. Second, there will definitely be an important tourist area in the country later since the place itself has an excellent natural environment with a large number of state-protected animal species. It will, therefore, attract a lot of domestic and foreign tourists, which in itself is worth the development. And the third¡­¡±


    Tang Guosheng paused explaining as he got to that point.


    Wearing a curious look, Tang Xiu felt that the first two reasons were somehow a bit forced. After all, for an investment project exceeding 100 billion yuan or even hundreds of billions, these two reasons were far from enough. After he gave it some thought, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s the third reason?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s due to mineral deposits,¡± said Tang Guosheng. ¡°A huge copper deposit was recently discovered in the mountain near Mang City. The country will soon build a mine to exploit the copper deposit there. By then, the number of residents will substantially increase, and it will qualify to be a big city.¡±


    ¡®A copper mine?¡¯


    A surprised look appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. Should the mineral deposit really that huge, the mining would indeed need a large number of workers, and they would even move their families there, while the development of the city would also attract more people to settle there.


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu noticed other issues as he looked up and asked, ¡°May I know the current participants or the leader of this Mang City project?¡±


    Tang Guosheng exchanged glances with the other five old men and all of them nodded with smiles on their faces. The former then chuckled and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s the Mu Family, Mu Xinfeng.¡±


    Tang Xiu instantly understood as he cast his eyes at Mu Hongtao, the Mu Family¡¯s patriarch. He finally understood why Mu Hongtao was qualified to sit here today. It must be noted that this family was not on par with neither the Chus, Songs, Bais, or Lis. Frankly speaking, the Mu Family paled in comparison with each of these families.


    ¡°The investment for this project is rather big, and a serious loss problem would definitely arise should there be mismanagement. However, since the six major families have agreed to cooperate, I think we can avoid this situation. There are two other issues I¡¯m most concerned about, however. But if we can tackle them, we can expect the project to progress smoothly.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell us what those two issues are, Tang Xiu?¡± asked Mu Hongtao.


    ¡°Firstly, who will be the leader of the six major families¡¯ union? And how much funds can the six families afford to provide?¡± said Tang Xiu with a stern face.


    ¡®The leader of the partnership?¡¯


    Tang Guosheng and the five other elders exchanged dismayed glances. After a long period of time, Mu Hongtao then broke the ice. ¡°I won¡¯t have any problem if the Tang Family takes the leader position, though.¡±


    The other four Family patriarchs thought for a while and then nodded in approval one after another. The Tangs had been rising into prominence recently and would soon become the most powerful family in the whole of China. It was indeed acceptable to let the Tang Family lead.


    A satisfied look flashed across Tang Guosheng¡¯s squinted eyes. He then spread out his hands and chuckled. ¡°That child, Tang Dong, has amassed quite the experience after so many years, so he should be able to preside over this issue. However, I¡¯m sure everyone understands the circumstances of my Tang Family¡ªwe have limited funds at hand at the moment.¡±


    ¡°The Mus can provide 20 billion yuan in a month. More than that, I¡¯m afraid it will affect our other businesses,¡± said Mu Hongtao.


    ¡°You can also expect 20 billion yuan in a month from the Chus,¡± added Chu Heng, the Chu Family¡¯s patriarch. ¡°We can still provide 20 billion yuan more if the funds are insufficient for later development, but we¡¯ll also face difficulties if it¡¯s more than that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same with us!¡± added Bai Yichen.


    ¡°Mine too!¡± replied Song Gang, the Song Family¡¯s patriarch.


    ¡°I concur with everyone else!¡± said Li Shirong, the Li Family¡¯s patriarch, added smilingly.


    ¡°Each of the five families has taken out 20 billion yuan, so the total is 100 billion. But since our Tang Family is taking the leadership of this project, then we¡¯ll provide 40 billion yuan, which adds up to 140 billion. This figure may seem like a lot, but developing a city will require more than that. However, we¡¯ll also have continuous income after the development is carried out, so the following construction plan should be guaranteed. Should the late-stage of development be underfunded, each family can add additional funds to adjust the proportion of the profit share. Grandpa, I¡¯ll take out 40 billion yuan. I¡¯ll tell someone to transfer the money to you later.¡±


    Tang Guosheng let out a satisfied smile and nodded. ¡°Transfer it to Tang Dong directly. But he will have the authority to deal with the Mang City¡¯s investment.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± replied Tang Xiu with a nod.


    The other five family patriarchs were shocked. They never thought that Tang Xiu could actually provide 40 billion yuan. Everyone knew that Tang Xiu¡¯s Magnificent Tang Corporation had been established for less than two years. Added with its rapid development and growth, his company has been burning its capital, especially with the construction of its own industrial park in Shanghai.


    40 billion! It was an amount each family could also provide, yet it would also slightly affect their cashflow. If they had to cough up more capital than that, they may even fracture.


    At this moment, only then did they realize why did Tang Guosheng decide to wait until Tang Xiu arrived to discuss the Mang City issue. They now understood why Tang Xiu could participate in this issue. It was because Tang Xiu had the capital and wealth!


    Mu Hongtao grinningly said, ¡°Well, it seems like my granddaughter has found a man with a good future! Tang Xiu, come visit my family more if you got time later. You and Wanying are not too young anymore, and I think you should plan your wedding date. Though it¡¯s also fine if you two get engaged first if you think it¡¯s too early!¡±


    ¡®What an old fox!¡¯


    The other patriarchs cursed inwardly. Mu Wanying was famous as the First Belle in the capital and they had heard about it too. For her to be Tang Xiu¡¯s lover made them somewhat envious. They secretly sighed inwardly as to why they didn¡¯t have a granddaughter that could become the First Belle of Beijing¡ªotherwise, they could marry her to the Tang Family, or better, have Tang Xiu as their granddaughter¡¯s husband.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to participate in the discussion of the following steps of the cooperation content and details. Although Tang Guosheng usually valued his opinions, he didn¡¯t have any concern about this issue. It had been a few days after he left the Nine Dragons Island. Although Mo Awu updated him every day, he still wanted to rush back to Nine Dragons Island to solve the problems there as fast as possible.


    However, he was also afraid that he would likely be dirt poor after taking out 40 billion yuan. Despite his recent excellent income, be it from Kang Xia who sent him the profits from the New Metro of Star City, or the money he earned from selling medicinal pills, all the money he earned previously added together could only barely make up 40 billion yuan.


    After leaving, Tang Xiu turned to the side room and saw a group of women there laughing and joking around his grandmother, Qin Changyue. A smile suddenly appeared on his face as he greeted several familiar elders and nodded to the unfamiliar ones. Then, his eyes fell on Mu Wanying.


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡± called out Mu Wanying with a happy and surprised face immediately after she saw him.


    ¡°Anything interesting you talked about with Grandma?¡± asked Tang Xiu smilingly.


    A flash of shyness flashed across Mu Wanying¡¯s eyes as she whispered, ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything and just accompanied Grandma to chat about the family¡¯s daily lives, you know.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, you easily got shy, Wanying girl.¡± Qin Changyue smilingly said, ¡°I just told her that you and Wanying are no longer that young, Xiu¡¯er! It¡¯s time for you both to consider marriage. I just spoke to your mother about it. Even if you still have to finish your studies, it¡¯s fine for at least to get a wedding first, no? Besides, this old lady can¡¯t wait to hold her great-grandson.¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a few dry chuckles and perfunctorily replied, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a letter of approval for the engagement later, Grandma. But well, there are things I still need to tend to out there, so I¡¯ll take Wanying out first. Please continue your chat, Grandma.¡±


    How could Qin Changyune not able to see Tang Xiu being perfunctory? She shook her head and spoke to the nearby Su Lingyun with a smile, ¡°Lingyun! You must convince Xiu¡¯er that he¡¯s no longer a young boy, got it? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re not anxious to hug a chubby grandson yourself!¡±


    ¡°I know that, Mom. That¡¯s for sure,¡± replied Su Lingyun with a smile.


    After taking Mu Wanying out of the wing room, only then did Tang Xiu sighed in relief and smilingly said, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to the drivel of those elderlies, got it? Besides, we got too many things at hand at this moment, so the marriage must wait. But if they keep pushing it, let¡¯s just find the time to get engaged and do the formal ceremony first. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll just listen to you about that.¡± Mu Wanying chuckled.

 Chapter 1042 - Getting Bullied?

    Chapter 1042: Getting Bullied?


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu reached out to grab Mu Wanying¡¯s fragrant shoulder, simply ignoring the eyes of many people around them as he smilingly said, ¡°You have nothing to do this moment, right? If you¡¯re free, can you help me to take care of someone? I feel a bit uneasy giving her to that Tang Wei fella.¡±


    ¡°Ehh?¡± Mu Wanying was confused and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s this person, though?¡±


    ¡°Well, she¡¯s kinda the essence of disaster,¡± said Tang Xiu with a helpless face. ¡°She¡¯s a Star City¡¯s local. That girl did a live broadcast when I gave treatment at the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, exposing my face to the public. I became acquainted with her after I asked for her help to broadcast the situation with the Star City Welfare House then. Ultimately, this girl just stirred up troubles. You have heard about the major cases occurred in the capital in the last two days, right?¡±


    Mu Wanying blinked and immediately said smilingly, ¡°Ah, I know who she is. Isn¡¯t she that cute anchor, Mengmeng?¡±


    ¡°Sure enough. You also watched that live broadcast.¡± Tang Xiu forced a wry smile and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s the work of this epitome of disaster maker. I really never thought that she dared to broadcast this case until those evil guys had been dealt with. It was already too late when I found her doing it, so after she was taken away by the Security Department, I went over to take her out. But well, she probably got frightened too much and don¡¯t want to go back to Star City by herself and insisted to came with me, hence why I took her here.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ so it was a hero saving a damsel in distress then,¡± commented Mu Wanying with an odd expression. ¡°Did she fall for you perchance?¡±


    ¡°I would be a God if I had such a great charm, you know,¡± shot Tang Xiu back smilingly. ¡°Anyways, she¡¯s very young and has a pure mind. I just met her a few times, so anything like falling for me is out of the question. I would¡¯ve driven her back to Star City if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that she has helped me with the Welfare House issue in Star City.¡±


    Mu Wanying just chuckled in response and said, ¡°Well, where¡¯s she then? I¡¯m going to look for her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you to her! She¡¯s with Tang Wei,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    At the other pavilion.


    Looking anxious and restless, Tian Xiaomeng closely followed Tang Wei, looking somewhat like a panda being watched by the crowd. Although she was of similar age with some of the males and females in the surroundings, with some being older or younger than her, she almost had the impulse to run away after looking at the unusual bearing possessed by these young ladies and scions.


    Furthermore, after she had a brief exchange with Tang Wei, she finally learned one thing¡ªTang Xiu¡¯s grandfather was Tang Guosheng, the former national figure, a real big figure in the truest sense. Even Tang Xiu¡¯s uncles who were not high-ranking officials were also top brasses in the military, much to her incessant restlessness.


    However, she also realized that she didn¡¯t have any repelling feeling after learning Tang Xiu¡¯s real identity whatsoever. Rather, she worshipped him more. She had been having erroneous assumptions that all those scions, offspring of official as well as the second generation of the haves were just a bunch of silk pants, who had no real abilities and nothing but finely looking cases but were empty inside. But Tang Xiu¡­ he was worlds apart from them. He had extreme expertise in Chinese medicine and could be compared to Bian Que and Hua Tuo, the Divine Doctors in ancient times. Further, he also found the Magnificent Tang Corporation, such a super company by himself.


    ¡°Did Young Master Tang Xiu bring you here?¡± a girl in a long gown with an attractive chignon hairdo asked with rounded eyes.


    Although being very nervous, Tian Xiaomeng nodded and said, ¡°Yeah, Tang Xiu brought me here.¡±


    The girl looked a bit envious and said, ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect that Tang Xiu would bring you here. But I heard that his fianc¨¦e is Mu Wanying, though! How come¡­¡±


    Tang Wei stared at her and interjected. ¡°Spare the nonsense, will you? Mu Wanying is indeed Tang Xiu¡¯s girlfriend, and this Xiaomeng is his friend¡ªa good friend. You¡¯d better not be that mindful over this, girls! No matter what the means and how wishful you are to pursue my good brother, I firmly believe that there¡¯s no unmovable wall in the world and no unhookable boyfriend for you all.¡±


    ¡°Are you looking for a beating, Brat?¡± Tang Ying raised her fist and menacingly smiled. ¡°Wanying is my bosom friend, yet you dare to instigate everyone to seduce her boyfriend? Just wait until I tell Wanying everything you just said, so she¡¯ll remember you every time you see her.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ no-no-no. Don¡¯t!¡± With a begging-for-mercy face, Tang Wei cupped his fists and pleaded. ¡°Please forget what I just said, Big Sis! If after some time Wanying really marries Tang Xiu, then she¡¯ll become my sis-in-law, the true one. I¡¯ll be damned and eat bitter fruits if she remembers it then!¡±


    After listening to Tang Wei and Tang Ying¡¯s dialogs, Tian Xiaomeng curiously said, ¡°You said Tang Xiu already has a girlfriend? Is his girlfriend very outstanding?¡±


    In a flash, tens of young men and women present all stared at Tian Xiaomeng. The whole place turned silent as their eyes landed at Tian Xiaomeng like they were seeing a monster.


    Outstanding¡­ meaning?


    They were all scions of notable and prominent families. Each and every one of them thought highly of themselves for being excellent and whatnot. And yet, comparing themselves with Mu Wanying, the latter was definitely more excellent than them! Be it her education, appearance, stature, and bearings, to hail Mu Wanying as a woman who deserved the First Belle of Beijing title was not an understatement.


    Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s eyes went wide as she muttered with a confused expression, ¡°Did I say something wrong? Tang Xiu is a very outstanding man to me! He¡¯s much better than any young man, but no girl is worthy of him if she¡¯s not as excellent as him.¡±


    ¡°Xiaomeng, then, do you think you¡¯re worthy to be with Tang Xiu?¡± asked Tang Wei with a strange smirk.


    Suddenly, everyone else also wore strange smiles.


    Without even thinking, Tian Xiaomeng shook her head. ¡°I never thought I¡¯m worthy enough to be with him. Tang Xiu is just like the sun, whereas I¡¯m like a star in the sky. How can the speck of starlight match the brilliance of the sun? How can I be worthy of him?¡±


    ¡°Aah¡­¡±


    Everyone around inhaled a long breath of relief. They previously thought that this girl wasn¡¯t able to measure herself well!


    Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s pure and simple bearing was much to Tang Ying¡¯s liking. She paced forward and pulled her hands, saying, ¡°You¡¯re my little brother, Tang Xiu¡¯s friend, Xiaomeng, so you¡¯re Tang Ying¡¯s friend too. Just tell me whoever dares to bully you, Sis Ying will definitely make them pay you back!¡±


    Tian Xiaomeng already knew Tang Ying¡¯s identity now and felt very flattered. She didn¡¯t expect that Tang Ying would act normally, unlike those young ladies, and was approachable instead. After hurriedly nodding, she said, ¡°Thank you, Sis Ying. You¡¯re just like Tang Xiu. Both of you are good persons.¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­ hehe¡­¡±


    Tang Ying couldn¡¯t help giggling and then said, ¡°Well, Lil Sis Xiaomeng. Don¡¯t label me as a good person, alright? Anyways, where did Tang Xiu go? Why don¡¯t I see him here with you?¡±


    ¡°He went to see Grandpa, Big Sis.¡± Tang Wei took the opportunity to interject. ¡°It seems that there¡¯s something they need to discuss.¡±


    After a short while, Tang Xiu led Mu Wanying into the pavilion. After seeing Tian Xiaomeng with Tang Ying, he smiled and paced forward, saying, ¡°You already got acquainted with Xiaomeng, Sis Ying? This girl is kinda timid, so don¡¯t make fun of her.¡±


    ¡°No worries! How can I scare her? It¡¯s too late since I already protect her now,¡± Tang Ying smilingly replied. ¡°Anyways, what are you two doing here while holding hands, though? Are you showing off your love or something?¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­ hehe¡­¡± Tang Xiu let out a dry laugh in response.


    At this time, Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s eyes went saucer, looking at Mu Wanying whose hand was pulled by Tang Xiu¡¯s. At this moment, only then did she realize how stupid she was before. Sparing the talents and abilities of this girl, just her appearance, figure, and bearing was all one in the billions. She had never seen anyone like her in real life, but who else could compare with her?


    She was beautiful¡ªtoo beautiful!


    Even if she was a girl herself, she knew that she felt attracted by Mu Wanying. It was a feeling that made her heart thump faster and harder.


    Mu Wanying came toward Tian Xiaomeng, stretched out her hand and smilingly said, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Mu Wanying, Tang Xiu¡¯s girlfriend. You¡¯re Xiaomeng, right? Tang Xiu just told me about your situation. But I¡¯m glad that you came to attend Grandpa¡¯s 80th birthday.¡±


    Instead of answering, Tian Xiaomeng gulped and murmured stutteringly, ¡°You¡¯re¡­ H-hello, I-I¡¯m T-Tian Xiaomeng. I¡¯m¡­ uh, no. I¡¯m glad to be able to¡­ attend Grandpa Tang¡¯s 80th birthday. Mu¡­ ah¡­ Big Sis Wanying, you¡¯re so beautiful, so gorgeous¡­ the most beautiful woman I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±


    Mu Wanying¡¯s eyes curved in happiness. She turned to glance at Tang Xiu and kindly took Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s hand and smilingly said, ¡°I like you too. You¡¯re Tang Xiu¡¯s friend, so you¡¯re my friend as well. I hope you can treat me as a friend too later.¡±


    Tian Xiaomeng¡¯s small head nodded repeatedly like a pecking chicken. She then excitedly replied, ¡°I¡¯ll definitely treat you as a good friend, Big Sis Wanying!¡±


    ¡°Count me in too!¡± Tang Ying interjected with a smile.


    Tang Xiu, who stood at the side, just watched the girls merrily laugh and talk. He immediately smiled and said, ¡°Well, Sis Ying, Wanying, are you two free this afternoon?¡±


    Mu Wanying shook her head, whereas Tang Ying straightly asked, ¡°I have nothing to do. What¡¯s up, you got something for us?¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯re free, can you accompany Xiaomeng to the TV station?¡± Tang Xiu asked with a smile. ¡°She kinda has a talk show this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ no¡­ there¡¯s no need.¡± Tian Xiaomeng suddenly spoke, ¡°The program manager wasn¡¯t able to contact me yesterday, so when I just called them, they said¡­ he said that he has already put me off the list.¡±


    Tang Ying frowned and resentfully said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Xiaomeng. The TV station said that you¡¯re off the list, huh? Just wait here, I¡¯ll call them. I¡¯ll make sure to have all the interviewees gone and they will just interview you alone. Gimme their number, quickly.¡±


    Lips twitching, Tian Xiaomeng stutteringly replied, ¡°Uh¡­ S-Sis Ying, t-there¡¯s no need to go that far, r-right? Besides, it doesn¡¯t matter if I don¡¯t partake in it either. I¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why your character will make you easily be bullied, Xiaomeng.¡± Tang Ying cut off. ¡°You told us that you came to the capital from Star City to get interviewed, but they just kicked you out because they couldn¡¯t contact you yesterday. That¡¯s simply bullying to me. Just trust me and give me the number.¡±


    Tian Xiaomeng shot a look at Tang Xiu, looking somewhat embarrassed and awkward.


    ¡°Since Sis Ying wants to stand up for you, just give her their phone number,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s the program you want to take part in, right? Since you¡¯re invited, don¡¯t let your trip to Beijing be in vain. However, remember to not speak carelessly there, though. Especially what happened in the last two days.¡±

 Chapter 1043 - Praises

    Chapter 1043: Praises


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    After chatting with the guests, Tang Xiu left since he still had some things to do. When he was just at the door, he happened to see Qin Ling coming over, eyes glancing around as if he was looking for someone.


    ¡°Hey, dude. You turn out to be here!¡± Upon seeing Tang Xiu, Qin Ling¡¯s eyes lit up as he called out and strode over.


    ¡°Have you been looking for me?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Is there something up?¡±


    ¡°Nothing serious. It¡¯s just that I only saw a few familiar faces here,¡± said Qin Ling smilingly. ¡°I told you that we¡¯re fated since we met outside, didn¡¯t I? Besides, I wanna introduce you to a friend of mine. Don¡¯t look down on him, though. My friend¡¯s identity is kinda unusual.¡±


    ¡°Care to tell who this friend of yours is?¡± asked Tang Xiu smilingly.


    Looking a bit proud, Qin Ling reached out to grab Tang Xiu¡¯s hand and pulled him to the courtyard. His eyes then glanced around. As he saw Tang Wei¡¯s figure, he looked a bit excited and said, ¡°Well, I¡¯m a friend of the Tang Family¡¯s scion¡ªthe famous Young Master Tang Wei. I used to entertain him back when he visited Beihu Province.¡±


    ¡°Well, I also know him, though,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    Qin Ling stared blankly and his pace suddenly slowed down a lot, asking in surprise, ¡°You also know him? Ah, that¡¯s right. I forgot to ask you. What does your family do?¡±


    ¡°Some of them are government officials and some are business people,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle.


    ¡°For you to come here means that your family should be very powerful indeed.¡± Qin Ling nodded and said, ¡°Anyways, I did feel that you¡¯re familiar with that brother of mine. But it doesn¡¯t matter since we¡¯ll be friends later.¡±


    At this moment, Tang Wei had also seen Tang Xiu and Qin Ling. There was a bit of curiosity on his face as he inquired after greeting them. ¡°How did you two get together here, guys? Were you acquainted before?¡±


    ¡°Young Master Tang, I just met brother Tang Xiu outside today,¡± said Qin Ling hurriedly. ¡°I think he¡¯s a good man, so I want to introduce him to you. I just didn¡¯t expect to hear from him that he already knows you.¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­ hehe¡­¡± Tang We couldn¡¯t help laughing and pointed to Tang Xiu while saying smilingly, ¡°Qin Ling, don¡¯t tell me you really don¡¯t know who he is?¡±


    Qin Ling shook his head and replied with a confused face, ¡°I just feel that he¡¯s a bit familiar, but I really don¡¯t know who he is. Young Master Tang, you¡­¡±


    ¡°Given our age, he¡¯s my younger brother. But if you count his abilities, he¡¯s my big brother.¡± Tang Wei interrupted him and smilingly said, ¡°To think that you¡¯ve never even heard of the Tang Family¡¯s Young Master Tang Xiu is quite unexpected, you know. Haven¡¯t many news about him been spread out lately?¡±


    Tang Xiu? As in Tang Xiu of the Tang Family?


    Qin Ling was stunned and dumbfounded. His pupils contracted and disbelief filled his eyes. He finally recalled why he felt that he had seen Tang Xiu before and why his face felt somewhat familiar. It turned out¡­ that he was the famous Tang Xiu of the Tang Family! That¡¯s true. He was also the famous Young Divine Doctor and the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡¯s owner, Tang Xiu!


    Damn it! I just met God!


    Qin Ling groaned inwardly. He finally realized why the guards didn¡¯t check Tang Xiu¡¯s credentials when he came in before. It turned out that he was a member of the Tang Family! Feeling awkward and embarrassed at this moment, Qin Ling wanted to find a hole to burrow himself into. It was really a shame¡­ big time. Wasn¡¯t it so stupid of him to introduce him to his own brother?


    Tang Xiu just let out a faint smile watching Qin Ling¡¯s awkward face. He patted his shoulder and smilingly said, ¡°It was my fault to make things so vague, so I made Brother Qin Ling misunderstand. Brother Wei, you got a good man as a brother, so treat him well now that he has visited our home. I¡¯m going outside since First Uncle and Uncle Yunqing called me to greet the guests.¡±


    ¡°Roger that!¡±


    Tang Wei grinned and laughed. He then hugged Qin Ling¡¯s shoulder, taking him to the inside and smilingly speaking, ¡°That was a surprise mishap, don¡¯t you think? But you¡¯re really lucky, boy! I don¡¯t need to speak about Tang Xiu¡¯s ability, especially when it comes to reading people, since his insight is especially accurate. He said that you¡¯re a good man, so I¡¯ll make it up to you as your buddy. Let¡¯s stroll around, I¡¯ll introduce you to some friends.¡±


    Upon hearing his words, Qin Ling immediately felt a bit excited inwardly. He didn¡¯t expect that such an unexpected mishap would relate him to Tang Xiu, even earning him Tang Wei¡¯s approval. He was crystal clear about Tang Wei¡¯s personality as someone whose eyes always looked at the top, thus making him quite difficult to approach. It was truly his good luck to get his recognition.


    A few minutes later after Tang Xiu appeared outside the gate of the courtyard, he saw his First Uncle, Tang Yunpeng and his other uncle, Tang Yunqing greeting the guests. He then went towards them after nodding at the unfamiliar guests.


    Tang Yunpeng, who was welcoming the guests into the house, shot a meaningful glance at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°You have met with the old patriarch and discussed some interesting issues, right?¡±


    Tang Xiu understood his meaning and noddingly said, ¡°Yeah, we had some discussions about it. The Tang Family¡¯s patriarch will take the leader position, though Uncle Tang Dong will be very busy later. As for the funds, I¡¯ll provide 40 billion yuan, so it should be enough for the early stage.¡±


    Tang Yunpeng¡¯s eyes lit up and he praised with a thumbs up. ¡°To think that you¡¯ll take out 40 billion yuan, you¡¯re so filthy rich, Nephew! But who raised the leadership issue, though?¡±


    ¡°Well, none of those elderly wanted to raise it up, which I think they must feel that it¡¯s not appropriate on everyone¡¯s faces, hence why I straightly raised up the issue,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°If anything, I¡¯m just a junior, so it wasn¡¯t a problem no matter how inconvenient it was.¡±


    ¡°Wisdom is indeed the most powerful force,¡± sighed Tang Yunpeng in praise. ¡°I really can¡¯t figure out how deep your brain is, Kid. Anyways, you¡¯ve made great contributions to our family. What rewards do you want? Uncle will do everything possible to make it up to you.¡±


    ¡°Reward? No need for that, Uncle,¡± replied Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°Only, I¡¯ll be leaving the capital when Grandpa¡¯s birthday party is over. I¡¯m going abroad to deal with something after dropping by in Star City first.¡±


    ¡°I heard you¡¯ve been busy with things abroad recently. What have you been busy with, exactly?¡± asked Tang Yunpeng curiously.


    ¡°My men have had conflicts with some foreign cultivation forces and we¡¯ll be engaged in brutal fights soon,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Should we end up the victors this time, those cultivation forces will never dare to provoke us again. But we¡¯ll suffer big losses if we lose.¡±


    Cultivation forces?


    Tang Yunpeng and Tang Yunqing¡¯s complexions changed and turned solemn instantly.


    ¡°Is there anything we can do, Tang Xiu?¡± asked Tang Yunpeng in a deep voice. ¡°The Tang Family has its own armed force. Though it¡¯s not that strong, we still have numbers on our side. Just tell us if you ever need manpower. It¡¯s no big deal for us to fill in with our lives, as long as we can wipe out all the enemies.¡±


    ¡°The strength of these cultivators is not something that can be defeated by numbers, Uncles.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°But please, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t send my men to fight them if I don¡¯t have the absolute assurance of winning. Rather, I¡¯m planning to use these cultivation forces¡¯ experts to train my men.¡±


    Tang Yunpeng and Tang Yunqing exchanged glances, and there was a strange look in their eyes. After some time, the former said again, ¡°I¡¯d like to see the people you¡¯ve been training if you got some time, Xiu¡¯er.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, but we can¡¯t go there for the time being.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and explained, ¡°Wait until we¡¯ve taken care of the things over there, then you can visit the place. Else I can¡¯t guarantee your safety.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Tang Yunpeng nodded and said, ¡°Besides, I need to apply to the top leaders above if I want to go abroad given my current identity. It would be quite difficult to go abroad shortly regardless.¡±


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu accompanied Tang Yunpeng and Tang Yunqing to welcome the guests. There were many guests who came to celebrate Tang Guosheng¡¯s 80th birthday since he was also the old patriarch of the Tang Family. It was also the reason for those who even had a bit of qualification to do everything they could to attend it.


    As noon approached, Tang Yunpeng and Tang Yunqing returned to central pavilion, while Tang Xiu took a stroll outside with hands in his pockets. He needed to observe the situation in the surroundings. He planned to go inside and partake in his grandfather¡¯s celebration banquet if there wasn¡¯t any problem. Ever since the Yaos had been destroyed by him, he was crystal clear that there would be other prominent families that would become potential enemies. The scenery in front of the Tang Family may look beautiful, but no one knew how many potential menaces were hidden behind it.


    ¡°Nothing special happened?¡± asked Tang Xiu while casting his gaze at Tang Hu, who was responsible for security issues. This man was an outstanding talent trained by Tang Guosheng. Although he didn¡¯t have the Tang Family¡¯s blood, he had been following Tang Guosheng ever since he was a child, and his loyalty toward the Tang House was unquestionable.


    Tang Hu shook his head and answered, ¡°There¡¯s nothing. All the guests that met the entry criteria have all gone inside, and those who don¡¯t have left.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with this criterion, though?¡± Tang Xiu stared blankly and asked with a confused face, ¡°You mean, those who came to congratulate Grandpa¡¯s birthday have unusual identities?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. Except there¡¯s this old beggar,¡± said Tang Hu.


    An old beggar? Tang Xiu¡¯s face slightly shifted and he asked again, ¡°Where¡¯s him?¡±


    Tang Hu pointed to the alley mouth in the distance and said, ¡°I just left that spot 40 minutes ago. He should¡¯ve left by now.¡±


    Nodding in response, Tang Xiu then strode to the alley mouth. His complexion suddenly shifted as he cast his sight to the road dozens of meters away. There was an old man with ragged clothes and a five-plus years old girl sitting quietly next to him.


    After walking over to them, Tang Xiu looked at the old man and the little girl. He immediately furrowed his brows and said, ¡°Old man, are you here for the birthday party?¡±


    The old man looked up and bitterly nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s just unfortunate that I can¡¯t get in.¡±


    ¡°Those who can attend the party, aside from the Tang Family¡¯s relatives, are dignitaries and people with quite a status. Are you perhaps related to the Tang Family, either related to their relatives or friends?¡±


    The old man fell into silence for a moment. He then turned to look at the little girl a bit reluctantly before he nodded and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know whether I¡¯m related in some way or not. But I do have a reason. Alas! It¡¯s for the sake of this child and a small wish that I¡¯d like to see him. But I never thought¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes swept over the several scars on the old man¡¯s neck and eventually stayed on his left cheek. Only then did he realize that this old man had lost his left ear. Further, he also noticed that this old man was emitting a death qi and was likely dying.


    ¡°Can you tell me your identity, Elderly? I might be able to take you inside.¡±

 Chapter 1044 - As Close As Brothers

    Chapter 1044: As Close As Brothers


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The old man looked surprised and observed Tang Xiu for a while. Then, he forced a smile and said, ¡°I followed the old leader for thirteen years since I was ten until I left due to a special reason when I was 23. Now I¡¯m 73 years old, I never had seen him for 50 years . I don¡¯t even know if the old leader still remembers me.¡±


    ¡°Is this old leader the person from the Tang Family who is celebrating his birthday today?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    The old man nodded in response. His slightly trembling hand pulled out a half-pack of crumpled cigarettes from his pocket and then fished out one from the inside. Just as he was about to lit it up, he suddenly seemed to recall something, secretly shook his head, and just looked at the cigarette in a daze.


    Not a word came out of his mouth as he seemed to be caught in a reverie of his past.


    ¡°Old man, I think I can guess something from you. But your present condition is likely not good,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    The old man came back to his senses and looked up at Tang Xiu, replying helplessly, ¡°I know that I¡¯m just halfway into my coffin with these last breaths of mine. That¡¯s right, little brother. If you could help me, please pass my words to the old leader. It¡¯s regretful that I can¡¯t see him ever again in this life, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Please come with me, old man! I¡¯ll take you in.¡± Tang Xiu interrupted him.


    The old man became stunned. He stood with difficulty and asked with full of expectation, ¡°You¡­ you can really take us in?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    Tears overflowed from the old man¡¯s eyes. He hurriedly nodded and pulled the little girl up. Then, he said, ¡°Did you hear that? Grandpa¡¯s last wish and hope are still there.¡±


    Supporting the old man, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t say anything and brought them into the interior of the courtyard under the watchful eyes of Tang Hu and many guards. Soon after, they came to the innermost part of the residence, garnering curious eyes from many people due to the old man¡¯s attire.


    Tang Guosheng, who was sitting in the room and chatting with several elderly people, suddenly saw his son, Tang Yunpeng, coming over from the outside. He smiled at him and asked, ¡°How is it outside, Yunpeng?¡±


    ¡°Most of the guests have come, Father,¡± answered Tang Yunpeng, ¡°However, Xiu¡¯er brought in an old man and a child from the outside. He said that this old man wants to see you.¡±


    ¡°An old man and a child?¡± Tang Guosheng was confused and asked, ¡°Do you know who the old man is?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But he looks like an ordinary old man given his clothes.¡± Tang Yunpeng shook his head.


    Tang Guosheng thought about it before getting up and saying, ¡°There are always things that don¡¯t meet the eyes for everything Xiu¡¯er does. Let¡¯s go and have a look since you don¡¯t know him then.¡±


    Half a minute later, when Tang Guosheng passed through the door, his eyes fell on the old man several meters away. His eyes suddenly stared at him and observed the old man¡¯s facial features, whom he felt vaguely familiar, yet he couldn¡¯t remember who he was.


    ¡°You are¡­¡±


    Tang Guosheng came towards the old man. He immediately felt confused upon seeing the latter¡¯s face that was full of excitement with two lines of tears trickling down his wrinkled face.


    The old man released himself from Tang Xiu¡¯s propping hands. He also loosened the little girl¡¯s hand. His body shivered as he paced two steps forward and kneeled down in front of Tang Guosheng under everyone¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I can¡¯t accept it.¡±


    Although Tang Guosheng couldn¡¯t recognize the old man in front, he still rushed to reach his hands out to prop him up.


    The old man avoided Tang Guosheng¡¯s hands and kept kneeling as he spoke with a choked voice, ¡°A Brother is like a Father. For being able to see the Old Leader before dying, Zicheng has no regrets left in this life anymore.¡±


    Tang Guosheng¡¯s heart thumped as the softest spot in his heart seemed to be touched. His eyes went round all of a sudden with disbelief overflowing from within. Everyone present with keen eyes could see that his body was slightly trembling.


    ¡°Y-you¡­ you¡¯re Zicheng? Are you Zuo Zicheng?¡±


    The old man looked up with teary eyes and sobbed. ¡°You¡­ you still remember me?¡±


    Tang Guosheng suddenly squatted on the floor and hugged the old man with tears overflowing from his eyes. His voice quivered as he called out, ¡°Y-you¡­ are you really Zicheng? You, you¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me. It¡¯s really me,¡± cried the old man with a weeping voice.


    Tang Guosheng suddenly let go of the old man. He instantly stepped back with a teary face, staring at the old man and slapping his face in under everyone¡¯s watchful eyes. He pointed to his nose and angrily cursed. ¡°Where the fuck did you go to all these years, Bastard? Speak! Tell me, where the hell have you been?!¡±


    ¡°In the West, Uglei,¡± replied the old man with a sob.


    Tang Guosheng¡¯s complexion turned pale like a sheet. He looked at the old man in disbelief, unable to hold back his flowing tears. He lunged toward him, hugged him again and sobbed. ¡°You bastard! Who told you to go back there? Who told you to stay guard there for this old man? Bastard! Do you know how hard I¡¯ve been looking for you all these years? From South to North, from East to West, I¡¯ve sent people to look for you, leaving nothing unturned in the whole of China, yet I could never find you!¡±


    The old man¡¯s body suddenly trembled. A stream of blood flowed down from the corner of his mouth, though he seemed to be unaware of it. He shook his head and said, ¡°Zicheng has become a disabled man and no longer is able to protect you anymore. But Zicheng still remembers the land of Uglei that has been stained with the blood of¡­ Yundi¡­ there.¡±


    Yundi?


    At this moment, Tang Guoshou, Tang Guoxing, Tang Yunpeng, Tang Yunde, Tang Min, and even Tang Dong, Tang Yan, and Tang Yunqing in the yard looked surprised. Others may not know this name, but they were crystal clear who Yundi was. Especially Tang Guoshou, Tang Guoxing and Tang Yunpeng, whose fists were tightly clenched at this time.


    As a matter of fact, Tang Yunpeng was not the eldest son of Tang Guosheng. It was Tang Yundi. However, when the latter was just seven years old, he died in the battle of Uglei in the West.


    Tang Guosheng and Zuo Zicheng cried on each other¡¯s shoulders for a long time before eventually calming down. After Tang Guosheng helped Zuo Zicheng up, he saw the blood in his mouth and his face suddenly changed. He turned to look at Tang Yunpeng and said, ¡°What are you gawking at? Find a doctor! Call all the doctors here quickly!¡±


    Zuo Zicheng shook his head and stopped him. His face was beaming with a smile instead as he said, ¡°Please don¡¯t bother to care about this tired old man by troubling the doctors, old leader. I¡¯m crystal clear of my own condition. I¡¯m already very content for being able to return to the capital and appear in front of you.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ how did you¡­¡± said Tang Yunpeng hurriedly with shrinking pupils.


    ¡°My heart and lungs have been injured by that bastard,¡± said Zuo Zicheng with a smile. ¡°Not even an accomplished Golden Immortal will be able to save me. It was because of this child that I could persist and now am in front of you. Niuniu, call him grandpa¡ªGrandpa Tang.¡±


    The little girl cried out, ¡°Grandpa Tang.¡±


    Tang Guosheng nodded at her and asked, ¡°Zicheng, this child is¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you still remember Yundi¡¯s playmate, Little Yingzi, Old Leader? She¡¯s Little Yingzi¡¯s granddaughter,¡± said Zuo Zicheng. ¡°Her parents passed away when she was two years old and I¡¯ve been taking care of her ever since. But I¡¯m now dying and I¡¯m really worried about this child. C-could¡­ could you take her in and raise her, Old Leader?¡±


    A handsome face belonging to his son sprung up in Tang Guosheng¡¯s mind, along with his playmate, the Little Yingzi. It had been many years and he didn¡¯t expect to see her descendants today. However, as he looked at the pleading face of Zuo Zicheng, he shook his head and said, ¡°I can take care of this child, but I won¡¯t allow you to die! That¡¯s right, Xiu¡¯er. Aren¡¯t you called a Divine Doctor? Save him! I want him to live!¡±


    Tang Xiu sighed inwardly before shaking his head and replying, ¡°Grandpa, Grandpa Zuo¡¯s five internal organs are failing. He has lost nearly half of his blood, cutting off his life force, and now is nearly replaced by a death qi. Even if I have a miraculous healing elixir, there¡¯s nothing I can do. Truth be told, the elderly must have used a forbidden art to support himself, hence why he can persist till now.¡±


    Tang Guosheng¡¯s body shook. His eyes fell on Zuo Zicheng¡¯s face and he hurriedly asked, ¡°Did you use that Reanimate Art? You¡­ didn¡¯t you know that you can no longer live once you use that power?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d have died earlier if I didn¡¯t use it,¡± said Zuo Zicheng with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s where my life is supposed to be used, so please don¡¯t be sad, Old Leader. It¡¯s worth it since I can hand over this child into your care and I can say goodbye to you.¡±


    Blood began flowing out of his mouth again during his speech. Tang Xiu himself was well aware that if this old man didn¡¯t see his grandfather and his emotions were not this agitated, he might still be able to live for another ten days. But his current mood was really unstable¡ªa condition he could no longer withstand.


    Suddenly, Qin Changyu, who heard the disturbance from the outside, walked into the room. After she learned that the old man was Zuo Zicheng, she cried again on his shoulder. In her heart, Zuo Zicheng who had followed them from the age of 10 and was just six-plus younger than them was simply like their relative, as close as her blood brother. Now that she learned about Zuo Zicheng¡¯s condition, especially knowing that the had been staying in Uglei for so many years, she felt like there was a knife shearing her heart, making her cry bitter tears.


    Ultimately, the several elders gradually stabilized their emotions under Tang Yunpeng and Tang Yunqing¡¯s consolation.


    Zuo Zicheng¡¯s eyes were full of tears, but his face was beaming with a smile. After loosening Tang Guosheng¡¯s and Qin Changyue¡¯s hands, he stepped back and said, ¡°Please allow me to call you Big Brother and Sister-in-law. Zicheng no longer has any lingering regrets after being able to see you again, Big Brother, Sis-in-law. But I must leave now. I want to stay in Uglei. And don¡¯t send me off, please. I hope I can meet you again in my next life.¡±


    Having said that, he staggeringly paced forward to the outside step by step.


    Tang Guosheng chased him for a few steps and shouted, ¡°Zicheng!¡±


    Zuo Zicheng neither looked back nor stop. He just left step by step without touching any food or drink.


    The old couple, Tang Guosheng and Qin Changyue, couldn¡¯t hold back their tears anymore. They wanted to stop Zuo Zicheng, but they also could feel his determination.


    At this time, Tang Xiu spoke, ¡°Grandpa, Grandpa, please don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll send some people to protect the elderly all the way to Uglei. I¡¯ll also assign some men to help the elderly once he returns there, so he can spend his last days in peace until his departure.¡±

 Chapter 1045 - Rushing Toward Ugley

    Chapter 1045: Rushing Toward Ugley


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The birthday feast was held in the quadrangle residence. It wasn¡¯t that extravagant, but the dishes were delicious, and the Magnificent Tang Corporation provided God¡¯s Nectar, so everyone could dine and drink to their hearts¡¯ content. However, Tang Guosheng¡¯s mood was extremely heavy. Although he could see his old brother again, knowing his condition rendered his mood particularly unconformable.


    Just as the birthday feast was about to come to an end, however, Tang Xiu received a sudden call that made his complexion drastically change.


    Tang Xiu quickly came to Tang Guosheng and whispered, ¡°I need to speak to you, Grandpa,¡±


    Upon seeing his solemn expression, Tang Guosheng suddenly frowned and asked, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an urgent situation and I must leave the capital at once,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Another incident? What is it?¡± asked Tang Guosheng.


    ¡°Terrifying fierce beasts appeared in the Himalayas,¡± whispered Tang Xiu. ¡°The location is very close to a small town called Ugley, and tens of thousands of its residents were attacked by them. Duanmu Lin told me on the phone that many residents have been killed and the town has become a ruin.¡±


    Tang Guosheng abruptly got up. Rays flashed across his eyes a few times as he lowered his voice and said, ¡°Then hurry there at once and kill those beasts ASAP. Remember, ensure your safety. Your life is your first priority!¡±


    Tang Xiu said with solemnity, ¡°I will.¡±


    Tang Guosheng suddenly grabbed Tang Xiu¡¯s hand and hurriedly said, ¡°Protect Zicheng, Xiu¡¯er. He has risked his life and braved dangers with me in the past, saving my life countless times. I¡¯d have died many times already if it wasn¡¯t for him. No matter how big the price is, I must guarantee his safety. Just let him¡­ die peacefully in his bed of old age.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I will.¡±


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu contacted the Tang Sect¡¯s disciples who were sent out. The Tang Family needed real experts to guard them, so he sent more than ten disciples to guard the Tangs after he founded Tang Sect. It was one of the tasks he assigned to them.


    ¡°Stop that elderly and wait for me!¡±


    After he hung up the phone, he hurriedly left in a rush with Tang 28¡¯s group of five. When he arrived at the train station and saw Zuo Zicheng¡¯s confused face, he forced a smile and said, ¡°Grandpa Zuo, it wasn¡¯t Granda who sent me here. But I received a notice that some fierce beasts have appeared in Ugley and killed a lot of people. It¡¯s my duty to go over there and eliminate them. It just so happens that you have to go back, elderly. So, we¡¯re going there together and take care of each other along the way.¡±


    A bitter look appeared on Zuo Zicheng¡¯s face as he sighed. ¡°Those fierce beasts are still rampaging, it seems. I already told everyone to move out quickly. I¡¯ve even reminded the local authorities. It¡¯s just so unfortunate nobody listened to this old man¡¯s words. None of them believed me!¡±


    ¡°You knew of the existence of these fierce beasts?¡± asked Tang Xiu hurriedly with a changed expression. ¡°Did those beasts cause you these injuries?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s far more than one beast. It¡¯s simply¡­ a nest of ominous beasts! Only that particular one is very powerful. I¡¯d have already died if that one hit me. What injured me was a weaker one, though I was very fortunate to flee fast enough, so I survived.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa Zuo, please tell me the situation there,¡± said Tang Xiu hurriedly.


    ¡°Ugley is located near the Himalayas.¡± Zuo Zicheng nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ve entered the Himalayas numerous times to get the Snow Lotus for many years. The last time I went there, I traversed deeper and found the nest of this ominous beast. The most savage and biggest beast was only as tall as two small buildings. It¡¯s a big monster, nonetheless. But there are countless of them. Though they are not as big, they are still fearsome. I was just on the periphery of their nest before one of them spotted and injured me.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and asked again, ¡°Since there are so many beasts there, have they come out before? How come they came out of their nest now?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea about the specific cause.¡± Zuo Zicheng sighed. ¡°But what I can be sure of is that the beasts seem to have been blocked by something and were unable to get out. Even the one who chased me before was blocked by a layer of invisible energy or something. However, those beasts kept hitting something like an obstruction I couldn¡¯t see. I think that¡¯s why they are now rushing outside.¡±


    An array formation?


    Tang Xiu was shocked inwardly. Then, he said quickly, ¡°Grandpa Zuo, this is an urgent situation, so we can¡¯t take the train there. I¡¯ve already contacted an airline, so we¡¯ll go there by plane and then change into cars. Some people will aid us along the way.¡±


    Obviously, Zuo Zicheng also wanted to know the current situation in Ugley, so he nodded and said, ¡°We¡¯ll do as you said.¡±


    After a full day passed by, Tang Xiu and the rest who rushed to catch up even asked the aid from the local garrison¡¯s military helicopter. They finally arrived at noon the next day to the town near the snow-capped peak of Himalayas¡­ Ugley Town.


    ¡°Heavens! How did it turn like this?¡±


    After seeing the current situation in Ugley, Zuo Zicheng¡¯s old face was full of disbelief. The town of Ugley had literally been turned into a ruin. All the soldiers and civilians who survived the rampaging beasts had been moved outside while a garrison company had been stationed to defend it.


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡±


    Two figures flickered from the distance and quickly appeared in front of Tang Xiu. It was Zhu Long and Aquababe, whose faces were extremely solemn. Injuries were evident on their bodies with bloodstains that dyed their clothes red.


    ¡°How is the current situation here?¡± Tang Xiu hurriedly asked, ¡°Did you fight with those beasts?¡±


    ¡°Miserable. It¡¯s literally miserable,¡± said Zhu Long with a bitter face. ¡°Just the current casualty statistic alone, thousands of people have been killed and thousands more have been injured. In addition, we¡¯ve clashed with those beasts, but the situation is not optimistic. Four of our colleagues from the Special Abilities Bureau have died in battle and dozens of others are injured.¡±


    ¡°What about their numbers? How many beasts are there?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°We have no clue. The number of beasts that have appeared is as high as a thousand,¡± answered Zhu Long. ¡°There¡¯s also a particularly horrifying one. Further, there was also the emergence of beasts from time to time, so it¡¯s really difficult to count their number.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and asked again, ¡°What about Senior Duanmu?¡±


    ¡°He has already entered the Himalayas with a large group to set up a blockade line,¡± said Zhu Long. ¡°Come with us! I¡¯ll take you there.¡±


    ¡°Zhu Long, you settle Grandpa Zuo first,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°He¡¯s a local here, but he¡¯s also a relative of my Tang Family who¡¯s like a brother of my grandfather¡¯s.¡±


    After hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, Zuo Zicheng felt extremely warm inside. But he waved and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. Just do what you should do. Besides, you must guard the safety of the people, but you must pay attention to your own safety.¡±


    Tang Xiu hesitated for a moment and then nodded. ¡°Then please pay attention to your own safety too, Grandpa Zuo.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu, let these five children stay here too!¡± Zhu Long interjected. ¡°It¡¯s not safe inside. We have no extra manpower to protect them if those fierce beasts appear again.¡±


    ¡°No. They don¡¯t need protection. Let¡¯s just set off.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    Hearing his response made Zhu Long look somewhat helpless. He really had no idea why Tang Xiu brought five children who were perhaps less than 10 years old.


    After half an hour, the group had crossed a snowy peak and entered the depths of the mountain range. Soon after, a military tent appeared in Tang Xiu¡¯s line of sight. Moreover, over a hundred ability users from the Special Abilities Bureau and a large number of soldiers in camouflage uniforms were stationed at the blockade line arranged near the military tent.


    ¡°You¡¯re finally here, Tang Xiu.¡±


    Duanmu Lin was not in the tent but was waiting outside for Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I just arrived here. So, what¡¯s the current situation, Senior Duanmu?¡± asked Tang Xiu. ¡°Are those savage beasts rushing into the blockade line?¡±


    ¡°I found something strange about them. They are like a fierce beast army as if there are intelligent beasts commanding them.¡± Duanmu Lin nodded and explained, ¡°From the time we arrived here, there have been small-scale beast tides attacking us. Fortunately, some cultivators rushed to help us. Otherwise, we couldn¡¯t have stopped them just by the strength of the Special Abilities Bureau and the military alone.¡±


    ¡°Low-rank and mid-rank fierce beasts only have low intelligence, but the high-rank ones have intelligence on par with humans,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°On top of these high-rank beasts, there are still superior-rank beasts and monster beasts. Be it the superior-rank or the monster beasts, all of them possess high intelligence and have the ability to control armies of fierce beasts.¡±


    ¡°High-rank fierce beasts are already horrible by themselves! If this is a superior-rank or a monster beast, that will spell big trouble,¡± said Duanmu Lin in a surprise with contracted pupils.


    ¡°I think the possibility of superior-rank and monster beasts is rather slim,¡± added Tang Xiu. ¡°The biggest ominous beast should be a high-rank one. However, this is just a guess of mine, so I need to see it myself to be clear. That¡¯s right. You told me that some cultivators are helping. Who are they?¡±


    ¡°Some are from the Occult Sect and some others are Taoist and Buddhist cultivators, as well as some ancient martial art clans¡¯ experts,¡± answered Duanmu Lin. ¡°In actuality, our country has already signed some secret pacts with these people. We have the right to summon them for help whenever the country faces a major crisis.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Those who are righteous and have a spirit of justice will indeed care about their country. They will come forward in the event of a crisis.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡±


    Suddenly, a shout came from afar.


    When Tang Xiu looked at the distance, he saw Miao Wentang, Shao Mingzhen, and Dao Master Ziyi rushing over lightning-fast. However, he found that all three of them had been injured, especially Dao Master Ziyi, whose injuries were quite serious.


    ¡°Take this medicinal pill!¡±


    Tang Xiu took out three Holy Healing pills from his interspatial ring and handed them one each separately.

 Chapter 1046 - Demonic Beasts

    Chapter 1046: Demonic BeastsTranslator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales


    Due to their great trust in Tang Xiu, Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen shot him a grateful look and took the medicine pill without hesitation. Dao Master Ziyi, however, hesitated for a moment and only took it after the duo did.


    Quickly, their injuries healed and their mental state became much stronger than before.


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation with the beasts now?¡± asked Tang Xiu. ¡°Do they pose a great threat to this blockade line?¡±


    ¡°I dunno the reason, but not all of the fierce beasts came out,¡± replied Miao Wentang, smiling bitterly. ¡°Only a small group of beasts came out every time. But that makes me certain of one thing¡ªif all the beasts are to come out at once, I¡¯m afraid all of us here are not enough even if we are multiplied by ten.¡±


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath while his urge to kill the Celestial Wizard Clan got more intense. If it wasn¡¯t for the rumor spread out by them that caused all the cultivation forces around the world to flock to the Pacific Ocean, he wouldn¡¯t have been this passive to take action. He would¡¯ve been able to mobilize a large number of people from the Tang Sect and they could take this chance to train while protecting the people of China.


    This clan must be removed in the future. Absolutely.


    After vowing inwardly, Tang Xiu then spoke to Duanmu Lin, ¡°Senior Duanmu, let¡¯s set off now! I need to investigate and determine the weaknesses and strengths of these ominous beasts. I¡¯m afraid that we can only resort to some special means if they are really powerful.¡±


    ¡°What special means?¡± asked Duanmu Lin hurriedly with a changed expression.


    Tang Xiu glanced at him and shook his head wordlessly. He did have some deadly cards in hand, one of which was a mighty powerful card. But it had grave consequences once used.


    Quickly after, everyone had appeared at the blockade line. Setting their eyes at the lush, snow-covered forested mountain at the opposite side, Tang Xiu instantly unleashed his perception and said in a deep voice, ¡°All of you stay here. I¡¯ll go inside to have a look alone.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t act rashly, Tang Xiu,¡± said Duanmu Lin hastily. ¡°I¡¯ve sent some men to investigate before, but none returned. If my guess is correct, all of them have died in the hands of those beasts.¡±


    ¡°Just some fierce beasts are impossible to kill me.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Senior Duanmu, this Tang Xiu has never done anything he¡¯s unsure of. Rest your worry!¡±


    His figure instantly flashed forward like an arrow toward the snow-capped mountain. After traversing for less than 10km, Tang Xiu firstly spotted a few rhino-like creatures crunching on two human bodies, leaving only the bloody flesh of their limbs.


    ROAR¡­


    One of the rhino-like creatures suddenly seemed to sense something and turned around to roar at Tang Xiu¡¯s direction.


    As Tang Xiu¡¯s gaze was cast on those rhino-like creatures, his pupils suddenly shrunk and a look of disbelief was painted on his face. To his surprise, these rhino-like lifeforms were simply not fierce beasts but rather¡­ demonic beasts!


    ¡°How is this possible?!


    ¡°Demonic beasts live in the Demon Realm, and unless there¡¯s a very powerful one that can tear the space and come out of the Demon Realm, even if there¡¯s any Demon Realm expert to bring them here, they will gradually turn weak and die. These demonic beasts are very weak, yet how can they arrive safely and survive on Earth?¡±


    All he saw only made Tang Xiu deeply confused. More than that was the feeling of restlessness that grew more intense in his heart. One must know that fierce beasts were worlds apart from demonic beasts; three to five of the former wouldn¡¯t necessarily able to face one of the latter.


    The few rhino-like demonic beasts began stomping their hooves and charged towards Tang Xiu. Dark smoke vaguely lingered under their feet, while black rays faintly surged out from their horns.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    Chilling light flitted across Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he instantly unleashed his divine sword. The layer of sword images turned like flesh grinders and easily tore the outer scales of the demonic beasts¡¯ bodies. The bloody wounds were then blasted, turning into pieces of flesh with their blood raining down all over the place.


    ¡°Each of these demonic beasts should be comparable to a Qi Refining Stage cultivator. This issue could be easily dealt with if all of them only had this strength. But it would be a problem if a large number of these demonic beasts are comparable to Foundation Establishment Stage or Golden Core Stage cultivators.¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his left hand and contemplated it for a moment. He had several kinds of cards on his hand as final cards. Except for Gu Yan¡¯er and Ji Chimei, he still had the Star Devourer Insect he brought out from the three-star vestige, though it had fallen into slumber ever since he took it out. He was sure that a big problem could arise if he were to awaken it. The reason being, it didn¡¯t know how to avoid the Heavenly Dao laws of this plane. Once it used its power here, the Heavenly Dao laws would discover it and cause it great harm.


    HOU! HOU!¡­


    The howls of demonic beasts echoed from the depths of the mountain range. On the snow-capped mountain massif, a group of black shadows rushed over lightning fast. Dozens of long-winged bird species of demonic beasts directly flew over. Although they flew at a very low altitude, they were still much faster than the other running demonic beasts.


    I gotta leave.


    Tang Xiu put away the divine sword and retreated without hesitation. His speed was faster than those tens bird species demonic beasts. Shortly after he lost them, only then did he return to the blockade line.


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡± Duanmu Lin and the rest strode to greet him, the worry on their faces gradually receding.


    ¡°It¡¯s troublesome.¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, ¡°The creatures in that mountain range are not fierce beasts at all!¡±


    ¡°How can they have such strength and speed if they aren¡¯t savage beasts?¡± Duanmu Lin¡¯s complexion changed and hurriedly asked, ¡°You have wide knowledge, Tang Xiu. What kind of beasts are they if they aren¡¯t ominous beasts?¡±


    ¡°They are demonic beasts¡ªlifeforms that should exist in another plane,¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°I have no idea why they appeared on Earth.¡±


    Duanmu Lin exchanged glances with the rest. After a while, he then asked with a worried face, ¡°Are these demonic beasts very strong? Like, stronger than fierce beasts?¡±


    ¡°They are very strong.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I will need several fierce beasts of the same rank to face just one demonic beast. Also, I found that these demonic beasts have formidable power. I just killed some of them that are comparable to Qi Refining Stage cultivators, but their roars also attracted hundreds more from the depths. I¡¯ve observed them and determined that there are at least some that should be on par with cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage.¡±


    Hiss¡­


    Miao Wentang, Shao Mingzhen, and Dao Master Ziyi trio gasped a cold breath, looking surprised and amazed, as well as feeling a chill down their spines.


    It must be noted that Dao Master Ziyi¡¯s strength was only at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment after cultivating for many years, plus the fact that he had obtained a medicinal pill from Tang Xiu. Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen, on the other hand, had the strength at the late-stage of Foundation Establishment. However, even a tiger couldn¡¯t fight a pack of wolves! If the number of demonic beasts was really in the hundreds, just a few of them wouldn¡¯t be able to face them.


    Furthermore, there were thousands of demonic beasts in this mountain range. Once they turned into a beast tide, the blockade line they just set up would definitely fall apart easily. By that time, they would flood into human society, and hell would break loose, turning the human world into purgatory.


    Miao Wentang looked at Tang Xiu and asked with a slightly trembling voice, ¡°Do you have any countermeasures, perchance? We¡¯re all cultivators and the real powerhouses among humanity. But if we can¡¯t stop those demonic beasts, it will be a calamity for ordinary people. Even¡­ the disaster they bring will cause an unimaginable and horrifying situation.¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly turned to look at Duanmu Lin and said in a deep voice, ¡°Senior Duanmu, I¡¯ll need your help as well as aid from the country.¡±


    ¡°What kind of help do you need?¡± asked Duanmu Lin immediately. ¡°As long as you can deal with those demonic beasts, I¡¯ll communicate with the top leaders to try to fulfill it. No matter what you need.¡±


    ¡°My people are in the Pacific Ocean and we are currently in conflict with various cultivation forces all over the world,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°The specific reason is due to a rumor deliberately spread by the Celestial Wizard Clan, saying that there are treasures useful to practitioners buried in the Pacific Ocean. The location is, in fact, the site of a sect there. So, I need the country¡¯s cooperation in order to cover up this situation.¡±


    ¡°Elaborate it more specifically,¡± said Duanmu Lin.


    ¡°I need to mobilize all the cultivators under my sect and move them here to form a blockade line so as to prevent those demonic beasts from coming out as much as possible. Therefore, I need the country¡¯s declaration that a certain island in the Pacific Ocean is a station of China¡¯s Special Abilities Bureau. But due to the conflict with the Celestial Wizard Clan, this clan then deliberately spread the rumor and attempted to use other forces to destroy our branch there.¡±


    Duanmu Lin nodded and said, ¡°We¡¯re in a time of danger, so I¡¯ll agree to your request. I¡¯ll immediately ask the superiors for instructions, but I believe they will agree to it.¡±


    ¡°One more thing. I need to go there at once to solve the troubles there as fast as possible. Further, I¡¯ll also resort to a necessary action of purposely taking action to warn the others,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What else do you need us to do in terms of military force?¡± asked Duanmu Lin in a deep voice.


    ¡°I hope some fighters can send me there.¡± Tang Xiu thought for a moment and said, ¡°It¡¯s a better way of announcing that the island is a Special Abilities Bureau¡¯s secret branch. With the news already leaked, we need to withdraw our members there and abandon that branch.¡±


    Duanmu Lin frowned and forced out a smile. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that would be a bit troublesome since I need to negotiate with the neighboring countries. However, I¡¯ll promise you that too.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in response. He gazed back at the depths of the Himalayas again. Then, he said in a deep voice, ¡°I won¡¯t be back for some time, so you¡¯ll be in a very dangerous situation. I hope you can hold on for some time. Do contact me at once if a situation arises. I¡¯ll need at most two days to come back with a large number of experts as reinforcement.¡±

 Chapter 1047 - Arrangement

    Chapter 1047: Arrangement


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    As dusk came, three fighters roared over the Pacific Ocean and flew across the thick clouds, quickly flying toward the coordinates of the sky over the ninth empty island given by Tang Xiu.


    At this time, dozens of large ships and hundreds of cultivators in the Pacific Ocean raised their heads and focused their attention on the three fighter jets. All of them looked curious since the signature on the fighters indicated that they belonged to China.


    However, this place was far away from China, yet their fighters flew to this place. Why didn¡¯t the other countries stop these planes? For what reason did these aircraft fly here?


    Tut, tut, tut¡­


    Not long after, all the leaders of the practitioner forces of various countries received a message at nearly the same time: ¡°The treasure that is said to be buried in the Pacific Ocean is just a sheer fabrication and the culprit for the rumor is the Celestial Wizard Clan, whose clansmen have been lost and subjected to grave injuries after a fight with China¡¯s Special Abilities Bureau. Hence, they spread the rumor in an attempt to use major practitioner forces all over the world to attack the island, which is a branch of China¡¯s Special Abilities Bureau.¡±


    We¡¯re all being used? Meaning that the news about the treasures is fake?


    The Celestial Wizard Clan and China¡¯s Special Abilities Bureau?


    All the leaders of the various forces in the world turned furious and investigated the truth behind the declaration through various channels of intelligence. However, much to their surprise and disbelief, there was indeed bounty rewards for the Celestial Wizard Clan¡¯s hunt as well as the news about the appearance of their clansmen in the Pacific Ocean, which made them believe this statement.


    As for the treasure, if it was really here, then why would the Celestial Wizard Clan, who came to the Pacific Ocean earlier than them, act like a tortoise by calling all their clansmen back and none of them came out from their territory? It was impossible for them not to covet this treasure at all.


    Another piece of news spread also spread out quickly after and was transmitted to the Heads of the various forces: ¡°Chinese officials have also sought China cultivator forces to come forward to assist the evacuation of the secret branch of its Special Abilities Bureau.¡±


    Cultivators, to all of them, were people whose existence was equal to great mountains¡ªexistences who brought heavy pressure to the forces¡¯ leaders of various parties all over the world. Back when in the Crusades, some practitioner forces had once invaded China, and even a group of demons entered its territory¡­ yet, after the numerous major events, they were eventually repelled by the oriental hermits, leaving dread in their hearts.


    ****


    On the ninth empty island.


    As Tang Xiu jumped from the fighter jet¡¯s cabin, two luxurious liners on the nearby waters slowly sailed over. On the deck of one of the luxurious liners stood a middle-aged man who seemed to hold power in the Pyramid organization. He was sitting on a lounge chair and comfortably enjoying the massage of two beautiful blondes. In his hand was a glass of red wine, showing off his leisure and contented attitude.


    ¡°A new situation?¡±


    He abruptly sat straight and hinted to the two pretty blondes to leave. His eyes then shifted to the three fighters in the sky. To his disbelief, he could see someone jumping down from nearly a kilometer high from the fighter¡¯s cabin with his sharp, eagle-like eyes.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s committing suicide?¡±


    Next to the stalwart middle-aged man was a thin young man with a scar on his face. His pupils suddenly shrank and he said in a deep voice.


    The middle-aged man didn¡¯t speak. After he stood up from the lounge chair, he just crossed his hands and looked up at the figure in the sky while harboring the same thoughts as those around him, thinking that person was going to commit suicide. After all, jumping straight from the air nearly a kilometer high would make one meet their tragic death even if he fell into the seawater below.


    ¡°Impossible!¡±


    The middle-aged man¡¯s face suddenly shifted with a look of disbelief in his eyes. He could clearly see that the figure jumped from one kilometer high initially, but then he lunged down with his head then floated midair 200-plus meters above the sea with his feet down and just stood still midair there.


    The thin young man suddenly exclaimed, ¡°God! How did he do it? How powerful is he to achieve such a feat?¡±


    At this moment, the stalwart middle-aged man could see Tang Xiu¡¯s face. After being silent for a moment, his gaze suddenly shifted to the looming island not far away. Then, he ordered in a deep voice, ¡°Change the course and sail towards that island!¡±


    Tang Xiu, who was flying high up in the air, originally intended to enter the ninth empty island. However, he changed his intention after seeing the emergence of the two liners that unexpectedly sailed quickly in the same direction. A chilling light flashed on his face upon seeing them.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Shadows moved lightning-fast from the ninth empty island. It was Mo Awu with five experts of the Tang Sect who easily walked on the sea surface. The six of them had also spotted Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Hold on!¡±


    As Tang Xiu floated down to the sea surface, he blocked the path of the two luxury liners, whereas Mo Awu¡¯s group of six who had arrived, respectfully stood behind him.


    On the liner, the executive of the Pyramid, Movinyl, stood on the bow deck and signaled the liners to stop. He stared at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Are you from China?¡±


    ¡°We are,¡± replied Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°Who are you and why did you come here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Movinyl of the Pyramid. Why can¡¯t we come here? This place is international waters,¡± answered Movinyl. ¡°But I feel very strange, though. Just when did China have such an ability, that your country¡¯s fighters can fly over the Pacific Ocean and come here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not your business to manage. But I can tell you that the island in front is the secret branch of China¡¯s Special Abilities Bureau,¡± said Tang Xiu in a deep voice. ¡°We¡¯re preparing to evacuate it after the enmity with the Celestial Wizard Clan, so if you have no other business, please leave. Otherwise¡­¡±


    ¡°Otherwise what? Are you planning to fight us too?¡± Movinyl lightly asked with squinted eyes.


    ¡°Heh, just you alone? You¡¯re not even worthy.¡± Tang Xiu sneered and said, ¡°But if you really want to try to come to our Special Abilities Bureau, then don¡¯t blame us for being merciless.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s some balls you got. Daring to pick my Pyramid organization as an enemy,¡± replied Movinyl coldly.


    ¡°The Pyramid is indeed very strong. I admit that you¡¯re regarded as the world¡¯s largest organization. But I have to tell you that no matter how powerful your organization is, it¡¯s not like you can contend with China¡¯s entire forces. Further, I¡¯m also a cultivator assigned to aid the Special Abilities Bureaus¡¯ people here. If your Pyramid wants to take over the Celestial Wizard Clan¡¯s spot, you can do it now.¡±


    ¡°Do you really have a conflict with the Celestial Wizard Clan?¡± asked Movinyl curiously.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just a simple conflict,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Those Celestial Wizard Clansmen are damned! They tried to steal our core materials, killing many of our people in the process. After we slaughtered most of their troops sent here, they also deliberately spread rumors that there are some treasures or something in the Pacific Ocean in the hope to lure all the world¡¯s major practitioner forces to find our Special Abilities Bureau¡¯s branch. You can say that they¡¯ve achieved their goal, but they have made our agency their arch enemy.¡±


    Movinyl fell into silence for a moment, and then asked again, ¡°If so, was it you who put up such a sky-high bounty for them?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re cultivators. Money doesn¡¯t mean much to us.¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°China as a country might be reluctant to kill these enemies, but cultivators like us will never allow ourselves to be killed and remain indifferent. Hence, the Celestial Wizard Clan can expect to meet their demise, for I will completely destroy this clan in the future. They will pay the most painful price for this transgression.¡±


    ¡°You have such a strong tone and unusual powers as well, Sir.¡± Movinyl gave a thumbs up and praised. ¡°The Pyramid doesn¡¯t want to be an enemy of your country¡¯s Special Abilities Bureau and cultivators. On the contrary, the Celestial Wizard Clan is a vassal of the Stygian Club, who we have deep enmity with. The adage of your country says that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Further, we¡¯re not enemies but have common enemies. So, I hope that you can truly destroy the Celestial Wizard Clan completely.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s brows picked up and he cupped his fists in response. ¡°Since your distinguished self doesn¡¯t want to be enemies with us, Chinese cultivators, then I have to ask you to leave. We¡¯ll make the Celestial Wizard Clan pay their due debt sooner or later. I don¡¯t mind contacting you to let you watch the show when the time comes. But of course, it would also be better for us if you¡¯re willing to join us in that effort.¡±


    Movinyl shot a deep look at Tang Xiu as well as Mo Awu¡¯s group of six behind him. Then, he turned to speak to the thin youth and ordered, ¡°Turn around and change direction. We¡¯re leaving.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± replied the thin youth and immediately passed his order.


    Calmly watching as the two liners disappeared from his sight, Tang Xiu then turned to look at Mo Awu and said in a deep voice, ¡°Notify all the experts at the Foundation Establishment Stage and above on the ninth empty island to return to Nine Dragons Island immediately. Do remember to pay attention to erase their trails. If any of you encounter anyone on your way back, kill them without mercy regardless of who they are!¡±


    ¡°Acknowledged!¡±


    Mo Awu didn¡¯t know what had happened, but he still respectfully complied.


    Quickly after, all the cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage and above secretly returned to Nine Dragons Island, directly deserting the ninth island that was originally planned as a place for the camouflage. However, there were still numerous islands in the surrounding waters, so he kept the surveillance active to spot any approaching people or ship in advance.


    At the square of the palace.


    With hands behind his back, Tang Xiu looked at the nearly 200 Foundation Establishment Stage and above experts before him and began speaking, ¡°Everyone, China is now facing a huge crisis posed by a massive number of demonic beasts from the depths of Himalaya. A demonic beast is a creature much more fearsome than any species of fierce beasts since one of these beasts is able to fight against several fierce beasts of the same level. Therefore, you¡¯re to return to China with me in order to protect ordinary citizens. But you can expect that you¡¯ll walk on the thread of life and death since you must kill as many demonic beasts as possible.¡±


    Gu Xiaoxue paced two steps forward and saluted before asking, ¡°Then, what about this place, Grand Master?¡±


    ¡°I can feel relieved since Yan¡¯er is guarding the fort here,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a deep voice. ¡°Also, Xiaoxue and Tang An, you both will stay here. Do everything in your power to kill anyone who finds Nine Dragons Island. Certainly, don¡¯t give them any chance to leak the existence of this island!¡±

 Chapter 1048 - Probing the Situation

    Chapter 1048: Probing the Situation


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu set up the arrangement quickly and briefed them on the situation. Afterward, he ordered the Tang Sect¡¯s disciples to board the Subaquatic Corvette. It only took them 10 minutes to arrive at a certain port in Jingmen Island. Dozens of buses had long been waiting to transport them to Shanghai Airport, where a plane had been prepared in advance to send everyone to the west.


    However, in addition to most of Tang Sect¡¯s experts, Tang Xiu¡¯s disciples were also in the sortie. Gu Yin herself was a Golden Core Stage expert at present. Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want her to be a greenhouse flower. So, she must experience battle and frequent life and death fights to succeed, as only then would she be able to be a force to be reckoned with in the future.


    Ugley. The town was now in chaos and badly damaged. Olive-green tents had been set up, joined together to serve as temporary accommodation. As a large number of soldiers blocked all traffic routes from the surrounding regions, ordinary people were also prohibited from entering.


    ¡°Why are there so many reporters here?¡±


    When Tang Xiu had just arrived, a line of reporters with their cameras were flocking outside the blockade line, poking their heads to peek inside the town.


    Honk, honk¡­


    Some military off-road cars¡¯ horns sounded, forcing all the reporters to make way. As the soldiers driving the SUVs showed their documents, the convoy then entered the interior quickly.


    At this moment, Duanmu Lin and a few experts from the Special Abilities Bureau had long been waiting in front of the military tent. He suddenly looked surprised when he saw strong and sturdy men and women get off from the dozens of military off-road vehicles, especially due to the military bags they were carrying.


    Tang Xiu went forward, greeted him, and said, ¡°Senior Duanmu, I¡¯ve brought over most of my sect¡¯s members, a total of 201 people. I hope you can arrange a separate place for them to stay here, while I also ask the commanding power over them.¡±


    Duanmu Lin was silent for a moment and then curiously asked, ¡°There¡¯s something I wanna ask you first, Tang Xiu. Are they soldiers or cultivators? They have both a dense soldier aura and killing intent.¡±


    ¡°Let me be frank, Senior Duanmu,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°They are all cultivators trained by my disciple. Most of them have been sent to some very brutal environments overseas when they were young, and the majority of them are also wanted criminals in the world. But I can guarantee that they only killed those who deserved to be killed, and neither have they ever done anything illegal in our country.¡±


    Duanmu Lin slowly nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯m relieved with your guarantee. Alright, I¡¯ll immediately assign some men to arrange their accommodation. They will also receive their rations and material. Before that, however, I have one last question.¡±


    ¡°Please ask!¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s about their strength. Can they really hold the blockade line in the next mission?¡± asked Duanmu Lin.


    ¡°Their mission is not to arrange the blockade line but to enter the depths of the Himalayas to hunt those demonic beasts. This is also the main reason why I requested the commanding right over them. But you can rest assured that the weakest among them is at the Foundation Establishment Stage, so they have the ability to protect themselves should they encounter some terrifying fierce beasts.¡±


    With a changed expression, Duanmu Lin nodded and said, ¡°Alright then! I won¡¯t say anything more since you¡¯ve already decided. Also, Tang Xiu. There was another wave of demonic beasts just two hours ago. Dozens of people have fallen and dozens more are now injured.¡±


    ¡°How many were there in the last wave?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°200 in total.¡± Duanmu Lin forced a smile and said, ¡°But the most powerful one of them was unusually powerful. Fortunately, Miao Wentang, Shao Mingzhen, and Dao Master Ziyi joined hands to repel those Demonic Beasts.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression slightly changed. For those three to join hands to repel the demonic beast, it meant that the demonic beast was at least comparable to an expert at the late-stage of the Foundation Establishment. A harassing attack with such a powerful demonic beast in command only meant that there were likely many of those demonic beasts possessing fearsome strength in the depths of the mountain.


    After half an hour, temporary tents had been set up in a remote open space and separated from the others¡¯ accommodations.


    ¡°Everyone, assemble!¡±


    The moment Tang Xiu issued the order, the 201 disciples of the Tang Sect appeared in front of him and quickly arranged themselves in rows.


    ¡°Mo Awu, Jin Shi, Ye Shisan, and Hao Lei. You four will act as the captains with each leading 40 disciples.¡± Tang Xiu ordered with a deep voice. ¡°You all will execute my command while the rest will follow me. We¡¯ll be divided into five teams, and our main purpose is to hunt and kill demonic beasts to sharpen ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Acknowledged!¡±


    The four people immediately reported back.


    ¡°Let¡¯s set off! We¡¯ll go probe the situation in the interior. You can also make use of the high-tech equipment you brought here in the battles that follow,¡± continued Tang Xiu. ¡°Especially the monitoring equipment that you can use to detect the demonic beasts¡¯ movement if used properly in time, which can aid us in executing the battle plan promptly.¡±


    Late at night, Tang Xiu and Ye Shisan silently sneaked into the depths of the Himalayas like ghosts. When they crossed two peaks, they suddenly felt their shoulders pressed down by an invisible pressure.


    ¡°Something is wrong with the space gravity here, Sect Master,¡± said Ye Shisan with a suppressed voice and extraordinarily solemn face.


    ¡°True. I sense that the gravity here is at least five times higher than on the outside. It will no doubt affect us if we fight the demonic beasts here,¡± replied Tang Xiu. ¡°Ye Shisan, you¡¯re to retreat first while I sneak inside to probe the situation. Keep in mind that you¡¯re not to engage in a long fight with any demonic beast. Kill it if you can, but immediately retreat if you cannot.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you, Sect Master. I can guard your back in case of danger,¡± replied Ye Shisan with a worried face.


    ¡°No.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be waiting for you outside,¡± said Ye Shishan helplessly. ¡°But please retreat immediately if you¡¯re in danger.¡±


    Tang Xiu kept quiet. After watching him retreat from the place with anomalous gravity, he then released his spiritual sense. He took out an Invisible Charm, activated it and rushed forward. Along the way, he encountered more than a dozen waves of demonic beasts, some of which exuded a huge aura that Tang Xiu judged to be at the Golden Core Stage.


    ¡®Where could the big one among them be?¡¯


    Sneaking into the mountain range¡¯s depths at night served two purposes. The first was to install a monitoring device to find out the demonic beasts¡¯ movements in real-time, and the second one was to find the two most powerful demonic beasts so as to figure out their real strength.


    ¡®Bad!¡¯


    Tang Xiu¡¯s body suddenly tightened and he instantly retreated backward. In nearly a blink of an eye, he retreated hundreds of meters away and hid into a snow pit.


    Hou¡­ Hou¡­


    Two lion-like demonic beasts exuding enormous auras appeared in the vicinity with confused looks in their eyes. After staying for a while and looking around, they exchanged glances and shook their heads. They just felt a fluctuation of a special aura a moment ago with their keen perceptions, but that special aura fluctuation instantly disappeared the moment after. Not even shadows could be seen in the surroundings.


    Shortly after, they looked around again but to no avail. After being unable to find any particular sign, they gradually moved towards the distance and soon disappeared from this area.


    Tang Xiu restrained any leak of his presence in the snow pit. Those two lion-like demonic beasts gave him an intense feeling of threat. He could determine from their auras that each of them was comparable to the late-stage of the Golden Core Stage. With them joining forces, it was very likely that their combat efficiency would be at least at the Nascent Soul Stage and he might fall under their power.


    They are highly intelligent and very alert, huh? Tang Xiu squinted his eyes.


    20 minutes passed in the blink of an eye, yet Tang Xiu didn¡¯t move at all and still maintained his original posture while controlling his presence and aura, waiting quietly.


    ROAR¡­


    For shadows then moved lightning-fast from the distance. Two of which were the lion-like demonic beasts that came here 20 minutes ago. The last two were like chimeras and strange creatures told in legends with numerous sharp spikes on their backs.


    ¡®Hedgehog Beasts?¡¯


    With his spiritual sense covering the area, Tang Xiu could see the appearance of the last two demonic beasts. His heart sank because he knew what the Hedgehog Beast was. These beasts were like vassals of demonic beasts, yet highly intelligent compared to the likes of sly foxes. They were like advisors who provided advice and suggestions to the demonic beasts.


    Furthermore, this beast species also had an important talent¡ªtheir ability to detect unusual smells. As long as there was any lifeform aside from demonic beasts, they could detect their smell and determine the enemy¡¯s position.


    ¡®Seal of Heaven and Earth!¡¯


    Tang Xiu quickly cast two array disks and silently drew an array pattern. Immediately after, he used the two array disks to lay out a small array around him.


    Half an hour passed and, after the four demonic beasts searched around and found nothing in particular, only then did they leave carefreely. After any traces of them disappeared, only then did Tang Xiu cautiously come out of the snow pit. He then silently retreated under the effect of the Invisibility Charm.


    Chirp, chirp¡­


    Just as Tang Xiu left the gravity space and felt the pressure lighten, he suddenly received a voice transmission into his mind. Quickly after, normal human language then appeared in his mind:


    ¡°Those were very powerful demonic beasts. Dealing with them will prove to be quite difficult if this restriction isn¡¯t cracked down. Where are you now, Master? Fighting those demonic beasts will only result in your death with your current cultivation level.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face slightly shifted. After this thought transmission, he was pleasantly surprised and transmitted back. ¡°You also sensed them, Star Devourer Insect?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I sensed them and they seemed to have detected me as well,¡± replied the Star Devourer Insect. ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ get out of this place, Master.¡±


    ¡°No hurry, no hurry. Can you sense what¡¯s happening here? How can there be demonic beasts on Earth?¡± asked Tang Xiu.

 Chapter 1049 - Despised By Others

    Chapter 1049: Despised By Others


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Eventually, Tang Xiu was disappointed since the Star Devourer Insect didn¡¯t know why demonic beasts were here either. It didn¡¯t even know that much about these creatures and just relied on their records it once read, giving it some fragmentary knowledge about them.


    ¡°Are you going to fall into slumber again, Star Devourer Insect?¡± asked Tang Xiu thoughtfully, as he couldn¡¯t figure out this creature¡¯s condition at present.


    ¡°This plane has strong suppression against me,¡± said Star Devourer Insect. ¡°It would likely be very dangerous if I were to unleash all my power here. The likelihood that I¡¯ll fall into a slumber for a very long time is very high even if I can save my own life.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded without a word. He was crystal clear that Star Devourer Insect was correct. Heavenly Dao Law of this plane was extremely powerful, and there was absolutely no room for any experts to alter it. The only option would either be erasing it or expelling it from this world. Even if he had special means to protect the Star Devourer Insect, it would still likely be as it said, grievously injured and falling into a long slumber.


    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll act depending on the situation. If these demonic beasts bring too much harm, I¡¯ll need you to act. But you can rest assured that I¡¯ll make sure to preserve your life, so you¡¯ll only fall into slumber at most. Furthermore, I¡¯ll also spare some time to concoct medicinal pills that benefit you later.¡±


    ¡°Medicinal pills?¡± the thought transmitted by the Star Devourer Insect was somewhat strange.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s the Myriad Bestial Pill.¡± Tang Xiu confirmed. ¡°This pill is taken by the Immortal Beasts in the Immortal World. We are not in the Immortal World, so I can¡¯t find spiritual herbs needed to refine this pill. But I still can concoct a slightly worse grade. It will benefit you greatly even if you¡¯re not injured.¡±


    ¡°I know this pill! It¡¯s called the Immortal Pill in the Immortal World.¡± Star Devourer Insect was excited and replied, ¡°That would be great, Master. I never thought that I¡¯d also have the opportunity to take this Immortal elixir!¡±


    Tang Xiu no longer engaged in the conversation with Star Devouring Insect. Now that he knew that it had sobered up from its slumber, it was nigh time to immediately start his plan.


    Quickly after, the 201 disciples of the Tang Sect at Foundation Establishment Stage and above assembled. After shooting a glance at the five teams in front, Tang Xiu then said with a deep voice, ¡°Mo Awu, Jin Shi, Ye Shisan, and Hao Lei. You four will lead your teams and immediately enter the depths of the mountains and begin hunting demonic beasts. Do keep in mind that preserving your lives take priority over hunting and killing demonic beasts. Furthermore, you must return here every night. I¡¯ll assign a few others to record the number of demonic beasts you¡¯ve hunted every night and you¡¯ll get cultivation resources as rewards. This time is an opportunity for you all. As long as you secure an excellent record, you can expect massive resources which will benefit you greatly in tempering your strength.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The 201 disciples of the Tang Sect immediately were excited. Obtaining cultivation resources was normally never easy, while the number of cultivation resources they needed kept increasing along with their progress in cultivation. Apart from spending their fortune to purchase them in the sect, the only other means was to obtain their annual allocation. Although the limited resources were sufficient for their cultivation now, it was far from enough in the long run.


    Hence, this meant that they would get double the benefits at present. They could sharpen themselves while also obtaining more resources for their cultivation.


    Seize this chance!


    It was a warning they told themselves in their hearts.


    After glancing at everyone¡¯s faces, Tang Xiu was satisfied upon seeing their firm expressions. He then nodded and said, ¡°Set off!¡±


    ¡°GO!¡±


    Mo Awu, Jin Shi, Ye Shisan, and Hao Lei led their teams, turning into a group of shadows that quickly flew towards the depths of the Himalayas.


    Tang Xiu himself didn¡¯t hurry to leave. His eyes glanced over the remaining 37 disciples of the Tang Sect in front of him. After being silent for a while, he looked Gu Yin and then spoke to the rest, ¡°Gu Yin may be an expert at Golden Core Stage now, but she has yet to experience actual combat and battle, so combat efficiency-wise, she¡¯s unlikely to be as good as the rest of you. Therefore, I hope you all can protect her during the battle. I believe that as long as she adapts to the brutal fights, she can kill a lot of demonic beasts at a later stage and, in turn, will win more resources for this team.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The other 36 disciples of Tang Sect suddenly set their eyes on Gu Yin with admiration. Gu Yin was very young, yet her cultivation talent was truly against heaven. She had even reached the Golden Core Stage in just a year and a half.


    At present, all of them were experts at Foundation Establishment, which made them realize that the higher the level of cultivation, the greater the gap between the levels was. They could easily kill cultivators at Qi Refining Stage, but at the same time, they were also easy prey for experts at Golden Core Stage. While Gu Yin was the only expert at Golden Core Stage in their team, if her combat efficiency was raised, then the likelihood that they could kill more demonic beasts would also significantly increase. Hence, the more resources they could get for their cultivation. It was definitely a good thing for all of them.


    ¡°Then go!¡±


    Tang Xiu no longer stayed and his figure was as though transformed into a lightning bolt that blitzed towards the depths of the Himalayas. He didn¡¯t have any shred of fear even though there were a lot of demonic beasts there since his combat sense had been tempered after countless battles.


    After a few minutes, a few figures silently appeared in the place everyone had just left. It was Duanmu Lin, whose face looked solemn. His eyes looked a bit complicated as he looked at the direction where Tang Xiu and the rest vanished from.


    Once in the past, he had dreaded and feared Tang Xiu¡¯s strength, as well as feared the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s existence. His fear was that Tang Xiu would have thoughts of disloyalty and thus lead to changes in this country, thus leading to his worry that the pattern of this country would be broken.


    After many contacts with him, however, he gradually found that his fear was unfounded. If Tang Xiu really really thought to rebel, he would¡¯ve already acted given his personal strength and the number of experts under his control.


    Yet, he did not.


    He even stood up when the country needed him again and again, and played a huge role to aid both the people and the development of the country. In particular, this crisis situation with the demonic beasts. It was nigh on impossible for the country to guarantee that they wouldn¡¯t fall into a pandemonium unless they mobilized a large number of troops and resorted to using the horrifyingly powerful weapons in their arsenal.


    ¡°A loyal soul, bold, has a sense of justice and is patriotic. If I could have a few more heroic young men like him in China, the state¡¯s power would likely be improved greatly.¡± Duanmu Lin sighed with an approving expression.


    At the side, a middle-aged man in black wushu suit and a chignon hairdo wore a contemptuous expression and indifferently interjected. ¡°Director Duanmu, aren¡¯t you exaggerating? Just relying on them¡­ we can greatly enhance the national strength of our country? I admit that their little bit of strength is good, but recklessly rushing into the depths of the Himalayas like this is nothing but foolish and just looking for their own demise.¡±


    Another old man in Chinese tunic suit and a walking stick nodded in approval. ¡°We¡¯ve seen the power of those demonic beasts as well. I can say that I¡¯m very powerful, yet I¡¯m very clear that I¡¯m slightly inferior to some of them. That Tang Xiu dares to bring his people to traverse deeper is nothing but a reckless act. Well, it seems like our ancestors were right that you can only hone your ability if you are devoted to one field. He does have some talent in Chinese medicine, but he¡¯s just a rookie in fighting wars.¡±


    At their words, Duanmu Lin slightly furrowed his brows as he glanced at the middle-aged man and the old man. These two men had extraordinary backgrounds. The former was Hun Sen of a hidden formidable cultivator clan that boasted thousands of people, each of whom was a cultivator. The old man¡¯s name was Jiang Shuisheng, and he was also a cultivator who had broken through the Golden Core Stage and had more than a dozen disciples. While the weakest was at Qi Refining Stage, most of them were experts at the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    It took him so much effort to invite them over that his lips were almost worn out just. They also led their own people and had fought with those demonic beasts, leading to some of them getting injured.


    As his eyes shifted back to the mountains, he let out some meaningful words. ¡°I may not understand the others, but I still know something about him. He can always surprise me with the astonishing potential he can unleash every time. It¡¯s a hunch of mine that he won¡¯t disappoint me either this time.¡±


    Hun Sen and Jiang Shuisheng exchanged glances and similarly let out contemptuous expressions at the same time.


    The former suddenly let out a particular strange smile and looked at Duanmu Lin. ¡°Director Duanmu, since you value that kid so highly, you make me want to see his ability. How about going there and have a look, then? Besides, we can give them a hand should they be in danger later!¡±


    Likewise, Jiang Shuisheng approved with a nod. ¡°My thoughts exactly since Director Duanmu values him that highly. I also want to see his followers¡¯ strengths. If anything, we¡¯ve repelled the demonic beasts from the East line, Director Duanmu. I don¡¯t think those beasts will hit our blockade line in the next few hours, so how about going there and having a look?¡±


    Duanmu Lin hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. ¡°No. I need to stay to preside over the overall situation. I can¡¯t leave at will like that. But you can go if you want to see their performance!¡±


    Hun Sen and Jiang Shuisheng nodded simultaneously. The two men instantly flashed and left their afterimages, their direction where Tang Xiu and his men had disappeared.


    A smile then outlined on the corner of Duanmu Lin¡¯s lips. He wasn¡¯t clear about Tang Xiu¡¯s current strength, but he was sure that it was absolutely powerful. Both Hun Sen and Jiang Shuisheng were so arrogant that he was a bit troubled in dispatching them. If Tang Xiu could make them see what a being powerful was, they would probably have a change in attitude, so he would be able to relax a lot in the next scheduling.


    Whoosh!


    A lightning-fast shadow instantly appeared in front of Duanmu Lin. Aquababe, whose face was extremely solemn, handed over a stack of photos and reported with a deep voice. ¡°Chief, the surveillance footage shows a large gathering of demonic beasts in a valley 46 kilometers away from the middle line. These are the pictures just sent to us.¡±


    With a change in expression, Duanmu Lin quickly saw the photos and then asked with a deep voice, ¡°How many are there? Is there any particular kind of demonic beast among them?¡±

 Chapter 1050 - Surprise Discovery

    Chapter 1050: Surprise Discovery


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    A bitter look on her face, Aquababe replied in a low voice, ¡°According to the present gathering of those demonic beasts, the number should be over 1,000. We haven¡¯t yet found any particular kind of demonic beasts among them, but some are very strong. It should be over D-rank according to our standard measure of demonic beasts.¡±


    Duanmu Lin gasped and said in surprise, ¡°Our blockade line will fall if this tide of the demonic beasts has so many D-ranks. They can easily crush it.¡±


    The classification for demonic beasts formulated by Duanmu Lin and numerous cultivators through the battles from low to high ranks were the comparison between demonic beasts with cultivators:


    F-rank: ordinary demonic beast;


    E-rank: demonic beast comparable to a Qi Refining Stage cultivator;


    D-rank: demonic beast comparable to a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator;


    C-rank: demonic beast comparable to a Golden Core Stage cultivator;


    B-rank: demonic beast comparable to a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator;


    A-rank: demonic beast comparable to a Soul Formation Stage cultivator.


    The ranks above are, respectively: S, SS, and SSS.


    As of now, the most powerful demonic beasts that had already appeared were the ones with the size of a two-story building and were evaluated to be at B-rank.


    Yet, such B-rank demonic beasts were on par with Nascent Soul Stage cultivators¡ªa terrifying force that was enough to send a chill down the backs of Duanmu Lin and the other Chinese cultivators. However, no matter how dreadful it was to them, everyone was crystal clear that they must do everything they could to get rid of them, or the country would turn into a hellish pandemonium.


    ¡°Send a copy of our teams¡¯ evaluation to Tang Xiu, Aquababe!¡± Duanmu Lin gave back the photos to Aquababe and issued an order with a serious face.


    Aquababe nodded and sent the message to Tang Xiu. Then, she asked quickly, ¡°What do we do next, Chief? If over 1,000 demonic beasts assemble, or more of them hit our blockade line, what should we do then? The armed forces guarding the blockade line are impossible to stop them.¡±


    A chilling light flashed across Duanmu Lin¡¯s eyes as he asked back, ¡°Has General Wang Tao arrived yet?¡±


    ¡°He has arrived and is now deploying the military defensive measure on the periphery.¡± Aquababe nodded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go see him first,¡± said Duanmu Lin. ¡°We must set up an armed defense system in Ugley first with all the weapons available. If worse comes to worst and we have no means left, our last step will be deploying weapons with enormous power.¡±


    At the Himalayas.


    Leading the juniors of the sect, Tang Xiu carefully observed the surrounding environment. The chilling wind whistled around the snow-capped mountains, and everyone could feel the piercing cold. To the astonishment of the 37 disciples of the Tang Sect, the speed of Tang 28¡¯s group of five was not slower than them.


    ¡°We got a visual of around a dozen demonic beasts about 1300 meters away at 1 o¡¯clock, and there are no other demonic beasts around them, although I don¡¯t rule out the possibility that some could be hiding and out of the scope of my observations.¡±


    Xue Sha, who was behind Tang Xiu, quickly reported with a changing expression.


    Tang Xiu looked at the direction he pointed and instantly squinted his eyes. Then, he nodded. ¡°Then let¡¯s test the water by showing off some of our abilities since there are only a dozen demonic beasts. Gu Yin, you can also use the immortal sword your Senior Sister gave you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely kill a lot of those demonic beasts, Master,¡± replied Gu Yin reverentially.


    ¡°Keep in mind that no matter how important killing the demonic beasts are, your safety still takes priority,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°There are still many chances available if you¡¯re alive and you can kill many more demonic beasts later as long as you can guarantee your survival. Even if¡­ the enemies are human.¡±


    After getting along with the original members of the Everlasting Feast Hall for a long time, Gu Yin naturally learned a lot from them, that they used to carry out their missions. Thus, she was influenced by their lifestyle. She then gradually understood the cruelty of the world. Admittedly, she was very strong, and a bit much stronger, in fact. It was like she got afflicted by their disease and had her nerves tempered, becoming extremely tenacious. Therefore, she wouldn¡¯t bat an eye as long as the opponent was an enemy.


    Quickly after, the group approached those demonic beasts and were just 200 meters away from them. As the dozen demonic beasts finally noticed that some humans were approaching them, they howled and lunged toward them without hesitation.


    ¡°KILL!¡±


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t use the divine sword but a two-meter long saber that emitted a dark, sinister aura. It was the saber he obtained from the small world in Kunlun mountain where the Diabolos Praecantator Clan were prisoned. It was one of the tens of millions of divine armaments he obtained there.


    The blade qi was as though a rainbow with overwhelming momentum.


    The two demonic beasts in the forefront with sharp spikes all over their bodies were instantly split into two halves by the saber. The violent blade qi was such that it frightened the rest of demonic beasts and they avoided it. At this moment, more than 40 experts at the Foundation Establishment Stage, including Tang 28, also began their violent assault.


    Puff¡­


    A demonic beast that was trying to avoid the blade qi was pierced by Gu Yin¡¯s sword. Due to using too much power, her immortal sword basically ripped its abdomen and scattered its internal organs.


    ¡°Killing them is easy!¡±


    She neither had any discomfort nor disturbed thoughts though it was her first killing, and she even looked a bit stimulated instead. She nodded contentedly as she pulled the immortal sword from the beast.


    ¡°Be careful!¡±


    Xue Sha, who always followed Gu Yin, noticed that the shredded demonic beasts hadn¡¯t died yet. Its claws were sweeping lightning-fast to claw Gu Yin. An immortal sword then quickly slashed forward and cut off its two sharp claws directly. As the claws fell, the sword chopped its head and solved the crisis that would¡¯ve befallen upon Gu Yin.


    Huff¡­


    The sudden danger that nearly threatened her life made Gu Yin feel a chill and become frightened. She never thought that a demonic beast that had been injured to such an extent would turn out to be so tenacious. Not only had it not died directly, it even counterattacked instead. She could feel that she was just a hair away from getting snatched by the Grim Reaper. If Xue Sha hadn¡¯t acted in time, she would¡¯ve been dead or disabled now.


    ¡°Just be careful, alright!¡±


    Xue Sha couldn¡¯t help but sigh inwardly. He kicked the demonic beast¡¯s body afterward and called out.


    Gu Yin hurriedly nodded and gratefully looked at Xue Sha, saying, ¡°Thank you, Uncle Xue Sha. I would¡¯ve been killed by that demonic beast if it wasn¡¯t for your timely rescue.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re family, and you¡¯re also Sect Master¡¯s disciple. Even if you¡¯re ready to go all out and disregard your life, I¡¯ll keep protecting your safety,¡± said Xue Sha. ¡°But you must remember that the situation on the battlefield is ever-changing. I fear that sometime I¡¯ll be too late to save you. Hence, you must keep your safety a top priority whenever you fight. Don¡¯t ever be careless and treat it lightly.¡±


    ¡°Umm.¡± Gu Yin hurriedly nodded and her expression turned particularly serious.


    After Tang Xiu killed the previous two demonic beasts, he didn¡¯t keep attacking as he thought that this was the best chance to hone the Tang Sect¡¯s disciples. He wanted all the disciples to have rich combat experience so that their chances of survival would be better in the future.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Suddenly, his face slightly shifted. It was due to the demonic beast¡¯s dead body that was kicked by Xue Sha that had fallen nearby. He could see a black crystal coming out of its wound along with its internal organs.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s thoughts moved and the black crystal was pulled into his hand. Suddenly, his pupils shrank and contracted as disbelief and incredulity filled his eyes and face.


    How could such a low-rank demonic beast actually have a Demon Core?


    It must be noted that he had traveled to the Demon Realm several times in the past, where he carried out massacres and killed literally millions of demonic beasts there. Such Demon Cores only existed in the body of high-rank demonic beasts, but the weakest of those high-rank demonic beasts had the strength of an Immortal Stage cultivator.


    Shortly after, he quickly dissected several other demonic beasts nearby and found several Demon Cores from their insides. While holding these Demon Cores, he tried to absorb the demonic force contained within. To his surprise, the essences of the demonic force in them were especially rich. Even the demonic energy from ten Demon Stones was not as rich as the energy from one Demon Core.


    ¡°This is great!¡±


    With a heart full of joy, Tang Xiu glanced around and found that there were only four or five demonic beasts left still struggling to fight back. His figure flashed and the saber turned into a saber light that directly killed them.


    ¡°Dissect their bodies and see if they have Demon Cores in them!¡±


    Upon hearing his order, several disciples of the Tang Sect immediately dissected the demonic beasts¡¯ corpses as per Tang Xiu¡¯s instructions. They also successfully found a Demon Core in each of their bodies.


    ¡¯13 demonic beasts yielded 13 Demon Cores. It means that every demonic beast has its own Demon Core. This is really a fortune! The number of demonic beasts in this mountain range must be in the tens of thousands. If I can secure all the Demon Cores from their bodies, that would be like getting myself a buried treasure! I won¡¯t be short on resources for my own cultivation before I reach the Immortal Stage.¡¯


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes were particularly bright at his moment. His eyes swept over the demonic beasts¡¯ bodies before taking out his communicator to call Duanmu Lin. After typing a message, he separately texted it to Mo Awu, Jin Shi, Ye Shisan, and Hao Lei: ¡°There¡¯s a black crystal in the body of each demonic beast. Dissect all demonic beasts and dig out their Demon Cores!¡±


    Shortly after, he dialed Duanmu Lin¡¯s communicator number.


    ¡°What¡¯s up, Tang Xiu?¡± Duanmu Lin¡¯s voice came out from the communicator.


    ¡°Can we discuss something, Senior Duanmu?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Yeah, what is it?¡± asked Duanmu Lin with a curious voice.


    ¡°Sell all the demonic beasts¡¯ bodies killed by the others to me,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I don¡¯t care about the price since I need the bodies of these demonic beasts to collect the materials I can use for cultivation in the future.¡±


    ¡°Ehh? There are materials useful for cultivators in the bodies of these demonic beasts?¡± asked Duanmu Lin, still curious.


    ¡°The materials in their bodies have no effect on normal cultivators, but it does on me,¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°If I can get a lot of demonic beasts¡¯ corpses, my cultivation will greatly improve and progress faster.¡±

 Chapter 1051 - Balderdash Statements

    Chapter 1051: Balderdash Statements


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    ¡°With your current cultivation level and progress speed, how long will it take to break through to the Nascent Soul Stage?¡± asked Duanmu Lin without thinking.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiu was confused and thought for a moment. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°I ordered Aquababe to send you the measurement rank of demonic beasts, so you should have read it, right?¡± said Duanmu Lin. ¡°We¡¯ve investigated and assessed that there is a huge demonic beast in the depth of the Himalayas whose strength should be comparable to experts at the Nascent Soul Stage. That¡¯s why I need a powerhouse who can¡­ defeat and kill it. I won¡¯t take a dime out of any demonic beasts¡¯ corpses if you can break through to the Nascent Soul Stage in a short time.¡±


    A smile appeared on the corner of Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth. He was not a normal cultivator since he cultivated in the most profound cultivation art in the Demon Realm, the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis. He was even sure that the expert who created this cultivation art was absolutely the likes of those common Devil Kings in the Demon Realm, and he was very likely a Demonic God who had ascended to the God¡¯s Realm.


    Therefore, his current strength was enough to compare to the experts at the Nascent Soul Stage. He was confident that he could kill experts at the early-stage of Nascent Soul. If he were to encounter one at the mid-stage of Nascent Soul, he believed that he¡¯d somehow able to fight him if he unleashed everything he got, though he wouldn¡¯t have a choice but to flee to save his own life if he were to meet those at the late-stage of Nascent Soul.


    ¡°Three months. I¡¯d need at least three months to break through to the Nascent Soul Stage. The premise is that I have a large number of demonic beasts¡¯ corpses. By then, I can also land a heavy blow to demonic beasts at Nascent Soul Stage and seriously injured it,¡± Tang Xiu replied with a fabricated lie intentionally.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you becoming too powerful?¡± Duanmu Lin exclaimed with amazement. ¡°You only need three months to reach the Nascent Soul Stage? That¡¯s great! Great! If so, then all the demonic beasts¡¯ corpses will be handed to you as long as I can obtain them. I can negotiate with the other cultivation forces to hand as many demonic beasts¡¯ corpses as possible.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, then!¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a vague smile and then hung up. His eyes then shifted to the scenery of ice and snow in the surroundings. This occasion had turned into a godsend opportunity to get treasures instead of being a chore to him now. Although some materials from demonic corpses¡¯ bodies were indeed helpful to his cultivation, it was still a far cry compared to the Demon Cores.


    Demon Cores were the quintessence of the demonic beasts themselves, just like Golden Cores to human cultivators. The Golden Core of a human cultivator was like a supreme treasure to demonic beasts. If the latter were to swallow a human cultivator¡¯s Golden Core, their strength would advance by leaps and bounds. After all, a Golden Core was the quintessence of the cultivation of its respective human cultivator¡ªthe main source of his or her own power.


    ¡°Xue Sha, take these interspatial rings and put all the demonic beasts¡¯ corpses into them. Also, contact Mo Awu, Jin Shi, Ye Shisan, and Hao Lei. Send each of them one interspatial ring and tell them to gather all the Demon Cores and the corpses of demonic beasts for me.¡± While handing over five interspatial rings to Xue Sha, Tang Xiu issued him his order.


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Xue Sha was temporarily appointed as the vice-captain of the team by Tang Xiu, so he immediately assigned some men to convey his orders. After picking up two people each for Mo Awu¡¯s team and the other three, the assigned people then quickly left.


    Tang Xiu then glanced fast around and said, ¡°The smell of blood in this place is too intense. It¡¯s very likely that a lot of demonic beasts will arrive here fast. Everyone, we can¡¯t stay here for long, so let¡¯s leave this place first and hunt some other demonic beasts somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°Why should we leave, Master?¡± asked Gu Yin with a curious face. ¡°Isn¡¯t it saving us the effort to find them if it attracts the other demonic beasts? Even if we leave, we can still kill some more!¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and explained, ¡°The smell of blood is very attractive to demonic beasts. According to my knowledge about them, demonic beasts can sense the smell of blood beyond a few kilometers away. The powerful ones are even able to smell it from tens of kilometers away. It will be dangerous for us if a massive number of demonic beasts come flocking and surround us.¡±


    Gu Yin immediately understood and nodded with admiration on her face. ¡°You¡¯re right, Master. Let¡¯s set off then!¡±


    The smell of blood was indeed a huge temptation to demonic beasts.


    Less than two minutes after Tang Xiu¡¯s team departure, several demonic beasts arrived, carrying with them a stench and foul odor. What made them so violent was that they could see traces of blood on the snow, yet there was no meat and prey left for them.


    Hou¡­ Hou¡­


    The howling of these demonic beasts echoed continuously. In just a few minutes, nearly 100 of them had been gathered here. A few of them emitted out an enormous aura that was on par with the aura of cultivators at the Golden Core Stage.


    Right at this moment, Tang Xiu was leading the disciples of the Tang Sect as they appeared in a valley dozens of kilometers away. The valley was exposed to the sun with only a few hidden less snowy spots, whereas other spots were just barren with countless stones everywhere.


    ¡°Activate!¡±


    After Tang Xiu took cover by a giant boulder seven-plus meters high, his eyes flickered and he let out array disks. Then, he quietly arranged an array in this valley, enough to trap sixty-plus demonic beasts inside. The array would completely isolate the place from the outside world if he was to activate it, and demonic beasts wouldn¡¯t be able to detect it.


    ¡°Hunt and kill demonic beasts using this array. But remember, pay attention to your safety!¡±


    Tang Xiu entered the array step by step and issued his order with a serious expression. The array he just arranged didn¡¯t have attacking power and only had two functions. One was to trap demonic beasts, and the other was to isolate auras from leaking out. After he entered this array, he didn¡¯t proactively attack but just observed the figures of the others as they quickly flew towards the demonic beasts. His divine sword, however, slightly rose and hovered above his hand.


    Killing these demonic beasts was not his only purpose since he was using them to train his sect¡¯s disciples so as to make them grow faster.


    While observing with rapt attention, he occasionally acted whenever a disciple was in a crisis. Although he didn¡¯t kill the demonic beasts straightly, he left it to the disciple to kill them after striking a heavy blow to it. Nevertheless, the person he had to help most often was the ten-years-old Gu Yin, who still had an appalling combat sense and skills, which led her to a perilous situation every so often even despite her mid-stage Golden Core cultivation.


    Having gone through a lot of fighting, however, Gu Yin¡¯s practical experience was also progressing rapidly. She was even able to kill two demonic beasts when half of the sixty-plus demonic beasts had been killed, despite the fact that she herself had many wounds, and traces of bloodstain could be seen on the corner of her mouth.


    Whoosh¡­


    Tang Xiu instantly appeared at the side of a disciple of his sect. As his sword cleaved the demonic beast into two halves, he hurriedly reached out to support the nearly falling disciple. This particular disciple left him with a deep impression since he was one among the few that rarely needed him to act.


    At this time, this disciple had been seriously injured. His back was badly injured and his clothes were drenched by his own blood, while he also suffered a serious internal injury. If Tang Xiu didn¡¯t help him, he would¡¯ve died under the claws of the demonic beasts a moment ago.


    ¡°Take this!¡±


    Taking out a Holy Healing pill and handing it over to him, Tang Xiu then straightly grabbed his hand and took him outside of the array to heal.


    Puff¡­


    ¡°KILL¡­¡±


    Blood was splashed to accompany the brutal slaughter, creating a dreadful scene.


    The following battle lasted for a long time. But in just nearly half an hour, 12 disciples were gravely injured and Tang Xiu had to escort them out, while the rest finally killed the last demonic beast.


    Of the dozens of people, only Tang Xiu was not injured, while the rest were soaked in blood and each had varying degrees of injuries. Some were serious and some only had minor injuries.


    Tang Xiu then looked around and saw Xue Sha coming towards him. He nodded to him and ordered. ¡°Collect all the Demon Cores and their corpses. We may have arranged a geomancy array here, but if any demonic beast with higher wisdom comes, it would still be able to detect something amiss with this place. That¡¯s why we need to retreat fast and return to the encampment to cultivate and recuperate.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Xue Sha nodded and began collecting Demon Cores and demonic beasts¡¯ corpses.


    Soon after, Tang Xiu broke the geomancy array and used a spell to wash everyone¡¯s bodies. He then led them back to the periphery of the Himalayas. On the way back, they bumped into several waves of fierce beasts and even had many encounters with other groups of two or three demonic beasts, although they were able to easily clean them up.


    Half an hour later.


    Two distressed figures suddenly appeared in the valley¡ªHun Sen and Jiang Shuisheng¡ªwhose bodies were now decorated with many wounds. The latter even had a visible bloody wound on his torn back which he, fortunately, had stopped the bleeding and didn¡¯t pose a big problem.


    ¡°Goddammit! How the hell does that surnamed Tang move so fast? We¡¯ve been pursuing them and yet we couldn¡¯t even catch up with their shadows until now?!¡± Hun Sen cursed angrily after spitting out saliva mixed with his blood.


    A scowl was also apparent on Jiang Shuisheng¡¯s face. ¡°We can¡¯t say that they are that fast, per se. It¡¯s just this mountain is so damn big that we¡¯ve been pursuing them in the wrong direction several times. But I admit that they do have some abilities. They should¡¯ve killed some demonic beasts given the traces we saw from the places we passed by.¡±


    ¡°Heh, do we kill a fewer number of demonic beasts following them?¡± Hun Sen sneered. ¡°We killed 16! One of them was even on par with cultivators at the mid-stage of Golden Core. Fortunately, you¡¯re at the Golden Core Stage yourself, while I still have my clan¡¯s divine weapon¡ªotherwise, we¡¯d have died here.¡±


    ¡°True that.¡± Jiang Shuisheng nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s stop pursuing them, alright? Maybe they¡¯re already in the stomach of those demonic beasts. Anyways, let¡¯s just hurry and find a hidden spot to hide and heal ourselves. Then, we¡¯ll return immediately¡­¡±


    His speech came to an abrupt stop and a look of panic filled his eyes. He looked at the valley in the distance where dozens of demonic beasts appeared, apparently rushing to the place where the bloody smell fluttered.


    ¡®The smell of blood?!¡¯


    ¡®How can there be the smell of blood here? Did a battle occur here previously? Like, between some humans and demonic beasts?¡¯


    ¡®Was it Tang Xiu?¡¯

 Chapter 1052 - It Was Regretful…

    Chapter 1052: It Was Regretful¡­


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Hun Sen suddenly trembled and quickly pointed to the left side. ¡°Jiang Shuisheng, you can sense a huge danger seems to be coming in our direction, can¡¯t you? Those¡­ demonic beasts should be very strong ones.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can sense it too.¡± Jiang Shuisheng nodded. ¡°This is a fucking shitty situation. The smell of blood in this mountain valley must have attracted those demonic beasts. Let¡¯s hurry up and avoid them!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Two minutes later, in a hidden spot of a peak, the two men went into hiding with pale faces. The sense of crisis they just felt was simply off the mark. It wasn¡¯t brought by one particular powerful beast but from the howls of hundreds of demonic beasts.


    ¡°There must be at least 400 of them.¡± The corner of Hun Sen¡¯s mouth twitched a few times as he couldn¡¯t help but mutter to himself.


    Jiang Shuisheng took out the binoculars he got from Duanmu Lin and quickly aimed it at the valley. Disbelief quickly appeared on his face when he saw the situation there. There were neither humans nor demonic beasts over yonder. Neither was there any fight. And yet, the ground was incarnadined by blood literally everywhere. The only obvious evidence that a fierce battle had occurred there was the messy environment in the surrounding area.


    ¡°I¡¯m damn sure some people fought demonic beasts there. Dammit, could it be that Tang Xiu and his people became their meals?¡± Jiang Shuisheng cursed. He didn¡¯t find Tang Xiu to his liking, but they were now facing a common enemy, while there was also no enmity between them. Naturally, he didn¡¯t want to see Tang Xiu¡¯s early death to the demonic beasts either.


    Hun Sen had taken out his binoculars as well and saw the situation in the valley. A bitter smile betrayed itself on his square face as he said, ¡°What¡¯s there to guess? That surnamed Tang and his men must¡¯ve been surrounded and killed by those demonic beasts. Alas, he was young and so frivolous. To think that he was so reckless to die!¡±


    For a moment, Jiang Shuisheng was silent. Then, he said, ¡°We can¡¯t stay here much longer, Hun Sen. If those demonic beasts were to search around, it would be easy for them to find us here. Let¡¯s get the hell out of this place and go back. We must report Tang Xiu¡¯s death to Duanmu Lin.¡±


    The two men made up their minds. They no longer hesitated and quickly flashed toward the periphery of the Himalayas.


    On the periphery surrounding the Himalayas.


    When Tang Xiu came out with dozens of his sect¡¯s disciples, several cultivators immediately greeted him. Duanmu Lin squeezed to the front and gasped upon seeing the appearance of everyone around Tang Xiu. Through their injuries, he could tell that Tang Xiu¡¯s sect disciples had just been engaged in a fierce battle.


    ¡°Are you all right, Tang Xiu?¡± Respect could be seen in Duanmu Lin¡¯s eyes as he asked with concern.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing big.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and smilingly said, ¡°Regardless, some of them have serious injuries, but they will recover soon as long as they rest well. Senior Duanmu, is this blockade line still safe?¡±


    ¡°It is safe for the time being, though I don¡¯t know for how long,¡± answered Duanmu Lin with a bitter smile. ¡°The Intelligence Department¡¯s personnel have installed surveillance devices at the risk of their lives. The footage showed that a large number of demonic beasts have been gathering for a long time and number up to nearly 3,000, yet they haven¡¯t rushed outside to attack. I¡¯m just worried now if there are more of them gathering there. We won¡¯t be able to face them should they attack together at the same time.¡±


    ¡®Nearly 3,000 of them? And more are still flocking?¡¯


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face turned extraordinarily solemn. Then, he asked, ¡°Does such gathering happen every time before the tide of demonic beasts appears?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Such gathering is the case as the number exceeds 1,000 every time.¡± Duanmu Lin nodded. ¡°It has been a short-time gathering, but this build-up is much longer and the number is a bit higher. As for the countermeasure, we can manage this time. I¡¯ve already talked with the military, and they can only use the bombing from the aircraft once the number of demonic beasts exceeds 1,000.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s heart gradually sank. If they used bombs, the likelihood was that these beasts wouldn¡¯t be utterly decimated even if the bombing yielded a good result. Further, it would just enrage them completely, causing more demonic beasts to come over. The most important issue was that the bombing would destroy the demonic beasts¡¯ bodies and he would lose the chance to let Tang Sect¡¯s disciples practice in a life-and-death situation.


    ¡°Senior Duanmu, don¡¯t rush to bombard them yet. For now, I need the precise coordinates where those demonic beasts have gathered. I¡¯m crystal clear how powerful the tide of demonic beasts is. Using an aircraft to bomb them would be ineffective if we can¡¯t stop them in advance. We can expect to suffer a heavy blow in case a lot of them are able to break the blockade and rush outside,¡± said Tang Xiu with a solemn face.


    ¡°I know that!¡± Duanmu Lin forced a smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ Alas, there¡¯s nothing we have to make them disperse. Neither do we know how to stop them from gathering and giving up attacking our blockade lines.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then.¡± Tang Xiu took a deep breath and said, ¡°Just leave it to me. But you¡¯re responsible for continuing the surveillance.¡±


    ¡°What exactly are you going to do?¡± asked Duanmu Lin quickly.


    ¡°I have yet to come up with an idea. Let¡¯s just put this off for after I go to the interior,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    Having said that, he turned to look at the Tang Sect¡¯s disciples and said in a deep voice, ¡°Xue Sha, bring them to the encampment to rest. Quickly distribute the healing pills and make the best of their time to restore their strength faster. Gu Yin, you¡¯re a Golden Core Stage expert, so protect them!¡±


    Xue Sha and Gu Yin nodded at the same time.


    Tang Xiu looked back at Duanmu Lin and said, ¡°Senior Duanmu, let¡¯s keep in touch while I probe the situation. Please remember to tell Aquababe to send me the precise coordinates of where those demonic beasts are gathering.¡±


    After saying that, his figure flickered and moved lightning-fast, disappearing into a distant mountain peak in just a few breaths.


    Dozens of practitioners around Duanmu Lin stared dumbfoundedly at the direction where Tang Xiu disappeared. One of them, a burly middle-aged man, wore incredulous look and muttered, ¡°His speed is so fast. There¡¯s no way an expert at the Foundation Establishment Stage would be that fast, right? Is he at the Golden Core Stage?¡±


    Duanmu Lin shook his head and his eyes then landed on Gu Yin as he asked with a strange voice, ¡°What did Tang Xiu just say a while ago? About you being an expert at Golden Core Stage. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Yin nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯m a Golden Core Stage cultivator.¡±


    Duanmu Lin stared dumbly with eyes wide open, as was everyone else around him. Then, he said with incredulity, ¡°How can that be? You¡¯re so young. Even if you started cultivating since birth, it¡¯s just impossible to reach such a cultivation level, no? This¡­¡±


    ¡°Director Duanmu, there are some people in this world who are known to have unusual innate gifts. As the disciple of Sect Master, Gu Yin is naturally endowed with extraordinary talent in cultivation. Anyhow, we¡¯re all injured, so we can¡¯t accompany you to talk. But we¡¯ll fight side-by-side with you again once we¡¯ve recuperated.¡±


    With that said, he didn¡¯t give a chance to Duanmu Lin to reply and led the Tang Sect¡¯s disciples towards the camp outside. They soon disappeared from the sight of Duanmu Lin and the dozen practitioners.


    A tall and burly middle-aged man looked at the direction they left, shaking his head and commenting, ¡°I could believe if it was Tang Xiu that had a cultivation at the Golden Core Stage, albeit barely; but for a 10 years old girl to have such cultivation level is simply a joke. I¡¯ve been cultivating for more than 40 years, yet I¡¯m just at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. It¡¯s extremely difficult to advance to the late-stage of Foundation Establishment.¡±


    Another cultivator nodded and echoed. ¡°True that. This old man has been cultivating for more than 140 years, taking a lot of heavenly and earthly treasures, but I was only barely able to break through to the Golden Core Stage. I even still haven¡¯t stabilized my cultivation level yet. I just can¡¯t buy it that a small girl is stronger than me at the mid-stage of Golden Core.¡±


    Duanmu Lin pondered for a moment. Then, he suddenly let out a smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s possible, mind you. The cultivator just now, the one called Xue Sha, said it very clearly. There are indeed some people in this world who have unusual innate gifts and are talented in cultivation. Maybe she did have broken through to the mid-stage of Golden Core! Besides, I¡¯m really looking forward to Tang Xiu more and more now.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t buy it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t buy it either, man.¡±


    The others shook their heads, each unable to believe that Gu Yin¡¯s cultivation level had reached mid-stage of Golden Core. To them, no matter how talented and innately gifted you are, breaking through the Golden Core Stage at the age of 10 was too heaven-defying, against everything they dared to imagine. They could barely accept it if Gu Yin was in her 20s or something.


    ¡°Let¡¯s drop it, shall we?¡± Duanmu Lin smilingly said, ¡°The urgent issue at hand now is to hurry up and arrange our defense line. We must prepare for a deadly battle and a fight to the death once those demonic beasts rush out. Hold on¡­ where are Hun Sen and Jiang Shuisheng? They followed Tang Xiu and his men and entered the depths of the mountains before. Tang Xiu already came out, but how come they are not here yet?¡±


    ¡®Hun Sen and Jiang Shuisheng?¡¯


    ¡®Both of them also entered the mountains?¡¯


    Everyone around wore quaint expressions. But as they recalled that Tang Xiu and his men could come out of the mountains alive, they thought that those two men probably lost their way, so they were unable to come out of the mountain yet!


    ¡°Hey, look! Isn¡¯t that those two guys?¡± one of the middle-aged men suddenly pointed to the depths of the mountains.


    Duanmu Lin and the rest followed the direction his finger was pointing and immediately saw two wretched figures approaching them lightning-fast from the mountain¡¯s depths. In just tens of seconds, the two figures then appeared in front of them.


    ¡°Director Duanmu.¡± With a regretful look on his face, Hun Sen shook his head and sighed. ¡°I¡¯m afraid what I¡¯m about to report is a bit regretful.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Duanmu Lin frowned and asked, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that kid surnamed Tang and the people he brought with him have met their demise in the mouths of those demonic beasts and became their food. We both followed and pursued them for a long time and still didn¡¯t find any traces of them, even though there were traces of fights between them and those demonic beasts.¡±

 Chapter 1053 - Slapping Own Face

    Chapter 1053: Slapping Own Face


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    ¡®Say what?¡¯


    Several cultivators and Duanmu Lin exchanged dismayed glances with strange expressions.


    Upon seeing the weird expression on everyone¡¯s faces, Hun Sen slightly furrowed his brows and said discontentedly, ¡°What¡¯s with your looks, guys? I told you all the truth. Director Duanmu, I know that you value Tang Xiu very much, but he was a conceited man who knew nothing of the immensity of Heaven and Earth. Even if he did have some minor abilities in cultivation, showing off in this place is just a big no. Haven¡¯t you heard that those who drown are those who know how to swim, and those whose face gets beaten are those who pretend being pushed? That¡¯s what that surnamed Tang brat is like!¡±


    ¡°Shut the hell up!¡±


    The scene of Tang Xiu and his men with bruises and wounds all over their bodies replayed itself on Duanmu Lin¡¯s mind. While looking at Hun Sen, who had a dissatisfied expression and prattled about, he sharply snapped. ¡°Tang Xiu didn¡¯t die, nor has any of his men. I know you hail from a secluded clan and brought with you a group of elite warriors, Hun Sen. But you must have the qualities of a cultivator and you must know how to respect others!¡±


    ¡°What the hell do you mean talking to me like that, Duanmu Lin?¡± Hun Sen was angry and retorted. ¡°You say that I, Hun Sen, am an unlearned man that doesn¡¯t know how to respect others? Do you think I¡¯m wrong? That brat is arrogant, causing him to die by the demonic beasts and becoming their food. He only has himself to blame. Period.¡±


    ¡°You know. It never occurred to me that you, who are supposed to not be that old and possess powerful strength, would also have integrity,¡± replied Duanmu Lin indifferently. ¡°I never thought that you¡¯d vilify and even be intolerable to others. Look, just listen to me. Tang Xiu isn¡¯t dead, nor are his men! He returned with all his men just 10 minutes ago, all with scarred with wounds and apparently just having fought a fierce battle with demonic beasts. In my eyes, he and his men have won our respect with their strength and courage. They are brave people who are not afraid of death and deserve to be called heroes by us.¡±


    Suddenly, more than 10 cultivators around him showed indignant look and echoed one after another:


    ¡°That¡¯s right! He¡¯s a real man, and so are his men!¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu is definitely alive, he just left a few minutes ago. His men are also real heroes, including that 10 years old girl, who is his disciple, and those five children. That girl is just 10 years old and those five children are even younger than her, yet all of them just came back with scarred bodies full of injuries. The kind of wounds left by the sharp claws and fangs of demonic beasts!¡±


    ¡°Heh, coming from such a prominent, secluded cultivator clan, yet you insult others without knowing the whole story. What a shit! Things can be faked, but the injuries on Tang Xiu¡¯s men are absolutely not fake!¡±


    ¡°Oh dear, to think that the world still has this kind of people. I really can¡¯t guess whether you¡¯re jealous or you have no abilities to catch up with them. You didn¡¯t see them fighting those demonic beasts, yet you still hurl insults at them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Tang Xiu is a young hero¡­¡±


    ¡°True that! He deserves our respect!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Hun Sen was utterly dumbfounded, for he never dreamed that such public anger would arise because of his statements. He also didn¡¯t expect that his guess was all wrong. Not only did Tang Xiu and his men not die in the hands of demonic beasts, but they also had come back alive. All of them.


    Could it be¡­ the traces of the battles and the pool of blood left behind that he and Jiang Shuisheng saw were not from Tang Xiu and his men? Meaning¡­ they were from demonic beasts?


    ¡°You guys¡­¡±


    Lips twitching, Hun Sen was unable to argue. If what all they said was true, then he had literally prattled about, slandering Tang Xiu at the exchange of slapping his own face. Injuries and death were not things Hun Sen dreaded, losing his reputation and becoming a laughingstock was.


    Jiang Shuisheng frowned, secretly glad that he hadn¡¯t said much a moment ago. However, Hun Sen was jeered by everyone and some toxic words were also hurled at him, making him also feel ashamed.


    ¡°Director Duanmu and friends from the cultivation world, please. What Hun Sen just said was only his speculation with no malice towards Tang Xiu whatsoever. On the contrary, he¡¯s likely feeling happy inwardly since Tang Xiu turns out to have met with no accident. It¡¯s because we¡¯ll have more hope for victory the more human experts are alive to face the following battles,¡± said Jiang Shuisheng.


    ¡°Some human language finally comes out, huh?¡± A temperamental senior in the cultivation world snorted.


    Hun Sen glared at him and coldly retorted. ¡°You all say that Tang Xiu is still alive, so where are he and his men, then? We¡¯re now facing dreadful enemies, so why are they not here?¡±


    ¡°From our surveillance, thousands of demonic beasts are now gathering in the depths of Himalayas, and they are highly likely moving out to attack us,¡± answered Duanmu Lin. ¡°Tang Xiu went to investigate the situation alone, whereas his men are now all wounded, so they stayed behind to recuperate.¡±


    ¡± Hmph . It¡¯s inevitable to get injured when fighting demonic beasts.¡± Hun Sen snorted and coldly said, ¡°Just because you have some minor injuries and you came back to recuperate¡­ that¡¯s just damn shameful.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit!¡± The temperamental old man pointed his finger to the depths of the mountain range and retorted in a deep voice. ¡°Now, open your narrow eyes and tell me: are those who just came out from there Tang Xiu¡¯s men? Now, spit out and have a look at their appearance, do they look like minor injuries to you?¡±


    In a flash, everyone shifted their eyes to the direction pointed by the old man¡¯s finger. They saw dozens of wretched and bloody cultivators rushing towards them. Some of those cultivators were being carried by their comrades, and it was unknown whether they were alive or dead.


    Duanmu Lin himself had met the Tang Sect¡¯s disciples and could recognize their leader at a glance¡ªTang Xiu¡¯s man, Mo Awu. He no longer paid attention to Hun Sen and instantly moved to greet him.


    ¡°How many injured in your team, Mo Awu?¡±


    Mo Awu quickly made a gesture. As everyone stopped, he bitterly said, ¡°Some of our brothers died in battle and the rest are injured, and most of them suffered serious injuries. Director Duanmu, has our Sect Master come back yet?¡±


    ¡°You mean Tang Xiu?¡± asked Duanmu Lin.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. He¡¯s our Sect Master.¡± Mo Awu nodded.


    Duanmu Lin¡¯s mind whirled, but he couldn¡¯t ask how Tang Xiu became their sovereign and whatnot. He nodded and said, ¡°He has brought a group of people back from the interior, but after he learned that thousands of demonic beasts are gathering in the depths of the mountain range and are apparently going to attack us at any time, he went back there to probe the situation alone. Many of the ones he brought back are seriously injured and went to their camp to recuperate.¡±


    Mo Awu¡¯s expression slightly changed. He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Director Duanmu, the martial brothers and sisters in my team also have serious injuries. Please allow them to go back to the camp to heal themselves.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard. Go ahead.¡± Duanmu Lin heavily nodded.


    Turning around to look at the disciples around him, Mo Awu then said in a deep voice, ¡°Hei Wuya, Ye Shisan, you both have the lightest injuries, so you will come with me to find the Sect Master and ensure his safety. The rest of you, Brothers and Sisters, you all go back to the camp to recuperate. Be sure to recover from your injuries as quickly as possible and prepare for the following battles.¡±


    ¡°Acknowledged!¡± shouted dozens of Tang Sect disciples in reply.


    Duanmu Lin¡¯s expression changed. He hurriedly stopped Mo Awu and said in a deep voice, ¡°Hey, you¡¯re also seriously injured. If my guess is correct, your lungs must be punctured. It will be a serious latent danger and may threaten your life if you don¡¯t treat it in time. Just listen to me. Tang Xiu investigated alone before, so I¡¯m sure he can retreat and return in time should he encounter a situation he can¡¯t deal with. But if you try to find him now, maybe you won¡¯t be able to help him and will instead become his burden.¡±


    ¡°Negative.¡± Mo Awu shook his head and indifferently said, ¡°The life of our Sovereign is more important than ours. We¡¯ll stay behind and guard the rear to fight and give our Lord a chance to survive should we face any danger. Please don¡¯t stop me anymore. I¡¯ve made up my mind.¡±


    Having said that, he brushed past Duanmu Lin, leading Hei Wuya and Ye Shisan and rushing to the interior of the mountain range lightning-fast. They soon disappeared from the sight of everyone present.


    Hei Xiong, who was in the team, had a restless look in his eyes and shouted in a heavy voice, ¡°Everyone, we are to return to the camp to heal our wounds at the fastest speed. Sect Master and Senior Brother Mo Awu are likely to encounter a crisis, so we¡¯d best restore our strength as soon as possible to catch up with and fight alongside them!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    It seemed there was nearly no hesitation from the other dozens of people as they followed Hei Wuya dashing toward their camp.


    Looks of admiration appeared on the faces of dozens of people around Duanmu Lin. They had their shares of seeing devotion, virtue, and loyalty. They had also seen tough and fearless powerhouses who didn¡¯t fear death, yet they had never seen so many respectable strongmen.


    Hun Sen fell into silence, whereas Jiang Shuisheng lowered his head without uttering any words.


    The momentum and aura displayed by Mo Awu and the others had literally subdued the two of them. They could see how fierce and brutal the fight Mo Awu and the rest had just gone through. They could also tell how worried they were about Tang Xiu¡¯s safety.


    ¡®Tang Xiu!¡¯


    Hun Sen slowly closed his eyes. After a while, he suddenly opened them and said with difficulty, ¡°I admit that I harbored contempt against Tang Xiu. But now, he¡¯s indeed a figure to be reckoned with.¡±


    Jiang Shuisheng nodded and echoed, ¡°For him to able to make his men see his life as more important than theirs is evidence of how great he is, indeed. Pity that we weren¡¯t able to catch up with them before¡ªotherwise, we would¡¯ve been able to fight alongside such a group of fearless and powerful heroes.¡±


    Finally, a smile appeared on Duanmu Lin¡¯s face. He nodded at their words and said, ¡°I told you that Tang Xiu is a genuine son of China. He¡¯ll probably sacrifice his life to protect our country and its people when the country is in dire straits. Just look at his men. Each and every one of them has serious injuries, so serious that they likely have killed a lot of demonic beasts. But every demonic beast they killed is a chance they gave for us to survive. I, Duanmu Lin, am also looking for a chance to fight alongside them and resolve this crisis.¡±

 Chapter 1054 - Strategy

    Chapter 1054: Strategy


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    As Duanmu Lin¡¯s voice faded away, Aquababe¡¯s figure was seen approaching fast from the distance and appeared in front of him in the blink of an eye. A bit of fear could be seen on her face as she reported. ¡°Chief, we¡¯ve counted the number of demonic beasts gathering there, a total of 4,150. But we were unable to determine how many powerful ones are among them. Further, they are now rushing towards our position, and we can expect them to reach our defense line in a little more than half an hour.¡±


    ¡°What?!!¡±


    Duanmu Lin¡¯s face drastically changed. He never imagined that the number of demonic beasts¡¯ build-up was so many. Killing more than 4,000 demonic beasts was simply an impossible mission with their current forces.


    Even if¡­ Suppose they could eliminate all of them, it was highly likely that only a handful of cultivators would survive.


    What should we do? Fight them head-on, or use hot weapons? But will modern weapons yield significant results?


    Hun Sen, who just made a fool of himself, now had a completely different impression towards Duanmu Lin at this moment. He said in a deep voice, ¡°Director Duanmu, you¡¯re the commander-in-chief of this operation, please hurry up and issue a command! How do we defend against those demonic beasts?¡±


    Duanmu Lin¡¯s mouth opened, but no words came out. He didn¡¯t know what to do. The news had shocked him, and he couldn¡¯t think of any good countermeasure at all.


    Suddenly, his eyes shifted to the interior of the mountain range. There, he saw dozens of cultivators with bloody appearances seething with a killing aura. They were flying lightning-fast towards his direction. He also knew the leader of those people, Jin Shi, who was the captain appointed by Tang Xiu for that group.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± asked Duanmu Lin with concern after greeting him.


    Instead of answering, Jin Shi wiped off the blood on his face. He let out a severe cough and vomited a mouthful of blood. After letting out a sigh of relief, he then said with a weary face, ¡°We¡¯re okay, Director Duanmu. Although most of us are seriously injured, nobody died in the battle. Also, we¡¯ve killed quite a lot of demonic beasts, nearly 100 of them.¡±


    Nearly 100?


    A horrified appeared on Duanmu Lin¡¯s face. It must be noted that, so far, they had only been able to successfully kill less than 200 demonic beasts from every batch of demonic beasts that attempted to destroy the defense line they had laid down. Yet, Jin Shi and his team had killed that many demonic beasts in just a short time. This was simply¡­ incredible and unbelievable!


    The other tens of people also had a change in expression, looking at Jin Shi and the tens of Tang Sect¡¯s disciples with incredulity. Only after a long while did they sober up and raise their thumbs up. Nobody spoke because they thought that words wouldn¡¯t be able to express their admiration towards Jin Shi and his team.


    ¡°Jin Shi, the teams led by Tang Xiu and Mo Awu have all returned,¡± said Duanmu Lin. ¡°Except for one casualty from Mo Awu¡¯s team, the rest are still alive and are now in the rear area to heal their injuries. But Tang Xiu has entered the mountain range¡¯s interior, and Mo Awu also led two others to catch up with him. You know more about Tang Xiu¡¯s ability than I do, so I believe that you don¡¯t need to worry about him. Hence, it¡¯s best for you to take your time to heal now since I¡¯m afraid we¡¯re going to face a more brutal battle soon.¡±


    Jin Shi¡¯s face slightly shifted and he inquired. ¡°Is this new wave of demonic beasts going to attack our defense line?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been verified.¡± Duanmu Lin forced a smile and said, ¡°The number has been also confirmed, which is more than 4,100 demonic beasts. This is the largest wave to attacks us yet, about tens of times the number from the previous ones.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then we¡¯re going back to recuperated,¡± said Jin Shi without hesitation. ¡°Also, please notify us at once when the demonic beasts charge at the defense line, Director Duanmu. We can join the battle at any time even if we are injured.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Duanmu Lin gripped his fist and slightly punched Jin Shi¡¯s chest twice while nodding repeatedly.


    ****


    Deep in the Himalayas.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s figure was as though a ghost as he moved fast without leaving any footprints on the white snow. He was now dashing fast towards the spot where the demonic beast tide was gathering. Duanmu Lin had ordered Aquababe to send him the precise coordinates of that gathering spot, so he traversed there at an extreme speed.


    Something¡¯s amiss.


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed. He took out the Invisible Charm from the interspatial ring, along with several Raging Flame and Lightning Charms. As his figure disappeared, he lunged towards the mountainside nearby and stood there ten seconds after.


    The heavy snow fell from the distant peaks. It was like an avalanche, but also especially scary. In the midst of the falling heavy snow, however, demonic beasts numbering in the thousands that were seemingly everywhere headed towards the blockade line.


    There¡¯s too many. The defense line won¡¯t be able to withstand this onslaught. Once these demonic beasts breach the defensive line, it will pose a huge threat to the garrison behind, even bringing a devastating disaster to the common people living in towns and villages near Ugley.


    I gotta find a way to stop them and buy some time for Duanmu Lin. The number of practitioners in China is quite a lot. Whether they are ability users, ancient martial arts practitioners, cultivators, and other practitioners, those here should only be one-tenth of the total number.


    If Duanmu Lin has more time he can invite more powerful ones to come and fight against these demonic beasts.


    Numerous thoughts swirled in Tang Xiu¡¯s mind, and his murderous intent appeared and got more intense in his eyes the more time passed. His eyes lingered at the demonic beasts. He could tell that such a demonic beast tide must have one demonic beast with high intelligence as the commander. As the adage said: you must catch the king if you want to disperse his underlings. If he could find that particular demonic beast and kill it lightning-fast, it would very likely cause a great impact on this horde of demonic beasts. It may even lead to its collapse and the cancellation of this attack.


    As the horde approached, they were now only a little more than two kilometers away from Tang Xiu.


    Right at this moment, the invisible Tang Xiu moved lightning-fast and instantly streaked up to 100 meters mid-air. He quickly unleashed all the charms he had prepared and thrown the lightning ones to the bird-species demonic beasts not far from him.


    A blast of lightning flashes appeared from the sky and hit a large number of bird-species demonic beasts. Ear-piercing howls and screams were heard as several hundreds of these demonic beasts fell from mid-air. Although the lightning bolts evoked by the Lightning Charm were unable to kill them directly, the damage it wreaked was significant. Along with its paralysis effect, it made these beasts unable to act temporarily.


    A few seconds after, several thousand demonic beasts on the ground raised their heads to the sky. Horror and panic could be seen from them when they saw the bird-special demonic beasts¡¯ situation. But right at this time, Tang Xiu appeared in the midst of these demonic beasts while still being invisible. He instantly ignited numerous Raging Flame Charms as the blazing flames blasted out, creating a sea of fire that instantly burned several demonic beasts and set hundreds of others ablaze.


    Riot wreaked havoc!


    Whoosh¡­ Roar¡­


    The previously orderly demonic beast horde turned chaotic in an instant.


    ROAAAAR!!!


    A deafening beast roar steamrolled from a certain demonic beast group. A few weaker beasts close to the source were directly killed by the shockwave of the roar, whereas the rest quickly turned quiet and looked frightened. Finally, the chaotic horde began to look orderly once again.


    In the midst of this horde, Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes swept fast before they landed on a feline-like form standing on the horn of a unicorn-like demonic beast. Its small size was so insignificant and so difficult to spot that, had it not been for Tang Xiu¡¯s sharp eyes, he would not have seen it.


    I never thought such a small demonic beast turns out to have the ability to command a horde of demonic beasts. But it¡¯s very likely that its small size is only one of its forms, but its actual strength is probably very strong!


    The thought flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s mind as his body instantly bolted toward that particular demonic beast. At the same time, he unleashed the divine sword stored in his body as it instantly turned into tens of meters long colossus sword in mid-air. The next instant, a nearly 100-meter-long sword energy blasted out and crushed towards the small demonic beast.


    It was a full all-out blow.


    Primal Chaos Force frantically surged inside the eight extra-meridian channels in Tang Xiu¡¯s body. Coupled with the might of the divine armament, the energy forcefully tore an opening in the midst of the demonic beast horde. Tens of demonic beasts were instantly killed by Tang Xiu¡¯s swords, whereas a lot of others were pushed back forcefully by the sword¡¯s might. Some even frantically run aside.


    The body of the small demonic beast atop the head of the unicorn-like beast suddenly expanded. Its body instantly bubbled up into the size of a mammoth so big that the unicorn was nearly stepped on by it.


    ROAAAAR!


    Layers of black flames steamrolled toward the splitting long sword, while a giant flaming hammer crushed down at Tang Xiu¡¯s divine sword.


    BOOM¡­


    The demonic beasts¡¯ commander was badly wounded by the divine sword¡¯s slash and was forced backward. The beast writhed in pain as a deep wound was left on its body, making its bones visible. If it hadn¡¯t been for the demonic flame it unleashed and that outstanding hammer, Tang Xiu¡¯s sword would¡¯ve successfully slain it.


    As for Tang Xiu, his body only slightly shook. After retracting the divine sword, he retreated in a flash. Pity that the aura he leaked out was too strong despite still being under the invisibility effect, causing the demonic beasts to frantically rush and attack him on the way back.


    ROAAAR!!!


    The demonic beasts¡¯ commander let out a furious roar and issued an order to attack. It hadn¡¯t suffered such a grievous injury for a long time, causing it to go ballistic and furious. It wanted revenge against the human who had injured it.


    Since that one full blow had failed, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t insist on engaging it any longer. He would only become surrounded should he do so, and he wouldn¡¯t be able to leave unscathed even if he had the power to break through their encirclement.


    His divine sword kept flying while unleashing powerful violent sword qi that forced back the demonic beasts and lightly injured them. That particular demonic beast that was heavily injured, however, quickly left the horde and bolted towards the left side.


    It wanted to escape, thinking that it was best to lead the horde from somewhere else.

 Chapter 1055 - Tang Xiu’s Intention

    Chapter 1055: Tang Xiu¡¯s Intention


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Being well aware of the abilities he currently possessed, Tang Xiu was crystal clear that by no means was he an invincible God of War, regardless of the many means he had at hand. Destroying a horde of thousands of demonic beasts at once was nothing but a foolish dream. However, he was confident that his action had caused confusion for this horde and destroyed their purpose to attack the defensive line.


    And so, he fled with a lightning bolt speed.


    The thousands of demonic beasts frantically chased after him, charging and galloping like mighty troops of warhorses. The demonic beasts¡¯ commander, who had the strength of least at a late-stage of Golden Core cultivator, had been badly wounded by Tang Xiu. And thus, it now furiously directed the horde to chase after the culprit, Tang Xiu.


    At this moment, Tang Xiu had deactivated his Invisibility Charm. It was in his plan to expose himself so as to attract these demonic beasts to other places.


    ****


    Ugley Town.


    Inside the olive-green military tent that served as the temporary headquarters, dozens of LCD monitors were neatly arranged and displayed the surveillance footage of important areas in the Himalayas.


    Duanmu Lin and several high-level experts from Special Abilities Bureau all wore worried faces and occasionally pointed at the 3D sand table to discuss troops and manpower deployment for the defense line.


    ¡°We have a situation, Chief!¡±


    The face of a member of the Special Abilities Bureau who sat in the corner suddenly changed. He turned his head and called out behind Duanmu Lin.


    Upon hearing his call, Duanmu Mulin strode to the surveillance footage screen in the corner along with several experts from the agency. When their eyes landed on the monitor, a look of disbelief overflowing from their eyes.


    ¡°How is that possible?!¡± Despite his firm mind, Duanmu Lin still exclaimed in alarm.


    The member of the Special Abilities Bureau sitting there said, ¡°The footage shown on the screen was normal a moment ago. The forming demonic beast horde kept increasing but was still orderly then. But lightning bolts flashed down all of a sudden out of the blue and severely injured many bird-species demonic beasts. Shortly after that, flames blazed in the midst of the horde, directly burning several demonic beasts closest to the source to death, and burned hundreds more.¡±


    ¡°Was it Tang Xiu?¡± asked Duanmu Lin.


    That member of the agency repeatedly nodded, and there was admiration on his face. ¡°That¡¯s correct, Chief. It was Tang Xiu. Although his figure didn¡¯t appear on the screen, he seemed to be in an invisible state or something. However, his long sword suddenly appeared and produced a sword light nearly 100 meters long that crushed down the horde. Many demonic beasts that were directly hit by it met their sudden death, and a lot more panicked and frantically fled towards the surroundings. I saw with my own eyes when that small demonic beast then suddenly bubbled up in size and was nearly insta-killed by that sword. It¡¯s very likely¡­ the main target of that sword was that particular demonic beast.¡±


    With eyes fixated on the surveillance screen, Duanmu Lin asked again in a deep voice, ¡°And then?¡±


    The agency member answered, ¡°Shortly after, Tang Xiu¡¯s figure appeared out of thin air. He seemed to have succeeded in enraging all the demonic beasts, which is the scene you¡¯re seeing now. These thousand demonic beasts are chasing him. Ah¡­ that¡¯s bad¡­ there are no monitoring devices installed in front! We won¡¯t get any footage on the screen soon.¡±


    As his voice faded away, the footage where Tang Xiu was being chased by thousands of demonic beasts disappeared. Obviously, it was out of the scope of the surveillance camera.


    A scowl appeared on Duanmu Lin¡¯s face and he roared, ¡°Dammit! He¡¯s so reckless! He¡¯s not that powerful, and attacking such a horde alone is out of his league! This is¡­ simply courting his own death.¡±


    Aquababe, however, replied in a low voice with a worried face, ¡°Chief, should we send some people to fetch him up? Getting chased by thousands of demonic beasts is too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Help him? How should we do that, dammit?! Do you wanna die or something?¡± Duanmu Lin angrily retorted. ¡°Those are thousands of demonic beasts, for God¡¯s sake! All of them are horrible, and even if we drag everyone there, there¡¯s no way it¡¯s enough to kill them!¡±


    Suddenly, the eyes of a middle-aged man standing next to Duanmu Lin lit up and he slowly said, ¡°I don¡¯t think so, Director Duanmu. I think Tang Xiu must have a reason for acting like that.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know Tang Xiu, Tian He.¡± Duanmu turned to him and said, ¡°This guy has always been daring. But he¡­ what intention does he have in mind?¡±


    ¡°Director Duanmu, don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t figured it out yet.¡± Tian He shook his head and said, ¡°If you create confusion in the demonic beasts¡¯ horde and lead them to other places, doesn¡¯t it mean that our defensive line is saved? I¡¯ve never met Tang Xiu indeed, but I¡¯ve studied some things about him. He has a steady and firm mind, is quick-witted, and his actions are the embodiment of steadiness. I don¡¯t think he¡¯d do something he has no assurance of succeeding.¡±


    Duanmu Lin was stunned. He was vaguely aware that Tian He¡¯s argument was sound. After giving it a careful contemplation, he took a long sigh, shook his head and said with a forced a smile, ¡°Having a concern with a chaotic mind¡­ you¡¯re right. I¡¯m too worried about this boy¡¯s safety, so I missed this point. You¡¯re correct. Tang Xiu has always been steady and systematic in doing things. He indeed won¡¯t do something he has no assurance of.¡±


    Having said that, respect appeared on his face. He now understood Tang Xiu¡¯s painstaking efforts and really admired them. If he were in his shoes and twice as powerful as he was, he still wouldn¡¯t dare to do so, since he would likely meet his demise once a mishap occurred.


    Duanmu Lin took a deep breath and issued an order in a deep voice, ¡°Keep monitoring the situation and report everything that happens.¡±


    ****


    Deep in the mountain range.


    Tang Xiu rushed as fast as he could and didn¡¯t fly. His feet stepped on the snowy mountain and moved lightning-fast. The speed of the demonic beasts chasing after him was by no means slow either, and the distance between him and dozens of powerful ones was getting closer and closer.


    I gotta find a way to obstruct them. I¡¯ve used up the array disks, and it¡¯s impossible to lay out an array instantly. It would be difficult to arrange a powerful array before they catch up if I can¡¯t find the time.


    While running, his mind revolved fast. Suddenly, his face slightly shifted as an idea popped up in his mind. His figure then streaked up into the sky as he instantly unleashed the divine sword once again and controlled it to dash toward a big mountain in front. As he flew halfway up the mountaintop, he slashed the sword toward the massive body.


    BOOM¡­


    Rocks were blasted out, directly causing an avalanche.


    Behind him, thousands of demonic beasts looked furious at the same time, since they never imagined that this abominable human was so sinister and stopped by to cause an avalanche just to obstruct their pursuit. Only the hundreds of flying-species demonic beasts in the sky hadn¡¯t been affected and kept flapping their wings after him.


    The next one is that mountain valley.


    A resolute look was cast on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. He quickly looked back and glanced at the sky behind him. He saw hundreds of flying-species demonic beasts and could feel the aura they emitted out. The group had two at Golden Core Stage while the rest were at the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    ¡°Sect Master.¡±


    In the distance, Mo Awu led two experts of the Tang Sect and dashed faster toward Tang Xiu. They could clearly see the flying-species demonic beasts from afar and knew that they found Tang Xiu¡¯s trail since those beasts were chasing him.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion changed and looked restless, for he never thought to meet Mo Awu¡¯s group here.


    Huh? Where are the rest? Mo Awu¡¯s group has tens of disciples, how can there be only three of them? Where are the rest of them?


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous. Get here quickly!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s figure rose to the sky. A tens of meters long sword light burst out from his sword and fiercely slashed toward the overwhelming horde of demonic beasts. Overlapping layers of sword light instantly turned into waves of the sea of swords, attempting to steamroll several hundred demonic beasts.


    Mo Awu¡¯s group of three bolted forward extremely fast and traversed less than 800 meters in just a few seconds. When they appeared mid-air, Tang Xiu was brandishing his sword and caused the flock of bird-species demonic beasts to become a mess, even killing tens of them directly.


    ¡°How can there only be three of you, Awu? Where are the rest in your team?¡± asked Tang Xiu loudly without looking back.


    ¡°They¡¯ve left the mountain range and are now recuperating, Sect Master,¡± replied Mo Awu in a deep voice. ¡°But one of my team has died in battle, and most of them are seriously injured.¡±


    At his report, Tang Xiu was a bit relieved. Then, he replied in a deep voice, ¡°We have at least thousands of demonic beasts at the back of this mountain peak. Go ahead and wait in that valley in front. I¡¯ll catch up with you immediately after I lay out the geomancy array in front of that valley.¡±


    ¡°But Hao Lei took her team behind that valley, Sect Master,¡± said Mo Awu hastily. ¡°They are in a dire situation, with some seriously injured and without combat ability. More than a dozen more are also seriously injured and won¡¯t be able to fight well even if they join the battle. If you were to lure this horde of demonic beasts there, it will be equivalent to sending them to their deaths!¡±


    ¡°Say what?!¡± Tang Xiu was shocked. He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°We don¡¯t have any other option! You go there to aid them to prepare for battle while that horde has yet to catch up. In one minute, I¡¯ll catch up with you all and I need you to resist those bird-species demonic beasts while I seize the time to arrange the array!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± replied Mo Awu without thinking.


    Immediately after, he and the other two dashed towards the valley behind. While Tang Xiu was strenuously obstructing hundreds of bird-species demonic beasts and killing one after another, they finally disappeared into the remote valley.


    On the sparkling surface of a lake, more than ten demonic beasts were besieging Hao Lei and tens of Tang Sect disciples. As of now, nearly half of them had been seriously injured and only about 20 still had the ability to fight. Furthermore, these tens of demonic beasts were very powerful, with one at the Golden Core Stage.


    ¡°KEEP FIGHTING! We¡¯ll be able to get a chance to breathe as long as we kill these demonic beasts. Mo Awu¡¯s group just appeared nearby, but that they haven¡¯t come here only means that there are also some other disciples of our sect nearby!¡± Hao Lei shouted. Her complexion was pale, and there was a bleeding scar on her forehead, causing the blood to flow down and paint her gorgeous face red. Yet, it also added a valiant and savage aura to her.


    ¡°KILL!!!¡±


    The rest of the Tang Sect disciples who suffered minor injuries increased their offensive and struck with renewed power all of a sudden.

 Chapter 1056 - Laying Out Arrays

    Chapter 1056: Laying Out Arrays


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The addition of even one more person would indeed add more strength at a critical juncture. At the time Hao Lei and tens of juniors from the Tang Sect were doing everything they could to fight more than a dozen demonic beasts, Mo Awu brought two more comrades and joined the fray, much to Hao Lei¡¯s team¡¯s happy surprise.


    ¡°Hao Lei, Sect Master is being chased by hundreds of bird-species demonic beasts and will soon be here. We must join forces to decimate these demonic beasts within a minute, else Sect Master¡¯s plan will be affected,¡± Mo Awu shouted while moving like a lightning bolt and slashed his immortal sword at a demonic beast. As the beast tried to avoid him, the two joined forces and killed it.


    Hao Lei¡¯s complexion changed and he hurriedly shouted back, ¡°Did you tell Sect Master about our situation here, Mo Awu? If Sect Master brings those hundreds of bird-species demonic beasts here, wouldn¡¯t it be very difficult for everyone to escape?¡±


    Continuing his onslaught despite his injuries, Mo Awu kept moving to attack other demonic beasts with boiling killing aura. He replied loudly, ¡°The main reason is that Sect Master will be arranging an array here. You all know his accomplishment in that aspect, so no worries about that. However, we still need to exterminate these demonic beasts first and then help him defend against those hundreds of bird-species demonic beasts. We¡¯ll be done for if the rest of horde comes over.¡±


    Upon hearing that Tang Xiu was going to arrange an array in this place, Hao Lei immediately relaxed. However, after hearing Mo Awu¡¯s words, she grew restless again and asked loudly, ¡°You mean, except for those hundreds of birds, there are still other demonic beasts chasing him?¡±


    ¡°Thousands more!¡± replied Mo Awu curtly.


    Hiss¡­


    Upon hearing this, be it Hao Lei or the tens of Tang Sect disciples, they couldn¡¯t help but gasp. Thousands of demonic beasts? If so many demonic beasts caught up with them, wouldn¡¯t it be very difficult to completely exterminate them even if Sect Master arranged the array here?


    We¡¯re still gonna die. Hao Lei couldn¡¯t help but sigh inwardly. Then, she loudly shouted, ¡°Everyone, heed my order! We mustn¡¯t affect Sect Master¡¯s plan. We must ensure that Sect Master can arrange the array here even if we all die. Kill all these damned demonic beasts even if we perish with them!!!¡±


    ¡°KILL!¡±


    ¡°KILL THEM ALL!!¡±


    More than 20 disciples of the Tang Sect fell into madness, and frantic killing intent overflowed in their eyes. At the moment their eyes turned bloodshot, their momentum and striking power increased rapidly. Some of them, who had experienced numerous fierce battles, even had their potential stimulated further at this time, and broke through to a new realm, causing their True Essence energy to crazily surge inside their bodies.


    ¡°DIE!¡±


    Eyes bloodshot and blood vessels on her arm squirming, Hao Lei¡¯s True Essence wildly surged in her meridians and broke through the previously clogged acupoints. As the new meridians connected, she, who was previously at the late-stage of Foundation Establishment, directly broke through to the Golden Core Stage. The world energy in the surroundings crazily surged towards her from everywhere and rushed into her Dantian, finally forming a sesame-sized Golden Core.


    Dangerous!


    Of the dozen demonic beasts, there was only one of them at the Golden Core Stage, causing the rest to look horrified. They could sense that particular human¡¯s momentum skyrocketed unceasingly, while the flow of energy frantically surged towards her. Such a phenomenon occurred when their kind had a breakthrough.


    Escape.


    The only Golden Core demonic beast was highly more intelligent than the rest. After struggling for a moment, it immediately gave up attacking the other humans and attempted its best to force back several humans who joined forces to defend before frantically bolting away.


    Puff! Puff! Puff!


    The blood splattered in full bloom as Hao Lei, who just broke through to the Golden Core Stage, killed various demonic beasts. The other Tang Sect disciples also fell into a frenzy in their onslaught and killed the rest in just half a minute.


    Far away from them, a figure flickered towards them with hundreds of demonic beasts hot on his heels.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s speed was extremely fast. When he sensed a very strong aura from a demonic beast dashing from the direction he was heading to, he quickly manipulated the flying sword without hesitation and slashed it forward.


    Puff¡­


    Adding the might of the divine sword, Tang Xiu¡¯s strength was on par with a Nascent Soul Stage expert as he struck a heavy blow to the only Golden Core demonic beast. At the same time, he flicked his fingers and shot two silver needles and precisely hit its eyes.


    ROAAAAR¡­.


    Hollow wails came from the demonic beast, only to be met with Tang Xiu¡¯s sneer. His figure slightly flickered and his divine sword erupted its might yet again as its sharp blade pierced the beast directly. An instant after, the divine sword hovered in a curved trajectory and beheaded its head. Tang Xiu then pulled its corpse into the interspatial ring in the blink of an eye.


    ¡°Casualty report?!¡± asked Tang Xiu aloud as he dashed towards Hao Lei¡¯s team.


    ¡°18 seriously injured and some have lost their combat power, Sect Master,¡± replied Hao Lei in a shout. ¡°The rest can still fight, but their combat effectiveness is affected!¡±


    ¡°Obstruct those bird-species demonic beasts to buy me some time,¡± ordered Tang Xiu with a deep voice. ¡°I need to arrange the array here. Those beasts will cause great casualties if we can¡¯t trap them here. The defense line around the mountain range will be greatly impacted. It¡¯s possible that it can be breached, and thousands of demonic beasts could be unleashed on the outside world.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Hao Lei only replied curtly since the sesame-sized Golden Core in her Dantian had nearly absorbed all the True Essence inside her meridians, whereas the world energy from the surrounding was still rushing into her system and fusing into the Golden Core after the refinement.


    Tang Xiu discovered Hao Lei¡¯s condition at this moment. He didn¡¯t expect that Hao Lei, who normally didn¡¯t stand out, would be the first person to advance to the Golden Core Stage after Gu Xiaoxue, Gu Yin, Tang Guang, and Tang An. Although he knew that her cultivation speed was remarkably fast, breaking through at this time was, nonetheless, still too fast.


    ¡°Array¡­ form!¡±


    At this time, however, he didn¡¯t have the leisure to split his focus. He took out a jade stone from his interspatial ring while instantly unleashing his spiritual sense to cover an area of hundreds of meters. His figure then kept moving and quickly drew a large area of nearly a kilometer in diameter.


    Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!


    A piece of jade stone was thrown to its respective point. At the same time, he kept releasing his Primal Chaos Force and quickly drew the pattern of the array.


    Meanwhile, Mo Awu, Hao Lei, and more than 20 disciples of Tang Sect had all unleashed their immortal and magic swords to fight hundreds of bird-species demonic beasts. Due to the presence of two Golden Core demonic beasts and hundreds of others in the horde, they were quickly falling under pressure.


    However, since they also trained in sword formation with more than 20 people collaborating, they formed two sword arrays to fend off these bird-species demonic beasts, so none of them would die in a short time.


    Quick! Quick! Quick!


    The more critical the situation, the calmer Tang Xiu was. Racing against time made him fall into a particular state of calmness as he drew the array pattern.


    Time quickly passed by as he drew the cumbersome pattern. A few minutes after, the shadows of thousands of demonic beasts loomed on the distant peaks. Dozens of demonic beasts on par with experts at Golden Core Stage had especially crossed through the mountaintop and galloped down to the valley.


    Puff¡­


    A Tang Sect disciple was hit by a bird demonic beast. His chest was ripped, leaving a bleeding wound on it, while his body was thrown backward. His absence made a gap in the sword formation and two Foundation Establishment Stage demonic beast seized the chance to strike two more disciples and send them flying.


    ¡°Activate!¡±


    Finally, Tang Xiu activated the geomancy array that covered the area of nearly a kilometer in diameter. The array had both a trapping effect and fierce striking power. Tang Xiu was confident that they could keep harvesting demonic beasts¡¯ lives once a large number of them were lured into the formation.


    As he turned around and saw the Tang Sect disciples who were under the onslaught of hundreds of bird-species demonic beasts, he fiercely shouted an order, ¡°All of you, retreat and follow me into the array!¡±


    In a flash, ecstatic looks appeared on the faces of Tang Sect disciples who were struggling to fight back. The seriously injured disciples quickly fell back to Tang Xiu while more than 20 others who were fending off the demonic beasts dashed lightning-fast in the same direction.


    ¡°Enter the array!¡± shouted Tang Xiu.


    In just less than 10 seconds, tens of Tang Sect disciples had entered the array and quickly moved to positions in the formation under Tang Xiu¡¯s instructions.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    A group of bird demonic beasts quickly rushed into the range covered by the array. But right, after they entered the big array, they found that the world in front of them had suddenly changed with the overwhelming flames that covered the sky and shrouded over them.


    ROAAAR¡­


    GRUMBLE¡­


    HOU, HOU¡­


    Every bird demonic beast that entered the array was struck with maximum fear. The flame was dreadful to them, especially one with such high temperature that made them feel the threat of death. However, no matter how hard they tried to avoid it and spit out their demonic flame, they failed to extinguish these flames.


    A few of them that could devour, however, looked wild with joy and opened their beaks wide to swallow the flames, only to howl and wail a few seconds after. Their bodies combusted, leaving only their Demon Cores on the ground.


    ¡°True Flame; Thunderbolt; Lightning Grid; Hurricane!¡±


    Tang Xiu placed tens of Tang Sect disciples in a safe area and immediately controlled the array as he began attacking the hundreds of bird-species demonic beasts. Flames emerged out of thin air and burned demonic beasts, thunderclaps bolted down and made them dizzy, while lightning bolts burst into the grids, trapping these demonic beasts one after another, while the hurricane tore them apart and caused them to fall one after another.

 Chapter 1057 - Meat Shredder

    Chapter 1057: Meat Shredder


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    In the midst of manipulating the array, Tang Xiu carried out a killing frenzy towards the hundreds of bird-species demonic beast and shouted, ¡°Awu, distribute ten Holy Healing pills to everyone. All of you take a pill and be sure to restore some of your combat power within five minutes!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± Mo Awu replied and took out lots of Holy Healing pills from the interspatial ring. He had a lot of resources in stockpile due to being often following Tang Xiu. After handing over the pills to everyone, he looked up toward Tang Xiu and asked aloud, ¡°What are we going to do next, Sect Master?¡±


    ¡°Everyone, begin recuperating. You are to leave the array after five minutes towards the outside of the mountain range at your fastest speed!¡± replied Tang Xiu in a deep voice. ¡°DO NOT engage any demonic beasts you encounter on your way back. Just head to the camp as quickly as possible. Hao Lei, you¡¯re to stay here.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± replied Hao Lei respectfully.


    Her cultivation just broke through to the Golden Core Stage, making her very happy inside. She knew that she¡¯d be rewarded handsomely once she survived and left this mountain range since Sect Master Tang Xiu had promised that those who broke through to the Golden Core Stage would be rewarded with a lot of resources.


    After she took the Holy Healing pill, enormous energy from the medical efficacy began to restore her injuries, while a small portion of it was absorbed by her Golden Core. The sesame-sized core then doubled in size in just a short while and kept getting bigger at an extremely fast rate.


    By this crazy rate of absorption of the True Essence in my body and the world energy from the outside, the volume of my Golden Core should increase to the size of rice shortly. I can feel that I¡¯m at least four times stronger than before.


    Hao Lei contentedly looked up and asked Tang Xiu, ¡°Sect Master, would you like me to help you?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be needed for a while. But I want you to gather all the demonic beasts¡¯ corpses in two minutes. Also, remember not to miss any fallen Demon Cores. Awu, give an Invisibility Charm to Hao Lei. I remember you should have a few left,¡± replied Tang Xiu in a deep voice.


    Mo Awu complied and passed the charm to Hao Lei, saying, ¡°Restrain your aura after you wear it and activate it, so no humans nor demonic beasts can see you. But do remember to avoid the demonic beasts.¡±


    Hao Lei only heard the existence of this Invisible Charm before but never saw it, and thus became a bit excited at this moment as she nodded in response.


    Mo Awu himself looked at her with a complicated face. He could sense her current cultivation level from the leaking aura.


    Breaking through to Golden Core Stage was something he had been dreaming of. He was aware that he was lacking in talent for cultivation and thus dared not to relax in practice. Yet, Hao Lei had unexpectedly advanced to the Golden Core Stage and he lost the chance to snatch the first title for it. Much to his envy, Sect Master Tang Xiu now gave her some tasks due to her breakthrough¡ªthe tasks that used to be his before.


    I gotta practice and cultivate crazily! I must break through to the Golden Core Stage at the fastest speed. I don¡¯t care if I must pay a price for it. Only after I have advanced to the Golden Core Stage can I be qualified to be Sect Master¡¯s right-hand man again. Clenching his fists, Mo Awu vowed inwardly.


    While still operating the array, Tang Xiu kept observing the outside world. Of the thousands of demonic beasts running on the ground, tens of them could rival a demonic beast at Golden Core Stage, and they were less than 200 meters away from the array now. But hundreds of bird-species demonic beasts were now being slaughtered inside the formation despite their desperate struggling.


    ¡°Hao Lei, we can¡¯t wait for two minutes. Go collect those demonic beasts¡¯ corpses now!¡± shouted Tang Xiu.


    In a flash, under Tang Xi¡¯s instruction, Hao Lei quickly entered the area where the bird-species demonic beasts were being attacked. Shock was evident on her face when she saw the remaining 100-plus demonic beasts from the previous several hundred were struggling desperately to fend off various attacks.


    ¡°Hurry up!¡± shouted Tang Xiu.


    Suppressing the shock and dispersing the thoughts surging in her mind, Hao Lei quickly collected the demonic beasts¡¯ corpses and Demon Cores into the interspatial ring. Since there was no following order from Tang Xiu, she didn¡¯t rush to leave and just watched as the bird-like demonic beasts kept dying while keeping her speed in collecting their corpses.


    ¡°It¡¯s done!¡±


    Right at the moment tens of demonic beasts charged into the array, Tang Xiu looked at Hao Lei and shouted.


    Hao Lei herself also saw as tens of demonic beasts rushed inside all of sudden, and none of them had an aura weaker than hers. Such a discovery sent a chill down her back and she almost instantly bolted towards the safety zone.


    ¡°Awu, get ready to evacuate the rest in two minutes,¡± ordered Tang Xiu in a deep tone.


    The fella glanced at Hao Lei first before nodding. ¡°Understood!¡±


    Time flew by, and about less than 4,000 demonic beasts had all charged into the array. The biggest one who acted as their commander turned more enraged and frenzied after facing the various attacks from the array.


    ¡°Focus and centralize the attacks!¡±


    As it ordered with a roar, thousands of demonic beasts suddenly locked on an area over the sky and attacked that spot one after another. They literally unleashed everything, be it their demonic flame or other means, all using their full force.


    Tang Xiu, who was still controlling the array, suddenly shook and blood flew out from his seven orifices. He could even feel that his internals was as though burning.


    Goddammit! These demonic beasts truly know how to break through the line by brute force. To think that they also know to attack one spot at the same time. If they keep attacking like this, this array will only last for a few minutes more before they fully break it.


    As he thought about this point, Tang Xiu raised his hand to wipe off the blood on his face and shouted heavily, ¡°Awu, take everyone and evacuate immediately. There are too many demonic beasts here, and their striking power is beyond my calculations! Hurry up! Hao Lei, go and evacuate with them too. I¡¯ll catch up with you all later.¡±


    Mo Awu and Hao Lei exchanged glances and nodded at the same time, then simultaneously grabbed the comrades who had lost their combat power and were gravely injured. They quickly left the array under Tang Xiu¡¯s guidance. After finding a safe direction, all of them quickly bolted toward the mountain range.


    At the epicenter of the array, Tang Xiu stood with a face that was chilling to the extreme. He still didn¡¯t give up even though thousands of demonic beasts attacked the array at the same time and caused a big shock to him. But for each and every second, several demonic beasts were severely injured after getting struck by the array and many weaker ones were even killed directly.


    He persevered! Even just half a minute of insisting here would kill and reduce the number of demonic beasts, lessening the threat they would pose to humans in the future.


    Time passed by. The array now was as though it had become a meat grinder. Thousands of demonic beasts were shrieking, roaring, and yet still kept attacking. The more creaking and cracks appeared in the array, the heavier Tang Xiu¡¯s injuries became, until the jade set as its base finally shattered.


    ¡°Collect!¡±


    As his thought moved, Tang Xiu released his spiritual sense, plundering demonic beasts corpses and its Demon Cores and quickly collecting them into his interspatial ring. It only took him a few seconds to harvest hundreds of demonic beasts¡¯ corpses and their Demon Cores.


    There¡¯s only half a minute left.


    Based on his judgment, he would lose control of the array and could only hold on for half a minute before the remaining demonic beasts destroyed it. He no longer hesitated and bolted out of the array. His speed burst made him look like a lightning bolt zooming away.


    20 seconds later, he appeared several kilometers away. His figure had already escaped into a mountain crevice the moment the array shattered. He was as though smoke above the white snow as he trecked across the mountain crevice and quickly appeared at the end of another mountain.


    ¡°Awu, send me your coordinates.¡±


    Tang Xiu took out the communicator and quickly sent a message to Mo Awu. Quickly after, the latter replied.


    After heading to the precise coordinates sent by Mo Awu, he quickly caught up with them and gave a helping hand to heal the seriously wounded. Then, he said in a deep tone, ¡°We must race against time to leave the interior of this mountain range. We¡¯ll recuperate later after we are outside. Of those several thousands of demonic beasts, we killed at least 1,000 of them. I¡¯m not sure about their remaining numbers, but we¡¯ve done all we can here, so what happens next is up to fate. But be sure to get ready for action.¡±


    Tens of Tang Sect disciples were crystal clear about the meaning in Tang Xiu¡¯s words. However, all of them were shocked upon hearing the array was able to exterminate nearly 1,000 demonic beasts. The way they saw it, Tang Xiu was now completely different, for they were certainly aware of the power that could be unleashed by an array. It secretly made them decide to visit the Library Pavilion once they came back to Nine Dragons Island, so they could pick up array manuals and study them and strive to become array formation masters.


    Two hours later, Tang Xiu led tens of his men and finally came out of the mountain range, appearing near the blockade line. They encountered tens of demonic beasts on the way back, but all of them were personally killed by him.


    ****


    Ugley Town.


    Inside the olive-green military tent, Duanmu Lin was sitting cross-legged in recuperation. Just half an hour ago, hundreds of demonic beasts had attacked the western front, forcing him to lead his men in the defense. He suffered injuries as a result but routed the demonic beasts, consuming a lot of his energy.


    ¡°We got a new situation, Chief!¡±


    The member of the Special Abilities Bureau responsible for looking at the LCD monitor suddenly turned around and called out loudly.


    Duanmu Lin¡¯s eyes instantly opened and looked at him. He dashed towards the LCD screen, looked at it and asked quickly, ¡°What exactly is the situation?¡±


    While pointing to the surveillance screen, that agency member replied, ¡°The previous horde of demonic beasts was just spotted on the 42nd surveillance area, Chief. However, I found it very strange since some of them have been injured and their numbers seem to have been reduced compared to the previous statistic.¡±

 Chapter 1058 - Speculations

    Chapter 1058: Speculations


    Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales


    Eyes fixated on the surveillance screen, Duanmu Lin observed it for a while and found that the number of the horde had indeed reduced from the previous more 4,000 demonic beasts. Many of them had severe injuries and apparently had just gone through a battle.


    ¡°Count the number of demonic beasts on this surveillance screen immediately!¡±


    He had a vague guess in mind, yet his conjecture made him feel dread regardless. Therefore, he wasn¡¯t sure whether his guess was accurate.


    Quickly after, several members of the agency began to count the number of demonic beasts on the surveillance screen. After the calculations, they found the number to be more than 3,280.


    ¡°More than 900 of them are gone?¡±


    Duanmu Lin¡¯s expression turned unusually quaint, adding to his suspicion that his guess hit the mark. He grabbed a communicator to call Tang Xiu¡¯s, but then hesitated. He was afraid that Tang Xiu was in dire strait right now and his call would make things worse.


    Suddenly, that agency member frowned and muttered, ¡°Weird. The previous surveillance showed that there were hundreds of bird-species demonic beasts. But how come they suddenly disappeared? But now¡­ there are lots of feathers and blood¡­ on the ground?¡±


    Duanmu Lin¡¯s face shifted. His pupils suddenly contracted and a horrified look appeared on his face. He vaguely felt that something was amiss with the horde of demonic beasts shown on the screen. But he couldn¡¯t figure out what the problem was. After the reminder from this agency member, he instantly realized that the bird-species demonic beasts turned out to have disappeared.


    Could it be that¡­ all those bird-species demonic beasts had been killed?


    After standing dumbfounded for a long time, Duanmu Lin immediately turned around ran outside the tent, shouting, ¡°Follow me to the blockade line and wait for Tang Xiu to return!¡±


    ****


    At the blockade line.


    Hun Sen and Jiang Shuisheng led their people and watched the direction of the mountain range interior with experts from the Special Abilities Bureau. They had received a notice in advance that several thousands of demonic beasts had been gathering and were very likely to charge the defensive line. Hence, they dared not be negligent.


    ¡°Director Duanmu.¡±


    As the two men saw Duanmu Lin coming, they called the latter respectfully. They heard that Duanmu Lin went to the Western front previously and led the battle against several hundreds of demonic beasts, exterminating them completely. Yet, he was also injured in the process. After seeing a few wounds on his body, only then did they realize that the news was true.


    With burning eyes, Duanmu Lin asked in a deep voice, ¡°Has Tang Xiu¡¯s group come back yet?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Hun Sen shook his head.


    The answer made Duanmu Lin fall into silence for a moment. Then, he slowly said, ¡°If my guess is correct, Tang Xiu and his men should have done a big thing in the depths of the mountain range. I¡¯m not 100% sure what they did, so I need him to return to confirm.¡±


    ¡°Your conjecture? What is it, Director Duanmu?¡± asked Hun Sen curiously.


    ¡°The surveillance footage from the interior of mountain range shows that more than 4,100 demonic beasts were gathering. But after some time, their position changed since they were all chasing Tang Xiu. But not long after, their number sharply reduced, and only 3,200 remained. I suspect that nearly 1,000 demonic beasts must have been exterminated by Tang Xiu and his men.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡±


    ¡°What a big joke!¡±


    Hun Sen and Jiang Shuisheng blurted out at the same time with disbelief on their faces. A bit of disdain could also be seen in their eyes. They could kill more than 1,000 demonic beasts? Just when those demonic beasts turned into aged chickens that they could be killed so easily?


    At their response, Duanmu Lin forced a smile and said, ¡°I can¡¯t believe it either, but the footage has shown this. And after Tang Xiu was chased by those demonic beasts made me make this conjecture. After all, exterminating 1,000 demonic beasts where hundreds of them are bird-species is kind of unbelievable in and of itself.¡±


    ¡°Director Duanmu, I don¡¯t think you can resort to guesswork this time.¡± Hun Sen sneered. ¡°Even if Tang Xiu is a celestial being or something like an immortal, there¡¯s no way he can kill thousands of demonic beasts in such a short time. I know you highly value him, and I also think that he¡¯s very powerful. But it¡¯s better to abandon the idea of adding brilliance to him.¡±


    ¡°I think Hun Sen¡¯s argument is sound¡± Jiang Shuisheng approved. ¡°Tang Xiu does have some abilities since he¡¯s at the Golden Core Stage. But can he kill thousands of demonic beasts with his current cultivation level? That¡¯s simply impossible. Director Duanmu, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s wrong to value people highly, but there¡¯s no bottom line for delusions. It¡¯s just absurd.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Duanmu Lin opened his mouth but was at a loss of how to argue back. He could get where Hun Sen and Jiang Shuisheng came from, as it was also what he thought!


    Hun Sen shifted his focus to the interior of the mountain range again and said, ¡°Director Duanmu, you¡¯re the person who knows the clearest about those demonic beasts. Even if we all work together and can kill about 1,000 of them, I think you¡¯re also crystal clear of how big the price we must pay to achieve it. Most of Tang Xiu¡¯s men have returned and there are only 40 of them remaining in the depths of the mountains aside from Tang Xiu and Mo Awu¡¯s group. With such a small number of people, just to protect themselves from the thousands of demonic beasts is already a big issue, let alone killing demonic beasts. I just want to say that the 1,000 demonic beasts are probably heading somewhere else, or likely avoiding our surveillance before hitting our defensive line.¡±


    Duanmu Lin¡¯s heart tightened. He was exactly worrying that such a thing would happen. After all, the previous attacks from demonic beasts only numbered at most a few hundred beasts at one time. Fighting the tide of nearly 1,000 thousand demonic beasts would definitely pose a huge threat to them.


    Yet, one thing remained! What about Tang Xiu?


    Logically speaking, it had already been half a day, shouldn¡¯t he have returned by now?


    ¡°Tell everyone to prepare for the next battle. We¡¯ll wait here!¡± While praying secretly for Tang Xiu to safely escape from the pursuit of demonic beasts¡¯ horde, Duanmu Lin ordered. He knew that Tang Xiu was the spiritual pillar for his men. If something were to happen to him, it would seriously affect their performance in the following battles.


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Two figures flickered and moved lightning-fast from Ugley Town. In just a blink of an eye, they appeared in front of Duanmu Lin, Hun Sen, and Jiang Shuisheng.


    ¡°Jin Shi, Ye Shisan, how are your injuries recovering?¡± asked Duanmu Lin quickly upon seeing them.


    ¡°Thanks for the concern, Director Duanmu. Our injuries have mostly convalesced, and we can join the battle at any time,¡± replied Jin Shi.


    His answer made Duanmu Lin feel relieved. He nodded and said, ¡°Tang Xiu hasn¡¯t come back yet. There should be something that troubling him in the mountains. Just take your time to recuperate. You can enter the mountains to help them when you¡¯ve completely healed.¡±


    ¡°Negative.¡± Jin Shi shook his head and said, ¡°I just received a notice from Sect Master that they are coming out from the interior and should be arriving here soon. Director Duanmu, please rest assured. We believe in the abilities of our Sect Master.¡±


    His answer shocked Duanmu Lin, and he hurriedly asked, ¡°You mean Tang Xiu and the rest are out of danger and now are heading outside?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± Jin Shi nodded.


    ¡°Did Tang Xiu tell you what happened to the horde of demonic beasts?¡± asked Duanmu Lin hurriedly. ¡°Did he tell anything of how the horde indescribably lost nearly 1,000 demonic beasts? You know, in particular, there¡¯s nothing left from those bird-species ones.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Jin Shi shook his head and answered, ¡°The Sovereign just told me that many of our martial brothers and sisters have serious injuries and need to be treated promptly, hence why we came to meet them.¡±


    Having said that, he turned his head to look at the direction of Ugley. Tens of Tang Sect disciples who only had minor injuries and those that had almost fully recovered from their injuries were seen carrying stretchers and catching up fast.


    Duanmu Lin himself fell into contemplation for a while. Then, he resolutely said, ¡°Since Tang Xiu told you to fetch them up, then we shall head to the mountain range interior to meet them immediately! We can rescue them in time in case they encounter demonic beasts on the way here.¡±


    Jin Shi gave it a thought before nodding. ¡°Let¡¯s set off then!¡±


    After a few minutes and a few kilometers into the mountain range interior, they saw a group of humans who looked like they just crawled out of hell appear. Scarred and bleeding wounds decorated and blood dyed their bodies, while traces of blood that had just been wiped off could be seen near their seven orifices.


    Wretched and extremely miserable were the perfect words!


    Duanmu Lin, Hun Sen, Jiang Shuisheng, and the rest may have seen many tragic scenes, yet they were still shocked after seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s men¡¯s appearances. They simply couldn¡¯t imagine how terrible the battles Tang Xiu and his men had gone through in the depths of the mountains were.


    ¡°Tang Xiu¡­¡±


    Lips twitching, Duanmu Lin¡¯s words stopped in his throat. All he could do was raised his right hand and give a thumbs up to Tang Xiu and the tens of Tang Sect disciples.


    Tang Xiu himself just grinned in response. His injuries were anything but light. Especially the burning sensation he could feel from his internal organs that made it a bit difficult for him to breathe. Despite so, he still squeezed out a faint smile, shook his head and said, ¡°We¡¯re seriously injured and need prompt treatment, Senior Duanmu. But you can rest assured. The horde of demonic beasts shouldn¡¯t be charging out to attack us, at least for the time being, though I¡¯m not sure for how long. But it¡¯s best that everyone makes some preparations!¡±


    Duanmu Lin touched his chest, feeling his that breathing was much smoother. Then, he replied aloud, ¡°Hurry up and recuperate then, Tang Xiu. You can leave those demonic beasts to us. As long as we¡¯re alive, we won¡¯t let them disturb your recuperation in the camp. Everyone! Hurry up and tend to the gravely injured on the stretchers and immediately return to Ugley.¡±


    Quickly, more than ten gravely injured people were placed on the stretchers, while members of Tang Sect who were still able to move hurriedly followed the team.


    On the way back, Duanmu Lin¡¯s eyes lingered on Tang Xiu. After enduring for a minute or so, he was finally unable to bear his urge to ask, ¡°Tang Xiu, there¡¯s one thing I want to ask you, and I hope you can answer it seriously.¡±

 Chapter 1059 - Immersing In Cultivation

    Chapter 1059: Immersing In Cultivation


    Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales


    ¡°The surveillance footage in the camp showed that there were more than 4,100 demonic beasts gathering in the mountain range interior then, but there are only around 3,200 of them now. And in particular, those bird-species demonic beasts are all gone. Can you tell me what happened?¡±


    In an instant, Hun Sen and Jiang Shuisheng also pricked their ears with eyes fixated on Tang Xiu.


    ¡°They were all killed by us,¡± answered Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°But you see the price we paid.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Hun Sen greatly admired Tang Xiu, but he still voiced his disbelief aloud. ¡°That was nearly 1,000 demonic beasts, Tang Xiu, not 10 or 100! There are also more than 3,000 more of them there, ten times the number of your men. There¡¯s no way you can kill that many demonic beasts, no?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed impossible, and we wouldn¡¯t be that confident in killing so many demonic beasts if we resorted to normal means. Let alone killing them, protecting ourselves would¡¯ve been a tall order,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a red face. ¡°However, I arranged an array and used its might to attack them and thus, was able to do so.¡±


    ¡°You got any proof?¡± asked Hun Sen in a deep voice.


    ¡°All the remains of the demonic beasts are in my interspatial ring.¡± Tang Xiu lightly smiled and said, ¡°Senior Hun Sen, you should know about interspatial rings, shouldn¡¯t you? It¡¯s like storage prop, a unique magical treasure for us, cultivators.¡±


    Hun Sen¡¯s pupils contracted, incredulity overflowing from his eyes. He never dreamed that Tang Xiu had a storage magical tool like an interspatial ring. Neither did it occur to him that they not only killed nearly 1,000 demonic beasts but also brought back their remains.


    How¡­ on Earth did he do that?


    It was something he couldn¡¯t believe, but Tang Xiu gave him the proof with the demonic beasts¡¯ remains, so he had no choice but to believe it. He knew that it was impossible for Tang Xiu to lie about it with such proof.


    Great shock also filled Duanmu Lin¡¯s heart. He observed Tang Xiu¡¯s tranquil expression but didn¡¯t know what he should say. Only tens of people resorting to a geomancy array, yet they were actually able to kill nearly 1,000 demonic beasts. Wasn¡¯t such a terrifying result too heaven-defying?


    In that instant, Duanmu Lin seemed to realize something. His eyes lit up and his pace came to an abrupt stop.


    ¡°What happened, Senior Duanmu?¡± Tang Xiu stopped his pace, turned his head and asked in surprise.


    Staring at Tang Xiu, Duanmu Lin asked while underlining every word he said, ¡°Tang Xiu. If we are to ask you to arrange a geomancy array to surround the Himalayas, are you confident we can stop those demonic beasts?¡±


    At his question, Tang Xiu nodded and answered, ¡°I¡¯m confident it can be done. But the materials needed to arrange the array will be enormous. Especially the array, it must cover a long distance. The scope will vast. Hence, the number of materials needed will be terrifyingly huge.¡±


    An exciting look covered Duanmu Lin¡¯s face as he asked aloud, ¡°I can get them for you, no matter how much you need. Just tell me, what materials are needed?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll write you a list of the materials needed when we return to the encampment later,¡± Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    ¡°Great! Hahaha¡­¡± Duanmu Lin laughed and contentedly said, ¡°I just knew it that I¡¯d still need to rely on you to fend off those demonic beasts. You know, you have given me tons of surprise.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s overpraising, Senior Duanmu,¡± said Tang Xiu humbly. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the many friends from the cultivation world who also acted in this effort, the demonic beasts would have brought havoc and disaster to the outside world already. The merits belong to everybody.¡±


    Duanmu Lin smiled and nodded while watching Tang Xiu¡¯s face with appreciation.


    At this time, the way Hun Sen and Jiang Shuisheng looked at Tang Xiu was completely different from before. The two men previously thought that Tang Xiu was just a young man who didn¡¯t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth, only relying on his small achievement in cultivation, yet being conceited due to that. But after getting along for a short while, only then did they find how off the mark their thoughts were. Tang Xiu not only had formidable strength and numerous means but also possessed a steady mind and mature character. He didn¡¯t fall into arrogance and was still modest even though he had made a great contribution.


    Pacing a step forward, Hun Sen apologetically said, ¡°Tang Xiu, I have to apologize for my previous attitude towards you. Further, I shouldn¡¯t have questioned your ability, nor did I vilify you to be conceited. I hope you can forgive me for that. There are only a few people I admire in this world, but you¡¯re definitely one of them.¡±


    Jiang Shuisheng echoed and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯m already an old man, Tang Xiu. But I find myself inferior to you in a lot of things. I hope you don¡¯t mind my attitude for judging you by your appearance before.¡±


    Tang Xiu waved and smilingly said, ¡°Gentlemen, you both can be called as seniors in the cultivation world, but you two bravely stand up when the country is in crisis. That¡¯s already worthy of admiration in and of itself to me, so I don¡¯t, and can¡¯t, blame you for that. Besides, our next priority is to stop the attack of those demonic beasts. We must go all out to hunt and exterminate all the demonic beasts on Earth, to begin with. That¡¯s why we¡¯ll need to cooperate well and fight side by side.¡±


    Hun Sen and Jiang Shuisheng exchanged glances, not expecting that Tang Xiu would be so broadminded. He didn¡¯t seem to mind the slander they hurled at him before.


    What an outstanding character!


    The two men finally gave such a high evaluation in their hearts.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu and the rest returned to the encampment. All the gravely wounded went into recuperation, while Tang Xiu quickly listed the materials needed to arrange the array and gave it to Duanmu Lin. After which, he immediately began to heal himself.


    His injuries were anything but light. Being attacked by thousands of demonic beasts, even though the power that transmitted was to him through the array was just one-tenth of their original might, it was still unusually terrifying when added up. Fortunately, he was cultivating the top cultivation art from the Demon Realm¡ªthe Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis, which focused on physique tempering. Had it been an ordinary cultivator, even if they had broken through to the Nascent Soul Stage, they would¡¯ve been killed by such a huge impact.


    Each of the three big stages was a level themselves. And the second big stage of the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis was the Stars Heavenly Essence, which was also split into nine layers.


    Tang Xiu had just advanced to this big stage, making his strength extremely formidable. The second big stage not only tempered his physique but also enabled him to unleash the power in his Dantian to the outside world, to go straight to the sky and echo with the stars in the universe, thus enabling supernatural abilities based on astral power.


    However, due to some fated encounter in the process of his cultivation, it caused Tang Xiu to form a universe in his Dantian while he was still at the first big stage¡ªthe Stars Tyrannical Body. Although the planets were still tiny, it was very beneficial to Tang Xiu since it helped him to connect to the stars in the universe, resulting in a hundredfold increase in his cultivation speed.


    I¡¯ve consumed too much Primal Chaos Force. My spiritual sense is heavily damaged and got me quite severe internal injuries.


    Tang Xiu, who was sitting cross-legged in a military tent, quickly checked his body. A forced smile was cast on his handsome face. He knew how bad the current condition of his body was. But it turned out that it was worse than he previously thought after careful inspection.


    After stuffing the Holy Healing pill into his mouth, Tang Xiu grabbed two Demon Cores. He slowly closed his eyes and began to absorb and refine the slowly while healing himself so as to supplement his Primal Chaos Force and mental power.


    After two hours passed by, he slowly opened his eyes and felt satisfied. The effect of the Holy Healing pill was remarkable. His internal injuries had been mostly healed and he had recovered the consumed Primal Chaos Force and mental power as well. Although he had yet to restore to his peak power, it would no longer affect his body.


    Ever since I¡¯ve broken through to the second stage, the Stars Heavenly Essence, I haven¡¯t tried to communicate with the hundreds of millions of stars in the universe, neither have I absorbed stars power into the planets in my Dantian. Most importantly, I never tried to activate any astral-based divine abilities. I used to think that it was not yet the time, so I haven¡¯t done it. But I can no longer delay it since humanity is now facing a crisis.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and instantly released the Primal Chaos power in his body to the outside world. As the energy instantly streaked up into the sky, his spiritual sense also followed along the Primal Chaos to the vault of heaven. A sense of wonder filled his heart the moment after. The distance his spiritual sense could reach was previously just several hundred meters, but after fusing it with his Primal Chaos power, it now was able to reach thousands of miles and kept rising.


    Universe; stars and their powers!


    Tang Xiu¡¯s spiritual sense fused into his Primal Chaos power into the stars above. At the same time, he was able to feel the power of thousands of stars.


    Even the dead stars still have energy within.


    It turns out that no matter the lifeform, be it alive or dead, all have energy. Only the essence of their energy is different. The dead stars, likewise, also possess energy, and they are still useful to me. It seems that the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis is very abstruse and magical. It can actually tolerate and contain all kinds of energy and finally transform them into my own strength.


    Tang Xiu silently contemplated and secretly rejoiced that he had obtained such a mysterious cultivation art. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve barely been able to step into the cultivation path on Earth with his previous cultivation technique. Even if he was able to, his cultivation speed wouldn¡¯t be so fast, and it would¡¯ve been impossible to integrate his spiritual sense with the universe, observing how the cosmos worked and operated, nor absorbing such astral powers.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu¡¯s expression shifted and his body slightly shivered.


    His spiritual sense that was wandering in the boundless universe and constantly in contact with the stars gave him a shock since he discovered there was still a living planet in the remote part of the universe.


    That¡¯s right. He could feel the star soul of that planet. It had an extremely tenacious life force and kept absorbing energy from the universe to keep itself alive. The surface of the planet itself had sources of water, flame, and even thin oxygen in its atmosphere.


    However, after he observed it more carefully, he judged that the concentration of oxygen was very low, while there was also a very rich particular gas there. The lifeforms on this planet were absorbing this special gas to guarantee their reproduction and survival.


    It¡¯s very far away but can still be reached, regardless.


    The discovery made him recall the remains of three-star vestige in the deep sea. If he could repair that interstellar battleship, he could ride it to traverse the universe and visit that planet with lifeforms.

 Chapter 1060 - Genuinely Powerful

    Chapter 1060: Genuinely Powerful


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    ¡®Absorb!¡¯


    Tang Xiu attempted to ingest the special energy gas. To his surprise, that particular gas was very easy to absorb. It was a hundred times easier than absorbing the energy of other dead stars. This special energy gas was like a flood that passed across the universe to quickly pierce the Earth¡¯s atmosphere and finally entered his body.


    Bang¡­


    Tang Xiu¡¯s body trembled. An enormous aura surged and spread in all directions, shocking everyone else in the encampment area. A look of fear was evident on the faces of cultivators and army soldiers as the huge aura suppressed every one of them, causing them to run away.


    In just a minute, there was nobody left in a 2km radius. Everyone was 2km away and focused their eyes on Tang Xiu¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± asked Duanmu Lin aloud with a shocked face.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Several figures quickly appeared in front of him. The one in front, Mo Awu, said in a deep voice, ¡°Director Duanmu, we¡¯ve looked into it. Our Sect Master hasn¡¯t come out, so if my guess is correct, this huge aura should be caused by our Sovereign.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu?¡± Duanmu Lin gasped before slowly nodding. ¡°I should¡¯ve known. Only Tang Xiu can cause such a big ruckus. Anyway, what¡¯s he doing? Why did he leak out such an enormous aura?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea, either.¡± Mo Awu shook his head and said, ¡°But everything the Sovereign does has always been beyond anyone¡¯s imagination. Director Duanmu, given the increasingly stronger aura leaking out from our Sect Master, this means that his condition is excellent. However, you need to rearrange everything here because I don¡¯t know when Sect Master will finish and when this aura will disappear.¡±


    ¡°No worries! I¡¯ll arrange it.¡± Duanmu Lin heavily nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s definitely a good thing if Tang Xiu can make a breakthrough.¡±


    Not far away from them, Hun Sen and Jiang Shuisheng both looked shocked as they talked¡ª


    ¡°I¡¯ve observed things here. Except for Tang Xiu, nobody else has come out of the camp. It seems that the person who released such a fearsome aura is none but him.¡±


    ¡°I noticed that, too. That Tang Xiu¡­ to what extent does his strength has reached? Although I haven¡¯t met any expert at the Nascent Soul Stage, I think there are no powerhouses at Nascent Soul Stage who can release such a fearsome aura, right?¡±


    ¡°It should be! But the more powerful he is, the less dangerous the crisis we¡¯re about to face. I¡¯m even hoping that he can get stronger soon.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡±


    The two men looked in the direction of the camp. It was a look full of respect. The strong would indeed always be respected regardless of era and environment.


    Time fleeted by.


    Tang Xiu was unaware of the situation he just created due to him absorbing the energy from a living planet. But due to him constantly absorbing the energy of the stars in the starry sky, a star in the universe formed inside his body gradually became brighter and now looked like living fireflies.


    A particularly bigger planet that kept growing was especially expanding at an extremely fast rate after being infused with the astral power. He even noticed its size increase at every minute and second.


    Half an hour later.


    Deep in the interior of the Himalayas, a demonic beast the size of a two-story building silently appeared near the blockade line. In that instant, the faces of hundreds of cultivators defending there drastically changed. The terrifying demonic beast, however, just stopped there and cast a solemn look toward Ugley Town.


    It could also sense a fearsome aura increasing. This particular aura was even much stronger than the aura released by its leader.


    ¡®Doesn¡¯t matter. Nothing can stop the march of the Bloodfiend Monarch. He¡¯ll soon wake up and doom this planet. That damned Skypillar Sacred Demon. If it wasn¡¯t for your relentless pursuit, my King wouldn¡¯t have been that desperate to escape, fall into the space crevice and be exiled to this wretched place.¡¯


    ¡®We¡¯ve long been trapped here. Far too long. This wretched place is even worse than the Immortal World¡¯s environment. For hundreds of thousands of years, this damn World Array is even making our life so hard and even weakening our power to the limit.¡¯


    ¡®We¡¯ll kill and exterminate all walks of life of this place to begin our path of return to reenter the Demon Realm. And you, Skypillar Sacred Demon, you will pay the price for offending my King!¡¯


    The terrifying demonic beast looked up to the sky and roared. It then fiercely stomped its feet, sending tremors to the world. All the cultivators at the defensive line, especially the weak ones, were shaken as the roar shook their life force. Blood flowed from their seven orifices as they were nearly killed by the shockwave.


    The instant after, the terrifying demonic beast left, flying back to the depths of the Himalayas.


    At Ugley Town.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face, who was still in the military tent, suddenly changed slightly. As he opened his eyes, he fully disconnected his power to communicate with the stars in the universe. His figure flickered and disappeared from the tent. His hazy figure that was blurred to the naked eyes then appeared outside the blockade line, garnering the attention of the cultivators¡¯ eyes at the ready.


    ¡®What a fast speed!!!¡¯


    The faces of tens of cultivators there greatly changed. They were immediately shocked upon seeing that it was Tang Xiu. Although they had seen him and his men coming out from the interior of the mountain range, however, they didn¡¯t know the great achievements Tang Xiu had performed.


    Yet, after they sobered up, they also looked surprised and a bit joyful. That fearsome demonic beast just now brought them a deep threat of death, making them feel like their hearts fell into a glacier. Seeing how powerful Tang Xiu was just like giving them a tranquilizer agent that made them feel relieved.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes were so bright and sharp. With hands crossed behind his back, he cast a deep gaze into the mountain range interior. Although he didn¡¯t see that horrifying demonic beast¡¯s form, the savage, violent aura it leaked out give him a shock regardless. He could sense that the strength of this demonic beast was at least at the late-stage of Nascent Soul.


    Late-stage of Nascent Soul! Even if his strength had advanced by leaps and bounds after communicating with the heavenly bodies in the universe and absorbing a huge amount of astral power, he could tell that he wasn¡¯t a match for this demonic beast.


    ¡®Unless either Yan¡¯er, Ji Chimei, or Star Devourer Insect to take action, I¡¯m afraid that fearsome demonic beast can only be killed by the joint forces of Xue Yu and I. Xue Yu has obtained an inheritance that propelled her cultivation power to the Spirit Formation Stage, but I don¡¯t know how much power she can unleash after undergoing Yan¡¯er¡¯s training.¡¯


    Tang Xiu contemplated in silence for a while. Then, he took out his communicator to dial Xue Yu¡¯s cell number. However, he furrowed his brows since he only received a notification that the number couldn¡¯t be reached temporarily.


    Then, Tang Xiu dialed Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s number. After his call was connected, he spoke, ¡°Hello, Xiaoxue?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me, Grand Master,¡± replied Gu Xiaoxue with a respectful voice. ¡°Do you need anything from me?¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Xue Yu now?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°She has been in closed-door cultivation with Master for a long time and hasn¡¯t come out,¡± said Gu Xiaoxue. ¡°She should still be in the exquisite pagoda, I think.¡±


    ¡°Go there and ask how it¡¯s going with her seclusion progress.¡± Tang Xiu ordered. ¡°If it¡¯s okay, tell her to call me back.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Tang Xiu hung up and put the phone away. He then turned his head to look at the cultivators who rushed over. Finally, his eyes landed on Duanmu Lin.


    ¡°Senior Duanmu.¡± Tang Xiu greeted and nodded with a smile.


    Duanmu Lin looked at him like he was looking at a monster. He even circled around Tang Xiu a few times under everyone¡¯s watchful eyes before probing. ¡°Tang Xiu, what exactly is your current cultivation level after the breakthrough? Did you just advance to the Nascent Soul Stage?¡±


    Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t I already tell you that I practice a different cultivation art from that of common cultivators? I told you I can¡¯t even form a Nascent Soul and whatnot. But if I have to fight those at Nascent Soul Stage, I¡¯m confident that I won¡¯t be defeated. But what I¡¯m talking about is those at the early-stage of Nascent Soul. I¡¯m still no match to those at the late-stage, though.¡±


    He was covering up the truth! It was something he had decided because he needed all the remains of demonic beasts. Precisely¡­ the Demon Cores in their bodies!


    Upon hearing his reply, Duanmu Lin didn¡¯t doubt Tang Xiu¡¯s statement at all. He instead looked pleasantly surprised as he nodded heavily with praise. ¡°I heard your disciples have innate gifts and unusual aptitude for cultivation, Tang Xiu. Now it seems that you have some unusual gifts and talent yourself since you can make such a big breakthrough in just a short time. Well, it¡¯s not like I can take back my words, either. No worries! A promise is a promise. I¡¯ve talked with the other cultivators, so you can have all the remains of demonic beasts. I¡¯ve sent people to send the demonic beasts¡¯ corpses to where your men are stationed.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face shifted and he curiously asked, ¡°Mind telling me how many of them are there?¡±


    ¡°Well, Aquababe already made the count. The total number is 645,¡± said Duanmu Lin smilingly. ¡°But that¡¯s outside the number of demonic beasts you and your men killed, of course.¡±


    ¡®645?¡¯


    Tang Xiu became excited inwardly. These demonic beasts were treasures to him. Like, literally. Be it the materials from their bodies or their Demon Cores, they were all greatly beneficial to him.


    Duanmu Lin suddenly set his gaze on the mountain range and curiously asked, ¡°All of us just sensed a huge, horrible aura coming from the interior of the mountain range. It was ¡®that thing¡¯, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s the super demonic beast.¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s expression turned solemn. ¡°It¡¯s very powerful, much stronger than all the demonic beasts we¡¯ve encountered previously.¡±


    After hearing his confirmation, Duanmu Lin¡¯s face turned extremely ugly. Then, he quickly asked, ¡°How powerful is it, exactly? You said you can fight those at the early-stage of Nascent Soul, do you have the confidence to kill it?¡±


    ¡°No. It has power on par with experts at the late-stage of Nascent Soul.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and explained, ¡°I think it can also match experts at the early-stage of Spirit Formation as well. I¡¯m not its match with my current power, let alone kill it. But still, I don¡¯t get something here. It has terrifying power, but why hasn¡¯t it led all the demonic beasts to attack us?¡±


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    Chapter 1061: An Extravagant Action


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    At Tang Xiu¡¯s words, Duanmu Lin¡¯s heart sunk and his expression turned ugly. After some time, he murmured, ¡°Then, what should I do now? If that horrifying demonic beast were to lead the rest of demonic beasts to attack our defensive line, there¡¯s no way we could fend them off. If my estimation is correct, the number of demonic beasts in the Himalayas is definitely not as simple as tens of thousands. The number is likely much more than that.¡±


    ¡°I think you have a correct estimation.¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, ¡°The number of demonic beasts in this mountain range is definitely over tens of thousands. The Himalayas is too vast, and there must be a lot of demonic beasts in its depths we have no means to investigate. What is certain is that their number should be far more than 10,000.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any good ideas, then?¡± asked Duanmu Lin. ¡°Can the array you arranged withstand that horrifying demonic beast?¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded. But then he shook his head and forced a smile. ¡°The array I arrange can kill that fearsome demonic beast, and I¡¯m sure I can trap it and kill it inside if I control the array. But then again, there are too demonic beasts. The rest of them may not be that powerful, but if they and that particularly terrifying demonic beast were to team up, they could easily break the array.¡±


    Prior to this, Duanmu Lin also pinned his hopes on the geomancy array Tang Xiu was about to arrange. But now, when he heard Tang Xiu¡¯s explanation, a deep sense of powerlessness engulfed him.


    In case the array couldn¡¯t fend off those demonic beasts, what could he and the others do? Was there no other choice for him and the others but to come out and fight those demonic beasts head-on? With so many demonic beasts, the gap between the number of cultivators compared to the number of demonic beasts was too big. It was impossible to stop them!


    After staying silent for a while, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Senior Duanmu, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll need to mobilize all the cultivators in the country. We cannot hide this issue anymore. If you can, I hope you can invite some cultivators overseas to return to China to help us. To the best of my knowledge, there are cultivators of some Taoist schools who migrated overseas many years ago. If you can secure their help, it¡¯s likely that we can defend against the demonic beasts much easier.¡±


    ¡®Foreign cultivators?¡¯


    Duanmu Lin let out a bitter smile and shook his head. ¡°First of all, I know nothing about any of those monastic sects in foreign countries. Even if I did, they may not come back to help us. Tang Xiu, there are some things you don¡¯t know. After the founding of China, the country exterminated some of the cultivator forces. I¡¯m afraid those cultivator schools who have left our country just don¡¯t like us anymore. Certainly, many of those purged cultivator forces were evil. Their actions then incited public wrath with their evil deeds, which was the very reason they had been targeted by the state.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°As far as I know, there¡¯s a Taoist monastic sect out of this case. The elders of this sect found a heavenly blessed land overseas. That place is suited for their cultivation, so they migrated there. They are not against our country and are also good people, I think.¡±


    ¡°Which sect are you talking about?¡± asked Duanmu Lin quickly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about the others. I only know one.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Also, didn¡¯t you say there are still many hidden cultivation forces in China? We¡¯re now facing a crisis, so it¡¯s best to invite them all. The more powerful people we have, the better. Otherwise, not only will we get killed in case of a major crisis, but our country and its people will also plunge into misery and extinction.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯re responsible for inviting the cultivators of that sect, Tang Xiu,¡± said Duanmu Lin. ¡°See if they can return to China and help us. And I¡¯ll contact other cultivators and try to get them to help.¡±


    ¡°Roger that!¡± replied Tang Xiu. After saying that, he returned to their camp with Mo Awu and the rest.


    In the military tent, Tang Xiu took the Communication Signet from Daoist Zixuan. After contemplating for a moment, he then immediately activated it. He himself didn¡¯t hold many hopes, but shortly after, a message was transmitted from the Communication Signet from the other side of the Earth and appeared in front of Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, we¡¯ve long been waiting on an empty island near your Nine Dragons Island. Since you¡¯ve changed the trading location to the vicinity of the Himalayas in China, we¡¯ll immediately catch up with you there. Don¡¯t worry about the crisis there. We¡¯ll aid you in fighting the enemies. Our sense of honor and duty does not allow us to neglect it.¡±


    A satisfied look was cast on Tang Xiu¡¯s handsome face. He secretly nodded and his impression toward the Whole Unitary Sect turned much better. At the very least, their willingness to return to China and help the country face those demonic beasts was very noble.


    Quickly after, Tang Xiu no longer bothered himself with Daoist Zixuan and her Whole Unitary Sect. He fully devoted himself to his cultivation. His injury was recovering quickly and his strength was in constant improvement. After he communicated with the stars in the universe once again, he absorbed more and more astral power, so that the first planet in the universe formed in his Dantian immediately increased in size, about tens of meters in diameter. A strong life force and boundless energy could also be felt exuding from it.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this at least five times stronger than before?!¡¯


    Two days later, Tang Xiu floated up and felt the huge force residing in his body. A satisfied smile appeared on his face. Prior to this, he could only fight that particularly fearsome demonic beast if he were to unleash various magical abilities, but now he was confident that he could defeat it with his own strength.


    ¡°I can easily kill demonic beasts at the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core stages if I encounter them now.¡±


    Shortly after, he came out of the military tent with a happy smile. Just as his eyes swept toward the surroundings, however, the smile on his face receded, because 200 or so Tang Sect disciples cast their eyes on him with respectful faces and full of spirit.


    ¡°Your injuries healed already?¡± asked Tang Xiu after glancing at them.


    Mo Awu glanced at Hao Lei and quickly went toward Tang Xiu. Then, he respectfully reported. ¡°Our injuries have all convalesced, Sect Master. We can join the battle at any time, and everyone is waiting for you to finish your cultivation and bestow us cultivation resources.¡±


    His report made Tang Xiu grinningly smile. ¡°Well, well. No wonder you¡¯re all waiting here, huh? It turns out that your heads are all full of cultivation resources! Alright, take out the demonic beasts you¡¯ve hunted. I¡¯ll count them and reward you with cultivation resources.¡±


    ¡°As you will it!¡±


    A look of joy could be seen on Mo Awu¡¯s face. After complying, he quickly took out demonic beasts¡¯ remains from his interspatial ring. He was not the only one to do that, but also Jin Shi and Hao Lei. In but an instant, the place was full of demonic beasts¡¯ dead bodies.


    ¡°You guys are very good!¡± Tang Xiu spoke with satisfaction. ¡°All of them added up, you¡¯ve killed more than 300 demonic beasts. Awu, start distributing cultivation resources now! Give them to the team captains and let them distribute the rewards according to their merits. Do remember, you don¡¯t need to be stingy on the rewards, be it the pills, weapons, or various talismans. As I told you before, you can get handsome rewards as long as you score achievements in this battle. At least, you won¡¯t be short of resources in the following battles.¡±


    Finally, Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes landed on Hao Lei and he smilingly said, ¡°As of now, besides Gu Xiaoxue, Gu Yin, Tang Guang, and Tang An, Hao Lei is the first to become a Golden Core Stage expert among you all. With this, she has earned my admiration because her aptitude is not ranked the best among you all, and yet her cultivation speed is the fastest. Therefore, you deserve to have these.¡±


    Tang Xiu then took out two jade bottles from his interspatial ring and threw them to Hao Lei. Then, he continued, ¡°As promised, these are the rewards I promised. I¡¯ve added some more for you in the hope that you can make persistent efforts so as to break through to the mid-stage of Golden Core earlier. I also hope that you can advance to the Nascent Soul Stage earlier later on.¡±


    Hao Lei received the two jade bottles. After opening and observing it, a look of surprise suddenly appeared on her face. But as she was about to speak, Tang Xiu threw her an interspatial ring, indicating that this ring was also a reward for her, so she could store her personal belongings inside.


    ¡°Thank you, Sect Master!¡±


    Hao Lei was completely overjoyed. Tang Xiu¡¯s reward was truly rich. Especially this interspatial ring, which was something she really wanted.


    Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me. You deserve them. I already told you all that outstanding disciples of the Tang Sect can get a lot of resources. Those who have outstanding results will also earn themselves more and thus, will achieve greater achievements in the future. I want you all to compete with your peers. The more you compete, the more pressure you¡¯ll face. Only by facing more pressure can you have more motivation. All I need is the elite of the elites, I don¡¯t need any trash around me.¡±


    At this moment, all the Tang Sect disciples looked more resolute and determined to fight for victory. They all gripped their fists tightly, and frantic looks could be seen glittering in their eyes.


    Cultivate and become stronger!


    Only by becoming the most outstanding disciple of the sect would they be able to have more resources for cultivation later, and only then would they be able to achieve greater achievements in the future.


    Cultivation had become the common goal of Tang Xiu and the 200-odd disciples of the Tang Sect. It was also imperative for them to improve their strength as much as possible before the final crisis arrived.


    When Tang Xiu returned to the tent, he directly took out a large number of Demon Cores. Due to his advancement in his cultivation level, the amount of demonic power essence he could absorb was ten times faster than before. Further, he also used these Demon Cores to arrange a Spiritual Energy Gathering Array and used 108 Demon Cores at one time.


    That was a luxury and very extravagant in and of itself. Such a level of consumption was something he never dared to try prior to this. But now, he was filthy rich and had no less than 2,000 Demon Cores in hand. He didn¡¯t hesitate to expend them as long as it could rapidly enhance his cultivation.


    ¡°What rich spiritual energy of the world!¡±


    ¡°How come the density of spiritual energy here increased so much?¡±


    ¡°This is so strange.¡±


    All the disciples of the Tang Sect in the surrounding tents looked astonished. When they came out of their respective tents, they suddenly discovered that the world¡¯s spiritual energy was coming from all directions, rushing into Tang Xiu¡¯s tent just like tidal waves. In but a flash, they realized that it was due to the action of their Sect Master.


    ¡°This is an opportunity! Cultivating in this spiritual energy-rich environment will speed up my practice several times!¡±


    A Tang Sect disciple muttered to himself with a pensive look.

 Chapter 1061 - An Extravagant Action

    Chapter 1061: An Extravagant Action


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    At Tang Xiu¡¯s words, Duanmu Lin¡¯s heart sunk and his expression turned ugly. After some time, he murmured, ¡°Then, what should I do now? If that horrifying demonic beast were to lead the rest of demonic beasts to attack our defensive line, there¡¯s no way we could fend them off. If my estimation is correct, the number of demonic beasts in the Himalayas is definitely not as simple as tens of thousands. The number is likely much more than that.¡±


    ¡°I think you have a correct estimation.¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, ¡°The number of demonic beasts in this mountain range is definitely over tens of thousands. The Himalayas is too vast, and there must be a lot of demonic beasts in its depths we have no means to investigate. What is certain is that their number should be far more than 10,000.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any good ideas, then?¡± asked Duanmu Lin. ¡°Can the array you arranged withstand that horrifying demonic beast?¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded. But then he shook his head and forced a smile. ¡°The array I arrange can kill that fearsome demonic beast, and I¡¯m sure I can trap it and kill it inside if I control the array. But then again, there are too demonic beasts. The rest of them may not be that powerful, but if they and that particularly terrifying demonic beast were to team up, they could easily break the array.¡±


    Prior to this, Duanmu Lin also pinned his hopes on the geomancy array Tang Xiu was about to arrange. But now, when he heard Tang Xiu¡¯s explanation, a deep sense of powerlessness engulfed him.


    In case the array couldn¡¯t fend off those demonic beasts, what could he and the others do? Was there no other choice for him and the others but to come out and fight those demonic beasts head-on? With so many demonic beasts, the gap between the number of cultivators compared to the number of demonic beasts was too big. It was impossible to stop them!


    After staying silent for a while, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Senior Duanmu, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll need to mobilize all the cultivators in the country. We cannot hide this issue anymore. If you can, I hope you can invite some cultivators overseas to return to China to help us. To the best of my knowledge, there are cultivators of some Taoist schools who migrated overseas many years ago. If you can secure their help, it¡¯s likely that we can defend against the demonic beasts much easier.¡±


    ¡®Foreign cultivators?¡¯


    Duanmu Lin let out a bitter smile and shook his head. ¡°First of all, I know nothing about any of those monastic sects in foreign countries. Even if I did, they may not come back to help us. Tang Xiu, there are some things you don¡¯t know. After the founding of China, the country exterminated some of the cultivator forces. I¡¯m afraid those cultivator schools who have left our country just don¡¯t like us anymore. Certainly, many of those purged cultivator forces were evil. Their actions then incited public wrath with their evil deeds, which was the very reason they had been targeted by the state.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°As far as I know, there¡¯s a Taoist monastic sect out of this case. The elders of this sect found a heavenly blessed land overseas. That place is suited for their cultivation, so they migrated there. They are not against our country and are also good people, I think.¡±


    ¡°Which sect are you talking about?¡± asked Duanmu Lin quickly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about the others. I only know one.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Also, didn¡¯t you say there are still many hidden cultivation forces in China? We¡¯re now facing a crisis, so it¡¯s best to invite them all. The more powerful people we have, the better. Otherwise, not only will we get killed in case of a major crisis, but our country and its people will also plunge into misery and extinction.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯re responsible for inviting the cultivators of that sect, Tang Xiu,¡± said Duanmu Lin. ¡°See if they can return to China and help us. And I¡¯ll contact other cultivators and try to get them to help.¡±


    ¡°Roger that!¡± replied Tang Xiu. After saying that, he returned to their camp with Mo Awu and the rest.


    In the military tent, Tang Xiu took the Communication Signet from Daoist Zixuan. After contemplating for a moment, he then immediately activated it. He himself didn¡¯t hold many hopes, but shortly after, a message was transmitted from the Communication Signet from the other side of the Earth and appeared in front of Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, we¡¯ve long been waiting on an empty island near your Nine Dragons Island. Since you¡¯ve changed the trading location to the vicinity of the Himalayas in China, we¡¯ll immediately catch up with you there. Don¡¯t worry about the crisis there. We¡¯ll aid you in fighting the enemies. Our sense of honor and duty does not allow us to neglect it.¡±


    A satisfied look was cast on Tang Xiu¡¯s handsome face. He secretly nodded and his impression toward the Whole Unitary Sect turned much better. At the very least, their willingness to return to China and help the country face those demonic beasts was very noble.


    Quickly after, Tang Xiu no longer bothered himself with Daoist Zixuan and her Whole Unitary Sect. He fully devoted himself to his cultivation. His injury was recovering quickly and his strength was in constant improvement. After he communicated with the stars in the universe once again, he absorbed more and more astral power, so that the first planet in the universe formed in his Dantian immediately increased in size, about tens of meters in diameter. A strong life force and boundless energy could also be felt exuding from it.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t this at least five times stronger than before?!¡¯


    Two days later, Tang Xiu floated up and felt the huge force residing in his body. A satisfied smile appeared on his face. Prior to this, he could only fight that particularly fearsome demonic beast if he were to unleash various magical abilities, but now he was confident that he could defeat it with his own strength.


    ¡°I can easily kill demonic beasts at the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core stages if I encounter them now.¡±


    Shortly after, he came out of the military tent with a happy smile. Just as his eyes swept toward the surroundings, however, the smile on his face receded, because 200 or so Tang Sect disciples cast their eyes on him with respectful faces and full of spirit.


    ¡°Your injuries healed already?¡± asked Tang Xiu after glancing at them.


    Mo Awu glanced at Hao Lei and quickly went toward Tang Xiu. Then, he respectfully reported. ¡°Our injuries have all convalesced, Sect Master. We can join the battle at any time, and everyone is waiting for you to finish your cultivation and bestow us cultivation resources.¡±


    His report made Tang Xiu grinningly smile. ¡°Well, well. No wonder you¡¯re all waiting here, huh? It turns out that your heads are all full of cultivation resources! Alright, take out the demonic beasts you¡¯ve hunted. I¡¯ll count them and reward you with cultivation resources.¡±


    ¡°As you will it!¡±


    A look of joy could be seen on Mo Awu¡¯s face. After complying, he quickly took out demonic beasts¡¯ remains from his interspatial ring. He was not the only one to do that, but also Jin Shi and Hao Lei. In but an instant, the place was full of demonic beasts¡¯ dead bodies.


    ¡°You guys are very good!¡± Tang Xiu spoke with satisfaction. ¡°All of them added up, you¡¯ve killed more than 300 demonic beasts. Awu, start distributing cultivation resources now! Give them to the team captains and let them distribute the rewards according to their merits. Do remember, you don¡¯t need to be stingy on the rewards, be it the pills, weapons, or various talismans. As I told you before, you can get handsome rewards as long as you score achievements in this battle. At least, you won¡¯t be short of resources in the following battles.¡±


    Finally, Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes landed on Hao Lei and he smilingly said, ¡°As of now, besides Gu Xiaoxue, Gu Yin, Tang Guang, and Tang An, Hao Lei is the first to become a Golden Core Stage expert among you all. With this, she has earned my admiration because her aptitude is not ranked the best among you all, and yet her cultivation speed is the fastest. Therefore, you deserve to have these.¡±


    Tang Xiu then took out two jade bottles from his interspatial ring and threw them to Hao Lei. Then, he continued, ¡°As promised, these are the rewards I promised. I¡¯ve added some more for you in the hope that you can make persistent efforts so as to break through to the mid-stage of Golden Core earlier. I also hope that you can advance to the Nascent Soul Stage earlier later on.¡±


    Hao Lei received the two jade bottles. After opening and observing it, a look of surprise suddenly appeared on her face. But as she was about to speak, Tang Xiu threw her an interspatial ring, indicating that this ring was also a reward for her, so she could store her personal belongings inside.


    ¡°Thank you, Sect Master!¡±


    Hao Lei was completely overjoyed. Tang Xiu¡¯s reward was truly rich. Especially this interspatial ring, which was something she really wanted.


    Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me. You deserve them. I already told you all that outstanding disciples of the Tang Sect can get a lot of resources. Those who have outstanding results will also earn themselves more and thus, will achieve greater achievements in the future. I want you all to compete with your peers. The more you compete, the more pressure you¡¯ll face. Only by facing more pressure can you have more motivation. All I need is the elite of the elites, I don¡¯t need any trash around me.¡±


    At this moment, all the Tang Sect disciples looked more resolute and determined to fight for victory. They all gripped their fists tightly, and frantic looks could be seen glittering in their eyes.


    Cultivate and become stronger!


    Only by becoming the most outstanding disciple of the sect would they be able to have more resources for cultivation later, and only then would they be able to achieve greater achievements in the future.


    Cultivation had become the common goal of Tang Xiu and the 200-odd disciples of the Tang Sect. It was also imperative for them to improve their strength as much as possible before the final crisis arrived.


    When Tang Xiu returned to the tent, he directly took out a large number of Demon Cores. Due to his advancement in his cultivation level, the amount of demonic power essence he could absorb was ten times faster than before. Further, he also used these Demon Cores to arrange a Spiritual Energy Gathering Array and used 108 Demon Cores at one time.


    That was a luxury and very extravagant in and of itself. Such a level of consumption was something he never dared to try prior to this. But now, he was filthy rich and had no less than 2,000 Demon Cores in hand. He didn¡¯t hesitate to expend them as long as it could rapidly enhance his cultivation.


    ¡°What rich spiritual energy of the world!¡±


    ¡°How come the density of spiritual energy here increased so much?¡±


    ¡°This is so strange.¡±


    All the disciples of the Tang Sect in the surrounding tents looked astonished. When they came out of their respective tents, they suddenly discovered that the world¡¯s spiritual energy was coming from all directions, rushing into Tang Xiu¡¯s tent just like tidal waves. In but a flash, they realized that it was due to the action of their Sect Master.


    ¡°This is an opportunity! Cultivating in this spiritual energy-rich environment will speed up my practice several times!¡±


    A Tang Sect disciple muttered to himself with a pensive look.

 Chapter 1062 - Making A Clean Sweep

    Chapter 1062: Making A Clean Sweep


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Many people around heard the voice of that Tang Sect disciple. Everyone¡¯s eyes immediately lit up and they went straight into their own respective tents and began their best to absorb the world¡¯s spiritual qi. Such a high concentration of world energy was a very good opportunity for them. Although it was the world energy attracted by Tang Xiu, they could also use this opportunity to speed up their cultivation.


    As expected, their cultivation speed was faster by several times in the unusually rich spiritual energy environment. Even a particular disciple who was on the verge of breaking through, taking medicinal pills, refining its medicinal force and finally absorbing the world¡¯s spiritual energy, he finally succeeded in breaking through and became a mid-stage Foundation Establishment expert after half a day.


    Night came and a cold wind howled from the depths of the Himalayas, blowing the clothes of many cultivators, who held their respective weapons, and relieving some of their tensions.


    ¡°Attention to everyone at the Western front! A wave of the demonic beasts is heading to your direction, and they are preparing a sneak attack. The number is not that many, about 100¡­. Damn! Correction! Pay attention to those at the Western front. A horde of demonic beasts is heading to attack your location about 10km away from you. For God¡¯s sake¡­ there are tons of them. At least 1,000!!¡±


    In the military tent assigned for the monitoring station, the member of the Special Abilities Bureau, who previously looked relaxed, abruptly stood straight with an anxious look as he announced.


    At this moment, nearly 100 cultivators at the Western front heard the announcement from the surveillance personnel through their walkie-talkies. All of them got up and grabbed their weapons, guarding all the possible dangers brought by the arrival of demonic beasts.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, we need your assistance. There are too many demonic beasts, and they are now heading to the Western front.¡±


    Tang Xiu, who was still sitting cross-legged in cultivation, suddenly heard Duanmu Lin¡¯s voice from the communicator. He immediately opened his eyes and his figure floated. After dashing outside, he shouted, ¡°All the disciples of Tang Sect, heed my order! Go to the Western line at once and be prepared to support them!¡±


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Figures emerged from each military tent. Each of whom exuded formidable aura and quickly lined up in teams.


    ¡°GO!¡±


    Tang Xiu stayed no longer. The distance from the encampment to the Western front was several kilometers, so they had to hurry up and join the fight alongside the defense personnel at the Western line.


    ¡°KILL!¡±


    ¡°KILL!¡±


    ¡°KILL!¡±


    When Tang Xiu¡¯s group arrived, Duanmu Lin brought the experts from the Special Abilities Bureau and they joined forces with the cultivators at the Western Front to fight the demonic beasts together. However, the overall strength of experts from the Special Abilities Bureau was weak. Even though their various special abilities were basically endless, they kept being forced back again and again by the demonic beasts.


    There were over 1,000 demonic beasts, and more than 30 of them had power at the Golden Core Stage, with hundreds being flying-type. The battle just started in a few minutes, yet the members of the Special Abilities Bureau and cultivators at the Western front had already suffered some losses.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s figure shot into mid-air and instantly unleashed his divine sword, brandishing it toward the flapping flying-type demonic beasts in the sky. Overlapping sword lights flashed as meteors. The space barrier was as thought being ripped open instantly, causing a mess in the formation of several hundreds of flying-type demonic beasts.


    ¡°DIE!¡±


    After the brief strike, Tang Xiu immediately locked six demonic beasts with Golden Core Stage strength. His flicked silver needles to strike their eyes while flashes of lightning blasted out of thin air to smite the bird-species demonic beasts.


    Paralyzing effect. It was the best effect brought about by lightning strikes.


    The instant those bird-species demonic beasts became momentarily paralyzed, several silver needles pierced the eyes of four bird-species demonic beasts with Golden Core strength. Right as they lost their sight, the divine sword was as though turning into a long rainbow and powerfully crushing down to slay them.


    The strike made them collapse and killed them instantly.


    Tens of Tang Sect disciples at the Foundation Establishment Stage soared at the same time and charged into the bird-species demonic beasts¡¯ formation with Tang Xiu. Even though they only knew a few magical spells, they could still use some simple ones. With the aid of their respective immortal sword, their blows immediately made the several hundreds of flying demonic beasts into a mess.


    On the ground below, over a hundred Tang Sect disciples had formed a sword formation that howled its might to steamroll a group of demonic beasts. Their previous injuries had been healed and, with their improved strength, the might they unleashed brought about a powerful momentum and directly controlled the situation.


    ¡°DIE!¡±


    Gu Yin brandished the sword in her hand. Her figure constantly flickered around a certain demonic beast, and every strike of her sword left a bleeding wound on its body.


    ¡°Bastards from the Immortal World!¡±


    A late-stage Golden Core demonic beast, who also acted as the commander of this horde, looked frightened upon seeing a lot of humans unleashing their respective immortal swords. Back in the past, it was never afraid of any common immortals in the Immortal World. But at present, its strength had been greatly reduced at only a thousandth of its previous power. Just one immortal was already enough to kill all of them now.


    BOOOM¡­


    The two cultivators who besieged it were directly blown away by it, one of whom had his arm torn apart directly. The fear on its face suddenly subsided. It found that these humans who just unleashed immortal swords turned out to be very weak, even much weaker than itself.


    Upon finding this, it was suddenly overjoyed and continued to charge toward the humans!


    ¡°GO TO HELL!!!¡±


    Gu Yin¡¯s speed was very fast. But that late-stage Golden Core demonic beast had severely injured or killed as many as 10 ability users and cultivators, and now it appeared before Gu Yin. Its sharp claws swept over her shoulder and directly tore off a piece of her flesh, leaving a bleeding wound on her shoulder.


    ¡°BASTARD!¡±


    Mo Awu, who had always been around Gu Yin, was furious. He knew Gu Yin¡¯s position in Tang Xiu¡¯s heart and how important Mu Qingping was to Tang Xiu. If Gu Yin were to die in this battle, it would definitely make Tang Xiu and Mu Qingping deeply grieved.


    ¡®That shit is too fast!¡¯


    A look of madness on his face, Mo Awu was aware that the difference between their strength was like a chasm. He wouldn¡¯t be able to block that late-stage Golden Core demonic beast no matter how he erupted his maximum speed.


    ¡°Lightning Pearl Net!¡±


    Gu Yin suppressed the pain on her shoulder, dashed towards Mo Awu and shouted softly. She was no longer a rookie with no combat experience, although she was not much stronger. As a weak lightning net blitzed into a single stretch and fended off that late-stage Golden Core demonic beast, she already dashed to Mo Awu¡¯s side and said aloud, ¡°Uncle Awu, I can¡¯t beat this demonic beast. It¡¯s too powerful!¡±


    ¡°If you can¡¯t beat it, then run,¡± Mo Awu sharply said. ¡°Hao Lei, Jin Shi, come and join me to deal with it!¡±


    ¡°KILL!¡±


    ¡°KILL!¡±


    Hao Lei and Jin Shi, who had killed a lot of demonic beasts, bolted toward Mo Awu and Gu Yin instantly. Although Jin Shi and Mo Awu had yet to advance to the Golden Core Stage, they were at the peak-stage of Foundation Establishment. With the four of them joining hands, they were barely able to fight back this demonic beast with late-stage Golden Core strength.


    At this moment, tens of cultivators were rushing over from the distance like a whirlwind. The one in front was a Taoist nun with a sword on her back. She rushed to the edge of the battlefield and shouted, ¡°Join the battle and kill these demonic beasts!¡±


    In the air, Tang Xiu, who was in a killing frenzy and slaughtering the flying demonic beasts, was also observing the battles. He heaved a sigh of relief when he spotted Daoist Zixuan lead the people from the Whole Unitary Sect into the battlefield. Daoist Zixuan was a Golden Core Stage expert, and there were ten people in her group whose auras were also at the Golden Core Stage, whereas the rest had the strength at the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    ¡°Die, evil beasts!¡±


    The first target of Daoist Zixuan¡¯s violent strike was the late-stage Golden Core demonic beast that was fighting Mo Awu, Gu Yin, Jin Shi, and Hao Lei. Lightning bolts struck down from the sky and directly forced the demonic beast to change its offensive stance to a defensive one.


    The sword lights then bloomed like flowers.


    Blossoming sword images instantly wrapped the demonic beast. Right at this moment, Hao Lei shouted loudly as she fiercely slashed her immortal sword at the demonic beast.


    ROAAAR¡­


    The late-stage Golden Core demonic beast howled as a bloody wound was inflicted on its body. The injury was not serious, yet it realized that the newly-arrived human woman also had a fearsome power. Therefore, it didn¡¯t want to be engaged in a fight any longer. Observing as its surrounding companions were killed one after another, it suddenly roared again and turned around to flee to the depths of the mountain range.


    Back to the air, Tang Xiu had hunted and killed tens of flying demonic beasts, while the rest who joined him also had killed dozens of them. The moment that late-stage Golden Core demonic beast roared, the remaining flying demonic beasts also suddenly fled to the depths of the mountain range.


    ¡°Chase them!¡±


    The pursuit only lasted for about 10km, but the 10km path left behind the remains of tens of demonic beasts. After this battle, less than 400 demonic beasts were killed from the 1,000. However, more than 10 ability users from the Special Abilities Bureau had been killed, along with more than ten cultivators, while nearly everyone else had suffered injuries.


    ¡°Daoist Tang.¡±


    There was a vague, hidden smile as Daoist Zixuan came to Tang Xiu and saluted with cupped fists.


    After returning the courtesy, Tang Xiu smilingly said, ¡°We wouldn¡¯t have been able to repel those demonic beasts this easily and have such a good record like this, if it wasn¡¯t for you leading a large team to aid us, Daoist Zixuan.¡±


    ¡°This is what we should do, Daoist Tang,¡± replied Daoist Zixuan with a smile. ¡°But still, I never thought there wer so many demonic beasts in the Himalayas. Daoist Tang, can you tell me if these demonic beasts come from another world?¡±


    ¡°My guess is they should come from the Demon Realm, though I have no idea how.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    The smile on Daoist Zixuan¡¯s face receded and she spoke again, ¡°The ancient records in my sect mention that too, but I never thought that the demonic beasts¡¯ existence was really true. Daoist T

 Chapter 1063 - Transaction

    Chapter 1063: Transaction


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu contemplated about the issue Daoist Zixuan just asked. But he thought that there should no spatial rift between Earth and the Demon Realm, given the stability of the space on Earth. Otherwise, there would have been countless demonic beasts rushing out of the Himalayas and the Earth would¡¯ve been overrun and occupied by them already.


    But then again, there was that Diabolos Praecantator Clan!


    This race was very formidable, yet tens of millions Diabolos Praecantator experts had been imprisoned on Earth and couldn¡¯t leave prior to this. No matter how powerful these demonic beasts were, it was just impossible to even mention that they were stronger than the Diabolos Praecantator race. Furthermore, what appeared in the Himalayas were only demonic beasts. There were not any kinds of demon races.


    He surmised it was very likely that these demonic beasts were also imprisoned on Earth and the likelihood that it was very difficult for them to leave the Himalayas was high. So to say, there should be a problem with the array that sealed them in the Himalayas, which led them to appear outside the Himalayas, causing the deaths of many people.


    ¡°It¡¯s unlikely we¡¯ll have the chance to investigate the specific reason. The depths of the Himalayas are like a restricted forbidden area to humans. I myself have no means to traverse deep into these demonic beasts¡¯ nest, so I can¡¯t figure out what is stored therein,¡± said Tang Xiu with a helpless face.


    Daoist Zixuan nodded wordlessly. She then turned around to look at the messy scene. Then she spoke, ¡°Can we still count your word about our previous business deal? If so, shall we have a private chat?¡±


    ¡°Of course, the deal is still on.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°The disciples of Whole Unitary Sect walk on the right path of the world, so it¡¯s just natural that our deal is still effective. Besides, both of our sides strive for common goals, so we need each other to become more powerful.¡±


    A smile appeared on Daoist Zixuan¡¯s face. Tang Xiu¡¯s attitude was much to her satisfaction. More so that she also heard him say ¡°the right path of the world¡±. If Tang Xiu himself had no righteous heart, even if she could get a lot of things that were beneficial for them, she wouldn¡¯t trade with him since she didn¡¯t want the Whole Unitary Sect to fall in grace and help a tyrant do evil deeds.


    ¡°We¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt her and glanced at the two people behind her. Then, he whispered, ¡°Let¡¯s not mention our transaction for the time being. The person in charge of the national security guarding this place is coming. I¡¯ll introduce you to him first.¡±


    Upon hearing his words, Daoist Zixuan turned around. After she saw Duanmu Lin with a few experts from the Special Abilities Bureau coming over, she immediately nodded without anyone noticing. She didn¡¯t want the business deal between the Whole Unitary Sect and Tang Xiu to be known by outsiders, even if Duanmu Lin was an official of China.


    Duanmu Lin came toward Tang Xiu and Daoist Zixuan. After observing the latter for some time, he said with a respectful face, ¡°Thank you for your assistance. Our losses would¡¯ve been bigger if it wasn¡¯t for your timely help. I¡¯m Duanmu Lin, the Director of China¡¯s Special Abilities Bureau.


    ¡°I¡¯m from the Whole Unitary Sect, Daoist Zixuan.¡± Daoist Zixuan slightly nodded and replied curtly.


    Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°Senior Duanmu, this is Daoist Zixuan from the Taoist monastic sect overseas whom I mentioned to you before. Your statement just now is correct. The price we paid would¡¯ve been bigger even if it wasn¡¯t for their timely assistance.¡±


    ¡°The Whole Unitary Sect does deserve to be called a righteous sect,¡± exclaimed Duanmu Lin in a sigh. ¡°You are residing overseas, yet you still care about our country. I¡¯ve just seen your strength. You¡¯re all very powerful. Even that terrible demonic beast was struck so hard by Daoist Zixuan. That was amazing. Alright, I¡¯ll send people to arrange the campsite and the necessities you need.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so polite of you, Director Duanmu. However, we¡¯ll stay in Tang Xiu¡¯s campsite for the time being!¡± said Daoist Zixuan. ¡°We are people of the cultivation path. I have many things about cultivation that I need to ask him about.¡±


    Duanmu Lin¡¯s face shifted. He then nodded and said, ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll immediately send people to place your camp near Tang Xiu¡¯s people, so you can talk about cultivation. Tang Xiu, you can assign your men to gather up the remains of demonic beasts. I told you that I¡¯ll definitely keep my promise to give you all the demonic beasts¡¯ corpses.¡±


    ¡°Many thanks, Senior Duanmu.¡± Tang Xiu smiled.


    Duanmu Lin let out a faint smile as well. Even though more than 20 people died from the battle they had just gone through, the result was much to his satisfaction. They were not just able to fend off such a large-scale attack, but also successfully killed hundreds of them¡ªa result beyond his expectation.


    Shortly after, Duanmu Lin left and Daoist Zixuan looked at Tang Xiu, asking, ¡°Duanmu Lin just said that he¡¯s giving you all the remains of demonic beasts, right? What are you going to do with them?¡±


    ¡°Some materials on demonic beasts are beneficial for my cultivation, so I¡¯m now collecting them.¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said, ¡°Well, some can be used as ingredients for medicinal pills, some can be used by artificers to refine better divine armaments.¡±


    Daoist Zixuan shot him a look of admiration. She knew Tang Xiu understood alchemy as well as being an artificer himself. But she didn¡¯t expect that Tang Xiu could also make use of demonic beasts¡¯ remains.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s spare our time for our transaction, Daoist Tang. We brought a lot of resources with us this time, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be satisfied with them.¡± Daoist Zixuan looked a bit impatient because she wanted to get the things in Tang Xiu¡¯s hand earlier.


    Tang Xiu slightly nodded. He glanced at the disciples of the Tang Sect who were collecting the remains of demonic beasts and immediately waved to Hao Lei, who was not far away. After she came over, he said, ¡°Lead everyone back to the camp after you¡¯re done collecting the demonic beasts¡¯ remains. I¡¯ve only fulfilled one of my promises before.¡±


    Hao Lei¡¯s expression slightly shifted, expectation coming into her eyes. Tang Xiu¡¯s previous commitment had been fulfilled, such as giving her a lot of cultivation resources. There was only one left, and that was becoming a commander of the sect.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Hao Lei replied curtly and subconsciously glanced at Mo Awu and Jin Shi. She knew that they were like Tang Xiu¡¯s confidants. They had been following Tang Xiu for a long time, whereas her contact with Tang Xiu was even shorter than Chi Nan¡¯s.


    However, as long as she became the future commander of any of the sect¡¯s army corps, her identity would be completely different and her status would be above Mo Awu and Jin Shi.


    Quickly after, Tang Xiu and Daoist Zixuan saw the campsite occupied by Tang Sect disciples. After entering the tent, Tang Xiu directly handed over the cultivation manual up to the Great Ascension Stage to Daoist Zixuan and lightly said, ¡°You can read the content of this cultivation art at ease. I also have some immortal swords in my interspatial ring. It¡¯s just that I need to appraise the number of resources you brought first. If they are enough, I can definitely give you a fair exchange.¡±


    The excitement was evident in Daoist Zixuan¡¯s eyes. Her hands were even slightly trembling. After receiving the cultivation manual, she looked at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Are you not afraid that I¡¯ll just leave without giving you the cultivation resources after reading this cultivation art?¡±


    ¡°Well, I trust you. More so that I believe that no one in this world dares to play me. Besides, you must have more cards in hand if you want to be stronger, no?¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and smilingly said.


    ¡®Cards in hand? As in, he has still more cards in hand?¡¯


    Daoist Zixuan shot a deep look at Tang Xiu. She opened the classics and read it quietly. After reading for 10 minutes, excitement fully painted her face. She repeatedly nodded and said, ¡°It¡¯s all true. One definitely can cultivate up to the Great Ascension Stage by following this cultivation art manual. Daoist Tang, your words bring honesty, and it¡¯s really enjoyable to trade with you. This bracelet is an object left behind by the ancestors of the Whole Unitary Sect. All the cultivation resources we brought are stored inside it.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded. After Hao Lei, Mo Awu, and Jin Shi came inside, they then saw Daoist Zixuan take out a massive number of cultivation resources from the interspatial jade bracelet.


    The appraising and counting process took nearly an hour before all the cultivation resources brought by Daoist Zixuan had finally been verified. Tang Xiu was very excited even though he didn¡¯t show it. The Whole Unitary Sect¡¯s people had brought many cultivation resources, more than he had previously imagined. Many of which were precious ores he never thought he could get from them before.


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s a deal then.¡±


    Tang Xiu took out an immortal sword and directly handed it over to Daoist Zixuan, saying, ¡°Although the resources brought by your Whole Unitary Sect are not that many, you¡¯re willing to stay to help the country to exterminate demonic beasts. I count that as a favor, so I¡¯m willing to trade this with you.¡±


    As a matter a fact, had it been in the Immortal World, the number of resources brought by Daoist Zixuan was absolutely not enough to exchange for any immortal swords. But this place was Earth. What Tang Xiu needed the most at present was not immortal swords, but cultivation resources. All the cultivators he had been training also needed these resources. All things considered, the trade might look like a loss, but Tang Xiu himself was very satisfied with it.


    Daoist Zixuan took over the immortal sword and the excitement on her face turned more intense. She and the elders from the Whole Unitary Sect didn¡¯t expect that Tang Xiu would really trade them an immortal sword because they all knew the value of this sword.


    ¡°Thanks a lot, Daoist Tang.¡± With a grateful yet solemn face, Daoist Zixuan expressed her thanks.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t mind it. For the time to come, we¡¯re comrades who fight side by side, to begin with.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and smilingly said, ¡°I¡¯m giving you this immortal sword so you can also increase your combat power. Also, I have no more immortal swords and cultivation manuals to trade, but I still have a few other good things. I believe that your Whole Unitary Sect will also be interested in them.¡±


    ¡°For example?¡± asked Daoist Zixuan hurriedly with a moved expression.


    ¡°Such as combat techniques, martial arts, or secret arts,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°Do you want to get my Lightning Evoker Art? I also have many magic spells and divine arts, interspatial rings, and some other things that are useful to cultivators. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t need them?¡±


    Daoist Zixuan¡¯s expression turned vacant as she stared blankly at Tang Xiu. Suddenly, she had a feeling that the person standing in front of her was not a human being, but a treasure vault.


    ¡®He¡­ what kind of vestige or ruin did he find, exactly? What kind of inheritance did he obtain? How come he has so many things, more than everything the Whole Unitary Sect accumulated for so many years? And yet, it sounds like his treasures are simply astronomical in number!¡¯

 Chapter 1064 - Love Rival

    Chapter 1064: Love Rival


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    After completing the transaction, Tang Xiu sent Daoist Zixuan off. He immediately looked at Jin Shi and said in a deep voice, ¡°Return to Nine Dragons Island with these cultivation resources immediately. After handing them over to Ji Chimei, tell her to fully invest her time in concocting medicinal pills. If she has no time to concoct them, then wait for me to solve the problem here. I¡¯ll refine them myself later.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave immediately.¡± Jin Shi nodded.


    ¡°Be careful on the road,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Try not to be discovered by any cultivator. I have another task for you to carry out after you¡¯re done delivering these medicinal herbs to Nine Dragons Island, though.¡±


    ¡°And the mission is?¡± asked Jin Shi.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need a lot of ordinary minerals if we are going to manufacture tools and weapons, such as steel, iron, gold, silver, etc. You¡¯re responsible for purchasing these materials,¡± ordered Tang Xiu. ¡°Contact Xiaoxue and tell her that I have some problem with funds in the short term. Ask her how much money she has. Tell her to give all the funds available to buy the materials needed for refinement.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll convey your message to her,¡± replied Jin Shi solemnly.


    After sending Jin Shi off, Tang Xiu immediately shifted his focus to Hao Lei and said in a deep voice, ¡°You¡¯re a Guardian Elder of the Tang Sect from henceforth. You¡¯ll get double the annual resource allocation. You¡¯re also qualified to be involved in any important issues pertaining to the sect¡¯s affairs in the future.¡±


    A happy and surprised look filled Hao Lei¡¯s eyes. Although she was prepared to get a promotion, she never thought that she would be directly promoted to Elder of the Tang Sect. This status alone was a level higher than Mo Awu¡¯s and Jin Shi¡¯s.


    At the side, Mo Awu looked envious. He also wanted to be the Tang Sect¡¯s Guardian Elder, but he had yet to advance to the Golden Core Stage¡ªa fact that made him extremely distressed.


    Tang Xiu shifted his eyes to him and calmly said, ¡°I¡¯ve already prepared six quotas for Elder seats. But you¡¯ll need to rely on yourself to become the first to advance to the Golden Core Stage among the rest of the sect¡¯s disciples. Go now and notify everyone else that Hao Lei has become a Guardian Elder of our Tang Sect.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Mo Awu respectfully nodded and quickly withdrew from the tent.


    As his eyes landed on Hao Lei again, Tang Xiu spoke with a contented face, ¡°I have my own list of people who I thought would be the first ones to break through to the Golden Core Stage. But I never thought it would be you. Hao Lei, the path of cultivation does stress the importance of talent, resources, and also opportunities. I don¡¯t care about any fortuitous encounter you may have encountered, but I want you to remember one thing. You were born in Tang Sect and you¡¯ll also die in Tang Sect. Those who will regard you as our own will be I and the people from the Tang Sect.¡±


    ¡°This Hao Lei will etch your admonishment in her heart, Sect Master,¡± said Hao Lei respectfully.


    Tang Xiu nodded at her response and smilingly said, ¡°Go then! Advancing to the Golden Core Stage is merely the start on the cultivation path. I hope you will also become the first who advances to the Nascent Soul Stage.¡±


    ¡®Nascent Soul Stage?¡¯


    A resolute look filled Hao Lei¡¯s eyes as she replied in a deep voice, ¡°I¡¯ll definitely redouble my efforts, Sect Master.¡±


    Quickly after, the matter that Hao Lei had become a Guardian Elder of the Tang Sect was known to all disciples of the Tang Sect. Apart from strong envy from the rest, they also held a bit of respect for her. They were crystal clear how Tang Xiu treated those under him. He would prioritize the strong ones. No matter the status and resource rewards, what they would obtain were not comparable to others.


    At this moment, breaking through to the Golden Core Stage was the dream of the other Tang Sect disciples. Yet, the first one to achieve it was Hao Lei. Furthermore, Tang Xiu himself promised that the first six among the Tang Sect disciples who reached this stage would become the Guardian Elders of the sect¡ªthis reward ignited everyone¡¯s fighting spirit.


    Two days later, Tang Xiu, who was quietly cultivating in the military tent, was suddenly interrupted by the ringing sound of his communicator. After he grabbed it, he saw the number displayed on the screen. A vague killing intent covered his face as he asked after putting it through, ¡°Is there any other large-scale demonic beast attack on the blockade line, Senior Duanmu?¡±


    ¡°We got no signs of demonic attack as of now, Tang Xiu. But I¡¯ve invited a lot of cultivators and many of them are powerful people. I¡¯m calling you over since I want you to get to know them.¡± Duanmu Lin¡¯s voice and laughter came from the communicator. He was obviously in a great mood at the moment.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment and then said, ¡°I¡¯m now at the critical moment of my cultivation, so I have no time to waste, Senior Duanmu. We can delay the introduction for those who can fight the demonic beasts later, but I can¡¯t attend it now.¡±


    Duanmu Lin hesitated for a moment before forcing a smile and replied, ¡°Alright, then! Since you don¡¯t want to be disturbed, then let¡¯s drop it off. It¡¯s just that I was boasting about you before everyone else. It would be quite regretful for everyone if you don¡¯t come.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe.¡± Tang Xiu lightly chuckled and hung up.


    After half an hour, a chilling wind blew and there was a commotion outside the military tent, directly disturbing Tang Xiu¡¯s cultivation. He floated up and appeared outside the tent as he saw more than ten strangers standing outside the campsite. However, several disciples of Tang Sect seemed to be fully on guard, confronting them like enemies.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    After striding over, Tang Xiu carefully observed those several people in front and turned his head to ask.


    ¡°They said they want to see you, but their attitude is really appalling. Especially that kid in front. He¡¯s very arrogant, hurling insults at us,¡± replied Mo Awu in a deep voice.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes landed on the young man who led the group. He furrowed his brows and said, ¡°This place is the campsite of my Tang Sect. Don¡¯t disturb us if you don¡¯t have anything important to say. Also¡­ we don¡¯t know each other and I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve offended you either, what are the rudeness and insults for?¡±


    The young man donned in white had an elegant bearing and handsome face, yet his haughtiness was more evident. His eyes were slightly raised when he saw Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Are you Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± replied Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°And your distinguished self is?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Bai Yuheng, the Young Master of the Bai Clan from the Miao Region.¡± The young man sneered. ¡°Blind Ancestress is truly getting old, isn¡¯t she? To think that she can no longer think straight and became confused, even entrusting Xue Yu to you? I¡¯ve sent people to investigate you. You¡¯re the owner of Magnificent Tang Corporation, the scion of the Tang Family from Beijing, and also a renowned young Divine Doctor. But let me tell you, your identities are worthless in my eyes!¡±


    ¡°You called Old Blind your Ancestress, yet you don¡¯t know how rude and bad it is insulting your own ancestor?¡± said Tang Xiu with a deep voice and cold face. ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn who I am myself. What I can see is that you seem to have come here only for provocation.¡±


    ¡°Heh, you¡¯re right.¡± Bai Yuheng sneered. ¡°This Young Master did come here to provoke you. Today, Duanmu Lin called you for the introduction, but you refused to attend and said you¡¯re in cultivation and whatnot. Hmph . Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t investigate that you¡¯re also a cultivator and an expert yourself. But in my eyes, you¡¯re nothing but a fart compared to me. If you know what¡¯s good for you, leave Xue Yu! She¡¯s not someone you can get.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re provoking me because of Xue Yu?¡± asked Tang Xiu in a deep voice.


    Bai Yuheng flopped the fan in his hand and shot a ¡°you turn out to be not that stupid¡± look at Tang Xiu. ¡°You guessed it. It¡¯s because of Xue Yu. Rumor has it she¡¯s the most beautiful woman in our Miao Region. It¡¯s just natural that she can only be my woman. But you¡­ you¡¯re not worthy of her.¡±


    ¡°Heh, whether I¡¯m worthy of her or not is not your damn business, to begin with.¡± Tang Xiu sneered back and said, ¡°Let me tell you, Xue Yu is already my woman, and she will still be my woman later. If you dare to harbor any thoughts and try anything untoward to her, then don¡¯t blame for cleaning you up later.¡±


    Bai Yuheng looked around and immediately burst into laughter. ¡°Hahaha, you¡¯re fucking gonna clean me up? That¡¯s the shittiest joke I¡¯ve ever heard in my life. Just relying on you alone, Tang Xiu? What the fuck are you gonna do, huh? Order these trash with street Kungfu to pack me up? My Bai Clan can overwhelm you with numbers and power as we have tons of powerful people. We used to stay low-key and forbearing since we didn¡¯t want to be noticed by others. But now, we all left the Miao Region to this place only to help defend against demonic beasts. We no longer have to remain low-key anymore, so let me see your skills and what you can do.¡±


    ¡°Young Lord!¡±


    A stalwart man paced two steps forward and whispered, ¡°Young Lord, Patriarch has decreed that you are not to make trouble here. If you want to deal with some people, there¡¯s no need to touch him directly. Just let him know when we¡¯re killing the demonic beasts. If he knows the big disparity between you and him, he¡¯ll give up the Jade Beauty without a fuss.¡±


    Bai Yuheng gave a thought to his suggestion and felt that it was sound. He suddenly shot a provocative look at Tang Xiu and said aloud, ¡°Hey Tang Boy, do you dare to bet with me?¡±


    ¡°What do you wanna bet?¡± Tang Xiu replied with a sneer.


    ¡°Let¡¯s compete in how many demonic beasts we can kill later.¡± Bai Yuheng grinningly said, ¡°If the number of demonic beasts I and my people kill is more than yours, then you¡¯ll give up on Xue Yu and get far away from her.¡±


    ¡°Then, what if I win?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What if you win? Heh, you can never win!¡± replied Bai Yuheng with contempt.


    ¡°A gamble must have something to bet with to be fair,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°So mine is that you¡¯ll never see Xue Yu again for the rest of your life if I win. You¡¯re also to immediately run and hide from me if you see me later. How about it?¡±


    A scowl appeared on Bai Yuheng¡¯s face and he loudly replied, ¡°Deal! But I have additional conditions. If I win, then you must not only stay away from Xue Yu but also kneel and kowtow to me thrice to admit that you¡¯re much worse than me.¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and coldly snorted. ¡°Hmph, you added mores condition, so I¡¯ll also add mine. If I win, all the remains of demonic beasts you¡¯ve hunted will be mine. But you and I will enter the depths of the Himalayas to kill ten demonic beasts alone.¡±


    At Tang Xiu¡¯s response, Bai Yuheng rolled his eyes and said aloud, ¡°I give you my word, so the gamble is now fixed.¡±


    ¡°Then get the fuck out of here since you¡¯ve complied,¡± said Tang Xiu apathetically. ¡°Let¡¯s meet at the blockade line tomorrow morning.¡±


    Bai Yuheng tightly clenched his fists and glared at Tang Xiu. ¡°No one has ever dared to talk to me in this tone all my life. No one! You¡¯re the first to say that, and you will also be the last! Tang punk, I¡¯ll make you regret talking to me with that fucking attitude. You¡¯ll regret offending me!¡±


    ¡°You know, a man doesn¡¯t need to run his mouth fast, but he only needs to speak with his actions.¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°Let¡¯s see who¡¯ll have the last laugh. Bai Clan, huh¡­ hmph , I really hope that you won¡¯t make a fool out of your family, let alone bring a calamity upon them.¡±

 Chapter 1065 - Slaughters

    Chapter 1065: Slaughters


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Standing in front of the tent, Tang Xiu¡¯s gaze followed Bai Yuheng¡¯s group as they left. Then, he immediately turned to look at Mo Awu and said in a deep tone, ¡°Pass my message to everyone to be careful. That Bai kid is not a good man. His strength may not be that strong, but he¡¯s harboring bad intentions.¡±


    ¡°Why not kill them directly, Sect Master?¡± asked Mo Awu.


    ¡°The country needs more people right now,¡± said Tang Xiu faintly. ¡°Moreover, be it Bai Yuheng or the people around him, they are not weak. Especially those two old geezers behind him. They may not be as strong as Golden Core Stage cultivators, but it¡¯s likely they can match a late-stage Foundation Establishment expert. Killing them will waste more cannon fodder, so it¡¯s best to let them fight the demonic beasts and die in their claws.¡±


    Mo Awu caught the intention quickly and smilingly nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right, Sect Master. They¡¯re going to die in any case. They might as well help us kill some demonic beasts, hehe. Alright, I¡¯ll immediately tell everyone else. Should they dare to do anything shady to us, they are to capture them immediately.¡±


    Tang Xiu returned to the military tent and immediately took out his communicator to dial Gu Xiaoxue¡¯s cell number. After his call was picked up, he asked, ¡°How is Xue Yu¡¯s situation? Has she come out yet?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen Master personally, Grand Master. She said she doesn¡¯t know when Xue Yu will come out. It¡¯s because she¡¯s inside the Demon Horde Array. She won¡¯t be able to come out of the array if the demons inside the array have yet to be exterminated completely.¡±


    ¡°Yan¡¯er actually arranged a Demon Horde Array?¡± asked Tang Xiu in amazement.


    ¡°Yes! Xiaoxue also wanted to enter the Demon Horde Array, but Master said the array¡¯s might is too powerful for me. Even 9 out of 10 Golden Core Stage experts will die inside it. She said only those at least at the Nascent Soul Stage would have a chance to survive inside.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Tell Yan¡¯er that once Xue Yu comes out to immediately rush back to China. I¡¯ll be waiting for her on the mainland.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± answered Gu Xiaoxue respectfully.


    After hanging up, Tang Xiu seemed to contemplate something. The Demon Horde Array was a very suitable array for training, and many small and large sects in the Immortal World normally arranged this array with various levels of power to train their disciples. Gu Yan¡¯er seemed to really care about Xue Yu since she arranged the Demon Horde Array for her training.


    As the next day came, Duanmu Lin passed the news in the evening to inform Tang Xiu of the demonic beasts¡¯ emergences. There was a strange occurrence, however, since those demonic beasts didn¡¯t attack the blockade line immediately, but stopped about five kilometers away, as if waiting for something.


    Quickly after, Tang Xiu appeared at the defensive line and saw that there were not only many cultivators who he had never seen, but also that Bai Clan¡¯s scion¡ªBai Yuheng.


    ¡°Hmph!¡±


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu, Bai Yuheng directly made a gesture of neck slashing and haughtily raised his head.


    Feeling too lazy to bother his antics, Tang Xiu went towards Duanmu Lin and asked, ¡°How many demonic beasts are there now, Senior Duanmu?¡±


    ¡°About 260-plus in total,¡± answered Duanmu Lin. ¡°But I just informed you that another group of them is coming boasting similar numbers, around 300 demonic beasts. They haven¡¯t come here and just stopped at the periphery. But I suspect these two groups of demonic beasts are acting like the vanguards of an army. Could it be that they are preparing something like a massive-scale attack?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible, I think.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°We¡¯ve killed many demonic beasts for the last few days, yet they are still fearless to attack the blockade line again and again. I think they¡¯re testing the waters. And this time, it¡¯s almost time for them to test a large-scale attack.¡±


    ¡°We can handle it if the number of the demonic beasts is less than 1,000, but over that is impossible,¡± said Duanmu Lin with a heavy face. ¡°I must inform you that we have yet to find and collect all the materials needed for that geomancy array, so we can expect a massive loss on our side if we are to face them head-on.¡±


    ¡°We have no choice but to kill them to the best of our abilities,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°We can¡¯t just let them breach the blockade line even if we all die in battle. That¡¯s right, there¡¯s one thing I missed before. Why would these demonic beasts keep heading towards us? The Himalayas are very vast, while our blockade line only stretches out for tens of kilometers. What if those demonic beasts come out from other places?¡±


    ¡°Several groups of our armed forces have already blocked several regions of our country. We have also installed monitoring equipment in many special areas and some spy satellites in space to monitor them. But still, we haven¡¯t spotted any signs of demonic beasts in other regions. I suspect there¡¯s a huge array in the depths of the Himalayas, but it has been breached and the exit is right in front of the scope of our blockade line.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment. Then, he nodded and said, ¡°Your conjecture is reasonable. Yet, we can¡¯t neglect to guard the other regions either. How about forming a patrol squad? In case the common people can¡¯t spot them, cultivators can discover them in advance. It¡¯s just for precaution since there can be no slight negligence in this case.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll arrange it immediately after we repel this attack.¡± Duanmu Lin nodded.


    Time ticked and four hours passed by in the blink of an eye. A cultivator was sitting cross-legged under the curtain of the dark night while calmly waiting for the arrival of the demonic beasts¡¯ horde. From the footage sent by the surveillance equipment, the number of demonic beasts kept increasing and there were now over 1,000 of them gathered 5-plus kilometers away from them.


    ¡°Reporting, Sir. They are moving just now!¡±


    Aquababe, donning a stinted camouflage suit, dashed and appeared before Duanmu Lin.


    With a changed complexion, Duanmu Lin shouted, ¡°Attention, everyone! The horde of demonic beasts has begun rushing towards our position. Get ready to fight!¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes. He looked at Hao Lei and the others. All of them had gathered up and Hao Lei was standing close to Gu Yin.


    After over a minute, shadows of demonic beasts had appeared in the sight of hundreds of people. Searchlights illuminated the surrounding area like daylight as hundreds of cultivators quickly rushed toward the demonic beasts. Tang Xiu himself had yet to lead the Tang Sect people to get into action and just stood quietly at the blockade line, even though their aura kept soaring.


    Duanmu Lin hadn¡¯t moved either. He turned his head to look at Tang Xiu and said in a deep voice, ¡°We¡¯ll hand over the flying demonic beasts to you later. Those abominable flying beasts are truly hateful. They just hover in the sky and dive down, again and again, to strike us and cause no small casualties.¡±


    Tang Xiu shifted his eyes at the sky ahead. Then, he nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ve manufactured many charms in the last two days. Well, let¡¯s just have those flying demonic beasts to taste how it feels to get burned by the raging flames.¡±


    Duanmu Lin slightly nodded and said, ¡°Let¡¯s move now!¡±


    ¡°Well, you should¡¯ve heard the bet between me and that Bai Clan¡¯s young master, Bai Yuheng, right? Please assign some people to count the number of demonic beasts killed by us both,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. This area is covered by our surveillance equipment. Every move and action of yours and any demonic beasts you¡¯ve killed will be recorded. We can count it later after the end of the battle.¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡±


    Tang Xiu curtly replied and immediately made a gesture to take action. Along with 200 experts of the Tang Sect, he soared into the sky and quickly lunged towards the bird-species demonic beasts in the sky. Some of them formed a sword formation with their immortal swords; some unleashed their respective magic swords to form a sword array like a rainbow, instantly disrupting the formation of flying demonic beasts in the sky.


    ¡°KILL!¡±


    Tang Xiu unleashed his divine sword. His body flickered from one spot to another from time to time. But some demonic beasts would be killed every time he moved.


    ¡°DAMN HUMAN!!!¡±


    Ten flying demonic beasts approached fast from the hundreds of others. They didn¡¯t move to target the other Tang Sect disciples, but flapped their wings and flew fast towards Tang Xiu. The shadows of their feathery wings were like a stream of lights as though falling meteors as they instantly appeared in front of Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Magical spells and divine abilities?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion instantly turned solemn. He had killed many flying demonic beasts before, many of whom had power at the Golden Core Stage. But this was his first time encountering flying demonic beasts who could use magical spells and divine abilities. To his further surprise, all of these ten flying demonic beasts were able to unleash magical spells and their own unique abilities. While the most remarkable thing was their power which could rival experts at the Golden Core Stage.


    ¡®They are targeting me?!¡¯


    A chilling light flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. He instantly shot his divine sword to the ten flying demonic beasts bolting towards him. At the same time, he cast a secret art and heavenly thunderbolts blitzed down from the sky. Lightning sparks the size of an arm bolted down and bombarded a certain demonic beast.


    ¡°COMMANDER!!!¡±


    Suddenly, the ten flying demonic beasts let out a voice in the human language. Amid their roars, a demonic beast with charred body appeared out of thin air. This demonic beast had four pairs of wings, four long feet and, most importantly, it had a half-meter long tentacle-like antenna on its head.


    ROAAAR¡­


    A thunderous, deafening roar suddenly blasted out in the air. All Tang Sect cultivators at the early-stage of Foundation Establishment felt a faint ache in their eardrums, while their blood and power inside their bodies turned chaotic. The others at the mid-stage and late-stage of Foundation Establishment looked uncomfortable. It was obvious that the roar had greatly affected them.


    ¡®This flying demonic beast has power at the Nascent Soul Stage?¡¯


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face drastically changed. Never did it occur to him that a flying demonic beast with Nascent Soul Stage power would appear here. He was now more certain that these flying demonic beasts were targeting him and had laid out a trap to get him.


    ¡®Pity that you all have underestimated my strength.¡¯


    Tang Xiu was still calm in the midst of peril. He simultaneously unleashed some secret arts and his divine sword and successfully blocked the flying demonic beasts attacking him. At the moment when those ten flying demonic beasts charged at him again, he immediately grabbed dozens of Raging Flame Charms and activated them without hesitation, causing a raging fire to envelop those ten Golden Core Stage flying demonic beasts.


    ¡°Be ready to get killed if you wanna kill me!¡±


    Overlapping layers of sword lights howled and steamrolled forward toward the demonic beasts in front. Even though they tried to avoid them, they were still unable to evade unscathed and suffered bleeding wounds on their bodies.


    BOOM¡­


    A black flame wrapped in an odd-shaped object suddenly clashed with the divine sword controlled by Tang Xiu. An anguished roar from the Nascent Soul Stage flying demonic beast was then heard as the flame suddenly scattered away.

 Chapter 1066 - Mutually Damaged

    Chapter 1066: Mutually Damaged


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The rich smell of blood filled the gorgeous sky as the fierce battle was getting intense with the glint and flash of cold steel weapons. Seething killing aura was emitting out of Tang Xiu as he felt the surge of his own power. However, even those at the same cultivation level couldn¡¯t help shivering a little due to his physique that contained far greater strength than them.


    ¡°What minor abilities, but interesting nonetheless!¡±


    Tang Xiu let out wild laughter. His body was as if turning into a whirlwind that charged toward the Nascent Soul Stage demonic beast. With the forming of the lightning sea, the demonic beast let out anguished screams, while the divine sword sent out a 100 meters long sword light that accurately crushed it down. Blood splattered everywhere as the strikes kept bombarding its figure from hundreds of meters away.


    ROAAAR¡­


    ACK! GUAH!


    The ten Golden Core demonic beasts went into a frenzy. They only had one mission this time, and that was to kill powerful human beings, which was exactly Tang Xiu who had killed many of their kind. However, even their hiding commander was blown hard, making them extremely furious.


    Resorting to their nearly suicidal charge, they instantly appeared near Tang Xiu. Taking advantage of their high-speed impact, they used their sharp claws and fangs to attack Tang Xiu without hesitation.


    ¡°You¡¯re courting death!¡±


    Tang Xiu unleashed the Lightning Evoker Art once again. A lightning bolt bombardment came down again, while his divine sword also unleashed sword energy that nearly swept them away.


    The strikes swept over to dismember and kill!


    With confidence, Tang Xiu kept fighting with the late-stage Nascent Soul demonic beast. He successfully killed the ten Golden Core Stage demonic beasts in just a few breaths and instantly stored their remains inside his interspatial ring. No one saw his action when he took their remains away since his right hand moved lightning fast to pierce their corpses and then grabbed their fist-sized Demon Cores.


    The divine sword¡¯s might was very powerful, yet the power it consumed was equally enormous. The battle was still ongoing and waiting for him, so he must restore his consumed power as soon as possible.


    Puff, puff, puff¡­


    A bird-species demonic beast that was attacked by Tang Xiu and the Tang Sect disciples went into a frenzy. What made Tang Xiu furious was that two disciples of his sect were hit by several other demonic beasts since they couldn¡¯t escape and then fell to the ground. He saw that those two mid-stage Foundation Establishment disciples had died before their bodies even fell to the ground.


    On the ground, Bai Yuheng was also fighting demonic beasts separately. This was his first time facing demonic beasts. Although he was informed in advance that these beasts were very strong, he never dreamed that they would be this powerful. Some of them were even stronger than him, and he would¡¯ve died several times already if it wasn¡¯t for the two experts of the Bai Clan always protecting him.


    ¡°From which hell these fucking abominable demons come from?¡±


    Bai Yuheng kept brandishing his long sword and slashed the demonic beast that was slightly weaker than him before retreating. He could clearly see that Tang Xiu had successfully killed 10 demonic beasts in just a few breaths. He also saw him rushing again towards another demonic beast after a brief stop.


    ¡®Dammit! How can that bastard¡­ be so powerful?¡¯


    His heart became cold. Envy, jealousy, and hatred filled his whole being. He had always been pampered since his birth, so he didn¡¯t take Tang Xiu seriously before. Not only did he go so far as to provoke him, but he had also made a bet with him.


    However, after seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s methods in the battle and witnessing the speed of his men in killing demonic beasts, he just knew that he had completely lost, big time.


    ¡®I can¡¯t just admit it so easily! That fucking bastard will perhaps die in the hands of demonic beasts in the next moment. Xue Yu is mine! It¡¯s impossible that I, Bai Yuheng, will lose to someone in this life!¡¯


    Deep unwillingness overflowed in his eyes. But the moment he was in a daze, two demonic beasts roared and dashed to the left behind his back, launching a fierce attack on him¡ªthe strikes would kill him instantly if they were to land.


    ¡°YOUNG MASTER!!!¡±


    A white-haired old man fell back after arduously forcing back a demonic beast with his slash. His face was full of determination as he dashed behind Bai Yuheng and instantly blocked the attacks, using his left arm and exerting his power to push him out of danger.


    Puff¡­


    The white-haired old man¡¯s back was pierced by a sharp claw¡ªan inborn feature of praying mantis-like demonic beasts. If it wasn¡¯t for this white-haired old man moving fast and pushing Bai Yuheng away, its claw would¡¯ve pierced the old man¡¯s chest and Bai Yuheng¡¯s body.


    ¡°Elder Zuo!!!¡±


    His complexion turning ghastly pale, Bai Yuheng¡¯s eyes were filled with disbelief. It never occurred to him that his momentary daze would cause his most respected elder to die for the sake of saving him.


    The white-haired old man¡¯s body fell to the ground. Although he could sense that his life force was rapidly leaving his body, he still concentrated all his power on his right arm and swung upwards. Another demonic beast that was diving down at him was pierced by his blade on its abdomen, leaving a 10cm bleeding wound on it.


    ¡°Young Master, live¡­ survive¡­¡±


    His voice faded away and his raised arm also loudly dropped onto the ground as his last breath left his body.


    The battle was so fierce that both sides suffered great losses. Even Tang Xiu, whose power was comparable to the late-stage of Nascent Soul, had been injured in the fight. Although it was only a minor injury, his complexion looked extremely ugly.


    Just at this instant, the Tang Sect had lost four people, with six others gravely injured and having lost their combat power and none of the rest free from injuries.


    As the battle ended, the remaining less than 600 demonic beasts fled back to the wilderness into the depths of the Himalayas. Tang Xiu was standing in front of the blockade line. Then, he turned to Mo Awu, who was rushing towards him fast.


    ¡°You¡¯ve broken through?¡±


    Wiping off the bloodstains on his face, Mo Awu nodded. ¡°I just broke through and now am at the early-stage of Golden Core. But I need to stabilize my cultivation, Sect Master.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded without a word. His eyes landed on the dead bodies of four Tang Sect disciples. Then, he went to them to collect their souls. He didn¡¯t wish to let them enter the reincarnation cycle and reincarnate again later as they died in battle. Every disciple whose life and death went alongside Tang Sect would become a spirit of the Tang Sect even after their death.


    Whoosh!


    A figure moved lightning-fast from the distance and appeared in front of Tang Xiu in the blink of an eye. It was Daoist Zixuan who looked a bit grieving. ¡°Daoist Tang, could you help to collect the souls of the Whole Unitary Sect¡¯s disciples who died in this battle?¡±


    ¡°How many of your sect¡¯s people died in this battle?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Six,¡± answered Daoist Zixuan with a bitter face.


    Tang Xiu sighed inwardly. Then, he nodded and said, ¡°Since you have decided, then I¡¯ll help you. However, you must think clearly. The cost of reviving them in the future would be great. Some of you must break through to become an Immortal and become a powerhouse in the Immortal World later.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any secret art that allows me to communicate with them?¡± asked Daoist Zixuan.


    ¡°I do. But it¡¯s quite expensive.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to pay no matter how big the price is,¡± Daoist Zixuan replied in a deep voice.


    Tang Xiu then taught her the Spirit Communication Art and said, ¡°I give this magical secret art first to your Whole Unitary Sect. You can use cultivation resources to pay for it later!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Daoist Zixuan repeatedly nodded with a grateful look.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu collected the souls of the Whole Unitary Sect¡¯s disciples and handed them over to Daoist Zixuan. Then, he ordered the Tang Sect disciples to collect the remains of the demonic beasts and returned to the camp. The Tang Sect¡¯s losses in this big battle were not small, so he needed to hurry and help the other disciples to heal.


    On the next day, Duanmu Lin visited their campsite. Among those who came with him was Bai Yuheng, who wore an unwilling face. Tens of Bai Clan members suffered heavy injuries in the previous battle, and more than ten died, while the rest of them were also injured.


    ¡°It¡¯s your win, Tang Xiu.¡±


    Bai Yuheng braced himself to speak despite wearing an ugly complexion.


    Tang Xiu just shot him an apathetic look and lightly said, ¡°You still remember the bet between us?¡±


    A scowl appeared on Bai Yuheng¡¯s face and he said in a heavy voice, ¡°Behave yourself, Tang Xiu. I¡¯ll see you again later. And if you really want to go to extremes, then we can only become enemies in the future.¡±


    Duanmu Lin hesitated a little, yet he still spoke, ¡°Tang Xiu, about this issue, you see¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a few seconds, then apathetically said, ¡°Looking at the account of the heavy losses your Bai Clan suffer after fighting demonic beasts, I won¡¯t bother with you anymore. But keep in mind. Do NOT mess with me nor pester me and Xue Yu ever again in the future. I won¡¯t guarantee I¡¯ll regard your Bai Clan just like these demonic beasts someday!¡±


    Bai Yuheng was shivering inside. He recalled the frenzied slaughter Tang Xiu carried out in all four directions in the battle yesterday. It was a horrifying scene where he turned into a God of War. Despite his reluctance, he nodded with a gloomy face and turned around to leave.


    Duanmu Lin watched his back and then shot a grateful look at Tang Xiu. Then, he let out a forced, wry smile and said, ¡°Thanks, Tang Xiu. The Bai Clan has exerted a big effort and strength for the sake of the country, after all.¡±


    ¡°This Bai Yuheng has an appalling character, but his clansmen are still very heroic.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Rest assured, Senior Duanmu! I won¡¯t bother with him before we¡¯ve completely exterminated the demonic beasts. But that is on the premise he doesn¡¯t provoke me.¡±


    ¡± Haih , the Bai Clan is indeed a prominent big clan, and they are usually secluded from the secular world with their simple and pure folk customs.¡± Duanmu Lin sighed. ¡°It¡¯s really unfortunate for this clan to have such a Young Master. He¡¯s been pampered since birth, thus developing his arrogance. Yet this time, the Bai Clan¡¯s Patriarch even sent him to lead their team. I just don¡¯t know whether it¡¯ll be a disaster or a blessing!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I can manage this issue either. But it¡¯s fine as long as he doesn¡¯t provoke me.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Anyways, what about the materials for laying out the array, Senior Duanmu? Haven¡¯t you sent your men to collect them? How many of the materials have been prepared? If it¡¯s possible, I want to quickly lay out some arrays first.¡±


    Duanmu Lin hesitated for a moment before replying, ¡°We only managed to get a few as of now. The time is too short. Although some of the materials are now being transported, I¡¯m afraid it will take a few days before all of them can be shipped over.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll use however many you¡¯ve prepared!¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t have lost so many cultivators in yesterday¡¯s battle if we had arranged the array. Furthermore, I got a bad premonition through yesterday¡¯s battle.¡±


    ¡°A bad hunch? What did you find, exactly?¡± asked Duanmu Lin hurriedly.

 Chapter 1067 - The Approaching Crisis

    Chapter 1067: The Approaching Crisis


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu frowned and explained, ¡°I got a hunch from yesterday¡¯s battle that these demonic beasts had some other goal for attacking the blockade line. And their purpose was to kill me.¡±


    At his explanation, Duanmu Lin stared dully and said in disbelief, ¡°You said they want to kill you, so they launched yesterday¡¯s attack?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a possibility I can¡¯t brush off.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°I observed the ground battle very clearly. The strongest among those demonic beasts were at the Golden Core Stage, but the number of flying demonic beasts was only 400, with ten of them at the Golden Core Stage. However, when I fought the ten of them, there was a particular flying demonic beast in hiding that suddenly attacked me, and its strength was on par with cultivators at the Nascent Soul Stage.¡±


    ¡°What?!!¡± Duanmu Lin exclaimed in alarm. ¡°A demonic beast comparable to a Nascent Soul Stage expert appeared? Was it¡­ because of that super demonic beast whose strength is more formidable than a Nascent Soul Stage expert?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°When my cultivation broke through, that particular super demonic beast appeared in the blockade line. I could sense from its aura that it was not a demonic beast with the power at the Nascent Soul Stage. If my guess is correct, its strength may have reached the Spirit Formation Stage.¡±


    ¡°Spirit¡­ Spirit Formation Stage?¡±


    Disbelief fully covered Duanmu Lin¡¯s face. His heart fell to the bottom the longer Tang Xiu expressed his speculation. It must be noted that the most powerful cultivator in this place was Tang Xiu. Yet his strength was only comparable to the early-stage of Nascent Soul.


    ¡®In case¡­ that particular super demonic beast at the Spirit Formation Stage attack us, how can we fight back? Coupled with thousands of other demonic beasts, let alone the current defensive line, the horde of demonic beasts will easily breach it, and their onslaught will definitely slaughter all the cultivators here.¡¯


    Once it happened, it would be the end of mankind. Duanmu Lin and a large number of experts from the Special Abilities Bureau, as well as other experts from China, had speculated that even if the strongest demonic beast was at the Nascent Soul Stage, even modern weapons would find it difficult to kill them. Not even the missiles would be enough.


    Yet, there was still¡­ one at the Spirit Formation Stage¡­


    All these speculations made Duanmu Lin¡¯s heart liked dead ashes. He was crystal clear that it would be impossible to kill a demonic beast at Spirit Formation Stage unless they used a nuke. Even if they did resort to a nuclear bomb, the odds of killing it wouldn¡¯t be over 80%. In other words, there was still a 20% probability that it would fail.


    ¡°Does Heaven want us to perish?¡±


    Duanmu Lin¡¯s lips squirmed. He looked tens of years older.


    After noticing the changes in Duanmu Lin¡¯s aura, Tang Xiu immediately said, ¡°Senior Duanmu, I may have speculated that there should be some super demonic beasts comparable to Spirit Formation Stage experts. But it¡¯s not like we don¡¯t have any hope left. I still have some cards that can ensure the safety of mankind. But I¡¯ll definitely be impacted after using it.¡±


    Duanmu Lin¡¯s face drastically changed. He couldn¡¯t care less about Tang Xiu¡¯s losses, so he hurriedly asked, ¡°What card? Tell me, Tang Xiu. What kind of cards do you have?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the last resort. I won¡¯t use them unless the situation spells otherwise.¡± Tang Xiu forced a wry smile and said, ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not like I have no other means to exterminate that Spirit Formation Stage demonic beast.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s still a hope to kill that super demonic beast without even using your trump card?¡± asked Duanmu Lin hastily. ¡°Tang Xiu, quickly tell me, what is this method?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m waiting for someone. If she can arrive on time, maybe I won¡¯t need to use my trump card.¡± Tang Xiu lightly smiled and said, ¡°Senior Duanmu, please don¡¯t ask anymore. What you must do is deploy manpower and figure out when those demonic beasts will launch another attack.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ alright!¡±


    Duanmu Lin suppressed his confusion and left. Regardless of everything, it could be said Tang Xiu had given him a reassuring countermeasure. He didn¡¯t worry about the result as he believed that Tang Xiu wouldn¡¯t make fun of his own life.


    One week passed by and there was no movement of demonic beasts whatsoever. It was like they turned quiet and none appeared in the blockade line. Even the surveillance devices placed in the depths of the Himalayas could only occasionally spot several demonic beasts before they quickly disappeared.


    However, such a situation made everyone realize that this must be the calmness before the storm. The next onslaught of those demonic beasts would very likely be overwhelming.


    Tang Xiu himself didn¡¯t stay idle this week. He spent his time cultivating to improve his own strength as well as teaching some secret arts to some disciples of the Tang Sect, so they could master them quickly. At the same time, he also spent two days to arrange a large geomancy array that stretched out for 6-plus kilometers along the blockade line. The array would trap any demonic beasts, whether they attacked from the Eastern, Western, or even the Mid Front.


    Behind the mid-front of the blockade line.


    Tang Xiu wore a serious face as he spoke, ¡°You must remember that you¡¯re responsible to preside over the array. Meaning you will be stimulating the entire power this geomancy array can unleash. Unless we¡¯re in a very dire situation that forces us to activate this last resort, you¡¯re not to leave the eye of this array.


    ¡°If you want to survive and live longer, then use this geomancy array to kill those demonic beasts. The more demonic beasts you kill using this array, the higher the chance for you to survive. I will also control a much bigger and powerful array. But once the array under your control is compromised, I¡¯ll take it over from you immediately. I hope that you all won¡¯t let me down, so don¡¯t disappoint all the cultivator allies on the blockade line!¡±


    Having said that, Tang Xiu finally stopped his speech.


    Eight cultivators at Golden Core Stage aided by six more at the late-stage of Foundation Establishment. These 14 people were crossing their hands behind their backs, standing firmly with a resolute and determined look, replying aloud, ¡°We¡¯ll never disappoint Sect Master Tang and everyone else!¡±


    Tang Xiu slowly nodded and said with satisfaction, ¡°Your names may be recorded in the annals of history later and perhaps will be remembered in the future. You also may only be remembered by those in the cultivation world and nobody else will know who we are after we leave. However, you will be heroes. This is a fact that no one can change. I, Tang Xiu, am looking forward to fighting alongside you all!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s fight side by side!¡± shouted the 14 people loudly.


    These cultivators hailed from some Taoist and Buddhist schools and some were martial artists who had entered the cultivation path. What they had in common was that they had been deeply influenced by Tang Xiu. They not only had deep admiration towards him but also developed similar warrior-like bearing and attitude like Tang Xiu.


    Time fleeted by and another two days passed in the blink of an eye.


    Inside the military tent, Tang Xiu was sitting cross-legged while silently communicating with the stars in the universe. He constantly absorbed the astral power from the universe that transformed it into his own strength to use. At the same time, he also spent 108 Demon Cores to arrange the Spiritual Energy Gathering Array. After devouring all the demonic force contained within the Demon Cores, the array itself automatically dispersed.


    ¡®The Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis really deserves to be called the best cultivation art ever created by the Demons and Gods with its incredibly fast cultivation speed. It didn¡¯t take long cultivating here, did it? Yet my power has rapidly increased, at least twice stronger. I think I can also kill experts at the late-stage of Nascent Soul now. If¡­ I was to encounter powerful enemies at the Spirit Formation Stage, I might even able to fight them, albeit barely. But still, it¡¯s difficult to say whether I¡¯ll be defeated or not.¡¯


    Tang Xiu floated up and set out. Just as he left the tent, he saw Xue Sha and Hei Xiong, who were standing straight and waiting for him outside. There were also a lot of Tang Sect disciples in the surrounding with envious look cast on their faces.


    ¡°You guys¡­¡±


    Just as Tang Xiu spoke, he immediately sensed the aura released by the two men. A satisfied smile suddenly appeared on his handsome face as he nodded and smilingly said, ¡°Very good! You both are great! I didn¡¯t expect you to be the second and third disciples who advanced to the Golden Core Stage. I now announce that you are promoted to Guardian Elders of the Tang Sect. You can go to Mo Awu later to claim your rewards. He will hand them over to you.¡±


    Xue Sha and Hei Xiong exchanged glances. Although they already knew that they would become Tang Sect¡¯s Guardian Elders and also obtain handsome rewards, hearing the direct confirmation from Sect Master Tang Xiu himself made them really excited.


    ¡°Sect Master.¡± Mo Awu floated from afar and respectfully greeted as he came to Tang Xiu¡¯s front.


    ¡°Give them their rewards and celebrate their advancement into the Golden Core Stage. Furthermore, they will be the elders of Tang Sect later. Four of you are the first to break through, so you all are now the Elders and will need to discuss more issues in the future.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Mo Awu smiled and nodded to Xue Sha and Hei Xiong. Then, his eyes went back to Tang Xiu again, saying, ¡°Sovereign, I just received news that Chi Nan and Kuwako Yamamoto have also broken through to the Golden Core Stage.¡±


    Tang Xiu stared dully. He wasn¡¯t surprised by the news that Chi Nan had broken through to the Golden Core Stage, but how come Kuwako¡¯s cultivation speed was so fast?


    Originally, he accepted her as his subordinate in order to carry out his plan in Japan, which was to take some forces there under his control in the future. It was all to plunder some resources he needed from Japan, but now it seemed that he must no longer treat her as an outsider. With such a cultivation speed, as long as she worked harder later, she could also become his right arm.


    ¡°Awu, contact Chi Nan, Kuwako, Guang, and An. Tell them to head over here at once. It¡¯s very likely the following days will become our final showdown here. Our odds of survival will increase if all of them come, and we can also reduce the casualties of our other disciples.¡±


    ¡°What about Jin Shi? Would you like him to come back too?¡± asked Mo Awu hurriedly.


    ¡°Has Jin Shi advanced to the Golden Core Stage yet?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard any news about that yet.¡± Mo Awu shook his head.


    Tang Xiu sighed inwardly. He recalled that Jin Shi had long been following him. He also occasionally gave him private tutoring and even rewarded him with many cultivation resources. Jin Shi should¡¯ve been listed as the first six who broke through to the Golden Core Stage. It was rather unexpected that he eventually let him down.


    ¡°Don¡¯t inform him first. He¡¯s carrying out a mission now.¡±


    Mo Awu nodded wordlessly. Then, he said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll convey your message to the rest immediately.¡±

 Chapter 1068 - Arrogance

    Chapter 1068: Arrogance


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Deep in the Himalayas was a huge space carved in the interior of a towering snow-capped mountain. A karst grotto appeared in the underground space after it had undergone a transformation by a secret art. A river of magma flowed through the cave, causing the temperature of this place to be extremely high as though inside a heated furnace.


    Hou! Hou!


    In the midst of the lava river that radiated the high temperature, a huge demonic beast with a blood-red physique suddenly rose. It looked like a toad, only magnified 100 times. However, it had four tens of meters long tentacles on its gills that constantly beat the surface of the magma river, causing liquid magma to splash.


    ¡°Archfiend Rupture!¡±


    Savage killing intent filled the giant demonic beast¡¯s eyes that seemed like a huge grinding disc. Its eyes swept over and, as its voice was heard, the building-sized super demonic beast flickered from the outside and moved lightning fast to the interior. In just the blink of an eye, it was already in front of the toad demonic beast.


    ¡°O¡¯ Great Bloodfiend Monarch, you¡¯ve finally woke up from your slumber. As you will it, the elites of our demonic beast army have probed the humans in this world again and again, and they found there are some very powerful humans among them. Regardless, I have the confidence to destroy those humans and occupy this planet for you.¡±


    The toad-shaped Bloodfiend Monarch spouted out some magma before it shook its head and said, ¡°The Heavenly Dao of this world is very powerful. Our strength is suppressed now and we can only use one-thousandth of our power. Hence, we must first investigate and figure out this world, to find out whether there are existences like Immortals, Demon Kings, and other powerhouses. If this world does have such existences, we must immediately leave this place to somewhere else to find another shelter. If not, we¡¯ll begin our slaughter here!¡±


    The super demonic beast called Archfiend Rupture heavily nodded. Almost without hesitation, it let out a roar and left. Within just half a day, nearly 100,000 demonic beasts quickly assembled from the entire interior of the Himalayas, occupying the grounds all over the mountains and plains. Loud and jubilating howls and roars greeted the awakening of their ¡°King¡±.


    ****


    Ugley Town.


    Sitting cross-legged inside the military tent in cultivation, Tang Xiu suddenly heard the roars and howls of countless demonic beasts. His complexion instantly changed drastically since he could determine that the number of roaring demonic beasts was not as few as 10,000, but definitely more than 50,000.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Shadows and figures moved lightning fast as they quickly appeared at the blockade line. All human cultivators were looking at the depths of the Himalayas in the north. Although they couldn¡¯t see any traces of demonic beasts, they could clearly hear the roars that caused slight tremors to the earth.


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡±


    Duanmu Lin appeared next to Tang Xiu with eyes filled with deep worries and restlessness.


    ¡°The old saying is true that we can only be victorious in any battle if we know ourselves and our enemies.¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, ¡°We¡¯re now unsure about the number of the demonic beasts as well as their overall strength. I¡¯m afraid it would be a tall order to win the next battle. Senior Duanmu, are the rest of the cultivation forces you¡¯ve invited already here?¡±


    ¡°Two cultivation forces haven¡¯t arrived yet.¡± Duanmu Lin shook his head and said, ¡°But the rest of them are already here. The Special Abilities Bureau¡¯s people have counted the number of cultivators who have arrived here. We have more than 2,000 people now. However, we seem to have a lot of people, but the number of demonic beasts far surpasses ours. The weakest among demonic beasts are comparable to experts at the Foundation Establishment Stage, but less than half of the cultivators here at the same realm.¡±


    Tang Xiu sigh inwardly. Duanmu Lin was simply stating the truth. In this kind of peace and prosperity era, there were only a very few people who walked on the cultivation path, and the number was even fewer for those who made achievements and reached the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    ¡°It seems we can only rely on the arrays,¡± said Tang Xiu helplessly.


    ¡°You told me that you still have a trump card, Tang Xiu. What exactly is it?¡± asked Duanmu Lin. ¡°Please tell me now and let me feel at ease, will you?¡±


    Tang Xiu glanced at the direction of Nine Dragons Island and vaguely said, ¡°It will be coming soon.¡±


    After half an hour when Tang Xiu was still sitting cross-legged in cultivation, four formidable auras were transmitted from the direction of Ugley. In just a few breaths, three men and one woman appeared in the blockade line.


    ¡°Interesting. I never thought so many kids would come here.¡± A young man donning a white robe and looking like a scholar seemed to talk casually, but his voice was clearly transmitted to everyone¡¯s ears.


    An old man with a walking stick and with eyes and eyebrows that made him look kind and amiable replied, ¡°These fellow Chinese are not bad. They still step forward to help the country when it encounters a crisis. Anyhow, when was the last time we left our mountain? Was it more than 60 or 70 years ago?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about 70 years ago, before the War of Resistance.¡± The tall and stalwart middle-aged man, whose face was red and dressed in red from head to toe and held the Demon Subduing Stick, replied with a resonant voice. His voice was not particularly vigorous, yet it carried a particular prestige.


    The other, a middle-aged Taoist nun in Taoist hairdo and robe smiled and lightly said, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about the past. This occasion is a chance and opportunity should all the benefactors be very powerful. It¡¯s a pity that Dao Master Poison¡¯s heart harbors evil intention then, so he has never been able to step up¡ªotherwise, we five would¡¯ve been able to get along together.¡±


    Dao Master Poison?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face, who was sitting cross-legged 10 of meters away from the four people, slightly shifted.


    Daoist Zixuan floated out of the crowd and quickly appeared in front of the middle-aged Taoist nun. She saluted and respectfully greeted. ¡°Zixuan pays respect. Why did you come out, Ancestress?¡±


    ¡°I just received notice from these three old fogies that there are a lot of demonic beasts in the Himalayas, so I came out to take a look.¡± The Taoist nun smilingly said, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen the likes of demonic beasts, to be honest. But I read the records about them in the ancient historical record. Little Zixuan, tell me about the situation of these demonic beasts. Are they really powerful?¡±


    ¡°What I know is but a few compared to others pertaining to these demonic beasts, Ancestress,¡± replied Daoist Zixuan. ¡°How about I call out Daoist Tang? He may be able to answer your questions about them.¡±


    ¡°Call him over then!¡± The Taoist nun nodded.


    Whoosh!


    Tang Xiu¡¯s figure flickered and appeared in front of the group instantly. He seriously observed the four people, let out a light smile and said, ¡°Tang Xiu greets the four Seniors. I¡¯ve been worrying that there are too many powerful demonic beasts in this mountain range. We can feel at ease now since four Nascent Soul Stage Seniors have arrived here.¡±


    The middle-aged Taoist nun was surprised and asked, ¡°You¡¯re that Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± Tang Xiu replied with a smile.


    The Taoist Nun shifted her sight to Daoist Zixuan and inquired. ¡°I heard about your business deal too. How was it, what¡¯re the results?¡±


    ¡°We actually didn¡¯t bring out a lot of cultivation resources, Ancestress. But Daoist Tang still gave us the things as per his commitment,¡± answered Daoist Zixuan hurriedly.


    The Taoist nun¡¯s face slightly shifted. She cast a deep look at Tang Xiu and praised. ¡°You¡¯re truly an admirable junior. Our Whole Unitary Sect will count this as a favor. But please rest assured, I¡¯ll order some people to collect some cultivation resources to be delivered to you later.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not one to haggle over things, to begin with. But since Senior wants to give me some cultivation resources, then I¡¯d like to gift the Whole Unitary Sect some presents as well.¡± Tang Xiu lightly smiled.


    The red-faced stalwart middle-aged man couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. He rolled his eyes and grunted. ¡°Spare us from these trivial issues, shall we? Tang¡­ Tang Xiu, right? Just tell us the situation with these demonic beasts. Can they match me, Shatong?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the interior of the mountain range has at least tens of thousands of demonic beasts, and the weakest has the power at the early-stage of Foundation Establishment.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and explained, ¡°However, I¡¯m unsure about the strongest one. But after I¡¯ve killed many demonic beasts, they once launched an attack especially to target me, with ten Golden Core Stage flying demonic beasts to cover the attempt of the assassination by another demonic beast equal to a Nascent Soul Stage expert. Fortunately, my reaction was fast enough and I had good luck, so I preserved my life.¡±


    Ten Golden Core Stage demonic beasts and another on par with a Nascent Soul Stage expert?


    All of them looked solemn upon hearing this. Although they were experts at the Nascent Soul Stage, they didn¡¯t know what supernatural abilities these demonic beasts possessed. If what Tang Xiu said was true, then they would likely spend quite the energy just to fight them.


    ¡°Also, if my guess is correct, there are also some demonic beasts on par with experts at Spirit Formation Stage,¡± continued Tang Xiu. ¡°However, it hasn¡¯t come out yet, so I can¡¯t judge how powerful they are.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s words shocked the four people.


    There are Demonic beasts on par with experts at Spirit Formation Stage? If there¡¯s such a powerful demonic beast, even the four of them joining hands to fight it would only give them a 50% chance of winning, right?


    The old man asked with a solemn expression, ¡°Your conjecture is that there are some demonic beasts on par with experts at Spirit Formation Stage? What is your cultivation level now? How can you estimate the strength of powerhouses at the Nascent Soul Stage, more so those at the Spirit Formation Stage?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because my current power is not weaker than you all, Seniors,¡± said Tang Xiu calmly.


    ¡°That¡¯s nonsense! What arrogance!¡± The burly man rolled his eyes and snappily said, ¡°You¡¯re so young. You must be just a little over 20, are you not? And you claim your strength is not weaker than ours? That¡¯s some joke you¡¯re spewing!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure which part of what I said is a joke, but I¡¯m crystal clear about the strength of the person you previously mentioned,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly.


    The burly man didn¡¯t want to bother with Tang Xiu anymore. But after he heard the last part, he asked without thinking, ¡°The person I mentioned, who is it?¡±


    ¡°Dao Master Poison,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly.


    The burly man¡¯s face instantly turned cold. Killing intent flashed in his eyes as he asked in a deep voice, ¡°Do you know Dao Master Poison?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Not only do I know him, but I also fought with him once.¡±


    ¡°FUCK OFF!¡± The stalwart man felt that Tang Xiu was getting more and more outrageous and directly waved to drive him away.

 Chapter 1069 - The Decisive Battle Arrives

    Chapter 1069: The Decisive Battle Arrives


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    In the eyes of the burly man, even if Daoist Master Poison had no straight and righteous heart and the chance of him advancing to the Nascent Soul Stage was nil, he was still a powerful expert at the Golden Core Stage. Yet this kid went so far as to brazenly brag without batting an eye. That was really disgusting.


    ¡°Guan Le!¡± The middle-aged Taoist nun slightly furrowed her brows and called out with dissatisfaction.


    ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s spare ourselves the nonsensical shits spit out by this brat and just rush straight into the depths of the mountain range.¡± The burly man sneered. ¡°Even if there¡¯s a demonic beast on par with Spirit Formation Stage experts, four of us can join hands to kill it!¡±


    The young man in white nodded and agreed. ¡°Guan Le is right. Tricks are futile in the face of absolute strength. Let¡¯s not waste time since we¡¯re going to hunt and kill demonic beasts, to begin with. After killing the powerful ones, we can give the minor ones to the rest of the people here.¡±


    ¡°My thoughts exactly,¡± echoed the amiable-looking old man.


    The middle-aged Taoist nun, however, slightly furrowed her brows and looked hesitant. She knew more about Tang Xiu and would rather believe his words. However, she also agreed with her three old friends since they were ready to enter the mountain range to hunt and kill the strongest demonic beasts. She felt that even if they were unable to kill the most powerful demonic beasts in the mountains, they would be fine since they were also able to escape.


    ¡°Ancestress!¡± called out Daoist Zixuan hurriedly.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to persuade me, Little Zixuan.¡± The Taoist nun waved and smilingly said, ¡°They want to go to the mountains directly to kill the strongest demonic beasts, so I naturally can¡¯t ignore them. Maybe the current crisis will be resolved faster by following them.¡±


    Upon hearing it, Daoist Zixuan immediately looked helpless and said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll speak no longer since you¡¯ve made up your mind, Ancestress. But there¡¯s something I¡¯d like you to have.¡±


    Having said that, she handed the interspatial bracelet to the middle-aged Taoist nun. Stored inside was not only the cultivation manual traded from Tang Xiu but also the immortal sword.


    As the Taoist nun received the interspatial bracelet, she released her perception to sense it and immediately found a divine sword. It shocked her inwardly since she could feel the terrifying aura exuding from it. Turbulence waves surged in her heart as it made her more confident in hunting the demonic beasts in the mountain range.


    ¡°Let¡¯s set off!¡±


    The red-faced Guan Le soared and flew towards the depths of the mountains.


    In just a few seconds, the newly arrived four Nascent Soul Stage human experts had directly entered the depths of the Himalayas to start the hunt. Tang Xiu himself quickly nodded to Duanmu Lin and also gestured for Hao Lei and some others to follow them behind silently.


    With the current situation, every human expert was comrade-in-arms, and these four Nascent Soul Stage experts were the strongest existences of humanity. If they were to fall in the Himalayas due to their arrogance, it was something that Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t accept.


    Deep in the Himalayas, savage demonic beasts had literally covered the snowy ground as the chilling wind howled, adding chill and terror to the suppressing aura of nearly 100,000 demonic beasts. Two super demonic beasts the size of a building were slowly coming out of a wide grotto and the horde roared yet again.


    ¡°SILENCE!¡±


    An afterimage flashed and Archfiend Rupture appeared in front of two huge demonic beasts. Its blood-red eyes swept underneath as it shouted while unleashing its savage aura.


    In but a flash, everything went deathly still and all the demonic beasts looked at Archfiend Rupture with fear, waiting for orders.


    Archfiend Rupture raised its head and roared a few times. Then, it spoke in demonic beasts¡¯ language, ¡°Our Great King, Bloodfiend Monarch has finally woken up and we will soon occupy this planet. For thousands of years, we have been drifting and trapped in this forsaken small planet and damned iceberg. No way in hell will we be reconciled with this, and neither will our Great Bloodfiend Monarch. Therefore, we will slaughter all the humans on this planet and occupy this place. Let us use this planet as a springboard to blaze our way back to the Demon Realm, to kill our enemies and reclaim our domains!¡±


    ¡°KILL!¡±


    ¡°KILL! KILL!¡±


    ¡°KIL! KILL! KILL!¡±


    Nearly 100,000 demonic beasts roared and screamed. Under the leadership of Archfiend Rupture and two ten-meter high demonic beasts, all of them roared and dashed to the south.


    In mid-air, four Nascent Soul Stage experts stopped moving and stood still, staring dumbly at the flying demonic beasts in front. They couldn¡¯t help but gasp with a chill running down their backs upon seeing the flying demonic beasts completely shrouding the sky. They could also sense the suppressing momentum and aura released by the horde of demonic beasts. Despite evaluating themselves as very powerful experts, it was a sight that shocked them to the core.


    ¡°DIE, HUMANS!¡±


    The two ten meters high demonic beasts flew forward and fiercely attacked the four Nascent Soul Stage experts without hesitation.


    Archfiend Rupture didn¡¯t rush to attack and just watched the four humans calmly, yet the killing intent in its heart was seething. He was rather furious to see that these humans dared to enter the depths of the Himalayas.


    BANG¡­ BANG¡­ BANG¡­


    ¡°KILL¡­¡±


    The two huge demonic beasts fought fiercely with the four Nascent Soul Stage experts, and the latter quickly fell into a disadvantage.


    Upon seeing this, Archfiend Rupture hesitated no longer. He howled and charged into the fray mid-air. Its movement was even faster than the two huge demonic beasts. A black vortex instantly appeared and a dark chain suddenly flew out from it.


    BANG¡­ BANG¡­


    The youth in white was caught off guard and was slammed by the black chain on his chest and crazily coughed up a mouthful of blood. His body was like a broken kite as he flew backward. Even though the other three were able to avoid the danger, they still struggled against the sucking force from the black vortex, unable to rescue the youth in white.


    ¡°Heh, so fragile.¡±


    Archfiend Rupture laughed wildly and howled. Joining hands with the other two demonic beasts, a crisis immediately loomed over the four Nascent Soul Stage experts.


    ¡°Immortal Slayer Chain¡ªKILL!¡±


    The black chain with the black vortex was the supernatural abilities possessed by Archfiend Rupture. Added with his own strength that was on par with Spirit Formation Stage experts, he didn¡¯t give the youth in white any chance to escape. Dozen black chains were shot at him and tightly wrapped the youth in white, pulling him into the black vortex.


    Suddenly, a black figure bolted from the distance lightning-fast and a 100-meter sword light was shot from a divine sword, smashing toward the black chain flying in the air. Violent energy blasted and formed a tornado that clashed with the black vortex that sucked they young man in white.


    BOOM!


    The black chain shattered while the black vortex was disrupted by the tornado. It rapidly dissipated and finally disappeared. The young man in white was ghastly pale and escaped in distress. However, another black chain was shot again at his back.


    ¡°BREAK!!!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s aura surged and a brilliant light radiated from the divine sword. The flow of energy then wrapped the young man in white as Tang Xiu immediately pulled him back before turning and running back.


    ¡°What are you guys waiting for? Run quickly!¡±


    At this moment, the Taoist nun, the amiable-looking old man, and the red-faced Guan Le, who were just shocked by the sudden crisis, finally realized that they were simply no match for these demonic beasts at all. They turned around and quickly chased Tang Xiu¡¯s figure toward the outside of the mountain range.


    ¡°Hammer of Death!¡±


    ¡°Death God Scythe!¡±


    The other two demonic beasts with the strength of the late-stage of the Nascent Soul Stage unleashed their magic abilities at the same time. Even though the middle-aged Taoist nun, the old man, and Guan Le were fleeing very fast, the giant hammer and black crescent saber struck them heavy wounds.


    Quickly after, the five of them had fled to the blockade line. Tang Xiu then threw the nearly injured young man in white to Mo Awu and shouted, ¡°Prepare for battle! We got tons of demonic beasts coming, at least nearly 90,000 of them! Remember my instruction and immediately activate the arrays!¡±


    14 figures quickly rushed and activated the geomancy array and stood at its center.


    Guan Le moved and appeared at the side of the young man in white. His expression was extremely ugly. At this moment, he had to admit that he was truly arrogant for suggesting to intrude into the depths of the mountain range proactively. That demonic beast truly had the power of the Spirit Formation Stage. It was too powerful, while there were also two others who had Nascent Soul Stage power. Just those three demonic beasts joining hands were not a force the four Nascent Soul Stage experts could fight against.


    ¡°Now is not the time to blame yourself. Take out your weapon and prepare for battle! Today, we or those demonic beasts must perish.¡± Tang Xiu appeared at Guan Le¡¯s side and growled.


    Guan Le raised his head to look at Tang Xiu¡¯s solemn face. Grief and indignation filled his heart since he looked down on Tang Xiu prior to this that he didn¡¯t even bother to give him due respect. He thought that Tang Xiu was just a brat who dared to brag in front of them. However, after having gone through the crisis just now, he realized that Tang Xiu was by no means weak. Be it his speed or explosive killing moves, they must have surpassed him.


    ¡°I apologize for the previous issue, Daoist Tang.¡±


    Guan Le couldn¡¯t help but feel grateful to Tang Xiu. If it wasn¡¯t for his help at their direst moment before, his companion¡ªthe young man in white¡ªwould¡¯ve died to those demonic beasts.


    ¡°No need to apologize.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°If you feel guilty, just kill more demonic beasts! We mustn¡¯t harbor any more feelings of animosity, however. I have a bad premonition that we will face more dangerous things soon.¡±


    Guan Le took a deep breath and floated up. Just as he was about to rush into the invisible array, Tang Xiu immediately blocked him. ¡°Don¡¯t rush to go into action! I¡¯ve arranged an array in the surrounding. You can act and slaughter those demonic beasts after we kill as many as possible with these arrays!¡±


    An array? Use an array to kill demonic beasts?


    Guan Le didn¡¯t understand about arrays, though he knew their might. Suddenly, the way he looked at Tang Xiu was completely different from before.


    ¡°KILL!¡±


    The overwhelming horde of demonic beasts quickly rushed into the array in front of the blockade line. In that instant, the 14 cultivators with meager cultivation level who had learned to operate the array from Tang Xiu began to manipulate it to kill the rushing demonic beasts.

 Chapter 1070 - Killing Demonic Beasts

    Chapter 1070: Killing Demonic Beasts


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The huge array arranged like a chain of rings acted as a meat grinder, killing the demonic beasts that constantly rushed into it. Tang Xiu himself turned as though a phantom that kept flickering and wandering inside the array, silently reaping the lives of demonic beasts. For the demonic beasts and enemy cultivators, the array was like the land of death. But it was like his own back garden to Tang Xiu.


    ROAAR¡­


    Hissss¡­.


    Countless demonic beasts roared and frantically launched their onslaught on the array, causing chaotic turbulence to the 14 linked arrays. After half an hour of slaughter, Tang Xiu rushed out of the array with a wretched appearance, his clothes soaked with blood as though he was just fished out from a pool of blood.


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡±


    A lightning-fast shadow bolted from nearby, followed by the others who wore worried expressions and awe.


    Wiping off the blood on his face, Tang Xiu hurriedly asked, ¡°Who are these people, Senior Duanmu?¡±


    Taking a deep breath, Duanmu Lin grabbed the communicator, pressed the green button, and shouted, ¡°Killing Squad Warriors, enter the arrays now!¡±


    Shortly after, a group of shadows bolted from the distance and rushed into the arrays in the blink of an eye. They were the 140 cultivators who were invited by Duanmu Lin by various means and then sent to Tang Xiu a week ago to learn about the arrays¡¯ operation.


    Although they didn¡¯t have a thorough understanding of the arrays, they could remember the route and orientation within the formation to kill demonic beasts that entered it. The weakest among them was at the late-stage of Foundation Establishment while the strongest were experts at the Golden Core Stage.


    Each group consisted of 10 people. They quickly took advantage of the array right after entering it. They were like petrol that was poured on the fire that burned and killed the demonic beasts inside the array. The 140 people could easily enter and retreat while attacking and defending at the same time. However, the number of demonic beasts was really too many that they were simply jam-packed inside the array.


    ¡°We can¡¯t hold it anymore! Retreat quickly!¡±


    A cultivator manipulating the array suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood and shouted. The remaining six cultivators who were still alive inside rushed out of the array with scars a few seconds after. They were panting heavily and hadn¡¯t had time to breathe more as the array was broken.


    Shortly after, the other arrays also followed suit. One of the cultivators who had escaped was badly battered and desperately dashed through the blockade line, looking a bit despaired. All of the remaining ones were seriously injured and must be treated promptly. They would only meet their deaths otherwise should they participate in the next battle.


    Tang Xiu, who had changed his clothes at this moment, crazily absorbed the demonic energy in the Demon Cores to supplement his energy consumption. Chilling light overflowing from his eyes upon seeing that the 14 arrays had been broken. His figure soared and the divine sword instantly swept away to crush a certain flying demonic beast.


    ¡°Demons and Immortals Slaughtering Array!¡±


    A deafening voice instantly spread into the sky. A thick blood fog was formed by the blood of the demonic beasts and humans, filling the area tens of kilometers around the blockade line, and ultimately created a boundless ocean of blood that killed all the demonic beasts inside. The Demons and Immortals Slaughtering Array covered a very large area and enveloped at least tens of thousands of demonic beasts.


    CRACK¡­ BOOM¡­


    Violent thunderstorms were as though clapping down from the highest vault of heaven, making all the demonic beasts in the array howl. The sound seemed to be able to destroy the souls and control their minds. It was like it was the voice of Buddhas and Demons, yet it brought extreme aggressiveness within. At the same time, lightning flashed down like a hurricane. Each lightning bolt was the size of an arm that severely wounded Golden Core Stage demonic beasts and killed those at the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    Ting, ting, ting¡­


    Suddenly, the magnetic sound of a zither drifted from outside of the Demons and Immortals Slaughtering Array. In nearly an instant, the tens of thousands of demonic beasts inside the array felt like the world before them had changed. They seemed to see the place where they were born, seeing their hometown and smelling the aura of the soil in their Demon Realm. They could even hear the unique howling winds of their birthplace.


    Puff¡­ puff¡­ puff¡­


    Lightning flashed down like rain.


    Each and every demonic beast that died in the lightning rain died, yet they wore smiling faces as their bodies slowly fell down. The ground was littered by their corpses while blood created a scarlet river. In just half a minute, the tens of thousands of demonic beasts met their deaths by the lightning blasts.


    ROAAARR¡­


    The building-sized demonic beast at the Nascent Soul Stage noticed that something was amiss after rushing out of the Demons and Immortals Slaughtering Array. It let out a furious roar as countless black scimitars appeared out of the blue and clashed with the blasting lightning bolts. Suddenly, the lightning bolts were blocked for a time and significantly slowed down the killings of demonic beasts.


    Ting, ting, ting¡­


    The syllable from the zither outside the array suddenly changed its tone. The notes now turned like a blasting storm like the collision between iron horses. Suddenly, all the Foundation Establishment demonic beasts in the Demons and Immortals Slaughtering Array lost their smiling faces to looks of pain.


    While controlling the Demons and Immortals Slaughtering Array to slay demonic beasts, Tang Xiu slightly furrowed his brows as he knew the person who just came from the moment the zither¡¯s play sounded.


    It¡¯s Han Qingwu! But she¡¯s also Xue Qingcheng!


    The feelings he had towards her were very complicated. Even after he knew that Han Qingwu was Xue Qingcheng; even though his heart was so much in pain and full of hatred towards her, he never had the heart to ruthlessly kill her. From that moment onward, he thought that it was the best choice to sever all ties with her.


    And yet, he never thought that she would fight alongside him to kill these demonic beasts at this moment. He could tell that Han Qingwu¡­ no¡­ Xue Qingcheng should have restored her power to the Spirit Formation Stage from the notes played by her zither.


    At the blockade line.


    The eyes of thousands of cultivators were all trained on Han Qingwu, who was sitting on a floating bluestone. Watching as she sat cross-legged while playing her zither made them incomparably shocked.


    The zither¡¯s notes didn¡¯t affect them too much. But it was because Han Qingwu deliberately controlled it that the effects on them were negligible. Yet, it still made their countenance extremely solemn. Even the many cultivators who had weaker strength retreated over 100 hundred meters staggeringly while wiping off the cold sweat on their foreheads with lingering fear evident on their faces.


    The zither¡¯s notes they heard just now nearly pulled them into the mood state ordained by the syllables. They even secretly had a sensation that they would be severely injured and face the risk of death if they were pulled into the mood ordained by the zither.


    ¡°Who¡¯s she?¡±


    The middle-aged Nascent Soul Stage Taoist nun wore a disbelieving look, and so did the amiable-looking old man and the stalwart big man. All of their eyes were trained on Han Qingwu, refusing to take back their focus even if they wanted to.


    She was at the Spirit Formation Stage!


    These three Nascent Soul Stage experts were naturally able to sense the aura fluctuating from Han Qingwu. What shocked them was this young woman, who attacked the demonic beasts with zither notes, turned out to be an expert at the Spirit Formation Stage.


    ¡°Given her age, she¡¯s unlikely to be some old fogy who has been cultivating for a century or more. If my guess is correct, she should be at her 20s, but it¡¯s too unbelievable and too shocking for her to reach the Spirit Formation Stage in her 20s.¡±


    ¡°True that. She¡¯s really only in her 20s. I¡¯m sure of it. But what I really want to figure out is what kind of cultivation art she has been cultivating in, exactly? For one to reach the Spirit Formation Stage in such a short time, doesn¡¯t it mean that it must be much more powerful than the ones cultivated by us, who have been cultivating for centuries?¡±


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the threat of these demonic beasts at the present and the fact that she¡¯s much stronger than us, I would¡¯ve robbed her of that particular cultivation art. But this lass is by no means ordinary. It¡¯s an understatement calling her simply terrifying.¡±


    After the shock, the three people wore extremely complicated expressions as they watched Han Qingwu play her zither and exchanged whispers.


    Not far away from them, Duanmu Lin was dumbfounded as he looked at Han Qingwu. He was simply unable to notice anything the moment she showed up. He didn¡¯t even know how she arrived here.


    ¡°How did she appear here?¡±


    ¡°I dunno. She seemed to have just popped up out of nowhere.¡± Aquababe shook her head.


    Shooting Han Qingwu a deep gaze, Duanmu Lin¡¯s eyes then shifted to the Demons and Immortals Slaughtering Array in front. Although he couldn¡¯t see what was happening inside, he was sure that Tang Xiu was going all out to kill all the demonic beasts inside it at the moment. He also knew who Han Qingwu was. Back when he sent people to investigate Tang Xiu, there was also information about her. Therefore, while recalling how unfathomable and terrifying Tang Xiu was, he secretly analyzed that this young woman named Han Qingwu should¡¯ve learned cultivation from Tang Xiu, which ultimately made her have such a powerful strength.


    Inside the Demons and Immortals Slaughtering Array, Tang Xiu¡¯s killing speed was getting faster and faster. Due to Han Qingwu¡¯s zither notes¡¯ onslaught, the demonic beasts inside were getting weaker and losing their resistance, literally transforming the scene into a one-sided slaughter. The zither notes also affected those Nascent Soul Stage demonic beasts, causing them to be unable to unleash their full power.


    ¡°DAMN HUMANS! Fuck this immortal music!¡±


    Archfiend Rupture, with the other demonic beasts who had the power comparable to experts at the Nascent Soul Stage, then appeared in the Demons and Immortal Slaughtering Array. They instantly cast their respective magical arts and finally blocked the lightning bolts onslaught.


    ¡°This is making me furious, and my king is also very angry! You damn humans, you are killing my Demon Realm¡¯s clansmen. You must die and leave your soul into nothingness!¡±


    Archfiend Rupture roared and howled. The other two Nascent Soul Stage demonic beasts teamed up to unleash their own powers, causing chaotic turbulences to the Demons and Immortals Slaughtering Array and making it look like it would be broken at any time.


    Standing at the eye of the array, Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes were filled with coldness. The array constantly trembled as a ruthless look finally appeared on his face. He instantly pierced his own chest with the divine sword and forced out 10 drops of his blood essence.


    ¡°Blood Ignition Art!¡±


    He made blurred gestures to cast a seal as a mysterious and profound aura kept soaring. The 10 drops of blood essence from his heart then formed into a complicated blood net that spread in all directions before completely disappearing in but a few breaths.


    ¡°My heart is heaven; the world is a furnace. With this sacrifice of my blood, then shall it turn into Demonic Flame!!!¡±


    Even as his voice had yet to dissipate, Tang Xiu¡¯s figure had appeared outside the Demons and Immortals Slaughtering Array. He coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood before his body fell and loudly hit the ground.

 Chapter 1071 - Shedding Blood Like Water

    Chapter 1071: Shedding Blood Like Water


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Thousands of pairs of eyes were all focusing on Tang Xiu at this moment. Figures flickered lightning-fast towards him as he fell.


    ¡°Sect Master!!!¡±


    With a face full of worries, Mo Awu dashed to Tang Xiu¡¯s side. He didn¡¯t hesitate to take out a few Holy Healing pills and quickly stuffed them into Tang Xiu¡¯s mouth.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion was pale as paper and his body was drenched with sweat. He struggled to squeeze out a smile while and said hoarsely, ¡°Help me sit.¡±


    Carefully propping Tang Xiu up, Mo Awu then let him sit cross-legged on the ground. Then, he concernedly asked, ¡°Are you really okay, Sect Master?¡±


    ¡°I lost nearly half of my blood, so it¡¯s a given that I¡¯m now weak.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°But rest assured, though. Nothing will happen to my life.¡±


    The Blood Ignition Art was a terrifying secret art Tang Xiu created when he was in the Immortal World. This secret art could be used in line with arrays, so he could kill enemies that were ten times stronger than him. It could turn the whole array into a solid melting furnace to melt all the lives inside it.


    At this moment, dozens of human experts rushed to Tang Xiu¡ªthe three Nascent Soul Stage experts, Duanmu Lin, and Han Qingwu, who stopped playing her zither. All of them heard Tang Xiu¡¯s remark and wore extremely shocked complexions. They never thought that Tang Xiu would use such a method to kill demonic beasts, losing nearly half of his blood.


    For human beings, their blood was the most important before they ascended and became immortals. Only death awaited them should they lose too much blood.


    Duanmu Lin slightly shivered. After kneeling beside Tang Xiu, he said with full respect on his face, ¡°I may not know what you¡¯ve done, Tang Xiu. But I believe you did it for our country, for the sake of humanity as a whole. Thank you. Please take a rest and recuperate well. Just give us those demonic beasts to slaughter. We won¡¯t let you be killed as long as you¡¯re alive.¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a vague smile wordlessly. His eyes, however, swept around and paused a second after they landed on Han Qingwu¡¯s face, who looked very worried.


    ¡°Everyone, I¡¯ll leave the rest to you for the time being. I need to recuperate first, so please do what you must do!¡±


    After saying that, he directly shut his eyes and immersed himself into cultivation.


    Duanmu Lin looked at Mo Awu and said in a deep voice, ¡°Assign some people to protect Tang Xiu. We¡¯re going to slay those demonic beasts. But keep in mind that if you see that the situation is going south, immediately take Tang Xiu and leave this place!¡±


    ¡°Rest assured.¡± Mo Awu nodded and said, ¡°Sect Master¡¯s life is more important than mine.¡±


    Suddenly, an exclamation came out from the crowd, ¡°Heaven! What just happened? How come the array in front¡­ is burning?¡±


    In that instant, everyone¡¯s eyes shifted to the Demons and Immortals Slaughtering Array. The scene of the array gradually turning scarlet shocked them the most. It was like it had turned into a gigantic melting pot, even the thousands of cultivators could hear the howling and screams of the tens of thousands of demonic beasts.


    Han Qingwu had a distressed look in her eyes. Then, she vaguely said, ¡°It¡¯s because of the Blood Ignition Art activated in line with the Heaven and Earth array. Once both activate at the same time, it will burn down all the enemies inside the array completely, unless they are strong enough to escape. However, those who cast this Blood Ignition Art must force out a huge amount of their blood to be condensed into blood essence, which will create a harming backlash and leave the caster in a very weak condition. He¡­ he just used¡­ his life to slay those demonic beasts.¡±


    Duanmu Lin and the three Nascent Soul Stage experts, as well as nearly 100 other cultivators around, gasped in cold breath and turned to look at her.


    Duanmu Lin walked a few steps towards Han Qingwu and said, ¡°Thank you for lending a hand a while ago, Miss Han. If anything, if Tang Xiu¡¯s condition is not very good, could you help him¡­¡±


    Han Qingwu shook her head and interrupted him with a bit of bitterness on her face and tone. ¡°I have no way to help him. Even if I do, I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t let me help him.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Duanmu Lin frowned and asked, ¡°Why? Aren¡¯t you two very close?¡±


    Deep love and concern were on Han Qingwu¡¯s face as she shot a deep gaze at Tang Xiu. Then, she streaked into the sky for several hundreds of meters, sat cross-legged mid-air, put the zither on her lap and began playing it again to affect the demonic beasts inside the Demons and Immortals Slaughtering Array.


    ¡°FUCK!!!¡±


    Archfiend Rupture furiously roared again and again. It had been seriously affected since it rushed into the array. Originally, it intended to kill Tang Xiu with its own power and destroy this array. But not only did it fail to kill him, but it also pushed itself into this pit instead. But what made him furious the most was the deaths of countless demonic beasts.


    ¡°RUN!!!¡±


    ¡°ESCAPE!!!¡±


    The other two demonic beasts who were comparable to the Nascent Soul Stage experts shouted right after Archfiend Rupture. They could tell they wouldn¡¯t be able to break this array with their powers, neither would they be able to rescue all their kin. They even sensed a very strong crisis looming over them. As if sensing that this furnace-like array would send them right into hell once it blew up.


    Archfiend Rupture let out several furious roars. Yet, it couldn¡¯t help realizing that it wouldn¡¯t be able to break this array. As a sense of crisis loomed, with its high intelligence, it eventually thought that escaping was the best choice.


    ¡°Divides¡­¡±


    Displaying another supernatural power, more than 100 of its shadows appeared in an instant as they grabbed tens of Golden Core Stage demonic beasts. At the same time, the other two Nascent Soul Stage demonic beasts gathered. Countless black holes then appeared in an instant, while a black chain bombarded a certain spot and tore an opening in the array. Eventually, the battered two Nascent Soul Stage demonic beasts and the tens of Golden Core Stage ones escaped from the Demons and Immortals Slaughtering Array.


    BOOM¡­


    A huge power blasted out from the Demons and Immortal Slaughtering Array. The explosion looked like a mushroom cloud that spread in all directions. Tens of thousands of demonic beasts trapped inside it met their cruel deaths along with the blast, leaving only their Demon Cores on the ground.


    In a flash, Tang Xiu, who was previously sitting cross-legged on the blockade line, opened his eyes. His eye lit up and he had recovered his ability to move after a short recovery. He quickly dashed into the tens of meters deep and tens of kilometers wide large pit. His qi swept over and quickly gathered all the Demon Cores and stored them into his interspatial ring.


    ¡°That was¡­¡±


    Thousands of human cultivators were scared shitless, including the three strongest Nascent Soul Stage experts. They were staring dumbly, tongue-tied as they saw the dreadful scene in front. They could only watch Tang Xiu¡¯s continuous flashing figure with gasping breaths.


    It was¡­ all too terrifying!


    Although they didn¡¯t know how many demonic beasts had entered this array, the power of the explosion from the array was so great that it sent a tsunami of dread into their hearts.


    After half a minute, Tang Xiu had sucked all the Demon Cores into his interspatial ring. After he sensed its inside, he counted 45,620 Demon Cores, which meant that he had paid a grievous cost, yet had successfully slain 45,620 demonic beasts.


    It should be half of them, give or take.


    Feeling satisfied, Tang Xiu nodded. Then, he turned and flew towards Duanmu Lin and smilingly said in a clear voice, ¡°Nearly half of the demonic beasts have been slain by me, Senior Duanmu. However, all the arrays I¡¯ve arranged here have been destroyed. I¡¯m afraid we must face them head-on next.¡±


    ¡°You said you successfully killed nearly half of demonic beasts?¡± called out Duanmu Lin in surprise. His pupils shrunk and he asked, ¡°How many of them, exactly?¡±


    ¡°45,620,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What?¡±


    This time, it wasn¡¯t only Duanmu Lin who got shocked, but also the rest of the cultivators. There were still some people who didn¡¯t flinch at the moment, and Han Qingwu was undoubtedly one of them. She and Tang Xiu lived together for thousands of years, so she naturally knew how powerful the might unleashed by the array aided by the Blood Ignition Art was.


    Back in the past, Tang Xiu had once pursued an evil race and billions of them were all killed by this method. It was a pity that his current strength was very weak. Compared to power he possessed in his heyday, his current power was but only one ten-thousandth. He would¡¯ve easily obliterated these demonic beasts and the Himalayas itself otherwise.


    ¡°ABSOLUTELY DISGRACEFUL!!!¡±


    Suddenly, a furious roar came from the depths of the Himalayas. The figure of Bloodfiend Monarch flickered and moved lightning fast. It then instantly appeared in the air over the deep pit. A blob of black flames was spat out from its mouth and instantly blew over to the thousands of humans in front.


    ¡°BLOCK IT!!!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion drastically changed. A chill filled his heart as he could sense the power of Bloodfiend Monarch from its aura. Its power was¡­ comparable with a Body Integration Stage expert!


    It seems like the only option left is to have the Star Devourer Insect act.


    Tang Xiu sighed inwardly but then shook his head the moment after. Just as he was about to release Star Devourer Insect, a huge aura suddenly came from Ugley Town. Further, the intense high temperature seemed to light up the earth, and the snow tens of kilometers around it began to melt rapidly.


    Another demonic beast?


    It was a Fire Qilin with three-storied building high scarlet body and fire all over its body. It flashed in the sky over the blockade line while unleashing its flame to meet the demonic flame head-on. The dreadful blast of energy made all the cultivators present scared shitless as they were forced to retreat toward Ugley town.


    Tang Xiu followed the rest back to the sky above Ugley town. His eyes were fixated at the Fire Qiling fighting the Bloodfiend Monarch with a bizarre expression on his face.


    He remembered this Fire Qilin clearly. Back when he was adventuring with Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen to find some treasures, they snatched quite a lot of precious ores from this Fire Qilin nest in the underground labyrinth.


    ¡°This thing¡­ isn¡¯t it trapped in that underground labyrinth? How the hell did it come out and why does it side with humans against that dreadful demonic beast?¡±

 Chapter 1072 - Teaming Up

    Chapter 1072: Teaming Up


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen both appeared silently next to Tang Xiu. Both of them wore similarly strange expressions and looked at Tang Xiu with inquisitive eyes.


    ¡°You guessed it right, guys. That¡¯s that Fire Qilin,¡± whispered Tang Xiu. ¡°It¡¯s just I never thought this guy was so powerful. It didn¡¯t seem it wanted to kill us then, else we¡¯d have died in its hand no matter how fast we ran.¡±


    ¡°Well, could it be that the natural array outside the underground labyrinth was broken?¡± asked Miao Wentang in a whisper. ¡°How could it come out, then?¡±


    ¡°My guess is that natural array didn¡¯t trap it, but instead has been used by this thing to block outsiders from entering the underground space to enter its nest,¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°However, although its strength is powerful, it is just on par with that demonic beast and even slightly weaker.¡±


    Miao Wentang¡¯s complexion changed and he hurriedly asked, ¡°Then what should we do? That Fire Qilin suddenly appeared here. It¡¯s like our savior, you know. If it can¡¯t slay that dreadful demonic beast, we¡¯re as good as dead already!¡±


    Tang Xiu fell into silence for a while. Then, he suddenly looked at Han Qingwu and said in a deep voice, ¡°If you don¡¯t wanna die, join me in helping that Fire Qilin. We can only survive by killing that demonic beast.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever you tell me to do.¡± Han Qingwu directly nodded.


    Brows slightly scrunched up, Tang Xiu immediately sat cross-legged and arranged the Spiritual Energy Gathering Array with 36 Demon Cores. He then began to communicate with the stars in the universe and frantically absorbed astral power.


    The fight between the Fire Qilin and Bloodfiend Monarch could only be said as dreadful. Their battlefield started at the blockade line to the depths of the Himalayas. Cultivators with weak cultivation levels were simply unable to judge which one was stronger or weaker. However, what made them rejoice was that the Fire Qilin came right at the time the crisis was going to befall upon them, for they knew that they would¡¯ve died already otherwise.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Four figures flickered lightning-fast from the distance. As they appeared in the blink of an eye around Tang Xiu¡¯s spot, Tang An¡¯s figure then emerged before she disappeared, while Tang Guan, Chi Nan, and Kuwako quickly looked at Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What happened to Grand Master, Mo Awu?!¡±


    Tang Guang immediately asked while looking at Tang Xiu, who was covered in blood and sitting cross-legged.


    ¡°Sovereign used an array to kill tens of thousands of demonic beasts, but it made him seriously injured,¡± answered Mo Awu. ¡°He¡¯s now seizing the time to heal and restore his power.¡±


    ¡°But he doesn¡¯t have any other major problem, right?¡± asked Tang Guang hurriedly.


    ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any.¡± Mo Awu shook his head and said, ¡°Sect Master will be back to his prime condition as long as there¡¯s more time.¡±


    The rest around Tang Guang secretly let out a sigh of relief after hearing it.


    At this moment, Duanmu Lin dashed towards Tang Xiu. He had discovered that tens of thousands of demonic beasts were quickly advancing towards them.


    Whoosh!


    Xue Yu then appeared out of nowhere and blocked Duanmu Lin¡¯s path as she said faintly, ¡°Senior Duanmu, Tang Xiu is currently recuperating, so please don¡¯t bother him!¡±


    Her emergence shocked Duanmu Lin. She literally appeared like a ghost! After halting his pace, he calmly observed her and then immediately asked in surprise, ¡°How¡­ did you become this powerful? Shouldn¡¯t you¡­ ah¡­ don¡¯t tell me Tang Xiu also taught you some skills?¡±


    ¡°How I became this powerful is not your business, is it, Senior Duanmu?¡± replied Xue Yu faintly. ¡°If the news is correct, you should be the commander in this operation to fight these demonic beasts, yes? Now that we¡¯re fighting the horde of demonic beasts, don¡¯t you just need to fight them?¡±


    ¡°We got too many demonic beasts, that¡¯s why.¡± Duanmu Lin forced a smile and said, ¡°Tang Xiu killed tens of thousands of them, but we can¡¯t face them with the overall strength of the human cultivators. That¡¯s why I came here quickly. I just wanna ask whether Tang Xiu can arrange another array to aid us in killing them.¡±


    ¡°As I said, he¡¯s recuperating now, so I don¡¯t care about any of your problems.¡± Xue Yu shook her head and said, ¡°Please wait until he himself comes to see you.¡±


    ¡°But this¡­¡±


    Duanmu Lin hesitated for a moment. But he finally sighed before turning around and leaving.


    Xue Yu paced forward and came flying to Tang Xiu¡¯s side. She then took out an exquisite jade box from her interspatial ring, put it in front of Tang Xiu, then softly said while standing, ¡°Sis Yan¡¯er gave me this Essence Soul Condensing Pill. She said it would be helpful to you.¡±


    Tang Xiu opened his eyes and felt ecstatic inwardly. The Essence Soul Condensing Pill was a great elixir even in the Immortal World. Not only did it have a great effect on improving one¡¯s spiritual sense with the cultivation below the Immortal Stage, but taking it could also make one advance directly and greatly increase their strength rapidly.


    ¡°This came in the time of need, indeed!¡±


    He opened the jade box and quickly took out the pill from the inside. After taking it, he shut his eyes and absorbed it to refine the efficacy.


    After 10 minutes, he woke up from his cultivation once again. After opening his eyes, he saw the Bloodfiend Monarch bombarding the Fire Qilin¡¯s huge body, sending it to fly upside down. While Duanmu Lin and thousands of human cultivators were in an intense fight with demonic beasts on the ground. Fortunately, disciples of Tang Sect were forming a sword formation and constantly resisting the attacks of demonic beasts. Their efforts prevented the rest of human cultivators to retreat and didn¡¯t become the slaughter feast of those demonic beasts.


    ¡°Xue Yu, Han Qingwu, you both will come with me to help that Fire Qilin. The rest of you, go slay those demonic beasts. But do pay attention to those demonic beasts at the Spirit Formation and Nascent Soul Stages!¡±


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Three figures flew toward Bloodfiend Monarch. Tang Xiu was quite lucky after taking the Essence Soul Condensing Pill. Not only had he recovered from his injuries, but his spiritual sense had also greatly improved and he also made a breakthrough in his cultivation, advancing to the third level of Stars Heavenly Essence Stage. The only thing that puzzled him was that he hadn¡¯t yet obtained any divine abilities to cast astral power whatsoever even though he had advanced to the third level.


    ¡°To the Nascent Soul Stage Seniors, please help the rest to slay those demonic beasts! Awu, you also join them!¡± Tang Xiu shouted the moment he attacked the Bloodfiend Monarch.


    ¡°KILL!¡±


    ¡°KILL!!¡±


    The chaotic battle ensued and everyone was fighting at close quarters. The flowing blood created streams and the ground was littered with corpses. The horrifying sight would¡¯ve made the average people be scared to death should they witness it.


    As Tang Xiu saw Han Qingwu and Xue Yu fly to attack Bloodfiend Monarch, he swept his hand and rushed towards a snowy peak in the blink of an eye. He instantly sent a wave of qi to wrap the Fire Qilin and pulled it up from above.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to thank you for not killing me then, Fire Qilin. That particular demonic beast is very terrible. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re not its opponent if you fight it by yourself. Let¡¯s team up to slay it and get rid of this disaster,¡± said Tang Xiu aloud.


    The Fire Qilin itself seemed to recognize Tang Xiu. It let out a cold snort and directly transmitted its thought to Tang Xiu using spiritual sense: ¡°You snatched quite a lot of things from me then, brat! I don¡¯t want you to return them now, but I want half of the Demon Cores from these damn demonic beasts!¡±


    ¡°Uh, Demon Cores are too important for me now, Fire Qilin.¡± Tang Xiu retorted. ¡°Half of them is too much. How about one-fifth? I¡¯ll give you a fifth of Demon Cores to make up from my previous deeds, okay?¡±


    ¡°Nope. A third!¡± The Fire Qilin haggled.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment. Then, he gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll give you a third of the Demon Cores. But you must answer a question. How do you know that each of those demonic beasts has a Demon Core? And what do you wanna do with them?¡±


    ¡°I used to be an Immortal Beast in the Immortal World, so I naturally know that these demonic beasts have Demon Cores,¡± answered Fire Qilin. ¡°If anything, Earth has no Immortal Stone, nor even any piece of energy crystal. I want to arrange an array to go back to the Immortal World, and I¡¯m short of useful things for that. Those Demon Cores can replace Immortal Stones.¡±


    ¡°You can arrange an array to return to the Immortal World from Earth?¡± asked Tang Xiu in amazement.


    The Fire Qilin nodded. But then it shook its head shortly after. It sent its thought to Tang Xiu¡¯s mind once again: ¡°There¡¯s a Spatial Array on Earth, but it¡¯s damaged, so I need to patch it. However, it¡¯s been so many years, so I have no idea if it can be repaired.¡±


    An ecstatic look flashed on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. He then said in a deep tone, ¡°I¡¯ll help you repair that Spatial Teleportation Array later. Rest assured, I¡¯m quite an expert in arrays myself. Only a few immortals in the Immortal World are better than me in this aspect. Alright, let¡¯s spare the talk and let¡¯s join forces to kill those demonic beasts, shall we?¡±


    The Fire Qilin didn¡¯t hesitate and flung itself towards the Bloodfiend Monarch. However, it sent its thought again to Tang Xiu¡¯s mind: ¡°You can¡¯t kill this thing, you can only seal it. This demonic beast is very strong, it isn¡¯t just as simple as being at the Body Integration Stage. If my guess is correct, this guy is in the same situation as me and his actual cultivation should¡¯ve reached the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage.¡±


    Hiss¡­


    Tang Xiu gasped in cold air. If the Fire Qilin was correct, then it would be very difficult to kill it.


    ¡°But this guy is a disaster, so we have no choice but to slay it, Fire Qilin. But rest assured, though! I have the means to slay it if we can injure it heavily!¡± Tang Xiu transmitted his answer to the Fire Qilin right as he was about to sprint towards the Bloodfiend Monarch.


    ¡°Great!¡±


    The Fire Qilin didn¡¯t speak anymore and unleashed various kinds of divine abilities. It teamed up with Tang Xiu, Han Qingwu, and Xue Yu to mount heavy strikes against Bloodfiend Monarch. Although Tang Xiu had just broken through again and now was barely on par with an early-stage Spirit Formation cultivator, the combined power of him, Han Qingwu, and Xue Yue was still slightly weaker.


    However, with the addition of these three, Bloodfiend Monarch was immediately suppressed. While that particular Spirit Formation Stage demonic beast wanting to help the latter, it was getting entangled and pestered by the three Nascent Soul Stage human experts.


    Time fleeted by and Bloodfiend Monarch was badly battered after two hours. Its aura was getting weaker by the seconds. Tang Xiu, Han Qingwu, and Xue Yu themselves had consumed most of their powers and their True Essence energy would likely be unable to last much longer.


    ¡°Han Qingwu, use Zither Melody of Heavenly Demon!¡±


    Just as Tang Xiu dodged a fierce blow from Bloodfiend Monarch, he immediately fell back and instantly appeared next to Han Qingwu.


    The latter complied, The moment the Fire Qilin and Xue Yu attacked Bloodfiend Monarch once again, she suddenly retreated some kilometers away and directly played her zither in mid-air. She owed Tang Xiu a great deal in the past and kept loving him until the present, which led her to be very obedient

 Chapter 1073 - Annihilation

    Chapter 1073: Annihilation


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The Zither Melody of Heavenly Demon was a dreadful art to confuse the mind and create illusions. During the fight, Tang Xiu realized that even though this demonic beast had a powerful mental power, it was still suppressed by the rules of this plane and became very weak. With such a condition, it was better to use Han Qinwu¡¯s Zither Melody of Heavenly Demon to influence it.


    As expected, the movements of Bloodfiend Monarch were considerably slowed down. It must be noted that a slight carelessness in a battle between powerhouses was enough to make one meet their demise. Bloodfiend Monarch¡¯s speed was slowed down and its strength was weakened, even though it desperately struggled to shake its head to shake off the zither melody that invaded its mind.


    BOOM¡­


    The Fire Qilin opened its mouth. A red bullet that was as though a scorching sun was shot out and exploded as it hit the Bloodfiend Monarch. As the demonic beast wailed, Xue Yu brandished her immortal sword and tore a bloody wound on its back. The wound was very serious and made Bloodfiend Monarch almost fall to the ground.


    ¡°Ancestral Reverse of Myriad Swords!¡±


    Controlling the divine sword, Tang Xiu unleashed thousands of sword shadows and shot all of them toward Bloodfiend Monarch¡¯s body. As the Fire Qilin looked shocked, he pierced Bloodfiend Monarch¡¯s body and left hundreds of bleeding wounds.


    ROAARRR¡­


    Bloodfiend Monarch looked desperate, for it never dreamed that someone could pierce its body only by relying on a sword. One must know that it had formed a layer of defensive shield inside its body that even top-grade immortal swords without strong power to manipulate it wouldn¡¯t be able to pierce its body.


    ¡®That sword¡­¡¯


    Bloodfiend Monarch though in the midst of its wails. Then, it instantly turned around and bolted toward the depths of the Himalayas. But after it ran away for more than 10km, its aura suddenly dissipated and its body fell to the ground.


    ¡®Huh? That guy died just like that?¡¯


    The Fire Qilin just stared dumbly at the body of Bloodfiend Monarch that fell on the ground. Its figure flickered a few times and appeared next to the corpse.


    Tang Xiu was grinning. He had appeared in front of Bloodfiend Monarch¡¯s corpse a step ahead. He kept slashing his divine sword and cut Bloodfiend Monarch¡¯s corpse into eight parts, all of which were then stuffed into his interspatial ring.


    The Fire Qiling angrily glared at Tang Xiu and growled. ¡°Give me the Demon Core of this demonic beast!¡±


    ¡°Nope. You¡¯re using Demon Cores to patch the array, yes?¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°I can help you with that. But Demon Cores are very important to me, so I can¡¯t give you this one either. If anything, your only purpose is to repair the Spatial Teleportation Array and return to the Immortal World. Am I right?¡±


    ¡± Hmph . That¡¯s right. I want to go back to the Immortal World.¡± The Fire Qilin snorted. ¡°I¡¯ve been trapped on Earth for tens of millenniums already. I¡¯m going crazy here!¡±


    ¡°I give you my word that you can leave freely if you can patch that Spatial Teleportation Array.¡± Tang Xiu said, ¡°But I still have another means to take you back to the Immortal World even if your attempt fails. However, I still need a longer time. Could be a decade or two.¡±


    ¡°You have a way to go to the Immortal World?¡± the Fire Qiling was surprised and asked, ¡°How do you do it, exactly?¡±


    ¡°I can ascend to the Immortal World if I succeed in crossing my tribulation,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°By then, I naturally have the means to bring many people to the Immortal World.¡±


    The Fire Qilin gave Tang Xiu a deep stare. Then, it nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take your word this time. But I hope you don¡¯t let me down. I¡¯ve waited for tens of millenniums, I couldn¡¯t care less to wait for more for a decade or two. If you really can bring me back to the Immortal World, then I won¡¯t bother with those Demon Cores.¡±


    ¡°Deal!¡± answered Tang Xiu immediately. Demon Cores were too important for him since he would need more resources the more he advanced in cultivation. If he could get himself nearly 100,000 Demon Cores, he was sure that he could have continuous breakthroughs smoothly and finally reach a cultivation level that was on par with experts at the Immortal Stage.


    ¡°Please lend your hand to help the human cultivators kill the rest of these demonic beasts then, Fire Qilin! We still got tons of them here, so let¡¯s kill more of them, lest the other human cultivators die,¡± Tang Xiu said as he turned to look at the direction of Ugley town.


    ¡°Fine!¡±


    The Fire Qilin itself was actually indifferent. However, it was thanks to Tang Xiu and the others that it could kill that particular demonic beast.


    With the Fire Qilin, Tang Xiu, Han Qingwu, and Xue Yu lending a hand, the tide of the battle where the human side was originally suppressed instantly changed. Han Qingwu used her zither melody to attack, whereas Tang Xiu and Xue Yu were just literally everywhere in the battlefield, unceasingly reaping the lives of those demonic beasts. Fire Qilin was even more brutal. It was simply like a tiger preying on a flock of sheep, leaving nowhere else for the demonic beasts to escape but to be killed by it.


    After a whole day, the battle in the Himalayas barely came to an end. Nearly 50,000 of the originally 100,000 demonic beasts¡¯ horde died, leaving only 5,000 survivors. The surviving ones ran away and hid in the depths of the Himalayas without a trace. Likewise, the human side also suffered huge casualties. The number of cultivators surviving was only 800 from the previous several thousand, 100 of whom were now disabled and 200 more were gravely injured.


    At the temporary encampment.


    Duanmu Lin called all the leaders of the various forces. Although he was very sad and similarly seriously injured, he just ignored his own condition.


    ¡°Everyone, we have wiped out the horde of those demonic beasts and there are only a few thousands of them left in hiding. We can¡¯t find them now, and neither do we have the means to kill them for the time being. Hence, I want to ask everyone¡¯s opinion. Should we stay here, going deep into the Himalayas, or continue chasing the surviving demonic beasts?¡±


    ¡°The horde of demonic beasts has been wiped out. The remaining few thousands of them have also hidden, and it won¡¯t be easy to track them in the depths of the Himalayas. Further, I still have tons of things to tend to, so the Tang Sect disciples won¡¯t be staying here.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°If anything, I think tracking those demonic beasts and killing them would be quite easy for the cultivation world¡¯s friends given their abilities.¡±


    Duanmu Lin slightly furrowed his brows and forced a wry smile inwardly. Of everyone here, the people he hoped the most to stay and help him kill demonic beasts were Tang Xiu and the Tang Sect¡¯s disciples. Yet, he also knew Tang Xiu¡¯s character. It was nearly impossible for him to change his mind once he made it up. Therefore, he could only helplessly say, ¡°Well, you can go then! The rest of those demonic beasts shouldn¡¯t pose too much of a threat to us as long as they don¡¯t mount a large-scale attack.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Just inform me at once if such a situation arises,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Duanmu Lin wordlessly nodded. Then, he asked the rest of the other forces¡¯ leaders. After his pleading, most of the cultivation forces were willing to stay to help kill the remaining demonic beasts. Even the Nascent Soul Stage Ancestress of the Whole Unitary Sect expressed her willingness to stay. She would stay here until all the demonic beasts had been completely eliminated.


    In the dim night, Tang Xiu led 192 disciples of the Tang Sect out of Ugley Town. Tang Xiu didn¡¯t accept any rewards although the Tang Sect disciples had made great contributions this time. He had to go back to Nine Dragons Island and spend some time into seclusive cultivation.


    A minute after they left, four or five figures silently appeared. They looked at the direction the group was leaving with a look of respect on their faces.


    ¡°Director Duanmu, I think it would¡¯ve been extremely difficult for us to win this war had it not been for Tang Xiu.¡± The middle-aged Taoist nun heavily sighed.


    ¡°What you said is true enough. Tang Xiu did make a great contribution.¡± Duanmu Lin nodded and continued, ¡°Unfortunately, he also has a high status and a prominent background. Plus, he doesn¡¯t like to be famous. He said that it instead just¡­ brings him great inconvenience rather than being helpful.¡±


    The amiable-looking old man slowly said, ¡°Being indifferent to fame and fortune and only seeking the path to immortality. Daoist Tang is still very young, yet he already has such formidable strength. It¡¯s really shocking. I¡¯m really curious about this Tang Sect now, though. How can a cultivator sect train so many peerless geniuses?¡±


    ¡°I advise you to avoid any thoughts of investigating the Tang Sect, Elder.¡± Duanmu Lin shook his head and said, ¡°Tang Xiu will be hostile to you otherwise once he finds out about it.¡±


    The amiable-looking old man shook his head and smilingly said, ¡°No worries! I won¡¯t send people to investigate the Tang Sect, though I¡¯m very curious about it. Besides, that sect has two Spirit Formation Stage experts. Such a force is already surpassing the other cultivator forces, to begin with. I may be old, but I still have a good brain. Having a conflict with Tang Xiu is the last thing I want.¡±


    ****


    Noon of the next day, Tang Xiu and the Tang Sect¡¯s disciples arrived on Jingmen Island. Since he didn¡¯t want to expose Nine Dragons Island, he temporarily stationed everyone on the headquarters, the manor of Everlasting Feast Hall after returning.


    ¡°Grand Master.¡± Tang An silently appeared at Tang Xiu¡¯s side and respectfully reported. ¡°We¡¯ve done our investigation. We have six groups of people on our tail. Except for the origins of two groups we have no knowledge about, we¡¯ve already found out the four others. All of them come from some cultivator clans. But they seem to have no malicious intent towards us.¡±


    ¡°Those superior are prone to blasphemy and destruction.¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°Our Tang Sect disciples have performed so well in this crisis, so naturally they will garner the attention of other cultivation forces. It¡¯s just human nature for them to send their people to tail us. Yet, that¡¯s why we must stay low-key.¡±


    ¡°Should we kill those tracking us, then?¡± asked Tang An after hesitating.


    ¡°No. Just let them be!¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Those surviving cultivators are heroes of mankind, to begin with. We¡¯ll ignore them as long as Nine Dragons Island is not exposed. Tang An, tell Tang Guang to drive them away.¡±


    ¡°As you will it, Grand Master!¡± Tang An complied and disappeared in a flash.


    Suddenly, a wind gently pushed the door of Tang Xiu¡¯s residence. A smile on her face, Xue Yu appeared in front of Tang Xiu. She had been in seclusion and felt like it was like a century for her. Although her strength improved day by day, she had always missed Tang Xiu¡¯s hug every time she faced a crisis.


    Even though she finally met Tang Xiu, there was no time to be with him due to the demonic beasts¡¯ issue. She had been barely able to endure it.


    ¡°I miss you, you know that?¡± Xue Yu opened her arms and hugged Tang Xiu¡¯s waist.


    Tang Xiu could feel her true feelings and was slightly feeling touched. He smiled and hugged her. ¡°Anyways, did Yan¡¯er bully you? I never thought she¡¯d make you experience that array.¡±


    ¡°Ah, no, no,¡± replied Xue Yu hurriedly. ¡°She¡¯s been very good to me. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to help you in this demonic beast issue otherwise.¡±

 Chapter 1074 - Stopping by Jingmen Island

    Chapter 1074: Stopping by Jingmen Island


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu let out a warm smile as he looked at Xue Yu¡¯s delicate face. Affection toward Xue Yue had grown inside him ever since she had shed her shyness and got along with him until now. Such a warm and emotional feeling made him feel very comfortable inside.


    ¡°A man may encounter misfortune, yet it may be an actual blessing.¡±


    Tang Xiu turned and walked to the window. As he looked at the beautiful shade of trees and bouquets of flowers outside, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh when a beautiful face suddenly came to his mind.


    After Xue Yu followed and stood next to him, she asked with an odd expression, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and shook his head. ¡°Just something in the past not worth mentioning! Anyways, can I ask you something? And you must answer it seriously.¡±


    Nodding with a thoughtful look, Xue Yu said, ¡°Just ask. I¡¯ll answer you truthfully.¡±


    ¡°Although you¡¯ve now broken through to the Spirit Formation Stage and are one of the best experts on Earth, there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to ask you about our future.¡± Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Do you really want to be just a woman by my side? Or the one who shares weal and woe with me in the campaign against the world?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very easy question to answer, actually.¡± Xue Yu suddenly stretched out a smile and replied, ¡°I¡¯ll always be with you wherever you go! I won¡¯t be just a woman who¡¯ll cook and wash your clothes, but I¡¯ll also accompany you to face your enemies. I just don¡¯t want to¡­ to be at a loss whenever you¡¯re in danger.¡±


    Tang Xiu reached out to grab her fragrant shoulder, hugging her and whispering, ¡°Since you chose the second option, then please help me train the children soldiers once we¡¯re back to the Nine Dragons Island! I hope you can train a lot of Foundation Establishment and Golden Core Stage experts in the next few years.¡±


    Xue Yu nodded and her eyes suddenly lit up. ¡°The surviving demonic beasts in the Himalayas likely won¡¯t be exterminated completely any time soon. If they are in hiding and breeding, their number may increase in the future. Since you want me to train those children, it¡¯d be better for me to pick out the elites and take them into the depths of the Himalayas. I just realized from the training Yan¡¯er gave me that one can only be truly strong after going through dangerous battles.¡±


    ¡°If anything, it won¡¯t be only those demonic beasts in the depths of the Himalayas, but also the battlefields all over the world.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and added, ¡°I want the shadow of the Tang Sect to be present in any wars that occur in the future. I can¡¯t manage to handle it myself since my hands are full with too many issues I need to deal with this year. Not to mention that I need to carry out a big move starting next year. I want our Tang Sect¡¯s strength to multiply by then, that even those Big Three organizations in the world must yield and retreat.¡±


    ¡°A big move? What is it?¡± asked Xue Yu.


    ¡°Let¡¯s save that for later! You can see it soon enough,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a mystifying smile.


    Xue Yu no longer asked. She had decided to support any decisions Tang Xiu made. She wouldn¡¯t hesitate to follow him even if he told her that he wanted to be the king of the world.


    Knock, knock¡­


    The door was knocked and Kuwako¡¯s voice was heard outside the door. ¡°It¡¯s me, Kuwako, Boss.¡±


    Xue Yu turned and walked to the door. After opening it, she saw Kuwako standing straight outside in a black leather attire that highlighted her fine figure and showcased her delicate, beautiful face. Added with her long black hair, she looked very vigorous and valiant.


    ¡°Lady Boss.¡±


    After witnessing Xue Yu¡¯s power, deep respect had grown in Kuwako¡¯s heart towards her. The other reason why she was this respectful was that she also knew that Xue Yu was Tang Xiu¡¯s woman.


    ¡°Tang Xiu is inside if you wanna chat,¡± said Xue Yu with a smile.


    After watching Xue Yu leave, Kuwako then entered the room. As she came behind Tang Xiu, she respectfully spoke, ¡°Boss, Mo Awu said you¡¯re looking for me?¡±


    Tang Xiu turned around and looked at her, and couldn¡¯t help but praise. ¡°Well, I never thought you¡¯d advance to the Golden Core Stage this fast. I took you in back then as a subordinate and originally intended to make you handle some issues for me as well as to secure cultivation resources from Japan. But now, it seems like I must cast away my previous intention. You¡¯re a talented woman, and I always need talented people.¡±


    Inwardly, Kuwako was secretly glad to receive the notification of Tang Xiu¡¯s summon. Back when she received the notice to leave for China, she still felt that she was already very strong and was likely not far from Tang Xiu, even feeling confident that she would surpass him soon. But the battle in the Himalayas struck her with a realization that the chasm between her and Tang Xiu was not narrowed, but became bigger instead.


    Such a discovery made her finally realize that Tang Xiu¡¯s strength was far more than she could reach. Not only that, even the number of powerful subordinates under him was something that she could only look up to. It was the reason that she had a change of mind and completely submitted to Tang Xiu. She dared not to show dissent and disloyalty anymore.


    Other than that, after she learned that Tang Xiu found Tang Sect and became its first Sect Master, she was full of expectation inwardly, hoping that she¡¯d become a Tang Sect disciple and his true confidant. At this moment, she had a vague feeling that her wish would be granted.


    ¡°I have my own way of managing my men.¡± Tang Xiu continued, ¡°The strong will rise and the weak will fall. I don¡¯t care about anyone¡¯s origin. As long as you possess powerful strength, you¡¯ll gain my trust to handle important positions as well as having prominent status in the Tang Sect. I already declared that the first six people who advance to the Golden Core Stage will become the Guardian Elders of the Tang Sect. You¡¯re Japanese, but I hold no prejudice against you. So, I¡¯ll allow you to join the Tang Sect and become its true disciple from now henceforth. Further, you¡¯re to be a Guardian Elder of the Tang Sect, so any disciple who sees you must salute you with respect. In addition, you also have the right to receive the allocated cultivation resources for Guardian Elders annually.¡±


    An ecstatic look appeared on Kuwako¡¯s face. She directly kneeled on one knee, placing her right fist on the left chest, and respectfully said, ¡°Thank you, Bos¡­ Sect Master. It was you who gave me my life and you¡¯re also the person who taught me cultivation, which is the reason I¡¯m so powerful now. You¡¯ve been helping me in becoming a great personage in Japan as well. I, Kuwako, vow that my life is yours from now on. I¡¯m willing to sacrifice everything for you.¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and he could sense the sincerity from her eyes. After gently nodding in response, he propped her up and said, ¡°Do keep in mind what I just told you today. I expect the day when you break through to the Spirit Formation Stage in the future. You¡¯ll follow me to leave Earth and step on the vaster stage. I will also remove the seal I cast on you before. Further, if you can advance to the Nascent Soul Stage quicker, I¡¯ll treat you as my right hand later and entrust you the seat of an important position.¡±


    Kuwako¡¯s countenance slightly changed and she hurriedly asked, ¡°Bos¡­ Sect Master, you just said you¡¯re going to take me to leave Earth? Where to, exactly?¡±


    A meaningful look filled Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he responded, ¡°Earth is just a speck of dust in the universe in my eyes, and so is this plane. Kuwako, that world is much bigger and far further than you can imagine. It¡¯s located in the midst of the vast expanse of stars with countless worlds inhabited by myriad races as well as innumerable powerhouses. That place will be my battlefield in the future, so if you are resolute to follow me and want to see that broader world, you must fight alongside me and blaze your way out to be a great figure in that universe.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ there are, like, other places and countless human beings in this universe besides Earth¡¯s?¡± Kuwako Yamamoto asked in confirmation, amazed.


    ¡°If anything, mankind is only a tiny part of them.¡± Tang Xiu sported a smile and said, ¡°You can expect to find myriads of races and countless powerhouses there. Anyways, let¡¯s drop it off first. You won¡¯t be able to imagine what I just told you. Just strive to advance to the Spirit Formation Stage. Only then will you qualify to leave with me to be a hegemon there. Only then will you have the chance to fight against the world and become an existence that countless powerhouses of myriads of races will look up to.¡±


    A brilliant light shone in Kuwako¡¯s eyes. Her heartbeat turned a few times faster and louder upon hearing it. As an ambitious woman, the vision portrayed by Tang Xiu aroused her fighting spirit.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me Sect Master originally comes from that place?¡¯ Such a thought suddenly popped up in Kuwako¡¯s mind.


    Tang Xiu then handed her an interspatial ring with a smile. ¡°Drip a drop of your blood on it, and then use your spiritual sense to check it. There are cultivation resources inside as your reward. You can look at them slowly and take them back. Don¡¯t go back to Japan for now, head to the Tang Sect¡¯s holy land with me to cultivate there for a while instead.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± replied Kuwako Yamamoto respectfully.


    ¡°Is there something urgent you need to deal with in Japan soon, though?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Kuwako looked hesitated and then answered, ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been preparing to take a big a chance recently. If this plan were to work out, I¡¯d become the Patriarch of House Yamamoto, as well as the Schoolmaster of Northstar One Blade School. All of which will make my status there greatly elevated. Also, the business I¡¯ve personally been managing has invested in a lot of investments which will yield much bigger profits in the future once they succeed.¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and shot a deep look at her. Then, he smiled and said, ¡°If so, then I¡¯ll allow you to pick ten children after you have arrived at our Tang Sect¡¯s holy land. They will become your right-hand people in the future. After you¡¯re done with your cultivation on Nine Dragons Island later, you can take them back with you to Japan to handle some issues for you.¡±


    ¡°Uh? Children?¡± muttered Kuwako with a confused face.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t ask more about that first.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯ll know about it after you come to our sect¡¯s Nine Dragons Island. Go now. We¡¯ll be staying here for two days and will leave after.¡±


    ¡°Acknowledged!¡± Kuwako left the room and closed the door from the outside.


    Tang Xiu shifted his sight back to the window and pondered over some issues in silence. He had exposed the existence of the Tang Sect because of the incident with the demonic beasts, as well as the fact that he had a lot of experts under him. Although the Tang Sect¡¯s power could deter some people, it would undoubtedly make some others guard against and be wary of him.


    It also made him analyze the current situation related to Duanmu Lin and the Special Abilities Bureau. Now that this agency had lost many ability users, Duanmu Lin had begun to recruit some cultivators with no affiliation in the country to fill in the vacancy in the agency. If the country, which was represented by Duanmu Lin, started to be wary of him, it¡¯d be likely that it would become quite troublesome in the future.

 Chapter 1075 - The Sect’s Secret History

    Chapter 1075: The Sect¡¯s Secret History


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Be it in his previous and present life, Tang Xiu was quite adept at analyzing things. After returning and living on Earth, his EQ and the ways he responded to people¡¯s intentions and conducts had improved greatly. Although he still couldn¡¯t understand many things related to emotions, at least his mood wasn¡¯t affected that much from them. In addition, there were also other reasons as to why he stayed on Jingmen Island, which was the issue about the two islands in the waters to the south.


    One of the two islands was used to rear fierce beasts, and the other was for medicinal herbs plantation.


    Each of these two issues was equally important. Those children he fostered would grow up in the future and would become more powerful as well. All of which would make the needed cultivation resources to grow into an astronomical number. He would undoubtedly be in a short supply of resources if he were to rely solely on the wild herbs grown on Earth.


    Suddenly, his expression slightly shifted. He ceased his train of thought as his eyes shifted to the southern waters. He could sense a particular aura that was deliberately transmitted out from that direction. It was very brief, only for a few seconds, but he chose to fly to the south the moment after.


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡±


    Xue Yu, who also sensed that aura, caught up with him riding her immortal sword.


    ¡°Did you feel it too?¡± asked Tang Xiu. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s a bit familiar?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Xue Yu shook her head.


    Tang Xiu could only sigh inwardly. Xue Yu hadn¡¯t yet experienced the struggles in such a brutal place that was the Immortal World, after all. She lacked the experience of battling celestials, immortals, and demons, so her sensing ability to recognize others¡¯ aura was very poor; whereas he already knew who was coming the moment he sensed that aura.


    Turbulent waves rippled over the sea surface of the boundless ocean. However, a blob of raging flame was actually burning above the sea.


    After flying high in the sky for some time, Tang Xiu and Xue Yu appeared tens of kilometers away above the deep ocean. There, they saw the Fire Qilin traversing on the sea surface and seemed to look at them.


    ¡°You came!¡±


    The Fire Qilin didn¡¯t look at Xue Yu and had its eyes fixated on Tang Xiu, using its divine sense to transmit its voice to him.


    ¡°I knew that you¡¯d come for me sooner or later, Fire Qilin.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t expect you to find me this fast, though. Anyways, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve been very curious about, though. What exactly is your origin? And why did you choose to be at the human side when we fought those demonic beasts?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need for you to know my origin, though I¡¯m sure you already have some guesses. Anyhow, I need to leave Earth and return to the Immortal World, which means I need that Spatial Teleportation Array. All the Demon Cores obtained by humans went to you and I didn¡¯t get any piece of it.¡± The Fire Qilin¡¯s body was covered by a high-temperature flame, so high that it increased the temperature of the surrounding sea in no time. Even the sea surface where the Fire Qilin was standing on was boiling and made a lot of fish and shrimps cooked and float to the surface.


    ¡°I already know you want to go back to the Immortal World, Fire Qilin,¡± replied Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°But as I told you, I have a way to bring you back there, but it¡¯s not now. I told you before that I still have tons of things not done here, while my own power has yet to reach the point of breaking through into the Immortal Stage. That¡¯s why I need you to be patient and wait for me. I¡¯ll naturally inform you when I¡¯m ascending to the Immortal World. But¡­¡±


    ¡°But what?¡± asked Fire Qilin.


    ¡°You should know clearly well that it¡¯s very difficult to enter the Immortal World,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°The energy needed is enormous, and the process is riddled with dangers, so if you don¡¯t explain your situation in the Immortal World and why you came to Earth, it¡¯s very difficult for me to trust you.¡±


    The Fire Qilin fell into silence. It knew that Tang Xiu was right, yet it still felt very reluctant to tell outsiders of the things that had happened. However, for the sake of returning to the Immortal World, it decided to disclose some bits to this human. ¡°I¡¯m the Guardian Immortal Beast of a certain sect in the Immortal World. My status is equal to the other four Guardian Beasts: the Azure Dragon, Vermillion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise. The founder of this Immortal Sect was an Earthling, so he left behind some countermeasures back when he was about to ascend to the God¡¯s Realm. He felt that his birthplace, Earth, was going to face an immense crisis, so I, Azure Dragon, Vermillion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise rushed here to protect this planet.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion changed and he spoke in a deep tone, ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. The three big schools, which are the Azure Dragon Holy Sect, White Tiger Holy Sect, and Black Tortoise Holy Sect have disappeared in the Immortal World hundreds of thousands of years ago! Only the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect still remains. And yet, there¡¯s no record about this matter in the Myriad Vault Pavilion whatsoever. There¡¯s no such thing related to the Vermilion Bird Holy Sect as you just told me.¡±


    The Fire Qilin¡¯s aura suddenly rose. Its eyes were locked on Tang Xiu and it stopped conversing by transmitting its thought with divine sense, shouting, ¡°Who exactly are you?! How do you know the matters in the Immortal World and those four big Holy Sects?¡±


    Tang Xiu unleashed his own aura to resist the Fire Qilin¡¯s pressure. He coldly hummed and said, ¡°I know you¡¯re very powerful, Fire Qilin. But don¡¯t think I¡¯m afraid of you. It¡¯s very easy for me if I want to kill you. Take back your aura since I don¡¯t want to cause other troubles.¡±


    While speaking, he gently raised his left hand and forced the Star Devourer Insect out of his finger, letting it fly up and land on his shoulder.


    The Fire Qilin hadn¡¯t been aware of it at first. But when the Star Devourer Insect landed on Tang Xiu¡¯s shoulder, it cried out, ¡°DAMN, abominable Star Devourer Insect! How is this damn race not extinct yet?¡±


    Tang Xiu could tell that the Fire Qilin was afraid of the Star Devourer Insect. Then, he said apathetically, ¡°Let¡¯s spare ourselves from talking about anything related to the Star Devourer Insect, shall we? Just speak. What¡¯s your origin?¡±


    ¡°Knowing too much will only make you die without a burial place.¡± The Fire Qilin shook its head and added, ¡°I just want to return to the Immortal World. I have no malice toward you whatsoever. Don¡¯t force me to answer anymore, for I¡¯ll still tear you apart even though you¡¯re being protected by this abominable Star Devourer Insect!¡±


    Tang Xiu frowned. He could tell the Fire Qilin¡¯s determination and felt somewhat helpless inside. Honestly speaking, this Fire Qilin had piqued his curiosity, and he wouldn¡¯t be able to have a good sleep for several days if he couldn¡¯t get what he wanted to know.


    Suddenly, his expression shifted and he immediately made several gestures towards the Fire Qilin.


    The Fire Qilin stared at Tang Xiu¡¯s gestures with fixed eyes. Its aura intensified once again as it roared a few times. Then, it excitedly burst into laughter. ¡°You¡¯re a disciple of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect?! That¡¯s really unexpected! Hahaha¡­ to think that I can meet a disciple of my sect. I, Ravenshell, a Fire Qilin, am so glad! This proves the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect hasn¡¯t been destroyed!¡±


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± asked Tang Xiu in a deep voice.


    The Fire Qilin retracted its aura and approached Tang Xiu much closer, saying, ¡°The Sect of Five Beasts was the most powerful Immortal Sect in the Immortal World hundreds of thousands of years ago. It was founded by my Master. The Sect of Five Beasts was once a famous colossus that overawed the entire Immortal World, Demon Realm, Monster Realm, Spirit Realm, Underworld, and many others. My Master, Emperor Qing, was a Sovereign that was on the superior throne and overlooked myriad of races and all walks of life. Some even said that the Sovereign was not even inferior to some true Deities!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nonsense!¡± Tang Xiu snapped. ¡°The Emperor Qing is indeed the founder of my Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, but the sect¡¯s name is not the Sect of Five Beasts like you told me!¡±


    ¡°Just let me finish my words, will you?! You¡¯ll naturally know about the origin of the Vermillion Bird Sect.¡± Fire Qilin shook its head and continued, ¡°The Sect of Five Beasts became the most powerful sect in the Immortal World after hundreds of thousands of years, feared by the rest of the sects in existence. But before Master ascended to the God¡¯s Realm, he divided the Sect of Five Beasts into five independent sects, which were the Qilin Holy Sect, Azure Dragon Holy Sect, Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, White Tiger Holy Sect, and Black Tortoise Holy Sect.


    ¡°I was the Guardian Immortal Beast of Qilin Holy Sect, whereas Azure Dragon, Vermillion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise were separately acting as Guardian Beasts for each of their respective sects. And yet, extreme prosperity will eventually decline as the old Chinese adage said. After Master ascended, the five sects lost the most powerful Supreme as their patron, and eventually caused a lot of other forces to set their eyes onto us.


    ¡°An earthshaking battle then occurred in the Immortal World a few hundred thousand years ago. Various forces attacked the Sects of Five Beasts and the latter were eventually defeated, causing them to decline into ordinary immortal sects in the Immortal World. The late five great holy sects that were formed then gradually moved to some secluded and hidden places.


    ¡°If I remember correctly, Azure Dragon, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise have all died, leaving only me and Vermillion Bird behind. But I took the descendants of Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, and Vermillion Bird as per the instructions Master commanded previously, that was to head to Earth and to protect his hometown.¡±


    Tang Xiu stared at the Fire Qilin with a disbelieving look. Never once had he ever dreamed that the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect still had such a secret inside story. It never occurred to him that the Fire Qilin had been protecting Earth for hundreds of thousands of years.


    ¡°Then, where are the other Immortal Holy Sects now, Fire Qilin? Where they have gone, exactly? I¡¯ve been in the Immortal World for ten millenniums. Yet, I¡¯ve never heard of the Qilin Holy Sect, Azure Dragon Sect, White Tiger Holy Sect, and Black Tortoise Holy Sect at all,¡± asked Tang Xiu in a deep voice after taking a deep breath to weather his stirring emotions.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about any later events, either.¡± Fire Qilin shook its head and said, ¡°Ever since we arrived on Earth, we¡¯ve been guarding this planet. We¡¯ve been able to protect Earth even though it was nearly destroyed a couple of times. It was a pity that Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, and Black Tortoise who came along with me at that time were too young and much weaker. They eventually died after hundreds of thousands of years. I¡¯m the only one who survives with a feeble existence to the present.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded without a word. Although he wasn¡¯t clear about most of the story narrated by Fire Qilin, he was crystal clear of one issue: the first ancestor who founded the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect was called Emperor Qing.


    ¡°Then, please go back first, Fire Qilin! I remember what you told me, and I¡¯ll naturally take you with me to the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect to determine your status after we¡¯ve returned to the Immortal World. If your claim is true, then we are on the same side.¡± Tang Xiu said.


    Fire Qilin gave it a thought for a moment. Then, it suddenly spoke, ¡°I have a way to prove what I said, actually.¡±


    ¡°With what and how do you plan to verify it, exactly,¡± asked Tang Xiu with narrowed eyes.


    The Fire Qilin raised its head and said aloud, ¡°I know the name of the Guardian Immortal Beast of your Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. I think there should only be a handful of immortals in the Immortal World who know her name, right?¡±


    Tang Xiu was shaken inwardly and replied in a deep voice, ¡°I can vouch that those who know her name in the entire Immortal World is but a handful. And I¡¯m one of them.¡±

 Chapter 1076 - The King of Dogs

    Chapter 1076: The King of Dogs


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The cool wind was blowing in the vast sea.


    Tang Xiu landed on the sea surface with eyes staring at the distant sky. The Fire Qilin just left in joy, leaving him in silence for a very long time. Before it left, it said the name of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect¡¯s Guardian Beast. The name was exactly the same name as the one Tang Xiu knew.


    Prior to this, Tang Xiu only believed one-third of the words said by the Fire Qilin. But after it mentioned that name, he had 70% assurance of its story. Yet, he still held onto 10% suspiciousness and couldn¡¯t put down his wariness. He would, after all, face his enemies once he returned to the Immortal World, and some of them were at the Supremacy Stage.


    The Vermillion Bird Holy Sect was by no means weak in the Immortal World. It was instead very powerful with an expert at the Supremacy Stage at the helm. The Vermillion Bird Holy Sect was naturally not afraid if there was only a Supreme among his enemies. But it would still face a very difficult situation for the sake of saving his life if there were several Supremes when he had yet to restore his peak power.


    Additionally, there was also his archenemy, the Shade Demon Zhu Wushou.


    After a long time passed, Tang Xiu turned his head to look at Xue Yu at the side, who wore a complicated look. Then, he forced a smile and said, ¡°You now know about my origins, don¡¯t you? Well, are you now going to give me a cold shoulder after knowing that I¡¯m just an old freak who has lived for ten millenniums?¡±


    ¡°Nah.¡± Xue Yu shook her head and said, ¡°As people said: just be contented with the man you married. Marry a chicken and just follow that chicken; marry a dog then follow that dog. Even if you tell me you were a monkey who lived for ten millenniums, I¡¯ll never leave your side.¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. He hugged Xue Yu and said, ¡°Well, I never thought the Jade Beauty is humorous, though. I never knew that you had such a side prior to this, you know.¡±


    ¡°Bah, shameless!¡± Xue Yu retorted shyly.


    Returning to Jingmen Island¡¯s Everlasting Feast Hall, Tang Xiu immediately led several experts of his sect to leave for the two islands in the South China Sea. After inspecting them, he was satisfied by both the fierce beasts ranch and the medicinal herbs plantation. In particular, the fierce beasts ranch. Although the beasts there were caged, they began to breed since they didn¡¯t need to worry about food or water, thus leading to quite a number of their population.


    On the way back, Tang Xiu¡¯s liner encountered a yacht. What he didn¡¯t expect was that the person who was enjoying sunbathing, holding a cup of red wine and wearing a bikini was none other than Cheng Yannan, who he hadn¡¯t met for a long time.


    ¡°Wow, let¡¯s have a cup of wine, Belle!¡±


    Standing on the bow of the liner, Tang Xiu smiled spoke to Chen Yannan who was about 100 meters away. His voice was not loud, but it was clearly transmitted to Cheng Yannan¡¯s ear.


    ¡°Huh?!!¡±


    The moment she spotted Tang Xiu, Cheng Yannan instantly screamed. A smile immediately crept up on her face. She stood up and waved, shouting, ¡°Hey, that¡¯s fine with me! I got some good wine with me. You wanna come over and have a taste?¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly and instantly jumped from the bow. He casually walked on the sea surface and came to the yacht several seconds after. Then, he observed Cheng Yannan, whom he hadn¡¯t met for a long time, and smilingly said, ¡°Well, to think that you just got your own holiday at sea. I never thought Ms. Cheng is so natural and unrestrained. Anyways, did you get the news from your sister? You¡¯re not that worried about her anymore, right?¡±


    ¡°Thanks for saving my big sis, Tang Xiu,¡± replied Cheng Yannan smilingly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°If anything, the Great Policewoman Cheng helped me quite a lot then. It¡¯s kinda a given that I saved her once.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean, you know.¡± Cheng Yannan shook her head and said, ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, my big sis should¡¯ve been working with you, right?¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his brows and his eyes began to linger on her whole body. After seeing her turn shy, he asked with a quaint expression, ¡°Did your special ability awaken?¡±


    His question made Cheng Yannan stared blankly. The shy look on her face instantly vanished and was replaced by surprise. ¡°How did you find out? I don¡¯t think I used any special abilities just now, no?¡±


    ¡°You know, would you believe it if I told you that the Mount Huaguo was mine?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡± Cheng Yannan couldn¡¯t help but laugh. She rolled her eyes at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Bah, do you really think you¡¯re Sun Wukong who has Fiery Golden Eyes of Truth or something? Well, you¡¯re right, though. I¡¯ve indeed awakened my special ability. I was kinda freaked out at first, but then gradually got used to it. Besides, big sis called me, so I learned about such special abilities from her.¡±


    ¡°You sisters are connected by blood, after all.¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said, ¡°I thought that you¡¯d also awaken your special ability sooner or later since your sister has awakened hers. Keep in mind, though. Don¡¯t ever use your power before the average people, else some people will quickly find you once it¡¯s exposed. You¡¯ll find yourself in a lot of trouble once they find you.¡±


    The smile on Cheng Yannan¡¯s face disappeared. She then asked with a frown, ¡°What do you mean? Who are these people and what trouble will they give me?¡±


    ¡°They are from the country¡¯s Special Abilities Bureau,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Huh? Which department is this agency from?¡± asked Cheng Yannan curiously.


    ¡°Speaking about it plainly, most of the people there are ability users or elementalists,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°They seek people of their kind and then invite them to join the agency and work for the country. You can expect to face extraordinary dangers if you become one of them. For example, the recent major incident in the country. As far as I know, the number of ability users that died in the battle is over 100.¡±


    ¡®Ability users? And they died in battle?¡¯


    Cheng Yannan was still shocked and frightened even though she wasn¡¯t clear what it was about. She immediately stared at Tang Xiu with an uncertain look, inquiring. ¡°What exactly happened? How can so many ability users die? You¡¯re not lying to me, are you, Tang Xiu? I can feel that I may be able to kill those who are called ability users one day ever since I have this power.¡±


    ¡°Do you think ability users are very difficult to kill?¡± asked Tang Xiu back instead of answering.


    Cheng Yannan suddenly fell into silence after recalling the terrifying power possessed by Tang Xiu and his men. It was true. Tang Xiu and his men had the power to kill the so-called ability users.


    ¡°Let¡¯s drop it off, shall we?¡± Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°If anything, I heard from the supervisor of Clam Island that you¡¯ve been performing well in recent months. Especially regarding your wood-based special ability which can ruin as well as aid the fast growth of medicinal herbs. That¡¯s certainly a great achievement, so keep up the hard-good work later. I¡¯ll make you the one in charge of the two islands later once I move the current one later.¡±


    ¡°Are you really going to make me the supervisor for these two islands?¡± Cheng Yannan¡¯s eyes lit up.


    ¡°Hold up. Don¡¯t get so excited yet,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°That¡¯s on the pretext that you¡¯ve become completely familiar with the situations here. Only then will I give you the supervisor position, got it?¡±


    ¡°Hehehe. Then I expect a raise once it happens!¡± Cheng Yannan laughed.


    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing and said, ¡°I told the current supervisor to raise your salary ten times previously, didn¡¯t I? Hahaha¡­ well, I guess I can¡¯t be stingy after you¡¯ve become an ability user.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re still brighter than that fella Yuan Chuling, old classmate!¡± Cheng Yannan gave a thumbs up and praised. ¡°Anyhow, I¡¯m borrowing this yacht from him, yet he took out most of the good wine he hid here before I came, lest I drink up all his red wine.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s complexion shifted and he curiously asked, ¡°Huh? I haven¡¯t had time to contact that fella recently. How is he doing now? What did he buy this yacht and run to Jingmen Island for?¡±


    ¡°Well, I got no idea about that.¡± Cheng Yannan shook her head and said, ¡°I only know that he recently got along with two students from Shanghai University. They kinda hang around together lately, though I dunno what they are doing. Ah, that¡¯s right. I heard those two Shanghai University students are your classmates too!¡±


    ¡°My classmates?!¡± Tang Xiu wore a strange expression upon hearing this. He gave it a thought before asking, ¡°Anyways, are you going to continue your leisure time here, or are you going back to Jingmen Island with us? I think I¡¯m gonna meet Yuan Chuling since that fella is there.¡±


    ¡°Well, I think I¡¯m going back with you. I¡¯ve been playing here for a long time already,¡± answered Cheng Yannan.


    On Jingmen Island¡­


    In the presidential suite on the 18th floor of Venus Hotel, Yuan Chuling was nesting comfortably on the cozy sofa with one leg over the other. On his opposite side was Yue Kai, who was smoking with a happy face, while the one who was panting heavily like a cow struck with asthma and sweating profusely was Hu Qingsong. The three of them were facing the tea tables in front with a million yuan notes neatly arranged.


    ¡°You still okay, Old Hu? I told you this one million will all be yours if you can do 200 push-ups and 200 sit-ups. Otherwise, I and Yue Kai will each take our share from it.¡± Yuan Chuling¡¯s face twitched and looked ferocious as he let out a strange smirk.


    In response, Hu Qingsong glared at him as he squatted back to the carpet and did some push-ups. Ultimately, he was finally able to finish 200 push-ups, albeit barely, and nearly collapsed out of breath.


    Shortly after, however, his body seemed to have been injected by another power. He directly crawled up from the floor to grab a black handbag nearby, stuffing the one million notes into the bag completely. Then, he proudly declared: ¡°You dare to bet, so you must dare to lose. Dammit, I¡¯m done for yesterday, Dude. But this million is mine!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Yue Kai puffed out rings of smoke and laughed aloud. Then, he said, ¡°I told you we made tens of millions recently, Old Hu. You got your four million shares, didn¡¯t you? Yet you were so desperate and went all out just for this one million? That¡¯s no big deal, dude. Well, I¡¯m gonna visit a few spas later and I¡¯m gonna nail some chicks and get laid!¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you bastard had enough already? I really got no idea why you¡¯re so starving, man. I love my kidney though it¡¯s hard to hold back, Dude.¡± Hu Qingsong mocked him and said, ¡°And don¡¯t give me that crap, Yuan Chuling. We made so much money recently, but shouldn¡¯t we go back to Shanghai now?¡±


    ¡°Nah.¡± Yuan Chuling shook his head and said, ¡°Getting out like this while making quite some money from the business is hard to come by, mate. Stopping now means we¡¯ll lose money. Anyhow, both of you are Tang Xiu¡¯s classmates and brothers, so we¡¯re a gang. You gotta relax, mate. I guarantee you¡¯ll have a cozy life and get tons of money if you got along with this Old Yuan, got it?¡±


    ¡°Old Yuan, I think Old Hu makes sense.¡± Yue Kai cast away his smiling face and said, ¡°We must know when to stop. That¡¯s the golden rule. We got those brats fleeced and profited out of them. But those shits are troublemakers, especially that Han Sen fella. He¡¯s definitely a ruthless shit. We¡¯ll be done for if he spends some money and comes back with some good Dahuang dogs. Won¡¯t we be losing the money we¡¯ve earned with so much difficulty by then?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Yuan Chuling complacently said, ¡°Dahuang dogs have the blood of Tibetan Mastiffs. They can fight well and are definitely the king of dogs!¡±

 Chapter 1077 - Skullduggery

    Chapter 1077: Skullduggery


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The trio immediately fell in love with dog fight gambling when they saw the arena in Shanghai. Even Yuan Chuling no longer wanted to manage his gym and just spent his time wandering about to get some good dogs and then made a big profit out of them. He never found such a good chance to make money before, so he brought Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong to the western region to get some excellent dogs.


    Dog fight gambling was very strictly regulated in Shanghai, and they could only participate a few times there, which earned them some money. Yet, it didn¡¯t satisfy them, so the trio and one dog straightly headed to Jingmen Island after hearing that many people were involved in dog fight gambling with large stakes.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s play again one last time, then. Each of us will take out one million regardless of the results, but we¡¯ll head immediately back to Shanghai with this Big Yellow afterward. Now that we got some money, we should learn from Big Bro Tang and start thinking of ways to start a business,¡± said Yue Kai seriously.


    ¡°Now you¡¯re talking. But don¡¯t count me in, will you? I already started my own business with my buddy, and it¡¯s been quite great.¡± Yuan Chuling grinned. ¡°You don¡¯t know how much profit I can get from my fitness club, do you? It¡¯s in the tens of millions!¡±


    Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong rolled their eyes at the same time and gave him the middle finger. The former then murmured, ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­ you make it like I dunno if you¡¯re holding on Big Bro Tang¡¯s thigh to get rich, yet you dare to show it off. In any case, we could become a billionaire ourselves if Big Bro Tang gave us some tips and tricks for making money. Speaking of him, where has he been recently? I¡¯ve been calling him, but his phone has been off. I can¡¯t invite him to have some drinking party with chicks.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, like you don¡¯t know Big Bro Tang has so many belles around him, Yue Kai. All of them are the best top chicks!¡± Yuan Chuling mocked him and said, ¡°If you can drag him to a drinking party with chick attendants, I¡¯ll treat you as a big brother, Dude.¡±


    Cough, cough¡­


    Yue Kai coughed a few times and touched the bridge of his nose with his hand to cover his embarrassed face. He was crystal clear that Tang Xiu had never been proactive in picking up girls. What happened was that those flowers kept coming after him, instead. Tang Xiu was a man whose luck in love affairs made him greatly jealous.


    ¡°Alright, guys. I¡¯ll make a phone call.¡±


    Yuan Chuling fished out his cell phone and dialed a number. After his call was picked up, he then said, ¡°I just agreed to meet Han Sen at the previous old place to gamble like last time. And I told him we¡¯ll leave Jingmen Island and return to Shanghai regardless of the results.¡±


    Two hours later, just as the trio left Venus Hotel and boarded a small van, Yuan Chuling¡¯s phone rang.


    ¡°It must be Han Sen. This guy is kinda anxious, so he¡¯s calling us to hurry up, no?¡± Yuan Chuling grinned and took out his cell phone with a smile. But after he saw the caller on the screen, he suddenly got up.


    ¡°Aargh, shit!¡±


    The pain caused by bumping his head on the roof made him see stars and curse. After screaming, he sat back and pressed the answer button. ¡°Yo, Big Bro Tang, you really have no conscience at all, do you? What have you been up to recently, huh? I¡¯ve been calling you all the time but never once did you pick up. Are you forgetting these several brothers of yours since you got those flowers glued on you all the time?¡±


    ¡°What nonsense are you spitting out?¡± Tang Xiu mocked him back. ¡°I have too many things to deal with recently and the phone signal in that place is abysmal, you know. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t receive any call at all. Anyhow, who are these several brothers you just mentioned aside from you, though?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong,¡± answered Yuan Chuling while rubbing his head.


    ¡°Huh? How did the three of you get together?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a confused tone.


    ¡°Well, I visited your campus some time ago. But since I couldn¡¯t find you, I went to play and fool around with them for a few days,¡± said Yuan Chuling. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d hit it off with them, though, so we just left Shanghai since we found some, well¡­ common interest. That¡¯s right, where are you now, Bro? We¡¯re in Jingmen Island. Do you wanna fly over to meet us?¡±


    ¡°Just tell me the place. I¡¯ll go over to find you,¡± Tang Xiu replied with a smile.


    ¡°Huh? The address?¡± Yuan Chuling stared dumbly and immediately said in surprise, ¡°Are you saying you¡¯re also in Jingmen Island?¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡± replied Tang Xiu with a chuckle.


    ¡°Then head straight to the Kingfishers Park, Big Bro,¡± said Yuan Chuling immediately. ¡°You know where it is, right? Just use the GPS and you¡¯ll get there. It¡¯s a great place. The three of us are going to gamble with some people, so we¡¯ll be there in half an hour. Just hurry up and cheer on us later.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean you¡¯re gambling?¡± Tang Xiu inquired in a curious tone.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I can explain it to you with one or two sentences,¡± said Yuan Chuling, ¡°You¡¯ll know it when you come, and I¡¯m damn sure what we play will brighten your eyes!¡±


    ¡°Okay, then!¡± Tang Xiu curtly replied and directly hung up.


    Quickly, the Yuan Chuling trio rushed to the Kingfishers Park in a small van. In the remoter corner of the park, more than a dozen young men were pulling four leashed fighting dogs and smoking. There was a young man with bleached hair with earrings complacently conversing with his buddies.


    ¡°Here we come, Han Sen!¡±


    Yuan Chuling¡¯s hand was holding a rope as he pulled a big yellow dog, followed by Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong.


    The white-haired young man called Han Sen threw the cigarette butt on the ground, stepped on it, and then strode to meet them. ¡°You won thrice and got tons of money from us in the past few days, Fatty Yuan, so my buddies want to have revenge today. Have you seen the fighting dog I just bought? This guy will definitely bite your Big Yellow to death!¡±


    ¡°Hah, you keep saying that before each game, Han Sen.¡± Yuan Chuling rolled his eyes and growled. ¡°All right, dude, we¡¯re kinda in a hurry. We¡¯ll return to Shanghai after winning the game!¡±


    A cold light flashed in Han Sen¡¯s eyes after hearing it. He turned to look at the yellow-haired youth nearby. As he saw the other party give him a curt nod, he suddenly let out a happy smile. He shot a squinted glance at the Dahuang dog Yuan Chuling was holding without anyone noticing.


    ¡°How about playing the game with a bigger stake this time, Yuan Chuling? Like, my team will bet 8 million and you¡¯ll get 8 million from us if you win, and we¡¯ll get the same amount from you if it¡¯s our win.¡±


    When Yuan Chuling was about to reply, Yue Kai raised his chin and interjected. ¡°Well, let alone 8 million, we¡¯ll take you on even if it¡¯s 18 million. But we always win tons of money every time, so I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea. Let¡¯s just take out 3 million for the first game, and whoever loses will give 3 million to the winner. We¡¯ll be staying a few more days later and we¡¯ll talk to you whether we¡¯ll continue the game.¡±


    ¡°Deal!¡±


    After gambling with Yuan Chuling trio several times, Han Sen could tell that the fella named Yue Kai was very astute, so he didn¡¯t want to speak much longer since they had made up their minds.


    Quickly, the two men took their own dogs to a cage. Just as Yuan Chuling was about to let the Big Yellow dog into the cage, two black SUVs headed over from the distance.


    ¡°Hey, Big Bro Tang!¡±


    Yuan Chuling and the others immediately let out happy and surprised looks upon seeing Tang Xiu.


    After Tang Xiu came out of the car, his eyes swept over at everyone present. Then, he came over and asked, ¡°What are you guys doing here? This setting¡­ it¡¯s a dog fight, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Grinning, Yuan Chuling said, ¡°Well, I have no way else to make money, so I can only make some pocket money this way. Anyhow, just wait and see, Big Bro Tang! Let¡¯s have a big party after we win this 3-million game!¡±


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes in response. He turned to look at Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong, saying, ¡°To think that you¡¯re learning to gamble from Yuan Chuling, you two really got some screws loose in the head by following him, don¡¯t you? Stop fooling around and follow me! Since we¡¯ve gathered in Jingmen Island, let¡¯s have some time together. I¡¯m going to somewhere else tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Where to?¡± asked Yuan Chuling.


    ¡°Overseas,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Han Sen felt out of sorts from the way he looked at Yuan Chuling and Tang Xiu¡¯s group. If it wasn¡¯t for Tang Xiu coming with several burly men, he could¡¯ve taken the initiative to assault them.


    Suddenly, a clear voice was heard, ¡°You know dog fight is illegal, Yuan Chuling. You should be arrested and even sentenced to jail for doing this, you know.¡±


    Yuan Chuling¡¯s eyes shifted to Cheng Yannan and he immediately looked surprised. ¡°Wah¡­ my old classmate. How come you¡¯re with Tang Xiu? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re also¡­¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap!¡± Cheng Yannan hurriedly interrupted.


    Yuan Chuling rolled his eyes and murmured, ¡°Bah. You don¡¯t want me to say it, then I¡¯ll zip my mouth. Besides, everyone already knows everything about you. If anything, it¡¯s not like a dog fight is against the law, no? Even if it is, we still got Big Bro Tang! It¡¯s easy for us to get out with his ability.¡±


    Not far away from them, Han Sen was finally unable to bear anymore and asked aloud, ¡°Hey, are you gonna play or not? If you are, then hurry up, will you? I¡¯ve been waiting all the time to win the money and spend my days off partying!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes swept over at the dog pulled by Han Sen. Then, he looked at the big yellow dog held by Yuan Chuling. He then shook his head and said, ¡°No need to compare it. You¡¯ve lost already, Yuan Chuling.¡±


    Yuan Chuling was dumbfounded and hastily asked, ¡°Nobody has lost the game, Big Bro Tang. The fight hasn¡¯t even begun yet, so how do you know I¡¯m gonna lose? This big yellow dog of mine is an invincible fighter God. He¡¯s been our golden goose all this while.¡±


    Tang Xiu watched Yuan Chuling bring the big yellow dog to the front of the cage after the fella spoke. He couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit helpless after seeing this guy send the dog into the cage.


    With his keen eyes, it was easy for him to see that something was amiss with the big yellow dog¡¯s condition. Even without a careful inspection, he could see that the big yellow dog had been drugged.


    This was simply a skullduggery!


    Tang Xiu was glad that he had come over, or else Yuan Chuling, Yue Kai, and Hu Qingsong would¡¯ve been trapped in the scheme.


    Forget it. I¡¯ll just move a bit to kill that violent fighting dog after the dogs start fighting! thought Tang Xiu.


    The two big, ferocious dogs started glaring at each other as though they were facing their own nemesis. Suddenly, the ferocious fighting dog instantly charged at the big yellow dog. In just a blink of an eye, the big yellow dog fell to the ground the moment it avoided the attack.

 Chapter 1078 - Real Business

    Chapter 1078: Real Business


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    With his keen eyes, Tang Xiu could tell that the big yellow dog had been drugged. Given its current condition, let alone fighting against the charging ferocious fighting dog, even a small Pekingese could kill it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, guys!¡±


    Tang Xiu patted Yue Kai¡¯s shoulder and turned to walk towards the SUV. A dog fight gambling was nothing but a trivial thing that didn¡¯t interest him whatsoever, as meaningless as seeing a child pee on the mud.


    Yuan Chuling was staring blankly at the big yellow dog who got bitten to death in the iron cage. Disbelief was evident in his eyes, for he never imagined that this gambling would conclude in such fashion.


    ¡°3 million!¡±


    Han Sen, who was surrounded by more than ten youths, went toward Yuan Chuling and hooked his finger. He complacently looked gloatingly at Yuan Chuling, as though he was looking at a clown.


    Yuan Chuling turned around. He could see the equally stunned Yue Kai and Hu Qingsong and then growled angrily. ¡°You cheated, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Heh, you gotta find the stolen goods before you catch a thief, don¡¯t you know that? Don¡¯t run your mouth and insult us by accusing without evidence, Yuan Chuling.¡± Han Sen retorted with disdain. ¡°You brought this Dahuang dog yourself. How come we are at fault when it suddenly got sick and was killed by my dog, huh? Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t afford to be a loser?¡±


    Something was amiss and Yuan Chuling knew it. Yet, he couldn¡¯t retort back at Han Sen since he didn¡¯t have any evidence that the fella was pulling a skullduggery. It now seemed like he was throwing slander and dirt to this guy.


    ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll give you the money!¡±


    He didn¡¯t care about these 3 million since he had won more than this amount all these days. However, he couldn¡¯t help but feel wronged inside. That big yellow dog had earned him tons of cash, yet it had been bitten to death in vain. After paying the money, he quickly paced towards Tang Xiu under the jeers of Han Sen¡¯s group.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°You guys are truly fooling around; to think that you came to Jingmen Island just for this stunt. Haih, I wouldn¡¯t have bothered to poke my nose into your business had it been before.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just mind it?¡± Feeling vexed, Yuan Chuling couldn¡¯t help but retort back in a grunt.


    ¡°You know, your Dahuang dog had been drugged in advance. You just fell right into the scheme of those guys given how that dog completely lost its ability to fight right as the drug kicked in at the start of the fight.¡± Tang Xiu slightly furrowed his brows and lightly said, ¡°Do you know what does that mean? It means someone close to you is the culprit since it¡¯s difficult for outsiders to get into contact with your dog.¡±


    ¡°We got a traitor?¡±


    Yuan Chuling, Yue Kai, and Hu Qingshong were shocked and exclaimed after exchanging glances.


    ¡°It¡¯s best for you to cast away this mindless behavior later on,¡± continued Tang Xiu coolly. ¡°I¡¯m just glad those guys only poisoned your dog this time and not you, else you¡¯d have turned into corpses by now. Especially you, Yuan Chuling. You¡¯re not studying at Shanghai University, but you neglect your business and indulge yourself in this shit. You even make me lost any strength to mock you!¡±


    ¡°Uh, we got so bored recently, so we just run and fooled around Big Bro,¡± replied Yuan Chuling embarrassedly. ¡°But we had decided that this game was the last one and we would return to Shanghai regardless of the results, though. Besides, I got some managers handling the business in Shanghai, so I don¡¯t have to worry too much about that.¡±


    ¡°What if those managers dug the pit for you to fall?¡± Tang Xiu pursued inquisitively. ¡°You¡¯ll be easy prey if they were to collaborate to scheme against you. It¡¯s better to believe in yourself than putting your trust in others. The market is a battlefield in and of itself. You can try neglecting the market and taking it lightly, but you can expect to end up dead on that battlefield.¡±


    Yuan Chuling rolled his eyes in response and argued. ¡°Are you scaring me by exaggerating it, Big Bro Tang? Our joint business does have some competition with other fitness clubs, but it doesn¡¯t look like it will happen like you just said. Besides, our business is quite big. Even those managers got some balls, they won¡¯t dare to act carelessly, no?¡±


    ¡°You said it¡¯s a big business?¡±


    At this time, Tang Xiu felt that it was necessary to give some good lessons to Yuan Chuling. He fished out his cell phone and leaned his back at door, dialing a number and asking, ¡°Hello, Professor Mo, how is the progress with the development of that product? From the report you gave me some time ago, I presume that¡¯s the finished product, right?¡±


    ¡°Ehh? Hasn¡¯t Chief Kang already told you?¡± Mo Yi¡¯s voice transmitted from the phone. ¡°That product has been developed already and it works exceedingly well. Chief Kang has already begun the preparation for its mass production.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    He had been staying at the blockade line in the Himalayas a few days ago. The phone signal was abysmal there and he also got injured, so he just put away his cell phone into the interspatial ring and thus cut off his phone from receiving any signal at all. Even Kang Xia herself found it difficult to contact him.


    Tang Xiu then dialed her number. The dialing tone only rang twice and his call got picked up. ¡°Hello, it¡¯s me, Kang Xia.¡±


    Kang Xia¡¯s complaining voice replied from the phone, ¡°Where the hell are you now, Mister Big Boss?! Do you know I¡¯ve been looking for you for several days already? You never picked up nor can I get through you every time I made a call! I called Xiaoxue and she said you went to the Himalayas to deal with some urgent things or something, so I dared not bother you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my fault, I admit. But it was, nevertheless, doing it for special reasons, so I didn¡¯t bother to give you the number of the communicator.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°Anyways, how about the Flying Disc?¡±


    ¡°I got two issues to tell you. First is the situation related to this Flying Disc. Professor Mo conducted his research day and night and his team has finally produced results. Further, I¡¯ve already assigned people to buy a large number of raw materials and am now preparing for its mass production.¡±


    ¡°What about the second issue, then?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°My former mentor, the younger brother of House Rothschild¡¯s Patriarch, Yabro Rothschild, came to China and visited our Magnificent Tang Corp. for the purpose of establishing a partnership with us,¡± said Kang Xia.¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes. He had heard of this legendary family countless times. This family was one of the largest and most terrifyingly powerful entities in the whole world with wealth that could definitely be rivaled by rich countries. It was even likely that most countries paled in comparison.


    ¡°Can you elaborate?¡± continued Tang Xiu in a very calm tone.


    ¡°What I can tell from Yabro Rothschild is that he offers the cooperation proposal through several means,¡± explained Kang Xia. ¡°First, they will buy the core formula of our company¡¯s products with each priced at 20 billion US dollars. Second, obtaining an exclusive right to be our representative agency in all countries all over the world¡ªalthough they only listed a total of 10 countries at the moment aside from China¡ªall of which are the top 10 countries in the world. Third, they offered a sky-high price of 120 billion US dollars for a full acquisition of our Magnificent Tang Corporation.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing after hearing it. He replied, ¡°What a great sincerity, huh. His offer even makes me a bit excited. But then again, the Magnificent Tang Corporation is the foundation of our development, so a full acquisition is impossible, and the other two proposals are not an option either. However, I¡¯m under the impression that there should be a fourth option, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re smart, Boss!¡± Kang Xia praised. ¡°The fourth option proposed by Yabro Rothschild is the exclusive right to build a sales network in every country all over the world, including establishing specialty stores in every city in each country. This forms the most direct cooperation where we will provide them our products with a ratio of 3:7 for the sales and profit-sharing.¡±


    ¡°3:7?¡± Tang Xiu slightly furrowed his brows and coolly asked, ¡°3 for us and 7 for them?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡± Kang Xia confirmed.


    ¡°What a big appetite they have, heh,¡± Tang Xiu sneered.


    ¡°Do you find this way of cooperation disagreeable?¡± asked Kang Xia after hesitating.


    ¡°I can agree to this kind of cooperation, but the ratio of profit must be 7 for us and 3 for them,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Inform Yabro Rothschild what I just said. And that¡¯s final. You can discuss the specific cooperation details with them should they accept, but tell them to go back to where they come from if they don¡¯t accept it. Hmph , there are many big families with strong capital in the world. I¡¯m sure countless families will come running to us and feel happy to negotiate with us with this kind of cooperation.¡±


    ¡°Well, then I¡¯ll talk to him as per your instructions,¡± said Kang Xia seriously. ¡°Shortly put, we¡¯ll cooperate if he accepts the condition, and we¡¯ll drop it off if he doesn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°One other issue, though. What about the effect of the new employees you¡¯ve trained?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I¡¯ve carried out your instructions and we now have a total of 5,000 new employees, all of whom have undergone the most intensive training possible, and are now ready to work at any time.¡± Kang Xia chuckled and said, ¡°Further, we¡¯ve just started the second phase of personnel training, so we can expect to see results in three months. And we¡¯ll have about 10,000 people as reserve personnel by then. The number may be still far from the expected figure we need to enter the world business stage that we¡¯re about to open, but I think it should be enough for a short period of time.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Then we¡¯ll hold a job recruitment fair for every quarter annually. Each fair will recruit 5,000 people, so we can train 20,000 staff per year. Even if Yabro Rothschild does accept the profit-sharing ratio I¡¯ve proposed, all the exclusive specialty stores must have some employees of our Magnificent Tang Corporation assigned there. Additionally, we will also be managing the financial aspect.¡±


    ¡°I think they will still agree to it, though,¡± said Kang Xia with a smile.


    ¡°Ehh? Where does your confidence come from?¡± asked Tang Xiu curiously.


    ¡°Well, House Rothschild runs a lot of huge banks all over the world. Once the products of the Magnificent Tang Corp go global, the amount of capital in circulation will be astronomical. I¡¯m quite sure this House will never turn down or miss such an enormous resource.¡± Kang Xia chuckled.


    Tang Xiu understood in a flash. As his mind moved, ideas rapidly grew in his mind, though he quickly cast them away a few seconds after and sighed inwardly. ¡®It¡¯s a pity my current capital I is too little, so I can¡¯t compete with those world-class financial giants! Otherwise, I could¡¯ve built the largest banking system all over the world myself. At that time, most of the world¡¯s capital chain would be under my control. That would really make me under no one and above hundreds of millions of others.¡¯


    ¡°Anyhow, I¡¯m going back to Nine Dragons Island first, Kang Xia. You can contact me at any time, so let¡¯s keep in touch. Once you¡¯ve negotiated and reached an agreement with Yabro Rothschild, contact me at once regardless of the results. I¡¯ll return to Star City in the near future should they accept it.¡± Tang Xiu concluded.

 Chapter 1079 - The Scared Cheng Yannan

    Chapter 1079: The Scared Cheng Yannan


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu subconsciously lit up a cigarette after hanging up and fell into silence, thinking about something. Money was nothing but a very trivial thing to him, yet he needed a lot of cultivation resources, and the most direct means to get them was buying them with money.


    The Magnificent Tang Corp. was about to open a new pattern of capital circulation, but Tang Xiu was having a headache due to their newly developed product¡­ the Flying Disc. Great efforts and hardships had been poured into its research and, in turn, it must be used to raise capital. However, he wasn¡¯t sure if the military could fully absorb and digest its production.


    He fell into this train of thought for a long while. Then, he looked at Yuan Chuling¡¯s group. They were his classmates and brothers, and thus, he sincerely hoped that they would be successful in life as well. However, he wasn¡¯t prepared to teach them any cultivation art since the path of cultivation was full of thorns and riddled with dangers. He might as well let them live comfortably for a lifetime instead of pushing them into desperation to walk on the cultivation path.


    Shortly after, he made another call and then spoke after his call got picked up, ¡°I¡¯m waiting for you at the Everlasting Feast Hall in Jingmen Island at 6 PM tomorrow. It¡¯s about the big deal we¡¯ve talked about previously. I¡¯m ready to trade it with you.¡±


    ¡°Which field is it about?¡± Duanmu Lin¡¯s voice came out of the mobile phone.


    ¡°It¡¯s about that air vehicle,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I see. Then I¡¯ll rush over to the Everlasting Feast Hall in Jingmen Island. I¡¯ll be there at 6 PM tomorrow,¡± replied Duanmu Lin in a deep voice.


    Tang Xiu hung up and then looked at everyone else. ¡°Don¡¯t rush back to Shanghai first, guys. I¡¯ll be taking you all with me to see what a so-called big business means tomorrow evening.¡±


    Yuan Chuling, Yue Kai, and Hu Qingsong exchanged glances and held some anticipation inwardly. They were all aware of how big the business Tang Xiu had been running was. The Magnificent Tang Corp. could literally be said as a money-printing machine that could be compared to the bank¡¯s money-printing machine if fully operational.


    Prior to this, Tang Xiu had never taken them to see any business negotiations. But he now seemed about to give them a chance to get enlightened since they had nothing important to do and were just fooling around at the present. They couldn¡¯t help but look forward to it.


    It was like an adage that said: people will be influenced by those close to them.


    They used to have no ambitions nor lofty aspirations. They did have some dreams to achieve big accomplishments in life in the future once in a while, but at the end of the day, fantasy was nothing but fantasy¡ªa daydream that would be gone in a flash and existed only to mock themselves. But ever since they got acquainted with Tang Xiu, they could see his unparalleled edge. They themselves didn¡¯t seem to realize that they had subtly been influenced by Tang Xiu, thus leading to having expectations for the future and working hard to sow the seed for the dreams in their hearts.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu led Yuan Chuling¡¯s group to the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s HQ in Jingmen Island. He just assigned some people to settle them down and then left with Cheng Yannan directly.


    In the spacious and bright room, Tang Xiu lit up a cigarette, paced toward the window and looked at the lush scenery of greenery outside. He watched many guests walking around and enjoying their leisure time.


    ¡°Have you thought about what are you gonna do in the future, Cheng Yannan?¡± asked Tang Xiu slowly as he turned to look at Cheng Yannan and puffed out smoke.


    Standing behind Tang Xiu, Cheng Yannan wore a somewhat complicated look. Back when she met Tang Xiu, it was because he was expelled from other classes and got transferred to their class. At first, she didn¡¯t like him and even hated him. She thought that Tang Xiu was a rotten rat that would affect all her classmates.


    However, the current Tang Xiu had enough achievements to make her look up to him. She even felt that she had been really blind then after she learned a few things about him later on. It was because she felt that there was no other wonderboy in the world that seemed to be better than him.


    What about what she wanted to do in the future?


    It was an issue she had never mulled over. She had even thought about committing suicide in the past. It was Tang Xiu who gave her hope and opportunity, relieving her from much of her worries in life that made her pass her days comfortably. Only after Tang Xiu¡¯s inquiry did she finally begin to consider what kind of future life she would like to have.


    ¡°I just¡­ don¡¯t know.¡±


    Even after being silent for a long while, Cheng Yannan only let out a wry smile and shook her head. She knew that helping Tang Xiu to manage the herbs plantation and the fierce beasts ranch on the two islands in the South China Sea was but a temporary job. But she herself was at a loss and in the dark about what she wanted to do in the future.


    ¡°Since you yourself are in the dark, then might as well let me arrange the future for you. How about it?¡± said Tang Xiu slowly.


    Cheng Yannan stared blankly and asked with a confused expression, ¡°How would you arrange it for me, though?¡±


    ¡°You probably have guessed some things about I¡¯m gonna do. You also have seen those who work for me,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°If anything, if it weren¡¯t for you becoming an ability user, I¡¯d have made you marry your man and have several children to pass the remaining days of your life and let you live a peaceful life. But now, you¡¯re no longer an ordinary person, so I think that you should have a more exciting life. Certainly, the dangers you may face will be very big, so it¡¯s still your call.¡±


    Cheng Yannan thought for a while and then asked, ¡°I wanna know the life goals of my older sister first. Didn¡¯t you arrange it for her too?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Your older sister is a strong and very capable woman. She knows some things about me as well. Hence, she can no longer simply belong to the country anymore. I once asked her if she wanted to be stronger and have a wonderful life. Her answer made me pleased: She wants to have such a life.¡±


    ¡°Since my older sister is willing to let you arrange her future life, then I¡¯ll take it too,¡± said Cheng Yannan straightforwardly. ¡°She¡¯s the closest person to me, and I don¡¯t want her to fight alone since she has taken such an unusual path. I want to be with her.¡±


    Tang Xiu turned around and gave a thumbs up, praising. ¡°You deserve to be Cheng Xuemei¡¯s sister and my old classmate. I knew you¡¯re not afraid of death and would make this choice. I¡¯ll inform the supervisor of the two islands in the South China Sea that you¡¯ll be transferred temporarily. After I¡¯m done with the business negotiation tomorrow, you will go with me to Nine Dragons Island! I¡¯ll give you three months of training there. If you can complete the first stage of training in this period of time, I¡¯ll let you return to the islands.¡±


    ¡°Where is this Nine Dragons Island, though?¡± asked Cheng Yannan curiously.


    ¡°You¡¯re not considered as a Tang Sect disciple as of now, so you¡¯re not eligible to know the location of the Tang Sect. Wait until you get there. If you can successfully enter the cultivation path within three months and complete the first stage of training, I¡¯ll allow you to join the Tang Sect and learn some confidential things.¡±


    After she had decided to hand over the second half of her life to Tang Xiu, Cheng Yannan no longer bothered herself to find out any confidential secrets and whatnot. She was just a bit surprised and wondered as to why Tang Xiu would let her cultivate and become a cultivator even though she was an ability user.


    After hesitating for a short moment, Cheng Yannan finally asked to satisfy her curiosity. ¡°Anyways, Tang Xiu. Are cultivators more powerful than ability users?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing and explained, ¡°You see, ability users are only able to acquire some kind of superpower, but they can only display that particular superpower, whereas cultivators are wholly different. Any cultivator who has reached a certain level can even summon the force of nature, alter and manipulate the environment and time. It¡¯s even possible for them to fly to the heavenly bodies and traverse the space in the universe.¡±


    ¡°Bah, that¡¯s some boasting!¡± A contemptuous look painted Cheng Yannan¡¯s face and she said, ¡°Do you think cultivators like you are some kind of celestial immortals or something? If cultivators are so powerful, they could¡¯ve become the Masters of Earth already.¡±


    Tang Xiu turned his head to look at her with a vague smile. ¡°Give me a few more years and I can easily become the Master of the whole Earth if I want to. Any human will only be able to bend their knees before me. Cultivators are far more powerful than you can imagine. It¡¯s not impossible for them to break the shackles of this world and ascend to the Immortal World as Immortals if their cultivations keep getting stronger.¡±


    His claim made Cheng Yannan at a loss whether she had to cry or laugh. ¡°Have you been reading too many Xianxia novels, Tang Xiu? Or have you been brainwashed by the likes of Xianxia movies? If cultivators were really powerful, those who can cultivate would¡¯ve become immortals already, no?¡±


    Whoosh !


    Instead of replying, Tang Xiu directly used his ability to prove it. After dashing toward Cheng Yannan in a flash, he grabbed her slender waist and they instantly vanished from the room. In the next second, he had brought Cheng Yannan and appeared a kilometer high in the air. Despite being an ability user, Cheng Yannan only had a few experiences and could only scream out in horror.


    ¡°Gosh! Stop screaming, will you? Be careful not to get noticed by Kuwako!¡±


    Tang Xiu looked down at the Earth and, at the same time, quietly took out two Invisibility Charms from his interspatial ring. He quickly stuck each on them. The current technology was very developed and there were surveillance satellites in the sky. He didn¡¯t want to get caught and photographed by those satellites while flying and hugging a woman a kilometer high in the air.


    Ultimately, Cheng Yannan was finally able to ease herself from her fear. Her eyes turned saucer and she looked a bit tense. She carefully gazed at the scene in all directions and asked stutteringly, ¡°H-how¡­ h-how d-did you¡­ do it?¡±


    ¡°Hehehe.¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing and said, ¡°You¡¯ve never seen me in action, have you? Are you gonna freak out again if we fly higher?¡±


    Cheng Yannan gasped and gulped down. She then replied with a lingering fear in her voice, ¡°This is too unbelievable. I never thought that even Superman is inferior to you. And you¡­ have you cultivated to the point of immortality and become a celestial immortal yourself?¡±


    ¡°Nah. I still have a long way to go. I can only be regarded as a slightly powerful cultivator.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°As for becoming a God, I¡¯m afraid that it will still take a very long, long time. Anyways, let¡¯s go back!¡±


    After he finished speaking, Cheng Yannan only felt that the sky and earth were spinning around. They then returned to the spacious and bright room the moment after. She rubbed her eyes and secretly pinched her waist, only to feel pain, and was finally sure that she wasn¡¯t dreaming.


    At this moment, she looked at Tang Xiu with a face full of awe and worship. She suddenly felt that it was truly wise of her to hand over her future to Tang Xiu. She was sure that she would feel superb if she could become as powerful as him in the future.


    ¡°I also want to be a cultivator. I want to fly to the sky as easily as you do!¡± Cheng Yannan clenched her fists and blurted out.

 Chapter 1080 - High-Tech Products

    Chapter 1080: High-Tech Products


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The round setting sun was hanging on the western horizon, gradually painting the whole sky like a glowing blob of blood that was slowly flowing away. It was already October, yet the hot weather still lingered around Jingmen Island.


    At 6 PM, two black Audis slowly entered the Everlasting Feast Hall¡¯s site and the supervisor of the restaurant quickly walked forward to greet Duanmu Lin who just got off the car, as well as the high-level officials from the Special Abilities Bureau. The group then was brought to the VIP lounge.


    Fragrant tea and fruits were then served by the waiters. As the attendants left, Tang Xiu, who came in at this moment, wore a smiling face. Behind him were the excited-looking Yuan Chuling, Yue Kai, Hu Qingsong, and followed by Cheng Yannan, who just wanted to watch the lively and fun event.


    ¡°Please do excuse me for not going out to greet you, Senior Duanmu.¡±


    With a smile on his face, Tang Xiu came to Duanmu Lin, who stood up from the sofa and smilingly shook hands with him. The senior officers from the Special Abilities Bureau then followed suit.


    Duanmu Lin glanced around at Yuan Chuling¡¯s group of four behind Tang Xiu. Then, he smiled and asked, ¡°Care to tell me who they are, Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°They are all here to join in the fun, Senior Duanmu,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°But you don¡¯t need to pay attention to them, though. The sole reason I brought them here is to show them what a big business really is.¡±


    A look of surprise was cast on Duanmu Lin¡¯s face. He knew Tang Xiu quite well. This young man had always deep purposes in doing things. With him bringing these young people together was definitely not only to let them see a big business being conducted. However, he wouldn¡¯t drive these few people out since Tang Xiu was the one who spoke. As everyone present had taken a seat one after another, he asked with a smile, ¡°You¡¯ve researched and developed that Avion, would you please let me see it before we get down to business?¡±


    Tang Xiu clapped and smilingly cried out, ¡°Come in!¡±


    Immediately, Kang Xia, who had been waiting outside the door, came into the hall with a black suitcase. She arrived at Jingmen Island early in the morning and brought the developed Flying Disc herself.


    ¡°Please take out the Avion and show it to Senior Duanmu, Kang Xia,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Kang Xia let out a faint smile and put the black suitcase on the coffee table in front of Duanmu Lin and the several seniors of the Special Abilities Bureau. After two unlocking procedures, she opened the black suitcase and took out a flat round disc from the inside with two footprint markers on its surface.


    ¡°Senior Duanmu, let me present to you the high-tech product developed by our Magnificent Tang Corporation. We originally coined it ¡®Flying Disc¡¯, but Tang Xiu felt it was a rather unsophisticated name. Hence, it was then we directly christened it as Hectometer Aeroglider,¡± explained Kang Xia with a smile.


    Duanmu Lin took out the Avion out of the black suitcase and carefully observed it in his hands. The senior officers of the Special Abilities Bureau also came together, wanting to study the features and extraordinariness of this object. Unfortunately, these few people couldn¡¯t find its working mechanism and uniqueness after spending ten minutes.


    ¡°Director Kang, can you give us a detailed introduction of its features? It¡¯d be best to show us a demonstration if possible,¡± said Duanmu Lin.


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll do the introduction presentation of this object,¡± said Kang Xia with a faint smile. ¡°However, we need to go outside for the demonstration since it would attract a lot of guests. I don¡¯t think Senior Duanmu wishes the news of this Hectometer Aeroglider to be spread out so easily, no?¡±


    ¡°True that! We must pay attention to confidentiality.¡± Duanmu Lin approved hurriedly.


    Kang Xia smilingly continued her presentation. ¡°Let us continue, then. This Hectometer Aeroglider is a high-tech product developed by many scientists in collaboration with Fengshui experts and even some people from the Occult Sect employed by our Magnificent Tang Corporation. Shortly put, we¡¯ve invested a lot of human and material resources in order to research and develop this product. Its circular shape resembles the shield used by Captain America, but there are two concaved beddings on its surface which are designed and made according to the size of human feet, or the user¡¯s feet who stand on them. You can see the switch in my hand which has two buttons and functions as start and stop buttons.


    ¡°When the user stands on this Hectometer Aeroglider, two clippers will be activated on both footprints¡ªshaped concaved beddings, which will firmly secure the user¡¯s footing so as to ensure his or her safety. Additionally, this object heavily adopts the mechanism of spatial theory, especially for its anti-gravity system. It¡¯s also equipped with responsive sensor instruments, as well as some array patterns laid out by cultivators who have the expertise in this field. With each function coordinating with one another, the user will be able to stand firmly on it, giving him the capability to fly and hover in the air.


    ¡°This Hectometer Aeroglider also has sensors that can detect the surrounding environments. It works like ultrasonic waves unique to bats. Should it face any obstruction, it will automatically plan the trajectory and route to ensure the safety of the user even without any interaction from the user.


    ¡°To power this Aeroglider, there are energy batteries we¡¯ve particularly developed for this product. Each energy battery ensures that this Aeroglider can fly for approximately 100km. But after the internal source of power runs out, the batteries need to be replaced for continuous use. The Magnificent Tang Corporation will also provide two free energy batteries for the customers who buy this Hectometer Aeroglider.


    ¡°Aside from its flight capability, it also has another special function which can make it to surf on the water surface. When the user stands on it, he or she can control the Hectometer Aeroglider to surf fast on the water surface smoothly. Using it in this mode can also reduce its power consumption considerably.¡±


    As Kang Xia spoke up to this point, she turned to glance at Tang Xiu. She could see a smile on his face which expressed his satisfaction toward her presentation. It made her immediately feel elated and warm inside. She then continued speaking to Duanmu Lin and the several senior officers from the Special Abilities Bureau. ¡°The price we set for each Hectometer Aeroglider is 2 million yuan, and 200 yuan for each battery. We¡¯re using our latest hybrid high-tech materials in manufacturing this Hectometer Aeroglider, which is extremely sturdy and has a hardness scale nearly comparable to diamonds. Hence, you can expect it to have a very long life in service. We can guarantee for it to work flawlessly for 200,000km use without any failures on the premise that the damage is not done on purpose or intentional.¡±


    Duanmu Lin and the top senior officers of the Special Abilities Bureau were all shocked. Kang Xia¡¯s presentation made them deeply aware that the technology used on this Hectometer Aeroglider was far sophisticated and superior to the world¡¯s top technology nowadays. If its function really worked as Kang Xia said, this object would really be a very outstanding high-tech product. It could even be said as a milestone in the history of mankind towards a more advanced level of science and technology.


    These several people were crystal clear that once this Hectometer Aeroglider was adopted by the military, it would undoubtedly become excellent combat equipment for soldiers and military operatives. It was even hopeful for every soldier to perform superhuman actions. They had even begun to imagine that once this Aeroglider entered the army, tens of thousands¡­ hundreds of thousands, or even millions of soldiers equipped by this gadget would form a one-of-a-kind flying formation in the sky.


    Furthermore, if this kind of aircraft was to be popularized to the public, it was very likely that it would immediately win the popularity among people all over the world. Even its appearance could replace those luxurious cars, planes, and ships while paving its way to becoming the most advanced means of transportation in the world.


    ¡°What about its speed? How fast is it?¡±


    Duanmu Lin trained his eyes on Kang Xia firmly, anticipation evident on his face.


    ¡°It has a top speed of 100km/h. However, let us make it clear, Senior Duanmu. We actually have the ability to increase its speed so it can move much faster. However, some problems will definitely arise if we design to have much faster speed, such as an enormous consumption of power which the energy battery won¡¯t be able to keep up.¡±


    Duanmu Lin¡¯s breathing turned fast upon hearing that its top speed could reach 100km/h. It simply had greatly exceeded his expectations. Yet, it would¡¯ve been much better if this Aeroglider could be made much faster.


    ¡°Director Kang, there¡¯s another issue I¡¯d like to know as well. How long it will take your Magnificent Tang Corporation to start producing the upgraded version after launching this Aeroglider? I¡¯m sure you should have a vision for the upgraded version already. What I want to know is the feature and the effect of this upgraded version,¡± said Duanmu Lin quickly.


    Instead of answering the question, Kang Xia turned to look at Tang Xiu with hesitation on her face. This inquiry related to some secrets of the technology possessed by the company, and she absolutely didn¡¯t want to disclose it to anyone without Tang Xiu¡¯s permission.


    ¡°Senior Duanmu, Kang Xia has reported this issue to me as well. But I can disclose it to you if you really want to know about it,¡± said Tang Xiu with a light smile. ¡°It will take us half a year at the most to double the Hectometer Aeroglider¡¯s speed, and each energy battery can also last for 200km.¡±


    ¡®200km/h speed?!!¡¯


    Duanmu Lin¡¯s breathing rate turned faster yet again and his eyes turned extraordinarily bright. Half a minute later, he slowly said, ¡°I only have three more issues I¡¯d like to ask. If two of them can satisfy me, I¡¯ll order a large number of Hectometer Aerogliders.¡±


    ¡°Let me ask you something first, Senior Duanmu,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°Do you really have the plenary power to make a business deal with me on behalf of the military?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± answered Duanmu Lin in a deep voice.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes instantly lit up. He then nodded and said, ¡°If so, then please ask us about those three issues, Senior Duanmu! I believe we can give you a satisfactory answer.¡±


    ¡°How high is the altitude that can be reached by the Hectometer Aeroglider?¡± asked Duanmu Lin.


    ¡°The highest it can reach is about 200 meters,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°That¡¯s an acceptable height,¡± Duanmu Lin said with satisfaction. ¡°Now, about the second issue¡ªthe wind will undoubtedly produce some effects at a high altitude. You should¡¯ve known that the user will be directly exposed to the wind, and it will have a serious impact on the users that they can¡¯t even open their eyes, right? I want to know how you solved this problem.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled and made a gesture to Kang Xia, instructing her to explain it.


    Kang Xia smiled and said, ¡°When the users fly this Hectometer Aeroglider, a transparent energy shield will be activated. It has a powerful aerodynamic effect to alleviate the obstruction from the wind and even plays a role to protect the user¡¯s body. Even if there¡¯s any object collision at high altitude, like, say¡­ birds, the users will absolutely not be injured, unless someone shoots them with a gun.¡±


    ¡°Energy shield, you say?¡±


    Duanmu Lin abruptly got up and looked horrified. He never thought that Kang Xia would provide him with such an answer.

 Chapter 1081 - Huge Transaction

    Chapter 1081: Huge Transaction


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The energy shield was depicted in the future technology in many foreign blockbusters Duanmu Lin had watched. It was something he had long been craving to obtain. He felt this energy shield would be essential if it was used by the military. For example, if two armies were fighting and their side was protected by this energy shield, they could definitely avoid a lot of casualties.


    And yet¡­ such a kind of advanced technology was used on this trivial Aeroglider?! That was simply wasting an excellent resource!


    Duanmu Lin turned to Tang Xiu. He stared at his tranquil expression and inquisitively asked in a deep voice, ¡°Tang Xiu, did you get this technology from that three-star vestige?¡±


    ¡°Senior Duanmu, I did get some tech gadgets from that three-star vestige, but it doesn¡¯t include this energy shield.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°You also have seen the array I¡¯ve arranged. This energy shield is formed when that array is activated. An array has been installed on the Hectometer Aeroglider, so starting it is equal to activating the defensive array and forming that energy shield. Don¡¯t you realize this is the reason the energy batteries can only last up to 100km?¡±


    Duanmu Lin caught the explanation instantly, but he couldn¡¯t get Tang Xiu¡¯s last question. ¡°What facet should I¡¯ve realized, though?¡±


    His question made Tang Xiu feel helpless. ¡°It¡¯s about the consumption of the batteries! The Hectometer Aeroglider could¡¯ve been able to fly at least 500km or further should the energy batteries not expend so much power on the energy shield.¡±


    Duanmu Lin understood in a flash. Then, he nodded and said, ¡°That makes sense. I¡¯ve done my own research on arrays, but I found most of the materials needed to arrange them are jade stones. Speaking about it, such energy comes from the jadeites, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Giving him a thumbs up, Duanmu Lin praised. ¡°To think that you actually applied some aspects of cultivation on this tech product, I can only use the word ¡®awesome¡¯ to express my feeling. You¡¯re really a genius, Tang Xiu¡ªindigenous talent that definitely transcends everyone else.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing and said, ¡°You¡¯re flattering me, Senior Duanmu. Anyways, what about the third question?¡±


    ¡°The last one is about the features for the upgraded version of this Hectometer Aeroglider,¡± said Duanmu Lin. ¡°Will it have other functions? I can sign the contract with you here and now if your answer satisfies me.¡±


    Tang Xiu and Kang Xia exchanged glances. Just as the latter was about to speak, Tang Xiu slightly raised his hand to stop her and said, ¡°I can guarantee that the upgraded version of the Hectometer Aeroglider will have at least one more feature.¡±


    ¡°And that is?¡± asked Duanmu Lin impatiently.


    ¡°Invisibility,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What?!!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s answered shocked and scared Duanmu Lin. Invisibility meant stealth. Anything that could go invisible in this world would be horrifying.


    ¡°There¡¯s one caveat of this invisible Hectometer Aeroglider, however,¡± continued Tang Xiu. ¡°We¡¯re not prepared to sell them since this feature is too terrifying. It will cause great damage should evil people use it.¡±


    Aside from feeling relieved, Duanmu Lin was burning inside. If this Hectometer Aeroglider had such a stealth feature, it was definitely on par with the so-called divine armament. If all the Chinese soldiers in the future used this gadget and went into stealth mode after starting it, they would definitely be able to completely annihilate all the enemies they fought, literally! After all, the enemies couldn¡¯t see them, but they could clearly see them. They could just come before the enemies without them being aware of anything¡­ such an effect was¡­


    Shooting a deep gaze at Tang Xiu, Duanmu Lin said, ¡°I have trust in your character and I believe your guarantee. Tang Xiu, if your Magnificent Tang Corp. develops this stealth version of Hectometer Aeroglider, you must never sell them to anyone or any force besides the Chinese Special Abilities Bureau. Otherwise, it will change the power structure in the world tremendously. Such a change will only spell enormous hidden dangers to various countries.¡±


    ¡°I have discretion on this matter, so you can rest assured about that.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Additionally, even if we do decide to sell this product to the Chinese military, we won¡¯t be able to sell too many of them, since I need to personally be involved in manufacturing it. My time is very limited, so I can only sell 100 units to the Chinese military. That¡¯s the limit.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Duanmu Lin happily nodded.


    ¡°Well, shall we sign the contract now, then?¡± continued Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°I have a hunch that you should¡¯ve prepared the contract already,¡± said Duanmu Lin. ¡°Just show it to us. We¡¯ll sign it now if we think there¡¯s no problem with the clauses.¡±


    Tang Xiu faintly smiled and made a gesture to Kang Xia. The latter then immediately called the core executive of Magnificent Tang Corp. to bring two contracts. Without any concern, Tang Xiu quietly waited for Duanmu Lin and the several senior officers of the Special Abilities Bureau to finish reading it.


    ¡°There¡¯s no problem with the contract, though the quantity has yet to be filled. It should be left to us to decide, shouldn¡¯t it?¡± said Duanmu Lin with a smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s certain.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t know how big the order the state is to place, to begin with. If the number is too low, I¡¯ll have to promote this Aeroglider to the private sector. After all, we¡¯ve invested too much capital, time, and manpower for its research and development. We won¡¯t have any profits if the sales figure is too low, even likely suffering some losses.¡±


    ¡°Alright. But I need to make a call.¡± Duanmu Lin nodded.


    ¡°Please feel free to do so,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Duanmu Lin then got up and left the hall with the Special Abilities Bureau¡¯s senior officers.


    Nearby, incomparably shocking expressions were painted on the faces of Yuan Chuling, Yue Kai, Hu Qingsong, and even Cheng Yannan, who had a special ability. They were just sitting dumbly and tongue-tied on the leather sofa, unable to sober up from their shocks.


    Prior to this, they thought that the Magnificent Tang Corp. only manufactured a few products, mainly cosmetics and some nutrient and supplement products, or the likes of excellent wine such as God¡¯s Nectar. But now, after hearing the content of the conversation between Tang Xiu and Duanmu Lin, they were really shocked since they realized that the MTC also had other products that could be described with one word: terrifying!


    The Aeroglider! An object that could only be seen in science fiction literature and sci-fi movies. The level of technology mentioned was at least a few decades ahead of the current technology. It was even likely to be a century ahead.


    Tang Xiu watched the four people and a smile crept upon his face. He coughed twice and smilingly asked, ¡°Well, are you guys scared? Do you realize that what I do is the so-called big business now?¡±


    Yuan Chuling¡¯s family had inextricable links with the military. His father had also got his hands on the research and development of weapon technology and sold them to the military. Therefore, he was still able to grasp some of the contents. He was the first to sober up among the four. However, his eyes as he looked at Tang Xiu were full of inexplicable shock and mixed feelings.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have brought us over here, Big Bro.¡± Yuan Chuling took a deep breath and forced a smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re aware of it now?¡± asked Tang Xiu with raised brows.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be a damn idiot if I can¡¯t realize anything.¡± Yuan Chuling nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s the core secret of your Magnificent Tang Corporation, but it¡¯s also the country¡¯s secret. Big Bro Tang, I think you shouldn¡¯t have brought us over even if you trust us.¡±


    ¡®Realizing and being aware of it?¡¯


    Yue Kai, Hu Qingsong, and Cheng Yannan, who just sobered up from their shocks, hurled tons of curses at Yuan Chuling inwardly. They didn¡¯t realize anything about the situation, but after this fella made it clear, it was just as clear as day that he lumped them like idiots in some other words!


    ¡°I believe you all, guys. What I trust in is not only your character, but I also believe that you won¡¯t dare to disclose it to anyone else.¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said, ¡°Senior Duanmu is the state official in charge of a very special department. If you dare to disclose anything about this matter, it will mean that you¡¯re selling a state secret. You guys won¡¯t only end up in the military courts, but also be executed.¡±


    GASP!


    Yuan Chuling¡¯s group of four gasped a cold air at the same time.


    ¡°Okay, nevermind it, though. Just keep it rotten inside your belly.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°Besides, it won¡¯t take long before the Magnificent Tang Corp. announces the Hectometer Aeroglider to the public. Well, it should be next year when we begin to sell it to the customers around the world.¡±


    The four people immediately let out sighs of relief upon hearing the news. All of them looked excited. If the Magnificent Tang Corp. were to sell the Hectometer Aeroglider to the public, didn¡¯t it mean that they could also buy it?


    Being able to fly was always a human dream, to begin with. They were all ordinary people and thus were no exception. They looked at the Hectometer Aeroglider on the table and began fantasizing¡­ riding the Hectometer Aeroglider¡­ flying to sky and hovering above the island¡­ such a free flight¡­ like a bird.


    Duanmu Lin and the senior executives from the Special Abilities Bureau then returned to the hall. Looks of joy could be seen on their faces. After each one of them took a seat, Duanmu Lin then spoke, ¡°Tang Xiu, the Big Boss wants me to convey his message to you.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face slightly changed and nodded with a serious face. ¡°What¡¯s his instruction?¡±


    ¡°If you want to fully operate the manufacturing of Hectometer Aeroglider into ordinary business and sell it to the public, it must be done after you¡¯ve developed the upgraded version of this product,¡± said Duanmu Lin. ¡°Our country must grasp the most advanced Aeroglider, which is at least much more advanced than the ordinary ones sold on the market.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem.¡± Tang Xiu quickly nodded.


    ¡°Also, the Magnificent Tang Corp can sell the product to domestic buyers and the country won¡¯t be participating,¡± continued Duanmu Lin. ¡°But if you want to sell this product globally, would you like to cooperate with the country? You should know that this product will bring about tremendous influence to the world once it goes global. With the country as your backing, your company will have the biggest guarantor and safeguard.¡±


    Tang Xiu was shocked and then asked, ¡°What does the country want for these?¡±


    ¡°Well, the Big Boss wants the price to be halved starting from the upgraded version,¡± answered Duanmu Lin with a smile. ¡°Of course, the state will also provide great support for all the businesses under your company all over China with various preferential policies.¡±


    ¡°Deal!¡± Tang Xiu agreed without hesitation. He was very satisfied with the proposal.


    Duanmu Lin smiled and said, ¡°If so, let¡¯s sign the contract, then! For the first order, we want 10,000 Hectometer Aeroglider and one million energy batteries. The money will be immediately wired to your private account once we receive the products.¡±

 Chapter 1082 - Thoroughly Convinced

    Chapter 1082: Thoroughly Convinced


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu and Kang Xia exchanged glances and both were happy inwardly due to the quantity of the order. It must be noted that each Hectometer Aeroglider unit was priced at two million yuan, so 10,000 units would 20 billion yuan; whereas the energy battery was 200 yuan each, which meant they would get 200 million yuan from selling one million units.


    How much did they invest previously to develop this Hectometer Aeroglider, you ask?


    Tang Xiu inwardly laughed. The total investment he gave to Mo Yi¡¯s tech team for the development funds was 200 million yuan. And Kang Xia had reported to him that only half of it was used.


    Furthermore, this was just the beginning!


    The moment that money came rolling in would be when the Hectometer Aeroglider began to enter the market and sold to the public. There would be countless people, various countries, and numerous forces competing to buy it. At that time, the fortune they would obtain would simply be too many to count.


    As Tang Xiu thought up to this point, he looked at Duanmu Lin and said, ¡°Senior Duanmu, after our Magnificent Tang Corporation finishes developing the upgraded version of the Hectometer Aeroglider, we won¡¯t only give the state 50% discount, but I¡¯m also willing to share 20% of the global profit sales as donation.¡±


    In response, Duanmu Lin shot a deep gaze to Tang Xiu. After a long time, he gave a thumbs up and praised. ¡°I won¡¯t say thanks, but you can expect the support from the state when the Hectometer Aeroglider is sold globally in the future.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty!¡± Tang Xiu firmly nodded.


    In fact, he knew perfectly well that if ordinary people, or if some super-rich tycoon owned this kind of heaven-defying and a state-of-the-art product, the state would, in all likelihood, go so far so as to control them, and even confiscate it. After all, the profits would be beyond just being lucrative; even the state wouldn¡¯t be able to ignore it.


    However, he was not any Tom, Harry, or Jerry. The state wouldn¡¯t dare to strongarm him. No matter what era, the world was still run based on the hard truth where ¡°might makes right¡±.


    Tang Xiu looked at Kang Xia and said in a deep voice, ¡°Allocate 10% of the profits for charity when the Hectometer Aeroglider is sold globally. Establish schools and hospitals to help all those in need in China. This 10% allocation must never be disturbed no matter how much we earn.¡±


    Kang Xia looked back at Tang Xiu with admiration and love. She knew his heart. He always treated his enemies ruthlessly, but the deepest recess of his heart was full of kindness. She could even imagine that 10% of the profits earned from selling the Hectometer Aeroglider would be a huge figure, and yet he still decided as such. She could imagine how many people would benefit from it in the future.


    The figure would absolutely be sky-high!


    Duanmu Lin looked at Tang Xiu with a slightly different expression. The previous Tang Xiu had medical ethics and did some good deeds out of kindness. But his decision now would change the fate of countless poor people! This was¡­ virtuousness out of a righteous principle.


    After signing the contract, Duanmu Lin and the Special Abilities Bureau¡¯s top executives no longer stayed. They didn¡¯t even have dinner as they hurriedly left Jingmen Island.


    At dinner, Tang Xiu took Kang Xia and Yuan Chuling¡¯s group of four to have a meal in the hall. After satiating their hunger and thirst, the shock that shrouded Yuan Chuling¡¯s group had completely disappeared. Tang Xiu asked the waiter to remove the leftovers and changed the servings into tea. Then, he took out a cigarette and lit it up.


    ¡°Yuan Chuling, Yue Kai, and you, Hu Qingsong. You three should understand now what big business is, right?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°Yeah, I just witnessed it. I admit.¡± Yuan Chuling forced a wry smile with twitching lips.


    ¡°In actuality, today¡¯s business deal is only one of the deals carried out by my Magnificent Tang Corporation. It wasn¡¯t that big of a deal at all,¡± Tang Xiu continued with a smile. ¡°If anything, I¡¯ve been thinking about you guys. The fortune earned by my company is hard to imagine for you as the capital from the deals between me and the country, or with other prominent business owners, is sometimes bigger than the deal you just witnessed. The three of you are my classmates and also my brothers, yet you just ran to Jingmen Island for a dog fight for some trivial pocket money. How do you feel about that?¡±


    Yuan Chuling let out a dry smile and said, ¡°Big Bro Tang, if I were to say that I feel confident and good about myself, you¡¯d definitely slap me and pull my ears. Frankly, my old man is the person I¡¯ve been admiring the most since he¡¯s a self-made man who fights against the world with barely anything, yet he earns so much money and now becomes a powerful man. But you¡¯re my biggest idol now. I give you my word that I¡¯ll definitely look up to you in the future. I¡¯ll strive hard and manage my business well so I can make a fortune myself.¡±


    ¡°What Old Yuan said are my thoughts exactly, Big Bro Tang,¡± echoed Yue Kai. ¡°I won¡¯t be careless and neglect my responsibility by fooling around again later, and I¡¯ll seriously consider my future path. Also, even though I¡¯ve told you many times that I¡¯m thankful to you, I won¡¯t say it this time and put it in my heart.¡±


    Hu Qingsong scratched the back of his head and dryly smiled. ¡°Uh, well, Big Bro Tang. You know I don¡¯t have such great abilities, nor do I have big ambitions. But today, you really gave me too much stimulation, you know. Well, I just meekly ask you whether you have a younger brother to serve you tea and the likes, though. I¡¯ll do everything you tell me even if it is to sleep!¡±


    ¡°Bah, get lost!¡± Tang Xiu snappily cursed and was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh upon hearing his words. Then, he spoke again, ¡°Anyhow, you got your old man¡¯s enterprise, Old Yuan. You¡¯ll take it over in the future, so it¡¯s your call to choose your own path. Yue Kai, your family is also doing business, so I won¡¯t say much. But when you take over your father¡¯s business in the future, my company can cooperate with your family in many aspects, so we can earn a fortune together.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Yuan Chuling and Yue Kai nodded quietly in answer.


    Hu Qingsong, on the other hand, rolled his eyes and unhappily said, ¡°What about me, Big Bro?¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°Well, you can work for me later just like Xue Chao! Relax, though. I¡¯m sure those who work for me can also become billionaires.¡±


    Hu Qingsong¡¯s eyes lit up and he excitedly rubbed his hands.


    ¡°Hold up. Don¡¯t feel that happy first, will you?¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said, ¡°I have my own rules for employing people, at least you gotta have the ability to deserve it. If anything, since you don¡¯t wanna stay at Shanghai University for a long time, then you should study while working part-time. Kang Xia, take care of this boy and arrange for him an internship in the company branch in Shanghai. Make him start from the bottom and give him all the hard work. You gotta squeeze him to make out an excellent leader out of this guy before he graduates from college.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Kang Xia smilingly nodded. She was sincerely happy upon seeing Tang Xiu arrange these students in this way. It showed that he didn¡¯t look down on Yuan Chuling and the rest because of their ability and current status, while at the same time proving himself as a real man with an empathetic heart.


    Hu Qingsong didn¡¯t say anything more but feel so moved. He had been in the dark and confused about the path ahead. Even if he was greatly stimulated today, it was never easy to create any great cause for accomplishments. At the very least, he didn¡¯t have much capital to support himself.


    He could feel Tang Xiu¡¯s sincerity and also understood him as an affectionate and empathetic brother. He wasn¡¯t the only one Tang Xiu treated like this since he witnessed him help Xue Chao many times.


    Late at night, Tang Xiu stood quietly by the window while hugging Kang Xia¡¯s slender waist, looking at the dim streetlights outside and the dancing shadows of the trees. At this time, he felt very tranquil inside.


    ¡°Are you going back to Shanghai, or return to Star City?¡± asked Tang Xiu gently to Kang Xia¡¯s ear.


    ¡°What I want the most is to leave for Nine Dragons Island with you,¡± replied Kang Xia softly.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go together since you wish it so!¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°Arrange and delegate your work first and then give yourself a vacation.¡±


    ¡°Having your words is already enough, though.¡± Kang Xia smiled and said, ¡°Anyways, the Magnificent Tang Corporation is literally having a harvest season, so I need to stay in Star City to supervise it, while there are also some issues in Shanghai. The progress of the project there is very fast after we invested more capital, so the construction keeps going without stopping with three shifts. Given the speed of the progress, the company¡¯s headquarter and industrial park in Shanghai will be fully built before the end of next year.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°Once our industrial park is built and becomes operational, the Magnificent Tang Corp. can really start to fully circulate the funds by then. I think you¡¯ve been too occupied with work all this time. It¡¯s hard on you and not a good situation. You and Andy should prepare to find your successors. I¡¯m hoping that you¡¯ll spend more of your time to cultivate in the future.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it too early?¡± Kang Xia hesitated and said, ¡°It¡¯s only been a year and a half from founding the company until the present. More so that the company is now developing rapidly. If I and Andy were to hand over our works, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    ¡°What I mean is not handing over your work right away but finding your successor,¡± replied Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°At least, you must train a trustworthy person as your confidant. You must also foster their work ethics and abilities and comprehend their understanding about the Magnificent Tang Corporation. Plan it for a year and a half or so. Once our headquarters and industrial park in Shanghai have been fully built, you can hand over your works whenever you¡¯ve stabilized the situation.¡±


    ¡°I know. I already plan to do that too.¡± Kang Xia nodded and said, ¡°You can rest assured that Andy and I won¡¯t neglect our cultivation.¡±


    ¡°In fact, I really want to hug you and get some sleep peacefully.¡± Tang Xiu smiled lightly and said, ¡°It¡¯s just unfortunate that my schedule is so tight. I need to bring some people to Nine Dragons Island overnight. Alright, go have some rest. I¡¯ll be back soon and allocate some time to accompany you later.¡±


    After half an hour, the disciples of the Tang Sect had boarded the buses and quickly arrived at a certain port in Jingmen Island. The passenger liner then set sail and quickly disappeared into the dark sea.


    This time, the route wasn¡¯t planned to head straight to Saipan. Despite the help of the Chinese authorities forcing various forces to leave, the information released by the Celestial Wizard Clan had made many forces furious even though they eventually left. But some forces were still not convinced and sent some people to stay in Saipan to investigate. Even some liners were still seen wandering about and on the lookout in the Pacific Ocean.


    After returning to Nine Dragons Island, Tang Xiu immediately issued a reorganization order and provided a number of cultivation resources. Just as he was about to busy himself and see Gu Yan¡¯er, the travel-worn Jin Shi rushed back from the outside. To Tang Xiu¡¯s surprise, he was badly battered and injured and some Tang Sect disciples who followed him were even more seriously injured. If it wasn¡¯t for their Holy Healing pills, they would¡¯ve already died outside.

 Chapter 1083 - Potential Enemies

    Chapter 1083: Potential Enemies


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    In the lofty palace, Tang Xiu strode into the luxuriously decorated meeting hall. A chilling light flashed in his eyes upon seeing the badly scarred Jin Shi as he asked in a heavy voice, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Struggling to stand up from the chair, Jin Shi bitterly replied, ¡°We¡¯ve been ambushed by a group of unknown origin. There were a lot of them, and they were also very strong.¡±


    ¡°You have yet to figure out their identity?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a frown.


    ¡°They just popped up and hit us in surprise right away, leaving us no time to figure out anything.¡± Jin Shi shook his head. ¡°But I¡¯m sure they¡¯re not normal humans given their actions. They are much like¡­ Genetic Warrior¡­¡±


    Lighting up a cigarette, Tang Xiu said, ¡°I may have some ideas on their origins.¡±


    ¡°You know where they come from, Sect Master?¡± Jin Shi was surprised. ¡°How can that be? You haven¡¯t even seen them¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and calmly said, ¡°Do you remember the Brain Assembly Biotech in Shanghai and Xie Zhiqiang, who researched some genetic drugs back then?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I remember them.¡± Jin Shi nodded.


    ¡°That man who had some dealings with Xie Zhiqiang in Shanghai was called Austin Cole from SOE company or something,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°This company deals with drugs and medical equipment business on the surface, but it¡¯s actually a very mysterious arms dealer company in Europe. Austin Cole was the third in command in this SOE company, and he controlled less than half of the SOE company¡¯s armed forces. Although he died in Shanghai, I think this SOE company hasn¡¯t given up on the genetic agents and is likely cooperating with other research institutions aside from Xie Zhiqiang¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ those people who ambushed us were from this SOE company, Sect Master?¡± asked Jin Shi. ¡°But I don¡¯t get why they attacked us. Austin Cole is dead, and so is Xie Zhiqiang. We seized the genetic agents and nobody knows that.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no wall with no ears in this world, mind you.¡± Tang Xiu grimly smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t forget the existence of the Darkwind organization. The intel operatives of this organization are simply everywhere in the world. We previously thought the fact that we killed Xie Zhiqiang and got the genetic agents was very secretive, but it may have been discovered by some intel operatives of this Darkwind organization.¡±


    ¡°Sovereign, it¡¯s high time for us to annihilate this Darkwind organization,¡± replied Jin Shi angrily. ¡°Otherwise, anything we do has the risk of being exposed.¡±


    ¡°The Darkwind will definitely be destroyed, but it¡¯s not yet the time,¡± said Tang Xiu vaguely. ¡°The full force of our sect is very strong, but we are too few in number. We may be able to kill some flocks of docile sheep, but still, it will be troublesome for us if the number is too many.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s neutralize all the top executives of this Darkwind organization directly. That would be enough, right?¡± said Jin Shi.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Do you know where the Darkwind¡¯s headquarters is, and who their top executives are?¡±


    ¡°About that¡­¡± Jin Shi was speechless and dumbfounded.


    Tang Xiu took out his mobile phone and quickly searched Song Guanghui¡¯s number. Since the most powerful man in Saipan had died, Song Guanghui had become the acting chief executive of Saipan. Although his current temporary title had yet to be removed, Tang Xiu learned from Song Guanghui that the position of the highest officer in Saipan wouldn¡¯t escape from his hands.


    ¡°Hello, Uncle Song. There¡¯s something I need your help with.¡±


    ¡°You need my assistance? That makes me happy, kid. So tell me, what is it?¡± Song Guanghui chuckled.


    ¡°My men have been attacked in Saipan a little over two days ago and were forced to flee in bad conditions,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°However, the thing is, they don¡¯t know who those people are, nor do they know their origins. But it¡¯s been confirmed that they should be Genetic Warriors and are very likely to be related to the SOE company. Have you heard about this said company, Uncle Song?¡±


    ¡°The SOE?¡± Song Guanghui¡¯s voice tone involuntarily rose.


    Song Guanghui was silent for half a minute. Then, he slowly said, ¡°You ask me whether I know it? What I know is beyond that. I know very well about this company since I even planted some people there. Tang Xiu, if the people who ambushed your men are really from there, it¡¯s very likely there are more things than meet the eye. We need to talk it over¡­ carefully.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mind shifted and he inquired. ¡°Is it related to the incidents in the past?¡±


    ¡°Correct. They pushed us to the brink,¡± said Song Guanghui. ¡°It may not have been done by this SOE company directly, but another company that¡¯s been controlled by the same family who owns SOE. This family is called as House Dolan.¡±


    ¡°How come I haven¡¯t heard about this House, though?¡± murmured Tang Xiu with a frown.


    ¡°In this world, some families are famous and some are hidden in the dark, yet they are controlling massive wealth and power.¡± Song Guanghui said, ¡°House Dolan is the latter; they operate some businesses but we haven¡¯t found their base so far, though we¡¯ve been secretly investigating some forces we found to be under this House.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Song, if those people who ambushed my men are really from the SOE company, it¡¯s very likely this House Dolan is far more powerful than imagined. Those Genetic Warriors are very strong. They struck heavy blows to my men, even though they are already powerful people.¡±


    ¡°If so, then you want me to find and confirm the identity of those people who ambushed your men, whether they are from the SOE company or not, yes?¡± Song Guanghui inquired.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get it done immediately. Just wait for my message,¡± said Song Guanghui.


    ¡°Uncle Song, please do not act rashly after you found anyone from the SOE company in Saipan. Just inform me and I¡¯ll send my own men immediately.¡± Tang Xiu urged.


    ¡°Rest assured,¡± said Song Guanghui. ¡°Even your men were unable to face them, so I naturally won¡¯t touch them. Facing them head-on will be like trying to hit a boulder with an egg.¡±


    Tang Xiu was at ease upon hearing his response. After hanging up, he mulled over it for a while and then decided to leave for Saipan immediately. Regardless of whether those people who ambushed Jin Shi¡¯s team were from the SOE company or not, they dared to become Tang Sect¡¯s enemies, so they must pay a painful price. Certainly, if they were really from that company, it meant that it put more tabs to their enmity, which demanded retaliation from him.


    This time, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t bring many people, but all of them were Tang Sect¡¯s elites. Not only did he bring Tang Guang and Tang An, but also Mo Awu, Hao Lei, Kuwako Yamamoto, and Tang 28.


    After quite a while, a group of seven people appeared in the port of Saipan, and Tom Reggie, who got the news in advance, caught up with them to personally fetch them up.


    As several SUVs were heading to Lao Bay Resort, Tang Xiu leaned back against the seat, his eyes sparkling, full of thoughtfulness. Then, he asked, ¡°Has the official appointment of Uncle Song¡¯s position been passed down?¡±


    ¡°It has been passed down two days ago. He¡¯s the highest official of Saipan now,¡± said Tom Reggie. ¡°Everything about the previous one has been cleaned up and won¡¯t leave any impact.¡±


    Tang Xiu slowly nodded and said, ¡°Anyways, you won¡¯t be involved in dealing with the current problem since there are some other things I need you to deal with!¡±


    ¡°What would you like me to do, Boss?¡± asked Tom Reggie hurriedly.


    ¡°Do you still remember Spectre and those who got rescued from that prison?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Yeah, I remember them.¡± Tom Reggie nodded.


    ¡°I need you to mix with them and observe their situation,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Pick out some reliable people secretly, and then set up a temporary organization. It doesn¡¯t need to have many people, just 50 are enough.¡±


    ¡°What kind of organization would you like me to set up, Boss? Like, its main mission¡­¡± asked Tom Reggie.


    ¡°You used to be an expert who went through the flame of the battlefields,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°You have rich combat experience, and there¡¯s no issue with your killing skills. I¡¯ve trained some children, so I¡¯m considering sending them to see some blood. Therefore, your mission will be to lead these children, set up a small team and send them to any place with conflicts all over the world.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll carry out your arrangement, Boss.¡± Tom Reggie nodded.


    ¡°If anything, this issue is not that urgent and you don¡¯t need to rush it,¡± continued Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a special training first while teaching you a cultivation technique to further strengthen your power, so you can survive longer on the battlefield.¡±


    Tom Reggie was excited and said, ¡°Thanks a lot, Boss. You can expect my best in carrying this out.¡±


    As noon came, Tang Xiu met Song Guanghui, who rushed to Lao Bay Resort in secret. This time, the latter brought only a few of his confidants.


    In the villa.


    After the two of them took a seat face to face, Song Guanghui said, ¡°I need to tell you that investigating this issue won¡¯t be easy, Tang Xiu. There are many strangers in Saipan at present, many of whom are terrifyingly powerful people from various forces.¡±


    ¡°What about those from the Big Three? Who is still in Saipan?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°The Stygian Club,¡± answered Song Guanghui.


    Tang Xiu furrowed his brows and sneered. ¡± Hmph . I¡¯ve killed a lot of people from the Stygian Club, but I didn¡¯t expect them to never stop with their malice. In fact, I have long been wanting to clean up this organization, but I always feel the time isn¡¯t right yet. But since they still have their minions here, I¡¯ll get rid of them first!¡±


    ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t take them lightly!¡± said Song Guanghui hurriedly. ¡°The people I sent to investigate the Stygian Club¡¯s people told me they have quite a number of people here, nearly 100. Some of whom are wandering about from place to place and disappearing from time to time. It won¡¯t be so easy to deal with them. Additionally, the other forces will also discover you easily once you lead your men to the Stygian Club.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured, Uncle Song! I won¡¯t move unless a good opportunity appears.¡± Tang Xiu assured. ¡°The most important issue now is to investigate whether there are people from SOE company in Saipan. If they are really here, then we will collect some interests from yesteryear first.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best to send some people to investigate it, mind you!¡± Song Guanghui squeezed a wry smile and said, ¡°But I think you gotta assign some people from Tom Reggie too since there are some places inconvenient for my men to go into, but easy for Tom¡¯s men to investigate. However, Tom has some enemies in Saipan too, so if possible, it¡¯s best to help him completely control the underground forces in Saipan first.¡±


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    Chapter 1083: Potential Enemies


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    In the lofty palace, Tang Xiu strode into the luxuriously decorated meeting hall. A chilling light flashed in his eyes upon seeing the badly scarred Jin Shi as he asked in a heavy voice, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Struggling to stand up from the chair, Jin Shi bitterly replied, ¡°We¡¯ve been ambushed by a group of unknown origin. There were a lot of them, and they were also very strong.¡±


    ¡°You have yet to figure out their identity?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a frown.


    ¡°They just popped up and hit us in surprise right away, leaving us no time to figure out anything.¡± Jin Shi shook his head. ¡°But I¡¯m sure they¡¯re not normal humans given their actions. They are much like¡­ Genetic Warrior¡­¡±


    Lighting up a cigarette, Tang Xiu said, ¡°I may have some ideas on their origins.¡±


    ¡°You know where they come from, Sect Master?¡± Jin Shi was surprised. ¡°How can that be? You haven¡¯t even seen them¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and calmly said, ¡°Do you remember the Brain Assembly Biotech in Shanghai and Xie Zhiqiang, who researched some genetic drugs back then?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I remember them.¡± Jin Shi nodded.


    ¡°That man who had some dealings with Xie Zhiqiang in Shanghai was called Austin Cole from SOE company or something,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°This company deals with drugs and medical equipment business on the surface, but it¡¯s actually a very mysterious arms dealer company in Europe. Austin Cole was the third in command in this SOE company, and he controlled less than half of the SOE company¡¯s armed forces. Although he died in Shanghai, I think this SOE company hasn¡¯t given up on the genetic agents and is likely cooperating with other research institutions aside from Xie Zhiqiang¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ those people who ambushed us were from this SOE company, Sect Master?¡± asked Jin Shi. ¡°But I don¡¯t get why they attacked us. Austin Cole is dead, and so is Xie Zhiqiang. We seized the genetic agents and nobody knows that.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no wall with no ears in this world, mind you.¡± Tang Xiu grimly smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t forget the existence of the Darkwind organization. The intel operatives of this organization are simply everywhere in the world. We previously thought the fact that we killed Xie Zhiqiang and got the genetic agents was very secretive, but it may have been discovered by some intel operatives of this Darkwind organization.¡±


    ¡°Sovereign, it¡¯s high time for us to annihilate this Darkwind organization,¡± replied Jin Shi angrily. ¡°Otherwise, anything we do has the risk of being exposed.¡±


    ¡°The Darkwind will definitely be destroyed, but it¡¯s not yet the time,¡± said Tang Xiu vaguely. ¡°The full force of our sect is very strong, but we are too few in number. We may be able to kill some flocks of docile sheep, but still, it will be troublesome for us if the number is too many.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s neutralize all the top executives of this Darkwind organization directly. That would be enough, right?¡± said Jin Shi.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Do you know where the Darkwind¡¯s headquarters is, and who their top executives are?¡±


    ¡°About that¡­¡± Jin Shi was speechless and dumbfounded.


    Tang Xiu took out his mobile phone and quickly searched Song Guanghui¡¯s number. Since the most powerful man in Saipan had died, Song Guanghui had become the acting chief executive of Saipan. Although his current temporary title had yet to be removed, Tang Xiu learned from Song Guanghui that the position of the highest officer in Saipan wouldn¡¯t escape from his hands.


    ¡°Hello, Uncle Song. There¡¯s something I need your help with.¡±


    ¡°You need my assistance? That makes me happy, kid. So tell me, what is it?¡± Song Guanghui chuckled.


    ¡°My men have been attacked in Saipan a little over two days ago and were forced to flee in bad conditions,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°However, the thing is, they don¡¯t know who those people are, nor do they know their origins. But it¡¯s been confirmed that they should be Genetic Warriors and are very likely to be related to the SOE company. Have you heard about this said company, Uncle Song?¡±


    ¡°The SOE?¡± Song Guanghui¡¯s voice tone involuntarily rose.


    Song Guanghui was silent for half a minute. Then, he slowly said, ¡°You ask me whether I know it? What I know is beyond that. I know very well about this company since I even planted some people there. Tang Xiu, if the people who ambushed your men are really from there, it¡¯s very likely there are more things than meet the eye. We need to talk it over¡­ carefully.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s mind shifted and he inquired. ¡°Is it related to the incidents in the past?¡±


    ¡°Correct. They pushed us to the brink,¡± said Song Guanghui. ¡°It may not have been done by this SOE company directly, but another company that¡¯s been controlled by the same family who owns SOE. This family is called as House Dolan.¡±


    ¡°How come I haven¡¯t heard about this House, though?¡± murmured Tang Xiu with a frown.


    ¡°In this world, some families are famous and some are hidden in the dark, yet they are controlling massive wealth and power.¡± Song Guanghui said, ¡°House Dolan is the latter; they operate some businesses but we haven¡¯t found their base so far, though we¡¯ve been secretly investigating some forces we found to be under this House.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Song, if those people who ambushed my men are really from the SOE company, it¡¯s very likely this House Dolan is far more powerful than imagined. Those Genetic Warriors are very strong. They struck heavy blows to my men, even though they are already powerful people.¡±


    ¡°If so, then you want me to find and confirm the identity of those people who ambushed your men, whether they are from the SOE company or not, yes?¡± Song Guanghui inquired.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get it done immediately. Just wait for my message,¡± said Song Guanghui.


    ¡°Uncle Song, please do not act rashly after you found anyone from the SOE company in Saipan. Just inform me and I¡¯ll send my own men immediately.¡± Tang Xiu urged.


    ¡°Rest assured,¡± said Song Guanghui. ¡°Even your men were unable to face them, so I naturally won¡¯t touch them. Facing them head-on will be like trying to hit a boulder with an egg.¡±


    Tang Xiu was at ease upon hearing his response. After hanging up, he mulled over it for a while and then decided to leave for Saipan immediately. Regardless of whether those people who ambushed Jin Shi¡¯s team were from the SOE company or not, they dared to become Tang Sect¡¯s enemies, so they must pay a painful price. Certainly, if they were really from that company, it meant that it put more tabs to their enmity, which demanded retaliation from him.


    This time, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t bring many people, but all of them were Tang Sect¡¯s elites. Not only did he bring Tang Guang and Tang An, but also Mo Awu, Hao Lei, Kuwako Yamamoto, and Tang 28.


    After quite a while, a group of seven people appeared in the port of Saipan, and Tom Reggie, who got the news in advance, caught up with them to personally fetch them up.


    As several SUVs were heading to Lao Bay Resort, Tang Xiu leaned back against the seat, his eyes sparkling, full of thoughtfulness. Then, he asked, ¡°Has the official appointment of Uncle Song¡¯s position been passed down?¡±


    ¡°It has been passed down two days ago. He¡¯s the highest official of Saipan now,¡± said Tom Reggie. ¡°Everything about the previous one has been cleaned up and won¡¯t leave any impact.¡±


    Tang Xiu slowly nodded and said, ¡°Anyways, you won¡¯t be involved in dealing with the current problem since there are some other things I need you to deal with!¡±


    ¡°What would you like me to do, Boss?¡± asked Tom Reggie hurriedly.


    ¡°Do you still remember Spectre and those who got rescued from that prison?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Yeah, I remember them.¡± Tom Reggie nodded.


    ¡°I need you to mix with them and observe their situation,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Pick out some reliable people secretly, and then set up a temporary organization. It doesn¡¯t need to have many people, just 50 are enough.¡±


    ¡°What kind of organization would you like me to set up, Boss? Like, its main mission¡­¡± asked Tom Reggie.


    ¡°You used to be an expert who went through the flame of the battlefields,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°You have rich combat experience, and there¡¯s no issue with your killing skills. I¡¯ve trained some children, so I¡¯m considering sending them to see some blood. Therefore, your mission will be to lead these children, set up a small team and send them to any place with conflicts all over the world.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll carry out your arrangement, Boss.¡± Tom Reggie nodded.


    ¡°If anything, this issue is not that urgent and you don¡¯t need to rush it,¡± continued Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a special training first while teaching you a cultivation technique to further strengthen your power, so you can survive longer on the battlefield.¡±


    Tom Reggie was excited and said, ¡°Thanks a lot, Boss. You can expect my best in carrying this out.¡±


    As noon came, Tang Xiu met Song Guanghui, who rushed to Lao Bay Resort in secret. This time, the latter brought only a few of his confidants.


    In the villa.


    After the two of them took a seat face to face, Song Guanghui said, ¡°I need to tell you that investigating this issue won¡¯t be easy, Tang Xiu. There are many strangers in Saipan at present, many of whom are terrifyingly powerful people from various forces.¡±


    ¡°What about those from the Big Three? Who is still in Saipan?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°The Stygian Club,¡± answered Song Guanghui.


    Tang Xiu furrowed his brows and sneered. ¡± Hmph . I¡¯ve killed a lot of people from the Stygian Club, but I didn¡¯t expect them to never stop with their malice. In fact, I have long been wanting to clean up this organization, but I always feel the time isn¡¯t right yet. But since they still have their minions here, I¡¯ll get rid of them first!¡±


    ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t take them lightly!¡± said Song Guanghui hurriedly. ¡°The people I sent to investigate the Stygian Club¡¯s people told me they have quite a number of people here, nearly 100. Some of whom are wandering about from place to place and disappearing from time to time. It won¡¯t be so easy to deal with them. Additionally, the other forces will also discover you easily once you lead your men to the Stygian Club.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured, Uncle Song! I won¡¯t move unless a good opportunity appears.¡± Tang Xiu assured. ¡°The most important issue now is to investigate whether there are people from SOE company in Saipan. If they are really here, then we will collect some interests from yesteryear first.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best to send some people to investigate it, mind you!¡± Song Guanghui squeezed a wry smile and said, ¡°But I think you gotta assign some people from Tom Reggie too since there are some places inconvenient for my men to go into, but easy for Tom¡¯s men to investigate. However, Tom has some enemies in Saipan too, so if possible, it¡¯s best to help him completely control the underground forces in Saipan first.¡±

 Chapter 1084 - Vicious Dog-Eat-Dog Situation

    Chapter 1084: Vicious Dog-Eat-Dog Situation


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu himself was well aware of Tom Reggie¡¯s situation in Saipan. The man¡¯s power and influence in Saipan were originally mediocre at best; he couldn¡¯t even enter the top three among the underground forces of Saipan. He could be said to enter the stage by taking the opportunity of Song Guanghui¡¯s rise to power and then annexed several small forces to expand his power greatly.


    ¡°Give me three days!¡± Tang Xiu raised three fingers and said, ¡°In three days, Tom will become the Overlord and gain full control of the life and death of Saipan¡¯s underground forces. Uncle Song, you¡¯ve become the most powerful official, so you¡¯ll be in the light, yet someone from our side must also control the underground forces here.¡±


    His declaration made Song Guanghui shocked, but he hesitantly said, ¡°I¡¯m not skeptical about your strength, Tang Xiu, but isn¡¯t three days way too short? The three strongest underground forces in Saipan are all inextricably linked with some underground forces in other countries. In particular, the Ravengale Chamber, which I heard is deeply related to the Stygian Club. It¡¯s very likely that this organization is one of the Stygian Club¡¯s divisions.¡±


    Ravengale Chamber?


    Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes and smilingly said, ¡°Uncle Song, even if the Ravengale Chamber is the Stygian Club¡¯s HQ, I can still destroy it completely if I want to, albeit paying a price. Please rest your worry! I¡¯ve never acted without preparing enough armaments. But before we go into action, we will investigate this Ravengale Chamber first.¡±


    Song Guanghui nodded wordlessly. Then, he spoke, ¡°As long as you can get rid of the Ravengale Chamber, the Golden Cauldron and the Speeder Union won¡¯t pose any significant threat. Ah, no! Do pay attention to Jameson, the leader of Speeder Union. He¡¯s a ruthless and powerful character, and rumors have it that he¡¯s closely related to many drug lords and arms dealers.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I heard about this Speeder Union from Awu too.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°But there¡¯s no need to fear them if we got absolute strength, though.¡±


    Recalling Tang Xiu¡¯s identity, Song Guanghui immediately stopped mentioning this topic. He chatted with him about some other things before secretly leaving Lao Bay Resort.


    Late at night, Tang Xiu received a phone call from Tom Reggie and got two important news. At this moment, the Speeder Union¡¯s HQ was under attack by many experts from Ravengale Chamber and was said to be in a desperate struggle. The other news said that a group of mysterious people had come to the Golden Cauldron from other countries about half an hour ago.


    ¡°The tide has begun surging in the dark!¡±


    When Tang Xiu hung up the phone and floated out of the villa¡¯s door, a few figures silently appeared behind him.


    ¡°Two parties are in conflict while the third one will come to fish the benefits. So, if my guess is correct, tonight will be the harvest time for us. Get ready, guys! Keep in touch with Tom¡¯s men since we¡¯re going to stir up the waters of the underground forces in Saipan.¡±


    ¡°Why would you choose such troublesome means, Grand Master?¡± asked Tang Guang smilingly. ¡°Let¡¯s just strike them directly and destroy the other underground forces here.¡±


    Tang Xiu glanced at him and vaguely said, ¡°Having confidence is a good thing, but you must never underestimate anyone. We don¡¯t know much about Saipan¡¯s underground forces or any relations they may have with the huge organizations of other countries. We don¡¯t even know how powerful the enemies we¡¯re about to face are, either. That¡¯s why it¡¯s necessary to figure out our enemy¡¯s strength before we move out. Even though it¡¯s impossible to clarify everything precisely, it¡¯s still necessary to know some things about them.¡±


    The smile on Tang Guang¡¯s face receded. A short while after, he said with an embarrassed face, ¡°I saw myself too highly, Grand Master.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still young, so your thoughts and style are still immature.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°But you¡¯ll be able to analyze more issues after you have more experience in the future, though.¡±


    ¡®Uh¡­ I¡¯m still young?¡¯


    Tang Guang stared at Tang Xiu with a bizarre expression. A similar expression could also be seen on Mo Awu and the rest. They looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s appearance, who was still in his early 20s. They couldn¡¯t help but murmur to themselves inwardly.


    Screech¡­


    Four black SUVs stopped in front of the villa and the driver from the forefront car opened the door. He strode toward Tang Xiu and respectfully said, ¡°Mr. Tang, Boss told us to pick you up.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head there as fast as you can,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    After everyone boarded the cars, the four black SUVs quickly left the Lao Bay Resort. However, in a hotel a few hundred meters away from them, a bald man received a report from his subordinate and immediately left with four burly men. After the four black SUVs had just left the gate of Lao Bay Resort, several Hummers vroomed to pursue them shortly after.


    ¡°Speed up!¡±


    In one of the Hummers, the bald man clicked his lips and a cold light flashed in his eyes as he issued an order aloud.


    The burly man driving the Hummer stepped on the accelerator deeper and asked, ¡°Are you sure those people ahead are heading toward the Speeder Union¡¯s HQ, Boss? Tom Reggie¡¯s movements have been quite big recently, and he has annihilated some forces. Could it be that he dares to hit our Speeder Union after we¡¯ve suffered some losses from the siege?¡±


    ¡°Heh, Tom Reggie is an ambitious guy. He even betrayed his former employer.¡± The bald man sneered and said, ¡°He has been in cahoots with someone in power recently, so there¡¯s nothing this man can¡¯t do. If anything, we just need to keep tabs on this bastard closely. So long as those cars head toward the direction of our Speeder Union¡¯s HQ, we can still report to the Big Boss once they get near the BMS Building.¡±


    A few minutes after, the four SUVs gradually slowed down, partly due to the traffic congestion on the road ahead and also because they found they had some people tailing them.


    ¡°We got some company 90 meters behind, Grand Master.¡± Tang Guang, who used to be good at using sniper rifles, reported in a whisper after spotting several cars behind them.


    Tang Xiu let out a smile and took out three silver needles from his interspatial ring. Using his mental power, he flicked the needless through the slit in the window and shot it fast towards the tailing Hummers behind.


    BUMP! BUMP! BUMP!


    The three silver needles accurately shot the front wheels of the three Hummers, causing them to crash toward the roadside as the tires burst. In that instant, Tang Guang and Mo Awu bolted out of the cars, leaving only afterimages. Without anyone noticing, they dashed toward the accident scene.


    ¡°Stop and park ahead!¡±


    After issuing the order, Tang Xiu slowly shut his eyes.


    As of now, various people were gathering in Saipan, and the tide of the storm was brewing underneath. He wasn¡¯t sure which side the people tracking him belonged to. Nevertheless, he was rather glad about this mess since only then could he fish in troubled waters, gaining benefits and achieving his own goals.


    Behind them, Tang Guang and Mo Awu appeared by the three Hummers lightning-fast. They quickly launched a barrage of punches to the heads of those who came out of the car and directly knocked them out under the cover of the three cars. Tang Guang then grabbed a burly man by the neck and quickly disappeared with him.


    In a remote spot nearby, Mo Awu slapped the face of the big man. As the latter sobered up, a dagger was placed on his neck and Mo Awu began interrogating him in a heavy voice with a face full of killing intent. ¡°Tell me, which side do you belong to and why are you tailing us?¡±


    The dizzy burly man raised his head and felt a chilling sensation on his neck. When he saw the seething killing intent in Mo Awu¡¯s eyes, a chill overrun his whole being and fear enveloped his heart. He was no stranger with those eyes since he had also killed people and had contact with numerous outlaws. Such eyes only belonged to ruthless killers.


    At this moment in time, he felt as though the angel of death had come to greet him. Although he thought that he¡¯d never fear death in the past, he couldn¡¯t help but feel despair facing such a hopeless situation himself. His lips squirmed a few times before he answered, ¡°W-we are the Ravengale.¡±


    ¡°Heh, the Ravengale should be attacking the Speeder Union¡¯s HQ now. What the hell are you tracking us for?¡± asked Mo Awu once again. ¡°Are you telling me you¡¯re going to get rid of Tom Reggie after removing the Speeder Club?¡±


    The burly men stared blankly and asked in surprise, ¡°Huh? You guys are not Tom Reggie¡¯s men?¡±


    ¡± Hmph , like hell we are.¡± Mo Awu sneered.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s our mistake, it seems.¡± The burly man helplessly said, ¡°We were just tracking Tom Reggie¡¯s cars, but we know nothing about the people who boarded them. In actuality, we got no plan to get rid of Tom Reggie since he¡¯s very closely related to some great figures in Jingmen Island. The only concern my Big Boss has is that Tom Reggie will take his men to trouble us when we¡¯re attacking the Speeder Union.¡±


    Mo Awu nodded in response and stunned the fella again with a punch. Then, he quickly returned to the car with Tang Guang and reported the situation to Tang Xiu. ¡°We didn¡¯t silence them and just stunned them all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. They¡¯re nothing but small fries, to begin with.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and issued an order. ¡°Let¡¯s set off again and rush to the Speeder Union¡¯s HQ! I wanna see how big the price the Ravengale must pay to annihilate the Speeder Union.¡±


    Twenty minutes later, Tang Xiu met Tom Reggie in a building near the Speeder Union¡¯s HQ. This guy¡¯s expression at the moment was splendid, and he seemed happy as he reported. ¡°The Speeder Union got some heavy weapons. Even though the Ravengale has excellent first-class snipers and powerful assaulters aside from those demi-human experts to storm them over, they are still unable to breach the Speeder Union¡¯s final defense line. Also, the Speeder Union got some powerful characters, Boss. But they are¡­ not human¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu took the binoculars handed over to him and went to the windows to observe. Then, he asked, ¡°What kind of demi-humans can make you this shocked, though?¡±


    ¡°Uh, they¡¯re like superhuman and very powerful, Boss,¡± said Tom Reggie with a wry smile. ¡°I just saw a sniper bullet hit one of those guys¡¯ heart, but he just got injured by it. The bullet just couldn¡¯t kill him. He even counterattacked directly and killed some experts of Ravengale.¡±


    Superhuman?


    Tang Xiu kept observing with the binoculars and soon spotted some figures flickering about in the final line of defense of the Speeder Union. They were using firearms to counterattack and even used hidden weapons or cold weapons to kill their enemies.


    They must be Genetic Warriors!


    He kept observing for some time and immediately recognized the situation and identity of those people due to the level of strength they were displaying. Among them were a few with hairy bodies and looking like humanoid beasts.


    ¡°What about the losses of each side, Tom?¡± asked Tang Xiu while observing.

 Chapter 1085 - Watching the Night Battle

    Chapter 1085: Watching the Night Battle


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    ¡°From my observation, the Speeder Union suffered heavy casualties, especially after the last fight. The Ravengale caught them off guard and their men killed half of the Speeder Union¡¯s people. However, after those demi-humans joined the fray, the Ravengale lost quite a number as well,¡± said Tom Reggie.


    Tang Xiu continued observing for a few more minutes. Then, he put away the binoculars and said, ¡°The Speeder¡¯s final line of defense should¡¯ve been broken in 10 minutes if it wasn¡¯t for that reinforcement. The Ravengale has so many experts, and some of them haven¡¯t even moved yet. My guess is that they are experts from the Stygian Club.¡±


    ¡°The Stygian Club?!¡± Although Tom Reggie had such a guess, hearing it directly from Tang Xiu shook regardless. He even imagined that if the Ravengale¡¯s target was him and his men, it was likely that he wouldn¡¯t last even 10 minutes before getting slaughtered.


    That was so chilling!


    Tom Reggie shivered. He looked at Tang Xiu with a bit of awe and said in a suppressed voice, ¡°Boss, are we just only watching the show today or joining in the fray too? If my guess is correct, the Ravengale will go after the Golden Cauldron after they have trampled the Speeders. Also, given the former¡¯s strength, the latter can only wait for their destruction.¡±


    ¡°How can we just watch the show after such a godsend opportunity presented itself?¡± replied Tang Xiu calmly. ¡°Nevertheless, we still need to do something before we move.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Tom Reggie¡¯s spirit rose and he immediately asked.


    Tang Xiu swept over at Tang Guang and the rest, saying coolly, ¡°Tang 28, you¡¯re to stay here, while the rest of you will silence all the informers of various forces in the surroundings. I don¡¯t want any forces to find out any of our actions tonight.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Tang Guang, Mo Awu, Hao Lei, and Kuwako Yamamoto shortly replied and instantly disappeared from the room. Their speed was so fast that tens of Tom Reggie¡¯s trusted men had drastic changes of expressions with horrified eyes. At a spot they couldn¡¯t see, the air suddenly fluctuated a bit as the hidden Tang An quickly left.


    A surprised look on his face, Tom Reggie asked, ¡°You said there are informers from other forces around here, Boss? But how come I and my men didn¡¯t spot any of them?¡±


    ¡°You missed them because your men are too weak.¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°Hmph, there are some rats from at least three forces. Not only are they monitoring the situation around Speeder¡¯s HQ, but they¡¯re also keeping tabs on us. You can expect to be easy prey should any of them think of getting rid of you and your men.¡±


    Eyes shrunk, Tom Reggie was scared shitless. He didn¡¯t even question Tang Xiu¡¯s words since he knew his abilities. But never once it occurred to him that there were so many operatives from other forces keeping tabs on him.


    ¡°Boss¡­¡±


    Tom Reggie opened his mouth but was interrupted by Tang Xiu, who smiled and said faintly, ¡°I know what you wanna say, but keep them in mind now. We just started to silence the rats of those forces in the surroundings. It will only take up to 10 minutes to remove all of them. Tell your men to get ready for action. We¡¯ll move once the Ravengale breaks the Speeder¡¯s final line of defense!¡±


    ¡°Roger that!¡± Tom Reggie received the order and immediately walked out of the room.


    The battle at the Speeder¡¯s HQ was very fierce and intense. Both sides were not only using heavy weaponry, but also sending many of their experts to fight. Tens of people from both sides quickly met their deaths in just a short time.


    In the manor about the size of a soccer field, an armed force of Ravengale Chamber nearly 100 strong kept mounting assaults on the four-story building on the innermost side, whereas fire snakes burst out at the windows of the four-story building, creating a frightening fire crossing grid that blocked the enemy¡¯s attack route.


    In the hall on the first floor.


    The Speeder Union¡¯s leader, Jameson¡¯s eyes were overflowing with a chilling light. After smashing his cell phone, he ripped off several buttons on his coat and shouted while taking out a submachine gun, ¡°All the retreat routes are blocked, leaving zero chance of escape to us. Brothers, the reinforcement will arrive as long as we can hold on for an hour. Join me to kill them all, for we¡¯ll be dead should this last line of defense breaks!¡±


    ¡°KILL!!!¡±


    Tens of burly men in the hall went trigger happy and targeted the enemies outside who were trying attempting to storm inside, while more than 20 mysterious people in black training suits led by a man with a black mask calmly sat cross-legged in the innermost core. They seemed unaware of the dangerous rain of bullets happening around them.


    Jameson¡¯s ferocious face kept glancing at the 20-plus people hiding in the corner from time to time. Lots of his men had died and only about 50 of them were still kicking, but these 20-plus people were like his hidden trump card. He was perfectly clear that as long as they were here, the reinforcement would arrive in time. He also knew that if these people were to join in the fray, let alone holding on for an hour, even staying for a day or two wouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    Each second and every minute kept ticking by.


    The casualties kept growing in both the Ravengale and the Speeder. The last line of defense of the latter was nearly breached due to the assault from the divergent races of the Ravengale side a few times.


    ¡°Use the injection!¡±


    As Jameson saw one of his confidants fall into a pool of blood more than 10 meters away with scarlet and white liquid gushing out from the hole on his forehead, his face turned blue and he looked more ferocious. He quickly squatted in the corner, opened a black suitcase, and pulled a tube of blue agents from it. Then, he extracted it with a syringe and quickly injected it into his right arm.


    HOU¡­ HOU¡­


    A howl similar to a beast¡¯s burst out from his mouth. His face twisted and his whole body violently shivered. Strips of blue veins and blood vessels rapidly protruded out and his physique began to swell at a speed visible to the naked eye. In just a few seconds, his body had grown taller and bigger a few times.


    In the surroundings, tens of Jameson¡¯s men went through a similar situation and began to transform after injecting the blue gene agents. Their eyes turned bloodshot, their speed was faster and they were much stronger than before.


    The battle kept going, yet none among Jameson and his men died after several minutes. Although their injuries increased bit by bit, it seemed that they weren¡¯t even affected at all. On the contrary, several people from the Ravengale were killed in a violent charge.


    At this time, however, the rest of Jameson¡¯s men who were previously in the hall on the first floor with those 20-plus people sitting cross-legged had now moved to a big room on the third floor, leaving only six stalwart men armed with heavy machine guns.


    And yet, those 20-plus mysterious people wearing masks remained sitting cross-legged in the corner.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Three shadows flickered and dashed lightning-fast from the distance and came under the building in the blink of an eye. Their speed was extremely fast and seemed like three flashing blue clouds of smoke. They instantly threw three anti-tank grenades to the interior through the window.


    BOOM, BOOM, BOOM¡­


    Powerful explosions sent the Speeder¡¯s men to their deaths. But at this moment, two mysterious men wearing black masks suddenly disappeared from their spots. They pulled the crescent scimitars from the scabbards on their backs and overlapping blade shadows swept toward the window.


    ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re biting more than you can chew.¡±


    A long white-haired chiseled man in a black robe coldly hummed with contempt. He instantly dashed inside through the window and easily dodged the sweeping blade of the masked man, throwing a bamboo tube the instant after. Right as he attacked the masked man, the sharp sword suddenly formed sword images that filled air formed to clash with the bamboo tube he threw out.


    Hiss¡­ hiss¡­


    Two centipedes made strange hissing sounds. Amazingly, there were thin wings like cicadas on the backs of the two centipedes. They flapped their wings and instantly fell down on the masked man¡¯s shoulder and accurately bit his neck.


    ¡°DAMN!!!¡±


    The masked man furiously shouted and his black-gloved arms instantly caught the centipedes. But at the moment he smashed them, their terrifying poison quickly penetrated his body through the wound on his neck. The toxin quickly invaded his heart in just a few breaths, causing his burly body to crash to the floor.


    At the same time, the other masked man was also slain by two other strong men in black robes.


    ¡°KILL THEM!¡±


    Eyes bloodshot, Jameson pointed to the three black-robed men and ordered aloud.


    In that instant, tens of strongmen threw their guns and aggressively charged toward the three people. They were barehanded, but every punch they delivered caused whistling winds that would leave even a martial arts grandmaster scared.


    ¡°Your men won¡¯t be able to deal with them.¡±


    A light voice entered Jameson¡¯s ear. A bald old man among those 20-plus people sitting cross-legged who wore a string of beads floated out like a ghost. He appeared in the midst of tens of strongmen before his voice faded away. Streams of qi flowed out and forced back six stalwart men, the white gloves worn by the old man leaving its print on one of the black-robed man¡¯s chest.


    Puff¡­


    Blood splattered and created a blood mist, yet the white glove remained unstained by the blood. But series of palm shadows filled the air, causing the other two black-robed man¡¯s pupils shrunk. As they were trying to dodge the strike, they suddenly found that the palm¡¯s shadows kept following them and couldn¡¯t be avoided.


    ¡°How can this be?!¡±


    The two black-robed old men shouted in alarm. Shortly after, they felt like their chests had been smashed by something weighing thousands of kilograms as they flew upside down and coughed blood crazily. They finally crashed down to the window, and it was unknown whether they were still alive or dead.

 Chapter 1086 - The Place Of Death

    Chapter 1086: The Place Of Death


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    In the ten-story building, Tang Xiu was holding binoculars and quietly observing the battle scene at the Speeder Union¡¯s HQ. Tang Guang and Mo Awu¡¯s group he sent there had already silenced all the informants found in the surroundings. Thus, now was the time to see the end of the battle between the Ravengale and Speeder.


    ¡°We¡¯re ready, Boss!¡±


    Tom Reggie returned with his two confidants with a stern face full of killing intent.


    ¡°Alright, tell me the situation about the Golden Cauldron organization first.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°They will be our next target after we¡¯re done with the Ravengale and Speeder. We¡¯re going to eliminate all the forces in Saipan in these three days.¡±


    Tom Reggie was shaken inwardly and respectfully replied, ¡°The Golden Cauldron is led by a man named Kanajuo. He immigrated here about 10 years ago from Thailand and formed a very large and powerful syndicate here after more than 10 years of development. Also, the intel gathered by my men said that he¡¯s very close to a large underground force in Thailand.¡±


    ¡®Kanajuo from Thailand?¡¯


    Tang Xiu suddenly recalled Kanaja and immediately took out his mobile phone and dialed this man¡¯s cell number. After his call got picked up, he straightly asked, ¡°Hey, Kanaja. I got a situation I wanna ask you.¡±


    ¡°Please do ask, Mr. Tang.¡± Kanaja¡¯s respectful voice came replying from the phone.


    ¡°I¡¯m now in Saipan and there¡¯s an underground force led by a man called Kanajuo.¡± Tang Xiu asked, ¡°Is there any special relationship between him and you?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my blood brother, Mr. Tang. He made quite a mess here several years ago; even I couldn¡¯t ensure his safety. So, I secretly smuggled him out of Thailand. I¡¯ve been helping him in secret, so he can develop his own force in Saipan,¡± replied Kanaja respectfully. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right, the situation in Saipan is rather chaotic recently, so I just sent a group of people to help him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send some people to deliver you my gift a few days later. But I want you to inform your younger brother to take his men and leave Saipan immediately,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°All the underground forces in Saipan will be under one banner soon.¡±


    Kanaja¡¯s mind shifted upon hearing this and he said, ¡°I¡¯ll contact my brother at once, Mr. Tang. However, do you mind telling me who¡¯s going to be the Kingpin of Saipan¡¯s underground forces? Could it be that you¡­¡±


    ¡°Spare me your wild imagination. But I can tell you that Tom Reggie will be the leader of Saipan¡¯s unified underground forces. He¡¯s my subordinate. I need to have Saipan under my control due to some special reasons.¡±


    ¡®All of it?¡¯


    Kanaja¡¯s heart thumped hard. He could vaguely guess some profound meaning in Tang Xiu¡¯s statement. One must know that no forces had been able to control the entire underground forces in Saipan. That would be true unless the person in charge of Saipan authority was a very powerful figure and also someone from Tang Xiu¡¯s side.


    After he thought up to this point, Kanaja immediately said, ¡°Mr. Tang, if your subordinate wants to unify Saipan, would you like me to contact my younger brother to bring all his men under you? As far as I know, my little brother has a lot of men there, and the people I¡¯ve sent there should be able to help you as well.¡±


    Tang Xiu gave it a thought and said, ¡°If so, then I accept. I¡¯ll compensate your brother no matter how big the losses he and his men suffer later.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do as you instructed, Mr. Tang.¡± Kanaja chuckled.


    Tang Xiu then hung up and looked at Tom Reggie. ¡°I¡¯ve cleared the situation with the Golden Cauldron. It¡¯s a force formed by the younger brother of my friend. All the manpower under Golden Cauldron will be transferred under your management later, so you can use their men in the upcoming battles against the enemies.¡±


    Disbelief covered Tom Reggie¡¯s face, for he never thought that Tang Xiu actually had such a godly ability. He even had a close friend in Thailand that could directly influence the situation in Saipan and even made the Golden Cauldron organization to work for him.


    At this moment, what he admired from Tang Xiu was no longer his strength, nor was a large number of powerful men under him, but his network.


    However, he still didn¡¯t feel at ease pertaining to the Golden Cauldron¡¯s men, and said in a low voice, ¡°But Boss, those Golden Cauldron¡¯s men are not our own, wouldn¡¯t it be complicated if new problems crop up due to their transfer? Please don¡¯t get me wrong, Boss. I¡¯m not questioning your ability, but Kanajuo is a ruthless and over suspicious man. I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    ¡°Kanajuo¡¯s big brother is the leader of the biggest underground force in Bangkok. He already knows the consequences of turning against me.¡± Tang Xiu interrupted him and lightly smiled. ¡°They won¡¯t dare to ruin our plans even if someone were to give them 100 more points of courage. I want you to use them as much as possible since you¡¯ll become the Underground Lord of Saipan in the future. By then, you must control a lot of people and confidants, so the less your losses in the upcoming battles, the easier it will be for you to have control in the future.¡±


    Tom Reggie secretly sighed inwardly upon hearing it. Then, he respectfully said, ¡°I get you, Boss. And rest assured, I know what to do.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s wait for the news!¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t take long for him to send some people to us. You can try to command his men later.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± answered Tom Reggie with admiration.


    20 minutes later, as the battle at the Speeder¡¯s HQ reached its climax, Tang Xiu suddenly received a call from Song Guanghui. A chilling light flashed in his eyes after hearing Song Guanghui¡¯s news. ¡°Roger that, Uncle Song.¡±


    After hanging up, he turned to look at Tom Reggie and said in a deep voice, ¡°Pass my order not to rush into action later. I just got the news that a mysterious group consisted of powerful people are heading to this place. If they are not from the Ravengale, then they must be the Speeder¡¯s reinforcement.¡±


    ¡°How long until they get here, Boss?¡± asked Tom Reggie hurriedly.


    ¡°In about 20 minutes or so,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    Tom Reggie pondered for a moment and immediately said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid an accident will happen if the Golden Cauldron¡¯s men bump into them on the way here. Would you like me to contact Kanajuo now to take precautions and prepare the countermeasure in advance?¡±


    ¡°Contact him quickly.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    More than 4km away, in a building of more than ten floors, tens of mysterious people in black night suits and masks lined in a team, exuding thick killing aura. An old man with a scar on the corner of his mouth let out a satisfied smile while watching the fighting scene at the Speeder Union¡¯s HQ through the high-powered telescope.


    ¡°Tell that Old Rat to get ready for action. We¡¯ll strike the Ravengale¡¯s people once those from the Speeder are destroyed. Hehe¡­ I drifted around the Pacific for so many days due to some tricks by those Stygian¡¯s assholes, only to get shit. The time is nigh to eradicate them from Saipan this time,¡± the old man murmured, then he glanced at the stalwart man in night black suit.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass your order immediately,¡± said the stalwart man in black suit respectfully.


    The old man gently waved in response. A python the size of a bucket silently slithered from the distance and soon climbed up his right leg and wrapped around his waist. The old man gently touched its head and then let out a cold smile full of murderous intent.


    As people said, the mantis stalks the cicada but is unaware of the oriole behind it.


    The battle between the Ravengale and Speeder had alarmed a lot of forces. Especially after the Celestial Wizard Clan spread the rumors that there were treasures in the Pacific, attracting the practitioner forces around the world there. Some forces who were still staying near Saipan were perfectly aware that the situation here had turned into turbid waters, and thus had been thinking to earn some profits to make up for the loss caused by the false news.


    At the Speeder Union¡¯s HQ.


    In the spacious building, blood was dripping out of Jameson¡¯s body, the Speeder Union¡¯s leader. Some of it was his enemies¡¯ blood and the rest was from his own bleeding wounds. The last line of defense had been broken, leaving only five of his confidants alive out of the previously tens of people. Now, those 20-plus mysterious masked people who had been standing still previously got up to fight the enemy.


    ¡°Jameson, even if you have the help from the experts of St. James Company, you¡¯re destined to die today! It¡¯s best for you to work for the Stygian Club. Maybe you can save your ass here and even get rewards from the organization in the future.¡± A middle-aged man with a red cloak and wearing golden gloves flew up outside the building and stood mid-air. He looked at the bloody Jameson and smilingly spoke his piece, yet a mocking expression was evident on his face even though he persuaded the latter to submit.


    Jameson retreated from a strong enemy and dodged to the corner. While using his weapons to protect himself, he furiously shouted, ¡°You can babble arrogantly for now, Varela! But I¡¯ll definitely rip your head off and piss on it when my reinforcement arrives!¡±


    Varela, who was wearing a red cloak and golden gloves, was the Head of Stygian Club¡¯s branch in Saipan. A smile crept up on the corner of his mouth as he shot a contemptuous gaze at Jameson. ¡°Heh, your reinforcement must be those from St. James Company, no? Are you not aware that they haven¡¯t contacted you for two days already? Why do you think we can act rampantly like this and besiege your Speeder Union?¡±


    A chilling light overflowed in Jameson¡¯s eyes. Just as he was about to retort, the black-masked old man suddenly appeared at the window, slightly trembling. His eyes embodied his seething killing intent as he growled. ¡°So, it was your Stygian bastards who killed a group of experts of St. James Company two days ago? Is that man who left the Bloodthirst Insignia one of you?¡±


    ¡°Good God. What speed!!!¡±

 Chapter 1087 - Unexpected Interlude

    Chapter 1087: Unexpected Interlude


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Varela¡¯s face slightly shifted and he frantically dashed back more than 10 meters in an instant. While standing in the air, he glared at the old man and proudly said, ¡°You got that right. It was done by my Stygian Club. But what about it? You¡¯re nothing but suicidal idiots, trying to control Saipan through underground forces, huh? That¡¯s some moron¡¯s dream, I tell you. Witness and behold, for we¡¯ll remove your foothold in Saipan today, and soon, a lot of warriors of the Stygian Club will root out any strongholds you have in the world and even raze your nest to the ground!¡±


    ¡°DAMN YOU!!!¡±


    The black-masked old man instantly appeared in front of Varela. His pair of white-gloved hands instantly hit the latter¡¯s chest. Varela screamed as a golden thread appeared and wrapped his neck. The silk thread hanged him 100 meters high in the air.


    The old man then tore off the mask on his face, revealing his sorrowful face as he roared into the sky, ¡°Stygian Club¡¯s evil bastards! My only son is dead in your hands. From now on, it will either you all or I who die!!!¡±


    The tens of experts from the Stygian Club immediately soared up to the sky upon seeing Varela hanged up in the sky. Some figures flickered and appeared before the old man in the blink of an eye. Using a combination of various techniques, they ganged up on the latter in an attempt to save the dying Varela.


    ¡°You want him? Take it!!¡±


    The old man swayed his hand and the golden silk thread instantly cut off Varela¡¯s neck. His feet fiercely kicked the latter¡¯s head, causing the bloody head to fling to the hands of a Stygian Club expert.¡±


    ¡°FINISH HIM OFF!!!¡±


    The attack of these few people turned ballistic, leaving no spot for the old man to dodge and flee. Bleeding wounds kept appearing on his aged body, although fortunately, his speed was fast enough to avoid dangers whenever he fell into a dire situation.


    At this time, more than ten cars appeared in the distance heading fast toward the Speeder Club¡¯s HQ manor. As the cars¡¯ doors were opened, a lot of figures flickered and moved lightning-fast toward the building. The two figures that emitted out the strongest auras flew up and immediately appeared next to the besieged old man.


    ¡°You guys finally came! Kill these Stygian bastards first to avenge my son!¡± The old man looked ecstatic and shouted aloud.


    ¡°KILL!¡±


    ¡°KILL!!¡±


    The two men didn¡¯t speak and straightly launched fierce attacks and gave heavy pressure to the several powerhouses of the Stygian Club.


    In the building, Jameson could only see a flash of light in front of him at the moment when the reinforcements arrived. One of the four experts of the Stygian Club who ganged up on him was instantly killed, while the other three were forced backward.


    ¡°KILL!¡±


    Jameson brandished the long blade and aggressively charged forward. As a man who could become the Speeder Union¡¯s leader and ranked as one of the top Bosses in Saipan, this was proof of his abilities and bravery.


    Puff¡­


    Suddenly, a throwing knife was shot lightning fast at his back and pierced straight into his left chest and stabbed his heart.


    ¡°H-how¡­ can this be?!!¡±


    Jameson abruptly slammed back and looked down at the bloody hole on his chest in disbelief, his whole body turning cold. He had always been wary and careful, fighting so hard until the reinforcement had arrived. And yet, how could he suffer such a fatal attack at this time?


    He could barely move his sight upward. When he saw a white-haired old man smiling before him, it was like he was looking at the smiling Grim Reaper.


    ¡°The Stygian Club¡¯s Iron Raven.¡±


    Desperation was cast on Jameson¡¯s face after identifying who the old man before him was. Even before he died, he realized that all the Speeder Union¡¯s members would be going to hell. Regardless of how much manpower the reinforcements could offer, only miserable death awaited them no matter who came today.


    It was because this man was the Iron Raven. Even if the attacker who raided the Speeder Union¡¯s HQ consisted only of this Iron Raven, it was likely that everyone here would die.


    Iron Raven grinned strangely as he brandished the silver hook weapon in his hand, killing two experts from St. James Company. Immediately after, his figure flickered and kept appearing next to Jameson¡¯s men and St. James¡¯ members. Each of his strikes claimed a soul, and not even those who injected themselves with genetic agents were spared.


    ¡°RUN!!!¡±


    A St. James expert who was on par with a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage immediately shouted after finding out Iron Raven¡¯s identity. At this moment, his figure had already bolted outside, only to find that his companions had already been encircled by some Stygian Club experts. He hurriedly shouted, ¡°Abandon the Speeder Union and escape at once!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re escaping?!!¡±


    The old man in mid-air and the two experts with formidable aura were slightly stunned. At this moment in time, some of the Stygian Club experts seemed to seize the chance. They didn¡¯t launch any attack and instantly ran toward the building.


    The old man looked suffocated with fury and roared. ¡°William!!! You fucking asshole! My son is dead in their hands. But we¡¯re now much stronger in numbers than them. Why must we run now? Do you not believe I¡¯ll kill you myself¡­¡±


    The expert called William immediately looked bitter upon hearing the furious curse from the old man. Escaping had been the last thing in his mind before, but who would have thought the Stygian Club turned out to have dispatched that Iron Raven? Everyone knew that even the Gold-rank Assassins must obey this man¡¯s command since he was their commander. This man was also known as one of the top 10 in the Stygian Club.


    ¡°JUST RUN!!!¡±


    He didn¡¯t spare more time to explain and just bolted away lightning-fast.


    Puff¡­


    A flying knife as fast as a shooting star pierced his back all of a sudden. At the moment of his screaming, the clown-masked Iron Raven¡¯s figure flickered and appeared behind his back as his hand quickly controlled the machete he picked up to quickly hover around William and cut off his neck.


    The old man and two St. James experts who were tens of meters away from them looked horrified upon witnessing William¡¯s tragic fate. They finally realized why the latter urged them to escape. It was because the clown-masked guy was really terrible. They all knew William¡¯s strength that was on par with them, and yet, he had been killed that easily.


    ¡°RUN!!!¡±


    The old man and two experts of St. James hastily fled. They didn¡¯t even bother to take care of the rest of their companions.


    Iron Raven hummed and smirked strangely as he flung toward the old man lightning-fast. He threw out the silver hook weapon, instantly piercing the latter¡¯s neck. After striking him, the silver hook unexpectedly returned to his hand automatically.


    ¡°Hold them back!¡±


    Iron Raven let out a bizarre shout. The two golden-robed middle-aged men suddenly appeared in front of the two experts of St. James Company.


    ¡°Gold-rank Assassins?!! Shit! An expert who can command the Stygian Club¡¯s gold-rank Assassins?! He¡­ he¡¯s Iron Raven!!!¡± The two St. James powerhouses looked desperate and fought desperately to push back the two Gold-rank Assassins, only to be disappointed. Not only were these two Gold-rank Assassins powerful, but they also had the strength to fight them on equal ground.


    Four-plus kilometers away from the scene.


    Inside the building, the old man with a scar on his mouth lowered the high-powered telescope in his hand and ordered. ¡°The time is almost up. Notify our men to immediately kill those Stygian Club bastards! Keep in mind, you¡¯ll reap more rewards the more you kill!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Tens of experts in night black suits rushed outside. But the battle-hardened stalwart man quickly took out a mobile phone and dialed a number. ¡°Move now!¡±


    In the vicinity of the Speeder Union¡¯s HQ.


    Tang Xiu stood by the window and silently watched the unfolding scene of the battle in mid-air. He didn¡¯t expect that the battle between the underground forces in Saipan could lead to the emergence of so many experts. Apart from the rest of the combatants, the old man who appeared late had the strength comparable to a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator.


    ¡°This is getting more and more interesting.¡±


    Just as he prepared to join in the fray, his face slightly shifted all of a sudden. He instantly released his perception before retracting it back instantly.


    Tom Reggie, who had long waited for the end of the Ravengale, immediately looked excited upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words and hurriedly asked, ¡°Are we going to attack now, Boss?¡±


    Tang Xiu stretched out a smile and shook his head. ¡°This evening is very lively, isn¡¯t it? Well, I admit that I neglected some things and failed to notice them in advance. Let¡¯s just wait for now! The true fight has just begun, and it¡¯s destined that the ground is going to be littered by corpses and dyed red tonight!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tom Reggie was confused. ¡°What do you mean, Boss? I don¡¯t get it. The Ravengale has broken the last line of defense of the Speeder Union, and even their reinforcements are being massacred now. It won¡¯t take more than a few minutes for them all to be slain. You can say this moment is the best time to strike them. Why haven¡¯t you issued an order to attack, though?¡±


    ¡°The best time to strike? Heng¡­¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°I give you a minute, Tom. You¡¯ll know what I meant.¡±


    Having said that, he no longer bothered with Tom Reggie and picked up the binoculars to observe the situation around the Speeder Union¡¯s HQ. Although some bunkers were obstructing the intense fight in the interior, Tang Xiu could tell the situation of the battle based on the constantly flickering figures coming into his line of sight from time to time.


    Prior to this, he thought that since the Speeder Union had a batch of reinforcements, it would change the ending of the battle. But he never expected that the Ravengale would also have such a very powerful expert that ultimately affected the entire situation.

 Chapter 1088 - Everything Musn’t Go To Waste

    Chapter 1088: Everything Musn¡¯t Go To Waste


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Helplessness was evident on Tom Reggie¡¯s face. He felt that the battle between the Ravengale and the Speeder was about to come to an end. Should they act now, it was sure that the Ravengale would suffer huge losses and even more likely to be wiped out here and now.


    And yet, he just couldn¡¯t understand why Tang Xiu didn¡¯t order to strike now. It was equal to losing this golden opportunity. It must be noted that those Ravengale experts would likely have a breathing time after slaying all those from the Speeder Union. Even if they were able to make a short adjustment, the difficulty in killing them would very likely increase as a result.


    He didn¡¯t dare to go against Tang Xiu¡¯s order, so he could only make a helpless face. He grabbed the binoculars again to observe the battle situation in the Speeder¡¯s HQ.


    Suddenly, his face slightly shifted and he looked a bit surprised. He lowered his binoculars and quickly glanced at Tang Xiu before observing again. He had already seen some flat spots near the sewers of the Speeder Union¡¯s HQ. They were pushed open and some figures rushed out from the inside.


    Immediately after, a scene Tom Reggie had never dreamed of took place. Those lightning-fast figures dashed through the building where they were observing. Clad in black night suits and with long blades on their backs, their movements were as fast as a lightning bolt; the evidence that they were powerful experts.


    In the air, Iron Raven had just delivered the final blow and killed two St. James experts. As he was about to lead the two Gold-rank Assassins into the Speeder Union¡¯s HQ, he never thought that a third party was going to strike them at this moment, more so with so many experts surrounding them. Given their actions, it was apparent that they came with malice.


    ¡°Who are you, people?¡± Iron Raven¡¯s voice was particularly stern and hoarse, just like a crow¡¯s voice.


    The mouth-scarred old man with a python wrapped his waist seemed not to be affected by the show of the latter¡¯s fight mid-air. He appeared outside the Speeder¡¯s HQ and spoke in sarcasm, ¡°Well, I never thought you would show up in such a remote place such as Taipan, Iron Raven. It¡¯s been decades since our last meeting, hasn¡¯t it? You know, you gave me quite a headache back then, so it¡¯s best to calculate that old debt first today, shall we?¡±


    A cold light flashed across Iron Raven¡¯s eyes. He stared at the coming man and an ugly smile was pictured on his face immediately. Letting out a strange gaga voice, he said, ¡°Well, well. Look who it is? The Evil Wind Sect¡¯s Old Demonfreak, huh? Where¡¯s your fossil crony Dao Master Poison, though? Just call him out. It¡¯s not that difficult to kill such suicidal clowns like you two.¡±


    The old Demonfreak smilingly said, ¡°Been a long time since I saw that old fossil Dao Master Poison. But he just lost his qualification to be my partner since he hasn¡¯t broken through the hurdle, though. Yet, you truly are beyond my expectations, to think that you are actually more powerful than before. But you know, I won¡¯t spare any shit talk with you anymore since you¡¯re gonna die today!¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s just like you, Old Demonfreak. So ruthless.¡± Iron Raven bizarrely smirked. ¡°Anyway, do you really not know that Dao Master Poison has already broken through the last hurdle, though? It seems to me that it wasn¡¯t you who threw him off, but it was him instead.¡±


    Demonfreak stared blankly and then growled furiously. ¡°FART! How the hell did I, his former companion, not know his level of power, shithole? Beware of your fucking words, Iron Raven! Lest I mutilate you and feed you to raise my giant phyton!¡±


    In response, Iron Raven smiled disdainfully. His gaze landed on the giant python around Demonfreak¡¯s waist. His pupils suddenly shrunk with disbelief and he shouted aloud, ¡°Demonfreak¡­ you¡­ you have really refined that Cadaveric Beast? Damn! I thought the Stygian Club¡¯s people were the only ones like Demon Kings that never bat an eye when killing people. It turns out that we¡¯re meek compared to you. How many people have you killed to feed your Cadaveric Beast all these years?¡±


    ¡°Well, well. I never thought you¡¯d see me through.¡± Demonfreak affirmed his conjecture. ¡°I¡¯ve killed so many people¡ªtrue. But how could I remember the exact number? Should it exceed five digits? Hahaha¡­ You know what, Iron Raven? This Cadaveric Beast is as powerful as me. Do you think you got any possibility to survive today?¡±


    Iron Raven¡¯s face enormously changed. He turned his head and shouted, ¡°Hurry up and kill the remaining enemies and retreat at once!! This fucking fossil is not easy to deal with!¡±


    Hearing Iron Raven¡¯s shout, the old Demonfreak smiled more fervently. Stroking the python¡¯s head, he laughed wildly. ¡°Hahaha¡­ kill them! Kill as many of those young Stygian rabbits as you can! I¡¯m so happy today. I can use the Iron Raven¡¯s heart and liver to feed my Cadaveric Beast. Mark my words! Kill more and get more rewards from me!¡±


    Those men under Demonfreak immediately looked excited upon hearing his statement. Each and every one of them milked out all their strength and fiercely attacked the Stygian Club experts.


    Puff, puff, puff¡­


    Although these men under Demonfreak were not amazingly strong, they were much stronger than some experts at the martial arts grandmaster level. Some experts of Stygian Club were very strong, but many of their Ravengale¡¯s counterparts were just average people. Many of whom met their deaths immediately after getting besieged by them.


    In a nearby building, Tom Reggie finally understood why Tang Xiu didn¡¯t order an attack. It turned out that they were not the only party waiting to benefit from the clash of two parties since yet another oriole was behind them too.


    ¡°So¡­ we have become hunters?¡±


    Putting down the binoculars, Tom Reggie looked at Tang Xiu with worship. His confusion was all gone instantly at this moment. He could hardly imagine what their situation would be like, had Tang Xiu ordered to attack a while ago, where some other forces appeared right after they annihilated the Ravengale¡¯s people. At that time, even if they could eliminate all of them, it was very likely their own losses would increase several times.


    Tang Xiu also put down the binoculars at this time. A thoughtful look appeared on his face as he suddenly turned his head and looked at the people behind, asking, ¡°If I were to offer you guys some heterodox pills, will you take it or not?¡±


    ¡®Heterodox pills?!¡¯


    Tang Guang, Mo Awu, and the rest were confused and looked at Tang Xiu with puzzled looks.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Sanguine Pill¡ªa pill made by using the blood that just flowed out of the deceased and the energy left by the dissipation of their souls,¡± said Tang Xiu coolly. ¡°The caveat is that your mind and soul will be under intense attack from the resentment of the dead. If you have a weak willpower, you¡¯ll likely suffer a qi deviation. But of course, if you¡¯re able to control your heart and mind, it will be greatly beneficial to you since taking one Sanguine Pill is even better than taking more than ten Essence Amassing Pills.¡±


    Tang Guang, Mo Awu, and the rest exchanged dismayed glances. They were somewhat interested, yet not immediately expressed their opinions.


    After all, just as Tang Xiu said, this was a sinister heterodox pill, to begin with. However, they knew Tang Xiu was not an evil man. If they were to take this pill, could some latent dangers be waiting for them in the future?


    As if seeing through their minds, Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°That¡¯s correct. Even if your willpower defeats all the evil thoughts you¡¯ll face after taking this Sanguine Pill, it¡¯s likely there will be some sequelae backlashes in the form of vulnerability to a mental demon in your future cultivation. Yet, such mental demon and evil nature are something we must always guard against in our cultivation.¡±


    Mo Awu pondered for a moment and then spoke, ¡°We will listen to you, Sect Master. You wish us to take this Sanguine Pill, so we shall take it immediately, and we¡¯ll never do otherwise if you forbid us to do so. We believe that you¡¯ll never harm us, Sect Master.¡±


    Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh. He just rolled his eyes, shook his head and smilingly said, ¡°You¡¯re so silly. It never occurred to me that you¡¯re this careful and just threw the ball back to me. Alright, so as to further your cultivation, all of you should take a Sanguine Pill.¡±


    Having said that, Tang Xiu suddenly noticed Tom Reggie¡¯s anticipating look as he turned his head. He immediately let out a strange expression and sized him up, asking, ¡°Do you wanna take this Sanguine Pill, by chance?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ can I take it, Boss?¡± Tom Reggie let out a dry smile.


    Tang Xiu chuckled and smilingly said, ¡°Of course, Tom. But you¡¯re too weak now. Your body will just explode due to huge energy if you take it directly. But well, I¡¯ll make you one too, since you¡¯re fated to be here today. No worries. I¡¯ll protect you, so you can directly step into the ranks of cultivators and become a true one, got it?¡±


    Tom Reggie¡¯s eyes lit up with a grateful look. If he had to, he was all ready to kneel and lick boots. Becoming a true cultivator who sought the path to immortality was something he had been dreaming of recently. He had seen Tang Xiu¡¯s power and how greatly powerful Mo Awu and the rest were. Therefore, he also wanted to have the ability to fly and kill from far away.


    ¡°Anyways, keep observing the battle for now and tell everyone else to hide.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°Tell them not to expose any trace before the outcome of their battles concludes. I¡¯m going to arrange an array here. This place will perhaps become a blessed land since there so many experts are fighting, bleeding, and dying here. No matter if it¡¯s a blade of grass or a grain of sand, everything can be a very important resource for cultivation as long as it can be used well.¡±


    ¡®A blade of grass¡­ and¡­ a grain of sand?!¡¯


    Mo Awu, Tang Guang, and some others let out hollow laughs. Their current level of power was very low and thus, they were unable to understand that ¡°a blade of grass and a grain of sand¡± mentioned by Tang Xiu could become a principal idea of cultivation resources. So much so that even if they couldn¡¯t concoct pills, they could chew immortal grass and swallow it if they were to encounter one; just like they could only become a hatchet man to pound people should they get some precious minerals at hands.


    In the air, a weak change in the stream of qi around made Tang Xiu immediately raise his vigilance. But after he released his perception and found that the fluctuation was caused by Tang An, he immediately let out a smile. He retracted back his spiritual sense and asked, ¡°Well, how is your progress in array study recently?¡±


    Tang An¡¯s figure appeared out of the blue by Tang Xiu¡¯s side and respectfully answered, ¡°The progress is not bad, but I temporarily put down some of the contents I don¡¯t understand and continued on the other arrays. I usually go to the Master later and ask her about them.¡±

 Chapter 1089 - Using the World as an Array

    Chapter 1089: Using the World as an Array


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu carefully observed the vicinity around the Speeder Union¡¯s HQ. It was because its location was very remote with only a few residents in the surroundings. Most of the buildings were offices and, except for a few high-rise buildings far away, the rest of them belonged to the Speeder Union¡¯s turf. Hence, they were not concerned about exposing the incident tonight.


    Most but a handful of other forces¡¯ ears and eyes had been neutralized, so Tang Xiu didn¡¯t bother to check around. He turned toward the Speeder Union¡¯s HQ a few times and used the environment to determine the location to arrange the array. As he placed the jade piece in each hidden spot, he transmitted his voice to Tang An at the other side:


    ¡°When you follow me in the future, you can just ask anything about arrays directly if you encounter some problems. I can say that I¡¯m the best in the world in this aspect.¡±


    Tang An looked hesitant as she gritted her teeth and asked, ¡°There¡¯s a question I¡¯d like to ask you then, Grand Master. What exactly is your current level of power compared to my Master? Is your attainment in arrays better than my Master?¡±


    A strange smile appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he replied, ¡°Yan¡¯er was raised by me in the past, so she is naturally weaker than me. The gap between me and I then is like a chasm even if she reaches her peak power again. In terms of arrays, however, I may not know to what extent Yan¡¯er has achieved, but what I know is that even top-ranking Supreme level experts in the Immortal World have never been able to break my ultimate array.¡±


    Tang An¡¯s face slightly shifted and she asked again, ¡°Are Supremacy Stage experts very powerful in the Immortal World, Grand Master?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing and said, ¡°You see, even those at the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage are like babies in front of a Supreme. Each of those immortals who could reach Supremacy could be said to be the cr¨¨me-de-la-cr¨¨me among immortals. If the Supremacy expert is able to advance another step, which is going through ascension, he or she will enter God¡¯s Realm.


    ¡°Gods? Do they really exist?¡± asked Tang An with amazement.


    ¡°Of course, deities exist. Yet, becoming a deity is far too difficult. Especially¡­ Ah, forget it. You don¡¯t even know about it. Shortly put. No Supreme has ascended to divinity in the Immortal World for hundreds of thousands of years already, though perhaps a certain Supreme could¡¯ve ascended to the God¡¯s Realm not long ago. He could¡¯ve become a deity that countless immortals would look up to. It was a pity¡­¡±


    ¡°A pity?¡± Tang An pursued hastily. ¡°Why a pity, Grand Master? Also, who is that immortal figure, exactly? To think that he¡¯s so powerful!¡±


    A complicated look appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s face as he waved and replied, ¡°We¡¯re straying off-topic, so let¡¯s forget it. Anyways, just observe how I lay out the array yourself! Even if you can understand only just a thousandth of it, it will be very beneficial to you.¡±


    Having her curiosity piqued and then got brushed off by Tang Xiu, who didn¡¯t want to answer it, Tang An got a bit discouraged. She mulled over it in silence and decided to ask her Master about it once she got back to Nine Dragons Island. Which Supreme in the Immortal World unexpectedly was hopeful in ascending to divinity? And for what reason does Great Master feel pity for him?


    The array arranged by Tang Xiu was laid slowly. It was not like he didn¡¯t want to quickly lay out the Bloodseed Array, but it was due to the location he chose to lay it on being about 5km in radius with the Speeder¡¯s HQ in the center. Thus, the array was very wide.


    Further, he couldn¡¯t alarm both parties currently in battle at the Speeder¡¯s HQ, lest he made them realize, cease fighting immediately and flee in all directions. It was very likely that his wishful idea would be for naught unless he had his men to intercept the forces of both sides.


    Eventually, at the moment when the battle between both sides at the Speeder¡¯s HQ kept got more intense, Tang Xiu successfully arranged the Bloodseed Array and completed the final step of its activation.


    ¡°The array you just arranged is really too mysterious, Grand Master. I can¡¯t notice even a minute of its essence.¡± Shame was cast on Tang An¡¯s beautiful face under the bronze mask.


    ¡°Well, speaking about arrays, the more you understand, the more you find yourself shallow.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°If anything, I must say that my achievements in arrays have reached the apex, but I still find that many special arrays are very difficult to grasp. Just bear in mind that the array study is very vast. You¡¯ll understand what I mean when you become an array grandmaster regarded by countless of immortals.¡±


    Tang An nodded in response. ¡°I¡¯ll bear your words in mind, Grand Master.¡±


    Tang Xiu just smiled and didn¡¯t say anything more. As Tang An moved to the side and vanished, he quickly returned to the building where Mo Awu, Tom Reggie, and the rest were waiting. He could place the eye of the Bloodseed Array there, so the array could be easily activated at any time as long as he was in the building.


    ¡°Have you just arranged that array, Sect Master?¡± immediately asked Mo Awu with concern upon seeing him.


    ¡°It¡¯s been laid out. We just need to wait for the battle between them to come to a close,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    ¡°The way I see it, the array you usually arrange is endlessly powerful, Sect Master.¡± Mo Awu hesitated before continuing, ¡°But why didn¡¯t you just activate it directly and use it to kill those two parties there, though?¡±


    Mo Awu and the rest around had seen how terrifying Tang Xiu¡¯s use of arrays as he was able to decimate tens of thousands of demonic beasts then. But there were only less than 200 enemies here, shouldn¡¯t it be easier to kill them all?


    ¡°You know, every kind of array has a different structure and varied power.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and explained. ¡°What I just arranged was the Bloodseed Array. Its main purpose is to refine the Sanguine Pill. I can indeed annihilate them all if I arrange an aggressive type array. But then, it will cause the soul energy and life force to disperse, thus leading to much weaker effects upon refining the Sanguine Pill.¡±


    Mu Awu understood in a flash and said in a deep voice, ¡°Please rest assured, Sect Master. Even if you don¡¯t intend to use the power of the array, we can still slay those enemies completely. I¡¯ve been observing them all this time and there are only two among them who are as strong as us, whereas the rest will just be insta-killed.¡±


    ¡°You mustn¡¯t underestimate anyone, got it?¡± Tang Xiu retorted coolly. ¡°Those who get killed are usually the ones looking down on their enemies. You must not forget to keep your mind just like you¡¯re in crisis when facing your enemies, even if the enemy is a newly born baby.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Mo Awu accepted the reprimand with humility upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words. His actions were then followed by the rest around, who nodded and approved.


    Back to the Speeder Union¡¯s HQ.


    After the fight broke out between Iron Raven and Demonfreak, they quickly separated from the fray. It was but just a moment as these two men started their showdown, but they had exchanged hundreds of killing blows. The old Demonfreak was very powerful, yet he was a level lower than Iron Raven. He would¡¯ve been defeated by the latter had it not been because of the python that hovered around him striking heavy damages to Iron Raven.


    Cough, cough!


    Iron Raven covered his chest. His clothes were torn apart by the python¡¯s fangs, revealing mish-mashed bleeding flesh. As he coughed up a mouthful of blood, his eyes landed on the python and Demonfreak.


    Bloodstains could also be seen on the corner of Demonfreak¡¯s mouth. But he could see that Iron Raven looked much worse than him and soon would die by him and the python should this situation continue. He couldn¡¯t help but want to laugh wildly at the moment. He had been forced to flee in distress then due to Iron Rave. It was just fortunate that he joined hands with Dao Master Poison and they were barely able to escape from their death. But now, the wheel of fortune was reversed and, somehow, he didn¡¯t want to kill Iron Raven and wanted to torture him instead, destroying his body to put off his will. He couldn¡¯t wait to see him turn into some dogshit, kneeling and begging for mercy.


    ¡°Iron Raven, how about leaving your commanding post of Gold-rank Assassins in the Stygian Club in exchange for me sparing your life?¡± Demonfreak smirked.


    The man in question shook his head slowly. He wiped off the blood of his lip and let out a quaint smile. ¡°Do you really think you can kill me today, Demonfreak? That¡¯s some fucking dream! I may not be able to face you and your fucking monster, but you¡¯ll find it damn difficult to kill me.¡±


    In that instant, a firework tube appeared in his hand and a burst of flame burst on his palm and ignited the firework to explode in mid-air.


    ¡®That¡¯s¡­ he¡¯s ordering a retreat?!!¡¯


    ¡°RETREAT!¡±


    ¡°LEAVE!!¡±


    The only remaining tens of Stygian Club¡¯s members were milking out every strength they had to force the besieging powerful enemies to draw back. Quickly, they joined together in an attempt to blaze a bloody path of escape.


    A contemptuous smile was shown on Demonfreak¡¯s face as he shouted fiercely, ¡°Activate the Sky Origin Flag!¡±


    In a flash, eight black-suited experts with seething killing auras bolted out from a hidden spot in the surroundings. All of them had strength at the late-stage of Foundation Establishment. As their figures flickered, eight black flags were then raised in just a few breaths.


    Buzz¡­


    A geomancy array that covered a 5km radius was formed in an instant, followed by the appearance of a dark energy shield that shrouded the entire Speeder¡¯s HQ. The black energy shield even covered hundreds of meters high in the air while the energy in all directions crazily surged toward the eight black flags.


    Only at this moment did Iron Raven got anxious. He stared in disbelief at the eight black flags and shouted aloud, ¡°That¡¯s the most cherished treasure of Dao Master Poison, the Sky Origin Flag! How did it appear in your hands? Did you kill him and rob his most cherished treasure?¡±


    A sinister smile appeared on Demonfreak¡¯s face. He gave a thumbs up and exclaimed, ¡°That¡¯s some fucking great deduction ability, Iron Raven. You can even think of such a ridiculous story. I, Demonfreak, have killed countless people, and the number of lives I reaped in the last two centuries is at least in the five digits. Yet, the only one who I can never slay in my life is Dao Master Poison, mind you. He not only saved my life countless times but is also my only hope to breakthrough in the future. My strength may increase and I may not like him, but he holds my hope for the future!¡±

 Chapter 1090 - Large Array Serves as A Furnace

    Chapter 1090: Large Array Serves as A Furnace


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    ¡°Then where¡¯s Dao Master Poison now?¡± Iron Raven questioned in a deep voice.


    ¡°Bwahaha!¡± Demonfreak raucously laughed and said, ¡°Why does it sound you miss him so much? Well, it¡¯s a pity he has some private matters to deal with and went separate ways with me for quite a long while. But the agreement time for us to meet is coming soon, so it won¡¯t take long before he can help me to refine that Poison Furnace Pill. I won¡¯t be the only one who gets a level stronger by then, but also this Cadaveric Beast of mine.¡±


    Iron Raven¡¯s complexion turned cold. He shook his head and said, ¡°Still, it¡¯s just impossible for his cherished Sky Origin Flag to appear in your hands if he¡¯s still alive.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± replied Demonfreak with a strange smirk. ¡°What about each drop of liquid of Sierra Creek, Myriad Streams, and Azure Ocean, then? Those were enough to make Dao Master Poison go crazy. Can¡¯t I borrow his Sky Origin Flag for a year with those three drops of spirit liquid?¡±


    Iron Raven¡¯s pupils shrunk and he suddenly seemed to think of something. His face quickly turned stern and he angrily growled. ¡°It was really you who stole the Myriad Streams liquid from me back then! I¡¯ll make you pay a painful price even if I must die today. Everyone, heed my order! The Sky Origin Flag has sealed up the surrounding space. There¡¯s no other choice but to fight with them since we can¡¯t escape. It¡¯s up to you whether you fight to kill them for that hope, or be trapped here as their prey. Choose!¡±


    ¡°KILL OUR WAY OUT!!!¡±


    ¡°KILL THEM ALL!!!¡±


    Tens of Stygian Club¡¯s experts all showed their determination. They were ready to risk everything now that there was the only one way out.


    Demonfreak himself never thought that his reply would arouse Iron Raven¡¯s hatred. Although he could tell that this guy would go all out in this situation, he was not afraid since he had the assistance of the Cadaveric Beast. In his mind, there was no doubt that Iron Raven would die today.


    The Stygian Club would suffer enormous losses as long as Iron Raven and these tens of experts were completely annihilated. It could be said that he only added a new enmity over the old ones.


    ¡°Iron Raven, if Dao Master Poison comes back and knows that I¡¯ve killed you, I¡¯m hella sure his face will look wonderful! Hahaha¡­ you know, he¡¯s been swearing all the time he will cut your head off himself and use your skull as a shit-pot!¡±


    In the building nearby, Tang Xiu watched the unfolding battle scene at the Speeder¡¯s HQ through the binoculars. He could still hear their voices even though the speakers were invisible.


    ¡®Dao Master Poison, huh?¡¯


    His mouth curved and formed a devilish smile. He secretly felt sorry for that Demonfreak geezer inwardly since he had directly killed Dao Master Poison back when in the Western China region. It meant this geezer wouldn¡¯t be able to count on this dead guy anymore in the future.


    ¡®That¡¯s not correct, though! It can still be done!¡¯


    Tang Xiu secretly felt amused inwardly because such a method was impossible in the world of the living. That Demonfreak geezer could still find Dao Master Poison if he went to Hell! But uncannily, though, it was on the premise if there was another Dao Master Poison in the Netherworld.


    ¡°Your luck is really great today, guys.¡± He turned his head and glanced at a few people around him with a faint smile.


    ¡°Uh¡­ why do you say our luck is good, Sect Master?¡± Mo Awu was confounded.


    ¡°Well, I was kind of worried that if either of them suffered heavy losses, it would directly lead their men to escape before the battle concluded. It would¡¯ve been quite a hassle since we¡¯d have to spend quite some time and energy to kill them ourselves. But it looks like we won¡¯t need to act at all. They have been trapped in that array and only a dead-end awaits them unless those Stygian Club people can break that flag array,¡± explained Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Then our luck is indeed really great.¡± Mo Awu nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°What I mean is not the outcome of the battle but those two old geezers. After they all die and if I can smash their Golden Cores when I refine the Sanguine Pill, the pill¡¯s effect can be improved as a result, so your cultivation can directly breakthrough after you take the pill. You can even advance two levels in one go if your luck is really good.¡±


    ¡®Two levels?¡¯


    Mo Awu, Hao Lei, and Kuwako Yamamoto didn¡¯t feel like it would matter much to them, but Tang Guang and Tang An looked pleasantly surprised. Advancing two levels meant that they could directly enter the Nascent Soul Stage!


    That was the Nascent Soul Stage¡ªa cultivation level they had long been dreaming of reaching.


    Tang Xiu wasn¡¯t in a hurry and quietly watched the fighting at the Speeder¡¯s HQ building. As both sides crazily charged and sent their deadly blows, an expert finally died tragically while his counterpart was gravely injured. It was a fight where both sides must pay a grievous price to eliminate each other. Meanwhile, the showdown between Iron Raven against Demonfreak and his python companion was about to reach its closing time.


    Finally, Iron Raven didn¡¯t end up the victor. After giving the geezer Demonfreak grave wounds, he ended up dead with his head torn off by the python, with his body falling to the cold concrete floor.


    ¡°Kill the remaining enemies, Cadaveric Beast!¡±


    The grotesque geezer was seriously injured. His mood was elevated after killing Iron Raven, but he no longer joined the fight and just directly ordered the severely injured python instead. He then landed on the roof of the building and sat cross-legged to heal himself.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to start!¡±


    Tang Xiu stamped his feet and his handsome face looked satisfied. Suddenly, the Bloodseed Array appeared out of the blue, covering the black aura from the flag array within.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡±


    The grotesque old man was startled. His eyes that had just closed, abruptly opened as he looked up at the sky. He was keenly aware that the fluctuations in the surrounding atmosphere were so strong as though there were enemies coming in all directions¡ªa sensation that made his heart sink.


    Whoosh¡­


    A figure flickered and instantly appeared in front of him. A stalwart man in a night-black suit reported in panic. ¡°We¡¯re surrounded, and some red light is in the air around. It¡¯s like¡­ an array¡­ just like the flag array.¡±


    The Demonfreak geezer was shaken inwardly. He instantly streaked up into the sky. When he bolted upward to the height of hundreds of meters, he looked around, only to have his heart chilled further. It was because he could also see traces of red lines of energy shield.


    ¡°Who is it? Get out!¡± screamed out the geezer.


    ¡°Hehehe¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu appeared out of thin air in front of the geezer. A porcelain bottle then appeared in his hand as he unplugged it and sized up the grotesque Demonfreak smilingly. ¡°You¡¯re called Demonfreak geezer, yes? You truly are a fossilized devil who can kill without batting an eye. Countless people must¡¯ve died in your hands for so many years. Truly an abominable scourge! What¡¯s up with that face, though? Is this porcelain bottle in my hand familiar to you?¡±


    Demonfreak geezer slightly trembled and sternly shouted, ¡°That¡¯s a porcelain bottle specially made by Dao Master Poison to store poison. How¡­ the hell¡­ did you get it? Did you get it from Dao Master Poison?¡±


    Giving a thumbs-up, Tang Xiu praised. ¡°I never thought your relationship with Dao Master Poison was this good. You can even identify such minutiae from him like this specially made porcelain bottle. Take it easy since I¡¯m already here, though. You should have a one-in-a-million chance to see him later after I kill you.¡±


    Disbelief was all over Demonfreak¡¯s face. ¡°You¡­ you killed him? Who the hell are you?¡±


    ¡°Well, who I am is not that important, no?¡± Tang Xiu lightly smiled and said, ¡°You only need to know that you¡¯ll be killed soon, and I¡¯ll refine your flesh and blood into some pills, though I¡¯ll need assistance from your Golden Core to make its effect better.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?!!¡±


    Demonfreak glared at Tang Xiu as though he was looking at a loony. Although he keenly sensed a very powerful aura from the young man in front, he just couldn¡¯t believe that this man would be able to kill him, let alone use his flesh and blood to refine pills.


    ¡°SOME OF YOU, KILL HIM!!¡±


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Eight lightning-like figures bolted from the distance and appeared around Tang Xiu in the blink of an eye. Just as they gripped their weapons and were about to attack Tang Xiu, layers of ripples suddenly appeared in the air as an immortal sword appeared out of the blue and slew four of them directly.


    ¡°WHAT?!¡±


    The grotesque old man was struck dumb with amazement upon seeing such a bizarre scene. He couldn¡¯t help shivering, whereas the other four stalwart men in black night suits looked terrified, one of whom was so frightened that he straightly made to escape.


    Puff¡­


    The immortal sword impaled that burly man¡¯s back and pierced through his chest. As Tang An¡¯s figure emerged out of thin air, a sharp dagger appeared and slashed the throats of the other three burly men and then pierced their hearts. The blitzkrieg strikes with extreme speed simply left no chance for them to react.


    Tang Xiu stretched his arms open and laughed aloud. ¡°Annihilate them all!¡±


    ¡°KILL!¡±


    Tang Guang, Mo Awu, Hao Lei, Kuwako Yamamoto, including Tang 28, directly charged forward and directly launched fierce attacks against Demonfreak¡¯s men. Aside from Tang 28, who was the weakest at the mid-stage Foundation Establishment, the rest were all Golden Core Stage experts. Killing these people was as easy as killing chickens to them.


    ¡°Hey, Tom! Get your ass off into action, will you?¡± Tang Xiu laughed. ¡°You can¡¯t join the fight here, but do take care of the Ravengale¡¯s nest! Awu, go with Tom and make sure to clean up all the underground forces in Saipan in two days!¡±


    ¡°Roger!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Tom Reggie, who was a kilometer away, heard Tang Xiu¡¯s order clearly. After a respectful reply, he led his men and lots of others from the Golden Cauldron away. Mo Awu, who had just joined the fray a moment ago, could only reluctantly give up attacking the enemies. He then bolted away to follow Tom Reggie.


    Tang Xiu flew upward and stood in mid-air. Then, he let out a smile and spoke out in a clear voice, ¡°Life and livelihood of the universe turn the Yin and Yang upside down. Let the world turn into an array and shall the array serve as a furnace. O¡¯ the flesh and bones of the dead¡­ shall your souls be extinguished and returned!¡±


    Within the coverage of the Bloodseed Array, a batch of corpses rose up and floated tens of meters in the air. Each drop of their blood flowing from the remains floated slowly and eventually condensed just like a waterfall formed by blood water.


    The day bleeds¡­ and the world is full of blood.

 Chapter 1091 - Golden Core

    Chapter 1091: Golden Core


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Demonfreak felt like falling into an ice hole. His eyes were full of fear. Even in his dreams, he never expected those eight experts he took great efforts and energy to cultivate were killed in a flash. The blood blotted over the sky as though the blood river in hell, and he couldn¡¯t wait for more to escape.


    ¡°So strong!¡±


    He was now finally sure this young man had enough power to kill him since his subordinates had strength on par with him.


    Staring at Tang Xiu, Demonfreak shouted in a heavy voice, ¡°Who exactly are you? There¡¯s no enmity between us, why do you want to eliminate my side?¡±


    ¡± Hmph . You were so full of spirit and vigor when you ordered your men to kill me just now.¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°How could you forget it in just a flash, huh?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you who wanted to kill first, so I ordered my men¡­ what I did is justifiable self-defense.¡± The old argued man hastily. ¡°Sir, you¡¯re very powerful and I¡¯m likely not your opponent. You even have very strong subordinates and most of them are Golden Core Stage experts. But who exactly are you and why do you want to kill us?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, is there a need for you to know who we are, huh? Zero.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°All the enemies that have been trapped inside my Bloodseed Array came to one end¡ªdeath. If you want a reason, I can tell you that those trying to seize control over the underground forces in Saipan must die!¡±


    Demonfreak stared dumbly for a second. Then, he furiously shouted, ¡°Fuck it. We¡¯re not Saipan locals nor do we have any thoughts to control Saipan¡¯s underground forces. I have enmity with the Stygian Club and also a new grudge over the old with that damned Iron Raven. I brought my men here with one purpose¡ªto kill Iron Raven and slay anyone from the Stygian Club!¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Shooting him a strange look, Tang Xiu then let out a bit of regret on his handsome face and sighed. ¡°Well, it seems like I shouldn¡¯t kill you now that I know your purpose since the Stygian Club and I have deep enmity. Only, that Cadaveric Beast next to you is enough the reason to kill you.¡±


    Demonfreak furrowed his brows and asked, ¡°Just for that reason?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a saint. And naturally, I rarely sympathize with the poor state of the world and the people who live in it,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I just understand the truth that life and death are decreed by fate, and so are wealth and destiny, which are matters of destiny. Only, you slaughtered so many people just because you have formidable power. Some conclusions say that one who does so will be spellbound and degenerate into the demonic path. For you to continue living in the world will likely lead to more people suffering in the future. Most of whom will die in your hands and to this Cadaveric Beast.¡±


    Demonfreak now looked desperate. He couldn¡¯t tell whether Tang Xiu¡¯s reason was really true or false, but he was sure that this man would never let him go today. Taking a deep breath, he instantly retreated back while releasing the eight flags, angrily shouting, ¡°Let me go! I give you my word I won¡¯t kill anyone¡ªnot even one in the future¡ªotherwise, I¡¯ll make you pay a heavy price even if I die in your hands today.¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me, by chance?¡± Tang Xiu gave him a contemptuous look in response. Just as he was about to act, he suddenly recalled something and immediately looked at the geezer and asked, ¡°I can spare your wretched life if you can answer my question.¡±


    Demonfreak geezer¡¯s complexion changed and he hurriedly asked, ¡°What is it? Just ask. I won¡¯t hide anything as long as it¡¯s within my knowledge.¡±


    Any secret was worth revealing if it means that he could secure his life.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve been in Saipan for some time, yes?¡± asked Tang Xiu. ¡°There was a fight here a few days ago. It was a group of mysterious people who ambushed some cultivators. I can spare your life if you can tell me the origin of these mysterious people.¡±


    The old man tried to recall for a while. He felt a bit relieved when he saw Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes and then spoke with a solemn expression, ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone can answer your question if you ask others. It was a coincidence that I witnessed the whole scene, actually. It seems those cultivators are your men, right?¡±


    ¡°Correct. They are my men.¡± Tang Xiu didn¡¯t hide it and nodded.


    ¡°Reasonably speaking, your men are very strong.¡± The old man sighed. ¡°But they just bumped into some top-rank bunch of SOE. They are all genetic warriors who have undergone many genetic modifications. But the one who leads and commands of these genetic warriors is the most outstanding genius of House Dolan¡ªAngelo Dolan.¡±


    ¡®The House of Dolan?¡¯


    A chilling light flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. He slowly extended a finger and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Tell me, where are those genetic warriors of SOE led by this Angelo Dolan now? You only have this chance, else you¡¯ll turn into dead meat soon. Then I¡¯ll search your memory with the Soul Scouring Art to find the answer I want.¡±


    ¡®Soul Scouring Art?!!¡¯


    Demonfreak couldn¡¯t help but shiver. He had heard from Dao Master Poison that some evil cultivators in China were proficient in the Soul Scouring Art¡ªa method that went against the natural order. It could scour all the memories of the enemy, no matter whether they were alive or had just died.


    ¡®Is he¡­ that kind of¡­ evil cultivator?¡¯


    He drew in a deep breath and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t have any enmity with those guys from SOE, and we even cooperate in some aspects. But that genius of House Dolan owes me a favor, so he met me after they arrived in Saipan, which is why I know their whereabouts. If you want to find them, go search the Pacific waters. They were tracking several cultivators who went to the sea several days ago¡ªotherwise, the Speeder Union wouldn¡¯t have ended up with such a miserable end like this.¡±


    Tang Xiu frowned and said, ¡°What do you mean? Are you saying either the SOE or the House Dolan is related deeply to the Speeder Union?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you already know the Speeder is controlled by House Dolan?¡± asked the old man with an odd expression. ¡°The SOE is also affiliated with them. Those people from Ravengale¡ªwhich is affiliated to the Stygian Club¡ªmust have received the news that Angelo Dolan brought the SOE¡¯s genetic warriors to the sea, thus the reason they dared to attack the Speeder¡¯s HQ.¡±


    At this moment, a horrifying aura erupted from Tang Xiu, making Demonfreak greatly startled. He couldn¡¯t bear to hold on and retreated tens of meters. He could sense that Tang Xiu was at least ten times more powerful than him, given the intensity of the erupted aura. It would be absolutely easy for Tang Xiu to kill him.


    ¡°Hey, you just said you¡¯ll spare me if I can answer your question!¡± shouted the old man rapidly.


    ¡°I can spare you, but I must control your life,¡± replied Tang Xiu apathetically. ¡°I want you to sign a Soul Pact. I¡¯ll let you go and won¡¯t constrain your actions in the future if you agree. But if you refuse, you¡¯ll expose everything that happened today later, so it¡¯s too difficult for me to leave you alive.¡±


    ¡°Are you going back on your own fucking words? You really got no integrity!¡± roared Demonfreak.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t gone back on my word,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°I just said that I¡¯ll let you go, but I must have your life under my control in case you expose anything about me after you leave.¡±


    ¡± Hmph , even if I sign a Soul Pact with you, do you think it can stop me from spreading the things you just did?¡± Demonfreak sneered. ¡°That¡¯s nothing but an excuse. You just want me to give up resisting and then you can freely oppress and exploit me.¡±


    Whoosh!


    Kuwako¡¯s figure flickered and instantly appeared at Tang Xiu¡¯s side. Her pretty eyes swept over the Demonfreak geezer and contemptuously said, ¡°Our Sect Master doesn¡¯t need any excuses if he wants to kill you. Just a flick of his fingers is enough to make your soul scatter, no need for him to play any scheme on you. You¡¯re called Demonfreak geezer, aren¡¯t you? Let me tell you, the Soul Pact my Sect Master is offering you won¡¯t harm you, but give you huge fortune instead, for I¡¯m a living example¡­¡±


    Demonfreak geezer knitted his brows and asked, ¡°You also signed a Soul Pact with him? What kind of form does this thing exist, exactly?¡±


    ¡°The Soul Pact is like a seed planted in your body by Sect Master and will act like a bomb. Your soul will scatter and you¡¯ll die tragically as long as the Sovereign wishes it so. Hence, you must obey the Sect Master, only then can you live in peace.¡±


    ¡°Yet, you still dared to sign a Soul Pact with him even though it¡¯s that horrifying?¡± The Demonfreak geezer retorted incredulously.


    ¡± Hmph . I was nothing but a bug a year and a half ago, even though I was quite a powerful martial artist.¡± Kuwako sneered. ¡°But in just a year and a half, I¡¯ve been continuously breaking through in cultivation from martial artist to be a Golden Core Stage expert. It was all thanks to Sect Master who helped me remove the obstacles, so I can train lots of elite warriors I call my own. Hence the reason why I obtained a prominent identity, status, strength, and wealth¡ªall in all, I¡¯ve nearly obtained everything. And yet, Sovereign never makes things difficult for me, nor has he done anything disadvantageous to me event though he can control my life and death. If you want to get a huge chance like this, take it and learn to follow and obey orders. The benefits you¡¯ll probably get will be much more than you yourself are striving for.¡±


    Demonfreak geezer stared fixedly at Kuwako. After a long time, he finally asked with difficulty, ¡°You have power at Golden Core Stage, but you¡¯re not Chinese and you¡¯re not a cultivator from that country either.¡±


    ¡°Cultivators don¡¯t divide people by the race, regardless of nationality,¡± replied Kuwako. ¡°Though I¡¯m a Japanese, Sect Master treats me like his own family.¡±


    ¡®A Japanese, yet a cultivator in China?¡¯


    Demonfreak turned his head to look at Tang Xiu in disbelief. His lips squirmed a few times before raising his thumb and praised. ¡°You¡¯re really amazing, Sir.¡±


    ¡°Kuwako has told you a lot, so I won¡¯t bother with any nonsensical talk,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°You have two ways out now. Submit and sign a Soul Pact, or to be killed by me here and now, so I can make use of your Golden Core energy to help me refine much better Sanguine Pills with a stronger effect.¡±


    The Demonfreak geezer drew in a deep breath and said, ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯d like to know first. If I were to choose to submit to you, what do you want me to do later? I can make my choice at once if you can answer this.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have enmity with the Stygian Club?¡± asked Tang Xiu back apathetically. ¡°I need you to infiltrate them. When I get rid of the Stygian Club in the future, you and I can collaborate from the inside and outside then. Also¡­ that includes the SOE company, and even the existence behind it¡ªthe House Dolan.¡±

 Chapter 1092 - Everything is Settled

    Chapter 1092: Everything is Settled


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Finally, Demonfreak geezer understood Tang Xiu¡¯s intention. He knew that with the latter¡¯s strength, killing him was easy. But he patiently said so much to him, even his subordinate explained some things to him while he waited patiently. It turned out that he wanted to make him submit to work for him in the future.


    ¡°I give you my word.¡±


    The old devil knew the truth, that only those who acted according to circumstances would survive. He hadn¡¯t had enough with living. Even with his current cultivation, he could only live for another century. It was better to live than to die, to begin with. Some freedom may be lost, but it was his best choice at present.


    Tang Xiu paced forward, appeared before the Demonfreak geezer and lightly said, ¡°Give up resistance and open your mind. I need to cast the Soul Ruling Art in your body. I¡¯ll choose the time to unseal this control over you later in the future if you¡¯re obedient and make contributions.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    The old man looked like a gambler who had thrown his dice and stakes at this moment. He removed all his defenses as per Tang Xiu¡¯s instruction and let him plant the Soul Ruling Art seed in his body.


    ¡°Hmm?!¡±


    The instant Tang Xiu did it, the geezer¡¯s heart trembled. He sensed a faint energy fluctuation in a hidden spot inside his heart. But due to that faint energy, he felt like there was a thread that connected him to Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu then issued an order to stop the killing of Demonfreak¡¯s men. Then, he lightly said, ¡°I¡¯m your boss from now on. I need you to work on something for the time being. Which is to find me those SOE people and the best genius of House Dolan, Angelo.¡±


    A bit of awe could be seen in Demonfreak¡¯s eyes. It was the kind of emotion directly caused by the influence of the soul contract. He gave Tang Xiu a deep look and said in a deep voice, ¡°I have a way to contact Angelo, Boss. Just give me half a day and I¡¯ll know where he is.¡±


    Raising his brows, Tang Xiu shortly realized that Demonfreak geezer had spoken the truth before. His relationship with the SOE company and House Dolan was very likely to have more than met the eye.


    ¡°What exactly is your relationship with them?¡±


    ¡°The SOE company is my partner, and we have jointly founded a genetic research lab to secretly study the genes¡¯ working mechanism.¡± The old man explained, ¡°This Cadaveric Beast I¡¯ve been raising has been injected by the strongest gene agent there was and I¡¯ve been gradually improving its strength with my refining and tempering method. That¡¯s why it ultimately has the power on par with an early-stage Golden Core cultivator now. Further, I¡¯ve had a lot of cooperation with House Dolan, all of which pertain to silencing and neutralizing people and robbing them of their possessions. They gave payment¡ªyou can say it¡¯s a salary¡ªwhile I and Dao Master Poison were responsible to deal with things for them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be great.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°You can win their trust because of this track record. It seems not killing today is the right choice. However, I can¡¯t say the same with regard to your men. I¡¯ll leave them to you to deal with. But you must remove any unreliable ones, for you yourself will be implicated should our relationship be exposed.¡±


    The old devil pondered for a moment and nodded. ¡°I got it, Boss.¡±


    Having said that, his figure suddenly dove down and instantly came to his remaining dozen men. As he grasped a sharp dagger, an afterimage of his figure flashed and the big man in a black night suit held his throat and heart before he fell.


    Of the tens of people, only 18 remained. But there was not the slightest fear on their faces upon witnessing Demonfreak¡¯s killing. It was like the old devil killing them was a normal occurrence.


    ¡°All of you, draw back!¡±


    Tang Xiu opened the entrance of the Bloodseed Array and watched as everyone left quickly disappeared from the array. His eyes looked around at the many pairs of eyes and then began concocting pills.


    The battle was between the Ravengale and the Speeder, and then the old devil came with his men to fight the former¡­ which turned out to be a fight against the Stygian Club¡¯s people. In addition to the people ordered to be cleaned up by Tang Xiu¡¯s order, the number of casualties exceeded 500.


    Time passed by and three hours had elapsed in the blink of an eye.


    When Tang Xiu¡¯s figure appeared outside the Bloodseed Array, it was as if the whole world turned quiet.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Figures moved lightning-fast from the distance and rushed toward Tang Xiu in an instant. Most of them had longing looks and a few had an inquiry on their faces upon seeing Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu let out a vague smile and immediately deactivated the Bloodseed Array. 12 Sanguine Pills were floating in front of the Speeder¡¯s HQ building as he instantly collected them all.


    ¡°Demonfreak geezer, take your men and clean up the scene. Try not to leave too many traces and supervise the things here. Then, take your men to Lao Bay Resort later to find me.¡± Tang Xiu ordered as he then led Tang Guang and away.


    Demonfreak geezer looked to be in high spirits. He could sense the energy fluctuations from the Sanguine Pills Tang Xiu just refined. The Cadaveric Beast, particularly, transmitted its desire and thirst for those pills. Thus, it was obvious that those pills were absolutely a good thing.


    ¡°Clean up the scene, guys!¡±


    He issued an order and his vision turned to the direction where Tang Xiu and the rest disappeared. He had a vague hunch that Tang Xiu ordered him to take his men to find him at the Lao Bay Resort and not directly contact Angelo Dolan. That meant he should have a share of those 12 Sanguine Pills.


    At Lao Bay Resort.


    After Tang Xiu brought his men back, he received the news from Tom Reggie. At this time, this guy brought a lot of men and kept cleaning up the remnants of the Ravengale. Although the resistance was tough and especially tenacious along the way, he had assistance from experts such as Mo Awu, who was at the Golden Core Stage. His momentum alone was like pulling weeds by the roots and killing all resistance.


    The entire day left Saipan in chaos and the policemen under the command of Song Guanghui cleverly avoided all the scenes of battle between the underground forces. Oftentimes, he commanded the police force to come to the spots after the battle long ended and concluded.


    When the new day arrived with its greeting Sun from the East, Tom Reggie hurried back to Lao Bay Resort with a few of his confidants. He was slightly injured when appeared before Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± asked Tang Xiu while observing him.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, no serious injuries.¡± Tom Reggie shook his head and said, ¡°Our men now control all the underground forces in Saipan, though it may take a few days to handle the aftermath work. But I believe I can handle it well myself.¡±


    ¡°Just keep in mind not to take it lightly.¡± Tang Xiu nodded with satisfaction and continued, ¡°There are tigers and dragons blended in with the underground forces of Saipan, many of whom come from various countries, so we¡¯ll keep staying here for several days more. We¡¯ll leave after the situation has been completely stabilized.¡±


    Tom Reggie shifted his vision to Mo Awu who came back with him and hesitantly asked, ¡°Boss, can you let Mo Awu assist me? I found a lot of powerful people while cleaning up the remaining underground forces. Fortunately, he acted and killed them, else we wouldn¡¯t have been able to control the entire underground forces of Saipan in such a short period of time.¡±


    ¡°Alright, go tend to your business and let Mo Awu stay with me first,¡± replied Tang Xiu. ¡°But do call me at once if you¡¯re in a dangerous situation. I¡¯ll arrange some people to help you deal with it. That¡¯s right, lemme introduce you to him. This is Demonfreak geezer, he¡¯ll be one of ours in the future. You can take his men to deal with your business when you leave Lao Bay Resort!¡±


    Tom himself had seen this Demonfreak geezer and also knew that this geezer was very strong. A surprised look immediately cast on his face upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words.


    Demonfreak geezer himself didn¡¯t say much and just ordered his 18 men to follow Tom Reggie¡¯s arrangement. Then, he silently stayed beside Tang Xiu. As of now, he was more and more curious about Tang Xiu because he really couldn¡¯t figure out which forces Tang Xiu exactly came from, since there was no monastic sect existence called ¡°Tang Sect¡± in the entire cultivation society in China.


    As the sun fully rose from the East, Tang Xiu stood by the window on the second floor of the villa, watching Tom Reggie leave in a rush with his group. He turned to look at Mo Awu, Tang Guang, Hao Lei, Kuwako Yamamoto, and the surprised-looking Demonfreak geezer.


    ¡°I give you guys two days to fully absorb all the energy contained in this Sanguine Pill!¡±


    As his voice faded away, he flicked five Sanguine Pills and each fell onto the hands of these five people.


    The eyes of Mo Awu, Tang Guang, Hao Lei, and Kuwako lit up. They held the Sanguine Pill and immediately rushed to their own respective room, ready to seize the time to absorb and refine it. Demonfreak geezer, however, hesitated and inquired. ¡°What effect does this Sanguine Pill have, Boss?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of cultivation art you¡¯ve been practicing. But it doesn¡¯t matter since taking this Sanguine Pill will be greatly beneficial for you,¡± replied Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°At the very least, I¡¯ll make you advance to the late-stage of Golden Core without a problem. It was quite a pity there was only one Golden Core when I refined the Sanguine Pills, though. if I were to add yours then, I could have made mid-stage Golden Core Stage cultivators to directly advance to the Nascent Soul Stage.¡±


    Cough, cough¡­


    Although Demonfreak geezer was shocked inwardly, he couldn¡¯t help but cough awkwardly a few times. Yet, he was cursing in his heart: If my Golden Core were to be added to the refining of this blood elixir, then I¡¯d have been good as dead already! Ugh, disregarding my feelings like that¡­ so merciless!


    Suddenly, he looked down at his feet and hesitantly said, ¡°Boss, I can sense the craving from my Cadaveric Beast. Can¡­ you give me another Sanguine Pill to feed it?


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes and coldly hmphed. ¡°Hmph, do you really think a Sanguine Pill is like rotten cabbage you can just pick up on the street?! Giving such a good thing to this beast is nothing but a reckless waste! Demonfreak geezer, I know you¡¯ve spent lots of resources and efforts to raise this Cadaveric Beast, but I have an advice for you. Real experts only rely on their own strength and never from the external help of some evils from demonic ways. Further, you can expect to face great danger once this beast¡¯s strength surpasses yours in the future.¡±


    Demonfreak geezer incredulously asked, ¡°You mean¡­ the role will reverse between us?¡±


    ¡°Without my help, you can expect it to go against you and act as your Master once its strength surpasses yours.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°It can kill you or enslave you. Snake-type creatures are the most ruthless. You may raise them for many years, yet that bit of emotion will never affect their nature.¡±

 Chapter 1093 - The Sanguine Pill’s Effects

    Chapter 1093: The Sanguine Pill¡¯s Effects


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Demonfreak¡¯s face slightly changed and he hurriedly asked, ¡°Do you have any ways to work around it, Boss?¡±


    Tang Xiu moved lightning-fast and the palm of his hand was pressed against the geezer¡¯s forehead. Ever since he advanced to the Stars Heavenly Essence level, he was able to easily etch various contents into the target¡¯s mind, all the while feeling lazy to take out the Beast Ruling Art manual.


    ¡®What strength!¡¯


    Demonfreak geezer wanted to dodge out of instinct, but Tang Xiu¡¯s speed was too fast and his strength was too strong. He wasn¡¯t able to move despite going all out to do so. While his mind was full of thoughts that Tang Xiu would harm him, the Beast Controlling Art suddenly appeared in his mind.


    ¡°This is¡­?¡±


    He was shocked at the extreme. Although he was shocked by Tang Xiu¡¯s strength, the mysterious method Tang Xiu just displayed shocked him more. He heard that only some very powerful figures could do such a direct transmission technique. Moreover, the art he just obtained was completely able to solve his predicament when the Cadaveric Beast went against him when it became much stronger.


    Quickly after Tang Xiu imparted Demonfreak geezer the Beast Controlling Art, he released the old man and went back a few meters away, saying lightly, ¡°Keep my words in mind. All foreign objects are nothing but external objects, for the one you can truly rely on is nothing but your own strength. Alright, feel free to find yourself a guest room to take that Sanguine Pill!¡±


    Awe was evident on Demonfreak geezer¡¯s face as he looked at Tang Xiu. He respectfully complied and let out a sigh of relief as he took the Cadaveric Beast away quickly. He casually found a room and then took the Sanguine Pill, sitting cross-legged and starting to cultivate.


    Two days later.


    Tom Reggie had already put the entire underground forces in Saipan under his control. He killed a lot of people during these days, but it was more like he was using a carrot and stick method to become the overlord of Saipan¡¯s underground forces. During this period, some practitioners from other forces wanted to eliminate him. Finally, Tang Xiu acted and, after killing some groups of malicious people, the situation in Saipan finally calmed down.


    Whoosh¡­


    Tang Guang silently appeared before Tang Xiu with an exciting look. After saluting, he respectfully said, ¡°I¡¯ve advanced to the late-stage of Golden Core and perhaps can break through to the Nascent Soul soon, Grand Master!¡±


    ¡°Has the resentment contained in the Sanguine Pill caused too much impact to you?¡± Tang Xiu nodded and smiled.


    ¡°No,¡± replied Tang Guang smilingly.


    Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve been tempered since childhood and is accustomed to matters of life and death in battle, so your mind has been honed. Hmm? Tang An, you¡¯ve also broken through to the late-stage of Golden Core?¡±


    A graceful figure appeared out of the blue next to Tang Guang. Wearing a black robe, the bronze-masked Tang An said, ¡°I¡¯ve advanced to the late-stage of Golden Core, Grand Master.¡±


    ¡°It seems like you siblings will be the first two to break through to the Nascent Soul in our Tang Sect. Keep up the hard work since I hope that you can get stronger and stronger. At least, you won¡¯t fall behind me too far.¡±


    The sibling exchanged glances and nodded firmly in response.


    Quickly after, Mo Awu and Hao Lei appeared in front of Tang Xiu. Both looked similarly excited and reported after saluting, ¡°We just broke through to the late-stage of Golden Core, Sovereign. But our new realm isn¡¯t very solid yet.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great already,¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said. ¡°Keep diligent in cultivation for the following days, so you can quickly stabilize your realm completely.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± The two people nodded.


    Immediately after, Mo Awu turned to look at Tang Guang and grinningly said, ¡°Well, now my cultivation has caught up with you, maybe it won¡¯t take long before I surpass you.¡±


    Tang Guang let out a contemptuous smile in response. He stretched out two fingers and said, ¡°You know, gimme 20 days and I can break through the Nascent Soul Stage. How long do you think you need till you get the confidence to advance to the Nascent Soul, huh?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Mo Awu gaped and immediately looked awkward. It was completely due to the Sanguine Pill¡¯s effect that he could break through to the late-stage of Golden Core. What¡¯s more, he hadn¡¯t even stabilized his new realm, let alone bragging about rushing to the Nascent Soul Stage.


    Furthermore, he was perfectly aware of one thing: once Tang Guang advanced to the Nascent Soul Stage, his strength would increase by many folds. This guy would only need a flick of a finger to fend off his all-out strength.


    ¡°Anyways, what about Kuwako and Demonfreak? Are they not finished yet?¡± asked Tang Xiu smilingly.


    The four shook their heads at the same time.


    ¡°Kuwako advanced to the Golden Core Stage very quickly, but it was all thanks to her obtaining many heavenly and earthly materials and treasures in Japan, which she exchanged with many pills. Her body still contains a lot of unabsorbed efficacies. It¡¯s likely she cannot refine the energy of Sanguine Pill in a short time. It seems like I need to give her special training.¡±


    ¡°Can we also participate in this special training, Sect Master?¡± asked Mo Awu hurriedly.


    Special training! Particularly one arranged by Tang Xiu. It¡¯d make their strength advance by leaps and bound every time they finished it. Although the training was unusually painful, it was greatly beneficial for them, so Mo Awu couldn¡¯t help but ask about it.


    ¡°Nah, you don¡¯t need special training, Awu.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and smiled. ¡°You just need to work hard and practice step by step. Besides, the training I¡¯m about to give Kuwako won¡¯t have much effect on you. Ah, Demonfreak geezer just finished. Well, he hasn¡¯t broken through to the Nascent Soul Stage, but he kinda reached the Perfected Golden Core Stage, just like Tang Guang and Tang An.¡±


    Whoosh!


    Just as Tang Xiu¡¯s voice faded away, the said person¡¯s figure appeared in front of everyone. A pleasantly surprised look on his face, he bowed to Tang Xiu and excitedly said, ¡°I just advanced to the late-stage of Golden Core, Boss. I originally prepared a lot of treasures and was waiting for Dao Master Poison so he could help me advance to the late-stage of Golden Core. But now it seems I don¡¯t need him at all.¡±


    ¡°Well, you won¡¯t need him anymore since he¡¯s already gone from this world, though.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°If anything, cultivators at the late-stage of Golden Core are still like ants to me, Demonfreak. Only after you¡¯ve advanced to the Nascent Soul Stage in the future will you understand how big the chasm is between these two stages.¡±


    ¡®The Nascent Soul Stage?!¡¯


    Demonfreak geezer gaped and immediately let out a hollow smile. ¡°I¡¯m already satisfied with breaking through to the late-stage of Golden Core, Boss. I don¡¯t think I can ever reach the Nascent Soul Stage in my life.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Tang Xiu knitted his brows.


    ¡°It¡¯s because of my cultivation art,¡± replied Demonfreak helplessly. ¡°I obtained it from a loose cultivator, and the highest stage of this cultivation art is only up to the late-stage of Golden Core. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t have the cultivation art to progress to the next stages.¡±


    ¡°You chose to submit to me and I¡¯m not afraid of your betrayal, so I¡¯m going to teach you a cultivation technique which will propel you to the Great Ascension Stage at the very least,¡± said Tang Xiu after he quickly caught his meaning. ¡°I¡¯ll even impart you the cultivation art for the next stages beyond the Great Ascension Stage if your performance is great.¡±


    A shocked look appeared on Demonfreak¡¯s face. Just as he was about to speak, Tang Xiu¡¯s hand was pressed on his forehead again and contents of a cultivation art instantly appeared in his mind. The geezer slightly shivered and looked wild with joy. His gratefulness nearly made him kowtow to Tang Xiu.


    This was a cultivation technique!


    Further, it allowed one to cultivate up to the Great Ascension Stage. Such cultivation art was absolutely more valuable than 100 gold mountains in today¡¯s times.


    ¡°This Demonfreak geezer will absolutely be loyal and devoted to you from now on, Boss!¡± Demonfreak geezer cupped his fists and solemnly vowed after receiving the cultivation technique.


    ¡°No need to show loyalty with words before me, prove it with your actions in the future,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    He had been feeling reluctant and unwilling, racking his brain countless times on how to escape from Tang Xiu¡¯s control. But now he secretly thought that what Kuwako had said made sense. Following Tang Xiu was literally a chance to get a huge opportunity.


    Two hours later, Kuwako hurriedly appeared in front of Tang Xiu with an enthusiastic face. When she saw everyone else had finished their cultivation and reported faster than her, the joy in her heart vanished instantly, and then she respectfully said, ¡°I¡¯ve broken through to the mid-stage of Golden Core, Sect Master. And I¡¯m sure I can quickly advance to the late-stage soon.¡±


    ¡°No. You¡¯re progressing too fast in your cultivation. This will lead to a shaky foundation.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll arrange a special training program for you after we¡¯re done with this matter and go back. After you¡¯ve stabilized your new realm completely and you¡¯ve absorbed the residual pills¡¯ efficacy in your system, as well as the one from the Sanguine Pill, you can then advance to the late-stage of Golden Core.¡±


    ¡°Sovereign, you said I have a lot of residual pills¡¯ efficacy in my system, and even the Sanguine Pill¡¯s energy hasn¡¯t been fully absorbed?¡± questioned Kuwako in doubt.


    Instead of directly answering her question, Tang Xiu asked, ¡°You often feel your body turn warm and even a sudden heat flow from a certain part of your body when you¡¯re practicing, don¡¯t you? Also, the sensation as if your True Essence is getting stronger by a level, no?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I often encounter such a case.¡± Kuwako nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s due to the dormant medicinal efficacy in your system,¡± explained Tang Xiu. ¡°You¡¯ve taken too many heavenly and earthly treasures prior to this. Your system was unable to fully refine and absorb them all, given your cultivation level at the time. After a long time, it has been accumulating and remained in your system.¡±


    Kuwako instantly caught the gist and nodded. ¡°I see, Kuwako will follow your arrangement, Sect Master.¡±


    Tang Xiu turned to Demonfreak geezer and said, ¡°It¡¯s time to contact Angelo Dolan. Find where they are. We¡¯ll eliminate them swiftly. These bastards have injured my men, they must pay a painful price for that!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Demonfreak geezer complied.


    The old man could feel how protective was Tang Xiu towards his underlings from his words. Suddenly, he felt that pledging his allegiance to him was truly a good decision. Once he had proven his loyalty and was thoroughly recognized by him, it was likely that he¡¯d also help him to avenge his enemy once he got injured by any outsiders.


    In the next two days, Tang Xiu secretly met Song Guanghui. After discussing some issues with him, he took everyone to board the liner to rush toward the Pacific Ocean. Although Tom Reggie had just become the overlord of Saipan¡¯s underground forces, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t intend to leave him alone in Saipan and let him pick one capable and loyal man to take care of Saipan on his behalf. Afterward, he used special means to make Tom Reggie ingest the Sanguine Pill and helped him to embark on the cultivation path.

 Chapter 1094 - A Bunch of Scoundrels

    Chapter 1094: A Bunch of Scoundrels


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Stars twinkled in the night sky as a cool sea breeze swayed over the calm sea, reflecting the vague exquisiteness of the starlight¡¯s beauty. In the midst of the sparkling light waves, many sea critters jumped out of the sea to peep into the other world outside their sea habitat.


    Two luxury liners, each with accommodations for hundreds of people, quietly anchored in the middle of the sea. Multicolored lights decorated them as though they were some huge colorful gems set on the sea.


    A long table with a variety of fruits and snacks and the beautiful utensils was placed on the bow deck. Crystal cups filled with red wine looking like exquisite blood liquids, two Caucasian handsome young men raised them and had a toast.


    ¡°God must be sleeping for letting you stroll around the Pacific, Will Art. The Pyramid has long ruined your Ordo company, and even rumors have it that you met Satan himself and drank with him. How the hell did you appear here now, though?¡± Angelo Dolan started to speak with a warm smile, yet his words were intriguing, to say the least.


    Donning red pajamas, the long blonde-haired Will Art shrugged and just drank the wine from the crystal cup. He then gently picked up the white handkerchief to wipe the wine at the corner of his mouth and replied with a leisure smile, ¡°The Lord is sleeping, huh? Dunno about that, but I¡¯m hella sure Satan doesn¡¯t like me so much. You¡¯re the one Satan loves, Angelo. He didn¡¯t come to find you, so how come he summoned me?¡±


    The smile on Angelo¡¯s face receded. ¡°Oh, Dear Will, you know my character, don¡¯t you? I never liked to beat around the bush. Just answer me, why did you come to the Pacific? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re also trying to get those treasures?¡±


    ¡°Well, you know. Men will die for riches as will birds for food,¡± replied Will Art. ¡°The local legends say some treasures have been buried here, so of course I must try my luck too, don¡¯t you think? But after confirming it was fake news fabricated by the Celestial Wizard Clan, I don¡¯t give a shit anymore. Then, I might as well take this chance to relax well. I have the wine, delicacies, and beauties here. Besides, this spot isn¡¯t that far from Saipan. Having such a leisure life here is not bad and kinda makes me fulfilled.¡±


    ¡°So to say, you¡¯re on vacation now, huh ?¡± replied Angelo.


    Will Art chuckled and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t say I¡¯m on vacation per se, mind you. I came here to find the treasure, got it? Ahaha¡­ that old man of mine just can¡¯t wait to squeeze me all the time. He treats me as a bank¡¯s money-printing machine, making me so dead tired!¡±


    Having said that, he turned to glance at the straight line of burly men in black suits. His tone went several octaves and asked aloud, ¡°Hey, you guys! Are you not tired?¡±


    ¡°No! We¡¯re not tired, Sir!¡± The burly men¡¯s group replied aloud.


    Will Art rolled his eyes in response. He lackadaisically stretched his own body and groaned. ¡°Bah, what a bunch of hypocritical bastards! You must follow my ass every day and work for money, yet you shit out like you¡¯re not tired, huh? It seems I¡¯m gonna treat these guys as mules and horses later.¡±


    Angelo burst into laughter and said aloud, ¡°Bwahaha, my dear friend Will. You¡¯re really helpless, aren¡¯t you?! My men will say they¡¯re tired if I say they are and feel energetic if I say so.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, let¡¯s cut the crap.¡± Will Art waved and said, ¡°Anyways, I got some good models from the Babylonian agency; they will wait for you at the party. Don¡¯t refuse me. I got them all checked; their skills are great!¡±


    ¡°Spare me the talks about chicks.¡± Angelo warmly smiled and said, ¡°I originally planned to find for some time, though I never expected to meet you here. Let¡¯s have a business chat first and have some fun later, shall we?¡±


    Will Art picked up his brows and straightforwardly replied, ¡°I¡¯ve been told a million times to deal with proper business first. And you know what? I¡¯ve always been busy from Christmas to Christmas, and that makes me tired like a snow dog. But now, I just wanna think how to get some fun and some cozy shits and earn my happiness in doing it.¡±


    ¡°Dear Mr. Art, I¡¯m sure you know about the robbery of the Dante diamond mine in Africa, given your House¡¯s intel network,¡± said Angelo strangely. ¡°I don¡¯t think to hide it from you is necessary since those who robbed it are my House Dolan¡¯s men. However, we got some deep conflict with some local lords there, and dealing with them will be quite troublesome.¡±


    Will Art¡¯s face slightly changed. He shot a deep look at Angelo Dolan and emphasized every word he said in reply, ¡°Your proposal piqued my interest, I admit. Go on. I¡¯ll consider it if I think it¡¯s a good proposal.¡±


    ¡°Well, the benefits will be like the pie falling from the sky, I assure you,¡± said Angelo confidently. ¡°I¡¯m sure nobody will refuse it unless his brain is dead. I need your house to help me solve these poor and backward places in Africa to silence these local lords¡¯ heads. I¡¯ll give 20% of the profits to your House. How about it?¡±


    Eyes flickering, Will Art thought for a few minutes. He slowly stretched out his fingers and said, ¡°I want 40%.¡±


    Angelo glared at him and yelled, ¡°What the fuck? My House Dolan suffered huge losses just to rob that Dante diamond mine and now you want 40%? Are you insane or this world has gone crazy? That¡¯s impossible. Even if I give you my word, my family¡¯s elders will never agree to it!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make it sounds like a tragedy, will you?¡± Will Art sneered. ¡°Those who robbed the Dante diamond mine didn¡¯t suffer any losses at all. House Art can still investigate this info ourselves. Alright, I¡¯ll lower my appetite. 30%. Lower than that, and my House Art won¡¯t take it. You can seek others for cooperation.¡±


    ¡®30%?!¡¯


    It was a figure Angelo could still accept. In actuality, the situation in Africa was very complicated. Let alone 30%, he was even ready to share 50% of the revenue. Of course, he would naturally play some tricks to lower the price as much as possible to get his House a bigger share.


    ¡°Alright, deal!¡±


    Angelo Dolan and Will Art looked at each other. Both happily smiled in similar fashion at the same time.


    The latter then clapped and a big man suddenly rushed into the cabin. A few minutes later, four voluptuous blondes came out with him. Will Art looked at Angelo Dolan and grinningly said, ¡°Well, how about having some fun together? Two for each?


    Angelo liked women, especially female models who often showed up in public because some of them he had played with maybe would suddenly become a sensation and a superstar someday. However, he still had something to deal with, so he shook his head. ¡°I already told you we gotta chat some serious shits first. Some friends will come over later, so let¡¯s wait for them.¡±


    ¡°Some friends? Who?¡± Will Art was surprised.


    ¡°Demonfreak geezer,¡± said Angelo Dolan smilingly.


    Will Art abruptly got up from the chair with a look of dread and hastily said, ¡°My dear old buddy Angelo, are you fucking crazy? Why did you call that Demonfreak geezer? He¡¯s a madman who tinkers with the dead nearly every day! You damn shit! I knew it. No way in hell any pie will fall from the sky. I thought I just secured a big deal, I never thought I¡¯d encounter such bad luck!¡±


    ¡°Ehh? Why do you sound like you¡¯re so afraid of that old devil, though?¡± said Angelo strangely. ¡°Is it coz he keeps missing you, or you got enmity or something with him?¡±


    ¡°Nah, I got no enmity with that fella. But he got me into a shithole when he robbed some treasures from my House.¡± Will Art waved and said, ¡°Alas, I really want to blow him up to make him return my family¡¯s treasures.¡±


    Angelo pointed to the row of strong men nearby and grinningly said, ¡°Can you pack up that old devil with these men you brought, though?¡±


    A strange light flashed in Will Art¡¯s eyes and he proudly declared. ¡°Even if they can¡¯t get rid of that fella, they won¡¯t lose either.¡±


    ¡°Young Master.¡±


    A belle with swaying slender waist in professional attire and gold-rimmed glasses walked out of the cabin. She squatted beside Angelo and whispered, ¡°We just spotted a liner heading toward us a few nautical miles away.


    Angelo furrowed his brows and grinningly said, ¡°The Chinese said you speak of the Devil and the Devil will come to you. If my guess is correct, it should be that old devil with his men.¡±


    Will Art rolled his eyes and groaned. ¡°You know, I really hoped I¡¯d never seen him. Nothing good ever happens every time I bump into him.¡±


    Quickly after, a luxury liner slowly approached. When Angelo and Willy saw the Demonfreak geezer standing on the bow deck, the former stood up, stretching out his arms and smilingly saying aloud, ¡°Hey, Demonfreak geezer. Welcome!¡±


    The luxury liner anchored and Demonfreak geezer looked surprised, before letting out a dry laugh. ¡°Haha, Angelo Dolan, you¡¯re really impatient and can¡¯t wait to see Satan yourself, right?! To think that you¡¯re so happy because of my arrival, must I say I feel honored or what?¡±


    The smile on Angelo¡¯s face receded. He furrowed his brows and said, ¡°Hey, Demonfreak geezer, that¡¯s not a fucking happy joke, you hear?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not joking since you¡¯ll definitely great your great god, the Satan himself, today.¡± Tang Xiu led Tang Guang and the rest out of the cabin and came to the side of Demonfreak geezer. The latter bowed and then moved behind Tang Xiu.


    Wariness and vigilance filled Angelo Dolan¡¯s eyes, and he even felt a bit shocked inwardly. He knew Demonfreak geezer¡¯s attitude and was perfectly aware that this old devil was not only ruthless and cold-blooded, but also extremely arrogant. But who exactly was that young man? And why did Demonfreak geezer act so respectful towards him?¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Angelo retreated a few steps. As his men quickly gathered up at his side, he grimly asked.

 Chapter 1095 - Speaking More is Useless

    Chapter 1095: Speaking More is Useless


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    On the bow of the luxury liner, Mo Awu moved over a sofa. Tang Xiu let out a smile and sat on it, put a leg atop the other, and then lit a cigarette. Looking at the two men with a happy smile, he grinningly said, ¡°You see, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a need for you to know who I am for your most respected god, the Satan himself, would feel ecstatic to see you and won¡¯t ask who has sent you to him.¡±


    Angelo Dolan stared daggers at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°Is there any enmity between us?¡±


    ¡°The grudge is there, and the hatred is as deep as the bloody ocean.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not only you, though. Those men you brought with you and all those shits in House Dolan are damned, including the ones in the SOE company under your family¡¯s control.¡±


    Angelo shifted his gaze to Demonfreak geezer and furiously shouted, ¡°Demonfreak geezer, we¡¯ve been friends and worked together for many years, why the hell did you choose to betray us?!!¡±


    ¡°Any good birds will choose fine trees to nestle in. My Boss has tremendous strength. He even has the means to make me stronger, so it¡¯s a given I¡¯m willing to pledge allegiance to him.¡± Demonfreak geezer grinningly said, ¡°You know, I can get some benefits from the cooperation with your House Dolan, indeed. But comparing what I get from you and what I can get from my Boss is simply like comparing the day and night. You can only blame your bad luck, Angelo. My Boss¡¯ men are not easy to deal with, mind you.¡±


    Angelo was greatly shaken inwardly. Even his dreams, he never thought that Demonfreak geezer would actually address that young man as his Boss. What kind of musical stage was this? This was clearly the music of a dog licking its Master!


    ¡®This is bad!¡¯


    Angelo realized that he was in a crisis. He only brought out a few men from his House, four of whom were his closest confidantes. Although they were very strong, they were still no match for Demonfreak geezer. Even if these four were to join hands, they would only be able to contend with the old devil evenly at best.


    However, the real crisis was not this old devil but that mysterious young man and his men. They could make such the geezer who only respected the strong to submit, that only meant that their strength was above his.


    ¡®What should I do? Am I going to die in this sea today?!¡¯


    Uneasy filled Angelo¡¯s whole being. He turned to look at Will Art nearby and immediately had a peace of mind a lot.


    Will Art himself had been silent, but he calmly observed Tang Xiu and his men. When Angelo turned to look at him, he responded with a mocking face, ¡°Give my House Art 40% shares of Africa¡¯s Dante diamond mine and I¡¯ll cooperate with you to solve this immediate trouble.¡±


    Angelo paused for a moment and then nodded. ¡°Agreed!¡±


    Squeezing out a smile, Will Art shot a look at Mo Awu and smilingly spoke, ¡°I¡¯m sure you recognize me, Old Buddy. It¡¯s been several years since we last met, but I never thought you¡¯ve actually chosen your Master. I sent you some people to entertain you guys in the past and created a very powerful expert out of you.¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his brows.


    ¡°He¡¯s Will Art, Boss.¡± Mo Awu respectfully said, ¡°The training camp I used to train in before was founded by his family. As far as I know, members of House Art are very strong; their strength is almost inhuman. This Will is the first-in-line of House Art. Je has great privileges and rights and he once tried to recruit me.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°He just said ¡®you guys¡¯. Is there anyone else among you all?¡±


    Kuwako¡¯s expression was a bit ugly. She once witnessed Will Art¡¯s killing scene. It was absolutely crazy and grotesquely bloody. She was even secretly glad she didn¡¯t stand opposite him at that time, else she¡¯d have died already. Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, she paced a step forward and respectfully reported. ¡°Sect Master, the assassin organization I once belonged to received an assassination mission where my side was initially on the same side with him. Hence, I once witnessed what he could showcase at that time. He was very strong, definitely a top expert to me then. Further, he also wanted to recruit me, though my response was perfunctory. Then I found the opportunity to return to Japan.¡±


    Tang Xiu understood in a flash and smilingly said, ¡°I see. This Will Art seems to be a very powerful man in your eyes previously, then. If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll give you two solutions. But remember not to kill him, though. Maybe he can be sold for a good price.¡±


    Mo Awu and Kuwako Yamamoto exchanged glances and immediately nodded.


    Tang Xiu looked at Angelo and Will on the opposite liner and lightly smiled. ¡°I¡¯m only here to avenge my men. But well, I never thought I¡¯d have the chance to make a fortune, though. This is not bad.¡±


    Hostile eyes staring at Tang Xiu, Angelo asked in a deep tone, ¡°I¡¯m still not clear what kind of enmity exists between us, Mister. Besides, is there a need for you to hide anything? You must be very strong yourself since you can make Demonfreak geezer your underling. Just who are you?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s chat since I¡¯m still smoking, then.¡± Tang Xiu looked at the cigarette in his hand and found it hadn¡¯t finished yet, so he smiled and said, ¡°Let me tell you. I¡¯m Tang Xiu from China. And you, Angelo Dolan, you brought your SOE company¡¯s genetic warriors to ambush my men in Saipan. That was uncalled for. That¡¯s why I wanna ask you, why did you bring them to intercept and ambush them?¡±


    Angelo¡¯s head was full of confusion. He looked at Tang Xiu with a puzzled face and asked, ¡°Your men? Who are they? I killed a lot of people in Saipan.¡±


    ¡°Troubles may be avoided when trouble befalls you from Heaven, but there¡¯s no hope for escape when you ask for it. Truly.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°To think that you¡¯re like a rabid dog to ambush and kill so many people in Saipan is truly unexpected. But I¡¯ll tell you, his name is Golden Lion¡ªJin Shi. Haven¡¯t you heard about him?¡±


    ¡°Golden Lion?¡±


    A scowl appeared on Angelo¡¯s face and he growled. ¡°So, you¡¯re Golden Lion¡¯s Master, huh? It seems you¡¯re the reason he became so powerful. That¡¯s right, I ambushed his group then. That damn asshole killed my younger brother. I hate my bastard brother, but he¡¯s still my brother, so that guy must die.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked surprised. He flicked the cigarette butt leisurely and clapped smilingly. ¡°Awu, remember this guy¡¯s words. Jin Shi killed his brother, meaning he¡¯s scored a great contribution! Make a note to give him some rewards after we get back.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Mo Awu himself couldn¡¯t get why Tang Xiu had such deep hatred towards House Dolan. But he didn¡¯t ask much and just made a mental note: ¡°House Dolan is a mortal enemy, and killing them can be rewarded!¡±


    ¡°I admit you¡¯re very strong, Tang Xiu. But we¡¯re not some fucking weak layman either!¡± Angelo growled. ¡°We can go all out and perish together with you if we think we can¡¯t survive. Only a few of you will survive even if you kill us all, so it¡¯s better to negotiate and let go of this matter today! How about it?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, the bloodshed from my men can never be exchanged or traded!¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°When you ambushed and besieged my men, you must be prepared to be retaliated. Seems like talking is useless. KILL THEM ALL!¡±


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Two figures flickered lightning-fast and landed first to the liner tens of meters away¡ªMo Awu and Kuwako Yamamoto. They instantly unleashed their respective immortal swords. However, their target was not Angelo Dolan but Will Art.


    Tang Guang and Hao Lei exchanged glances and smiled. They followed suit to rush toward the passenger ship. But one person moved faster than them¡ªDemonfreak geezer. The old devil just tasted the sweet benefit he got from Tang Xiu today which led to his cultivation level promotion. He broke through to the late-stage of Golden Core, so he couldn¡¯t wait to display what he could do before Tang Xiu, hoping to get more rewards. He thought¡­ it¡¯d be worth it if Tang Xiu rewarded him with another Sanguine Pill.


    Seeing the storming figures coming toward them, Angelo and Will dashed back nearly at the same time. Tens of their men quickly replaced their positions and prepared to fight.


    ¡°This is interesting!¡±


    Four tall men with long white hair and ruddy complexions appeared in the air around Will Art, holding strange weapons. All of which emitting chilling aura¡ªa proof that they were slaughtering weapons.


    ¡°Interesting? My thoughts exactly!¡±


    Two placid-faced old men with burlap shoes and octagonal hats instantly appeared from the cabin, protecting Angelo Dolan from the right and left. They were experts of House Dolan who were responsible for protecting Angelo¡¯s safety¡ªgenetic warriors who had been injected with genetic agents many times. The present them were definitely men with copper and iron bones and lightning-fast speed and inexhaustible strength.


    Tang Xiu remained calm and didn¡¯t even flinch as these all happened. In his eyes, everyone on those two liners was nothing but dead bodies to be fed to the sharks.


    He may not have much self-confidence had it been two days ago. But now was completely different since Mo Awu and the rest had their strengths promoted by leaps and bounds. Even Kuwako was now at the mid-stage of Golden Stage, while the rest had advanced to the late-stage of Golden Core. It was absolutely a breeze for them to obliterate all the enemies there. What¡¯s more, there was still Demonfreak geezer. This geezer¡¯s power was so tyrannical that he could kill everyone by himself.


    As expected, just as the group lunged to the liners in front, they immediately launched a bloody massacre. It only took less than 10 minutes except for Angelo Dolan, Will Art, and the four old men who protected him before the rest was all slaughtered.


    Disbelief was evident in Angelo¡¯s eyes. A chill filled his whole heart. He brought more than 40 genetic warriors from SOE, all of whom possessed formidable power and could be said to be the best elites of the SOE. Yet, they couldn¡¯t even fight back facing these people, leaving him deep dread inside.


    ¡®I gotta find a way to escape!!!¡¯


    No matter how unwilling Angelo was, the situation forced him and he didn¡¯t want to die.

 Chapter 1096 - The Price of Life

    Chapter 1096: The Price of Life


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Fear also crept inside Will Art¡¯s heart. He deeply regretted his decision, since he only cared about the benefits promised by Angelo. It was the very reason he intervened in this matter, yet it now led him into danger due to his own misjudgment.


    ¡®Run away? But how?¡¯


    They were in the middle of the ocean and surrounded by blue sea waters. Unless he could become a sea critter that could freely surf the sea, else he would either drown due to losing his strength or meet his demise in the enemies¡¯ hands.


    ¡°How about we talk about this, Mr. Tang?¡±


    The four old men around Will Art quickly blocked Mo Awu and Kuwako Yamamoto and Will quickly made up his mind and shouted.


    A contemptuous look flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he lightly smiled. ¡°You already decided to help Angelo Dolan, and lots of your men have been slain by mine. Do you think there¡¯s anything else that can be talked about between us, huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been short on manpower, Mr. Tang,¡± Will Art replied in a deep tone. ¡°You just killed one group of men, so I naturally have a replacement. If you like it, I can send a group of people to let your men have a good time slaughtering them.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, I really feel honored for your men whom their Big Boss is so kind and great yet doesn¡¯t take their lives seriously.¡± Tang Xiu gave a thumbs up and praised. ¡°Will Art, lemme tell you. I didn¡¯t have the intention to kill you and just wanted to make you act so you can fetch me a good price. Alright, tell me your chips since you wanna talk. I can consider it if you can pique my curiosity.¡±


    This was much to Will Art¡¯s liking. But as he was about to reply, he suddenly felt a sharp gaze from the side.


    Angelo Dolan glared at him furiously and shouted, ¡°Will, how could you? You¡¯re my old buddy and we¡¯ve known each other for more than a decade! Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re gonna be like that shit Demonfreak and betray me too? I¡¯ll give you 60% profits of Africa¡¯s Dante diamond mine!¡±


    Will Art liked wealth and had been dreaming of living in a palace made of pure gold and decorated by the valuable gemstones.


    However, if he must choose between life and fortune, he would definitely not hesitate to choose the former. He was still sane. Even if all the riches in the world were to be given to him, what was all it for if he was not alive to enjoy it?!


    Will Art drew in a deep breath and quickly moved away from Angelo, sneering. ¡°Old buddy, huh? There¡¯s nothing but benefits between us. We spent only a little time knowing each other. You just witnessed their strength yourself, Angelo. Just give up immediately, else you¡¯ll only head to your death. But no way in hell will I follow you!¡±


    Having said that, he ignored Angelo¡¯s murderous glare and looked at Tang Xiu. ¡°Dear Mr. Tang, I¡¯m very fond of life. I prefer to breath fresh air and enjoy the splendors this world can offer. The deal I want to have with you is simple. I got a mountain of wealth myself, while my House is just the same. If you need riches, I can offer you lots of wealth as long as you let me go, all in exchange for your friendship.¡±


    ¡®Friendship?!¡¯


    Not even a tiny part of Tang Xiu¡¯s mind spared it a glance. This guy had just stood on the same side as Angelo, looking at him as a common enemy. Yet, under the threat of death, he blinked and just sold Angelo out. He might as well find tofu as his shield if he offered that kind of friendship.


    However, Will¡¯s proposal still piqued his curiosity, regardless. He was in desperate need of money. The manpower under him was growing, and the rate of resource consumption was far beyond his expectations, so he could only choose to give Will Art such a chance.


    ¡°There¡¯s one thing I wanna ask first. How much wealth you wanna spend to buy your life, then? How much do you think your life is worth?¡± Tang Xiu re-lit the cigarette and drew a puff before smilingly asking.


    Contemplating for a moment, Will Art saw his four men were vomiting blood after getting beaten upside down. He immediately shouted, ¡°1 billion USD. I¡¯ll buy my life with a billion dollars!¡±


    Giving an OK gesture, Tang Xiu loudly laughed. ¡°Aha, that¡¯s great. This figure is satisfying enough. Awu, Kuwako, wait and take it easy! Will Art, you¡¯ve bought your life, why don¡¯t you buy more lives, then? These four men of yours are quite strong, how much are their lives worth?¡±


    A cold light flashed in Will Art¡¯s eyes. He didn¡¯t want to spend even a dime for these four trashes that couldn¡¯t protect him. But he could tell that Tang Xiu still wanted to fish some more from him, so he gave it a thought and gritted his teeth. ¡°100 million USD! I value them up to 100 million US dollars, give or take!¡±


    Giving a thumbs-up, Tang Xiu praised. ¡°That¡¯s so generous of you. You make me kinda shocked for such generosity, though. You see my men here, how much do you think I value them?¡±


    Will Art¡¯s face slightly shifted and he looked over at Mo Awu, Kuwako, and the rest as he asked, ¡°How much is their value to you?¡±


    Tang Xiu got up from the sofa and stretched out five fingers.


    Will Art was surprised and amazed. ¡°500 million dollars? You say the value of your subordinates is worth 500 million USD? Are you kidding me?¡±


    ¡°Nope. None of my men are worth 500 million USD.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    Nearby, Demonfreak geezer had already slain two powerful experts under Angelo. Upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, a cold light flashed in his eyes. He thought all the words Tang Xiu spoke before were all bullshit. He never cared about his men. Such a cold-hearted person made the seed of thoughts to escape from Tang Xiu¡¯s demonic shackles and to avoid the man himself began to multiply.


    Tang Xiu grinningly said, ¡°Nah, I won¡¯t ever sell my men even for 10,000 grand nor half a billion dollars, for they are all priceless treasures to me.¡±


    Disdain was evident on Will Art¡¯s face. He shook his head and said, ¡°I never thought you liked to joke so much, Mr. Tang. Everything in this world has a price, including people. My own life is valuable, and theirs also have their own price tag, including my loved ones. So long as the price is high enough, I can¡­¡±


    ¡°You can kill them or sell them, you say?¡± Tang Xiu sneered.


    Will Art didn¡¯t answer, but his expression betrayed his thoughts, which was in line with Tang Xiu¡¯s guess.


    Inwardly, Tang Xiu sighed. He looked at Mo Awu and Kuwako Yamamoto, asking lightly, ¡°Do you both think it¡¯s enough?¡±


    Kuwako paced forward and respectfully replied, ¡°He can still barely accept the price if it¡¯s multiplied by five, Sect Master.¡±


    ¡®Multiplied by five?¡¯


    Tang Xiu secretly snarled and was flabbergasted. He didn¡¯t expect Kuwako Yamamoto would be this ruthless to demand such an exorbitant price. 1.1 billion USD multiplied by five was five-plus billion dollars. Even if Will Art did have the money, could he afford that much?


    However, something he never expected to appear then showed up.


    Will Art shot a deep gaze at Kuwako Yamamoto and said aloud, ¡°My respectable Mr. Tang, what I just said is perhaps too little, so I hope you can forgive me. After all, I¡¯ve been a businessman for too long, so I can¡¯t help but keep the price down in many cases. I admit your subordinate is correct. I can still accept it if it¡¯s multiplied by five. But that nearly hits my limit.¡±


    Tang Xiu secretly marveled inwardly. He never thought Will Art was this rich. He would be a local tycoon should he a Chinese national! Even if his name¡­ were to be listed in the China Fortune List, he would definitely be ranked among the top.


    ¡°Deal!¡± Tang Xiu smilingly nodded to Will Art.


    Already in the face of death, Angelo Dolan was like a dying soul. He really wanted to vomit as he watched Tang Xiu¡¯s hypocritical smile and Will Art¡¯s dry and forced smile. What he needed to think at this time, however, was to save his own life as it was the most important thing to him.


    Even if that meant¡­ he must squeeze out a huge wealth just like Will Art.


    Angelo shot a look at Tang Xiu and said aloud, ¡°I apologize for what I did to your men, Mr. Tang. The conflicts between us are also my fault, but I¡¯m willing to buy my life, so do please state your price.¡±


    ¡°Oh?!¡± Tang Xiu let out a vague smile at him. Suddenly, he raised his thumbs up and praised. ¡°You¡¯re a smart man, and a smart man can live for a long time. So, what do you think about yourself? Do you think your life is more valuable than Will Art¡¯s? Or is yours much cheaper than his?¡±


    White and blue colors intermittently flashed on Angelo¡¯s face. He shook his head and said, ¡°I think my life is worth more than Will Art¡¯s, Mr. Tang. But my House Dolan is very special. Even if I¡¯m the first in line of the House¡¯s successors and the main-fostered candidate, I can¡¯t put out that much wealth. But Will Art is different since all the rights of his House are in his hands and his father¡¯s. That¡¯s why he can still squeeze out more.¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up, Angelo!!¡±


    Will¡¯s eyes turned bloodshot instantly. Never once it occurred to him that Angelo would stab him at this time. Coughing out 5.5 billion dollars was already the limit he could afford. It would be a very unfortunate matter if he were to ask more money from his father.


    Tang Xiu laughed loudly, ¡°Hahaha. To think you can still cough up more money, Will! It seems the price I just asked is really too low, huh? Angelo, I just had a change of mind all of a sudden. I can spare your life if you can put out more money than Will Art within two hours.¡±


    Angelo shivered in silence and kept still for a few minutes. Then, he said in a deep voice, ¡°I¡¯ll need to call my father. He¡¯s the only one who can withdraw such amount of money, whereas I only have 1 billion USD under my control.¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his brows and said, ¡°Give him a laptop and let him transfer that 1 billion USD to our account.¡±

 Chapter 1097 - Interest

    Chapter 1097: Interest


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Mo Awu let out a bit of sarcastic sneer. He had been following Tang Xiu for some time and knew well some of Tang Xiu¡¯s side. Although he didn¡¯t know the specific reasons, the fact that the people of House Dolan were already sentenced to death was impossible to change. Therefore, even if Angelo Dolan put out more than 1 billion dollars, it was unlikely he could change the outcome of his death.


    ¡°Online wire transfer.¡±


    He took out a laptop from his interspatial ring as he spoke to Angelo in a deep voice.


    Seeing Mo Awu take out a laptop as if summoning it made Angelo shocked immediately. He carefully observed Mo Awu for a while before receiving the laptop and said aloud to Tang Xiu, ¡°I can transfer the money to your account now, but how can you guarantee you won¡¯t kill me?¡±


    ¡°I always mean what I say. I promised I¡¯ll spare your life, so I won¡¯t kill you,¡± said Tang Xiu indifferently.


    ¡®Guarantee? Oral statement is not a guarantee!¡¯


    Somehow, Angelo couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit uneasy. But he still gritted his teeth and bit the bullet and deposited more than 1 billion dollars in his Swiss Bank account to the account Tang Xiu gave him. After the wire transfer was completed, he asked, ¡°Can I contact my father now?¡±


    ¡°No hurry.¡± Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°Let¡¯s deal with some other things first. Will Art, Angelo just transferred the money to my account, so¡­ shouldn¡¯t you also transfer the money? Don¡¯t joke with me that what you just said is to amuse me. I¡¯m pretty much a petty man and that will make me angry.¡±


    Inwardly, Will Art had some regrets for he had already offended Angelo Dolan, but Tang Xiu didn¡¯t intend to kill that fella anymore. It would mean that he must be careful to guard against this guy in the future.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll transfer the money now.¡±


    Will took the laptop and transferred 5.5 billion USD to Tang Xiu¡¯s account through a dozen bank accounts.


    Wearing a happy smile, Tang Xiu thought that it was truly unexpected that he could earn such a big harvest while hunting Angelo Dolan. The money he squeezed out of the two men was nearly 7 billion dollars, which was a little over 40 billion in RMB!


    ¡°Making money by robbing and being a brigand is truly great. It¡¯s so easy to make money. Anyways, Tang Guang, send Angelo and his men off. I hope they can learn a lesson from this and never trust others in the next life.¡± Tang Xiu sat back on the sofa and lifted one of his legs atop the other and issued an order with a smile.


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    After storing the laptop into the interspatial ring, Mo Awu instantly appeared in front of Angelo Dolan. Before he attacked the fella, two sword lights directly flashed and slew the two old men who had been badly wounded. He then controlled the immortal sword and impaled Angelo the moment after.


    ¡°Puff¡­¡±


    Angelo Dolan coughed up a mouthful of blood and covered his pierced chest. Disbelief was all his eyes showed as he shouted, ¡°Why? You obviously took my money. Why still kill me?¡±


    ¡°I just said I wouldn¡¯t kill you, but I never said that my men wouldn¡¯t.¡± Tang Xiu mockingly replied, ¡°Your House Dolan is already damned, and I¡¯ll make sure to get rid of the SOE company as well as the rest of armed forces under your House.¡±


    ¡°But why?!¡± Angelo¡¯s body trembled and shouted as dizziness began to engulf him.


    ¡± Heh , you may be known as the best genius of House Dolan, but your status is too low, so you¡¯re not qualified to know anything.¡± Tang Xiu grinned.


    BAM¡­


    Angelo slammed into the floor and died in just half a minute.


    Fear was evident in Will Art¡¯s eyes, for he never expected that Tang Xiu would turn hostile in but a flash. He was all smiling and amiable when he just asked for money, but now he just directly killed Angelo Dolan. If¡­ if he ordered his men to kill him, then he would¡­


    Plopping down on his knees, Will Art said aloud with a face full of fear, ¡°Please spare my life, dear Mr. Tang. We have no hatred whatsoever. I did threaten Mo Awu and Kuwako Yamamoto then, but it was because I valued their abilities. As long as you can spare me, I¡¯m willing to pay you another $5.5 billion once I return. Please give me three days. The money will definitely be on your account within three days!¡±


    Tang Xiu floated up and stepped on the void step by step. Looking at pleading Will Art, he smilingly said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to be afraid, Will. I just said I won¡¯t kill you, so I won¡¯t kill you myself. Besides, I know when to stop. You¡¯ve given me 5.5 billion, so I can guarantee your life. And let¡¯s spare the next 5.5 billion.¡±


    The statement made Will Art more scared since Tang Xiu wouldn¡¯t demand more money. His heart was like falling into a glacier and he bitterly said, ¡°W-what¡­ else do you need, Mr. Tang?¡±


    Tang Xiu stroked his chin and said, ¡°If I didn¡¯t misunderstand, you just had a deal with Angelo Dolan about a diamond mine in Africa, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. House Dolan took over a large diamond mine in Africa; it was just recently discovered.¡± Will Art nodded without hesitation. ¡°The mine has large diamond reserves that it will even impact the diamond market and prices around the world if all of it is mined.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes lit up and he smilingly said, ¡°House Dolan robbed that diamond mine, so why can¡¯t we snatch it from them? You¡¯ve seen my power, and I can tell you that these men of mine are but a few among many others I have. I can dispatch a much more powerful team of cultivators if I want to.¡±


    Will Art stared dumbly and probed. ¡°Mr. Tang, you mean¡­ you¡¯d like to cooperate with us to snatch that Dante diamond mine from House Dolan? And then share the profits and interests later?¡±


    Tang Xiu raised up five fingers and lightly said, ¡°50-50 shares.¡±


    Will Art¡¯s eyes lit up and immediately said aloud, ¡°30-70! You get 70% and House Art will take 30%. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, 50-50.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°You take it and we can plan the taking over of that Dante diamond mine now.¡±


    ¡°About that¡­ alright, I agree!¡±


    Earning much more was something Will Art didn¡¯t dislike naturally. He was now more concerned about his own life and safety, to begin with.


    ¡°Alright, take your men and board my liner!¡± Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°I¡¯ll deal with the present problem before finding you.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Will Art wasn¡¯t afraid that Tang Xiu would resort to any machinations since such means were not needed. The man would just straightly kill him if he wanted to.


    On the deck, Tang Xiu watched Will Art disappear into the cabin of the liner he boarded along with his four men. His eyes slowly shifted to Angelo Dolan¡¯s dead body and he gently kicked its waist with his toe. Then, he coldly said, ¡°Your life, those genetic warriors¡¯ lives, and the 1 billion dollars you just transferred are nothing but interests. I¡¯ll demand the principal debt with your family in the future, so I hope everyone from your House Dolan is living well now.¡±


    After a while, he returned to the liner. As the liner slowly left and sailed away for five-plus nautical miles, those two luxury liners exploded.


    Sitting on the cabin, Will Art watched the explosion scene. His heart twitched a few times as his losses this time were just too great¡ªmore than the figure he earned in the last five years. Further, he could expect to face some greatly troublesome issues even if he could go back alive this time.


    ¡°Sect Master!¡± Mo Awu quickly came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side and whispered, ¡°We¡¯ve released those four models and some people who have nothing to do with them as per your order. We put them on four small canoes, but the chance of them to land ashore alive is almost zero.¡±


    ¡°They have encountered such a thing, so it doesn¡¯t matter,¡± said Tang Xiu faintly. ¡°Only, can they row those canoes to the nearby island?¡±


    ¡°The storm will sweep over the waters here in about 20 minutes, and the closest island is about 300 to 400 nautical miles away,¡± said Mo Awu. ¡°Additionally, there are many sharks nearby, so they are dead already.¡±


    ¡°If they die, then just let them die!¡± replied Tang Xiu apathetically. ¡°Those women are not chaste, virtuous, nor are they martyrs. Their deaths will rid the world of some disasters.¡±


    Mo Awu looked at Will Art and asked, ¡°Sect Master, what if this guy spreads what we¡¯ve done today? Will it cause trouble for us?¡±


    Tang Xiu shot a look at Will Art, whose complexion greatly changed, and smilingly asked, ¡°Well, will you?¡±


    Will Art raised his left arm and solemnly said, ¡°I¡¯ve already forgotten everything that happened today! I only remember that I got hit by a storm at sea that led to the deaths of many men. Only I and these four men of mine survived, and we were lucky to bump into Mr. Tang who saved our lives.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re very smart, Mr. Art.¡± Tang Xiu praised. ¡°I love dealing with smart people, and you¡¯ve also made it up with your money although you¡¯ve offended me. Therefore, I hope we can be friends in the future, and even¡­ partners.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for sure!¡± replied Will Art respectfully.


    ¡°You¡¯re a smart man, and you know how tremendous the power I have at my fingertips is,¡± continued Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°If I want to obliterate your family, I can just send a group of my men to slay every living thing in your House, be it humans or animals. Hence, you must know what should be said and what shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Please rest assured,¡± said Will Art respectfully.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s chat about that diamond mine now!¡± said Tang Xiu with a happy face. ¡°The mine is said to have large reserves of diamond deposit, so House Dolan will send a large number of elite soldiers to guard it. But what I want to know is, do you have any good idea to snatch this diamond mine?¡±


    Eyes flickered with lights, Will Art said in a deep tone, ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to act, Mr. Tang. Just send someone to help and I¡¯ll secure that diamond mine very quickly.¡±

 Chapter 1098 - Being Left with No Choice

    Chapter 1098: Being Left with No Choice


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Waves surged on the sea surface as a speedboat whizzed towards Saipan. Several hundreds of meters away from the speedboat was a liner where Tang Xiu was standing quietly on the bow deck with hands behind his back, watching the speedboat gradually disappear at the horizon.


    ¡°Do you really feel at ease, Sect Master?¡±


    Mo Awu looked a bit different. He knew very well about Will Art. He never believed that this fella would just honestly keep his word.


    Tang Xiu sported a smile and asked, ¡°Do you know why I let that old devil leave with Will Art?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to bring Demonfreak geezer to Nine Dragons Island?¡± asked Mo Awu.


    ¡°That¡¯s one reason,¡± replied Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°Demonfreak geezer isn¡¯t one of ours yet. Even if he is sincere to work for us, it will take a long time to test him. Nine Dragons Island is our stronghold and the holy ground of the Tang Sect. It must not be easily exposed before we have become the most powerful force in the world.¡±


    ¡°Then, about the other reason¡­¡± continued Mo Awu.


    ¡°Demonfreak geezer knows we are powerful. Furthermore, his life is literally under my control, so he naturally won¡¯t dare to betray me so easily,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I made him leave with Will Art, on the one hand, to restrain him, while on the other hand, he can act as a supervisor to control Will Art. My strength may deter this old devil and it¡¯s the reason why he became my underling, but wanting him to be loyal will be very difficult. More than that, I know he wants to be stronger. I can give him that chance. Using threats and enticement will make it easier for me to control him.¡±


    ¡°Well, it seems impossible to me that that old devil can easily escape from your palm, Sect Master.¡± Mo Awu caught the gist suddenly and smiled.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing absolute in this world, Awu.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t forget that Golden Armored Zombie back when we were in Western China. I cast the same seal on him, yet he ultimately chose to betray me.¡±


    Mo Awu¡¯s countenance turned a bit solemn. He nodded and said, ¡°The longer old freaks live, the more their selfishness. I understand what you mean, Sect Master.¡±


    ¡°We got the entire Saipan under our control now, so we can put away the issues here for a while.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to Nine Dragons Island and deal with the things there first before I return to China.¡±


    ****


    The fast-moving speedboat quickly broke the waves and sailed toward Saipan. At this time, a strange expression was evident on Will Art¡¯s face. He didn¡¯t spare a glance at the four seriously injured men but stared at Demonfreak geezer for a long time.


    ¡°Is that enough for you, Kiddo?¡±


    Demonfreak geezer took out a cigar case and fished a cigar from the inside. After he lit it up and took some puffs, he leisurely spoke.


    ¡°I believe we¡¯re already friends since I¡¯ve already become Mr. Tang¡¯s partner, Demonfreak geezer.¡± Will Art smiled. ¡°But still, I¡¯m really curious. Angelo Dolan thought that you were a friend. He even looked so happy that you¡¯d come then, but why did you choose to betray him?¡±


    Demonfreak geezer rolled his eyes and said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong in following an expert? Tang Xiu is a powerful man, and he is likely to have an enormous power behind him as well. That¡¯s why he¡¯s qualified to make work for him. Besides, I must correct you on a fact¡ªAngelo Dolan has never been my friend. He never regarded me like one, and there was only cooperation between us.¡±


    Will Art shook his head and said, ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean. You¡¯re not as simple as a friend for him. I heard from Angelo that there had been quite some confidential cooperations between you both then.¡±


    A cold light flashed in Demonfreak¡¯s eyes as he said coldly, ¡°It was indeed a secret to outsiders, but it¡¯s no secret for me now. I can tell you about that if you wanna know. I¡¯m the one who contributed the most to the research on genetic warriors in the secret lab of House Dolan. Moreover, I also mastered the formula.¡±


    His countenance changing, Will Art vigilantly stared at Demonfreak geezer. ¡°What do you mean by that? Don¡¯t forget that I have a cooperation with Mr. Tang. He¡¯ll be very furious if you dare to mess with me.¡±


    Demonfreak geezer just glanced at him casually in response and said in contempt, ¡°I already knew all along that you¡¯re not some good shit, Boy. Though I didn¡¯t expect you to have a head full of bad thoughts. Anyhow, you guessed right. I dare tell you that I want to kill you. Only, you threatened me with Tang Xiu and that made me feel a bit thorny. So tell me, should I kill you or not?¡±


    Will Art was inwardly shaken. He may still have confidence if his four men were not injured. But they were badly injured and he himself wasn¡¯t this Demonfreak geezer¡¯s match at all. Hence, he secretly regretted stirring up a hornet nest before.


    What should I do? Should I just sit and wait for death?


    He suddenly felt like he was just falling into an illusion where he just escaped from the tiger¡¯s mouth and now fell into the wolf¡¯s den.


    ¡°Do you have some disloyal thoughts towards Tang Xiu, old devil?¡± Will Art vigilantly questioned. He was ready to gamble.


    ¡°Hmph, loyalty?¡± Demonfreak geezer scoffed at the notion and said, ¡°I admit Tang Xiu¡¯s power is very strong and he can force me to bow my head. But he must come up with more valuable conditions if he wants to make me loyal to him. He gave me some benefits, that I admit. And that what makes me loyal to him.¡±


    ¡°So to say, you¡¯re just loyal to your own interest. Then, how making a deal with me?¡± Will Art nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯re a smart boy. It¡¯s no wonder you¡¯ve been recruiting people all over the world and secretly building your own force.¡± Demonfreak geezer praised with a thumbs up. ¡°You know, you make me very curious, Will Art. How powerful is the force behind you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something many can¡¯t imagine,¡± replied Will Art. ¡°It¡¯s just that I¡¯m short on powerhouses like you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a given, I tell you. How come a strong expert like me would be willing to pledge allegiance to others, to begin with?¡± Demonfreak geezer replied in mockery. ¡°Money is nothing but trash to people like me. Although privileges may entice us, it¡¯s much better to make ourselves stronger. As for belles¡­ Hehe¡­ this old man has been living for a few centuries, what kind of beauty I haven¡¯t seen? Do you think I¡¯ll be attracted by beauties and whatnot?¡±


    Will Art¡¯s face turned a bit ugly. He fell into silence for a long time and then said in a deep voice, ¡°I know that every man has their own needs and wants. You can ask what you want and I¡¯ll get mine.¡±


    Demonfreak geezer raised his brows and squinted. He scrutinized Will Art seriously and raised a thumbs up, praising. ¡°You¡¯re the most ambitious young man I¡¯ve ever seen. You also got great luck that I can¡¯t help but applaud for you. You¡¯re correct. There are things I want in this world, and I can sell you those genetic agents if you can get them.¡±


    ¡°I want the formula,¡± replied Will Art in a deep voice.


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s possible?¡± The old devil sneered.


    Will Art¡¯s breath stagnated and he looked a bit helpless. In actuality, he was crystal clear that this old devil literally had a gold mine since in hands. Unless he could give him something even more valuable, he would never sell it to him.


    ¡°Alright, then state what you want.¡±


    ¡°I need medicinal herbs. Lots of precious ones,¡± said Demonfreak geezer. ¡°If you have no idea what precious herbs are, you can send some people to China to find some Chinese medicine books. There are records of precious herbs on them. I¡¯m sure you know some of them, for instance, Millennium Wild Ginseng, Millennium Snow Lotus, Empyrean Goldthread Pearl, Red Spider Lily, and many others.¡±


    Will Art looked terrified and asked, ¡°How do you know about the Empyrean Goldthread Pearl and Red Spider Lily?¡±


    ¡°Did you forget who my former companion was?¡± Demonfreak geezer sneered.


    Will Art¡¯s eyes shrunk and he looked shocked. He knew who this old devil¡¯s former companion was¡ªthe notorious old devil in the dark world, Dao Master Poison¡ªa very poisonous old devil and a Poison Master whose power made many not dare to provoke him.


    Only, there was something that made Will Art very curious. Why did this Dao Master Poison not appear? It must be noted that this Demonfreak geezer had always been seen together with Dao Master Poison. Wherever the former appeared, the latter would also be there, and vice versa.


    ¡®Did he turn to someone else? Could Dao Master be with someone else?¡¯


    Rolling his eyes as though he was able to read Will Art¡¯s thoughts, Demonfreak geezer lightly said, ¡°Heh, no need to mull over it. Dao Master Poison is already dead!¡±


    ¡°Say what?¡± Will Art utterly lost control and exclaimed, ¡°You said Dao Master Poison is already dead? How can that be? He¡¯s a poison master, who can kill him that easily?¡±


    ¡°I thought you were very smart. Hmph, never thought you don¡¯t get it at all,¡± said Demonfreak geezer lightly with raised brows.


    Will Art stared dumbly before a horrified look appeared on his face. He pondered for half a minute, then raised his head with difficulty and muttered, ¡°You mean, the one who killed Dao Master Poison is¡­ Mr. Tang?¡±


    ¡°Heh, who else is there beside him?¡± Demonfreak geezer sneered. ¡°This guy¡­ bah, forget it. Spare the talk about that bizarre person and let¡¯s chat about our deal. I won¡¯t kill or harm you if you¡¯re willing to cooperate with me. I can even protect you a few times.¡±


    ¡°Deal!¡±


    Will Art resolutely replied. He had no other choice left at this moment. He was likely to meet his end if he refused. But after complying, he felt that it wouldn¡¯t bring any harm to him but benefits instead.


    That benefit was the genetic agents.


    He was indeed an ambitious young man. His House didn¡¯t belong to nor was affiliated to any power. Their power may not on par with those top three powers in the world, but he believed that he could one day dominate those three colossi one day in the future through his own efforts.


    ¡°Let¡¯s chat about the details then, Demonfreak geezer.¡±


    He shot a cautious look at the old devil. As smart and ever-cautious as he was, only once he acted carelessly and underestimated others. That was his only mistake, yet it nearly made him lose his life in this sea.

 Chapter 1099 - Cultivation Speed

    Chapter 1099: Cultivation Speed


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    ¡°We can discuss the details, but I need one condition fulfilled from you before we talk.¡± Demonfreak geezer seriously said, ¡°Also, you must not disclose it, for I will find and assassinate you even if you hide in the most hidden spot in the world otherwise.¡±


    Will Art held his breath. He couldn¡¯t ignore this old devil¡¯s threat, so he nodded and said, ¡°State your conditions then!¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu mustn¡¯t know anything about our deal,¡± said Demonfreak geezer. ¡°I may be loyal to him for now, but that¡¯s because he can give me what I want. Hence, the deal between us must be kept a secret, and not even a peep of it can be disclosed.¡±


    In actuality, this issue was also what Will wanted to state out, so he nodded firmly. Medicinal herbs were just minor issues in this deal since he had many people literally everywhere and thus, finding precious herbs was easy. However, the genetic agents were very rare¡ªsomething he must take under his sole possession so as to train a large number of genetic warriors he could use in the future.


    ¡°I promise!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Happy laughter was heard as the two men came to an agreement.


    ****


    On Nine Dragons Island.


    Cheng Yannan was sitting atop the palace roof, looking bored while basking in the warm sun and enjoying the gentle breeze. Such a leisure life was something that couldn¡¯t be compared with her situation back when in the South China Sea, which was much more satisfying. It was because this island had too many restrictions. Many stern guards always stopped her whenever she wanted to stroll freely to some places.


    ¡°What exactly is Tang Xiu doing? He hasn¡¯t settled me here, yet he straightly left Nine Dragons Island. Didn¡¯t he agree to train me?¡±


    She grabbed some salted dried melon seeds from the plate at the side while looking at the sea.


    Whoosh!


    A figure flickered and instantly appeared near her. Gu Yin grabbed the melon seeds from the plate, threw it into her mouth and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re really enjoying yourself, Big Sis Yannan! But, don¡¯t you have to practice, though?¡±


    The latter rolled her eyes. ¡°What should I practice? I¡¯ve cultivated the cultivation technique I¡¯ve been taught all these days, but I can¡¯t cultivate any True Essence energy at all!¡±


    ¡°How could so easy to cultivate True Essence?!¡± Gu Yin chuckled and said, ¡°But haven¡¯t you sensed the energy in your body from your own special ability? Why don¡¯t you try manipulating that energy and circulate it according to the cultivation route? Master says the universe has innumerable types of energy, it¡¯s fine as long as you can make that energy for your own use.¡±


    Cheng Yannan¡¯s eyes lit up. She immediately patted her own forehead and cried out, ¡°Alas, why didn¡¯t I think about it before?! Dear Yinyin, you¡¯re really smart. Alright, wait here. I¡¯m going to try to cultivate now. Wait until I succeed and I¡¯ll take you to fly with me into the sky in the future and enjoy the scenery from above.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t need you to take me to the sky to enjoy the scenery, Big Sis Yannan. I can do it myself,¡± said Gu Yin.


    ¡°Yinyin dear, just wait and see!¡± said Cheng Yannan confidently. ¡°Big Sis will be able to fly to the sky sooner than you.¡±


    ¡°Tee hee¡­¡±


    Gu Yin let out crisp laughter. Her slender arm grabbed Cheng Yannan¡¯s waist and they both streaked up to the sky instantly.


    ¡°Aaah¡­¡±


    A sharp cry came from Cheng Yannan¡¯s mouth. She was so scared that her body felt cold, disbelief fully painting her face.


    ¡®Fly¡­ I¡¯m¡­ flying?!!¡¯


    ¡®A 10-year-old little girl can actually fly?¡¯


    ¡°Well, I think you have no hope to fly sooner than me, Big Sis Yannan.¡± Gu Yin laughed. ¡°But I¡¯ll take you to watch the scenery in the sky now!¡±


    Cheng Yannan gulped and turned her head to look at Gu Yin¡¯s beaming face with difficulty. After a long time was spent stabilizing her mood, she said, ¡°I was really like a frog at the bottom of a well. I never thought you were already this powerful. But Yinyin dear, don¡¯t tease big sis, got it?¡±


    She spoke like that, but she was, in fact, so ashamed that she wanted to find a burrow to hide in. It was really unfortunate that they were about 100 meters in mid-air, making it impossible for any hole to exist.


    ¡°No worries, Big Sis Yannan!¡± Gu Yin laughed. ¡°I¡¯ll never tease nor make fun of you. Besides, you¡¯ve just begun cultivating and you even haven¡¯t yet embarked on the cultivation path. After you¡¯ve cultivated for some time in the future, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to fly freely in the sky like me. But then again, there¡¯s none other than me who can fly in the sky above Nine Dragons Island, though.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why?¡± Cheng Yannan was confused. ¡°Aren¡¯t there many powerful people here? How can¡¯t they fly in the sky?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an order from Master,¡± answered Gu Yin.


    Cheng Yannan instantly understood the reason after she remembered some areas she wanted to go but were forbidden to visit. Then, she nodded and said, ¡°It seems once Big Sis has succeeded in cultivating True Essence and has the ability to fly, Big Sis still won¡¯t be able to fly on Nine Dragons Island and take you with me to enjoy the scenery, then.¡±


    Gu Yin chuckled in response. As she was about to speak, her face suddenly shifted and her eyes lit up as they fixated on a certain direction in the distance. Her face looked happy and she loudly cried out, ¡°Great, Master¡¯s back!¡±


    Having said that, she towed Cheng Yannan and came to the entrance of the Nine Dragons Island¡¯s array instantly. The duo then saw as a liner quickly entered and docked at the port.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    Releasing Cheng Yannan, Gu Yin flashed and instantly appeared before Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu slightly smiled and touched her ear, asking, ¡°Well, how¡¯s your cultivation recently? Did you happen to breakthrough again?¡±


    ¡°Nah, Yinyin hasn¡¯t advanced yet, but my cultivation has grown deeper.¡± Gu Yin shook her head and grinningly said, ¡°But don¡¯t feel disappointed in me, Master. Yinyin will soon break through to the Nascent Soul Stage.¡±


    ¡®Nascent Soul Stage?¡¯


    A terrified look appeared on Cheng Yannan¡¯s face. She had learned about the cultivators¡¯ cultivation levels. But even her dreams, she never ever thought that Gu Yin would soon advance to the Nascent Soul Stage at just 10 years old.


    Behind Tang Xiu.


    Mo Awu, Tang Guang, and the rest exchanged dismayed glances and looked ashamed. They thought they had a great talent for cultivation. They had True Qi foundation back then and, after taking a lot of pills, it was already very amazing to them to have advanced to the Golden Core Stage.


    And yet, every time they heard Gu Yin¡¯s progress, they were always greatly stimulated and agitated. No matter how hard their efforts were, they had always been unable to be on par with Gu Yin¡¯s cultivation speed.


    ¡®Damn, she¡¯s a little monster!¡¯


    Everyone in the group secretly sighed inwardly.


    ¡°You know that haste makes waste on the cultivation path, don¡¯t you? You don¡¯t need to rush to advance to the Nascent Soul Stage at once.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°Just stay at the Golden Core Stage for a while to sense your cultivation level as well as improving your state of mind. Your future progress will be much faster if your state of mind improves fast enough, .¡±


    Gu Yin seemed to vaguely understand it and nodded. ¡°Yinyin will remember it, Master. However, I¡¯m already able to fully control my power now. You told me that I can only practice for up to four hours a day, and I only need less to practice every day now.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The mouths of Mo Awu¡¯s group twitched and they looked up at the sky. They suddenly felt so stupid comparing their cultivation speed with Gu Yin. Her cultivation speed literally made them have no face as her elders on the cultivation path!


    Tang Xiu patted Gu Yin¡¯s shoulder and his eyes then landed on Cheng Yannan. He took her to Nine Dragons Island out of the intention to make her stay and cultivate seriously in this place to then embark on the cultivation path as soon as possible. But the incident where Jin Shi¡¯s team was ambushed and returned seriously injured and the turbulent situation in Saipan made him lead his men to rush to Saipan. Thus, there was no time to settle her down.


    ¡°How¡¯s the place to you, Cheng Yannan?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s great, but¡­ I got nothing to do, so it¡¯s boring.¡± Cheng Yannan nodded.


    ¡°You won¡¯t get bored again since I¡¯ve come back, though.¡± Tang Xiu lightly smiled. ¡°Anyway, Awu, escort Cheng Yannan to the training camp later to train with the children and cultivate there. Additionally, allocate some cultivation resources for her and let her start taking some pills once she breaks through to the Qi Refining Stage.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Mo Awu replied and turned to look at Cheng Yannan.


    After hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s arrangement, Cheng Yannan immediately felt excited. She had long been looking forward to training. Now that she was finally listed in the arrangement, she couldn¡¯t wait to go there immediately. Furthermore, Gu Yin¡¯s reminder gave her some insights and made her impatient to try it.


    Tang Xiu then shifted his eyes to Tang Guang and the rest. ¡°Kuwako, you¡¯re staying. The rest are dismissed!¡±


    Shortly after, Tang Guang and the rest left, leaving only Tang Xiu and a respectful Kuwako Yamamoto.


    Tang Xiu paced forward and headed to the palace while lightly speaking, ¡°I told you then I didn¡¯t expect that your progress in cultivation was so fast and advanced to the Golden Core Stage so soon. But you¡¯ve never experienced cultivating in our sect, and just fumbled around by yourself. Therefore, I¡¯m going to teach you some knowledge on the cultivation path in the next few days and help you absorb all the medicinal efficacy accumulated in your system.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll listen to all your arrangements, Sect Master,¡± replied Kuwako respectfully.


    Tang Xiu lightly smiled and entered the palace with Kuwako. After having a quick meal, he changed his clothes and took her to the beach.


    ¡°Get on board!¡± called Tang Xiu after jumping on a speedboat and starting it.


    Kuwako didn¡¯t hesitate. After she jumped on the speedboat, Tang Xiu took a quick voyage to the outer array of the island and then stopped the speedboat on the sea after several minutes.


    ¡°What¡¯s this, Sect Master?¡± asked Kuwako with a puzzled face as she looked at Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Jump into the deep sea and keep sinking all the way down. And remember, you¡¯re to hold on and keep doing it until you¡¯ve reached your limit,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly.


    Having said that, he produced energy fluctuations around him and quickly jumped off the speedboat and sank down. Kuwako couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of what training Tang Xiu had in store for her, but she still gritted her teeth and followed suit. At the same time, she released her own True Essence and made a half-inch barrier to make sure she wouldn¡¯t be drenched wet by the water.


    50 meters.


    100 meters.


    200 meters.


    As the 200 meters depth beneath the sea surface was reached, Tang Xiu stopped and waited calmly. Soon after, Kuwako then appeared in front of him.


    ¡°Can you still keep up?¡± said Tang Xiu, transmitting his voice.

 Chapter 1100 - The Secret Chess Pieces

    Chapter 1100: The Secret Chess Pieces


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu slightly furrowed his brows. But as he instantly released his perception, his furrowed brows stretched and he smiled. ¡°You came with my father. But what happened, though?¡±


    One of the big men respectfully said, ¡°Young Master Tang, our cargo ship was robbed at sea. Our investigation found the other party isn¡¯t a pirate but a foreign force who has been targeting us¡­ the Ingres Firm.¡±


    ¡®Ingres Firm?!¡¯


    The name was vaguely familiar to Tang Xiu, but he couldn¡¯t pinpoint where he had heard it from. Since he was unable to recall it, he waved and gestured the two men to leave, and then entered the villa alone. He bumped into a housemaid who was cleaning the interior and then went to the study on the second floor after greeting her.


    Knock, knock¡­


    Tang Xiu knocked on the door and then pushed it. He saw his father, Tang Yunde, frowning deeply and didn¡¯t hear him knocking, submerged in his own thoughts. He immediately let out a smile and said, ¡°What are you thinking about, Dad? You seem spellbound by something.¡±


    Tang Yunde immediately came back to his senses. After seeing Tang Xiu who just appeared in front of him, he looked a bit happy and asked, ¡°Did you just come back? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be in Nine Dragons Island now?¡±


    ¡°Everything there has been arranged, so I naturally came back to handle something,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°Anyhow, you seem to have bumped into some accidents here, though?¡±


    ¡°Some people are destined to be enemies in life, though I didn¡¯t expect them to be rabid dogs.¡± Tang Yunde sighed helplessly. ¡°They still aggressively charge forward to bite once their target appears even if we never hint nor try to be enemies with them. The losses this time were not big, but some of our men died.¡±


    ¡°Was it done by the Ingres Firm?¡± asked Tang Xiu curiously.


    ¡°Huh? How did you know?¡± Tang Yunde was stunned and immediately asked.


    ¡°I just bumped into your men in the courtyard, Dad,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Tang Yunde quickly understood and then forced a smile. ¡°Yeah, those people from the Ingres Firm are the culprits. It¡¯s a company that relies entirely on arms sales. To be more precise, they are House Dolan¡¯s, since the real person in charge of Ingres Firm is one of the top three men in House Dolan, Anmoore Dolan.¡±


    It was then that Tang Xiu realized why he felt this Ingres Firm sounded familiar just now. There was a record on this Ingres Firm when he previously investigated House Dolan. However, there was only a scant number of information on it, while the person in charge was also very low-key.


    Tang Xiu slightly furrowed his brows and asked, ¡°Is there any chance House Dolan got the news that you¡¯re still alive?¡±


    ¡°I also think that it should be the case.¡± Tang Yunde nodded. ¡°House Dolan lost big time in past incidents, especially after we killed their most favored scion. They kinda put us as a thorn in their eyes and just couldn¡¯t wait to eliminate us quickly.¡±


    Tang Xiu curled his mouth upward and asked, ¡°Well, do you know who¡¯s the most favored scion of House Dolan now, Dad?¡±


    Tang Yunde was stunned, then he immediately let out a bitter smile. ¡°Had you asked me about that a few days ago, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to answer. However, since the incident where my cargo ship was hijacked, I contacted the head operatives of the Darkwind organization in China. I got the info from him that the most favored scion of House Dolan now is their most outstanding junior called Angelo Dolan.¡±


    Without inquiring more detailed info about House Dolan, Tang Xiu said with a chilling tone, ¡°Angelo Dolan is dead along with dozens of genetic warriors from the SOE company. That was the interest they paid for the debt they owe you from the past! But I wanna know about the situation about this Darkwind organization in the mainland, Dad.¡±


    An inconceivable look on his face, Tang Yunde asked in surprise, ¡°What did you just say? Angelo Dolan is dead? How can that be?¡±


    ¡°He brought a lot of experts with him to Saipan and severely injured some of my men. Then, I made a very powerful person submit to me and successfully found his location with his help. House Dolan no longer has an Angelo Dolan from now on.¡±


    Tang Yunde looked at his son deeply. Then, he raised a thumbs up and praised. ¡°I killed their most favored scion in the past, and now my son followed suit. I really didn¡¯t just lay in bed for two decades in vain. Anyhow, what do you wanna do with the Darkwind organization, though?¡±


    ¡°This Darkwind organization is hidden in every corner of the world, and I feel they are like cancer,¡± said Tang Xiu calmly. ¡°They sold info about me once to others, so I obliterated that branch. Additionally, I also removed their branch in Saipan.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t act too recklessly, Son.¡± Tang Yunde gasped in horror. ¡°The Darkwind may only be an intelligence agency, but rumors have it that it¡¯s stronger than the top three major organizations in the world. The extent of its hidden forces is still in the dark, and nobody could figure it out until now.¡±


    ¡°Heh, don¡¯t you think you¡¯ll still be under their tabs for whatever you do in the future, Dad?¡± Tang Xiu sneered.


    ¡°This¡­¡± Tang Yunde hesitated a bit and helplessly said, ¡°But then again, we got no other choice! The Darkwind has been in existence for centuries. Members of this organization rarely show their faces and are like mice, hiding in dark corners and constantly developing their intelligence network. Even the intelligence networks of various countries around the world can¡¯t contend with it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly because the Darkwind¡¯s intel network is too strong that it¡¯s necessary to get rid of and replace them, Dad.¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve already prepared many arrangements, so you can rest assured about it! That¡¯s why I can tell you that I¡¯m sure to completely obliterate this organization from the face of Earth even if we lose all decorum with them now.¡±


    Tang Yunde had heard about the establishment of the Tang Sect by Tang Xiu. He also heard that his son had brought a lot of experts to kill demonic beasts in the Himalayas and his great military exploits. He knew his son was very strong, still, his son¡¯s words sent a quake in his heart.


    ¡®Destroying the Darkwind organization? If my son can destroy this organization, then, does he have the power to reach the top of the pyramid in the world?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ve assigned people to establish an intelligence network myself, Dad.¡± Tang Xiu went on. ¡°I¡¯ll also increase my investment in this endeavor, so I¡¯ll be able to compile a huge information network around the world within three years. I won¡¯t only remove House Dolan, but will also disintegrate this Darkwind organization and make them disappear from the world.¡±


    ¡°How confident are you, exactly, Son?¡± asked Tang Yunde hastily.


    ¡°100%,¡± answered Tang Xiu solemnly.


    Tang Yunde got up from the sofa abruptly, looking ecstatic as he said aloud, ¡°You¡¯re great, Son! You¡¯re truly much better than your old man. Anyhow, come with me to a certain place. There¡¯s something I need to tell you, and I want you to have some people too.¡±


    Tang Xiu was stunned. ¡°Huh? You got something I still don¡¯t know about, Dad?¡±


    Tang Yunde grinned. ¡°I may have been lying in the hospital bed for many years, but is there anyone who has no secret? Before I got hit so badly that it caused me to go vegetative, I¡¯ve actually been preparing for revenge. Although I¡¯ve been staying in Star City, on the one hand, it was due to my disappointment, while on the other hand, was the concern about your mother. But still, how can a man not demand the due debt people owe him, no?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes lit up as he nodded and said, ¡°Alright. I¡¯m going with you.¡±


    ****


    Jingning District, Shanghai.


    As a black SUV slowly entered a factory gate, Tang Xiu, who was sitting in the car, looked pensive because there were more than ten security guards at the gate. All of them looked ordinary and didn¡¯t emit out a strong aura, yet each and every shadow of the soldiers loomed over every action they did.


    He was also keenly aware of many people lurking in the hidden corners in the surroundings. He had released his perception and found nearly 50 experts in a few hundreds of meters radius.


    ¡°The place is tightly guarded, Dad.¡± Tang Xiu turned to look at the calm-looking Tang Yunde and spoke slowly.


    ¡°That¡¯s certain, Son.¡± Tang Yunde smilingly said, ¡°This place is my biggest secret and also my biggest card. I know some layouts of our family, but even my father doesn¡¯t know what I¡¯ve arranged here. Back when in Star City, I didn¡¯t expect House Dolan to sniff my track, so I only felt a little danger, hence causing my negligence. Otherwise, if I were to bring a lot of manpower to strike House Dolan¡¯s men lurking in China, it would have been very difficult to say who¡¯d come out the victor.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face slightly shifted and he nodded wordlessly.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    When the black SUV stopped at the square outside the warehouse, Tang Xiu saw five men and women coming out of the warehouse, one of whom was a young woman he had seen before.


    ¡°Brother Tang.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Tang.¡±


    Ni Penggang went forward to greet Tang Yunde with a big hug, while Ni Jie behind him called out respectfully.


    ¡°This is the first time seeing your Little Jie after I woke up, isn¡¯t it, Penggang?¡± said Tang Yunde. ¡°I never thought the little lassie from that year has grown up now. She looks so much like you, very beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Haha, if you think she¡¯s a beauty, why don¡¯t you take her as the Tang Family¡¯s daughter-in-law then, Brother?¡± Ni Penggang smilingly said, ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve long heard about the well-known name of my nephew, Tang Xiu.¡±


    Tang Yunde burst into laughter. Then, he turned to Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, this is the brother who has faced dangers and braved death with me numerous times in the past, and that one is his daughter, Ni Jie. Penggang is one of our own and someone who we can entrust our back to.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Ni, Sister Jie, how do you do?¡± Tang Xiu greeted respectfully.


    ¡°I just knew it when your old man called me, Tang Xiu.¡± Ni Penggang smilingly said, ¡°I thought that we would just continue lying low for a long time to come. That¡¯s why I never thought you¡¯ve grown up to be so powerful in such a short time and made your old man bring you here. Let¡¯s go inside! I¡¯ll take you to see some people who will become your most loyal men in the future.¡±

 Chapter 1101 - How Is This Possible?

    Chapter 1101: How Is This Possible?


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu looked at Cheng Yannan with some disappointment. He never thought Cheng Yannan still had such a narrow vision after she became an ability user. The children on the training ground were indeed really young, but they, nevertheless, possessed powerful strength; any of them could easily kill a martial arts grandmaster should they go outside.


    ¡°Follow me!¡±


    Leaving this order, he took Cheng Yannan, Gu Yin, Kuwako Yamamoto, Mo Awu, and the rest to the training ground quickly.


    The discontent in Cheng Yannan¡¯s heart was not small, and her eyes constantly stared daggers at Tang Xiu¡¯s back. She was somewhat disappointed with him because she felt she wasn¡¯t taken seriously at all. He attended the training of that Japanese woman, Kuwako Yamamoto, by himself, while she used to be his old classmate. And yet, she was thrown into a group of children soldiers. Did that mean she must play babysitter for those children?


    Quickly after, Tang Xiu came to the training ground with the group. They saw some children carrying heavy sandbags while running¡ªpart of their weight training to exercise their physical strength, whereas some other children were sitting cross-legged on a stone slab and silently practicing.


    ¡°Get set!¡±


    Tang Xiu stepped on the air and walked step by step for a dozen meters high. He shouted loudly to the nearly 1,000 children on the training ground.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Figures flashed and moved quickly. In just ten seconds, nearly 1,000 children were arranged in an orderly formation.


    Cheng Yannan still held a contemptuous look as she followed Tang Xiu. She thought that Tang Xiu brought her here to make her lose face.


    However, when she saw how fast they moved, her heartbeat rapidly sped up and she couldn¡¯t help but exclaim, ¡°How is that possible?¡±


    Tang Xiu just shot her an indifferent glance. After the nearly 1,000 children gave the salute, he spoke in a deep voice. ¡°You looked down on them, Cheng Yannan, so I¡¯ll let them give you a good lesson today.¡±


    After saying that, he shifted his vision to the children and said aloud, ¡°All of you are the future talents of the sect, who will become a corps of powerhouses that follow me which I can summon at will. Though you are very young, you already know the cruelty of the world. You¡¯ve witnessed that the weak can only be trampled on and can only live a miserable life. I¡¯ve decided to assess you today. I hope I can see the results of your hard work in cultivation.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±


    A thousand children answered in unison.


    Nodding with satisfaction, Tang Xiu pointed to Cheng Yannan. ¡°She¡¯s our sect¡¯s new member because she and I have been good friends. That¡¯s why she feels rather conceited. She looks down on you after she previously came here and found out that she must train with you. She thought you are all just a group of babies who haven¡¯t grown up yet. Do you want her to look down on you?¡±


    ¡°NO! We refuse!¡±


    The eyes of nearly 1,000 children glared at Cheng Yannan at the same time. They seemingly couldn¡¯t wait to teach her a lesson.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you this chance, Cheng Yannan.¡± Tang Xiu provoked. ¡°You see, these 960 children soldiers like babies. But you can pick any one of them to have a spar. If you have energy and want to take on all of them one after another, I¡¯ll give my consent as well. You have my word that if you defeat even only one out of them, I¡¯ll apologize for my previous attitude and will arrange someone else to carry on special training for you. You can even expect me to invest a lot of cultivation resources so your progress of cultivation will advance rapidly and make you a formidable expert.¡±


    After seeing the speed of these children just now, Cheng Yannan felt her heart was faintly drumming. But the anger that was just dissipated filled her heart again after hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words. ¡°Are you out of your mind? You want me to bully these children? You know I already awakened my special abilities, don¡¯t you? Even eight to ten average big men are not my match!¡±


    ¡°Eight to ten big men, huh?¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°That¡¯s amazing! If so, you can pick any one of them. I wanna see how such a formidable ability user like yourself defeats these children.¡±


    ¡°YOU¡ª¡±


    Cheng Yannan held her breath and turned to look at the thousand children, saying aloud, ¡°Some of you, stand up. I want to see what kind of minor abilities you¡¯ve learned after undergoing Tang Xiu¡¯s training!¡±


    Whoosh!


    A thin figure quickly appeared in front of her. The boy¡¯s speed was so fast that Cheng Yannan was unable to react and only felt that he already appeared in front of her.


    ¡°My name is Tang Jin, please enlighten me.¡±


    The seven-plus-years-old Tang Jin acted like a small adult and spoke with courtesy by cupping his fists.


    Cheng Yannan felt funny, angry, and amused at the same time. Although she was angry with Tang Xiu for making fun of her, she was really reluctant to fight with the child before her. She hesitated for a moment, shook her head, and said, ¡°You¡¯re Tang Jin, right? Please don¡¯t make a fool of yourself. You¡¯re still a child and I just spoke like that since I¡¯m angry. No worries, I won¡¯t hit you.¡±


    ¡°Please enlighten me,¡± said Tang Jin with a serious face.


    ¡°Eh¡­¡± Cheng Yannan didn¡¯t expect this child would be this stubborn. She already spoke like that, yet the boy kept challenging her. Should she fight him? It¡¯d still a disgrace even if she did win because he was only a 7-years-old boy. But if she lost¡­ that was impossible. How could she lose to a child?


    However, she saw how serious Tang Jin¡¯s face was, so she shook her head and reluctantly said, ¡°You want to get a beating, so I¡¯ll teach you a lesson, brat! I¡¯ll make you realize that you¡¯re a child who doesn¡¯t know the immensity of the world.¡±


    Having said that, she moved with footwork faster than the average person¡¯s running speed. She appeared instantly in front of Tang Jin and delivered a punch to him. Though she only exerted a little of her strength, she was confident that her punch would surely hit the boy¡¯s shoulder and make him cry.


    Whoosh!


    An afterimage flashed and Cheng Yannan¡¯s punch that was supposed to be a sure hit was off the mark.


    ¡°How can this be?!!¡±


    Cheng Yannan¡¯s face froze. When she was about to turn her head to find Tang Jin¡¯s trace, she felt a huge force hit her back, sending her flying backward for seven-plus meters, and then heavily fell on the ground. She rolled over a few meters before finally stopping.


    Cough, cough¡­


    Feeling a burning pain on her back, Cheng Yannan felt the blood in her body turning chaotic. She quickly bounced up and shot a disbelieving look at Tang Jin.


    The boy looked at Tang Xiu somewhat disappointedly and said, ¡°She is too weak, Boss. Sparring with her is not the least bit challenging at all. Can I pass this?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s smiling face turned thicker and he shot a teasing look toward Cheng Yannan.


    In that instant, Cheng Yannan¡¯s face turned beet red. The anger on her face turned thicker as she shouted, ¡°You dare to look down on me, Tang Jin? Just wait, you¡¯ll see how I can pack you up!¡±


    She took two heavy breaths and then charged toward Tang Jin, deciding that she mustn¡¯t take the boy lightly this time. But when her first was about to reach him, she suddenly felt her vision blur and piercing pain hit her chest in that instant. While feeling suffocated, her body was flying upside down and backward.


    BAM¡­


    As she heavily fell to the ground, turbulent dread now filled her heart although the pain was not unbearable. She wasn¡¯t stupid. But only at this moment did she finally realize that Tang Jin¡¯s speed was too fast. She wasn¡¯t his opponent even though she unleashed everything she got.


    However, the child was clearly a seven-plus-years-old boy! He couldn¡¯t have such a formidable combat power even if he had been trained, right?


    Tang Xiu waved to Tang Jin and signaled for him to return to the row. Then, he looked at Cheng Yannan and smilingly said, ¡°How was it? Do you think these children are so easy to knock down now? That¡¯s right, did you hear Tang Jin¡¯s words? He doesn¡¯t want to spar with you since the current you is too weak and literally pose no challenge, like, at all.¡±


    Cheng Yannan was so furious and panted like she was going crazy. She never dreamed that a seven-plus-years-old child would be so powerful. She sternly glared at Tang Xiu and said aloud, ¡°Tang¡­ Sect Master, you must have made him come out intentionally, didn¡¯t you? You already knew he was this strong, so you wanted him to make me frustrated and lose my spirit?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I just said you can pick any of these nearly 1,000 children to be your sparring partner to accompany you to practice, didn¡¯t I?¡± Tang Xiu retorted in disdain.


    ¡°No need!¡±


    Cheng Yannan turned took at the children. She was adamant that Tang Xiu was deliberately saying that and thus, hinted the most powerful among these children to face her.


    ¡°You, come out!¡±


    She pointed to a certain boy who was of similar seven-plus years of age at the forefront of the lineup.


    ¡°Can I refuse?¡± The boy looked a bit helpless. ¡°You just sparred with Tang Jin and I¡¯ve seen everything. You¡¯re too weak. Having a spar with you will be really boring.¡±


    His response made Cheng Yannan gasp with fury. Never once had it occurred to her that this boy would give her a cold shoulder just because she lost a moment ago.


    That¡¯s right! She got shut out and a cold shoulder response!


    She, a 20-years-old adult and an ability user, was being looked down upon by a seven-plus-year-old child. This¡­ this literally gave her no face at all!


    ¡°Just wait until I spank your but, Brat! I¡¯ll make you cry!¡± Cheng Yannan yelled.


    ¡°Haih, since you wanna spar with me, then¡­ please enlighten me.¡± The boy sighed after he saluted.


    ¡®Bah, damn your enlightening!¡¯


    Cheng Yannan roared inwardly and charged towards the boy. She used her fastest speed and did not hold back anymore, unleashing everything to hit the boy.


    BAM¡­


    Still wearing a calm face, the boy delivered his punch in a similar fashion and met Cheng Yannan¡¯s punch head-on. However, his body was firmly rooted on the ground, whereas Cheng Yannan was sent flying backward screaming yet again. This time, she fell even more miserably since half of her face landed first to swipe the ground, causing her eyes to turn blue after the fall.

 Chapter 1102 - Embarrassed Beyond Words

    Chapter 1102: Embarrassed Beyond Words


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The boy, however, didn¡¯t take the chance to secure a victory strike, but ran to Cheng Yannan, extending his hand to care for her. ¡°A¡­ are you okay? I was afraid to use my full power just now. That was¡­ just half of my power, as using more was useless. You¡¯re too weak, and I didn¡¯t do that on purpose.¡±


    Puff¡­


    Cheng Yannan was flustered and exasperated. It was such a mental attack that made her spurt a mouthful of blood.


    She was already dumbfounded at this moment. She could still have an excuse if this little guy took the initiative to come out and defeat her. She thought that Tang Xiu must have brewed up some dirty tricks secretly if it was the case. But she picked this boy herself this time. And yet, how come his strength was so powerful? As she punched him it felt like she was hitting a steel plate, and the impact made her whole arm go numb.


    ¡°YOU¡ª¡±


    The boy hurriedly grabbed Cheng Yannan¡¯s other arm, pulled her up until she stood and spoke with concern, ¡°You¡¯re not injured, are you? We¡¯re not enemies, and I don¡¯t want to hurt you since we¡¯re on the same side.¡±


    Cheng Yannan¡¯s lips shivered. She looked up at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°What level of cultivation has he reached, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Tell her, little guy,¡± said Tang Xiu with a light smile.


    ¡°I just reached the late-stage of Qi Refining, but I¡¯m afraid it will be a while before I advance to the Foundation Establishment Stage,¡± answered the boy. ¡°But I¡¯ll definitely work hard to practice and have a breakthrough earlier later, Boss.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled and nodded at him. He then waved at him and looked at Cheng Yannan, asking, ¡°Well, how was it? You kept being hit and sent upside down, can your body still endure it? If you still can withstand, stand up once more and pick your new match. That¡¯s right, you haven¡¯t yet used your special ability, so you can try unleashing your special abilities and see which one is more powerful in the next spar, your special abilities or these children soldiers.¡±


    Cheng Yannan took a deep breath and looked at a five-year-old girl. This little girl was very thin and seemed like she had malnutrition. She hooked her finger toward the girl and said, ¡°Little girl, it¡¯s not like Big Sis wants to bully you. But Big Sis just lost her face, so I want to win at least once. You can go all out to attack me, and I¡¯ll be sure to be careful on my part.¡±


    The little girl smiled, revealing her two small tiger teeth, and said innocently, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, Big Sis. Boss already told us that we must go all out when fighting no matter what kind of enemies we face. I just got enlisted into the team for six months and I¡¯m the weakest among my companions.¡±


    ¡°Ehh? What do you mean, Lil Sis?¡± asked Cheng Yannan with a frown.


    ¡°That means you¡¯re already very powerful if you can win me, Big Sis.¡± The little girl laughed and said, ¡°But if you can¡¯t defeat me, you don¡¯t have to challenge the rest anymore because you won¡¯t be able to defeat anyone else.¡±


    Cheng Yannan¡¯s face turned black. She almost couldn¡¯t resist punching the girl. It was crystal clear to her now that none of these seemingly harmless and innocent little guys were weak and easy to deal with as they seemed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s fight!¡± Cheng Yannan didn¡¯t bother speaking anymore. She needed to defeat one of them and gain back her dignity.


    The little girl slightly bowed. ¡°Please enlighten me.¡±


    In order to gain back more of her dignity, Cheng Yannan directly spoke, ¡°You move first!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    The little girl hesitated for a moment. Then, she observed Cheng Yannan¡¯s left and right face and seriously said, ¡°Big Sis, I think the bruise on your face isn¡¯t symmetrical and kind of ruins your attractive face. But worry not, I¡¯m going to help you, and you¡¯ll look pretty again.¡±


    As her voice faded away, her fresh, reddish fist had already appeared in front of Cheng Yannan. Just as the latter¡¯s pupils shrunk and had no time to block or dodge it, that pink fist had already hit her right eyelid. Just as she felt blurry after getting punched in the head and tried to retreat backward, the little girl¡¯s shadow closely followed her and sent a barrage of punches on the right half of her face. Only then did this little lassie step back, looking satisfied.


    ¡°Umm?!¡±


    The little lassie looked dull and halted as she saw Cheng Yannan fall to the ground and cover the right side of her face.


    Tang Xiu looked at Cheng Yannan with a strange face and shifted to the little girl with a similarly bizarre expression. He suddenly laughed and said aloud, ¡°Hahaha, I made you stay here to train without any malice toward you whatsoever, Cheng Yannan. Those three kids, regardless of how tender their age is, are equally qualified to be your teachers. You should understand the principle of those who deserve to be called teachers regardless of any profession, shouldn¡¯t you? So, stay here and train well. I¡¯ll send someone to feed and strengthen you later, hahaha.¡±


    Mo Awu and Kuwako Yamamoto¡¯s faces were also flushed at this moment. They quickly rushed out of the training ground. They wanted to laugh but then remembered that they would work with Cheng Yannan in the future, so they could only hardly suppress the urge until they rushed out of the training ground and finally burst into laughter.


    Crawling up difficultly from the ground despite the burning pain in her face, Cheng Yannan felt that her self-esteem was just hit harder now.


    She had lost! Completely and thoroughly in just one blow!


    She originally didn¡¯t want to bully these three little guys, but it resulted in her losing three fights and getting beaten by these three kids. No¡­ she got beaten thrice.


    Only now did she finally realize clearly how narrow her previous thoughts were. She had looked down on these children, but it turned out that it was she who was ignorant to the extreme. It was very likely that any of these children could defeat her.


    ¡°Tang Xiu! ¡­ Sect Master!¡±


    With an apologetic face, Cheng Yannan glanced deeply at the direction where Tang Xiu just vanished. Then, she shouted, ¡°You¡¯re back, Mo Awu.¡±


    After spending some time laughing, Mo Awu returned to the training ground and looked at Cheng Yannan¡¯s swollen face. He tried hard to restrain himself from laughing, saying, ¡°What¡¯s up? You don¡¯t feel training with them is a shameful thing now, right?¡±


    ¡°I was wrong for misunderstanding Sect Master,¡± said Cheng Yannan bitterly. ¡°Anyhow, I wanna ask you to train me well and make me as powerful as these children, Mo Awu.¡±


    ¡°Those who know and admit their faults will be able to reform themselves.¡± Mo Awu gave a thumbs up and praised. ¡°You finally realized it, so we¡¯ll officially begin! Anyhow, lemme warn you first. The next training will be very painful and tiresome. You¡¯ll realize later that every minute and second is very difficult for you to hold on, so what I want from you is to stick with it. Can you do it?¡±


    ¡°I can and I will!¡± replied Cheng Yannan while shooting a look at the thousand children.


    Mo Awu nodded in response and shouted, ¡°Everyone, dismissed! Cheng Yannan, go to the equipment room and take your equipment. Report to me here in five minutes!¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the equipment room, though?¡± asked Cheng Yannan.


    Mo Awu stared blankly first, then immediately ordered aloud. ¡°Tang Jin, take her to the equipment room and take each set of equipment. Starting today, you¡¯re responsible for her training, so carry it out according to the training you got when you just started. But keep in mind not to delay your own cultivation.¡±


    ¡°Roger that, Sir!¡± Tang Jin rushed over.


    The corner of Cheng Yannan¡¯s mouth twitched a few times. She felt ashamed to be trained by a 7-plus years old kid. However, she then recalled Tang Jin¡¯s strength and felt much better.


    ****


    On the ninth barren island.


    After Tang Xiu brought Kuwako here, he began special training for her. His training method was very brutal since he sealed up the acupoints on her body, causing her unable to use her True Essence energy. Further, he personally cut ten blocks of stone from a rocky mountain, the lightest one being 150kg and the heaviest one being around two tons, which he ordered Kuwako to lift the giant obelisk and do various kinds of training on the ninth barren island.


    However, the dozen peripheral members of the Tang Sect stationed on the island joined the training after seeing Kuwako grit her teeth and persevere on the bitter and painstaking training. Even though their cultivation was lower, their physical strength and constitution were not weak either.


    The training was torture, yet it made them grow!


    These people, like Kuwako Yamamoto, continually improved their strength by following Tang Xiu¡¯s training program. There were even two outer disciples who made a breakthrough in their cultivation and became Foundation Establishment Stage experts and therefore, became official disciples of the Tang Sect.


    Seven days later, Kuwako Yamamoto succeeded in absorbing all the accumulated medicinal energy in her system and, after breaking the limit of her physique, successfully advanced to the late-stage of the Golden Core Stage.


    In these seven days, apart from supervising her cultivation routine, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t fall back in his own cultivation. He had also made big progress this week, though he had yet to activate any astral supernatural abilities.


    ¡°No need to rush.¡±


    After consoling himself, Tang Xiu returned to Nine Dragons Island and spent two days tending to some issues. Then, he arranged Tom Reggie and Kuwako Yamamoto to leave, whereas he grabbed Tang 28 and left for China.


    ****


    Back to Shanghai.


    Tang Yunde was sitting in the study of the villa at Bluestar Villa Complex. He was holding a book and silently reading it. In front of him were two middle-aged men in black suits, standing like stone statues with respectful faces.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    The ringtone of a cell phone interrupted Tang Yunde¡¯s train of thought and reading. After putting down the book, he picked up the phone and saw the caller on the screen. His face immediately shifted as he connected the phone call and spoke, ¡°How was it? You got any news?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve clarified the news. He¡¯s in the Y country,¡± a low and deep voice replied from the phone.


    A chilling light flashed in Tang Yunde¡¯s eyes as he said in a deep voice, ¡°Send me his specific coordinates and keep tabs on him.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± the voice answered and then hung up.


    Tang Yunde drew a deep breath. He then looked at the two middle-aged men and said in a deep voice, ¡°Immediately go to Y country. Remember, Xiao Wu will cooperate with you and keep a close tab on that bastard. Also, find some underground forces and pay them some money to move them out.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± the two middle-aged men replied and strode out of the study.


    Outside the villa.


    Tang Xiu had just taken out the door card from his interspatial ring when the villa¡¯s door was opened from the inside and two stalwart men came out.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Tang Xiu was sure he had never seen these two men, but they appeared in his own home now. This was not normal.


    ¡°Young Master Tang!¡±


    The two stalwart men had seen Tang Xiu¡¯s photos and thus recognized his identity, and called out respectfully.

 Chapter 1103 - The Secret Chess Pieces

    Chapter 1103: The Secret Chess Pieces


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu slightly furrowed his brows. But as he instantly released his perception, his furrowed brows stretched and he smiled. ¡°You came with my father. But what happened, though?¡±


    One of the big men respectfully said, ¡°Young Master Tang, our cargo ship was robbed at sea. Our investigation found the other party isn¡¯t a pirate but a foreign force who has been targeting us¡­ the Ingres Firm.¡±


    ¡®Ingres Firm?!¡¯


    The name was vaguely familiar to Tang Xiu, but he couldn¡¯t pinpoint where he had heard it from. Since he was unable to recall it, he waved and gestured the two men to leave, and then entered the villa alone. He bumped into a housemaid who was cleaning the interior and then went to the study on the second floor after greeting her.


    Knock, knock¡­


    Tang Xiu knocked on the door and then pushed it. He saw his father, Tang Yunde, frowning deeply and didn¡¯t hear him knocking, submerged in his own thoughts. He immediately let out a smile and said, ¡°What are you thinking about, Dad? You seem spellbound by something.¡±


    Tang Yunde immediately came back to his senses. After seeing Tang Xiu who just appeared in front of him, he looked a bit happy and asked, ¡°Did you just come back? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be in Nine Dragons Island now?¡±


    ¡°Everything there has been arranged, so I naturally came back to handle something,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°Anyhow, you seem to have bumped into some accidents here, though?¡±


    ¡°Some people are destined to be enemies in life, though I didn¡¯t expect them to be rabid dogs.¡± Tang Yunde sighed helplessly. ¡°They still aggressively charge forward to bite once their target appears even if we never hint nor try to be enemies with them. The losses this time were not big, but some of our men died.¡±


    ¡°Was it done by the Ingres Firm?¡± asked Tang Xiu curiously.


    ¡°Huh? How did you know?¡± Tang Yunde was stunned and immediately asked.


    ¡°I just bumped into your men in the courtyard, Dad,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Tang Yunde quickly understood and then forced a smile. ¡°Yeah, those people from the Ingres Firm are the culprits. It¡¯s a company that relies entirely on arms sales. To be more precise, they are House Dolan¡¯s, since the real person in charge of Ingres Firm is one of the top three men in House Dolan, Anmoore Dolan.¡±


    It was then that Tang Xiu realized why he felt this Ingres Firm sounded familiar just now. There was a record on this Ingres Firm when he previously investigated House Dolan. However, there was only a scant number of information on it, while the person in charge was also very low-key.


    Tang Xiu slightly furrowed his brows and asked, ¡°Is there any chance House Dolan got the news that you¡¯re still alive?¡±


    ¡°I also think that it should be the case.¡± Tang Yunde nodded. ¡°House Dolan lost big time in past incidents, especially after we killed their most favored scion. They kinda put us as a thorn in their eyes and just couldn¡¯t wait to eliminate us quickly.¡±


    Tang Xiu curled his mouth upward and asked, ¡°Well, do you know who¡¯s the most favored scion of House Dolan now, Dad?¡±


    Tang Yunde was stunned, then he immediately let out a bitter smile. ¡°Had you asked me about that a few days ago, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to answer. However, since the incident where my cargo ship was hijacked, I contacted the head operatives of the Darkwind organization in China. I got the info from him that the most favored scion of House Dolan now is their most outstanding junior called Angelo Dolan.¡±


    Without inquiring more detailed info about House Dolan, Tang Xiu said with a chilling tone, ¡°Angelo Dolan is dead along with dozens of genetic warriors from the SOE company. That was the interest they paid for the debt they owe you from the past! But I wanna know about the situation about this Darkwind organization in the mainland, Dad.¡±


    An inconceivable look on his face, Tang Yunde asked in surprise, ¡°What did you just say? Angelo Dolan is dead? How can that be?¡±


    ¡°He brought a lot of experts with him to Saipan and severely injured some of my men. Then, I made a very powerful person submit to me and successfully found his location with his help. House Dolan no longer has an Angelo Dolan from now on.¡±


    Tang Yunde looked at his son deeply. Then, he raised a thumbs up and praised. ¡°I killed their most favored scion in the past, and now my son followed suit. I really didn¡¯t just lay in bed for two decades in vain. Anyhow, what do you wanna do with the Darkwind organization, though?¡±


    ¡°This Darkwind organization is hidden in every corner of the world, and I feel they are like cancer,¡± said Tang Xiu calmly. ¡°They sold info about me once to others, so I obliterated that branch. Additionally, I also removed their branch in Saipan.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t act too recklessly, Son.¡± Tang Yunde gasped in horror. ¡°The Darkwind may only be an intelligence agency, but rumors have it that it¡¯s stronger than the top three major organizations in the world. The extent of its hidden forces is still in the dark, and nobody could figure it out until now.¡±


    ¡°Heh, don¡¯t you think you¡¯ll still be under their tabs for whatever you do in the future, Dad?¡± Tang Xiu sneered.


    ¡°This¡­¡± Tang Yunde hesitated a bit and helplessly said, ¡°But then again, we got no other choice! The Darkwind has been in existence for centuries. Members of this organization rarely show their faces and are like mice, hiding in dark corners and constantly developing their intelligence network. Even the intelligence networks of various countries around the world can¡¯t contend with it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly because the Darkwind¡¯s intel network is too strong that it¡¯s necessary to get rid of and replace them, Dad.¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve already prepared many arrangements, so you can rest assured about it! That¡¯s why I can tell you that I¡¯m sure to completely obliterate this organization from the face of Earth even if we lose all decorum with them now.¡±


    Tang Yunde had heard about the establishment of the Tang Sect by Tang Xiu. He also heard that his son had brought a lot of experts to kill demonic beasts in the Himalayas and his great military exploits. He knew his son was very strong, still, his son¡¯s words sent a quake in his heart.


    ¡®Destroying the Darkwind organization? If my son can destroy this organization, then, does he have the power to reach the top of the pyramid in the world?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ve assigned people to establish an intelligence network myself, Dad.¡± Tang Xiu went on. ¡°I¡¯ll also increase my investment in this endeavor, so I¡¯ll be able to compile a huge information network around the world within three years. I won¡¯t only remove House Dolan, but will also disintegrate this Darkwind organization and make them disappear from the world.¡±


    ¡°How confident are you, exactly, Son?¡± asked Tang Yunde hastily.


    ¡°100%,¡± answered Tang Xiu solemnly.


    Tang Yunde got up from the sofa abruptly, looking ecstatic as he said aloud, ¡°You¡¯re great, Son! You¡¯re truly much better than your old man. Anyhow, come with me to a certain place. There¡¯s something I need to tell you, and I want you to have some people too.¡±


    Tang Xiu was stunned. ¡°Huh? You got something I still don¡¯t know about, Dad?¡±


    Tang Yunde grinned. ¡°I may have been lying in the hospital bed for many years, but is there anyone who has no secret? Before I got hit so badly that it caused me to go vegetative, I¡¯ve actually been preparing for revenge. Although I¡¯ve been staying in Star City, on the one hand, it was due to my disappointment, while on the other hand, was the concern about your mother. But still, how can a man not demand the due debt people owe him, no?¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes lit up as he nodded and said, ¡°Alright. I¡¯m going with you.¡±


    ****


    Jingning District, Shanghai.


    As a black SUV slowly entered a factory gate, Tang Xiu, who was sitting in the car, looked pensive because there were more than ten security guards at the gate. All of them looked ordinary and didn¡¯t emit out a strong aura, yet each and every shadow of the soldiers loomed over every action they did.


    He was also keenly aware of many people lurking in the hidden corners in the surroundings. He had released his perception and found nearly 50 experts in a few hundreds of meters radius.


    ¡°The place is tightly guarded, Dad.¡± Tang Xiu turned to look at the calm-looking Tang Yunde and spoke slowly.


    ¡°That¡¯s certain, Son.¡± Tang Yunde smilingly said, ¡°This place is my biggest secret and also my biggest card. I know some layouts of our family, but even my father doesn¡¯t know what I¡¯ve arranged here. Back when in Star City, I didn¡¯t expect House Dolan to sniff my track, so I only felt a little danger, hence causing my negligence. Otherwise, if I were to bring a lot of manpower to strike House Dolan¡¯s men lurking in China, it would have been very difficult to say who¡¯d come out the victor.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s face slightly shifted and he nodded wordlessly.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    When the black SUV stopped at the square outside the warehouse, Tang Xiu saw five men and women coming out of the warehouse, one of whom was a young woman he had seen before.


    ¡°Brother Tang.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Tang.¡±


    Ni Penggang went forward to greet Tang Yunde with a big hug, while Ni Jie behind him called out respectfully.


    ¡°This is the first time seeing your Little Jie after I woke up, isn¡¯t it, Penggang?¡± said Tang Yunde. ¡°I never thought the little lassie from that year has grown up now. She looks so much like you, very beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Haha, if you think she¡¯s a beauty, why don¡¯t you take her as the Tang Family¡¯s daughter-in-law then, Brother?¡± Ni Penggang smilingly said, ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve long heard about the well-known name of my nephew, Tang Xiu.¡±


    Tang Yunde burst into laughter. Then, he turned to Tang Xiu and said, ¡°Xiu¡¯er, this is the brother who has faced dangers and braved death with me numerous times in the past, and that one is his daughter, Ni Jie. Penggang is one of our own and someone who we can entrust our back to.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Ni, Sister Jie, how do you do?¡± Tang Xiu greeted respectfully.


    ¡°I just knew it when your old man called me, Tang Xiu.¡± Ni Penggang smilingly said, ¡°I thought that we would just continue lying low for a long time to come. That¡¯s why I never thought you¡¯ve grown up to be so powerful in such a short time and made your old man bring you here. Let¡¯s go inside! I¡¯ll take you to see some people who will become your most loyal men in the future.¡±

 Chapter 1104 - Luck Factor

    Chapter 1104: Luck Factor


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu nodded wordlessly. He once sent his men to investigate Ni Jie, and naturally knew that Ni Penggang was a businessman. Only, he didn¡¯t expect that the man had such a deep relationship with his father. As they headed to the warehouse, Tang Yunde spoke, ¡°Penggang¡¯s older brother was also a brother who braved dangers and death with me in the past, Son. But he met his death on the battlefield when he went to battle with House Dolan with me then. Penggang, however, retired early due to special reasons.¡±


    Tang Xiu suddenly realized why the plan arranged his father in the past was still being implemented even though more than two decades had passed. It was because there were still people carrying it out.


    A murderous glint flashed in Ni Penggang¡¯s eyes, but he shook his head and said, ¡°My brother raised me up, and we were both bound by a common destiny, facing weal and woe together. I didn¡¯t expect him to leave so early, so I¡¯ll make sure to obliterate House Dolan thoroughly. All their clansmen must die!¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s pace came to a halt as he watched Ni Penggang¡¯s back. His figure suddenly flashed and appeared in front of him instantly. As he took out four silver needles from his interspatial ring, he instantly pierced his acupoints and, at the same time, grasped a sharp dagger and made a bleeding wound on the acupoint outside Ni Penggang¡¯s lungs.


    ¡°Xiu¡¯er!¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu!!!¡±


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s actions, Tang Yunde and Ni Jie¡¯s complexions drastically changed and called out in alarm, whereas the men and women around looked grim and exchanged dismayed glances as they moved toward them.


    Tang Xiu ignored his father and Ni Jie altogether. While looking at the pale-faced Ni Penggang, Tang Xiu said in a deep tone, ¡°I already realized there are some problems with your body at first sight. The killing intent in you is too heavy, and it has affected the energy circulation in your heart and lungs. Although you can¡¯t see anything, if this condition goes on, the killing intent, resentment, and other negative emotions caused by Yin energy will erode and damage your brain, and also cause your heart and lungs to fail and then lead you to die in pain.


    ¡°Now, sit cross-legged and do as I say.


    ¡°Please rest assured. You¡¯re my father¡¯s life-and-death brother and an elder I respect. I won¡¯t harm you.¡±


    Ni Penggang¡¯s complexion quickly returned to normal after hearing this. He trusted Tang Yunde since he believed the man also harbored hatred towards House Dolan as deep as his. Therefore, he also trusted Tang Xiu since he was Tang Yunde¡¯s son.


    Sitting cross-legged, Ni Penggang silently closed his eyes.


    ¡°You must have been cultivating in Qigong, but the opened-up meridians are of Yin type, so your cultivation technique itself has a problem,¡± continued Tang Xiu in a deep voice. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have been a problem if the one who cultivated it was a woman, but you¡¯re a man with vigorous Yang energy, so practicing it became a big problem for you.


    ¡°Concentrate and calm your mind. Control the energy in your system and let it all flow toward the lungs and acupoints. I¡¯ve already opened a hole there, and now is your turn to excrete all the Yin energy in your system.¡±


    Ni Penggang suddenly opened his eyes and stared at Tang Xiu. ¡°But forcing out all the Yin energy in my body is equal to discarding my cultivation, Nephew! I haven¡¯t yet avenged the enmity, how can I become disabled?¡±


    ¡°Please trust me, Uncle Ni.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°I won¡¯t let you become a waste, but will give you a huge benefit instead.¡±


    ¡®Trust him? And it will be beneficial for me?¡¯


    After his complexion changed a few times, Ni Penggang only hesitated for less than three seconds before he shut his eyes and circulated the True Qi in his system to force out the Yin energy, forcing it to gather and flow to the lungs¡¯ acupoints.


    Puff¡­


    Blood splattered and the temperature around Ni Penggang dropped several degrees in just half a minute. Tang Xiu himself wasn¡¯t affected, but Tang Yunde and Ni Jie, who were very close to Ni Penggang, looked horrified and hurriedly retreated several steps.


    They felt the change of temperature just now and the burst of strong negative emotions and killing urge in their hearts, even though the person they wanted to kill was not Ni Penggang. Yet, that burst of negative emotion still made them horrified regardless.


    Time passed by and half an hour quickly fleeted by. Ni Penggang felt a sense of weakness. The True Qi he had painstakingly cultivated had been forced out and all the Yin energy in his system had been completely discharged.


    Tang Xiu kept paying attention to Ni Penggang¡¯s condition. After discovering his condition, he immediately pulled out four silver needless from his body and took out the medicinal ointment and applied it to the wound above his lungs. He then took out a medicinal pill and stuffed it into Ni Penggang¡¯s mouth, saying, ¡°Keep concentrating and refine your Qi. Sense the flow of qi in your body and then circulate it according to this cultivation route.¡±


    Having said that, Tang Xiu held his wrist and checked his pulse while transferring a thread of his Primal Chaos energy into his body to quickly absorb the energy contained in the pill.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Opening up new meridians and acupoints was a joyous occasion for a cultivator, but Ni Penggang, who suffered a lot of pain, still made up his mind not to experience even one-tenth of this painful process ever again.


    However, he still wanted to know how beneficial it was just like Tang Xiu said. Thus, he persevered and steeled himself from fainting because of pain.


    This time, three hours passed by as Ni Penggang felt his brain was as though filled with roars. The pain in his body disappeared like a tide, replaced by a warm flow of energy that circulated throughout his system and gave birth to intense comfort.


    It was so comfortable that he felt like he was soaking himself in warm water. He almost moaned due to the deep comfort.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s voice then sounded in his ear. ¡°Memorize this circulation route of True Essence energy. Circulate your energy every day for at least 49 days. You can successfully embark on the cultivation path and become a Qi Refining Stage cultivator after three months.¡±


    ¡®A cultivator at the Qi Refining Stage?¡¯


    Although Ni Penggang had no clue what this Qi Refining Stage meant, he knew the existence of cultivators¡ªsome god-like characters in his eyes, who possessed mysterious supernatural abilities and power that was enough to make countless people worship them.


    Seeing the painful look on her father¡¯s face disappear completely, Ni Jie¡¯s restlessness finally eased down. She looked at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°H-how¡­ is my father¡¯s condition?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s doing great now. It can be said what happened to him was a blessing in disguise,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°The erosion of Yin energy in his system has badly harmed his internal condition, but after it got discharged, it left behind True Essence energy after he cultivated in the cultivation technique I taught him. That¡¯s because the constant erosion of his physique was like an unceasing tempering that makes his physical condition to be much better than the average people because of the nourishment of the True Essence energy.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t understand anything you said.¡± Ni Jie shook her head.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t understand.¡± Tang Xiu smilingly replied, ¡°You just need to know there¡¯s no hidden danger left in your father¡¯s body anymore. He¡¯ll even be much better than before after he wakes up.¡±


    Ni Jie¡¯s lips squirmed a few times and she held some doubts over the statement. She had clearly seen Tang Xiu¡¯s action. He used four silver needles to pierce her father¡¯s body and even used a dagger to make a bleeding wound. How could it be possible that it was beneficial to him?


    Night fell and the chilling stream of energy made Ni Jie, whose physique was frail, shiver and her face to go pale. Tang Xiu, who sat not far from her, shook his head secretly. He took his coat off and handed it to her, saying, ¡°Wear this.¡±


    Ni Jie took the jacket and nodded without a word.


    Tang Xiu shifted his focus to Ni Penggang. As his body moved, he immediately said with a smile, ¡°If my guess is correct, Uncle Ni should be waking up very soon.¡±


    As he just said, Ni Penggang woke up from his cultivation as Tang Xiu¡¯s voice dissipated. When his sight was restored, he saw Tang Yunde, Tang Xiu, his daughter Ni Jie, and the rest sitting in front of him. He directly jumped up from the ground and moved his arm and underbody. He sensed the strength contained in his body now, and the way he looked at Tang Xiu suddenly turned different.


    ¡°This is a very powerful strength,¡± murmured Ni Penggang, a bit excited.


    ¡°It was due to the Essence Amassing Pill, so of course, it will be greatly beneficial to you,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°Do you remember what I said before? Keep circulating your True Essence energy for 49 days every day and do it according to this circulation route. Keep practicing it for at least three months.¡±


    Ni Penggang firmly nodded. He then hesitated and inquired. ¡°Tang Xiu, you told me that I can become a cultivator if I persist for three months. Is that right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°The cultivation technique I taught you is one to reach immortality, though there are still the next contents to be taught. But I¡¯ll impart you the whole set of this cultivation technique later, so it won¡¯t be a problem for you to walk on the path of immortality in the future as long as you devote your time for cultivation well.¡±


    ¡®Walking on the cultivation path and becoming an immortal?!¡¯


    Ni Penggang¡¯s mouth twitched a few times and felt Tang Xiu was exaggerating a bit.


    ¡°You seem to be more fortunate than me, Penggang!¡± Tang Yunde chuckled and said, ¡°Xiu¡¯er had long taught me a cultivation technique too, but I haven¡¯t yet succeeded in cultivating True Essence energy until now. Well, I took some good things too, quite a lot. But well, it was of no use.¡±


    Ni Penggang¡¯s eyes instantly shone. He excitedly looked at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°That reminds me of something, Nephew! You just said you gave me a medicinal pill, right? Your uncle is already old and it¡¯s likely I won¡¯t have an easy time in cultivation later. The progress speed of my cultivation can be faster with the help of these pills.¡±


    Tang Xiu took a jade bottle from his interspatial ring and gave it to Ni Penggang while smiling. ¡°There are ten Essence Amassing Pills here, but you mustn¡¯t take it in the next three months. Cultivation is like constructing a building. If the foundation isn¡¯t solid enough, it will be easy to encounter qi deviation symptoms in the future. You should also understand the principal truth that haste makes waste, Uncle Ni, so don¡¯t take this pill in any situation and just continue to practice for the next three months. You can still easily suppress some martial arts grandmaster experts later even without taking it.¡±


    ¡®I can easily suppress martial arts grandmaster level experts?¡¯


    Ni Penggang blinked and his heartbeat sped up a few times, asking, ¡°You¡¯re not lying to me, are you, Nephew?¡±

 Chapter 1105 - Unbelievable

    Chapter 1105: Unbelievable


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang couldn¡¯t help laughing as he saw the anticipation on Ni Penggang¡¯s face. He took out two cigs and handed them to the man and his father before lighting them up. After lit one for himself, he took two deep puffs slowly and then smilingly spoke, ¡°How can I lie to you, Uncle? Your current strength should exceed what you have previously. You can give it a try if you don¡¯t believe me.¡±


    Ni Penggang hesitated for a moment before he immediately looked at the two middle-aged men standing nearby. After waving at them, he said, ¡°You two are powerful experts. I can defeat you one on one, but I¡¯d have a hard time facing you both at the same time. I wanna have a spar with you both.¡±


    The two middle-aged men exchanged glances and one of them wore a strange smile. ¡°Are you sure, Boss?¡±


    Ni Penggang paced a step forward in response, hooking a finger at him and saying, ¡°Come at me and unleash everything you got.¡±


    ¡°Roger that!¡±


    The two men exchanged glances and immediately charged toward Ni Penggang. Their speed was very fast and their strength was strong as well. Each of their movements created whistling sounds, and their striking punch had already reached Ni Penggang.


    Brows slightly furrowed, Ni Penggang engaged in footwork and instantly evaded the two men¡¯s strikes and shouted sternly, ¡°Did you guys not eat yet or something? I told you to give me everything you got!¡±


    The two middle-aged men looked confused. They had clearly gone all out, for God¡¯s sake! Their joint attack just now carried their rich combat experience and was flawless, and yet, why did Ni Penggang avoid them so easily?


    ¡°His speed,¡± whispered a middle-aged man.


    The other one squinted and replied, ¡°Even if he is stronger than before, we¡¯re not weak ourselves. Let¡¯s continue.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Both of them were hardened experts and had rich actual combat experience. They constantly forced Ni Penggang to retreat with their joint attack. No matter what they did, however, they were still unable to injure him and weren¡¯t able to take any advantage. Even Ni Penggang¡¯s counterattacking punches and kicks hit them instead.


    ¡°STOP!¡±


    Ni Penggang ceased attacking and stood still in his spot. He furrowed his brows and shouted, ¡°What the hell are you two doing, huh? I told you to give me all you got, didn¡¯t I? Your strikes today are too soft, and your speed is so slow! I could have swept your teeth clean if I wanted to in just half a minute.¡±


    ¡°What?!!¡±


    The two men¡¯s eyes stared wide and just dumbly stared at Ni Penggang¡¯s angry face. Suddenly, they seemed to realize something and turned to look at Tang Xiu with a burning hope.


    It took only half a day, but Tang Xiu was able to make their Boss, Ni Penggang, more formidable. It was a method that went against the natural order. They both also wanted to become stronger and advance a level in a short time like that.


    Tang Xiu felt a bit amused inwardly after seeing their looks. He came to Ni Penggang¡¯s side and half-smilingly said, ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t that they didn¡¯t go all out, Uncle Ni. It¡¯s because you¡¯ve become stronger. You may not realize it yet, but you¡¯ll only understand how formidable a cultivator is after you¡¯ve really advanced to the Qi Refining Stage. You¡¯ll see that you¡¯re ten times stronger than the current you by then.¡±


    Ni Penggang stared blankly at Tang Xiu for a moment. Then, he shifted his focus to his two men and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Are you sure you have gone all out just now?¡±


    ¡°We are 100% sure. We even squeezed out every bit of our power.¡±


    The two men were secretly disappointed to find that Tang Xiu just straightly ignored them. They immediately answered seriously upon hearing Ni Penggang¡¯s inquiry.


    Ni Penggang turned silent. Only after a long time did he finally look up and touch his chin, saying, ¡°I¡¯m going to follow and work under you later, Tang Xiu.¡±


    ¡°Ehh? Please don¡¯t say that, Uncle Ni!¡± Tang Xiu hurriedly interjected. ¡°Dad is watching us, and you¡¯ll only make him give me some lessons!¡±


    A smile appeared on Tang Yunde¡¯s face. He was very satisfied with his son¡¯s performance today. He and Ni Penggang were life-and-death brothers and had common enemies. Yet, he didn¡¯t have 100% assurance that the latter didn¡¯t felt any dissent and disloyalty after so many years. But regardless of that, he had literally submitted to his son.


    ¡°Anyway, hand over the security company and its manpower to Xiu¡¯er, Penggang! I¡¯m sure he can train a large number of elite soldiers under his leadership, so we can avenge our enmity by then,¡± said Tang Yunde smilingly.


    ¡°The senior members of our security company were all formed by you, Brother Tang. I¡¯ve only been replenishing the new blood, so the number of manpower of the company has now reached 80 people,¡± said Ni Penggang without hesitation. ¡°You can be assured that all of them are loyal and reliable brothers, so I¡¯m very relieved to give them to Tang Xiu since this boy has the abilities.¡±


    In the warehouse, the entire 80 members of Cloud Cauldron Security Company were all performing physical training. Beads of sweat had them drenched wet and they looked tired at this moment, yet none of them stopped training.


    BAM¡­


    A man who was as strong as an ox was kicking the hanging sandbags swiftly and fiercely. His naked upper body looked glossy, and awful scars decorated his streamlined muscles, which showed that he had faced and frequented life-and-death battles countless times. A scar also painted his face from the right eyebrow to the left, looking like a lying scorpion, making him look fearsome.


    ¡°Change your sandbag to the one that is more resistant to kicking, Yang Hu!¡±


    A stalwart man grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat from his face and neck. He squeezed the towel to force the sweat out, shook his head and shouted.


    ¡°We got no sandbag more resistant to kicking, Captain. You kicked and blasted two of them this month. That was our last stock,¡± a similarly tall young man in a black exercise suit rolled his eyes and answered with a helpless face.


    The burly man¡¯s brows turned ´¨ and he angrily retorted. ¡°Are all the manufacturers that produce these shitty sandbags trash or something? Or are those bastards in the arsenal embezzling the funds and materials? These damn sandbags are not even enough for me to use even for 3 to 5 days¡ªso fucking rubbish!¡±


    The young man flung his face to the side directly. He was crystal clear about his captain¡¯s strength and power. Even if his punching power didn¡¯t reach 250kg, it shouldn¡¯t be far off either. His kicking power was even more exaggerated at around 600kg each foot. Coupled with his 1.9-meter height, he was absolutely a humanoid monster.


    Clap, clap, clap¡­


    Following his father and Ni Penggang into the warehouse, Tang Xiu¡¯s vision swept over the burly man and he applauded smilingly. ¡°What good strength. It¡¯s very rare for the average person to have such a big strength. But well, the quality of sandbags produced by the factories is indeed appalling. But if you need some sandbags, I¡¯ll have my men send you some that are impossible to explode even if you have thousands of pounds of punching power.¡±


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    The burly man nodded to Ni Penggang and just glanced at Tang Xiu apathetically. When his gaze shifted to Tang Yunde, his pupils shrunk and disbelief overflowed from his eyes. The towel in his hand fell to the floor and his body trembled. He charged forward like crazy toward Tang Yunde and loudly exclaimed, ¡°You¡­ are¡­ Captain?!!¡±


    Tang Yunde¡¯s eyes were a bit moist. He didn¡¯t allow Ni Penggang to tell the news that he was still alive to the rest of their brothers. He had been planning to hand them over to his son one day, so they could work for him.


    ¡°Zaibiao.¡± Tang Yunde¡¯s lips squirmed as he looked at the burly Li Zaibiao¡¯s disbelieving face and slowly raised his arms.


    Clap¡­


    The two men¡¯s palm tightly gripped one another. They hugged tightly and patted each other¡¯s back. They were unable to calm their stirred-up emotions for a long time.


    ¡°Captain!¡±


    ¡°Instructor!!¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang!!!¡±


    Moving fast like a whirlwind, a dozen drenched wet middle-aged men quickly dashed to Tang Yunde¡¯s front. All of them wore shocked and pleasantly surprised expressions.


    Tang Yunde released Li Zaibiao and embraced each and every one of the burly middle-aged men.


    Words were not necessary among men, for they only needed to know that you were safe and sound to show their sincerest attitude.


    But the rest of these stalwart men, more than 60 of them, were looking confused, though they felt that Tang Yunde was vaguely familiar.


    ¡°Who¡¯s this guy?¡± asked a big man who was holding a dumbbell with blue veins protruding on his forehead.


    ¡°No idea, mate!¡±


    ¡°But he looks familiar, though?¡±


    ¡°Well, could he be one of us? Besides, Cap¡¯ seems to forget himself meeting him.¡±


    ¡°Did you hear what Cap¡¯ just addressed him? Captain?¡±


    As the last person¡¯s voice faded away, the tens of strong men around him were all stunned and surprised. Disbelief covered their faces after half a minute and they shot fervent and fanatical looks toward Tang Yunde.


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ it¡¯s Captain Tang Yunde!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s him!¡±


    ¡°Damn right you¡¯re. It¡¯s definitely him!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s our idol, guys!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    They were all iron-blooded warriors¡ªsoldiers who had retired from the army and had experienced countless life-and-death battles. But they were unified by one role model in their hearts, which was the heroic captain of the special forces more than two decades ago, Tang Yunde.


    He was like a legend in the army, a powerful God of War.


    Tang Yunde¡¯s gaze swept over the old brothers lined up before him. His lips squirmed a few times as he hoarsely spoke with a happy face, ¡°Great! This is great! You¡¯re all still alive. I never thought that I could see you again after waking up, brothers.¡±


    Li Zaibiao asked, ¡°Where have you been all these years, Captain? And what do you mean by waking up?¡±


    It was Ni Penggang who explained it to him. ¡°Brothers, Brother Tang was secretly schemed against and attacked by powerful enemies and then turned into vegetative all these years. He has spent two decades in bed, but now he woke up and returned back to us while harboring the same hatred as us!¡±


    ¡®He went vegetative for 20 years?!!¡¯


    Everyone looked shocked. They never dreamed that Tang Yunde could actually wake up from that condition. Further, he looked like he was no different from normal people.

 Chapter 1106 - Being Looked Down Upon

    Chapter 1106: Being Looked Down Upon


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu calmly and quietly watched the reunion between his father and his old brothers with a warm feeling. The occasion that revealed each man¡¯s true nature made him realize that he was still far worse than his own father¡ªwhich was also the reason his father put down his guard when facing his brothers.


    However, he still held his principle that no matter how good the brothers were, it was still less important than being formidable himself.


    When he was plotted against back when in the Immortal World, he always thought those good friends of his were his true brothers, and yet, he ultimately found that it was all his wishful thinking.


    Suddenly, his face slightly shifted and he quietly retreated outside the warehouse. As he appeared at the square outside, he glanced around a few times and asked lightly, ¡°Why did you come here?¡±


    ¡°Grand Master.¡± Tang An¡¯s figure didn¡¯t appear, but her faint voice passed into Tang Xiu¡¯s ear. ¡°We just received the news that a group of foreigner experts is gathering at the Haidi private port in Yungang City. They are now occupying the site completely and nobody can get close to it. The info gathered by our intel department says there are nearly 100 people gathered there, and the number is still increasing.¡±


    Tang Xiu frowned and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s the owner of that port?¡±


    ¡°Wen Feng. He¡¯s a real estate developer in Yungang City and is also the richest man there,¡± said Tang An. ¡°Our men have secretly investigated him and found some issues pertaining to him.¡±


    ¡°And those issues are?¡± continued Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Wen Feng spent his childhood as an orphan who lived in the orphanage before he was 12 years old,¡± said Tang An. ¡°But there was a big fire in the orphanage later on and many staff and children were burned to death and many went missing. Wen Feng was one of the missing people, but he suddenly appeared in Yungang City when he turned 18 about 6 years after the incident. He entered the key school in Yungang City to study and took the CET (College Entrance Test) in his second year. He was admitted to the Northern Uni, but then gave up the opportunity to enroll and started his business in Yungang.


    ¡°After 21 years, he founded the Riverhill Group and became the richest man in Yungang with assets up to 10 billion yuan. This Riverhill Group is not only engaged in real estate development but also foreign trade business with a private port that can accommodate more than ten large cargo ships.¡±


    ¡°What I want to know is the issue on his identity,¡± asked Tang Xiu faintly.


    ¡°It¡¯s all about his funds. Many of his funds came from abroad,¡± said Tang An. ¡°Although the capital flows into China from his trade is very secretive, our men can track the capital flows from some countries abroad even though the respective officials in the country may not be able to get anything should they intentionally investigate him.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes lit up with surprise. What had Wen Feng experienced after missing for 6 years? If he got recruited and became a tentacle of some foreign power and then came back to China, he must have some targets, purposes, and schemes to be carried out.


    ¡°Have you found out his true identity and those who have rushed over there?¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t gotten anything yet!¡± replied Tang An. ¡°Their movement is erratic and they are drifting from place to place. Further, they¡¯re very vigilant. Our intel operatives were nearly noticed by them even though they¡¯ve been very careful. Additionally, some of our trusted clients have been found out just to track the capital flows from abroad to Wen Feng. If it wasn¡¯t for our men stepping forward, it¡¯s likely that the other party would have already found us.¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted with countless thoughts churning in his mind. After the long silence, he slowly said, ¡°We¡¯ll head to Yungang tonight. Only the two of us. We¡¯ll find out who these people are and which organization Wen Feng is affiliated to.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    There was no other sound or movement after Tang An finished speaking.


    Tang Xiu fell into his train of thought for a while before turning and walking toward the warehouse. As he came inside, he saw all those big men were training, whereas Li Zaibiao was chatting with his father and Ni Penggang.


    ¡°Hey, Xiu¡¯er. Where did you just go?¡± Upon seeing Tang Xiu walking inside, Tang Yunde immediately waved and asked aloud.


    ¡°I just received a particular message, so I left for a while. Anyway, I¡¯m glad you can meet with your old brothers, Dad.¡± Tang Xiu smiled.


    ¡°Yeah! I¡¯m really happy to see these former brothers of mine.¡± Tang Yunde happily smiled. ¡°Well, let me introduce you, Xiu¡¯er. He¡¯s Li Zaibiao, a once military genius who appeared in the army.¡±


    ¡°How do you do, Uncle Li.¡± Tang Xiu looked at Li Zaibiao and smilingly nodded.


    The big man carefully examined Tang Xiu and shook his head. ¡°The bones and body are too weak, and your scholarly aura is way too thick. You¡¯ll need a strong force to become a real warrior. But your father is like the God of War to us in the past, so I think a tiger father won¡¯t beget a dog son. You must be quite amazing in other respects, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes were filled with a strange expression, whereas Tang Yunde and Ni Penggang rolled their eyes, feeling amused by Li Zaibiao, who judged someone else from his appearance.


    The man himself ignored everyone¡¯s expression and went on, ¡°But then again, what he said about the sandbag just now really interests me. Anyhow, can I have as much as I want if you really have good quality sandbags that can withstand my strength?¡±


    Tang Xiu shot Tang Yunde an inquiring look.


    Tang Yunde squinted and exchanged looks with Ni Penggang. He waved to Tang Xiu and smilingly said, ¡°Well, since we¡¯re ready to hand them over to you, just play with them however you like! But don¡¯t go too far, though. You also know how expensive medical care is nowadays.¡±


    Tang Xiu just smiled in response and looked at Li Zaibiao¡¯s expression, smilingly said, ¡°Uncle Li, you think my body and bones are too weak, don¡¯t you? Do you feel I¡¯m not suitable to spar with strong men with muscles just because I have a thick scholarly aura?¡±


    Li Zaibiao frowned and hesitantly said, ¡°Tang Xiu, I always said whatever I have in mind and your old man knows this too. Throwing dirt on you was never my intention. But, I really do feel that you¡¯re too weak, so you must exercise hard in the future. You can come to us later if you like, and we can teach you some self-defense moves.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe!¡±


    Tang Xiu walked toward the iron frame on the side. After taking off his jacket and putting it on the iron frame, he spoke aloud, ¡°Everyone, pay attention! Your Captain Li thinks that I¡¯m too weak and wants to teach me some self-defense moves. However, I¡¯m not convinced by him even though I¡¯m very young. That¡¯s why I¡¯m going to challenge Captain Li. If he can win against me, he can treat me like a rookie soldier who will come here to report to him every day to practice my self-defense moves!¡±


    His loud voice spread throughout the warehouse in an instant. All the strong men training inside stopped one by one and gathered with bizarre expressions on their faces.


    ¡®A challenge? He¡¯s challenging the Unmovable Captain Li?!!¡¯


    The rest of the security company¡¯s elites, 79 of them, looked at Tang Xiu as though he was a fool. They knew their Captain Li Zaibiao¡¯s strength, who was definitely the strongest of them. There was once a martial art grandmaster expert who came here, and they watched as he was helplessly beaten by their captain.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he the son of our idol? How come he doesn¡¯t inherit his father¡¯s wisdom and wants to challenge our Cap¡¯? Isn¡¯t this looking for abuse?¡±


    ¡± Alas , I always thought a tiger father won¡¯t ever beget a dog son. It never occurred to me this young man was this reckless, though. He didn¡¯t ask anything about our Cap¡¯s strength and straightly took off his coat to challenge him. We all know the Cap¡¯s strength and that he won¡¯t show any mercy even if he¡¯s Brother Tang¡¯s son. That young man is unlucky. He¡¯s in for some hard time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, being a man means one must have self-awareness, else he¡¯ll meet his death very quickly. Yet, he¡¯s challenging the Cap¡¯, huh? Might as well find a T-Rex and challenge it directly.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s the youngsters nowadays for you! They are full of themselves and their impulse always fills their heads. Does he think the Cap¡¯ will look at his father¡¯s face and give him some slack in the sparring? That¡¯s simply stupid!¡±


    ¡°Haih, forget it, guys. Don¡¯t watch this show. It has no thrill nor suspense.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    With his sharp hearing, Tang Xiu could hear all their whispers and discussions. He slightly curled up his lips and the smile on his face turned a bit thicker.


    As Li Zaibiao shot a calm look at Tang Xiu, he was full of disappointment inwardly. He had a vague hunch that his former Captain, Tang Yunde, and Ni Penggang wanted to hand over these brothers to this young man. He would obey it without a question if this young man had the abilities and skills. That was on the premise that he was smart even though his personal combat force was appalling. After all, it was the ability to command that was needed. So that they could charge forward and break through the enemy lines.


    However, he was so arrogant and unexpectedly challenged him! That was simply stupid.


    Li Zaibiao felt that Tang Xiu not only did not have much power, but even his brain was also not good. If he and his brothers were to be given to this boy, that would spell misfortune to them.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    The man looked at the smiling Tang Xiu. His tone carried out the bad taste he felt inside.


    Being keenly aware of this man¡¯s attitude didn¡¯t make Tang Xiu flinch. He just ignored it and smilingly said, ¡°Uncle Li, you also know a man¡¯s words hold the weight of his dignity. I already said it, and I mean it. I heard you talking when I just came in, and I also saw you making the sandbag explode with your kick, so your strength is quite fearsome. However, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary to look at others with such a narrow vision either. You¡¯ll know after our sparring whether I have the strength or not.¡±


    ¡°You know, I¡¯d definitely not hesitate to agree had it been someone else, even if the other party is some martial art grandmaster expert.¡± Li Zaibiao shook his head and said, ¡°But you¡¯re the Cap¡¯s son. That makes me feel like a monk who sees Buddha¡¯s face. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t just move and end up hurting you since Cap¡¯ is the man I respect the most in my heart.¡±


    The smile on Tang Xiu¡¯s face disappeared. He slightly frowned and said, ¡°You¡¯re the Captain of this security team. You should know that you must never look down on your opponents, regardless of who they are, or your entire security team will suffer heavy losses.¡±


    Li Zaibiao didn¡¯t pay attention to Tang Xiu¡¯s statement at all. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t understand this truth, but he felt Tang Xiu was like a martial artist, so he held not the slightest interest in complying and doing it. He then pointed to a young man nearby and said, ¡°Hey, Yang Hu! You play with him. But don¡¯t use any heavy blows, got it?¡±

 Chapter 1107 - This Must Be A Dream

    Chapter 1107: This Must Be A Dream


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The stalwart Yang Hu immediately looked a bit ugly. He let out a long face and cried out after hearing it, ¡± Ugh , how can you give me this thankless task, Cap¡¯? If by any chance I go overboard and broke the spirit of¡­ Young Master Tang, wouldn¡¯t it be a grave offense?¡±


    ¡°Spare me the chit chat and just do it lightly, alright?!¡± said Li Zaibiao unhappily. ¡°It will be fine given your skill to control your strength.¡±


    Yang Hu rolled his eyes and murmured, ¡°But fists and feet have no eyes, you know that! If I were to hurt Young Master Tang, you and idol will blame me.¡±


    Sitting on a chair, Tang Yunde was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh. Then, he said aloud, ¡°Hey, Yang Hu, don¡¯t worry and act like you always do! I won¡¯t flinch even if you make this kid vegetative as long as you got the ability. But of course, you¡¯ll lose face if you lose.¡±


    ¡°Waah, rest assured, idol!¡± Yang Hu grinningly said, ¡°Maybe I dare not boast when facing others, but facing the Young Master¡­ uh, cough, cough ¡­ well, I mean, I¡¯m still a bit stronger.¡±


    Tang Xiu frowned deeper and watched Yang Hu shake his arm. He immediately hooked his finger and said, ¡°Let¡¯s cease speaking rubbish so as to save you from making a fool of yourself. Just come. I¡¯ll give you three moves handicap.¡±


    His statement stunned Yang Hu, and the smile on his face disappeared. He immediately sneered as he saw Tang Xiu¡¯s indifference. ¡°Young Master Tang, your father is my idol, but it doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll treat you the same. Three strikes, huh? Then unleash everything you got. But I hope you¡¯re not some weak shrimp and get done in by a few cuffs and kicks.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head in response. His body flickered and appeared in front of Yang Hu in an instant, barring the fella of any room to react as he delivered a punch to his cheek. Though he only used a tiny fraction of his strength, Yang Hu¡¯s big body was still sent flying backward.


    Bam, bam, bam¡­


    His figure followed closely like a shadow as a series of whipping kicks hit Yang Hu¡¯s body. The latter could only scream pitifully and turned like a bottle that tumbled and rolled on the floor for six meters away before finally stopping at the feet of several stalwart men.


    Cough, cough¡­


    The series of blows almost made Yang Hu choke. Finally, he coughed violently for a while and then looked up with a disbelieving expression.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The room turned quiet.


    No¡­ accurately speaking, it was deathly still.


    Apart from Tang Yunde, everyone in the entire warehouse was staring dumbly at Tang Xiu. Some rubbed their eyes to make sure they were not seeing things.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and spoke, ¡°You know, you should¡¯ve figured out the strength of your opponent before you acted like some pretentious pricks. Know yourself and know thy enemies to be ever-victorious. And honestly speaking, you¡¯re like an ant to me. You¡¯re still not my opponent even if I use less than 1% of my strength.¡±


    Li Zaibiao sobered up from his shock. A scowl suddenly appeared on his face upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s remark. He just thought that Tang Xiu was nothing but a youngster with no strength to truss up a chicken. He didn¡¯t expect he¡¯d transform majestically in a flash and defeat the soldier whom he had trained and became an expert.


    ¡°How did you do it?¡± Li Zaibiao inquired with a gloomy face.


    At this moment, intense curiosity was seen on the faces of the nearly 80 stalwart men in the surroundings as they quickly broke into discussions¡ª


    ¡°Yeah! How did he do it? I just felt my eyes were seeing things. It was like an illusion. Yang Hu may not be the strongest here, but he still can last dozens of moves against most of us. He can deal with tens of hoodlums and still be fine. So, how can he got beaten that easily?¡±


    ¡°His speed was so fast that I missed his moving route. I¡¯d similarly get beaten if I were in his shoes.¡±


    ¡°Holy cow! I truly lost my sight. I never thought he was a hidden expert. But¡­ that Yang Hu brat is also at fault for taking him lightly. He wouldn¡¯t have ended up that bad if he were to face him with caution.¡±


    ¡°I never thought of such an outcome, either. I thought the play wouldn¡¯t be fun to watch. That kid is not bad, he can barely enter my eyes.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    All the comments were straightly ignored by Tang Xiu. He looked at Li Zaibiao who was staring at him and lightly smiled. ¡°Well, Uncle Li, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve forgotten what I just said. It¡¯s a taboo to look down upon anyone and we must never treat anyone lightly in the future even though the opponents you¡¯re facing are children, since those kids may not be those you can deal with either.¡±


    The man in question took a deep breath. He turned to look a certain burly man nearby and shouted, ¡°Ah Lu, go ahead and exchange some blows with him. Remember, you won¡¯t get dinner tonight if you lose.¡±


    The burly man who got shouted at suddenly looked bitter. He scratched his head and said, ¡°Uh, Cap¡¯, can you change the punishment? I¡¯m confident I can defeat¡­ umm , Young Master Tang¡­ but well¡­ everything has some contingency, you know. If by any chance I were to lose like that Yang Hu brat, I don¡¯t wanna starve!¡±


    Li Zaibiao angrily growled. ¡°Cut the crap! Just get your ass over there and do it. And fucking gimme your 100%, alright!¡±


    The burly guy, Ah Lu, shrugged and looked at Tang Xiu. He let out an honest and pure smile. ¡± Uh , seems holding back isn¡¯t allowed for the sake of my dinner, Young Master Tang. You gotta be smart here, and I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have no supper tomorrow if I display an awful show.¡±


    ¡°No worries. You can definitely have your meal for tomorrow¡¯s dinner, but I¡¯m sorry for today, though.¡± Tang Xiu hooked his finger and lightly smiled.


    A cold light flashed in Ah Lu¡¯s eyes, and he instantly charged toward Tang Xiu aggressively like a tiger coming out of the cage. His speed was very fast as he delivered a whooshing flying kick towards Tang Xiu in the blink of an eye.


    BAM¡­


    Tang Xiu raised his arm with a seemingly slow movement. Yet, in fact, it was very fast to the extreme and easily blocked the swift and fierce kick. In an instant, his figure was closing in to Ah Lu and his arm gently moved to the guy¡¯s waist.


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡±


    The sound of Ah Lu¡¯s gasping for cold breath was heard, while the guy himself looked horrified. As he landed back to the floor, he staggered backward a few steps and rubbed his aching waist. He stared at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°You can block my whipping kick in the air, huh? That¡¯s awesome. You¡¯re strong and your strength is really beyond my expectations, Young Master Tang. But I hope you¡¯re also prepared for the following moves.¡±


    He slammed the tip of his feet on the floor in the next instant. The moment his hand left his waist, Ah Lu was as though turning into a cannonball and dashed towards Tang Xiu faster than his first charge. A loud whooshing sound was heard when he delivered his punches. His charging trajectory was also very particular like a curved arc as his strike quickly went towards Tang Xiu¡¯s nose.


    PA¡­


    Tang Xiu moved lightning-fast and instantly grabbed Ah Lu¡¯s wrist, causing the man¡¯s complexion to change. The fella felt like his waist was being clamped by an iron pincer, and the enormous impact rendered his arm unable to move forward. Just as he tried to punch Tang Xiu with another fist while using his leg to obstruct Tang Xiu¡¯s respond, a pain suddenly struck his abdomen.


    BAM¡­


    Ah Lu¡¯s body flew straight to the back, his bottom in front and feet and head behind. He flew for four-plus meters away before falling with a sitting posture on the floor.


    ¡°You¡¯re too weak.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m really disappointed if all of you here only got similar strength. Even the children I¡¯ve trained are stronger than you all.¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!!!¡±


    Although these tens of big guys were shocked by Tang Xiu¡¯s strength, they were much stronger than Yang Hu and Ah Lu. Tang Xiu¡¯s statement caused some of them to storm forward.


    Nearby, Ni Penggang, who was witnessing the scene just now, hurriedly got up to stop them. Tang Yunde, however, immediately grabbed his arm, shook his head and smiled. ¡°Have I ever talked big to you before, Penggang? Lemme tell you something, this is just child¡¯s play to Xiu¡¯er. He hasn¡¯t been serious all this while, else none here can face him, even if all of them are ganging up on him.¡±


    Ni Penggang¡¯s complexion looked ugly as he replied, ¡°What nonsense are you talking about, Brother Tang? Don¡¯t you know the strength of our brothers? Tang Xiu may be able to beat Yang Hu and Ah Lu, but the two of them are not ranked in the middle among our 80 brothers. But those who are charging at him now are all experts!¡±


    Tang Yunde just smiled in response. ¡°Our so-called experts are all like jokes in Xiu¡¯er¡¯s eyes, Penggang. Just let them play well since they wanna play. I¡¯m not even worried as his father, so what are you worried about?¡±


    Hesitating for a moment, Ni Penggang then sat again with a scowl on his face, saying, ¡°You¡¯re the one who said it, so I won¡¯t say much. But I really wanna see if your cherished son can easily beat these brothers of ours like you just said.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just wait and see, shall we?¡± Tang Yunde meaningfully replied, ¡°I promise you that Xiu¡¯er will surprise you.¡±


    ¡°He has given me a pleasant surprise already, alright.¡± Ni Penggang groaned. ¡°But thanks, and don¡¯t scare me.¡±


    Beside them, Ni Jie¡¯s eyes were flashing bright as she heard the conversation between her father and Tang Yunde. She suddenly interjected. ¡°Dad, I also think Tang Xiu is really strong, though. Have you noticed it yet? Yang Hu and Ah Lu didn¡¯t succeed in giving any injury to him whatsoever and got easily beaten instead. Do you think Uncle Li can also do the same?¡±


    Ni Penggang stared blankly for a moment, then his expression changed to disbelief. He got up yet again; his daughter¡¯s reminder made him realize the issue. Let alone Li Zaibiao, he was an expert himself, yet such a feat was not something he could do!


    ¡°I also think you¡¯ve yet to realize another issue, Dad,¡± Ni Jie went on. ¡°Tang Xiu can easily defeat Yang Hu and Ah Lu, so what does that mean? It shows he didn¡¯t go all out. Besides, his plain expression tells me he is much stronger than what he has displayed!¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    This time, Ni Penggang was completely shocked!

 Chapter 1108 - Thoroughly Convinced

    Chapter 1108: Thoroughly Convinced


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Expressionlessly standing still, Tang Xiu just watched as the three strong men oozing fierce auras aggressively charge at him. Just as they were a few meters away from him, he slowly raised his hand to stop them and spoke, ¡°The three of you should be better than the duo from before, but it¡¯s still not enough for me. Why don¡¯t we raise up the level?¡±


    Li Zaibiao paced back two steps and looked at Tang Xiu with fear in his eyes. At the same time, a deep sense of shame also filled his heart as he felt that he had made a spectacle of his own incompetent subordinates.


    He was waiting. He needed to wait for the later sparring¡¯s results. If Tang Xiu was defeated, he wouldn¡¯t be too embarrassed, though he would lose some face. But if Tang Xiu won again, he would really lose face toward everyone in the entire warehouse.


    One of the tree stalwart men snorted and asked, ¡°How do you want to play?¡±


    ¡°You three may be regarded as experts in the eyes of others, but you¡¯re still far from enough in my eyes,¡± said Tang Xiu with a light smile. ¡°You wanna have a bout with me, so the seventy-plus of you might as well gang up on me so you can last longer.¡±


    ¡°Arrogant!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too cocky!¡±


    ¡°Just put it off after we play!¡±


    The three men looked angry and then charged at Tang Xiu at the same time.


    Tang Xiu only shook his head and smiled in response. This time, he didn¡¯t retreat or even try to evade. He moved forward to clash with their howling punches and kicks head-on. After connecting his punches, in but a flash, their bodies were sent flying upside down. Tang Xiu grinningly said, ¡°I told you that you three are not enough, didn¡¯t I? Suppressing and abusing you is too easy for me. Now you saw it for yourselves. You didn¡¯t listen to my advice, isn¡¯t that a shame?¡±


    ¡°Lost¡­ this is disgraceful¡­¡±


    The trio who fell to the floor at this time truly wished they could dig up a burrow to hide. They now had figured out how terrifying Tang Xiu was. Even though the three of them teamed up, they still¡­ got beaten up by him, not even lasting for a second.


    The remaining 70-plus people were now staring dumbly at Tang Xiu as if they were looking at a monster.


    ¡®Powerful and valiant!¡¯


    They felt many adjectives had been cast into the shade, and there was no way to express how fierce Tang Xiu was. They were all well aware of the strength of those three brothers, yet they didn¡¯t even last for a second¡ªwhich was unbelievable.


    Li Zaibiao was similarly dumbfounded. He never imagined the sparring match would develop this way. Tang Xiu was simply not a human. He was like a humanoid beast.


    Sitting nearby, Ni Penggang had just sobered up from his shock. He directly covered his forehead after seeing such a situation. He then looked at the smiling Tang Yunde and said, ¡°I¡¯m now convinced, Brother Tang. Those who can make me feel so are not many in this life, but your son is definitely one. He¡¯s really amazing! It turns out genuine cultivators are so powerful.¡±


    ¡°I already told you that, didn¡¯t I?¡± responded Tang Yunde smilingly.


    ¡°Well, I admit I didn¡¯t believe it in the slightest! I¡¯ve heard Tang Xiu¡¯s skill in Chinese medicine, but never heard of this side of him before!¡± said Ni Penggang with a dry smile. ¡°I know the combat force possessed by cultivators, but it¡¯s too far from I can grasp, so¡­¡±


    Tang Yunde waved to interrupt him and smilingly said, ¡°No need to continue. I brought Xiu¡¯er today means that he¡¯s capable of taking over the things here and manage our brothers. You should understand already how I do things, Penggang.¡±


    With a solemn expression, Ni Penggang nodded. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it through, Brother Tang. I¡¯m sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°Nah, leave out the formality. We¡¯re all brothers.¡± Tang Yunde smiled.


    Ni Penggang finally let out a sincere smile and nodded. ¡°Well, I can finally be at ease to hand these brothers of ours to Tang Xiu, then!¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at the shocked and stunned Li Zaibiao. Intending to give him a good lesson, he said aloud, ¡°What are you guys gawking for? Apart from your Captain, all of you just come at me! My Dad and Uncle Ni want to give you guys to me and make me your leader, so you had best to unleash every ability you got and show me what you¡¯re capable of. I want to see whether you¡¯re qualified to be my men!¡±


    ¡°Say what?!¡±


    ¡°We are being given to him?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Each and every one of the 70-plus experts of this security firm was shocked, but they immediately shut their mouths upon looking at Yang Hu and the rest who hadn¡¯t yet crawled up from the floor.


    Li Zaibiao drew in a deep breath. His eyes flickered with lights and he said in a deep voice, ¡°Didn¡¯t you guys hear Tang Xiu¡¯s order?! What the hell are you gawking for? Move your asses and join hands together. Don¡¯t make me lose face!¡±


    ¡°MOVE!¡±


    ¡°ATTACK!¡±


    ¡°STRIKE!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The 70-plus stalwart men finally unleashed their fierce sides and stormed over at Tang Xiu. They didn¡¯t hold back and squeezed out every strength they could unleash as though fighting with their lives on the line, and quickly appeared in front of Tang Xiu.


    BAM, BAM, BAM¡­


    Still wearing a calm expression, Tang Xiu constantly walked in the midst of these men, while easily avoiding their attacks. But each time he moved, a strong man was sent flying. He used his strength in a particular and ingenious method. None of them was seriously injured since he could send them flying.


    Li Zaibiao retreated four or five steps, his eyes bulging as though they were going to pop out of their sockets. The scene he was witnessing was like a dream.


    It was too¡­ scary! Too fierce and unbelievable to the extreme!


    He was perfectly aware of the strength of these 70-plus brothers. Any one of them was an expert, a powerhouse in the eyes of numerous others. They could literally move everywhere on the battlefield and reap the lives of their enemies. At this moment, however, they were like docile lambs being ravaged by a ferocious hungry wolf.


    By now, Ni Penggang was completely struck dumb. Many of these brothers were people he had trained personally, so he was well aware of their strength.


    Yet now, was he dreaming?


    Next to him, Ni Jie¡¯s eyes were getting brighter and brighter and eventually turned into worship as the scene unfolded. She was a proud woman and, even though she was very polite on the surface, was a proud peacock to the bones. But now, her arrogance was completely defeated by Tang Xiu¡¯s strength.


    He was too fierce, amazing, and outright terrific!


    This man not only got the looks and ability but also went against the natural order in terms of combat power! If she could find such a boyfriend¡­ no¡­ if she could find a husband like him, she would definitely feel safe in the future.


    40 seconds!


    It was all it took for Tang Xiu to beat them. Some of whom crawled on the floor while enduring the pain, losing their spirit to charge forward again.


    They were simply scared! They used to face the hail of bullets. They were not afraid to face powerful enemies, yet such fear overwhelmed them at this moment. They felt they were not facing a human being. This young man was simply a Demon King¡ªa great devil with fearsome strength.


    ¡®Fighting him? You¡¯re simply looking to get abused and beaten up!¡¯


    Tang Xiu clapped and nodded happily. ¡°Well, you guys are not bad. At least you can persevere for some time, though it was just about 40 seconds. Anyhow, can we now have our sparring, Uncle Li? You blurted out that my arms and legs are too thin and I don¡¯t have the strength to even truss up a chicken, no?¡±


    Li Zaibia¡¯s face turned red, and his shame almost cover his face and run. His lips squirmed as he stared at Tang Xiu¡¯s vague smiling face. Then, he coughed a few times and waved. ¡°Let¡¯s forget that, shall we? I admit my mistake. I broke the taboo and looked down on you out of my arrogance. I apologize for my previous attitude, Tang Xiu. I¡¯ve already learned my lesson. I¡¯ll definitely keep it in mind.¡±


    The man¡¯s attitude was much to Tang Xiu¡¯s satisfaction. The reason why he sparred with the rest of these guys was that he wanted to make Li Zaibiao, as the captain, understand that no matter what kind of enemy they faced, they must never take them lightly. Being responsible of the brothers, failure was just a minor issue, but it was a huge deal if they were killed due to this negligence.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then that¡¯s all. And you guys, your injuries are nothing. I got impeccable control over my strength, so you¡¯ll recover in about ten minutes. You won¡¯t even feel pain by then.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Everyone who heard this couldn¡¯t help but twitch their mouths.


    ¡®He has good control over¡­ his strength?¡¯


    This kid is really going to be against the natural order! How can he still pay attention to employ such discretion in such chaotic brawl? Where is his bottom line, exactly? How strong is he, exactly?


    Tang Xiu returned to Tang Yunde and Ni Penggang¡¯s side. Then, he lightly smiled and said, ¡°How was my performance, Uncle Ni? Do you feel relieved giving them to me now?¡±


    ¡°If I were to feel restless giving them to you, I¡¯m afraid there¡¯d be nothing in this world that can make me feel at ease anymore,¡± replied Ni Penggang with a forced smile. ¡°But then, you¡¯re amazing, and you deserve my admiration, Tang Xiu. Your old man has given birth to a good son!¡±


    Pride instantly swelled up in Tang Yunde¡¯s heart after hearing this. He then got up and smiled. ¡°Xiu¡¯er, you mustn¡¯t be complacent and become arrogant even though your Uncle Ni praised you. These are our brothers. They are the most reliable and trustworthy people we have, so you had better treat them well in the future and help them become stronger.¡±


    ¡°You can rest assured about that, Dad, Uncle Ni.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    Having said that, he turned to look at the stalwart men who had crawled up from the floor, saying, ¡°Lemme introduce myself again. I¡¯m Tang Xiu, Tang Yunde¡¯s son. In your eyes, I¡¯m just a 20-something young man. Further, I look frail and seemingly have not much strength. But I can tell you now that even hundreds of people with similar strength like you are still not my opponents.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Everyone looked at Tang Xiu in silence. Although they felt the statement was exaggerated and extremely arrogant, they chose to be silent since it was them who were very arrogant previously, and it hurled back and struck them with more pain and shame.


    ¡°The current you are very weak. But that¡¯s because you were not under my guidance.¡± Tang Xiu went on, ¡°That¡¯s why I won¡¯t take you guys with me for the time being, so you¡¯re staying here. However, I¡¯ll teach you a set of cultivation techniques and develop a training program for you. If you don¡¯t achieve the strength I¡¯ve specified in three months, you¡¯ll be eliminated since you¡¯re not qualified to be my men.¡±

 Chapter 1109 - Just 30%

    Chapter 1109: Just 30%


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    As the captain in everyone¡¯s eyes, Li Zaibiao paced two steps forward and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Can I ask what a cultivation technique is, and the level of strength you set as the threshold?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not yet qualified to know,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°You only need to know that each and every one of you must be ten times stronger than the current you 3 months later, else you¡¯re not eligible to be my men.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± cried out Li Zaibiao angrily. ¡°We may not be as strong as you, but we¡¯re already experts in the eyes of numerous people! It will take us a long time of training to even make a little progress given our current strength. Wanting us to be 10 times stronger is outright impossible!¡±


    ¡°Nothing is impossible to achieve in this world.¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°It only depends on whether you can afford the hard work. Tang 28, come over here!¡±


    Tang 28, who had been following Tang Xiu but had never spoken, suddenly came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side and respectfully said, ¡°Sovereign.¡±


    ¡°Tell them, how old you are.¡± Tang Xiu nodded to him.


    ¡°Eight and a half,¡± answered Tang 28.


    Looking back at the men, Tang Xiu spoke in a deep tone, ¡°Did you guys hear it? He¡¯s eight and a half years old now. How high do you think his level of strength is at his present age?¡±


    Li Zaibiao squinted and observed Tang 28 and then blurted. ¡°Even if he¡¯s a martial art prodigy, I don¡¯t think his actual strength is recognizable given his age. We are not your match, but he, hehe ¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re actually laughing and looking down on him?¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°Tang 28, Captain Li has yet to display his ability. You should understand what to do.¡±


    Tang 28 slightly nodded and pace forward several steps toward Li Zaibiao, saying, ¡°Please enlighten me, Captain Li.¡±


    Li Zaibiao was stunned, and the 79 security firm¡¯s strongmen were similarly dumbfounded.


    Even the sitting Ni Penggang and Ni Jie were struck dumb and tongue-tied at this moment, looking at Tang Xiu and Tang 28 in disbelief.


    A spar? Was this some kind of joke? An eight-and-a-half-year-old child wanted to challenge Li Zaibiao? Did Tang Xiu lost his mind?


    After Li Zaibiao could react, he angrily glared at Tang Xiu. ¡°Are you insulting me, Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Heh, you can take it as such if you want.¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°If anything, he has already challenged you. Are you afraid of this eight-and-a-half-year-old child, by chance?¡±


    ¡°You gotta teach him, Cap¡¯!¡± Yang Hu yelled.


    ¡°Go get him, Cap¡¯! They just wanna show off their superiority, so let them know you¡¯re not weak!¡± Ah Lu also shouted.


    ¡°Yea! Fight him!¡±


    ¡°Spar him and teach him a lesson!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Li Zaibiao was burning with anger, yet he smiled and gave Tang Xiu a thumbs up. ¡°Great! I didn¡¯t expect you to humiliate people just because you¡¯re strong. You want me to spar with a child, then I¡¯ll give it to you. Just you wait! You¡¯ll see how you end up.¡±


    ¡°Have you forgotten what I just said, Captain Li?¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°Don¡¯t talk too much about anything or you¡¯ll be beaten, humiliated, and lose face yet again. It¡¯s going to hurt this time.¡±


    The man drew in a deep breath to control his emotions and then said to Tang 28, ¡°I won¡¯t hold back and be lenient since you¡¯re the one who challenged me, Kid. It was your so-called Sovereign who said that we mustn¡¯t take anyone lightly.¡±


    ¡°Coming at me with your 100% power is an honor to me.¡± Tang 28 expressionlessly said, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure not to injure you since you¡¯re too weak and the Sovereign himself doesn¡¯t want you to get injured. Alright, let¡¯s start!¡±


    ¡± Hmph ¡­¡±


    If it wasn¡¯t for the previous incident, Li Zaibiao wouldn¡¯t have bothered to bicker with a kid, but he recalled Tang Xiu¡¯s actions previously. He immediately cast away any careless thoughts and charged forward to kick Tang 28 without holding back.


    Pa¡­


    Tang 28 raised his little hand and straightly blocked Li Zaibiao¡¯s kick. The latter felt like his foot had been hit by a hammer even though it was protected by his boot.


    ¡°You¡¯re too weak to bring me any threat whatsoever. No wonder Sect Master felt bored and asked all of you to gang up on him.¡± Tang 28 looked at Li Zaibiao, whose face discolored. His small figure leaped up quickly and straightly delivered a kick to the man¡¯s cheek.


    That one kick only used 30% of his strength, yet Li Zaibiao was still sent flying for ten meters before slamming heavily on the wall.


    ¡°What?! Impossible!¡±


    ¡°I must be seeing things. Cap¡¯ is¡­¡±


    ¡°What the hell is going on? How can that kid be so fast? And his power¡­ even Cap¡¯ himself was sent flying backward?! But it¡¯s impossible to fly that far!¡±


    ¡°Did this kid begin practicing since he was still in his mother¡¯s womb or something? Even if he did, there¡¯s no way he can be this powerful, right?¡±


    ¡°I must be dreaming. Absolutely. What a fucking mess!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Each and every one of the 79 security firm¡¯s strongmen exclaimed. They were unable to believe what just happened as if it was the most unbelievable thing in the world.


    ¡°You guys feel shocked, huh?¡± Tang Xiu said lightly, ¡°You think that it¡¯s impossible for Tang 28 to have such a powerful strength since he¡¯s only an eight and a half year kid, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Although they didn¡¯t answer, their expressions betrayed their inner thoughts. It was indeed something they couldn¡¯t believe.


    ¡°Then make them believe it, Tang 28!¡± Tang Xiu ordered.


    ¡°As you will it.¡±


    The boy¡¯s figure instantly turned into a blurry image. Successive sounds of crackling were heard and were particularly harsh. The 79 strongmen who had just crawled up from the floor for a short time kissed the floor again. The difference was that Tang 28¡¯s blows were heavier than Tang Xiu¡¯s as his control was not that good. The stalwart men who had been hit by Tang Xiu now didn¡¯t have the strength to even crawl up from the floor. They could only curl up on the spot they got hit and wail pitifully.


    Tang 28 then stood in the midst of these men and coldly said, ¡°Sovereign has been educating you ever since he entered this place to make you learn the truth not to judge anyone by their appearance. And yet, you¡¯re all too dull and too proud. This is the punishment you deserve.¡±


    ¡®A punishment? That¡¯s right. This is a punishment!¡¯


    Shame instantly filled everyone¡¯s heart, including Li Zaibiao. They regretted their arrogance after Tang Xiu defeated them before, but getting defeated by Tang 28 this time felt like they were getting slapped on the face by invisible hands, causing a burning sense of shame and wishing they could drill a hole to hide, unwilling to face people anymore.


    They had lost face. What a shame for making a fool of themselves!


    Ni Penggang¡¯s breath was rough and heavy. He stared at Tang 28 fixedly. Only now did he finally realize how terrifying a cultivator could be. Tang Xiu told him that he could become a Qi Refining Stage cultivator himself within three months¡ªthis fact now made him feel ecstatic.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, can I be more powerful than Tang 28 three months later if I practice diligently?¡± Ni Penggang couldn¡¯t wait to ask.


    Tang Xiu turned around and saw the anticipation on Ni Penggang¡¯s face. He smilingly shook his head and said slowly, ¡°Uncle Ni, Tang 28 is not weak. He¡¯s a genius who stood out from the tens of thousands of children soldiers. Let alone cultivating for three months, you may not be able to reach his level even if you practice for three years. The cultivation path is a road one must slowly walk forward while gradually accumulating his cultivation.¡±


    Ni Penggang¡¯s pupils shrunk and felt disappointed. Just from his observation, Tang 28¡¯s combat power really was too strong and no worse than Tang Xiu¡¯s, though he wasn¡¯t clear about the specific real strengths of these two people.


    As he thought up to this point, he asked, ¡°Anyhow, how much power did Tang 28 just use, Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Tell him, Tang 28.¡± Tang Xiu smiled.


    ¡°Perhaps 30%, give or take,¡± answered Tang 28.


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡±


    Ni Penggang couldn¡¯t help but gasp some cold air. The way he looked at Tang 28 was like he was watching an alien. How old is this kid? An eight-and-a-half-year-old boy only used one-third of his strength, yet he just literally crushed all his brothers who had been hardened in many battles. That was¡­ simply heaven-defying!


    The 80 members of security firm finally who had been finally eased from the pain couldn¡¯t help but shiver due to deep fear upon hearing Ni Penggang¡¯s conversation with Tang Xiu and Tang 28. They couldn¡¯t imagine the outcome of the battle should they run into such a fearsome enemy on the battlefield. They would absolutely die miserably!


    Tang Xiu glanced at Tang Yunde and smiled, ¡°You can have some talks with Uncle Ni if you like, Dad. The spars and testing are done already. Time is precious and I¡¯m preparing to train them well after you¡¯ve finished the discussion. I¡¯ll work hard to make their strength to skyrocket rapidly.¡±


    ¡°Let me say a few words first!¡± Ni Penggang nodded and slowly said, ¡°Brothers, most of you were not selected by Tang Yunde then. It was I who picked you, guys. But all of you are our brothers and genuinely our own people. I¡¯ve made a decision with Tang Yunde to hand you over to Tang Xiu, so he can train you well and temper you more into elite cracks. Hence, you are to obey his commands from today onward and treat him as your highest commanding officer!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The 80 men didn¡¯t speak but a bit of anticipation could be seen on their faces. They clearly realized that if they opted to obey Tang Xiu¡¯s commands, they would be able to get cultivation techniques from Tang Xiu and thus became formidable experts in the future. They wanted to be stronger and obtained power for one goal: Revenge!

 Chapter 1110 - Difficult to Unravel

    Chapter 1110: Difficult to Unravel


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    ¡°I believe you¡¯re all well aware of my purpose in founding this company,¡± said Tang Yunde after pacing two steps forward. ¡°The deep feud and the blood that was shed by our brothers two decades ago must be avenged. Some of the brothers who died in the battle were your relatives, and some others were our comrades in arms. You chose to join us, so you should all be ready and have the mentality to kill the enemies and avenge your brothers.


    ¡°It¡¯s been 20 years, however, so I don¡¯t know if you guys still remember the hatred of our brothers and whether you¡¯re willing to avenge them. That¡¯s why I¡¯m giving you a chance to choose today. If you¡¯re willing to do anything when we go against the world to avenge our brothers, then I welcome you to stay. But you can also choose to leave now should you have changed your mind. I¡¯ll give you 2 million yuan so you can have a good life later.¡±


    Up to this point, Tang Yunde¡¯s expression turned extraordinarily serious.


    ¡°REVENGE!!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for so many years, just to wait for the days of revenge!¡±


    ¡°SOE company, House Dolan, you¡¯re gonna pay for what you¡¯ve done.¡±


    ¡°Blood for blood, teeth for teeth, and an eye for an eye.¡±


    ¡°KILL!!!¡±


    The 80 people expressed their hatred with similarly intense determination and each of their own firm presence.


    Tang Yunde stood straight while watching these brothers who had climbed up from the ground. He slowly raised his right hand and made a standard military salute.


    DRAP¡­


    They may no longer serve in the military, but they still saluted to express their respect for the bothers who had fallen in the battle, while at the same time, displaying their willingness to stay and fight side by side with the brothers who were still alive.


    Tang Yunde nodded in silence. Then, he spoke again, ¡°Now I ask you, are you willing to follow my son, Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°We are!¡±


    A deafening and orderly reply came.


    Tang Yunde nodded without a word and said, ¡°I, Tang Yunde, guarantee that my son will treat you like his own brothers!¡±


    ¡°What my father just said is correct.¡± Tang Xiu confirmed in a deep voice. ¡°He handed you over to me, so I¡¯m going to lead you to charge through the enemy lines, killing everyone in House Dolan and completely obliterating the SOE company and the other companies under their control.¡±


    Li Zaibiao paced forward a few steps and asked aloud, ¡°I have two questions first.¡±


    ¡°Please ask,¡± replied Tang Xiu.


    ¡°First, what do we call you later?¡± asked the man.


    ¡°You can call me Boss,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Roger, Boss!!¡± shouted the 80 people in unison.


    Li Zaibiao went on, ¡°So, when are we going to start, Boss? We, brothers, have been waiting for so many years, and some have long been unable to wait much longer.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about waiting anymore since you¡¯ve waited for so many years already.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and continued, ¡°Now is not yet the time to attack House Dolan, but I¡¯ll lead you to charge forward later only after you¡¯ve become stronger. I give you guys three months. If you can increase your strength tenfold in three months, only then are you qualified to be my men. Those who fail to do so will be given 2 million yuan as retirement pension and will be dismissed.¡±


    Tang Yunde and Ni Penggang exchanged glances and tacitly agreed to depart along with Ni Jie. Tang Xiu, however, didn¡¯t rush to leave since he had decided to incorporate these people. He didn¡¯t want to waste time and directly taught them cultivation techniques. Although he only imparted them some introductory contents, it was able to make their cultivation reach the Golden Core Stage.


    They were ecstatic.


    Shortly after, he developed a training program. Then, he pulled out some pills from his interspatial ring and gave two to each person. With these two pills, these soldiers who already had Qi in their systems yet had no idea how to control the energy would quickly turn their True Qi into True Essence.


    It was their foundation Tang Xiu valued the most. Such a foundation would make it easier for them to step into the ranks of cultivators and thus, could make it easier for them to cultivate.


    All these 80 men wore horrified looks after seeing the training plan formulated by Tang Xiu, but then agreed while gritting their teeth after Tang Xiu explained and emphasized that only by following his training would they be able to rapidly promote their strength by tenfold in just three months.


    As dusk came, Tang Xiu left. He left Tang 28 to accompany his father to have a drink with these old brothers of his at their reunion. Then, he quietly led Tang An to Liangang City.


    The distance between Shanghai and Liangang was about 400-plus kilometers. It only took the two people a little more than two hours to arrive in Liangang by a high-speed train.


    ¡°Sect Master.¡±


    As someone in charge of intelligence affairs, Jin Shi had already arrived in Liangang in advance after his injuries healed. He had long been waiting outside the train station.


    ¡°How is the situation there?¡± asked Tang Xiu while walking.


    ¡°A lot of strangers have been seen entering this port city,¡± said Jin Shi. ¡°Their whereabouts are the same as those who already came previously. They are all drifters and vagabonds, and there are quite some outlandish people. But our men have already discovered their final meeting point.¡±


    ¡°Where is it?¡± asked Tang Xiu with raised brows.


    ¡°It¡¯s at the Golden Coast, a private club,¡± answered Jin Shi.


    ¡°Is this club under Wen Feng, by chance?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°No.¡± Jin Shi shook his head. ¡°We got our operatives to investigate it. This club is not his, nor is it under the Riverhill Group. The Golden Coast is owned by someone called Zhu Heng. We¡¯ve also investigated this man. The establishment is his only business, and he has no relationship with Wen Feng whatsoever. Additionally, rumors have it that Wen Feng and Zhu Heng had had a grudge and even got into a fight in public. Later, however, some people acted as intermediaries between them, so the matter was settled by leaving it unsettled.¡±


    ¡°Heh, that was camouflage to blind the public eyes.¡±


    A contemptuous look flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes. Those who had a relationship with Wen Feng came to the private club run by Zhu Heng, meaning that the man had a deep relationship with Wen Feng. It was likely they belonged to the same force, so the brutal clash was likely done to cover the truth from the public.


    ¡°So, how many are there gathered in the Golden Coast Club now?¡± Tang Xiu went on.


    ¡°We have no way to count the number specifically,¡± replied Jin Shi. ¡°Their whereabouts are too secretive, and our intel operatives haven¡¯t yet investigated many of them. Additionally, the Golden Coast¡¯s security may seem lacking and looks normal from the outside, but the interior is extremely strictly guarded. You can see a guard stationed in every three steps, and a sentry post between five steps. There are at least nearly 300 security guards there, leaving no chance for anyone to sneak in.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression turned serious. This level of security displayed a huge power behind it. Thus, this meeting was very important.


    Just as Jin Shi took a seat in the car, his mobile phone buzzed. After fishing it out from his pocket and putting the call through, an intel operative¡¯s voice reported. ¡°Someone just entered the Golden Coast. His identity is Guo Tao, an influential and very wealthy businessman from Shaanxi.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Jin Shi hung up and looked at Tang Xiu. ¡°Sect Master, just now¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and lightly nodded. ¡°I heard it. I¡¯ve heard about this Guo Tao guy. He¡¯s a real estate Boss with a net worth of 10 billion yuan. He¡¯s also a martial artist and has a security company under his flag.¡±


    ¡°Sect Master, there are a lot of Big Bosses in the country with tens of billions net worth, yet do you actually know him? Don¡¯t tell me, you¡­¡±


    ¡°Nah, no wild guesses, alright?¡± replied Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°I heard about him from a friend. He mentioned him to me.¡±


    Prior to this, Tang Xiu heard the man from Li Laoshan in their conversation way back then. Guo Tao was a wealthy businessman in Shaanxi Province, who was also a die-hard fan of martial arts and once had a spar with Li Laoshan and beat the latter badly. The most important thing was that Guo Tao was a very ruthless man with a beastly nature. He never cared about his opponent¡¯s identity every time he sparred, and he had never and would never stop before he saw blood.


    After giving it a thought, Tang Xiu took out his mobile phone and dialed Li Laoshan¡¯s number.


    ¡°Hey, Brother Tang? What kind of wind blew for you to call me? Anyhow, I¡¯ve been waiting for a while for you to invite me to drink, you know.¡± Li Laoshan¡¯s hearty laughter then came from the phone.


    ¡°Well, I got tons of things at hand lately, Old Bro Li. Many of which are quite complicated, so I¡¯ve not been able to find time to invite you to a drink.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°Wait for me to deal with them, then I¡¯ll find you to have some drinks.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a deal!¡± Li Laoshan chuckled. ¡°Anyway, you must have some issues since you¡¯re calling me now, right? Just say it. I¡¯ll definitely help you as long as this old brother of yours can do it.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I just wanna ask you about someone you once mentioned to me. I wanna hear how much you know about him,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± asked Li Laoshan in a strange tone.


    ¡°Well, I still remember you mentioned someone when we were chatting. It was about a wealthy businessman called Guo Tao of Shaanxi. How much do you know about him, Old Bro?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    Li Laoshan was silent for more than 10 seconds before he slowly said, ¡°You¡¯ll probably get the answer on the face if you ask others about him, Brother Tang. Nobody will give you the details, but I know some very secret things about him.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression shifted and he inquired more. ¡°Could you please tell me, Brother Li?¡±


    ¡°You know, Guo Tao is a successful rich businessman on the surface, but he¡¯s also a strong martial artist. Even if he hasn¡¯t yet reached the martial art grandmaster level, he isn¡¯t far off either. Additionally, he also has a security company consisting of martial artists and experts he personally groomed.¡±


    ¡°The secret I¡¯m gonna tell you, however, is not these. Guo Tao still has another identity. He has been abroad for many years and only returned to China a decade ago to set up his company. But he belongs to a very mysterious organization abroad, and I don¡¯t know much about the details of this organization. I only know that this organization is great at investigation and gathering intel, and they also engaged in selling intelligence too.¡±


    ¡®Information and intelligence? Is is the Darkwind organization?¡¯


    Coldness flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he asked again, ¡°How do you know about this secret, Brother Li?¡±

 Chapter 1111 - Using Third-Party Force to Kill

    Chapter 1111: Using Third-Party Force to Kill


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    ¡°I was seriously injured after that match,¡± said Li Laoshan. ¡°After being hospitalized for more than two months in the hospital, I went to his house but didn¡¯t find his shadow at all. That¡¯s why I sent some people to secretly investigate him. It was the result after painstaking efforts.¡±


    ¡°But how did you come to the conclusion that he sells intel, though?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°You gotta ask your own disciple about that Brother Tang!¡± said Li Laoshan. ¡°Hasn¡¯t Chen Zhizhong told you about Guo Tao already?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Xiu was strangely surprised. ¡°Chen Zhizhong also knows about Guo Tao?¡±


    ¡°The reason why my men found out Guo Tao is engaging in selling intel was because they bought the info from your disciple, Chen Zhizhong!¡± explained Li Laoshan. ¡°He may know more than I do about Guo Tao.¡±


    ¡°I see. I¡¯m gonna call Chen Zhizhong first, Old Brother,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯ll find you for some drinks later.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After speaking, Li Laoshan laughed and directly hung up.


    Tang Xiu, however, didn¡¯t hurry to call Chen Zhizhong but slowly shut his eyes as information about the Darkwind organization unraveled in his mind.


    This organization was like a pair of eyes in the sky, always staring at everything that happened in every nook and cranny of the world. It was like an invisible imperial sword hanging over everyone¡¯s head, and those who were not cautious would have their necks beheaded by it.


    ¡°How far are we now?¡± asked Tang Xiu as he suddenly opened his eyes.


    ¡°About 40 minutes driving,¡± answered Jin Shi respectfully.


    ¡°Don¡¯t head to the Golden Coast for now and withdraw most of our intel operatives who are still keeping an eye on that place.¡± Tang Xiu ordered in a deep tone. ¡°Leave a few elite operatives to keep tabs on a few people. That¡¯s right, keep a close eye on Guo Tao. There may be a hole of breach around him.¡±


    Tang An¡¯s figure silently appeared next to Tang Xiu, causing Jin Shi, who sat shotgun, have his complexion slightly changed since a bit of dread secretly rose inside him. The former then asked, ¡°How about directly sneaking there, Grand Master? Won¡¯t we be able to obtain all the information directly?¡±


    ¡°I have a hunch that things are not so simple. There¡¯s more than meets the eyes here. You can stay invisible. I also have Invisibility Charm, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a very safe means.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°If the Golden Coast employs such strict defense and security works, it¡¯s likely they have means to detect us. That¡¯s why we can¡¯t alert them this time. We just need to focus on closely keeping tabs on one or a few people, then exploiting any breach they leave before we unravel and understand this organization thoroughly.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll keep an eye on Guo Tao,¡± said Tang An respectfully.


    Tang Xiu gave her a light nod and spoke again, ¡°Jin Shi, you go with Tang An! And park the car on the roadside now. I¡¯ll just take a cab to find a place to stay. Remember to immediately notify me once the targets we¡¯ve determined have left the Golden Coast.¡±


    ¡°Roger!¡± Jin Shi replied.


    As the car was parked on the roadside, Tang Xiu got off alone. There were no buildings nearby and only bankers on both sides of the road, so Tang Xiu took out his mobile phone and dialed Chen Zhizhong¡¯s number.


    ¡°Master.¡± Chen Zhizhong¡¯s respectful voice was heard on the phone.


    ¡°Where are you?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Liangang,¡± answered Chen Zhizhong.


    ¡°Come over quickly to the address I¡¯m going to text you soon!¡± Tang Xiu ordered faintly. ¡°Keep in mind not to act ostentatiously and just come by yourself.¡±


    After half an hour, a black Audi parked next to Tang Xiu. After the driver¡¯s door was opened, the black-suited Chen Zhizhong strode to Tang Xiu and spoke, ¡°Why are you in Liangang, Master?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the question I wanna ask you too,¡± replied Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I found the secret of an old friend and I¡¯ve been following him secretly. That¡¯s why I came to Liangang,¡± said Chen Zhizhong. ¡°Also, there are many special people gathering in a certain place in Lianggang. It¡¯s a private club called Golden Coast. I¡¯m going to find this old friend of mine to settle our feud once their party is over.¡±


    ¡°Is your old friend Guo Tao, by any chance?¡± asked Tang Xiu with squinted eyes.


    Chen Zhizhong looked surprised, but he shook his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s not him, but Wen Feng.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes lit up and he said in a deep voice, ¡°Tell me about this Wen Feng, Guo Tao, and that group of special people from all over who are at that Golden Coast now. Tell me everything about them.¡±


    ¡°My guess is that they are all members of the Darkwind organization, Master,¡± said Chen Zhizhong. ¡°Further, today must be the important three-year meeting of what they call ¡°Nether Swap, or Shifting Location¡± for the Darkwind organization in China. So, these people who came to the Golden Coast today should be the heads of the Darkwind in various provinces and cities across the country.¡±


    ¡®The Darkwind?¡¯


    Killing intent flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he asked again, ¡°What is this Nether Swap or Shifting Location, exactly?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the name of an important meeting that happens every three years.¡± Chen Zhizhong explained, ¡°As the name implies, the person in charge of each province will exchange position with the head of other provinces, as with those who are in charge of a city with another city. The entirety of the Darkwind organization¡¯s structure and members will be completely disrupted and reshuffled, becoming responsible for new places.¡±


    ¡°Why do they do this, though? Isn¡¯t it very troublesome?¡± Tang Xiu wondered.


    ¡°It¡¯s to prevent members of the organization from secretly developing their own private force,¡± said Chen Zhizhong.


    ¡°But how do you know so much about this matter?¡± Tang Xiu asked inquisitively.


    Chen Zhizhong fell into silence for a moment and then forced a smile. ¡°Master, I actually used to have a lot of contact with Wen Feng and Guo Tao, and we even had some important issues happening then. 10 years ago, both of them looked for me, hoping to buy several precious herbs from me. We became friends after constant contact. Moreover, all three of us are martial artists, so our friendship continually got better since we got something in common. We then burned the yellow paper, drinking our blood to be sworn brothers then.


    ¡°Yet, Wen Feng¡¯s mind is like a fox full of schemes and intrigues. The more I interacted with him, the more I found that I didn¡¯t understand him; whereas Guo Tao is a man you can literally call ruthless. In public, he shows himself as a steady and successful man, but he changes into a wholly different man, just like when he gets drunk or when he has a fight with others.¡±


    Up to this point, Chen Zhizhong then took out a half-pack of cigarettes. He took one from it and handed one to Tang Xiu. He lighted it up for Tang Xiu and lit one for himself. After taking a puff, he went on, ¡°On one occasion, Guo Tao got drunk and blabbered about the Darkwind organization as well as his position as the Head of the Shaanxi branch. He also told me that Wen Feng is the supervisor in Liangang¡ªwhich the latter then found out and then tried to get rid of me. I¡¯ve had a lot of clashes with them secretly, and I even thought of hiring two martial arts grandmasters to protect me for a while. The two of them dare not let others know the exposure of their identity, let alone by their superior leaders in the Darkwind organization. They were then negotiated for me to keep their secret and they¡¯ll no longer send people to kill me.¡±


    ¡°And things are not over yet, I suppose?¡± asked Tang Xiu lightly.


    Intense killing intent overflowed from Chen Zhizhong¡¯s eyes. ¡°The things are, of course, far from being over, Master! Those two bastards did promise with some great words, yet, they still sent people to assassinate me, and my wife died during their assassination.¡±


    ¡°And so, you¡¯ve been constantly investigating them?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Chen Zhizhong nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying everything I could to investigate them for many years. I even bought intel on them, be it fake or true. I just don¡¯t care. What I care about is just to get more on everything they did and do every time they are in contact.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent as smoked his cigarette. Then, he asked in a deep voice, ¡°If I were to hand you a team of powerful experts, can you be their commander? Do you have the confidence to kill all those members of Darkwind gathering in the Golden Coast club?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure. Absolutely!¡± replied Chen Zhizhong with eyes lit up.


    Tang Xiu nodded and then dialed a number. Then, he spoke, ¡°Senior Duanmu, do you want to pluck out some cancer cells in China?¡±


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± replied a voice in a confused tone.


    ¡°The Darkwind,¡± continued Tang Xiu with a deep voice.


    ¡°They are very cunning and stay hidden all the time,¡± said Duanmu Lin slowly after he was silent for a few seconds. ¡°The state intelligence operatives may have a small number of them under surveillance, but most of them are uncertain about their identity. That¡¯s why we¡¯d better not beat the grass and frighten away the snake so as not to worry these dogs will leap over in desperation and bring dangers to the society.¡±


    ¡°And if there¡¯s a chance to help the state get rid of this cancer, I wonder if you want to root them out?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± asked Duanmu Lin hurriedly. ¡°Can you really dig out all of the Darkwind people in China?¡±


    ¡°A few fish may slip through the net, but compared with the whole intelligence network of the Darkwind in China, with thousands and tens of thousands of their intel operatives, I think it can be done,¡± said Tang Xiu.¡±


    ¡°That would be worth enough to act. Absolutely!¡± Duanmu Lin then asked quickly, ¡°Where are you now, Tang Xiu?¡±


    ¡°Liangang,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be there in five hours,¡± said Duanmu Lin in a deep voice. ¡°Send me the specific address in Liangang and I¡¯ll be there to catch up with you soon.¡±


    ¡°You have to be careful when you come over, Senior Duanmu,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle. ¡°Liangang has now become the gathering place for all the high-level executives of the Darkwind organization in China. The number of intel operatives of this organization may be too many to count here. This city has become their den in this period.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± said Duanmu Lin with a full of confidence voice.


    Tang Xiu hung up and then smiled at Chen Zhizhong, ¡°You¡¯ll lead these experts from the Special Abilities Bureau. But, do display a good performance. We¡¯ll start the operation at once when we have more information.¡±

 Chapter 1112 - Getting Tampered With

    Chapter 1112: Getting Tampered With


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Chen Zhizhong was but an ordinary martial artist two years ago. He wasn¡¯t even rated as a second-rate expert whatsoever, and he could only bully some street rats then. After cultivating for two years, however, his cultivation level progressed and was in the late-stage of Foundation Establishment. Killing experts at the martial arts grandmaster level was absolutely an easy task, as easy as killing an ant for him.


    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    He began to speak but then hesitated.


    Tang Xiu seemed to understand what was going through his mind. His eyebrows raised and he asked, ¡°Do you have no confidence in yourself? Just because they are definitely experts from the state¡¯s Special Abilities Bureau, so you dare not to meet them at all?¡±


    ¡°I feel like that a bit, indeed,¡± said Chen Zhizhong with a forced smile. ¡°After all, I¡¯ve only been a businessman before, while they are the armed forces of the country. They may not obey my command at a critical moment even if I want to, and the consequences will be unimaginable.¡±


    ¡°You also said that you used to be a businessman. But your current identity is different. You¡¯re now a cultivator, more so, one who is at the Foundation Establishment Stage. You can say that the late-stage of Foundation Establishment is nothing in my eyes, but you¡¯re like a powerhouse with god-like abilities in the eyes of others. Now, let me tell you something. There are no more than five people in the entire Special Abilities Bureau who can defeat you.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong¡¯s eyes lit up with self-confidence raising up in his heart. He looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s serious expression before gritting his teeth and saying, ¡°I won¡¯t let you down, Master. Definitely.¡±


    ¡°Zhizhong, you must always remember that you¡¯re no longer your past self.¡± Tang Xiu finally smiled and said, ¡°The current you is no longer limited to the business world, nor to the country. You¡¯re now my disciple, so your vision can¡¯t be confined to this Earth only. The universe is vast and countless races exist. There¡¯s also a higher plane above ours with myriad races and countless walks of life, countless of whom are experts who have the ability to destroy the sky and earth with a snap of their fingers. You¡¯ll face these celestial immortal powerhouses with their godly powers in the future, not the mortal beings on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Hiss¡­¡±


    Chen Zhizhong couldn¡¯t help but gasp in cold air. It was his first time hearing such a shocking statement from Tang Xiu.


    ¡°M-Master¡­ is what you said all true? There are countless aliens in our universe and there¡¯s also a higher plane? Are there really existences who can destroy Earth with just a snap of their fingers?¡± Chen Zhizhong¡¯s voice shivered, yet there were fear and expectation in his voice.


    Tang Xiu sighed inwardly. He realized that Chen Zhizhong wasn¡¯t given much guidance from him ever since the man had become his disciple. It felt rather pitiful to think that he even told him about the cultivation world and even some higher levels. After rekindling his cigarette, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Zhizhong, I think it should be time you hand over your company to your son, no? Huh? You¡­ something is amiss with you!¡±


    His expression suddenly changed and intense killing intent overflowed in his eyes. He immediately grabbed Chen Zhizhong¡¯s neck and a sharp dagger was ready to stab his heart.


    ¡°M-Master¡­?!¡±


    Disbelief covering his face, Chen Zhizhong simply couldn¡¯t believe that Tang Xiu would attack him all of a sudden.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ extend your wrist!¡± Tang Xiu snorted coldly and ordered.


    Upon hearing this, Chen Zhizhong immediately extended his left wrist and felt Tang Xiu move the sharp dagger away from his heart. Only then did his expression slightly relaxed.


    Tang Xiu put away the dagger and checked the man¡¯s pulse. He also used his spiritual sense to inspect him and was immediately furious since there was a seal on Chen Zhizhong¡¯s body. This restriction seal was also extremely prohibiting, which not only blocked Chen Zhizhong¡¯s strength but also affected his perception, causing his spiritual sense to be trapped within his mind sea, all the while creating a huge discrepancy in his memory.


    ¡°Master!¡± cried out Chen Zhizhong cautiously.


    Loosening his neck, Tang Xiu then asked in a heavy voice with eyes full of killing intent, ¡°Have you seen anyone after you left Kunlun Mountain? Can you think of anyone who has messed up with you and tampered with your mind?¡±


    Chen Zhizhong looked confused and shook his head. ¡°After that?! I just returned to Star City and immediately occupied myself with the company affairs, while handing over all the big and small things to my son. About every day¡­ huh? How can I not remember anything after that?¡±


    Tang Xiu released his wrist and said in a deep voice, ¡°Come with me!¡±


    ****


    Liangang City.


    The Blue Ocean Goldfine Hotel was located in the new development zone of the city which was also a bustling area. Of the 24-story hotel building, the 20th floor was allotted as the presidential suite, which also had the most expensive rate among the hotels in the city.


    The room of the presidential suite 2045 was dark and the cool, with the chilling wind blowing in from the outside due to the opened windows. Two figures flickered as they moved lightning-fast and entered through the window. A cigarette lighter lit up a cigarette as the light reflected Tang Xiu¡¯s handsome face.


    ¡°We could¡¯ve checked in and taken the room directly, Master.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong had no idea as to why Tang Xiu didn¡¯t want to check-in and rent the room but sneaked into this presidential suite instead. It must be noted that he brought a group of his men to come over and they were now staying at this hotel on the 19th floor.


    ¡°No can do.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°The entire Liangang City should be under the surveillance of the Darkwind¡¯s intel operatives. If my guess is correct, Wen Feng must have caught the news that you¡¯ve come to Liangang. It¡¯s even highly likely that a lot of intel operatives of the Darkwind have been quietly lurking in the dark here. Once the news that I¡¯m here is exposed, I¡¯m sure they will start investigating my whereabouts.¡±


    The explanation made Chen Zhizhong understand quickly. Then, he asked, ¡°What exactly happened to me, Master? I just can¡¯t seem to remember anything of what I was doing every day on the way here. I don¡¯t even have a clue of where I was every day, either.¡±


    ¡°Someone has messed up with you and tampered with your memory,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°Although the seal hasn¡¯t completely sealed your cultivation, they used the restriction seal technique very sophisticatedly. You could¡¯ve lived up to three months safely if not for me finding out about it. But your internal organs would begin to fester and your meridians would be cut off three months later. At that time, no one will be able to save you unless a Perfected Golden Immortal Stage descends to Earth. Also, your memory has been affected by that restriction, causing you to forget many important things.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong¡¯s complexion turned pale and fear was evident on his face. Only after Tang Xiu was done explaining did he stutteringly speak, ¡°M-Master¡­ you¡¯re right. I¡­ I¡¯ve always been feeling that my memory is dropping, and there¡¯s a lot more I can¡¯t even remember lately. It turns out that someone has unexpectedly tampered with it.¡±


    Tang Xiu pointed to the floor in front of him and said, ¡°Sit down and kneel! I¡¯ll help you remove the restriction on your body. Further, I¡¯ll also need a strain of Serene Articulation Grass to awaken your sealed memory.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong hastily sat down cross-legged in front of Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°What kind of herb is this Serene Articulation Grass, Master? I¡¯ve never heard of it before.¡±


    ¡°Of course. This grass is not even a medicinal ingredient. It¡¯s a plant that can cause serious damage to the human body, instead,¡± explained Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°Generally, the poison experts and the likes who love tinkering with poison also act cautiously when dealing with this plant. They extract its internal essence and mix it up with a snake dragon to concoct a dreadful poison.¡±


    ¡°Where I can find such Serene Articulation Grass?¡± asked Chen Zhizhong.


    ¡°Spare yourself from worrying about that. Someone will send it tomorrow evening at the latest if there¡¯s no accident,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Having said that, he reached down to hold Chen Zhizhong¡¯s head and cast a secret art. It took only a few minutes for him to remove the restriction seal in his body.


    ****


    Liangang City, Golden Coast Club.


    In the exquisite garden European house filled with a faint jasmine scent, a thin and pale white-haired old man was sitting cross-legged on a futon in cultivation. Suddenly, his body slightly shook and he spurted out a mouthful of blood. His eyes suddenly opened and intense killing intent overflowed from his eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s broken?!!¡±


    The skinny old man floated up and instantly appeared by the window. He watched the shadows of the trees swaying under the dark night as he slightly gripped his fists.


    BANG¡­


    The entire window was blasted out with just one punch.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Figures flickered and headed over lightning-fast from the surroundings. In just a few breaths, tens of men in black night vests and black masks appeared outside the window.


    ¡°What happened, Elder Wei?¡±


    Wen Feng, adorned in pajamas and slippers, moved over quickly from the distance. He looked at the old man by the window who looked sinister and furious. It suffocated him and he secretly trembled as he went forward and respectfully asked.


    ¡°The seal I cast on Chen Zhizhong¡¯s body was broken,¡± said Elder Wei.


    The statement surprised Wen Feng, and he said, ¡°Elder Wei, didn¡¯t you say previously that no one besides you in this world can break the seal you cast on Chen Zhizhong¡¯s body? It was just cast for a bit of time, but how come¡­¡±


    ¡°SHUT THE HELL UP!!!¡±


    Eyes full of killing intent, Elder Wei stared daggers at Wen Feng. Should the latter dare to say more, he would be in for torturing death even if they both belonged to the same organization.


    Wen Fen held his breath. Even though he was angry inwardly, he still put on a respectful face on the surface. Others may not know how ruthless and dreadful this Elder Wei was, but he was crystal clear about it, for at least a few of the brothers who came out of the training camp with him in the past died in the hands of this geezer.


    Elder Wei panted and gasped a few times. His murderous eyes left Wen Feng and shifted to the direction of the city. Then, he chillingly said, ¡°Not even a Nascent Soul Stage expert is able to remove the seal I cast on Chen Zhizhong¡¯s body. Unless that person is skilled in the secret art of my sect and is proficient in restriction rules. Now I ask you, is there any other expert around Chen Zhizhong?¡±


    Wen Feng hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°I¡¯ve sent men to investigate everything about Chen Zhizhong some time ago. They did find a very powerful expert around him, and the person in question is only a young man in his 20s. But¡­ even if this person is very powerful, he shouldn¡¯t be powerful to this degree, right?¡±


    Note:


    Another plot holes. The author definitely said that Chen Zhizhong has reached Nascent Soul after obtaining the Diablo Praecantator Clan¡¯s inheritance in the previous chapters. Well, I just can¡¯t change what is written in the raw as my job is just translating the series, though.

 Chapter 1113 - Captured

    Chapter 1113: Captured


    Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales


    A chilling light flashed from Elder Wei¡¯s eyes as he said in a deep voice, ¡°Cultivators have been in existence in China, and the number is definitely more than a handful. The more powerful they are, the more they are able to change their appearances. If this person¡¯s cultivation level has reached the Nascent Soul Stage, he can even remold and reshape his flesh and become what it was when he was young. Just who is this guy, exactly?¡±


    ¡°The preliminary investigation only shows that Chen Zhizhong has taken a Master about two years ago. But we haven¡¯t yet investigated what he has been taught specifically,¡± said Wen Feng. ¡°But given Chen Zhizhong¡¯s strength progress in these two years, what he has been taught should be martial arts or cultivation. His Master is Tang Xiu, who is hailed as the young Divine Doctor in China, and is also the owner of China¡¯s Magnificent Tang Corporation.¡±


    The Magnificent Tang Corporation?


    Elder Wei¡¯s eyes lit up. He once heard of this company. Some of the top-level existences in the Darkwind had once schemed to obtain the sophisticated tech product of this company. It was unfortunate, however, that the Chinese authorities chose to back and support this company, so they had to cancel the plan.


    ¡°Given your character, you must¡¯ve been careful, and you should¡¯ve investigated this Tang Xiu, right? Tell me everything about him!¡± said Elder Wei in a deep voice.


    A bitter smile appeared on Wen Feng¡¯s square face. He reached out to a wooden box stored in his sleeve¡¯s pocket, cautiously took out a Cuban cigar from the inside, and gave it to the old Wei. He lighted it up for the old man, then bitterly smiled. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve indeed sent out many intel operatives to investigate Tang Xiu, Elder Wei. But an invisible force that has been hindering us. That¡¯s why the information on him is very scant and pitiful. Alright, I¡¯ll send someone to deliver you the information.¡±


    Elder Wei glowered at him and impatiently waved. ¡°Just hurry up! I gotta figure out who¡¯s behind Chen Zhizhong. I wanna know who¡¯s so capable to be able to break the seal I cast on him.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Nodding respectfully, Wen Feng immediately ran to do his biding. Just a few minutes later, however, he reluctantly returned to Elder Wei and bitterly said with a forced smile, ¡°Uh, Elder Wei, the branch in Liangang just sent a message. The custodian lost the databank door¡¯s card, so there¡¯s no way to send the information immediately. I have a copy of the card, but I¡¯m afraid I have to go back there myself.¡±


    ¡°Drag that custodian to me!¡± yelled Elder Wei. ¡°How the hell can he lose such an important thing? Such dereliction of duty will bring our organization hidden danger! What an imbecile! I¡¯m gonna make him wish to die while keeping him alive!¡±


    A chill ran down Wen Feng¡¯s back and heart. All he just said was to deceive Elder Wei, while the very reason why he wanted to leave Golden Coast was that he didn¡¯t want to stay in the tiger den anymore. One may be killed by this damned Elder Wei should they not pay attention, especially when the geezer was in a bad mood.


    If you could avoid and hide from this geezer for even a minute, you¡¯d definitely not spend a second more in his presence.


    As long as this ¡°Nether Swap¡± meeting was over, this old thing would leave China and there would be nothing more he would need to worry about.


    Immediately after, Wen Feng took his four confidants and rode on a car that quickly drove off the Golden Coast. Just after they left, however, the people tasked to keep an eye on the Golden Coast sent the news about it.


    ****


    The Blue Ocean Goldfine Hotel.


    Tang Xiu and Chen Zhizhong were hiding in the presidential suite. Suddenly, Tang Xiu¡¯s phone rang and he received the report after connecting the call. Then, he nodded and said, ¡°I see. Capture him and kill the others!¡±


    After hanging up, he looked at Chen Zhizhong and spoke with a sneer, ¡°Well, Wen Feng actually came out of the Golden Coast in the dead of the night. You have a feud with him, yet he straightly headed out in a hurry just after I broke the restriction seal in your body. There¡¯s definitely something between the two, and it¡¯s likely the person who harmed and started it all should be him.¡±


    ¡°I have a question, Master,¡± said Chen Zhizhong.


    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°If the person who harmed me is Wen Feng or someone he asked, why didn¡¯t they just kill me directly and only cast such a restriction seal on me, instead? Don¡¯t you think all these moves unnecessary?¡± asked Chen Zhizhong.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression slightly shifted. ¡°That makes sense. They haven¡¯t killed you and instead, put such a restriction seal on you. This could mean they have some schemes in mind which start from your body. But what do they want, exactly?¡±


    ¡°My guess should be my money,¡± said Chen Zhizhong. ¡°It¡¯s all they can get out of me.¡±


    ¡°That speaks volume, too.¡± Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes and nodded. ¡°Your company¡¯s market value is very high, and you now have more wealth than you did two years ago, about double, right? What¡¯s more, you run a medicinal material business, while cultivators need these precious herbs. Thus, you naturally became prey in the eyes of many people. As long as they can control your life, they¡¯ll obtain a lot of medicinal herbs and capital in the future.¡±


    ¡°Another one, Master. Didn¡¯t you say the restriction seal they cast on me will cause me to die within three months?¡± asked Chen Zhizhong. ¡°If I were then killed, won¡¯t that mean their control over me is gone?¡±


    ¡°Heng, they have the ability to cast such a seal. It¡¯s only natural they can break it too,¡± Tang Xiu replied with a sneer. ¡°When you fall into desperation, and if the other party tells you that they can solve it, will they just comply with your plea so easily if you ask them? Or will you give them a promise and be at their mercy and be ready at their beck and call?¡±


    Chen Zhizhong went silent for a while. Then, he slowly nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s a possibility. Besides, it¡¯s better to live than to die as one only has unlimited possibilities if he¡¯s alive.¡±


    ¡°The wishful thinking of these people is indeed great, yet they straightly ignored my existence. Also, they did not expect that I can break the seal cast on you.¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°If my guess is correct, the person who has cast the seal on you must¡¯ve received a backlash. We can count it as a bit of interest paid in advance.¡±


    Shortly after, he made a phone call and ordered Banshou to make a trip to his hometown, Qinghe County. He ordered him to hike the hill behind the Su Family Village to find the Serene Articulation Grass. Back when he was in the back hill of the Su Family Village, he found a lot of them there, but he didn¡¯t collect them as he thought that there was no great use of it then, though he didn¡¯t expect that it¡¯d actually serve its uses now.


    ****


    It was two in the morning.


    On a broad, flat road with dimly lit streetlights, two SUVs were speeding like a whirlwind. At this moment, however, a chilling streak of light suddenly shone from a distance and accurately hit the tires of the forefront car.


    BAM¡­ CREAK¡ª


    As the tries exploded and the brakes sounded at the same time, the black buggy in front turned for six or seven times before it finally hit a phone pole on the roadside. The black SUV behind it abruptly stopped after the sudden braking. Wen Feng, who was sitting in the back SUV, pushed the door and vigilantly swept the surrounding with his eyes. It was all quiet, and there was nothing unusual. Then, he shouted, ¡°Check those in the front car and see if anything happened to them!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re good, Boss!¡±


    Two middle-aged men with a few bloodstains crawled out from the black SUV¡¯s interior in front and quickly went to Wen Feng.


    His complexion ugly, Wen Feng asked, ¡°What the fuck happened here? How did such good tires burst all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°I got no idea, Boss.¡± The middle-aged man shook his head.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll explain it to you.¡±


    A clear voice came from the nearby trees on the roadside. The smirking Jin Shi and four Tang Sect experts surrounded the five people.


    Wen Feng¡¯s pupils shrunk. He could tell that something was amiss a moment ago, yet he didn¡¯t expect someone to ambush him on the road. He even felt amazed since the entire Liangang City was now under the monitoring of the Darkwind organization, where their men occupied all the key communication lines and traffic, so they could closely monitor suspicious people.


    And yet, where did these five bravados come from?


    ¡°Who are you?¡± asked Wen Feng in a heavy voice while shooting a vigilant glare at Jin Shi¡¯s group of five.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you need to know that, right?¡± Jin Shi let out a faint smile. ¡°Just know that you¡¯re doomed and have no way of escaping today!¡±


    Wen Feng instantly took out the pistol from his waist, unlocking its safety pin and trained it at Jin Shi and pulled the trigger¡­


    Puff¡­


    A cold light flashed and Wen Feng¡¯s fingers couldn¡¯t pull the trigger completely. His wrist had been pierced by a sharp dagger, causing the man to retreat two steps with a groan and disbelief in his eyes. He may use guns, but his strong point was his martial arts.


    And yet, he was still too late to react and had his wrist stabbed by a dagger¡ªa situation that caused a chill to ran down his back.


    ¡°Who are you?!!¡±


    He asked after looking around yet again but found no other figures in the surroundings.


    ¡°I never repeat myself.¡± Jin Shi sneered. ¡°Our target today is you, Wen Feng, so please make a trip with us! As for the rest, KILL THEM!¡±


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    The four men behind Jin Shi instantly bolted toward the spots nearby Wen Feng. Their killing movements were like lightning bolts, and they directly killed the four middle-aged men, who had a drastic change in expressions. Even to extent that one of them, who killed a middle-aged man, straightly hit the back of Wen Feng¡¯s head and stunned him directly.


    Jin Shi looked around and said, ¡°Tang An, you can have him!¡±


    Tang An¡¯s figure emerged out of thin air a few meters away from Jin Shi. At this moment, she was dragging another dead dog-like man. Should Li Laoshan be here, he¡¯d be able to recognize the man. This person was Guo Tao, who was famous as the illustrious rich businessman in Shaanxi.


    BAM¡­


    Tang An threw Guo Tao on the ground and apathetically said, ¡°I don¡¯t need to cover up but will follow you all the way to the hotel where Grand Master is. I¡¯ll directly solve all the Darkwind¡¯s intel operatives on the way there!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you can pull it off?!¡± asked Jin Shi with knitted brows.


    ¡°Hmph, I¡¯ll never say it if I¡¯m not!¡± Tang An snorted coldly.


    Having said that, she disappeared yet again.


    Jin Shi could only look at the spot where she just disappeared with a chilling and cold heart. He was very envious of Tang An¡¯s mysterious skill to appear and disappear just like that. Yet, he also knew that he could never practice this kind of technique.

 Chapter 1114 - Kneeling for Mercy

    Chapter 1114: Kneeling for Mercy


    At the Blue Ocean Goldfine Hotel.


    Sitting cross-legged in the presidential suite, Tang Xiu¡¯s cell phone rang again. After putting it through, Jin Shi¡¯s voice came out from it. ¡°Sect Master, we captured the target and Tang An also has caught one!¡±


    ¡°Give them to Tang An. She knows where we are,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    After a while, Tang An appeared in front of Tang Xiu and Chen Zhizhong, dragging the stunned Wen Feng and Guo Tao. Immediately after, Jin Shi led the four members of Tang Sect and quickly entered the room.


    ¡°Pull down the curtain and turn on the lights!¡± Tang Xiu ordered calmly.


    Click¡­


    As the lights in the presidential suite were turned on, Tang Xiu went to the sofa and took a seat. He looked at Wen Feng and Guo Tao and asked, ¡°Anyway, which is Wen Feng, Zhizhong?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s him!¡± Chen Zhizhong pointed to Wen Feng. ¡°I know the other man, too. He¡¯s Guo Tao, though I didn¡¯t expect that you actually sent people to capture both of them, Master.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked satisfied as he shifted to Tang An and said, ¡°Wake them up!¡±


    The most effective way to wake someone was to beat them up. The two fainted men immediately woke up, right as the two members of Tang Sect powerfully hit them.


    ¡°Alright, stop!¡±


    Tang Xiu lit a cigarette. As he puffed out, he looked at the two men¡¯s vigilant faces and lightly smiled. ¡°Well, you two are Wen Feng and Guo Tao, right? I¡¯ve long heard your big names, you know! It¡¯s just quite unexpected that our first meeting is under this circumstance, though.¡±


    Wen Feng and Guo Tao exchanged glances and the former then asked, ¡°Who are you?!¡±


    ¡°Ah, let¡¯s play a game, then,¡± replied Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°If you can guess who I am, I¡¯ll tell my man to break your leg. But if your guess is wrong, he¡¯ll break both of them! Of course, you can also opt not to answer. But the consequence is that he¡¯ll break all your limbs. How about it?¡±


    Wen Feng glared at Tang Xiu in response. Then, he said in a heavy voice, ¡°This is our first meeting, Brothers. There should be no deep hatred between us.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. We do have a deep feud, I think.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice who is standing behind you?¡±


    Wen Feng and Guo Tao looked at the back at the same time and their expressions turned very ugly after they saw Chen Zhizhong. They finally realized to whose hands they had fallen at this very moment. Even the former also had figured out who the person sitting in front of him was.


    It was Tang Xiu! The young Divine Doctor of Chinese medicine in China, as well as the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation!


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯m giving you 10 seconds, Wen Feng,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°If you haven¡¯t answered my question by then, you¡¯ll get your all limbs broken and you¡¯ll have to live like a dead dog later on. Of course, you can hope that you¡¯ll still be alive, though.¡±


    Wen Feng¡¯s heart was chilled and he hurriedly blurted out, ¡°You¡¯re Tang Xiu!¡±


    ¡°Well, well. The intel agents of your Darkwind organization are really amazing!¡± Tang Xiu gave a thumbs up and praised. ¡°As I recall, the contacts between me and Chen Zhizhong are but numbered over the past two years, yet I didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯ve been able to dig out the relation between me and him.¡±


    Tap, tap¡­ CRACK¡ª


    Jin Shi strode forward and stepped on Wen Feng¡¯s left leg, then quickly returned to his place.


    ¡°AAARGH¡­¡±


    Wen Feng screamed and his whole face distorted. Never did he expect the other to be so ruthless and did what he just said and directly broke his left leg.


    ¡°Well then, answer me another question,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle. ¡°He¡¯ll break your arm if your answer satisfies me, but if not, you can expect to have all the remaining limbs broken too!¡±


    Wen Feng¡¯s heart now fell into a glacier. He had his share of seeing ruthless and merciless men, and he was also one of them. But he was now exactly the said fish on the chopping block. Under the shadow of death, he straightly kneeled down before Tang Xiu and pleaded. ¡°Brother Tang Xiu, I should¡¯ve known I mustn¡¯t scheme against Chen Zhizhong, nor did I have an enmity with him. Please let me go this time and I promise to hide far from you whenever I see you later. I¡¯ll answer all the questions you throw at me, but please don¡¯t hurt me anymore¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu raised up his brows and asked Chen Zhizhong, ¡°Well, would you like it if he¡¯s willing to resolve the feud between you two?¡±


    The man in question was silent for a moment, and then slowly said, ¡°I¡¯m very reluctant, Master. But I¡¯ll listen to you. If you¡¯d like me to no longer care about it, then I won¡¯t do so in the future.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then I¡¯ll take the responsibility as your Master. Your feud with them is over now! However, Wen Feng still needs to answer some questions!¡±


    ¡°Please do ask. I¡¯ll say whatever I know,¡± said Wen Feng honestly.


    ¡°Well, you do know that those who can play according to circumstances are all wise men, don¡¯t you?¡± Tang Xiu gave him a thumbs up. ¡°So then, who has cast the restriction seal on Chen Zhizhong¡¯s body?¡±


    Once again, Wen Feng¡¯s heart turned cold. He never thought that Tang Xiu had actually correctly guessed that this matter was related to him. He hesitated for a moment, then steeled his heart and spoke, ¡°It was Elder Wei.¡±


    ¡°Elder Wei? Who the heck is that?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I have no idea what his full name is.¡± Wen Feng shook his head and explained, ¡°I only know that he¡¯s the top dog in the organization, and I¡¯m assigned as his subordinate. The reason why he acted against Chen Zhizhong is, on the one hand, I have a feud with Chen Zhizhong, while on the other hand, he wants to control him, so he can obtain medicinal herbs and the wealth of the Endless Virtue Pharmaceuticals.¡±


    ¡°So, is your organization the one called the Darkwind?¡± asked Tang Xiu again.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± Wen Feng nodded. ¡°It¡¯s the Darkwind. And I¡¯m in charge of two cities in China, Liangang and Peng City, whereas Guo Tao next to me is responsible for the branch in Shaanxi province.¡±


    ¡°Your Darkwind organization is now gathering in Liangang City and it should be for the ¡®Nether Swap¡¯ meeting occasion, right?¡± Tang Xiu went on, ¡°Are all the Heads of the Darkwind¡¯s branches in China gathered here?¡±


    ¡°You even know this?¡± Wen Feng blurted out in surprise and amazement.


    ¡°I know more than this. That¡¯s for sure.¡± Tang Xiu sneered.


    Wen Feng was silent for a short while. Then, he suddenly asked, ¡°Are you an official of Chinese authority, by chance?¡±


    A weird smile appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. ¡°Do you really want to know that?¡±


    Wen Feng stared blankly, then his expression slightly changed. He hastily waved and said, ¡°Please tell me nothing, Brother Tang. I don¡¯t wanna know. It was just my cheap mouth running wild. I shouldn¡¯t ask what I shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You must know less if you wanna live longer,¡± said Tang Xiu with a chuckle. ¡°Anyway, tell me. Where this Elder Wei is now? Is he also in the Golden Coast?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. He¡¯s indeed in the Golden Coast at the moment.¡± Wen Feng nodded. ¡°Also, it¡¯s actually impossible for me to leave at this time, but since his seal on Chen Zhizhong¡¯s body was broken and he received a backlash, he went ballistic and drove me out to take information about you.¡±


    The answer made Tang Xiu happily nod. ¡°Now, the last question. If you can make me happy with your answer, you can be sure that I won¡¯t only kill you, but also will reward you.¡±


    ¡°Please ask!¡± responded Wen Feng hurriedly.


    ¡°Who¡¯s the one in charge of the Darkwind organization in China?¡± asked Tang Xiu. ¡°Also, does he have a list of all the members of this organization in China?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t answer this since I have no idea who the person in charge of Darkwind¡¯s operations in China is.¡± Wen Feng looked bitter and shook his head. ¡°But I think I know who can answer you.¡±


    Tang Xiu then turned to Guo Tao.


    Guo Tang sighed inwardly before speaking, ¡°It¡¯s Wang Sheng. He¡¯s the chief in charge of the Darkwind operations in China. But he mysteriously appears and disappears. Unless he proactively finds me, I can only contact him through the intel network of the Darkwind at the end of the year. Additionally, the structure of the intel network changes annually, and I haven¡¯t gotten into contact with him this year, so I don¡¯t know where he is.¡±


    ¡°What about the list, then?¡± asked Tang Xiu in a deep voice.


    ¡°Wang Sheng is the general manager of China¡¯s Darkwind, so he naturally holds the list of all the Darkwind¡¯s intel operatives in China.¡± Guo Tao nodded and added, ¡°I only have a list of all intel agents in Shaanxi.¡±


    Tang Xiu was very satisfied with their answers. Although he already knew that both of them were ruthless and brutal men, they also feared death. They would never be loyal to the Darkwind organization when being faced with death itself. Loyalty to the organization was absolutely not worth losing their lives.


    Thus, they would definitely be able to play some good roles if he were to make good use of such people.


    ¡°Alrighty. Jin Shi, heal his leg!¡± Tang Xiu ordered.


    Jin Shi quickly complied and strode towards Wen Feng. He grabbed his bare feet and connected his leg bones. Amid the man¡¯s screeching screams, he used his True Essence energy to nourish the man¡¯s broken bones and slowly said, ¡°Don¡¯t use your left leg for 10 days.¡±


    Wen Feng was ecstatic as he finally realized that Tang Xiu wouldn¡¯t kill him at all, else he would¡¯ve never let his man carry out such unnecessary action to heal himself.


    ¡°What else do you wanna know, Boss Tang? I¡¯ll tell you everything I know!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, me too!¡± blurted Guo Tao in a muffled voice.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already asked everything I wanted to know, and I¡¯m happy with your answers.¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said, ¡°But if I¡¯m going easy with you, though, you¡¯re gonna kick me into troublesome issues once you ran back to the Golden Coast and tell the Darkwind¡¯s people about me. So, you two will still need to accept my condition. You can leave if you accept it.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll comply with any conditions!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll comply too!¡±


    Both answered at the same time.


    Tang Xiu instantly seized Wen Feng¡¯s and Guo Tao¡¯s shoulders. After he cast the Soul Ruling Spell on the two men, he then spoke with satisfaction, ¡°I have cast a seal on you. My restriction seal is 100 times stronger than the one old ghost Wei cast. So to say, your lives will be in my hands from now on, and you two will die without a burial place with just a thought of mine.¡±


    Wen Feng and Guo Tao exchanged dismayed glances and looked at a loss. They were already well aware that Tang Xiu wouldn¡¯t just let them go that easily. They could feel a dark and faint sensation that let them know that Tang Xiu didn¡¯t tell lie. Their lives were indeed in his hands.

 Chapter 1115 - Stretching Muscles

    Chapter 1115: Stretching Muscles


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Only at this moment did Wen Feng regret appearing in front of Elder Wei tonight as well as telling him about Tang Xiu. Had he not done it, he wouldn¡¯t have to leave the Golden Coast Club and thus, barring the possibility to be captured by Tang Xiu¡¯s men, causing his life to be under his control.


    At the end of the day, however, there was no medicine for regret in this world, so he could only suppress his unwillingness and respectfully inquire. ¡°You haven¡¯t yet said your conditions, Boss Tang.¡±


    ¡°My only condition is for you to keep following this Wei old freak. You are to give him my information and pretend that nothing happened. Afterward, you are to take this drug to the Golden Coast club and put it into the dishes before they feast.¡±


    With that said, he took a porcelain bottle from the interspatial ring and threw it to Wen Feng. ¡°The drug won¡¯t kill them, it¡¯ll only make them weak in a short time. When they eat the drugged meal, you are to immediately inform me and I¡¯ll lead some people to kill all the members of Darkwind in the whole territory of China.¡±


    ¡°But Boss Tang, it will only spell doom for us if you kill all the Darkwind¡¯s members in China,¡± Wen Feng blurted out in shock. ¡°Are you perhaps still unaware of how strong the Darkwind organization is? The organization may hide in the dark, but its overall strength is by no means inferior to the world¡¯s top three forces. The headquarter will definitely send elite warriors over here once all the members die, and they will investigate you for sure.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m confident that those people sent by the Darkwind won¡¯t be able to investigate me. But even if they can, what can they do to me, huh?¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡± Hmph , if anything, if it wasn¡¯t for my hands have been getting tied by many things, I¡¯d have already destroyed the entire Darkwind organization¡ªa cancer-like existence who has been keeping tabs on everyone¡¯s private issues and selling them, huh?¡±


    Wen Feng exchanged dismayed glances with Guo Tao yet again. Both of them had seen their share of arrogant people, but one with such a big mouth like Tang Xiu was unprecedented.


    ¡®The ignorant fear nothing.¡¯


    The two men grunted this sentence inwardly a few times and couldn¡¯t help but sigh secretly. They were well aware that they could only follow this man¡¯s orders since their lives were under his control.


    ¡°We agree.¡±


    Both men nodded without many words as Wen Feng carefully received the porcelain bottle.


    A short while after both men had been taken away by Jin Shi, Tang Xiu then spoke to Chen Zhizhong, ¡°There are still some problems with your body, so I won¡¯t give you the commanding power I told you. You should go to sleep first. You should be able to remember a lot of things then. You don¡¯t need to worry. I guarantee all your shrouded memories will all be back within 7 days.¡±


    Chen Zhizhong silently knelt before Tang Xiu and kowtowed thrice. Then, he said, ¡°Thank you, Master. I¡¯ll always remember your kindness.¡±


    ¡°Spare me the kindness and virtue.¡± Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°You¡¯re just my in-name disciple, but I¡¯ll take you in as my true disciple if you can break through to the Spirit Formation Stage in a few years. Only then will I teach you more powerful cultivation arts as well as many immortal skills and secret arts.¡±


    ¡®The Spirit Formation Stage?¡¯


    Chen Zhizhong gripped his fists and a resolute look glinted in his eyes as he replied in a deep tone, ¡°I¡¯m confident I can break through to the Spirit Formation Stage in the next few years, Master. Though I have no idea where that confidence comes from.¡±


    Tang Xiu felt amused inwardly. Chen Zhizhong had obtained the inheritance of the Diablo Praecantator Clan, and thus, he was no longer what he used to be. Just his physique and constitution alone could be ranked at the top few among his disciples. If he couldn¡¯t break through to the Spirit Formation Stage in a few years, there must be a problem!


    Time fleeted by and the clock now pointed to 4 in the afternoon in the blink of an eye. As Tang Xiu sat cross-legged in the presidential suite of the hotel while silently absorbing the demonic energy contained in the Demon Core, the presidential suite¡¯s door was knocked and Duanmu Lin¡¯s voice was heard from the outside. ¡°Tang Xiu, it¡¯s me. Open the door.¡±


    Tang Xiu floated up and instantly appeared before the door and opened it. He saw two men outside, Duanmu Lin and Zhu Long, and then gestured for them to come inside.


    ¡°How¡¯s the current situation here, Tang Xiu?¡±


    The Darkwind organization obviously gave quite a dread to Duanmu Lin given the expression on his face. He even seemed to want to eliminate it from China, looking impatient and just couldn¡¯t wait to ask.


    ¡°My men have been monitoring the vicinity around the Golden Coast club,¡± Tang Xiu replied. ¡°It¡¯s been confirmed that the top executives of the Darkwind organization in the whole China have gathered there. And I believe we can take this chance to act if Senior Duanmu wants to remove this organization.¡±


    Duanmu Lin¡¯s eyes flashed with chilling lights as he asked in a deep tone, ¡°How sure are you, exactly? 100%?¡±


    ¡°Although there are only about a dozen men of mine who have come to Liangang, I¡¯m confident that none of those people can escape as long as the number of experts from your Special Abilities Bureau is more than ours,¡± replied Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Though we have been constantly killing the demonic beasts in the Himalayas, most of the experts of my agency are still there. I¡¯ve only brought about 20 men here this time.¡± Duanmu Lin forced a smile. ¡°But if you need it, I can mobilize the army to surround them. I¡¯m sure the Darkwind¡¯s intel operatives won¡¯t be as powerful as cultivators, no?¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before waving. ¡°The Darkwind has rooted deep in our country and they may have planted some people in the police force and the garrison of Liangang City. We can¡¯t just mobilize the army that easily just to deal with them. Wait for some time. I¡¯ve set some chess pieces in secret. If these guys can perform well, we¡¯re going to have a total of nearly 40 men who can eliminate those people in the Golden Coast club.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What secret chess pieces?¡± asked Duanmu Lin hurriedly with a slightly shifted expression.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be a surprise anymore if I disclose it now, don¡¯t you think so Senior Duanmu?¡± Tang Xiu let out a mystifying smile and said, ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s just wait until we got the news from that side. Only then will we act.¡±


    ¡°Then what are we gonna do now? Just wait here?¡± asked Duanmu Lin.


    ¡°No, we¡¯re moving in separate teams.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and explained. ¡°We¡¯ll form some small teams and secretly sneak into the Golden Coast club, and then we¡¯re to wait there until the time comes.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll listen to you.¡± Duanmu Lin nodded.


    They had cooperated many times and Duanmu Lin had absolute trust in Tang Xiu¡¯s abilities. The results had been much to his satisfaction every time Tang Xiu was involved.


    ****


    At the Golden Coast club.


    In a large conference hall that was enough to accommodate thousands of people, hundreds of senior executives of China¡¯s Darkwind branch took seats. Yet, the atmosphere of the entire hall was very strange. No one spoke and nobody moved around. Everyone just sat still quietly in their seats or shut their eyes, playing with their gadgets, while some others looked to be in a daze.


    Pa¡­


    The conference hall¡¯s door was pushed hard and eight burly men in black suits and black sunglasses strode inside, garnering everyone¡¯s attention.


    A black-suited middle-aged man with long black hair but very plain face then stepped into the hall. His sharp eyes swept over the hundreds of people in the hall before he strode to the podium.


    ¡°Gentlemen, my name is Wang Sheng.¡±


    A cold voice instantly spread to everyone¡¯s eyes.


    Buzz¡­


    In that instant, hundreds of people abruptly got up and bowed to Wang Sheng. They all knew the name, but none of them had seen Wang Sheng in person. They all knew that this man was the general director of China¡¯s Darkwind organization. A man with a detached and far-reaching position from the Darkwind¡¯s HQ.


    ¡°Sit!¡±


    Wang Sheng spoke this one word with a nod. A burly man then quickly moved a chair and placed it behind him.


    Below the podium, Wen Feng was quietly observing Wang Sheng as it was his first time seeing this man. He was aware that some important things were to be announced since this great personage had come in person. Wang Sheng had never attended a meeting before, let alone been exposed to everyone.


    ¡°No matter what happens, I¡¯m afraid the Darkwind will no longer exist in China after today.¡±


    Wen Feng glanced to the left and found that Guo Tao was also looking and slightly nodding to him.


    Wang Sheng¡¯s eyes constantly move to the face of every member of the organization. After the brief opening speech, he straightly moved to the main topic. ¡°All of you are the elites, and you¡¯ve also contributed to the organization. You are all aware that the Darkwind has been hidden behind the scenes while monitoring the events around the world¡ªall of which makes us the most mysterious existences in the eyes of many people in the world. However, the order I just received from the HQ states that the organization is going to announce and expose the armed forces we have to the public. By that time, we will make people around the world know that we¡¯re the strongest force in the world!¡±


    Going to the surface¡­ as in, standing on the front stage?!!


    Hundreds of people looked shocked by the news.


    ¡°As of recently, the Darkwind has been hit with heavy losses. Many forces believe that our organization is just a pure intelligence organization with no strong force to back us up. Hence, the Big Boss decided to stretch our muscles and make those who have been targeting us to put their claws away, or else it will be us who will cut their claws off!¡±


    At this time, the eyes of Elder Wei, who stood at the front, lit up. He slowly stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ve received an order from the organization too, Wang Sheng. But I think it¡¯s a wrong decision to go against China at this time. The situation in this country is rather special, and we will be immediately suppressed by the state¡¯s official forces once we do our show of force.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already reflected this situation as well.¡± Wang Sheng nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why the order from the HQ is still in accordance with the original order, added that we¡¯re going to be given additional staff to set up a legal security company in China.¡±

 Chapter 1116 - Beasts Fighting Beasts

    Chapter 1116: Beasts Fighting Beasts


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    As dusk came, tens of chefs of the Golden Coast club sweated profusely while cooking a variety of dishes, whereas the waiters constantly moved through the corridors in a hurry to deliver the dishes, filling every corner of the clubhouse with the fragrant smell of food.


    The dinner feast was the final procedure of the ¡°Nether Swap¡± meeting as hundreds of senior members stationed in China would leave this place. Following the announcement of the important news by Wang Sheng, the position transfer for supervisors had also been announced for the next 3 years, so they needed to go back and prepare for the handover.


    Time passed by, and plates of dishes and wines were constantly consumed to their hearts¡¯ content. After feeling full, some began conversing and others were ready to leave together, though some also prepared to stay for the night and leave early in the morning.


    In the vicinity near the Golden Coast club, ten black cars silently parked in a remote spot. No lights, people, nor sound could be seen or heard. Duanmu Lin¡¯s eyes were glittering in the dark, looking at the tranquil and calm-looking Tang Xiu at his side. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°I think we came too early, Tang Xiu. The best time to get them should be at 2 or 3 AM!¡±


    ¡°Haih, would you please calm yourself, Senior Duanmu?¡± Tang Xiu slightly shook his head and replied smilingly, ¡°I told you I already have it arranged, didn¡¯t I? It¡¯s 8:05 PM now, and I guarantee you we¡¯ll start the motion in half an hour at most.¡±


    Duanmu Lin could only shake his head with a bitter smile. ¡°You keep holding everything until the story reaches the climax, Brat! You¡¯re really making me feel like hundreds of claws scratching my heart, you know that? That leaves me in a foul mood!¡±


    ¡°Well, at least I can make sure you can slay those people happily like chopping a melon later, Senior Duanmu,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    Duanmu Lin couldn¡¯t help but chuckle after hearing his remark. ¡°Just when the hell is you seeing those Darkwind people like some soft shrimp, Kid?! You dare say chopping them will be just like chopping melon? Wait until the critical time and any of them slips through the net, kiddo. If we can catch all these top executives of Darkwind in one fell swoop this time, the remaining ones will definitely hide much deeper and it will be very difficult to find their traces, much less eliminating them again in the future.¡±


    ¡°No worries.¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile and was about to continue speaking as a text message prompt sound was heard from his phone. He quickly opened the text message and immediately handed the phone to Duanmu Lin, saying, ¡°This is the photo taken from the interior, Senior Duanmu. The one in the photo is called Wang Sheng, the General Director of Darkwind branch in China. He holds the list of the Darkwind¡¯s intel operatives in entire China.¡±


    Eyes contracted, Duanmu Lin replied in a deep voice, ¡°We must apprehend this Wang Seng and get that list from him no matter how big the price is!¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°The Darkwind¡¯s intel network in China will indeed be paralyzed if we kill their top executives in that club. But the rest of their intel operatives will definitely choose to become sleeper cells. Then it will be very difficult for us to dig them out again in the future.¡±


    ¡°True that.¡± Duanmu Lin replied with a solemn look, ¡°We must get that list no matter what it takes. I don¡¯t give a damn about other countries, but we must purify the mainland from this Darkwind cancer thoroughly!¡±


    While the man was speaking, the ringtone of Tang Xiu¡¯s mobile phone rang again. It was still a text message, but the content was short: It¡¯s time!


    ¡°It¡¯s time!¡±


    Tang Xiu patted the seat in front and said in a deep tone, ¡°Head straight to the Golden Coast club. Straightly neutralize any resistance you encounter!¡±


    Vroom, vroom¡­


    The roaring engines of ten black cars were like wild horses¡¯ neighs as they vroomed and moved fast toward the Golden Coast club. As the club¡¯s majestic gate appeared in sight, eight stalwart men who were on guard at the gate instantly scrambled into defensive positions as though they were about to face formidable enemies.


    ¡°We¡¯re from the Special Abilities Bureau. Make way or die!¡±


    A chilling shout was heard from the black car at the front. The sound of sudden braking and car drifting were then heard as four ability users from the agency bolted out from the car. Right at the instant the eight stalwart men¡¯s face drastically changed, sparks of lightning suddenly struck and blades of wind swept over even before they were able to remove the safety lock of their guns, causing those eight burly men to meet their deaths in just a few breaths.


    ¡°BREAK!!!¡±


    An Earth bender waved his arms and an earth dragon formed by a pile of mud struck into the gate and crashed down to the ground, to clear the path from the black cars to drive fast to the interior.


    ¡°ENEMIES!!!¡±


    Furious roars from tens of security guards came from the distance, followed by a rain of bullets. The glass windows shattered and bullets drilled holes in the cars¡¯ body. Yet, the cars kept speeding up to the front. Shadows then flickered, bolting out from the car and moving like the Gods of Death that summoned forth various supernatural abilities to carry out a frenzied slaughter toward the security guards.


    Inside the black car in the middle, Duanmu Lin¡¯s eyes kept flickering. He was using his special ability to block the bullets shot at their car. He turned to look at Tang Xiu and said, ¡°It¡¯s about time you show your card, isn¡¯t it? There are no experts in the surroundings, but we got too many people to deal with in the interior and likely, we¡¯ll have many experts there. It¡¯s just impossible for our men to accomplish the expected outcome with none of them slipping out!¡±


    ¡°Haste makes waste, Senior Duanmu. Please be patient,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a smile yet again.


    Duanmu Lin was eager to retort but hesitated. He just realized that he wasn¡¯t like a mature and steady old man whenever he was with Tang Xiu. It was this young man who looked wiser and more prudent than he was, the old geezer who was supposed to have experienced the vicissitudes of life and the world.


    At this moment, Tang Xiu instantly released his perception and covered the range of several hundreds of meters. He felt satisfied with his previous plan since there were at least hundreds of people who had been rendered incapable and were weakling sitting on the floor, some of whom were struggling to stand up but failed due to the effect of the drug.


    ¡°Not bad.¡±


    A smile sported on his face. But as he shifted his eyes to Duanmu Lin and found the old man wanting to speak but hesitating, he patted the front seat and smilingly spoke, ¡°Park at the front! Well, you should remember what I told you before, Senior Duanmu. I promised you that you can easily chop or slay those people, didn¡¯t I? I guarantee you can do so with those enemies inside with ease.¡±


    Screech¡­


    As the cars stopped, more than 30 people, members of the Special Abilities Bureau and Tang Sect disciples, quickly neutralized the resistance in the surrounding and quickly gathered in front of Tang Xiu and Duanmu Lin.


    ¡°Tang Xiu, this operation is yours to command,¡± said Duanmu Lin solemnly.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t refuse and said, ¡°I¡¯ll obey the order. Everyone, heed my order! Secure the interior and make those people lose their ability to act and have them under control, and kill those who resist without mercy!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±


    Figures charged inside one after another, leaving only Jin Shi and Chen Zhizhong behind.


    ¡°Interesting! Collaborating with ability users from the Special Abilities Bureau, trying to eradicate my Darkwind organization in China¡­ or not¡­ aren¡¯t you too arrogant and conceited?¡±


    Just as the voice faded away, more than a dozen cultivators emitting out an enormous pressuring aura rushed out of the clubhouse lightning-fast and arrived in front of Tang Xiu and Duanmu Lin¡¯s group of four.


    Tang Xiu stroked his chin and smilingly said, ¡°If my guess is correct, you should be that Elder Wei, yes? Weren¡¯t you the one who cast that restriction seal on my useless nothing disciple?¡±


    Old Wei, their leader, sneered. ¡°I heard that Boss Tang is young and promising, though it never occurred to me that you¡¯re also a powerful cultivator yourself. To think that you can break the seal on Chen Zhizhong¡¯s body¡­ no wonder you can be his Master, huh. Yet, I never thought you¡¯re also a member of China¡¯s Special Abilities Bureau.¡±


    ¡°Well, well. I think I still have tons of things you have yet to find out, Old Wei.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m gonna show them to you later, though.¡±


    A look of fear flashed in Duanmu Lin¡¯s eyes and he snorted coldly. ¡°It turns out to be you, Wei Xianyong. It¡¯s been two decades since I last saw you. I didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯ve become the Darkwind¡¯s dog.¡±


    ¡°Heh, I gave you a lesson about your special abilities more than two decades ago, didn¡¯t I, Duanmu Lin?¡± sneered Wei Xianyong. ¡°If anything, you were no threat then, and definitely pose no threat now. Call your rats back to where you come from if you know your limitations, else don¡¯t blame for being ruthless, for I¡¯m gonna butcher you first before I raze your Special Abilities Bureau again.¡±


    Duanmu Lin sneered and scowled again and again. He may have yielded and retreated if Tang Xiu wasn¡¯t here today as he didn¡¯t want to be Wei Xianyong¡¯s enemy. But today¡¯s situation was different since Tang Xiu was a powerful expert who was at least on par with a Nascent Soul Stage powerhouse. No matter how powerful Wei Xianyong was, it was unlikely for Tang Xiu to even need to use his palm to slap him dead.


    ¡°They are yours, Tang Xiu,¡± said Duanmu Lin in a deep tone.


    ¡°Rest assured, Senior Duanmu.¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said, ¡°This jumping clown isn¡¯t worth it entering my eyes, to begin with.¡±


    Duanmu Lin shot a cold glance at Wei Xianyong and strode to the distance. What he wanted to apprehend the most was the General Director of Darkwind Branch in China¡­ Wang Sheng.


    Tang Xiu just let out a faint smile, hooking his fingers to Wei Xianyong and his men, saying, ¡°You see, I also think you got a quite surprising power for being able to cast a restriction seal on my disciple, Elder Wei. But no matter how powerful the enemy is, I¡¯m his Master, so I can¡¯t just sit by and watch as my disciple is schemed against and ignore it, can I? Come, you got your lackeys to graze here, so let me taste how strong your teaching is.¡±


    In response, Wei Xianyong shot Tang Xiu a contemptuous look since he couldn¡¯t sense any aura of an expert from Tang Xiu whatsoever. It was Jin Shi who was next to Tang Xiu whose aura somewhat gave him a chill, instead.


    ¡°Deal with those two puppies around Tang Xiu. I wanna have a look at whether this brat actually has the capital to be so arrogant!¡± Wei Xianyong waved, and several experts instantly charged forward toward Jin Shi and Chen Zhizhong.


    ¡°Bring it on!¡±


    Jin Shi hideously grinned, and two daggers instantly appeared in his hands, whereas a long spear suddenly appeared out of thin air in Chen Zhizhong¡¯s hand. With a shake of his arm, the image of the spear then emerged.

 Chapter 1117 - Slaying People Like Chopping Watermelon?

    Chapter 1117: Slaying People Like Chopping Watermelon?


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    With his perfect understanding of Jin Shi and Chen Zhizhong¡¯s strength, Tang Xiu didn¡¯t worry about them and just calmly looked at Wei Xianyong, waiting for the man to attack him.


    Whoosh¡­


    With speed as fast as a lightning bolt, Wei Xianyong instantly appeared in front of Tang Xiu. A golden glove unknowingly appeared on his right fist that was now about to hit Tang Xiu¡¯s head.


    ¡°On par with Golden Core Stage, huh?¡±


    A contemptuous look appeared on Tang Xiu¡¯s face. The Bloodguzzler dagger suddenly appeared in his hand and instantly stabbed Wei Xianyong¡¯s body before the latter¡¯s fist hit Tang Xiu¡¯s head. The violent Primal Chaos Force followed the dagger and drilled into Wei Xianyong¡¯s system.


    ¡°WHAT?!!¡±


    With a drastically changed face, Wei Xianyong was horrified. He never dreamed that Tang Xiu¡¯s speed would be so fast, giving him no chance to react at all.


    Yet, it wasn¡¯t over. His expression was that of desperation in just less than half a second since the violent Primal Chaos Force in his body was overwhelming him, wreaking havoc and making his internals a mess after drilling into his system.


    Such heart-wrenching pain was something Wei Xianyong had never tasted for more than a decade. He suddenly retreated but then found that Tang Xiu was like a maggot that followed his bones. His seemingly slow movements turned out to be fast to the extreme. The following blow on his chest brought an enormous impact force that straightly broke his breastbone, with two fractures stabbing his heart.


    He¡­ isn¡¯t he way too terrifying? A cultivator¡ªat least at the Nascent Soul Stage?


    Curse it¡­


    Desperation was getting evident on Wei Xianyong¡¯s face. Blood crazily spurted out from his mouth, but a fist carrying a huge force hit the back of his head again, rendering him dizzy as he was sent flying. He could only sense his body turn into a punching bag that kept being hit with at least 10,000 pounds each punch, causing his injury to get worse and more serious.


    BAM¡­


    After several seconds, Tang Xiu delivered a slap while keeping a faint smile all the while, looking as Wei Xianyong, who now looked like a dead dog, was sent flying upside down a dozen meters away before heavily slamming on the cold concrete. He didn¡¯t straightly kill the man but only made him disabled by breaking his bones one by one, causing him to stumble like mud on the floor, unable to get up.


    ¡°Sir!!!¡±


    ¡°Asshole!¡±


    Five men under Wei Xianyong frantically charged toward Tang Xiu, all of whom looked like they were ready to perish together in the attempt to kill Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Heh, a few fireflies dare to contend with the moon?¡±


    Shooting them a contemptuous glare, Tang Xiu instantly unleashed the divine sword. Layers of sword image were as though roaring waves that directly drowned these men. As the sword images dissipated, Tang Xiu took back the divine sword into his body, leaving muddy paste of bloody meat sprinkled on the ground.


    Near to the scene, Jin Shi turned into a deadly and ruthless incarnation of himself. He had killed six or seven of Wen Xianyong¡¯s men in just half a minute, whereas Chen Zhizhong still had his power even though his memory was shrouded. Especially his powerful physical strength that almost reached the peak of dreadfully strong. Every time he brandished the spear, it was a sure hit that heavily injured the target. In just half a minute, he also had slain four or five men.


    ¡°DIE!¡±


    When the last of Wei Xianyong¡¯s men were hit by both of them and killed, the two men quickly gathered around Tang Xiu and vigilantly watched the surroundings.


    In other areas.


    Duanmu Lin strode fast into the club¡¯s interior. His eyes were almost popping out from its socket upon witnessing how the members of Darkwind organization kept trying to resist but kept falling back weakly on the floor.


    That was outright unthinkable!


    He had fantasized about the countless possibilities, including an ambush by the people Tang Xiu had planted in the club. Yet, he never thought that these Darkwind members would be paralyzed on the floor, likely having been poisoned and lost their ability to resist.


    What did he say again? Killing them will be as easy as chopping watermelons?


    Only at this moment did Duanmu Lin finally understand what Tang Xiu said previously. The current conditions of these Darkwind members really seemed to provide such a chance to kill them as easy as chopping watermelons.


    Whoosh¡­


    A figure flickered fast from the distance and quickly arrived a few meters away from Duanmu Lin.


    An enemy?!


    Eyes overflowing with a chilling light, Duanmu Lin immediately prepared to cast his special ability to kill the person after he had confirmed the man was neither of the Special Abilities Bureau nor Tang Xiu¡¯s.


    ¡°No. Don¡¯t attack! Same side!¡±


    Guo Tao had been avoiding the experts from the Special Abilities Bureau and the Tang Sect after witnessing them killing the Darkwind members. He kept trying to search for Tang Xiu literally everywhere since he didn¡¯t want these experts to wrongly take him as a target and kill him.


    Duanmu Lin¡¯s expression slightly shifted. He shot a cold stare at the man and chillingly said, ¡°You said you¡¯re on our side?¡±


    ¡°Senior, I¡¯m Guo Tang, the man Boss Tang planted,¡± Guo Tao quickly replied. ¡°It was us who put the drug into the dishes for the Darkwind members, thus causing them into such condition. You can find Boss Tang and ask him if you don¡¯t believe me.¡±


    Eyes narrowed, Duanmu Lin actually believed Guo Tao upon hearing his explanation. But he chose to play safe and called Tang Xiu. Only after the latter¡¯s confirmation then did he nod with satisfaction, saying, ¡°For being able to read the circumstances and act accordingly, you¡¯re not bad. Alright, you can live longer by not working for the Darkwind. I¡¯m going to reward you and Wen Feng on behalf of the state¡¯s Special Abilities Bureau after this matter is over.¡±


    Guo Tao felt a bit more at ease. ¡°I never thought you were a member of the state¡¯s Special Abilities Bureau, Senior. I and Wen Feng were forced and threatened by the Darkwind back in the past to work for them. But then again, as long as the state can catch this whole lot of people in one fell swoop, we¡¯ll be able to live safely and never do anything for them.¡±


    Duanmu Lin nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the correct decision. But tell me, where¡¯s Wang Sheng?¡±


    ¡°I got no idea.¡± Guo Tao shook his head. ¡°He had already disappeared when the banquet was halfway through. I¡¯ve secretly sent my men to find him but to no avail.¡±


    Duanmu Lin¡¯s face slightly changed and he said in a heavy voice, ¡°Find Wang Sheng¡¯s trace! We can¡¯t let him escape today no matter what.¡±


    Guo Tao was perfectly aware of the reason why Duanmu Lin wanted to find Wang Sheng. The man held a list of the Darkwind members in China.


    However, Wan Sheng¡¯s nickname in the Darkwind organization was the most famous of all¡ª¡±A Man of Myriad Faces¡±. Even though he appeared in front of everyone today, who could guarantee he was using his real face? Even if he had seen that man before and the face was of the same appearance, it was likely he just used his privilege to see his subordinates for this honor and then might change his appearance to another.


    ****


    Within the space barrier.


    Tang An was vigilantly observing the surroundings. Her eyes were fixed on Wang Sheng, who was now being protected by four burly middle-aged men. As of now, she just came out of the tunnel outside the Golden Coast club.


    ¡°Inform McAllen to take the list of the Darkwind members in China and immediately leave this country at once! Also, activate the alarm device and notify each of our members. Tell them to lay low and wait for the resurgence.¡±


    Wang Sheng immediately issued an order in a heavy voice just as he took a seat on the car that had yet to be started.


    However, there was no response from his adjutant who just similarly took a seat on the front seat. The man hadn¡¯t even closed the door yet.


    Wang Sheng frowned and was about to speak again when he saw the other confidante who just entered the driver¡¯s seat suddenly shrink his eyes and look frightened.


    ¡°What the fuck is happening?!!¡± A bad premonition suddenly surging in his heart, Wang Sheng immediately asked aloud.


    ¡°He¡¯s dead¡ª¡±


    The confidant in the driver¡¯s seat hadn¡¯t even finished his words when his neck was twisted. A gurgling voice came out of his throat and then he died.


    The fear in Wang Sheng¡¯s heart multiplied. The enemy was invisible, and it made him secretly desperate. He pushed the door lightning-fast and drew a ruby-inlaid dagger from his waist.


    ¡°Who is it?!!¡±


    Vigilantly scanning around fast, Wang Sheng shouted loudly. His other two men also quickly came down from another car and quickly protected him.


    Puff, puff¡­


    An immortal sword suddenly emerged out of thin air. Giving no chance to Wang Sheng¡¯s two men to react, it directly slit their throats and impaled their hearts before it disappeared again.


    Internal energy?!!


    Pupils shrunk, Wang Sheng¡¯s feet moved as fast as lighting and instantly appeared three meters away and powerfully slashed the ruby-inlaid dagger at the air fluctuation he had perceived.


    Slash¡­


    A muffled slashing sound was heard and that immortal sword appeared again out of the blue and swept toward Wang Sheng¡¯s waist. No matter how fast he was, the clothes on his waist were still cut and left a bleeding wound.


    ¡°FLAME!¡±


    Wang Sheng opened his left palm and a blob of fire suddenly emerged. He highly focused his mental power to sense the fluctuation of that ¡°internal energy¡± and prepared to attack at any time.


    It was an invisible man! One he had never encountered. Even though he also had another identity as an ability user and had seen many types of abilities, this was his first time running into an expert so proficient in stealth.


    ¡°World of Sword¡ªSword Prison!


    An ethereal sound passed into Wang Sheng¡¯s ears from all directions, whereas a sword image appeared several meters mid-air. The sword image seemed to form an airtight cage that straightly covered Wang Sheng from head to toe, though its striking might was not that powerful.


    ¡°CHARGE!¡±


    Wang Sheng didn¡¯t retreat and dashed to the top unyieldingly. The fireball in his hand was blasted out and the sea of flames suddenly appeared out of nowhere and covered a dozen meters radius.


    Tang An¡¯s figure donning a black night suit and a bronze mask appeared out of thin air. There was no voice nor sound coming out of her mouth as she cast a seal to summon another type of flame in the midst of the sea of fire.

 Chapter 1118 - To Die Out of Loyalty

    Chapter 1118: To Die Out of Loyalty


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Of the entire Tang Sect, Tang Xiu was the strongest after Gu Yan¡¯er and Ji Chimei. Even Xue Yu, who had broken through to the Spirit Formation Stage, was still inferior to him. But the strongest one behind them was Tang An. Not only was she an expert at the late-stage of Golden Core, but she also mastered a secret art on spatial law and some of the law of time.


    In terms of magical spells, there was perhaps not many people as well versed at it in Tang Sect, but Tang An was definitely one. Not only did she like to study various classics on arrays, but she was also very keen on studying magic spells and had an achievement on some of them.


    The flames that emerged in the sea of fire emitted a faint blue luster. Cultivators from the Immortal World would definitely recognize that fire as the True Flame in the legends.


    Wang Sheng was shaken, his eyes nearly jumping out. Tang An¡¯s power was already outrageous, yet he never expected her to be an ability user¡ªa fire bender.


    ¡°What the heck is this flame?!¡±


    He instantly retreated backward due to his keen sense warning him that this was absolutely not an ordinary flame. The flame he had unleashed was even actually forced to retreat when the blue flame appeared.


    Tang An¡¯s figure vanished once again, but her immortal sword was still hovering in the air, blocking off every possible route to escape for Wang Sheng.


    ¡°SCRAM!!!¡±


    Wang Sheng furiously bellowed after evading a strike of the immortal sword when suddenly, he felt his body go stiff and a chilling sensation hit his neck. It turned out to be a dagger that suddenly appeared out of the blue and was placed on his neck.


    ¡°You come with me.¡±


    Tang An¡¯s chilling voice passed to Wang Sheng¡¯s ear as her figure appeared at the man¡¯s side.


    ****


    The killings in the Golden Coast club were progressing quickly. All the members of the Darkwind organization who tried to resist were all killed ruthlessly, whereas tens of them who chose not to were stunned and discarded before the tens of experts from the Special Abilities Bureau brought them to the square to be apprehended.


    When Tang Xiu arrived at the square, he could clearly see the beaming smile on Duanmu Lin¡¯s face.


    ¡°Senior Duanmu!¡± shouted Tang Xiu with a smile.


    The man happily nodded and said, ¡°I never thought the operation would go this well, Tang Xiu. You just literally made them collapse from the inside and then easily destroyed them. These two former members of the Darkwind are not bad. They deserve to be rewarded.¡±


    Tang Xiu calmly glanced at Guo Tao and Wen Feng and cooly said, ¡°It¡¯s as you say, Senior Duanmu. They did great merit this time, so I¡¯m going to reward them later.¡±


    Nodding slightly in response, Duanmu Lin glanced around and his beaming smile slowly disappeared. He even furrowed his brows and asked, ¡°Have you found any trace on Wang Sheng?¡±


    Zhu Long shook his head. ¡°We got nothing. It¡¯s like he just vanished. But he should still be in the clubhouse since a few people saw him just 10 minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°Keep searching for him! I don¡¯t care if you turn everything upside down, but you still must find him!¡± Duanmu Lin ordered in a heavy voice.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression shifted and he shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary to find him, though.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Duanmu Lin was confused.


    Right after he asked, two figures suddenly appeared in front of him. Donned in black night suit and a bronze mask was Tang An, whereas the one who looked distressed and seriously injured was Wang Sheng.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    Duanmu Lin looked ecstatic after seeing Wang Sheng¡¯s face. He truly admired Tang Xiu wholeheartedly. This young man was not only powerful, he even had quite a subordinate with amazing skills under him. He previously thought that Wang Sheng had escaped, but it turned out that Tang Xiu¡¯s subordinate had seized him already.


    With eyes that seemed able to perceive people¡¯s minds, Tang Xiu swept over Duanmu Lin¡¯s face before he instantly appeared in front of Wang Sheng. He exerted a great deal of his energy to hit tens of vital points around the man¡¯s body and completely sealed them. Afterward, he paced two steps backward and spoke with a faint smile. ¡°You¡¯re the Chief Intel Operative of the Darkwind branch in China, yes?¡±


    Wang Sheng just stared at Tang Xiu in response and stayed silent for several seconds. Then, he slowly said, ¡°You should be able to see the internal condition of my body. Most of my life force has gone, and I can only last for a few minutes more. I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t have more chances if you don¡¯t get the answer you want.¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and smiled. ¡°It may work if you say that to others, but it¡¯s useless to me. You¡¯re the Head of the Darkwind branch in China, Wang Sheng. You should know my existence, and the most detailed information about me must have been sent to your desk once, right?¡±


    Eyes full of surprise, Wang Sheng nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. I did read a lot of information about you.¡±


    ¡°Then, did you forget my identity and about Chinese medicine?¡± Tang Xiu probed smilingly.


    Expression slightly changing, a bad feeling filled Wang Sheng¡¯s heart and he asked in a heavy voice, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Heh, why bother asking since you have guessed it already?¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°My subordinate may have gotten you severely injured, but she got a clear order from me, so she¡¯d never kill you. If anything, your life force is leaking out fast because you¡¯re trying to commit suicide when she was not aware of it, to begin with. But I¡¯m a Chinese medicine practitioner. As long as I don¡¯t permit you to die, you won¡¯t die even if you try your best to kill yourself.¡±


    ¡°Goddammit!¡±


    Wang Sheng¡¯s expression twisted. He was indeed trying to commit suicide by using a special mean to destroy his vitality. Tang Xiu¡¯s remarks, however, gave him deep dread since he never feared death. Being alive was much more dreadful to him.


    Tang Xiu squinted and went on to deliver his mental attack to wreck Wang Sheng once again. ¡°Further, you should know some about my identities, but you don¡¯t know a lot more about me. I don¡¯t think you know about my other identity as a cultivator, no? Let me tell you frankly. That Elder Wei from your organization has been slain by me. He was nothing but a weak Golden Core Stage, yet he dared to be arrogant before me. He deserved death.¡±


    ¡°THAT¡¯S IMPOSSIBLE!!!¡± roared Wang Sheng. Dread and horror were evident on his face.


    ¡°Impossible, huh? Hahaha¡­¡± Tang Xiu sneered. ¡°Do you think ants like you guys can figure out my means if any? There¡¯s something else I can tell you. As a cultivator, I still have many more means unimaginable to you. Such as technique to scrutinize your soul¡ªthe Soul Scouring Art. I can search your memory five minutes after you died and get the answer I wanna know from your mind.¡±


    Soul Scouring Art?!!


    Isn¡¯t that the extremely sinister technique mentioned in the legends? A secret art that only devils can master? Oh, GOD! If he¡¯s telling the truth, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t keep any secret of the organization even if I completely die now. I know too much. Once my memory is checked by him, it will definitely cause great harm to the entire organization!


    ¡°KILL ME NOW!!!¡±


    Wang Sheng suddenly looked up and yelled at the night sky.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression changed as he noticed that Tang An also vanished instantly. He instantly unleashed the divine sword from his body. It then formed a sword image that covered the sky and streaked upward turbulently. At that moment, a ghostly figure clad in a black night coat with a golden mask and a shovel on his back suddenly appeared in the midst of layers of swords images.


    ROAR¡­


    The chilling and turbulent energy suddenly blew toward the people in the surroundings. Even those who were comparable to the Foundation Establishment Stage experts were forced back and felt suffocated as they constantly retreated backward.


    The mysterious thin man with the golden mask looked as though a solitary boat in the roaring, violent sea. He flew frantically in the midst of sword tides as he shed his blood. A sharp flying knife then shot toward Tang Xiu¡¯s chest, causing the clothes on Tang Xiu¡¯s chest to explode. Yet, the flying knife only left a faint mark on it and was unable to pierce the skin.


    ¡°Interesting!¡±


    Tang Xiu instantly streaked up and closely trailed the mysterious man. Had he not reacted fast enough a moment ago, that flying knife would¡¯ve pierced Wang Sheng¡¯s head, instead of hitting his chest.


    That was an act to silence the witness! This kind of ruthlessness was the style of the Darkwind organization in handling their affairs. Yet, the other party¡¯s forbearance evoked Tang Xiu¡¯s admiration regardless. The man was able to forbear until the end, and it was very likely that he had heard what he just said to Wang Sheng.


    ¡°Impossible!¡±


    The mysterious man¡¯s voice was very hoarse as he exclaimed out in alarm. He was crystal clear about his own power, which was comparable to the Golden Core Stage cultivators. He exerted all his strength to shoot that flying knife, yet it only left a shallow mark on Tang Xiu¡¯s body, not even able to pierce his skin. This was beyond his imagination.


    The divine sword in Tang Xiu¡¯s hand bolted lightning-fast toward the mysterious man, gifting him a serious bleeding injury several centimeters long. Afterward, Tang Xiu sneered at him. ¡°I didn¡¯t lie when I said that I¡¯m a cultivator, yet my main practice is not cultivating True Essence energy but the Demon God¡¯s physique refinement. You can say that I¡¯m a body cultivator. You¡¯ll never inflict any injuries on me unless you¡¯ve reached the late-stage of Golden Core and used a divine armament to injure me.¡±


    Puff¡­


    Just as his voice faded away and right as a look of fear was cast on the man¡¯s face, the divine sword swept away once again and directly slashed his body.


    Wang Sheng wore a pained look upon witnessing the scene in mid-air. He knew very well about some special arrangements in the Darkwind organization. Every director assigned to a country was responsible for the entire intelligence operations, yet someone would also be arranged as a Finisher¡ªor rather¡­ a terminator.


    However, his father was one of the Darkwind¡¯s founders¡ªa powerful man who held the power and rights to speak as one of the top three in the organization. Before he was sent to China, his father promised him that there would be no Finisher arranged for him. The old man said that he trusted him and that he would never betray him.


    It turns out that Father never have, has, or will trust anyone. Not even his own son.


    The heartbreaking pain engulfed him. His father was a man he respected and admired the most in this world¡ªsomeone he would never betray. Prior to this, he had even made up his mind to commit suicide to take the secret of the Darkwind organization to his grave¡­ all for his father.


    And yet, he found himself¡­ wrong.

 Chapter 1119 - Crossing Over

    Chapter 1119: Crossing Over


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    It was then Wang Sheng found that his father never trusted him, more so that ¡°the Finisher¡± who was assigned to him was also one of the top experts in the ¡°Finisher Division¡± of the organization. He even imagined that it¡¯d have been unlikely that he¡¯d get caught by the mysterious woman had this Finisher appeared.


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡±


    With a rapid change in his state of mind, Wang Sheng looked up at Tang Xiu, who floated down from the sky. Wearing a firm and decisive face, he said in a deep tone, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you anything you want to know.¡±


    Tang Xiu was surprised and scrutinized the man¡¯s face as he asked, ¡°Is it because of the assassin who just wanted to kill you?¡±


    A chilling light flashed in Wang Sheng¡¯s eyes and he nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m one of the Darkwind¡¯s top executives and have contributed a lot to the organization all these years. Yet, the Finisher didn¡¯t come to aid me when I was in a desperate situation but wanted to kill me instead. Such an organization doesn¡¯t deserve me keeping its secrets. And my old man¡­ he can just abandon his own son, then¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu frowned and asked, ¡°You said your father? Who¡¯s he?¡±


    ¡°The name is Wang Xian, one of the three founders of the Darkwind¡ªthe most influential and powerful figure in the organization,¡± answered Wang Sheng.


    The revelation gave quite a shock to Tang Xiu as he quickly exchanged glances with the shocked Duanmu Lin. Then, he immediately asked in a deep voice, ¡°You just said your father is the founder of the Darkwind organization, meaning as his son, you must know a lot of secrets of this organization, am I right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± Wang Sheng nodded and said, ¡°I do know a lot of things about them.¡±


    Tang Xiu fell into silence for a moment before taking out a Holy Healing pill from the interspatial ring and stuffing it to Wang Sheng¡¯s mouth quickly. ¡°This pill is enough to ensure your life. We won¡¯t kill you, but you must cooperate with us. As far as I¡¯m concerned, the Darkwind poses an enormous threat either to me or to China as a state, so that¡¯s why we need to figure out this organization and find methods to guard against it.¡±


    Wang Sheng wryly smiled and said, ¡°To live or die doesn¡¯t mean anything to me anymore. It¡¯s not like I can still live a normal life anymore. Your subordinate is very ruthless indeed.¡±


    ¡°Treating your enemies with softness and kindness is nothing but acting cruelly to yourself,¡± replied Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°I may not be able to fully restore your strength if you cooperate with me, but I can guarantee that I can heal your injuries. You can still live like a normal person and spend the rest of your life safely.¡±


    Wang Sheng looked at Tang Xiu for a long while and then said slowly, ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem with fully cooperating with you. But there¡¯s one thing I want to ask you. I¡¯ll tell you everything I know about the Darkwind if you answer it seriously.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°You said you¡¯ve grasped the Soul Scouring Art, but why didn¡¯t you cast it on me directly to scour my soul and read my memories, then?¡± asked Wang Sheng. ¡°You can make sure that I don¡¯t hide anything or lie to you when I tell you everything later.¡±


    The question made Tang Xiu think for a moment. But then, he shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s a drawback in using the Soul Scouring Art. I may be able to see your memory, but I myself will also be affected. After all, I¡¯m using my spiritual sense to observe your past life and your character. Furthermore, I don¡¯t have much time, and my present strength is still too weak. It¡¯d have been unrealistic if I were to check all of your memories in a short time. It would likely that I¡¯d waste a lot more time than it should if I were to read your every memory for a long time.¡±


    ¡°You still don¡¯t tell me the whole thing.¡± Wang Sheng shook his head.


    ¡°You¡¯re very smart. It¡¯s an understatement indeed to not call you wise.¡± Tang Xiu applauded. ¡°If anything, your memory will turn chaotic once I use the Soul Scouring Art. And you may turn into an idiot even if you survive. Further, the memories obtained by the Soul Scouring Art are hardly a complete one, and some contents would be very disorderly due to the memory collapse caused by the gap in time from the time of death and thus, will lead to the loss of a lot of important information.¡±


    Wang Sheng quickly grasped the explanation and forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯d rather die than to live like an idiot. Anyhow, I¡¯m done with the question. Just ask your questions directly.¡±


    ¡°No hurries.¡± Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°Things are still not over here. Besides, we got tons of time to talk, to begin with.¡±


    Having said that, he shifted to Duanmu Lin and said, ¡°Senior Duanmu, everything that happened tonight is very confidential and mustn¡¯t get exposed. You should immediately seal off any channel of news and make sure everything that happened here won¡¯t be known to outsiders for at least a few days.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Duanmu Lin nodded. ¡°But I still need the list of all the Darkwind members in China.¡±


    ¡°The list is stored at the HQ in Fukang Province,¡± replied Wang Sheng.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s head to the Fukang Province now,¡± responded Duanmu Lin.


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna go back there anymore.¡± Wang Sheng shook his head. ¡°But I¡¯ll call someone to deliver me that list. You can rest your worry about that person. He¡¯s absolutely very loyal to me, so there won¡¯t be any accidents.¡±


    ¡°Tang Xiu¡­¡± Duanmu Lin turned to Tang Xiu, hesitating.


    Tang Xiu scrutinized Wang Sheng¡¯s expression carefully before nodding. ¡°I think we can believe him, Senior Duanmu. I know what it feels like to be betrayed by those close to you. Such betrayal hurts so much.¡±


    Duanmu Lin also felt that Tang Xiu was right. Therefore, he took his mobile phone and handed it to Wang Sheng. He then stood at the ready next to the man, just in case the man spoke something wrong so he could immediately end the call.


    ¡°No can do.¡± Wang Sheng shook his head. ¡°Nearly all my bones have been broken by Tang Xiu¡¯s underling. I was still able to resist previously due to the support of my internal energy, but barely. And my Qi has now dispersed due to the serious injuries. Let alone holding a phone, I don¡¯t think I can even lift a piece of paper.¡±


    Tang Xiu took the phone and said, ¡°Alright, just tell me the number and I¡¯ll help you dial it.¡±


    Wang Sheng told Tang Xiu the cell number of his trusted adjutant. The number was dialed and the call was quickly picked up, followed by a low and deep voice. ¡°Who is this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me, Ah Le,¡± said Wang Sheng. ¡°Go immediately to the vault in the HQ. There¡¯s a box with a combination lock in the innermost corner which stores the list of all the Darkwind members in China. Take it and head straight to Liangang city by yourself. I need it badly now.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± the other party respectfully replied.


    Wang Sheng nodded to Tang Xiu. After seeing him hang up the phone, he said, ¡°I don¡¯t think you guys need to guard against me. I never would have made that call just now if I had any intention to deceit you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°You could have said something else when you called. Anyway, let¡¯s head inside and find the meeting room to have some good chats about the Darkwind agency. I expect you to tell us everything truthfully.¡±


    ¡°I have crossed over. I¡¯m a traitor of the Darkwind organization, and they always treat traitors like hell, extremely brutal,¡± said Wang Sheng bitterly. ¡°I won¡¯t feel anything but happy if you can really exterminate the entire Darkwind organization.¡±


    ¡°The Darkwind is a very frightening force with terrifying strength. It¡¯s absolutely impossible to destroy it completely given the number of their intel operatives, which are literally in every corner of the world. Your hope is too tall an order. However, I can assure you that China¡¯s Special Abilities Bureau will put you in the protection program for a very long time. At least, your safety can be guaranteed in the next few years.¡±


    Wang Sheng just nodded wordlessly in response.


    After a while, Tang Xiu and Duanmu Lin took Wang Sheng to a small meeting room, followed by Chen Zhizhong and Zhu Long.


    A long time passed by and everyone stayed in that room. As Tang Xiu and Duanmu Lin left the meeting room together, their expressions looked a bit ugly, especially the former. Tang Xiu heard a lot of things from Wang Sheng, one of which was something he never expected: One of the three leaders of the Darkwind organization turned out to be the patriarch of House Dolan, Angelo Dolan¡¯s grandfather.


    As such, Tang Xiu came to the realization that he must also uproot the Darkwind organization if he wanted to eradicate House Dolan. If these two entities were to join hands and even if the Tang Sect could get rid of these serious troubles, it was close to impossible to not suffer a great loss.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have much time.¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at the direction of the Golden Coast club¡¯s gate and murmured.


    Duanmu Lin squinted and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s about time we leave. Tang Xiu, what do you think about Wang Sheng¡¯s confession? How much of it is reliable and how much is false?¡±


    ¡°I still have the ability to judge and determine truth from falsehood,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°But at least 80% of his information is true. Looking at it from the other side, it¡¯s also very likely that everything is true as he wants to use our hands to give the Darkwind a lesson.¡±


    Duanmu Lin didn¡¯t give his opinion and just walked side by side with Tang Xiu to the outside, when Jin Shi came at them half-running from the distance.


    ¡°Someone just came and wants to see Wang Sheng, Sect Master,¡± reported Jin Shi respectfully. ¡°He said he¡¯s from the Fukang province.¡±


    Tang Xiu hadn¡¯t yet replied as Duanmu Lin rapidly asked, ¡°Where¡¯s this man?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s near the pond in front,¡± answered Jin Shi.


    Quickly, the few people saw a stalwart man with a vigilant look. It was Tang Xiu who greeted him lightly. ¡°Did you bring ¡®it¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± the strong man coldly asked back, ¡°Where¡¯s my Boss?¡±


    ¡°Your Boss is Wang Sheng, right? He¡¯s injured and is now recovering,¡± replied Tang Xiu. ¡°Just give me the list you brought and then I¡¯ll send someone to deliver you to Wang Sheng.¡±


    The big man¡¯s face turned colder as he replied, ¡°I absolutely can¡¯t give you this list with all the Darkwind¡¯s members in China written on it! I must see my Boss. Else, I¡¯ll activate the self-destruct mechanism of this combination-locked suitcase and destroy all the information in it!¡±


    ¡°Oy, Jin Shi, go fetch Wang Sheng!¡± Tang Xiu coldly snorted and ordered.


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± Jin Shi curtly replied and quickly ran towards the conference room.

 Chapter 1120 - Searched by Someone Through the Internet

    Chapter 1120: Searched by Someone Through the Internet


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    As the first sunshine rose from the east in the early morning, Tang Xiu returned to Shanghai alone with a weary feeling, whereas Jin Shi, Tang An, and the experts from the Tang Sect quietly left Liangang City to carry out the plan to build the intelligence network.


    At Bluestar Villa Complex.


    Just as Tang Xiu arrived, he received a call from Mu Wanying. Shortly after, the lady herself caught up and gave him a message that caught him off guard.


    ¡°Anyhow, she just left, but she didn¡¯t say anything where she¡¯s heading. She passed this to me for you.¡± Mu Wanying opened her bag and took out a beautifully wrapped gift box from it.


    Wearing a complicated look, Tang Xiu just looked at the gift box handed over to him. He fell into silence for a moment before receiving it wordlessly and stuffing it into the interspatial ring.


    ¡®Everything has been buried in the past, and there¡¯s no need to get entangled and be bothered too much, I think. Since she chose to leave and disappear into her own world, perhaps this is the best ending possible.¡¯


    It was Mu Wanying instead who looked surprised. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to open it and have a look?¡±


    ¡°Is it necessary, though?¡± asked Tang Xiu back calmly.


    Mu Wanying was silent. She kept having this feeling that an unclear relationship existed between Tang Xiu and Han Qingwu. She even had the thought the woman was someone who once hurt Tang Xiu deeply. But she could only suppress her intense curiosity since Tang Xiu never wanted to mention anything about Han Qingwu. She then changed the subject. ¡°Anyhow, have you noticed something? There¡¯s a kind of news on the Internet that a patient from the capital of Beihe Province has been shuttling back and forth to Star City and Shanghai. The person is hoping to find you to cure a disease and save someone. She hasn¡¯t been able to find you yet, hence why she has been looking for you through the internet.¡±


    Tang Xiu slightly furrowed his brows, then shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not easy to find me ever since I stopped giving medical examination, though. Besides, I¡¯m not purely a Chinese medicine practitioner, to begin with, so it¡¯s up to fate to encounter patients, more so treating them and saving their lives. If anything, I won¡¯t just sit by and watch if I happen to encounter them directly, but I won¡¯t leave for the Beihe Province just because the person has been looking for me through the internet.¡±


    ¡°I get that.¡± Mu Wanying nodded. ¡°Besides, there are too many patients needing treatment nowadays. You¡¯re gonna die of exhaustion if each one of them finds you through the internet and you force yourself to visit them. But I¡¯ve been curious about something, though. The person said that there¡¯s a very valuable gift for you if you can cure her mother¡¯s illness. What I really wanna know is what kind of gift it is.¡±


    A gift?


    ¡°The world is full of precious and valuable gifts. It¡¯s good if you can get them, but you can¡¯t force it if you don¡¯t.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°If anything, what should be mine will naturally appear in my hands, but there¡¯s no need to force myself if it isn¡¯t meant to be.¡±


    ¡°Well, forget it since you¡¯re not interested in this matter, then.¡± Mu Wanying chuckled and said, ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s change the subject. What do you wanna do next, though? Are you going back to Nine Dragons Island?¡±


    What I¡¯m going to do next?


    Confusion struck him all of a sudden. Tang Xiu had been feeling like there was always something pushing him forward, and he had to tend to all sorts of things. But now, he didn¡¯t know what to do next.


    Return to Nine Dragons Island?


    Now that he had settled everything there, it didn¡¯t matter whether he stayed there or not. Kang Xia was managing the Magnificent Tang Corporation and he didn¡¯t need to be concerned about it, whereas some others were dealing with the minor things. All of a sudden, he found himself having nothing urgent to tend to.


    Upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s expression, Mu Wanying realized that Tang Xiu should be very leisurely for some time, so she smilingly said, ¡°Well, might as well stay in Shanghai if you have nothing important to deal with, I think. Besides, we¡¯ve been apart for a long time, so just stay with me.¡±


    Tang Xiu gave it a thought for a moment and smilingly nodded. ¡°Alright! I¡¯m gonna stay in Shanghai for now, before busying myself on other issues. That¡¯s right. How is it going with your advertising agency?¡±


    ¡°Business has been great as always. We got clients and orders because of you.¡± Mu Wanying chuckled and said, ¡°You know, these Big Bosses have been introducing me to some other businesses ever since then. It¡¯s likely that many people have heard of our relationship, and even some big companies from other provinces come visiting my company to seek cooperation.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve been very busy then?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Not really.¡± Mu Wanying shook her head. ¡°Although it keeps me occupied, I found myself a golden manager. His reputation may be inferior to Kang Xia¡¯s, but he¡¯s, nevertheless, a famous figure in the advertising industry, so he¡¯s been dealing with the general affairs of the company. I don¡¯t have much to do unless an important issue arises.¡±


    ¡°Is he reliable, though?¡± Tang Xiu was surprised.


    ¡°I dragged him out of the world¡¯s Wall Street financial center myself. We are of the same alumni, whereas his wife and I can be called good sisters, and I know he¡¯s a trustworthy person. Also, I¡¯ve been paying attention to the financial aspect of the company and there are no problems so far,¡± explained Mu Wanying smilingly.


    ¡°Well, then it¡¯s best putting your time to cultivation since you¡¯re not that occupied,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°Anyhow, I suddenly recalled something. I¡¯m going to Beijing for sometime later. You can come with me if you want.¡±


    ¡°What for, exactly?¡± asked Mu Wanying curiously.


    ¡°I¡¯m a cultivator. I want to make my family members stronger since I can do it,¡± answered Tang Xiu smilingly.


    ¡°You wanna teach cultivation arts to your Tang clansmen, by chance?¡± Mu Wanying was surprised.


    ¡°Yup.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°I can shelter the Tang Family for a decade or two, but I can¡¯t shelter them forever, can I? You must, nevertheless, have a generation of outstanding talents if you want to make your clan stand up. Also, you should also make your own family get stronger, too. I¡¯ll give you a set of cultivation arts if you want, you can then decide whom you¡¯ll teach it to.¡±


    Mu Wanying pondered for a moment before shaking her head. ¡°It won¡¯t work for the time being, though.¡±


    ¡°And why is that?¡± asked Tang Xiu curiously.


    ¡°That cultivation art is yours, and it must be practiced by your Tang clansmen to a certain degree first,¡± explained Mu Wanying. ¡°Only then can I teach to the Mus, though to only a handful few of them. You don¡¯t know much about House Mu, Tang Xiu. Although grandpa has made the entire family shaken, the good days are long gone after a long time passed, and some people¡¯s minds are no longer pure. I won¡¯t say about the rest, as you can see that even my Dad¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu was relieved and looked at her with a sympathetic gaze. Only now did he suddenly realize that it wasn¡¯t a bad thing that House Tang had been careful in the storms of social circles in Shanghai and Beijing. Without the oppression of House Yao and being a target from other families, the Tangs never would have united as one. They could¡¯ve been ended up like House Mu with so many silk pants scions, which would make House Tang fall sooner or later.


    ¡°You¡¯re a smart person, Wanying. You know what you can do and what you cannot, so you can treat it as you see fit.¡±


    Mu Wanying smilingly nodded, then suddenly said, ¡°Anyway, since you¡¯re gonna stay in Shanghai for some days, might as well contact the patient who¡¯s been looking for you. I think you can spare your time to treat the patient if they¡¯re willing to come to Shanghai. I¡¯m sure you can govern their illness given your medical skills.¡±


    Tang Xiu gave it a thought and felt that her reasoning was sound, so he smiled and said, ¡°Alright, find out the contact info of the other party. I¡¯ll call the person and set the time myself.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty!¡±


    She quickly activated her phone and found the said post on the internet, and then told Tang Xiu the cell number left by the person¡ªwhich was directly called by Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Li Cai. May I know whom I¡¯m speaking to?¡± a crisp voice was heard from the phone.


    ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu. Is it you who have been looking for me on the internet?¡± replied Tang Xiu.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The person on the phone was silent for a few seconds, and then said, ¡°Are you really Divine Doctor Tang? Can you prove your identity? Please forgive me. It¡¯s because I¡¯ve been receiving many calls recently. Some people are sympathetic and made a call to ask about my mother¡¯s conditions, but some were just trolling about, impersonating you and making my mother¡¯s life and mine worse.¡±


    ¡°How about we do a video call, then?¡± said Tang Xiu after pondering for a moment.


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± the person immediately gave a happy response.


    Quickly after, Tang Xiu saw the other party¡¯s face. She was a 16-years-old beautiful girl with very fair skin. Her eyes were especially very pure and very pretty.


    ¡°It¡¯s really you, Mr. Tang?! This is great, so great! My mother is as good as saved already.¡± Li Cai, who lived in the Beihe Province¡¯s capital, immediately looked happily surprised upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s face through the video call.


    ¡°Well, can you tell me about your mother¡¯s condition first?¡± asked Tang Xiu. ¡°Also, I¡¯m afraid you need to come to Shanghai if your mother really needs my treatment.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. We¡¯ll head there.¡±


    Li Cai¡¯s response was ecstatic. Then, she reported the condition of her mother, and finally asked with a look of expectation, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, c-can¡­ you determine what kind of disease my mother is afflicted with?¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment, then shook his head before nodding to her. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen the patient, so I have no way to determine the disease contracted by your mother However, I do have some guesses in mind. But if my guess is correct, then, she can still be treated.¡±


    ¡°I-if I get your meaning¡­. then, I¡­ I¡¯ll take Mom to Shanghai immediately, Divine Doctor Tang. Is this your cell number? Where should we be looking for you once we arrive in Shanghai?¡± asked Li Cai excitedly.


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed my cell number,¡± answered Tang Xiu. ¡°Also, phone me when you arrive in Shanghai. I¡¯ll send someone to the airport to fetch you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great! Thank you, Divine Doctor Tang. You¡¯re a good man!¡± said Li Cai with a grateful face.


    ¡°Treating the illness and saving a patient is what I should do. Well then, we¡¯ll chat again the next time we meet,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    Having said that, he directly hung up and then turned to look at Mu Wanying next to him. He saw her face who was about to speak something but hesitated. Then, he immediately asked, ¡°What¡¯s up? Is there something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m just very curious.¡± Mu Wanying chuckled. ¡°If you cure that person¡¯s illness, I¡¯m sure they will thank you very deeply. I thought you¡¯d ask about it on the phone just now! After all, she¡¯s been looking for you on the internet and has repeatedly mentioned that the thank you gift would be great.¡±

 Chapter 1121 - Annoying Troubles

    Chapter 1121: Annoying Troubles


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Watching Mu Wanying¡¯s slightly beaming face, Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing and said, ¡°You know, I just don¡¯t care what the other party pays for my treatment. Though I did realize something through this matter.¡±


    ¡°On what issue?¡± Mu Wanying was confused.


    ¡°Well, I just found you¡¯ve already become quite an aunt even who picked up a gossiper perk before you become a mother, LOL.¡± Tang Xiu went on, ¡°You have too much idle time recently, so you got your mind full of thoughts while crunching some fried watermelon seeds or something?¡±


    Mu Wanying looked shy. With her gentle character, she always treated everything lightly with indifference no matter what happened in the past. But her womanly side had been awakened after she got along with Tang Xiu and occasionally revealed her girly side.


    The leisure and free time always fleeted by quickly, and 2 days had passed in the blink of an eye. The news hadn¡¯t spread out that Tang Xiu had returned to Shanghai, so he had been very leisurely in these 2 days, and no troublesome matters disturbed him.


    Early in the morning, when the first sunshine rose from the east, the newly transferred security captain of the Bluestar Villa Complex, Zhao Fanggang, was silently smoking a cigarette in the sentry post. His eyes swept over every villa owner coming in and out of the complex. Just as he thought nothing unusual would happen at this moment, a Porsche supercar suddenly vroomed and stopped outside the gate with a sudden brake.


    Alas, another wealthy scion or miss¡­


    He sighed inwardly. He thought and counted inwardly. He was paid ten grand a month and then counted with his fingers. ¡°How many years would it take for me to afford this 1-million-yuan supercar.¡±


    Creak¡­


    Honk, honk¡­


    Several rapid braking was sounded yet again as a few more supercars rushed from a distance and blew their horns. Then, a young man with bleached hair and earrings poked his head out of the driver seat¡¯s window and shouted, ¡°Hey, can you hurry up and not block the gate?!¡±


    The Porsche¡¯s driver¡¯s door in front was opened and a woman in a red coat, cape, and high-heeled leather boots came out. She turned and glanced at the several supercars behind and shot a look at the listless security guards on both sides, saying, ¡°I haven¡¯t registered this new car yet, so register it for me and remember to allow me to pass through directly later, got it?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Both guards obviously knew her and even treated her as a goddess or something. One of the young ones immediately ran to the security room after seeing her.


    ¡°What the hell is up?¡±


    Having puzzled himself after struggling to figure out how many years of salary he¡¯d have to save to buy such a Porsche, Zhao Fanggang looked bitter and sour and asked with a worn-out face.


    The young guard grabbed the registration form and replied with an excited face, ¡°It¡¯s Miss Ouyang, Cap¡¯. I¡¯m gonna register her car first.¡±


    ¡°Huh? The procedure requires the owners to register the car themselves, right? You just wanna get noticed since she¡¯s so pretty, right, brat?!¡± Zhao Fanggang grunted.


    ¡°Hey, hey, don¡¯t speak carelessly like that, Cap¡¯,¡± said the young guard hurriedly. ¡°All the inhabitants living in our villa complex are rich and those who we can¡¯t afford to displease. Especially Mr. Tang and Miss Ouyang. They are on the list of those that must never be offended no matter what, else you can expect to be in for great troubles.¡±


    ¡°Ehh? Which Mr. Tang and which Ms. Ouyang you¡¯re talking about?¡± Zhao Fanggang frowned.


    ¡°Some villas in the innermost area are Mr. Tang¡¯s property. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve forgotten what happened a week ago, Cap¡¯? That one outside is Ms. Ouyang. She¡¯s Mr. Tang¡¯s woman and someone we can¡¯t afford to provoke.¡±


    Zhao Fanggang was shaken inwardly, and his face turned a bit ugly. It was his first time reporting to work here at that time. When he went for the inspection, he was sternly stopped by someone. Even though he showed his identity of security captain, he still wasn¡¯t allowed to enter and thus, led to a clash. He thought that he was already skillful enough and it¡¯d be easy to slap and knock down those few people. The result was him getting knocked out in just three seconds, causing him to crawl up from the ground¡ªsomething that never happened for a very long time. Later on, he inquired about it and learned from the security team the reason. That was why he secretly recorded the owner of those villas and his men.


    Further, he also knew something. The news was the owner of those villas just returned from some other region or something. He also heard that he brought a woman and they were now in the villa.


    ¡°Anyways, Little Zhao, does Mr. Tang have several women?¡± Zhao Fanggang asked in a low voice to the young guard who was about to run out of the sentry post.


    ¡°He got a lot. I¡¯ll tell later about that, though,¡± the young guard replied back in a low voice.


    Having said that, he strode to the security booth and then headed straight to Ouyang Lulu¡¯s car and quickly registered the car¡¯s plate number. But he frowned upon seeing the doors of several supercars behind it being opened. In particular, the Ferrari, since the bleached-haired youth came out and headed to the Porsche in front.


    Knock, knock¡­


    The bleached-haired youth knocked on the Porsche¡¯s driver¡¯s seat window. As the window glass came down, he bent down and smilingly sized up Ouyang Lulu a few times, saying, ¡°Well, well, a beauty who just came back from the nightlife? Do you have time to have morning tea with me?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Got no time.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu raised the window glass in disgust. As the front railing was opened, she directly started the car and sped up to the interior.


    The bleached-haired youth stroked his chin and murmured, ¡°What a young hot pepper, huh? Never thought about that. Ah, hey, you! Who¡¯s that belle and which villa she lives in?¡±


    The young guard also knew that this young man was similarly not to be trifled with, and immediately replied, ¡°Ms. Ouyang usually doesn¡¯t live here. But her boyfriend lives here.¡±


    ¡°The villa numbers!¡± The bleached-haired youth frowned.


    The young guard shook his head and said, ¡°I can¡¯t do that. We are forbidden to disclose the owner¡¯s information. Please check it yourself if you¡¯d like to know.¡±


    The youth was angry and was about to hit him. But then, he recalled something and then pointed to another youth before quickly returning to his car. The cars then roared and sped up to the interior.


    After a few minutes, the bleached-haired youth drove the Ferrari and caught up with Ouyang Lulu¡¯s Porsche. But as he kept pushing the car¡¯s horn and drove to the no.10 villa, two black-suited middle-aged men quickly blocked the way.


    ¡°What the hell? Make way, sissies! Did you guys starred in Matrix or something? Are you gonna be an eyesore this early in the morning?¡± the bleached-haired youth poked his head out and yelled some profanities.


    One of them coldly said, ¡°You¡¯re the first offender here. We¡¯ll spare you this once, but do keep your mouth clean later. These few villas are private residences, and you¡¯re not allowed to enter!¡±


    ¡°Are you f*****g sick?!¡± The youth cursed angrily. ¡°This Big Daddy is the owner of this Bluestar Villa Complex! I can go wherever I want. Make way now, else I¡¯ll kill you. Especially you!¡±


    A chilling light flashed in the man¡¯s eye. He dashed to the Ferrari¡¯s driver seat and forcefully pulled open the door. He dragged out the blond youth from the inside and heavily slapped him and gifted the fella with the last kick after he nearly fainted.


    ¡± Hmph , a cheap mouth deserves to be trashed!¡±


    The blonde youth slumped on the ground with eyes full of venom.


    Three youths rushed down from the two supercars behind, two of whom ran to help the bleached-haired young man whereas the other pointed to the middle-aged man and shouted, ¡°Who the fuck are you? You dare to hit people here? Believe it or not, this Big Daddy can find dozens of people to break your bones!¡±


    ¡°Get. The. Fuck. Out!¡±


    The big man just waved in response, seemingly treating him like a fly, and straightly ignored his threat.


    On the balcony of a villa.


    Tang Xiu slowly opened his eyes as he heard the commotion outside. But he couldn¡¯t help roll his eyes when he saw that it was Ouyang Lulu inside that Porsche. There were quite a few women around him, but he had been in contact with her the most. Had it not been for him stuffing his cell phone into the interspatial ring, it was just a sure hit that he would receive her phone calls and a dozen text messages nearly every day.


    Ugh, no shit. I put away the phone into the interspatial right. I haven¡¯t received any calls for the last 2 days, and it¡¯s likely that she called me. What a headache. I didn¡¯t tell her I came back. This great auntie will definitely go ballistic with her concern.


    The moment Tang Xiu thought about it, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a headache. There was also one thing that made it worse. Mu Wanying was still on the bed in the bedroom, too tired due to last night and hadn¡¯t gotten out the bed until now. Ouyang Lulu would probably go crazy if she saw her.


    He shook his head wordlessly, got up and went back to the bedroom, only to see Mu Wanying still sleeping soundly. He quickly dressed up neatly but then heard Ouyang Lulu talking to the housekeeper just as he went down the staircase.


    ¡°Lulu¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu walked to her in strides while interrupting their conversation.


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s eyes immediately lit up upon seeing him and unhappily grunted. ¡°When the heck did you return to Shanghai, huh? Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been 2 days and, well, I haven¡¯t called you since I got occupied by something.¡± Tang Xiu smiled. ¡°If anything, I was about to call you up, but it turns out you ended up coming here.¡±


    ¡°What the hell happened to your cell phone, though?¡± Ouyang Lulu grunted. ¡°I kept calling you, but it said that you were not in the service area. Did you put it in your interspatial ring again?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just like my parents, knowing me inside out, Lulu.¡± Tang Xiu praised, raising his thumbs up. ¡°I even suspect that you¡¯ve become a worm residing in my belly, you know.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s response was much to her liking, but she still rolled her pretty eyes at him. She skillfully moved her hands to hug Tang Xiu as she always did and smilingly said, ¡°Bah, you¡¯re the worm! I don¡¯t care anymore. I¡¯ve caught you now since you¡¯re back, so you will go out with me!¡±


    Tang Xiu just let out a smile. After the housekeeper left, he nodded and said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s stroll around since you wanna go out! Besides, I got nothing to do today. Strolling around, shopping, watching a movie, having dinner¡­ it¡¯s your call.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty, then!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu finally beamed with a smile and she almost dragged Tang Xiu to run outside.

 Chapter 1122 - Blue Starfish Mansion

    Chapter 1122: Blue Starfish Mansion


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Outside the courtyard.


    While looking at the Porsche, Tang Xiu helplessly said, ¡°Anyways, isn¡¯t driving this car out way too high-profile? I¡¯m quite a celebrity now; don¡¯t we have to pay attention?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, so what? You got a great car and an amazing belle, what are you being unhappy for?¡± Ouyang Lulu crisply laughed. ¡°Besides, you¡¯re still young. That means radiating the passion around, right? Alright, let¡¯s head off, you take the wheel and I¡¯m sitting shotgun, okay?¡±


    ¡°Fine, then!¡±


    It was Tang Xiu¡¯s intention to leave this place quickly, so as to prevent waiting for Mu Wanying to wake up and let hell break loose. Hence, he directly took the driver¡¯s seat and started the car to head outside right after the door was closed. However, although the road was very wide, it had been blocked by three supercars.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Tang Xiu lowered the window and asked.


    The middle-aged man went to greet him and respectfully said, ¡°These little gangsters want to create trouble, so we¡¯re stopping them, Boss.¡±


    ¡°I see. Just notify the security guards and throw them out directly.¡± Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Kang Xia called me some time ago and she also mentioned the issues here. Now that I¡¯ve bought all the villas in this part, then the security work here must be dealt with, too. Let them go if they want to. The road is for everyone. Just straightly ignore them if they don¡¯t trespass and disturb the villas.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± The middle-aged man nodded respectfully.


    The bleached-haired youth, who had crawled up from the ground at this moment, looked at Tang Xiu like he wanted to swallow him. He immediately yelled furiously upon hearing Tang Xiu¡¯s words, ¡°Hey, get off your ass the car, Boy! Your dogs keep biting us at random. You must give me an explanation now, else this problem is far from over!¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter and said, ¡°We¡¯re all adults here, can we not be so na?ve? Besides, you¡¯re all the haves judging from your looks, no? Haven¡¯t you also gotten some nine years of compulsory education yourselves? Can¡¯t you at least preserve some quality and dignity? Also, spare yourselves from swearing since it will lower your status.¡±


    The youth held his breath. Expression twisted, he angrily yelled again, ¡°What the hell? What does it have anything to do with you whether I have quality? This villa complex doesn¡¯t belong to your family, yet you¡¯re acting so arrogant, even your men are hitting people? Isn¡¯t this obviously your mistake?¡±


    Tang Xiu secretly sighed inwardly and got out of the car to stand in front of the youth. He deeply bowed to him and spoke with a sincere expression. ¡°Then I apologize for my crude and reckless behavior. I hope you can forgive me since they are just doing their job.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Never once the youth dreamed that Tang Xiu would resort to such a move. Originally, he wanted to create some excuses as a pretext to attack him, but it was he who was now left helpless.


    A young man next to him yelled, ¡°Hey, do you think everything is over with such a casual apology? How can there be such a good thing in this world?¡±


    ¡°Apologies aren¡¯t good, so what do you want then?¡± asked Tang Xiu back.


    ¡°Compensation, and all the expenses on medical, nutrition, mental loss, and delaying work!¡± The young man sneered. ¡°Aren¡¯t you rich, buying so many villas here? We are not blackmailing you, but paying 1 million in compensation is fine!¡±


    ¡°Paying 1 million in compensation will do just fine, huh?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a strange expression.


    ¡°That¡¯s for sure.¡± The youth sneered.


    Tang Xiu turned to the middle-aged man and lightly said, ¡°I give you 20 minutes to bring me 1 million. Also, there¡¯s a caf¨¦ nearby. Send the money there.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± The man immediately went to do his bidding.


    Tang Xiu shifted to the four youths in front again and smilingly said, ¡°You want me to pay compensation, so how about heading to the caf¨¦ with me, then? Things have been too boring for me recently, so you can accompany to chat there.¡±


    The bleached-haired youth shot a glance at the Porsche, but consciously covered his cheek immediately after seeing Ouyang Lulu in the front seat. After a moment of pondering, he sneered. ¡°Let¡¯s head there. Don¡¯t think we¡¯re afraid of you.¡±


    Tang Xiu just gave squinted eyes and returned to the car, heading straight out of the villa complex. Soon after, four supercars stopped outside the caf¨¦ and Tang Xiu brought Ouyang Lulu inside the caf¨¦ and headed straight to a quiet corner, followed by the four youths.


    ¡°Can I ask you something, Lulu?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile after taking a seat.


    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Ouyang Lulu back curiously.


    ¡°Do you know if there¡¯s any abandoned factory around here?¡± asked Tang Xiu. ¡°It¡¯s best that it has a large area and is located in a very desolate place.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu gave it a thought and then shook her head. ¡°I have no idea. Shanghai¡¯s development is literally everywhere. You may have to look outside Shanghai, I¡¯m afraid. That¡¯s right. Chang Xi! I just remembered. The junction of Shanghai and Chang Xi is kind of remote and desolate. I used to participate in the race game with Chi Nan and I remember passing by some spots with a very big factory. I asked Chi Nan out of curiosity then, and she said that it was an abandoned industrial area.¡±


    ¡°Take me there later.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    ¡°What will you do at such a place, though?¡± asked Ouyang Lulu.


    ¡°I want to refine some equipment,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    Ouyang Lulu nodded in response. As she was about to speak, she suddenly heard Tang Xiu¡¯s phone ringing in his pocket.


    Tang Xiu stared blankly for a moment. He just took out his cell phone from the interspatial ring. It was rather unexpected to have someone call him now. Then, he took out the phone and looked at the screen, immediately patting his head and wryly smiling. ¡°Alas, I forgot something.¡±


    Having said that, he pressed the answer button and Li Cai¡¯s voice then came out, ¡°Is it you, Divine Doctor Tang?¡±


    ¡°I am. You¡¯ve arrived?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°I arrived in Shanghai yesterday afternoon,¡± said Li Cai. ¡°I called you then, but your cell phone couldn¡¯t be reached. Can we come to visit you now, Divine Doctor Tang?¡±


    ¡°Ah, where are you now?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°At the Blue Starfish Mansion,¡± answered Li Cai.


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment, and then said, ¡°Text me the address and I¡¯ll come over later. We can speak about anything else when we meet.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then. Sorry for troubling you, Doctor Tang,¡± said Li Cai excitedly.


    After hanging up, Tang Xiu looked at Ouyang Lulu and asked, ¡°Anyway, where¡¯s this Blue Starfish Mansion?¡±


    Without waiting for Ouyang Lulu¡¯s answer, the bleached-haired youth sitting not far from them wore a contemptuous look and mocked. ¡± Hmph , I thought you were a very powerful person, it turns out that you don¡¯t even know the Blue Starfish Mansion at all. Really. The upper-class society is nothing like a hillbilly such as you can understand.¡±


    Tang Xiu just shot him an indifferent glance and his eyes quickly went back to Ouyang Lulu.


    The person in attention slammed the table and glared at the youth while glowering. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare run your mouth without concern, or I¡¯ll slap you until your mother won¡¯t be able to recognize you!¡±


    The youth originally wanted to hit Tang Xiu in front of Ouyang Lulu and display his brilliance, but he didn¡¯t expect that it would make her go mad at him, instead. His expression immediately turned ugly and he just glared at Tang Xiu, grunting with a lowered voice. ¡± Hmph , what a coward, hiding behind a woman.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll know whether I¡¯m a coward or not later,¡± replied Tang Xiu apathetically. ¡°Also, no need to rush to bother them either, Lulu.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Ouyang Lulu immediately understood Tang Xiu¡¯s intention. She didn¡¯t understand why Tang Xiu would compensate these fellas a million yuan before and then brought them here. Now, she figured out that Tang Xiu was waiting to give them the money and then make them pay for the arrogance.


    ¡°The Blue Starfish Mansion is located on the coastline southeast of Shanghai. It¡¯s the most beautiful upscale resort area in Shanghai, slightly better than the Paradise Manor. Also, you need to drive to the Bay Port and take a boat from there.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded and got up. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go there first.¡±


    The bleached youth abruptly got up and jeered. ¡°What¡¯s up, mate? Did you just find an excuse to escape or something? I already told you I must get a million-yuan compensation from you, got it?¡±


    ¡°The money will be definitely yours. But I¡¯m in a hurry, so I got no time to keep you accompany,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯ll send someone to give you the money if you¡¯re willing to stay here. But if you¡¯re not, you can go with me to the Blue Starfish Mansion, and I¡¯ll tell my subordinate to send the money there.¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m going with you! Whom do we ask for the money if you run?¡± After the bleached-haired youth was done speaking, he straightly took out his cell phone and dialed a number. After his call was picked up by the other party, he smilingly said, ¡°It¡¯s Dalong here, Young Master Kun. Anyway, I¡¯m going to play at the Blue Starfish Mansion with Zizi and the rest, and um¡­ let¡¯s meet there and have a chat.¡±


    ****


    The Blue Starfish Mansion was a small island surrounded by bodies of water and was as large as several football fields. The construction of the resort, however, was rather extraordinary. It depicted the exquisiteness of a garden in the southern region and the beauty of the northern landscape, the combination of both through wonderful workmanship created a marvelous creation excelling nature itself and became a sight to behold.


    Inside a pavilion, Hu Shaokun hung up the phone, then looked at the 16-plus-years-old-looking girl in front of him and smilingly said, ¡°You can rest your worries about Auntie Zhuang¡¯s illness, Cai¡¯er. I learned something about Divine Doctor Tang. He can definitely cure Auntie¡¯s illness since he¡¯s willing to help. I¡¯ll definitely honor him as honorable guess and treat him to my best.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Brother Shaokun,¡± said Li Cai.


    The guy turned around and looked at the coastline not far away. His eyes swept at the sea surface and slowly took a breather, before saying, ¡°Cai¡¯er, it¡¯s indeed very important to let Doctor Tang treat Auntie, but you had better let Doctor Tang to examine your body too. It¡¯s been 9 years already, and you¡¯ve always been looking like this. I¡¯m afraid problems with your health will arise in the future.¡±


    Li Cai was silent for a moment. She looked a bit helpless as she replied, ¡°I¡¯ve already checked my condition in many hospitals, both in the country and abroad. The current medical science just can¡¯t examine whatever is happening to my body. I¡¯m afraid¡­¡±


    Hu Shaokun was back to his senses and sternly looked at her and said, ¡°Cai¡¯er, isn¡¯t the check-up result of auntie¡¯s illness similar even though we¡¯ve brought her to tens of large hospitals? If Divine Doctor Tang can cure her illness, he¡¯ll definitely be able to cure yours, too. But if you don¡¯t want to talk to him about that when he comes, I¡¯ll speak to him myself. I don¡¯t care how much I must pay him.¡±

 Chapter 1123 - Dramatic Change of Attitude

    Chapter 1123: Dramatic Change of Attitude


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    At the small Bay Harbor, Zhao Dongfeng, who was wearing a gray vest and white gloves, looked energetic while watching the tens of expensive luxury cars on the beach¡¯s parking lot.


    It was Divine Doctor Tang Xiu.


    The name was so famous that he had long heard of it. He also knew another identity Tang Xiu had as the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, with a net worth of more than 10 billion yuan. He previously thought that he would never meet such a great personage such as Tang Xiu for the rest of his life, but he didn¡¯t expect that he¡¯d receive a notice from his boss to greet Tang Xiu as the General Manager of the Blue Starfish Mansion.


    Vroom¡­


    In the midst of the car¡¯s engine, Zhao Dongfeng¡¯s spirit was shaken up. His eyes trained at the four supercars speeding up in the distance. He immediately turned to give a signal to the two staff he brought and then strode forward to greet them.


    ¡°Hello, Divine Doctor Tang!¡±


    The moment Tang Xiu got off the car, Zhao Dongfeng was able to recognize him at a glance and suppressed the excitement in his heart to greet him.


    Tang Xiu gave him a slight nod in response and then waved at Ouyang Lulu, who was still sitting on the front seat. Then, he said to the former, ¡°Are you from the Blue Starfish Mansion?¡±


    The man himself was slightly shaken inwardly once he noticed Ouyang Lulu. He was also one of the business people who run upscale restaurants in Shanghai, so there was no way he wouldn¡¯t know Ouyang Lulu¡¯s identity. Seeing how close her relationship with Tang Xiu was, Zhao Dongfeng suddenly felt that the duo was really a perfect match made by heaven.


    ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, I¡¯m the general manager of Blue Starfish Mansion. I¡¯m under the instruction of my employer¡­¡±


    The bleached-haired youth and the three others, who were walking shoulder to shoulder shot a contemptuous look at Tang Xiu. He directly interrupted Zhao Dongfeng and proudly said, ¡°Heh, he got ordered by his Boss to greet us. Hey you, Tang Boy. You¡¯ll see that the Blue Starfish Mansion is something the likes of us can enjoy, but not something you¡¯re qualified to spend your time inside!¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± responded Tang Xiu apathetically. ¡°But I don¡¯t feel like chatting with you.¡±


    Zhao Dongfeng himself knew who the bleached-haired youth and his gang of four was. They were not Shanghai locals. They hailed from large families and just came to Shanghai recently. However, they had a good relationship with his employer. He had keen eyes as the general manager of Blue Starfish Mansion, how could he not notice the smell of gunpowder between this young man and Tang Xiu?


    However, upon seeing Tang Xiu¡¯s indifference, he hesitated a bit and braved himself to speak. ¡°Young Master Wu, my employer instructed me to pick up Divine Doctor Tang. But I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll definitely be happy and surprised if he knows some good friends of his came visiting.¡±


    The bleached-haired youth, Wu Dalong, suddenly looked extremely ugly. Zhao Dongfeng¡¯s remarks were like an invisible slap to his face. He just shot a contemptuous look at Tang Xiu, wanting to show off his grace and par of excellence to the belle, yet the result was the smacking slap. He almost straightly left out of fury and shame.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you shut the hell up, surnamed Zhao?¡±


    Wu Dalong clenched his fists and sternly raised it. He would¡¯ve punched the man if it weren¡¯t for the two staffs of Blue Starfish Mansion behind him.


    Zhao Dongfeng held his breath. He never thought that Wu Dalong would turn on him all of a sudden. However, he could only suppress his own anger inwardly since he feared the young man¡¯s identity. He forced out a wry smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m telling you the truth, Young Master Wu. You¡¯ll understand when you meet my Boss. Divine Doctor Tang, Proprietress Ouyang, please follow me on board, my employer has been waiting for you.¡±


    Tang Xiu shot a teasing look at Wu Dalong and let out laughter while holding Ouyang Lulu¡¯s hand and quickly jumped onto the boat.


    Wu Dalong panted and gasped a few times. His eyes then fell to the remaining two staffs and yelled, ¡°What are you staring at like some idiots? Hurry up and take me on board!¡±


    Having said that, he and the other three also quickly boarded another boat. As the boat rowed, the young man who had been with Wu Dalong suddenly shook his head and said, ¡°I think we¡¯re in trouble, Brother Dalong. And it¡¯s not just your everyday trouble!¡±


    Wu Dalong stared blankly for a moment before frowning and replying with a cold face, ¡°Just spit it out at once and don¡¯t hold back if you got something to say, Hao Zizi!¡±


    ¡°You know, that surnamed Zhao addressed that surnamed Tang as Divine Doctor Tang.¡± Hao Zizi forced a smile and said, ¡°That reminds of someone who has an illustrious reputation as the young Divine Doctor Tang Xiu in the country. It wouldn¡¯t have been an issue if he¡¯s only some Chinese medicine practitioner, but he also has two other identities. You¡¯ve been abroad for a few years and haven¡¯t come back for a long time, so you¡¯ve never heard of him. But the two of them are likely very clear of what I¡¯m saying.¡±


    The other two young men suddenly had their complexion changed as they suddenly recalled something. One of whom couldn¡¯t help but shiver and hurriedly said, ¡°Stop the boat and go back!¡±


    ¡°What the hell is going on with you?!¡± Wu Dalong angrily yelled at him. ¡°Just spit it out if you got something to say. What exactly is the background of that brat, huh?¡±


    ¡°You must have heard about the Magnificent Tang Corporation, right?¡± Hao Zizi forced a smile and said, ¡°He¡¯s the Big Boss of that company, Tang Xiu. Further, he¡¯s also a powerful member of the Tang Family of Beijing.¡±


    The Magnificent Tang Corporation and the Tang Family of Beijing?!!


    Wu Dalong¡¯s pupils shrunk and dread overflowed from his eyes. He wouldn¡¯t have been this shocked if Tang Xiu was only the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, but the Tang Family of Beijing was like a nuke that blasted dread to his heart.


    At present, which prominent family in the country was said to have the greatest power? Undoubtedly, it was the Tang Family of Beijing. Even the super-large family of the capital, House Yao, had been destroyed by this family.


    With a face turned whitish and pale, Wu Dalong stared at Hao Zizi and asked, ¡°Are you not mistaken? That brat¡­ is really a scion of House Tang?!¡±


    Hao Zizi nodded. ¡°He should be. A friend of mine who went to the capital some time ago to attend the 80th birthday of the House Tang¡¯s patriarch saw Tang Xiu there. I also know another thing from him. Tang Xiu should be the next in line patriarch of House Tang in the future.¡±


    Gasp¡­


    Wu Dalong couldn¡¯t help but gasp a stream of cold air. As a scion of a prominent family himself, he naturally knew the disparity in identity between ordinary juniors of House Tang with the so-called heirs. It would be a bit troublesome should they offend any other juniors of House Tang, but if that surnamed Tang was really the heir groomed to be the future patriarch of House Tang, then this issue would become huge. This small conflict was even likely to implicate his entire family and become their bad luck!


    What should I do?


    This though raced in his mind and Wu Dalong¡¯s expression was ever-changing in these tens of seconds. He finally gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±


    Quickly after, the four young men hurried back to the shore and watched Tang Xiu and Ouyang Lulu, who had already landed on the opposite bank. Wu Dalong was silent for a moment and then said, ¡°Zizi and you guys. I need you all to help me with something.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Hao Zizi.


    ¡°Each of us four take out 10 million yuan. We¡¯ll send the money to Tang Xiu as a token of apology,¡± said Wu Dalong. ¡°Further, you are to tell him that I¡¯ve been beaten very badly, so I coughed up a mouthful of blood on the boat and was then sent to the hospital for treatment. Also, tell him that I¡¯ve suddenly realized how arrogant I was and that I¡¯m now regretting it so much that I sent you to him to convey him my apology.¡±


    ¡°About this¡­¡±


    Hao Zizi, however, didn¡¯t want to face Tang Xiu after recalling his identity. He was afraid he¡¯d face bad luck of becoming the target of Tang Xiu¡¯s anger if he was in a bad mood. Yet, he didn¡¯t dare to refuse Wu Dalong, either. Even though his family did have some power, it was still inferior to Wu Dalong¡¯s. If he were to refuse this guy¡¯s request, it was likely that his future days would be very difficult to bear.


    Wu Dalong frowned and said in a deep voice, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t wanna go or something?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going. I¡¯ll cover the money!¡± Hao Zizi was forced to submit inwardly and hurriedly responded.


    ¡°No.¡± Wu Dalong shook his head. ¡°It was caused by me, so each of you will just take out 10 million since you¡¯ve been involved all along. However, this matter cannot be handed to someone else because it represents the attitude of the four of us.¡±


    Only then did Hao Zizi feel relieved. In actuality, he felt a bit distressed when he blurted out that he would cover the money since he didn¡¯t have that much at hand. He would very likely have to borrow it from somewhere had Wu Dalong agreed.


    ****


    On the island.


    At the landing port of Blue Starfish Mansion, Tang Xiu and Ouyang Lulu just got off the boat and saw a man and a woman coming from afar. The man in his 25-something was handsome, whereas the woman was only 16-plus years old and was beautiful. Tang Xiu could instantly recognize the latter, Li Cai, who he had a video call with previously, which was also the person he came to see this time.


    ¡°Divine Doctor Tang.¡±


    Li Cai hurriedly called out to Tang Xiu after coming towards him. Her attitude was very respectful.


    Tang Xiu slightly nodded to her in response and then asked, ¡°May I know where your mother is?¡±


    Hu Shaokun next to Li Cai was stunned, and his heart was at a loss whether he had to laugh or cry. He may have never met Tang Xiu, but he knew his identity. Yet, he didn¡¯t expect that he¡¯d be straightly ignored and just went straight to the subject right after they met. However, so as to give a good impression, he didn¡¯t wait for Li Cai¡¯s answer and stretched out his hand to shake with a smile. ¡°Hello, Doctor Tang. I¡¯m Hu Shaokun, the owner of this Blue Starfish Mansion. Aunt Zhuang is currently in the guest room now, and her condition is not optimistic.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook hands with him while observing him. Then, he nodded and said, ¡°Let¡¯s leave the pleasantries aside since I came here to treat the patient. Please lead the way, we¡¯ll chat when the treatment is over.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    After the swift and crisp reply from Hu Shaokun, he and Li Cai took Tang Xiu and Ouyang Lulu inside. Soon after, the group then came to the room where the patient was staying.


    The interior was luxuriously decorated, and the room was bright and spacious with the scent of jasmine flowers wafting in the air. The sun shone through the windows into the room, reflecting the pale-faced thin woman lying on the bed.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Tang Xiu furrowed his brows right after he entered the room because he was keenly aware that the temperature inside was a few degrees lower than the outside, yet there was no air conditioner or other refrigeration appliance inside.

 Chapter 1124 - Countless Bad Karma

    Chapter 1124: Countless Bad Karma


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu instantly released his spiritual sense and easily found the source of the cold energy. It was emitting out from the patient¡¯s body lying in bed.


    Something¡¯s strange.


    He thought inwardly and went straight to the bed. He reached out to move the quilt and grabbed her wrist to check her pulse. His frown went deeper as several minutes passed by and he looked even more puzzled.


    ¡®It¡¯s not a sickness! The physique is completely healthy. This woman is not sick, it¡¯s more like she¡¯s sleeping.¡¯


    Tang Xiu loosened her wrist and asked Li Cai, ¡°Can you tell me what kind of situation your mother encountered?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what happened to her, Divine Doctor Tang.¡± Li Cai shook her head and said, ¡°She¡¯s been in a coma for several months and fully relies on parenteral nutrition for life support.¡±


    ¡°Anything comes to mind as to what possibly happened to her before she fell into a coma?¡± asked Tang Xiu again.


    Li Cai went into deep thought and then said, ¡°Something happened before she fell into a coma.? Mom had nightmares all night and days and almost never slept. Even if she woke up, she was muddle-headed and kept blabbering¡­ blood. She just ignored me every time I asked her.¡±


    Blood?


    As though realizing something, Tang Xiu cast a sealing technique and instantly hit his glabella. His body trembled a few seconds after as a dreadful force suddenly hit him, causing him to stagger backward three steps and cough up a mouthful of blood.


    ¡°Tang Xiu!!!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu¡¯s pupils shrunk. She dashed towards Tang Xiu and supported him.


    Tang Xiu wiped off the blood on his lips and looked extremely solemn. He shook his head without a word before coming to the bedside. His vision fell on the woman and he looked a bit complicated at this moment. He wanted to just turn around and leave, but he couldn¡¯t afford to follow the urge.


    Li Cai, who was shocked and scared that something happened to Tang Xiu, hurriedly asked, ¡°Are you okay, Divine Doctor Tang? What exactly happened to my mother?¡±


    Tang Xiu pondered over something for a second and then asked, ¡°Who else is there in your family? What about your father?¡±


    Li Cai¡¯s mouth opened, but her expression looked grim and sad.


    Hu Shaokun patted her shoulder and forced a smile. ¡°Li Cai¡¯s life has been pretty much pitiful, Divine Doctor Tang. Her father passed away in an accident when she was seven, whereas her parents were orphans, so auntie Zhuang and Li Cai have always been depended on each other.¡±


    ¡®As expected!¡¯


    Tang Xiu grimly sighed and headed to the door while speaking, ¡°Boss Hu, please help find me a quiet room! I need to talk to Li Cai in private.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Hu Shaokun led everyone to the next room and made a pot of tea by himself. After he offered Tang Xiu, he said, ¡°Do you mind telling me about Auntie Zhuang¡¯s condition now, Doctor Tang?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked up and shot him a look as he sighed. ¡± Sigh , if my guess is correct, Li Cai should still be at 15 to 16 years old. And you, Boss Hu, you¡¯ve been exposed to some karmic ties and you may only have 6 days left to live. Furthermore, those who come into contact with the patient will have bad luck and suffer unpredictable events.¡±


    Hu Shaokun¡¯s expression changed and fear was bred inside him. He didn¡¯t expect Tang Xiu to be able to guess Li Cai¡¯s situation. He fell into silence for a while, then asked with a heavy voice, ¡°What do you mean by that, Doctor Tang?¡±


    ¡°The patient herself is the source of the problems.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°Haven¡¯t you also found the abnormalities in her already?¡±


    The man thought about it and said, ¡°A chilling energy comes out from Aunt Zhuang¡¯s body, causing the temperature around her to drop to a very low degree.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not just your ordinary chilling air, but is actually noxious energy¡ªsomething called the origin of calamity and the bane of others¡¯ existence,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I¡¯m afraid she was destined to be alone right at the moment she was born, and all her loved ones will be killed.¡±


    The remark angered Hu Shaokun, and he rebuked; ¡°DOCTOR TANG! Please have some respect! We invited you due to your Chinese medicine expertise to treat Aunt Zhuang, not some itinerant expertise on fortune-telling or something.¡±


    ¡°The art of healing, combined with some mysterious techniques, may be able to lift up medical skills more perfectly. The reason why people hail me as a divine doctor is that I know about such mysterious and profound techniques,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°You¡¯ve taken the patient to many large hospitals to get examined, so you should be crystal clear about her condition. There¡¯s no way the current level of medical science can check her problems if any.¡±


    Li Cai looked at Tang Xiu like she was seeing her savior and hurriedly asked, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, you have amazing skills. Have you already grasped my mother¡¯s condition, by chance?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. But it would be a tall order if I want to save her and wake her up.¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, ¡°It¡¯s rather difficult to do so with my current strength.¡±


    Li Cai¡¯s expression instantly turned grim. She had heard a lot about Tang Xiu¡¯s mysterious medical skills and even heard that this man had cured a lot of patients with incurable diseases. But she never thought that he didn¡¯t have the means to wake her mother up.


    ¡°I may not be able to help the patient, but you can,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°It¡¯s just that you¡¯ll need to pay some price.¡±


    The light was back on Li Cai¡¯s face as she hastily replied, ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever it takes.¡±


    ¡°Hold up.¡± Hu Shaokun interrupted. ¡°There are still things bothering me, Divine Doctor Tang. You just said that Auntie Zhuang is the bane of others¡¯ existence and she¡¯d have her loved ones die. But why is Cai¡¯er still alive now? She¡¯s her blood daughter and notably her closest person.¡±


    ¡°Those who have been in their mother¡¯s womb for nearly 10 months are naturally their most loved ones, mind you.¡± Tang Xiu sighed. But precisely because of this, Li Cai has an inborn special power to offset the influence of this evil karma. Though, to be honest, I¡¯m now very curious about what the patient did in her past life. To think that the rules of Heaven and the six paths of reincarnation can¡¯t even wipe out this evil karma at all.¡±


    ¡°You said that Aunt Zhuan¡¯s illness is caused by the evil karma made by her past incarnation?¡± asked Hu Shaokun with a bizarre expression. ¡°How can that be? Isn¡¯t that too unbelievable?!¡±


    Tang Xiu glanced at Li Cai and inquired. ¡°Do you mind if I go overboard to see what kind of deeds your mother¡¯s past incarnation has done? And why such evil karma demands retribution in her current life?¡±


    Li Cai hesitated for a while and then curiously asked, ¡°But how¡­ can this be possible¡­ for you to see the past deeds of my mother¡¯s past incarnation, Divine Doctor Tang?¡±


    ¡°I naturally have my own means. But I need to tell you in advance that I¡¯ll also see her life experiences while exploring the patient¡¯s life,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Certainly, it could also make a big difference pertaining to her treatment if I can figure out the cause and effect¡ªshortly put, the karmic ties.¡±


    Li Cai turned to Hu Shaokun and shot him an inquiry look.


    The man thought for a moment and then said with a solemn face, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, the most important issue now is her condition. We can agree to it as long as it can help her.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then. You are all to stay here,¡± said Tang Xiu with a slight nod.


    Quickly after, he went back to the previous room and arranged a Soul Attracting Array there. He could also use some supernatural powers due to his rapid progress in power, which was now comparable to Nascent Soul Stage experts.


    Attracting human soul and exploring their karmic ties was something no ordinary Nascent Soul Stage cultivator could do, not even immortals were able to achieve it. But he was able to do so since he had been a Supreme in the Immortal World who possessed various profound abilities.


    After arranging the array, Tang Xiu cast the technique and a wisp of his spiritual sense instantly entered the woman¡¯s sea of mind.


    Buzz¡­


    An intense sympathy rose inside him after his spiritual sense entered her sea of mind, seeing the short fragments of memories of her past life. It was because of the pitiful life and experience she had been through. At the same time, the evil deeds and karmic ties of her past incarnation were too strong.


    ¡°The cause¡­ the fruit¡­¡±


    It took Tang Xiu a few minutes to find the karmic threads in the dark netherworld. He quickly understood the problems with her past incarnation by following these karmic lines. Yet, he couldn¡¯t help but shudder and become greatly shocked upon finding that this woman¡¯s past incarnation was a demonic cultivator who had committed tremendous crimes.


    ¡°Star Gems Domain, Pandemonium Devil Sect, Blood Sacrifice¡­¡±


    Two hours were spent as Tang Xiu immersed in the world of sins and killings. If the hands of the most serious criminals on the Earth were covered with the blood of tens or even hundreds of their victims, it was nothing but a drop of water in the ocean and nothing to speak of compared to what this woman¡¯s past incarnation did.


    It was full of killings and the massacres of billions of walks of life. The blood flowed and turned into scarlet ocean; corpse piling up like hills; planets and stars were swept away¡­ even after she had passed, no more signs of life had ever been found on that star domain since.


    Her sins¡­


    Tang Xiu opened his eyes with an intense forced smile on his face. He had once been a Supreme in the Immortal World and one who had also committed countless killings there, yet the number and outrageousness were still far inferior compared to what he just saw.


    It was simply too much¡ªa sight that could make one lose his nerve and hair to stand on end.


    Looking at the woman¡¯s pale face, Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯d need to go through the Nine Reincarnations of Samsara if you didn¡¯t happen to meet me before you could get rid off this bad karma. Even then, that¡¯s on the premise that your soul doesn¡¯t scatter in the journey. Immortals obtain bad karma due to killings, but there are ways to eliminate it. But you didn¡¯t and instead accumulated it. You even tried to use such bad karma to strengthen yourself. This path of cultivation is really¡­¡±


    At the end of the day, Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t find any expression to describe it.


    Using killings to enter the Dao and commited more killings to prove and confirm that Dao itself.


    There had been countless cultivators and Immortals, but none had ever done or gone through such an outrageous path. Even describing this woman as ¡°heartless¡± was an understatement.


    A few minutes later, Tang Xiu went to the next room. His eyes then fell on Li Cai, who got up from the sofa and spoke to her in a deep voice, ¡°I¡¯ve figured out the truth of the matter and I must throw away my previous ideas. You¡¯re indeed the only one who can make your mother awaken, but it isn¡¯t yet the time. It would need you¡­ to become a different existence from your current self, wherein you¡¯ll need to increase your lifespan as well.¡±

 Chapter 1125 - Demanding an Exorbitant Price

    Chapter 1125: Demanding an Exorbitant Price


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    ¡°Increasing my lifespan?¡±


    Li Cai was stunned and dumbly looked at Tang Xiu, unable to believe what she just heard. Hu Shaokun next to her was similarly dumbfounded. The way he looked at Tang Xiu was almost like looking at some conman who tried every trick to mislead the public with a look that believed that his lies were real.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t mishear nor did you misunderstand me.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°You must increase your lifespan, or you¡¯ll only have a few days left to live.¡±


    BAM¡­


    Just as his voice faded away, Hu Shaokun slammed the table and yelled at Tang Xiu, ¡°Doctor Tang! I¡¯ve always respected the Chinese medicine profession and I¡¯ve always admired your achievement in creating a big company such as the Magnificent Tang Corp. at a young age. But even if you hail from House Tang, I still must say to you today¡­ do spare us your absurd remarks and do not ever joke with Aunt Zhuang¡¯s condition!¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before he forced a smile. Hu Shaokun¡¯s outburst was within his expectation since the man was, after all, just an ordinary person. This guy simply had no idea that there were such people in this world, unaware that he had such a remarkable supernatural power himself.


    Explanation?


    He didn¡¯t feel that it was necessary. He was acting as a doctor, and he had his own means of treatment. Since the man didn¡¯t believe him, then it was up to Li Cai¡¯s choice. He¡¯d lose the only means to awaken this woman surnamed Zhuang if she chose not to believe him, meaning that the woman could only wait for death to take her.


    Therefore, Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes fell on Li Cai¡¯s face.


    Some doubts and hesitation did fill Li Cai¡¯s heart. But after a short ten seconds, the doubts and hesitation all disappeared from her face. She could somewhat believe the issue with increasing lifespan since she thought that there were numerous mysterious cases in this world, while Tang Xiu himself was very likely to have such means.


    Further, it was not blind trust either. It was due to her own physique¡ªan instance that couldn¡¯t be explained by today¡¯s science. Her mother was also another example. She was living, yet the thermometer showed 36.5 degrees when checking her body temperature. Even many medical experts had been puzzled by the chilling energy in her body.


    ¡°I believe in you, Divine Doctor Tang,¡± said Li Cai slowly with eyes radiating inexplicable splendor.


    Hu Shaokun¡¯s expression, however, changed and he angrily cried out, ¡°Cai¡¯er, Divine Doctor Tang was just kidding. Who could possibly be able to increase their lifespan in this world? Even if you can make someone else live a long life, that will only happen if you got good healthcare and live a good, healthy life.¡±


    ¡°Boss Hu, Li Cai is a family member of the patient. She chose to believe me, so it¡¯s my obligation to consider the patient¡¯s condition.¡± Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°The method I use may be incomprehensible for you, but there¡¯s nothing you can help in treating the patient, either. So, please step back.¡±


    Anger burned inside Hu Shaokun¡¯s heart. He would¡¯ve spat on Tang Xiu¡¯s face if it wasn¡¯t for this man¡¯s identity. Aunt Zhuang didn¡¯t have any blood relationship with him whatsoever, but he kept remembering how she had taken care of him for more than 10 years.


    Back in the past when the Hu Family faced big problems in their business, it was her who struggled to mend the situation of his family¡¯s company by infusing a large capital to help them lift the crisis. Even the death of her past husband was related to his family¡¯s condition then. That was why he always treated her as a family member, closer than his own blood even though they were not related by blood.


    Now, however, Tang Xiu, who was hailed as a Divine Doctor by the people in the entire country, just cracked a joke about her condition. That was truly unbearable for him.


    Hu Shaokun took a deep breath while watching Tang Xiu¡¯s indifference and suppressing the anger in his heart. Then, he spoke, emphasizing each and every word, ¡°Tang Xiu, I may have no blood relationship with Aunt Zhuang, but she¡¯s like a mother to me. She has been treating me like her own son ever since my mother passed away. You can ask Cai¡¯er, I¡¯ve always been with Aunt Zhuang and Cai¡¯er every time we celebrated the New Year festival. Even my grandfather and my old man will also send people to bring them to celebrate it in our residence. I won¡¯t bother explaining if you were someone else, but you¡¯re that Tang Xiu, which is why I¡¯m hoping you can understand. I¡¯m not any stranger nor am I a bystander, so I won¡¯t step back. I need to understand the whole proceedings on her treatment.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Tang Xiu indifferently glanced at him and then turned to look at Li Cai.


    The girl hurriedly nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right, Divine Doctor Tang. Brother Shaokun is really the closest relative I¡¯ve ever had besides mother. Mom took care of him for several years as her own son when he was a child. He¡¯s indeed a family member to us.¡±


    Tang Xiu slightly nodded in response upon hearing the confirmation. He looked back at Hu Shaokun and said, ¡°The patient needs a very valuable medicine for treatment that will cost me quite a physical and mental effort. Since you regard the patient as a relative, I think a 100 million yuan as treatment fee is not that much, no?¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    Hu Shaokun seemingly couldn¡¯t believe his hearing and looked at Tang Xiu incredulously. He almost jumped and shouted some curses.


    100 million yuan for treating Aunt Zhuang? Is it some miraculous elixir to cost that much?


    Tang Xiu raised his brows and lightly asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is it too expensive and you don¡¯t like it? I can choose not to continue the treatment if it¡¯s too expensive for you.¡±


    Li Cai shot a glance at Hu Shaokun and then to Tang Xiu. After hesitating, she said, ¡°Cai¡¯er will give you 100 million yuan, Divine Doctor Tang. I¡¯ll still gift you a more valuable present so long as you cure my mother.¡±


    ¡°It seems to me that you really have money. Alright, I¡¯ll continue my treatment and open the price.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°In actuality, money is meaningless to me, but Boss Hu doesn¡¯t trust me, so don¡¯t blame me for demanding more. I want 49% shares of the Blue Starfish Mansion.¡±


    HISS¡­


    Despite having a faint hunch, Hu Shaokun didn¡¯t dare imagine that Tang Xiu¡¯s appetite was so huge. 49% shares of the Blue Starfish Mansion? It must be noted that the total net worth of this establishment was absolutely over 2 billion, yet he actually¡­


    Li Cai fell into silence for a few seconds and slowly said, ¡°My family has a total net worth of 3.6 billion, Divine Doctor Tang, which I just learned recently. I¡¯ll transfer all of it to you if you can completely cure my mother¡¯s condition. But can you stop pulling Brother Shaokun in this matter?¡±


    3.6 billion?


    Tang Xiu squinted and shook his head while saying, ¡°I already told you that wealth is meaningless to me. I only need 49% of Blue Starfish Mansion¡¯s shares. If he agrees, I can choose not to ignore his opinion when treating your mother. But if he doesn¡¯t, that means he never regarded you and your mother as family members. Thus, he doesn¡¯t have the qualification to know how I proceed with the treatment.¡±


    Hu Shaokun deeply gasped yet again. His eyes turned a bit bloodshot at this moment as he glared at Tang Xiu¡¯s indifferent face. Regret overflowed within him. He wouldn¡¯t have questioned this man had he known it would develop to such a situation. But wasn¡¯t he himself who spoke big that he could prolong someone¡¯s lifespan? Didn¡¯t he say that he had the means to treat Aunt Zhuang? Then might as well let him continue the treatment as it wouldn¡¯t be too late to worry about anything if it turned out he couldn¡¯t cure her!


    But still, 49% of the Blue Starfish Mansion shares?!


    This entire resort may be fully owned by him alone, yet it was all the wealth he inherited from his family nonetheless. The Hu Family was a big family with a lot of assets, but he still had two older brothers. So as to prevent these three brothers from clashing due to the family¡¯s properties, the patriarch divided the family¡¯s wealth to them earlier, wherein the family¡¯s total assets were divided into three parts and the three brothers would get equal shares.


    In case¡­ he gave 49% shares of the Blue Starfish Mansion to Tang Xiu, then his personal loss would be too big to bear, right? However, if Tang Xiu really could heal Aunt Zhuang and he chose to give up now, he was afraid his conscience would be condemned and he¡¯d spend the rest of his life in pain and regret.


    What a m*therf*cker!


    He angrily cursed inwardly but made up his mind. He could earn wealth again if he lost it, but he¡¯d lose a mother in Aunt Zhuang if she died.


    Enduring his distress, Hu Shaokun said, ¡°Tang Xiu, I agree to transfer the 49% shares of the Blue Starfish Mansion to you, so long as you can cure Aunt Zhuang¡¯s illness¡­¡±


    At the side, Ouyang Lulu categorically interjected. ¡°Heh, I¡¯ll give you Paradise Manor if Tang Xiu can¡¯t cure the patient¡¯s illness. You have my word on it.¡±


    Hu Shaokun was shaken inwardly, and an incredulous look appeared on his face. He already knew that Ouyang Lulu was the Paradise Manor¡¯s owner, yet he never expected that her trust in Tang Xiu was so high.


    The Paradise Manor¡¯s total assets may not as good as the Blue Starfish Mansion, but it wasn¡¯t that far off either. What¡¯s more, he only needed that 49% shares as the gambling stake. It was still a win regardless of the outcome.


    ¡°Then I agree!¡± Hu Shaokun clenched his fist and replied seriously.


    Tang Xiu smiled and glanced happily at Ouyang Lulu. Then, he nodded and said, ¡°Please come with me to the next room, Li Cai.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going too,¡± blurted out Hu Shaokun immediately.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to prolong her life and increase her lifespan, mind you.¡± Tang Xiu waved and explained. ¡°It¡¯s impossible for any outsiders to know the means, so you can¡¯t follow us. But you can be present when I treat the patient.¡±


    Hu Shaokun thought for a moment and nodded wordlessly.


    Quickly after, only Hu Shaokun and Ouyang Lulu were left in the room. Hu Shaokun himsel had long been an admirer of Ouyang Lulu due to her bearing and beautiful look, and he had always wanted to pursue her. But he had been helping Aunt Zhuang to contact the major hospitals all over the world, so he didn¡¯t have time to make his advance and delayed it until now.


    The flower, however, already had an owner now, wherein the owner himself was not someone he could afford to provoke, so he could only sigh inside and give up in silence.


    Looking at Ouyang Lulu¡¯s beautiful face, Hu Shaokun slowly spoke, ¡°I know that you and Tang Xiu are lovers, Ms. Ouyang, but is it worth it for you to use the Paradise Manor to please him?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu shrugged in response and smilingly said, ¡°That was not my intention! If doing that will make him so happy, then I¡¯m willing to give it to him at once and let him do what he wants with it.¡±

 Chapter 1126 - Purifying Marrows and Cleansing Veins?

    Chapter 1126: Purifying Marrows and Cleansing Veins?


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    With a slightly changed expression, Hu Shaokun looked at the smiling Ouyang Lulu with furrowed brows and unhappily responded, ¡°You just said that you¡­¡±


    ¡°I know what you have in mind, Hu Shaokun,¡± Ouyang Lulu interrupted him and smilingly said. ¡°The reason I said that I didn¡¯t use Paradise Manor to make him happy is that I have absolute confidence in him. Though it¡¯s also certain that I¡¯m actually hoping that he could lose the bet since I can brazenly demand him to support me fully if that happens.¡±


    Now, Hu Shaokun¡¯s brows stretched so much that he shook his head and sighed. ¡°I¡¯d truly feel sorry for you if that happens. The annual profit of Paradise Manor should be quite a lot, more than enough to cover your spending. But why give it to a man just so he can take you up, though? I know Tang Xiu¡¯s identity is by no means ordinary, but don¡¯t you think you¡¯d have more dignity if you can support your spending with your own income?¡±


    ¡°You know, I finally understand what Tang Xiu once told me, that it¡¯s really very difficult to see eye to eye with others from the secular world. Hu Shaokun, you think you know everything about Tang Xiu, but do you really know him that deeply, though? Anyway, let¡¯s drop this off. It¡¯s meaningless speaking about this topic, to begin with. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get to understand it once Tang Xiu is done with his treatment.¡±


    Hu Shaokun no longer talked, though he really sympathized with Ouyang Lulu at the moment. Words had it that women in love may lose their intelligence, and he used to not believe it. But now he experienced it firsthand.


    It was like a blind trust¡ªsomething no different from love-struck foolhardiness!


    In the next room.


    Tang Xiu walked to the table¡¯s side as he took a seat and quickly wrote a set of cultivation art. He didn¡¯t give it immediately to Li Cai, however, but mystifyingly said, ¡°What do you think about Hu Shaokun giving me the 49% of the Blue Starfish Mansion?¡±


    Li Cai was silent for a few seconds before slowly replying, ¡°Brother Shaokun doesn¡¯t have any side of him that can be suspected in this regard. Well, at least to me and my mother. But I understand what you wanna hear from me. I¡¯d want nothing more than he¡¯d lose 49% shares of the business, and then he¡¯d ask compensation from me. But I believe that he¡¯ll never do that. Absolutely.¡±


    ¡°What if I can really cure your mother, then?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°If that happens, then I¡¯m going to use my wealth to make up for his loss,¡± said Li Cai.


    Tang Xiu gave a thumbs up and praised. ¡°Hu Shaokun is so incensed, yet he can agree to exchange your mother¡¯s life for 49% shares of the Blue Starfish Mansion. He has proven himself a very good man. But your trust in him also shows me what kind of people you two are. No worries! I won¡¯t take those shares even if I can cure your mother¡¯s illness. However, that 100-million-yuan payment is still not enough. The following treatment will cost quite a lot.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really the legendary good doctor as rumors have it outside, Divine Doctor Tang!¡± Li Cai sincerely said with eyes lit up. ¡°I¡¯m even more convinced that you can cure mom now.¡±


    ¡°Alright, spare me the flattering and memorize this cultivation art which emphasizes on the heart and mind. Afterward, I¡¯m going to teach you something else,¡± said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    ¡°State of mind cultivation art?¡±


    Li Cai glanced at the paper with curious eyes. She read it seriously and asked in surprise, ¡°Did you just say that this is a cultivation art, Divine Doctor Tang? What exactly are cultivation and this True Qi something? Is it the likes of something those experts from the martial world have?¡±


    ¡± Haih , after all is said and done, you actually have quite the good luck, you know.¡± Tang Xiu sighed. ¡°So is your mother, since you both run into me. I¡¯m really glad for you both. If anything, just memorize this set of mind cultivation art I taught you. But you can never tell another soul even if that person is the one who you trust the most like Hu Shaokun. Further, there¡¯s still another promise I¡¯d like to have from you.¡±


    With a solemn expression, Li Cai seriously said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll never pass on what you just taught me to others, Divine Doctor Tang. And please tell me, what else do I need to promise you?¡±


    ¡°In this life and this world, you must never become enemies with House Tang of Beijing,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Additionally, you must remember that you owe me, which is equal that you owe House Tang a huge favor. If House Tang is in trouble in the future, then you have the obligation to do your best to help them once.¡±


    ¡°I, Li Cai, vow that as long as it is within my power, I¡¯ll never sit back and ignore the Tang Family should such a situation arise. You told me that I only have the obligation to help the Tang Family once, but I vow before you that I¡¯ll help them thrice, should I have the ability.¡±


    Li Cai¡¯s vow was much to Tang Xiu¡¯s satisfaction, so he nodded and said, ¡°Alright, then. I¡¯ll teach you how to practice this cultivation art first.¡±


    After spending two hours, Tang Xiu was able to convey all the aspects of cultivation to Li Cai. Certainly, it was also thanks to her own intelligence that she could quickly and completely memorize the circulation route for True Essence energy and the acupoints the energy must go through.


    ¡°Take this Life Essence Pill and begin cultivating the mind cultivation art I just taught you. And keep in mind that you must focus and calm your heart and mind when doing that.¡± Tang Xiu took out the longevity pill and handed it over to Li Cai.


    Life Essence Pill?!


    The medicinal pill aspect was something out of Li Cai¡¯s knowledge, but she chose to believe in Tang Xiu at this moment and directly swallowed it without hesitation.


    ¡°AH?!!¡±


    Torrential heatwaves rolled down from her throat into her belly, and she couldn¡¯t help but scream due to such a mysterious situation.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let your mind wander and immediately do what I just told you!¡± Tang Xiu ordered in a deep voice.


    Li Cai quickly restrained her mind and focused it.


    Time passed by. When seven hours passed, Li Cai¡¯s body suddenly shook. She opened her eyes and could smell the stench from her own body.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t hesitate to take out the Essence Amassing Pill and spoke to her, ¡°The stench is coming out of your system. But that¡¯s because of the impurities discharged from your body. I know that you like cleanness, but it¡¯s not yet the time for that. Take this Essence Amassing Pill first, I¡¯ll help you to step on the cultivation path.¡±


    Li Cai felt her cheek a bit hot since she didn¡¯t think that she was so dirty with so many impurities contained in her system. However, after observing Tang Xiu¡¯s reaction, she found that the man didn¡¯t even seem bothered by the stench from her body. Only then did she finally feel relieved, taking the Essence Amassing Pill and swallowing it at once.


    Night then came in the blink of an eye.


    When she opened her eyes again, her lips squirmed a few times and her eyes were full of brilliance. She felt power was evident in her body, and she felt much better in shape than she ever had before.


    Tang Xiu, who sat cross-legged in front of her, took out a jade bottle from his interspatial ring and handed it to Li Cai. ¡°There are some Life Essence Pills here. You must take one every day without fail. Afterward, begin cultivating according to the mind cultivation art I taught you. After you¡¯ve consumed all these Life Essence Pills, contact me directly, as that will be the time to treat your mother.¡±


    Li Cai got up and her nose moved ever so slightly. Then, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll keep your instructions in mind, Divine Doctor Tang. But¡­ could you please wait for a while? I¡­ I wanna take¡­ a shower.¡±


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile and waved. ¡°It¡¯s rather late now. I¡¯m not going to stay longer. Go and have a bath. I¡¯ll come back to see you after you¡¯ve finished taking the Life Essence Pills.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s late, and I didn¡¯t see you eating today either, Divine Doctor Tang.¡± Li Cai hesitated before speaking out. ¡°If anything, why don¡¯t you stay for a bit longer and have a meal here? I¡¯ll tell Brother Shaokun to provide you a room so you can spend the night here!¡±


    Tang Xiu was about to reject but then suddenly remembered that Mu Wanying was still in the Bluestar Villa, while he was with Ouyang Lulu now. There would be no way to leave this imperial lady tonight, but God knew what would happen if he were to take her to the Bluestar Villa and run into Mu Wanying there.


    ¡°Alright, then! I¡¯ll spend the night here.¡± Tang Xiu finally agreed and turned around to leave.


    At this moment, Hu Shaokun was pacing back and forth with an anxious expression in the hallway outside the room. Tang Xiu and Li Cai hadn¡¯t come out even once from the room all day long, keeping him restless.


    Creak¡­


    As the door was opened, Hu Shaokun trembled and looked up to see Tang Xiu coming out from the inside. He then hastily asked, ¡°How¡¯s Aunt Zhuang? Is she cured yet?¡±


    ¡°I already told you previously that I can¡¯t treat the patient, for the time being, else Li Cai will be harmed, didn¡¯t I?¡± replied Tang Xiu. ¡°But no worries! I can begin the treatment in a few days.¡±


    ¡°What have you been doing all day, then?¡± asked Hu Shaokun hurriedly.


    Li Cai came out from the door behind Tang Xiu at this moment. She didn¡¯t even look at Hu Shaokun and hurriedly ran towards the bathroom.


    ¡°This stench¡­¡±


    Hu Shaokun frowned deeply and raised his hand to pinch his nose. The intense stench gave him the urge to throw up. He was shocked that the stench was actually coming out from Li Cai¡¯s body.


    He knew her of her love of cleanness. She usually washed up even if she was only a little sweaty and sprayed herself with a fragrant perfume. And yet, how did she become so stinky today?


    ¡°Alright, stop gawking and staring blankly like that, will you?¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Li Cai is fine. I just use a special means to discharge the impurities in her system, which will be very beneficial for her. Also, we¡¯re staying here tonight, so please arrange a room for us.¡±


    Hu Shaokun felt relieved upon hearing it. However, he was still very curious about how Tang Xiu was able to discharge impurities out of the human body. Is it the likes of the marrow purifying and vein cleansing the experts from the Martial World do?


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll tell someone to arrange it immediately. Do you want a room or two?¡±


    Tang Xiu turned his head towards the next room¡¯s door and replied back to Hu Shaokun lightly, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Hu Shaokun raised his hand to touch his face with an awkward expression. Although he didn¡¯t want to see Ouyang Lulu spend the night with Tang Xiu here, the reality was cruel. They were a man and a woman, and also a couple. It was perfectly justified for them to spend the night together.


    Truly a pity!


    He couldn¡¯t help but shake his head in secret.

 Chapter 1127 - Swearing-in

    Chapter 1127: Swearing-in


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    In the spacious and bright deluxe room, Tang Xiu leisurely took a shower and changed to a set of new clothes from the interspatial ring. He then looked at Ouyang Lulu, who lackadaisically sat on the sofa. A smile sported on his face as he asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to take a shower?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu pouted and unhappily said, ¡°We agreed you¡¯d go shopping with me, to taste some delicacies and watch movies today. But at the end of the day, everything¡¯s delayed just because of your patient¡¯s treatment. This tender baby¡¯s heart is pained and she has no power left to bathe.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing and said, ¡°How can you be like a child, though? Well, it wasn¡¯t like I wanted this either. Alright, alright. I¡¯ll keep you accompany all day tomorrow.¡±


    The grievance on Ouyang Lulu¡¯s face instantly disappeared. She bounced up from the sofa instead and smilingly said, ¡°That¡¯s a deal! No taking it back, got it?¡±


    ¡°Deal!¡± Tang Xiu smilingly nodded.


    As Ouyang Lulu entered the bathroom and the sound of water was heard from the inside, Tang Xiu fished out his cell phone and dialed Mu Wanying¡¯s number. After his call was connected, he said, ¡°Wanying, I¡¯m in the Blue Starfish Mansion right now since I suddenly learned that Li Cai brought her mother here. Hence why I came to examine the patient¡¯s condition.¡±


    ¡°Can you treat her?¡±


    Although Mu Wanying was somewhat at a loss and dissatisfied due to Tang Xiu¡¯s sudden departure, she still asked concernedly out of kindness.


    ¡°It can still be treated, but will take quite a lot of hard work.¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said, ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s too late, so I won¡¯t go back tonight.¡±


    ¡°Then rest well and have a good sleep.¡± Mu Wanying replied, ¡°Also, I may not have time to accompany you for the next few days. The company sent me a notice in the afternoon that there¡¯s an important business which requires my presence.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then. Just call me when you¡¯re done,¡± said Tang Xiu.


    After hanging up, Tang Xiu could only apologize to Mu Wanying and felt sorry for her inwardly. But then again, the crazy girl Ouyang Lulu was always difficult to deal with. He wouldn¡¯t be able to figure out where and when she¡¯d rush to find him if he didn¡¯t accompany her well enough. But after spending time with Ouyang Lulu all day long, he found that she had been diligent in her cultivation as her cultivation had been steadily improving. Even now she had reached mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.


    ¡°Taking medicinal pills is good, but still, the foundation is very important!¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help but sigh secretly. Although he was perfectly aware that his women and subordinates had taken a lot of pills for their rapid growth, there was no way around it to let them grow as fast as possible. As for the foundation problems, as long as they reached the Spirit Formation Stage, he would take them to the Immortal World wherein he could find the way to obtain the Immortal Spirit Liquid from some mystical place there. The root cause of the problem for their shaky foundation would be completely lifted up if they took it.


    The clock hit ten at night.


    The gentle light of the crystal lamp illuminated another room like it was daytime. Li Cai¡¯s body sent out a faint scent as she stood before the mirror while constantly observing her own skin. She just realized that her skin turned a bit different from before after taking the shower and looking herself in the mirror.


    It could be said that if you used to have rough and fragile skin, it was now very smooth and tender.


    ¡°Can you not keep looking at the mirror, Cai¡¯er? Just tell me, what did Tang Xiu do to you? You seem to have changed in just one day. Not only does your skin look much smoother, but your height is also about two or three centimeters higher than before.¡± Hu Shaokun sat on the sofa behind Li Cai and spoke that carried out the shock he felt.


    Li Cai turned around and she blinked while asking, ¡°What did you just say, Brother Shaokun? I¡¯m two or three centimeters higher than I used to be?¡±


    ¡°Yea, I just realized it when we entered the room together.¡± Hu Shaokun nodded and said, ¡°I surely remember that your height only reached my shoulder, but you¡¯re now almost reaching my chin. It¡¯s only one day, yet you¡¯re taller by at least two or three centimeters, maybe even more.¡±


    Li Cai gulped down and the brilliance in her eyes was even more intense, muttering, ¡°Amazing. This is really too amazing. Divine Doctor Tang is truly like a Deity or something. I don¡¯t think anyone can be more amazing than him in this world.¡±


    No matter how unhappy it was for Hu Shaokun to see Li Cai praising Tang Xiu before himself, but he must admit that Tang Xiu did really have the ability. Such a method was even a miracle for himself.


    ¡°Just tell me quickly, what did Tang Xiu do to you, Cai¡¯er?¡±


    Li Cai came back to her senses. She hesitated but then spoke, ¡°I can¡¯t tell you much about that, Brother Shaokun. It¡¯s because I already promised him not to disclose anything to anyone. However, please believe Divine Doctor Tang. He¡¯s very great and amazingly capable, and probably can be compared to some celestial beings. Please don¡¯t get incensed. I can tell you that he has taught me a lot of things, even from the things he just taught me are more than enough for me to address him as my Master!¡±


    Hu Shaokun fell into silence. He was well aware of Li Cai¡¯s character. She wouldn¡¯t budge if she had promised something. She complied with Tang Xiu to keep everything a secret, which was very likely that he would never get the answer even if he kept asking. However, there was still another issue came to his mind, so he went on, ¡°Cai¡¯er, I won¡¯t ask you anything about the things Tang Xiu taught you. But you gotta answer me another one.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Li Cai.


    ¡°Divine Doctor Tang previously said that he can prolong your lifespan. Is that true?¡± asked Hu Shaokun.


    The girl hesitated for a moment before nodding. ¡°It should be true, I think. You¡¯ve also seen how different I am now, right? Divine Doctor Tang gave me a very mysterious pill. Not only can it change my physique, but I also faintly felt that I¡¯ve really returned to my true teenage years when I was full of vigor and spirit.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Hu Shaokun¡¯s complexion changed and he quickly asked again, ¡°Did he say when he¡¯s going to treat Aunt Zhuang?¡±


    ¡°He gave me a few pills that seem to be called Life Essence Pills or something like that,¡± said Li U Cai. ¡°He said he¡¯ll treat Mom when I finished taking these pills.¡±


    Hu Shaokun seemed to be thinking of something and decided to see Tang Xiu himself, so he waved and said, ¡°Alright, then you should rest well, Cai¡¯er! I¡¯m going to have a chat with Doctor Tang Xiu.¡±


    ¡°Ah, wait up. I¡¯m going too!¡± Li Cai hurriedly blurted out.


    ¡°What for?¡± asked Hu Shaokun helplessly.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten anything until now, alright?¡± said Li Cai. ¡°Though I don¡¯t feel hungry even a bit, still, I gotta fill my belly with something. Ah, that¡¯s right, did you arrange anyone to deliver food to Divine Doctor Tang, by chance? He hasn¡¯t eaten anything either today.¡±


    Hu Shaokun immediately slapped his own forehead upon hearing this. ¡°Alas, that¡¯s my fault. I was too negligent. I¡¯m going to arrange it now.¡±


    Not long after, more than ten fragrant dishes were sent to the room where Tang Xiu was staying. Li Cai came together with the attendants and smilingly said, ¡°Divine Doctor Tang, Sis Ouyang, it¡¯s been hard on you both today, so I asked Brother Shaokun to prepare a meal. Shall we dine together?¡±


    ¡°Fine with me!¡±


    Ouyang Lulu herself was very fond of Li Cai, so she threw the white towel she used to wipe her hair to the side, walking to the girl and pulling her hand in response.


    ¡°What about Hu Shaokun?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°He previously wanted to come along and said there¡¯s something he¡¯d like to speak about with you,¡± said Li Cai. ¡°But then I heard there¡¯s a friend of his surnamed Hao, who has been waiting for him all day long, so he went to his friend first. Also, m-may¡­ I ask you one thing, Divine Doctor Tang?¡±


    ¡°Alright, go ahead.¡± Tang Xiu nodded.


    As Li Cai looked at him, the expectation in her eyes betrayed her. ¡°Doctor Tang, can¡­ can I call you a Teacher in the future?¡±


    ¡°Me? Teacher?¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s expression turned weird.


    ¡°You taught me so much knowledge, Divine Doctor Tang. Not only that, but you also gave me something like grace of rebirth,¡± explained Li Cai hurriedly. ¡°That¡¯s why I think I should call you Teacher to express my respect for you.¡±


    Tang Xiu lit a cigarette while looking at the several waiters quickly putting the dishes on the table. They even put a few bottles of red wine and then quickly left. He then slowly spit out the smoke at this time and shook his head. ¡°Your mother is still alive, so I can¡¯t receive you as a disciple. The bad karma tied to her is very heavy, and once we¡¯re tied as Master and disciple, I¡¯m afraid that the bad karma will immediately turn to you. Even if I cut off the spread of that bad karmic ties with my supernatural power temporarily, it¡¯s very likely that my cultivation would be affected.¡±


    ¡°Bad karma?¡± Li Cai was puzzled and asked, ¡°What exactly is bad karma, though?¡±


    ¡°I advise you not to ask more about that.¡± Tang Xiu forced a smile and explained, ¡°It will otherwise greatly impact your state of mind and heart. This kind of influence will make it difficult for you to achieve much in your cultivation in the future.¡±


    ¡°But I really want to know it since it¡¯s about my mother¡¯s issue,¡± said Li Cai adamantly. ¡°Learning how to cultivate from you is already a lucky thing for me, Divine Doctor Tang, so I¡¯m not afraid of how much influence it will affect me in the future.¡±


    With a sigh, Tang Xiu said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell you if you insist. Your mother¡¯s past incarnation has sinned beyond what I¡¯ve imagined. Even I must lay down a feng shui array to shield the detection of the Heaven when I treated her, else it would¡¯ve caused me great harm instead.¡±


    Eyes shrunk, Li Cai hurriedly shook her head and said, ¡°You must be mistaken, Divine Doctor Tang. Mom was always a kind person who¡¯s even afraid to injure small critters. How can she possibly have committed heavy sins?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about what she did in her past life,¡± replied Tang Xiu. ¡°I told you previously that you both are very lucky to run into me, else that evil bad karma will keep haunting her in her next reincarnation and affect her every future life to no end.¡±


    Li Cai stared blankly at Tang Xiu and asked, ¡°What exactly did she do in her past life?¡±


    ¡°Murders,¡± said Tang Xiu in a deep voice. ¡°The number of living beings she killed exceeds the number of people on this planet.¡±


    ¡°Come again?!!¡±


    Li Cai exclaimed, disbelief overflowing from her eyes. Although she wasn¡¯t sure how many people lived on Earth, the number was definitely around seven-plus billion people. But saying that the number of people her mother killed in her past life was more than seven-plus billion?


    This¡­ how can that be? Where in the world were so many people for her to kill, to begin with?

 Chapter 1128 - I’m Not Short on Money

    Chapter 1128: I¡¯m Not Short on Money


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Li Cai regarded Tang Xiu as though he was some kind of deity prior to this, even worshipping him. But she really couldn¡¯t accept what Tang Xiu just said, even her trust in him was shaken. Her mother to her was the kindest woman in the world and she¡¯d never kill anyone, let alone seven-plus billion people.


    ¡°You definitely made a mistake, Divine Doctor Tang.¡±


    ¡°My hands are tied. I can¡¯t reveal too many secrets.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and said, ¡°But I can tell you some simple things. Your mother was a cultivator in her past life, who eventually ended up becoming a terrifyingly powerful female devil. But her past incarnation was not of this world, but from her memories, I can see scenes where blood flows like a river into a sea of corps piling up like a hill.¡±


    A cultivator and also a female devil?!!


    Tears began welling up in Li Cai¡¯s eyes. She adamantly shook her head and said, ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Absolutely. Mom, she¡­¡±


    ¡°Each and every one of us has a fate of our own. You just began cultivating and, even though you can only feel the faint fluctuation of True Essence energy in your body, you¡¯ve nevertheless already embarked on the journey of cultivation. There are things you¡¯re eligible to know now, such as the Six Paths of Reincarnation of the Six Great Divisions in the wheel of karma. They exist along with the Netherworld and the King of Hell. Li Cai, the world is still full of mysteries and magic. Just that you haven¡¯t experienced nor are able to imagine them doesn¡¯t mean that they don¡¯t exist.¡±


    ¡°I need¡­ some time alone.¡±


    Li Cai seemed to have lost her soul and stiffly left the room. She didn¡¯t even glance at the fragrant dishes.


    Ouyang Lulu watched her disappear with compassionate eyes, then rolled her eyes at Tang Xiu and snappily said, ¡°Telling her such things was too much and too cruel for her, you know that? This may be my first time meeting her, but I can tell she¡¯s just a pure and simple girl.¡±


    ¡°I taught her a shallow cultivation art just to increase her lifespan,¡± replied Tang Xiu calmly. ¡°If she works hard and encounters a good opportunity, it¡¯s still possible for her to reach the Great Ascension Stage in the future. However, her state of mind is kind of appalling. She¡¯s like a small grass sheltered by a big tree and it¡¯d be difficult for her to weather the storm. But so long as her mind transforms, she¡¯ll be able to go further in the future. That¡¯s why I think I¡¯d rather act harsher and crueler to her now instead of letting her stumble later. Though it¡¯s a pity¡­¡±


    ¡°A pity? On what exactly?¡± asked Ouyang Lulu, though she could understand Tang Xiu¡¯s point of view.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pity that the bad deeds and evil karma accumulated by her mother are too heavy.¡± Tang Xiu sighed. ¡°Even if I can temporarily cure her mother, I¡¯m afraid that she only has 10 years left. That¡¯s also because I use Li Cai¡¯s lifespan to prolong her life. That¡¯s also why Li Cai can only live to at most 60 years old.¡±


    ¡°60 years?!!¡± Ouyang Lulu was shaken and couldn¡¯t help but gasp a cold breath.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and explained, ¡°Li Cai should¡¯ve had a lifespan up to more than 80 years old if she didn¡¯t meet me. She¡¯s already a little over 20 now, yet she¡¯s gonna die soon. That¡¯s why I gave her the Life Essence Pill and also helped her to step on the cultivation path. If¡­ and I mean if she can work hard and finds a better opportunity in the future, she may live for 10 or 20 years more with the progress of her cultivation level.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu abruptly got up from the chair, shaking her head and saying, ¡°Isn¡¯t this way too cruel to Li Cai, Tang Xiu? Why didn¡¯t you tell her before?¡±


    ¡°Because she wouldn¡¯t have even a shred of hesitation to choose to save her mother even if I told her that,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°But being unaware of the consequences she won¡¯t have any burdens in her heart and thus, will be able to live well. She could be unable to withstand the pressure of destiny otherwise.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu fell into silence since she could understand the reasoning. Whoever knows how long they can live are usually inflicted by the heavy burden to their minds, much less a young girl who only had 10 or 20 years left to live¡ªsuch a revelation would suffocate and overwhelm her very hard.


    ¡°She¡¯s really pitiful.¡± Ouyang Lulu sighed faintly.


    ¡°This may be her fate, though it¡¯s perhaps also¡­ her chance,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Still, it¡¯s up to her mother for what kind of future she¡¯ll have.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± asked Ouyang Lulu, confused.


    ¡°If her mother dies early, I could take her as a disciple and make up for her lost lifespan even if I have to pay a higher price,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°I can even make her stronger as time passes and still possible for her to ascend to immortality.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu was speechless. It was a topic she was never good at, so she couldn¡¯t say anything about this issue.


    Ten minutes later, Hu Shaokun entered the room and saw Tang Xiu and Ouyang Lulu, who were dining, and curiously asked, ¡°Eh? Wasn¡¯t Cai¡¯er coming over? Where¡¯s she now?¡±


    ¡°She went back to rest,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    Nodding in response, Hu Shaokun then came to Tang Xiu¡¯s front and handed over a bank card. ¡°Anyway, Hao Zizi wanted to meet you in person to apologize to you. But I told him that you¡¯re tired and went to rest, so he entrusted me to give this to you.¡±


    A bank card?


    Tang Xiu¡¯s expression turned odd. It felt like every time people offended him, compensating with money became the final solution for them.


    ¡°I¡¯m not short on money!¡± said Tang Xiu calmly.


    Hu Shaokun hesitated and forced a smiled. ¡°Tang Xiu, Hao Zizi and Wu Dalong are all my good friends. Can you at least look at my face and give them some slack? I know those boys. They¡¯re not that bad, though I admit they got spoiled too much by their families. If anything, you can rest assured that I¡¯ll definitely admonish them harshly so as to make them act low-key in the future.¡±


    Tang Xiu then took the bank card and inquired. ¡°How much is it?¡±


    ¡°40 million yuan. They gave 10 million each,¡± said Hu Shaokun, secretly relaxing.


    Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°This is the least compensation I¡¯ve ever received, but let the matter drop here and now. Also, tell them to give less trouble for their families, lest they invite calamity to befall upon them. Not only will they fall into desperation, but even their Houses will also follow them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll definitely convey it to them.¡±


    Still, Hu Shaokun¡¯s face looked solemn. He could tell that Tang Xiu¡¯s words were not only for Wu Dalong and Hao Zizi¡¯s group but also for himself. He recalled Tang Xiu¡¯s identity and felt a faint headache. He would¡¯ve still dared to clash with this man if he was just an ordinary layman. But Tang Xiu was a scion of a super-prominent family, who had proven his brilliance and outstanding qualities¡ªa powerful person who must never be offended.


    ¡°Anyways, do you mind chatting about another issue, Divine Doctor Tang?¡± Hu Shaokun took out another bankcard from his pocket and placed it in front of Tang Xiu after the latter took the previous one.


    ¡°Huh? Is it necessary for you to give me money since you just want to chat about something, though?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a strange expression. ¡°If this is about the 49% shares, forget about it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about that.¡± Hu Shaokun shook his head. ¡°I¡¯d have gladly offered it to you had it not been because of today¡¯s issue. But what I want to discuss with you is something else.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯m all ears.¡± Tang Xiu pointed the seat across.


    After taking a seat in front of Tang Xiu, Hu Shaokun forced a smile and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me that I don¡¯t have long to live? Please have a look at me again, and can you help me increase my lifespan?¡±


    ¡°Ehh? Didn¡¯t you say you don¡¯t trust me?¡± asked Tang Xiu oddly.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather say I¡¯d believe what she believes in and never trust what she doesn¡¯t!¡± replied Hu Shaokun with a dry smile. ¡°If anything, you¡¯re also the famous young Divine Doctor in the country, to begin with. If what you said is real, then I¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Tang Xiu smilingly replied, ¡°How much do you have in that card, though?¡±


    ¡°100 million,¡± said Hu Shaokun hurriedly.


    Tang Xiu gave a thumbs up and praised. ¡°You¡¯re bold indeed. You have doubts and suspicion about me, yet you still dare ask me to help you with 100 million yuan. Alright, I¡¯ll give you another pill for the money. You can be safe and sound for at least 10 more years after taking it.¡±


    Medicinal pill?!


    Hu Shaokun shot Tang Xiu a puzzled look.


    Tang Xiu threw a Life Essence Pill to him and spoke, ¡°You got yourself some big benefits, I tell you. However, I already chose to be a good man, so I¡¯m going to do the deed to the end. As long as you take this pill and do good deeds in the next days, you can live for more than 10 years. Also, the more good deeds you perform, the longer your lifespan will be. When you¡¯ve done and accumulated good deeds to a certain extent, you can be guaranteed to have a long life and meet your natural death in bed of old age.¡±


    Hu Shaokun carefully fondled the Life Essence Pill. After the wax paper cover was torn, he suddenly felt an invisible force hit the back of his hand and the pill instantly shot into his mouth. But when he hurriedly wanted to spit it out, the pill turned into a hot stream in his mouth and rushed into his stomach.


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    Hu Shaokun was scared senseless, but he could feel that the surging heat flow didn¡¯t harm him and instead scattered and flowed into his limbs and five bones. In just an instant, his body felt very comfortable and he could tell that his condition was much better than ever.


    Is it the likes of a miraculous elixir? Hu Shaokun was wild with joy inwardly.


    A few minutes later, he felt that his body¡¯s condition was much better and healthier. The comfortable feeling even made him feel the urge to sleep, so he bade farewell to Tang Xiu and headed outside. Just as he was about to leave the room, he seemed to recall something and returned to Tang Xiu, took out a golden card from his pocket and handed it over, saying, ¡°Mr. Tang, a small auction will be held tomorrow. Are you interested in attending?¡±


    An auction?


    Tang Xiu curiously inquired. ¡°What kind of items are auctioned there, though?¡±


    ¡°The items auctioned are but a few, but their value is guaranteed,¡± said Hu Shaokun. ¡°In fact, I have always held two or three small auctions here every year, and only items worth more than 10 million yuan can be auctioned there.¡±


    Tang Xiu thought that he had nothing to do tomorrow, so he asked the time when the auction would be held. He immediately agreed after hearing the answer. But Ouyang Lulu couldn¡¯t bear with it and shot him rolling eyes. Her attractive and charming looks, however, made Hu Shaokun¡¯s mind wander everywhere.


    After Hu Shaokun left, Ouyang Lulu immediately blurted out. ¡°You obviously promised me a date, shopping, and watching movies tomorrow, no?¡±


    ¡°Well, the shopping, dining, and watching movies won¡¯t prevent us from participating in that auction, though!¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°High-level auctions usually have some great stuff, after all. Also, if you happen to find something you like, I¡¯ll buy it for you. Promise.¡±

 Chapter 1129 - Plans

    Chapter 1129: Plans


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Daytime of the next day.


    Tang Xiu accompanied Ouyang Lulu to wander around, tasting delicacies, shopping, and watching movies. There was nothing that made him out of sort whatsoever, yet he was now a celebrity-like figure and many people remembered him. Hence, he spared some time to use special means to change his appearance.


    For the entire day, Ouyang Lulu, who was like a female devil in many people¡¯s eyes, turned into a happy little lass next to Tang Xiu, enjoying herself to her heart¡¯s content merrily.


    As dusk came, Tang Xiu took her back to the Blue Starfish Mansion which was already decorated with lanterns to greet the coming night. The resort that used to have a few guests now had a constant stream of visitors coming at this time.


    ¡°They are all successful people given their looks.¡± Tang Xiu¡¯s gaze swept over the guests around him and murmured with a smile.


    ¡°Heh, what successful figures? They are just pretending and showing off.¡± Ouyang Lulu rebuked with curled lips. ¡°It¡¯s you who¡¯s the real successful person here since you won¡¯t show off that easily even though you got billions in wealth. You don¡¯t even show off even though you got amazing abilities. It¡¯s not like they don¡¯t know anything about their surname with their little money, either.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too far-fetched comment and quite extreme, Lulu.¡± Tang Xiu chuckled and said, ¡°I know you want to praise me, but you don¡¯t have to attack others like that either, no? Besides, to ordinary people, the parameter of success is having money and status. It¡¯s the rule. Let¡¯s not say the whole world, there are more than a billion people in China alone, but how many of them are truly rich and powerful? They can become some bigwigs, which in itself shows their capabilities. As for shortcomings¡­ everyone has them, no? We¡¯re not sages nor saints, so there¡¯s no need to look at people so narrowly.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu raised her chin and hummed. ¡°Hmph, none of them are better than you in my eyes. And those who are will receive my due acknowledgment.¡±


    Tang Xiu shook his head with a wry smile. He had 10,000 years of experience and life story, it was not an egg to egg comparison, like literally. Still, such devotion and love made him warm inside. He grabbed her fragrant shoulder and smilingly walked side by side to the interior.


    Auctions. Various society circles had various types of these auctions. For instance, this one. It auctioned some strange stuff. Although some objects were very valuable, most of the guests were Shanghai¡¯s locals and a few came from the neighboring cities.


    ¡°Tang Xiu!¡±


    With the lead from the attendant, Tang Xiu and Ouyang Lulu had just entered the auction venue when he heard someone call his name. He was slightly stunned and a bit surprised. It must be noted that he had changed his appearance. Unless it was someone very close to him, others would find it difficult to recognize him.


    ¡°Gu Changmin?¡±


    Tang Xiu shifted to the direction of the voice and suddenly saw Gu Changmin and Jin Xingkui coming towards him. However, he was keenly aware that they looked a bit stunned upon seeing his current appearance.


    Tang Xiu released Ouyang Lulu¡¯s shoulder and smilingly walked over. ¡°Hey, Old Brother Gu and Jin! I never thought I¡¯d run into both of you here today! What are you doing here, planning to grab some treasures?¡±


    Gu Changmin and Jin Xingkui exchanged glances and wore strange expressions. The former then inquired. ¡°Well, we thought we saw someone with your resemblance, so we called out. But then when we saw your face, I thought I called the wrong person, you know! What¡¯s up with this appearance¡­¡±


    ¡°Blame that celebrity effect. I had to change my looks a bit so as to avoid being recognized by others.¡± Tang Xiu smilingly replied, ¡°You both know I never liked attention, no?¡±


    Gu Changmin and Jin Xingkui quickly understood, and the former chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s so very you, Brother Tang. You¡¯re always low key. But that¡¯s why this old brother of yours admires you. Which young man hates showing off and bragging about his achievement nowadays? You¡¯re of the extreme opposite, but your low-key efforts kind of rises people¡¯s hackles, you know.¡±


    Jin Xingkui, on the other hand, smilingly said, ¡°Well, you¡¯re always making a fortune and amassing wealth while keeping a low profile, Brother Tang. Anyways, you really made me annoyed, you know. We¡¯ve been cooperating for the project and half of it has been done, yet you¡¯ve never been to the construction site at all. You never even spared time to visit my company, either. The way you act like a shopkeeper who only asks others to do his bidding is too excessive, no?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, then why should I have you, Brother Jin?¡± retorted Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°Besides, if you were someone I don¡¯t trust, I¡¯d have inspected the worksite thrice a day.¡±


    Tang Xiu¡¯s reply made Jin Xingkui happy and burst into laughter. Afterward, he grinningly said, ¡°That makes my painstaking efforts and hard work worth it, Brother Tang. But rest assured, though. Our project is progressing smoothly and we can start to earn some revenue in at most half a year. You can wait for the money to roll in then!¡±


    Tang Xiu gave him a thumbs up and praised. ¡°It¡¯s truly great and joyful to cooperate with you, Brother Jin. Anyhow, how about we grab some drinks after the auction?¡±


    ¡°Fine with me!¡±


    ¡°Deal!¡±


    Gu Changmin and Jin Xingkui smilingly replied.


    Immediately after, some prominent business people around Shanghai spotted Gu Changmin and Jin Xingkui chatting with Tang Xiu. Each one of them came to greet them one after another. But Tang Xiu himself didn¡¯t want to chat with these bystanders, so he made up an excuse and left. He and Ouyang Lulu then casually picked up some random seats in the auction venue.


    ¡°Holy¡­ this brat is simply¡­¡±


    Gu Changmin shook his head and looked at Tang Xiu¡¯s back as he left while murmuring with a dry smile.


    Jin Xingkui squinted and whispered, ¡°It¡¯s just like his usual mannerism, Brother Gu. Else, we wouldn¡¯t have our place in the world today.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean by that?¡± Gu Changming was stunned and asked with a confused expression.


    ¡°Have you ever thought that if he has a showing-off character, then he¡¯d get countless business opportunities coming to him given his abilities and identity?¡± said Jin Xingkui. ¡°Which rich boss doesn¡¯t want to cooperate with someone with such abilities and identities like him? I dare say that tons of people in the whole of Shanghai, regardless of the industry, would definitely wave their checkbooks just to cooperate with him and join their endeavors.¡±


    Gu Changmin nodded. Then, he spoke with a wry smile, ¡°True that. Even if we do leave out his abilities, just his identity alone is enough to make numerous people gather around him while stuffing tons of money into his pockets. But speaking about that, though, I really do admire this young man. Just think which one among those scions from prominent families in the capital doesn¡¯t rely on their status and background? They get dividends and support from other companies, but what about Tang Xiu? He never does such a thing. I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll even spare a glance at the money delivered by others to his door.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what makes him fearful.¡± Jin Xingkui sighed. ¡°He never proactively demands money from others, and it¡¯s likely that he won¡¯t accept money sent by others either. Even then, he just relies on his own abilities to set up the fast-growing Magnificent Tang Corporation. The amount of wealth he has made¡­ is definitely hundreds of times more than those second-generation officials who took dividends from others¡¯ companies. Speaking about it, Tang Xiu must have become richer than us by now¡­ right?¡±


    Gu Changmin gave a firm nod in response and said, ¡°True. My estimation is that just the Magnificent Tang Corporation alone is probably worth more than 50 billion yuan.¡±


    ¡°That much already?¡± Jin Xingkui was shaken, disbelief overflowing from his eyes. It must be noted that the Magnificent Tang Corporation had just been established¡ªonly more than a year. How could it create so much profit in just a short time? No matter how great their products were and their demands far outstripped the supply, it shouldn¡¯t have happened that fast, right?


    Gu Changmin went on with a strange face. ¡°Aren¡¯t you now in cooperation with the Magnificent Tang Corp., though? Don¡¯t tell me you got no idea this company is now investing in Star City? Just that project investment will probably secure them tens of billions of yuan in profit. Their products are making money much faster than the bank¡¯s printing machine. I even think that my previous valuation of the Magnificent Tang Corp. at 50 billion yuan is still far short from its actual value.¡±


    Jin Xingkui also gave it a thought but still felt that Gu Changmin was exaggerating the facts. He had learned some facts about the Magnificent Tang Corp. himself. The company had low output for each product. The price of each may be very expensive, but it was unlikely that the annual profit was at the 20-30 billion figure. Additionally, there was no way the investment yield from Star City would reach 50 billion either!


    ¡°Brother Gu, it¡¯s impossible for the Magnificent Tang Corp. to have a total net worth of 50 billion. Unless Tang Xiu also has other investments,¡± said Jin Xingkui seriously.


    ¡°You¡¯re usually so smart, why have you become so silly now!¡± Gu Changmin with a strange expression. ¡°What about the real estate developed by your own company? Is it without his investment? Further, are you also forgetting the fact that he¡¯s the owner of the Everlasting Feast Hall? That Hao Lei from the Grand Fortune Jewelry is also his subordinate. Now calculate for yourself how much would that be if the assets of the Everlasting Feast Hall and the Grand Fortune Jewelry are added together?¡±


    Gasp¡­


    Only then did Jin Xingkui suddenly realize that he had been underestimating Tang Xiu¡¯s wealth too much. Leaving out the Everlasting Feast Hall and the Grand Fortune Jewelry, Tang Xiu invested in his company and the income six months later would be a huge figure as well. Who knew if the Magnificent Tang Corp. had any other investments? If there were, it would simply¡­ let alone 50 billion, it was even likely it was just a hair away from 100 billion.


    ¡°That¡¯s literally sitting on mountains of gold!¡± Jin Xingkui wryly smiled and sighed.


    Gu Changmin grinningly said, ¡°Whether he¡¯s sitting on mountains of gold or not, just with his identity and background alone and the fact that we¡¯re on good terms with him is already the luckiest thing. Alright, let¡¯s just wait for the night-snack time later. I gotta talk about cooperation with him. I hope he¡¯ll be interested.¡±


    ¡°You want to cooperate with him? You got any good project?¡± Jin Xingkui was surprised.


    ¡°I¡¯m quite optimistic about the prospect of logistics recently,¡± said Gu Changmin with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m going to set up a large domestic logistics company. Be it the delivery speed or the coverage area in China, I¡¯m gonna press several other large logistics companies. If Tang Xiu is willing to join in, I can use his identity and background to negotiate with some e-commerce business owners. What do you think? Will those e-commerce business owners give us some slices of the pie even if they have their own logistics network?¡±


    Jin Xingkui shook wryly smiled and shook his head after hearing this. Then, he immediately said, ¡°You¡¯re literally robbing their food. Those e-commerce guys will never bother to spare you a glance if there¡¯s no Tang Xiu. That¡¯s for sure.¡±


    ¡°Why must we waste Tang Xiu¡¯s identity, though?¡± Gu Changmin grinningly replied.

 Chapter 1130 - Acquaintances

    Chapter 1130: Acquaintances


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu himself was unaware of Gu Changmin¡¯s plans as he was now observing the guests who kept coming in from the outside, many of whom were familiar faces. It made him secretly look forward to the following auction. In all likelihood, the items being auctioned in such high-profile auctions were very valuable and there may be a couple of things that might be useful to him.


    ¡°Quite a lot of people came to this auction.¡±


    Although Ouyang Lulu also similarly saw a lot of her acquaintances, she didn¡¯t get up to greet them as she similarly also didn¡¯t want to talk with others.


    ¡°Well, there are also some business world celebrities from several nearby cities attending,¡± replied Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°Also, some from the Occult Sect have arrived, and they seem to have some abilities to boot.¡±


    ¡°Ehh? People from the Occult Sect are also here?¡± Ouyang Lulu was surprised. ¡°Are there any magical weapons being auctioned here, by chance?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡± Tang Xiu lightly smiled. ¡°If anything, those Occult Sect people are hiding in the midst of the urban crowd. They live the same life as ordinary people and only reveal their identity in some special circumstances. Such people generally have quite amazing abilities.¡±


    ¡°True that.¡± Ouyang Lulu nodded. ¡°The Occult Sect people do have strange techniques. They also have their own means and channels if they want to seek wealth and could obtain quite a fortune with slight efforts. Further, some of them engaging in business also have some kind of win-win cooperation with all walks of life to make profits.¡±


    ¡°So you say, just like your Ouyang Family?¡± commented Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Yup. When the Ouyangs just started, we resorted to many means to not be exposed to light.¡± Ouyang Lulu smiled and said, ¡°But after the continuous growth of the family, we slowly washed our hands and formally became a family of merchants. Still, most of the underground world of Jingmen Island is still controlled by the Ouyangs until now.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled and was about to reply when he suddenly spotted a familiar face in his line of sight. It was Ji Mu of Changxi City.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    Ouyang Lulu noticed Tang Xiu¡¯s unusual expression and immediately followed his gaze and asked at the same time.


    ¡°Well, just spotted a friend of mine from Changxi,¡± answered Tang Xiu.


    ¡°You¡¯re on good terms with him?¡± asked Ouyang Lulu.


    Tang Xiu thought about it and replied, ¡°Not bad, I think! He has a good character and a temper much to my liking. This boy is also a cultivator, but I never thought that he¡¯d be able to reach the mid-stage of Qi Refining in such a short time.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Just mid-stage of Qi Refining.¡± Ouyang Lulu snorted and curled her lips. ¡°I can kill him with the flick of my finger.¡±


    Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing and rebuked her. ¡°He started cultivating later than you, Lulu. Besides, you¡¯ve been aided by the cultivation resources I gave you, whereas he never had any. All he¡¯s relying on is his own efforts, yet he¡¯s been able to cultivate a bit of True Essence energy.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu immediately nodded after hearing it and no longer looked at the man with a contemptuous attitude.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll call him to sit here with us.¡± Tang Xiu smiled and said.


    Immediately after, his lips slightly moved and he transmitted his voice over.


    At the auction venue, Ji Mu was respectfully accompanying a silver-haired old lady. Suddenly, a voice passed into his hears. He was stunned and stared blankly before turning and looking around. He then found a somewhat familiar face waving at him, but he couldn¡¯t remember where he had seen the person, making him puzzled.


    Who¡¯s this guy?


    Ji Mu thought about it. He then approached the silver-haired old lady and asked in a whisper, ¡°Grandma, would you like to find the seat first? I¡¯m going to see someone.¡±


    The silver-haired old lay looked gentle and kind. She smilingly nodded and replied, ¡°You youngsters have your own circle, so you don¡¯t need to keep me accompany. Also, I¡¯m going back to the North after the auction today.¡±


    Ji Mu was shocked and he asked with a bit of reluctance, ¡°Can¡¯t you stay for some more time in Changxi, Grandma? I¡¯ve benefitted a lot by following and learning from you these days, especially in my knowledge about cultivation. I feel I haven¡¯t taken care of you well enough all this while.¡±


    The old lady smilingly replied, ¡°All kinds of meetings have their own farewell, Sonny. I haven¡¯t seen your grandma for more than a decade, and I never thought we¡¯d have been separated just like that of man and Heaven already. Besides, I¡¯ve been staying in Changxi for some time, so it¡¯s time for me to return to the North, else those bunches of boys at home will definitely create a ruckus.¡±


    Ji Mo helplessly nodded and whispered, ¡°Then I¡¯m going to go greet my friends first, Grandma. I¡¯ll be back to you later.¡±


    ¡°Off you go, then!¡± the old lady slowly nodded and replied.


    Ji Mu slightly bowed and turned to walk towards Tang Xiu¡¯s direction. Although he really wanted this formidable grandma cultivator to stay, he could only bear his own reluctance to bid farewell since she insisted on leaving. However, that voice just now was very strange. It just directly entered his ear instead of calling out to him normally, which made him secretly startled and scared.


    And yet, he really didn¡¯t know who that familiar person was, neither could he remember where he had seen him!


    ¡°Are you the one calling me, Friend?¡±


    Ji Mu came to Tang Xiu¡¯s front and cupped his fists first while asking. However, his pupils suddenly shrunk when his eyes fell on Ouyang Lulu next to Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu pointed to the vacant seat near them and smilingly said, ¡°It¡¯s me, Ji Mu. I don¡¯t want anyone to recognize me, so I changed my appearance.¡±


    Ji Mu looked happily surprised. After nodding to Ouyang Lulu, he quickly took a seat at Tang Xiu¡¯s other side and excitedly said, ¡°I truly never thought I¡¯d bump into you here, Brother Tang. Your face-shifting technique is truly amazing, honest! I felt that you looked somewhat familiar, but I really didn¡¯t recognize you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just minor trick,¡± replied Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s you who¡¯s great! To think that you¡¯ve broken through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining is simply unexpected. Anyhow, if my guess is correct, that old lady next to you should have given you some pointers, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Ji Mu nodded. ¡°Grandma Zui Ying has given me guidance and I benefitted quite a lot.¡±


    Nearby, the silver-haired old lady randomly found a vacant seat and took it. But when her tranquil eyes glanced at Ji Mu¡¯s direction and she was about to take back her vision, her expression slightly shifted all of sudden and her eyes fixedly stayed on Tang Xiu and Ji Mu.


    ¡°That person is¡­¡±


    The old lady focused more on her observation and her body slightly trembled a few seconds after. But she looked overjoyed and nearly didn¡¯t hesitate to get up and head to the Tang Xiu¡¯s direction. After she came to his front, she ignored Ji Mu who stood up and ceremonially greeted. ¡°Aren¡¯t you Mr. Tang?¡±


    Tang Xiu stood up and smilingly said, ¡°Ah, it seems you can recognize me. Have you just returned from the Himalayas?¡±


    The silver-haired old lady excitedly said, ¡°I¡¯ve been here for a while. The operation has been progressing smoothly over there, so I thought to take advantage of it to have a trip outside of my home in the Northern region. I went to Changxi to visit my old sister, but¡­ I never thought that this old sister of mine has passed away a few years ago.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t be that cautious. Have a seat first and chat!¡± Tang Xiu smilingly said.


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    The old lady shifted to the dumbfounded-looking Ji Mu and said, ¡°Can I take your seat?¡±


    Ji Mu woke up from his stunned state and hurriedly let her take the seat, saying, ¡°Ah, yes, you can. Please have a seat, Grandma.¡±


    After the old lady took a seat, she spoke in a low voice, ¡°I thought it would be very difficult to see you again after we left the Himalayas, Mr. Tang. I never thought that I¡¯d happen to encounter you in this place. That group of old fogies will definitely be envious of me. That¡¯s for sure.¡±


    Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°That¡¯s all right. We¡¯re all fellow Daoists who walk on the cultivation path, so it should be easy for us to meet each other. I just didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯re with this kid, Ji Mu, though.¡±


    ¡°I and Ji Mu¡¯s grandma were old sisters who grew up together.¡± The old lady explained, ¡°It was the reason why I came to Changxi¡ªto visit her.¡±


    ¡°If my guess is correct, then Ji Mu¡¯s grandmother was also a cultivator, yes?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a smile. ¡°But there¡¯s something I feel strange, however. How come none of the later generations of the Ji Family inherited her legacy?¡±


    The silver-haired old lady shook her head and said, ¡°I have no idea about the specific reason, either. Old Sis perhaps thought that only this grandson of hers who is quite outstanding in the Ji Family, so she only taught her cultivation technique to him!¡±


    Ji Mu, who sat next to her, hurriedly interjected. ¡°Grandma, it was not my grandmother who taught me to cultivate, but Brother Tang.¡±


    The old lady was stunned and immediately blurted out in amazement. ¡°It was Mr. Tang who taught you to cultivate? Your relationship with him¡­¡±


    ¡°I and Ji Mu are friends,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    Ji Mu was struck with a sudden shock immediately after hearing it. How could he not witness that the grandmother he admired the most turned out to act very respectful toward Tang Xiu, as though she regarded Tang Xiu as her elder? It was precisely this reason that Tang Xiu¡¯s position was elevated by several levels in his heart.


    The old lady nodded smilingly. Then, she turned to look at Ji Mu and sighed. ¡°Little Mu, you can have a friend like Mr. Tang is definitely a blessing accumulated from your past lives. Do keep in mind that you must seek Mr. Tang for more advice in the future. He¡¯ll surely mold you much better and more brilliantly.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Ji Mu shot a fervent look at Tang Xiu, but then he asked the question he had been harboring, ¡°Haven¡¯t you been out of the North for a short time? How did you get acquainted with Brother Tang? You also said things happened in the Himalayas, what exactly happened there?¡±


    The silver-haired old lady shifted her focus to Tang Xiu and silently shook her head.


    Tang Xiu lightly smiled and explained, ¡°Nothing happened, in fact. It¡¯s just we fought side by side in the battle against some demonic beasts. Your current strength is still too weak, so don¡¯t ask more questions about it, okay? You can go there to experience it yourself when you¡¯ve reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, or better¡ªthe Golden Core Stage!¡±


    Demonic beast?!


    Ji Mu was shocked again. He was perfectly aware of how powerful Tang Xiu and Grandma Zui Ying were. He never knew about Tang Xiu¡¯s cultivation level and only knew that he was very powerful. But Grandma Zui Ying was at the late-stage of Foundation Establishment and was definitely a very strong expert in existence.

 Chapter 1131 - The Most Valuable Treasure

    Chapter 1131: The Most Valuable Treasure


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    As the lights in the hall went out, soft lighting was turned on in the room and only the auction platform had better lighting. Ouyang Lulu then whispered, ¡°The auction is about to begin.¡±


    As expected, the guests who came to attend the auction at this time had reached more than 200 people, and most of the seats in the hall had been occupied. The entrance door to the venue was slowly closed and the host of the action, a young man wearing white gloves, came to the stage with a beaming face.


    ¡°Welcome to the Blue Starfish Mansion, Ladies & Gentlemen. I¡¯m grateful to the owner of Blue Starfish Mansion, Mr. Hu Shaokun, who has provided us the auction site. My name is Cheng Huan and I¡¯m the auctioneer of this auction.¡±


    Up to this point, he paused for a moment and then pointed to the projector screen that had just been activated. He continued speaking with a smile, ¡°This is the list of items that will be auctioned at today¡¯s auction. I believe that all the respectable guests in the hall have heard about some of the items in advance. Maybe there are some treasures you like among them, so without further ado, I hereby announce. The auction starts now!


    ¡°The first article to be auctioned is a painting collected by a renowned master collector¡­¡±


    As the auction¡¯s proceedings carried on, the first article didn¡¯t interest Tang Xiu since he was also a painter himself. He could have put his own masterpiece to be auctioned and fetch a sky-high price for it if he wanted to.


    The second article was a set of Yixing clay teapots which used to be the Royal Purple Teapot of the Imperial Palace, so it also fetched quite an extraordinary price.


    Items were auctioned out as the auction moved on. Tang Xiu found that many guests participated in the biddings, but there was no malice involved. Further, the price of each auctioned article could be said to be quite low, with the lowest worth only at 5 million.


    ¡°Ji Mu, did you ask the number of articles being auctioned this time?¡± Tang Xiu asked.


    ¡°A total of 32 items, I think,¡± answered Ji Mu. ¡°I only heard some info about a few of them, though. I got no idea about the rest.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and shifted his focus back to the auctioneer.


    Ten past eight. The guiding girl in cheongsam stepped onto the stage and the auctioneer spoke again with a smile, ¡°The next article is a very interesting object, Ladies & Gentlemen. It has been appraised by more than ten treasure expert appraisers, yet none of them has been able to identify what kind of object this one is. The only thing certain is that this object should have quite a number of years behind it. But without further ado, let us have a look at the projection screen!¡±


    A clear picture shot by the projector was displayed on the screen, the guiding lady then lifted the yellow silk cover on top of the item, revealing an antique wooden box to the audience and making way to the appearance of a crystal-clear pearl inside it.


    Isn¡¯t that¡­


    Surprise flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes, and he instantly released his spiritual sense to quickly cover that crystal pearl. The longer he observed, the more evident his shock was.


    A Dragon Pearl?


    His eyes fixedly stared at the Dragon Pearl in the guiding lady¡¯s hand while feeling shocked inside. He could clearly sense the enormous energy contained within that pearl. This Dragon Pearl surely didn¡¯t originate from some ordinary dragon, but very likely from an ancient dragon!


    But then¡­ how could a Dragon Pearl from an ancient dragon appear on Earth?


    Back when in the Immortal World, he also got his hands on such a similar pearl, but the price he had to pay to get it had been enormous. Further, the enormous essence energy contained within that Dragon Pearl was the very reason that made him able to break through the final shackle to become a Supreme.


    Grandma Zui Ying, who had been paying attention to Tang Xiu, immediately found that Tang Xiu was shocked. Her expression slightly shifted and she immediately focused her eyes on the Dragon Pearl for several seconds. Then, she asked in a whisper, ¡°Do you happen to know what that object is, Mr. Tang?¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded silently, then glanced at her while replying, ¡°It¡¯s a great object.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s exactly great about it?¡± asked the old lady hurriedly.


    Tang Xiu just let out a faint smile in response and waited for the auction to begin. He wasn¡¯t afraid that this old lady would compete with him for this Dragon Pearl since she was well aware of how powerful he was. Further, she learned that the item was a great object from himself, so he could just break the decorum with her if she dared to fight him.


    All in all, he was ready to stake everything to win this Dragon Pearl.


    The auction host then spoke with a beaming smile, ¡°Tens of treasures appraises may not be able to judge what this pearl is. However, ancient objects are always good stuff, don¡¯t you agree? What¡¯s more, this pearl is so clear like a crystal and is almost comparable to the legendary Luminous Pearl. Hence, we¡¯ll start the bidding at 5 million. Anyone who wishes to obtain this pearl will have to increase the bid by at least 100,000 each time.¡±


    ¡°5 million?¡±


    ¡°A pearl?¡±


    A half-minute after the host¡¯s voice faded away, none among the over 200 guests attending the auction placed a bid. It was literally an unknown object as described, after all, while there were also more good objects waiting. Who knew if it was a treasure or not? If it turned out to be some trash and you spent 5 million for it, you can be sure to get depressed over it.


    ¡°5.1 million.¡±


    Finally, an old man with a florid Chinese-style robe and reading glasses raised the plate number placed next to him. When he found everyone else gazing at him, he immediately smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s just 5 million. Who knows if I got a lucky stroke, no? It could also be a good thing.¡±


    The host finally felt relieved when he heard the bid. He had hosted many auctions with many high-class articles. Yet, he never had run into such a situation in the past. If such an unwanted situation did happen, it would definitely affect his auction by quite a bit.


    He smiled at the old man and praised him. ¡°This elderly gentleman truly has keen eyes, doesn¡¯t he? This pearl could indeed be a big treasure. Besides, all those treasure expert appraisers did say that its value should be over 5 million yuan, which proves that this object is not ordinary. What about everyone else? Is there anyone that wants to bid higher? If not, this prospective enormous treasure can be bagged by the elderly gentleman!¡±


    ¡°5.5 million.¡±


    As his voice faded away, someone finally quoted. However, only very few people were interested to bid for such an object. After several rounds of bidding, the final price finally halted at 6.2 million.


    ¡°Does anyone else wants to bid higher?¡± the host asked again.


    Tang Xiu slowly lifted the number plate placed next to him and smilingly shouted, ¡°6.5 million!¡±


    The price was incremented by 300,000 at once. The figure was not much, yet it still garnered a lot of attention. Especially to Gu Changmin and Ji Xiangkui who knew his real identity. Both men instantly shifted their eyes to the Dragon Pearl with eyes slightly lit up.


    ¡°That thing should be good stuff! Everything that can attract his eyes is surely not ordinary,¡± commented Jin Xingkui in a low voice.


    ¡°My hunch exactly.¡± Gu Changmin slightly nodded and said, ¡°But let¡¯s restrain ourselves from bidding since he already has his eye on it. We can never offend him over a valuable.¡±


    ¡°I know that,¡± replied Jin Xingkui in a whisper. ¡°But if he does win the bid for it, let¡¯s ask him about it when we drink later.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± replied Gu Changmin without many words.


    The middle-aged man who quoted 6.2 million turned to look at Tang Xiu with astonishment and found that the man was unfamiliar. Although he was surprised that Tang Xiu was so young, he still lifted his number again and shouted, ¡°7 million!¡±


    ¡°7.5!¡± Tang Xiu raised his number and called out.


    ¡°8!¡± followed the middle-aged man


    ¡°8.5!¡± Tang Xiu lifted his number again.


    The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment. He turned to look at Tang Xiu again and immediately gave up the bid.


    Finally, this Dragon Pearl was won by Tang Xiu at the price of 8.5 million yuan. He then chose to head to the backstage as fast as possible to receive it and returned to his seat five-plus minutes later with the pearl.


    At this moment, no one knew how enormously excited and surprised Tang Xiu was. This ancient dragon¡¯s pearl contained a colossus amount of energy that, let alone 8.5 million yuan, even if all the money in the banks in the entire Earth were added together, it was still far from enough to buy it.


    Half an hour passed by and the auction was finally about to reach an end. Another item appeared before Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes again. But after seeing the picture of the object displayed on the projection screen and hearing the description from the auction host, thick killing intent overflowed from his eyes.


    It turns out to be the Aeroglider!


    It was the high-tech Avion researched and developed by the Magnificent Tang Corporation. Not even a piece of it had been sold to anyone except those that were part of the deal with the military! Yet, one of them suddenly appeared in this auction. It made Tang Xiu instantly realize that there must be some problems either in the military or in his own company!


    ¡°I¡¯ve explained all the energy-efficient features of this object clearly, so now I¡¯ll announce that the base price is at 10 million, and each increment shall not be less than 1 million!¡± announced the host with a smile.


    ¡°Halt!¡±


    Tang Xiu straightly got up from his seat. Under the watchful gazes of the host and more than 200 guests, he strode to the auction stage and swept over the audience with cold, chilling eyes. Then, he immediately spoke in a heavy voice, ¡°What an interesting object! But I¡¯ll do everything I can to get it. I¡¯ll keep incrementing the price by 1 million regardless of everyone else¡¯s bid. However¡­¡±


    The host¡¯s expression drastically changed and looked shocked. But after finding how cold Tang Xiu¡¯s expression was, he hurriedly called out, ¡°Sir, please think carefully. If the price quoted by the bidder is too high, I¡¯m afraid it will cause you¡­¡±


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and indifferently said, ¡°Rest your worries. No one will dare to bid today since they will have to face me! I know everyone will be offended by my strange attitude here, but this object is too important, and those who dare to go against me will end up very miserable!¡±


    An old man sitting on the second-row seat frowned and unhappily said, ¡°Don¡¯t speak so crazy, young man. Don¡¯t treat all of us here like we¡¯re poor even if you do have the money. This level of an auction is not the kind of place you can show off!¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m showing off? You wanna try me?¡± Tang Xiu sneered.

 Chapter 1132 - Treason and Insurgent

    Chapter 1132: Treason and Insurgent


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    On the fifth row, Gu Changmin abruptly got up from his chair and called out in a heavy voice, ¡°This man wants to buy this object, so I, Gu Changmin, would like to ask everyone else to not compete with him, else it will be equal to taking me as your enemy!¡±


    In that instant, the entire venue turned turbulent and many people were shocked and burst into discussions¡ª


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here? How come Gu Changmin jumped out at this time to support that young man? Who exactly is this guy?¡±


    ¡°Does it make sense? Has Gu Changmin lost his mind or something?! He said whoever stands up this time to bid will take him as an enemy? That¡¯s equal to having everyone present as enemies! He¡¯s a businessman, for God¡¯s sake. Isn¡¯t he afraid of offending all the rich people in Shanghai and from nearby cities?¡±


    ¡°Something doesn¡¯t add up here. What exactly is the origin of this young man? To think that he can actually have Gu Changmin¡¯s support? Is he Gu Changmin¡¯s illegitimate child or something?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s gotta be some demons at work when such queer thing like this happens. I know that flying disk is kind of special, but to think that someone would directly jump to take it for himself when nobody started bidding for it is unexpected.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see where this is heading. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m afraid of Gu Changmin¡¯s declaration.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The old man sitting in the second row looked angry. He knew Gu Changmin and was on good terms with him a bit. But he didn¡¯t expect that the man would jump out and stand up for this arrogant young man at this time.


    What the hell is he doing? Does he really want to take me as his enemy or something?


    Even if Gu Changmin and his Dingshen Media were powerful, he was not weak either. He could also make use of his own wealth and connections and was absolutely capable of pressing back.


    ¡°Boss Gu, I hope you know what you¡¯re doing. This brat is clearly on the opposite side of everyone else here. For you jump out to stand up for him, do you really want to tear all the decorum with everyone present?¡± asked the old man indifferently after pondering for a short while.


    Gu Changmin shot a look at Tang Xiu and slowly replied, ¡°I already said that whoever takes him as an enemy will have to take me on as well. He wants that object, so nobody can take it from him today.¡±


    The old man abruptly got up and chillingly said, ¡°You¡¯re not qualified to even speak like that, Gu Changmin! This flying disk is a great object, that¡¯s for sure. Everyone here knows that clearly. Are you colluding with him to possess such a great thing for yourself?¡±


    At this moment, Jin Xingkui directly got up and indifferently said, ¡°If Gu Changmin alone doesn¡¯t have the qualification, then put me into the tab. This Jin Xingkui may not be a powerful man, but I stand up on this matter. Anyone who dares to snatch that Avion stuff with him will take me as his enemy too!¡±


    Ji Mu shot an admiring gaze at Tang Xiu and immediately got up, shouting his piece, ¡°Then also add the Ji Family of Changxi! Whoever dares to take him as the enemy will have to take the Jis as an adversary as well. My family may be nothing in Shanghai, but I do believe we still got what it takes to crunch some hard bones if necessary.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu followed suit and apathetically said, ¡°And count the Ouyangs of Jingmen Island as well!¡±


    The old lady, Zui Ying, also added with a faint smile, ¡°This old lady has never left the Northern region for many years and hardly knows how my boys at home have been dealing with the family¡¯s businesses all this while. But you can have my word that those who take Mr. Tang as their enemies will have to face the Shen Family of the Northern region.¡±


    Disbelief, horrified, and incredulous expressions were evident on the faces of everyone present in the venue as they watched these people who stood up.


    Jin Xingkui, the owner of Jinda Estate?


    The Boss of Dingshen Media, Gu Changmin?


    The Ji Family of Changxi?


    House Ouyang of Jingmen Island?


    And the famous and illustrious Shen Family from the Northern region?!


    At that instant, everyone present was puzzled and confused. Never in their wildest dreams did they think things would develop into this situation. Who exactly was this distinguished bigwig? To think that so many prominent families and big bosses would support him without hesitation?


    In the second-row seats, the old man¡¯s expression turned extremely ugly and disbelief was truly reflecting his feelings. It was a situation he never expected to happen.


    Suddenly, a loud voice came from the back row of the venue, ¡°The person on that auction stage is Brother Tang whom I, Miao Wentang, have sworn with as life-and-death brothers! Whoever dares to fight him will become the mortal enemy of the Miaos of Haiqing Province!¡±


    A few seconds passed by and another voice sounded, ¡°I don¡¯t know who the little brother on the auction floor is, but Ms. Ouyang of the Jingmen Island¡¯s House Ouyang is my sister-in-law. Those who make her unhappy will also make House Tang of Beijing unhappy.¡±


    The Miao Family of Haiqing Province?


    And¡­ Beijing¡¯s¡­ Tang Family?!!


    Instantly, over 200 guests who came to the auction venue felt dizzy by the identity of these two people. The Miaos of Haiqing were still fine. They may have big power but hardly sent any dread to their hearts. But House Tang in the capital¡­ was a very different story. It was literally a colossus! Who could possibly dare to offend them?


    On the auction stage, Tang Xiu himself didn¡¯t expect that Miao Wentang actually came to this place. But the one surprised him the most was that Tang Wei kiddo, who even came here, but sitting very low-key in the last row with an elegant young lady as a companion.


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m grateful to so many people for supporting me, but I can deal with today¡¯s matter by myself. Please have a seat again, everyone. There¡¯s something I¡¯d like to say.¡±


    As everyone sat down, Tang Xiu shot a glance to the back and indifferently said, ¡°Although I don¡¯t know who the organizer of this auction is, you should have been watching the situation unfold here. I hope you can stand up to answer some questions.¡±


    In a second, the venue turned deathly still. Everyone looked around, wanting to see who the organizer of this action really was.


    Cough, cough¡­


    An old man in a Chinese tunic suit and wearing reading glasses, who sat on the tenth row of the venue, got up and lightly smiled. ¡°This little brother is surnamed Tang, isn¡¯t it? Are you perhaps someone from House Tang of Beijing?¡±


    ¡°Who I am is not necessarily important. What¡¯s important is your name,¡± replied Tang Xiu lightly.


    That old man slowly left his seat and walked to Tang Xiu on the auction stage. After he came before Tang Xiu, he carefully observed the latter and smilingly said, ¡°The surname is Mei, as in Mei for the blossoming Plum Flowers character. You can address me as Elder Wei.¡±


    ¡°How to address you is my own business as I demand you to answer me a few questions,¡± said Tang Xiu apathetically. ¡°Else, you can expect to have bad luck to befall upon you, including the influence backing you up!¡±


    The old man¡¯s smiling face froze. He squinted and asked, ¡°And if I don¡¯t buy it?¡±


    Tang Xiu fished out his cell phone and dialed a certain number. After his call was picked up by the other party, he began speaking in a deep voice, ¡°Something happened in the Blue Starfish Mansion. I¡¯d like you to send your men to blockade the establishment within half an hour. Also, seal off any means of communication to the outside world at the fastest speed possible!¡±


    ¡°Copy that!¡± a deep voice belonging to Duanmu Lin replied from the mobile phone.


    Tang Xiu hung up and his eyes moved back to the old man, whose expression was now slightly changed. Then, he shouted in a heavy voice, ¡°Hu Shaokun, come out now!¡±


    Hu Shaokun had been staying in the auction venue from the beginning but stayed low-key among the crowd. He heard Tang Xiu¡¯s voice and knew what his real identity was, so he hurriedly stood up and forced a smile. ¡°Uh, Tang¡­ umm, anything you want to tell me?¡±


    ¡°Notice all the security guards of the Blue Starfish Mansion seal off all the exits of this island at once!¡± Tang Xiu said in a deep voice. ¡°I give you the right to do so, and you¡¯re allowed to kill anyone who dares to leave directly!¡±


    ¡°Ugh!¡± Hu Shaokun¡¯s complexion changed and he hesitantly said, ¡°That¡¯s not good¡­ they are all¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care in the slightest of what kind of people they are,¡± replied Tang Xiu in a heavy voice. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to be charged as an insurgent for treason later, immediately carry out what I just told you!¡±


    Treason¡­ insurgents?!


    Hu Shaokun was trembling. He never doubted Tang Xiu¡¯s ability to do so. After all, House Tang was behind him, and it was hard to predict what this House could do.


    Immediately after, he quickly grabbed his phone to dial a number and shouted in a heavy voice, ¡°Notice all the security guards to immediately seal off the entire Blue Starfish Mansion! Seal every exit passage on the island and allow no one to leave, no one! Whoever dares to resist¡­ you¡¯re authorized to kill!¡±


    At this moment, everyone was truly shocked. The ¡°treason¡± emphasized by Tang Xiu frightened them. Only then did they realize that Tang Xiu¡¯s identity was very likely to be very terrifying. Else, it was impossible for the owner of the Blue Starfish Mansion to be so afraid of him.


    Who is he?


    Who in the world is he exactly?


    The old in the second row suddenly stood up and shouted, ¡°What you did is a bit too much, youngster Tang! We may still consider this issue amicably if you can show us some reliable identity, yet you threaten us and even limit our freedom. This is literally a grave crime!¡±


    ¡°A felony, huh?¡± sneered Tang Xiu. ¡°Whether it¡¯s true or not, what you say still doesn¡¯t count for I¡­ have the final say!¡±


    Having said that, he took out the green book from the interspatial ring and shoved it on the old man Mei¡¯s face and asked in a cold tone, ¡°Now, answer me the first question, who entrusted you to auction this Aeroglider at this auction?¡±


    The old man¡¯s pupils shrunk and he looked bitter. He shook his head and said, ¡°That person demanded his name to be confidential and we didn¡¯t investigate his identity at all. But he¡¯s a young man of around 27 years old with tanned skin and smells like¡­ a soldier.¡±


    Smells like a soldier?


    Tang Xiu immediately realized the issue the moment he heard it. He took a deep breath and asked again, ¡°Who are all those who have touched this Aeroglider? Summon them here. Can you do it?¡±


    ¡°I can arrange it at once,¡± replied Elder Mei with a forced smile.


    In just a few minutes, the over 200 guests could finally tell how grave the issue was. Many of those braver took out their mobile phones and prepared to make a call to pass the matter out, trying to protect themselves. The incident unfolding today was strange to the extreme, but they had to face it seriously now.


    ¡°What exactly is going on? How come my phone doesn¡¯t work at all?¡±


    ¡°No signal? He just said that he wanted someone to seal off any signal here. It really got blocked already?¡±


    ¡°Who in the world is he? Who has such a great ability to even make the communication department to block the signals here?¡±


    ¡°Dammit! Are we really trapped here?¡±

 Chapter 1133 - Thorough Investigation

    Chapter 1133: Thorough Investigation


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Roars of a helicopter rolled from the sky and everyone trapped in the auction venue looked on with fear. Before long, the entrance to the auction venue was trampled open from the outside and a large number of soldiers rushed in fully armed.


    ¡°Uh¡­ what¡¯s going on?¡±


    The over 200 guests in the venue truly didn¡¯t expect that military personnel would really show up, invoking fear as they looked at Tang Xiu instantly. Even that old man in the second row now looked pale with evident shock on his face.


    Tap, tap, tap¡­


    With orderly footsteps, Zhu Long strode inside with two experts from the Special Abilities Bureau and came to the auction stage under everyone¡¯s gaze. He gave a standard salute and reported in a deep voice. ¡°Zhu Long reporting to the senior officer! The Chief is on the way here, he should be arriving in about 40 minutes.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and said, ¡°Seal the entire island completely, be it the sky, ground, underground, or water, and completely carry out full monitoring. Leave no flies unchecked!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Zhu Long replied shortly and immediately rushed outside.


    A moment later, Elder Mei came in from the outside with five big men, shaking his head and saying, ¡°I can¡¯t find him. He seems to have¡­ just disappeared out of the blue.¡±


    Coldness flashed in Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes as he said, ¡°For slipping away without anyone noticing, the man himself seems to possess quite a combat ability since he¡¯s able to avoid all the monitoring equipment on the island. However, he can never run as long as he¡¯s still in China.¡±


    At the seating rows in the venue, Ouyang Lulu watched Tang Xiu with eyes flickering with splendor. Never did she imagine that Tang Xiu was actually someone from the state. She did hear that he carried out some missions for the country prior to this. But now, it seemed like what she knew about him was still not enough.


    But still, he looks so cool now.


    Still at the seating rows, apart from the old lady Zui Ying, no one knew that Tang Xiu was someone from the state save Miao Wentang since the man had long known about this identity. But the fact was something never exposed to Tang Wei. He was simply caught off guard knowing that Tang Xiu was affiliated to the state and was truly in admiration toward this younger brother of his.


    Time fleeted by and the puzzled Duanmu Lin, who brought a group of experts from the Special Abilities Bureau, finally arrived in a rush. The confusion on his face became more visible upon seeing the scene at the auction venue. He had always believed in Tang Xiu had certain and strict criterions regardless of what he did. But didn¡¯t this look like a big scene?


    ¡°Tang¡­¡±


    Just as Duanmu Lin came to Tang Xiu¡¯s front and blurted out, Tang Xiu stopped him. Shortly after, the two men came to the corner of the auction venue and Tang Xiu said in a deep voice, ¡°I need you to give me an explanation, Senior Duanmu.¡±


    ¡°How did you make yourself like this, though?¡± replied Duanmu Lin with a wry smile. ¡°Also, you want me to explain, but what should I explain to you?¡±


    Tang Xiu opened the yellow silk fabric cover on the tray. Duanmu Lin instantly understood in a flash after seeing the Aeroglider.


    ¡°How come this object appeared here?¡± asked Duanmu Lin in a lowered voice.


    ¡°I originally came here for the auction, but I didn¡¯t expect to see this stuff being auctioned either.¡± Tang Xiu explained, ¡°I already called Kang Xia, and she told me there¡¯s no problem at the factory since all members of the security team are our people. Additionally, I¡¯ve already questioned the organizer of this auction as well. He said that the person who sent this Aeroglider has the smell of a soldier.¡±


    Duanmu Lin¡¯s pupils shrunk and instantly blurted out, ¡°I¡¯ll definitely give you an explanation for this shit! Who¡¯s the one in charge of this auction?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±


    Elder Mei wore a forced smile and slowly walked over. Then, he spoke with a bitter smile, ¡°I never thought I¡¯d bump into you in this situation, Duanmu. You seem to have been having quite an easy time serving the state.¡±


    Duanmu Lin, whose focus had been concentrated on Tang Xiu, didn¡¯t even notice his own old friend. But when he saw the old man Mei, his brows frowned. ¡°Are you the one who organized this auction, Mei geezer?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± The old man Mei replied, ¡°Some children in the family have been tossing about. I got nothing to do and so joined the party here, though I never thought that I¡¯d get into trouble.¡±


    Duanmu Lin glanced around fast and immediately replied in a low voice, ¡°We¡¯ve been old comrades, Mei geezer, and we know each other inside out. Now, tell me the truth, from where did you get this stuff, exactly?¡±


    ¡°I already told this little brother surnamed Tang before. Someone sent it here and he got a soldier smell on him¡ªone who has gone through real battles. I¡¯m hella sure about that. I thought that man was a veteran, but I didn¡¯t expect that this matter would involve some secrets.¡±


    Duanmu Lin fell into silence for a while and then slowly said, ¡°Can you tell me what he looks like? Or better, do you have a photo or footage of him?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Elder Mei nodded.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to look for it.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°The owner of this place just took his men to check all the surveillance videos and all of them have been destroyed already. The security guards in the monitoring room were tied up and stunned and haven¡¯t yet woken up until now.¡±


    ¡°This is an important and urgent issue, Tang Xiu, so hand it over to me,¡± said Duanmu Lin. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely investigate it thoroughly.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll give you 3 days.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I want news within 3 days. Besides, this is related to the cooperation between us. If the Aeroglider flows to the outside world, then it will become the responsibility of my Magnificent Tang Corporation!¡±


    ¡°I get you. No worries!¡± said Duanmu Lin with all seriousness.


    ****


    More than 10 kilometers from the scene, inside a coastal building, Li Yuquan put down the binoculars in his hand and his tanned face looked all bitter. He knew that he just pushed himself to a pit full of a disaster this time, yet he felt no regret. Only unwillingness and annoyance filled his heart since the Aeroglider he had painstakingly stolen failed to be auctioned. And he had even exposed himself.


    ¡°I need money. A lot of it.¡±


    ¡°That damn bastard! I could¡¯ve killed him, but I wouldn¡¯t be able to save my wife and kid.¡±


    ¡°I can get the money by selling this so-called Aeroglider, but now I can only get it through other channels.¡±


    He released his tight fist¡¯s grip and headed towards the door. He needed to hurry and flee from this place while avoiding the surveillance equipment literally everywhere in Shanghai. He didn¡¯t have much time.


    ****


    Back to the Blue Starfish Mansion, in a majestic hall, Tang Xiu, Gu Changmin, Jin Xingkui, Tang Wei, Miao Wentang, Grandma Zui Ying, Ji Mu, and some others were tasting a few dishes and discussing various issues. Ouyang Lulu, who had inborn unruliness in her bones, seemed like a docile, gentle kitten at the moment and stayed next to Tang Xiu while serving him tea.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to come to Shanghai, Brother Miao. Bumping into you here was truly a coincidence. I didn¡¯t thank you for standing up for me then, so let¡¯s have a toast,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    Miao Wentang raised his glass and toasted with Tang Xiu. Then, he smilingly replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to run into such a busy man like you here, either. I came to Shanghai to tend to a project preparation in which I¡¯m seeking a partner now.¡±


    ¡°What project?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Selling cars!¡± replied Miao Wentang with a smile. ¡°The heavy industry factory of my Miao Group is producing quite a number of cars. The purchase orders originally came from overseas, but well¡­ things went south over there, so it came down to my hands now.¡±


    At the side, Gu Changmin¡¯s expression shifted and he asked, ¡°Brother Miao, can I cask the models and types of the cars produced by your Miao Group?¡±


    ¡°Ah, we got all kinds of them,¡± replied Miao Wentang with a wry smile.


    Gu Changmin squinted and turned to look at Tang Xiu. ¡°Anyway, do you have some spare cash in hand now, Brother Tang?¡±


    ¡°Ehh?¡± Tang Xiu was curious and asked back, ¡°Why asking about that, Brother Gu?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been kind of preparing a big project myself recently, honestly,¡± said Gu Changmin. ¡°I wanna cooperate with you. If you¡¯re interested, that is.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m all ears,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to set up a logistics company¡ªone that will be the biggest logistics company in the country,¡± explained Gu Changmin. ¡°But I don¡¯t have many funds in hands right now. I can only take out around 6 billion. The expert I hired gave me an estimation that I¡¯d need at least 30 billion to set up the best logistics company that covers the entire China. So to say, even 30 billion is likely not enough.¡±


    Logistics?


    Tang Xiu frowned and said, ¡°I may not know much about logistics, but for such logistics companies in our country, shouldn¡¯t the situation be saturated already? Especially those large logistics companies. They have literally spread their distribution network to every corner of the country. It¡¯s probably too late if we want to take the slice of the pie now.¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± Gu Changmin shook his head and explained, ¡°Online shopping is now a top priority given the increasing popularity of e-commerce. Though most of these e-commerce platforms have their own logistics network, I think we can get a big chunk of meat from them as long as you cooperate with me.¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment and suddenly asked, ¡°Have you thought of running the online shopping platform yourself? Like those online shopping malls? You¡¯re going into logistics, so you must at least have products to deliver. Rather than sending others¡¯ products, I think it¡¯s better to send our own. Certainly, though, it would be better if you can also send the products of others too.¡±


    Gu Changmin¡¯s eyes lit up and he replied, ¡°I¡¯ll naturally set up the online shopping platform if you¡¯re willing to cooperate with me. Well, if you trust me, I only need your investment and your reputation to set up the online shopping platform and logistics project.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you do understand me. Hahaha,¡± Tang Xiu couldn¡¯t help laughing and said, ¡°I really am too lazy in dealing with business matters. Say, how much funds do you need me to invest?¡±


    Miao Wentang didn¡¯t wait for Gu Changmin to answer Tang Xiu and smilingly interjected. ¡°Hey, can you two not leave me out of this business? I¡¯m interested in it too, so it¡¯s much better to count me in, no?¡±

 Chapter 1134 - Findings of the Investigation

    Chapter 1134: Findings of the Investigation


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Old lady Zui Ying was a cultivator with many years behind her, but she was still a capable person herself, and the growth and development of her family were inseparable from her efforts. She just watched the conversation of these youngsters and didn¡¯t have any thoughts at all. But then, she thought about establishing a relationship with Tang Xiu and smilingly interjected. ¡°I may hardly involve myself in the business now, but the Shens have too many mouths to feed and we need to make a living as well. How about adding the Shens into the count too?¡±


    Tang Xiu shot a look at Miao Wentang and Zui Ying. He just shrugged in response and smilingly said, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t care much how many people cooperate in this matter. It¡¯s all fine with me as long as Brother Gu agrees.¡±


    Gu Changmin himself was, of course, excited. He knew the status and identity of Miao Wentang and old lady Zui Ying. Adding Tang Xiu, the endeavor would absolutely be a success with the four cooperating. The joined forces of the four could even easily surpass the largest online shopping platform and those large logistics companies in China, right?


    What is the capital for one to have the say in doing business?


    Money is for sure the answer!


    You can do it as long as you have money¡ªand to a certain extent, money can even make you smash the sky. With the four forces cooperating, you can demand money with money and gain power with power. Why would you worry about not making money from the investment?


    Jin Xingkui smacked his lips and felt quite helpless inside. Most of his capital had been invested in the newly developed real estate project. Although he¡¯d be able to withdraw a large sum in the next six months, his hands were tied as of now. Therefore, even if he realized that this project was a sure shot to make money, it was unfortunate that the desire didn¡¯t conform to his energy.


    Suddenly, Ji Mu jumped into the conversation with a dry smile. ¡°Uh, everyone¡­ can you count me in this project? The Jis may not have much capital, but it¡¯s great to take a ride with you all.¡±


    The Jis of Changxi don¡¯t have much capital?


    Gu Changmin couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes. He may be a man with 10 to 20 billion in assets, but compared to the Jis of Changxi, he was like a dwarf¡ªnothing to speak of. The Ji Family was a very prominent family in Changxi, and even if their net worth was less than 100 billion, they had at least 80 billion in assets.


    However, he realized a certain issue and inquired. ¡°Brother Ji, both my hands are open if your family wants to join in too. Besides, you and Brother Tang are friends. I¡¯m fine as long as he trusts you. Only, there¡¯s a big issue I¡¯d like to ask. Can you act on behalf of your patriarch?¡±


    ¡°Well, although my father is still the family patriarch, he has already handed over most of the power in the family to me,¡± answered Ji Mu with a smile. ¡°I can humbly say that I do have the right to act on behalf of the Ji Family.¡±


    Gu Changmin was excited to hear that and replied, ¡°That¡¯s great, then! Five parties have collaborated and each of us has our own strength, so we can really expect a great outcome. Alright, let¡¯s discuss the specifics¡­¡±


    The meeting by chance now turned into a business investment cooperation forum. Neither Tang Xiu nor the others had ever thought about it previously.


    However, it was just natural that no one would refuse any businesses that could make money, to begin with.


    After the discussion, the five parties finally decided to invest 10 billion each, with a total investment of 50 billion. Although Gu Changmin himself couldn¡¯t afford such amount, for the time being, he was still willing to borrow the funds from the bank to make it up to 10 billion yuan.


    With the pre-project cooperation agreement done, Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°Alright, everyone. We¡¯ve done the talking, I won¡¯t involve myself in the business affairs. But I¡¯ll call Kang Xia about the contents we just discussed. You can discuss the specific operations with her later.¡±


    Due to the time, everyone booked a room in the Blue Starfish Mansion after the discussion and prepared to rest for a night before leaving. However, although Ji Mu also took a room for himself, he didn¡¯t immediately rest but stay with Tang Xiu while watching the others leave.


    ¡°You got something in mind?¡±


    Tang Xiu shot a glance at Ouyang Lulu. As she headed to the guest room, Tang Xiu turned to Ji Mu and asked.


    Ji Mu nodded and said, ¡°Do you have some time, well, in the next few days, by chance? I¡¯m going to marry my girlfriend and I¡¯m hoping that you can attend the wedding.¡±


    ¡°Damn. Your marriage has been dragged on to the present?¡± blurted out Tang Xiu in amazement.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I wanted to drag it until now, mind you,¡± replied Ji Mu with a wry smile. ¡°It¡¯s just there¡¯s something wrong with the child, so it kept getting delayed.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a slightly shifted expression.


    Ji Mu shook his head but didn¡¯t say anything. He then helplessly said, ¡°Let¡¯s leave it at that. Simply put, the child is gone already, and I¡¯ve been with her for a long time recently, so her mood is much better now. But you haven¡¯t replied to me whether you got some time for the next few days, Brother Tang.¡±


    ¡°You got the fixed date?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°The first day of the next month,¡± answered Ji Mu.


    Tang Xiu calculated the time and said, ¡°The first day next month is just several days later. I¡¯m not sure if I won¡¯t have any issues I need to deal with, but I¡¯ll definitely come to Changxi if I got nothing urgent. But if I do, I¡¯ll send someone else to deliver you the congratulatory gift. Don¡¯t mind it if it does happen, though.¡±


    Ji Mu immediately let out a happy smile after hearing this. Then, he nodded and said, ¡°I got you. It¡¯s fine with me.¡±


    Quickly after, Ji Mu returned to his room and Tang Xiu took out a half-pack of cigarettes from the interspatial ring and lit one up. He didn¡¯t rush back to the room to rest but stood in the corridor while watching the building reserved for the auction. The building was still brightly lit up and there was no other information passed to him.


    In actuality, Tang Xiu already felt at ease after finding out that the problem originated from the military. He didn¡¯t need to explain anything to Duanmu Lin as long as it was not a problem with the Magnificent Tang Corp. Honestly speaking, there was no effect whatsoever to him with the appearance of Aeroglider here, he could even gain some benefits instead. At the very least, these rich businesspeople now learned that this Aeroglider was a product manufactured by his company, some of whom would definitely jump out to support him when came the time to be sold to the public.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to sleep?¡±


    Half an hour later, Ouyang Lulu came out of the room and came to Tang Xiu¡¯s side, asking softly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head and smilingly said, ¡°It¡¯s just that I haven¡¯t yet heard anything from the auction hall. I just can¡¯t fully set my mind at rest.¡±


    ¡°In fact, there¡¯s nothing to worry about for you since the problem did not lie with your company.¡± Ouyang Lulu commented. ¡°On the contrary, it¡¯s Duanmu Lin who must give you an explanation since it was the military who erred.¡±


    ¡°I already know that you¡¯re a smart one. Never thought you¡¯ve completely grasped the issue too, though,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°Well, let¡¯s just hope Duanmu Lin can quickly figure out the problem since I won¡¯t really feel at ease otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Why not directly involve yourself in the investigation since you don¡¯t feel relieved, then?¡± commented Ouyang Lulu with a light smile.


    ¡°I get you on that. And Duanmu Li is also unlikely to bash the shit pot on our heads if the problem lies in the military.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head.


    Ouyang Lulu was about to go on, but she suddenly noticed that a group of people was marching fast toward them, and her eyes finally caught Duanmu Lin leading them.


    ¡°Well, there they are. The result you¡¯ve been waiting.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded lightly and just quietly waited for Duanmu Lin to come. Then, he asked the man, ¡°Have you investigated it, Senior Duanmu?¡±


    The man¡¯s expression was a bit ugly as he nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s find a quiet room to speak about it.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Tang Xiu led Duanmu Lin and the rest to the room he had a drinking gathering with Miao Wentang and the rest. The attendants had it cleaned up already and it was very clean now.


    After taking a seat, Duanmu Lin forced a wry smile and began speaking, ¡°Tang Xiu, the investigation has been carried out, and it¡¯s clear that there¡¯s a problem within the military. I¡¯ve already communicated with some people from the army and learned that a retired officer named Li Yuquan stole the Aeroglider from the army¡¯s warehouse due to special reasons. We also inquired about its serial number. It¡¯s exactly the Aeroglider that appeared in this auction.¡±


    ¡°What I want to know is, what¡¯s the special reason you just said?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard for me to talk about the open and closed struggles in the army. Let¡¯s save the topic and don¡¯t ask about it anymore. I need to tell you now that Li Yuquan is now a wanted man all over the country, and the intelligence network from our state¡¯s intel agency has been completely dispatched. We¡¯ll definitely catch him in no time.¡±


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and said, ¡°This incident also gave me a wake-up call. It seems that the Magnificent Tang Corp. must also start strengthening our security. Senior Duanmu, I¡¯m quite free for some time, and I kind of have an idea of forming my own security company. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°A security company?¡±


    Duanmu Lin felt helpless inside and was left with no choice. Tang Xiu¡¯s power was already big enough. He would be even more powerful if he set up a security company. Many things that were inconvenient for cultivators could be handed over to this security company.


    Should he disagree with him?


    He realized he really didn¡¯t have the guts to do so. After all, this young man precisely hit the exact entry points. If he were to disagree with him and in case another incident happened that the Aeroglider produced by his company flowed to the outside, it would have nothing to do with Tang Xiu. He didn¡¯t have to bear the responsibility after the incident if he disagreed with him forming his own security company.


    ¡°Just do what you see fit, Tang Xiu! I¡¯ll contact some people concerning the formalities you need to set for the security company.¡± Duanmu Lin finally nodded.


    ¡°Thanks, Senior Duanmu,¡± said Tang Xiu smilingly. ¡°Just contact me if you have anything I need to deal with. I¡¯m obliged for the peace and stability of our country.¡±


    Duanmu Lin got up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll keep your words, so I can sleep soundly in the future. Anyhow, I¡¯ll disturb your rest no longer. This problem will come to an end when we catch Li Yuquan.¡±


    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s another thing I want to ask you, Senior Duanmu.¡± Tang Xiu also got up and spoke again.


    ¡°And that is?¡± asked Duanmu Lin.


    ¡°What are you going to do with the wealthy business people and celebrities attending this auction?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°What else can I do about them?¡± Duanmu Li forced a wry smile and said, ¡°They only attended the auction and didn¡¯t break any laws whatsoever. Even if I do hold the arbitrary power from the state, it¡¯s not like I can just act unreasonably! But they all have signed a confidentiality agreement, and I¡¯ll send people to keep tabs on them. Whoever dares to disclose any news of this Aeroglider, then it¡¯s equal to them committing treason and be subjected to a death sentence.¡±

 Chapter 1135 - Was Found Stealing

    Chapter 1135: Was Found Stealing


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Shanghai.


    Outside a high-profile specialty store in the most bustling and prosperous Hongshan District, Li Yuquan, in a black leather coat, raised his hand to press the edge of his cap. His eyes were trained on the plaque of the store written with golden characters that looked particularly striking under the reflection from the distant lights: The God¡¯s Nectar 06.


    God¡¯s Nectar! It had become the wine¡ªa product from the Magnificent Tang Corp.¡ªregarded as absolutely the king of wines that no other brand could compare, but it was also very expensive with a bottle priced at five figures.


    Li Yuquan himself had tasted this God¡¯s Nectar from his old superior who had obtained two bottles from some unknown channels. He and his squad won the award and praise due to their excellent accomplishment and thus, the group of seven drank a bottle of it.


    It made him wish and dream to taste another bottle of God¡¯s Nectar since.


    He was now perfectly aware that he could no longer obtain money from the auction organizer given what happened there. Still, he was in dire need of cash and repeatedly racked his brain about it. Eventually, his attention turned to this God¡¯s Nectar exclusive store. Before he handed the Aeroglider to the auctioneer, he actually left another way out for this matter, which was to rob God¡¯s Nectar exclusive store.


    It was the best way to get the needed money. He could just snatch some boxes of God¡¯s Nectar and leave straight after even if he didn¡¯t get a dime here. As long as he had this wine, he believed there would be numerous wealthy people who¡¯d love to buy it.


    After a few minutes, he silently arrived in the back alley of the store. He looked around for a while before his strong figure instantly dashed and quickly appeared by the second floor¡¯s window. With a sharp blade in hand, he easily unlocked it.


    ¡°The batch of God¡¯s Nectar shipment arrived yesterday is definitely not sold out yet. This kind of store usually will reserve the next batch of wine in case of some particular circumstances. Further, that armored truck which usually comes in the afternoon shouldn¡¯t have taken all the money out of the store.


    ¡°It¡¯s just 2 million. But I must get the money.¡±


    After he entered the room, he observed around and found that it was a storage room. To put all the sundries, so he quietly came to the door and opened it a bit to observe the outside. There was nobody in the corridor outside and the entire interior of the store was dark.


    Immediately, he went out but didn¡¯t realize that just as he had just snuck in, a black shadow had also silently entered the room and followed him without any noise.


    After the constant observation and searching, Li Yuquan soon found the storage on the second floor. There were 60 boxes, and they hadn¡¯t been unsealed yet and were just neatly placed near the wall. However, he didn¡¯t directly steal them away as they were his last resort, so he kept looking around and finally found the office.


    ¡°The safe is really hidden.¡±


    Behind a row of bookshelves, Li Yuquan found the safe behind the painting hanging on the wall. Luckily, he was an expert at dealing with safes. Taking out a wire, he bent it and inserted it into the safe and quickly cracked the first lock. The subsequent safety lock was the fingerprint verification and some digital passwords, which he completely cracked with various means. And finally, the safe¡¯s door was slowly opened.


    ¡°Only this much?¡±


    He observed it a few times and was finally sure that the cash in the safe was about 300,000 or so. Still 1.7 million from the 2 million he needed!


    ¡°Alas, it seems I can only steal some God¡¯s Nectar. Ten boxes should be enough, and the car I brought here can only carry that much. But leaving Shanghai will likely be very difficult, and I¡¯ll be easily found out if I sell this stuff here.¡± Li Yuquan sighed and muttered to himself.


    Suddenly, a cold voice came from behind him. ¡°Then don¡¯t waste your effort since it¡¯s not easy to get out of Shanghai.¡±


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    Li Yuquan¡¯s fine hairs erected and he instantly pulled his sharp Mitsubishi army knife the moment he turned around. The room was dim, but he clearly saw a man leaning on the gate.


    ¡°I¡¯m just the security guard of this store.¡±


    The middle-aged man faintly smiled while thinking to himself: I should be awarded for catching a powerful thief, right? Unlike those inner court disciples of the Tang Sect who can easily buy medicinal pills from the sect, I spent quite the effort to get them a few days ago. Only after I taking out all my money and asking help from an inner disciple was I finally able to buy the pills. And now, I¡¯m as poor as a rag!


    Holding the Mitsubishi army knife across his chest, Li Yuquan coldly said, ¡°I don¡¯t wanna hurt or kill anyone. But I¡¯m in dire need of cash, so I hope you don¡¯t stop or fight me. I¡¯ll just tie you up and you¡¯ll be naturally be freed tomorrow morning when the other staffers arrive.¡±


    Wen Liang squinted and lightly smiled. ¡°You should be a soldier if my guess is correct, no? Also, you¡¯ve just left the army recently since the soldier smell in you hasn¡¯t been washed up by ordinary life either. Alright, I¡¯ll let you go this once since you¡¯re just like me who also came out of the army. But you must promise me to never do such as stealing from now on.¡±


    Li Yuquan stared blankly for a moment and immediately replied coldly, ¡°I need the money and quite a lot of it in the shortest time! This place is one of the best answers for me, yet do you think you can deal with me?¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, is it difficult to deal with you, though?¡± asked Wen Liang back smilingly.


    ¡°I¡¯m too lazy to waste my energy bickering with you.¡± Li Yuquan sneered. ¡°Either let me tie you up or forcefully get submitted, you choose!¡±


    ¡°Come, bring it on.¡± Wen Liang smilingly hooked his fingers in response.


    ¡°Humph¡­¡±


    Li Yuquan snorted and his body dashed lightning-fast and instantly appeared in front of Wen Liang. As his Mitsubishi army knife targeted the man¡¯s right shoulder, his other fist also delivered a punch.


    ¡°The army boxing, huh? Were you from the Blue Eagle special force?¡±


    While avoiding the Mitsubishi knife and clashing, Wen Liang let Li Yuquan¡¯s fist hit his body to no effect. It was Li Yuquan who was surprised and paced back four steps.


    Eyes shrunk and looking incredulous, Li Yuquan felt like his fist just punched a hard stone. The pain in his bones gave him a chill. Stopping, he shot a vigilant look at Wen Liang and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Who are you? Only a handful of people know this army boxing style, which unique style belongs to the Blue Eagle special force. How do you know it?¡±


    ¡°Because¡­ I used to be a member of the Blue Eagle special force,¡± replied Wen Liang faintly.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Li Yuquan glowered. ¡°I¡¯ve served in the Blue Eagle for four years and even promoted to be its captain. But I¡¯ve never seen you at all. Hold up, your age¡­ you were definitely one of the former senior members. But how did you become a security guard here?¡±


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s shameful working as a security guard?¡± asked Wen Liang back. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that tons of people want to snatch this position yet can¡¯t get it either way! But it¡¯s you, an elite that came out from the Blue Eagle special force, that needs scrutiny. You actually did this kind of shameful thing?! You literally made the Blue Eagles lose face!¡±


    Li Yuquan felt his face burn with shame. He wanted to argue to defend himself but swallowed all the works back into his belly as they were about to be blurted out.


    ¡°I¡¯m short on money,¡± muttered Li Yuquan. It was a statement hard to speak out.


    ¡°Heh, tons of people are short on money, yet it doesn¡¯t mean it gives them the reason to steal!¡± Wen Liang sneered. ¡°Let me tell you, you¡¯ve been recorded in the security footage ever since you appeared outside the store, including everything you¡¯ve done after you entered the store. That¡¯s why I was gonna let you leave and delete the footage on you. Yet you attacked me and even used that Mitsubishi shit. No way I can just let you go that easily now.¡±


    ¡°You were once a senior member of the squad and I respect you for that,¡± replied Li Yuquan coldly. ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight you anymore, but I¡¯m in dire need of cash, so I can only say sorry.¡±


    Eyebrows raised up, Wen Liang instantly appeared in front of Li Yuquan and delivered a blitz punch to his chest while his left leg sent a whipping kick that smacked the man¡¯s face. He followed Li Yuquan closely even after the man was knocked down and directly apprehended him, picked up a rope and tied him up in the corner.


    ¡°This is your last chance. Tell me, why are you stealing?! Don¡¯t gimme that short on money excuse! Just spit it out. Why are you short on money, exactly?¡±


    Never in Li Yuquan¡¯s life was he this scared before. He had been very confident in his own strength, especially combat. He won the championship in the army and had been crowned as the king of fighting by many people. Yet, he couldn¡¯t even fight back the middle-aged man in front of him and had been completely routed easily instead. Was¡­ this¡­ even possible?


    Could it be that¡­ the former senior members of the Blue Eagle special force were such dreadful fighters?


    ¡°I need money to save my wife and kid.¡± Li Yuquan was silent for a few minutes and replied with gritted teeth and an unwilling face.


    ¡°Come again? You need 2 million yuan to save your wife and kid?¡± Wen Liang sneered.


    ¡°Huh? Have you been right behind me ever since I came inside?¡± Li Yuquan blurted out in surprise.


    ¡°Yup.¡± Wen Liang nodded.


    With a respectful face, Li Yuquan replied, ¡°I really can¡¯t understand why the Blue Eagle special force just let you leave like that give your strength. Anyhow, I told you the truth. I really need 2 million yuan since I don¡¯t have much time. I¡¯ll give that bastard the money the moment I got it, and only then will he let my wife and kid go.¡±


    ¡°And, who exactly is this bastard ?¡± asked Wen Liang with a frown.


    ¡°Chang Zhao, Chang Guoxin¡¯s nephew,¡± answered Li Yuquan.


    Wen Liang¡¯s eyes flickered and he slowly said, ¡°Chang Guoxin, huh? He was a senior colonel then, so he should have some stars on his shoulders now, shouldn¡¯t he? But I don¡¯t think his nephew is in the military, though. That¡¯s why I¡¯m curious, why did his nephew kidnap your wife and kid, and also want you to pay 2 million as their ransom?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m the victim of the factional battle,¡± said Li Yuquan coldly.


    Wen Liang nodded in response and brought his phone out. He dialed a cell number and spoke after the other party connected, ¡°Cap¡¯, God¡¯s Nectar Store 06 just got a special situation, so I need you to come here.¡±

 Chapter 1136 - Facts One Wishes to Hide

    Chapter 1136: Facts One Wishes to Hide


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The solidly tied-up Li Yuquan naturally could hear the contents of the phone call. He was just shocked by Wen Liang¡¯s strength, but then the ¡°Captain¡± address came from his mouth made him feel terrible.


    Who¡¯s he? Who¡¯s qualified to be this man¡¯s captain given his strength?


    He suddenly realized that he seemed to have fallen into a great whirlpool, wherein he would run into a meat grinder, or better yet, an opportunity. After seeing Wen Liang hang up the phone, he asked again, ¡°Who exactly are you?¡±


    ¡°Who I am, huh?¡± Wen Liang smilingly said, ¡°That¡¯s not something you¡¯re qualified to know. Someone will quickly come over to identify you. Just hope you got some good luck so you can keep your life, boy.¡±


    Li Yuquan drew a deep breath and replied, ¡°I always knew what kind of ending I¡¯d face¡ªit¡¯s nothing but death. But can I ask you one thing before I die?¡±


    ¡°I know what you gotta ask me, but no, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Wen Liang lightly shook his head. ¡°I got my own duty, so I can¡¯t save your family.¡±


    In that instant, Li Yuquan¡¯s face seemed to have lost the spirit to live, deep despair rising inside him. But he couldn¡¯t accept it. Even if he couldn¡¯t kill that bastard who kidnapped his wife and kid, he wanted his wife and child to be safe! Unwilling, he begged. ¡°Please, we both were members of the Blue Eagle special force and you¡¯re also my senior. I know it¡¯s wrong to steal, but it¡¯s not like I can really help it.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have come here as it should¡¯ve been very easy for you to get 2 million given your ability.¡± Wen Liang shook his head and said, ¡°I just don¡¯t get it. You¡¯ve always stressed that you got no time left. What¡¯s that for, though? Are you afraid that Chang Zhao will really kill one of your family members to make you pay the ransom?¡±


    Li Yuquan let out a mirthless and miserable smile. ¡°Chang Zhao won¡¯t do so shortly since it¡¯s been me who he wants to deal with. The reason why he wants 2 million is that he wants to destroy me mentally. When I stressed that I got no time is that there¡¯s also another wrong deed I¡¯ve done.¡±


    ¡°Did you murder someone?¡± asked Wen Liang with a faint smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s more serious than that.¡± Li Yuquan shook his head.


    With a surprised look, Wen Liang said, ¡°Then tell me about it. If your reply can surprise, I can plead with the Cap¡¯ for you. Maybe it will touch his kindness and he¡¯ll just let you go.¡±


    Li Yuquan¡¯s eyes lit up before they dimmed again. Then, he shook his head and said, ¡°I just can¡¯t say it. Only a dead-end remains once I do. Senior Wen Liang, I rarely asked help from anyone in all my life, but please, I beg you to help me save my wife and kid. If the afterlife does really exist, I, Li Yuquan, will definitely repay your kindness.¡±


    ¡°I already told you that I¡¯m bound with my own duty. I definitely got no time to help you save them.¡± Wen Liang shook his head. ¡°But of course you can ask the Cap. I can move if he gives me permission.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s your captain?¡± asked Li Yuquan hurriedly.


    ¡°His identity isn¡¯t something you can know.¡± Wen Liang shook his head and said, ¡°But I can give you advice, boy. Don¡¯t ask any questions such as ¡®who are you¡¯ for it will not be beneficial for you and instead speed up your chance to meet your death.¡±


    Is it some mysterious organization or something?


    Li Yuquan suddenly realized the possibility of such a situation. His bright eyes when he looked at Wen Liang now turned completely different.


    Twenty minutes later, the door was pushed open from the outside as a sturdy middle-aged man with a cold face came inside. His expression moved ever so slightly when he saw Li Yuquan inside.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Li Yuquan¡¯s pupils suddenly shrunk after seeing the man, looking horrified and panicked. He just couldn¡¯t believe his eyes since the man was someone he had long thought to be dead. But now, he appeared before him in perfect condition. Moreover, he was also the man Wen Liang addressed as Cap.


    This¡­ what exactly is going on here? How did the former soul of the army and the once unshakable King of Soldiers appear here?


    It was Lang Tou, nicknamed Wolf Head, who was summoned to China by the order to assist Jin Shi to establish the intelligence network in China. He squinted after seeing the tied-up Li Yuquan and glanced at We Liang. ¡°You got me into some shit here.¡±


    ¡°Trouble? How come?¡± Wen Liang was confused.


    Wolf Heald snorted coldly. ¡°Hmph. He knows me, kind of way back then. Isn¡¯t that right, Yuquan boy?¡±


    Lips squirming, Li Yuquan tremblingly said, ¡°Wolf¡­ No, instructor, weren¡¯t you killed in action when carrying out a mission abroad?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only the statement from the army.¡± Wolf Head shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already left the army then, in fact. But¡­ how did you come to be here?¡±


    ¡°He snuck in to steal some things, Cap¡¯, and I caught him red-handed,¡± answered Wen Liang. ¡°Anyhow, he¡¯s your old acquaintance, so let me do the killings so as not to expose your identity. I¡¯ll destroy his dead body and leave no trace.¡±


    Wolf Head stopped him and incredulously looked at Li Yuquan. ¡°You stealing? You rushed here just to steal things?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in dire need of cash since my wife and kid are kidnapped. I need 2 million to get them back,¡± said Li Yuquan bitterly.


    Wolf Head was silent for a moment and rubbed his temple, looking to have a bit of a headache. Absolute secrecy must be in place to keep his current identity, but he was now recognized by Li Yuquan. Unless he killed this fella, he really was at a loss for what to do.


    Stealing was but a minor thing, as they could be dealt with as a lesson taught.


    However, his identity was likely to be exposed should Li Yuquan be released; he didn¡¯t want to see such an outcome. He even believed that it was not something Sect Master Tang Xiu wanted to see either.


    Pa¡­


    Wolf Head took out a cigarette and a lighter. A sharp dagger flashed and cut off the rope tying Li Yuquan. Afterward, he lit a cigarette and took a few deep puffs before saying, ¡°I¡¯m gonna call someone first.¡±


    At the Blue Starfish Mansion.


    Tang Xiu, who had just fallen asleep, was disturbed by the ringing of his mobile phone. He looked at the caller on the screen and picked up the call. ¡°What¡¯s up, Wolf Head?¡±


    ¡°I got a situation here, Sect Master. My identity just got discovered by an old acquaintance of mine.¡± Wolf Head¡¯s forced amiable voice was heard from the phone.


    ¡°Do you even need to report this kind of thing to me? Just seal off his mouth directly like what you always do. If that¡¯s no good, just remove him directly,¡± said Tang Xiu apathetically.


    ¡°Sect Master, he used to be my cadet in the army and a sharp soldier I looked after. I just can¡¯t kill him even if I want to. Also, the situation is a bit special as he¡¯s currently at our #06 God¡¯s Nectar Store,¡± explained Wolf Head with a bitter voice.


    ¡°Huh? How did he get there?¡± asked Tang Xiu with furrowed brows.


    ¡°He came to steal things and got knocked out by Wen Liang on the spot,¡± said Wolf Head.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell he¡¯s a great soldier in the army and someone you felt optimistic? Why is he stealing, and stealing our things in the first place?¡± asked Tang Xiu with a strange voice.


    ¡°Li Yuquan¡¯s family members got kidnapped and he needs quite a sum of money for the ransom,¡± explained Wolf Head. ¡°It¡¯s kind of a coincidence that he came to steal from our store, really. How do you think we should solve this problem?¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment and then slowly said, ¡°You got two choices. First, you completely seal off his mouth, regardless of what method you use. Second, you¡¯ll be grounded in the Nine Dragons Island and cannot leave for 10 years.¡±


    Having said that, he directly hung up and looked a bit angry, throwing the phone onto the bedside and lying down again.


    Suddenly, his expression slightly changed and a name emerged in his mind: Li Yuquan?


    In that instant, he grabbed his phone again, dialed Wolf Head¡¯s number, and quickly asked, ¡°Wolf Head, what did you say the name of the man you just caught was?¡±


    ¡°Li Yuquan.¡±


    Wolf Head was actually feeling bitter inwardly. At this moment when he was hesitating, Tang Xiu called him and he immediately answered his question respectfully.


    ¡°Li Yuquan? Once a soldier and just retired from the army this year?¡± Tang Xiu asked in a deep voice.


    Wolf Head went into the room and asked Li Yuquan, and then answered, ¡°That¡¯s right. He just retired this year.¡±


    ¡°Ask him immediately if it was him who stole the Aeroglider from the army.¡± Tang Xiu ordered in a deep voice.


    Wolf Head was unaware of what this Aeroglider was, but he still asked Li Yuquan as per his instructions. ¡°Answer me a question. Were you the one who stole the Aeroglider from the army?¡±


    The Aeroglider?


    Li Yuquan was shaken and desperation filled his whole being. He knew that he had been completely exposed. His only hope was to ask Wolf Head to save his wife and child, so he nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. I was the one who stole it and gave it to the Blue Starfish Mansion to auction.¡±


    Tang Xiu could hear Li Yuquan¡¯s answer through the phone. He suddenly felt somewhat at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh at this moment. Duanmu Lin went all out to search for Li Yuquan, yet he didn¡¯t expect that the man actually fell into one of his men instead. The funniest thing was that he was arrested by his men for stealing the property of his God¡¯s Nectar Store.


    His family got kidnapped?


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment while listening to Wolf Head¡¯s report from the phone. Various thoughts filled his mind. He didn¡¯t want to hand Li Yuquan over to Duanmu Lin directly. The latter had literally used too many channels just to arrest Li Yuquan, so if he were to find oud that he caught them ahead of time, Duanmu Lin would definitely suspect that his intel network had even exceeded that of the state¡¯s intelligence agency.


    Duanmu Lin himself wouldn¡¯t press nor take him on due to being afraid of the consequence to some extent given his current power. But once the man realized that he had such a terrifying intel network, his wariness towards him would definitely soar and he would use all his resources and power to investigate his intel network just like he was treating the Darkwind Organization now. It was even likely that he would resort to some unwanted moves.


    After a long while, Tang Xiu said in a deep voice, ¡°Wolf Head, escort this Li Yuquan to the Bluestar Villa in secret. Bear in mind that all the intel operatives of the state in all of China are now searching for him. You must be sure to keep out of their radar!¡±


    ¡°Copy that!¡±

 Chapter 1137 - Wolf Head’s Suggestion

    Chapter 1137: Wolf Head¡¯s Suggestion


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    Tang Xiu hung up and looked at Ouyang Lulu, whose eyes stared wide at him. He forced a wry smile at her and said, ¡°You just heard the call, so I gotta leave and deal with this issue myself. Lulu, you stay here. I¡¯ll go to Paradise Manor to find you after I¡¯m done with this issue.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you give Li Yuquan directly to Duanmu Lin, though?¡± asked Ouyang Lulu curiously.


    While watching Ouyang Lulu¡¯s expression, Tang Xiu explained the concerns he had inside to her and finally said, ¡°The most important thing is to make Li Yuquan seal his mouth. It¡¯s the sole reason for us to find him, to begin with. That¡¯s why I need to deal with it by myself, so I can rest assured.¡±


    Ouyang Lulu could tell the seriousness of the matter and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going with you too! Else, Duanmu Lin will be very curious if you leave all of sudden and leave me here alone.¡±


    Tang Xiu gave it a thought and said, ¡°Alright, then. But you can¡¯t go back to the Bluestar Villa with me. I don¡¯t want to get you involved in this matter.¡±


    ¡°You go directly to the Bluestar Villa. I¡¯m heading straight to Paradise Manor,¡± said Ouyang Lulu smilingly.


    Tang Xiu felt a bit sorry for her because he didn¡¯t know whether Mu Wanying would return to the Bluestar Villa to rest in the evening. But if she was really there and he took Ouyang Lulu back with him, then he could expect a big headache.


    ****


    At the #06 God¡¯s Nectar Store.


    After hanging up, Wolf Head looked at Li Yuquan and said, ¡°If my guess is not mistaken, my Boss will move to rescue your wife and kid. But you must take a trip with me and go see him in person.¡±


    ¡°Your Boss?¡±


    Li Yuquan¡¯s mouth twitched a few times as the shock he felt inside got more intense. He truly couldn¡¯t figure out why would Wolf Head actually work for someone else given his personality and strength. Further, Wolf Head was also very respectful to this ¡°Boss¡± of his given his expression.


    He wanted to ask the man who his Boss was. But when he recalled the warning from Wan Liang before, he could only put that intense curiosity away and noddingly say, ¡°I can accept everything even if you directly kill me afterward so long as it can save my wife and kid.¡±


    Wolf Head patted his shoulder and said, ¡°You¡¯re a man, and I can tell you got some hard time abound. Let¡¯s go! And tell everything to the Boss about your situation. He¡¯s always been a reasonable man and he¡¯ll definitely make the arrangements.¡±


    The night pointed to 1 AM.


    Tang Xiu was back at Bluestar Villa. When he came to the meeting room, he saw Wolf Head and Li Yuquan inside. As he shot a gaze at the latter, he lightly asked, ¡°Are you that Li Yuquan? The one who stole the Aeroglider from the army?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± Li Yuquan nodded.


    ¡°There¡¯s something that piqued my curiosity, though. Where did you get the guts to do that?¡± asked Tang Xiu, ¡°You must know that the Aeroglider is now a very top secret of the military and ordinary soldiers are impossible to know anything about it. How did you know it and even successfully steal it?¡±


    ¡°I used to be a member of the Blue Eagle special force and the captain of the team,¡± explained Li Yuquan. ¡°There have been power struggles among my superiors, wherein I got framed and sacrificed as a victim. But the top brass of the opposite side won the game, so he instructed his nephew outside to make my life miserable. Therefore, this nephew of his kidnapped my wife and kid and demanded 2 million as ransom.¡±


    ¡°2 million yuan can get them back?¡± Tang Xiu frowned.


    ¡°The odds are perhaps only 1% and even less than that,¡± said Li Yuquan bitterly. ¡°Still, I need to know where my wife and kid are, as I¡¯m going to take them back if they don¡¯t let them go. I may be a bit afraid if I were to clash with some experts from foreign countries, but I¡¯m confident I can solve those who kidnapped my family easily.¡±


    ¡°Pity that you won¡¯t the chance,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°The state¡¯s intel network has been fully deployed to find your traces all over the world, literally. You¡¯ll be arrested once you¡¯re found and you may even be killed on the spot.¡±


    ¡°I understand that,¡± replied Li Yuquan. ¡°But still, this is a gamble I must take. I just never thought that I¡¯d lose so badly.¡±


    ¡°In actuality, it¡¯s not like you can decide whether you can win or lose in this matter.¡± Tang Xiu shook his head. ¡°If anything, I can help you if you promise to follow a condition of mine.¡±


    Li Yuquan¡¯s eyes lit up. What he was most looking forward to was getting a commitment, so he said, ¡°I¡¯ll agree to any condition as long as you can save my wife and kid. I can even give my life for you. I won¡¯t even blink if you want to kill me.¡±


    ¡°A corpse is useless to me, mind you,¡± replied Tang Xiu indifferently. ¡°I can save your wife and kid. You have my guarantee that I can save them as long as they¡¯re still alive. The only condition I have for you is once I save your family, you must take the initiative to expose your whereabouts. Make it look like you¡¯re walking into the trap of those from intel agency.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    Li Yuquan was dumbfounded. What kind of condition was this? He could just give himself directly to the person who caught him if he wanted to!


    ¡°I¡¯m not done yet,¡± continued Tang Xiu. ¡°After you¡¯ve entered the trap, you mustn¡¯t say anything about seeing me and neither will you tell anything about Wolf Head and the God¡¯s Nectar exclusive store.¡±


    ¡°You can count my word on that!¡± promised Li Yuquan without hesitation.


    Tang Xiu nodded and went on, ¡°Alright, but you must be aware that only a dead-end awaits you once you¡¯ve entered the trap. But maybe I can save your life if I stretch my hand on this matter.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m at your command,¡± replied Li Yuquan respectfully.


    Tang Xiu smiled slightly and extended a finger. ¡°There is one last question from me. You must answer honestly and hide nothing.¡±


    ¡°Please do ask!¡± said Li Yuquan solemnly.


    ¡°Did you tell anyone else about the Aeroglider save the auction organizer?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°No.¡± Li Yuquan shook his head and said, ¡°Just to get rid of that Aeroglider, it took me painstaking efforts to find out the auction at the Blue Starfish Mansion, to begin with. Besides, this stuff is too important for me to tell others that easily. I didn¡¯t even tell the auctioneer the entire functions of the Aeroglider when I explained it to him.¡±


    It was something Tang Xiu was aware of, so he nodded. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it. Now tell me where your wife and kid are being held, or the number I can contact the other party with.¡±


    ¡°I got it saved in my cell phone,¡± said Li Yuquan. ¡°That guy told me to call it once I have the money. But I don¡¯t know where they are.¡±


    Tang Xiu squinted and said, ¡°You can immediately call him now and tell him that you already got the money and ask where the exchange will be carried out.¡±


    Following Tang Xiu¡¯s instructions, Li Yuquan quickly dialed the number but nobody picked up his call. He called for five ties and it was still the same.


    ¡°That guy is very likely to be sleeping at this hour,¡± said Tang Xiu. ¡°Let¡¯s just wait since we can¡¯t contact him now. You are to rest here tonight and then contact the other party early in the morning.¡±


    After dealing with Li Yuquan, Tang Xiu brought Wolf Head to his study. As both men lit up their cigarettes, Tang Xiu sighed. ¡°You can expect to see fights wherever there are people. It seems that the struggle for power and profits in the army is much more serious than I thought. Given Li Yuquan¡¯s abilities, he would¡¯ve been able to solve tons of problems for the country and carry out missions many people cannot had he continued to stay in the army. For a soldier with such good abilities to end up in this predicament is truly unfortunate.¡±


    ¡°I used to be in the inner circle myself, Sect Master. I naturally understand the situation inside.¡± Wolf Head sneered. ¡°Li Yuquan is truly unfortunate, indeed, but the opposite party is simply disgusting. People said that worst misfortune may be fallen onto your wife and kid when such a situation arises, but to think that the other party actually kidnapped Li Yuquan¡¯s family is outright despicable.¡±


    ¡°They seem to be using him as a warning to others,¡± said Tang Xiu faintly.


    ¡°But do you really want to keep his life, Sect Master?¡± asked Wolf Head while hesitating.


    ¡°This guy is in despair and he¡¯ll give his everything, even his life, once we receive him after this. Besides, he¡¯s a talented man and very likely to become a great talent if nurtured well,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯d like to thank you on his behalf, Sect Master,¡± said Wolf Head gratefully.


    ¡°No. Don¡¯t thank me.¡± Tang Xiu waved and said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t just sit idly by if I happened to run into some ordinary people whose wives and kids were kidnapped before my eyes. However, Li Yuquan is a special case since I need to ask a favor from Duanmu Lin. Alright, let¡¯s save the talk for the time being. Tell me about the specific progress of the preparation Jin Shi has been carrying out to set up the intelligence network. At which step you¡¯re at now?¡±


    ¡°I just came over for less than a week, so I¡¯m not too clear about the details either,¡± replied Wolf Head respectfully. ¡°But one thing is certain. We¡¯ve bought a lot of people in the southern region of China and already have the foundation laid out. Additionally, there¡¯s another thing. Jin Shi has broken through to the Golden Core Stage.¡±


    ¡°I know about the entire situation as well.¡± Tang Xiu nodded and said, ¡°I entrusted the establishment of our intel network to Jin Shi since I think he can do it well. But since you¡¯re back to the mainland now, you should also help him and work hard to lay out the entire intel network in entire China in the shortest possible time. Afterward, I want you to set up the web for the network in every corner of the world.¡±


    ¡°But more haste will lead to less speed, Sect Master.¡± Wolf Head argued.


    ¡°Sigh, I know that. I don¡¯t need you to say it to me!¡± Tang Xiu sighed. ¡°Now, the only way left is to provide the funds and pour it away. I¡¯m sure Jin Shi can still do a good job on this basis.¡±


    ¡°I have a suggestion, or you can say a recommendation, Boss.¡± Wolf Head hesitated. ¡°But I dunno how to say it.¡±


    ¡°You got a suggestion? What is it?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°Our sect has a lot of inner disciples, but the number of the outer ones is far too few, I think.¡± Wolf Head said, ¡°Excluding those children we¡¯ve been raising up, we only got a few hundreds of them out there. If we want to develop the sect, I think we should secretly train and foster some capable people such as some businessmen in China.¡±

 Chapter 1138 - Bold and Presumptuous

    Chapter 1138: Bold and Presumptuous


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    The saying went that collective power was like steel and the wisdom of all was like the sun and the moon. Tang Xiu had experienced thousands of years of life, so how could he not understand the meaning of this sentence? One individual was but solitary and two would be greatly empowered, but three people would be able to move a river. The enemies he needed to face in the future were all extremely powerful¡ªsome Supremes of the Immortal World who could summon a lot of experts at their beck and call. It was simply close to impossible to completely crush all the enemies if he were to face them alone even if he could regain his peak cultivation level.


    However, if he had more subordinates and fostered a large number of powerhouses himself, his future revenge would be much easier. In other words, if his enemies had tens of thousands of powerhouses under their flags, then he must have tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of subordinates.


    Ants may be small, but countless of them could still kill elephants.


    The realization made Tang Xiu immediately adopt Wolf Head¡¯s suggestion to recruit a group of subordinates with prominent identities. After all, money, power, and influence could not be discarded if one wanted to set up a secondary ring of ordinary members.


    However, he needed to carefully consider the person who would carry out this mission. After all, this was a matter of secret wherein any trace of it could never be disclosed.


    When Wolf Head saw Tang Xiu¡¯s thoughtful expression, he knew that Tang Xiu was considering his suggestion. He hesitated for a while and went on in a low voice, ¡°Sect Master, I think this matter doesn¡¯t need to be rushed for the time being. You¡¯ll need in-depth cooperation with our intel network if you want to pick up some people with a clean yet prominent identity. The intelligence network we¡¯ve set up is but only at the embryonic form at this moment, and the most urgent task at hand is still building up our network. Only after our intel network has been completely set up will it be the best time to put this plan into motion.¡±


    ¡°What you said makes sense.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°But you missed some issues. The intelligence network can¡¯t just be established at the bottom of society only. We literally need people at all levels of society, all walks of life, and with distinct levels of identity. Otherwise, some information won¡¯t be accessed, save for those illustrious and wealthy bigwigs with prominent identities. Alright, contact Jin Shi to immediately leave for Shanghai. I¡¯ll assign him to manage this issue.¡±


    After hearing the order, Wolf Head respectfully nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll contact him at once.¡±


    At this moment, only then did Wolf Head thoroughly understand that his thoughts were too narrow and his perspective was flawed. Where did intelligence come from? It naturally came from the intel operatives, and the operatives were trained to blend in all levels of society, which had many levels and circles, many of whom could not have access to information nor be able to obtain it.


    Early in the morning.


    An ordinary Buick sedan drove into the Bluestar Villa Complex and two young men hurriedly rushed into Tang Xiu¡¯s villa, where they soon saw him having his breakfast.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    The two youths glanced at Mu Wanying, who was accompanying Tang Xiu for breakfast, and one of them then respectfully called out.


    Tang Xiu lightly said, ¡°You can report anything in front of Wanying. There¡¯s no need to hide anything from her. Tell me about the investigation I asked you to carry out last night. What¡¯s the result?¡±


    A young man took out a stack of documents from his briefcase and handed it to Tang Xiu. ¡°Chang Guoxin is a Major General posted at the Southern Military Region. He¡¯s also the most powerful person and the Head of the Changs from Beijing. His backer¡­ House Tang of Beijing, who helped him win the power struggle in the Southern Army, which is also considered as the victory of the Tangs. Also, according to some reliable sources, Chang Guoxin is likely to go further in his military career with another star on his shoulder. As for Chang Zhao, he regarded and raised his nephew as his own son since he doesn¡¯t have one. Pity for him that Chang Zhao doesn¡¯t have what it takes to be a soldier and the latter has been relying on his relationship with his uncle and the support from his father¡¯s company and taking advantage of this connection to commit some atrocities. But since¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop. I¡¯ll read the documents myself later.¡± Tang Xiu interrupted him and said, ¡°What I want to know is, where Li Yuquan¡¯s wife and kids are being held now?¡±


    ¡°They are now in the Lotus Leaf Teahouse, Western suburb,¡± answered the young man.


    Tang Xiu thought for a while and then shook his head. ¡°A rat¡¯s shit spoils the whole pot of soup. What a wake-up call this sentence is. Chang Guoxin has been fostered by House Tang, so he¡¯s one of ours, yet his nephew is a waste. It seems to me that he needs to be cured.¡±


    He waved to the two intel operatives, hinting for them to leave, and accompanied Mu Wanying to finish the rest of their breakfast. As he cleaned off the corner of his mouth, he smilingly said, ¡°I got things to deal with today, so you can tend to yours too! Also, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t spend more time with you since I¡¯m going to be very busy for some time which requires me to run about all over the country.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, I know you¡¯re a busy man.¡± Mu Wanying chuckled and said, ¡°No worries, I can take care of myself, so you can tend your things.¡±


    Tang Xiu smiled in response and got up. He raised his hand and caressed her soft hair before he turned around and left. After he came to the living room, he looked at Wolf Head who was sitting on the sofa and spoke to him in a deep voice, ¡°Take Li Yuquan. We¡¯re heading to the Lotus Leaf Teahouse in the Western suburbs. Also, if Jin Shi has arrived, tell him to catch up with us there.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Wolf Head knew that Tang Xiu had taken an action and immediately ran to another villa outside.


    Soon after, two cars quickly left the Bluestar Villa Complex under Mu Wanying¡¯s gaze.


    ****


    Western suburbs of Shanghai, at the Lotus Leaf Teahouse.


    The three-floored antique teahouse was a richly ornamented building with an elegant and classic atmosphere. A rockery was laid out in the hall of the first floor with a pruned ingenious old tree next to it with a few birds chirping on its lush branches.


    The second floor was a private dining box area. Each room was quite spacious and the classical interior design and decoration were full of charm, much like the ancient study room. In the middle of the third floor was the office area where the general manager¡¯s office was located, surrounded by a scenic viewing tearoom used to sit to enjoy the beautiful scenery outside.


    Inside the hundred-square-meter general manager¡¯s office, a graceful woman dressed in a qipao sat lazily on the sofa with a woman¡¯s cigarette clamped between her fingers. Her strikingly sensual red lips that decorated her oval face breathed out spiraling smoke upward as she spoke to the young man in front her with a slightly hoarse voice, ¡°Chang Zhao, you know what Big Sis is always wary and afraid of, don¡¯t you? It¡¯s troublesome things. Yet you actually brought those two seeds of disasters to me. What do you think you¡¯re doing? This place is not some den to hide filth.¡±


    With his back facing the woman, Chang Zhao was watching the lake scenery outside the window. He slowly shook his head and a smile appeared on his handsome face after he turned around. ¡°Such a serious remark, Sis Xue. This mother and son are just pitiful people, chess pieces in the game I¡¯m playing. No worries, though! It won¡¯t take long before someone redeems them.¡±


    The belle elegantly drew out the smoke as she shook her head and rebuked. ¡°A kidnapping is not a minor crime. If the other party calls the police, even your uncle will face some troubles to protect you. Just tell me one thing, why can¡¯t you just stay peaceful for a while and make less trouble for your uncle?¡±


    Chang Zhao shrugged and said, ¡°My uncle has been very busy recently. If this minor issue can cause trouble for him, I¡¯m all happy about that. Besides, he¡¯s gonna lose his spirit if he got too idle. What¡¯s more, Li Yuquan¡¯s life is already miserable, to begin with, since the chief reason behind it was my uncle, no? Well, since uncle also doesn¡¯t want him to have an easy time, then why should I be kind to him?¡±


    The woman forced a smile and shook her head. ¡°Your social bond principle truly is different from everyone else, kiddo. Let¡¯s cut the crap. Take it slow since you took this game on. But bear in mind to never touch that woman nor injure that kid, got it?¡±


    Chang Zhao¡¯s smiling face receded and he coldly replied, ¡°That woman may be a beauty, but don¡¯t think she can enter this young master¡¯s eyes. But that kid must be punished since he nearly made my legs break. Xiao Hu has already taken action since he gave that boy a lesson. Just hope he can still stand perfectly now.¡±


    The lazy look on the woman¡¯s face gradually disappeared, and she looked to have a bit of a headache and rubbed her temples. Then, she forced a wry smile and said, ¡°An anxious rabbit may bite, I¡¯m sure you know that too. Li Yuquan is the captain of the Blue Eagle special force. I believe you¡¯re also perfectly aware of what he¡¯s capable of. If you got his son beaten so badly, he¡¯ll likely crush you all when he can.¡±


    ¡°Heh, just him alone?¡± Chang Zhao jeered. ¡°Hmph¡­ he¡¯s even lower than a rabbit in my eyes. At best, he¡¯s just a trampled soft shrimp. I¡¯ll make him taste what true despair is if he dares to go ballistic at me.¡±


    ¡°Alas¡­¡±


    The woman shook her head yet again and closed her eyes. Facing such broken stuff like this Chang Zhao guy was truly too much for her to bear. In any case, she had already advised and persuaded this fella, so it would be left to his own uncle to wipe off the filth he created once an accident happened. It was truly regrettable¡­ for such a heroic man that hadn¡¯t been blessed by a son until now. Otherwise, how could he treat such a bastard like this fella as a treasure?


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    A phone on the table suddenly rang.


    The female opened her eyes again and reluctantly grabbed the phone. She looked at the caller displayed on the screen and lightly said, ¡°Haven¡¯t I just told you that you¡¯re to take care of everything, Manager Bai? I just came back from another region and am so dead tired that I don¡¯t have the strength to speak!¡±


    ¡°Someone is inciting trouble here, Boss.¡± Manager Bai¡¯s voice was heard from the phone.


    The woman stared blankly with slightly furrowed brows and then asked, ¡°Who is it? Don¡¯t we have security guards in our teahouse? They can¡¯t deal with it?¡±


    ¡°These people¡¯s skills are very powerful and the four security guards on duty can¡¯t fight them back at all and got knocked out,¡± said Manager Bai. ¡°They¡­ they are already on the second floor. I¡¯m afraid they¡¯ll be on the third floor soon. Would you like to hide first, Boss?¡±


    ¡°Who are these people, exactly?¡± asked the woman in a heavy voice.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who they are, but the young man leading them looks kinda familiar.¡± Manager Bai shook his head.


    The woman was silent for a short while and then indifferently said, ¡°Notify the security team and tell them to rush over as fast as possible. They dare to make trouble in my own place, yet I must hide from them? I¡¯d be a worm if I don¡¯t throw that man out!¡±


    After hanging up, she looked at the curious Chang Zhao as she sat up straight and said, ¡°Call your men at once. Someone is here to make trouble and will arrive here very soon!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±

 Chapter 1139 - Who Do You Think You’re?

    Chapter 1139: Who Do You Think You¡¯re?


    Translator: Exodus Tales  Editor: Exodus Tales


    BAM¡­


    The door was kicked from the outside as Wolf Head and Li Yuquan strode into the room. Under the watchful eyes of Chang Zhao and the woman, Tang Xiu then leisurely followed.


    The woman¡¯s expression shifted. She had seen Li Yuquan¡¯s photo and could recognize him at once, but she couldn¡¯t tell who Wolf Head and Tang Xiu were.


    ¡°Who are you, people?¡±


    She paced two steps forward and immediately asked indifferently upon seeing Tang Xiu, who she felt was rather extraordinary.


    Tang Xiu just slightly glanced at her before his eyes immediately landed on Chang Zhao. He came to the guy¡¯s side in a few steps and pushed him onto the sofa. Then, he lit a cigarette and lightly said, ¡°Are you that Chang Zhao, huh?¡±


    Chang Zhao himself thought that Tang Xiu somewhat looked familiar, but he couldn¡¯t remember where he had seen him. But Tang Xiu¡¯s push made him incensed and he coldly snorted. ¡°Hmph, where the hell such hoodlum like you came from, huh? Do you wanna stand up for this surnamed Li or something?¡±


    ¡°You got that right. I¡¯m gonna stand up for him.¡± Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°People do say that worst luck may happen to one¡¯s wife and children. I don¡¯t care if you make things hard for Li Yuquan, but threatening him with his wife and kid is against the custom.¡±


    ¡°Heh, rules are set by the powerful.¡± Chang Zhao sneered. ¡°Li Yuquan is nothing but a wretched worm¡ªa chess piece that just got thrown away. Hey, Kiddo. I don¡¯t give a damn who you are, but you had better poke your nose somewhere else and don¡¯t meddle with my business, else you¡¯ll end up more miserable than Li Yuquan!¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me, by chance?¡±


    Tang Xiu drew the smoke from the cigarette and sneered. ¡°I could¡¯ve killed you right here and now if you didn¡¯t have a good uncle. Alright, I won¡¯t bother myself bickering with you. Give me Li Yuquan¡¯s wife and kid and I¡¯ll forget this issue. But you can expect a heavy smack if you dare commit such a despicable thing again in the future.¡±


    Squinting his eyes, Chang Zhao felt that this guy might be just trying to show off by coming here without much power to back him up. More so that he seemed to fear his uncle; such a thought made Chang Zhao furious. He turned around and walked to the opposite side of Tang Xiu, took sat on the sofa and raised his leg atop the other, sneering. ¡°Hmph. You know my uncle, Boy? Then you must know that I¡¯m not that easy to pick on. I¡¯ll keep you accompany in whatever you wanna play with me!¡±


    ¡°Who the hell do you think you are?¡±


    Tang Xiu looked at him like he was some kind of idiot. He shook his head and said, ¡°I¡¯ve read the information on your uncle, and he does have some minor abilities. But how can his relatives be so dumb?¡±


    Chang Zhao¡¯s face turned cold and he glowered. ¡°Tell me that again? Who the f**k are you? How dare you judge my uncle?¡±


    Pa¡­


    Jin Shi strode forward and slapped the fella and dragged him off the sofa, beating him and then throwing him on the floor.


    At this moment, four strong men rushed in from the outside. Seeing Chang Zhao being beaten, their complexions drastically changed and they stormed toward Chang Zao to help him up.


    Chang Zhao covered his cheek but didn¡¯t order his men to fight back. He knew Li Yuquan¡¯s identity as the former captain of the Blue Eagle special force with remarkable skills. It was impossible for his four men to be his match at all. He knew that he had to be patient. Only when a large number of Sis Xue¡¯s security guards came over would it be the time to retaliate.


    While touching his cheek, Chang Zhao suddenly grinned and smiled. He turned to Jin Shi, gave him a thumbs-up and coldly spoke, ¡°Someone hit me before and I got his arms cut off; another kicked me and I ordered my men to break their four limbs. This is not a threat, I¡¯m telling you a fact. You dare to come here to make trouble, so I presume you got something that can back you up. Now I give you the chance to make a call and exhaust every means you can think of to everyone you can contact. I¡¯m a schemer myself, but I¡¯m not gonna play such a game now but accompany you to play openly!¡±


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment, then slowly said, ¡°You¡¯re Chang Guoxin¡¯s nephew, so I¡¯m giving you a good lesson today: when you¡¯re facing enemies, be it them powerful hegemons or filthy ants, be very careful and investigate them first in detail, for you can never take any enemies lightly. You¡¯ll win every battle if you know your enemy and yourself. But if you take them lightly, you¡¯ll very likely drown and push yourself into the pit.¡±


    ¡°Heh, I don¡¯t need you to give me a sermon!¡± Chang Zhao mocked.


    Xue Zengmei, the female dressed in cheongsam, squirmed her sensual lips. Her eyes had been fixedly trained at Tang Xiu the moment he came into the room. She had been helping her father manage their security company secretly in recent years and spent a lot of time training security members. Therefore, she wasn¡¯t very well-informed about the news outside as she oftentimes went away for several months and rarely had contact with the outside world. It was the chief reason why she was unable to recognize who this young man was.


    Still, she was very confident in her ability to observe and judge people. Tang Xiu gave her a profound impression, yet it was like a superficial appearance regardless. However, she could sense an aura of someone from a high place from him through his every word and action, which made her secretly vigilant.


    ¡°Not bad.¡±


    Xue Zengmei found Tang Xiu approvable and finally commented. Although they were in a hostile situation at the moment, appreciation could be seen in her eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re not average, Mister. May I know your name?¡±


    Tang Xiu shot a glance at her again and indifferently replied, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know what courtesy is. Why don¡¯t you introduce yourself first before you ask others?¡±


    Xue Zengmei¡¯s expression slightly shifted, but she still answered nonetheless, ¡°My name is Xue Zengmei. You can call me Proprietress Xue or Ms. Xue. I¡¯m the owner of this teahouse.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the owner of this place, yet you¡¯re helping a hoodlum do his evil deeds here?¡± replied Tang Xiu apathetically. ¡°You can close your teahouse from today onward!¡±


    A cold light flashed in Xue Zengmei¡¯s eyes and she faintly said, ¡°Wanting me to shut this teahouse is possible, but do you have the power to make me afraid? Wouldn¡¯t I be a laughingstock if I shut my teahouse down just because of your empty statements?¡±


    Tang Xiu pointed to Chang Zhao and asked, ¡°Your power, or rather, the power behind you, which one is stronger than his?¡±


    After mulling over for a few seconds, Xue Zengmei slowly said, ¡°There¡¯s no choice between the two.¡±


    ¡°You said it¡¯s fairly equal. Then, if I can make this brat kowtow and apologize like a slave, can you say that I have the ability to make you shut down this teahouse?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Xue Zengmei was curious about Tang Xiu. She really wanted to see what this man could do. Could he really make Chang Zhao kowtow to him?


    Tang Xiu took out his mobile phone and found Chang Guoxin¡¯s cell number from the documents and dialed it afterward.


    At the Southern Military Barracks.


    Chang Guoxin had gotten up very early in the morning. Although he was now in a high position, he still maintained his exercising habit, so he still had a great physique. He had just finished his jogging and poured a glass of water when his phone on the table rang.


    He had been in a good mood recently since he was able to finally topple his sworn enemy thanks to House Tang¡¯s assistance. The news had even been passed down that he was very likely to go further. It must be noted that going higher was very difficult once one had achieved such a high position as him unless that person had support from a powerful backer. It was for this reason that he was getting closer to House Tang, and even dreading their power more.


    He had even made up his mind to keep hugging this big tree tightly as it was very possible to add two more stars on his shoulder in the future.


    ¡°Who the heck is calling at this hour?¡±


    Chang Guoxin grabbed the phone and saw the number displayed on the screen. It was an unfamiliar number, presumably from the Shanghai area, which made him immediately want to reject the call. But he thought that it could be from his cherished nephew who happened to be in Shanghai, so he hesitated. Finally, he picked it up and said, ¡°Who is this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Tang Xiu from House Tang,¡± an indifferent voice replied from the phone.


    Chang Guoxin was shaken inwardly and his eyes flickered. Although he was not a member of House Tang, he knew some facts about this family, especially the information on Tang Xiu. He was very clear that the aged patriarch of this house, Tang Guosheng, treated and fostered Tang Xiu as the heir and successor of the family. He even took this young man more seriously than his own three sons.


    His expression instantly changed at this moment. Due to Tang Xiu likely being the Head of House Tang in the future, he replied very humbly, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to call me, Young Master Tang. May I know if there¡¯s anything I can do for you?¡±


    ¡°Is Chang Zhao your nephew?¡± asked Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°He has caused a lot of troubles and he only got two ways before him now.¡±


    An earthquake shook Chang Guoxin¡¯s heart and he hastily replied, ¡°Did that Chang Zhao that bastard provoke you, Young Master Tang? If so, please rest assured. I¡¯ll teach him a lesson to make a formal apology to you.¡±


    ¡°Provoking me is just a minor issue. But I¡¯m going to give you your due respect and let this matter go this time,¡± said Tang Xiu faintly. ¡°The person he has provoked is someone from the state¡¯s Special Abilities Bureau. I¡¯m sure these people are no stranger to you, no?¡±


    GASP¡­


    Chang Guoxin drew a cold breath and said in shock, ¡°Young Master Tang, I do know some facts about the Special Abilities Bureau. They are a bunch of¡­ terrifying ability users. But you mentioned about two options before. May I know which one can keep that good-for-nothing brat¡¯s life?¡±


    ¡°The first one is to let those from the Special Abilities Bureau to investigate him and you can wait for him to be executed secretly,¡± said Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°The second one is to send him to a military court which he¡¯ll very likely be sentenced to death with a treason charge. No matter which one, these two roads before him will end up with his death. Certainly, I can also save his poor life, but he keeps yelling before my face, screaming arrogantly that he has an uncle who¡¯s an army general. Now you tell me, do I need to use my means for such a brat?¡±


    ¡°The military court?¡± Chang Guoxing hurriedly replied, ¡°How come there are other military courts? What exactly did he do, Young Master Tang? To think that¡­¡±

 1140 Kowtowing and Begging for Mercy

    Chapter 1140: Kowtowing and Begging for Mercy


    Translator: ;Exodus Tales ; ;Editor: ;Exodus Tales


    ¡°The military is investigating the theft of the Aeroglider and you should have access to some reliable and relevant information on that given your status, right?¡± said Tang Xiu coolly. ¡°The person who stole that Aeroglider is Li Yuquan, the captain of the Blue Eagle special force. Do you know why he took the risk to steal it?¡±


    ¡°Did Chang Zhao pull the strings?¡± asked Chang Guoxin in shock.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t pull the strings but rather force him to do so,¡± answered Tang Xiu lightly. ¡°Your cherished nephew kidnapped his wife and kid while extorting him 2 million yuan for them. You think you can cut off your relationship with him and rid yourself of the problem when those people above investigate it?¡±


    Chang Guoxin furiously shouted, ¡°How damn bold that bastard is! Young Master Tang, please find me a way to suppress this problem. That bastard brat. I¡­ I¡¯m going to give him a severe lesson!¡±


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s been acting quite arrogant and conceited before me, though. You gotta use your brain as for how to tell him,¡± added Tang Xiu.


    Having said that, Tang Xiu threw the phone to the incredulous-looking Chang Zhao and indifferently said, ¡°You wanna see the power I have and how many people do I have to call, right? I only need one phone call to make you kowtow and apologize to me. Pick it up! I¡¯m sure you can hear who the man I¡¯ve been speaking with is.¡±


    Chang Zhao¡¯s hands trembled as he caught the phone. If there were people in this world who could make him afraid, then his uncle, Chang Guoxin, was definitely one.


    ¡°Umm¡­¡±


    Chang Zhao tried to speak but was interrupted just after he began speaking.


    ¡°What ¡®umm¡¯ you bastard?! Do you know how much trouble you¡¯ve caused? House Tang is the top family that even I must curry favor with and rely on if I want to go further one or two ranks. Yet you dare to fight with Young Master Tang Xiu of House Tang? Who the hell gave you the balls, Goddammit?!!¡± Chang Guoxin¡¯s furious roar was heard from the phone.


    The Young Master of House Tang, Tang Xiu?!!


    Chang Zhao¡¯s face turned deathly white in an instant. Only then did he finally realize why he felt that Tang Xiu looked rather familiar the first time he saw him. It turned out he was ;that ;Tang Xiu of House Tang! The future successor of House Tang that the current Head had been fostering! He was also the owner of Magnificent Tang Corporation and hailed in China as the illustrious young Divine Doctor.


    I¡¯m done for!


    He had poked the hornet¡¯s nest. Even if he didn¡¯t die, he¡¯d be at least be skinned alive!


    The furious roar of his uncle came again from the phone. ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn what you do, but you must allay Young Master Tang¡¯s anger! And beg him to save your own sorry life! Else, I won¡¯t be able to save your ass and I¡¯ll even be implicated by you! You can even expect that I¡¯ll be stripped off of my military uniform!¡±


    Chang Zhao was dumbfounded and immediately panicked. ¡°Uncle, it won¡¯t go so far like¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°Bastard! Have you just gotten so idle since you¡¯re full already? Why the hell did you kidnap Li Yuquan¡¯s wife and kid? Do you know what he did for that 2 million? It¡¯s enough to behead you 100 times and you won¡¯t get away scot-free for forcing him to get the money. Now, listen to me. You can never imagine how huge Tang Xiu¡¯s identity is. I can¡¯t even save you, he¡¯s the only one who can save your ass now! You¡¯d better handle this problem well yourself, Brat. Or I¡¯ll definitely break your legs when you come back!¡±


    Chang Zhao¡¯s mind was so battered that he was scared out of his wits after the phone hung up. He looked at Tang Xiu and Li Yuquan with eyes full of intense fear.


    He had been very conceited indeed! But it didn¡¯t mean that he was desperate. He was even more vulnerable than ordinary people when he must face the threat of death himself. He perfectly realized that catastrophe had already fallen and only one person could save him now, which was Tang Xiu who he just offended.


    Drop¡­


    Pacing two steps forward to Tang Xiu¡¯s front, Chang Zhao directly knelt on the floor. Remorse could be seen on his handsome face along with worries. His lips squirmed and he said, ¡°Young Master Tang, this Chang Zhao¡¯s eyes truly failed to recognize Mt. Tai. I didn¡¯t recognize you before. It¡¯s all my fault, I shouldn¡¯t have done such despicable deeds. But please don¡¯t stoop down to my level. You¡­ you can beat and do whatever you like to me, but please rid of your anger and help me.¡±


    At the side, Xue Zengmei was completely dumbstruck. What Tang Xiu said on the phone had given her a bad feeling, and now her heart was full of turbulence and dread upon seeing how Chang Zhao was acting now.


    Young Master Tang? He¡¯s the Young Master of House Tang from Beijing to whom Chang Guoxin has been relying on?


    Only those surnamed Tang could make Chang Zhao beg like that after his rude remarks, right?


    Xue Zengmei shifted her vision from Chang Zhao¡¯s face to Tang Xiu¡¯s indifferent face. She felt that she should say something, but then recalled her own attitude and Chang Zhao¡¯s toward Tang Xiu before, causing her to swallow the words back.


    Speak what, exactly? Beg for Chang Zhao?


    It wasn¡¯t like Xue Zengmei was not aware of her own status. Her family may be closely related to the Changs, but they clearly had no relationship with House Tang whatsoever. Would even the other party respond to her if she asked for such a favor?


    Suddenly, she recalled Tang Xiu¡¯s request previously and slowly spoke, ¡°Mr. Tang, I apologize to you for my previous boldness. You can rest assured that I¡¯ll close my teahouse starting from today.¡±


    Tang Xiu shot her an indifferent glance and immediately replied, ¡°You can consider it that you¡¯ve learned a lesson. It¡¯s always better to suffer some losses than losing much more later. I want you to never reveal anything that happened today, else the lesson you¡¯ll get won¡¯t be as minor as this. You go out first!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t like Xue Zengmei didn¡¯t feel indignant. She may be a woman from an affluent rich family, but she had never relied on her own family all these years and had been a self-made woman instead. Never once had she ever been threatened by anyone. Yet, she also realized that Tang Xiu¡¯s power and abilities were not something she could fight against, so she could only forbear it while suppressing her anger inside as she turned around and left.


    Tang Xiu¡¯s eyes then shifted to Chang Zhao, who was kneeling in front of him, and said, ¡°If you knew it would be like this, then why did you do it the first place? Being young is all fine and great, but breaking the law and committing crimes is very shameful to your family. But less chitchat, release Li Yuquan¡¯s wife and kid.¡±


    Chang Zhao hurriedly complied and turned to the four dumbstruck and shocked bodyguards who were completely petrified. ¡°What the hell are you staring at? Just bring Li Yuquan¡¯s wife and kid here!¡±


    One of them looked hesitated and wryly smiled. ¡°The woman is fine, but his son¡­ umm, both his legs¡­ are broken. Don¡¯t you think we have to send him to the hospital first?¡±


    Chang Zhao¡¯s pupils shrunk and the chill that ran on his back filled his heart with fear.


    ¡°What did you say?!!¡±


    Li Yuquan¡¯s face was full of disbelief as he dashed to the bodyguard and grabbed his collar with a stare that was as though spitting flames.


    The bodyguard¡¯s lips wriggled as he blurted out, ¡°This can¡¯t be blamed on us. If you want to blame someone, blame your own son for being too ruthless even at such a tender age! Young Master Chang¡­ almost turned into a eunuch because he kicked him. I was on the scene at that time, so I witnessed everything. Young Master Chang rolled about on the floor and screamed about for a long time.¡±


    Li Yuquan released the guy and immediately turned around, ferociously staring daggers at Chang Zhao and shouted, ¡°My son is only 8 years old and he¡¯ll never hit people easily!¡±


    Chang Zhao glanced at Tang Xiu and forced a smile. ¡°Your son does look weak and doesn¡¯t look like a boy, but he¡¯s actually very ruthless and fierce. His kick made me unable to touch women for more than half a month. I was fortunate that I got sent to the hospital in time for treatment, or I wouldn¡¯t be able to touch any woman for the rest of my life.¡±


    Tang Xiu waved to interrupted them and said, ¡°Spare me the chitchat, will you? Just bring them over immediately. I¡¯m a medical practitioner myself, I can treat him if it¡¯s not some major problem.¡±


    Chang Zhao suddenly remembered Tang Xiu¡¯s identity and immediately nodded. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. Young Master Tang is a famous Divine Doctor in the country. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be able to heal your son given his abilities. And you guys, stop staring silly like that, will you? Quickly bring them over here¡­ please.¡±


    Quite quickly, Li Yuquan¡¯s wife and son were brought to the office. The woman was weeping as the couple met, whereas Li Yuquan¡¯s eyes were teary despite not crying.


    Bam¡­


    Li Yuquan, who had witnessed what Tang Xiu was capable of now, as well as learned that he was also an illustrious young Divine Doctor in China, directly knelt before Tang Xiu and said in tears, ¡°Mr. Tang, please help my son. He¡¯s still very young and his life will be ruined if he becomes disabled. My life may not be worth anything, but you can have it if you can heal him.¡±


    Tang Xiu sighed inwardly. The legs of this seven-plus-year-old boy were indeed seriously injured. His knees were even bleeding, apparently caused by a blunt weapon. Anyone with discerning eyes could tell that even the top medical treatment in the world wouldn¡¯t be able to make them recover. This boy could only live sitting in a wheelchair all his life.


    ¡°Are you sure you have really made up your mind on that?¡± asked Tang Xiu faintly.


    ¡°I am!¡± replied Li Yuquan categorically.


    Tang Xiu nodded. ¡°Tell that woman who was here before to immediately prepare some water, gauze, and gypsum board. If she doesn¡¯t have them, tell her to go to the nearby hospital to buy them immediately. All of you wait outside while I treat him.¡±


    After a while, only Tang Xiu and the boy whose eyes were full of tears remained in the office. The boy himself tried hard not to cry and tightly gripped his fists. His willpower was remarkable; not even a sound came out of his mouth no matter how painful it was.


    Tang Xiu didn¡¯t immediately treat him but looked at the boy leaning on the sofa and asked, ¡°Are you going to despair if you can only live in a wheelchair in the future?¡±


    The boy¡¯s lips shivered, but he shook his head without a word. Then, he said, ¡°I know my own reason for beating him and getting beaten. They want to make things difficult for my father. As long as they no longer target him, I¡¯ll accept the fact that I have to live with the wheelchair later.¡±


    ¡°Are you really ;that ;willing?¡± asked Tang Xiu again with a faint smile.


    ¡°I don¡¯t prefer that myself, but nothing I can do about it either.¡± The boy shook his head. ¡°Uncle, my legs hurt so much that the bones are exposed. I already know what I¡¯m going to be in the future, though I¡¯m indeed a bit sad¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you feeling sad for?¡± asked Tang Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to become a heroic man with an unyielding spirit like Dad,¡± answered the boy.

 1141 I Give You the Honor

    Tang Xiu stroked his small head and smilingly said, "I told you I can heal you, so I naturally can restore your condition. No worries, Kid. You''ll be a young man brimming with energy in the future."


    The boy''s eyes lit up, but he calmly observed Tang Xiu for a few seconds before he thoughtfully said, "Uncle, if my father works for you, then I''ll work for you in the future too."


    "Ah, hahaha!" Tang Xiu couldn''t help laughing. "Do you feel so honored working for me, though?"


    "I trust Dad''s vision, and I also feel that you''re a very powerful man." The boy said, "I can tell that the others are very afraid of you."


    Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh and asked again, "You can tell they''re very afraid of me? Where did you get that?"


    "There were five people in the room when I was brought here," explained the boy. "You''re one of them, with another one whose age is similar to yours. There''s something questionable in his eyes when he looked at you¡ªsomething only people would show when they face a terrifying person or grave problems. And Dad likely fears you too since he sometimes wanted to say something but didn''t say it. The other two people were looking at you with respect, but more like that it was respect out of fear."


    "Closely reasoned and well-argued. Never thought you could have such a good analysis, Kid." Tang Xiu smilingly said, "Anyhow, did you observe all these?"


    The boy nodded.


    Tang Xiu was a bit shocked inwardly. He didn''t expect that a child could have such a keen and powerful observation skill. It must be noted that he was in great pain now. Normal children would have screamed painfully already, and there was no way they would have any spare thoughts to observe everyone in the room, right?


    "Can you answer another question?" asked Tang Xiu slowly after a while.


    The boy nodded again.


    "You should be only eight years old now, right? And with your age, you should be in the second grade of primary school," said Tang Xiu. "Mind telling me about your academic scores?"


    A look of pride appeared on the boy''s face and he answered with a trace of pained expression, "I''ve always been the number one in the exam and ranked first among the 680 fourth graders in the schools."


    "Fourth grade?" Tang Xiu looked surprised.


    "Yeah, I skipped two grades," replied the boy.


    Tang Xiu gave a thumbs up and praised him. "Never thought that you''re a genius, kid. But that''s a given since a very capable Dad won''t have a good-for-nothing son. Your Dad is a very capable man, so you as his son won''t be that bad either."


    "Well, I want to be a Field Marshall in the future, so I have to work hard," said the boy.


    His reply made Tang Xiu at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh. He smiled at him and said, "There''s no such position as Field Marshall today, though. But nevermind that. Unless you can become the most powerful great man in our country."


    The boy''s expression turned slightly grim after hearing that.


    Quickly after, a bowl of warm water and a few clean towels and medical supplies such as gauze and gypsum board were sent to the room. As Xue Zengmei closed the room from the outside, Tang Xiu took a sharp dagger from the interspatial ring and cut the boy''s trousers. Then, he spoke, "It will be quite painful. Can you bear it?"


    The boy trembled a bit and then said, "Can you give me a towel?"


    Tang Xiu''s expression shifted and asked, "You want to stuff your mouth with it?"


    "Yeah!" The boy nodded.


    Tang Xiu handed him a white towel and watched him stuff it into this mouth and couldn''t help but praise him inwardly. Afterward, he washed and wiped the broken bones on his knee while using his Primal Chaos energy and slowly mended the broken bones to their original positions. He could clearly sense the pain the boy felt since big beads of sweat rolled down while his frail body shivered.


    "Please bear it for a while more."


    Tang Xiu took the Body Tempering Liquid from the interspatial ring and slowly dripped a drop of it on his knees. As the boy let out muffled screams, Tang Xiu used his palm to press against his knees.


    Time passed by and half an hour later, Tang Xiu removed his hands from the boy''s knees. He watched the profusely sweating boy and felt rather surprised. His treatment was simple and direct, yet hardly any adult could withstand the pain and would have fainted already. However, he didn''t expect that his boy could go through it sober.


    His willpower is much higher than the average adult. Even some ordinary cultivators have weaker willpower than him. It''s rather unfortunate that his physique is very ordinary, or he''d become a genius in cultivation worthy of training. However, given his tender age and if he is well-trained, as long as his willpower keeps firm and sharp, he''ll be likely able to create great achievements in the future.


    The thought flashed in Tang Xiu''s mind as he immediately wrapped his knees with gauze and then fixed it with the gypsum board. Then, he smilingly said, "In the next seven days starting from today, you can only stay still here and are not allowed to walk. You''ll need others to serve anything you need during this time, but you can fully recover a week later."


    The boy''s body trembled and he asked, "C-can I¡­ rest for a while?"


    "Alright, go have some sleep!" replied Tang Xiu smilingly.


    In the corridor outside the room.


    Li Yuquan was hugging his wife with a face full of worries and anxiousness. Although he knew that Tang Xiu was a Divine Doctor from Chang Zhao''s remarks, he didn''t dare to fully believe that Tang Xiu could completely heal his son''s legs. He was afraid¡­ that Tang Xiu couldn''t heal his son and the boy would become disabled in the future. Regret and guilty would very likely fill him for the rest of his life should this happen.


    When the office''s door was opened, he immediately released his wife, dashed over and asked, "How was it, Mr. Tang?"


    "Don''t let your son walk for the next 7 days," answered Tang Xiu with a smile. "Ah, forget it. You''ll be occupied by something else, so nevermind it. Chang Zhao, I''ll give you a chance to redeem your sin! You must guard and take care of this child, as well as provide everything he needs in every possible way, be it his drinks, meals, or carry him on your back. Consider your issue over if you can do it, else you''ll pay with your life!"


    "I''ll do as you say, Young Master Tang!" replied Chang Zhao without hesitation. "I''ll be sure to take care of him."


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and slowly said, "Li Yuquan, I know you want to be with your wife and kid, so I''m giving you half an hour. Then you must take a trip with me to completely solve your problems."


    "Thank you, Mr. Tang!" replied Li Yuquan gratefully.


    "No need for that." Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "You haven''t forgotten what you promised before, right?"


    Li Yuquan blankly stared for a moment before he immediately nodded and replied with all seriousness, "I haven''t forgotten about that."


    At the viewing hall of the teahouse.


    A curious look on his face, Wolf Head stood in front of Tang Xiu and asked, "Do you really want to take Li Yuquan as your subordinate, Sect Master? You also know that just for his family he did this, so¡­"


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and lightly said, "He''d never have done such a thing had he not been abandoned by the army. Let me ask you in other words. What would you do if you were in his shoes?"


    Wolf Head quietly pondered for a while and bitterly said, "I would probably do the same thing, I think."


    "That''s right." Tang Xiu nodded and said, "There are two sides to everything. You can play the role if the situation is under your control. He can take risks for his wife and kid. He wasn''t afraid to stake his life for them, which means he''s not afraid of death, is full of conviction, faith, and affection. If he becomes our brother in the future, he will likely treat us as family members as long as you treat him as the closest brother. To be honest, I really appreciate this kind of person, more so that he''s also a soldier who can and is willing to go through the fire and water and die for his country."


    Wolf Head firmly nodded and replied, "Being loyal to the country and to its people is a necessary condition for every soldier¡ªthe very bottom line. But still, we''ve separated ways from the army already and we''ve given our loyalty to you."


    "In actuality, I''m also loyal to this country," replied Tang Xiu with a slight smile. Suddenly, his expression suddenly shifted and smilingly said, "Well, it seems Jin Shi has rushed over without stopping after receiving my order. He''s already outside now. Bring him over here!"


    A few minutes later, Wolf Head brought Jin Shi to the viewing hall. After the former stood before Tang Xiu, he respectfully asked, "Do you have any instructions for me, Sect Master?"


    Tang Xiu smiled in response and waved his hand, gesturing him to sit down. "Wolf Head gave me an idea, and I think it''s a good one. That''s why I called you directly since I want to discuss it with you."


    Jin Shi glanced at Wolf Head and then respectfully said, "I''ll carry out any order you give me with all seriousness, Sect Master."


    "Jin Shi, I have a question I want to ask you first before discussing it. What do you think of Awu and the rest becoming Tang Sect Elders before you?"


    Jin Shi fell into silence for a while, before he forced a bitter smile and said, "I''d like to be honest with you, Sect Master. I feel very unwilling about that, indeed. But you''ve personally set the rules, while I hadn''t reached the Golden Core Stage then, which proved that my efforts are not enough. That''s why I can''t become the Sect''s Elder."


    "I''m glad you can have this kind of understanding." Tang Xiu lightly nodded and went on, "But I''m now giving you a chance. If you can set up a huge intelligence network that covers every corner of the world within 2 years, I''ll make you the latest elder of Tang Sect."


    Jin Shi''s eyes lit up and he replied in a deep voice, "I''ll definitely go all out and do my best, Sect Master."


    "Let''s head to the next topic. Let me tell you something about the establishment of the intelligence network and the expansion of the sect''s outer disciples," said Tang Xiu


    "You''re going to expand the number of the sect''s outer disciples, Sect Master?" affirmed Jin Shi with a curious expression.


    "I deemed the rapid and vigorous development as necessary, so we naturally require a large number of outer disciples." Tang Xiu nodded and continued, "Further, these outer disciples may not necessarily have very formidable cultivation, but they will certainly be able to provide tremendous help which will be very beneficial to the sect in its entirety."


    Jin Shi''s expression shifted. He looked as Tang Xiu took out a cigarette and he hurriedly lit it up and asked, "Could you elaborate more?"

 1142 Preserving Your Life

    "We need to buy people''s hearts to set up our intelligence network." Tang Xiu''s eyes flickered as he explained, "Money may work on the average people, but we''ll need to provide more capital for those who have power and wealth. Isn''t this exactly the barriers you''ve been facing while laying out our intel network?"


    "You''re right on the mark, Sect Master." Jin Shi replied after hearing it, "That''s precisely the point I''ve been helpless about. We have it easier when picking up intel operatives from the bottom levels of society, but it proves a bit troublesome when it comes to people at a higher circle."


    "For instance?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "Just like a certain boss of a small company." Jin Shi started explaining, "He only has a few or tens of millions in assets. Although he''s just an averagely rich businessman, we need to pay him quite a lot if we want him to be devoted to us while gathering information. The Sect gave me 1 billion yuan for the expenses, but it was only enough to subdue 12 people of such people since I spent hundreds of millions just for them. If this continues, let alone 1 billion, even 10 or 100 billion won''t be enough.


    "Further, this is only the case with some ordinary rich businessmen. I doubt those genuine rich people will even spare a glance at the money, while those in power are even more dismissive since they have too many channels from where they could get capital."


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and asked, "How many administrative regions does China have, though? Like, at the provincial-level, municipalities, autonomous regions, and cities?"


    "We have 34 provincial administrative regions in the whole country. Of them 23 are provinces, four are province-level cities, five are autonomous regions, and two are special administrative regions. The total number of prefecture-level is 333, which includes 285 prefecture-level cities, 15 districts, 30 autonomous prefectures, and three leagues¡­"


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to halt his explanation and said, "Since you already know it very well, meaning you''ve invested quite the effort and time in this respect. It will indeed help you deal with the issues since I made you the one in charge of the intelligence. But I''ll help you pick the head of the intel cell network in each province from now on. They''ll become your direct subordinates once picked, whereas you''ll be responsible to pick each province''s deputy leader by yourself. However, you''ll need to have separate lines of communication and relationship between the two of them, while at the same time gathering information from them."


    "Then it would be much easier for us if you''re really involved in building the intel network, Sect Master." Jin Shi was happily surprised.


    "I originally wanted to spend some time to rest and relax, though." Tang Xiu shook his head. "But even though I''m helping you deal with the situation in the mainland, you still need to lay out the network building overseas by yourself. I expect you to completely make China as our operation center in the next 6 months, and you''re to start expanding overseas after the network here is almost up and running¡­"


    "I see¡­"


    Their discussion quickly passed the two-hour mark. When Tang Xiu brought Jin Shi and Wolf Head out of the viewing hall, Li Yuquan had long been waiting outside, and Xue Zengmei was there with him.


    "You''re from House Xue of Dongshan Province, right?" Tang Xiu glanced at Xue Zengmei and asked coolly.


    "That''s right. Xue Guanzhong is my father." Xue Zengmei nodded.


    "Xue Guanzhong? As is the Head of Xus in Dongshan Province?" Tang Xiu lightly confirmed it. "Hehe¡­ the Xues kind of sent themselves to my door, so let''s get started from the Xues first! Xue Zengmei, take me to see your father. Tell him to put off everything on his schedule and wait for me at your Xue Family''s residence."


    Xue Zengmei''s expression changed and hurriedly replied, "Young Master Tang, I''m at fault for the previous things, but please don''t stoop to my level and forgive my ignorance. My father¡­ he''s definitely going to kill me if he knows I''ve offended you."


    "I''m not looking for your father to pursue such a minor issue," Tang Xiu said indifferently. "Just notice him that I want to have a private discussion with him on some important issues. Tell him to pick the most secretive place the Xues have. And keep in mind that I don''t want anyone to learn about our meeting."


    Xue Zengmei''s expression shifted and she immediately nodded. "Then I''ll inform him right away."


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment and waved. "Forget it. You go there in advance, then! Tell your father in person about this. Tell him that not even the core members of the Xues can know anything about the meeting between us, only the three of us must know it."


    "Understood!" Xue Zengmei complied and left quickly.


    Eyes shifted to Li Yuquan, Tang Xiu then lightly said, "Let''s head out to the Blue Starfish Mansion."


    ****


    At the Blue Starfish Mansion.


    The place had now been requisitioned by the state''s Special Abilities Bureau and Duanmu Lin himself didn''t hurry to leave and presided over the operation instead, waiting for the news of Li Yuquan''s traces. He was perfectly aware of how important the Aeroglider was as it would pose huge problems to the military once the news leaked.


    "You haven''t found anything yet?" Duanmu Lin asked in a heavy voice to Aquababe, whose expression looked ugly.


    "No. We haven''t found anything, Chief." Aquababe bitterly said, "Li Yuquan seems to have disappeared out of the blue. We''ve deployed everyone from the intelligence, but not even a hair of his has been found so far."


    Getting up from the sofa, Duanmu Lin was about to speak again when his cell phone on the table suddenly rang. His expression shifted and grabbed the phone. After connecting it, he asked in a deep voice, "Anything?"


    "Mr. Tang just returned to the Blue Starfish Mansion, Chief. And he¡­ he also brought the wanted man, Li Yuquan with him," a low and deep voice replied from the phone.


    Tang Xiu is with Li Yuquan?!!


    Duanmu Lin furrowed his brows before stretching them again immediately. He hung up and then walked outside. Quickly after, he saw Tang Xiu and Li Yuquan in the parking lot.


    "What''s going on here, Tang Xiu?" Duanmu strode forward and coldly glanced at Li Yuquan before asking.


    "Well, it was my intention to stay out of the matter, but then I happened to run into him." Tang Xiu said with a wry smile, "He''s that Li Yuquan who stole the Aeroglider from the barrack. Just, I didn''t expect that he handed it to the auction organizer previously but then immediately ran away after things went south here. Further, he turned out to still be alive and even broke into the branch store of my Magnificent Tang Corp. in Shanghai to steal some property. That''s why he got caught by my men on the spot."


    Duanmu Lin nodded in response without saying anything. Then, he looked at Li Yuquan and asked in a deep voice, "Did you tell anyone else besides the auction organizer about the Aeroglider''s information?"


    "I''ve never told anyone else except for him." Li Yuquan shook his head and said, "Also, the information I gave to the auction organizer was not comprehensive. I deliberately missed a lot of its important features."


    "Why did you steal it in the first place?" asked Duanmu Lin in a deep voice. "Didn''t you also learn that this Aeroglider is our country''s secret?"


    "I''m in dire need of money," said Li Yuquan bitterly.


    He needs money, for real?


    Numerous thoughts kept coming to Duanmu Lin''s mind about the reason why Li Yuquan had stolen the Aeroglider. It was truly unexpected that the reason was so simple. He needed some cash, yet he dared to steal from the barracks? One must know how grave the issue was for such an action that would definitely send you directly to the martial court and get you executed many times over!


    Duanmu Lin shifted his focus to Tang Xiu and forced a smile. "I now really get why people said that men will die for riches as will birds for food. A dignified former captain of the Blue Eagle that was supposed to be a valiant warrior who carried out dangerous missions for the state, yet it turned out that he would also be desperate for money."


    "You should investigate this case about his situation clearly, I think," said Tang Xiu. "It''s not easy to survive in society after getting abandoned and thrown out like that. It''s even more arduous and difficult to get rich in such a case. Perhaps it was caused by some game of thrones in the army that changed his mindset."


    "That kind of people do deserve death!" blurted our Duanmu Lin coldly.


    "Well, we can say that this matter is over already since he didn''t tell anyone else about the Aeroglider, Senior Duanmu," said Tang Xiu smilingly. "We can deal with this issue before it becomes a problem. You can give this guy to me and I''ll make him the tester of the second-generation Aeroglider."


    "You want him to be a tester for the Aeroglider?" Duanmu Lin cried out with a strange tone. "Tang Xiu, isn''t it easy for you to find such a tester? He broke the law and he should be shot dead!"


    "It''s not like that." Tang Xiu shook his head. "I''m sure you''re also well aware of the Aeroglider''s performance, Senior Duanmu. The Magnificent Tang Corp. needs some testers to carry out the testing and adjustment in its research and development, where you can expect extreme dangers to occur in the adjustment procedures. I can tell you that over 200 people died when testing the first-generation Aeroglider, yet we were only barely able to have accurate shakedown tests then."


    "What did you say?" Duanmu Lin finally realized what Tang Xiu just said, which sent a tempestuous storm to his heart. How could he have never thought that the Magnificent Tang Corporation would use so many lives in order to test and develop that first-generation Aeroglider?


    This¡­ is simply inhuman. They¡­ how could the Magnificent Tang Corporation dare to¡­


    The shock and anger on Duanmu Lin''s face were very obvious that Tang Xiu could see it at once, and he went on lightly, "Senior Duanmu, some results require a price to pay. I don''t think you need to be angry, much less sparing a thought to the researchers and scientists in my company don''t take human life seriously. Further, I can tell you that we have broken no laws whatsoever because¡­ all the testers my company used were all death-sentenced criminals we secretly bought from some prisons overseas. Do you think we''ve violated any Chinese laws for buying those death inmates?"


    His statement made Duanmu Lin stunned. He would definitely be furious if those death inmates were bought from domestic prisons, but did he have anything to do with it when they were bought from other countries? He didn''t even have the right to meddle in if Tang Xiu bought them from those overseas prisons!


    Further, for him to be the director of the Special Abilities Bureau meant that he was never a soft and kind man, to begin with, so the anger in his heart instantly disappeared. He also recalled how he had cut off the results of Tang Xiu''s research and development in this case so that Tang Xiu wasn''t able to recover a large amount of capital in a short time. All the more reasons why his aged face now looked slightly ashamed and embarrassed.

 1143 To Turn a Blind Eye

    In the guest room of Blue Starfish Mansion, Tang Xiu and Duanmu Lin continued their talk, and there were only two of them inside now.


    "Tang Xiu, I trust you won''t do anything harmful to our country, but I still need such commitment from you today." Duanmu Lin wore such a solemn face that he didn''t even lit the cigarette in his fingers Tang Xiu just gave him.


    "I see. Then I''m giving that commitment today," replied Tang Xiu. "As long as you, Duanmu Lin, are still alive, I''ll never do anything harmful to China. And I''ll absolutely lend the country a hand should it face trouble, so long as you''re still alive."


    Duanmu Lin squinted his eyes in response before he nodded without a word. His eyes kept flickering and then he said, "Tang Xiu, I get that your commitment is based on the premise that I''m still alive. You''re also well aware of my identity as well as my abilities. But I can only live at most a few decades more."


    "Not really." Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "You can still live on for a century or hundreds of years more if you want to."


    Duanmu Lin trembled upon hearing this. He fell into silence for a long while before he slowly said, "What exactly do you want from me?"


    "I want you to live much longer, but there are a few caveats¡ªthings I need you to turn a blind eye to," said Tang Xiu with a light smile.


    "Your condition is great and way too tempting, indeed," commented Duanmu Lin. "But my position is rather political, I can''t break the bottom line. Shall your request be too excessive, even the temptation to live for centuries more is something I can''t promise you."


    "I''m perfectly happy if you have your criteria and bottom line, Senior Duanmu," said Tang Xiu with a slight smile. "But don''t you forget what I''ve promised. I''ll never do anything harmful to China as long as you''re still alive."


    Duanmu Lin said, "Then, you mean¡­"


    "You''re also perfectly aware of what I''m capable of, Senior Duanmu," explained Tang Xiu. "But I can tell you something. Subverting China is very easy for me should I want it to happen. But I''m a cultivator. All the mundane things in the secular world don''t interest me. What I''m pursuing is to increase the level of my cultivation and to ascend and become an Immortal.


    "But the cultivation resources a cultivator need is astronomical. And where do you think can I get these resources? Naturally, I can buy them with money since I can''t just resort to robbing and plundering them. That''s why I need to expand my power in the secular world which requires me to seek huge wealth, so I can buy a lot of cultivation resources. You should now understand after I spoke all these, shouldn''t you?"


    "I can understand that," said Duanmu Lin without hesitation.


    Tang Xiu nodded and went on, "Since you understand that, then it''ll be more likely for you to accept. I''ll need to handle a lot of issues to expand my influence, such as setting up a company and earning money through normal channels. But making money is never an easy task, so I need a massive intel network to figure out the channel to make it happen. Therefore, I decided to root out the Darkwind and build a huge intelligence network around the world myself."


    Gasp¡­


    Despite realizing the importance of Tang Xiu''s following statement, Duanmu Lin couldn''t help but gasp as he never thought that it would turn out to be so big a revelation.


    ''Rooting out the Darkwind and establishing an intelligence network that covers the whole world? Anyone in the world will definitely be afraid of Tang Xiu should he be able to realize it!''


    "There''s no need to be shocked, Senior Duanmu," said Tang Xiu lightly. "And don''t doubt my words, for I have the power to obliterate all the cultivation forces that exist on Earth, to begin with. The Darkwind organization is just a minor issue that I need not expend much price to weed out, much less use my aces."


    Duanmu Lin suddenly recalled the soul-stirring beautiful woman whose power made him suffocated by her aura alone. He looked at Tang Xiu''s confident face and was hardly able to ask, "About that woman who threatened me then, who is she to you? One of your people?"


    "Ah, are you talking about Yan''er? She''s my disciple," answered Tang Xiu smilingly.


    "That''s impossible!" Duanmu Lin blurted aloud, "Her power is very terrifying, ten times more powerful than yours. It''s just impossible for her to be your disciple. You¡­"


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and faintly said, "Senior Duanmu, things you know are much too little. Yan''er is very powerful indeed, much more powerful than the current me. But had it not been for an accident, I could also destroy the entire Earth with just a flick of my fingers, and a punch of mine can destroy the entire Milky Way galaxy. I don''t want to disclose some things, but it doesn''t mean that I don''t have the power to do so. Logically speaking, explaining anything to you is not necessary given your status and capacity. But still, I returned from that place, so I need to survive and live as per the customs of this world. I''m of Chinese descent, so that''s all the reason why I can tell you some bits of it."


    ''That place? Returning from there?''


    Pupils contracted and shrunk, Duanmu Lin finally realized how terrifying Tang Xiu really was. He suddenly recalled the information from the investigation on Tang Xiu when he was in the second and third years of high school. The previously genius student had been wasted and many people even called him "idiot".


    ''Something so unusual must have something abnormal behind it!''


    It was then that Duanmu Lin realized that he couldn''t really read through Tang Xiu and much more difficult to figure out what kind of existence he always was.


    "Tang Xiu, can you answer a question of mine honestly?" after taking a long time to calm himself down gradually, Duanmu Lin asked.


    "Please ask." Tang Xiu nodded.


    "When those dreadful demonic beasts appeared in the Himalayas, why it was you who went all out then, while your powerful disciple didn''t show up?" asked Duanmu Lin.


    "It''s because once Yan''er makes any action here, she and the rest will be discovered by the Heavenly Dao that rules over this plane," answered Tang Xiu calmly. "They will have to leave this world once it happens."


    They?!!


    Duanmu Lin realized that the woman who was called "Yan''er" was not the only expert under Tang Xiu. The revelation sent a great shock to him yet again. But then, he suddenly realized something and exclaimed, "You mean¡­ they are¡­ they all have ascended and become immortals?"


    "Ascended and become immortals?"


    A disdainful look flashed across Tang Xiu''s eyes as he replied indifferently, "There are things you need not ask, Senior Duanmu. The only reason I''m telling you some bits today is mainly to make you feel convenient and be accommodating to us in China in the future, while at the same time, turning a blind eye."


    Duanmu Lin turned thoughtful for a while and then asked slowly, "Has it already started?"


    "Almost," answered Tang Xiu.


    "Why telling me since you almost have it up and running, then?" Duanmu Lin forced a wry smile. "You''re on control over the scale of your own intelligence network. But don''t let me catch any trace of it. You won''t get away with it, otherwise."


    "You won''t find anything so long as you don''t proactively seek it," said Tang Xiu smilingly. "Also, I''ve prepared a present in order to thank you, Senior Duanmu. I hope you can accept it."


    Having said that, a cultivation ancient manual suddenly appeared in Tang Xiu''s hands. After handing it to Duanmu Lin, he smiled and said, "You may be an ability user, but there''s no rule that says ability users can''t practice an ancient manual of cultivation and become cultivators. As long as you can control two kinds of energy in your system, you may be able to achieve something in the future."


    ''A manual for cultivation?''


    Duanmu Lin looked shocked as he didn''t expect that Tang Xiu would be so generous and give him a cultivation manual. One must know that such a thing was extremely precious, and you could expect great uproar once it fell into others'' hands, where you could expect bloody storms and terrors to follow afterward.


    "The Nascent Soul Stage? The highest level that can be practiced is up to the Nascent Soul Stage?"


    Duanmu Lin''s hands slightly trembled. His eyes shifted to Tang Xiu with a complicated expression.


    "Is this¡­ a bribe?"


    "You can say it so," said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    Duanmu Lin drew a deep breath and a smile appeared on his face. Then, he snappily said, "Hurry up and get out of here, brat! If you wanna make money from that Aeroglider, just hurry up in your research and develop its second generation."


    "Copy that."


    Tang Xiu faintly smiled and his figure disappeared from the room.


    There was only Duanmu Lin left in the empty room. He reopened the cultivation manual and read it for more than half an hour before closing it again with nearly uncontrollable surprise and ecstasy.


    Gradually after, his expression turned a bit strange. He had tried to circulate the energy in his body according to the circulation route from this cultivation art. He found that he could easily complete the full circulation for the Qi Refining Stage. Much to his surprise, when he started to circulate it according to the cultivation route at the Foundation Establishment Stage, the energy contained in his body broke through to the late-stage of Foundation Establishment Stage without difficulty.


    "This power¡­ I''m at least ten times stronger than before."


    Duanmu Lin clenched his fists while sensing the surging power in his body that made him want to scream aloud. But after a while, he finally suppressed the urge as a thought finally bred in his mind: If each ability can cultivate this easily after getting a cultivation art, then all the ability users in the agency can greatly increase their power and subsequently drastically increase the strength of the state''s Special Abilities Bureau at that time.


    With the birth of this thought, Duanmu Lin couldn''t sit still. He rushed out of the room and shouted, "Notify all the senior levels of the agency. Except those in charge of the operation in the Himalayas, all of them are to return to the headquarters in the capital!"


    Outside the Blue Starfish Mansion.


    Li Yuquan finally felt relieved after he jumped off the boat with Tang Xiu and back to the bank. He felt like he had survived a great tribulation, so he felt very grateful to Tang Xiu.


    "Thanks a lot, Boss," said Li Yuquan in a low voice behind Tang Xiu.


    "The price I paid to preserve your life was quite great, you know," replied Tang Xiu without turning back. "You should know what you must do, I presume."


    "My life is yours from now on. I''ll immediately carry out any orders you give me," said Li Yuquan respectfully.


    Tang Xiu nodded in response. "You know, you have a good son. I''ll take him out of the greenhouse and someone will take him away soon."


    Li Yuquan''s face changed and hastily asked, "But Boss, this is¡­"


    "You can refuse, of course," said Tang Xiu lightly. "But the consequence of your rejection will make it so that your son will be only an ordinary person for the rest of his life. You must let him go if you want him to transform into a dragon."

 1144 Conversation

    Transforming into a dragon?


    Li Yuquan immediately realized Tang Xiu''s intention. He¡­ wants to cultivate my son? But, he''s only 8 years old now! An 8 years old boy, what aspect does he have to make him worth cultivating?


    Tang Xiu watched Li Yuquan with a tranquil face and lightly said, "I know you have concerns in mind. You think that I''m training your son as a threat to bind you to me. If you do have such a thought, you can scram now since your ability isn''t even worth it in my eyes."


    At this time, Tang Xiu glanced around. There were only two members of the Special Abilities Bureau, himself, Jin Shi, and Wolf Head next to the two cars. Tang Xiu instantly grabbed Li Yuquan''s arm with speed like a bolt of lightning. In just the blink of an eye, he had already dragged Li Yuquan and appeared in front of Jin Shi and Wolf Head.


    "What?!!"


    The sudden change scared Li Yuquan out of his wits. He felt Tang Xiu release his arm and immediately raised his hand to rub his eyes and even fiercely pinched his own waist.


    This is not an illusion and I''m not dreaming? This¡­


    Tang Xiu took a seat in the car and looked at the dumbfounded Li Yuquan outside, lightly saying, "Now you understand what I mean, don''t you? You''re just one weak man who''s worth cultivating in my eyes. But weak people like you are countless in this world, so you''re not worthy of threatening by taking your son, to begin with."


    The car started and Li Yuquan looked as the car began to move forward. Turning his head to the faintly smiling Wolf Head with difficulty, Wolf Head said lightly, "You should be happy and not suspect the Boss'' intention, you know. Only a handful few made him interested, so you need to cherish this chance for you and your son."


    Li Yuquan could feel his heart accelerating. It was like the sound of muffled thunder. He suddenly seemed to realize something and turned to Wolf Head, asking, "How do you know that Boss wants to cultivate my son?"


    Wolf Head rolled his eyes at his question and went to the driver''s seat. Then, he lightly said, "Boss'' voice was not that loud, but I could still hear it from here, got that? But then, I forgot to tell you that my hearing is at least ten times the average person."


    He just heard it? It was tens of meters away, yet Wolf Head could hear it clearly?


    Li Yuquan quickly drilled into the front seat and saw Wolf Head started the car, so he quickly asked, "What and who exactly are you guys?"


    "We''re from the Tang Sect," said Wolf Head indifferently.


    "Tang Sect? What the heck is that?" asked Li Yuquan once again.


    Pride could be seen on Wolf Head''s face as he emphasized every word of his reply, "It''s a sect consisted of cultivators. If you want to be an outer member of the sect, you need to pay by accomplishing a lot of missions first. Only then will you have the qualification to become a disciple."


    Cultivators?


    Li Yuquan was not an average person with no experience in this aspect. He was the former leader of the Blue Eagle special force and thus, knew a lot of secrets. Even when he carried out his mission overseas, he ran into various ability users and cultivators.


    Unexpectedly, they are¡­ cultivators¡ªall of them?


    He suppressed the excitement that threatened to overwhelm him and asked again quickly, "Then what''s Boss Tang''s status in the Tang Sect? Am I one of its disciples now?"


    Wolf Head couldn''t help but burst into laughter. He rolled his eyes at Li Yuquan and snappily said, "Are you dreaming or what? Even if Sect Master is willing to take you as his subordinate, you can only become an outer member, no less! You can only enter the inner circle after accomplishing major merits."


    "Huh?" Li Yuquan wore a disbelieving face and asked, "Boss Tang is actually Tang Sect''s Sovereign?"


    With deep respect on his face, Wolf Head nodded. "Boss created the sect himself, so he''s naturally the Sect Master. But let me give you a piece of advice before you formally enter the inner court. Absolute obedience in carrying out orders is a must when carrying out missions in the outer court. The Sect may have few rules, but the distinction between status is very clear. You must give anyone from the inner court their due respect whenever you meet them and act humbly should you see any Elders. You bet that even I must act respectfully before those inner court Elders."


    "How many disciples does the Tang Sect has, though? And how many outer disciples there are?" asked Li Yuquan.


    Wolf Head glanced at him and slowly answered, "That''s the sect''s secret, I can''t tell you anything. But let me warn you in advance. You may meet some people in the sect who used to be your enemies in the past. Some you may be familiar with and even has deep hatred. But you must cast away all those past feuds with them from now on, while treating them as your closest comrades, like brothers and sisters, or even your own family. The biggest merit of the Tang Sect is that every disciple of the sect will give up his or her life for the other disciples if necessary."


    "I don''t think I have enemies, nor have I ever any feud with others, though." Li Yuquan shook his head.


    "Heh, that''s what you say. Jin Shi doesn''t look familiar to you?" Wolf Head sneered.


    Li Yuquan thought for a while and answered, "I did feel that he''s a bit familiar the first time I met him. But I can''t recall where I saw him before."


    "Does the Bloodthirsty Golden Lion ring any bells? The one who massacred everyone in a captured city in Africa?" asked Wolf Head lightly.


    Li Yuquan''s eyes nearly popped out instantly after hearing this. He gasped and exclaimed, "He''s that Bloodthirsty Golden Lion? The butcher who carried the bloodbath of hundreds or so arm dealers in a certain city?"


    "You call him a butcher, huh?" Wolf Head scoffed and smilingly continued, "That''s because you haven''t met the more ruthless disciples in the sect. Let''s save it for later. I''m hoping you can become the latest inner disciple so you can follow Spectre later."


    "Spectre? As in that lunatic Spectre?" Li Yuquan''s face was now devoid of color as he screamed out yet again.


    "If you dare to call him a lunatic right before his face, he''ll definitely drill you in the training really good for three days straight. Those children soldiers who got trained by him for three days nearly lost a few layers of their skins. Well, you''re not as good as them, though."


    Li Yuquan''s lips wriggled a few times. His shock went through the roof.


    It was Spectre¡ªthe number one assassin in the world!


    The man was simply the devil incarnation in many people''s eyes. Even the most powerful bigwigs in various countries were very afraid of his devil, for fear that they would appear on his contract list.


    "You mentioned about children soldiers¡­ and tens of thousands of them, right?" asked Li Yuquan with a dazed face. "Is my son is going to be sent there?"


    "Well, unless your son can stand out from tens of thousands of children, only then will he enter Sect Master''s eyes again. Else he can only succumb to the breakneck training in the children''s army. That''s for sure since Tang Sect''s custom heavily favors the strong and the weak can only stay at the bottom. Honestly speaking, even if you can become an outer sect disciple, I don''t think you can enter the inner court as early as your son, though."


    Li Yuquan fell into silence. He realized that he really had a chance of becoming a carp that leaped through the dragon gate. The person who gave him this chance not only saved his life but also rescued his wife and son. It was very likely that he would also be able to make them¡ªfather and son¡ªto become terrifying figures.


    He took a deep breath and asked again, "One last question. About that labor camp #1319 in Israel and more than 200 SSS criminals, they¡­"


    Wolf Head raised his hand to interrupt him and faintly said, "There''s only the two of us now, so I can answer this question. But keep in mind that you must never mention anything about the Tang Sect to outsiders after you''ve become Sect Master''s subordinate. The same goes for everything I just told you. You guessed it right. It''s one of the Boss'' deeds. He went into action himself then, and those people including Spectre have now become outer disciples and each carry out some missions from the sect."


    Li Yuquan was completely frightened after learning that Tang Xiu''s men were all a group of outlaws, a bunch of monsters and devils that many people feared.


    Wolf Head seemed to notice his thought and added faintly, "If you think that Tang Sect is a den of demons, monsters, and lunatics, then you''re completely mistaken. The sect has a rule that killing good people and bullying the weak are forbidden. We must treat ordinary people amiably but can treat your enemies with ruthlessness. The entire Tang Sect is like a sharp blade in Sect Master''s hand, but it''s like the sword of justice for good people and the death scythe for evil."


    The explanation instantly relieved Li Yuquan. But another issue immediately popped up in his head. These people are murderers, outlaws who can kill without batting an eye, can they behave themselves as Wolf Head says?


    ****


    Late at night, at the Xue Family''s residence in Dongshan Province.


    Wearing a coat, Xue Guanzhong looked through the window at the dark night while listening to the strange melody with flickering eyes. When he came to the window, he saw the figure standing in the dark corner of the building and suddenly had a bad feeling.


    It was Xue Zengmei. She was his daughter and the most outstanding member of the younger generation in the Xue Family, whom he had been tasked with an important mission to manage the family''s security company. But she came back secretly and stayed in such a hidden spot now, while also summoning him with the strange syllables that only they knew the meaning of¡ªthe means they used to notify each other when something urgent happened.


    "What''s up, Guanzhong?"


    On the bed behind him, Lin Ping sat up in a daze and asked, looking at her husband standing at the window.


    "Go back to sleep. There''s something I need to tend to," said Xue Guanzhong in a deep voice.


    Having said that, he headed to the door and soon appeared outside the building. He quickly entered the dark shade of the trees as the father and daughter tacitly walked toward a darker spot.


    "What happened?" asked Xue Guanzhong in a very low voice that even Xue Zengmei in front of him was barely able to hear it.


    "Tang Xiu wants to see you, Dad," said Xue Zengmei.


    "Tang Xiu? Which Tang Xiu?" asked Xue Guanzhong, stunned.


    "Tang Xiu of House Tang from Beijing," answered Xue Zengmei.


    Xue Guanzhong''s face changed and he furrowed his brows. "He''s the most brilliant junior of that House and also the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corp. What does he want with me?"

 1145 Secret Meeting

    After reporting what happened in Shanghai in a low voice, Xue Zengmei finally concluded. "I have no idea what Tang Xiu has in mind. But he asked me to come back ahead of time, informing you to find a secret place. He also wants this meeting to be kept secret and nobody else other than you and I must know about this meeting."


    Xue Guanzhong was silent for a long time. He then slowly said, "Whether it''s a blessing or a calamity, we can never avoid the latter. House Tang of Beijing has power the Xues can''t contend with. It''s absolutely very easy if he wants to obliterate our family. I feel that he has other purposes in mind."


    "What should we do, then, Father?" asked Xue Zengmei.


    "He''s looking for me for some secret issues, so we really can''t let anyone learn about it," said Xue Guanzhong. "Hence, you''re to contact and tell him that I''ll be waiting for him at the Mid-lake Pavilion."


    Xue Zengmei''s expression, however, slightly changed and she replied in a whisper, "But the Mid-lake Pavilion is our secret base, Dad. Those guarding that place are trusted people you''ve cultivated from childhood. Once Tang Xiu learns about it, then¡­"


    Xue Guanzhong raised his hand to interrupt her and faintly said, "Our family can be said as a prominent existence with lots of assets and ranked in the top three families in Dongshan Province. But it''s all the more reason that we have many eyes greedily staring at us. Further, Tang Xiu''s identity is equally extraordinary, many of whom will find out that he''s here if he comes openly. That''s why I can only feel at ease if we''re to use the Mid-lake Pavilion."


    "I''ll rush over to the Mid-lake Pavilion, then." Xue Zengmei gritted her teeth. "I''ll notify everyone there to evacuate the place temporarily."


    Xue Guanzhong nodded and slowly said, "As I said, be it a blessing or a curse, we can''t avoid the calamity. I''ll be there early in the morning."


    As early morning came and the first ray of sunshine shone on the shimmering lake in the eastern suburb of Ji City, Xue Guanzhong drove a car by himself into the dirt road ahead and disappeared into the dense woods. The lake was quite large with an isle in the middle that was occupied by an antique building. The building looked dilapidated from the outside and the two long bridges leading to it were also broken.


    Xue Guanzhong parked the car in the dense woods. He got off and grabbed the black bag to take out a diving suit from the inside and quickly changed. He then observed the surroundings and found nothing suspicious as he headed to the lakeshore and gradually disappeared into the lake water.


    Half an hour later, he appeared in the run-down antique building in the middle of the lake. As he quickly took off the diving suit, Xue Zengmei approached him with a clean set of clothes.


    "I''ve contacted Tang Xiu, Dad. He should arrive here soon," said Xue Zengmei.


    Xue Guanzhong nodded without a word and changed his clothes. After neatly dressing-up, they then headed into a spotless quaint room which was decorated with classical flavors. He took a seat on a mahogany chair and slowly said, "Zengmei, go outside and wait for him. Also, prepare a few sets of diving suits. You are to bring him here if he''s not good in the water."


    "Alright!"


    Xue Zengmei nodded in response. As she was about to leave after putting on the diving suit, a voice suddenly entered her ear: "No need for that."


    The moment after, two figures silently appeared at the door of the room. Tang Xiu and Jin Shi walked into the room and there was no trace of water on their bodies. He then looked at Xue Guanzhong, who got up and smilingly greeted. "Patriarch Xue, I''m Tang Xiu."


    The later looked perplexed and carefully observed Tang Xiu a few times before asking, "How did you come here this way?"


    "I just flew," answered Tang Xiu smilingly.


    The answer made Xue Guanzhong slightly furrow his brows. "Please don''t kid me, Young Master Tang. This place is in the middle of the lake, and both bridges leading here have been broken as well. The distance is at least tens of meters from the shore, it''s very hard to come here without a diving suit."


    Tang Xiu''s brows picked up and his vision shifted to the eight-people old-fashioned table at the other side. His fingers made several movements as a violent force suddenly destroyed that table, turning it into scattering wooden ashes. The instant after, the energy instantly gathered the scattering ashes into a ball and a basketball-sized grayish blob floated in front of the few people inside.


    "This¡­"


    Xue Guanzhong stepped back before sitting back on his chair. His square face was now devoid of any color as though he was seeing a ghost. Xue Zengmei was no exception as fear covered her whole face.


    Tang Xiu slightly smiled and walked into the air slightly step by step until he came before Xue Guanzhong with his feet a meter high above the floor. With such a stance, he stood in front of Xue Guanzhong and asked with a strange expression, "Do you believe now that we flew here?"


    Gulp¡­


    Xue Guanzhong desperately gulped down. Nevertheless, he was, after all, an experienced family Head. He was able to calm himself down gradually after the brief horror and panic. He then nodded and said, "I believe you now."


    Tang Xiu smiled in response and his figure flickered to appear instantly before the chair across Xue Guanzhong. After taking a seat, he smilingly said, "Please don''t think that I''m some kind of superman, Patriarch Xue. I just possess some abilities a superman doesn''t, that''s all. Also, I''m sure you''re rather confused and wondering why I asked for this meeting, am I right?"


    Xue Guanzhong got up and personally served a pot of tea for Tang Xiu. After serving one cup to Tang Xiu respectfully, he went sat back on his chair and noddingly said, "This Xue is indeed feeling puzzled and wondering about that. If you could, please dispel my doubts, Mr. Tang."


    "If anything, you should thank your daughter. I wouldn''t have had the intention to find you if it wasn''t for her," explained Tang Xiu. "After all, there are other affluent families in Dongshan Province that are much stronger than your family. The purpose of my visit today is to give your family, father and daughter, a chance. It''s up to you whether or not to take it."


    Realizing that Tang Xiu was about to disclose his intention, Xue Guanzhong immediately asked, "Please do elaborate more, Young Master Tang."


    "I want to set up an intelligence network that will cover China in its entirety, so I want you to be the team leader responsible for Dongshan Province," explained Tang Xiu. "So to say, as long as you accept, you will be one of the intel operatives I''ve personally assigned in this intel network in the future."


    "What would you like me to do?" asked Xue Guanzhong.


    "You''re not qualified to learn about it as of now," said Tang Xiu indifferently. "All you need to know is that you must carry out and accomplish your tasks once you accept my offer."


    Xue Guanzhong bitterly smiled and said, "But Young Master Tang, the state won''t allow¡­"


    "The Director of Special Abilities Bureau, Duanmu Lin, will turn a blind eye as long as he doesn''t catch my intel operatives. Besides, intel operatives who get caught are nothing but trash. Losing such agents is not worth feeling regretful."


    Xue Guanzhong was startled inwardly. He didn''t expect Tang Xiu to have such power to even make a terrifying figure from the Special Abilities Bureau to turn a blind eye.


    "Do I still have the right to refuse, by chance, Young Master Tang?"


    "Testing me by declining my offer, you''re really a smart man," said Tang Xiu smilingly. "Of course, I won''t let you work in vain. I already told you that I''m giving you, father and daughter, as well as your whole family, a huge chance. You''ll become one of my people as long as you become the team leader in Dongshan Province."


    Xue Guanzhong thought for half a minute and then heavily nodded. "I accept."


    "As people said, a wise man knows how to act according to the circumstances." Tang Xiu praised while raising his thumbs up. "But then, don''t you want to know what kind of perks you and your daughter will receive?"


    "Young Master¡­ Boss Tang, you already gave us, father and daughter, an opportunity already. What you give us is and shall be our opportunity," said Xue Guanzhong with all seriousness. "To be able to work for you is our honor."


    "Truly worthy to be the Head of the Xues. You can grasp the situation and immediately decided your position when there''s no room for any maneuver left." Tang Xiu smilingly replied, "I believe you''ve clearly seen my abilities, so let me tell you something. I''m a cultivator, and my power is beyond your imagination. You both have chosen to work for me, so I''ll teach you a cultivation art. This cultivation art may only be a basic one that allows you to reach a very low level of cultivation, up to the late-stage of Qi Refining Stage, yet it can still make you both become experts who can easily knock out those at the martial arts grandmaster level."


    Xue Guanzhong and Xue Zengmei exchanged glances and their eyes shone.


    "As long as you perform well in the future, the following contents of this cultivation art can become your reward as well. You can obtain up to the Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, or Nascent Soul¡­ Shortly put, it depends on your ability to gather information in Dongshan Province. But if you can''t accomplish it, or your identity is exposed, you can expect to be replaced and even have your whole family obliterated."


    As always, opportunities coexisted with crises.


    Xue Guanzhong took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "I''m confident that we can accomplish it well, Boss. Should we fail to do so, or if we get exposed, you can do as you see fit."


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and pointed to Jin Shi. "His name is Jin Shi. He''s the one in charge of the intel network all over China, which means that he''ll be your immediate superior. You will help him deal with some issues pertaining to laying out the intel network in Dongshan Province. However, he will also choose a deputy leader, though you have no qualification to learn about who the person is. These two positions will have separate lines of communications and exist side by side."


    Xue Guanzhong''s expression slightly changed, but he still nodded and said, "I understand. Competition is needed, and I can also do my best with such pressure."


    Afterward, Tang Xiu took out the cultivation art manual he had written in advance from the interspatial ring. After handing it to Xue Guanzhong, he threw a bottle of pills to the man and explained, "You can learn the cultivation aspect by yourself, and there are also six Essence Amassing Pills which effects have been greatly reduced by 90%. Take one pill every three days once you''ve familiarized yourself with this cultivation art and start practicing. You should be able to sense the True Essence energy in your system after taking three pills."


    "Thank you for your gifts, Boss," said Xue Guanzhong and Xue Zengmei at the same time.


    Tang Xiu then shifted to Jin Shi and coolly said, "I give you half a day to discuss everything about the situation and preparation to build the intel network in Dongshan Province with them. I''ll go ahead and wait for you in He Province."

 1146 Someone’s Story

    He Province, Zheng City.


    Right after Tang Xiu arrived in Zheng City with Wolf Head and took a cab, Wolf Head whispered to him, "Boss, I have a comrade-in-arms here, but he retired earlier than me due to the serious injuries he got from a mission. I''ve read the intel on He Province and found his name on it, so I know that he has family in Zheng City."


    "Which family?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "The Fans," said Wolf Head in a whisper.


    Tang Xiu had read the information on He Province before coming. He knew that only a few intel agents had been assigned to this province, hence the cause of the scarce information. It would indeed a good option to have some locals who were familiar with the situation here.


    "Contact him and arrange to meet him."


    "He used to be my comrade-in-arms, Boss. You can say that we''re brothers for life, but I have no idea if the current him has changed since I never met him in the last six years," said Wolf Head.


    Tang Xiu pondered for a while and replied, "I can understand your concerns. The situation you faced in the army was very different as it was much simpler. Even those who used to be unyielding and such may have changed their mindset after entering society. But you mentioned him to me, which means you still believe in him. Just contact him! You can naturally find out whether or not he has changed."


    "Understood!" Wolf Head complied and fished out his phone.


    Yuhong Alley, Zheng City.


    Fast Leisure and Relaxation Motel was said to be the best motel and pub in Yuhong Alley that provided the best service and entertainment. Its owner, Fang Gang, was well-known as a popular and respected figure due to his sense of justice, kindness, and loyalty¡ªa perfect blender in society who could socialize with all walks of life.


    At this time, the general manager''s office of the Fast Leisure and Relaxation Hotel was full of smoke, its pungent smell filling every corner of the room. However, the curtains inside were still closed even though the sun was already high in the sky, sending its light to illuminate the room.


    "Playing with you is no fun, Brother Gang. You won nine times in a row, you know that? Do you really want to poach everything from your brothers or something?" A man with a bareback full of tattoos dropped his mahjong cards on the table and wryly smiled.


    Another big man with a black vest and clamped a cigarette in his mouth echoed. "I know you got lucky today, Brother Gang, but this is way too much, isn''t it? Even if you''re that lucky, it''s way too suspicious to make us throw the game like this!"


    "Yea, my thoughts exactly!"


    Fan Gang, who wore a sleeveless sweater and a thick gold chain around his neck, let out a smile on his tough face while sweeping away some stacks of notes on the table in front of him. He quickly grinned and said, "Your nephew is gonna go to the primary school this year, but why do I have to earn him some money to pay him his tuition? Well, how much did you lose? Come on, stop bickering noisily and just quickly shuffle the cards! I''m gonna set a ten-game winning streak record here."


    "Bah¡­"


    "You got enough money to send my nephew to school on the moon."


    "You really got a black heart, dammit!"


    Fan Gang simply ignored their expressions and just lit up his cigarette while smiling.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    A cell phone on the table suddenly rang and Fan Gang quickly grabbed it while one of the men shuffled the cards. He looked at the number displayed on the screen and found it unfamiliar. As he was about to reject the call, he suddenly remembered that he hadn''t returned home for dinner tonight and also forgot to tell his wife. Therefore, he directly connected the call and planned to call his wife after taking this call.


    "Fan Gang here, who is this?"


    "It''s me." Wolf Head''s low and deep voice replied from the phone.


    The voice made Fan Gang dazed for a second. It felt familiar, though he couldn''t remember whose voice it was. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "And¡­ who are you?"


    "Wolf Head," the voice replied again.


    Fan Gang seemed to recall something and his expression dramatically changed the moment after. He abruptly pushed the table in front of him and immediately got up and called out, "You''re¡­ Cap''?"


    "It''s me."


    Fan Gang''s face instantly turned red and he excitedly shouted, "W-where are you now¡­ Cap''? I''ve been really missing you all these years!"


    The three strong men around immediately exchanged glances after seeing his expression. Fan Gang was someone who always looked collected and calm in their eyes. It was the first time they saw him lose his cool.


    "I just arrived in Zheng City. You got someplace to meet?"


    Fan Gang turned around and headed outside and hurriedly asked while striding to the door, "You''re in Zheng City now? That''s great. I''m in Yuhong Alley. Where are you? I''ll catch up with you right away."


    "Just text me your address and I''ll come to your place."


    "Got it!"


    Fan Gang hung up, then quickly typed a text message and sent it out. He turned back to the room and saw that everyone''s gazes were trained on him. While suppressing his excitement, he spoke in a deep voice, "I can no longer play mahjong since I got something important to tend to, Brothers. I''ll invite you for a meal and drink as an apology later, okay?"


    The man with a tattoo on his bareback curiously asked, "Who was it that can make you lose your cool, Brother Gang?


    "An old friend I haven''t seen for many years," answered Fan Gang. "He just came to Zheng City and I need to meet him."


    "Ah, I see."


    The men no longer said anything and those who lost interest left.


    After sending off his three friends, Fan Gang turned very excited and dialed a cell number and said aloud, "Hey, Old Wei, send me those God''s Nectar you have in stock. I''ll pay you ten times the price for them."


    "No shit! Go to hell, will you? I only got two bottles left¡­"


    "Please, Old Wei. Count it as a begging from your bother, okay?" said Fan Gang aloud. "I need to entertain a very special and important brother here, so I need God''s Nectar. It''s very important. I''ll owe you one, okay?"


    The person was silent for several seconds and then slowly said, "Alright, I''ll send someone to deliver it to you."


    Fan Gang hung up, then dialed another number and quickly said, "Send me a full set of Daoxiang dishes and 18 other specialties. Remember, send it right away!"


    "Alright."


    He made several calls in succession. After giving some orders, he came to the first floor and approached the manager. "A distinguished guest will come to our place soon. Assign someone to seal off the third floor after he arrives. No one can go up without my permission. Those who want to go up will have to ask his consent. But if someone wants to¡­"


    After half an hour, Fan Gang stood in Yuhong Alley with eyes kept looking at the road in the distance, while recalling the most brilliant moments in his life under the hails of bullets and the smell of gunpowder¡­


    Armed with a rifle to snipe the enemies¡­ a conviction, faith, as well as his obsession.


    Unfortunately, fate ordained the opposite and he had to live that olive-green place and put down his rifle, while losing half of his heart ever since, as the other was left with the band of brothers who had spent days and nights while fighting side by side.


    It had been 6 years. It seems so long yet feels so short. Time may elapse but this brotherhood feeling never decreased and was even more intense as he missed them more day by day.


    Suddenly, his burly figure slightly trembled and an excited expression overflowed from his eyes. He looked at the corner of the nearby street where two men were walking slowly, one of whom was his former brother and former captain¡­ Wolf Head.


    At that moment, Fan Gang dashed towards Wolf Head with tears rolling down from his fierce eyes, giving Wolf Head a tight hug a few seconds later. Both men''s fists hit each other''s back, yet neither of them spoke.


    Tang Xiu glanced at them as they hugged each other before his eyes landed on Fan Gang''s right leg. With his eyesight, he was naturally able to see the problem with the man''s right leg. Fan Gang''s speed may look very fast, but the movements looked somewhat unnatural, obviously lacking steadiness and support.


    "Captain."


    After both men released each other, Fan Gang spoke with red eyes, "It''s been 6 years and 3 months we brothers last saw each other. I''ve always been dreaming to see you and the rest of our brothers again all these years."


    Wolf Head could feel that the words came from Fan Gang''s heart. He heavily patted his shoulder and said in a deep voice, "Little Wu, Big Zhuang, Qiang Kid, Ah Long, Little Dongbei¡­ all of them died, whereas the rest went their own way."


    Little Wu, Big Zhuang, Qiangzi, Ah Long, and Little Dongbei¡­ gone?


    Fan Gang suddenly looked up, unable to control the tears trailing down his eyes. After some time, he asked with a slightly hoarse voice, "What about the rest of our brothers? Where are they?"


    Wolf Head turned to look at Tang Xiu, shook his head and said, "Lemme introduce you to him, Gang. He''s my Boss, as well as the Boss of the rest of our brothers who''re still alive, Tang Xiu."


    An incredulous look painted Fang Gang''s face. He looked at Tang Xiu and shifted to Wolf Head. After seeing the latter nod to him, he accepted the fact and said, "Tang Xiu, as in the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation and also famous as China''s young Divine Doctor? Boss Tang, I''m Fan Gang, Wolf Head''s and the others'' life-and-death brother."


    Tang Xiu shook hands with him and smilingly asked, "What about now?"


    Now?


    Fan Gang instantly realized Tang Xiu''s meaning. He shot out a fierce stare and replied in a deep voice, "Be it in the past, present, or in the future, they are always my brothers! We''ve sworn to live and die together and each of us can sacrifice our life for the other."


    Tang Xiu patted his shoulder and smiled lightly. "Alright, please lead the way! We''re your guests. You can''t let us chat with you on the street, right?"


    Fan Gang suddenly realized and turned to look at Wolf Head, showing an apologetic face, and said, "Well, the feast and wine have been waiting. Come with me."


    While following next to Fan Gang, Tang Xiu''s eyes swept over the man''s leg again as he asked, "If my guess is correct, your right leg should be a prosthetic, right?"


    Fan Gang''s expression stiffened and he nodded in silence.


    He was carrying out his mission overseas at that time. He wouldn''t have been discharged from his service early had it not been for the blast that took away his right leg. The incident had become the source of his depression that always brought him pain.


    "Well, this is the first time we met, so I''ll heal your leg and let you recover as a gift," Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    Fan Gang halted his pace and looked right in Tang Xiu''s eyes for some time. Then, he let out a forced smile and shook his head. "Please don''t joke with me, Boss Tang. My leg is gone already, so how can I grow it again? But thanks for the goodwill and intention, though."

 1147 Floating Snow Chateau

    Tang Xiu faintly smiled in response and didn''t elaborate more that he could indeed heal Fan Gang''s leg. His principle was that it was up to the person himself to choose whether to believe or not. A chance may be lost since one opted not to believe. Hence, Fan Gang only had himself to blame for not taking it.


    On the third floor of the Fast Leisure and Relaxation Motel, the spacious and brightly lit general manager''s office was already spotless and no longer full of smoke. It was thanks to the relentless efforts of the janitor and cleaning staff that the office was so clean and neat.


    The sofa and tea table in the middle of the office had been moved to the corner and replaced by a rectangular dining table with four leather chairs. The fragrant dishes and two bottles of God''s Nectar had been served on the table along with a brand-new tea set, where the lingering fragrant steam of tea came out of the teapot and teacups.


    "Please take a seat, gentlemen."


    Fan Gang pulled the chair himself and gestured for Wolf Head to sit first. Although he was very puzzled as to why Wolf Head was willing to work under Tang Xiu with such a personality, it was hard for him to show respect for Tang Xiu even if this young man was the current Boss of his former captain.


    Wolf Head slightly shook head and pulled the chair for Tang Xiu. After Tang Xiu took a seat, only then did he sit next to him. He then looked at Fan Gang, who was sitting at the opposite side with a frowning face, and started speaking, "Gang, your brother did not visit you for so many years because I had my own reasons. I hope you can forgive me. But you''re always my brother, no matter it was then in the army or now in society."


    "I understand." Fan Gang nodded heavily.


    "Reminiscing about the old days is just one reason I''m here today. There''s also something else. My Boss wants to know something about you. But before that, I want you to take every word my Boss says to you seriously, including what he said before that he can heal your leg."


    Fan Gang shot Tang Xiu a strange gaze and forced a wry smile. "It''s not that I don''t believe in Boss Tang, Cap''. It''s just my leg¡­ you also know about my injury. No one but those celestial immortals who can regrow my leg."


    "As I said, just trust my Boss," said Wolf Head in a heavy voice.


    "This¡­"


    Fan Gang felt even more helpless, but he still nodded even though he didn''t buy it even a bit.


    Tang Xiu patted Wolf Head''s shoulder and said with a faint smile, "I can understand your careful thinking, Wolf Head. If he''s willing to let me try it, then I''ll heal him. But let''s save talking about this since we still need to visit many other places later. Let''s go straight to business now."


    Wolf Head nodded in response. Then, he looked at Fan Gang and said, "Gang, my Boss came to this city in person since he wants to comprehend the situation in the He Province from you, be it the government, business circles, and the underground forces. You''re from the Fan Family, so you should be very clear about it."


    "Ehh?" Fan Gang was confused and asked, "Why do you ask about those things, though?"


    "Gang, I can only tell you as your brother that my Boss has his own reasons. It''s confidential, so we can''t tell anyone for the time being," said Wolf Head. "It''s like what we did back then. Don''t ask what we shouldn''t ask, for it will cause you big troubles otherwise."


    Fan Gang furrowed his brows yet again. Although he felt a bit lost since he could tell that his brother had somewhat changed, he didn''t show it on his face and only looked at his brother and slowly said, "The structure of power in He Province is rather complicated, more so with its relational network. Some people have direct access to those at the top, while some families have deep heritage and background, as well as some important officials and politicians backed by some power outside the region. Shortly put, it''s very difficult to explain it clearly. I may be very updated on any news and quite familiar with the situation in Zheng City, but I don''t think I can completely understand the situation in the whole province."


    "What do you think about your own Fan Family? Can you say that your power is ranked in the top five in this He Province?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "Top five?" A strange expression was cast on Fan Gang''s face as he replied with a dry smile, "Don''t mention the top five, being listed in the top 20 is already great for us."


    A disappointed look flashed in Tang Xiu''s eyes. "Then, tell me the top five families in He Province according to what you know."


    Fan Gang mulled it over for a while before shaking his head. "I can''t say my judgment about the top five is accurate, but I can say for sure for the top three. The first family in He Province is the Zhus. They have many juniors and ancient martial arts experts. You can expect to run into one of their offspring be it in the business or politics. You may even find some of them in the surrounding provinces. That''s why I can say the Zhus deserve to be ranked first in He Province.


    "They Yelus are next in the second place. They are from Xin City and are very prominent and big with the most powerful man in that city hailing from this family. The most recent skyscraper edifice there is also theirs, and this family also has numerous other industries under their flag, which became their terrifying money-making machine.


    "As for the Floating Snow Chateau, I have no idea about its Master, as this person is unknown to the public. But Xue Mengdie, the vice landlord, owns more than 70% of the entertainment venues and transportation industry in He Province, all of which is under Floating Snow Chateau. They also own the largest security company in the province. Rumors have it that each police chief in every city in He Province, from the provincial capital down to the county towns, is inextricably linked with the Floating Snow Chateau.


    "I have no idea how deep these three parties are, but I''m sure they all have their own armed forces with ancient martial arts experts in their ranks."


    Tang Xiu''s eyes flickering and he was full of thoughts while Fan Gang spoke. He didn''t pay much attention to Zhus and Yelus, the first and second in rank, but the Floating Snow Chateau somehow piqued his curiosity since there were many uncertain factors in Fan Gang''s explanation.


    Further, he could even tell that there was something more than met the eye about the Floating Snow Chateau. If it didn''t have any affiliation with other powers, he could use this Floating Snow Chateau to work for him. More so that he also wanted to know who its Master was.


    Tang Xiu lit a cigarette and then slowly asked, "Do you know where this Floating Snow Chateau is located?"


    "Lianying County," answered Fan Gang.


    "You mean this Floating Snow Chateau is also located in the scope of Zheng City?" asked Tang Xiu in surprise. "Are they all locals like the Zhus?"


    "That''s right." Fan Gang nodded.


    "People said that two tigers can''t share the same mountain, yet they are both rooted in Zheng City and can also develop themselves at the same time." Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and commented. "This situation seems a bit interesting to me. Fan Gang, do you think the Zhus know the exact details about the Floating Snow Chateau?"


    "They should know a lot about them, even if not thorough. But what they know must be a lot more than mine," answered Fan Gang seriously. "The Zhus are very strong and also have some frictions with the Floating Snow Chateau. But both sides sustained heavy blows due to the clash 10 years ago. It was said that the Master of Floating Snow Chateau came out afterward and the Zhus have never made things difficult for the Floating Snow Chateau ever since. But I have no idea what exactly happened then."


    "Do you know the current Patriarch of the Zhus?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "It''s Zhu Xinghe," answered Fan Gang.


    Tang Xiu got up and patted Wolf Head''s shoulder. Then, he lightly smiled and said, "It''s not easy for you brothers to get together, right? Have some drinks! There''s something I gotta do. We''ll stay here tonight."


    "Understood!" Wolf Head understood what Tang Xiu was going to do and nodded without speaking much.


    Fan Gang retracted back his gaze from the door where Tang Xiu just disappeared. After four-plus minutes, he looked at Wolf Head and forced a smile. "I never thought you''d really become someone''s bodyguard, Cap''."


    "Nope. I''m not a bodyguard." Wolf Head shook his head.


    Fan Gang frowned and asked, "What, then?"


    Wolf Head was silent for a while, then he said, "I''m different from you. I''m an orphan since childhood and I entered the army in my teens. I became used to the hail of bullets and living through fire and water, risking my life all the way. Only by following him can I return to my former life."


    "What did you say?" Fan Gang abruptly got up and incredulously exclaimed, "You work for him because you can go back to the battlefield and brave dangers again? Isn''t he just the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation and a Chinese medicine practitioner?"


    Wolf Head waved and gestured him to sit again. Then, he continued, "Gang, don''t even try to inquire anything about him if you''re not going to return to your former life. But there''s one thing I can tell you. His power and his terrifying side are not something you can imagine."


    "Just tell me something, Cap''. Is what he does right or wrong?" asked Fan Gang in a deep voice.


    "Just!" Wolf Head categorically answered.


    Fan Gang felt at ease secretly. He knew his captain wouldn''t lie to him. Then, he fell into his own train of thoughts for several seconds. Afterward, he spoke, "I want to join you, Cap''."


    "If so, you gotta keep in mind that you must be ready to die at any time." Wolf Head shook his head and said, "Now, let me ask you something. Have you married after retiring from the special force? Do you have wife and kids and also parents you need to look after? And lastly, can you leave and cast away your present identity and status?"


    "About that¡­"


    Fan Gang hesitated for a while and then replied with a bitter face, "It''s been a long time already. I still have my abilities, but it cannot be compared to what I used to be. But what I''m talking about is the mentality, Cap''."


    Wolf Head let out a smile. "If you can''t let those go, then live a good life. As an old brother, I''ll send you a huge gift should I have the chance in the future."


    "A big gift?" Fan Gang was confused and asked, "What is it?"


    "If you''re willing to part with your child, I can assure that your kid will be more brilliant and more successful than you''ve ever been."


    "You mean¡­ giving you my son to train?" Fan Gang stared blankly before he asked in surprise.


    Wolf Head silently nodded and then explained, "I can''t help you as of now since my status is too low. You can say that I''ll end up miserable in the future if I make Boss upset. But once I¡­ as long as you''re really willing, your son can definitely have meteoric success. His achievements may not earn eternal glory, but he can at least be nurtured much better than you. Certainly, if he becomes that outstanding¡­ he can¡­ well, your House Fan will also be glorious and thriving in the future because of him."


    Fan Gang looked hesitant for a long while. But he finally said bitterly, "I know that I want it, but my wife¡­"


    Wolf Head sighed and shook his head. "Well, just take it that I didn''t say anything." Suddenly, he seemed to recall something and spoke again, "Gang, my Boss can really heal your leg. But keep in mind to cast away your doubts and skeptical attitude because there''s nothing in this world he can''t do. Wait for him to come back, then ask him to heal your leg."

 1148 Wishful Calculation

    The chilling wind blew past around the eaves this night and drilled through the slight in the door, stroking Zhu Xinghe''s face in the room, causing some gray hairs hanging on his temple to sway.


    The Zhus'' main residence villa was the strictest and most guarded place in Zheng City just like the inner imperial palace of old. Sentries and posts were literally everywhere, be it the open ones or the hidden ones. Not even those at the level of martial arts grandmaster and also a qigong practitioner would find it easy to sneak into the Zhu Family''s residence.


    Zhu Xinghe was now 60 years old, but his physique was still great and as energetic and sharp as ever. It could be said that the Zhus could develop to this extent and became the first family in He Province thanks to his Midas hands.


    "Who is it?"


    Zhu Xingho, who was quietly reading a book, suddenly had his complexion changed and his hand grabbed a sharp dagger instantly. Backhandedly gripping it, his eyes were trained at the closed door.


    Creak¡­


    The door was gently pushed from the outside as Tang Xiu in casual black attire and a bronze mask strode into the room. His eyes looked smiling upon seeing Zhu Xinghe''s action.


    "You''re Zhu Xinghe, the Zhu Patriarch, yes?"


    Shooting a cold look at Tang Xiu, Zhu Xinghe didn''t even try to notify the family guardians immediately. He knew very well this person was likely very powerful given how quiet and silent he was able to sneak in and now stood before him. Such an occasion happened before when someone also appeared before without alarming anyone guarding the family. Although he admitted that the person at that time was indeed very strong.


    "Who are you?"


    Tang Xiu strode into the room and closed the door again. Then, he grabbed a chair and went to the opposite side of Zhu Xinghe and lightly spoke, "Nevermind who I am. I don''t have any intention to kill you. I came here out of the intention to ask you a few questions. I''ll leave as long as you honestly answer me satisfactorily."


    "Someone in the past also stood before me like you, Mister. But she still introduced herself as a basic courtesy. I don''t have a problem with answering your questions, but I need to know who you are."


    "Big troubles shall befall you if you were to find out my identity, even your family will be implicated," said Tang Xiu lightly. "Do you still have that idea in mind after knowing this?"


    "The Zhus never fear troubles," replied Zhu Xinghe in a deep voice.


    "Are you sure?" Tang Xiu instantly unleashed his aura that directly pressured Zhu Xinghe while smilingly coldly.


    The old man''s face drastically changed and he struggled hard to free himself from the terrifying oppression. To his shock, however, no matter how frantically he circulated the True Qi in his body, he still couldn''t move in the slightest.


    This person¡­ is very terrifying. Much more than that woman.


    "Now, I ask you again. Are you sure?" asked Tang Xiu.


    Zhu Xinghe was silent. He was able to speak now but dared not to insist. This person possessed such a horrible power that was very likely enough to completely obliterate him, his family members, and all the guards here overnight.


    After a long while, wearing a bit of helpless expression, Zhu Xinghe slowly asked, "What would you like to ask?"


    Retracting his aura, Tang Xiu then moved one of his legs atop the other, and then took out a half-pack of cigarettes. After lit it up and drew the smoke in and out, he threw the remaining half-pack to Zhu Xinghe and said, "Your family is said to be the first power in He Province, which I suppose it''s not just in power but also intelligence network. You''re also a man with prominent status and position, so you should have seen that person yourself. That''s precisely the chief reason I came to you this time, which is to ask you some matters about the Floating Snow Chateau."


    "The Floating Snow Chateau?"


    With a slightly changed expression, Zhu Xinghe forced a smile and said, "All of you are the same kind of people, but why must you pick me¡ªan average man¡ªto deal with your issue? If there''s any grudge between you people, please solve it among yourselves."


    "I guarantee the matter between us won''t affect you whatsoever, nor will it implicate your family," said Tang Xiu. "I came here to ask you something. You also understand the principle that you can always prevail if you know yourself and thy opponents, don''t you?"


    "You''re in hostile relations with the Floating Snow Chateau?" asked Zhu Xinghe.


    Tang Xiu extended his finger and shook it. "No, no, no. I''m not certain whether the Floating Snow Chateau is my enemy as of now. Zhu Xinghe, just answer me, who is the Master of the Floating Snow Chateau?"


    Zhu Xinghe was silent for a moment and slowly said, "It''s Xue Wuhen."


    "Tell me the details," said Tang Xiu.


    "That woman, Xue Wuhen, has always been untraceable, so I have no idea what she looks like. I only met her once and she was just like you, wearing a similar bronze mask and just appeared before me and sat where you''re sitting now. She''s very strong, and the aura she unleashed is slightly weaker than yours now. But I''m not sure about some other things, though."


    "You mean, she came to see you personally and that was because of the friction between both sides?" asked Tang Xiu.


    Zhu Xinghe instantly realized this person must have done the homework and had done some investigations on him and the Floating Snow Chateau.


    "That''s correct!"


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and said again, "You also concluded that the other party has some cultivators, yes?"


    "Who else but cultivators can possibly have such dreadful power?" replied Zhu Xinghe with a bitter smile. "I''ve compared myself with the average people and I can say that I''m a very strong man. I even broke through to the martial arts grandmaster level a few years ago. But comparing myself with you is like comparing the cloud to dirt."


    Tang Xiu calmly thought about it for a few minutes and then asked again, "Any particularities about her, like her appearance and the like?"


    "She''s a tall woman and dressed in white. The only particularity I can tell is her bare feet, which I happened to notice when I met her."


    Tang Xiu squinted and nodded before speaking, "Now tell me about the situation of the Floating Snow Chateau."


    Zhu Xinghe nodded. "The Floating Snow Chateau is regarded as the third-largest force in the He Province, but it''s actually off the mark. If my calculation is correct, their overall power is definitely much stronger than the Zhus''. There''s no one outside who can imagine that just Xue Wuhen alone is enough to completely obliterate everyone in the Zhu Family. The current person in charge of the Floating Snow Chateau is its Vice Master, Xue Mengdie, a very strong and resourceful woman. It took only two decades for the Floating Snow Chateau to spread out their industries in the province while also controlling many businesses under their monopoly in secret. That''s right. What I want to emphasize is that the members of Floating Snow Chateau are all comprised of women."


    "All of them are females." Tang Xiu was surprised.


    "Yes, all of them." Zhu XInghe forced a smile and continued, "It is said that women can hold half the sky. They are precisely the epitome who proves it. These women may have some men under their control, but those men only work for them and are not their members. To the best of my knowledge, there has been only one man who entered the Floating Snow Chateau, and it happened just a few months ago."


    Tang Xiu''s expression slightly shifted and he inquired. "You know who that man is?"


    "I don''t know much about him. I only know his name is Chu Yuan," answered Zhu Xinghe.


    Chu Yuan?


    A handsome face with a casual and elegant bearing immediately appeared in Tang Xiu''s mind. The man was the heir apparent of Shanghai''s Imperial Garden, and also well-known as a business genius in Shanghai. Someone hailing from the Occult Sect and one of Xue Yu''s pursuers then.


    But still, how could he enter the Floating Snow Chateau? Could it be that there''s a woman there who likes him?


    As he thought about this possibility, he immediately smiled and asked again, "Anyway, do you know anything else pertaining to the Floating Snow Chateau, by chance? Well, something very particular."


    "No." Zhu Xinghe shook his head. "We may live in Zheng City, but the Floating Snow Chateau hides too deeply and is particularly low-key. Those who usually got exposed to the public are the people who manage their business. I don''t know much about its members."


    Tang Xiu no longer asked about the Floating Snow Chateau''s situation anymore. Instead, he said, "Are you not afraid that I''m one of them, so you''re not afraid of answering my questions?"


    Zhu Xinghe smiled and shook his head. "I just told you the Floating Snow Chateau doesn''t have male members, didn''t I?"


    Tang Xiu nodded in response. The instant the door was suddenly opened, he also disappeared without a trace from the chair, leaving only a faint closing sound indicated that someone had just been there.


    Fuh¡­


    Zhu Xinghe finally released a relieved sigh. He took out a cigarette with slightly trembling hands and lit it up. But his expression slightly changed after he drew a puff.


    "This cigarette?"


    He could easily sense that the smoke he just drew in suddenly turned into a warm stream that flowed into four limbs and five major bones. Just one draw of smoke was worth months of painstaking work.


    Suddenly, a familiar voice passed into his ear¡ª


    "Notify all the intel operatives of your family to lay low and do not gather any information nor investigate anyone again deliberately for the next 6 months."


    Zhu Xinghe''s complexion changed and a hint of awe could be seen in his eyes. He got and cupped his fist and said, "Zhu Xinghe won''t dare to go against your order. The Zhus will no longer gather information for the next 6 months."


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Several figures flickered and moved lightning-fast and instantly appeared outside the door. As the door was opened, a middle-aged man in black wushu suit and a saber on his back vigilantly glanced around. Then, he cupped his fists and respectfully asked, "What happened here, Patriarch?"


    Zhu Xinghe came out of the room and observed the surroundings for a while before he let out a bitter smile and replied, "A guest just visited me."


    These few men''s complexions changed and looked shocked. The middle-aged big man who just asked in a low voice, "Was it that person from the Floating Snow Chateau?"


    "No." Zhu Xinghe shook his head. "This person is much more dreadful and stronger than her."


    The few men exchanged glances and a chill immediately filled their hearts. That person from the Floating Snow Chateau several years ago had given them deep dread. Little did they expect someone more powerful than her would appear here again.

 1149 Refusal

    After returning to the Fast Leisure and Relaxation Motel, Tang Xiu met with Jin Shi, who quickly rushed over, and Wolf Head, who seemed to have drunk a lot since he was reeking of alcohol, though the man was still energetic as ever while waiting for Tang Xiu.


    "How was it, Sect Master?" asked Wolf Head, eyes flickered brilliantly.


    "I originally thought that the Zhus which are supposed to be the first family in He Province would know more about the Floating Snow Chateau. But after directly asking Zhu Xinghe, I finally learned he doesn''t know much about them either. Well, it seems I need to go there myself to figure out the details."


    "Let me go with you, Sect Master," said Jin Shi.


    Tang Xiu thought about it, then shook his head afterward. "No. Contact Xiaoxue and tell her to come over alone! Also, it''s best if she can arrive before tomorrow evening."


    "Understood," replied Jin Shi respectfully.


    ****


    Lianying County was only about 100km away from Zheng City and the place could be said as backwater compared to the latter. The natural environment here, however, was very great, being surrounded by hills and rivers with natural beauty that was a feast for the eyes. Precisely at that location was built a seemingly ordinary mountain village.


    Known as the Floating Snow Chateau, the chateau itself covered a large area of more than 10 football fields added together. The buildings here were not of modern construction and all consisted of antique pavilions. Only some of the pavilions were faintly seen from the outside, and hardly one could see that there were other antique pavilions in the midst of dense woods. Aside from the one with three-story lofts in the middle, the rest of the pavilions only had two floors.


    The three-story attic in the middle was ruled as the forbidden place in the entire Floating Snow Chateau. Even the eight two-story ones around it were also included in the forbidden zone due to it. Except for those who had special identities in the chateau, no outsiders were allowed to enter. Even Xue Mengdie, the chateau''s Vice Master, needed to send a notification in advance if she wanted to enter.


    Night had fallen to replace the day and the chilling wind was blowing when two blurred figures descended from the sky and instantly disappeared into the lush woods. It was early in the winter and the fallen leaves from the trees around Zheng City could be seen fluttering everywhere. Yet, the manor complex seemed to be in spring decorated with the shades of green trees. Even the groves in the midst of trees produced colorful blooming flowers with numerous birds chirping and wandering about along with a variety of butterflies.


    "This makes things a bit interesting."


    In the grove, Tang Xiu looked at the surrounding environment and a smile sported on his face.


    "This place obviously has been transformed by an array, Grand Master," commented Gu Xiaoxue. "We should be inside it now, so we may have to spend some efforts to not alarm anyone here."


    Tang Xiu''s expression shifted, but then he shook his head. "No need. We''ve already been discovered since many people are coming in this direction. It seems that those monitoring this array can detect anyone who breaks into it. Hence, there''s no need for us to do anything about it."


    Having said that, he took out a zither from the interspatial ring. It was Gu Yan''er who gave him this zither. Its whole body was carved from warm jade while its strings were forged from the tendons of a flood dragon''s tendons. It could be said that this zither was a very remarkable artifact.


    Suddenly, a tea table and a small bench appeared in front of Tang Xiu. He then took a seat and placed the zither on the tea table in front as his finger immediately stroked the strings.


    Ting, ting¡­


    The notes sound flowed out like flowing water from Tang Xiu''s fingertips. It was the "Invitation Salute to the Demons" syllable. The notes were melodious and pleasing to the ears, causing many people in the entire Floating Snow Chateau to shift their eyes to Tang Xiu''s direction at this moment. Many of whom were proficient in music even looked more surprised.


    Inside the three-story attic.


    Xue Wuhen was sitting cross-legged in cultivation on the cushion with closed eyes. Eight chalcedonies were placed around her, neatly arranged according to the Five Elements and Eight Divinatory Trigrams. Its function seemed to resemble the function of the Spiritual Energy Gathering Array, in terms of being able to gather the world''s spiritual energy, resulting in a very high concentration of spiritual energy in this place.


    "Um?"


    Xue Wuhen''s closed eyes instantly opened as the zither''s notes entered her ears. Her graceful figure then flickered and appeared next to the window. Her eyes were as though able to pierce through the dark veil of the night to see the person playing the zither inside the array in the forest.


    "This melody?!"


    Another figure silently appeared next to Xue Wuhen. Her pretty eyes also focused in the direction of the woods.


    Slightly glancing to the side, Xue Wuhen said, "This person''s musical attainments is much higher than mine. His zither play even nearly reaches the pinnacle. I''ve heard your play and can say that no one can be on par with this person except you."


    "Ugh!" Han Qingwu faintly sighed and said, "Just go! He''s not here for me. It''s very likely the person he''s looking for is you."


    "You know that person?" Xue Wuhen was astonished and surprised.


    "There is no one but him in this world who can have such a zither skill," said Han Qingwu. "Wuhen, remember my words. You''d better comply with anything he requests from you. You must be respectful before him and don''t make him upset."


    Xue Wuhen slightly trembled and asked incredulously, "Daoist Han, is he a very terrifying person? Who exactly is he and what is his identity?"


    "You''ll know his identity later." Han Qingwu forced a smile and said, "But I can''t tell you whether or not he''s terrifying. I just can tell you one thing¡ªhis strength is by no means beneath mine."


    "I understand." Xue Wuhen nodded and slowly said, "But I''m very curious about something, though. You''re acquainted with him and you both came to the Floating Snow Chateau, so why don''t you meet him?"


    "I''ve always been wanting to see him in my dream, but¡­ I''m afraid¡­ he will never want to see me. Since he doesn''t want to see me, why should I come out to see him and make him upset?" muttered Han Qingwu faintly.


    Xue Wuhen instantly realized that there was some kind of special yet particular relationship between Han Qingwu and the person playing the zither. It would have otherwise been very easy for Han Qingwu to meet anyone given her terrifying power.


    Whoosh¡­


    A graceful figure flickered and Xue Wuhen appeared in the array in the woods. Her vision instantly focused on Tang Xiu, who was still playing the zither. She instantly recognized his identity the moment she saw him. She changed her appearance when she participated in the battle against those demonic beasts in the Himalayas and witnessed Tang Xiu''s elegant and graceful demeanor there.


    Even she herself couldn''t help but feel moved after meeting Tang Xiu regardless of how proud a woman she was. Unfortunately, after she sent some people to investigate him, she learned that Tang Xiu had many lovers, so she could only feel regrettable and gave up the budding feeling.


    The moment after, her eyes landed on Gu Xiaoxue and felt a bit astonished and shocked even though she was also a woman.


    The song finally ended.


    Tang Xiu slowly looked up and his gaze swept over the bare-footed woman in front. He instantly took back the tea table, zither, and bench into the interspatial ring and cupped his fist. "I took the liberty to visit. I hope you don''t mind."


    "It''s an honor for me that Daoist Tang can visit my humble abode," replied Xue Wuhen smilingly.


    "Do you know me?" asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    "It''s been some time after we met in the Himalayas," replied Xue Wuhen. "But Daoist Tang''s graceful demeanor still lingers in mind."


    Tang Xiu tried hard to remember her, but he wasn''t able to recall where and when he had seen this Floating Snow Chateau''s Master in the Himalayas. He secretly shook his head and said, "Chateau Master Xue is kidding me. It never occurred to me that such a place like the Floating Snow Chateau existed here. May I know which sect or school Chateau Master Xue is affiliated with?"


    "I don''t belong to any sects." Xue Wuhen shook her head and said, "I just inherited the family heritage which has been passed down for 12 generations."


    "Small yet hidden in the mountain, big yet hidden in the city." Tang Xiu nodded and said, "It seems that Village Master Xue is indeed a resourceful and powerful person. You even have this place covered by an array. Remarkable."


    "Please don''t praise so much, Daoist Tang. I''ve seen your array in the Himalayas, which makes me feel ashamed." Xue Wuhen forced a wry smile. "I think you can instantly break the array I''ve arranged here if you wish to do so."


    Tang Xiu just smiled lightly without denying it and replied instead, "Anyway, is Chateau Master Xue really an itinerant cultivator?"


    "That''s right." Xue Wuhen nodded.


    "So you say, you''re not related to any sects, cultivators, or some other forces?" asked Tang Xiu again.


    "I never liked to show myself in public and hate troubles more." Xue Wuhen shook her head and explained, "Especially in recent decades, I only left the chateau twice. Hence, I don''t have anything to do with other forces."


    "That''s great, then." Tang Xiu nodded.


    "Anyhow, may I ask what instructions you have for me for this visit, Daoist Tang?" asked Xue Wuhen.


    "It''s far from an instruction. I just want to discuss a deal with you." Tang Xiu smiled and said, "Certainly, it won''t cause you any losses if you agree."


    "A deal as in?" asked Xue Wuhen.


    "For instance, a cultivation art that you can practice up to the Immortal Stage, pills with great effects for cultivators, and an immortal sword. All of which in exchange for you to work under me. How do you think?" asked Tang Xiu.


    Xue Wuhen''s eyes flickered and she shot a deep look at Tang Xiu. "No wonder someone advised me to never become enemies with you, Daoist Tang. That person also told me that I must try my best to meet your request regardless of what you need. It seems that Daoist Tang is much more terrifying than I thought before."


    "You agree, then?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "I''d like to be frank with you, Daoist Tang," said Xue Wuhen. "Your conditions are very attractive. I admit that I''m moved even though I''ve broken through to the Golden Core Stage, albeit barely. Only, I do not like to be restrained, so I ask Daoist Tang''s forgiveness on this matter."


    "I see." Tang Xiu nodded and said, "Everyone does have their aspirations, so I won''t force it. Though it''s truly a pity since I do have the means to help you ascend to become an immortal, but you refused it."


    Xue Wuhen shook her head and said, "Since when ascension and becoming an immortal is an easy endeavor? Wouldn''t you already become an immortal yourself if that''s the case?"


    "I never talk big, mind you." Tang Xiu smilingly said, "I never say anything I''m not sure about. The stage for those who follow me will not be limited to Earth. But if you refuse, you can only rely on your own efforts as to how far you''ll reach in the future."

 1150 Regrets

    Xue Wuhen frowned and hesitation could be seen on her face. However, she recalled that she had Han Qingwu who came a few days ago, so she shook her head and said, "Although I may be able to ascend and become an immortal, I''m afraid I''ll disappoint you, Daoist Tang. I prefer freedom than becoming an immortal."


    "I understand." Tang Xiu nodded. "I''m a man who advocates freedom myself. Then let''s drop the topic. But there''s something else I hope Chateau Master Xue can comply."


    "Please do say," replied Xue Wuhen.


    "Since you have no intention to strive outside, I ask your Floating Snow Chateau to cease some activities outside! You still can run your industries, but I ask you to cease your information gathering activities."


    It was an issue that Xue Wuhen never cared about, so she directly nodded. "It shall be done as you request it, Daoist Tang. I can also hand over the intel network under the Floating Snow Chateau if you need it, and my people will disappear right away in this field, whereas all the intel operatives will be handed over to you."


    "There''s no need for that." Tang Xiu shook his head.


    At the side, a seven-color butterfly suddenly flew from a distance and landed on Gu Xiaoxue''s shoulder. During Tang Xiu''s conversation, her expression turned a bit strange and she transmitted her voice, "There''s an old friend of yours in the Floating Snow Chateau, Grand Master."


    "Who is it?" asked Tang Xiu back with a transmitted voice.


    "Han Qingwu," replied Gu Xiaoxue. "She''s in that three-story pavilion."


    Tang Xiu furrowed his brows and directly cupped his fists toward Xue Wuhen. "Well, since Chateau Master Xue has found someone else to follow, then I won''t stay here for long. Farewell."


    Having said that, he quickly made a seal and broke the array lightning-fast. Then, he grabbed Gu Xiaoxue and soared into the sky and disappeared into the woods.


    Xue Wuhen''s eyes flickered. She wasn''t surprised to see how easy it was for Tang Xiu to crack her array. But Tang Xiu finding out that Han Qingwu was staying in her place was greatly out of her expectation.


    After a short while, she returned to the three-story attic and looked at Han Qingwu, who was looking upward at the sky, saying, "He seems to know that that you''re here. Also, he also looked upset. I suppose he thought that I lied to him."


    "Come again?" Han Qingwu''s heart tightened and she asked quickly.


    "He asked me whether I''ve pledged allegiance to some other forces. I told him no. He then finally learned that you''re here, which I think is what made him upset."


    A pang of pain gnawed Han Qingwu''s heart after hearing it. He knows I''m here, yet he doesn''t even want to see me at all and just left in a rush. Is he really avoiding me?


    Xue Wuhen, who could see Han Qingwu''s complexion turn pale and looked to be in pain, asked with concern, "Are you alright, Daoist Han?"


    "I''m¡­ fine." Han Qingwu bit her lips then shook her head. "He¡­ what exactly does he want from you?"


    "He wants me to pledge allegiance to him with great conditions and benefits. But I declined his offer," answered Xue Wuhen.


    Han Qingwu suddenly turned around and her eyes intensely stared at Xue Wuhen with complicated expressions. "I won''t feel sorry for you even if you refuse all the people in the world. But turning him down is the stupidest thing you''ve ever done in your life. Do you know how many people wanted to follow him then, yet none of them interested him in the slightest?"


    Xue Wuhen''s expression changed and she asked, "Daoist Han, you said that your power is under him, then are you willing to follow him if he asks you to?"


    Han Qingwu fell into silence. She shifted back her vision through the window at the night sky veiled by darkness. After a long time, she literally blurted out the raging bitterness inside her, "Let alone following him, even becoming his slave or servant is something I dare not dream of. So much so that being able to look at him from afar makes me¡­ feel¡­ it''s enough¡­"


    Xue Wuhen''s pupils shrunk and only then did huge regret gnawed her heart. However, she then thought that she still had Han Qingwu around and shook her head, contrary to her feelings. "Well, it''s an honor for me to be able to practice under your guidance, though I dare not to have such extravagant hopes of reaching further¡­."


    "You don''t understand." Han Qingwu sighed. "He¡­"


    "He? What about him?" asked Xue Wuhen.


    "He has already started a plan, and maybe it won''t take long for him to leave this place," said Han Qingwu. "I''ll also leave after he leaves. We¡­ I''m afraid we won''t be able to see each other again at that time."


    "Where are you going, Daoist Han?" Xue Wuhen hastily asked, "And he¡­ where is he going?"


    Han Qingwu shook her head and said, "There are some things you don''t need to ask. And neither can I tell you anything no matter how adamant you''re to learn it. He still has a lot of important things to do. Lots of them. And I can''t disclose any plans or anything else about him."


    Xue Wuhen was silent for a while, then slowly asked, "So, do you like him?"


    Han Qingwu turned back and her eyes pierced through her veil at Xue Wuhen''s face. She shook her head and said, "The word ''like'' can never describe my feelings for him. It''s more precise to call it an unforgettable love¡ªthe love that has been carved deep into the bones and etched eternally into the soul! Haih, forget it. I''m tired. I''m leaving to have some rest."


    After that, she disappeared.


    Love? The kind of unforgettable loved that had been carved deep into the bones and etched into the soul eternally?


    Xue Wuhen was shaken to the core. Never once had she ever imagined that such a peerless beauty who possessed terrifying power like Han Qingwu turned out to be afraid to approach him. What exactly happened between them? Why would Han Qingwu dare not approach him even though her love for him was so deep and unforgettable?


    Wait¡­


    Suddenly, Xue Wuhen recalled something. Tang Xiu previously said that he can help me to ascend and become an immortal. Could it be that the meaning of him leaving that Han Qingwu just said¡­ is that he''s going to ascend to the Immortal World?


    ****


    In mid-air.


    Tang Xiu was flying side by side with Gu Xiaoxue and there were some traces of regret on his face. Yet, the decision had more or less been determined since Xue Wuhen was related to Han Qingwu and he didn''t want to bother himself with her anymore.


    "So, what are we going to do next, Grand Master?" asked Gu Xiaoxue softly.


    "Sigh, the chief purpose we visited the Floating Snow Chateau failed, so I can only step back and find other families." Tang Xiu sighed and went on, "As for the Zhus¡­ they can become the first affluent family in He Province, but it''s likely they are very closely related to some families in the capital. Unless Zhu Xinghe can leave them, his family will never work for us."


    "Your analysis is on the mark, Grand Master." Gu Xiaoxue nodded and said, "But we can give it a try, however. After all, as the first family in He Province, his family has long been rooted deep here. That will save us lots of effort if we can use them."


    Tang Xiu gave it a thought and felt that it was a sound idea. Close and a lot of connections with those in Beijing could be expected if one could develop smoothly within a province. If he could use them and make them wholeheartedly pledge their allegiance to him, not only could it save a lot of financial and other resources, including intelligence manpower, he could also expect some surprise aftermath later.


    "Alright, let''s go visit Zhu Xinghe again."


    ****


    At the Zhu Family''s residence manor.


    Zhu Xinghe was still staying in his room but no longer reading a book. He silently looked out of the window while thinking deeply about something.


    "Umm?"


    Suddenly, his expression slightly changed because he clearly saw two figures dashing in the sky not far away and appeared in front of him in just one-plus seconds.


    "You are¡­"


    It was a handsome man and a beautiful woman. A heaven-made match.


    The moment Zhu Xinghe saw this pair of man and woman before him, the two idioms instantly appeared in his mind.


    Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxu immediately entered the room behind Zhu Xinghe. Tang Xiu himself directly pulled a chair, took a seat and smilingly said, "Well, aren''t you a forgetful person, Patriarch Zhu? We just met yesterday, yet you have already forgotten me today."


    Zhu Xinghe was shaken inwardly. He turned to look at Tang Xiu''s handsome face and murmured, "Yesterday¡­.? It turns out¡­ that the person is you¡­ Tang Xiu."


    "Ah, I didn''t Patriarch Zhu knew me! It''s really an honor!" Tang Xiu smiled.


    "Your famous name precedes you, Mr. Tang," saluted Zhu Xinghe hurriedly. "Besides, I already memorized your face in mind a long time ago, so why I can instantly recognize you."


    "If so, our next chat will be much easier then," said Tang Xiu with a smile. "Anyway, you should already know that I''m the owner of Magnificent Tang Corp. and the fact that I am also hailed as a young Divine Doctor, as well as the scion of House Tang from Beijing."


    "Yeah, I already know all these," said Zhu Xinghe.


    "Well, I still don''t know which family in Beijing your Zhu Family is closely related to, though." Tang Xiu smiled.


    Zhu Xinghe''s expression slightly changed and numerous thoughts inundated his mind instantly. Still, he respectfully replied, "It''s the Bai Family of Beijing."


    Tang Xiu''s brows raised and he lightly smiled. "Ah, it turns out to be Bai Tao''s family, eh? Anyhow, there''s something I''d like to ask you about, Patriarch Zhu. If I request you to give up the cooperation with the Bais and then turn to House Tang, are you willing to do that?"


    Zhu Xinghe forced a smile and said, "My family would suffer heavy blows if I did that, Mr. Tang. I''m afraid that House Bai won''t be able to accommodate my family anymore."


    "What if I can help you solve these problems?" asked Tang Xiu smilingly.


    "If Mr. Tang really can help solve it, then I''m sure there will be no issues," replied Zhu Xinghe decisively. "Who doesn''t know that House Tang is the most powerful family in entire China nowadays? It would simply be a great blessing if the Zhus could be on good terms with House Tang."


    Tang Xiu took out a book and threw it to Zhu Xinghe, saying, "Since you''re willing to be under my flag, then I naturally won''t be stingy toward you. A cultivation art is written in this book, and I''ll also give you a bottle of pills. With your current strength and added with the effect you''ll obtain from cultivation and these pills, you can definitely reach the Qi Refining Stage and enter the cultivation world in a short time. Later on, as long as you''re loyal to me and continue to fulfill the tasks I''ll give you, you''ll also be able to get more rewards and higher levels of cultivation art."


    Cultivation art? As in the path to becoming a cultivator?!!


    It was a dream that had once occupied Zhu Xinghe''s mind. To become a cultivator! Especially after he witnessed Xue Wuhen''s power, which caused his obsession to obtain a cultivation art. It was unfortunate that there were only a handful of cultivators in China. Even though he had invested huge capital in this endeavor, he still hadn''t been able to obtain any of these cultivation arts and thus, his dream of becoming a genuine cultivator was barred.


    But at this moment, his dream was about to come true, stirring his soul and making him excited.

 1151 Rapid Increase in Strength

    Tang Xiu calmly observed Zhu Xinghe. He was well aware of how great the temptation brought by the cultivation art and medicinal pills was to the average people. To ascend and become an immortal was something beyond many people''s cognition, to begin with. But the power to summon the natural forces was the eternal goal pursued by countless martial artists.


    But the most important thing was still the lifespan of cultivators.


    With his status, Zhu Xinghe had definitely learned some hearsays about cultivators that, the higher the cultivation one had, the longer his lifespan was. To those who were at the top and had power in hands, the more they had, the more they were afraid of death.


    Tang Xiu then felt that even if Zhu Xinghe might know about these aspects, he decided to remind the man how big the opportunity he just gave him was. "Zhu Xinghe, this cultivation art I gave you can take you up to the late-stage of Qi Refining. The transformation of True Qi into True Essence is a kind of qualitative change that can improve your lifespan. You can expect to live up to 100 years once you reach the late-stage of Qi Refining. There''s also the Foundation Establishment Stage above it. Cultivators at the late-stage of this realm can live for at least 300 years."


    "Tang¡­ you also have a cultivation art up to the late-stage of Foundation Establishment?" asked Zhu Xinghe hurriedly.


    "Just call me Boss later!" said Tang Xiu lightly. "Further, my cultivation art is not limited to the late-stage of Foundation Establishment, there are also the Golden Core and Nascent Soul Stages, even ones for much higher levels of cultivation. As long as you''re loyal and devoted to accomplishing the tasks you''re given in the future, you can expect to obtain the next levels of this cultivation art one after another."


    "You can expect my undying loyalty and that I''ll accomplish every task you give me!" replied Zhu Xinghe categorically with an excited face.


    "Hold on. Don''t you wanna know what I want you to do?" Tang Xiu lightly said with a smile.


    "I''ll do whatever you ask me to do!" said Zhu Xinghe in a deep voice.


    "Truly a Patriarch of a family, aren''t you? You got wisdom average people can''t compare." Tang Xiu chuckled and said, "Actually, the task I''m going to give you is very simple. You''re to be the director of intelligence in He Province under the Tang Sect for which the Chief of Intelligence will visit you¡ªthe only person you need to report to later."


    "Intelligence? You want me to only carry out information gathering?" Zhu Xinghe exclaimed.


    With a clear expression and a deep voice, Tang Xiu replied, "A complete web of intel network will be woven in all of China, and you''re one of the nodes in the hub that is He Province, responsible for the information gathering all over this province. There are also others in other provinces like you. If the information is related to other regions, someone will naturally contact you to exchange information to compare and compile it so as to obtain the information content thoroughly."


    Zhu Xinghe turned more serious and solemn, staring at Tang Xiu in shock. It must be noted that he was the Zhu Patriarch, notably the first family in He Province, yet he was just a node in this intel network, whereas there were also others responsible for other provinces and regions like him?


    In case¡­ which is very likely, these intel top executives were to have status and identity on par with me, doesn''t it mean the supreme chief of intelligence would have very terrifying energy in hands?


    Such a tall order¡­ does Tang Xiu want to control this country?


    Seeing through Zhu Xinghe''s mind, Tang Xiu indifferently continued, "No such ambition ever crossed my mind. China is too small and not worth the effort to fight over. Once the intel network has covered the whole of China, you can see the next step where the web will cover every nook and corner of the world, replacing the current world''s first intelligence agency, the Darkwind. But the network will only serve Tang Sect at that time. You, on the other hand, have gotten a cultivation art which makes you a peripheral member of the Tang Sect, in line to get absorbed as an outer disciple later."


    An outer disciple? If there are outer disciples, then they must also have inner disciples. Which means there are many among them who have much bigger privileges and rights¡­ this Tang Sect, how huge is its power, exactly? A tempestuous storm raged in Zhu Xinghe''s mind.


    Tang Xiu no longer bothered about his other thoughts and lightly said, "I already told you what must be said, so someone will naturally contact you later. Later on, it will be your own efforts that dictate how further you''ll reach in the future."


    Having said that, Tang Xiu turned around and left.


    Zhu Xinghe hurriedly called out, "Tang¡­ Boss, one last question! How many contributions should I make in order to be eligible to be accepted as an outer disciple of the Tang Sect?"


    "Every 3 years some members from the inner court will come out to evaluate each provincial chief''s achievements. The opportunity to become outer disciples will be given to the top three. That''s right, I forgot to tell you another thing. You may have obtained a cultivation art, but I forbid you to pass it on to anyone else including people very close to you. If you want to pass it on to others, it will depend on your future contributions. The bigger your merits, the bigger the chance you''ll get whether you can teach it to others or a larger number of people."


    "I understand." Zhu Xinghe cupped his fists and replied respectfully.


    Merits!


    He knew that it was the basis if he wanted to climb up and become stronger and live longer. He suddenly found that his already dim spirit was ignited once again after facing such a huge and mysterious Tang Sect¡ªthe enthusiasm that had disappeared ever since two decades ago.


    ****


    Some time passed by. Tang Xiu was so harried running about outside that he didn''t have time to attend Ji Mu''s wedding. He spent two months digging up some competent officials, businessmen, and distinguished people and pulling them under the Tang Sect''s flag as members of the sect''s intel network.


    Just in the three first-tier cities that were Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzen, Tang Xiu picked up two people as directors, putting them to manage two lines of intelligence work at the same time. Added with two vice directors, there were a total of four lines of work in each city, resulting in crazy expansion for intel operatives carried out by Jin Shi.


    Finally, the embryonic form of the huge intel network had been set up.


    Afterward, Tang Xiu stayed in Shanghai for more than 10 days. Then, he rushed to Nine Dragons Island to carry out secluded cultivation since he had run into a bottleneck in his cultivation for some time. It was not because his cultivation level was lacking, but rather due to the need to absorb various types of energy in huge amounts. Thus, it would be very difficult to break through the bottleneck outside Nine Dragons Island.


    Seven days in Nine Dragons Island passed by with Tang Xiu fully immersed himself in cultivation and painstakingly arranged a special array to link up all the nine Spiritual Springs'' cores.


    Purple Qi¡­ from the East.


    He used it to temper his physique and integrated it with the Primal Chaos force in his system, resulting in the latter''s increase in amount. Even the volume of the first planet had now become five meters in diameter.


    "It''s nearly done."


    While sitting cross-legged in the courtyard, Tang Xiu looked up at the thick black clouds in the sky where sparks of lightning kept blitzing and trailing down. An unswerving determination was evident in his eyes.


    He kept extracting enormous Primal Chaos power from the first planet and crazily instilled it into his meridians, causing the enormous energy to begin circulating. Meanwhile, a certain stars cluster in the universe and countless heavenly bodies began emitting bright light at the same time.


    This star cluster was unlike the rest in the universe''s scope as it was a sphere of dead stars. But more than 80% of the planets in this starfield had countless lifeforms that produced countless offspring. At this moment, however, hundreds of millions of lifeforms were all shocked by the light emitted from the whole planet. Some creatures with great powers soared into the space to figure out the reason why the planet was suddenly emitting out such light.


    However, none of these creatures with great supernatural power was able to figure it out. They kept extending the reach of their spiritual sense for 10 million light years away but still couldn''t see the end.


    BAM¡­


    Tang Xiu was unaware of how long had it been, but his body suddenly trembled and a huge roar that felt like a thunderstorm made him nearly faint. However, the sensation vanished in the blink of an eye and was replaced by a particularly special sensation.


    As he opened his eyes, he found his eyes, which were able to see scenes five-plus kilometers away, were now able to see anything as far as 20km, whereas his spiritual sense that used to be able to cover 400-plus meters scope now could cover the radius of 2km completely.


    Divine Power¡ªStarquake.


    In the midst of darkness, a mysterious and profound divine ability with Quintessence Star energy suddenly emerged and filled Tang Xiu''s sea of mind. Despite being a Supreme in the past, his body couldn''t help but shake for some time by this divine ability.


    Quake and vibration! It was everywhere and all-powerful. The magnitude and the scope of this seismic-like force could spread out and be used for defense or attack. Layers of accumulated seismic-like force could increase his defense and attack power countless times if he fully unleashed his power.


    Whizz¡­


    Tang Xiu''s figure streaked up into the sky and instantly appeared hundreds of meters mid-air. As he stood in the air, his eyes fell on a stone lion hundreds of meters below. He gently flicked his finger and a vibrating force instantly shot forward. The transmission seemed very slow, but it was fast to the extreme. In just less than a thousandth of a second, it had pierced the stone lion.


    BOOM¡­


    The stone line''s head exploded and gravel was scattered for tens of meters to the surroundings.


    "If I were to unleash the power of this Quake divine ability fully, even a boulder weighing tens of thousands of pounds beyond a few kilometers would likely be shattered into pieces. Also, if this vibration force is to be applied to a weapon, the power can be multiplied by several times."


    Tang Xiu smiled and watched as tens of figures flickered lightning-fast near the shattered stone lion. As they looked up and saw Tang Xiu in the sky, they saluted in unison and then cleaned up the rubble extremely fast.


    Suddenly, another figure appeared in the air next to Tang Xiu. It was Gu Yan''er, who smiled at him and asked, "Did your cultivation improve and reached the second stage of your cultivation art, the Stars Heavenly Essence?"

 1152 A Cry for Help from Japan

    "Yeah, I just broke through to the second stage, the Stars Heavenly Essence." Tang Xiu nodded and slowly said, "It''s just I didn''t expect my power to increase tremendously after the breakthrough. I''m confident that I can kill those at the late-stage of Spirit Formation now."


    Gu Yan''er''s eyes lit up and immediately replied with a smile, "Given the speed of your cultivation speed, it''s very likely you won''t take long to complete the nine small stages of the Stars Heavenly Essence and reach a higher level, Master. Wouldn''t you be on par with those at the Crossing Tribulation Stage at that time?"


    "Yeah, if my guess is right, I should be able to contend with experts at Crossing Tribulation Stage, indeed." Tang Xiu nodded. "Also, completing the nine small stages of the Stars Heavenly Essence Stage will not be limited to this aspect as well. Anyway, how''re your injuries now?"


    "A lot better." Gu Yan''er smilingly replied, "I''ll be fully recovered in about 2 years."


    "I see." Tang Xiu nodded and said, "Then again, it''s still necessary to find you the needed heavenly and earthly treasures, preferable those which has an effect on your injury. Also, Xue Yu has been following you to practice, how is her situation now?"


    "She''s doing great." Gu Yan''er nodded. "She''s now reached the late-stage of Spirit Formation and her cultivation is very solid. But I have no idea about her state of mind, though. She''s improving much faster on this aspect rather than her cultivation. I think she can directly pass the Spirit Formation Stage right to the Body Integration Stage as long as she can absorb a lot of energy."


    "That''s great to hear!" replied Tang Xiu. "Then let her continue staying with you to practice! She''ll become a great help after she breaks through to the Great Ascension Stage and I complete the nine small stages of Stars Heavenly Essence later. Anyhow, what about Chen Zhizhong?"


    This time, Gu Yan''er forced a smile and said, "His situation is a bit strange. Although he regained his memories, his cultivation doesn''t keep up. He has been cultivating painstakingly, but the result is contrary to the expectation instead. His cultivation keeps declining rather than advancing. Even now, he''s at the early-stage of Foundation Establishment."


    "What?" Tang Xiu was surprised.


    "I don''t know exactly what the causes or reasons are. Elder Ji and I have examined his physique many times already. But we found no abnormalities whatsoever. Yet, his cultivation keeps going backward rather than moving forward," continued Gu Yan''er. "Well, he could have not been able to keep it, including his current Foundation Establishment level, had it not been for his arduous efforts."


    "Where''s he now?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "He received news from the outside that his son was beaten in Shanghai and is seriously injured, so he rushed back to China," said Gu Yan''er. "He should be in Star City now."


    Tang Xiu knitted his brows. "What exactly happened?"


    "I''m not too sure about the specific cause, either," replied Gu Yan''er. "I only know that his opponent kind of pitted his son due to some purchases or something. There was a conflict between them and his son was then wounded. I heard that he hasn''t woke up from a coma until now. But Junior Sister is currently treating his son, so there should be no big problems with him."


    "Dai Xinyue?" asked Tang Xiu in surprise.


    "Yup, it''s Xinyue." Gu Yan''er chuckled and said, "Her medical skills have advanced rapidly over the past years. I heard she''s already very famous in Star City, and even many patients from other regions are flocking there to find her, hoping that they can be treated by her. Also, Xiaoxue said that four Chinese medicine grandmasters in China visited Star City to test her on some medical skills. The result shocked them, and they think that Junior Sister will be a very prominent figure in Chinese medicine many years later. One of them even said that she''ll be very likely to become the new Divine Doctor after you."


    After hearing this, Tang Xiu didn''t look happy in the slightest but silently sigh and shook his head. "She does have some achievements in Chinese medicine, but she''s been spending her time in this aspect way too much, which I reckon will definitely affect her cultivation. I guess, her cultivation hasn''t yet reached a high level, right?"


    "Yeah, she''s only at the early-stage of Foundation Establishment now." Gu Yan''er nodded.


    "Did you send someone to give her a lot of cultivation resources?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "Well, she is my Junior Sister, after all, Master." Gu Yan''er chuckled. "Sending her some cultivation resources is just proper. Though it''s a pity that I haven''t had any chance to chat with her."


    "No worries about that. You''ll get many chances for that in the future." Tang Xiu smiled.


    Whoosh¡­


    A figure flickered from the distance and approached like a bolt of lightning. In just a few breaths, the person stood in front of Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er.


    "Master, Grand Master."


    After saluting, Gu Xiaoxue reported. "I just received news from Japan. Kuwako is in a dire situation and needs help. I''ve already sent some people near Japan to rush over there, but they are only some peripheral and outer disciples, so they won''t be able to do much."


    "What exactly happened?" asked Tang Xiu with a change in expression.


    "Kuwako has successfully taken over the Head of House Yamamoto about a month ago," explained Gu Xiaoxue. "But when she was preparing to remove the last figure who has been obstructing her in the Northstar One Blade School, tens of Ninjutsu experts suddenly appeared around that person, two of whom were stronger than Kuwako."


    "Where''s Tang Guang now?" asked Tang Xiu in a deep voice.


    "He''s already in Japan, but he''s been injured as well after joining Kuwako to fight her powerful enemies," said Gu Xiaoxue.


    As Tang Xiu''s fingers formed a seal, Ji Chimei instantly appeared in front of him in just a few breaths.


    "Lord." Ji Chimei greeted respectfully.


    "Yan''er is still injured, so you''ll send us to Japan." Tang Xiu ordered.


    Ji Chime''s expression slightly shifted and gave a curt nod in response.


    Quickly after, four figures quickly appeared in front of Tang Xiu. They were Mo Awu, Xue Sha, Hei Xiong, and the last person who just broke through to the Golden Core Stage, Hei Wuya.


    "Let''s go!" Tang Xiu ordered indifferently.


    Ji Chimei curtly nodded and immediately released some strands of energy to wrap Tang Xiu and the rest. Before she left, her finger pointed to the distance and then bolted away toward Japan like a meteor.


    Two minutes later, Ji Chimei had brought Tang Xiu and the rest to the sky over Japan. After she released her spiritual sense to cover the entire country, she quickly found Kuwako and Tang Guang in a manor.


    "Who is it?!!"


    A figure quickly rushed out of the square inside the manor lightning fast. More than ten of them were Tang Sect outer disciples. But they immediately wore a respectful face after seeing the people who just came clearly.


    Tang Xiu shot a glance at the direction where Ji Chimei just left and secretly sighed inwardly. The Heavenly Dao of this plane was so powerful that Ji Chimei was only able to exert less than 1% of her power, taking her two minutes to take him and the others here.


    "Grand Master!"


    "Boss!"


    Tang Guang and Kuwako Yamamoto, decorated with decorated in some parts of their bodies, quickly appeared in front of Tang Xiu. They looked relieved after seeing Tang Xiu and Mo Awu''s group.


    Tang Xiu nodded to her in response and said, "Let''s chat later. Lead the way."


    "Please follow me, Boss," said Kuwako respectfully.


    In a two-story building, Kuwako waited until Tang Xiu took a seat. Then, she personally made tea and served it for Tang Xiu and spoke afterward, "I didn''t expect you to come this quickly, Sect Master. We thought we''d have to wait for a few more days."


    "Tell me about the situation here," said Tang Xiu.


    "I''ve succeeded in becoming House Yamamoto''s Patriarch and also the Vice Schoolmaster of the Northstar One Blade. About 2 days ago, I was able to take over the seat of Northstar One Blade Schoolmaster, but the Northstar''s Grand Elder, Osashi Kitagishi, suddenly attacked me with ten people comparable to Golden Core Stage experts. Two of whom were old men who were outrageously powerful. It was fortunate that Elder Tang Guang was also there, else I''d have died in their hands."


    Tang Xiu turned to Tang Guang and asked, "How strong are they?"


    Tang Guang recalled the scene for a while and then slowly narrated. "I haven''t yet broken through to the Nascent Soul, so I''m not too sure how strong Nascent Soul experts are. However, those two geezers can definitely suppress late-stage Golden Core experts. My injuries and Kuwako''s were also caused by those two. But¡­"


    "But what?" asked Tang Xiu with furrowed brows.


    "That Osashi Kitagishi guy didn''t move at all," said Tang Guang solemnly. "Yet, he can control so many experts under him, which makes me suspect that his strength is superior. Maybe, he really has strength comparable to Nascent Soul experts."


    Tang Xiu shifted back to Kuwako and asked, "I wanna know the details of this Osashi Kitagishi guy!"


    "Osashi Kitagishi was originally a training instructor in the Northstar One Blade School. He was then promoted after accomplishing a special mission and made a great contribution to the school. He has been showcasing his great abilities ever since he became an Elder. He constantly made contributions that benefit the school and thus, was appointed as Grand Elder and then honored to enter the Elder Council. But as far as I know about him, it''s rather impossible for him to have such formidable strength even though he can enter the Elder Council, let alone controlling so many experts around him. Though I must say that I do have my doubts and suspicions over this matter."


    "What do you suspect, exactly?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "I suspect that the depths of the Northstar One Blade School are not as simple as what I came into contact with," said Kuwako. "Although I know none of those experts who appeared alongside Osashi Kitagishi, I suspect they are also from the school¡ªexperts that have been groomed in secret."


    Tang Xiu frowned and said, "You mean¡­ some people in the Northstar One Blade don''t want you to be its Schoolmaster?"


    "That''s right." Kuwako confirmed in a low voice. "The reason I got the chance to become its Schoolmaster was that I control the current one and forced him to submit to me."


    "Haih¡­ nothing forcibly done is going to be agreeable. Unwillingness can never produce the desired results." Tang Xiu sighed and then asked, "So, where''s the current Schoolmaster of Northstar One Blade now?"


    "He¡­ disappeared." Kuwako shook her head and said, "Even though I control his life and death, which makes me share a particular connection with him, I have no idea why he can shield my perception to sense him, so I don''t know where he is now."

 1153 The Water Is Deep

    He''s missing?


    Tang Xiu was quite surprised. It must be noted that the Soul Ruling Spell he taught Kuwako was a very powerful secret art. Yet, there was someone in this world who could shield and block it? What kind of figure who could possibly have such great supernatural power in Japan?


    Tang Xiu shifted his focus to Kuwako, but there was a bit of hesitation on his face. In actuality, he could find anyone under the Soul Ruling Spell cast by Kuwako, but this secret art required her blood essence. Once he took it from her, it was equal to giving a big injury that would affect her cultivation.


    After weighing the pros and cons, he finally gave up on the idea and slowly asked, "Do you know where this Osashi Kitagishi guy is now?"


    "From the secret report I received on him, he took those experts to a stationary point a few kilometers away from here. But the manor is tightly guarded by the experts from the Northstar One Blade School. Although I control one-third of these people and 80% of the rest will listen to my command, I don''t dare to expose them now."


    "You handled it correctly." Tang Xiu nodded and said, "If the opponent is only that Osashi Kitagishi alone, you can gather all the manpower you have to get rid of him since you can use numbers to kill him no matter how powerful he is. But he has many experts under him, and using manpower with too much disparity in strength will ruin your efforts in the long-term, while it may also be less impactful."


    Tang Xiu then got up and grinningly said, "Well, I''ve just made a slight breakthrough, so I''m looking for a sparring partner. I didn''t expect some experts would suddenly appear. Kuwako, take us to meet this guy. I wanna see how powerful this Osashi guy and his men are."


    "Understood!"


    Kuwako had long known that Tang Xiu was powerful. Now that he just had a breakthrough, didn''t it mean that he was a lot stronger than before? With him personally going into action, Osashi Kitagishi and his men were unlikely to be able to fight against Sect Master even if they were powerful.


    ****


    Shaofang was a famous entertainment club in Shinjuku and was also a money squandering establishment that many yearned to visit and spurned at the same time. Every guest with a stack of notes could find a variety of entertainment programs they wanted from the one-stop service provided here.


    The venue was usually full of guests. At this moment, however, there were no men looking for flowers and enjoying their springtime here nor women coming out for recreation. Not even one waiter could be seen. Now, one could see a grim and cold-looking black-suited man with a machete standing in every corner of the road, blocking the whole Shaofang.


    In the innermost interior.


    On the second floor of a richly ornamented classical pavilion, Osashi Kitagishi held a bronze wine cup in front of the table next to the window. Yet, his lips didn''t even touch the wine cup but looked at the emerald ring on his thumb. Sitting on the opposite side of him was a composed and easygoing-looking female who was looking at the sky in the distance toward the direction of the villa where Kuwako Yamamoto and her people were hiding.


    "Miyaji is in a very foul mood recently." The female suddenly turned her head and smilingly looked at Osashi Kitagishi.


    Osashi turned back to his senses as he frowned and said, "Palace Master has been partying every night, drinking, and the likes. Can''t those gorgeous beauties I sent to him make him happy?"


    "How do you compare those belles you sent with that Yamamoto lass?" The woman chuckled.


    "It''s different. I know that." Osashi shook his head and forced a smile. "You can say that the former is the kind of flowers watered by many, whereas Kuwako Yamamoto is a lady hailed once as the most beautiful woman in Japan. No need to guess which one is much better. It''s a pity that I''ve sent my men to find all the women aged 16 to 26 in Kyoto, but I haven''t found even a handful that compares to her."


    "Do you really think Miyaji is upset since you didn''t bring her to him?" the woman meaningfully replied.


    "It''s not it?" Osashi started blankly and confused.


    A jeer sported on the female''s face as she went on moderately. "Kuwako Yamamoto is originally a new generation lady of House Yamamoto, to begin with. Even if she''s in the Northstar One Blade, she''s only one of the many objects cultivated there. She may have good potential, but she is supposed to have a long way to take the seat of the Schoolmaster. Yet, what happened to her during this one year or two is much more interesting."


    "I''ve noticed this situation." Osashi nodded and said, "I have no idea what kind of means she uses, but she keeps buying people''s hearts, making many experts loyal to her. This ability is simply terrifying. The Northstar One Blade is just a force created by Palace Master in the past which is mainly used to handle some things that must not be exposed. Kuwako, on the other hand, has unexpectedly been able to climb to this level without going through the ''Heart Purifying'' program¡ªit deviated beyond the custom set by Palace Master."


    Suddenly, he looked startled and murmured, "Don''t tell me¡­ Palace Master wants to dig out her secret?"


    "Heh, you''re not hopelessly stupid." The woman sneered. "You also know some things about her since childhood until she grew up. Her previous achievements and status were not enough for her to be qualified to obtain the ''Joyous Love'' magical skill. It''s simply impossible to cultivate up to her present level whatsoever. Further, there''s also one more thing. She''s still a virgin. Even if she did obtain the ''Joyous Love'' divine art from other channels, it''s just impossible for her to cultivate it. Meaning there''s something amiss here, a problem which became her secret and also the chance that there are other practitioners behind her."


    Osashi Kitagishi''s expression turned more serious. Then, he said in a deep voice, "You''re right. I had such suspicions myself before, but I''ve been uncertain and not sure about it. Now that you told me your piece, which happens to be similar to mine, it''s highly likely it''s really the case. Still, there are many mechanisms in that manor, while there''s also a bunch of mysterious experts around Kuwako Yamamoto. There''s nothing we can do for the time being."


    "If we can''t do so, then just wait," said the woman lightly. "Besides, that manor should only have a few food reserves, while there are so many of them. They can''t last long. When they get hungry, it will be the time for us to storm inside to clean them up."


    Osashi nodded and said, "It''ll be much easier to deal with them if they are forced to come out because of the lack of food. Anyhow, Yuji, did you bring the Four Vajra Guardians with you?"


    The woman called Yuji nodded and smilingly said, "That''s of course. The Four Vajra Guardians are my special favorites in these years, to begin with. It''s only natural I bring them with me. With the might of Vajra Fist Array, I don''t care how powerful Kuwako has become, she''ll only meet a dead-end once she gets trapped inside."


    A look of envy flashed in Osashi''s face. Then, he slowly said, "Palace Master is truly fond of you! To think that he even taught you one of the ten Great Arrays. Yuji, if you can become his favorite and snatch the position as his Head Mistress, do not forget to support me later, alright?"


    "You''re cracking a joke with me, Elder Osashi." Yu Ji chuckled and smirked. "Besides, Miyaji has tons of beauties already, many of whom are far more beautiful than me. How could I have the qualification to be his Head Mistress?"


    Osashi Kitagishi squinted his eyes and smilingly replied, "Well, looks and makings are just secondary, what really matters is wisdom. Besides, only a handful are as smart and wise as you in the entire Pleasure Palace, no? What I wanna say is, you only have a few competitors. So, if you can get more support, then in the future¡­"


    His words came to an abrupt stop as a fragrant scent wafted in, followed by a graceful figure that appeared at the door.


    "What''s up?"


    Yuji furrowed her brows and looked displeased. She realized that Osashi was about to speak out something she wanted to hear but was finally interrupted.


    "Someone broke in, Yuji."


    "Who is it?"


    "Kuwako Yamamoto."


    "What?"


    Yu Ju abruptly got up with an uncertain expression. She didn''t expect that Kuwako would leave that manor and proactively rush here to her death. Yet, at the same time, she was also aware of one thing. Someone should have notified her when Kuwako left the manor, so how could she appear here without receiving the report about it?


    Was there a traitor within?


    A chilling light flashed in Yuji''s eyes. She turned to Osashi Kitagishi and said, "I got a bad feeling. It''s likely the force behind Kuwako just appeared. Further, she''s a smart woman. She''d never take the initiative to leave the manor if there was nothing to make her feel confident."


    Osashi got up and said, "You''re right. But she has yet to find out that you''re here, either. Nor does she know of the group of experts you brought here. If she got help from some foreign forces, then why can I not? Today, we''ll completely obliterate her followers as well as her foreign reinforcement. Then we''ll seize her for Palace Master and get the rewards."


    "I need to know what you didn''t say just now," said Yuji in a deep voice.


    "I want to help you," said Osashi.


    Yuji looked pleased and nodded. "If so, let''s see if this Kuwako is really as strong as rumored."


    At the gate of Shaofang, in the large courtyard, Kuwako Yamamoto, Tang Guang, Hei Xiong, and Xue Sha were in a killing frenzy and slaughtering Osashi''s men, causing the entire courtyard to be painted by blood in just a minute. However, ten men and women were holding their respective weapons and standing in the innermost interior while calmly watching the slaughter scene, as though those who were getting slaughtered were not one of them.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Nine figures flickered extremely fast from the distance and appeared in front of the 10 people in the blink of an eye. Osashi Kitagishi, however, furrowed his brows when he witnessed his last subordinate getting stabbed right at the heart and then kicked away. A chilling light filled and flickered in his eyes as his vision lingered on those people in the courtyard and finally, landed on Tang Xiu.


    "Who are you? How dare you are to meddle in the Northstar One Blade''s internal affair?" Osashi Kitagishi directly ignored Kuwako and coldly questioned Tang Xiu. He realized that this person with a bronze mask must be the real bigwig and the backer behind Kuwako Yamamoto.

 1154 Problems Smoothly Fixed

    Tang Xiu wore the bronze mask while holding his arms and didn''t move at all, similarly watching Osashi''s group. He could sense that these people were very strong from their auras, particularly the person who just spoke and the woman next to him.


    Soul Bewitchment Scent?


    The faint scent from that female''s body made Tang Xiu slightly surprised as it was similar to Soul Bewitching Scent used by the ravishers in the Immortal World. Despite being some distance away from her, he still could smell the scent with his sharp chemoreceptors.


    Meanwhile, Kuwako translated Osashi Kitagashi''s words in English.


    "Northstar One Blade Style, huh?" A ridiculing expression filled Tang Xiu''s eyes as he spoke in fluent English indifferently. "I''m already clear about how much power the Northstar One Blade School can offer, particularly the Five Elements Ninjutsu, which is a really powerful technique. Yet, it''s still nothing but trash compared to cultivators'' cultivation art as it was very hard for people who practice it to reach your level. You''re asking who we are? Why don''t you introduce yourself first?"


    Osashi frowned and turned to look at Yuji beside him. Then, he shook his head and replied, "Showcase your strength first if you wanna know who we are. The weak have no qualification to learn it."


    "Is that so?"


    Tang Xiu clapped and then remained silent.


    Puff¡­


    A dumpy middle-aged man standing in the rightmost line of the ten men and women behind Osashi Kitagishi suddenly had a drastic change in expression. His pupils shrunk as his left arm was quickly cut off. It was caused by a sword that seemed to have its own intelligence that appeared out of the blue and instantly vanished the instant after. Only the flying mutilated arm and the splattering blood proved the instant attack a moment ago.


    "Aaaaargh¡­"


    The short and stout man screamed while instantly covering his shoulder with his thick palm. He circulated the energy in his body frantically to quickly stop the bleeding.


    Panic and horror were evident on the faces of the rest as they immediately glanced at the surrounding vigilantly for fear that they would fall victim to that bizarre strike as well. Even the strongest among them, Osashi Kitagishi and Yuji, were no exception.


    "Well, is that guy who just got his arm cut off also an expert?" asked Tang Xiu with a faint smile.


    Despite feeling tense and restless inside, Osashi coldly replied, "Of course he''s an expert."


    "He''s an expert, yet I can cut off his arm. Does this prove that we''re qualified to know your origin?" asked Tang Xiu.


    Osashi Kitagishi and Yuji exchanged looks, then the latter slowly said, "You do have some strength to boast since you''re able to injure my subordinate severely in the blink of an eye, though it was just a sneak attack. Have your excellency ever heard about the Joyous Palace?"


    Instead of answering her, Tang Xiu glanced at the rest.


    Everyone shook their heads, but after some time, Kuwako spoke in a low voice, "I think I''ve heard about it. I only know that it''s the most mysterious sect and power in Japan. Their shadows can be seen literally everywhere, be it in the army, politics, and business."


    Tang Xiu gave a curt nod in response and shifted to Osashi, saying, "Well, I suddenly don''t feel like bothering to know to what sect you belong to anymore. Besides, those who take me as an adversary only have one end¡ªdeath. Today''s matter will only end with all of you dead!"


    Kuwako''s eyes shone. She immediately took out an object from her sleeve pocket and threw it into the sky, immediately followed by an explosion.


    "KILL!"


    She had been forced to hide in the manor to preserve her life and had been holding back her foul mood for a long time. After releasing the signal, she was the first to rush forward to attack Osashi Kitagishi. Behind her, Tang Guang, Hei Xiong, and Xue Sha instantly followed, including Mo Awu, who hadn''t joined the fray yet.


    Tang Xiu himself didn''t hurry to move and just watched the tense-looking Yuji retreat for tens of meters in an instant as she appeared on the roof of the building behind her. After she stared back at him, he hooked his finger and sneered. "Aren''t you the most powerful person here? Come and fight me rather than hiding like a turtle!"


    Yuji couldn''t sense Tang Xiu''s strength, but she didn''t take this man lightly and shouted fiercely, "Four Vajra Guardians, KILL THAT BRAT!"


    Suddenly, four stalwart big men appeared in front of Tang Xiu in the blink of an eye. After laying out the Vajra Fist Array and activated it, they let out grim grins and looked at Tang Xiu as though he was a lamb ready to bet butchered.


    "A Buddhist type array?"


    Tang Xiu looked a bit offbeat. These four men are obviously that woman''s followers. From the scent of that woman from their bodies, it''s certain they just had some pleasure time not long ago. And yet, how come this woman has the Soul Bewitchment Scent as well as seemingly having a deep origin with some Buddhist school?


    A Buddhist sect¡­ a woman¡­ pleasure and joy¡­ and Joyous Palace?


    The subsequent interlinked series of clues quickly made Tang Xiu realize that these people were from a splinter group of Tantric Buddhist, the Joyous Sect. Yet, it never occurred to him that these Joyous Sect people could actually become the most mysterious and powerful force in Japan.


    It''s no wonder these Japanese men and women bunch are so open in their relationship!


    While letting out an odd smile, Tang Xiu directly greeted their attacks with a barrage of punches. Afterimages of his punches moved lightning-fast with a punching speed at least twice faster than the four of them, delivering hundreds of punches in just a few breaths.


    "Aaargh¡­."


    "Aaargh¡­"


    "¡­"


    "¡­"


    Four shrill screams came from the four men who arranged the Vajra Fist Array. Their fists and muscles turned into flesh pulp as every inch of their bones was crushed and their muscles twisted.


    The scene somehow made Tang Xiu shake his head with a slightly regretful face. He instantly released a divine sword and slashed the four''s necks. Columns of blood burst upward as their big heads were thrown away, creating a mist of blood.


    Yuji, who stood atop the roof, nearly had her eyes jumped out. Outsiders may not know the strength of her four loyal men, but she was crystal clear about it as she was the one who used secret methods and a large amount of resources to train them. Each one of them was even stronger than some of the Buddha''s warrior attendants. They could blast a solid iron ball the size of a head with their punch.


    And yet¡­ these four men who arranged the Vajra Fist Array for her turned to end up so miserable just by the barrage of this man''s fist even though they were aided by the array that made their physiques and power stronger?


    Such a great loss was really distressing. The pain suffocated Yuji like thousands of blades shearing her heart. She had paid a huge prince, only to witness the final result where they were just killed like that by this man.


    "I''M GONNA KILL YOU!!!"


    An enormous pressuring aura burst out from her body as her figure stormed forward toward Tang Xiu lightning-fast. Everyone else who was being engaged in fights in the surroundings couldn''t help but retreat to avoid the enormous pressure.


    Tang Xiu''s eyes lit up and he moved his wrist to unleash the Starquake divine ability. The sword in his hand swayed in the air and overlapping layers of sword beams instantly passed through Yuji.


    "This is IMPOSSIBLE!!"


    Yuji''s figure turned stiff and came to a halt. She looked incredulously at her chest, belly, legs and the bleeding holes on her shoulders. With her cultivation that was on par with Nascent Soul experts, she could clearly sense the loss of life force from her body.


    Tang Xiu didn''t stop and instantly retracted the divine sword back into his body and moved his finger extremely fast to seal tens of Yuji''s acupoints, prohibiting her Buddhist Golden Core Sarira from flying out and alleviating the loss of her life force. He completely made her lack the strength to even move and posed no more threat.


    "STOP!"


    Tang Xiu shouted aloud while seizing her neck.


    In that instant, everyone stopped moving, some of whom were Yuji''s subordinate who particularly looked incredulous.


    At the moment when all the enemies were stunned, however, Tang Xiu''s left hand quickly moved. Suddenly, Osashi''s neck was bleeding and a sword pierced his heart. Tang An appeared in but an instant and manipulated her immortal sword to kill an expert next to Osashi Kitagishi.


    Mo Awu and the rest also moved to attack boldly at this moment. In a fashion almost like sneak attacks, they killed or heavily injured the enemies nearby. Any slight mistake in the fight between experts would cost their lives. Tang Xiu''s unusual trick was ingenious, clever and ruthless.


    10 minutes later, all the enemies in Shaofang''s venue were either killed or captured. Those who attempted to fight back were also stopped by Kuwako''s subordinates, but after several of them were down, Mo Awu''s group finally moved to kill the remaining enemies.


    Further, those from the Northstar One Blade school who were not from Kuwako''s faction were all killed. But those who killed them were the people under Kuwako. In a sudden fashion, the crisis had been completely lifted.


    Inside Shaofang''s building.


    Tang Xiu casually threw Yuji to the floor, sat on the chair opposite her and said, "Take care of Osashi Kitagishi first. Give him some healing pills if he''s losing life force too fast."


    "Understood!"


    Mo Awu respectfully replied and strode out of the room.


    Tang Xiu''s focus shifted to Yuji and asked in fluent English, "Those wounds won''t kill you. I have the means to save and even spare your miserable life. But I want you to cooperate well. I guarantee you can live if you do so."


    With a pale face without any spirit, Yuji shook her head and said, "I can tell what you want to ask me. Pity I can never tell you even if I''m dead."


    "You know, the most dreadful and terrible thing in the world is not death itself, but rather being kept conscious in the border of life and death where you wish to die but is unable to do so," said Tang Xiu indifferently. "I can make you wish to die yet are unable to have it and live in endless pain for one, ten, or even one hundred years. Certainly, I also give you the chance to have a good life as well. It''s your call."


    A dread appeared on Yuji''s eyes as she fell into silence for a long while. Then, she broke the ice and slowly said, "You can never stop me if I''m dead-set to die, anyway."


    Tang Xiu took off the bronze mask on his face and sneered. "I''m from China and someone who''s honored as a Divine Doctor there. Further, I''m also a cultivator. I have countless ways to keep your life while being tormented constantly. That''s something easy for me."

 1155 Buddhist Sect’s Exiled Disciple

    Yuji herself already had a faint hunch that Tang Xiu was a cultivator from China. Now that he had confirmed it himself, it made her heart completely fall to the ditch. Ever since she was taken into the bed of the Palace Master, she had been severely warned that she could provoke any practitioners from the Western cultivation world and anywhere else, save from Chinese cultivators and the Buddhist schools.


    The Joyous supernatural power had been helping her to constantly improve in the last 80 years. She kept getting stronger and thus, began casting away the Palace Master''s warning. But now, she finally experienced how powerful a cultivator was first hand. She was also finally crystal clear that Kuwako''s backer turned out to be some cultivators from China.


    To live? Or to die? Or wish to die but be unable to?


    Facing these three options, Yuji finally cast away all her hesitations and directly said, "I''ll tell you everything you want to know. My only hope is to leave Japan or better, Asia, after I do that."


    "You don''t have the leverage to ask anything." Tang Xiu shook his head. "Besides, wouldn''t you have gone already if you can just fly off to some faraway place?"


    "How did you know that?" Yuji''s expression changed.


    "Heh, there must be someone in that Joyous Palace you fear." Tang Xiu sneered. "I''m sure he can find you easily. It''s very likely that you can never escape from him even if you run away to the ends of the earth, whereas you''ll also face endless chase should you reveal anything about this person."


    Yuji fell into silence as she knew that Tang Xiu was just telling the facts. The Miyaji of the palace did have strange supernatural power. Once she betrayed him and no matter where she ran away, he had the means to find her. He didn''t even have to move in person. She could expect to have numerous assassins from Joyous Palace hot on her tails until they killed her. Another possibility was the Miyaji himself would act. But her end wouldn''t be that simple and would be very likely to be at the border of life and death as well.


    "You may be strong, but you''re just like an ant to me," said Tang Xiu calmly. "Comply with my demand and you can expect that not only can I save your life, but also preserve your cultivation."


    "That''s impossible." Yuji shook her head. "My injuries are too heavy and have seriously damaged my physique. Not even immortals can heal me. The only best ending I can hope for is to use the soul secret art to capture someone''s body that fits for my soul to possess. However, the chance is very low. And it''s likely that it''d be very difficult to cultivate anymore."


    Noticing her unwillingness, Tang Xiu immediately took out a bottle of Holy Healing pills from the interspatial ring and quickly stuffed one into her mouth. He then carefully picked her up and examined the wounds all over her body. He immediately took her to the bathroom and filled the bathtub with warm water and dripped a drop of Body Tempering Liquid into it, saying, "I believe you''ve felt the Holy Healing pill working on you. Soak yourself in this warm water for half an hour. You''ll live and even obtain great benefits. Now, tell me, are you willing to work for me?"


    Yuji''s heart hiked up after realizing that Chinese cultivators had many mysterious magical powers. She had experienced first hand and might have other effects on her as well, so she immediately replied, "I''m willing."


    Tang Xiu threw her into the tub and quickly unsealed her from the restrictions. Then, he spoke in a deep voice, "Those who work for me will thrive, and those against must die. You should be clear about the consequence of betrayal. Also, persist and bear the enormous pain you''ll face next. The longer you can persist, the better the benefits you''ll get. I''ll be waiting for you outside."


    Having said that, he went straight out of the bathroom. Yuji''s naked body didn''t interest him in the slightest as her body was even worse than a prostitute to him.


    "Aaargh¡­"


    Heartbreaking screams came from the bathroom in the back, but Tang Xiu just ignored it. Even those who were uninjured would feel the suffering and pain from Body Tempering Liquid, even wishing to die because of it. In Yuji''s case, she had many injuries, and many of them touched her internal organs. Thus, the pain caused by the Body Tempering Liquid would definitely be ten times more than felt by the average people.


    Half an hour passed by. Tang Xiu had covered Shaofang''s venue with an array. The array itself didn''t have great offensive power, but it was very strong in defense. Be it from the interior or outside, nobody could easily break it and rush out if they didn''t understand the array.


    It was a contingency. He may be formidable enough to even defeat those at the Spirit Formation Stage, but if she planned to escape and also had some escaping technique, he didn''t have 100% assurance that he could force her to stay.


    After arranging the array, Tang Xiu came to the place where Osashi Kitagishi was detained. The man told him everything he knew in just ten seconds, literally everything. He even blurted out all his ideas and guesses.


    However, Tang Xiu didn''t spare him and killed him directly.


    Early in the morning when the first sunshine rose from the East, Yuji, now in clean clothes, walked out of the room and came to the courtyard. After seeing Tang Xiu sitting cross-legged on the bluestone, a chilling light flashed in her eyes.


    "What''s your name, Sir?"


    This time, she didn''t speak English but asked in fluent Mandarin.


    Tang Xiu glanced at her and lightly answered, "Tang Xiu."


    "You''re very powerful, Mr. Tang." Yuji smiled and said, "You''re the most powerful person I''ve ever seen aside from Palace Master. Also, I feel much better now. I''ve never been better, in fact. That''s why I feel like asking Mr. Tang to enlighten me in a spar."


    Did she challenge me?


    Disdain flitted across Tang Xiu''s eyes as he coolly said, "Your injuries are just impossible to heal this fast even though you have taken the Holy Healing pill and the Body Tempering Liquid. The sensation you''re feeling is due to having your body improved for some reason. You''re completely mistaken if you really think you can challenge me now."


    Yuji''s expression changed, but then it was instantly restored to a smiling one as she chuckled. "Mr. Tang, the Japanese always hold respect for the strong. I think that''s the reason Kuwako is lowering herself to serve you, to begin with. You want me to be your subordinate, so you must make me submit completely."


    "Let me do it, Sect Master."


    Mo Awu interjected said with a respectful face.


    "Nah, she chose to challenge me, so I''ll give her that." Tang Xiu shook his head. "Awu, your physique is in good condition today, so let me teach you something. You can also defeat the enemy with your formidable body even though your cultivation is slightly weaker."


    Having said that, Tang Xiu instantly appeared in front of Yuji and sent her punches without any flashy movements. But his punches were very fast and hit the woman''s belly in nearly an instant. Then, he floated up and sent hundreds of kicks in a second, tens of which hit Yuji''s body.


    The scene was like a showering gale, frantic and crazily berserk.


    Yuji may feel that she was in a great state and realized that Tang Xiu''s strength was very strong, but it never occurred to her that the gap between them was so great.


    Sparring was not a fight where the fighters had to fight with all they had at all. Thus, it was very difficult to unleash their most powerful attack as they must be careful not to kill the opponent. She thought that Tang Xiu''s strike yesterday with the sword was his most powerful strike, so he wouldn''t be able to do much without it even though he was very powerful.


    However, the constant blows her body was suffering under right now proved that she was completely mistaken.


    "I yield!"


    In less than half a minute, Yuji, who screamed many times already due to the barrage of punches, couldn''t help but shout aloud, begging for mercy.


    Tang Xiu ceased attacking and returned to the bluestone and sat cross-legged. He then looked at the distressed Yuji. There was blood flowing from her mouth now. Then, he spoke, "I got the intention to recruit you, so I didn''t crush you yesterday. You''re asking for trouble now, so I''m simply helping you."


    Yuji wiped the blood off the corner of her mouth and looked at Tang Xiu with especially bright eyes. Staggeringly walking forward, she came to Tang Xiu''s forward, knelt and said, "Thank you for not killing me. You''re indeed very strong, but the gap between you and Miyaji is still like a chasm, while the Joyous Palace still also has lots of experts. You won''t be able to fight against them given your strength. Kuwako Yamamoto is nothing but an insignificant person. She can''t even enter the top 30 people in Joyous Palace with her cultivation. Therefore, please take her and leave Japan immediately! Don''t worry. I won''t reveal your secrets!"


    Having said that, her feet trampled the ground and streaked away to the distance like a bolt. Her speed was extremely fast and took just a blink of the eye as she had already appeared in the vicinity outside Shaofang.


    "Nobody pursuing, huh?"


    Feeling excited, a beautiful smile appeared on Yuji''s pretty face. Just a second later, however, her smile directly frozen solid.


    BANG¡­


    A transparent energy shield suddenly emerged and pain struck Yuji while her body was sent flying upside-down instantly. Fortunately, she had good reflexes and was very sensitive to movements. Therefore, she didn''t fall to the ground.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    A few figures appeared around her, but none attacked her. Yet, each and every one of them wore a strange smirk while looking at her distressed appearance.


    Xue Sha stroked his chin and let out an odd grin. "Yo, belle. Sect Master arranged this array himself. Multiply your power several times more and you can expect to still fail on cracking and leave this array. Just try if you don''t buy it, though. I hope you don''t end up crying later and ask for mercy before my Sovereign."


    An array?!!


    Yuji turned pale. She knew the might the array could unleash because her Master, the princess of the Joyous Palace, was also proficient in arrays, some of which made her frightened.


    "BREAK!!!"


    She didn''t accept it and bombarded the energy shield, only to find that the shield swayed and rippled before returning to normal. However, it was enough to make her shaken and retreat.


    Tang Guang didn''t speak but directly threw her a sharp sword.


    Yuji held her breath and received the sword. Sword images then swayed and attacked the energy shield in front of her. However, all her efforts were futile. She couldn''t break the array, nor did she have any means to run away.


    Finally, Yuji returned to Tang Xiu with fearful, profound respect and humility. Without any more tricks, she honestly knelt down.

 1156 Gradual Realization

    Yuji was a smart woman that even a terrifying character such as the Joyous Palace Master once regarded her as a think tank. It was also thanks to her wisdom that the latter also feared her and thus sent her out to deal with the issues on the front lines.


    Prior to this, it was Tang Xiu''s strength that made her apprehensive, yet she didn''t choose to betray the Joyous Palace Master even though she faced the threat of death. She did agree to submit to Tang Xiu orally but was very resistant to the idea inwardly. Even after getting the treatment, she had already planned to challenge Tang Xiu to probe his strength further, while at the same time, prepping her escape at any time.


    At this moment, however, her heart went cold as only now did she realize that this young Chinese cultivator not only had cultivated his strength to the extreme but also had frightening wisdom. He seemed to be able to see through her intentions and arranged the array while she was recuperating.


    What should I do? Do I really have to submit to him?


    But how should I deal with the restriction seal cast on me, then? I may be able to suppress it temporarily if I do choose to escape. But the seal will definitely affect me after some time. I''m gonna lose my mind by then and nothing I can do but die at that time.


    Tang Xiu, still sitting cross-legged on the big bluestone, calmly observed Yuji''s grim and ugly expression. Afterward, he slowly asked during her silence, "Do you know why haven''t I pressed you for an answer about the situation in your Joyous Palace before?"


    With a thoughtful look, Yuji answered, "You thought that I can''t escape?"


    "That''s only one of many reasons." Tang Xiu shook his head. "But not the main one."


    "So what''s the reason, then?" asked Yuji with a frown.


    "When I freed you from my sealing technique, I also cast another one on you. It''s just that you didn''t notice it. Of course, I also noticed the other restriction that has been cast on you previously. My guess is that restriction must be cast by the Joyous Palace Master on you, so as to prevent you from betraying them."


    "You can detect it?" exclaimed Yuji in surprise.


    "If I proclaim myself to be the first in magical and secret arts, I dare say nobody dares to aim for the second in this world. Such a minor seal cast by some Buddhist cultivator at the Spirit Formation Stage is nothing but a joke to me. Removing it is very easy to be done." Tang Xiu sneered.


    Only now did Yuji''s expression drastically changed. She stared at Tang Xiu and said, "I''ll sell you this life of mine if you really can remove this seal cast by the Joyous Palace Master."


    "Don''t say it like your life is valuable to me." Tang Xiu shook his head. "Just your current level of cultivation, many of the men under me will reach this level a few years. The sole reason I haven''t killed you and even wasted medicinal pills is chiefly for the intention to make you help Kuwako to handle her affairs in Japan. Do you really think I''ve fallen for you otherwise, huh?"


    Yuji fell into silence. She knew almost nothing about Tang Xiu. Naturally, she had no idea whether Tang Xiu was saying the truth. But one thing was certain. This Chinese cultivator in front of her was the most dreadful person she''d ever met. Even the Joyous Palace Master was likely under him.


    "So, who is this Master of Joyous Palace, then?" asked Tang Xiu in a deep voice.


    Yuji herself actually didn''t want to answer the questioning as she hadn''t yet gotten Tang Xiu''s promise. But after recalling how terrifying this man was, and the fact she couldn''t escape, she finally decided to gamble. She replied in a deep voice, "I''m not particularly clear about his identity, either. I only know that he came to Japan about a century ago, and then established the Joyous Palace from scratch on his own. Rumors have it that he appeared as a monk in public when he first came to Japan then."


    Suddenly, she seemed to recall something else and added more, "That''s right, there''s another thing. He should be from China since he spoke Chinese when he just came here. After living here for some time, only then did he gradually learn Japanese."


    "My guess is, he should be from the Joyous Sect. I once heard from a friend in the cultivation world that the Buddhist Tantric school has a splinter group called Joyous Sect or something. Unfortunately, the principle and essential teaching of this sect is like day and night with the Buddhist sects and thus, the rest of the Buddhist sects can no longer tolerate and accommodate it, resulting in the incident where all the members of Joyous Sect were either killed or discarded. It''s very likely that your Joyous Palace Master is the surviving member of that Joyous Sect."


    As he spoke up to there, he took out a mobile phone and dialed Miao Wentang''s number. After the latter picked up his call, he spoke, "I need your help, Brother Miao."


    "On what issue?" replied Miao Wentang. "Just tell me and I''ll do it as long as it''s within my ability."


    "We had a chat before and you mentioned some issues pertaining to the Buddhist sects," said Tang Xiu. "I want you to make a trip to the Buddhist Sect in person and tell them about some issues."


    "And, what issue is it, exactly?" asked Miao Wentang.


    "Some surviving members of Joyous Sect are in Japan and one of them is very powerful," explained Tang Xiu. "His cultivation level is on par with cultivators at the Spirit Formation Stage and perhaps even stronger. The most important thing is, he also has terrifying influence and power here, which is said to be the biggest and most mysterious force in Japan."


    "The Joyous Sect?" Miao Wentang exclaimed in surprise. "This sect was like a bunch of ravishers in the past and ruined many women''s chastities. I never thought some members of this sect were still alive. It''s really out of my imagination. Brother Tang, the Buddhist school have long spread out the news that they would kill any remnants of Joyous Sect whenever they meet them. Alright, I''ll hurry up to the Buddhist sect right away to inform its current head, Grand Abbot Bright Crane."


    "Thanks a bunch!" replied Tang Xiu.


    After hanging up, he looked at Yuji again and faintly said, "You still have two choices ahead of you, and it''s also your last chance. Surrender and assist Kuwako in Japan, or refuse and die here and now."


    "Do I even have any other choice?" replied Yuji bitterly.


    "You already know you have none, so just submit," replied Tang Xiu indifferently.


    "I''ll submit and give you my life as long as you can solve the seal cast on my body." Yuji nodded.


    "You''re willing to hand over your life to me, so I''ll take it and put another seal on you while removing that seal on your body," said Tang Xiu.


    "You¡­" Yuji looked indignant.


    "Heh, I also got the seal cast on me by Sect Master." Kuwako sneered. "Do you think you have more face than me or something? Let me tell you, it''s already a huge benevolence from Sect Master to keep you alive."


    Again, Yuji fell silent.


    Tang Xiu then spoke indifferently, "As long as you choose to submit to me, you can expect to have continuous progress in the future and even be able to surpass the Joyous Palace Master later. I may have no other things, but I have lots of elixir and miraculous medicines. Make contributions and you can get more of those things. The more contributions you make, the more you can get and the better your cultivation will become."


    ''Elixir and miraculous pills?''


    Yuji recalled the Holy Healing pill Tang Xiu gave her. Its efficacy was truly remarkable as new flesh had started to regrow in her seriously stabbed wounds, while the seriously injured internal organs had been similarly healed. Additionally, that medicinal bath she had, it was like tempering and quenching her physique, which now made it at least 10% stronger than before.


    "I submit." Yuji kowtowed.


    Tang Xiu nodded. After checking out and deactivating the seal cast on Yuji''s body, he faintly said, "I can''t remove the seal the Joyous Palace Master has cast on you right now. He will notice once I do that. But no worries about it, though. I''ll naturally help you out once he''s dead."


    "But if he dies, I can''t live either," cut Yuji hurriedly.


    "I already know the mantra he has cast on you. It is very vicious as your life depends on his. He dies and you''ll be dead; he lives and so do you. He can also control your life and death easily," said Tang Xiu lightly. "But you can rest assured on that issue, though. I have a way to preserve your life."


    Yuji was secretly relieved after hearing this. Then, she respectfully said, "Tang¡­ what I should I address you, though?"


    "Just call me Boss!" replied Tang Xiu lightly.


    "Roger that, Boss." Yuji nodded.


    "Anyway, tell me the general picture of the Joyful Palace," said Tang Xiu. "How many people it has and how huge its influence and power in Japan are, exactly?"


    "What I know is just a scant picture of it. None in the Joyous Palace aside from Miyaji really knows the complete situation there," answered Yuji. "But I do know some general structure inside. The Joyous Palace has four Elders who are Miyaji''s trusted confidantes and they also came with him to Japan. Below the four Elders are 36 Celestial Mistresses, which I happen to be one, and 72 Chess Pieces below them. Among those 72, I only know Osashi Kitagishi and another one, but I know not about the rest of them."


    "And, who''s this other Chess Piece, then?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "It''s Daikura Sakuragi, the Head of the Inada Society," answered Yuji.


    "Inada Society?" Tang Xiu turned to Kuwako.


    Kuwako respectfully explained, "The Inada Society is a very famous dojo in Japan, Sect Master. I never thought its Dojocho, Daikura Sakuragi, turns out to be someone from Joyous Palace, though. I once sparred with him. He does have remarkable strength. However, he also loves money and is a womanizer."


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and said, "Kuwako, this Joyous Palace Master has noticed you, so you''re to stay low for now! Also, order all your subordinates who are not exposed to continue doing their routines. It''s fine if you want to leave Japan for some time too."


    Kuwako hesitated and said, "My people will be fine as long as Yuji doesn''t move, though."


    "I''m Boss''s underling now, so I naturally can''t betray you or you men." Yuji hastily interjected.


    Tang Xiu calmly said, "Yuji, I want you to do something¡­"

 1157 Big Business

    The Inada Society was a well-known dojo in Japan and had more than a hundred branches, with each dojo being helmed by one of Daikura Sakuragi''s disciples.


    Amakawa District.


    The main dojo of Inada Society was located here and covered an area of several tens of acres. Aside from one building, it was transformed into a wide training ground. There were only a few disciples in the main hall, but most of them were elites.


    In the interior, to the north of the small bridge and a stream was a rockery, while north to the rockery was a two-story Japanese-style pavilion. Daikura Sakuragi was sitting by the window of the second floor while drinking sake and enjoying massages from two beautiful masseuses, whereas the big cigar in his hand kept producing smoke curled upward.


    Tap, tap, tap¡­


    The sound of walking steps came from the staircase as a big and stout man with a katana hanging on his waist appeared in front of Daikura, reporting. "Dojocho, we have a big client visiting."


    Daikura Sakuragi didn''t bother to even lift his eyelids and asked without being salty, "What big client?"


    "He said he''s from Singapore and knows that there are many underground forces in Japan. That''s why he''s kind of worried about his safety and is here to hire some bodyguards from us," explained the burly man. "Also, he said that money is not a problem as long as we guarantee his safety."


    "Money isn''t a problem, huh?" Sakuragi finally looked up and slowly asked lightly, "How many muscles does he want, exactly?"


    "100 men," said the burly man.


    "Come again?!" Daikura''s expression changed and looked incredulous. The main hall''s business was indeed not to teach students martial arts, but rather a training department that provided bodyguards for hire to others. This place may look like a dojo, but it was better to call it a bodyguard company.


    100 people?


    He founded the Inada Society more than 40 years ago, but it was his first time hearing someone wanting to hire 100 bodyguards at once. It must be noted that the bodyguards for hire in this place were very expensive, yet this person wanted to hire 100 of them? Can this Big Boss afford it?


    "Who''s this person?"


    "He only mentioned that his surname is Tang, a scion of a wealthy businessman from Singapore." The burly man shook his head. "His visit to Japan this time is to play around while also wanting to appreciate the customs here. On the other hand, he also wants to find a Japanese gambler to have some great games with him again."


    Find a gambler?


    Sakuragi Daikura frowned and asked, "Did he mention anything about who this gambler friend of his is?"


    "He didn''t mention it but said that he must have an unusual identity." The burly man shook his head again.


    Daikura was silent for half a minute. Then, he dropped the cigar into the ashtray and got up. He flicked to the two belles to grab his coat on the hanger and then said, "Anyone who can hire 100 bodyguards is sure not your everyday layman. Take me to see him."


    A few minutes after, Daikura then saw Tang Xiu, who sat in the VIP room with a leg atop the other. His gaze swept over to the two males and two females around him first as he immediately squinted his eyes and greeted with a smiling face. "You''re the one called Mr. Tang, right? Welcome to Japan!"


    Tang Xiu turned towards Kuwako who had changed her appearance and asked in English, "What did he just say?"


    Kuwako explained the sentence and finally said, "He''s the Dojocho or Dojo Head of the Inada Society, Daikura Sakuragi."


    Tang Xiu immediately understood and got up, saying, "It''s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Sakuragi. Anyway, you should understand me speaking in English, right? Forgive me about it as my family has long moved to Singapore many years ago, hence the reason I only speak the language in my country, English and Mandarin."


    Daikura Sakuragi also knew that most Singaporeans were of Chinese descent, so it was not unexpected for him to hear Tang Xiu speak about it. He then nodded and replied in fluent English, "Well, English is an international language, so I naturally can speak in it a bit, Mr. Tang. Anyhow, you''re a big client here, so feel free to mention any of your requests."


    "Well, your man must have told you that I need 100 bodyguards, right?" Tang Xiu smiled and said, "Also, it''s my first time coming to your great place, so I don''t know much about it. Another thing is, I lost contact with my gambler buddy, so please help me find him."


    "Providing 100 bodyguards won''t be a problem. I''ll even give you a discount." Daikura smilingly replied, "May I know for how long you are you hiring them, Mr. Tang? Also, I can help find your gambling companion as long as he lives in the capital."


    Tang Xiu thought about it and extended a finger. "A month."


    "And, what''s the name of your gambling companion?" asked Daikura.


    "Nishi Masayoshi. Quite a public figure in the capital, I think." Tang Xiu smilingly said, "He said he''d invite me to Japan''s capital and be his guest. I just couldn''t come before, kind of restricted by my schedule."


    Nishi Masayoshi?


    An odd expression was evident on Daikura''s face. He knew who this person was, a famous gambler who frequented all the casinos in the whole of Japan and was well-known for his great gambling skills. Further, he also knew another fact about him. The man also had a travel company. He heard the company was quite big but the man himself was too lazy to manage the business and just gave it to his subordinates to handle.


    "Mr. Tang, I think I can find this Nishi Masayoshi you just mentioned," said Daikura smilingly. "If you''re not in a hurry, how about I send someone to find him now?"


    Tang Xiu deliberately looked surprised. Then, he nodded and said, "That would be great, then! That''s right. Do you know a good casino? I can''t wait to have some good games with him again."


    "There''s the famous Floating Yacht, about a dozen kilometers from here. It''s well-known in the whole capital and its owner is a friend of mine too," Daikura Sakuragi smilingly replied.


    "Alright, then I''ll trouble you to guide me there, Dojocho Sakuragi." Tang Xiu smilingly nodded.


    "That''s nothing, really," said Daikura smilingly. "Also, I''ll send someone to quickly arrange 100 bodyguards for you. How are you going to arrange them, though? Do you want to take them at once? Or assign them¡­"


    Tang Xiu waved and intentionally displayed a silk-pants'' style and said aloud, "Of course I''m taking all of them at once. I heard rumors that Japan is not very safe and many thugs are roaming around. These men can pack them up if I happen to run into them. Besides, won''t it look imposing and stylish if I bring a group of them around, Dojocho Sakuragi?"


    Imposing and stylish?


    Daikura Sakuragi was left speechless secretly. He could tell at a glance that the four bodyguards guarding this guy had extraordinary skills and he''d be very safe with them around protecting him. This fella is hiring so many bodyguards at once just to look stylish and imposing? He wants to play as a powerful and influential man, doesn''t he? Like the rest of those junior silk pants of the haves, he''s so f***king arrogant.


    Naturally, he couldn''t just blurt these words out either. In any case, his place provided bodyguards for hire to make money. Being able to make a fortune like now, he didn''t want to bother himself with what kind of shits this guy wanted to do.


    Quickly after, a handsome sum of money was sent to Daikura''s account.


    As for the equipment and cars, everything was arranged by Daikura. Certainly, the expense was on Tang Xiu''s tab. However, Tang Xiu himself had his own reason and purpose and naturally didn''t mind it.


    Half an hour later when the motorcade drove out of the Inada Society, Daikura Sakuragi received the news that Nishi Masayoshi, the fella Tang Xiu was looking for, was now having a game with some other people at this time at the Floating Yacht, so he directly told Tang Xiu about the news.


    "Hahaha, truly a gambling companion this Young Master Tang admires! I just came shortly in Japan, yet he has been roaming around to make a killing already. Go go go, hurry there! My hands are itching. I can''t wait to have 300 rounds of games with him!" Tang Xiu mindlessly slapped Daikura''s thigh sitting next to him.


    *Gasp¡­*


    Despite being one of the Chess Pieces and a Buddhist cultivator of the Joyous Palace, Tang Xiu''s slap still pained Daikura Sakuragi. It was hard for Daikura to believe that the guy next to him who looked so pale and smelled like one who had spent his time excessively on wine and women turned out to have so much strength.


    Could he be¡­ a cultivator too?


    The possibility crossed his mind and he immediately probed. "Mr. Tang, you''re still young but you have quite a strength yourself. Have you been practicing martial arts, by chance?"


    "Me? Martial arts?" Tang Xiu looked up and then spoke with contempt, "What a joke! How can I be like those weak people? My family is a very powerful clan in Singapore and I myself have been cult¡­"


    Cough, cough¡­


    The one sitting in the front seat, Kuwako, intentionally coughed several times and interrupted Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu acted like he was stunned and immediately seemed to recall something. Then, he quickly shifted the topic and yawned hastily. "Oh, well. Anyway, you know that having strength is quite great, right? Well, I know I can beat up some big brown bear myself without it knowing what hit it. Hahaha¡­"


    Cult¡­ it must be cultivation? He''s a cultivator? As expected¡­ he''s one of our kind.


    Daikura Saguragi''s eyes flickered. Although Tang Xiu was interrupted, he could easily guess the rest. However, he felt that even if this guy sitting next to him was also a cultivator, it was likely that he wasn''t that strong that even he himself would easily knock him out completely with a slap.


    He''s nothing but a silk pants, nothing coming from him poses a threat.


    Daikura originally wanted to send someone to investigate this guy. But now it looked like he didn''t need to do so at all. He could just use his own means and milk him dry.


    I can join his gambling games with Nishi Masayoshi. I''m sure I''ll win a lot from them easily given my ability. I can get at least eight or even nine figures from them later! Daikura suddenly looked forward to it after the thought crossed his mind.


    Before the entrance of the Floating Yacht.


    Four middle-aged men in black suits and sunglasses were standing straight with hands on their backs while coldly watching the pedestrians in the surroundings. They didn''t even glance at the passers-by.


    However, when tens of cars drove slowly from the distance and stopped before the entrance, the four stalwart men exchanged glances and each wore a shocked look.


    Who could this big shot be? Coming here with such a big posse? Even the most powerful Godfather in Yamaguchi prefecture wouldn''t make such commotion, right?

 1158 Those Who Have Money Are Kings

    Strength was something Daikura always revered and advocated, but he also worshipped money like his life. He kept his humble attitude while accompanying Tang Xiu, the Golden Buddha who had knocked on his door. After coming out of the car himself, he opened the car''s door for Tang Xiu and watched the latter fix his lower collar with a smile on his handsome face. Then, he shouted to four security guards of Floating Yacht loudly, "Notify your Manager Takeda. Tell him he got a distinguished guest is here and tell him to come over to greet him!"


    A distinguished guest?


    The four security guards knew Daikura Sakuragi and immediately realized that Tang Xiu''s identity was extraordinary. One of them reverently complied and hurriedly ran to the interior.


    Daikura turned to look at Tang Xiu and smilingly said, "Please head inside, Mr. Tang."


    Tang Xiu smiled lightly in response and walked to the interior in big strides. This place may be a casino, but the interior decoration was extremely luxurious. Through the magnificent hall, they turned into the wide corridor and went all the way to the end until they came before a door.


    Daikura then smiled and said, "This is the great hall for the Floating Yacht casino, Mr. Tang. There''s also another hall on the opposite side provided for leisure, recreation, and entertainment. You can expect to find numerous belles over there. In the Floating Yacht, the only custom is those who have money are Kings."


    Those with money are Kings?


    "What a great custom! Worth praising." Tang Xiu exclaimed in praise. "I don''t have much else but tons of money, to begin with. Hahaha¡­ it seems I''m going to be a King today, no? Anyway, isn''t that good friend of mine, Nishi Masayoshi also here?"


    "He''s inside." Daikura Sakuragi smiled.


    As the door to the hall was pushed open, a huge space appeared before Tang Xiu''s eyes. It was at least comparable with a football field, filled with a variety of gambling machines where numerous gamblers were occupying table-boards or playing with the gambling machines in front of them.


    But when Tang Xiu and the rest passed through the door, many of them focused their eyes on them at the same time since Tang Xiu brought too many bodyguards behind him. This powerful bigshot seemed to be going to wreck this place instead of gambling.


    "Mr. Sakuragi."


    A thin man with a mustache and a few of his men approached in a hurry. His shimmering eyes then glanced at Daikura Sakuragi and finally landed on Tang Xiu, greeting with a smile. "Thank you and welcome for the patronage. I''m sure you''re the distinguished guest mentioned by Mr. Sakuragi, yes?"


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes and hummed coldly. "Hmph, don''t be a manager here if you''re not cultured enough. I can''t understand any Japanese, mind you. Please do speak in English to exchange with me. That is if you can speak in it. Why the hell on Earth should I come to this place otherwise, huh?"


    Shiro Takeda''s face was frozen and he immediately turned to Daikura Sakuragi.


    "Manager Takeda, Mr. Tang is from Singapore and just hired 100 bodyguards from my place. He''s the most distinguished guest I''ve ever had," said Daikura hurriedly. "However, he doesn''t speak Japanese, so please communicate with him in English."


    Shiro Takeda let out a dry chuckle twice. Hearing it from Daikura, he was sure this person was definitely a wealthy patron. He''d never got angry towards such a deep-pocket bigwig even though he got slapped many times. Hence, he smilingly said, "Hello, Mr. Tang. I''m Shiro Takeda, the general manager of Floating Yacht. You can call me Manager Takeda."


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyelids and grunted. "I came here to win my money today, why don''t you just go away? By the way, where''s that dear friend of mine Nishi Masayoshi, huh? Tell him to come out to see me."


    "Holy cow¡­"


    An exclamation came from the interior of the casino as a wretched-looking middle-aged man came out. He wasn''t tall, but his arms were hugging two pretty girls. He pushed the two girls to the side as he dashed towards Tang Xiu, opened his arms wide and spoke happily at the same time, "Yo, Tang buddy, I''m not dreaming, am I? How the hell did you come to Japan and in Kyoto, of all places? God! Did God hear my prayer hoping that you''d come to my country? Did He give you a dream to make a trip here or something?"


    "Hahaha¡­"


    Tang Xiu also opened his arms wide and strode towards the middle-aged man. As both hugged each other, Tang Xiu loudly laughed and then said, "It''s been a long while, Nishi! Well, I never thought your silver tongue is still great! Damn, I''m so happy now! That''s right, though. I''ve been dreaming to have some games with you, so I hurriedly made a trip here to find you. This is the code of brotherhood and we both deserve to be called true friends, right?"


    "True that. We''re true friends." Nishi Masayoshi heavily nodded and said, "Well, it''s a great fortune to have you as my friend. Anyway, let me be the host and guide you around. Although this place isn''t much better than those big casinos in Las Vegas, it''s enough for us to play around."


    This man, Nishi Masayoshi, was Kuwako Yamamoto''s trusted confidant. On the surface, he was playing the role of a total gambler, whereas he was actually an intel operative Kuwako had trained. He had been in the US and gambled many times in Las Vegas, so she directly pushed him outside to cooperate with Tang Xiu in the plays.


    Tang Xiu cheerfully turned around and observed the surroundings. He nodded with satisfaction and said, "This is good. Well, great. Nishi, I just arrived in Japan, but your name precedes you, you know that? Though I didn''t expect you to be in this casino. Alrighty, find a dealer and some people to get together. You know, this Young Master brought tons of money, enough for us to play for three days and three nights straight."


    Nishi''s eyes lit up and he willy said, "How much did you bring this time, buddy? Well, let''s chat first, though. I''ve been pretty lucky recently and got tons of money. I don''t feel like finding any dealers. I''m not going to have games with you if the money is less than eight figures, you know."


    Without trying to conceal anything to those in the surroundings, Tang Xiu pridefully replied, "What did you say? Eight digits? This Young Master Tang''s pocket money is already more than eight figures. You''re definitely looking down on me. No worries about that. I came here to gamble with you. Let alone eight figures, I can still afford to take out ten figures!"


    Ten digits? As in the range of a billion?


    Everyone''s eyes suddenly lit up, watching Tang Xiu as though looking at a gold mine. Even Daikura Sakuragi, who was the Master of the Inada Society, couldn''t help but have his heartbeat hiked up a few times faster.


    Face flushed red with excitement, Nishi Masayoshi excitedly exclaimed loudly, "That''s great! You got so much money, enough for me to win it. Well, Tang buddy, let''s talk about something first. Are we going to follow the old rules, or do you want to go straight for the battle royale? No worries, we got tons of rich people here in Japan; those who like to gamble at high stakes on the card table, I can get lots of them in two hours if you want to."


    Tang Xiu smacked his tongue and immediately said grinningly, "Well, it''s been hard for us to meet like this, so going straight to the games is rather boring. How about setting it to the old rules, then?"


    "Fine with me. That''s exactly my thought as well," replied Nishi Masayoshi aloud.


    Daikura Sakuragi strode a few steps towards Tang Xiu and Nishi Masayoshi and then smilingly asked, "Mr. Tang, Mr. Masayoshi, may I ask what these old rules are and whether I''m qualified to accompany you?"


    "Count me in, too!"


    A bald-headed man with a body full of tattoos and a shimmering gold chain on his neck came approaching with several chips in his hand.


    Nishi Masayoshi seemed to just have noticed Daikura Sakuragi at this moment and immediately said with a beaming face, "Well, well, isn''t this Mr. Sakuragi? I''m honored that you can play with us. Bro Tang, lemme introduce you to him. This is¡­."


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and said, "I already know him. I just hired 100 bodyguards from this guy!"


    "Damn, you''re really great, Bro." Nishi Masayoshi gasped in surprise. "A hundred bodyguards... your convoy is now much bigger than when we were in Las Vegas. Anyhow, then lemme introduce you this one then. He''s Saburo Koizumi, the Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce and also an illustrious figure in the capital. You got my guarantee that be it Mr. Sakuragi or Mr. Koizumi, they are definitely qualified to accompany us to play with 9 digits of money in their pockets."


    Tang Xiu picked up his brows and immediately said with a grin, "Well, that''s great to hear. I just came to Japan, but this country has made me fallen in love with it immediately. Money is good and great stuff! Come, let''s play some games then! We got too much money to burn, and it won''t matter much if we gamble to win or lose!"


    "Well, you haven''t explained how are we going to play, though." Daikura Sakuragi interjected.


    Noticing that Tang Xiu didn''t seem to want to elaborate it, Nishi Masayoshi immediately took the role. "Well, the rules of games I play with Mr. Tang are rather simple. Each player must spend 100 US dollars to buy chips, then you can casually choose to play with the gambling machines or spend it on the cards table in the entire hall. Whoever can earn the most money in two hours with that 100 USD chips will have to pay the other a fixed amount of money. Back then¡­ we set the number at 10 million USD."


    Tang Xiu waved and said, "Nah, 10 million dollars is like bullshit now. It''s too few a number to live in your country. Let''s have it at 100 million dollars."


    "This¡­"


    Daikura Sakuragi and Saburo Koizumi''s expressions changed and they hesitated. They could afford to take out 100 million dollars. It would fine if they won, but it would be a big blow to them if they lost as it would take them at least several years to earn it back.


    Do I have to play by the rules, or should I cower and step back?


    At that moment for a while, both men were hit with a bit of a dilemma.


    Tang Xiu raised his brows and said with dissatisfaction, "What''s up? Do you both think it''s too much a number to play, can''t afford it and can''t play or what? Bah, it''s all fine and dandy with me either way, though. I''m not familiar with you both, to begin with, so I won''t jeer at you over it. At most, it will feel very shameful to you and you''ll find a quilt to cover yourselves when you get home and won''t have face to see anyone later."


    That was a move to goad someone to act!


    Both Daikura and Saburo knew that Tang Xiu was prodding them to get into action. At the same time, it also made them ride a tiger and find it hard to get off, so they could only nod with helplessness.


    They were all famous figures in Kyoto, to begin with. How could they lose their faces in public? Should they just give up directly this time, it was very likely that by tomorrow, the news would have spread out to the whole of Kyoto that they cowered before the gambling even started. All in all, their reputation would take a big blow.

 1159 Tampered Games

    The four men agreed on the rules without any hassles. The casino staff then acted as attester, whereas each party sent one person to supervise each side before the four men finally separated.


    The one-hundred-dollar chips were just trivial for them, but these men didn''t bother about it as those who frequented such places were not some green rookies and had their own unique abilities in gambling.


    Half an hour passed by.


    Tang Xiu''s expression was ugly as he sat in front of a machine. He lost 97 dollars'' worth of chips in just half an hour and only had 3 dollars'' worth left in his hand. Each one of the three people following him wore strange smiles as though they would see him lose completely.


    "WOW! That''s amazing!"


    A burst of cheers came from the crowd nearby.


    Tang Xiu turned around and saw that the cheers came from the crowd surrounding Daikura Sakuragi. The man looked smug and proud and gestured his subordinate to take a big pile of chips into his tray.


    "Lucky dogshit."


    Tang Xiu resentfully cursed and shifted back to the machine before him. He directly threw the remaining 3 dollars chips into one of the jackpot positions without hesitation, then hit the start button with his fist.


    Cling, cling¡­


    Many people around him thought that he had given up upon seeing the flashing lights from the screen. But the moment his last 3 dollars were gone, the picture on the screens finally stopped in the grand slam position.


    "One¡­ one hundred times?"


    Tens of onlookers around Tang Xiu looked incredulous instantly. Never did they expect that this guy in front would actually hit the jackpot, and it was even the 100 times multiplier.


    "That''s really a pity! He only has 3 dollars left."


    "Yea, he bet too little for that one. Even if he does hit the 100 times jackpot, it only earns him 300 dollars."


    "He''s as good as lost already. I just came over from the other three. The one with fewest chips is Saburo Koizumi, but he still has 20 grand chips in total."


    "Crap, forget him. Let''s not watch him anymore. He''s already lost."


    "Go, go, go. Let''s leave¡­"


    "¡­"


    Quickly after, only five people were left around Tang Xiu.


    Instead of taking these 300 dollars chips, Tang Xiu threw all the chips that just fell out of the machine into the grand slam slot again and then hit the button under the watchful eyes of the five people.


    "Impossible! How can he hit the jackpot again?"


    "Is this machine broken or something? This is ridiculous."


    "What''s going on? Is it possible to hit the fucking jackpot in a row?"


    "..."


    The five people''s eyes almost stared with eyes nearly popped out. They were unable to take back their eyes, seeing the chips fall down from the machine.


    "Beautiful."


    An excited look on his face, Tang Xiu shouted to Kuwako aloud, "Hey, what the hell are you staring for? Hurry up and put the chips on the tray, will you? This Young Master got 30 grand now. Let''s go somewhere else and change the machine."


    Time fleeted by. An hour and a half passed in the blink of an eye.


    Saburo Koizumi had always won more than he lost, but today he was hit with a series of bad luck. He had been in winning streak for the first few games, but he was then struck with successive losses afterward until he lost all his winning chips and the original one-hundred-dollars'' worth of chips.


    It was suffocating!


    He was so distressed that he nearly burst into tears. He would have run away already if it weren''t for those big men watching him in the surroundings.


    Certainly, that was 100 million dollars. He may have about a billion dollars if he added all his assets into the count, yet he didn''t expect to lose 100 million dollars in this big stake games.


    Eyes blurry and hazy, he looked at Tang Xiu and Daikura Sakuragi who were surrounded by many people in the distance, whereas Nishi Masayoshi was screaming in joy. He clenched his fists tightly.


    The final half an hour finally came.


    Tang Xiu won more and lost less and quickly, a pile of more than 100,000 dollars already filled the tray on Kuwako''s hands.


    "TIME''S UP!"


    A voice from the loudspeaker in the gambling hall resounded. Tang Xiu, Saburo Koizumi, Daikura Sakuragi, and Nishi Masayoshi quickly came to the chips exchange counter.


    "That was cool! I got more than 100 grand with just 100 dollars. This Young Master is definitely the victor today!" Tang Xiu smugly said aloud, showing off a silk-pants flamboyant attitude. At least, Saburo Koizumi, who stood not far from him, wanted to punch his nose so much due to that.


    Nishi Masayoshi, on the other hand, hooked his finger to the man behind him and smilingly said, "Well, you just won 100 grand in the whole 2 hours, Bro Tang? That''s quite a sum indeed."


    Having said that, he motioned his subordinate to give the chips in the tray to the staff at the chips exchange counter. The final count was 3.62 million USD.


    Tang Xiu''s smile was frozen as he smashed the chips in his hand to the floor and rudely spat on the carpet.


    "Count mine!"


    Daikura Sakuragi handed the tray to the counter staff. After the count, he won a total of 2.964 million dollars in the entire 2 hours.


    As the general manager of this casino, Shiro Takeda acted as the attester and witness of the games. But he didn''t expect the final winner to be Nishi Masayoshi. His eyes swept over at the surrounding, seeing the envy on the onlookers'' faces. Then, under their hundreds of watchful eyes, he loudly announced, "The final winner is Nishi Masayoshi! And according to the rules agreed on by the players, everyone else must hand over 100 million dollars to him!"


    "Hey, Manager Takeda! Your casino can''t possibly help him win, can it?" Tang Xiu loudly questioned inquisitively. "I got amazing gambling skills myself. Even the God of Gamblers in Las Vegas says that I''m gonna be more powerful later on. How the hell can I lose here? Even to him, Nishi Masayoshi, huh?"


    Shiro Takeda''s complexion changed and he immediately retorted back angrily. "Please do not question the fairness of my casino, Mr. Tang. All the scenes when the four of you were gambling have all been recorded by the monitors in the casino. You can check the surveillance video if you want to question it."


    "Bleh, checking my ass! I just can''t afford to lose to this guy. It''s nothing but 100 million dollars. I''ll just give it to him." Tang Xiu intentionally talked back with anger, but he was quite happy inwardly. The chief reason why Nishi Masayoshi could win was thanks to Tang An who had been lurking around him while being invisible and helping him cheat. She sometimes went so far as to pull some tricks on Daikura Sakuragi and Saburo Koizumi.


    Meanwhile, it felt quite painful to Daikura since 100 million dollars was way too high a price for him to pay. Yet, there was no way out of this debt as there were literally thousands of eyes staring at him. He had no choice but to transfer the money to Nishi''s account. Saburo Koizumi also transferred the money and quickly left unwillingly with a foul mood.


    Tang Xiu himself only looked furious at first, but his expression then changed into indifference soon after. He then spoke to Daikura Sakuragi, "Hey, are you still playing? Why did you come here if you don''t wanna play? Besides, I won 50 million dollars from this Nishi bastard in Las Vegas before, but well, he actually won 100 million from me now. That gives me a foul mood. I gotta get back on him and gamble more."


    Daikura didn''t reply, but the indignant expression in his eyes betrayed him.


    As for Nishi Masayoshi himself, he smugly spoke with a smile, "Well, you''re not the kind who can''t afford to lose, Bro Tang. Besides, it''s just 100 million dollars. It''s like a drop in the bucket for a tycoon like you! Anyhow, I''ll accompany you one more time if you still wanna have a go. But let''s make a deal first. No matter who wins or loses, everything ends with the games, and the winner will have to treat the others and find them some hot chicks."


    "Fine with me." Tang Xiu raised his chin and replied with a thick competing intent.


    "So, what would be our next games, then?" asked Nishi Masayoshi.


    "A card game. Each draws a card, and whoever has the biggest card wins. The bet is still 100 million dollars. How about it?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "No problem." Nishi Masayoshi curtly agreed with a strange smile.


    Daikura, standing aside, heard that Tang Xiu and Nishi Masayoshi decided to pick a card game as the next game. He suddenly interjected. "Count me in. I''ll accompany you both."


    Tang Xiu was stunned. Then, he quickly sobered up and patted the man''s shoulder. He raised his thumbs up and praised. "You''re a great and amazing guy, Mr. Sakuragi. You got balls, I admire that. Regardless of whoever wins or loses, you''re a buddy of mine later on just like this good buddy of mine, Nishi Masayoshi."


    An ugly smile appeared on Daikura Sakuragi''s face. He simply dismissed the notion of becoming Tang Xiu''s good buddy.


    The dealer shuffled the cards and cut it. Shortly after, one card was sent to each player.


    Daikura himself was a powerful Buddhist cultivator and pulled some tricks when the dealer was dealing the cards. He exchanged the biggest cards to fall into his hands, and yet, he didn''t notice that Tang Xiu also performed a technique secretively right after he pulled the trick.


    "Hahaha, you really can''t stop it when luck comes! I got an ace of hearts." Nishi Masayoshi was the first to lift the card and suddenly burst into laughter after seeing the first card he got.


    Tang Xiu also picked up his, and it was 10 of Spades.


    At this time, Daikura Sakuragi looked smug and satisfied. He opened the card without even seeing it and smilingly said, "Sorry, mine is the biggest King of Spades. You both lost."


    The onlookers gathered around wore strange expressions as their eyes fell on the card, whereas the rest of the gamblers in the distance looked at the projection on the big screen. The card in front everyone was the King of Hearts.


    What''s going on?


    Keenly realizing something strange on the faces of everyone else in the surroundings, Daikura Sakuragi looked down to see his card, only to stare in disbelief instantly and exclaim, "Impossible, my card was definitely the King of Spades. How can it become¡­"


    "Goddammit¡­"


    Tang Xiu interrupted Daikura''s roar with a sullen face.


    As for Nishi Masayoshi, he was as if not seeing Daikura Sakuragi''s shocked expression as well as Tang Xiu''s indignance. With a beaming smile full of excitement, he said aloud, "You bet, so you gotta be prepared to lose. No big deal. You both lost, so transfer the money quickly."

 1160 Trap

    A cautious person may be able to sense that something was not right even though a trap was gradually set up and strengthened by each step. However, Tang Xiu''s convincing act as silk pants who showcased his never-on-short-of-money side had fully enticed Daikura Sakuragi to eventually fall into a trap and lose 200 million dollars for nothing.


    Such a loss was definitely a tremendous blow for the man. Yet, he must keep his promise as he was under the watchful of thousands of onlookers, else his reputation would go down the drain and become a notorious shameful man in the eyes of many people.


    However, seeing how smug, excited, and proud Nishi Masayoshi was at this time, the urge to kill him inevitably erupted inside him. He secretly made up his mind to act by himself and separate this guy''s head from his body when the commotion passed by after some time. He would snatch back all his losses today and completely rob him of everything.


    "There are things I still need to tend to, Mr. Tang. Farewell."


    Daikura looked pale and extremely indignant-looking and coldly dropped the statement before turning around and leaving.


    Tang Xiu didn''t pay any heed to him and just transferred the stake money to Nishi Masayoshi''s account, saying with an upset face, "Alright, spare me all the bullshit and stop being a jerk. This Young Master is not in the mood to play with women today. Don''t bother. I''ll find myself a place to rest and I''ll take you on some other games after resting."


    "Well, no worries about that, Buddy!" Nishi Masayoshi hurriedly replied, "Let''s leave together if you wanna play no more. Besides, you haven''t found a good place to stay in Japan, right? Don''t go to a hotel, my villa in Kyoto is available for you. Or do you want me to find a bunch of belles and join me to have a look at them."


    "Bah, what a show-off." Tang Xiu glared at him snappily. He directly stretched his hand out and said, "Just gimme the address and the key. You can go wherever, but don''t bother me today. Wait until tomorrow to show me the chicks."


    Nishi Masayoshi wasn''t angry. He swiftly took out a door card and gave it to Tang Xiu. "The address is on it, you can go straight there. That''s right, do you want me to give you 100 bucks for the cab?"


    "I''ll break your nose if you dare spit out such shitty fart again!" Tang Xiu angrily replied.


    With that said, he quickly left the Floating Yacht along with Kuwako and the rest. After sitting in the car, his mobile phone rang and he quickly asked, "Did he go back?"


    "Yes."


    "Keep monitoring him."


    "Understood."


    As he hung up, a smile appeared after he changed his appearance. He just won 300 million dollars so easily and dug a pit for Daikura Sakuragi. The operation was so smooth that it was beyond his expectation.


    "The money has just been transferred to the usual account at the Swiss Bank, Sect Master. Additionally, we''ve also fully arranged the getaway route for Nishi Masayoshi. Nobody will notice his departure from Japan tonight, and it''s impossible for Daikura Sakuragi to find Nishi''s trace anymore given his abilities." Kuwako reported to Tang Xiu respectfully after having similarly answered a call.


    "I see." Tang Xiu nodded with a light smile and then asked, "What about the next operation? Have you prepped it already?"


    "It''s all been prepped." Kuwako nodded. "Also, Yuji is guessing that Ozawa Manzo should also be someone from the Joyous Palace. I think we can carry out the next plan more smoothly."


    ****


    At Donjimen, Shinjuku.


    A very famous department store in Kyoto was located here, a building with tens of floors filled with a superb collection of dazzling merchandise of great value. At this time, a well-known businessman in Kyoto, Ozawa Manzo, was seen walking while hugging the waist of a seductive slender woman. They were now on the 16th floor that was mainly for the gold and silver jewelry stores.


    "Honey, this three-carat diamond is really beautiful. Take a look at its engraving style and luster. I love it so much. I even heard that celebrity, Ryoko Kitagawa, wore this type of diamond ring when she married Director Kawada." The gorgeous woman''s eye lit up as she fondled the diamond ring in her hand. Her sweet voice was as though able to wake up a dead man from his grave.


    Ozawa Manzo raised his brows without much interest and said, "Buy it if you like it! If Ryoko Kitagawa''s man can afford it, so can I. Ah, I think that platinum necklace in the next display cabinet is great. I''ll buy it for you, too."


    "Thanks, honey." The glamorous woman kissed him, the ripples in her foxlike eyes as though water.


    "Hold up!"


    Kuwako Yamamoto, who had already changed her appearance, strode with her high heels and a long red dress. She gently stroked the hair on her forehead and spoke without being salty, "I love this diamond ring, too. Why don''t you give it to me?"


    The seductive woman''s expression changed and she angrily asked, "Who are you? Don''t you know the meaning of ''first come first served''?"


    Kuwako rolled her eyes at her and shouted to Tang Xiu behind her, who just entered the store, "Dear, do you see this diamond ring? It''s beautiful and I''ve long been loving it ever since I saw it. Can you buy it for me?"


    Tang Xiu''s face went black and he indignantly said, "Buy, buy, and buy. You only know to keep buying stuff, don''t you? Don''t you already know I''ve just lost tons of money?"


    Having reproached her, he directly shot Ozawa Manzo and the pretty woman a look and threateningly said, "Scram! My woman wants this ring. Nobody can snatch it from her, else I''ll kill you."


    A cold light flashed in Ozawa''s eyes. He paced a step forward towards Tang Xiu and sneered. "And who the hell are you, Mister? You actually dare to snatch things from Ozawa Manzo? Are you tired of living or what?"


    Tang Xiu stared daggers at him and thundered. "What fucking shit is Ozawa Manzo, huh? I''m snatching your things? Do you want me to smack you up or what?"


    Ozawa was enraged. He was always the one bullying others, not the other way around. He pushed the pretty woman holding him and moved to give Tang Xiu a lesson. Just as he paced two steps forward, however, he slightly knitted his brows upon seeing tens of sturdy men rushing in through the store entrance.


    This brat is not some average layman.


    Being a cautious man, Ozawa retracted back his gaze and coldly asked, "Who are you? Trying to get in the way and coming here with so many men? Are you doing it on purpose to give me a lesson, huh?"


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes at him and mocked. "Who the shit do you think you''re? Me, making trouble on purpose? I told you to scram already, else I''ll beat you up so hard that even your mom won''t recognize you."


    "Bastard!"


    Ozawa rushed towards Tang Xiu and appeared in front of him in just the blink of an eye. His fist moved extremely fast and directly hit Tang Xiu''s chest. The punch could have severely injured Tang Xiu if he was an average person. Unfortunately, Tang Xiu wasn''t any average person and he didn''t feel any pain in the slightest.


    Yet, Tang Xiu still followed his role and acted accordingly. He staggered four steps backward and even forced himself to cough up some blood after stumbling on the floor.


    Kuwako intentionally screamed out in panic, "Honey, a-are you¡­ are you okay? Hey, what the hell are you staring for? That guy hit the person you must protect. Are you still bodyguards or what? Take him on!"


    Tens of bodyguards immediately stormed over towards Ozawa Manzo. They were all martial artists and, though not very strong, each of them was enough to deal with more than ten average people.


    BAM, BAM, BAM¡­


    A wave of punches hitting human flesh was heard. Yet, instead of them beating up Ozawa, it was the latter who sent them flying in just a few seconds.


    Sitting straight with Kuwako''s support, Tang Xiu observed Ozawa''s attacking method. He could tell at a glance that the man was definitely a cultivator with a rather remarkable strength as well. The man didn''t even use all his strength when punching the bodyguards a moment ago.


    "Hey, all of you outside? Are you dead or something? Get your ass here and kill this bastard!" Tang Xiu raised his arm and screamed out with trembling fingers.


    At that instant, a large swarm of bodyguards flushed in from the outside and more than 80 people jam-packed inside, filling nearly half of the store''s space. As these bodyguards saw Tang Xiu''s wretched appearance and their comrades'' miserable state, they immediately swarmed over, with most of them pulling out weapons.


    "Damn! It''s a trap."


    Upon seeing the scene before him, Ozawa instantly realized that this wasn''t just a simple conflict but a trap against him. The purpose was not to teach him¡­ but rather to kill him.


    If so¡­ then I must kill some of them as a warning for the rest!


    A chilling light filled his eyes as he instantly pulled out a sharp dagger from his waist. The dagger moved about up and down and two bodyguards at the forefront had their throats slashed and hearts stabbed.


    "Murder¡­ he''s killing people!!!"


    Acting like a weak woman, Kuwako instantly screamed out when she saw that two bodyguards were killed. After her voice faded away, however, another strong man was hit and flew backward, whereas the staffers in the jewelry shop panicked and ran away, one of whom pressed the alarm button and contacted the police.


    The martial artists trained by the Inada Society were a bunch of ruthless people. They may be bodyguards now, but murder and arson were normal things they had done in the past. Now that their companions were killed, it aroused their own savageness, many of whom took their pistols and trained its dark muzzles at Ozawa Manzo.


    Puff, puff, puff¡­


    A figure flickered and moved lightning-fast in the midst of these bodyguards. Those who had pulled their pistols had their wrists slashed. But Ozawa didn''t resort to killings this time and just kept delivering heavy blows and severely injured these bodyguards. It took only half a minute for him to send almost 50 bodyguards flying with severe injuries.


    Supported by Kuwako, Tang Xiu crawled up from the floor while covering his chest. He intentionally wore a frightened look upon seeing Ozawa''s great power display. He called out loudly, "Damn Japan and that bastard Daikura Sakuragi! Didn''t he vow his Inada Society''s bodyguards were a bunch of experts? Yet, they are nothing but trash. SOMEONE HELP, MURDER!!!"


    While attacking the bodyguards in black suite, a chilling light overflowed in Ozawa''s eyes. He could clearly hear Tang Xiu''s exclamation and the names of the Inada Society and Daikura Sakuragi.


    "You wanna get your asses from here, huh?"


    He noticed that Tang Xiu and Kuwako Yamamoto had already rushed out of the store. He immediately kicked several black-suited bodyguards and pursued them lightning-fast.

 1161 Your Men Are Trash

    BANG¡­


    Hei Xiong and Xue Sha suddenly appeared at the entrance of the store and directly blocked Ozawa Manzo''s path. They both didn''t fully use their strength and controlled their bodies to fly out backward after the clash.


    "Umm?!"


    Ozawa stopped pursuing Tang Xiu and Kuwako and shot a look at them with a surprised face. He could tell these two men who intercepted him were cultivators. It was certain, although their strength seemed weak.


    Hei Xiong and Xue Sha themselves quickly bounced up after falling on the floor and looked at Ozawa Manzo with fearful faces. They then hastily ran towards Tang Xiu. After catching up, Xue Sha deliberately shouted, "Young Master, that rogue is too powerful. We gotta run quickly¡­"


    Ozawa''s figure flickered as he moved lightning-fast to chase them. In that instant, Xue Sha and Hei Xiong quickly grabbed Tang Xiu and Kuwako''s arms and rushed towards the window nearby. The moment after, the glass hit by their bodies shattered and they directly jumped out of the building.


    "Damn bastards!"


    Ozawa was about to jump and pursue them instinctively, but he wanted to hide his identity as a cultivator. He was hardly able to halt his pace right as he stopped next to the window. He looked down at the four who crashed down below as they drilled into the car at a very fast speed and drove away.


    "Escaping fast, huh? No matter how fast you are, you can never escape from a cultivator. The Inada Society and Daikura Sakuragi, heh? This bastard and his dojo dare to find me trouble. You''re all just tired of living."


    Unwilling to stay any longer, Ozawa felt there was something fishy about today''s incident given the appearance of these cultivators. He quickly rushed to the Inada Society at once to figure out the identity of that brat. And then¡­ gave him another tough lesson!


    "Honey, wait for me!"


    The seductive woman rushed out from the inside with her handbag and said in dismay and fright, "You''re really powerful and amazing, dear. Just like a superman. Ah, you haven''t bought that diamond ring and a platinum necklace for me! C-can¡­ I take them now?"


    "SCRAM!"


    Baffled to find many enemies coming for no reason had already made Ozawa frustrated and angry. Now that he heard the seductive woman speak like that, he slapped her hard and sent her flying backward. He immediately pulled her hand and quickly left in large strides.


    Half an hour later, at the gate of the Inada Society. Four security guards were on duty when they saw a car approaching fast from a distance. Immediately after, one of them quickly came out.


    Creaaaaak¡­


    The brakes sounded and the car''s door was pushed open as Tang Xiu got off with Kuwako''s support. He ignored the four security guards and entered through the front door under the protection of Xue Sha and Hei Xiong, who now looked wretched.


    "Get the hell out of your hole, Daikura! I spent tons of money on you when I just came to Japan. I lost hundreds of millions USD more and I was still fine. But you bastard lied to me¡­ you owe a damn explanation!"


    On the second floor of the attic, in the quaint study, the sullen and grim-looking Daikura Sakuragi had just returned from the Floating Yacht casino and was smashing everything in the study and venting his anger to his men. Certainly, the curses aimed at him from the outside made him furious.


    "Which asshole came to make trouble in my Inada Society, huh?"


    Daikura Sakuragi rushed out of the study and dashed downstairs to the entrance. His angry roar had spread out, but his angry face was instantly frozen upon seeing the bloodstained Tang Xiu. He even saw that his bodyguards, Xue Sha and Hei Xiong, also had blood on their lips.


    What''s going on?


    Didn''t I assign 100 bodyguards to protect this fella? What about them? What has this surnamed Tang run into that made him look so miserable now?


    Tang Xiu dashed to Daikura''s front with a furious face. He broke away from Kuwako''s support and grabbed the Daikura''s front clothes, shouting aloud, "You''re a damn bastard. Your family is all bastards! You dare to deceive me, Daikura Sakuragi! Did you forget I''ve given you tons of money?!!"


    Daikura deeply furrowed his brows and looked at the furious Tang Xiu before he immediately moved his hands and quickly said, "Is there any misunderstanding here, Mr. Tang? I spoke like that just now, but I didn''t know it was you. I thought it was someone wanting to make trouble in my place, so I said something I shouldn''t. But¡­ what do you mean by I''m deceiving you? Where and when did I lie to you?"


    "You didn''t deceive me you say? F**k! You really got the balls!" Tang Xiu yelled furiously. "This young master gave you tons of money to hire 100 bodyguards from you. ONE. F*****G. HUNDRED! What did you tell me then? Your men are experts and masters, literally an elite force. And now? Just one man is enough to make all those shits scared shitless and crying out loud. Do you even know¡­ how this young master nearly died in the hands of that bastard?!"


    Just a man beat up 100 people?


    Disbelief on his face, Daikura Sakuragi retorted loudly. "Did you lose your mind or something, Mr. Tang? Who could possibly have such great abilities to fight 100 people alone? More so well-trained experts like my men?"


    Tang Xiu pointed to Daikura Sakuragi and roared as his finger was about to point to his nose. "Experts? What bull! What I saw was a bunch of idiots and sissies! Do you see my appearance now? I was beaten by that man! Do you see my men? They are all powerful experts. Cultivators! I would have been killed if they didn''t protect me. What about your men, huh? I don''t know how many of them died¡­"


    "What?!"


    Daikura''s eyes shrunk with killing intent overflowing from them.


    My men are gone? They were all killed?


    Daikura blocked Tang Xiu''s hand and inquisitively asked, "Who the hell is that man?"


    Kuwako pulled Tang Xiu''s sleeves and interjected with a similarly indignant face. "He said his name is Ozawa Manzo."


    "Ozawa Manzo?"


    Clenching his fists tightly, a chilling light flashed in Daikura Sakuragi''s eyes. The 100 bodyguards he sent to Tang Xiu were all experts he had trained himself and were also the men he trusted. Yet, they had all been killed. This Ozawa Manzo must die!


    "Where is this bastard now? I''ll kill him!"


    Grieving with fury, Daikura roared loudly.


    He had lost a total of 200 million dollars today, and now his men were killed by someone. It was all more than enough to make him furious to the extreme. The most important issue was the client who hired the bodyguards was here and the news of the incidents that happened to these 100 bodyguards should have spread out by now. The aftermath? At the end of the day, his men not only failed to protect their client but even got beaten so badly. It was absolutely a great shame to his Inada Society.


    If today''s incident were to spread out further, how would he run his business in the future? Who among those who had been training under him would want to work as bodyguards for hire anymore later?


    This¡­ was literally cutting off his source of income!


    Hei Xiong paced forward and looked at him, saying aloud, "Mr. Sakuragi, never once has our Young Master ever had such a big blow, hence why he''s so furious now. I hope you are not angry with him. However, the fact is there. The bodyguards we hired from you have been killed or injured. Meaning your men here are trash. But I advise you not to get too headstrong and keep your head cool as that man is a very formidable cultivator. You may only be killed ruthlessly even if you fight him in person."


    "SHUT YOUR CRAP!!!" Daikura Sakuragi yelled angrily, "That Ozawa is a cultivator, do you think I''m not one? I''ve been staying low-key all these years and rarely have I provoked others. Little did I expect that damn Ozawa dares to do so to me. Tell me, where the hell is that asshole now? I''m gonna kill him for sure!"


    About seven-plus seconds later, the four bodyguards outside the entrance were sent flying backward and slammed into the entrance gate, coughing up blood and falling unconscious as their bodies slammed on the ground. Shortly after, a figure with a huge aura appeared at the door.


    Eyes full of killing intent, Ozawa stared daggers at Daikura and furiously roared, "We used to know each other, Daikura Sakuragi. We may not be friends, but we''re not enemies either. Yet you bastard wants to kill me? Come and bring it on! I''ll see what abilities you actually have!"


    After seeing clearly that the man was Ozawa Manzo, Daikura Sakuragi stormed forward with a roar. He instantly pulled out the dagger and delivered swift and fierce strikes at Ozawa.


    "DIE!"


    Ozawa dashed forward to clash with him without fear and blasted out with all his strength instantly.


    The frantic fight was so intense and bloody. Both men engaged in a crazy fight for a full 2 minutes, resulting in both of them being dyed red by their blood, arousing their killing intent even further. Daikura and Ozawa were similar in strength, but the latter made two mistakes in the fight, resulting in much more severe injuries than the former.


    "Boundless Ocean of Buddha!"


    "Boundless Ocean of Buddha!"


    Both men fiercely shouted at the same time, nearly staking out everything by risking their lives as they rushed to clash yet again with each unleashing their respective ace killing move. The final clash was but an instant, but each sent the other flying backward with a grievous injury.


    Tang Xiu just stood with folded arms nearby watching them fight. When he saw both men use the same killing move, it was finally confirmed that they were from the Joyous Palace. He walked towards them with a smiling face, clapping and saying, "Have you both played enough?"


    Daikura and Ozawa, who were sent flying backward, wore disbelieving expressions at the same time after hearing the name of the move each just unleashed.


    It was the same? What did that mean?


    That explained that they were members of the Joyous Palace and very likely one of the 72 Chess Pieces.


    Upon realizing this, they both deeply regretted fighting so crazily and ending up both grievously injured. Never did they expect that they turned out to be from the same side instead of being enemies.

 1162 The Fish Is on the Hook

    Walking between the two men with a faint smile, Tang Xiu then turned to look at the two severely injured men on the floor, saying, "I don''t think you both got no brains since you can be trained to be the Chess Pieces by your Palace Master, no? You must have realized something after your last move, right?"


    Daikura and Ozawa struggled hard to climb up from the floor. Both men exchanged fast glances, then the former stared daggers at Tang Xiu and asked, "Who exactly are you?"


    A smile sketched on the corner of Tang Xiu''s mouth. He hooked a finger at Kuwako nearby. After she came to him, he gently put his hand on her shoulder and spoke to the two men smilingly, "You both are gonna die today, so I''ll do you a service to fulfill your curiosity. Kuwako, let them see what you look like."


    Kuwako let out a light smile and changed her appearance¡ªa technique Tang Xiu taught her. She controlled her facial muscles and eventually restored her original looks.


    "Have you both been well after our last meeting?"


    "Kuwako Yamamoto?!"


    "It''s you?!"


    Daikura Sakuragi and Ozawa Manzo were both shocked and stared at Kuwako while realizing that they had fallen into the trap set by these people.


    "Kuwako! Palace Master has sent Osashi to catch you. He even sent my immediate superior, Yuji for that. Shouldn''t you be chased by them now? How¡­ H-how come you''re here?" asked Daikura angrily.


    "Hehe." Kuwako laughed and said, "You mentioned Yuji? Well, she''s already my Boss'' underling. If you wanna find Osashi, he''s already become a ghost and went to see the Gods already."


    "What did you say?"


    A cold chill suddenly ran down Daikuragi''s back after hearing this. He knew Yuji''s identity; she had a prominent status in the Joyous Palace. If it wasn''t for the secretive nature of Joyous Palace that made most of its members unable to recognize each other, Yuji would definitely become an existence worth of respect by many people.


    But¡­ she''s obviously Miyaji''s mistress. How come she suddenly turns coat and becomes an underling of this brat in front? Did she betray Miyaji?


    Tang Xiu lightly smiled and waved. "Well, you already know a lot of facts now, so you can die content, right? Xue Sha, Hei Xiong, deal with them."


    Upon hearing the command, Xue Sha and He Xiong instantly unleashed their immortal swords shot it toward the two men. At this time, the two men were already like dried-up lamps and severely injured. They were not Xue Sha''s and Hei Xiong''s opponents at all and took only two breaths for Xue Sha to impale Ozawa''s heart with his sword.


    "You¡­"


    Ozawa struggled to look down at the sword that pierced his heart, eyes filled with disbelief as he finally realized that the enemy he had beaten turned out to have been hiding his true strength all along.


    Daikura faced Hei Xiong''s onslaught. Although he avoided his vital parts getting hit, he couldn''t avoid getting more injuries as well.


    "You''ll all be buried with me!"


    Suddenly, the fella no longer tried to avoid the onslaught and took out a metallic tube from his sleeve pocket after one of his arms was cut off. His finger pressed the button on it and immediately shot the flare into the sky.


    Hei Xiong''s eyes lit up and manipulated the immortal sword to cut off the man''s head. Then, he quickly returned to Tang Xiu''s front and respectfully reported. "Sect Master, Daikura just sent a signal, and it''s likely those people from Joyous Palace will come here soon. Shall we withdraw now?"


    "No rush." Tang Xiu shook his head. "The Inada Society is a vassal force of Joyous Palace. Besides, Tang An has yet to finish neutralizing all the people here. Don''t get idle here and go help her. We can leave as soon as we''re done with it."


    "Roger!" The two men complied and immediately moved.


    Five-plus minutes after, Tang Xiu quickly left the Inada Society and appeared on a six-story building about less than three kilometers away from the scene. Even the black-robed Tang An also appeared.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Three figures flickered and bolted fast from afar and soon came behind Tang Xiu. They were Mo Awu, Tang Guang, and Hei Wuya.


    "Sect Master!" The three men respectfully greeted.


    "How are things going with you guys?" asked Tang Xiu with a mile.


    "It''s all been prepped and arranged, Grand Master," reported Tang Guang respectfully. "We have a total of 46 sentries in the dark, all of which are managed by reliable people under Kuwako. We have a 10km radius under our surveillance, so we can spot any enemy who rushes here from any direction."


    "If so, then off you go!" Tang Xiu nodded and ordered.


    "Copy that!"


    Kuwako, who had changed her appearance again, along with Tang Guang, Mo Awu, Xue Sha, Hei Xiong, and Hei Wuya silently disappeared, leaving only Tang An alone with Tang Xiu.


    "Well, do you think we can hook up a few big fishes, An?" asked Tang Xiu smilingly.


    "I don''t know." Tang An shook her head.


    Tang Xiu shrugged and lightly smiled. "Daikura Sakuragi and Ozawa Manzo were members of the 72 Chess Pieces of the Joyous Palace, meaning they are also associated with other pieces. Even likely that they''re related to some other Mistresses."


    Tang An was silent for a few seconds. Her expression then slightly shifted as she smiled. "You''re correct, Grand Master. Some big fishes are already here."


    A faint smile on his face, Tang Xiu''s vision shifted to the distance starry sky, at the figure that was moving like a falling star. The person was wearing a red dress with red high heels. Even her long hair was also bleached red. Soon after, she casually descended in the Inada Society venue.


    The woman''s title was Huoji. She was also a great personage and had a similar status as Yuji as Miyaji''s lover. At the moment, Huoji''s eyes were full of disbelief upon seeing the bodies lying in the courtyard. Then, her expression changed drastically after seeing Ozawa Manzo''s dead body.


    "Big Brother!"


    She instantly bolted towards Ozawa Manzo and knelt on the floor. Holding Ozawa''s dead body with shivering hands, two lines of tears ran down her face.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Three shadows flickered from a distance and quickly landed around her. All three of them were males in their 40s. Two of whom suppressed their shock upon seeing Huoji, cupped their fists and respectfully greeted. "Subordinate pays respect to Huoji."


    The other one was stunned and immediately followed the salute.


    Flames of fury filling her eyes, Huoji''s vision fell on the three men and shouted, "Who killed them?"


    The three men shook their heads.


    "Investigate it thoroughly!" Huoji fiercely shouted, "I don''t care even if you must turn Kyoto upside down, but you must find the murderer! Those who provoke the Joyous Palace must die."


    "Understood!"


    The three men hurriedly complied and took out their phones and began dialing some cell numbers. A few minutes after, they disappeared from the courtyard.


    On the roof of a building in a distance, Tang Xiu slowly stroked his chin and thoughtfully said, "Yuji described some of the Mistresses in Joyous Palace, and this woman should be one of them with the Huoji title. Well, the other three just left, so it''s time to conclude this fishing session."


    "Let me deal with her, Grand Master," said Tang An.


    Tang Xiu squinted and nodded as he slowly said, "Your cultivation may be under that woman, but you should be able to easily kill her in a life-and-death battle. Go, then. I''ll help you so she can''t run away."


    Tang An nodded respectfully in response and then quickly disappeared and lurked towards Huoji.


    Tang Xiu closely followed her and soon appeared on the outskirts of the Inada Society building. The moment he and Tang An entered the building, he began drawing an array pattern and set it up outside the Inada Society.


    Puff¡­


    An immortal sword suddenly appeared out of the blue and the sudden assassination strike directly stabbed Huoji''s left shoulder. Blood instantly spurted out and Tang An''s figure appeared.


    "Who are you?"


    Huoji''s expression enormously changed. Her heart palpitated upon finding the enemy suddenly appearing like that. She didn''t even notice anything when she appeared, which proved the enemy''s terrifyingness.


    "Something''s wrong!"


    Huoji suddenly noticed in surprise that the flow of energy in the surroundings had changed.


    Tang An didn''t respond to Huoji''s remarks. She shot thousands of sword beams from her immortal sword and directly sealed off Houji''s every escape route.


    "Mokugyo artifact!"


    A wooden fish suddenly appeared in Huoji''s hand. As a hammer landed on the Mokugyo, a dazzling golden light suddenly burst from above. The golden light instantly spread in all directions and encased the sword beams within.


    Cling, cling, cling¡­


    Hundreds of golden fishes then appeared in the midst of golden light out of thin air and constantly clashed with the sword beams. The destructive sword beams which were originally full of momentum were dissolved in less than two breaths, then golden fishes stormed over towards Tang An.


    If Yuji were to be here at this time, she would have been very shocked since this Mokugyou was the favorite artifact of Miyaji and was rumored to have enormous might.


    "Ancestral Reverse of Myriad Swords!"


    The routed sword beams appeared again and this time the number was several times more than before. Overlapping layers of sword images formed dense sword beams and covered the sky. Even the sword beams now encased several hundreds of meters radius, shrouding the golden fishes and destroying the golden fishes with its sword beams.


    "Time-flow Reverse!"


    Huoji beat the Mokugyo faster, but a bad feeling suddenly struck her heart. She felt like she was hallucinating that the time was flowing much slower and all the scenery around her turned blurry.


    Puff¡­


    The moment after, tens of sword beams pierced her chest and crushed her heart.


    "How is this possible?"


    Huoji was scared to death and hastily performed a secret art. The Buddhist Sarira in her body suddenly broke out and attempted to escape.


    BOOM¡­


    A transparent energy shield blocked her Buddhist Sarira''s path and it bounced back to her original position.


    "Destroy¡­"


    Tang An manipulated her immortal sword and accurately and unmistakably pierced the Golden Sarira. However, when a shrill scream came out of the Golden Sarira, Tang Xiu''s figure suddenly appeared and directly grabbed it.


    "Why you didn''t let me destroy it, Grand Master?" asked Tang An with hesitation.

 1163 Buddhist Sects Squad

    Shaoshi Mountain, China.


    The increasing deforestation in Cangshan County had made some fierce wild animals look for their prey everywhere and birds were seen flapping their wings and leaping in between the yellow withered leaves. A winding pathway was as though having no end while the towering palace atop the summit exuded a simple and vicissitude of time and life.


    DING¡­


    The melodious bell echoed over the mountains at this time, disturbing the peace of wild animals in tens of kilometers in the surroundings and causing them to look toward the palace direction at the highest peak.


    With a sword sheathed on his back, Miao Wentang tracked along the seemingly endless winding mountain pathway, but the little monk dressed in Kasaya suit turned his head to glance at him from time to time with a look of curiosity on his face.


    It was rather unlikely for any guest to visit this Buddhist sect, to begin with. The little monk had been living here for 2 years, yet it was his first time seeing a cultivator pay homage to this mountain.


    Quickly after, the duo came to the palace at the summit. Miao Wentang didn''t spare any time to enjoy the beautiful scenery around him. He didn''t even glance at the lingering clouds in the surrounding and shifted his focus right on the four Kasaya-suited elder monks with sticks in their hands and benevolent eyes.


    "Amitabha, it''s a blessing for my Buddhist monastery that Benefactor Miao has come from afar. May I know Benefactor Miao''s purpose in visiting our monastery?" the old man in Kasaya asked with a smile.


    Miao Wentang saluted by joining both palms and said after the ceremony, "It''s been some time since our last meeting in the Himalayas, Grand Abbot Bright Crane. My visit is due to the plea of a friend of mine. I''m just his messenger."


    "Which friend is it?" asked Grand Abbot Bright Crane curiously. "And what is the message content exactly?"


    "It''s from Tang Xiu," answered Miao Wentang.


    Grand Abbot Bright Crane''s expression changed and looked surprised, saying, "Ah, it turns out to be from Benefactor Tang, someone who''s a dragon among men. I was stationed to guard the western line in the Himalayas back then, but I met him a few times nonetheless. It can be said China can stay stable and peaceful mainly due to his merits."


    Smilingly nodded in approval, Miao Wentang said, "Anyway, Tang Xiu asked me to come to the Buddhist sect in person to tell you that he''s now in Japan and has found some remnants of the Joyous Sect. They have now become the biggest and most mysterious force there after years of development."


    "Joyous splinter sect?"


    Grand Abbot Bright Crane and the other three Buddhist Sect elders had a drastic change in expression. The four exchanged glances and the former said in a deep voice, "The Joyous Sect is one of the Tantric Buddhist schools, yet it has violated the Buddha''s way and has committed enormous sins and thus, can no longer be tolerated by our sect, resulting in the extermination of their group. Little did we expect that some of those scourges survived to this day. Benefactor Miao, this is a very important issue for us. Could you tell us where is Benefactor Tang now and how can we get in touch with him?"


    Miao Wentang gave him Tang Xiu''s cell number and then said, "Tang Xiu also asked me to convey another message. If Grand Abbot of Buddhist Sect wants to clean up the school, the Buddhist Sect can call him in advance as he''s now in Kyoto and is waiting for your honorable arrival."


    "We are deeply grateful for this news Benefactor Miao." Grand Abbot Bright Crane replied in a deep voice, "Our Buddhist sect, however, needs to take some time to discuss this utmost important issue at hand. Also, I''d like to ask Benefactor Miao to stay for some time. You can leave the Shaoshi Mountain later with my Buddhist disciples."


    "Alright." Miao Wentang nodded.


    Two hours later, eight Section Heads of the Buddhist Sect rushed from each stationery peak and entered a meditation hall. Nine people, including Grand Abbot Bright Crane, waited cross-legged on a futon inside.


    "You gathered us all eight together at the same time, what exactly happened, Senior Brother Bright Crane?" a fat monk with a bright face and smooth skin asked curiously.


    The rest didn''t ask, but they had similar curious expressions on their faces, their eyes fixed on Grand Abbot Bright Crane''s face.


    "Some of you have seen Benefactor Tang Xiu and some have heard of him. I believe you have some understanding pertaining to his character," said Grand Abbot Bright Crane slowly.


    The fat monk nodded firmly. "Benefactor Tang Xiu has a Buddha heart although he''s not one of us. Everyone in the cultivation world holds him in respect today. Even this poor monk who has been cultivation for 3 centuries feels the same way."


    Another one, a slim and dark-skinned monk followed. "Back in the Himalayas, Benefactor Tang risked his life and braved death to slaughter a large number of demonic beasts and saved a lot of souls. This Black Face Buddha truly admires him for taking that action at the moment a crisis was to befall our race."


    "I also trust Benefactor Tang, Senior Brother Bright Crane."


    "Well, I haven''t met him, but I''ve heard of him. It''s true that hearing and seeing in person is the truth, but I believe the judgment of my elder martial brothers that Benefactor Tang is a just person."


    "I concur."


    "¡­"


    After quietly listened to their opinions, Grand Abbot Bright Crane nodded and said, "Since we all trust Benefactor Tang, then I''ll tell you the reason for summoning you here. Benefactor Tang asked Benefactor Miao to come to our monastery and convey to us that the surviving remnants of Joyous Sect have moved to Japan and created a very large force."


    "That Joyous splinter group?!"


    "Haven''t we completely destroyed those ravisher scums of the Joyous Sect in the past already? How come some of them survived?"


    "Those scourges from the Joyous Sect? Some of those demons survived? Who are they?"


    "If the news is true, then we must find and kill them!"


    "Let''s get rid of evil for the people!"


    "Let''s clean up our school!"


    "¡­"


    Grand Abbot Bright Crane raised his hands and said, "Junior Brothers, our Buddhist school has long decreed that no one from the Joyous Sect can ever exist anymore. Master also made a vow that none of those demons of the Joyous Sect can become a scourge for women anymore. And thus, now that we know about them we must exterminate them.


    "I gather you all here is to discuss some issues. Who will lead the team to Japan and how many disciples are we going to take there?"


    The Black Face Buddha spoke in a deep voice, "Amitabha, this duty of cleaning up our school is a great service to the people, so let this poor monk take the duty! Meting out punishment for the remaining evil elements is our religious commandment, to begin with."


    The fat monk pressed the beads with his thumb and smilingly said, "Junior and Senior Brothers, this one also has once infiltrated the Joyous Sect for secret investigation then. I understand the sinful crimes they''ve committed and also secretly gathered a list of their disciples. This one can say to be the one who''s the most familiar with the Joyous Sect, so this one must be included in the campaign to Japan to see who the surviving evil is!"


    Grand Abbot Bright Crane nodded and slowly raised his hand to stop the rest who also wanted to talk. "I hereby decide that the campaign will be carried out by Junior Brother Black Face and Jade Buddha, while each of the Peak Monasteries will send two of your Junior Brothers. So, eighteen of you must make sure to get rid of those Joyous Sect''s remnants."


    Black Face Buddha and Jade Buddha, as well as the other six High Abbots, exchanged glances in surprise. Two juniors from each peak monastery as mentioned by Grand Abbot Bright Crane had a very high status and were also very formidable. The weakest one among them was on par with Golden Core cultivators.


    As dusk arrived, Miao Wentang and 18 High Monks left the Shaoshi Mountain and Miao Wentang took care of everything to send them to Japan by plane.


    Afterward, however, an incident happened since these High Monks rarely left the Shaoshi Mountain and so, had no ID card. Thus, the plan to ride a plane to Japan was ruined.


    ****


    Japan, the Inada Society.


    Tang Xiu leisurely sat by the window on the second floor of the attic while enjoying and appreciating the beautiful scenery in the surroundings. The dead bodies in the venue had all been taken care of and any traces of blood had been cleaned up as well. At the same time, Kuwako''s subordinates were also repairing the broken things due to the fight before.


    Fragrant tea and beautiful view. And next to him was also an exquisite and classical beauty in the form of Kuwako who served him tea. All in all, it made everything feel comfortable to Tang Xiu. He happily downed the fragrant tea completely and then slowly asked, "Have those men sent anything about the information I asked them?"


    "Not yet." Kuwako shook her head. "But our men are still keeping tabs on those three, and it may not take long before we can find out their identity. All the information will be delivered to you by then."


    "You''re truly capable, Kuwako." Tang Xiu nodded smilingly. "Also, it seems the decision to make you stay in Japan before was correct. Japan may look like a small place, but it has a large population and thus provides crises and opportunities at the same time. You''ve collected a massive amount of cultivation resources for the sect. That''s a great contribution. You can speed up your pace after we''ve dealt with this incident! Also, once you''re in control of Japan, you can return to Nine Dragons Island to cultivate and rise to a higher level."


    "I''m certain I can have Japan under my control in 3 years max as long as the Miyaji of Joyous Palace is destroyed, Sect Master." Kuwako respectfully replied.


    "You deal with the schedule, but don''t delay the plan for collecting cultivation resources. Also, Jin Shi will send some intel operatives in about half a year to set up our intel network in Japan. Sum up the intel you''ve gathered and relinquished its control to Jin Shi at that time."


    Kuwako thought about it and then said, "Would you like me to set up the intel network in Japan myself and then hand it over to Jin Shi or the man he sent here later?"


    "Building an intel network is not something you can accomplish in a matter of a day." Tang Xiu shook his head. "Also, the person in charge of this department has undying loyalty to Tang Sect and not the slightest mistake is acceptable. You can involve yourself in it if you want, but don''t put too much of your energy since your top priority is to control more influential people and forces here. Be it those from the military, politics, and business, you must have them under control for me. Do remember my rules of conduct: submit and you thrive, oppose and you can perish."


    Kuwako''s face shifted with approval and said with a look of respect, "I understand."


    Suddenly, her expression shifted and she dashed to the door. As opened the door from the inside and looked at the burly man in a black night suit, she asked in a deep voice, "Have you brought the information?"


    "Yes," replied the big man respectfully.


    After Kuwako received it, she waved to hint the man to retreat. Then, she took the documents to Tang Xiu.

 1164 Woman Furnace

    "Kobu Yamashita, the President of Jinlan Society, single. Allegedly controls Japan''s largest shipping company in secret and two other large security companies¡­


    "Taro Harano, the Vice President of Blacksnake Group, single. Supposed to have thousands of subordinates managing a large number of entertainment establishments covering the four occupations in culinary, drinks, prostitution, and gambling¡­


    "Ki Kitagawa, a butcher with four apprentices, married with a son and a daughter¡­"


    After reading the information on these three men, an odd expression covered Tang Xiu''s face. The power and control shown by Kobu Yamashita and Taro Harano didn''t surprise him, but he felt that the last person was rather ridiculous. A Chess Piece of Joyous Palace, yet he was only a butcher in his real life. He even married and had children. That was totally strange. Even the content written on the document said that the guy was honest and never cheated nor went to the red light district and was far from gambling. He was pictured as an honest and simple guy who was often oppressed and bullied by his Boss¡­


    Is he some kind of masochist or something?


    He then threw the documents on the table and spoke to Kuwako, "I''m handing over the machination against Kobu Yamashita and Taro Harano to you. I''m going to handle this Ki Kitagawa guy myself."


    "Understood!"


    Kuwako picked up the document and read it, and then left the room directly afterward.


    Tang Xiu got up and indifferently said, "An, keep your eyes on alert. I got a hunch this Ki Kitagawa guy is far from simple. Don''t alert him if you find any peculiar things."


    "Copy that."


    Tang An didn''t appear, but her voice passed into Tang Xiu''s ear.


    Tomoda District, inside a certain mansion.


    The place was rather remote with many courtyards. In one of them, a tall and burly man sat on a wicker chair. In front of him were four young men in black night suits and black mask standing still like statues.


    Whoosh¡­


    A hazy figure flashed from afar, barefooted and holding a string of beads. After seeing the burly man on the lounge chair, he hummed coldly and spoke with a hoarse voice, "Ki Kitagawa, you dare not greet this honorable self visiting your house?"


    Ki Kitagawa abruptly got up and joined his palm and slightly bowed in salutation. "Your Honor Sage Yin Buddha, your subordinate has limited strength and never thought that you''d appear before me directly. Please forgive me for the neglect, Your Honor."


    Yin Buddha remained indifferent and said, "You have my forgiveness since you were unintentional. Then speak, what''s your report for proactively contacting me?"


    "An accident has befallen the Inada Society and Daikura Sakuragi was killed," answered Ki Kitagawa.


    Yin Buddha''s complexion changed with eyes turned fierce and fiery. Then, he asked in a deep voice, "Daikura was one of the 72 Chess Pieces and someone killed him? Have you investigated who the killer is?"


    "The investigation yields nothing yet." Ki Kitagawa shook his head. "Also, there''s no response from the shadows I''ve sent. They all just disappeared. I suppose they have been neutralized."


    "Members of the Shadows are Ninja experts who have been trained secretly by the Sect. Each and every one of them has a power that can''t be fathomed. How could they just be neutralized like that? Do you think some mysterious sect is involved?"


    "I have no idea about that." Ki Kitagawa shook his head. "But there was also another man who was killed along with Daikura, Ozawa Manzo. But I don''t know about his identity."


    Yin Buddha''s expression sharply changed and fiercely replied, "Ozawa Manzo is also one of the Chess Pieces! Dammit, who killed them? They killed two Chess Pieces of my Joyous Palace at the same time? Completely investigate it. I don''t care if you have to handle it yourself, but you must find out where that beast is! Or you can expect harsh punishment from me!"


    "Understood!" Ki Kitagawa respectfully complied.


    This Sage Yin Buddha was unaware, however, that a chilling light flashed in his eyes with a wisp of killing intent burning inside.


    Yin Buddha pondered for a while and slowly said, "I need to inform Miyaji since this enemy is unknown. Kitagawa, I give you two days to find out the enemy''s identity and their whereabouts. I''ll confer you a reward if you handle it handsomely. But you can expect to head into the Dark Prison and suffer there if you fail!"


    Ki Kitagawa silently nodded and then said, "This subordinate will definitely give his best!"


    Suddenly, Yin Buddha''s brows furrowed and he instantly turned to look at the back but saw nothing unusual. With his alertness to the max, he shouted, "Who the hell are you, sneaking bastard?"


    It was all quiet, however. Nobody answered him nor was there any man''s shadows.


    After a few minutes of silence, Yin Buddha secretly shook his head and immediately spoke a sentence to Ki Kitagawa and directly left.


    10 minutes¡­


    Half an hour¡­


    2 hours¡­


    2 hours had passed by and Yin Buddha came back a few times but didn''t find anything strange in the courtyard. Ki Kitagawa himself made several calls and then sat back on the recliner and silently fell into his train of thoughts.


    Have my senses failed me or something?


    Yin Buddha paced back and forth for a while before leaving unwillingly. But a few minutes after he left, a figure then appeared in front of Ki Kitagawa out of the blue.


    "Who are you?!!"


    The faces of Ki Kitagawa''s four disciples dramatically changed and they instantly drew the long blades sheathed on their backs.


    Tang Xiu just shot them an apathetic look and ignored them. He looked at Ki Kitagawa instead, who had abruptly stood up at the moment, as he shook his head and sighed. "You know, Joyous Palace is really unfair. The rest of the Chess Pieces became rich and powerful people or high-ranking officials, yet you''re just a butcher with little power and wealth. That''s truly unfair."


    Pacing back a few steps, Ki Kitagawa stared daggers at Tang Xiu. Watching Tang Xiu vigilantly, he asked, "Who are you?"


    "It doesn''t matter who I am as the more important is you who don''t know who you''re right away." Tang Xiu sneered. "You know, Grandma Meng can make you forget all the karmic ties you have in your past life, so I hope you''re also qualified to enter hell, Japanese man."


    "The Joyous Palace seems to be facing some very formidable adversaries now, at least so formidable that even I''m somewhat afraid." Ki Kitagawa heavily said, "Was it you who killed Daikura Sakuragi and Ozawa Manzo?"


    "They were like ants to me. I just got them butchered after using them." Tang Xiu nodded. "Anyhow, it''s you who made me rather curious, Kitagawa. What''s your rank among the 72 Chess Pieces? To think you can even contact that one particular guy directly rather than a Mistress."


    "It seems you''ve investigated the Joyous Palace very clearly," said Ki Kitagawa coldly. "Not only do you know the Mistresses'' existence, but you also know the existence of Chess Pieces like us. But I might as well tell you on this one. I''m ranked at 72."


    "Pfft¡­ the last in number?" Tang Xiu couldn''t help laughing. "I thought I caught a big fish, it turns out that you''re just the last in the Chess Pieces'' ranking. You have no use to me, so I won''t talk much with you. Choose between two options: submit to me now or die!"


    "Yield to you? Death?" Ki Kitagawa jeered. "You wanna kill me relying on your strength?"


    Tang Xiu nodded slowly.


    Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!


    Four sword images appeared out of the blue and instantly beheaded the heads of Ki Kitagawa''s four disciples. The moment after, the immortal sword appeared out of thin air and swiftly and powerfully shot towards Ki Kitagawa''s head.


    The man''s complexion drastically changed. He instantly drew the long blade on his waist as overlapping layers of sword images swayed like a waterfall, showing off a female in a black robe that appeared out of the blue and made him tense up. He could sense that this black-robed woman, a mysterious assassin, turned out to have the strength that was on par or even slightly above him.


    "What the hell are you, people?" Ki Kitagawa loudly shouted.


    Tang Xiu coughed and replied without being salty, "An, that Yin Buddha fella is for you to follow. And you, Ki Kitagawa, your Joyous Palace has met its dead end as they will be completely exterminated this month at most. If you don''t wanna end up dead, do submit and pledge your allegiance to me and help me remove some of the top brasses in the Joyous Palace."


    "I agree!" replied Ki Kitagawa aloud.


    "I don''t really care what you said is false or not, though," said Tang Xiu. "You only need to answer some questions. I can spare you if your answers satisfy me. I can even give you some benefits, too."


    "What do you wanna know?" asked Ki Kitagawa in a deep voice.


    "Who''s that Yin Buddha, exactly?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "He''s the Vice Palace master of the Joyous Palace, but he rarely stays inside and keeps traveling around for inspection and control over 72 Chess Pieces. His status is higher than those of the Mistresses in the Palace, albeit faintly. He''s also the one the Palace Master most trusts."


    "Well, he''s likely to be a Buddhist cultivator given his attire," commented Tang Xiu.


    "Heh, you guessed it, but I don''t buy it." Ki Kitagawa sneered. "You dare to become enemies with the Joyous Palace... the Miyaji and Vice Palace master will definitely destroy you completely. Unless¡­ you hurry and escape as soon as you can."


    "Nah, no worries about that!" Tang Xiu shook his head. "Besides, I''ll do nothing to the Joyous Palace, mind you. The people I''ve been waiting to do the job have yet to arrive, either. Well, let''s cut the talk, shall we? Nothing else I can ask from you, so you can go accompany your disciples down there! Do remember to tell the King of Hell that the man who killed you is called Tang Xiu."


    "Hold on¡­"


    Ki Kitagawa raised his hand and shouted, "I''ll exchange my life with a cauldron! How about it?"


    "A furnace? What cauldron are you talking about?" Tang Xiu knitted his brows.


    "It''s a cauldron made of jade. Rumors have it that it belonged to a female Pill Master in China who spent 3 years to manufacture it," said Ki Kitagawa in a deep voice. "This jade cauldron is also known as the Woman Cauldron which seems to be Miyaji''s favorite object."


    "Just take it out and let me see it," said Tang Xiu with furrowed brows.


    Shortly after, a fist-sized jade cauldron appeared in Ki Kitagawa''s hand. Just as Tang Xiu was about to receive it, his pupils suddenly shrunk sharply. A strong gust of wind suddenly blew and the lid of the jade cauldron opened all of a sudden, followed by a burst of black smoke that instantly filled every inch of the courtyard.


    "Be careful. It''s poisonous!"


    Tang Xiu suddenly shouted as he discovered that Mo Awu and the rest had caught up from the distance.


    Whoosh¡­


    A hazy figure flickered and bolted from the distance to appear in the middle between Tang Xiu and Ki Kitagawa. The person wore a veil, looking graceful with tight clothing that vividly described her perfect figure.

 1165 Saintess

    The contour of the face behind the veil of the floating woman was indistinct, and average people wouldn''t be able to see her looks. But Tang Xiu''s sharp eyes directly penetrated the veil and saw her face clearly.


    She was truly a belle with a soul-captivating beauty!


    Such a soul-stirring beauty was not something rare for Tang Xiu to see, but he must admit that this one was slightly above the rare belles he had ever met. Her enchanting petite body completely showcased her perfect figure while her eyes rippled like a spring tide. Her smile was full of holiness and brought about a powerful magnetic enchantment, yet gave off an extremely attractive vibe.


    "Hello, 72. How brazen and audacious you are."


    The sweet voice brought no bewitching effect, still, the essence of her voice made the hearts of whoever heard it throb faster.


    Ki Kitagawa''s face was bitter as he helplessly replied, "Your Honor Saintess, I''m willing to return this jade cauldron to you to keep my life."


    The Holy Lady? As in¡­ the Joyous Palace''s Saintess?


    An odd look on his face, Tang Xiu suddenly felt amused inwardly. Why would the Joyous Palace have a Holy Lady while the place itself was a obscenities and debaucheries nest? And the fact that was the most unbelievable to him was that this woman was still a virgin.


    The woman seemingly didn''t want to bother herself with Ki Kitagawa anymore. Her gorgeous eyes slowly shifted and fell on Tang Xiu. Her eyes suddenly lit up and she slightly raised her brows and voice. "You''re truly powerful for being able to force 72 to this situation. Sir. Miyaji has been looking for this jade cauldron for several years already and we finally found today, thanks to you."


    She speaks Mandarin? Has she already seen my origin?


    Tang Xiu squinted and his eyes lingered on her. He was unperturbed by the attraction and temptation effect brought by this female since he himself was often together with beautiful women. Even if this beauty in front of him was as beautiful as the extraterrestrial devilish demon belles, he had killed too many extraterrestrial beautiful demon cultivators back then with her level of beauty.


    "Um¡­?"


    Half a minute passed by in silence and Tang Xiu''s eyes finally lit up. He found a raindrop shape red mark flashed on the glabella of this Joyous Palace''s Saintess. Although the red mark only appeared in a flash, he could keenly capture it.


    "That''s a pity, really¡­" Tang Xiu finally shook his head and softly sighed.


    The female still looked undisturbed and maintained her unique demeanor, asking, "Why did you sigh, Sir? What are you feeling pity for?"


    Tang Xiu ignored her and shifted to Ki Kitagawa and smilingly asked, "I get it now. You didn''t want to give me that jade cauldron. The female furnace you told me should be this woman, right? That''s interesting, though. You seem to be loyal to the Joyous Palace, yet you want to borrow my hands to make things worse for them instead. Ki Kitagawa, or Mr. 72, am I right?"


    Ki Kitagawa''s pupils shrunk. A much stronger aura suddenly burst from him and his appearance also slightly changed along with the change in his aura. His body size was nearly doubled and his seemingly ordinary appearance now turned a bit rough with a blade scar on his cheek.


    "You''re Tang Xiu, the renowned young divine doctor from China, the owner of Magnificent Tang Corporation, and the outstanding scion of the famous Tang Family of Beijing? Hahaha¡­ you''re truly outstanding. You can correctly guess my intention. Young Master Tang does look very powerful!" Ki Kitagawa gently shook his shoulder and the clothes on his body instantly shredded to pieces. Then, a new set of clothes instantly appeared on his hands as he put them on in just a few seconds.


    Clad in black pants, a black vest, and a cloak, even his leather boots were black. At the same time, a sizable large broadsword appeared on his back out of thin air with two ropes that swayed as though they were alive before he finally fixed the broadsword sheathed on his back.


    Tang Xiu''s expression remained unchanged as he calmly waited for the strange transformation of Ki Kitagawa''s physique to end. Then, he shook his head and sighed. "I thought I was already powerful enough. It turns out that I''m slightly weaker than you, Mr. Kitagawa. I can sense that you''re hiding something special, but I didn''t expect you to hide it so deeply. Well¡­ how about reintroducing yourself, then?"


    Ki Kitagawa stretched his neck and moved his lower body first. The cracking sounds of his bones spread out and he grinningly said, "Now, now. Are you gonna take this Joyous Palace''s Saintess or what? I''ll tell you my real identity if you take her. But if you don''t, there''s no need to know who I am and you''ll be forever staying in Japan!"


    Tang Xiu raised his brows and then turned to look at the Joyous Palace Saintess, whose expression had now changed. "He''s right, though. I''m afraid you''ll have a hard time today if you come here alone this time. Still, it''s certain that I''ve been planning to remove your Joyous Palace, so I''m glad that some strangers will do the job to get rid of you."


    "Hmph¡­"


    The Joyous Palace Saintess snorted as hazy shadows suddenly appeared from the surroundings and tens of women with white gauze skirts and veils, all of whom had Buddhist artifacts in their hands and stared daggers in a murderous manner at those in the surroundings.


    "Ki Kitagawa is a traitor, but why are you taking our Joyous Palace as your enemy, cultivator from China?"


    Tang Xiu shrugged and said with a pale smile, "You know, Japan may not be an outstanding place, yet it has enormous population nonetheless, and you can expect to find some good resources here. Besides, I''m rather interested in some people from Joyous Palace, to begin with. Just like¡­ you."


    "Hmph! It turns out that you''re also a shameless man!" the Joyous Palace Saintess hummed coldly and instantly waved her arms.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Tens of masked females in white attire moved fast as though beautifully dancing white butterflies and formed the Buddha Vajra formation in the blink of an eye. They themselves seemed weak, but the aura that erupted from the Buddha Vajra formation was overbearing. All kinds of Buddha forms floated around them. The scene may look chaotic, yet it was very orderly done as they flew in a certain trajectory secretly.


    Tang Xiu looked up to observe it for a short while and a strange smile sported on his face. Even though he had himself surrounded by this Buddha Vajra formation, he didn''t rush to act and smilingly looked at Ki Kitagawa while giving a "please" gesture. "Well, you''re someone from the Joyous Palace, so you must know a bit about this Buddhist array, right? If you wanna follow me and leave this formation alive, you gotta pay it with your name."


    "Bwahaha¡­"


    Ki Kitagawa raucously laughed with contempt visible on his face. "You want me to follow you just relying on you, a trivial cultivator? Heh, you''re of no use to me, so why should I give a damn about you? Since the female furnace that the Joyous Palace old geezer has bred for so many years is now here, then I''ll destroy the unsightly things first, including you, the dignified Young Master Tang! Hahaha¡­"


    Crack¡­


    Crack¡­


    "¡­"


    The ground in the courtyard suddenly moved. It was not an earthquake, but many cracks appeared on the ground and directly split. Along with the cracking sounds, twelve black holes then appeared and shadows made of black smoke that depicted figures from the underworld came out of them. The tens of enchanting masked woman had not yet acted, but nearly a hundred figures had already rushed from the black hole underground.


    "For tens of years I''ve been planning and for decades have I been waiting for this to happen. And today, this old man finally gets his chance. O'' soldiers of the God of Death, heed my order and take out everyone here but this Joyous Palace Saintess!" A chair suddenly appeared behind Ki Kitagawa out of the blue as he happily sat after giving a command.


    The moment he saw the bizarre phenomenon on the ground, Tang Xiu tensed up and his heartbeat hiked up upon sensing the man in black night coat''s aura.


    That bunch was over a hundred people, all of whom were experts at the Golden Core Stage. If they fully unleashed their power while still being unaware of Ki Kitagawa''s cultivation level, even he would be forced to retreat for the time being.


    Buzz¡­


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu felt something on his arm. He didn''t do anything but straightly disappeared from everyone''s eyes as some swords then came shooting to the spot where Tang Xiu had just disappeared.


    A chilling light flashed in Ki Kitagawa''s eyes. A green net suddenly appeared in his hand as he chanted a bizarre mantra. The green net instantly opened and expanded extremely fast and covered the entire range of a kilometer in just a hundredth of a second.


    Everyone around, including Tang Xiu, who also grabbed Tang An, couldn''t get out and were caught in the big net at this moment.


    "What should we do, Grand Master?"


    A bad premonition struck Tang An as she transmitted her voice to ask.


    Although she had shielded the surrounding space, Tang Xiu was still able to see the scene in the courtyard, including everyone there. He watched as the tens of females set up the Buddha Vajra formation and were now in mortal combat with a hundred black-masked and clothed men. He shook his head and slowly said, "The situation has surpassed my expectations, and both their powers are beyond my estimation. We''ll just wait and see for now."


    Sitting on that particular chair with a leg atop the other, Ki Kitagawa slowly took out an octagonal mirror from his sleeve pocket. Each corner of the mirror was inlaid with a delicate blood-red crystal that seemed to produce a flowing red ray that connected the blood-red crystals. Red threads then extended from the crystals and condensed in the center of the mirror.


    "Sky Blazing Mirror!"


    Joyous Palace Saintess, who was attacking a black-clothed man''s chest with a string of Buddhist beads, still had her guard up against Ki Kitagawa. However, disbelief was all over her face when she saw him bring out that mirror. She even looked frightened upon seeing that the Sky Blazing Mirror was activated.


    Ki Kitagawa let out a strange grin and said, "Well, well. You deserve to be the Joyous Palace Saintess. That fossil monk vulture must really love you, heh! To think that he even told you the existence of this Sky Blazing Mirror. That''s right. I was the one who snuck into your Joyous Palace 18 years ago and stole it while that corrupted monk had sex with Huoji. Since you already know it¡­ then how about tasting this Sky Blazing Mirror?"

 1166 The Scene Is Getting More Lively

    Hearing his words, on the contrary, Joyful Palace Saintess still looked calm and a smiling expression crept up on her face as she said, "Activating the Sky Blazing Mirror will extract the user''s power. As far as I know, even the Golden Core Living Buddha must be cautious when activating it. Miyaji himself could only activate it for 3 minutes in the past as more than that will fully consume his Buddhist power. That makes me curious Ki Kitagawa. How much of your power has been consumed now?"


    Ki Kitagawa''s expression turned stiff and his eyes filled with a haze. He wouldn''t have used this Sky Blazing Mirror had it not been for Tang Xiu who just disappeared as well as that black-robed woman who could use an invisibility technique.


    The Sky Blazing Mirror¡ªas the name implied, it had a very fearsome offensive ability and also a magical visualization effect.


    He wanted to figure out how that black-robed woman was able to stay hidden. If he caught her, he might be able to force that invisibility technique from her.


    "Activate!"


    A low and deep voice came out of Ki Kitagawa''s mouth. A moment after, no single line of red threads appeared on the surface of the mirror. But the threads now covered the whole of the courtyard and even began spreading outward and gradually integrated with the blue-colored net and extended its range to a kilometer radius as well.


    "No way?!"


    Ki Kitagawa''s pupils shrunk and disbelief was evident on his face. He could sense the cultivation level of that mysterious black-robed woman. She was absolutely not a Nascent Soul cultivator but only a Golden Core one. She may be fast, but it was still impossible for her to escape from the scope of his range in just a short time.


    "Does she have an acceleration artifact or something like that?"


    Ki Kitagawa thought about it for a moment and finally concluded that it was the only possibility.


    A smirk appeared on the Joyous Palace Saintess'' face. After killing two men in black in the blink of an eye, she said, "Feeling restless now, Ki Kitagawa? They have escaped already. It''s likely they''re just laying low and waiting for both of us to get wounded."


    "Heh, my main target is still you." Ki Kitagawa coldly hummed. "As long as I can catch you, not only will that fossil monk fail his decades-long plan, I can also reap great benefits for myself. Those two escaping brats will be easy to track once I become powerful after I''m done extracting the energy in your body."


    Joyous Palace Saintess shook her head and said, "You''re mistaken. I''m not a female furnace. That thing is in your hand."


    "You''re really stupid! Hahaha." Ki Kitagawa loudly laughed. "Really. You didn''t even notice that something is wrong at all even at this time? Why do you think that old vulture has been giving you massive resources and protecting you like a treasure for more than 20 years? Do you even know what his real purpose is? Do you think it''s because of your figure? You''re all wrong. He''s just waiting for the opportunity to mature in order to absorb the innate life force you''ve been cultivating. At that time, let alone your whole cultivation, even you won''t be able to preserve your poor life as only death awaits you."


    Joyous Palace Saintess'' expression turned extremely ugly and she yelled angrily, "SHUT THE CRAP! Miyaji will never say such shameful things! Our relationship is like a father and a daughter. How could he possibly do anything untoward to me?"


    "He hasn''t done anything to you, huh? That''s simply because the time isn''t ripe yet. You have yet to make a great success in your Frost Buddhist Relic cultivation, to begin with!" Ki Kitagawa jeered.


    "What?!"


    The woman was incredulous and she stared fixedly at Ki Kitagawa. Her personal guards she brought were being slaughtered at the moment, yet she seemed to not realize it as she indignantly shouted, "How¡­ how did you know about the Frost Buddhist Relic?"


    "You know my superior, don''t you?" Ki Kitagawa sneered. "The Sage Yin Buddha who''s the deputy Palace Master of Joyful Palace. A great man with great power and a confidante of that old vulture! I overheard about it when he talked to Yin Buddha about a decade ago. Else, why do you think this jade cauldron is in my hand now. That''s because Yin Buddha has always been watching you for that old vulture!"


    A chill ran over Joyous Palace Saintess'' body. She had been curious, doubtful, and suspicious all along. Why would Miyaji never touch her and even forbid any male to touch her?


    But now, Ki Kitagawa''s brutal revelation shredded all her previous fantasies. It turned out that the woman cauldron was not exactly that jade cauldron but her instead. She was the genuine one¡­ or rather, she was just a¡­ tool.


    In order to strike another mental attack on the Joyous Palace Saintess, Ki Kitagawa grinningly said, "You''re a Holy Lady, so you''re far from being stupid. You must be able to think about it yourself. What exactly is this heavenly Joyous Palace? A paradise for men and women, a palace of joy where you can have sex to improve your power. But what about you? You''re unexpectedly labeled as a Holy Lady long decreed that it''s forbidden to touch and someone not to be blemished. How come can you display any powerful cultivation art of Joyous Palace without having any intercourse whatsoever, yet your strength keeps enhancing all the time? Just thanks to all those cultivation resources, you think?"


    "SPEAK NO MORE!!!"


    The Holy Lady of Joyous Palace yelled furiously and stared at the four men in black, causing their dread. A short katana suddenly appeared in her hand and the sword tip instantly slashed forward for several meters away, completely destroying those for men.


    Ki Kitagawa''s mouth twitched a few times. He had secretly cultivated over 100 experts and spent nearly all his wealth over the years. Every death of his men gave him great distress, but this woman just killed four of them in one strike. More than ten of them now had died in her hands¡ªa loss that nearly drove him mad.


    "Oy, Saintess! That Joyous Palace''s old vulture will suck you dry sooner or later. Might as well give yourself to me for cheap. At least, I''ll spare your poor life given how beautiful you are, so you can be my slave. Not even a peaceful death¡­ is better than being alive!" Restraining the anger inside him forcefully, Ki Kitagawa kept speaking to make the woman fume further. He himself was very powerful and was confident in killing this saintess. But he was also aware this woman definitely had some life-saving measures and even some deadly trump cards. Had it not been for the potential threats around him, he would have gone all out to strike her and brutally catch her. But now¡­ it was not an option.


    Hong¡­ hong¡­


    A loud roar came in from the surroundings as the entire courtyard was hit by violent tremors as though it was a hit from a major earthquake.


    The sitting Ki Kitagawa had a drastic change in expression. The first thing that came to his mind was that Sage Yin Buddha returned. He streaked up into the sky in a flash for tens of meters. His expression turned extremely ugly upon seeing a few people outside the big net.


    His guess was on the mark. They were not only Yin Buddha but also two other most powerful combat generals under him, Yang Yi and Yang Er.


    "Full attack!!!"


    He quickly bellowed and slashed down the broadsword from the air. A blade beam tens of meters long hit lightning-fast to slay the Joyous Palace Saintess.


    In the periphery, Yin Buddha''s expression enormously changed and he instantly unleashed an ancient bronze seal and bombarded the big net with it. The mesh was broken and he and the other two instantly dashed inside and appeared in the courtyard extremely fast.


    BAM¡­


    Even though the Joyous Palace Saintess unleashed everything she had and was able to defend herself against that violent blade slash, the impact of the huge force still injured her and sent her flying at the wall, creating a hole on it.


    Without any shred of hesitation, Yin Buddha ordered a "KILL" command and the three men armed with Buddhist artifacts began slaughtering the men in black. The trio was very powerful as Yin Buddha himself had power at the early-stage of Spirit Formation, whereas the other two, Yang Yi and Yang Er were at the mid-stage of Nascent Soul.


    With a constant throbbing heart, Ki Kitagawa almost cried in distress and burst out a terrifying aura. A loud, roaring sound came from the unique vessel in his hand as it went straight into the sky.


    For a time, Ki Kitagawa was as though turning into a tiger that stormed over toward Yin Buddha. He had shown a very weak power in the past, far below even those two men under Yin Buddha. But his momentum and aura this time were simply fearsome. His speed was lightning-fast and it took him but a flash to deliver hundreds of blade strikes.


    "Mortal enemies as we are now, you can go to hell first now, fossil monk Yin Buddha!"


    While blocking Ki Kitagawa''s strikes, Yin Buddha grimly grinned. "I didn''t expect you to be hiding so deep all this while, Ki Kitagawa. Miyaji did remind me to investigate any dissidents and traitors before, but I''ve never found any clues. It''s you who turned out to be the one who has been targeting the Joyous Palace these years."


    "Heh, you all are just remnants of the Buddhist Sect from China. Do you really think the Japanese do not know you''ve been secretly growing your power here all this time? The plans General Fukuda made to target your Joyous Palace have been set on motion. You just wait! You all will be exterminated and none of you will live at that time!" Ki Kitagawa fiercely shouted.


    General Fukuda?!


    Eyes overflowing with killing intent, Yin Buddha shouted back fiercely, "That old shit has been in our way for years, yet Palace Master never did anything to him since he didn''t want to invite troublesome issues. Now I can see it. You turn out to be General Fukuda''s running dog, huh?"


    "Nippon Banzai!"


    After dodging Yin Buddha''s counterattack, Ki Kitagawa found that a few figures were coming over from the horizon in the distance as he burst out laughing.


    In the mid-air several kilometers away, Tang Xiu and Tang An were staying hidden in the midst of the clouds and watching the fight in the distance. Tang Xiu felt a bit apprehensive about Yin Buddha before, but now he found that he had looked down on cultivators from Japan. China had formidable cultivators, and it was also similar to Japan.


    "Lots of people are coming, Grand Master."


    Tang An''s expression slightly shifted all of a sudden and she quickly pulled Tang Xiu''s sleeves.


    Following the direction she was looking at, Tang Xiu shifted his vision in the other direction. The scene was rather a shock for him since he saw several thousand of agile people similar to a tidal wave approaching fast six-plus kilometers away from the scene where Ki Kitagawa and Yin Buddha were fighting.

 1167 To Act and Take it or Not?

    Tang Xiu''s heart throbbed faster as incredulity covered his face. Never did he dream that a small country like Japan boasted such an expert. Observing the strength of these few thousands of people, most of them had reached the Qi Refining Stage and many were on par with Foundation Establishment cultivators.


    "Don''t tell me all the cultivators in Japan are coming here?"


    Lips twitching a few times, Tang Xiu''s eyes fell on Tang An''s bronze mask.


    "They look weird somehow, Grand Master." Tang An shook her head. "Take a close look at their faces as well as their running trajectories."


    Something strange?


    Tang Xiu was slightly stunned and then carefully observed the few thousands of experts running fast below. His mouth twitched again a few times as he indignantly hummed. "Hmph. They''re genetic warriors! Most of these people have taken beast gene injection. Just look at their running posture which is similar to the beasts''. Goddammit. How come Japan is so abnormal and perverted, to think that someone transformed so many people like this?"


    "Based on my understanding of the Japanese, the people of this country kind of divided into two contrasting types. One has a very proud character and the other has an inferiority complex. The proud ones are very arrogant and tend to stop at nothing, even resorting to brutal and cruel methods to pursue their purposes, whereas the latter is the timid kind, struggling to survive in society. But it is due to these circumstances that people with these two types of personality will likely be twisted should they find a chance like this. I can guarantee most of the Japanese will be willing to be injected with the genetic agent and become a powerful genetic warrior if it promises them formidable strength."


    A frosty light flashed in Tang Xiu''s eyes as he coldly hummed and said, "Hmph. Human is human and ghosts, monsters, as well as demons are of their own kind. Those genetic warriors are neither. Only some brutal savages. I''ll make sure to get rid of these genetic warriors when I have the ability later!"


    "I think these genetic warriors are Japanese, Grand Master. They are very likely here to deal with the Joyous Palace," Tang An softly replied. "Besides, our chief purpose in coming to Japan is to help Kuwako become the most powerful person in Japan. The more either of them dies, the easier will it be for Kuwako to control this country in the future."


    Tang Xiu approvingly nodded and said, "True that. They are in a dog-eat-dog situation, so let''s just watch the fun. Nothing will affect us even if both sides perish."


    "But there''s something that will affect us, Grand Master." Tang An interjected in a low voice all of a sudden.


    "Huh? Something can affect us? What could it be?" asked Tang Xiu in surprise.


    "That Joyous Palace Saintess mustn''t die, Grand Master," Tang An replied in a whisper.


    Tang Xiu slightly furrowed his brows and asked, "Why can''t she die, though? She may be a virgin and has some looks, yet she''s still one of Joyous Palace people. We may opt not to kill her and some others from the Joyous Palace, but those Buddhist Sect''s old monks in the mainland definitely will never let them go."


    "Didn''t you hear it too before, Grand Master?" Tang An argued back. "That saintess is a woman cauldron¡ªa furnace. You can improve your cultivation if you take her body."


    "Cut the nonsense!" reproved Tang Xiu.


    Tang An shook her head. "Grand Master, I can tell that these people''s strengths are on par with Nascent Soul experts, and can even contend with those at the Spirit Formation Stage. I suspect that Joyous Palace''s Master has even more profound cultivation and is much stronger. Why can''t you take the furnace that works even for that man? That female is just a tool, nothing more. It''s better to have your power leap further than giving her to others for cheap and let her die for nothing."


    "No can do." Tang Xiu shook his head. "That''s what the demon is doing."


    "The action of cultivating a female furnace is already a demonic deed, but to you, it''s like some recycling process." Tang An questioned his decision.


    "You¡­"


    Somehow, Tang Xiu couldn''t understand what kind of thoughts filled Tang An''s mind. People did say a woman''s heart was deep like the ocean. He truly couldn''t make head or tail of what Tang An just raised up.


    However, all the confusion in his head was cleared away by her next statement.


    "You indeed have very powerful strength, Grand Master. But you also know that going further in cultivation is more difficult. Your current strength should be at the Spirit Formation Stage, and even those at the same stage won''t be able to match you. Yet, I do think you must seize any opportunity for you to step further and break the shackle of this plane. Master told me that we have enemies in the Immortal World. We may be strong enough, but so are those enemies of ours. That''s why we must speed up our cultivation and cast away our slackness. It''s all the more reason that we must seize every opportunity before us. Even if¡­"


    "Even if what?" Tang Xiu frowned.


    "Even if your relationship with your other women end up sour and bitter," said Tang An in a deep voice.


    Tang Xiu deeply sighed and shook his head. "I can get where you''re coming from, An. I really do. But improving my power using this method is really something I can never do. We''re going to improve, and some means are just meant for us to use to achieve that. But resorting to this kind of demonic deed is a big no. You had better cast away such a thought. Besides, there are also some chances that this Saintess may have some uses for the Joyous Palace''s Master, but the same may not necessarily similar to me."


    "She''s great for every practitioner, Grand Master." Tang An insisted. "I once read the description of this woman in the Classics Library Pavilion. She once roamed all over China for many years in the past and then obtained a number of ancient manuals, one of which was a scripture that wrote the Frost Buddhist Relic."


    "I told you to cast away this thought already, An," Tang Xiu replied in a deep voice.


    Tang An still wanted to argue back, but she eventually swallowed back her words upon seeing Tang Xiu''s sullen expression. But her stubborn eyes betrayed her and she seemed to have made her mind secretly.


    Tang Xiu literally threw away the notion Tang An just told him. He had his bottom line. He may have used some means to achieve some purpose, but it never meant that he would resort to any means.


    It was the code and it was his bottom line. Even if he could return to the peak stage of Supremacy directly after doing that, it was something he never wanted to do. Cultivation was not limited to one''s physique but also the heart. His cultivation later would definitely be affected if he committed the deeds just like what Tang An said.


    Suddenly, his brows raised and he said in a low voice, "That was interesting. This Joyous Palace Saintess actually got incited by Ki Kitagawa."


    "She''s not stupid. She finally realized she has always been regarded as a tool." Tang An nodded. "Though I pity her circumstances, she has no other option but to stand in the line of their ranks and fight side-by-side. She could have faced those three men who came later if she were to choose Ki Kitagawa."


    "You''ve been guessing it all the time?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "Yeah. But guessing is just that, a guess," replied Tang An. "There''s no point in it since I may lose face in front of you if I''m mistaken, Grand Master."


    Tang Xiu smiled lightly and said indifferently, "It''s fine with me if you don''t say it, but I''ll tell you mine. I need not guess. Once she has a choice, she may not choose the Joyous Palace nor Ki Kitagawa, but rather those Japanese genetic warriors."


    "That''s rather speculative on your part, Grand Master. Why do you think those people are not Kitagawa''s underlings? Can''t he just assemble such a force given his ability?"


    "Well, it''s certain that he''s someone from a certain state agency in Japan," replied Tang Xiu indifferently.


    "Since he''s a Japanese and Joyous Palace Saintess chose to side with those genetic warriors, isn''t it the same as choosing Ki Kitagawa''s side?" pursued Tang An.


    "Not really." Tang Xiu shook his head. "If she''s really smart, and once she''s sure that Kitagawa is someone from the Japan authority, she''s very likely to immediately find a way to leave fast. Though it''s also certain that she may also think that even Kitagawa won''t be able to do nothing to her once she pledges her allegiance to Japan sincerely."


    "Isn''t it much better to give her one more choice, though?" Tang An asked.


    "An, you had better not think of any foul ideas if you don''t want to harm me." Tang Xiu squinted to her and lightly said, "Every decision I made has always been well thought out and I''ve analyzed the pros and cons. But¡­"


    "But what, Grand Master?" Tang An''s expression slightly shifted and pursued hurriedly.


    A smile sported on Tang Xiu''s face. "The BUT is, who could possibly live in this world without committing any mistakes? You can make mistakes, but you can redeem yourself and make it right afterward. That''s always the greatest and most important virtue one can have. Words have it that those who repent and absolve their sins could become Buddhas right away. Besides, those who are weak always have difficulties to decide their own course of life and oftentimes possibly get trapped within by something. There''s perhaps a chance for this Joyous Palace Saintess if she has Buddha in her heart. And that path is the Buddhist Sect in China."


    Entering the Buddhist school and becoming a nun?


    Tang An''s expression slightly changed and she exerted more strength to her nails, piercing her palm.


    The courtyard in the distance had been razed to the ground, even causing tens of houses in the surrounding to bear the brunt. Tens of families with over a hundred souls fell victim and died in their collapsed houses due to the intense battle.


    Yin Buddha''s sharp eyes could easily notice those experts who came dashing fast. As someone who knew nearly everything about the Joyous Palace, he could instantly determine that these people were not on his side, which meant they were enemies.


    "Please use the Soul Summoner Flute, Saintess!"


    Joyous Palace Saintess, who just killed Ki Kitagawa''s subordinate, suddenly had a change in expression upon hearing the sudden exclamation from Yin Buddha. Her state of mind was rapidly changing. She even questioned her identity and status and thus, wanted to leave the Joyous Palace for some time. At least, she must find a peaceful place to reminisce about her past and think about it.


    The present situation would give her an easy way to get out, but if the Joyous Palace were to summon all of its members in Kyoto, a more brutal war would definitely happen and it would be very hard for her to get away when there were so many disciples from the palace at that time.


    What should I do?


    She suddenly hesitated for a while as those countless thoughts filled her mind.


    Yin Buddha immediately tensed up and looked restless upon finding that the Saintess didn''t carry out what he asked her to do. He may be powerful, but he must escape when facing thousands of enemies regardless.


    "What are you still hesitating about, Saintess? This time it will be either us or they who die and decide who''s going to be the winner and loser!" Yin Buddha shouted.

 1168 Bloody Battle

    "Too-too, too-tum-too, tooty-tum¡­"


    Gritting her teeth, Joyous Palace Saintess finally lost her courage to choose to betray the Joyous Palace at this time and quickly took out a green flute and played some green notes.


    At this moment, several hundred Joyous Palace members in a 2188 square meter radius in Kyoto, including 3 Mistresses and 24 Chess Pieces, immediately put down all the issues at hand, regardless of their occupation or what they were currently doing. They rushed to the remote Tomoda District with aggressiveness and savageness as though they were going to face battle.


    The fight to kill was always bloody and killing frenzy was inevitable!


    Tang Xiu himself was unperturbed and watched the scene calmly. Such a level of battle and slaughter was something he had experienced countless times already. He even had his share of being involved in the frenzy battlefield millions of times. Tang An, who stood next to him, and the newly arrived Mo Awu''s group, however, looked shocked.


    "Isn''t this way too frantic and frenzied, Sect Master? This is my first time as an observer in a battle of this scale," Xue Sha said with a solemn face.


    "The environment you''ve been living is way too comfortable, so you got shocked by this minor battle. Which reminds me, it would be bad for you. Seems like I gotta arrange some huge battle scenes later. It will make you realize yourself well after you''ve experienced it."


    "¡­"


    Mo Awu and Xue Sha shrunk. They didn''t like fighting and killing if it wasn''t necessary, let alone the battle that involved several thousand combatants. It was already crazy enough for them. They couldn''t imagine what kind of scene would it be if the scale was much bigger than this.


    Tang Xiu''s brows suddenly raised and he said, "Well, today''s truly getting lively, though. Little did I think a small place like Japan had so many hidden experts. That makes me realize how happy the average people in China are."


    "Huh? Why do you say that, Sect Master?" Mo Awu blurted with a confused face.


    "The number of cultivators in China is probably more than the number of people you''re seeing here now. The number may even be several times more. But how many people are there in China and how big China''s territory is? Don''t you see how the average people there actually live happy, prosperous, and comfortable lives? What about Japan? Its area is much smaller, yet it has such a large number of practitioners as well as genetic warriors. What about the average Japanese, then? Won''t they be oppressed and having a hard time to have such a happy life and peaceful work like those of their Chinese counterparts?"


    "To the best of my knowledge, Japan''s economic development is very high, yet is aimed at a certain group of society. While it has a small territory and a large population, the disparity between the haves and the poor is like a chasm. The rich live in those spotless high-rise buildings, whereas the poor can only nest in their ''coffin room'' or ''family motel''. Some even have to live in internet cafes. Kyoto, for instance, is a bustling major city with many immigrants. Yet they live in a few square meters room, squeezing themselves within a crowded and tiny place." Mo Awu commented.


    Tang Xiu looked at him with approval. "That makes Japan like an inhuman place where humans will devour their own kind. However, that''s also the chief cause for such abnormal social deformities, especially the sex industry as you can see here, which I suspect is the work of the Joyous Palace''s people."


    Whoosh¡­


    A hazy figure flickered from the distance. It was Kuwako, who bolted fast to arrive before Tang Xiu and spoke with a beaming face. "The men I''ve planted all over Kyoto just reported the emergence of practitioners literally everywhere. They are highly suspected to be Joyous Palace''s members, and all of them are now moving over here. I suspect it''s related to the flute Joyous Palace Saintess just played."


    Tang Xiu wore a weird expression and replied, "Why do I feel like our operation is going too smoothly? We did give some leads to a certain Japan''s state agency, yet they just proactively kill each other without us having to get involved in the battle? Doesn''t that mean my move of sending Miao Wentang to inform the Buddhist Sect is unnecessary, then?"


    At a certain spot in the distance, Ki Kitagawa and tens of his remaining men were still engaged in the battle and encircled Joyous Palace Saintess, as well as preventing those genetic warriors from killing her, while the fearsomely powerful Yin Buddha and his two confidantes kept slaughtering the genetic warriors without holding back.


    However, as would ants die for sweets, they kept swarming forward.


    This bunch of genetic warriors simply had lost their fear of death and fought with everything they had for a chance to kill or wound Yin Buddha, Yang Yi, and Yang Er. That was the main reason the trio was quickly scarred by wounds in just a little over 10 minutes.


    "You both protect the Saintess and escape!"


    Yin Buddha sent six genetic warriors to their deaths and appeared next to the Saintess quickly as he shouted to his two subordinates.


    In but a moment, both Yang Yi and Yang Er rushed to Joyous Palace Saintess''s side. Wounds could be seen decorating their bodies, but they still kept killing these genetic warriors crazily.


    That was literally blazing their path out with a bloody road.


    The group of four frantically carved their way out with intense struggle for a few kilometers. Right as they were at the end of the rope, the Joyous Palace''s people finally arrived. This first batch was small in number, only about a dozen, but it was enough to lift their spirits.


    "DIE!"


    The killing intent in Ki Kitagawa''s heart was multiplied by several folds upon noticing the arrival of the Joyous Palace''s members. He had been preserving his power when fighting Yin Buddha but this time, he finally made up his mind to kill the monk and his two subordinates without much delay and snatch the Joyous Palace Saintess.


    Striking in nearly a sneak attack fashion, the long blade cut off Yang Yi''s hands. The blade then moved in a bizarre trajectory and ripped open the man''s abdomen. Yang Yi''s internal organs would have burst out and fallen had the wound been a bit deeper.


    Puff, puff, puff¡­


    Three genetic warriors stormed over to the badly wounded Yang Yi, two of whom even held Yang Yi''s arms when the man grabbed the neck of the third one, even several other genetic warriors accurately seized the chance and pierced him with their weapons.


    "YANG YI!!!"


    Yang Er roared and was about to split up. He angrily slashed down tens of genetic soldiers and rushed to Yang Yi lightning-fast. He quickly made a secret technique seal that doubled his strength directly after seeing Yang Yi''s miserable state and frantically strangled several genetic warriors to death before grabbing Yang Yi.


    "Kill¡­ Kill... and ru...n."


    Yang Yi spurted out a mouthful of blood and directly died after leaving those words weakly.


    "I''M GONNA KILL YOU ALL!!!"


    Yang Er put down his body and went berserk as he stormed over to the crowd of genetic warriors around with fierce blows. But after killing a little over 20 people, the black-suited men with Golden Core cultivation level had him surrounded and trapped. At this moment, a thin weak figure suddenly emerged out of the blue in the midst of the crowd and his sharp katana pierced Yang Er''s neck through the back.


    "Farewell, Uncle Yang."


    The figure was a 10-year-old looking boy as he naughtily winked his eyes at Yang Er.


    Disbelief was all over Yang Er''s face. He knew who this boy was. The little guy had been playing the role of Ki Kitagawa''s son. Never did he expect that the little boy who he thought didn''t have any chance to even pose a threat, now turned into his executioner.


    Time fleeted by. Thousands of souls were lost in the battle and the number of Joyous Palace''s members kept increasing, resulting in the increasing number of trophies for the genetic warriors. After Ki Kitagawa and his men were successful in killing Yang Yi and Yang Er, the man was finally able to deliver heavy blows to Joyous Palace Saintess and took her away from the battlefield.


    "You know, people change as day that change into rain is." Ki Kitagawa muttered while watching the scene of the battlefield.


    Joyous Palace Saintess coughed up a mouthful of blood and yelled angrily, "You are crystal clear on what kind of fate will you end up for betraying the Joyous Palace, Ki Kitagawa! Regardless of what your true identity is, you have been a member of Joyous Palace and even a Chess Piece. Just wait! You will face endless and heartless pursuit in the days that follow. Only death awaits you even if you run to the ends of the earth!"


    "Heh, no one knows whether the Joyous Palace can still exist until that day!" Ki Kitagawa sneered. "You''re talking about the restriction your Miyaji cast on me, ain''t ya? Be disappointed, lady. I also got the secret technique to remove it back when I stole the Blazing Sky Mirror."


    "You really have it?" Joyous Palace Saintess looked horrified and rapidly asked.


    The man just gave her sneer in response. He didn''t reply and just waited still. At this time, the Joyous Palace disciples were gradually gaining ground, and the genetic warrior''s casualties were increasing fast.


    "Seems like you''ll finally end up the loser, Ki Kitagawa!"


    The man watched her with a bizarre expression and said with a faint smile, "Haven''t you noticed something yet? Why don''t I look the least bit scared even in this situation, huh?"


    The answer made Joyous Palace Saintess stared blankly as a bad feeling filled her heart.


    "It''s about time. You know, the number of Joyous Palace members in Kyoto should be no more than 500. And 400 of them are here. Well, let me satisfy your curiosity then. I''ll tell you the greatest card I''ve been relying on."


    Having said that, he streaked up into the sky. Overlooking the fighting crowd below, he shouted, "Hey, time''s almost up! What else are you waiting for?"


    The thundering voice directly pierced straight into the clouds in the sky.


    At this moment, the scene of fighting changed. More than a hundred people from the Joyous Palace who had been fighting with the genetic warriors suddenly turned their weapons to their own side, catching their former comrades unaware and finally impaling them with cold blades.


    "WHY?!"


    With total disbelief on their faces, numerous badly wounded members of Joyous Palace furiously hissed at their former comrades who attacked them.

 1169 Neither Side Wins

    Yin Buddha was confident in victory for his side and was as though he had seen the flag of victory waving in the wind along with its glory dawning upon them. The sudden change, however, hit him unprepared. He would have been killed from the surprise attacks of three cold weapons if he didn''t react fast enough and was powerful enough to avoid it.


    "Why?!!"


    Lines of green veins protruded on his forehead. The killing intent in his eyes almost solidified. No matter how many people he had hated and wanted to kill in this life, never once the urge to slaughter was so strong as at this moment.


    "Hehehe¡­"


    A burst of ear-piercing insolent laughter was heard as a black night-suited big man held a stick and grinningly said, "Why? How can such a stupid question be asked from you, Yin Buddha? You really wanna know why we betrayed the Joyous Palace and that damn old vulture? Hahaha¡­ but you''ve given us lots of cultivation resources, though. Might as well as tell you that so you can be an understanding ghost later. Everything is for FREEDOM!"


    "Freedom?!" Yin Buddha said heavily, "You wanna have freedom? Can Kitagawa or someone else give you freedom? Only death awaits those who betray the Joyous Palace, and don''t forget about the restriction seal on you!"


    The burly big man looked at him as though seeing an idiot, and even the smile on his face turned more unscrupulous. "That restriction seal, huh? Oh, no! I''m so scared! Hahaha¡­. Do you think we still dare betray the Joyous Palace if we still had that old vulture''s restriction spell? Oy, the respectable Sage, Yin Buddha, we will make you Venerable Sage ghost so you can enjoy your time in Hell. Brothers, fight and kill¡­"


    The burly man''s words nearly made Yin Buddha cough up a mouthful of blood. Who would dare to speak to him like that in the whole Joyous Sect save for the Palace Master before?


    "I''ll kill you today!"


    Taking off the string of beads he always wore, Yin Buddha chanted and launched a technique as the beads abruptly streaked upward, forming a giant object with a diameter of tens of meters.


    BOOM¡­


    Each bead ruthlessly bombarded both the genetic warriors and the Joyous Palace''s traitors in the surroundings and directly exploded after the target was hit.


    Tens of people were directly killed with each strike.


    The burly man himself was hit hard by the bead''s explosion but survived as he had been able to avoid his vital parts from being hit. Just as he endured the pain and wanted to call his companion to fight Yin Buddha, a sharp needle suddenly pierced his glabella.


    "Thousands of Buddhas'' Wrapping Thread!"


    Overlapping layers of arms constantly morphed and moved like palms and hands playing the string. Along with the movement of Yin Buddha''s fingers, threads were seen moving unceasingly even to the naked eyes, with a needle at the end of the thread shuttling back and forth to pierce the genetic warriors'' vital parts.


    Blood flowed like a river and dead bodies littered the ground everywhere.


    The ballistic Yin Buddha went berserk and was in a killing frenzy, as were the rest of the Joyous Palace members. Both sides were now killing each other in a frenzied state. Dead bodies kept piling up and the red color of blood kept getting more vivid while the Joyous Palace''s members gradually gained the upper hand.


    Ki Kitagawa removed himself from the battle after having Joyous Palace Saintess under his control. The tens of sturdy men in black around him were similarly not in a rush to act.


    "Why has General Fukuda not arrived yet, Master?" A burly man quickly approached Ki Kitagawa with a worried look.


    Ki Kitagawa snorted coldly and replied, "What are you being anxious for? General Fukuda is the one who masterminded the whole plan and mapped out the strategy, to begin with. He''ll naturally appear with a strong army if the time comes."


    "We lost too many people today, and I''m afraid we''ll lose more people if this continues," said the big man with a forced smile.


    Ki Kitagawa narrowed his eyes and turned to look at the veiled-faced Joyous Palace Saintess. His expression suddenly shifted ever so slightly as he loudly shouted, "Hey, Yin Buddha! I urge you and your Joyous Palace''s people to stop at once! Else, I''ll kill your saintess now. I''m hella sure you''re crystal clear of how important she is for that old vulture!"


    "STOP!"


    Yin Buddha shouted aloud after smashing a genetic warrior and sending him to his death.


    In that instant, both sides quickly separated, although their killing aura didn''t recede. Each stared daggers to the other and a single order would make them re-enter the battle once more.


    Ki Kitagawa happily nodded and his eyes slowly swept toward the surrounding. A few seconds after, he shouted aloud, "Hey, Tang Xiu! I know you''ve been watching nearby with your men. You''re also targeting the Joyous Palace, so why don''t we cooperate now?"


    At a spot in the distance, Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes and watched the calm-looking Ki Kitagawa. He then turned to Kuwako and asked, "Do you think we can cooperate with this guy, Kuwako?"


    Kuwako gave it a thought for a while before shaking her head and slowly explaining, "We have too few in number now and it''s like dancing with the impossibility if we choose to cooperate with him. Besides, Kitagawa has been a member of Joyous Palace before. We have yet to fully figure out his details, so we can''t place the gambling stakes on him as of now. I think we better let them devour each other and be the third party who reaps the benefits from the fight."


    Tang Xiu gave her an approving look and nodded. "Coming to Japan was originally for the rescue, and only then the idea to expand the territory was raised up. Let''s have some fun since Japan is so wonderful, then. Besides, even if we must cooperate with another party, it must wait until those Buddhist Sect experts arrived."


    Shortly after, he issued an order to Kuwako, Mo Awu, and the rest to immediately withdraw from the scene, whereas he alone bolted over to the littered-corpse scene. As he came at the spot about a kilometer away from the two people, he cupped his fists and loudly spoke with a smile, "Ki Kitagawa, you''re the renegade of Joyous Palace and cooperating with you is rather impossible as the deal is too much of a risk to take. I won''t take part in the hostility of both parties even though I have personal enmity with the Joyous Palace."


    "Heh, you wanted to get rid of me before, Tang Xiu. That had nothing to do with your private revenge, either." Ki Kitagawa mocked him. "I know you''ve been trying to uproot the Joyous Palace and now the chance is before you. If you pass it and we face the Joyous Palace independently, it won''t be easy for you to deal with them again later."


    The eyes of more than 3,000 people who were still alive now focused on Tang Xiu. Save for the few who knew a bit about Tang Xiu''s identity, the rest was literally in the dark about who this desperado was.


    Expression turning ugly, Yin Buddha shouted in a heavy voice, "What enmity do you have with the Joyous Palace, Brat? Who do you have a private grudge with?"


    "With whom I have a private grudge is something that the person himself is crystal clear about. Anyhow, you''re called¡­ Yin Buddha, yes? I won''t bother taking part in the fight between you both. Besides, I won''t need to take action myself if my personal enemy dies in your battles either. Have another go if you will, nevermind me."


    Ki Kitagawa deeply furrowed his brows. He wanted to see how strong Tang Xiu was. Rumors had it that Chinese cultivators had mysterious magical abilities, and if Tang Xiu had such a strong power, it was likely that he could thoroughly terminate this bunch of Joyous Palace hoodlums.


    "You also know that the enemy of my enemy is a friend, Tang Xiu. How about complying with my request and you can have this saintess?" Ki Kitagawa directly offered his commitment.


    "Nah, she doesn''t interest me a bit and I won''t accompany you to play. Farewell." Tang Xiu shook his head.


    After that, he flew away without turning his head and disappeared from the sight of more than 3,000 people''s eyes in just a few breaths.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu''s fingers knocked on the table as he slowly spoke, "An, create some confusion there. It''s best to kill a few of them as it will incite and stimulate them. It would be best if they continue fighting, but you gotta withdraw fast if they stop."


    A particular ripple of energy appeared nearby but then quickly disappeared without a trace.


    Puff, puff, puff¡­


    Several huge heads flew as Tang An''s figure appeared in a flash and then disappeared again without a trace.


    "Goddammit!"


    Yin Buddha angrily cursed and was furious due to the emergence of the mysterious assassin. He had used the Buddhist''s reconnoiter technique as well as activated the Heavenly Eyes, yet he wasn''t able to figure out the origin nor the combat power of the sneak attacker.


    "Assassins on the spree! Careful of the enemy''s assassin!"


    Yin Buddha roared and no longer cared about the lone Tang Xiu who immediately left. He bolted to the enemy right away. He had grasped the upper hand in the battle and didn''t want to let it go. He had arranged everything for Joyous Palace Saintess half an hour before and was confident to rescue her no matter how astonishing Ki Kitagawa''s cultivation was.


    Suddenly, the red waterdrop mark on Joyous Palace Saintess appeared once again. Her imprisoned figure slumped as though the bones in her whole body were gone. In just a moment, she silently appeared on the chair on the other end.


    "Rescue her!"


    Yin Buddha shouted and led a group of Joyous Palace experts to rush toward their Holy Lady. Light reflected from the tips of their swords and weapons, even the images of Buddhas were launched and appeared in the fight.


    That was literally a bloody battle¡ªone where the two sides sought to kill each other. Everyone was well aware that they would be dead bodies had they had no trump cards. The expression of Yin Buddha as he looked at the Joyous Palace Saintess'' figure that streaked up into the sky suddenly shifted and he shouted in a heavy voice, "Some of you go and protect the Saintess! No accidents must happen to her!"


    "Understood!" Eight figures complied and quickly rushed toward their Holy Lady''s direction.


    Ki Kitagawa himself was totally dumbfounded and now dumbly looked at the Saintess''s back with an intense shock on his face. It was out of his imagination that the Saintess had the ability to escape in the last critical moment.


    Puff, puff, puff¡­


    Suddenly, a pair of darts suddenly appeared out of the blue as though they had pierced through the space barrier and were coming from another world. The darts kept hitting those who were chasing the Saintess to intercept them. Then¡­ a faint voice was transmitted to Saintess'' ear.

 1170 Tang An’s Selfishness

    A phantom-like figure suddenly appeared in the air next to Joyous Palace Saintess. A pair of hands in black gloves grabbed the Saintess'' shoulders and they both instantly vanished in a flash under their watchful eyes.


    "Do not struggle if you don''t wanna die!" Tang An''s voice was passed into the Saintess'' ears once more.


    The sudden change made the Saintess want to resist out of instinct. But a figure clad in a black robe appeared in her mind when the voice passed into her hears. It made her slightly change the trajectory of her palm when it was about to hit the person''s body and slightly changed the trajectory of the sudden blow.


    "Aren''t you Tang Xiu''s subordinate?" blurted Joyous Palace Saintess, pressing her voice into a whisper.


    Tang An moved extremely fast as she quickly withdrew from the scene. After explicitly replying to the Saintess, a few breaths were spent as they appeared a few kilometers away.


    At a certain place in the distance, an angry look filled Tang Xiu''s eyes. Tang An unexpectedly didn''t withdraw when she should and instead, braved a great risk to rescue that Joyous Palace Saintess. Without any shred of hesitation, he quickly bolted in her direction as he heard the Joyous Palace''s Yin Buddha furiously roar and Ki Kitagawa madly hurl out curses.


    However, he directly ignored them. He could clearly sense the powerful aura of many formidable experts rushing over to the scene extremely fast, some of which he felt wary of.


    Tang An fled and bolted away extremely fast. A complicated feeling rose inside her when she found that Tang Xiu was pursuing her. It was her first time disobeying his command, but she firmly believed what she did was right. She didn''t mind accepting severe punishment from Tang Xiu after this incident.


    She even had a feeling that her Master, Gu Yan''er, would also approve of her choice. Being deeply in love with Tang Xiu, her Master had been hoping that he could break through to the higher realm and become a much stronger person as he had been.


    Toshima ward.


    In the midst of a cluster of buildings occupied by hundreds of thousands of ordinary people, a low rise flat in the darker side of the high-rise building was a low-rise flat with a dilapidated courtyard. It was the base camp of tens of experts trained by Kuwako.


    "Who are you?!"


    The sharp voice came from a young man holding a katana, causing tens of experts, some of whom were at least at the late-stage of Foundation Establishment, to jump over from everywhere instantly. Each one of them drew their respective weapons at the same time.


    "Draw back!"


    Kuwako took off her black mask and shouted after restoring her original appearance.


    The appearing experts immediately withdrew, leaving only the lean young man with a bleached red-hair who quickly came to Kuwako''s front. He glanced at Mo Awu and the rest behind her and then cupped his fists to greet her. "Pays respect to the Master!"


    "Ryu Jin, activate the Tortoise Shell Net and monitor everything in a radius of 10 kilometers. Don''t alert any suspicious people who breach the net but report to me at once. Also, prepare some drinks and meals. We''re going to stay here for some time." Kuwako ordered in a deep voice.


    "Understood."


    Ryu Jin complied and brought the only female in this place. They then quickly left the courtyard after he spoke to her.


    "Tortoise Shell Net? What''s that?" asked Mo Awu curiously.


    "I have been reading lots of official and unofficial history records about the long history of China. I drew the essence from the readings and applied them when doing things. Some words I clearly remember said that a smart hare must have three burrows, be it for a getaway route or a safe house. This place is a secret safe house I built and I got 9 of them all over the capital and 20 of them in the whole of Japan. The Tortoise Shell Net is the name given to the intelligence system and once activated, it''s equal to mobilizing a large number of intel operatives to monitor the 10km radius with the safe house in the center. We can spot anyone suspicious in advance this way."


    Mo Awu gave a thumbs up in response and said with amazement, "You are more and more like Sect Master, Kuwako. But I''m very curious since you rarely spent time with him, though."


    "I may not follow him for a long time, but I learned toms of useful things from Sect Master, mind you," Kuwako said with a faint smile.


    Xue Sha raised his hand to interrupt their exchange and snorted. "Cut the chat and let''s get changed. Let''s eat and drink, shall we? The previous engagement kind of tired me."


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    A few figures suddenly appeared out of the blue and shortly after, Kuwako''s cell phone rang. After seeing that the person was Tang Xiu, she picked up the call, chatted for a short while, and then hung up.


    "Sect Master, how come she¡­"


    Kuwako and the rest looked confused and wondered after seeing Joyous Palace Saintess.


    Looking gloomy and sullen, Tang Xiu coldly snorted. "Come and kneel here!"


    Tang An seemed to have already known that Tang Xiu would give such an order. She knelt, but stubbornness could be seen clearly on her face.


    Tang Xiu paid her no more attention and coldly observed the Saintess as he walked into the interior, heading to the staircase to the second floor. As he came by the window, he folded his arms while looking at the distance to the direction where they had just come. He couldn''t see what was happening there, but he could tell scenes of killing in the intense and bloody battle.


    Meanwhile, he sensed the Joyous Palace Saintess following him to the second floor. She stood four-plus meters away from him.


    A long while passed by and finally, Tang Xiu slowly said, "You should be dead now, logically speaking."


    The Saintess herself never spoke after coming over. She just used her clear, rippling eyes to watch Tang Xiu''s back. At this time, she slowly said, "I could have been able to escape even without the meddling of your subordinate. Don''t look down on the escaping technique of the Joyous Palace."


    Tang Xiu turned around and looked at her beautiful face through the veil. He sneered. "Heh, sure, sure. But if my guess is correct, the battle over there is not over yet. Those tens of experts that arrived later are not from the Joyous Palace."


    "Arrived later?" Joyous Palace Saintess furrowed her brows and asked, "What do you mean?"


    "An took you away from the battlefield, so you can''t sense the aura of the new players. Do you really think Kitagawa is the top leader of Japan?"


    Joyous Palace Saintess was not stupid. A look of dread appeared on her face after hearing Tang Xiu''s words. "You mean¡­ General Fukuda?"


    "The Joyous Palace has been secretly developing and expanding in Japan for so many years. It''s inevitable that you''ll give yourself away and be revealed in some aspects, to begin with. The people from a certain agency of Japan must have noticed already, even being wary and guarding against you. Even the person leading Japan''s genetic warriors and those experts and ability users see you as a thorn in his eyes. I can tell he has long been wishing to uproot you. You''ve literally dragged out and exposed many of them this time, so how could they possibly miss this golden opportunity?"


    The lady''s lip squirmed but eventually didn''t make any sound.


    Tang Xiu observed her and a faint smile appeared on his face as he asked thoughtfully, "But then again, are you now still a member of the Joyous Palace?"


    "I¡­"


    The Saintess'' heart was immediately in a mess after hearing this.


    She could get where Tang Xiu was coming from. It seemed that Ki Kitagawa was not the only person who knew that she had been a woman furnace for the Joyous Palace Master. Did Tang know about it too?


    "Don''t tell me you have the same intention as them?"


    Suddenly, the Saintess realized something and stared at Tang Xiu as she asked all of a sudden. Wariness and vigilance were evident in her eyes.


    Tang Xiu shook his head apathetically. "Don''t treat me the same as them. Using a woman''s body and cultivation to transform their own physique and improve their strength? That''s a foul and dirty means I can never do. Chinese cultivators may not be allies of justice or such, but we''re not that evil either."


    The saintess inwardly relaxed, but she still vigilantly replied, "But I still don''t get it. Why did you save me?"


    "You don''t get it at all, huh?" Tang Xiu turned to look outside the window at Tang An, who was still kneeling in the courtyard.


    The Saintess stared blankly for a moment and pondered about it for a while. Then, with a surprised look, she blurted out, "You just punished your subordinate who saved me because¡­ you didn''t order her to rescue me?"


    Tang Xiu took out a cigarette, lit it up and replied with indifference, "You''re not that stupid."


    She now finally relaxed greatly, and her wariness towards Tang Xiu was mostly gone. She turned around and went downstairs. As she came to the courtyard and stood before Tang An, she inquired. "May I know whether you were aware that you''d be punished before saving me?"


    "Yes!"


    While kneeling on the ground, indifference was all over Tang An''s face.


    The Saintess slightly furrowed her brows and asked again, "The last question. Why did you save me?"


    "Would you believe if I told you that I felt like meeting an old friend the first time I met you?" Tang An hummed coldly. Her figure vanished on the spot, but the ripple of energy in the spot she had been kneeling was evident and everyone in the surroundings knew that she was still there kneeling.


    Upon seeing this, the Saintess sighed. "You refuse to tell me the truth, so I won''t ask you anymore. But I''ll remember this benevolence for saving my life. I''ll pay off this life-saving debt if you ever need Gong Wan''er''s assistance in the future. Farewell."


    "You can''t go!" Tang An''s figure appeared again and said coldly.


    The Saintess'' expression changed and she asked, "You refuse to tell me the truth, so why I can''t leave now?"


    Tang An was silent for a while and then asked, "I need to take you to my Master, or give you to those Buddhist Sect people as Grand Master said."


    "The Buddhist Sect in China?" Joyous Palace Saintess said in a deep voice, "The Joyous Palace Master has long issued an order to hide at once if we meet anyone from China''s Buddhist Sect, or kill them if we can''t avoid them. It''s simply impossible for me to meet them. Also, who exactly is your Master?"

 1171 A Trial

    "You''re not qualified to know who my Master is." Tang An replied indifferently while still kneeling. "All you need to know is that you must stay here and wait for the Grand Master''s arrangement. I''ll take you to see my Master if he doesn''t want to pick up a sweet hot potato like you."


    Incredulity filled the Saintess'' face. "Your Grand Master¡­ don''t tell me it''s Tang Xiu?"


    "Upstairs!"


    Standing by the windows on the second floor, Tang Xiu spoke with a tone full of indifference.


    Joyous Palace Saintess looked up at his indifferent expression and then glanced at Mo Awu''s group in the courtyard. She hesitated for a while but then finally decided to go upstairs.


    "What do you want?"


    "You must stay here from this moment on and wait for the arrival of the Buddhist Sect," Tang Xiu said indifferently. "I hope you can stay honest and follow them if they''re willing to bring you back to China, but you can expect that I''ll spare your life if they''re not willing."


    "I must return to the Joyous Palace." The Saintess retorted with a slightly indignant tone.


    "Can you still go back, huh?" asked Tang Xiu.


    She fell into silence. She knew that Tang Xiu was right. Could she still be able to go back? It was Tang An who rescued her when she ran away. Outsiders may not be aware of Tang Xiu''s identity, but Ki Kitagawa knew it clearly. Once that man spread the news that she was related to some Chinese cultivators, it was very likely that the over suspicious Palace Master would hold some bad intentions towards her.


    What should I do? Must I stay here and be at their mercy? But where can I go?


    Once the victor of the battle between the Joyous Palace and Japan''s authority was determined, it was likely that she would be their first target. Unless she could escape from Japan as quickly as possible, she would be captured by either the Joyous Palace or this Japanese agency.


    For a time, she fell in a dilemma.


    Tang Xiu turned around again and headed to the sofa in the room. After taking a seat, he added, "I''m sure you''re already aware of what kind of fate you''ll be facing. The Joyous Palace Master sees you as nothing but a furnace, and when the time is ripe, he''ll use you and send you to your death. I always held the belief that everyone must hold their own destiny in their hands. Hence, you gotta choose and think well on the road ahead of you."


    Having said that, his fingers moved and Kuwako quickly appeared in front of him.


    While pointing to Kuwako, Tang Xiu indifferently said, "If I''m not mistaken, you should know her too, right?"


    The Saintess shot a deep look at Kuwako and silently nodded. Then, she said, "The new Matriarch of House Yamamoto, and the young Master of the Northstar One Blade School. Had it not been for the Palace Master''s command, Kuwako Yamamoto would have been the Northstar One Blade''s Schoolmaster already."


    "That''s all correct, but did you know her 2 years ago?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "No." Gong Wan''er shook her head.


    "She was a nobody, but in less than 2 years, she has now become the Head of House Yamamoto and the future Schoolmaster of Northstar One Blade style," said Tang Xiu with a light smile. "Why do you think she can do these feats while also having her present strength?"


    "It was all your merits," Gong Wan''er replied.


    "True. Kuwako was willing to follow me then, so I naturally bestowed her the strength she needed to be a hegemon here. I''ve never been a miser when it comes to my subordinates. Do you¡­ understand what I mean?"


    "I understand. But Miyaji once taught me that I must clearly remind myself that no matter what happens, whenever and wherever, I must not lose the falcon until I see the hare," said Gong Wan''er.


    "Is that so?"


    Tang Xiu looked for a pen and paper and spent a little over 10 minutes to compile a Buddhist cultivation art. He then took out two jade bottles and placed them in front of Gong Wan''er, lightly saying, "What you see before you are a Buddhist cultivation technique which can take you to ascend to the Buddhist Realm someday if you can also obtain a massive number of cultivation resources to assist you. As for those two jade bottles, each separately contains two Essence Amassing Pills and Blood Seizing Pills."


    Gong Wan''er''s eyes contracted with disbelief in them. She shook her head and said, "That''s just impossible. Miyaji himself once said that it''s impossible to have the complete cultivation technique to ascend to the Buddhist Realm. It''s also the main reason why he has been stranded in the Buddhist Master Stage all this while since he doesn''t have the following cultivation manual and thus, can only do a bit of experiment to create some."


    "It''s all there. You''ll know it after you read it," said Tang Xiu. "However, I advise you to think clearly before reading it. Once you read and cultivate to the point that you can really ascend to the Buddhist Realm, you''ll have no other choice but to follow me, unless you want to die."


    The woman gritted her teeth. But she eventually reached out to pick up the Buddhist cultivation manual. She spent two hours reading the whole content and slightly trembled afterward. A tempestuous storm flooded her whole being and the shock she felt was extremely hard to describe.


    That''s right. She may have an insignificant cultivation level at the present, but she could tell whether this was a genuine or a fake Buddhist cultivation technique, and what stage one could achieve with it.


    It was¡­ all true.


    Gong Wan''er reluctantly put down the cultivation manual. She now took the two pill bottles and asked, "I''ve heard of the Essence Amassing Pill which is said to be a great elixir in the cultivation world. But it''s also said that the concocting method has been lost, so I didn''t expect you to have it. But¡­ what pill is this Blood Seizing Pill, though? What effect does it bring?"


    "The Blood Seizing Pill is the remedy for physique and constitution refinement. I know you have a good cultivation level, but your physique and constitution are awful, which is the chief cause that affects your progress. Taking two Blood Seizing Pills will make your physique stronger by at least two times."


    Gasp¡­


    Gong Wan''er couldn''t help but gasp.


    Double the strength?


    I indeed lack in the physique and constitution refinement since Miyaji never permits me to practice any secret art or other means to temper my physique. That''s the reason my physical strength is even worse than the other lower disciples of Joyous Palace.


    However, even if her physical strength was very poor, it had, nonetheless, reached quite a fearsome degree. Yet, two Blood Seizing Pills could double her physical strength? That was simply a very terrifying effect!


    Tang Xiu lifted a leg and placed it atop the other. He lit up a cigarette again and slowly drew the smoke in and out, waiting for Gong Wan''er''s reply. He wanted her to be his subordinate as he had been devising a plan. On the one hand, it was because of her constitution, while the other one was the fact that she could offer some assistance later.


    For instance, the campaign to eradicate the Joyous Palace. Another instance was, he could plant a nail in the Buddhist Realm once she ascended there. After he ascended to the Immortal World in the future, it would be inevitable that he would have some dealings with those in the Buddhist Realm, thus planting his agent there was necessary.


    Finally, Gong Wan''er glanced at Kuwako, then a firm expression appeared on her face as she seriously said, "I promise you."


    Tang Xiu gave a thumbs up and praised. "Those who understand the situation are smart and outstanding. You bumped into me, that''s the great chance you''ve ever had in your life. Alright, I''ll have a trial set for you and you''ll be qualified to be a disciple of my Tang Sect if you pass it."


    "What trial?" Gong Wan''er seemed to have guessed it, but she still asked.


    "I''m going to uproot the Joyous Palace and kill the Palace Master." Tang Xiu slowly explained, "But this is just merely the first step, whereas the second will be to destroy all the experts under General Fukuda''s flag."


    "Do you have enmity with them or something? What exactly is your purpose for doing this?" asked Gong Wan''er.


    Tang Xiu pointed to Kuwako and lightly said, "She needs to be the supreme existence in the whole of Japan. Her every word and deeds will determine the fate, the rise and fall of this country."


    Gong Wan''er couldn''t help but shudder as she was terrified by Tang Xiu''s words and how big his ambition was. He actually wanted to control the whole of Japan?!


    "Sect Master."


    Gong Wan''er respectfully bowed to Tang Xiu.


    "No. You are not yet qualified to address me that way for now, unless the Joyous Palace and the entire force of General Fukuda have been destroyed." Tang Xiu shook his head. "Before then, you will call me Boss!"


    "Understood, Boss!"


    She respectfully replied, but after having spoken that, she hesitated. Then, she asked, "But Boss¡­ do you really want to kill the Joyous Palace Master? Can you¡­"


    Tang Xiu interrupted her. "I don''t have any mortal enmity with the Joyous Palace Master whatsoever. There''s never been any reason for me to kill him, but he''s a Buddhist Sect''s renegade, a remnant. Even if I don''t kill him, those Buddhist Sect people will likely arrive soon and he''s as good as dead already."


    The Buddhist Sect?!!


    Gong Wan''er fell into silence. She had long known about the deep enmity between Miyaji and the Buddhist Sect, but little did she expect that the man turned out to be a remnant of the Buddhist Sect''s renegades in China.


    Tang Xiu got up and led Kuwako Yamamoto and Gong Yan''er to the first floor of the courtyard. After seeing the kneeling Tang An there, he lightly said, "This is your first disobedience. I don''t want to have a second one!"


    "Understood!" Tang An loosened up. She knew that the punishment was now just a thing of the past.


    "Anyway, I need to know the situation over there," added Tang Xiu. "Kuwako, change your appearance again and head over there with your men to inquire about the news."


    "Receiving order!"


    Kuwako replied curtly and left the courtyard quickly.


    "And you, Tang An. If the battle over there is over already and whoever the victor is, the present situation in the capital will be very fragile and tumultuous even with the slightest disturbance. Kuwako may have changed her looks, but some observant people will likely keep her on tabs. You''re to follow her and take her away immediately should any peculiar circumstances occur."


    "Consider it done," replied Tang An respectfully.


    After Tang An left, Mo Awu strode lightly to Tang Xiu''s side and whispered, "Have you forgotten one thing, Sect Master?"


    "Ehh? What is it, though?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "If I remember correctly, you seem to have stuffed your cell phone in your interspatial ring before," said Mo Awu.


    Tang Xiu stared blankly for a moment. He suddenly remembered that he was still waiting for the call from the Buddhist Sect people. After taking out the cell phone in his interspatial, he checked it out and only found a short text from Kang Xia:


    "Boss, please call back immediately after you read this."

 1172 Deadly Cards

    After reading the text from Kang Xia, Tang Xiu knew she was facing something important. Given her personality, she wouldn''t have easily contacted him if the issue was something she could handle.


    "You''ve been looking for me, Kang Xia?"


    "You finally called, Boss! Anyway, I got two things to report." Kang Xia''s happy voice transmitted from the phone.


    "What issue is it?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "The first one is about business people from 36 countries all over the world. We got a total of 470 company directors, all of whom have gathered in Star City, hoping to obtain the distribution rights of our products. I''ve assigned some people to analyze the portfolios of their companies and the details should be on my desk in a week, which I''m going to review and decide which company''s directors to contact. You gave me the base rule previously to only pick one distributor for each country. That means only 36 representatives will be selected in the end. However, I''ve estimated that more group companies'' leaders overseas will be coming in the next week. That''s why I''m hoping that you can come back to Star City to preside over the event."


    Tang Xiu gave it a thought for a moment and then seriously said, "This issue is quite important, indeed. I''ll try to head home as soon as possible, but before that, release the press conference that the Magnificent Tang Corp. will announce the list of each country''s distributor next month, whereas the companies who would like to cooperate with our company must submit a letter of intent to our office. Emphasize it that the Magnificent Tang Corp. will ignore any overseas group company who come to visit us directly."


    "When are you coming back, then?" asked Kang Xia.


    "Ugh, I may not be able to come back for a while." Tang Xiu forced a smile and replied, "I''m in Japan now and things I''ve been dealing with are not over yet. But rest assured. I''ll be able to solve it in a month at most, then I''ll return to Star City directly."


    "I see." Kang Xia replied and continued, "The second matter is about the New Metro in Star City. It''s been progressing smoothly, but we got so many buyers from all over the country that we are unable to meet the demands even if the second phase has been fully developed. Another issue worth noting is about Star City''s second in command. He came to see me and Long Hanwen a few days ago, hoping that we can hoard all the houses there."


    Tang Xiu furrowed his brows and asked, "What''s your take on this one?"


    "We still have a lot of properties under our control at the present, so I think we can sell them all," said Kang Xia. "But our company is still listed at the top priority list due to the advance order of the second phase, which means that we can stock up lots of properties in the second phase even though all the properties of the first phase are all sold out. The same can be said for the third, the fourth, and the subsequent phases in the future. Regardless, we can use the difference in earning and take the median price to earn a lot of revenue."


    "What about Long Hanwen''s opinion?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "Similar to mine, more or less," Kang Xia replied. "But he said he wants to ask your opinion first. If you agree that our company will sell all the properties in the first phase, the Long Group will also follow suit and sell all the real estate they have in stock."


    "If so, then sell them all!" Tang Xiu decided. "What I care about most at this time is how much money can we withdraw in a short time once all the properties are sold. Anyhow, how much funds are available for use now, though?"


    "About 60 billion," answered Kang Xia.


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and wryly smiled. "That''s¡­ a bit few."


    "What do you need it for, though?" asked Kang Xia.


    "I recently discovered that there are so many cultivators in the world. If by chance those major forces continue to expand their strengths in the future, it''s very likely we''ll need to hoard more cultivation resources. That''s why I need a massive number of funds to purchase these resources and snatch them from those major forces all over the world. At the very least, Tang Sect will need to hoard cultivation resources enough for all disciples to consume for 20 years."


    "Didn''t you set up those two islands in the South China Sea for this purpose, though?" asked Kang Xia hurriedly. "The resources from them are not enough?"


    "Far from enough." Tang Xiu wryly smiled and continued, "The number of cultivation resources that can be provided by those two sites is insignificant compared to the number of resources needed by all Tang Sect''s disciples to consume in the future."


    Kang Xia fell into silence for about 2 minutes. Then, she suddenly said, "Well, we can actually get a massive amount of funds in a short time."


    "You can make it happen? How much can you get?" asked Tang Xiu quickly with a slightly shifted expression.


    "It''s from the distributor rights for our company''s products. We can demand advance payment for the agency rights. The total sum approximately exceeds 100 billion and we''ll likely earn more if we are to sell each product separately."


    "Distributor rights'' fee and advance payment?" Tang Xiu''s eyes instantly shone. He happily patted his own thigh and said, "Kang Xia, once you''ve sold all the properties of the New Metro we''ve stocked up, immediately transfer 50 billion yuan to my account."


    "Copy that!" Kang Xiu replied with a nod.


    The conversation went on for a long while before Tang Xiu hung up. He didn''t stuff his cell phone to the interspatial ring this time but put it in his pocket. He previously asked Miao Wentang to get in touch with the Buddhist Sect''s people, and the said people may have already on the way here and they would definitely call him when they came to Japan.


    "Huh? I miss something."


    He suddenly realized something and immediately took out his cell phone and dialed Miao Wentang''s number. A huge incident just happened in Japan and the whole country was very likely in turmoil. Those people from China''s Buddhist Sect would definitely be standing out when they arrived in Japan and thus, would be noticed by the Joyous Palace and the authority of this country in a short time.


    Should it happen at that time, although he was there to help them, he would have a hard time shaking off the tracking of any interested party. It would prove very difficult for either he or those Buddhist Sect''s people to take any actions.


    "Yo, what''s up, Brother Tang?" Miao Wentang''s voice came out of the phone.


    "Have you met with those Buddhist Sect''s people, Brother Miao?" asked Tang Xiu directly.


    "Yeah, I have met them and they have set off already. They spent some money to join a tour group and left by a boat," said Miao Wetang smilingly.


    "You mean¡­ those Buddhist Sect''s people are already on the sea to Japan?" asked Tang Xiu hurriedly.


    "Yeah." Miao Wentang replied.


    "Hurry up and give the contact number of those Buddhist monks!" asked Tang Xiu. "Japan is quite chaotic at the present and some peculiar changes will definitely happen when they come here. That''s why I have to get in touch with them fast."


    Miao Wentang was stunned and wryly smiled. "You should''ve told me that earlier, Brother Tang! I don''t have the cell number of any of them, but I did give them yours. I also told them to contact you once they arrive in Japan."


    Tang Xiu was silent for a while and then said, "Do you know the name of the tour group they are traveling with? Help me find it out and tell me before they arrive in Japan."


    "No prob." Miao Wentang curtly replied and immediately hang up.


    After half an hour passed, Tang Xiu received a text from Miao Wentang. After reading it, he immediately summoned Xue Sha and Hei Xiong, saying, "You both are to head over to the Taiga Port. Be sure to enter a liner before it is docked. Find some Buddhist monks there and be very careful when you escort them here. Can you do it?"


    "We can do it."


    Both men exchanged looks and firmly nodded.


    As Xue Sha and Hei Xiong left, Tang Xiu silently thought about how to settle these Buddhist monks. The situation in Japan was quite chaotic and now was not the best time for the Buddhist Sect to actively hit the Joyous Palace and destroy it completely. The reason being was due to General Fukuda, who absolutely wouldn''t stay idly by.


    Soon after, Kuwako came back after gathering intel from the outside. Tang Xiu fell into silence when she reported the result of the battle between the Joyous Palace and Japan''s authority.


    The Joyous Palace had lost.


    He had already guessed it, yet he still felt a pity somehow. It was because the Joyous Palace Master was likely to choose to immediately stay low after such a heavy blow. He may also opt to move the Joyous Palace to some other safe location.


    "Gong Wan''er!"


    Tang Xiu slowly raised his head and transmitted his voice to Gong Wan''er''s ear on the first floor.


    Shortly after, Gong Wan''er appeared before him and respectfully said, "Do you have any instructions for me, Boss?"


    "I just received news that the Joyous Palace has been defeated in that battle," said Tang Xiu lightly. "Certainly, the failure itself is a given considering this place is General Fukuda''s turf. The defeat of the Joyous Palace, however, is only the force it has in the capital. That''s why I called you here."


    Expression turning dark, Gong Wan''er inquired. "What would you like me to say?"


    "You''ve been in the Joyous Palace for so long, so you should know it inside out. Do you think they will hide like a turtle due to this fiasco?"


    "Absolutely not!" replied Gong Wan''er categorically.


    "Why so sure?" Tang Xiu raised his brows and asked in surprise.


    "You don''t know him, nor do you know his power and horror. Be it those Mistresses or the 72 Chess Pieces, they are just part of the force revealed to the outside world. Unlike outsiders who may not be aware of it, I know that he has other deadly cards at hand."


    "For instance?" asked Tang Xiu curiously.


    The woman hesitated for a while and finally said slowly, "For instance, the four Vajra Guardian Deities, 18 Arhats, or the Buddha Shadows squad."


    "I understand the Four Vajra Guardian Deities and 18 Arhats, but what is this Buddha Shadows squad?" asked Tang Xiu with knitted brows.


    "It''s the name of his personal guard he has trained to help him assassinate all his enemies," answered Gong Wan''er. "But there''s no need to ask me anything else about them as I know not the specific details, either."


    "I''ll ask no further since what you know is also limited." Tang Xiu stood up and said, "But my guess is, he has been guarding against the Buddhist Sect in China all these years, so those experts he has trained in secret should be his preparation to deal with the Buddhist Sect. Anyway, let''s head off and meet some people."

 1173 The Weak

    Gong Wan''er hesitated and then asked, "Are you going to fetch the people from the Buddhist Sect?"


    "That''s right." Tang Xiu nodded.


    "I chose to follow you, so I believe you won''t harm me," said Gong Wan''er. "But some people will recognize me if I leave with you like this. We can expect lots of troubles should it happen."


    Tang Xiu smiled and manipulated the changes to his facial muscles. Soon after, his appearance was different from his previous look. Unless those who saw him were his close people, it was impossible to recognize him. Afterward, Tang Xiu taught this facial morphing technique to Gong Wan''er.


    A few minutes later, the two people left the courtyard with completely changed appearances. The duo, however, wore masks and caps so as not to alert Kuwako''s people in the courtyard.


    "Where''s Tang An?" Tang Xiu asked while looking at Tang Guang who approached him.


    "She''s afraid that Xue Sha and Hei Xiong would run into some mishaps, so she tagged along," answered Tang Guang.


    ****


    In the nearby alley, 7 tattooed youths with baseball bats surrounded and beat a man and a woman, whereas a red-bleached young man in black leather coat and wearing earrings stood still, staring at the sky, unaware that a lit cigarette between his fingers was about to burn out.


    "Don''t beat us, I beg you. I''ll pay back the money, please give me another 3 days. I''ll give the cash and interest to you. Please." The beaten man desperately hugged the woman, using her body to block the beatings from the baseball bat for him.


    "Very well."


    The red-haired youth flicked the cigarette butt. As the other seven youths made way for him, he slowly walked over to the beaten couple. He kicked the woman to the side and then spoke apathetically, "Paying debt is just a natural principle, but this is the fourth time you ask for a three-day extension. Do you think I still have to believe in you or what?"


    The man with a bruised face struggled to stand up. He knelt before the red-haired youth and hurriedly pleaded. "It was just necessary. I had to. I already paid a part of the loan before, but the interest you set was too high. I¡­ I just can''t¡­ afford that much at once!"


    "That''s your business, not mine." The red-haired youth sneered.


    The man knelt on the ground with a struggling look on his face. After seeing the young man drew a sharp dagger from his waist, he finally cried, "Hidari Zujun, please give me three more days and I''ll make sure to get your money. I¡­ I¡­ I''ll give you my wife as collateral. She can serve you for three days and I''ll have the money in three days to give you even if I must resort to robbing and stealing. W-what¡­ do you think?"


    Despair was evident on the slumped woman''s face. The beatings were severe and caused her serious injuries, and the words of her own husband made it worse, causing her to spurt out a mouthful of blood.


    The red-haired youth shot her a look and apathetically said, "Given how determined you are, you got another three days, but I won''t touch your woman even though I want this celebrity to serve me. But if you don''t give me back my money three days later, I''ll f**k your wife and then sell her to the red-light district. She can make money by serving the guests for me. Of course, I can still permit her to continue her filming career. Either way, I got my own way for a lucrative business that can make money for me."


    "Okay, okay, okay. I''ll do as you say."


    The man stopped weeping and desperately nodded numerous times.


    Tens of meters away from the alleyway, Tang Xiu and Gong Wan''er quietly stood there. They had seen everything from the moment the couple was beaten until the conclusion of the negotiation between that red-haired youth and the man. Despite being an experienced man, killing intent birthed in Tang Xiu''s heart, yet it was not aimed at the red-haired youth, but the man.


    He just used his wife to pay off his own debt?! This creature doesn''t deserve to call himself a man. He''s not worthy of being one and shouldn''t even live in this world.


    There was no need to guess more for Tang Xiu as he could tell that this man would never take care of his wife''s well-being, whether she was alive or death later. He would never come back with the money he owed three days later, either.


    "What do you think?"


    Tang Xiu shot a look at Gong Wan''er and indifferently probed.


    Looking unperturbed, Gong Wan''er shook her head and said, "I just think that woman is a bit pitiful to have such a poor life and marry such a man. An ending that is already doomed to happen. Certainly, those who live in this world must keep reminding themselves that they must adapt to the society where the weak will stand as easy prey to the strong. It''s just the rule, either in the bustling cities or in the wilderness."


    "¡­."


    Somehow, a pang of regret struck Tang Xiu for asking Gong Wan''er the question. Her answer was like asking to some inhuman swine. But then again, he also inwardly sighed after recalling the living environment she had been through. He now realized he couldn''t regard this woman as a trusted confidante in the future even if she followed and worked for him.


    "Let''s just go." Tang Xiu paced to the front.


    Gong Wan''er followed him behind and whispered, "You wanna help them?"


    "Not them, only the woman," said Tang Xiu faintly.


    "This is just your everyday occurrence, mind you. You can bump into poor women literally everywhere. You can''t just help everyone."


    Tang Xiu''s pace came to a halt and his eyes fixedly stared at her as he spoke in a deep voice, "I''m neither a saint nor a god and naturally, I can''t help everyone. But I got the ability and am willing to help any poor soul I happen to run into. The Chinese have an old adage which says that humans can help each other when the road is rough."


    "As in limited righteousness of a gentleman, huh?" asked Gong Wan''er.


    Tang Xiu turned around and paced forward again. "That''s too narrow of an address. I just have a good intention and use it to save the poor souls I bump into. Gong Wan''er, I don''t care what environment you used to live in before, nor do I care about your feelings now. But I''ll make you remember one thing today. You need a very strong state of mind and heart if you want to reach further in cultivation. But conscience and some bits of virtuous mind are the bottom lines for those who are under my lead."


    Benevolent mind?


    Tang Xiu''s word kept echoing in her heart.


    Prior to this, she only understood the principle that cultivation was like sailing your boat against the torrential current and one would definitely be left behind if they didn''t advance. It was all the reason why she spent so much of her time in cultivation. Even when she met with injustice, she used a set of criteria to cope with the impact of the environment. She had always regarded that the world was a place where humans devoured their own kind and thus, she might die in the hands of others in the future if her cultivation was too low.


    Tang Xiu then came to the front of this bunch of street gangsters. Eyes sweeping over the woman''s teary face who was now currently wiping off the bloodstain of her mouth, he then looked at the red-haired youth and lightly said, "Can you let her go on the account of my face?"


    The woman looked up. Tears covered her eyes, but she could still see the masked Tang Xiu through the faint tears.


    The red-haired youth squinted and pulled out a cigarette and lit it up. He took in some smoke in deeply and puffed it out as he asked with an ugly expression, "Those who stick their noses and meddle in other''s business usually end up tragic, Mister. You should know that. You want to stick your nose here, are you sure you can deal with the aftermath?"


    "I''m a busy man, but I happened to bump into you, so I''ll take it on," said Tang Xiu. "I don''t care if that man owes you money or something else, but it''s got nothing to do with the woman. I don''t give damn care if you take this man off or kill him."


    The man was immediately furious after hearing his remarks and violently yelled, "Who the f**k are you and where the hell did you come from, asshole? Scram! This is my f*****g business and my responsibility!"


    The killing intention in Tang Xiu''s heart got more intense, but he still ignored him. He kept looking at the red-haired youth and said, "Street words say someone is responsible for every grievance and every debt has its own debtor. No need to involve a third party in the business. That man owes you the money, yet he paid it off with his woman? Don''t you think it''s way too excessive? Even if you''re a gangster and even a member of some underground force, you should also be aware of our world''s custom."


    The red-haired youth took some more puffs and replied in similarly fluent English, "Just from what you said and the fact you make me stand here, I want you to leave. And lastly, let me tell you something: your words would have made me let her go had it been a few years back. But now, only money matters to me, nothing else. Just leave."


    "How much is it?" asked Tang Xiu.


    The red-haired youth shot him a surprised look and slowly sized up Tang Xiu from head to toe, asking, "Do you wanna pay it for them, by chance?"


    "How much?" asked Tang Xiu again.


    "10 million," answered the youth.


    "In Japanese Yen?" asked Tang Xiu lightly.


    "You got it." The youth nodded.


    Scornfully looking at the suspicious man, Tang Xiu sneered. "Heh, what a loser you are. Just 10 million yen or 100 grand US dollars, yet you can even sell your wife for that? You''re really trash¡ªa kind of garbage that wastes Earth''s resources. You can just hurry up and find a place to commit hara-kiri."


    Having said that, he looked back at the red-haired youth and indifferently said, "I''ll give you 200 grand if you dare kill this trash for me."


    "Fine!"


    A chilling light flashed in the youth''s eyes. The moment his voice faded away, he flicked the cigarette butt to the man''s face and his sharp dagger flashed and stabbed the man''s chest. Everything was done extremely fast and he instantly pulled out the dagger from the man''s heart and directly slashed his neck.


    The killing was done in a neat and clean fashion.


    Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes and even released his spiritual sense. Through a deep observation, he realized how indifferent the youth was. There was not even a slight emotional fluctuation coming from him when he committed such a cruel murder.


    What a good seed for an assassin!


    Tang Xiu exclaimed inwardly and asked, "Do you have a Master or an employer?"


    A Master?


    The red-haired youth was shaken inwardly. As though realizing something, he turned to look at the seven other youths and said, "Take the body away and pay attention not to be discovered by anyone! Quickly throw it into the sea and spare me the troubles later."


    "Copy that!"


    The seven youths were obviously of the same breed. They quickly carried the dead body away and entered the van in the alley as they quickly left.

 1174 Unexpected Gains

    Afterward, the red-haired youth shot a serious look at Tang Xiu and said, "Got no Master, but a Boss¡ªjobs and money-related."


    Tang Xiu''s interest was piqued and he asked again, "You know something else too, don''t you?"


    "I overheard something from the Black Wolf Hall''s Master, Masa Osaka, when he got drunk. It was a name," said the red-haired youth.


    "Care to share it?" asked Tang Xiu seriously.


    "Joyous Palace," answered the youth. He then pulled out a black handkerchief and wiped the dagger. After putting it back into his waist, he said, "I''ve always wanted to make myself stronger. I don''t want to have muzzles pointed at my head, nor do I wanna see my relatives killed before my eyes."


    "You got a feud?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "My enemies are dead already," he replied in a cold voice.


    "Great. That''s not bad." Tang Xiu applauded. "You''re not born with innate traits to kill, but rather had it awakened due to the stimuli. How about becoming my underling? That is if you want it."


    The red-haired youth slightly trembled. He shot a deep look at Tang Xiu and asked, "Can you make me stronger?"


    "I can make you 100 times stronger than the current you in the next few years," said Tang Xiu.


    "Master."


    In a very simple fashion, the youth directly knelt in front of Tang Xiu.


    "You trust me just like that?" asked Tang Xiu with raised brows.


    "I don''t, but I want to bet on you." The youth shook his head.


    Giving him a thumbs up, Tang Xiu praised him. "You''re really out of the ordinary. But I like you, so you''re now my subordinate starting today. Gong Wan''er, escort him back."


    "Please take me in, too."


    The wretched-looking woman crawled up from the ground seven-plus meters away staggeringly towards Tang Xiu. With a trembling body, she knelt and said, "I know not what it means to be stronger, but I only know that you''ve saved me. You just bought my life with your money and my life is yours for the rest of my life if you take me in."


    Tang Xiu was stunned and stared at her. Then, he squatted down to grab her wrist and checked her pulse. He found that she was only an ordinary woman without any signs of having any cultivation system whatsoever. Even her internal organs were seriously injured due to the severe beatings just now.


    "Do you want to follow me, too?"


    "You bought me, I''ll work for you. I''d have ended up with a tragic fate if you didn''t save me. I also know that you can make me very strong, so I no longer need to worry about relying on any men anymore."


    Tang Xiu was silent for a short while and then suddenly asked, "Do you dare to kill?"


    The woman hesitated. But shortly after, she firmly nodded and said, "I''ll kill anyone you order me to."


    Tang Xiu turned to Gong Wan''er and asked her with a smile, "What do you think? Should I accept them?"


    "I wouldn''t if it was me. They are just too appalling," said Gong Wan''er.


    Tang Xiu let out a mystifying and meaningful smile. He looked at the two-kneeling people in front of him and nodded. "I accept you since it''s your choice. I now bestow you a cultivation technique so as to make you stronger. Each of you will also receive a sum of money and some pills to assist your cultivation, but I''m giving you both half a month to sense the flow of qi or energy circulation in your body. I''ll entrust you some missions and responsibility should you succeed in this trial, but if you fail to sense it, you both will only become one of the countless people who just work for me, but find yourself nearly impossible to get my recognition."


    "May I ask what''s the meaning of sensing the energy circulation?" asked the youth.


    "It''s described in the cultivation manual I taught you. Keep trying to sense the flow of energy in your body. When you can sense and circulate the energy in your system as well as being able to control it for a short time, that means you''ve succeeded, or failed otherwise," said Tang Xiu lightly.


    Tang Xiu took out his cell phone and dialed Tang Guang''s number to call him over. After the man came, he left a few orders to him and then left with Gong Wan''er.


    Before leaving, however, he learned the real name of the red-haired youth and the woman. The former was Omedetou Ando and the latter was Meina Nomura.


    ****


    Taiga Port.


    The sun had set course to the west horizon, but the port was still bustling and busy with all kinds of ships setting sail or mooring along with lots of people shuttling back and forth.


    HONK, HONK¡­


    The sound of a ship''s horn sounded from the distant sea as a luxury liner slowly sailed towards the port. Those standing in the harbor were unable to see that five speedboats were cruising at a constant speed as the liner as they approached it. However, some figures on two speedboats flickered and bolted extremely fast onto the luxury liner.


    A few minutes later, two sturdy men¡ªXue Sha and He Xiong¡ªwalked on the red-carpeted corridor on the third-floor cabin of the liner. Both men exchanged glances with happy smiles and quickly strode to the end of the corridor.


    "We''re from the Tang Sect. This Hei Xiong humbly seeks a meeting with the masters here."


    As Hei Xiong halted his pace, he released his own aura and spoke clearly.


    Creak¡­


    Creak¡­


    Nine cabin doors opened one after another. Eminent monks in Kasaya attire and each holding a stick walked out of their respective cabins. Jade Buddha observed Hei Xiong and Xue Sha for a while and his brows were slightly furrowed immediately. He joined his palms and greeted them. "Benefactor said you''re from the Tang Sect, may I see the sign of credential?"


    Hei Xiong took out an Elder token of the Tang Sect and said, "Our Sect Master learned from Mr. Miao about the liner the honorable Masters have taken a ride in, so he commanded us to rush over to escort you in advance. Japan is in a chaotic situation at the present, and be it the Joyous Palace people or the force under Japanese authority are on high alert and ready for battle. If all Masters here were to enter Japan openly, you all would be discovered by anyone from these two forces, thus barring you from moving freely in Japan."


    Jade Buddha and Blackface Buddha exchanged glances and both spoke at the same time, "We''ll have to trouble you, then."


    "Our speedboats are waiting at the stern. I''d like to ask the Masters here to come with us," said Hei Xiong.


    Quickly after, the five speedboats pierced through the waves and disappeared into the distant sea after they left the luxury liner that kept sailing towards the port. After half an hour of cruising, they quickly docked at another small port tens of kilometers away. There was no liner or cargo ships docked here aside from several fishing boats and only a few people were seen in the port.


    Tang Xiu led Gong Wan''er and calmly stood on the shore while watching the five speedboats. As Hei Xiong and Xue Sha brought the 18 Eminent Monks of the Buddhist Sect ashore, he quickly came forward to greet them with a smile. "It''s been quite laborious for you all, Masters."


    Blackface Buddha slightly furrowed his brows as he observed Gong Wan''er behind Tang Xiu. He immediately looked at Tang Xiu and asked, "May I know who this benefactor is?"


    Tang Xiu lightly smiled and quickly changed back his facial muscles to the original. Then, he smilingly said, "We haven''t seen each other for some time. Have you been well, Master Blackface Buddha?"


    Blackface Buddha looked happily surprised and joined his palms in a salute. "Ah, it turns out to be Sect Master Tang. This monk has been well and sound. The others and I came to Japan this time due to you, so I''d like to thank Sect Master Tang as well for informing us about the remnants of Joyous Sect here."


    Tang Xiu waved and said, "We''re all straightforward people, so there''s no need to hide anything, Blackface Buddha. To be honest, it was also mainly due to my selfishness. The remnants of the Joyous Sect have been similarly acting like cancer cells in Japan and have become a huge threat to my subordinates here. That''s why I deemed it necessary to remove this cancer. Further, I also learned the deep enmity between the Joyous Sect and Buddhist Sect, so I asked you to come here to help me."


    "Sect Master Tang also has vassals in Japan?" Blackface Buddha blurted out in surprise.


    "Lacking on cultivation resources is just a natural occurrence for us, cultivators, while Japan is rich with these resources. It''s just reasonable that I sent my people to gather cultivation resources here," said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    Blackface Buddha immediately understood and smilingly replied, "Amitabha. Sect Master Tang is still young yet very promising. I can expect to see the Tang Sect shake the cultivation world in the future. This is truly a blessing for me and the rest to fight side-by-side with you this time."


    "Let''s spare ourselves from the pleasantries, shall we? I''d like to ask all the masters here to get on the bus, please. We''ve provided many clothes on the bus and I''d like the Masters to get changed so we can avoid the eyes and ears of Joyous Palace and Japanese authority."


    Changing clothes?


    The 18 Eminent Monks exchanged looks and all of them suddenly wore strange expressions after Hei Xiong led them to the mid-sized bus parked on the shore and saw the prepared fine clothes inside.


    "Are we going to wear these¡­ clothes?"


    Blackface Buddha looked at Hei Xiong and asked while pointing at the clothes on the seat.


    "Time was too tight, so we could only prepare these clothes, Master. I hope they are acceptable enough, and please refrain from refusing it." Hei Xiong explained.


    "Amitabha¡­"


    In all honesty, each and every one of the 18 Eminent Monks was truly unwilling, yet they still cooperated and wore the clothes. The monks now were all covered in all brand-new suit, tie, and leather shoes. Hei Xiong and Xue Sha also prepared hats and sunglasses for them.


    Tang Xiu and Gong Wan''er also followed and entered the bus. A happy smile suddenly sported on his face upon seeing the 18 Eminent Monks'' new appearances and sighed as he spoke, "Masters, let us all head to a safe place first. We''ll then discuss how to deal with the Joyous Palace and my subordinate will provide you a brief explanation about them."


    "Amitabha."


    The 18 Eminent Monks joined their palms and nodded.


    And thus, the journey was filled with Gong Wan''er''s explanation session about the Joyous Palace, but the result made all the 18 monks dumbfounded and shocked.


    "This is unbelievable." Jade Buddha was the first to sober up and commented with a wry smile.


    "It was a bit hard for me to accept, too." Tang Xiu sighed. "I came to admit it after understanding some facts that these Joyous Sect''s remnants have indeed done unexpected things here. Also, I have met some of you back in the Himalayas and only now met the rest, and I believe it''s just impossible for us to get rid of the Joyous Palace with just the strength of 18 people."


    Jade Buddha nodded and said, "If Lady Benefactor''s description is true, then we wouldn''t be able to accomplish this mission indeed. However, Sect Master Tang has deep cultivation and unfathomable strength. Added those with your resourcefulness, I''m certain we can work together and remove this cancer."

 1176 Intentionally Making Trouble

    Kuwako looked impatient and hurled out toxic remarks. "I told you already, have you no sense of shame or something? You''re just old trash. I don''t even want you as a son. Just grow up and man up, and get the hell out of my face before my partner cuts off your member and feeds it to the dogs."


    The middle-aged man was so furious that he was trembling. He grabbed the beer bottle on the table and swung it at Kuwako''s forehead fiercely.


    Smash¡­


    The bottle was smashed and shattered glass pieces, alcohol and blood were scattering about. It wasn''t Kuwako who got the beating but the middle-aged man. The culprit was Tang Xiu who now stood with a lit cigarette clamped in the corner of his lips while holding a half-broken bottle with a pale smile.


    "Getting your hands on my woman? Are you tired of living or what?"


    The middle-aged man squatted down and covered his bleeding head as Tang Xiu kicked his face and sent him flying a few meters backward, slamming on a table heavily. The other guests abruptly got up in fright instantly and two timid women let out panic screams, while the falling trays of fruit and beers from the tables created a more chaotic scene.


    Kuwako smiled and acted like a delicate woman. She picked up a beer bottle from the table and slightly observed Tang Xiu''s appearance as she ran to the middle-aged man and smashed the bottle on his head. But she covered her eyes with another hand and let out a panic shriek while hitting him. After that¡­. acting like she was a scared rabbit, she ran back to Tang Xiu and hid behind him.


    "Bastard!"


    "Damn you!"


    The sudden and unforeseen incident shocked the men at another table. They suddenly sobered up when Kuwako hid behind Tang Xiu and then stormed over at them.


    BAM, BAM, BAM¡­


    Xue Sha and Hei Xiong rushed out of the crowd nearby and sent out powerful punches at these men. At least, the onlookers around thought that they were just powerful and only used simple strikes. Yet, the four men were thrown off their feet and repeatedly screamed.


    The scene turned more chaotic and drove many people to leave the rest area and ran away to the distance. It took only half a minute before the spot was emptied, save for Tang Xiu''s group.


    "All of you, STOP!!!"


    A cultured-looking middle-aged man with glasses in a black waistcoat and gold necklace on his neck rushed over along with four big men in black suites, whereas the waiters in the surroundings surrounded Tang Xiu''s group with glaring eyes.


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to stop Xue Sha and Hei Xiong from beating the four big men. He smiled and looked at the middle-aged man dashing over, his eyes glancing at the signature card on his chest.


    "What''s up? You wanna stick your nose?"


    Without looking weak or salty, Tang Xiu spoke in fluent English since he didn''t know Japanese.


    The refined middle-aged man narrowed his eyes and spoke two sentences in Japanese. Upon finding out that Tang Xiu seemed to not understand him, he immediately shifted to English and coldly said, "Who exactly are you, Mister? This nightclub is under my management and you dare cause trouble in the place under my jurisdiction?"


    Tang Xiu lazily took out another cig as Kuwako suddenly came out behind him, gave him light quickly and carefully walked back to hide behind him. Tang Xiu then drew and blew the smoke twice and asked at a moderate pace, "What''s your name, Mister?"


    "Oshima. You can call me that," said the man indifferently.


    "Well, Mr. Oshima, I hope you can truthfully reply to the serious question I''m about to ask you." Tang Xiu slowly nodded.


    "Pardon?" replied the man in a deep voice.


    "What would you do if another man took a liking to your woman and harassed her before your eyes and treated you as if you didn''t exist?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "I''d kill him!"


    The refined man''s answer was exceptionally simple.


    Tang Xiu immediately took it by face value and forced a smile. "Damn. It seems I''m still too soft! No wonder I''m still rather furious inside, it turns out I gotta kill this shit to vent my anger, huh."


    As his voice faded away, he dashed to the front of that middle-aged man, grabbed his hair, and slammed his face on the table''s corner. The man''s struggling body softened and his breath gradually faded away along with the brain stuff and blood coming out of his head.


    Tang Xiu clapped and happily said, "Thanks a bunch for your advice, Mr. Oshima. It turns out that I can only calm down after killing him. Anyhow, you just asked me why I made trouble in the nightclub under your management, so I''ll answer it now. This fella I just killed sexually harassed my woman before my eyes. Do you think my explanation is enough for you?"


    With a chill running down his back and incredulity painting his face, Oshima could only stare at the middle-aged man who had gradually lost his breath. His hands were also stained with murder and he did the deed quite often. Yet, Tang Xiu''s action was ruthless and cold-blooded, even in his eyes.


    It was because he had never seen anyone who could still speak so calmly with him with such a happy smile after murdering someone. It was like what he just killed was not a human but rather an ant, or a fry.


    Secretly drawing a deep breath, Oshima stared at Tang Xiu and said in a heavy voice, "Care to share me the name, Mister? Don''t you know that killing is against the law?"


    Tang Xiu shrugged it off and said, "You ask whether I know that murder is against the law? Anyhow, I forgot to tell you that I''m not a Japanese. I don''t care how strict the law in your country is, but as long as I can smoothly leave Japan, it''s impossible for your country to convict me no matter how powerful it is."


    Oshima''s glaring gaze swept away to Xue Sha and Hei Xiong and finally landed on Tang Xiu''s face again. He paced two steps backward, waved and shouted, "Catch them!"


    Tang Xiu shook his head secretly and helplessly said, "No longer shitty nonsense to talk about since you decided to pick us on, huh? Hey, you both take them on and kill these hoodlums who want to bully me."


    Xue Sha and Hei Xiong drew the Mitsubishi army knives from their waists at the same time. Staring daggers at the four storming sturdy men and all the attendants, they quickly moved and slashed their daggers, causing blood to splatter everywhere. Apart from those four black-suited big guys, a total of 16 attendants were all heavily injured by the duo in just half a minute, causing them to lose their ability to fight and slump on the floor.


    Tang Xiu watched the disbelief on Oshima''s face with a beaming face. He gave him the middle finger and said, "Aren''t your men rather disappointing? These two men of mine were once the champions of the world-class underground fighting before. You can take out tens of those weak shrimps and dogs and they won''t still be enough to take them on. Know your place! And get the fuck out after kowtowing to me, else you can expect to have your soul taken."


    Eyes blurred with a haze, Oshima quickly grabbed the intercom on his waist, pressed a button and shouted aloud, "Someone is causing trouble in my site and tens of our brothers have all been beaten. Hurry up and send support!"


    "Copy that." A curt reply was heard from the walkie-talkie.


    Tang Xiu''s brows raised up. He grabbed Kuwako''s hand and turned back to sit on the sofa, lifting one leg atop the other. With a cig clamped on the corner of his mouth, he leisurely pulled Kuwako to his arms and patted her shoulder. Then, he looked at Oshima and said in contempt, "You just called someone, right? Hehe¡­ there''s no way such a coward like you can summon more powerful men. But then again, I can''t just turn over the boat in the gutter since this is your turf, can I? Just bring it on! Call anyone you like and let''s have some games and see who can summon more people and whose fist is harder!"


    Fury glittered in Oshima''s eyes, but he quickly suppressed it forcefully. After pondering for a moment, he took out a cell phone from his pocket and dialed a number fast. After his call was connected, he respectfully said, "Boss, some experts just made a scene in our site. Also, this guy just ordered his men to catch up, so I''m afraid we''ll have more people coming over."


    "You can''t deal with it yourself?"


    This Boss was obviously a bit angry given his bad tone.


    A restless and anxious look flitted across Oshima''s face as he said in a low voice, "The tens of Brothers who were watching over the site and the four who are always with me got done in by them. That fella himself said that those two experts around him were once the champions of the world-class underground fighting."


    "Hang in there."


    The man hung up.


    A few minutes later, all the guests in the nightclub left, while tens of aggressive-looking tattooed big men flooding in with machetes or sticks in their hands. The bald man, who seemed to be their leader, stared at Tang Xiu''s group of four with contempt and spoke to Oshima, "I already told you that your men are trash, didn''t I? Bring them over to the training camp later and I''ll drill them well for you."


    "You definitely can have them for the drills after this fiasco today, Ozawa," said Oshima with a wry smile. "But shall we deal with them now? We''re going to have some unforeseen shits if the bunch this fella just called arrives here, no?"


    The bald man called Ozawa stroked his shiny bald head and looked slightly surprised. "They also summoned their men? Who the hell gave them balls to take the Inari Society as an enemy?"


    Kuwako translated their conversation to Tang Xiu as he gently pushed her away to flick the cigarette butt. The butt directly hit Ozawa''s bald head and Tang Xiu raised his head after seeing his furious look. "Now, now. Let''s no rush. Is your Inari Society some kind of powerful bunch or something? Why haven''t I heard of you before?"


    Ozawa frowned and looked at the Oshima. "What the hell is this bastard saying?"


    Oshima translated Tang Xiu''s words and finally said, "He''s too damn arrogant and insolent, Ozawa. Let''s just beat them up now and give him a tough lesson."


    Ozawa nodded and shouted aloud, "All of you, unleash everything you got and cripple these bastards! Leave the woman, I''ll fuck her before his eyes!"

 1177 Pulling a Snake from Its Hole

    A frosty light flashed in Tang Xiu''s eyes as he instantly shot a sharp dagger to Ozawa''s throat and accurately pierced it.


    It was one shot instakill!


    Oshima was horrified. He staggeringly paced back several steps and stared at Tang Xiu in horror. The tens of men Ozawa brought were similarly shocked at this moment, for they never dreamed that their Boss would unexpectedly be killed by the other party in an instant. The culprit didn''t even stand up and just threw a dagger.


    "What the hell are you gawking for? KILL HIM!!!"


    Gritting his teeth, Oshima shouted aloud while guarding against Tang Xiu in case he shot him with a dagger as well. He was crystal clear, today''s incident would be blown-up out of proportion. It could have been still manageable if it was just the guest who got killed or his men got beaten up, but the death of Ozawa would definitely make this issue bigger and far from over.


    Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes and apathetically said, "Fulfill their wish to die since they''ve asked for it. Save that Oshima fella for me. It''s rather difficult to find someone who can speak English here. I can make use of him to have some trash talk with some others."


    Hei Xiong and Xue Sha drew their pistols from their waists and aimed the dark muzzles at the tens of big men. Sparks of fire ignited as the duo pulled the triggers and each bullet claimed a soul after it hit each man''s glabella.


    That was literally a massacre, a completely one-sided slaughter.


    These tens of big men were like wheat getting blown by the north wind. Only less than ten of them were still alive in just a few seconds since Hei Xiong and Xue Sha each brought four pistols and fully emptied their bullets.


    "RUN! They are demons!"


    One person among these sturdy men, who suddenly sobered up from the fright due to the massacre, quickly ran and tried to escape from this hellish place.


    "Hmph¡­"


    Six throwing knives suddenly appeared in Xue Sha''s hand. He flicked his hand and threw one of the knives at the man, which pierced the back of his head. He watched as the man''s body loudly slammed on the floor and simultaneously threw the other five which stabbed the throats of another five men.


    At the same time, Hei Xiong dashed forward like a bolt of lightning toward the remaining men. His figure instantly appeared before their eyes and the Mitsubishi army knife in his hand quickly pierced their hearts and slashed their throats.


    All that was happening didn''t make any ripples on Tang Xiu''s face. He indifferently said, "Well, I hope you''re a smart man, Mr. Oshima. Only smart people can live for a long time. Don''t even think to run as you can never escape. Come over and kneel before me and we''ll wait for the arrival of your reinforcements. I really wanna have a look at your Boss, that Inari Society''s Head. I wonder what kind of abilities he has."


    Oshima desperately gulped and looked at Tang Xiu as though he was staring at the fearsome Shinigami himself. He wouldn''t have opted to stand up had it not been for his tens of subordinates who were lying on the floor, seriously injured and whining. Despite so, he forced himself to suppress his surging fear to walk forward with shaking legs.


    "What''s up? You refuse to kneel?" Tang Xiu flipped his eyelids and casually asked.


    BAM¡­


    Finally, the man couldn''t bear it anymore and knelt in front of Tang Xiu. A pleading look on his face, he tremblingly begged. "Please spare me, Sir. I''m at fault for everything. I shouldn''t have meddled in your business and tried to apprehend you. I promise I''ll correct myself. I will."


    "Man, I thought you got some hard iron bones or something. I was thinking of torturing you, yet you directly knelt and desperately begged for mercy? That was unexpected." Tang Xiu shook his head. "This is so boring. So damn boring, you got it? Do you know how I wish to see you tasting the feeling to wish for death but unable to have it?"


    "I¡­ I''m just a coward and spineless. I¡­ just wanna live well. But you''re a bigshot and you don''t need to bother about a nobody like me. Just¡­ please just let me off." Oshima desperately knocked his forehead until it was bleeding while kowtowing.


    "Let you off, huh? Dream on." Tang Xiu contemptuously said, "I won''t let you go before your Boss comes here. Cuss at him that he''s a dog when he comes later and maybe I can spare you."


    "I''ll cuss at him. Please believe me, I will."


    The fear in Oshima''s heart subsided a lot after hearing Tang Xiu mention his Boss. But he still tried hard to act frightful and beg for mercy.


    10 minutes later, a middle-aged man in black casual sportswear and holding a golf club walked through the door along with six sturdy men. His pupils suddenly shrunk after seeing the scene in the dance room. Disbelief and incredulity were all over his face.


    So¡­ many people¡­ died?!!


    The middle-aged man looked up at Tang Xiu and easily identified him as the leader. He was never a timid man, and without any sign of anger, he came to Tang Xiu''s front in an extremely calm manner. He casually threw the golf club to the side and motioned his subordinate to pull a chair as he sat across Tang Xiu, speaking indifferently, "The entire capital is quite chaotic now, but I never thought that someone isn''t afraid of death and run up here to cause trouble. But well, let me introduce myself. The name is Mine Takeno. I''m the Head of the Inari Society and this nightclub is one of my businesses. Who exactly are you, Mister? And why did you come here to cause this scene?"


    "So you say I did all these with no reason at all? Aren''t you a reasonable man?" asked Tang Xiu.


    The man was stunned for a moment and then immediately nodded. "Some facts about my identity can''t be revealed, but I think I''m a very reasonable man. If you came here to cause trouble, you can expect to meet your maker here today. But if my men were at fault, not only will I not investigate their deaths, I''ll also apologize to you."


    Tang Xiu gave a thumbs-up and praised. "Truly an exceptional and extraordinary man, aren''t you? You can keep your head cool and rational in this situation. That''s quite a rare sight! Well, I''ll spare some time to chat with you since you''re a reasonable man. I brought my woman to spend our time and money here and we should''ve been the guests of this place, shouldn''t we?"


    "That''s correct!" Mine Takeno nodded.


    "You said I''m your guests, but then, another guest who looked at my woman''s beauty tried to do untoward things to her. Wasn''t it in my rights to act and teach him?"


    "Correct!" said Mine Takeno again.


    "I taught that bastard and his goons a lesson and was about to kick them out. But this Mr. Oshima told me that such bastard who harassed my woman must be killed. I was always weak to provocation, so I killed him directly. Is this¡­ also the right thing to do?"


    Mine Takeno grabbed the kneeling and desperate-looking Oshima at the side, asking in a heavy voice, "Did he speak the truth?"


    Oshima wept and replied, "Yes!"


    Mine Takeno slapped his face and sent him flying a few meters away. Then, he shifted back to Tang Xiu and nodded. "You were in the right."


    "I know that, so I did it according to Mr. Oshima''s instruction. The issue could have ended then, but this fella unexpectedly acted unreasonably. He took out his men and tried to apprehend me. What would you do if you were in my shoes? You didn''t pick on them, yet they were trying to capture you. Is this the right conduct?"


    "It''s wrong!"


    Gradually understanding the root of the matter, although most of Mine Takeno''s killing intent was aimed at Tang Xiu, some of it now shifted to Oshima.


    "Your men wanted to apprehend me, it was just natural for me to resist!" Tang Xiu added with a smile. "I thought everything was over after these two men of mine got Mr. Oshima''s men beaten up since the person I killed was someone who was not one of you. Yet, did he just let it drop? Nope. He actually summoned tens of hoodlums, and even the leader of these ragtag vagabonds wanted to kill me. Don''t you think I must fight back since they wanna kill me?"


    Mine Takeno clenched his fists tightly. Although he was sitting on his spot, his right fist still bombarded toward Oshima, an image of a fist hitting the man''s chest and directly killing him.


    Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes. Oshima himself was a cultivator and quite a strong one at that. Even though he was weaker than Golden Core experts, he was likely able to barely fight on par with experts at the Foundation Establishment Stage.


    "You haven''t answered me. Should I fight back?"


    Mine Takeno drew in a deep breath and nodded. "It''s within your rights."


    "It''s all clear, then!" Tang Xiu raised his thumbs up again and said, "Now I like you a bit. Anyway, I went on to say to those gangsters who wanted to kill me that I and my men were so scared! After all, it''s hard to fight so many with so few men, but we just can''t let them kill us like that, right? So my two men took their pistols out and kind of pulled the triggers randomly."


    "That was just some random shots?"


    Mine Takeno had just observed the situation of the dead people in the hall and each and every one of them was shot right on their glabella. It was obvious proof that these men were expert marksmen. How could that be claimed as some random shots?


    "And well, things ended up like you just saw here. Do you think we''re at fault for the whole incident today? We are not, are we? But since you''ve come, we had better sit together to sip some tea and chat. We could''ve stroke a deal to cooperate in some fields. But at the end of the day¡­ we have now inexplicably become enemies because of your subordinate. Quite annoying and exasperating, isn''t it?"


    Mine Takeno took out a cigarette pack and lit one. Then, he spoke, "You''re right. That was annoying and exasperating. But it was you who was at fault, not my men."


    Clap, clap, clap¡­


    This time, Tang Xiu didn''t raise a thumbs up but clapped and said, "What extraordinary imposing manner. Truly deserving to be a cultivator, huh?"


    A chilling light flashed in Mine Takeno''s eyes. He didn''t expect Tang Xiu to have found out that he was a cultivator. Suddenly, he inquisitively asked in a chilling voice, "Who are you, exactly?"


    "Me?" Tang Xiu replied, "I''m nothing but an honest and cautious plain layman."


    "You know that I''m a cultivator, and I suppose you also know my other identity, don''t you?" Mine Takeno sneered. "My guess is, you''re from the Joyous Palace!"


    Having said that, he stuffed his other hand in his pocket. He thought that Tang Xiu didn''t notice it as he texted a short message relying on his senses and then sent it out.

 1178 Killing Enmity Is Better than Keeping It Alive

    Kyoto''s suburb.


    A group of swallows flew and the roars of wild animals repeatedly echoed over the vast expanse of a mountain range. The place was the Gene Camp as well as General Fukuda''s stronghold. A cluster of ordinary barracks was built around the mountain with hundreds of thousands of troops stationed in four barracks, while inside the massif was an underground space that was limited to the field of activity of Japanese cultivators and genetic warriors.


    Inside the secret room, as Ki Kitagawa held a beautiful sable. He stuffed a jade into its mouth and cracking sounds were heard as it chewed the jade. But the faint aura fluctuating from Ki Kitagawa''s body made the complexions of the two men in the room change.


    "You said General really doesn''t have time to see me?"


    Ki Kitagawa''s voice sounded tranquil, but one could feel the coldness hidden within.


    The two men exchanged glances and the man on the left respectfully said, "Sir Kitagawa, General Fukuda fought Yin Buddha of the Joyous Palace for a long time before. Although Yin Buddha eventually suffered heavy injuries, General Fukuda himself didn''t come out unscathed either. He suffered internal injuries and is now recuperating, so he told me that he won''t see anyone."


    "General Fukuda is a powerful man, yet you said he''s just on par with Yin Buddha?" Ki Kitagawa grimly sneered. "I feel like suffering injuries is just¡­ an excuse not to see me!"


    The man hurriedly said, "General Fukuda absolutely doesn''t have such a thought, Sir Kitagawa. He mentioned you many times and told us that you sacrificed too much for the sake of the country. He also said that you could have been the deputy commander of the Gene Camp if it wasn''t for the duty you carried out outside."


    There was no ripple nor change on Ki Kitagawa''s face, but he was sneering inwardly. Although he had been carrying out missions outside, he was crystal clear about the situation in Gene Camp; he had even secretly bought several top officials from here.


    He was well aware that that General Fukuda needed him to keep monitoring the Joyous Palace and manage some issues. Else, this General who was respected by many people would have stabbed and killed him since he was like a thorn in his eyes.


    Time is of the essence.


    As long as I have 3 years, I''m sure I can surpass General Fukuda and make him hand over this Gene Camp to me if I oppress him by force then.


    Ki Kitagawa''s eyelids raised and glared at the apprehensive and scared man. He suddenly smiled and said, "You seem to have forgotten who the Master is while I was away from the Gene Camp, don''t you, Sho Jo?"


    In that instant, a frosty light flashed in the eyes of the man on the right. A sharp dagger instantly slashed the neck of the man next to him. He quickly pierced the man''s hearts, causing blood to splatter. In just a few seconds, the man on the left was dead.


    "Sir Kitagawa, this Sho Jo thinks what you said makes sense. This guy not only apparently become General Fukuda''s lackey, but he also managed lots of things for him in the back. Some of which also brought disadvantages to you. However, this subordinate kept wiping off some of the traces secretly, so the issue didn''t reach you." Sho Jo cupped his fist and reported.


    Ki Kitagawa threw the sable in his arms to the body and let it nibble at it. He then slowly walked to the chair and took a seat, slowly speaking, "That old dog Fukuda has always been overly suspicious. I''m afraid this bastard already told Fukuda about some issues I''ve been dealing with. But Fukuda is seemingly reluctant or doesn''t dare to do anything to me. He must keep treating me amiably as long as the Joyous Palace exists."


    "But the Joyous Palace will be massacred by us sooner or later, Sir Kitagawa." Sho Jo argued. "It''s very likely that he''ll move against you at that time, so we need to prepare ahead of time."


    "I''m well aware of it. But now is not yet the time." Ki Kitagawa nodded and said, "Also, the Joyous Palace has a deep foundation, the whole of which I''m not clear about. You can say General Fukuda is just daydreaming like a moron if he wants to completely exterminate the Joyous Palace. He couldn''t even accomplish anything in the last decade."


    Ring¡­


    A faint ringtone of a cell phone sounded twice, but Ki Kitagawa''s sharp hearing could clearly hear the two notification tones.


    A short while after, a cold light flashed in his eyes after reading the text on his cell phone. His figure instantly vanished and, a few minutes later, an off-road car sped out of the camp and disappeared on the mountain road. The road itself was narrow, barely enough for two cars.


    Whoosh!


    Just as the off-road car disappeared at the end of the mountain road in the distance, a ghostly figure appeared outside the camp''s gate. The slightly grey-haired General Fukuda stood straight there with a cold light flashed in his mysteriously bewitching eyes.


    "General."


    A red-haired man in a black coat and wearing a bronze mask appeared next to General Fukuda. The mask looked rusty, yet it added a mysterious vibe to the red-haired man.


    "Do you know what made him leave this time?" said General Fukuda lightly.


    "If my guess is on the mark, it should be related to the Joyous Palace," replied the red-haired man. "Our secret agent reported that he has been wanting to catch the Joyous Palace Saintess. Even before returning to the camp, he dispatched some of his men to go all out to find Gong Wan''er''s traces and news."


    General Fukuda furrowed his brows and said, "What''s special about this Joyous Palace Saintess that makes him so fascinated by her? That old bald ass who built the Joyous Palace has been indulging himself with women literally every day. But why didn''t he touch her until now?"


    The red-haired man slowly replied, "Based on Kitagawa''s report, that Joyous Palace''s Master treats her like her daughter. But I feel that it''s not a credible reason since that monk already has daughters, two of whom are very attractive and are born belles. Allegedly, this Palace Master also has some affairs with his own two daughters."


    Contempt flashed in General Fukuda''s eyes as he said coldly, "He even devours his own daughters? He''s even worse than beasts. The whole of Japan turned stinky and dirty because of him, especially things related to men and women which turned so messsy now. But I''m certain the atmosphere in Japan will definitely change when that old bald asshole has been removed."


    "That''s¡­ probably not an easy task to accomplish, General." The red-haired man wryly smiled. "The present situation in the country is still in the status quo."


    "You can change and transform anything if you want to." General Fukuda sneered. "People will change as the environment dictates them to. They have to. If it''s still useless, you can opt to use bloody means to suppress them, and I''m sure the Imperial family will agree with my method as well."


    The red-haired man didn''t reply, but he thought inwardly that General Fukuda was dreaming in his wildest fantasy.


    The country''s condition and the habit of its people were elements that grew along with the growth of countless souls. Using bloody suppression to force transformation in the society would only be like curing the symptoms and would prove to fail to even touch the roots of the problem.


    General Fukuda drew in a deep breath and said, "Dispatch the first squad out! If you find any sign that Kitagawa betrayed the Gene Camp, report to me at once."


    "Understood!"


    The red-haired man replied shortly and his figure quickly bolted away.


    ****


    In the dimly lit nightclub, Mine Takeno quietly observed Tang Xiu with a calm expression. It was conventional wisdom that continuous victories started from knowing oneself and thy enemies. But in his case, at the present, he literally knew nothing about this young man before him. That was all the reason why he didn''t dare act rashly despite being confident in his own strength.


    Thus, he decided to wait for the arrival of his Big Boss before making the next plan. He knew what he had to do now was to stall this young man and make him wait here until his Big Boss arrived. No matter how arrogant and rampant this brat was, kowtowing and begging for mercy before his Boss would very likely be the only choice this brat would have at that time.


    "Come again? Joyous Palace? What the hell is that?"


    Intentionally pretending to know nothing, Tang Xiu shot a curious look at Mine Takeno and asked.


    "You''re not from the Joyous Palace?" asked Mine Kakeno with furrowed brows.


    "Bah! I just arrived in Japan a couple of days ago, how do I know what shit this Joyous Palace is?" Tang Xiu rolled his eyes and coldly snorted. "I just came over to Japan for vacation this time, mind you. I was gonna find my old buddies here and chat about the old days, yet little did I expect to run into this annoying shit luck here."


    Only now did Mine Takeno finally realize why this fella never spoke Japanese and always conversed in English. It turned out that he just came to Japan and didn''t know Japanese at all.


    "Who is your friend, Mister?"


    The man recalled the prior report he received. It was said that this guy was calling someone over. Maybe that person was the one he called a friend.


    "Don''t bother." Tang Xiu waved and replied with a downcast face, "I got no idea what happened to this buddy of mine. He fooled around with me the other day but just disappeared all of a sudden and didn''t answer my calls at all. There''s nobody in his place, and not even any traces of his in every place he loves to hang around either. Ah, there were those two laymen working for him in another site of his, though. But let me tell you, they are a bunch of psychopaths. Killing is like your everyday meal to them, and it''s guaranteed that they have done every kind of evil deed you can think of. Make me annoyed and I don''t need to act myself, but you can expect to lose your life if I tell them about it."


    Mine Takeno secretly sneered in contempt and suppressed his killing intent inside to stall Tang Xiu and keep him here. Then, he said in a deep voice, "How about we drop this matter off since this is a misunderstanding, Mister? The Japanese have the custom to hold a party and drink sake after a misunderstanding to completely close the curtain of the previous clash."


    Tang Xiu was stunned for a moment and said, "We''ve killed so many of your men, yet you wanna drop it off and make peace with me? Are you even a man?"


    Mine Takeno''s lips twitched a few times. He desperately went all out to restrain himself since his killing intent blasted through the roof. He would have attacked Tang Xiu already had he not been wary of the young man''s identity and was in the dark about him.


    "It''s better killing off an enmity rather than keeping it alive."


    After spending some time to suppress the urge, Mine Takeno finally blurted out with a flushed face.

 1179 Trapped Like a Turtle in the Jar

    Tang Xiu could tell that Mine Takeno''s patience had reached its limits after seeing his expression. The chance was high that the guy would storm over if he kept stimulating him. But the chief purpose of coming to this place was to lure a certain snake out of its hole and trap it like a turtle in a jar before catching it. Tang Xiu didn''t want to kill Mine Takeno before Ki Kitagawa came so as to avoid the latter noticing that something was amiss and decide not to come.


    "Killing off an enmity is better than keeping it alive, huh? What a wise saying! Thanks a bunch for the advice and good lesson. Anyhow, I apologize for causing such a big scene here. People say grievances can be settled with wine and a meal, so shall this wine be on my tab for the purpose." Looking apologetic, Tang Xiu patted his chest and spoke.


    Mine Takeno was secretly relieved after hearing this. He was really afraid that this bastard would spit out something he couldn''t stand, for fear that he lost his patience and kill him.


    "You came from afar, as a host, it''s just natural that I can''t let you be the party host, Mister. It''s all on me. However, please wait for a while for my men to clean up these bodies first."


    "Please."


    Tang Xiu nested himself on the sofa with a leg atop the other. After swinging his hand, he saw a few bottles of sealed beers lying on the floor next to the sofa and immediately picked up a bottle. He then opened the cap and leisurely drank it.


    Time passed.


    The tall and ferocious-looking Kumaji Mogu along with tens of stalwart men flushed into the nightclub in an aggressive manner. Upon seeing Mine Takeno directing his men to clean up dead bodies and bloodstains on the floor, he instantly shouted as loud as he could in fluent English, "HOLY COW!!! Which bastard bullied my buddy?!! That damn Inari Society? Where the fuck is that miscreant Head of Inari, Mine Takeno? This Big Daddy will definitely mutilate you today!"


    Mine Takeno turned around and furrowed his brows after seeing Kumaji Mogu and the tens of men with earrings, bleached long hairs, and dressed in outlandish attire behind the guy. He fiercely shouted immediately, "What the hell are you running here for like some rabid dogs? Do you think this place is somewhere you can make trouble or something?"


    "Heh, who the hell are you? Don''t tell me you''re that shitty bastard Mine Takeno, else I''m gonna blast your balls and cut your fucking head off."


    After saying that, he seemed to have caught sight of Tang Xiu and dashed towards him, asking aloud with concern, "It was all my fault, buddy. To think that somebody wronged you in my country¡­ that was unexpected. I''m really sorry. Please don''t get mad. I''m gonna make whoever bully you pay the price. They can report to the Shinigami for all I care."


    A smile sported on Tang Xiu''s face while looking at this subordinate of Kuwako. He waved and shrugged and smilingly replied, "Well, things been dealt with already, Kumaji. We just killed those who bullied us. Just chill down and bear it, will you? That Mine Takeno is perhaps bad stuff, but he at least didn''t bully me. Hahaha¡­. Uh, well, it''s not like I hid it from you intentionally, though. It''s just¡­ cough, cough, those who got killed were rather pitiful, so just help them out, Kumaji. They''re cleaning the bodies so we can have a meal and drinks here."


    Kumaji heavily nodded, then waved the machete in his hand and said loudly, "You can feel at ease since you didn''t bully my buddy. For the sake of God, seeing my friend getting bullied is something very unbearable to this Kumaji, especially when this buddy of mine comes from overseas. Brothers, you heard my friend, right? Alright, let''s help them deal with the bodies. Take out our secret weapon!"


    Several young men took out a few porcelain bottles from their pockets and opened the cap as a pungent smell immediately wafted in all directions.


    Kumaji also took out a porcelain bottle and quickly walked over to a corpse. Then, he poured a few drops of the liquid on it.


    Bzzt¡­


    That body began to melt and turned into a pungent liquid in just a few seconds.


    "Holy cow! What demonic stuff is that?"


    "You can melt the dead body just like that? I think I''ve heard about stuff like this, as in on TV?"


    "Awesome."


    "¡­"


    The men under Mine Takeno were dumbfounded and shocked upon witnessing how a dead body turned into a stinking liquid and couldn''t help but exclaim in shock. Even Mine Takeno himself was shocked by the stuff Kumaji just took out. It was something he had long heard of but never seen until now.


    Quickly after, tens of dead bodies had been cleaned up. Even the floor was now spotless from any bloodstains. Those who were heavily injured had been taken, while tens of Mine Takeno''s men then came over to temporarily serve as waiters.


    "I''m hungry, babe."


    Sitting on the sofa, Kuwako intentionally acted intimately to Tang Xiu and then pushed his hand around her. Her voice was extremely sweet and everyone 10 meters away from them could hear it clearly even though her voice was not loud.


    Tang Xiu patted her shoulder and lightly smiled. "I''ll tell them to prepare a meal since you''re starving, honey. I''m gonna kill them if the taste doesn''t suit you."


    "Who do you wanna kill, huh?"


    An extremely cold voice came from the corridor of the entrance to the dance room. Then, Ki Kitagawa strode into the dance room with his hands behind his back followed by four men. His frosty eyes swept over everyone inside and finally landed on Tang Xiu.


    "You look a bit familiar¡­ but I''m sure I''ve never seen you."


    Kitagawa spent some time to observe Tang Xiu and was finally sure that this fella was not that young man. He then came to Tang Xiu''s front and indifferently said, "This is my turf and Mine is the one who manages it for me. Yet, you killed many of his men and even provocatively shouted that you''re gonna kill Mine, huh? Do you think I''m just a fucking nobody here?"


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes at him and contemptuously said, "A desperado? Who and where the heck did you come from, buddy? Is there anything to do with me that Mine Takeno is managing your business and whatnot? He doesn''t even dare to fart before me, so how much better can you be than him, huh? Tell you one thing, mate. Crawl up and scram if you know your place. Else, don''t blame me for being merciless and make you at the border of life and death later."


    "What an unbridle brat!" Ki Kitagawa raised his thumbs up and sneered. "I hope you got what it takes for acting this arrogant."


    Tang Xiu pushed away Kuwako and got up, saying, "What do you want? You wanna fight? Relying on the fact you''re in your turf so you wanna bully a foreigner like me?"


    A foreigner?!


    Ki Kitagawa didn''t know Tang Xiu''s true identity, but just the word "foreigner" was enough to make all his wariness vanish. He instantly moved in a flash and slapped Tang Xiu''s chest. Any average man would directly die by his slap. Unfortunately, despite his confidence in his palm attack, Tang Xiu''s figure moved instantly and avoided it easily.


    "What?!"


    Disbelief was all over Ki Kitagawa''s face. He didn''t sense any aura of an expert from Tang Xiu whatsoever. The young man simply looked like a second-generation nouveau riche, and only those two sturdy men around him as well as some others who just barely entered the cultivation path, although it was just slightly better than nothing in his eyes.


    Slash¡­


    Tang Xiu instantly unleashed his divine weapon and cut off Kitagawa''s arm the moment he avoided the man''s strike, causing Kitagawa''s arm to fall on the cold floor.


    "Goddammit!"


    Ki Kitagawa''s expression drastically changed with a look of dread on his face. His figure instantly retreated backward all of a sudden. Regardless of how low or high his IQ was, he realized that he was very likely to have fallen into a trap that had been carefully set up for him.


    "Who the hell are you, people?"


    Kitagawa furiously roared after quickly sealing up the acupoints on his cut off arm to prevent the bleeding.


    A sketch of a smile was painted on Tang Xiu''s face as he grabbed the hilt and grinningly smiled. "Well, well. We met just a while back Kitagawa. How can you not recognize me? Is it so easy for others to forget this Tang Xiu?"


    Tang Xiu?!


    Ki Kitagawa shuddered and instantly roared. "How cowardly you bastards are, Chinese cultivators! You wanna find trouble with me?"


    Tang Xiu let out a thick smile and said, "Why bother targeting and making trouble for you? Don''t tell me you haven''t noticed it?"


    As his voice faded away, flickering figures moved lightning-fast in the surroundings and sealed off the entire dance room''s exits. The auras exuded by these people were quite powerful, making Ki Kitagawa wary and vigilant even though he already knew that Tang Xiu brought some experts with him.


    "You all¡­"


    Lips shivering, Kitagawa tried to speak but the words were stuck in his throat.


    "Amitabha."


    Blackface Buddha treaded forward a few steps and slowly spoke, "I don''t care whether you''re from the Joyous Palace or the Gene Camp, but you definitely have done some sinister and wicked deeds. You should go straight to hell to confess for your sins and bear the punishment!"


    "Monks?!"


    A trace of confusion was seen on Ki Kitagawa''s face. Never once had it occurred to him that monks would be among these Chinese cultivators. Could it be¡­


    "Are you guys¡­ from China''s Buddhist Sect?"


    At this moment, Ki Kitagawa felt like he had fallen into a glacier hole and was completely terrified. He was once a member of the Joyous Palace and naturally knew its conflict with the Buddhist Sect in China. The first rule decreed by the Joyous Palace Master was either to directly run away or fight to the death should they run into the Buddhist Sect. It was through this rule that he learned how deep the enmity between both parties was.


    Tang Xiu clapped and smilingly said, "Well, you''ve been on an undercover mission and lurked inside the Joyous Palace for so many years, Kitagawa. You''ve been working for General Fukuda as well, so I''m sure you''re a smart man. Cast away any thoughts to resist and just surrender yourself. You won''t be able to escape since we have set up an inescapable net for you."

 1180 Major Measure

    Intense despair filled Ki Kitagawa''s whole being as he saw the line of enemies at present. He had secretly sent some spies to investigate the Buddhist Sect in China. Although the gathered information was scant, it was very clear that China''s Buddhist Sect truly had deep heritage and foundation with lots of experts at the helm.


    And now, even these Eminent Monks of China''s Buddhist Sect came to Japan. It was likely that not only would they bring him bad luck, they would also spell big trouble for the Joyous Palace. Coupled with another faction of cultivators from China who had come to Japan, wouldn''t it mean that Japan would likely be turned upside down by these Daoists and Buddhists?


    Ki Kitagawa drew in a deep breath. He shifted his vision to Tang Xiu and asked, "Are you the one who can call the shots here?"


    "That''s correct." Tang Xiu nodded. "I''m the decision-maker here."


    "I don''t know how you can change your appearance, but I can still determine that you''re Tang Xiu," said Ki Kitagawa. "I never had deep enmity with neither you nor these Eminent Monks of China''s Buddhist Sect since I''ve never been a true member of the Joyous Palace. Hence, I suppose the only possibility is that you want information from me. Am I correct?"


    "Well, it seems my conjecture was spot on. You are indeed quite smart," said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    "Then we can have a good chat since what I said is correct." Ki Kitagawa continued in a deep voice, "I''ll tell you everything I know as long as you preserve my life."


    "You know, you''ll naturally tell everything about the Joyous Palace since you''re a traitor to them." Tang Xiu commented with a smile. "It''s a pity to you the status of my underling when she was in the Joyous Palace was much higher than yours, so I don''t need anything pertaining to the Joyous Palace''s situation."


    Ki Kitagawa''s expression slightly changed and he replied with an ugly complexion, "You wanna know about General Fukuda and the Gene Camp, then?"


    "That''s right," replied Tang Xiu.


    Ki Kitagawa took a deep breath and asked seriously, "Then answer me a question. I''ll tell you everything I know about General Fukuda and the Gene Camp as long as you answer it."


    "Do ask!" Tang Xiu nodded.


    With flickering eyes, Kitagawa asked in a deep voice, "You said your subordinate''s status in the Joyous Palace was much higher than mine. I can believe in this one because there are many with higher positions than me like those Mistresses, and some mysterious experts I never knew about. However, I''d like to know the identity of this person first."


    "It''s me!" An aquamarine figure flashed and appeared in the hall floating mid-air.


    Faintly smiling and holding a rosary in her hand, Yuji came to Tang Xiu. She slightly leaned and raised up her head to report. "I''ve sent some people to fully investigate some hidden networks of the Joyous Palace. You only need to command and I can take the men to destroy these hidden sites and then shift the blame to the Gene Camp."


    At this moment, another figure floated in from the corridor. It was the veiled Joyous Palace Saintess. Her intelligent eyes quickly landed on Kitagawa and lightly said, "Boss doesn''t mind letting you know some issues so that you can willingly cooperate with us, Kitagawa. We prepared and did our best to lead you to this place and arranged the encirclement in advance. Not even a fly can escape this place, so you had better tell everything you know."


    Tang Xiu watched Kitagawa, whose expression now changed dramatically. He smiled at him and said, "You wanna know more, Kitagawa? If you do, I can satisfy your curiosity. But beware since the more you know, the closer your death will be, so you had better think about it clearly.


    Kitagawa fell into silence for a long while before silently nodding. Then, he spoke, "I''d like to put forward another request."


    "Don''t go too far, Kitagawa," interjected Kuwako coldly.


    The man shot a look at Tang Xiu with an extremely solemn expression.


    "Speak!" said Tang Xiu indifferently.


    "Everyone I brought here must die," said Kitagawa.


    "You''ll have it, but it won''t be done now." Tang Xiu nodded.


    Kitagawa took a deep breath and said, "Then do ask anything you want to know!"


    "I need details on General Fukuda as well as the Gene Camp," said Tang Xiu. "Tell me everything you know about them. Do remember that the more you tell us, the bigger your chance to live is."


    The entire night was spent with Kitagawa telling everything he knew. Although it was unknown whether he told everything or not, the information he gave was enough for Tang Xiu.


    Early in the morning.


    The morning sky was filled with light rain and the dimly lit world seemed to be unwilling to wake up. Several dark clouds drifted from time to time as though indicating that heavy rain would soon pour tears down on the earth.


    "Let''s move!"


    The killing aura emitted out by Blackface Buddha was particularly strong even though he was a monk.


    Tang Xiu glanced at him and lightly said, "Blackface Buddha, you need to restrain and control your killing intent if you want to be an Eminent Monk who reaches enlightenment. Only then will you be able to break through the barrier of your present realm. This campaign in Japan will likely make you reap more lives, but this is also a good chance to change your mental state and mood. I hope you can grasp this chance and break through the barrier earlier."


    Blackface Buddha shook his head. "You''re not from my Buddhist Sect, so you have no idea about the Buddhist cultivator''s situation."


    His response made Tang Xiu sigh inwardly. He didn''t bother to say more since this monk turned a deaf ear to his advice. Then, he clapped his hands, announcing: "Everyone, the plan has been devised and completed, so let''s take action now! We have 8 targets in total¡ªfour belonging to the Joyous Palace and the Gene Camp each. Immediately withdraw after you''ve accomplished your mission and gather at the designated point. Also, do send immediate notice to the nearby team should you face any unexpected situation and wait for the reinforcement while withdrawing."


    This surprise attack was meant to wipe out the targets!


    Although it was carried out during the day, it was also the time that a surprise attack would be the least expected to those stationed in these various strongholds. Therefore, it was expected that this blitzkrieg attack to decimate eight footholds of the two parties would be very successful, while the plan itself was also to leave the traces of the Gene Camp''s people in the Joyous Palace''s sites, and the reverse for the other party''s target sites.


    As noon came, a group of people from both parties strangely came to the decimated and massacred bases. Both sides pointed to each other after seeing the traces left intentionally there.


    ****


    Kyoto suburbs.


    In the outer-ring area of the Gene Camp, two patrol teams crossed each other, leaving only four genetic warriors in charge of guarding at the intersection as they coldly observed the surroundings.


    "Why do I keep feeling restless and scared, 1183? It''s like something bad is gonna happen soon." A genetic warrior suddenly frowned and spoke to his companion at the side.


    "Cut the nonsensical crap, 1184. Do you think you''re a woman and got a sixth sense or something?" His companion rolled his eyes at him and contemptuously snorted.


    1184 didn''t speak again, but his vigilant eyes kept scanning the surroundings so that he could immediately find the slightest sign of disturbance in the surroundings. Nobody knew that it wasn''t his first time having such a particular feeling. He had the same sensation several years ago and survived that crisis due to his intuition. Such a sensation appeared again a few years back and similarly saved him as he was able to escape again.


    This time was the third.


    Suddenly, he caught sight of a dazzling flash of light in the deep woods in the distance. He would have missed it had he not raised his vigilance at the moment and was very sensitive to the movements around him.


    Shoo, shoo shoo¡­


    In that instant, he abruptly threw himself to the side. He could feel a slight itch on his back as his back fell against a piece of bluestone. But his unaware three companions had their necks swept over by a sword beam that appeared out of nowhere and were fully beheaded.


    Tang An''s figure flickered and vanished in just 2 seconds after. She was now wearing the attire usually wore by the Mistresses of the Joyous Palace. She didn''t pursue 1184 but shot a frosty glance at him, but it was enough to send a chill to 1184, causing the man to feel like he just fell into an ice hole.


    ''That was so close.''


    1184 didn''t dare to move and stayed like that for a long while. As he found out that the mysterious female assassin didn''t appear again, he cautiously crawled up and vigilantly scanned the surroundings. He touched his back and felt something slimy. He retracted his hand and then saw that it was full of blood.


    "ENEMY ATTACK, SAVE ME!!!"


    Then, 1184 shouted as loud as he could with a hoarse voice.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    A group of shadows flickered and bolted like lightning from afar and tens of sturdy genetic warriors had rushed over. One of them was a giant man with a nearly 2 meters long blade in his hand. He scanned around and then shouted, "Aren''t you 1184? I remember you!"


    "I''m 1184, Captain, Sir!" replied 1184 aloud. "It was an enemy raid, a mysterious female assassin."


    The towering giant waved and said in a deep voice, "Send the notice and announce that someone is sneaking into our Gene Camp. And be sure to find her!"


    1184 hurriedly interjected, "Captain, the enemy should be more than one person. I saw some dazzling lights in the deep woods a while back. I could have ended up as these three and killed by that female assassin if I didn''t raise my vigilance then."


    The giant man quickly grabbed the walkie-talkie and, after reporting the situation in this spot, he began contacting the genetic warriors who were on guard duty. What made him furious was that nobody answered his call from the other guard posts.


    This meant that the enemies had already killed all the genetic warrior sentries on duty!


    At this moment, two off-road cars came vrooming from the outside. The person in the front seat of the car in front opened the window. It was a big man with a golden token who swayed the token and then passed through everyone guarding and quickly entered the inner area of the Gene Camp.


    "General!"


    As the two cars stopped in the square, it happened that General Fukuda just walked out of the building with the red-haired man. Eight masked men got off from the car and paced forward at the same time and saluted him.


    "How come all of you are back now? Where''s Kitagawa?" asked General Fukuda with a frown.

 1181 The Challenge to Battle

    One of the eight masked men paced two steps forward and answered, "Kitagawa discovered us halfway and shook us off. We''ve investigated it and it turned out that he has other subordinates in the capital. They were also the ones who intercepted us."


    "And those people?" asked General Fukuda with a grim expression and surging killing intent in his eyes.


    "We killed some of them, whereas the rest committed suicide by poison," answered the masked man respectfully. "They should be¡­ dead."


    General Fukuda''s expression drastically changed. Training and grooming trusted confidantes were easy, but to train people to be ready to die for you was as difficult as ascending to heaven. How did Kitagawa achieve it? He turned out to have trained his death squad without him aware of it?


    A short while after, General Fukuda and the red-haired man appeared on the camp''s outer ring, and the scene of 19 dead bodies there caused their eyes to fill with murderous intent.


    "He''s 1184, the only survivor in five locations, General." The giant man came to the front of General Fukuda, kneeling on one knee and reporting while his body was drenched wet by his sweat.


    Shooting a cold look at 1184, General Fukuda coldly spoke to the man, "You must know who the enemy is since you''re still alive."


    1184''s lips squirmed a few times, but he shook his head after a while. "That mysterious female assassin just appeared out of nowhere, General Fukuda. It was like she just pierced through space and we were suddenly attacked without noticing anything at all. I didn''t see any of her accomplices, but I did see some dazzling lights in the woods afar, like a reflection¡­ from a sniper rifle''s magnification glass."


    "Piercing through space and appearing out of the blue?" General Fukuda frowned and said, "That''s impossible! If my guess is correct, that one must be an extremely powerful expert. Her speed must be extremely fast and made you see illusions all of a sudden. But you must have seen her appearance since you don''t know who she is, no? Does she have any peculiar characteristics?"


    1184 tried to recall and said, "I don''t know what she looks like since she wore a bronze mask. But I''ve seen her attire before when we fought the Joyous Palace people. Several women wore that kind of attire¡ªa particular kind of long gown and with their hairs on the temples. Oh, I also noticed a black snake pattern on her neckband."


    "A Mistress of the Joyous Palace, huh?"


    Killing intent overflowed in General Fukuda''s eyes. Yet, he kept his disbelief inside. The location of this Gene Camp was extremely secretive and it was being guarded by four armies stationed around it. Only core people knew about it, so he really had no idea how the Joyous Palace people could accurately find it.


    "We cannot delay and wait any longer since they found our home, General." The red-haired man interjected. "We all know that the Joyous Palace is like a time bomb and may explode at any time. Hence, we must get rid of this bomb as soon as possible, else we''ll lose lots of our people."


    General Fukuda nodded in response. Then, he said in a deep voice, "We got a crazy and insolent adversary here. No longer can we endure and tolerate them anymore. Contact Kitagawa and tell him to hurry back. And summon all the genetic warriors to get ready for battle!"


    "Are we going to storm the Joyous Palace, General?" asked the red-haired man quickly.


    "Hmph, the Joyous Palace built their base on an isolated island which is protected by some powerful arrays as well," said General Fukuda with a sneer. "Our losses will be great if we are to attack it rashly, so we can only fish them out and then give them a beating."


    The red-haired looked pensive and then replied, "In this case, we''d better fight hem openly. We''ll threaten them if they''re afraid to go out. Worse comes to worst, we can just use a nuke and directly blast them to smithereens."


    General Fukuda happily nodded and said, "That''s a great idea. If hidden schemes don''t work, then open intrigues could be a powerful weapon to use. Alright, write a letter of challenge and send it to the Joyous Palace Master. Set the time 3 days later and write: We''ll meet at The Moon Gazing Mountain 3 days later."


    "Alright."


    The red-haired man nodded and immediately turned and left.


    ****


    More than 100 nautical miles from Japan was an isolated island shrouded by fog while the radius of several miles from the island had been installed with a lot of surveillance equipment, which made the inhabitants of the island able to spot any approaching ship immediately.


    The Joyous Palace was located on this isolated island, and even a special means had been employed before to make the Japanese people see that this island suddenly sunk into the seabed. It was all camouflage to hide their operations.


    At this time¡­


    Numerous candles were lit inside the spacious secret chamber of the magnificent palace built on the top of the only mountain on the island with a faint scent lingering around the room. Dragon Vanquisher Sage was sitting on a futon while silently cultivating. There was a line of big beds placed around the wall in front of him with a naked woman snoring and sleeping soundly on each bed. It was obvious that these women had just been "ploughed" excessively a while ago.


    Ding¡­


    The ring of the doorbell awakened Dragon Vanquisher Sage from his cultivation.


    Whoosh¡­


    With extremely fast speed, the sage instantly left the secret chamber and looked at the man who respectfully stood outside. Then, he asked him indifferently, "You wouldn''t have come here should there be no major incident. Tell me what happened."


    With a bit of fear evident on his face, the man respectfully replied, "We just received a message, Miyaji. Many of our safe houses in the capital have been completely destroyed by General Fukuda''s men and a total of 42 disciples of our Joyous Palace have been killed."


    Dragon Vanquisher Sage''s complexion changed and the killing intent in his eyes thickened. He took a deep breath and then coldly hummed. "Hmph, that wretch Fukuda really deserves to die. We''ve lost nearly 200 people in just a few days. If it goes on like this, they will completely destroy our Joyous Palace in less than a month. It seems that we can''t endure it anymore!"


    "Are you going to fight a full-blown war with the Gene Camp, Miyaji?" asked the man hurriedly.


    "This war is inevitable," said Dragon Vanquisher Sage. "All these enemies must die if we want to have a solid foothold in Japan. We must exterminate all the Gene Camp as a whole, be it its genetic warriors, ability users, as well as that wretched Fukuda before we truly become the true Master of Japan."


    The man hesitated for a moment and noddingly said, "Since Miyaji has decided so, then this one will summon all the troops immediately. However, we should begin attacking with surprise and sneak attacks and keep nibbling their force. We can fully strike them in an all-out battle after they suffer huge losses."


    "Have you found anything about the nest of that Fukuda bastard?"


    The man shook his head and forced a smile. "Not yet."


    "Trash!"


    Dragon Vanquisher Sage angrily yelled at him. As he was about to turn back to the secret chamber, he suddenly sensed a certain aura approaching. He waved at the man and looked at the female in an aquamarine gown. He furrowed his brows and asked, "You got something, Yuji?"


    "My men just found some special findings, Miyaji. It should be very helpful in our Joyous Palace''s campaign," said Yuji respectfully.


    Dragon Vanquisher Sage was stunned and hurriedly asked, "What exactly did you find?"


    Yuji handed the document to him and said, "This document records the hidden sites secretly arranged by General Fukuda in the capital, even the approximate number of people stationed there has also been marked. I''m willing to lead our members to exterminate these nests of General Fukuda''s men if you permit me."


    A happy smile finally appeared on Dragon Vanquisher Sage''s face after he read the information. He traced his big bald head and said, "You''ve done well, Yuji. It seems my deep love for you was really worth it. I''ll take out and lead our people this time. We''ll make another plan to completely ruin Fukuda and all his genetic warriors once we''ve decimated these nests."


    Having said that, he reached out to grab Yuji and smilingly said, "Take these two bottles of Great Luo Pills as your reward. I hope you can become stronger and better serve me in the future. Wait until we''ve completely massacred our enemies and returned triumphantly. I''ll spend a few days to pamper you then."


    "Thank you, Miyaji."


    Yuji acted like she was happily surprised. After receiving the two porcelain bottles and fiddling with it appreciatively for half a minute, she then reluctantly stuffed them into her sleeves pocket.


    ****


    These recent days were bound to be tumultuous.


    The Master of Joyous Palace personally led his troops consisted of a large number of mysterious experts. The large forces attacked all the revealed sites belonging to the Gene Camp, all of which ended up being washed by their blood. All that was happening drove General Fukuda mad and he vowed to kill Dragon Vanquisher Sage, the Joyous Palace Master.


    Time ticked by and, the next morning, a letter of challenge appeared in front of Joyous Palace Master. After he carefully read the letter, he directly replied in a short comment, "I''ll be there. Make that old vagabond Fukuda clean his neck and wait for my butcher knife."


    ****


    Somewhere in the capital.


    Tang Xiu and all Eminent Monks of the Buddhist Sect had returned and the constant flow of information kept flying in like snowflakes, which was then known to everyone in the waiting. The flow of messages lasted until the evening as the number dwindled.


    That night, Tang Xiu, Blackface Buddha, and the rest were reviewing and redesigning the operation plan and then waited afterward. They were not anxious as it was still 2 days away from the battle between the Joyous Palace Master and General Fukuda camp.


    "Sect Master Tang, would you like me to send a message to my sect to send more hands? I always feel that the people we have now are not enough." Blackface Buddha spoke after putting down the chopsticks in his hands with a hesitant look on his face.


    Tang Xiu drank a cup of wine and smilingly replied, "How is it not enough, though? I think what we have is more than enough, honestly. Let''s just wait until they both suffer a big blow. We''ll shock them when we enter the stage later."


    Blackface Buddha looked somewhat helpless and nodded. "Well, Sect Master Tang is sure that we have enough manpower. But please don''t refuse even if I send the Grand Abbot a message and he agrees to send more people to support us. I won''t say anything more if he thinks we can deal with the issue here."


    "I see. You can send a message to the Grand Abbot about the situation here if you don''t feel at ease, Blackface Buddha." Tang Xiu nodded. "But please keep in mind not to do anything that could expose us!"

 1182 Preparation Before the Battle

    The hazy distant mountains were as though covered with a thin layer of muslin that made it faintly discernible, along with the ethereal clouds that were seemingly neither close nor distant around it. The dark lines in the scenery that separated the blue horizon and the aquamarine sea were as though they had been lightly painted with a paintbrush.


    A closer look at the mountain showed the sea to its east with pasture on its west side, while the northern and southern sides were guarded by the winding and undulating mountain corridor with precipitous rocks and steep forest. Thanks to the vigorous wintry Wintersweet plants and the tenacious tall green bamboos, the mountain still had some spots with lush greeneries even in the cold winter.


    Whoosh¡­


    A cold current lingered in the blowing wind at the mountain summit and, suddenly, a ghostly figure appeared all of a sudden and leaned against the pine tree in the summit. The figure was Tang Xiu. There were faint small beads on the tip of his nose as his intelligent and nimble eyes scanned the surroundings. His mind, however, was wandering and full of the churning contents of spells and arrays.


    It was the place designated to be the battlefield for a full-blown battle between the Joyous Palace and the Gene Camp. He rushed to this place with Tang An after learning its location and then began to lay out a huge array as he arrived. The chief purpose of his coming to Japan was to propel Kuwako to be the most powerful person in Japan and thus, either the Joyous Palace or the Gene Camp would affect his plan. It was then he decided to resort to killings so as to remove all the obstacles and pave the way for Kuwako.


    "Four men are climbing fast about 2km eastward, Grand Master." Tang An emerged out of nowhere and reported in a low voice. "They should be Gene Camp''s genetic warriors."


    Moving like a flash of lightning, Tang Xiu threw a pierce of jade into the ground and covered the traces with soil and leaves. Then, he grabbed Tang An''s wrist and their figures vanished at the same time.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Four figures quickly arrived. Wearing black exercise clothes and a katana on their back, with faces covered by masks, they vigilantly scanned the surroundings unceasingly.


    After a while and not noticing any abnormality, the four people then dashed to the other end.


    "What a cautious and careful bunch."


    Tang Xiu slightly sneered after he and Tang An reappeared again.


    Tang An''s expression, however, was solemn as she whispered, "It''s very likely both the Joyous Palace and the Gene Camp have been truly stimulated by us, Grand Master. I can tell that their next battle should be quite serious."


    "Yeah, else my painstaking efforts of laying out this huge array would''ve been for naught should they just sit their asses off," commented Tang Xiu.


    "But¡­ do you really not need us to come with you on the day of the fight, though?" asked Tang An hesitantly. "I''m afraid they would cease fighting once both of them suffer huge blows."


    "Ah, you never participated in the battle between cultivators, An. You have no idea about the scene where huge crowds of people kill each other at all times. It''s extremely bloody, brutal and literally won''t end easily. No matter which side shows any fear, they will immediately be in a weak position, and what greets them afterward is a crazy pursuit from their adversary. What do you think is the most important issue in a large-scale war between cultivators?" Tang Xiu chuckled.


    "Strength?" Tang An hesitated for a moment and probed.


    "Strength is but only a minor factor. The most important thing is momentum." Tang Xiu shook his head and smilingly explained, "Individual prowess does have its own role in large-scale wars, yet it''s significance in the overall picture of the war isn''t as big as you might think. To make it clearer, let''s make you the comparison. You''re now a Golden Core cultivator, but do you have the confidence to win against tens, hundreds, or even thousands of Foundation Establishment experts?"


    "This¡­ I''m not confident about that." Tang An shook her head.


    "True powerhouses may be able to escape, but the weaker ones wouldn''t have that luxury." Tang Xiu went on with a smile, "The momentum of any side will weaken once their powerhouses begin to run. The rest will lose their fighting spirit, leading to a drop in their combat power."


    Having said that, he took out the prepared shovel from the interspatial ring and dug a six-and-a-half-meter wide and two-meters deep pit next to the pine tree. After putting six fist-sized jades into the pit, he covered the pit with soil and erased all traces as he clapped and said, "Well, the array is done and this pine will be its core. When both sides finally battle, they will be trapped inside the array once I activate it."


    Tang An, who really admired Tang Xiu''s knowledge and mastery in arrays, nodded and said, "Are we going back now, Grand Master?"


    "Let''s go back!"


    Tang Xiu calmly smiled and grabbed her wrist again.


    ****


    The next day finally came.


    Thousands of genetic warriors from the Gene Camp along with hundreds of cultivators occupied a side of the mountain peak under General Fukuda''s leadership. The radius of several kilometers around the entire camp was under tight surveillance by a lot of genetic warriors with hidden and open guard posts literally everywhere around the camp.


    As dusk came, a large number of Buddhist cultivators from the Joyous Palace also arrived under the leadership of the Joyous Palace Master, Dragon Vanquisher Sage. Descended with him on the other side of the mountain were tens of detection experts, whereas 500 Buddhist cultivators of the palace marched forward to approach the Gene Camp''s encampment.


    After an hour, both sides began to engage in minor skirmishes, resulting in some casualties and injuries for both sides. Eventually, Gene Camp''s genetic warriors retreated toward the mountain.


    "When are we going to start, Miyaji?"


    Yuji, who had been following Dragon Vanquisher Sage, used binoculars to observe the area with those waving banners two kilometers away. Murderous intent could be seen flickering in her eyes unceasingly.


    The sage himself was very happy with Yuji in recent days since he found that she, who he never felt optimistic toward before, turned out to be the most competent person under him now. After gently patting her shoulder, he said, "No rush. Victory will be in our grasp if we know ourselves and the enemies. I need to figure out how much strength that Fukuda vagabond has along with the power possessed by his Gene Camp."


    "Ah, how do you figure it out, though?" asked Yuji in surprise.


    Dragon Vanquisher Sage let out a faint smile and pulled 3 black flags from his waist. After chanting a weird mantra, invisible winds gathered from all directions in an image of a bizarre chimera that came out above the three flags. The chimera had a tiger''s head and a horn, yet with a dog''s ears and a dragon body, a lion''s tail, and a Qilin''s hooves. To the many core members and executives of the Joyous Palace, this chimera looked like a dragon, a tiger, a lion, a dog, and a Qilin, yet it was neither.


    In but a few seconds after, however, the phantoms that appeared atop the black flags were covered by the flags as the wind condensed and gradually disappeared into the jungle.


    "The battle today is an all-out one. How much power our Joyous Palace needs to unleash will depend on how much power that damn Fukuda has," Dragon Vanquisher Sage clapped and happily said with a smile.


    "What were those flags you just took out, Miyaji?" Yuji''s eyes flickered and she asked with a still expression, "Can you use them to figure out the enemy''s power?"


    "You have never heard of ''the Truth Listener''?" asked Dragon Vanquisher Sage.


    "No, never heard of it before." Yuji shook her head.


    A mysterious golden-masked man in a black cloak on the other side of the sage suddenly interjected and explained slowly, "In the legend, that term belongs to the spirit beast under the sacred Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva or Guardian of the Earth which can recognize everything in the world by listening, especially listening to people''s heart. In the mythical fairy tale of Journey to the West, one of the four famous masterpieces is devoted to the story of Sun Wukong when distinguishing true and false. But it''s just that, a legend in which you must take a grain of salt whether you can take it seriously or not."


    Dragon Vanquisher Sage happily nodded and looked at Yuji, saying, "Your contributions this time is remarkable, avoiding the Joyous Palace to be taken advantage of by the Gene Camp''s people, which makes you qualified to know some deeper things These Truth Listener Flags were said to be a magical weapon belonging to a certain Eminent Monk before. It may not be as magical as the Truth Listener told in the legends, per se, but it indeed has a function to monitor some areas in this world while being invisible. Thus, it can be used to monitor the number of the enemy as well as their strengths."


    Yuji quickly understood, but a look of worry, nonetheless, flashed across her face. Although she had no idea about the details of Tang Xiu''s plan, she was sincerely worried that his plan would be disrupted. If by chance, the Joyous Palace defeated the enemy easily with light casualties, such a situation would make things more difficult for Tang Xiu to destroy the Joyous Palace.


    "Dammit!"


    During the time Yuji was worrying about it, she suddenly heard Dragon Vanquisher Sage curse something with an ashen face.


    "What happened?" asked the mysterious golden-masked man hurriedly.


    The killing intent in the eyes of Dragon Vanquisher Sage looked as though it was nearly solidified as he clenched his fists tightly and said in a fierce tone, "I didn''t expect the Gene Camp to boast such a powerful force, neither did I think that he has a group of cultivators with him. I''m not afraid of them, of course. But those bastards are around him¡­ the traitors of the Joyous Palace!"


    "Traitors? Who are they?" blurted out the golden-masked man with thick killing intent.


    "That bottom place of 72 Chess Pieces, Ki Kitagawa and the 36th rank, Aka Hidari. I have no idea how these two bastards managed to entice more than 100 of the Joyous Palace''s backbone disciples!"


    The mysterious golden-masked man coldly interjected, "Those two will be my first targets once the battle begins, Miyaji!"


    Dragon Vanquisher Sage gritted his teeth and said, "I''ll give them to you, but do give your best shot to kill them! They must know what fate they will end up in for betraying me."


    "But why should Miyaji be so troubled with them? Just activate the restriction seal you''ve cast on them and directly kill them since they''ve decided to betray you. I think their inexplicable tragic deaths will create chaos in the midst of Gene Camp and strike their morale."


    Dragon Vanquisher Sage was silent for half a minute and then shook his head with an ashen face. "I have no idea what means they have used. They have broken the restriction seal I cast on them without me being able to detect it. No wonder, huh. No wonder they dare betray me! It turns out that they are now out of my control."


    "How can that be?!!" Yuji blurted out in alarm. "The seal Palace Master has cast on your subordinates is not a joke. It cannot be undone at all. Didn''t you say that no one else but you can undo that seal in this world?"


    "SHUT UP!!!"


    Dragon Vanquisher Sage turned furious and shouted fiercely.

 1183 Open War

    Yuji deliberately acted fearfully and paced back two steps, staying silent and trembling with fear.


    She already knew that Kitagawa had broken free of Dragon Vanquisher Sage''s control. She even knew more about other things than the monk, though she couldn''t just blurt it out now. The reason why she spoke like that was intentional, to estrange the monks from the rest of the Joyous Palace experts around him.


    It must be noted that Dragon Vanquisher Sage had cast the same seal on all the core executives of Joyous Palace, placing their lives under this monk''s control. If they knew that there were means to undo that seal and free them from the monk''s control, it was very likely for them to have other thoughts in mind.


    Dragon Vanquisher Sage shot a look at the mysterious golden-masked man and said in a cold voice, "You had better be able to reap the lives of Kitagawa and Hidari after the battle begins. I must squeeze out the method they used to undo my seal from them!"


    "Understood!" the masked man replied directly, but a surprised expression flashed in his eyes.


    10 minutes later.


    Dragon Vanquisher Sage''s expression looked more sullen, but he was secretly relieved inwardly. He had fully figured out the number and overall strengths of the enemy through the Truth Listener Flags. Although the enemy''s number was in the thousands with many strong experts, his Joyous Palace still had more experts than them and thus, exterminating the enemy was still achievable.


    Nonetheless, his side would also suffer huge losses after they had General Fukuda and his force decimated. It would be very difficult to return to their peak without spending a decade or so.


    ''The answer is, killing! Besides, two tigers cannot live in the same mountain. Since exterminating General Fukuda and his Gene Camp is inevitable for my Joyous Palace to survive in Japan, then it shall be done. The loss may be bigger this time, but I''ll become the facto sovereign of Japan later. Even if¡­ both the military and government dare not comply, I''ll just kill them and replace them.'' The monk silently thought in his head.


    At this time.


    Both Dragon Vanquisher Sage and General Fukuda issued orders at the same time and dispatched sneak-attack experts to the frontline. And thus, the game of life-and-death in this forested mountain officially started.


    Yuji was leading tens of her trusted maids as they took a detour to the mountainside. Although the sage ordered her to sneak into the Gene Camp, she didn''t obey that order and quickly rushed down the mountain under the strange gaze of her maids.


    "Master, are we going to disobey Palace Master''s command by going down the mountain now?" a beautiful woman finally couldn''t help but ask.


    Yuji halted her ace and shot a look at the tens of maids who were neatly lined up before her. Then, she said in a deep voice, "You''re my people who I have raised and trained since childhood. Now I''m asking you something. Do you want to pledge your loyalty to me, or to Palace Master?"


    "We''re loyal to you, Master!"


    The tens of maids faintly realized something and answered in unison.


    "Since you chose to side with me, then we have nothing to do with this battle now." Yuji nodded happily and said, "Also, do remember that we''re no longer the Joyous Palace people from now on. We have to withdraw fast right away since we have other missions to accomplish."


    "This¡­"


    These maids were shocked, but they believed in Yuji. After exchanging quick glances, they rushed behind Yuji towards the mountain foot.


    ****


    At the Gene Camp.


    Ki Kitagawa was sitting cross-legged in his tent. Large drops of sweat trickled down his forehead, leaving a sheen his face. The veins on his temples wriggled as though they were worms while a white mist lingered above his head.


    Puah¡­


    He coughed up a mouthful of blood crazily and instantly opened his eyes. With a furious look flashed in his eyes, he quickly grabbed his chest and muttered to himself, "I can easily remove the seal of that Joyous Palace old bald ass, yet I''m helpless to crack the seal of that Tang asshole. It seems like I really have to follow all his orders since he has my life under control."


    Immediately after, he took out a roll of fabrics from his sleeves arm and quickly wiped the blood on his lips. After adjusting his condition and breath for a few minutes, he floated up and appeared outside the tent. He swept over the surrounding with chilling eyes and a frosty look and found that most of his trusted men had disappeared, replaced by some strange and unfamiliar faces standing nearby. From these stranger''s eyes who glanced at him once in a while, he realized that they were sent by General Fukuda to monitor him.


    Don''t blame me for your own heartlessness and unkindness, Fukuda. I''ve never coveted anything from you. Everything I do is to live on.


    The thought crossed his mind and he shouted loudly, "Jun Yuchu, come here!"


    From a nearby spot, a hunchbacked middle-aged man with a pale face quickly ran to Kitagawa and said with one knee on the ground, "What''s your instruction for this one, Sir Kitagawa?"


    "Where''s General Fukuda? I must see him," Kitagawa asked in a deep voice.


    "Those Joyous Palace vagabonds have begun attacking us, so General Fukuda led a troop of experts to rush over. Calculating the time, they should be fighting them at this moment," answered Jun Yuchu quickly.


    With eyes lit up, Kitagawa inquired. "What about the Black-robed Guards?"


    The humpbacked middle-aged man looked anxious and replied, "General Fukuda took all of them. Everyone else except for me has rushed to the battle for the Gene Camp''s victory."


    Kitagawa was so resentful inwardly. He knew why General Fukuda only left Jun Yuchu with him. That man definitely believed that Jun was just a weak hunchback, so he might as well leave Jun to him. But those Black-robed Guards were his trusted men. He took them all so he could order his men to charge through the enemy lines. That man would never care even if they were all dead!


    "Have you been successful in condensing your Buddhist Sarira, Jun?"


    The hunchbacked middle-aged man''s expression slightly changed. He quickly glanced at the tens of people around and respectfully said, "I''ve completed it 2 years ago."


    Kitagawa happily nodded. He unsheathed the long katana on his back and instantly bolted to the two genetic warriors a little more than 10 meters away. The blade slashed forward and directly beheaded those two genetic warriors who didn''t react fast enough.


    "No need to hide anymore since you''ve completed it, Jun! Let''s kill them all and leave." Kitagawa fiercely shouted.


    The hunchbacked middle-aged man quickly flashed to another direction several meters away like light smoke. Several objects that were instantly shot from him instantly pierced and ripped the throats of three genetic warriors directly.


    The slaughter was carried out in an extremely fast manner. The duo killed a total of 46 genetic warriors in just 2 minutes.


    The hunchbacked man wiped the blood on his machete before he came to Kitagawa''s front and respectfully asked, "What do we do next, Sir Kitagawa?"


    Kitagawa glanced around and, after making sure there were no living people left in the surroundings, he coldly said, "General Fukuda has begun to distrust me, so we no longer need to stay here anymore. He''s a heartless man and I''m not that better than him either. He and I are the same breed. Pity I have no means to save those Black-robed Guards he took with him to their deaths, though. Let''s leave! We''ll hike down the mountain to carry out other missions somewhere else."


    "Other missions? We still have other missions?" asked the hunchbacked man in surprise.


    A hint of helplessness flitted across Kitagawa''s face as he nodded. "There is, in fact, another fearsome force in Japan. This force is no way worse than the Joyous Palace and the Gene Camp. The battle between these two parties now was due to their machinations as well. And now we are taking orders from them to preserve our lives."


    A horrified look appeared on the hunchbacked man''s face. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever expect that a third cultivation force existed in Japan. He had been serving under Kitagawa for decades and knew the man inside out. A fearless man who had never been afraid of anything now had a hint of helplessness when he mentioned that force. He could also sense a bit of fear in his voice, which made him secretly shocked.


    ****


    Up ahead in the mountain top.


    Tang Xiu calmly stood in silence atop the pine tree while watching members of the Joyous Palace and combatants from the Gene Camp appear. He had activated the Invisibility Charm, completely restrained his aura, and even closed off the pores all over his body. Shortly put, he no longer produced any fluctuation of energy exchange. That was the reason nobody from both sides was able to detect him.


    "KILL¡­"


    "KILL¡­"


    Then¡­ the sight of thousands of experts going berserk and crazily engaging in fights filled the mountains. The intensity of the battle was so insane that it was out of the average people''s imagination.


    Buzz¡­


    Buzz¡­


    Buzz¡­


    Coming from three directions, three spiritual senses rapidly transmitted to Japan. A few breaths were spent as these three perceptions scanned the whole mountain and "watched" the battle there. Obviously, some super-powerful experts from other countries sent their spiritual senses to watch it.


    ****


    The United States of America.


    In an unusual separated pavilion in San Francisco, an old man, who was covered in black fog that made his figure faintly discernible, was facing a glittering crystal ball that emitted out soft white light, which he kept injecting the black fog into.


    Whoosh¡­


    A figure flickered and bolted like lightning from afar and appeared in front of the old man in less than a minute. Eyes filled with intense shock, he directly knelt on the floor and quietly waited.


    "That''s quite an interesting sight."


    The black mist-covered old man opened his eyes and spoke with a contemptuous smile. The moment he opened them, it was like a dazzling substance burst out and shot the floor in front of him, creating a 2m wide and half-meter-deep dark pit.


    The Caucasian man who knelt there suddenly looked up and asked, "What exactly happened, Grand Wizard?"


    The old man shook his head and smilingly said, "A flock of ants is fighting each other, but two of those ants are quite remarkable¡­ for ants."


    "A battle? Where is it?" asked the Caucasian man hurriedly. "And who are they? Would you like me to head over there immediately? You told us before to rush to any large-scale battle if possible since we can benefit from it."

 1184 Who Are They?

    The old man let out a slight contempt while sitting cross-legged and shaking his head. "I only know it''s happening in Japan, but I have no idea who they are. Just forget it and don''t meddle on this one as it''s way too far. Besides, they are just insignificant nobodies and likely won''t get far. No matter how hard they secretly go against the sky, they''ll never be able to break through the shackles."


    "But¡­" The Caucasian man hesitated and argued. "We may be able to get some profits since that battle in Japan is a large-scale one!"


    The old man gently raised his arm and suddenly, a torrential column of black mist hit the man. He then coldly snorted with a bit of killing intent in his voice. "You dare to disobey me?"


    "I don''t dare!"


    The Caucasian man was sent flying several meters backward and heavily slammed on the wall. He immediately got up and knelt before the old man and left quickly after knocking his head respectfully.


    While looking at the back of the departed man, the contempt on the old man''s expression turned thicker. He indeed had issued the order to head over to any large-scale battle anywhere as they could then act to reap the benefits without much sweat after both sides mutually suffered heavy blows.


    However, he had broken through that barrier and now possessed enormous power far from the imagination of any practitioner. Why would he bother about such profits anymore?


    ****


    India, in the pyramid in the midst of a jungle.


    A barefooted old man with a naked upper body and seemingly in the declining age moved his shaking legs as a strange expression painted his fully wrinkled face.


    "Interesting! I never thought there were so many cultivators in Japan before. Judging from the course of the battle, those Buddhist cultivators should win, no? But¡­ aren''t they from China''s Buddhist Sect? Don''t tell me¡­ these Buddhist cultivators have fallen into the demonic path?!


    "But the fight of these small fries has nothing to do with me no matter who they are. The most urgent thing for me now is to find that space channel early. I only have 120 years left to live. If I can''t find it and am unable to reach the realm where those Deities reside, it''s likely that I''ll vanish in this world."


    The barefooted old man''s body suddenly trembled and burst out a violent aura. His spiritual sense that covered the sky suddenly clashed with the other two spiritual senses.


    Puah¡­


    The old man spurted out a mouthful of blood crazily, but his trembling body instantly stood straight and shouted, "I''ll step on you both sooner or later, two old geezers!"


    ****


    China.


    In a certain part of the Qilian mountain range in Qinghai Province, an old lady in a linen coat and a headscarf was lying on a bamboo chair in the thatched cottage, while lines of energy flowing around her were constantly fluctuating.


    Outside the thatched cottage, nine long-haired young girls in white dresses seemed to have sensed the energy fluctuation from the thatched cottage and came floating from afar and neatly stood in a row.


    The figure of the linen-robed lady suddenly shook and she instantly stood straight. As she opened her arms, her thin fingers that were like the split image of dragon claws were exposed. A hoarse voice then came out of her mouth as she spoke. "This ancient one is only responsible for sheltering China and has nothing to do with the battle between those creatures in Japan. You can go there to meddle in if you see things that interest you. But remember, I''ll be waiting for you 13 years later in that Arctic glacier."


    Her words were clearly heard, be it by the black mist-shrouded old man in America or the other one under the pyramid.


    In that instant, the other two spiritual senses retreated fast like a tidal wave.


    The linen-robed old lay floated out the thatched cottage and looked up at Japan''s direction. A smile sketched on the corner of her mouth as she muttered, "It''s just unfortunate that you''re all still too young. You all may be talented and your cultivation speed is far above the average humans, yet it will be quite hard for you to break through the Crossing Tribulation Realm in 13 years later, nonetheless. But you''ve always wanted to roam around, so just do that!"


    The moment after, she retracted back her spiritual sense and shifted her attention to the nine women standing in front, slowly saying, "Children, I''ve peeped into your colorful fate and destiny from the heaven ever since you were born. Although I wasn''t able to fully understand the former happenings in your past life, I think you''ll be brought by fate to him. He has been roaming around and made some achievements, so it''s time for you to leave."


    "Grandmother."


    The nine girls in white knelt with reluctance evident in their bright black eyes as translucent tears trickled down on their beautiful faces.


    The old lady calmly continued, "The beginning and the end of karma is sometimes like dreams within dreams that lead to all cases. I''m not clear about your fate and neither can I scry into your sea of mind and that world covered by the darkness. That''s why you need to leave now and seek it for yourself now. Off you go, Children!"


    The woman in the middle raised her arm to wipe the tears on her face and respectfully asked, "Where should we go to find him, Grandma?"


    "I''ve never been able to divine him nor can I control the course of his fate. He''s in Japan now, but if my conjecture is correct, he''ll leave that place a few days later, so you all need to find him yourselves." The old lady shook her head.


    That girl then asked again, "Could you pinpoint us the range, Grandma?"


    "As always, you''re the most high-spirited, Zhong Ling dear." The old lady couldn''t help but chuckle and said, "You''ve been following this ancient one for decades and knows my temperament clearly. Alright, alright. It would be rather hard for you to wander around without a clear destination, so go to Star City! It''s the place where he was born and grew up. It''s his root, after all."


    Star City?


    The nine girls etched the name and at the same time, kowtowed to the old lady and knocked their heads thrice.


    "We''re leaving, Grandma."


    The nine girls spoke in unison with reminiscent eyes and reluctance on their faces. While harboring these feelings, they flew southward to the southern side of Qilian Mountain to the small Qilian County.


    ****


    Back to Japan.


    At the summit of the mountain, Tang Xiu was still standing atop the pine tree with a tense feeling. He could sense those three super-powerful spiritual senses. He could even tell the position of the three people who transmitted their perceptions to this place. They were absolutely not in Japan but from some faraway countries.


    These spiritual senses are neither Ji Chimei''s or Yan''er''s.


    He was very familiar with their spiritual senses, so he was sure now that there were also three more super-powerful experts on Earth aside from Ji Chimei and Gu Yan''er. It was very likely that their cultivation level was far beyond the Spirit Formation Stage.


    Who exactly are they?


    Tang Xiu originally decided to carry out major actions to begin gathering cultivation resources on Earth extensively. It wasn''t only to strengthen himself but also for those tens of thousands of people under him. But he instantly changed his decision due to the emergence of these three divine senses.


    Staying low-key and forbearance were a must before he could figure out the owners of those three divine senses. He couldn''t just easily expose himself for it would be inviting troublesome issues otherwise.


    His attention then shifted to the battle scene that was getting bloodier and more brutal. He no longer gave it more attention as he was eager to find out from where and who had sent those three divine senses were. Therefore, after watching the battle, he floated down and unleashed a strike with his sword. The sword beam slashed down like a lightning bolt and split the pine tree into halves as the felled tree fell next to its trunk.


    Time passed and the intense battle on this mountain peak between the Joyous Palace and the Gene Camp had lasted for three hours, resulting in dreadful destruction to the surroundings. The battle of these thousands of people itself kept sending a number of souls to depart this world in nearly each second and dying this part of mountain peak red with their blood.


    "Keep slaughtering them!"


    Dragon Vanquisher Sage''s eyes had practically turned bloodshot due to the killings. In these three hours, he had killed at least 500 genetic warriors and severely injured tens of cultivators, as well as clashed with General Fukuda several times. He did gain the upper hands every time they clashed and was able to injure General Fukuda, yet he had no means to kill him.


    Suddenly, he noticed that General Fukuda was rushing at him again and crazily brandished his long spear at him. It took only the blink of an eye for the man to dash and appear right before his eyes.


    "You court your death, Fukuda geezer!"


    Dragon Vanquisher Sage furiously roared and instantly blasted out the monk staff in his hand. In that instant, it clashed with the long spear for hundreds of times in but a moment. Right as he was able to suppress General Fukuda, his eyes suddenly caught a dazzling ray that kept enlarging and eventually forming a sword tip in a hundredth of a second.


    "DAMMIT!"


    Dragon Vanquisher Sage''s expression enormously changed and instantly avoided the surprise strike of that particular sword. But the moment after, General Fukuda''s long spear struck his back and tore open a bleeding wound on it. Right as he blasted out his power, however, the owner of that sword appeared like a shadow in his left rear.


    Puff¡­


    The sword stabbed the monk''s left arm, but the middle-aged man in a black suit was also hit by several silver needles flicked by Dragon Vanquisher Sage.


    The man also lost his eyes and another silver needle pierced through his throat.


    Dragon Vanquisher Sage suppressed the pain from his wound and slammed his staff to the man''s chest the moment he screamed and tried to retreat, causing him to spray out a mouthful of blood. His body was sent flying backward as he heavily fell on the ground and died.


    "DAMN YOU!"


    It was now General Fukuda who flew into a rage. He instantly took out a tube of dark blue gene agent, pulled the cork and drank it.


    ROAR¡­


    In just a few seconds, the General''s body suddenly enlarged and transformed. His original 1.85m height now turned to 1.9m, while his muscles, in particular, looked a bit thinner but, nonetheless, made him look extraordinarily strong and sturdy.


    "Psycho Demon Spear!"


    The long spear in his hand bolted away instantly and created layers of spear shadows which seeemingly moved chaotically, yet tightly sealed the surrounding area mid-air.

 1185 Steamrolling Strike

    The killing aura of Dragon Vanquisher Sage was as though materialized. He turned as though a phantom and demonic-like monk who just crawled out of hell. While beating the small drum he took out, he blasted the sound wave energy that rapidly erupted in all directions.


    The space in the sky wherein the spear shadows were lingering around was distorted as numerous rampaging violent gales struck, greatly reducing General Fukuda''s striking power.


    "KILL!"


    The sage spat out a Buddhist Golden Sarira and shot it at General Fukuda''s chest. The Sarira cracked and its luster turned dim right as it hit General Fukuda, but the latter coughed up a blood mist and was sent flying backward.


    However, Dragon Vanquisher Sage himself paid a heavy price at this moment. The overlapping spear shadows may have been rapidly dissipated, but some of them managed to hit him. Along with the scattering blood mist, the monk turned into a fully bloodied figurine.


    "EXPLODE!"


    The snare drum in his had instantly chased General Fukuda and exploded a few meters away from him. The world felt like it was going to collapse due to the fearsome explosion wave while the enormous energy vortex smashed General Fukuda into pieces.


    Puah¡­ cough, cough¡­


    Dragon Vanquisher Sage himself was sent flying backward more than 100 meters and slammed into the mountain wall. Instantly, several experts on par with Golden Core Stage experts quickly appeared around him, one of whom took out a porcelain bottle and took out a miraculous pill and stuffed it into the sage''s mouth. Finally, the monk''s chaotic aura gradually calmed down.


    "Keep killing them! Be sure to exterminate everyone from the Gene Camp!" Dragon Vanquisher Sage coughed up two mouthfuls of blood again and ordered with dim eyes.


    "Understood!"


    Only a few of the Joyous Palace experts stayed with the monk as the rest were rushed toward the genetic warriors in the surroundings.


    Slaughter then commenced.


    Amid the killings, the Joyous Palace members kept shouting "General Fukuda is dead" and the course of the battle turned into a one-sided massacre. Less than 800 people remaining from the Gene Camp desperately fought back and attempted to flee. However, the Joyous Palace experts were much stronger and faster than many of them, causing the Gene Camp''s genetic warriors to lose their morale, resulting in the faster speed of their own extermination and the deaths of several hundreds of them in just a few minutes.


    "Use Thunderstorm!"


    Suddenly, a genetic warrior halted his pace with a decisive look on his face. He instantly tore his coat and grabbed a fist-sized black metal ball from his waist.


    "Thunderstorm."


    "Thunderstorm."


    "Thunderstorm."


    "..."


    A total of 18 people halted and shouted fiercely as each took the same fist-sized black metal balls and then stormed over towards the Joyous Palace experts.


    A series of powerful blasts instantly engulfed everything 100 meters around them. Using their lives to pay for the actions, these 18 people resorted to using the Gene Camp''s lethal killing weapon and were successful in bringing down more than 100 people from Joyous Palace to be buried with them. Only those who were at least at the Golden Core Stage level were barely able to save their own lives, but with very severe injuries.


    At the summit, Tang Xiu dashed from under the remaining half of the pine tree which was previously a dozen meters tall. Even the remaining trunk had also been torn.


    "It''s time."


    He instantly unleashed the divine sword which bolted away and killed all the Joyous Palace members in the tens of meters radius instantly. While releasing an enormous amount Primal Chaos energy, he instantly activated the jades he installed around the pine tree as the crux of the array. Along with the injection of his Primal Chaos energy, the array he had set up and covered more than a 10km radius was now fully activated.


    "Heavenly Coil¡ªactivate!"


    His figure then vanished from many people''s eyes, but the rest of them, be them from the Joyous Palace or the Gene Camp, could sense the changes in the flow of energy at the moment.


    Halfway up the mountain, Dragon Mountain Sage''s expression enormously changed all of a sudden. He could sense the changes in the energy flow of the world in the surroundings. Despite being seriously injured, he abruptly jumped up and shouted, "All the disciples of Joyous Palace, heed my order! Stop chasing the enemy and immediately move to my position!"


    "What?!"


    All the members of Joyous Palace in the radius of several kilometers shifted their sight to Dragon Vanquisher Sage''s position with an incredulous look. Never once they ever thought that the Palace Master would issue such an order when they were about to completely decimate the Gene Camp.


    WHY?


    The big question mark popped out in their mind. After the fast communication with their comrades in the surroundings, they finally chose to obey the command and passed the order to the rest of them around, and then quickly dashed toward Dragon Vanquisher Sage''s position.


    Many genetic warriors immediately felt relieved upon noticing that their powerful enemies from Joyous Palace were no longer pursuing them. They no longer wanted to stay on the battlefield anymore now that General Fukuda had died. Saving their own lives was the most correct choice at this time for them.


    BANG, BANG, BANG¡­


    Just as they were about to dash to the foot of the mountain, they suddenly slammed into a layer of energy shield. The energy shield''s overlapping layers rippled as they hit it, thoroughly shaking them to the core. It was such a bizarre situation they had never encountered since they never knew the existence of arrays, to begin with.


    Back to the halfway up the mountain, Yukiji''s eyes glanced at the surrounding with a shocked face. Then, she quickly ran toward Dragon Vanquisher Sage and quickly reported. "Someone must have arranged a huge array here and we''re now trapped within it, Miyaji!"


    The sage''s face was extremely solemn as he nodded. "That''s right, someone has arranged this array even before we''ve arrived here. But I''m sure the person who set this up is absolutely not General Fukuda or anyone else from the Gene Camp. That geezer is now dead and nobody among those genetic warriors has this ability."


    "Then who could it be, Miyaji?" Yukiji asked hurriedly. "Our only enemy is the Gene Camp."


    Dragon Vanquisher Sage tried hard to force himself to calm down. A series of suspicions then crossed his mind and he kept rejecting each suspicion one after another.


    Suddenly, he turned to glance around and shouted aloud, "Where''s Yuji?"


    Yukiji shook her head and said, "I didn''t see her anymore since the battle began, Miyaji. You¡­"


    The sage fiercely said, "I previously gave an order to catch that Yamamoto Matriarch, Kuwako. Who took the mission first? Was it Yuji?"


    "That''s right. She took it first." Yukiji nodded. "But then we were engaged in skirmishes with the Gene Camp, so we cast this issue aside. I¡­ damn. I remember what those people said before they fled. They said the backer behind Kuwako Yamamoto is some cultivator from China. Could it be that the one who set up this array here is a Chinese cultivator?"


    PA¡­


    Dragon Vanquisher Sage slapped her hard, causing her to draw back staggeringly for several meters. He then dashed to her instantly and grabbed her clothes, shouting, "Why the hell didn''t you report it to me when those Chinese cultivators appeared here?!"


    Yukiji covered her check and hurriedly said, "I thought they were just nobodies, so there was no need to report it to you, Miyaji. Besides, the enemy we were facing then was the Gene Camp, so I intended to delay the report to give a lesson to Kuwako Yamamoto and the people behind her to you. I thought it was better done after we''ve rooted out General Fukuda and his Gene Camp."


    "IDIOT!!!"


    Dragon Vanquisher Sage hurled a curse at her. The others had no idea how powerful Chinese cultivators were, but he was well aware of it inside out. If he were to compare which side was more powerful between the Buddhist and Daoist schools, he would, without hesitation, choose the latter as the more powerful one.


    Why would he say that? It was because there was only one Buddhist Sect in China, whereas there was more than one Daoist school. Not to mention the the rest from those clans and some loose cultivators. The number was just too many to count.


    "Amitabha¡­"


    A large bell-like voice came from afar and 18 figures flickered and moved lightning-fast and quickly appeared in front of the Joyous Palace members.


    Dragon Venerable Sage''s pupils shrunk with disbelief. His Joyous Palace disciples were also Buddhist cultivators, but they would never utter that particular word! With the several top executives of Joyous Palace around him, the sage finally appeared in front of the 18 Eminent Monks of the Buddhist Sect, but his lips couldn''t help but twitch a few times and some fear even appeared on his face.


    Blackface Buddha and Jade Buddha?!


    He was familiar with these 18 people in front and remembered each and every one of them clearly. These 18 people were born in the same era as him and they used to be rivals. Never did it occur to him that he would run into all 18 of them in Japan, of all places.


    Blackface Buddha grabbed his staff and coldly stared daggers at Dragon Vanquisher Sage, saying, "This poor monk was rather shocked and felt strange the moment I heard the Joyous Sect reemerged in Japan. I first thought who could that powerful figure be that escaped the previous purge. I didn''t expect that you''re not dead yet, Dragon Vanquisher. You even still indulge yourself in mundane desires and meddle in everything in Japan. No matter what, this monk must kill you to cleanse the Buddhist Sect from undesired elements today."


    Dragon Vanquisher Sage paced half a step backward and indignantly yelled, "You killed 9 Martial Brothers and 4 Uncle Masters of mine before and you made me struggle for life for months due to serious injuries you gave me, Blackface Buddha. Is that punishment still not enough for you?"


    "The cultivation art you''ve been practicing was originally tolerable as it was only to follow the steps the unrestrained Joyous Buddha so you can have a partner for pair cultivation. Yet, your Joyous Sect went ashtray and committed shameful deeds left and right in order to make yourselves stronger. You even went so far to rob and ravish women and fell from grace due to your own evil deeds. Because of you, our Buddhist Sect became notorious and has been living in seclusion in the deep mountains with little contact with the outside world, reluctant and not daring to publicize our Buddhism teaching. This sin and disgrace must be washed up clean with the blood of all you. And today, you and everyone from the Joyous Palace must die for you must pay the deeply grievous price!"

 1186 He Must Be Punished Due to His Hear

    "The Joyous Sect has paid a terrible price for all that with nearly all the lives of our disciples then!" Dragon Vanquisher Sage indignantly shouted. "I ran away and never dared to return to China. Not even an inch to step on the mainland and never harmed any Chinese, either. Is all that not enough for you?"


    Blackface Buddha, Jade Buddha, and the rest looked at each other with pensive looks. They were not psycho mass murderer, to begin with. Even Blackface Buddha who had killed countless people and acted as the leader of Buddhist Sect''s Discipline and Punishment Hall still had pity and mercy due to the Buddhism teaching.


    To either Daoist or Buddhist cultivators, killings were just a solution to solve some risk factors they faced. What they cared about was the lives of Chinese people. They may have the same respect for the lives of these Japanese, but it wasn''t as special as the former.


    Back in the past in that turbulent and tumultuous dark times, each and every one of them left the sect and launched a crazy massacre against those Japanese who invaded China, and thus, the cause of the deep loathing toward this country. Still, they also had a conscience and were well aware of this matter as was Dragon Vanquisher Sage.


    Therefore, hesitation struck the hearts of Buddhist experts at this moment.


    Whoosh¡­


    A figure flickered and approached lightning-fast from afar. When the person appeared in front of Blackface Buddha''s 18 Eminent Monks, all the monks respectfully saluted him.


    Dragon Vanquisher Sage was stunned. He knew the identity of Blackface Buddha and his team. Hence, he really couldn''t understand why they bowed to this young man despite being a few centuries older. Further¡­ why did they act so respectful to him?


    Who is he? What abilities does he have to make the 18 Eminent Monks of the Buddhist Sect respect him that much?


    Tang Xiu smilingly nodded to Blackface Buddha and Jade Buddha''s team with his arms crossed behind his back. Then, he slowly turned around to face Dragon Vanquisher Sage and smilingly said, "You''re Dragon Vanquisher Sage, the Master of the Joyous Palace?"


    "I am!" replied Dragon Vanquisher Sage with a solemn face.


    "I''m sure you''ve already guessed that I''m the one responsible for laying out this array." Tang Xiu slightly smiled and said, "Even you must have guessed that I''m the Master behind Kuwako Yamamoto."


    "That''s right. I already guessed all that." Dragon Vanquisher Sage nodded. "Also, I''m sure you''re also the one who pulled the strings for the battle between the Joyous Palace and the Gene Camp. It can be said that I and General Fukuda have fallen to your machination. Am I correct?"


    "I admit that it was mainly my machination that led both parties to this situation." Tang Xiu nodded.


    "Why?" asked Dragon Venerable Sage in a heavy voice while suppressing his anger inwardly.


    "Why?" Tang Xiu slightly smiled and explained, "So that my people can completely control Japan, of course! Be it the Joyous Palace or the Gene Camp, they are just unexpected factors in my plan, that made it more difficult for Kuwako Yamamoto to control the whole of Japan in a short time."


    Looking at Tang Xiu incredulously, Dragon Vanquisher Sage blurted out stupidly, "You''re a cultivator from China¡­ yet you headed to Japan to grab a territory? You¡­ you''re¡­"


    "Heh, cultivation resources on Earth are so very limited." Tang Xiu sneered. "I''ll take possession of Japan or anywhere else in the world as long as the place has cultivation resources. It''s just the way the cultivation path is, for we are always struggling and fighting against the sky, earth and man."


    Dragon Vanquisher Sage fell into silence. He could understand Tang Xiu''s reasoning. Wasn''t the chief reason why he occupied Japan before and then developed his force here in secret also because of cultivation resources?


    Tang Xiu slowly turned around and looked at Blackface Buddha and Jade Buddha and inquisitively asked, "I noticed your hesitation, two Masters. Is your resolution weakening or what?"


    Blackface Buddha exchanged glances with Jade Buddha and the latter wryly smiled, shook his head and sighed. "It is as you said. Dragon Vanquisher Sage may be a renegade of my Buddhist Sect and he''s also committed heinous sins. But he has never stepped on the mainland over the years, nor has he harmed any Chinese person or the Buddhist Sect. So¡­"


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and noddingly said, "I do approve the wisdom of Buddhist way that those who repent and reform can become a Buddha immediately. He did get his punishment and paid the price for his past sins. But now I ask you, can you spare him if he''s willing to put down the butcher knife?"


    "This¡­" Blackface Buddha and Jade Buddha looked at each other with hesitant looks.


    Dragon Vanquisher Sage''s eyes shone and he spoke to Tang Xiu while cupping his fists, "What''s your honorable name, Sir?"


    "Tang Xiu," answered Tang Xiu.


    Having said that, he took out half a pack of cigarettes from the interspatial ring, took a lighter and lit it up, and drew the smoke twice. Then, he slowly said, "You should know the consequences since my Daoist school and the Buddhist Sect are cooperating, Dragon Vanquisher Sage. The array I arranged here is absorbing the world and spiritual energy of this land, using the blood and souls it has absorbed and devoured to finally form a terrifyingly fearsome killing array. Even without the assistance of these Masters, I can still kill all of you inside this array with my own power.


    "But you can still preserve your life, however. You only need to submit, repent and reform yourself and I can give you my guarantee on that."


    "Preserving his life is fine, Sect Master Tang. But the Joyous Palace must cease to exist!" Blackface Buddha suddenly interjected. "The Buddhist Sect will never allow any teaching of this cultivation technique to spread further. Also, he can be forgiven for his capital crime, but he cannot escape his current ones. He must return to the Buddhist Sect with us and accept 100 years of imprisonment."


    Dragon Vanquisher Sage kept silent, but the struggles in his heart never stopped.


    Exacting revenge was something he had been wishing for all these years and the thought hounded him countless times. Forcing him to submit without a fight was something nearly impossible for him. Yet, he was now facing such a situation. Could there be some other people brought by the Buddhist Sect nearby now? Further, he was confident that he could protect himself even though that Tang Xiu had arranged this array. But then again, Blackface Buddha addressed him as Sect Master Tang, meaning that he was a Sect Master of a Daoist sect. Did he also bring other cultivators and experts here, and if he did, how many of them were nearby?


    A subtle light suddenly flashed in his eyes as he said in a deep voice, "I have no problem with surrendering myself or facing the wall for 100 years for my punishment. But I have a request. I''ll immediately tell everyone else to submit should you comply with my request."


    "You think you still can demand anything, Dragon Vanquisher?" Blackface Buddha yelled. "What leverage do you think you have?"


    Killing intent surged in Tang Xiu''s heart since he could faintly guess the monk''s demand. However, he still asked with indifference, "Speak your request."


    Dragon Vanquisher Sage slowly said, "Joyous Palace Saintess has gone missing. I raised her, and you can say she''s my closest relative. If you can find her and bring her to China''s Buddhist Sect to face the wall for 100 years with me, I''ll agree to your demand. Else, the battle is inevitable and, if worse comes to worst, I guarantee that you''ll pay a terrible price if you want to kill me."


    Sure enough.


    Tang Xiu''s eyes flickered and he could sense the monk''s unwillingness. After all, how could he be willing to be imprisoned for a century after living so freely for so many years? Not to mention the Joyous Palace Saintess¡ªGong Wan''er was also a woman he had set as his furnace. It was very likely that his cultivation would soar once he had devoured her. At that time, this monk would likely be on par with him in power, if not slightly weaker, and nobody in the Buddhist Sect would be able to control him anymore.


    Even the likelihood of him becoming a huge disaster for the Buddhist Sect at that time was high, which would lead to a massacre in the sect.


    Tang Xiu then turned to look at the 18 Eminent Monks and slowly spoke, "All Masters, those who repent and redeem themselves may be able to ascend and reach Buddhahood, but those who do so while retaining their evil and vicious intentions would make them aim their butcher knives to Buddha''s neck. Evil is too strong in his heart and the hatred he has toward the Buddhist Sect has reached the extreme. Just forget your intention for him and let ashes turn to ashes and return it to the Earth. It''s the best home for him!"


    Blackface Buddha shot a surprised look at Tang Xiu and asked with a confused face, "What do you mean by that, Sect Master Tang?"


    "The Joyous Palace Saintess he just mentioned is a woman he fostered to be a woman furnace for himself. Once he devours her, he''ll plunder all the energy in her body completely to enhance his power. All Masters must be aware of the extent of his power if that happens. By that time, how many people in the entire Buddhist Sect can control him? Who can guarantee that he won''t start a massacre there to avenge his martial brothers?"


    Blackface Buddha''s vision condensed and the killing intent in his eyes reappeared.


    "Sect Master Tang is right. Dragon Vanquisher definitely has this evil intention when he stated his condition." Jade Buddha nodded and slowly said, "I originally thought that he could sincerely repent, but to think that he has his own scheme is unthinkable. Using a woman as a furnace for his own cultivation is simply madness. It seems that every disciple of the Joyous Sect has truly fallen into a demonic path and is already unsavable. Then this monk shall be the one to purge the scourge from this world."


    The monk then took off a dazzling golden diamond bangle from his wrist. Along with his sutra chanting, the diamond bangle grew larger and turned into a grinding plate shrouded by a burning flame in just a few breaths while Jade Buddha''s aura suddenly burst out. In but a moment, the diamond bangle then crushed down on Dragon Vanquisher Sage and bombarded him.


    "Shit! It''s the Buddhist Sect''s supreme treasure¡ªDiamond Bangle?!! Jade Buddha! Did you choose to perish together with Palace Master? Then don''t blame me for being ruthless! All Joyous Palace members, heed my order and decimate them! I''ll undo the seal on you and bestow you a lot of cultivation resources as long as you can kill all these enemies!" Dragon Vanquisher Sage roared and threw the staff in his hand to clash with the crushing diamond bangle.


    BOOM¡­


    The violent energy blasted out around and Dragon Vanquisher Sage felt his arms going numb and a trace of blood flowed out from the corner of his mouth once again. His body was plunged backward instantly, but the diamond bangle itself was also sent flying tens of meters away.


    Jade Buddha''s body trembled and a look of incredulity appeared on his face. He realized he was much weaker than Dragon Vanquisher Sage from the instant clash just now. He knew that he could''ve been seriously injured had Dragon Vanquisher Sage not been severely injured already. He quickly shouted, "Martial Brothers, this man has already fallen deep into the demonic path and is much stronger than before. We must work together to kill them and completely eliminate these hidden dangers!"

 1187 Closing the Curtain

    "KILL!"


    "KILL¡­"


    The remaining Eminent Monks bolted forward like meteors toward Dragon Vanquisher Sage. As Eminent Monks who had been cultivating for centuries, it was natural that none of them was weak. The weakest among them was on par with Golden Core experts, whereas Blackface Buddha and Jade Buddha were comparable to Nascent Soul experts. By joining hands, it only took them a few breaths to kill the tens of Joyous Palace members who fought them.


    Tang Xiu himself didn''t participate in the killing. Like a cannonball, his figure plunged fast toward the mountain peak as he needed to be there to control the entire array. Had Dragon Vanquisher Sage and his people risked their lives to attack him a while ago while he didn''t control the array, they would have had a chance to escape this place. But now was too late for them.


    At the center of the array.


    Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes and, through the entire array, he could see hundreds of genetic warriors bombarding the array''s energy shield as hard as they could.


    "You all will be the first to die!"


    A frosty light flashed in his eyes as he fully operated the array. Dark clouds began shrouding the entire mountain as the flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunders began to appear from the thick dark clouds and bolted down to bombard hundreds of genetic warriors. At the same time, corrosive heavy rain was also poured down from the sky.


    "Aaargh¡­"


    "Goddammit!"


    "What the hell is this demonic shit?!!"


    "..."


    The hundreds of genetic warriors were caught off guard and could only helplessly watch as lightning bolts struck their chests and pierced their comrades'' heads. Tens of experts at the Golden Core Stage among them were only barely able to avoid the bombardment of lightning bolts, yet couldn''t escape the acidic raindrops. Under such circumstances, the strong corrosion made them fall and become easy targets for the coming lightning bolts that finally claimed tens of souls again.


    Halfway up the mountain, the faces of all the members of Joyous Palace drastically changed as they witnessed the doomsday-like scene in the surroundings. A chill filled their whole being and sapped nearly all of their fighting spirit.


    Dragon Vanquisher Sage himself was surrounded by four Eminent Monks. Blackface Buddha and Jade Buddha''s strikes, particularly, gave him the chills each time they attacked. The longer he fought, the worse his injuries, while the parade of hurling lightning bolts in the surroundings affected him more than these monks.


    "You''re damn bastards, Blackface and Jade Buddha! If it wasn''t for my heavy injuries, how can such morons like you fight me? Eminent Monks who have reached enlightenment, huh? What a shitty nonsense! You guys are just a bunch of despicable hoodlums who only know how to take advantage of others! If you got the ability, give me some time to recover and I''ll kill all you 18 bastards on my own!"


    His provocation only thickened Blackface Buddha, Jade Buddha, and the others'' killing intent. They didn''t bother to reply and just kept launching various Dharmic magical abilities, making the sage''s injuries more serious.


    Whoosh!


    Tang Xiu, who had now fully activated the array, returned. His figure flickered as though a phantom. With his Spirit Formation Stage-like power, it was easy for him to create a killing spree in the midst of Joyous Palace members, and dead bodies kept dropping on the ground everywhere his figure appeared.


    Two minutes after when Tang Xiu stabbed an expert of the Joyous Palace with his dagger, he kicked the man''s dead body towards Dragon Vanquisher Sage''s position tens of meters away and followed behind it.


    "Huh?"


    Instead of looking worried upon noticing his subordinate flying towards him, Dragon Vanquisher Sage looked happy and blasted out his power to force Blackface Buddha and Jade Buddha''s group of four. He instantly dashed away and appeared next to this subordinate. He had been wanting to escape from this spot to recover first and then settle the account with these monks again later.


    Slash¡­


    A divine sword flashed and cleaved the body in two and also cut off the sage''s only arm. At the same time, a strand of wind acted like a rope and instantly bound the sage''s legs. Right at the moment as his face dramatically changed, the divine sword struck and pierced his chest.


    Buzz¡­


    A Buddhist Golden Sarira suddenly burst out of Dragon Vanquisher Sage''s chest and flew away with a furious roar.


    A cold light flashed in Tang Xiu''s eyes as he cast a Thunder spell to invoke a lightning bolt the size of a bucket from the vault of heaven. The deafening thunder and lightning bolt struck down and accurately hit the Golden Sarira, completely devouring it.


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Blackface Buddha and Jade Buddha quickly appeared in front of Tang Xiu with a respectful look on their faces. Both united their palms and bowed. "Thank you for Sect Master Tang''s assistance. I didn''t expect Dragon Vanquisher''s strength to have improved to such an extent only in decades. If he hadn''t been seriously injured before, the four of us wouldn''t have been able to fight him even though we''ve joined hands."


    "Yeah! Drowning yourself into a demonic path can really make your strength soar. But I''m sure many females in Japan have been ruined by him since he has wreaked havoc unchecked here. What he did may be great for his cultivation, but it eventually shattered his Buddha''s heart. But he is dead now, so shall the dust return to dust and be that dust back to the earth. Justice and retribution have freed him from his sins."


    "Human''s heart and will can indeed become the most horrible things in the world." Tang Xiu nodded and said, "One can ascend and reach Buddhahood if he or she can repent and redeem themselves with their hearts filled with benevolence, but a boundless hell is guaranteed to let loose if their hearts are filled with evil. He knew he had sinned, yet had no intention to repent whatsoever. There''s no choice left but to get rid of him so as to spare us all the troubles in the future."


    Having said that, he looked around and sighed. "Thousands of lives are buried here, even my heart cannot bear it. But evil deeds have become their obsessions, and this is the only way to free them."


    Blackface Buddha interjected in a deep voice, "This monk is very touched by your kind heart, Sect Master Tang. But you''re right. Each and every one of these people from the Joyous Palace and Gene Camp had a thick killing aura which proved that they have killed many people. He who kills will always kill. I myself do not feel any pity for their deaths as they deserved such fate. More so that killing an evil man is tantamount to saving countless good people."


    "Indeed." Tang Xiu nodded and said, "Although the Buddha''s way is divided into two schools of thought, the Great Dao itself consists of myriad paths, but each unique and different path will also arrive at the same destination. All Masters, let''s move and finish this!"


    "Kill!"


    Blackface Buddha and Jade Buddha nodded and their figures flashed to the fray in the surroundings.


    The flashing of sharp blades and shadows of swords created blood spilling scenes yet again.


    With his heart that had been tempered rock-solid, Tang Xiu didn''t go soft and went on a killing spree. The only two people who probably had similar strength with him in either the Joyous Palace and Gene Cap were Dragon Vanquisher Sage and General Fukuda, but both men had died so he could go on this killing spree.


    Half an hour passed by.


    Of the 18 Eminent Monks, four of them died in the battle of this forested mountain and the rest also had injuries, with two of them being severe. They would have died already if it wasn''t for Tang Xiu''s timely action to send the Holy Healing pill to them. The number of enemies they faced was really too many that even Blackface Buddha and Jade Buddha who were the most powerful among them now were full of scars with their Buddhist power exhausted.


    "Take this medicine."


    Tang Xiu finally took a jade bottle as he came to the front of Blackface Buddha and Jade Buddha. After handing it to them, he said, "It''s best to recover soon although your injuries are light. We''re now in Japan, and no one knows what kind of dangers can appear here. The sooner you restore your strength to the peak, the better you can prevent the crisis."


    "¡­"


    Blackface Buddha and Jade Buddha looked at him without any words. Without being concerned with modesty and courtesy, they also felt touched inwardly and shot Tang Xiu a grateful look as they quickly took the Holy Healing pill after receiving the jade bottle.


    They had no idea that Tang Xiu had been worrying about something else. Those three enormously strong spiritual senses he sensed before all came from afar, but who could guarantee that they wouldn''t rush to Japan and meddle in his affair? Another dispute would inevitably happen if they did send some people here.


    Soon after, everyone left the Moon Gazing Mountain in succession and split into two teams, each rushing to the site of the Joyous Palace and Gene Camp. The monks knew that the Joyous Palace''s site was protected with a very powerful array, so they headed to the Gene Camp''s site and gave the former to Tang Xiu to handle.


    However, when Tang Xiu arrived there, he found that all the members of Joyous Palace on the island had been killed by Mo Awu''s group, who now occupied the site.


    "We got a huge harvest, Sect Master!"


    With an excited look on his rough face, Mo Awu quickly came to him with his fastest speed and greeted him.


    "What harvest are you talking about?" Tang Xiu raised his brows and asked.


    "Just follow me and you''ll know it, Sect Master," said Mo Awu. "The Joyous Palace has been in Japan for decades and their collection is quite awesome. Let''s not mention those precious herbs and various cultivation materials, just those gold and silver ingots are enough to shock us. That''s right, we got tons of antiques and curios too. All of them are great stuff!"


    Tang Xiu''s interest was piqued and he followed Mo Awu to a quaint pavilion, but finding an elevator inside such a classical pavilion rather surprised him. When they entered the elevator, he saw the buttons in the elevator and unexpectedly found that the building turned out to have three other floors aside from the first and the second ones upward.


    "Underground space?" asked Tang Xiu.


    Mo Awu nodded firmly and said, "The third floor underground stored a huge quantity of gold, silver, and jewelries. I think we can set up a large jewelry network if we ship all of them out. The most important thing is that we won''t be lacking jewelry products to sell for the next few years if we do that. The second-floor basement is a vault for antiques, precious minerals, fierce beasts'' bones, and many others. While the first-floor one houses various previous herbs."


    Tang Xiu suddenly looked forward to seeing it. What he lacked most at the present was not money but cultivation resources, to begin with. After all, the Tang Sect had hundreds of core members, whereas the training of the children army was like a terrible machine that devoured cultivation resources. All in all, he needed a terrifying number of cultivation resources annually.


    A short while after, the elevator stopped on the third floor. Just as Tang Xiu stepped out of the elevator after its door was opened, the scene before his eyes gave him quite the shock.

 1188 Most Precious Loo

    The underground space was approximately the size of a football field nearly 6 meters high, and supported by a huge pillar in the middle. Neatly arranged rows of cabinets were placed in the small half area of the place, while gold bars the size of bricks neatly piled up high next to it. Despite having seen a large amount of gold before, the scene really gave Tang Xiu quite the surprise.


    These gold bars are at least over 100 tons.


    He secretly estimated the amount and thought that his estimation likely wouldn''t quite far off.


    On either side of the row of shelves were piles of silver. Tang Xiu''s rough estimation counted that the number of these fist-sized silver ingots was no less than those gold bars, but the most important thing here was a large number of beautifully carved silverware that were piled with it. On the other side was a massive amount of gold, silver, and pearl jewelry. Tang Xiu released his spiritual sense and was shocked by the number of diamonds he found in the piles.


    Mo Awu noticed his stunned expression and happily said, "Does the scene give you a shock, Sect Master? We got our share too when we first entered this place. The enemy this time can definitely be called filthy rich with so much wealth here. I just don''t get it. From where did that Joyous Palace Master obtain so much wealth?"


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and turned to look at him, asking, "Do you know the fastest way to get so much wealth in the world?"


    "Um¡­ open a bank?" answered Mo Awu after thinking for a moment.


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes at him and was about to explain when he suddenly heard the elevator door open. Then, Yuji''s voice sounded. "The fastest means to get such wealth in the world is to be a bandit. Raiding and plundering homes are nothing, but robbing those rich people is the best course. The Joyous Palace existed for decades and looted those tens of rich Japanese. It also set up a large number of companies here, with over 30 of them now being listed companies. It''s just unfortunate that we have no access to Dragon Vanquisher Sage''s account, else Boss would''ve been propelled up into the top ranks of the richest people in the world."


    Tang Xiu glanced at her and lightly said, "Men must learn to be content with what they get. These gold, silver, and jewelry are already a good harvest, but those banks got a pie falling from the sky from that monk''s money, indeed."


    "Anyway, I''m the one who cracked the Joyous Palace''s array, Boss, else they would have been still outside trying to destroy the array! How are you going to reward me for such a great contribution?"


    Tang Xiu walked towards her and watched her smiling face. A smile sketched on his face and asked, "What reward do you want, then?"


    Yuji''s heart went cold and she hurriedly bowed. "It was a joke, Boss. Yuji won''t dare to object even if you don''t reward me anything."


    "Hmph." Tang Xiu snorted and indifferently said, "The smart and the wise never ask for a reward. But you did have done well, so a reward is due. But you asked me about it, so I will tell you that the reward you''re going to get is pills."


    After saying that, Tang Xiu took out two bottles of pills from his interspatial ring and threw them to her. "These pills will help your cultivation go a level further."


    Looking ecstatic, Yuji hurriedly bowed with a grateful face. "Thanks a lot, Boss."


    "En!"


    Tang Xiu turned around and headed to the interior. He found some peculiarities from some of those gold bars back when he released his spiritual sense. He guessed that some of them likely contained gold essence.


    Mo Awu approached Yuji and glanced at Tang Xiu''s back as he walked away. After taking back his vision, he patted Yuji''s shoulder and said in a low voice, "I hope you take today''s lesson well and be smarter in the future."


    Having said that, he quickly left to catch up with Tang Xiu.


    Yuji was stunned and looked confused. How could it be a lesson? Didn''t he give me a reward already?


    After giving it a thought, she quickly sped up to catch up with Mo Awu and asked in a whisper, "What did you mean by saying that?"


    Mo Awu lightly smiled and replied with a voice that only both of them could hear, "You''re not yet a formal Tang Sect disciple, so you have no idea what Boss usually does when he rewards everyone''s merits. Your contribution this time is great, so I''ll tell you a bit. With your contributions this time, the amount you could''ve gotten is likely ten times more than what you just received had you not proactively asked the reward from Boss."


    "Over ten times, you say?" Yuji blurted out with disbelief and contracted pupils.


    Mo Awu went on to mock her. "The Chinese have conventional wisdom that one would get smarter after falling into a pit, though. Just take it and keep this lesson in mind."


    Yuji''s expression constantly changed and deep regret finally appeared on her face. That was ten times the number of pills she just received! Her cultivation could have improved much further and become much stronger in a short time had she gotten those pills!


    Suddenly, she seemed to recall something else and caught up with Mo Awu again and asked in a whisper, "Tell me, are there a lot more chances to render merits in Tang Sect?"


    Mo Awu shook his head. "Sect Master told me that Earth is a peaceful world. There may be some disputes and clashes, but it''s just that and far from¡­ some other places. Therefore, some disciples must wait for a long while before they can render some merits. No worries, though. As long as you''re successful in passing the trial Sect Master gave you and become an official disciple of the sect, you''ll obtain the allotted cultivation resources annually. Additionally, you can also purchase other resources, such as precious herbs, ores, or fierce beasts'' parts and bones somewhere else, and then exchange them for the pills from the sect."


    Yuji''s regret dissipated a lot after hearing the explanation. She had money and could be said to be filthy rich herself. Some industries under her control over the years could bring her huge profits annually, which she had been keeping a secret after she joined the Joyous Palace.


    At the gold piles spot.


    Tang Xiu took some gold bars. These gold bars had undergone smelting, but the gold essence contained in it was still intact. After giving it some thought, he then decided to stuff all the gold, silver, jewelry, and other goods in the third basement floor into his interspatial ring.


    Several minutes later, Yuji dumbfoundedly looked around at the now-empty third basement floor. The shock in her heart was indescribable. The then Joyous Palace Master, Dragon Vanquisher Sage, once obtained some interspatial storage artifacts like that, which he obtained from some vestiges with great luck. She heard the biggest space those interspatial artifacts had was about the size of a room, only a trivial several square meters.


    But now, Tang Xiu actually stuffed all the piles of gold, silver and everything else in the third basement floor into his storage artifact? How big could the space inside it be? Didn''t that mean that its space was tens of times bigger than those few artifacts possessed by Dragon Vanquisher Sage?


    Tang Xiu didn''t want to waste time in any thoughts and feelings. This place was not his territory and he had taken everything that could be brought and thus, was against staying any longer. When the elevator stopped on the second basement floor, he went out and found a lot of antiques, precious ores, and fierce beasts'' bones.


    "Umm?"


    His figure flashed and instantly appeared in front of the wall tens of meters away. He looked at the complete skeleton of a certain fierce beast on the floor with a surprised look. He chanted a secret art and, as it fell on what was supposed to be the beast''s chest bones, a tens of centimeters golden bone suddenly floated out from the inside and appeared before his eyes.


    "A bone finger of an Immortal Beast?"


    He could sense the enormous immortal power contained in this bone finger. He realized that if he could exploit this bone properly, not only could he enhance his physical strength by several times, but also increase his cultivation by a large margin.


    This place was simply fully littered with treasures. Just randomly taking one of them and sold it outside would fetch a sky-high price. But to Tang Xiu, the rest of the treasures including those gold and silver from the third floor were not as valuable as this piece of bone.


    Shortly after, he also stuffed all the goods here into the interspatial ring and then headed to the first basement floor. It was rather unexpected to him that the Joyous Palace turned out to have hoarded a massive amount of precious herbs. They even stored tens of Millennium Wild Ginseng here.


    After leaving the underground space, Tang Xiu toured the entire isolated island accompanied by Mo Awu and Yuji. He then learned that Mo Awu''s group had looted nearly all the valuable things in the site. He even saw Mo Awu put out the bed usually used by Dragon Vanquisher Sage to sleep from his interspatial ring. It was because that bed was fully made of Golden Silkwood Cedar.


    "I saved this one for you, Sect Master."


    Mo Awu apparently didn''t want to give Tang Xiu the stuff he had looted, but there was something he didn''t dare to keep, which was a translucent carved chair made of ice jade.


    "That''s some great stuff you got there." Tang Xiu was surprised.


    "Indeed." Mo Awu smilingly replied, "That''s why this subordinate doesn''t dare to keep it."


    Tang Xiu patted his shoulder and smilingly said, "Take these Soul Accruing Pills. It took me tons of precious herbs to barely concoct four pills before. Quickly take one now. Then take another when you return to Nine Dragons and go into seclusion to cultivate."


    Mo Awu jolted inwardly and hurriedly asked, "Sect Master, the effect of this Soul Accruing Pill is¡­"


    "Your spiritual sense will be greatly enhanced if you take this Soul Accruing Pill," Tang Xiu answered with a smile. "Taking it will at least improve your spiritual sense to be on par with the spiritual sense possessed by those peak Nascent Soul experts."


    Gasp¡­


    Mo Awu couldn''t help but draw in cold air. His strength had been improving rapidly, but the improvement of his spiritual sense was much slower. His spiritual sense was even much weaker than his younger brother, Mo Awen. Therefore, what he had been eager to find was not pills to increase his cultivation at the present, but rather this type of pill that could enhance his spiritual sense!


    "Sect Master¡­"


    Mo Awu was greatly touched and opened his mouth but he swallowed back the grateful words.


    A devoted and loyal retainer would die for his Master.


    Only at this moment did Mo Awu finally realize the meaning of this sentence. He knew he wouldn''t bat an eye even if Tang Xiu ordered him to die at this moment.


    Tang Xiu patted his shoulder again and smilingly said, "Keep cultivating well. It''s my hope that you will always be my Senior General."


    At the side, Yuji had been listening to their conversation and was so envious. She was also a cultivator, so how could she not understand how precious this Soul Accruing Pill was? Her power was very likely to soar greatly if it was she who obtained this pill.

 1189 Obey or Be Executed!

    At the square of the Joyous Palace.


    Tang Xiu stood quietly on the two-meter high square concrete platform, watching the surrounding environment. Ever since he landed here, he was keenly aware that the concentration of the world''s energy in this place was several times stronger than that of Kyoto.


    And¡­ it wasn''t due to an array! It was caused by a small spiritual vein deep under the isolated island that connected to the deep ocean floor. However, something made him curious. Someone, apparently a powerful expert with astonishing magical power, had sealed it off to only spread out for about tens of kilometers radius at most This isolated island could have been transformed into a paradise on earth otherwise.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    A group of moving figures flickered fast from afar and quickly appeared in front of Tang Xiu. The excited-looking Mo Awu, Tang Guang, Kuwako Yamamato, Hei Xiong, and Xue Sha¡­ everyone was focusing on Tang Xiu.


    The harvest they just obtained was great.


    Even the invisible Tang An was also wearing a beaming face. What she obtained was even more than Mo Awu and the rest, and she stuffed all those valuable stuff into the interspatial ring Tang Xiu bestowed her.


    "Where''s Gong Wan''er?"


    Finally, Tang Xiu took back the vision that set to the distance and shifted to the crowd in front of him.


    "She left with Kitagawa and hasn''t returned yet," answered Kuwako.


    Tang Xiu frowned and slowly said, "We''ll wait for another half an hour. But if they still don''t come back in time, we won''t wait for them any longer."


    20 minutes later.


    Two fast-moving figures bolted from afar and soon appeared in front of Tang Xiu and the rest. The two people who returned this time brought two big black suitcases each. It was evident that they were carrying heavy objects given how they put those suitcases on the ground.


    "Where did you just head to?" asked Tang Xiu lightly after carefully observing them.


    Kitagawa angrily glared at Gong Wan''er before he cupped his fists and replied immediately, "We went to the Gene Camp''s stronghold, Boss!"


    "What for?" asked Tang Xiu with a frown.


    "General Fukuda has been operating in Japan for centuries, so we thought that he definitely hoarded a lot of treasures there," answered Kitagawa. "That''s why I headed there with Gong Wan''er. We also exterminated the remaining genetic warriors those Buddhist Sect''s monks have missed, and sneaked into the stronghold and found the Gene Camp''s secret vault. The things in these four suitcases were taken from the Gene Camp''s treasure vault and many more things are still on the shore."


    Tang Xiu''s brows raised and he ordered. "Open them."


    Immediately, the four big black suitcases were opened and a surprised expression appeared in Tang Xiu''s eyes. There was no gold or silver in those suitcases, three of which contained some precious jewelry, jade, some antique paintings, and calligraphies. But the last one was full of precious herbs even to Tang Xiu.


    "Well done."


    Tang Xiu waved and all the objects in the four suitcases flew up and quickly entered his interspatial ring. Then, he took out two jade bottles and threw them to Kitagawa and Gong Wan''er, speaking to them lightly, "You''ve made a contribution, and these pills are your rewards. Wait until I''ve sorted everything up and I''ll bestow you another great fortune."


    Some great fortune?


    Kitagawa exchanged glances with Gong Wan''er. But when he was about to leave to take the rest of the loot, the latter suddenly said, "Boss, will Kitagawa be punished if I report what he did?"


    Tang Xiu squinted and asked, "What exactly do you want to report?"


    Kitagawa''s expression enormously changed and shouted fiercely, "Cut the crap, Gong Wan''er!"


    Gong Wan''er took out a string of golden rope the size of a chopstick from her sleeve and said, "This is the treasure we obtained from the Gene Camp''s vault. I have no idea what this thing is. Also, Kitagawa kept the other one, but it''s a fist-sized metal ball which I have no idea what is it either."


    Kitagawa''s face changed dramatically and glared at her with hostility. Then, he spoke very unwillingly, "What I took from the Gene Camp''s vault was originally mine, Boss. It has a special meaning to me."


    "Just take it out," said Tang Xiu.


    Kitagawa shivered a bit and gritted his teeth as he took out the fist-sized metal ball from his sleeves. Then, he said, "This is it. It''s just a common thing."


    Tang Xiu''s eyes flickered as he noticed the small runes etched on the metal ball. A suction force suddenly shot from his palm and attracted the metal ball in Kitagawa''s hand. He then cast a secret art and applied it to the object, causing golden light to suddenly glow from the seal rune and gradually turn into a dazzling golden star.


    Crack!


    The metal ball suddenly split into eight petals and revealed a translucent pearl the size of a Ping-Pong ball to everyone present. The object may be a mystery to others, but he could clearly observe the image contained within the pearl: Frost Jellyfish.


    The appearance of such an object on Earth was truly unexpected to Tang Xiu. It must be noted that the Frost Jellyfish was a great treasure even in the Immortal World, and many major forces there hoarded it as it could deepen their foundation.


    "Do you really not know what this object is?" Tang Xiu shot a stare at Kitagawa and slowly asked.


    Kitagawa felt like that Tang Xiu''s eyes seemed to be able to penetrate his mind. It made him hesitate, but he braced himself and spoke, "I know it. It''s a Dragon Pearl. General Fukuda himself said that this object is a Dragon Pearl when he was drunk. He said that this Dragon Pearl can make his cultivation greatly soar. I sneaked into his secret abode a few times, but I''ve never had the chance to steal it even though I found where it was hidden."


    "Idiot!"


    Tang Xiu threw a contemptuous curse at him and indifferently said, "This is not Dragon Pearl but a carrier for Frost Jellyfish which can be greatly beneficial to any cultivator. Kitagawa, you can choose to leave this object to me, or exchange it with great fortune. Choose one. I want your reply now."


    Kitagawa himself wanted to take the object back. But after seeing Tang Xiu''s indifference, he had to endure that urge painfully and respectfully said, "I choose to exchange it with the good fortune, Boss."


    "Go and bring everything here!" Tang Xiu nodded and ordered. "All of you who are present will also get your share of good fortune later!"


    Having said that, he quickly flew away to the distance fast. After spending 4 hours, he managed to lay out an array that covered the entire island¡ªa type of array that was against the natural order which could completely ruin the geomatic formation of the targeted treasure land. It was because this array would sever the spiritual vein underneath and then extract it to strengthen himself.


    "Sky Pilfering Array!"


    This array was actually created by his disciple back when he was in the Immortal World. That disciple was a stunning cultivation genius and only spent three millenniums to reach the Golden Immortal Stage. He was just a hair away from reaching the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage then. But unfortunately, he finally ceased to develop further and died in the battle without any wisp of his soul remaining and vanished.


    After returning to the square, Tang Xiu saw the addition of tens more people there. One of whom was a slightly hunchbacked middle-aged man and a group of young women in white.


    "Who are they?" asked Tang Xiu with a frown.


    Yuji paced a step forward and said, "They are my trusted maids."


    Kitagawa followed suit and said, "He''s Jun Yuchu, my trusted aide."


    Tang Xiu slightly furrowed his brows and indifferently said, "They are no longer your maids and aides from now on! The sixteen of you, listen! You all now have two choices: To stay on this isolated island forever and be barred from leaving, or becoming Kuwako Yamamoto''s subordinates and stay in Japan to manage things for her!"


    Both Yuji and Kitagawa exchanged looks and indignant looks could be seen flashing in their eyes. But none of them dared to speak.


    The 16 people shot dismayed looks at each other with hesitation evident on their faces, looking suddenly at a loss as to which one to choose. In actuality, they knew nothing about Tang Xiu. But they were all smart people and could see how respectful their Masters were in front of him, so they conjectured that he was the leader of this mysterious force.


    Jun Yuchu came to Tang Xiu''s front and cupped his fists, saying, "About that¡­ Sir. I''m Sir Kitagawa''s retainer since he''s the one who trained me. If he commands me to follow others, I naturally dare not refute. But everyone else¡­ has no right to dictate my decision."


    "Is that so?"


    A chilling light flashed in Tang Xiu''s eyes. A silver needle appeared in his fingertips and shot it at Jun Yuchu in just a hundredth of a second later. The needle moved extremely fast and struck Jun Yuchu''s Qi Ocean that even the man himself was unable to avoid or block it despite having formidable strength.


    Puah¡­


    Jun Yuchu was staggeringly forced to step back a few steps and covered his abdomen with disbelief overflowing in his eyes. He could clearly sense his power rapidly dissipating and no matter how hard he tried to seal it off, it was all for naught.


    "How insolent you are. Your Master chose to submit to me, yet you dare to talk to me like that?" said Tang Xiu apathetically. "Don''t blame me for being this harsh since you don''t want to obey. You will stay on this island forever from now on!"


    "You¡­ you abolished my cultivation?"


    Jun Yuchu shot a glare full of hatred towards Tang Xiu and seemingly couldn''t wait to kill him at once.


    "I spared you on the account of Kitagawa''s face already. Scram away from me, else you can expect to become a corpse the next moment," said Tang Xiu coldly.


    "Jun, draw back!"


    With some killing intent aimed at Tang Xiu, Kitagawa shouted. But he was perfectly aware of Tang Xiu''s strength and knew that he would never be able to injure Tang Xiu much even if he risked his life for it. Hence, he could only suppress his killing intent, for the time being, waiting for the day when he had freed himself from his clutches and make him at the border of life and death at that time.


    Puff¡­


    An immortal sword suddenly impaled Kitagawa from the back as Tang An''s figure suddenly appeared and kicked the man''s body. She sent it flying to heavily fall in front of Tang Xiu''s feet. Then, she coldly snorted. "Hmph, you dare to harbor killing intent against Grand Master? Your court death!"

 1190 Spiritual Energy Flooding

    Tang Xiu just stood still with indifference as Tang An assaulted and killed Kitagawa. He would have done it himself even if she didn''t. Everything Kitagawa had done hardly showed anything, but he kept showing himself as a wolf cub that wasn''t worth to raise up for he would bite his own Master one day.


    Yuji''s maids trembled after witnessing how Kitagawa was executed in such a cold-blooded fashion, whereas Jun Yuchu was literately slashed into two halves by a sword beam just as he ran for tens of meters. They knelt toward Kuwako in shivers and cried out, "Master!"


    "I''m not your Master, so don''t call me that," said Kuwako indifferently. "As long as you manage well to accomplish the missions I''ll give you later, I can recommend you to be formal disciples of the sect. Your status at that time may be no different from your previous Master, Yuji."


    These several females fell into silence.


    A status no worse than Yuji''s? Isn''t this equal to an opportunity¡ªa chance to rise up from the bottom to a high position?


    Tang Xiu glanced at the reticent Yuji before he immediately moved to make more than 20 circles with a meter diameter in the square. Then, he slowly said, "All of you! Sit cross-legged in the circle I just drew and circulate your energy according to your cultivation technique. Do keep in mind that how much benefits you can obtain from this good fortune will depend on yourself. However, there''s another thing you must remember. If you sense that your system can''t absorb or contain any more energy, you''re to immediately stop cultivating and leave this square at once!"


    "Understood!"


    All of them had no idea what good fortune Tang Xiu just mentioned could be. But they knew that it would be beneficial to them.


    "Activate!"


    Standing on the concrete platform set as the eye of the entire array, Tang Xiu controlled the array after activating it. The world''s spiritual energy in all directions instantly began to flood into the square where more than 20 people were sitting cross-legged. The enormous flood of spiritual energy even drilled out from the underground and poured into everyone''s body.


    "What''s this?"


    "Oh my God! Such an enormous amount of spiritual energy?!"


    "Spiritual energy is filling up my system?! I''m not dreaming, am I?"


    "¡­"


    Regardless if it was Mo Awu''s group or the tens of females in white, everyone''s eyes opened wide with disbelief at this moment.


    Tang Xiu''s brows furrowed and he shouted in a deep voice, "Focus your mind and cast away any distracting thoughts! Quickly refine the spiritual energy entering your system!"


    In that instant, more than 20 people abruptly sobered up and entered cultivation in succession.


    Standing on the concrete platform, Tang Xiu could sense two types of spiritual energy drilling into his system from his feet. He directed the huge spiritual energy from the Earth''s vein into that empty cosmic space within him.


    As time passed, the first planet grew bigger, while the second began to grow. Even the third one started to show more luster and showed signs of getting enlarged as well.


    At the same time, in a vast starfield in the distant universe with countless lifeforms, countless celestial bodies were slightly quaking. Multicolored lights burst out from these celestial bodies and suddenly made that part of the universe look a fairytale-like world.


    "Who has done this?"


    "Which expert is disrupting the law of natural order in this world?"


    "¡­"


    Super experts in that starfield rushed out of their planets and floated in outer space to send out their tidal wave-like spiritual senses in all directions.


    However, they could only sense the life force of these celestial bodies passing through but were neither able to determine the cause nor its destination.


    In the blue sky, layers of clouds were dispersing and spreading out when a column of energy with golden luster descended directly above Tang Xiu''s head. The enormous star energy seemed to nearly materialize, causing the formation array to contain a huge amount of star force within. It made Mo Awu and the rest, who were currently absorbing the world''s energy and refining it, to absorb the surging star energy around them directly into their systems.


    The absorption began to start making changes in their bodies¡ªa type of qualitative transformation through their genes.


    The star force itself was the most massive and highest quality energy in the universe that the world''s energy or usually called Heaven and Earth''s spiritual energy was countless times inferior to it. After absorbing this star energy, the True Essence and Buddhist force in their system were now faintly coated with a layer of golden light.


    The next day.


    More than a dozen of those females in white had their cultivation skyrocket and each cultivation level now could be compared to the experts at the late-stage of Foundation Establishment. However, they were no longer able to endure the huge spiritual power from the Earth anymore. They quickly stopped their cultivation and left the square fast.


    Two days later, Mo Awu, Tang Guang, and the rest got up in succession, unable to withstand the infusion of spiritual power and quickly left the square to stabilize their cultivation base after the recent breakthrough.


    Thus, only Tang Xiu, Tang An, and Gong Wan''er were still sitting cross-legged in cultivation in the square now.


    Disbelief and frustration glittered in Mo Awu''s eyes when he saw Tang An and Gong Wan''er there. Although he had successfully broken through and now reached the Nascent Soul Stage, he was crystal clear that the longer he stayed in the square, the more he could absorb the energy of the stars and the world, and thus, the greater chance for the breakthrough later.


    Tang An entered cultivation path about a decade earlier than him and it was understandable that she could stay there for a long time. But Gong Wan''er was much weaker and at best only comparable to the experts at the mid-stage of Golden Core. How could she still endure staying in the square while enduring the pressure of such enormous spiritual energy?


    "I notice something interesting here," said Tang Guang all of a sudden.


    Mo Awu turned to him, looked at his handsome face with a frown, and then asked, "What is it?"


    "I just realized I can keep reaping beneficial things just being by Grand Master''s side," said Tang Guang earnestly. "Whether it is the opportunity to render merits, or the speed of improvement in cultivation. Just like this time. He literally has made us break though collectively by using a heaven-defying means. I''ve reached the mid-stage of Nascent Soul now. I could have directly broken through to the late-stage if my state of mind and physique can still keep up."


    "You broke through to the mid-stage of Nascent Soul, not the early stage?" blurted Mo Awu in surprise.


    "Yup," confirmed Tang Guang.


    Mo Awu turned to Xue Sha and He Xiong and asked, "What about you two? Which stage you''re at now?"


    "Nascent Soul early stage."


    Both men shot an envious look at Tang Guang and replied at the same time.


    "It seems to me having stepped into the cultivation path several years earlier does give a more solid foundation than what we have." Mo Awu sighed, seemingly reaching a balanced state of mind now. "Just look at Tang An, she still keeps going. I wonder if she would also reach the first-stage of Nascent Soul when she leaves the square, though?"


    The smile on Tang Guang''s face solidified. But then he shook his head helplessly and sighed. "Well, I can''t even match her either in talent for cultivation or going through the hardship in training. I may feel a bit of shame if she breaks through the late-stage of Nascent Soul, but I''m sincerely happy for her."


    "I just take it for granted in regards to Elder Tang An being able to absorb spiritual energy and stay much longer in the square, though," said Kuwako slowly. "But how can Gong Wan''er persist for so long? She should''ve left the square earlier than us given her strength!"


    "It should be her particular situation or condition, I think," said Tang Guang. "My guess is that it was the main reason why Grand Master made her submit."


    "Kitagawa did mention that she has a special physique," said Kuwako. "But Tang An went against Sect Master''s command and saved her from the battlefield then. I''m sure she has another purpose in mind, though."


    Half a day passed and Tang An finally awakened from her cultivation. Her gaze landed on Tang Xiu first with admiration on her face. But when she saw Gong Wan''er still sitting cross-legged tens of meters away from her, she immediately looked startled and her figure suddenly flickered and disappeared from the spot to appear at the edge of the square.


    "Do you know what''s up with Gong Wan''er?" asked Tang An the instant she came out.


    Tang Guang shrugged and shook his head. "Who knows? She has been staying there in cultivation for nearly three days and never came out until now."


    Tang An wore a strange expression and, with some thoughts filling her mind, said in a deep voice, "Do you know why I got punished by Grand Master the other day?"


    "You saved her, that''s why," answered Tang Guang directly.


    "But do you know why I went against Grand Master''s command and risked my life to save her?" asked Tang An again.


    "No. Why?" Tang Guang was confused.


    The rest were also looking at Tang An, waiting for her reply with a curious look.


    "We all know that Grand Master has been rapidly progressing in his cultivation and is now much stronger than us." Tang An said, "But he needs to be more formidable than the current him if we want to go to that place earlier. Gong Wan''er''s physique is different than that of common cultivators like us. Dragon Vanquisher Sage, that Joyous Palace Master, fostered and trained her to be a woman furnace then, so he could devour and absorb the power in her body and make it his own to increase his power greatly. I''ve been thinking about it for a while. What if it was Grand Master who took her body? His cultivation will progress by leaps and bounds, right?"


    Instantly, everyone looked pensive. They all knew about Gong Wan''er''s physique. If Tang Xiu could really gain such enormous benefits from her, that would be a great boon that would be enormously beneficial to him and the Tang Sect as a whole.


    "But Grand Master abhorred the idea, didn''t he?" asked Tang Guang slowly.


    "He didn''t agree, indeed." Tang An nodded. "I even got scolded by him the moment I mentioned it. But I''m gonna tell Master about this when I get to Nine Dragons Island. I''ll see what Master has to say."


    "No way! Don''t do that!" Tang Guang''s expression instantly changed and his eyes especially turned fierce.


    "I know what you''re thinking, Guang." Tang An stubbornly said, "I also know what Master has been thinking as well. But Gong Wan''er has something greatly beneficial for Grand Master. I think Master will have a similar thought as mine when facing such a choice."


    Tang Guang was reticent for a short while but still shook his head. "An, if it was someone else, I might not stop you, but you mustn''t tell this stuff to Master! In case¡­"


    "I don''t care," cut Tang An in a deep voice. "In order to make Grand Master more powerful, I''ll take any punishment from him, even if it''s 10,000 times more severe than before."


    Tang Guang hurriedly said, "Don''t you like¡­"


    "SHUT UP!"


    Tang An angrily yelled and immediately disappeared.

 1191 Going Home

    Tang Guang''s expression looked a bit ugly and he fell into silence for a while. Afterward, he sighed and waved. "We all have broken through to the Nascent Soul Stage, but avoid leaking it to the rest in the sect, else it would affect their mentality."


    The crowd nodded and agreed to his suggestion.


    Kuwako shot a look at Tang Xiu and Gong Wan''er at the square and spoke with a wry smile, "Honestly, I''m very envious of you, guys. You can stay in Nine Dragons Island for a long time to practice. I may have power in Japan and can get my hands on many cultivation resources, but 99% of these items must be sent to the sect, while my time for cultivation is also affected. A lot."


    Tang Guang flung his head to the side directly. He didn''t want to stay in Japan. Although he could have some happy time with the belles from this country, it was inferior to his passion for cultivation and becoming stronger. At the very least, he just couldn''t be left behind too far away from his younger blood sister, Tang An.


    Five days later, Gong Wan''er finally woke up and ended her cultivation. As she floated up, she found her body suddenly streaked up into mid-air like a fast arrow, taking her only the blink of an eye to dash over a hundred meters in the sky. What happened scared her and nearly made her scream.


    "My power¡­"


    After she descended to the ground and inspected her whole being, she found that her cultivation level had increased several levels after the short cultivation.


    There were ten main stages of cultivation level for Buddhist cultivators, namely: Zen Meditation, Light Initiation, Abstinence, Paltry Fulfillment, Spirit Channeling, Spirit Journey, Astral Projection, Great Perfection, Atman, Seven Transformation.


    Gong Wan''er''s cultivation level was previously at the late-stage of Abstinence, but after that short cultivation, she actually found herself at the late-stage of Paltry Fulfillment now¡ªthe level she had been dreaming to achieve but knew would be a long while, at least a decade, to reach with the aid of a massive number of cultivation resources.


    And yet, that one short cultivation period was worth a decade of painstaking cultivation.


    She could also sense enormous spiritual energy coming in from her feet and immediately flew toward the edge of the square. However, she was once again shocked by her own speed as it nearly took her the blink of an eye to appear there. She even nearly hit Kuwako, who looked at her with a strange expression.


    "What stage you just broke through?" asked Kuwako curiously.


    "Late-stage of Paltry Fulfillment," answered Gong Wan''er with a wry smile.


    "Your cultivation actually increased that much?" Kuwako was amazed. "But it seems you''re still unable to control your own strength, though?"


    "Yeah, I''m still not used to it," said Gong Wan''er smilingly.


    "I had experienced it before too." Kuwako smilingly said, "But fortunately, Sect Master personally directed me in special training, thus I was finally able to control the surge in my power. You can ask Sect Master on this one. If he''s in a good mood and thinks that you''re worth training, he''ll definitely give you special training. Being able to control your power completely can smoothly pave your way to continue further in your cultivation and make the breakthrough to a higher level much easier."


    "Special training?" asked Gong Wan''er in surprise.


    Kuwako nodded and went on, "You might not get it now, but as long as you can win Sect Master''s recognition and he finally gives you special training, you''ll know how beneficial it is for you that time."


    Mo Awu appeared next to the two females and looked indifferently at Gong Wan''er as he interjected without being salty, "Who doesn''t want to get the special training from the Sovereign in the entire sect? Let me tell you something. You''re not even an inner disciple of the Tang Sect, do you think you have the qualifications to have Sect Master give you special training? My advice for you is that, if you want to get it, render great merits and contributions to the sect first and become a disciple!"


    Gong Wan''er wasn''t angry but lowered her posture and asked, "How many merits do I need to contribute so I can be qualified to join as an outer junior, Elder Mo?"


    "You can ask Sect Master himself if you wanna know that," answered Mo Awu apathetically.


    The seventh day.


    Dusk had come to cover the day when Tang Xiu slowly woke up from his cultivation. He shouted a long cry that slightly shook the entire island and his figure instantly appeared in mid-air. A strand of qi jetted out from him when he waved, causing even Blackface Buddha and Jade Buddha''s team on the liner on the coastline to suddenly tense up as the flow of qi came. But at the moment they wanted to fight it back, a tranquil voice passed into their ears:


    "All Masters have long been waiting here. Please don''t fight it back. I''m Tang Xiu."


    Suddenly, that strand of qi acted like a rope that instantly bound the 14 Eminent Monks and brought them to the square. The moment Tang Xiu descended on the ground, the array that covered the entire island was destroyed.


    Blackface Buddha was surprised and amazed when he observed Tang Xiu for a while. He suddenly joined his palms and respectfully said, "Amitabha, Sect Master Tang''s cultivation has risen. Congratulations."


    "The spiritual vein here is about to be destroyed, so I just took the chance to exploit it and have a breakthrough. That certainly is not a matter of my ability. However, Master''s aura is much stronger now, you should have broken through as well, right?"


    "We found a lot of useful things in the Gene Camp, some of which are beneficial to our cultivation," said Blackface Buddha smilingly. "That''s the reason I can smoothly go further. Anyhow, did Sect Master Tang fully exterminate all the remnants of Joyous Palace here?"


    "It was my men who killed the remaining experts of Joyous Palace here." Tang Xiu nodded and said, "But whether there''s still more of them in the outside world, I have no idea. But please rest assured. I''ll assign some of my men to stay here later to investigate and chase them. No matter how many of those Joyous Palace''s members or those genetic warriors remain, they will die."


    "If so, then we''ll stay here too," said Blackface Buddha without hesitation.


    "I don''t suggest it, Master." Tang Xiu shook his head. "Even if some enemies are still barely surviving here, they are just small fries and won''t be able to do anything significant. I think it''s best for all Master to return to China with me! There won''t be any problem cropping up with my subordinate taking over the issues here."


    Blackface Buddha and Jade Buddha looked hesitant for a while. But they trusted Tang Xiu, so they finally nodded without a word. Besides, they had been far away from modern society, which made them feel that they had become incompatible and estranged with it. Thus, they were against staying much longer.


    Tang Xiu shot a look at Gong Wan''er and Yuji and calmly spoke to them, "You both made your choice, so you''re to stay with Kuwako for the time being! I''m giving you a chance to join the inner court of Tang Sect. You can join the Tang Sect''s inner court as long as you can completely remove the remnants of the Joyous Palace and Gene Camp with Kuwako, and then finally establish the biggest and most powerful force in Japan. You can then enjoy all the treatments and welfare as other inner disciples."


    Tang An suddenly appeared and she looked at Tang Xiu. "Grand Master, you''re¡­"


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt her. He knew that she hadn''t given up on that idea. He wasn''t one to force his will on others against their wishes, nor did he ever want to harm others for his own benefits, so, with a deep voice, he reproved her, "I already warned you to throw away that idea last time, An. You are to return to the sect, and I forbid you to mention that crap to your Master!"


    Tang An fell into silence. She could feel the unbending stubbornness and Tang Xiu''s persistence on this issue. However, she was truly unwilling. Such a big chance obviously presented itself before their eyes that could make her Grand Master Tang Xiu became stronger, yet the man himself ignored it? That was simply a huge letdown.


    The evening of the next day.


    Tang Xiu and the 14 Buddhist Sect''s experts arrived in Jingmen Island. He then assigned some members of Jingmen Island''s Everlasting Feast Hall''s guards to bring back the dead bodies of four Eminent Monks to the Shaoshi Mountain with the monks.


    "Grand Master."


    Tang An, in her usual black attire and bronze mask, came and appeared beside Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu turned to her and asked, "What is it?"


    "Are there powerful enemies in Star City, so we''re heading there now?" asked Tang An.


    "Nope." Tang Xiu shook his head. "There''s no such powerful enemy. Taking you to Star City is just because I have to deal with some business affairs of the Magnificent Tang Corp. It''s something like some major move in our business."


    Tang An was stunned and hesitantly asked again, "I literally know nothing about business stuff, Grand Master. Why are you taking me with you? The rest are staying in Japan and I think I can do much better there."


    A smile appeared on Tang Xiu''s handsome face. "Do you think I have no idea what has been churning in your head? I can tell from your face that you haven''t given up that idea even though I''ve already warned you repeatedly. That''s why taking you with me is the best choice."


    "I¡­"


    Tang An''s lips squirmed a few times and she suddenly stomped her feet angrily and vanished in a flash.


    Tang Xiu just smiled and shook his head in response. Then, he shifted to the manager of Jingmen Island''s Everlasting Feast Hall''s HQ who sent him the car keys. He immediately drilled into the driver''s seat and drove fast to the port. Speeding along the road at night would make the trip smoother as taking a plane would be quite convenient with Tang An always behind him and staying invisible.


    Haige Port.


    It was the largest port in Jingmen Island. After driving the BMW X5 into a very large cargo ship and finding a good spot to park, Tang Xiu opened the car''s door and headed to the deck to enjoy the sight of the boundless ocean.


    "Grand Master, your cell phone." Tang An''s voice suddenly penetrated his ear.


    Tang Xiu was stunned and took out his cell phone from the interspatial ring and was greeted with the constant ringing of the incoming text notifications. He looked at the screen and saw tens of missed calls, many of which were from an unfamiliar number.


    Quickly after, he learned from the text sent by that unfamiliar number that the number belonged to someone named Li Cai. Tang Xiu remembered this girl who was even willing to let go of all her family fortunes in order to cure her mother.


    After pondering for a moment, he decided to call her back. He dialed her number and lightly spoke after it connected, "Tang Xiu speaking here, are you Li Cai?"


    Li Cai''s surprised voice replied from the phone, "I can finally get in touch with you, Divine Doctor Tang! I''d like to inform you that my Mom is getting much better and the method you taught me is really effective. I''ve been wanting to thank you, so that''s why I keep calling you since I want to thank you in person."


    "Thank me in person? It''s not necessary, I think," replied Tang Xiu. "Just saying it on the phone is enough for me. Also, the reason why I called you back is that I want to ask you something. How long do you think your mother can live?"


    "¡­"


    Li Cai fell into silence for a long while. The sound of her teeth being grounded was then heard as she replied, "She can at least live on for 20 years more. I''m sure of it."


    Tang Xiu could only sigh inwardly and wryly smiled. "You are still young. What about you, then?"

 1192 Bumping into Bullies on the Trip

    Li Cai''s tone was particularly serious as she continued, "Divine Doctor Tang, Mom is the closest person in my life and I''ll go to all lengths if it means she can live a day longer. Thanks to your medicine, pills and the cultivation art you taught me, I believe I can definitely live to the moment my Mom closes her eyes."


    "You have made up your mind, so I will no longer speak about this," said Tang Xiu. "But for thanking me, you just said it and it''s all fine with me."


    "Wait!"


    Her voice was a bit urgent and anxious as she went on, "Where are you now, Divine Doctor Tang? I¡­ I want to see you."


    Tang Xiu frowned and asked, "Is there something else you need?"


    "There''s an issue¡ªquite important," replied Li Cai.


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and slowly said, "I''m afraid you''ll have to wait for quite a while. There''s something I need to handle in Star City, so I''m now on the way there. If it''s really urgent, you can come to Star City yourself. If you''re not in a hurry, wait until I''m done tending the business in Star City and return to Shanghai. That''s right, aren''t you and your mother still staying in Shanghai?"


    "Yeah. We''re still here along with Brother Shaokun," said Li Cai. "Alright, I''ll immediately head over to Star City, Divine Doctor Tang. We''ll speak more after we meet there."


    "No need to rush. I think it would be tomorrow afternoon when I arrive in Star City," said Tang Xiu.


    "Then I''ll just wait for you there."


    After the call ended, a subtle light glittered in Tang Xiu''s eyes. Through the short exchange just now, he realized that Li Cai gave him a good impression and he liked this girl. It wasn''t a sentiment from a man to a woman, but rather an admiration towards her. She could lay off her life and sacrifice herself for her mother¡ªa price too big to pay, yet she still chose it. He didn''t dare say that there was no one left in today''s society who could do the same, but the number was few and far between nowadays.


    "We got annoying troubles approaching, Grand Master."


    Tang An''s voice suddenly passed into his ear.


    Tang Xiu furrowed his brows, turning his head and glancing around as he saw tens of burly men approaching from the cabin, one of whom was an ugly and ferocious-looking big man who grabbed the clothes of a thin man and nearly dragged him over.


    "All of you, listen to me! The safety fee is 20 yuan for each person. Don''t blame these brothers for not paying!" The big man threw the thin man on the deck and trampled on him when he spoke.


    Tang Xiu slightly furrowed his brows and suddenly heard two men in leather attire about seven-plus meters away speak:


    "It''s these assholes again. They''re too blatant in extorting everyone just because they got the support from the Ouyang Family for this bullshit security fee for their protection service here."


    "We got no other choice, mate! Who doesn''t know the background of the Ouyangs in Jingmen Island? Nearly all the visitors coming crossing the sea by boat have been extorted by them. Many of them tried to call the cops, but do you know how they ended up? Those cops just turned a deaf ear knowing that these bastards are the Ouyangs'' goons."


    "Just be patient. We got no choice. Fortunately, the money they asked is just trivial. Count it as buying them two packs of cigarettes."


    "Alas, no other choice, huh."


    Tang Xiu''s brows slightly wrinkled after hearing the conversation of the duo. He then took out a cell phone from his pocket and dialed Ouyang Lulu''s number. After some time, the mumbling, sleepy voice of Ouyang Lulu came from the phone, "Ugh, who is this disturbing my dreams late at night¡­"


    Tang Xiu couldn''t help but chuckle and said, "It''s me, Lulu."


    The instant after, she cried out with a happily surprised voice, "Are you coming back to Shanghai, honey? Where are you now? I''ll get up and come for you right away!"


    "I''m not in Shanghai at the moment. I just arrived at the port of Jingmen Island and am about to return to Star City. There''s some business I need to tend to first over there. Well, I called you because there''s something I need to ask," said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    "What is it?" Ouyang Lulu sounded a bit disappointed but she still inquired.


    "I took a liner to Guangyang from Jingmen Island and there''s this bunch of men extorting money from the passengers, shouting that it''s a protection fee. But the thing is, they are using your family''s name to justify it. Do you happen to know about this matter?"


    "Got no idea about that, honest!" Ouyang Lulu sounded puzzled. "I often took a liner to Guangyang Province before but never bumped into anyone extorting money on the ship, though."


    "Care to make some calls to ask about it?" said Tang Xiu. "These people got some bad attitude and I think the wealthy Ouyang Family shouldn''t be bothered to care about such money, right?"


    "I''m gonna call Big Brother right away to ask about this matter, Dear." Ouyang Lulu quickly replied, "If the one responsible is from the Ouyang Family, I''ll definitely give them a hard lesson. If not, Big Brother will definitely be mad since these guys are just using the Ouyang''s name to run amuck."


    Referring to the Ouyang Family as¡­ them?


    "Wait, Lulu. Aren''t you a member of the Ouyangs?" asked Tang Xiu with a strange tone.


    Ouyang Lulu was silent for a moment. Then, a lit gunpowder barrel-like shout came, "Tang Xiu bastard! You''re a jerk! Let me tell you. I''m not a member of the Ouyangs, not before and not now! I''m a member of the Tangs and your wife! Even if you''re a monkey, I''ll still follow you all over the mountain since I''m married to you. YOU GOT THAT?!!"


    Cough, cough¡­


    Tang Xiu dryly smiled and replied, "Okay, okay, chill down. You''re a member of the Tangs. Are we good now?"


    "Hmph¡­"


    Ouyang Lulu snorted and hung up. But a few minutes later, she called back and Tang Xiu picked up her call as he heard her saying, "I''ve asked about it clearly, Dear. Brother knows about the security fee collection on the liner. One of his men is doing it since he once saved my brother. That''s why he never scrutinizes it and just turns a blind eye even though he knows about it."


    "Tell your brother to point out another means for his benefactor and just don''t let this bunch of ruffians and hooligans make such spectacles on the liner in the future," said Tang Xiu. "They Ouyangs are a wealthy big family and many eyes are staring at you, waiting for a chance to deal with you. In case someone else makes a case over this matter, no matter how insignificant it may be for the wealthy and powerful Ouyangs, it will still be a bit troublesome for you, regardless."


    "I understand," said Ouyang Lulu with a nod.


    After Tang Xu hung up, the ten or so burly men had come to him and their leader stretched his hand and spoke with a cold face, "Hand over the fee!"


    Tang Xiu took out 20 yuan from his pocket and gave it to him, saying, "Today will be the last time for you to collect money here. I''m giving you the money as a sign that this the last time you do this. Keep in mind to distance yourselves from doing illegal things later, else even the Ouyangs won''t be able to save your asses."


    The man was stunned and instantly frowned. He sized up Tang Xiu and asked, "Who are you? You dare spit out such bullshit?"


    "Bullshit? I don''t speak bullshit." Tang Xiu shook his head. "Your Boss did save Ouyang Lei''s life, so you can use the Ouyangs'' name to commit outrages. Have you ever thought what you are doing will discredit the Ouyangs themselves?"


    "Shit, who the f**k are you? You already know that the Ouyangs are powerful, who can convict us even if we commit crimes, huh? Who can take on the Ouyangs? WHO?!" A burly man behind the man suddenly rose the steel pipe in his hand.


    PA¡­


    A loud slap was heard and the big man was immediately sent flying. Since he was standing at the edge of the deck, the slap directly sent him plunging into the sea.


    The leader and the tens of other big men were dumbfounded. They did hear that distinct loud slap, but they also witnessed that this young man before them just stood still. He didn''t even move his fingers!


    Who just did the slap, then?


    It wouldn''t be a ghost coming out late at night¡­ right?


    Tang Xiu''s expression was unperturbed and he lightly spoke. "People said that those who commit bad deeds will face doom one day. The society is like a melting pot with people from all walks of life blending into it. Some are of the upper class and smart enough to make money with their brains and abilities, whereas some others are just off the track, becoming bullies and acting rampant just because they have powerful backing. Such people may end up fine if they are only the average people, but they can expect big troubles if they bump into some influential people. What I said¡­ is right, isn''t it?"


    The leader ordered some of the men to run to the bridge to stop the ship for the rescue. The man himself didn''t leave and observed Tang Xiu''s calm expression. He tightly squeezed the money in his hand and asked again, "Who exactly are you? Are you really not afraid of the Ouyangs?"


    "I may be a bit worried if it was another family. But I''m not afraid of the Ouyangs since I have the backing from one of them," said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    "Who is your backer in the Ouyang House?" the man frowned and asked.


    Tang Xiu seemed to ponder for a moment and, while pointing at his nose, he answered, "My woman, Ouyang Lulu."


    "Ouyang Lulu? She''s your woman?"


    The man stared blankly before his expression enormously changed. His body suddenly trembled and paced back several steps, looking surprised and alarmed as he cried out, "You are¡­ are you, Boss Tang?"


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to stroke his face with a strange smile. "Ah, how fast time flies and changes things. It feels like eons since nobody knows me before I appeared in the public. Honestly speaking, being famous is really tiresome as only staying low-profile can give me some relaxed time."


    BAM¡­


    The man directly knelt in front of Tang Xiu and knocked his head thrice with a face uglier than crying, shudderingly saying, "B-Boss¡­ Tang, we brothers have eyes but failed to see an important person like you and even dared to demand money from you. Please forgive us with your magnanimity on the account of your in-law''s face! I promise I''ll never extort protection money ever again later."


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    Just as his voice faded away, the ringtone of his mobile phone rapidly rang.


    The man looked up at Tang Xiu.


    "Hurry up and answer the call." Tang Xiu nodded.


    The man was as though receiving a pardon as he got up from the deck''s floor. After taking out his cell phone and seeing the screen, it turned out to be a call from his Boss. He immediately pressed the answer button and spoke carefully, "Are you looking for me, Boss? I''m on the liner now, but I''ll be back right away after we''ve arrived in Guangyang.


    "You''re on the liner already?" a man''s voice came from the phone.

 1193 Murky Situations

    The man in front in front of Tang Xiu nodded unctuously while holding the phone next to his ear. "We''re indeed on the liner already, Boss. For you to call us now, do you have any instructions for us?"


    "Stop collecting protection fee and take all the boys to Guangyang. Don''t do anything rash and come back immediately to my place. We are not to collect protection money on the liner anymore starting today. I¡­ I just got a call from Brother Lei," the man replied from the phone.


    Brother Lei? As in¡­ Ouyang Lei?


    The man instantly understood. It must be that Tang Xiu made a phone call to Ouyang Lei in advance, as such coincidence as Ouyang Lei calling his Boss at this time was otherwise unlikely.


    "I understand, Boss. I¡­ I just promised Boss Tang that I won''t be collecting protection money anymore later," replied the man bitterly with shivering lips.


    "Boss Tang? Which Boss Tang are you talking about?" The man''s tone on the phone was full of curiosity.


    "It''s Divine Doctor Tang, Miss Ouyang''s man?"


    "Come again?!!"


    A scream was heard from the phone. After a short while, the man hurriedly said, "You haven''t offended Boss Tang, have you? If you have, do apologize to him at once. You must calm his anger even if you must kneel and beg for his mercy!"


    "Ah Hu did say some rude things to Boss Tang, but¡­ I''m not sure what happened, he got thrown into the sea by something. But I myself have acted humble to Boss Tang, Boss," said the man bitterly.


    "Alright, do keep in mind to serve him well like you''re his servant. Try as best as you can to satisfy any of his requests. Also, send him my regards too."


    The man put the phone in his pocket after the call ended. He then looked at Tang Xiu and cautiously said, "Boss Tang, my Boss just said that we are to never use the Ouyangs'' name to collect protection money on the liner anymore from now on. Also, I''d like to thank your magnanimity and please feel free to tell me if there''s anything you need. I''ll do anything to accomplish it for you."


    "I''m fine by myself. You can go back!" Tang Xiu waved.


    BAM¡­


    Someone heavily slammed on the deck''s floor with his whole body wet and particularly shivering. His face, in particular, was flushed red with a visible print of a palm, which was obviously from the slap that hit him before.


    The man''s pupils kept contracting at this time; he would have definitely thought that it was some ghost or spirit who just hit his underling if it wasn''t for these many people being around. Nobody knew who had slapped his underling and sent him flying into the sea. And yet, the man inexplicably flew back on the deck. That was the most bizarre incident he had ever seen in life!


    However, he was also a smart man and secretly glanced at Tang Xiu. Seeing his indifference, he conjectured that it must be related to Tang Xiu, so he bade farewell unctuously to him, then grabbed his underling and run towards the cabin.


    A short interlude of this trivial episode concluded quickly just like its arrival.


    However, the hundreds of people around on the deck now looked at Tang Xiu in a completely different light. Many of them felt that he looked familiar, but none could recall his true identity. Therefore, nobody came to greet him even though they looked at him with admiration.


    Time fleeted by.


    It was at 2:30 AM when the liner finally docked at the port of Guangyang. The tens of burly men who collected the protection money before lined up to escort Tang Xiu to the shore with reverential attitudes. Only after Tang Xiu finally drove his car and left did they eventually relax secretly.


    As night painted the sky dark, the BMW X5 was stopped in front of the gate of the South Gate Town in Star City. A security guard on duty there quickly greeted him while holding an electric baton. The guard looked at Tang Xiu on the driver''s seat, giving a salute and respectfully saying, "Are you looking for someone or do you live here, Sir? The detector installed at the gate didn''t seem to have registered your car."


    "I own a house here, but this car is someone else''s." Tang Xiu smiled at him and explained, "Please register it since it''s likely I''m staying here for some time and will use this car for a while."


    "Which villa do you live in?" asked the security hurriedly.


    As Tang was about to answer him, another security guard rushed over from the distance and spoke to Tang Xiu with a reverential face, "Mr. Tang? Is it really you?"


    "I remember you. You''re Xiao Hu, right?" Tang Xiu replied with a smile.


    Xiao Hu quickly smiled and replied, "Yeah, that''s right. I''m Xiao Hu. Our Manager, Ms. Long, mentioned about you a few days ago, Mr. Tang. She said you haven''t returned for some time."


    "You mean, Long Xueyao?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "Yeah! Manager Long Xueyao." Xiao Hu confirmed. "Unfortunately, she just left and said that she''s going to the hospital. Else she would be excited to know that you''ve returned."


    Tang Xiu was slightly stunned and asked him, "Long Xueyao went to the hospital. What happened?"


    Xiao Hu hesitantly replied, "I have no idea about the details, but I heard that Chief Long was injured and is hospitalized. She should be heading there to see him!"


    Tang Xiu jolted inwardly and pushed the car''s door, asking, "Which Chief Long? Long Hanwen or Long Zhengyu?"


    "It''s Young Master Long Zhengyu," answered Xiao Hu quickly.


    Tang Xiu was reticent for a moment and then took out his mobile phone to dial Long Zhengyu''s number. After a few seconds, his call was connected and a tired voice greeted him. "Tang Xiu? It''s Long Hanwen here."


    A bad feeling suddenly appeared in Tang Xiu''s mind and he hurriedly asked, "Uncle Long, I just heard Long Zhengyu got injured, is it true? What happened and why is his phone with you?"


    "You''re quick to hear the news. I didn''t expect that you would hear the incident happened in the morning right at this evening," said Long Hanwen with a wry smile. "Zhengyu is indeed injured, and it''s quite serious too. He has been in a coma in the ICU since this morning and I don''t know when he''ll wake up."


    "What exactly happened?" asked Tang Xiu in a deep voice.


    "The situation in Star City is now rather chaotic with crooks and good people mixed together," said Long Hanwen helplessly. "Let alone the average people, even the authorities¡ªboth the First and the Second person here kind of getting suffocated and want to control the situation. But the pestilential atmosphere kind of binds their hands to act. Alas¡­"


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment and then asked, "Is this related to my Magnificent Tang Corporation?"


    "That''s right! The people who injured Zhengyu are from the Harbo Group from the U.S." Long Hanwen said, "That guy is really rampant. I sent my men to catch him, but that company sent someone to contact some officials and the authorities and I''ve been under pressure from them since."


    A cold light flashed in Tang Xiu''s eyes and asked again, "Which hospital is Zhengyu hospitalized in? I just returned to Star City, so I''ll rush over."


    "Star City Chinese Medical Hospital," said Long Hanwen.


    Tang Xiu hung up and bade farewell to the security guard, Xiao Hu. Then, he sat back on the car and sped up towards Star City Chinese Medical Hospital.


    ***


    At the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital.


    In the spacious and brightly lit President''s office, Li Longji was holding a cup of hot tea and comfortably leaned against his chair with a train of thoughts in his mind. Ever since Tang Xiu brought a great reputation to his hospital, he had aggressively recruited domestic and foreign medical experts alike, purchased a large number of the latest medical equipment, as well as personally visited senior Chinese medicine practitioners to invite them to work at the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. He even invited a retired Chinese medicine expert who worked for the hospital before to be an expert consultant of Chinese medicine here.


    As of now, the scale of the hospital had simply leaped up several levels; even its area had been doubled and firmly positioned itself right behind the Star City First Public Hospital. However, the current President of the Hospital, Li Longji, who should have retired, was jointly commended by the Municipal and Provincial Health Bureau that made an exception to make him stay in the position as the President of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital.


    "Pity that Tang Xiu isn''t here, though. If he was still here, it''s very likely that even the Provincial First Public Hospital wouldn''t be able to rival the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. There''s also that Dai Xinyue girl. She unexpectedly left the hospital for a trip and will only come back after a while."


    The old man somewhat complained about the situation inwardly. But the grateful feeling he had toward these two people was more evident. He realized that the hospital could progress and thrive day by day due to the merits of this pair of Master and disciple. But the biggest credit he could give to was to the charity fund project of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital itself.


    It was because the charity fund project had always been carried out in a fair and transparent manner, where all the flow of funds would be announced in time and appeared on the LED display installed on the hospital square to be clearly seen by the public. Further, be it every patient, social workers, or the public, they also had the right to check the entire financial statement of the fund in the hospital consultation lobby. It was that practice that made them receive wide acclaim from society.


    Therefore, the hospital, many philanthropists and even the foundation in the country directed their donations to the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. Some were anonymous and some others became famous because of it. Hence, the hospital now received over 10 billion yuan from donations annually, and over 90% of the 10 billion funds were used to subsidize patients from the poor.


    Li Longji even established an investigation team in order to ensure that the patient came from a poor household, and every patient who applied for a charity fund would receive a corresponding investigation.


    "It''s time to go home and eat."


    He then put the teacup which had turned cold on the desk, relaxedly stretched out and slightly moved his lower body. Then, he got up and grabbed his coat on the hanger.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    His phone rang when he put on his coat. He just casually took it out since many related households would find him due to his identity. Some people who were not familiar with him even used every means to find his number in order to climb up the relationship and make their sick family be well taken care of in the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital.


    It was a society governed by favors and face, to begin with.


    Li Longji himself was not a pedantic person, either. He would act to take care of some people better, but he never crossed his bottom line.


    "Ehh¡­"


    But when he saw the caller name on the screen, he stiffened with contracted pupils immediately as an excited expression covered his whole face. He directly pressed the answer button and rapidly shot a question, "Tang Xiu? You''re Tang Xiu, right?


    "It is me, President Li," confirmed Tang Xiu. "I''m now on the way to Star City Chinese Medical Hospital. I''d like to meet you there if you''re still in the hospital."

 1194 Long Zhengyu’s Tragic Condition

    "You didn''t come here for a long time, brat! I thought you forgot about me already." Li Longji excitedly exclaimed. "I''ve been wishing for a long time, hoping you''ll come back to render medical service at our Star City Medical Hospital again!"


    "Let''s save the talk about the medical practice for later, President Li." Tang Xiu said, "There''s something I need to ask you."


    The old man''s complexion stagnated and his tone immediately turned serious, "Speak."


    "Long Zhengyu is said to be injured and is now being treated in Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, isn''t he? What is his current condition? Is it serious?"


    "Very." Li Longji wryly smiled and went on. "I was the one who examined him. Three broken ribs and spleen severely injured, which caused a slight internal hemorrhage. His brain and nerves suffered from the external heavy blow and he hasn''t yet recovered from the coma until now. All in all, he hasn''t passed the dangerous period yet. But the most unfortunate thing is about his genital. Unless there are special means, I''m afraid he won''t be a complete man anymore in this life."


    "What?!" Tang Xiu exclaimed.


    His genital is damaged and he won''t be a complete man anymore?


    Disbelief overflowed in Tang Xiu''s eyes along with killing intent birthed in his heart. Long Zhengyu was among the first friends he made after returning to Earth. He wouldn''t have developed so fast in recent years if it wasn''t for him, and neither would he have the funds to purchase cultivation resources at the early period of development.


    Afterward, they kept in contact continuously. Although he knew that Long Zhengyu treated him with sincerity and became his loyal friend due to his identity, he also regarded him as a good friend, regardless. And now, he had been severely injured by some foreign tycoon group invited by his Magnificent Tang Corp.


    "I''ve learned about the situation, President Li. I estimate I''ll be arriving at the hospital in about half an hour. We''ll talk again later if you''re not in the hospital now," said Tang Xiu after taking a deep breath.


    "Just come over here. I''m still at the hospital!" said Li Longji quickly.


    Half an hour later, when Tang Xiu appeared in the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital and stopped his car in the parking lot, he saw Li Longji approach him fast along with four middle-aged doctors in white coats.


    "Tang Xiu!"


    Li Longji paced forward and intimately held and shook Tang Xiu''s hands.


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and said, "Can we head straight to Long Zhengyu, President Li? I want to have a look at his condition. I''ll do my best to treat him if the medicine I have can be used, else the disability will greatly affect his life forever. It might even ruin him."


    "He''s in the ICU at the moment. I''ll escort you there myself." Li Longji nodded and said, "Also, let me introduce you to these men on the way there. The four of them are expert doctors in the hospital and separately have expertise in the brain, internal medicine, neurology, and urology fields. They are also the doctors in charge of Long Zhengyu''s treatment."


    Tang Xiu nodded to the four men and said, "I haven''t been to Star City Chinese Medical Hospital for a long time. It never came to me that the hospital has changed a lot¡ªmuch better than before with more patients as well. Such a scale maybe has surpassed the First Public Hospital of Star City, hasn''t it?"


    "It was you who granted the chance for it to happen!" Li Longji smilingly said, "The present Star City Chinese Medical Hospital would have stagnated in its previous state if it wasn''t for you."


    After a simple and brief introduction, Li Longji took Tang Xiu to the newly built inpatient building where the ICU room was located. Tang Xiu didn''t put on a sterile suit and just went directly inside. He looked Long Zhengyu, who now wore an oxygen mask with some catheters inserted into his body. Then, he reached out to take his wrist and check his pulse.


    A few minutes after, he reached out to pull out all the catheters on Long Zhengyu''s body, including the oxygen mask. After this, he took out a Holy Healing pill from the interspatial ring and stuffed it into his mouth. At the same time, he also injected his Primal Chaos energy into his system. After helping him digest the Holy Healing pill, Tang Xiu looked at the five people in sterile clothes and said in a deep voice, "President Li, I''ll take over Long Zhengyu''s treatment and personally treat him. The Hospital only needs to arrange the best care well."


    "Are you confident you can cure him?" asked Li Longji hurriedly asked.


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and shook his head, slowly saying, "I can treat his injuries, but I am helpless with his brain damage unless I can find a miraculous spiritual herb."


    "What herb is it?" asked Li Longji.


    "An herb called Conscience Flower," said Tang Xiu.


    Li Longji was dumbfounded, whereas the other four furrowing their brows. They quickly exchanged glances and shook their heads to express that none of them had ever heard of this spiritual herb.


    Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, "In actuality, I have no idea where to find this spiritual herb either, as it''s really too rare. It usually only grows in volcanic craters with frequent eruptions. Ah, let''s drop it first. I''ll think about some other solutions again and try my best to make him recover as before."


    "I believe you can do it given your superb medical expertise." Li Longji nodded.


    Tang Xiu no longer spoke and gave hints to the five people to leave first. Then, he began to regulate and rejuvenate Long Zhengyu''s bodily functions and used his Primal Chaos energy to nourish his damaged body.


    After half an hour, he came out of the ICU room and saw more than 10 people waiting outside. Aside from Li Longji''s group of five, there were also the Long Family, as well as Kang Xia and Andy.


    "Tang Xiu, Zhengyu¡­ how¡­ is he now?" Long Hanwen grabbed his hand with anticipation on his face.


    "I''ve treated his flesh injuries, Uncle Long. The injuries won''t be a problem anymore." Tang Xiu comforted him. "But I haven''t yet been able to figure out how to treat his nerves and brain damage. It''s possible that he will soon wake up without any sequelae, but there is also a chance he will be in a coma for a long time due to the damage to his brain and nerves. But please rest assured. I''ll find a way to wake him up as soon as possible."


    After hearing his explanation, Long Hanwen asked again cautiously, "If he wakes up, can he still marry and have children in the future?"


    "That won''t be a problem." Tang Xiu smiled and went on. "I''ll make sure he''ll be no different from a normal man."


    Long Hanwen''s tense and anxiousness finally dissipated a lot and a smile appeared on his square old face. He sighed. "Zhengyu having a friend like you is truly the greatest blessing in his life. I believe you''ll be able to wake him up given your outstanding medical expertise."


    "He''s my friend, giving my best to treat him is just natural." Tang Xiu smiled and said, "Uncle Long, President Li will arrange the hospital''s experts and doctors to tend to Zhengyu''s treatment and check his condition at all times, there''s no need for you and the others to stay here. Please go back home first."


    Long Hanwen gave it a thought and nodded. "Alright, we''ll go back first. But do call me right away if something happens."


    "I''m staying." Long Xueyao suddenly interjected. "Besides, there''s something I need to consult with Tang Xiu."


    Long Hanwen stared dully for a moment before a strange expression appeared on his face. He then shot a look at Tang Xiu and suddenly said with a smile, "Being occupied is great. Really great! Xueyao, keep Tang Xiu accompany well and do your best to satisfy his request, whatever it is."


    Everyone present was all people with smart heads and each of them let out a meaningful smile upon hearing Long Hanwen''s remark. However, when Andy squeezed out and quickly came to Tang Xiu''s side and grabbed his hand, the smile on the faces of Long Hanwen and everyone else instantly froze.


    Tang Xiu could only force a wry smile inwardly. After sending off Long Hanwen''s group and letting Li Longji and the hospital''s team of doctors tend to their duties, he turned to Long Xueyao and asked, "What''s exactly the issue that made you look for me, though?"


    "A friend of mine will have a wedding the day after tomorrow, can you go with me to her wedding ceremony?" asked Long Xueyao with hesitation.


    "You want me to accompany you to your friend''s wedding?" Tang Xiu was confused. "Aren''t you looking at the wrong person? You should ask your boyfriend to go with you on such an occasion."


    "I don''t have a boyfriend." Long Xueyao forced a wry smile. "Besides, it''s not what you think it is. This friend of mine is a bit¡­ special. If you come with me, you might be able to cure her illness."


    "Why didn''t she visit the doctor and come to the hospital, though?" said Tang Xiu.


    Long Xueyao glanced at Kang Xia and Andi, saying, "Her situation is very complicated and I just can''t explain it to you now. You just need to tell me whether you can accompany me or not. I promise that it won''t take your time for long, just a few hours."


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and said, "I can''t promise you on that for the time being since Long Zhengyu is severely injured. My Magnificent Tang Corp. is related to this incident and can''t escape from the responsibility, so I must completely deal and solve this problem. Alright, wait for my reply tomorrow night. I promise I''ll go with you if my schedule allows me to squeeze some time for the day after tomorrow. Is that OK with you?"


    "Alright!"


    Long Xueyao knew and understood Tang Xiu''s situation, so she nodded said, "Then I''ll be waiting for a reply tomorrow night. See you again later."


    Tang Xiu watched her back until she disappeared at the corner of the front corridor. Then, he retracted back his vision and asked with furrowed brows, "Kang Xia, what exactly is the situation pertaining to those foreign companies here?"


    Kang Xia forced a smile and said, "The announcement we made that we''re searching distributors for our products immediately made tons of business people all over the world to flood over here. We only have a few products, but the number of companies that have come here is already over 200. 100 of which are large companies coming only for God''s Nectar. But most importantly, all of them are offering checks while stating that they would still aim to strike the deal to cooperate even if the Magnificent Tang Corp. put for more excessive demands."


    "It feels to me that we''re just some golden eggs laying hen in the eyes of those world-class major companies." Tang Xiu sighed. "But it''s also evident that those people think that whoever can board the ship that is our company will have lots of banknotes flying into their pockets later. But in any case, kick out that foreign company of the list¡ªthe one that is responsible for Long Zhengyu''s injuries!"


    "It has been excluded," said Kang Xia.


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and went on, "One other thing, sort out the portfolio of those companies and sent them to me later. We''ll continue this discussion after I read them."


    There was, however, something else he didn''t state, which was the fact that many world-class major companies were secretly under control by cultivators. It was a must to avoid any business dealings with those who were under his enemies, else it would have a huge impact on the business once they had some clashes in the future.

 1195 Devising Plan and Methods

    At South Gate Town.


    After Tang Xiu returned with Kang Xia and Andy, the three of them went into the study and focused their attention on studying the documents Kang Xia had prepared in advance. Tang Xiu may be wealthy, but he still had to plan further for the future, as money itself was the minimum foundation one must have to develop further.


    As the clock hit two in the morning, the trio ended their discussion. A round of screening had been done, but there were still many companies portfolios remaining, many of which hadn''t had its details investigated yet.


    "How about sending our men to investigate them first, Boss? Or, do you want to hire some famous international private investigator firms?" The easy-going and extroverted Andy looked somewhat different tonight as she rarely spoke except for expressing her ideas.


    "I don''t trust those international private investigator firms. There''s a chance those survey companies are deeply related to some major companies. Chance is that the Big Boss behind them is the same person. I''ll send our own people to investigate these companies," said Tang Xiu.


    "But I''m afraid we won''t have enough time if you send our own people for the investigation, though." Kang Xia interjected.


    "Before I went to Japan, I might still be worried about the lack of funds we might face in the later period, but the concern is all gone now," said Tang Xiu smilingly. "Besides, our HQ and industrial park in Shanghai haven''t been finished yet, so there''s no way we can go fully operational in the next year, meaning that the output of our various products is still not much as well. Therefore, we''re gonna play a time-delaying card for now. Even if we do strike the deals with some of these foreign companies, the delivery date of the products will be set to a year later."


    "Did you get some great fortune from the campaign in Japan, by chance?" asked Kang Xia curiously.


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment before he took a set of jewelry from the interspatial ring and gave it to Kang Xia. "You can say the harvest is just great. I''m sure anyone who sees the wealth I''ve obtained will be shocked. Well, take this set of jewelry. It''s for you."


    Kang Xia''s eyes lit up. She never liked wearing precious jewelry at ordinary times, but the one before her eyes really attracted her. The crown inlaid with jewels and a necklace decorated with emeralds, with blue diamonds on a set of earrings, paired with a couple of bracelets made of jade. Although Kang Xia had no idea the valuation of jadeites and diamonds, she was perfectly sure that this set of jewelry would definitely be very valuable and roughly estimated that its value would definitely not be lower than 10 figures.


    "Boss¡­"


    A faint voice with a bit of hesitation came from Andy.


    Tang Xiu turned to her and found that she was looking at the set of jewelry in Kang Xia''s hand with a yearning face. Then, he immediately smiled and spoke to her, "What is it? You seem to not be in a good mood all night. But relax, you''ll have yours too."


    Andy looked stiffened and hesitated for a long while. Then, she stutteringly spoke, "I¡­ I want you to¡­ prescribe medicine for me¡­ but I''m afraid¡­ you''ll be angry."


    "Prescribing medicine for you?" Tang Xiu was stunned, whereas Kang Xia wore a strange expression.


    Andy took a deep breath and pulled out her courage to continue, "I like you, Boss. I''ve never seen a man better than you. Happiness fills me up every time I see you, and I''m anxious and restless if I can''t see you for a long time. I know my status isn''t high enough to be worthy of you, but I think I have the right to pursue my own happiness. Chief has already become your woman, so take me in too."


    Cough, cough¡­


    Tang Xiu coughed twice and took out another set of jewelry directly from the interspatial ring. After handing it to Andy, he said, "You also know that I have some women already. Too many, even. Andy, you''re no less beautiful than Kang Xia and just a different type of beauty. That''s why I think you should pursue your own happiness and find a man who is dedicated to you only."


    Andy stubbornly shook her head. "But Chief can find her happiness in you, so can I."


    Tang Xiu turned to Kang Xia and said, "You help her to be sensible and clear her mind."


    Having said that, he strode out of the study and then realized that Kang Xia wouldn''t sleep with him tonight, so he took a shower and went straight to bed after returning to his bedroom.


    Early the next morning.


    The first wisp of sunshine had just risen from the east when Tang Xiu woke up. Instead of getting straight to practice after getting up, he just slowly sat on the bed and picked the mobile phone on the bedside table, dialed Hao Lei''s cell number and spoke, "Come to Star City to see me as fast as possible. Also, release a press conference in the name of Grand Fortune Jewelry that the company will hold a large-scale auction in Shanghai on December 1st. Also, invite jewelry collectors from all over the world and local folks alike who love antiques and curios. But keep in mind to make the announcement as bombastic and loud as possible. Additionally, announce to the outside world that all the guests are required to have at least the minimum of 9 figures in liquid cash when participating in the auction."


    "A minimum of 100 million in liquid cash?" Hao Lei exclaimed. "Isn''t it too high a threshold, Sect Master? There may be a lot of billionaires out there, but what you''re asking for is the available liquid cash! Also, do we¡­ have so many good things to auction?"


    "You don''t need to be concerned about the articles for the auction. You''ll know when you come to Star City," replied Tang Xiu.


    Hao Lei knew Tang Xiu well. He never did anything that he wasn''t able to handle, so she said, "I''ll rush over to Star City right away, Sect Master. I''ll have the announcement enter the news on the road. I promise those filthy rich all over the world will learn about this unprecedented grand auction. That''s right, any other requirement with the funds pertaining to the publicity?"


    "I''ll give 1 billion for it," said Tang Xiu.


    Hao Lei''s breathing turned rough and she replied in a deep voice, "1 billion yuan is enough, Sect Master."


    Tang Xiu then hung up and left the bed to take a shower. Just as he came to the living room on the first floor, he saw Kang Xia nesting on the sofa while reading documents, with the fragrance of dishes fluttering from the kitchen. To his surprise, when he set his sight on the kitchen, it wasn''t the housekeeper who did the cooking but Andy, who was wearing an apron while humming some pong songs.


    "Hey, what''s up here?" Tang Xiu went to Kang Xia''s front and asked with a look of surprise.


    A strange smile appeared on the corner of Kang Xia''s mouth as she replied, "It''s nothing! I just admonished Andy last night but it didn''t turn out well, so I told her that if she really wants to be your woman, she needs to be great both in ''drilling and cooking''. She won''t have a problem with the former since she has been traveling with me literally everywhere in the past few years, so her experience on that one is remarkable enough with tons of insight in which she can be independent on that one. But as for the kitchen¡­"


    Tang Xiu blinked with understanding but asked with a strange expression, "She doesn''t know how to cook or what?"


    "Ah, hehe, I''m not 100% sure about that, either." Kang Xia laughed and said, "In any case, I''ve never seen her cook."


    Tang Xiu felt rather relieved inwardly and a beaming smile appeared on his handsome face, raising a thumbs up and praising her. "That was a great idea. I''m sure she''ll be able to give it up as long as she doesn''t know how to cook. Well, Kang Xia, find some outstanding talents for her too. I''m sure someone she likes will appear."


    The smile on Kang Xia''s face turned more evident, but she didn''t reply to Tang Xiu. Instead, she shot her pretty eyes to the kitchen as though she had already smelled the fragrance of the dishes.


    Suddenly, Tang An appeared out of the blue. She didn''t even glance at Kang Xia but cupped her fists and directly spoke to Tang Xiu, "Long Hanwen is here, Grand Master."


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and came out of the living room hall. Just as he came out, he saw Long Hanwen coming out from the car with looming killing intent on his solemn face.


    "Uncle Long."


    Long Hanwen nodded to him in response and said, "There''s something I must discuss with you, Tang Xiu."


    "Let''s head inside," said Tang Xiu.


    Quickly after, both men came to the study on the second floor. When they just took a seat, Kang Xia entered with a tray of fragrant tea and served them. She then left the room and closed the door.


    Long Hanwen took back his gaze from the door and sighed in praise. "You''re really blessed. Kang Xia is such a great woman!"


    "Surely you wouldn''t come over just to praise Kang Xia." Tang Xiu smiled slightly.


    The old man''s expression turned solemn and he looked at Tang Xiu, inquisitively asking, "I just wanna know, how do you plan to deal with this U.S Harbo Group?"


    "Well, Kang Xia has informed those from the U.S Harbo Group that the Magnificent Tang Corp. will never do business with them," said Tang Xiu.


    "Just that?" Long Hanwen frowned.


    "What do you think then, Uncle Long?" asked Tang Xiu back with a meaningful tone and expression.


    Long Hanwen was reticent for half a minute and then spoke with a bit of killing intent contained in his tone, "I want the ones responsible for injuring Zhengyu to be punished! I may have sent someone to beat him up and maim him. That guy is still in custody, but there are others who instigated him, borrowing his hand to beat someone else. I can never swallow my anger if I don''t make them pay some price!"


    "So the reason you haven''t targeted these instigators yet is that you''re wary of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, then?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "That''s correct," said Long Hanwen directly.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and his expression turned serious. Then, he solemnly spoke, "Uncle Long, I accept your kindness. This issue is far from over since the other party severely injured Long Zhengyu right in our turf. However, we can''t just exact revenge and retaliate openly as I need to maintain the reputation of the Magnificent Tang Corporation as well."


    "Then, what plans you have in mind?" asked Long Hanwen.


    "There are too many companies all over the world that want to cooperate with my company. Even 17 of them come from the U.S.," said Tang Xiu with a sneer. "These 17 companies may look to be harmonious on the surface, but they are fighting in the back. Kang Xia herself has sorted out the portfolios and information on these 17 companies and gave them to me, so I know that the Harbo Group has secretly been having some disputes and clashes with three other companies and apparently, they always have the upper hand.


    "If these three companies can join hands to deal with the Harbo Group, I believe this company will face quite some hard times, and I can guarantee the people from this company, especially those instigators, will find it impossible to leave Star City and China unharmed."

 1196 Selling Tang Xiu for Two Pieces of Clothes

    Tang Xiu elaborated all his plans again in the next half an hour and finally perfected a certain plan with Long Hanwen''s assistance.


    "Would you like to have breakfast here, Uncle Long?"


    Tang Xiu asked with a guilty expression after they were done discussing the serious issues.


    "No." Long Hanwen shook his head. "I''m going back to prepare ahead of time since we''ve finalized the plan. The Mayor and some people from Harbo Group came to my residence when I was on the way to your house, so I''m going to deal with them first and wait for your arrival there."


    "Alright!" Tang Xiu felt relieved and set the man out of the house with a smile on his face.


    As he returned back to the living room on the first floor, he saw that Andy had come out of the kitchen still in an apron. But seeing her delicate and cute face now had some black screens "make-up" from pot bottom, he was unable to hold his laughter. She looked so distressed at this time.


    ''Hehe, not like someone who can cook, indeed.''


    Tang Xiu chuckled inwardly, but he kept a still and calm face on the surface. "How good of you to proactively prepare breakfast, Andy. Did you just finish cooking? I''m starving."


    Andy glanced at Kang Xia and then stammered. "B-Boss, d-did you mean it when you promised that?"


    "I may not be an emperor, but I always mean what I say." Tang Xiu nodded.


    After hearing this, Andy immediately continued, "Kang Xia said that I must be able to handle both the main duty and kitchen work if I want to be your woman. She also said that you''ll agree to let me be your woman if I can cook. So what I''m asking is, did you really mean what you said?"


    Tang Xiu turned to look at Kang Xia and saw her nodding to him smilingly. Then, he slowly replied, "I''ve tasted lots of delicacies and its kind and I just can''t wolf down any ordinary meals anymore. Well, I just lost my appetite since you can''t cook, though."


    "What do you know I can''t cook?" Andy acted angrily and shouted, "You haven''t tasted it yet!"


    Tang Xiu stared dully for a moment and then carefully observed her expression for a short while. After seeing the anxiousness and fear in her erratically moving eyes, he said, "I''ll consider it if the meal you made tastes great. If it''s just ordinary, you''d better listen to Kang Xia''s arrangement to have some blind dates and find yourself a boyfriend fast."


    "I don''t think Andy will just give up if you don''t give her a sure statement, Boss." Kang Xia interrupted. "Besides, you don''t want to be entangled the whole time in the future, right?"


    Tang Xiu gave it a thought and felt that Kang Xia was right. However, he was still not quite assured and then released his spiritual sense to check the dining room. There, he found four dishes had been served on the dining table. But the "sight" made him amused inwardly since the appearances of these dishes were truly appalling, especially that fish-like dish. That particular dish was obviously overcooked given how dark the fish skin was.


    "I agree to accept you if the dishes you just made taste great, Andy. But if they taste bad and are not my standard, you''re not to mention it anymore in the future since we are not fated, alright?" said Tang Xiu seriously.


    "About that¡­ alright. Deal!"


    Andy turned around with a pitiful expression on her face. But her expression turned into a blooming flower-like smiling face when Tang Xiu couldn''t see it clearly. Even her footsteps looked unusually vigorous. After coming to the dining room with Tang Xiu and Kang Xia, she poured the hotpot soup from the casserole and gave a bowl of rice to Tang Xiu and Kang Xia each. After sitting across them, she said, "Eat it and then say what it tastes like."


    Kang Xia picked up chopsticks with a beaming face and chuckled when she clamped the chopped veggie dish. "Well, I''m gonna act as a witness here, so my comment on the taste will definitely be genuine and fair."


    Having said that, she pinched a piece of spicy and sour shredded potato. The moment after, a curved arc sketched on the corner of her mouth as she looked at Tang Xiu and said, "Well, this shredded potato¡­ tastes pretty good."


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes at her in response and used his chopsticks to clamp the said spicy and sour shredded potato. But a short while after, his expression instantly froze after chewing it.


    ''The flavor¡­ tastes good.''


    Despite having tasted lots of delicacies of various kinds, he must admit that this spicy and sour shredded potato did have a great flavor.


    After he swallowed the potato dish, he maintained a calm face and went to pick another dish.


    "How was it? How was the flavor?" asked Andy hurriedly.


    "I just tasted a bite from one dish, so I''m holding my comment for now, alright?" said Tang Xiu. "I''ll give you my full evaluation after I''m done tasting them all."


    Andy and Kang Xia reacted in a similar fashion and immediately wore smiling faces.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu tasted the sweet and sour pork ribs, steamed egg flower fish, and the sweet and sour carp one. But after he finished tasting those three dishes, a regretful expression was evident on his face.


    I just got wrecked into the pit, huh¡­


    That was what he groaned inwardly and the most powerless groan he had ever had. At this time, he really couldn''t understand why Kang Xia put forward that stupid and awful idea to make him fall into this trap.


    Each of these four dishes could be said to deserve a place as the best main course if they were served in those star-rated big restaurants. Despite having tasted various kinds of delicious dishes himself, he still had to admit that Andy''s cooking level was truly above the roof.


    Kang Xia put down her chopsticks and smilingly said, "Alright, lemme state my evaluation first. I think Andy''s dishes taste great despite their appalling looks. I don''t think some great chefs can make it more delicious."


    Tang Xiu''s mouth twitched twice and was at a loss of how to respond for a while.


    Andy herself looked expectant. She stared at Tang Xiu and asked, "You haven''t given your evaluation yet, Boss!"


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and reluctantly asked, "Andy, have you really never had your hands on cooking before?"


    While wearing an innocent face, Andy looked back at him with her big watery and intelligent eyes. "I did some cooking before! I also hold a special chef''s license myself and I''ve studied lots of Chinese dishes recipes and made lots of delicious dishes based on them. Ah, that''s right. I used to be a 3-star chef at the Michelin before."


    "I¡­"


    Tang Xiu''s mouth was opened as he was heavily suppressed by the devastating blow brought by Andy''s remarks.


    "KANG XIA!!"


    His breathing turned rough as he yelled angrily. "Did you deliberately prank on me or what? What the hell is going on with your head? Is it really fun to dig a trap for me to jump into?"


    Kang Xia intentionally put on a face that looked like she had just been wronged. "You can''t blame me on this one, Boss! Andy knows Avril, that world-class designer, and she''s her best friend. She promised that she would give me two of Avril''s latest designs, you know."


    "Holy shit¡­"


    Tang Xiu was completely flabbergasted. Never even in his wildest dreams did he think that he would be sold out just for two pieces of clothing.


    ****


    Imperial Dragon Villa was a newly developed villa complex in Star City''s New Metro. Among these villas was the most majestic King villa that was taken possession by Long Group for Long Hanwen, who had now moved there after the quick renovation project. The villa complex itself was now regarded to have taken the position of South Gate Town as the best and most upscale villa complex in Star City.


    At #1 villa.


    Long Hanwen''s sedan just stopped in front of the courtyard when he saw Li Yuetao, the Deputy Mayor, sitting under the gazebo. Accompanying him were the newly appointed chief of the Public Security Bureau, Jiang Fei, and the Head Representative William of the US Harbo Group for China. Around them were also four burly men in black suits, looking vigilant in their security duty.


    "Deputy Mayor Li, Chief Jiang."


    Long Hanwen greeted them after coming over.


    Li Yuetao and Jiang Fei got up, including William.


    "I hope Chief Long can forgive and understand our visit so early in the morning. I know you''re a busy businessman, but the pressure is mounting on us from the top, so we''re also bound here," said Li Yuetao with a smile.


    "Deputy Mayor Li, I already know the purpose of your visit and what you want to say," replied Long Hanwen with a cold face. "Let''s spare ourselves the talk about this issue anymore. Additionally, the three of you also know how busy I am. Please forgive me since I don''t have much time to entertain you."


    Afterward, he turned and headed inside the villa.


    Li Yuetao forced a bitter smile and exchanged looks with Jiang Fei before he chased him. As he walked side-by-side with Long Hanwen, he spoke with a forced smile, "Chief Long, I''m going to be honest with you. Harbo Group is indeed at fault on this matter. I would have been as furious as you if I were in your shoes as well. But the milk is already spilled and you''ve locked Solund for a day; shouldn''t it be enough for your anger to dissipate already? Also, William is visiting in person in good faith to discuss the solution with you too."


    "Negotiating for the solution, huh?" Long Hanwen indignantly snorted. "What big joke are you playing? My son is still lying in the ICU of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital with his life and death still unknown so far! Do you think I can just easily let this matter go? My door is open for negotiation if my son can recover, but I''ll make that Cal Solund bastard pay with his life if anything bad happens to my son''s condition!"


    "Chief Long, the Harbo Group is one of the world''s top 50 corporations that has invested tens of billions of yuan in the southern region of the country. Solund''s father is the major shareholder of this Harbo Group and the consequences will be quite serious for China as a country if this matter is left unsolved. It''s very likely that it will also greatly impact the next investment this company will do in the country. Please give me and our country some face and drop this matter. You can rest assured that the Harbo Group will definitely give big compensation."


    Long Hanwen was silent for a moment and then said, "Deputy Mayor Li, please go back! I''ll consider this matter first, but let me tell you something. It''s impossible if you want me to release that bastard now!"


    "You¡­"


    Li Yuetao was a remarkable figure from the government, so how could he not conclude that Long Hanwen didn''t want to give him face? Yet, he wasn''t angry since he understood Long Hanwen''s feelings and situation. Someone maimed the son he cherished and valued the most, and his son''s life and death were still in the balance. How could Long Hanwen be able to just drop this matter given his identity?


    This will be quite the trouble!


    LI Yuetao bitterly smiled inwardly and finally could only reply helplessly, "If so, I''ll be waiting for good news from Chief Long, then."


    When Li Yuetao returned to the gazebo, he looked at the two pairs of eyes focusing on him. Then, he reluctantly forced a smile and said, "William, it seems that the matter is not easy to resolve. After all, the son of President Long is still lying in the hospital and chance is he may die at any time. In other words, you may have a foreign investor status here, but it was your side who did the deed. Even if President Long didn''t act to detain Cal Solund, I''m afraid that it would be the City Public Security Bureau''s people who would arrest him. Let''s take a step back and take it slow. President Long is rather furious at this time, but I''m sure when his son''s injury eases, maybe his anger will disappear. We may be able to resolve this matter smoothly when we come to negotiate again then."

 1197 Staging a Play

    It took only a day for the enmity budding between the local tycoon Long Group and the multinational corporation Harbo Group to spread out in Star City. It wasn''t only limited to those large companies that came to Star City to seek cooperation with the Magnificent Tang Corp., but it was also known to the average people.


    Everyone was literally sitting still on the bench, waiting to watch this wonderful show of a century. Countless eyes were focused on the Imperial Dragon Manor where the Long Family resided, Long Group''s HQ, as well as the Long''s Dining Hall where the representatives of Harbo Group were currently staying at. Meanwhile, the HQ of the Magnificent Tang Corporation and Kang Xia''s residence were also not spared from the observation of these many eyes.


    The news that Li Yuetao, the Deputy Mayor of Star City, and Jiang Fei, the Chief of City Public Security Bureau, and lastly William, the Director of China''s Harbo Group, went to the Imperial Dragon Manor together, quickly spread out in a short time, garnering the attention of these countless eyes to focus there, waiting for the outcome of this wonderful show.


    "IT FAILED!"


    When the three men left the Imperial Dragon Manor, all forces immediately turned into turmoil. No one believed that Long Hanwen turned out to be so arrogant to refuse to give a senior official some face. They didn''t expect that the man would be so headstrong and tough to pick a fight with the Harbo Group.


    However, at this time, another news quickly spread out to the entire Star City that Tang Xiu, the owner of Magnificent Tang Corp., was said to have returned to Star City and it was rumored that he and the successor of the Long Group, Long Zhengyu, were very close friends.


    At the Long''s Dining Hall.


    The Director of China''s Harbo Group, William, just returned to the hotel and was about to call the company''s major shareholder, Cal Solund''s father, when heard the hasty knocks on his door.


    "Come in!" said William in a deep voice.


    A moment later, a black middle-aged man entered the room. He came to William and reported. "Sir William, we just received accurate news that the Big Boss of Magnificent Tang Corp. Tang Xiu has returned to Star City from overseas. Mr. Tang is rumored to have a very good friendship with Long Zhengyu of the Long Group and my conjecture is he should have come back for him."


    William''s expression turned extremely ugly instantly. He had received a note of refusal from the Magnificent Tang Corp. in regard to the partnership. It was very likely that that the Boss of this company was rushing back to stand in the same camp as Long Group.


    Then again, how should he deal with this Cal Solund bastard?


    Although he had literally ruined any chance of cooperation between the company and the Magnificent Tang Corp, there was also his involvement in inciting that bastard to do so. If he just immediately brought his team to leave China, it was very likely that his father would never let him go scot-free.


    What should I do?


    William, who previously wanted to call Cal Solund''s father, instantly hesitated for a while. He didn''t quickly reply to his subordinate''s report, but took out a cigarette and lit it up. While smoking, trains of thoughts filled his mind as he analyzed things in the hope of finding the perfect solution.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    Just as he was at a loss and unable to find any way out, the phone he put on the table suddenly rang. He quickly grabbed it and saw that it was an unfamiliar number and hesitated for a while whether to pick it up or not. But finally, he connected and asked, "William speaking here, may I know who is this?"


    "I''m Tang Xiu from the Magnificent Tang Corporation." A calm voice from the phone answered him.


    William was dumbfounded and his heart was suddenly inundated with a bad feeling. Then, he hurriedly replied, "Hello, Mr. Tang. Your call surprised me since I didn''t expect it. Oh my God, this is truly a pleasure and honor for me."


    "Mr. William, I''ll get straight to the point here. The issue between the Harbo Group and the Long Group has come to my desk. I and Long Zhengyu are friends, but you also come here for my company, so I naturally can''t stand idly by and do nothing since it happened in Star City with you here as well," said Tang Xiu. "If it''s convenient with you, I hope you can come to the Magnificent Tang Corp. immediately. Let''s meet and talk about this."


    "Okay. I''ll be right there."


    William hung up but with a confused face.


    What exactly is going on?


    Didn''t this Tang Xiu, the Big Boss of Magnificent Tang Corp. have created obstacles for me? Why did he call now and looks like he will help me, of all times?


    At the HQ of the Magnificent Tang Corporation.


    Four black Mercedes-Benz slowly stopped at the gate of the edifice and many people who came in and out of the building shifted their attention to them. Although such a motorcade was often seen coming in the last few days, each of them still garnered the attention of many people.


    "Is there another situation?"


    Many people who passed by had their mouth opened wide after seeing the next scene along with disbelief on their faces. It was because the goddess in their eyes, Kang Xia, the General Manager of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, quickly got out of the second Mercedes-Benz, before she quickly turned to the other side and personally opened the car''s door.


    Who could be the bigwig that had such a reputation worthy to even make Kang Xia, the GM of Magnificent Tang Corporation, open the door for him or her?


    However, when Tang Xiu''s figure was seen coming out of the car, the shock of these many people who already knew his identity vanished. Although Tang Xiu was like a dragon whose head and tail were always a mystery to the public and it was Kang Xia who handled the business affairs of the company, he was, after all, the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation. Which meant that he was the only person in this world who was qualified to make her open the car''s door.


    20 minutes passed by and the news that Tang Xiu, the Boss of Magnificent Tang Corporation, entered the HQ building publicly was known to the many interested people. However, when everyone speculated what he would do after returning to his company publicly, another inexplicable scene added more confusion to the already incredible moods these people had. It was because William, the Director of China''s Harbo Group, actually came to visit the Magnificent Tang Corporation''s edifice in a hurry. Even the security guards at the gate didn''t stop his entry.


    On the 18th floor of the edifice.


    Tang Xiu calmly sat in the reception room while holding a cup of hot tea and looked at William, who sat at his opposite side, looking restless and agitated. Then, he slowly spoke, "I already know everything about what happened between you and the Long Group, Mr. William. I must be honest with you, it made me discontent. You came to China and Star City to strike a business deal with my company, yet you picked up a fight and clashed with some local tycoons here. What you did will bring out quite a serious blow to my company''s reputation."


    William forced a wry smile and said, "Isn''t that too serious a statement, Mr. Tang?"


    "Why wouldn''t it?" Tang Xiu sneered. "Now everyone knows that your Harbo Group came for my company, yet you caused a scene here. Don''t tell me that the reputation of my company won''t suffer a blow from what you did. If the rest of the other companies were to act like Harbo Group and caused scenes in Star City, I''m sure the public and the average people in Star City will definitely curse us that we''ve attracted bandits here, no?"


    "¡­"


    William was speechless. Tang Xiu''s remarks were not pleasant to hear, but he clearly made sense in his reasonings. If the Heads of these major companies all over the world really made such scenes in Star City, it was expected that countless people would aim their curses at the Magnificent Tang Corporation immediately. The impact it brought toward the company''s reputation would indeed be quite a blow should it happen.


    "You have nothing to say on this matter?" asked Tang Xiu lightly.


    William spoke with a bitter voice, "Your reasoning made sense and I admit that we''re at fault on this matter. I personally ask forgiveness for what happened, Boss Tang. I''ll make sure that the Harbo Group will release a formal apology to the Magnificent Tang Corporation publicly, as well as to the Long Group. But if I may, could you help us free Cal Solund and take him back from the Long Group?"


    "I suggest that you assign someone to hold a press conference to announce the formal apology first before we head over to the Long Group to take him back." Tang Xiu nodded and said, "Only in this way can I help you meet the Big Boss of Long Group, Long Hanwen, to free your people."


    William was about to speak but then turned to his secretary next to him. "Draft a formal apology immediately and then hold a press conference to apologize to the Magnificent Tang Corporation and Long Group through the media."


    "Understood!"


    As William''s secretary left, Tang Xiu immediately looked to have warmed up and was enthusiastic. However, even though William didn''t give up trying to pull the conversation to the cooperation topic, Tang Xiu kept avoiding the subject and didn''t answer any of his questions on this matter at all.


    Two hours later, the Harbo Group''s press release regarding the apology ended, which made everyone concerned about the incident a bit muddleheaded. The apology to the Long Group was understandable since some of their people were at fault and responsible for severely injuring the successor of the Long Group, Long Zhengyu, but why did they apologize to the Magnificent Tang Corporation as well? Was it because they were coming to visit the company, so the apology was meant for the little reputation hit?


    Immediately after, all the forces heard the news that the Boss of Magnificent Tang Corp., Tang Xiu, and the Director of China''s Harbo Group, William, just left the Magnificent Tang Corp.''s HQ by car together and headed to the Imperial Dragon Manor.


    At the Imperial Dragon Manor.


    Long Hanwen was reading the company''s document at home and was constantly answering phone calls. Some of them were calling to express their concern and prayers for his son, Long Zhengyu, whereas some were asking for favors and some others were just expressing their anger like him.


    Shortly put, many people and many forces alike, each with their own agenda, were waiting for the next show to take place.


    Knock, knock¡­


    The door of his study room was knocked and his female secretary came in, reporting respectfully, "Boss, Mr. Tang and William of Harbo Group are visiting."


    Long Hanwen slowly got up. Just as he stepped out of the door of the manor''s living room, he saw Tang Xiu and William standing in the yard. He didn''t even spare a glance at the latter and headed straight towards Tang Xiu, greeting smilingly. "Why are you here, Tang Xiu? Don''t tell me that you''re now acting as a lobbyist for some people?"


    "I''ll speak honestly since you''ve mentioned it, Uncle Long," said Tang Xiu with a smile. "What the people from Harbo Group have done was wrong and I know they are at fault as well. But they''re coming for my company, after all, so I hope Uncle Long can give me face and free this Cal Solund guy!"


    "Tang Xiu, you and Zhengyu are friends. He has been severely injured and hospitalized. Even now he''s still in a coma. Yet, why do you still help outsiders?!"


    "Uncle Long, I myself was very reluctant to do this. I hate what they did, but my company can''t escape the fact that the incident is related to us. Have you not heard the news that my company has informed them and refused the cooperation already?" said Tang Xiu reluctantly.

 1198 Commitmen

    The experienced William saw Tang Xiu try his best and used nearly everything to convince Long Hanwen with various soft and hard arguments and even praises, yet Long Hanwen didn''t budge. It made William secretly thank him for doing his best.


    "Stop trying to persuade me, Tang Xiu. That man injured my son gravely and he has to pay a terrible price for that." Long Hanwen clenched his fists with a grim face.


    Tang Xiu exchanged glances with William, then immediately gritted his teeth, stretched out a finger and said in a deep voice, "Uncle Long, you just said that you want them to pay compensation, so this is my offer. What do you think about 100-million-yuan compensation for Long Zhengyu''s medical fee?"


    Long Hanwen''s eyes narrowed and he sneered. "Heh, the Longs have never lacked money."


    "200 million," Tang Xiu went on with a deep voice.


    Long Hanwen was silent for a moment and then sneered yet again. "I already told you the Longs are not short on money. 200 million yuan is nothing to us."


    Tang Xiu''s eyes turned a bit red and he shouted, "1 billion! This is the maximum amount my Magnificent Tang Corp. can offer you. Uncle Long, I regard you as an uncle and this is me expressing my respect because of my deep relationship with Long Zhengyu. But things have already happened and Zhengyu is gravely injured. Even if you insist on burying Cal Solund along with him, it''s only to allay your anger. You will get no substantial benefits. We''re all businessmen and gaining profits is what we always pursue. The Long Group is indeed big, yet it''s still not that easy to gain hundreds of billions of yuan. I give you face and benefits today, so this is definitely killing two birds with one stone."


    Long Hanwen was silent and took out a cigarette pack from his pocket. After taking one and liting it up, he took a deep puff before pinching and extinguishing the cigarette in the ashtray. He then tilted up his head to speak to Tang Xiu. "You''re right. I''m a businessman and I can''t just let the money pass. On the account of our close relationship, I don''t need 1 billion, Tang Xiu, but 800 million is the lowest I can accept, else you can expect to see Cal Solund''s dead body."


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and shot a look at William''s complicated expression. Then, he nodded and said, "I''ll remember this favor, Uncle Long. You can expect to have the money transferred to you soon. And¡­ when will you release this Cal Solund, then?"


    "When I receive the money," answered Long Hanwen.


    Tang Xiu and William stayed no longer and walked out of the villa. When they came out at the front gate of the Long Family''s villa, William spoke with an apologetic look, "I''m really sorry, Boss Tang. We caused you to suffer quite a loss, but I''ll definitely convey it to¡­"


    "Hold on!"


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him. "I have nothing to lose. Don''t tell me your Harbo Group is thinking that I''ll pay the 800-million-yuan ransom for you?"


    "Pardon?!"


    William was dumbfounded and his expression instantly froze, looking at Tang Xiu as though seeing a devil. It took him a long time to snap out of the shock.


    "You just saw that I''ve done my part and took the favor in order to help your Harbo Group already." Tang Xiu sneered grimly. "But let me tell you something. My Magnificent Tang Corp. is a business group, not some charity. Losing money for the sake of someone else''s life is not our responsibility nor is it our obligation. If you want to have Cal Solund back alive, you gotta hurry to contact the top executives of Harbo Group or any of his family members. But if you decide to forgo his life, then this is how far I can go to help you."


    "¡­"


    William''s mouth opened, but his throat was as though being blocked by something and he was unable to say anything.


    Tang Xiu lit up a cigarette and continued, "Mr. William, you''re well aware of Chinese customs and culture, so you should understand how precious a debt of gratitude is among us. I took this matter on my shoulders and now owe a favor to the Long Family. You can expect to see the announcement which I''m going to release to the media that my company has nothing to do with this matter anymore if you don''t want to put out 800 million yuan. However, I''d like to advise you out of goodwill. The Long Family has set the fixed number for the compensation already, so if your Harbo Group refuses to pay it and the issue drags on and gets bigger, I''m sure Long Hanwen will go straight to blow this matter up to the public. By that time, you can expect the Harbo''s reputation to go down the drain and become the laughingstock of the international business community."


    Disbelief overflowed in William''s eyes as he responded with a changed expression. He originally thought that Tang Xiu was trying to help him by taking him to meet Long Hanwen. It never occurred to him that Tang Xiu actually dug a pit for him to directly jump into.


    He wouldn''t have come along with him had he known that it would be like this.


    Clenching his fists tightly, William''s angry eyes glared at Tang Xiu and said, "You said you were going to help us, Boss Tang. Yet you actually dug a pit for me to jump into?"


    "I don''t like your tone, William." Tang Xiu frowned. "Do you think Long Hanwen will promise you to release Cal Solund without me? You have injured his son gravely and now he''s still in a coma with his fate unknown. He may even die at any time. Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, and life for a life. That''s how the Chinese face such issues. Further, Cal Solund may indeed be the one who made Long Zhengyu seriously injured, but it was you who pulled the strings from the back, am I right? Do you think you can escape responsibility if he dies in China?"


    "Hell! Were you trying to help me or harming me?" William angrily yelled, "It''s 800 million, for God''s sake! Such a number even in Chinese yuan is not a small figure!"


    "Now I''m getting really angry with you speaking to me like that, William," replied Tang Xiu indifferently. "I helped you out of goodwill, yet you pay back with a bite. Is this your way of doing things, huh? Do you think Long Hanwen and his Long Group are really short on money and lack 800 million? As far as I know, just their share in the development of the Star City''s New Metro will provide them at least 8 billion in revenue, yet you yell at me that I''ve dug a pit for you for such trivial 800 million?"


    William fell into silence and thought that Tang Xiu''s argument was reasonable. 800 million yuan to the Long Group was indeed nothing. He had sent some people to investigate the Long Group''s details after he instigated Cal Solund to deal with Long Zhenyu and made him severely injured. But the results made him startled as he never expected that the trivial dispute would even provoke such a fearsome entity like the Long Group.


    Still, he didn''t have 800 million at hand!


    Likely even the higher-ups in his company''s HQ would skin him alive if he were to bring it up to them.


    What should I do?


    This thought filled his mind as to how to solve this problem, and the dilemma struck him for a while.


    After observing William''s constant change in expression, Tang Xiu lightly said, "I''m well aware that this incident is rather unexpected to you, Mr. William. But this is a grave matter as it involves someone''s life, after all. If you feel that it''s not easy to handle, I have an idea that can help you."


    "What is it?" William hurriedly asked after staring blankly.


    "Long Zhengyu is quite an expert martial artist himself, but Cal Solund can injure him seriously, which means that he''s a practitioner. Or rather, a cultivator. I don''t think he became a cultivator by himself, so there must be some powerful people or his elders at home who taught him. This matter is related to his life, so I don''t think you need to contact anyone from the Harbo Group''s HQ. Just contact his family directly and I''m sure such a trivial 800 million are nothing to them."


    William''s eyes shone and he felt a bit excited inwardly. His life was at stake before. He was sure that he couldn''t bring this up to the Harbo Group''s HQ, but he forgot that Cal Solund''s father was the major shareholder of the company and also a very powerful Big Boss himself.


    "Boss Tang¡­"


    His eyes suddenly wore a complicated expression as William looked at Tang Xiu.


    "Money is just an insignificant thing to me, Mr. William." Tang Xiu indifferently said, "Let alone a billion, I can easily get tens of billions if I want to. I''m sure you''re perfectly aware of how fast my company can make money, aren''t you?"


    "Yeah." William nodded without a word.


    "Since you understand my company''s money-making power, you should also be aware of the fact that I don''t need to set you up for 800 million yuan given my identity. If I were to collude with Long Hanwen to push you into the pit, the amount you''d have to take out wouldn''t be just 800 million. Why do you think Long Hanwen would cut 200 million yuan when I offered him 1 billion before? 200 million was on the account on my face and also a favor I used."


    Indeed!


    It was the point William missed to recall before. Now that he heard Tang Xiu mention it, he carefully analyzed it and felt that Tang Xiu was right. In actuality, the difference between 1 billion and 800 million was not much. Tang Xiu offered 1 billion for compensation and Long Hanwen directly cut 200 million yuan, which showed that the number was just trivial to both of them.


    Could it be¡­ that I misunderstand Tang Xiu? Meaning¡­ he actually has such good intentions from the beginning to help me solve the trouble?


    William''s mind raced fast with such thoughts. Eventually, an ashamed expression was gradually cast on his face. He slightly bowed and said, "I was at fault and yet I treated you unfairly, Boss Tang. I deeply apologize now and hope that you can forgive me. You have done so much for me, so you can rest assured that I''ll immediately contact Cal Solund''s father right away, the major shareholder of Harbo Group."


    "Cal Solund''s father is actually the major shareholder of your Harbo Group?" asked Tang Xiu in surprise. "He has such high status, but how did he become your¡­"


    "Cal just graduated, so his father ordered him to follow me to study." William quickly explained, "But he''s a bit impulsive and, in the two years he has been following me, he has caused many scenes already. But I used to help him deal with the troubles, so he doesn''t know how to stop and restrain himself. I really had no idea that he would cause such big trouble this time."


    Tang Xiu sneered inwardly after hearing this, but he looked unperturbed on the outside. "Well, I think you need to contact his father fast since he has such an identity. I''m afraid Long Hanwen will kill him otherwise should he think you''ll delay. You may not believe it, but the Longs are the most powerful family in Star City that even the government officials are wary of. There won''t be any big repercussions and troubles for him even if he kills Cal Solund."

 1199 Rumors

    Tang Xiu bid farewell to William and directly returned to the Magnificent Tang Corporation''s HQ. What he needed to do now was wait for the news. If William could take out 800 million yuan, then the Longs wouldn''t pick up trouble with them anymore, at least on the surface. However, the machinations that had been set up for them would bring up more troubles for these people.


    As dusk came, William personally contacted Tang Xiu and asked his accompany to the Imperial Dragon Villa. After the 800 million yuan had been transferred to Long Hanwen''s account, the latter made a call to let Cal Solund go.


    "Shall we stay and have dinner together, Uncle Long?" Tang Xiu smiled and looked at Long Hanwen.


    "How can I dine with this guy in my place when my son is still lying in the hospital now?" replied Long Hanwen coldly. "And you, Tang Xiu. You''re a good Big Boss. You had better avoid to have any dealings with the Harbo Group in the future. Be wary and careful towards these cruel and ruthless people for they will bite you sooner or later."


    "Ugh¡­"


    Tang Xiu''s smile immediately froze and he glanced fast at the awkward-looking William. He then yawned and hurriedly said, "Well, we''ll disturb you no longer since you''re busy, Uncle Long. But shortly put, I''d like to thank you for your time as well as giving me face."


    Immediately after, he and William left the Long Family''s manor awkwardly. William then spoke to him with an apologetic look, "I need to apologize to you again, Boss Tang. I shouldn''t have misunderstood you before. Now that we''ve settled this problem¡­ could you¡­ consider the cooperation between my company and yours? You know, we came to China and Star City in good faith and goodwill, wishing to cooperate with your Magnificent Tang Corporation so we can earn massive fortune together."


    Tang Xiu waved and said, "Apology accepted, but I chose not to cooperate with your Harbo Group. I may not a big man myself, but my words still have weight and I still have the integrity to uphold as well. My company has issued that announcement. If I were to take it back, wouldn''t it mean that my company has no credibility? If I were really to take this move, which major company around the world would dare to cooperate with my company again later?"


    William was silent for a while and then replied with a bleak expression, "I''ll no longer pester Boss Tang about this matter since you''ve made up your mind. I just hope that you can consider providing a chance of cooperation with Harbo Group in other businesses in the future."


    "Alright!" Tang Xiu nodded.


    An hour later, William took more than 10 of his men and quickly returned to the Long''s Dining Hall. But as just as he strode into the site''s entrance, he saw many people jam-packed in the lobby on the first floor.


    "Take a look at what happened!"


    Being in a foul mood, he didn''t want to stay in the lobby and issued the order. As the Director of China''s Harbo Group, he had made disappointing errors which led to the announcement from the Magnificent Tang Corp. that they would never cooperate with his company¡ªa failure which became his main responsibility alone.


    "Make way!"


    The subordinates William just sent squeezed into the crowd and shouted loudly at the crowd around. His voice made William, who was about to leave, halt his pace abruptly.


    Shortly after, William''s face was flushed red. What he saw there was Cal Solund lying on the floor like a dead dog. His condition was too horrible to look at, causing William to wish he could find any crack to drill in at once.


    This was really shameful¡ªa total disgrace!


    Cal Solund''s condition was so horrible with the tendons of his feet and arms cut off and two of his front teeth gone. He wouldn''t have been able to recognize him immediately if he wasn''t familiar with him. But the most conspicuous and important thing was, Cal Solund''s upper body was naked and red characters were written on his chest: He who insults others must be humiliated.


    "Take him!"


    William didn''t want to stay here even a second longer and shouted loudly with a grim face. He turned and strode towards the elevator quickly. He didn''t notice that some dressy and foppish young men in suits were fixedly staring at him with sinister eyes.


    ****


    At the Magnificent Tang Corp.


    The moment Tang Xiu returned, he immediately ordered some people to publicize what happened today. In just less than 2 hours, the heads of companies all over the world heard about today''s matter. The announcement made everyone admire Tang Xiu, and even many of these companies decided that the cooperation with Magnificent Tang Corp. was a priority.


    In the spacious and bright GM''s office, as Tang Xiu sat on the soft couch while Kang Xia was about to serve a cup of hot tea for him, a figure suddenly appeared in front of Tang Xiu out of the blue.


    "News just came from the U.S., Grand Master."


    "What is it about?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "It''s about the three companies, Cupid, Dandelion and Sava Groups. We''ve already investigated the details of their owners. Cupid is deeply related to a certain U.S. politician who''s its biggest shareholder, whereas the Big Boss behind Dandelion is a man with considerable status in the Stygian Club. Even some Stygian Club experts have been protecting the representative of the Dandelion Group who came to China. The Sava Group''s details are rather complicated, but we have determined that two of its shareholders are deeply related to the Pyramid."


    Tang Xiu squinted and sneered. "Heh, what deep backgrounds they have. Let these dogs fight with their own kind. An, secretly assassinate the experts of Dandelion company and strike some of the Harbo ones. Mix their bodies together to make it like they''re fighting each other. Then, make it so that the directors of these two companies appear at the same time."


    "Only targeting Dandelion?" asked Tang An to confirm the order.


    "The assassination is only for the Dandelion, but you are to assault some from the Cupid and Sava in secret. Leave them at the Long Family''s Imperial Dragon Manor. We''ll wait for the next development and watch the show afterward." Tang Xiu went on.


    "Understood!"


    Tang An replied and then vanished.


    Kang Xia brought the hot tea and came to Tang Xiu''s front. After looking around, a forced wry smile appeared on her beautiful face as she hesitantly spoke, "I''m kind of feeling uncomfortable, Boss."


    "What makes you feel so?" asked Tang Xiu with a puzzled face.


    "You always have such a mysterious person around you that I can''t even notice. Someone keeps appearing out of the blue in front of you. If it keeps going on like this, I won''t dare to be intimate with you again later for fear, that someone suddenly appeared and just watched us when we¡­ are¡­ doing things¡­"


    Tang Xiu was stunned and immediately wore a strange expression. He understood who this "person and someone" Kang Xia just mentioned was. He neglected this issue and couldn''t realize it prior to this, but her reminder made him realize that it was rather improper to have Tang An keep hiding in the dark following him all the time.


    It must be noted that he had many women. If he were to have some "activities" with them and Tang An was around. In that case¡­


    The thought sent a chill run down his back. He reached out to pull Kang Xia over and gently hugged her. "It''s indeed my negligence. But hiding in the void is Tang An''s talent, and it''s even quite difficult for me to find her if she doesn''t want to be noticed. Alright, I''ll arrange an array first so she won''t easily observe us when we got some happy time later."


    "Or you can just arrange the array in advance, at least in the bedroom we stay in," said Kang Xia helplessly. "Else, I''d always have goosebumps haunting me."


    Tang Xiu hollowly laughed and nodded.


    "Anyhow, what plans did you discuss with Long Hanwen, though?" asked Kang Xia. "It seems that there are tons of good shows to watch!"


    "Long Zhengyu is my friend and some people injured him gravely." Tang Xiu said, "There''s no way I can just sit back and do nothing. They dare to assault him here, so they must pay the price. However, our company is now in the limelight and at the forefront of the wave, so I can''t just do anything that can harm its reputation. That''s why I can only deal with this Harbo Group in secret."


    "Is there anything I can do to help?" asked Kang Xia.


    "You don''t have to do anything else for the time being." Tang Xiu shook his head. "Also, Hao Lei will come to Star City in a few days. I will need your advice when I discuss something with her later."


    "Is it about the auction?" asked Kang Xia hurriedly.


    Tang Xiu nodded and continued, "That''s right. It''s indeed about the auction. And I also have some other ideas in mind. The Magnificent Tang Corporation only has a few products, so I think it would be great to establish the biggest auction house in the world along with the Grand Fortune Jewelry. And I also have a way to spice up the situation of the auction house later."


    "With what methods, exactly?" Kang Xia asked hurriedly.


    "Medicinal pills," Tang Xiu answered with a smile.


    "You want to sell those pills to outsiders?" Kang Xia was surprised.


    "I''m going to develop two types of pills," explained Tang Xiu. "One is a drug that can temper the body and another one that can prolong life. These two pills won''t be very effective, but it will be very beneficial to whoever takes it for many years."


    "So these two pills will be the main and finale articles of every auction, then?" asked Kang Xia again.


    "That''s right." Tang Xiu nodded. "I''m sure just these two pills are enough to make people all over the world go crazy. However, these two pills will need to be packaged and sold under the brand name of healthcare products."


    "I can already see those super-rich people all over the world flocking here." Kang Xia nodded.


    "I''m quite amazing, am I not?" Tang Xiu smilingly said.


    Kang Xia kissed him on the lips and faintly said, "You know, I thought you were a guy who was oblivious of the immensity of the world when I first received your call. I thought you were playing a prank on me intentionally back then. Back when I came to Star City and first met you, I kinda felt very disappointed and thought that you were too young. However, I''m now glad and feeling fortunate for the decision I made before."


    "I was so dirt poor and very weak at that time." Tang Xiu replied with a smile, "To be honest with you, the success and development of the Magnificent Tang Corp for these two years can never be separated from you. It should be I who should be grateful for being able to get such a cherished treasure like you."


    Kang Xia smiled. "Well, Andy is also a precious treasure¡­"


    "Ugh¡­"


    Tang Xiu''s expression stiffened and suddenly, a headache struck his head.

 1200 Losing Patience

    The Long''s Dining Hall.


    Lights brightly illuminated the wide corridor. The winter had come, but the corridor was as warm as in Spring and the Bonsais and potted plants around the corner still looked lush and grew well.


    However, a faint bloody smell permeated the air in the corridor and brought with it a hidden killing atmosphere. To make it worst, some ghostly figures also had destroyed all the monitoring equipment in the corridor. The situation caused the four security guards of the Long''s Dining Hall to come to check as they appeared in the corner.


    "Mindless vandalism¡­"


    The four people finally reached this conclusion. But there was something else they couldn''t believe, however. There were six CCTVs in the corridor, four of which were installed at the center aside from the two others that were installed at the end of the corridor. Yet, none of it captured anyone''s figure or shadow before they were destroyed.


    This was¡­ unusual¡­ as bizarre as it could get. No matter how abnormal it was, the scene when some people destroyed the camera should have been captured by the monitors at the center even if both cameras at the end of the corridor were destroyed at the same time. Even if 6 people destroyed all the six cameras here at the same time, there should have been some footage that captured what happened before they destroyed the cameras.


    Just as the four security guards felt uneasiness and continued their inspection around, one of them suddenly found that the door of the suit #4018 was not locked and opened it.


    "Dalong, head inside and check it."


    The sturdy middle-aged man gave an order to his companion beside him as his hand carefully opened the unlocked door.


    Gasp¡­


    When the man called Dalong entered the room, his pupils suddenly shrunk with disbelief. A bit of fear that inundated his eyes was evident with the reflection of the light. "Dead bodies¡­ six¡­ in total¡­"


    The complexion of the other three men changed. They quickly rushed into the room and saw six dead bodies lying in a pool of blood in the large room. Two of which were bodies of black men, one Caucasian, and 3 others of Asian descent.


    "Call the cops quickly!" Dalong shouted.


    The sturdy middle-aged man hurriedly stopped everyone and said in a deep voice, "We can''t! Let''s notify Cap'' first. The homicide occurred in our hotel and we need him to deal with it."


    "The homicide happened in our hotel, Brother Wang!" interrupted Dalong quickly. "Why don''t we hurry up and report to the cops? Maybe they can investigate the killer quickly."


    "Hmph." The burly middle-aged man coldly hummed. "The homicide happened in our hotel and it would make our hotel lose tremendous reputation should it be announced, got it? Do you understand what kind of event is happening at this time? The representatives of many major companies from various countries are visiting Star City now, while our Long''s Dining Hall is the most luxurious hotel in Star City. Do you have any idea how many of these foreign forces are staying here? Do you want to see this thing get bigger or something?"


    Dalong was oblivious to such aftermath and finally said after hesitating for a while, "Then we all listen to you, Brother Wang."


    Quickly after, the security guards at the Long''s Dining Hall confirmed the identities of the six dead bodies¡ªfrom the Dandelion and Harbo Group. Only one of the dead bodies which was slightly hidden in the innermost bed that was from Harbo, whereas the other five were from Dandelion.


    The two head representatives of both parties were stunned when they received the notification from the security guards. But after just one and a half hours, the representative of Dandelion Group contacted Tang Xiu.


    In the caf¨¦ near South Gate Town, Tang Xiu, who wore casual attire and a duckbill cap, calmly sat in the corner while savoring his coffee. Sitting across from him was the head representative of Dandelion Group who looked grim with looming killing intent in his eyes as his eyes fixedly focused on Tang Xiu.


    "What exactly do you want to do, then?" After a long time, Tang Xiu asked the man slowly.


    Jezek clenched his fists and said, "The Dandelion Group truly wishes to secure a cooperation deal with your company, Mr. Tang. But your company just released the rules that forbid us to act recklessly in China. That''s why I keep holding back my anger and dare not take revenge on Harbo Group. I do know the fact that you''re Long Zhengyu''s friend but since the Longs seem to be afraid to pick up a fight with Harbo, do you agree if we take their place to avenge Young Master Long?"


    There was a strange look in Tang Xiu''s eyes. It never came to him that this Jezek guy was quite a smart man and could put forward such smart excuses.


    As for his consent on this matter, he wholeheartedly approved it inwardly, but he feigned to be in deep thought, nonetheless. After staying silent for a long while, he shook his head and said, "Mr. Jezek, it stands to reason that I''m actually furious after seeing Long Zhengyu being badly injured by them. But you came to China and Star City due to my company, and it will make me feel bad if I cannot guarantee your safety here. But are you sure your men were killed by someone from Harbo Group?"


    "I''m absolutely sure," said Jezek in a deep voice, "I just sent someone to check the body and it was indeed the work of William''s men. They even went in a hurry and thus, left a body of one of their people."


    "There must be a motive for the murder. I myself don''t think that the Harbo Group would kill your people for no reason." Tang Xiu said.


    "My side has grudges with Harbo Group as both sides have been engaged in rivalries. That William bastard has literally been shut out from your approval, which barred his company to have any cooperation with your Magnificent Tang Corporation. I''m guessing that they must be worried that my Dandelion company will strike a deal with your company and thus, the chief reason they want to destroy this opportunity."


    Tang Xiu''s expression changed and he asked in a deep tone, "Are you sure about that?"


    "I dare not say I''m 100% sure, but 9 out of 10 am very positive on this one," Jezek affirmed.


    "In actuality, I already sent some men to investigate the details of the Dandelion Group. Your company is quite powerful and reliable and a good candidate for the partnership." Tang Xiu said, "I already had the intention to discuss with you about the cooperation, but I never thought that this unexpected situation to occur. William is truly a damned bastard. He even dares to destroy the chance of cooperation between us."


    After hearing this, an excited and surprised expression immediately painted Jezek''s face and he hurriedly asked, "So, do you agree with it, Mr. Tang?"


    "You have my consent, but under one request." Tang Xiu said, "If your Dandelion Group wants to continue the cooperation with my company, the operation you launch against William must be carried out in secret. Else, no matter how eager I am to cooperate with you, I''m afraid I can''t withstand public opinion and can only give it up."


    "Please rest your worries on this one, Mr. Tang." Jezek spoke in a deep voice, "Everything will be done in the dark without any noise. I can even pull the Cupid Group to our side in order to deal with Harbo. No one from the Harbo Group will leave China alive this time!"


    "If you can do it silently, you can shift the blame to the Long Group since they already have grudges with Harbo," said Tang Xiu.


    Jezek was surprised. "But you and the Long Group¡­"


    "What I care about is my company''s partner. My company may have some cooperation with the Long Group in some fields, but they are nothing to speak of compared to the following cooperation we''re about to have." Tang Xiu replied lightly.


    Jezek got up and bent his body forward. After shaking hands with Tang Xiu, he excitedly spoke, "You truly are an outstanding businessman, Mr. Tang. I''ll convey your goodwill to my employer and also develop a thorough and rigorous plan to ensure that William and the Harbo Group''s people he brought here disappear silently from the earth."


    ****


    Early the next morning.


    Tang Xiu was having breakfast at home when Kang Xia came in a hurry and placed a table in front of him and spoke in a low voice, "What should happen just took place, Boss."


    Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes and asked, "What about Tang An?"


    "She''s outside," Kang Xia replied.


    Tang Xiu then recalled that he had arranged an array to cover the house. Even if Tang An was able to shuttle anywhere through the void, she was likely unable to easily enter the array he had arranged. Immediately after, he turned on the tablet and a curved arc outlined on the corner of his mouth after seeing the footage being played. "What about the Longs? How are they doing?"


    "Everything went according to your plan." Kang Xia replied, "Long Hanwen sent messengers to invite the head representatives of the Cupid and Sava Groups to the Imperial Dragon Manor to interrogate them in person on why they would send some people to attack his Long Family and kill many people there. The evidence is beyond dispute and impossible to argue. Simply put, they''re going crazy."


    "It would be very difficult to get rid of everyone from Harbo just relying on the Dandelion Group alone. But things will go smoothly if Dandelion, Cupid, and Sava join hands. I can tell that William may be able to escape at that time, but I''m sure it will be very difficult for him to flee from Star City."


    "True that." Kang Xia nodded. "Also, William is now hiding in a residential building in Star City''s New Metro. That place is quite covert since it hasn''t been handed over to its owner. Further, he only has four men left as of now, but two of them have been injured."


    "Alright. Inform the Dandelion''s people to release the news that it was Harbo''s people who killed the Cupid and Sava Groups'' members and then left the bodies at the Long Family''s residence. The purpose was to incite hostilities between the two parties with the Long Group as an attempt to use both parties'' hands to deal with the Longs."


    Kang Xia''s eyes shone and she immediately left the room in strides.


    ****


    Daytime¡­


    In a certain building in the newly built area of the New Metro of Star City that hadn''t been handed over to its owner, William was sitting exhausted on the cold floor with a face full of bloodstains and eyes nursing aggrievance.


    He messed up. Everything was messed up. He felt like there was a large invisible net that had already covered him and his men with a huge plot already set in motion against him.


    "Where the hell is that bastard Cal Solund now?"


    He took some heavy and deep breaths and looked at his stalwart subordinate seven-plus meters away from him.


    The sturdy man answered, "He''s being treated at the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital due to his serious injuries. But we got the news that some people picked him up and his whereabouts are unknown now. He''s just¡­ missing."


    "Who the hell did this?!"


    The bad feeling inside William''s heart grew stronger.

 1201 Crossing Over

    William never faced great storms even though he was a Director of Harbo Group in China. Never once had he ever faced any event that made him feel so strange and terribly flustered like this one.


    What should I do?


    Countless thoughts swirled through his mind, but he found that there was nothing he could do. He couldn''t even find the one responsible for the assassination so far¡ªthe one who gave them so much pain. After a long time, he then shouted, "Contact Old Wolf! He has been dormant in China for too long and it''s time for him to wake up! Tell him that we must find Cal Solun no matter the cost, else all of us will be in for big trouble."


    "Understood!" The sturdy man replied respectfully.


    William sighed inwardly. He already spent 800 million yuan. If he failed to bring Cal Solund back to the U.S, it was very likely that this brat''s father, that ruthless major stakeholder of Harbo Group would butcher him!


    BANG¡­


    The sound of gunfire in the distance reached his ears.


    William''s expression changed. He ran to the wall where the windows hadn''t been installed yet and set his sight to the distant horizon. Within the distance that his eyes could see, a group of sturdy people was chasing several people. Along with the continuous sound of gunfire, some of the fleeing people fell to the ground. The same scene also happened to some people who pursued them. The chaser and the chased kept firing at each other and mutually claimed the lives from both sides.


    "It''s Old Wolf, Director!"


    The sturdy man nearby suddenly turned his head and cried out quickly.


    William trembled. As the two sides got closer, he could also see Old Wolf running while holding someone whose face he couldn''t see clearly.


    "Let''s catch up and support them!"


    William pondered for a moment and immediately shouted.


    Suddenly, two figures dashed away downstairs with extremely fast movements like spirit apes. They kept grabbing the handrails of the stairs before jumping down, and quickly, they appeared on the first floor of the building. As Old Wolf was less than 300 meters away from them, the two men dashed toward him quickly under the shielding of a low bunker.


    "WHO IS IT?"


    Old Wolf desperately ran as fast as he could while towing Cal Solund when he suddenly noticed that some people were hiding nearby and immediately shouted. However, he immediately regretted his action after seeing the two big men hiding in the corner.


    It turned out that they were on the same side.


    His heart eased up a lot. He didn''t wait for an answer and quickly rushed into the building. The ten or so experts left beside him also dashed into the building and disappeared in a flash.


    At their rear, about less than 50 men with guns led by two men and a woman, bolted fast to the building quickly. They didn''t immediately enter the building for fear of an ambush.


    Slash, slash, slash¡­


    Just as these forty-plus men scattered around, two figures suddenly appeared from hidden spots on both sides. In just a few seconds, four big men were grabbed from behind and a hand covered their mouths while sharp daggers flashed to tear their throats and pierce their hearts.


    The killing of these four people didn''t even alarm anyone around.


    In front of the building.


    Of the three people who acted as their leaders was a very tall woman. A strong aura exuded from her even though she was wearing gold-rimmed glasses. She twisted her neck and fiercely said, "Jezek, C. Lawrence, our men have clearly investigated the Harbo''s manpower in China. Except for that old dog William, this Old Wolf is the last one. They both have run here for their last struggles, so I suggest our three parties send our men in to kill them right away!"


    Jezek grinned hideously. He stroked his chin and said, "It was quite difficult, but we managed to force William to flee to this place, so we can definitely kill them without anyone noticing. With that Old Wolf fleeing here, it means this place is their designated meeting point. Let''s stop procrastinating and strike them!"


    "ATTACK!"


    C. Lawrence also shouted fiercely.


    In the building, William looked at Cal Solund Old Wolf brought to him. The looming killing intent was visible in his eyes as he regretted his choice in striking Long Zhengyu and using this damned idiot Cal Solund for the purpose. How could this messed up incident happen if it wasn''t because of the incident with the Long Family?


    "William buddy, we gotta find a way to flee this place. The Dandelion, Cupid, and Sava Groups sent quite the number of their experts to chase us. We''ll just wait for death if we stay here," Old Wolf said. He was a man in his 40s with dark skin and a not so tall figure¡ªthe type of average-looking and inconspicuous man among the crowd.


    William took a deep breath and replied, "I''ve never been so sure prior to this, but I can tell now that the three of them are really against us. But there''s something I don''t get. Why did they join forces all of a sudden to deal with us? Although there were some frictions between me and them, it wasn''t enough to make them tear all decorum and fight to the bitter end like this. Besides, there''s another thing making me wonder. Do they not want to get the cooperation contract with the Magnificent Tang Corporation?"


    Old Wolf''s eyes flickered and he replied without being salty or weak, "I think it''s likely that those three companies have reached some kind of secret agreement with the Magnificent Tang Corporation. It''s either that or the Star City''s Long Group is involved in this farce. But in short, we are now enemies with them either in public or in the dark."


    William analyzed it for a short while. He felt helpless inwardly, but there were no other better means available for him, so he issued an order. "Notify them both that we''re retreating!"


    In the passageway where the elevator was designated to be built, a rope was hung to the basement. William and his men grabbed the rope and descended quickly and the dozen people arrived in the underground parking lot.


    "Let''s go! Those bastards will never expect us to flee. Find a way to escape to Star City and leave China as quickly as possible! As long as we return to the U.S., I can make those bastards pay a painful price." William powerfully raised his fist and shouted with boiling killing intent.


    But as his voice faded away, a group of figures flickered and approached fast. These tens of shadows quickly appeared at the entrance of the spacious underground parking lot in a few seconds.


    At the front were Jezek, C. Lawrence, and the woman with steaming killing aura, Avril. All of whom stared dagger at William with visible contempt on their faces. Jezek was the first to pace forward and smilingly said, "Have you been well, my old buddy, Sir William?"


    William frowned and, with killing intent overflowing in his eyes, he coldly replied, "Jezek! You damned dog bastard! I really should''ve killed you in the U.S."


    The smile on Jezek''s face disappeared without a trace. He raised his right arm and shouted as he flung it down, "Annihilate them!"


    "KILL!"


    C. Lawrence and Avril didn''t hesitate. Everyone had come to this point and all of them were decisive people when it came to battles. They immediately stormed over towards William and his dozen men.


    Guns were of no use in this situation, so each and every one of the combatants took out their respective cold weapons and engaged in mortal combat for a while. William himself wanted to flee immediately, but he kept getting pestered by Jezek''s group of three. If it wasn''t for Old Wolf protecting him at the side after he put down Cal Solund, he would have been killed by these people at the first strike.


    In a hidden corner about tens of meters away from the scene, Tang An with her usual bronze mask witnessed the unfolding scene with an excited look in her eyes. At the same time, she was holding a video recorder to tape the scene of this fight.


    "KILL THEM ALL!"


    William tilted his head up and roared all of a sudden. His suit suddenly blasted out as the muscles all over his body started contracting. In just a few breaths, the size of his figure was enlarged several times and his height now reached about 2 meters high with hairs crazily elongated from head to toe.


    "You''re a werewolf?!!"


    Jezek, C. Lawrence, and Avril were flabbergasted. Jezek. however, felt an especially deep regret after finding out that William was a werewolf. He swung over his long blade towards Lawrence, whose position was very close to him, and directly slew the man before he kicked Avril afterward.


    The sudden change was really unexpected. It made all the combatants around stop fighting and look at Jezek with disbelief on their faces.


    Jezek raised his head up and roared as his body began to transform. In just a few seconds, he also turned into a werewolf.


    Avril''s pupils shrunk and she angrily shouted, "These damned werewolves are all members of the Stygian Club! I truly failed to notice that these damned Harbo and Dandelion Groups turn out to be industries owned by the Stygian Club. Everyone, KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!!!"


    William looked ecstatic. It never crossed his mind that Jezek, who used to have many grudges with him, turned out to be a werewolf just like him¡ªa member of his own race. For a moment, the feeling of climbing back to heaven from hell made him burst out into laughter. "HAHAHA, let''s kill them all, Brothers! Let''s kill these Cupid and Sava bastards!"


    "KILL!"


    "DIE¡­"


    The intense mortal combat ensued yet again in the unbuilt underground parking lot. Jezek''s crossover led to serious blows against the Cupid and Sava Groups. Further, Lawrence had been killed and the experts from the Cupid Company were as though losing their backbone and gradually fell into a disadvantage.


    A ray flickered in Avril''s bloodshot eyes as she watched her men falling in the surroundings, as well as those Cupid people who looked to have the intention of escaping. She suddenly shouted aloud, "Everyone, listen! Whether it''s the brothers or sisters from Cupid or Sava, I''ll reward whoever kills the enemy! You''ll get 100 grand for each man you kill, and I''ll top up the reward to 10 million dollars if we can annihilate them completely!"


    As always, many people would transform into brave combatants when such generous rewards were offered.


    In that instant, everyone from either the Cupid or Sava Groups was as though having taken steroids. They blasted out their whole battle potential and doubled their combat power. Some of them straightly stormed over the enemy and roared aloud while killing them. The fortune stimulated their nerves and aroused their spirit to fight and kill again to get more rewards.

 1201 Double-Cross

    William never faced great storms even though he was a Director of Harbo Group in China. Never once had he ever faced any event that made him feel so strange and terribly flustered like this one.


    What should I do?


    Countless thoughts swirled through his mind, but he found that there was nothing he could do. He couldn''t even find the one responsible for the assassination so far¡ªthe one who gave them so much pain. After a long time, he then shouted, "Contact Old Wolf! He has been dormant in China for too long and it''s time for him to wake up! Tell him that we must find Cal Solun no matter the cost, else all of us will be in for big trouble."


    "Understood!" The sturdy man replied respectfully.


    William sighed inwardly. He already spent 800 million yuan. If he failed to bring Cal Solund back to the U.S, it was very likely that this brat''s father, that ruthless major stakeholder of Harbo Group would butcher him!


    BANG¡­


    The sound of gunfire in the distance reached his ears.


    William''s expression changed. He ran to the wall where the windows hadn''t been installed yet and set his sight to the distant horizon. Within the distance that his eyes could see, a group of sturdy people was chasing several people. Along with the continuous sound of gunfire, some of the fleeing people fell to the ground. The same scene also happened to some people who pursued them. The chaser and the chased kept firing at each other and mutually claimed the lives from both sides.


    "It''s Old Wolf, Director!"


    The sturdy man nearby suddenly turned his head and cried out quickly.


    William trembled. As the two sides got closer, he could also see Old Wolf running while holding someone whose face he couldn''t see clearly.


    "Let''s catch up and support them!"


    William pondered for a moment and immediately shouted.


    Suddenly, two figures dashed away downstairs with extremely fast movements like spirit apes. They kept grabbing the handrails of the stairs before jumping down, and quickly, they appeared on the first floor of the building. As Old Wolf was less than 300 meters away from them, the two men dashed toward him quickly under the shielding of a low bunker.


    "WHO IS IT?"


    Old Wolf desperately ran as fast as he could while towing Cal Solund when he suddenly noticed that some people were hiding nearby and immediately shouted. However, he immediately regretted his action after seeing the two big men hiding in the corner.


    It turned out that they were on the same side.


    His heart eased up a lot. He didn''t wait for an answer and quickly rushed into the building. The ten or so experts left beside him also dashed into the building and disappeared in a flash.


    At their rear, about less than 50 men with guns led by two men and a woman, bolted fast to the building quickly. They didn''t immediately enter the building for fear of an ambush.


    Slash, slash, slash¡­


    Just as these forty-plus men scattered around, two figures suddenly appeared from hidden spots on both sides. In just a few seconds, four big men were grabbed from behind and a hand covered their mouths while sharp daggers flashed to tear their throats and pierce their hearts.


    The killing of these four people didn''t even alarm anyone around.


    In front of the building.


    Of the three people who acted as their leaders was a very tall woman. A strong aura exuded from her even though she was wearing gold-rimmed glasses. She twisted her neck and fiercely said, "Jezek, C. Lawrence, our men have clearly investigated the Harbo''s manpower in China. Except for that old dog William, this Old Wolf is the last one. They both have run here for their last struggles, so I suggest our three parties send our men in to kill them right away!"


    Jezek grinned hideously. He stroked his chin and said, "It was quite difficult, but we managed to force William to flee to this place, so we can definitely kill them without anyone noticing. With that Old Wolf fleeing here, it means this place is their designated meeting point. Let''s stop procrastinating and strike them!"


    "ATTACK!"


    C. Lawrence also shouted fiercely.


    In the building, William looked at Cal Solund Old Wolf brought to him. The looming killing intent was visible in his eyes as he regretted his choice in striking Long Zhengyu and using this damned idiot Cal Solund for the purpose. How could this messed up incident happen if it wasn''t because of the incident with the Long Family?


    "William buddy, we gotta find a way to flee this place. The Dandelion, Cupid, and Sava Groups sent quite the number of their experts to chase us. We''ll just wait for death if we stay here," Old Wolf said. He was a man in his 40s with dark skin and a not so tall figure¡ªthe type of average-looking and inconspicuous man among the crowd.


    William took a deep breath and replied, "I''ve never been so sure prior to this, but I can tell now that the three of them are really against us. But there''s something I don''t get. Why did they join forces all of a sudden to deal with us? Although there were some frictions between me and them, it wasn''t enough to make them tear all decorum and fight to the bitter end like this. Besides, there''s another thing making me wonder. Do they not want to get the cooperation contract with the Magnificent Tang Corporation?"


    Old Wolf''s eyes flickered and he replied without being salty or weak, "I think it''s likely that those three companies have reached some kind of secret agreement with the Magnificent Tang Corporation. It''s either that or the Star City''s Long Group is involved in this farce. But in short, we are now enemies with them either in public or in the dark."


    William analyzed it for a short while. He felt helpless inwardly, but there were no other better means available for him, so he issued an order. "Notify them both that we''re retreating!"


    In the passageway where the elevator was designated to be built, a rope was hung to the basement. William and his men grabbed the rope and descended quickly and the dozen people arrived in the underground parking lot.


    "Let''s go! Those bastards will never expect us to flee. Find a way to escape to Star City and leave China as quickly as possible! As long as we return to the U.S., I can make those bastards pay a painful price." William powerfully raised his fist and shouted with boiling killing intent.


    But as his voice faded away, a group of figures flickered and approached fast. These tens of shadows quickly appeared at the entrance of the spacious underground parking lot in a few seconds.


    At the front were Jezek, C. Lawrence, and the woman with steaming killing aura, Avril. All of whom stared dagger at William with visible contempt on their faces. Jezek was the first to pace forward and smilingly said, "Have you been well, my old buddy, Sir William?"


    William frowned and, with killing intent overflowing in his eyes, he coldly replied, "Jezek! You damned dog bastard! I really should''ve killed you in the U.S."


    The smile on Jezek''s face disappeared without a trace. He raised his right arm and shouted as he flung it down, "Annihilate them!"


    "KILL!"


    C. Lawrence and Avril didn''t hesitate. Everyone had come to this point and all of them were decisive people when it came to battles. They immediately stormed over towards William and his dozen men.


    Guns were of no use in this situation, so each and every one of the combatants took out their respective cold weapons and engaged in mortal combat for a while. William himself wanted to flee immediately, but he kept getting pestered by Jezek''s group of three. If it wasn''t for Old Wolf protecting him at the side after he put down Cal Solund, he would have been killed by these people at the first strike.


    In a hidden corner about tens of meters away from the scene, Tang An with her usual bronze mask witnessed the unfolding scene with an excited look in her eyes. At the same time, she was holding a video recorder to tape the scene of this fight.


    "KILL THEM ALL!"


    William tilted his head up and roared all of a sudden. His suit suddenly blasted out as the muscles all over his body started contracting. In just a few breaths, the size of his figure was enlarged several times and his height now reached about 2 meters high with hairs crazily elongated from head to toe.


    "You''re a werewolf?!!"


    Jezek, C. Lawrence, and Avril were flabbergasted. Jezek. however, felt an especially deep regret after finding out that William was a werewolf. He swung over his long blade towards Lawrence, whose position was very close to him, and directly slew the man before he kicked Avril afterward.


    The sudden change was really unexpected. It made all the combatants around stop fighting and look at Jezek with disbelief on their faces.


    Jezek raised his head up and roared as his body began to transform. In just a few seconds, he also turned into a werewolf.


    Avril''s pupils shrunk and she angrily shouted, "These damned werewolves are all members of the Stygian Club! I truly failed to notice that these damned Harbo and Dandelion Groups turn out to be industries owned by the Stygian Club. Everyone, KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!!!"


    William looked ecstatic. It never crossed his mind that Jezek, who used to have many grudges with him, turned out to be a werewolf just like him¡ªa member of his own race. For a moment, the feeling of climbing back to heaven from hell made him burst out into laughter. "HAHAHA, let''s kill them all, Brothers! Let''s kill these Cupid and Sava bastards!"


    "KILL!"


    "DIE¡­"


    The intense mortal combat ensued yet again in the unbuilt underground parking lot. Jezek''s crossover led to serious blows against the Cupid and Sava Groups. Further, Lawrence had been killed and the experts from the Cupid Company were as though losing their backbone and gradually fell into a disadvantage.


    A ray flickered in Avril''s bloodshot eyes as she watched her men falling in the surroundings, as well as those Cupid people who looked to have the intention of escaping. She suddenly shouted aloud, "Everyone, listen! Whether it''s the brothers or sisters from Cupid or Sava, I''ll reward whoever kills the enemy! You''ll get 100 grand for each man you kill, and I''ll top up the reward to 10 million dollars if we can annihilate them completely!"


    As always, many people would transform into brave combatants when such generous rewards were offered.


    In that instant, everyone from either the Cupid or Sava Groups was as though having taken steroids. They blasted out their whole battle potential and doubled their combat power. Some of them straightly stormed over the enemy and roared aloud while killing them. The fortune stimulated their nerves and aroused their spirit to fight and kill again to get more rewards.

 1202 Temporary Conclusion

    Both sides suffered tremendous losses in the brutal killing. Still, the members of Cupid and Sava Groups were gradually falling into a weak position despite the heavy financial stimulus from Avril. After clearly noticing this situation, Avril immediately issued a retreat order. However, neither William nor Jezek wanted to give up the chance and began to pursue Avril and the rest.


    The eyes of the seriously injured Old Wolf with Cal Solund next to him suddenly turned wide as he watched a sword tip pierced his chest. He was hardly able to turn his neck only to see a mysterious female with a bronze mask.


    "This should be enough."


    A curved arc appeared at the end of Tang An''s mouth. Her figure then flickered and vanished afterward. She no longer kept watching the fight of these experts but quickly left at the speed of lightning.


    The fight today was just the appetizer and a trailer, for the "real fun" would unfold next. When Tang An returned to South Gate Town and appeared outside the villa''s courtyard, her bronze mask-covered face looked a bit annoyed. She really couldn''t think of the reason why her Grand Master, Tang Xiu, would arrange such an array here that made her unable to appear before him silently.


    "Kang Xia."


    The moment she came to the door, she saw Kang Xia sitting on the sofa silently in deep thought. Then, she indifferently asked, "Is Grand Master upstairs?"


    Kang Xia laughed secretly. Tang An had never been able to silently enter the villa since Tang Xiu arranged the array here. With a slightly tilted mouth after seeing the slight anger in Tang An''s eyes, she said, "He''s waiting for the news in his study."


    "Hmph¡­"


    Tang An softly snorted and turned toward the stairs.


    Inside the study room.


    Tang Xiu looked at Tang An who just came in and immediately got up from the sofa, asking, "You got everything recorded?"


    Tang An gave him the camera and replied, "It''s been filmed, but I didn''t catch up to capture the final pursuit. You should watch this video, Grand Master. I''m sure you''ll find it very interesting."


    Tang Xiu''s expression slightly shifted and he immediately played the video.


    After a long while, he turned to Tang An with a strange expression and asked, "So the Stygian Club''s people are behind Dandelion. But to think that the ones behind the Harbo Group are also from the Stygian Club is rather unexpected. That means, Cal Solund''s father should be a member, right?"


    "That should be right." Tang An nodded. "Even if he isn''t, he must have a deep connection with the Stygian Club."


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and said, "I''m giving you another task, An. Immediately spread this video out. Make sure every force who came to Star City receives this video, but keep in mind to do it in secret. Additionally, send this video to the HQs of these four companies in the U.S. They want to play on the stage, so let''s fulfill their wish to have some good time to play well with one another to their hearts'' content."


    Tang An nodded in response. "Two of the top three forces in the world are involved. Regardless of the Stygian or Pyramid, these two forces are already in full swing in their clash. Even if this issue can''t make them tear all the remaining decorum, it''s very likely that this will add fuel to the flames. Also, is there anything else you would like me to carry out, Grand Master?"


    Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes and slowly said, "Contact Mo Awu''s team to deal with the issues in Japan as fast as possible and then head to the U.S. to lurk in various cities there. I think this skirmish between Stygian and Pyramid will end in two months, so once their spat ends, Jin Shi will immediately head to the U.S. and start laying out the foundation for our intel network there."


    "I see." Tang An nodded. "Mo Awu and the rest may have not been engaged in intelligence work before, but they do have their share of experience in intelligence issues as they often had dealings with those intelligence organizations when carrying out their missions in the past. I''m sure they can lay out the foundation so the prototype of the intel network can be formed when Jin Shi catches up there."


    "True. So off you go, then."


    Tang Xiu waved and watched her leave the study with flickering eyes. The turmoil between these major companies in the U.S. and the battle between these two super forces would definitely make the world turbulent. This meant that it would also provide a chance for the Tang Sect to fish in troubled waters and reap great benefits.


    Prior to this, the sect''s foundation was really too weak, so he never took any major move. He even had to find ways to avoid the conflict between Tang Sect''s disciples and all the cultivation forces from various countries that went to the waters of Nine Dragons Island then. But now, even though his sect couldn''t be called as powerful, they already had enough capital. If he waited for a few years, he could expect to see the sect''s strength to become much stronger when the outstanding cultivation talents of those children army started to stand out.


    Suddenly, he recalled one thing. It was about Banshou''s team. He never asked them about their cultivation even though they had obtained cultivation arts. He then took out his cell phone and dialed Banshou''s number.


    "It''s me, Banshou."


    "Any instruction for me, Boss?" Banshou''s voice came from the phone.


    "Where are you now? How is the progress with your cultivation?" asked Tang Xiu.


    Banshou''s dry voice replied, "We have yet to sense the flow of qi so far, Boss. But we''re not losing heart and keep trying hard every day, though. Each of us keeps practicing for at least two hours daily. Ah, that''s right. We''re now on Jingmen Island."


    "Anyway, it''s been a long time since I ordered you to suspend the adoption of street children before. It''s time for you to start the operation again," said Tang Xiu.


    "That''s great!"


    Banshou was pleasantly surprised and replied, "We haven''t actually been idle during this time, Boss. Not all of our time has been spending time on cultivation, either. We often move about around the country since we got four teams in total. Also, we found over 100 good children recently, but since you told us to cease adopting them, I only assigned someone to follow and keep watch over them in secret."


    "Good job," said Tang Xiu. "There''s another thing I want you to do. I need at least one person in those four teams to be proficient in various languages and someone familiar with some countries abroad."


    "Do you want us¡­ to extend our search for street children abroad, Boss?" Banshou was surprised.


    "That''s right. But begin the operation in Asia first. You don''t need to recruit many children in each country, just a thousand is enough."


    "I''m gonna summon everyone right away and get them here to report to you, Boss," said Banshou excitedly.


    "Tell them to rush to Star City within 2 days!" said Tang Xiu. "I''ll be waiting for them here."


    After he hung up and was about to leave the study, he suddenly heard a knock on the door and Hao Lei''s voice came outside. "Hao Lei is here to report, Sect Master."


    "Come in!" Tang Xiu replied.


    As the door opened, Hao Lei and Kang Xia walked into the room. A faint ambiance exuded from the current Hao Lei which was clearly an aura caused by the internal energy of mid-stage Golden Core.


    "Not bad."


    Tang Xiu nodded at her and then took out another interspatial ring from his ring. He then handed it over to Hao Lei. "These are the articles to be auctioned. Drop your blood first for ring ownership and have a look at them."


    Hao Lei nodded and took the ring. Not long after she followed Tang Xiu''s order to drop her blood on it, her beautiful face looked dull with disbelief in her eyes.


    She was truly shocked!


    She never dreamed that Tang Xiu could provide so many treasures. Not to mention the pieces of jewelry, she could tell in just a glance that these hundreds of antiques and curios were quite valuable treasures.


    "Sell all of these goods in the one-off auction," said Tang Xiu. "Additionally, I need you to set up a large auction house; I think the best place for it is in Shanghai. I gave you 1 billion yuan for promotional funds before, and I''ll give you 5 billion more to set up this auction house."


    Hao Lei thought for a moment and slowly replied, "We must have an exclusive building that belongs to us if you want to establish an auction house, Sect Master. I''m not talking about leasing a few floors in some edifice, but a building that is completely ours. The other urgent things also include the auctioneers and fixed staffers, along with security personnel; security must be the top priority given the value of the objects stored in the auction house."


    "I won''t bother dealing with these aspects, so I''m giving you full authority to manage them." Tang Xiu said, "Also, I''m going to contact Xiaoxue later to ask her to transfer a group of experts from the sect to assist you."


    Hao Lei hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Then, I''ll do my best."


    ****


    As dusk came and the red glowing blob dyed the sky red, a cold wind began blowing to every corner of Star City and brought certain footage to the hands of several hundreds of forces. The 10-minute-long video, however, caused a great stir, and these forces kept sending the video around the world through the internet.


    Beijing, the HQ of the Special Abilities Bureau.


    Duanmu Lin, who just had dinner, was talking to Zhu Long about the demonic beasts'' issue in the Himalayas when a thin young man quickly rushed into the room and passed a tablet PC, reporting. "Chief, we just received stirring footage from Star City!"


    Star City?


    Duanmu Lin frowned and, after taking the tablet, asked, "Where''s Tang Xiu?"


    "He''s in Star City," the young man replied.


    Duanmu Lin shook his head and forced a wry smile. "This brat is truly talented in stirring things up. He always stirs up major events no matter where he goes. Just like the turmoil in Japan some time ago, which was caused by him going there. I suspect that this incident is also one of his crafts. Alas¡­ let''s watch the footage first. I hope this brat didn''t make a mess excessively."


    "But Chief, the content of the video has nothing to do with Mr. Tang, although I''m sure that he''s deeply related to the incident if we dig further," said the young man. "Accurately speaking, it''s inseparable from his company, the Magnificent Tang Corporation."

 1203 Acting Pretentious

    As Duanmu Lin quietly watched the video, a strange expression appeared on his face. "There should be four forces involved in this footage. I need to know from which forces they are from."


    The young man handed the documents in his hand to him and said, "They are from the American major companies, all of which are in the world''s top 50 companies. You also know that the Magnificent Tang Corp. has issued an announcement that they are opening a cooperation deal for the position of their products'' distributors in various countries around the world, so the representatives of companies from various countries came to Star City. The four forces involved in the battle on the footage are all from four American companies. Additionally, we''ve also investigated them and the force behind Dandelion and Harbo should be the Stygian Club."


    Duanmu Lin read the document and his expression looked grim. He had no idea what Tang Xiu was selling, nor did he know from which source this footage came from.


    "We''re going to Star City."


    ****


    It was dusk when Tang Xiu, along with Kang Xia, came to the Magnificent Tang Corp.''s HQ and were greeted by tens of media who had been waiting in the company''s conference hall before they arrived.


    "Welcome to all friends from the media."


    It was his first time appearing before the mass media and he straightly looked at the cameras aimed at him by these excited-looking reporters. Then, he began speaking in a deep voice, "I''m Tang Xiu, the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation. I''m holding this press conference to announce an issue. The three companies, Cupid, Dandelion and Sava Groups, have openly clashed in Star City and violated the previous announcement my company has issued, so the Magnificent Tang Corporation has decided not to work with these 3 companies."


    "Mr. Tang, can you tell us how these three companies fought? Why didn''t we get any news about it from any media?" asked a reporter hurriedly.


    "I myself am not in a position to elaborate about the details," said Tang Xiu. "But what I can tell you is that these three companies have clashed with the Harbo Group and committed murders. I think a public security department will be involved later. But in any case, my Magnificent Tang Corporation has always been a law-abiding company and thus, we decided that we''ll never cooperate with these companies since they have disrupted orders in Star City."


    Shortly afterward, he directly announced the termination of the press conference and directly left to the GM''s office upstairs, leaving the rest of the issues to Kang Xia.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    His cell phone rang just as he lit a cigarette and took a few puffs.


    "What''s the situation?"


    "The battle between the four forces has been concluded, Sect Master. All from Harbo Group but the seriously injured William died, whereas Dandelion suffered heavy losses. But they successfully annihilated the Cupid and Sava Groups. Our intel operatives are closely monitoring Jezek and William and they seem to be heading for Magnificent Tang Corporation site." Jin Shi reported.


    "They must be coming here to claim the credits, but they won''t expect a virulent and punitive force waiting for them shortly after." Tang Xiu sneered. "Anyways, Jin Shi, pick some competent men and send them to the U.S. Their mission is to lay dormant there and to figure out the next movements of these four companies even if they must buy intel from the Darkwind. Additionally, I''ve informed Mo Awu''s team to head to the U.S. to start working on the intel network there right after they''ve settled the issues in Japan. Lastly, I give you 2 months to complete the intel network all over China and make it operate normally before you set off for the U.S."


    "Understood," replied Jin Shi respectfully.


    At the junction of Star City and Old City district, two cars sped toward the Magnificent Tang Corporation site. Jezek, who had reverted back to his human form, glanced at the seriously injured William who had fainted at the side with annoyance in his eyes.


    He just called the HQ and reported what had happened here, only to receive a stream of curses. The reason was simple: fighting with each other.


    It made him feel wronged since he never knew that Harbo Group was on their side. Not to mention that the friction between the two companies did exist, to begin with. However, his immediate superior simply ignored everything he said and gave him a death order after hurling those toxic curses. He was commanded to hold onto the Magnificent Tang Corporation tightly and struggle to secure the distribution rights in the U.S for that company''s products regardless of the losses.


    It ought to be doable¡­ it won''t be a problem, right?


    Jezek recalled his secret talk with Tang Xiu earlier and felt quite relieved. As long as this cooperation talk was successful, he would become a hero after returning. At that time, he would definitely get a reward and maybe could go further and become a leading figure in the company''s HQ.


    Ring, ring¡­


    The notification ringtone was heard from the cell phone in his pocket. It was a friend of his who sent a video and added some texts below it, causing his expression to enormously change.


    "I really didn''t expect you to be a legendary werewolf, Jezek. It seems that your Dandelion Company belongs to someone from the Stygian Club, huh! My daughter died in the hands of those Stygian Club bastards. I''ll see you crawl and kneel and knock your head before me when you return to the U.S. later!"


    Jezek quickly opened the video attachment which made his expression change to extreme shock and disbelief.


    This¡­ What''s going on? How could someone hiddenly record the fight? That place was so desolate that not even any worker was seen there. Who was the bravado that took this video secretly?


    Ring, ring¡­


    Another incoming text.


    Jezek''s expression instantly turned pale after watching the new video as strength and reason left his whole being. These two texts and videos shocked him to the core, especially the last one which was the footage of the Magnificent Tang Corporation where Tang Xiu''s somber and grim speech was like stabbing his heart.


    How did this happen?


    Jezek took a deep breath and immediately dialed Tang Xiu''s number.


    "Mr. Tang."


    "Jezek?" Tang Xiu replied in a heavy voice, "You made me very disappointed and furious. I already warned you before that you must be careful and cautious in your actions, yet your fight was spotted and captured by someone? But the most important thing is, what exactly are you? How did you turn to something like a werewolf in the Western world, huh? You and William are like the werewolves in the movies."


    "I¡­" Jezek''s reply was stuck in his throat after getting bombarded with the inquisitive questioning.


    "Hmph, forget it." Tang Xiu sneered again. "I don''t give a fuck what you are. But what you did was against my wish. You already know that I don''t want anyone to propagate any evil deeds in Star City, yet you''ve exposed yourself and was caught red-handed. You can say that everyone from various countries in the world has received that video now, which makes any chance of cooperation between us impossible. Further, you must explain why you crossed the rest and joined William? He''s the mastermind who has injured my friend!"


    "This¡­"


    Jezek was speechless and at a loss.


    "Don''t ever think you can fool me on this issue by pretending to be mute and dumb, Jezek." Tang Xiu went on in a heavy voice, "Congratulations for ruining my expectation for you after that secret talk. But I want to ask you something. Did you want to play me on purpose?"


    "You misunderstood, Mr. Tang. How could I be playing you," replied Jezek hurriedly. "I only realized that the Harbo turned out to have a deep relation with my Dandelion Group when fighting. Let''s just say that the Big Bosses of the two companies are members of the same group."


    Toot, toot, toot¡­


    Tang Xiu directly hung up.


    The feeling of wanting to cry but being unable to shed any tears inundated Jezek''s heart the moment he heard the disconnect tone. He knew that it was no longer possible to secure any cooperation between his Dandelion Group and Magnificent Tang Corporation no matter how hard he tried. Further, he could expect to be punished severely after returning since he failed the mission.


    NO!


    I must see Tang Xiu and explain it to him in person! I must strike the deal regardless of the methods and whatever the cost!


    Quickly after, he arrived at the Magnificent Tang Corp''s site. After obtaining Tang Xiu''s consent to meet, he then quickly headed upstairs.


    The moment he saw Tang Xiu, Jezek hurriedly spoke, "Please listen to my explanation, Mr. Tang."


    Tang Xiu sat on the sofa with a cold face. He puffed out a cloud of smoke and said in a very dissatisfied tone, "What else can you explain? It was you who proactively came to me and secretly negotiated to teach those Harbo people. I didn''t give you my consent firstly, but you looked so eager. I reluctantly agreed to your suggestion since I did have the intention to cooperate with your Dandelion company. Then what did I get in return, huh? It turns out that you and Harbo are on the same side. So tell me, how should I face you now? You keep moving forward and desperately pushing me to your opposite, are you trying to deal with me or what?"


    Jezek almost cried and desperately shook his head. "It''s all my fault, Mr. Tang. It''s just that I didn''t expect William to be one of ours. I never knew that the Harbo and Dandelion turn out to be on the same side, either. Else, I''d never have come to you to gain your approval and tried my best just for naught and paid a huge price like this."


    "Alright, I won''t argue over your claim that you know nothing about it," said Tang Xiu. "But what about that video? Who in the world is behind the scenes and what could be their agenda? Why must they expose it after I and my company have declared that any trouble isn''t allowed? Don''t you see this farce is aimed to smear my company''s reputation?"


    How come this can be that serious?


    Jezek groaned inwardly and stammered. "I have no idea who could be hiding there and secretly took the video, Mr. Tang. But as long as you don''t refuse the cooperation offer from my company, I can assure you that I''ll find those who shot the video and teach them a hard lesson."

 1204 Fishing in Troubled Waters

    Tang Xiu sneered inwardly but intentionally expressed his anger on the surface as he replied to him in a heavy voice, "I''ll consider it if you can find the one who took the video, Jezek. Exposing the agreement between us and destroying my company''s reputation is something I can''t accept."


    Jezek looked ecstatic as he was sure he could find the bastard who took the video. Filming was something that would leave some clues behind, and what were werewolves very good at when facing such a situation? He was sure that his inborn nature as a werewolf in hearing and smelling could yield some unexpected results.


    Certainly, he didn''t make this decision recklessly as he still had another card at hand. That was buying the intel from the fearsomely resourceful Darkwind organization. He could buy the information from this organization should he fail to find the person who shot the video.


    A few minutes later, Jezek left the HQ of Magnificent Tang Corp. with satisfaction. He didn''t notice that Tang Xiu was sneering at him and watched him leave by the window of the conference room where he had just met him.


    10 PM.


    Tang Xiu had just returned to South Gate Town when he saw his mother, Su Lingyun, holding hands with Andy, seemingly merrily engaged in a talk about something. While walking toward the villa, they also carried some bags full of stuff as if they had just finished shopping.


    Honk, honk¡­


    Tang Xiu blew the car''s horn and stopped the car near the two women, opened the car''s door and smilingly said, "I heard you''ve gone to Beijing, Mom. When did you come back?"


    A pleasantly surprised expression was cast on Su Lingyun''s face when she saw Tang Xiu. She smilingly replied, "I heard that you''ve returned to Star City, so I hurried back. I just arrived this evening and wanted to call you. But then I bumped into Andy and she said you went to your company and there seemed to be something important you needed to tend to. That''s why I didn''t call you. Anyhow, Xiu''er, you should be staying for a longer time in Star City this time, right?"


    "Yeah, I think I''ll stay much longer this time if nothing happens, Mom." Tang Xiu smilingly replied, "Anyways, get in the car, Mom, Andy!"


    "Alright!"


    After Su Lingyun and Andy boarded, they quickly headed home. However, just as the mother and son hadn''t yet starterd to chat, a female who was responsible to protect Su Lingyun and assigned to stay in South Gate Tow entered the living room hurriedly just as they arrived.


    "What did you say? Duanmu Lin?"


    Tang Xiu raised his brows with a slightly surprised expression. He did guess that Duanmu Lin would come for him, but he didn''t expect he would come so fast. It was just only a few hours after the footage spread out, wasn''t it? Could it be that Duanmu Lin was currently in Star City or a city nearby?


    Immediately after, Tang Xiu personally greeted Duanmu Lin. Seeing that the old man brought two God''s Nectar bottles, he squeezed out a wry smile and said, "What did you bring the wine for, Senior Duanmu? I may not have many things here, but I can guarantee I have enough God''s Nectar for everyone to drink!"


    "I know you got a lot of God''s Nectar wine since you''re the one who produces it!" replied Duanmu Lin smilingly. "But I''m afraid I won''t have supper without some wine, you know!"


    Tang Xiu couldn''t help laughing in response. Then, he invited Duanmu Lin inside. After his mother and Duanmu Lin exchanged some pleasantries and she went to the kitchen in a hurry, he and Duanmu Lin headed to the study on the second floor.


    "Tell me, what did you just do, Boy?" Duanmu Lin looked at Tang Xiu asked with a faint smile just as he took a seat on the sofa.


    Tang Xiu rubbed his hands and grinningly replied, "Well, it seems I can never escape your eyes no matter what I do, Senior Duanmu! Nothing worth any concern since there''s no major event. My friend, Long Zhengyu, was injured by those people from an American company, Harbo Group. I just pulled some strings in the middle, but I''ll save the details on the process. Shortly put, I made them fight. Those Harbo bastards suffered heavy losses and the others ended up bad as well. I''m sure you''re also crystal clear about what happened in Star City, aren''t you, Senior Duanmu?"


    "I know some bits of it, but I have no idea what will unfold next," replied Duanmu Lin with a smile.


    "In any case, it should be the appearance of those werewolves on the video that made you come here, Senior Duanmu." Tang Xiu went on. "I can tell you without reservation in that regard. In actuality, the one behind Harbo and Dandelion Groups is none other than the Stygian Club, and the backer behind the other company is the Pyramid. These two parties have already had some clashes prior to this and the conflict likely involved three parties, so I just added more fuel to the flame to drag these forces into a deeper conflict around the world."


    Duanmu Lin was shaken inwardly and asked in a deep voice, "What about China? I need to know what will happen here!"


    "Nothing." Tang Xiu shook his head. "What is unfolding here will come to an end."


    The response made Duanmu Lin immediately feel relaxed. But then he asked again curiously, "You want the Stygian Club to fight against the Pyramid. What for?"


    "Don''t you think the fight between these foreign forces and weakening them will bring only good things for our country, Senior Duanmu?" asked Tang Xiu back. "Nothing wrong with it, is it not?"


    "I can see neither the advantages nor disadvantages in regard to this issue. I can only see you pulling the strings in the back, Kid," said Duanmu Lin with a faint smile. "You gotta have some purpose in mind. Mind to elaborate some more to satisfy my curiosity?"


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment and then said, "Senior Duanmu, the Stygian Club has been running amuck with all kinds of evil deeds for so many years. You also know that they have committed countless incidents that incur hatred from anyone¡ªat least those who have suffered from their persecution. The Pyramid is likely not a bit better than them, either, given all kinds of practitioners among them. The other thing I have in mind is about cultivation resources where competition between me and these forces will be inevitable. That''s why I won''t take the active role to strike them but pull the strings to create a dog-eat-dog arena for them to fight. It will be quite fun to get some benefits from it."


    Duanmu Lin narrowed his eyes and asked, "Tang Xiu, do you have any exact targets in the future?"


    After hearing the question, Tang Xiu stood straight from the sofa. He cupped his fists toward Duanmu Lin and said, "Senior Duanmu, I can tell that living for 180 years more won''t be a problem for you given your strength. I can tell you that my goal is to become an immortal and ascend to the Immortal World, which is the ultimate pursuit for any cultivators like me. If¡­ I mean, if some decades later I and the Tang Sect disciples have ascended to the Immortal World, I''d need your help to take care of my relatives and friends I leave on Earth."


    Duanmu Lin abruptly got up with disbelief on his face. "Ascending and becoming an immortal? Are you kidding me, Tang Xiu? Even if your cultivation speed is very fast, for you to ascend in just a few decades is simply impossible! Even if you can ascend to the Immortal World by yourself, it''s just impossible saying that you can take all the cultivators from your Tang Sect, no?"


    "I can achieve that," replied Tang Xiu in a deep voice.


    Duanmu Lin shivered. He instantly clenched his fists and hurriedly asked, "Tang Xiu, I may not a cultivator, but I think I also have a bit of ability. Since you can take all Tang Sect disciples to the Immortal World, can you¡­ take me there¡­ as well?"


    "Are you sure?" asked Tang Xiu with a strange expression.


    "I''m sure. Absolutely." Duanmu Lin firmly nodded.


    "You''re the Special Abilities Bureau''s Director, which makes you an indispensable figure in the country. Can you really let go of whatever you have on Earth, like people and everything else? Also, you must at least reach the Spirit Formation Stage if you want to ascend to the Immortal World. Given your current strength, let alone a Spirit Formation Stage expert, I think you''re not even a match for a Golden Core expert, right?"


    Duanmu Lin''s expression stiffened and a bitter expression covered his face immediately. Then, he nodded with a forced smile. "I can leave everything I have on Earth, be it the people or some other secular issues. After all, I''m already very old and, in a few decades, there are not many people and things worth my concern anymore. It is actually the requirement of cultivation level that baffles me."


    Tang Xiu smilingly nodded. "That''s why I suggest you''d better put that idea down. Just do your work well and enjoy your old age!"


    "No! Something is missing." Duanmu Lin abruptly spoke again. "I think there''s something incongruent from what you told me, Tang Xiu. As far as I know, there are many of your Tang Sect disciples who are still at the Foundation Establishment Stage. They must break through the Golden Core and Nascent Soul Stages first if they want to reach the Spirit Formation Stage from their current cultivation level. I believe your cultivation speed is very fast, but there''s no way theirs are as fast as yours. In case they can''t reach the Spirit Formation Stage, does that mean they won''t be able to follow you to the Immortal World?"


    "That''s the main reason I''m scheming in the dark to make the Stygian and Pyramid fight, Senior Duanmu." Tang Xiu said, "Another chief reason is that I want to steal their resources. Only with enormous resources as the backing can my people keep breaking through and eventually reaching the Spirit Formation Stage. Of course, those who fail to reach the Spirit Formation Stage by the time I ascend to the Immortal World will have to stay behind."


    Duanmu Lin''s eyes shone as Tang Xiu''s explanation made him see a light of hope again. He interjected hurriedly, "Can I also become a cultivator, Tang Xiu? I''ll do anything to become one even if I must start from scratch."


    "That''s not a problem, of course." Tang Xiu nodded and went on, "But you have many years behind you and it will be difficult for you to reach the Spirit Formation Stage. Unless¡­"


    "Unless what?" Duanmu Lin hurriedly pursued.


    "Unless you can get yourself an enormous number of cultivation resources and completely use the piled-up resources in the process." Tang Xiu explained, "However, you''ll also face the drawbacks due to that as it would make it nearly impossible for you to break through again."


    "It''s the legendary Immortal World!" Duanmu Lin gritted his teeth and said, "I really want to see it. This is something I never dared imagine before, but I believe that you won''t deceive me. Hence, I''ll still be satisfied even if the highest level I can breakthrough through is only up to the Spirit Formation Stage. Besides, I''d still be countless times stronger than the current me."


    "I can teach you a set of cultivation techniques, but you have to give me the assurance that only you will practice it and not pass it onto others," said Tang Xiu.


    "I give you my word on that," replied Duanmu Lin categorically.


    Tang Xiu slowly nodded. After sitting back on the sofa, he lit up a cigarette, took a few deep puffs and said, "Alright, we''ll discuss the details later and shift to what is happening now."

 1205 Turning Everyone Down

    It was late at night when Duanmu Lin left South Gate Town with complex emotions. He needed time to digest what Tang Xiu had told him. He no longer bothered about the incident happened in Star City and, ever since he knew Tang Xiu, he was crystal clear his bottom line in no matter what he did. At the very least, he would never do anything harmful to the country.


    That¡­ was already enough for him!


    ****


    Tang Xiu hurried to the Star City Chinese Medical Hospital the next morning. Long Zhengyu hadn''t yet woke up and Tang Xiu examined his condition again to make sure his system functions were gradually recovering and his injuries didn''t worsen. Only after he finished the examination did he finally feel relieved.


    Shortly afterward, he headed to the Magnificent Tang Corporation and issued a series of orders, one of which was to send some people to various countries around the world to investigate the background of the multinational corporations that came to Star City.


    Three days later, he contacted Jezek and asked him for the findings of the investigation. The man told him that he hadn''t yet found the person who secretly shot the video. Tang Xiu immediately expressed his anger and told Jezek to cease his investigation at once and that he would investigate it by himself. He also told the man directly that the Magnificent Tang Corporation would never cooperate with the Dandelion Group.


    Immediately after, he held a plenary meeting to invite all the head representatives of these various countries'' corporations to come to the Magnificent Tang Corporation''s site.


    Inside the conference room that was large enough to accommodate thousands of people, the head representatives of all companies sat quietly in the auditorium and waited for Tang Xiu''s arrival. Nobody spoke and there was no exchange whatsoever between them. The whole atmosphere was very heavy and quiet.


    Creak¡­


    As the door to the conference room was opened from the outside, 8 sturdy men quickly entered the hall and lined up in two rows. Tang Xiu was accompanied by Kang Xia and headed straight to the stage. His eyes coldly swept over the audience before he slowly started his speech. "Welcome to the Magnificent Tang Corporation, Ladies and Gentlemen."


    Clap, clap, clap¡­


    The enthusiastic applause burst out and only gradually dissipated when Tang Xiu raised his hand.


    Tang Xiu continued, "I''m perfectly aware of everyone''s purpose in coming to China and I''m crystal clear that each and every one of you are optimistic to cooperate with my Magnificent Tang Corporation. Prior to this, I was ready to sign a partnership with some of the corporations here because each of these companies does indeed have remarkable capital.


    "However, you must have heard of the recent incidents in Star City as well. My best friend, Long Zhengyu, who''s also the Long Group''s successor, was seriously injured on his own site. He''s still unconscious now. I was very angry when I learned about it, but I had to suppress that anger since the people who hurt him are just like you¡ªor rather, the friends of my company who came here for my company.


    "I also helped to free the assailant who is from Harbo Group and squeezed my time to visit House Long''s residence with William from this company. I exhausted myself in the negotiation and favors I have to pay for it and only then was I barely able to help William free this person.


    "I thought that was the end of this incident. I really did.


    "But what happened next? Just a few days ago, the representatives of four companies led a group of martial artists under them and engaged in some mortal combats! Six dead bodies were even found in a hotel like the Long''s Dining Hall! Now I would like to ask you something here. Even after the Magnificent Tang Corporation has issued that announcement, some people still acted in a foolhardy and reckless manner. Do you think the honor of my company is so worthless that you can wantonly make such a huge incident in Star City? Do you think Tang Xiu''s words are so worthless that you can turn a deaf ear?"


    The anger in Tang Xiu''s eyes looked more intense as he spoke up to this point. He tightly clenched his fist and punched the table powerfully and shouted, "I''m now very furious since the Chinese officials are now trying to pressure us, saying that we must pay attention to the public order and social stability of Star City and to never cooperate with such gangsters and the likes!


    "Hence, I''m going to solemnly announce my stance to everyone now. The Magnificent Tang Corporation will NOT cooperate with any foreign companies for the time being. Even if you put out a mountain of gold before my eyes, you can expect to receive my rejection!"


    Just as his voice faded away, all the representatives in the conference hall abruptly got up in that instant with disbelief on their faces. Many of them wore indignant expressions.


    "But we have nothing to do with these incidents, Mr. Tang! You can''t just flatly deny us like that! We''ve always respected the law of your country and made every effort to prepare anything we could, hoping that we can cooperate with the Magnificent Tang Corporation."


    "Mr. Tang, those four American companies are indeed unreasonable! They took your words as a sideshow and should be punished. I think it''s right for your company not to cooperate with them. But we did nothing wrong and even poured all of our energy in order to strike the deal with your company. So please take back your statement and give us a chance. I believe my terms will satisfy you!"


    "Please don''t act on impulse, Mr. Tang. We''re all businessmen and cooperation is what we do to make a fortune together. You just need to ignore those who don''t follow the rules and play gangsters like them."


    "Please take back what you just said, Boss Tang. We really came with sincerity and goodwill."


    "Mr. Tang¡­"


    Many representatives spoke with anticipation on their faces.


    Tang Xiu quietly listened to them until they finished speaking. Then, he indifferently said, "Then, how can I trust you? Can I still believe anyone of you? I''m now under pressure from the country, so I hope you can forgive and understand the circumstances we are in. Hence, the Magnificent Tang Corporation will shut its doors for any cooperation with any company for the time being. We need to revise and devise a new plan. So please go back and wait for our decision. Certainly, you can expect that we will select the approved companies among you after we''ve made the decision. We will send our representative to negotiate for the cooperation with the approved companies later."


    The meeting quickly ended with all the representatives feeling indignant. But Tang Xiu''s reasonings were indisputable, so nobody dared to jump out and confront him despite their discontent. Even these people wisely shut their mouths.


    Shortly afterward, everyone jointly held a banquet at the Long''s Dining Hall and invited Tang Xiu to attend it. Tang Xiu didn''t refuse this time and engaged in some friendly chat and toasts with these representatives, and only didn''t mention anything about the cooperation.


    And thus, these companies'' representatives from all over the world led their teams and left, and Star City suddenly turned tranquil for a while.


    However, these representatives didn''t know that immediately after they left, Tang Xiu ordered some people of his company to leave for various countries in secret to conduct investigations on the background of their companies. A series of information was then transmitted continuously for the next month or so, which became the subject of analysis by Tang Xiu, Kang Xia, and the top executives of the Magnificent Tang Corporation.


    The situation in China was tranquil, but thousands of miles away in the United States, the tide of undercurrents was moving in the dark. Whether it was the people of the Harbo, Dandelion or some others from other companies, as well as the big personages behind them, all of them issued orders to strike their enemies, be it openly or secretly.


    And thus, the brutal and ruthless battles commenced under the surface.


    Tang Xiu himself received information in Star City and learned that the Stygian Club and Pyramid were engaged in at least a dozen skirmishes in just a month. Additionally, another variable that Tang Xiu didn''t expect was the involvement of the League of Archcrusaders in the fray. They even secretly cooperated with the Pyramid people, resulting in heavy losses to the Stygian Club.


    "Start the operation!"


    While staying in Star City, Tang Xiu passed the order to the Tang Sect disciples who were laying dormant in the United States. Then, nearly 100 experts of the Tang Sect immediately moved to carry out a series of plans after receiving the order.


    Adding fuel to the flames, framing and making other parties into scapegoats.


    The ploys may seem despicable, but they did yield extremely outstanding results and eventually caused more severe frictions among the three forces. Even the most serious clash resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries.


    During this period, a message quickly proliferated around the world, even to some small remote countries, that the Magnificent Tang Corporation and the Grand Fortune Jewelry had jointly set a grand auction house and would hold an unprecedented huge auction on December 1st in Shanghai. The auction attendance itself was free for anyone and any force, with the only condition that they must prepare liquid cash of at least 9 figures.


    Shortly after, another news was spread out that the threshold was raised since there were too many rich people who had a relationship with both companies wanting to attend this unprecedented auction. Thus, the threshold was raised to over 300 million in liquid cash. But for participants and forces who had registered in advance, they were still included in the original 100-million threshold.


    On November 20th, Tang Xiu returned to Shanghai since the auction would soon be held. He invited some business friends in China in person and exempted them from the threshold along with others invited by him. Even then, most of these people still had net worth at least several billion yuan.


    Shanghai.


    Inside the luxury villa in Bluestar Villa Complex, Tang Xiu rubbed his temples with some headaches while looking at Andy, who acted like a cute lass. Sitting on the sofa opposite Andy was Mu Wanying, whereas Ouyang Lulu sat on the other side, discontentedly grinning with one of her legs atop the other.


    "Uh, well, you gals can chat. I still got things to tend to."


    Tang Xiu was really reluctant to stay here. After leaving Bluestar Villa Complex at a very fast speed as though he was escaping from something, only then did he finally feel relieved secretly.


    He believed those three queens wouldn''t start World War III since they were in his house, so they would at least tolerate each other no matter how noisy their quarrel became.


    "Where I should go¡­?"


    Tang Xiu''s face looked a bit dull when he stood at the entrance of Bluestar Villa Complex and looked at the coming and going cars on the avenue. Only then did he realize that he had nowhere to go.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    The crisp ringtone of his cell phone rang, so he instantly took it out and looked at the caller on the screen. The caller turned out to be Jin Xingkui.


    "What''s up, Brother Jin?" asked Tang Xiu directly after he picked up the call.


    "I called you since I heard you''ve returned to Shanghai, Brother Tang," replied Jin Xingkui with a happy tone. "Anyways, do you have some time so we can drink some cups?"

 1206 Setting Up Genesis Auction House

    Tang Xiu himself had nothing to do and naturally bit the bullet directly after receiving Jin Xingkui''s call, causing the latter to feel at a loss with his carefree attitude. After picking a good place to meet, Tang Xiu drove his car quickly and arrived at a bar near Nanjing Road a short while after.


    It was still in the afternoon and the bar hadn''t yet opened for business. Nobody even greeted him when he arrived, so he glanced inside and saw Jin Xingkui sitting in the corner.


    "Well, something happened that makes you look rather leisurely and refined today, Brother Jin?"


    Tang Xiu walked over smilingly and asked after taking a seat across the man.


    "Well, the first stage of our project has been finalized and now we''re entering the second stage." Jin Xingkui replied with a smile, "Additionally, the opening sales will be held 2 weeks later and I hope you can attend it to spice the grand opening. That is, of course, if you got spare time."


    "What''s the fixed date, though?" asked Tang Xiu calmly.


    "December 1st," answered Jin Xingkui.


    Tang Xiu frowned and asked, "Are the properties we''re planning to build not selling?"


    "Nah, it''s the opposite." Jin Xingkui waved and said, "Since the architectural design plan plus the residential design and other amenities have been exposed, it has won praises and favor of many people. So far, at least hundreds of people wanting to buy our real estate have contacted me in advance, hoping that I can save them a good house with good floor and location¡­"


    "If that''s the case, then my participation to spice things up isn''t needed, I think." Tang Xiu said with a smile, "Besides, I must attend the auction on December 1st, so I won''t have time to attend the opening sales event."


    Jin Xingkui looked curious and asked, "I heard this ''Genesis Auction of the Century'' was jointly held by the Grand Fortune Jewelry and Magnificent Tang Corporation. Is this true?"


    "Yes." Tang Xiu nodded.


    Jin Xingkui looked excited and grinningly said, "Brother Tang, I have received the formal reply that I''m qualified to attend this ''Genesis Auction of the Century'', but my position must be very far, though it''s a given since I''m not even in the list of the world''s richest people, to begin with. Anyhow, can you open a back door for me and give me a good position?"


    Tang Xiu couldn''t help laughing and said, "I''ve already reserved ten places in advance, you see. You can expect to not be the only one by then since Brother Gu Changmin and Zhang Yueming will also get good places later. No worries!"


    Jin Xingkui raised a thumbs up and praised. "Thoughtful and magnanimous. A toast for you, Brother Tang."


    Tang Xiu slightly smiled in response. Just as he downed his wine cup, his cell phone rang. He took it out and, after seeing the caller on the screen, immediately answered it and smilingly said, "Hello, Elder Li. It''s kinda a rare occasion for you to take the initiative to call me. Is there anything I can help you with?"


    "Tang Xiu, is your Magnificent Tang Corporation involved in this Genesis Auction?" Li Juren''s voice came from the mobile phone.


    "That''s correct. We''re the ones setting it up." Tang Xiu smilingly replied.


    Li Juren''s happy voice then replied aloud, "Can I ask you in advance about the good articles auctioned in the auction? Is there anything¡­ useful for me?"


    The moment Tang Xiu heard this question, he immediately knew what Li Juren had in mind. He was probably thinking about some pills¡ªor rather, elixirs. After contemplating for a moment, Tang Xiu said, "There is. But the quantity is few and they are quite expensive."


    Li Juren''s ecstatic voice conveyed again, "Can you reserve a place for me, Tang Xiu? I''ll definitely attend the auction on December 1st!"


    "You can directly contact Hao Lei, Elder Li. Just order someone to transfer 1 million yuan to the Genesis Auction House for the admission fee. I''ll tell her to reserve a place for you," said Tang Xiu.


    Li Juren didn''t seem to care a bit when he heard that the admission fee was 1 million yuan and happily replied, "I''ll assign someone to do it immediately. Alright, see you later on December 1st, Tang Xiu."


    "Alright!"


    Tang Xiu then hung up and then dialed Hao Lei''s number in front of Jin Xingkui. After Hao Lei picked up his call, he spoke in a deep voice, "Immediately announce the public account of Genesis Auction House saying that the guests who want to attend the auction on December 1st must transfer 1 million yuan for the admission fee. We''ve set the threshold, so we must set up this event to the highest level possible. Send the notification to all channels immediately to announce the news."


    "Understood!" Hao Lei replied curtly.


    "One last thing. I''ll arrange the final articles of the auction myself," said Tang Xiu again. "I''ll go to the Genesis Auction House in the evening and tell you about the goods by then."


    After that, he directly hung up and looked at Jin Xingkui, saying, "Your wine is worth a million yuan for the admission fee! But don''t spread it out. I want to get some more pocket money from the tickets, got it?"


    After hearing this, Jin Xingkui immediately felt that felt proud for obtaining the honor. He raised his glass again and said, "No worries about that. Jin Xingkui''s mouth will be shut tightly on that one, Brother Tang. Anyhow, who''s this Elder Li who just called you? You even reserved him a place with just a phone call.?"


    "He''s Li Juren from Hong Kong," answered Tang Xiu.


    Jin Xingkui''s expression slightly changed and admiration was visible in his eyes. The first time he met Tang Xiu, it never crossed his mind that Tang Xiu would become this powerful. Not only did he have a very high status, but he also possessed outstanding abilities now. His extensive network even made him feel ashamed.


    Li Juren was once the richest business tycoon in China and definitely a living legend in the minds of many Chinese people. Yet Tang Xiu was able to make such extraordinary friendship with him. It made Jin Xingkui feel like he had lived like a dog for decades.


    Tang Xiu and Jin Xingkui had another round of wine-savoring again until the evening. Jin Xingkui himself wanted Tang Xiu to stay for a while more, but the occasion was purely for passing the time for Tang Xiu.


    As dusk came, Tang Xiu rejected Jin Xingkui''s other plans and drove to the Genesis Auction House. Due to Tang Xiu''s order to set up the newly established auction house as classy, upscale and large enough, Hao Lei spent quite the amount of funds to buy a four-story building covering an area of nearly 10,000 square meters, which she deducted from the several billions of yuan she received from Tang Xiu.


    The majestic characters that gave off the vibe of flying dragons and dancing phoenixes style on the 10-meter long and 4-meter wide dazzling golden plaque were written by Tang Xiu himself. It was then sent to Mu Wanying''s employee who was best at making plaques. Just the price to manufacture this plaque alone cost hundreds of thousands of yuan.


    "Hello, we have not yet opened for business here. May I ask the purpose of your visit, Sir?"


    Just as Tang Xiu arrived at the entrance of the Genesis Auction House, he was stopped by four security guards in black suits. Their mannerism was very polite on the surface, but their eyes were full of vigilance, seemingly ready to strike Tang Xiu at any time if there was any sign that he would commit something bad.


    "I''m looking for Hao Lei."


    This wasn''t the first occasion Tang Xiu was stopped by security guards outside his company''s door, so he was used to it and replied to the guards with a smile.


    The leader of these security guards asked, "Do you have an appointment with Chief Hao in advance, Sir? If you don''t, we''ll also help you convey your message to her. She''ll naturally meet you if she has time."


    "I''m Tang Xiu," said Tang Xiu smilingly.


    Tang Xiu?


    The four security guards frowned at the same time. But after some four-plus seconds, the security guard leader''s expression suddenly changed. He quickly grabbed his cell phone to access the internet and found some information regarding Tang Xu. After he did some contrasting, his expression turned reverential and fearful as he bowed and spoke, "We didn''t know it was you, Boss. I''m really sorry for our attitude just now."


    "That was a very responsible attitude, you know." Tang Xiu patted his shoulder and chuckled. "Your performance is much to my satisfaction, so I''ll tell Hao Lei to raise your salary by 30%. Alright, keep tending to your duties. I''m going upstairs first."


    "Yes, yes. Thank you, Boss!" The security guard leader was excited.


    After watching Tang Xiu leave, he powerfully raised his fist upward, vigorously punched the air in high spirit and excitedly exclaimed, "Damn! I finally get to see the real one! It''s the Big Boss and we have been praised by him as well! That was really¡­ quite an honor."


    The other three security guards also excitedly responded to one another. They then passed the message through the intercom about Tang Xiu''s arrival as well as conveying Tang Xiu''s promise to their comrades.


    Suddenly, about two-thirds of the people, all of whom were security guards, cheered inside the Genesis Auction House.


    On the third floor of the Genesis Auction House, Hao Lei quickly read the documents she was holding, while the three subordinates in front of her held some other documents, waiting for her to sign them.


    The situation was so hectic and busy that Hao Lei had never been as busy as she was right now. Even the situation when she was acting as the General Manager of Grand Fortune Jewelry paled in comparison. She didn''t even have enough time to have a bite save for drinking some glasses of water and some cups of coffee since morning.


    Knock, knock¡­


    A knocking sound came from the door and Tang Xiu waltzed in from the outside. He watched the few people inside with a smile and said, "Are you busy?"


    Hao Lei got up from the Boss chair and gave two orders to the three subordinates. After they grabbed the documents and left, she then spoke with a teary face, "Can you find someone to come and help me here, Boss? You really got me too occupied here! I''m so busy that I can''t even feel my feet touching the floor. And I''m so starving now that my stomach went flat, you know."


    "Ehh?" Tang Xiu was surprised. "You haven''t had dinner yet?"


    "What dinner? I didn''t even have breakfast and lunch!" Hao Lei forced a bitter smile.


    Tang Xiu took out his mobile phone and dialed the manager of Shanghai''s Everlasting Feast Hall to order a table worth of sumptuous dishes and sent them to the Genesis Auction House. Afterward, he turned to Hao Lei and asked, "Anyways, anyone you prefer to help you here?"


    "Chi Nan," said Hao Lei smilingly.


    Tang Xiu couldn''t help but burst into laughter. "You really can pick up quite the person, huh. No problem. I''ll call her later to help you here."


    "Ah, but don''t tell her it was my idea, Sect Master!" said Hao Lei hurriedly.


    "Hehe, I understand. No worries about that." Tang Xiu chuckled.


    "Anyhow, we''ve received calls from thousands of rich people, from domestic and overseas, after the publicity, Sect Master." Hao Lei then said, "They expressed their intentions to attend the auction, but many of them are asking if we can announce some of the auctioned items in advance. I also think the same. After all, it will be quite difficult to achieve the best results without attracting them with the auctioned items although we''ve gone all out in marketing this event."

 1207 Stunt Antics

    A thoughtful look flashed in Tang Xiu''s eyes. He did tell Hao Lei before that he would pull out such a stunt, but he then felt that two types of pills would be lackluster. After all, this was an unprecedented auction where they must face the super-rich from all over the world and the number of guests was likely to exceed 1,000 given the current situation.


    Further, he also obtained a lot of treasures from the Joyous Palace, some of which were quite priceless but had no value in many people''s eyes. The distribution of wealth in the world today could be said to be practically controlled by those from cultivation forces, which meant he must have something that could attract these super-rich people.


    What do cultivators need?


    One thing for sure was medicinal pills aside from array disks, talismans, magic weapons, and some others. Once he put out these types of objects, it was very likely the forces around the world would flock over to obtain them, which in turn would send the money literally flying into his pocket at that time.


    After giving it a thought for a long while, Tang Xiu tilted up his head to look at Hao Lei and seriously said, "How much money do you think we can earn if all the goods are auctioned?"


    "I''ve talked about this subject with four treasure appraisers previously and it''s estimated that we should earn about 200 billion yuan," answered Hao Lei.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and shook his head. "200 billion yuan seems to be a huge number but it''s nothing to speak of considering the consumption of the Tang Sect''s disciples. If my estimation is correct, even 2 trillion yuan won''t be enough for them to break through the Spirit Formation Stage in two decades."


    "2 trillion!?"


    Hao Lei slightly shuddered. Even if she didn''t care about money, she was still taken aback by this figure.


    Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, "Your current cultivation level is still low, so you have no idea how much resources are required for the later stages of cultivation. However, I''ll make some important decisions later which should reduce the spending, but spending 2 trillion yuan is a definite number needed for this purpose. The Magnificent Tang Corp is a money-making machine and it will likely be able to earn a massive amount of wealth. It should be easy to earn hundreds of billions or a few trillion in the future. And we should earn at least over 1 trillion yuan from this auction."


    Gasp¡­


    Hao Lei didn''t expect that Tang Xiu had such a big appetite. But the number of articles they currently had for the auction was not enough! The total value of the treasures obtained from the Joyous Palace and the Gene Camp only amounted up to 200 billion yuan.


    Tang Xiu got up and slowly said, "Hao Lei, release an announcement to the public that the Genesis Auction House will have elixirs beneficial to practitioners, array disks, various powerful talismans, magic weapons, and even cultivation art manuals in this auction."


    Hao Lei was shocked and asked incredulously, "Sect Master, are you sure you want to sell them¡­ even manual for cultivation techniques?"


    "That''s right. I''ll also sell cultivation manuals." Tang Xiu solemnly said, "But this cultivation technique can only make those who practice it reach the Foundation Establishment Stage and mainly emphasizes physical refinement. The physical quality of human beings on Earth is getting worse nowadays, so if I sell this cultivation art now and once it spreads out later, the chance is the overall physical fitness of human beings on Earth and the standard level of martial arts will be greatly improved in the future."


    "Do you¡­ want all human beings to be strong, by chance?" asked Hao Lei again.


    "Yeah. Earth is just a tiny existence in the vast universe and can only be called as a speck of dust." Tang Xiu nodded. "Let alone mentioning some higher planes, the number of galaxies in our cosmic space alone is countless, many of which house incredibly powerful technological advanced races, magical worlds, and even some cultivation worlds. If Earth is too weak, in case these more powerful extraterrestrials from other galaxies come here one day, it would be very likely that it would be the end of humanity on Earth."


    Tang Xiu walked towards the window and watched the scenery outside surrounded by darkness along with all walks of life there. Then, he went on, "Earth may be minuscule, but it is forever our roots. We''ll leave this place to struggle in a much vaster stage in the future and we won''t have the luxury to even care about anything that happens here when that time comes. I don''t want to see humanity massacred and go extinct when we set foot on this planet again one day, nor do I wish to face the reality of being unable to find this planet and this part of galaxy at that time."


    At this moment, he didn''t speak only to Hao Lei but also to himself. Even at this moment, a huge idea crossed his mind and he knew that he would be extremely busy should he implement it one day.


    Late at night.


    As Tang Xiu went home to his house in Bluestar Villa Complex, he saw Mu Wanying, Ouyang Lulu, and Andy sitting on the sofa in the living room hall. But one thing he never dreamed of was that there were still other two women besides these three. They were Zhang Xinya and Zhang Xinyue, whom he hadn''t met for a long time.


    "You all¡­"


    Tang Xiu''s mouth opened, but his head was full of a real urge to just turn around and run away.


    Andy was the first to jump up from the sofa and strode to Tang Xiu''s front, smilingly saying, "You''re finally back, Boss. I''m afraid they were going to fight if you didn''t come back."


    Tang Xiu let out a dry chuckle in response. This was a scene he never wanted to see nor face. Despite so, he still let Andy pull him and walked to the sofa where Andy had just sat.


    At this moment of restlessness, five pairs of beautiful eyes were fully concentrated on Tang Xiu alone.


    Despite how fearless he always was, Tang Xiu would rather fight countless gods and demons than to face this kind of scene. He coughed twice, loosened his arms and said, "Haih, this is karma I cast upon myself for having love affairs. You can hit me, curse at me, or anything. I''ll accept that. If you can''t stand it and want to leave me, I''ll also respect your decision."


    "Will you be sad if I leave you?" asked Mu Wanying softly.


    Tang Xiu remained silent for a few seconds before he slowly replied, "It would be difficult to bear and would break my heart. But if it''s your choice, I''ll respect it."


    Mu Wanying got up as she yawned and said, "I wasted all afternoon here and haven''t had dinner yet. You guys can keep chatting. I''m going upstairs to sleep."


    After that, she ignored a pair of eyes staring at her and headed straight to the stairs and quickly disappeared.


    Tang Xiu retracted his gaze and was about to speak when Ouyang Lulu got up, stretched her body and walked straight to him. She gently held Tang Xiu''s cheek and kissed his forehead, then went back to pick her bag. Afterward, she raised the hand on the gripper and chuckled. "Well, I''m heading to Paradise Manor first. I''m free tomorrow, so be sure to remember to see me!"


    "But I''m going to Nine Dragons Island tomorrow," said Tang Xiu hurriedly.


    Ouyang Lulu''s eyes shone. "Then I''m going with you. I got nothing to do recently, anyways."


    "But you''ll be bored. I got very important things to do and won''t have time to keep you company," said Tang Xiu. "Besides, I will only stay for 10 days there since I need to return to Shanghai to prepare for Genesis''s auction."


    After hearing it, Ouyang Lulu immediately shook her head, "Forget it, then. I guess I''ll just stay in Paradise Manor and make money! My Paradise Manor''s business has been very good recently, especially the significant increase in the number of foreign tourists. That''s right, be sure to reserve a place for me in the auction."


    "Alright!" Tang Xiu felt a bit relieved and nodded.


    Ouyang Lulu didn''t say anything more. She picked up her bag and headed straight to the outside. She didn''t even spare a glance at Zhang Xinya and Zhang Xinyue.


    Andy looked at the Zhang sisters and interjected with hesitation. "Boss, I''ll take the guest room and sleep there. The door won''t be locked."


    Having said that, she also ran straight towards the stairs.


    With his head struck by a headache, Tang Xiu turned to Zhang Xinya and Zhang Xinye, both looking gloomy with complicated expressions.


    "Tang Xiu, I wanna go to Nine Dragons Island," said Zhang Xinya all of a sudden.


    Tang Xiu nodded right away and said, "That won''t be a problem. You can come with me tomorrow."


    "I want to go there too," said Zhang Xinyue.


    Tang Xiu''s mouth opened and hesitantly said, "But you¡­"


    Zhang Xinya got up and pulled her younger sister, saying, "We are both all right. Alright, we''ll be waiting for you at the airport tomorrow, then."


    Just like that, the two sisters left.


    Tang Xiu glanced around at the now-empty hall with a forced smile on his handsome face. The love affairs and relationship between men and women were always something that gave him a headache. He now realized how woeful were those lords and officials in ancient times. They, too, had three wives and four concubines in their backyards. Their situations shouldn''t be very peaceful and tranquil, either, should it?


    A long time passed by.


    Tang Xiu smoked and burnt several cigarettes one after another before he got up and went to the second floor. He pushed the bedroom''s door and walked in and then saw Mu Wanying in pajamas sitting on the bedside, reading a book quietly. After hesitating for a while, he said, "Wait for a while here, I''ll see if there''s anything to eat."


    Tang Xiu himself was familiar with cooking and he spent half an hour to make two bowls of noodles. He delivered one bowl to Andy''s room and quickly returned to the kitchen after he handed it to her. Then, he took the remaining bowl of noodles to the second-floor bedroom and spoke, "Have a bite."


    Mu Wanying stroked the hair in front of her forehead and took the bowl and chopsticks. After having some, she nodded and smiled. "It tastes good."


    Tang Xiu forced a wry smile and said, "About today''s matter¡­ it''s really¡­"


    "It''s all right!" Mu Wanying shook her head and interrupted him. "I have long known that there would be such a day. But it''s enough for me as long as you care about me and it''s all your business no matter how many women you have. I can understand that outstanding men are just like a natural magnet that attracts women to them. I can tell that each and every one of them is very outstanding too."


    Tang Xiu himself had stomached what he would say back when he was cooking. But watching Mu Wanying start eating with such a tranquil expression made him sigh inwardly. Then, he said, "Anyways, you can put the dishes on the bedside table after eating. I''m having a shower first."


    That night, Mu Wanying, who was always gentle and refined, became extremely wild and pestered Tang Xiu with her demands for several hours before strength finally left her body. Drenched with sweat, she hugged Tang Xiu when he carried her and fell into a deep sleep before she even took a shower.

 1208 Backbreaking Work

    The next day.


    Tang Xiu hurried to the airport with Tang An and realized something on the way there after seeing her sit on the front seat and remain silent for a long time, causing him to feel secretly annoyed inwardly. Back in Star City, he set up an array around his house, but he forgot to arrange one in the Bluestar Villa Complex. Given how crazy "the fight" between him and Mu Wanying last night was, it was likely she could see it clearly, wasn''t it?


    I really must speed up my cultivation as fast as possible, so my sense of the surrounding space can get much keener and wider. As long as Tang An follows me, I can find her easily even if she hides in the void.


    After reminding himself about this issue, Tang Xiu turned to look outside through the window.


    After they arrived at the airport, he easily found Zhang Xinya and Zhang Xinyue though he didn''t know how long they had waited for him. The two females were donning similar attire, both wearing peaked caps, large sunglasses, and masks, along with a similar large suitcase next to each.


    "Have you been waiting for a long time?" Tang Xiu greeted them and asked.


    "Nah, we just arrived here too," answered Zhang Xinya. "By the way, are we flying directly to Saipan?"


    "Yeah." Tang Xiu nodded. "We''ll fly directly to Saipan. We have choppers standing by there and we''ll board them to Nine Dragons Island. By the way, I haven''t asked your reason for going there, though. Are you going there for vacation, or to stay there permanently?"


    "I''m staying there permanently," Zhang Xinya said.


    "Eh? Don''t you still have jobs here?" Tang Xiu asked in wonder. "What about you, Xinyue? Don''t you have your beauty shop to run?"


    "I''ve resigned and already made an announcement that I''ll leave the entertainment industry and won''t make any public appearances in the future anymore," answered Zhang Xinya. "As for Xinyue, she already sold her shop 2 weeks ago, so we have nothing to do for the time being."


    Tang Xiu thought about something and then asked, "Do you want to keep living there, or are you leaving with me in the future too?"


    "Huh? Leaving? Where to?" asked Zhang Xinyue.


    Tang Xu turned to Zhang Xinya and asked, "You didn''t tell her?"


    "No." Zhang Xinya shook her head.


    Tang Xiu''s lips moved and transmitted his voice straight to Zhang Xinyue''s ear. "I''m a cultivator. I''m sure you know what this means. The ultimate goal of any cultivator is to reach a higher cultivation stage and ultimately ascend to become an immortal. If there''s no accident, I''ll ascend to the Immortal World in a few decades, and I''ll also take a lot of my subordinates with me. I may not return to Earth for thousands of years."


    Zhang Xinyue shuddered as incredulity filled her eyes. It was something that never crossed her mind. Even in her wildest dream, she never thought that aside from Earth, the Immortal World in the legend turned out to actually exist. Everyone knew that this place was only in Xianxia stories!


    ****


    It was night when the four of them arrived in Nine Dragons Island and Zhang Xinyue was still unable to fully digest everything Tang Xiu had said. After Mu Qingping arranged everything for Zhang Xinya and Zhang Xinyue to stay on the island, she went to Tang Xiu''s room and asked, "Can you teach me cultivation techniques too? I want to become a powerful cultivator. That ability to fly above the clouds and summon the forces of nature is so amazing and I love it."


    Tang Xiu couldn''t help laughing and then explained, "I must tell you that treading on the cultivation path is very dangerous. You must endure pains that most average people won''t be able to bear and the dangers you''ll face are also unimaginable. You may have to face other people in the future if you choose to be a cultivator and even face the battle between immortals at that time."


    "Will you protect me at that time?" asked Zhang Xinyue.


    Tang Xiu nodded. "I''ll certainly protect you. Unless I''m killed."


    Zhang Xinyue beamed with a smile and walked straight to Tang Xiu. She wrapped her arms around his neck and said, "Then I won''t be afraid since you''re going to protect me! You''re a cultivator and so is my older sister. Hence, I''m going to wherever you go in the future as well."


    "That reminds me, where''s your older sister now?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "She said she''s tired and is already sleeping in her room," answered Zhang Xinyue.


    Tang Xiu pondered for a while and then nodded. "Alright, then. Stay in my room for tonight and I''ll teach you a cultivation technique and what the cultivation path really is. But I can''t guarantee what level you can reach in the future. What I can tell you now is that you must reach the Spirit Formation Stage in a few decades if you want to leave for the Immortal World with me."


    "What is this Spirit Formation Stage, though?" Zhang Xinya curiously asked, "Will I become a powerful cultivator who can fly if I reach this Spirit Formation Stage?"


    "You will learn about cultivation levels from some others in the future." Tang Xiu said, "As for Spirit Formation Stage cultivators, they definitely can fly and are very powerful. Even I myself may not be your match if your cultivation is at the Spirit Formation Stage now."


    "Alright. I''ll begin to practice. I must become a cultivator." Zhang Xinyue clenched her fists excitedly.


    Four hours were then spent to teach Zhang Xinyue all the acupuncture points and meridian routes of the human body. Tang Xiu taught her a set of very powerful cultivation techniques in the Immortal World and he didn''t even hesitate to condense a drop of his blood essence to integrate it into her body and made her heart absorb it.


    It was already late in the night when Tang Xiu went to the alchemy room in Nine Dragons Island. Right as he was about to enter the main hall, he felt heatwaves from the interior. After he entered, he found that the temperature inside was at least 20 degrees higher than the outside, which could steam ordinary people in no time.


    "Ji Chimei!"


    The alchemy room was quite spacious with the size of about several hundred square meters. Shelves were arranged against the wall and filled with various jade bottles and containers along with some medicinal materials, minerals, and bones of fierce beasts suitable for storage at high temperatures.


    A respectful expression painted Ji Chimei''s face after she found that Tang Xiu was here. She immediately greeted and saluted. "When did you arrive, Lord?"


    "I must concoct some pills for use in the not so distant future, which I''ve estimated will take about 4 days."


    "But the furnace still has an elixir I''ve been concocting and it will take a few days for the refining to be successful, Lord." Ji Chimei hesitated before she continued, "We only have two pill furnaces in this vault, but the quality of the other one is rather average and usually used by Pill Apprentices. Would you like me to discard the pills in this furnace? Or¡­"


    Tang Xiu chuckled and replied, "I have my own furnace."


    Having said that, he took out the Demon God Soul Devourer Cauldron from his interspatial ring and placed it in the spacious alchemy room. Shortly after, he quickly arranged several arrays under the cauldron. Only then did he turn to Ji Chimei and ask, "By the way, what do you think about my stove? It''s great, isn''t it?"


    Ji Chimei herself had very keen sight and her heart pounded hard after seeing the Demon God Soul Devourer Cauldron. She circled around the cauldron a few times and observed it carefully before praising. "This stove you obtained is comparable to the top immortal devices, my Lord. But my sense is telling me that this furnace isn''t just suitable for concocting pills but also can be used by artificers to manufacture weapons and tools. Am I correct, my Lord?"


    "You have good eyes, as always." Tang Xiu smilingly said, "This divine furnace can indeed be used for alchemy and tools manufacturing. Chimei, your current strength is perhaps stronger than me, but I think you''re still a bit behind me in regards to manufacturing devices and alchemy. Stay here for 10 days and I''ll teach you some secrets of alchemy and refinement. You must observe and learn well since you may become the most important subordinate under me as an expert Alchemist and Artificer who can manufacture immortal elixirs and devices."


    Ji Chimei''s eyes shone and she gratefully replied, "This subordinate will spare no effort to study so that I can live up to Lord''s expectation in the future."


    10 days may seem short and Tang Xiu stayed in the alchemy room all the time. He concocted a massive number of pills with various effects in the first four days. These pills were also very beneficial to Golden Core cultivators even though the efficacy was lacking to those at the Nascent Soul Stage.


    From the 5th to the 8th day, Tang Xiu continuously manufactured magic devices. These tools and weapons were not refined using Immortal force, hence why all of them didn''t reach the standard quality level in the Immortal World although they could still be ranked as top magic tools. Any of these tools could easily garner countless people''s envy and desire and even very likely to set off a bloody storm.


    The last two days were spent to refine a full set of ten array disks, all of which were then given to Gu Xiaoxue, while he himself manufactured two sets of low-grade array disks. He planned the later to be auctioned at the Genesis auction. Further, he also spent the last 2 days to manufacture a total of 100 amulets and talismans, all of which were also handed over to Gu Xiaoxue. He then made another 100 amulets with much less might for the Genesis auction.


    "Huff¡­"


    Just as Tang Xiu came out of the alchemy room, he saw Gu Yan''er standing outside, seemingly having been waiting for him. A beaming smile then appeared on her soul-captivating beautiful face.


    "Master!"


    Gu Yan''er didn''t seem to be bothered by Tang Xiu''s naked upper body or the sweat slipping from his streamlined muscles. She quickly came to Tang Xiu''s side and wrapped her arm around Tang Xiu''s.


    "Why did you come out of the exquisite pagoda?" Tang Xiu chuckled and said, "I already planned to go there to visit you after I''m done with the chore these ten days, you know!"


    "Well, I''ve already suppressed all my injuries and I''m getting better every day. I should be fully healed in about a few years." Gu Yan''er lightly smiled and said, "By the way, I just refined 2 pills for you since I got nothing to do for the last 2 days, Master. It should be beneficial for you."


    "I don''t think any Immortal-type pills can have much effect on me now unless I can get my hands on some Immortal Demon Pills." Tang Xiu shook his head and smilingly said, "It''s just unfortunate that only those Archdemons in the Demon Realm possess this type of pill."


    Gu Yan''er opened her palm and 2 pills, one black and one white, suddenly appeared on it. A dark stream of light kept flashing from the black pill, whereas the white one seemed to emit rippling waves.


    "Immortal Demon Pill?"


    Tang Xiu''s pupils contracted as incredulity filled his eyes. Never had it crossed his mind that Gu Yan''er was able to concoct the Immortal Demon Pill and obtained the materials to concoct it. It must be noted that the medicinal herbs and ingredients needed to concoct it were extremely rare.


    "This is not the genuine Immortal Demon Pill, Master. The effect should be nearly similar but the efficacy and energy contained in it are 10 times worse than the genuine ones."

 1209 The Sword Dance in the Ocean

    Tang Xiu gently took the Immortal Demon Pill and looked at Gu Yan''er with a slightly regretful face. He knew how difficult it was to concoct this pill since the most primer ingredient to enhance the efficacy of this medicine was the blood essence from the heart of its maker.


    "You are not to do anything that benefits others but is harmful to yourself again in the future."


    After taking the pill, Tang Xiu gently hugged Gu Yan''er and spoke solemnly.


    A glint of happiness flashed in Gu Yan''er''s eyes. Although she promised in a soft voice, she didn''t take the admonishment to heart. She was willing to go to any lengths even though it would greatly harm herself as long as it could help Tang Xiu. Just like what she did in the past¡­


    On the winding mountain pathway, Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er walked side by side and headed towards the seaside where the exquisite pagoda was located, both unfazed by the cold wind blowing around them.


    "Yan''er, the Immortal Demon Pill is an elixir usually taken by top demons in the Demon Realm who cultivate physical refinement. The medicinal ingredients needed to concoct it are very precious, even when I stayed in the Immortal World for millenniums and infiltrated the Demon Realm many times, it still cost me great efforts to get the medicinal herbs to concoct this pill. How did you get them?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "I obtained them from the Immortal Lyceum." Gu Yan''er smiled and answered lightly.


    The Immortal Lyceum?


    Tang Xiu''s expression changed slightly and a complex look appeared in his eyes. Back when he was a Supreme in the Immortal World and possessed fearsome power, he could face countless Immortal and Demons unfazed, yet there was one person he always entertained remorseful feeling towards. That person was exactly the Master of this Immortal Lyceum, an extraordinary and peerlessly talented Perfected Golden Immortal, Apotheosis Immortal Bella Fern Regalia.


    Back in the past, he devoted his whole love only for Xue Qingcheng, being obstinate that it was enough for him to have one woman since he had already found the true love of his life. It was also this reason that made him remain indifferent towards her despite her becoming a laughingstock in the Immortal World due to her efforts of pursuing him for thousands of years.


    His rejection was, however, ineffective and he could only keep avoiding her.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and asked, "Is she¡­ okay?"


    Gu Yan''er knew who he was asking about. There was a bit of admiration in her eyes as she nodded and answered, "She was great then, at least on the surface. After you went through that accident, she spent hundreds of years to break into your Immortal Sphere where you''d been in seclusion and brought all the treasures you''d collected in your treasure vault for 10,000 years. She brought it to the Immortal Lyceum and created an area there that copied the scenery of your seclusion abode. I received her hospitality when I first visit her Immortal Lyceum and spent a century there to read the classics collection you spent 10,000 years collecting. But¡­"


    Tang Xiu furrowed his brows and asked, "But what?"


    Gu Yan''er forced a smile and went on, "But I kept having a feeling that she seemed to be planning a huge move. I have no idea what exactly it was, but she tried to get me to work with her. Unfortunately, I was in a hurry to find you then, so I declined."


    Tang Xiu frowned and then shook his head. "No. She''s not the subtle and deep kind of person. Something like coming up with any big plan is not like her given her fiery temper. Alright, let''s drop talking about her. It feels like ages ago since the last time I practiced swordplay. Do you still remember the sword dance I taught you?"


    Gu Yan''er''s eyes lit up and she smilingly nodded. "Yeah, I still remember it."


    "Accompany me to practice some swordplay," said Tang Xiu. "I''ll leave Nine Dragons Island tomorrow for Shanghai to attend the auction."


    Gu Yan''er curtly complied and then asked curiously, "Master, I heard from Xiaoxue that you''re going to hold an unprecedented auction in Shanghai. Is it true?"


    "Yeah. The number of cultivators our Tang Sect grooms will only keep increasing and it''s very likely that we''ll need a colossal number of cultivation resources for their consumption annually. The plan I made this time is to secure massive funds in a short time before I fully immerse myself in cultivation."


    "Are you going to cultivate in the exquisite pagoda too at that time?" asked Gu Yan''er with bright eyes.


    "Yeah!" Tang Xiu nodded.


    Hearing his reply, Gu Yan''er looked excited and the feeling still lingered in her after they came to the beach.


    Dream Butterfly Sword Dance!


    It was a swordsmanship style Tang Xiu created when boredom struck him back in the Immortal World. The foundation of this swordsmanship was created after observing the gracefully dancing butterflies, which possess light and graceful stances and movements. The two butterflies merrily rose and descended as though they were dancing partners, but their movement was the resemblance of dance fighting style.


    After treading along the waves for just half a minute, Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er appeared on the sea surface a kilometer away. As both took out their respective immortal sword, their figures blurred. The scene made them look like a celestial couple dancing in the air cheerfully while waving their swords under the baptism of the sun.


    "The Dance of the Golden Butterfly."


    Gu Yan''er''s graceful figure bent 60 degrees to the back before her sword flickered and created images of continuous streams of sword tips, while the hovering stream of energy formed a golden light butterfly. As she rose tens of meters above the sea, thousands of golden butterflies fluttered around her as though they were dancing happily.


    "The Longing of the Silver Butterfly."


    Tang Xiu''s figure wildly spun around while maintaining the same height as that of Gu Yan''er. Along with the flowing of the sword tips movements, a silver light butterfly appeared out of the blue in the sky and gathered with thousands of golden butterflies.


    At the beach kilometers away from the scene.


    Ji Chimei and Gu Xiaoxue were standing side by side wearing surprised expressions. They felt that the sword dance performed by Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er was truly soul-captivating and thrilling, beautiful and deeply intoxicating.


    "What a beautiful sight to behold."


    Gu Yin''s figure flickered from the distance. When she descended down next to Gu Xiaoxue, she muttered, "Yinyin also wants to learn this sword dance. It''s really beautiful."


    Gu Xiaoxue turned to her and looked at her smilingly. "Little Martial Aunt, do you want to learn this sword dance and hope to find a good husband in the future so you can practice it together with him?"


    "Nah. Yinyin doesn''t want to find any good prince." Gu Yin shyly replied, "Master is always very nice to me. I want to be just like Big Senior Sister and be able to practice such swordplay with Master."


    After hearing her reply, Gu Xiaoxue immediately smiled and shifted back her vision to the duo practicing swordplay above the sea with a heart full of envy. She also wanted to learn this sword dance and practice it with her Grand Master, Tang Xiu. But she knew for sure that such a luxury was like a faraway dream that she would never be able to realize.


    The butterflies died as the swords descended.


    While riding the immortal sword above the sea surface, Tang Xiu wore a similar expression as Gu Yan''er as they smiled at each other. Then, Tang Xiu said, "Go back and continue healing your injuries. The faster you heal the stronger the Tang Sect will become. I''m looking forward to you being able to instruct the Tang Sect''s disciples in cultivation after you recover."


    "Yan''er still retains the power of an Immortal, Master. I can still help Tang Sect''s disciples progress rapidly even if I have to expend a bit of my immortal spiritual force." Gu Yan''er smiled.


    "No." Tang Xiu hurriedly said, "You must not use your Immortal spiritual energy before you''ve fully healed. This plane is devoid of any immortal spiritual force. Every bit you use will still reduce your power. Besides, we need to return to the Immortal World in the future and I still need your protection at that time."


    "Rest assured, Master! I''m aware of it." Gu Yan''er nodded with a smile.


    Tang Xiu nodded in response before shifting his vision to the shore and then said, "After some time, I''m going to take the Tang Family to Nine Dragons Island and train them to be cultivators. I''ll leave them on Earth if they choose to stay and take them with us to the Immortal World if they choose to do so."


    Gu Yan''er thought for a while and then said, "Alright, then I''ll set up a separate area on Nine Dragons Island to house the juniors of the Tang Family. But Master, you should also be aware that there''s a chance they would make some trouble here if they learn of your identity in the sect and use your position as Sect Master, right?"


    "Don''t worry about that! The number of core members of the Tang Family won''t exceed 30 people." Tang Xiu said, "I''ll warn those who do so and throw them into training camps to get the normal drill. They will stay on Nine Dragons Island if they can endure it and will be sent back to China if they fail to do so. There will be no privilege nor special care given to them on Nine Dragons Island."


    "Well, Yan''er is just sticking her nose and being a busybody, then. Master is Master, as always. You''ve thought it through completely." Gu Yan''er chuckled. "Anyhow, Yan''er is really happy now since there''s no need for me to ponder about things with you around, Master. Before I met you, Yan''er was always fearful and cautious, like walking on thin ice."


    Tang Xiu sighed since he knew what kind of efforts and price she had to pay. It was all because of him. Else, it would have been very easy for her to live a comfortable life in the Immortal World given her talent and strength.


    "Yan''er!"


    Tang Xiu hugged her shoulders gently with a self-reproaching expression.


    Gu Yan''er took advantage of the opportunity to lean on Tang Xiu''s shoulders. She shook her head and smilingly said, "Master, Yan''er will always feel happy no matter how hard or tired Yan''er has been since everything is for you. As long as you don''t abandon Yan''er in the future, Yan''er will keep following you everywhere even if you become the enemy of the whole world."


    "Master will never leave you again, Yan''er," said Tang Xiu.


    It was a long way to tread on and the responsibility was heavy¡ªsomething Tang Xiu was aware of along with the incrasing heavy pressure on his shoulders. After releasing Gu Yan''er, he entered the exquisite pagoda with her and stayed there until the next morning and accompanied her for breakfast.


    "I want to go with you."


    Xue Yu, who had been cultivating in Nine Dragons Island, suddenly spoke.


    Tang Xiu put down his chopsticks and asked, "Have you stabilized your cultivation?"


    "Yeah. It''s been stabilized. The power I can unleash is at the early-stage of Spirit Formation now. Yan''er has taught me a lot recently and I should be able to break through to the late-stage of Spirit Formation in about six months if there''s no accident."


    Tang Xiu thought about it and asked again, "Do you have anything to tend to back in China?"


    Xue Yu shook her head. "There''s nothing else apart from checking the business affairs."


    "Xue Yu, you''re very strong now, but you lack fighting experience." Tang Xiu said, "Well, it''s your call, of course, but I suggest that you don''t go back to China and head to the United States instead! Mo Awu''s team has arrived there to carry out a secret mission. You''re much stronger than them, so you can help them greatly while also training yourself and reaping more experiences."


    The United States?


    Xue Yu gave it a thought and then nodded. "No problem. Then I''ll go to America."


    Recently, she learned a lot of things from Gu Yan''er, many of which were related to Tang Xiu. She finally knew that they would face incomparably fearsome enemies later, so she wanted to help Tang Xiu, provided that he needed it.

 1210 Huge Undertaking

    Shanghai Airport.


    As the private jet slowly landed and touched the ground, Tang Xiu slowly came out of the cabin with his hands behind his back. Shortly after, tens of Tang Sect experts came out from the cabin and landed behind Tang Xiu. Nearby the ladder, a row of 10 black Audi sedans were parked with sturdy men in black suits sitting on the driver seat of each car.


    With a smile hanging on her face, Kang Xia paced forward. She hugged Tang Xiu and then smilingly said, "I heard you bumped into some antic gags in Shanghai several days ago."


    Tang Xiu stared for a moment and asked with a puzzled face, "Huh? What antics?"


    "Andy told me everything. Something like the house nearly catching fire." Kang Xia chuckled.


    Tang Xiu''s expression instantly turned awkward and he snappily said, "You really love hitting people''s sore points, don''t you? Bah, let''s set off!"


    Kang Xia faintly smiled in response and waved to the Tang Sect experts to board the cars. As they quickly left, three other black Audis stopped quickly beside another private plane. Along with the horn''s sound from the car, boys and girls of age eighteen-plus dressed like scions of the super-rich came down the plane and quickly boarded the three cars and left.


    Genesis Auction House.


    After Tang Xiu and Kang Xia arrived, the tens of Tang Sect experts dispersed and began to check the security deployment of the auction house. Security was of the top priority considering the place would soon turn into a money-circulation vortex. Therefore, they received a death order from Tang Xiu that they must make the auction house an impregnable bastion where nobody could sneak in.


    Further, the area within a 2km radius from the auction house must be strictly guarded against any contingency and any suspicious person approaching the site must be investigated at once, and anyone who seemed to have bad intentions must be arrested immediately. They were also permitted to neutralize such people should they resist. However, in just 2 hours after Tang Xiu''s arrival at the Genesis Auction House, tens of ability users from the Special Abilities Bureau appeared in the perimeter of the auction house about 2-5 km away to form a safe zone in the surrounding with the assistance from the undercover police force.


    The fourth floor of the building had a total of four halls aside from the central hall, each of which was very spacious and housed a lot of valuables. In the past month, Genesis Auction House had accepted the commission of a large number of guests around the world and was entrusted by over 200 assignor in just a month to auction their collection.


    These articles had been appraised by appraisers from four countries, as well as eight foreign appraisers all over the world, each of whom held respectable reputation, whereas the other four were Chinese treasure appraisers who were also well-known experts and professors in China.


    This 12-people team conducted the appraisal to identify these over 200 articles and confirmed that the value of each item was over 1 million yuan. In other words, 1 million yuan was the lowest value of each article.


    "Hao Lei, put these pills on the shelf yourself. 10 Youthful Pills; 10 Longevity Pills; 10 Antitoxin Pills; 10 bottles of Body Tempering Liquid; and 20 Essence Amassing Pill. Each of these items is set for a base price of 100 million USD."


    Hao Lei was quite shocked. She didn''t expect that Tang Xiu would sell so many cultivation resources at the auction.


    "Isn''t it a bit too much, Boss?" Kang Xia slowly asked with a surprised expression.


    "No. This is just a part as there will be a set of packages for these articles next." Tang Xiu shook his head. "The package will consist of 1 Youthful Pill, 1 Longevity Pill, 1 Antitoxin Pill, 1 bottle of Body Tempering Liquid, and 1 Essence Amassing Pill with the floor price of 600 million USD for one package."


    Hao Lei memorized everything Tang Xiu just said and put all the jade bottles containing the pills on the shelf.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu also took two sets of array disks from the interspatial ring and handed it to Hao Lei. "The floor price of each of these two sets of array disks is 1 billion USD and both sets have dual effects¡ªmainly defensive and entrapment. Those at the Golden Core Stage can only dream of breaking out from this array once they''re trapped in it. They can only hope to break this array if they can break through to the Nascent Soul Stage."


    Hao Lei wore a bit of strange expression and said, "But Sect Master, what if the people who bought these two sets of array disks become our enemies in the future? Will they pose a threat to us? I know what you intend to do in the future, which includes rooting out those foreign enemy forces."


    Tang Xiu lightly smiled and said, "I''ll teach the methods of cracking these two sets of array disks to all disciples after selling them. They won''t pose any threat to us even if we encounter them in the future. The enemy who dares to use these array disks to deal with us will be hoisted by their own petards."


    "You''re really wise, Sect Master." Hao Lei praised with eyes lit up.


    With a slight smile, Tang Xiu took out 100 talismans and said, "Divide these talismans into five packages, 20 pieces each, and its floor price is 200 million US dollars."


    "Understood!" Hao Lei received them.


    Then, Tang Xiu took out 2 magic swords, 2 magic lances, 2 magic axes, 2 magic sabers and continued, "The base price of each of these magic weapons is 500 million US dollars and each is to be auctioned separately."


    Hao Lei took them, put them away and then asked, "Is there anything else?"


    Finally, Tang Xiu took out a set of jewelry and smilingly said, "I also manufactured this set of jewelry myself. Its only function is for defense. The wearer of this jewelry can withstand the full blow of a Nascent Soul Stage expert. However, the effect will only last thrice and it will be useless after 3 uses. Therefore, owning this jewelry is equivalent to having three lives more and the floor price for this one is 1 billion USD."


    Hao Lei glanced at the dazzling jewelry and couldn''t help but gulp. She liked the design of the jewelry as well as its effect. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, "Boss, is there any such jewelry for sale in our sect? I¡­ also want a set."


    Tang Xiu grinningly replied, "Well, you can expect that all core disciples of the Tang Sect can obtain a set of this jewelry type or some other types of defensive weapons in 2 years."


    Hao Lei was excited upon hearing this and heavily nodded. "By the way, we still have a couple of days from the auction time, Sect Master, and 685 guests have already confirmed attendance. But the number will likely double if we publish these treasures."


    "Don''t announce the specific number, just the type, and their effects," said Tang Xiu without hesitation. "Also, announce to the public that those who don''t confirm their attendance to the Genesis Auction House within 3 days will lose their eligibility to attend the auction."


    "Understood," Hao Lei respectfully replied.


    It was dusk when Tang Xiu and Kang Xia had dinner together and Mu Wanying came in a hurry and brought him a message that a man named Hu Shaokun was looking for him and looked very anxious.


    Hearing Hu Shaokun''s name made Tang Xiu recall another issue when he was on Jingmen Island and received a call from Li Cai. He had originally scheduled to meet her in Star City, but Li Cai failed to come at the appointed time and never came to Star City.


    "Where''s he?" asked Tang Xiu.


    Mu Wanying glanced at Kang Xia first before replying, "He''s at Lulu''s Paradise Manor. We had called you before, but you turned off your cell phone, so I could only come here."


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and asked, "Have you had dinner yet?"


    "I was about to have dinner, but then Hu Shaokun said that it was urgent and he had to hurry to find you." Mu Wanying shook her head and said, "I didn''t know you were here, so I contacted Hao Lei and learned that you were here. I have also notified Hu Shaokun that you''re here."


    Tang Xiu turned to Hao Lei and said, "Issue an order that if a young man named Hu Shaokun comes over, directly bring him to me."


    "Understood!" Hao Lei nodded and left.


    Tang Xiu pulled a chair for Mu Wanying and asked if she wanted to have a meal. Then, he said, "You already know Kang Xia, so I''ll skip the introduction. The two of you have a bite first. I''m going downstairs to have a look."


    Mu Wanying hesitated, but eventually took a seat and said, "Shall we have some wine, Kang Xia?"


    "Fine with me!" Kang Xia chuckled.


    Half an hour later.


    Tang Xiu was smoking at the gate of the Genesis Auction House when he saw Hu Shaokun ran towards him with the guidance of an expert from the Tang Sect. His face was full of sweat with eyes full of restlessness.


    "Tang Xiu, please save Li Cai!"


    After running and stopping in front of Tang Xiu, Hu Shaokun couldn''t help but pant and hurriedly cried out.


    Tang Xiu''s expression changed and asked, "What happened to her?"


    "I have no idea about the details, but Li Cai suddenly got a fever and fell into a coma when she was supposed to go to Star City to meet you over a month ago." Hu Shaokun explained. "She stopped me when I was going to find you. She said that she has troubled you too much and didn''t allow me to contact you. But I can''t just do nothing since she has been in a coma for three days straight and her body temperature has exceeded 45 degrees. A normal person would have died already."


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "She''s still staying at the Blue Starfish Mansion, right? Take me there."


    Hu Shaokun turned around and walked with Tang Xiu for 2 kilometers to his car. After starting his car, he glanced at Tang Xiu in the back seat and said, "Do you know what happened to her, Tang Xiu? Also, Auntie Zhang is now awake and she''s kinda in high spirits and just a bit weak. It''s estimated that she will recover as before in about 10-15 days as long as she rests well."


    Tang Xiu zoned out for a moment before he immediately shook his head and sighed. "Maybe I know the reason."


    "What''s the cause?" asked Hu Shaokun with a puzzled look.


    "Are there any scars on Li Cai''s wrist?" asked Tang Xiu, "Like one that''s usually seen on brokenhearted women who commit suicide by cutting their wrists?"


    "That''s right! I was shocked and asked what happened to her when I saw that her wrist was injured." Hu Shaokun blurted out without hesitation. "She said she accidentally cut her wrist."

 1211 Seizing Someone’s Life Back

    "No, she didn''t accidentally cut her wrist but rather did it on purpose to feed her own blood essence to her mother." Tang Xiu shook his head. "Otherwise, given the speed of her treatment, it would have taken several months for her mother to recover."


    "What did you say?"


    Hu Shaokun''s hand trembled and he nearly drove the car to the roadside. After calming himself down, he hurriedly asked, "But why would she do that? Isn''t she¡­ doesn''t she know she''s gonna die doing that?"


    "I know that she''s very filial to her mother, but she did it in the wrong way." Tang Xiu forced a smile. "Feeding her mother with her own blood essence can indeed make her mother recover faster, but it''s harmful to herself and even greatly reduces her lifespan. Given her current condition, I''m afraid she only has a month left. There''s a chance that she only has 10 or 15 days left if she is not treated in time. Her mother may have recovered at this time, but it would only be temporary and she can''t live long after Li Cai dies."


    Hu Shaokun didn''t understand the reason, but Tang Xiu''s explanation was clear to him that Li Cai had fed her mother with her blood essence. She wanted her mother to recover fast, yet what she did was harmful to herself and once she died, Auntie Zhuang also wouldn''t die a natural death.


    "What a silly girl." Hu Shaokun spoke with a regretful and self-blaming tone.


    "She''s a silly girl indeed. Even though I''ve seen countless girls who were filial like her, one like her is very rare." Tang Xiu nodded. "Anyways, care to answer me a question?"


    After stabilizing his emotions, Hu Shaokun replied, "Tang Xiu, no¡­ Divine Doctor Tang, I was quite restless before, so please forgive me for addressing you with your name directly. Please ask me anything, I''ll answer it as long as it is within my knowledge."


    Tang Xiu didn''t bother about how he addressed him and asked, "I just want to know something. Do you treat Li Cai as your sister or have you secretly fallen for her?"


    "About this¡­"


    Hu Shaokun hesitated and countless thoughts filled his mind. He delayed his answer and drove the car for several kilometers before he finally let out a forced smile and said, "I won''t hide anything from you, Divine Doctor Tang. I might have seen her purely as my little sister in the past, but after we went through so many things, only then did I realize that I like her. Her strength, kindness, filial piety, pureness¡­"


    "If so, are you willing to give up your life for her?" asked Tang Xiu again. "Please answer truthfully. How long she can live in the future will depend on your answer."


    Hu Shaokun was shaken inwardly and categorically replied, "If she can live on, I''m willing to pay the price with my life."


    "If so, then prepare yourself mentally." Tang Xiu said, "I may be able to alleviate the danger to her life, but it''ll be at the exchange with your lifespan for her treatment."


    Having said that, Tang Xiu turned to look outside through the car''s windows. His handsome face wore a slightly annoyed expression when he muttered to himself in a low voice, "Crap! Grabbing a life from the King of Hell will weaken me for at least half a month."


    Hu Shaokun keenly heard Tang Xiu''s mutterings and a complicated expression appeared on his face. He had been wary of Tang Xiu before due to his official identity, his magical and mysterious medical skills, his identity as the owner of Magnificent Tang Corporation, and his status as a scion of Beijing''s House Tang.


    But now, all his wariness towards him vanished. He could tell that Tang Xiu had no other thoughts and was purely moved by Li Cai, so he went to all lengths to help her and Auntie Zhuang out.


    At the Blue Starfish Mansion.


    Tang Xiu followed Hu Shaokun and finally saw Li Cai, who was lying in a coma on the bed and her mother squatted at the bedside, looking slightly paled and eyes welled up with tears. Tang Xiu sighed inwardly as he came to her and said, "Please stretch out your hand."


    Aunt Zhuang stared blankly for a moment and wiped away the tears in the corner of her eyes. She looked at Hu Shaokun first and asked, "This person is¡­"


    "He''s Divine Doctor Tang Xiu, Auntie Zhuang," replied Hu Shaokun hurriedly.


    After hearing the answer, the woman immediately knelt and begged Tang Xiu. "I''ve heard of your name for a long time, Divine Doctor Tang. Thank you for treating my illness. But now my daughter is sick again and I hope you can save her too. I''m willing to pay any price as long as you can save her."


    Tang Xiu didn''t reply and reached out to hold her wrist and quietly checked her pulse. Afterward, he pulled her up from the floor and then said, "Treating and saving a patient is my duty even though the situations with you¡ªmother and daughter¡ªare rather¡­ special. The condition of your physique is okay, but you need to remember one thing. From today onward, the lives of you, your daughter, and Hu Shaokun will be tightly tied together. If any of the three of you dies, the other two will also die."


    Eyes staring wide, Aunt Zhuang incredulously asked, "What do you mean by that, Divine Doctor Tang?"


    "Originally, I didn''t want to treat you since your illness wasn''t caused by any ordinary disease but retribution from Heaven." Tang Xiu faintly said, "I have no idea why you reincarnated here, but I can tell you that your daughter would''ve never been so miserable if it wasn''t for your sake."


    The woman was as though losing her soul after hearing Tang Xiu''s explanation and murmured, "Retribution? This is the retribution given to me by Heaven? Meaning¡­ all the things I see in my dreams¡­ are¡­ true?"


    "Yes. All of them are real," confirmed Tang Xiu.


    BAM¡­


    Aunt Zhuang slumped to the floor. She stared fixedly at Tang Xiu and suddenly blurted, "Then¡­ I was a demon in my past life? A female devil who massacred millions of lives?"


    "Yes!" Tang Xiu nodded again.


    She abruptly jumped up and opened her palm. A cloud of black mist suddenly appeared and overflowed from her fingers as her other hand then quickly and powerfully hit her own chest. As she sprayed out a mouthful of blood mist into the black fog, she fiercely shouted, "I''ll bear all the sins myself! My daughter has nothing to do with everything I did. If the Gods want my life, then just take mine¡­"


    Tang Xiu''s expression drastically changed since he didn''t expect that this woman was able to unleash magic power. The magic power she just unleashed may be weaker than the power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but she would be very likely to meet her end here in a short time if she was allowed to use it.


    Tang Xiu punched the back of her neck to knock her out and then put her down on the sofa nearby. Afterward, he shook his head and sighed. "Like mother, like daughter. You both are very filial which is quite a pity."


    Hu Shaokun was shaken inwardly. He could only watch helplessly as the virtuous Aunt Zhuang unexpectedly unleashed black mist and spurted out a mouthful of blood. Disbelief was all over his face after witnessing the scene. He never once believed the existence of immortals nor demons before, but witnessing such a scene forced him to believe it.


    "Hu Shaokun! Immediately order someone to find a rooster, a black dog, a fox flower cat, and a turtle!" Tang Xiu said, "Additionally, order someone to buy incense burners and spices. It''s best to buy a willow sword too!"


    Hu Shaokun nodded without hesitation and quickly left. About an hour later, he had provided everything Tang Xiu requested.


    Afterward, the animals were butchered and Tang Xiu arranged the Four Spirit Beast Array as quickly as he could. Then, he spoke in a deep voice, "Ignore everything you see or hear, whatever it is. No one, not even ghosts can hurt you. I''ll seize back the lives from the hands of King of Hell, as well as cutting off the fate of you, Li Cai and her mother, so you all will be fateless people."


    Hu Shaokun sat cross-legged on the floor and then tilted up his head to ask Tang Xiu, "What do you mean, a fateless person?"


    "Being a fateless person means that your destiny will disappear from this world and will no longer be regulated by the Six Paths of Samsara of this plane." Tang Xiu explained, "You will have to live like a rat and lay low while reducing contact with others to save your life by avoiding the regulation of Heavenly Dao."


    "I don''t understand." Hu Shaokun shook his head.


    "Shortly put, you are born, live and die normally here, but your destiny is no longer in this world, which means you''ll truly disappear and never be born again if you die," said Tang Xiu. "Additionally, you''ll also suffer a karmic backlash if you come into contact with others too much. The regulation of Heavenly Dao will find you should you do so and you''ll be ruthlessly erased."


    "How do we go on living if we can''t communicate with others, then?" asked Hu Shaokun in horror.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and faintly asked him, "Do you want to be a cultivator to change this fate and destiny? Of course, you still have time to regret your choice, but once you regret it, Li Cai and her mother are likely unsavable anymore."


    Hu Shaokun solemnly replied, "No. The lives of Li Cai and Aunt Zhuang must be preserved. Could you explain more how can I change this fate, like you said, becoming a cultivator?"


    Tang Xiu nodded. "Become a cultivator and reach the Spirit Formation Stage as quickly as possible and then wait until you leave this world for a higher plane. You''ll never be under the law of this plane anymore once you leave this world, then three of you can live worry-free and safely in another world."


    "Can you really help me?" asked Hu Shaokun hurriedly.


    "I can help you, but you must cut off all relationships with your family members and sever any karmic ties you have with this world. Only then can I give you this chance." Tang Xiu said, "As long as you seize this chance, you can join my sect and become a true cultivator."


    Hu Shaokun glanced at the unconscious Li Cai lying on the bed. He then shifted to Aunt Zhuang, who was knocked out on the sofa. After hesitating for a long while, he made up his mind and nodded. "Divine Doctor Tang, I''ve made up my mind. But I need you to perform a play for me later."


    Helping Hu Shaokun out to devise ostensible reason was fine to Tang Xiu, so he immediately activated the array to perform the secret art. Snatching lives back from the King of Hell was a very dangerous method, but the blessing of the Four Spirit Beast Array, plus his considerable power, made it quite safe.

 1212 Precious Gif

    Although Tang Xiu''s cultivation level was not weak, he still seemed weak to snatch human lives from the hands of the King of Hell. After casting a secret method and activating the Four Spirit Beasts Array, he slowly began to communicate with the Netherworld while shielding himself from the detection of the Heavenly Dao Laws.


    "Bastard! Who is so audacious, daring to usurp the Book of Life and Death!?"


    From the dark underworld, a loud roar passed into Tang Xiu''s heart. Then, an invisible force madly smashed the space barrier and bombarded the Four Spirit Beasts Array.


    Tang Xiu''s heart wildly pounded hard and incredulity filled his eyes. He instantly severed the opponent''s mental attack and spurted out a mouthful of blood. Then, he forced out a drop of blood essence and fused it into the Four Spirit Beast Array."


    "Delineating souls, snatching lives, erase life and death!"


    Tang Xiu bit his finger and quickly wrote a string of characters in mid-air when the blood was flowing out. Immediately after, the characters turned into a golden light and quickly merged into the Four Spirit Beasts Array.


    At this time, whether it was Hu Shaokun sitting cross-legged on the floor, the lying Li Cai on the bed, or the leaning Aunt Zhuang on the sofa, their bodies trembled and they quickly opened their eyes.


    "Disperse!"


    Tang Xiu spat out a mouthful of blood yet again and powerfully punched towards the terrifying force outside the array. In the next moment, the clash between the two forces didn''t create an explosion but instead melted like ice and gradually dissipated between heaven and earth. Right as the Four Spirit Beasts Array was broken, Tang Xiu took out 4 Invisibility Charms from the interspatial ring and quickly threw them at the three people and himself.


    Crack!


    As the four Invisibility Charms disintegrated, peace and tranquility returned to the surroundings. Tang Xiu''s eyes focused on the ground with lingering fear and twitching lips.


    He never expected that the King of Hell who controlled the Six Paths of Samsara on Earth would have such a terrible and fearsome power. It must be noted that Earth was just an ordinary world that was usually classified as a mortal world. It was reasonable to say that the King of Hell who governed such a plane would only have average power.


    However, the power of the King of Hell Tang Xiu just faced was absolutely stronger than ordinary immortals, which should have been impossible according to his knowledge.


    Fortunately, the strike of this super-powerful expert was blocked by various space barriers, or he would have been wiped out by that terrible power just now.


    "That was too f*cking dangerous. I must never do something unprofitable and this dangerous again." Tang Xiu wiped off the bloodstain at the end of his lips. As he noticed the three pairs of eyes staring at him, he angrily shouted, "What the hell are you stupidly gawking for? Hurry up and help me stand! Did you see that I just went against Heaven''s will and paid a great price to change your life so that you won''t die?!"


    Li Cai bounced up from the bed and felt that the weakening feeling she had in the past few days was all gone now. She rushed towards Tang Xiu with a worried face and said, "Are you all right, Divine Doctor Tang? Did you just save me?"


    "Who else, huh? Do you think God saved you out of his mercy or something?" Tang Xiu grunted snappily. "Cut the nonsense and just help me take out my cell phone! I need to make a call."


    "O¡­ Okay!"


    Afterward, Li Cai carefully propped Tang Xiu up and then asked in a low voice, "Who do you want to call, Divine Doctor Tang?"


    "Find Gu Xiaoxue''s name on the phonebook and dial the number. I just exhausted everything I have and I don''t even have the strength to raise my arm."


    Such an overwhelming weak sensation was something Tang Xiu had never experienced after he returned to Earth. Not even when he hadn''t yet started cultivating. All the strength in his body was nearly emptied in a flash, and even the planets in his Dantian dimmed and looked like some dead stars now. Furthermore, he felt like his head was cracking apart. He would have passed out had it not been for his formidable mental strength.


    "Hello, Grand Master." Gu Xiaoxue''s voice came from the mobile phone.


    "Xiaoxue, quickly tell Ji Chimei to rush to Shanghai immediately." Tang Xiu ordered, "Something happened to me and I need her to hold the fort in Shanghai. Remember! I forbid you to tell your Master about this. I don''t want her to be worried."


    "This¡­ understood!" The phone call directly ended.


    After four-plus minutes passed, a figure appeared out of nowhere in the room. Incredulity immediately covered Ji Chimei''s face the moment she sensed the power fluctuation in the surrounding air. She hurriedly asked, "Holy¡­ Lord¡­ did you¡­ did you just fight¡­ with the King of Hell of this plane?"


    "It was just a minor matter, but I never thought I would alarm the King of Hell of this plane." Tang Xiu forced a bitter smile. "Besides, I never thought his power would be so great. It''s just unbelievable. Even if he''s not at the Golden Immortal Stage, he is absolutely not much weaker."


    "Everything in this world is quite unusual from other worlds indeed," commented Ji Chimei. "You were careless this time, my Lord."


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and sighed. "I know. Well, it already happened and my purpose is already achieved, so it''s still a victory albeit the danger. Also, you''re to stay in Shanghai next week. The auction is going to be held soon and I''m worried that some cultivators from other forces will come to make trouble."


    Ji Chimei took a Holy Healing pill from her interspatial ring, stuffed it into Tang Xiu''s mouth and said, "This subordinate will carry out your wish, my Lord."


    "Don''t just give me the Holy Healing pill. I''m so spent I can''t even lift a finger now. Give me some Essence Amassing Pills and stand guard to protect me," said Tang Xiu.


    "Understood!"


    Ji Chimei took out some Essence Amassing Pills and stuffed them into Tang Xiu''s mouth. She straightly ignored the three people in the room and sat cross-legged in front of Tang Xiu and silently protected him.


    Two full days passed. Tang Xiu took 36 Essence Amassing Pills and was only barely able to recover half of his strength. However, it was difficult for him to fully recover the loss of his blood essence. He would at least need over a month for it.


    Li Cai, her mother, and Hu Shaokun had already left the room 2 days ago, but Hu Shaokun still remembered Tang Xiu''s instructions before, so the three of them stayed in the next room all the time and had their meals delivered to the room. Li Cai and her mother also learned about what Tang Xiu said from Hu Shaokun. All of them were restless and in a tense mood, and only felt slightly relieved since their lives were saved.


    Knock, knock¡­


    Tang Xiu and Ji Chimei went to the next room and knocked on the door before entering. He then saw the sleepy Hu Shaokun, Aunt Zhuang and Li Cai, who was sitting cross-legged in cultivation on the floor.


    "Are you okay, Divine Doctor Tang?" Aunt Zhuang''s spirit jolted as she got up and approached.


    "I haven''t fully recovered yet, but it won''t hinder my activities." Tang Xiu said, "By the way, I know your surname is Zhuang. May I know your name?"


    "My name is Zhuang Xinjie," answered Aunt Zhuang.


    "I don''t know what Hu Shaokun has told you, Zhuang Xinjie. But I need to tell you that you now have 2 options ahead of you." Tang Xiu nodded and said, "The first one is to follow me and join my sect, and you must reduce any contact with others as much as possible in the next few decades. You must also cultivate with all your strength and then wait for me to set off for another world. Your second option is to ignore my warning, but if you''re too involved with the outside world, you can cause too many karmic disruptions. Should you do so, the chance is high that you''ll be discovered by the Heavenly Dao laws of this world and become the target to be obliterated. Once it happens, your soul will completely scatter and you''ll never be able to reincarnate ever again."


    "Divine Doctor Tang, my daughter and I have discussed this after hearing Shaokun''s explanation. We''ve made up our minds to follow you and become cultivators." Zhuang Xinjie hastily replied, "You''re the one who saved us, mother and daughter, so we''ll follow your orders in the future."


    "I have made up my mind just like Aunt Zhuang and Li Cai. I''ll follow your order too," said Hu Shaokun.


    "Then I''ll send you all to Nine Dragons Island since all of you have made a decision," said Tang Xiu. "That place is the home of the Tang Sect. Wait until you get there and some people will arrange the place for you to settle and some others will teach you cultivation techniques. You''re going to stay there in the future!"


    "But you haven''t helped me with the ostensible reason yet, Divine Doctor Tang!" Hu Shaokun interjected quickly.


    "How do you want me to help you?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "I want to make it seem like I''m dead to withdraw from my life and nobody except my father can tell," said Hu Shaokun. "Only in this way can I fully sever my relationship with my previous life."


    "There''s no need to worry about it if your request is this simple. Alright, you go with Li Cai and her mother to Nine Dragons Island directly! I''ll make the members of Hu Family believe that you''ve died."


    Hu Shaokun hesitated but finally nodded. "Alright. Then I''ll call my father and we''ll wait for your people''s arrival."


    "Alright. You''ll need to call me Sect Master from now on. Also, you''re disciples of the Tang Sect from now on," said Tang Xiu. "You must never tell anyone anything about the Tang Sect without my permission."


    "Understood!"


    "En!"


    The three of them nodded.


    Li Cai suddenly said, "Divine Doctor Tang, ah no¡­ Sect Master, I told you before that I''d like to present you with a token of my gratitude if you can save my mother. Please accept this. I hope you don''t refuse and like it."


    Tang Xiu looked at the gift box Li Cai gave him. He didn''t turn her down and directly stuffed it into his interspatial ring after receiving it. Then, he said, "I accept your intention and gratitude no matter what the gift is."


    "Umm¡­ won''t you open it?" asked Li Cai hesitantly.


    Tang Xiu zoned out for a second and immediately smiled. "Well, since you want me to open it now, I''ll take a look then."


    He took back the gift box from the interspatial ring and slowly opened it. But his expression turned dull the moment he saw the lifelike crystalline jade pig inside it. With his current power, he could easily sense the energy fluctuations in the jade pig.


    This one is the jade pig of the 12 Zodiac Jade Carvings?


    Tang Xiu was excited inwardly. He turned to Li Cai and said, "Li Cai, I really like your present and this is also something I need. Thank you."


    Li Cai immediately looked happy after hearing this and said, "Doctor Tang¡­ Sect Master, I''m really glad you like it."


    "Alright, then. I''m going back first since your issues have been resolved." Tang Xiu smiled and said, "Also, you just need to stay put. Someone will come and take you away later."

 1213 The Way of the Strong

    Tang Xiu left the Blue Starfish Mansion with Ji Chimei. When he returned to his house in the Bluestar Villa Complex, Kang Xia, Mu Wanying, and Ouyang Lulu were already in the living room, looking worried and restless. They immediately ran over after seeing him return.


    "Are you alright?"


    "Why did you disappear for 2 days? We went to the Blue Starfish Mansion to find you, but you were nowhere to be found. Where did you go these two days?"


    "We were really worried about you."


    Looking at these three women express their true feelings and concern towards him, Tang Xiu felt warm and good inside. He consoled them and then slowly said, "I was actually staying in the Blue Starfish Mansion all the time. Only, I had to treat the patient and I couldn''t be disturbed by anything from the outside, so I told Ji Chimei to stand guard. Well, I''m back already, so let''s not talk about this anymore. Let''s talk about the current situation in Shanghai. I''m sure a lot of super-rich people have come here since the auction is getting near, right?"


    "That''s for sure, even the number makes me scared." Ouyang Lulu was the first to speak. "The entire Shanghai is now in high alert and the security level has been raised to the highest level. Honey, I don''t think you know about this yet. All 4-stars and 5-stars hotels in the whole of Shanghai have been fully reserved by various super-rich people from various countries all over the world, as well as those billionaires from the country. Our Paradise Manor is also fully occupied now."


    "I''ve been staying at the Genesis Auction House for the last 2 days." Kang Xia said, "There are already more than 1,600 rich people who have contacted Hao Lei to confirm their attendance in the auction. There''s only a day left from the deadline, so I believe the number of attendances will still explode before tomorrow evening. Hao Lei herself predicted that the number of rich people participating in the auction will be at least 2,000."


    "Have you investigated them? Especially their identities and their wealth?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "It''s been investigated thoroughly." Kang Xia nodded. "Further, we have also checked the liquid cash of each participant. All of them meet our requirements. Also, each of them has paid 1 million in admission fee and we have collected more than 160 million yuan as of now."


    "Well, it''s a bit unexpected to me, but the more these rich people attend our auction, the more we prove the auction can make a sensation all over the world." Tang Xiu chuckled. "By then, not only can we profit a lot, but this event can also serve to propel up the reputation of Genesis Auction House and we can expect to see it become another money-making machine in the future."


    The next day.


    Tang Xiu went to the Genesis Auction House with Ji Chimei. Just as he arrived at the entrance, he was squeezed aside by a group of four men and women. One man among them even glared at him and then spoke to the registration staffer, "We must attend this auction. This is 4 million for the admission fee. These four cards are the standard international black cards with 200 million USD on each card. Hurry up and register our names!"


    "Alright! Please wait for a bit." The registrar politely replied.


    Tang Xiu stood behind the four people and just swept over at their backs. Then, he transmitted his voice to Ji Chimei. "This auction has even attracted various freaks and monsters like these ones. This is interesting. They seem to be really loaded as well."


    "Indeed. They should be some divergent races since I can sense a beastly smell from them," replied Ji Chimei.


    "Well, whoever comes here is a guest." Tang Xiu faintly smiled. "Whether they are divergent races or not, we''ll receive their money according to their bills. But I need you to hold the fort here in the following events. Do not show mercy to those who dare to snatch the items of our auction house. Capture them first and squeeze them to find out their background. But directly kill those who act unbridled."


    "Understood." Ji Chimei nodded.


    Tang Xiu waved and casually motioned her to move, then he went straight into the auction house. He took the elevator to the third floor and saw Hao Lei waiting outside after the elevator''s doors opened.


    "Sect Master." Hao Lei respectfully greeted.


    "Anything happened in the last two days?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "No." Hao Lei shook her heard. "Everything is going well."


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and said, "I''ve brought Ji Chimei here, so we don''t need to worry about disturbances. Also, you need to prep everything needed for the auction in advance. Invite some members of the world''s most famous auction house if you don''t know what to prepare and be sure to find an outstanding host even if you must spend some funds."


    "Well, Ouyang Lulu has invited the most famous host of the Red Spider Auction House in Las Vegas yesterday. This host is very excellent and I''ve watched the auctions he has hosted. Every auction he hosts always reaps massive profits."


    "Ouyang Lulu?" Tang Xiu was surprised and asked, "How did she get acquainted with this outstanding host?"


    A strange expression appeared on Hao Lei''s beautiful face before she covered her mouth and giggled. "Uh, well. I asked her about this too. She told me that she had a fight with this golden host and none of them ended up the winner. Just like a story when you win a friend after exchanging blows, they then gradually became friends. It''s said that this golden host once visited Jingmen Island on a trip and encountered some troubles there, then Ouyang Lulu stood up for him and dealt with his problems and accompanied him to tour around for a few days."


    Tang Xiu quickly understood and smilingly said, "That was her indeed. Only she can pull out such a stunt. Anyways, let''s head to your office. I need to talk to you."


    Hao Lei nodded and was about to lead the way for Tang Xiu to her office when her cell phone suddenly rang. After she exchanged words for a few seconds, her face slightly changed. She quickly glanced at Tang Xiu and said, "Some people are causing a scene downstairs, Sect Master. I heard they''re about to fight."


    "Who are they?" Tang Xiu furrowed his brows and asked.


    "Our men downstairs have no idea about their identity yet," replied Hao Lei.


    "Let''s head downstairs and have a look together since we''re here." Tang Xiu said, "I don''t care whoever it is, but even the Heavenly Emperor must abide by the rules of our auction house for the following days."


    On the first floor.


    Four men and women stood in front of the registration desk and exchanged glares with a man and a woman. A contemptuous look flashed in one of the burly man''s eyes as he spoke to the man in front. "Heh, you''re really a coward hiding behind a woman, Ankeanu! If it wasn''t for her protection, I would have packed you up, twisted your neck, and used your skull as a wine cup!"


    Ankeanu''s face looked a bit pale and turned to the gorgeous belle beside him before lowering his head without retorting back.


    Beside him, however, the belle looked angry and glared at the seemingly cowardly Ankeanu. Then she shifted to the four people in front and coldly snorted. "Hmph. Shut your stinking holes if you four don''t wanna lie on the bed for a few months again. I''m in a good mood today and I don''t want to bicker over shits with you, else you can try to piss me off and I''ll make you look great!"


    The big Caucasian man obviously dreaded the belle a bit. He hummed twice and said, "Angelo, this chick is the one who made you severely injured before, isn''t she? Stop zipping your mouth and looking so sullen, will you? Let''s just join hands and finish her directly. We four will bear it together if the Grand Elders blame us. I''m sure we won''t be severely punished by the Grand Elder given our status."


    The man called Angelo shook his head and said, "I came for the elixirs and weapons this time, not to cause a scene. You can have a go and kill them yourself. But I''m warning you in advance. The Magnificent Tang Corporation is the shareholder of this Genesis Auction and they hate troublemaking foreigners. I''m sure you''ve heard about what happened in Star City over a month ago. Do it yourself if you really don''t wanna attend the auction!"


    After hearing this, the big white man immediately spat at the belle and sneered. "I''m not gonna pack you up today. Just wait for the auction to end. The four of us will teach you a lesson later. We''ll make you know that any man in the world is much better than your spineless companion."


    "You court death!"


    The belle instantly dashed forward and a sharp dagger swept across the white man''s neck, causing a stream of blood to slowly leak out from the wound.


    The white man didn''t expect that she would directly attack to kill him. His head would have rolled down if he hadn''t avoided the strike fast enough.


    "B*TCH!!!"


    The white man himself had a short fuse with his powder-keg-like temper. A huge aura burst out from him as he dashed at the belle in that instant. His golden-gloved right fist flashed as he delivered tens of golden punches instantly while hurling out a stream of loud curses.


    BAM, BAM¡­


    A blurry figure suddenly appeared and nearly in the blink of an eye, the big man and the belle were sent flying after the clash. Tang Xiu then clapped and overbearingly spoke, "I don''t give a damn if you fight someplace else. But if you all wanna play gangsters in my Genesis Auction House, don''t blame the staff here acting ruthless towards you. Register now or get the hell out!"


    The fearsome strength displayed by Tang Xiu deterred the Caucasian man and his companions. After hesitating for a while, they finally gave up retaliating and left with sullen and awkward expressions. But the belle, whose face now looked a bit pale, kept staring at Tang Xiu. This man was definitely very young, yet he was able to beat her and the big white man, which showed that he had a fearsome strength.


    Tang Xiu stared back at the belle and said in a deep voice, "What are you staring for? Hurry up and register and move your feet out of this place! And only come again when the auction starts."


    "What''s your name, handsome?" asked the belle.


    "I''m the owner of this Genesis Auction House." Tang Xiu lightly replied, "You can call me Tang."

 1214 The Auction Begins

    The belle stared blankly before her expression changed into a surprised one. She originally thought that Tang Xiu was at most only a security guard of Genesis Auction House. It never came to her that he was the owner.


    He''s not ordinary.


    The thought flashed in her mind and she immediately said faintly, "Since Mr. Tang personally took action, then I won''t care about this minor wolf cub anymore. Anyway, may I have the honor to invite you to dinner, Mr. Tang?"


    The expression of Ankeanu beside the belle changed before he looked a bit humiliated. He cried out in a low voice, "Shania¡­"


    The belle glanced at him with indifference and lightly said, "Having dinner with Mr. Tang is quite an honor, but you can scram and hit the bunk if you don''t like it."


    "What do you mean by that?" yelled Ankeanu.


    Tang Xiu secretly shook his head and raised his hand. "Cut it out, both of you! I still have something else to do this evening, so I''m afraid I can''t accompany you for dinner. Please leave after you both have registered yourselves."


    Having said that, his eyes instantly turned fierce and filled with killing intent as he spoke with a heavy voice, "The Genesis Auction House has a rule that no one is allowed to fight and make a scene here! Those who do so will tear all decorum with us and no one can afford the consequences should they try it!"


    The short storm ended after Tang Xiu revealed his strength, but the news about the incident spread very fast and became known to these rich people from various countries in just a few hours. Many of whom then began sending their people to investigate it and finally affirmed that the owner of the Genesis Auction house was also the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡­ Tang Xiu.


    Furthermore, even the news that Tang Xiu was actually a cultivator also proliferated. Immediately afterward, these wealthy people issued invitations to Tang Xiu, hoping that they could invite him to dinner. It was just common knowledge for anyone concerned that the main purpose of these invitations was nothing else but an attempt to be on good terms with Tang Xiu, so they could obtain better advantages and more benefits in the auction.


    After Tang Xiu declined all of them, he didn''t return to the Bluestar Villa Complex and kept staying at the Genesis Auction House. Aside from spending the last few days in cultivation, he also refined several kinds of exquisite tools, most of which were accessories that didn''t have any functions to help to improve the strength of cultivators as its only function was for defense.


    December 1st.


    At 6 in the morning, Tang Xiu appeared at the rooftop of Genesis Auction House with Ji Chimei, who had been standing there quietly while watching the streams of people at the entrance.


    The number of people attending the auction was more than 2,400.


    Each registered magnate could only bring one subordinate, which meant that the number of people attending the auction was more than 4,800. The venue itself was large enough to accommodate five-thousand-plus people, so the number of attendees was still acceptable.


    "Is it time to open the entrance, my Lord?" Ji Chimei turned around and asked.


    "It is." Tang Xiu nodded. "But this auction is very important, so I need you to use your spiritual sense to check everyone if they bring any weapons."


    "I already checked these people with my spiritual sense and nearly all of them are carrying weapons; some are even carrying magic weapons." Ji Chimei replied, "I think it will be rather troublesome if we forbid them to carry weapons into the auction venue."


    Tang Xiu pondered about it for a short while and immediately forced a smile. "Since there''s no way we can forbid them to do so, then forget it. But if anyone dares to make trouble at the auction, kill them directly."


    Afterward, he took out his cell phone and dialed Hao Lei''s number, saying, "Open the gate and verify the attendees'' identities. Let them enter the auction venue according to their number plate. And do remember to warn them seriously that anyone who doesn''t take the seat according to their number plate will be expelled from the auction house once they are found."


    "Understood!"


    Hao Lei curtly replied. After she hung up, she quickly appeared at the auction house''s entrance. Tens of stalwart men then moved to control the situation and Hao Lei began speaking in a deep voice, "Ladies and Gentlemen, we will now check and verify the number plate given to you when you registered before. You can enter the auction venue after the verification procedure. Also, I''d like to remind you of another thing. Please take a seat according to your number plate. If our staff finds out someone took someone else''s seat, they will expel you from the auction venue."


    In the next two hours, more than 4,800 people entered the auction venue one after another. Spacious sofas had been lined with a small wooden cabinet between each with drinks, fruits, and snacks already served. The auction platform itself was set on the innermost side with two meters in height and over 100 square meters in size, while several large projectors played the advertisements of the products of the Magnificent Tang Corporation and Grand Fortune Jewelry.


    At exactly 8 o''clock.


    The golden host, Higgert, who was invited by Hao Lei and Ouyang Lulu from the Red Spider Auction House in Las Vegas, United States, appeared on the auction stage with a beaming smile on his face. His blonde hair and blue eyes, as well as his tall figure dressed in a tuxedo, made the man look attractive and handsome.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to this mysterious, magical and beautiful oriental country of China. And welcome to Shanghai, the Pearl of the East. And lastly, I welcome everyone to our Genesis Auction House and thank you for your participation in our first auction! My name is Higgert, the golden host of the Genesis Auction House and also the host of this auction.


    "Well, I''m very excited at this moment since I''ve never hosted a grand auction like this one and I''ve never been the focus of attention from these many super-rich people all over the world. Fortunately, the articles being auctioned by our Genesis Auction House gave me the confidence and energy. Otherwise, I''d have to bow and lower my head to speak in front of such big personages like yourselves, right?"


    The simple opening with a fine sense of humor quickly won a favorable impression from many people. Immediately after, Higgert announced that the auction had officially started.


    "Alright. The first item to be auctioned is a set of precious and incomparable jewelry. Apart from being beautiful, this jewelry also has another effect which, well, even I''m not familiar with this "defense" term. But according to our assignor, any guest who wears this jewelry can withstand the full blow of a Nascent Soul Stage practitioner. However, as I''ve been told, this effect will only last thrice facing the blow of such a degree. In other words, having this set of jewelry equals to having three more lives. The base price for this item is 1 billion US dollars with the bid increment of at least 50 million dollars, so without further ado, let us begin the auction now."


    Higgert then turned to the beautiful staffer beside him. He lifted the cover on the tray and a set of exquisite jewelry then appeared on the projector screens.


    "Wow¡­"


    At least one-third of the guests in the entire auction venue was in an uproar. They never dreamed that the first auctioned article of the Genesis Auction House turned out to be a magic tool manufactured for cultivators.


    Moreover, it was a defensive type tool¡ªa magic tool in the form of jewelry.


    The guests'' reaction made Higgert excited inwardly. In order to raise the price of the jewelry further, he added, "Honorable Ladies and Gentlemen, even if you don''t need it, you can give this exquisite defensive jewelry to the person you care most such as your wife or your child. We all know that our society is fraught with dangers nowadays and I''m sure many of you have also watched the Final Destination movie, right? Dangers and death are probably around us all the time, so please start bidding if you want to avoid those dangers and protect your own life. And as mentioned before, each bid increment is set to at least 50 million US dollars."


    "2 billion!"


    A Caucasian man grabbed a loudspeaker and cried out aloud. His eyes weren''t looking at Higgert nor glancing at the others around but fixedly stared jewelry showed on the projector screen.


    "2.1 billion!"


    "2.2 billion!"


    "2¡­"


    Although the Caucasian man directly doubled the price, he still couldn''t stop the increased price of the bids. As many people already aware of, what Higgert said was right that having this jewelry was equal to having three more lives.


    The price kept increasing dramatically and its dramatic increase made Higgert flabbergasted. His heart pounded harder and beat faster than when he hosted his first auction.


    "4 billion dollars!"


    A loud voice came from the audience and a white-haired old man with a walking stick quoted his bid.


    Higgert felt like his scalp went a bit numb. He had hosted hundreds of auctions and sometimes, money earned at the end of the auction could exceed 4 billion USD. However, the number was the total sum of the whole auction! What about the 4 billion dollars now? It was just from the first article being auctioned?!


    The white-haired man got up and his other hand grabbed the loudspeaker and asked, "Mr. Host, why don''t you announce that this jewelry is mine since no one else is bidding?"


    Higgert was as though awakened from a dream and hurriedly replied, "Honorable Sir, please don''t laugh at me. I''m really shocked by your amazing bid which made me a bit disoriented. I hope you don''t laugh at me, a dirt-poor man who has never seen so much money. Alright, I hereby announce that this jewelry now belongs to this gentleman for 4 billion dollars. Please send someone to the backstage to finalize the procedure now, Sir."


    The old man slightly smiled and nodded to a man next to him after sitting down.


    Higgert calmed himself down first and then continued, "The second article to be auctioned is a magic weapon. It is said that this magic weapon has been used to slay some fierce beasts and even split a mountain several hundreds of meters high. Well, although I think the script given to me is rather exaggerated, it was the assignor who told me so, so I can only convey it to everyone here. The floor price for this item is 500 million dollars. Ah, that''s right, the person who trusted this item to us also mentioned that this lance is a very powerful magic weapon."

 1215 House Tang’s Major Even

    The focus of over 4,800 guests at the auction venue was fully aimed at the magic lance on the table on the auction platform, as well as its enlarged picture on the projector screen. At the same time, the breathing of thousands of practitioners turned heavy as their desires were aroused.


    In this world, such a magic weapon was something one could only find through fortuitous encounters but not at will. If the cultivator was an expert spearman and obtained this lance, that person would definitely become more powerful and his combat effectiveness would rise exponentially.


    "2.5 billion dollars! It''s the amount of liquid cash I can put out. Don''t blame me for being ruthless if any of you choose to compete with me for it! You''ll die without a burial place." A 2-meter tall hulking man growled with bloodshot eyes.


    "3 billion dollars! Heh, do you think I''ll be afraid of you?"


    A bald man abruptly got up overbearingly and shouted aloud.


    The giant man''s expression greatly changed and a murderous aura crazily burst out from him as his figure instantly bolted away toward the auction platform and tried to grab the magic weapon.


    Slash¡­


    A sword beam suddenly appeared out of the blue and slashed the giant man''s body into halves in mid-air. The instant after, a large aquamarine net instantly appeared and enveloped the giant man''s remains and disappeared near the entrance to the auction floor.


    Gasp¡­


    All the guests attending the auction abruptly got up and gasped at this moment. Many of them knew who the giant man was. They knew how powerful he was, yet they didn''t expect that he would be killed instantly and none of them was able to see the person who did it.


    Who could it be? Who has such a fearsome power?


    All of a sudden, everyone felt a chill on their necks and fear inside their hearts. The fearsome strike had deterred them completely.


    Tang Xiu slowly walked out of the other entrance. As he came to the auction platform and came to Higgert calmly, he lightly patted Higgert''s shoulder first and motioned him that he had nothing to worry about. Afterward, he grabbed the microphone and said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I set up this Genesis Auction House to run a business. I don''t want anyone to make trouble here. Whoever dares to snatch any article other than obtaining it through legal transactions must prepare themselves to die!"


    The moment after, Duanmu Lin stood in the first row of the seats. He floated up and then descended next to Tang Xiu. After nodding to Tang Xiu, he received the microphone and said, "Tang Xiu is right. This is China. Use your money if you want to get what you want. But if you just want to be a bandit and rob the auction articles, not only will you violate the laws of this country, but you will also face China''s Special Abilities Bureau!"


    The guests exchanged dismayed glances with disbelief on their faces. They already knew that Tang Xiu was the owner of Genesis Auction House and it was understandable that he would come out in person after such an incident. But how did an official from China''s Special Abilities Bureau also come out?


    Could it be that¡­ the party behind this auction is China''s Special Abilities Bureau?


    Many cultivators did intend to rob the items directly if they couldn''t buy the items they desired at first. But now it seemed like not only was there a mysterious expert holding the fort in the dark, there was also another entity¡ªChina''s Special Abilities Bureau. The latter alone was a force they couldn''t afford to provoke that easily, else they''d likely end up dying here.


    The following events were carried out very smoothly. Except for the first two items which were sold at high prices, the latter auctioned items were just ordinary antiques and jewelry that were sold at reasonable prices. The auction proceedings for these items lasted until noon with a total of more than 80 articles.


    At lunch.


    The auction held by Genesis Auction House was quite peculiar and designed to appeal to affluent customers, while the Everlasting Feast Hall in Shanghai had too few chefs. Thus, quite a number of chefs had been temporarily transferred from Jingmen Island, Beijing, and Hong Kong to prepare the needed rich meals. Tang Xiu himself had ordered some people to deliver 200 boxes of God''s Nectar from the Magnificent Tang Corporation warehouse, all of which were served to all guests free of charge.


    As the clock hit 2 PM and all these rich people had enough drinks and meals, the auction resumed. The first four articles auctioned in the afternoon session were still subjects of fierce biddings and were sold at sky-high prices. The first day of the auction was then concluded at 8 in the evening.


    12 o''clock at night.


    In the GM''s office on the third floor of the Genesis Auction House, when Andy, who was in charge of finance, arrived and reported the earning records, Tang Xiu, Hao Lei, Kang Xia, and even Ji Chimei looked at her with faces full of anticipation.


    Andy slightly smiled and raised the account statement in her hand. She then said with a beaming face, "We''ve checked and calculated the data. A total of 180 articles have been sold today with total revenue of 46.832 billion US dollars."


    Tang Xiu slowly let out a breath of relief. Although he knew that the amount of money he made today was astronomical, he still felt a bit excited after he heard the specific number.


    "I think the revenue we can obtain tomorrow won''t be as high, but it''s very likely that the last day of the auction two days later will definitely make us flabbergasted. I just can''t help but look forward to the total revenue earned after the conclusion of this three-day auction.


    "Also, be it the Magnificent Tang Corporation or Grand Fortune Jewelry, both will need to stay low-profile afterward. However, all Tang Sect disciples must keep moving everywhere to purchase a lot of cultivation resources around the world."


    The third day passed.


    The unprecedented auction held by Genesis Auction House that had become a sensation all over the world had finally concluded and all the guests who attended the auction participated in the biddings and bought hundreds of articles had all left.


    The total revenue was 180 billion US dollars! Equal to over 1 trillion yuan.


    The auction earned Tang Xiu a colossal amount of money and the days of being strapped for funds had finally come to an end.


    ****


    Beijing, House Tang''s residence.


    Tang Guosheng had issued an order to summon all members of House Tang to return to their ancestral house. Members of the house were coming one after another, and even Tang Yunpeng, who was in charge of major issues in the outside world, rushed back in a hurry.


    "What exactly happened?"


    Tang Yunpeng, who had a high position outside, unintentionally burst out an aura of someone in power even if he didn''t mean to when he asked Tang Min, who had just arrived. The latter only shook her head and said that she was also in the dark about it.


    Suddenly, Tang Min said, "Anyway, it seems that Tang Xiu has arrived in Beijing about 2 hours ago. If my hunch is correct, he should be discussing some issues with Father now."


    Tang Yunpeng looked a bit surprised. After he entered the room with Tang Min, he saw his father, Tang Guosheng, sitting on the sofa with a complicated expression and apparently thinking about a complex issue, whereas his Second Uncle, Tang Guoxing, and Third Uncle, Tang Guoshou, looked excited instead, even though their fingers that clamped cigarettes were slightly trembling.


    "First Uncle." Tang Xiu got up and greeted respectfully.


    Tang Yunpeng smiled in response. He walked to Tang Xiu and patted his shoulder, sighing. "I have been imagining to what extent you can reach many times, but now I understand that I still underestimated you. You earned over 1 trillion yuan from one auction. I don''t think even the total revenue of all banks in China in a year can compare to that."


    "Well, I also paid quite a lot for this auction, First Uncle." Tang Xiu forced a smile.


    "Power is the foundation of a clan, but wealth is a weapon of the family." Tang Yunpeng nodded and went on, "House Tang is getting more powerful and even has faintly become the largest family in the whole China. It''s all mainly from your contribution."


    "I''m afraid that I''ll also become a variable for the decline of House Tang to become an ordinary family in China as well, Uncle." Tang Xiu forced a smile yet again.


    Tang Yunpeng furrowed his brows and asked, "What do you mean by that?"


    Tang Guosheng sighed and waved to him as he forced a smile and said, "I''ll explain to you later, Yunpeng. I summoned everyone here due to some important things I need to announce."


    Tang Yunpeng looked doubtful and hesitated, then he walked to the door and called all the core members of House Tang into the room. All pairs of eyes then kept shifting from Tang Xiu to Tang Guosheng.


    Tang Guosheng took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "All core members of House Tang have arrived, so I''m now announcing one issue. All of you listen to me. Starting today, Tang Yunpeng will take over the Patriarch position of House Tang and he will be responsible and has the right to decide every affair in the family."


    "Father!"


    Tang Yunpeng''s expression changed and he hurriedly called out. He quickly glanced over at his Second Uncle, Tang Guoxing, and Third Uncle, Tang Guoshou, only to find that they didn''t seem to care about it, as though they had learned about the issue in advance.


    "Yunpeng, I''m already old and it''s just time to hand over the responsibility and rights over the family, so don''t blame your father for making this decision." Tang Guosheng spoke, "Our family needs you to manage it on your shoulder alone. You can pick out a successor after you carry out the job for 10 years before you can relax afterward."


    "But this really baffles me, father." Tang Yunpeng frowned and said, "I can''t blame you on anything even if I take over your position as the Head of the family, right? Isn''t this supposed to be a happy event that I should feel happy about?"


    Tang Guosheng shook his head with a forced smile and then spoke again, "Then, I declare my last order as the Head of Tang Family. Aside from Yunpeng, the other core members of House Tang will have to relinquish their official positions in the government or other business affairs. Arrange the matter with the government well, whereas the business side will be handed over to the Magnificent Tang Corporation under Kang Xia''s management."


    "What?"


    "What''s going on?"


    "This¡­"


    Each and every member of the Tang Family was stunned and looked at Tang Guosheng in disbelief. It seemed like this order shocked them the most.


    Leaving their position, handing over their authority as well as their businesses?


    What kind of huge accident happened in the Tang Family, exactly? Else, how could it¡­


    "I give you all seven days to deal with all your issues." Tang Guosheng went on in a deep voice. "A week later, all core members of House Tang will leave Beijing and China. I believe you all know about Nine Dragons Island Xiu''er has bought before. That will be the place where all core members of our family will migrate to. Our family will no longer be involved in worldly affairs anymore starting from now on aside from Yunpeng alone. Every one of you will focus all your energy to practice martial arts and cultivation!"

 1216 Earthshaking Even

    Nine Dragons Island?


    Every member of the Tang Family wore a strange expression. Although they also heard that Tang Xiu had been developing Nine Dragons Island, they never knew what it was like there. But it was just an isolated island, even if it was being developed, what could it develop into?


    Tang Tang poked her head out. She looked at Tang Guosheng first and then asked, "Can I not go there, Grandpa? I still have classmates, friends, and studies to tend to in China."


    Tang Guosheng turned to Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu cleared his throat and said, "Whether or not you decide to go to Nine Dragons Island is your call to make. House Tang may be a great clan in China as of now, but it''s only on the surface as there are so many cultivator clans in China and some really powerful families who have been hiding deep in the mountains and forests. I myself am a cultivator, and it''s my wish to turn my family into a cultivator clan. In this world, the so-called authority and wealth are nothing but a sidetrack, for the genuine main path is formidable strength that you yourself own.


    "Such powerhouses have the ability to crush the stars with their own fist and can cross the universe unhindered, live forever and become existences above billions of souls. House Tang is my family, and I have always wished to turn it into a clan of powerhouses. This world we''re living in is but one of the countless worlds in this plane, and Earth is nothing but a speck of dust in this lower plane.


    "The choice is in your hands whether you wish to stand at the summit to overlook whatever lies below, or continue being ants among other walks of life. Whatever it is, I''ll respect your choice."


    As his voice faded away, Tang Xiu conjured a secret art and surging energy then instantly formed a large tight net under everyone''s feet. His figure then flickered and instantly vanished from the room before he appeared in mid-air tens of meters high with everyone else around him.


    "Ah¡­"


    "Oh my God!"


    "What''s going on?"


    Every member of the Tang Family, including the old Patriarch, Tang Guosheng, looked horrified, tongue-tied and flabbergasted as they looked at the surroundings and all the buildings below. They felt like they were just pulled into a dream.


    Tang Xiu went on lightly, "Celestial immortals in the legends are not just fairy tales. They''re real existences. I now provide you the opportunity to become one, but it is up to you whether you''ll take it or not."


    "I want to be a celestial immortal too!"


    After the brief shock, Tang Tang immediately clenched her fists and shouted excitedly.


    Tang Xiu smiled lightly in response. After bringing back everyone to the house, he said, "First Uncle, I''ll teach you a cultivation technique and will keep providing you cultivation resources. However, the Tang Family will rely on you to manage the affairs here. But I promise you that even if you''re the only person from our family staying here, nobody in our country will dare do anything to you. You don''t even need to move if some people dare to do so. Someone else will take care of it for you."


    "Who is this person?" asked Tang Yunpeng in a heavy voice.


    "Duanmu Lin from the Special Abilities Bureau," answered Tang Xiu with a light smile.


    Tang Yunpeng immediately looked ecstatic upon hearing this and repeatedly nodded. "Xiu''er, I don''t want to stay here. I also want to go to Nine Dragons Island to cultivate. But I''ll stay here since you and father have decided so. But you must help me when I need it."


    "Please don''t worry about that, Uncle. House Tang in China will never fall as long as Tang Xiu is still alive." Tang Xiu smiled and said, "I''ll return one person of our family to China 10 years later to take over your responsibilities here. The person who will be sent back is the most unsuitable one for cultivation and whose cultivation progresses the slowest."


    Tang Yunpeng''s eyes shone and he burst out laughing. "Alright! That would be great, Xiu''er. You''re really good."


    ****


    The next day.


    The three brothers, Tang Guosheng, Tang Guoxing, and Tang Guoshou left China with their wives. No one knew how and when they left the country. They just simply vanished. Even their bodyguards and health workers were in the dark about it.


    On the fourth day, Tang Yunde, Tang Min, Tang Yan, Tang Yunqing, and Tang Dong also left with their spouses. No one knew how they left, either. They just disappeared.


    On the fifth day, Tang Ning, Tang Ying, Tang Wei, Tang Tang, and Tang Ji, with the exception of Chu Yi who was not of the same surname, also disappeared from Beijing and China.


    On the seventh day, all the loyal subordinates who had been cultivated by House Tang also disappeared from Beijing and China as if they had just evaporated from the world. All the chain events made countless forces began to investigate, but no one was able to find any clues.


    At the same time, the incidents that happened in the Tang Family finally broke out and all the affluent families in Beijing and some other powerful families and influential people in China mobilized their information network to the fullest to find out the whereabouts of House Tang''s core members.


    However, they failed to find anything.


    But during their investigation, they found that Tang Min had resigned, Tang Yunqing retired, and the rest of House Tang''s members in the government also resigned and left their posts voluntarily. Shortly after, all the companies owned by House Tang were merged into Magnificent Tang Corporation.


    ****


    Beijing, House Tang''s residence.


    Tang Yunpeng glanced around at the now-empty residence. There used to be some people living here, but the place looked dead now. In addition to tens of Tang Family''s martial artists who still stayed to protect him along with two Foundation Establishment experts from Tang Sect, there was no one else here.


    Knock, knock¡­


    The door was knocked, and Tang Yunpeng''s secret aide came in quickly and reported. "There''s a guest visiting, Patriarch."


    Tang Yunpeng frowned and said, "Again? How many waves has it been? I''m already spent dealing with it all day. Tell the guest that I''m too tired and have rested already."


    "The man claims to be Duanmu Lin. He said that you''d definitely meet him if I told you his name," Zhu Jianhua whispered.


    Duanmu Lin? As in the Director of the Special Abilities Bureau?


    Tang Yunpeng''s heart jolted and he immediately got up to walk towards the door. When he came to the front courtyard, he saw Duanmu Lin standing quietly under a tree. He let out a smile and quickly greeted him. "Director Duanmu, why did you come here?"


    Duanmu Lin sized him up and then smilingly said, "I promised Tang Xiu to visit House Tang''s residence in person and make it known to those countless eyes. That brat will definitely be mad at me if I don''t come."


    Angry with him?


    Tang Yunpeng was shocked and faintly realized that the relationship between his nephew, Tang Xiu, and Duanmu Lin should be unusual. Then, he invited Duanmu Lin to the backyard and asked right after they took a seat, "Director Duanmu, is Xiu''er still in the capital? Have you met him?"


    "No." Duanmu Lin shook his head. Having said that, his eyes glanced at Zhu Jianhua.


    After following Duanmu Lin''s gaze, Tang Yunpeng immediately understood and waved his hand. "Jianhua, go get something to eat and bring those two bottles of God''s Nectar. I must accompany Director Duanmu to a few cups of wine today."


    "Understood."


    Zhu Jianhua also realized that Duanmu Lin had something to discuss with Tang Yunpeng, so he nodded and left immediately.


    Duanmu Lin nodded and smilingly said, "Yunpeng, I watched you grow up and even held you when you were born."


    Cough, cough¡­


    Tang Yunpeng didn''t even reply and held his breath. After letting out several dry coughs, he squeezed out a wry smile with an awkward expression. "Haih, what you said truly can shock even the dead, Senior! How many years have passed?! How come it ever crossed your mind to even mention this?"


    "Well, don''t you think we''re actually very close?" Duanmu Lin chuckled.


    Tang Yunpeng stared blankly, keenly aware that Duanmu Lin''s visit was likely¡­ to show goodwill?


    But¡­ why? This dignified Director of China''s Special Abilities Bureau may never show up in public, but he has enormous power in his hands. Even governors like me must always face him with humility. Why would he come here to show such goodwill all of a sudden?


    Is it¡­ because of Tang Xiu?


    Tang Yunpeng nodded and then slowly said with a sincere expression, "Father and you are old friends, and you also have a deep relationship with Tang Xiu. The relationship between you and House Tang indeed goes way back, so it''s just natural that we are quite close."


    Duanmu Lin happily smiled and said, "Then I can rest assured since you already understand it. If anything, remember to mention me more in front of Tang Xiu later. Besides, I would likely need you and your family''s care in the future. Well, many years later."


    "But¡­ I don''t quite understand what you said, Director Duanmu." Tang Yunpeng hesitated.


    "We''re close people, aren''t we?" Duanmu Lin replied meaningfully, "I think you should change the address for me in private, no?"


    Tang Yunpeng hurriedly said, "Uncle Duanmu."


    Duanmu Lin chuckled and said, "By the way, House Tang will carry out a big plan about 10 or so years later. Or rather, it''s Tang Xiu who will carry out this plan. We all will be on the same side in the future, as in like a true family. But if Tang Xiu hasn''t told you what that plan is, there''s no need to ask more since you''ll naturally learn about it later."


    Tang Yunpeng nodded without a word. Then, he said, "Uncle Duanmu, I''ll speak directly since we''re now on the same boat. I''m afraid I need your help for the next 10 years if something happens."


    Duanmu Lin nodded. "As long as I still hold my position in the next few decades, I can guarantee that House Tang''s status in China will not be shaken. Your father has left China, but his departure won''t shake your family. That''s why I came to visit you today. It''s to show everyone else that Duanmu Lin is the backer behind House Tang."


    Tang Yunpeng was shocked. The statement even set off a storm in his heart. He had no idea how and what did Tang Xiu do to make Duanmu Lin speak like this.


    Suddenly, Duanmu Lin chuckled and said, "Anyway, those Seniors above told me to convey a message to you. You''ve been in your current post for several years and you should move. What do you think of Shanghai?"


    Tang Yunpeng''s pupils shrank. His body couldn''t help but tremble for a while before he replied seriously, "Shanghai is not bad. It''s great, actually."


    Duanmu Lin then got up, patted Tang Yunpeng''s shoulder and smilingly said, "Then prepare well! It may come tomorrow or maybe a few months later. Well, that''s all for my visit today. And remember to tell Tang Xiu to visit me at the Special Abilities Bureau HQ when you meet him later, okay?"


    "Alright. Let me send you off, Senior."

 1217 Gargantuan Plan

    Tang Yunpeng was still in an excited mood after sending off Duanmu Lin, but he didn''t forget about another important issue. He immediately dialed Tang Xiu''s number and spoke to him in a deep tone, "Come home right away. I have something to talk to you."


    "Give me half an hour," replied Tang Xiu on the phone.


    Less than an hour later, Tang Xiu came back from the outside. He let out a smile after seeing Tang Yunpeng and said, "I heard Duanmu Lin came over?"


    Tang Yunpeng excitedly asked, "Xiu''er, care to tell me how you did it? He¡­ he''s, well¡­ a bit different from before."


    "It''s nothing big, actually." Tang Xiu smilingly replied, "Duanmu Lin is the Director of the Special Abilities Bureau and I thought that having him on our side will be very beneficial to our family, so I taught him a cultivation technique and gave him some pills. Well, I also promised him that he could join the Tang Sect and become a true cultivator after a few decades, as well as¡­ allowing him to leave with us."


    "Leave? Where to?" asked Tang Yunpeng hurriedly.


    "The Immortal World," answered Tang Xiu with all seriousness.


    Tang Yunpeng suddenly jolted and asked in shock, "The Immortal World? As in¡­ the realm which is the final destination of all cultivators after they''ve ascended?"


    "That''s correct!" Tang Xiu nodded.


    Tang Yunpeng fell into silence for a long while and then seriously asked, "Xiu''er, where''s this Immortal World, exactly? Is it really like what has been told in legends¡ªa paradise-like realm¡­ like a Heaven?"


    "The scenery in the Immortal World is indeed like Paradise, and there also exists great things hard to find on Earth. However, that place is not Heaven." Tang Xiu shook his head and there was a hint of a sneer on his expression. "Honestly describing it, that place is like Hell compared to Earth."


    "You¡­" Tang Yunpeng opened his mouth but didn''t know how to express his feeling.


    "First Uncle, any world is based on a natural selection where only the fittest will survive." Tang Xiu said, "What I just said may sound a bit extreme, but it isn''t groundless nor unreasonable. If you want to feel that the Immortal World is a paradise, then you must possess formidable strength, for the weak will only live like dogs or pigs over there. It''s a place where law, order, and true peace have never existed. The whole Immortal World is hundreds of millions of times bigger than the Milky Way. You can find myriads of races and countless powerful experts literally everywhere. You must think that Immortals are powerful beings, right? Let me tell you, thousands of Immortals meet their demise literally every day. Even the number of souls who meet their end every day could reach hundreds of millions."


    After seeing Tang Xiu stop explaining, Tang Yunpeng murmured, "Yet you still want to take our family¡­"


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and seriously said, "First Uncle, if you want to be stronger and live longer, then the Immortal World is where you must go. That place has Immortal Pills and Immortal Ambrosia and you can also temper yourself to be more powerful there. Don''t you want to live for thousands of years, tens of thousands of years, or even longer? Do you not want to have the ability to destroy a planet with the flick of your finger and ruin a galaxy with a single punch? Uncle, Earth is too small a place. Only by going to a higher plane can we enjoy much better scenery while continuously seeking the meaning of life and living a thrilling and magnificent life."


    Tang Yunpeng felt like his blood was boiling, a surging urge he had never felt before.


    The Immortal World and possessing formidable power himself!


    He then stared at Tang Xiu fixedly and asked in a heavy voice, "How did you know about all this, Xiu''er?"


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and shook his head before slowly saying, "Uncle, I can''t tell you about this as of now, so please inquire no longer. The day we set foot in the Immortal World, I''ll naturally explain everything to you. What you need to do now is to go all out in cultivation. I hope you can at least reach the Spirit Formation Stage a few decades later. Alright, you won''t be able to fathom many things I say as of now, so I''ll teach you how to cultivate first."


    Tang Yunpeng nodded.


    Late at night.


    As Tang Xiu headed to the door and was about to return to his room to rest, Tang Yunpeng''s voice came from behind him. "Xiu''er, Duanmu Lin told me something today. He said that I''ll be transferred soon and my next station should be Shanghai."


    Tang Xiu halted his pace and smilingly replied, "Well, our Magnificent Tang Corp. does indeed still need your care if you''re in Shanghai, Uncle. Besides, having wealth is indispensable if we want to stand tall on this planet, to begin with. Not to mention that we''re going to spend a lot of money in the next 10, 20, or 30 years. Even 1 trillion yuan is perhaps not sufficient for our purpose."


    "No worries."


    Tang Xiu spent the next three days visiting the HQ of Special Abilities Bureau to have a drink with Duanmu Lin and discuss some issues, then he gave the man some cultivation resources before leaving. Afterward, he stayed at the Tang Family''s residence to cultivate and taught a cultivation technique to Tang Yunpeng and helped him in his cultivation.


    After spending three days, Tang Yunpeng could already sense the circulation of energy in his system. But it was mainly due to Tang Xiu not hesitating to expend his own cultivation and doing his best to guide Tang Yunpeng in his cultivation.


    ****


    December 15th.


    Large snowflakes fell without any warning early in the morning. There was no announcement from the weather station that snow would fall today. Tang Xiu was about to leave Beijing for Shanghai when he received a call from Bai Tao.


    "Tang Xiu, Qin Shaoyang and I are at Monarch Club. Care to join us?"


    "Got it. I''m heading there right away."


    Tang Xiu hung up. He did have the intention to see Bai Tao and Qin Shaoyang before leaving. He didn''t have many friends in Beijing except for these two. Especially Bai Tao, whom he got acquainted with when he first came to Jingmen Island and thanks to his relationship with Long Zhengyu and Ouyang Lulu. It could be said that Bai Tao helped him purchase a lot of precious herbs which had helped him greatly when he just returned to Earth.


    He then left the house and walked out of the alley. After catching a cab on the street and telling the driver to head to the Monarch Club, he then called Mo Yi in Shanghai.


    "Is there something up, Tang Xiu?" Mo Yi''s voice came from the phone.


    "Professor Mo, can you put off your current work? I''ll be in Shanghai tonight and there''s something I need to speak with you about," said Tang Xiu.


    "Do you have some other big plans in mind, Tang Xiu?" asked Mo Yi. "The current research project is at a critical juncture. I think we can expect a good outcome in about 2 months."


    "The next plan is very important. It isn''t only for you, but it will also bring endless benefits for humanity as a whole." Tang Xiu said, "Well, let''s talk about it later. Wait for me in¡­ Paradise Manor."


    "Alright, then!"


    Mo Yi knew that Tang Xiu was never one who talked big. Since he said there was an important issue to talk about, then it should be very important.


    Tang Xiu hung up and was about to phone Duanmu Lin when he suddenly heard the cab driver smilingly saying, "You youngster does really have a way in putting airs, Little Brother. A plan that is so great that it can greatly benefit humanity as a whole? Care to share it with me?"


    Tang Xiu glanced at him and lightly said, "Well, the plan is very simple. I''m going to build a few places for human habitation in the Milky Way. Besides, our human race is nesting way too long on Earth, so we should start to set foot on the journey to govern the universe. That''s why we must start inhabiting and developing the entire Milky Way. Also, humans must start to form an interstellar fleet to protect our hometown here."


    "Pfft, hahaha¡­"


    The cab driver couldn''t help but burst out laughing. He patted the steering wheel and grinningly said, "Well, you''re really¡­ amazing¡­ little brother! I''ve seen many braggarts, but definitely none as amazing as you."


    Tang Xiu just let out a faint smile in response and didn''t retort back.


    How could this cab driver understand his plan, to begin with?


    At the Monarch Club.


    With a cigarette clamped between his lips, Chen Haoran was hugging two pretty girls while provocatively staring at Qin Shaoyang. Next to him were five youths with unusual demeanors, with arms folded and wearing mocking expressions as they looked at the ashen Qin Shaoyan.


    "I give you 2 weeks, surnamed Qin! If you still refuse to sign this contract by then, I''ll make sure you and your old man can never set foot in Beijing again! Just wait and see if you don''t believe me!" said Chen Haoran with a smile.


    "Do you really think I''m afraid of you, Chen Haoran?" replied Qin Shaoyang with indifference. "You want to fight me so we both can perish together? Go ahead. The Qins may be just a small family, but don''t think we''re not ready to risk everything if you wanna have a go. I don''t believe your Chen family still has a foothold somewhere in Beijing after the clash, either."


    Chen Haoran''s expression changed and he fiercely said, "Hmph, you used to have Chu Yi and Tang Wei by your side and House Tang to cling onto, Qin Shaoyang. But now, the Tangs are nearly finished! I don''t know which powerful person they have offended, but all of them went missing. Whom can you depend on now? Who else can support you?"


    "I will!"


    Bai Tao came from a distance with a cigarette between his lips. He glanced at Chen Haoran and the five young men in front of him. He then indifferently said, "I don''t think the Tang Family is finished. Even if they are, there''s still my Bai family! Chen Haoran and the rest of you guys, Shaoyang is my friend. Don''t blame me for being ruthless if you dare to provoke him."


    Chen Haoran stared at Bai Tao with dread in his eyes. He was silent for a short while, then differently said, "Bai Tao, are you sure your family can fight against our six families?"


    "I can still completely ruin your six families by myself even without the Bais."


    Tang Xiu came out of the corner several meters away. He then swept over everyone before his eyes landed on Chen Haoran and indifferently said, "Do you dare tell me who your family is? I''ll make sure your family will be removed from the capital overnight. Do you believe it or not?"


    "Tang¡­ Tang Xiu?"


    Chen Haoran''s pupils shrunk with incredulity visible on his face. It was known that every member of House Tang had disappeared now except for Tang Yunpeng, so he never expected to see Tang Xiu here.


    House Tang was a behemoth that had become a pressing existence in the hearts of many people. There was a day when nobody from any family dared to be their enemy, while Tang Xiu himself was the most treasured grandson of House Tang''s patriarch and a man who had done many sensational things in the country. Even if he had the courage, Chen Haoran had no guts to really confront Tang Xiu.


    "What horseshit Tang Xiu, huh? All the members of the Tang family have resigned from the official posts and have all gone missing! Even their businesses have been merged into the Magnificent Tang Corp. What are you afraid of?!" Another young man was furious at Tang Xiu''s remarks and hurled mocking remarks in disdain.

 1218 House Tang’s Members Are Still Kicking

    A cold light flashed across Tang Xiu''s eyes and his killing intent instantly aroused. His figure flickered and fiercely slapped that young man''s face and sent him flying back to heavily fall on the floor. Tang Xiu quickly pursued and stamped his foot on his face and coldly said, "Tell me, which family are you from in Beijing?!"


    The young man lost several teeth from the slap and half of his face was red and swollen. Although he struggled desperately to free himself the moment Tang Xiu stepped on his cheek, he still couldn''t get up. His overwhelming anger nearly made him lose his mind as he growled. "I''m from the Su Family, you bastard! Get. Your. F*cking. Foot. Off. Me. Tang Xiu, bastard! Your family is no longer the Tang Family it once was. I''m sure they have all f*cking died! Let go of me, else I''ll kill you!"


    Tang Xiu kicked the youth''s belly fiercely and sent him sweeping the floor until he hit Chen Haoran''s feet. Then, he coldly said, "That line alone is enough to make you a dead man. But I don''t want to kill him just like that. Now I''m giving him to you all. Take him with you everywhere for the next two days, else you can expect your families to end up just like his!"


    Having said that, he turned to Bai Tao and Qin Shaoyang and lightly spoke, "Prepare some meal and wine. I''m going to make you both see a play tonight. Hmph¡­ the members of House Tang are occupied by important things, so they left China temporarily. But these people made a big mistake if they think there''s no one left in the family. I can easily destroy any family by myself."


    Seeing Tang Xiu''s actions made Qin Shaoyang secretly feel at ease like having vented his own anger. He replied in a deep voice, "I''ll tell some people to prepare the best dishes and best wine. Let''s eat to our hearts'' content. I already have enough of holding back today."


    Chen Haoran glanced at Tang Xiu and recalled the many legends about him. Although he couldn''t confirm 100% about his conjecture, he was well aware that Tang Xiu was already a powerful person by himself even without the shelter of his family. Just his company alone was not what it used to be, to say the least.


    However, if House Tang really collapsed, only then would it be very difficult for Tang Xiu to preserve Magnificent Tang Corporation no matter how huge and well-funded it had become now. No matter how successful and filthy rich any business person was, they would never be able to fight against those top dogs in power, for they would have no choice but to yield.


    If there''s a chance¡­


    A hint of greed birthed inside Chen Haoran''s heart. He shot a cold look at Tang Xiu before he immediately propped up his beaten-up companion with the others and quickly left the Monarch Club.


    Tang Xiu took out his cell phone and dialed a number. Then, he spoke, "Senior Duanmu, as per our previous agreement, I have picked up some families to serve as a warning for the rest. The first one is the Su Family of Beijing, and the second one will be the one appearing later to strike the Magnificent Tang Corporation."


    "Alright!" Duanmu Lin''s reply came from the phone.


    ****


    Night came.


    The Su Family''s residence was now very lively since one of their core members had just been promoted recently. Many people in the family celebrated the happy occasion for him and wished him well for further promotion in the future.


    The Head of the Su Family of Beijing was Su Xiangdong and he was already 80-years-old this year. After spending most of his life struggling and working, he was finally able to make his family thrive with many offspring and grandchildren. The family now even had a fourth generation. He had 3 sons and 2 daughters, and the one who was recently promoted was his youngest son, Su Dingguo, now a deputy mayor of a certain city at a young age¡ªone term which people used to call as an "executive".


    "Dingguo! Only a few of our family members hold government posts. Although your first brother also holds a considerable position, he''s just a department level leader, while your second brother doesn''t want to be an official and runs a business. He may be able to mix in some fields, but I don''t favor him at all. So, as long as I still live and your first brother still holds his post, you still have a huge backer behind your back, so keep working hard. Our family has always been a second-class family in Beijing, but I hope I can see our family squeeze into the ranks of first-class families in the capital in my lifetime."


    "I''ll definitely try my best, Father." Su Dingguo nodded and said, "Also, several friends are preparing to invest in the area under my jurisdiction because of me recently. I''m the one in charge of investment promotion, so it won''t be difficult to be promoted further as long as I can make some political achievements."


    "You can expect our family resources to be focused on you as much as possible later," said Su Xiangdong happily. "I expect you to do your best in your work and empower yourself step by step. You must go farther than your big brother in the future."


    "I''ll definitely try my best, Father," Su Dingguo replied with a smile.


    Suddenly, a middle-aged man rushed into the room. When he stopped in front of Su Xiangdong and Su Dingguo, he reported with a low voice, "There''s something unusual, Patriarch."


    "What''s wrong?" Su Xiangdong furrowed his brows.


    "We have been seeing many strangers appear near our residence since about an hour ago." The middle-aged man said, "They seem to walk around casually or are engaged in some activities. But they keep watching our site, be it intentional or not. I''ve sent Xiao Long''s team outside to figure out the exact situation, but they haven''t returned after some people led them away."


    Su Xiangdong''s expression slightly changed and he asked in a deep voice, "Go check it yourself and ask who they are. Apprehend them directly if you find them suspicious."


    "Understood!" the middle-aged man replied and strode out of the room.


    A few minutes later.


    The middle-aged man went towards the two young men with four tough men who had remarkable skills. He shot a look at the two men and asked in in a deep voice, "Who are you guys? Why are you spying on my Su Family?"


    The two youths exchanged glances and one of them lightly replied, "I have no idea what you''re talking about! We just had dinner, so we are strolling around to digest the food."


    "Lying, huh!" The middle-aged man snorted coldly and said, "Capture them! Give them a hard lesson if they refuse to spit out their true purpose!"


    "Roger!"


    The four big men answered and moved to catch the two young men.


    "The Su Family is rebelling!"


    "The Sus have committed treason! They''re damned bastards!"


    The two young men quickly retreated and shouted aloud.


    In but a moment, many figures appeared in the vicinity and moved several times faster than average people''s speed. They directly attacked the middle-aged man and those four big men the moment they appeared, severely injuring them and knocking them out in just a few breaths.


    Creak¡­


    Four black cars quickly stopped at the gate of the Su Family''s residence. As a big man came out and opened the car''s door, Duanmu Lin and Tang Xiu got off the car. Wearing an indifferent face, Duanmu Lin glanced at the six tough men in front of the gate of the Su Family''s residence, whose expressions greatly changed, and shouted in a deep voice, "The Su Family has committed treason and must be punished for attacking the people from the Special Abilities Bureau! Storm their house and detain all of them! You''re allowed to kill anyone on the spot if they fight back!"


    "Understood!"


    Tens of experts from the Special Abilities Bureau dashed to the gate in front. The six experts of Su Family standing at the gate quickly exchanged glances and tried to stop them but were easily knocked out by the former.


    The moment after, the whole residence of the Su Family was turned upside down into a complete mess.


    In the deepest area of the residence, Su Xiangdong and Su Dingguo had already come out and their expression enormously changed after seeing tens of experts from the Special Abilities Bureau storm inside. As Su Dingguo roared, all the guards of the Su Family appeared and quickly lunged towards these experts.


    The fight commenced and the killings began, causing the situation in the Su Family''s residence to turn more chaotic and the smell of blood to become stronger. However, it only took a few minutes for the Special Abilities Bureau''s experts to kill over than 10 guards of the Su Family.


    "STOP IT! ALL OF YOU, STOP!"


    Su Xiangdong''s expression looked miserable and desperate. He could see that the enemies who attacked his family were very strong. They were so powerful that he shuddered with fright. To make him feel worse was the sight of several special abilities unleashed by some of these enemies.


    That''s right, these people were using special abilities! He knew that nearly all ability users in China were under the Special Abilities Bureau. He had a faint hunch that these people attacking his family were people from this agency.


    Duanmu Lin and Tang Xiu slowly walked into the backyard. Tang Xiu sneered upon seeing that the fight on both sides had stopped.


    "Are you Patriarch Su?" asked Tang Xiu lightly.


    Su Xiangdong''s expression slightly changed after seeing Tang Xiu, but his aged body secretly trembled and he looked horrified when he saw Duanmu Lin. He knew who Duanmu Lin was and realized that his guess was on the mark¡ªthe people attacking his family were from the Special Abilities Bureau.


    "Director Duanmu."


    Su Xiangdong cupped his fists and quickly loosened his stance. With a bitter smile on his face, he said, "Director Duanmu, I''m honored by your visit, but there''s no need to display such a battle formation like this, is there? If someone in my family has offended you, you can come here alone and no one in my family will dare to oppose you, Director Duanmu."


    "Su Xiangdong, your family is colluding with some foreign forces with which you''ve become a huge threat to the security of the state." Duanmu Lin indifferently said, "We have received a confidential report that you, Su Xiangdong, has committed treason. I didn''t believe it at first, but your men just attacked the Special Abilities Bureau''s people. It seems that the information is correct, so everyone in your family must die!"


    Treason?


    Disbelief was all over Su Xiangdong''s face as he loudly exclaimed, "Director Duanmu, you can put whatever into your mouth, but you should be more mindful of what comes out it. My family has always known our place, so how can we become traitors and sell our own country? There must be a misunderstanding here!"


    Duanmu Lin looked at Tang Xiu with an expression that said: "you handle it".


    Tang Xiu nodded to him without a word. Then, his lips shifted with a sneer. "Heh, Patriarch Su, you may say that your family didn''t betray the country. But your claim doesn''t count against mine."


    Su Xiangdong''s expression changed yet again. He stared fixedly at Tang Xiu and carefully observed his expression. Then, he slowly said, "Aren''t you Tang Xiu from House Tang?"


    "Ah, it seems you haven''t lost your sight from old age and can still recognize such a nobody like me." Tang Xiu chuckled. "You''re correct. I''m Tang Xiu from the Tang Family."


    "Is there any feud between my family and yours?" asked Su Xiangdong.

 1219 Punishment to Deter the Res

    A smile painted Tang Xiu''s handsome face after hearing the question. He shook his head and said, "The Sus and Tangs have never had any feud. Your family isn''t yet worth to enter the list."


    Su Xiangdong angrily said, "If there''s no feud between us, then why did you¡­"


    Raising his hand to interrupt Su Xiangdong, Tang Xiu coldly said, "The Sus and Tangs have no feuds whatsoever, but the same can''t be said between me and Su Xiaoguang, your grandson. He said everyone from House Tang has already died and the Tangs are no longer what we once were. That''s why I''ll make your family know that House Tang is still kicking."


    Only then did Su Xiangdong understand the reason why Tang Xu came with such a large force. He even had the Special Abilities Bureau involved because his grandson had offended him.


    Still¡­ is it really needed to form such a large force just because of a minor conflict between youngsters? Is it even necessary to set up the Su Family with treason?


    Suddenly, he realized something and his pupils shrunk. "Tang Xiu, are you trying to warn others by punishing us?"


    "No wonder the Su can thrive and gain a foothold in the capital for decades, huh." Tang Xiu gave a thumbs up and praised. "It turns out that Patriarch Su really has wisdom and intellect. It''s really a pity when your offspring and grandson are a letdown and even invite a disaster to befall upon your family, isn''t it? But now, things have happened and come to this point, so it''s time for you to die!"


    Duanmu Lin slowly raised his hand.


    "WAIT!"


    Su Xiangdong''s face looked miserable as he shouted, "I know your purpose, Tang Xiu, but I beg you to give my family a way to survive. I can give that unfilial bastard, Su Xiaoguang, to you to be punished if he offended you. Whether he''ll live or die, you can do whatever you want to him!"


    Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes and watched Su Xiangdong, who now looked like he was turning several years older instantly. He then replied to him lightly, "You still have that chance if you do have the intention to settle everything peacefully. We can also talk about the chance of sparing everyone from your family. Only, the Special Abilities Bureau has recently been short of funds and we need to purchase various equipment¡­"


    "My family is willing to pay for it. Please state the number," said Su Xiangdong in a deep voice.


    "10 billion." Tang Xiu stretched out a finger and lightly said, "10 billion is the amount needed by the Special Abilities Bureau. Provide the money if you want everyone in your family to be spared."


    Gasp¡­


    The Su Family may be rich, but Su Xiangdong still gasped after hearing the excessive amount of money demanded by Tang Xiu.


    The Su Family was indeed able to raise 10 billion yuan, but once they withdrew such an amount, it would severely damage the foundation of the family, to the extent that it would be nearly impossible for them to recover in decades.


    What should I do?


    Su Xiangdong''s expression kept changing as all ideas intensely clashed inside his head. Finally, he spoke in a heavy tone, "No problem. My family will provide the said amount to fund the Special Abilities Bureau."


    "You''re really able to adapt to the circumstances, Patriarch Su. That''s great." Tang Xiu praised as he gave him a thumbs up again. "So, let me tell you the second condition. Su Dingguo from your family is already old and he''s no longer suitable to hold any post in the government. He must leave his office and live as an average person from now on!"


    "You¡­"


    Su Xiangdong felt like he had just swallowed thousands of flies as his expression turned unsightly to the extreme. Even though his family had many members, they only had a few potential juniors in the younger generations. Su Dingguo was exactly their future hope for the family, the son he cherished and hoped to go farther and farther in the future, and the one who had the chance to become a governor.


    In case he resigned, the Su Family could expect to face a much difficult path in the future, which would make it more even difficult for them to return to their current situation.


    "I comply!"


    Su Dingguo tightly clenched his fists, his nails deeply digging into his palms, causing blood to drip down between his fingers.


    "All members of the Sus are also forbidden to come out for the next six months. You''re under house arrest and are not allowed to step out of your house," Tang Xiu added lightly.


    "I comply!"


    Su Xiangdong''s voice was squeezed out of his throat.


    Tang Xiu went on with a sneer, "My last demand is about Su Xiaoguang. His big mistake must be punished. I don''t want to see him able to even stand for the rest of his life."


    Puah¡­


    This time, Su Xiangdong spurted out a mouthful of blood. If it wasn''t for Su Dingguo next to him, who quickly grabbed and held him up, he would have already fallen to the ground.


    "I''ll break his legs with my own hands!"


    Su Xiangdong''s face was as though devoid of life after he replied.


    Tang Xiu happily nodded and said, "Then I''ll be waiting for you to deliver your promises. I don''t care how wild and arrogant the Su Family or the other families are. But today, I''ll make everyone in the country know that House Tang still exists!"


    Having said that, he nodded to Duanmu Lin and cupped his fists. "Senior Duanmu, this issue has been resolved, so we''re going to give a way out for the Sus to keep on living. If this family still dares to make House Tang as an enemy again, the Special Abilities Bureau doesn''t need to get involved again, for House Tang will completely exterminate them at that time!"


    "I don''t care much about the dispute between families and will stay away from it later," said Duanmu Lin lightly. "But keep in mind to cover everything well so I don''t hear and see anything when you exterminate the Su Family, got it?"


    "Don''t worry about that." Tang Xiu smiled and said, "I was able to get rid of the Yaos before, a small family such as the Sus isn''t worth it to even enter my eyes."


    Duanmu Lin nodded in response before he glanced at Su Xiangdong with some pity. Then, he shouted an order in a deep voice, "Heed my orders, all members! Withdraw immediately."


    In just a minute, all the members of the Special Abilities Bureau withdrew from the Su Family''s residence. Duanmu Lin and Tang Xiu also didn''t stay and directly left by car.


    In just two hours, the calamity that befell the Su Family spread out through various channels to all the affluent families in the capital and even reached the ears of some powerful families in other provinces of China.


    "House Tang still exists and their members are still alive!"


    The line spread out very fast and quickly passed to the ears of every powerful person in China. Even some powerful Big Bosses could only force a wry smile and shook their heads after receiving the news.


    ****


    At the Monarch Club.


    Bai Tao and Qin Shaoyang calmly sat before the table while waiting for Tang Xiu to arrive. Both of them wore similar expressions and were apparently thinking about something.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    Bai Tao''s cell phone rang and abruptly pulled both men from their train of thought.


    Bai Tao grabbed his cell phone and looked at the number displayed on the screen first. After seeing that it was his father''s number, he immediately pressed the answer button and asked, "What happened, Dad?"


    "Tao''er, have you been in touch with Tang Xiu recently?"


    "Yeah, we just met today and now I''m waiting for him to have a drink at the Monarch Club."


    "Do remember to never alienate Tang Xiu no matter what House Tang becomes! Preserve a good relationship with him. It''s best if you can become a life-and-death sworn brother with him."


    "What''s wrong with you, Dad? Did something happen?"


    "It''s a major incident¡­"


    A few minutes later.


    Bai Tao zoned out after he hung up the phone. After he put his cell phone on the table, he stared blankly at Qin Shaoyang, who was bewildered by his action. Bai Tao''s lips squirmed a few times and he said with a wry smile, "You know, the Su Family is finished. They can be ranked as the second-class family in Beijing as of recently, but they probably can''t even enter the list of the third-rate family in just a flash moment."


    Qin Shaoyang abruptly got up and quickly asked, "What exactly happened?"


    "My old man just called and said that Tang Xiu and a large number of people from the Special Abilities Bureau directly stormed the Su Family and committed slaughter after charging them for treason. Finally, the Su Family''s Patriarch, Su Xiangdong, then begged for mercy¡­"


    After hearing the full story from Bai Tao, disbelief was all over Qin Shaoyang''s face. He never thought that Tang Xiu would be so powerful that he could even move the personnel of the Special Abilities Bureau.


    "In the past, I thought that he was relying heavily on the Tang Family, but now I realize that it turns out to be the other way around. I just can''t imagine how much power he possesses at the present." Qin Shaoyang took a deep breath and grinned wryly.


    "Well, the first time I met him was when he was still a nobody who was just about to showcase his talents to the world." Bai Tao nodded and said, "It never crossed my mind that he would reach so high in just a few years. You know, if I must be honest, what I''m worried about is how I can still have some fun times with him in the future!"


    Qin Shaoyang gave it a thought and said, "Bai Tao, back when I decided to be Tang Xiu''s good friend, I was really sincere, not only because of his identity but also due to his own abilities. I then found that he has a likable personality ever since I got acquainted with him and how he values friendship and relationship¡ªthe qualities that make him a rare friend to have. That''s why I''ve already thought it through. I''ll cast away any other thoughts and just become his good friend no matter how powerful he becomes in the future. I just care about him. I don''t care about anything else that entails with him being my friend."


    "Well said!"


    Tang Xiu came floating and appeared in front of the two dazed men. His right hand lightly patted Qin Shaoyang''s shoulder and he smilingly said, "Treating a friend with sincerity and putting away any external factors entailed. That''s really how one must treat their true friends. Qin Shaoyang, you will be my true friend and a brother of mine."


    Qin Shaoyang got up and patted Tang Xiu''s shoulder as well, laughing. "Hahaha. I have many friends, but the true ones among them are but a few. From today on, you and Bai Tao are my real friends along with Chu Yi, though I have no idea where this fella has run to recently. But no matter what, all three of you are my friends. And Bai Tao, thanks a bunch for standing up for me today."


    "We''re friends, so save your thanks later on, got it?" replied Bai Tao with a smile.


    Friends and brothers. These two terms somehow always aroused vigilance in Tang Xiu''s heart. He had always been wary of giving his back to those who even had the best relationship with him, like Yuan Chuling and Long Zhengyu.


    But today, Qin Shaoyang said something that made him realize that some people wanting to be his friends out of their pure intention without any external factors, but only their sincerity to become friends with him.


    Back when he was in the Immortal World, those who he once thought were life-and-death brothers had too much involvement and entanglement entailed. Their relationship gradually fell behind and turned into one that was more and more vested in interests and benefits, and no longer was there such a pure intention from the beginning.


    "Come, let''s have a toast!"


    Tang Xiu raised his glass and laughed loudly.

 1220 Scaring Them Out of Their Wits

    The Golden Coast Hot Spring Manor was the best hot spring resort in the capital. It was an upscale, first-class resort in the entire capital popular among officials, dignitaries, as well as the young ladies and scions of affluent families due to its rich recreation and entertainment.


    Su Xiaoguang was reeking with alcohol when he entered the warm steaming hot spring pool and was already drunk when he leaned onto the warm hot spring pond. A fine Cuban cigar was clamped at the end of his lips while Chen Haoren, who sat next to him, had indistinct fierceness and cruelty flashing in his eyes from time to time.


    "You guys tell me. How much wealth does the Magnificent Tang Corp have? How much wealth can we share if we obtain this company?" Suddenly, Chen Haoren asked.


    The other five were stunned and immediately thought about it. Afterward, each and every one of them wore a shocked expression.


    Su Xiaoguang clenched his fists and said aloud, "I heard that the auction held by Magnificent Tang Corporation amassed a colossal amount of money. It''s said that they earned hundreds of billions, and maybe over 1 trillion yuan. If we can get this company and then share only a fraction of it, we all will definitely become super-rich. We can even enter the front line of the rich, like their spokesman. All in all, we can do anything we want in the future."


    Chen Haoran''s mouth curved and an evil grin appeared on his face when he meaningfully said, "House Tang is no longer glorious. Although I have no idea what happened to them, the members of this family have resigned from their posts in the government and left their business mogul status. They are like hidden rats with no trace to be found now. What does this mean, then? I think it shows that the Tangs must have encountered big troubles or something, which forced them to give up everything, be it their positions, wealth, and status. Their wealth still remains now, but it''s obvious that it will become free meals ready to be devoured by other powers."


    "Haoran, I''ll follow along if you dare to take the action on this one," blurted Su Xiaoguang in a deep voice.


    Chen Haoran smiled in response. Just as he shifted to the rest, he noticed that the owner of Golden Coast Hot Spring Resort, Zheng Dong, a man who also had considerable standing in the capital, was coming over half-running with four black-suited men as if something had happened.


    As Zheng Dong came to the hot spring pool, he glanced over at the everyone with a complicated expression. As his eyes finally landed on Su Xiaoguang''s face, his expression looked solemn. "Su Xiaoguang, I give you 10 minutes to leave this resort. You''re not welcome anymore starting from today."


    "What?"


    Su Xiaoguang was dumbfounded and stared blankly at Zheng Dong as though the man was a complete stranger to him. Prior to this, Zheng Dong had always acted humbly and so enthusiastic like his own lackey. Why did he turn his face and refuse him now? When did he ever annoy or offend him?


    Chen Haoran furrowed his brows and asked in a heavy tone, "What do you mean by that, Boss Zheng? We''re all brothers, yet you want to drive Su Xiaoguang away so blatantly. Are you also driving us away?"


    Zheng Dong hesitated for a moment. His expression changed and he squeezed out a forced smile and helplessly said, "Young Master Chen, it''s not like I want to drive Su Xiaoguang away. It''s because I''m scared that I have to drive him away. He has courted huge trouble to himself. I will probably be implicated if I let him stay here. Please hear my advice. Hurry up and announce that you have no relationship with him, else it will be difficult for you to avoid the imminent calamity coming for you!"


    His statement made Chen Haoran even more confused. "What do you mean?"


    "Haven''t you heard about the latest news, Young Master Chen?" asked Zheng Dong. "Do you know that Su Xiaoguang has pissed off someone he can''t afford to provoke? He has annoyed that House Tang''s Young Master! People always say that a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. House Tang is the current super-powerful and was the one who completely annihilated House Yao, another very powerful family, then. He just courted his own death by provoking them! Alas, I won''t say anything more about this Su brat. Just scram from my place and don''t bring calamity to me. I''m just a small-time businessman, I can''t afford to get involved with you."


    Su Xiaoguang jumped out of the hot spring naked. But being drunk after drinking too much last night, his wet feet didn''t stand properly on the floor and he fell straight with his head on the floor. He shrieked due to the pain, though it helped him sober up from his drunkenness.


    "What the hell did you just say, surnamed Zheng? Do you dare repeat it to this Daddy, huh?" Su Xiaoguang struggled to get up and yelled angrily.


    Zheng Dong narrowed his eyes in response and then replied without being salty, "Don''t blame me from acting indifferent towards you, Young Master Su. But the man you''ve provoked is very terrifying. Not to mention me, even your family just suffered a heavy blow this time. I dare say that your family won''t even be able to stand up again for the next 10 years. You¡­ best take care of yourself!"


    "What the hell do you mean by that, Zheng?!" Su Xiaoguang got up with difficulty and shouted, "Spit out everything!"


    Zheng Dong glanced at the cell phones on the poolside table. Then, he lightly replied, "I''m really curious. Sensational news has literally exploded outside, yet you are still acting mighty and ignorant like this. Did no one call you at least once? Does Patriarch Su really dote you to this extent, he even left you out when your family is going to collapse?"


    My family is going to collapse?


    Su Xiaoguang''s heart pounded. He may be a silk pant, but he was still quite smart. He could faintly tell that some major event had happened given how Zheng Dong acted and the words he said after he arrived.


    Immediately after, he rushed to the poolside table and grabbed his cell phone. After checking it, he found that his cell phone was out of battery and had been automatically shut down. He quickly grabbed Chen Haoran''s mobile phone and dialed his father''s number.


    "Who''s this?" an angry voice asked from the phone.


    "It''s me, Dad. Has something happened in our family?" asked Su Xiaoguang quickly.


    Ten seconds passed, but no sounds nor reply came from the phone. Just as uneasiness grew in Su Xiaoguang''s heart, it wasn''t a voice nor sound that came out, but a roar. "YOU DAMN BEAST! SWINE! You only f*cking know how to make troubles all day long. Get the hell back here now! You must get back home in half an hour!"


    Beast? Swine? Dad actually swears and calls me¡­ a beast?


    Disbelief was all over Su Xiaoguang''s face and his heart fell to the bottom. He was now completely sure that something, a big accident, really happened at home.


    Chen Haoran frowned deeper. He came to Su Xiaoguang''s side and received his phone back from him. Then, he asked, "What happened?"


    Su Xiaoguang turned difficultly. His lips squirmed a few times when he saw Chen Haoran, but nothing came out of it. The next moment, he staggered to the pond, put on his clothes, and then walked towards the outside staggeringly.


    He must go home. He needed to find out what was happening in the Su Family residence.


    Chen Haoran fiddled with his cell phone before he looked at Zheng Dong and asked, "Boss Zheng, your actions were eye-catching and I see you in a new light now. But I''m sure there''s a reason given your personality. Just tell me what exactly happened to the Su Family."


    "Young Master Chen, I know that you are friends with Su Xiaoguang." Zheng Dong forced a smile. "But please heed my advice and draw a line with him right away and never have any relationship with him anymore. Though if my guess is correct, the chance for you two to meet in the future will be next to nil."


    "Tell me more." Chen Haoran looked cold.


    "I have no idea how Su Xiaoguang provoked House Tang. But in the end, Tang Xiu and a large number of ability users from the Special Abilities Bureau directly besieged the Su Family''s residence and charged them for treason. At least tens of the family guards were killed and then¡­ that Tang Xiu from House Tang¡­"


    Zheng Dong told the whole story he knew and finally sighed. "As of now, all the affluent families in the capital have learned about this incident. The news has spread out, not only limited in the capital, but also has passed to all the forces and powerful families in entire China. Although a large number of House Tang''s members are missing, this family is now much more fearsome than ever with such a large mountain like the Special Abilities Bureau behind them."


    Chen Haoran trembled and nearly fell to the floor. His complexion turned ghastly pale instantly and fear and dread were visible in his eyes.


    It was a big trouble.


    He knew exactly the cause of the incident. No one knew better than him what Su Xiaoguang did to offend Tang Xiu, which ultimately led to such a disaster to the Su Family. If¡­ it wasn''t Su Xiaoguang who intervened him at the Monarch Club back then, it would have been him who offended Tang Xiu.


    NO! It was very likely that he had offended Tang Xiu.


    The moment Chen Haoran realized it, he suddenly felt a chill as though he was falling into an ice hole. He quickly put on his clothes, grabbed his things, and then ran outside.


    Going home! He needed to go home right away and quickly tell the elders of his family to try to find a remedy to resolve this issue. Else, even if the Chens were slightly stronger than the Sus, fighting against the fearsome people from the Special Abilities Bureau was futile and only courting their own deaths!


    ****


    At the Chen Family residence.


    Chen Shuo sat in front of Family Head, Chen Xintao, who wore a wry smile on his normally dignified face. Then, he said, "Dad, this is just simply a gangster play. How could the Sus possibly commit treason? Yet, such a charge was just casually thrown at them. This is simply despicable."


    "Heh, the Sus only have themselves to blame on this one." Chen Xintao sneered. "Having such wastrel as descendant who only knows to stir up troubles and finally causes a disaster to the family. House Tang¡­ Hehe. I can''t even figure out what happened to them until now, yet someone has started to provoke this family. This is just giving a chance to House Tang to kill a chicken to warn the monkeys!"


    "My thoughts exactly." Chen Shuo nodded. "It''s just that I never thought that the Tangs would actually kill a chicken with a huge cleaver. Such a method of a deliberate show of strength is really effective to warn others. There''s no need for Tang Yunpeng to move at all."


    "House Tang only leaves Tang Yunpeng alone now. It''s very likely that he has very powerful cards in his hands." Chen Xintao said, "He didn''t need to move, but Tang Xiu still easily brought out such a great mountain and directly crushed the Su Family. That''s really a great and amazing feat!"


    Chen Suo nodded and was about to speak. Suddenly, he recalled something and his face slightly changed. He then hurriedly said, "Father, as far as I know, Haoran often hangs out with Su Xiaoguang, that Su Family''s brat. Do you think that with Su Xiaoguang offending Tang Xiu and House Tang, then Haoran¡­"

 1221 Apologizing

    The revelation made Chen Xintao''s face slightly changed as a prudent look appeared in his eyes. Then, he spoke in a deep tone, "We''re in troubling times now. Even though the chance is unlikely, you had better call Haoran immediately and ask him if he''s related to this incident."


    Chen Shuo picked up his cell phone, but his call was hung up just as he dialed his son, Chen Haoran''s phone.


    "What happened?" asked Chen Xintao.


    "He didn''t pick up my call and just hung up," Chen Shuo replied with a forced smile.


    Chen Xintao was about to reply when he suddenly noticed a figure coming from the outside. He then nodded. "You''re back, Haoran. There''s something I need to ask you."


    Chen Haoran''s lips twitched. He walked to the front of Chen Xintao, knelt down and bitterly said, "I may have made some big mistakes, Grandpa."


    Chen Xintao and Chen Shuo exchanged glances and a bad feeling grew inside their hearts. Chen Xintao then asked in a deep voice, "Tell me, were you also involved in the incident when Su Xiaoguang offended Tang Xiu?"


    Chen Haoran hesitated and then answered, "I think I''ve offended him as well, Grandpa."


    BAM¡­


    Although Chen Xintao was very old, his movement when he got up and moved was swift. He kicked Chen Haoran''s chest and knocked him to the floor, shouting, "Tell me what the hell happened from the start. Do not miss a word!"


    Chen Haoran''s lips wriggled and he told the whole story. Then, he finally said bitterly, "It was just a small contradiction, but it was Su Xiaoguang who insulted Tang Xiu. I didn''t say anything."


    A cold light flashed in Chen Xintao''s eyes. After a few minutes of contemplation, he lit a cigarette, took a deep breath and then said, "Shuo''er, withdraw the funds of our family and transfer some money to a bank card. Then bring Haoran to House Tang''s residence to apologize."


    Chen Shuo hesitated. "But¡­ how much I should prepare, Father?"


    Chen Xintao pinched down the cigarette impatiently and paced back and forth a few times. Then, he shook his head and said, "Forget it! I''ll go to House Tang myself. Prepare 1 billion yuan and 2 billion more as a reserve fund. The Tangs used a method to kill a chicken to warn the monkeys, and they aimed their butcher knife to the Sus this time. But our family must not take this incident lightly, so we must move fast to apologize. It''s best to make it known to others that our family is bowing our heads to House Tang."


    "I''ll do it right away. The money will be prepared in 10 minutes." Chen Shu strode out of the door and disappeared from Chen Xintao''s and Chen Haoran''s sights.


    Chen Xintao took a deep breath and then looked at his pale grandson, asking him indifferently, "What lesson did you take from this incident?"


    "I understand the truth that I must never be fooled by false impression and that I must never easily provoke anyone," answered Chen Haoran bitterly.


    Finally, a look of relief appeared on Chen Xintao''s face and he nodded. "Take this incident as a good lesson! It''s better to spend money to avoid disasters than forever remain ignorant of how deep the world is. Keep in mind that there are always unusual variables behind every strange incident. House Tang left only Tang Yunpeng and Tang Xiu, whereas the rest of them have disappeared, but that doesn''t mean they have fallen already. If my guess is correct, they must have a big plan on the motion."


    "What big plan could it be, Grandpa?" asked Chen Haoran.


    "Who do I ask even if you ask me?" Chen Xintao shook his head. "I can tell some people with quite the background all over China are also pondering about this matter as well."


    ****


    At House Tang''s residence.


    Tang Yunpeng was silently sitting cross-legged in the room in cultivation. However, a knock on the door made him slowly open his eyes and ask in a deep voice, "Is there something up?"


    "There are some people outside asking to meet you, Patriarch. They are the Head of Chen Family in Beijing, Chen Xintao, and his grandson, Chen Haoran," the voice of his secretary outside the door replied to him.


    Tang Yunpeng furrowed his brows and looked annoyed. He could just ignore the guest if it was someone else, but Chen Xintao was, after all, the Head of an affluent family who also possessed considerable energy in the capital. Therefore, he nodded and said, "Alright, take them to the guest room. I''ll see them soon."


    "Understood!" The secretary outside the room replied. Then, he came in, approached and said, "Patriarch, I think it''s best to call Tang Xiu first. This should be about the incident that happened outside that''s related to our House."


    "I see."


    After replying, Tang Yunpeng took his mobile phone and inquired about it. A strange expression painted his solemn face after he heard Tang Xiu''s explanation. Even though Tang Xiu was not in front of him, he still raised his thumbs up and praised. "You took care of it beautifully, Xiu''er."


    "I''ve already accomplished everything I should handle here, First Uncle. Things will be much better for our family in the future if you really got transferred to Shanghai later," said Tang Xiu with a chuckle.


    "I know Duanmu Lin''s character. He''s always very cautious in doing things, so I''m sure he has taken care of everything since he has said so. I''m going to wait, for now. I believe the decision will come out soon," Tang Yunpeng said.


    "That would be great, then." Tang Xiu chuckled and then said, "Anyhow, First Uncle, I need to leave Beijing tonight for Shanghai to tend to something. Also, I''ll carry out another big plan after you come to Shanghai and formally settle down."


    "What plan?" asked Tang Yunpeng.


    "Well, I''m keeping it a secret about that for now until you come to Shanghai, though." Tang Xiu said, "It''s likely that I''m going to need your assistance, so I''ll naturally tell you about it later."


    "Haih, you''re really mystifying things, brat." Tang Xiu laughed and then said, "Alright, then. I won''t ask since you don''t want to tell me now. Anyway, the Head of Chen Family, Chen Xintao, and his grandson, Chen Haoran just came to see me. Their visit should be related to you, shouldn''t it?"


    "Well, I don''t have a plan to deal with them at the moment, though. You can call the shots if they come to apologize, regardless of the compensation they offer, Uncle. But if they come to court more trouble, please contact me and I''ll deal with them."


    Tang Yunpeng then went to the living room after hanging up. But the moment he saw Chen Xintao and Chen Haoran, Chen Xintao directly moved and knelt in front of him.


    "What are you doing, Patriarch Chen?" Tang Yunpeng intentionally acted surprised and asked.


    "Yunpeng, we''re old acquaintances, but this wastrel grandson of mine has offended Tang Xiu. That''s why I came personally and dragged him here to apologize." Chen Xintao wryly smiled.


    "Eh, what exactly happened, though?" Tang Yunpeng acted bewildered.


    "It''s just a minor spat between youngsters, but I felt that it won''t be over so easily." Chen Xintao reluctantly explained, "If anything, House Tang is currently garnering the attention of many people and I''m afraid that those concerned are having wild speculations right now. That''s the reason why I brought this good-for-nothing grandson of mine here to apologize. It will also serve as a message to them that House Tang is still the original House Tang and even much stronger."


    Tang Yunpeng let out a light smile and grabbed Chen Xintao to prop him up. Then, he smilingly said, "It''s just a minor fight between children, there''s no need for us to get involved as their guardians. Please have a seat, Elder Chen."


    Instead of taking a seat directly, Chen Xintao took out a bank card and handed it to Tang Yunpeng, saying, "Yunpeng, I know Tang Xiu has a magnanimous personality and he''s also a good child, but it''s not like he deserves a loss. There''s a small sum of money in this card, please take it as a token of apology from my family. The PIN is written on the back. Also, please speak well to Tang Xiu about this."


    "About this¡­" Tang Yunpeng put on an awkward expression on purpose.


    "Doesn''t Tang Xiu still listen to your words, Yunpeng?" asked Chen Xintao.


    "Like he dares not to." Tang Yunpeng immediately blurted out. "I''m still his First Uncle and that brat must hear what I tell him."


    "That''s right. It''s a virtue of the young to respect their elders, to begin with." Chen Xintao nodded and said, "If anything, it will be up to you to handle this matter. Anyway, it''s rather late now, so I won''t disturb you anymore."


    Tang Yunpeng hesitated for a moment and then intentionally asked, "Why don''t you stay for a cup of tea, Elder Chen?"


    "Nah, it''s too late already." Chen Xintao shook his head. "I''ll invite you to some drinks later."


    "Alright, then. But it will be my treat."


    Tang Yunpeng sent Chen Xintao and Chen Haoran to the front gate and watched them leave. When his secretary approached, Tang Yunpeng gave him the bank card and said, "Check how much money is in this card."


    "Understood!"


    A few minutes later, his secretary quickly came back and said, "There''s 1 billion yuan in it, Patriarch."


    "The Chens are really sincere on this matter." Tang Yunpeng raised his brows and immediately said smilingly, "Alright, take this bank card and go to the Special Abilities Bureau by yourself and give it to Director Duanmu Lin. Tell him that it''s a token from House Tang to buy some equipment for the guardians in the Special Abilities Bureau."


    "Isn''t this¡­ a bit too much?" The secretary hesitated.


    Tang Yunpeng chuckled. "Do you think 1 billion yuan is too much compared to the protection the Special Abilities Bureau provides for our House? No matter how good the personal relationship between Duanmu Lin and Tang Xiu, we brought some people from the Special Abilities Bureau to help us. Some people among them must be unhappy due to that. Everyone in the world always seeks profits as it is the most reasonable thing to get involved in anything. It''s likely everyone in the Special Abilities Bureau will shut their mouths once we send this money over."


    "You''re wise, Patriarch."


    ****


    The news that the Head of the Chen Family, Chen Xintao, brought his grandson, Chen Haoran, to visit House Tang''s residence to apologize quickly spread out, and was soon known by many forces and families. It was the Chens themselves who released the news.


    In that instant, the circle of affluent families in the capital was in an uproar and the news shook many influential families and powerful parties all over China. The news made them incredulous and they finally realized that House Tang turned out to not have fallen. Even though many of House Tang''s members had disappeared, this family was still terrifying.


    The next day.


    The news of misfortune that had befallen the Su Family and the uproar caused by the apology of the Chen Family had yet to fade away, but another piece of news had spread out to every region in China yet again:


    "Tang Yunpeng of House Tang has left his previous post and is now assigned to hold his new post in Shanghai. Due to his outstanding performance and abilities, as well as his professionalism and dedication to the state and the people, he now serves as the Deputy of the Ministry of Culture."


    The moment this news came out, everyone felt a heavy pressure as this foreshadowed that House Tang still had a genuine pillar and still stood as a behemoth even without its previous patriarch, Tang Guosheng.

 1222 Towards the Stars

    The northern part of the country was snowing, but the southern regions were covered by a sunny sky. The boundless horizon over the sky of Shanghai was so clear that its blue sky was as though it had just been washed by water.


    At Paradise Manor.


    Tang Xiu was quietly sitting in a hundred-plus square meters spacious room while holding a cup of hot tea. He looked at the four people sitting in front of him, Duanmu Lin, Tang Yunpeng, Mo Yi, and Kang Xia.


    "Tang Xiu, we have all drank two cups of tea and waited for you for a while here. You told me on the phone that you have a big plan in mind. What exactly is it? Don''t keep us guessing here, will you?" Duanmu Lin put down his teacup with a helpless expression on his aged face.


    "I should have gone to the municipal office to report now, Xiu''er. But I rushed over directly at your call." Tang Yunpeng nodded and said, "Don''t blame me if I get mad at you if you don''t have anything important."


    Tang Xiu put down the teacup and smilingly said, "I''d like to ask a question first before I get to the important point, though. What do you think about the current standard of science and technology on Earth?"


    Duanmu Lin and Tang Yunpeng exchanged glances, while Mo Yi and Kang Xia looked confused. They had no idea how to answer Tang Xiu''s question.


    After a long while, Duanmu Lin slowly said, "Humanity has made rapid progress in science and technology and we have many high-tech products which are much better than in the past."


    "And what about its comparison to the technology in the three-star vestige?" asked Tang Xiu again.


    "How can it be compared with it?" Duanmu Lin forced a wry smile and said, "It''s just worlds apart! If the level of science and tech on Earth can reach the level of tech found in three-star vestige, it''s very likely that we''d have ventured out of Earth towards the stars."


    "That''s exactly my point," Tang Xiu said. "I invited all of you here today so that humanity can venture out of the Earth and march towards the stars. I want to make a qualitative leap in regards to science and technological power we can control in a decade. I hope that humanity can explore the entire galaxy and form an interstellar fleet in two decades. In three decades, I hope humanity can develop and govern the entire Milky Way and make it an impregnable bastion so we can call this star territory our own."


    "Hahaha, quit joking with us, Tang Xiu." Duanmu Lin shook his head and laughed. "If science and tech on Earth can reach this level, and if humanity could reach such a situation, that would simply¡­"


    Suddenly, he noticed a faint smile on Tang Xiu''s face and the next words got stuck in this throat. Based on what he knew about Tang Xiu''s character, Tang Xiu was not one who liked to talk nonsensical things. He must have confidence that it could be achieved since he mentioned it.


    But still, wasn''t that too far-fetched an idea?


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and his smile gradually disappeared as he solemnly said, "Senior Duanmu, you had your own interest with your duties and I had my own concerns back when we were not on the same boat. That''s why I''ve never told you about one thing. But now, I can tell you about it."


    "What is it?" Duanmu Lin''s expression shifted and he hurriedly asked.


    Tang Xiu said, "Do you still remember the three-star vestige I''ve explored, the one located at the ''sea crossroad'' of Malacca Straits which west part belongs to Myanmar Sea and its south part connects the South China Sea? The channel length is about 1080km long ad its southeast lane connects the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean. It''s the newly discovered three-star vestige at the bottom of the sea. Does that ring a bell?"


    "Yeah." Duanmu Lin nodded.


    "This three-star vestige is opened for a limited time and various countries have been trying to explore and excavate the entire site to obtain more advanced tech, is that right?" said Tang Xiu.


    "That''s correct." Duanmu Lin nodded again.


    "People in all countries are said to be at a loss on how to deal with this vestige, but I can tell you that this three-star vestige is completely under my control," Tang Xiu said. "You can say that I''m its owner and I can use every tech there, from which I also obtained the SmartBrain of this vestige which contains a lot of scientific and technological knowledge far beyond the level of Earth. If I have three conditions fulfilled, which are time, funds, and manpower, I can also create a high-tech world."


    "Come again!?"


    Shock covered Duanmu Lin''s face as he looked at Tang Xiu with disbelief. He couldn''t help trembling despite having formidable strength.


    "You haven''t heard wrong," Tang Xiu said with all seriousness. "I have full control of the three-star vestige and I can enter and leave the remains at any time. You can say that I own all the tech products there and I can even use all the scientific and technological knowledge stored there. Senior Duanmu, to tell you the truth, that vestige is actually a huge interstellar battleship and I can control it completely. I can even activate and drive it out of Earth into the depths of the universe."


    Duanmu Lin gulped down. He could hardly express his emotions when he looked at Tang Xiu''s serious face.


    It was an utter shock that brought along with it a horrifying feeling.


    If Tang Xiu''s claims were true, then he was absolutely capable of becoming the true Master of Earth if he did something behind his back. Facing such fearsome advanced scientific and technological power, humanity''s technological level was simply like garbage and could be easily destroyed.


    Tang Yunpeng glanced at Duanmu Lin before his eyes focused on Tang Xiu. He then asked seriously, "What exactly do you want to do, Xiu''er?"


    "My departure from Earth in the future is inevitable," Tang Xiu said. "Inevitably, all members of the Tang Sect will also follow me, including the four of you. But Earth is our roots and the place where I grew up. We can leave this place, but I must guarantee that it will exist forever. I do not wish to see it destroyed when I return someday, nor do I want to see humanity go extinct.


    "Of course, there''s also another possibility that could happen in about a few decades, centuries, or millenniums after we leave, where we''ll find that humanity has been invaded by some other races in the universe. The weak dwellers of Earth may become slaves or even the livestock for these extraterrestrials, either that or humans on earth have all been massacred completely.


    "I may not a great man, but I want to give Earth a contingency plan and a guarantee before I leave. At least humanity can protect itself when facing a powerful alien race. That''s why possessing formidable and advanced science and tech is a must. Humanity must control a wide range of territory, at least the entire Milky Way. I want to build countless forces and a formidable defense network, as well as an interstellar armada to make the entire Milky Way an impregnable bastion."


    Tang Yunpeng, Mo Yi, and Kang Xia abruptly got up with shocked expressions. Deep respect aroused in their hearts and they heavily nodded at Tang Xiu.


    To protect their homes and country.


    Tang Xiu was a formidable individual, but he also considered the possibility of his home being invaded by aliens in the future. Such a character, as well as the thoughts to prepare for such rainy days, was truly admirable.


    "Please elaborate more about your idea, Tang Xiu," Duanmu Lin asked slowly.


    "I need a secret base, one that is large enough, remote and inaccessible." Tang Xiu said, "The next step would be to invest enormous financial and material resources along with manpower. Within the first two years, set up a school to teach them the scientific and technological knowledge in the three-star vestige as fast as possible. At the same time, we also need to build secret bases to manufacture interstellar battleships and train the needed soldiers to man these ships."


    "Do you want to carry this project yourself, or do you want to mobilize the entire country machine to carry it out?" asked Duanmu Lin again.


    "This is not the kind of work that can be carried out by individuals," Tang Xiu said. "I will need the support of the country, but the confidentiality of the project must be put at the highest level. In the future, be it the manufactured starships, or the starship troopers we train, all of them must belong to our country."


    "It would be impossible to conceal it if you make such big movements for the project at this scale in a short time," Duanmu Lin spoke again. "Moreover, the number of resources required is so colossal that it won''t be realistic to carry this out while maintaining full secrecy."


    "Give me 10 years." Tang Xiu said in a deep tone, "I''ll preside over the overall situation and you will assist me in handling this issue. I''ll then hand over the bases to the country 10 years later."


    "I need to report this to the higher-ups first," Duanmu Lin said.


    "That would be great. It''d best if I can talk to them in person," Tang Xiu said.


    Duanmu Lin got up and said, "Tang Xiu, I''ll invite the three Seniors of the state. And I''m looking forward to future development if you can convince them."


    "Alright!" Tang Xiu nodded and sent Duanmu Lin off.


    Afterward, there were only Tang Xiu, Tang Yunpeng, Mo Yi, and Kang Xia remaining in the room. Tang Xiu looked at Tang Yunpeng and said, "First Uncle, I admit that this decision was made due to my selfishness. It is my hope that you can also go further in the future. The Tang Family needs escort from you for the purpose."


    Tang Yunpeng nodded. "No worries."


    Tang Xiu then shifted to Mo Yi and said, "Professor Mo, you''re a scientist and expert researcher. I hope you can become the chief engineer for the following major plan. I need you to form a team of technical personnel from which the starships will be manufactured in the future."


    "Tang Xiu, you have my word that I''ll live up to your expectations on this one. I''m ready to sacrifice the short remaining years of my life for it," Mo Yi replied excitedly.


    "Hahaha. Well, that will be all, then." Tang Xiu laughed and said, "Professor Yi, First Uncle, you both can tend to your business and prepare in advance. I believe it won''t be long before this plan will be approved."


    Tang Yunpeng patted Tang Xiu''s shoulder and directly left. Only after he and Mo Yi disappeared from the room did Tang Xiu look at Kang Xia.


    Kang Xia didn''t utter any words. They were now the only ones left here, so she went straight to him and hugged him gently. She exerted her strength and hugged him tighter.


    Tang Xiu patted her shoulder and chuckled. "Dear, we''re going to be much busier with the Magnificent Tang Corporation since I will need a colossal amount of money and wealth. Let alone 1 trillion, even 100 trillion and 1 quintillion yuan won''t be enough for our purpose."


    "I stubbornly believed that you''re the best man in the world back then," Kang Xia murmured. "My vision back then proved out to be true now. From now on, I''ll be in charge of making money and you''ll be responsible for handling the rest of the affairs."

 1223 A Pocket World

    The moonlight was as though sprinkling water that inundated the earth. After getting occupied with many issues in the last few days, Tang Xiu finally took a short break. The atmosphere of love was thick as he began taking off his clothes.


    BANG¡­ zzzt...


    All of a sudden, the whole world seemed to shake, while the doors, windows, and lamps also vibrated. Even the firm-footed bed also rocked. Tang Xiu raised his finger and swore that he and Kang Xia were not the culprits who made everything shake.


    "What''s going on?"


    With a flushed face, Kang Xia quickly looked at the window.


    Tang Xiu slightly frowned and quickly got dressed and moved in a flash to the window. When he looked at the scenery outside, he saw that many people had rushed out of their own dwellings under the dim light, looking around and looked to be at a loss.


    Was it an earthquake?


    Tang Xiu furrowed his brows. He could still feel the faint tremors, the likes that were very similar to tremors caused by an earthquake.


    "Grand Master."


    Tang An silently appeared next to him and called out in a low voice.


    "What happened? Do you know the cause of the tremors?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "I have no idea about it, either." Tang An shook her head and said, "The tremors hit the entire neighborhood and can be felt by everyone else. Could it be a normal earthquake?"


    "It''s unlikely, else it would have caused a big disaster already." Tang Xiu shook his head.


    Having said that, he dialed Jin Shi''s cell number and asked in a deep tone, "Where are you?"


    "I''m currently in Heilongjiang Province, Sect Master," answered Jin Shi.


    "A tremor just hit Shanghai. Immediately contact the intel operatives in Shanghai to investigate what happened here," Tang Xiu ordered.


    "Pardon?" Jin Shi exclaimed and hurriedly said, "You said Shanghai was just hit by the tremors too? The same thing is happening on my side as well, just like an earthquake."


    Tang Xiu was silent.


    The tremors hit the northern part of the country as well as Shanghai. It gave him a bad feeling. Because he worried that the tremors happened across the country. If it did, then major events would inevitably occur.


    "I''ll carry out the investigation right away, Sect Master." Jin Shi immediately broke the ice after noticing Tang Xiu''s long pause.


    "Contact those in charge of each city in the country and ask the situations on their side and pass the reports to me as quickly as possible," said Tang Xiu finally.


    Only five minutes had passed when Jin Shi returned the call. His face turned grim after hearing the report since the information from Jin Shi said that the tremors were felt all over China¡ªa sign that it wasn''t an ordinary event and there was likely a huge danger looming in China.


    Ring, ring, ring¡­


    The urgent ringtone suddenly rang from his cell phone. Tang Xiu quickly grabbed it and was a bit stunned and surprised after seeing the caller displayed on the screen.


    "Chen Shaohua?"


    Tang Xiu pondered for a short while. He then pressed the answer button and asked, "Did something happen?"


    Chen Shaohua''s voice replied from the phone, "We got a situation here, Sect Master."


    "What is it?" asked Tang Xiu in a deep voice as his heart dropped.


    "You assigned me to send some experts to be stationed near the Longquan Mountain in the western region to guard the pocket world there back then, and I just received news from there. Something huge must have happened in that pocket world as tens of fearsome fierce beasts were seen rushing out of the entrance. A few of them are seemingly rushing towards the periphery of Longquan Mountain and will likely pose a huge threat to the civilians outside."


    Tang Xiu''s complexion changed and he asked in a heavy tone, "Did the tremors happen there as well?"


    "Yeah. It''s quite strong and nearly reached a magnitude of 4 or 5," Chen Shaohua answered.


    Tang Xiu''s pupils shrunk. He immediately realized that the source of the tremor occurring all over China. It was very likely caused by Longquan Mountain in the western region. With almost no hesitation, he ordered in a deep voice, "I''m heading there right away. Contact everyone over there to stand guard at Longquan Mountain and don''t let any of those fierce beasts leave the mountain range, lest ordinary people see them."


    "Understood! I''ll notify everyone there immediately. Further, I''ll be heading to the pocket world''s entrance at Longquan Mountain within an hour," replied Chen Shaohua quickly.


    "Be careful."


    Tang Xiu hung up and then turned to Kang Xia behind him. He then spoke to her in a deep voice, "I must leave Shanghai. You stay here to tend to your work. Also, pay more attention to the construction project of Magnificent Tang Corp.''s HQ in Shanghai and tell the developer and the construction team to speed up. If possible, divide the work into three shifts, I want it finished in the shortest possible time. We need to move our HQ and factories to Shanghai completely."


    "Roger. I get it." Kang Xia nodded.


    Tang Xiu left Paradise Manor and quickly contacted Duanmu Lin and told him about the situation. Then, he finally said, "I don''t know exactly what happened in that pocket world, so I''m heading there as fast as I can. Senior Duanmu, it''s best that you head over there too if you can, and assign some people to block the entire Longquan Mountain to ensure that no fierce beast breaks out. Otherwise, it will cause harm to the natives there."


    "I''m heading there at once," Duanmu Lin replied. "Also, you''re still in Shanghai, aren''t you? I''ll send someone to pick you up by chopper to get you there as quickly as possible."


    "Alright!" Tang Xiu curtly replied.


    ****


    Four hours later, Tang Xiu was escorted by a military helicopter and finally arrived near Longquan Mountain after stopping over at some places along the way.


    Only Tang An followed him this time, but both were very powerful and quickly entered the interior of the mountain range after jumping off the army chopper.


    Quickly after, Tang Xiu and Tang An halted their advance when a figure appeared in front of them. It was Chen Shaohua who had arrived here ahead of time. The man was drenched wet in blood at this moment and seemed to have just crawled out from a blood pond. However, there was a piece of scaly flesh on his shoulder which should be from a fierce beast.


    "Brief me the current situation!"


    Tang Xiu dashed towards Chen Shaohua''s front and inquired while his hand quickly took out a Holy Healing pill from the interspatial ring and stuffed it into the man''s mouth.


    Chen Shaohua quickly swallowed the pill and shot a grateful look at Tang Xiu. He didn''t even wait for the medicine to be absorbed fully and hurriedly said, "The number of fierce beasts rushing out of that pocket world keeps increasing and I only brought a dozen people here. Added with those who have been stationed here, we only have 16 people in total. We have killed hundreds of fierce beasts in the last four-plus hours, but these beasts are too scattered and we can''t stop them all. However, the intel department just contacted me and they are sure that no fierce beasts have rushed out of the forested mountain range, so no disaster will happen to the locals living in the vicinity. At least for the time being."


    "That''s good to hear." Tang Xiu nodded and said, "I''ve notified some people from the state about this. We can expect to have a large number of experts here soon. By the way, is there anyone from our side watching the entrance to that pocket world?"


    "We only have a few people here, but we do have some staying there. It''s just that we have hidden the fallen ones secretly." Chen Shaohua replied, "They immediately moved to kill these fierce beasts if the number that rushing out was few. I told them to avoid the beasts if their number is too many and too strong for them to face."


    "How long does it take to get there from here?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "About an hour and a half," Chen Shaohua said.


    Tang Xiu then grabbed his shoulder and said, "Show me the way. I''ll take you there."


    Reaching the pocket world''s entrance indeed would take an hour and a half according to Chen Shaohua''s speed since his cultivation was only at the Golden Core Stage. However, Tang Xiu''s speed was extremely fast and it took him only 20 minutes while towing Chen Shaohua.


    "Sect Master!"


    Four disciples of Tang Sect in black robes and swords in their hands immediately approached and greeted.


    Tang Xiu looked at the scars on their bodies and took out four Holy Healing pills and gave it to them each. Then, he said, "You''ve worked hard. How is the situation here?"


    "The total number of fierce beasts 1,160, Sect Master." One of them respectfully answered, "Some of them are very strong, and from their aura, we estimate that these particular ones should be comparable to a Golden Core Stage cultivator. The rest of these fierce beasts only have very average strength with only a few comparable to Foundation Establishment Stage, while most of them are only at the Qi Refining Stage."


    Tang Xiu nodded without a word. Then, he looked at Chen Shaohua and said, "Keep hunting and killing these fierce beasts. Jin Shi and all members of the Tang Sect in the mainland will be here soon. Keep this interspatial ring and store all the remains of the fierce beasts you''ve slain."


    Chen Shaohua''s eyes lit up and immediately received it excitedly. He had heard about the rumors that every Tang Sect disciples who had received an interspatial ring from Tang Xiu would finally keep the ring as their private property. Prior to this, he had been dreaming of having such an interspatial ring. However, he hadn''t performed many merits yet, so he never had the chance to obtain it. But now, his dreams had finally come true.


    Tang Xiu shifted to Tang An and said, "We''re going to enter this pocket world. I wanna see what''s exactly going on inside."


    "No, you can''t, Sect Master!"


    Before Tang An replied to Tang Xiu, Chen Shaohua got startled and hurriedly called out to stop him.


    "What''s wrong?" Tang Xiu frowned.


    "I entered this pocket world previously, Sect Master. That''s why I know how dangerous it is inside." Chen Shaohua hurriedly replied, "Especially that black dragon I found there. That thing is simply horribly terrifying. This subordinate can''t let Sect Master go inside personally and take the risk."


    Tang Xiu patted his shoulder with a smile and said, "I understand your concern, but don''t worry about that! My present power is much stronger than before. I can still protect myself even if I''m not a match for that black dragon."


    Chen Shaohua opened his mouth and wanted to speak out more, but after seeing Tang Xiu''s eyes turn sharp, he finally swallowed back the words he was about to say and nodded wordlessly.


    Tang Xiu then shifted his vision to the entrance while secretly raising his vigilance. As he entered, he spoke to Tang An, who followed him, "Remember to withdraw at once if you sense something wrong. Many pocket worlds have a lot of treasure, but they are also fraught with fatal dangers."

 1224 Black Dragon

    The dim passage was not man-made but naturally formed. It was very spacious and the air was fresh.


    Slash¡­


    A sword beam flashed and decapitated two fierce beasts.


    Eyes glittering with cold light, Tang Xiu walked to the remains of the beast and slowly said, "It''s strange. The space in the passage is so stable that it makes me rather alarmed. Not to mention that these fierce beasts do not exist on Earth. They are like new species with the exception of being weaker in strength. There''s also something else noticeable¡­"


    "What else did you find, Grand Master?" asked Tang An curiously.


    "If my conjecture is correct, we directly entered another space right as we stepped into this passage. Take a look at the wall closely. You''ll find the difference," Tang Xiu said in a deep voice.


    The wall?


    Tang An approached the wall and carefully observed it for a while. Then, she nodded and said, "There''s something strange with the wall indeed, Grand Master. It''s neither made of soil nor stones, but another special material. It''s very similar to concrete if we must find a comparison for it."


    "Hit the wall with your weapon, but remember not to use your full force," Tang Xiu ordered.


    Tang An hesitated for a moment, then she turned her hand and grabbed a dagger and powerfully stabbed the wall in front of her. Her dagger was a magic weapon with peerless sharpness that could cut iron as if it was butter. However, her dagger was stuck after it pierced the wall for half an inch.


    "How is this possible?" Tang An exclaimed.


    She previously had thought that her dagger would be able to pierce the wall easily, as easy as cutting tofu. But the wall in front of her was nearly as hard as a diamond. Precisely speaking, it was even harder than a diamond. Yet, some plants were seen growing in several cracks on this hard wall.


    Tang Xiu collected the carcass of two fierce beasts into the interspatial ring and then said, "I think we can expect to see more interesting things inside. Let''s go ahead. But remember to activate your invisibility and hide behind the space barrier if something is wrong."


    Tang An was about to reply when her expression suddenly changed and said in horror, "Grand Master, I can only exert one-tenth of my space ability here compared to the outside. Heaven! The space barrier here is really too solid. It will take me lots of energy to even tear up a crack. I¡­ I can only hide by myself at most, but I won''t be able to take you into the space barrier."


    Tang Xiu didn''t speak again and quickly advanced towards the other end of the passage. He finally saw the light at the end after walking for about 2 kilometers.


    "This place¡­"


    Tang An stood next to Tang Xiu and looked around at the world in front of her. It was a vast and seemingly endless prairie with lots of flocks of fierce beasts. She even saw a few fierce beasts nearly the size of hills.


    Tang Xiu tilted up his head and looked at the sun in the sky. The blob of light was unexpectedly purple-colored, making his heart pound. It was because he had once read a record in the Immortal World about such purple sun.


    The Eastern Purple Qi was said to be an auspicious portent and the force behind fate. It was also said as the purest essence of energy between heaven and earth, and any cultivator who absorbed this purple energy would obtain great benefits from heaven. Thus, finding such a world filled with purple qi literally everywhere was truly unexpected for Tang Xiu. Even just taking a breath of the air gave him a relaxed and peaceful sensation.


    "The concentration of spiritual energy here is at least 10 times that of the outside world."


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and suddenly had the urge to move the Tang Sect''s base from Nine Dragons Island to this place. He realized that cultivating here would definitely be better than there.


    ROAR¡­


    A harsh and jarring cry came from the distant sky as a dazzling Golden Peng bird dived down from the sky and grabbed a huge fierce beast on the ground and then soared again. Its sharp talons easily tore the body of the mammoth fierce beast during the dive and purple blood splattered from its body as though a rain of purple water was falling.


    Tang Xiu''s pupils flickered and his figure suddenly bolted forward in a flash. He quickly reached the speed limit he could achieve and caused several fierce beasts comparable to a Golden Core Stage expert to suddenly streak up to the sky and storm toward him.


    "SCRAM¡­"


    Tang Xiu roared and instantly unleashed his divine sword. The torrential sword beam burst out like cascading waves and directly slew these tens of fierce beasts that blocked his path. Several seconds after, he dashed forward for tens of miles and threw out rows of jade bottles from his interspatial ring to contain the purple blood from the sky. After filling up more than 200 bottles, he quickly poured one bottle into his mouth.


    Buzz¡­


    The surging energy torrentially swarmed in and burst out in his stomach as a scalding heatwave, making all the fine hairs all over his body to burn.


    "Purify and refine!"


    Tang Xiu roared and instantly circulated his Heavenly Arts of Cosmic Genesis to the fullest. Along with the torrential surge of his Primal Chaos force to circulate in the meridians of his body, he burst out his aura, causing the thousands of fierce beasts in the surroundings to howl in fear and flee in all directions.


    The heatwave and the enormous energy of purple qi rapidly ran through his limbs and bones all over his body. Tang Xiu felt like he had turned into a flaming man. Although it made him terrified, he could feel that the universe inside his body was quaking while refining the enormous energy from the purple qi and transformed it into Primal Chaos energy that quickly flowed into the planets inside him.


    1 planet!


    2 planets!


    10 planets!


    99 planets.


    The entire 99 heavenly bodies began to inflate crazily¡ªa situation that, given Tang Xiu''s cultivation speed, would have taken at least hundreds of years of arduous cultivation to make these 99 planets grow to the size of more than 10 meters in diameter. That was also on the premise that his cultivation speed progressed faster than normal.


    But now, these 99 heavenly bodies were literally getting bigger in nearly an instant. After tasting the benefits given by the purple blood rain, Tang Xiu quickly downed the remaining 200 bottles of purple blood and all of them sharply grew to more than 10 meters in diameter.


    7 days passed and Tang Xiu looked like he had turned into a demonic god as he stood still in mid-air a 100 meters high while an enormous aura overflowed from him. During this time, tens of fierce beasts that were comparable to Nascent Soul Stage experts could feel Tang Xiu''s enormous pressing aura and all quietly retreated in fear.


    ROAR¡­


    A violent roar of a dragon came from the distant sky. Tang Xiu, who was deeply immersed in cultivation, was abruptly awakened by this dragon''s roar.


    My power¡­?


    As he snapped back to reality, Tang Xiu felt the surge of power in his body and disbelief overflowed in his eyes. He never expected to break through to the ninth small-stage¡ªthe last small stage of the Star Heavenly Essence Stage. Another breakthrough in this stage meant that he could directly enter the third stage of the Heavenly Arts of Cosmic Genesis.


    The ninth small-stage?


    Tang Xiu suddenly recalled that him breaking through to the ninth small-stage of the Star Heavenly Essence Stage meant that he was now comparable to the Great Ascension Stage experts. But if he kept progressing in his cultivation and became stronger, he could even contend with experts at the Crossing Tribulation Stage.


    Further, he would possess strength comparable to ordinary Immortals once he broke through to the third stage, the Star Essence Integration.


    It''s coming!


    A cold light flashed across his eyes. He could clearly hear the dragon''s roar just now. The instant after, a 100-meter-high black dragon appeared before his eyes and moved towards him threateningly. In particular, the bursting aura coming out from this dragon was truly terrifying.


    At the same time, it scared the fierce beasts within a hundred miles of the surrounding area and made them flee further in all directions.


    "Human? A human entered this place?"


    The 100-meter-long black dragon made a grotesque expression and fixedly stared at Tang Xiu. Suddenly, it said, "You''re neither of this world nor from the world outside. Your soul imprint¡­ strange¡­ where did you come from?"


    "You can see through my soul mark?" asked Tang Xiu with a frown.


    "Hahaha." The black dragon uproariously laughed. "Not only can this sacred being see through your soul imprint, but I also can see through your power. But it''s strange, indeed. You''re a human yet you practice a cultivation art belonging to the demon race. That''s interesting¡­ truly interesting. Even that demon race''s cultivation art you''re practicing is very unusual and extraordinary, but a branch that emphasizes physical tempering. Son of human, do you really want to kill yourself that much?"


    Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes and indifferently replied, "I naturally don''t wanna die, so I''ve been cultivating well enough. Black dragon, there''s no way you''re a creature born from this pocket world, right? Else, you wouldn''t have been able to speak in the human language, especially Mandarin. Further, you also know the demon race and their cultivation system."


    The black dragon spurted a dragon breath and shook its head, saying, "This Sacred being naturally is not a native of this pocket world. There''s no way this pocket world that has just been born for hundreds of thousands of years can have such a sacred being like me. I spent 100,000 years of metamorphosis before I finally recovered my body and only now can I escape from this trap."


    "Where are you from?" asked Tang Xiu


    "Of course it''s the Dragon Realm," the black dragon replied.


    Tang Xiu''s expression changed and he said in a deep voice, "The Black Dragon Clan has been banished by the Five-claws Divine Dragon to the Ashura Realm after violating the laws of the Dragon Realm and have been dragging out their feeble existence since. How did you get here? You even stayed here for over 100,000 years according to what you just said."


    A sinister aura blasted out from the black dragon as it furiously roared, "Shut the hell up! The ancestors of my Black Dragon Clan may have violated the rules of the ancestors, but it was all because of those Dragon royalty bastards who were afraid of the talent and strength of my Black Dragon Clan! They just framed us and used it as a pretext to banish us from the Dragon Realm. How did a human brat like you know the secret history of the Dragon race? What''s your origin?"


    "I''m from the Immortal World. You can say I just had a rebirth and transmigrated here," Tang Xiu said.


    "Hmph." The black dragon snorted. "You can deceive other dragons, but you can''t deceive this sacred being! You would have retained your cultivation art from the Immortal World after you''ve transmigrated instead of cultivating a cultivation art from the demon race. What a huge joke. Forget it. This sacred being is about to escape from this trap and I don''t want to be bothered by a bug like you. I''ll kill you first since I haven''t tasted human blood for the last 100,000 years."

 1225 Slaying the Dragon

    Hidden killing intent flickered in Tang Xiu''s eyes as he stared at the 100-meter-long black dragon and fiercely said, "No feud and nothing whatsoever between us, yet you wanna kill me and taste my blood? It seems what''s been told in the legends is true, the Black Dragon Clan is indeed an evil one among the dragon race and they deserve to be slaughtered."


    The black dragon let out a loud dragon roar once again and laughed in madness. "HAHAHA. Why should I be a benevolent dragon when my Black Dragon Clan has been labeled as wicked evil by humans and immortals alike? Cut the damn crap! This sacred being won''t bother to exchange spat with bugs like you even though I''ve never talked with humans for hundreds of millenniums."


    Having said that, it opened its huge mouth and blasted out a monstrous black flame that swept over fast and appeared in front of Tang Xiu in the blink of an eye.


    "What a wicked beast. You''re dead!"


    A cold, chilling voice came from the passage to the pocket world along with a violent cold stream. Gu Yan''er in her fluttering white dress suddenly appeared in front of Tang Xiu while controlling a top-grade immortal sword as thin as a cicada''s wing that brought with it immense power. The sword instantly blasted out a 10,000-meter-long sword beam that slashed to the sky and cleaved the black flame.


    "An Immortal?"


    The black dragon shiveringly murmured as a bit of dread filled its huge eyes. It received grave injuries 100,000 years ago and only barely recovered some of its strength after spending 100 millenniums to hibernate and recuperate. But its present strength was only less than 1% than its prime and only comparable to an ordinary immortal who had just ascended to the Immortal World. It could keenly sense that the woman who suddenly appeared was definitely more than just an ordinary immortal.


    The 10,000-meter-long sword beam that cleaved the sea of flame into halves struck the black dragon''s forehead, causing it to shriek in pain. Gu Yan''er then burst into laughter happily. "Hahaha, this small world is really great. I can finally unleash all of my power here without that damn Heavenly Dao law restriction outside, though my current power is just 1/10,000 of my prime."


    The black dragon''s huge body was sent flying backward after getting struck by the sword strike. The severe pain made it howl miserably. But Gu Yan''er''s words made its heart sink to the bottom.


    1/10,000? Her present power is but only 1/10,000 from her heyday?


    How can that be?


    Could it be?


    The black dragon pulled up his couraged and roared, "Respected Immortal! Could it be that you were once a Perfected Golden Immortal in the Immortal World?"


    Gu Yan''er brandished her sword again and sneered. "Perfected Golden Immortal, huh? You''re right, I once slew over than 10 Perfected Golden Immortals and massacred over than 10,000 Golden Immortals before. You''re not weak indeed, trivial black dragon. Given the imprint of your Immortal Soul, you should have the power of a Golden Immortal before. Pity that you''re still like a bug in my eyes."


    The black dragon was scared to death and finally understood why his inborn magical ability was useless against this woman''s power. It turned out that her power was at the Perfected Golden Immortal level previously.


    "That can''t be. That human¡­"


    "Hmph." Gu Yan''er sneered. "I know what you want to say. But my Master was once a Supreme in the Immortal World, though he turned this way due to special reasons. Yet, an evil beast like you want to kill my Master? You''re simply asking to die!"


    Tang Xiu who floated in mid-air and watched as Gu Yan''er beat the black dragon could only feel a wry and bitter feeling inwardly. He used to wield fearsome power that made him stand aloof at the summit and above myriads of walks of life in the Immortal World. It never occurred to him back then that even a trivial black dragon would bully him someday.


    Certainly, even though he didn''t have the confidence to fight this black dragon and win, escaping was still within his capability. But if he chose to do so, this black dragon would come after him and it would be very likely that it would wreak havoc and spell calamity to humanity on the entire Earth.


    "Yan''er, kill it. I need its remains for cultivation," Tang Xiu took a deep breath and said aloud.


    "No worries, Master!" Gu Yan''er chuckled. "I''ll definitely slay this bug since it has the intention to kill you."


    The black dragon was scared to death at this moment. He endured humiliation to save its own skin for 100,000 years. It was all just to recover its original form and power so that it could return to the Ashura Realm to slay all its enemies in the future. However, it never expected that it would encounter a terrifying enemy that could erase its existence before its strength fully recovered, or even left this pocket world.


    It shouldn''t have ended like this!


    Regrets consuming its mind due to its previous action. The dragon felt that it shouldn''t have threatened this seemingly weak human, else it wouldn''t have annoyed such a terrifying enemy.


    "Time Elapse¡ªSpace Overlaps!"


    Gu Yan''er chanted a chilling line and the hazy sword image instantly split into two. Overlapping ripples burst out and cascaded in the air, but the black dragon discovered with fear that its body seemed to be trapped in the mud and, no matter how hard it struggled, its body was as though being bound by the space power.


    "Slash¡­"


    One thing that the black dragon felt very confident of was not its present strength but its formidable body. However, after its body was cleaved into halves and its last wisp of consciousness fleeted away, only regrets filled its whole being for having a rash and greedy character that finally led to a disaster to itself.


    Whoosh¡­


    Tang Xiu''s figure fluttered forward. He conjured a secret technique and unleashed every container-type object from his interspatial ring, be it jade bottles, porcelain vases, and many others to contain the scattered dragon blood.


    "Seal¡­"


    Tang Xiu cast another technique to gather the black dragon''s remains and sealed it up to prevent more of its blood from flowing out.


    "Devour this dragon''s soul, Yan''er!"


    Tang Xiu flicked his fingers after he fully contained all the scattered dragon''s blood into the containers and stored them. He quickly sealed up the dragon soul that attempted to flee from its body and then threw it to Gu Yan''er.


    Gu Yan''er caught the Dragon Soul and hurriedly said, "You need to restore your own power too, Master. Please devour this Dragon Soul directly. You can at least reach the late-stage of Crossing Tribulation in a short time. You can start preparing to ascend after you''ve solidified your power by then."


    "No." Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "I already obtained tremendous opportunity after coming to this world and my current power is now comparable to the Great Ascencion Stage. Having another breakthrough to the late-stage of Crossing Tribulation would be a bit too much. Yan''er, what I need now is to solidify my foundation first, rather than rushing to break through to a higher level. Besides, you still have severe injuries to treat and you just unleashed your power to slay that black dragon. It''s best for you to devour it so you can heal your injuries better."


    "Then, I''ll put away this dragon soul and wait for you to stabilize your cultivation at the Great Ascension Stage first before you can devour this Dragon Soul later." Gu Yan''er insisted.


    Tang Xiu frowned and said, "Listen to me and swallow it immediately, Yan''er."


    Seeing Tang Xiu''s solemn expression, she felt deeply moved. She no longer hesitated and directly swallowed the sealed Dragon Soul. After circulating her power according to her cultivation technique, she finally suppressed the struggling Dragon Soul and continuously refined it. Eventually, the energy from the Dragon Soul was extracted to heal her injuries, nourishing her immortal physique, as well as restoring her power further.


    Two days later.


    Tang Xiu and Tang An had explored many places in this pocket world, but they hadn''t managed to find its boundaries at all. Therefore, Tang Xiu conjectured that this pocket world was quite large and far beyond his previous estimation. He also obtained a colossal amount of cultivation resources in these two days, be it medicinal herbs, precious minerals, as well as other precious treasures.


    "The cultivation resources here are enough for all disciples in the Tang Sect for the next hundred years. If we can get all the resources in this pocket world, I think it''s still enough to support Tang Sect for thousands of years even if it becomes a hundred times bigger than it is now." Tang Xiu was extremely satisfied.


    Tang An was also very excited. Tang Xiu gave her a few bottles of the purple blood from the fierce beast before. Her strength increased greatly after she took a bottle and broke through to the late-stage of the Nascent Soul after cultivating for 8-plus days.


    She even felt that she would be able to break through to the Spirit Formation Stage once she took the remaining few bottles of purple blood. And reaching the Spirit Formation Stage was her biggest goal in the coming decades!


    Sure enough¡­ following Grand Master will make anyone''s cultivation speed extremely fast. The others will be envious if they learn that I''ve broken through to the late-stage of the Nascent Soul, won''t they? Tang An was quite excited every time she thought about it. She didn''t like to show off, but she couldn''t help but have the impulse to show it off to the rest of the Elders in Tang Sect.


    Whoosh!


    A hazy figure flickered and appeared in front of Tang Xiu and Tang An. It was Gu Yan''er in her usual white dress. She shot a satisfied look at Tang An. Then, she shifted to Tang Xiu and smilingly said, "Most of my injuries have healed after devouring the Dragon Soul, Master. I''ll be able to fully recover in half a year, though my lost power can''t be restored in a short time. My current power is at the level of a peak-stage Earth Immortal, but restoring my power to the Celestial Immortal Stage would take much longer time."


    Her report made Tang Xiu happy and he said, "There''s no immortal spiritual energy in this place. It will be difficult for you to recover your power to the Celestial Immortal Stage without it. Nonetheless, staying here to cultivate will be greatly beneficial for you, and I think you''ll able to recover your power to the level of Celestial Immortal Stage in 10 years, maybe less."


    Gu Yan''er''s smiled turned extremely bright. She nodded in response and said, "The space barrier of this pocket world is very solid and it won''t collapse even if the world outside is destroyed. Furthermore, this place has a rich concentration of Purple Qi which is very beneficial to cultivators and immortals alike. I''m confident that I can restore my cultivation to the peak-stage of Celestial Immortal in a decade, Master."


    "Keep your pace on it." Tang Xiu nodded and said, "The more strength you recover, the safer we will be in the future. Also, come with me when I leave this pocket world later. I need you to use your spiritual sense to help me find the rest of the zodiac jade carvings. I''ll be able to set up a large spatial array that can send all of us to the Immortal World as long as we find the full 12 sets of these zodiac jade carvings."


    Gu Yan''er hesitated. "Restoring my power to the level of Celestial Immortal Stage won''t be a problem, Master. But I''ll be suppressed by the Heavenly Dao laws once I go out. Even if I can find the rest of the zodiac jade carvings in a very short time, I''m bound to get injured as well."

 1226 Natural Battlefield

    Tang Xiu immediately recalled how powerful the Heavenly Dao laws on Earth were after hearing Gu Yan''er''s words, so he immediately said, "If so, no need to rush, then. You keep staying here to cultivate until your power restores to the Celestial Immortal Stage since it may take a few decades before we leave Earth. By the way, I can''t help but feel like this pocket world was prepared for us. Having this world in possession makes me believe that our Tang Sect will be 100 times stronger in the next few years."


    Gu Yan''er glanced around and nodded in approval. Then, she said, "You''re right, Master. This place is just slightly worse than the Immortal World. The strength of all Tang Sect disciples will soar by leaps and bounds if they train here. There''s also something else that I found interesting here."


    "What is it?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "The blood of the fierce beasts living here is comparable to that of Immortal Ambrosia. It''s like a miraculous elixir." Gu Yan''er said, "The energy contained in their blood is really beyond imagination."


    Tang Xiu nodded with approval and said, "I''ve noticed it as well."


    Gu Yan''er then pointed to some spots and said, "Also, if the disciples of Tang Sect practice here, they can also use this place as a natural battlefield to hone their combat prowess. On the other hand, they can also improve their strength by leaps and bounds, which is killing two birds with one stone."


    "Yeah. After this, I''m going to assign a batch of people to be stationed on Nine Dragons Island since that place is still our stronghold. But I''ll bring everyone else to cultivate here," Tang Xiu replied. "We''ll have them take shifts to cultivate here and there later."


    "This pocket world is very large and should be at least two times bigger than the territory of China." Gu Yan''er said, "Although there''s no fierce beast that has strength on par with that black dragon, there are some comparable to the Body Integration Stage and tens of others which are at least at the Spirit Formation Stage. By the way, should I get rid of these fierce beasts in advance given the weak strength of the Tang Sect disciples now?"


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, "No. There''s no need. Most of Tang Sect disciples may be very weak now, but they''ll soon grow. Just keep these fierce beasts alive and we''ll feed them to the sect''s disciples in the future."


    "Alright, then." Gu Yan''er nodded and said, "I''m going to stay here, anyway. Those beasts won''t be able to wreak havoc as long as I''m here."


    Tang An then interjected and asked, "Grand Master, Master, may I stay here to cultivate?"


    "You can only stay here to cultivate for 6 months at most," Tang Xiu answered. "You must go out after half a year. Besides, you still need to form a squad of assassins for your Assassination Hall. Do you want to see your hall as the weakest among all the halls in Tang Sect?"


    Tang An nodded and replied, "You just mentioned that training will improve our strength by leaps and bounds, Grand Master. So, I''m going to cultivate here for six months and then set up the Assassination Hall when I leave. I can then bring my trained members to cultivate here to pick up their cultivation speed."


    "No problem, then." Tang Xiu nodded.


    Suddenly, he recalled something else and hurriedly shifted to Gu Yan''er, saying, "Yan''er, many fierce beasts have escaped to the outside, at least a thousand of them. Although Chen Shaohua''s team have moved to hunt them down, expecting them to kill all those beasts is unrealistic, so I and Tang An will go out to deal with them, while you stay here to gather cultivation resources."


    "Alright!" Gu Yan''er herself didn''t want to take action that forced her to go outside, so she nodded.


    Tang Xiu then turned around. Just as he was about to leave, he recalled another issue and said, "Yan''er, this place must have the Multicolored Luan Phoenix Stone. Carefully seek for it since it will be of great use in the future."


    "I also have found a deposit of Multicolored Luan Phoenix Stone in a small mountain here, Master. I guarantee you that all of these stones will be completely mined before you return," Gu Yan''er replied confidently.


    As a matter of fact, she had the ability to collect everything in this pocket world in a flash. But since this place would become a trial place for the Tang Sect disciples in the future, she could only give up this idea and just harvest these cultivation resources slowly.


    Quickly after, Tang Xiu and Tang An left the pocket world. When they appeared outside, the four Tang Sect disciples standing guard outside directly appeared and saluted respectfully.


    "What about the escaping fierce beasts and the situation outside?" asked Tang Xiu.


    One of the disciples answered, "Jin Shi has come here in person, Sect Master. He and Chen Shaohua are leading a team of our sect''s disciples and doing their best to hunt down these fierce beasts. But these fierce beasts often retreat when they enter the vicinity of Longquan Mountain. We have no idea about the cause, but it''s as if they are afraid of the outside world. Furthermore, there are also a lot of ability users from China''s Special Abilities Bureau here, and for the last 10 days, both parties have killed about 400-plus fierce beasts, whereas some others are still hiding."


    Tang Xiu was quite surprised for he didn''t expect that these fierce beasts unexpectedly didn''t rush out of the mountain range, nor did they wreak havoc to the average people outside.


    Nonetheless, that was still good news.


    "You all keep guarding this place. Tang An, let''s move and hunt these fierce beasts, shall we? We''ll gather here again after two days to see who killed more," Tang Xiu happily smiled and said.


    A hint of competitive fighting spirit flashed in Tang An''s eyes and she replied with a smile, "I''ll definitely win the game, Sect Master."


    Tang Xiu just chuckled in response. Suddenly, his figure flickered and bolted to the distance. Along the way, he unleashed his spiritual sense to the fullest and covered a kilometer radius with his perception. It took only a flash for him to detect four nearly identical fierce beasts in his perception range.


    "DIE!"


    Tang Xiu threw his divine sword. The unleashed sword instantly flew and split the bushes tens of meters away. A sword beam moved lightning-fast and swept over in a flash and the four fierce beasts at Qi Refining Stage were struck and killed in one blow.


    Half a day passed. Tang Xiu encountered several groups of ability users, including a group consisting of six people who were being besieged by tens of fierce beasts. The moment he appeared, he directly took action and rescued them.


    A day later, Tang Xiu had killed more than 270 fierce beasts alone and found Jin Shi, who was drenched with blood at a mountain creek. Jin Shi was seriously injured at the moment, but his injuries weren''t fatal. When Tang Xiu arrived, he and the four other disciples of Tang Sect he led had killed two fierce beasts at the Golden Core Stage.


    "Take the fierce beast''s blood in these jade bottles."


    Tang Xiu threw five jade bottles to these five men and flashed to the distance. There was another fierce beast 800-plus meters away in his perception range. The beast was hiding in a burrow by the creek and Tang Xiu would have failed to detect it if it wasn''t for his spiritual sense that covered all directions.


    Jin Shi, on the other hand, was fiddling with the jade bottle. After unplugging the cork, he slightly frowned when he smelled the thick blood smell. But when he saw that the other four directly poured it into their mouths without a shred of hesitation, he no longer hesitated and downed it as well. The moment after, his eyes went saucer with disbelief.


    "Get into cultivation state, quickly!"


    He quickly issued an order loudly and immediately sat cross-legged, crazily circulating his energy according to his cultivation technique.


    Tang Xiu spent only half an hour to kill all the fierce beasts within a range of tens of kilometers. After he returned to the spot where Jin Shi and the others were, he could sense that their auras had changed.


    Early-stage of the Nascent Soul?


    Tang Xiu sensed Jin Shi''s present cultivation level from the aura he exuded. A smile then crept up his face when he sensed that the other four had also broken through to the late-stage of Golden Core.


    "Sect Master."


    Jin Shi then woke up from his cultivation. He quickly bounced up and saluted respectfully the moment he saw Tang Xiu sitting cross-legged in front of him.


    "Quite a remarkable progress." Tang Xiu chuckled. "Anyway, I''ll take you to the pocket world when we''re done hunting down all the fierce beasts in this mountain range. You will definitely get twice the result with half the effort with your cultivation if you practice there. Maybe you''ll be able to reach the Spirit Formation Stage in several or 10 years later."


    A pocket world? One that''s like a blessed land?


    The five men exchanged glances in excitement.


    Tang Xiu then waved his hand and went on, "Well, keep hunting and killing these fierce beasts! The faster you get rid of these beasts, the earlier you''ll enter this pocket world to cultivate. That''s right, I''ve been roaming around for a few days here and bumped into some groups of ability users, but I haven''t seen Duanmu Lin yet. Do you know anything about it?"


    "Duanmu Lin got injured and retreated to recuperate," Jin Shi answered. "He''s now in Xuyang Town near Longquan Mountain if you''d like to see him, Sect Master."


    Tang Xiu nodded in response. However, instead of rushing to find Duanmu Lin, he went elsewhere to find, hunt, and kill fierce beasts. He made a bet with Tang An before, so he didn''t want to waste time anymore.


    The next day in the evening.


    When Tang Xiu returned to the entrance to the pocket world, he saw that Tang An was grinning happily while sitting cross-legged on a large bluestone and looking at his direction.


    "How many did you get?" Tang Xiu came to her and smilingly asked.


    "Not many, just 188 fierce beasts," Tang An answered.


    Tang Xiu gave her a thumbs up and praised. "Finding so many of them in just 2 days is an amazing feat!"


    Tang An chuckled and replied, "But I''m sure the number of fierce beasts you killed must be more than me, Grand Master. I think it''s fair if I say that I win this game if the number of fierce beasts you killed is less than 200."


    "Ahaha." Tang Xiu laughed and said, "I''m afraid you''ll be disappointed. I got a total of 406 of them, with four at the Golden Core Stage."


    The smile on Tang An''s face froze and she incredulously asked, "You killed all of them by yourself? How is that possible?"


    "Nothing is impossible, you know." Tang Xiu chuckled and explained, "The range of area that can be covered by my spiritual sense is over a kilometer, and no fierce beasts can hide within the radius of my perception range wherever I go. Besides, these fierce beasts are very weak, to begin with. There was no need to waste more time, so I killed them quickly."


    "That''s cheating, Grand Master!" Tang An forced a wry smile.


    "Hahaha." Tang Xiu burst out laughing and said, "You know, the spiritual sense is another form of strength as well. If you can reach the level of strength I currently possess, your spiritual sense and perception will be similarly not bad. Keep cultivating diligently in this aspect and you''ll see the benefits of having formidable spiritual sense in the future."


    "I understand, Grand Master," Tang An replied with all seriousness. "Possessing a powerful spiritual sense is a must if one wants to be a powerful expert. As a matter of fact, I think my spiritual sense is considerably remarkable since I specially selected a manual that records a technique to cultivate spiritual sense in the Classics Library Pavilion. I picked that one in order to study arrays previously and now have achieved some progress on it."

 1227 Tang Sect Owns the Place

    It was just a game without a bet to spice things up. Tang Xiu himself was armed with his own powerful individual strength and an armory full of means to achieve it, while he also had a much stronger spiritual sense compared to Tang An, to begin with. After stuffing all the remains of fierce beasts from Tang An into his interspatial ring, he bolted away to Xuyang Town near Longquan Mountain.


    The incident in the Longquan Mountain range required him to discuss it with Duanmu Lin, particularly regarding the ownership of such a pocket world. Tang Xiu had secretly made up his mind that he must own it no matter how much it costed him. This pocket world was literally a blessed land. It would be a wast if it was claimed by China or the Special Abilities Bureau. Just like one used the finest steel to make a sharp blade, that world would serve him best since he could fully use it.


    Xuyang Town was a small town with only tens of thousands of inhabitants with six other small towns around it, while the nearest city was about 200-plus kilometers away.


    At Wenxin Hotel.


    The hotel was located in a block downtown. Except for a small square around it, the block only had some street vendors, whereas the other four extended streets were composed of two-story shops. The place may look dirty and messy, but nobody here disliked it.


    In front of the hotel, Zhu Long was squatting while frowning and smoking. One of his arms was bandaged and he used his left hand to fiddle with his cell phone while observing the pedestrians in the surroundings. Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he threw the cigarette butt to the ground and stamped it. Afterward, he got up and strode forward.


    "Tang Xiu!" Zhu Long''s furrowed brows finally stretched and he called out with a mile.


    Tang Xiu nodded to him in response. Glancing at his bandaged right arm, he smilingly asked, "You got some souvenirs? Is it serious?"


    "Nah." Zhu Long shook his head and smilingly replied, "Just need to get it fixed for a while, at least 2 days, before I can remove the plaster and bandages. I''ll be fully fine in 3 or 4 days at most and get into action again."


    Tang Xiu lightly smiled in response and asked, "What about Senior Duanmu?"


    "I''ll take you up to see him," Zhu Long said.


    In the quiet room on the second floor, Duanmu was asleep after receiving very serious injuries after the battle. But he was finally able to slay the fierce beasts that surrounded him at the moment of crisis. The knock on the door woke him up from his sleep and opened his hazy eyes. He didn''t get up when Zhu Long came in, but after he saw Tang Xiu following behind him, he used his hands to prop himself up with difficulty. A smile then appeared on his aged face as he said, "You finally appeared, Boy! I thought you already got eaten by those ferocious beasts."


    "It was a close call, indeed." Tang Xiu bitterly smiled.


    Duanmu Lin was stunned and hurriedly asked, "What exactly happened? Did you encounter a powerful beast?"


    "Yeah, it was powerful. Very." Tang Xiu nodded and said, "If it wasn''t for Yan''er coming to rescue me, that ferocious beast would have eaten me alive. Alas, this incident was caused by my Tang Sect. I''ve made you rush here and you even got injured now. I''m really sorry."


    "What do you mean?" Duanmu Lin was puzzled and asked, "You mean, this ferocious beast outbreak is caused by your sect?"


    "That''s right," Tang Xiu said. "Tang Sect has been rearing fierce beasts in this Longquan Mountain. It''s just that I didn''t expect that the array would be destroyed, allowing the fierce beasts to escape the corral. Thankfully, we''ve set up some precautionary measures in advance, so these beasts are afraid of leaving the Longquan Mountain range. Thus, no harm was done to the civilians in the vicinity."


    Duanmu Lin looked a bit vexed and angry as he replied, "You''re really ridiculous! This place may be deep in the mountain and sparsely populated, but how could you rear such ferocious beasts here? We have been able to deal with it in time, else huge trouble would have broken out."


    Tang Xiu intentionally forced a wry smile and said, "I admit that it''s my sect''s fault for not taking more precaution measures. But I give you my word that such problems will never occur again."


    Duanmu Lin ponder for a moment and then asked, "How many places does Tang Sect have in entire China for rearing these ferocious beasts?"


    "Aside from this one, there are only two others on two islands in the South China Sea," Tang Xiu answered. "You should''ve long learned about those two islands leased to me, Senior Duanmu."


    "I do know about them, but I have no idea what plans you have in mind in this regard." Duanmu Lin nodded and said, "Tang Xiu, rearing fierce beasts is not a minor issue. I wish you can kill or move all these beasts away¡ªat least away from China''s territory."


    "Moving these beasts from this place will be very difficult, Senior Duanmu." Tang Xiu forced a smile. "But I promise that I''ll have a lot more experts from Tang Sect to be stationed here while I''ll also arrange some more powerful arrays to make sure similar problems never occur again in the future."


    Duanmu Lin was silent for a long while and then bitterly smiled. "Forget it, then. I won''t force you to move these beasts since you resolved it timely. But I''m very curious about one thing¡ªhow many fierce beasts are you breeding here? And why wasn''t anything exposed prior to this?"


    "The number is quite a lot, but my men have been carrying out in full secrecy, so it''s naturally impossible for anyone else outside to notice anything," Tang Xiu replied with a smile.


    Duanmu Lin shook his head. Then, he suddenly asked, "What about the tremors that can be felt across the country? Everyone is currently talking about it."


    "It''s because something happened in the in the small world where we''re rearing these beasts," Tang Xiu explained. "One of the ferocious beasts mutated, causing its strength to explode hundreds of times and cause a destructive force when it transformed. But the crisis has been lifted since we''ve slain it. Besides, my disciple¡ªGu Yan''er, the one Senior Duanmu met at sea, is now holding the fort here. She''ll be staying here from now on."


    Duanmu Lin''s eyes stared wide and he incredulously asked, "Are you kidding me? The mutation of one fierce beast has caused so much disturbance? You know the tremors can be felt all over China, don''t you?"


    "Senior Duanmu, what''s the most powerful beast you''ve ever encountered?" asked Tang Xiu calmly.


    Duanmu Lin pondered for a moment and then answered, "The demonic beasts in the Himalayas we fought back then. They were so strong that I felt hopeless and desperate. There is that Fire Qilin as well. It''s very powerful and I don''t think the entire people from my Special Abilities Bureau are enough to kill it."


    Tang Xiu nodded and asked, "What if I told you that the strength of this mutated fierce beast is at least 100 times that of the Fire Qilin? Do you believe it?"


    "This¡­"


    Had Duanmu Lin not experienced the horrifying assaults of demonic beasts in the Himalayas, he wouldn''t have believed it even until he died. But now, he noticed Tang Xiu''s solemn expression, so he nodded silently. Then, he forced a smile and said, "That sounds horrifyingly powerful! Else, I can expect that only death awaited us if such a crisis did occur."


    Tang Xiu could only force a smile for the lie he fabricated. Yet, it was the most direct way to prevent the intervention from the country. Otherwise, if Duanmu Lin knew that he had found such a pocket world there, given his character, he would definitely demand a slice of it on behalf of the state. It wouldn''t change even though this man would likely become his underling several years later.


    It wasn''t because he had selfish motives. The state machines were not under control of one person and there would be too many people flocking in along with a lot more troubles to deal with. All in all, a large number of resources would be wasted and he didn''t want it to happen.


    Duanmu Lin''s tilted up. He looked at Tang Xiu and asked, "Can I have a look at the place you rear these ferocious beasts?"


    "Well¡­" Tang Xiu reluctantly said, "It''s not like I don''t want you to visit the place, Senior Duanmu. We may have killed that mutant beast, but all the remaining fierce beasts are kind of frenzied because of it. Many experts from my sect are now dealing with this problem. It would be hard to get rid of the crisis in a short time. It would take at least a few months. If you were to enter the place with your current strength, you''ll easily run into problems. It''s even likely that I must assign someone to protect you instead.


    Hearing this was quite a hit to Duanmu Lin''s face, and his old face almost went green. He just¡­ got refused...?


    However, he could only look at Tang Xiu with a helpless expression. He was at a loss of what kind of expression he could come up facing Tang Xiu except for crying or laughing at this time. Who would dare to flatly reject and shut him out aside from Tang Xiu in the whole of China?


    After a long while, Duanmu Lin weakly raised his hand and said, "Just forget it, then. I won''t bother you since it''s not convenient. But remember to ensure an incident like this never happens again, Tang Xiu. And you''d better set up another array around Longquan Mountain range that won''t affect civilians as a double precaution."


    Tang Xiu''s eyes lit up. He was quite ecstatic inwardly. The suggestion from Duanmu Lin to set up a large array around the Longquan Mountain range meant that this place had been assigned to his Tang Sect!


    Afterward, Tang Xiu gave 10 Holy Healing pills to Duanmu Lin and hurriedly left. In less than a minute after he left, all ability users of the Special Abilities Bureau received an order from Duanmu Lin to retreat.


    In the next half month, Tang Xiu, Tang An, Jin Shi, and the remaining others combed the entire Longquan Mountain range and finally killed all the escaped beasts.


    After Tang Xiu entered the pocket world again, Gu Yan''er told him that she had gathered all the precious treasures in this place. She only left some of these precious objects behind since there was no urgent need for them for the time being.


    "These are what we have now, Master." Gu Yan''er took out an interspatial ring and gave it to Tang Xiu.


    Using his spiritual sense to check the ring, Tang Xiu was secretly shocked after he saw everything inside. Even when he was a Supreme in the Immortal World, he never had so many resources and wealth like this. It must be noted that then was the Immortal, while this place was just a pocket world attached to Earth.


    "I get it now." Tang Xiu sighed with a forced smile after receiving the ring.


    "Eh?" Gu Yan''er was bewildered and asked, "What did you just understand, Master?"


    "Only now do I understand why many experts in the Immortal World went all out to open up new territories. It turns out that their goal was not to obtain more domains but to gather resources. It was because they can obtain enormous benefits once they found some treasure-trove-like places with many resources."

 1228 A Promise

    Aside from the vast grassland within thousands of miles around the entrance, the seemingly boundless pocket world also had mountains, lakes, valleys, and highlands. The highest ground of this pocket world was the peak of a towering mountain about 2,000 meters high in the center, with jagged rocks and steep cliffs, nearly impossible to climb.


    However, a magnificent and picturesque building stood aloof atop the towering mountain peak. Gu Yan''er stood at the small square in front of a classical pavilion sporting a smile while glancing around at the rolling hills in front of her. Then, she chuckled and said, "Yan''er spent two days to build a pavilion here. It''s quite amazing, isn''t it?"


    A warm feeling aroused inside Tang Xiu''s heart. This pavilion was just a miniature version of his residence in the Immortal World, the place he had lived for several millenniums there. That was why he could recognize it at a glance. "It''s terrific. I never knew you had this talent, Yan''er."


    The smile on Gu Yan''er''s face, however, receded and she said with a downcast tone, "I have vivid memories of this pavilion, be it every spot, every scenery, and even the distance between objects within it. I even manufactured an immortal artifact which I used as my abode. Unfortunately, that artifact was destroyed by Zhu Wushou, else I would''ve placed it here now."


    Tang Xiu held her shoulder and then gently patted it, saying softly, "Wait until we''ve returned to the Immortal World and I''ve restored my cultivation to the Supremacy Stage. I''ll personally refine a palace for you. I''ll guarantee that it will be exactly the same place we used to live in."


    "Alright!"


    Gu Yan''er looked ecstatic and heavily nodded. She sincerely hoped that her Master would be able to return to the peak. At that time, she would be able to annihilate their enemies and those damned betrayers. She vowed that she would exterminate that crazy bastard in the Immortal World, the Shade Demon Zhu Wushou.


    "Xiaoxue is coming," Gu Yan''er suddenly said.


    Tang Xiu followed her gaze towards the distant mountain peaks. He saw Ji Chimei and Gu Xiaoxue''s figures flickering and coming fast in their direction. In just a few breaths, both of them stood in front of him.


    "Greetings, Lord."


    "Grand Master."


    Ji Chimei and Gu Xiaoxue saluted.


    "How many people from our sect come over?" Tang Xiu asked.


    "80 people in total. They are now collecting treasures of this pocket world. They will be here in 2 days," Gu Xiaoxue answered.


    Tang Xiu nodded in reply and said, "Set up some dwellings on a nearby mountain when they arrive! Also, since Yan''er is staying, she can instruct everyone in their cultivation. I expect their cultivation to progress by leaps and bounds soon. I wish to see quite a number of Nascent Soul experts emerge from our sect maybe in a year and a half."


    "Nascent Soul Stage?" Gu Xiaoxue was surprised. "How is that possible, Grand Master? Of the 80 disciples of the sect we brought here, the cultivation level of one-third of them is just at the late-stage of Foundation Establishment. They''re not even at the Golden Core Stage yet."


    "I won''t explain much about this. You''ve just come here and you have no idea about this magical pocket world." Tang Xiu faintly smiled and said, "Alright, continue searching for treasures! And do take care of all the treasures gathered by the disciples, all of which must be handed over to you."


    "They all know the rules and won''t hide any of it, Grand Master," Gu Xiaoxue replied respectfully.


    Having said that, hesitation was cast on her beautiful face before she looked at Tang Xiu''s tranquil expression and spoke in a low voice, "Grand Master, when we just arrived near Longquan Mountain, we noticed some people with special identities. We captured one of them and squeezed something from the man. It turns out that they are intel operatives of China and their main purpose here is to monitor the situation around Longquan Mountain. Further, there are many of them¡ªabout over 100."


    Tang Xiu frowned and muttered to himself, "It seems that Duanmu Lin is still not assured of me! He dismissed the Special Abilities Bureau''s personnel but sent so many intel operatives to keep tabs on us."


    "Would you like us to drive out these intel operatives, Grand Master?" Gu Xiaoxue asked.


    Tang Xiu pondered about the idea and then replied, "No need. I''ll deal with this issue myself. Besides, I''ll be staying here for some time after everyone else has arrived. I have the intention to drill them for 10 days."


    "Understood!" Gu Xiaoxue nodded.


    During these 10 days, aside from immersing himself in cultivation every day to stabilize his cultivation level, Tang Xiu spared his time to drill 80 disciples of Tang Sect hard. With the continuous assistance from pills, Body Refining Liquid, and the blood of fierce beast, their cultivation was progressing rapidly by leaps and bounds.


    As people said, fine steel was forged through thousands of tempering processes.


    Tang Xiu literally made them struggle in pain and happiness during these 10 days. After going through such devilish drills, even the worst among these 80 disciples had broken through the early-stage of Nascent Soul, while the best one broke through to the late-stage of Nascent Soul, just a little shy away from breaking through to the Spirit Formation Stage.


    However, when Tang Xiu just left the pocket world, he received a call from Duanmu Lin and learned that some Seniors of the state wanted to see him in Shanghai. But after he agreed about the appointment time and was about to depart, Chen Shaohua came out of the pocket world to find him and seemingly had something in mind.


    "What''s the matter?"


    Chen Shaohua hesitated first. Then, he answered, "I''d like to follow you later, Sect Master."


    A weird expression sported on Tang Xiu''s face as he observed him for a while. Then, he asked, "Why do you want to follow me? Isn''t it a good thing for you to keep cultivating in the pocket world? Besides, you''ve reached the mid-stage of Nascent Soul, you may even be able to reach the late-stage in 6 months. It''s likely that you could also break through to the Spirit Formation Stage in less than 10 years."


    Chen Shaohua pointed to his chest and forced a smile. "I know my cultivation is quite powerful now, Sect Master. But I recently found that my foundation is a bit shaky and unstable due to improving it too fast. That''s why I''d like to follow you while honing my state of mind. I''ll go come here when I feel that it''s the right time."


    Mental state?


    Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes and asked him, "You can sense the mood and other issues pertaining to mental state now?"


    "That''s right!" Chen Shaohua nodded and said, "I always felt upset and irritated when I was practicing. The fluctuation of my mood is too much, I can''t fully immerse myself in cultivation. I can''t fully unleash the might of mid-stage Nascent Soul power even if I want to."


    Tang Xiu pondered about it and said, "I see. Go back to the pocket world and inform the other 80 disciples who have arrived that they must leave 2 months later and return to Nine Dragons Island to take shifts with the other batch. Do remember to tell them that every one of them must not reach the stage of Spirit Formation first and stay at the late-stage of Nascent Soul. No matter who is it, anyone who has fully stabilized their cultivation with their mental state can keep up with it, they can report to me about their situation and I''ll give them a trial before attempting to break through to the Spirit Formation Stage."


    "Then what about me, Sect Master?" Chen Shaohua asked again hastily.


    Tang Xiu chuckled and said, "Well, you can tag along since you feel you can practice while toughening yourself by following me! I''ll be waiting for you in Shanghai."


    "Understood!" Chen Shaohua was overjoyed. After saluting Tang Xiu respectfully, he bolted away to the entrance of the pocket world at the speed of lightning.


    This time, Tang Xiu didn''t bring anyone after leaving the pocket world. He even left Tang An to cultivate there.


    ****


    Xuyang Town, at Wenxin Hotel.


    After Tang Xiu arrived outside the entrance of the hotel, he sensed that many people in the surroundings were focusing their attention on him. With his keen sense, he could tell that they were members of the state intelligence department.


    "Hey, you. Come here!"


    Tang Xiu halted his pace and waved to a man and a woman who acted like a couple several meters away. The two people hesitated before they came to Tang Xiu.


    "What''s up?" the young man asked.


    "Help me contact Duanmu Lin," Tang Xiu faintly said. "Tell him that there''s something I need to discuss with him and to wait for me at the Everlasting Feast Hall in Shanghai. Also, if he is accompanied by anyone, tell him to bring them along to that place as well."


    The young man''s face slightly changed and he replied, "I don''t understand what you''re talking about, Sir."


    Tang Xiu hummed and directly took out the small green book from his interspatial ring. He showed it to the two people and lightly asked, "You get what I said now?"


    "Understood!"


    The man and the woman disguised as a couple hurriedly nodded and saluted.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and then walked into Wenxin Hotel and came to the lobby on the first floor. He looked at the listless female there and lightly said, "Give me a car key."


    When the female saw Tang Xiu, she suddenly looked excited and respectfully replied, "Which car would you like to ride, Boss? All cars are in the backyard, you can choose any of these keys."


    "Don''t look that awkward. You gotta be careful since the walls have ears," Tang Xiu said.


    "Understood!" the female looked more energetic after hearing this.


    Someone from the Tang Sect had bought Wenxin Hotel, and even the previous owner of this hotel had become an intel operative of the sect. Moreover, due to the particular incident in Longquan Mountain, she also learned about Tang Xiu''s identity.


    Tang Xiu randomly picked a key and brought it to the backyard. There were a dozen cars with different brands parked in the backyard. The headlights of an off-road Mercedes-Benz then flashed when he pressed the button on the key.


    "Let''s head to Shanghai directly."


    He had no plan to go by train or plane. As of recently, he spent his time in arduous cultivation while drilling the sect''s disciples. Although he made great progress in cultivation, he was perfectly aware that it was best to alternate tension with relaxation. So, he made up his mind to give himself a break and drove alone on the way back and regarded it as having a good rest and taking a vacation for himself.


    The western regions had beautiful scenery and, although the roads were quite bumpy, the excellent features of the off-road he drove did a great job to alleviate it. He rarely encountered anyone on the road, so he pushed the speed over 200km/h for an hour and a half.


    "Gotta be fast and find a gas station!"


    That was exactly the first thing Tang Xiu did when he arrived at Halagu City.

 1229 Taking Advantage of Someone’s Weakness

    The urban area of Halagu City was not very large and just as big as a small county in the mainland. After having a smooth ride to find a gas station, Tang Xiu then found one gas station jam-packed with a lot of people. He could see cars lining up, but nobody was refueling at all.


    "Hey, what''s going on here?"


    Tang Xiu opened the window and found the window of another Mercedes-Benz SUV was also opened. He slightly furrowed his brows and asked a man with tattoos on his shoulders who was smoking and taking a puff once in a while.


    The man glanced at Tang Xiu and seemingly didn''t want to reply ar first. But the boredom due to waiting for too long got to him, and he casually replied, "What other reasons can it be except for these driving school''s instructors who come to refuel at this hour every day? We all just have to wait until they''re done filling up before our turn comes."


    Tang Xiu furrowed his brows and asked again, "Why haven''t I seen any of vehicles from car driving schools here, though? Do these people have some big heads that we should all wait for them?"


    The man puffed out a cloud of smoke and suddenly smiled, asking, "Are you not a native, Brother? You have no idea about the unspoken rules here?"


    "Nah, I''m not a local. I''m just passing by." Tang Xiu shook his head.


    A smile sported on the man''s face and he replied, "No wonder! Then, let me tell you about it. This gas station is, in fact, owned by the principal of the only driving school in the city. The reason why he built a gas station here is mainly for his driving school. Usually, there are only a few cars from the driving school coming to refuel since they come in batches. But those who happen to come here when so many of these cars are coming will be unlucky since there won''t be enough gas for them."


    Tang Xiu nodded with a smile and asked again, "Do you perhaps have a feud with the owner of this gas station, though?"


    The man zoned out and then shook his head. "How could I harbor anything like that? There''s nothing between me and him."


    "Since you have no feud with the owner of this gas station, then why are you here and dare to smoke so brazenly, then?" Tang Xiu asked with a smile, "Are you not afraid the gas station will catch fire and explode?"


    The man gave Tang Xiu a strange look. He immediately threw the cigarette butt on the ground and blandly replied, "You''re really paying to safety, aren''t you, Little Brother?"


    He then shut his car''s windows directly after saying that.


    Tang Xiu shook his head secretly and waited calmly for more than half an hour before he saw a dozen training cars with signs "Red Maple Driving School" slowly move from the distance. Only after he waited for another half an hour did his turn come.


    "Fill up to the full," Tang Xiu calmly said after his turn came.


    The gas station''s staff nodded in response and then glanced at the back. After filling up the tank to the full and Tang Xiu gave her the cash, she toned down her voice and said, "You''re not a local given your license plate, aren''t you, Little Brother? You had better leave this place quickly if you''re from around here!"


    Tang Xiu raised his brows and asked, "Why?"


    "The car owners who come to our gas station to refuel and find non-natives driving cars here often sneakily follow behind to rob them," the staff whispered. "You should be careful too since I think you''re alone."


    "Thanks a bunch," Tang Xiu replied smilingly.


    After restarting his car, Tang Xiu quickly headed for the highway, but he found through the rearview mirror that the tattooed man who he spoke with before didn''t refuel his car but drove behind him instead.


    "Interesting."


    Tang Xiu squinted and pushed the gas pedal to the bottom and his car turned as though an arrow that dashed fast to the distance. At the same time, he dialed the local police emergency number. After speaking about the issue, he finally said, "You may not believe me, but I''m from the Security Department who passed by this place after a mission. I''m now in the Bailu District and I''ll park at the gate of the Bailu District''s Zhongchuang Primary School to wait for these people to come to me. I''ll hold you responsible if you don''t come, and you can expect to have severe consequences!"


    Quite far behind, a fierce expression flashed in the eyes of the tattooed man driving the Mercedes-Benz SUV. While quickly chasing the car in front, he said in a deep tone, "Baozi, you speed up to intercept this guy in front later. You are to intercept this guy once he drives out of the city at the East Bridge. Shit! We may all drive Mercedes-Benz, but his car is definitely several times more expensive than mine. He''s definitely a fat sheep!"


    "No worries! I''ll get him to stop there!" A confident voice came out of the phone assured him.


    At the gate of Bailu District''s Zhongchuang Primary School.


    The primary school was already emptied since it was early in the evening. There were only a few pedestrians in the vicinity aside from several teenagers who were smoking in front of the store across the school. Yet, no one noticed the Mercedes-Benz SUV parked in front of the school.


    "Hey, you two! Come over here."


    Tang Xiu lit up a cigarette while leaning on the car''s door after he got out, and then looked at the teenagers and waved at them.


    "You called, Brother?"


    The four teenagers came quickly. Envious looks on their faces were visible when they glanced at the Mercedes-Benz SUV from time to time.


    Tang Xiu took a stack of money from his wallet. The sum was about 1,000 yuan in cash, and he handed it to the teenager in front and said, "Do me a favor and you can have the money."


    The teenager took the money and looked excited. Then, he stuttered, "B-Brother, what¡­ what do you want us to do?"


    "You got a cell phone?" asked Tang Xiu.


    The teenager quickly took out a smartphone. Although the price of his cell phone was not very expensive, it was a brand-new one. The teenage boy then said, "We all have mobile phones, Brother."


    "Call the cops now and tell ''em that there''s a violent incident at the gate of Bailu Primary School. Tell them to hurry up here. Each of you four, call the cops and leave this place immediately."


    "This¡­"


    The four teenagers hesitated.


    Calling and reporting to the police was never a joking matter. They would be detained if it was just a prank. However, they finally gritted their teeth after looking at the notes in their hands. "Let''s call the cops, Brothers!"


    Tang Xiu patted their shoulders and smilingly said, "No worries, Boys! You won''t get in any problems at all. You may become heroes after calling and reporting to the cops since the said violence will soon happen here."


    Creak¡­


    Creak¡­


    A black SUV was parked behind Tang Xiu''s car and followed by three others on both sides. As the doors of these cars were opened, several big men then gushed out with evil and hideous grins on their faces.


    "These guys¡­"


    The four teenagers looked a bit pale and hurriedly shifted to Tang Xiu and asked, "Brother, who are these guys? Are they looking for you for trouble?"


    "Yup." Tang Xiu nodded and said, "They should be here to find some troubles with me."


    The boys'' leader looked at his other three companions quickly and looked hesitant. He then shifted to Tang Xiu and said in a low voice, "Brother, can you give us more money? Three¡­ no, five grand. Give us another five grand and I assure you that we''ll help you deal with them without calling the cops."


    A weird look appeared on Tang Xiu''s face when he saw that the other three boys also nodded. He suddenly couldn''t help laughing and said, "How can you help me, though?"


    "Do we have a deal or not?" the leader of the boys looked a bit anxious as those big men approached closer.


    "Deal." Tang Xiu smoked his cigarette again after replying.


    The teenager''s eyes lit up and he grabbed his cell phone to dial a cell number. About six-plus seconds after, he shouted, "Ah Lang, someone just gave us money to help deal with some problems here. Go get some others and bring ''em here fast! We''re at the gate of the primary school!"


    The other three boys also made phone calls and called someone else to come over quickly.


    The weird expression on Tang Xiu''s face grew more intense. He was really at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh after watching these four guys make a phone call to summon some others one after another. "You know, I''m afraid I''ll be beaten to death already when the fellas you just called arrive here. Just listen to me and leave this place quickly, will you?"


    The boys'' leader stubbornly shook his head and said aloud, "What''s your name, Brother? Mine is Wang Hu, the tiger of the mountain, and the younger brother of mine is called Ah Long. Just wait here for a while and he''ll bring some others quickly."


    Tang Xiu felt a bit helpless inwardly. Then, he shifted his attention to more than a dozen of aggressive and fierce-looking big men coming over as he paced forward to face them and smilingly said, "We meet again, Dude."


    The tattooed man gave a thumbs up and exclaimed in praise, "Well, well. You seem to have found some helpers, don''t you? How many people can you summon with these brats? I''m not afraid to tell you my name. I''m Yang Biao and I made quite a name for myself in this city, and those buddies on the street call me Brother Biao."


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "They¡­"


    Suddenly, he stopped speaking abruptly since he saw tens of teenagers rushing out of the alley tens of meters away behind these dozen big men. The boys were about 17-plus-years-old and some of them were holding machetes and some others had iron tongs.


    "We''re here, Brothers!"


    The running young man at the forefront had a bulky figure and a height of more than 1.8 meters. Anyone who saw him would have thought that he was an adult if it wasn''t for his boyish face.


    "All Brothers, this big brother promised to give us 5 grand to help him deal with his trouble," Wang Hu said aloud. "And this bunch of shits is gonna trouble this big brother!"


    "Fuck them!"


    "Beat the shit out of ''em!"


    "Don''t let them run!"


    More than a dozen teenagers raised their weapons and quickly surrounded a dozen adults. The boys looked like ferocious small tigers, and their stances showed that they were ready to rumble for the showdown at any time.


    "Giddy-up! Quickly get over there!"


    Another group of five teenagers approached quickly, also holding weapons. The boys'' leader who came the last, the one with red-dyed-hair, called out, "Hey, Brother Hu, who the fuck dares bully our rich donor? Let''s beat the shit out of ''em!"


    The tattoed man''s face changed, whereas the rest of the dozen big men looked incredulous. Never did they expect that the call from these four boys could actually summon so many others at once.


    However, the matter was still far from over. In just 4-plus minutes later, 9 groups of boys also rushed over, some made up of more than a dozen people and the fewer one consisting of 6 boys. A dozen of boys even rushed over on their bikes to join the encirclement.

 1230 Unforeseen Even

    Nearly a hundred-armed boys in outlandish attires glared at the dozen big men. There was no shred of fear on their faces, and they were seemingly in high spirits instead. It could be seen that they would storm over these big men at a moment''s notice once the order was issued.


    Tang Xiu didn''t expect that such a scene would appear in this peaceful age. He could see that this company of boys was almost like wolf cubs with each sending out ferocious vibes.


    "Wang Hu!"


    Tang Xiu waved to Wang Hu. As the half-running to him and then stopping in front of him, he took out a cigarette and threw it to him, smilingly asking, "Summoning lots of boys and making quite a remarkable scene like this. You''re quite awesome, Boy!"


    Wang Hu scratched his head and his ferocious expression changed into a pure and honest smile. "Ah, I don''t deserve the credit, Brother. It''s Ah Lang. All of us are following him."


    "Ah Lang? Who''s he?" Tang Xiu wondered.


    "He''s our brother, or rather, our leader," Wang Hu answered. "Unfortunately, he''s kinda unwell, so he can''t come here."


    His explanation piqued Tang Xiu''s curiosity about this person named Ah Lang. However, it was not an appropriate time to talk about this matter. He then shifted to the tattooed man who looked a bit restless and wore an unsightly expression. He then spoke to the man with a faint smile, "You know, I never wanted to bully anyone, but you deserve to stay behind bars for several years. It never occurred to me that these rascals would call out so many others here. If anything, things have gotten to this point, so I''m gonna ask you first. You stalked me and threatened me, have I made you annoyed or something? Or, do you want to snatch my money?"


    The tattooed man took a deep breath before he immediately revealed his ferocious side and coldly sneered. "I''m coming for your money since we don''t know each other. And you brats, hats'' off to you for pulling out such a stunt and calling these many cubs. I dare you to summon 10 times more, but you still gotta pay some bills to this Big Daddy! Take out 100,000 yuan and I''ll spare you!"


    Tang Xiu asked with a strange expression, "You still wanna mug me even after this kind of scene?"


    Instead of replying, the tattooed man pulled up his jacket and drew a pistol from his waist, followed by the other two men with their pistols. The rest of them quickly drew machetes and wickedly glared at Tang Xiu with hideous grins.


    The nearly hundred boys in the surroundings looked a bit shocked at first, but they just shrugged it off after recalling that they were also armed. Youngsters may have boiling warm blood, but far from being fearless against the real thing. It could be expected that they would flee faster like rabbits once the bullets flew.


    Tang Xiu frowned since the man who drew a pistol behind the tattooed man suddenly gave out a killing aura¡ªsomething that could only be acquired after killing more than 10 people, or at least, viciously killing some people cruelly.


    "You know, I already called the cops before I left the gas station," Tang Xiu calmly said. "Now you got guns and you''ll be charged with multiple crimes when the cops arrive."


    The tattooed man rolled his eyes and sneered. "Heh, we wouldn''t be here if we were scared of the cops. And you, brats! You all had better stop spitting out shits and just follow us. Else, I''ll kill you all!"


    The boys looked a bit scared, but they didn''t flinch at all. They now looked calmer after the brief fear. Especially the tall Wang Long. He raised his machete and angrily glowered. "Hmph, you wanna snatch our bankroller, huh? You must ask the blade in my hands first! Don''t think we''ll be afraid of you since you got guns. How many of us you can guys kill? 10? 20? But the rest of us will definitely grind you to a pulp!"


    Wang Hu also sneered and said, "Yeah! Worse comes to worst, both us will just die together. You dare to snatch our bankroller and take us as your enemies? If we must die, then we die. Life is nothing much compared to money to us."


    "Yeah! We dare exchange our lives for wealth!"


    "Five grand is worth 10 days to us. It''s worth it to risk our lives for!"


    "F*ck them!"


    "¡­"


    The nearly 100 boys raved and paced forward step by step, seemingly about to attack at a moment''s notice.


    The tattooed man''s complexion greatly changed and the tens of men he brought looked incredulous. How could they ever imagine that they would bump into this bunch of lunatic boys?


    Were they really not afraid of death?


    After observing these boys, they realized that they should also fear death, but much to their shock, they were just as ready to risk everything for wealth as birds would for food. It was a situation where these boys would directly storm over if any of them pulled the trigger.


    What should I do?


    Suddenly, the tattooed man felt very vexed as he was unable to advance nor back down.


    Tang Xiu himself could keenly sense the aura of these boys and he was quite shocked inwardly. He didn''t expect that these nearly a hundred boys were so brave, even their original intention was just for money. They were even ready to exchange their lives just for 5,000 yuan.


    Suddenly, the sound of sirens was heard from afar.


    The tattooed man''s expression changed yet again. Although he was a bit vexed, he felt more relieved. It was like the sound of the siren was more like the notification of the arrival of his savior rather than giving him another pressure.


    Hesitation flashed across Wang Hu''s face. He gritted his teeth and threw a look at Tang Xiu and said, "We''re not afraid of death, Brother. But we can''t just be detained in the police station for nothing. Can you¡­ can you give us more money? If you give us some more, we''ll do anything and all of us will accept the risk to be detained in the cops'' den."


    "Alright. I''ll give 10 times the previous price, then. Is it enough?" Tang Xiu calmly replied.


    Wang Hu clenched his fists and said aloud, "You heard him, Brothers? This big brother is gonna increase our price 10 times. Which means we''ll get 50 grand. But we brothers must be ready to risk everything. If those cops dare to take away this big brother, we''ll storm them over as well!"


    "FIGHT!!!"


    Orderly voices replied loudly.


    Quickly after, six police cars arrived and tens of policemen rushed out of the cars. They began wielding and waving their batons as a middle-aged one, who was their leader, shouted, "ALL OF YOU, DON''T MOVE! Put down all your weapons and squat on the ground, else all of you will be detained in the station!"


    The tattooed man looked excited upon seeing the policeman, but he quickly suppressed it and said aloud, "You finally came, Chief Liu. This boy owes us money and we were just asking him to pay his debt. I never thought that he would call out so many punks here planning to kill us. Please serve justice for us!"


    The middle-aged policeman frowned and a look of disgust flashed across his face. He then shifted to Tang Xiu and prudently observed him before he strode over and asked, "Comrade, are you the person who reported this incident to the police?"


    "I am!" Tang Xiu nodded.


    The middle-aged policeman went on, "I''m Liu Yong, the Police Chief of this city. You said on the phone that you''re a comrade from the Security Department. May I see your credentials?"


    Tang Xiu took out the green book. He casually handed it to the policeman and lightly said, "You know, the cops here truly disappoint me with your slow-moving asses. It''s exactly 36 minutes after I called you, and I even gave you the location in advance. Yet, you took 36 minutes to come here? Your efficiency is truly appalling to the extreme. I really have no idea how you can become the Chief of the Public Security Bureau of this city."


    The moment Liu Yong saw the green book Tang Xiu took out, his heart jolted and he suddenly went restless after he opened it. He didn''t take Tang Xiu''s warning previously and even drank a cup of tea and smoked in the police station. Only a bit later did he think about taking a squad of policemen to see the situation, which was the reason for their late arrival.


    However, everything was real. This credential couldn''t be more real, which meant that this young man was really someone from the Security Department¡ªa special agent of the state!


    This is really bad!


    He knew perfectly well about one thing. It would be very likely that he would become the subject of execution. Even if he could save his own sorry ass, he would at least have to suffer quite a lot!


    The moment he came to this thought, he steeled himself and shouted in a heavy voice, "These bastards have assaulted a state cadre! Handcuff and apprehend all of them. I suspect that they are all terrorists, so we''ll interrogate them slowly to make them pay a painful price!"


    "What?!"


    The tattooed man''s complexion changed as disbelief filled his eyes. As he saw the tens of policemen aggressively lunging at his group, a sound of gunfire blasted behind him before he even uttered a word.


    Bang¡­


    A fire spark flashed and the muzzle was aimed at Liu Yong. However, Tang Xiu''s finger flicked a silver needle in a flash the moment the spark flashed. The needle directly hit the bullet from the gun bore and made its trajectory pass through the crowd. No one was hurt.


    Bam, bam, bam¡­


    The next moment, Tang Xiu moved lightning fast and took out three big men and snatched their guns in nearly the blink of an eye. He then threw the pistols to Liu Yong''s feet and didn''t even hold back his reprimand. "You''re the Chief of the City Police, yet you have no vigilance at all? You''d already be dead if I didn''t take action!"


    The sudden event scared Liu Yong to death. Tang Xiu''s loud reproach after the dust settled pulled him back from his fear. Large drops of sweat could be seen falling from his forehead, but he was not in the mood to even wipe them off. With a feeling that he had just walked away from the gates of Hell, he shot Tang Xiu a look of gratitude and said, "I admit I took it lightly, Leader. Thank you for saving me. You''re Liu Yong''s benefactor from now on."


    "Hmph. I don''t give a damn about being your benefactor or not!" Tang Xiu coldly snorted and indifferently said, "What I care about is the fact that you have so many gangsters in your jurisdiction! Some of them even have guns. They even dare to target me and rob me of my possessions. If it wasn''t for this group of brave boys who stood up for justice, I''d have been caught by them now or may have even be killed by these bastards!"

 1231 A Young Leader

    Liu Yong''s eyes gleamed with coldness and he said in a heavy voice, "They have been hiding firearms, keeping murderers and assaulting people. They also commit robberies and endanger the security of the country. They are simply members of some underground forces that even dare to attack the police force openly. I assure you that they will spend their lives in prison."


    Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes, but most of his indifference towards the man melted away. He patted the man''s shoulder and lightly said, "As people who are responsible to uphold justice and law, you must deal with these rotten apples with severe actions. I''ll keep paying attention and assign someone to oversee this matter. You had better wipe out all the underground forces in this city in the next few months."


    Liu Yong''s eyes lit up. He then shifted his attention at the nearly 100 boys in the surroundings and suddenly asked, "Do you have a moment for a private discussion, Leader?"


    "Alright." Tang Xiu curtly replied and then looked at Wang Hu, saying, "Tell everyone else to disperse and hand over all the weapons they have to the police. I''ll give you 10,000 yuan later as compensation."


    Wang Hu''s eyes shone and he hurriedly shouted a few lines and the boys dispersed quickly.


    Tens of meters away from the scene, Tang Xiu looked at the serious-looking Liu Yong and lightly said, "What exactly do you want to talk to me about?"


    "Leader, the higher-ups in the province will be needed to assume command in dealing with the security problems in this city. It''s because some of the city''s officials, especially those in power, have inextricable and unclear relationships with these underground forces. I''m nothing but the Chief of the City Public Security Bureau here. I may have a heart but I don''t have the power to carry out such endeavor. I''m not afraid to tell you that the guy who leads these gangsters is a distant relative of someone in power here. Even I myself wouldn''t have dared to annoy him easily at normal times."


    "What if I give you the authority to deal with it. Do you dare to strike them?" asked Tang Xiu.


    The authority to act?


    Liu Yong recalled Tang Xiu''s identity and suddenly realized that the small green book might not fully represent the authority this person possessed. Which meant¡­ this man''s identity¡­ was definitely extraordinary.


    "I''m not afraid!" Liu Yong was stimulated to go all out on this endeavor and went on with all seriousness, "Even if I have to risk everything, I''ll give everything to make the city''s public order better!"


    "Alright." Tang Xiu said, "I''ll give you a phone number. You can directly contact a certain person. His men are quite full and got nothing to do anyway, so it''s better to utilize them. You tell the person that I told you to find him."


    Liu Young noted the mobile phone number. A look of hesitation then appeared on his face before he asked, "May I ask who this person is, Leader?"


    "He''s the Director of the Special Abilities Bureau, Duanmu Lin," Tang Xiu replied lightly.


    Gasp¡­


    Certainly, Liu Yong neither had the access nor privilege to learn such particular information given his position as the Chief of the City Public Security Bureau. However, there had been a few bizarre incidents happening here, and the ones who dealt with it were those ability users from the Special Abilities Bureau. He was required to face these terrifying people and was naturally aware of what the Director of the Special Abilities Bureau represented.


    These people were truly experts, who had powerful authority to move and act as the guardians of the state in the dark.


    "This Liu Yong absolutely won''t fail to live up to your expectations, Leader!" Liu Yong''s neck was red due to his excitement and resolutely gave his guarantee.


    Tang Xiu nodded to him in response and said, "If so, then go back now! I still have other things to tend to, so I won''t stay here."


    "Understood!"


    After saluting, Liu Yong immediately issued an order to his team to return to take these savage men into custody.


    Finally, there were only Tang Xiu and Wang Hu left at the school entrance. Tang Xiu then looked at Wang Hu, who looked curious, before he pointed to his Mercedes-Benz SUV and smilingly said, "Take me to a nearby bank. I''m going to withdraw some cash for you. By the way, the total sum is 60 grand, right?"


    "Are you really going to give us so much money, Brother?" Wang Hu blurted out excitedly.


    "Tang Xiu always keeps his words and regards it very important to deliver." Tang Xiu nodded and said, "I may not be an Emperor and I dare not say that I''ll always deliver what I''ve promised. But I always stay true to everything I said."


    Wang Hu squeezed the lower hem of his clothes and repeatedly nodded. "I believe you, Brother. Those cops from the police station even call you leader, so I''m sure you''re a very powerful person."


    "That''s right. Care to tell me what happened to this Ah Lang?" Tang Xiu lightly smiled and asked.


    Wang Hu hesitated before he shook his head and answered, "You''re our bankroller, so I mentioned him to you before. Else, I would never have revealed his identity to outsiders. I know you''re a good guy, Brother. But please don''t press me on this one."


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and lightly smiled. "I won''t force you. It''s just an impulse of my goodwill, nothing else. Else, there was no need for me to know a stranger, either, right?"


    "Goodwill?" Wang Hu stared at Tang Xiu with a puzzled face.


    "You told me that Ah Lang was unwell before, didn''t you?" Tang Xiu went on, "Coincidentally, I also have another identity as a Chinese medical practitioner."


    Wang Hu shook his head and replied, "No way. It''s not that I don''t believe you, Brother. But Ah Lang''s physical condition is rather special. We''ve taken him to many doctors in various cities and also visited some big hospitals in the province, none of them can cure him."


    Tang Xiu smilingly replied, "You''ve gone to the hospitals and met many doctors, then you should know about those called the Divine Doctors in Chinese medicine, right?"


    "Yeah." Wang Hu nodded and said, "I''ve heard about them indeed. It is said that there''s only but a few Divine Doctors in the whole of China, but each and every one of them has miraculous medical expertise. Unfortunately, we just can''t find them. Even if we could, we can''t afford to invite them either."


    "You know, my name is Tang Xiu." Tang Xiu chuckled and said, "Your mobile phone should be able to access the internet, right? Try to search my name on the internet."


    "Tang Xiu?"


    Wang Hu felt that the name was familiar. He felt he heard it somewhere but couldn''t recall it for a while. He then followed Tang Xiu''s suggestion and typed the name quickly. Shortly after, he saw countless links that matched the keyword, which was Tang Xiu''s name. After clicking one of the links and read the article for some time, he suddenly exclaimed, "You¡­ you turn out to be that Young Divine Doctor of Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, Tang Xiu? Brother¡­ you aren''t deceiving me, are you?"


    "Why should I lie to you?" Tang Xiu asked back with a smile.


    Wang Hu suddenly realized that this man didn''t say anything else except for mentioning his own name. After he recalled that the legendary divine doctor was standing right in front of him, his lips squirmed and then grabbed Tang Xiu''s hand, saying, "I believe that you''re a Divine Doctor, Brother. I won''t ask any sum of money from you, not even those 60 grand. You can even have my life as long as you can cure Ah Lang."


    "Well, I think you should take me to him first if you want me to cure him, no?" Tang Xiu replied, "Just tell me about his situation on the way there."


    "Copy that!" Wang Hu repeatedly nodded and looked excited.


    The place was not far and there was a dilapidated house with more than ten boys in rascal clothing when Wang Hu brought Tang Xiu to the place. These youths quickly wielded their weapons and moved fast to surround them. But Wang Long, who was their leader, quickly shouted after he saw Tang Xiu, "Why did you bring him here, Brother? Ah Lang said to not bring strangers here."


    "Divine Doctor Tang is not an outsider. He''s that famous Young Divine Doctor," Wang Hu replied, "He said he''s willing to treat Ah Lang''s illness, so I brought him here to have a try."


    A Divine Doctor¡­ the young Divine Doctor?


    When more than a dozen boys were still confused, one youth suddenly exclaimed, "I remember him! He''s the famous young Divine Doctor from Star City Chinese Medical Hospital! I¡­ I¡­ have seen him on the video when he treated some patients. He''s him. Absolutely."


    "Well, a doctor''s duty is to heal the sick and save people, while the title of Divine Doctor was just given by everyone. Anyway, shall we go inside and take me to see Ah Lang?"


    On the way here, Wang Hu had briefed Tang Xiu on Ah Lang.


    Back in the past, Ah Lang originally had four brothers and he was the youngest of the four. They were all homeless children who scoured garbage dumps to pick their food to keep them alive. Later on, they kept fighting and struggled for food with others, leading to the death of his two brothers and sent the oldest one to jail.


    At that time, Ah Lang was only 12 years old.


    But while he was still at a tender age, he gathered other homeless children and formed a group using his wisdom, sense of justice and righteousness before taking root in this place. Ah Lang was blessed with high intelligence, so bright that his head was like a deity''s. Following his thorough planning, the group of these street urchins and teenagers managed to make quite a lot of money, and Ah Lang even went so far to ask all of them to enter school.


    Years passed by and the number of teenagers joining up kept increasing. This year, Ah Lang was 17-years-old and more than 200 street children were following him. These teenagers were all poor children living in the lowest level of society. Ah Lang provided meals and a place to live and warm clothes to fulfill their daily lives, as well as getting some education from school.


    At normal times, everyone lived literally everywhere, but just one summon from Ah Lang would gather them in a moment''s notice. Unfortunately, 2 years ago when he turned 15, the severe cold led to him to contract a high fever. The fever was later subsided but left him a lot of abscesses and paralyzed in bed. Although Ah Lang kept providing advice to his brothers to make money while schooling, the sum of money they earned was much less than before.


    It then became the main reason for the 100-plus teenagers among the total of over 200 to make up their minds to drop out of school and desperately did everything to earn money for a living. It was something they voluntarily and willingly did no matter how arduous and tiring the work was. They wanted to earn some money for Ah Lang''s treatment.


    In their hearts, even though Ah Lang was younger than them, he was their pillar¡ªtheir backbone as well as their leader.


    Cough, cough¡­


    Tang Xiu entered the house with Wang Hu and heard severe coughs from the interior.


    Wang Hu strode quickly into the room and saw Ah Lang coughing on the bed in the corner of the dim room.


    "How is your condition now, Ah Lang? You feel unwell again?"


    While staying on the bed, the sound of Ah Lang''s cough gradually subsided. His breaths were rough and he tried to raise his hand extremely hard and weakly spoke, "I''m¡­ fine. Please give me some water!"

 1232 A Born Commander

    Tang Xiu calmly observed the pale and extremely fragile-looking boy on the bed. The boy''s face was red and green veins were protruding on his forehead, while his hair was drenched wet with his own sweat. However, his eyes were very particular and extraordinarily tranquil like a pool of still water that wouldn''t ripple even though it was swept over by the gales.


    Is it because of his intelligence?


    Tang Xiu took out a cigarette. The clicking sound of a lighter was heard as he lit it up, causing Ah Lang to shift his attention to him. Under Tang Xiu''s gaze, the boy was briefly startled and hesitated, before he sat on the bed with difficulty with Wang Hu''s help. After sitting on the edge of the bed and fixing his clothes, he put on the slippers and paced a few steps towards Tang Xiu.


    "Should I address you as Divine Doctor Tang or Boss Tang?"


    A smile crept up on Tang Xiu''s face and he asked him, "Which one do you choose to address me, then?"


    Ah Lang thought for a short while and then answered, "For me, the most appropriate address to call you is Divine Doctor Tang, whereas it would be appropriate for my brothers to address you as Boss Tang."


    "Care sharing me about the reason?" The smile on Tang Xiu''s face was getting thicker.


    Ah Lang raised his hand to cover his mouth before he coughed again. Then, he slowly explained, "I''m ill while you''re the famous Divine Doctor of Chinese medicine. You can cure my illness, so the most appropriate for me to address you is Divine Doctor Tang. But my pitiful brothers have been living miserable lives. For the time being, shelter, food, and clothes wouldn''t be a problem, but their future will be greatly affected due to the delays in their studies. You''re the Big Boss of Magnificent Tang Corporation. With you extending a hand to help them, they will have a bright future, so the most appropriate address for my brothers to call you is Boss Tang."


    Tang Xiu nodded calmly in response and said, "What do you choose to address me, then?"


    Ah Lang thought for a moment and then answered, "Divine Doctor Tang."


    The smile on Tang Xiu''s face was getting thicker. The question he just gave Ah Lang was about these two addresses. If this boy addressed him as Divine Doctor Tang, it meant that he respected him highly, whereas addressing him as Boss Tang meant that he valued his brothers.


    However, there was also an implicit meaning of exceptions here.


    Tang Xiu puffed out a ring of smoke and asked again, "Elaborate."


    "I have no fears of troubles in the rear if my brothers have died. But I could die any time now, and leaving them behind will make me face death in regret and unwillingness. On the other hand, I''m confident I can give my brothers a bright future if you can cure me. It''s much better to have them under me than giving them to others."


    Tang Xiu took out a cigarette from the cigarette box and flicked it to Ah Lang''s hand. Then, he asked again, "The last question. If you can answer it and your answer is to my satisfaction, I can treat you for free. I''ll also give you and those little brothers of yours a huge opportunity."


    Ah Lang''s expression shifted ever so slightly. "Please say it, Divine Doctor Tang."


    "Let''s say that you''ve become an official in a state department where you wield such a high position and powerful authority that your decision can decide the lives and deaths of countless people," Tang Xiu began speaking. "On one hand, your country is being invaded by enemies, whereas your brothers who''ve been with you through fire and water are being hunted endlessly and may meet their demise at any time. Under such a situation, will you keep defending your country against those foreign enemies, or are you going to save your brothers?"


    Ah Lang''s brows scrunched up tightly. It was a problem he never thought before and now he was suddenly faced with a choice. He needed to think about it seriously.


    Time fleeted by and more than 20 minutes had passed. Different thoughts kept clashing inside his head during these 20 minutes. He kept thinking and struggling. He would, without a doubt, choose his brothers if he was in the current situation since they were his closest people in the world. However, when he put himself in the shoes of the figure depicted in the world Tang Xiu just mentioned, the clashes between choices he would make inside his heart became more intense.


    Puah¡­


    The temperature of Ah Lang''s body kept rising and he finally spurted out a mouthful of blood. If it wasn''t for Wang Hu''s quick response in catching him, he would have fallen to the floor.


    Tang Xiu himself was unfazed and he kept observing the increasingly unsightly expression on Ah Lang''s face. Then, he spoke lightly, "I''m still waiting for your answer."


    Ah Lang tilted up his head with difficulty. His eyes fixedly stared at Tang Xiu, then he spoke with a hoarse voice, "If one is in that position, what he must seek is his country. Since it is my duty to protect the country, then I must protect the lives of countless people living in it. I want to save my brothers since they are in danger, but I''ll never ruin the fate of the country just for the sake of brotherhood out of my own selfishness. If my brothers were to die in battle, I''d shoulder the revenge on my own and visit their graves to apologize. I believe they will understand me even if they have died!"


    A beaming smile appeared on Tang Xiu''s handsome face. He paced forward and supported Ah Lang''s body with his fingers grasped on his wrist to sense his internal condition. Then, he smilingly said, "Clean up and pack your things. You''re leaving with me! It''s easy to get thousands of troops, but they will never become tough lions without a leader to lead them. Tang Xiu needs someone like you."


    Ah Lang stared at Tang Xiu and asked, "What exactly do you want me to do?"


    The smile on Tang Xiu''s face slowly disappeared, replaced by an extremely serious face. "I want you to help lead the army, becoming a commander who deserves the respect of millions. As long as you pass my trial, and so long as you can soar to the sky to the point that your performance can stand up to my satisfaction; glory, splendor, wealth, and rank are just trivial. State anything you want, be it an individual''s peerless might and endless life, I''ll give you everything as long as it is within my capability!"


    "Are you teasing me?" asked Ah Lang with a strange expression.


    Tang Xiu let out a faint smile and unleashed his power to wrap Wang Hu''s body and instantly sent him outside the room. Shortly after, all the doors and windows in the room were instantly shut. He then took a bottle of Holy Healing pills from the interspatial ring and released his Primal Chaos energy to wrap Ah Lang''s body. He quickly stuffed some Holy Healing Pills into the boy''s mouth and used his power to help him catalyze the efficacy to adjust his physique.


    It was the process of adjusting one''s endowment with the best possible auxiliaries.


    With his great increase in power, it was easy for Tang Xiu to change one''s physique, and he could tell that Ah Lang''s condition was caused by overworking his brain that also sapped his mental power. It then led to constant high fever, his deteriorating health, and fragile body.


    "Endure it! Pain and hardships are your friends if you want to turn into a man with power, and you must persevere no matter how much pain and suffering you face!"


    Tang Xiu''s voice was directly transmitted to the depths of Ah Lang''s heart. Although the boy''s body was floating in mid-air and violently trembling, there was no pity nor compassion in Tang Xiu''s eyes. In his eyes, it was actually a great fortune for the boy that even countless humans, immortals, and demons alike would never be able to obtain no matter how eager they wanted it.


    Time fleeted by and two hours passed while Tang Xiu''s eyes kept flickering. Amid the miserable screams of Ah Lang, Tang Xiu immediately retracted his hands and ceased releasing his power that attached to the boy before letting him fall on the bed.


    A short while passed by without any sound.


    Half a minute later, Ah Lang climbed up from the bed with difficulty, feeling dizzy and hazy. The pain that made him wish that it was better dying than living receded fast like a tide. He was shocked that he could feel a surging power from all parts of his body and the temperature in his body kept increasing. Gradually, he jumped off the bed and clenched his fists to deliver some punches and kicks to the air. Afterward, he shifted to Tang Xiu with disbelief and muttered, "My body feels different."


    With a smile that didn''t look like one, Tang Xiu replied, "It''s only natural that you feel different. I went to extreme lengths on you. I''d be upset if you were to stay the same! Holy Healing pills, a drop of ferocious beast''s blood essence, a drop of Body Refining Liquid, and a stalk of Serpent Orchid Herb. Any expert would improve their strength to a higher level after taking all these kinds of stuff."


    Ah Lang suddenly recalled the previous scenes and retreated backward quickly with a face full of vigilance. Then, he asked in a heavy tone, "Who exactly are you?"


    "Now, now. Did you forget what you just said?" Tang Xiu chuckled and said, "You called me Divine Doctor Tang just now, didn''t you?"


    Ah Lang shook his head and replied, "No. There''s no way you can do such stunts if you were just a Divine Doctor."


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and replied, "Take my trial now and I''ll tell you about it if you can pass it. But you''re not qualified to know my real identity if you fail."


    "What kind of test?" Ah Lang looked hesitant for a while before he replied with a nod, "I accept!"


    Tang Xiu took a book out of his interspatial ring and threw it to the boy. "You should be able to read. This manual is a cultivation technique record. My request of you is very simple. There are a total of 4,786 characters written in it, excluding punctuations and the likes. If you can memorize all of them in half an hour and can recite them directly, you can consider yourself to have passed the first minor test."


    "Fair enough." Ah Lang nodded and received the cultivation technique manual. He read the title "Soul, Heart, and Spirit Tempering Art" on its cover. But after he opened and read the first page, he looked dumbfounded and surprised.


    "Start¡­ now," Tang Xiu said.


    "I don''t think I can do this." Ah Lang shook his head and said, "I won''t feel much pressure if this is written in common vernacular and I can do it with some effort. But this is written in classical Chinese and some of them are just¡­ ancient. I can''t do this."


    Tang Xiu''s complexion turned cold and he said in a heavy tone, "You had better remember one thing from now. You''re a man, and a man never says he can''t do it! No matter how hard it is and regardless of how many failures you''ve tasted, you must give it a try!"


    Ah Lang stared at Tang Xiu and knelt all of a sudden before he tilted up his head and said, "If¡­ if I can memorize them, could you¡­ take me as your student?"


    Tang Xiu gently waved his hand and a stream of energy pulled Ah Lang up from the floor. He then lightly said, "If you can pass this test, I won''t accept you as a student, but I''ll take you as my disciple. A teacher may have many students, but a Master only has a few disciples."

 1233 Someone Needs You

    Ah Lang''s heart pounded after contemplating Tang Xiu''s words. He was just 17-years-old and finished all the curriculums from primary school to high school in five years. He was a genius who had an amazing memory and fast comprehension ability.


    He could understand the meaning behind Tang Xiu''s line. In ancient times, it was said that a Master for a day was a father for a lifetime. A Master was not a teacher, nor was the one who received a batch of students and then sent them off later. One who became a Master was like a family, or rather a father, thus, a Master and his or her disciples had inseparable bond in the truest sense.


    "Then I''ll give it my best!" A firm look was shown on Ah Lang''s face.


    "An hour is 60 minutes, and four minutes have already passed." Tang Xiu smiled. "You only have 56 minutes left."


    Ah Lang''s face slightly changed. He immediately took a seat and immersed himself in memorizing the content of the Soul, Heart, and Spirit Cultivation art manual.


    However, he looked a bit overjoyed after a few minutes passed. He found that his memory now worked better than before. He needed a great deal of effort to memorize the book he read before, but he could now read much faster with just a glance. He found his memory kept working better in memorizing and continuously grew much sharper. He could even easily memorize the content just by skimming.


    My brain works much better now.


    Ah Lang also wanted to understand this aspect more, so he immediately focused his mind and concentrated on reading more. 40 minutes later, he finally finished reading the last word on the manual and recited all the contents in his mind. There were only a few parts he hadn''t fully memorized, so he read the manual again. Afterward, he closed the manual and said, "I''ve read all of them."


    "Have you fully memorized them?" Tang Xiu asked.


    Ah Lang nodded. "I can recite the entire content now."


    Tang Xiu nodded in approval with a smile. Then, he walked to the broken chair in the room and took a seat. He shook his head and said, "No need to recite it! I''ve been here for a long time and transformed your body too. Now I''m thirsty."


    "I''ll serve the tea for you."


    Ah Lang turned around. But after he paced a few steps, an overjoyed look overflowed in his eyes. He quickly poured a cup of tea and hastily came back to Tang Xiu and directly knelt on the floor while offering the teacup with both hands. "Please have tea, Master."


    Tang Xiu received the teacup. He didn''t rush to drink it but smilingly said, "It''s still missing from formally a swearing-in to acknowledge a Master. But well, it''s close enough."


    Then, Ah Lang knocked his head thrice before looking up at Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu happily nodded to him in response. He sipped the hot tea with a smile. He then propped up the boy from the floor and asked, "What''s your surname?"


    "I and my three brothers have no surname, Master." Ah Lang shook his head.


    "I''ve heard a bit about your situation. Now, tell me about yourself."


    "There''s nothing worth to tell about, Master." Ah Lang bitterly said, "I had three brothers, and two of them died when I was still small, whereas my first brother is now in prison, in which he may have to stay there for life. As a matter of fact, they are not my blood brothers; even those brothers closest to me never knew the true relationship between the four of us."


    "Continue!" Tang Xiu nodded.


    "The four of us lived in the orphanage before and we were all abandoned as infants." Ah Lang went on, "Later on, the person in that orphanage abused us all day. First Brother and Second Brother then took us to escape secretly, but the youngest sister died shortly after we escaped, leaving only the four of us, brothers. Afterward, we kept fighting and struggling with others for food and to get some money. Second and Third Brothers were then killed by some people, whereas First Brother went to jail."


    Tang Xiu nodded slowly and thoughtfully said, "What did your First Brother do to make him go to prison?"


    Hatred flashed in Ah Lang''s eyes before he replied, "He took revenge for the Second and Third Brothers. But the fact is, those who killed those bastards were me, Wang Hu, and Wang Long. First Brother took all the crimes on his own shoulders to avoid all of us going to prison."


    "In which prison is your First Brother detained?" asked Tang Xiu again.


    "Qinchuan Prison."


    Tang Xiu took out his cell phone and dialed Zhu Long''s cell number, saying, "I need to take someone out from Qinchuan Prison. He''s just a civilian, but his brother is my disciple who will follow me in the future. Report my request to Duanmu Lin and ask his approval to release this man."


    "Got it!" Zhu Long curtly replied and directly hung up. It didn''t take long before the man called back.


    "How was it?" Tang Xiu asked after picking up the call.


    "Director Duanmu has replied that it''s fine. On the condition that the person you just mentioned doesn''t stay in China and best not to make any major disturbances again later. Also, Aquababe has left for Qinchuan Prison. Shall I contact her to send the person to you directly, or are you going to pick him up in person?"


    Tang Xiu looked at Ah Lang and asked, "What''s your brother''s name?"


    "Ah Dong," Ah Lang answered.


    "His full name," Tang Xiu said.


    "Just Ah Dong. The ID issued by the government for us in our class before only had Ah Lang and Ah Long."


    Tang Xiu wryly smiled and spoke to Zhu Long again, "I''m currently not far from Qinchuan Prison, so I''m going to pick him up myself. Please contact Aquababe in advance that I''m waiting for her there!"


    Tang Xiu put away his mobile phone and shifted to the excited-looking Ah Lang. He lightly smiled and said, "I''m giving you another opportunity since you have no family name. If you can cultivate up to the Golden Core Stage within 2 years, I''ll bestow you my family name."


    "Tang?"


    Ah Lang''s eyes lit up. He resolutely nodded and said, "I''ll do my best to not betray your expectation, Master. You¡­ can you really bail out my brother from prison?"


    Tang Xiu smiled lightly in response and replied, "We''re going to Qinchuan Prison tonight to pick him up. But there''s something I want you to do before that."


    "Master, this should be about these brothers of mine, right?" asked Ah Lang.


    "It''s really easy to speak with you. Well, that''s a likable good point of smart people." Tang Xiu chuckled. "You''re right. You chose to follow me, but what about them? Do you want me to take them all with you, or do you want them to stay? Of course, I''ll give each one of them a sum of money. The amount may not be big, but it should be enough for each of them to live for more than 10 years."


    "I''d like to bring them with me if I may, Master." Ah Lang replied, "They will be very sad if I''m the only one who leaves with you."


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, "If so, we''ll take them together. But before that, you must ask their opinions first and ask whether they want to go with you."


    "Understood!"


    Outside the room.


    Wang Hu and Wang Long were standing restlessly outside the door with eyes staring at the door. Although they couldn''t see anything, they hoped that they could at least hear something from the inside.


    "What the hell is going on there, Brother? Has Divine Doctor Tang finished treating Ah Lang?" asked Wang Long anxiously yet again.


    Wang Hu scowled at him with a vexed expression. "You ask me, but whom I must ask then? I have no idea what''s going on there, either. I don''t even get how I got inexplicably thrown out all of a sudden. No¡­ it was just a flash¡­ I was standing next to Ah Lang, but then I inexplicably got pushed outside by something like the wind in the next moment."


    Wang Long looked at him with a face visibly saying that he didn''t buy it. However, he didn''t say more and just felt that his big brother lost his mind. Else, he wouldn''t have uttered such nonsensical things.


    Wang Hu kept trying to move forward and exclaimed, "What on Earth is going on here? We keep trying to rush inside so many times but we can''t get in. How come we get bounced back again and again?"


    Creak¡­


    The door was opened from the inside and the fresh-looking Ah Lang came out with a beaming face. When he saw Wang Hu and Wang Long, he said aloud, "Ah Hu, Ah Long, you both call all the brothers immediately and tell them to gather here right away. Tell ''em that they must be here within half an hour."


    "How are you feeling now, Ah Lang?" Wang Long dashed and asked aloud.


    Wang Hu, on the other hand, wore a strange expression when he saw Ah Lang. He clearly saw how sick Ah Lang was before that he even coughed up a mouthful of blood in front of him. Why¡­ how come he got¡­ much better in just a short time? Could it be that Divine Doctor Tang really had a miraculous elixir that cured his illness and made him better instantly?


    "What happened, Ah Lang?"


    Ah Lang stretched his hand, gripped his fists and exclaimed, "I''ve been cured and I''m fine now! Tell all the brothers to come here quickly!"


    "Got it!"


    Ah Hu was overjoyed and immediately grabbed his cell phone to call the others.


    Tang Xiu came out of the room and looked at the three boys with a smile on his face, sighing inwardly. He had been young himself, yet he never had such life-and-death brothers. Back when he just arrived in the Immortal World, even those around him were a bunch off silk pants who only knew to pick up troubles and did all kinds of mischievous things. But when it came to dangers, they were the perfect representation of those who fled instantly when facing a calamity.


    Maybe those in Su Family Village were my good brothers when I was a kid, right? But they are also¡­ barely. Tang Xiu secretly forced a wry smile after making a comparison.


    Less than an hour later, over 200 youths had all arrived. Just from this aspect, Tang Xiu could tell how remarkable was Ah Lang''s band of brothers.


    Watching them cry, laugh, and how the group profusely thanked him, the crack that had long existed in his heart slowly closed up. Eventually, he was finally able to melt some of the frigid wariness he always had toward the so-called brotherhood and friendship.


    Night finally fell.


    Aside from Ah Lang, 228 boys and girls had gathered outside the house and all of them focused their attention on Tang Xiu with anticipation on their faces.


    They had heard about two issues from Ah Lang.


    The first one was that there was someone who had expressed the intention of adopting them. From now on, they didn''t need to wander about and roam everywhere just to keep on living, and there was no need for them to do any hard labor work to earn money.


    The second one was about Ah Dong, their big brother who was now in prison. This great benefactor also extended his hand to free him, and they could meet him again soon.

 1234 I Want to Be a Cultivator

    Qinchuan Prison was the largest prison in the entire western region. Most of the inmates here were ordinary people who had committed major criminal offenders and the number nearly reached 10,000. There was also a small number of major inmates considered as devil incarnates, as well asa number of prisoners with their death execution on a delayed schedule, or criminals on probation.


    Deep inside the prison was a cell made of reinforced concrete with more than a dozen inmates. Each of whom was at least sentenced to 20 years in prison, including two men whose execution was postponed for 2 years. But to put it bluntly, the postponed death sentence was not absolute as they would only be sentenced to life imprisonment if they behaved well. Certainly, they may be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment if their behavior was deemed excellent and could finally leave the prison.


    Creak¡­ clang!


    The cell door was opened and two jailers appeared at the door. The middle-aged one in front glanced around fast to the inmates inside with a strange expression, saying, "Ah Dong, pack up your things and prepare to leave prison."


    The several inmates inside were shocked, even Ah Dong himself froze. His eyes blinked and he looked confused.


    He was convicted guilty of a capital crime and would have been executed had it not been for his minor age back then. Even if his behavior was deemed excellent and he was only involved in several fights here, the most he could get would only be life imprisonment. He was perfectly aware that he would never leave prison unless there was a large-scale pardon in the country that would reduce his sentence to a fixed-term one.


    Finally, a bearded middle-aged man with a naked upper body in the cell asked, "Are you not making a mistake? Ah Dong is sentenced to life prison, how could he be released now?"


    Ah Dong was as though snapped back from a dream and hurriedly said, "Are you not mistaken, Captain? I¡­ I don''t think I have served my sentence term yet!


    The middle-aged jailer lightly said, "I dunno the details, either. I just received an order from the Warden to pick you up. Alright, cut the nonsense and pack up quickly."


    Ah Dong shivered before he hurriedly strode to his bunk. After quickly packing up his things neatly, he suddenly spaced out and left all his things on the bed of the big man and said aloud, "This little brother is going out and leaving these junks here. Big Brother Hu, Big Brother Yang, Old Dao, and other big brothers and uncles, I''m going out now, but I''ll come back to see you again later¡­"


    The rest of the inmates quietly looked at him, but the big man suddenly strode forward and patted his shoulder hard, saying in a deep voice, "We accept your intention, but we don''t want to see you in this prison again later. Go and take care, Brother."


    Immediately after, the rest also came over and hugged Ah Dong, each saying farewell.


    After a short while, Ah Dong stood at the cell''s door with a complex expression and said, "Then I won''t come back again since all big brothers and uncles don''t want to see me behind bars again. But as long as Ah Dong is still alive outside, I''ll continue sending money and stuff so everyone can enjoy it here."


    Having said that, he wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes and resolutely turned and walked towards the outside. After passing through the long corridor and turning over several passages, he came to the square and saw a not tall beautiful woman with arms folded.


    Why would a woman appear in a man''s prison, and not wearing a police uniform, too? Ah Dong thought inwardly.


    He had been in this prison for some years and now was 21-years-old. He had been living a hard and difficult life since childhood and only knew how to fight fiercely and bravely. Seeing a woman appear here was really an unusual sight for him and thus felt bizarre.


    What puzzled him was that the woman standing in the square was slowly heading to the outside just like him and stayed at the gate of the prison until he arrived.


    "May I know who you are?"


    Ah Dong realized that this woman should be the reason why he could leave this prison.


    Aquababe indifferently glanced at him and replied, "You don''t need to know who I am, and you don''t have the qualification to learn who I am, either. I was just assigned to come here to take you out of the prison. I''ve cleared up all records about you. You no longer exist either in this prison or in the whole of China. Let''s go out, some people have been waiting for you outside the gate."


    "Some people waiting for me outside?"


    Ah Dong shifted to the big iron gate and nearly rushed forward when two prison guards opened the gate. He was as though getting struck by a lightning bolt when he saw the scene outside. 200-plus youths were standing on the wide road ahead¡ªhis brothers, even though they were not related by blood.


    "Brother!"


    Ah Lang staggered forward a few steps and then knelt 7-plus meters away from Ah Dong as he called out with a trembling voice.


    "Brother!"


    A loud and orderly shout followed from the 200-plus teenagers. A few of them even burst into tears and gathered with Ah Long and knelt.


    Ah Dong also burst into tears and strode toward Ah Long. He knelt and hugged him, sobbing. "I missed you so much, Brother. I''ve been worried sick about you."


    Ah Lang wiped off his tears and shook his head firmly. "I''m fine, Brother. I''m really fine. I wasn''t able to come here to see you for the last six months due to some accidents. But it''s all right now since you''ve finally come out. We brothers will never be separated again from now on."


    "Yeah, we''ll never be separated anymore." Ah Dong nodded repeatedly while hugging him tighter.


    Several teenagers behind them rushed and surrounded them while stretching their hands to hold the other''s hands. The group embraced each other and created a moving sight.


    Finally, Ah Lang wiped the tears on his face. He pulled Ah Dong up and said, "Brother, I can save you from prison because of my Master. I''ll take you to see him."


    "Your Master?"


    Ah Dong was shaken and realized that Ah Lang''s Master was very likely a big personage in China, else he couldn''t have easily taken him out of prison.


    Shortly after, the two brothers came to Tang Xiu. Ah Long pulled Ah Dong to kneel as he knocked his head toward Tang Xiu three times and said, "Brother, this is my Master. He cured me of my illness and made me much better. He is also the one who saved you. We''re all going to follow him later."


    Ah Dong was hesitant after he saw Tang Xiu''s young appearance and said, "Big Brother, Ah Dong''s life is yours to use later."


    "I''m Ah Lang''s Master, yet you address me Big Brother?" Tang Xiu let out an odd smile and said, "That would be quite messed up in seniority."


    Ah Dong stared blankly and immediately replied awkwardly, "Then, I''ll address you as Master, too."


    "No. My standard is quite strict when receiving disciples." Tang Xiu shook his head. "I won''t accept you as a disciple unless you have a certain aspect that I can pay attention to. Call me Boss just like the rest of you later!"


    Having said that, Tang Xiu pointed to the buses that had been waiting behind and said, "Ah Lang will go with me to deal with something. All of you get on those buses and the drivers will take you to Jingmen Island''s Everlasting Feast Hall. You''re going to stay there for some time and some people will take care of your life and studies."


    "But I''d like to be with Ah Lang," said Ah Long quickly.


    "You''re not yet ready and not yet qualified to stay with him for the time being," Tang Xiu said lightly. "Remember, you must undergo training if you want to be with him later. Only those with outstanding abilities are qualified to follow Ah Lang since he''s my disciple."


    "What training and when we''re going to have it?" asked Ah Dong hurriedly.


    "You won''t understand it even if I tell you now," Tang Xiu replied lightly. "Anyway, no more questions. Get on board and go to Jingmen Island! I believe you''ll see Ah Lang soon if you work hard."


    Ah Lang himself had no idea the arrangement Tang Xiu had for him, but he wouldn''t disobey Tang Xiu''s order since Tang Xiu was the person who healed him and also saved Ah Dong from prison. He nodded to Ah Dong and said, "Big Brother, just listen to Master. He''s a good man and will definitely not harm us. I look forward to the day when we''ll see each other again later."


    Ah Dong nodded in response and said, "I''ll definitely work hard, Boss."


    Tang Xiu then waved his hand and watched as the 200-plus teenagers boarded several buses. Then, he smiled at Aquababe who approached. "Thanks a bunch for the help."


    "Nevermind it." Aquababe shook her head and suddenly asked, "Anyway, can I also take the training you just mentioned to them?"


    Tang Xiu blanked out for a moment and was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh. "You''re not joking, are you, Aquababe? You''re a respectable psionic. What''s the point of training with a group of children?"


    "I want to walk on the cultivation path. I want to be a cultivator, too," Aquababe replied with all seriousness.


    The smile on Tang Xiu''s face disappeared and he replied with a frown, "You''re a member of the Special Abilities Bureau. Choosing to follow me will be like poking on Duanmu Lin''s line."


    "I naturally have a way out to leave the Special Abilities Bureau as long as you approve it, Tang Xiu," Aquababe replied.


    Tang Xiu gave it a thought before shaking his head. "I''m sorry. I can''t promise you for the time being."


    Aquababe looked disappointed. She then hesitantly said, "Can you give me a reason?"


    "You''re from the Special Abilities Bureau, which makes you a state agent," Tang Xiu explained. "I can''t say I can trust you for the time being and I don''t want my Tang Sect having anyone related to the country. You should understand what I mean."


    Aquababe was silent for a while and then nodded. "I can understand it, but time will tell the heart of a person. I hope I can prove with facts that I really want to cultivate and become stronger, rather than being a spy and then become a traitor."

 1235 Approval and Authorization

    A black Mercedes-Benz SUV sped fast on the wide highway. While driving, Tang Xiu glanced smilingly at Ah Lang, who sat on the front seat, from time to time. He had been driving for 10 hours non-stop after leaving Qinchuan prison. During these 10 hours, he gave Ah Lang six books, all of which were related to cultivation but were not cultivation techniques.


    The boy himself completed those six books within 10 hours and could recite them all perfectly, though he was still a bit overwhelmed even with his improved memorizing ability and clear mind.


    Huff¡­


    When Ah Lang closed the book in his hand, he secretly exhaled and turned to look at Tang Xiu. "Master, I''ve finished reading this one and memorized the contents. But there are many things I don''t understand from the previous five books."


    "Just ask!" Tang Xiu replied smilingly.


    Ah Lang closed his eyes and recalled the summary he summed up in his head. He then began to continuously ask the parts he didn''t understand in the books. Both of them were then engaged in Q&A and quickly, an hour passed.


    "I understand now, Master." A beaming smile appeared on Ah Lang''s thin face. He felt very content even though he looked a bit weary.


    "Go have some sleep. We still have a long way to go," Tang Xiu said, "Continue to study after you have a good rest."


    "Alright."


    Ah Lang was indeed very tired already. He closed his eyes after speaking and quickly fell asleep.


    A few hours later, Tang Xiu left the highway to a city and used the GPS map to find a bookstore. After parking his car outside the store, he went in and bought some books, most of which were about art, war, and Taoism.


    After hitting the road again and driving for about 500km, he stopped at the rest and service area. Ah Long, who had been asleep for nearly 10 hours, woke up from his deep sleep.


    "Where are we now, Master?"


    "In front of us is Anxi City, the capital of Shaanxi Province. We''re just halfway from our 4,000km trip," Tang Xiu replied with a smile.


    "You have yet to rest all the way here?" Ah Lang was surprised and amazed.


    "I''ll still be fine without sleeping, eating or drinking for 10 or 15 days." Tang Xiu smiled.


    Ah Lang was awed and then said, "You make me really want to see how powerful you are, Master."


    "Do you really want to see how powerful I am?" asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    "That''s of course." Ah Lang nodded and then said, "I already know what it means treading on the cultivation path, cultivation level and the might a cultivator may have at each realm. But all that is just written information in the book. I haven''t witnessed it with my own eyes. That''s why I''m kind of unsure about it."


    Tang Xiu let out a light smile and restarted the car. After driving fast to the highway for several minutes and seeing no vehicles behind and in front, Tang Xiu then smilingly said, "Let''s do it here."


    The moment after, Tang Xiu conjured a secret technique while staying in the car, but the car blasted forward like a sharp arrow at extreme speed. Ah Lang, who sat on the front seat, could only see the scenery on both sides rushing past and couldn''t see anything on both sides.


    With a horrified look, Ah Lang glanced at the console on the dashboard and suddenly asked, "What''s going on here, Master? How is the speed shown on the dashboard''s speedometer point zero? Is it broken because the car is too fast?"


    Tang Xiu was at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh and snappily said, "That would be a hell of a thing if the speedometer got wrecked due to speeding over the limit! I just used a spell to make the car float a few centimeters off from the ground and blast forward."


    Ah Lang spaced out for a while before expressing a worshipping expression and said, "You''re amazing, Master!"


    Tang Xiu smilingly replied, "You haven''t really seen the real thing yet."


    Having said that, Tang Xiu''s aura burst out and nearly in an instant, the car and both of them flashed forward and appeared more than 10km away. The car then landed on the road again and the speed sharply reduced and eventually maintained a speed of 120km/h.


    Ah Lang shook his head to shake off his dizziness. His lips shivered for a while when he saw the scenery outside and asked, "C-can I become as powerful as you in the future if I cultivate diligently?"


    "You''ll definitely be 1,000 or even 10,000 times more powerful than the current me in the future. At that time, let alone controlling the car to fly, you can even manipulate a plane or carrier. You can even traverse in the universe. Alright, there are some books in the back seat for you to study."


    Tang Xiu kept driving moderately on the road even though his cell phone rang a few times. The calls were all from Duanmu Lin, but he didn''t pick it up at all.


    He never wanted to be hostile to the country, but he didn''t want to be stared at either. What he did now was just a silent complaint to Duanmu Lin. He would just put aside the plan he had previously prepared and would no longer see Duanmu Lin anymore if this man hadn''t removed the intel operatives around the Longquan Mountain.


    Finally, right as Tang Xiu arrived in Shanghai, he received a call from Chen Shaohua that all the intel operatives had been dismissed.


    The Everlasting Feast Hall.


    When Tang Xiu arrived by car here, he noticed that there were many suspicious people in the vicinity of the Everlasting Feast Hall even though it was still open for business. Many of these people exuded fierce and aggressive auras which meant that they were powerful experts and each of them had at least strength at the Martial Arts Grandmaster level.


    "You finally showed up, Kid!"


    Duanmu Lin appeared outside the restaurant''s entrance and called out with a forced smile when Tang Xiu got out of the car.


    Tang Xiu faintly smiled in response and spoke to Ah Lang on the front seat, "Go and find a spot for us to have a meal. We''re going to have some discussion soon."


    "Understood!" Ah Lang curtly replied and headed to the front door half-running.


    Tang Xiu then shifted to Duanmu Lin and indifferently said, "Why did you come here to find me if you don''t trust me, Senior Duanmu? I think there''s no need for the plan we''ve talked about to be implemented anymore."


    Duanmu Lin wore a helpless expression and said, "Isn''t it over already? I''ve withdrawn all the intelligence personnel from Longquan Mountain and even helped you to release a man from Qinchuan Prison, haven''t I? Is that not enough compensation for you? Besides, my men have also detained and jailed those brigands for you. It won''t be easy for them to come out for the rest of their lives."


    Tang Xiu''s expression eased a little, but he still rolled his eyes at him. "Alright, let''s cut the nonsense. Have they come here?"


    "They have come and are now waiting for you." Duanmu Lin nodded.


    "Let''s go, then."


    Tang Xiu and Duanmu Lin went into the Everlasting Feast Hall. Four hours later, he had filled his belly while Ah Lang spent hours reading books.


    After the negotiation, Tang Xiu gave up control of the base due to the reminder from the Seniors of the state. He realized that getting fully occupied and be rather overwhelmed by the hard work to control the overall situation wouldn''t make sense to him since he would leave sooner or later. This meant that those high-tech products, starships, and space force would bound to become the machine of the country.


    The place designated for the base was Taklamakan Desert, while Duanmu Lin would be the person in charge of the site.


    Duanmu Lin wore a smiling face as Tang Xiu send him off to the entrance. Then, he smilingly said, "We''re going to three-star vestige 6 months later to get that starship out and move all the machines and techs there to Taklamakan Desert."


    "Just make sure to build the underground base in the desert first before that!" Tang Xiu lightly said, "You''ll be held responsible as the chief person-in-charge if you don''t deliver what you''ve promised."


    "No worries!" Duanmu Lin smiled and said, "I''ll make sure to get it done."


    Tang Xiu didn''t bother replying to him anymore and left with Ah Lang. Then, he slowly said, "I''m sure you''ve heard clearly about everything I''ve discussed with them. Who do you think benefits from this in the end?"


    "It''s a mutual benefit," Ah Lang replied.


    "That''s right." Tang Xiu nodded with satisfaction. "This is indeed mutually beneficial. China will keep providing me with cultivation resources and will open the door and give some privileges to me in various fields. That will be very beneficial for us as a whole, while those advanced technologies are not that important to us. Keep in mind that that genuine foundation for people like us is our own strength. You can even blow up an interstellar battleship or the whole galaxy with just a single punch or a kick. You have to keep in mind that no matter how powerful technology is, it''s not as important as your own power."


    "I understand what you mean, Master," Ah Lang replied. "I''ll become very strong in the future."


    "Alright." Tang Xiu slightly smiled and said, "Someone will take you to Nine Dragons Island and you''ll be trained when you get there. You''ll be sent to another place after you''ve passed the first stage training. Also, I''m giving you a trial, Ah Lang. You must break through to the Spirit Formation Stage within 10 years."


    10 years?


    A firm look filled Ah Lang''s eyes and he resolutely nodded. "I''ll do my best, Master."


    ****


    Bluestar Villa Complex.


    After Tang Xiu brought Ah Lang to his home, he took a shower and then changed his clothes. As he was about to call Mu Wanying to tell her that he was back, his cell phone suddenly rang.


    "Sect Master, something happened to Chen Zhizhong." Gu Xiaoxue''s voice came from the mobile phone.


    "What happened to him?" asked Tang Xiu with a frown.


    "I have no idea about the details. Chen Zhizhong left Nine Dragons Island this morning and the speedboat he used was found on the 9th deserted island by our men," Gu Xiaoxue said. "We also found some traces of fighting there and more than a dozen foreigner bodies. However, we haven''t found any traces of Chen Zhizhong. I suspect he''s been captured."


    A chilling light flashed in Tang Xiu''s eyes. He was always one who protected everyone under him, and Chen Zhizhong was his disciple. Some people had captured him and they had literally crossed his bottom line.


    Furthermore, Chen Zhizhong himself should be perfectly aware that nobody could take him away as long as he stayed on the 9th deserted island. But still, why did he leave Nine Dragons Island and gave the opportunity to the enemy?

 1236 Nonagon Bulwark

    After rushing fast to the 9th deserted island, the peripheral members of the Tang Sect had arrived and guarded it. Tang Xiu''s expression slightly changed the moment he arrived since he could sense a faint trace of magi magic in the air.


    Was it the Dark Shaman Clan or the Celestial Wizard Clan?


    He took a deep breath and, after analyzing the scene for a while, he finally excluded the former since the bodies here were all blonde and blue-eyed foreigners. They were definitely not from the Dark Shaman Clan. Further, he knew the strength of this clan; they wouldn''t dare to oppose him.


    It was the Celestial Wizard Clan, huh?


    Killing intent surged in Tang Xiu''s heart and he summoned a dozen core disciples of Tang Sect from Nine Dragons Island, and then issued an order to find Chen Zhizhong.


    However, there was no trace of Chen Zhizhong even though all the disciples of Tang Sect had thoroughly searched all channels for two days. Even the Tang Sect''s disciples who were assigned by Tang Xiu to buy the information from the Darkwind for 100 million USD didn''t get any information at all.


    Saipan.


    "Master." Little Blind, wearing black sunglasses and a walking stick, arrived under the escort of two Tang Sect''s disciples.


    Tang Xiu, who was at a loss of finding any clues at the moment, frowned upon seeing Little Blind who came here all of a sudden. He asked, "Why are you here?"


    Little Blind replied, "I saw a blood light calamity sign to befall Senior Brother Chen, Master. But I was just curious back then as to why would Senior Brother Chen would have such an omen even though he was staying on Nine Dragons Island. Only now do I finally realize the cause."


    Tang Xiu''s expression slightly shifted and asked, "Why didn''t you tell me about it in advance?"


    "I cannot see through the trajectory and branching of your fate, Master, so I dare not to tell you." Little Blind explained, "Else, I''d just disrupt Senior Brother Chen''s fate trajectory once you step in then."


    Tang Xiu gave it a though and then asked, "Can you find him now?"


    Little Blind shook his head and said, "I can''t. But someone else can."


    "Who?" Tang Xiu''s expression shifted.


    "I don''t know who that person is, but I know that he should be a wizard who has a ''Sing'' name."


    Sing¡­?


    After thinking about it for a while, Tang Xiu realized the identity of the said person. He then took out his cell phone and dialed Singluen''s cell number, who was now the current Patriarch of the Dark Shaman Clan.


    "Are you looking for me, Boss?"


    "I need the news about my disciple, Chen Zhizhong. Some people captured him," Tang Xiu said.


    "Who could be so bold as to dare to capture someone from Tang Sect?" Singluen was surprised.


    "I have no idea, either. That''s why I called you. Do you have any clues?" Tang Xiu replied.


    "Do you perhaps think that I sent some people to capture him, Boss?" Singluen replied with a bitter tone. "I''m your underling and Chen Zhizhong is my partner. I have no motives or reason to capture him."


    "I already know that neither you nor your Dark Shaman Clan is the culprit," Tang Xiu said. "But those who captured him definitely used magi art. Further, someone also gave me a hint that you can shed some light on this matter."


    Magi art?


    Singluen gave it a thought and asked, "Where was Chen Zhizhong taken away, Boss?"


    "The 9th deserted island," Tang Xiu answered.


    "I remembered something," Singluen hurriedly said. "A group of people came to Thailand four days ago, and its leader claimed that they are from the Sacred Flame Organization. They wanted to cooperate with the Dark Shaman Clan to carry out a big plan. However, I directly turned them down since this Sacred Flame group made me wary. Further, there are some people among them who are also proficient in wizardry."


    "Tell me about this Sacred Flame Organization," Tang Xiu said.


    "This Sacred Flame is quite mysterious and similar to the Darkwind. However, they are not engaged in intelligence gathering work, but are kind of like mercenaries." Singluen said, "This organization usually gathers many experts among their ranks to carry out a mission once they accept a job from their clients. But if their target is too strong, they usually invite some other forces to carry out the job. Their members are scattered around the world to live their own lives, but nearly all of the Sacred Flame''s people who came to my Dark Shaman Clan are Europeans."


    "Do you know how to find and contact this organization?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "Saipan, Damay area or something. They told me to take my men to the Clearwater Encode in Damay area of Saipan if I change my mind," Singluen said.


    "I see."


    Tang Xiu then hung up and looked at Little Blind in front of him, asking, "How is your cultivation now?"


    "The late-stage of Foundation Establishment, Master," Little Blind answered.


    Tang Xiu frowned. "Your cultivation speed is a bit appalling."


    Little Blind hesitated before he replied, "I only spent a very short time on cultivation, Master. Mainly because of spending my time to cultivate my perception and mental power. That''s why my cultivation speed is a bit slow."


    Tang Xiu scrunched up his brows and asked again, "How powerful is your mind power now, then?"


    "I can see all the sceneries within a kilometer radius and move a 100kg object with only my mind power," Little Blind replied. "However, there are also some exceptions. My perception can cover a few kilometers under the sea and I can restrain an adult blue whale."


    "..."


    Tang Xiu was dumbfounded and looked at Little Blind incredulously. Little did he expect that Little Blind had cultivated his mind power to this level in such a short time.


    There were indeed some people who cultivated spiritual power in the Immortal World, and those Immortals who cultivated it to an advanced level were able to destroy a planet or even a galaxy with only a single thought. That was also the reason why a unique title was given to these people: Psychic Seraph.


    Could it be that Little Blind had the potential to be a Psychic Seraph in the future?


    Tang Xiu patted his shoulder and said, "Your mental power is improving fast and it''s beyond my expectation. However, you can''t spend too much of your time on spiritual power cultivation in the future since your own cultivation is also very important. Else your body won''t be able to contain your spiritual power once it reaches a certain level. Further, it will also waste your unique constitution."


    "My constitution?" Little Blind wondered and asked again, "Do I have a good constitution, Master?"


    "Very." Tang Xiu nodded and explained, "You have a very rare constitution¡ªone that is extremely difficult to find even in billions of years. Given your constitution, you could have become at least a Golden Core Stage expert by now if you practice hard. There is a record about your constitution in ancient records: Undying blood within the veins and unperishable energy within the bones. That''s the description of the Frost Constitution, with blood in the veins and energy in the bones. Pay attention and be diligent in your cultivation later since you have the potential to be the most powerful person in the whole Tang Sect."


    "I''ll listen to your instruction, Master," Little Blind said. "When I become the strongest in the future, I''ll then be able to protect you."


    Tang Xiu patted his shoulder and chuckled. "Protecting me is just secondary. As long as you can break through to the Nascent Soul Stage, your eyes will be able to see the light again. Reaching this stage will also make you able to remold your physique and you will no longer have an 8-plus years old appearance, so you can restore your physique according to your age."


    Seeing the light again? Little Blind was shaken inwardly and firmly nodded. "I understand, Master."


    After the two Tang Sect disciples escorted Little Blind back to Nine Dragons Island, Tang Xiu brought the remaining disciples to the Clearwater Encode building in Damay area of Saipan at a very fast speed. Halfway there, a group of intel operatives then appeared in the vicinity of Clearwater Encode and kept sending updates about the situation there.


    Half an hour later, when Tang Xiu came outside the entrance of Clearwater Encode, a disciple of Tang Sect silently appeared before him and respectfully reported, "Sect Master, we have figured out the situation inside. Of the four male and female experts here, one of them is a local expert while the other three are experts from some European countries. We were almost discovered by them when we snuck inside."


    "No more hiding, just rush in to get them under control," ordered Tang Xiu in a deep voice.


    "Affirmative!"


    Tens of figure flickered in a flash and quickly appeared in the interior of Clearwater Encode. After a short fight, four blond Caucasian men and women who had been severely injured by the Tang Sect disciples were captured.


    "Who are you, people? You trespassed a private residence and violated the U.S. laws!" a tall, blonde man yelled angrily.


    Tang Xiu came to his front and a dagger instantly appeared in his hand. A cold light flashed and swept the ears of the white man. Amid the shriek of the white man, Tang Xiu coldly asked, "Where''s Chen Zhizhong?"


    The man''s expression changed. He immediately shook his head. "I have no idea what you''re talking about!"


    Tang Xiu grabbed his arm and cut off his right hand with the dagger, then asked again, "You got many parts on your body and I got time to interrogate you slowly. I wanna see to what extent of pain you can bear every time I cut off your body part!"


    "JUST KILL ME!" the big man roared loudly while enduring the rending pain.


    "Nope." Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "I''m proficient with thousands of torture methods. I can guarantee that you will always taste the feeling of wishing to die while being still alive in the next three months. Let''s see whether you got some iron bones or my interrogation methods are more awesome."


    Crack¡­


    Tang Xiu suddenly punched the man''s cheek. As the man''s teeth shattered, he landed a series of punches again and knocked all his teeth off. Then, he sneered. "I told you that I don''t wanna make you die. You can never die even if you try to commit suicide desperately!"


    "I-I''ll tell you!"


    The only female among the four shouted with fear in her eyes.


    Tang Xiu faintly smiled and his dagger instantly swept over and decapitated the big man in front of him. Then, he walked towards the pretty woman and said, "You can expect to end up thousands of times more miserable than him if what you tell me doesn''t make satisfied. Right, I forgot to tell you something. I can do some wizardry art, and the Dark Shaman Clan and its Patriarch are also my underlings. You can expect that I also have some special interrogation methods to deal with the wizards'' cultivation system."


    The pretty woman couldn''t help shivering for a while and hurriedly replied, "He''s in Nonagon Bulwark! The Master of Nonagon Bulwark paid us a large sum of money for the job. He said that Chen Zhizhong has a special soul, so he wants to refine his soul to enhance his own power. We just received the money for the job and the matter has nothing to do with our Sacred Flame organization."

 1237 Pirates

    "Where''s this Nonagon Bulwark?" asked Tang Xiu coldly.


    "I don''t know the exact position, but I know how to get there," said the pretty woman. "There''s a liner in the biggest port of Saipan going to that place."


    After squeezing the information about the liner from the woman, he nodded to Chi Nan and motioned for her to release the other two men from the Sacred Flame organization. Then, he asked the glamorous woman again, "You should know about the situation in the Nonagon Bulwark, shouldn''t you?"


    The pretty woman felt more at ease upon seeing her two companions being released. Tang Xiu''s ruthlessness had scared her out of her wits and she feared that the three of them would be killed right after she gave him the desired answer. Therefore, she was no longer reluctant to answer. "This Nonagon Bulwark is located in the Pacific Ocean and is consists of nine camps on nine islands. The islands are very close to each other, so it''s called Nonagon Bulwark."


    "Who occupies this Nonagon Bulwark?" asked Tang Xiu again.


    "Pirates," the woman answered.


    "Pirates?" Tang Xiu frowned. It was an answer he didn''t expect, so he asked again, "That''s quite unexpected to think that the Sacred Flame even accepts a job from pirates. That''s really demeaning."


    "The Sacred Flame Organization''s objective is to make money, to begin with. We don''t care whoever gives us the job and whomever the target is as long as the client can pay," the woman answered.


    "How many people are there in your Sacred Flame Organization? And how powerful is it?" inquired Tang Xiu again.


    The glamorous woman replied with a bit of a proud look, "The strength of our Sacred Flame Organization is beyond the imagination of many people. We have nine grades in our Sacred Flame Order. First-grade Sacred Flame mission is the simplest, whereas the Ninth-grade Sacred Flame mission is the toughest, where all members of the whole Sacred Flame Organization will appear to complete the job together."


    A strange expression flashed across Tang Xiu''s face as he asked again, "Tell me about the price."


    "The Nonagon Bulwark gave us 100 million USD for this job, which corresponds to the Fifth-grade Sacred Flame mission in the organization," the woman explained. "First-grade Sacred Flame mission is the lowest priced mission at 100,000 USD¡­ whereas the highest Ninth-grade Sacred Flame mission would need 10 billion USD."


    Tang Xiu was secretly startled. He didn''t expect that the Sacred Flame Organization he just heard about demanded the payment of 10 billion USD for their highest Ninth-grade Sacred Flame missions.


    Were they¡­ worth so much money?


    The alluring woman noticed Tang Xiu''s thoughtful expression and suddenly added, "I can still tell you more about that, Sir. Ever since the establishment of the Sacred Flame Organization, the Ninth-grade Sacred Flame orders only happened twice. The first one was issued during the Crusades'' Eastern Expedition where our organization played a huge role in the campaign. Else, all the cultivators in the Eastern punitive expedition could have been completely wiped out. The second one was issued about 36 years ago where we wiped out 14,600 people from the most powerful Dark camp back then."


    The Crusaders'' Eastern Expedition and the Dark Flag Camp.


    Tang Xiu had learned about these two major events as well. He didn''t expect that the shadow of the Sacred Flame Organization was also involved in these two events. In particular was the second event, which was all done by this organization.


    Suddenly, a wonderful idea crossed his mind. He looked at the alluring woman and asked again, "What''s your status in the Sacred Flame Organization?"


    "I''m Karin, the Deputy Captain of Saipan Battalion," said the alluring woman.


    "I want to meet the leader of your Sacred Flame Organization," Tang Xiu said in a deep tone. "If he can come to Saipan in person, I''ll pay 10 billion USD and issue the third Ninth-grade Sacred Flame mission. I give him 7 seven days to come here. I''ll be in Saipan again a week later!"


    The woman looked excited and she hurriedly asked, "Do you really want to issue the Ninth-grade Sacred Flame mission?"


    "That''s right!" Tang Xiu lightly replied, "I can pay you 1 billion dollars in advance."


    The alluring woman broke free from the hands of the Tang Sect disciple as she stood up and excitedly said, "I''ll immediately call Vulcan once the 1 billion dollars deposit is received. He''s the leader of Sacred Flame Organization. For such a sum of money, our Sacred Flame Organization can do anything and even dare to challenge the world''s three colossuses."


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and suddenly asked, "How many people your Sacred Flame Organization has stationed in Saipan? And how many people of your organization can come here in half a day?"


    "More than 200. All of them are experts," the pretty woman answered.


    "I''ll give you 5 billion dollars additional pay to go with me to the Nonagon Bulwark in half a day. I want to rescue my disciple, Chen Zhizhong, and kill all the pirates there," Tang Xiu said.


    The woman looked ecstatic and said, "That won''t be a problem! As long as you have the money, consider it done. But you need to pay us 5 billion dollars in advance, and we''ll start immediately once we receive the money."


    Tang Xiu turned to Chi Nan and ordered in a deep voice, "Call Xiaoxue immediately and tell her to transfer 5 billion dollars to the account of this organization."


    "But Boss¡­" Chi Nan replied hesitantly.


    "Do it as I said," cut Tang Xiu.


    "Understood!" Chi Nan helplessly nodded and immediately left after asking the account of the Sacred Flame Organization.


    At the Clearwater Encode site.


    Tens of Tang Sect experts sat cross-legged in the courtyard and looked like stone statues, whereas Tang Xiu sat cross-legged on a stone platform while quietly observing figures that kept coming at the speed of lightning. Among them were black, white and Asian descents.


    "Who are these guys, Karin?"


    A burly black man with a gigantic build leading tens of experts appeared. He asked in a deep tone with a vigilant look on his face.


    "They are our employers, Sir Atlas."


    The black man replied in a deep tone, "The HQ has just received 5 billion dollars for the two missions issued. First is to head to the Nonagon Bulwark with the employer to rescue Chen Zhizhong. But what about the second mission?"


    "I don''t know about the second one yet." Karin shook her head. "But they have paid the deposit and issued the Ninth-grade Sacred Flame mission to the organization. Sir Atlas, we must go all out to carry out the Ninth-grade Sacred Flame mission regardless of the mission issued by the client."


    The black man''s expression changed and he observed the disciples of Tang Sect sitting cross-legged in the courtyard. Then, his eyes fell on Tang Xiu and he cupped his fists. "Are you the employer?"


    Tang Xiu floated and came to the front of the big black man. He then nodded at him and said, "I am. When will your Sacred Flame Organization''s members arrive? You must know that another minute wasted means more danger to Chen Zhizhong!"


    "Half an hour. We''ll set off at most in half an hour." The big black man looked a bit respectful as he was well aware that a client who could pay 10 billion dollars to issue the Ninth-grade Sacred Flame mission was very likely to have a very terrifying identity.


    Tang Xiu gave it a thought and asked again, "Answer me. How did you know where Chen Zhizhong was and then captured him?"


    "We used a drop of his blood," the big black man said. "A drop of his blood guided us to that barren island in the Pacific Ocean and we found him there. We weren''t convinced at the time, either. Only when we saw him did we believe such a bizarre thing."


    Tang Xiu frowned and asked again, "Where did you get his blood?"


    "It was given by the client, the Master of Nonagon Bulwark," the black man said.


    Tang Xiu nodded without a word. He knew that Chen Zhizhong had once been captured and a seal was cast on him. Not only was his memory blurred, but his cultivation also sharply declined to less than 1% of his previous strength. At first, Tang Xiu thought that he had beheaded the culprit already. It turned out now that there was another mystery popping out!


    After half an hour.


    Over 200 experts from the Sacred Flame Organization had arrived. Tang Xiu secretly observed these people and the overall strength was not that remarkable. The strongest among them was only comparable to the Golden Core Stage, many of them were only comparable to the Foundation Establishment Stage, and a handful of them was even at the Qi Refining Stage.


    At the port.


    A luxury liner was docked at the dock and a group of strong men was carrying goods on board, whereas many who dressed-up like tourists were slowly boarding the ship.


    "Move and exercise control, now!"


    As Tang Xiu issued the order, the experts from the Sacred Flame Organization and the Tang Sect rushed towards the luxury liner. Many figures jumped out of the water lightning-fast and silently boarded the liner before they disappeared into the cabin.


    The mess and chaotic situation commenced.


    After half an hour, all tourists boarding the linger were concentrated on the deck, while most of the pirates from Nonagon Bulwark on the ship had been killed. The remaining of them were tied up and detained in the hall on the ship.


    "Do these tourists actually take a trip on the pirate''s liner?"


    Tang Xiu couldn''t help but ask with a strange expression as he watched the hundreds of tourists who were trembling in fear.


    "I just asked about a certain travel agency in Saipan and I suspect that this company belongs to the pirates of Nonagon Bulwark," said Chi Nan.


    Tang Xiu couldn''t help but chuckle and said, "I begin to admire the leader of this Nonagon Bulwark pirates now. To think that they can abduct and rob these tourists so openly is quite unexpected. These tourists surely will meet miserable ends once they are taken to the Nonagon Bulwark, huh."


    "It''s indeed a very remarkable scheme," Chi Nan replied.


    "True," Tang Xiu said.


    Quickly after, the captain of the liner was brought to Tang Xiu and forced to kneel. The man glared at Tang Xiu with murderous intent and yelled, "You seek your death for daring to offend the members of Nonagon Bulwark! Nonagon Bulwark maybe a pirate den, but our strength is beyond your imagination."


    "Members of this Nonagon Bulwark are indeed formidable, Boss. Several of them are also practitioners," Chi Nan said. "These practitioners may not very strong, but they''re just some peripheral members, whereas the core ones rarely leave Nonagon Bulwark."


    "They had better be powerful and worth the money I''ve spent." Tang Xiu grimly sneered. "Otherwise, I''d have become some foolish spendthrift doing this."

 1238 Dealing with Pirates

    The luxury liner cruised through the waves and wind and quickly sailed in a vast sea. Four pirates in the bridge were squatting in a corner with fear evident on their faces. Two Tang Sect disciples were grasping them, while most of the disciples were doing some chores to control of the ship, and some others calmly set up the navigation route.


    Inside the big entertainment hall, all the tables and chairs had been moved aside and hundreds of tourists were all sitting on the floor with over 200 members of Sacred Flame Organization standing guard to oversee them. All the communication gadgets had been confiscated and piled up in the middle of the room.


    Tang Xiu stood in the corridor on the second floor while watching hundreds of tourists. He then lightly said, "All of you don''t need to worry or fear us. I inform you that the original crews of this liner, including the waiters, are all pirates. Even the travel agency that provides this liner to you is secretly collaborating with these pirates. If it weren''t for us, maybe it won''t be long before you will be taken to the pirates'' nest and only a miserable and dark life will await you there."


    "You''re lying!"


    A strong-looking and dark-skinned man stood up. Although he was scared of the members of the Sacred Flame Organization who were staring at him, he suppressed his fear and said, "I''m the tour guide and I''ve been working for my travel agency for 4 months. There have been thousands of tourists who traveled on this liner to the islands in the surroundings in these four months. Their impression when they returned after the trips were all great."


    "Are you sure that they were all back to Saipan?" Tang Xiu asked him with raised brows.


    The man hesitated before answering, "Certainly, they didn''t return to Saipan since the liner will stop at Blue Island as the final destination. You need to take other liners from Blue Island if you want to return."


    "Then, have you seen any of those tourists return to Saipan during the four months you work for this travel agency of yours?" asked Tang Xiu again.


    "About this¡­" The man hesitated for a moment before saying, "Although I haven''t seen any of them, they left a lot of great reviews for my travel agency."


    "We didn''t throw your mobile phones here. Say, if we were to use your cell phone to leave a review about your travel agency, wouldn''t it be easy?" asked Tang Xiu again.


    "..."


    The man was stunned and didn''t reply.


    "You said that you''re the tour guide, so you should have sailed on this liner before, right?" Tang Xiu asked again.


    "I wasn''t assigned for going to sea before." The man shook his head and went on, "I had a clash with my colleague and the Director then asked me to lead this trip while relaxing a little."


    Tang Xiu chuckled and said, "If my guess is correct, the colleague you had a clash with should have a good relationship with your Director. Isn''t that right?"


    "How do you know that? They indeed are relatives, but only distant relatives." The man hesitated.


    "Heh, is it that difficult for you to guess it?" Tang Xiu sneered. "Your Director didn''t ask you to guide the tour but rather pushed you to your death."


    "No way. I don''t buy it." The man shook his head.


    Tang Xiu turned to Chi Nan beside him and said, "Take him to find his cell phone and let him call his Director."


    "Understood!" Chi Nan replied and took the man to find his cell phone.


    Before the man made a phone call, Tang Xiu said, "You just need to say a few things to him. Ask him why he lied to you and then wait to see what he''ll say. Also, turn on the loudspeaker so everyone else can hear."


    The man gave it thought before he nodded and made the call.


    "Are you already at sea, Cao Hui?" a man''s voice asked from the phone.


    "Why did you lie to me, Director?!" asked the man loudly.


    There was no reply from the phone. The silence went on for several seconds before a cold voice replied, "I really don''t get how those guys began the operation so early, huh. Cao Hui, since you already know about it, then I won''t hide it or sugarcoat it anymore. I let you work in my travel agency and your job was to draw the tourists for me, Bastard! Yet your performance has been mediocre compared to your great job in causing troubles. I''ve long been wanting to kill you, and now I''ve sent you on board. Enjoy your time well in my hometown after you get there! But don''t die too badly since my brothers will definitely make you enjoy more. Maybe your organs can fetch a few more bucks. Hahaha¡­"


    "What the hell do you mean?" Cao Hui''s face instantly paled and growled furiously.


    A commotion burst out among the hundreds of people in the cabin. They didn''t speak immediately, but it didn''t take a smart brain to realize that something was indeed wrong. Previously, they didn''t believe anything Tang Xiu just said. But after hearing the conversation between Cao Hui and the Director of the travel agency, only then did their hearts begin to shake.


    The voice of the travel agency Director came out of the phone again. "What I meant? Of course, you''re gonna be dead, but I must still earn some profits out of you. The pirates of Nonagon Bulwark are not just some robbers, but also abduct people to harvest their organs as a part-time job. Relax, Buddy. My brothers on the island will take special care of you. You''ll suffer more before you die when your organs are being harvested!"


    "F*cking bastard! Are you not afraid of retribution?!" Cao Hui furiously shouted.


    The travel agency Director let out a strange chuckle and said, "Retribution, huh? I''ve been committing ruthless and heartless shits for several years and never once any retribution came to me. Besides, all of us are pirates and outlaws who always have our lives on the edge. Death is nothing to us. Even if there''s retribution, this Daddy will greet it happily. But I can guarantee that you''ll die faster than me. Much faster¡­ Hahaha¡­"


    Cao Hui smashed his phone on the floor and slumped. He then turned to look at the tourists sitting on the floor and bitterly spoke, "All the tourists on this liner, I, Cao Hui, have never done anything evil in this life. I never expected that I''ve committed such an atrocity without realizing it. But things have come to this point and it''s still my fault. I can only say I apologize¡­ that''s the only thing I can do¡­"


    Tang Xiu interjected lightly. "Now you know that you''ve boarded the ship of these outlaws. But rest your worries, though. We''ve apprehended all the pirates on this ship. The reason we''re still taking you all to sail is that there might be some of you who will notice them in advance. Naturally, we''ll let you all go after we''ve exterminated those pirates. But I hope that you will cooperate with us to supervise each other before that. Remember, do not let anyone secretly hide a cell phone and contact those pirates."


    "We promise!"


    "Sir¡­ Who exactly you, Sir?" Cao Hui exclaimed, "Are you from the authorities?"


    "That''s right. We''re from the authorities." Tang Xiu nodded and said, "I''m under the order of the highest official of Saipan to go to the Nonagon Bulwark to destroy these pirates."


    Most of the restlessness that hung over the hundreds of tourists eased down a lot after hearing this. Despite so, they began monitoring each other, and whoever dared to make a phone call secretly would be noticed by those in the surroundings.


    Suddenly, a lean young man in the crowd got up and said aloud, "I have diarrhea and I need to go to the toilet!"


    "Hmph, take him!" Tang Xiu coldly hummed.


    Immediately, the nearest two members of the Sacred Flame Organization dashed to the front of the young man and directly caught him.


    "What are you going to do to me? I just want to go to the toilet. Didn''t you say that you''re from the government? Why are you doing this?" The youth growled angrily.


    "It''s been 2 hours sailing. You said that you have diarrhea, but how can you still endure it after such a long time?" Tang Xiu sneered at him. "Heh, that''s enough to expose yourself as a pirate mingling among these tourists."


    "I''m not!" The youth struggled and growled.


    "Search his body!" Tang Xiu ordered.


    A short while after, the two members of the Sacred Flame Organization found a pistol and a dagger on the leggings covered by his trousers. The young man instantly looked ghastly pale and suddenly felt like all his strength was sapped from his body. He might have slumped to the floor if it weren''t for the two members of Sacred Flame Organization holding him.


    "There should be more than one pirate aside from you here." Tang Xiu sneered. "A body search will be carried out next. Those who are found hiding any weapon on their bodies are pirates and will be executed at once!"


    Just as his voice faded away, three young men jumped up from all corners among the crowd and quickly ran towards the nearest corridor to flee and escape from the hall. They knew the location of the speedboat on the ship for escaping.


    Puff! Puff! Puff!


    The Sacred Flame''s members moved extremely fast and directly killed the three young men in just several seconds.


    ****


    Nonagon Bulwark.


    The first island was named Sunny Island and was famous as a tourist attraction, even though there were only a few tourists who had visited the site. The number of inhabitants on the entire island was only slightly over 1,000 people, but Tang Xiu knew that all of them were pirates and their relatives. These people lived like ordinary people here but only served as a camouflage for the other eight islands.


    The next day, in the evening.


    As the liner approached Sunny Island, a disciple of Tang Sect in the bridge quickly came to Tang Xiu and reported. "The enemy is sending a semaphore signal and we''ve received the reply from the pirates. It''s very likely that they are doing it to deceive us while they have prepared to meet us."


    "Now that we''ve been exposed, might as well exterminate them on the spot," Tang Xiu indifferently replied. "Kill everyone on the entire Sunny Island, including their families!"


    "Understood!" The Tang Sect''s disciple respectfully nodded.


    Suddenly, Karin, who stood nearby, hesitantly said, "Isn''t this way too heartless, Mr. Tang? These pirates may be damned evils, but their relatives are innocent, right? Besides, most of these 1,000-plus people are just ordinary people. If you kill them, won''t you¡­"


    "They are pirates and all of them are damned!" Tang Xiu cut her with indifferent face, then went on coldly, "The family of these pirates are also guilty for holding a candle to the devil. Further, can you guarantee their families are really not involved in their atrocities?"

 1239 Massacring an Island

    The killing such as this one was just a common occurrence back when Tang Xiu lived for 10 millenniums in the Immortal World. It was the world where bloody brutality was just common sight between all walks of life that fought and killed each other¡ªthe manifestation of the rules of Heavenly Dao¡ªjust like big fish preys on small fish and small fish swallow shrimps. Even if you don''t resort to killings, some others will come forward to kill you. Those who wanted to live and go further and those who wanted to be stronger must inevitably step on the mountain of corpses and traverse through the sea of blood to move forward.


    This island had over 1,000 inhabitants and for the former Tang Xiu, this cruel battle might be less brutal than what had happened to those innocent victims. He valued life, but that didn''t mean he must care about the lives of the damned people who deserved death.


    Those who became pirates were exactly such a group. They must be prepared to be killed by others when they committed the atrocities themselves.


    Tang Xiu looked at Karin''s hesitant expression and said indifferently, "I begin to doubt whether the Sacred Flame people are all the kind of spineless and softhearted bunch. Now I''m hesitating whether I must issue the Ninth-grade Sacred Flame mission if you keep your womanly compassion. Your attitude will make it impossible for my plan to be accomplished."


    Karin''s complexion changed. She noticed her companions in the surroundings casting angry looks at her. Her expression turned cold and then said in a deep voice, "Mr. Tang, our Sacred Flame Organization is similar to a mercenary. We have accepted the job and we will execute it perfectly. Let alone these damned people, we won''t even flinch when we must slaughter innocent and poor people. I admit that what I just said was driven by a touch of kindness and compassion. I assure you that this will never happen again in the future since the purpose of our Sacred Flame Organization is all for money."


    "That''s right!" Tang Xiu nodded contentedly and stated. "What you''re after is money, everything else is secondary. Be steadfast and purely focus on your own crusade for money, and kill whoever prevents you from making money. Money is everything and people would die for fortune. That''s just the way to live in this world."


    A complicated look flashed in Karin''s eyes and she nodded wordlessly. The Sacred Flame''s 200-plus members looked enthusiastic and stared at Tang Xiu with extreme reverence.


    Even the black man strode to Tang Xiu''s front and excitedly said, "I really hope you can join us, Mr. Tang. Your ideas are just in line with the highest objective of our organization. I''ll explain to Vulcan myself if you''re willing to join. I''ll ask him to give you a position of regional administrator."


    A smile crept up on Tang Xiu''s face and he asked with a faint smile, "Do you think I''m short of money?"


    The black man held his breath and suddenly looked awkward. Still, he braced himself and insisted. "I know you''re very rich, Mr. Tang. You can even pay 10 billion USD to issue a mission for us. I can say that you''re the wealthiest client I''ve ever met. However, I think there''s no one who dislikes having more. Not to mention that being able to take out 10 billion dollars doesn''t mean that you''re the richest man in the world. Could it be that you no longer wish to have more money, wealth, enjoy the best service in the world, and live the most lavish life?"


    Money is that paramount? Seriously? Tang Xiu sneered inwardly. He then replied disdainfully, "Money and wealth may have great roles for you, but it has no significance in my eyes. You should''ve investigated Chen Zhizhong''s situation before you abducted him, shouldn''t you? Do you think he''s a rich man?"


    "He does have some money, but he''s not too rich," the black man replied. "According to our findings, the wealth of his Endless Virtue Pharmaceutical company just amounts to 5 billion dollars, give or take. It''s not even enough to issue the Ninth-grade Sacred Flame mission."


    Without being salty, Tang Xiu replied, "Chen Zhizhong is my disciple. An in-name disciple, precisely. For your information, my wealth is at least 100 times that of his, about 1 trillion or more. Do you think I can spend it all in my lifetime?"


    Gasp¡­


    The black man gasped, and the over 200 Sacred Flame''s members around looked at Tang Xiu with disbelief and incredulity, as though they heard the most unbelievable thing in the world.


    Trillions of dollars in wealth?


    Who else could have trillions of dollars besides those terrifying super clans? This Mr. Tang should be from China, but they never heard of such a super-rich man hailing from this country, ever!


    "Money is indeed a good thing to have, but to me, it''s just like mud." Tang Xiu went on, "What I seek is strength. You''re just very poor, so you still want to pursue wealth and money. But after you have such wealth that you know you won''t be able to spend it all, then you will start pursuing strength and the essence of life."


    We''re poor?


    All the 200-plus members of the Sacred Flame wore bitter smiles. Who among them didn''t have a net worth of at least several million and even in the billions? Although they were not super-rich, they were still better than most people, right?


    However, they recalled how terrifying this man was and the terrible amount of wealth he had, they could only weakly groan inwardly: I''m indeed very dirt poor compared to this guy.


    Quickly after, several experts of Tang Sect and Sacred Flame stayed behind on the liner, while the rest followed Tang Xiu and landed on the Sunny Island.


    Facing the tens of pirates armed with firearms and trigger-happy, the experts of Sacred Flame flickered fast without Tang Xiu''s order. Their swords and blades flashed, creating sword images that fluttered everywhere, with bullets flying around yet not injuring anyone at all. The tens of ferocious-looking pirates quickly beheaded, and their bodies were torn apart before quickly meeting their deaths.


    "Kill these pirates as fast as you can!" Tang Xiu descended to the shore and ordered loudly, "Remember, keep a few alive and squeeze from them where Chen Zhizhong is!"


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Figures moved at the speed of lightning and dashed forward towards the island, greeted by hails of gunfire. Chi Nan, who just departed, hurriedly returned and reported. "Sect Master, Chen Zhizhong is being detained on the fifth island, called Cloudy Island. I heard that everyone on that island has been driven away by the pirate leader in the past seven days."


    A chilling light overflowed in Tang Xiu''s eyes and he shouted coldly, "Tell everyone to return to the ship! We''ll head over to the fifth island at once!"


    After five-plus minutes, those who left the ship had returned and the liner quickly resumed sailing at the fastest speed toward the fifth island more than 100 miles nautical miles away. Tang Xiu was fully aware that saving Chen Zhizhong was a race against time. A minute of delay would mean more dangers to Chen Zhizhong.


    After the fast cruise, Tang Xiu, who was standing on the deck, could see the looming Cloudy Island. However, at this time, four liners quickly came from the direction of that island. Tang Xiu then saw a big man in black exercise suit with various weapons on his body standing on the prow of the fourth liner.


    "The liner in front, STOP! Else you''ll be killed!"


    A loud radio transmission came from the four ships.


    Tang Xiu let out a contemptuous look and said in a deep voice, "Heed my order, everyone! Ignore their warning and rush directly to exterminate them!"


    Having said that, he grabbed Chi Nan''s shoulders and the two of them flew up into the air and bolted towards Cloudy Island. Tang Xiu quickly unleashed his divine sword without hesitation when four burly pirates armed with swords flew and attempted to intercept them. Sword shadows elongated for several hundreds of meters and crushed the four burly pirates, leaving them no chance to avoid the strike.


    "What power!"


    The black man and the 200-plus members of Sacred Flame immediately gasped upon seeing Tang Xiu''s violent strike. They just couldn''t figure out why Tang Xiu would spend so much money to hire them despite himself having such fearsome power.


    A short while after, Tang Xiu and Chi Nan landed on Cloudy Island. Murderous intent was overflowing in their eyes when they saw 13 old men in black robes wielding swords in front. Tang Xiu sneered. "The real experts appeared, huh. But you all won''t be able to stop us with your strength. Chi Nan, kill them all!"


    "Affirmative!"


    A powerful aura burst out from Chi Nan as she unleashed her immortal sword and flashed towards the 13 black-robed old men lightning-fast. Her strikes were extremely fast and the strength brought with them was powerful, at least much more powerful than these 13 black-robed old men. Each of her strikes made these 13 people''s complexion changed as they found it very difficult to fight her back.


    Tang Xiu continuously released his spiritual sense. After covering several kilometers radius, he kept flying towards the center of the island. He then saw a bizarre altar within the scope of his perception with Chen Zhizhong hung atop the altar with 13 blades impaling his body. A bald man in front of the altar was kneeling and kept chanting a bizarre incantation.


    Suddenly, the bald man disappeared and, when he reappeared, he instantly transfigured into a black dragon in front of Tang Xiu, giving Tang Xiu quite a surprise.


    The next moment, however, Tang Xiu disdainfully sneered and mocked. "Hmph, a real black dragon can contend with an Immortal''s strength and I may not be able to fight it. But you transforming into a black dragon is nothing but an ant! DIE!"


    The divine sword streaked upward in that instant.


    Crushing and violent sword light instantly slashed down and split the black dragon''s head in a flash. As the black dragon wailed and disappeared, the black-robed bald man flew upside down to the back.


    "Blood Sacrifice¡ªFormation Smelter!"


    The black-robed bald man spurted out a mouthful of blood but, while he was flying backward, his hands kept conjuring seals in the air and his blood gradually condensed into dozens scarlet, blood runes.


    "Heh, a trivial skill will never able to make anything significant!"


    It only took Tang Xiu a glance to see through all the mystery of the secret art cast by the black-robed bald man. His divine sword slashed forward and the ten scarlet blood runes disappeared. In nearly a flash, he then appeared less than 3 meters in front of the bald man.


    "A wizard who can contend with the Spirit Formation Stage, huh? A bit interesting."

 1240 Buying Time

    The black-robed bald man, however, was unfazed from beginning to end. His expression remained the same even if the black dragon he had transformed into was destroyed, or when he was blown away and sent flying by Tang Xiu''s sword strike. Not even a single trace of uneasiness appeared even when Tang Xiu came to his front.


    "You won''t dare kill me."


    He stated indifferently at the moment he retreated.


    Tang Xu frowned and slashed his sword forward, but he instantly tilted the trajectory slightly. The sword light that was supposed to cut off the man''s right shoulder changed direction and only severed his right arm.


    "Why wouldn''t I dare?" Tang Xiu halted his advance and coldly asked, staring at the black-robed bald man tens of meters away.


    The bald man''s brows tightened before he quickly grabbed his severed right arm and pressed it again its stump. A black smoke surged on his right arm and half a minute later, he gently moved his lower right arm. It was obvious that the body part had already reconnected.


    "If I''m not mistaken, Chen Zhizhong is your disciple. I''ve cast a Link Hex on him that makes his life and death connected to mine. Tang Xiu, I don''t think you''ll kill your own disciple, will you?" the black-robed bald man stated lightly.


    Link spell?


    Tang Xiu had no idea about this kind of Link Hex or whatever. But his intuition told him that the spell was similar to the "Life Sharing Spell" he knew about. Once the caster cast this spell on someone, the caster and the target would share their lives and die together. The death of one would cause the death of the other.


    "What exactly do you want?" asked Tang Xiu indifferently.


    The black-robed bald man replied with similar indifference, "Let me introduce myself. I''m Helios Luna¡ªa retired Elder of the Celestial Wizard Clan."


    "Heh, I didn''t expect that someone from Celestial Wizard Clan dares to come out and make a mess outside." Tang Xiu sneered. "Haven''t those assassin organizations all over the world brought disasters to your clan?"


    "Can you even see through the heritage and foundation of the Celestial Wizard Clan?" Helios Luna shook his head and smilingly said, "The reason why I came out is to make you stop putting the bounty reward. It isn''t that my Celestial Wizard Clan fears to face troublesome things. We just don''t bother to care about such mundane things."


    "Anyhow, why are you''re so sure that I really care about Chen Zhizhong''s life and death?" Tang Xiu asked, "He''s just my in-name disciple."


    "I''ve had you investigated ever since I came outside," Helios Luna said. "You piqued my interest. I even hold a bit of admiration toward you. So young, yet steadfastly standing up for justice and morality with quite a benevolent character. Even though you''re very powerful, you still guard China and its people. You have even done a lot of things for your friends. How can a young man who cares about others a lot possibly abandon the life of his own disciple?"


    Tang Xiu let out a mocking smile and said, "You think you really know me, don''t you?"


    "I dare not say that I know you very well," Helios Luna replied, "But I think I can see through your character, at least a bit. I just said that I''m very interested in you because of your cultivation and the force behind you. I''d love to hear it if you''d care to tell me."


    "You''re not qualified to know anything about my heritage." Tang Xiu shook his head.


    Having said that, he didn''t bother paying attention to Helios Luna anymore but flew to the altar. He then looked at Chen Zhizhong, whose body was impaled by 13 blades. Traces of his blood sled down the blades and finally merged into the inscribed array pattern on the altar that faintly radiated sanguine light.


    "Mas¡­ Master¡­"


    Chen Zhizhong raised his head in difficulty and, with his blurred eyes, he was barely able to see Tang Xiu''s face.


    Tang Xiu sighed inwardly and used his spiritual sense to permeate the array pattern on the altar. What he found made the murderous intent in his heart grew more intense. He then shifted at Helios Luna, who followed him and folded his arms while smiling.


    This array was usually used by evil cultivators and meant to sacrifice and refine souls. Once the person used as the sacrificial offering lost all his blood into the array, their three souls and seven spirits would be ruthlessly extracted out of his body and became the offerings. And once the caster who held the offerings devoured these sacrificed souls, the caster could rob all the cultivation and memory of the victim and made his own power skyrocket.


    It was an utterly sinister and evil method.


    Tang Xiu had never thought that some people in the Celestial Wizard Clan would know this evil hex. He could have understood it if it was in the Immortal World since there were countless practitioners and the widely spread magical arts over there. But this place was Earth. Those who could study this evil spell could be called as peerless fiends because they should have done cruel experiments with countless creatures and souls.


    "Listen carefully about the secret art I''m about to teach you. Give your all to cultivate it and make the best use of time as much as you can. You''ll be able to make up for the lost life force and even obtain enormous benefits." Tang Xiu transmitted his voice to Chen Zhizhong''s ear. After seeing him blink his eye as a sign, he then transmitted the secret art to him.


    Tang Xiu then shifted to look at Helios Luna and said, "I can honestly say that your investigation and analysis of my personality are on the mark. Let''s talk about the deal now. What you do you want from me before you let my disciple go?"


    Helios Luna smacked his lips and grinningly said, "Three conditions. Meet them and I''ll release your disciple and guarantee that my Celestial Wizard Clan will never oppose you again in the future."


    "State them!" Tang Xiu nodded.


    "The first condition is about the Dark Shaman Clan," Helios Luna said. "They are traitors to my Celestial Wizard Clan and their entire clan must be punished. You must remain silent when many experts from my clan move to exterminate them!"


    "Singluen is my friend and I''m the one who helped him become the Patriarch of Dark Shaman Clan." Tang Xiu sneered. "No, I get it now. The previous Sacred Flame group who came to the Dark Shaman Clan and invited them to capture Chen Zhizhong should be one of your plans, shouldn''t it? If the Dark Shaman Clan were to get involved, then they would become my enemy, meaning that you wanted to use my hand to get rid of the Dark Shaman Clan."


    Helios Luna raised his thumbs up and exclaimed, "The information I''ve gathered about you seems to be true, Tang Xiu. You''re really smart, even smarter than I thought. I did really want to use your hand to get rid of them, the traitors of the clan. Unfortunately, they were wary of the Sacred Flame Organization and refused to get involved."


    "It was really a good scheme, indeed." Tang Xiu sneered.


    Helios Luna went on, "So¡­ do you or do you not accept the first condition?"


    Tang Xiu pondered for several minutes and replied with an ugly expression, "I agree, though I''m reluctant. But if the next demands you state makes it difficult for me to decide, you can expect that I''d rather have my disciple die here and refine your own soul to become a spirit artifact. You can expect to endure endless suffering for eternity."


    Helios Luna''s eye lit up and smilingly said, "Then, about the second condition. I need three spirit weapons since you can manufacture it."


    "I can''t manufacture any magic weapon for the time being." Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "A soul must be extracted for each refinement. I can''t do it."


    Helios Luna slowly turned around, pointed to the seaside and sneered. "I won''t force you to extract someone''s soul since I know about your personality. But that won''t be a problem for you if I''m the one who extracts it from some others, right? I have many pirates here, and there are also a lot of those from the Sacred Flame. Don''t you forget that these Sacred Flame''s people were the ones who captured your disciple, so you don''t have a problem with me taking their souls, right?"


    "They are just machines whose objective is to get money." Tang Xiu lightly replied, "The one responsible for this farce is not them, but you alone. If I have to kill anyone, killing you is the best way to vent my anger."


    "Then use my people!" Helios Luna stated again in a deep tone.


    "I agree to refine you three spirit magic weapon as long as you give me the souls," Tang Xiu said. "But you must provide all the materials needed to make them."


    Helios Luna didn''t even ask Tang Xiu what materials needed and directly complied.


    "What about the third condition?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "A manual of cultivation art that can be practiced up until ascending to become Immortal," Helios Luna smilingly said. "I know that the Chinese Taoist school attaches great importance to the inheritance of the sect, but I have to get it. In fact, even if you don''t trade with me, I can also get it, though the means would be far crueler and bloodier."


    Tang Xiu''s complexion became very ugly. After hesitating for a while, he said, "I will need to discuss this with the elders in my sect. If they agree, then it won''t be a problem. But if they don''t, then I can only sacrifice my disciple and exact revenge for him."


    "Have it your will." Helios Luna accepted it offhandedly and smilingly said, "But I must warn you in advance that your time is running out. If you don''t give me a reply within 2 days, Chen Zhizhong will be completely refined while still being alive until he dies. There''s no use for you to regret anything at the time."


    2 days, huh?


    Tang Xiu inwardly sneered. Although Chen Zhizhong''s talent was just average, it would only take him half a day to learn the secret art he just taught him. By then, this bastard would no longer act this rampant and arrogant.


    In the distance, the experts of Sacred Flame and Tang Sect were going all out to commit slaughter on the island. The island itself had many inhabitants, many of whom were also wizards. However, their strength was just mediocre, so it was easy for the two sides to kill them.


    Tang Xiu could tell that Helios Luna didn''t even care about the life and death of these pirates. Those three conditions and the promise he gave him were the most important things in his eyes.


    Whoosh!


    A figure flickered and moved at the speed of lightning and quickly appeared in front of Tang Xiu. Chi Nan, who was covered with blood and looked a bit pale, respectfully reported, "We''ve removed all the enemies, Boss."


    "Stand guard here to watch over Chen Zhizhong." Tang Xiu nodded at her in response and said, "I''ll make a call first."


    "Understood!"


    Chi Nan nodded. After taking a Holy Healing pill Tang Xiu gave her, she then looked at Helios Luna and watched him over vigilantly like an enemy.


    Tang Xiu flew away for a few kilometers before he grabbed his cell phone and dialed Singluen''s number. Then, he spoke, "The retired Elder of Celestial Wizard Clan, Helios Luna, has a plan to massacre your Dark Shaman Clan. I just talked to him, and one of the conditions is that I must no longer aid you."

 1241 Pulling the Snake Out of Its Hole

    Thailand, Dark Shaman Clan.


    Singluen was sitting cross-legged on a futon while holding a cell phone. Murderous intent filled his eyes after he heard Tang Xiu''s words. He then replied, "Boss, although I''m the Patriarch of Dark Shaman Clan, I''ve decided to follow you and will accept any of your decisions unconditionally."


    His stance and attitude were very much to Tang Xiu''s satisfaction, and he slowly said, "I''m sure you''re well aware of the feud between the Tang Sect and the Celestial Wizard Clan. I never planned to give up exterminating the Celestial Wizard Clan. Therefore, I think your Dark Shaman Clan had enough time to build up your power. It''s time for your clan to go out and act."


    "You can expect to have all the core members of my clan or even all of us to come out, Boss," Singluen replied with all seriousness. "Just point your finger and we''ll move and fight for you! We''ve developed our strength for quite some time and I assure you that the Dark Shaman Clan has already changed. Even my father won''t go against my decision."


    "There''s no need to dispatch all your strength," Tang Xiu replied. "Just take out all the experts in Dark Shaman Clan and head to Saipan. Stay there and wait for my next order."


    "Understood!" Singluen complied and then hung up.


    Soon after, his figure appeared on the roof. Then, five figures flickered from a distance and emerged before Singluen in a flash.


    "Patriarch!"


    Five vigorous old men greeted and in salute.


    "Inform all the clan''s elders to convene for a meeting." Singluen issued an order in a deep voice. "Our clan is about to face a life and death battle. Tell them to put aside everything they''re currently occupied with!"


    "Affirmative!"


    The five old men exchange glances. They had no idea about the urgent matter Singluen was talking about. However, they had sworn their loyalty to Singluen and accepted the order without hesitation and quickly flashed into the distance.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh¡­


    After several minutes, flickering figures kept coming fast and then stood in the large courtyard. They were all elders of the Dark Shaman Clan, the most powerful group of experts in the clan. The cultivation technique they practiced came from Tang Xiu through Singluen, plus the cultivation resources they obtained from trading demon stone with Tang Xiu had made them much stronger than a year ago. Some of whom even had their strength rapidly soar by tenfold or more.


    After half an hour, all the higher-ups of Dark Shaman Clan appeared in front of Singluen, except for his father. The Dark Shaman Clan had a total of 14 Elders, and their cultivation was comparable to experts at the Golden Core Stage.


    "Patriarch, the news we received mentioned about an urgent thing related to the life and death of the clan? What exactly is it?" the only female, whose silver hair fluttered by the wind and wore a red robe, asked. She didn''t look to have aged and her facial feature looked like she was in her 30s instead along with her alluring figure.


    Instead of answering, Singluen narrowed his eyes and asked, "Where''s my father?"


    Several Elders exchanged dismayed glances and hesitated. Finally, Singman, said, "He left our clan after you entered seclusion, Patriarch. He hasn''t returned yet."


    "He naturally harbors some resentment since he was ousted from the Patriarch seat despite being in his prime." Singluen sneered. "If my guess is correct, he''s still concerned about my elder brother and staying here kind of makes him sullen. Just let him go since he chose to leave then! But he''s no longer an Elder of the Dark Shaman Clan henceforth."


    "This¡­"


    The 14 Elders were secretly shocked by the sudden decision. However, recalling the dramatic changes the Dark Shaman Clan had gone through after Singluen took over the Patriarch seat, they finally accepted the decision.


    "Alright, can you now elaborate about what exactly is going on, Patriarch?" asked Singman.


    "It''s about the Celestial Wizard Clan," Singluen explained. "They''re preparing to take action on our clan and I just got the news about it from Tang Xiu. A retired Elder of the Celestial Wizard Clan, Helios Luna, is currently negotiating with him. He wants cultivators of the Tang Sect to stop aiding our clan."


    In that instant, the complexions of all 14 Elders of the Dark Shaman Clan greatly changed and looked angry. Some who had a short fuse even threw out curses.


    "That damn Celestial Wizard Clan persecuted our ancestors and only very few survived back then. Our clan has just barely recovered a bit of vitality after so many years, but these bastards never had the intention to let us off."


    "Why the hell should we fear them? The Dark Shaman Clan is no longer a weak coward that can be trampled by anyone! Since the Celestial Wizard Clan wants to exterminate us, then let''s give it right back at them! I just studied some powerful secret arts. I''m gonna verify these arts with their blood."


    "The Celestial Wizard Clan is indeed stronger than our clan, but the strength of our entire clan has also been progressing rapidly. Since they are now baring their fangs, then let''s cut off their fangs and break their dog legs."


    "Let''s throw it back at them, Patriarch! For our Dark Shaman Clan and for revenge for our ancestors!"


    "KILL¡­"


    While observing the 14 Elders'' faces, Singluen sneered. "Do you really think the current strength of our clan can contend with the Celestial Wizard Clan?"


    "Even if we can''t, we must make them pay a painful price!" an elder cried out in a deep voice.


    "I understand the fury harbored in your hearts, Elders. I do," Singluen indifferently said. "I can tell you even I myself am even more furious than you. But anger alone cannot solve the problem. The reason I summoned you here is to discuss the measure of how to inflict the heaviest blow to the Celestial Wizard Clan and minimize the loss."


    Suddenly, the 14 Elders of the Dark Shaman Clan fell into silence. They were filled with fury just now and clamoring to vent their anger. But at the end of the day, they were also well aware that the clan didn''t have the capital to rival the Celestial Wizard Clan even though the clan''s strength had progressed greatly during this period.


    Singman thought for a while and said, "Patriarch, I''m sure you''ve already made a decision since you summoned us here. It is you who brought our clan to our current strength. Therefore, we also hope that you can lead us to inflict heavy losses to the Celestial Wizard Clan, and even destroy them."


    "That''s right, we''ll obey your command!"


    "You''re the biggest contributor in the clan. Just give us your command, Patriarch!"


    "We''ve given our loyalty to you. Give us the order and we''ll head to battle!"


    "..."


    Nodding contentedly, Singluen then said, "That being the case, summon all the masters in the clan. We''ll sneak into Saipan and stay low for a while. Also, you should know about the deep feud between Tang Sect and the Celestial Wizard Clan. Therefore, Tang Sect''s Sovereign Tang Xiu has decided to launch a campaign against the Celestial Wizard Clan. Our clan will cooperate with Tang Sect. I''m sure those Celestial Wizard bastards will definitely be scared senseless."


    "Cooperation?!"


    The 14 Elders were ecstatic since they all knew about Tang Xiu and the Tang Sect. Since Tang Xiu was going to attack the Celestial Wizard Clan, it was naturally not an issue to them. On the one hand, it could not only solve the threat posed by the Celestial Wizard Clan but also a chance to inflict a heavy blow to the enemy and get revenge for their ancestors. All in all, it was a great thing since they could solve everything with one move.


    ****


    Sunny Island.


    After calling Singluen, Tang Xiu returned to the front of Helios Luna again and indifferently said, "I''ve called the elders of my sect and talked about your conditions. I don''t know what they will decide for now. Perhaps they are discussing it now."


    Helios Luna''s expression eased and he smilingly said, "Alright. No problem."


    Tang Xiu coldly hummed and headed straight to the altar and sat cross-legged, waiting quietly for Chen Zhizhong to completely learn and operate the secret art.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Figures flickered from the liner to the shore. Of the more than 200 people from Sacred Flame, several of them were killed in battle. None of the Tang Sect disciples died, and only one of them was lightly injured.


    Helios Luna slightly frowned and killing intent flashed in his eyes after seeing the people of Sacred Flame. He turned to Tang Xiu and sneered. "You pulled quite a stunt, Tang Xiu! Just like the adage in your country, do to others as you would have them do to you, huh! I really never expected you to realize the line skillfully and use these money-hungry Sacred Flame bastards against me in turn."


    "Shut the f*ck up, asshole!" the big black man angrily yelled.


    Helios Luna glanced at Tang Xiu, who looked indifferent, before flashing to the black man instantly. His speed was extremely fast and only took him a blink of an eye to appear in front of him. The moment he transformed into a miniature version of a black dragon, he struck a heavy blow to the black man''s chest.


    BAM¡­ crack¡­


    The black man''s chest bones caved and he crazily spurted out a mouthful of blood as his body flew upside down to the back like a snapped kite.


    It was just one strike, but the black man was instantly killed.


    More than 200 members of Sacred Flame were shocked. Little did they expect that the strongest among them wasn''t even able to fight back and was insta-killed by Helios Luna


    "KILL HIM!"


    Tens of masters closest to Helios Luna bolted fast while roaring, believing that no matter how powerful Helios Luna was, he wouldn''t be able to withstand these many people attacking him. After all, even ants were able to kill an elephant due to their numbers.


    "Heh, a bunch of ants!"


    Contempt and disdain flashed in Helios Luna''s eyes. He chanted a strange hex as a black knife suddenly appeared in his hand out of thin air and instantly darted toward the attackers.


    A hundred-meter blade light flashed and slashed forward from the 30cm black knife. The tens of Sacred Flame''s experts that stormed over were all slashed, creating a rain of blood and leaving their corpses scattered on the ground in halves.


    Tang Xiu, sitting cross-legged on the altar, suddenly opened his eyes at this moment and yelled. "ALL OF YOU, STOP! Don''t blame me for being ruthless if any of you makes another move!"

 1242 Absorbing Memories

    Helios Luna turned to look at the cold-faced Tang Xiu with surging killing intent. He would have moved to kill Tang Xiu directly if he wasn''t perfectly aware that he was not Tang Xiu''s match.


    "Tang Xiu, I don''t care if you move forward to stop them, but I''ll completely decimate them if they dare provoke me again."


    Tang Xiu faintly nodded in response. He then looked at the remaining over 100 members of Sacred Flame and indifferently said, "You guys are way too weak and like ants in his eyes. You will be the ones to die even if all of you move to attack him. If you want revenge, get stronger in the future or contact the experts in your organization. I forbid you all to make any moves again for now."


    The remaining members of Sacred Flame felt vexed and frustrated. They also realized that Tang Xiu was right. Given their strength, wanting to kill Helios Luna was just stupid and foolish. Many of them even felt grateful to Tang Xiu since they would likely be killed quickly if Tang Xiu didn''t speak up.


    Suddenly, everyone was silent even though most of their eyes were lingering on Tang Xiu and Helios Luna.


    Early in the morning.


    The first wisp of sunlight broke free from the shackles of the horizon at sea and spilled the light on the earth. Suddenly, Chen Zhizhong on the altar opened his eyes. A crimson light flashed from his eyes as the array pattern on the altar glowed and radiated blood-red light.


    The bloodstream flowed backward along the lines of the array and flowed back into Chen Zhizhong''s body, while the 13 blades that impaled him were suddenly ejected and flew.


    Buzz¡­


    Helios Luna, who was sitting cross-legged on a bluestone, suddenly had a drastic change in expression. Disbelief overflowed in his eyes as he looked at Chen Zhizhong on the altar in shock. At the same time, he noticed that his body seemed to be encircled by Five-Celestial Bodies energy that pulled him to the altar nearly in instant.


    "What in the hell is going on?!!"


    Utterly dazed and confused, Helios Luna never dreamed that such a bizarre phenomenon would unfold. The power that bound him was terrifyingly dreadful and rendered his every effort to break free futile, no matter how hard he tried. He could only helplessly watch as he was pulled to the altar. He tried to speak, but he then noticed that he no longer had control over his body. Aside from his eyes, he was devoid of strength to move any parts of his body.


    Tang Xiu, who stood next to the altar, was immediately excited upon seeing Helios Luna''s situation. A Mitsubishi army knife appeared in his hand as he dashed forward fast and instantly appeared in front of him. The cold blade flashed and cut open bleeding wounds on the man''s body.


    Blood kept splashing from Helios Luna''s body and scattered on the lines on the altar and continued flowing towards Chen Zhizhong. In just a few minutes, all the blood from Helios Luna flew out. He would have died already if it wasn''t for his very powerful strength.


    "Yin Yang Reverse¡ªLife and Soul Insignia."


    Chen Zhizhong floated up. Two bloodstream pillars rose from the altar and quickly penetrated his body through his feet. As a group of colorful light beads floated from Helios Luna, Chen Zhizhong quickly sucked the beads into his body according to the secret art Tang Xiu taught him.


    ROAR¡­


    A beast-like roar burst out from his mouth. His ghastly pale face instantly turned red and bean-sized drops of sweat slid down his cheek before he passed out the instant after.


    The two blood pillars didn''t stop flowing even though Chen Zhizhong fainted and the blood from the bodies of tens of Sacred Flame''s experts killed by Helios Luna flew on the ground and were quickly sucked into the altar. It quickly gathered into the blood pillars and drilled into Chen Zhizhong''s body.


    Time fleeted by. In just half an hour, all the blood within a kilometer was completely absorbed by Chen Zhizhong. At this time, Tang Xiu quickly cut his own wrist and splashed his blood on the altar. He suddenly turned to the members of Sacred Flame and shouted with a heavy voice, "All of you, take your blood out and splash it on the altar! I''ll give you 1 million dollars in compensation. Quickly!"


    Over 100 members of Sacred Flame exchanged glances. They briefly discussed before rushing to the altars and imitated Tang Xiu to quickly tore cut the blood vessels of their wrists and sprayed the blood on the altar, with the Tang Sect disciples also following suit.


    Immediately after, two bloodstreams that covered Chen Zhizhong''s feet slowly climbed up to his bare legs, waist, abdomen, and then forehead. In just half a minute, the blood had fully covered Chen Zhizhong and made him look like a blood man.


    A sharp look flashed in Tang Xiu''s eyes and he ordered again in a deep voice, "Go and bring all the bodies you''ve killed before! I''ll give you an extra 10 million dollars!"


    "Hurry!"


    "That''s a lot of money!"


    Figures kept flickering and rushed towards the seaside. Five-plus minutes after, over 100 people of Sacred Flame returned with bodies in tow. Each of them brought at least two bodies, and some even rushed about in the surroundings and brought 3 or 4 bodies.


    "Take the blood out and spray it on the altar!"


    Tang Xiu shouted aloud and then watched them dissect the bodies. As a large amount of blood was sprayed, the sanguine light that covered Chen Zhizhong turned thicker while his aura was getting stronger.


    "Soul Purification Spell!"


    Tang Xiu kept making seals with his hands and patted the runes created into Chen Zhizhong''s body. Soon after, Chen Zhizhong woke up from his coma. When he saw the scene in front of him, his heart trembled before he quickly focused on himself.


    "This¡­"


    Chen Zhizhong was frightened upon realizing what he found. He could feel violent blood and life force surging in his body. The enormous blood force even began to transform into his own power and crazily inundated his meridians before pouring into his Dantian.


    Golden Core Stage!


    Nascent Soul Stage!


    Spirit Formation Stage!


    After absorbing all the blood and energy, Chen Zhizhong finally broke through to the late-stage of Body Integration.


    "These seven colorful beads¡­"


    With his spiritual sense, Chen Zhizhong finally realized the existence of these colorful light beads. The moment he used his spiritual sense to penetrate it, his body instantly trembled as a huge flux of memories frantically flooded his sea of knowledge.


    "Aargh¡­"


    Chen Zhizhong screamed and passed out again.


    Tang Xiu stood beside the altar and looked at the fainted Chen Zhizhong. A look of happiness flashed in his eyes. The reason Chen Zhizhong fainted before was due to his weak willpower, but the passing out this time would bring him great benefits.


    It was, after all, memories. He may be able to endure if the memories were just from one person. But what he just absorbed was far more than that. The memories he absorbed was from Helios Luna, tens of Sacred Flame''s members, several hundreds of pirates, and those experts killed by Chi Nan.


    BOOM¡­


    At this moment, Helios Luna''s body exploded and turned into ashes before the sea breeze scattered them away. Along with it, his soul flew away into nothingness permanently.


    Tang Xiu then shifted to over 100 members of Sacred Flame and said in a deep voice, "Tell me. When will your Sacred Flame leader, Vulcan, come to see me?"


    Karin came to Tang Xiu and respectfully said, "We''ve already contacted Vulcan, Mr. Tang. He said that it will take him 3 days to reach Saipan. He will also bring a lot of experts of the organization by then."


    "If so, you should depart first!" Tang Xiu said, "There are many liners on this island, so you can pick one. Remember to let go of those hundreds of ordinary tourists. I forbid you to bully them on the way, and you can expect that I''ll hunt you down for the rest of your lives should I find you guys commit it."


    "Understood!"


    These people nodded one after another. None of them dared go against Tang Xiu''s will since Tang Xiu had saved their lives before.


    After the Sacred Flames'' members left, only 20-plus disciples of Tang Sect remained, guarding and monitoring the altar in silence.


    Tang Xiu was also waiting for Chen Zhizhong to wake up. He never tried this secret art himself before and thus, wanted to know how big was the benefit Chen Zhizhong could obtain from it.


    Seven days passed and Chen Zhizhong was still in a coma. Countless memories chaotically entangled in his sea of knowledge while his consciousness removed some of them and quickly absorbed some others.


    Finally, when he came back to reality, he opened his eyes and instantly appeared before Tang Xiu. He kneeled and respectfully called out, "I''m fine, Master."


    Tang Xiu could sense the faint aura radiating from Chen Zhizhong and nodded with satisfaction. "Very good! You''ve unexpectedly taken this opportunity to improve your cultivation and breakthrough to the Integration Stage. You can say that only a handful of people in the Tang Sect are more powerful than you. Anyways, what about your memory? Have it recovered already?"


    "I''ve restored all my memories, Master," Chen Zhizhong said. "Further, my strength has also been increased with the breakthrough. Other than that, I can now control all the inheritance I received before, as well as the memories of these people. There are many secrets I know of now."


    "Kowtow now, then!" Tang Xiu looked happy and ordered, "You''re now Tang Xiu''s direct disciple."


    Chen Zhizhong stared blankly for a moment before he looked ecstatic with joy. He firmly knocked his head on the ground before Tang Xiu. He then cut his wrist and handed it in front of Tang Xiu, respectfully saying, "Master, there''s no tea here, so disciple replaces it with my own blood to respect you."


    Tang Xiu opened his mouth and inhaled the blood. Then, he nodded and smilingly said, "By the way, there''s something I have in mind, so answer me some questions. What exactly was Helios Luna''s status in the Celestial Wizard Clan? Is he really a retired Supreme Elder just like he said?"

 1243 They’re All Damned

    Recalling a bit from the memories, Chen Zhizhong respectfully said, "Helios Luna was indeed the Supreme Elder of Celestial Wizard Clan, Master. I saw his memory and his strength is among the top three in the entire clan. Further, he established the Nonagon Bulwark on these nine islands long ago, but only came here recently to make use of it."


    "I see." Tang Xiu placed the Celestial Wizard Clan a bit higher now. After all, Helios Luna''s cultivation was comparable to a Spirit Formation Stage expert. If it wasn''t for the fierce Immortal method he imparted to Chen Zhizhong, he would be the only one who could take action to get rid of him. There were only a few disciples of Tang Sect who had reached Spirit Formation Stage, and much fewer who could kill him.


    "You just absorbed the memory of many people. Can you pull those Celestial Wizard Clan out and exterminate them if I make you plan the operation to take over the overall situation?" Tang Xiu asked.


    "I don''t know much about the overall strength of our Tang Sect while considering the big picture of the overall situation, Master," Chen Zhizhong wryly replied. "At best, I can only strategize the operation against the Celestial Wizard Clan, but the result might not be what you expect."


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and fell into thoughts for a few minutes before asking again, "What other findings this clan has on me? Do they have some other plans against others around me?"


    Chen Zhizhong nodded silently and said, "They only sent 3 people to secretly ambush Mu Wanying, Kang Xia, and Tang Yunpeng. There''s no one else but them."


    "Go back to China immediately and get rid of these three people from Celestial Wizard Clan," Tang Xiu ordered immediately. "Return at once after you deal with them. I''ve prepared the bait to pull the Celestial Wizard Clan out."


    Staring blankly, Chen Zhizhong quickly asked, "What kind of bait is it, Master?"


    "The Celestial Wizard Clan wants to get rid of the Dark Shaman Clan, so I ordered the latter to send all their experts to Saipan where I''m going to meet with them later. After this, I''m going to look for an island in the Pacific Ocean as the site for the decisive battle."


    Chen Zhizhong''s eyes lit up and replied, "Master, from Helios Luna''s memory, the Celestial Wizard Clan is indeed preparing to take action against the Dark Shaman Clan. Recently, the hitmen of various organizations in the world have suspended the pursuit and hunt of this clan since 100 million dollars you put as a bounty has been paid out. However, the measure only inflicted minor losses to them. This clan has a quite deep heritage, particularly the 12 great elders of this clan, all of whom have the strength comparable to the Nascent Soul Stage experts."


    "The current Tang Sect is not what it used to be." Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes and sneered. "If the Celestial Wizard Clan has the balls to crawl out of their nest, we can make them stay in the ocean forever."


    "This is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime chance, Master." Chen Zhizhong grinned. "I think this Nonagon Bulwark would be a good place. If we use Helios Luna''s means to send a message to the Celestial Wizard Clan and make them believe that the Dark Shaman Clan has been directed here, I believe it would be easy for us to obliterate them here."


    "What means?" Tang Xiu''s expression slightly shifted and hurriedly asked.


    "Using the Wizard Seal," Chen Zhizhong answered.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a while and then said slowly, "Alright. I''ll assign some men to send you back to China immediately and deal with those Celestial Wizard Clan''s experts lurking around Mu Wanying, Kang Xia, and my uncle. Further, I''ll notify all the Tang Sect''s disciples in the pocket world to give their best to break through to the Nascent Soul Stage and then gather with you in Shanghai. You''re to return immediately after solving the issues in Shanghai."


    "Then I''ll take my leave now," Chen Zhizhong said.


    A long while after.


    After watching the liner boarded by Chen Zhizhong leave, Tang Xiu took the remaining dozen disciples of Tang Sect and began to wipe out the remaining islands of Nonagon Bulwark. 99% of the inhabitants of other islands were ordinary people, but it still took 4 days for them to completely clean up the nine islands.


    "Doing all this leaves the smell of blood in my hands."


    After returning to the fifth Sunny Island, Tang Xiu stood on the beach, raised his hands and slowly lamented.


    "On the contrary, I feel that the smell of blood is a wonderful feeling, Sect Master," Chi Nan interjected. "It makes me feel that I''m saving countless pitiful ordinary people."


    Tang Xiu turned to look at her and suddenly grinned. "I never thought that you would actually feel so. That''s great. You''ve been progressing rapidly recently, and your state of mind has improved a lot. If you keep cultivating hard, maybe the Immortal World will no longer stay tranquil because of your arrival."


    A longing look painted Chi Nan''s face and she asked, "What kind of existences are there in the Immortal World, Master?"


    "The Immortal World is as beautiful as a fairyland on the surface and there are countless indigenous inhabitants there," Tang Xiu said indifferently. "They live lives with many similarities with human beings on Earth in ancient times, and ordinary people live a peaceful and serene life there."


    "And in reality?" asked Chi Nan.


    Tang Xiu''s expression became serious and he added in a deep voice, "The real Immortal World itself is very brutal and ruthless; more than you can imagine. Those who want to become powerhouses must go through constant battles either with other humans, demons, monsters, or spirits. Intrigues and outwitting each other are just common, and death is looming over your life at all times. Only the strong who can survive, whereas the weak are either enslaved or killed. It''s a place where avarice and ruthlessness prevail. You must be prepared to die at all times if you have neither backers nor strength."


    Chi Nan''s breathing became much heavier. Tang Xiu only gave her a brief description, but she could still feel that the Immortal World was akin to hell.


    Tang Xiu shook his head secretly and no longer wanted to recall other various things in the Immortal World. Then, he asked, "By the way, I haven''t yet asked you about something. Hao Lei called you out to Shanghai to help her before. Why did you run back to Jingmen Island though? Is there nothing else that keeps you busy in Shanghai?"


    Chi Nan hollowly chuckled and said, "Sect Master, our auction house has become famous all over the world since that auction. Countless clients around the world entrusted our auction house to auction their collection. There were too many trivial things and I felt bored after being busy for a while, so I used soft and hard tactics to Hao Lei so I can have a vacation for some time before returning to Nine Dragons Island and preparing to go into seclusion for a while. But then I came across this incident. Speaking of which, my luck has been rather bad recently."


    "Do you like killing, though?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "I never liked killing, Sect Master." Chi Nan shook her head and said, "But I always love to temper myself on the edge of life and death. You''ve mentioned before that only by tempering oneself on the edge of life and death can one become more and more powerful. Besides, such battles rarely occur on Earth. It''s really not easy to encounter such battles given the current peaceful society. Well, of course, there''s an exception, and that is by following you. That''s why I hope I can always follow you."


    Tang Xiu could only force a wry smile inwardly. He had heard that many people wanted to keep following him. Previously, it was Mo Awu, then Tang An. Chen Shaohua also expressed it a while ago.


    Did they really think¡­ that they would keep encountering such fights by following him in order to constantly temper themselves on the edge of life and death?


    The thought made Tang Xiu suddenly recall Chen Shaohua and he said, "Contact Chen Shaohua and ask him where he is now! If he''s on Nine Dragons Island, tell him to bring all the experts of Tang Sect who have reached Nascent Soul Stage here immediately. I know some of them have stayed in the pocket world for some time, so there should be at least a dozen of them who have broken through to the Nascent Soul Stage."


    "Understood. I''ll contact him right away," Chi Nan replied and quickly walked away.


    2 days later.


    The Dark Shaman Clan''s experts had all arrived in Sunny Island. Those who went to China had also dealt with the experts of Celestial Wizard Clan lurking around Kang Xia, Mu Wanying, and Tang Yunpeng. They then gathered with more than 20 disciples of Tang Sect who had reached Nascent Soul Stage and finally came here.


    Early in the morning.


    As the first wisp of sunlight came out from the horizon of the sea surface, four liners appeared in the waters of Sunny Island. As the liner docked, the alluring Karin followed behind an old man in a black robe and wearing a black mask. They then jumped off one of the liners and came to Tang Xiu.


    "Mr. Tang, this is Vulcan, the leader of Sacred Flame." Karin looked at Tang Xiu with a bit of awe. After all, Helios Luna was a fearsome expert, yet he just died due to Tang Xiu''s scheme, creating a deep sense of dread in her heart when facing Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu observed at the black-robed Vulcan in front and calmly spoke, "I''m pleased to be able to meet the supreme leader of Sacred Flame. Since Mr. Vulcan has arrived and accepted my commission, then allow me to get to the point."


    "Our Sacred Flame name warrants a good reputation and we accept any mission as long as the clients can pay," replied Vulcan with a rather hoarse voice. "May I know what kind of mission you''d like us to accomplish by issuing the Ninth-grade Sacred Flame order?"


    "I want to destroy the Celestial Wizard Clan," Tang Xiu said. "I''m sure the Sacred Flame has learned about the feud between me and this clan."


    "Mr. Tang, I''d like to tell you first that it would be difficult for the Sacred Flame to completely kill all the members of Celestial Wizard Clan even if we dispatch all of our members. Further, the Sacred Flame will likely to suffer heavy losses even though we''re able to inflict heavy blows to this clan."


    "I don''t think you understand what I mean. My side has a feud with the Celestial Wizard Clan, so your side is naturally not alone to get rid of them. The Dark Shaman Clan is my ally, and I also have a number of experts under me. At that time, all three parties will work together to lure the experts of Celestial Wizard Clan and then we''ll collaborate to exterminate them."


    "That would be no problem then." Vulcan gave it a thought for a moment before nodding.


    "Anyway, the experts from Sacred Flame shouldn''t be just these on the four ships. You should have a lot more experts, yes?" asked Tang Xiu. "May I ask when can the rest of you arrive?"


    "They should be arriving in Nonagon Bulwark within 3 days," Vulcan said. "Given your words, I think Mr. Tang already has a specific battle plan for their placement."

 1244 Wizard Ancestor

    Dark clouds covered the sky and heavy rain poured down to the turbulent sea. Only the occasional bolts of lightning that cut through the sky could bring light to the vast sea. However, a fleet of ships was braving the wind and breaking the waves to contend with the natural might of Heaven.


    Crack¡­ BOOM¡­


    A flash of lightning broke through the thick dark clouds as if tearing a hole in the sky and violently bolted down to the bottom. The light spread out for a moment, revealing an old man in a black robe on the bow deck of the liner. The man was holding a golden staff and slowly looked up at the sky.


    Illuminated by the light, his eyes became jet black as though they were bottomless black holes. Jet black smoke flew out of his body and fully shrouded his body in the dark smog the moment the light was gone.


    Tap, tap, tap¡­


    The sound of leather boots stepping on the deck came from behind the dark mist. A 2.2 meters giant man waved his bulking right hand that held a fan-like giant ax powerfully. He then looked at the black mist and said with a muffled voice, "Wizard Ancestor, Elder Black Raven ordered me to report to you that we''ll reach the island where those traitors hide in 2 hours. The place is secretly under control of Grand Elder Helios Luna."


    After a long time, the black fog gradually dissipated and the figure of a black-robed old man appeared. A dignified look appeared on his aged, wrinkled face as he murmured to himself, "Thunder annihilations bolted down from the sky and broke down the wind and waves. I can''t even see the omens of any cause and effect of the future. Is there someone blocking the heavenly secret and making me unable to divine what''s going to happen?"


    A look of disdain crept up on the fierce face of the hulking man. He snorted and gruffly said, "Wizard Ancestor, even if you cannot divine it, any demons or souls won''t be able to withstand the power of my ax. Even if our enemies are deities, we can still kill them all the same as long as we are strong enough."


    The black-robed old man slowly turned his head and observed the giant man for a while and then smirked. "You''re right. No schemes and tricks will work as long as we''re strong enough. As long as we are ruthless enough, the warriors of Celestial Wizard Clan will still behead those enemies of ours and use them as offerings to Heaven."


    The giant man obviously rarely received praises since his sturdy thick arm scratched his head and gruffly grinned. "Well, I just said the line you told me before, Wizard Ancestor. Besides, all the elites of our clan have been dispatched now. We absolutely can obliterate such a small Dark Shaman lineage easily. But I just don''t understand why did you waste your time and energy for something like fortune-telling?"


    The complexion of the black-robed old man changed and he solemnly replied, "Bear in mind that no matter what time, regardless of the environment and the enemies we''re facing, all of us must go all out! Only death awaits those who move forward with carelessness."


    The giant man thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "Your words are reasonable. I''ll remember them well, Wizard Ancestor. We''ll be able to slaughter and cut off the heads of those Dark Shaman lineage rebels in another 2 hours."


    The black-robed old man no longer spoke, but there was some haze of recollection in his eyes.


    The Dark Shaman lineage was actually a pitiful lineage of his clan. If they just stayed in Thailand without making any moves, they could have just lived their lives and wouldn''t be enemies of the clan. However, they found traces of Dark Shaman lineage in the previous crisis that befell the Celestial Wizard Clan and the chance that they were the perpetrator was high. Therefore, killing them and utterly obliterating them was a must so as to prevent future troubles.


    ****


    Nonagon Bulwark, the first island.


    As the fleet approached the island, only two liners accelerated and docked at the port. Huey Luna, the Grand Elder of Celestial Wizard Clan, a powerhouse comparable to Nascent Soul experts, quickly led the tens of Celestial Wizard Clan''s experts and bolted to the shore. His gaze quickly shifted to a group of tense and nervous-looking big men armed with guns.


    "Are you the inhabitants of Nonagon Bulwark?" Huey Luna condescendingly asked aloud.


    The leader of the group who held a light machine gun glanced over Huey Luna''s group. He hesitated for a moment and then replied aloud, "Yes, Nonagon Bulwark is our home. Who are you, people? Why did you come here all of a sudden?"


    "Did your leader not tell you that we''re from Celestial Wizard Clan?" Huey Luna inquisitively asked, "Or do you mean you''re not Nonagon Bulwark''s men at all and on the side of the Dark Shaman lineage rebels?"


    "We don''t know anything about the Celestial Wizard Clan or Dark Shaman Clan! This is our private island, and whoever intrudes our island without consent is our enemy. Leave quickly! This is a warning!" The big man raised his gun''s muzzle and shouted aloud.


    Huey Luna frowned and gave a command to a man next to him, who immediately returned to the ship. After reporting the situation to the Wizard Ancestor of the clan, he received the order to determine the identity of the other party.


    After receiving a reply, Huey Luna immediately looked at the dozen armed men and shouted, "Your leader is our people! We can only kill you if you dare oppose us. Contact your leader if you don''t believe me and he will tell you."


    "Ugh¡­"


    The big man hesitated for a moment before taking out his mobile phone and dialed a cell number. Soon after, he put down his cell phone, wore a cautious look and obsequiously smiled. "W-we had no idea that you are family members of our leader. Please forgive our rude and offending attitude. I-I hope¡­ hehe, since we''re on the same, I hope you can speak some good words about us to our leader."


    Huey Luna shot him an indifferent look. His expression, however, slightly shifted the moment after and instantly unleashed a magical force, instantly beheaded the tens of the men behind the big man ruthlessly. The instant after, his dark-mist-shrouded right hand grabbed the big man''s neck and fiercely asked, "Who are you? You''re not the usual pirates of Nonagon Bulwark!"


    Fear painted the big man''s face. He could be said to be a powerful expert himself, but he didn''t expect that he didn''t have any strength to even fight this old man back. But after he recalled Vulcan''s order, he steeled his heart and instantly wielded a dagger and powerfully stabbed Huey Luna''s heart.


    "Hmph¡­"


    Huey Luna exerted more power to his fingers and directly cut off the big man''s neck before the dagger stabbed him and then kicked the man''s body away.


    "Land on the island! I suspect this island has been completely occupied by those Dark Shaman lineage villains! Move and kill all the enemies you find here!" Huey Luna issued an order without hesitation.


    The first island.


    The second island.


    The third island.


    In just a few hours, tens of masters from Sacred Flame on the three islands were all killed, whereas several disciples of Tang Sect quietly fled the island and boarded a speed boat from the other side of the island to the fourth island.


    The fleet then gave chase.


    Tang Xiu stood on the shore of the fifth island and looked at the dozen liners sailing and approaching in the distance. Killing intent loomed in his eyes while 62 experts of Tang Sect were lining up by his side. The weakest among them was at the early-stage of Nascent Soul, but several of them had broken through the Spirit Formation Stage.


    "Singluen, are Vulcan and the rest of Sacred Flame''s members he led already on the fourth island?"


    Standing beside Tang Xiu, Singluen nodded silently and then said, "Originally, my Dark Shaman Clan was to be arranged on the fourth island with the Sacred Flame and stationed there together. I never thought that Vulcan would so arrogant and refuse to work with us. However, he promised that he''ll withdraw from the fourth island to the sixth island after they have inflicted heavy damage to the Celestial Wizard Clan. Even if it means that they''ve completed their Ninth-grade Sacred Flame mission, they will bring his group to support us if we''re unable to contend with the Celestial Wizard Clan."


    Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes and sneered in response. "Heh, causing heavy damage to the Celestial Wizard Clan? What a wishful thinking. Do they think they can show off without our people there? Hmph¡­ Tang Guang and Tang An, you both rush to the fourth island and monitor the Sacred Flame''s situation, one in the open and one in the dark. Let them all die since they want to be cannon fodder."


    "I''m going there too," Singluen interjected. "The Celestial Wizard Clan''s sole purpose is to kill my Dark Shaman Clan, to begin with. They will realize that this is a trap if there''s no one from my clan on the fourth island."


    Tang Xiu gave it a thought for a moment and then nodded. "You''re right. In this case, you should also head over there quickly in person! Do remember not to get engaged with them! There are some powerful ones among them. You only need to expose yourself to the Celestial Wizard Clan after the battle nearly reaches the late-stage and then retreat immediately. I''ll wait for you here."


    Singluen nodded and smiled. "Well, just wait here to close the net, Boss."


    Back to the fourth island.


    Several liners stopped by the shore and many shadows flickered and moved lightning-fast to the island. In just four-plus minutes, over 1,000 experts from the Celestial Wizard Clan landed on the island.


    "KILL!"


    A rainbow-like saber light split out of the distant forested hill. The dozen or so Celestial Wizard Clan experts who had just reached the edge of the woods didn''t have time to avoid it and were directly killed by 100-meter-long saber light.


    The next moment, the experts of Sacred Flame Organization rushed out of the dense woods, numbering in the thousands but moving without any formation.


    "Enemies coming! KILL THEM ALL!"


    Huey Luna dashed out of the crowd of Celestial Wizard Clan, avoiding the violent and powerful saber slash, and instantly appeared in front of Vulcan who rushed over.


    "You''re not from Dark Shaman Clan, are you?"


    Huey Luna exchanged moves and clashed with Vulcan, who was fully shrouded by flame, for a moment. But Huey Luna was sent flying upside down after receiving Vulcan''s blow and left behind a few bloody veils of mist and the smell of blood in the air.

 1245 Cannon Fodders

    The Celestial Wizard Clan''s experts never dreamed that they would encounter practitioners and ability users of various special abilities. These people came from all races and various countries with different cultivation systems.


    Is this still killing and exterminating the Dark Shaman Clan? How come we must fight against these people for no reason? Could it be that¡­ these people are all foreign aids from the Dark Shaman Clan? But these people don''t look like they are cultivators, nor are they subordinates of that young man surnamed Tang from China, do they?


    However, after fighting for 10 minutes, the experts from Celestial Wizard Clan noticed that most of these people only had average strength even though their number nearly reached 10,000 people. The strongest among them was probably at the Spirit Formation Stage and there were only two people comparable to the Nascent Soul Stage. It was still a chasm of comparison compared to the quality of the Celestial Wizard Clan''s ranks.


    We can kill to our hearts'' contents here!


    The elders and experts of Celestial Wizard Clan similarly had this idea and thus went all out when unleashing their power. Constantly conjuring magical wizardry art, they kept mowing and killing members of Sacred Flame Organization.


    "Kill them all and the 10 billion dollars are ours!"


    Vulcan was also aware of the gap of strength between two sides, but he didn''t care about it. First of all, he had the advantage in number, which was more than 10 times that of the enemy. Even if they were to lose a number of people, he could still gather as many experts with 10 billion dollars.


    Money is paramount¡ªthat was the one and only creed of Sacred Flame.


    Men would die for fortune as beasts would for food. For the sake of obtaining the 10 billion dollars reward, all members of Sacred Flame turned into a frenzy, many of whom had the idea to perish with the enemy. Thus, they forced the enemies to keep retreating and inflicted heavy damage and killed many of them.


    At this moment, the Sacred Flame side seized the initiative with their current momentum and gained the upper hand. The fight between two sides escalated into a frenzied and frantic battle. Human life was just worthless at this moment, and the blood of those who still lived boiled, eyes turned bloodshot and incited their primal savageness.


    ****


    On the fifth island.


    Tang Xiu sat quietly in a garden house while watching the surveillance video on the display that gave him a clear situation of the ongoing battle on the fourth island. What made him feel relieved was that Singluen and some experts of Dark Shaman Clan he led there didn''t directly join the battle and hid in the distance while observing the killing scene via a high-powered telescope.


    "The Celestial Wizard Clan will suffer heavy blows on the fourth island, it seems."


    Standing behind Tang Xiu, Tang Guang commented and a smile climbed up on his handsome face.


    Tang Xiu glanced at him and lightly replied, "Don''t jump to conclusions before things are clear. There still are variables you need to analyze even if you make any speculations. The present battle situation where the Sacred Flame has at least 10,000 experts, they may bring great damage to the Celestial Wizard Clan if they do fight with all their strength. But do you think this bunch of motley crews whose creed ''money is supreme'' really have what it takes to contend with the highly-united Celestial Wizard Clan?"


    "But even ants can kill elephants with their numbers, Grand Master," Tang Guang argued. "The Sacred Flame has more experts, at least 10 times greater than that of the Celestial Wizard Clan. With such an advantage in numbers, even if they are defeated, the Celestial Wizard Clan wouldn''t have it better either, right?"


    "Striking power is indeed very important in the war, but momentum on the battlefield is just as important," Tang Xiu explained. "Members of the Sacred Flame are now fighting with full strength due to being stimulated by money. But as their losses get worse and worse, they will never take money into account again. They are also a rational bunch and understand that it''s worthless to have so much money if they die. With such a thought in mind, their momentum will gradually decline. By then, only death will await them."


    Tang Guang gave it a thought for a while and felt that Tang Xiu''s reasonings were sound. However, he wore a puzzled expression and asked, "Why do I feel that you have some kind of resentment towards these Sacred Flame people, Grand Master? They obviously are our ally in this cooperation, but why don''t you order us to get into action?"


    "Hmph, they are the culprits who abducted Chen Zhizhong." Tang Xiu sneered. "What they believe is money. They will work and serve whoever gives them money, and the one who hired them to abduct Chen Zhizhong is the Celestial Wizard Clan. I already spent 15 billion dollars to hire them to kill these Celestial Wizard Clan''s people. It''s just a business deal, so why can''t I make them be cannon fodder at this time to kill some Celestial Wizard Clan''s experts for us?"


    Cannon fodder?


    Everyone present was touched, especially Chen Zhizhong, who also stood behind in the crowd. Prior to this, he didn''t understand why his Master Tang Xiu would hire Sacred Flame''s people. After all, the culprits who severely injured and abducted him until he was detained here were the same bunch of people.


    He now realized that his Master Tang Xiu carried out revenge for him! Further, it was a machination that would kill two birds with one stone.


    Time fleeted by and half an hour passed in the blink of an eye. The brutal killings inflicted huge losses on both sides. Even though Vulcan with the Sacred Flame''s members he led faintly had the upper hand, all the disciples of Tang Sect just kept watching the dozens of surveillance footage intently. There was not the slight sympathy in their eyes and instead, wishing that the battle of the two sides became more intense.


    Suddenly, Tang Guang pointed at one of the surveillance screens and called out, "These bunches of Sacred Flame are gonna be unlucky. The Celestial Wizard Clan seems to be going all out now! You guys take a look at them. Some hundreds of their experts are catching up and they''re quite¡­ fast!"


    Tang Xiu shifted to the said surveillance screen and saw hundreds of experts of the Celestial Wizard Clan led by a hulking man storming over lightning-fast towards the battlefield. Their speed was indeed very fast. After some estimation, Tang Xiu judged that some of these experts should be at least comparable to Nascent Soul Stage cultivators. Suddenly, his focus shifted and his countenance turned more serious. There were two figures that moved much faster than those Nascent Soul Stage experts, overtaking the hundreds of people and the first to arrive on the battlefield.


    Further, each of their strikes brought fearsome might and the joint attack of these two figures killed tens of Sacred Flame''s experts in the blink of an eye.


    "Spirit Formation Stage! These two are at least comparable to the Spirit Formation Stage. This Celestial Wizard Clan seems to have deeper heritage than we think." At present, Tang Guang, who had broken through the Spirit Formation Stage, muttered with a grim face.


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and added, "That''s right. They''re indeed experts at Spirit Formation Stage. Further, that black-robed old fogy should be comparable with a Spirit Formation late-stage expert. If anything, this is quite interesting, though. Them coming out in a full swing just saved us some time to storm their nest to obliterate them."


    Having said that, Tang Xiu shifted to Mo Awu next to him and ordered in a deep voice, "Contact Singluen and tell him to return immediately with the experts of Dark Shaman Clan! These hundreds of experts from Celestial Wizard Clan have joined the fray, so Singluen''s group won''t affect the situation even if they join the battle."


    "But Grand Master, the Sacred Flame may suffer heavy losses with these hundreds of Celestial Wizard Clan''s experts enter the battlefield, right?" Tang Guang hesitantly said, "You see, they''re now losing the momentum and many of them even began to flee."


    "No worries!" Tang Xiu lightly smiled and said, "The battle won''t be over that easily. Although the Sacred Flame lost over 1,000 people since the battle began, the Celestial Wizard Clan also lost more than 200 people. Even if the members of Sacred Flame flee, the Celestial Wizard Clan''s people will also be in hot pursuit to hunt them. Hence, the battle on the fourth island won''t end within 2 hours."


    As expected, the battle on the fourth island didn''t stem beyond Tang Xiu''s estimation. Even though the experts of Sacred Flame Organization kept retreating, they were still entangled by the experts from Celestial Wizard Clan. The two sides fought again for more than 3 hours, and only less than 4,000 Sacred Flame''s experts were left behind, whereas the rest of them fled to the fifth island with a lot of scars.


    "Boss!"


    Singluen rushed to the monitoring room with his five Guardian Elders.


    Tang Xiu turned to him. After seeing that Singluen didn''t have any scars, he smilingly said, "Well done. Some of you have used wizardry arts and those members of Celestial Wizard Clan will soon find out about it. It won''t take long for them to give chase. Well, the good thing is, those ragtags from the Sacred Flame didn''t escape to the sixth island as previously planned but fled toward our fifth island, though."


    Singluen stared blankly and wondered. "If they are escaping to our position, will it make the Celestial Wizard Clan be on guard?"


    "I don''t think so." Tang Xiu sneered. "The more profound the heritage of the clan, the more conceited they will be. The Celestial Wizard Clan lost so many people; they will never give up. Just wait here. The Celestial Wizard Clan will definitely storm over here after recovering and making some adjustments."


    Having said that, Tang Xiu got up and issued an order in a deep voice. "Head to the seashore to greet those Sacred Flame''s bunch. Once they land on the island, immediately place them on the defense net with us. Their role as cannon fodder is over, but they still have to take part in the battle."


    "Umm, you''ve planned all this previously, haven''t you, Sect Master?" Chi Nan suddenly asked.


    "A man of brains can see it through, but don''t bother to say it, you know." Tang Xiu smilingly replied.


    It took only a flash for not only Chi Nan to realize it, but also all the experts of Tang Sect in the room. They finally realized that even if anyone wanted to get to the sixth island as quickly as possible, they still had to pass by the fifth island first. Further, there was still also the concern of the enemy pursuit who chased them to the sixth island once they arrived there. Thus, it would be better to head straight to the fifth island and join the Tang Sect members to face the Celestial Wizard Clan since the odds of winning would also be greater.


    No one can compare to Sect Master in machinations and schemes, indeed.


    At the moment, the same thought filled the minds of all the Tang Sect''s disciples in the room. However, recalling that the bereaved dogs of Sacred Flame would soon flee to their positions, they quickly rushed outside and informed the others to be ready for battle at any time.

 1246 The Prelude of the Battle

    Time fleeted by quickly and nearly two hours had passed. Tang Xiu was sitting on a boulder by the sea, watching several liners quickly approaching in the distance. As a smile appeared on his face, he made a motion with his hand and figures flickered lightning-fast and appeared on the beach.


    "Mr. Tang."


    As the liners approached the shore, a wounded Vulcan quickly moved and came to Tang Xiu. Although his expression was rather vague, the chill radiating from him showed that he was very furious as of now.


    "You were defeated. So?" Tang Xiu''s countenance was full of indifference and his tone was very cold.


    Vulcan clenched his fists and replied, "We failed, indeed. The Celestial Wizard Clan turns out to have strength beyond what we''ve estimated. We are still not their match even if we''ve gone all out. But what I found very vexing is that the Dark Shaman Clan just fled without having any intention to help us even when the enemy''s reinforcement arrived. My Sacred Flame Organization wouldn''t have suffered such a great loss otherwise."


    Tang Xiu shook his head. "As far as I know, the number of experts the Dark Shaman Clan brought to the fourth island is just a few. I don''t think the losses would be reduced even if they lent a hand, and it could have been much worse instead."


    "How come?" replied Vulcan with a cold face.


    "The Celestial Wizard Clan dispatched such a large punitive expedition to exterminate the entire Dark Shaman Clan. Yet, they failed to find anyone from the Dark Shaman Clan on the first island until they came to the fourth island. That''s the likely reason why the appearance of a small group of Dark Shaman Clan immediately triggered them and caused their momentum to soar. Do you think they would give up the chase and kill you so crazily after that?"


    Vulcan''s gaze narrowed and the chill emanating from him diminished a lot. It was indeed a variable he never thought of before, and what caused his fury was the losses of several thousands of his subordinates. The remarks from Tang Xiu did make sense on this matter.


    "Further, the Sacred Flame took part in this battle since you accepted the Ninth-grade Sacred Flame mission, to begin with." Tang Xiu went on, "As far as I know, your organization has received this mission twice prior to this. I presume the losses from those two events were definitely not smaller than this one, yes?"


    Vulcan recalled for a moment and finally nodded with a depressed mood, saying, "The losses were indeed larger than it is now, especially the second one, which nearly destroyed my Sacred Flame Organization."


    "Be that as it may, you''ve accepted my employment to carry out the Ninth-grade Sacred Flame mission and you must be prepared to face serious losses," Tang Xiu said. "Of course, what you gain is by no means trivial, either. After all, you''ve accepted 15 billion dollars alone from the beginning I hired you until this incident now. I don''t think the figure is a trivial sum."


    Indeed! Vulcan muttered inwardly.


    He was by no means short of money right now. To begin with, the main reason why he agreed to accept Tang Xiu''s employment this time was that he wanted to train his troops and eliminate all the weak members of Sacred Flame Organization, leaving only the elite. Another reason that his anger quickly disappear was that, although the loss was heavy and he only had a few men left, the more share he would get at the end.


    He was already rich, but he never disliked having more.


    Tilting up his head to look at Tang Xiu again, Vulcan seriously said, "But my Sacred Flame suffered heavy losses on the fourth island, and I don''t think we can take part in the following battles. Of course, we''ll also take action to help you if you''re defeated by the Celestial Wizard Clan."


    "I didn''t hire you to watch the show and have some fun here." Tang Xiu shook his head. "You were the one who refused our good intentions when I originally planned to bring my men to take part in the battle with you before the battle on the fourth island. It is your obligation to lend a hand to kill all members of Celestial Wizard Clan since you''re already here. Instead of waiting for us to get defeated before you act, you might as well fight with us from the start. I promise you that your Sacred Flame Organization won''t suffer too many losses in the upcoming battle."


    "But there''s no need for my side to take part in the battle if we fell directly to the sixth island, isn''t it?" Vulcan frowned.


    "Heh, you didn''t escape directly to the sixth island because you''re afraid that the Celestial Wizard Clan''s experts would chase and kill you down on the sixth island." Tang Xiu replied, "You must fight with us here since you fled here. Besides, helping us is equal to helping yourself."


    "20 billion dollars! I''ll take all members of my Sacred Flame to fight with you and kill the Celestial Wizard Clan''s experts if you pay 20 billion dollars!" Vulcan didn''t refuse directly but demand more payment with a firm expression.


    Tang Xiu''s brows deeply tightened and he intentionally revealed his reluctance and thought for a few minutes in silence. Then, he nodded and said, "20 billion dollars is a very large sum, but it''s not convenient to transfer the money to you now. I''ll transfer the remaining 15 billion dollars into your account after the battle. Is that acceptable?"


    "OK!"


    A smile appeared on Vulcan''s face and he immediately issued an order to the members of Sacred Flame who had disembarked to join forces with the Tang Sect disciples and the Dark Shaman Clan to besiege the coming enemy, the powerful Celestial Wizard Clan,


    In the vast sea.


    Several passenger ships sailed in the direction of the fifth island. On the deck of the forefront ship, a black-robed old man was sitting cross-legged with his companion while observing the sea wordlessly.


    "Brother, I just can''t figure out why I keep feeling restless and scared. It''s like we''re about to face a life and death crisis." An expert who had a young appearance frowned and spoke to Wizard Ancestor.


    Wizard Ancestor was silent for a few minutes and then replied slowly, "Before experiencing the battle on the fourth island, there have been such issues since all of us can leave, I think. But our clan lost quite a lot of people on the fourth island and are kind of suppressing our anger. It''s likely that all the clansmen won''t be able to vent it out if we don''t chase and kill those enemies."


    "That''s right! The cultivation system for wizards like us indeed depends on the mood. Bottling up our anger and being unable to vent it will indeed bog down our cultivation. This is likely the cause since we can''t retaliate while our clansmen keep being injured. Thus, the reason why they chose the Dark Shaman lineage as the target to vent it." The young-looking man with an old voice nodded and spoke slowly.


    Wizard Ancestor suddenly shifted the topic. "By the way, the message from Helios said that he is on the fifth island of Nonagon Bulwark, the Sunny Island. But how come those enemies fled to the fifth island? What happened to Helios? Did he have an accident?"


    "I have no idea about it, either."


    Both of them were silent for a moment. Although they still felt a bit of uneasiness, they still persisted in chasing the enemy. Their clansmen had noticed the appearance of Dark Shaman Clan during the battle on the fourth island, so they decided to kill them on the fifth island. While at the same time obliterating the Sacred Flame''s members, they also made up their minds to find the Dark Shaman Clan''s members and completely annihilate them.


    The fifth island was looming ahead. The island looked a bit vague, but both of them had seen their destination. It was precisely because of this that the atmosphere on the liner became extremely solemn. The killing intent felt like it was nearly materialized and caused the temperature to drop a few degrees lower than in the surroundings.


    "Everyone! Get to the shore!"


    Wizard Ancestor slowly got up from the deck. The moment he issued the order, a series of figures immediately bolted toward from several liners and landed on the beach in the blink of an eye. Immediately after, the tens of Celestial Wizard experts were on alert and ready for battle at the seaside.


    "Raze and burn down the whole island!"


    Waving the magic staff in his hand, Wizard Ancestor issued an order and pillars of flame streaked up to the sky towards the air above the woods. Over 2,000 experts of Celestial Wizard Clan''s experts then disembarked the ships and landed on the shore. This time, they acted differently than when on the previous four islands, clearly showing their resolution to carry out a decisive battle here.


    Back on the fourth island, they only dispatched less than 1,000 people. But now, although nearly 300 of their clansmen were killed before, the number of combatants was more than 2,000 people, which indicated that nearly all the powerhouses of the Celestial Wizard Clan had come here.


    Their killing intent and persistence were abounding! The big fire set ablaze and burned down the forest that covered three-quarters of the area of the entire island, setting up the sky red with blazing fire.


    "KILL¡­"


    The moment the enemies appeared, the Celestial Wizard experts avoided the blazing fire and stormed over the enemies.


    At this time, Tang Xiu stood atop the two-story garden house in the middle of the island while watching the approaching flame in the sky. Disdain was visible in his eyes. The location where he stood was a residential area made of reinforced concrete within 2 kilometers radius. The flame wouldn''t pose any threat to them no matter how big the fire was.


    Yet, he still felt pity for the Sacred Flame''s people since more than 60% of them were all hiding in the dense forest. Although the fire was unlikely to hurt them severely, it would still force them out and make them face the enemies.


    "Go all out and kill them all! The harder you fight the fewer threats the Tang Sect disciples and Dark Shaman Clan will face!" Tang Xiu resolutely ordered as his eyes flashed.


    After 20 minutes, Tang Xiu saw Vulcan rushing towards him lightning-fast. He immediately shouted loudly, "All of you, heed my order and prepare to slaughter the Celestial Wizard Clan! Chen Zhizhong, you take some men and take out two powerhouses among them. Remember not to kill them and just entangle them!"


    "Affirmative!"


    Chen Zhizhong shouted and immediately dashed with more than 20 disciples of Tang Sect.


    Tang Xiu shouted again, "Tang Guang, Tang An. The two of you move and deal with another two powerhouses, one in the dark and one in the light. Give them heavy blows as severe as you can or kill them directly!"


    "Understood!"


    The air fluctuated and the two of them instantly disappeared.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath. As Vulcan came in front of him in a rush, he streaked up into the sky and quickly rushed to the most chaotic spots on the battlefield, shouting, "Vulcan! Tell your men to go all out to kill the enemy!"

 1247 Devour

    Vulcan was a very famous expert. He had no fixed residence and always drifted from place to place. No one knew his true face, but every time he appeared and took action, he would always decimate all his enemies with an earthshaking and irresistible momentum.


    However, the name of this expert actually appeared again in this place.


    Most of the Celestial Wizard Clan''s experts had heard of Vulcan''s name, and many core experts in this clan knew that he was the leader of Sacred Flame.


    "The Sacred Flame?"


    Over 2,000 powerhouses of the Celestial Wizard Clan finally understood the origin of the forces who fought them until the fourth island. It turned out that they were the Sacred Flame''s people, and the powerhouse who had killed many of their kin was the fearsome Vulcan.


    A chilling light gleamed in Wizard Ancestor''s eyes. After observing for some time, he finally determined that the other party consisted of three forces, namely the Sacred Flame, Dark Shaman Clan, and an outrageously powerful force of cultivators from China.


    This is a trap!


    Having lived for centuries, how could Wizard Ancestor not realize that this was all a trap?


    His black robe rustled as he stood tall and straight, streaked up into the air instantly and shouted, "All the clansmen of Celestial Wizard Clan! Heed my order and retreat to the seacoast near the liners!"


    Buzz¡­


    A blast of sword light suddenly slashed, as though coming from other planes, tore the space barrier and instantly slashed Wizard Ancestor''s head. Despite the haste, Wizard Ancestor was still able to unleash his wizard weapon even though the enormous impact shook his body and sent him flying while spurting a mouthful of blood.


    Yet, what scared him the most was the rainbow-like sword light that bolted at him from the direction he was flying since the 100 meters-long sword light straightly swept over him. With just a glance, he could tell that, even if he could survive, he would be gravely injured should he get struck by this sword strike.


    "Into the Void!"


    A frantic look on his face, Wizard Ancestor''s body shattered and transformed into a cloud of black mist instantly. The mist shrouded the air and didn''t disperse as it gathered again. However, the rainbow-like sword light pierced through the mist and slashed down the sea of flame hundreds of meters away while harvesting the lives of tens of Celestial Wizard Clan''s experts in its wake.


    AARGH¡­


    A beast-like roar came out of the black mist. The moment after, the black mist crazily condensed and the figure of Wizard Ancestor reappeared.


    But at this moment, his clothes were reduced to ashes and a large number of bizarre runes faintly appeared on the wrinkled skin all over his body. The runes kept flickering and the faint sanguine light radiating from him looked like there was a volcano inside him and exposed magma-like scene on the runes'' lines


    "DIE¡­"


    Wizard Ancestor''s body turned into a streak of light and instantly appeared right in front of Tang Guang. Dark rays burst out of his ten fingertips as his nails rapidly elongated. The scene seemed like Tang Guang''s body would soon be torn apart.


    BOOM¡­


    Right at this moment, however, violent energy suddenly hit Wizard Ancestor''s right shoulder, the impact blowing him out.


    With lingering fear on his face, Tang Guang turned to Tang Xiu, who had just appeared in front of him. The chilling sensation that overwhelmed his body slowly disappeared. He had just seen the scythe of death before his eyes. He knew that he would have met his demise in the hands of Wizard Ancestor if it wasn''t for the timely intervention from his Grand Master Tang Xiu.


    He and the Wizard Ancestor were similarly at the Spirit Formation Stage. However, the latter''s power suddenly soared by more than 10 times. What he felt at that time was like the feeling of an ant facing a grand mountain.


    "Who are you?"


    Wizard Ancestor let out a terrible, miserable cry while he flew upside down and tried to stabilize his body. However, his right arm had now disappeared, blood was flowing out of his mouth, and his aura plummeted by several folds.


    "Hahaha!" Tang Xiu laughed uproariously and shouted aloud, "Who am I? I''m Tang Xiu of Tang Sect! It was me who slaughtered your clan''s experts before. It was me who posted huge bounty rewards to kill your kin. It will also be me who''s going to annihilate your clan. What shit is Celestial Wizard Clan, huh? Hehe¡­ Those who sin must reap their own death, and today is the day your clan must face its destruction. Everyone, hear my orders! Go all out and kill them all! I''ve laid out an array to surround the island. No one can leave this island before the enemy has been wiped out! Kill to your hearts'' content! We''ve come to the point where we or they are going to perish here!"


    "WHAT?!!"


    All the experts of Celestial Wizard Clan were shaken. The less than 2,000 people who had retreated to the shore sped up their pace a bit. But when those at the forefront reached the edge of the coast, they were blocked by a layer of invisible energy shield. No matter how fierce and desperate their attack to break it was, none of them was able to even scratch the energy shield of the array.


    Not far in the distance, the Dark Shaman clansmen also looked horrified, for they didn''t expect that Tang Xiu was so decisive as to carry out a final battle against the Celestial Wizard Clan on the fifth island.


    "F*CKING DAMN!"


    Vulcan stabbed several experts of Celestial Wizard Clan as he gazed at the coastline in the distance. He could clearly sense the might of the energy shield of the array that was being attacked. The array exuded an aura that triggered his dread, and he knew that this array was very powerful.


    He finally understood why Tang Xiu didn''t let them leave after his people landed on the fifth island. It turned out that nobody could leave this island after they set foot here, else they would have ruined the array he had laid out here in secretly.


    "This is¡­ you''re f*cking pushing me to fight the enemies to the death!"


    Vulcan roared inwardly with a helpless feeling. He kept killing faster and took the lives of tens of Celestial Wizard Clan''s experts in just a few minutes.


    Tang Xiu didn''t give Wizard Ancestor another chance and sent flurrying strikes at the speed of lightning, constantly injuring the latter and making him gravely injured. In just half a minute, Wizard Ancestor was badly beaten by Tang Xiu.


    "YOU''RE DEAD!"


    Another Spirit Formation Stage who was a Supreme Elder of the Celestial Wizard Clan moved right at the moment Tang Xiu was about to strike the final fatal blow to Wizard Ancestor. The man tried to mount a sneak attack on Tang Xiu and had been hiding his power from the start while wandering around Tang Xiu and Wizard Ancestor to look for opportunities to strike.


    And now, he felt that the opportunity had come.


    Contempt flashed in Tang Xiu''s eyes. The gap in their strength rendered any sneak attack useless, more so that he kept observing the situation in the surroundings. He had long noticed that this Supreme Elder of Celestial Wizard Clan had been hiding his power all the time.


    Slash!


    Tang Xiu instantly unleashed his divine sword. The moment his mighty punch hit Wizard Ancestor''s chest, the divine sword tilted its trajectory into the opposite direction and powerfully slashed that Supreme Elder and Wizard Ancestor in one strike.


    It only took a flash moment and the two strongest wizards were coldly slain by Tang Xiu. Right after the strike, Tang Xiu''s mind suddenly moved and he let out a violent roar, instantly stunning and paralyzing the enemies around. Shortly after, fireworks-like dazzling flames set ablaze all of sudden and countless brilliant lights exploded in the darkness and illuminated the dark environment.


    "Star Essence divine ability¡ªDevour!"


    In a moment that felt like an eternity, Tang Xiu thoroughly grasped the "Devour" supernatural power. He had been thinking all this while why a star essence divine ability didn''t appear even though his strength had advanced by leaps and bound. He kept waiting until this fight and was losing hope to have it triggered before this battle.


    But at the moment, ecstasy filled his heart. What made him unable to believe was that the star essence divine ability he just obtained was unexpectedly a "Devour" one.


    Devour; as in an ability to devour all energy, blood, and life force.


    In that instant moment, Tang Xiu seemed to have transformed into the embodiment of the peerless devil. The blood of those experts who died in battle that scattered everywhere, the world energy, and the massive life force, were directly sucked and devoured the moment he unleashed the Devour divine power and then absorbed all of them into his body.


    Turbulent energy raged as it converged in the meridians in his body. The already wide meridians were widened several times in just a few breaths; even a few cracks began to appear in Tang Xiu''s tough meridians. However, whenever a new crack appeared, the previous cracks were filled and repaired by his Primal Chaos energy.


    The cracks kept appearing and constantly being restored one after another.


    As a result, the width of Tang Xiu''s meridians kept increasing and its tenacity was crazily improving. Even if someone were to cut off his meridians with a saber at this moment, it wouldn''t be able to sever them. It was so tough that even those at the Foundation Establishment Stage wouldn''t be able to achieve it.


    At the same time, the celestial bodies in the universe inside his body were constantly expanding. In just tens of breaths, hundreds of celestial bodies bloated up to tens of kilometers in diameter.


    "Huh?"


    All of a sudden, Tang Xiu''s body shook because he felt that these celestial bodies suddenly came to life. That''s right, they came to life with life force! It was like these celestial bodies grew sentient with intelligence and wisdom.


    "KILL!"


    Tang Xiu kept conjuring and casting magic spells and divine ability and began his slaughter of the Celestial Wizard Clan''s experts. At the same time, his cultivation constantly increased and rapidly progressed. Each time an expert either from the Celestial Wizard Clan, Sacred Flame, or Dark Shaman Clan met their death, their life force and the blood flowing in their bodies streamed into the air and was forcefully sucked into Tang Xiu''s body.


    As its name implied, the Devour divine ability was a domineering and insane ability.


    When all the experts of Celestial Wizard Clan had been completely slaughtered, only less than 2,000 members of Sacred Flame survived, whereas the Dark Shaman Clan lost over 100 people. At this time, Tang Xiu floated in mid-air. His body suddenly shook and a surge of energy blast out inside his chest and the world energy in the entire island was instantly absorbed by him. Even the countless stars in the boundless universe kept shaking.


    The flux of energy from the stars, clusters of galaxies and celestial bodies was as though a terrifying power radiating from the sun that covered the entire sky and directly bombarded Tang Xiu. As the countless kinds of energy came to a kilometer range around Tang Xiu, all of them were crazily devoured by Tang Xiu''s body.


    At the moment, thousands of celestial bodies in the universe inside his Dantian began to grow. Along with the flux of violent energy injected into it, those various energies directly merged into each of these celestial bodies. Tang Xiu lost his sense of time as he was completely immersed in devouring energy and cultivation. No one and nothing could approach him within a kilometer radius. Even Vulcan, who had cultivation level at the Spirit Formation Stage, was blown away by the surging power when he attempted to get close.


    Crack¡­ BOOM¡­


    A lightning bolt blitzed and cut through the vault of heaven and brought earthshaking thunders. Dark clouds began to cover the sky while sparks of lightning kept flashing through the thick black clouds, as though they were ready to strike down at any time.

 1248 Incorporating Manpower

    Fifth Island Port.


    Vulcan''s face was grim, and the flame of anger filled his heart. Only less than 2,000 members of Sacred Flame survived after the insane battle, most of whom were badly battered, and some had even become disabled.


    The losses this time were greater than the last Ninth-grade Sacred Flame mission. Precisely speaking, it was much worse. Even if he obtained 20 billion dollars in the end, he would likely need to spend 15 billion to make up for the heavy losses and compensate the disabled experts of the organization.


    Still, what vexed him the most was that no matter how much money he could eventually get into his own hands, he noticed that none of Tang Xiu''s men had died in battle. Although most of them had injuries, only a few were severe, whereas the rest were only slightly injured.


    What did that mean? It was an obvious indication that the Tang Sect had more than enough power to obliterate the Celestial Wizard Clan thoroughly. Why did nobody from Tang Sect lend a hand and just sit by when his Sacred Flame fought the Celestial Wizard Clan on the fourth island? Why did Tang Sect insist on making the Sacred Flame join in the battle when they just arrived on the fifth island?


    Vulcan even witnessed with his own eyes that the Tang Sect''s experts nearby didn''t lend a hand at all when members of his Sacred Flame were slaughtered by the Celestial Wizard Clan''s experts. Else, his Sacred Flame''s members wouldn''t have suffered such a huge loss.


    This was utterly appalling and horribly miserable!


    Never once had Vulcan hated someone so much as he hated Tang Xiu and Tang Sect today even though he had hated many people in this life.


    He wanted to demand explanations from Tang Xiu, but the sudden change made him strike the surging aura several times, only to find himself blown away again and again. Tang Xiu didn''t give him a chance to speak in person.


    "Speak up! You all must give me an explanation, or this shit won''t finish here!"


    Overwhelmed by anger, Vulcan had no regard for anything anymore as he stood at the harbor by the edge of the array shield. Resentment and hatred filled his eyes.


    The white-attired Tang Guang, whose clothes were stained with blood and radiating a bloody smell, and looked like he just crawled out of the sea of blood, came to him. He didn''t even bother to wipe off the blood of his handsome face.


    However, he was now smiling and staring at Vulcan, and then said with a soft voice, "Do you really want an explanation, Mr. Vulcan? More so demanding it from my Sect Master and the entire Tang Sect?"


    "I don''t give a fuck whoever it is! Either your Sect Master or Tang Sect must give me an explanation!" Vulcan furiously yelled, "We are your ally, we agreed to fight side-by-side. But the experts from your sect never lent a hand and just turned a blind eye to my Sacred Flame''s people. That makes me feel like shit. Why did you rescue your own kin and the Dark Shaman clansmen but neglected my Sacred Flame brothers?"


    Tang Guang lowered his head, but his smile became brighter as he softly replied, "Mr. Vulcan, since you demand an explanation, then I''ll give you one on behalf of my Grand Master here and now¡­"


    The moment his voice faded away, an immortal sword flashed from his left hand in an instant and shot Vulcan''s forehead.


    Caught off guard, Vulcan desperately avoided the strike and barely evaded the lightning bolt-like sword strike. However, just as he felt at ease for a moment, he instantly noticed a faint fluctuation in the air¡­


    Puff¡­


    The immortal sword that appeared out of thin instantly pierced Vulcan''s heart and the sword tip went through his chest. Immediately after, Vulcan felt like True Essence energy exploded in his chest like a volcano eruption. The surging blast of the True Essence energy even blew a hole on his chest.


    His heart was completely destroyed, along with all five internal organs. The violent True Essence energy even severed all his meridians when he tried to circulate his power.


    BOOM¡­


    Mo Awu''s violent punch then hit him. As the immortal sword blasted out of Vulcan''s body, his figure was sent flying like a snapped kite towards the back.


    "W-w¡­. why?"


    His remaining consciousness was filled with confusion as he asked the question with all the remaining strength he had left with difficulty.


    Tang Guang immediately appeared in front of Vulcan with a chilling and grim expression. As his immortal sword beheaded the man''s head, he laughed loudly and shouted, "You ask me why? Because your Sacred Flame is no longer necessary! Your Sacred Flame is nothing but some fucked and wicked organization. You only see money and disregard anything else, whether what you do is right or wrong! You never bothered whether those who you killed were innocent people. It''s also your Sacred Flame shits who abducted and severely wounded a Tang Sect member before you gave him to the Supreme Elder of Celestial Wizard Clan!"


    Mo Awu also flickered and instantly appeared next to Vulcan''s body and sneered. "Hmph, even our Sovereign declares that your Sacred Flame is nothing but a bunch of assholes who only see money without giving any regards to people. The only reason we spent the money to hire you is to make you all as cannon fodders, to being with. Don''t tell me you have no idea about being cannon fodder? Only when you got such heavy blows and meet your demise here can you make things right for what you''ve done! But you, as the chief of these shits, is the one who is the most responsible for the all pitiful people killed by your Sacred Flame Organization."


    The world was frantically revolving in Vulcan''s sight and he finally saw his headless body, the blood column that wildly sprayed out around his neck, and the hole on his chest. His consciousness quickly dissipated, but despair and intense regret filled his whole being before his consciousness vanished.


    That''s right, regret. He regretted asking a tiger for its skin and dropping his vigilance towards the Tang Sect.


    No matter how rich he was, even if a mountain gold and silver were presented before his eyes, what use was all that wealth if he ended up like this?


    He wanted to growl and curse, yet he found that he couldn''t utter any sound. The moment his mouth was opened, the faster his consciousness faded away. His whole world turned dark as the last scene disappeared before his eyes and his consciousness finally dispersed completely.


    With contempt and disdain on his face, Tang Guang turned to look at the members of Sacred Flame in the surround, whose expressions drastically changed. Fear was evident on their faces upon facing his killing intent.


    "Aren''t we gonna annihilate them completely?"


    "They don''t need to live since we''ve killed Vulcan and their highest executives," Mo Awu replied in a deep voice. "Else, our Sect is gonna have some future troubles if there are some braindead shits who want to avenge Vulcan later."


    Tang An suddenly emerged out of the blue still wearing her bronze mask. She lightly shook her head and said, "Sect Master may be satisfied by killing Vulcan. But I think he''ll be angry if we were to wipe out nearly 2,000 people of Sacred Flame here. I think we might as well recycle them. As long as we control their lives, we can use them to handle some issues in the future."


    "Let me do it, then!"


    Kuwako laughed loudly, and her tender figure suddenly floated into the air. She then looked at the fearful 2,000 members of Sacred Flame, who looked vigilant for all possible dangers, and shouted, "You all have seen our power. We''d originally planned to wipe out you all to accompany your highest executives and Vulcan to Hell. But now, we changed our decision and decided to give you a chance to live. Those of you who put down your resistance and submit, I''ll be responsible for your lives and you''ll become the peripheral members of Tang Sect from now on. But those who don''t, then today will be your time of death!"


    "Bastards!"


    "You''re all despicable!"


    "Fight them!"


    Tens of Sacred Flame''s experts floated to the air, nearly all of them seeming to have the intention of perishing together as they bolted toward Kuwako.


    A hint of disdain flashed in the corner of Kuwako''s mouth. She instantly unleashed her immortal sword as it turned into hundreds of meters of sword light that struck several Sacred Flame''s experts instantly. At the same time, Tang An also moved in a flash. Both women had recently broken through into the Spirit Formation Stage and possessed powerful strength. Two of them taking action was simply a lopsided slaughter. It took them only half a minute to slaughter all the Sacred Flame''s experts who resisted.


    "Who else wanna die? We''ll help with that," Kuwako shouted fiercely. "I repeat. Those who don''t wanna die, throw away your weapons and sit cross-legged on the ground!"


    Kuwako and Tang An had greatly deterred and scared the nearly 2,000 experts of Sacred Flame Organization out of their wits by their killing spree. Not to mention that there were also more tens of experts in the surroundings staring at them. Finally, all of them submitted to Kuwako''s orders, throwing their weapons and sitting cross-legged on the ground.


    Many of them had witnessed the level of power unleashed by Tang Sect''s experts during the battle against the Celestial Wizard Clan. These people were simply ultimate killing machines, and each of them was 100 times stronger than them. Aside from being ruthless and merciless, they killed people without batting an eye as though they were killing chickens. Going against the order would very likely make them end up slaughtered completely, just like the woman said.


    None of them wanted to die. No matter what, being alive was much better than dying. It was the truest portrayal in the minds of these nearly 2,000 members of Sacred Flame at this moment.


    Kuwako happily nodded and then loudly said, "Lower your mind defense and accept the seal I''ll cast on you! Those who refuse will be instantly beheaded with all your limbs severed before you become a meal for the sharks!"


    2 days later.


    It took exactly 2 days for Kuwako to cast a seal on the 1,762 experts of Sacred Flame. In other words, the lives of these 1,762 experts were in Kuwako''s hands from now on.


    A thought from her was enough to decide whether they were lived or died.


    The other disciples of Tang Sect were envious. They knew that Kuwako was the only person who had this Soul Ruling technique. Even though they also wanted to have some members of Sacred Flame under their control, they didn''t have the ability to do so.


    During these two days, the Dark Shaman clansmen were all gathered on a small dirt slope. They also witnessed the full destruction of the Sacred Flame Organization and the fearsome strength of the Tang Sect disciples. Aside from Singluen, all of them were worried and restless that they would also end up like those from the Sacred Flame, being either be killed mercilessly or controlled by that woman.

 1249 Entering Seclusion

    18 days had passed since the battle that sent the lives of thousands of people from Celestial Wizard Clan into oblivion. However, everyone had also been trapped on the fifth island for 18 days as well. Fortunately, there were a lot of grain patches on the island. Otherwise, they would have ended up starving and half dead regardless of their powerful cultivation.


    The fire had burned down the forested hill. Atop a slope, Tang Guang was frowning and kept watching a certain area covered by enormous energy in the distance. It was the spot where Tang Xiu was.


    "What do you think about the Grand Master''s situation now, Chi Nan? Why did such a situation happen all of sudden?" asked Tang Guang slowly.


    Chi Nan rolled her eyes at him and snappily replied, "Who can I ask even if you ask me, silly? Besides, the Sovereign has tons of secrets. I don''t know all his secrets even if I follow him every day!"


    Tang Guang took a deep breath and suppressed his anxiety. Then, he lightly smiled and said, "Yeah, I already know that it''s impossible for you to be Grand Master''s aide who can be with him every day. It''s just as impossible for you to become my woman, I think."


    "Shit, you''re asking for a beating, aren''t you?!"


    Chi Nan raised her hand and furiously growled. "Your filthy mouth really knows no bounds, bastard! I really wonder why Tang An could have such a shitty brother like you!"


    "Well, I wonder about it too, you know."


    The air in the surrounding fluctuated and a light voice passed into Tang Guang''s and Chi Nan''s ears. The scene even made several disciples of Tang Sect uproariously laugh.


    Tang Guang''s face instantly turned red and blue and he angrily shouted, "Hey, why did you add more insult to the injury, An? I''m still your brother no matter what I say."


    "I wonder. Do you think so too, Chi Nan?"


    Tang An''s voice came out again and the laughter in the surroundings became louder.


    Chi Nan just smiled in response and firmly shook her head. "It''s not that I''m not sure about it. It''s obvious, you know! Hahaha¡­"


    The mocking and teasing made everyone''s mind relax a lot. The tension after the battle was still high in everyone''s mind, more so that they feared that Tang Xiu was facing a problem. The scene and the ambiance calmed their state of mind. Especially the smart Tang An, who rarely spoke but used the chance to intentionally speak a bit more and made everyone''s mood return to normal.


    "Huh?"


    Tang An''s expression suddenly shifted and she uttered a noise.


    In the instant moment, all nearby Tang Sect disciples, as well as Singluen, who sat cross-legged not far away, turned their attention to the direction of the oppressive aura. All of them were powerful experts and had an extremely keen sense of the changes in the flow of energy in the surroundings. They could sense the enormous aura that came in a flash and was now slightly weakening.


    Singluen floated up and quickly came to Tang Guang and the group. His eyes fixedly focused at Tang Xiu''s direction and slowly said, "The aura is weakening, but with such a declining speed, it will completely disappear in at most 10 minutes. Is Boss really okay?"


    "Possibly."


    Tang Guang nodded. He had always been indifferent towards others aside from Tang Sect''s people. But Singluen was an exception since he was well aware that Singluen was truly one of them.


    Suddenly, the tide-like surging aura instantly disappeared completely. Immediately after, an aura that was tens of times larger than the moment before blasted out again. The tens of experts from Tang Sect, as well as Singluen and his five Guardian Elders, were sent flying. Their complexions drastically changed as they were blown away and smashed the rocky hill.


    Puah¡­


    Cough, cough¡­


    Over 20 people spurted out a mouthful of blood and suffered heavy internal injuries.


    Tang An emerged from the void barrier and knelt on one knee with one hand supporting herself on the ground. After coughing up a mouthful of blood, she murmured with a panicked and horrified look, "What exactly is going on? Did Grand Master just have an accident?"


    Just as her voice faded away, Tang Xiu suddenly appeared out of thin air. But when he saw the scene in front, he immediately lifted his right arm and an awkward look appeared on his handsome face as wryly smiled. "Are you all right? I just broke through and can''t easily control the sudden surging aura. Cough, cough¡­ well, take this pill first!"


    Having said that, four jade bottles appeared in his hand out of the blue. As the bottles'' corks opened at the same time, more than 20 Holy Healing pills flew to the 20-plus people crawling up from the ground.


    The 20-plus people exchanged dismayed glances with strange expressions on their faces.


    It was just a breakthrough, how come he couldn''t control the aura? Just being unable to fully control the aura was enough to release such a fearsome blast?


    Tang An gulped down. She quickly flew to Tang Xiu and curiously asked, "Grand Master, you just said that you just had a breakthrough. So now your cultivation is¡­"


    Tang Xiu gently raised his arm. Suddenly, he realized what had just happened and hurriedly lowered his hand again. His speed of lowering his hand was not fast, but such a slow movement caused the ground under his feet to be blasted and created a deep pit half a meter wide.


    "Haih¡­ I¡­"


    The awkward look on Tang Xiu''s face became stronger and he helplessly said, "I''m now at the late-stage of Crossing Tribulation. I was just a hair away from inadvertently breaking through the late-stage and went further. If it wasn''t for the secret art I used to control my power, the Heavenly Tribulation would have descended by now. It was just¡­ really an inadvertent incident. My power surged up too fast and I have yet to adapt to such a strong force. No¡­ my body hasn''t adapted to my power yet."


    The Crossing Tribulation Stage and it just accidentally broke through?


    The 20-plus people were petrified at the same time. The way they looked at Tang Xiu was like seeing an alien from outer space.


    Does your Lordship know how shocking it is to us even though you only spoke a few words? The Crossing Tribulation Stage? And for god''s sake, it''s the Crossing Tribulation Stage, no less?! You would be ascending the Immortal World and becoming a true Immortal if you passed the Heavenly Tribulation!


    After they came back to their senses, wry, forced, and bitter expressions filled their faces. Tang An finally forced a wry smile and said, "The matter of you breaking through to the Crossing Tribulation Stage is an event worth celebrating, Grand Master. I believe it won''t take you long to fully grasp your power given your abilities."


    "No." Tang Xiu shook his head and sighed. "Breaking through to the late-stage of Crossing Tribulation this fast is definitely not good! The sudden and enormous increase in power, yet being unable to control it, will make me blast out the power even for every slight action. I think I must enter seclusion and cultivate for a long time now."


    "You''ve been working for all sorts of tedious things all this time, I think it would really be a great time for you to enter seclusion and cultivate, Grand Master," Tang An hurriedly replied. "With you solidifying your cultivation level and controlling your power better, you can lead us to become stronger and stronger later. But well, the most urgent thing for us is to break the array on this island first, though. We''ve been waiting for you for 18 days. It''s not a problem for us to stay longer like this here, but the former members of Sacred Flame and some Dark Shaman clansmen may be starving to death."


    18 days?


    Tang Xiu didn''t expect that 18 days had passed since the battle against the elites of Celestial Wizard Clan. Suddenly, he seemed to recall something and hurriedly asked, "Where''s Vulcan?"


    Tang An and Tang Guang exchanged looks and replied respectfully, "We killed him."


    "You killed him?" Tang Xiu frowned.


    "Yeah, the Sacred Flame suffered heavy losses this time. During the battle with the Celestial Wizard Clan, none of us helped them, so they suffered heavy losses and were left with less than 2,000 people. Vulcan was furious and demanded an explanation from you. I''ve observed him all the time and he seemed to have a killing intent towards you, and also harbored deep hostility towards the rest of us and Tang Sect. Therefore, we took the initiative to strike him first and directly killed him so as to prevent future problems."


    Tang Xiu looked pensive and then nodded. "You''ve killed him and that''s it. Besides, even if you didn''t kill him, I would have killed him myself. The Sacred Flame needs not to exist anymore. Removing such an organization that only cares about money and disregard human lives is already a good deed. By the way, how did you deal with the rest of their members?"


    Kuwako came forward and smilingly said, "They all chose to pledge allegiance to us, Sect Master. They are willing to become Tang Sect''s peripheral members."


    Tang Xiu frowned and said, "Is taking them as peripheral members of the Sect quite urgent for us?"


    "I have their lives under control, Master. All of them will die as long as I will it," replied Kuwako.


    Tang Xiu said, "You are taking them in¡­"


    He abruptly halted his words and his eyes flickered before a satisfied smile appeared on his handsome face. Then, Tang Xiu nodded and praised. "You''ve done a good job, Kuwako. Anyway, since you''ve their lives in your hands, then they will obey your orders without fail. Let them stay dormant for some time and wait until I have completely stabilized my cultivation level. I''ll devise some plans for them after I can fully control and unleash my Crossing Tribulation late-stage power."


    "May I ask what shall we do next, Sect Master? Are we leaving this place?" asked Kuwako.


    Tang Xiu thought about it and then said, "I can''t leave for the time being since I will only bring damage and harm everyone else on the ship. You all go back first, I''ll be staying here for a while. I''ll leave this place after I can control my own power."


    Kuwako''s eyes lit up before she hurriedly asked, "Would you like me to stay here with you, Sect Master?"


    "No need." Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "You have to settle those former members of Sacred Flame. You don''t need to worry about me.


    Having said that, Tang Xiu told Tang An the method to dismantle the array. He watched her break the array that covered the entire fifth island and sent them away, before sitting cross-legged on the coast.


    Half a month later.


    Tang Xiu was barely able to control his own power now. He then boarded a passenger ship left behind and hurried to the Nine Dragons Island.


    After spending half a month in cultivation, he noticed that he would need at least several years to fully control the power of Crossing Tribulation late-stage. Once he could fully control it, he could choose to cross the tribulation and then become a true Crossing Tribulation Stage expert. He even had a faint feeling that he might be more powerful than ordinary Immortals once he succeeded in passing the tribulation. Further, it was likely that he would also be able to contend with Earth Immortal Stage experts.


    "Entering Seclusion, it is."


    As Tang Xiu returned to Nine Dragons Island, he arranged everything that needed to be done. Afterward, he directly chose to stay in the exquisite pagoda where Gu Yan''er had stayed to begin his long seclusion.

 1250 Time Passed By

    Like a flying arrow, time passed by and years slipped away.


    Having used the Devour divine ability resulted in the drastic surge in Tang Xiu''s cultivation level to the late-stage of Crossing Tribulation. But at the same time, it also brought him latent dangers as well. The drastic surge in power without step-by-step cultivation left him unable to control his own power at will and barred him from being able to unleash the full strength of the sixth minor stage of Stars Heavenly Essence. Further, his body strength was also unable to reach the level of strength that could be attained after going through normal cultivation.


    3 years passed by.


    Tang Xiu only left the Nine Dragons Island once during this time when he and the still injured Gu Yan''er took the exquisite pagoda to the "Crossroad of the Sea" in the Straits of Malacca to transfer all 35,680 sentient plant beings there to the pocket world in Longquan Mountain.


    Afterward, he contacted Duanmu Lin and handed over a lot of high-tech products from the three-star vestige to him. Tang Xiu didn''t pay much attention to the secret research base built by the Chinese authorities, and just ordered some Tang Sect disciples who stayed in China to help the state should there be any difficulties.


    On Nine Dragons Island.


    Inside the exquisite pagoda, Tang Xiu took a sip of fragrant hot tea. In front of him, sitting cross-legged, Teng Nu''s body exuded a faint raging, volcano-like aura. Despite having completely stabilized his cultivation at the Crossing Tribulation late stage, he was still secretly surprised by her.


    "Master."


    At the staircase inside the tower, Gu Yan''er, in her usual white attire, came down wearing a smiling face. Her eyes seemingly shrouded with mist, she gently glanced at Teng Nu sitting cross-legged on the floor before shifting her attention to Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu''s expression shifted when he looked at her and inquired. "Your cultivation has been restored to the Golden Immortal Stage?"


    "I''ve taken a lot of cultivation resources for the past three years and was finally able to concoct the Primordial World Pill. It would have been a waste of resources if I wasn''t able to recover to the Golden Immortal Stage."


    "Well, you being able to refine the Primordial World Pill is mainly thanks to the Holy Dragon Fruit we obtained a few years ago," Tang Xiu replied with a smile. "Speaking about it, who would have thought that such a rare object, sought after by many powerful existences in the Immortal World, turned out to exist on this small Earth.


    "I think our Tang Sect has gathered most of the cultivation resources on Earth in the past three years, Master. Yet our consumption rate is similarly quite fast." Gu Yan''er smilingly said, "The Sect may run out of cultivation resources in less than 2 years at this rate, I think."


    "True." Tang Xiu slowly nodded. "The number of cultivation resources consumed by the entire 200,000 children army is indeed very astronomical. Other than that, the resources needed to concoct 4 precious elixirs, including the Primordial World Pill, was quite big and made the consumption rate faster. We also have 560 core disciples in the sect as of now, and all of them have broken through to the Spirit Formation Stage thanks to the pocket world, and that also made the rate of consumption faster. It''s a given that we''d face quite a difficult time after the next two years."


    "Well, the thing is not them who consume the most resources, but the 35,680 sentient plants who have transformed into humanoid beings. Who would have imagined that Tang Sect would gain 35,680 great monsters comparable to Celestial Immortal Stage powerhouses?"


    Tang Xiu glanced at Teng Nu in front of him and nodded. "I know that 80% of the resources in the pocket world are used by them. But it''s still worth it. With these experts, we can also grab a territory shortly after we arrive in the Immortal World in the future. Further, we also have you at the Golden Immortal Stage at the command. It''s enough to establish a temporary foothold in the Immortal World."


    "You have decided on when we are going to ascend to the Immortal World?" Gu Yan''er asked.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a while before he slowly shook his head and said, "Now is not yet the time. We''ll wait for a while more. We will strive to go back to the Immortal World in at most 2 years. Only there can the Tang Sect rapidly develop. Also, there''s also a place that we''re very familiar with over yonder, though there''s still one thing that concerns me."


    "What are you worried about, Master?" Gu Yan''er was bewildered. "Is it about our enemies?"


    "It''s not that." Tang Xiu shook his head. "What concerns me, is time. Back when I left the Earth for a year, I spent 10 millenniums living in the Immortal World, and I''ve been living on Earth for 5 years now. If the time I spent here equals to 50,000 years in the Immortal World, what about my enemies there? Are they still alive? Do I still have a chance to get revenge?"


    "You''re mistaken on this matter, Master," said Gu Yan''er. "I have no idea about why you lived in the Immortal World for 10 millenniums yet only a year passed on Earth. However, I''ve been diligently researching the time flow of both planes, and I''m sure that a year on Earth is equal to about a century in the Immortal World."


    A year here is equal to one century there?


    Tang Xiu''s eyes lit up and he hurriedly asked, "Are you sure about this?"


    "I''m very positive. It must be correct." Gu Yan''er nodded.


    Tang Xiu frowned again and muttered, "How could it be? I''ve been in the Immortal World for 10 millenniums, yet only a year has passed on Earth?"


    Gu Yan''er thoughtfully said, "There are several possibilities, Master. But I think the biggest possibility is that you encountered a time bubble when you entered the Immortal World."


    The term was unknown to Tang Xiu. He looked at Gu Yan''er''s serious expression and immediately asked, "What''s a time bubble?"


    "Time bubble is a phenomenon when time and space collide and eventually form a bubble, like a water bubble," Gu Yan''er explained. "Sometimes some bubbles make time flow backward, whereas some others make time accelerates forward. Back when a wisp of your soul entered the Immortal World and was attached to someone else''s, you may have encountered such a time bubble in the process, and that time bubble was one that made time flow backward."


    Tang Xiu pondered about it for a long time before nodding silently. Then, he said, "If your inference is correct, a year on Earth is equal to a century in the Immortal World, and the wisp of my soul encountered a time bubble that caused time to flow backward. And while I''ve been here for 5 years, only 500 years have passed in the Immortal World. Then, even if we leave for the Immortal World 2 years later, only 700 years will have passed over there. All in all, my concern about it should be groundless, is that right?"


    "Yeah. What do you think, then, Master?" Gu Yan''er chuckled. "Speaking of which, where are you going to choose to be our entrance station after we have arrived in the Immortal World?"


    "Hoary Head Galaxy." With a complicated look in his eyes, Tang Xiu slowly answered.


    Gu Yan''er was surprised for a moment and then said, "That place is in the sphere of Immortal Lyceum¡­ Master, you¡­"


    "I know that place is in the Immortal Lyceum''s sphere of influence, but it''s still on the edge of its territory and very far from the Immortal Lyceum''s Central Immortal Palace." Tang Xiu slowly said, "I''ve been to a certain place over there, the Misty Spring Ocean. The whole Misty Spring Ocean covers thousands of miles of area with countless islands, and the one who controls it is Apotheosis Immortal Mu."


    "Apotheon Mu¡ªas in Senior Brother Mu?" Gu Yan''er exclaimed, "Didn''t he¡­ die in the hands of the Rakshasha Clan? How¡­"


    "No. He didn''t die." Tang Xiu shook his head. "I couldn''t see him die back then, so I eventually rescued him. But his wife, children, and his people tragically died, unfortunately. I helped him kill all his enemies, but he got depressed and disappeared from the eyes of countless experts in the Immortal World afterward. The Misty Source Ocean is exactly the place where he lives in seclusion. Aside from me, there are only 3 people who know about this."


    "Who else knows about this other than you, Master?" asked Gu Yan''er hurriedly.


    "Xue Qingcheng and Apotheosis Immortal Bella Fern Regalia," Tang Xiu said two names.


    Gu Yan''er thought about it for a while and then slowly said, "But you''re gambling on this one, Master. Although I think I know Senior Brother Mu, but¡­"


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt her and said, "I wouldn''t have decided to choose that place if our Tang Sect had only a few people, say, like a few hundreds of people. But we have too many people now. With almost 300,000 people collectively arriving in the Immortal World, we can expect to be exposed quickly. You also know the situation we''re going to face there, Yan''er. At present, even if we''re gambling with the enemies in mind, it''s much better than being found directly and facing powerful enemies right after we arrive."


    "I see," Gu Yan''er said. "Then I''ll listen to you, Master."


    Tang Xiu no longer spoke and fell into silence for a long time. When he saw Teng Nu open her eyes, he immediately asked, "What''s wrong?"


    Teng Nu got up and smilingly said, "I broke through to the Celestial Immortal late stage, Sovereign. Although I don''t know how strong a Profound Immortal expert is, I''m confident that I can contend with one."


    Tang Xiu nodded happily and said, "Your group has 30,000 big monsters in its ranks with deep foundation. After we get to the Immortal World and you all cultivate there for some time, I''m sure that many of you will advance to the Profound Immortal Stage. Teng Nu, I have powerful enemies in the Immortal. Even if more than 30,000 of you are to fight each and every one of them, your group will very likely be wiped out easily. Therefore, you must keep a low profile and be patient, and never expose your true identity."


    A scarlet light flashed across Teng Nu''s eyes as she said, "Your enemies are also our enemies, Sovereign. You gave us a new life and strength. Whether on his planet or on the Immortal World, you will forever be our Sovereign."


    Tang Xiu smilingly nodded and said, "Alright. I''ll end my seclusion from today onward. You are to stay inside this exquisite pagoda. You''ll come outside when we arrive in the Immortal World."


    "Understood!" Teng Nu respectfully replied.


    Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er then left the exquisite pagoda and went to the Nine Dragons Island. Just as the pair landed on the shore, tens of Tang Sect experts discovered them.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Gu Xiaoxue, Tang Guang, and Tang An appeared quickly in front of Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er and saluted them one after another.


    "Where are my parents?" Tang Xiu asked.


    "They are cultivating in the palace," Gu Xiaoxue answered.


    Tang Xiu''s brows knitted and asked, "Brief me about their cultivation as well as the rest of the Tang Family members. Also, tell me the current situation of the sect since you''ve been managing it for three years."

 1251 We’re No Longer as We Have Been

    Gu Xiaoxue summed up the report in her mind first and then reported the situation of Tang Xiu''s parents and the Tang Family in the past three years. "After Grand Master''s parents took the precious elixirs two years ago, their physiques were remolded and their cultivations have been rapidly progressing since. Especially after they went to the pocket world 6 months ago, after which their strength skyrocketed. Both of them have advanced to the Nascent Soul Stage, and it won''t take long before they break through to the Spirit Formation Stage.


    "The cultivation progress of the Tang Family isn''t slow, but it''s much worse compared to Grand Master''s parents. Most of them are at the Golden Core Stage, although their mood is slightly worse. Master has arranged the Heart Tempering Array, so the rest of Tang Family have entered the array and are cultivating inside it."


    Having said that, she hesitated for a moment and then said, "Our Tang Sect is developing quickly and most of the children army have also advanced to the Golden Core Stage. A few of them have even reached the Nascent Soul Stage. Aside from that, we''ve taught all 49 army formations, and they can definitely crush any enemies with similar numbers and cultivation levels. Additionally, there are two people in the Tang Sect whom I think needs further evaluation and appreciation since their cultivation levels have surpassed mine, Tang Guang''s, and Tang An''s."


    "Huh?" Tang Xiu was surprised and asked, "Who are they?"


    "Gu Yin and Little Blind," Gu Xiaoxue answered.


    Tang Xiu recalled their special physiques and immediately asked, "What cultivation level have they reached?"


    "Both have reached the Body Integration Stage; Gu Yin at the mid-stage and Little Blind at the early-stage. Tang Guang has once sparred with Little Master Aunt Gu Yin, and he has been defeated badly," Gu Xiaoxue added.


    A smile climbed up on Tang Xiu''s face as he nodded. "Their progress is really wonderfully fast, though I''ve long been expecting it. Anyway, brief me about the rest as well."


    Gu Xiaoxue recalled for a while and then said, "Blind Grandma has broken through to the Celestial Master Stage. Compared to the cultivation art we provide here, her power is comparable to experts at the Body Integration Stage. Master Uncle Chen Zhizhong, on the other hand, has advanced to the late-stage of Body Integration."


    "What about Xue Yu, where''s she now?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "I have no news about her," Gu Xiaoxue said.


    Tang Xiu nodded slowly and then said, "I give you 3 days to bring all Tang Sect disciples from all over the world back to Nine Dragons Island. Now that the embryonic form of the Tang Sect''s force has begun to take shape, it''s time for me to reorganize the sect''s army."


    "Understood!"


    Gu Xiaoxue looked bewildered, but she nodded and complied.


    In the palace.


    Right after Tang Xiu and Gu Xiaoxue entered the palace, a fragrant scent greeted them, and the now young-looking Su Lingyun came floating in front of them.


    "Xiu''er, Yan''er!"


    Su Lingyun''s smiling face was especially bright. Even though they all had been staying on Nine Dragons Island, she only met Tang Xiu once when he left the exquisite pagoda twice in the past 3 years.


    "Mom."


    Tang Xiu''s dream once upon a time was to bring and help his mother embark on the cultivation path. Now that he saw his Mother looking so brilliant, elegant, and full of vigor, he couldn''t help but feel a bit moved.


    Su Lingyun smiled, pulled Gu Yan''er''s hand and said, "You children keep staying in that exquisite pagoda all the time. I''ve always been wanting to see you there, but Yunde never let me. He said that I''ll disturb your cultivation. But well, you''ve been living with him for 3 years there, why haven''t you conceived a child?"


    "Ugh, come again?"


    Tang Xiu was dumbstruck, but Gu Yan''er blushed and lowered her head wordlessly.


    "Yan''er, Xiu''er is rather thin-skinned and his head is always full of cultivation. I know this brat has accomplished big things and his enterprise is very important. But he''s grown up already, getting married and having a family is equally important! If he doesn''t take the initiative, you''ve gotta be the one who seizes it. And don''t speak about seniority to me, what age are we living in now? So long as you''re perfectly suited and agreeable, I don''t think it''s a problem for you both to get married and have children."


    Gu Yan''er suppressed her embarrassing feelings and tilted her head to glance at Tang Xiu. Blushing, she lowered her head and said, "I''ll definitely seize the initiative, Auntie."


    "Since you''re going to seize the initiative, then you must address me as Mother from now on, got it?" Su Lingyun happily said.


    Cough, cough, cough¡­


    Tang Xiu couldn''t help but cough. He didn''t even have the chance to speak up and almost choked. Gu Yan''er was his disciple, yet his Mother only needed one line to mess up the seniority ranks in the family all at once.


    "Uh, Mom. Please don''t make up such a messed-up notion about us getting married, I¡­" Tang Xiu said, but he immediately swallowed the rest of his words after glancing at Gu Yan''er, whose expression abruptly changed drastically.


    Su Lingyun fiercely glared at him and pretended to be angry. "What''s wrong? You don''t want to listen to your Mother anymore since your cultivation is great or something? Do you not think that Yan''er is a good child? She''s been with you for so many years, and she''s definitely a great and hard to find daughter-in-law to have. You don''t need to worry about Wanying. I''ve asked her about this before and she told me that she doesn''t mind. She said she''s still happy as long as she has a place in your heart."


    A headache struck Tang Xiu, and he directly drilled his way out of the topic and said while heading inside, "Please don''t worry about our affairs, Mom. Anyway, Dad should be upstairs, right? I''m gonna see him first."


    "Hey, you brat!"


    Su Lingyun was vexed and glared at Tang Xiu''s back with annoyance. Then, she pulled Gu Yan''er and walked inside while muttering something.


    When Tang Xiu came to the second floor, he saw Tang Yunde leaning on the wall with a cigarette in his hand with a smile hanging on his face. He obviously had witnessed the amusing scene.


    "Hey, Dad!" Tang Xiu called out with a bitter smile.


    Tang Yunde chuckled and grinningly said, "You really didn''t inherit my good quality at being faithful, Brat. Speaking of which, your Mom would have run to the exquisite pagoda and forced you to marry and have children if it wasn''t for me stopping her."


    Tang Xiu bitterly smiled. "In actuality, I wasn''t like doing it before¡­"


    Tang Yunde raised his hand and smilingly said, "Nah, no need to explain anything to me, Boy. Besides, I''m not that anxious to have grandchildren either. On the contrary, your Mom will definitely make you get headaches in the future about that. Further, all of your women are outstanding, and the emotional bonds between you and them will very likely cause you headaches."


    Tang Xiu forced out a bitter and wry smile yet again after hearing the schadenfreude sense from his own father. "Let''s say that I''ll take one step at a time for those emotional issues! Besides, I don''t have much time to deal with it right now. With the big endeavor I need to carry out, I must seize the time to develop my forces and improve my own strength."


    Tang Yunde shrugged and smilingly said, "Well, I can help with other things, but I can''t help you on this one. Do your best, Sonny."


    Unwilling to lengthen the topic, Tang Xiu said, "Be that as it may, there''s something I need to discuss with you, Dad. Let''s talk about it in the study."


    "Alright!"


    Tang Yunde nodded. They could talk here if it was just an ordinary issue, but since his son asked him to discuss in the study, he understood that the issues might be very important.


    The 200-plus-square-meter study room had a luxurious interior and decorations. After the father and son took a seat, Tang Xiu took a cigarette box from his interspatial ring, gave Tang Yunde one and lit it, then took one for himself before opening the discussion. "Dad, we''re leaving Earth for the Immortal in at most 2 years. We''re going to develop ourselves there later, but there are tons of things we must accomplish here in these 2 years. The most urgent thing is to get revenge to pay off the old scores. It''s time for us to repay the blood debt."


    Tang Yunde''s complexion shifted and he immediately asked, "You mean¡­ you''re ready to strike House Dolan?"


    "Yeah, but not only House Dolan." Tang Xiu nodded. "Those top three organizations in the world as well as the world''s first intelligence agency, the Darkwind. They are like evil tumors. If we don''t exterminate these organizations and clans, it''s very likely that they will cause a big mess in the future."


    Incredulity on his face, Tang Yunde murmured, "How is it possible to achieve this, Xiu''er? Those organizations and clans have deep heritage and only one word can describe them¡ªterrifying. Can our Tang Sect deal with these many organizations and clans at the same time?"


    "Dad, let alone these organizations and clans, Tang Sect can easily conquer the whole world if they are also our enemies. Besides, there''s also another purpose that I''d like to accomplish, to begin with," Tang Xiu replied confidently.


    "What''s that purpose, exactly?" Tang Yunde asked curiously.


    "It''s about the 200,000 children in the army," Tang Xiu said slowly. "They now possess formidable strength, so I need to find enemies for them to train them as soldiers. Afterward, I want to form the Tang Sect Army."


    "You mean, you''re going to dispatch those children to deal with the four major organizations and House Dolan?" Tang Yunde was shocked. "No! Absolutely not! They are too young, the oldest among them is just a 17-year-old teenager. You''re just pushing them to their deaths if you dispatch them."


    "This is something you don''t understand, Dad," Tang Xiu went on. "The flowers in the greenhouse can never withstand the wind and rain. The Immortal World is anything but great. It''s a brutal place with many intrigues, wars, and killings nearly everywhere. Children must undergo brutal training and fighting the moment they''re able to think. That world is an inhuman place where Immortals devour each other, and only those who hone and sharpen themselves to be sharp blades can survive and live longer."


    "But¡­"


    Tang Yunde wanted to keep arguing. However, Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and said, "You also know that uncut jades are worthless, and steel won''t be made without throughout tempering. The enemies we''re going to face in the future are extremely powerful, and if they can''t grow up quickly now, they will only meet their deaths in the future in the hands of these enemies."


    "Who exactly are our enemies, Xiu''er?" asked Tang Yunde hurriedly.


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment, but then slowly shook his head and said, "It''s not yet the time to tell you about that, Dad. What you need to do now is to go all out to cultivate and strive to break through to a higher realm earlier. The Immortal World is the place where the strong is revered. If we don''t want to get trampled and die under the enemies'' butcher knife, we must seize the time to make ourselves stronger. Further, I''ll also need your help on this one in the future."

 1252 The Founding of the Great Tang Empire

    Tang Yunde nodded and said in a deep voice, "Blood brothers are those who can rely on when fighting a tiger; while father and son must unite when fighting in the war. I won''t be your burden no matter who the enemies are. I''ll fight alongside you."


    "I''m looking forward to the day when you and I fight side-by-side, Dad," replied Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Tang Yunde was well aware of his own strength and how fearsomely powerful his son was. He had made up his mind inwardly that he must go all out in cultivation in the future. Regardless of whether he could catch up with his son in a short time, he swore not to be left behind too far. He smoked the cigarette, tilted up his head and said, "By the way, I''ll contact your two uncles immediately to tell them about this matter. They have waited for nearly 3 decades for revenge. I''ll tell them to get prepped quickly."


    "No, no rushing, Dad," said Tang Xiu hurriedly.


    "Why?" Tang Yunde stared blankly and was bewildered.


    "I fully trust the two uncles, but I can''t guarantee the rest around them not serving the interest of outsiders." Tang Xiu said, "If you were to tell them situation now and their men leak it out, we can expect trouble."


    "You''re right." Tang Yunde nodded. "Then I''ll wait for a while before telling them."


    The cold breeze lingered on the vast sea, while the Nine Dragons Island was covered in warm, spring-like weather. On the third day of the secret discussion between Tang Xiu and his father, a bright moon hung in the night sky and sprayed its light to illuminate some parts of the world.


    At the center of the island.


    In a hall large enough to accommodate tens of thousands of people, all Tang Sect disciples had been summoned back, even disciples who carrying out important missions around the world had rushed back at this time.


    The meeting hall was deadly silent, and hundreds of high-ranking disciples of Tang Sect were watching Tang Xiu, who sat on the podium silently, waiting for the important announcement that was about to made by him.


    Strictly speaking, it was not at all mistaken. They were all people with brains. Such a summon meant that Sect Master Tang Xiu had something important to announce since there had been no precedent of such a meeting ever since the founding of Tang Sect.


    "Everyone has arrived, Grand Master."


    Gu Xiaoxue, who stood by the podium, placed her right fist on her left chest and reported respectfully.


    Tang Xiu slowly nodded. He then stood straight and slowly swept across everyone''s faces in the hall before his eyes finally landed on Gu Yan''er''s face, who then slightly nodded at him in response. Afterward, Tang Xiu took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "There are few things I''ll announce this time, and one of them is that I declare the complete disappearance of Tang Sect from now onwards!"


    "What?"


    The hundreds of high-ranking disciples of Tang Sect wore disbelieving faces.


    "I''ve discussed this decision with Gu Yan''er and thus, decided to dissolve Tang Sect in order to establish a new force. From now henceforth, we will be known as the Great Tang Empire!" Tang Xiu went on in a deep voice.


    "The Great Tang Empire?"


    Everyone''s hearts shook as their eyes fixedly stared at Tang Xiu, wanting to know what other shocking news Tang Xiu would say next.


    "Further, I''ve decided to set a 2-year time deadline before we leave Earth for the Immortal World." Tang Xiu continued, "Therefore, it will be the flag of the Great Tang Empire that will enter the Immortal World¡ªthe place we''re going to live two years later."


    "Could you elaborate about the founding of the Great Tang Empire, Grand Master?" asked Gu Xiaoxue respectfully.


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and said, "For now, I''ll inform you about the structure of the Great Tang Empire. The empire will be divided into 6 bodies of authorities. They are, respectively: the Ministry of Military Affairs, the Ministry of Political Affairs, the Ministry of Intelligence, the Ministry of Execution, the Ministry of Finance, and lastly, the Celestial Monster Pavilion.


    "Next is the personnel appointment.


    "The Ministry of Military Affairs consists of four major army groups, namely: Dragon, Tiger, Sparrow, and Martial Corps. Tang Guang will assume command of the Dragon Army, Mo Awu will lead the Tiger Army, Hao Lei will be the commander of the Sparrow Army, and Chen Shaohua will command the Martial Army. These four major armies will be responsible to guard the territory occupied by the Great Tang Empire in the Immortal World in the future, and they are to be stationed in the four regions in the East, South, West, and North of the territory, respectively.


    "The Ministry of Political Affairs will be headed by Tang Yunpeng as the Head and Mo Awen as his Deputy. You both are responsible to manage the imperial government affairs and lead the subjects of the Great Empire into prosperity and thriving lives.


    "The Ministry of Intelligence will be managed by Jin Shi and Ye Shisan, where Ye Shisan will act as a Deputy to assist Jin Shi in establishing an intelligence network. The network must be centered on the territory of the Great Tang Empire and then to be expanded in all directions. I hope that the intelligence of the Ministry of Intelligence enters all levels of society all over the Immortal World.


    "Tang An will assume command of the Ministry of Execution, along with Feng Yang and Shui Gui as Deputies. Keep in mind that I need a batch of killing machines who can disappear without a trace and stay invisible. I hope that the enemies we''re going to face in the future will all be neutralized by you silently.


    "As for the Head of the Ministry of Finance, it will be assumed by Gu Xiaoxue, and Tang Min will act as her Deputy. You''re in control of the finance and treasury of the Great Tang Empire. The empire will never develop without the assistance of enormous financial resources and treasury, so I hope that you both can manage the affairs well. You must strive not to let the Great Tang Empire lack the supply of cultivation resources.


    "Lastly, Teng Nu will hold the position of the Celestial Monster Pavilion''s Head along with Star Devourer Insect. The 35,680 Great Monsters will be under your command, all of whom are responsible to guard the holy land of our Great Tang Empire and to eradicate all the powerful enemies with all your power whenever we encounter a crisis."


    After Tang Xiu announced up to this point, his expression became stern and asked in a deep voice, "Tell me, are you all up for these responsibilities?"


    Drap¡­


    All the people whose names were mentioned got up from their chairs and shouted:


    "Yes, Sir!"


    Tang Xiu nodded with satisfaction and continued, "I''d like to emphasize on the four Corps next. In the following days, I want all the 200,000 children soldiers to be incorporated into the four Corps. Each Corp will consist of 50,000 of them. For the next 2 years, I''ll choose the enemies you''re going to face as a short trail and training to showcase all your capabilities and talents. The targets are the world''s top three organizations, as well as the Darkwind and House Dolan.


    "I''ll also set up a Commander Hall for the next 2 years to train commanders-in-chief for the Minister of Military Affairs. The four of you don''t need to worry since I''ll preside over the training of these people personally, and they will definitely be able to display acceptable capabilities for you."


    "¡­"


    The meeting lasted for four hours. At the end of the meeting, Gu Xiaoxue walked to the podium and respectfully said, "There are two questions I''d like to ask, Grand Master."


    "Do ask," Tang Xiu nodded.


    "Since we are going to establish the Great Tang Empire, we can''t be just a group of people without a leader, I suppose. You''ve already appointed the personnel in the ranks, but no one has taken over the Sovereign position of the Great Tang Empire," Gu Xiaoxue said.


    Mo Awu got up from his chair and said in a deep voice, "Gu Xiaoxue, I don''t think it''s necessary to ask about this issue, because Sect Master is the only person qualified to be the Sovereign of the Great Tang Empire."


    "That''s right!"


    Hundreds of Tang Sect disciples stood up and shouted while staring at Tang Xiu enthusiastically.


    Tang Xiu raised his hand and smilingly said, "We''re all very close, so I won''t hide it. I''ll become the first Sovereign of the Great Tang Empire."


    A smile appeared on Gu Xiaoxue''s mouth, then she said aloud smilingly, "Since our Great Tang Empire already has an Emperor, then should we also have the Emperor Harem Palace?"


    The eyes of Su Lingyun, who was sitting on a chair in the conference hall, suddenly lit up. She looked at Gu Xiaoxue''s expression and a joyful look slowly appeared on her face. As she got up and went towards Gu Xiaoxue, she gently hugged her and seriously said, "We won''t interfere too much with your relationship affairs and whatnot, Xiu''er. But I''m still your mother, and I''ve been hoping to see you get married. An Emperor will need wives and concubines since we need a male offspring, to begin with."


    "This¡­"


    Tang Xiu glared at Gu Xiaoxue angrily, but his expression quickly turned into a bitter one as he replied to his mother with a forced smile. "Mother, this is an issue we need to discuss privately in the future."


    "No. You also know what an empire means, don''t you?" Su Lingyun replied categorically, "An empire must have an emperor, a chamber of imperial wives and concubines, and male offspring who will inherit the empire in the future. Xiu''er, if you don''t have time to solve the harem problem, then leave it to Mom. Rest assured, Mom won''t find you women randomly, but those who are willing to follow you in life and death. You must give these women who have been with you a legal status and you must never abandon them!"


    Tang Xiu fell into silence since he was well aware that his mother was right. These women had been with him over the years silently. They kept supporting him without any complaints or regrets, even regarding his life as higher than their own. Now that the empire had been founded, he would indeed cross the line if he didn''t give them legal status.


    Tang Xiu slowly raised his head and said, "I''m willing to give this status, Mother. We''ll have a proper discussion about this issue later."


    "My daughter-in-law needs my approval." Su Lingyun insisted. "Xiu''er, you''re a man who has accomplished and keeps doing big things, so I''m going to help you solve this issue. I''ll never give status to those who are not your woman, but I must give it to those who have become your soul mates."


    "..."


    Tang Xiu was really unable to refute. He didn''t want to disobey his mother''s intentions, either. Although he didn''t want his mother to intervene in this matter, he was well aware of how bad he was in dealing with these relationship issues. Finally, he could only give his consent on this matter perfunctorily.


    However, he secretly made up his mind that if his mother were to find some unfamiliar women besides those whom he was familiar with, he would never agree to accept them.


    The meeting then ended and he left tons of trivial matters to Gu Yan''er and Gu Xiaoxue since he needed to take Mo Awu and the rest to organize the four major corps.


    ****


    The moon sent its misted moonlight.


    In the living room on the second floor of the palace, Su Lingyun held Gu Xiaoxue''s hand. A smile was hanging on her graceful face as she said, "Xiaoxue, you''re really my best child. Had you not finally stood up on this matter, I''m afraid that stupid boy would keep feeling reluctant to solve his problems with his women until now. Alas, it would have been great if you were also my daughter-in-law."


    Gu Xiaoxue''s smiling face suddenly froze, but an extraordinary splendor suddenly glittered in her eyes. Tang Xiu''s and Gu Yan''er''s faces kept appearing in her mind and triggered a struggle in her heart. Finally, after the continuous alternations in her feelings, she gritted her teeth and said, "In actuality, I''d love it if I can."

 1253 Candidates with Ulterior Motives

    "Ehh? Come again?"


    Su Lingyun zoned out for a moment and her eyes turned wide. As she saw Gu Xiaoxue lower her head and blush from ear to ear, she suddenly realized something, patted her hand and laughed. "Hehehe, great, great, great. Xiaoxue, it''s truly a blessing for Xiu''er to think that he can obtain your care."


    Having said that, she immediately took the red register book next to her and wrote Gu Yan''er''s name on the first page, and then Gu Xiaoxue''s on the second page.


    "I¡­"


    Gu Xiaoxue''s mouth opened, but she swallowed back what she wanted to say.


    Putting down the register book, Su Lingyun then looked up at Gu Xiaoxue and said, "I understand your concerns, Xiaoxue. Xiu''er is your Grand Master according to seniority. However, I think those who cultivate on the path of immortality don''t need to stick to such a trivial thing anymore. Your Master can become Xiu''er''s woman, so why can''t you? I, too, have always thought that hierarchical seniority was important, but now I understand that as long as you sincerely love someone, what does it matter the gap in generations when it comes to someone you love? Just put down the concern in your heart, I''ll speak to Yan''er later."


    "En!" Gu Xiaoxue lowered her head while her face turned redder.


    Su Lingyun grabbed her hand and smilingly said, "Xiaoxue, the reason I called you is that I need you to give me some recommendations to write some names in this register. You''re quite close to Xiu''er, so you should know some of them."


    Gu Xiaoxue hesitated before nodding gently. "I do know some of them."


    Su Lingyu''s eyes lit up. She immediately nodded and said, "Tell me. I''ll write their names here."


    "Kang Xia, Mu Wanying, and Ouyang Lulu. You should also know the relationship between these three with Grand Master," Gu Xiaoxue said.


    While registering the names, Su Lingyun said, "Don''t address Xiu''er as Grand Master anymore, Xiaoxue. Just call his name directly. I know these three girls and am very familiar with them too. Who else aside from them?"


    "Xue Yu," Gu Xiaoxue added.


    Su Lingyun''s smile became a bit thicker as she wrote Xue Yu''s name on the sixth page. She then asked again, "Are there more?"


    Gu Xiaoxue hesitated for a moment and then said, "Zhang Xinya and Zhang Xinyue."


    Su Lingyun wrote their names on the seventh and eighth pages. Then, she nodded and said, "I love those twin sisters. I do. Xinya used to be a big star and quite a famous goddess in the eyes of many people. I heard that Xinyue is also an outstanding woman. She found and runs her own business and earns herself a great life. Do you know anyone else?"


    Gu Xiaoxue shook her head and said, "I have no idea about the others."


    Su Lingyun nodded contentedly and then said, "Eight candidates. Even though the number is a far cry compared to the Three Palaces and Six Chambers which housed 72 imperial concubines in ancient times, it''s already a lot for Xiu''er."


    Suddenly, the door was knocked and a small head poked out. When the female saw Su Lingyun and Gu Xiaoxue inside, a bright smile appeared on the delicate and lovely face and she pushed the door and walked inside. After quickly approaching Su Lingyu, she chuckled and said, "Auntie, I went to Europe a few days ago and bought a Chanel bag for you. Please take a look and see whether you like it."


    Went to Europe and bought a Chanel bag a few days ago?


    Su Lingyun and Gu Xiaoxue exchanged glances, and both of them were at a loss whether they had to cry or laugh. Andy had been on Nine Dragon Islands for more than half a year. How come she went to Europe a few days ago? That was simply nonsense, though that Chanel bag was indeed beautiful.


    Su Lingyun and Gu Xiaoxue held back their urges to chuckle and smile. They could see, Andy''s face that clearly portrayed her "ulterior motive". Su Lingyun just received the handbag from her and happily nodded with a smile. "That''s very nice of you. This is a beautiful bag, and many others will definitely envy me when I go shopping later. Thanks, Andy."


    "Please, nevermind it. It''s just my filial piety towards you," Andy hurriedly said.


    Filial piety? Well, it does look like filial piety.


    Thinking about it deeply with a happy mood, Su Lingyun then said, "Well, I''m currently discussing the list of candidates for Xiu''er''s harem, Andy. I''ve already written Kang Xia''s name. Do you have any other name I can list?"


    Andy hurriedly squatted and held Su Lingyun''s name and replied smilingly, "Why don''t you write my name, Auntie? It''d be my pleasure to have my name listed."


    "Pfft¡­ Hahaha¡­"


    Su Lingyun couldn''t help laughing out loud, while Gu Xiaoxue was at a loss whether she had to cry or laugh, looking at Andy with admiration.


    She''s really bold, daring to love and face regret alike!


    In this regard, Gu Xiaoxue admitted that she was really far from being Andy''s match.


    Su Lingyun grabbed the register with a smile and wrote Andy''s name on the ninth page. Then, she smilingly asked, "How about now? Are you now happy?"


    "Uh, en, en, en. So glad and satisfied. Thanks, Mom." A bright smile plastered Andy''s exquisite and lovely face as she nodded repeatedly.


    Mom?


    The happy smile on Su Lingyun''s face became more brilliant, while Gu Xiaoxue next to her secretly raised her thumbs up when Su Lingyun didn''t notice. Such a quick change of addressing¡­ that was so goddamn fast!


    After a while, Andy left the room happily and the door was knocked again when Gu Xiaoxue was about to leave.


    Wearing her usual black robe but without her usual mask, Tang An walked inside with her supple black hair fluttering and brought a bowl of Eight Precious Lotus Seed soup. As she casually came to Su Lingyun''s front, she gently glanced at Gu Xiaoxue, smiled, and then spoke to Su Lingyun softly, "I haven''t seen you having dinner tonight, so I brought this Eight Precious Lotus Seed soup for you from the kitchen. Would you like to have it?"


    Having said that, however, Tang An''s blushed a bit.


    Su Lingyun cast a suspicious look and hesitated. "Who are you, Miss?"


    "I''m Tang An," Tang An replied softly.


    Tang An?


    Although Su Lingyun had seen Tang An many times, this was her first time seeing her true face. She never dreamed that Tang An was such a peerless, soul-stirring beauty.


    However, the first thought that came to Su Lingyun''s mind was, pity. Such a beautiful girl, yet she had never dressed up properly and always wore a black robe and even put on a bronze mask on her face.


    "Alright, I''ll drink it. I am especially fond of this Eight Precious Lotus Seed soup."


    It was just not long ago since Su Lingyu had a meal, but she didn''t reveal to Tang An and took the bowl of soup and drank half of it before she put it on the tea table. Afterward, she grabbed Tang An''s hand and pulled her to sit next to her. Her other hand took the register book and then asked in a soft voice, "There are nine names already written on this register. Would you like me to add your name to it?"


    Tang An tilted up her head and secretly glanced at Gu Xiaoxue. The latter wore a playful and teasing look on her face and made her heart weaken. She immediately lowered her head and blushed from ear to ear and then slightly nodded.


    Su Lingyun''s smile was especially brilliant, and she opened the tenth page to write Tang An''s name on it. Then, she smilingly said, "Call me Mother later, got it?"


    "En!"


    The redness on Tang An''s face turned redder just like a fiery glowing sun as she nodded gently. Suddenly, she looked up at Su Lingyun and said, "Mother¡­ C-could you write another name?"


    "Whose name?" Su Lingyun was puzzled.


    "Gong Wan''er," Tang An said.


    Su Lingyun was surprised. "Do Gong Wan''er and Xiu''er have this kind of¡­"


    "No. But the feelings can be developed slowly in the future." Tang An shook her head and said, "However, Gong Wan''er''s constitution is very special and will be very beneficial to Grand Master''s cultivation."


    "Did she give her consent on this matter, though?" Su Lingyun hesitated.


    "I''ve talked with her about this matter and she also likes Grand Master very much," Tang An said. "She said that she has never seen a better man than Grand Master in her life."


    "If so, then I''ll put her on the list too," Su Lingyun said. "But Little An, you''re not to address Xiu''er as Grand Master again later. Just call his name directly."


    "About this¡­ a-alright." Tang An gently nodded.


    A few minutes later, after Tang An left, Gu Xiaoxue, who had long endured her hot, embarrassed feeling, saying, "Mother, would you like to rest or would you like me to stay with you to chat?"


    "That''s exactly my intention, child." Su Lingyun chuckled and said, "Well, Andy and Tang An have come. I wonder who is going to come next."


    Outside the palace.


    Kuwako had obviously spent time dressing up intentionally. Her long gown fluttered and she put on various jewelry as she stood at the front door of the place. Being stared at by the two guards outside the door, she couldn''t help but feel a hot, burning feeling on her face, wishing that she could find a burrow to drill into and hide.


    "Huh?"


    Suddenly, her expression shifted and she looked at a beautiful woman whose beauty could ruin a country. The belle who just came out from the inside made her feel incredulous. The aura of this peerless beauty was quite erratic at this time and turned out to be¡­ Tang An?


    She¡­


    Kuwako blocked Tang An''s path and asked, "Aren''t you Tang An?"


    "Yeah!" Tang An gently nodded.


    Kuwako''s eyes shifted to the interior behind the palace''s door and hesitated. Then, she asked, "You were inside¡­ for¡­"


    "Registration¡­"


    Tang An replied lightly with one word. Her figure then flickered and she instantly vanished.


    Register?


    Kuwako seemed to become aware of something and no longer hesitated. She flew into the palace and then came to the second floor. Just as she was about to stop an envoy inside to inquire Su Lingyun''s whereabouts, she suddenly noticed Viviani standing on the corridor.


    "You too¡­"


    Kuwako came to Viviani and asked in surprise.


    "Uh, I''m a bit scared." Viviani forced a smile.


    How could Kuwako not have any fear? Just a while ago, she kept holding on for a few minutes, standing outside the palace door and hesitating. If it wasn''t for Tang An, she wouldn''t have the courage to come inside. Looking at the bitter and forced smile on Viviani''s face, Kuwako suddenly felt certain about something and let out a smile. Afterward, she pulled her hand and said, "Actually, I''m also a bit scared just like you. But Tang An has been here, do you think we still need to feel scared?"


    "But¡­ what if¡­ Sect¡­ he''s not¡­ interested in us. What should we do?" Viviani hesitated.


    "I''ve long observed and inquired his stance on this matter. He never actively pursued any woman, whether they are Kang Xia, Ouyang Lulu, Mu Wanying, or Xue Yu. They were all the ones who seized the initiative to pursue him. If they can do it, why can''t we? Besides, I don''t think we lose out to them be it our looks, figures, bearings, and cultivation levels, to begin with."

 1254 Mischievous Stunts

    In the living room, Su Lingyun and Gu Xiaoxue had stopped chatting. Both of them had quite a remarkable cultivation level, so they could clearly hear the conversation in the corridor outside. Gu Xiaoxue herself was even able to distinguish the two familiar voices belonging to Kuwako and Viviani.


    Creak¡­


    The door was gently knocked twice before it was pushed open from the outside. As Kuwako and Viviani appeared at the door, Su Lingyun got up with a bright smile on her gorgeous face. The two females then came to her and she smilingly said, "I overheard you. You both are good girls, and none of you is worse than the rest of them. I myself am very happy for Xiu''er since he got the love from you both."


    "Auntie¡­"


    Kuwako opened her mouth but was unable to say anything due to shyness.


    While holding their hands, Su Lingyun smilingly said, "You don''t need to say more. I already know what you have been harboring in mind. Later on, you both should also call me Mother just like the rest."


    "This¡­"


    Kuwako and Viviani looked at each other and eventually called Mother intimately.


    With a beaming, happy face, Su Lingyun said, "You both are also my daughters-in-law since you called me Mother. I won''t discriminate any of you based on your nationality or race. From now on, you both are the mothers of the Great Tang Empire as well."


    Having said that, she loosened her grip on their hands, took the register and then wrote their names.


    After a while, the two females left with happy faces.


    Su Lingyun watched their backs as they left and closed the door. Afterward, she turned to Gu Xiaoxue and smilingly said, "Xiaoxue, Xiu''er is really blessed in this life as he can get the love from outstanding girls like you. Relax. Mom will definitely teach him well if he bullies you in the future."


    Finding herself a formidable backer all of a sudden, Gu Xiaoxue chuckled and grinningly said, "I''ll also treat Tang Xiu well, Mother."


    The moment after, Su Lingyun and Gu Xiaoxue stayed in the living room for three hours more before they left since no one else came.


    In a forested hill under the moonlight.


    Kang Xia was sitting and leaning on a tree with her arms hugging her legs. A faint smile painted her face while Tang Xiu sat cross-legged next to her on a big bluestone wearing a complex expression.


    "Why the long face?" asked Kang Xia as she took back her vision from the palace and turned to Tang Xiu.


    "You think I should be happy with how things are happening?" Tang Xiu forced a wry smile and said, "I owe so many sentiments and love. I dunno how I should repay these debts in the future. And Mom makes it worse, making me more depressed with her mischievous stunts. Why would she open such registration, and what makes it different from those Emperors of ancient times?"


    "You tell me." Kang Xia grinningly teased. "The founding of the Great Empire itself and with you as the Sovereign, which one is any different from those Emperors in ancient times?"


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes in response and snappily said, "Of course it''s different. Big time, actually. Those ancient feudalists regarded women as a second-class group, while some men with unremarkable capital can still have a larger number of wives and concubines, following their emperors, who housed their wives and concubines in three palaces and six chambers. What age we''re living now and why should we retain such an idea? Marrying so many women will definitely make me die twisted and exhausted, no?"


    "Pfft¡­ hehehe."


    Kang Xia mockingly grinned and laughed at it in response. "You know, you really got it cheap and convenient for you, right?"


    "Be that as it may, I still really don''t want to have such convenience," Tang Xiu reluctantly said.


    Kang Xiu''s smile receded and she seriously said, "Don''t tell me you don''t get why Mother is solving your love life problems? She understands how big the endeavor you''re going to shoulder is, so she''s making a quick cut to clear up the mess with your love life. She is willing to help you give a status to the women who like and care about you into your harem. She even went so far as to help you directly exclude some other women who don''t deserve it."


    As a smart man, it wasn''t like Tang Xiu was unable to understand the situation. It was also the reason he gave his consent to his mother to solve this matter and just took a wait-and-see stance.


    And yet, how come Andy, Tang An, Gong Wan''er, Viviani, and Kuwako were also included? Even Gu Xiaoxue must also be included on the list. Isn''t that the same as pulling out some mischievous stunts?


    Suddenly, he turned to look at Kang Xia and asked, "Don''t tell me you''re not disturbed by this all?"


    "I''ll be lying if I say I don''t feel anything." Kang Xia shook her head and went on, "Everyone has some degree of selfishness, especially when it comes to partners. But I''m perfectly aware of how brilliant and dazzling you are. You''re too brilliant, it''s impossible to have you for my own. But no matter how unwilling, bitter, and painful it is for me, I can only suppress such feelings and hold back. I don''t want to lose you. I can only hope there''s a place for me in your heart¡ªwhat I''m sure they have in mind as well."


    Tang Xiu gently raised his hand as a wisp of energy wrapped Kang Xia, who didn''t resist, and pulled her into his arms. He raised her arms and stroked her soft beautiful hair gently and said with an apologetic, guilty face, "I''m sorry for everything."


    "You don''t need to be sorry to me or anyone else." Kang Xia shook her head and said, "It''s a choice all of us made and has nothing to do with you. However, I admit that aside from being your woman, I also want to become a medicine for you."


    "What do you mean?" Tang Xiu''s hand stopped and a bewildered look appeared on his handsome face.


    Leaning gently on Tang Xiu''s chest, Kang Xia softly said, "I''ve long been aware that you''ve been wounded deep inside, so I want to turn myself into a medicine that can heal your broken heart. If¡­ I mean¡­ if you still can''t let it go, you can still go look for her. I know how deep she has been engraved in your heart that even a dozen of us added up won''t be enough to compare to her position in your heart."


    Tang Xiu''s complexion turned frosty and he shook his head. "Kang Xia, I''ve already cleared up my mind on this matter. The love I had for her was gone the moment she ambushed me, and what''s left is regret¡­ and hatred. I''ve already cut a line between me and her from the moment I told her that I''ll walk on my own as does she on her own path. We''ll never go back and never have any intersection anymore."


    Kang Xia looked up, and her bright eyes stared at Tang Xiu fixedly and emphasized each and every word as she spoke, "Then from where that hate comes from if you don''t love her anymore? You have too soft of a heart, especially when you face your former love. You just simply can''t let it go. You wouldn''t have been thinking about revenge, forming a force, and returning to the Immortal World otherwise. Besides, do you know what I like most about you?"


    "What?" Tang Xiu deeply frowned but didn''t argue.


    "It''s your kindness, though it''s most likely due to your tender and soft heart," Kang Xia said. "You would have stabbed her heart with your sword already the moment you figured out all the reasons. You would''ve definitely scattered her soul and made her forever vanish from your heart."


    Is this¡­ what it really turns out to be?


    Tang Xiu spaced out and looked blank. A complicated look appeared in his eyes and grew more intense the longer this thought filled his mind. It was something he was reluctant to admit, yet he was perfectly aware of how true it was as this was truly the genuine portrayal harbored in his heart. There was¡­ indeed a part of his heart that could¡­ never let her go¡­


    The affection that had lasted for millenniums and all the good things that had happened between them was something that seemed to have been branded deep inside his heart. All those memories had become the lasting marks in his heart which he could never able to erase no matter how hard he tried.


    "I''m going back to China after some time," Tang Xiu suddenly said.


    "Do you want me to accompany you?" asked Kang Xia.


    "No." Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "I''m not just taking a break during my return to the mainland this time, but I also need to see the progress of the base being built by the Chinese authority. If anything, I may not be able to do much, but at least before I leave, I hope I can see that humanity on Earth has the ability to protect themselves when facing enemies in the future, no matter how minuscule it is."


    "I''m also updated with this base in China," Kang Xia replied. "Duanmu Lin is presiding over the site and the progress is great since authorities have been mobilizing all the state apparatus for the operation and continuously transporting a large number of materials there. Our Magnificent Tang Corporation just provided 10 billion US dollars last year to aid the country. If my guess is correct, the first starship should be built soon."


    "What about confidentiality?" Tang Xiu asked.


    "The secrecy measures have been perfected and each group from the army has assigned an elite force to establish Shadow Guards to be stationed in nearly every corner of the country." Kang Xia went on, "Other than that, our intel department has been secretly monitoring the situation and providing assistance in the dark. No country has noticed this base in China, though the rivalries between China and various countries all over the world have been growing more intense for the last three years. Especially after the Aeroglider was sold on the market, various countries began eyeing the high-tech technology of the Magnificent Tang Corporation."


    "I''ve long expected such a situation, though," Tang Xiu said.


    "Well, even though the struggles between China and other countries in the world have been intensifying, the cultivation forces in other countries became very wary of Chinese practitioners, especially after our Tang Sect destroyed the Celestial Wizard Clan and made them rather afraid. Hence, it caused the intel operatives infiltrated in China to stay very low-key and reduced in strength."


    "As the adage says, it''s difficult for a mountain to accommodate two tigers or more," Tang Xiu said. "Earth is so small yet it has 200 countries, give or take. The number of countries is just ridiculous and against the natural law of survival for higher civilizations, to begin with. What I can do is make China formidable and become the most powerful country in the world and able to control the fate of mankind on Earth in the future. If in the future those who hold the power in China are far-sighted, broad-minded, and are able to disregard the division in nationality and races, mankind could finally form a new system of power that can unite the entire humanity on Earth and completely integrate to form a new and solid higher civilization system."


    Kang Xia hesitated and asked, "Are we¡­ really not coming back here in the future?"


    "We will be able to come back, though it won''t be doable so soon," Tang Xiu said. "Maybe it will take us centuries, several millenniums, or tens of thousands of years. No one knows what the future holds."

 1255 Back to Shanghai

    Time slipped away and passed quickly.


    Half a month after Tang Sect changed its name to Great Tang Empire, Tang Xiu felt like his daily life became deeply harrowing. The harem registration stunt his mother pulled and the names of the ladies listed on it had been spread out and known to all members of the Great Tang Empire.


    The most distressing part was the fact that even the lady protagonists stated on different occasions and at different times that it was a great honor for them to be registered as harem members of the Great Tang Empire.


    There were also some others involved. But one that Tang Xiu had never imagined was Gong Wan''er. She made a statement that she would be faithful and follow the man she married no matter who he was, and getting married to the Sovereign was truly a blessing. Thus, the sudden appearance of the Great Tang Empire''s 13 first ladies.


    During the last half a month, Tang Xiu spent his daytime busy forming four major regiments and carried out the drills and instructions for them on a daily basis, whereas he spent the nights accompanying the ladies. Even if he just accompanied them and did nothing else, he couldn''t help but feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.


    I gotta run away.


    Eventually, he finally gave in and just left a message to Gu Yan''er and hurriedly set off to Shanghai on a plane. The airport on Nine Dragons Island had been improved during the last 2 years'' development and even flight routes from various countries had been running for some time. Therefore, Tang Xiu no longer had to take a flight from Saipan.


    In a private jet flying amid the clouds, Tang Xiu sipped fine wine with a slight smile on the corner of his mouth. Only now could he finally relax.


    "Master."


    Tang Alang came out of the cockpit while holding a thermos pot and put it in front of Tang Xiu. A grin on his face, he said, "Madam Xiaoxue said that porridge works well for stomach and must be served and eaten early. She also said that taking the soup will be great for your body, so Madam Xiaoxue added some congee, saying that not only will it scrape off your fat but also nourish your body and health. That''s right, she also said that you''ve worked hard for half a month and there are some medicines for your kidney added in the Eight Precious Lotus Seed soup as well. She said that it will be very great for you."


    Working hard?


    Tang Xiu could only feel his scalp going numb. Thinking about it, he indeed worked hard for half a month. Especially because of Kang Xia, Ouyang Lulu, Mu Wanying, and Xue Yu. These four women who accompanied him for four nights and simply turned into hungry wolves and tigers.


    "Put this matter off, got it?!"


    Tang Xiu then took an array manual he had recently written from the interspatial ring and gave it to Tang Alang. Then, he said, "You''ve studied the Art of War and familiarized yourself with battle tactics carried out in wars on Earth since ancient times. However, you''re also a cultivator, so I''m taking you this time to relax and forget all those battle strategies in your head for a while to prepare to learn the warfare in the Immortal World. This is a record of battle formations and arrays you will be studying later. You need to be proficient in various skills, and array formation is a very important field to study if you want to be the commander of the army."


    Tang Ahlang received the arrays manual and took a seat in front of Tang Xiu. After skimming two or three pages, his delicate face looked happy and pleasantly surprised. He had been diligently and tirelessly studying over the past three years, especially in regards to warfare in ancient times and modern times on Earth. Occasionally, he also stayed in the Library Pavilion to read books about arrays and battle formations, so he had a fair bit of knowledge on this aspect.


    Yet, he was sure that this battle formation manual was absolutely more profound than its counterparts in the Nine Dragons Island''s Library Pavilion.


    ****


    Shanghai Airport.


    Right as Tang Xiu stepped out of the cabin''s door, he saw two cars parked near the ladder. Four big men came out of the cars the moment the doors opened and a smart and capable-looking female in a white suit came out.


    The female''s name was Gao Beilei and she was the current General Manager of Magnificent Tang Corporation. She was the person Kang Xia and Ouyang Lulu had repeatedly invited to join previously¡ªa professional manager from the United States'' Wall Street.


    Tang Xiu himself had never met her in person. But he could recognize her at a glance since he had seen her photo.


    "Boss!"


    The four big men greeted respectfully as Tang Xiu stepped down the ladder.


    Gao Beilei quietly observed Tang Xiu. She had long been curious about this young man. She knew that the famous Kang Xia, as well as her good friend Ouyang Lulu, were this young man''s woman, while to her, this young man was her Boss.


    "Hello, Boss. I''m Gao Beilei."


    Tang Xiu stretched his hand out to shake hands with her, loosened it and then said, "This should be our first meeting. I''m glad you can join the Magnificent Tang Corporation and work for the company. I should give you a gift for this first meeting."


    Having said that, he took a jade pendant from his interspatial ring and handed it to her. "Put this on starting today. It will be great for you."


    Gao Beilei stared blankly. She didn''t expect that the Boss would present her a gift directly the first time she met him. However, after thinking for a while, she received it and smilingly said, "This is a quite late first meeting gift, isn''t it, Boss? But it''s quite interesting, regardless. I''ve been working for two and a half years for the Magnificent Tang Corporation and I never thought that it would take such a long time to meet the Big Boss. This would be quite an unbelievable story if the other business people around the world were to hear it."


    Tang Xiu chuckled and said, "Well, let''s just say that I don''t care much about things in the market, so I let Kang Xia handle it and left everything in her hands. Regardless, I hold the same trust in you since they trust you too. Let''s set off. It''s been more than 2 years since the company''s HQ was moved to Shanghai. I''ve never been there before."


    Gao Beilei nodded with a smile and personally opened the car''s door for Tang Xiu. After Tang Xiu took a seat, she pondered for a moment and finally decided to sit in the front seat. She had learned about Tang Xiu through various channels for the last two and half a years. Although she dared not say that she really understood Tang Xiu, she still knew a fair deal about him.


    Further, Tang Xiu was also one of the few people around the world she admired. After all, he was able to create the Magnificent Tang Corporation before his twenties. He even had the ability to pull Kang Xia to work for him. Aside from that, nearly all the products produced by the Magnificent Tang Corporation came from his hands, all of which could cause a huge sensation in the business sector.


    As of today, the Magnificent Tang Corporation''s assets had already exceeded 1 trillion yuan. But what she admired the most was the set of rules Tang Xiu made previously and his decision not to list the company. Otherwise, the company''s valuation could have been 10 times greater than its current valuation today.


    "Would you like to have a meal first, Boss? Or would you like to see the financial statement? But your visit is rather sudden, so the Financial Department can only provide the financial statement from last year, as we have yet to compile the statement for this year." Sitting on the front seat, Gao Beilei turned and asked.


    "Nah. I''m not interested." Tang Xiu waved and said, "It''s fine as long as the company can make enough money for me to spend. Let''s have a meal first before heading to the industrial park. I also need to tend to some other things afterward. Anyways, Mo Yi should be in the industrial park too, right? Has he been well in recent years?"


    "Professor Mo has indeed been working in the research institute inside the industrial park." Gao Beilei nodded and said, "His health is great, and he keeps looking younger even though he has a very heavy workload and schedule."


    "That''s great to hear." Tang Xiu nodded.


    The two cars left the airport and entered the highway less than 10 minutes after. Tang Xiu then saw the new sight in the surrounding in the sky. Many people were standing on Aerogliders and flying fast. Some were flying alone, some looked like couples, and husbands and wives hugging or holding hands while flying. Further, the interesting thing was that they were flying on certain flight routes and followed fixed routes above the roads. After a few minutes of observation, he saw at least hundreds of people flying on Aerogliders, but to his surprise, none of them left the flying routes above the roads.


    "So, how were the sales of the Aeroglider?" Tang Xiu took back his vision and asked.


    "It''s been great even though the Aeroglider sales are kind of limited due to the limited number of the product." Gao Beilei nodded and explained, "Yet, the price is very high due to that as well, and we can only sell 1 million units annually. Thus, we only sold 2 million units in the last 2 years at home. We exported 20 million units overseas, so a total of 40 million units have been sold in two years. So far, the total number of the first generation Aeroglider sold by our company is 42 million units."


    Tang Xiu was secretly dumbstruck since he himself didn''t expect that the Aeroglider''s sales volume would be this high. The revenue earned from selling 42 million units was simply an astronomical figure.


    "By the way, what about the joint venture between us and Jin Xingkui?" Tang Xiu suddenly asked.


    "It has been finalized. The final net income is of 9.1 billion yuan," Gao Beilei answered. "However, I decided not to withdraw the funds and invested in the new project instead. The new project itself has been starting to sell and the funds are flowing back. Jin Xingkui''s Jinda Estate just transferred 4.5 billion last night, while it is expected that they will gradually pay us a total amount of about 20 billion within the next 2 months."


    Tang Xiu nodded in response. He didn''t care about these numbers and just asked casually since he remembered Jin Xingkui a moment ago.


    Gao Beilei turned and narrowed her eyes when she saw Tang Xiu fall into silence. After thinking for a while, she said, "Boss, our company is actually a bit short of money recently."


    "Come again?"


    Tang Xiu couldn''t believe his ears for a moment. The Magnificent Tang Corporation was definitely a money-making machine, yet¡­ how could it be short of money now?


    Gao Beilei forced a smile and said, "The company''s monthly revenue is calculated and summed up at the end of the month before the final statement is summarized. Except for the 10% monthly overhead of the company, the rest of the money is transferred. It''s due to a big project I just started recently, so the company is now short of funds."


    "What project is it exactly?" Tang Xiu asked curiously.


    He originally thought that the Magnificent Tang Corporation''s coffer was brimming with money, so he could receive quite a big amount of money every day. It was rather unexpected to hear that the company was short of funds right as he returned to Shanghai and met the company''s General Manager.

 1256 The Future Destiny of Magnificent Tang Corporation

    "It''s a tourism project. I gave the proposal to start this project to Kang Xia two months ago." Gao Beilei explained, "She and the executives of the company have discussed the project and approved it given the potential it offers. But we are kind of short of some funds needed when we were about to start the project recently. I was going to ask Kang Xia about it, but I didn''t expect you to come back suddenly."


    "How much this tourism project cost, exactly?" asked Tang Xiu.


    Gao Beilei answered, "According to the previous budget, we lack¡­"


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt her bluntly and said, "I don''t need to hear the previous budget. What I asked was the total investment of this project. How much is it?"


    "About 80 billion yuan," Gao Beilei said.


    Huff¡­


    Tang Xiu couldn''t help but take a deep breath. The tourism project that needed 80 billion yuan was something he never expected, so he couldn''t help but immediately ask, "Brief me about this tourism project first."


    "It''s because the government wants to develop the Heavenly Spring Island in the South China Sea. In order to attract investors and businesses there, the state held a tender, and the Magnificent Tang Corporation won the tender, whereas the 80 billion is the funds needed to develop the entire island. The senior executives of the company and I have conducted the analysis. If we can develop this Heavenly Spring Island in the South China Sea in its entirety, we can make it into a dream-like scenic tourist site that can attract tourists from all over the world. All in all, this is a long-term investment that will continue generating revenue for the company in the future."


    Tang Xiu pondered about it for a while and then directly took out his mobile phone. After dialing a cell number and his call was picked up, he chuckled and softly said, "How is the business going, Brother Miao?"


    "Brother Tang, you''ve really¡­ damn, it''s been 3 years! I''ve never seen nor received a call from you for the whole goddamned 3 years! I''ve been looking for you, and I was told that you went into seclusion god knows where for cultivation and you can''t contact me. Yet, the very first thing you ask me after I''ve been waiting for your call is about my business? Dammit, can''t you at least tell me you miss me or something else?" Miao Wentang''s grunt came from the phone. He sounded bitter.


    "Hahaha. Okay, okay, my fault. I admit it." Tang Xiu couldn''t help laughing and said, "Anyways, though. I do miss you, Brother Miao, so can we talk about business now?"


    "You! Dammit! Alright, spill it out. What business do you want to talk to me about?" Miao Wentang grunted yet again from the phone.


    "It''s about Heavenly Spring Island. 160 billion yuan ready for sale. Are you interested to take the offer?" Tang Xiu asked.


    "Come again? How much?" Miao Wentang''s voice exclaimed from the phone.


    "160 billion," Tang Xiu said.


    "Brother Tang, you actually practiced the credo of brothers are brothers but business is business, didn''t you?" Miao Wentang''s bitter voice replied, "I know the Magnificent Tang Corporation took over the island for some billions of yuan, yet you wanna sell it to me for 160 billion? Do you think your Brother Miao is a loaded moneybag or something?"


    "Hey, hey, listen to me first, will you?" Tang Xiu chuckled and said, "My company did get the Heavenly Spring Island for some billions, but you also know the value of this island is likely more than just some billions, no? It''s not like we brothers can make it more by striving hard together, don''t you think?"


    "Ah, so that''s what you mean!" Miao Wentang nodded and sighed. "You can be counted as the biggest Boss in Shanghai now, Brother. Maybe it will only take you a few years before going further as the biggest personage in the country. Given how fast you''ve been climbing up, you can even reach the peak soon. Alright then, tell me everything you wanna say, Brother Tang!"


    "If you have 160 billion yuan, my company will be responsible for making Heavenly Spring Island into one of the world''s top tourist areas. Given the long-term development trend, this island will definitely become a super money-making machine later."


    Miao Wentang pondered for a while and then asked, "I won''t ask the trivialities, Brother Tang. But there''s one thing I need to ask you. Are you really that sure Heavenly Spring Island will become the world''s top tourist area and become a money-making machine?"


    "You got my guarantee on that," Tang Xiu replied bluntly.


    After a few minutes of pondering, Miao Wentang slowly said, "Brother Tang, although the Miao Group has been developing rapidly in recent years, my company''s total assets are still less than 50 billion. It''s just impossible for me to provide 160 billion yuan. How about you contact a few more people? Or wait until I contact some people to develop this Heavenly Spring Island together? We can share in this regard, I think."


    Tang Xiu thought about it and said, "Alright, then I''ll pull some strings to build the bridge! What do you think of Long Zhengyu, Jin Xingkui, Gu Changmin, Zhang Yueming, Beijing''s Bao Family, and Brother Shao Mingzhen?"


    "I''m familiar with the Long Group and got no issue with Brother Shao since I have cooperation with them." Miao Wentang thought for a while and went on, "I''m also familiar with Jin Xingkui, Gu Changmin, and Zhang Yueming, so I won''t have a problem cooperating with them either. But I''m not too familiar with Beijing''s Bao Family at all."


    After listening to Miao Wentang''s concerns, Tang Xiu smilingly replied, "Well, Bai Tao is my friend, and the Baos are a bunch of people we can get along with. However, I still think that all of us added up to provide 160 billion yuan would still affect our primary businesses, so I''ll introduce you to one person from another family from Beijing. He''s Qin Shaoyang from the Qin Family."


    "Ah, I know about them. The Qins of Beijing indeed have strong financial resources and a good reputation in the business community." Miao Wentang replied, "I think it''s feasible now, Brother Tang."


    "You take the leader position then!" Tang Xiu smilingly replied, "Anyway, I''ll be staying in Shanghai for at least a week. Let''s talk more about this when you come over, okay?"


    "Got it!"


    Miao Wentang nodded even though he was speaking on the phone. He had been acquainted with Tang Xiu for more than 5 years and thought that he knew Tang Xiu very well and had a deep trust in him. He believed that Tang Xiu wouldn''t make them suffer a loss since he was the one who proposed this Heavenly Spring Island project in the South China Sea.


    After hanging up, Tang Xiu looked up at Gao Beilei at the side and immediately asked with a smile, "You think this is very accidental and feel surprised, don''t you?"


    "Yeah, very unexpected!" Gao Beilei nodded.


    "The Magnificent Tang Corporation only has one significant trait in its existence, which is to accumulate money fast and not to make money in the long term." Tang Xiu chuckled and explained. "All in all, our credo is how to make the most money in the shortest time. You can say that putting out 80 billion yuan for long-term investment is completely at the opposite side of my philosophy."


    "I don''t get you, Boss. According to the current development trend of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, it''s possible for our company to be the largest company in the world." Gao Beilei frowned. "Why are you¡­ so shortsighted?"


    "It''s not that I''m shortsighted, but rather I have my own plans and intentions," Tang Xiu said. "I just said that the Magnificent Tang Corporation is just a tool for me to amass money, with which I can gather the most money within the shortest time. Not to mention the Heavenly Spring Island in the South China Sea, even the Magnificent Tang Company will only take out some shares and hand over the entire company to the country two years later."


    Gao Beilei was shaken, and incredulity painted her eyes and face. She hurriedly asked, "Why? What exactly do you want to achieve by doing this?"


    "I have my reasons, so don''t ask me more," Tang Xiu lightly replied. "What you have to do in the next two years is to make as much money as possible for me and enough money for yourself. Once the two-year deadline is up, I''ll give you 10% of the shares in the company. At that time, whether you''re still in charge of the company or just want to enjoy your life, you just need to wait for dividends later."


    Gasp¡­


    Despite having a tough character, Gao Beilei couldn''t help but gasp after hearing Tang Xiu''s statement as a storm raged inside her heart.


    10% shares? Just the current valuation of the Magnificent Tang Company''s total assets alone was amounted to 1 trillion yuan, give or take. 10% of the shares was equal to 100 billion.


    And Tang Xiu just gave her 100 billion yuan so casually? Why?


    Gao Beilei, who always thought that she was very intelligent with her high IQ, was bewildered by Tang Xiu''s decision.


    In response, Tang Xiu smiled indifferently. "Don''t look so surprised. 10% of the shares are just a small reward for you. I''ll present you an extra reward if you can satisfy me with your performance within these 2 years. I guarantee the present I''ll give you will be something you can never buy even if you can become a trillionaire in the future."


    Gao Beilei shuddered inwardly and nodded wordlessly. Tang Xiu didn''t want to elaborate more, so she no longer asked. Regardless of whether she could really get 10% of the company shares in the future, she would still follow Tang Xiu''s instruction. She could only go all out and be more serious at work if she wanted to have such a handsome reward.


    The cars moved fast. While sitting in the back seat, Tang Xiu''s mind was full of thoughts, thinking about the future of the Magnificent Tang Corporation. His departure from Earth to the Immortal World 2 years later was inevitable. In all likelihood, his family would also be leaving, so there was no need for the Magnificent Tang Corporation to exist anymore once he left.


    However, some people would still stay here. For instance, Ouyang Lulu''s family. Even though her parents, grandparents, siblings, and a small number of her relatives would follow them, there were still many others in the Ouyang Family. He planned to gift some shares of the Magnificent Tang Corporation to the Ouyang family, and it could be counted as a dowry for her.


    Aside from them, there was also the Mu Family of Beijing, Zhang Xinya and Zhang Xinyue''s relatives, Xue Yu''s relatives in the Miao Region, and many others¡­


    Tang Xiu didn''t wish to have any regrets when he left them. He took their loved ones. However, leaving their relatives who remained on Earth with some shares of the Magnificent Tang Corporation should be enough.


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu recalled another person, a woman.


    He took out his phone and dialed Chen Xiaowan''s cell number. After his call was picked up, Chen Xiaowan''s surprised and happy yell came from the phone, "Where the hell did you die, Brother? You even dare to forget your own sister?"


    Tang Xiu distanced the phone away from his ears until her voice was toned down a bit. Then, he smiled wryly and replied, "How could I forget you, Sis Xiaowan? It''s just I got something to deal with by myself that lasted 3 years of time. Anyway, I just returned to Shanghai from abroad and now am on the road to the Magnificent Tang Corporation from the airport, so I got time to call you."

 1257 Meeting by Chance

    Tang Xiu and Chen Xiaowan picked a place and time to meet, then Tang Xiu hung up. Tang Xiu couldn''t help feeling warm inside after recalling all the various experiences he had with Chen Xiaowan.


    Chen Xiaowan had long regarded him as a younger brother and took good care of him¡ªsomething that made him feel warm and happy. The feelings he had for her were not the kind of affection between man and woman but rather a kind of family love and acknowledgment, and he regarded her as an older sister.


    I''ll also take you away if you''re willing to follow me. I''ll also give you a guarantee of life in the future if you choose to stay here. Nothing will change the fact that you''re my older sister.


    Tang Xiu muttered inwardly as his eyes shifted out of the window.


    The surrounding high-rise buildings constantly regressed, and the bustling streets with rows of stores filled with a dazzling lineup of goods and the crowds faded away. Tang Xiu felt like ordinary life was getting farther and farther away from him, and the slice of a peaceful life was about to end.


    "Do you mind me asking something, Gao Beilei?"


    Tang Xiu didn''t retract his gaze, but his voice was a bit unusual when he asked.


    "Please do ask, Boss," replied Gao Beilei softly.


    "What do you think people want in life? A wonderful life full of thrills or just an easy yet average life for a lifetime?" Tang Xiu asked.


    "Definitely to live a wonderful life, else choosing a mediocre life will make one end up regretting it when they are old," Gao Beilei said. "Nevertheless, such a question is not something that only has one answer. Everyone has different ideas. Some definitely want a marvelous life, whereas others want to have a bland and easy life."


    "..."


    Tang Xiu was a bit speechless. Gao Beilei''s answer was rather ambiguous and no different from not answering. However, he also realized that there was no single answer to this question. Everyone had their own ideas as well as dreams. Everyone had different goals since their ideas were different.


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu stared out of the windows and immediately said, "Stop and park!"


    The two cars stopped.


    Tang Xiu didn''t wait for his subordinates to open the door and got out directly. He saw Su Yaning sitting while holding an ice cream across the street, holding hands with a handsome guy. Tang Xiu didn''t expect to meet her here.


    In actuality, he had always been repulsive to the Su Family ever since he returned from the Immortal World. He maintained a certain distance from them even if he didn''t bother to have any intersection with them. He didn''t even bother to care about Su Shangwen, Su Yaning, or Su Xiangfei all this while. However, he had taught Su Xiangfei a cultivation technique and allowed him to practice secretly, but he didn''t provide him cultivation resources.


    "Gao Beilei, I just saw an acquaintance. There''s no need for you to accompany me for lunch. I''ll go to the Magnificent Tang HQ later by myself. We''ll talk again at that time."


    Gao Beilei hesitated and asked, "Should I leave you a car?"


    "No need." Tang Xiu shook his head.


    As Gao Beilei departed, Tang Xiu crossed the zebra crossing. When he stood in front of Su Yaning and the handsome guy, he chuckled and said, "Hey, Belle and Beau, care to give me some face and have lunch with me?"


    "Huh?"


    Su Yaning''s expression when she saw Tang Xiu was as though seeing a new world with an incredulous look on her face. She released the handsome guy''s hand and paced a few steps to Tang Xiu and pinched his face.


    "Hey, I''m serious!"


    Tang Xiu smilingly said while pushing her hand away snappily, looking amused.


    "It''s been more than 3 years and I thought you were dead already! Yet you''re still alive, but why the heck nobody has seen you all this while?" Su Yaning muttered.


    The handsome young man''s face changed. He keenly felt that the relationship between Su Yaning and Tang Xiu was not simple. With a hostile look, he strode forward and grabbed Su Yaning''s arm and asked grimly, "Who''s this guy, Yaning?"


    Tang Xiu himself could sense the hostility this handsome guy aimed at him and smilingly said, "Do you believe if I say that I''m her boyfriend?"


    "Shut the hell up!" the handsome guy yelled, "Yaning''s boyfriend is me!"


    Looking as though she awakened from a dream, Su Yaning looked at Tang Xiu, who faintly smiled. She immediately smacked Tang Xiu''s hand snappily and said, "Cut the crap, will ya? Chang Wei, lemme introduce you to my cousin. He''s Tang Xiu, my auntie''s son. Tang Xiu, this is Chang Wei, my boyfriend."


    Tang Xiu faintly smiled, stretched his hand to the handsome young man, and said, "Well, my cousin is an outstanding girl, cousin-in-law. You''re gonna end up sour for no reason later if you can''t figure out things clearly out of jealousy, you know."


    The hostility shown by Chang Wei to Tang Xiu completely disappeared after Su Yaning''s introduction. He awkwardly scratched his head and then shook hands with Tang Xiu, apologizing. "Hey, cousin. Sorry for the bad attitude. I''m Chang Wei, the Sales Manager of Baolai Group."


    Tang Xiu noticed the change in Chang Wei''s expression when he stated the last sentence. The guy obviously looked more confident and likely wanted to intentionally prove his worth a bit.


    "I''m Tang Xiu."


    Tang Xiu stated his name with a smile and said, "Cousin, cousin-in-law, how about having lunch together since we met and now is lunchtime?"


    "Fine with me!" Su Yaning nodded without thinking and agreed.


    Chang Wei also nodded to express his consent and smilingly said, "Tang Xiu, you look so young, so you should still be studying and going to a university in Shanghai, right? By the way, let''s pick a place for lunch first and let me be the host. I know a good restaurant nearby."


    "Alright!" Tang Xiu nodded with a smile.


    Su Yaning herself didn''t think much about anything else. Even though she knew that Tang Xiu''s identity may be a bit scary for others, she had never told anyone about her relationship with him, especially to her lover, for fear that his attitude would change after hearing it.


    At the Everlasting Feast Hall.


    The restaurant Tang Xiu came to with Chang Wei and Su Yaning turned out to be the branch of the Everlasting Feast Hall in Shanghai. Tang Xiu smiled when he saw the familiar plaque. Counting the time passed, it had been more than 3 years since he last visited this venue, no? He didn''t know who was the person in charge of the restaurant now.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    "Welcome."


    Two welcoming ladies bowed and greeted. Afterward, a waiter quickly arrived and asked with a smile, "Are there only the three of you?"


    Maintaining a stylish demeanor, Chang Wei smilingly replied, "That''s right. Only three of us."


    "Please come inside."


    The waiter was also a new face and didn''t recognize Tang Xiu as he led the three people into the room and arranged seats for them. There were many people patronizing in the lobby on the first floor of the restaurant, but fortunately for them, there was an empty table by the window.


    Tang Xiu observed the situation in the restaurant and secretly sighed inwardly. More than 3 years had passed and the situation had changed so much, and he only found two senior employees here. But these two people were still greeting other guests and didn''t notice him.


    After taking a seat, Chang Wei took the menu and then handed it to Tang Xiu while smilingly saying, "Cousin Tang Xiu, you''re the first person I met among Yaning''s relatives. I should be a few years older than you, so there must be tons of things we both like. Anyway, order a la carte, anything you want. It''s all on me since I already prepared to treat a relative of my future wife."


    A trace of shyness could be seen on Su Yaning''s face, and she slapped Chang Wei''s hand and awkwardly scolded him with a smile. "What crap are you talking about? I don''t think I have promised to marry you."


    Su Yaning''s shyness made Tang Xiu realize that his cousin really liked Chang Wei. Therefore, he nodded with a smile and ordered the six most famous and most expensive special dishes of the Everlasting Feast Hall. He then returned the menu to Chang Wei and smilingly said, "I''ve picked the dishes, cousin-in-law. Would you like to add more?"


    Each of the six special dishes Tang Xiu just ordered was expensive and made Chang Wei bitterly smiled inwardly. Even if he didn''t order more dishes, he must dig into his pocket and spend half of his monthly salary.


    Yet, he still ordered two more dishes despite feeling a bit restless.


    "You ordered too many dishes, you know. It will be wasteful if you can''t eat ''em all, cousin." Su Yaning shook her head with a smile.


    "It''s okay. I just feel so happy, you know." Tang Xiu chuckled.


    Chang Wei could only roll his eyes secretly and was a bit speechless. You''re feeling happy? You have no idea I just spent half a month of my salary for one meal, do you? How will the three of us eat all these dishes? Most of them will definitely go to waste!


    As Chang Wei watched the waiter leave with a depressed face, the corner of his eyes caught sight of a familiar figure. His eyes immediately lit up and said, "Yaning, Tang Xiu, I just saw an acquaintance. I''m going to greet him first."


    "Alright!" Tang Xiu and Su Yaning nodded at the same time.


    After Chang Wei left, Su Yaning smilingly said, "Hey, let''s make a deal here. Don''t say anything about your identity and this meal today is your treat, got it!"


    "Uh, you have yet to marry to him, cousin. How come you''re so protective over your man?" Tang Xiu forced a wry smile.


    "Bah, who is protecting whose man?" Su Yaning rolled her eyes and snappily shot back, "This is your site, to begin with. Do you even need to pay to eat here?"


    Tang Xiu couldn''t help but laugh in response.


    At the entrance.


    Chang Wei strode toward his acquaintance and hurriedly called out to the man with a smile when he was six-plus meters away from him. Then, he hurriedly stretched out his hand and smiled. "General Manager Wang, I never thought I''d meet you here. Did you come here for lunch?"


    The man called General Manager Wang was a potbellied man and a decent-looking middle-aged man. After seeing Chang Wei, he just nodded in response and didn''t even shake hands with him. He replied lightly, "It''s just lunch. Are you here for lunch too, Manager Chang? The dishes here are quite expensive, right?"


    Although Chang Wei was very disgusted with this General Manager Wang, the man was still his superior and the second person in his company. Therefore, he could only obsequiously smile in response and say, "Well, I met a relative of my girlfriend, so I invited him to have lunch here. There''s nothing I can do but endure the pain no matter how expensive the dishes are, right? By the way, is this Big Sis-in-law, General Manager Wang? She''s really gorgeous. Would you like to come to our table and let me treat you today?"


    "Alright!"


    General Manager Wang hadn''t spoken yet, but the young woman beside him nodded and accepted. Her fast response, however, was out of Chang Wei''s expectation. Even General Manager Wang himself shot her a rebuking look.

 1258 Boss?!

    The invitation was just a pleasantry, but Chang Wei didn''t expect that the other party would accept it straight away. Feeling helpless and desperate, there was nothing Chang Wei could do but brace himself forward. "General Manager Wang, Big sis-in-law, please come inside."


    General Manager Wang, however, looked a bit cold and indifferently said, "She''s my daughter!"


    "What?"


    Chang Wei stared blankly and looked embarrassed afterward. He hurriedly said, "I''m sorry for being unable to figure out who you''re, thus speaking mistakenly. General Manager Wang, Ms. Wang, please come inside."


    "You really have no eyes, don''t you?" The girl chuckled and said, "I really don''t get why my Dad knows someone like you. Let''s go inside, then! I wanna see what kind of girlfriend you found with such eyes. She should be a blind person like you, yes?"


    Blind? F*ck you!


    Chang Wei angrily swore inside. He couldn''t help but feel a bad premonition inwardly. Although he was young, he had experienced many things. How could he not see that this daughter of General Manager Wang had the intention to make a mess? Suddenly, he secretly regretted licking this man''s ass and greeting him. He was simply courting misfortune for himself.


    Quickly after, Chang Wei took General Manager Wang and his daughter and came back to Tang Xiu and Su Yaning. There was a helpless look on his face as he introduced them. "Yaning, Tang Xiu, this is my superior, General Manager Wang and his daughter. General Manager Wang, this is my girlfriend, Su Yaning and this her cousin."


    After glancing at Su Yaning''s face, General Manager Wang''s gaze finally fell on Tang Xiu''s face and knitted his brows. He felt that Tang Xiu looked familiar, but he forgot where he had seen his face before.


    "Hello, President Wang."


    Tang Xiu got up and stretched out his hand after restraining his smile.


    General Manager Wang shook hands with Tang Xiu and nodded. "My little girl is intentionally making some trouble, so I have to come over to dine with you and I hope I didn''t disturb you. However, we still have something to do and can''t have lunch with you. Enjoy your meal."


    "Dad¡­"


    The young woman''s eyes never left Tang Xiu the moment she saw him. When she heard her father say they were taking their leave, she hurriedly grabbed his hand.


    On the other hand, Tang Xiu felt disgusted by the way this young woman looked at him. He felt like he was being stared at by a hungry female pervert. He could even sense from her aura that she just had sex with a man at least 2 hours ago.


    "I see. Then we won''t insist to have you accompany us since President Wang still has things to tend to."


    General Manager Wang glanced at his daughter, then looked at Tang Xiu and felt a bit helpless inside. After faintly giving an "Umm" in reply, he ignored his daughter''s pleading look and pulled her away.


    As he walked away for several meters, General Manager Wang''s eyes suddenly lit up when he saw the Everlasting Feast Hall''s manager coming inside. He paced forward to greet him immediately and smilingly said, "Mr. Hu, my daughter has been missing the dishes of the Everlasting Feast Hall. She just pulled me over right after I finished my lunch. You¡­"


    The refined middle-aged manager, who wore golden-rimmed glasses, just nodded to General Manager Wang in response and directly brushed past him, causing the General Manager Wang''s smile to freeze. The manager then strode towards Tang Xiu and respectfully bowed and said, "Boss, I didn''t know you were dining here. I hope you don''t blame me. My name is Hu Haoming, and I am now acting as the General Manager of our Shanghai''s Everlasting Feast Hall."


    A wry smile appeared on Tang Xiu''s face as he nodded and said, "I know. Go tend to your business first! I just returned to the mainland. Wait for me to finish my meal, I''ll go to the second floor to find you afterward."


    Hu Haoming hesitated for a while before he nodded and prudently said, "Then I''ll be waiting for you. But please notify me right away if you need anything else. I''ll be immediately at your service."


    Having said that, he nodded to Chang Wei and Su Yaning before prudently turning around and leaving.


    "Boss?!"


    Chang Wei was flabbergasted. He knew the General Manager of this restaurant and was well aware that the man was well-known in the restaurant industry in the capital. However, he never dreamed that the upscale restaurant he chose randomly turned out to be Tang Xiu''s business.


    It must be noted that the Everlasting Feast Hall was now owned by the Magnificent Tang Corporation. How big was this company¡­ no¡­ this company was simply a colossus! Yet, Tang Xiu was actually the Everlasting Feast Hall''s owner. That was really difficult to believe¡­


    Suddenly, Chang Wei''s pupils abruptly shrank and he couldn''t help but shudder. He finally realized one thing. The Everlasting Feast Hall belongs to the Magnificent Tang Corporation and its Manager just addressed Tang Xiu as Boss. Then¡­ Tang Xiu¡­ is he the Magnificent Tang Corporation''s owner?


    Tang Xiu¡­ Tang Xiu?... Tang Xiu?!


    Chang Wei recalled the name in his mind three times and his legs went soft immediately. If he didn''t put his hands on the table to support himself, he would have slumped to the floor immediately.


    Isn''t the name of the Magnificent Tang Corporation''s Big Boss Tang Xiu?


    "You''re¡­"


    Chang Wei''s lips squirmed, but he couldn''t utter anything else at the moment.


    Tang Xiu lightly smiled and waved his hand. "Cousin-in-law, you''re my cousin''s boyfriend, so we''re relatives. There''s no need to be bothered by my background or identity when we dine together, no? But if there''s one thing I need to say, we don''t need to pay for our meal since this restaurant is mine."


    Several meters away, General Manager Wang was dumbstruck and his heart pounded hard. From Hu Haoming''s address just now, he suddenly realized why he felt that the young man looked familiar. It was because he was the owner of this Everlasting Feast Hall and the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation!


    I''m so stupid and dumb.


    With deep regret inside his heart, General Manager Wang would have really wanted to slap his own face and his big mouth if there weren''t so many people present.


    Who was Tang Xiu? He was the Magnificent Tang Corporation''s Big Boss and the famous Divine Doctor in China!


    How many people wanted to have a meal with him in this world? Yet they had no qualifications. What about himself then? It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fawn upon him, yet he was the one who turned it down himself.


    If this matter is known to anyone, they will definitely point to my nose and call me dumb, right? General Manager Wang squeezed out a smile that was uglier than crying.


    "What''s wrong with you, Dad?"


    Although the young woman felt some regret for being unable to dine with that super handsome guy, she noticed the bizarre expression on her father''s face and hurriedly asked.


    "Dear daughter, Dad didn''t listen to you and just missed a chance to hug a big tree," General Manager Wang bitterly said.


    "What do you mean?" The young woman was confused.


    "Do you know about the Magnificent Tang Corporation?" asked General Manager Wang in a whisper.


    "Why? Is there anyone in China who doesn''t know this company?" The young woman nodded and said, "Those who don''t know this company must be aliens who have just returned from outer space."


    "You know, that young man just now was Tang Xiu, the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation," General Manager Wang bitterly said.


    "What?!" the young woman exclaimed aloud.


    General Manager Wang hurriedly grabbed the girl''s hand and headed outside half-running. Although he was full of regrets, he was secretly thankful that Chang Wei was Tang Xiu''s cousin-in-law. He made up his mind not to pull an attitude in front of Chang Wei anymore in the future and would even treat him as his living ancestor.


    In the hall.


    Su Yaning pulled Chang Wei to take a seat, but the guy himself felt like he was sitting on a cushion full of needles. To sit and have a meal with Tang Xiu, the Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, was something he never dared imagine before. He recalled how he showed off in front of Tang Xiu before and even deliberately introduced himself and emphasized his workplace and identity. But now, he only felt ashamed and wished there was a hole he could dig and burrow himself into.


    Looking at Chang We''s expression, Su Yaning suddenly felt a headache and said, "I knew it. Had I known it would turn like this, I''d have suggested picking another restaurant to lunch previously. I can tell we won''t have a good meal looking at him turn like this, you know."


    Tang Xiu also sighed inwardly, but he could understand Chang Wei''s feelings and smilingly said, "Cousin-in-law, there''s no need to feel and act so restrained in front of me, you see. Although I''m the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, I''m just an ordinary person like everyone else. Besides, Su Yaning is also my cousin and you''re her companion. Just your relationship with her alone is already enough since you both love each other, so that makes us relatives. I hope you can treat my cousin well in the future."


    "I will do that!"


    Chang Wei finally calmed down and firmly nodded after he turned to Su Yaning and shot her a deep look.


    "You don''t blame me for not telling you earlier?" Su Yaning asked.


    "I feel fortunate you didn''t tell me about it earlier. Otherwise, my intention to be together with you would not be as pure." Chang Wei shook his head and smiled wryly. "Senior Tang¡­ umm. Tang Xiu, you''re the owner of this restaurant, so I don''t need to smack my own face to treat you anymore, right? Let me offer you a toast with this cup of wine and use this chance to show my respect to you. After all, you''re someone I admire."


    "That''s great!"


    Tang Xiu also raised his glass, had a toast with Chang Wei, and downed the white wine.


    The lunch ended up with Tang Xiu and Su Yaning enjoying it to the full, while Chang Wei was still a bit restrained. It was likely that he couldn''t fully enjoy the dishes.


    After lunch, Su Yaning and Chang Wei left, but Su Yaning told Tang Xiu before leaving that her entire family was now living in Shanghai, and she hoped that he would visit and have a meal at their home if he had spare time in the next few days.


    Subsequently, Tang Xiu met the Everlasting Feast Hall''s General Manager, Hu Haoming, and chatted for a while. He then left, caught a taxi, and rushed to the Magnificent Tang Corporation''s HQ.


    At the Magnificent Tang Industrial Park.


    The company''s office itself was located at the outermost edge of the industrial park. When Tang Xiu got off the taxi, he looked up at the dozens of high-rise buildings and secretly felt happy. He was the designer of the company HQ himself, and after looking up from the ground, he could tell that the construction of the building accentuated the effect much better than he had imagined.


    Majestic and stylish.


    The two words were enough to describe the HQ of the Magnificent Tang Corporation.


    Tang Xiu then walked on the stairs and passed through the wide fountain square as he came to the entrance of the edifice. There, he saw many people swiping their work cards before entering. Tang Xiu went straight to the two security guards on the left side and said, "I''m Tang Xiu, the owner of this company. However, I don''t have a work card, so get me a temporary one."


    The Boss? Tang Xiu?


    The two security guards didn''t know Tang Xiu and just exchanged glances, being at a loss of what they should do.

 1259 The Boss’s Summon

    Seeing that the two security guards wore dull expressions, Tang Xiu suddenly moved and disappeared before their eyes. In the next moment, he appeared in the General Manager''s office on the 66th floor.


    Behind the desk, the flowing long-haired Gao Beilei in a white suit was quietly reading some documents. She immediately looked to see Tang Xiu when she realized that there was someone in front of her.


    "Boss!" Gao Beilei hurriedly got up and called out with a respectful expression.


    "Are you busy now?" Tang Xiu lightly smiled. "How about accompanying me on a tour of the industrial park?"


    "I haven''t noticed anyone in advance, so all the plants are now operating according to the usual working procedures. Do you have a certain plant you would like to visit, perhaps?" Gao Beilei asked.


    "I want to visit the brewery, visiting the rest will be optional," Tang Xiu said lightly.


    "Alright!"


    Gao Beilei nodded and called the secretary of the office through the PABX phone. As the good-looking female secretary wearing high heels and a red suit knocked on the door and entered, she looked at Tang Xiu and was surprised. Her desk was right outside the office, but she had never seen this stranger enter the General Manager Office previously.


    Suddenly, she felt that Tang Xiu was familiar, and after recollecting her memory, she suddenly trembled and asked with incredulity on her face, "Aren''t you¡­ Boss¡­ Tang?"


    "Little Zhou, this is our company''s Boss. Call Production Manager Liu, Deputy General Manager Chen, as well as the rest of the factory directors. Tell them to hurry up, there''s something important here to¡­"


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt her and lightly said, "I don''t want to create a big parade during my visit. Just accompany me to tour around the place. Let the factory director accompany later when I visit each of the projects. By the way, what is Scarface Qiang''s position now? I haven''t seen him for years, so I miss him a bit."


    "Huh? Scarface Qiang?" Gao Beilei was confused and curiously asked, "Who''s this Scarface Qiang, Boss?"


    Tang Xiu blanked for a moment and then suddenly burst out laughing. "Ah, hahaha. It''s the nickname of a familiar man. His name is Dai Qiang, and he was the director of the winery when the plant was in Star City."


    Gao Beilei immediately understood, but she hesitated for a while and then said in a low voice, "Dai Qiang resigned half a year ago, Boss. I have no idea where he lives right now."


    "Come again?" Tang Xiu suddenly looked gloomy. "What''s going on here?"


    Gao Beilei inwardly shouted that this would be a mess. She was not Tang Xiu''s direct subordinate at the time. Although she had inquired many things about him, she never heard that Tang Xiu had a good relationship with Dai Qiang. In the event half a year ago, Deputy General Manager Chen had become the No.2 figure in the Magnificent Tang Corporation, so it was natural that she favored this man a bit and eventually forced Dai Qiang to resign out of anger.


    "Boss, about this¡­"


    Tang Xiu fell into silence for a while. He went to the corner and took a seat on the sofa there. After taking out a cigarette and liting it up, he took a deep puff before taking out his cell phone, finding Dai Qiang''s cell number, and then dialing it directly.


    After some time, his call was picked up and the voice of a drunk man came out from the phone. "Who is this? Calling in the middle of the night and disturbing my dreams? Do you not know how immoral this is?"


    After saying that, the call was hung up.


    Is it in the middle of the night already?


    Tang Xiu shifted his vision and looked out the window. Although it was a bit cold, the time was exactly at 2:30 in the afternoon. He took a deep breath and then dialed back again. Just as Dai Qiang was about to pull a tantrum again, he spoke in a deep voice, "It''s me, Tang Xiu, Scarface Qiang!"


    Half a minute passed by, but Dai Qiang''s voice didn''t come out of the phone. However, Tang Xiu could clearly hear his breathing become rushed from the phone.


    "Where are you now?" Tang Xiu asked.


    "Bo¡­ Boss¡­ I-I''m in Star City." Dai Qiang''s bitter voice came from the phone.


    "Get to the Star City Airport right away, I''ll send a special plane to pick you up." Tang Xiu ordered. "Get your ass here no matter what happened before. Be mentally prepared to be punished by me if you are the one who caused the problem, but if it was not your fault¡­ Hmph¡­"


    "Okay, okay, okay. I''ll head there right away!"


    Dai Qiang immediately replied from the other end of the phone, and he sounded excited.


    Tang Xiu hung up and tilted up his head to stare at Gao Beilei. Then, he waved to the secretary as a hint to make her leave. Afterward, he pointed to the sofa in front of him, watched Gao Beilei take a seat, and then calmly said, "I met Scarface Dai Qiang by chance in some mountainous area when I went on an adventure. It was kind of a funny scene when I met him, though. The first time I met him, he was just a brigand who robbed anyone passing the road, whereas I was a passerby he robbed at that time."


    Gao Beilei didn''t utter any word, but she was perfectly aware that some people in the company were about to get sacked.


    Tang Xiu went on, "When I first found the Magnificent Tang Corporation, God''s Nectar was not yet included in the list of the manufactured products. I already had the recipe to brew it at the time, but no one was available to manufacture it. I brought Dai Qiang from that mountainous area to Star City myself, and his contribution to the success of God''s Nectar brewing was undeniable. The reason I called him Scarface Qiang instead of Dai Qiang was because of his good character. At least I know that he''d never resort to schemes and intrigues, and he would never become greedy when he saw money before his eyes."


    Seeing that Tang Xiu stopped speaking at this point, Gao Beilei interjected. "I understand what you mean, Boss. I''ll report to you the course of the matter in an objective and fair manner. However, I dare not say that everything I say is 100% true."


    "Elaborate. I''m all ears," Tang Xiu said.


    "Six months ago, the winery''s warehouse lost a batch of wine, a total of 200 boxes of God''s Nectar." Gao Beilie started narrating. "Dai Qiang was the director of the winery at the time. That night, apart from the company security guards on duty, he was the only one who entered the warehouse, and I''ve seen the footage from the beginning to end when he went there three times.


    "The person responsible for investigating the cause of the theft at the time was Chen Liwei, our company''s Deputy General Manager. Chen Liwei joined the company two months earlier than me and he was already considered as a senior executive in the company then. After the investigation, he found that two members of the security team were responsible for the theft and accused Dai Qiang of stealing 200 boxes of God''s Nectar.


    "Afterward, Deputy General Manager Chen took a team to Dai Qiang''s residence. At that time, Dai Qiang adamantly refused to admit to the theft and was even willing to let the team search his home to prove his innocence. At the end of the day, the security team members found 10 boxes of God''s Nectar in his house, but Dai Qiang vehemently said that someone must have put them there to frame him.


    "However, the witnesses and physical evidence were all there against Dai Qiang''s testimony. He finally chose to retain his shares in the winery and then resigned as the director of the plant and left the company. I originally wanted to report this matter to President Kang and let her make a decision. I tried to contact her many times through various means but to no avail. Therefore, I could only put this matter on hold, and then I forgot to report it since I was too busy."


    Tang Xiu calmly listened to Gao Beilei''s explanation and understood inwardly that the Magnificent Tang Corporation had very likely not been quite peaceful in the past few years. He could tell there must be fierce struggles among the top management of the company, while Dai Qiang may have affected or even disturbed some people''s source of income. Eventually, he got squeezed out of the company by some despicable shenanigans.


    "Struggles are inevitable whenever people gather together, huh!" Tang Xiu couldn''t help but sigh. But his expression immediately turned cold as he indifferently said, "Tell Chen Liwei to come to see me now! It''s very likely I''ll figure out the issue the moment I see him."


    Gao Beilei spaced out for a moment before a contemptuous look flashed across her eyes. She actually had a faint guess that Chen Liwei was a source of problems. However, this man was very shrewd and she had never caught him red-handed. Further, Chen Liwei himself was a very capable man. Thanks to him and his assistance with her works all these years, she wouldn''t have been able to bring the Magnificent Tang Corporation to such a height today.


    Due to this reason, Gao Beilei believed that Tang Xiu wouldn''t be able to get anything from this man.


    After a while, a thin, tall, and fair-skinned middle-aged man knocked on the door of the General Manager Office. He slightly dazed when he saw Tang Xiu sitting on the sofa before he immediately recognized Tang Xiu''s identity. With a pleasantly surprised face, he paced forward and said, "Hello, Boss. I''m Chen Liwei. It''s my first time seeing you after working for three years for the Magnificent Tang Corporation."


    Tang Xiu observed Chen Liwei for some time. He could keenly sense this man''s evil tendencies, which showed that he had killed quite a lot of people before. Further, aside from such sinister aura, there was also a particular scent after having sex, which meant that Chen Liwei just had sex within the last two hours.


    "You''re Chen Liwei? Come and sit cross-legged in front of me," Tang Xiu waved and said with a smile on his handsome face.


    Chen Liwei looked black and then hesitated. "You asked me to¡­ sit cross-legged on the floor, Boss?"


    "What''s wrong? You refuse?" Tang Xiu asked with a smile.


    Chen Liwei shook his head quickly and said, "No, no, no. I''ll do as you told, Boss. I''m just a bit puzzled as to why¡­"


    "I''m sure you know about my other identity. I''m a Chinese medicine practitioner, so I naturally care about the health of my employees." Tang Xiu interrupted him while keeping the smile on his face. "I just saw you walking, and you seem to have overworked yourself from your steps. That''s why I want to give you a diagnosis of whether there''s something wrong with your body."


    Chen Liwei immediately looked relieved upon hearing this. He walked to Tang Xiu''s front and then sat cross-legged. Then, he smilingly said, "I''m very touched with Boss''s compassion for his subordinates. I''ll definitely work harder in the future to make our Magnificent Tang Corporation more brilliant¡­"


    "You''ll never have that chance!"


    The smile on Tang Xiu''s face instantly vanished. As Chen Liwei dazed, Tang Xiu pinched the man''s head and instantly cast a secret technique to scour his memory. If it was 3 years ago, even if Tang Xiu could forcibly check someone''s memory using this secret technique, it was very likely that he would only get some fragmentary memories.

 1260 The Truth of the Investigation

    The current Tang Xiu was no longer as before. He could easily check Chen Liwei''s memory as the man himself looked to be in pain. But Tang Xiu''s expression became more indifferent the longer he scoured Chen Liwei''s memory, and his expression finally turned into that of anger.


    "You''re really damned!"


    Tang Xiu''s five fingers pinched hard and directly cracked Chen Liwei''s skull, and a punch finally ended the man''s life. After seeing his memories, Tang Xiu knew how wicked and sinister this man had been. Aside from being ambitious, he had a good reputation overseas before joining the Magnificent Tang Corporation, yet he resorted to many underhanded and despicable means to achieve it. Since he joined the Magnificent Tang Corp, he continued climbing up in position using various wicked and sinister means and finally became the no.2 figure in the company.


    In Scarface Qiang''s case, he was framed and schemed by Chen Liwei, since the man secretly contacted him to embezzle a batch of God''s Nectar to sell through private channels for personal gain. Scarface Qiang refused and severely reprimanded him and went so far to strike him.


    Therefore, Chen Liwei harbored a grudge towards Scarface Qiang. Through a series of machinations, he finally forced Scarface Qiang to leave the Magnificent Tang Corporation and Chen Liwei put his trusted man on the position of the director of the winery. For the last six months, Chen Liwei secretly embezzled God''s Nectar and then sold it through special private channels and pocketed the money.


    The fortune from just half a year of selling the stolen God''s Nectar alone earned him more than 100 million yuan.


    Further, he had also begun to set up a machination to get his hands on the Aeroglider. Had Tang Xiu not come here at this time and met him because of Scarface Qiang''s case, it was very likely that the man would be able to put his lackey to be the director of the Aeroglider plant in the next few months. He would then embezzle Aerogliders for his own personal gain.


    "So bold and greedy!"


    Tang Xiu kicked Chen Liwei''s body away and then stared daggers at the frightened Gao Beilei, who got up from the sofa and kept retreating backward. Then, he coldly said, "I originally said that I''ll give you 10% stakes of the company if you could manage the company well. Yet you''ve picked up and groomed some crooks inside the company¡ªthat deserves punishment. As such, you can only get at most 5% of the company stakes 2 years later!"


    As Gao Beilei''s came to a halt, she stared at Tang Xiu with a look of horror and panickily said, "W-why¡­ w-why did you kill him?"


    "Kill him, huh? He already got it easy to just die rather than being at the border of life and death!" Tang Xiu sneered. "The one now in charge of the winery is Chen Liwei''s dog, and he has been secretly abusing his power to embezzle God''s Nectar and selling it to seek personal gain for the last six months. That alone earned him more than 100 million yuan. What''s more, he also began his machination at the Aeroglider factory to plant his man as the factory director, with which he planned to further grow his fortune. It''s just been less than 3 years for God''s sake! Do you know how much money he got from his corruption in the company?"


    "How is this possible?" Gao Beilei incredulously asked.


    "Heh, I looked into his memories. How could it be wrong?" Tang Xiu sneered.


    "That''s nonsense!" Gao Beilei shuddered and subconsciously stepped back. "How can you look into Chen Liwei''s memories? You¡­"


    Her words came to a halt.


    A horrified and frightened look painted her face as though she was seeing a ghost in the daytime. She saw Tang Xiu, who was previously sitting, float. Not only that, but even all the objects in the office were also floating.


    "Do you know why I can easily create the Magnificent Tang Corporation and why it has been so easy for me to make so much fortune?" Tang Xiu sneered. "It''s because I''ve never been an ordinary person. I already told you that I don''t give a damn about money, didn''t I? Money has never been a significant thing for me. Gao Beilei, you being able to become the General Manager of the Magnificent Tang Corporation and someone who can call the shots in the Wall Street before, you should know about many things. Don''t tell me you never heard anything about practitioners?"


    Whoosh¡­


    As Tang Xiu faded away at this moment, a figure suddenly appeared in the room. A crooked and relatively young man silently appeared in front of Gao Beilei and looked at Tang Xiu with vigilance, ready to protect Gao Beilei.


    Tang Xiu creased his brows and lightly smiled. "Well, well. It seems you know about the existence of practitioners. This subordinate of yours is seemingly one, and a rather formidable one as well!"


    Gao Beilei only felt that a gale was whooshing before her eyes a moment ago, and her bodyguard appeared in front of her in a flash. The situation turned chaotic given how unbelievable it was to her. The existence of practitioners was something she only heard from some rumors, but she had no idea what kind of abilities they possessed.


    Her bodyguard was a poor man she helped during her stay in the United States. At that time, the man was injured and she rescued him. After this young man recovered, he showcased his combat prowess and thus kept following her.


    Yet¡­ she really had no idea that he was a practitioner!


    "What''s exactly going on here, Reese? Why did you suddenly appear in front of me in a flash? You¡­ are you really like what he said¡­ a p-practitioner?" Gao Beilei suppressed her panic and fright and quickly asked.


    The young man turned his head and squeezed out a smile that was uglier than crying, saying, "I''m indeed a practitioner, Boss. I used to think that I''m already formidable enough. But I''m worlds apart compared to him."


    "You do have a bit of self-knowledge, huh?" Tang Xiu indifferently smiled.


    Having said that, he gently waved his hand. The young man''s body was instantly bounced off and quickly hit the wall, and he couldn''t move anymore. A strand of qi swept Gao Beilei and threw her back on the opposite sofa. Tang Xiu then went on saying, "Killings are just normal occurrence among cultivators, your subordinate is well aware of this fact. Although I have no idea why he concealed his identity as a practitioner, he''s your subordinate, so I won''t kill him. Still, the Magnificent Tang Corporation is mine, and the appearance of such a wicked tumor like Chen Liwei requires me to act to remove it."


    Gao Beilei gradually put away the fear in her heart. She stared at Tang Xiu and asked, "Can I¡­ resign?"


    "I''ll neither stop nor keep from resigning," Tang Xiu calmly said. "At most, I just feel a bit regretful. However, the protection Kang Xia put on you will be withdrawn?"


    "Kang Xia? Protection?" Gao Beilei was confused and asked, "What do you mean by that?"


    "You guys, come out!" Tang Xiu clapped and lightly said.


    Suddenly, two men and two women appeared in the office out of the blue. The four people quickly saluted and respectfully said, "Your Majesty."


    "You guys should have been protecting Gao Beilei''s safety in the past few years, right?" Tang Xiu nodded at them and said, "Thanks for your hard work. But you guys don''t need to stay to protect her anymore if she insists on resigning later."


    "Acknowledged!" the four people respectfully replied.


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment before he took a pen and paper and quickly wrote more than 20 people''s names. Afterward, he threw it one of them and ordered, "Go to the winery and dispose of its director! Give the people on the list severe beatings as well and squeeze them to find out how much they have embezzled from the Corporation for their personal gain all these years. Drag them out and dispose them afterward!"


    "Affirmative!" the four replied and instantly disappeared.


    With disbelief on her face, Gao Beilei murmured, "They¡­ they have been protecting me secretly for the last 3 years?"


    "That''s right," Tang Xiu calmly replied. "That''s why I said that Kang Xia has been taking care of you. Those four were originally her bodyguards, but she unexpectedly ordered them to protect you after she left. Nevertheless, it''s natural. After all, you''re the Magnificent Tang Corporation''s General Manager and responsible to manage the whole operation of the company. If even your security is not guaranteed, that will affect the company''s development for sure."


    Gao Beilei took a deep breath and dispelled all the fears in her heart, and then stated in a deep voice, "I can choose not to resign, but there''s a question I need you to answer."


    "You want to ask me who I really am, don''t you?" Tang Xiu smiled and lightly replied.


    "Yes." Gao Beilei nodded.


    Tang Xiu retracted his aura and let go of the young man pasted on the wall. Then, he chuckled and asked him, "You should have heard of Chinese cultivators, right?"


    The young man dashed to Gao Beilei and replied with a respectful face, "I know about the mysterious Chinese cultivators, and their cultivation system is even more unfathomable. If she didn''t come to China and become the Magnificent Tang Corporation''s General Manager, I wouldn''t have dared come to China at all. So much so that I have never exposed my identity as a practitioner and kept staying low-key ever since I arrived in China 2 years ago."


    "You have any more questions?" Tang Xiu looked at Gao Beilein and chuckled.


    Gao Beilei finally understood Tang Xiu''s identity. She also had heard of the existence of cultivators in China. However, she only regarded it as some fairy tale and thought it was impossible for real cultivators to exist in reality. But now that her worldview had been overturned, she realized that she had been a frog that saw a sky from the bottom of a well¡ªlacking in knowledge and ignorant.


    Suddenly, her expression shifted and she inquisitively asked, "If I did not hear wrong, they addressed you as Your Majesty. You¡­"


    "You''d better not ask such things as you''re not qualified to know anything about it." Tang Xiu lightly smiled. "What you need to know is that I''m not hostile to you. I''ll never harm you for no reason as long as you don''t harm my interests. What you need to do is to develop the Magnificent Tang Corporation well, with which you''ll help me make more money in the next two years."


    Gao Beilei creased her brows and asked, "I may take your statement for granted and be convinced if you''re now the richest person in the world. But why do you still urgently need to make more money? Didn''t you say that money has no much significance to you no matter how much it is?"

 1261 Big Sis-In-Law

    "Money is not omnipotent in this world, but it does nearly serve as an all-purpose thing." Tang Xiu indifferently said, "You need a colossal amount of money to buy cultivation resources if you want to cultivate and keep becoming stronger. This subordinate of yours should also feel the same."


    "That''s right!" The young man nodded and then added, "All of my money has been used to buy things that can help me improve my strength all these years indeed."


    "I suppose you always buy it on the black market, yes?" Tang Xiu smilingly said, "To be honest, I also have been wanting to visit the black market to broaden my knowledge. But I haven''t been able to go there since many things got me occupied."


    "Well, that place is neither a good or bad place if you ask me," the young man replied.


    Tang Xiu smiled indifferently in response, shifted back to Gao Beilei and faintly said, "The wicked tumors in the Magnificent Tang Corporation are to be eradicated directly. The list I just gave those guys is the names of Chen Liwei''s lackeys. Therefore, you are to announce that Chen Liwei and more than 20 people under him were fired by the company because of corruption. Other than that, you are to summon the Head of the Security Department of the Magnificent Tang Corporation here now!"


    Gao Beilei nodded, but then she hesitated as she thought that Tang Xiu would strike the Security Department as well. "Boss, the Security Department''s Head, Su Ben, has always been a loyal and honest figure here. He''s also very capable. I don''t think he''s in cahoots with Chen Liwei''s group."


    Su Ben?


    As a smile climbed up on Tang Xiu''s face, he could see the concern and worry flash past Gao Beilei''s eyes. Then, he chuckled and said, "I know Su Ben. But I''m a bit surprised to see you protecting him! That''s a surprise to me. I suppose you have a good personal relationship with him, yes?"


    Gao Beilei hesitated before a bitter smile appeared on her face and she said, "Actually, we''ve been concealing our relationship to the company for the time being. But now that Boss asked me about it, I have to tell you that¡­ Su Ben and I¡­ are husband and wife. We already have the legal certificate for more than a year, but we haven''t had a banquet yet."


    "Huh? Come again?"


    Tang Xiu suddenly got up from the sofa and looked at Gao Beilei incredulously, asking, "You¡­ you got married to Su Ben? How did you¡­ get together?"


    Gao Beilei looked a bit shy, but she quickly suppressed it and replied, "Su Ben has an honest and pure character, and I gradually came to like him after getting along for some time. In actuality, it was I who pursued him¡­"


    Tang Xiu looked at Gao Beilei with an expression of being at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh. He waved to the young man to leave, leaving him and Gao Beilei in the office. Afterward, he poured a cup of tea and took it as he walked to Gao Beilei and handed it to her, which made her extremely flattered. Then, he said, "Big Sis-in-law, I had no idea you had such a relationship with Brother Ben before, so many of my actions were rather offensive to you. I hope you can forgive me. Also¡­ don''t tell Brother Ben about what happened between us today. Otherwise, he''ll definitely smack me for sure."


    Gao Beilei was flabbergasted and dumbly stared at Tang Xiu, who wore a forced smile. Her shock was even greater than when she heard Tang Xiu was a cultivator.


    Big¡­ sister-in-law?


    The dignified Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, a fearsome cultivator who is addressed by his subordinates as Your Majesty, a super big personage¡­ yet he actually¡­ called me¡­ big sis-in-law?


    This¡­ what kind of a big joke is this?


    Looking at Gao Beilei''s face, Tang Xiu realized that Su Ben hadn''t told her about his relationship with him, so he smiled and said, "Big Sis-in-law, Brother Ben and I actually grew up together. We used to live in the Su Family Village, and the two of us were neighbors. Well, strictly speaking, we are kind of relatives since each household in the entire Su Family Village is still related by blood. I brought Brother Ben to Star City and arranged for him to be a security guard at the winery then. I''ve been too busy all these years and even went into seclusion overseas to cultivate, so I have no idea about his progress and achievement now. It never occurred to me that he''d have married you secretly."


    Only now did Gao Beilei finally understand. Looking at Tang Xiu''s smiling face, she could feel his feelings.


    "Boss, then you and Su Quan¡­"


    "Well, we all grew up together. If you ask me," Tang Xiu chuckled, "we''re all close brothers. And, although my family name is not Su, my mother is surnamed Su."


    Quickly after, Su Ben rushed into the General Manager Office and rapidly asked the moment he came inside, "Beilei, you called me over in such a hurry. Did something hap¡­"


    He didn''t finish his words because he saw Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu greeted him with a smile, opened his arm and laughed. "Hahaha, it''s been a few years since the last time I saw you, Brother Ben! Well, you look much better than before. To think that you even got married to Gao Lei, the famous General Manager of the Magnificent Tang Corporation. Damn! You truly deserve to be admired. That''s so damn great, Brother."


    Su Ben looked excited and his eyes were slightly red. He dashed towards Tang Xiu, opened his arms and gave a big hug. He slapped Tang Xiu''s back with his fists and then said, "I finally see you again, Tang Xiu! It''s been a few years indeed. I''d have gone already to search for you everywhere had it not been for Chief Kang telling me that you went into seclusion to cultivate."


    "No worries, Brother! I''m all fine and dandy!" Tang Xiu chuckled and smilingly said, "Anyhow, you seem much stronger now after more than 3 years, no? You have broken through to the Golden Core Stage?"


    "Hahaha. It''s all thanks to you for sending those cultivation resources to me, Quan, and Xiangfei frequently, Brother!" Su Ben gruffly laughed and said, "Else, it would''ve been impossible for my cultivation to progress so quickly."


    Tang Xiu was stunned and then wryly smiled. "Uh, I never gave such an order. It should be Kang Xia!"


    "Meh, we''re all family. You or Kang Xia are all the same." Su Ben laughed.


    Gao Beilei, on the other hand, was in disbelief as though she just got acquainted with Su Ben again and exclaimed with incredulity, "You¡­ you''re also a cultivator?"


    Su Ben said with an apologetic expression, "Please don''t blame me for hiding it from you, Beilei. Tang Xiu forbade us to tell anything to anyone about it. Not even to our loved ones. That''s why I never told you about it. But I''ve been meaning to talk to him when I meet him again later all this while, to see whether you can also cultivate."


    Gao Beilei''s mood was overly complicated. Everything that happened today made her feel like she was riding a roller coaster.


    Suddenly, she seemed to recall something and hurriedly asked, "Then you should also know that Reese is also a practitioner, shouldn''t you? You also know that there are four powerful experts protecting me, right?"


    Su Ben nodded and said, "I already knew their existence ever since I met you. However, I''ve talked with Reese in private and then learned that he wants to repay his debt. I know that not only will he not harm you, but he''ll also protect you in secret. As for those four guys sent by Chief Kang, well, Chief Kang notified me about it previously."


    Gao Beilei was annoyed and angrily snapped. "You had better kneel and do some washboard when you get home later!"


    "Uh¡­ I¡­"


    Su Ben awkwardly raised his hand to scratch the back of his head.


    Tang Xiu laughed secretly and watched as Gao Beilei played the strict wife against the henpecked Su Ben. He patted Su Ben''s shoulder and said, "Anyhow, when are you and Sis-in-law going to hold a wedding banquet, Brother Ben? That''s right, I gave Sis-in-law a jade pendant before to protect her safety, but it''s just a trashy one-time-use magic tool. Sis-in-law, please accept this cultivation technique manual. It''s a very powerful immortal cultivation technique, and you can begin cultivating straight away. Ask Brother Ben to guide you frequently and you''ll be able to make great achievements in the future."


    Gao Beilei took the cultivation technique manual and asked with a surprised look, "Boss, the jade pendant you gave before me¡­ can it really protect me?"


    "Yeah." Tang Xiu nodded and explained, "It''s a defensive type magic tool. Though its grade is very low, it can protect you from any ordinary accident. For instance, a car accident. Even if a large truck speeding at 200 km/h were to directly hit you, you would still come out unscathed. You would also be okay even if someone were to shoot you with a gun. However, this magic tool will be destroyed after being used once.


    Gao Beilei''s lips wriggled a few times and her heart moved a bit. She didn''t expect Tang Xiu to be concerned and considered her safety the first time he met her.


    How could that jade pendant be regarded as trash? That was a life-saving amulet!


    Subsequently, Tang Xiu and Su Ben recounted their old days before the three people left the General Manager Office. At the same time, a great storm was caused by the Magnificent Tang Corporation''s actions.


    Chen Liwei, the Deputy General Manager of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, abused his position for personal gain, embezzled a huge amount of money and was directly fired.


    The Director of Magnificent Tang Winery was in cahoots with Chen Liwei and was directly sacked due to the huge amount of funds he embezzled.


    The Deputy Manager of the Magnificent Tang Sales Department¡­


    The Regional Manager of the Magnificent Tang Corporation¡­


    ¡­


    More than 20 mid-level and high-level executives of the Magnificent Tang Corporation were fired all at once¡ªan event that shocked the entire company''s employees and made them scared.


    Further, the personnel of the company also learned from the various channels that the Big Boss, Tang Xiu, had come back and all of the decisions were given by the Big Boss himself. It was then followed by an announcement:


    "Big Boss has personally decreed that any senior executive of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, regardless of who and their position, that previously used his position for personal gain will receive reduced punishment as long as they admit their faults and return the embezzled money. Otherwise, once the investigation starts and they are found guilty, not only will they be fired, they will also be handed to the judiciary with follow-up legal proceedings."


    The news quickly spread throughout the entire Magnificent Tang Corporation in just half a day, and it was even known to the entire business society in Shanghai.


    5:30 in the evening.


    Before the employees of the Magnificent Tang Corporation got off work, more than a dozen high-level executives came and admitted their faults one after another. They pledged to return the embezzled money and were willing to be demoted and relegated.


    As the General Manager of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, Gao Beilei was embarrassed to face Tang Xiu after all these incidents. However, Tang Xiu himself didn''t care about it. He just smiled and consoled her before he went straight to visit the industrial park. His actions made Gao Beilei grateful, and Su Ben felt warm inside.


    During this time, another shocking and breaking news also quickly spread throughout the company and caused a great sensation.

 1262 The Choice You Can Pick

    The news that spread quickly throughout the Magnificent Tang Corporation was: "General Manager Gao Beilei and Security Department Head Su Ben have married in secret a year ago and have become legal husband and wife. Big Boss Tang Xiu and Security Department Head Su Ben grew up together, and Big Boss Tang addressed Gao Beilei big sis-in-law in front of many people."


    In a flash, the employees in the whole company now looked at Su Ben in a different light. Even fools could now see that the real bull of the company aside from the Big Boss Tang Xiu was Su Ben! With the Big Boss as a brother, the General Manager who had become his wife was the real winner of a lifetime!


    ****


    At dusk.


    Tang Xiu, Su Ben, Gao Beilei, Su Quan, and Su Xiangfei, who had just arrived, all gathered in the Bluestar Villa Complex, enjoying rare dinner time.


    "Wow! It''s so lively here!"


    Clear harmonious laughter came from outside the dining room. Chen Xiaowan, wearing a red trench coat, came into the room and brought with her a fragrant scent.


    Tang Xiu got up, went forward to greet her and gave Chen Xiaowan a big hug. After releasing her, he smilingly said, "It''s been more than 3 years since the last time we met, Sis Xiaowan. You look more beautiful and younger than ever. Anyway, why didn''t you bring my future brother-in-law here?"


    "Cut the crap, silly! I don''t have a boyfriend yet!" Chen Xiaowan chuckled and said, "Big Sis has been missing you. You just left and went away for more than 3 years."


    Having said that, her eyes looked slightly reddish, and she would have burst into tears if there weren''t so many people present.


    Tang Xiu held her shoulders and smilingly said, "I''ve been very busy dealing with some things, Sis Xiaowan. Otherwise, I''d have run back to see you already. Come, I''ll introduce you to these guys¡­"


    Chen Xiaowan took a deep breath, trying hard to suppress her emotions, and smilingly said, "Nah, spare me the introduction. Who doesn''t know these guys, silly? It''s just, I never thought that General Manager Gao would also be here."


    "Uh, she''s my wife, Sis Xiaowan." Su Ben chuckled.


    "You say what?!"


    Chen Xiaowan was as though getting hit by unbelievable news. As the General Manager of the Magnificent Tang Corporation and a great personage in the finance world, Gao Beilei was, without a doubt, one of the super personages whose eyes eyed the top. Yet, she turned out to be Su Ben''s wife?


    No way¡­ is this some kind of prank or something? They''re worlds apart!


    "I was equally dumbstruck the moment I heard it too, Sis Xiaowan." Tang Xiu chuckled and said, "But after thinking about it, only then did I understand that one man''s meat could be another man''s poison. General Manager Gao loves Brother Ben. It''s like a dense and cold foxtail grass getting together with warm and spicy safflower."


    "Pfft¡­"


    "Hahaha¡­"


    Everyone abruptly burst into laughter and Su Ben gruffly scratched his head, at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh.


    Nobody was a stranger here. Thus, the atmosphere was warm and harmonious. Just as everyone had enough to eat and drink, Scarface Qiang came over in a rush. The man''s hair was rather long and his face was unshaved. His whole being, however, didn''t look decadent but instead look vigorous and full of spirit, though the smell of alcohol on him hadn''t yet disappeared. Obviously, he was drinking tons of alcohol when Tang Xiu called him.


    "BOSS!" Scarface Qiang was barely able to hold back his excitement as he called out.


    Tang Xiu pushed the chair and got up. He then came to Scarface Qiang''s front, looked at his slightly reddish eyes, and gently patted his shoulder. Then, he turned his head and said, "Quan, tell auntie to get a bowl of noodles and cook two hot dishes. There are no strangers here today, and there''s something I need to tell everyone. Alright, you come here and take a seat first."


    Scarface Qiang felt warm inside and took a seat next to Tang Xiu. Afterward, he forced a bitter smile and said, "I''m really sorry for letting you down, Boss."


    "No, it should be me apologizing to you." Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, "I got too preoccupied in the past years and failed to take care of you. Regardless, we''re all adults here, so there''s no need to pull any pretentious attitude with each other. Now that I''m back, I''m going to give all you a choice, and I''ll respect your decision no matter which one you choose."


    Scarface Qiang''s lips squirmed, but he didn''t utter anything and just firmly nodded. Ever since he met Tang Xiu in his hometown, he had already decided to give up everything and handed his future to Tang Xiu when he went to Star City with him.


    All things considered, Tang Xiu didn''t disappoint him. He founded a winery and brewed the world''s best wine, God''s Nectar. The Magnificent Tang Corporation rapidly developed and he became a billionaire in just a few years as a result. Even if he finally left the company helplessly and gave up his position as the winery director, he still had several billion yuan in his bank account. The money itself was just his dividends in recent years.


    In his heart, Tang Xiu''s kindness and his acknowledgment of his worth made him trust Tang Xiu unconditionally.


    Tang Xiu raised his cup of wine and toasted with Scarface Qiang''s. He then casually said, "Chen Liwei has been killed by me, and those tens of corruptors and embezzlers in the company have been removed as well. Some others who once took advantage of the company have also been punished."


    Scarface Qiang was inwardly shaken and looked grateful. He had no idea how Tang Xiu was able to investigate this matter. But whether he had investigated it or not, it was obvious that Tang Xiu had avenged his grudge by killing the culprit who had framed him.


    "Scarface Qiang''s life is yours to use in the future, Boss."


    Tang Xiu smiled slightly in response. He then lowered his glass and continued, "There are no outsiders here, so I''m giving two choices to all of you. Firstly, I''ll teach a cultivation technique and turn you into a cultivator. But after two years, you all will have to leave your families and businesses and strive with me in another world, and you will have no chance to return to Earth again in your lifetime. The other choice, Qiang, you''ll have a 49% stake in the winery 2 years later. You can also become the Deputy General Manager of the Magnificent Tang Corporation should you choose this option, with which you can get status and fortune easily. Whatever you decide, I''ll respect your decision no matter what."


    Scarface Qiang was silent for a while and then slowly asked, "Where are we going to, exactly? Am I just the only person who can leave and can''t take anyone else?"


    "You can bring 4 people with you," Tang Xiu said. "You can take four people you care about most, and they can also cultivate. As for our destination, you should''ve heard of it. It''s the Immortal World as told in the legends."


    "Just three. I only need 3 quotas." Scarface Qiang said in a deep voice, "Boss, this Scarface Qiang has received your grace and acknowledgment. I can feel that you really regard me as your own person. My parents have passed away and I only have my loved ones, a wife and a pair of children."


    "Is that really your final decision?" asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Scarface Qiang firmly nodded, and his eyes even looked more excited as he said in a deep voice, "That''s really my decision. Although I know nothing about cultivation nor do I know whether the Immortal World is really as wonderful as told in the legends, I still want to keep following you, Boss."


    Tang Xiu then shifted to Chen Xiaowan and smilingly asked, "How about you, Sis Xiaowan?"


    "But what can I do there?" Chen Xiaowan hesitated.


    "Following me will either give you a chance to have a happy and prosperous life or face death together with me," Tang Xiu answered.


    "I don''t understand what you mean." Chen Xiaowan was confused.


    "Sis Xiaowan, you should have heard of the ascendance of cultivators to become immortals." Tang Xiu explained, "As a matter of fact, this is not some fairy tale and story in the legends, it''s real. The higher plane above our world is a much vaster world with trillions of races called the Immortal World. However, I also have archenemies I have a deep blood feud with over yonder, and these enemies of mine are also very powerful. If you follow me to the Immortal World, you may one day stand above trillions of walks of life, but there''s also a chance that I''ll be killed by my powerful enemies and we will all vanish. The reason I came back and called you to come here is to give you these choices."


    Chen Xiaowan thought about it for a while and then replied, "I''m going with you, Brother."


    "Have you thought it through?" asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    "Positive." Chen Xiaowan nodded.


    "Since both of you have decided so, then you''re to leave your work and then follow me later! After you''re done dealing with your private affairs, go to Nine Dragons Island!"


    "Huh? Where''s this Nine Dragons Island?" Chen Xiaowan asked curiously.


    "It''s an island in the Pacific Ocean I bought. It''s also my base camp," Tang Xiu replied with a smile.


    Chen Xiaowan rolled her eyes and snappily exclaimed, "You bought an island, and yet you just told me? You really got no conscience, you know that?"


    Conscience?


    Tang Xiu forced a wry smile inwardly. He was too lazy to quarrel with her because he would definitely end up the loser every time he quarreled.


    Suddenly, Su Ben interjected. "I''m going with you to the Immortal World 2 years later, Tang Xiu. You gotta find someone else to manage the Magnificent Tang Corporation when the time comes!"


    Tang Xiu was stunned and couldn''t help laughing immediately. "Okay! We''ll make arrangements for that moment, of course! However, you, Xiangfei, Quan and some others will start from tomorrow. Deal with your private issues and work. Then you go home and take your loved ones to Nine Dragons Island. Adapt to life there first and keep cultivating. You can adapt to your new life in the Immortal World faster later."


    "What about me?" Gao Beilei hurriedly asked.


    Tang Xiu spent some time to ponder about it. Then, he slowly said, "Sis-in-law, you''re to stay here! We still need the Magnificent Tang Corporation to make money, after all. Although I won''t send anyone else to search the entire Earth for resources, I won''t leave good things behind. Besides, we still need tons of money to purchase resources."


    Gao Beilei nodded in response. But then, she suddenly understood something and exclaimed, "No wonder more than 90% of the net income of our Magnificent Tang Corporation is to be transferred quickly all this time. It turns out that you use it to purchase cultivation resources."


    "Well, we got hundreds of thousands of people who need cultivation resources, to begin with." Tang Xiu wryly smiled. "We wouldn''t have been able to maintain everything if we didn''t have a huge wealth to support them. It''s still manageable for now, but it will be a true headache when we go to the Immortal World! After all, the currency used in the Immortal World are things used by Immortals. Our consumption will be simply like a bottomless pit."


    Everyone exchanged dismayed glances and suddenly couldn''t utter anything in response. They knew nothing about the Immortal World and naturally had no idea what kind of currency was used over there.


    Still¡­ there were hundreds of thousands of people needing cultivation resources? Meaning, Tang Xiu had been cultivating hundreds of thousands of cultivators all this time?

 1263 Shoot Me!

    As morning came and the first rays of sunlight rose from the eastern horizon, Tang Xiu woke up from his sleep. It felt very refreshing to him after having gone through a busy life for so long and suddenly relaxing now. He then went downstairs and had breakfast with a group of people who stayed overnight last night. Afterward, Tang Xiu, Su Ben, and Gao Beilei headed to the Magnificent Tang Corporation along with Scarface Qiang.


    This morning, a message then spread throughout the company that the previous winery director, Dai Qiang, turned out to be framed and then lost his position. However, Big Boss Tang Xiu found him personally and entrusted him with a higher position as Deputy General Manager of the Magnificent Tang Corporation.


    The person himself may not have an unwarranted reputation, but it still shocked many people. Further, everyone also realized that Dai Qiang had a very close relationship with Tang Xiu.


    In the evening, Tang Xiu received Miao Wentang, Shao Mingzhen, and several family''s patriarchs at the Magnificent Tang Corporation, and then signed the cooperation to develop the island in the South China Sea. 80 billion yuan had been pre-paid and transferred, and the project only needed some required follow-ups to supervise. Subsequently, it was expected that the Magnificent Tang Corp.''s project in developing the island into the world''s top tourist location could be carried out smoothly. The project itself would be headed by a senior executive from Magnificent Tang Corporation.


    ****


    The next day, Tang Xiu brought Tang Ahlang and left for the for Taklamakan Desert. The secret base built by the Chinese authority was located there, and the person in charge of the site was the Director of the Special Abilities Bureau, Duanmu Lin. Even most of this agency''s members were also stationed there.


    "What have you learned from your observation after following me in the last few days, Ah Lang?" Sitting on the train bound for the southern Xinjiang, Tang Xiu calmly looked at Tang Ahlang on the couchette in front of him.


    "How Master deals with people," Tang Ahlang respectfully said.


    "Only this aspect?" asked Tang Xiu with a faint smile.


    "In general, it''s indeed only this aspect, though there are also some more important details to emphasize." Tang Ahlang shook his head and continued, "Master met acquaintances to maintain and to grow the relationship between both sides. You also subtly approached people close to you to set off on our journey in the future. Other than that, you made decisive and fast decisions when you removed all the unwanted elements in the Magnificent Tang Corporation. All in all, all the events show that you''re someone who has ways with people and also greatly attaches importance to relationship and righteousness."


    "I don''t recall asking you to comment on my conduct, Brat." Tang Xiu rolled his eyes and snappishly said.


    "I just expressed what I''ve learned from you, Master," Tang Ahlang smilingly replied.


    "What is it?" asked Tang Xiu curiously.


    "Wisdom." Tang Anhlang smiled.


    "Meh, if you wanna kiss my ass, just do it directly and don''t beat around the bush." Tang Xiu shook his head and smilingly said, "Anyway, what''s your progress in learning the content of the array manual?"


    "I''ve grasped 30% of it, but I have to consult the remaining 70% with you since I don''t understand them," Tang Ahlang answered. "I''ve marked everything I don''t yet understand, so I guess I''m going to ask you now."


    "Alright!" Tang Xiu nodded.


    The two of them then sat on their respective soft couchettes. Tang Xiu himself had previously considered instructing Tang Ahlang the knowledge about arrays whenever he had time, so he reserved this four-couchette room.


    Time passed by quickly.


    All the way on the road, Tang Xiu lectured and Tang Ahlang studied. Both master and disciple were enthusiastic to play their roles. Finally, after changing special cars a few times, the two people stood on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert. Tang Xiu also bought a lot of daily necessities on the way here, including food and water, all of which were stored in his interspatial ring. Therefore, he didn''t need to worry about the lack of supplies in the desert.


    Two days later.


    At this time, Tang Xiu arrived at a flat ground in the desert and calmly walked with Tang Ahlang. Finally, the two of them stopped at the edge of an oasis.


    "It should be around here given the position, Master," Tang Ahlang took out a map from the interspatial ring and said after carefully observing the location and comparing it with the map.


    "Yeah, it should be here." Tang Xiu nodded. "What else do you notice?"


    Tang Ahlang carefully observed the surroundings and thought in silence. Then, he said, "The communication signal here has been shielded since my cell phone caught no signal, and the energy fluctuations in this place are rather abnormal given the compass isn''t working, either. Further, I''ve observed this oasis too. It''s quite strange, there''s no sign of life nor any source of water. On the contrary, the world''s spiritual energy here is rich beyond my expectations. Such a situation shouldn''t be possible given the location. Lastly, the temperature the moment we came to this oasis differs from the outside roughly by at least 20 degrees. This is not normal."


    "Your observation is quite thorough and attentive, but rather ordinary coming from you." Tang Xiu smiled slightly.


    "There''s something else?" Tang Ahlang confused.


    "Try to take a look around to the distance from the spot we''re standing now. Do you notice something different from the area when we walked here?"


    Tang Ahlang thought more for a while and then said with an ashamed expression, "You''re right, Master. When we saw the oasis from the outside, the area was just about four basketball courts in size. But after we came here, the visual distance I can see is at least up to 2 kilometers, and I can''t see anything beyond 2 km. Further, although we paused for a while, we only walked for about less than 500m, meaning that the visual distance we can see outside is different from the real size of the area here."


    "You just said before that the world''s spiritual energy here is a bit different, and so is the energy fluctuation. Haven''t you figured out why?" Tang Xiu added.


    Tang Ahlang thought for a while and then suddenly said, "Ah, this oasis is covered by an array! It''s just I wasn''t able to sense it when we came from the outside."


    "That''s right. This area is indeed blanketed by an array, and I was the one who arranged it myself." Tang Xiu smiled and said, "The area of this oasis is roughly around 1,000 square kilometers, but it looks to be reduced in size by several folds after I arranged the array. As a double precaution, I also shielded any communication signal within a few hundred kilometers area and arranged a special magnetic field. Therefore, even those satellites in orbit won''t be able to detect anything in this place."


    "Is there anything particular in this place, Master?" Tang Ahlang was bewildered.


    "You''ll know about it soon." Tang Xiu smiled lightly. "Also, stay silent later and just listen, observe, and think. Well, some people are going to see us here."


    "Umm?"


    Tang Ahlang''s expression slightly shifted after hearing this and his gaze suddenly shifted into the distance, surprised. A spot in the midst of a green expanse of grass 200 meters ahead suddenly opened up and a green vehicle came out fast shortly after, coming towards them in several seconds.


    Bam¡­


    The car''s door was quickly opened and two young men holding rifles came out. Both of them wore LCD goggles and aimed their guns at Tang Xiu and Tang Ahlang with vigilance.


    "Who are you and how did you get here?" One of the young men in camouflage suit coldly asked in a deep voice.


    "You don''t know me, so you''re new here, aren''t you?" Tang Xiu smiled and said, "Don''t tell me Duanmu Lin has yet to hang my photo in this base for you to respect?"


    "Huh¡­"


    The two young men exchanged dismayed glances and immediately looked angry. The one that just talked lifted his gun''s muzzle and shouted, "Do you think you can just say the name of our Chief? Who the hell are you? Answer me, else don''t blame us for taking hard measures!"


    Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes and glanced at the guns in their hands. He then smilingly said, "That must be a laser gun, yes? It should be quite powerful and able to penetrate iron walls at least about 50cm. Try to shoot me. I want to see if this gun is as powerful as recorded in the data."


    "What?"


    The two men were dumbfounded. They never dreamed that Tang Xiu knew that the guns in their hands were laser guns. It must be noted that the laser gun had just been developed roughly a year ago. It was quite powerful with an extremely far firing range. They could see their long-range targets as long as they wore long-range vision LCD goggles.


    Still, was there something wrong with this guy''s head? He wanted them to shoot at him with such a powerful laser gun? Did he want to commit suicide or something?


    "Where the hell did this lunatic come from?"


    Both of them faintly had a headache and hesitated.


    "What are you two worried about, huh?" Tang Xiu lightly smiled and said, "I told you to shoot me and let me have a look, didn''t I? I''m really curious whether the developed laser gun is really as powerful as reported."


    The eyes of the young man who spoke glinted. He had a faint hunch that the young man standing in front of him shouldn''t be ordinary. It was very likely that he was also an ability user like him. He had just awakened his special ability about one and half a year ago and then became a quite formidable ability user after undergoing training. Further, this place was the most secretive and important base in the country, and the people who could casually come here were not ordinary people.


    "Shoot!"


    He took a deep breath and pulled the trigger to shoot Tang Xiu.


    Zap¡­


    A laser beam was shot from the gun and directly hit Tang Xiu''s chest. The youth expected that the guy in front of him would be severely injured even if he didn''t die. It was because he himself would also be injured even though he was an ability user.


    However, what happened next left him utterly flabbergasted. The laser beam that hit the chest of the young man in front of him simply stopped and was unable to move forward. The laser beam seemed to be blocked by a transparent energy shield.


    "No way!"


    The young man''s eyes bulged out and nearly popped out. He saw that the laser beam was not only able to injure this stranger but also unable to leave any scratch on this young man''s clothes.


    This¡­

 1264 Colossal Projec

    Smiling faintly, Tang Xiu patted his chest and then chuckled. "Quite powerful indeed. If my guess is correct, this laser gun''s firing range should be at least 2 kilometers, and it can blast a 100-ton boulder directly."


    The plot of the green expanse of grass hundreds of meters away suddenly lifted up and two green unusual cars came out. After speeding over, they stopped in front of everyone, and Zhu Long strode to the front of Tang Xiu with a happy, surprised face, calling out, "You are here, Mr. Tang!"


    "Well, I just arrived," Tang Xiu smilingly replied.


    "Chief Duanmu will definitely be happy if he knows you are here," said Zhu Long excitedly.


    The young man who shot him looked doubtful. He secretly thought of the name of a certain man upon hearing Zhu Long''s address. But recalling it sent a chill down his spine as he was sure that he would meet some bad luck if his guess was correct. It was because this certain person was known by all members of the Special Abilities Bureau¡ªa god-like existence who was the main contributor for this site establishment.


    He''s¡­ Tang Xiu?!


    At this moment, Tang Xiu himself also noticed the grim look on the young man''s face and worry in his eyes. He paced several steps forward and gently patted the young man''s shoulders, smilingly saying, "Don''t look worried. You can''t be blamed since you don''t know me."


    Zhu Long was stunned and bewildered. "Ehh? What happened?"


    The young man wore an expression that was uglier than crying and replied, "About this¡­ Mr. Tang asked me to shoot at him, saying that he wanted to try the power of the laser gun we''ve developed. Hence, I ended up shooting him, but it didn''t even leave a scratch on Mr. Tang''s clothes at all."


    Zhu Long immediately looked furious and cursed. "Bastard! Are you that stupid and just shot Mr. Tang just because he asked you to do so? Do you know who he is? He''s the very god-like man you boys must worship and admire! How dare you shoot at him? Are you tired of living already?"


    Only then did the young man instantly understand that this handsome and audacious young man was exactly the famous Tang Xiu. At this moment, he nearly burst into tears and stutteringly said with wriggling lips, "M-Mr. Tang, I-I''m really sorry. I didn''t know who you were. Please forgive me. I¡­ I''m just a newcomer here, and my special ability has just awakened for more than a year, and it''s only been over a year since I came here."


    "I just said that you''re not to blame since you didn''t know me, didn''t I?" Tang Xiu said with a smile. "Alright, go back to your duty! Zhu Long, take me to see Senior Duanmu."


    "Understood!"


    Glaring fiercely at the young man, Zhu Long then immediately led Tang Xiu and Tang Ahlang to board the strange car and headed to the exit tunnel. The strange vehicle had a spacious interior and Tang Xiu was slightly surprised after observing it for a while due to its extremely fast speed. After entering the passage, the vehicle sped up at a speed of 450 km/h and took less than half a minute before it stopped in front of a large, empty hall made of metal.


    After Tang Xiu and Tang Ahlang got off the vehicle, they saw 18 strong men in camouflage suits and armed with laser guns standing around the round hall. Each of them wore extremely stern expressions.


    "Mr. Tang!"


    These 18 strong men obviously knew who Tang Xiu was, and a fanatical look appeared filled their eyes the moment they saw him.


    Tang Xiu faintly smiled in response. As he flicked his fingers, 18 pills suddenly shot into their hands and he smilingly said, "It''s been a long time and you all have become more powerful, guys! I hope these 18 pills can make you go further."


    "Thank you, Mr. Tang!" The 18 people were excited and simultaneously saluted.


    A look of envy was cast on Zhu Long''s face. But he was well aware of Tang Xiu''s generosity. He recalled that he also obtained a lot of medicinal pills from Tang Xiu the last time he came here. Each expert of the Special Abilities Bureau that obtained such pills from Tang Xiu had progressed by leaps and bounds and their strengths greatly improved.


    Tang Xiu was keenly aware of Zhu Long''s expression. He threw a jade bottle to him and said with a smile, "Well, I''m afraid Duanmu Lin won''t stay in the position of the Special Abilities Bureau''s Director soon. I''m giving you a bottle of pills hoping you can take over his duty in the future later."


    "What do you mean?"


    The excited smile on Zhu Long''s face suddenly froze.


    Tang Xiu only let out a light smile in response but didn''t explain anything. After hinting to the man to lead the way, a roughly 10 meters wide and four meters high door slowly opened on the wall of the circular round hall.


    "Oh, God!"


    Despite having a very steady disposition, Tang Ahlang, who followed Tang Xiu inside, couldn''t help exclaiming, and his breathing turned fast.


    "Hey, don''t show off your inexperience and make me look bad." Tang Xiu glanced at him and whispered.


    Tang Ahlang accepted the instruction, but the shock on his face was not reduced in the slightest as he hurriedly replied, "What exactly is this place, Master? How do I¡­ how do I feel like I just entered a high-tech world of an advanced civilization? It''s like I''m seeing a scene from foreign sci-fi movies. Everything here gives me a huge shock."


    While walking inside, Tang Xiu explained, "You''re right. This place is indeed a world of advanced civilization, and the tech you''re seeing here is at least ten times or even a hundred times more advanced than the technology you can find on Earth today. Maybe it will take centuries of development for technology on Earth to reach the level of technology you see here!"


    "Let alone centuries, it''s very likely that it would take millenniums for the Earth''s science and technology to develop before it can reach this level of technology. It''s because there are some special materials here that can''t be found on Earth. If it wasn''t for the energy converter which can convert the materials, it would be impossible to develop more advanced machinery and objects such as we can see here."


    Tang Xiu let out an indifferent smile in response. He didn''t continue stepping on the stairway leading to the space in front but directly floated up and walked in the air forward step by step.


    The place itself was a very large underground space. As far as the area was concerned, Tang Xiu''s eyes couldn''t see the end of the area at all. There were countless strange-shaped machines in the interior, and many armed soldiers in field uniforms were seen riding Aerogliders everywhere, while various other vehicles remained on the ground but flew according to a special flying path.


    Further, there were also a large number of high-tech weapons here. Tang Ahlang even saw that more than a dozen fighter jets were parked in one corner of this space, while hundreds of personnel in blue overalls were busy around the fighter jets. But what shocked him was that these aircraft were not the kind of fighters he had seen in the outside world. He had read many military magazines prior to this and learned about many advanced fighters in the world.


    Still, even the smallest aircraft from the dozens of aircraft here was over 200 meters long and its wings were scarily big. Tang Ahlang silently estimated that these aircraft definitely could accommodate more than 1,000 people.


    This must be an alien aircraft!


    Tang Ahlang whispered inwardly and secretly suppressed his shock.


    "Hahaha¡­"


    Loud and clear laughter suddenly came from the distance as Duanmu Lin flew directly to Tang Xiu. He stepped forward and gave Tang Xiu a big hug as he smilingly said, "You finally come out from that isolated island, Boy. What do you think about this place after looking around? This place has changed so much after a few years of development, yes?"


    "It''s really different from before, indeed." Tang Xiu smilingly replied, "It shows that you''ve done a great job here. By the way, I got one thing to ask. Can this base build interstellar battleships within 2 years? At least the Tier 3 interstellar spaceship?"


    The smile on Duanmu Lin''s face receded and he replied with a loss expression, "What do you think? Even if all the personnel keep working overtime in research, experiment, and manufacturing, it''s just impossible to get it done in 2 years. Do you think researching and developing interstellar battleships is like handling a cabbage we can easily grow?"


    A smile sketched on the corner of Tang Xiu''s mouth as he replied, "Well, since it''s not feasible, I''m afraid you won''t be able to see the results of our research here, neither will you be able to see the future development of science and tech on Earth in the future. To be honest, I''ve been wanting to ride such an interstellar battleship to stroll around the Milky Way."


    "Two years?" Duanmu Lin''s heart pounded and he shot a deep stare at Tang Xiu, asking, "You already made a decision? It''s going to be two years later?"


    "Everything is ready and only needs to wait for the right time." Tang Xiu nodded. "That''s why it can''t wait more than 2 years before leaving."


    Duanmu Lin forced a smile and said, "Can we stretch the time a bit? Five years. We can manufacture interstellar battleships in at least another five years. At that time, I also want to ride this aircraft and take a stroll around the galaxy."


    "We don''t have that leisure." Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "Unless¡­"


    Duanmu Lin''s expression shifted and he hurriedly asked, "Unless what?"


    "I''m going to make a big move in the near future, so if the world''s top scientists and researchers were to be brought here, do you think you can produce an interstellar battleship within 2 years?"


    Duanmu Lin thought for a while and then shook his head. "I''m not sure, honestly. However, it may be promising if we give it a try, regardless."


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, "If so, you wait here to receive a constant influx of scientists and technical personnel. Give me a communicator. I''m going to make two calls."


    Duanmu Lin immediately took out the communicator and handed it to Tang Xiu. "You can use this freely. This communicator can connect to various communication equipment in the world and can''t be traced by any satellite of any country."


    Tang Xiu nodded and dialed a set of numbers. After his call was picked up, he said, "Jin Shi, mobilize our intel department from today on and focus on investigating two targets. The first one being the world''s top three forces as well as House Dolan and the Darkwind. The second one is, you are to investigate technological scientists and researchers in various fields around the world¡ªthe best ones there are in each country. Give me the list after you''re done investigating them."


    "Does your Majesty have a certain number in mind already?" Jin Shi''s voice asked from the phone.

 1265 Being Inflexible

    Tang Xiu thought for a while and then spoke through the phone, "The specific number is not mandatory, but the secret base in China requires a large number of scientists and researchers, so the more, the better. Keep in mind, you just need to investigate these people from various countries around the world. I''ll assign someone else to deal with the following moves later."


    "Understood!"


    Jin Shi replied and was about to hang up when he suddenly recalled something else. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "Are you now in a secret base in China, Your Majesty?"


    "Yes, I just arrived here," Tang Xiu said.


    "Your Majesty, according to our intel cells in China, there are two groups of foreign forces that have infiltrated the Hetian recently. Our intel operatives encountered those two groups two days ago and injured four people before they finally lost their tracks. From the last trails, before they disappeared, we inferred that they should be heading towards the Taklimakan Desert. Further, we also found from surveillance video that they have purchased living supplies in Hetian City, which means that they''re preparing to infiltrate the desert."


    "You mean, they came for this secret base?" Tang Xiu asked.


    "I dare not guarantee it 100%," said Jin Shi.


    Tang Xiu pondered for a short while and said, "Text me the number and characteristics of these two groups and all the intel information you''ve gathered about them. Additionally, assign some people to monitor the Hetian region. If you spot them again, don''t make a rash move and just directly report to me."


    "Acknowledged!"


    Tang Xiu hung up and shifted to Duanmu Lin, asking, "Has any foreign force sneaked into the Taklimakan Desert?"


    Duanmu Lin forced a smile and said, "A total of 23 people came to the Taklimakan Desert in these 3 years, but all of them were killed by our people. They were intel operatives from various countries and forces, many of whom were practitioners. In fact, this secret base itself is extremely hidden, but we need many materials and we must purchase the mechanical molds from abroad. It''s inevitable that it would attract attention."


    Tang Xiu nodded silently. Then, he said, "I''ll order my intel operatives to closely monitor the movements in China to keep all the spies away. But Jin Shi just reported to me that two groups of people sneaked into the Hetian region and their goal should be this place. Are you going to send your men to remove them or should I go deal with them myself?"


    "I''ll send my men to deal with them!" Duanmu Lin said after thinking about it.


    "Alright," Tang Xiu said.


    Quickly, Zhu Long left with tens of formidable ability users. None of them brought high-tech weapons so as to prevent any accidents, and they didn''t take the strange green vehicle either. They just drove the desert off-road vehicles that were commonly used in the world and quickly sped up in the Hetian region''s direction.


    Meanwhile, Tang Xiu toured the secret base under Duanmu Lin''s lead. Many of the tech products were objects that Tang Xiu had seen, so he didn''t feel a bit interested.


    "What''s this place?"


    Four-plus hours later, when everyone passed through another door to the outside, Tang Xiu noticed that Duanmu Lin didn''t seem to want to lead him inside. He immediately pointed to a certain spot and asked.


    "It''s nothing worth visiting since it''s only a warehouse that stores energy crystals," Duanmu Lin lightly said. "In front of us is an alien plant botanic area. That place will definitely be an eye-opener for you."


    Energy crystals?


    Tang Xiu was secretly taken aback. When he handed over the energy crystal converter to Duanmu Lin previously, he had secretly sent his people to evacuate a large number of energy crystals stored in the three-star vestige. He even duplicated the energy converter and the method to manufacture energy crystals. Over the past three years, the members of the Empire on Nine Dragons Island under Mo Yi''s leadership had been secretly manufacturing these energy crystals with four lines of energy converters. Each line could produce nearly 100 energy crystals every day.


    "Duanmu Lin."


    Tang Xiu had no intention to leave anymore, and his tone when addressing this man changed.


    Hearing the new address made Duanmu Lin''s heart thump, but he kept a calm expression on the surface and said, "Are you not interested in the alien plant botanic area? We can have a look elsewhere if you''re not really interested."


    A hint of disappointment flashed in Tang Xiu''s eyes. He shook his head and said, "I want to remind you that you only have two years left. If you''re still unable to put away your idea, then I''m afraid you can only stay here forever."


    Duanmu Lin was slightly furious inside. He was a great personage and an experienced man, how could he not sense the threat in Tang Xiu''s words? The threat aroused his resentment and triggered his inborn stubbornness as he said lightly, "I have my own duty. As long as I''m in this position, I''ll stay here."


    Tang Xiu suddenly smiled, and his smile was particularly very bright as he said, "Anyhow, I''m really curious about the alien plant botanic area. Take me to see it!"


    Duanmu Lin looked at Tang Xiu''s back as he turned and left with an upside-down mood and complicated feelings. Had Tang Xiu insisted, he wouldn''t stop Tang Xiu from entering the energy crystal storehouse and would even give him some if he asked.


    Tang Xiu, however, didn''t insist. He even showed such an expression even after he stubbornly showed his stance. At this moment, he realized that Tang Xiu had given up on him.


    He opened his mouth and wanted to apologize, but he quickly swallowed it back. However, regret crazily grew inside his heart.


    In case that he was given another chance, he would''ve never refuted Tang Xiu, let alone said that. However, he knew that Tang Xiu never went back once he decided on something. No matter how he explained and pleaded, there was no hope left for him.


    Still, the Immortal World was a place he had been wanting to go so much. He wanted to live longer and become stronger. But his impulse threw away this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and filled his heart with bitterness.


    ****


    In the next two days, Tang Xiu stayed at the base, observing various high-tech products. He even had the impulse to refine some high-tech magical tools or even immortal tools.


    "Ah Lang, what do you think about the effect that can be produced by combining immortal cultivation with science and technology?" Tang Xiu spoke while standing on the oasis above the base with a thoughtful look.


    "Immortal cultivation has immortal power, whereas science and tech also offer its respective benefits. The combination of the two by utilizing the advantage of each and eliminating its weaknesses will certainly produce infinite benefits. However, how to combine them still needs to be considered and researched further. Otherwise, we can expect deviations to occur and damage both aspects."


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and looked at Tang Ahlang. "You''ve made great progress in just three years. I can tell that you''ve really grown up, just missing the last step."


    Tang Ahlang was a bit embarrassed by Tang Xiu''s remarks, but there was still a hint of confusion in his eyes as he asked, "What last step, Master?"


    "Well, you''re still a boy and not yet a man, in my eyes." Tang Xiu chuckled and said, "Only when you''ve tasted the nourishment from a woman can you be considered as a real man, you know."


    "Ugh¡­"


    An awkward look painted Tang Ahlang''s boyish face. He shook his vigorously and stated, "I''d rather stay as a boy forever than become a man, Master. I''m afraid that I''ll end up like you."


    "Huh? Come again?" Tang Xiu looked dull.


    Tang Ahlang grinningly said, "Well, I''ve seen how fierce Master''s wives are."


    Cough, cough¡­


    Tang Xiu''s breathing stopped for a moment, and he coughed hard several times afterward. If Tang Ahlang were 10 years younger, he would have definitely smacked his ass.


    This brat unexpectedly¡­ How could he dare to rebuke and tease his own Master?!


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu''s expression shifted and he looked towards the distance. To his surprise, Zhu Long and two experts from the Special Abilities Bureau were fleeing in the desert a few kilometers away. Bleeding wounds could be seen all over their bodies, while tens of figures were moving lightning-fast behind them in hot pursuit.


    "They are foreigners, Master," Tang Ahlang said.


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, "Zhu Long led a team a few days ago to hunt and kill those two groups that have sneaked into the desert. It''s very likely that he ran into some powerful people and got hunted, ending up so badly like this."


    Having said that, his slim figure flickered and appeared in front of Zhu Long in less than two breaths. Seeing how their miserable condition, he asked indifferently, "How about the others?"


    The three people finally relaxed the moment they saw Tang Xiu. Zhu Long squeezed out a bitter smile and replied with wriggling lips, "They are all dead. Mr. Tang, they are very powerful. Much more powerful than anyone who has infiltrated the desert previously."


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, "As far as I know, there should be two groups of them. What about the other one?"


    "The other group was from the Stygian Club. We had just got rid of them when these Pyramid people intercepted us. All of us might have died had we not fought so desperately."


    "Zhu Long, go back and tell Duanmu Lin that I will not come here again from now on," Tang Xiu said. "Also, I want him to not look me anymore. Further, I hope he never forgets the promises and commitments he gave me before."


    "What do you mean?" Zhu Long looked bewildered, but he finally nodded silently.


    During their talk, tens of experts from Pyramid had already surrounded the five people. Their leader, a big man, who wore a black mask and wielded a long saber, coldly glared at Tang Xiu and said, "It seems that our previous investigation is correct. You guys are absolutely carrying out a project in this desert. Spit out what you''re doing here and maybe I can spare your life."


    Tang Xiu indifferently smiled and said, "You should have bought that magic long saber at the Genesis Auction House in Shanghai three years ago, right?"


    "How did you know that?" The big man''s expression changed and he looked vigilant.


    "Because I''m the one who made it." Tang Xiu slightly smiled. "If you don''t believe me, take a look at the hilt. There''s a small character on it."


    "Tang?"


    The big man didn''t even glance at the hilt, but his finger pressed on the small mark.

 1266 Culling Out Future Troubles

    Facing unknown enemies would make anyone be on guard. The black-masked big man shot a fierce look and raised the tip of his saber slightly. Then, he asked again in a fierce tone, "One last time, who are you and what have you secretly been researching in this desert?"


    Tang Xiu didn''t bother to waste time talking. He calmly glanced at Zhu Long before vanishing. The moment after, heads flew and blood pillars streaked into the air. In nearly the blink of an eye, tens of Pyramid experts who chased down the fleeing Zhu Long''s team had been completely massacred by Tang Xiu.


    This¡­


    Zhu Long and the two Special Abilities Bureau''s experts stared dumbly and tongue-tied at the scene in front of them. They were unphased by the bloody scene but the thing that made them unable to believe their eyes was Tang Xiu''s unfathomable might. It only took him a flash to kill all the tens of experts. How did he become so terrifying?


    "Am I dreaming?"


    One of the Special Ability Bureau''s experts mumbled to himself. But he immediately found that Zhu Long and his other companion were also looking at him with complicated eyes.


    Inside the underground base.


    Duanmu Lin stood still with hands crossed behind his back inside the surveillance room in the base. The huge monitoring room was as big as a basketball court, and the big screen in front of him showed the situation in the desert above.


    "All of them¡­ were killed¡­ so easily?"


    Duanmu Lin''s current strength was not as before. He was able to judge the strength of the tens of Pyramid experts that chased Zhu Long''s team. He could tell that the mysterious hulking man who led them was very likely to be even stronger than him. And yet, they were so easily killed by Tang Xiu alone?


    The current Tang Xiu¡­ what realm had he reached?


    Regret filled Duanmu Lin''s eyes. He knew that he had been a frog viewing the sky from the bottom of a well. Even if he knew how vast the outside stage was, he was still standing still, conceited and complacent with no desires to explore further. What he regretted the most was that he had also thrown away a huge chance that had been presented before his eyes due to his stubbornness and the feeling of glory brought to him by this base, all of which made his attitude towards Tang Xiu change.


    It was due to his changed attitude¡­


    It was only when he stated such improper remarks that he finally realized that he had made the wrong choice.


    Immortal World! Immortals and the myriad of races!


    Recalling how wonderful that incomparable world was, regrets filled Duanmu Lin''s whole being. Countless impulses drove him mad and made him want to chase Tang Xiu and apologize to him, yet he halted every time in the last moment, thinking that he must reserve the dignity he still had left.


    "I can still do well without relying on him in the future, can''t I?"


    Duanmu Lin fell into silence for a long while before he finally let out a deep sigh, closing his eyes and suppressing his regrets and unwillingness.


    ****


    Amid the dreadful heat waves that made the desert like a steamer, Tang Xiu easily traversed it and the expression on his handsome face was very calm. Prior to this, he taught a set of cultivation techniques to Duanmu Lin, in the hope that he would pledge loyalty and work for him in the future. However, it was obvious that the increase in strength and the long years on the top position had swayed this man''s heart.


    Tang Xiu himself had encountered such people countless times. Back when he was in the Immortal World and had countless men under him, such a case happened frequently. Some of them were subordinates he rescued from their enemies. But after they faced great opportunities and their strength skyrocketed, their attitude towards him then changed. Even some of them went so far as to tear all decorum with him and turned their faces away.


    One''s character was indeed the factor that would decide one''s future.


    Although he felt slightly regretful, it only brought a minuscule regret to Tang Xiu. Even though he had already taught the man a cultivation technique, regardless of whether this man would still remember his grace or no matter how far he could go in the future, that would be his own business and had nothing to do with him anymore.


    He even didn''t bother about anything else. After he left, he would still hand over the intel network of the Great Tang Empire and its ordinary personnel to the Chinese authority and this man. It was his hope that China would become more and more powerful in the future in order to be able to lead mankind smoothly to set foot on the Milky Way and start the era of interstellar voyage, while at the same time having the ability to protect themselves.


    "You seem to have some concerns in mind, Master."


    Tang Ahlang, who kept following at Tang Xiu''s side, wore a thoughtful look on his delicate face.


    "I do have some concerns in mind, indeed." Tang Xiu nodded.


    "Is it about Duanmu Lin?" asked Tang Ahlang.


    "You got a good insight, Boy." Tang Xiu smiled. "That makes me feel more optimistic about you."


    Tang Ahlang said, "I''ve read hundreds of books and gleaned much of their essence. No matter how stupid I am, I can still see how people behave and grasp the psychological aspect of people''s conduct. In fact, I''m sure Duanmu Lin is filled with regrets now. But you didn''t give him another chance."


    "Regardless of whether I choose to regress this time or not, he will still show his current attitude if he makes significant achievements in a certain aspect in the future," Tang Xiu calmly explained. "One''s character is something deeply ingrained in their bones. Such people are bound to have changes in attitude no matter whether they are mortals or immortals. But some may change for the better and improve, whereas some others will just get worse."


    Tang Ahlang nodded in response and said, "Each and every person does have their own respective path in front of them. But they can only resort to schemes when the path they choose is heading to nowhere."


    Tang Xiu faintly smiled in response. He stretched his hand to grab Ah Lang''s shoulder. His figure suddenly streaked up into the sky while wrapping Ah Lang with his power. In just a short moment, both of them had already arrived at the road they took two days to traverse previously. It then took another ten minutes or so before they appeared in a city several hundreds of kilometers away.


    Swish, swish, swish¡­


    Sword beams flashed and a number of heads fell to the ground.


    In an ordinary courtyard in a remote residential area, tens of foreign practitioners were slain by Tang Xiu instantly. All of them were members of the Stygian Club. Tang Xiu easily detected them with his perception after he entered the city.


    "Who are you?!"


    A furious roar came from the house as a red-robed old man dashed over with two young men in front of Tang Xiu and Ah Lang.


    "Ah Lang, those two boys are quite formidable. Go deal with them as practice," Tang Xiu calmly said.


    Tang Ahlang hesitated and then forced a smile. "Master, I may have broken through to the Nascent Soul Stage, but I only fought with fierce beasts in the pocket world at most. I''ve never tried fighting with other people! In case¡­"


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and said indifferently, "Everyone has their first time in everything. Although they are not as good as you in terms of strength, they have a strong smell of blood and rich killing aura; they''ve obviously killed many people and have rich combat experience, so they''re good enough to serve as a whetstone to sharpen yourself."


    Tang Ahlang took a deep breath and a firmer expression flashed in his eyes. He dashed several steps forward to the three men, cupped his fists and said, "I''ve fought countless times in my childhood, but I''ve never fought with any practitioners. The two of you, give me everything you got. Because it will be either you both or me to die in the next fight."


    The old man''s pupils shrank. He just sensed a powerful presence that made his scalp tingle and a chill to run down his spine. He wished that he could run away instantly at the time, so he took his two disciples rushing outside when he smelled blood.


    However, the scene in front of him sent a shiver all over his body and made him shudder.


    There was neither a scream nor any type of resistance!


    The present scene obviously showed that his men were all killed in an instant, giving them no time to fight back or cry out for help.


    Nascent Soul Stage!


    This young man just said a cultivation level of Chinese cultivators. Many people in the Stygian Club may not know about this cultivation level term, but he was perfectly clear about its significance.


    If the disciple had reached the Nascent Soul Stage, then what about his master? Wouldn''t that make this seemingly young man the likes of those ancient monsters who had been living for centuries?


    "Who the hell are you people?" the old man asked in a deep voice.


    "I don''t think you''re qualified to know who we are," Tang Xiu replied lightly. "You just need to know that your death is due today."


    The old man coldly hummed but didn''t go straight at Tang Xiu. The tragic death of tens of his men before his eyes reminded him of the creepy feeling he felt previously. After hesitating for a moment, and when he was about to bring his two disciples back to the house to escape through the rear window, he suddenly sensed a burst of fearsome force that directly restrained his body, giving him no chance to break free no matter how hard he struggled.


    "Stay still!"


    After conjuring the restraining technique that instantly restrained the old man, Tang Xiu retracted back his Primal Chaos energy. He then chuckled and said, "What are you waiting for, Ah Lang? Just slay them directly if they want to escape. I''ll let them go if they fight openly and you lose."


    One of the two similar-looking youths immediately asked the old man, "Can we kill him, Master?"


    The old man blinked and bitterly said, "Fight together to defeat him, but don''t kill him. If you two can defeat him, I''ll bestow you with two daggers, and I''ll refine them myself."


    "For real?" Surprised, they looked happy and exclaimed.


    "For real."


    The old man wanted to nod, but he couldn''t even move his neck at this moment. In desperation, he could only look at Tang Xiu with pleading eyes, asking for mercy.


    A mocking look flashed in Tang Xiu''s eyes as his palm slapped forward. The old man''s head instantly flew up and he directly died as the blood sprayed from his neck.


    "Master!"


    "Master!"


    The faces of the two young men drastically changed and disbelief filled their eyes. In their eyes, their Master was simply an invincible existence. He was even able to slay tens of terrifyingly powerful practitioners by himself in the past. He even took them to some mysterious places and killed some fearsome fierce beasts.


    And yet¡­ such invincible existence was so easily killed by a wave of this young man''s palm?


    How could this be possible?


    "You two, listen to me," Tang Xiu said. "I just gave you the opportunity to keep your lives. I''ll spare your lives if you can kill my disciple. If you can''t, however, you will only go to hell to accompany your Master."

 1267 Between Life and Death

    The two youths exchanged glances. They didn''t expect that the terrifying expert in front of them would make such a request.


    Could it be that he had a grudge towards his own disciple? Why did he force them to go all out to kill his disciple?


    Tang Ahlang swiftly cast a technique and unleashed the immortal sword stored in his body towards the two young men instantly. He realized that his Master''s order meant that he must kill these two people, or he would be killed by them today. This order was both a way to hone himself as well as a trial for him.


    "Kill¡­"


    The two young men no longer hesitated. The desire to survive became a trigger and drive to go berserk. They weren''t saints. Their hands were stained by blood. Even their Master ended up like a dead stray dog in the hands of this man. Hence, the only chance for the two of them to survive was to kill this young man, hoping that this youth''s Master would keep his word.


    "Lightning Rune!"


    In nearly a flash, they took out two paper runes from their sleeves and activated it, hurling lightning bolts directly at Tang Ahlang.


    Standing more than 10 meters away, Tang Xiu''s eyes instantly narrowed. He noticed that the lightning runes activated by these two youths were unexpectedly paper runes he refined himself and were auctioned out at the Genesis Auction House three years ago.


    "Interesting."


    A smile crept up on the corner of Tang Xiu''s mouth as he observed the two youths who were full of desire to kill.


    Tang Ahlang had never had a life-and-death fight with cultivators and was shocked when facing dozens of hurling lightning bolts that sealed off all the space around him. Even if he were to quickly retreat, his speed wouldn''t be able to beat the speed of the lightning bolts.


    "Decagon Killing Sword!"


    Tang Ahlang steeled his heart and instantly manipulated his immortal sword and formed 10-sword-beam formation. His body shook violently when the lightning bolts bombarded the sword beams array, causing him to take a few steps back before he was able to stabilize himself.


    Creak, creak¡­


    The two youth''s figures began to change at the moment, revealing a pair of fangs and sharp nails. At the same time, a pair of wings instantly grew on their backs. The moment they flapped their wings, two streams of black energy turned into sharp arrows and hurled toward Tang Ahlang lightning-fast.


    They are vampires?!


    Tang Ahlang had never seen a real vampire before. He only heard that this race existed in some European countries. He even heard that some vampires had a deep friendship with his Master.


    "Psychic Wave!"


    Lacking combat experience, Tang Ahlang used offensive moves like a defensive one to block the series of lightning bombardments and resisted the incoming dark energy arrow. At the same time, he also exhibited another type of strike that he was good at.


    Buzz¡­


    The two vampires attacking Tang Ahlang suddenly trembled and let out shrieking screams, causing their dark energy arrows to disperse.


    Meanwhile, Tang Ahlang''s figure lunged and streaked up into the air tens of meters high like a cannonball. He then unleashed the Decagonal Sword Array move once again. This time, he used the move not to defend but to take the initiative to launch a strike.


    Slash, slash, slash¡­


    Bloodstains appeared on the two vampire''s bodies. But both of them had rich combat experience and quickly brandished their staffs to form a huge shield with their dark energy, blocking the incoming sword beams. At the same time, they also continuously released dark energy arrows at Tang Ahlang from both sides. The bizarre trajectory of the arrows caught Tang Ahlang off guard, causing the dark arrows to explode as they hit his chest.


    Puah¡­


    Coughing up a mouthful of blood, the jade pendant on Tang Ahlang''s chest shattered and eventually turned into dust, dispersing in the wind.


    "F*ck! Off!"


    The immortal sword flew back to Tang Ahlang in a flash. The sword beams it created blitzed like lightning bolts, dispersing the dark energy arrows. However, the moment he was off guard yet again, two sharp feathers followed the next incoming countless dark energy arrows and straightly hit his left arm and right chest.


    I gotta calm down and keep my head cool! My combat experience is not as rich as theirs, but I''m faster and stronger than them. If I can observe their moves with a cool head, I can definitely find the flaws in their attacks and then launch a counterattack.


    Although he was injured, he forced himself to calm down. His eyes turned sharper. As his trembling body stabilized, he used his spiritual sense to launch another psychic wave attack, causing the two vampires to scream and flee.


    "Flame¡­"


    Casting another technique, Tang Ahlang conjured flames out of thin air and then turned it into a fire rain. The overwhelming attack blotted out the sky and oppressively crushed towards the two vampires.


    "Wind¡­"


    A rolling twister appeared around the flame out of nowhere and formed a flaming twister as though a ring of fire halo around the sun, causing the speed of the flames to increase by several folds.


    "Blade¡­"


    The moment his immortal sword hovered and surrounded Tang Ahlang''s body and destroyed the barrage of dark energy arrows coming at him, a sharp dagger suddenly appeared in his hand. It was a dagger¡ªa self-protection type dagger given by Master''s lady, Kang Xia, who personally picked it up in the Nine Dragons Island''s treasure vault.


    "I''ve never killed anyone, but I''ve slain hundreds of fierce beasts. Now that you''ve turned into beasts, then I''ll reap your lives!"


    He had the advantage in speed and quickly pursued along with the rain of fire twister, appearing in front one of the vampires in a flash. As he launched a meteor-like punch into the rain of fire twister, the violent punch was magnified dozens of times and bombarded the vampire. He quickly bolted forward with the dagger in hand and pierced one of the vampire''s wings the moment the latter was forced to retreat.


    "BURN!"


    A flame blob suddenly appeared on the vampire''s wounded wing. In nearly a flash, the flame blazed and swept across the whole wing.


    "Aaargh¡­"


    The extreme pain caused the vampire to shriek and scream miserably, but the response that greeted him next was meteoric sword beams that pierced his body.


    "BROTHER!!!"


    The other vampire never dreamed that his big brother would be pierced by their opponent in such a fashion so quickly. Although he knew that the Bloodkin had abnormally strong bodies and wouldn''t die as long as their Core Nucleus wasn''t destroyed, his brother''s miserable state caused him to nearly lose his mind.


    "Feather¡­"


    He flapped his wings and a band of feathers instantly shot forward. With the speed doubled and with the addition of the dark energy arrows, they appeared in front of Tang Ahlang in the blink of an eye.


    Life and death had never been so close as in this moment.


    Tang Ahlang could even sense the impending shadow of death looming over his head. Unfortunately for his opponent, he didn''t panic because he knew that he would be closer to death if he lost his calm. While watching the incoming dark energy arrows and feathers resolutely, his fingers constantly moved as he cast a secret art. In the next moment, the fire twister all over the sky instantly condensed and formed a flaming sword covered by twister flame.


    It was a magical skill he created himself after enlightenment fighting the fierce beasts in the pocket world. The flame sword flashed and cut the vampire''s body. The moment it slashed the vampire''s body, the speed of the feathers that filled the sky sharply dropped by several folds.


    "Block!"


    The instant after, he instantly manipulated his True Essence energy to form a transparent shield in front of him and then coughed a mouthful of blood. His body flew backward and fell to the ground. If it wasn''t for his tough body after having undergone tempering, he would have turned into a meat pulp from the heavy fall.


    "Hmph¡­"


    Tang Xiu, standing in the courtyard, saw the vampire with one wing destroyed not even care about his brother''s death and flee when Tang Ahlang fell. He immediately threw a dagger and directly crushed the Core Nucleus in his body.


    Afterward, Tang Xiu appeared in front of Tang Ahlang and lifted him from the ground. While looking at Tang Ahlang''s scarred state with a disappointed expression, he shook his head and said, "You would have died if that fleeing vampire chose to launch a powerful attack against you. You failed this trial. I want you to work more diligently later and not let me see another defeat."


    Cough, cough¡­


    Tang Ahlang coughed up two mouthfuls of blood. He suppressed the violent and chaotic energy inside his body and replied with a depressed face, "I''ll keep it in mind, Master. I''ll definitely work harder to temper myself and increase my combat experience."


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and took out a Holy Healing pill. He stuffed it into Tang Ahlang''s mouth and said, "You have half an hour to recuperate, then we''ll continue our trip. I''ll give you other chances to fight in the next two months, from which you must learn how to survive. As long as you survive, you''ll be able to adapt to the bloody storm when we arrive in the Immortal World in the future."


    A firm and resolute look filled Tang Ahlang''s eyes. He knew that his Master was disappointed in him this time. Given his current cultivation level, he should''ve been able to kill the two vampires with ease.


    After half an hour, Tang Ahlang jumped up from the ground and respectfully said, "My injury has mostly healed, Master."


    Tang Xiu nodded and ordered. "You have another half-hour to recall and reflect on the previous fight. I want you to give me at least three ways to easily kill the two vampires half an hour later."


    Tang Ahlang then sat cross-legged on the ground. His expression turned thoughtful and his eyes kept flickering.


    He recollected the fight bit by bit and analyzed it again and again.


    Finally, the first method that could easily kill those two vampires took shape in his mind and a look of shame appeared on his delicate face.


    A few minutes later, he was able to deduce the second method.


    15 minutes later, he deduced the third method, but he didn''t stop his analysis and continued to deduce more. His analysis speed turned faster as time passed. In just half an hour, he had come up with 11 methods to easily kill the two vampires. An ashamed expression then covered his face as he lifted his head to look at Tang Xiu.

 1268 Taking Another Chance

    Tang Ahlang got up with glistening eyes. He looked at Tang Xiu''s indifferent expression and then respectfully said, "Master, I''d like to have another chance to fight."


    "How many methods have you come up with from the last fight?" Tang Xiu asked.


    "11!" Tang Ahlang replied respectfully.


    Tang Xiu''s brows raised and he nodded with satisfaction. "You finally didn''t disappoint me. You want another chance, so I''m going to give it to you. Let''s go!"


    "Where to?" Tang Ahlang asked.


    "To the place I''m going to give you this chance." Tang Xiu smiled.


    2 days later.


    Tang Xiu took Tang Ahlang to South Korea, the pair of master and disciple rushing towards their destination as two cars sped up to the airport.


    "Has the investigation been carried out?" Sitting in the car, Tang Xiu asked while gazing at the scenery passing by.


    The Great Tang Empire''s intel operatives gave a few documents to Tang Xiu and replied with a respectful expression, "Your Majesty, Ximen Wandai Clan has built a secret base in the Southern part of South Korea, where he has been training assassins since. Each of these assassins is an elite among elites, and there''s a total of 23 instructors as well as supervisors in charge of training them, all of whom are practitioners. Five of them are comparable to a Golden Core Stage expert. Aside from the two experts of this clan who drift from place to place often, they can be regarded as the top experts in the country."


    "This Ximen Wandai name doesn''t seem to originate from South Korea, no?" Tang Xiu said.


    The intel operative shook his head and said, "This clan is indeed not a native of South Korea. Their origins are Chinese. Like the Joyous Palace in Japan, they were unable to stay in China in the past and then migrated here. The centuries of development led to the separation of nationality from their origins and eventually made them form an independent force that can sway this country. It can be said that the Ximen Wandai Clan is the one that holds the true power in South Korea. Further, we found from our investigation that the ancestors of the Ximen Wandai Clan should be from China''s Sichuan Province in the past. Also, their most known expertise is¡­ face-shifting."


    Face-shifting?


    Tang Xiu recalled a particular art spread out among the folks in China''s Sichuan Province, then another thought flashed in his mind as he smilingly said, "Ah, it seems that the plastic surgery service in South Korea didn''t come out of nowhere. Face-shifting, huh? That sounds interesting!"


    The intel operative couldn''t help but chuckle at his comment and immediately said with a smile, "What you said does make sense, Your Majesty. This subordinate is really dull and was unable to make such a conjecture previously."


    ****


    The Southern region.


    The secret assassin base of the Ximen Wandai clan was located in a forested hill along the coast. The hilly area itself was not high, but the forest here was dense and covered a large area.


    When the car stopped at a fork in the road at the foot of a mountain, the agent got out of the car and opened the rear door for Tang Xiu. Then, he said respectfully, "Your Majesty, given our investigations, this is the most suitable entry point to successfully enter the area, though we''d need to cross six lines of defense to get there. Would you like this subordinate to lead a team and clear all the enemies at those lines of defense?"


    "No need." Tang Xiu shook his hand and said, "You''re to wait for us here."


    Having said that, he grabbed Tang Ahlang and quickly disappeared into the woods.


    The winding river had a clear and transparent freshwater, and a few colorful fishes swam freely in the creek water. Several snow-white hares could be seen running on the river bank scaring several birds away.


    Tang Ahlang halted his pace when he spotted two military tents across the river and several big men in black uniforms around them.


    "I won''t move, everyone there will be your enemy." Tang Xiu said, "Go! I want you to hone yourself in the fight and become stronger."


    "Understood!"


    Tang Ahlang nodded in response and his eyes flickered. His figure turning into a flying arrow, he suddenly appeared outside the tent on the opposite side of the river with a sharp dagger in his hand. As a flickering blade light flashed, the throats of two big men in black uniforms were easily ripped open.


    "Who are you?!"


    An angry roar came from the surroundings, shouting in Korean, which neither Tang Xiu nor Tang Ahlang understood.


    Tang Ahlang didn''t even bother to pay attention to the other party''s shouts. His figure flickered once again and another black-uniformed man fell to the ground. When several big men were killed, Tang Xiu appeared in front of Tang Ahlang and faintly said, "You''re a cultivator, not some assassin."


    Tang Ahlang stared blankly for a moment. He immediately understood Tang Xiu''s meaning and nodded. "I understand what you mean, Master. I''ll use cultivators'' custom to kill the enemies, then."


    "That''s not what I meant." Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "You have to use anything you''re good at to kill your enemies, and you must keep your vigilance and stay on guard all the time. If the other party hides their strength and you only resort to using such sneak attacks with a dagger, you are be bound to suffer a great deal later."


    Tang Ahlang thought for a moment and felt that Tang Xiu''s was right. He immediately unleashed his immortal sword and controlled it to hover around him before traversing deeper.


    At the second line of defense.


    Tang Ahlang directly manipulated his immortal sword to kill several big men in black uniforms in a flash.


    At the third line of defense.


    ¡­


    At the sixth line of defense.


    After Tang Ahlang shook the blood off the immortal sword and stored it in his body. Tang Xiu, who followed him, looked at the bodies on the ground and shook his head. "They''re all just some ants. They only practiced some kind of Qigong art and are at most at the level of a martial arts grandmaster. However, they have a thick murderous aura. They''ve obviously killed many people."


    Tang Ahlang took out the map given by the intel agent previously, carefully observed it for a while, then found the location of the secret base. He didn''t talk much and flew directly there.


    Two minutes later, he appeared midair above the base. Tens of figures scrambled out lightning-fast and a group of people surrounded him in a flash. At the same time, hundreds of assassins under training shouted and came one after another. They quickly joined them and created three layers of encirclement inside and outside the area.


    "Who are you daring to break into my training base?"


    An overwhelmingly loud voice came from the deepest part of the base. Immediately after, three figures flickered in a flash and instantly appeared in mid-air above Tang Ahlang. They looked down at Tang Ahlang with a threatening stance and boiling killing intent, though they didn''t attack him immediately.


    Tang Ahlang frowned. Although he had already been briefed on the road to this base, he didn''t expect to see so many people here. To his surprise, many of them were cultivators, and some of the assassins under training even emitted True Qi fluctuations, obviously indicating their recognizable strength even though they were only martial artists.


    Still, there should still be two powerful experts in this place according to the intel.


    Tang Ahlang took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Exterminating demons is a must to defend traditional values and to rectify and help justice to prevail. This one came here to challenge you. Which one of you dares to come up and fight with me?"


    "What?"


    Everyone in the training camp wore bizarre expressions. They never thought that such a dumb kid would trespass the base and state something stupid like "exterminating evils and defending justice".


    He¡­ he speaks Chinese, doesn''t he?


    Suddenly, some sharp-minded people immediately caught the gist of the situation.


    Of the three men standing high in the air glaring fiercely, the curly-haired burly man in a black robe wore a contemptuous look and observed Tang Ahlang from head to toe. He couldn''t sense any force fluctuation from the kid at all, making him wonder and become suspicious. How can this kid come to this guarded area? How did he get through? Is he a blind cat that went through some dead rats to get here?


    "Are you a Chinese, Brat?!" The burly man squinted and asked in Mandarin with a grim face.


    "I''m from China, indeed." Tang Ahlang nodded.


    "Did you get here by chance, or do you have some other purpose?" the burly man asked again. "Or, did you come here before and now want to make trouble?"


    "My Master shut me out for having no actual combat experience, so he sent me here to challenge some halls. Your place is a training camp for assassins, so none of you are good people. I already stated previously that I''m going to exterminate evils and defend justice. I''ll kill you all so you can be a good person in your next life."


    "BWAHAHA¡­"


    The instructors and hitmen who understood Mandarin all laughed and looked at Tang Ahlang as though he was an idiot.


    The burly man standing in the air shook his head with a wry smile. Then, he waved his hand and shouted, "Which one of you who wants to send him to Western Paradise?"


    "Let me do it!"


    A man with a naked upper body wickedly grinned and instantly dashed towards Tang Ahlang, slashing at Tang Ahlang''s neck with the dagger in his hand without pausing.


    Stab¡­


    A faint sound was heard. But it wasn''t Tang Ahlang''s neck that was torn by the man. It was the sound of the immortal sword he unleashed directly impaling the man''s body, crushing his heart and killing him in a single strike.


    The sudden change caused the smiles on everyone''s faces to freeze and their eyes to bulge out as if they couldn''t believe what they just witnessed.


    He died¡­ just like that? A famous trainee was so easily killed by this kid? What the hell was that damn sword and how could it fly in the air?


    In mid-air, the three burly men exchanged dismayed glances, but their faces now looked solemn. The one in the middle shouted fiercely, "Your sword is a magical weapon, isn''t it, Brat? I can sense a powerful aura coming from you. Are you a cultivator from China?"


    "That''s right," said Tang Ahlang calmly.


    The burly men said in a deep voice, "We have neither feud nor grudge with any Chinese cultivators. Why did you break into our site and kill our people? Are you not afraid to cause a war between the two countries?"

 1269 A Bloody and Difficult Battle

    Tang Ahlang was a bit nervous, but his tension vanished when he heard the burly man''s statement. He let out a faint smile and said, "You''re nothing but a bunch of rats scheming and tricking in the dark. How could rats like you have the balls to fight a dragon? Do you think you can really set off the storm to a vast and big country such as China?"


    He paused for a moment before seemingly recalling something else. Then, the smile on his face turned thicker as his body slightly floated upward and reached the same height as the three men. "If the information I got is true, the Master behind you, the Ximen Wandai clan was originally from China too, right? Heh, they lost their foothold and could no longer stay in China in the past, so they acted like distressed rats and fled to this small country. Me killing you will serve as making a contribution to my fellow countrymen, no?"


    The burly man''s expression drastically changed and disbelief filled his eyes. It must be noted that this matter was absolutely confidential, not even ordinary clansmen of Ximen Wandai were aware of. Only a dozen or so core members of the clan knew about this secret.


    And yet, how come this kid knew about it? Who had betrayed the Ximen Wandai Clan and exposed this secret?


    "KILL HIM!" The burly man took a deep breath and fiercely shouted.


    An endless stream of hidden weapons and bullets were shot at Tang Ahlang, who stood tens of meters high in the air. Tang Ahlang''s position at this time made him a living target with no cover and obstruction. However, a surge of his True Essence energy blasted out as water droplets appeared out of thin air and began to spread violently, eventually forming a wall of water in front of him.


    "Heh, ants."


    Tang Ahlang coldly hummed. He recalled the combat skill he had deduced previously. He recalled the scene of his fights against the fierce beasts in the pocket world and then waved his hands. Arrows made of water then formed in the wall of water and instantly blasted out down to the hundreds of people below.


    The scene resembled a blasting gale steamrolling a wheat field.


    Hundreds of assassins in training were pierced by arrows of water, reaping their lives. The tens of cultivator instructors didn''t have a chance to rescue any of them and could only watch as the elites they had trained from several years were all killed, nearly driving all of them into madness.


    "KILL HIM!!!"


    With overwhelming ferociousness, the tens of instructors took out their weapons and stormed over Tang Ahlang.


    When Tang Ahlang came to this place, he began to analyze and deduce what kind of method he must use in the fight here, and finally came up with how he should kill the enemies after the short conversation. Therefore, he was very calm at this moment as his pupils began to contract slightly, observing the moving trajectories of these practitioners, calculating their speed and the distance between them, as well as the spots they would appear next.


    "Sword Art¡ªDivide!"


    Waving his hand in a flash, Tang Ahlang manipulated the immortal sword and created dozens of sword beams that moved in bizarre trajectories in mid-air. In just a flash, the beams blasted through the chests of tens of people. The Sword Art¡ªDivide move was a fearsome move taught to him by his Master''s lady, Ouyang Lulu, whereas the mental calculation he just used to come up with such a battle plan was taught by another lady of his Master, Gu Yan''er.


    It was his first time using these two newly learned techniques in actual combat. The result was much to his satisfaction because he found that the Sword Art¡ªDivide move was truly a killing technique, whereas the mental calculation could be used to clear his mind and fast thinking.


    "How is this possible?!"


    Disbelief and incredulity were all over the faces of the three experts in the air. Never in their wildest dreams did they think that a 20-year-old youth could actually unleash such a fearsome killing technique. They never thought that so many experts would be killed in an instant like this.


    The grieve and pain, the anger and fury were unbearable.


    Except for the middle-aged man who had yet to make any more, the other two instantly moved and dived down like goshawks. They couldn''t wait longer, wishing to mutilate Tang Ahlang''s body and rip it to pieces.


    Tang Xiu was standing under a tree 2 kilometers away while watching the scene calmly. He naturally was very clear about the killing technique Tang Ahlang just showcased. He knew that it was a sword technique Ouyang Lulu created that suited her taste after studying various sword controlling arts in the Library Pavilion.


    However, he didn''t expect that she would actually teach it to Tang Ahlang.


    "Apparently, they were aware of my intention to train Ah Lang. Nevertheless, it''s a good thing since it makes Ah Lang stronger and this brat can become my right-hand man. He''ll be able to serve as the commander of the Great Tang Empire''s conquest army."


    Tang Xiu''s eyes then shifted to the jade pendant on Tang Ahlang''s waist. This protective talisman he gave him a few hours ago was able to withstand the full strength blows from experts at the Nascent Soul Stage thrice. But there was a chance that Tang Ahlang may be severely injured or killed after getting hit after three uses.


    However, it was something that Tang Ahlang himself was unaware of.


    BOOM¡­


    The attack of the two big men whose cultivation level was at the Golden Core Stage was very fast and violent. Both men''s movements were swift, as fast as a lightning bolt, as they brandished their swords to clash with Tang Ahlang madly. If it wasn''t for Tang Ahlang''s fast speed, it was very likely that he''d be struck and killed by them. However, despite being superior in speed, Tang Ahlang still had to face the perilous dangers that could reap his life at any time.


    "Eye for an eye and blood for blood!"


    The burly man standing in the air finally moved. His figure turned into a streak of light and appeared in front of Tang Ahlang in a flash. However, his killing blow was not from his right fist that punched Tang Ahlang, but from the hair-thick shiny silver wire wrapped around his left wrist and a copper bell tied to the end of the silver wire.


    BANG¡­


    Tang Ahlang quickly avoided the lightning-fast punch, but he didn''t notice the tens of meters long silver wire with a copper bell at its end that hit his back.


    Puah¡­


    He coughed up a mouthful of blood and felt a searing pain on his back. Barely maintaining his shape, Tang Ahlang quickly moved in an arc-shaped direction as if he was a falling leaf. However, still affected by the blow, his waist and arm were stabbed by the swords of the other two burly men.


    Blood flowed and dyed Tang Ahlang''s clothes red. Yet, the pain sobered him and he became much calmer instead.


    The calculation process in his mind was already running lightning-fast and his mind was now able to think 100 times faster than a normal person''s brain. Although the speed was unable to match the speed of artificial intelligence, it was still terrifying given the fact that he was a human.


    Highest level of enlightenment.


    At this moment, Tang Ahlang seemed to have eyes on his back. The immortal sword that was previously in front of him flashed under his left arm and directly impaled the abdomen of a burly man. The sword didn''t even stop after the penetration and flickered again to ward off the slash of the saber brandished by the other man. The instant after, the immortal sword streaked upwards and seemingly moved fast for 100 feet instantly. However, the scene turned out to be a mirage, while the real body of the sword cut off the right arm of that burly man without him being able to avoid it.


    "Decagonal Sword Array!"


    Tang Ahlang had only used the move once, but he was already very proficient in it. Layers of sword images overlapped and formed a formation of swords and completely covered the three Golden Core Stage experts.


    "You''re damned!"


    A cold voice suddenly came from 100 meters away. Two figures flickered and moved lightning-fast and appeared in front of the Decagonal Sword Array in a flash. Scarlet lights blasted out from a copper mirror and the Decagonal Sword formation was instantly destroyed, while another hand brandished a sledgehammer and bombarded the immortal sword.


    Puah¡­


    The sledgehammer was cut in half by the immortal sword, but Tang Ahlang ended up spurting a mouthful of blood and flew upside down to the back, while his immortal whirred and flew back, causing a whistling sound, and eventually hovered around him.


    "How long does Your Excellency want to hide in the dark? Are you really not afraid that we''ll butcher this little kid?" Of the two newly arrived people, the gray-haired man with a young-looking face coldly looked at the direction where Tang Xiu was standing.


    Whoosh!


    Tang Xiu instantly appeared nearby and smilingly said, "Well, I was still worried that the opponent I chose for my disciple was too weak to even serve as a tempering. I never thought that two of you would appear. But nevertheless, you both have made my worry vanish. You both are not bad, though. Your strengths can rival experts at the Nascent Soul Stage and you likely have some killing techniques as well. That''s quite good."


    The gray-haired man instantly sent the three men away and then shot a frosty stare at Tang Xiu, saying, "Who are you, Mister? I don''t think the Ximen Wandai Clan has any feud with you. Why did you come here all of a sudden and even killed our people?"


    "You know, the weak like you can only serve as a stepping stone to the strong." Tang Xiu chuckled. "But the real reason why I chose you is that you guys can serve as a tempering and sharpening tool for my disciple. However, the fact that you all wicked people are obvious. All of you reek of blood, so I won''t have any guilt killing you all. To be honest, I''m rather happy instead, since killing wicked people definitely can save countless good people."


    "Hmph. Do you really think we''re afraid of you?" the gray-haired man furiously yelled.


    "You will be. That''s for sure." Tang Xiu laughed. "But you can rest assured that I won''t get involved in the fight between you guys and my disciple, though. No matter how hard you try to save yourselves, you''re just gonna die unless you can kill my disciple."


    "Hmph! How arrogant!"


    The other man whose cultivation was also comparable to a Nascent Soul Stage expert seemed to manifest his fury into a flame. His figure appeared in front of Tang Xiu in a flash and instantly brandished the saber sheathed on his back to cut Tang Xiu''s head.


    "Well, might as well lighten up my disciple''s burden!"


    Tang Xiu slightly smiled. His palm gently moved to the front and formed a wind blade that swept across the man''s waist instantly.


    One strike! It was just a single blow, but the man was cut into two halves.


    "SECOND BROTHER!!!"


    "Master!"


    The gray-haired man and three other men were all in disbelief. They instantly rushed in panic towards the man who had been cut in half, but quickly found that his internal organs had already fallen along with his blood.


    "No need to care about him, I tell you." Tang Xiu indifferently said, "If he was cut in half by ordinary weapons, you might still be able to save his life. But his lifeforce is completely destroyed since I was the one who did it. It''s impossible to revive him even if you''re the reincarnation of a Perfected Golden Immortal."

 1270 The Mysterious Grim Reaper

    Fear was now apparent on the gray-haired man''s face. He was well aware of the strength of his second brother. Yet, that young man killed him in just one blow. It was obvious that this fellow''s strength was extremely terrifying and definitely someone he couldn''t afford to contend with.


    "RUN!"


    Without any care about the body of his second brother, the man instantly cast a secret technique that caused his speed to multiply several times as he fled lightning-fast.


    Tang Xiu chuckled coldly and cast a secret technique. The gray-haired man felt that his waist was bound with a stream of energy that pulled him backward. He couldn''t break free no matter how hard he tried.


    "Cage containment!"


    Tang Xiu moved his fingers and instantly drew some array patterns. In a flash, an array had fully covered an area with a range of one kilometer that contained the grey-haired man and the three men within. Afterward, he smiled and said, "You''ll never be able to break this array. The only way for you to survive is to kill my disciple. But if you can''t kill him, then it will be you who''ll be killed, of course."


    Getting shot with the same old tricks one after another did give a very significant effect. The four men suppressed their fears after hearing Tang Xiu''s statement and directly stormed over Tang Ahlang to kill him. Their speed was very fast and the might they unleashed was very powerful. Coupled with their teamwork and the area of movements that was limited to a radius of 1,000 meters, Tang Ahlang finally faced a thrilling and perilous fight that nearly killed him several times.


    At first, Tang Ahlang could only keep avoiding desperately before he gradually adapted to the rhythm of the encirclement attacks. His mind was even able to calculate faster and faster and then he began to fight back. Although the might of his counterattacks was insignificant at the beginning, it continued to increase. In just 10 minutes, he fully adapted to the battle rhythm and began to suppress the four people without them being able to fight back.


    "It should end soon, huh?"


    After seeing up to this moment, Tang Xiu was already very satisfied.


    "DIE!"


    The immortal sword controlled by Tang Ahlang suddenly blasted out. It was like the sun had exploded in front of the four people. Immediately after, the four men''s pupils shrunk and they could only watch as sword beams shot at their eyes. None of them were able to avoid the strikes no matter how desperately they tried.


    Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!


    Four bodies fell along with their decapitated heads.


    After beheading these four people, Tang Ahlang wiped off the bloodstain on his face and released his True essence energy to shake off the blood that covered nearly all his clothes. Afterward, he cast a water-based immortal technique, washed his body directly, took out some clothes from his interspatial ring, and stuffed the older ones after he got changed hurriedly.


    "Master!"


    Tang Ahlang dashed to Tang Xiu''s front and raised his hand to touch the striking wound on his left cheek. His smile at this time, however, was particularly bright.


    "Your combat skills have improved rapidly. Your ability to adapt to the situation in battle is remarkable." Tang Xiu nodded with satisfaction. "However, it''s still far from enough, so I''ll take you to other places in the next few days. You''ll have to go through such fights again before you can carry out your next mission."


    "Ehh? You have some missions ready for me to carry out, Master?" Tang Ahlang curiously asked.


    "You can expect that the duty I''m going to give will be a very heavy one." Tang Xiu nodded and said, "This duty will put the life and death of tens of thousands of people on your shoulder. Therefore, the most important aspect you need to improve as of now is your combat experience and the taste of life-and-death atmosphere on the battlefield. Keep this in mind. Even though I count this as your task to carry out, this also serves as a golden opportunity for you. Grasp it well and make me satisfied with your performance since this will benefit you greatly."


    "Understood!" Tang Ahlang nodded, and his expression turned extremely resolute.


    ****


    In the following days, Tang Xiu took Tang Ahlang to various Asian countries. Through the Great Tang Empire''s intel network, he found other five places occupied by evil cultivators. After the series of battles and much tempering and honing, Tang Ahlang''s fast transformation gave Tang Xiu quite a surprise.


    In these several days, the jade pendant he gave Tang Ahlang had warded him from fatal injuries twice. It was still hanging on Tang Ahlang''s waist although there were a few more cracks on it.


    At the basin of a mountain valley.


    Tang Ahlang was standing atop a mound of flesh and blood. Bodies were seen everywhere in the surroundings. He wiped the blood on his face and his eyes still contained a bit of killing intent. His head then titled up as he came to Tang Xiu and asked, "Where shall we go next, Master?"


    "It''s enough. We should go back now." Tang Xiu shook his head.


    Tang Ahlang spaced out for a moment before his tense expression relaxed. The murderous intent in his eyes gradually dissipated. After washing himself using a magic spell, he changed his clothes, took a Holy Healing pill, and then respectfully said, "I think I''ve fully adapted to the atmosphere on the battlefield after fighting these tens of days. Aside from improving my combat experience, only now do I realize that I used to be like a guardian of a gold mountain, but I still couldn''t get enough meals since I had no idea how to utilize that gold mountain to buy food."


    "Well, you''ve stimulated your potential. I can say that your initial transformation has been completed in just several days." Tang Xiu lightly smiled in response and said, "All things considered, you''ve done well, and this will be greatly beneficial for you in the future. However, don''t become arrogant and complacent. You should now be well aware of the fact that you could''ve died several times already had it not been for the protective talisman I gave you. That''s why you must keep in mind to never treat enemies lightly in the future, no matter who they are. Plan carefully and unleash everything you have to strike any enemies you face regardless of their strength and cultivation levels."


    "I understand, Master." Tang Ahlang respectfully nodded.


    During these 10 days or so, all major forces throughout the Asian region had shrunk. The emergence of a mysterious assassin had become public knowledge. This person boasted a very powerful strength, so powerful that they were scared senseless.


    Further, the tragic and miserable situation of those who were hit was also passed to the leaders of all forces. After reading the information, all of them remained silent for a long time and chose to stay dormant. No one tried to investigate the identity of this mysterious grim reaper. It wasn''t that they didn''t have the intention to kill this person, but rather that they didn''t have the guts to.


    Their fear was so great that they even chose to ally and stay together for fear that this Grim Reaper would strike them.


    ****


    On Nine Dragons Island.


    The first thing Tang Xiu did when he returned to Nine Dragons Island was to issue an order. The four major army corps were to be dispatched collectively and each army would infiltrate some regions, respectively the four regions occupied by four targets: The Pyramid, League of Archcrusaders, Stygian Club, and House Dolan.


    ****


    Half a month later.


    Las Vegas in the United States was the biggest city in Nevada, internationally famous for its reputation as a gambling city. Here, the gambling industry was the core in tourism, shopping, and vacation that comprised an integral whole of the famous city. All of which earned the city the fanciful moniker of "The World''s Entertainment City" as well as "the Wedding Capital of the World".


    Santa Emperador Casino.


    Touted as the largest and most luxurious casino in Las Vegas, the casino was patronized by more than tens of thousands of guests from all over the world every day. Some people got rich overnight and others ended up penniless.


    In the VIP room on the third floor.


    Thick beads of sweat appeared on Du Chengfeng''s forehead. His complexion paled as he looked at the less than 20-years-old youth in front of him with incredulity. On both sides of the gambling stakes, a white man and a big black man looked at the smiling, boyish-looking youth with horrified eyes.


    "You guys know that those who owe money must pay interest! Each of you owes 4.8 billion dollars. Leave your fucking life here if you got no money to pay it." Tang Ahlang took out a cigarette and lit it, taking a deep puff and stating with a smile.


    "You must be cheating, punk!"


    The burly black man abruptly got up, yelling and glaring furiously at Tang Ahlang.


    The white man followed suit and angrily shouted, "That''s right! You gotta be fucking cheating! Else it''s impossible for you to have those cards! Oriental punk, do you know how grave the consequences are for cheating in front of me, Asda?"


    Tang Ahlang looked disappointed and shook his head. "You both don''t wanna pay given your attitude, huh! If I recall correctly, those who don''t pay their debts here will be taken care of by the Boss of this place even if I don''t kill you. What say you? Do you really refuse to pay for your lives and choose to die here?"


    The white man turned to look at a certain middle-aged man and shouted sternly, "Manager Phillip, I want a guarantee from your casino. This punk must be cheating. I want him to be punished!"


    Near the gambling table, an old-fashioned middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses slowly shook his head and said, "He didn''t cheat. We have 16 surveillance cameras in this VIP room, along with 16 casino staff. Even the dealer himself didn''t find him cheating. All in all, you both have lost today, so you will have to pay, though 4.8 billion dollars is not a small sum."


    "Did you guys hear?" Tang Ahlang laughed and said, "Those who gamble must be ready to lose. You lost, so you gotta pay. You know, I''m one who likes to socialize. I also love money and never like to kill. You can leave after each of you pays me 4.8 billion dollars. Else, not only will you die, but even your buddies and families will also bite the dust."


    Despair filled Du Chengfeng''s eyes. He took his handkerchief, wiped off the sweat on his face and bitterly said, "Little Bro, you know the saying not to invite calamity to your family, yes? Today, Du Chengfeng admits that I don''t have much money. I can only come up with 300 million dollars at most. If you must kill someone, just kill me, but leave my family out of this."


    "KILL HIM!"


    "YOU''RE DEAD!"


    The burly white man and the black man pulled out the pistols from their waists at the same time. The eight bodyguards they brought also followed suit and aimed their guns at Tang Ahlang, ready to shoot.


    Bang, bang, bang¡­


    A series of gunfire sounded, and the white man and black man suddenly fell into a pool of their own blood at the same time. Their eight bodyguards were all also ruthlessly murdered by the ten security guards of the casino.


    Du Chengfeng''s two bodyguards also pulled out their pistols, but they didn''t pull the trigger and just stood on both sides of Du Chengfeng, looking vigilant and ready to face any attack.


    "Little Brother¡­"


    Du Chengfeng''s lips squirmed a few times before he finally shouted in Chinese. He felt that using the language could be the last straw that could save his life because he suspected that Tang Ahlang was a Chinese national.


    This was also his last gamble. He might be able to save his poor life if he bet a correct one, but if he was wrong, he knew that he would really bite the dust here today.

 1271 Bringing Things to an End

    Tang Ahlang slowly shook his head, but the smile on his face didn''t diminish. "It''s just a matter of course that you pay when you lose the game. You shouldn''t have come here if you don''t have the capital. You should be from China too, right? I''ll give you face and one last chance since we''re both Chinese. I''ll halve the amount you owe me. You must pay me at least 2.4 billion dollars, else you won''t leave here alive."


    Du Chengfeng almost cried. Where would he get 2.4 billion dollars? Even if he were to sell himself and everything he had, the amount wouldn''t be worth so much either!


    "You still can''t take it? If so, I''m afraid you''ll have your death anniversary next year in the next few days," Tang Ahlang said with a smile.


    Du Chengfeng was anxious and blurted out, "I still have a solution left."


    "You do?" The smiling arc on the corner of Tang Ahlang''s mouth went higher as he said, "Then I''m giving you half an hour to transfer the money to my account."


    BAM¡­


    The VIP lounge''s door was pushed by someone from the outside. Tang Guang, dressed in white and smiling, walked from the outside and saw the scene inside. He shook his head with a smile and said, "Little Martial Uncle, the fight at the other places will be over if you keep playing like this."


    Tang Ahlang slightly smiled and replied, "Just gimme half an hour."


    Tang Guang pulled a chair and kicked the black man''s body aside. He then shifted to Du Chengfeng and asked with a smile, "What''s up with this fella, though?"


    "He owes me some money and I''m waiting for him to collect the amount. By the way, you still have 29 minutes left." Tang Ahlang chuckled.


    Du Chengfeng shuddered and his lips squirmed a few times. He finally pulled out his mobile phone with a panicked look. After a few seconds of thinking, he dialed a cell number. After his call was picked up by the other party, he said, "Ah Hang, please save me. I need money. 2.4¡­ no, no, no, just 2.1 billion dollars. I''m gonna die if I don''t have enough money."


    "Did you just gamble again?" a cold voice replied from the phone.


    "I was just¡­ going to play casually. I never thought that I''d lose this badly all of a sudden," Du Chengfeng bitterly said with a distressed face. "I''m your little uncle and the uncle of your brother-in-law. Please save me. I''ll listen to you in the future as long as you save me."


    "I don''t have enough money," the voice sounded stiff when it replied from the phone again.


    Du Chengfeng''s face changed greatly and he shouted, "Ah Hang, your father Han Jintong has ruthlessly turned his back on me after the fallout, you can''t be as ruthless as him! Just save me and I''ll listen to all of your orders in the future. I''ll even apologize to your father if you want me to do so."


    "How much time do you have left?" the indifferent voice from the phone replied again.


    Du Chengfeng looked happy and hurriedly said, "Half an hour¡­ No, I only got 28 minutes left. The man said that he''ll kill me if he doesn''t see 2.4 billion dollars in his account within 28 minutes. Ah Hang, the other two men and their bodyguards have been killed, so please hurry up!"


    "Got it."


    Tang Guang, who was sitting a few meters away, looked at Du Chengfeng as the man put away his phone. He frowned and then asked in a deep voice, "I overheard you talking with someone and you mentioned someone named Han Jintong, yes? What is he to you?"


    "He''s my big brother''s uncle," Du Chengfeng said. "Why? Do you know him?"


    "Then who''s the person you just called?" Tang Guang asked again.


    "He''s Han Jintong''s son¡ªmy nephew, Han Hang," Du Chengfeng said.


    Tang Guang took a deep breath and asked in a deep voice again, "Answer my last question, what''s the name of Han Jintong''s granddaughter?"


    "Han Qingwu," Du Chengfeng answered without thinking.


    Tang Guang''s complexion changed. He shifted to Tang Ahlang and said, "Martial Uncle, let him go!"


    Tang Ahlang creased his brows and a thoughtful look flashed on his face. He nodded and slowly said, "Du Chengfeng, I''ll forgive you this time on the account of my Martial Nephew. Get the hell out of this place at once!"


    Little did Du Chengfeng think that this handsome young man who had just entered and asked him a few questions would make such a request and agree to let him go without anything attached.


    Do they really waive his debt of 2.4 billion dollars?


    Suddenly, his expression slightly changed and hurriedly asked, "Who are you? Do you know¡­ that Qingwu girl?"


    "Shut up!" Tang Guang''s face turned cold and he shouted in a deep voice, "Get the hell out this once, else I won''t mind killing you here and now!"


    "Yes, yes. I''m leaving. I''ll be gone at once!" Du Chengfeng was startled and hurriedly run with his two bodyguards.


    Tang Ahlang glanced at the casino staff and gave them a hand signal. After they left, he curiously asked, "Who''s this Han Qingwu, Tang Guang? Is she really worth 2.4 billion dollars?"


    "Sigh, you''d better not mention her name in front of Grand Master, Martial Uncle." Tang Guang sighed and wryly smiled. "That woman¡­ She''s a demon barrier in Grand Master''s heart."


    Tang Ahlang was surprised. He knew that Tang Xiu, his Master, had many women already, but he never heard of this Han Qingwu.


    A demon barrier? What kind of woman is she? How could she become a demon barrier in Master''s heart?


    What had transpired piqued a strong curiosity in him. He waved to motion the dozen carefully selected guards in the room to leave. After only the two of them were left in the room, he said, "What''s going on, Tang Guang? Just tell me so I can also know what to do if I run into this woman in the future."


    Tang Guang forced a smile and said, "Properly speaking, this matter is not something I can tell you since Grand Master will definitely punish me if he finds out. But you do have a point, however. I''ll tell you what I know about this, but you must remember not to tell anyone else later."


    "Sure." Tang Ahlang nodded.


    Tang Guang forced a smile again and went on, "I don''t know about the specific details on this matter, either. But one thing I know is that Han Qingwu was Grand Master''s teacher in high school¡ªhis class''s teacher in charge, specifically. Later on, Grand Master was admitted to Shanghai University and Han Qingwu also followed him there. Originally, we all thought that she would become the Grand Master''s woman. But after some time¡­ she kind of became a taboo for him. Shortly put, you must remember to retreat whenever you run into this woman. You must treat any news you hear about her as if you never heard of them."


    "This¡­" Tang Alang hesitated before he nodded without a word.


    "Alright, let''s set off! We gotta see the situation next door," Tang Guang said.


    In the next door.


    The 1,000-plus square-meters hall was fully filled with LCD monitors everywhere. Every monitor showed strange places, and many practitioners were seen on the footage. Some of them were members of the Pyramid, some from the League of Archcrusaders, Stygian Club, but most of them were members of the four major military corps.


    "Commander, the Dragon Army and the Tiger Army have pulled out the secret branches of these three organizations, whereas their core executives have been forced back to their strongholds and keep resisting. Additionally, the Phoenix Army engaged with House Dolan and all experts of this House were killed in the fight.


    "It will only take at most 2 hours before we can fully exterminate the remnant force of the Pyramid, League of Archcrusaders, and Stygian Club.


    "Aside from that, His Majesty has ordered us to investigate the Darkwind and we''ve found their den. However, we have yet to fully dig out the list of their intel operatives in various countries. The Intelligence Department just sent a message that they will need a few days more.


    "The casualties on our side are minimal according to the previous battle situation. The Dragon Army lost a total of six people, 9 people from Tiger Army, whereas the Phoenix Army reported zero casualties.


    "All in all, your battle plan has been implemented perfectly, Commander-in-chief. Do you have any orders for our next moves?"


    The place was a temporary military headquarter of the Great Tang Empire''s campaign, and the people who just reported to Tang Ahlang were the people he could train in recent years.


    Tang Ahlang slowly shook his head and said, "Keep our advance according to the plan. Immediately start the next plan and get the reserve force to execute it should there be any emergency in any place. By the way, have the soldiers proficient in the Memory Erasing Technique undertaken their duties?"


    "They have taken actions and erased the memories of ordinary people who witnessed the battles. This matter won''t be a problem for us."


    "Good!"


    Tang Ahlang nodded and fell into silence. Although he didn''t personally visit the battlefield to direct the battles, he was still updated about the situation on the battlefield through this monitoring system. He could even launch the final strike at the same time and still achieve great results just by issuing the order.


    Suddenly, Tang Guang asked, "Where''s Grand Master now?"


    "He should be in Salzburg," Tang Alang answered after thinking for a moment.


    "Is there a lineage of the Stygian Club there?" Tang Guang frowned and asked.


    "Yeah." Tang Ahlang nodded. "Master said he also wants to see his old acquaintances in Salzburg to help guard China as well as some relatives left by members of the Great Tang Empire."


    Tang Guang nodded and smilingly said, "Grand Master is seriously putting heavy importance on relationship and righteousness, isn''t he? He asked Duanmu Lin to promise him on this matter before, but now he went to the Salzburg Bloodkin lineage, indicating that he wants double insurance!"


    "What do you think? Will Master bring those vampires to the Immortal World as well?" Tang Ahlang asked.


    "I don''t think so," Tang Guang said. "We''re going to face his life-and-death archenemies in the Immortal World. He would never rashly take anyone he has no absolute trust in. Otherwise, should those vampires be compromised, they will expose the existence of our Great Tang Empire and bring danger to all of us."


    "Yeah!" Tang Ahlang nodded in response.


    After 3 hours, the top three forces in the world were all massacred by the three corps of the Imperial Army of the Great Tang Empire, where 99% of their cultivators, ability users, mutants, and divergent races were all killed.


    Immediately after, Tang Ahlang issued the last order. "Go all out to investigate the Darkwind''s intel network in every country around the world, and then dig out their intel operatives in each country."

 1272 The Frightened King Yama

    Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean.


    The thousands of islands in the fog-shrouded vast expanse of the ocean were like countless pieces of colorful emeralds of various shapes engraved on the blue ocean.


    Yama Island.


    The island was located on a spot out of the coverage of any spy satellites. The area was covered by black fog all year round thanks to the various concealment arrays. This place was the den of the Darkwind organization as well as the place mistakenly regarded as the Darkwind''s center of command by outsiders. There was even someone in charge in every place here. The Darkwind used this method as an obstruction to confuse their enemies.


    The entire Yama Island was forever shrouded by dark mist with a grim and creepy atmosphere. The castles were made of steel, some buildings shaped like long swords, while others looked like spears, triangular-shaped, diamond-shaped, and most of them were tower-shaped buildings.


    In the central area was a roughly 100-meter-high building with 19 floors. Those who saw this Dark God Tower from the outside would find that the edifice was not built on the ground but rather floated 18 meters from the ground.


    BAM¡­


    The gate at the bottom of the tower suddenly opened and a mysterious man whose body was covered by a black robe stepped in the air and went into the tower, before the gate slowly closed.


    On the 19th floor.


    After the black-robed mysterious man stepped into the gateway, 18 men and women with various appearances and shrouded by black mists all bowed down and saluted. The man, however, didn''t pay attention to them and took off his hat, revealing a bizarre face. His face was pale, the green veins on it were clearly visible. The red mole at the center of his eyebrows glowed with a fascinating light, and there was a red crescent blade mark on his left cheek.


    The man was eyeless and a dark cloud of smoke replaced the supposed eye sockets like a vortex. Afterward, he calmly "watched" a large number of virtual hologram screens in the surrounding before his expression finally changed and he said slowly, "The Pyramid, the League of Archcrusaders, and the Stygian Club¡­ they were the world''s top three organizations, yet they have been eradicated and uprooted in just several days. Unexpected yet very interesting. Even House Dolan that is comparable to them has also been exterminated, all of which is beyond my estimation."


    "King Yama." A burly, hulking man in a black combat suit raised his hand and stroked his bright bald head before fiercely saying, "We''ve checked through various channels and our database about the identity and origins of these armies of child soldiers. There was a clash between House Dolan and some parties from China roughly 2 decades ago. Accurately speaking, there should be a deep blood feud as the aftermath and, apparently, some people who were supposed to have died 20 years ago were spotted."


    The black-robed King Yama slightly creased his brows and asked, "Are they also in contact with Tang Sect?"


    "Given the previous intel, we''ve proven that Tang Xiu, the Magnificent Tang Corp.''s owner, should have a deep relationship with Tang Sect. And his father, Tang Yunde, was seen among some people who appeared on the House Dolan battlefield."


    "No wonder our intel operatives in China, as well as the rest of many groups we sent there, one after another, were like stones thrown into the sea. There has been no news about them, either. The might of Tang Sect¡­ truly exceeds our expectations."


    "King Yama, though these children soldiers are many in number, their individual strength is just average. I can completely wipe them out if you give me enough time."


    "Heh, you said you can kill them all relying on your own power, Black Tiger?" King Yama sneered. "Are you kidding me? Ants can kill elephants with their numbers, let alone that these child soldiers are not ants. The weakest among them is at the Golden Core Stage, and the stronger ones have power comparable to the Spirit Formation Stage!"


    "What?"


    The burly man''s expression looked dull before incredulity replaced it. He hurriedly cried out, "I''ve never found any Spirit Formation Stage expert among them. Are the officers of these three armies actually Spirit Formation Stage cultivators?"


    King Yama no longer bothered to reply to him and looked at a petite female among the 18 people, asking lightly, "Black Fox, is there any movement on our side as of recently?"


    The masked petite female answered, "Nothing abnormal happened after the bloodbath due to the attack of that mysterious female cultivator on the concealed 4th island 3 months ago. However, the Darkwind intel operatives in various countries sent us the news that they are being monitored and followed. Although I''ve ordered them all to go dormant, it is estimated that many of our people have been exposed."


    King Yama fell into silence for a long time. He then slightly creased brows and said fiercely, "Order the core members to completely withdraw and gather on the 1st hidden island and be on the standby! As for the other personnel¡­ abandon all of them!"


    "Abandon all of them?!"


    The 18 people, including Black Fox, wore disbelieving expressions. They were well aware of how difficult it was for the Darkwind to form their organization. It took decades to form a comprehensive intel network on a global scale. Yet, they had to abandon it now? Wouldn''t it mean that their previous efforts just went to waste in vain?


    King Yama forced a bitter smile and said, "I understand what you have in mind. But our purpose in founding the Darkwind was to monitor the cultivation forces around the world while making money to obtain cultivation resources, to begin with. We''ve already hoarded a lot of cultivation resources. But the situation now forces us to shrink our scope of surveillance. The emergence of this terrifying force is not something we can contend with, so the time has come for us to give up the rooks to save the king."


    Black Fox asked curiously, "Is this Tang Sect really that powerful?"


    "This force is no longer called Tang Sect," King Yama replied.


    "What is it called now?" Black Fox asked again.


    "The Great Tang Empire." There was a bit of reluctance and unwillingness in King Yama''s tone, but he still answered slowly.


    The Great Tang Empire?


    The 18 people exchanged dismayed glances, incredulity filling their faces. From the name, they inferred a very fearsome conclusion. Did these cultivators want to found a country of cultivators? If this country was truly built, wouldn''t they be able to easily rule the entire Earth with its likely well-trained and powerful armies?


    "How big their courage is, to think that they dare to build a country?" Black Fox murmured.


    King Yama pointed to the holographic screen and said in a deep tone, "The number of 150,000 children soldiers itself is already a terrifying number. Who can guarantee there will be no other cultivator armies in the Great Tang Empire? Even with their current armies, once you give them a few more years, decades, or centuries, to what extent their power will be by then? The most important thing is the extermination of the top three major forces and House Dolan itself. They clearly used this campaign as a drill. They want to make these children soldiers experience the flames of war and transform them into true soldiers."


    Ding, ding, ding¡­


    The loud bell rang the moment King Yama finished speaking, and the expressions of 18 people, except for King Yama, greatly changed in an instant.


    It was the sound of the Underworld Bell.


    King Yama had laid out a heaven-defying array, the Underworld Great Array, and the Underworld Bell was the early-warning demonic artifact placed on the outermost layer. Over the centuries, it only sounded four times. Each time was the coming of their archenemy which eventually caused their Darkwind organization to face a crazy battle that led to heavy losses.


    King Yama slowly closed his eyes and muttered, "It seems that we''re their last target! Since we can no longer avoid them, we''ll open the Underworld Passage. We''ll keep staying in the human world if we win, but we''ll go back if we''re defeated!"


    Suddenly, Black Fox''s expression sharply changed and she shouted while pointing to the holographic screen. "King Yama, take a look at this quickly!"


    King Yama instantly opened his eyes. As his eyes shifted to the direction pointed by Black Fox, his body suddenly shuddered because he saw tens of thousand children soldiers and cultivators on the holographic screen, riding on Aerogliders in the air. He even found thousands of people laying out an overwhelmingly powerful array around the 1st concealed island with his spiritual sense, while 8 strangely-shaped tanks appeared behind that array.


    The instant after, King Yama realized with his keen observation that this army of tens of thousands of cultivators was not the 150,000 cultivators that had previously massacred the top three forces and House Dolan.


    "How many armies¡­ do they have, exactly? How many cultivator soldiers do they have in their ranks?" Despite being well-informed, King Yama was still shocked by the number.


    Coming from the Nine Nether Underworld, he was one of the most powerful men there. He knew that the number of ghost cultivators in the entire Nine Nether Underworld definitely did not exceed 200,000. Additionally, the Nine Nether Underworld was thousands of times larger than Earth, and the number of ghosts inhabiting the plane was thousands of times larger than that of humanity on Earth.


    It was so much so that he was sure that the Great Tang Empire''s military strength would have enough power to invade the Nine Nether Underworld in just a few decades or centuries.


    "Activate the arrays!


    "We are to evacuate at once if the Great Tang Empire has Array Masters. But if they don''t have any, we can turn the tide by relying on the arrays!"


    Feeling tense and restless, King Yama immediately began issuing orders.


    ****


    The moon sprinkled down its hazy moonlight. The vast universe was shrouded in the darkness above the 1st concealed island in the vast sea. At this moment, the entire 50,000 soldiers of the Martial Army had surrounded the small island group.


    A tank-like chariot quickly flew over the sea surface and soon appeared in front of the Martial Army. As the door opened, Tang Ahlang, who gave off a scholarly aura and holding a jade flute, appeared in front of everyone present with a smile on his face.


    "Commander!"


    Five figures flickered and quickly came to salute Tang Ahlang.


    "What''s the situation here?" Tang Ahlang slightly smiled in response and asked, "Has anyone from the Darkwind appeared yet?"


    The black-uniformed Tang Jin, who was now 13-plus-years-old, shook his head and said, "We''ve spotted a total of 162 people on the island through the recon drones, and all of them are gathering in the center of the island. Our thermal imaging equipment found a total of 142 cultivators among these people, the strongest of whom should be comparable to Golden Core Stage experts. However, no one has come out after we surrounded this place. Not to mention that this island is covered and protected by some arrays, so we haven''t mounted any attacks for the time being."


    "Arrays, huh?"


    Tang Ahlang smiled in response. He had been studying arrays and learned quite a lot about this aspect recently. Thus, he wanted to test his accomplishments in arrays now.

 1273 Captured Alive

    Yama Island.


    The full black-robed King Yama''s eyes flickered as he watched the scene outside the 1st concealed island on the holographic screen, deeply falling into thought. The overwhelming might displayed by the Great Tang Empire made him apprehensive and fearful. However, he still had two trump cards at hand that kept him from withdrawing to the Nine Nether Underworld.


    The first trump card was the great array he arranged outside Yama Island. It had a total of 18 layers, with each layer more powerful than the previous one. Unless the attacker had power comparable to an Immortal, it was impossible for anyone to destroy them.


    The second trump card was his own strength. Although he had yet to reach the Immortal Stage, his strength was comparable to a Great Ascension Stage cultivator. With his strength, he was still able to fight back against this army of tens of thousands of cultivators.


    After spending some time observing the situation, King Yama noticed that the strongest ones among the Great Tang Empire''s experts were only at the Nascent Soul Stage. However, these Nascent Soul Stage experts were all very young. Thus he became fearful and suspected that there were likely some more powerful existences among their ranks. If his suspicion was right, then how high these people''s cultivation level could be?


    "What exactly is this guy doing, King Yama?"


    Black fox, who stood on the left rear of King Yama, inquisitively asked while her eyes fixed on the holographic screen.


    King Yama shifted his attention to the screen Black Fox''s finger pointed. He slightly creased his brows upon seeing a young man giving off a scholarly aura.


    Don''t tell me this guy is trying to crack my arrays?


    The layout of the arrays shrouding the 1st island may be simple, but no ordinary cultivator can ever crack it. These arrays can never be broken unless an expert comparable to the Spirit Formation Stage uses a top-grade magic weapon and bombards them for a very long time.


    However, this brat is likely only at the Nascent Soul Stage. There''s no way he can possibly understand arrays, right? Let alone crack the arrays I''ve arranged?


    After he thought up to this point, King Yama let out a contemptuous look and lightly said, "He''s just pretending and showing off. Looking at his appearance, he must be the commander of this army. Still, he''s too young and just a boy. How can he break the array I''ve arranged here?"


    "He''s trying to crack the arrays?" Black Fox muttered incredulously.


    "Meh, what a wasted effort." King Yama sneered. "Might as well let this punk study the arrays I''ve arranged here, so they will be struck with fear and retreat earlier."


    Black Fox smiled in response and respectfully said, "King Yama, the arrays you set up here are definitely profound and overwhelmingly powerful. Let alone this youngling, even a more powerful expert won''t be able to shake these arrays in the slightest no matter how hard he wants to crack them."


    "That''s right!"


    The other 17 people nodded and concurred with Black Fox''s words.


    "Let''s wait and see, then!" King Yama smilingly said, "They''ll definitely try to strike the arrays. Still, they have tens of thousands of people. If all of them attack together, it will take a while before they can break the arrays covering the 1st hidden island."


    Suddenly, 5 seconds after he finished speaking, another scene transpired on the holographic screen. The array shield that covered the island that looked like a snow and ice scene quickly melted and dissipated. The layer of the array quickly vanished without a trace in just a few breaths after.


    "What exactly happened?" With a strange expression, Black Fox''s voice inquired.


    King Yama''s face darkened. Ashamed out of anger, he tried hard to suppress his uneasy feelings. He just watched and jeered at the efforts of this youth, yet the array was broken by him alone just after he finished speaking.


    That''s right, the array just cracked. It was done without using any force and was easily broken just by cracking its principle.


    This punk¡­ damn him!


    King Yama pressed his boiling anger and tried hard not to flip out in front of his underlings. However, he couldn''t conceal the thick murderous intent in his eyes when he saw Tang Ahlang on the screen.


    On the 1st concealed island.


    Tang Ahlang wiped the sweat off his forehead and took a long, deep breath. Although he had been studying arrays diligently in recent times and had learned many profound principles of arrays, it was still a bit difficult for him to break these arrays by himself. If it wasn''t for his Master teaching him some array principles that happened to have some similarities with these arrays, he wouldn''t have been able to crack the array in front of him in such a short time.


    While standing in mid-air, Tang Ahlang stretched his body and then looked around at the complete scene in front before he said in a deep voice, "All the army soldiers, heed my order! Capture all the members of the Darkwind on this island. Kill anyone without mercy should they fight back!"


    In an instant, tens of thousands of soldiers on Aerogliders launched attacks against the array in an orderly manner. But the entire army formation was still orderly despite all of them attacking from all sides.


    "Surrender! Or all of you will die!"


    A billowing, cold, and grim shout came from Tang Jin''s mouth. In the next moment, 50,000 soldiers of the Martial Army shouted the same line in unison. The billowing shout was deafening and drilled straight into the sky.


    On the island.


    Black Snake''s face was grim and frosty. A thick murderous intent flashed in his bewitching eyes. He firmly believed that King Yama would lead the rest to save him because he was the most faithful subordinate of the King.


    "Everyone, charge with me and kill them all! King Yama will definitely lead the rest here."


    Black Snake roared. A dark scythe suddenly appeared in his hand and its blade light suddenly flashed as he brandished it. The tens of black-uniformed youth soldiers of the Martial Army at the vanguard position swiftly unleashed and brandished their magical swords in a neat and orderly manner.


    Slash¡­


    Just like a knife chopping on tofu, Black Snake''s scythe was instantly cut into tens of pieces, but the violent sword beam kept slashing forward without a slight pause and hit Black Snake in a flash. Despite having a powerful cultivation level comparable to the Nascent Soul Stage, Black Snake was hit badly and left tens of bleeding wounds on his body.


    "FUCK!"


    Black Snake roared violently and fled.


    These teenagers'' individual strength was just average, but they were adept in joint strike combos. Although most of them were only at the Golden Core Stage, their joint attack combo sharply increased their striking power by several folds and became more powerful than the strikes of a Nascent Soul Stage expert.


    Tang Jin''s figure flickered from a distance and instantly appeared at the battle scene. With a contemptuous look on his boyish face, he shouted aloud, "You''ve entered our battlefield, you can never escape even if your strength is ten times stronger. Cease your resistance and be captured, else death will be your only option!"


    Bang, bang, bang¡­


    Black Snake kept trying to break through in several directions, but he still ended up getting slashed by the legionnaires from all sides. What shocked him the most was the deaths of the hundreds of men under him in just a few minutes, while the remaining men who were still alive gave up and directly surrendered.


    "Your bullying is far too excessive!"


    Black Snake took out a black banner from his sleeve. Waves of chilling wind blew as his intermittent voice spelled an incantation. Shortly after, unending streams of vengeful spirits drilled out of the ground until the number reached tens of thousands. These spirits'' strength, however, was very weak, most of them were only comparable to a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator.


    "Hmph, a dying dog that will collapse with a single blow." Tang Jin sneered. He then looked at Tang Ahlang as the latter sent him a voice transmission. "Keep him alive and capture him with an Immortal Shackle."


    Tang Jin''s expression shifted. He immediately waved his hand to signal his legionaries to kill the spirits. At the same time, he took out a black rope from his sleeve, chanted an incantation and then threw the black rope towards Black Snake in an instant.


    "What the hell is this thing?"


    Black Snake felt like he was crashing into a glacier hole at this time. He clearly sensed the enormous aura of a cultivator that was much stronger than him from the black-uniformed teenager who was likely an officer. However, he was still hoping that King Yama would rush out to save him, so he gritted his teeth and went all out desperately, casting the dark mist into a black dragon that aggressively bared its fangs and talons to clash with the rope.


    "Destroy¡­"


    Tang Jin let out a cold shout as he unleashed his immortal sword. It streaked fast and turned into a beam that smashed the black dragon instantly. The black rope quickly revolved around Black Snake and wrapped him tightly.


    "You wanna capture me? DREAM ON!"


    Black Snake quickly surged his Netherworld Force frantically and desperately struggled for a while. But the longer he struggled, the tighter the bind of the black rope and the weaker his struggle was. Shortly after, he sensed that a dark shadow suddenly appeared in front of him. A heavy blow then hit his forehead, causing him to faint instantly.


    Tang Jin coldly smiled. Although this Dragon Cord was not an immortal artifact, it was still a top-grade magical tool refined by Elder Ji Chimei. Unless one had strength comparable to an Immortal, it was impossible for him to break free once he got bound by it.


    A few minutes later.


    All 50,000 soldiers of the Martial Army had landed on the island. After finishing setting up temporary camps, Tang Jin, Tang Mu, Tang Shui, Tang Huo, and Tang Tu quickly convened with Tang Ahlang. As Tang Jin threw Black Snake in front of Tang Ahlang, he saluted and asked, "Do you have any instructions as to how we''re going to deal with this person, Commander?"


    Tang Ahlang slightly smiled in response. He took out a silver needle and pierced an acupoint on Black Snake''s body. Several seconds later, Black Snake slowly came to his senses, but his expression changed greatly after he saw the people around him. After seemingly recalling something, he suddenly looked up and shouted fiercely, "My Lord King Yama, why didn''t you save us?!!"


    On Yama Island.


    King Yama stood in front of a holographic screen with a complicated look on his grotesque face. His 18 henchmen were his most trusted people. But even though this man was not one of them, he was well aware that Black Snake''s loyalty to him was unquestionable.


    It wasn''t like he didn''t want to save him, but it was rather that he didn''t dare leave Yama Island carelessly. He didn''t know whether there was anyone else hiding among the ranks in the Great Tang Empire army in the dark. In case a large number of powerful experts were really hiding, he wouldn''t be able to guarantee a safe escape even for himself.


    Hence, he could only give up on him. He didn''t want to trade his own safety or the safety of his trusted henchmen to save another subordinate that had lost any chance to escape.

 1274 Conditions and a Deal

    "King Yama¡­"


    Black Fox, who had an unusual relationship with Black Snake, suddenly felt aggrieved and sympathized with him upon seeing how the man ended up. She even thought: Would the King save me if I was the one who stayed on the 1st hidden island?


    She wasn''t the only one who thought so, the other 17 people also asked themselves. Their conclusion, nevertheless, sent a chill down their spines.


    King Yama''s gaze swept across the faces of Black Fox and the rest of his 18 underlings. He then slowly said, "The 18 of you are my most loyal people. You''ve been following me in the campaigns everywhere that finally gave us a territory to rule in the Nine Nether Underworld. But Black Snake is a different story altogether. Although he did choose to follow me, it was much later than you all, so he can''t be compared to you. I''ll surely do everything I can to rescue any of you if you were in his shoes."


    Suddenly, the 18 people felt ashamed for having such a thought. They trusted the King, and such trust was developed after countless years of fighting together in the campaign. So much so that they wouldn''t hesitate to die for the King. They believed that if such a moment came, the King himself would do everything to save them.


    "But I''m still vexed, King Yama." Black Fox clenched her teeth with hatred and continued in a deep voice, "Are we going to hole up on Yama Island just like this? Are we going to let these Great Tang Empire people impose shit on our heads?"


    King Yama frowned and asked, "What do you think we should do aside from holing up here?"


    Black Fox''s eyes flickered with a cold light and she replied in a deep voice, "Open the portal to the Nine Nether Underworld and pull those fierce vengeful spirits. If anything, the vengeful spirits of Nine Nether Underworld will never reincarnate, to begin with. Rather than letting them survive in the Nine Nether''s darkness, we might as well make them wield the blades and spears to fight for us on this battlefield."


    King Yama was silent for a moment before he shook his head and said, "Have you ever thought what kind of situation we''re going to face once we release all those vengeful spirits in the Nine Nether Underworld? Will those Nine Orthodox Ghost Officials who control the Nine Hells just sit still and let us disrupt the order of the world?"


    "It''s still nothing but an episode in a war," Black Fox replied. "At most, it will only cause confusion in the Underworld and they won''t be aware of what happened. Even if any Ghost Official comes from above to investigate, the war definitely would''ve ended by then. We can just go into hiding regardless of whether we lose or win the war. The Netherworld Authority will never be able to find us, and we can come again after some time."


    "What about you guys? What do you think?" King Yama shifted to the rest and asked.


    "I concur!"


    "Agree!"


    "I''m fine with it."


    "¡­"


    The other 17 people nodded as the killing aura radiating from them got more intense.


    King Yama weighed the pros and cons in his mind before he finally accepted Black Fox''s suggestion. Then, he slowly stated, "Since all of you have agreed, then let''s make this one a big move. Even if we don''t win the final battle, we will give heavy blows to this Great Tang Empire. But the most important thing is, I hate those damned officials in the Netherworld. The more troubles we can give them, the better and the happier it will be to us. Black Fox, you''re responsible for bringing back all the members of our organization around the world. Activate the arrays of the 9th hidden island and gather them there. Additionally, I need 3 days to arrange the array. Once the portal to the Nine Nether Underworld is opened, unending streams of vengeful spirits will appear on the 9th hidden island."


    "Understood!"


    Everyone nodded and an exciting look overflowed in their eyes. As a group of lawless and wicked beings whose physical state was that of ghosts that practiced the ghost cultivation system, they were long used to a life full of death after cultivating it for millennia. Lives were nothing to them and they never batted an eye even if the number of deaths amounted to one or ten billion souls.


    Further, their cultivation system required souls as supplements. Their strength may be able to improve rapidly and reach a higher level if they could devour a large number of souls.


    ****


    On the 1st hidden island.


    Tang Ahlang looked at Black Snake who had just regained his senses and spoke to him with a light smile, "You thought that King Yama would come back to save you, yet he just gave you up directly. It''s funny, isn''t it? Are you feeling disappointed and furious now?"


    Black Snake looked up with a fierce expression and said, "Disappointed and furious you say? Absolutely. But I hate you more than I hate him. I know you got something you wanna ask me since you captured me alive. But you won''t get anything from me."


    "Well, if I''m not mistaken, you are not a human, are you?" Tang Ahlang chuckled.


    Black Snake hummed coldly. "Hmph, I''m a Ghostkin warlord, a subordinate of King Yama¡­ FUCK IT! Why should I tell you?"


    Tang Ahlang shook his head and smilingly said, "Well, well. I never thought that Ghostkin would appear in the human world. The most shocking thing to me is that you guys even established an organization here. This is interesting, really. Then, how about making a deal with me?"


    "Heh, what deal?" Black Snake coldly hummed.


    "You tell me what I wanna know, and I''ll fulfill three of your wishes," Tang Ahlang said. "Of course, one wish must be to kill the one you''ve given your allegiance to, that King Yama whatever. As for the other two wishes, you can tell me later."


    Black Snake narrowed his eyes. He always liked schemes and tricks, so his mind quickly moved when he heard Tang Ahlang''s words, thinking about how to rid himself of the predicament and how to get more benefits for himself.


    His hatred for King Yama was sky-high, indeed. He knew that he had been abandoned given what had transpired in the previous battle. He recalled how loyal he was to him, treating the man as his most important person, yet he didn''t expect to be just a pawn in his eyes.


    "What do you want to know," Black Snake calmly asked.


    "Where''s the nest of this King Yama whatever, and where''s the den of the Darkwind, exactly?" asked Tang Ahlang with a smile.


    Black Snake was silent for a few minutes before he tilted his head up and shouted fiercely, "YAMA, don''t blame me for paying back what you did to me. You''re the one who abandoned me and my brothers first!"


    After roaring, he immediately tilted down his head to look at Tang Ahlang and said in a deep voice, "The central command of the Darkwind is only 200 nautical miles away. But the place doesn''t exist on the satellite map since the entire Yama Island is fully covered by arrays and no outsiders can find it."


    "So, who''s this King Yama, exactly? And how many experts are there in the Darkwind organization?" Tang Ahlang immediately asked again.


    "Yama is not from this world, and he''s not the only one. His 18 underlings and I are not from this world, either," Black Snake explained. "We''re from the Nine Nether Underworld, a place for vengeful spirits that can never enter the six paths of reincarnation. Yama has an honorable status in the Nine Nether as one of the three leaders in the Underworld. We accidentally discovered a space crack, so we built a secret passage. However, it was easy to come out but very difficult to go back in. Of course, there''s a way to work around it, albeit the cost that must be paid is quite great. Not to mention that we all like this place, so none of us is willing to go back unless it is a last resort. As for how many experts there are in the Darkwind, aside from Yama whose cultivation is unfathomable, there are his 18 henchmen and hundreds of ghost Ghostkin cultivators cultivated by Yama himself."


    Tang Ahlang narrowed his eyes and thoughts kept popping out in his mind. The matter involved two worlds, so he felt that he must report it to his Master.


    Immediately after, he grabbed a communicator and dialed Tang Xiu''s communicator number.


    "It''s me, Ah Lang." Quickly, Tang Xiu''s low and deep voice came out from the phone.


    "There''s an unexpected development here, Master," said Tang Ahlang respectfully. "The leader of the Darkwind is a man called King Yama and he''s not a human on Earth, but from the Nine Nether Underworld. We got this information from one of his men we''ve captured."


    "Send me your coordinates. Don''t act rashly for the time being. I''ll catch up with you immediately," Tang Xiu said.


    "Order received!" Tang Ahlang replied. After he sent his position coordinates, he looked back at Black Snake and asked, "Is this Yama guy you just mentioned really strong?"


    "He can become one of the leaders in the Nine Nether, so he naturally has an unfathomable cultivation level." Black Snake nodded. "Further, he excels at array formation and has deep attainments on this aspect. He was the one who arranged the arrays around the 1st hidden island. Although I have no idea how you cracked this array, I think you understand his adeptness on this aspect."


    Tang Ahlang nodded in response and said, "You''ve told me what I wanna know, so tell me the remaining two conditions!"


    Black Snake thought for a while and then said, "Spare my life and take me to the place Yama will meet his demise. This is¡­ the conditions I want."


    "Hahaha, you seem to really hate that King Yama whatever." Tang An couldn''t help but laugh. "Well, it''s no surprise to me, though. You were loyal to him, yet he regarded you like trash and threw you away. That''s something painful to bear and will cause deep hatred no matter who the person is. If anything, you''re truly really pitiful, you know."


    Me? Pitiful?


    Black Snake closed his eyes with a pained heart, but the killing intent radiating from him became stronger.


    Tang Ahlang didn''t bother to pay attention to him again. He turned to look at Tang Jin''s group of five and said in a deep voice, "Pass my order to the others to rest and recuperate well. Order the recon team to go immediately and survey 200 nautical miles in all directions. Tell them to look for something particular and abnormal. Keep in mind to return immediately and report to me once you''ve found a suspicious spot."


    "Understood!"


    Tang Jin''s group of five nodded and went to execute the order quickly.


    After half a day, hundreds of scouts returned and Tang Ahlang figured out the exact position of Yama Island. However, as Black Snake mentioned, the location was covered by arrays. If the scouts didn''t have powerful strength and formidable escaping techniques, they would have been stranded and trapped in that location.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    A figure flickered and moved lightning-fast from a distance. As Tang Xiu came to the 1st hidden island, he stood in front of Tang Ahlang and said in a deep voice, "Brief me the specific situation."


    "Understood!" Tang Ahlang replied respectfully.

 1275 Easily Breaking the Arrays

    Tang Ahlang reported the previous result of the investigation to Tang Xiu before he finally said, "I thought that it was necessary to report to you since another world is involved in this matter, Master."


    "You''ve done well." Tang Xiu nodded and said, "Also, this King of Hell we''re going to face next won''t be as easy to deal with, either."


    "Master, Black Snake also said that aside from the 18 underlings of the King of Hell, there are hundreds of experts he has trained under him. We now have 50,000 people in the Martial Army, added with a number of experts coming with you here, it shouldn''t be too difficult to utterly destroy them, should it?"


    Tang Xiu didn''t answer Tang Ahlang''s question and said, "Xue Yu should have followed you here. Tell her to come out to see me!"


    Tang Ahlang was bewildered and asked with a puzzled expression, "Huh? I''ve never seen Madam Xue Yu here, Master?!"


    Tang Xiu creased his brows and instantly released his spiritual sense and found Xue Yu''s figure near the seaside shortly. Mixed in among a squad, Xue Yu was wearing a black battle suit. Tang Xiu shook his head with a wry smile and suddenly appeared in front of her. He then said with a helpless expression, "Have you been having some fun here?"


    The moment Xue Yu saw Tang Xiu, a curved arc of a smile immediately sketched on her face and she grinningly said, "Well, quite fun indeed! I already knew that the legion has remarkable combat capabilities previously, but it was still shocking to tens of thousands of legionaries in action at the same time. But how did you know I''ve been following this army, though?"


    "You tagged along with the Martial Army, Kang Xia is following the Dragon Army, Ouyang Lulu is with the Tiger Army, and Mu Wanying is secretly following the Phoenix Army. Of course, there are still some experts of the Great Tang Empire who have been secretly following you all since I was the one who arranged them to do so."


    "Huh?" Xue Yu was surprised. "Why didn''t I find them at all?"


    "They are from the Assassination Department, that''s why." Tang Xiu lightly smiled in response.


    Xue Yu instantly understood and said with a wry smile, "Ah, the whereabouts of each and every one of those in the Assassination department trained by Tang An is always bizarre. It''s really not easy to find their tracks. Additionally, Yan''er was the one who trained those freaks for a long time. I''m afraid the weakest among them should have reached the Spirit Formation Stage, yes?"


    "They indeed have reached the Spirit Formation Stage, but it''s still a chasm compared to an expert like you who has reached the Body Integration Stage, though." Tang Xiu chuckled and said, "Anyhow, I didn''t expect your cultivation to be so fast. To think that you improved so much in such a short time. Maybe it won''t be long before you can break through to the Great Ascension Stage, right?"


    "To have a bit faster cultivation speed is just natural for anyone who gets the inheritance of an Exalted Immortal, I think." Xue Yu smiled and said, "Anyway, you shouldn''t be here. How come you''re here now?"


    "We got a particular situation here." Tang Xiu''s expression turned serious. "The leader of the Darkwind is actually from another world, so I rushed over to take over the operation. Anyway, let''s head off to someplace to see this King of Hell fella."


    "Well, you got a big tone, you know. You even dare to call this King of Hell or whatever." Xue Yu shook her head and sighed smilingly.


    "Meh, don''t take this guy lightly." Tang Xiu said, "Being able to come here from another world, he''s obviously very strong. He should be at least at the Great Ascension Stage, I think."


    While chatting, Tang Xiu hugged Xue Yue''s waist and flew towards Yama Island instantly. It took him and Xue Yu only a few minutes to appear on the periphery of Yama Island. After observing the scene covered by the dark mist in front, Tang Xiu shook his head and sighed. "The place is indeed very hidden. It''s impossible for any spy and recon satellite to spot any abnormalities and discover this island unless you come in person and are able to detect the abnormalities yourself."


    "Is it caused by arrays?" Xue Yu creased her brows.


    "Yup." Tang Xiu nodded. "It''s indeed caused by arrays, and not your ordinary arrays either."


    Having said that, Tang Xiu instantly released his perception and quickly understood the array formation in front. It took him only 10 minutes to completely understand 13 arrays in the surroundings, and he only faced some difficulties in the 14th layer. But after a few minutes of delay, he was also able to completely understand it.


    "Break¡­"


    Tang Xiu instantly unleashed the divine sword. It shot forward like a rainbow arrow toward Yama Island''s direction. In just a flash, the 14 outermost arrays were easily broken.


    On Yama Island.


    King Yama stood in front of a holographic array, staring dumbly and tongue-tied after seeing Tang Xiu''s sword strike. His heart pounded and hammered his chest as he watched the arrays break.


    "How is this possible?"


    He was sure that the youth just shortly arrived at the periphery outside. Yet, it only took a short time for him to see through and easily figure out the crux of the arrays he arranged. This was just outright unbelievable.


    Black Fox likewise looked horrified and hurriedly said, "How did he do that, King Yama? 14 layers of arrays, each of which is very powerful. How could he break all of them with one sword strike?"


    King Yama took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "I originally had 2 trump cards. The first being my own strength and second the 18 layers of arrays. I didn''t expect there actually to be people in the Great Tang Empire proficient in arrays. It''s very likely this person''s attainment on this aspect is far above me."


    "But how is that possible?" Black Fox was shocked. "Your accomplishments in arrays are something that no one in the Nine Netherworld or even the entire Hell can be compared with, right? This guy is still very young, it''s still acceptable if he has a high cultivation level. But how can he possibly have higher accomplishments in arrays compared to you?"


    King Yama''s face became ugly. He shook his head and said, "There''s nothing impossible in the infinite universe. This guy is definitely a freak among the freaks. If he can break the remaining four array formations, I''m afraid we must put our previous chance on hold. In case that his accomplishment in arrays is more powerful and he takes action to arrange one, the blow we''ll face will definitely be devastating."


    Black Fox''s pupils shrunk. She nervously stared at the holographic screen and secretly prayed that the remaining four arrays could obstruct this young man and keep him outside.


    On the periphery of Yama Island, Tang Xiu stood high in the sky. His eyes seemed to be able to penetrate the remaining four arrays and see the people within. A loud, thundering voice then came out of his mouth, "Hey you, the leader of Darkwind called King of Hell or whatever. You came from another world yet you''re able to form an intelligence network all over the world. You might as well come out to see me. I give you my word that I won''t ambush and kill."


    After hesitating for a moment, King Yama disappeared from the tower in a flash. In the next moment, his figure reappeared on the coastline of Yama Island. He shot a look at Tang Xiu outside the array and indifferently said, "If I recognize you correctly, you must be the Sovereign of the Great Tang Empire, Tang Xiu, yes?"


    "You have good eyes," Tang Xiu smilingly replied.


    "Tang Xiu, we have been minding our own business. I don''t recall the Darkwind doing anything against your interests, either," King Yama indifferently said. "Why did you go so far as to make things difficult for my organization and lead your Great Tang Empire''s armies to kill us?"


    "You''ve been disrupting order and broke the balance among mankind, that''s why," Tang Xiu calmly said. "You went so far as to expose people''s private information and make money out of it. Hence, you became a threat to us. So, let''s chat. You want me to stop, then take out your people from this place and go back to your world. Otherwise¡­"


    "Heh, otherwise what? You will kill me or something?" King Yama sneered.


    "Killing is easy given my current strength." Tang Xiu nodded. "The reason why I didn''t break the remaining arrays directly or attacked you now is to give you and my men a chance."


    "You wanna use my Darkwind organization to train your troops, huh?" King Yama sneered again.


    "How smart and wise you''re, Your Excellency." Tang Xiu gave a thumbs-up and praised. "Seems like my trivial ideas can''t be concealed from you. So, what do you think about my condition?"


    "Heh, nothing good to be said about it." King Yama sneered. "I''m not leaving unless you can break the arrays I''ve arranged in a short time."


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "You know, it''s easy for me to break them, but I think it''s not yet the time to do so."


    "Hmph. I admit that your accomplishment in arrays is remarkable enough since you can break the outermost 14 arrays," King Yama contemptuously said. "But the remaining four layers are the most powerful arrays I can arrange. Breaking them won''t be easy even if it is you."


    "Are you sure?"


    During the talk with King Yama, Tang Xiu''s spiritual sense penetrated the 15th array and he completely understood it. Talking to this King of Hell was simply his intention to delay time.


    "Of course I''m sure about this," King Yama proudly replied.


    Tang Xiu faintly smiled and unleashed his divine sword again and powerfully struck the eye of the 15th array in front, destroying it directly and making it vanish instantly.


    Incredulity and disbelief were all over King Yama''s grotesque face. He didn''t expect that Tang Xiu was truly not deceiving him. He really had the ability to easily break the remaining arrays.


    "What now? Do you believe me now?" Tang Xiu took back his divine sword and asked with a smile.


    King Yama took a deep breath and shook his head again. "Just try it and let me see how you do it again."


    Tang Xiu slowly took out a cigarette, lit it up, and took and exhaled several times. Then, he said, "So you wanna see my strength when breaking the arrays again, huh. Then let me show it to you once again. Sword of lightning, break!"


    The divine sword accurately hit and easily destroyed the 16th array formation.


    "You wanna see more?" Tang Xiu smilingly asked.


    King Yama was extremely shocked. He never dreamed that Tang Xiu would really break the remaining array formations so easily.


    "Who exactly are you?"


    King Yama had been afraid of quite a number of people in his life, but this mysterious young man in front of him was undoubtedly the one that gave him the deepest dread.


    "I''ve never altered or changed my name, you know." Tang Xiu chuckled. "I''m the Great Tang Empire''s Emperor, Tang Xiu. I''m not only the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, the offspring of House Tang of Beijing, the Young Divine Doctor of Chinese medicine in China. I''m Tang Xiu, and my true identity is a cultivator."

 1276 The Last Battle

    "Winner becomes king and takes all, whereas the loser turns into a villain and loses all."


    King Yama regarded the line highly and even took it as his life''s motto.


    Despite his dismay facing Tang Xiu''s soaring arrogance, his killing intent still boiled even though he felt a bit of dread towards him. How many fights and battles had he gone through in his life? Thus, he decided to gamble. Instead of trying to escape to the Nine Nether Underworld, he would rather choose to battle his way out. He was confident that he could save his own hide even if all his subordinates were to die.


    Taking out a pair of dark gloves and putting them on, he pulled a soft sword from his waist. A sword image flashed and the sword eventually became as hard as sharp steel.


    "Tang Xiu."


    King of Hell took a deep breath and fierce light overflowed from his eyes as he said in a deep voice, "We shall meet on the 9th hidden island 3 days later. I want to witness how powerful the might of the Great Tang Empire is over there."


    "You know, it''s much better to run into such a chance than choosing an auspicious date for this one. Why should we wait for three days?" Tang Xiu slightly smiled in response. "Why don''t I break the remaining two arrays so we can have a good game on the sea surface?"


    King Yama said aloud, "Today is not a convenient time as I need to adjust my strength to the peak condition. You can choose to storm my Yama Island now and I can only retreat with all my men and wait to return to this world in the future. You can shelter this world for now, but what about thousands of years later? Do you still have the ability to shelter them?"


    Thousands of years later?


    Tang Xiu couldn''t help but feel shaken inwardly. He was well aware of how true King of Hell''s words were. He would leave Earth for the Immortal World 2 years later. If this guy were to retreat, it would be equal to letting the tiger breed and leaving an impending calamity behind, which undoubtedly would become a wicked and evil tumor for mankind on Earth.


    He thought about it and continuously weighed the issue.


    Eventually, Tang Xiu nodded and slowly said, "Then I shall meet you on the 9th hidden island as per your choice. You have my word on that. If I don''t see you there 3 days later, then don''t blame me for using every power I have to kill you even if I must chase you down to the Nine Nether Underworld."


    Contempt and disdain flashed in King Yama''s eyes. Since when the Nine Nether Underworld was an easy place to enter? Ghost cultivators would face no problem, but cultivators with other cultivation systems would lose the support of the Heaven and Earth energy once they entered the Nine Nether Underworld, and they would lose some strength every time they consumed their power. Not even Immortals were able to kill him in a short time should they enter the Nine Nether Underworld. As long as he had a chance to escape, an opportunity would always arise for him to make a comeback.


    Pity that there''s no Nine Nether force on Earth, else I could''ve restored my power to the peak. It would''ve been very easy for me to kill anyone at the Crossing Tribulation Stage then.


    Feeling a bit regretful inwardly, King Yama watched Tang Xiu''s back as he left with a helpless smile on his demonic and grotesque face.


    White clouds adorned the fine weather and filled the space of the blue sky.


    Walking side by side with Xue Yu, a thoughtful expression was cast on Tang Xiu''s handsome face. It was a no-brainer for anyone with a little brain to realize that King of Hell had some unexpected means at hand, though Tang Xiu had no idea what it was.


    "Are you sure?"


    Xue Yu''s brilliant eyes lingering on Tang Xiu''s face. Her voice was very pleasant, but it couldn''t hide her inquisitive and doubtful tone.


    "This King of Hell did say something reasonable," Tang Xiu said. "If he were to take his men back to the Nine Nether Underworld immediately and then destroyed the passage between both worlds, it would be difficult for us to have any chance to exterminate him again. He''ll come out once again when we leave and will very likely carry out a crazy retaliation. Those who have a relationship with me may become the targets of his revenge. I can guess that his revenge will be much more fearsome than that of the nine familial exterminations."


    "Still, he''s the one who chose the time and the location," Xue Yu replied. "If he were to set up traps on the 9th hidden island in advance, are we going to just jump in like that?"


    "Let''s just say that I can only figure out the counter of every trick he has today." Tang Xiu forced a smile and said, "But be rest assured, though. I''ll call Yan''er over to deal with him. This King of Hell won''t be able to deal any damage to a Golden Immortal no matter what kind of tricks he''s trying to pull."


    "That''s a good means, indeed." Xue Yu immediately understood and said, "But Gu Yan''er is kind of constrained by the laws of Heavenly Dao of this world, though. She''ll be discovered by this world''s Heavenly Dao. If a mishap happens, then¡­"


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and suddenly said, "Then I''ll contact Ji Chimei. I have a plan to make her return to the Immortal World first to carry out some preparations over there. A year on Earth is equal to a century in the Immortal World. Ji Chimei will go there in advance, and two years in the Immortal means that she needs to wait for us for 200 years. Letting her go back in advance can be considered that she''ll act as a vanguard for our return."


    "But will Ji Chimei agree, though?" Xue Yu creased her brows.


    "She will," Tang Xiu said.


    3 days later.


    Tang Xiu personally took command of the four major armies and occupied the southern part of the 9th island, quietly waiting for the arrival of the Darkwind people. Tang Xiu was perfectly aware that this battle was the last war he''d wage on Earth. After this battle, he could spend the next two years in a safe and secure manner and then leave for the Immortal World after the preparations and the appropriate time came.


    Ji Chimei had received Tang Xiu''s order and arrived 3 days ago. When Tang Xiu told her his plan, she complied without hesitation. She was also well aware of the fact that none of them knew the situation in the Immortal World now. If the Great Tang Empire''s army of hundreds of thousands of people were to arrive in the Immortal World and then run into their mortal archenemies, they would very likely fall into enormous troubles.


    "They''ve come, Master." Tang Ahlang quickly appeared in front of Tang Xiu riding on an Aeroglider.


    "What about their number?" Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes and asked.


    "From our observation, the vanguard should be around 5,000 people, and our intel added that these people should be the Darkwind experts the King of Hell has summoned from all over the world to gather here temporarily. There are also 2 more groups following, about 2,000 strong."


    Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes and nodded. "That should be all the power the Darkwind can mobilize if my guess is correct. Anyways, have you found this Yama?"


    "We have his portrait painted by Black Snake, but we haven''t found him yet." Tang Ahlang shook his head and said, "However, given Yama''s strength, he can change his appearance and restrain his aura, which will give us a hard time finding him. Further, Blind Grandma also came and said there''s something she needs to tell you."


    Tang Xiu''s expression shifted and he immediately ordered, "Bring her over."


    Old Blind had always been staying on Nine Dragons Island, and she occasionally went to the pocket world to cultivate in seclusion. She was indifferent and rarely bothered to get involved in any other issues. Now that she came here all of a sudden, it was obvious that there was something urgent she needed to report.


    After a short while, Old Blind came to Tang Xiu and said, "There''s a problem in this battle, Your Majesty. I peered into the heavenly secrets and saw a river of blood and littered bodies everywhere. I also saw horrible vengeful spirits and ghosts. The scenes are just like Hell. But I can''t see the ending here due to your existence, so I can only rely on the little bits of divination I''ve done to guess the possibility of bad things that could happen in the following battle."


    Tang Xiu frowned and turned to look toward the north. With his eyesight, he was already able to see the approaching Darkwind vanguard troops. However, Ji Chimei was already here. With such an Immortal powerhouse, what kind of waves could Yama pull out no matter how fearsome his power was?


    "Old Blind, your warning is duly noted. I won''t take this battle lightly. You can rest assured of it!" Tang Xiu solemnly nodded after being silent for a while.


    "How about giving that 5,000 strong vanguard army to this Old Blind to get rid of, then? I''ve broken through to the Celestial Master Stage after cultivating for years. Even if I''m still far from reaching the Deity Master Stage, I''m just a step away from it. I''d like to see to what extent my strength has reached."


    Tang Xiu gave it a thought and then nodded. "Well, since Senior wants to act and have some practice, then please do! There will also be a time for you to fight when we go to the Immortal World later."


    Old Blind slightly smiled. Her body instantly flickered towards the northern side of the 9th hidden island. In a flash, she appeared in front of the 5,000 experts of the Darkwind. Chanting a vicissitude incantation intermittently, a transparent blade light suddenly slashed forward and swept toward the 5,000-strong army.


    Puff, puff, puff¡­


    It was but only a single strike, yet only several people were able to streak up into the sky and escape the violent blow among the 5,000-strong army of the Darkwind. The rest were cut into halves and were killed directly no matter how desperately they tried to escape.


    "What power!"


    Everyone present was astonished by the breathtaking blade strike. Such a mighty and berserk power for a frontal clash was the kind of strength that even Xue Yu dared not say she could pull out despite her current strength.


    "DAMN!"


    The black-robed King Yama streaked up into the sky from the troops in the back. He waved the magic staff in his hand and snarled loudly. "Tang Xiu! I never thought you''d be this despicable! We have yet to go to the 9th hidden island, yet your people have already moved to kill my people? You''re shameless and despicable!"


    Tang Xiu rose into the air and sneered. "Your men are already here, which means the battle has already begun. We''ve come to the point where your side or mine will perish, to begin with. You don''t think you''re just gonna have a cup of tea and chat with me, no?"


    King of Hell glared at Tang Xiu and cast a spell. A black fog suddenly burst out and immediately shrouded the 9th hidden island in just a few breaths.


    "So be it. Then let the battle begin! Your Great Tang Empire may have armies of cultivators, but my side isn''t a soft persimmon, either. You want to battle, then a battle you''ll have! Let''s see how many ghosts your men can kill and how disastrous your losses will be!" King of Hell furiously roared as he waved his magic staff more quickly.


    Tang Xiu''s complexion changed. He keenly sensed the change in the surrounding temperature that was reduced by more than 10 degrees in a flash. He could also perceive the lingering smell of vengeful spirits mixed in.

 1277 Thorough Extermination

    "Boo! Boo! ¡­ Wow¡­ this portal really leads to a new world. This place¡­ curse the Gods! The air is so wonderful! This world is so beautiful. What am I seeing here? A bunch of fresh walks of life, beings with blood and flesh? Hahaha¡­ could this be a ranch for us, vengeful spirits? Are these blood and flesh meals prepared for us?"


    "Human World? This place is the human world? We finally escaped the Nine Nether Underworld, Brothers! Kill them all! Let''s occupy this world and destroy the damned humans! This place will be our paradise later as long as we can pull the Nine Nether Death Qi to this world."


    "Has it been centuries or millennia, huh? We finally came out of the Nine Nether Underworld. I wanna kill! I want a massacre! So much! Comrades, let''s prey on these blood meals! There are countless living and souls here waiting for us to devour!"


    "Damn, I fucking love this place. I''m gonna build my own ghost domain here."


    "KILL THEM."


    "..."


    A stream of black mist radiated from the underground. Shortly after, the black mist condensed and eventually formed a group of grotesque vengeful spirits. At first, their number was but a few, but with the passage of time, tens of thousands of vengeful spirits rushed out of the Nine Nether Underworld in just 10 minutes.


    Tang Xiu finally understood what Yama had planned. But he never expected that this King of Hell would dare to release tens of thousands vengeful spirits and ghosts from the Nine Nether Underworld to the human world.


    He kept observing and thinking.


    After 10 minutes of silence, Tang Xiu finally determined the strength of the ghosts rushing into the human world. A ruthless and fierce expression appeared on his face as he streaked up high and stood in the air. He quickly gave several hand signals that caused the legionaries who rode the Aerogliders from the four major armies to go into action immediately.


    "My Great Tang Empire''s soldiers, today is the day for you to wipe out these ghosts!"


    Tang Xiu unleashed his divine sword. Lightning bolt-like sword light instantly swept over towards the vengeful spirits nearby. The thousand-meter sword beam instantly destroyed hundreds of vengeful spirits. Only a few powerful ghosts were able to escape from the striking range of the sword beam after they were hit badly and seriously injured.


    "KILL!"


    "KILL!"


    "KILL!


    "KILL!"


    Under Tang Xiu''s command, the four major corps¡ªthe Dragon Army, Tiger Army, Phoenix Army, and Martial Army, launched a fierce attack on any vengeful spirits that appeared on the intense, fierce battlefield. Tang Xiu was not the only one who acted brazenly. Even Xue Yu, Old Blind, and Tang Guang, who led hundreds of hidden Assassination department members, began their killing frenzy against the ghosts.


    Several kilometers away.


    Yama''s eyes flickered with fierce and sharp glints. Waving his hand, the experts of the Darkwind immediately lunged at the legionaries of the Great Tang Empire. Yama had injected Death Qi into their bodies, so the vengeful spirits did not target the Darkwind members when they ran into them.


    Hence, Tang Xiu had to kill both men and ghosts.


    However, he focused his attention on Yama. The moment this King of Hell got closer, he launched a heavy blow that killed hundreds of vengeful spirits and then appeared in front of Yama instantly.


    "Didn''t you want to see and taste my power before? This 9th hidden island is way too fragile for us. Come with me to the sea. There won''t be a problem for us even if we blast a hole in the sky!" Tang Xiu stared daggers at Yama and shouted in a deep tone.


    Yama narrowed his eyes. He could sense the boiling fighting intent coming from Tang Xiu and swiftly said, "Tang Xiu, your Great Tang Empire leaves no way out for my Darkwind to survive, then I''ll have you buried along with the dead. I''m gonna kill you today!"


    His glove-covered fists instantly transformed into gigantic fist shadows hundreds of meters in size and powerfully barraged Tang Xiu in front. At the same time, his soft sword evolved into a dark artifact that turned into overlapping layers of sword shadows that attempted to devour Tang Xiu.


    "Great Ascension Stage?"


    Tang Xiu finally blasted out with his full power. His divine sword turned into a light dragon and instantly swallowed the gigantic fist shadows and the layers of sword shadows. At the same time, he directly cast his Devour divine ability. As a vortex-like force rapidly formed a twister storm in the surroundings, the vortex completely devoured Yama''s strikes, and the strike instantly blasted toward Yama.


    "What the hell is this?"


    Yama''s complexion greatly changed. Tang Xiu hadn''t unleashed his power to the peak before, that was the reason he couldn''t determine the extent of Tang Xiu''s power. But at this moment, he could sense that Tang Xiu was tens of times stronger than him. He could even tell that Tang Xiu''s cultivation level was at the Crossing Tribulation Stage.


    The Crossing Tribulation Stage was a step away and the closest stage cultivators could get before becoming immortals. Once the Crossing Tribulation Stage cultivators successfully passed the Immortal Tribulation, they would transform and become genuine Immortals.


    "I gotta run!"


    Prior to this, Yama had two trump cards to face Tang Xiu. But his expertise in arrays was left in the dust compared to Tang Xiu. And now, even he must admit that there was a big gap between his strength and Tang Xiu''s.


    The battle had just begun, but he knew that he had already lost.


    "You wanna run away, huh? Get your ass back here!"


    Tang Xiu''s eyes flickered and pushed his Devour divine ability to the limit. Thousands of vengeful spirits in the surroundings were all powerfully pulled in and extinguished by Tang Xiu''s devouring supernatural power while he also devoured the scattered ghosts'' power everywhere. Yama wanted to escape, but the huge sucking force and the twister gale forced him back continuously and pulled him closer to Tang Xiu.


    "This is impossible! It''s impossible for you to have such a formidable power! Goddammit. Those three old fogeys on Earth will never interfere in any issue in the world since I made them swear a heavy oath before. How did you achieve this? How did you become so powerful?" Yama furiously growled, his tone and expression full of disbelief. However, he was not to blame. He knew Tang Xiu from the investigation. More than 5 years ago, Tang Xiu was only a muddleheaded, ignorant schooler at Star City First High School. At that time, it could be said that he was just a silly and idiot kid.


    Even if¡­ say, Tang Xiu had run into some enormous fortuitous encounters in these five years, it was still impossible for him to reach the Crossing Tribulation Stage in such a short time.


    This was all against common sense. Not in line with the Heavenly Dao laws!


    "How can a frog at the bottom of a well understand my existence?" Tang Xiu sneered.


    Having said that, he frantically drew the Primal Chaos force from the celestial bodies in the universe inside his body while casting his devouring magical ability more violently.


    Yama''s heart was pounding crazily and desperation filled his heart. A savage and ruthless look flickered in his eyes as his right hand stabbed his own chest. The moment his blood sprayed out, a thick Death Qi erupted from his body and instantly transformed his physique in a flash.


    Spikes grew on his shoulders and a pair of sharp horns appeared on his forehead. His nose was slightly enlarged and his mouth tilted up slightly. Dense scales appeared on his skin, making him look like a grotesque monster.


    His aura instantly rose tens of times in a flash, nearly comparable to the Crossing Tribulation Stage.


    Still, he didn''t try to fight Tang Xiu with everything he had but broke away from Tang Xiu''s devouring suction. His sorry figure trembled violently and flickered away, apparently trying to escape and save his own hide.


    "Go back!"


    An old figure suddenly emerged out of thin air and instantly blocked Yama''s retreating path. A swift and powerful kick directly struck his face and sent him flying backward. The instant after, the flying divine sword impaled his body from the back and crushed his heart.


    "How is this possible?!"


    Disbelief was all over Yama''s face as though he had just seen the most incredible thing in the world. He used all the strength he had left and growled. "Aren''t you an Immortal?! How the hell was an Immortal able to appear in this world with its fucking damn Heavenly Dao laws? This¡­ is impossible."


    Tang Xiu appeared behind Yama in a flash. The smile on his face looked devilish and evil as he grinned and said, "I told you that you''re like a frog viewing the sky from the bottom of a well, didn''t I? You think this and that is impossible since you lack the knowledge and are ignorant. You must know that there''s more than one immortal on this Earth."


    Having said that, he punched King Yama''s head and killed him directly.


    Suddenly, thunderous thunderclap rumbled and the sky was covered by dark clouds coming from all directions. Lighting sparks blasted amid the layers of dark clouds and brightened up the whole world.


    A bit of reluctance was seen on Ji Chimei''s face as she knelt on one knee in mid-air, placing her right fist on her left chest as she said in a deep voice, "As a Vanguard Officer of the Great Tang Empire, this subordinate will leave for the Immortal World to investigate the situation over there, Your Majesty. We shall meet again in the Immortal World a few hundred years later."


    A complicated look was cast on Tang Xiu''s face as he slowly replied, "Keep your safety as the top priority in the midst of serious crises, anytime and anywhere. Take care of yourself, Ji Chimei."


    "Please take care of yourself too, Your Majesty."


    Ji Chimei firmly nodded. An immortal sword suddenly appeared in her hand out of thin air. Waving her hand, a sword beam suddenly cut through the vast sky, tearing open the vault of heaven above before the slit quickly mended.


    It would be very dangerous, and Tang Xiu was perfectly aware of it. He was well aware that Ji Chimei wouldn''t land in the Immortal Pond when she returned to the Immortal World but would randomly appear somewhere. There was even a chance that she would appear in a dangerous place in the Immortal World that would drive her into desperate straits.


    After a while, the cracks in the sky disappeared. Invisible energy swept across Tang Xiu and everyone on the battlefield below. Eventually, bolts of lightning bolted down. However, the target was not Tang Xiu, nor were the soldiers of the Great Tang Empire, but the tens of thousands of ghosts coming out of the Nine Nether Underworld.


    The whole scene resembled that of a judgment day, an apocalypse.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    Tens of thousands of vengeful spirits wailed before they turned into black smoke and eventually dissipated from the world. At this moment, Ji Chimei''s roar resounded and, shortly after, a scarlet light broke out and streaked up into the vault of heaven from Yama Island''s direction before the entire island vanished along with that fearful terrifying aura.


    Tang Xiu knew that Ji Chimei destroyed Yama Island along with the arrays right before she left. In the wake of these arrays'' destruction, the portal between the human world and the Nine Nether Underworld was also ruined.


    Tang Xiu looked down and immediately shouted, "All the warriors of the Great Tang Empire, heed my order! Kill the members of the Darkwind and destroy them completely!


    "KILL!"


    The soldiers of the four major legions stormed over to kill the remaining members of the Darkwind once again. The disparity in strength between both sides was too big, and all members of the Darkwind were all slaughtered in just 10 minutes, including Yama''s 18 confidants.


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment and looked at the mostly destroyed 9th hidden island. Then, he suddenly shouted:


    "The victory is ours! Let us return with this triumph."

 1279 Brothers Forever

    "Don''t think all myths are false. Many of them are actually true. These stories may be unfounded or baseless, but there are always traces one can seek out there. The place I''m going to is the Immortal World¡ªa world that may look beautiful on the surface, but is more brutal and cruel than hell in reality," Tang Xiu said with all seriousness.


    Long Zhenglin was the first to manage himself and responded, "The Immortal World really exists? How is this possible? I''ve never heard any real celestial beings nor immortals exist."


    "It''s all true." Tang Xiu confirmed.


    Suddenly, everyone fell into silence.


    After a long while, Xue Chao agitatedly tilted up his head to look at Tang Xiu and asked in a deep voice, "Can you take me with you, Tang Big Bro? I want to follow you no matter how brutal and cruel that place is."


    "Hold on." Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "Many times I thought about this previously and oftentimes I had the idea to teach you cultivation techniques so you can go with me to the Immortal World in the future. However, I chose not to after thinking it through. You guys all have relatives and friends here. This world is your place. What will happen to your families and friends here if I take you guys with me?"


    "Brother Tang, my mother has passed away. I only have a wife and a son by my side. Only the three of us in the world left." Xue Chao said aloud, "I really hope you can take us with you if you can. Aside from some brothers here, I have no one else worth remembering or being together with."


    Long Zhenglin suddenly turned to Long Zhengyu. He suddenly grabbed a bottle of wine from the table and spoke with all seriousness, "Elder Brother, although I hate to part with you, I still want to leave with Big Bro. Doing this makes me an unfilial son, I know. Please be more filial and devoted to Dad and Mom on my behalf."


    "You¡­" Long Zhengyu''s complexion changed.


    "You''re perfectly aware of my fidgety and hyperactive character, elder brother." Long Zhenglin continued, "Staying here without Big Bro Tang will make me live a muddleheaded life in the future. I love adventuring and stimulation. I want to pick my own path. I was nothing but a street thug before I met Big Bro, but I was able to reform myself ever since I met him. He changed my mind and my path in life. Else, I''d have become nothing but some second-generation silk pant, a dickhead who trolls around the streets and alleys of Star City."


    Long Zhengyu''s lips squirmed a few times and he finally asked in a deep voice, "Have you really thought this through?"


    "Yeah." Long Zhenglin firmly nodded and said, "I can definitely live a thrilling and splendid life by following Big Bro. Being with him, I''ll never look back. Elder brother, I''ve already thought this through although I only spent a very short time to think about it."


    Long Zhengyu also grabbed a bottle of wine and bottle-toasted with Long Zhenglin. He then downed the wine in one go and said with a reddish face, "I respect your choice as your Brother. From now on, the second son of the Longs has died and only lives in our hearts."


    Long Zhenglin''s eyes turned bloodshot. He gritted his teeth and downed the wine as well. He then turned and stared fixedly at Tang Xiu, asking, "Will you take me, Big Bro?"


    Tang Xiu slowly closed his eyes and fell into silence. After a long while, he suddenly opened his eyes and said, "Alright, you Long Zhenglin and Xue Chao''s family of three can go with me to the Immortal World. But be prepared to follow all my orders when we get there, else I''ll kill you guys with my own hands! Be sure to visit your relatives first¡­ you''ll never see any familiar¡­ your family members again when you die."


    "I promise!"


    "I promise!"


    Long Zhenglin and Xue Chao shouted in unison.


    Tang Xiu slowly shifted his gaze to the others'' faces. He could see their hesitation, so he said in a deep voice, "None of you will speak anything else about this matter to me. I''m going to teach you guys a cultivation technique before I leave, with which you''ll be able to become a cultivator yourself. When you have great achievements in the future, you can come to the Immortal World to find me. But we all will forever live in each other''s hearts if your cultivation can''t reach that realm.


    "The reason why I invited you to here today was, in fact, because I want to drink this wine happily and get drunk with you all.


    "Are you guys¡­ willing to hang out and get drunk with me?"


    Their eyes turned reddish. Long Zhengyu, who was the oldest among them, was the first to grab another bottle of wine and shouted in a heavy voice, "Let''s drink to send off our Brothers, everyone!"


    "Drink!"


    "Salute¡­"


    That night, everyone drank until they were completely drunk. Even Tang Xiu didn''t force out the alcohol out of his system and fell drunk on the sofa.


    The next morning.


    When Tang Xiu woke up from his sleep, he looked at a group of people in a messy state literally everywhere. A warm smile suddenly appeared on the corner of his mouth before he headed to the second floor to take a shower, changed his clothes and began to arrange some arrays. By noon, when everyone woke up and sobered up from their drunken state, Tang Xiu began to teach them cultivation techniques and some other things to walk on the cultivation path.


    Afterward, he provided medicinal pills, Body Tempering Liquid, and supplementary array methods.


    With various effects combined, he eventually helped them set foot on the path of being cultivators. Although they were just able to sense the flow of qi, they were already able to control the flow of energy albeit barely.


    Early in the next morning, everyone except Long Zhengyu had already left. In the study on the second floor, Tang Xiu took out an interspatial ring and handed it to Long Zhengyu. "Zhengyu, you''re the oldest, the most mature and steady person among the rest. Further, you''re also someone with remarkable compassion and righteousness, so you''re worthy of my trust. Please accept this interspatial ring. Drip a drop of your blood on the ring and it will be completely yours."


    Long Zhengyu followed Tang Xiu''s instructions and then asked after putting it on, "There are quite a lot of things inside."


    "They''re all cultivation resources," Tang Xiu said. "I put enough resources and some pills for you guys to cultivate for hundreds of years. You can read the records about each pill in a booklet, be it their effects, the best time and cultivation stage for you to take them¡ªeverything has been written clearly on the booklet. Further, I also put four other manuals there, respectively for arrays, alchemy, refining, and records on resources and other materials. All these things are for you guys after I leave. Do pay more attention to others and help them. I hope I can meet you again in the Immortal World in the future. I''ll be waiting for your arrival there."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.


    A warm feeling surged inside Long Zhengyu''s heart as he firmly nodded and said, "I, Long Zhengyu, swear that I''ll never swallow these things for myself, let alone neglect everyone else. Trust me, I''ll try my best to take them all to the Immortal World to meet you there in the future."


    Tang Xiu patted his shoulder and said, "Remember. You''ll need a massive number of cultivation resources to assist you if you want to reach a very high cultivation level. There are two islands in the South China Sea where you can lead your trusted friends later. One of them is used to rear fierce beasts and the other one is for medicinal herbs plantation. If your cultivation has yet to reach the Golden Core Stage, do not open the island that rears fierce beasts. But the island with herbs plantation is okay for you to manage.


    "Additionally, if you want to cultivate faster and obtain more resources, you''ll need tons of money to back it up. I''ll give each of you a 2% stake in the Magnificent Tang Corporation shares, and you''ll have a 20% stake. Some people will find you later to sign the contracts. There are many contracts you need to sign which you''ll find out later.


    "You''re very familiar with the situation in Nine Dragons Island. I hope you can use it as your base camp. When you can master the array formations that cover that island, I want you to take and manage it. At that time, I''ll have the island''s transfer document stored in the palace there for you at that time.


    "There''s a pocket world in Longquan Mountain in the Western Region as well. I''ve sent some people to seal the entrance to that pocket world a few days ago. Only after you''ve reached the Nascent Soul Stage will you be able to enter it, else all of you will die inside it.


    "In the back mountain of my hometown, the Su Family Village, there''s a natural Fengshui Array with Spirit Spring inside. Although it has been used by my people over the years, the spiritual energy in the Earth Vein there is still abundant. If you want to break through to the Golden Core Stage, or the Nascent Soul Stage earlier, take your time to cultivate in seclusion there. Do it after you''ve thoroughly studied the array manual I gave you."


    "..."


    Tang Xiu explained a lot of things at one go, while Long Zhengyu directly picked up a pen and notebook to record everything Tang Xiu said.


    "Is there anything else?" Long Zhengyu''s heart was filled with warmth, but his expression was full of seriousness.


    Tang Xiu took out a cigarette and lit it up. He remained silent for roughly a minute before slowly looking upward and saying, "There''s one more thing which I think is necessary for you to know. The Chinese authorities have established a secret base in the Taklimakan Desert. It''s been three years already. There have been researches and development of high-tech weapons being carried out in that secret base. I was the one who gave them all those weapons which previously belonged to a certain advanced high-tech civilization from outer space. If my estimation is correct, that place will be able to manufacture the first interstellar battleship, which will also mark the first time that mankind is able to leave Earth and set foot on the Milky Way. The power structure all over the world will inevitably change at that time, so you must be extra careful. Do not believe anyone outside your very close circle unless it''s absolutely essential."


    "That means¡­ it''s possible for China to rule over the Earth at that time?" Long Zhengyu was aghast and exclaimed in shock.


    "I have no clear idea about the situation that will unfold in the future," Tang Xiu said. "But you must remember to never oppose the Chinese authority later. You can choose to leave if they''re making trouble and make things difficult for you. Further, I also want you to manage one thing for me."


    "What is it?" Long Zhengyu asked.


    "It''s about Duanmu Lin," Tang Xiu said. "He''s the Special Abilities Bureau''s Director. His loyalty to the country is above all else and is unquestionable. It may be great and all, but you must never get in touch with him more than necessary. Remember to be on guard against him and keep an eye on his movements. Don''t easily reveal your identity as a cultivator. Else, he will very likely make you risk your life for his own gains. The most important thing for you is to keep cultivating and improve your own strength."


    Long Zhengyu frowned and said, "But you haven''t told me what you want me to manage."


    Tang Xiu replied, "Help me look after some families such as the Ouyang Family on Jingmen Island, the Mus of Beijing, and¡­"


    "I know, I know. I get it." Long Zhengyu nodded and interrupted Tang Xiu, and then seriously said, "It''s about all the families and people that have a special relationship with you. Alright, I''ll secretly look after them for you."

 1280 The Nine Maids

    Tang Xiu patted Long Zhengyu''s shoulder and then took a deep puff and blew the smoke out, saying, "If¡­ I mean, if there''s someone who wants to deal with you, even Duanmu Lin, go contact two people. These two people will definitely help you, and they are the last card I leave for you."


    Long Zhengyu''s expression shifted and he hurriedly asked, "Who are they?"


    "Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen," Tang Xiu answered.


    "I''ll keep it in mind." Long Zhengyu nodded.


    Tang Xiu lit up a cigarette again before he got up and said, "Please do take care of yourself, Brother. Also, there''s a place in this study where I''ve set up an array to conceal it. If you can find it and crack that concealing array, there are still many things I left here for you to manage, including the shares allocation of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, the ownership of the Everlasting Feast Hall, and¡­ well, shortly put, there''re still a lot more. I''ll leave them to you to manage later."


    "I definitely won''t disappoint you." Long Zhengyu nodded and hugged Tang Xiu again before he turned around to leave.


    Tang Xiu''s figure flickered and then blocked Long Zhengyu''s path. With his back facing Long Zhengyu, he spoke again, "This villa is yours later. The documents have been processed in advance and they are also in this study, waiting to be signed by you. You gave me the King Manor Villa in South Gate Small Town, so I give you the documents for this one in return, Brother. I''m leaving now. Farewell."


    A long time passed.


    Long Zhengyu still looked at the door Tang Xiu had disappeared. Eventually, he let out a sigh and then turned to look around. He finally came to the desk, stood there and grabbed several folders of documents on the table.


    South Gate Small Town, House Tang''s residence in Beijing, Bluestar Villa Complex, Star City Walled Hill Village real estate¡­


    ¡­


    Long Zhengyu kept reading several documents quietly and his eyes turned redder as time passed. Clear tears dropped down from his eyes. Only at this moment did he finally understand how deep Tang Xiu''s affection was toward him and how much he trusted him.


    "This life of mine was saved by you. I may be alone now, but you''ll always be my brother no matter if it''s in this lifetime or another¡­"


    He took a deep breath and was about to turn around and walk out of the study. Suddenly, he caught sight of a video recorder in the corner and it was still actively recording. After a short while, Long Zhengyu realized that Tang Xiu had set it up to record everything he said to him previously.


    "Tang Xiu¡­ Brother, I understand."


    Long Zhengyu went to the window and looked at the scene outside and murmured to himself. He knew that Tang Xiu had long left and would leave this world.


    ****


    On an island somewhere in the South China Sea.


    A total of 215,400 people stood straight with their eyes all fixed on the dark sky. Thunderclaps and lightning bolts rumbled and blasted down from the thick dark clouds, making it look like an apocalypse had struck this part of the world.


    As Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er stood in the air, Tang Xiu slowly lowered his head before he took a deep breath and then said, "Yan''er, seek and retrieve the remaining zodiac jade carvings! Once all 12 zodiac jade carvings are in place, I can start the array that will send us directly to the Immortal World."


    Gu Yan''er replied, "There are still three people left we need to see before we go."


    Tang Xiu''s expression shifted. He recalled those three spiritual senses from some regions around the world back when he was in Japan. Suddenly, his gaze shifted to the Northwest.


    However, the first to appear before Tang Xiu, Gu Yan''er, and more than 200,000 people of the Great Tang Empire, were nine beautiful women in white dresses flying in the air. They looked like immortal maidens descending from the Nine Heavens and appeared above the island nearly in a flash.


    "Sis Zhong Ling, my heart is beating fast, so he should be here!"


    "Sis Zhong Ling, I feel a pain in my head. It feels like there''s something drilling out of my head."


    "Ugh¡­ I don''t feel well¡­"


    "..."


    The stars-like pupils of the other eight females constantly scanned everyone present. Although they also saw Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er standing hundreds of meters high in the air, they were unable to see their faces clearly. It was like there was a space distortion that covered their faces and blocked them from seeing clearly.


    The female in white who stood in the middle, Zhong Ling, seemingly endured uncomfortable torment. Even the energy and blood in her body began to stir.


    Whoosh¡­


    A figure flickered and instantly appeared in front of the nine women in a flash. Gu Yan''er slightly creased her brows. Her eyes flickered and a strange expression appeared on her face as she asked, "Who are you?"


    The nine women exchanged glances and looked vigilant. They could clearly see Gu Yan''er''s face at this moment, yet it made them feel more uncomfortable and in pain. They felt that she was very familiar, so very familiar that they felt strange.


    "I''m Zhong Ling. Who are you?" Zhong Ling paced forward and asked in a deep tone.


    "I''m Gu Yan''er," Gu Yan''er replied.


    Buzz¡­


    A ray of light suddenly tore open the darkness in Zhong Ling''s sea of knowledge. It was just an instant moment, but Zhong Ling''s face was full of disbelief and she quickly shouted, "You¡­ you''re Xiao Yan''er?"


    Xiao Yan''er? Ah¡­ what a familiar address!


    The address made Gu Yan''er recall the days when she accompanied Master in the Immortal World. How many people called her like that? It was definitely¡­ a few.


    Suddenly, Gu Yan''er''s eyes flashed with coldness and she shouted, "Who exactly are you?"


    Zhong Ling''s hands covered her head and her floating figure seemed to tremble a bit. Her eyebrows creased deeply and she shook her head to shake off the pain. "I can''t remember¡­ I really can''t remember. Why can''t I remember anything? What exactly is our mission? Who exactly is the person we must find?"


    At this moment, however, Tang Xiu came. He looked at the nine women in front and slowly said, "You don''t know or remember anything, then why did you come here?"


    His voice caught the attention of the nine women.


    As they looked up, their eyes fell on Tang Xiu''s face, and they could clearly see it now. Suddenly, all of them trembled and dazzling lights burst from their eyes.


    Buzz, buzz, buzz¡­


    A terrifying aura suddenly erupted from the nine women. The nine auras then merged into one and all of them let out ear-tearing screams the instant after. Along with their screams, their aura streaked up into the sky and a "seal" rune appeared and glittered in the dark sky.


    Shortly after, the "seal" rune broke into pieces and the aura of these nine women began to soar violently. In just half a minute, their aura became so strong that Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er became shocked.


    "Celestial Immortals?"


    Gu Yan''er''s lips squirmed a few times and her killing intent instantly filled her eyes. If any of these nine women were to exude the slightest killing intent, she would untie her seal and kill them.


    Tang Xiu, however, looked at the nine women in disbelief. His lips slightly opened up as he muttered in a slightly trembling voice that entered the nine women''s ears.


    "Immortal Forbidden Seal?! A seal on Immortal Spirit and Soul that destroys five senses and five memories¡­ to be used for reincarnation and transmigration, and to follow the fate and soul of the person who cast it on you.


    "Don''t tell me¡­ you all have injured yourselves and then cast the Forbidden Rebirth in the Forbidden Immortal Seal art?"


    Gu Yan''er turned to him and asked, "What exactly are these Immortal Forbidden Seal and Forbidden Rebirth, Master?"


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and shot a complicated look at the nine women. Then, he slowly explained, "The Immortal Forbidden Seal was a forbidden art¡ªa divine ability secret art to banish or exile someone¡ªI''ve created in the past. Only under some special factors can someone use this type of forbidden art because it will inflict great damage to them once used. The Forbidden Rebirth, on the other hand, is the most damaging forbidden technique in the Forbidden Immortal Seal art. After activating it, you can indeed find the person who cast this seal on you. You''ll be able to follow the trajectory of that person''s fate and destiny and go to wherever this person is. I''ll use an analogy to make it clear. If these people were Golden Immortal Stage Immortals, their cultivation level will be reduced by three levels once they cast the Forbidden Rebirth and they can never go further than that no matter how hard they cultivate in the future."


    Gu Yan''er was aghast and asked, "You mean, all of them used to be Perfected Golden Immortal powerhouses before?"


    Tang Xiu forced a smile and replied, "If they really used the Forbidden Rebirth technique in the Forbidden Immortal Seal art, then they were likely at the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage given their cultivation level at the Celestial Immortal Stage now."


    In the sky, the tribulation clouds bubbled up and rumbled as thunder rolled and lightning flashed.


    Just as Tang Xiu''s voice faded away, the nine women, including Zhong Ling, finally stopped trembling. Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, two lines of tears streamed down their faces as they knelt in the air, facing Tang Xiu and bursting into tears.


    "Master."


    Tang Xiu was dumbstruck and stared blankly.


    Master?


    Countless people did address him as such back in the past because he did have hundreds of thousands of attendants then. Most of them were at the Golden Immortal Stage though there were also hundreds of them at the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage.


    Could it be¡­ these nine women were among those hundreds?


    Bursting into tears, Zhong Ling sobbed. "It''s me, your Immortal Spirit, Master! I used to be your personal maid back then."


    Immortal Spirit?


    Tang Xiu''s body trembled. He instantly dashed to Zhong Ling''s front, pulled her up, and carefully observed her face. Although her appearance had changed, he could see a familiar feeling when he looked into her eyes.


    That''s right. You really are Bell Spirit, Zhong Ling, the maid who served me for thousands of years¡­


    "Then¡­ they are¡­"


    Tang Xiu''s lips squirmed a few times, feeling sour and pained deep inside. He used to have a lot of maids back then, but only nine of them reached the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage. The reason why they could become Perfected Golden Immortal Stage experts, on the one hand, was due to his own guidance and teaching, while on the other hand, was thanks to Xue Qingcheng, who often gave them cultivation resources.


    With tears flowing, Zhong Ling sobbed. "Master, we heard that you failed to cross the tribulation. It was said that you vanished and your soul scattered. We never believed it then, so we found the scripture of Forbidden Immortal Seal in the secret library. You had cast the Forbidden Immortal Seal on us before, so we just activated it and then came here. We lost our memories of the Immortal World, so we forgot about you. Fortunately, the seal on us was broken when we saw you and reminded us of what happened. We''ve been looking for you all this time, Master."


    Tang Xiu slightly shivered. He could imagine how great the courage and the resolve these nine females must have mustered before they decided to activate the Forbidden Immortal Seal.


    Yet¡­ they would never be able to return to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage again in the future. They were forever barred from getting any stronger again. It was like an indestructible spell that had warranted them to the end-point of their future.


    "You all¡­ was it all worth it?"


    Tang Xiu glanced over their faces and muttered.

 1281 Departure

    Zhong Ling stopped crying and said, "You first saved our lives. You were the reason we became Perfected Golden Immortals. You gave us shelters so we could live in peace for thousands of years. But after you disappeared, your Immortal Palace was destroyed and most of the millions of attendants were killed. All those loyal to you were either killed or sent to the Black Whale Starfield as slave laborers, to endure brutal treatments every night. The nine of us were severely injured and were forced to hide in the Lotus World for a long time, struggling on while at death''s door. After the dust settled, the Immortal Palace had turned into ruins and we used the Forbidden Immortal Seal to enter the six paths of reincarnation. We blazed our way through the Six Paths'' official army before we reversed the Mirror of Time and pursued the last wisp of connection with you and finally reincarnated into this world. Fortunately for us, Grandma came to our rescue and hid us in the array to escape the pursuit of the Six Paths'' official army."


    Tang Xiu gently patted Zhong Ling''s shoulder and asked, "Who is this grandma you just mentioned?"


    Zhong Ling said, "She''s¡­"


    Whoosh¡­


    A figure flickered and cut through the sky lightning-fast and instantly appeared in front of everyone in the blink of an eye. But after seeing the scene in front, the expression of the old lady in linen clothes changed greatly in an instant, especially after her eyes fell on Tang Xiu as she couldn''t bear but shiver uncontrollably.


    "Crossing Tribulation Stage?" Her voice carried a tone of disbelief.


    "Grandma."


    Zhong Ling''s group of nine females slightly raised their heads. Even though they were at least 10 times older than the old lady in linen clothes, they still called out to her in unison with respect and gratitude.


    Tang Xiu''s gaze also fell on the old lady. He slightly nodded at her and said, "It''s Tang Xiu''s pleasure to have met Fellow Daoist. I''ve long sensed a terrifyingly powerful powerhouse in China, so I feel lucky to be able to meet you. Hence, I''d like to thank you for saving my nine subordinates."


    The old lady took a deep breath and tried to stabilize her turbulent emotions. Then, she nodded and said, "It was fate that made me run into them. Saving them was just a matter of coincidence, so there''s no need for Fellow Daoist to thank me. However, I really didn''t expect that the difference between the current you and the past you three years ago is like day and night. Not to mention that I never expected to see so many cultivators here."


    "It''s as the adage says that everyone changes and each must be seen differently even though only a short time passed, Fellow Daoist." Tang Xiu slightly smiled and said, "It''s been three years already, who can say that one cannot make any progress? As for us here, we won''t be part of this world anymore in the future."


    "Daoist friend, if I''m not mistaken, you should''ve mastered some means to go to the Immortal World, shouldn''t you?" The old lady smiled and said, "May I ask whether I can go with you there?"


    "To tell you honestly, we''re indeed going to leave for the Immortal World," Tang Xiu said. "However, I can''t take you there since¡­ it''s very likely that there''s only a slim chance of survival once we get there. But I think it shouldn''t be long for the Elderly to ascend to the Immortal World given your cultivation level."


    A disappointed look flashed in the old lady''s eyes, but she still nodded and said, "Then I won''t insist since that''s the case."


    "Well, Daoist friend has protected my nine subordinates, so it can be said that Tang Xiu owes you a favor." Tang Xiu smiled and said, "Please tell me whether Fellow Daoist has any wish that I can help with."


    Upon hearing this, the old lady pondered for a while and then said, "Then, can you help me get rid of two nasty old fogeys! I think they''re going to be here soon as well."


    "It shall be done!" Tang Xiu agreed.


    After one minute, two old men flickered fast from different directions. But their raucous laughter already reached even before they arrived. "The world phenomenon! Someone is crossing a tribulation, huh?! Let''s join in the fun on the day of immortal tribulation! Let''s go together to the Immortal World and stroll around there, mate! Hahaha¡­"


    "Heh, that Chinese hag! I didn''t expect her to be a step faster! She''d better take us to the Immortal World and let us pollute her Immortal Force. That will be a fucking wonderful thing! But if she refuses, let''s ruin her ascension and force her to be hacked by the tribulations!"


    Just as these voices faded away, the two old men already appeared over the island. However, their smiling faces instantly froze the moment they saw the situation in front. They could sense overwhelming murderous aura directly locked onto their bodies, seemingly ready to strike fearsome blows should they slightly move.


    Experts! Everyone here was experts! And there were 200,000 of them.


    The two old men exchanged glances and nearly cried. Despite their tremendously powerful strength, they were still shocked by such a scene.


    Tang Xiu turned to Gu Yan''er and smilingly said, "Ji Chimei dealt with many things while in passing before she left earlier. Since we''re going to leave too, you can butcher these two brats while in passing as well!"


    Brats?!


    The name-calling made the old fogeys'' eyes bulge out.


    Suddenly, Zhong Ling paced a few steps forward and said, "Please let us do the honor, Master! We''ve just regained our memories and we''d like to exercise a bit and do something for you."


    Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er looked at each other. Then, Tang Xiu immediately nodded and smilingly said, "Well, they are yours since you wanna exercise! Give them swords, Yan''er."


    Gu Yan''er faintly smiled and threw nine Immortal Swords to them, saying, "Nine Sisters, you all have taken care of me when I was still a child. Yan''er feels really happy since fate brought us together again. These nine immortal swords are all defective, but Yan''er will definitely give you each the best Immortal Sword there is when we arrive at the Immortal World. Please use these defective swords for now!"


    "Thanks, Little Yan''er."


    The nine women smiled faintly. After each of them received an immortal sword, they quickly forced out their blood essence to refine the nine immortal swords and immediately unleashed them to form a sword formation.


    Back in the past, they were maids, but they also had their share of battling others.


    The sword formation was taught to them by Tang Xiu when he had nothing to do during his spare time. After thousands of years of training and coupled with their teamwork and battle coordination, they could still easily kill a Profound Immortal powerhouse even though their power had been sharply reduced at present.


    "P-please don''t attack us. W-we have no evil intention."


    The two old men''s faces drastically changed, and one of them hurriedly shouted.


    The nine women seemed to not hear it. The killing blow was unleashed and covered the two old men in an instant, destroying their flesh and scattering their souls in the blink of an eye.


    "Please leave now, Daoist friend," Tang Xiu looked at the old lady and said.


    The old lady sighed inwardly. The two enemies she had fought against for centuries now had been slaughtered. She glanced over at Zhong Ling''s group of nine, nodded slightly, then flew back to the direction of mainland China.


    Little did she expect that those nine children she had raised up turned out to be Immortals whose memories were sealed. The fact that they were also Tang Xiu''s maids was truly unexpected, let alone having such a very powerful strength.


    It''s all fine¡­ now I can let them go without worries.


    With a relieved feeling in her heart, the old lady finally disappeared from the sky over the South China Sea in a few breaths.


    In the sky.


    The tribulation clouds kept rumbling and the lightning bolts seemed as though they were about to break loose from the shackle of the dark clouds and blitz down to strike everyone underneath the sky. Gu Yan''er''s aura kept soaring as she undid the seal on her body. Her divine sense instantly covered the entire earth and easily found the rest of the zodiac jade carvings and gathered them in a flash.


    At the same time, many evil and wicked people doing despicable things around the globe were instantly killed as her divine sense wiped them out. This moment became the most peaceful time for the entire human race on Earth.


    "Master!" Gu Yan''er handed the zodiac jade carvings to Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu slightly smiled in response. Along with a long and loud cry, he took out the rest of the zodiac jade carvings stored in his interspatial ring. The 12 zodiac jade carvings instantly flew in all directions. Dazzling scarlet lights erupted above each zodiac jade carving, followed by a tremendously powerful aura that descended from the vault of heaven.


    "Who dares destroy my Heavenly Dao Prison?!"


    An angry roar came from the distant horizon as a palm with a size of several thousands of kilometers came crashing down from the dome of heaven.


    A cold light flickered in Gu Yan''er''s eyes as she powerfully slashed her immortal sword right at that gigantic palm directly. A huge, over 1,000-kilometer bleeding wound, appeared on that gigantic golden palm. Blood quickly rained down before being collected into several thousands of jade bottles Tang Xiu just threw out in a flash.


    "A Golden Immortal? DAMN¡­"


    The mysterious powerhouse above the vault of heaven hurriedly retracted his hand, leaving flustered and exasperated curses behind before his aura finally vanished without a trace.


    At this moment, a 10-kilometer-wide and over 1,000-kilometer-long hole appeared in the sky above and countless immortal spirits rushed forth through it. Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er exchanged glances, then Gu Yan''er immediately waved her hand. A shuttle-shaped immortal artifact suddenly appeared out of thin air and the entire 200,000-plus experts of the Great Tang Empire were taken into it.


    "Let''s go now, Master!" Gu Yan''er softly spoke.


    Tang Xiu slightly smiled and motioned her to go ahead, then he looked northward. With his eyesight, he could clearly see tens of experts from China''s Special Abilities Bureaus using telescopes to look at his direction. At the same time, he also saw Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen holding binoculars with somewhat complicated expressions.


    "Brother Miao, Brother Shao. You two take care. Find the linen-clothed Daoist friend if you have any problems. She''s the true Patron Deity of China, and you can still see her for at least a few centuries more."


    "Senior Duanmu, don''t mix the past and present and let bygones be bygones. I hope I can see you later in the Immortal World. At that time, the flags of my Great Tang Empire will be waving throughout the plane."


    After Tang Xiu saying that he observed the changed expressions of the onlookers before he looked up at the shuttle immortal artifact above him. Afterward, he smiled and shouted aloud in a clear voice, "What are you waiting for, Fire Qilin? Don''t tell me you want to rely on your power to return to the Immortal World?"


    ROAR¡­


    A thunderous roar responded from a distant place. In just a few breaths, the flame-shrouded Fire Qilin appeared in front of Tang Xiu.


    "Retract and contain your flame. We''re leaving."


    Having said that, Tang Xiu''s figure suddenly sucked into the shuttle-shaped immortal artifact. The dreadful flame shrouding Fire Qilin''s body also dissipated in a flash and it quickly entered the shuttle-shaped immortal artifact.


    Buzz¡­


    An enormous aura suddenly radiated from the shuttle-shaped immortal artifact before it quickly flashed into the hole in the sky.


    A few minutes after, the rift above the sky slowly closed. The clouds cleared up, lightning vanished, and the roaring thunder disappeared. The whole world was back to what it was before.

 1282 The Immortal World

    Somewhere in the Riversky Outer Domain in the Immortal World.


    In the midst of the dark world, lightning flashed and thunder roared. The planet slightly tremored, waves formed twisters and swept across the planet along with the bombardment of thousands of crushing meteorites. A blob of light suddenly appeared and a shuttle immortal artifact emerged out of nowhere.


    The kilometers-long shuttle immortal artifact quietly suspended near the planet as the Heaven and Earth phenomenon gradually dissipated. As the shuttle''s hatch opened, two figures quickly appeared outside.


    "Where''s this place?"


    Gu Yan''er slightly creased her brows and looked confused as she glanced around. She had been to countless places in the Immortal World during her thousands of years fighting and surviving here, but she was certain that she had never been here before.


    Tang Xiu''s expression was calm, but his eyes couldn''t hide his slightly moved and complicated feelings. He could see that the surroundings had a rich immortal force, then he slowly said, "This place is the Riversky Outer Domain."


    Riversky Outer Domain?


    Gu Yan''er was surprised. "How did we come to the Riversky Outer Domain? I know the Immortal World is vast and feels endless, but the Riversky Outer Domain is very far away from our former residence. I''ve never been to this remote place. If we can''t find any Celestial Teleportation Array, it will take us thousands of years to reach the Immortal Lyceum territory just by flying using the Immortal Shuttle."


    Tang Xiu looked around and replied, "We can''t go straight to the Immortal Lyceum territory for the time being, indeed. Besides, it''s very likely that we''d face many crises along the way to get there. Just a slight carelessness is enough to send all of our people to their deaths on the way there."


    "Then what shall we do, Master?" Gu Yan''er forced a bitter smile.


    "Nothing we can do but to forge our way out by exercising some radical gambits," Tang Xiu said. "Let''s find someplace to stop over and settle all of our people, while the two of us need to leave for a while.


    "Where are we going to, exactly?" Gu Yan''er asked curiously.


    "I have been to the Riversky Outer Domain before, I know where we can find a Celestial Teleportation Array here. However, we''re going to need to pay a lot of Immortal Stones if we want to use it. Hence, we need to resort to robbing. Well, kind of looting some people nearby of their Immortal Stones. But if we can snatch some Immortal Crystals, that will certainly be wonderful, of course."


    Resorting to¡­ robbery?


    Gu Yan''er forced a wry smile yet again. Given her Master''s status, it was really unexpected that he''d to fall so low to the point of robbing others. Should anyone who knew her Master''s identity hear about this, they would very likely be shocked with disbelief.


    After several days, the flying shuttle artifact landed on a planet. The planet was so desolate that there was no creature living on it.


    As over 200,000 people flew out of the flying shuttle, everyone began to set up camps to settle here.


    Buzz¡­


    Buzz¡­


    Buzz¡­


    Regardless of whether they were the high-ranking members of the Great Tang Empire, the legionnaires of the four major armies, or the family members who followed them, many people began to have a breakthrough in their cultivation after constantly inhaling the Immortal Force energy.


    Almost everyone had a breakthrough after settling for half a month on this planet. Some people, who were extremely talented for cultivation, kept breaking through one after another. It could be said that the overall strength of the Great Tang Empire force had risen by at least one level in just half a month.


    During this half month, Gu Yan''er had arranged four arrays on the planet with her Golden Immortal power. Each layer was closely connected and nobody could harm anyone from the Great Tang Empire unless the person was at the Golden Immortal Stage.


    "Let us set off!"


    After arranging everything, Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er flashed into the distance.


    Just as the immensely vast Immortal World, the Riversky Outer Domain also had a vast territory. Even Golden Immortal Stage immortals would need at least a century to fly from the end of the territory to another border. The huge area itself birthed countless forces, innumerable immortals, and the number of mortals was in the tens of billions of souls.


    Two days later, the pair met the first immortal in the Immortal World. This human immortal was dressed in a white robe and looked like a fragile scholar as he fled in distress. His cultivation was not high, only at the Celestial Immortal Stage. But most of several immortals pursuing him on the two chariots were in the same realm as him, even the white-bearded old man among them radiated an aura of an early stage Profound Immortal.


    "Hold on!"


    Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er blocked the path of the white-robed immortal.


    You Zhong, the name of this immortal, was a native of the Snailboard Immortal region in the Riversky Outer Domain. His clan boasted a big influence in the region and he was the clan deacon''s illegitimate son. But after his father was assigned to manage another immortal domain, his father''s primary wife kept making things difficult for him and even sent some people to get rid of him.


    However, just as he was desperately running away, some powerhouses blocked his escaping path. It was like adding oil to the fire, and his heart crashed into the bottom of a valley at this moment.


    "Please spare my life, Seniors."


    Sensing the powerful aura radiating from Gu Yan''er, You Zhong immediately kneeled and begged for mercy.


    Tang Xiu slightly glanced at him before his gaze shifted to the two chariots that were getting closer. Several people on board quickly floated up and approached as they arrived.


    "Well, well. The Immortal World is really as brutal as ever, huh." A bright smile painted Tang Xiu''s handsome face.


    The old man who led these people narrowed his eyes and stared at Tang Xiu. His eyes then landed on Gu Yan''er and indifferently said, "Thank you for the two friends'' help in stopping this damned fellow."


    "It''s not like I''m interested in meddling in your business. But if you do have a bit of self-knowledge, hand me your Immortal Stones or Crystals. I just want money and I don''t want to see blood."


    "Does it mean you blocked our way just to rob us, Mister?" The old man yelled angrily, "Don''t tell me you haven''t seen the crest we''re wearing?"


    "What''s up with your crest? Do you have some great background or something?" Tang Xiu replied smilingly.


    "Heh, this immortal region is under the control of my You Clan." The old man sneered. "Anyone who dares to provoke You Clan has met their makers already. Given how outstanding you two are, you both shouldn''t be from this place, so I advise you not to poke your nose in our business. You had best not have any ulterior motives, else you must be careful to lose your poor lives."


    Tang Xiu secretly shook his head. Although he had yet to break through to the Immortal Stage, let alone being able to fight these people in front, he still had a Golden Immortal Stage expert next to him.


    As for the You Clan? He truly had never heard of this Clan, which meant that they were just a small clan in this immortal region.


    Tang Xiu shifted to You Zhong and asked with curiosity, "They''re from the You Clan, so what about you? Who are you and how did you provoke them?"


    Due to fearing Gu Yan''er''s strength, You Zhong honestly told his life story, and finally said with a bit of hatred, "I neither knew nor had the ability to control over which family I was going to be reincarnated. For the past thousand years, I''ve always been very low-key and I''ve never wanted to use the resources my father gave me. It''s all because I never wanted to take advantage of the You Clan. But after my father left, the You Clan is still unwilling to let me go. Two Seniors, I beg you to save my life. I''ll give you my fortune and even a secret that will bring huge fortune to those who seek it."


    Tang Xiu''s eyes lit up and he immediately smiled. "Well, I think we can have this deal, Yan''er."


    Whoosh!


    Gu Yan''er bolted forward lightning-fast and appeared in front of the dozen-plus immortals of You Clan in a flash. Then, she swiftly sent a powerful strike from her immortal sword, cutting through the sky and instantly sweeping over these several immortals in an instant.


    "H-How¡­ is this¡­ possible?"


    The old man''s pupils violently contracted and disbelief filled his eyes. He was a Profound Immortal Stage expert and had a famous reputation in this immortal region. Of the entire You Clan, only the Patriarch and the six Elders were more powerful than him.


    Yet, it took only one move for his opponent to kill him and all the men he brought with him. Such power¡­ was the strength of an expert at least at the Golden Immortal Stage.


    Gu Yan''er sneered. She seemed to have returned to the days when she bathed in blood through slaughters. There was neither compassion nor pity in her eyes. She quickly took out the interspatial rings of the You Clan''s people, checked through them and found a large number of items inside.


    "Haih¡­ these guys are dirt poor, Master."


    Gu Yan''er shook her head and eventually transferred all of the items into her own interspatial ring, saying, "We only got less than 2,000 Immortal Stones and 4 Immortal Crystals. The rest is trash. I''m afraid we can only get a little over 100,000 Immortal Stones selling them."


    On the side, a strange expression painted You Zhong''s face. So many Immortal Stones, including some Immortal Crystals, yet this woman said that the You Clan was so dirt poor? Was she kidding?


    Tang Xiu''s following response, however, made him nearly collapse.


    "Such a few Immortal Stones and Crystals¡­ they''re indeed dirt poor," Tang Xiu said with a smile. "I just thought that we can rob this You clan, but now I think we can just skip and forget them. This Clan doesn''t have that much wealth for us to bother robbing them."


    "Hehe, that makes sense to me too, Master." Gu Yan''er chuckled and said, "But for us now, mosquitos'' meat is still meat no matter how small they are, no? How about taking a chance to visit them? The You Clan is guaranteed to be ransacked by us."


    Tang Xiu turned to You Zhong and asked, "Hey, Is the You Clan far from here?"


    You Zhong''s lips squirmed for a while. He then forced a smile and said, "It''s not very far, only half a month trip to the planet the You Clan occupies. Given¡­ well, it should only take several days to get there given this Senior''s cultivation level."


    Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er exchanged glances. Tang Xiu then immediately asked with a smile, "Alright, then. Let''s visit the You Clan since they''re quite near. That''s right. Do you hate the You Clan?"


    You Zhong firmly nodded and said, "My hate for them runs deep. I hate every one of them aside from my father. The rest can go die for all I care."


    Haih, they are likely not a good bunch, then. Tang Xiu sighed inwardly.


    "That reminds me of something. You just said that you''ll tell me a secret if we help you kill these guys. Tell me about this secret. I wanna hear it from you now. But beware, Brat. If this so-called secret of yours doesn''t interest me, you can expect to pay me at a terrible price. I''m telling you in advance that I''m very proficient in a mysterious secret art that can extract immortals'' souls and torture them for eternity. You can say that even demons will pee their pants if I use this immortal soul''s extraction technique on them." Tang Xiu took out a cigarette, lit up and then said while smoking.

 1283 Ransacking You Clan

    Braving such a response, Tang Xu smiled and his heart twitched a few times. This fella turned out to be so respectful and addressed him as a Senior expert. Although he couldn''t sense a strong aura from the young man in front of him, he was at least a Celestial Immortal Stage expert. This fella must have thought that he was an expert who was hiding his strength. Hence, it couldn''t be imagined how deep his fear was.


    Further, You Zhong was sure that these people were not some good bunch to deal with. He even felt a bit regretful, thinking that he was going to deceive them with other lies. As long as he could escape, he would wait for his strength to increase before going to that place to try his luck again. But now it seemed that he would end up miserable should he choose to deceive them.


    "Senior, the secret I mentioned to you before is actually a Heavenly Land I discovered. But that place is fraught with fatal dangers that weaker immortals won''t be able to cross. I teamed up with some people back then to explore that place to obtain cultivation resources. But all my companions died, and only I was able to escape and survive by chance. I was able to reach the Celestial Immortal Stage relying on my own ability since I obtained the Auric Profusion Source in that Heavenly Abode."


    Auric Profusion Source?


    Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er looked at each other, both looking surprised.


    The Auric Profusion Source was a kind of Heaven and Earth spirit object that was greatly beneficial to immortal cultivators. In particular, it was due to its great effect in nourishing and increasing the immortal soul''s strength. Any ordinary cultivator who consumed this Auric Profusion Source would definitely be successful in his cultivation up to the Immortal Stage if he didn''t die halfway, whereas immortals who absorbed the essence in the Auric Profusion Source would reap great benefits to their souls.


    Tang Xiu himself was in an urgent need to increase his cultivation level quickly. His perception of the Heavenly Dao had reached the peak Immortal Stage as of now. As long as he could quickly improve the power of his Immortal Soul, assisted by a massive number of cultivation resources, he would have smooth progress in his cultivation path and finally return to the Supremacy Stage.


    "Tell me, where''s this place?"


    Tang Xiu stared fixedly at You Zhong. He would definitely torture this guy to death if he dared to lie.


    You Zhong took out an astrolabe and quickly marked one region, saying, "That Heavenly Abode is here. According to my inference, that place should be a trial ground, and the area my expedition went into was just its outermost perimeter. My team was able to reach the 7th floor before they were all killed by some immortal puppets."


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and then turned to Gu Yan''er. "We''re heading to the You Clan first. I need a lot of Immortal Stones and Crystals to increase my cultivation. We''ll explore this place when my cultivation level has advanced to the Immortal Stage."


    "Alright!" Gu Yan''er nodded in approval.


    Tang Xiu then asked again, "Is there anything else you''ve taken from the You Clan people?"


    "Yeah." Gu Yan''er took out an astrolabe and continued, "This astrolabe is labeled as the most complete map of the Riversky Outer Doman, but less than half of the region is left unlabeled, including the region this guy just marked on his astrolabe. There''s no such place on this one."


    Tang Xiu asked for You Zhong''s astrolabe and did a comparison before marking some new locations. An astrolabe was a mapping tool for the immortals, and most of them knew how to add starfield markers to the astrolabe to increase the regions mapped on it.


    "Alright, now take us to the You Clan."


    Tang Xiu grabbed You Zhong''s shoulder and Gu Yan''er brought them to fly quickly. For immortals, flying in the starry space was just everyday life. After all, the Immortal World was too vast, and only on a supercontinent could they not cross the void and shuttled through the universe.


    Evergreen Scrub Star.


    A planet that was roughly a thousand times larger than Earth and 65% of its area was covered by many bodies of water, be it from the countless rivers and lakes as well as its vast oceans and seas. The planet itself had three large continents, and the rest of the lands were islands of varying sizes. The You Clan itself occupied a large continent as one of the powerful clans on this planet.


    "The Evergreen Scrub Star has a total population of over 100 million, and hundreds of thousands are immortals. However, there are only three super experts at the Golden Immortal Stage here. The most powerful one is the Blue Clan''s ancestor, who''s rumored to be able to break through to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage within the next 1,000 years. The You Clan''s ancestor is also at the Golden Immortal Stage, but he''s only at the early stage, far from being the opponent of the Blue Clan''s ancestor. However, the You Clan has six Profound Immortal Stage experts, compared to the Blue Clan''s three."


    On the way there, You Zhong explained the Immortal Domain''s situation and finally introduced the Evergreen Scrub Star.


    Tang Xiu''s expression when You Zhong talked about the You Clan''s ancestor was indifferent and unphased. It was likely that he regarded this You Clan''s ancestor as just a passerby and not worth remembering.


    "You Zhong, we are actually upright and dignified Immortals. Though we''re currently dirt poor and must resort to robbing other immortals, they are just some wicked people, to begin with. We won''t hold back since you yourself regard the You Clan as bad apples. However, I have your life in my palm, so I''m going to push you forward when robbing the You Clan. Do you dare to take the chance?" After descending on the continent occupied by the You Family in the Evergreen Scrub Planet, Tang Xiu asked with a smile.


    You Zhong hesitated for a moment before he forced a smile and replied, "Do I look so brave to not agree with you, Senior?"


    "Well, those who know the circumstances are indeed wise." Tang Xiu smilingly stated. "You hate the You Clan, so you''ll be the one to make a ruckus there! Let''s head to this clan''s residence now. Ah, by the way, do you know where the You Clan''s treasure vault is?"


    You Zhong shook his head and said, "I''ve never taken any resources from the You Clan. How would I know where their treasure vault is? I think you can easily squeeze the answer from some senior members of the clan, however."


    "You''re right!" Tang Xiu patted his forehead and intentionally said, "Well, I just got my stupid moment. Alright, let''s set off to their place and cause some ruckus directly before devastating them completely."


    The You Clan.


    This clan''s territory covered an area comparable to China on Earth, full of buildings and pavilions. There was no one flying over the territory since this clan had arranged a very powerful array. Those who flew would be attacked by the array unless they could destroy it.


    BOOM¡­


    The 100-meter-high front gate of the You Clan''s residence was powerfully blasted by You Zhong''s punch. The tens of You Clan''s members who were stationed outside the front gate were all just ordinary immortals. None of them could withstand You Zhong''s punch and were killed directly.


    In a flash moment, many figures flickered from the interior and came out lightning-fast. Wearing battle suits and holding immortal artifacts, each of them radiated a boiling killing aura as they appeared in front of the three people. Their leader, a burly man wearing a black cloak and an immortal spear, quickly roared angrily the moment he saw You Zhong. "You dare kill your own clansmen and smash the front door of your own clan''s residence? You deserve to die for such a capital sin! You''re a damn bastard, You Zhong. Who the hell gives you such balls?"


    You Zhong unleashed his sword and aggressively burst out with killing intent. "You Long, if you really did regard me as a member of You Clan, then why did that vixen bitch send some people to chase me down? None of you in power even cares a shit about me, no? I would''ve been killed by the Yous already had I not run into these two benefactors."


    A sympathizing look flashed in the burly man''s eyes. However, he still coldly replied, "It''s your own issue to deal with, we have nothing to do with it whatsoever. Yet, you still took outsiders, destroyed the clan''s front door, and killed your own clansmen. All those are capital sins! Surrender and you can live a little longer, or you''ll die without any chance to reincarnate otherwise."


    "Heh, you want me to surrender? You''re not qualified to even speak about it." You Zhong sneered. "Two Seniors, I owe you both for your great benevolence, and I''m now giving you this clan to pay my debt. Seniors can casually slaughter them if they dare to disrespect you."


    Tang Xiu slightly smiled and observed the burly You Long. However, he couldn''t help but feel a bit helpless inwardly. Due to his current strength, he could only defeat ordinary immortals at most, even an Earth Immortal could easily slap him to death. Hence, even though he pulled out this robbing stunt with Gu Yan''er, there was nothing he could do at the moment.


    "Yan''er, let''s not waste time and just strike them."


    The smile on Gu Yan''er''s face slowly faded away. The moment she unleashed the immortal sword in her body, overlapping layers of sword images spread out for tens of kilometers. It took only the blink of an eye for her to destroy all the outermost buildings of the You Clan, while tens of thousands of You Clan''s people were severely injured and lost their abilities to fight.


    She didn''t kill anyone because she knew that it was impossible for her to commit wanton killings given Tang Xiu''s personality. Hence, she spared the lives of these people and only abolished their cultivation when she attacked.


    "Bastard!"


    You Long, who retreated for tens kilometers, immediately turned around to look at the terrifying Gu Yan''er and roared. "All Deacon Sires, some outsiders just came to make trouble in our You Clan! Please take action quickly and kill them!"


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Three figures flashed and instantly appeared in front of You Long. A burly man in the middle launched a strike with a sword and roared. "Who are you, people? To think that you dare to challenge the immortal power of the You Clan. Are you that impatient to die?"


    Gu Yan''er coldly hummed in response and instantly blasted out with 80% of her power. As she cast an immortal art and displayed a divine ability, a lot of You Clan people were hit by the impact and flew upside down. All of them were stunned, while the three Profound Immortal Stages that were directly attacked by her looked horrified.


    "You''re a Golden Immortal? A Golden Immortal is attacking our You Clan?! Inform the Ancestor quickly and let the elderly take action to kill these enemies!" You Long growled in panic after seeing that the three Profound Immortal Deacons were helpless and flew upside down after the strike; the two of them even seemed to have died.


    Gu Yan''er let out a contemptuous look. The sword beams kept striking and stunned all the You clansmen below the Earth Immortal Stage while killing those above it. At the same time, she sent thousands of interspatial rings to Tang Xiu''s direction.

 1284 A Profession that Brings in Fortune the Fastes

    Standing in mid-air, Tang Xiu looked at the interspatial rings that kept coming at him with a bright smile on his handsome face. He then cast a secret art to wipe off the previous owners'' mark on the rings and then swiftly stuffed them into his own interspatial ring.


    You Zhong, who stood beside him, wore a slightly complicated expression. He used to hate these You Clan people, but now they were like lambs getting butchered and fell to the ground. A lot of those guys who had bullied him countless times had been killed, yet the reverse in fortune gave him mixed and complicated feelings.


    After a long time, two lines of tears slipped down his face. The green veins on his forehead then protruded as he looked up to the sky and screamed loudly, "Do you see that, Mother? Retribution has come. These wretched You clansmen have been punished. Your soul in Heaven can now rest in peace!"


    Suddenly, from the deepest place of the You Clan residence, an old voice resounded and made this part of the world shake. "Who comes to my You Clan to make trouble? Do you think the Yous are nobodies?"


    Gu Yan''er retracted her immortal sword and shifted her attention to the coming person. Disdain immediately flitted across her eyes as she icily said, "Heh, your You Clan does have many people, but they are nothing but ants! Brat, it wasn''t easy for you to cultivate up to the Golden Immortal Stage, so you had better open your clan''s treasure vault and hand over all your wealth if you want to live."


    This is just¡­ a damn robbery?!


    You Haoran was unable to believe his own ears when he appeared before Gu Yan''er. He could sense a great power coming from her. Yet, even his wildest dream, he never thought that a Golden Immortal Stage expert would be so nonchalant as to rob his clan and disregard her own reputation. What kind of treasure did his clan have for her to be so brazen?


    "May I know who your excellency is? There''s no way robbing us is your true intention, no?" You Haoran asked in a deep voice.


    "Meh, me, a dignified Golden Immortal has greedy eyes and wants to rob your poor Clan? You''re dreaming! I came here with my Master just to exact some revenge. But your clan hoarding those resources is kinda a waste. Might as well let me and my Master do something good and help you collect them instead."


    Master?!


    You Haoran was shaken inwardly. This woman was already at the Golden Immortal Stage, wouldn''t the person who deserved to be her Master be at least someone at the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage?


    If that person was indeed a Perfected Golden Immortal expert, then they were people he couldn''t afford to fight against. Even he himself was likely unable to contend with this woman.


    Still, You Haoran really wanted to get to the bottom of the matter. As his eyes shifted to Tang Xiu and You Zhong, he became stunned. To his surprise, Tang Xiu was not even at the Immortal Stage. He was just a Crossing Tribulation Stage cultivator. However, he recalled Gu Yan''er''s statement just now and immediately thought inwardly that this guy must be a Perfected Golden Immortal who was playing a pig that would eat the tiger.


    "Senior, the You Clan is willing to hand over our wealth if it is what you need. However, I''m not sure whether Senior''s companion had any feud with my clan. I''m willing to hand over the culprit to you to mediate the issue."


    Gu Yan''er slightly creased her brows and muttered, "Well, continuously killing is just impossible, I think. Master is a very soft-hearted man. I just really don''t get why he always shows mercy to these ants as a dignified Supreme of the Immortal World."


    After that, Gu Yan''er flew towards Tang Xiu.


    However, her mumblings left a tremendous shock to You Haoran, and a chill instantly ran down his back. In particular, her last four words sent out rolling thunderclaps in his heart.


    The Immortal World Supreme? Is this mysterious man one of the Immortal World''s Supremes?


    But of the entire Immortal World, only less than 100 experts reached the Supremacy Stage, right? Then, who and which terrifying existence is he?


    You Zhong suddenly flew forward. He could clearly sense You Haoran''s fear. He thought that he could take the chance to take advantage of the fact that he was related to these powerful people to strike his target. Therefore, he stood a kilometer away from You Clan''s ancestor and indifferently said, "Hand over You Zun''s wife, that Lan Shi, as well as those 13 people in the clan close with her. They are all damned people!"


    You Haoran slightly frowned. He knew who You Zun was since the man was one of the six Deacons of the Clan and a Profound Immortal Stage expert. However, he recalled that these two people had a fearsome cultivation level, so he coldly issued an order. "Grab You Zun''s wife Lan Shi and those 13 people who are close with her! Investigate clearly on those who have feuds with this friend and execute them later!"


    The moment the order was issued, a number of You Clan''s people bustled about and nearly 1,000 people led by You Zun''s wife, Lan Shi, were all killed on the spot.


    With bitterness in his heart, You Haoran respectfully said, "We have killed everyone who should be killed. I have also sent some people to the You Clan''s treasure vault. Please¡­"


    "A small clan is likely to have some trash stored in the treasure vault. Yan''er, go deal with it and return quickly. We must still visit the other two Houses." Tang Xiu lightly smiled in response.


    The other two Houses?!


    You Haoran was shaken yet again. His unwillingness was instantly replaced by gloating. Although his clan lost a lot this time, he knew what he must do to work around it to avoid greater losses. But the old fogeys of those two Houses had a bad temper. It was very likely that their two clans would become rivers of blood with bodies littered everywhere should they have a fallout with these people.


    A few minutes later, Gu Yan''er came back and nodded slightly. The three of them then stopped paying attention to You Haoran and flew straight to the distance.


    You Haoran stood in the air and kept gazing at the direction the trio just disappeared into. He then took a deep breath and said in a deep tone, "Notify all the clan''s disciples to not walk around in the near future. All of you are to stay still, and those who provoke those people won''t need to be killed by others as I''ll kill them with my own hands!"


    Whoosh!


    A stalwart and stout man appeared next to You Haoran with a furious expression. Holding back his deep fury, he said, "Sixth Uncle, why should you compromise with them? Shouldn''t you be able to make them stay behind given your strength?"


    You Haoran turned to him and a cold light flashed in his eyes as he indifferently said, "Me, holding them here? Do you really think I can do that? She''s at least at the late-stage of the Golden Immortal Stage, and she called that man Master. Do you really think I can pull out such a stunt?!"


    The stout man was aghast and asked, "That woman is a late-stage Golden Immortal expert?"


    "Heh, why do you think I would compromise, then? Do you really think I''m so ruthless as to throw away the lives of the Yous'' offspring? Hmph¡­ if there was only that woman alone, I would''ve activated the You Clan''s protection array already and I might be able to trade blows with her for some time. But as for her unfathomably deep Master, do you know about his cultivation level?"


    The stalwart man hesitated and responded, "Could it be that he''s a Perfected Golden Immortal?"


    "Nope, he''s a Supreme." You Haoran shook his head. "Just a casual strike from him is enough to destroy the entire territory of our clan. Fortunately, he didn''t want to be bothered to do anything to us, else you all would''ve become dead bodies, including myself."


    Gasp¡­


    The burly man couldn''t help but gasp after hearing this.


    ****


    The other territory in the Evergreen Shrub Planet belonged to the Blue Clan.


    After the trio arrived, Gu Yan''er stunned You Zhong directly and casually threw him to the corner before she sneaked into the Blue Clan with Tang Xiu. Their arrival this time did not alarm anyone in the Blue Clan, and Tang Xiu cracked all the arrays laid out everywhere by this clan personally. Gu Yan''er, on the other hand, was responsible for looting the Blue Clan''s treasure vault. After two days, the duo had ransacked 80% of the Blue Clan''s wealth.


    Afterward, the duo took the fainted You Zhong and appeared in another House''s domain, carried out the same "standard operational procedures", and then left the Evergreen Scrub Star directly to the vast starry sky.


    "Fuck the You Clan!"


    "You''re really damned, You Clan!"


    Just a few days after they left, a furious roar resounded from the Blue Clan and the other clan. A large number of experts from both parties immediately gathered in a short time to attack the You Clan. The reason was simple. Thieves from the You Clan had stolen nearly all their wealth.


    But Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er didn''t bother to think about all these trivial things. They dragged You Zhong to find a desolate planet and stayed there before going into seclusion. Tang Xiu spent 3 months in seclusion and, instead of absorbing the energy in the Immortal Crystals, he chose to go all out to absorb the Immortal Force in the Immortal Stones. After three months, he finally welcomed his Immortal Tribulation.


    His cultivation technique, the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis, was a top-grade cultivation art in the Demon Realm. Even those Demon Gods would reap great benefits by cultivating it. However, Tang Xiu himself didn''t have any demonic energy, but the Primal Chaos energy that was several levels higher than demonic energy.


    Therefore the cause of the fearsomely terrifying Immortal Tribulation for him. The might of his Immortal Tribulation was far greater than any immortal''s tribulation. Even Gu Yan''er, who stood thousands of miles away had a worried look on her face, whereas You Zhong who was next to her, wore a strange expression. He stared bewilderedly at the area where Tang Xiu was, unable to express his bewildering feelings inside.


    The Master of this Golden Immortal Stage female had just crossed a tribulation. But there was a ridiculous matter that was truly the first unprecedented universe-shaking epoch he had ever heard.


    Therefore, You Zhong recalled the words Gu Yan''er muttered at the You Clan residence. All their antics gave him a comical feeling that soared all of a sudden. That Immortal World''s Supreme stunt was definitely a bluff. Yet, it was hard for him to believe that even the You Clan''s ancestor bought it and even personally moved to get rid of his mortal enemies and offered most of their clan''s wealth "willingly".


    As of now, Tang Xiu''s figure was standing in the midst of the Immortal Tribulation. An arm-thick lightning bolt struck his body, but it wasn''t able to destroy his body''s defenses. Electric sparks like snakes coursed through his whole being as though a cloth that rubbed his body from head to toe.


    A twister, mixed with surging Immortal Force enveloped Tang Xiu, but the terrifying twister was destroyed every time Tang Xiu punched it.


    At the same time, thousands of planets in the surroundings slightly trembled. Each of these celestial bodies had their most vital life force madly extracted by Tang Xiu. He kept absorbing it into his body while at the same time using it to withstand the Heavenly Tribulation. The thousands of celestial bodies inside him began to swell in size and became as big as Earth after he had withstood 81 Lightning bolts.

 1285 Encountering Battle on the Road

    The Heavenly Path Universe Tree floating in his Dantian''s space had already grown to 333 meters high and had verdant and lush branches and leaves. A rich life force began to flow back to Tang Xiu continuously, improving his cultivation by leaps and bounds and sharply increasing his strength.


    This strength and power¡­


    Deeply sensing the taste of this power and the feeling of bloating up and that everything was under his control, Tang Xiu was slightly trembling. It was a stage he had experienced before¡ªsomething he was very aware of. Although his body had incorporated the Immortal Force, he couldn''t be regarded as an ordinary immortal at all as his power was now comparable to an Earth Immortal expert.


    But the most important thing from such a sharp rise in power was the fact that he could now use many immortal secret arts and divine abilities he was previously unable to. With his current strength, he could even easily kill ordinary Celestial Immortals.


    "It does feel great."


    As the Immortal Tribulation subsided, Tang Xiu slowly stretched his body and a confident smile climbed up his face. He couldn''t help but whisper to himself inwardly.


    Suddenly, his smile was frozen and he spaced out for a short while. He suddenly realized another thing. Back when he crossed such tribulation in the past, he always had to face hallucinations, but he didn''t face one just now.


    "Is it because I''ve removed the demon barrier in my heart, so I no longer have such mental demon''s disturbances?" Tang Xiu frowned before accepting his reasoning as a reasonable inference and slowly felt relieved from the tension.


    At a faraway spot.


    You Zhong was still dumbstruck and tongue-tied as the horrible Immortal Tribulation subsided. When he looked at Tang Xiu''s smiling face, he seemed to have just seen the most incredible marvel in his life and his mouth became slack-jawed.


    Gu Yan''er, on the other hand, looked ecstatic. She turned to glance at You Zhong nearby and burst into laughter immediately, unable to hold her urge to. Then, she asked, "You feel that it was too easy, don''t you?"


    "It looks too easy, indeed."


    Lips squirming, You Zhong murmured, "The might of the Immortal Tribulation I must face before was far worse than the one I just saw. It was like a narrow escape for me, and I was barely able to withstand it. But he¡­ why do I feel like he just treated his tribulation like a joke? Such a mighty tribulation, yet it looks like it just gave him a tickle. This¡­ there''s no way the Heavenly Dao all but sent such billowing thunders but turns out to only send him tiny drops of rain, right? Say, like deliberately throwing out the game to support him or something?"


    "Pfft, hahaha¡­"


    Gu Yan''er didn''t hold back her laughter. She then looked at the fella''s shocked expression and smilingly said, "Do you know who he is? He''s my Master. Such Immortal Tribulations to him is simply like a child''s play. I tell you one thing. He may have just crossed his Immortal Tribulation, but his present strength is very likely more than enough to make a Celestial Immortal like you kick the bucket."


    You Zhong slowly turned and looked at Gu Yan''er''s beautiful smiling face. Although her beauty did stir his heart, he still shook his head silently and then said, "He just got promoted to an ordinary Immortal. Even though he has rich combat experience and powerful strength, the most he can fight against is those at the Earth Immortal Stage at most. I think your notion is not funny if you think he can fight me."


    A playful look flashed in Gu Yan''er''s face and said, "No worries! There will be a time for you to see it."


    "Yan''er."


    Tang Xiu flashed and appeared in front of Gu Yan''er. He saw that You Zhong looked a bit strange but didn''t pay attention to him and lightly smiled instead. "Well, since I''ve successfully crossed the tribulation, then it''s time for us to deal with some more serious issues. Those three clans are too poor, and I just consumed a lot of the resources, so we need to grab more."


    "Are we gonna keep finding targets randomly in this vast region, Master?" Gu Yan''er nodded and said, "Say, like robbing some big clans in this Immortal Domain?"


    "Nah." Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "We already robbed the three largest clans in this region. I don''t think we can get anything better if we go robbing the other clans here. Besides, if memory serves, the Polychromic Lucent Domain should be nearby. That region boasted many powerful Immortals, so we''re going to explore that place. We should be able to gain tons of harvest there."


    "Well, it''s indeed better to rob a powerhouse than ransacking some poor clans." Gu Yan''er nodded and said, "Then, what about this guy, Master? Are we gonna kill him or just let him go?"


    "There''s no need to kill him. He''s not our enemy, and his strength is not a threat to us." Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "Alright, let''s have him follow us first, we can let him go after we have robbed enough cultivation resources."


    You Zhong wiped off the cold sweat from his forehead and interjected in a hurry. "Yes, yes! I may be weak, but I''m still a Celestial Immortal Stage expert. I''m sure there''s something I can do to help you. Besides, I don''t have any malice towards you and even feel grateful to you instead. Had it not been for you, I would''ve died in the hands of my clan''s people, let alone had my revenge."


    "You do have some discretion and are well aware of the situation." Tang Xiu replied, "If anything, we don''t like to kill innocent people. We''ll take you to the place that has Auric Profusion Source later as long as you obey our orders. You can be sure that you won''t leave empty-handed, of course. When we snatch enough cultivation resources, we''ll give you a ten-thousandth of all the resources as a reward."


    A ten-thousandth share?


    You Zhong''s eyes lit up and looked ecstatic. Even though a ten-thousandth may sound little, it was definitely an amazing amount of wealth to him. He knew that the number of cultivation resources this pair had robbed from those three clans was astronomical. Just those resources alone were already enormous.


    "Thank you. Thank you, Senior. I''ll definitely spare no effort to do anything you ask me to."


    His manner was much to Tang Xiu''s satisfaction. Before they left in a flash, he even spoke to him, "You''re not bad yourself. You have never taken any resources from the You Clan all these years at least. Even though your strength is average, you do have quite a spirit. As Immortal cultivators, we must have the guts to fight against the Heavens, demons and all sorts of evildoers. The Immortal World is a brutal place where you''ll be eliminated if you don''t fight, and you can expect to die in the hands of more powerful enemies. If you keep cultivating diligently, there''s a chance that you can be a super powerful expert that shakes the plane in the future."


    You Zhong himself agreed with Tang Xiu''s words, but he couldn''t help but feel that he was being looked down at inwardly. A weak person who had just become an immortal gave him such guidance was truly like a not-funny joke.


    A week later, the trio had arrived at the Polychromatic Lucent Starfield.


    The region had a floating supercontinent so vast that one wouldn''t be able to see its border. Some celestial beings in the Immortal World had once tried to measure it one after another by flying, but the region was so big that even a Perfected Golden Immortal expert would spend several years flying from one end to another.


    This starfield had a particular trait with the existence of soul-stirring and beautiful prismatic lights everywhere. However, the scarlet clouds fluttering in the air proved to hinder one''s sight greatly.


    "This place is Polychromatic Lucent Starfield? I''ve only heard of this place before, but I''ve never been here." You Zhong curiously watched the scene in the surroundings, but he was secretly alert inwardly because he had heard that this place was fraught with dangers and crises may greet anyone with each step they took. One slight carelessness was enough to kill anyone without a burial ground here.


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and then said, "I''ve been here before, this place is indeed the Polychromatic Lucent Starfield. Alright, let''s set off. There''s a particular creature that will be greatly beneficial to us. Now that we''re here, we''re not just going to rob cultivation resources of others, but also get some good stuff."


    "What kind of special creature are you talking about, Master?" Gu Yan''er curiously asked.


    "Firecloud Cicada." Tang Xiu smiled.


    Firecloud Cicada?


    Gu Yan''er was stunned before she happily smiled. "Ah, that''s quite a good thing, indeed. If we can get them and obtain some other suitable materials, then we can refine a Versicolor Coral Garb."


    Yet again, a strange expression was cast on You Zhong''s face. Although Tang Xiu had just broken through to the Immortal Stage, to him, this man felt more and more mysterious.


    He also knew about this Firecloud Cicada.


    This creature was not only very powerful but also very valuable. A Firecloud Cicada could be sold for a lot of Immortal Stones. He wouldn''t need to worry about cultivation resources for at least a century if he could get one.


    "This Firecloud Cicada is very powerful, Senior. I don''t think I have the slightest chance to catch it even if I run into one. Further, I heard that it exists in a very dangerous place. Should we reconsider the plan again?" You Zhong hesitated, but he still needed to voice his opinion for the sake of his own life.


    Tang Xiu glanced at him and lightly said, "Nah, no need to reconsider anything. I already made up my mind."


    Afterward, the trio entered the territory of Polychromatic Lucent Starfield. After many days of fast travel, they finally stopped on a crimson mountain peak. It wasn''t like they didn''t want to continue their journey, but it was because there was a fight that blocked their path in front. The monstrous and fearsome sword energy and the swift and powerful sword light made all of them not dare to take it lightly.


    "Interesting."


    Tang Xiu stood under a red tree and calmly watched the fight from tens of kilometers away. With his current eyesight, let alone seeing for tens of kilometers, he could even see the scene thousands of miles away clearly.


    In the sky, tens of Immortal were involved in a fight. Precisely Speaking, those Celestial Immortals in white attire were besieging a black-robed man under the leadership of a Profound Immortal. The black-robed man himself was very strong and was at least at the Golden Immortal Stage. However, he was already full of scars and his injuries seemed very serious, he was barely able to fight back the tens of Celestial Immortals and that Profound Immortal.


    What alerted Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er was not the fight between the two parties, but rather the presence of the three old men standing near those people. Two of them were obviously a group with those Immortals in white, whereas one of them was with the black-robed big man.


    Each of these three people had a very powerful aura. Gu Yan''er, who was an expert at the Golden Immortal Stage now, could tell from their aura alone that they at least had the same cultivation level as her. There was also a chance that they were Perfected Golden Immortal experts. Even if they were not, they should be at least at the Golden Immortal late-stage.


    "Oh God! I know that Immortal who''s being encircled! He''s Darknorth Immortal, the Master of Aurelian Artifice Sect. How come such a dignified Golden Immortal Stage expert like fell into such a miserable situation?" You Zhong exclaimed in a low voice with disbelief on his face.

 1286 Massacring Celestial Immortals

    A glint flashed in Tang Xiu''s eyes. He put his hands on You Zhong''s shoulders and said in a toned-down voice, "Are you sure you''re not mistaken that he''s the Master of Aurelian Artificer Sect?"


    "Yeah, he''s indeed the Aurelian Artificer Sect''s Master. I''ve seen him a few decades ago." You Zhong firmly nodded and emphasized. "He''s very strong and likes to make friends with strong people from all walks of life. He definitely has more than 10 powerful friends in the neighboring stars. Certainly, it''s due to the expertise of his Aurelian Artificer Sect at refining more importantly since any good quality immortal artifacts are made by his sect here."


    "Do you perhaps know this Aurelian Artificer Sect, Master?" Gu Yan''er asked curiously.


    "I''ve had some intersections with them in the past." Tang Xiu nodded and slowly said, "I went to visit this Aurelian Artificer Sect roughly 2,000 years ago. At that time, I wanted to ask them to help me refine a certain immortal artifact. But I never thought that their refining expertise level was a lot worse than mine. Therefore, I picked a batch of refining materials from them and exchanged it with an ancient refining scripture as compensation."


    "Was the Master of Aurelian Artificer Sect before the man who''s now being besieged?" Gu Yan''er asked again with a curious face.


    "No." Tang Xiu shook his head.


    Gu Yan''er hesitated for a moment and asked again, "Then what shall we do, Master? Do you plan to get involved?"


    Tang Xiu slightly smiled and sent a voice transmission to Gu Yan''er. "Of course. My appearance has changed greatly and some former acquaintances may not be able to recognize me. Furthermore, given my current strength, I don''t think they will believe me even if I told them that I was once that Supreme powerhouse, either. But if anything, this artificer sect is useful and they can do something for us."


    Gu Yan''er''s expression shifted and she immediately understood Tang Xiu''s intention. The Great Tang Empire had over 200,000 cultivators and only had ordinary spirit artifacts for use as of now. But they were now in the Immortal World. If each of them could be equipped with an immortal sword, it would definitely make the Great Tang Empire''s combat force rise by another whole level.


    Master''s move¡­ he definitely wants to make this Aurelian Artificer Sect refine immortal artifacts for the Great Tang Empire!


    Tens of kilometers away.


    The Profound Immortal man who besieged Darknorth Immortal complacently smiled as he slashed Darknorth Immortal''s hand and loudly laughed. "Hahaha, you never thought that such a day would come, did you, Darknorth Immortal? You injured me severely back when you snatched the woman I liked, and this will mark the end of our previous grudges!"


    Darknorth Immortal desperately tried to avoid it, but he had consumed too much Immortal Force and he was already severely injured. Now that he was already a spent force, he furiously roared under such grief and indignation. "Ditto Clearwater, Viola and I deeply love each other. It''s just a matter of justice for us to end up together. You''re just a despicable shit who keeps scheming on us from beginning to end. I hesitated due to our past friendship, so I didn''t take your dog life but severely injured you instead then. I never thought that you unexpectedly jumped out to strike me when I got severely injured. Do you really think you bugs can kill me here?"


    "We are, of course, more than enough to fucking kill you, given your state!" Ditto Clearwater ridiculed. "As for that old ancestor of your smelter sect, hum hum hum¡­ does he even have the balls to move? I got two ancestors from my Clearwater Clan here."


    "Fuck! I really regret not scattering your soul into oblivion previously!" Darknorth Immortal roared.


    "Feeling sorry now, huh? You''re late!" Ditto Clearwater sneered.


    Far away from them, Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes as he watched the situation unfolding. Then, he slowly said, "If I''m not wrong, those three Golden Immortals have been seriously injured and hold some fears, thus the reason they haven''t moved. This Polychromatic Lucent Starfield is indeed fraught with dangers that may appear at any time. If they keep fighting, they can easily fall here unless they''re lucky."


    GuYan''er nodded in response and said, "I think that the Aurelian Artificer expert is about to move, Master. He won''t just sit still and watch Darknorth Immoral be killed."


    "Yan''er, do you think you can easily get rid of those two Golden Immortals if you join hands with that Aurelian Artificer expert?" Tang Xiu asked.


    "I alone am enough to kill those three," Gu Yan''er confidently replied.


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, "If so, then let''s move!"


    The three of them flashed and appeared on the battle scene lightning fast. Tang Xiu shouted aloud, "Fellow Immortals of the artificer sect, I always heard that the Aurelian Artificer Sect''s Master, Darknorth Immortal is a bold and forthright man and likes to make friends from various people. It seems that fate brought us to meet here. I also hate this despicable bastard. Why don''t we join forces to kill them and take all their resources?"


    The moment Darknorth Immortal heard him, he looked ecstatic and replied aloud, "Immortal friend, I''m indeed Darknorth Immortal, the Aurelian Artificer Sect''s Master! Thank you for helping me out, friends. Darknorth will always remember this grace today. You can have whatever you can find after killing them. This Darknorth will also take out some treasures as a thank you gift to all of you."


    "That''s a deal!"


    As Tang Xiu saw Gu Yan''er flash towards the two Golden Immortals of Clearwater Clan, he immediately took out an immortal sword from his interspatial ring. Steamrolling sword energy billowed and instantly blasted to the side of Darknorth Immortal.


    "Three of us shall join hands to kill these enemies!" Tang Xiu shouted in a deep voice.


    You Zhong, on the other hand, could only force a bitter smile inwardly. But he could only bite the bullet to fight side by side with Tang Xiu and Darknorth Immortal. Darknorth Immortal unleashed everything he had to kill two Celestial Immortals and then flashed toward Tang Xiu.


    "Take all of them!"


    Tang Xiu threw a jade bottle and then controlled his immortal sword to constantly ward off the strikes of Clearwater Clan''s Celestial Immortals. At the same time, You Zhong directly pulled three other Celestial Immortals and engaged in intense combat with them.


    Darknorth Immortal himself had long run out of any healing pills. After receiving the jade bottle, he quickly unplugged the cork and quickly took one pill without hesitation after he smelled the medicine scent fluttering from the inside. Given his current situation, he was perfectly aware that he would have no choice but to die if the other party didn''t help him. Hence, there was no need for the other party to lure him to use healing pills to harm him.


    He quickly swallowed the Holy Healing pill. But after a short while, he let out a forced smile because the healing efficacy of the pill was appalling. Without hesitation, he quickly swallowed the remaining 19 healing pills inside.


    Finally, the combined healing efficacy of so many Holy Healing pills helped him recover from his injuries. Taking advantage of this, he also took out an Essence Amassing Pill and quickly did his best to absorb its efficacy.


    "GO THE FUCK AWAY!"


    At this time, Darknorth Immortal was able to manipulate his immortal sword more powerfully than before. He instantly shot out his sword to ward off Ditto Clearwater''s sword that was about to hit Tang Xiu. At the same time, he finally refined the remaining efficacy of the pills and fused it with his own Immortal Force to launch a violently powerful strike.


    The immortal sword slashed away, cutting Ditto Clearwater''s immortal sword into two pieces and split the man''s body into halves. The instant after, Darknorth Immortal coughed up a mouthful of blood. He had fully spent all the strength he had left, causing him to freefall downward unceasingly.


    "Savage Sword¡ªDemon Beheading!"


    Coldness light flashed in Tang Xiu''s eyes. He was wary of that Profound Immortal, Ditto Clearwater, but he was not afraid of these Celestial Immortals. His immortal sword kept moving and striking, while he also unleashed the Devour divine ability. The flow of energy in the surroundings became distorted and the seven Celestial Immortals besieging him suddenly shook slightly.


    "One more slash!"


    As his immortal sword swept towards two enemies, Tang Xiu unleashed his divine sword. In a flash, a sword beam 10 kilometers long blasted out. The two Celestial Immortals whose attention was pulled to ward off the immortal sword were caught off guard and directly slain by the divine sword.


    "Damn, I''m still too weak!"


    Tang Xiu secretly forced a wry smile inwardly. Should his cultivation level improve one level higher to the Earth Immortal Stage, he was confident he could easily kill these Celestial Immortal Stage experts.


    "WATCH OUT!"


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu''s complexion slightly changed. He suddenly noticed a sword beam aiming to cut off Darknorth Immortal''s left arm. He didn''t bother to strike the rest and flashed to Darknorth Immortal''s position, grabbing his waist and flying down to the ground like a crashing meteor.


    Of the three remaining Celestial Immortals, three of them were still ganging up on You Zhong, whereas the other six were chasing Tang Xiu and Darknorth Immortal. It was like they vowed to never rest before they killed both of them.


    At the other battle nearby, Gu Yan''er and the ancestor of Aurelian Artificer Sect were already engaged in combat with the two Clearwater Clan''s Golden Immortals. The Aurelian Artificer Sect''s ancestor was seriously injured, but he didn''t hesitate to go all out in his fight. What shocked him was that the female who helped him turn out to be very powerful. Every attack she launched alone caused his two enemies to become severely injured even though they had desperately tried to avoid getting hit at their vital points.


    "Step aside!"


    Gu Yan''er shouted in a cold voice. Her figure was as though turning to a cascade of sword images that instantly flashed to strike the Clearwater Clan''s two ancestors, one of whom had his waist directly mutilated as the scattering sword energy cut his immortal body into pieces.


    On the ground.


    The moment Tang Xiu landed, he powerfully threw Darknorth Immortal away and shouted in a deep voice, "Find a place to hide and quickly restore your strength!"


    After that, he straightly ceased his control over the Immortal Sword and only manipulated his divine sword to engage those six Celestial Immortals. Tang Xiu kept unleashing various immortal arts and divine abilities very smoothly. Coupled with the aid of the Devour supernatural power, he kept those six Celestial Immortals at bay, making them lose any chance to attack perfectly, and barring any chance to kill him for a while.


    "Star Devourer Insect!" Tang Xiu yelled all of a sudden.


    Suddenly a streak of light jetted out of the tip of his finger. In nearly an instant, the Star Devourer Insect''s body was sharply inflated hundreds of times and sent out a terrifyingly powerful aura. Sticky silk thread was shot from it and directly wrapped the six Celestial Immortals'' limbs. Two of them who were the closest to it were pulled by a devouring force from its mouth and directly devoured, whereas the other four were beheaded by Tang Xiu with his divine sword.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu didn''t cease his momentum and streaked up into the sky and went to the besieged You Zhong in a few breaths.

 1287 Plentiful Gains

    Tang Xiu manipulated the divine sword and attacked at the same time with the Star Devourer Insect. With You Zhong in tandem, it took them only 10 seconds to kill the last three Celestial Immortals.


    As the Star Devourer Insect turned into a streak of light and re-entered Tang Xiu''s body, Tang Xiu''s gaze shifted to Gu Yan''er''s fight in the distance. He was still too weak to help her, but he was relieved after seeing that she had killed one of the two Clearwater Clan''s Golden Immortals. The other Golden Immortal was struggling to fight back and could be killed by Gu Yan''er at any time.


    He didn''t notice that You Zhong, who didn''t seem to feel anything that his body was full of wounds, was staring at him with a stunned expression at this moment.


    You Zhong was flabbergasted. He had been watching the fight all the time. Aside from the last strike unleashed by Darknorth Immortal that killed a Profound Immortal and two Celestial Immortals, he saw the other eight Celestial Immortals besiege Tang Xiu, two of whom were devoured by a bizarre insect creature, and Tang Xiu killed the rest. Even counting the bizarre insect as a helper, such performance was too dazzling.


    Further, there were still those three Celestial Immortals who besieged him, two of whom died in Tang Xiu''s hand. Meaning that Tang Xiu killed 8 Celestial Immortals during the whole fight. Such combat power was simply terrifying. It must be noted that he just crossed his Immortal Tribulation and became an Immortal!


    Leaping over such cultivation levels and going for the kill. Moreover, he jumped two levels for the kill. Such a feat was something that You Zhong only heard from the legends. It was his first time encountering it in reality in thousands of years. Recalling that he harbored some contempt when this fella gave him some instructions, You Zhong couldn''t help but feel ashamed inwardly.


    If he were to break through to the Earth Immortal Stage, wouldn''t he be able to devastate those at the Celestial Immortal Stage as easily as killing a chicken? If he were to break through to the Celestial Immortal Stage, he may be able to ruthlessly slaughter those at the Profound Immortal Stage, no? Going higher, if he were to advance to the Profound Immortal Stage, that means even those at the Golden Immortal Stage¡­


    The shock made You Zhong shudder inwardly. The way he looked at Tang Xiu was now full of enthusiasm.


    Suddenly, his mind recalled something and he quickly turned to look towards the battle not far away. He saw the last Golden Immortal of Clearwater Clan being killed by Gu Yan''er, and she was now flying in this direction.


    "Are you alright, Master?" Gu Yan''er came to Tang Xiu, intimately pulled Tang Xiu''s hands and asked.


    Tang Xiu smiled slightly in response and said, "A few Celestial Immortal nobodies can''t pose too much threat to me. What about you? You actually killed them in such a short time, you should''ve restored your strength to the last-stage Golden Immortal, right?


    "I may have lost all my immortal artifacts and am unable to cast many spells and divine abilities as powerful as before, but it''s still easy to deal with some weak Golden Immortals with my current cultivation level. Even if we run into some Perfected Golden Immortals, I''m still confident that I can escape with you, Master," Gu Yan''er replied with a smile.


    Even though Tang Xiu knew that Gu Yan''er was once regarded as a fearsome female devil in the Immortal World, he rarely ran into occasions where he witnessed her taking action, to begin with. But after this fight, he must admit that he had to look at her with a new outlook. Back when he advanced to the Golden Immortal Stage, wasn''t he also capable of doing what Gu Yan''er just did?


    "Thank you for coming to our rescue, two immortal friends. This Everblithe is truly grateful. The three of you are my Aurelian Artificer Sect''s benefactors from now on." The fully scarred ancestor of the Aurelian Artificer Sect caught up. The fearsome power showcased by Gu Yan''er gave him a shock, but he felt much more grateful inwardly due to that. He was well aware that had it not been for the sudden rescue of these three people, he and Darknorth Immortal would have kicked the bucket today.


    Tang Xiu''s eyes glinted with surprise. He carefully observed the old Golden Immortal who called himself "Everblithe" and asked, "My elder had some intersections with the Aurelian Artificer Sect in the past. Are you a disciple of the same generation as Everglyph in the Aurelian Artificer Sect?"


    Darknorth Everblithe was surprised. "I''m indeed a disciple of the same generation as Everglyph in the sect. May I know who the elder of Fellow Immortal is?"


    "You should know about the ''Golden Forge Heavenly Scripture'', right? My elder once mentioned it to me that he came to this Immortal Domain several thousands of years ago by chance and also left some immortal karma here."


    The Golden Forge Heavenly Scripture?


    Darknorth Everblithe''s eyes instantly turned saucer as disbelief overflowed in his eyes. He was still wary and guarding against Tang Xiu''s group of three a moment ago. But after the name was mentioned, his wariness vanished without a trace, replaced by deep elation and gratitude.


    The main reason why his Aurelian Artificer Sect was able to become a renowned powerful faction in this Immortal Domain was exactly due to their monumental work of art¡ªthe Golden Forge Heavenly Scripture for immortal artifact refining¡ªa masterpiece regarded as a treasure by his sect. This masterpiece came from a mysterious powerhouse several thousands of years ago, who exchanged it with some refining materials obtained by his sect.


    "Immortal friend, are you¡­ a junior of that Senior?" Darknorth Everblithe was so excited that his breathing turned slightly faster and he asked expectantly.


    "Only a few people in the Immortal World know about this ''Golden Forge Heavenly Scripture''. Nobody else knows ever since my elder told me about it several millennia ago. Do you think I''m lying to you?"


    "No, no. I don''t dare." Darknorth Everblithe excitedly said, "I was just an Earth Immortal several thousands of years ago. My status was too low to even be able to meet such a noble Senior at that time. But it''s been my regret for millennia, regardless. I really never thought that I''d be so lucky to run into a descendant of that Senior today! May I know your honorable name, Immortal friend?"


    "I''m the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor," Tang Xiu replied with a smile.


    Darknorth Everblithe was slightly stunned and a slightly strange feeling appeared in his heart. It must be noted that those who dared to use the "Heavenly Emperor" or "Great Emperor" titles in the entire Immortal World were those super-powerful powerhouses who had reached the Supremacy Stage. A few Perfected Golden Immortals also used such titles, but they were all fearsome and terrifying figures that were nearly comparable to those Supremes.


    But this brat in front him who seemed to not have reached the Earth Immortal Stage really had the guts to call himself the "Great Tang Heavenly Emperor"? Was he not afraid of being laughed at?


    Darknorth Everblithe could only laugh inwardly and then said, "Well, Great Tang¡­ Heavenly Emperor¡­ that''s quite a wonderfully prestigious name. Anyway, Sect Master and I went out this time to catch some Firecloud Cicada. We never expected to run into these Clearwater Clan''s people. They concealed their evil intention with their amiable look and offered to join us. But then they attacked us when we were unprepared. But the three fellows, fortunately, came to our rescue in the nick of time. This grace will always be remembered in our hearts. By the way, may I ask where are three fellows heading to?"


    Tang Xiu turned around and made a gesture to Gu Yan''er. After watching her quickly search for the interspatial ring carried by the Clearwater Clan''s people, he then turned around and said, "Those Firecloud Cicadas are also our goal, to be honest. We''d like to catch some of them to refine some Versicolor Coral Garbs when we get back."


    Darknorth Everblithe stared blankly for a moment. Then, he immediately let out a forced smile and said, "If it weren''t for me and Sect Master being injured, we could''ve offered our help to you. But we¡­"


    "What about the healing elixirs you carry?" Tang Xiu interrupted him and asked.


    "We''ve already taken all of them," Darknorth Everblithe said.


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and then asked again, "By the way, do you have some Chiba Grass, Evermore Toadstools, Blood Hazelnuts, and Snow Phoenix Dews?"


    Darknorth Everblithe immediately nodded. "Except for the Snow Phoenix Dew, which is a precious Spirit Liquid, the other three are just common medicinal herbs. I happen to have them here."


    After asking Darknorth Everblithe for four kinds of pill concocting materials, Tang Xiu hinted at the old man to check Darknorth Immortal''s injuries. While under the protection of Gu Yan''er who just returned, he then took out the Demon God Soul Devourer Cauldron and began to concoct Springtime Elixir. This elixir was easy to concoct with average efficacy, though it still had a very good healing efficacy for Immortals under the Golden Immortal Stage. Certainly, the elixir was several times more potent than the Holy Healing pills Tang Xiu had refined before.


    Upon seeing that Tang Xiu was about to concoct some pills, Darknorth Everblithe was slightly surprised inward, but he still moved fast to the spot where Darknorth Immortal was recuperating. After doing a diagnosis, he was relieved to see that Darknorth Immortal''s life was not in danger though his injuries were too severe. He just suffered from over-drafting his Immortal Force.


    In a flash, three days passed. As Tang Xiu cast the Pill Assimilation incantation, the lid of the Demon God Soul Devourer Cauldron suddenly floated up and tens of crystal-clear Springtime Elixirs floated out of the tripod. Tang Xiu quickly took out a jade bottle and stuffed them inside.


    During these three days, You Zhong had been waiting nearby. He thought that Tang Xiu only had a scant knowledge in alchemy and just wanted to concoct some healing elixirs to spend some time. However, the moment the cauldron lid was opened and he saw those tens of crystal-clear elixirs and smelled their rich medicine scent when they floated out from the cauldron, his eyeballs bulged out and nearly popped out from their sockets.


    Those were Springtime Elixirs¡ªa very previous healing elixir! Who could afford such a healing elixir except those from super forces?


    Further, something thing that made You Zhong fall apart was the scene of the Springtime Elixir concoction process itself. How could it be possible to successfully refine dozens of elixirs at a time? For information, this guy had just advanced to the Immortal Stage. He was not even an Earth Immortal yet, for God''s sake!


    Looking similarly as shocked as You Zhong was the ancestor of the Aurelian Artificer Sect, Darknorth Everblithe. He had seen many Pill Masters concoct pills and elixirs, but he had never seen such a freak who only needed a small number of medicinal materials, yet was able to refine tens of Springtime Elixirs.


    Darknorth Everblithe watched Tang Xiu put away the furnace before he came floating in front of him and hesitantly said, "Great Tang Fellow Immortal, what you just concocted was the Springtime Elixir, right? But as far as this elixir is concerned, I''ve never seen anyone use so few medicinal materials yet was able to concoct so many of them¡­"


    Tang Xiu lifted his hand to interrupt him and threw 10 Springtime Elixir to him. Afterward, he slightly smiled and said, "Take these elixirs. You''ll know whether they''re Springtime Elixirs or not after taking it."


    Darknorth Evertblithe hesitated, then took one. As he felt a potent efficacy from the medicine, not only did his expression slightly shifted, but he also nodded and said, "This is indeed the Springtime Elixir. Further, it''s a mid-grade one. The attainments of Fellow Immortal Great Tang in alchemy have exceeded my knowledge. Truly admirable!"

 1288 Huge Transaction

    The number of Springtime Elixirs Tang Xiu just concocted was 32 in total. He gave 10 to Darknorth Everblithe, leaving 22 for himself. Seeing, You Zhoung''s eager and thirsty eyes, he threw 2 to him as if it was nothing but trash. Afterward, he stuffed the remaining 20 elixirs.


    Every Springtime Elixir was equal to having half a life more in the Immortal World as it could quickly recover one''s any injuries no matter how severe they were.


    Both Darknorth Everblithe and Darknorth Immortal had taken a Springtime Elixir less than 2 days ago and now had recovered. Both parties had the same purpose, which was to catch the Firecloud Cicadas, so they formed a team and quickly rushed towards the star region infested by these creatures.


    Blazing Flame Starfield.


    The area of this region was not vast, but it was inundated by high temperature at all times. Tang Xiu''s group of five had to go through several battles before they arrived here. Each time, the five of them were able to decimate the enemies and snatch any cultivation resources carried by them. However, such robbing-purpose battles made Darknorth Everblithe and Darknorth Immortal bitterly smile again and again with a helpless look.


    If¡­ it wasn''t for the fact that Tang Xiu''s group of three were the ones who rescued them, they would have thrown their faces and left them long ago. After all, robbing was akin to a despicable action that would stain their faces with shame given their identity.


    However, Tang Xiu himself was unconcerned. At first, robbing was just his idea at first while he didn''t intend to kill their targets, to begin with. Still, of the more than 10 groups of people they ran into, 5 ambushed them first, whereas the other 6 were also very fierce and ruthless in battle.


    He was well aware that some of the Immortals who came to the Polychromatic Lucent Starfield were ruthless and cruel people. After all, their purpose of coming here was for resources, and they must be ready to fight and go all out for it.


    "This should be enough, Master." Gu Yan''er sorted out all the resources they had robbed while holding Tang Xiu''s hand, chuckling.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "It''s not enough. How can we miss this chance now that we run into the Aurelian Artificer Sect''s Master? Yan''er, let''s hunt the Firecloud Cicada first. We shall try to catch many of them and then sell it later."


    Gu Yan''er instantly understood Tang Xiu''s intentions and nodded. "I''m fine with whatever. Besides, the more dangers we must face on the road, the more cultivation resources we can get as well. That''s a good point. Anyway, we''ve been outside for some time, Master. The earlier we can get this done, the earlier we can go back too. After all, we have no powerhouse presiding over the situation over there, and I''m afraid that some accidents are bound to happen."


    "I know that. I''ve been worrying about it too," Tang Xiu said.


    They were conversing by transmitting their voices straight to their ears, so the other three other people were unable to hear it. Suddenly, Darknorth Immortal spoke, "Great Tang Immortal friend, I think we don''t need to hold back anymore since we have been robbing resources of many people on the way here. Let''s just get rid of anyone who comes here to hunt for Firecloud Cicada. Such spirit objects belong to anyone who has the ability to snatch them, to begin with."


    Tang Xiu, however, shook his head and replied out of his normal response, "Nah, we can''t snatch them."


    Darknorth Immortal was stunned and asked with a confused face, "Why? Didn''t we¡­"


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and solemnly said, "The Immortals who can catch these Firecloud Cicadas are usually very powerful. The weakest among them are at least Golden Immortals. As far as I know, even some Perfected Golden Immortals would occasionally come here to hunt these creatures. That''s why we need to avoid such means temporarily so as to prevent bumping into some enemies we can''t chew on."


    Darknorth Immortal immediately understood and pondered for a moment, before he curiously asked, "Anyhow, I''ve been meaning to ask you something, Great Tang Immortal friend. Do you mind if I ask you something?"


    "Okay, please do ask," Tang Xiu replied.


    "You''ve gotten enormous cultivation resources after the Clearwater Clan has been dealt with. Isn''t it already enough? Are you in any trouble or something? Given how urgent and eager you are in getting cultivation resources."


    Tang Xiu forced a wry smile and said, "Ah, you''ve seen through me. That''s right, we do have some problems regarding resources. Further, I''ve been thinking about another idea which I''d like to talk to you about after we''ve hunted the Firecloud Cicada. But now that you''ve mentioned it, then I will speak about it now."


    "I''m all ears." Darknorth Immortal''s expression shifted and he immediately nodded.


    "My clan can be said as one of those superpowers in the entire Immortal World. However, the clan is too big and we have too many outstanding juniors; I''m one of them," Tang Xiu began narrating. "I was sent to some remote places to gain experience and broaden my knowledge. I brought a lot of subordinates with me and they''re now kind of very impoverished and need a massive number of cultivation resources. That''s why I''d like to order a number of artifacts and immortal weapons from your Aurelian Artificer Sect."


    Darknorth''s doubts were finally assuaged. He now fully understood why such an expert like Gu Yan''er, who was just a hair away from breaking through to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage, didn''t even bother to think about her status and resorted to robbery.


    "What kind of artifacts and how many of them do you need?"


    Having learned some facts of Tang Xiu''s identity, Darknorth Immortal had the intention to stay on good terms with him. After all, being able to make friends with juniors of super-large clans in the Immortal World would be greatly beneficial for his marginal Aurelian Artificer Sect.


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and then said, "At least 240,000 immortal swords. The quality doesn''t need to be too high, so low-grade immortal swords should suffice. I also need 240,000 sets of battle armors, the stronger its defensive features, the better, and I''ll provide the blueprints for you. Additionally, if your sect has any outstanding divine weapons or artifacts, such as concealed weapons and the likes, I also want a batch of them. The more the better."


    240,000 sets of these items?!


    Darknorth Immortal''s mouth twitched and he could only force a smile inwardly. He felt a deep sense of helplessness after hearing such a huge number.


    His Aurelian Artificer Sect was indeed a fairly large faction in this Immortal Domain, but refining so many immortal swords and battle armors in a short time would prove to be very strenuous and difficult even for them.


    "10 years. I''ll need at least 10 years to achieve it." Darknorth Immortal hesitated for a long while before he gritted his teeth and gave his reply.


    "No. A year." Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "I can only give you one year at most. But you can rest assured that I''ll pay you with Immortal Stones and Crystals for these weapons. However, I can only stay in your Immortal Domain for a year more as I''m going to take them away to some other domains."


    Darknorth Immortal shook his head. "That''s impossible. My sect may have tens of thousands of disciples, but even if we are to mobilize them, I don''t think it''s possible to refine so many immortal swords and battle armors within a year."


    "Well, I can give you the Immortal Stones and Crystals as advance payment," Tang Xiu said. "You can use them to attract refiner experts and grandmasters with such wealth, no? Besides, I''m sure you should have a deep relationship with other Artificers and refining experts. Further, I''ll pay you twice the market price. How about it?"


    Darknorth Immortal shifted to Darknorth Everblithe and both men communicated through voice transmission for more than 10 minutes. Finally, the former replied, "The delivery is guaranteed to be within a year at the normal price. You''ve saved my ancestor''s life and mine, so you''re the benefactor of my sect. We''ll make sure to complete the job as promised even if we must incur a loss."


    After saying that, he cast a technique to pass the news back to the Aurelian Artificer Sect so the people there were prepared in advance.


    A few days later, the group of five finally found the traces of Firecloud Cicadas near a gushing crater.


    Darknorth Everblithe observed it for a while and then said with a wry smile, "You know, I''ve been here several times already and I know some of the habits of Firecloud Cicadas. These creatures will flock to this place, attracted by this volcanic eruption. However, the first thing they will do is definitely enter the magma in the volcano the moment they arrive here. So, if we still want to hunt them, we must wait until this volcano finishes erupting since those Firecloud Cicadas will automatically come out from the inside."


    Tang Xiu looked at the gushing volcano and shook his head with a smile. "Why should we resort to such troublesome procedures? Just look at me."


    Having said that, he stopped Gu Yan''er from following him and flew alone over the gushing lava. Taking out a black jade bottle from the interspatial ring, he unplugged the cork and poured it down to the magma below.


    "Aphid Liquid¡­"


    Tang Xiu found it in the interspatial ring of someone in a group of Immortals he robbed. This Aphid Liquid had a huge attraction to Firecloud Cicadas and naturally greatly benefited it. Once those Firecloud Cicadas smelled this Aphid Liquid, they would definitely come out of the magma.


    Thousands of years ago, Tang Xiu easily hunted these creatures thanks to his formidable strength. But later on, he obtained this Aphid Fluid after slaughtering several Demons. Unfortunately, he hadn''t had the chance to put it to use and just put it away.


    As expected, a few minutes later, he clearly saw the figure of a Firecloud Cicada. The fist-sized insect had a full scarlet body and its eyes glowed with colorfully. Two minutes after the first Firecloud Cicada appeared, Tang Xu saw over 30 of them coming out.


    "Help me capture all these Firecloud Cicadas, Star Devourer Insect. I''ll give you some elixirs that will increase your power if you can catch all of them." Tang Xiu sent a voice transmission to Star Devourer Insect.


    "It''s a deal!"


    As Star Devourer Insect sent a telepathic reply, Tang Xiu immediately released it and watched its body suddenly begin to enlarge dramatically into a kilometer in size.


    Buzz¡­


    A terrifying devouring force firmly locked more than 30 Firecloud Cicadas. 10 seconds after, all of them shrieked before they were sucked into Star Devourer Insect''s mouth. Tang Xiu quickly threw 36 jade bottles which were directly swallowed into Star Devourer Insect''s mouth and stuffed each of the 36 cicadas into each jade bottle.


    Star Devourer Insect vomited all the jade bottles, turned into a streak of light, and then disappeared after entering Tang Xiu''s body.


    Tang Xiu happily put the 36 jade bottles into his interspatial ring and flew back to the group. But the three fellas, Darknorth Everblithe, Darknorth Immortal, and You Zhong were all dumbfounded and tongue-tied as though they were petrified. Then, he chuckled and spoke, "Hey, why are you guys looking at me like that? Hunting and catching Firecloud Cicadas are really this simple, you know!"


    Simple?!


    The three guys'' mouths twitched and threw their faces to the side at the same time.


    They really wished to smack Tang Xiu. "So easy and this simple". It was something extremely difficult for them.


    "Well, how many Firecloud Cicadas for all those weapons I''ve ordered from you, Darknorth Immortal?" Tang Xiu chuckled and said, "You also know that this thing fetches quite the fortune, right?"

 1289 Being Thorough

    Seeing how smooth and easy Tang Xiu hunted the Firecloud Cicada shocked Darknorth Immortal, but he couldn''t help but pout inwardly after hearing it. Firecloud Cicada may be very expensive, but in no way is the total value of that huge order compared to the value of these tens of insects!


    Tang Xiu took out 10 jade bottles, handed them to Darknorth Immortal and chuckled. "Well, I still have other uses for the rest of the Firecloud Cicadas, but these 10 should be part of the Immortal Crystals I''ll pay you! Estimate the price of these ten Firecloud Cicadas and reduce it from the total I have to pay. How many Immortal Crystals must I pay you, exactly?"


    Darknorth Immortal carefully calculated it and thought for a long while. Then, he slowly said, "400,000 Immortal Crystals. Even if we don''t take a penny more, we''re likely going to need 400,000. Besides, aside from those immortal swords and battle armors, you also want other weapons, so in terms of price¡­"


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and said, "I can''t take out 400,000 Immortal Crystals right now, but I can give you 100,000. Added to these 10 Firecloud Cicadas, consider it as an advance payment from me. I''ll pay the rest of the money when I come to pick up the immortal swords and battle armors a year later. How about it?"


    Darknorth Immortal wiped the cold sweat on his face and forced a wry smile. "Great Tang Immortal friend, it''s not like I''m pretending to be poor here. My Aurelian Artificer Sect may have a lot of assets, but we''re not particularly rich. 400,000 Immortal Crystals can be said to be all the wealth of a large sect. My sect¡­ Ugh¡­ we just can''t afford to take out so many Immortal Crystal, either!"


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes secretly. He didn''t expect that the sects and clans in this region were so poor. He robbed those 3 big clans, yet the total number of Immortal Crystals he got was less than 100,000. Added with the gains he obtained in the last few days, the number was just barely over 100,000.


    After thinking for a while, Tang Xiu decided to take all the resources Gu Yan''er had hoarded and then added them with his own. He then gave all of them to Darknorth Immortal and said, "The total value of all these things should be around 300,000 Immortal Crystals along with those 10 Firecloud Cicadas, so I still owe you 100,000 Immortal Crystals, right?"


    Darknorth Immortal took the interspatial ring and calculated the price of all the resources and wealth in it. He then nodded and said, "All these things should be worth 310,000 Immortal Crystals."


    "Let''s do it like this, then. I owe you 200,000 Immortal Crystals. But you gotta hurry to help me refine those immortal weapons and battle armors first. The other 100,000 is payment for a batch of weapons you''re good at manufacturing. I''ll bring the 200,000 Immortal Crystals to your sect 6 months later and send you the supplies you need at that time."


    Darknorth Immortal finally felt relieved and smilingly nodded. "I believe you, Great Tang Fellow Immortal. It''s a deal, then."


    Tang Xiu shook his head and forced a smile. "I''ve been breaking my back for a long while, yet it only took a flash to make me into a poor bloke again. Well, I''m taking my leave now. I shall visit you in person within 2 years."


    "Alright!"


    Darknorth Immortal cupped his fists. But as he and Darknorth Everblithe were about to leave, he suddenly turned to Tang Xiu and smilingly said, "Great Tang Fellow Immortal, I suggest to visit the Clearwater Clan if you have time. The Clearwater Clan''s two ancestors have been killed and they only have one Golden Immortal ancestor left. As far as wealth is concerned, the Clearwater Clan is much richer than my sect."


    Tang Xiu''s eyes lit up and he asked with a smile, "Be that as it may, don''t you want to get revenge yourself?"


    "My sect definitely won''t let the Clearwater Clan off scot-free if we haven''t received your order," Darknorth Immortal replied. "But you''re short of money now, so I''m willing to hand over this benefit to you. The Clearwater Clan should have enough wealth to pay the remaining 200,000 Immortal Crystals."


    "I see." Tang Xiu slightly smiled in response.


    After Darknorth Immortal and Darknorth Everblithe left, Tang Xiu took out another ring from his interspatial ring. He then fiddled with it and bitterly smiled. "We''ve been breaking our backs for a long time, yet the only things remaining are just this million Immortal Stones and 5,000 Immortal Crystals. We''re really dirt poor!"


    Gu Yan''er held back her laughter and said, "Uh-huh¡­ Master, where shall we head next now that we have the Firecloud Cicadas?"


    Tang Xiu glanced at You Zhong, threw him a jade bottle containing a Firecloud Cicada and lightly smiled. "Well, let''s head directly to that Immortal Domain that has the Auric Profusion Source then. If I can get that Auric Profusion Source, I should be able to contend with a Profound Immortal expert within several years."


    Gu Yan''er nodded with a smile and said, "Then we must get this Auric Profusion Source even if we have to go all out. If we can obtain it, even my power will improve sharply, and I can restore my peak power without any issues."


    You Zhong, who followed them from the side, had a strange expression. Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er conversed without concealing anything from him, so he immediately heard some sensitive issues such as recovering their power.


    As of right now, this female had a late-stage Golden Immortal cultivation level. Yet it was actually not her peak state at all. What exactly was her peak cultivation level? Was it the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage?


    Further, this fella, who just advanced to the Immortal Stage, actually said that it would only take him several years and he would be able to fight against Profound Immortal Stage experts. Was he joking?


    You Zhong touched his nose. But then, he suddenly recalled the scene where Tang Xiu slaughtered those Celestial Immortals previously. He suddenly realized that this fella was likely not boasting. Perhaps he really had what it took to take on a Profound Immortal.


    They are freakish monsters¡ªvery terrifying ones¡­


    After defining Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er and giving them the new label inwardly, an impulse birthed in his heart to always follow Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er everywhere. After all, he could also get some chances to become stronger and go further by following such powerhouses.


    ****


    Chaotic Asteroid Sea.


    Under You Zhong''s lead, Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er spent more than 2 months to reach the Chaotic Asteroid Sea where the said Auric Profusion Source existed. The place itself was very desolate. The trio still ran into some Immortals on the way at first, but after the fourth day, they no longer bumped into any Immortals anymore.


    Meteorites and asteroids were hovering in the boundless void. The number was in the hundreds of millions, and they had formed an asteroid belt here. Those with weak strength could only succumb to their deaths getting hit by the moving meteorites. Nearly all the immortals regarded this region as a garbage dump. Some celestial bodies or asteroids here may occasionally contain some treasures, but the quantity was few and far between.


    Therefore, no Immortals would try their luck for treasure hunting in the region as it would undoubtedly become a chore of rummaging this garbage dump.


    As they advanced, You Zhong stared into the distance and pointed to a dark planet in front. "The Cyclone Belt is ahead of us, we need to cross it to get on that dark planet. There''s an ancient teleportation array on that planet, but I have no idea where it can teleport us. I can only confirm that the Heavenly Abode is at the other end of another teleportation array."


    "What about our way back? And how to return?" Tang Xiu frowned.


    "We just need to step on the teleportation array at the other end and we''ll be sent back automatically," You Zhong said. "That''s what I did last time."


    "Alright, let''s go then!" Tang Xiu made a decision inwardly after giving it a thought. No way can one catch a tiger cub without entering its den first, no?


    Taking a risk was inevitable to get such a heaven-defying treasure such as the Auric Profusion Source. Even You Zhong was able to escape that place alive and obtained this treasure, so he was confident that he and Gu Yan''er could also obtain it smoothly.


    The Cyclone Belt itself posed no big danger to Celestial Immortals, so they were able to pass through smoothly with Gu Yan''er and finally landed on the dark planet. To Tang Xiu''s surprise, the soil of this planet was black, yet it was very fertile. But the anomaly here was that there was no life on this planet.


    "It''s over there!"


    You Zhong thought for a while and then led the other two to fly there quickly. After two hours, they came to the said teleportation array. The array looked dilapidated. Some traces in one corner seemed like someone once tried to destroy it. From Tang Xiu''s perspective, however, all those didn''t affect this teleportation array whatsoever. This array could still operate normally, though one would need to put some Immortal Stones in the concave spots.


    "Let''s place some Immortal Crystals."


    To prevent accidents, Tang Xiu immediately took out 8 Immortal Crystals and set them in the concave spots. Afterward, he exchanged glances with Gu Yan''er before the three of them immediately stepped into the teleportation array.


    Buzz¡­


    A mysterious aura suddenly enveloped the three of them. Along with a dizzy feeling as though the world was revolving, the three of them felt like a moment of time felt like a century. As their sight returned and they sobered up, they suddenly found themselves in a spacious space.


    There was no white cloud in the blue sky, nor was there any soil-like land here.


    What their feet stepped on was a kind of material resembling gold and appeared like jadeites but was unlike one. Luminescent insects that looked like fireflies if magnified by 100 times radiated lights in the surroundings and slightly illuminated this space.


    Clack, clack¡­


    Mechanical sounds came from all directions.


    You Zhong looked around with a dumbstruck expression, looking bewildered, and his lips wriggled for a while before he dryly spoke, "I swear that I definitely did not end up in this space the last time I used the teleportation array. But it''s strange, though. What the hell is this place, exactly?"


    Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er looked at each other and both frowned. Then, Tang Xiu said, "You mean, of those seven floors you mentioned, none of them were like this environment?"


    "Yeah, none of them were like this one," You Zhong replied with all seriousness.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "No matter what, we are already here. We''ll take it easy. Besides, this place has the Auric Profusion Source, so we gotta explore it. Let''s take a look around, we''ll go back if we find nothing."


    Half a day later, the trio stopped in front of a vortex portal.


    You Zhong stared at the vortex portal in front and finally looked happy. "The space I went into before had this same type of portal. We can reach the next space after entering it."


    Tang Xiu released his spiritual sense to check the portal. But he felt like he was sinking, like a stone thrown into the sea, and was unable to see the situation inside. After a moment of hesitation, he exchanged glances with Gu Yan''er, nodded at each other and then flew towards the portal.


    "Hey, you guys¡­" You Zhong knew the dangers stored in this kind of space. But when he saw Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er entering the vortex portal, he hesitated a bit before gritting his teeth and going inside.

 1290 Benefitting from an Unexpected Turn of Events

    Suddenly, the scenery in front of the trio changed. What appeared before their eyes was a landscape full of flowers and grass literally everywhere. Many critters were seen moving about in this endless prairie. But after releasing their spiritual senses to observe them, they found that these critters were not real creatures but some kind of mechanical puppets that took after various animal species.


    Whoosh¡­


    A figure flickered and appeared in front of the trio in a flash. Even if Gu Yan''er was a Golden Immortal, she was still taken aback by the speed of this person. However, when the figure stopped a hundred meters away from them, they realized that it was also a mechanical puppet, a humanoid type.


    "Welcome to the Perpetual Interlocked Dimension, everyone."


    A mechanical voice came out, and the mechanical puppet''s eyes glowed with a green light.


    Tang Xiu creased his brows and asked, "You said this place is the Perpetual Interlocked Dimension? What thing are you, exactly?"


    "I''m not a thing, I''m a metal-cast puppet," said the mechanical puppet. "This is indeed the Perpetual Interlocked Dimension, the 11th floor Celestial Pole Realm. You don''t have the smell of alumina, and I''m sure you were directly transported to the 10th floor and then entered this 11th floor through the vortex portal."


    Tang Xiu''s expression changed instantly and he hurriedly asked, "What did you say? This is the Celestial Pole Realm?"


    "Positive," the mechanical puppet replied. "This is the Celestial Pole Realm. The 11th floor."


    Tang Xiu heaved a deep breath and said in a heavy voice, "That Celestial Pole old man has been missing for¡­ 8,000 years¡­ roughly 8,000 or so. You said this place is the realm of that Celestial Pole old man. Is he already dead?"


    The humanoid puppet was silent for a while before two translucent Immortal Crystals'' essence fell from its eye socket. Its manner of speaking carried a human feel as it replied, "Do you know my Master? Master is dead. He died due to a mental demon. Strangely, my circuit board doesn''t contain any information about what a mental demon is. In short, my Master is dead and has left his realm behind. Also, my Master said to wait for a fated person here."


    Tang Xiu clenched his fists and a reminiscence look flashed in his eyes. He reminisced the first time he just broke away from his silk pant identity and smoothly became a Profound Immortal. He encountered that Celestial Pole old man in a dangerous situation. The Celestial Pole old man was only at the Golden Immortal Stage at that time. To escape that extremely dangerous crisis, the two of them joined hands and were finally able to escape death. Both of them became bosom buddies and Tang Xiu also received a lot of guidance in his cultivation from him.


    "I really had no idea that you''ve fallen here¡­"


    With a heart full of sourness, Tang Xiu looked at the humanoid puppet in front and nodded. "There should be a trial here since that Celestial Pole oldster left such an immortal karmic here, yes? Tell me what the trial is. I wanna have a try."


    "You haven''t answered my question yet. Do you know my Master?" asked the humanoid puppet.


    "I know him. We were buddies who fought side by side," Tang Xiu answered. "It''s just that I didn''t expect that he would have fallen here 8,000 years ago."


    "You''re mistaken. Master fell 8,829 years ago," corrected the mechanical puppet.


    Tang Xiu didn''t want to bicker over such a trivial matter with this mechanical puppet. "It''s been too long, I didn''t keep a note of the exact time of his fall."


    "You want to take part in the trial. But it''s a bit troublesome. Allow me to analyze a bit. The rules set by my Master previously aimed at Celestial Immortals as the weakest entity that can take the lowest level of the trial. You are just an ordinary Immortal. You have not yet passed your Immortal Tribulation to the Earth Immortal, Celestial Immortal, or Golden Immortal stages. I don''t know how to arrange a trial for you."


    "Well, the main purpose of my coming here is the Auric Profusion Source. You just need to tell me what kind of trial I need to pass before I can get it," said Tang Xiu.


    "The Auric Profusion Source is on the 7th floor, but it''s just a very poor cultivation resource. You took out some Immortal Crystals to activate that spatial teleportation array outside, meaning you have a lot of wealth. Do you really need that poor cultivation resource?" asked the humanoid puppet.


    Tang Xiu understood the mechanical puppet''s meaning. If he was still a Supreme, this Auric Profusion Source was indeed a very low-grade resource for him. But the problem was that the current him was only comparable to a Celestial Immortal at best and a lot poorer. He still also had over 200,000 cultivators of his empire who needed to be groomed. All in all, the Auric Profusion Source was already a great treasure for him.


    "I''m in urgent need of it, indeed." Tang Xiu nodded.


    "Then you can take everything you want from the 1st to the 9th floor without taking any trial," said the mechanical puppet.


    After hearing it, Tang Xiu immediately inquired again. "How can I pass the final trial? This is a pocket world of my old friend and I want to take it with me."


    "You''re not yet qualified to take the trail. Those two with you can participate in the trial, but be warned that this trial is very dangerous. 49,872 Immortals came here before and took the trial, and 37,216 people died in the trial, whereas all the trial takers at the Golden Immortal Stage have fallen completely," said the puppet.


    Tang Xiu tensed up inwardly. He was well aware of the abilities possessed by Celestial Pole. That old guy had a great chance to advance to the Supremacy Stage had he not died prematurely.


    "I''d like to try it, Master," Gu Yan''er interjected with a calm expression.


    Tang Xiu slightly frowned and gave it a thought for some time. Then, he replied, "I understand you want to take this trial, Yan''er. But this trial is not one you can complete within a short time. Not to mention that we still have important things to do, so we have no time to waste here. If you really want to take this trial, wait until our situation has been stabilized. I''ll accompany you to come here again at that time."


    Gu Yan''er thought about it and then nodded. "I''ll listen to your instruction, Master."


    Tang Xiu shifted to the mechanoid again and smilingly asked, "Anyway, why did we directly appear on the 10th floor after using that teleportation array, though? This friend beside me has been here before, but his team was teleported to the first floor directly."


    "That was because they used Immortal Stones instead of Immortal Crystals to activate the teleportation array," replied the mechanoid. "It''s actually a ''give and take'' test. You give up any objects up to the 9th floor, or you can take up the trial on each floor if you want to get them."


    Tang Xiu''s expression turned weird. He used Immortal Crystals as contingency insurance, for fear that the teleportation array couldn''t make them go back. But never did he expect that such an unexpected turn of events made him pass the outermost trials. He turned to look at You Zhong, seeing the guy''s dumbstruck face, and suddenly had the impulse to weep.


    Right now, this guy is definitely feeling very regretful, right?


    Back when his team got here and were willing to part with some of their stuff, it was likely that none of them would have died. Not only they wouldn''t have died, but they could also get a lot of treasures and then leave alive.


    Shifting back to the mechanoid, Tang Xiu spoke again, "Send us to the 9th floor then! We''re going to gather some things and then directly leave."


    Scarlet light emitted from the mechanoid''s eyes and a vortex portal suddenly appeared in front of the three of them. Then, it said, "The objects on the first nine floors have been roughly collected by those Immortals, but there are still some Auric Profusion Sources left. Hopefully, they can meet your satisfaction."


    "Thanks!" Tang Xiu slightly smiled and immediately walked into the vortex portal.


    The 9th floor¡­


    The 8th floor¡­


    ¡­


    The 1st floor¡­


    Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er were like scavengers. In just 2 days, they had swept away everything there was on the first nine floors and then stuffed them into their interspatial rings. If anyone were to come to these first nine floors, they''d see that there was nothing left behind.


    ...


    Immediately after, the trio stepped on the returning teleportation array and reappeared on the ground. Tang Xiu then spoke with a happy face, "Well, I thought we had to go through some crises, but I didn''t expect that a whimsical plan in the spur of the moment would save so much effort. Although the first nine floors have been visited by many previously, we still got tons of treasures, a lot more than the wealth we got from robberies previously. But damn, we got too little time, else I''d have asked the Aurelian Artificer Sect to make more weapons for us."


    "Let''s stop talking about anything else. Just the Auric Profusion Source alone, we got more than 100 portions. Just taking out one for sale will likely fetch us 100,000 Immortal Crystals." Gu Yan''er chuckled.


    Tang Xiu nodded and sighed. "Robbery may be the fastest way to get money, but the wealth one can get is still limited! After all, the number of those worth robbing in the Immortal World is too few, but poor people are literally everywhere. Though we may still be able to obtain a huge fortune if we take risks."


    You Zhong also received a portion of Auric Profusion Source and several other treasures that were beneficial to him. But when he recalled using Immortal Stones on those concave slots on the teleportation array in his previous attempt, he couldn''t help but feel depressed.


    In case¡­ if he could get a lot of treasures back then, maybe he would have a chance to advance to the Profound Immortal Stage, or even already became a Profound Immortal.


    As for Tang Xiu, how could he not tell the cause of You Zhong''s depression? He patted the guy''s shoulder and smilingly said, "Hey, don''t look so depressed, will you? Maybe you wouldn''t have been able to come back alive if you were to use Immortal Crystals last time."


    You Zhong was stunned and asked with a confused face, "What do you mean?"


    "Just think about it. Even if you used Immortal Crystals previously and was able to directly seek the treasures in the first nine floors without taking any trials, do you think your companions wouldn''t have greedy hearts with so much wealth before their eyes? Once the selfishness of some of them came out and they wanted to take the treasures for themselves, how much chance do you think you would have to escape alive?"


    You Zhong''s eyes flashed and most of his depressed mood vanished. He understood that Tang Xiu was right. Those companions didn''t trust each other. Should any of them think of snatching on seeing others'' wealth, it was likely that he would really fall to the machinations of those with evil designs for him.


    "Thanks for the reminder," You Zhong cupped his fists and said.


    "There''s no need to thank me, just remember my advice in the future: Never regret anything you''ve ever chosen. Harboring such regrets is not only useless but also affects your mood instead. What''s right is right, and what''s wrong is wrong. Leave complaints and regrets behind and let your heart be broad and bright. Only then can you usher yourself to a better future."


    You Zhong smiled, nodded and suddenly spoke, "Great Tang Fellow Immortal, why didn''t you become an Immortal Sect''s Master and guide everyone to the proper path? You haven''t yet set up your own sect, it''s really a waste of talent, you know."


    "Pfft¡­ Hahaha." Gu Yan''er couldn''t help but burst into loud laughter.

 1291 Selling Goods

    Wolfish Immortal Domain.


    As Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er arrived, they directly appeared on the outskirts of a large city. Sword lights were seen flashing all over the sky while countless immortals and cultivators came in and out of the city gate. The pair looked at each other and quickly landed on the ground outside the city gate. On the way here, however, he asked You Zhong to leave since Tang Xiu wasn''t yet able to trust him. After all, he was someone from the Immortal World.


    The pair slowly strolled along the wide street full of pedestrians. A reminiscing look filled their eyes as they looked around at the scene of the classical city before their eyes. Compared to Earth, however, they felt more at home here. After all, it was a place they had lived for a very long time.


    "It''s the Celestial Vine Pavilion." Tang Xiu pointed to a 100-meter-tall tower-like building and said with a smile, "Of all the merchant companies in the entire Immortal World, this Celestial Vine Pavilion surely can be counted in the rank of the biggest few. We can lower the price of the Auric Profusion Source to them, but I''m sure that we can still fetch 200,000 Immortal Crystal for each."


    "We''re indeed in urgent need of a lot of Immortal Stones and Crystals now." Gu Yan''er nodded. "Anyhow, how many do you plan to sell, Master?"


    Tang Xiu ruminated for a moment and then answered, "We''ll sell 4 and then bring the rest for our own people! After all, it''s a treasure most needed by the people of our Empire."


    Gu Yan''er thought for a while and said, "How many Immortal Stores or Immortal Crystals do you need for using the spatial teleportation array, exactly?"


    "To be honest, I don''t really know the specific fare since no one dared to charge me given my identity in the past." Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "But still, we got too many people, so we''ll need quite a lot of Immortal Stones or Crystals."


    "Then selling four makes sense!" Gu Yan''er said, "I hope this Celestial Vine Pavilion is as credible as it used to be, else we''ll tear this branch."


    "Well, I''m looking forward to what they''re gonna do, regardless." Tang Xiu chuckled. "After all, the one who''s holding the fort in such a remote place in the Immortal World is at least a Golden Immortal. There''s even a high chance that the person will only be a Profound Immortal at most."


    A short while after, Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er appeared in the Celestial Vine Pavilion''s office. A beautiful saleslady in white robes welcomed them, then Tang Xiu directly said, "Call your supervisor here. Tell him that I have a big deal for him."


    The saleslady froze and carefully observed Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er. Sensing that this pair was rather extraordinary, she respectfully said, "Please follow me. I''ll take you to the VIP room on the sixth floor. I''ll notify the Pavilion Manager immediately."


    "Lead the way, then!"


    Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er followed her to the sixth floor and entered a large VIP room. After taking a seat on the cushion, fragrant tea was served and a middle-aged man that gave off a scholarly aura entered the VIP room with a smiling face. As his gaze glanced from Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er, he immediately said with a smile, "Welcome, two Fellow Immortals. I heard both of you have a big deal to offer to our office, yes? Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. This one is Manager of Wolfish Immortal Domain''s Celestial Vine Pavilion, Clip Marchland."


    Tang Xiu watched the beautiful saleslady leave and quietly closed the door first. Afterward, he immediately raised his hand, took a jade bottle out of his interspatial ring, and lightly smiled. "This is a fully developed Auric Profusion Source, please state a reasonable price for it. If the price is acceptable, then we can strike a deal without bargaining back and forth. I''ll directly leave to sell it elsewhere if I can''t accept the price."


    The Auric Profusion Source?


    Clip Marchland was stunned for a moment, then he turned surprised. He opened the jade bottle, observed the contents, and then finally nodded. "This is indeed a developed Auric Profusion Source¡ªa very valuable treasure I''m sure will create intense fights among Immortals once appears on the market. Since Fellow Immortal comes visiting and won''t bargain, then allow me to give you a real price for it. How about 240,000 Immortal Crystals? If Fellow Immortal is willing to sell it, this one will immediately pay you with Immortal Crystals. Fellow Immortal is free to sell it elsewhere if my offer is not acceptable."


    240,000 Immortal Crystals?


    The price was still in the acceptable range to Tang Xiu, so he nodded. "It''s a fair price, so I accept. May I know whether your Celestial Vine Pavilion''s branch here has more appetite?"


    Clip Marchland was surprised. "Does Fellow Immortal have more Auric Profusion Sources, by chance?"


    "Yeah," Tang Xiu said.


    Clip Marchland re-observed Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er carefully once again. Then, he seriously said, "If Fellow Immortal has more than 10 Auric Profusion Sources, striking a deal now is not possible for this branch office, and I''d like to ask 10 days of time more. We can buy however many Auric Profusion Sources you may have 10 days later."


    Tang Xiu''s eyes glinted and he said in a deep voice, "We only have four, and it already took us quite an effort and hardship. However, I''d like to add a little more to the price. 4 Auric Profusion Sources for a total of 1 million Immortal Crystals. We''ll have a deal if you can accept it."


    Clip Marchland gave it a thought and then nodded. "Deal."


    Tang Xiu gave the remaining three Auric Profusion Sources to him. After waiting for half an hour, the latter gave him an interspatial ring and said, "This ring has 1 million Immortal Crystals. If Fellow Immortal has Auric Profusion Sources or some other good objects later, please think of us first. The Celestial Vine Pavilion always does our business with absolutely fair prices."


    "Please rest assured about that. I have had countless transactions with your Celestial Vine Pavilion and the deals have always been great." Tang Xiu smiled and said, "Anyhow, since we''ve concluded the business, then we''re taking our leave. I''ll naturally come to find you if other business opportunities appear in the future."


    "Alright. Please allow me to send you off."


    Clip Marchland sent Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er out of the office. His eyes gleamed as he watched them disappear into the distance amid the constant stream of people. At this moment, a middle-aged woman silently appeared beside him, and Clip Marchland asked, "Did you see their strength?"


    "That young man gives off an aura that he has just crossed a tribulation and just become an Immortal for some time. I really can''t grasp the cultivation of the woman next to him, but I sense that her cultivation should be much higher than mine."


    "People who can sell 4 Auric Profusion Sources at once are likely not ordinary figures." Clip Marchland nodded and said, "But buying 4 of these items and earning hundreds of thousands of Immortal Crystals is already a great thing for us."


    "Then, shall we send some people to investigate their identity?" the middle-aged woman asked.


    "It''s all right!" Clip Marchland shook his head. "We don''t need to investigate such a big client. Doing it will only create troubles and make them misunderstand our Celestial Vine Pavilion. By the way, buy one of the Auric Profusion Source for 250,000 Immortal Crystals for yourself! Your daughter probably needs it now."


    The middle-aged woman looked grateful and gently nodded. "Then I''ll bring these Immortal Crystals to the vault later."


    ****


    In the city, Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er strolled around and bought a lot of cultivation resources since they now had a lot of funds, after all. 1 million Immortal Crystals were equal to 1 billion Immortal Stones¡ªan amount many ordinary immortals couldn''t possibly have even after cultivating for millenniums. The pair quickly spent 200,000 Immortal Crystals after some purchases and then left happily.


    However, their extravagant spending inevitably attracted some people''s attention. Tens of people stealthily stalked them as they left the city.


    "What shall we do about these people, Master?" Gu Yan''er whispered with a grin on her face while holding Tang Xiu''s arm.


    "Let''s just shake them off." Tang Xiu lightly smiled and said, "Such rabbles are always easy to figure out. Besides, they are also some poor bunch and not worth wasting our energy."


    Smiling faintly in response, Gu Yan''er rose to the air with Tang Xiu and shook off the tens of these stalkers and vanished from their sights in just several breaths.


    This Immortal Domain also had a very large area with an extremely vast landmass. According to the coordinates received from Darknorth Immortal, Tang Xiu easily found the Aurelian Artificer Sect located roughly 500,000 km in the depth of a grand mountain.


    Above the clouds¡­


    Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er looked down at a mountain below. He then nodded and spoke, "I''ve been to this place before, but it''s been too long and my memory about it is a bit blurred. But I still remember that this sect was previously in a mountain range with no spirit mist around it. This sect seems to have spent quite a lot to hire an Array Grandmaster to arrange such a huge array of spirit gathering after going through some developments."


    Gu Yan''er smiled and said, "Some people found us, Master."


    Tang Xiu saw several burly figures flying up into the sky as he smiled and said aloud, "This Great Tang Heavenly Emperor comes to the appointment. Please show me the way to see your Sect Master, Darknorth Immortal."


    The leader, a red-haired stalwart man, observed Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er for a short while before he respectfully cupped his fists and said, "We have been given the order to wait for Great Tang Fellow Immortal from Master. Please follow me."


    "Alright!"


    A moment after, the red-haired man took Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er to the Aurelian Artificer Sect. Refining furnaces could be seen everywhere as they entered the interior, with sect disciples bustling about them in almost every corner.


    "Hahaha¡­"


    A loud laughter came from afar as Darknorth Immortal came in front of Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er along with two other high-ranked members of his sect.


    "Great Tang Immortal friend is really punctual. You even come here before the half-year deadline."


    "Well, we got enough Immortal Crystals, so we naturally won''t waste any more time," Tang Xiu replied with a smile. "Anyway, how is it going with the project I''ve entrusted to you, Darknorth Immortal?"


    "No worries about that!" Darknorth Immortal grinned and said, "We''ve invited all the refiner experts in the hundreds of thousands of kilometers area neighboring us, and all of them have been working days and nights for it. We estimate that we''ll be able to complete your order in at most 10 months. However, we have invited too many expert artificers and the rate of our spending is very fast. May I¡­"


    Tang Xiu flipped his hand and took out an interspatial ring with 200,000 Immortal Crystals that had been prepared in advance. He then handed it to Darknorth Immortal and said, "Check this out. If the number is right, we''re going to take our leave since we need to go somewhere else."

 1292 Earth Core

    Darknorth Immortal himself didn''t fully trust Tang Xiu, but he didn''t even bother to check the number and put away the interspatial ring directly. He believed that Tang Xiu wouldn''t lie to him regarding this matter since the immortal swords, armors, and other weapons Tang Xiu had ordered were still in his sect.


    "Where exactly are you heading to, Great Tang Immortal friend? Would you like me to accompany you?"


    "It''s not worth your trouble, I think." Tang Xiu waved and said, "I just paid 200,000 Immortal Crystals to your Aurelian Artificer Sect and that made me a poor man again. For that reason, I''ve been thinking that the Clearwater Clan should be nearby, yes? We''re going there. Hopefully, they are not as poor as us."


    Darknorth Immortal''s eyes gleamed and he replied in a deep voice, "My sect naturally won''t interfere too much if you''re going somewhere else, Great Tang Immortal friend. But I''m kind of hoping that you can give the opportunity for my sect to get revenge if you''re going to the Clearwater Clan. You can rest assured, you can have all their wealth."


    Tang Xiu creased his brows and said, "But your Aurelian Artificer Sect needs to focus your attention on refining now, no? In case¡­"


    "My sect has a total of 4 Golden Immortal ancestors. All of them going with you won''t waste too much time. Half a month should be enough, I think," replied Darknorth Immortal.


    Tang Xiu ruminated for a while and then nodded. "Stopping you from having your revenge is rather inappropriate. Alright, let''s go together, then! But I''m going to give you all the wealth gained from the Clearwater Clan in exchange for the weapons of the save value."


    "It''s a deal!" Dakrnorth Immortal laughed happily.


    He hated the Clearwater Clan. After all, he almost died in their hands. Even if he was now occupied and unable to eliminate the Clearwater Clan, sending several Golden Immortal ancestors there would serve the same purpose.


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu''s expression shifted. He then looked at and spoke to Gu Yan''er, "Yan''er, you are to go with the Aurelian Artificer Sect''s ancestors later. I''ll be staying here to refine some things."


    Gu Yan''er didn''t refute Tang Xiu''s decision and nodded smilingly. "Then wait for good news from me, Master."


    Eventually, Gu Yan''er left with the four ancestors of Aurelian Artificer Sect while Tang Xiu stayed under the warm hospitality of Darknorth Immortal.


    At the Scarlet Cliff Abode.


    This cave abode had long been the assigned residence for all generations of Sect Masters of the Aurelian Artificer Sect. It was also the best place for refining since the cave had Earth Vein magma and a handful of Nine Yang Purple Flame that was born in the Earth Vein Magma, which made it a great spot for refining. The quality of any artifacts refined in this cave abode would be at least a level higher even though the materials and the artifact refined were the same due to the existence of the Nine Yang Purple Flame.


    Strictly speaking, the iron rule of the Aurelian Artificer Sect itself forbade the Scarlet Cliff Abode to open for any outsider. But after a discussion between Darknorth Immortal and the four ancestors, they finally decided to provide the place to Tang Xiu for his refining due to three reasons. The first reason was the masterpiece scripture of the sect given to them by Tang Xiu''s elder. The second was because of a life-saving grace since Tang Xiu rescued Darknorth Immortal and Darknorth Everblithe. And the third one was because they wanted to see Tang Xiu''s expertise level on refining.


    Inside the blazing hot Scarlet Cliff Abode, Tang Xiu was guided by Darknorth Immortal and then listed some materials for refining. But when Darknorth Immortal got the list of the refining materials, there was no other expression on his face except for a bitter smile.


    "These three types of materials, the Lucid Sky Sand, Red Pure Gold, and Indigo Peng Tendon are extremely precious and rare treasures. Let alone my Aurelian Artificer Sect, I don''t think there''s anyone in the Riversky Outer Domain who has these them. Great Tang Immortal friend, is it possible to replace them with other materials?" Darknorth Immortal asked with a bitter smile on his ashamed face. Yet, he suddenly remembered a record of his sect''s history. Previously, that mysterious powerhouse, who was also this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor''s ancestor, also needed some refining materials when he came to his sect. Eventually, the elders of his sect weren''t able to provide them since they had never heard of such materials.


    A disappointed look flashed in Tang Xiu''s eyes. "What other materials do you have in your sect, then? Let me see them! But please spare me from trashy materials."


    Darknorth Immortal hesitated before eventually nodding. His sect did have several extremely precious refining materials, but the value of those materials was enough to give anyone a shock. But he had confidence and trust that Tang Xiu wouldn''t misappropriate the precious refining materials of his sect for no reason.


    "Come with me."


    After taking a deep breath, Darknorth Immortal walked for hundreds of meters before stopping in front of a cave wall. He then cast a spell and the wall suddenly split and revealed a corridor enough for two people walking side-by-side.


    The path led to a secret room in the interior.


    As Tang Xiu entered the secret room, his eyes swept through the tens of spots covered by transparent shields. Immediately after, a look of surprise suddenly painted his face the moment his eyes landed on a soccer-sized area in the inner corner, where he saw an ore radiating yellow light.


    An Earth Core?


    Tang Xiu subconsciously walked towards it and muttered to himself before he stood in front of the shield.


    Darknorth Immortal looked confused. He shifted to Tang Xiu and asked, "Great Tang Immortal friend, do you know something about this material?"


    Tang Xiu looked at the bewildered Darknorth Immortal and asked incredulously, "You had no idea about this material at all?"


    Dakrnorth Immortal shook his head and forced a wry smile. "No, I don''t know about it. It''s not just me, but the four ancestors of my sect have no idea about it, either. To be honest, this object has very strong compatibility with other attributed objects. Even materials with Yin and Yang properties can be combined together in the refining process, resulting in excellent compatibility and harmony. That''s the reason we concluded that this ore is very precious, so we put it here as a treasure."


    Tang Xiu felt helpless. Such a supreme treasure was only used for compatibility and harmonizing roles in the Aurelian Artificer Sect. That was simply wasting a treasure.


    This was an Earth Core, for God''s sake! This object could only be obtained from a planet that had a very rich Earth element that had gone through the baptism of time for millions of years before it ultimately formed the essence of its source. Once such Earth Core was formed, an Immortal on that planet would reach divinity and ascend to become a deity. In other words, this object was something like a living organism and a companion for deities!


    If this object were to be known to other Immortals, bloodbath and carnage would inevitably sweep over the Immortal World; even terrifying existences such as Supremes would participate in the crazy struggles. Had Tang Xiu encountered such a gigantic Earth Core previously, he wouldn''t have met his death directly even though he was sneak attacked by those damned Supremes who were supposed to be his friends back then. It was very likely that he could get a chance to make a comeback.


    With a curious face, Darknorth Immortal asked, "Great Tang Immortal friend, you haven''t told me, what exactly is this thing?"


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and replied with all seriousness, "This object is a wonderful treasure that even those terrifying great figures want to own for themselves. Darknorth Immortal, I hope you can sell it to me."


    "About this¡­"


    Darknorth Immortal looked awkward and forced a wry smile. "Great Tang Immortal friend, my sect only has a few precious refining materials and we also need this object for compatibility catalyst in refining some artifacts, else it would be impossible for us to refine them. What you ask¡­ is beyond our power to satisfy."


    "Every object has a price, the only problem is its number," Tang Xiu replied after ruminating for a while. "I won''t hide the truth from you. This object is very precious, but it''s completely a waste in your hands, so it''s much better to sell it to me. I''m even willing to spend a lot to buy this thing."


    "The price is so high?" Darknorth Immortal forced a smile and replied, "You don''t seem to have much Immortal Stones or Crystals, right? Do you want to exchange it with something else, by chance?"


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment before he quickly took out an interspatial ring and said, "This ring has 500,000 Immortal Crystals, nearly all my wealth. If you think that my offer is not enough, I still have 20 million Immortal Stones, which should be worth 200,000 Immortal Crystals. Such an amount of wealth should be enough to buy it."


    Now, Darknorth Immortal was slack-jawed in shock. He stared blankly at Tang Xiu and incredulously said, "You can still take out so many Immortal Stones and Crystals? What have you done in the past few months, exactly? Did you¡­ happen to loot some treasure vaults of those super big sects or something?"


    "We got some Auric Profusion Sources and sold them to the Celestial Vine Pavilion," Tang Xiu replied. "You also know the price of this Auric Profusion Source, don''t you?"


    Darknorth Immortal''s expression changed and he hurriedly inquired. "The Auric Profusion Source? How many of them did you obtain? Oh God! That thing is the most precious object all the immortals dream of having. That''s not something like us can buy with any amount of money in this Immortal Domain!"


    A strange glint flashed in Tang Xiu''s eyes and he asked, "Do you perhaps need this Auric Profusion Source?"


    "Of course, we need it!" Darknorth Immortal exclaimed. "If I can get the Auric Profusion Gold, I''m certain I can break through to the Golden Immortal late-stage within the next millennium and hopefully reach the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage later on. Great Tang Immortal friend¡­ y-you¡­ h-how about selling this precious treasure? If you''re willing, I will buy the next one you want to sell even if I must spend all my wealth!"


    "Which one is more important to you, Auric Profusion Source or 700,000 Immortal Crystals, then?" Tang Xiu asked with a strange tone.


    "That Auric Profusion Source is, of course, much more important!" Darknorth Immortal blurted out without hesitation. "You can find a way to get Immortal Crystals, but missing an Auric Profusion Source is a chance that is very difficult to come by again!"


    Tang Xiu himself was perfectly aware of the huge temptation of the Auric Profusion Source to the slightly weaker Immortals, but he never expected that the temptation would be so great. He suddenly felt that he sold the Auric Profusion Source for too low of a price to the Celestial Vine Pavilion.


    He then shook his head and threw the thought away from his mind before looking back at Dakrnorth Immortal. "I won''t take advantage of you. I''ll give you 2 Auric Profusion Sources and you give me this object. Do we have a deal?"


    "What?"


    Darknorth Immortal was taken aback and dumbfounded. He never thought that Tang Xiu still had some more Auric Profusion Sources. Most importantly, he already said that the Auric Profusion Source was much more important than 700,000 Immortal Crystals in his eyes, yet Tang Xiu was still willing to take out 2 portions and trade them with him!

 1293 Who Profited from Whom

    Darknorth Immortal suddenly felt a bit touched and shot a deep look at Tang Xiu. He didn''t try to pretend to decline it and solemnly said, "Such a great affection from Great Tang Fellow Immortal will always be remembered in my heart. Please do notify me should you need me at any time. This Darknorth will definitely be ready to do everything through fire and water and even brave death for you."


    After that, he took a token from his interspatial ring and handed it to Tang Xiu. Then, he spoke again, "This is the Command Token of my sect. If in the future you or your relatives and friends come to my sect with this Command Token, anyone who holds it can ask all the disciples of my sect to help with your cause once. No matter how grave the dangers and regardless of the terrible price we have to pay, the Aurelian Artificer Sect''s disciples will never refuse the command."


    Tang Xiu received the Command Token and calmly looked at it before solemnly putting it into his interspatial ring. Although he was sure that he would never ask this sect to help him in the future, it was a goodwill Darknorth Immortal had shown him, and he was unwilling to refuse it.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu collected the Earth Core and then gave two portions of Auric Profusion Source to the man.


    Overjoyed, Darknorth Immortal said, "Great Tang Immortal friend, all the precious refining materials of my sect are in this secret room. You can choose three of them as a gift from us. Whatever they are."


    It was a gesture of gifting a present to others after receiving a gift. Tang Xiu was perfectly aware that this was Darknorth Immortal''s way of thanking him. However, he couldn''t help but feel embarrassed inwardly since the value of Earth Core was far from being comparable to that of 2 portions of Auric Profusion Source.


    Doesn''t matter. I''ll regard this as a favor. I''ll fulfill their wishes once if this sect has any needs in the future.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and re-checked over a dozen refining materials before he finally selected 3 of them. He then left the secret room with Darknorth Immortal and left the Scarlet Cliff Abode.


    "Anyway, would you like to use the refining furnace I usually use or do you have your own furnace, Great Tang Immortal friend?" Darknorth Immortal asked.


    "I''ll be using my own!" Tang Xiu said.


    Darknorth Immortal nodded and cast some immortal techniques, then refining furnace placed in the Scarlet Cliff Abode entered his interspatial ring. Afterward, he spoke, "Great Tang Immortal friend, please feel free to notify a disciple of my sect should you need any refining materials for the artifact you''re going to refine here. I need to enter seclusion now. I''ll be out to see you again when the immortal swords, armors, and other weapons are finished."


    "Alright!" Tang Xiu nodded.


    He wanted to refine the Versicolor Coral Garb. Although this sect had insufficient refining materials, he decided to buy them in the nearest city. He was confident that he would be able to make 20 Versicolor Coral Garbs during his stay here.


    After some time, Tang Xiu had listed the auxiliary materials he needed to make some Versicolor Coral Garbs. As soon as he came out of the Scarlet Cliff Abode, he saw a burly and strong female warrior, looking down at him with a stern yet bashful smiling face.


    "I''ve listed both the quantity and quality of the materials I need here. It''s best to prepare them for me within 3 days. Your Sect Master just entered seclusion and shouldn''t be out for some time. Tell your Sect Elders when they come back to manage the affairs in the sect later."


    Tang Xiu handed the list to her and left without looking back.


    The feeling of being looked down at by such a female giant made him quite uncomfortable. One''s height, however, was one''s natural shortcoming. Unless he used his Immortal Force to alter his bones'' structure to increase his height, he would never be able to surpass the height of this 2.5 meters female giant under normal conditions.


    ****


    Immortal Solicit City.


    After coming to this city alone, Tang Xiu merged into the crowd on the wide street. It was easy for him to blend into the environs of a city full of cultivators and immortals, given his experience.


    He didn''t want to attract trouble since he came here to buy refining materials, so he quickly came to a monkey-like looking youth in an alley. At first sight, the teenage boy looked very smart given his intelligent eyes.


    "What can I do for you, Sir?"


    The teenager observed Tang Xiu for some time and was sure that the young man in front of him was definitely a fat sheep, so he asked with a smiling face.


    "Are you a native and familiar with this Immortal Solicit City?" asked Tang Xiu indifferently.


    The juvenile puffed his chest out, patted it with his hand and said confidently, "There''s no corner in the entire 19,000 kilometers area of Immortal Solicit City this Dragon Broker is not familiar with. I''m a guaranteed perfect guide as long as you tell me what you need."


    "I need to buy some refining materials, show me the way! Keep in mind I''ll treat you better if your service is to my satisfaction," Tang Xiu said lightly.


    Dragon Broker blinked and he immediately replied smilingly, "Well, we can go to the Cecum Street''s emporiums if you''d like to buy ordinary refining materials, Sir. You can find myriads of shops with all kinds of refining materials there. Of course, Senior can also unearth some treasures from those heaps of low-grade goods with heaven-defying luck. But if precious materials are what Senior needs, we need to go to the Aromatic River Road. There are 360 stores there, all of which sell various fine materials, and we can buy any refining materials we need as long as we have the money."


    "Then let''s head to the Aromatic River Road," Tang Xiu said.


    Dragon Broker squinted his eyes and his smiling face turned brighter. He then nodded and unctuously fawned. "You really are quite an outstanding person given your majestic appearance, Sir. The other Immortals are just not comparable to you. By the way, of those 360 material stores, the Precious Hall and the Immortal Materials Emporium are the best stores there are. However, the Precious Hall only does business with Immortal patrons while ordinary people who go there can only look around. The Immortal Materials Emporium is not a store with patron limitation although its name does sound so lofty."


    "To the Precious Hall, then," Tang Xiu added.


    Dragon Broker''s scrawny figure violently shuddered and he dumbly looked at Tang Xiu before he hurriedly said with a deferential face, "Yes, yes. I''ll take you to the Precious Hall right away, Sir. But since you''re a respected Immortal, one thing that should be kept in mind is that the Precious Hall doesn''t entertain any bargain. Each refining material has its own price tag and you''ll be left out once you bargain."


    Tang Xiu slightly nodded in response. With Dragon Broker as his guide, he spent half a day to get to the Precious Hall. The large classical pavilion was 100 meters high and covered an area of several kilometers. The richly ornamented building looked majestic, and just by standing outside, it was enough to tell that this material store was an upscale store that provided quality goods.


    "Welcome to our store, Honorable Patron."


    A young man in a servant martial garb approached and greeted with a smile. His sharp eyes only glanced at Dragon Broker and no longer looked at the youth again.


    "I''d like to buy several types of refining materials. This list has the name and quantity of the materials I need." Tang Xiu calmly said, "We can trade immediately if you have any of them."


    The youth servant quickly read the list for a moment after receiving it. But he immediately looked surprised and said, "We do have the Lucid Sky Sand and the Red Pure Gold, but their prices are very expensive, Sir. As for the Indigo Peng Tendon, we have one for sale. This treasure is an item that is always a target for everyone''s bid once placed in our store."


    "Do you know where I can get this material, by chance?" Tang Xiu nodded and asked.


    "This one has no idea about the specifics because our Precious Hall hasn''t sold this material." The youth servant shook his head and then added, "However, there''s a material in our store which is actually similar and even slightly better than Indigo Peng Tendon. Would you like to see¡­"


    "What material is it, exactly?" Tang Xiu asked in surprise.


    "It''s a Serpent Dragon Tendon," replied the youth servant.


    Tang Xiu immediately looked happy and nodded. "The Serpent Dragon Tendon is indeed much better than the Indigo Peng Tendon while also having the same effect when used in refining. Alright, I''ll buy Serpent Dragon Tendon. How much do I need to pay for the given materials and quantity, then?"


    The youth servant inquired. "May I ask how are you going to pay, Senior?"


    "Immortal Crystals," answered Tang Xiu.


    The youth servant quickly cast a technique to send a message. A few minutes after, three ordinary Immortals came with the three materials. The leader, a burly man, said, "These three materials are of top quality with a total value of 560,000 Immortal Crystals."


    Tang Xiu inspected the three materials first and, after confirming that they were genuine goods, he put Immortal Crystals from his interspatial ring to another empty ring. Afterward, he handed it to the man and said, "Please take these 560,000 Immortal Crystals."


    The burly man smiled after checking it. "Thank you for your patronage, Sir. Please come again later."


    After receiving the three materials and securing them, Tang Xiu didn''t stay any longer. Although he still wanted to buy more refining materials, he only had 240,000 Immortal Crystals left which were needed to pay for the spatial teleportation array''s fare for the Great Tang Empire''s warriors later.


    After going out, Tang Xiu took out an Immortal Crystal and threw it to Dragon Broker while asking, "Do you know some interesting places in this city?"


    Dragon Broker looked excited. He was just a nobody here who had yet to reach the Nascent Soul Stage. Working as a guide usually only earned him a few Immortal Stones. It was his first time getting an Immortal Crystal. It must be noted that one Immortal Crystal was equal to 100 Immortal Stones, but Tang Xiu already gave him 200 Immortal Stones in one go!


    This man is definitely a money bag!


    After giving Tang Xiu such a label, Dragon Broker''s monkey-like small face grinned from ear to ear and he fawned. "Yes, there are many interesting places in Immortal Solicit City, Sire. May I ask what kind of interesting place you''d like to visit?"


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment and asked, "Does this city have a Convict Arena, by chance?"


    A Convict Arena?


    The boy couldn''t help but shudder. He hesitated for a while and then forced a wry smile. "Yes, but that place is kind of¡­ too¡­ bloody. So, where would you like to go, Sire?"


    "Figures. This body has been short of followers recently, so I''m going to buy some of them before going back. Let''s go there! I''ll give you a handsome reward as long as you take me to some places that make me happy, got it?"


    The moment the teenager heard the promise, he was shocked again and quickly said, "Then please follow me, Sire. This one knows the most fearsome Convict Arena in Immortal Solicit City which has countless fierce people. I guarantee that it will be to your satisfaction."


    "Any Immortals confined there?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "That place sure has it. Senior can even have those mortal combat gladiators at the Golden Immortal Stage as long as you have the money," Dragon Broker answered.


    "Lead the way, then." Tang Xiu''s eyes immediately lit up and he happily said, "I still got many things to deal with, so I don''t have much time."

 1294 The Convict Arena Prison

    Every large city in the Immortal World usually had a Convict Arena similar to a gladiatorial arena on Earth¡ªa place full of brutality and blood. Every deathmatch gladiator was a slave whose fate was in the hands of others where they only had two paths to survive. One was to constantly kill their opponents on the Convict Arena, and the second was to attract the attention of a potential rich figure who''d buy them.


    Immortal Solicit City itself could only be regarded as a medium-sized city in the Immortal World. It was due to its location that a Convict Arena was built here. After all, this Immortal Domain was much more barren than the other bustling domains, so the greater number of exiles and convicts here.


    "The place is ahead, Sire."


    Following next to Tang Xiu, Dragon Broker boy fawningly nodded and said after they spent half a day running and came to a dark castle thousands of meters high. Even with his outstanding eyesight, Tang Xiu immediately realized that he couldn''t see the end of the castle at all.


    "The size of this place doesn''t seem to be small, no?" Tang Xiu asked.


    "It''s as you said, Sire." Dragon Broker replied, "This little one has heard many hearsays although this one has never been in other cities. Rumors have it that even the Convict Arenas in large cities are not as big as the Immortal Solicit City''s. Therefore, many gamblers from other Immortal Domains come here to gamble."


    "You seem to know a lot about this Convict Arena." Tang Xiu smiled and said, "Do you often come here to play some games?"


    "How come this little one has spare money to play such games, Sire? This little one has always been dirt poor and is barely able to get by in life." The boy hollowly smiled. "It''s just¡­ many outsiders come here to gamble and they need this little one to guide them. Thus, this little one has accompanied many gamblers wherever they go. Seeing how some of them suddenly become rich overnight and witnessing a lot more who go bankrupt. So¡­"


    Tang Xiu looked thoughtful and smilingly asked, "So what?"


    "So this little one lost the courage to go to places like this," the teenager replied wryly. "This little one always advises every rich person who hires me prudently, hoping they do not gamble in this place."


    Tang Xiu patted his shoulder and gave him a pill casually. He chuckled and said, Well, you''re not bad, boy. At least you don''t go astray. Anyway, let''s head off! It''s been ages since the last time I went to play some bets at the Convict Arena, you know. I''m going to play a few games today and try to win some money to buy some gladiators."


    A warm feeling inundated Dragon Broker''s heart as he looked at the elixir in his hand. His expression, however, looked complicated because he had never met such a generous hirer for his service even though he had served thousands of rich people as a guide before.


    "May I know your honorable name, Sire?"


    "You can address me Sir Great Tang," replied Tang Xiu calmly.


    "Sir Great Tang, this humble one hasn''t the right to advise you or anything else, but looking at this elixir Sir gave me, this unworthy one really hopes that you don''t bet too much. There have been too many Immortals who ended up miserable after losing gambles at this Convict Arena."


    "I know. I''m just going to have small bets for some fun." Tang Xiu calmly nodded. He then glanced at the tens of stalwart men standing outside the 100-meter high gate. To his surprise, these men were unexpectedly Golden Immortals.


    "Welcome, two honorable guests. Would you like to rent a barouche?" A Dragonkin girl with a horn on her forehead approached with a swaying slender curvy waist and smilingly asked.


    "How much is it?" Tang Xiu asked.


    The dragon girl answered, "Only 10 Immortal Stones for an ordinary barouche and 100 Immortal Stones for the exquisite one. Each barouche can be used for an unlimited time, so even if both Sirs would like to stay in it for thousands of years it won''t be an issue."


    Tang Xiu took out 100 Immortal Stones and casually handed them to her. "Please give me the exquisite barouche."


    After that, he turned to Dragon Broker and asked, "You drive it."


    "At your command, Sire!"


    Dragon Broker looked a bit happy since he liked to drive such a barouche and drove it countless times. To him, the feeling of driving it was a lot cooler than flying with the sword. After they picked a ship-shaped barouche, Tang Xiu took a seat inside and watched the teenager skillfully drive it to fly inside.


    Both sides of the straight road in the interior space were full of open stalls that sold weapons, elixirs, talismans, and many others. Everything was available for sale here as long as the item was considered as an ordinary item in the Immortal World.


    Tang Xiu himself had frequented such a place countless times and naturally knew that nearly all the goods here were for cultivators. Generally, the stronger ones who broke through to the Immortal ranks would never buy anything at such low-grade stalls.


    However, he was exactly in need of such objects. After all, nearly all the people in his Great Tang Empire had yet to break through to the Immortal Stage, so the goods being sold here were very useful to them.


    "Dragon Broker, tell me a stall that has complete goods and fair prices," Tang Xiu calmly said.


    "What exactly would you like to purchase, Sir Great Tang? Do you have a detailed number?" Dragon Broker asked with a doubtful face.


    "Well, any pills for Nascent Soul Stage cultivators, talismans, weapons, refining materials, and herbs for alchemy¡­ As for the quantity, it should be enough for hundreds of thousands of cultivators for a century," Tang Xiu added.


    "Gasp¡­" Dragon Broker''s eyes turned saucer and bigger than a bell, saying with an aghast face, "So many of them?"


    "You help me deal with it and I''ll give you 10 Immortal Crystals as your reward when I leave," said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    10?


    The teenager''s body trembled before an overjoyed look replaced his other expressions. It must be known that 100 Immortal Crystals were equal to 1,000 Immortal Stones, all of which were enough for him to use for several years.


    "No worries, Sir Great Tang. I promise to manage it for you properly so you can buy the most resources with the least Immortal Stones." Dragon Broker guaranteed and patted his chest.


    Shortly after, both of them didn''t hurry to rush to the Convict Arena but spent four days shopping around. They only stopped shopping after Tang Xiu had completely spent 20 million Immortal Stones and readied the entire cultivation resources enough for over 200,000 people of the Great Tang Empire to consume for 100 years.


    To Dragon Broker, there had been no time as stimulating as these four days. The feeling of spending money like pouring water had made his blood vessels inflated all the time. He kept looking at Tang Xiu as though he was a kind of Deity.


    "Huff¡­"


    As both of them came out of a stall, Dragon Broker took a deep, heavy breath, wiped off the sweat on his forehead and respectfully said, "Sir Great Tang, shall we head to the Convict Arena next?"


    "Take me to the highest-grade Convict Arena, then," Tang Xiu said.


    "It''s ruled that the gamblers must prove their wealth before entering the highest-grade Convict Arena, Sir. They must have at least 10,000 Immortal Crystals."


    Tang Xiu nodded and ordered, "We won''t be subject to such limited entry. Head there!"


    "Understood!"


    The boy himself had witnessed Tang Xiu''s expenses these days, so he naturally knew that Tang Xiu had so many Immortal Stones and Crystals. Therefore, after he took them to the deepest part of the Convict Arena, he said to the guard outside and said, "Two Sirs, we already know the rules."


    Tang Xiu handed over an interspatial ring. After the two guards verified it, they immediately invited them inside with respectful faces.


    The Convict Arena itself was an independent space that covered hundreds of kilometers with nearly a kilometer high. The place was constructed like a gladiator arena on Earth surrounded by a colosseum-like auditorium that was enough to accommodate hundreds of thousands of people. 200 km to the center was exactly the arena for the deathmatch gladiator participating in the fight.


    At this moment, thousands of gamblers were already inside the auditorium, staring at the two gladiators in the arena. Both combatants there were neither pure humans nor pure immortals. One of the fighters was a Leopardkin male with an Earth Immortal Stage strength, and his naked upper body was covered with fine iron chains as he swung an immortal saber that created overlapping layers of blades around him. The other combatant was a Featherkin male with a human appearance with two pairs of wings on his back. At the moment, he flapped his wings and immediately sent crimson layers of a blade that clashed with the former''s strike.


    Tang Xiu randomly picked a spot to sit and calmly watched the fight of these two Earth Immortals. With his keen vision, he could easily discern that the leopard-headed Earth Immortal whose body was covered with a steel chain had fallen into a weaker position and would soon be killed by his opponent.


    Dragon Broker didn''t accompany Tang Xiu to sit but slipped away to the vicinity towards a row of iron cages that could be seen in the North direction, with each cage guarded by an Immortal. A price tag and the information about the cultivation of these deathmatch gladiators and their fighting records in the arena were displayed out of each cage.


    Quickly after, the leopard-headed Earth Immortal was killed by his opponent. Dragon Broker slipped back and stopped behind Tang Xiu, reporting in a whisper, "Sir Great Tang, I just asked around and there will be 4 high-level fights three days later where all the 8 Golden Immortal deathmatch fighters will fight. The last four winners will win, whereas the other four will die in the Convict Arena. At that time, some high-profile gamblers from several Immortal Domains will come to participate in the gamble."


    A glint flashed in Tang Xiu''s eyes and he nodded in response. "If so, we''ll stay here for two days and use the winning money to buy some more cultivation resources at those high-end stores."


    Dragon Broker hurriedly replied, "A-are¡­ you sure you can win, Sir Great Tang?"


    "You know, there''s a saying in some places that you had best avoid doing things you don''t have the abilities to handle. I wouldn''t have come here if I didn''t have the confidence. Of course, you may think that I''m arrogant, yet I''ve already decided to have some good time no matter what."


    Having said that, he gave an interspatial ring to Dragon Broker and lightly said, "There are 100,000 Immortal Crystals in it. You help me to place my bets with these."


    "O-one¡­ one hundred thousand Immortal Crystals?"


    The teenager trembled and replied with a bit of a scared face, "S-Sir Great Tang¡­ isn''t this¡­ a bit too much? So many Immortal Crystals, just in case¡­"


    "Just follow my order and spare me the question about my decision, will you?" Tang Xiu lightly said, "If you''re that incompetent, I can replace you with someone else."


    "Yes, yes¡­ I''ll listen to your order."


    Dragon Broker''s expression changed and he immediately realized that he had talked too much. After taking the interspatial with 100,000 Immortal Crystals inside and placing the bet, he went back and stood next to Tang Xiu, waiting for the start of the next showdown and the big gamble.

 1295 I’m Taking You Home

    Time fleeted by and an hour passed. Two cool and imposing-looking deathmatch gladiators were brought into the arena. The good-looking Golden Immortal man in white slightly bowed to the spectators and then announced with a smiling face, \"This is the eighth match at our Convict Arena today. An expert of the Crystal Race against a Featherkin expert. The guests who''d like to participate in the gamble, it''s time for you to place your bet.\"


    Having said that, he didn''t stay too long and quickly left the Convict Arena.


    At the auditorium.


    Dragon Broker came to Tang Xiu and bent as he whispered, \"Sir Great Tang, that Crystal Race''s expert is just an ordinary Immortal, whereas that Featherkin expert has just advanced to the Earth Immortal Stage. The Convict Arena''s authority placing them in this match means that this Crystal Race expert is very powerful and may be able to contend with an Earth Immortal. But there''s also a chance that the Convict Arena''s management is trying to manipulate the information. After all, such a chasm in cultivation level is not so easy to offset.\"


    \"You just went around in order to remember the information of these deathmatch gladiators?\" Tang Xiu smilingly commented.


    \"Ah, it''s because this is a part of my service for you, so I naturally must know their information.\" Dragon Broker smilingly replied, \"However, I will only tell you their information without disturbing your judgment and decision.\"


    Tang Xiu slowly nodded. Despite having sharp and keen eyesight, the fight between this Crystal Race and Featherkin experts had yet to start, so he was unable to judge their strength.


    \"Tell me the records of their previous matches.\"


    Dragon Broker told Tang Xiu the records of the two combatants'' performances in their previous matches. He just simply recited the information about them since he had a good memory. After reciting them, he said, \"Sir Great Tang, I''m afraid you''d need to take note of all the information of the gladiators yourself if you''d like to keep betting, or you''d need to wait for the start of each match before you judge. A rushed decision and judgment would be less thorough otherwise.


    Tang Xiu gently nodded as his mind unceasingly analyzed the records of these two people''s winning matches. After more than 10 minutes, he then said, \"Place the bet for the win of that Crystal Race''s gladiator.\"


    \"100,000 Immortal Crystals all on him?\" Dragon Broker''s throat dried as he asked hesitantly.


    \"Yup. Bet all the 100,000 Immortal Crystals.\" Tang Xiu confirmed.


    Despite knowing that Tang Xiu was really rich, little did Dragon Broker think that he would take it so lightly. He thought that Tang Xiu''s decision to place all the 100,000 Immortal Crystals on the Crystal Race''s gladiator was absolutely not a wise move. He just only heard the performance records of these two combatants, for God''s sake!


    Yet, he didn''t dare to persuade since his previous attempt triggered his dissatisfaction. While harboring a helpless feeling, he had no choice but to go to the cashier window to place the 100,000 Immortal Crystals bet.


    This grand gamble was, in fact, established and managed by the Convict Arena itself. Regardless of the win or loss of the gamblers, the Convict Arena was the real winner. However, the losers would lose all the money they bet, whereas the winners would double their money according to the amount of their bets.


    For instance, in Tang Xiu''s case, he would earn another 100,000 Immortal Crystals should he eventually win the bet.


    Quickly after, Dragon Broker returned to Tang Xiu with the betting token worth 100,000 Immortal Crystals. After giving it to Tang Xiu, he respectfully said, \"Sir Great Tang, you can go to the cashier window to exchange the token into Immortal Crystals should you finally win. Also, we still have an hour left before the match begins. Would you like me to see the information regarding these two gladiators again?\"


    Tang Xiu thought about it for a moment before he got up and said, \"Taking a look at them sounds good; better than wasting time here.\"


    After saying that, he left the auditorium. However, he didn''t go straight to the cages of the two deathmatch fighters, but started from the end of the row and kept reading the information on each cage. It only took him half an hour to see nearly a hundred deathmatch fighters and read all of their information.


    \"Sir Great Tang, the deathmatch has just begun, don''t we need to return to the auditorium?\" Dragon Broker really couldn''t understand Tang Xiu''s mind. He hesitated for a while before asking in a whisper.


    \"Well, I''ll read all the information of these deathmatch fighters, before enjoying the match in the auditorium then!\" Tang Xiu lightly said, \"But you can go back to the auditorium to watch the match yourself if you feel bored following me, though.\"


    The teenager thought about it and finally said honestly, \"I''ll stay with you, Sir Great Tang! In case you meet any deathmatch fighter you take a liking to, I can run about for you if you want to buy him or her.\"


    \"Okay.\" Tang Xiu just answered casually and kept walking forward. There were more than 200 deathmatch fighters in the cells. The match between the Crystal Race''s expert against the Featherkin expert came to an end with the former as the winner when Tang Xiu came to see the 140th cell.


    \"We won!\"


    Dragon Broker was so excited that his body slightly trembled. Although he wasn''t the one who gambled, how easy it was for Tang Xiu to win 100,000 Immortal Crystals had really opened his eyes. There was a likely chance that he would earn more rewards from Tang Xiu should Tang Xiu win more Immortal Crystals in the end.


    Tang Xiu himself seemed to not hear the teenager''s exclamation. He was standing in front of a giant iron cage at the moment, looking at a scrawny and bloodied feline woman inside. The feline woman was very beautiful. Except for a few horizontal stripes on her cheek, her tail was moderately long and had obviously been cut off by someone while her other features were no different from humans.


    The other deathmatch fighters always showed a ferocious or sinister expression whenever Tang Xiu approached them, except this feline female. Her expression and eyes looked dull and indifferent even if she realized that many people were crowding outside to see her.


    \"Why do I feel I have met her before?\"


    Tang Xiu deeply frowned and a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes. He felt a kind of familiarity with this feline female the moment he saw her as if he had seen her before. He kept racking his memory to remember who she was but couldn''t recall anyone.


    \"Kitty, stand up and turn around a few times!\"


    Tang Xiu suddenly said.


    An anxious expression flashed in the lifeless eyes of the feline female. After turning her head to see Tang Xiu, she looked slightly startled and blinked her faint-blue eyes. But she suddenly dashed towards Tang Xiu at the speed of lightning. Her hands grabbed the iron bars of the cage and stared at Tang Xiu as her nose vigorously sniffed to smell something.


    Half an hour later, her pupils suddenly contracted and she loosened her grip on the cage bars. Walking staggeringly to the back, she then slumped down on the floor. The shocking mood she had made her lose her mind and just sat lifelessly there despite her Celestial Immortal Stage cultivation.


    \"You''re¡­\"


    Her voice was a bit hoarse as though her throat had been severely damaged. She swallowed back the rest of the words she was about to spill after saying a word.


    Crystal tears came down and covered her shocked eyes. Under Tang Xiu''s gaze, she slowly lay down to the side and big drops of her tears fell down while her blood-stained fingers gently curled up, making a scratching gesture.


    \"Totoro?\"


    Tang Xiu''s body shuddered and an incredulous look was plastered on his face. With a twitching heart, he stared blankly at the feline woman who kept making the same movements.


    \"Show me your belly!\" Tang Xiu said with a deep voice after taking a deep breath.


    The feline female slowly got up and gently lifted her ragged upper clothes. A shocking scar was revealed to Tang Xiu, and he keenly saw a faintly visible black line from the cat woman''s scarred abdomen.


    At this moment, Tang Xiu tightly gripped his fists. His eyes were as though able to kill as he shifted to Dragon Broker and said in a heavy voice, \"I want her. Inform the person in charge of this Convict Arena that I''ll buy her regardless of the price.\"


    The teenager didn''t notice the unusual situation that just happened between Tang Xiu and the cat woman since he was still full of joy of Tang Xiu''s winning 100,000 Immortal Crystals. But he quickly observed the feline woman after hearing Tang Xiu''s order and then complied before running toward the cashier.


    Half an hour later, the boy came back with a goatee-bearded old man in a grayish robe.


    \"I was told that Fellow Immortal would like to buy this deathmatch fighter. Is that true?\" the old man amicably smiled and stroked his goatee beard while talking.


    \"Is her price exactly on this price tag?\" asked Tang Xiu.


    \"That''s right,\" the old man smilingly replied. \"You can buy this deathmatch fighter for 420,000 Immortal Crystals.\"


    Tang Xiu handed him the betting token and then took out 220,000 Immortal Crystals from his interspatial ring. After transferring them into another ring, he handed it to the old man and said, \"These are 420,000 Immortal Crystals. She''s mine.\"


    The old man slightly smiled and took out a peculiar-shaped key and unlocked the chain wrapped around the iron cage. He then gave a jade token to Tang Xiu and said, \"Her Life and Soul Essence are in this token. From now on, her life is in your hands.\"


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and watched the old man leave. A blob of True Fire then appeared in his palm and instantly burned the jade token. However, he quickly grabbed the wisp of the transparent Soul Essence of the cat woman from it and put it back into her body.


    \"Sir Great Tang¡­\"


    Dragon Broker was horrified as though he just saw the most inconceivable thing in the world. He knew that every deathmatch fighter was a fearsomely ruthless character. Unless their Life Source and Soul Essence were under control, a terrible fate would befall their Master should they have any intention to harm or kill their Master.


    Tang Xiu took out 20 Immortal Crystals, handed them to the boy and said, \"You don''t need to follow me anymore from now on, so take these Immortal Crystals. Don''t ever show yourself in front of me if I don''t take the initiative to find you.\"


    Dragon Broker shuddered inwardly and hesitated for a moment. With a bit of regretful face, he received the 20 Immortal Crystals and left extremely fast.


    Tang Xiu then took out a full robe from his interspatial ring and then came to the feline woman, covered her body by himself and then said softly, \"You''ve suffered.\"


    Large beads of tears flowed from the cat woman''s eyes. She desperately shook her head and gently hugged Tang Xiu and didn''t let him go for a long time.


    After a long while, Tang Xiu softly patted her shoulders and then took out a Springtime Elixir and stuffed it into her mouth, saying, \"Follow me. We''ll be staying here for a few days before taking you home.\"

 1296 Return Journey Preparation

    As far as the name coined for her kind was concerned, the feline woman''s kind was named Totoro or Chinchilla. However, it was not the kind of rodent-like creature on Earth. She was an offspring of the Dragon and Feline races and possessed both Dragon and Feline bloodlines. As far as Tang Xiu knew, the number of Dragon Felines in the entire Immortal World was absolutely not over 3 digits.


    Back in the past, he also had the Dragon Feline through some kind of immortal fate and grace.


    Kitty gently grabbed Tang Xiu''s arm with a pleading look and said, \"Master, can you also buy Raging Lion Daybreak? He saved me once and kept saving me in Convict Arena prison intentionally.\"


    Raging Lion Daybreak?


    Tang Xiu nodded at her plea and said, \"Follow me.\"


    Along the way, Tang Xiu observed the remaining hundreds of deathmatch fighters and read their information before he finally came to a bearded Lionman with a golden hairy body. The Lionman didn''t show any menacing gestures towards Tang Xiu, but showing a smile instead when he saw Kitty beside Tang Xiu.


    1.2 million Immortal Crystals? He''s a Profound Immortal?


    After reading his records, Tang Xiu slightly frowned but then calmly said, \"Wait here. I''ll take you away too.\"


    Having said that, he took the feline girl back to the auditorium. As a new match was about to begin, Tang Xiu took out 100,000 Immortal Crystals and gave them to the feline girl and said, \"Bet for the win of that hulking guy.\"


    \"Okay!\"


    Kitty left for a while and soon returned to Tang Xiu and handed a token worth 100,000 Immortal Crystals.


    \"You hold it,\" Tang Xiu calmly said.


    The match ended quickly as it started with the Hulk ending up the winner.


    In the next two days, Tang Xiu gambled for a total of six times. The initial 100,000 Immortal Crystals kept doubling until the number reached 6.4 million Immortal Crystals.


    This should be enough.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and then returned to the iron cage where the Lionman was caged. He then paid 1.2 million Immortal Crystals to the manager of the Convict Arena prison to buy the Lionman.


    As the old man manager left, Tang Xiu took another look at the Lionman and said with all seriousness, \"I''m giving you two choices now. First, I give your Life Token back and you can leave if you wish so. Second, you follow me later, but I must make it clear to you that I''ll have your Life Token. Make your choice here and now.\"


    The Lionman knelt on one knee and said in a deep voice, \"I''d only meet my death here sooner or later if you didn''t save. My life is yours since you''re my benefactor. I''d like to leave now, but I''ll pay back ten or even 100 times for the grace you gave me in the future.\"


    Tang Xiu gave him his Life Token and lightly said, \"Every person has his own will and purpose. You chose to leave, so I won''t force you to follow me. Further, I don''t need you to pay back.\"


    The Lionman spoke no more and just received his Life Token. He saluted Tang Xiu and then left quickly. He didn''t ask why Tang Xiu saved him, but he could faintly guess that it might be the request to that Kitty. In short, he vowed to remember this benevolence in his heart and would look for this benefactor after completing an important matter he must deal with.


    Watching his back disappear into the distance, Tang Xiu then shifted to Kitty. Fate brought them to meet here and Tang Xiu decided to leave this place. After all, he had gained a lot of things this time and had no plan to gain more Immortal Crystals in this place anymore. He didn''t dare to guarantee 100% that he could win every time gambled. No matter how minuscule such a chance may occur, just one mistake was enough to lose all he had gained.


    Quickly after, Tang Xiu brought Kitty to the Aurelian Artificer Sect. After the pair entered the lava cave abode, Tang Xiu asked, \"Kitty, back when I left in the Immortal World, you weren''t yet able to shapeshift. I know some of the things that happened in the Immortal World later on, but I only know a few things. Tell me what you''ve been through.\"


    Kitty replied, \"Master, I heard that you failed your Divine Tribulation. Afterward, your two friends occupied our residence and even sent a large number of experts to kill, burn, and plunder it. I didn''t have the ability to shapeshift before, so I avoided the disaster. I wandered about everywhere for 800 years, but then encountered an accident. I was captured and my Life Source and Soul Essence were absorbed before I was sent to the city''s Convict Arena Prison. Due to the awakening of my Dragon bloodline, I was then sent to the match and defeated my opponents many times to survive. Later on, a certain Immortal from the Convict Arena prison saw that I could advance to be an Immortal rank Magical Beast. Afterward, I kept fighting in the Convict Arena''s matches. Oftentimes I thought I was going to die, but I never thought I would be able to survive in the end. I have always been thinking¡­ I''d run into you again¡­\"


    A cold glint flashed in Tang Xiu''s eyes and he asked in a deep voice, \"Who caught you and absorbed your Life Source and Soul Essence?\"


    \"He''s a voracious wolf, a despicable and shameless Profound Immortal,\" answered Kitty.


    \"Where is he?\"


    \"I don''t know.\" Kitty shook her head and said, \"I''ve been in the Convict Arena prison for more than 300 years and must go through hundreds of deathmatches. Later on, I heard he likes to capture some weak people and sells them to the Convict Arena prison in private. He seems to have a deep relationship with one of Convict Arena prison''s executives.\"


    \"You don''t know about his background at all?\" Tang Xiu asked again.


    Kitty shook her head again. But she suddenly nodded and said, \"He seems to be a disciple of a big sect, Master. But I don''t know the name of his sect.\"


    Tang Xiu patted her shoulder and lightly said, \"If I can return to the peak one day, I''ll definitely assign some people to find him and give him to you at his last breath.\"


    \"Thank you, Master.\"


    Kitty hugged Tang Xiu after saying this and planted her small beautiful face on Tang Xiu''s chest. At this moment, she felt that this chest was the warmest and safest place in the whole Immortal World.


    Suddenly, she seemed to recall something and curiously asked, \"Master, where''s Madam? I''ve asked around about Madam many times, but I''ve never been able to obtain any news about her.\"


    Tang Xiu''s expression turned cold and he indifferently replied, \"She is no longer your Madam as she no longer has the slightest relationship with me anymore. Remember, kill her directly if she provokes you when you meet her in the future. You don''t need to bother her if she doesn''t.\"


    \"Why?\" asked Kitty with a confused face.


    \"Don''t ask why. Just remember what I said,\" said Tang Xiu faintly.


    Afterward, Tang Xiu was unwilling to chat with Kitty again. After taking out the Demon God Soul Devourer Cauldron, he began to devote himself to refining. Since all the refining materials needed to make the Versicolor Coral Garb had been readied, Tang Xiu refined a total of 20 high-grade Versicolor Coral Garbs in one go.


    A few months later, when Tang Xiu left the lava cave abode, he saw Gu Yan''er sitting cross-legged outside. After questioning her, he then learned that the four ancestors of the Aurelian Artificer Sect and Gu Yan''er had completely exterminated the Clearwater Clan. Only one of the four ancestors of this sect was injured, whereas the rest came out unscathed.


    \"By the way, I didn''t expect the Clearwater Clan to have so much wealth, Master. After counting all the wealth of this clan, all of them can be exchanged for 230,000 Immortal Crystals. However, I gave all of them to the Aurelian Artificer Sect as per your instruction in exchange for the weapons equal to the value of the wealth,\" concluded Gu Yan''er with a smile.


    \"Our Great Tang Empire is lacking all kinds of cultivation resources as of now, especially weapons.\" Tang Xiu nodded and continued, \"We''ll need an astronomical amount of resources to support us since we''re going to recruit troops and prepare for war in the future. I went to the Immortal Solicit City when you headed to the Clearwater Clan and gained quite a lot from the trip. Ah, right. Have you seen Kitty yet?\"


    \"Yeah, I met her when you were refining in seclusion.\" Gu Yan''er nodded and said, \"But do you really trust her?\"


    \"Yeah, she''s actually like you since I raised her too.\" Tang Xiu nodded and said, \"When she was just born, her parents gave her to me. They had to deal with something and knew they were going to die because of it. It''s just she hasn''t yet been able to transform back when I was plotted.\"


    \"You know her parents?\" Gu Yan''er replied with a curious face.


    \"Yeah, her parents and I were good friends. They saved my life once.\" Tang Xiu forced a bitter smile and said, \"However, they had their destiny and fate. Even if I have tried to help them several times, I was still ultimately unable to change their death in the end.\"


    Gu Yan''er nodded and unhurriedly said, \"I''m aware that you have your own ideas, Master. But I really hope you don''t take any action that can expose your identity again. Our enemies are really too powerful. We can only reveal our true identity when our strength is as formidable as theirs.\"


    \"No worries!\" Tang Xiu patted her shoulder and said, \"The one-year deadline is getting closer, and I think the Aurelian Artificer Sect is likely unable to complete our orders. We''re staying here for another three months to wait for all the things to be prepared first. I need those four Elders of this sect to help refine a certain immortal artifact.\"


    \"Which type of immortal artifact is it?\" Gu Yan''er curiously asked.


    \"A Heavenly Abode-type artifact,\" Tang Xiu answered.


    Gu Yan''er was startled inwardly and said, \"But Master, you''re going to need a lot of precious materials to make a Heavenly Abode-type artifact. Further, the larger the space inside it, the bigger the spending you must prepare.\"


    \"Well, 5 million Immortal Crystals should be enough for it, though,\" Tang Xiu replied.


    Gu Yan''er quickly recalled what Kitty told her. She then immediately nodded and said with a smile, \"Well, you won so many Immortal Crystals from the Convict Arena prison, enough to refine such a Heavenly Abode-type artifact. I''m quite proficient in refining myself, so I''m going to help refine it too.\"


    \"Great!\" Tang Xiu slightly smiled and nodded.


    Time quickly passed by and it was nearly a year and a half since Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er left the Great Tang Empire''s warriors. After collaborating with the four ancestors of the Aurelian Artificer Sect, Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er finally completed the refining of the Heavenly Abode-type artifact.


    The Heavenly Abode-type artifact was shaped like a ship and was large enough to accommodate 1 million people. The inner part was partitioned into 10 areas. Although the cultivation speed when cultivating inside it paled in comparison to some heavenly blessed lands, the speed couldn''t be said as low as before given the massive number of Immortal Stones and Crystals being provided.


    \"Let''s depart and set off on our journey.\"


    Finally, after the Aurelian Artificer Sect had finished refining all the weapons ordered by Tang Xiu, Tang Xiu went to see Darknorth Immortal and the four Sects ancestors and bade them farewell. Given the distance between the Aurelian Artificer Sect and the camp of the Great Tang Empire''s legions of soldiers, the journey would still take months even though Gu Yan''er led them with her Golden Immortal Stage cultivation.

 1297 En Route to the Immortal World

    The Riversky Outer Domain had countless walks of life and races, yet there were innumerable desolate planets in its vast starry sky. Time itself didn''t have much meaning in the Immortal World because for many powerful Immortals, they could even spend years, decades, or centuries in seclusion¡­


    A whole year and a half passed by.


    When Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er came back to the desolate planet, the pair exchanged glances and smiled to each other tacitly after seeing the stretch of humble camps set up there.


    \"Open.\"


    Tang Xiu opened the array covering the planet and appeared in the camp.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Nine figures flickered and moved fast, three of whom appeared in front of Tang Xiu and looked happy after seeing Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er.


    \"Lord!\" Zhong Ling came floating and slightly nodded in salute with a beaming face.


    \"Anything happened here in the last one and half a year?\" asked Tang Xiu.


    \"Some Immortals passed by nearby stars occasionally, but they didn''t find us here, so nothing happened,\" Zhong Ling said. \"Everybody has been fully immersed in cultivation these days and many of them have advanced.\"


    Tang Xiu nodded with a smile at her report. His gaze shifted as many more figures came from the distance to gather at his position. He immediately floated to the air up to 10 meters high and loudly spoke with a smile, \"Everyone, we shall gather here again tomorrow!\"


    Ouyang Lulu moved lightning fast to Tang Xiu''s front. After hugging him happily, she inquisitively asked curiously, \"Where shall we go next, then?\"


    \"We gotta pick our pace to the Immortal Lyceum.\" Tang Xiu smilingly answered.


    \"Is the Immortal Lyceum quite far from here?\" asked Ouyang Lulu again.


    \"If our trip goes smoothly, we should be able to get there within 4 years, but the time will stretch should we encounter some unforeseen events on the way there,\" Tang Xiu replied.


    4 years?


    After hearing the answer, Ouyang Lulu was not the only one shocked, but also the rest of the Great Tang Empire people. Only now could they imagine how vast this Immortal World was.


    Whoosh¡­


    Gu Xiaoxue instantly appeared before Tang Xiu. Suppressing her excited feeling, she asked, \"Grand Master, Master, may I know who this person is?\"


    Tang Xiu introduced Kitty to everyone with a smiling face. Afterward, he pointed to Zhong Ling''s group of nine and said, \"You should be able to determine who these good sisters of yours are. Their appearances may have changed, but their souls and auras haven''t.\"


    Kitty came to the nine females led by Zhong Ling and burst into tears after recognizing their auras and souls. Her Master, Tang Xiu, took good care of her in the past, but it was Zhong Ling''s group who took care of her the most.


    Gu Xiaoxue approached Tang Xiu and hesitantly asked, \"Grand Master, may I ask whether you or Master have had a good harvest after the trip? You see, the consumption of¡­ um¡­ our cultivation resource is much faster than expected.\"


    Tang Xiu couldn''t help but burst into laughter. \"How impatient. You''re indeed the Minister of Finance, aren''t you? Well, it''s just natural that we got a big harvest.\"


    With that said, he waved his hand and a stream of roughly 2 million Immortal Stones and tens of Immortal Crystals quickly flew out and appeared in front of every member of the Great Tang Empire


    \"This is the currency in the Immortal World which is also a resource all the cultivators and Immortals alike can use. These Immortal Stones contain Immortal Force which you can absorb and refine to strengthen your cultivation. You can also use them to buy things you like here.\"


    After speaking, he sent everyone Immortal Crystals and continued, \"As for this one, this is an Immortal Crystal, a grade higher resource than an Immortal Stone. One Immortal Crystal equals to 100 Immortal Stones, and it''s enough for your uses for some time. Each of you can have two for now. But later on, you can obtain your annual allotment for Immortal Stones and Crystals for which the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Political Affairs will work together to formulate the allotment for these items annually. The difference in amount will depend on your positions and status. Only when you become stronger will you receive more and more salaries in the future.\"


    All members of the Great Tang Empire looked excited. They had already learned some common knowledge in the Immortal World back when they were still on Earth. Aside from cultivation in the last one year and a half, they also learned more about the Immortal World from Zhong Ling''s group of nine. And to them, the Immortal Stones and Crystals were precious treasures.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu took out 3 million more Immortal Crystals and handed them to Gu Xiaoxue, saying, \"As the Minister of Finance, you are to manage these Immortal Crystals. But keep in mind to tell me should you face any financial problems in the future.\"


    Gu Xiaoxue used her spiritual sense to check the ring and an especially bright smile covered her face. She nodded repeatedly and said, \"I''ll keep that in mind, Grand Master.\"


    Tang Xiu then glanced at all directions with a smiling face and asked aloud, \"For your information, these Immortal Stones and Crystals are the most basic things. We also brought many other things.\"


    With that said, he took out more than 200,000 immortal swords, 200,000 set of armors from his interspatial ring and sent each person the set of a sword and an armor engraved with five-starred red, the flag of the Great Tang Empire.


    Finally, he handed over a large number of other types of weapons, elixirs, talismans, array disks, and various cultivation resources to Gu Xiaoxue.


    \"So many¡­\"


    Despite having managed a colossal number of cultivation resources, Gu Xiaoxue felt like the number was worlds apart compared to the cultivation resources Tang Xiu just brought back. What shocked her the most was the half a million interspatial rings.


    A day later.


    Aside from Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er, the rest had entered the Heavenly Abode immortal artifact brought by the pair. Since Tang Xiu had asked around about some things in the previous trip, he knew where to find the long-distance spatial teleportation array.


    2 months later.


    As Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er landed on the highest peak of a continent, a gigantic spatial teleportation array came to their sight while hundreds of cultivators and Immortals were waiting near it.


    A Golden Immortal dressed in silver combat armor and boots led 500 Immortals to guard around the spatial transmission array. Coldness and a killing aura radiated from them, and they brazenly killed any unruly individuals who tried to provoke them.


    Tang Xiu himself had inquired and learned that the Immortal soldiers stationed in this spatial teleportation array belonged to the Iron Stallion Empire, the only empire in this continent. The said empire was rumored to have a lot of powerhouses, while its Emperor was a Perfected Golden Immortal expert.


    \"Pay the fare.\"


    The silver-armored general came to Tang Xiu and shot a cold look before he asked in a heavy voice, \"1 Immortal Crystal for each person in the Heavenly Abode artifact, and 10 Immortal Crystals per person outside.\"


    Tang Xiu gave him over 200,000 Immortal Crystals and indifferently stated something that made the silver-armored general dumbfounded. \"I know the rules, but you''re not qualified to carry out any inspection. These are all the Immortal Crystals for the said number. Not one piece less.\"


    \"Please cooperate, Fellow Immortal,\" the silver-armored general creased his brows and asked after he came to his senses.


    Gu Yan''er came forward and let out her aura. Then, said lightly, \"Are you sure you want to insist on inspecting us?\"


    The general''s breath skipped a beat and he immediately let out a bitter smile. \"We''re under orders, Fellow Immortals. You¡­ off you go then since it''s not convenient for you.\"


    He was not stupid. He knew that the other party had too many people. Who knew how many powerhouses were in that Heavenly Abode artifact? He didn''t dare to risk offending them given his own combat force. In case there was anyone with fearsome power among them and he successfully angered them, and they moved to kill him and his company, that would be far too great of a loss than any gain.


    Further, these people were leaving this star domain. Regardless of who they were, it was already a great thing they wouldn''t be a threat to the Iron Stallion Empire, to begin with.


    \"Activate the spatial teleportation array in advance!\"


    The silver-armored general turned around and ordered aloud.


    Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er exchanged similar glances and entered the array. They were teleported away as a group as hundreds of cultivators and Immortals came flocking.


    Aries Immortal Domain.


    Celestial Aqua Immortal Doman.


    Aquamarine Immortal Domain.


    Senkadori Immortal Domain.


    After 2 years on the road, they also leaped through space using five spatial teleportation arrays before finally leading all the members of the Great Tang Empire to the Scarlet Lotus Immortal Domain.


    \"Master, I feel like having some Scarlet Lotus Floe Porridge.\"


    The moment they stepped into the spatial teleportation array, a childish smile appeared on Gu Yan''er''s face while she intimately held Tang Xiu''s arm.


    Past memories rewound in Tang Xiu''s mind. The 10-year-old Gu Yan''er took him to the Scarlet Lotus Immortal Doman and had the Scarlet Lotus Floe Porridge in Hessen Castle. The taste was not only unforgettable to her, but also to Tang Xiu himself.


    That delicacy was genuinely delicious.


    Tang Xiu let out a light smile and said, \"Alright, let''s go there since you want to eat. Anyhow, if my memory serves me correctly, the spatial teleportation array of the Scarlet Lotus Domain leads to the Ivy Immortal Domain; that place isn''t far from Hessen Castle. Not to mention that our supply is dwindling, so we gotta buy some more.\"


    \"Well, we may get some chances to get rich too,\" Gu Yan''er smilingly replied.


    Tang Xiu couldn''t help but burst into laughter. He never wanted to rob others of their wealth if it was not a last resort, though he didn''t mind such an action if those he robbed were wicked people, to begin with.


    \"Anyway, how about having some more experts to protect us, Yan''er?\"


    \"Huh? What do you mean, Master?\" asked Gu Yan''er with a surprise.


    \"The Scarlet Lotus Domain is quite chaotic, I''m sure you''ve witnessed it back when I took you here. It won''t be easy for the current us to ensure our safety given our present strength. That''s why I''ve been thinking of buying some deathmatch gladiators.\" Tang Xiu slightly smiled.


    Gu Yan''er quickly understood and replied, \"If you really plan to buy some, then take some Golden Immortal gladiators. I don''t think we''d have a problem getting a colossal amount of Immortal Crystals given our abilities, either. It''s best that we buy hundreds of Golden Immortal gladiators by then, so we can ensure our safety.\"

 1298 Who Says Master and Disciple Can’t Be Lovers?

    The Scarlet Lotus Immortal Domain.


    The virtually endless starry sky had too many stars and floating landmass to count, with each having its own sects of cultivators, whereas some sects of Immortals could only be found in large landmasses.


    The Hessen Castle was located in one of the large stars in the Immortal World. Boasting a vast area, it took decades for one to fly from one border to the other, even for a Perfected Golden Immortal.


    Moongazing Monarch City was the largest city located between the four largest Immortal Sects and the place where Hessen Castle was located. However, the fearsomely powerful Master of Hessen Castle, a Perfected Golden Immortal, had been living in the Moongazing Monarch City all the time. Thus, the gigantic city was coined after the title of this Perfected Golden Immortal.


    The crowded streets were nearly 100 meters wide and seemingly had no end in length. Both sides of the streets were full of stores, too many to count, many of which were of various skyscraper-like architecture styles. Even Immortals would inevitably feel how small they were when they were in this ageless and vicissitude-filled ancient city.


    The Stargazing Pavilion.


    A restaurant touted as the best restaurant in the whole city and with the glorious and longest history to boot. Its six towers that surrounded the one in the middle were like planets revolving around its star, reflecting rainbow-colored lights due to its colored ceramic glaze, giving it a majestic and magnificent feel.


    Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er stood outside the tens of meters high Stargazing Pavilion''s gate. Watching the diners coming in and going out gave them a feeling as though they were going back in time. Millenniums had passed by in a flash just like a snap of fingers. Feeling like an eternity, yet feeling like it just happened yesterday. The only unfortunate thing was that the four Celestial Immortal guards standing on both sides of the entrance were no longer the familiar faces from before.


    \"Let''s head in!\"


    Tang Xiu sighed inwardly and waltzed inside while holding Gu Yan''er''s hand. After walking along a kilometer-long corridor and coming to its end, he tilted up his head to look at the arc-shaped pathway separating both sides and then walked straight ahead. The Stargazing Pavilion had strict rules: only those who were at least Golden Immortals could go straight ahead to dine at the center tower. The diners who had yet to reach the Golden Immortal Stage or weren''t being accompanied by one would be stopped outside even before they reached the tower in the center.


    Once again, it was all about social class and status¡ªa situation where one encountered often in the Immortal World. Yet, it was one''s strength that secured the most powerful ID card, earning respect and reverence everywhere.


    \"Please stay back, Honorable Guest.\"


    Just as Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er came outside the entrance to the middle tower, a Golden Immortal with 18 late-stage Celestial Immortals behind him cast a cold stare and stopped them.


    Tang Xiu frowned and said, \"Correct me if I''m wrong. Aren''t Golden Immortals entitled to enjoy dining and staying in this tower? Does this mean the Stargazing Pavilion has upped the limit entry that even a Golden Immortal now has no qualification to dine here?\"


    The elderly Golden Immortal apologized. \"The custom of our Stargazing Pavilion hasn''t changed for tens of millennials, but we do have an exception every millennium.\"


    \"And, what is this exception, exactly?\" asked Tang Xiu.


    \"Ah, these two Fellow Immortals should be foreigners, yes?\" replied the elderly Golden Immortal. \"It''s because everyone in Hessen Castle knows that Madame Empyrean Pole always comes and stays here for a year every millennium, and this time is exactly when our Stargazing Pavilion closed to the public as we will only entertain Madame Empyrean Pole.\"


    Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er exchanged helpless glances. They had been here before, so they naturally knew that Madame Empyrean Pole was the most powerful Perfected Golden Immortal and the true Master of the entire Hessen Castle. Back in the past, Tang Xiu was the Immortal World''s Supreme whose strength had reached the apex. Thus, he could ignore Madame Empyrean Pole. However, he did have to look up to her when he was still at the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage.


    In the entire Immortal World, Madame Empyrean Pole was not a Supremacy Stage powerhouse, yet many Supremes were wary of her. Even all those so-called great Perfected Golden Immortals would pale at the mention of her name.


    \"We''ll take our leave, then!\"


    Tang Xiu sighed inwardly and turned around to leave while holding Gu Yan''er''s hand.


    However, the moment he just turned around, he realized that a beautiful woman in white was floating in the back. Wearing a phoenix corona cap to cover her coiling hair, her eyes were bright like stars. Both Gu Yan''er and Tang Xiu weren''t able to sense her presence even though she was obviously standing in front of them. It felt like what appeared before their eyes were just a ghost.


    Truly an expert at least at the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage.


    Tang Xiu tensed up inwardly. He then paced a step forward instantly while covering Gu Yan''er. As he cupped his fists, he respectfully said, \"Great Tang meets Senior. We''ll immediately take our leave if we''re blocking Senior''s path.\"


    The gorgeous woman''s eyes lingered on Tang Xiu''s hand that held Gu Yan''er''s. Only after Tang Xiu spoke did she slowly raise her head with a complicated look in her eyes. Then, she spoke, \"You don''t need to be afraid of me. I just sensed his aura, so I came out to see you.\"


    Tang Xiu was stunned, and vigilance instantly filled his eyes. He must keep his identity in absolute secrecy, yet he also knew a lot of people were familiar with him, too many, even. Before he returned to the Supremacy Stage, he was absolutely unwilling to reveal his identity.


    \"May I ask who this Senior is?\"


    \"I sense Celestial Pole''s aura from you,\" the gorgeous woman replied.


    That oldster Celestial Pole?


    Tang Xiu blinked. All of a sudden, he suddenly realized that Celestial Pole oldster and Madame Empyrean Pole did have similar titles. Did they have some kind of special relationship or something? Could this Empyrean Pole¡­ be Celestial Pole''s¡­ Mistress?


    The vigilance in Tang Xiu''s heart slowly subsided and his expression turned serene. \"I do have some relationship with Celestial Pole old man, Senior. When you say that you sense his aura from me, some of the things I''ve taken from his Celestial Pole Realm must have his aura and emitted it.\"


    Madame Empyrean Pole''s expression changed and she hurriedly asked, \"You''ve been to the Celestial Pole Realm? Where''s he? Tell me, where is he?\"


    While blurting out, her aura blasted out. Although it was only an aura released by her emotional fluctuations, it still made Tang Xiu ghastly pale and caused blood to come from his throat.


    \"Master.\"


    A cold light gleamed in Gu Yan''er''s eyes as she instantly pulled Tang Xiu behind her. She had not the slightest fear towards Madame Empyrean Pole. Although she was perfectly aware the present her was not her match, she used to be a Perfected Golden Immortal herself, after all. Back then, she was just half a step away to the Supremacy Stage. Not even slightly inferior to Madame Empyrean Pole.


    Tang Xiu patted her shoulder and pulled her behind him again, saying, \"I''m alright.\"


    Madame Empyrean Pole stepped back and contained her own aura immediately. A restorative pill suddenly appeared in her palm as she handed it to Tang Xiu and said, \"Are you related as Master and disciple?\"


    Tang Xiu was just about to nod when Gu Yan''er suddenly blurted, \"We may be Master and disciple, but we''re also lovers.\"


    Madame Empyrean Pole stared at the pair and a bit of bitterness suddenly appeared on her face. She tilted up her head to the sky and muttered to herself, \"Who says a Master and disciple cannot be lovers? Celestial Pole¡­ Second Brat¡­ you''re really far inferior¡­\"


    Immediately after, she lowered her head and shifted to the pair again. \"Can you tell me where Celestial Pole is? I''ve waited for thousands for him since he promised that he''d come back to dine at the Scarlet Lotus Floe Porridge with me in this tower.\"


    A complicated look flashed in Tang Xiu''s eyes. He shook his head and replied, \"He has¡­ died.\"


    Madame Empyrean Pole''s figure trembled and her eyes turned sharp as she fiercely retorted. \"Nonsense! You''re lying! Celestial Pole is my direct disciple, I surely know what he''s capable of. He cannot... must have not fallen!\"


    Tang Xiu took out an astrolabe and then marked the coordinates of Celestial Pole Realm on it before handing it to Madame Empyrean Pole. Afterward, he said, \"This is the coordinate of the Celestial Pole Realm. You had better go see it for yourself.\"


    Madame Empyrean Pole took a glance at the astrolabe. She faintly realized that Tang Xiu was not lying since that Celestial Pole oldster did tell the place he was about to go back then.


    \"You guys¡­\"


    A complicated look gleamed in her eyes yet again. Then, she took out an interspatial ring and threw it to Tang Xiu, saying, \"Regardless of if what you''re telling is true or not, I want to thank you since you do have given me his information. Take all the Crystal Essences inside as a reward.\"


    With that said, her figure flickered and vanished.


    Tang Xiu immediately sent his spiritual sense into the ring and was shocked. There were 1 million Crystal Essences in the ring. It must be noted that 1 Immortal Crystal equals to 100 Immortal Stones, whereas 1 Crystal Essence equals to 100 Immortal Crystals. Having 1 million Crystal Essences meant that he had 100 million Immortal Crystals!


    This is a shit-ton wealth. I''m hella rich.


    Tang Xiu shifted to the position where Madame Empyrean Pole just stood, and suddenly, he was glad he came here, else getting so many Crystal Essences by himself would have been a very difficult ordeal to carry out.


    Quickly, Tang Xiu turned to the elderly Golden Immortal and calmly asked, \"Well, Madame Empyrean Pole just left, so can we dine now?\"


    The elderly Golden Immortal shot a complicated look at Tang Xiu and nodded without a word. Then, he said, \"I naturally have no reason to reject the honorable guests since Madame Empyrean Pole has left. Fellow Immortal, I''d also like to exempt you from all expenses in my Stargazing Pavilion.\"


    Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er looked at each other and slightly smiled immediately. It was well-known that Stargazing Pavilion''s service was very expensive. Even if the two of them only dined here, they would have to dig out 1,000 Immortal Stones. This elderly Golden Immortal gave them such service gratis truly was a generous offer.


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu slightly smiled. \"May I ask who you are, Sir?\"


    \"I''m the supervisor of the Stargazing Pavilion and have been taking care of it for my Master. Both of you just helped my Master, so you are benefactors of our Stargazing Pavilion,\" said the elderly Golden Immortal. \"You may eat anything you''d like, but you exempted from paying.\"


    \"Can I hold you to your words?\" asked Tang Xiu smilingly.


    \"No joking. Absolutely,\" replied the elderly Golden Immortal.


    \"Well, then allow me to accept your generosity.\" Tang Xiu thoughtfully smiled and said, \"I happen to have a large bunch of people, so I''m afraid you''ll have to spend quite some money.\"

 1299 Pigging Ou

    The expression of the elderly Golden Immortal shifted. He suddenly had a bad hunch and hurriedly asked, "Are you perhaps carrying a Heavenly Abode artifact or something?"


    "That''s right. We''re carrying such a Heavenly Abode artifact, indeed," Tang Xiu replied with a nod. "I thought we had to spend quite a lot visiting this place, but well, I never thought Fellow Immortal would be so generously straightforward to exempt all of us for some free meals, though. Well, frequenting the Stargazing Pavilion all these years does feel worthwhile now."


    "Ugh¡­"


    The old Golden Immortal looked a bit helpless. He did have the intention to exempt Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er, yet he didn''t expect for them to be carrying a Heavenly Abode artifact. The Stargazing Pavilion would likely lose a fortune if there were too many people in it.


    "Anyhow, please lead the day, Immortal friend!" Tang Xiu smilingly said, "Also, aside from having enough to drink and eat, I think we still need to stay here for two days. I''m guessing that Madame Empyrean Pole will come back, and she will definitely look for me."


    What does he mean? Her Ladyship is going to find him when she comes back?


    The elderly Golden Immortal''s expression shifted and he immediately replied, "Please come in, two honorable guests. Blame me for my extravagant boasting, but taking back my words is not an option. Further, I already mentioned that you''ve helped Her Ladyship, thus it should be our responsibility to entertain you lavishly."


    On the 88th floor of the tower.


    The floor was enough to accommodate hundreds of thousands of diners at the same time, that''s why Tang Xiu brought all the Great Tang Empire''s members out of the Heavenly Abode artifact. Everyone immediately realized the situation after Tang Xiu''s explanation and they immediately anticipated the rumored great dishes of the Immortal World.


    However, the elderly Golden Immortal''s face looked very regretful upon seeing over 200,000 members of the Great Tang Empire. It would''ve been fine had Tang Xiu chosen the other tower. After all, the dishes of the other minarets were much worse than this middle tower.


    Damn it. It will definitely take at least a year to make up for the loss of having these 200,000 people eat here. I surely would''ve never boasted so excessively had I known about this earlier.


    Feeling regretful inwardly, the elderly Golden Immortal squeezed out a smile and ordered the kitchen to cook the dishes after the orders were done. It was not until he left the tower that he shook his head with a bitter smile. He recalled that he invited them to dine here due to the favor Tang Xiu gave to his Master, Madame Empyrean Pole. More so that they accepted his offer since it was free!


    For the last two days, only meals and delicacies filled the heads of the Great Tang Empire''s members. To their shock and surprise, however, they found that the specialty dishes actually contained enormous energy and just one bite was much more beneficial than absorbing 10 Immortal Stones.


    After the episode of pigging out to their hearts'' content, Tang Xiu put all of them back in the Heavenly Abode artifact. Due to having eaten such dishes for two full days, nearly all the Great Tang Empire''s members below the Immortal Stage had their cultivation level progress sharply and all of them advanced a level.


    Outside the Stargazing Pavilion.


    Both Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er turned back and let out quirky smiles as the elderly Golden Immortal standing at the gate wiped off the sweat on his forehead.


    "What do you think, Master? Will that guy slap his own face due to distress?" Gu Yan''er smirked and said, "Estimating the cost, I think it should be at least in the tens of millions of Immortal Crystals. Besides, many guys brought the Immortal Wine they haven''t finished drinking to the Heavenly Abode artifact as well. I''m pretty sure they will keep it and drink it slowly later."


    "The conservative estimation is roughly in the tens of millions, indeed. Such a dignified Golden Immortal supervisor of the Stargazing Pavilion wouldn''t have sweated so much due to anxiety and pain. I figure he''ll definitely relax after we leave." Tang Xiu chuckled.


    "Hehe¡­"


    Gu Yan''er held Tang Xiu''s arm and smilingly said, "Well, to benefit is a chance hard to come by. And I think it''s time for us to buy some hatched men."


    "Let''s head to the largest Convict Arena Prison in Moongazing Monarch City, then. We can spend quite a lot since we are no longer short of money." Tang Xiu nodded.


    Gu Yan''er''s smile was particularly bright. After all, the 1 million Immortal Crystals given by Madame Empyrean Pole was by no means a small amount. At the very least, it would be enough for them to use it for a long time given their present situation.


    Moongazing Monarch City, Convict Arena Prison.


    As Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er came here, an attendant directly led them to the prison cells for Immortals. At this time, a fierce fight was currently being held in the arena with both fighters at the Profound Immortal Stage.


    "Two distinguished guests, you can call me should you require anything in the Convict Arena. My name is Light Rain and I guarantee the best service to the greatest of my abilities," said the beautiful attendant smilingly.


    Tang Xiu slightly nodded at her in response. Then, he shifted his attention to the deathmatch fighters in the cells and read their information. Finally, he spoke, "I want to buy 20 Golden Immortal gladiators. Tell your supervisor to state the price."


    Light Rain''s expression changed. Her attitude immediately became respectful as she replied, "Two distinguished guests, I''d like to apologize since I need to ask you to please wait for a while. No one has ever bought so many Golden Immortal gladiators. I''m going to report to my supervisor first and she shall attend to you personally."


    15 minutes passed.


    An alluring and gorgeous belle giving off amorous charm came toward them guided by Light Rain. Her eyes, which looked like drizzling raindrops, quietly observed Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er before she said with a smiling face, "I heard the two distinguished guests would like to purchase 20 gladiators at Golden Immortal Stage. I wonder if this is true?"


    "That''s correct," Tang Xiu replied. "We indeed plan to buy 20 death warriors, each at Golden Immortal Stage. The higher their cultivation level, the stronger they are, the more perfect. I''d like Manager to state the price to us."


    The belle thought for a while and then replied, "We have a total of 209 death warriors at the Golden Immortal Stage here. 29 at the Late-stage, 62 Mid-stage, and the rest are at the Early-stage. You just mentioned that the higher their cultivation level and the stronger they are the better, yes? Then I can only recommend you the gladiators at the Late-stage."


    "The price, please," said Tang Xiu calmly.


    "Based on the market price, every late-stage Golden Immortal gladiator is worth 8 million Immortal Crystals. You plan to purchase 20 of them, so the total sum will be 160 million Immortal Crystals. I can give you a discount of 10 million, so you only need to pay 150 million Immortal Crystals, and then you can take away these 20 late-stage Golden Immortal gladiators."


    150 million Immortal Crystals?


    Tang Xiu forced a wry smile inwardly. He thought that having 1 million Crystal Essences should have been enough to buy 20 late-stage Golden Immortal gladiators, but he didn''t expect a late-stage Golden Immortal gladiator to be so expensive. After taking a deep breath, he said, "I feel assured since you have a sufficient number of Golden Immortal death warriors. Anyhow, I''d like to have some fun and enjoy myself here first before we carry on the business. You can go tend to your business and leave this Miss Light Rain to accompany us, so we can contact you when we''re done playing."


    The belle smilingly replied upon hearing it, "If so, then I shall refrain from disturbing you. Little Rain, do entertain our two distinguished guests well, else you can expect me to throw you into the cell and be a gladiator yourself."


    Light Rain''s face drastically changed and she immediately replied with an extremely fearful expression, "I''ll absolutely give my best to serve these two distinguished guests, Manager!"


    Tang Xiu faintly smiled and watched the belle leave. Then, he said, "Anyway, let''s head to the colosseum to watch the fight! Only coming here to buy some gladiators without doing anything else would be too boring."


    With that said, he handed an interspatial ring with 2 million Immortal Crystals to Light Rain and then lightly said, "Help me exchange it for some chips."


    "Acknowledged."


    Light Rain slightly nodded and respectfully replied. She took the interspatial ring and then left.


    The current fight inside the convict arena was very fierce and intense, but Tang Xiu himself didn''t pay much attention to it. It was because near the position where he was sitting, a big-eared and pugnacious-looking fat middle-aged man was hugging two voluptuous women while teasing them. His voice and laughter were so loud that several gamblers around him frowned and glared at him.


    The big-eared and big-headed middle-aged fatty seemed to notice it. He glared back at them and angrily shouted, "What the fuck are you looking at? Watch out for this fatty gouging out your eyeballs, dickheads. Damn, some ragtag shits dare to provoke this Master Fatty? You really got some fucking balls!"


    "You''re dead!"


    A hot-tempered black-robed oldster glared at the middle-aged fatty with his triangular eyes as he suddenly got up and shouted. Yet, he didn''t attack because he was afraid of the Convict Arena''s rules which stated that one must pay a 1 million Immortal Crystals penalty for each murder here, else it would be seen as a provocation to the entire Convict Arena. Should it happen, the violator would be endlessly chased by countless powerhouses from the Convict Arena.


    No one knew how powerful the Convict Arena was. It was an existence that had been around since hundreds of thousands of years ago and nobody knew or even could ask around who the Master behind the Convict Arena was, either.


    The alluring woman in the middle-aged fatty''s left arm turned into a streak of light and instantly appeared in front of the black-robed hot-tempered oldster. A green smoke spewed out of her sleeve all of a sudden as a sharp short sword flashed and instantly pierced the old man''s throat.


    In the next moment, the voluptuous woman''s ten fingernails began to grow crazily. Right as her nails were two-plus centimeters in length, she moved lightning-fast and her ten sharp nails ripped the man''s robe and destroyed his immortal defensive artifact while tearing his immortal body into dozens of bloody pieces of flesh.


    The unfolding scene was so shocking that the several middle-aged gamblers who glared at the middle-aged fatty looked horrified and panicked. All of them backed away and flashed to the distance. That poor robed old man just expelled out his aura a moment ago. He was a Profound Immortal, yet it only took an instant for that middle-aged fatty''s woman to kill him¡ªa display that scared and sent a chill down their spines.


    Tang Xiu observed the scene calmly while silently guessing the cultivation level of the female immortal. After a short time, he inferred that the female immortal had at least a mid-stage or late-stage Golden Immortal cultivation as it would have been otherwise impossible for her to slay a Profound Immortal in an instant.


    After the alluring woman finished the killing, she turned back into her previous amorous woman style again, drilling her way into the middle-aged fatty''s embrace after returning.


    It was like she was not the brutal murderer who just carried out such a cruel killing a moment ago.

 1300 Inquisitiveness Can Be Dangerous

    Tang Xiu''s accumulated experience was so rich that it had long made him realize that there were too many powerful hidden dragons and crouching tigers to count in the Immortal World. Only by keeping a low profile could they keep their lives longer. On the contrary, they could also act just like that robed old man should they want to die quickly. The impulse and anger of a moment were enough to eventually lead to his own cruel death.


    Now, this is interesting.


    A smile appeared on the corner of Tang Xiu''s mouth and climbed up to his face. He noticed that the gamblers around him had already moved far away, leaving him and Gu Yan''er still near the middle-aged fatty''s group of three.


    The middle-aged fatty also realized that Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er were the only ones who hadn''t left. He only took a glance at them a few times before and knew how this pair of man and woman didn''t show any reaction nor harbored hostility toward him. Hence, he observed the couple again and saw their unfazed and serene expressions, as though they did not see anything disturbing¡ªa finding that surprised the middle-aged fatty a bit.


    A remarkable bunch, huh? Be it their stature or bearing, they are absolutely superb. I can even tell her appearance is definitely top-notch.


    The middle-aged fatty''s sharp eyes glanced at Gu Yan''er''s hand that coiled around Tang Xiu''s arm. Immediately after, he laughed aloud and said, "I admire your extraordinariness, Lil Bro. Care to sit with me?"


    Tang Xiu slightly creased his brows and indifferently smiled. "Nah, my legs just went a bit limp after getting scared by that number 1 expert of Hessen Castle. I stroll around to forget it so as not to make myself a spectacle here. But you can come over yourself if you wanna have some fun, though!"


    A gleam flashed in the eyes of the middle-aged fatty. He then patted the shoulders of the two voluptuous women and floated to Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er. After taking a seat next to Tang Xiu, he lightly chuckled and said, "Well, did you just bump into that Empyrean Pole Lady, Lil Bro? Right, that pitiful lady always comes to the Stargazing Pavilion every millennium, hoping to see the return of that Celestial Pole oldster. It''s no secret here."


    A surprised look gleamed in Tang Xiu''s eyes and he replied with a smile, "It was nothing but a flash meet, though. Still, I gotta maintain a fearful appearance in front of such a powerhouse. But you''re quite an interesting person yourself, Mister. Are you familiar with them as Master and disciple?"


    The middle-aged fatty burst into laughter and replied, "Me familiar with ''em? More than familiar! HAHAHA¡­ you''re so damn interesting, buddy. You truly are. It''s been like eons ago since I last saw a youngster as interesting as you. Care to share with me where you come from?"


    "Just a trivial loose cultivator who''s drifting from place to place and seeing the world as his home, nothing more," Tang Xiu calmly said. "Do you think I''m too tender or something?"


    The middle-aged fatty couldn''t help but laugh. "Hahaha, you look like a youngling to me, indeed."


    Youngling?


    Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er exchanged glances and both smiled a bit. As Tang Xiu shifted back, he nodded and smilingly said, "I''m indeed a youngling¡ªso young that it''s kinda inevitable to act brazenly and frivolously. Well, you can call me Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, or just Great Tang. What about you, Mister?"


    "Ugh¡­ Great Tang Heavenly Emperor?" The middle-aged fatty couldn''t help but burst into laughter and then shook his head with a smile. "You really don''t know what humility and modesty are, do you, little guy? Not even I¡­ dare to call myself the Great Emperor or Heavenly Emperor! Anyhow, I feel you''re a very interesting person, Great Tang Lil Bro, so let''s play a game. I''ll tell you mine if you win, but you gotta let me see the appearance of the belle next to you if I win. Deal?"


    The smile on Tang Xiu''s face slightly receded and he calmly stated, "You know, that Celestial Pole oldster told me personally that curiosity will kill the cat, so let''s not mention such a matter anymore if you wanna make friends. But if you do harbor malice, we''ll keep you in the game happily."


    The middle-aged fatty stared blankly and froze for a moment before slightly frowning. To the best of his knowledge, Celestial Pole oldster had been missing for thousands of years, yet the young man in front of him actually said that the guy told him that in person?


    Is there something wrong? Could it be that this young man has just met that Celestial Pole oldster recently?


    The middle-aged fatty ruminated for a while and was about to speak when his expression slightly shifted. He suddenly recalled Tang Xiu asking him if he felt that the guy was young.


    Could it be¡­ is he¡­ a reincarnation of a super-powerful supreme cultivator or something?


    That''s right. These two didn''t even faze when my woman killed that robed old Profound Immortal.


    What was more, no matter how he placed himself as someone from a higher stature, the young man was neither humble, servile, nor overreacting. He just maintained his extraordinary bearing, which no youngster was capable of pulling off before him.


    The middle-aged fatty shot a deep look at Tang Xiu and said, "I''ll pass the request I made just now, but you just need to answer me another question."


    "Damn, sure enough. You really got curiosity-overwhelmed, didn''t you?" Tang Xiu lightly chuckled and said, "Alright, I''m all ears. Ask your question."


    "What''s the relationship between you two?" asked the middle-aged fatty.


    "She''s my disciple," Tang Xiu answered.


    "And also his woman," Gu Yan''er added while holding Tang Xiu''s hand tightly and expelled out her Golden Immortal aura in a flash moment.


    The middle-aged fatty took a deep breath and immediately realized how on the mark his guess was. The young man in front of him may very likely be the reincarnation of a super-powerful supreme cultivator. Otherwise, how would he have a Golden Immortal disciple when he just obviously advanced to the Immortal Stage? More so that his Golden Immortal disciple was just a hair away from breaking through to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage.


    The middle-aged fatty''s mouth arched and he lightly smiled. "No matter what your past identity was, you''re now just a common small Immortal in my eyes. The name is Nine Nether Swordmeister, Great Tang Lil Bro. You can just call me Nine Nether Big Bro."


    Nine Nether Swordmeister?!


    Beside Tang Xiu, a cold gleam flashed in Gu Yan''er''s eyes. She knew who this Nine Nether Swordmeister was¡ªa man who was almost as famous as her as well as a similarly fearsome lunatic Perfected Golden Immortal expert. Both of them had long been regarded as fearsome and scary devils by countless people.


    "Nine Nether Swordmeister of the Burial Tomb Sect?"


    A complicated look flashed in Tang Xiu''s eyes before he nodded and said, "Our friendship can be witnessed in the future, but I''m now too poor that I can''t even take out some Immortal Crystals to buy a few Golden Immortal gladiators. So, for the first meeting gift, I shall meet 3 requests of yours in the future. I''ll never refuse your request so long as it is within my capability."


    3 requests?


    Light gleamed in Nine Nether Swordmeister''s eyes. Looking at Tang Xiu meaningfully, he then nodded and said, "Fulfilling 3 requests for the first meeting gift is something heavy, Tang Lil Bro. We''re friends, and the first meeting gift is something reciprocal. How many Golden Immortal gladiators do you need, exactly, Lil Bro? Let me pay for them!"


    "Hahaha¡­"


    Tang Xiu laughed aloud and raised his thumb up, praising. "So rich and lavish, Nine Nether Big Bro! You know, 20 Golden Immortal gladiators cost 150 Immortal Crystals, so your gift is more than the 1 million Crystal Essences gifted by Madame Empyrean Pole as well as those lavish dishes worth millions of Immortal Crystals provided by the Stargazing Pavilion before. But I''ll accept since we''re friends!"


    "Huh?" Nine Nether Swordmeister was surprised and asked in amazement, "Since when did the Empyrean Pole Lady become so generous?"


    "No idea. Not familiar with her at all," said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Nine Nether Swordmeister burst into laughter yet again and shot an admiring look at Tang Xiu. "You know, you really are interesting, Tang Lil Bro. Many people are eager to climb relationships with such a secretive Empyrean Lady powerhouse, yet you just blatantly tell me that you''re not familiar with her, huh? That''s so damn interesting!"


    "Heh, I''ve always been honest with my friends, you know." Tang Xiu chuckled.


    "Bwahaha¡­" Nine Nether laughed aloud. "Honesty between friends, huh? I fucking love that. Anyway, Tang Lil Bro, you gave me 3 requests, so I''m cashing one of them now. I''m gonna gamble big in about 8 months, so I wanna ask your help to win that game. What do you think?"


    "An enemy of yours?" Tang Xiu asked.


    "Yep!" Nine Nether Swordmeister nodded and said, "We got a feud, and the Empyrean Pole Lady mediated us to resolve the grudges. Hence, the big gamble was finally settled and the feud will end no matter who wins. But I can get quite the enormous benefit if I win, and my lifeforce will be greatly damaged if I lose."


    "Alright, but I don''t dare to give you a 100% guarantee, mind you. I can only do my best on that.," Tang Xiu nodded.


    "No worries!" Nine Nether Swordmeister said, "I won''t pin all my hopes on you alone. Just keep me accompany to provide me some advice and suggestions. It''s not like I can lay the blame on you even if I lose."


    At the moment, several Convict Arena guards came to the group of people and the Director narrowed his eyes and stared at Nine Nether Swordmeister. "Please pay a fine of 1 million Immortal Crystals if you know the custom of our Convict Arena, Sir. Someone from our side will explain it to you if you are unaware."


    Nine Nether Swordmeister flicked his finger and an interspatial ring appeared in the hand of the Convict Arena Director.


    As the other party checked it with his Immortal sense, he nodded and stated, "Everyone in our Convict Arena is our distinguished guest, so I hope you don''t go too far. Just gamble with your enemies and defeat them all if you don''t feel happy. It''s far more interesting than killing them. You won''t need to pay a million Immortal Crystals even if you kill them. You just need to go to the lobby and apply for a death fight contract and you can definitely reap the life of your enemy."


    Nine Nether Swordmeister waved and said, "I already knew that. Just scram!"


    The old Golden Immortal indifferently smiled in response, but he shot a friendly smile to Tang Xiu before leading the guards away.


    "Anyway, you know that guy, Tang Lil Bro?" Nine Nether Swordmeister asked.


    "We got casually acquainted since I talked about buying 20 Golden Immortal gladiators before," replied Tang Xiu with a smile.


    "What are you buying that many Golden Immortal gladiators for, though?" Nine Nether Swordmeister asked, "Do you want them to be your protectors or something?"


    "Nine Nether Big Bro, don''t you think I can be spared of some troublesome things in the future if I have a bunch of henchmen at my side?" Tang Xiu replied with a smile, "Pity that I''m too poor now, else I would have bought tens or even hundreds of millions of Golden Immortal death warriors to eventually form the Golden Immortal Army. In the future, I only need to wave my hand or point my finger whenever I''m unhappy and my Golden Immortal men will straightly crush and flatten my enemies, no?"


    "Cough, cough¡­"


    Nine Nether Swordmeister couldn''t heave even one breath and nearly choked upon hearing it. The suffocating feeling turned his face red and his expression was bizarre. After a while, he gave a thumbs-up to Tang Xiu and exclaimed, "Damn, Tang Lil Bro¡­. you''re really a damn wonderful¡­ marvel! You can even think about such a grand idea¡­. This Bro of yours truly admires you!"

 1301 Big Gambling

    From beginning to end, Nine Nether Swordmeister no longer asked Tang Xiu''s true identity. It was like the common saying that said the friendship between men may appear indifferent but was pure like water. After all, it was their first meeting and it was natural not to disclose everything about each to the other.


    Quickly after, an outstandingly graceful woman waltzed into the ring of the Convict Arena. Wearing a black combat attire, she looked around and announced in a deep voice, "The next gladiator deathmatch will definitely make your blood boil, and you should know the fighters'' names and their records. Without further ado, let us meet Battle Peng and Vassef!"


    As her voice faded away, everyone''s eyes were focused on the entrance of the shelled arena. Thousands of gamblers in the whole auditorium got up the moment two figures appeared, shouting the name of the fighter they bet on.


    "Early-stage Golden Immortal, Battle Peng."


    "Mid-stage Golden Immortal, Vassef."


    A smile on his face, Nine Nether Swordmeister turned to Tang Xiu and said, "An Early-stage against a Mid-stage Golden Immortal. Battle Peng has 48 wins out of 49 bouts. The only time he failed was due to his weakening state after a severe injury, giving up his chance to kill his dying opponent. Vassef, on the other hand, has 60 wins out of 62 fights where he brutally killed each of his opponents every time. He''s one of the cruelest Golden Immortals in this Convict Arena, and also one who lived the longest here. What do you think about the fight between these two, Great Tang Lil Bro? Who''ll end up the victor?"


    Tang Xiu silently recalled the two men''s records and their specific information. After a few minutes, he slowly said, "It will be Battle Peng."


    Nine Nether Swordmeister shook his head and smilingly said, "I used to like going against the mainstream as well. The more people think one side is impossible to win, the more likely I place my bet on such a guy. Kinda makes me thrilled every time the fight goes in reverse, you know. Ah, how about betting on this fight, then? No need to play much, just bet a small number."


    "How would you like the gamble to be carried out, Nine Nether Bro?" Tang Xiu smilingly asked.


    A glimmer of light flashed in Nine Nether Swordmeister''s eyes. "I''ll teach you my Nine Nether 18 Swords if you win. But you only need to give me the 1 million Crystal Essences that Empyrean Pole Lady gave you. How about it?"


    "Nah." Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "Nine Nether Bro has fearsome cultivation and the Nine Nether 18 Swords you created can be counted as an extremely powerful divine ability in the Immortal World. Pity that I don''t lack divine arts and the likes, so let''s just bet with 1 million Crystal Essences. Besides, it''s the fairest means for both of us."


    "Fair enough."


    Nine Nether Swordmeister shot a meaningful look at Tang Xiu, feeling that his judgment was correct. This guy in front of him was definitely a very powerful figure before, so he broke into hearty laughter and added, "1 million Crystal Essences, then! Let us have such pocket money."


    Pocket money? Small change your ass.


    Tang Xiu grumbled and cursed inwardly. To the present him, a million Crystal Essences that was equal to 100 million Immortal Crystals was a huge number. Just using it to purchase cultivation resources alone would probably provide enough resources for all the Great Tang Empire''s members for centuries.


    Inside the Convict Arena''s match cell.


    Neither joyful nor gloomy, Battle Peng calmly observed the aggressive-looking Vassef in the opposite direction. Every time he entered the arena to fight, his one and only goal was to survive, instead of killing his opponent. Life in the Convict Arena was dark and seemingly only consisted of endless fighting. He knew that only by securing a victory would he be able to keep surviving.


    He still had that spark of hope burning in his heart. To gain the appreciation of some great personage who would buy him from this hellhole. Even if he were to follow this person to blaze through the killings in the future, it was still much better than staying in this hellhole for eternity. Far much better.


    "The fight¡­ begins!"


    As the graceful, stylish woman called out, Vassef turned over and brandished his blade. The moment he stormed over Battle Peng 100 meters away, the blade beam had already crushed down.


    Battle Peng quickly cast various seals. Overlapping layers of light shield appeared in front of him. Even though the blade constantly smashed the enchantment, the countless blade strikes were still warded off the moment they were half a meter away from Battle Peng. A silver spear suddenly appeared in Battle Peng''s hands out of the blue. The spear shadow emitted a blazing flame that was covered by countless golden runes and blasted through the blade shadows in front.


    BOOM¡­


    They retreated at the same time, each forced backward several kilometers before barely being able to stabilize their bodies.


    Bloodthirst gleamed in Vassef''s eyes. Licking his dry lips, he grinned ferociously. "I''ve watched 24 of your fights and researched the secrets of your divine arts, Battle Peng. You may be able to trade blows with me if you were to advance to another level and become a mid-stage Golden Immortal. But your present strength will only serve as a stepping stone to let me live longer. Today, I, Vassef, will use your blood to add one more victory to my excellent record."


    With that said, with the 100-meter long black lacquer chain in his body as the foundation, a dark mist expelled out and covered his whole body. Right at that moment, he rushed toward Battle Peng again, and his blade fiercely cleaved down while the chains whirled around the blade images. The black mist was as though a fluctuating slithering serpent that brought with it an aura of death.


    Hmph, relying on your higher cultivation and daring to be arrogant, huh? You''re courting your own death. Fighting and killing those at a higher level is just a common occurrence in the Immortal World. I''ll help fulfill your wish to die, then.


    A cold light gleamed in Battle Peng''s eyes. He waved his hand and the spear in his hand turned into a blasting arrow that streaked up to the sky and shot down to the sprinting Vassef. On the contrary of the difficult to turn flying arrow, the spear shadow seemed to have linked with a silvery bond and kept changing its trajectory layer by layer.


    "Lightning Weave Spear!"


    The moment Battle Peng stepped on the spear shadow, a blazing flame burst out of his body, transforming his appearance into a blazing incarnation of the War God. He kept casting many arts and unleashed swift and fierce killing blows.


    BOOM¡­


    A formation array had been laid out around the arena cell, so the power impact from the clash between these two men had no effect on the outside no matter how powerful it was.


    The crisscrossing blazing flame and the lingering black mist.


    The two men kept unleashing various supernatural powers. The fast consumption began to show and Vassef gradually gained the upper hand. However, it was just a slight upper hand as wounds began covering his body the more time passed, suffering various crises.


    "Taking advantage of your sickness demands your life on the line!"


    As time passed, Vassef, who had been fighting for several hours, suddenly had the black combat blade on his body suddenly fly up. As the blade light slashed toward Battle Peng in nearly the blink of an eye, the black tabard suddenly swelled up quickly and Vassef instantly appeared in front of Battle Peng.


    "KILL!"


    Another blade swept across Battle Peng''s neck in an instant.


    "Space Condense!"


    Battle Peng seemed to have expected such a move. His hands moved and he cast a seal. The moment that blade swept across his neck, his fingers turned claw-shaped. His seemingly casual movement made the space in front of his throat to become distorted. In the next moment, the twisted space was indefinitely magnified and the impact force instantly shook Vassef''s body and made him suddenly retreat.


    "Late."


    Battle Peng hideously grinned. As a surging Immortal Force rushed into the spear shadow, it pierced through Vassef''s chest. Vassef was dumbfounded with disbelief. Battle Peng gradually faded out behind Vassef with a short sword in his hand that impaled his back deeply.


    The violent Immortal Force had destroyed Vassef''s heart core and decimated all his internal organs. The next moment, the spear appeared out of thin air and directly blew Vassef away.


    "Let''s die together!"


    Vassef''s body suddenly rose and a phantom of golden light flashed out of his body. Although his body was flying backward, the golden phantom moved like a lightning bolt and instantly turned into a long blade and powerfully cleaved down to chop Battle Peng''s head.


    Puff¡­


    Battle Peng held the short sword in front of his forehead to counter the strike. As the long blade hit and broke the short sword, instead of striking Battle Peng''s head, it cut off his palm holding the short sword.


    BOOM¡­.


    The long blade violently exploded and the explosion sent Battle Peng''s body upside down for tens of kilometers before he hit the ground heavily.


    Whoosh¡­


    A figure flickered lightning-fast and appeared in front of Battle Peng instantly. A pink mist sprayed out from the hands of that person and gathered Battle Peng''s chopped off wrist and his blood. A golden thread then wrapped the chopped off hand and quickly reconnected it for Battle Peng.


    "This Immortal Accruing Bewitching Mist can make your wrist return to its original stage within 3 days. But remember not to fight with anyone during the time." The outstandingly graceful woman glanced at Vassef''s mangled body, then she floated up and departed.


    Battle Peng got up from the ground with difficulty, his eyes full of indifference to life. After crawling up, he gently moved his lower arm. He didn''t even glance to the auditorium full of cheers and curses outside and just gradually disappeared outside the prison arena''s entrance.


    In the auditorium.


    A smile crept up on the corner of Tang Xiu''s mouth. He turned to Nine Nether Swordmeister and with a forced smile and said, "Well, seems like I won this bet, yes?"


    The man nodded and his palm stroked his fat cheeks, asking curiously, "How were you able to judge that Battle Peng would come out the victor, though?"


    "There were some clues in his information," Tang Xiu replied. "It''s written on it that he''s suspected to be proficient in some spatial techniques. However, he has never used any spatial manipulating abilities in his previous fights. Maybe you still don''t understand, so I''ll put it more straightforwardly. My guess is that he has the ability to manipulate space. Besides, I think every expert who can survive to be a Golden Immortal has at least one trump card."


    Nine Nether Swordmeister creased his brows. "There''s one thing I don''t get. Why didn''t he use his spatial manipulating ability when he was almost killed by his enemy before? That''s why he lost that battle."


    Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes and thoughtfully said, "If I''m not mistaken, he should be concealing his strength. It may even be possible that he''s not an early-stage Golden Immortal."


    "You said he''s not an early-stage Golden Immortal?'' Nine Nether Swordmeister was surprised. "How is that possible?"

 1303 I’ll Always Be Your Woman

    Under Light Rain''s lead, the custodian in charge of all kinds of customs in the Convict Arena returned to Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er. After her beautiful eyes landed on Tang Xiu, she smiled and said, "Fellow Immortal really has good eyes. It''s your first bet and you won, worthy of congratulations."


    "It''s just a casual play." Tang Xiu smiled lightly.


    The attendant Light Rain respectfully handed the interspatial ring to Tang Xiu and said, "This is the Immortal Crystal you asked me to redeem for you. There are 2 million Immortal Crystals as your principal and 2 million more as your win, a total of 4 million Immortal Crystals."


    Tang Xiu took out 10 Immortal Crystal and threw them to her, saying, "The reward is yours. You can go tend to your other business!


    Light Rain hurriedly looked at the beautiful woman.


    The belle smiled and said, "It''s a reward from a distinguished guest for you. Just take it. Fellow Immortal Great Tang, Nine Nether Swordmeister just paid us 150 million Immortal Crystals for 20 Golden Immortal gladiators. Would you like to choose them now?"


    "What''s the price of an early-stage Golden Immortal gladiator?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "4 million Immortal Crystals," answered the belle smilingly.


    Tang Xiu directly took out 4 million Immortal Crystals and indifferently said, "Battle Peng gave me a win worth 2 million Immortal Crystals, so I''ll buy him while in passing!"


    After a long while, Tang Xiu held 21 Golden Immortal Soul Plates and took them away from the Convict Arena. The identity and background of these 21 Golden Immortals were found on the documents given by the Convict Arena. Unless they were concealing their identities, they were not part of any hostile forces to him.


    At the moment, all 21 Golden Immortals including Battle Peng looked at Tang Xiu with grateful eyes. Although they found that the person who spent such enormous sum to buy them was just an ordinary immortal, who even had yet to reach the Earth Immortal Stage, it was undeniable that he saved them from such a perverted and abnormal place that was the Convict Arena and gave them a second chance in life.


    At the Stargazing Pavilion.


    The elderly Golden Immortal was sitting in the accountant room while silently thinking about some issues. After a long while, he sent out orders, and, soon after, the entire protected Stargazing Pavilion was ready to open for business. On the surface, the guards of the establishment were still the same as before, but a large number of the Pavilion''s experts were hiding in the dark. Once any crisis occurred, these experts would appear immediately.


    "Damn that brat!"


    The elderly Golden Immortal cursed while smiling after issuing that order, feeling vexed inwardly when he recalled those tens of millions of Immortal Crystals.


    "Sir!"


    A figure appeared out of thin air in front of the elderly Golden Immortal.


    "What''s the matter?" The old man picked up the colored glass and sipped his tea.


    "The free meal our Stargazing Pavilion just served before has caused us quite the losses, Sir. But that Great Tang fellow has come back again. The attendant is now taking him to the middle tower."


    Puff¡­.


    The elderly Golden Immortal choked and his complexion turned purple. After coughing severely for some time, his eyes gleamed with anger. Slamming the table, he furiously yelled, "Go and get rid of that freeloader brat! What the hell does he think our Stargazing Pavilion is?"


    "Understood!"


    The man complied and turned to leave.


    The elderly Golden Immortal took a deep breath and called again before the man left, "Bah, forget it. Stay out of this matter. I''ll deal with him myself."


    The visitor wore an odd expression, but he still respectfully complied and left quickly.


    The elderly Golden Immortal rubbed his brows and a bitter smile painted his old face. He could have freely driven someone away, but he recalled that this kid was someone appreciated by his Lady, Madame Empyrean Pole. He could only bite the bullet and swallow the bitterness since he couldn''t drive this guy away no matter how unwilling he was.


    Quickly after, the elderly Golden Immortal came to the middle tower. As he ascended to the 88th floor, he walked straight towards the portal and opened the door. After seeing more than 20 men and women in ragged clothes sitting on the long table on both sides, he immediately frowned.


    Damn¡­ this really vexes me!


    He really wished he could rush to Tang Xiu and slap this brat after seeing the attires of these 21 men and women. What did he think the Stargazing Pavilion was for? So special that he even brought these beggars?


    However, just as he cursed twice inwardly, his expression suddenly went stiff because, at the moment, the 21 ragged men and women turned their attention to him at the same time. The burst of their auras made him tremble.


    21¡­ Golden Immortals? Even most of them were all Golden Immortal Late-stage experts?


    The elderly Golden Immortal dared to swear to Heaven that there was absolutely no Golden Immortals among more than 200,000 people Tang Xiu called out from that Heavenly Abode artifact last time. These 21 people were absolutely not one of them.


    The moment Tang Xiu saw the arrival of the elderly Golden Immortal, he immediately let out a smile. He got up and greeted him. "Well, we''re are to harass you again, Manager. I invited my 21 new subordinates to dine here, so please take out your best wines and dishes! Relax, I won''t be freeloading in your Stargazing Pavilion today. I''ll pay for the meal from my own pocket."


    The elderly Golden Immortal bitterly smiled and replied, "Great Tang Immortal Friend, you really are¡­ Haih, forget it. There are only 20 more of you, so the meal is still free! But you also know that we''re just a small business here, so I can only provide you with 23 servings."


    "If you wish it so, then so be it, Elderly." Tang Xiu grinned.


    The elderly Golden Immortal helplessly shook his head and turned to leave.


    Tang Xiu sat back on his chair again, looking at the silent and smiling Gu Yan''er. Then, he glanced at the 21 Golden Immortal subordinates and said in a deep voice, "I''ve purchased you from the Convict Arena and you can say that I gave you all a second life. I don''t care about your past identity or what you''ve been through. But from today on, it''ll be the same as you''ve already died.


    "My name is Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. You just call me Master. From today on, your only task is to protect my safety and obey my orders. Of course, I won''t be harsh on you. As long as you''re loyal to me and devoted to your work, I''ll provide you with a lot of cultivation resources and will treat you as my confidants.


    "I don''t have many rules, but you are not to kill people easily without my orders."


    After saying that, Tang Xiu took out a cigarette from his interspatial ring, lit it up, and took a few puffs. Under the gaze of these 21 people, he continued, "Certainly, I''m also giving you a chance. Keep loyal to me and you''ll earn your freedom 5,000 years later. By then, whether you choose to stay with me or leave, I''ll respect your decision."


    "What?!"


    The 21 Golden Immortals exchanged disbelieving glances. They never dreamed that the Master who bought them would actually give them such a promise.


    5,000 years. If they could obtain cultivation resources constantly, and with their aptitudes, it was hopeful for them to have a breakthrough in their cultivation. At the time they broke through to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage, they would be able to live and regain their freedom.


    "Thank you, Master."


    The 21 men and women got up one after another, got down on one knee, and saluted Tang Xiu respectfully.


    Tang Xiu happily nodded and motioned them to sit back again, saying, "To welcome you joining me, I invite you for a big feast today. In addition, I''ll also give you something else."


    With that said, Tang Xiu gently spread his hand and suddenly, 21 interspatial rings appeared in front of each one of them. Tang Xiu then said, "You can find 1 million Immortal Crystals, 2 sets of combat robes, and immortal weapons in each interspatial ring. Additionally, there are some medicinal pills and elixirs with various effects. Those are my gifts for you."


    "Thank you, Master."


    The 21 people stood up and knelt again. Most of them were excited before, but they felt grateful now. They found that their Master turned out to be not some vicious and wicked person, but someone who would never easily ruin their lives.


    Tang Xiu nodded again and added, "Starting from today, you all will be unified under Battle Peng''s command. His cultivation may not be as high as the rest of you, but I''m most familiar with him."


    Battle Peng hurriedly said, "This subordinate will definitely obey Master''s orders and serve to the best of my abilities."


    Tang Xiu raised his hand and used a stream of energy to lift him up. He then nodded and said, "There''s also another thing I need to tell you in advance. I''m the Emperor of the Great Tang Empire. You may have never heard about the Great Tang Empire before¡­. But in the future, you''ll be a part of this great empire."


    "Understood!" 21 people replied respectfully.


    Everyone devoured all the dishes during the feast and enjoyed it to their hearts'' content. They hardly ever ate anything after they became deathmatch fighters in the Convict Arena. Even if they ate something and received some spirit fruits after winning their match each time. During the feast, the four female Golden Immortals'' eyes even welled up with tears.


    Going through such happy events after the tribulations was truly blissful.


    After the feast, Tang Xiu booked 12 guest rooms at the Stargazing Pavilion, one room for every two Golden Immortal, whereas Battle Peng took one for himself as their leader.


    "Would you like to have a separate room, Yan''er?"


    Tang Xiu felt a headache as he looked at Gu Yan''er, who grinned at him. He couldn''t help feeling desperate even though the door was right in front of him.


    Gu Yan''er didn''t speak, but reached out and grabbed Tang Xiu''s wrist, pulled him into the room, and then closed the door directly from the inside. Afterward, she made him sit on the chair inside and pressed his shoulders. She then took a deep breath and said with all seriousness, "Master, I''ll always use this address to call you, but I''m already the princess of the Great Tang Empire, which means that I''m your woman. I know that it''s difficult for you to accept this in a short time, but I can wait as long as you don''t shut me out."


    "How can I ever shut you out? It''s just¡­"


    "Master, let''s give everything some time. I''ll always be your woman unless I die."

 1304 Running Out of Demon Stones

    Deep inside Tang Xiu''s heart, he couldn''t just get past what had transpired. Looking at Gu Yan''er''s serious expression, he had no other choice but to smile bitterly. He could not refuse bluntly as he could never hurt her.


    Perhaps, Yan''er is right. Let''s just leave everything to time.


    Tang Xiu sighed inwardly and patted her shoulder, saying, "Let''s just stay here to cultivate steadily for the next few days! Eight months are not a long time and will pass by in a flash. Besides, we now have a lot of cultivation resources. We don''t have to worry about the cultivation issues of all members of the Great Tang Empire."


    Gu Yan''er put away her childish feelings and replied, "Most of the Great Tang Empire''s members are humans from Earth. Although we''ve drilled them with the common sense of the Immortal World, they have yet to really experience the atmosphere and environment here, after all. I think we should let them go out of the Heavenly Abode artifact in batches and let them go to the neighborhood to experience it for the next 8 months."


    Tang Xiu''s eyes lit up and he smilingly nodded. "That good idea never crossed my mind. That''s really great! You''re right, they''ve followed us to the Immortal World but have only been practicing on that barren planet. It''s been a year and a half, and the last time we let everyone out was to eat here. They still know too little about the situation of the Immortal World."


    "Yeah!" Gu Yan''er added, "Uncut jades are worthless. Everyone needs to learn what they do not know. In the future, the Great Tang Empire''s people will have to live and work hard in the Immortal World. If they don''t even understand many of the simplest common sense, they will be bound to suffer big losses in the future. In my opinion, let them feel the rushing of the big waves to the shores. They may be loyal to you and the Great Tang Empire, but I''m hoping the entire Great Tang empire members to be the elites of the elites and the strong among the powerful."


    Tang Xiu slightly nodded and used his spiritual sense to communicate with the Heavenly Abode artifact. Soon after, Tang Ahlang appeared in front of him. Looking at his curious expression, Tang Xiu faintly smiled. "From today on, you''ll follow me to learn and cultivate. In the next 8 months, the Great Tang Empire''s members will come out of the Heavenly Abode artifact in batches to gain experience outside."


    "That''s awesome!" Tang Ahlang was honestly surprised. "The empire members indeed want to come out of the Heavenly Abode artifact to see the real Immortal World. Master, would you let me arrange them for the occasion?"


    "Well, you tell me, how will you do it?" Tang Xiu chuckled.


    Tang Ahlang ruminated for a few minutes and then said, "You just said that we''re staying here for 8 months, Master. Let them all stay outside for 8 months, which will be contrary to your ideas. I suggest taking batches outside every 2 months. Each batch will consist of 60,000 members who will be led by one commander, whereas a deputy commander will be picked for every 10,000 people¡­ Finally, after being layered on top of the other, every member who''s 30 years or older must take care of six children of the four Legions."


    "A sound idea. It''s really not easy to think of so much in such a short time, yet you can do it." Tang Xiu happily nodded. "With your suggestion as a basis, make some necessary adjustments to ensure the safety of our Great Tang Empire''s members. Afterward, prepare to start tomorrow!"


    "There''s another issue I have in mind, Master." Tang Ahlang quickly interjected. "Although every member has received Immortal Stones and Crystals before, the number was few and everyone wants to use it to absorb and refine it so as to increase their cultivation. Could you send a notice to the Ministry of Finance to issue some more Immortal Stones for us?"


    Tang Xiu thought for a while and said, "Each person will have another 100 Immortal Crystals. As for how to use them, let them figure it out on their own."


    Tang Ahlang was elated and firmly nodded before he went back to the Heavenly Abode artifact to arrange everything.


    Tang Xiu then called Gu Xiaoxue out of the Heavenly Abode artifact and directly gave her the 1 million Crystal Essences he won from Nine Nether Swordmeister. He wouldn''t be using these Crystal Essences for some time. After all, his cultivation level was only at the Immortal Stage, and using it would be totally wasting resources. However, he had 35,680 Immortal Monsters under him, so Tang Xiu took out 100,000 Crystal Essences for them to temporarily use.


    In an instant, 5 months passed by and there were only 3 months left from the gamble appointment between Nine Nether Swordmeister and his enemy. A total of two batches of 120,000 members of the Great Tang Empire had experienced life in the outside world and made good progress, be it in their knowledge or strength. The third batch was now outside broadening their experience.


    Certainly, the plan devised by Tang Ahlang was much more detailed than what he explained before. Therefore, although members of the Great Tang Empire were practicing outside, they didn''t cause much trouble. Many minor troubles inevitably appeared, but all of them were all easily solved.


    Additionally, Tang Xu personally took command of the Intelligence Department to instruct them before he let them leave with Immortal Crystals. The task was outside their training range, but Tang Xiu ordered Jin Shi and Ye Shishan to reach the Immortal Lyceum territory within 3 years no matter what method they used.


    The Intelligence Department only had 3,000 members in total. They were all powerful characters who were excellent at gathering intelligence. Although these 3,000 people were under Jin Shi and Ye Shishan''s command, Tang Xiu still assigned two late-stage Golden Immortals to them.


    On a side note, there was also the Ministry of Execution under Tang An''s leadership along with Feng Yang and Shui Gui. They were leading 500 assassination experts in the department. They were also going through the experience for these 8 months outside.


    It was Gu Xiaoxue and his aunt Tang Min who made Tang Xiu feel vexed and at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh. Both of them were in charge of the Ministry of Finance. They learned the common sense in the Immortal World during these five months, while at the same time, they applied their business sense, using half a million Immortal Crystals as their capital to earn more than 2 million Immortal Crystals.


    Such capability truly amazed Tang Xiu.


    At the Stargazing Pavilion.


    Tang Xiu sat cross-legged on a cushion, holding a Demon Stone in each palm, quickly absorbing and refining them to strengthen his power bit by bit. Finally, when the last two Demon Stones were thoroughly absorbed and refined, a wry smile appeared on his handsome face.


    The Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis was a cultivation art that even the Demon Gods regarded as a treasure. Absorbing Immortal Force had no significant effect as, at most, it could only make the Primal Chaos power in his body be more powerful. However, what he needed to break through most was his physique at the moment. Even without his cultivation base, he could crush ordinary immortals with pure physique strength. He was even confident to trade blows and defeat any of them.


    "Yan''er." Tang Xiu looked at Gu Yan''er sitting cross-legged on the opposite side.


    Gu Yan''er opened her eyes and asked, "What''s the matter, Master?"


    "I''m going to take Ahlang out for a walk and buy something while convenient," said Tang Xiu. "You just stay here and practice! But if I don''t come back in a month, wait for the third batch of our personnel to return, and let the fourth batch of members go out for experience."


    Gu Yan''er thought for a while and said, "No problem, I''ll take charge of the Heavenly Abode artifact. However, Master, you need to take out all those 17 Golden Immortals with you. Else, I''ll be endlessly worrying about your safety."


    "No need to be that nervous." Tang Xiu shook his head and smilingly said, "Although the Hessen Castle''s sphere of influence is very vast, we won''t leave too far. Besides, the place where Nine Nether Swordmeister is staying at is not that far from here. I''ll contact him immediately if I have to. I''m sure he can arrive in time."


    "I''ll be at ease if you bring more people, Master." Gu Yan''er insisted.


    "Alright, alright." Tang Xiu said, "Then I''ll take Battle Peng and six other Golden Immortals!"


    "Okay!"


    Gu Yan''er didn''t make things more difficult. She believed that the Golden Immortals purchased from the Convict Area who could survive in such a fierce place where absolute battle-hardened characters were kept.


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu''s complexion slightly changed. He instantly stretched his hand and quickly, Star Devourer Insect flew out of his body. Right after, Tang Xiu heard its voice transmitted. "Immortal Stones, Immortal Crystals, please give me tons of them quickly."


    Tang Xiu''s expression slightly changed yet again. After giving the Heavenly Abode artifact to Gu Yan''er, he immediately took Star Devourer Insect to the artifact space. When both of them appeared in an empty area, he quickly took out tens of thousands of Immortal Crystals from the interspatial ring and asked in a deep voice, "Are you breaking through, by chance?"


    "Yes!"


    Star Devourer Insect only responded shortly and let out a horrible devouring force that continuously swallowed the tens of thousands of Immortal Crystals.


    Immediately after, the Star Devourer Insect''s size began to expand. From a finger-sized state to ten meters in height in just half a minute. Its huge body resembled a hill as it expelled out an enormous aura that made even Tang Xiu''s expression slightly discolored.


    Taking a deep breath, Tang Xiu took out a million Immortal Crystals from his interspatial ring and threw them to Soul Devourer Insect. "I can give you however many you can swallow. Remember to strive to breakthrough directly. The stronger you are, the better!"


    "Understood!"


    Star Devourer Insect was joyful. Tang Xiu''s assurance made the devouring force coming from it to get stronger and stronger as it quickly swallowed the million Immortal Crystals.


    Immediately after, its physique swelled up again. It took 8 days for its body to stop expanding before its aura began to stabilize at a certain high level. When it roared into the sky, Tang Xiu quickly moved and smacked it.


    "Shut the hell up, will you? Do you want to shock everyone in the Heavenly Abode or something?" Tang Xiu chided him furiously.


    Star Devourer Insect quickly converged its aura and its body quickly shrank. In just a moment, it shrank to the size of a fist and floated in front of Tang Xiu, saying, "Ugh¡­ I was a bit excited since my strength has skyrocketed, Master. However, I really feel very strong now. At least stronger than you."


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes in response and angrily snapped. "You''re strong enough to fight a Golden Immortal, so you certainly are stronger than me, dummy! Besides, you just devoured too many of my Immortal Crystals, to begin with."

 1305 The Dark Cour

    Star Devourer Insect''s body began to morph and, after a short time, it turned into a miniature humanoid covered by a hard shell but with a human head and limbs. It burst into laughter and excitedly said, "What? I turn out to be comparable to a Golden Immortal expert? That''s great. Awesome. No worries, Master. I just devoured your Immortal Crystals, but I''ll repay it ten million times in the future."


    Having said that, it lightly circled around and smilingly said, "What do you think, Master? Do I look handsome and cool? Well, the humans on your Earth are kind of interesting. I miss the days when I followed you on Earth, Master."


    Tang Xiu looked at him with a smile and said, "Then how about I send you back to Earth?"


    "Uh¡­ don''t mind me that thought, Master." Star Devourer Insect smiled and said, "Well, although there are many interesting things on Earth, I still prefer it here, though. God! This place has great food, Immortal Crystals, rich Immortal Force, and those intoxicating various mineral deposits are just awesome. Besides, there''s my favorite Master living here, no?"


    "Bah, what an ass-kisser." Tang Xiu couldn''t help but roll his eyes. Suddenly, he was hit by a bad feeling after seeing the flattering expression on this guy''s face. He watched it cautiously and asked, "I''ve provided you with tons of Immortal Crystals, so what are you gonna do now? You also know how vast the Chinese culture is, so you must know the saying among the Chinese to not be greedy and enough is enough, capiche?"


    "Master, you humans need to eat too, right?" asked Star Devourer Insect.


    "One doesn''t need to eat if his cultivation grows strong enough," answered Tang Xiu.


    "But I''m still young, Master." Star Devourer Insect felt being wronged and retorted.


    Tang Xiu was really defeated by this fella. This guy had strength comparable to a Golden Immortal, yet he said he was still young? How could this sonuvabitch whose age only God knew many times older than him still got a set skill to act young like this? How come he failed to notice this bastard''s essence before?


    "Just blow your fart out quickly if you got something to say. But I gotta remind you first. I have a great family here and everyone in the Great Tang Empire needs me to feed them, so if you still want Immortal Crystals, I''m really sorry."


    "I want no more Immortal Crystals." Star Devourer Insect said, "You just need to provide ores, metals, or any materials. As long as it''s not garbage, they can become my nourishment. I can also extract their essences. Master, don''t you want to have a super Star Devourer Insect as your bodyguard? Uh, no, just let me be your thug, kay? I''ll definitely devour anyone you don''t like, promise!"


    Tang Xiu shot a weird look at it and asked, "It wasn''t only your strength that improved, was it? It seems your brain evolved too."


    "It was you who took me into your body, Master." Star Devourer Insect smilingly said, "I experienced what you''ve been through as well, so, of course, my IQ has to be improved, else I''d be so sorry for your reward."


    "NO SHEETS!"


    Tang Xiu recalled all the adult things he did with his women and suddenly couldn''t help but swear. But when he thought about, Does this bastard even care about it? This shitty thing surely knows fart about things between men and women.


    "Alright, I''ll provide them to you later."


    Tang Xiu promised and put it back into his body directly. When he left Heavenly Abode artifact and appeared in front of Gu Yan''er, he smilingly said, "Well, we got another Golden Immortal thug now, so you can rest assured! No danger will come to me later."


    "The Star Devourer Insect actually broke through to the Golden Immortal Stage? Its cultivation speed is really very fast."


    "If my guess is correct, more than 35,000 monsters will soon be able to advance to the Golden Immortal Stage too. After all, they''ve lived for too long and their continuous accumulation will make their strength progress by leaps and bounds after they get the immortal cultivation arts. Let''s wait and see! It won''t be long before our Great Tang Empire will have tens of thousands of Golden Immortals."


    Gu Yan''er smilingly nodded in response. But shortly after, her expression slightly changed, realizing that although she could still hold her position as the strongest in the Great Tang Empire now, a large number of Golden Immortals would appear the more time passed. Her position was in jeopardy!


    I gotta breakthrough! I have to advance to the Perfected Golden Immortal in the shortest time possible! As long as I can return to being a Perfected Golden Immortal, I can still maintain my position as the strongest in the Great Tang Empire.


    Green Summit Bazaar.


    In a block of a remote area of Moongazing City was a not so high building with an ordinary environment. But everyone who lived in Moongazing City knew that it was a chaotic place. People from all walks of life everywhere gathered here, while brothels and gambling establishments could be found here and there. It was in such a chaotic place that a huge black market gradually established.


    This black market had many things that were not available elsewhere in Moongazing City. For instance, many wicked things. Even things from the Demon, Devil, and Ashura Realms could be found here. Shortly put, anyone could find anything they wanted in this place as long as they had tons of Immortal Stones, Crystals, or Crystal Essences in their interspatial rings.


    Tang Xiu took Tang Ahlang, Battle Peng, and several other Golden Immortals and dressed as ordinary cultivators as they blended in the Green Summit Bazaar. Tang Xiu''s main purpose in coming here was to purchase resources for his cultivation art, the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis, so the first time he did as a stranger was to find himself a guide.


    Festoon Dragonfly.


    The man was just a small-time gangster, the lowest of its kind in the Green Summit Bazaar. He was one who talked like humans to humans, acted like a ghost when he bumped into ghosts and kept changing roles according to the situation. In short, he lived a good life relying on his shrewdness.


    Being a guide was one of his identities, and he used it to earn extra money. However, he had been here for centuries and never once met a real loaded person nor received too big a reward.


    At the door of a Spirit Beast shop, Festoon Dragonfly leaned on the door of the shop with all kinds of boredom filling him. His eyes casually glanced around through the crowd. But suddenly, his expression shifted and his eyes locked on a group of nine people passing by not far away.


    He possessed a special ability which only he knew about. That special ability allowed him to sense the aura of others. Even though the other party had all their auras restrained, he could still sense it, allowing him to be able to judge their cultivation level.


    An ordinary Immortal with an ordinary cultivator, yet they are followed by 7 Golden Immortal experts? These guys are definitely not natives of Green Summit Bazaar since I have never seen them. Seeing their appearances, they definitely came here to buy something. Maybe because they''re not familiar with this place, so they''re just looking blindly.


    After the fella made the inference, he immediately greeted the nine people with a full smiling face. While blocking Tang Xiu''s way, he nodded at him and smilingly said, "Do you perhaps need a guide, Sire? This little one is called Festoon Dragonfly¡ªa walking booklet of Green Summit Bazaar you can inquire about. Whether you''d like to buy some special things or is in need of something here, just tell me. This little one guarantees that he can take you to the best place to buy whatever you''d like to purchase."


    "State your price," said Tang Xiu.


    Festoon Dragonfly was immediately excited upon hearing it and smilingly replied, "Sir, you just got yourself the best guide here, so the price for my service will be much more expensive. 2 Immortal Stones a day. Of course, I charge more than others for several reasons. Firstly, I can help you bargain when you buy something and I promise you that I can expose those who dare to try to scam you. Additionally, I guarantee to not take some secret bonuses. You know what I''m saying, right?"


    "I know." Tang Xiu nodded in response. The said "bonus" was for the guides who took potential patrons to the stores they were familiar with. After the patrons bought something, they would get a commission from the stores.


    Tang Xiu then shifted to Festoon Dragonfly and smilingly said, "You got quite an interesting name, and your self-recommendation is rather effective too. I did come here to buy some things. I''ll give you 2 Immortal Crystals if you can serve me well."


    "No worries, Sire. I promise you the best serv¡­"


    All of a sudden, his words came to an abrupt halt as disbelief covered his pretty face. He blinked and stutteringly asked, "You¡­ what did you just say? You''ll give me 2 Immortal Crystals every day and not Immortal Stones?"


    "You heard it right," Tang Xiu said with a smile. "Complete the task excellently and not only will I give 2 Immortal Crystals every day, but also lots of rewards after I''m done with all my purchases. But the number of rewards will depend on your ability in the process."


    Festoon Dragonfly looked ecstatic. He nodded repeatedly and bowed. "No worries, Sire. This one swears to Heaven that you''ll get the best service this one can provide. For the next days, you''ll become my Heaven and Earth, my parent, my benefactor. You can tell me any kind of items you''d like to buy and I''ll take you there right away."


    "So, you should know a place that sells Demon Stones, then?" asked Tang Xiu.


    Festoon Dragonfly was stunned before he nodded and replied, "I know the things sold in the Dark Court. Most of them are items from the Demon Realm. Further, the Dark Court itself is also the shop with the most Demon Stones in the Green Summit Bazaar."


    "Lead the way, then." Tang Xiu nodded.


    The Dark Court was deep in the Green Summit Bazaar and extended far to one side. When everyone arrived, Tang Xiu discovered that the Dark Court itself was a high-grade artifact. Aside from its defensive effect, it had no offensive feature, so it was used as a shop.


    As everyone entered the Dark Court, they found many booths and independent shops inside where every one of them was hosted by people who sold items from the Demon Realm.


    "Are you here to buy or sell?"


    Two majestic men dressed in black armor greeted them. Their eyes shot a scrutinizing look at the group, and the question came from the man on the left.


    "Buy," Tang Xiu answered.


    The man on the left nodded and said, "1 Immortal Stone per person as an entry fee."


    Tang Xiu took out 10 Immortal Stones and handed them to the other party as he watched them leave. Then, he looked around at the stalls and independent shops inside. Festoon Dragonfly was obviously a regular of the place since he merrily joked and greeted many stalls and shop owners.

 1306 Snatching Someone’s Cherished Items

    Walking slowly along the Dark Court''s corridor, Tang Xiu''s eyes constantly swept across the stalls on both sides. His spiritual sense even enveloped all the surrounding areas, observing the items on the stalls and independent shops. He did find some Demon Stones, but after seeing the things here, he immediately realized that there were better items than Demon Stones for him, such as Demon Cores and Demon Essences.


    Aside from that, there were still a lot of demon fruits. The one that amazed Tang Xiu the most was that some people were bold enough to sell demon pills.


    It must be noted that anything that came from the Demon Realm had always been shunned and rejected by orthodox Immortals. Even some people with a sense of justice forcibly killed people who sold such items from the Demon Realm.


    Tang Xiu himself did not go to such extremes. In his view, there were many good things in the Demon Realm. If those objects could be used reasonably, the effect would be much better than its counterpart in the Immortal World.


    Festoon Dragonfly followed Tang Xiu all the time. Although he greeted the stall and shop owners, his eyes lingered on Tang Xiu most of the time. After strolling for some kilometers, the fella finally couldn''t help but ask, "Do you have some stalls or shops in mind now, Sire? If you''re still considering it, I suggest you go to the shop of the Great Demon Venerable. The price of goods there may be very expensive, but that shop has the most comprehensive and the best goods you can find here."


    "Take us there, then," said Tang Xiu.


    "At your wish, Sire."


    Dragonfly then led Tang Xiu and the rest to walk for some hundreds of meters again before he finally stopped outside an independent shop. His eyes glanced at the man at the shop''s door and then cried out, "Yow, Hairy Tooth guy, you gotta spare me your parlor tricky cheat here. I brought you a distinguished patron, so you gotta quickly send a notice to Sir Demon to welcome them, got it?"


    The guy rolled his eyes at him before glancing at everyone in Tang Xiu''s group. Then, he slowly shouted to the interior, "Hey, Eighteenth Uncle, you got some patrons. Quickly come out and greet ''em!"


    A short while after, as Tang Xiu and the rest entered the shop, they saw a fat middle-aged man that looked like a ball of meat lackadaisically came out. One of his eyes opened ever so slightly and swept Tang Xiu and the rest. Then, he asked with a smile, "What would you like to buy, patrons?"


    Tang Xiu withdrew his spiritual sense because at the moment, they were not the only patrons in the shop, so he replied, "Demon Stones, Demon Essences, demon fruits, demon liquid. Certainly, if you have some good-grade demon pills, I want them too."


    "Big client!"


    Great Demon Venerable was surprised and grinned. "Dear Patron, everything you need can be found in this shop. You can go get them directly and we''ll just sum up the total price. Of course, I''ll give you a discount if you buy in bulk."


    "Alrighty!"


    Tang Xiu took the interspatial ring from Great Demon Venerable and then walked through the shelves. Then, he put the pieces of Demon Stones, Demon Essences, demon fruits and demon liquids into the ring. Everything was already marked with a price tag, so Tang Xiu knew their value.


    Finally, Tang Xiu stopped in the innermost corner, looking at the dozens of bottles and jars placed on the shelves. A glint flashed in his eyes as he put all the demon pills on it into the ring. Just as he was about to leave the spot, five figures suddenly blocked his path.


    "You don''t have to sweep out everything here no matter how rich you are, do you, Sir? I really need that Miasma Poison Pill. I''ve been looking for it in many places before I saw it here. How about I pay you double the price for it?" said a burly man indifferently.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "Sorry, first come first serve. Whoever buys it first will get it. This Poison Miasma Pill also has a great effect on me, so I can''t exchange it with you."


    A cold light flashed in the burly man''s eyes and he indifferently said again, "You haven''t paid it yet, have you?"


    "Not yet, indeed." Tang Xiu nodded.


    "Since you haven''t paid it, it''s not yours and still the shop''s and subject of bargain to the highest bidder in nature," the burly man said. "I don''t want to bother to deal with you, so let''s compare our wealth and see who can afford a higher price. How about it?"


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "I already put it in the ring, which means that I have the right to purchase it first. You will never get it unless I give it up."


    "Are you looking for death, Brat?! You must take it out if our Young Master wants it. Else I''ll drive you out of the Green Summit Bazaar!" an old man behind the burly man expelled out a strong killing intent that was visible on his face as he shouted.


    Tang Xiu shot him an indifferent glance. His eyes then shifted on the burly man''s face and lightly said, "Did what he say is what''s in your mind as well?"


    The burly man didn''t speak, but his cold eyes showed his attitude.


    Tang Xiu turned to Great Demon Venerable who came over and lightly smiled. "Who do you want to sell it to, then?"


    Demon Venerable smiled in response and said, "You both can negotiate. Then come find me to pay the bill."


    Tang Xiu looked back at the burly man and nodded. "Let me give you some disgrace and shame since you want to compare wealth with me. A bottle of Poison Miasma Pills is valued at 80,000 Immortal Crystals, while I''ll buy it at 800,000. The price is 10 times higher, would you bid higher than me?"


    The burly man sneered and said, "I have 1 million Immortal Crystals here."


    "2 million," said Tang Xiu.


    "3 million," followed the burly man again.


    Tang Xiu slightly frowned and thought for a while. Then, he angrily said, "10 million Immortal Crystals. Do you still dare to bid?"


    A chilling light gleamed in the burly man''s eyes as he stared at Tang Xiu as though he wanted to see through the guy. After a long time, he coldly said, "11 million Immortal Crystals."


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes and muttered to himself, "Are the rich idiots or something? Poison Miasma Pills are only worth up to 100,000 Immortal Crystals, yet you still want to pay it for 11 million Immortal Crystals? Haih, forget it. I''m too lazy to offend you, so might as well give it to you! If you want it, just pay 80,000 Immortal Crystals. I will say no more."


    Having said that, he took out the Poison Miasma Pill from the interspatial ring and threw it to the guy. Then, he handed the ring to Great Demon Venerable. He looked at the angry man and lightly smiled, "Check them out. I bought enough things and you gotta know that I''m still pissed off by you. You had better give a preferential price, else I don''t mind blowing up what has transpired here today."


    Great Demon Venerable himself was annoyed by Tang Xiu, seeing him willing to let the other party buy the Poison Miasma Pill for 80,000 Immortal Crystals, his original price tag. But it was a dispute between Tang Xiu and that man, so he could only suppress the annoyance inwardly. As his spiritual sense swept through the ring, he said, "All will be 64.72 million Immortal Crystals. You bought so many things here, so I''ll give you a discount and waive those 20,000 Immortal Crystals."


    "Is that your offer?" Tang Xiu frowned and said, "Do you think I lack Immortal Crystals or something?"


    "I''m just upset, so that''s the discount for you." Great Demon Venerable coldly sneered. "Take it or leave it."


    At the side, Dragonfly''s expression changed and he interjected in a heavy voice. "Demon Sire, I''ve always respected you, so I always brought big patrons to your shop. In the recent 50 years, I''ve brought you at least hundreds of distinguished patrons, Sir. Although you did reward me a lot of Immortal Stones in return, I know you earn much more than me. Sir, it took me a lot of effort to pull all those patrons to you. If you just drive the patron I''ve brought you away because you''re upset, I''ll immediately take this Sir away and I will never come to your place again in the future."


    A murderous intent glinted in Great Demon Venerable''s eyes as he stared at Dragonfly. He quickly thought inwardly and the cold expression in his heart finally dissipated as he grunted angrily. "You dare threaten me, little bastard?! Wonderful, how awesome you are. Fine! 64 million. I''ll waive 720,000 Immortal Crystals, then!"


    Dragonfly glanced at Tang Xiu and saw his indifferent expression. He suddenly gritted his teeth and interjected. "Sir Demon, you know how much I respect you. It can be said that you''re my idol. I fantasized countless times to be as powerful and as great as a businessman as you in the future. But I''ve brought you more than ten big patrons in the past and I can''t imagine how big the profits you earned from them. Hence, drop it to 60 million. Sell it all for 60 million Immortal Crystals and I guarantee that I''ll bring all the patrons I''ve drawn to you in the future."


    "Impossible!" Great Demon Venerable nearly jumped out and roared angrily, "All the profits I got from these shits are not even enough to make up for 4.72 million Immortal Crystals! How could you make me subtract so much at once? Are you fucking crazy?"


    "I won''t take any commission from all the patrons I''ll bring you in the future!" Dragonfly said aloud.


    Great Demon Venerable''s heart skipped a beat and he looked at the guy incredulously, asking "What nonsense are blabbering you? Who the hell do you think you are, punk? Who is this brat? You''re willing to cut off your own source of income for him?"


    "He''s a good man!" Dragonfly seriously said, "He tipped me a lot more than those people I''ve met in the past. Further, he never reprimanded or cursed at me and even gave a bit of respect instead. That''s why I''m willing to stick up for him."


    Great Demon Venerable fell into silence and stared at Dragonfly and Tang Xiu. After a while, he shook his head and sighed. "Haih, forget it. I won''t insist on my previous price. 62 million Immortal Crystals and that''s it. You want it, then quickly pay. Scram at once if you won''t take it."


    Tang Xiu patted Dragonfly''s shoulder and directly took out an interspatial ring. He handed it to Great Demon Venerable and said, "There are 600,000 Crystal Essences and 2 million Immortal Crystals inside."


    Great Demon Venerable counted it before he finally nodded and said, "The number is correct. Pick whatever you want if there''s something you still need here! Leave now if you don''t need anything else."


    Tang Xiu glanced at the side, looking at the burly man who looked like he was enjoying watching the bustling scene. He then spoke to the guy, "It''s better to squash enmity than keeping it alive. We can be said to have no concord without the previous discord. Farewell, we shall meet again in the future if fate wills it."


    The burly man ignored him while sneering inwardly. A vengeful man as he was, he still remembered the scolding Tang Xiu gave him just now.

 1307 Recollection of the Pas

    After leaving the store, Tang Xiu didn''t directly leave Green Summit Bazaar. If it wasn''t for the conflict with that burly man, he had planned to save some money and keep it for a rainy day. But now, what he wanted to do was spend money crazily, at least clean up all his Immortal Stones, Crystals, and Crystal Essences for now.


    "This is crazy¡­"


    Festoon Dragonfly had already realized previously that Tang Xiu was a rich man, but he never thought Tang Xiu''s wealth would be this mind-blowing. In just 3 days, he secretly calculated the sum of money Tang Xiu spent. The total number of Tang Xiu''s spending had exceeded hundreds of millions of Immortal Crystals.


    That was hundreds of millions¡ªa billion, for God''s sake!


    Despite having heard that many super-powerful people had wealth in the hundreds of millions of Immortal Crystals, Dragonfly never imagined that some people would just spend so much wealth in just a few days.


    "It''s pretty much done." Tang Xiu was satisfied when they left a store.


    The aftermath of spending hundreds of millions of Immortal Stones was that he no longer needed to worry about cultivation resources for a long time in the future. The resources he had now were even enough to advance up to the 9th minor stage of the second big stage of the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis. Once he reached this 9th minor stage, his power would be comparable to peak Golden Immortal experts. It was even likely that he had what it took to take on mid-stage Perfected Golden Immortal.


    Tang Xiu looked at the ass-kissing Festoon Dragonfly. He raised his hand and patted the guy''s shoulder before taking out 10 Crystal Essences and handing them to him. "These are your rewards for helping me shop and bargain in these four days."


    Dragonfly''s expression became dull and incredulity filled his eyes. Even the hands holding the 10 Crystal Essences shivered slightly.


    Crystal Essence? And even 10 of them?


    It must be known that 1 Crystal Essence could be exchanged to 10,000 Immortal Stones. 10 of them were exactly 100,000 Immortal Stones.


    Dragonfly had lived for a century or so and now was a Nascent Soul expert. But he never dreamed that he could earn 100,000 Immortal Stones in his life, such a huge number in his eyes.


    Tang Xiu lightly smiled in response and couldn''t help but feel a bit apologetic inwardly. He really didn''t mind giving more to this guy, but he only had 10 Crystal Essences left.


    "Well, let''s see each other again later, shall we?"


    After saying that, he took Tang Ahlang, Battle Peng, and the other 6 Golden Immortals to the border of Green Summit Bazaar.


    While holding the 10 Crystal Essences, Dragonfly slowly lifted his head and looked at Tang Xiu''s back. His lips wriggled a few times and his aura suddenly burst out. Although he was very weak, tenacity and firmness filled his eyes. He straightly knelt in the direction of Tang Xiu''s departure and shouted, "Sir, could you take me under you? I''m willing to follow you for eternity!"


    Tang Xiu''s pace halted. As the eight people behind him gave way, Tang Xiu looked at Dragonfly kneeling on his knees with a strange expression.


    D¨¦j¨¤ vu. It was a thousand years ago, wasn''t it?


    How similar are the eyes of this Festoon Dragonfly brat to those of the ragged and dirty little beggar? Eyes filled with gratitude, pleading, yet full of firmness and tenacity?


    Tang Xiu still remembered the little beggar, who he took in as a disciple. The boy followed him and devoted himself to cultivation until he became a Perfected Golden Immortal expert. It was him who accidentally said that he wished to have a bizarre flower in the endless abyss. Little Beggar crossed through thousands of Immortal Domains to the endless abyss, venturing deep with only a slim chance to survive just to take that strange flower out.


    It was precisely due to that bizarre flower that made Little Beggar become a target of pursuit by a large mob of Perfected Golden Immortals across many Immortal Domains.


    At that time, Tang Xiu was too late. He slaughtered all the Perfected Golden Immortals there the moment he arrived and finally took the dying Little Beggar. He took that flower with tearful eyes as he watched his final moment as his soul disappeared.


    It was also at that time Tang Xiu began slaughtering the whole sects and clans of the culprits. A total of more than 48,000 Immortals, including one Supreme, 30-plus Perfected Golden Immortals, and too many Golden Immortals to count.


    Step by step, Tang Xiu stopped in front of Dragonfly, scrutinized those familiar eyes, and murmured, "Give me a reason."


    "I''ll give you my life and work for you. And you will make me stronger."


    Tang Xiu''s heart twitched a few times. He could hardly believe his ears. It was the same question he asked Little Beggar, and that was the answer Little Beggar gave him.


    That''s right. It''s exactly the same, not even a word wrong or missing.


    Tang Xiu clenched his fists and slowly loosened them. He reached out to pick up Dragonfly and spoke with each word emphasized, "Dragonfly, you''re now my disciple starting from today. I want you to work for me, but in exchange, I demand you to become stronger."


    "Master."


    Dragonfly knelt down again and directly knocked his head thrice at Tang Xiu.


    It was the chance he had been longing for¡ªa long wish of becoming stronger.


    In his eyes, although Tang Xiu was just an ordinary Immortal and shouldn''t have reached the Earth Immortal Stage, he believed the real Tang Xiu was very powerful. After all, not just anyone had 7 Golden Immortals as bodyguards.


    Tang Ahlang was smiling. This time, he reached out and pulled Dragonfly up and smilingly said, "My name is Tang Ahlang, please call me Senior Martial Brother Ahlang."


    Dragonfly was stunned and then called out respectfully, "Senior Martial Brother Ahlang."


    Tang Ahlang''s smile turned more brilliant. He took out 9 Crystal Essences from his interspatial ring and handed them to Dragonfly. "Master just gave you 10 Crystal Essences. I can''t give you more than Master gave you, so I''ll give 9. Count it as a red envelope Senior Martial Brother gave you for the first meeting!"


    "Thank you, Senior Martial Brother Ahlang!" Dragonfly gratefully replied.


    Tang Xiu smiled and asked, "Do you still have anything that concerns your mind here? We''re not from Hessen Castle and will be leaving this Immortal Domain in a few months."


    "I have no parents and no siblings," said Dragonfly. "There''s only a friend who left with a caravan 2 years ago and is not in this Immortal Domain."


    "In that case, then follow me." Tang Xiu nodded. "When you become strong in the future, there will be a day to meet your friend as long as he''s still alive."


    "Understood."


    Dragonfly nodded with a firm look in his eyes. He understood what Tang Xiu meant. It was indeed close to impossible to meet his friend again in this boundless Immortal World. There was only one way to meet his friend again, and that was to become a genuine powerhouse so that the whole Immortal World knew his name. At that time, he would only need to speak out a word and countless people would help him find his friend. It was even possible that his friend would find him knowing his name.


    At the intersection of the street of Green Summit Bazaar.


    Tang Xiu sat in tranquility in the teahouse near the gate, looking at the street below the window while savoring a cup of immortal tea.


    Beside him, aside from Tang Ahlang and Dragonfly, there was only Battle Peng and a Golden Immortal. The other six Golden Immortals had unknowingly disappeared.


    Half a day passed by in a flash.


    One of the Golden Immortals named Kahl appeared in front of Tang Xiu. The man''s eyes gleamed as he reported, "I''ve clearly investigated it, Master. That person is the Hunter Clan''s Young Master from Hessen Castle, a Sword Immortal named Scarless Hunter. Those four men around him are Golden Immortals responsible to protect him."


    "You know where this guy is now?" asked Tang Xiu


    "Tipsy Lunar House," Kahl said. "The six of them are secretly watching."


    "It''s not suitable for us to take action in Green Summit Bazaar, so we''ll wait and see! He shouldn''t be some dirt-poor layman given his status as a Young Master. I hope he won''t let me down!"


    "I got an idea that can make him leave that place earlier, Master," said Tang Ahlang with a smile.


    "What idea?" asked Tang Xiu.


    Tang Ahlang leaned closer to Tang Xiu and whispered a few words.


    The smile on Tang Xiu''s face brightened and he happily nodded in approval. "Well, the method may be crooked, but it''s indeed the simplest and most effective. Carry it out! Make him leave Green Summit Bazaar ASAP."


    At Tipsy Lunar House.


    Touted as the most upscale restaurant in Green Summit Bazaar, the site was known to serve gourmet dishes and fine wines, which made countless people who loved savoring good food stay and forget to go home while spending gold and silver like there was no tomorrow. As the young Lord of the Hunter Clan, Scarless Hunter had a distinguished status and many preferences in life. Among them being a foodie.


    "Immortal Foie Gras, Skydeer Tongue, and Blue Rubberfish¡­"


    As the delicious dishes were delivered, Scarless Hunter wolfed them down and kept downing Immortal Wine.


    After finishing the lavish meal, he wiped the corner of his mouth with satisfaction and lamented. "Green Summit Bazaar is indeed a great place. So many special ingredients are unavailable in many places, yet you can find them here. Yeah, this place is so damn great. We have to turn around and buy lots of precious ingredients from the Demon Realm later."


    "Understood!"


    An old man from the four Golden Immortals replied respectfully.


    Scarless Hunter then turned to look out the window. A smile appeared on the corner of his mouth and he said lightly, "That brat is kind of interesting. He unexpectedly hasn''t left Green Summit Bazaar yet and went on a shopping spree these days. Although many of the goods he bought are of no use to us, they can still be sold at a high price. All of you, listen to me. If he doesn''t leave in 10 days, spray some Soul Chasing Scent on him. As long as he dares to come out of Green Summit Bazaar, I''m gonna take his life and wealth."


    "This subordinate will definitely deal with this matter handsomely, Young Master," said the old man respectfully.


    Scarless Hunter happily nodded and said while stroking his chin, "I forgot when was the last time I got scolded by others. How long has it been? I was honestly furious when he swore at me, but now I feel a bit odd. Don''t kill him right away. I''m gonna seal his damn mouth and curse him before killing him."


    Suddenly, his ears shifted. Half an hour later, his expression was that of disbelief and a flame of anger blazed in his eyes. His gaze shifted to the street below the window and locked on several passers-by who were merrily talking while hurrying on the road. He gritted his teeth and said, "Go and get those punks!"

 1308 Robbery

    In front of outsiders, Scarless Hunter was always self-righteous and clean. He regarded the reputation of his clan and himself more important than his own life. Even though he committed many despicable deeds, those were done in secret and he always tried his best to erase all the traces as early as possible.


    However, he overheard the passers-by below all discrediting and smearing him. Not only did they say that he was shameful and insidious, but they also said that he was¡­ homosexual and had male pets in private.


    "F*ck these punks!"


    Scarless Hunter clenched his fists, eyes filled with madness and killing intent as he watched those four passersby''s limbs discarded like dead dogs. He got up and came to the man who just smeared him. Grabbing his mantle, he fiercely shouted, "This God is that Scarless Hunter, the young Lord of Hunter Clan. What kind of enmity did we ever have that would even make you throw such dirt on my face and ruin my reputation?"


    The man whose limbs were discarded stared fearfully. He shook his head desperately and said, "No, no, this lowly has no qualification to contract any enmity with young Lord Hunter! It all comes from the rumors flying everywhere in Green Summit Bazaar. Everything I talked about I heard from others!"


    "Come again?!"


    Scarless Hunter was paralyzed. Even in his wildest dream he never once thought that someone would go so far to spread out such rumors about him. Who was trying smear his name? Who was it that wanted him to be notoriously infamous?


    He didn''t notice that many people in the restaurant were looking at him. He didn''t realize that his action of sending his four henchmen to beat these four passersby out of fury had all been witnessed by these people. All rumors heard were confirmed by witnessing the deeds. It was for this reason that every rumor that slandered him had been deliberately carried out and now taken seriously in everyone''s eyes.


    At the side, the eyes of the old man leader filled with chilling light and he said, "Someone must have intentionally spread the rumors, Young Lord. They definitely want to ruin your reputation. Your subordinate will find them and make them die without a burial ground!"


    "Investigate and find them!" Scarless Hunter snapped. "Those who dare bully me must be torn into pieces!"


    Everyone who witnessed this scene exchanged glances.


    Killing the culprits so they would die without burial grounds? Even going so far as to shred them to pieces?


    Just from the statement alone, it was enough to see how vicious this person was!


    The passerby whose limbs were discarded and left on the floor suddenly looked horrified and cried out, "I, I know who the rumormonger is! They have left Green Summit Bazaar and I overheard they''re heading to the Blackwind Woods!"


    "Who are these people?" shouted Scarless Hunter aloud.


    "I dunno. We really have no idea who they are!" The passerby desperately replied, "I just heard there''s someone among them spreading the rumors and, after shouting that, he said that they''re going to the Blackwind Woods to hunt some beasts. But we''re not sure if he''s the first person who spread the rumors."


    "I don''t give a fuck whether he''s the culprit or not. Those who dare to fabricate and spread rumors to slander me must pay a painful price." Scarless Hunter coldly hummed. "Let''s head to the Blackwind Woods!"


    At the side, one of the Golden Immortal oldsters said, "Young Master, this is unreliable news. Those people did not necessarily go to the Blackwind Woods!"


    "I''d rather believe it than to have no leads whatsoever!" Scarless Hunter sneered. "We''ll definitely find those punks as long as we follow the leads."


    15 minutes later.


    Scarless Hunter, along with his four Golden Immortal subordinates, appeared at the street junction of Green Summit Bazaar. His sharp eyes swept across the side of the teahouse and he snorted coldly before leaving.


    He believed that the guy who scolded him was the kind who would go soft after getting subdued. Yet, he was still far better than those who spread the rumors and slandered him, the kind he hated the most.


    15 minutes passed by.


    Tang Xiu led Tang Ahlang, Dragonfly, and Battle Peng towards the Blackwind Woods direction given by the other six Golden Immortal subordinates. They advanced moderately, and half an hour later, they appeared near a group of people fighting.


    BOOM¡­


    A streak of light struck the chest of an early-stage Golden Immortal from the Hunter Clan, causing his body to fly upside down like a snapped kite. Scarless Hunter and the other three Golden Immortals looked terrified. They wanted to rescue their companions, but these six enemies were so strong that they were left in despair.


    "IT''S HIM!!!"


    The moment Scarless Hunter saw Tang Xiu''s group, the look of despair on his face turned more visible. At this moment, he would be stupid if he was unable to realize that all this farce was aimed to trap him. He could even tell that the very people who spread the rumors to slander him were Tang Xiu and his men.


    "Who the hell are you, thief punk?!" Scarless Hunter furiously growled while fighting back desperately.


    Wearing a contemptuous smile, Tang Xiu laughed aloud and said, "Heh, no need to know who I am. It was you who chose to be a foolish ghost. Meh, wrong. You''re gonna be the goners as it''s impossible for you to be a confused ghost, no?"


    "You voluntarily admitted defeat at Green Summit Bazaar!" Scarless Hunter furiously growled again. "Was it intentional on your part?"


    "Of course it was!" Tang Xiu smilingly replied, "If I didn''t do it on purpose, wouldn''t that be so cheap for that Great Demon shop owner since you''d give him your millions of Immortal Crystals? Instead of giving him free money, I might as well leave it for me to grab. Speaking of it, I gotta thank you. I wouldn''t have dared spend all my Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences if you didn''t aim your killing intent at me."


    "Are you not afraid of my Hunter Clan''s revenge?" Scarless Hunter shouted angrily.


    "Heh, killing and destroying is what I''m best at." Tang Xiu sneered. "You think your Hunter Clan will find out who killed you today? Hey, you guys, do best and take care of your safety!"


    "Understood!"


    The six Golden Immortals no longer held back. All of them were ruthless characters who frequented the edge of life and death countless times. Even their artifacts and weapons were refined by Tang Xiu, causing their power to soar compared to before.


    Slash! Slash! Slash!


    Sword beams kept flickering accompanied by blade light flying in all directions.


    Scarless Hunter only watched as his three Golden Immortal protectors got slaughtered easily by the enemy. Even their Immortal Souls couldn''t escape and were twisted and crushed by Immortal Swords and artifacts into oblivion. He had been through many crises before, yet he had never been so close to death like now.


    "D-Don''t kill me, I''ll give you back the Poison Miasma Pill and another 10 million Immortal Crystals!"


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes and scolded him. "Are you an idiot?! As long as you''re killed, that Poison Miasma Pill and the 10 million Immortal Crystals won''t be the only things that will be mine. All your wealth will be mine! Take him on and kill him!"


    Puff¡­


    Scarless Hunter was beheaded and his body shattered in an instant. Even his Immortal Soul was destroyed by Sword Qi and disappeared between Heaven and Earth.


    Tang Xiu received 5 interspatial rings. After erasing the marks on them, his spiritual sense swept through the space inside and he immediately looked happy. He found quite a lot of wealth in them. There were 2.4 million Crystal Essences alone and countless Immortal Stones and Crystals. The total wealth added up was worth more than 310 million.


    Further, there were also a lot of cultivation resources and many precious items in Scarless Hunter''s ring. As for the rings of the other four Golden Immortals, there were also a large number of Immortal Stones, Crystals, and Crystal Essences. The final number after he counted them was 4.6 million Crystal Essences, 120 million Immortal Crystals, and 80 million Immortal Stones. The rest of the items were worth around 5 million Crystal Essences.


    "Destroy the traces of the fight and evacuate immediately!"


    Tang Xiu was reluctant to clash with the Hunter Clan. He was perfectly aware that the current strength of the Great Tang Empire was not yet able to take on this clan. After all, this clan had a Perfected Golden Immortal at the helm. Once both sides fought, even if they were able to find foreign aid and had Nine Nether Swordmeister''s help, they were bound to suffer huge losses.


    Two hours later.


    Tang Xiu had left the scene by tens of thousands of kilometers when tens of figures flickered and moved lightning fast in the Blackwind Woods. All these figures were experts from the Hunter Clan. The clan''s ancestor had conjured a secret art and finally determined the place where the five people were killed, which pointed to this place.


    However, they searched hard for a long time only to find traces of fight here, but they were unable to find the remains of Scarless Hunter''s group of five. In the next few days, they even searched the entire Green Summit Bazaar, collecting various news and intel, yet no information about the murderer could be found.


    In the Dark Court.


    The round ball-like Demon Venerable watched as the several powerhouses of the Hunter clan left with gleaming eyes. He didn''t expect that the young man who bought a lot of things here turned out to have such great courage to kill the Hunter Clan''s young Lord. It must be noted that in the Hessen Castle Immortal Domain, aside from Madame Empyrean Lady and two other clans that were stronger than the Hunter Clan, there was no other that could take on the Hunters. Killing this clan''s young Lord was as bold as it was audacious.


    "Listen! You''re forbidden to reveal even half a word of anything that has transpired here, capiche? Else, don''t blame me for being ruthless." Great Demon Venerable spoke with all seriousness after being silent for a long while.


    Several men nodded one after another. One of them then curiously said, "Venerable, do you think that person was¡­"


    "Shut up!" Great Demon Venerable coldly shut him off.


    The man shrunk and looked terrified.


    Great Demon Venerable forced a wry smile and said, "We''re business people. Our purpose is to make money. We''re not to get involved in any affairs that arise out of anything. Besides, I have a hunch that Hessen Castle won''t be quiet in the future."


    Another man looked puzzled and said, "Venerable one, even if the Hunter Clan''s young Lord was killed, it won''t necessarily have any impact on the entire situation of Hessen Castle, right? At most, the Hunters will just cause some trouble."


    Great Demon Venerable sneered. "Do you think that fella is some weak layman even if he dares to kill the Hunter''s Young Master? Do you think he has no eminent background himself? Most importantly, the Hunter''s Young Master himself was very strong and his four henchmen were Golden Immortal powerhouses. Yet they can be slaughtered silently and all the traces have been erased. Do you think such a party is weak?"

 1309 Getting Robbed

    Great Demon Venerable turned to look outside the shop and spoke in a much toned-down voice, "Quite a large number of powerhouses came to Hessen Castle recently. Some of them are Perfected Golden Immortals. The rest of the powerhouses from several neighboring Immortal Domains came due to the gamble between Nine Nether Swordmeister and Venerable Netherworld. They are rushing to Moongazing Monarch City. On the surface, the entire Moongazing Monarch City looks to be stable, but some dark tides are working in the background already. If the news of the Hunter Clan''s Young Master were to carelessly leak out from the wild guesses coming from your mouths, you can expect that we will be in for huge trouble."


    Several folks exchanged looks and finally realized the seriousness of the matter and promised never to talk nonsense anymore.


    Great Demon Venerable waved his hand and said, "I''m giving you 100 Immortal Crystals each later on. You are to stay in the shop and cultivate all the time. I''m going to stroll around to meet some old buddies of mine."


    ****


    At the Stargazing Pavilion.


    Tang Xiu had just returned and learned from Gu Yan''er that six Spirit Formation Stage members of the Tiger Army, as well as a high official of Great Tang Empire Chen Shaohua, had encountered an ambush of an unidentified group of experts. The other party had an Immortal at the rear, but luckily for their side, the Immortal Monster who protected them appeared in time and saved them from being killed.


    "Who is the other party?" asked Tang Xiu with a cold, heavy voice.


    "There''s no news yet. Our Intelligence Department has yet to set up an intel network here and, due to our unfamiliarity with this place and its natives, we have yet able to figure out who the other party is," Gu Yan''er said. "However, two Golden Immortals have been dispatched to catch up with them. They should be able to solve the issues there."


    "Where''s the place?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "At the dry spot of Deepsoil River," Gu Yan''er said.


    "Let''s go take a look!" Tang Xiu said, "We met quite a lot of powerhouses on the way back. Many of them should be catching up from other Immortal Domains. I think Moongazing Monarch City won''t be too peaceful in the coming days."


    Feeling puzzled, Gu Yan''er asked, "What kind of major event is going to happen here?"


    "Is the gamble between two Perfected Golden Immortals not a major event in itself?" Tang Xiu said lightly, "This Hessen Castle is just a small Immortal Domain as there''s no Supremacy Stage expert here. Hence, matters pertaining to Perfected Golden Immortals are already serious and terrifying issues to the billion other walks of life here."


    "You''re right, Master." Gu Yan''er nodded after hearing. "There are probably a few Perfected Golden Immortals in the entire Hessen Castle Domain. Even among millions of Perfected Golden Immortals, the emergence of someone advancing to the Supremacy Stage among them is not necessarily happening, so the gambling between two Perfected Golden Immortals is indeed a big deal here. However, the cultivation level of our Great Tang Empire''s people is not yet high. If you are to restrain them and just let them understand the situation in the Immortal World and prevent them from making trouble, I think it shouldn''t be a problem."


    "Our empire has too many people and accidents will inevitably happen," Tang Xiu said. "I''ve decided to visit the Convict Arena again in the near future to buy another batch of Golden Immortals."


    "We have 20 Golden Immortals and the number is far too few indeed. Buying another batch would indeed enable us to deal with any danger we encounter in the future." Gu Yan''er nodded.


    ****


    In the dry area of Deepsoil River.


    Two Golden Immortals of the Great Tang Empire, Celestial Immortal Stage Immortal Monsters, stood in front of Chen Shaohua and the six members of the Tiger Army, facing a group of Immortals in front.


    At this moment, green blood drenched the Celestial Immortal Stage Immortal Monster''s attire. Even the immortal sword in his hand had been cut to half, whereas Chen Shaohua and the six members of the Tiger Army were all scarred and looked extremely miserable.


    As for the other party, the group consisted of 18 people in total. Aside from a Profound Immortal expert among them, there were 4 Celestial Immortals and the rest were cultivators at the Spirit Formation Stage.


    The four Celestial Immortals and that Profound Immortal surrounded a Spirit Formation Stage young cultivator. The youth looked very young, apparently in his 17-plus of age. His figure was lean and his face was pale, but an unruly and rebellious look was apparent on his face.


    "Hand over that Purple Diamond Alloy and lay down your life! Else, the moment my Nightwolf Clan''s elders arrive here is when you''re gonna die without a burial ground." The boy''s murderous eyes locked on the Great Tang Empire''s members as he threatened.


    Although Chen Shaohua was seriously injured, his eyes shone coldly. After walking to the side of two Golden Immortals, he coldly said, "We''re the first who get the Purple Diamond Alloy, so why should we give it to you? I already told you that you can have it if you pay 1 million Immortal Crystals, else don''t even think about it."


    The teenager clenched his fists with eyes filled with killing intent. He stroked his chin and said, "No one dares snatch anything Wondersky Nightwolf takes a liking to. No one. You must still hand it over to me even if you get it first. Your Young Lord is now upset, so fucking deeply upset. I''ll make you die without a burial ground if you don''t give it to me now!"


    Having said that, a purple gold gourd appeared in his hand out of thin air. He pulled out the cork and drank Immortal Wine, proudly stating, "You should be from other Immortal Domains, right? To think that you never heard of Nightwolf Clan, you truly are blissfully ignorant! Let me tell you. My Nightwolf Clan is one of the strongest powers in Moongazing Monarch City. We have countless Golden Immortals and our Ancestor is a late-stage Golden Immortal. Pity that Ancestor just has to meet his friends in Moongazing Monarch City. But it''s likely Ancestor can immediately rush here. You''re all gonna die very miserably if you don''t hand over that Purple Diamond Alloy."


    A late-stage Golden Immortal?


    The two late-stage Golden Immortals'' eyes flashed with contempt. However, they were only responsible to protect the Great Tang Empire''s people, and it was not convenient to deal with the matters themselves. Therefore, they just looked at Chen Shaohua. As long as Chen Shaohua ordered, they would immediately strike and go for the kill.


    Chen Shaohua, however, was a bit hesitant. He had no idea that the two powerhouses around him were also late-stage Golden Immortals. He recalled His Majesty''s order not to commit anything that would cause trouble outside.


    Further, he didn''t know much about the situation in the Immortal World, and he was unclear about how large the power of the clans in the Immortal World was. Therefore, he kept hesitating, at a loss of how he should proceed.


    Suddenly, everyone shifted their attention to the direction of Moongazing Monarch City since they could sense the coming of several enormous auras in their direction. Among them was an aura that made the two Golden Immortal powerhouses of the Great Tang Empire feel a sense of crisis.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    In just several breaths, the tens of figures appeared in front of everyone.


    "Wondersky, I received your distress message. What''s going on here?" an old man in front inquisitively asked with creased brows.


    Wondersky Nightwolf hurriedly cried out, "Ancestor, the Purple Diamond Alloy I fancied was robbed by this group of punks! Originally, the fight was between juniors below the Immortal Stage. But when they found they can''t take us on, that Immortal Monster got involved. After not being able to beat us, then came some other helpers. Those two guys are likely Profound Immortals!"


    Vastly Martial Nightwolf.


    He was the ancestor of the Nightwolf Clan who had broken through to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage decades ago. Being a low-key person, only a handful of people in the whole Moongazing Monarch City knew that he had become a Perfected Golden Immortal. He looked at the two Golden Immortals of the Great Tang Empire with slightly creased brows. He could keenly sense that even though these two fellows had Golden Immortal aura, there was something about them that made him slightly vigilant.


    "Just some trivial and weak late-stage Golden Immortals. Just kill them if you want to." The eyes of a middle-aged fatty standing next to Vastly Martial Nightwolf flashed with disdain as he stated indifferently.


    Recalling his own status as a Perfected Golden Immortal and also Nine Nether Swordmeister, a mid-stage Perfected Golden Immortal next to him, Vastly Martial suddenly relaxed. He then sneered and said, "Indeed, Golden Immortals do have some capabilities, but killing them is still a very easy thing to do."


    Chen Shaohua''s expression changed. He was keenly aware of the discolored expressions of the two Golden Immortals around him. The sight immediately gave birth to a bad hunch in his heart.


    He knew that he likely ran into a troublesome matter.


    However, he gritted his teeth and paced a few steps forwards and spoke in a heavy voice, "You may all powerhouses and are likely Perfected Golden Immortals. But this matter has nothing to do with the rest of the Great Tang Empire''s people. I admit that I''m not your opponent at all. I''ll hand over the Purple Diamond Alloy and you can kill all of us, but leave out the rest as they''re not involved!"


    "Heh, what kind of shit is this Great Tang Empire, huh? A bunch of cowards?" Vastly Martial Nightwolf sneered.


    He was about to strike after saying that when at the side, Nine Nether Swordmeister, whose expression turned strange, quickly raised his hand to stop him when he was about to attack. The fatty looked at Chen Shaohua and asked, "You said you''re the Great Tang Empire''s people? Is there anyone in the Great Tang Empire called the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor?"


    Great Tang Heavenly Emperor?


    Chen Shaohua knew that it was Tang Xiu''s alias in the Immortal World and replied indifferently, "He''s the Emperor of our Great Tang Empire."


    Nine Nether Swordmeister was stunned. He immediately shifted to the two Golden Immortals and asked, "You both were purchased by Great Tang Heavenly Emperor from the Convict Arena, weren''t you?"


    One of them answered, "Indeed."


    Nine Nether Swordmeister let out a forced, wry smile and waved his hand. "Haih, Brother Vastly Martial, let''s cut this off and forget it, shall we? I''ll be a peacemaker here and give the Purple Diamond Alloy to this Great Tang Empire''s people."


    Vastly Martial Nightwolf was surprised and asked, "Brother Nine Nether, do you know this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor?"


    "Not only do I know him, but I was also even the one who bought these two Golden Immortals from Convict Arena myself and gave them to Tang Lil Bro. Originally, he purchased a total of 20 late-stage Golden Immortals from Convict Arena."


    Gasp¡­


    Incredulity painted Vastly Martial''s face and he blurted out in amazement, "Brother Nine Nether, what is the origin of this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor? To think that he was worth your¡­"


    "Speaking about it, I''m very curious about Tang Lil Bro''s identity myself." Nine Nether Swordmeister interrupted him. "But everyone has their own secrets. He was unwilling to disclose it to me, so I naturally didn''t force him. Further, I had a gamble with him before and didn''t expect that I''d actually lose to him. That''s why he''s also one of my foreign aids three months later."

 1310 The Dogs of the Pas

    Vastly Martial Nightwolf pondered for a moment before he silently nodded. "Since Brother Nine Nether is playing the peacemaker, it''s all fine then. It''s just a trivial Purple Diamond Alloy, something that doesn''t enter my eyes, either."


    Wondersky Nightwolf himself had no idea about the identity of Nine Nether Swordmeister. He was anxious after hearing the statement and shouted, "Why do you listen to outsider''s words, Ancestor? That Purple Diamond Alloy can strengthen my bones and make them as strong as a Crossing Tribulation expert''s. You¡­ you must help me obtain it!"


    "What a disgraceful brat!"


    A cold glint flashed in Vastly Martial Nightwolf''s eyes. Although feeling reluctant, he still slapped Wondersky''s face, sending the youth several meters away before he slowly turned around and looked towards Moongazing Monarch City.


    At the same time, everyone else also shifted to the direction of Moongazing Monarch City since they could sense several huge auras coming over.


    "Hey, Brother Nine Nether! I didn''t expect you to be here."


    Surrounded by a group of people, Tang Xiu came to the front of the crowd with a bright smile on his handsome face.


    "I was originally in Moongazing Monarch City, chatting with Brother Vastly Martial myself. But I didn''t expect him to receive a distress message for help from his offspring, so I followed him here. Much to my surprise, I didn''t expect that Nightwolf Clan''s junior turned out to have some dispute with your people."


    Tang Xiu nodded with a smile and quickly threw 8 Immortal healing pills to Chen Shaohua''s group. Then, he turned to Vastly Martial Nightwolf and lightly smiled. "Then you''re Sir Vastly Martial Nightwolf, yes?"


    Vastly Martial frowned deeply for he never thought that the foreign aid mentioned by Nine Nether Swordmeister turned out to be a young man who seemed to have just become an Immortal a while ago.


    Yet, he dared to give himself the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor title?


    Vastly Martial shook his head secretly. He was about to speak in order to give face to Nine Nether Swordmeister when his eyes inadvertently glanced at Gu Yan''er at the rear.


    What?!!


    Vastly Martial''s expression froze. His pupils shrank all of a sudden and his figure shook violently. In the next moment, he staggered backward a few steps, pointing and looking at Gu Yan''er with a terrified face.


    Gu Yan''er pursed her brows deeply as she didn''t expect she would meet her former acquaintance in this remote Immortal domain. Pacing a step forward, she indifferently said, "Well, well, a dog of mine in the past turned out to have become a solemn Perfected Golden Immortal, huh? Had I known earlier such a thing would happen today, I should''ve slaughtered you directly to save wasting our time here."


    Vastly Martial''s face was uglier than crying. Amidst the confused expression of everyone from Nightwolf Clan and Nine Nether Swormeister alike in the surrounding, he staggered forward toward Gu Yan''er step by step. Beads of sweat profusely dribbled down his forehead, face, and neck. 10 meters away from Gu Yan''er, he knelt on the ground and powerfully knocked his forehead on the ground stuttered with a fearful expression. "You¡­ you''re¡­. this small one is really damned! This one had no idea that they are your people. P-Please¡­. Please forgive this small one''s dog life¡­ I beg you¡­"


    Such a scene made everyone dumbfounded with disbelief filling their eyes.


    Nine Nether Swordmeister, on the other hand, looked very vigilant and a tempestuous storm was set in his heart. It must be noted that Vastly Martial Nightwolf was a Perfected Golden Immortal powerhouse. Even if he just advanced to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage not long ago, being able to reach this level meant that he was very powerful himself.


    Yet, such a dignified and dazzling Perfected Golden Immortan unexpectedly acted¡­ like a dog and knelt in front of Gu Yan''er and desperately begged for mercy? What did that mean? That meant the woman next to Great Tang Heavenly Emperor was absolutely a very terrifying existence.


    Gu Yan''er just glanced at the man indifferently. She then turned to Tang Xiu and respectfully said, "Master, back when I went on a rampage in some Immortal Domains, I was too lazy to wipe out some ants, so I caught some ruthless characters to carry out my whims to decimate those people. I remember that his brat was just a trivial Golden Immortal back then."


    M-Master¡­. MASTER?!!!


    Vastly Martial was so terrified that he nearly peed his pants. Back in the past, this female devil was so terrifyingly powerful. Yet, she actually addressed this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor as her Master?!!


    Heavens! Then¡­ they¡­ they were intentionally hiding their power? These fucking people were playing pigs to devour the tiger!


    Tang Xiu gently nodded and looked the kneeling Vastly Martial Nightwolf on the ground. He quickly thought deeply about how to solve this issue. Their identity was very important and must not be easily revealed. Gu Yan''er once told him that, even though she had killed many people back when she was rampaging in the Immortal world, only a few people knew that she was his disciple.


    In other words, this guy knew just how terrifying Gu Yan''er was and thus, couldn''t directly guess who he really was through Gu Yan''er.


    Further, this man was a Perfected Golden Immortal. If both sides really went so far and finally clashed, his side would likely have to pay quite a huge price even if they did win.


    Then¡­.


    Tang Xiu sighed and said, "You know, Yan''er, Master has told you many times already. Never kill the innocent indiscriminately. You used to be so naughty and wreak havoc everywhere and I''ve never restrained you. But I won''t allow you to mess around anymore. He¡­ after all, he has worked for you in the past and is not an enemy. Just let him go!"


    Gu Yan''er understood his intention and shifted to Vastly Martial again, saying indifferently, "What should be done and should not, as well as what should be said and should not¡­ You know very well about my rules, don''t you?"


    Vastly Martial Nightwolf looked ecstatic and nodded desperately. "Yes, yes. This ugly one will respectfully carry out your rules. Things that shouldn''t be carried out will never be committed, and words that shouldn''t come out must never be revealed."


    "Scram and go back to your turf!" Gu Yan''er said, "You''re not allowed to come out for the next century!"


    "Yes, yes, yes. This ugly one will scram right away."


    Vastly Martial looked grateful and waved his sleeves. The remaining people of Nightwolf Clan exploded and turned into a blood mist, killed by him in a flash. The man himself seemed to have grown more legs and couldn''t wait to run away in distress into the distance.


    Nine Nether Swordmeister was now completely shaken. Never once in his wildest dreams did he think such a solemn Perfected Golden Immortal powerhouse like Vastly Martial Nightwolf would be so terrified to this extent. He even killed his own descendants just because of the identity of the other party.


    He¡­ how terrified he really was?


    Tang Xiu could only shake his head secretly. Then, he looked at Nine Nether Swordmeister and smilingly said, "Ah, I''m ashamed that you had to see such a scene, Brother Nine Nether."


    Nine Nether Swordmeister gulped down quietly and forced out a wry smile. "That can''t be counted as a joke. Even it gives me some fright here. Brother Vastly Martial Nightwolf¡­ for good or bad, he''s also a Perfected Golden Immortal himself, yet I never thought that he¡­ Haih, forget it. I understand that there are things that are not supposed to be said or asked. Anyway, Brother Great Tang, my gambling event is just less than 3 months away, so I hope I can count on your help more."


    "No worries!" Tang Xiu nodded and smilingly said, "I''ll definitely do my best."


    Nine Nether Swordmeister glanced at Gu Yan''er again and bade farewell before he left. He had secretly guessed at the moment that Gu Yan''er had been deliberately hiding her strength. Other than for that reason, how come a Golden Immortal could force a Perfected Golden Immortal to such a terrified state?


    At this moment, only Tang Xiu''s group remained here.


    "Master, would you like me to kill that Vastly Martial Nightwolf?" asked Gu Yan''er through a voice transmission.


    "Does he know your true identity and the relationship between us?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "He knows my true identity, but he doesn''t know our relationship," answered Gu Yan''er.


    "Him knowing your true identity is a troublesome issue in itself." Tang Xiu said, "Others may not know our relationship, but a handful knows it, including Heavenly Emperor Tianji and Shade Demon Zhu Wushou. Removing him is a must before we leave."


    "In that case, we may have to stay here longer," Gu Yan''er replied.


    Tang Xiu thought for a moment and said, "No need. I''m preparing to leave for the Heavenly Net Immortal Domain and I''ll be back before the gamble between Nine Nether Swordmeister with his enemy."


    "What exactly are you going to do?" Gu Yan''er hurriedly asked with a changed expression.


    "I''m going to purchase deathmatch fighters again," said Tang Xiu.


    "Do you perhaps want to buy a Perfected Golden Immortal gladiator, by chance?" Gu Yan''er asked, "You also know that each Perfected Golden Immortal gladiator is terrifyingly powerful, don''t you? Do we have so many Crystal Essences?"


    "A Perfected Golden Immortal gladiator used to be available for purchase for some tens of millions Crystal Essences," Tang Xiu said. "I got a lot of Crystal Essences right now, enough to buy a Perfected Golden Immortal gladiator. When I go to the Heavenly Net Immortal Domain, I''ll find some ways to obtain more Crystal Essences and try to buy some Perfected Golden Immortal gladiators."


    "Shall I accompany you there, Master? I won''t feel at ease otherwise," Gu Yan''er said.


    "Don''t forget my previous identity, Yan''er," Tang Xiu calmly said. "I still have my own way to survive since I could become a Supreme. Also, you cannot leave Moongazing Monarch City for the time being. I can tell that guy is definitely not fully at ease and he''ll definitely send people to keep tabs on you. Only if you stay at Moongazing Monarch City can that guy feel at ease, I reckon."


    Gu Yan''er nodded wordlessly and said, "Then you must take all those Golden Immortals with you, Master."


    "No. I''ll only take Battle Peng and four others. The rest will stay with you," Tang Xiu said. "Traveling with a few people won''t be easy to be noticed by others, and I won''t be in danger once I''ve bought some Perfected Golden Immortals by then."


    "About this¡­"


    Gu Yan''er still wanted to argue more. But after seeing Tang Xiu''s firm expression, she finally had no choice but to agree.


    Shortly after, the group returned to Moongazing Monarch City. After Tang Xiu, Gu Yan''er, and the rest waltzed into the Stargazing Pavilion under the attention of many people, Tang Xiu took Battle Peng and four other Golden Immortals two days later and left quietly. Aside from the elderly Golden Immortal from Stargazing Pavilion, no one else knew about his departure.


    There was only one Immortal Domain between Hessen Castle and Heavenly Net Immortal Domains. Tang Xiu''s group of six only spent a week before they arrived in the Heavenly Net Immortal Domain. Although they encountered some troubles along the way, the aura released by Battle Peng and the others were able to scare off all the troubles and thus avoid fighting.

 1311 Unlike the Rich

    Heavenly Net Immortal Domain.


    The region was one of the largest domains and could be ranked in the top 50 regions in the entire Immortal World, and the owner of this domain was a Supremacy Stage powerhouse.


    18 large landmasses separated by 1 million kilometers from each other formed a thriving gathering place for all walks of life in the vast universe. Countless Immortal sects could be found on these 18 large landmasses, where various good and evil forces mixed, causing one''s strength to be the best means to survive in this place.


    On the 16th mainland, there were several Convict Arenas¡ªthe largest of its kind¡ªin the surrounding regions, as well as the most chaotic place in the entire Heavenly Net Immortal Domain. The strong smell of money pervaded the land, while at the same time, also brought forth a rich violent atmosphere.


    As long as one had Immortal Stones, Immortal Crystals, Crystal Essences, or other precious treasures, they would be able to enjoy life like in paradise, standing aloof at the high ground and overlooking the poor whoever they were, even if the other party was a Golden Immortal.


    When Tang Xiu took Battle Peng''s group of Golden Immortals through the gate of space and landed on this land, he spent quite a lot of Immortal Stones to pay the fare of the teleportation array and appeared in this mainland''s Central City.


    The Central City itself had a late-stage Perfected Golden Immortal at the helm, assisted by 4 early and mid-stage Perfected Golden Immortals. They seldom appeared in public unless a major event occurred in the 16th mainland.


    Riding on their Immortal Swords, Tang Xiu''s group circled around the Central City perimeter twice before they finally landed at the gate of the Convict Arena. The site itself resembled a giant black beast lying prone on the ground and occupied a vast and bustling area. Even with his eyesight that could see as far as 100,000 miles ahead, Tang Xiu couldn''t see the end-point of the building outside the front gate.


    "Master."


    Battle Peng''s group of five looked at a giant plaque 1,000 meters long and 200 meters wide with a dazzling golden "Convict Arena" character written on it. Their expressions were complicated. It was the place they hated the most, the very place they really never wanted to ever visit again unless it was absolutely necessary.


    Tang Xiu slowly turned around, noticing the complicated look of the five men''s faces. He secretly sighed inwardly before stating, "You guys have shed off yourselves from the Convict Arena with your own strength. You''ll never return to this place again unless I''m killed. Therefore, you''ve bid farewell to that episode. You''re now a guest who possesses a lot of wealth. What''s more, if you haven''t gone through such a life and death situation in the Convict Arena, will you now have such a cultivation level now? Keep in mind, everything has two sides, depending on your view and perception, and on what aspect you perceive it."


    Battle Peng''s group of five looked at each other and immediately nodded.


    They always thought such an unbearable past was hard to look back on and was shameful. However, after Tang Xiu''s reminder, they suddenly realized that if they hadn''t been tempered with such a life and death situation in the Convict Arena, they definitely wouldn''t have their current Golden Immortal strength.


    They were now powerhouses! Though they must go through such torment to whet themselves, in order to achieve such a feat, they frequented the border of life and death countless times. Was that any different from others except for the fact that their freedom was restricted?


    In a flash, the enlightenment transformed their state of mind. Although it was difficult for them to comprehend the truth thoroughly, at the very least, they now had the mentality experts must have where any tribulation was nothing but the tempering process of their lives. Whatever dangers it may bring would serve as the cornerstones that led to the path of becoming stronger.


    Tang Xiu watched these five guys and was keenly aware of the slight change in their auras. Although such a change was very faint, he knew they had untied all the knots that burdened their minds. As long as their hearts were firm, they would eventually have a glimmer of hope of breaking through to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage in the future.


    "Let''s head inside!"


    Tang Xiu nodded with satisfaction and turned to enter the gate of Convict Arena.


    The wide space made the place feel like entering a world cast of steel. At the top, about 10,000 meters in the air, a finely carved mural design and a soft crystal emanated a milky white light, illuminating the interior just like the sun in daylight. On both sides of the wide corridor close to the steel wall was a statue of fierce birds and beasts in aggressive stances. The red sapphire emitted lights while a sweet scent of spirit liquid radiated from the mouths of the exquisite bird and ferocious beast sculptures that by themselves formed a picturesque scene.


    On the side of the statue next to the corridor, a beautiful attendant stood still. Whenever a guest arrived, she came forward and welcomed them.


    The female attendant was named Qin Yu. Once an orphan girl raised by a loose, solitaire female immortal who failed her tribulation and lost her soul. In order to support herself, Qin Yu finally joined the Convict Arena after the recommendation of her bosom friend and then became a welcoming attendant. Recently, Qin Yu''s life had been very difficult because her only bosom friend was gravely injured after offending an arrogant and rampant guest. To buy healing medicine for her friend, not only did she have spent all the Immortal Stones she had saved for more than 10 years, but she also owed some high-interest loans from some loan sharks.


    It''d been half a year and she only had half a year left until the due day she must pay them. If she didn''t have enough Immortal Stones within this half a year, she would be seized by them and turned into a slave. Countless times had she looked forward to meeting some generous patrons. She would be grateful if the reward was higher than usually given by other distinguished guests.


    "The guests are coming."


    Qin Yu''s expression shifted fast and she quickly focused her attention on the six people approaching from the distance. As her eyes finally landed on Tang Xiu, she suddenly felt disappointed. Based on her more than 10 years of experience working here, such a handsome young cultivator was normally not very generous. On the contrary, it was those big-bellied guests who radiated an aura of the haves that were mostly very generous. One could expect to earn a lot of tips as long as they could make these people happy.


    By order, however, it was her turn, so Qin Yu could only swallow her disappointment and greet them. "Welcome, distinguished guests. I''m Qin Yu, the attendant here and your guide during your visit to our Convict Arena. You may consult me if you have any questions."


    "Lead the way, then." Tang Xiu calmly nodded.


    Qin Yu nodded gently before she turned and walked inside. But the moment she turned around, the disappointment in her eyes intensified. It was because ordinary guests usually threw some Immortal Stones the first time they met, which made the attendant be more attentive in the services.


    Quickly after, when the crowd disappeared in the front corridor, several female attendants on the two sides of the corridor closest to Qin Yu''s previous standing position all sneered. They could see clearly that Qin Yu did not receive any tips just now.


    One of them, Wenwen, who didn''t have a good relationship win Qin Yu since she had a quarrel with Qin Yu''s friends, sneered and said when there were no guests nearby, "Heh, that idiot Qin Yu used all her savings to buy some healing pills for that bitch. She even borrowed some high-interest loans from those loan sharks. If she fails to collect enough money to pay them 6 months later, she will end up miserable by that time."


    Another female attendant gloatingly added, "Who told her to poke her nose and be nosy, huh? Does she even know how limited her ability is? Yet she still extends her hands to help here? Heh, let''s wait and see. Based on her bad luck, let alone half a year, even if she was given another year, she will never be able to get enough Immortal Stones. Who knows if she will be sold to a brothel six months later and then become a slave to some prominent family?"


    "The greater the ability, the more you can do indeed. Pity that Qin Yu has such a docile personality to actually stand up for this matter. I hope good fortune will find her!"


    "You know, I''m a bit sympathetic to Qin Yu. But I immediately think that she deserves it when recalling her friends, though."


    "Let''s just wait and see, gals! Not only will Qin Yu be out of luck, that bitch will also be unlucky."


    "Meh, I hope they get extremely unlucky."


    "¡­"


    Wenwen''s smile turned thicker and her eyes swept across these female faces, while also praying that Qin Yu and her bosom friend would be out of luck.


    Suddenly, her expression shifted as she noticed that several guests were approaching quickly. Her eyes immediately lit up because the leader of the group, a middle-aged fatty, dressed up like an upstart. Running into this kind of guest usually yielded them many tips and rewards.


    "Guide us."


    When the middle-aged fatty saw Wenwen welcoming them, he didn''t give her a chance to speak and just threw an Immortal Crystal and walked to the interior in high spirits.


    In a flash, there was a burst of exclamation in the corridor, since they seldom met such a generous guest that tipped an Immortal Crystal at the beginning, equal to 100 Immortal Stones. If they felt the later services given were better and it satisfied them, it was very likely she would get more tips.


    The next moment, a pair of envious eyes wandered in the direction Wenwen and the middle-aged fatty disappeared.


    Tang Xiu paced forward in the seemingly endless corridor. He seemed to advance very lightly, but his speed was in fact very fast. Hundreds of meters were traversed for each step he took in. However, Qin Yu only had a Nascent Soul Stage cultivation, so she was wrapped by Battle Peng''s Immortal Force and didn''t need to spend energy to walk steadily beside Tang Xiu.


    "Your name is Qin Yu?"


    "Yes." Qin Yu hurriedly nodded.


    "It''s been 2,000 years since I last came to the Heavenly Net Immortal Domain''s Convict Arena. I''m no longer familiar with this place, so tell me about the current situation here," Tang Xiu said.


    2 millenniums?


    Qin Yu''s eyes were full of disbelief. Tang Xiu was so young. She could even sense a full lifeforce aura from this man, one that was unlike those old freaks who had lived for 2 millennia.


    However, she also knew that Immortals had the ability to constantly adjust and change their appearance during their cultivation process. Even an old monster that had lived for 10 millenniums may look like a teenager. Further, the intelligent Qin Yu realized that the guest likely had a very high cultivation level. At least he was a powerhouse above the Immortal Stage.


    Facing such a powerhouse, Qin Yu finally had a trace of expectations because many big figures in the Immortal World would give quite a hefty reward in tips.

 1312 Adventuring Spiri

    Qin Yu became more respectful and quickly organized what she should say inwardly before she began narrating, "Sir, I don''t know much about the situation more than 2,000 years ago, so I have no idea what the difference is in the situation from then and now. Half of the area occupied by the Convict Arena is now allotted for commercial stores of various resources, all of which are the Convict Arena''s industries. The second half is the prison itself and the place where deathmatch fighters fight, from the weak ones to the strong ones. As for the deepest interior of the place, it''s a place or an arena for deathmatch fights between Perfected Golden Immortal gladiators¡­"


    Through Qin Yu''s narration, Tang Xiu finally had an understanding of the situation here. It wasn''t much different from 2,000 years ago, except the chief executive here had been replaced and the other newly recruited senior management.


    After walking by the shops and seeing the dazzling array of goods, Tang Xiu''s heart itched for a shopping spree, but he still managed to restrain the impulse. His main purpose in coming here was to purchase Perfected Golden Immortals, so he didn''t want to waste money on even some precious treasures now.


    "Qin Yu, what about gambling? Aren''t there any differences or proportions for gambling between the various levels of fights here?" asked Tang Xiu calmly


    "You''re right. Previously, the higher the level of gambling in the Convict Arena, the higher the multiple of winning money. This rule no longer applied here as it is now based on a comprehensive assessment based on the strength of each deathmatch gladiator in each prison cage, as well as their performance record, which means the odds can vary and be set at any time," explained Qin Yu.


    Tang Xiu''s eyes lit up and asked again, "So what''s the ratio of the highest odds now?"


    Qin Yu thought for a while and said, "The highest odds in the last 10 years was in the fight four years ago. The odds at that time was 42 times. If you win, you''ll get 42 times of the principal amount, while losing means you get nothing. I still remember that match, which eventually caused most of the people to lose their blood and a handful to get rich overnight."


    Tang Xiu smiled and nodded. "Now, now. The Convict Arena finally got some fresh and exciting rules in place, huh? I now look even more forward to this trip. Alright, let''s move on. Take me to the Celestial Immortal prison level!"


    "Understood."


    Qin Yu''s eyes turned brighter. The higher the level of the prison cell, the stronger the guests'' strength it represented. It was just common sense she learned in the Convict Arena. Therefore, she became more and more certain that this distinguished guest was definitely a powerhouse above the Immortal Stage.


    At one of the numerous cells.


    When Tang Xiu''s group led by Qin Yu entered the portal, they saw two Celestial Immortals in an intense fight in the far direction and the auditorium was boiling in excitement.


    The screams, the swearing, and cheers could all be heard at the same time.


    Still wearing a serene expression while being guided by Qin Yu, Tang Xiu read the records of 360 deathmatch gladiators in this prison cage. After reading them, he then came to the auditorium and randomly found a seat.


    Only a handful of lucky people were trying their hands on such a gambling match by relying only on their experience and analysis. Although Tang Xiu''s present strength was very weak, he still had his experience and vision as a Supreme, so he could easily judge which Celestial Immortal gladiator was stronger and which one was weak.


    "Battle Peng, you stay with me, the four you can play! I''m giving each of you 1 million Immortal Crystals. I don''t care if you lose, but you can take 10% from the win and give the rest to me later." Tang Xiu took out a number of Immortal Crystals and handed them to the four people. Then, he shifted his attention to the mortal combat in the prison cell.


    The four men looked at each other first before taking the Immortal Crystals given to them by Tang Xiu and then left the cell area.


    As he watched the fight in the cell, Tang Xiu shifted to Qin Yu with great interest and lightly smiled. "Do you perhaps want to gamble?"


    "Pardon?" Qin Yu froze for a moment before a bewildered look appeared on her beautiful face.


    "Well, there are two fighters fighting in the cell now. Whoever you choose as the winner, I''ll pick the other one. I''ll give you some Immortal Stones if you win, and you give me some if you lose. How about it?"


    Qin Yu slightly frowned, but she hesitated and then shook her head. "I apologize, Sir. I just can''t afford to lose."


    Tang Xiu was astonished and asked, "You''re working in Convict Arena, so you surely receive tips from the guests. You should at least have some Immortal Stones in possession, no? Yet you said you can''t afford to gamble?"


    "I-I can''t afford to gamble. I¡­ I owe a high-interest rate loan. Every Immortal Stone is very important to me," Qin Yu replied bitterly.


    Tang Xiu shot her a strange expression. He observed that this lass was quite frail and had a docile temperament. Yet she unexpectedly had a high-interest loan?


    One truly can''t judge a book from its cover¡­


    Tang Xiu secretly sighed inwardly and stopped mentioning gambling.


    After 2 hours, the next fight in the cell began. Tang Xiu watched the performance and specific information of the two fighters the moment they entered the arena to analyze which one of them would win.


    "Go place 1 million Immortal Crystals on the win of that Blazing Flame Celestial Immortal."


    Tang Xiu handed Battle Peng a temporarily used interspatial ring and ordered calmly.


    Battle Peng hesitated for a while and then spoke in a low voice, "Master, the other four have left, but if I leave, there''s nobody else next to¡­"


    Tang Xiu waved and said, "Take it easy, will you? Nobody can kill me unless the assassin is a Perfected Golden Immortal."


    Battle Peng had no idea where Tang Xiu''s confidence came from. However, he was just a subordinate, so he could only take the order and quickly rushed towards the exchange desk as per Tang Xiu''s instructions. His speed was very fast and, after taking the gambling deeds from the cashier, he quickly returned to Tang Xiu and resumed his protection duty.


    Several meters away from their position.


    A white-attired young man dressed like a weak scholar turned to Tang Xiu with a surprised expression. After ruminating for a short while, he shook his head and said, "Immortal Friend, Blazing Flame Celestial Immortal is just a mid-stage Celestial Immortal, whereas Freshwater Celestial Immortal is a late-stage one. Besides, water can subdue fire, so Freshwater has two means that definitely can suppress Blazing Flame. Why did you still place such a big bet on him? Is it for the 3 to 1 odds?"


    Tang Xiu turned to look at the young man. After observing his appearance, he found that the fellow had no malicious or wicked tendencies, while his cultivation should be at the Profound Immortal Stage. Therefore, he replied to him with a smile, "Just like a horse won''t get fat if it doesn''t eat grass at night, no windfall will come to a poor man. This is just an unconventional gambit of mine. Daring to take a big risk and be ready for the big return. Everyone may think that Freshwater Celestial Immortal can win, but I beg to differ. That Blazing Flame Celestial Immortal will surely end up the winner."


    Unconventional gambit? Just like the horse won''t get fat if it doesn''t eat grass at night, a man won''t get a windfall if he''s not rich himself?


    The eyes of the young man in white lit up as he savored these two lines carefully. The more he thought about it, the more he felt how reasonable it was. After deeply looking at Tang Xiu for a while, he slightly nodded and then turned around to speak to the two companions around him, "I''m going to place my bet on Blazing Flame''s victory!"


    "Are you crazy?"


    "Are you sick in the head or something? Just because you heard that brat''s bull you''re gonna place your bet on that Blazing Flame guy?"


    The other two youths were in disbelief and blurted out their objection one after another.


    The young man in white took a deep breath and firmly said, "Say no more. It''s not because anything else, but I do approve those two lines he said. I already made up my mind to place my bet on Blazing Flame. No worries. I won''t play big, so I won''t be devastated even if I lose."


    One of the youths asked, "How much are you gonna bet, exactly?"


    The young man in white answered, "1 million Immortal Crystals."


    Gasp¡­


    The two youths gasped coldly the moment they heard it. All three of them were friends who grew up and cultivated together since childhood and knew each other inside out. They belonged to the same sect and were well aware of how much wealth each possessed. These 1 million Immortal Crystals were probably one-fifth of their companion''s wealth.


    "Haih, have it your will. You already made up your mind and I know it''s useless to persuade you. Straight and narrow as it may, I''ll place my bet on Freshwater''s victory. Only in this way can I make a steady profit without losing money."


    "I''m placing mine on Freshwater''s victory too."


    The other two guys pondered for a while and said one after another.


    The young man in white turned to Tang Xiu and realized that Tang Xiu gave him an appreciative look, causing him to suddenly feel at ease. In fact, he also had such intention in this gambling. He would lose a fifth of his wealth if he lost but earn three-fifths more if he won.


    Inside the arena cell.


    A flame of anger blazed in Blazing Flame Celestial Immortal''s heart. His eyes full of killing intent locked on his opponent, Freshwater Celestial Immortal, who shot him a contemptuous look. Blazing Flame had a record of 107 matches won in the Convict Arena. Except for the two matches that ended with his opponents injured, he slaughtered all the opponents he faced from the other 105 matches.


    But this time, he was keenly aware that someone in the Convict Arena management just wanted him to die. Else, he wouldn''t have been arranged to fight against Freshwater Celestial Immortal in this match. After all, people with keen eyes could see that Freshwater had a higher cultivation than him and definitely had some immortal arts that could suppress him.


    Is it finally time to use that move?


    Blazing Flame Celestial Immortal was unwilling, but he had no other choice but to use it for the sake of surviving.


    Freshwater Celestial Immortal stared contemptuously at Blazing Flame Celestial Immortal, hooked his finger, and smilingly said, "I won''t bully you, so I''m giving you a 3-move handicap. If you can''t beat me within 3 moves, then you''re as good as dead!"


    3 moves?


    Blazing Flame''s ferocious instinct was set ablaze. His stance suddenly changed and his body flickered, causing 8 figures to simultaneously appear with each shrouded in blazing flames. Then, continuously moving, they quickly surrounded Freshwater Celestial Immortal from eight directions and mounted a fierce attack.


    "Same old trick, huh? You really made no progress."


    Freshwater Celestial Immortal had long studied Blazing Flame''s records and watched his fighting style. Finding that the guy still resorted to the same old style to deal with him, he was filled with disdain and contempt. He quickly unleashed a bluish immortal sword that instantly turned into a layered water shield made of sword light and warded off the strikes from those eight figures.


    "Infinite destruction!"


    Blazing Flame roared inwardly. His eight figures suddenly shattered, giving birth to blazing flames everywhere in the sky. A fireball of tens of meters in diameter appeared out of nowhere in the sea of fire, while a flaming lance hidden in the fireball bombarded towards Freshwater Celestial Immortal.

 1313 Here We Go and Win Again

    "What?"


    Freshwater Celestial Immortal''s complexion changed greatly. He could sense the aura of Blazing Flame Celestial Immortal violently increased several times at the moment. He could even feel that the surrounding space seemed to be boiling and an unprecedented sense of crisis sent a chill down his spine and subconsciously forced him to avoid it.


    However, he was already caught off guard from all sides.


    Although he desperately stimulated his Immortal Force to circulate in his body and wanted to form a defensive move, the fireballs amidst the sea of fire kept bombarding him one after another, causing his body to continue to shake. Every violent impact that hit him caused him to spit out a mouthful of blood. When thousands of fireballs came to hit him, his last layer of defense was finally shattered by the bombardment.


    "The last one?!"


    Freshwater Celestial Immortal''s eyes flashed with madness. His immortal sword had been shattered by the bombardment, so he concentrated all the explosive power he had on his fists to clash with the last fireball he sensed.


    He had been gravely injured and it was imperative that he must fully block the blow.


    Freshwater Celestial Immoral loudly roared. The moment his fist hit the fireball, the fireball unexpectedly exploded in a flash. It was a hundred times easier than he expected, and he was dumbfounded for a moment. However, that expression only lasted for a hundredth of a second before a chill filled his heart.


    "How¡­ how is this possible?"


    Freshwater Celestial Immortal looked down at the hole the size of a bowl in the middle of his chest. He could even see his broken heart from the hole and¡­ a burning flame inside.


    "Underestimating the enemy is forever a taboo thing that will lead to your death when fighting enemies."


    Blazing Flame hideously grinned. The moment his spear immortal weapon returned to his hand, he watched Freshwater heavily crash to the ground with an incredulous expression. He immediately turned to the exit of the cell arena with satisfaction. He had used his last trump card to kill Freshwater Celestial Immortal. Yet, he didn''t have it easy either as he had to pay quite a painful price.


    Who could have expected that Freshwater Celestial Immortal was so arrogant that he committed such a taboo thing when fighting? Therefore, he only paid for the side effect caused by casting this secret art and thus only suffered a minor injury.


    Throughout the arena cell, tens of thousands of gamblers in the auditorium got up and looked angry as they loudly cursed. Only a handful of people looked ecstatic, though most of them were jubilant yet chaotic.


    In the back row.


    Brightpeak Celestial Immortal was in a daze while staring at the figure of Blazing Flame Celestial Immortal leaving, unable to express the strange mood that surged inside his heart.


    I won? Losing my reason just because I heard another''s words and took the risk, yet I unexpectedly won? And quite a big win at that?


    He slowly turned his head, watching his two companions cursing angrily to vent their anger at losing their wealth. Then he turned to Tang Xiu. He found that the fellow was also looking at him with a meaningful smile¡ªsomething that sent a violent jolt that shook him inwardly.


    Could it be¡­ that this man had long judged that Blazing Flame Celestial Immortal would win? Did he infer it from the previous records and specific date of Blazing Flame and Freshwater''s matches?


    If that was the case¡­ then wasn''t he too terrifying?


    Beside Tang Xiu, Qin Yu''s beautiful face was full of shock. The amount of money Tang Xiu gave Battle Peng was 1 million Crystal Essences. She thought that Tang Xiu was just some rich man who just wanted to burn his money. But who ever thought that he won a short while after?


    The yield was 3 million Immortal Crystals from the 1 million Immortal Crystals bet.


    That was 3 million¡­ Immortal Crystals!!


    It took Qin Yu a long time to count how many Immortal Stones could be exchanged from these 3 million Immortal Crystals. After calculating it, she nearly fainted due to the shock since the amount was equal to¡­ 30 billion Immortal Stones!


    Battle Peng, who stood beside Tang Xiu, asked in a low voice, "Would you like me to exchange the deeds, Master?"


    "No, let''s continue playing." Tang Xiu shook his head.


    Battle Peng slightly nodded in response with a strong sense of admiration for Tang Xiu''s character. It must be noted that 3 million Immortal Crystals were not by any means a small amount.


    Several meters away from their seat.


    After the two companions of that youth in white vented their frustration, they finally sat back in their seats decadently. Both of them bet big and lost, which made them very vexed and frustrated.


    Suddenly, one of them looked at the youth in white and murmured, "I remember you placed your bet on Blazing Flame, didn''t you, Firecandle?"


    The youth in white smiled and nodded. "I bet for Blazing Flame to win, indeed."


    The other two exchanged glances and both held envious looks in their eyes.


    The youth in white didn''t notice the eyes of his companions and just got up to come to Tang Xiu. He then bowed and said, "I''m grateful for the auspicious advice, Immortal Friend. Can I have the honor to invite Immortal Friend for a drink after you''re done playing here? Ah, that''s right. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Firecandle of Star Embrace Sect. May I know Immortal Friend''s honored name?"


    Tang Xiu pointed to the seat next to him and lightly smiled. "You can call me Great Tang. Let''s talk about having some drinks sometime later, shall we? I still have a lot of things to tend to here."


    "Well, I do hope that Immortal Friend Great Tang can accept my invitation after you''re done with your business, regardless," said Firecandle respectfully after taking a seat next to Tang Xiu.


    "Alright!" Tang Xiu slightly nodded.


    "Anyway, are you still going to play, Immortal Friend Great Tang?" Firecandle asked again.


    "Sure, I''m going to play again." Tang Xiu smiled.


    Firecandle thought for a while and said, "Then I''m going to accompany Immortal Friend Tang. Anyway, this time I won 3 million Immortal Crystals. I''m going to bet it all to accompany you with the gamble."


    "Are you not afraid of losing all of it?" asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    "If I lose then I lose. It doesn''t matter to me." Firecandle smiled. "If anything, the Immortal Crystals I just won is a kind of a windfall, to begin with."


    "You have a good mentality, mate." Tang Xiu couldn''t help but laugh.


    Quickly, the next fighters entered the arena cell for the next match. Tang Xiu quietly analyzed the information for a while and felt that the chance of winning was more than 80%. Therefore, he turned to Battle Peng and said, "Bet 4 million Immortal Crystals on Cloudmist Celestial Immortal!"


    "Understood!"


    Battle Peng accepted the order and left with 4 million Immortal Crystals toward the cashier.


    Firecandle stared at Battle Peng''s back as he left. His lips squirmed a few times before he smiled wryly. "You really do it the unorthodox way, Great Tang Immortal Friend. This Cloudmist Celestial Immortal is good at illusion arts. Even though his cultivation is at the late-stage Celestial Immortal, his opponent Ardent Blue Celestial Immortal is well known as a killing machine Immortal. This guy possesses some fearsome killing moves. It''s unknown how many late-stage Celestial Immortals have died in his hands."


    "Well, although the odds for this match are 2 to 1, it''s possible to make more money. This is a good deal, no?" Tang Xiu said with a smile. "Besides, if you lose, then just lose. In any case, I just won 3 million Immortal Crystals. So, if I win again, I can earn 8 million Immortal Crystals all at once."


    Firecandle hesitated for a while and then wryly smiled. "Haih, whatever will be, will be. This Firecandle already said I''m going to accompany you today, didn''t I? Since Immortal Friend Great Tang says that Cloudmist Celestial Immortal is going to win, then I''m placing my bet on your choice too."


    Nearby, his two companions shot a contemptuous look at him. All this while, they hadn''t realized that Firecandle was so stupid. Just because he struck a fortune and won out of sheer luck, he just let it get over his head.


    This match was very particular in itself. Especially due to one of its fighters, Ardent Blue Celestial Immortal, who was notoriously known as a killing machine Immortal. Yet, he unexpectedly chose to place his bet big on the choice of that youth of unknown origin?


    "Bah, nevermind him. Winning or losing is his business, to begin with. He may want to taste what losing feels like, so let''s not persuade him. I''m going to bet 2 million Immortal Crystals now. As long as I win, I can make up for the previous losses."


    "I''m betting 2 million Immortal Crystals too. I can still earn more as long as I win this time. But if I lose, then I''ll be worse off and must tighten my belt in my spendings for the next centuries. But I''ll still take the risks to earn more Immortal Crystals, nonetheless."


    After the two fellows firmly decided, they immediately followed behind Firecandle and ran toward the cashier desk.


    Tang Xiu couldn''t help but shake his head secretly after hearing the two men''s conversation. Although he was not 100% sure about his choice, he was sure that the chance was very high at 80%.


    But those two guys were more likely to get overwhelmed by some desperado mentality given the big stake they bet compared to the last time.


    Quickly after, the fight in the arena cell began along with the countless loud cheers. Cloudmist Celestial Immortal took the imitative and directly conjured a cloud of fog. The multicolored fog quickly sprinkled away and adorned the space as though it was a phantasm.


    "KILL!"


    Ardent Blue Celestial Immortal didn''t care in the slightest about what his opponent did. The only thing he knew was that he must go all out no matter who the enemy was. Freshwater Celestial Immortal''s previous arrogance had shown the bloody lesson of how painful a price one must pay by doing so.


    Time passed by.


    The two fighters fought crazily and the fight continued for a whole day. The result of a day-long fight was Ardent Blue had the upper hand but was also badly scarred, whereas Cloudmist had his arm cut off and his clothes drenched wet with his own blood.


    "It''s about time."


    Focusing his attention on the fight, a thought flashed in Tang Xiu''s mind. If Cloudmist doesn''t have any means to mount a surprise attack, it''s very likely that he''ll lose this match. But if he does, Ardent Blue will end up the loser here.


    The chance was 80% as Tang Xiu gambled that Cloudmist Celestial Immortal would win by a surprise move.


    His analysis was based on the means he inferred from Cloudmist''s previous battle data, and the chance was as high as 80%.


    "Mindsoul¡ªFreeze!"


    Right as Cloudmist got slashed by Ardent Blue''s flying immortal sword and was sent flying backward, he roared all of a sudden. At the same time, a transparent gold thread was shot from his left thumb and instantly pursued and entangled Ardent Blue Celestial Immortal. In the next moment, his figure stopped flying backward and stormed over Ardent Blue.


    Nobody noticed that at this moment, Ardent Blue Celestial Immortal''s complexion had turned dull as though his whole being was frozen as an ice block. His sluggishness may only last for less than a second, but it was enough for Cloudmist to unleash his artifact and shoot a beam of light that directly hit him with a bang.


    In the auditorium.


    Tang Xiu turned to look at Firecandle and faintly smiled. "Here we go and win again."


    Firecandle was hardly able to turn his head. But when he saw Tang Xiu''s expression, he punched his fist into the air powerfully and waved hard while exclaiming in joy, "You''re awesome, Immortal Friend Tang!"

 1314 Reunion of Close Relatives

    Tang Xiu himself had never cared about being praised. But he did feel secretly happy inside when he saw Firecandle''s two companions acting as though they had lost their souls.


    "Those who trust me will have eternal life."


    It was a sentence Tang Xiu had forgotten where he heard it from. Yet, it felt so on the mark and appropriate to be used in this situation.


    After winning two times in a row, Tang Xiu no longer wanted to bet again. He was well aware that no one could win forever. He had won big with such big stakes twice, the Convict Arena would never let him win too much wealth in the same level prison cell.


    "I''m going to exchange the deed and play elsewhere."


    "Where would you like to go next, honored Sir?" asked Qin Yu hurriedly.


    "I''m going to the Perfected Golden Immortal prison level!" Tang Xiu said, "In normal times, watching the fight between powerhouses will be helpful for one''s cultivation and combat prowess."


    Qin Yu hesitated before she replied, "Honored Sir, there''s no other fee to enter the rest of the prison level, including the Golden Immortal prison level. But you''re required to pay quite a lot more to enter the Perfected Golden Immortal prison level."


    "How much is the fare?" Tang Xiu asked curiously.


    "Everyone needs to pay 100 Immortal Crystals," said Qin Yu.


    Tang Xiu nodded. "It''s just a small amount, no need to haggle over it. Nevermind. Take us there."


    Having said that, he suddenly turned to Firecandle and asked with a smile, "Would you like to come along? You may have some surprises waiting there."


    Firecandle hesitated for a moment before he nodded and said, "Well, since Immortal Friend Tang invites me, then I''m naturally going with you."


    Right as he said that, however, he saw his two companions shook their heads and didn''t speak a word to him, so he left in a hurry, and his previous joy gradually dissipated.


    Tang Xiu glanced at him and then spoke with a faint smile while walking outside, "There are countless things one must experience in life in order to be alive. It''s just normal to have friends all over the world along the way. But there''s no feast that lasts forever in this world. Having too many friends can only serve as companions during a certain period on one''s cultivation path. But only with a strong heart will one be able to look at the road ahead as one would become more and more alone traversing the path forward."


    Firecandle''s pace came to a halt as Tang Xiu''s voice echoed in his mind. Only as Tang Xiu was about to walk out of the main portal did he finally take a relieved breath and then flew to catch up.


    Four hours later.


    The group came to the Perfected Golden Immortal prison level by riding a shuttle artifact. The two Perfected Golden Immortal outside the prison area stood guard outside the portal. The moment they saw the group, both men looked surprised and one of them asked, "Are you sure you want to enter this prison level?"


    "That''s right!" Tang Xiu slowly nodded and paid 400 Immortal Crystals and then stepped into the vortex portal. The next moment, his figure appeared inside the prison cage area.


    "Immortal Friend Tang, please take these 100 Immortal Crystals."


    Firecandle took 100 Immortal Crystals from his interspatial ring and handed it to Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu casually waved his hand and said, "Just give them to her!"


    Firecandle turned to Qin Yu, looking at her sluggish expression and saying, "Hey, are you going to take these or not?"


    "Umm¡­"


    Qin Yu''s lips wriggled a few times and finally shot a grateful look at Tang Xiu. She took 100 Immortal Crystals and quickly stuffed them into her interspatial ring. The high-interest loan she owed had only 40,000 Immortal Stones left to be paid¡ªequal to 400 Immortal Crystals. But now, she received 100 Immortal Crystals as a tip, something that made her really happy.


    "Thank you, honored Patron," Qin Yu said gratefully.


    Tang Xiu only faintly smiled in response and headed toward the cages one after another. There were only a few cells here, a total of 36 with 36 Perfected Golden Immortals inside. Without any exception, each and every Perfected Golden Immortal had a blue and white rune on their foreheads that marked them as slaves.


    "Honored Patrons, we still have 8 hours until the Perfected Golden Immortals level matches begin. At that time, two among these 36 deathmatch gladiators will fight each other in a brutal fight. As you can see for yourself, there are already many VIPs coming. The minimum bet you can place if you choose to gamble is 1 million Immortal Crystals." Qin Yu was somewhat worried and she didn''t want Tang Xiu to gamble here. After all, she had been working in the Convict Arena for more than a decade, and it was the first time a distinguished guest tipped her with so many Immortal Crystals.


    Tang Xiu nodded with a smile. Every time he passed a cell, he read all the information of each Perfected Golden Immortal gladiator three times.


    At the 27th cell.


    Tang Xiu stood in front of the cell and halted his pace. Although his expression was extraordinarily tranquil, his heart was actually furious. The fury wasn''t caused by the female gladiator caged in the cell but toward those who captured this female gladiator and sent her here.


    That female was Star Tears, the younger sister of Star Soul Supreme, the Sect Master of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect¡ªas well as Tang Xiu''s aunt in the Immortal World. She was someone the original Young Master of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect hated the most, but Tang Xiu regarded her as a very close relative.


    The reason was very simple.


    Star Tears had a very cold personality and always taught her nephew, the dandy silk pants Young Master of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, countless times. It was precisely because of her that the original Young Master left the sect in fury and rushed to the Death Swamp alone. It must be noted that the Death Swamp was a place nobody under the Immortal Stage dared to traverse easily, but the fellow went there and met his death there. Afterward, his body was occupied and possessed by Tang Xiu''s soul.


    The moment Tang Xiu saw Star Tears then, he was beaten up severely. She even dragged him to her own cave abode and got imprisoned for 3 months before being released and his injuries were healed. Those 3 months were the most painful torment Tang Xiu had experienced in life as he had to go through some brutal and inhuman training and torture that caused severe injuries. Yet that occasion also shaped Tang Xiu''s ability to survive in the Immortal World.


    At first, it wasn''t like Tang Xiu didn''t hate this paternal aunt of his either. But when he first encountered a life-and-death crisis later on, he suddenly realized something. The torture he went through previously turned out to be for his sake so that he could survive and live longer in the future.


    At the moment, Star Tears''s wrists and ankles were shackled by a chain made of 4,000 years old black iron. Her coarse linen attire was already ragged and full of bloodstains. Even her purple long hair was messy. Tang Xiu keenly discovered a shocking bloody wound on her left shoulder that revealed her bones inside.


    "Blackdevil Miasma?"


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath. The Blackdevil Miasma could corrode the Immortals'' body and prevent their ability to nourish their Immortal Force from healing their wounds. It also caused enormous pain to the injured.


    "Qin Yu, go find the Manager of this area."


    Although Qin Yu had no idea what Tang Xiu was going to do, she just left happily. It took only half an hour before she came back with five other figures. The figure on the front, the leader, was a white-haired old man, a Perfected Golden Immortal given the aura he exuded.


    "Are you the Manager here?" Tang Xiu asked indifferently before the other party introduced himself.


    The old man smilingly replied, "This old man is indeed the Manager for this Convict Arena. Does Honored Patron needs something important by asking the attendant to summon me?"


    Tang Xiu pointed to the cell where Star Tears stood with a numb expression and lifeless eyes and then said lightly, "The henchmen under me are rather disappointing, so I want to buy some Perfected Golden Immortals to run errands for me. She got quite a record and is also a woman. I want to buy her."


    The old man looked a bit surprised and replied with a smile, "No problem. All the gladiators in our Convict Arena have a clear price tag. She indeed has a pretty good record and is valued at 12 million Crystal Essences. May I ask how Little Friend would like to pay? Paying directly with Crystal Essences or with some treasures?"


    Tang Xiu originally only had 10 million Crystal Essences, but he had won 7 million Crystal Essences after coming here, so he directly took out 12 million Crystal Essences and handed it to the old man, saying, "Please count them and take her out."


    The old man''s eyes glinted. After counting the number, he took out a Soul Plate from his interspatial ring and turned around to give an order. "Release her!"


    Inside the cell.


    Star Tears'' cold expression changed a bit, and there was a touch of emotional change in her lifeless, numb eyes. She had been captured and confined for more than 6 centuries. Although she had concealed her real identity, she had been through more than 200 fights in the past 6 centuries. If it wasn''t for being compelled by circumstances and the privilege to choose to surrender in the fight, she would likely have died long ago in this place.


    Prior to this, she also had expectations, hoping that someone would purchase and take her away from this hellhole. However, the price tag put on her was too high. She was disappointed and eventually became desperate.


    She wanted to die, thinking that death would settle everything.


    However, she thought about the crisis her sect was in. She recalled the deep blood feud and enmity that had not been avenged, so she survived time and again. A Perfected Golden Immortal had the privilege to surrender three times. Except for the tied match where she and her opponents were mutually injured, she had used up all the three chances.


    The expert of the Convict Arena unchained the Black Iron Chain from her. Under the scolding of several experts, she wobbled to the door of the cell and looked at Tang Xiu''s appearance. She sensed a pang of familiarity from the guy and felt that she seemed to have met this guy before but couldn''t recall where. However, it wasn''t the most important thing, as the very one thing that plagued her was the familiarity coming from Tang Xiu''s aura.


    Who exactly is this guy? An ant that has just broken through to the Immortal Stage?


    Star Tears racked her brain and searched in her memories. Yet she wasn''t able to recall anything about this strangely familiar young man and where she had seen him before.


    The old man in charge of the Convict Arena looked at Tang Xiu and smilingly said, "Little Friend, this deathmatch fighter is now yours. If you still have needs in this regard, please feel free to contact me. I''ll give you a discount since you''re a regular patron."


    "Alright." Tang Xiu slightly nodded.


    While suppressing the excitement in his heart, he didn''t attempt to make an introduction or recognize Star Tears but continued walking towards the next cells. After reading all the information of Perfected Golden Immortal gladiators in the cells, he then came back to the auditorium.


    From beginning to end, Tang Xiu didn''t say a word to Star Tears, nor did he ever glance at her. He only let her follow him quietly and acted as a guardian.


    "You''re really awesome, Immortal Friend Tang!"


    Firecandle, who had been following Tang Xiu all this while, witnessed as Tang Xiu took out 12 million Crystal Essences to purchase a Perfected Golden Immortal level gladiator¡ªsomething that made his attitude change greatly compared to before.

 1315 Returning Smoothly

    Tang Xiu didn''t seem to hear Firecandle''s compliments. Countless scenes from back when he got along with Star Tears flashed past in his mind. If there was anyone in the Immortal World who he could trust without reserve, Star Tears was definitely one of them.


    However, he just couldn''t reveal his identity at all. Even if he trusted Star Tears 100%, he was perfectly aware that there were some arts in the Immortal World that could search someone''s memories. If those few fearsome enemies of his were to strike Star Tears and search her memory, the chance was high that he would be found through her.


    Further, he also realized something else from the encounter with Star Tears. That was the terrible circumstances the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect''s region was in. It was very likely that a large number of the sect''s disciples were scattered about in other regions, and the people he cared about were confined in the Convict Arenas or elsewhere. These people were highly likely facing enormous tribulations, suffering, and under the threat of death.


    There''s still time and I still have a lot of time¡­. But¡­ the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect has not much time left¡­


    Not only that¡­ neither those people I care about have much time left.


    Tang Xiu clenched his fists and his eyes gradually filled with a cold glint. It took him a long time before he eased his tightly gripped fists and pressed all the pressures to the deepest recess of his heart.


    "Firecandle, I suddenly recall that there are some more important things I need to tend to, so I can''t keep accompanying you here. I''d like to give some reminders before leaving." Tang Xiu got up and turned to speak to Firecandle.


    "What reminder is it?" Firecandle was bewildered.


    "Refrain from hurting others, yet guard against those trying to hurt you," said Tang Xiu. "And if you want to live longer, be on guard against everyone, even to those who are the closest to you."


    Firecandle pursed his brows deeply and savored Tang Xiu''s words silently. The more he thought about it, the more reasonable he felt the reminder was. As he raised his head again, he found that Tang Xiu had long left already.


    "I''ll always keep this reminder in mind. Thank you." Firecandle took a deep breath and recited the lines in his heart repeatedly.


    In the wide corridor, Tang Xiu at both sides of the passage. Although some people passed by, he looked at Qin Yu and said, "If I remember correctly, there should be a special place for purchasing particular items in the Convict Arena. Take me there."


    Qin Yu nodded and said, "Please follow me, Sir."


    At Canon and Classics Vend building.


    With Qin Yu as a guide, Tang Xiu came to the special shop of Convict Arena. He directly looked at the welcoming attendant and lightly said, "Take me to your VIP room and notify your Canon and Classics Vend Master. Tell him that a distinguished guest is waiting."


    "Understood!"


    The attendant wore a respectful look and took Tang Xiu to the VIP room on the second floor. Just as Tang Xiu took a seat, a blue-robed old man stepped inside with a smile as he glanced at the group. When his eyes landed on Star Tears, however, he was suddenly stunned. But he quickly suppressed his surprise before he came to Tang Xiu and smilingly greeted. "Are you looking for me, Honored Patron?"


    Tang Xiu waved his right hand, motioning for the man to sit at the opposite side. Then, he said, "I want to sell a classics manual of immortal cultivation and the recipe and concoction method of the Primordial Chaos Pill."


    With that said, he took out the classics and recipe from his interspatial ring and put them on the table in front of him.


    The blue-robed old man''s complexion changed. He quickly read the classics and the recipe of Primordial Chaos Pill. A shocked expression appeared on his face. After a long time, he slowly said, "Honored Patron, these two items are extremely precious. I don''t dare to make any decision without authorization from my superior. Please wait a bit. I''ll call the Director over."


    "Alright!" Tang Xiu nodded calmly.


    Quickly after, the old man in charge hurriedly rushed over. After reviewing the classics of immortal cultivation art and the recipe of the Primordial Chaos Pill, his expression was as if he had found a supreme treasure as he looked at Tang Xiu and said, "Immortal Friend, would you like to sell these items directly, or would you like to exchange them with some other things?"


    After thinking for a while, Tang Xiu asked, "How many Perfected Golden Immortal gladiators do you think these items can be exchanged for?"


    The old man slightly creased his brows and his eyes were thoughtful for a long time. Afterward, he said, "2 Perfected Golden Immortal gladiators plus 5 million Crystal Essences. What do you think?"


    "2 mid-stage Perfected Golden Immortal gladiators plus 8 million Crystal Essences. If you agree, the classic manual and the recipe are yours." Tang Xiu bargained.


    "No problem!" the old man finally nodded after calculating it.


    After four hours, Tang Xiu led Battle Peng and Star Tears and the other two mid-stage Perfected Golden Immortals and appeared at the Convict Arena''s exit entrance. He didn''t hurry to leave but waited until his four Golden Immortal subordinates returned. He then asked the four with a faint smile, "How is your harvest?"


    "It''s all here, Master."


    The four men handed out interspatial rings to Tang Xiu.


    After using his spiritual sense to check the content in the four rings, Tang Xu suddenly looked surprised. "You got quite a good harvest? You won more than 80 million Immortal Crystals?"


    The four men happily smiled and one of them respectfully said, "We know too well of the Convict Arena ourselves, Master. We do have quite the experience in regard to how to judge and pick our bets here."


    Tang Xiu faintly smiled and threw 2 million Immortal Crystals to each one of them, then gave Battle Peng 1 million Immortal Crystals. He then put away the rest and lightly said, "Well, we''ve been outside for a few days already, so it''s time to go back."


    Having said that, he turned his head to see a spot some kilometers away at Qin Yu, who looked like a delicate pure lotus. He flicked his finger and sent an interspatial ring to fall into her hand. Immediately after, the group of nine then stepped out of the Convict Arena front entrance.


    Qin Yu stared blankly at the ring that appeared in her hand. She looked at Tang Xiu''s direction again and found that he was already gone. After hesitating for a moment, she used her spiritual sense to see the space inside the ring. Her figure slightly shook after seeing what was inside and a crystal light filled her eyes.


    10,000 Immortal Crystals and a cultivation manual.


    When Qin Yu took out that cultivation manual and skimmed it for a while, a disbelieving look immediately painted her beautiful face.


    "An immortal cultivation manual that can be cultivated up to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage?"


    Qin Yu''s delicate figure slightly trembled and two lines of tears slipped down her face.


    She recalled how disappointed she was the first time she saw Tang Xiu. However, after accompanying him for some time, the benefits she received from him were much more than everything she had earned for more than 10 years working here.


    "Thank you, Benefactor!"


    Qin Yu raised her hand and wiped the tears off her face as she muttered to herself.


    "Heh, are you that disappointed, or have you been humiliated? You crying so sadly will make you useless as a guide. You won''t even receive Immortal Stones doing that, no?" Wenwen approached silently in a lotus step style to Qin Yu''s side with a ridiculing smile evident on her face.


    Qin Yu hurriedly put the cultivation manual into her interspatial ring before turning to look at Wenwen and saying, "You guessed wrong. Not only did I got some tips, I even got more than you can imagine."


    Having said that, she walked straight towards the entrance of Convict Arena and went to pay off her high-interest loan. At this moment, she also made up her mind to quit her job at the Convict Arena and planned to go to the outside world to explore, hoping that she would be qualified to meet that benefactor again in the future.


    At the Hessen Castle region.


    After Tang Xiu took everyone back to the Stargazing Pavilion, he took Gu Yan''er straight to the Heavenly Abode artifact. While watching her strange expression, he slowly said, "What did you notice from those three Perfected Golden Immortals I brought?"


    "Uh¡­ Black-face Auntie." Gu Yan''er''s lips wriggled a few times.


    "You''re right. It''s Aunt Star Tears." Tang Xiu wryly smiled. "I found her in the Perfected Golden Immortal prison cells of Heavenly Net Immortal Domain''s Convict Arena by chance. She became a convict and a deathmatch fighter there, so I bought her."


    "Did you tell her your identity?" asked Gu Yan''er hurriedly.


    "No." Tang Xiu shook his head. "Not only did I not tell her my identity, but even her Soul Plate is also still here with me. I didn''t say anything to her from beginning to end."


    Gu Yan''er''s nervous expression eased up and she curiously asked, "Are you afraid, Master?"


    Tang Xiu forced a wry smile and said, "Yeah, I''m afraid. I fear that if I talk to her, she will find out my true identity. Yan''er, there may be some changes in my previous and present appearances, but those really familiar with me may still be able to guess who I really am. So¡­"


    "Master, the number of people in the entire Immortal World who can guess the connection between the current you and the past you is definitely less than 20 people. Aside from me, her, and those two enemies, as well as Grandpa and Grandma, only those nine Sisters who know it."


    "That''s more than a dozen." Tang Xiu shook his head.


    "Nay, the Immortal World is way too vast. And even those people can only guess and can''t confirm your identity," argued Gu Yan''er. "Just like Black-faced Aunt. I''ve been observing her and she doesn''t seem to recognize your identity at all. The way I see it, she''s trying to identify your identity through your appearance."


    Tang Xiu nodded and asked, "Then what should I do, Yan''er? Should I return the Soul Plate to her and let her leave immediately? Or¡­ keep hiding the truth from her and let her follow us?"


    Gu Yan''er thought for a long time before she slowly answered, "Master, I think the best course is to keep hiding the truth from her and make her follow us for now. After all, she''s still a Perfected Golden Immortal. If you were to give her Soul Plate back and yet she refuses to leave, it would be troublesome if she insists on learning your identity. Further, Black-faced Aunt is the sister of the Sect Master of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. With such status and yet she got captured and became a deathmatch fighter of the Convict Arena, a tragedy is bound to happen if we let her leave alone. Since you have returned, it''s best to take her with you. On the one hand, she can help us manage our entourage, whereas, on the other hand, we can also ensure her safety."


    Tang Xiu said, "Aside from that, have you ever thought that there are only a few people who know her identity? Only our enemies know her, so in case¡­"


    Gu Yan''er said, "Then she must change her appearance."


    Tang Xiu thought for a while and felt that it was a sound idea. Then he nodded and said, "It seems that we can only proceed this way. Yan''er, the identity of Aunt Star Tears, aside from us and the other nine, must never be disclosed to the outside world. Additionally, tell those nine sisters to never show any flaws in front of Aunt Star Tears."

 1316 Getting Along

    After Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er came out of the Heavenly Abode artifact, Tang Xiu brought the two mid-stage Perfected Golden Immortals into the Heavenly Abode. Watching the indifferent expressions of the two Perfected Golden Immortals, Tang Xiu slowly took out a cigarette, lit it up, and took a puff before saying, "You two must be thinking that I''m even worse than an ant since I''m just an ordinary Immortal, right?"


    "We dare not have such a thought, Master."


    Both men shook their heads and denied even though it was exactly their thoughts since their lives were in Tang Xiu''s hands.


    "You know, I don''t like subordinates who act respectful but against their mind and those who talk insincerely," said Tang Xiu lightly. "Just answer me truthfully. Is that right?"


    "Yes!"


    Zenith Venerable and Seaway Monarch answered at the same time.


    Tang Xiu nodded with satisfaction and said, "Then, you both answer me another question. How long did it take you from the time you started to cultivate to the present?"


    "6,432 years," answered Zenith Venerable.


    "5,320 years for me," Seaway Monarch said.


    "You should still remember how long it took you to reach the Immortal Stage from the first time you stepped on the cultivation path, right? Tell me about it," Tang Xiu asked again.


    Zenith Venerable and Seaway Monarch looked at each other. They faintly realized the direction of Tang Xiu''s question and suddenly sneered inwardly. They used to be peerless geniuses in their respective Immortal Domains and their cultivation speed was many times faster than others.


    "This subordinate only took 423 years," said Zenith Venerable.


    "It took only 399 years for this subordinate," said Seaway Monarch.


    "Just so-so, but not bad either." Tang Xiu nodded and said, "But do you know how long I have been on the cultivation path?"


    Both men shook their heads at the same time.


    "It took me less than 30 years," said Tang Xiu indifferently.


    "Pardon?!"


    Incredulity painted the two men''s faces as they exclaimed.


    They were both Perfected Golden Immortals and their state of mind was heaven-defying. Yet, Tang Xiu''s statement still shocked them to the core. It was because they never heard of anyone reaching the Immortal Stage from a mortal in less than 30 years. Not even those Supremacy Stage experts of ancient times were able to achieve such a feat. Even in the past hundreds of thousands of years, those who became Immortals within a hundred years could be counted with two hands, right?


    "No need to be that shocked. Also, you don''t need to suspect me of having any noble bloodline eighter," said Tang Xiu lightly. "I''m just an ordinary person, and it only took me less than 30 years to become an Immortal from birth to the present. Now, you both should understand what I want to say, shouldn''t you?"


    Zenith Venerable and Seaway Monarch exchanged glances again. Although they were still a bit unable to accept and believe it, their attitudes changed a lot and they replied with a bit of respect, "We understand. Master''s aptitude is definitely against the heavens, more terrifying than any peerless genius in the past. Over time, I believe Master can become stronger and cultivate faster."


    Tang Xiu faintly smile and said, "It''s great that you understand it, so I''m going to talk to you openly and honestly today. I want to tell you that if you do your duty to the best of your abilities under me, you''ll only need to pledge your loyalty to me for 5,000 years. You''ll have your freedom after that."


    "5,000 years?"


    Both men smiled bitterly at the same time. They were already very old now. Who could guarantee that they were still alive for another 5,000 years?


    "I''ll provide both of you enormous cultivation resources during these 5,000 years, and I won''t restrict your freedom too much," added Tang Xiu lightly. "Your lives may be under my control, but I''ll give you the respect you deserve during these 5,000 years. I can even elevate your status to a new height and even become the Protector of the Great Tang Empire."


    Both men looked confused.


    "To be honest with you, I just ascended to the Immortal World for some time and led my people here," Tang Xiu added lightly. "The number of people in the entire Great Tang Empire is but a few as there are only 200,000 plus people now."


    "We agree!"


    The two men agreed but couldn''t help but smile bitterly inwardly. An empire consisting only of 200,000 people? It was just something they were powerless to even speak about. Even in an ordinary human country, the country''s population could surely exceed 10 million people, right? Yet this guy dared call it an empire?


    Suddenly, the two men realized something else. Since their Master just arrived in the Immortal World not long ago, then where did he get so much wealth? They knew that he just bought 3 Perfected Golden Immortal gladiators in one go.


    "May I ask you a question, Master?" Seaway Venerable hesitated a bit before he asked prudently.


    "Ask me anything," said Tang Xiu.


    "You said you originally came from a small world, Master. Does the world you come from have a lot of Immortal Stones, Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences? Else, where did so much wealth come from since you can buy us from the Convict Arena?" asked Seaway Monarch.


    "Where else aside from the Convict Arena itself? Isn''t it a place for patrons to gamble?" Tang Xiu smiled faintly. "I can buy you guys from the Convict Arena. Can''t I also win a lot of wealth from there?"


    Gasp¡­


    The two men gasped and experienced an enormous shock.


    Despite being Perfected Golden Immortals themselves, wanting to win hundreds of millions of Immortal Crystals from the Convict Arena was a very difficult thing to achieve. After all, not only one would need a terrifying vision, but heaven-defying luck was also needed if one wanted to win every gamble.


    Tang Xiu took out 2 million Crystal Essences from his interspatial ring and handed them to the two men, saying, "I have a mission for you both. The mission is to kill an enemy who has just become a Perfected Golden Immortal. But keep in mind that you''re not to reveal your identities. Withdraw immediately after you kill him."


    "Who is this person?" asked Seaway Monarch.


    "Vastly Martial Nightwolf, the Patriarch of the Nightwolf Clan in this Hessen Castle Immortal Domain," said Tang Xiu.


    "We both will surely get it done, Master," said Seaway Monarch respectfully.


    "Remember, you only have a very short time to act because this Vastly Martial guy knows Nine Nether Swordmeister," said Tang Xiu. "I presume you''ve heard the name of Nine Nether Swordmeister too. He''s also in Hessen Castle as of now and he''s a good friend of this Vastly Martial guy. Therefore, strike with an irresistible force and withdraw before Nine Nether Swordmeister catches the news."


    "Understood!" both men respectfully replied and Tang Xiu then sent them out of the Heavenly Abode.


    Afterward, Tang Xiu took a deep breath. When he came out of the Heavenly Abode artifact, he saw Gu Yan''er quietly savoring her tea, while Star Tears stood still in the room wearing an indifferent expression.


    "Come inside."


    Tang Xiu opened the Heavenly Abode and brought Star Tears inside.


    Star Tears calmly observed Tang Xiu and asked serenely, "Do you have any instructions for me, Master?"


    Tang Xiu took out 2 million Crystal Essences and put them in an interspatial ring. Then, he threw it to her and said, "You don''t need to call me Master from now on. My name is Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. You can call me Your Majesty."


    "Great Tang Heavenly Emperor?¡­ Your Majesty?"


    Star Tears looked confused before she nodded slowly.


    "I''m the Emperor of the Great Tang Empire. My country may have no territory and our number is just little more than 200,000 people as of now. But from now on, you are the Teacher and Protector of the State. I''ll provide you cultivation resources and you only need to promise 3 issues to me."


    "Please elaborate." Star Tears slightly nodded.


    "You are to change your appearance from today on and never let everyone else see your current face," said Tang Xiu. "If you ask the reason, I will tell you. I''m now too weak and I can''t protect my Perfected Golden Immortal subordinates. You became a deathmatch fighter in the Convict Arena, meaning you have some powerful enemies. I don''t want to be implicated because of you."


    "I understand."


    Star Tears didn''t speak much and silently nodded. As her facial muscles jittered, her appearance quickly changed. As of now, it was impossible for anyone to identify her true identity unless they were people very close to her.


    "The second one. You are to obey my orders unconditionally from now on," said Tang Xiu again. "Certainly, I won''t send you to your death deliberately, and I will also give you a lot of freedom and¡­ respect. But you must put your past behind you temporarily and serve me wholeheartedly."


    "Must I restrain myself when I encounter my mortal enemies?" asked Star Tears.


    "That''s right. Even if you encounter your mortal enemies, you must hold back and not show any flaws and traces whatsoever." Tang Xiu confirmed. "Certainly, you can still tell me and I''ll act depending on the situation. If we can deal with your enemies without causing me any trouble, I don''t mind letting you deal with them, or I''ll send some others to do it for you."


    Star Tears'' eyes lit up and she asked in a deep voice, "Can I take your words seriously?"


    "I meant what I said," said Tang Xiu firmly.


    Star Tears nodded firmly and said, "Then I give you my promise."


    With a satisfied look, Tang Xiu added, "For the third issue, I haven''t thought about it yet. But I''ll tell you when I do so. For the time being, stay and cultivate in the Heavenly Abode artifact. If you have nothing to do, you can help me train the Great Tang Empire''s soldiers in the Heavenly Abode."


    "Acknowledged!" Star Tears nodded.


    The moment after, Tang Xiu hesitated for a while and observed the renewed vigor in Star Tears'' eyes. Then, he slowly said, "Since you''re someone on our side from now on, once this Tang Xiu becomes a powerhouse who can contend with you, you can have your freedom back. At that time, I''ll respect your choice whether you want to leave or stay."


    Star Tears'' expression drastically changed after the last statement and incredulity filled her eyes. Her figure quickly retreated backward a few steps and she stutteringly asked, "You¡­ w-what did you call yourself just now?"


    "Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, Tang Xiu," said Tang Xiu.


    Star Tears'' eyes locked on Tang Xiu for a long time before she shook her head and said, "No¡­ you''re definitely not him. I can see it from your appearance and there''s no change in it. But why do you have a familiar aura on you? Why?"


    "I may be able to guess who you''re talking about," said Tang Xiu calmly. "I also bought a cat female from the Convict Arena some time ago. She also said that I have a familiar aura."


    Star Tears clenched her fists and she asked in a heavy voice, "Is she from a Dragon Feline Clan?"


    "She is." Tang Xiu nodded.


    "Where''s she?" asked Star Tears hurriedly. "C-Can I¡­ Can I see her now?"


    Tang Xiu quickly transmitted a message to Kitty. After explaining to her, he summoned her to his place and asked lightly, "Kitty, you should know her, right?"

 1317 We Are of the Same Roo

    Kitty suddenly looked happily surprised after seeing Star Tears and hurriedly cried out, "Black-faced Aunt¡­ no, no, no¡­ aren''t you Auntie Star Tears?"


    A tremor shook Star Tears'' heart. She reached to grab Kitty and excitedly said, "Is this really you, Kitty? You¡­ you''re still alive?"


    Suppressing her excitement, Kitty nodded repeatedly and said, "I''m still alive, Auntie Star Tears. It really feels great to see you again."


    Patting Kitty''s back, Star Tears suddenly took a step back and asked in a deep voice, "Kitty, you''re one who is most familiar with his aura. Who exactly is this guy in front of us?"


    Kitty quickly calmed herself down, but she recalled Tang Xiu''s instructions and said, "Auntie Star Tears, he''s Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, the Emperor of the Great Tang Empire and also my savior. I thought that his aura was very familiar when I first met him, but¡­ he''s not¡­"


    Star Tears looked disappointed and bitterly replied, "That''s right! He''s not him! But how good would it be if he was still alive¡­"


    Tang Xiu suppressed the emotional turmoil in his heart while listening to their conversation. Then, he lightly said, "No matter what you said, you both have to remember that from now on, you are the subject of my Great Tang Empire. I''m the one who saved you, so you must draw a line to your past temporarily."


    "Understood!"


    Kitty and Star Tears nodded at the same time.


    Tang Xiu then came out of the Heavenly Abode relieved. Then, he handed an interspatial ring to Gu Yan''er and said, "I''ll only keep 1 million Crystal Essences, 1 million Immortal Crystals, and 1 million Immortal Stones. Give the rest to Xiaoxue! Further, the gambling event between Nine Nether Swordmeister and Venerable Netherworld is coming soon. After all of our people come back, make them practice in the battle arrays. The individual strength of the Great Tang Empire''s four major armies is way too weak now. Only by arranging such combat arrays will we be able to increase their combat effectiveness."


    "Alright, I''ll arrange it." Gu Yan''er nodded.


    Tang Xiu slightly smiled. He could feel at ease about Gu Yan''er''s abilities.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu went to the Inkwell Pen Mansion, where Nine Nether Swordmeister was staying temporarily. However, the guard outside the entrance stopped him right as he arrived at the gate. The entry limitation was not specifically aimed for Tang Xiu as there were hundreds of visitors outside the gate and they were also denied entry at the gate.


    "My Swordmeister Master is currently not seeing any visitors. If you don''t have important things, please go back," said the Golden Immortal guard as he glanced at Tang Xiu and Battle Peng with a cold face.


    "Go tell Nine Nether Swordmeister that Great Tang Heavenly Emperor is visiting him. He''ll definitely be willing to see me," Tang Xiu said with a smile.


    A look of surprise flashed in the eyes of the Golden Immortal guard. The other several guards had also previously been informed of several visitors that were allowed to enter without notification, and Great Tang Heavenly Emperor was one of them.


    Suddenly, the Golden Immortal Guard''s attitude became more respectful and he said, "Ah, it turns out that Sir is Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. I apologize since I didn''t recognize you just now. I hope you don''t feel offended. Master Swordmeister has decreed that you can go see him directly if you come."


    Tang Xiu slightly smiled and took Battle Peng inside under the astonished eyes of the onlookers in the surroundings. An attendant guided him all the way and, soon after, Tang Xiu saw Nine Nether Swordmeister.


    Nine Nether was not the only person Tang Xiu saw, he also saw a blonde burly man with a hawk-like nose, slanted sword-like brows, and a big mouth. The man''s appearance looked somewhat ugly, but his pressing aura was no joke. What surprised Tang Xiu the most was that, even though this man was sitting face-to-face with Nine Nether, he could sense a boiling killing intent from him.


    "Did I come at the wrong time or something?"


    Tang Xiu looked at the two men a few times. Although he spoke like that, he still waltzed straight to the chair next to the two men and took a seat. He then took out a cigarette and lit it up. He wouldn''t have taken such an action prior to this. After all, his strength was still too weak. However, Star Tears was in the Heavenly Abode he carried and he didn''t need to be afraid.


    Nine Nether Swordmeister wore a quirky expression and coughed twice before he lightly smiled. "Great Tang Lil Bro, you arrived at the wrong time indeed. You see, this guy is here for some trouble, and we''re likely to get into a brawl soon."


    Tang Xiu''s expression shifted and he smilingly said, "If my guess is right, you should be Venerable Netherworld, yes? You should be a Perfected Golden Immortal, and your cultivation is likely a level higher than Brother Nine Nether."


    Venerable Netherworld glanced at Tang Xiu indifferently and sneered coldly. "From which stone did this bumpkin come out? You''re just vermin, yet you dare to share the seats with us here?"


    Right as he said that he burst out his aura and swept over to suppress Tang Xiu.


    Battle Peng''s expression slightly changed and he immediately stood in front of Tang Xiu. The man groaned and his body shook a few times, but he held on even though a wisp of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.


    "A very loyal dog who isn''t afraid of death, huh?" Venerable Netherworld sneered.


    "The Immortal World is as brutal as always, with only the strong deserving due respect, huh?" Tang Xiu shook his head and sighed.


    In the next moment, Star Tears appeared beside Tang Xiu out of the blue. Her eyes were overflowing with a chilling glint as she instantly unleashed her killing aura and shielded Battle Peng and Tang Xiu behind her while shooting a chilling glare at Venerable Netherworld.


    A Perfected Golden Immortal?


    Venerable Netherworld''s complexion changed and dread was visible in his eyes. He could sense that the surging aura coming from Star Tears was by no means weaker than his.


    "Hmph, no wonder you dare to act that arrogant, huh? Turns out you have a Perfected Golden Immortal thug protecting you."


    Seeing that Venerable Netherworld withdrew his aura, Tang Xiu immediately waved to Star Tears to stand next to him and smilingly said, "You know, the world I once lived in had a saying that one must have what it takes before daring to take on anything. Let''s just say that one can''t act arrogant without having the qualification to protect his own ass."


    A glint flashed in Nine Nether Swordmeister''s eyes. He really didn''t expect that Tang Xiu had a Perfected Golden Immortal under him. It made him more and more curious about Tang Xiu''s identity.


    "May I know your name, Fellow Immortal?" Nine Nether Swordmeister looked at Star Tears and asked.


    Star Tears just glanced at him indifferently and didn''t bother to answer. Her whole being stayed silent.


    "She''s a gladiator from the Convict Arena that I bought, Brother Nine Nether," said Tang Xiu lightly. "There''s no need to bother about her identity. Well, this should be Venerable Netherworld, your rival, shouldn''t he? But why are you both sitting here together? Does that mean you don''t need my help and you both will solve your feud yourselves?"


    Nine Nether Swordmeister shook his head and said, "Though I really wish I could kill him and vice versa on the surface, we''re still brothers that have deep bonds, so it''s not impossible to sit together like this."


    "Heh, but I''m ashamed to have a brother like you, just so you know." Venerable Netherworld sneered.


    "Don''t you think that''s also my exact feeling about you?" Nine Nether Swordmeister angrily yelled.


    A strange expression painted Tang Xiu''s face when he looked at the two men''s expressions. He really couldn''t figure out that these two men were unexpectedly brothers from their appearances alone. The difference between them was just too great. Shaking his head, Tang Xiu sighed. "Alas, you turn out to be brothers? Then why did you both bother to yell to kill each other, huh? Haven''t you heard the saying that those who were originally born from the same root, why bother to be so anxious to fry each other?"


    "Huh?"


    "Come again?"


    The two men frowned at the same time, recalling what Tang Xiu just blurted out: "Those who were born of the same root, why bother to be so anxious to fry each other?". 15 minutes passed by and the two men then looked at Tang Xiu in a slightly different light.


    "I still got things to deal with. See you at the Convict Arena later." Venerable Netherworld coldly got up and vanished instantly.


    Nine Nether Swordmeister looked at the spot Venerable Netherworld just vanished with a complicated expression. Then he shook his head and wryly smiled. "Great Tang Lil Bro, I just realized that you''re indeed out of the ordinary just from the way you view things alone. Your state of mind is really something I can''t match."


    Tang Xiu couldn''t help laughing and said, "Nine Nether Brother, you''re a Perfected Golden Immortal powerhouse, there''s no need wasting such a lavish compliment on me, no?"


    "That''s not a compliment but my real feeling about you." Nine Nether Swordmeister shook his head. "Anyways, let''s spare us this boring topic, shall we? Do you need anything from me?"


    "Well, it''s nothing serious. I just want to play chess with you, Brother Nine Nether," said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    "Just playing chess?" Nine Nether Swordmeister asked with a strange expression.


    "Yup, just playing chess. Nothing else." Tang Xiu nodded with a smile.


    Nine Nether shook his head and smiled in spite of trying not to. He placed a checkerboard on the small round table in front of him and lightly smiled. "Great Tang Lil Bro should know how to play Immortal Chess, right?"


    "Yeah!" Tang Xiu replied with a smile, "But the most annoying thing when playing this chess is quitting halfway, so I hope Brother Nine Nether will go all out. Only if I win by my true ability can I really go tend to some other things."


    Nine Nether Swordmeister''s expression shifted. He vaguely felt something else hidden in Tang Xiu''s statement. However, recalling that nothing happened as of now, he nodded and said, "Alright, let''s start then."


    The Immortal Chess game was similar to the Go abstract strategy game.


    The two men frequently dropped their pieces and the checkerboard began to be covered by more and more pieces that made the game turn more intense. Just when the two men''s game reached a critical moment, Nine Nether Swordmeister''s complexion suddenly changed and his hand instantly moved to catch a streak of light.


    "Save me, Brother Nine Nether!"


    Nine Nether Swordmeister abruptly got up and his eyes locked on Tang Xiu fixedly as he asked in a heavy voice, "Great Tang Brother, you¡­"


    "Why bother poking your nose into others'' business now since you''re burdened with your own troubles, Brother Nine Nether?" Tang Xiu asked with a smile. "What''s more, I''m afraid that it will still be too late for you to get there now. We might as well calmly see this game to its completion."


    Nine Nether Swordmeister frowned and said, "You obviously let him go back then, Brother Great Tang, yet why did you still want¡­"


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and said, "I spared him then since I looked at your face, Brother Nine Nether. But I naturally have my own reason for him to die now. Brother, I, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, have always treated my friends and brothers sincerely, but never once have I let those damned people live."


    Nine Nether Swordmeister forced a bitter smile. "But Great Tang Lil Bro, you also know that I and him¡­."


    "It''s too late," said Tang Xiu.


    Nine Nether Swordmeister was silent for a long time before he gloomily sighed. "I still need to go there no matter how late. He''s also my friend and I don''t want to fail him. I''m sorry, Brother Tang."

 1318 Meddling in Others Business

    Looking at the back of Nine Nether Swordmeister as he departed, a look of appreciation appeared in Tang Xiu''s eyes, but his regretful expression was more evident. He may have made a mistake due to strange circumstances or this might be just a coincidence. But nonetheless, Tang Xiu decided to no longer blend in the turbid waters with Nine Nether Swordmeister.


    "Alright, let''s get started."


    Tang Xiu got up and let Star Tears return to the Heavenly Abode artifact and brought only Battle Peng out of Inkwell Pen Mansion. After returning to Stargazing Pavilion, he then immediately issued an order: All members of the Great Tang Empire are to return from the outside world immediately!


    Two days later, all the members of the Great Tang Empire had returned, including Seaway Monarch and Zenith Venerable who went to ambush Vastly Martial Nightwolf. Aside from Gu Yan''er and Battle Peng staying in the outside world, the rest disappeared from the Stargazing Pavilion and entered the Heavenly Abode artifact.


    Tang Xiu was well aware that Nine Nether Swordmeister might have already known that he had brought his people and left. It was even very likely that he was hiding in some hidden spot watching them leave.


    Heavenly Net Immortal Domain.


    Just as Tang Xiu stepped out of the spatial teleportation array, he looked at the surroundings and sensed some killing intents around. He didn''t bother about the immortal soldiers stationed here and just quickly left with Gu Yan''er and Battle Peng.


    "We seem to be going the wrong way, Master," Gu Yan''er suddenly spoke while observing the surrounding environment after they flew for half a day.


    "No, we''re not lost." Tang Xiu said lightly, "I''ve prepared to wander around the Heavenly Net Immortal Domain since this region is quite bustling and large. There are some good things that can be found here, and I plan to come back here in the future."


    A suspicious look flashed in Gu Yan''er''s eyes and she asked with a voice transmission, "What do you mean, Master?"


    Replying with a voice transmission, Tang Xiu said, "We have just returned to the Immortal World recently, yet we run into Kitty and Aunty Star Tears. Both of them have become deathmatch fighters. That means that many people close to us are scattered about living in various places in the Immortal World. They are perhaps now in imminent danger, so we might as well delay our pace on the road while trying to find those who need our help as much as possible."


    "What are you going to do after you find them?" asked Gu Yan''er hurriedly.


    "Unless they are our closest people, we''ll only help them while in passing. But we won''t take them with us so as not to expose our identity," said Tang Xiu lightly.


    "So we''re now doing all that is humanly possible and let destiny guide us?" asked Gu Yan''er.


    "Something like that." Tang Xiu nodded unobtrusively.


    In the following three months, Tang Xiu took Gu Yan''er and Battle Peng across every area of the Heavenly Net Immortal Domain and passed every bustling city. Aside from purchasing the needed cultivation resources in large numbers, they had yet to find any of their old acquaintances.


    Therefore, the trio embarked on another journey and passed through another Immortal Domain. When they entered another Immortal Domain, they met some people from the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect and some people who used to be their subordinates. In short, through the journey, Tang Xiu realized that many people under him had gone through the persecution of the enemies after he got betrayed. He also clearly inquired about the current situation of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect.


    The sect was in deep trouble and miserable. The Vermillion Bird Holy Sect had completely retreated to their holy ground and now relied upon the two Supremacy Stage experts in the sect to protect the sect''s defensive protection array.


    Further, some of Tang Xiu''s loyal subordinates had joined the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect and fought side-by-side with the sect. Some were hiding in some places in the Immortal World, whereas others were working independently.


    Greenwood Immortal Domain.


    Four snow-white beasts pulled a golden barouche and traversed the road fast. Two figures on the golden barouche sat cross-legged in a state of cultivation, whereas a burly man beside them looked around observing with an indifferent expression.


    They were Tang Xiu, Gu Yan''er, and Battle Peng, who was on guard duty.


    80% of the landmass in the Greenwood Immortal Region was covered by lush and verdant mountains and woodlands. Other than huge cities, the rest of the region consisted of seas and lakes. It was known that the peace-loving Forest Elf race lived in the particularly massive land in the Greenwood Immortal Domain, where dozens of branches of the Forest Elf race lived.


    BOOM¡­


    A terrifying aura suddenly burst from the distance and reached the golden barouche.


    Tang Xiu''s and Gu Yan''er''s eyes abruptly opened at the same time. With a surprised look, they glanced at the direction of that aura and Tang Xiu asked with furrowed brows, "What happened? My vision can''t reach that far."


    "I can''t see anything either." Gu Yan''er shook her head.


    Although Battle Peng didn''t speak, he also looked confused and showed that he had no idea of what happened either.


    After hesitating for a moment, Tang Xiu said, "The fight happened out of our range of sight, but we can sense the aura from here. That means the fight should be between Perfected Golden Immortals. Let''s head there and have a look."


    Battle Peng slightly nodded and shouted at four Cloudpiercer beasts, "Speed up!"


    The Cloudpiercer beasts were all powerful Immortal Beasts and each was comparable to an ordinary Immortal. Coupled with the golden barouche artifact, both fetched an extremely high price. If it wasn''t for Tang Xiu who found some treasures in some Immortal Domains and exchanged them into Immortal Crystals, he wouldn''t have been able to buy them.


    A few minutes after, the fighting scene finally appeared before the trio''s eyes. Above the lush and dense forest, several Forest Elves were being attacked by four strong big men.


    "Dragon Clan?"


    Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er exchanged glances and both looked confused.


    Forest Elves had always been on good terms with the Dragon Clan. The Supremacy Stage expert of the Elves and the Supreme Patriarch of the Dragon Clan were best friends whose friendship was known throughout the Immortal World. Yet they now encountered these Forest Elves fighting the Dragon Clan? A truly rare occasion.


    At the same time, the two sides also found Tang Xiu''s group of three approaching. The four Dragon clansmen immediately forced back the several Forest Elves and revealed their main bodies. In just a flash, four of them morphed into four long, silvery giant dragons hundreds of meters long.


    "Sendoya, hand over the Luminous Immortal Speculum, only then you can go without dying! Otherwise, we''ll kill all of you even if there are outsiders here." One of the silver dragons growled, and the killing aura emanating from it blotted out the sky.


    The Forest Elves were obviously the suppressed side, and many of them had ghastly wounds. After hearing that silver dragon''s demand, the tall forest elf who fanned her wings paced a few steps forward and coldly said, "The Luminous Immortal Speculum is the artifact protection of my Blood Elf Clan. We''ll never give it to you even if you exterminate all the Blood Elves as a race. Ao Xiang, you''re an elder of Dragon Clan, yet you dare to rob the protection artifact of my Blood Elf Clan? Do you really want to provoke a war between our two races?"


    The silver dragon named Ao Xiang sneered. "Just your Blood Elf Clan alone is not enough to cause a war between our two races. Further, the Blood Elf is getting fewer in numbers. If my guess is on the mark, the number of your clansmen shouldn''t be over 100 now, no? Leaving the Luminous Immortal Speculum artifact in your clan is just a complete waste and might as well give it to me, so I can make the Purple Elf Clan''s princess happy."


    Looking at Ao Xiang with obvious hostility, Sendoya furiously growled. "My Blood Elf Clan previously had a large population and we were the strongest lineage of the entire Forest Elves aside from the Royal Family. Even your Dragon Clan fawned upon us at that time. Have you forgotten that? Is this the real nature of your Dragon race?"


    Ao Xiang was furious upon hearing Sendoya''s retort. His huge head immediately pointed to Tang Xiu and shouted fiercely, "I advise you not to poke your nose in our business. Else, you''ll become the Dragon Clan''s enemy!"


    Tang Xiu slanted his brows and ignored him completely. He looked at Sendoya instead and asked aloud, "Hey, I heard the remaining population of your Blood Elf Clan is now less than 100. Is that true?"


    Sendoya shifted to Tang Xiu vigilantly and replied in a deep voice, "That''s right, countless clansmen of our Blood Elf have died in battle. But as long as anyone of us is alive, we can lead our tribe to rise again in the future."


    "Haih, the Blood Elves were known as the battle maniacs of the Forest Elves. You were indeed the strongest lineage of the Forest Elves. But who would have thought that your Blood Elf Clan would end up so miserable in just tens of thousands of years? If my guess is right, your Blood Elf Clan should have now been excluded from the Elves race, right?"


    Sendoya''s expression became extremely ugly. She was the leader of the Blood Elves and naturally knew their current situation.


    Their current situation was bad or rather¡­ terrible.


    She was even perfectly aware of one thing. Ao Xiang and these four bastards came to attack them to snatch the Luminous Immortal Speculum. The Royal Family of the elves must have known about this, yet they didn''t even help them and just shut their eyes and ears. Their attitude was completely obvious.


    Tang Xiu slightly smiled and he could tell many problems from seeing Sendoya''s expression alone. His thoughts raced and he smilingly said, "Anyway, we''re just passing by and are kind of too lazy to poke our nose into your issues. But we don''t mind trying to help anyone who is in trouble. Your name is Sendoya, yes? Rather than having your Blood Elf lineage live here in suffocation, you might as well leave this place directly and seek shelter elsewhere."


    Sendoya shot an indifferent look at Tang Xiu and asked, "Who are you?"


    "I''m the Majesty Sovereign of the Great Tang Empire. You can call me Great Tang Heavenly Emperor," Tang Xiu replied with a smile. "If your Blood Elf lineage is willing to leave with me, I''ll allow you to live in my Great Tang Empire."


    Sendoya pondered for a moment before shaking her head and said, "The Greenwood Immortal Domain is a place suitable for the survival of the Elves. Besides, why do you think you can convince us to leave with just a few words from you? Just leave. We don''t need your help."


    Tang Xiu burst into laughter in response before summoning Zenith Venerable and Seaway Monarch from the Heavenly Abode artifact. Pointing to Ao Xiang and the other dragons, he lightly ordered, "Kick them out of this place. If they don''t want to leave, butcher them!"


    Ao Xiang looked terrified and snarled. "Your name is Great Tang Heavenly Emperor? Do you really want to meddle in our business?"

 1319 That Heartless Man

    Tang Xiu ignored Ao Xiang''s threat completely and smilingly said, "I never liked insensible killings, but I can''t stand those who bully the weak and always meddle in when I see it happen. Of course, I won''t stop you from leaving if you scram now."


    Ao Xiang glared at Tang Xiu and then shouted, "Fine, let''s leave!"


    With that said, his group shot a cold glare at Sendoya again before he flew to the distance.


    Tang Xiu slightly smiled and returned Zenith Venerable and Seaway Monarch to the Heavenly Abode. Then he looked at Sendoya and said, "Remember my name and my empire. If you have no place left for you here in the future, come to the Great Empire and look for me. I can provide you shelter."


    Having said that, he didn''t give Sendoya a chance to reply and ordered the Cloudpiercer beasts to continue their journey.


    Sendoya and the dozens of Blood Elves watched Tang Xiu leave with complex expressions. As a matter of fact, it wasn''t that they didn''t want to leave this place. But they were still holding on the spark of hope in their hearts that the Blood Elves could return to their peak in this place.


    "Chief, I think¡­"


    A male Blood Elf wearing a red cape and red armor hesitantly said.


    Sendoya raised her hand to interrupt him and indifferently said, "I know what you want to say. But this place is our home and we can''t just leave this place unless we come to an impasse here. Further, do we even know where this Great Tang Empire and who this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor is? We know nothing about him, so we can''t promise him."


    The Immortal World.


    The region was a world of ice and snow with snowflakes dancing in the sky amidst the breeze and the standing glaciers. The ground was but layers of thick ice, and only a few plants suitable for this environment added some vitality to this ice and snow world.


    Crack¡­


    Above the night sky, a flash of lightning appeared out of the blue. Along with the lightning bolts traversing in the void, a distressed figure crushed down from the slit in the vault of heaven and fell on the hard ice.


    The figure was Han Qingwu. She just ascended from Earth to the Immortal World and used her spatial divine ability during her ascent and finally appeared here. At the moment, she was covered with blood and her white attire was bloodied and ragged.


    Cough, cough¡­


    After a long while, Han Qingwu struggled to get up from the ice ground. Her body slightly shivered as she looked around. Eventually, a faint smile appeared on her bloodstained face.


    "I finally came back! A bit later than him, right?"


    Han Qingwu gently raised her hand and mist appeared around her. Shortly after, all the bloodstains on her body were washed away and her tattered long robe was blasted out. She then instantly put on white combat attire.


    Suddenly, her expression slightly shifted and looked vigilant. She could sense a huge aura coming fast from the distant horizon. Hardly with any hesitation, her figure quickly bolted away as fast as lightning towards the nearby iceberg. In nearly a flash, her figure had merged into the iceberg.


    Whoosh¡­


    A raging gale roared and a dark blue figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere right at the spot where Han Qingwu just stood. A chilling aura emanated out of the body of this person while his sharp eyes slowly swept around. He then frowned and muttered, "A breath of life was clearly here. How can it disappear so quickly? Did someone with remarkable divine ability come here?"


    After a few minutes, he shook his head secretly and flickered away.


    10 days later, a deep hole was blown out from the inside on the iceberg. The injuries on Han Qingwu''s body were no more. She then turned into a streak of light that shot towards the distance.


    She must find him. But she didn''t worry that she couldn''t find him at all.


    Based on her understanding about him, Han Qingwu was well aware that bloodbath and battles always occurred no matter where he went. Moreover, he came back for revenge this time, so as long as she paid attention to some major events in the Immortal World, she believed that she could find his trail.


    Han Qingwu never wanted to disturb him, but she wanted to look at him from afar. Just¡­ watching¡­ and nothing else. It was enough for her.


    ****


    The Immortal World, Immortal Lyceum.


    The Immortal Lyceum had a wide area of influence, and the vast Immortal Domain was under the control of Apotheosis Immortal Bella Fern Regalia. However, the entire territory of Immortal Lyceum had become extremely chaotic in the past hundred years since Apotheosis Immortal Bella was involved in a war for centuries and was gravely injured.


    Amidst the endless void.


    Four endless roads spread towards the void, and at the intersection of the four roads was the Immortal Domain''s landmass. The landmass itself was not very large but still in the range of millions of kilometers. Above this landmass was a building with carved beams and rich ornaments.


    Whoosh¡­


    A fast-moving figure flickered lightning-fast from the southwestern road and quickly landed outside the vortex portal connected to the landmass. Wearing a silver tabard and silver combat boots, the long silver-haired figure emanated the aura of a Perfected Golden Immortal.


    "Pays respect to Apotheon Mu!"


    Dozens of Immortal soldiers guarding outside the vortex gate all saluted to the visitors.


    Apotheon Mu slowly nodded and lunged into the vortex portal. He stepped on the red floating clouds in the sky and then came to the square outside the towering palace in the middle. As a valiant female immortal appeared, he asked in a deep voice, "How is the injury of Apotheosis Immortal Bella?"


    The female Immortal answered, "Her injury is quite serious. If we can''t find a Holy Dragon Fruit within a hundred years, I''m afraid¡­"


    Apotheon Mu frowned deeply and said, "I''d like to see her."


    The female Immortal hesitated. "Her Ladyship has ordered that if there''s no¡­"


    "Let him come in!"


    A faint, misty voice came from the interior of the palace.


    Apotheon Mu gently nodded to the female immortal and then entered the palace instantly. As his figure appeared inside, he looked up at the Nine Dragons Cathedra where the pale-faced Apotheosis Immortal Bella sat cross-legged on. He let out a bitter smile and greeted. "Senior Venerable, there''s no need for you to do this!"


    Apotheosis Immortal Bella Fern Regalia had a beautiful face, looking like she was in her 30s with snow-white fair skin and soul-stirring beauty. Her pale, slender fingers stroked her temples as she calmly said, "He once said that the Great Dao originates from the heart and my Dao is the path of my feelings. He may have been heartless to me, but I can never be heartless to him. Even if he''s dead, I still want to crush the Demon in my heart."


    "Senior Venerable, some things are meant to never be fulfilled. Besides, Master has already vanished both in flesh and soul. Even though you persevere and keep insisting, no good results will come to you. Why not let everything go?" Apotheon Immortal Mu sighed.


    "Just let everything go? Can I just put everything down?" Apotheosis Bella''s eyes burst with intense killing intent and she shouted with a miserable voice, "He may have died, but those he cared about are still there! Those treacherous bastards have yet to get annihilated, so how can I just put everything down?"


    Apotheon Mu was silent for a moment and then slowly said, "Junior Martial Brother Sirius is dead. I just received the news that he died in the hands of White Guillotine Venerable under Great Emperor Danqing."


    Apotheosis Bella was reticent for a long while before speaking with a bit hoarse voice, "Sirius has an arrogant character and he never wanted to stay still in the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. Over the past 7 centuries, he killed countless men under Great Emperor Danqing, so he had long been regarded as a thorn in their eyes. I have long expected that he''d be killed."


    Apotheon Mu said, "Senior Venerable, you''ve also slaughtered countless enemies all these years, they may have regarded you as a thorn in their eyes as well. Although you''ve broken through to the Supremacy Stage, you''re now gravely injured. Just in case¡­"


    "Don''t worry." Apotheosis Bella shook his head and said, "Your Master was the one who arranged the arrays that protect this place. Unless Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao themselves come together, nobody else among them can destroy the Immortal arrays of this place. It''s you who can be easily spied on by them since you often travel from the Misty Spring Ocean to here."


    "This time, I''m in need of the Luminous Nacre Fan in your hand," said Apotheon Mu.


    Apotheosis Bella''s complexion changed and she shouted in a deep voice, "I know what you are going to do by asking the Luminous Nacre Fan from me. But I''ll never give it to you and I''ll never allow you to take risks! Those four are now being suppressed under the Heavenly Mountain in order to lure you there. With your strength, you''re only going to enter their trap!"


    "But I still must go." Apotheon Mu said in a heavy voice, "They''re all my Martial Brothers and the last of Master''s disciples. I''m willing to even throw my life there as long as I can rescue the four of them."


    "No!" Apotheosis Bella shook her head and said, "I can feel at ease if you break through to the Supremacy Stage. After all, even if you fail to rescue them, you still have some assurances to get away. But you''re just a Perfected Golden Immortal and going there will only bring about your own death! Apotheon Mu, listen to my advice. Go back to Misty Spring Ocean and devote yourself to cultivation. They will never be able to break through the protection arrays of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect within a thousand years. They won''t be able to kill everyone there. The greatest help you can offer to them over there is only when you''ve broken through to the Supremacy Stage!"


    Apotheon Mu shook his head and said, "Breaking through to the Supremacy Stage within a thousand years is just impossible for me. Senior Venerable, I''ve already made up my mind that I''m going to the Convict Arena to buy 10 Perfected Golden Immortal gladiators. I''m going to rescue my Martial Brothers with them. Only then can I have face to see Respectable Master."


    Apotheosis Bella stared at Apotheon Mu''s firm expression before she finally waved her long sleeves and threw the Luminous Nacre Fan to him. Then, she helplessly said, "I''m seriously injured now and I can''t help you. But if you can wait some more time, it''s best to wait more. I''ll take you there myself when my injury is healed."


    "Thank you, Senior Venerable."


    Apotheon Mu bowed and saluted before turning and heading outside. When he was about to reach the gate, his pace suddenly halted and he turned to look at Apotheosis Bella, saying, "I''m going back to Misty Spring Ocean and immediately help you find the Holy Dragon Fruit. I''m going to Heavenly Mountain after I have found it."


    "You''re free to do whatever you want. But I hope that no matter what, you don''t get into dangers easily," said Apotheosis Bella. "There are still many people in the vast Immortal World that need your protection."


    "I understand." Apotheon Mu turned around and flew out.


    On the Nine Dragons Cathedra.


    Apotheosis Bella looked sad and muttered to herself, "What a heartless and ungrateful man you are. You just walk away and leave so much debt behind¡­"

 1320 Coming to the Rescue

    Hoary Head Galaxy.


    When Tang Xiu, Gu Yan''er, and Battle Peng walked out of the spatial teleportation array, a seemingly endless misty world greeted them. The place was the Misty Spring Ocean. Even a Perfected Golden Immortal would face a limited range of vision in this place. As of now, tens of Immortals in black robes and holding immortal swords were casting their eyes on them.


    "I want to see Apotheon Mu."


    Tang Xiu came to the tens of Immortals and indifferently said.


    A burly Golden Immortal frowned and coldly replied, "Who are you, Sir? Is the name of our Lord something you can call out directly like that?"


    "If I''m not qualified to call his name, then there''s likely no one else in the entire Immortal World who is qualified to do so," said Tang Xiu lightly. "Send a message to Apotheon Mu and tell him that an old friend came to visit him. Tell him that this friend wants to occupy the Misty Spring Ocean as his territory."


    Brush¡­


    In that instant, the tens of Immortal soldiers, including the burly man raised their respective immortal swords and glared at Tang Xiu with hostility.


    "Think clearly. You''ll definitely face capital punishment if you offend me. Further, you won''t lose anything by doing what I just told you. You may even get a huge reward later," said Tang Xiu.


    The burly man stared at Tang Xiu coldly for a long while and finally turned his attention to Gu Yan''er and Battle Peng. He could clearly sense that both of them had very powerful auras, way stronger than his.


    "Please wait."


    The burly man pondered inwardly for a moment and finally transmitted a message through the Message Token.


    ****


    At the edge of Hoary Head Galaxy.


    A fight was currently underway where 8 Perfected Golden Immortals besieged Apotheosis Immortal Mu. If it wasn''t for the Luminous Nacre Fan in his hands that was able to unleash fearsome killing blows, Apotheon Mu would have long been killed by them.


    Yet, despite still being able to protect himself, he was still badly scarred and under imminent danger at the moment.


    Suddenly, his complexion suddenly changed and he unleashed the strongest blow he could execute with the Luminous Nacre Fan. Stream of lights burst out from him and flew beyond 10,000 meters in a flash, as a line of golden writing appeared in his field of vision: Lord Apotheosis Immortal Mu, some people claiming to be your old friends said they wanted to occupy your territory. They are now outside the teleportation array.


    Some old friends wanting to take over the territory?


    Apotheon Mu felt bitter inwardly. In such a dangerous predicament, he had no time to make a clone of himself. What vexed him more was that some powerful enemies had appeared in his Misty Spring Island. Looking at the 8 Perfected Golden Immortals who lunged at him once again, he gritted his teeth and shouted, "Come! Even if I die, I''ll drag you to hell with me!"


    Just as his voice faded away, he pinched the Message Token and quickly disappeared into the distant sky.


    ****


    Outside the teleportation array on Misty Spring Island.


    The burly man''s expression shifted when he grabbed the flickering streamer in his hand. He immediately read the message contained inside and, after reading it, he looked at Tang Xiu and said, "His Lordship Mu has transmitted a message and left an Immortal Mark. Please go there to see him personally!"


    Tang Xiu glanced at the Immortal Mark bursting out of the Message Token and immediately asked in a deep voice, "How long does it take from here to Apotheon Mu''s position?"


    "It should take 4 hours with the full speed of a Golden Immortal." The burly man sneered.


    Tang Xiu nodded and then summoned Seaway Monarch from the Heavenly Abode artifact. Then he spoke indifferently, "Lead the way. Take us to where the Immortal Mark is located."


    "Understood!" Seaway Monarch replied and instantly wrapped Tang Xiu''s group of three and bolted towards the place marked by the Immortal Mark. His speed was very fast; it only took him a blink of an eye to traverse and appear thousands of miles away.


    "So fast?!!"


    The burly man''s complexion changed dramatically and his face was full of shock. He could see that the summoned big man was at least a Perfected Golden Immortal.


    ****


    At the edge of Misty Spring Island.


    Counter-attacking with the intention of perishing together with his enemies, Apotheon Mu was still able to defend himself. Even though the 8 Perfected Golden Immortals went all out, they didn''t want to perish together and kept attacking while defending themselves, in an attempt to finally kill Apotheon Mu.


    "Hehehe, we''ve been keeping tabs on the Immortal Lyceum, but I didn''t expect to find your trace there, Apotheon Mu. Master has told us that you''re to be executed directly the moment we find you. Therefore, you must die today so you can get the reward from our Master. If you''re willing to commit suicide, we promise to leave a wisp of your soul so you can reincarnate. Else you can expect your soul to scatter to oblivion." A yellow-robed old man with long, scarlet hair gleefully spoke.


    "Hmph, my Master said that enemies must be shredded to pieces and dye their clothes with their blood even if we must perish together. Speak no more nonsense, will you? I still have the Luminous Nacre Fan artifact, so I''ll take the souls of some of you down with me to oblivion. It''s still worth it taking several dogs of Zither Demon Jiuyao to be buried together," retorted Apotheon Mu coldly.


    The smile on the yellow-robed old man''s face elapsed and he coldly said, "You want to vanish to oblivion that much, huh? Then we''ll fulfill your wish! Just wait until you spend all your Immortal Force and your blood is drained out of your body. Let''s see if you still can take us to the grave with you."


    Apotheon Mu knew well the intention of the other party. Based on their method, he really had no means to take them with him to the grave. It was even harder to inflict significant damage to them.


    Yet, he wasn''t content. He was unwilling¡ªbecause he had yet to rescue his four Martial Brothers from the Heavenly Mountain. He hadn''t helped Apotheon Immortal Bella find a Holy Dragon Fruit, either. More so that he had yet to see the souls of those treacherous, abominable bastards perish.


    Hundreds of thousands of miles away.


    Seaway Monarch suddenly stopped mid-air and looked at the direction of Apotheon Mu''s fighting with the other eight, saying, "Master, I can sense a fight between Perfected Golden Immortals over there. They should be early-stage Perfected Golden Immortals, but one of them is holding a very powerful immortal artifact that even I must be very cautious towards."


    Tang Xiu''s expression changed and he asked in a deep voice, "How many Perfected Golden Immortals are there?"


    "A total of 9 people from both sides," answered Seaway Monarch.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Hurry up and immediately catch up. But don''t take any rash action and listen to my orders."


    Seaway Monarch hesitated for a moment, but he still flew towards the position with three people in tow.


    The moment the four of them approached, the yellow-robed old man''s expression abruptly changed and he shouted aloud, "We''re 8 Generals under Zither Demon Jiuyao. Quickly scram if you have no business here!"


    At the moment, Tang Xiu clearly saw the fight where Apotheon Mu was besieged by the 8 Perfected Golden Immortals. Crazy killing intent overflowed in his eyes when he saw that Apotheon was in grave danger. However, he was perfectly aware of his own strength. Unless he could break through to the Profound Immortal Stage, there was no way he would be able to contend with any Perfected Golden Immortal powerhouses.


    "Come out!"


    Hideously grinning, Tang Xiu instantly summoned 22 high-level immortals instantly. Among these 22 people, 20 of them were late-stage Golden Immortals and 2 others, Stas Tears and Zenith Venerable, were Perfected Golden Immortals. Tang Xiu took a deep breath and fiercely said, "Hmph, that asshole Zither Demon Jiuyao truly has a notorious reputation. I''m sure the 8 Generals under him are as abominable as him. I didn''t plan to poke my nose, but there are so many people bullying one person, this is so damn despicable! KILL THEM!"


    The 20-plus people exchanged dismayed glances and looked hesitant. But after seeing the killing intent in Tang Xiu''s eyes, they immediately smiled bitterly and lunged towards the 8 Perfected Golden Immortals.


    Apotheon Mu was caught off guard with the sudden change. He originally thought that these people were also enemies, so he didn''t expect that they turned out to come to help him.


    There were 3 more Perfected Golden Immortals and 20 late-stage Golden Immortals. Adding himself, even if they weren''t able to decimate all the 8 powerful enemies, they were likely able to make them suffer greatly.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Apotheon Immortal Mu, I''ve long heard your name. You''re the disciple of Star Cultivation Great Emperor who, for some reason, has been roaming all over the world and regards everywhere as his home. Later on, he occupied a territory somewhere to live a reclusive life. Is that right?"


    The coming of helpers sharply eased the pressure on Apotheon Mu. After hearing Tang Xiu''s words, he flew up, fiercely attacked the enemies, and then replied in a deep voice, "You''re right, Sir."


    "You''re in a grave situation now and the territory you once occupied may become a land without an owner if you die. So how about I save your life and you give me your territory?" said Tang Xiu aloud.


    "If you can help me kill them, then my territory is yours to take in the future!" Apotheon Mu replied with a deep voice.


    Tang Xiu slightly nodded. His figure then flickered to appear inside the Heavenly Abode artifact. He quickly found Tang An and said in a deep voice, "There''s a mission for you."


    "Please instruct me," said Tang An solemnly.


    Tang Xiu took out an interspatial ring and handed it to her, saying, "There are Dragons Imbroglio Array disks here¡ªsome precious treasures I bought at a high price. Even a Perfected Golden Immortal will be stranded inside for some time. We got an intense battle outside now and most of the combatants are Perfected Golden Immortals. Therefore, I need you to go into hiding in the dark and secretly plant the Dragons Imbroglio Array disk around them."


    "No problem." Tang An took the ring and firmly nodded. "I''ll go out immediately."


    Tang Xiu to stop her and seriously said, "Tang An, you need to be extra careful. Once you find that the situation is going wrong, immediately abandon the formation. When you''re outside, Battle Peng will wander around the battlefield and you must hide under his cover all the time. Additionally, the scope of the arrangement of the array must at least be 100,000 kilometers away from the battle scene of those powerhouses."


    "100,000 kilometers radius?!" Tang An couldn''t help but exclaim in shock.


    "That''s why Battle Peng will protect you while you move without traces so as to block the impact from the battle caused by the fighting of those powerhouses. Tell me, can you do it?"


    "Definitely!" Tang An secretly gritted her teeth.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and once again took out a white immortal armor from his interspatial ring. Then, he said in a deep voice, "I give you a few minutes to refine this. This is the Celestial Silkworm Armor, it can protect you from the full blow of a Perfected Golden Immortal without dying. But remember that you can only ward off such a blow once as this Celestial Silkworm Armor will disintegrate the moment after."


    Tang An''s eyes looked at it softly and she nodded without saying a word. After refining the Celestial Silkworm Armor and putting it behind her tabard, she silently disappeared and went outside the Heavenly Abode artifact.

 1321 Master and Disciple Identifying Each Other

    As Tang Xiu came out of the Heavenly Abode artifact, he saw that the yellow-robed old man was gravely injured by Seaway Monarch and flew backward while coughing a mouthful of blood.


    Both Seaway Monarch and Zenith Venerable were mid-stage Perfected Golden Immortals, a level higher than those 8 Perfected Golden Immortals. But the most peculiar thing about them was their rich combat experience. They had experienced hundreds of fights in the Convict Arena cells and had long tempered themselves as combat machines.


    Although Star Tears was only an early-stage Perfected Golden Immortal, she also had rich combat experience. Coupled with the top-grade immortal sword Tang Xiu gave her, the might she unleashed was hard for opponents of the same level to parry. She faced the fight easily even though she took on two Perfected Golden Immortals of the same level.


    The other 20 late-stage Golden Immortals were also experts who fought countless times in the Convict Arena. Each one of them may not be able to fight an early-stage Perfected Golden Immortal alone, but the collaboration of these 20 people was enough to take on and entangle four Perfected Golden Immortals directly.


    "These people are strong!"


    Apotheon Mu himself only faced one Perfected Golden Immortal hitman. At the moment, he continued attacking with the Luminous Nacre Fan and kept forcing his opponent to retreat with much worse injuries. At the same time, he was able to divide his focus and observe the other fights in the surroundings.


    He was also very strong strength and, as Tang Xiu''s direct disciple, his method was earthshaking and heaven-defying that enabled him to suppress other Perfected Golden Immortals at the same level in a fight.


    Yet, he really couldn''t figure out who these people were. The combat prowess these people possessed was simply outrageous. Not even those Masters of medium-sized Immortal Domains could possibly have so many powerhouses under their flag, right?


    For instance, the Immortal Lyceum.


    The Immortal Lyceum was considered as one of the large Immortal Domains in the Immortal World, but its overall power was likely not much stronger than these people.


    After an hour, the fighting situation was getting more and more intense. The eight Perfected Golden Immortal Generals of Zither Demon Jiuyao had all been gravely injured. If they didn''t collaborate to resist the onslaught and besiegement of these people, it was highly likely that some of them would be slain.


    Certainly, Zenith Immortal, Seaway Monarch, and Star Tears were also seriously injured, but their conditions were much better compared to the eight Generals. Four people among the 20 late-stage Golden Immortals had already been seriously injured and withdrawn from battle, whereas the rest had also been scarred, though they still crazily mounted attacks on the enemies.


    Whoosh¡­


    Next to Tang Xiu, Tang An''s figure suddenly emerged out of nowhere. However, Battle Peng didn''t come to Tang Xiu but instead joined the battle directly.


    "Everything''s been set up, Grand Master."


    Tang Xiu happily nodded and said, "Activate the array immediately. We must get those 8 Perfected Golden Immortal enemies at once today."


    "Let my Master do it!"


    Tang An handed a piece of Crystal Essence to Gu Yan''er and whispered, "Master, the crux of the entire immortal array is this Crystal Essence. You only need to activate it to learn the mystery of the array. You can easily control¡­"


    Gu Yan''er raised her hand to interrupt her and lightly smiled. "I''ll arrange and control the Dragon Imbroglio Array. It''s not difficult to control it."


    Having said that, she injected her Immortal Force into the Crystal Essence. The instant after, 8 golden runes flowed out like water and quickly spread in all directions. In just a few seconds, the entire space was shrouded in water-like 8 Golden runes while a golden pattern gradually formed below the surface.


    The 8 Zither Demon''s Generals looked terrified at the same time. They chose the location as their battlefield, but they really couldn''t figure out how there could be such an array here. With their visions, they could easily tell that it was the Dragons Imbroglio Array, an array well known for its powerful entrapment in the Immortal World.


    "Quickly join forces to break the array, Brothers!"


    The seriously wounded yellow-robed old man coughed a mouthful of blood as he roared, canceling his attack on the four Perfected Golden Immortals and lunged toward the golden runes pattern on the ground to bombard it. Meanwhile, the other seven Perfected Golden Immortals also gave up most of their defenses and fiercely stormed in the direction of the spot bombarded by the yellow-robed old man.


    Slash, slash, slash¡­


    The three Perfected Golden Immortals were hit by Seaway Monarch, Zenith Venerable, and Star Tears'' strikes and their immortal weapons hit and shattered the immortal souls of the enemy.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    Even though the other five Perfected Golden Immortals weren''t hit, they could escape from getting some ghastly wounds. Two of them even directly lost their combat capabilities.


    However, the Dragons Imbroglio Array directly shattered after getting bombarded by the full blows of 8 Perfected Golden Immortals at the same time.


    "RUN!"


    Wearing a frantic look, the red-robed old man shouted and took a medicinal pill. His aura skyrocketed sharply in just a few seconds. The moment he was under the threat of getting impaled from Star Tear''s piercing strike, he sprayed out some blood and bolted away.


    Slash! Slash! Slash!


    Another 3 Perfected Golden Immortals were killed during their panicked escape. One of them was killed under the bombardment of 10 Golden Immortals.


    A million-kilometer pursuit then commenced, adding more injuries to the last 2 Perfected Golden Immortals who fled away. However, the chase ended up failing to kill them.


    "Master."


    Seaway Monarch wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and came to Tang Xiu with a bitter smile on his face, saying, "This subordinate is incompetent and failed to annihilate all the enemies."


    Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes and lightly said, "Those two fleeing Perfected Golden Immortals must have conjured some secret pills, yes? It should be some strength-enhancement pills that can burst out your power for a short duration. But such pills will inflict great harm to themselves. Zither Demon Jiuyao has two kinds of pills. One of which is Bloodlust Pill and the other one is the Dawnravine Auric Venom Fluid. Those two just took a pill, so I''m sure they took the Bloodlust Pill one."


    Seaway Monarch and Zenith Venerable looked shocked. They keenly realized that their present Master seemed to know Zither Demon Jiuyao very well.


    A look of surprise also glinted in Star Tears'' eyes and she cast a suspicious look at Tang Xiu before turning to Apotheon Mu and asking with a trace of concern, "How is your injury?"


    Apotheon Mu shook his head, but his eyes never moved away from Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu took out some healing elixirs from his interspatial ring and handed them to everyone, saying, "Take your time to recuperate. We need to leave this place soon."


    Having said that, he shifted to Apotheon Mu and lightly said, "Don''t forget your promise. The Misty Spring Ocean will be my territory from now on. You can also choose to submit to me and take those under you to be the subjects of the Great Tang Empire together."


    The Great Tang Empire?


    Apotheon Mu had never heard of it. He quietly looked at Tang Xiu and sensed some familiarity from him. Despite so, he still shook his head and said, "I apologize. I can hand over the Misty Spring Ocean to you, but I''ll never submit to anyone, not even you. This life-saving grace will forever be carved in this Mu''s heart. However, I may have no opportunity to repay you in the future."


    Tang Xiu frowned and said, "Your injury is not fatal and you can recover in half a year at the most after taking the healing elixir. Meaning you still have your chances to repay me."


    Apotheon Mu remained reticent for more than 10 seconds before he finally replied and shook his head with a bitter expression, "Mister, you''re also aware that I''m the disciple of Star Cultivation Great Emperor, so you should know the deep feud between me and Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao. To tell you the truth, four Martial Brothers of mine are being imprisoned by Great Emperor Danqing in the Heavenly Mountain suffering inhuman torture. That''s why I have to rescue them even though I''m well aware of the fact that the chance of me surviving this ordeal is very minuscule."


    Tang Xiu''s pupils contracted and killing intent in his heart streaked to the heavens. Then, he asked in a heavy voice, "You said that your Martial Brothers are being imprisoned by Great Emperor Danqing in the Heavenly Mountain?"


    "That''s right!" Apotheon Mu nodded.


    "Who are those four?" Tang Xiu asked, "I''ve heard about the disciples of Star Cultivation Great Emperor. Each one of them is an outstanding person in the Immortal World and has a strength that cannot be underestimated."


    "They are Senior Brother Myriad Notes, Junior Brother Soaring Plum, Junior Brother Nine Immortal Fingers, and Junior Sister Enchantress Yu."


    "As far as I know, the disciples of Star Cultivating Great Emperor are not just your lot, right? Why must you go alone to the rescue when you have so many other martial brothers and sisters? What about the others? Don''t you know your chance is better in saving them by uniting with the rest?"


    Apotheon Mu clenched his fists and killing intent burst from his eyes. "Most have died in battles or defected to the enemy."


    Tang Xiu originally intended to tell Apotheon Mu his identity to learn the thorough situation of the Immortal World through him. But due to this rescue, he temporarily changed his mind. But after hearing such a statement from him, Tang Xiu instantly changed his mind and abandoned the plan.


    From this fight, he knew that Apotheon Mu''s loyalty toward him was unquestionable and that he would never betray him.


    Waving his hand, Tang Xiu said in a deep voice, "Everyone, enter the Heavenly Abode artifact to recuperate. You''re not allowed to come out without my summons!"


    "Understood!"


    Everyone nodded and entered the Heavenly Abode one after another, including Gu Yan''er and Battle Peng.


    Tang Xiu then shifted to Apotheon Mu and calmly said, "Take me to the Misty Spring Ocean! We need to have a good talk. I''m sure you''ll agree to swear your loyalty to me afterward."


    Apotheon Mu couldn''t help laughing. He felt that Tang Xiu had too much confidence while he himself had been prepared to risk everything and sacrifice himself and would never choose to pledge his allegiance to anyone. As long as he could find the Holy Dragon Fruit and rescue his martial brothers and sisters, he was willing to sacrifice himself.


    Misty Spring Ocean.


    Repose Cliff.


    This was the Immortal Abode of Apotheon Mu where he lived in seclusion and cultivated for many years. As the wide gate opened, he took Tang Xiu into the Immortal Mansion on the cliff. At his command, four maids then brought fine wine and delicious dishes, along with immortal fruits as desserts.


    "I haven''t asked your excellency''s name, have I?"


    Apotheon Mu filled two cups of fine wine and asked Tang Xiu after giving him a cup.


    Tang Xiu put the cup down and walked slowly to a portrait hanging on the wall. While looking at the familiar face on it, his appearance began to change and soon became exactly the same as the person in the painting on the wall.


    "Little Mu, do you still remember the Golden Lotus Secret Classics?"

 1323 Rapid Progress

    Gu Yan''er smiled and her appearance changed slowly, saying, "Yan''er greets Senior Brother Mu. Senior Brother promised to gift me the Luminous Seven-color Butterfly to Yan''er then, but you haven''t given it to me until now¡­"


    "Huh?" Apotheon Mu''s eyes widened and he looked incredulously at Gu Yan''er. "You''re Little Yan''er? You¡­ You¡­ Didn''t you¡­"


    "Senior Brother Mu, I was trapped in a desperate situation in the Immortal World back then. After a long time of cultivation, I was finally able to break the seals and rushed out of that place. In fact, I also have another identity that I''m sure Senior Brother has heard of."


    "Which identity is it?" asked Apotheon Mu.


    "Immortal Rakshasi Monarch." Gu Yan''er chuckled slightly.


    Apotheon Mu''s eyes slightly contracted and disbelief overflowed in his eyes as he exclaimed in astonishment, "You turned out to be that notoriously famous Rakshashi Monarch who has shaken the entire Immortal World? Heavens! Back then, your existence became the talk of countless powerful people in the Immortal World. Your name reached even my ears in my seclusion!"


    "Well, everything I did was for Master. Regardless of the process, I eventually found Master," Gu Yan''er said with a smile.


    "Both of you being able to meet each other again is really a happy event." Tang Xiu slightly smiled. "Anyway, you will be in charge of the Heavenly Abode, Yan''er. After you''ve released all the Great Tang Empire''s people outside, take all the Monster Immortals with Mu to clean up the Misty Spring Ocean. Later on, the Misty Spring Ocean will be the stronghold of the Great Tang Empire. We will use this region as the center for the campaign to rescue your Martial Brothers and Sisters as well as to expand our territory to all directions."


    Gu Yan''er firmly nodded and said, "I understand, Master."


    ****


    The Repose Cliff was a wonderful blessed land with rich immortal spiritual force. The mist here contained rich liquid immortal force, and just taking one breath here was able to shake and lift one''s spirit. Further, the eight Immortal Veins gathered in this place and anyone who cultivated here could extract the rich spiritual force of this land''s vein and absorb it into their body continuously to enhance their cultivation speed.


    Two months later.


    Apotheon Mu and Gu Yan''er teamed up to lead a large number of the Great Tang Empire''s Monster Immortals as well as a number of loyal experts under Apotheon Mu to carry out a frantic clean-up campaign in the entire Misty Spring Ocean. In just 2 months, hundreds of thousands of immortals who were not loyal to Apotheon Mu throughout the Misty Spring Ocean were massacred, including some intel operatives from other forces.


    The most important move was that all the experts at the Golden Immortal Stage in the Misty Spring Ocean were nowhere to be seen aside from those groomed by Apotheon Mu. The number of Celestial Immortals and Profound Immortals in the region had also become scarce. The only remaining tens of thousands of ordinary Immortals in the region were now responsible for the safety duty of the entire Misty Spring Ocean.


    During this time, Gu Yan''er and Apotheon Mu teamed up to manage the four major legions of the Great Tang Empire and recruited the remaining tens of thousands of Immortals into four new major legions. At the same time, they also recruited and absorbed hundreds of thousands of warriors at the Great Ascension Stage and Crossing Tribulation Stage to form a new Dragon Army, Tiger Army, Phoenix Army, and Martial Army, with each legion consisting of 100,000 people, a total of 400,000 strong.


    These 400,000 soldiers were stationed in eight directions around the Misty Spring Island, with each direction guarded by 50,000 people. Tang Xiu gave Gu Yan''er and Tang Min 5 million Crystal Essences to be exchanged into Immortal Crystals by the Ministry of Finance. A total of 500 million Immortal Crystals were then prepared to be used as military expenses.


    Subsequently, the Ministry of Finance formed 8 logistics teams that continuously sent massive cultivation resources to the eight branches of the four major legions, where they were distributed to all members. Due to receiving such a huge amount of cultivation resources, the nearly 200,000 immortal warriors who were originally loyal to Apotheon Mu all accepted to be incorporated into the Great Tang Empire as soldiers. Both sides were now devoting themselves to cultivation wholeheartedly and began to blend and get along with each other and gradually merged into one.


    The fourth month.


    On the edge of Repose Cliff, Tang Xiu sat cross-legged as an enormous aura suddenly burst out from him. The hundreds of thousands of celestial bodies in the cosmic space in his body suddenly shook at the same time, while a mysterious yellow aura gradually formed and finally merged with the Primal Chaos energy.


    Tang Xiu clearly sensed that the scope of the cosmic space in his body had expanded a lot and countless minuscule small planets also appeared. The Heavenly Path Universe Tree suddenly grew sharply to tens of thousands of meters high with lush and verdant leaves while exuding endless lifeforce from its trunk that merged into some huge planets.


    "The progress is very rapid."


    The moment Tang Xiu opened his eyes, a satisfied look could be seen overflowing in them. He was just a step away from breaking through the third major stage of the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis. His strength was now comparable to a Golden Immortal. Reaching this realm within such a short time was mainly due to his comprehension and perception of his previous cultivation realm. At the same, the people Apotheon Mu sent had also gathered the medicinal ingredients enough for him to successfully refine 4 Demon Dragon Pills, all of which were taken by him completely.


    Buzz¡­


    Amidst the dusky world, a terrifying aura suddenly formed above Tang Xiu. He was the only person who could sense this fearsome aura. Even Gu Yan''er, who was quietly reading an array manual from Tang Xiu, wasn''t able to sense it.


    "Another divine ability? Fusion?"


    A happy and satisfied look was cast on Tang Xiu''s handsome face. He had already obtained several star force supernatural powers, but this divine ability was a fearsome one by itself. He could tell that this ability even surpassed some terrifying secret arts in the Immortal World.


    "Prior to this one, the strongest divine ability was Devour, and now I have the Fusion. If I go all out, I''m confident I can even kill a Golden Immortal with it."


    Tang Xiu didn''t attempt to try this Fusion divine ability since it was too horrible. He could tell that once he cast it, most Golden Immortals and Perfected Golden Immortals in the Misty Spring Ocean would be able to sense it.


    ****


    At the Immortal Lyceum.


    Apotheon Mu led Zenith Venerable and Seaway Monarch over. Their arrival made the Perfected Golden Immortal standing guard outside suddenly had a change in complexion. After the person sent a message, he glanced at Zenith Venerable and Seaway Monarch before asking Apotheon Mu, "What''s your purpose in coming this time, Apotheon Mu?"


    "I''d like to see Apotheosis Immortal Bella," said Apotheon Mu with a calm expression.


    The Perfected Golden Immortal said in a deep voice, "I let you go in directly the last time you came, but you brought two Perfected Golden Immortals this time. I''m not sure if they''re enemies or friends, so I sent a message to Venerable Bella. I can''t guarantee whether you can see her or not."


    "Well, I''ll just wait here, then," said Apotheon Mu.


    The moment after, a stream of light suddenly appeared in the hands of that Perfected Golden Immortal. When he read the message, he immediately shifted to Apotheon Mu and said, "Venerable Bella said that three of you can enter directly. She''s waiting for you in the hall."


    "Alright!"


    Apotheon Mu''s group of three entered the vortex portal and soon appeared on the square outside the palace. There, he stopped and looked at Zenith Venerable and Seaway Monarch, saying, "I have to ask both of you to stay and wait for me outside. There''s something I need to discuss with Apotheosis Bella alone."


    "Understood!"


    Zenith Venerable and Seaway Monarch replied at the same time while cupping their fists.


    Both men then looked at the back of Apotheon Mu as he flew into the palace. A surprised look glinted in their eyes, and Zenith Venerable transmitted his voice, "Brother Seaway, don''t you think things are getting more interesting? The identity of our Master seems to be different from what we originally thought."


    "You''re right, Brother," Seaway Monarch replied. "Although we have never seen him in action, he''s just an ordinary immortal from the aura he gives off. Yet, he has a Golden Immortal disciple and that Gu Yan''er is very likely not just a Golden Immortal. She''s at least a Perfected Golden Immortal and likely not any weaker than either of us. Further, the dignified Apotheon Mu, a Perfected Golden Immortal is unexpectedly Master''s disciple as well. Now I begin to speculate about our Master. He should be some terrifying Supreme expert, right?"


    "Haih, that''s exactly my thought." Zenith Venerable sighed. "I''ve been suspecting that our Master was once a Supremacy Stage expert. Even if he wasn''t, he was at least a fearsome Perfected Golden Immortal. Furthermore, I just have some vague feelings, though I don''t know whether I''m right. We have to be loyal to him for 5,000 years, but I''m afraid we''ll never have an easy time going through it."


    "What exactly do your gut feelings say?" Seaway Monarch was puzzled.


    "I suspect that our Master has a deep connection with the then Star Cultivation Great Emperor who once overawed the Immortal World," said Zenith Venerable with a forced smile.


    "How did you come with such inference?" asked Seaway Monarch with a horrified expression.


    "Which powerhouse in the entire Immortal World doesn''t know that the Immortal Lyceum''s Apotheosis Bella Fern Regalia has been a pursuer of Star Cultivation Great Emperor for millenniums and that she has done countless great deeds to express her love for him? Yet our Master just set up his foothold in the Misty Spring Ocean, which is exactly within the Immortal Lyceum''s sphere of influence! You also know that after Star Cultivation Great Emperor failed his tribulation and vanished, Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao have attempted to strike the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. Just a while ago, our Master stated how repugnant he is towards Zither Demon Jiuyao, so he ordered us to kill those 8 Generals under him. All in all, it explains that our Master very likely has a deep connection with Star Cultivation Great Emperor. Meaning that we are very likely going to face Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao as enemies in the future."


    Seaway Monarch''s eyes gleamed and, after a long time of contemplation, he nodded and slowly said, "Your reasonings are sound, Brother. However, our lives are now in his hands. We won''t be able to go against his order even if he wants us to kill Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao directly!"


    "Yeah, I know that." Zenith Venerable sighed. "I guess we''re going to face fights and battles during the next 5,000 years. However, we do have something else to be thankful for. He gives us hope and treats us well."


    "You know, if the Great Tang Empire has the power to take Shade Demon Zhu Wushou in the future, I vow to pledge my eternal loyalty to him if he helps me kill that Shade Demon," said Seaway Monarch.


    Zenith Venerable was shocked after hearing his statement. "We''ve never talked about our own issues prior to this, Brother Seaway. I really didn''t expect that the one who plotted against you turned out to be Zhu Wushou. Was it him who injured you gravely and then sold you to the Convict Arena?"

 1324 He Cares About You

    Recalling all the things he had gone through, Seaway Monarch replied with murderous intent, "Yeah, he''s the one¡ªShade Demon Zhu Wushou."


    Zenith Venerable pondered for a moment and slowly said, "My enemy is not Shade Demon Zhu Wushou, but if our Master is willing to help you get rid of him, then he may also be able to help kill my enemy. I will forever give my loyalty to him if he can help."


    "Who exactly is your enemy, though?" Seaway Monarch asked curiously.


    "Icesnow Supreme, Han Tiannan." Zenith Venerable gritted his teeth.


    "Well, we have too many enemies. It''d be great if our Master can really help get our revenge." Seaway Monarch forced a smile. "But I do think the Great Tang Empire would be developing into a terrifying existence in the future given its current state. Leaving all else aside, just those children who started cultivation from their early, tender age alone are simply killing machines in the making. With such an iron-fist training regime, they will likely become fearsome killers in the future."


    Zenith Venerable nodded. "I''ve been to countless Immortal Domains and seen countless Immortal armies. I even had my own share of training such an army myself. Yet, in terms of military discipline, attitude, and training regime, I''ve never seen one that could rival the Great Tang Empire''s four major legions. But what shocked me the most was those 30,000-plus Monster Immortals. From my observation and understanding, these sentient monsters have survived for more than hundreds of thousands of years and are likely even older. Their accumulation and comprehension have reached a terrifying level. I''m sure you have also noticed that several hundreds of Celestial Immortals among those Monster Immortals have broken through to the Golden Immortal Stage recently, right?"


    "Yeah, I did notice it, but there''s something else you missed here," Seaway Monarch replied.


    "What else have you noticed?" asked Zenith Venerable curiously.


    "I accidentally ran into another disciple of our Master¡ªthat young man called Chen Zhizhong. He has the Praecantator artifact of ancient times other than being a Praecantator cultivator himself. Although the clan that possessed this sorcery artifact suffered persecution and was cruelly oppressed and vanished, I''m sure you''re also clear about this clan''s terror, yes?"


    Zenith Venerable blurted out in horror, "Then they are¡­"


    Inside the majestic palace.


    Apotheosis Bella sat cross-legged on the Nine Dragons Cathedra. Her complexion was pale and her vigor was even weaker, while some bloodstains could also be seen on her chest.


    "Apotheosis Immortal¡­"


    After Apotheon Mu came floating and landed on the floor, he saw Apotheosis Bella''s appearance and looked worried.


    Squeezing out a smile, Apotheosis Bella happily nodded and said, "You didn''t let me down, Apotheon Mu. Heavenly Mountain is a trap set by the enemy and a chance to get out from that place is dismal. I''m really thankful that you understand the truth that the chance to get revenge is always there as long as we''re still alive."


    Apotheon Mu took the Holy Dragon Fruit from his interspatial ring, wrapped it with his Immortal Force, sent the fruit to Apotheosis Bella, and said respectfully, "Venerable, there have been some circumstances and things changed, so I have yet to rush to save my four martial brothers and sister in Heavenly Mountain. I brought this Holy Dragon Fruit for you, please take your time to heal yourself after I leave."


    Apotheosis Bella was taken aback and shocked. She held the Holy Dragon Fruit and scrutinized it for a while, then turned to look at Apotheon Mu and muttered, "As one of the main ingredients for concocting the Primordial Chaos Pill, the Holy Dragon Fruit is very scarce and extremely precious. How¡­ did you find this fruit?"


    Apotheon Mu faintly smiled in response and said, "That aside, this Junior has an important matter to discuss with you in private, Apotheosis Bella. It''s very important. I hope you can grant my wish."


    Junior?!


    Apotheosis Bella was dazed because she realized that it was the first time Apotheon Mu addressed himself as a junior in front of her. It had been thousands of years and it was the first time.


    What exactly is going on?


    This person in front was undoubtedly Apotheon Mu. It was just impossible for him to deceive her eyes with some shape-shifting art or the likes. But why did he act out of his usual mannerism?


    She remained reticent for a while and then slowly said, "You guys leave first. You''re not allowed to enter without my summons."


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Two elderlies, one male and one female, appeared in front of Apotheosis Bella out of nowhere. Wariness and vigilance were evident on their faces, and the old woman said in a deep voice, "Venerable, there''s something amiss with Apotheon Mu. He brought 2 Perfected Golden Immortals this time, and I''ve met one of them, Zenith Venerable, whose strength cannot be underestimated."


    Apotheon Bella shot a deep glance at Apotheon Mu and replied in a deep voice, "You both don''t need to say more. I choose to believe him. After all, he didn''t need to bring the Holy Dragon Fruit if he had the intention to harm me. Well, he doesn''t need to pull any tricks either on this matter since it''s hard for me to even last for another century."


    "About this¡­"


    The two elderlies exchanged glances before they finally retreated with a wry smile.


    Apotheosis Bella shifted to Apotheon Mu and calmly said, "I already ordered them to leave and we''re the only ones left here. I''m all ears!"


    Apotheon Mu looked around first and contemplated for a moment. Then, he spoke, "Senior Venerable, what I''d like to discuss with you is very important. Not just for me, but also for you. That''s why there must be no one else here, else after all the things we''re about to speak here were to be known by others, no matter how much you trust them, it will only be harmful to them."


    Apotheosis Bella''s complexion slightly changed, but she still replied serenely, "Just say it! I guarantee that we''re the only ones left in this place."


    Apotheon Mu paced a few steps forward and sent a voice transmission, "Senior Venerable, my Master asked me to send his regards to you on his behalf."


    "What did you say?"


    Apotheosis Bella abruptly lunged forward and appeared in front of Apotheon Mu in an instant. Her trembling hands instantly grabbed Apotheon Mu''s front robe and she shouted sharply, "I forbid you to spit out any bullshit about him or anything else related to this matter! Explain! You owe me an explanation!"


    Apotheon Mu smiled in response and said, "Venerable, my Master is not dead. He''s back."


    "He didn''t die? He has come back?!"


    The short sentence was as though exploding thunderclaps in Apotheosis Bella''s heart, shocking her to the core for some time. It took her a while to recover from the shock as tears appeared in her eyes. She asked with extremely fluctuating emotions, "Where''s he now? Tell me quickly!"


    Her voice turned very sharp when she was finally able to speak.


    "Haih, please don''t get too worked up and excited. Your injury is very serious, Venerable." Apotheon Mu forced a smile and said, "Master is in my place in the Misty Spring Ocean. He can''t come here or even see you due to some particular circumstances."


    Apotheosis Bella snapped. "Why? Why can''t he see me now? Tell me what bullshit circumstances he''s in! I''ve sacrificed and risked my life countless times for him. Even countless relatives and friends of mine have died in battle. What are those particular circumstances that he doesn''t want to come to see me?"


    "Venerable, Master didn''t die due to his failure in crossing his tribulation but was ambushed by others and died. Fortunately, a wisp of his soul traversed through space and entered a lower plane world and was barely able to survive. Master has been cultivating from the scratch again and his cultivation is at least comparable to Celestial Immortals. But his enemies in the Immortal World, just those Supremes alone, are no less than five. Do you think he can easily reveal his identity? Do you think he can come here so easily without courting the storm to come?"


    Apotheosis Bella''s pupils shrunk and she staggeringly paced five steps backward before she was able to barely stabilize her footing. Her shocked expression began to recede from her face and she growled with intense killing intent in her voice. "Are Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao among those Supremes?"


    Apotheon Mu nodded and said, "The two of them are archenemies. You may have no idea that after I left your Immortal Lyceum last time, I ran into Zither Demon''s dogs and was besieged. If it wasn''t for Master and his people who arrived in time and killed the enemy''s 6 Perfected Golden Immortals and gravely injured the other two. I''m afraid I''d have already vanished into oblivion by now."


    Finally, Apotheosis Bella understood why Tang Xiu couldn''t come to see her.


    He was facing difficulties with so many enemies on all sides.


    Two lines of tears flowed down Apotheosis Bella''s face. She cried joyfully for a long time in front of Apotheon Mu before she finally wiped the tears off her face.


    "Apotheon Mu, does he¡­ still dislike me and shut me out just like before?" Apotheosis Bella looked very afraid and asked carefully.


    "No." Apotheon Mu shook his head. "Master already knows what you''ve done for him and feels guilty toward you. But I can see from his emotions that he seems¡­. to care about you when I mentioned you to him."


    He cares about me?


    Apotheosis Bella''s eyes widened and she quickly savored the meaning of the words. A happy and surprised look gradually appeared in her eyes before she looked ecstatic shortly after.


    "He now cherishes and cares about me? Did I finally touch his heart?"


    Apotheosis Bella''s body slightly shivered and she burst into tears again as she said aloud, "Tell me about his thoughts and plans, Apotheon Mu. He has enemies and we''ll kill them all. He has come and there''s nothing in this Immortal World he can''t achieve. I¡­ I trust him. I believe in him."


    "There are four issues he did mention." Apotheon Mu smiled.


    Apotheosis Bella''s eyes lit up and she immediately said, "Spit them out. I''m all ears!"


    "The first one: the news that he''s still alive can only be known to you alone. You can never tell another soul about this, no matter how close the others are to you," said Apotheon Mu. "Only both of us know that he''s still alive, even Martial Aunt Star Tears who have been following Master has yet to be told about this."


    "I promise you on this," Apotheosis Bella said in a deep voice.


    "The second one: Master wants you to seize the time and take the Holy Dragon Fruit to recuperate," Apotheon Mu smilingly said. "Try to recover back to your prime condition within a few months. In addition, I also brought you some healing elixirs that can speed up your recovery."


    Apotheosis Bella firmly nodded and said, "No problem. After obtaining the Holy Dragon Fruit, I''m sure I can be back to my prime condition in a few months at most."


    "The third one: Master needs Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences. The more, the better. After getting Immortal Crystals and Crystals, I must go back immediately and give them to him."

 1325 True Love for Life and Eternity

    Apotheosis Bella took a deep breath and said, "I''ll notice someone to take all the Immortal Crystals and Crystals Essences and bring them to you."


    Apotheon Mu nodded and said, "The fourth issue is about the territory of the Great Tang Empire created by Master. The Misty Spring Ocean is decided to be the site, so Master ordered me to tell you that he''d like to assign some people to carry out a cleaning-up campaign for the entire sphere of influence of the Immortal Lyceum¡ªbest to remove all the hidden enemies as much as possible. After we rescue my four martial brothers and sister, the Great Tang Empire will be centered at the Misty Spring Ocean and begins to expand its territory to all directions."


    "I''ve done such a campaign myself. I''ll look into it and do it myself when necessary. I''ll make sure all the problematic people under me will be cleaned up within a short time." Apotheosis Bella nodded.


    Having said that, she summoned back the two elderlies and issued an order in a deep voice. "You have 2 hours to gather all our Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences."


    The two elderlies exchanged glances and immediately nodded. 2 hours later, they returned with an interspatial ring. The old man then reported, "Venerable, we have more than 450 million Immortal Crystals and 87 million Crystal Essences in our treasure vault. All of them are in this ring."


    Apotheosis Bella slightly nodded and ordered, "Give it to Apotheon Mu."


    The old man hesitated and forced a smile. "Venerable, our Immortal Lyceum won''t have even a piece of Immortal Crystal or Crystal Essence left. 6 months later is the day of bestowment, in case we don''t have any Immortal Crystals and Crystals by then¡­"


    Apotheosis Bella waved her hand. "We''ll naturally have a way by that time."


    After hearing it, the old man handed the ring with an enormous number of Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences to Apotheon Mu and then left again with the old woman.


    Apotheosis Bella took a deep breath and looked at Apotheon Mu, saying, "He''s back, so what about her?"


    A murderous intention flashed in Apotheon Mu''s eyes and he replied indifferently, "She was one of the ambushers who besieged Master then."


    As though hearing the most unbelievable thing in the world, Apotheon Bella blurted out in shock, "Ho can that be? Although she''s my¡­ love rival, no one knows her better than me. I''m very sure she would die for Xiu, but how come¡­"


    "She wouldn''t have acted to kill Master if it wasn''t for Shade Demon Zhu Wushou," said Apotheon Mu. "However, she''s Shade Demon''s disciple. After she ambushed Master, she committed suicide on the spot. Nonetheless, the fact that she has harmed Master can never be denied."


    Apotheosis Bella was now completely shaken.


    Shade Demon Zhu Wushou?


    No wonder Shade Demon''s shadow is always behind Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao when they attacked the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect all these years. Even rumors had it that Shade Demon had also personally slaughtered several elders of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect.


    The rumors turned out to be true. Shade Demon Supreme Zhu Wushou was really one of the enemies.


    Apotheosis Immortal Bella clenched her fists and coldly said, "No matter who they are, whoever dares harm him is my enemy, including her. It''s best that she died. If she''s alive, I''ll never let her have an easy time either."


    "That can''t be done, Senior Venerable." Apotheon Mu shook his head and sighed. "Master himself said that she''s alive. But everything that happened between them has all been written off and they are nothing but strangers now. Further, there''s one more thing I need to tell you. Master now has quite a number of women."


    Apotheosis Bella shivered and looked blank for a long while. Then, she suddenly burst into laughter and said, "Hahaha, he finally repented, huh? Hahaha¡­ he has finally straightened up his mind. Having a lot of women is great! The more the better. I''m happy even if he wants all the women in the Immortal World. Hahaha¡­"


    "You¡­!" Apotheon Mu was in disbelief. "Don''t you feel¡­."


    Apotheosis Bella''s smile was exceptionally bright as she cut him off. "What? Jealous? Why should I be jealous? If he opens his heart for other women, then that means I have my own chance too. What I fear most is that he doesn''t have any interest in other women besides that b*tch!"


    Hearing her overwhelming statement made Apotheon Mu dumbfounded and shocked. He could hardly imagine how deep the love Apotheosis Bella had for his Master was, to think that she had such unconventional thoughts in mind.


    After a long while, Apotheon Mu deeply sighed. "Senior Venerable, I honestly think that Master receiving your feelings should be his proudest and the best thing ever in his life. He may haven''t said anything about this, but I''m sure he has already seen you as one of his closest people already."


    Apotheosis Bella raised her hand to wipe away the tears coming out of her eyes. Her teary yet brilliant smile was extremely touching. She nodded and emphasized every word she said, "I firmly believe that I''ll soon become one of his closest people, a significant other in the eyes of the people he cares about."


    "Then I''m looking forward to the day when I can call you Master''s Mistress," said Apotheon Mu.


    Having said that, Apotheon Mu didn''t stay any longer. After leaving the palace, he left with Zenith Venerable and Seaway Monarch directly. However, before the trio left, Zenith Venerable and Seaway Monarch keenly sensed that a very weak figure appeared at the gate of the palace behind them while watching the three of them leave.


    Suddenly, Apotheon Mu''s body trembled after hearing the words transmitted to his ears. The words pierced through deep in his heart and made him deeply moved and invoked his¡­ admiration.


    "What did I tell you? Master definitely has a deep relationship with Apotheosis Bella Fern Regalia." Seaway Monarch sent a voice transmission.


    Transmitting his voice to reply, Zenith Venerable said, "Yeah, I''ve seen Apotheosis Bella before. Rumors even have it that she has broken through to the Supremacy Stage. A dignified Supreme powerhouse, yet she''s actually sending us off like this means that Apotheon Mu''s visit was very important. But the important factor for this to happen is very likely because of Master."


    The exchange between both of them quickly ended.


    At this time the two of them were convinced that there was a deep connection between their Master, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor and Star Cultivation Great Emperor, or at least someone from the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. The relationship was so deep that even Apotheosis Bella who was famous for her deep love for Star Cultivation Great Emperor must send them off even under such heavily injured conditions to show how important it was.


    ****


    A month later, Apotheon Mu''s group of three returned to the Misty Spring Ocean. When he handed 450 million Immortal Crystals and 87 million Crystal Essences to Tang Xiu, he reported his experience when meeting her as well as Apotheosis Bella''s response and words. Finally, he said, "Master, Apotheosis Bella gave us all these Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences, but their coffer is also fully emptied. She also left a message to me to be conveyed to you."


    "What is it?" Even though Tang Xiu had a faint guess what the message was, he still inquired with a complicated expression.


    "The heart that once fell in love in the past is a true love that will never decay nor change for ages to come," said Apotheon Mu.


    Tang Xiu clenched his fists before he slowly loosened them. After a long while, he sighed and spoke to Apotheon Mu, "From today on, you and Yan''er will be stationed to guard the Repose Cliff. You are not to leave unless it''s absolutely necessary. Further, Seaway Monarch and Zenith Venerable will stay here to protect Misty Spring Island. During your leave, I''ve arranged a peerless great array that surrounds a few hundreds of miles radius around Repose Cliff. The array can hold off the strikes of Supreme experts for at least 15 minutes as long as you control the array yourself. Further, I''ve also arranged a spatial teleportation array that can send anyone to a certain place about tens of thousands of miles away."


    "Where are you going, Master?" asked Apotheon Mu hurriedly.


    "I''m leaving for the Sacred Dragon Immortal Domain, about 12 regions away from here, to buy a batch of Perfected Golden Immortal gladiators. I''m also taking Auntie Star Tears. They will become an important combat force to rescue your four martial brothers and sisters."


    "But the Sacred Dragon Immortal Domain is quite far and some regions on the way there are very chaotic," Apotheon Mu hurriedly said. "Only taking Martial Aunt Star Tears with you, that makes me anxious. Please take both Zenith Venerable and Seaway Monarch with you too."


    "No." Tang Xiu shook his head. "There''s no need to take them. But you don''t have to worry! I''ll also take Dragonfly and Battle Feng with me alongside Auntie Star Tears."


    "I know Battle Peng, but who''s this Dragonfly guy?" Apotheon Mu was confused.


    A smile appeared on the corner of Tang Xiu''s mouth. "Well, he''s a boy I met on the way to the Misty Spring Ocean and also your little Junior Brother. I didn''t expect it myself. It was on a whim that I picked this treasure-like brat."


    "You mean, Junior Brother Dragonfly is¡­ very special?" asked Apotheon Mu in surprise.


    "Quite special and definitely something you can''t imagine." Tang Xiu said. "With him around, I''m sure I can reduce a lot of trouble on the way. Well, this place is yours to manage, and rather than waiting for the lucky day to come, I''m leaving today. We''ll definitely come in a few months at the fastest, or half a year at the latest, though we have to put aside our plan to rescue those four for now."


    "The best chance to rescue them is when we''re well-prepared indeed. I''m sure we still have enough time even if we must delay another half a year." Apotheon Mu nodded.


    ****


    In the vast space of the boundless Immortal World.


    Tang Xiu quietly sat cross-legged in cultivation on the golden barouche pulled by Cloudpiercer beasts. Dragonfly and Battle Peng also sat cross-legged immersed themselves in cultivation at his sides. Only Star Tears donning a black robe and holding her immortal swords calmly gazed around.


    Star Tears couldn''t figure out why Tang Xiu only took the three of them on this trip outside. Based on her observation of Tang Xiu all this while, she always thought that Tang Xiu was someone who was afraid of death, so he spent an enormous number of Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences to buy a large number of Golden Immortals and 3 Perfected Golden Immortals from the Convict Arena.


    Yet, there was also another particular situation. Her Master rarely conversed with her and seemingly avoided her, if not outright repelling her.


    "Are we near Agaric Castle?" Suddenly, Tang Xiu opened his eyes and asked.


    Star Tears was pulled back from her train of thoughts and nodded. "Yeah, we''re still a few millions of kilometers away from Agaric Castle. We should be there in half an incense time. Do you want to visit Agaric Castle, Your Majesty?"


    "Yeah, I want to visit Agaric Castle indeed," said Tang Xiu, "There may be an unexpected windfall there."


    "Do you perhaps want to purchase some toadstool or poisonous mushrooms?" asked Star Tears.

 1326 A Loose Tongue May Cause A Lot of Troubles

    "Well, it''s known that Agaric Castle is rich in poisonous mushrooms, among which the five-colored Toadstool and the Rainbow Toadstool are the most potent. If by chance I can purchase these two poisonous mushrooms, I can refine some poison pills that will greatly help us deal with our safety issues."


    "You''re also proficient in refining poison pills, Your Majesty?" Star Tears was surprised.


    "Well, I''m naturally proficient in things that can protect my life or even kill enemies, mind you." Tang Xiu slightly smiled.


    Star Tears couldn''t help but roll her eyes in secret. Despite having a firm mentality, she was still speechless by Tang Xiu because she had never seen someone so afraid of death. No matter what kind of situation, this guy always put his safety as his priority for fear that he would be killed one day due to lacking in life-saving means.


    So much for one who calls himself a Heavenly Emperor, huh? Star Tears finally defined Tang Xiu as such inwardly.


    ****


    At Agaric Castle.


    It was city shaped like a mushroom. This city couldn''t be compared with the other large cities Tang Xiu had visited, but countless races lived here, and the number was in the hundreds of millions.


    Cultivators riding their swords or Immortals who expelled out their enormous aura could be seen here and there. Various races and sentient beings with various appearances bustled about using all kinds of means. The more they approached Agaric Castle, the more frequent they ran into cultivators. However, every cultivator who lived in the Immortal World had unique eyesight, and just from the golden barouche rode by Tang Xiu''s group alone was enough to tell them that these four people were very powerful.


    After all, just those Cloudpiercer beasts that radiated a soft white light alone seemed to be top-grade Immortal Beasts.


    Quickly after, Tang Xiu''s group was only 500km away from the Agaric Castle city gate. In order not to attract unneeded attention, the four of them got off the golden barouche and Tang Xiu put away the carriage and the Cloudpiercer beasts into the Heavenly Abode artifact as they then flew to Agaric Castle.


    "How long has it been since I came here last time? Thousands of years ago?"


    Tang Xiu looked around at the small mushroom-like buildings in the surroundings and couldn''t help but lament.


    Thousands of years, huh?


    Star Tears couldn''t help but smack her lips, shooting a contemptuous look at Tang Xiu. She didn''t buy it at all. After all, an Immortal, precisely an ordinary one, could only live for several thousands of years.


    In the city.


    The shout of peddlers crying out their wares continuously filled the atmosphere, and all kinds of shops and stalls tried their best to attract patrons from all walks of life.


    Phantasmagoric House.


    It was a large shop inside Agaric Castle that looked impressive just from its outside appearance alone. The rest of the shops were seen as having a lot of clerks acting like marketers, crying out loud to attract patrons to their shops. But the Phantasmagoric House only had four big men standing outside that gazed at the pedestrians coldly, just like guards on the lookout.


    "This is the place."


    Tang Xiu used to patronize this place, but there was no Phantasmagoric House back then, which meant this shop was not an old player here. However, being able to occupy such a huge shop in the Agaric Castle displayed that the owner, family, or clan must be quite strong.


    After entering, a huge open space with many poisonous mushrooms that looked to be in the wrong place suddenly presented before their eyes. Judging from their quality, however, all of them were just ordinary poisonous mushrooms. Aside from all these mushrooms, there were also some other products, but the quality was average.


    "Welcome to our emporium, distinguished patrons! May I know what you would like to purchase?" A beautiful lady clerk in white greeted and inquired with a professional smile.


    "I want to buy some poisonous mushrooms, and the grade must be at least Five-colored. If your Phantasmagoric House has them and the price is affordable, I''ll pay for it directly. But I''ll be disappointed if you don''t have any and will leave right away."


    Five-colored Toadstool? And that was the lowest quality?


    The lady clerk''s expression shifted and she observed Tang Xiu''s group of four a while. Then, she nodded and said, "Then please follow me to the 6th floor. The valuable goods of our Phantasmagoric House are stored on the 6th floor. However, Honorable Patron may have to prepare psychologically since the goods there are very expensive."


    "It''s your business to set the goods to be expensive or cheap, but it''s their value and worth that matters to me." Tang Xiu calmly said, "If you do have some great items here, I''ll be happy to buy them even if I must spend more."


    The sales lady in white slightly smiled and took the four to the 6th floor. A spacious hall suddenly appeared in front of everyone with a total of 108 booths inside, each displaying one item.


    "Hey, Eastberg, I saw these Octagems Golden Lotus Minaret first. I won''t give up on them! Don''t ever think you can use the power of your Vast Martial Sect to provoke me here. Worse comes worst, I''ll just kill you and leave," a long silver-haired old man with a cane glared at a man surrounded by five others and sharply shouted.


    The leader of the five men, a cruel-looking man with a hooked nose and triangular eyes grimly glared back at the old man and coldly said, "Hmph, you can try. The Vast Martial Sect''s powerhouses will be arriving here before you can kill me. Old bastard, the Octagems Golden Lotus Minaret is an artifact that can only be fully controlled by a Golden Immortal. You''re just a Celestial Immortal, old shit, yet you wanna have it?"


    The old man angrily shouted, "Why can''t I have it, shithead? I can naturally use it when I break through to the Golden Immortal Stage one day, but one can only come across this Octagems Golden Lotus Minaret serendipitously!"


    Eastberg clenched his fists and directly pinched a Message Token to send a message after seeing the vicious look in the old man''s eyes. Afterward, he proudly stated, "You can act arrogant now, but when the experts from my sect come here, you''ll definitely kneel and beg for mercy."


    The old man''s expression changed and his expression turned hesitant. Then, he turned to the reticent attendant of the shop and said in a deep voice, "You also know the Immortal World''s custom that a treasure that is seen and fancied by many people goes to the highest bidder, right?"


    The shop assistant nodded and said, "That''s right. Would you like it to be tendered?"


    "That''s right. I''d like to have it tendered." The old man firmly said, "The price of the Octagems Golden Lotus Minaret is 2 million Immortal Crystals. I bid 2.1 million for it."


    Eastberg shouted angrily, "Hey, old bastard, you dare to show off your wealth to me? You''re really looking to be abused here. I bid 3 million Immortal Crystals for this Octagems Golden Lotus Minaret!"


    The old man slightly frowned and followed coldly. "Four million."


    Eastberg shouted, "5 million."


    The old man''s frown went deeper. After a long silence, he slowly said, "5.5 million Immortal Crystals. That''s all I can take out. If you can bid higher, you can have this Octagems Golden Lotus Minaret."


    Eastberg''s face turned black. Although he was very rich, the elder of his family, who was a senior official of the Vast Martial Sect, usually gave him many Immortal Crystals, but all he had on him now was only 6 million Immortal Crystals. If he were to take out so many Immortal Crystals all of a sudden, he would be dirt poor for the next hundred years.


    However, if he didn''t obtain it, he would lose face in front of this old bastard. He wouldn''t be able to lift his head up high for many years once today''s matter was to be spread out.


    "5.6 million Immortal Crystals!" Eastberg gritted his teeth and shouted sharply.


    The old man looked bitter and shook his head before he turned around to leave.


    "6 million Immortal Crystals."


    Nearby, Tang Xiu slightly chuckled and immediately went towards them. The old man who was just about to leave suddenly had a change in expression and immediately refrained from leaving, looking at Tang Xiu with a surprised face.


    Tang Xiu glanced at the shop assistant and smilingly said, "Facing such a treasure, the one who bids the highest will get it, isn''t that right?"


    "You''re right." The shop assistant smiled.


    Tang Xiu then shifted to Eastberg and asked, "You want to continue bidding? If you don''t, then this Octagems Golden Lotus Minaret artifact is mine. If you keep bidding, I''ll continue to increase the bid as well."


    Eastberg never dreamed that someone would disrupt him halfway. He glared at Tang Xiu fiercely and angrily shouted, "Just from where this dogshit came? Do you even think you''re qualified to compete with this Big Daddy? Are you tired of living already?"


    Slap!


    Tang Xiu moved lightning-fast, slapped his face, and sent him flying tens of meters away before the guy heavily fell on the floor. He then sneered and said, "Daring to act so arrogantly in front of me? You''re the first of those who dare to insult me and have not died yet. Beware."


    "F*CK! You dare to hit someone from the Vast Martial Sect? You really are tired of living, aren''t you!" The Earth Immortal expert of the Vast Martial Sect angrily roared and attacked, and the other three beside him also unleashed their immortal swords with postures ready to go all out.


    "You know, I didn''t kill you to give face to the owner of this shop." Tang Xiu sneered. "But since you''re looking for death, then let me fulfill your wish."


    Just as his voice faded away, a streak of light was shot and instantly hit the four people, directly killing them without them being able to block or evade it.


    The one who took action was Battle Peng.


    The shop assistant wanted to stop him, but he was too late and could only helplessly watch the four people be killed. He hurriedly shouted, "Hey, you''re not allowed to kill anyone in our shop!"


    After Battle Peng killed the four people in a flash, he didn''t stop moving and quickly beheaded Eastberg and punched his body into a pulp. Only then did he look satisfied and said, "My Master already gave you face and only slapped this guy. Yet they insisted on courting their own deaths, so we had no choice but to act accordingly."


    "You guys¡­"


    The shop assistant was furious.


    Tang Xiu coldly stared at him and overbearingly said, "What''s wrong? We killed them and that''s it. What''s the big deal? Just some ants and you want to bother about such a trivial thing? Your Phantasmagoric House is running a business here but pokes your nose in others'' business often, you may easily provoke troubles for yourself. You had better shut the hell up and deal with me directly!"


    Whoosh!


    A figure flickered and instantly appeared before everyone lightning fast. The figure was a man with a refined and gentle scholarly aura holding a fan and shaking it. He glanced at the four bodies on the floor and said indifferently, "What you just said does have some truth to it, Mister. But the custom of our Phantasmagoric House must never be broken. We have no choice but to meddle in unless you have the strength to shake us off."


    "I can kill you within 2 breaths. Do you believe it or not?" Battle Peng sneered.


    The middle-aged man was also a Golden Immortal, but his complexion changed when he sensed the aura instantly released by Battle Peng. He lightly smiled and said, "Just one Golden Immortal is perhaps not enough to scare off Phantasmagoric House, mind you."

 1327 Expensive Information

    Star Tears, who stood next to Tang Xiu, only released her aura in a flash, but the middle-aged man was paralyzed and looked horrified, while his attitude turned 180 degrees all of a sudden.


    "Please forgive me for offending you, Senior!"


    The middle-aged man felt very uneasy and he suddenly became very respectful. After all, no matter how powerful a Golden Immortal was, there were only a few Perfected Golden Immortals in any Immortal Domain. Even the strongest people in Agaric Castle were very likely only at the late-stage Golden Immortal Stage.


    Star Tears herself was too lazy to bother about this man and kept silent while standing next to Tang Xiu calmly.


    "So 6 Immortal Crystals for this thing, yes?" said Tang Xiu indifferently.


    The middle-aged man hurriedly said, "No, just 2 million Immortal Crystals and this Octagem Golden Lotus Minaret is yours. I don''t think anyone will dare to object."


    The pale-faced old man hurriedly nodded with a timid look and said, "I won''t dare object, either. Only someone like Senior has the qualification to use this treasure."


    Tang Xiu slightly smiled and he took out 2 million Immortal Crystals, threw them to the middle-aged man, and said, "I need all colored poisonous mushrooms, or best, some seven-colored ones. Your shop assistant took me to this 6th floor, so you have some of them for sale, right?"


    "Our store does have all colored poisonous mushrooms, and it''s quite coincidental that we happened to receive the shipment 2 days ago. However, we have no seven-colored ones at the moment. If Honored Patron really needs them, you have to wait for some time. We have spent several years on the arrangement and we should be close to harvesting it, so when the time comes, we''ll have the seven-colored toadstool delivered here."


    "How long will it take, exactly?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "About 3 months if there''s no accident," said the middle-aged man.


    Tang Xiu nodded and slowly said, "Then sell me the five-colored ones first. I''ll give 100,000 Immortal Crystals as a deposit first and I''ll return here to buy the seven-colored ones 3 months later."


    The middle-aged man hesitated and said, "Honored Patron, the price of a five-colored toadstool is already very expensive, the seven-colored ones are much higher. Are you really going to buy them?"


    "What are the prices for two toadstools, exactly?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "The five-colored ones are priced at 1 million Immortal Crystals, and the seven-colored ones are at 8 million Immortal Crystals," answered the middle-aged man.


    Tang Xiu then directly handed him 2 million Immortal Crystals and lightly said, "Then I will give you a million more as a deposit. The remaining 7 million will be paid to you directly when I see the seven-colored toadstool. After all, spending a little money is nothing to me."


    The middle-aged man''s eyes lit up and he happily smiled. "Please rest assured, Honored Patron. I''ll definitely keep the seven-colored toadstools for you when the shipment arrives."


    Quickly after, Tang Xiu took the fist-sized five-colored toadstool and was secretly happy inwardly when he looked at it. Five-colored toadstools could be concocted to some very good poison pills, but if he could get the seven-colored ones, the poison pill he refined was likely able to cause heavy damage to Perfected Golden Immortals.


    "Alright, let''s head out!"


    Tang Xiu then took his group to leave the Phantasmagoric House. Just as they walked for a kilometer on the street with an endless stream of people, Tang Xiu''s expression shifted and a surprised look appeared in his eyes. He then turned his head and said, "Let''s head to the teahouse in front. Bring that man to me. I''ll be waiting."


    Battle Peng slightly nodded and bolted towards the old man stalking them.


    A few minutes after, when the scented tea from the teahouse was just delivered to Tang Xiu, the old man stalker strode into the teahouse. He hesitated for a short while and looked at Tang Xiu vigilantly.


    "You can speak now!"


    Tang Xiu took a sip of the scented tea and looked at the old man.


    The old man took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "May I ask whether Senior has 1 million Crystal Essences?"


    Tang Xiu pursed his brows and said, "A million Crystal Essences is nothing but a small amount of money I can take out at any time. Why do you ask?"


    The old man looked happy and asked again, "I wonder if Senior has ever heard of the Soul Pursuit Token?"


    Tang Xiu''s complexion changed and he nodded. "Soul Pursuit Token originated from Battlesoul Supreme, and there''s only 9 of them circulating in the Immortal World. 6 of them have appeared, and each person who once held it was able to make a request to Battlesoul Supreme, where he then acted to fulfill the request of the person regardless of what it was."


    "You''re mistaken in this regard," said the old man. "The seventh Soul Pursuit Token actually appeared around 260 years ago. After Battlesoul Supreme received the Soul Pursuit Token, he chased Chromatic Serpent Supreme for a century before he finally killed him in some desolate ruins. So there are still two Soul Pursuit Tokens left."


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and faintly asked, "Do you have a Soul Pursuit Token, by chance?"


    The old man shook his head. "No. I have no Soul Pursuit Token, but I have information about it. If Senior is willing to pay me 1 million Crystal Essences, I can tell you about it. I guarantee the reliability of this information and the fact that it''s not difficult to obtain."


    "There''s one thing I want to know, however. How many times have you sold the information about this Soul Pursuit Token?" asked Tang Xiu lightly.


    "No, I haven''t sold the info to anyone." The old man shook his head. "You''re the first."


    Tang Xiu nodded. "Let''s see. If your info is true, I can give you 1 million Crystal Essences. But, let me tell you bluntly now. I can only give you 500,000 Crystal Essences now and I''ll pay you the remaining 500,000 when I obtain the Soul Pursuit Token."


    "No problem."


    The old man looked excited and transmitted his voice, "The Soul Pursuit Token is now enshrined in the Vast Martial Sect and is guarded by its Ancestor, the only Perfected Golden Immortal there, along with 18 Golden Immortals."


    "And how did you know that?" asked Tang Xiu with a frown.


    A look of hatred gleamed in the eyes of the old man. He clenched his fists and fiercely said, "The daughter of the Vice Sect Master of Vast Martial Sect was the woman I loved. But since I have no background and lack aptitude in cultivation, I was eventually beaten and she died under the pressure of her own sect. I''ve been hating myself for having no abilities, else I''d have killed the entire Vast Martial Sect myself."


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, "Sorry if this made you recall something unpleasant. Take this half a million Crystal Essences. I''ll contact you personally when I get the Soul Pursuit Token and give you the rest. But if you deceive me, I promise you''ll be under endless pursuit no matter which corner of Immortal Domain you try to hide."


    The old man received half a million Crystal Essences and firmly said, "If Senior doesn''t trust me, you can first cast a seal on me. I know that many top powerhouses can cast such tracing seals."


    Tang Xiu slightly smiled and came to the old man''s front. He patted his shoulder gently and, after asking his Message Token, he then turned around and left.


    "He already cast a seal on me?"


    The old man''s expression shifted and watched Tang Xiu leave. But his expression was complicated as he never noticed how Tang Xiu cast and put that seal on him.


    Outside Agaric Castle.


    Tang Xiu''s eyes were gleaming. He didn''t plan to go to the Vast Martial Sect immediately. After all, there was a Perfected Golden Immortal holding the fort there.


    Buzz¡­


    After activating the Message Token, Tang Xiu led Battle Peng''s group of three to continue his journey.


    ****


    Sacred Dragon Immortal Domain.


    This region could definitely be ranked in the top ten among all the large Immortal Domains in the Immortal World. Golden Immortals could be seen literally everywhere in this region, and one could run into Perfected Golden Immortals often; even some Supremes appeared in this region occasionally.


    The headquarters of the Convict Arena was set up in the Sacred Dragon Immortal Domain, and it had even become a city by itself named Prison Cell City.


    The southern area of Prison Cell City.


    In a dilapidated courtyard, Old Sycamore laid on the deck chair, comfortably hiccupped and hummed some tunes, while a horned wolf crouched and curled up at his feet with a listless look.


    Ding, ding¡­


    The silver bell at the door suddenly sounded and a ponytailed teenage girl appeared in the courtyard like a gust of wind and cried out with a smiling face, "Hey, Grandpa Sycamore, you have some guests!"


    Old Sycamore rolled his eyes and hummed. "Mmm¡­ you know this old thing just killed some kittens and puppies a few days ago, right? My old bones have been worked out too hard, my whole body is now hurting! Just tell your Mother to receive the guests, will you? Oh dear, I''m really too old and really vexed now! Just a few errands are enough to make my back to ache and my legs to cramp."


    The lass appeared beside him with a smiling face as she reached out and twisted the old man''s ears, grinningly saying, "Mom has already gone to guide other guests and the two of us are the only ones left at home. Do you really want to make me work as a guide now?"


    Old Sycamore was startled, shook off the girl''s hand, and shook his head, "No! You''re not leaving. I''ll go! Which time have you not made tons of troubles when you became a guide? Stay still and I''ll go by myself. But it''s weird, though. Didn''t you say some guests are here? Why can''t I see any of them?"


    The lass pursed her lips and hummed. "Humph, those guests have a big appetite. They''re shouting that they want Old Sycamore to come out and greet them personally. Well, I originally wanted to pour him a pot of cold water, but whoever thought that he got some powerful goons around him? Those two people made me a bit scared."


    Old Sycamore''s eyes were gleaming, but he still sluggishly got up. While dragging his body outside, he said, "Those who want me to greet personally are likely my old customers. But you lass who is never afraid of some Perfected Golden Immortals, yet there are some who can make you scared stiff like that now? That''s quite interesting."


    The girl rolled her eyes and followed with a grin.


    Outside the courtyard.


    After Old Sycamore saw the four people, his eyes instantly narrowed. He especially paused for a while when he saw Star Tears before turning to Tang Xiu, who was obviously the leader. Then, he asked with a smile, "Greetings and nice to meet you, Honored Guest. You look unfamiliar, but you turn out to know this Old Sycamore. May I know which Lord recommended me to you?"


    A complicated expression flashed in Tang Xiu''s eyes and he said with a slight smile, "There was a Little Beggar who talked about the Small Sycamore in Prison Cell City. I just didn''t expect that the Small Sycamore has now become an Old Sycamore."


    Little Beggar?!


    Old Sycamore''s body trembled and a sharp and fierce light gleamed in his eyes. His rickety body straightened up in a flash. An enormous aura burst out of him and he shouted in a deep voice, "Who are you, Mister? How do you know him?"

 1328 Enormous Spending

    "You can call me Great Tang Heavenly Emperor," said Tang Xiu calmly. "As for how I know, it''s inconvenient to tell you now. Old Sycamore, there''s something I need to do in the Prison Cell City and I want you to be my guide here! I''ll reward you handsomely if you do well."


    Old Sycamore stared fixedly at Tang Xiu. After 15 minutes, he took a deep breath and his figure returned to his rickety state again while also converging his aura.


    Little Beggar was his blood brother¡ªonce the new rising star in the Immortal World who attracted the attention of numerous powerful people, aside from his other identity as the disciple of Star Cultivation Great Emperor.


    It had been more than 5,000 years. Those who knew that he was the elder brother of Little Beggar absolutely had a very good relationship with him. But those people¡­ most of them had died already¡­ right?


    "Alright, I''ll be your guide."


    Old Sycamore withdrew his stare, waved at the little lass next to him, and said in a deep voice, "I''m leaving, but you must stay at home honestly, got it?! If I found you sneaked out, you''ll be grounded for hundreds of years!"


    The little girl hesitated and suddenly became listless and grunted unhappily. Then, she dangled back to the courtyard''s gate and slammed the house''s door.


    Old Sycamore looked at Tang Xiu and asked, "Where would you like to go? There''s no place and nothing in the Prison Cell City I don''t know about."


    Tang Xiu glanced at him, turned towards the main building of Convict Arena, and lightly said, "Don''t brag and boast that big first. Even if you lived here for millennia, it''s very likely there are many things you don''t know."


    Old Sycamore smiled in response and asked, "For instance?"


    "Just like who is the owner of the Convict Arena. Do you even know that person?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "This¡­" Old Sycamore was speechless and flung his face, looking a bit embarrassed.


    Tang Xiu smiled indifferently and looked at Dragonfly, saying, "Hey, kiddo. You tell me about his cultivation level."


    Dragonfly replied, "Master, he''s very strong at least at the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage and he''s even more powerful than Lady Star Tears. Ah, that''s right. He''s also currently injured, though his injury is not serious."


    Old Sycamore''s pace came to a halt and he looked dumbly at Tang Xiu and Dragonfly with incredulity on his face. Those who knew that he was a Perfected Golden Immortal in the entire Immortal World was not over 3 people, including himself.


    And yet¡­ how did this guy know about it? Who exactly are these people?


    Old Sycamore vaguely sensed that he couldn''t hide anything in front of these people. The realization made him inwardly nervous. After keeping up with Tang Xiu''s footsteps, he inquired. "Honored Guest, may I know what items you''d like to buy, or the place you''re going?"


    "I''m going to the Convict Arena''s prison cells for Perfected Golden Immortals," answered Tang Xiu.


    "Are you perhaps going to gamble, Honored Guest? Or, are you¡­"


    "I want to buy some Perfected Golden Immortals," said Tang Xiu.


    Old Sycamore''s pupils contracted and he suddenly realized that Tang Xiu should be a big figure with rich financial resources. After pondering for a while, he said, "If you want to purchase some Perfected Golden Immortals, you don''t need to go directly to the Convict Arena''s Perfected Golden Immortal cells. I know a place that sells Perfected Golden Immortals. Besides, there are only about 60 Perfected Golden Immortal gladiators in Prison Cell City. Those 60-plus people have their records and identities recorded and known to countless people. But the place I just told you about is keeping the identity of these gladiators confidential, though the number is much fewer."


    "Then take me there!" After saying that, Tang Xiu asked again, "What''s exactly the number and their strength and background?"


    "No more than 10 people, but they are very strong. Even those deathmatch gladiators in the Convict Arena are inferior to them. They are all of different races and kind of some Lord-level characters that lorded over some remote Immortal Domains. You know, the Convict Arena has a kind of mysterious team that keeps expanding its territory to the remote Immortal Domains. At the same time, they also hunt and capture Golden Immortals as well as Perfected Golden Immortals for trafficking and to increase the number of deathmatch fighters for the Convict Arena."


    Tang Xiu slightly nodded. He had heard of these issues but never paid attention to it before since he thought that Convict Arena was just some small existence. But looking at it now, he was keenly aware that the Convict Arena was much more terrifying. It could be said that it may be ranked in the top ten major forces in the Immortal World.


    Deathmatch Gate.


    It was the place mentioned by Old Sycamore. When everyone entered the ordinary-looking building, an aged yet charming beautiful woman welcomed them and smilingly said, "Hey, Old Sycamore, did you bring these guests to buy something here?"


    "Yup," said Old Sycamore.


    "Well, you know the rules. Take them inside!" The woman smiled and said, "But you''ll be responsible if things go wrong, capiche?"


    "Got it." Old Sycamore nodded with a smile and led the four inside.


    After the five of them entered, only then did they discover that the place was a Heavenly Abode artifact. It was because the space inside was very huge and a hundred times larger than it looked from the outside.


    "Well, let''s go straight ahead, Honored Guest." Old Sycamore smiled and said, "That''s the place where the deathmatch fighters placed for sale are gathered. If you take the left passage, you''ll arrive at the place where you can buy immortal cultivation arts manuals and various manuals for secret arts, divine abilities, and the likes. If you take the right passage, you''ll find a place that sells all kinds of weapons."


    Tang Xiu''s expression shifted and he said, "Let''s head to the weapons'' place first."


    Old Sycamore slightly smiled and took Tang Xiu through the kilometer-long passage and then entered a vast hall. Countless weapons were seen arranged in an orderly manner inside, with each''s shortcomings, features, and rank recorded on their labels.


    Defense-type artifacts.


    After going deeper inside, Tang Xiu quickly found a variety of defensive artifacts for sale. The dazzling array of items here were truly breathtaking.


    Immortal artifacts were divided into 9 grades. The 1st and 2nd grades were suitable for ordinary immortals, the 3rd for Earth Immortals, 4th for Celestial Immortals'' use, 5th for Profound Immortals, 6th suited Golden Immortals, 7th for Perfected Golden Immortals, and 8th grade suited those at the Supremacy Stage.


    As for the 9th grade immortal artifacts, they were for the top-rank Supremes who were able to unleash their full might.


    Tang Xiu then found 7th grade Immortal artifacts based on the label tagged. He observed for some time and then said, "Battle Peng, Star Tears, you two choose defensive artifacts for yourselves."


    "Understood!"


    Both of them were slightly shaken inwardly but quickly picked up a defensive artifact that satisfied them.


    Tang Xiu quietly observed the reaming 18 defensive artifacts on display and couldn''t help shake his head secretly. Each of these 18 defensive artifacts could withstand the full blow of Perfected Golden Immortals without getting destroyed, though it would still be shattered should it face continuous blows.


    "Old Sycamore, I suppose this place also has some 9th grade Immortal artifacts, yes?"


    "Yes. There are only three 9th grade defensive artifacts here, and all of them are inside the array. Each one of them is very expensive. I don''t think a Perfected Golden Immortal can buy any of them even with all their wealth," said Old Sycamore.


    "Take me there," said Tang Xiu.


    Old Sycamore walked a hundred steps ahead before he stopped at the corner. Then, he casually cast a seal. Immediately after, 3 transparent illuminations suddenly appeared and three items appeared in it.


    "Myriad Toad Golden Armor."


    "Celestial Soul Sphere."


    "Nine Thunder Paragon Garb."


    Tang Xiu calmly scrutinized the three 9th grade immortal artifacts. Then, he turned to Old Sycamore and said, "Notify the person in charge of this place and tell the person to see me."


    "Understood!"


    It took only less than 15 minutes for Old Sycamore to leave and come back with the previous aged yet charming beautiful female.


    "Honored Patron, have you picked the items you like?"


    The beautiful woman glanced at the three-9th grade defensive artifacts and a bizarre light flashed in her eyes when she asked with a smile.


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, "Three defensive artifacts in total. 2 of them are 8th grade and this Nine Thunder Paragon Garb. How much for all of them?"


    "This Nine Thunder Paragon Garb is priced at 20 million Crystal Essences, and 12 million Crystal Essences for two 8th grade defensive artifacts¡ªfor a total 32 million Crystal Essences. Also, Old Sycamore said you have a deep relationship with him, so I''m giving you a 2-million discount. Thus, you only need 30 million Crystal Essences to pay for them."


    Tang Xiu took out 30 million Crystal Essences and handed it to the beautiful woman. "Thank you."


    "Well, if you want to thank someone, thank Old Sycamore." The woman shook her head and smiled. "Anyway, do you need anything else?"


    "I want to buy some Perfected Golden Immortal gladiators. Six of them, to be precise," said Tang Xiu.


    The beautiful woman''s expression suddenly changed slightly. She thought Tang Xiu was just an ordinary Immortal. She didn''t expect him to have such deep and fearsome financial resources.


    "Please follow me."


    The beautiful woman shot a deep look at Tang Xiu before turning and walking away.


    Inside another space.


    As the group arrived, Tang Xiu saw thousands of cages on both sides, each separated by a kilometer. All levels of gladiators could be seen here from ordinary cultivators to Golden Immortal gladiators. After the woman came to the innermost side with the group, she cast a seal and a vortex portal suddenly appeared in front of everyone''s eyes. After they entered it, they saw nine cages forming a circle, and each cage was occupied by a Perfected Golden Immortal gladiator.


    "This price¡­"


    Using his spiritual sense to read the price tag on each cell, Tang Xiu''s expression slightly changed because the cheapest Perfected Golden Immortal gladiator here was priced at 12 million Crystal Essences, whereas the messy blue-haired woman who sat cross-legged was priced at 21 million Crystal Essences.


    "Can the price be discounted?" Tang Xiu looked at the beautiful woman and asked.


    The woman shook her head and smilingly replied, "I''m sorry. This price is already the lowest we can offer. I can only give you a small discount if you really buy six Perfected Golden Immortal gladiators."


    Tang Xiu secretly forced a wry smile inside. All the Immortal Stones, Immortal Crystals, and Crystal Essences he had now were only worth around 60 million Crystal Essences¡ªsome of them including those he obtained from the interspatial rings he took from those six Perfected Golden Immortal subordinates of Zither Demon Jiuyao they killed before.


    Tang Xiu then looked at Old Sycamore and said, "Lend me 20 million Crystal Essences. I''ll double the repayment a century later."


    Old Sycamore hesitated for a moment and said, "I do have 20 million Crystal Essences, but why should I believe you?"


    Tang Xiu wryly smiled. "I can''t come up with something that can make you believe in me. But if you do have a great relationship with Little Beggar, I think you can lend me the money."


    Old Sycamore scrutinized Tang Xiu for a long while before he threw a ring and lightly said, "There are 20 million Crystal Essences inside. I don''t need you to pay it back double, but I hope you can give an explanation in the future."

 1329 Karmic Ties of the Pas

    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and nodded. "I promise I''ll give you a satisfactory explanation in the future. Further, I owe you a favor as well. Come to the Great Tang Empire if you have any needs in the future."


    With that said, Tang Xiu took out all his Immortal Stones, Immortal Crystals, and Crystal Essences and handed them to the beautiful Manager of the Convict Arena, saying, "6 Perfected Golden Immortals, including that Sablefiend Scorpio. I''ve counted the total sum I have which is 84.6 million Crystal Essences. Even though I borrowed 20 million Crystal Essences, I still have to fork out 60 million Crystal Essences."


    A surprised look glittered in the woman''s eyes as she nodded and slowly said, "You can save the 600,000 Crystal Essences."


    Having said that, she took out 6 Soul Plates, handed them to Tang Xiu, and personally opened the six cells to unchain each of the Perfected Golden Immortals chained inside.


    "Sablefiend Scorpio, Celestial Litho Monstrum, Flaming Demon Feline, Golden-eyed Great Peng, Lupus Chimaera Monstrum, and Nethersea Whale King, the six of you are slaves of Great Tang Heavenly Emperor starting today. I''ve handed over your Soul Plates to him, so your lives are now in his hands," the beautiful woman glanced at the six people and said in a deep voice.


    The six deathmatch fighters that had gone through 300 battles in the arena stared fixedly at Tang Xiu. Their whole bodies were full of death energy and unruliness was evident in their expressions. Even though Tang Xiu controlled their lives, he bought them at such a high price, so they were not worried that Tang Xiu would kill them and very likely only wanted them to fully serve him.


    After refining the six Soul Plates and completely controlling their lives, Tang Xiu then lightly stated, "My commands will take priority over anything else including your lives in the future. Certainly, I won''t mind punishing one of you as a warning for the rest, so which one of you wants to try to disobey my will first?"


    Killing one to warn the rest?


    The six Perfected Golden Immortal deathmatch gladiators suddenly had a change in complexion. Their unruly expressions slightly changed. None of them wanted to die, let alone become such a chicken on the chopping block.


    "We''re leaving, Old Sycamore."


    Tang Xiu nodded at the beautiful woman and turned to outside.


    Old Sycamore didn''t reply, nor did he even greet the woman. He just walked outside beside Tang Xiu. When they came to the gate, he asked, "Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, where shall we go next?"


    Tang Xiu''s lips wriggled a few times. As Battle Peng handed him 10 Immortal Crystals, Tang Xiu received them and handed it to Old Sycamore. "It''s a reward for you. Fate will make us meet again in the future."


    Having said that, he led the group towards the distance.


    10 Immortal Crystals?


    Old Sycamore stared blankly at the 10 Immortal Crystals in his hand. Some memories that had been sealed in his heart suddenly gushed out like a flood destroying a dam.


    It was thousands of years ago. He was just a boy less than 9 years old, wandering the streets with his younger brother to beg around, hoping to get some alms and leftovers. They were driven out, beaten, and abused like livestock that even slave traders were unwilling to capture.


    However, on that fateful day, month, and year, the brothers stole 2 expensive pieces of clothing but were discovered by its owner and nearly killed. At that moment, he vowed that he''d kill the man who beat him if he lived. He also vowed to kill the man who had abused the brothers. At that time, he had even made plans to go all out to get some money to buy a cultivation art manual and become a powerful cultivator.


    And at that moment, a great figure suddenly blocked the sun for the brothers.


    But his younger brother knelt behind that great figure who had rescued them, shouting that he wanted to acknowledge him as Master. In his eyes at the time, it was just a dream¡ªsomething people like them should not dare to imagine.


    But eventually, that man halted his pace and asked his brother a few questions before he agreed to accept him as his disciple, though he must take his brother away.


    "How long are we leaving for, exactly?"


    It was the only question he asked at the time, and the answer he got was: thousands of years at the earliest and eternity at the longest.


    He didn''t leave, however. He couldn''t wait for a thousand years, nor did he want to regret it for eternity. But in the end, his brother was taken away by that great figure, whereas he stayed.


    Old Sycamore clearly remembered that before his brother was taken away, that great figure handed him 10 Immortal Crystals and said something he never forgot for the rest of his life:


    "It''s a reward for you. Fate will make us meet again in the future."


    Now the scenes of the past unfolded yet again.


    Old Sycamore''s bleeding heart opened up. That majestic and unparalleled figure looked so familiar and yet so¡­ real.


    "A-are you him?!"


    Old Sycamore chased ahead a few steps forward with a face full of excitement as he shouted aloud.


    After he shouted this sentence, however, disappointment from deep within his soul gushed forth and filled his whole heart, as though his whole being had fallen into a glacier hole. He knew that he had lost his reason for a moment. Because that man¡­ just like his brother, was already¡­ dead.


    Some kilometers away, Tang Xiu''s pace came to a halt as he slowly turned around. Watching the ghastly pale-looking Old Sycamore, his lips squirmed a few times, and finally, he transmitted his voice he didn''t plan to speak out to Old Sycamore''s ears.


    "I''m really sorry."


    Having said that, Tang Xiu took everyone to speed up and disappeared from Old Sycamore''s sight.


    Sorry? You''re saying sorry?


    Old Sycamore''s pupils shrunk all of a sudden and incredulity burst in his eyes. His figure flickered and became hazy as he disappeared out of thin air under countless people''s attention.


    Hundreds of thousands of miles away.


    Old Sycamore appeared atop a mountain peak, looking at the empty scene around him, yet his heart was shivering and wildly throbbing.


    People said that the older and more experienced a person was, the wiser and more sophisticated his or her mind became.


    He had lived for thousands of years and had become extremely wise and sophisticated. Just that "Sorry" word and the line "I''m sorry" that man spoke was enough to shock him to the core.


    His younger brother was long dead. Although that man did go on a rampage for the crazy slaughter to annihilate the culprits. However, of all people in this world, he was indeed the only one who owed him that one sentence¡ªthose three words.


    In this world, that man was the only person who would ever say those three words to him.


    Old Sycamore clenched his fists, eyes flashing with madness as he roared loudly, "I will find you since I know that you''re still alive. This Old Sycamore originally thought to have no longer any concern in this life, yet it turns out that you''re still around!"


    That''s right. Even though he didn''t leave with Tang Xiu back then, he, like his younger brother, had regarded that majestic figure as his real family member. That man had treated both of them very well. What''s more, it was because those 10 Immortal Crystals that man gave him that he was able to buy a cultivation manual, though it was a common one. It was because of those 10 Immortal Crystals that he could buy those elixirs even though they were the lowest grade pills.


    However, it was the very cause of him becoming stronger and granted him the ability to kill all the enemies who had bullied the brothers.


    Thousands of years ago, he was able to become an Immortal due to his younger brother sending him some elixirs that allowed him to ascend.


    Thousands of years ago, he was able to become an Earth Immortal due to the cultivation resources his younger brother sent that allowed him to break through successfully.


    It was also his younger brother who sent him Immortal elixirs and nectars that made him able to advance to the Celestial Immortal Stage thousands of years ago.


    That younger brother of his also sent a lot of elixirs, Immortal Crystals, and Crystal Essences that made his cultivation continue to improve. Under the support of huge resources, he finally broke through to the Profound Immortal Stage and Golden Immortal Stage.


    He had now become a Perfected Golden Immortal. Even though only 3 people knew that he had become a Perfected Golden Immortal in the entire Immortal World, it was a fact that he had truly become a genuine powerhouse in the eyes of countless walks of life.


    He had disappeared time and again during the past hundreds of years whenever the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect was besieged by powerful enemies, only to come back with a body full of scars every time.


    Nobody knew that he was there to pay that debt of¡­ gratitude. It was to repay the debt of gratitude both for him and his younger brother.


    "Huh?"


    Old Sycamore''s complexion suddenly changed as his keen sense caught several extremely faint fluctuation auras in the air. A fierce and cold light suddenly burst in his eyes. Waving the black gourd in his hand, his aura raged and suddenly blasted toward the few faint waves.


    "GET THE HELL OUT!"


    At the same time, the black tide frantically flooded out of his black gourd as though billowing black river in the void and instantly submerged the place where those faint fluctuating auras originated.


    "Mercy! We''re on the same side!"


    Three figures in black robes appeared out of the blue and stared at the black flood terror with horrified expressions.


    "The Convict Arena''s Ears, huh? It seems you''re here to investigate his identity!" Old Sycamore''s eyes flashed with coldness. His immortal sword suddenly split into seven in an instant and shredded the three people after they were trapped in the black tide and directly annihilated their Immortal souls.


    Immediately after, he put away the black gourd and completely erased all the traces left in this place before disappearing.


    ****


    Half a month later.


    Tang Xiu brought Battle Peng, Star Tears, Dragonfly, and the six Perfected Golden Immortals he just purchased back to Agaric Castle. Tang Xiu was completely broke today without even a piece of Immortal Stone left.


    Buzz¡­


    He pinched the Message Token and, half an hour later, the old man who sold the information to Tang Xiu appeared in front of him.


    "Have you obtained the Soul Pursuit Token, Senior?" the old man looked excited and hurriedly asked as he looked at Tang Xiu.


    "No, I haven''t gone to the Vast Martial Sect yet." Tang Xiu shook his head and slowly said, "I went to find some people to help me so as not to let anything else slip away. Anyway, let''s head there now! Even if the Vast Martial Sect has a Perfected Golden Immortal ancestor, they won''t be able to keep the token this time. And you, take us to the Vast Martial Sect."


    The old man looked horrified and hurriedly said, "Senior, even if you have invited some helpers and you also have Perfected Golden Immortals at your side, it''s just impossible to obtain the Soul Pursuit Token. If they just go crazy and activate the token to contact Battlesoul Supreme, we''re all gonna die!"


    "No worries!" Tang Xiu sneered. "I''d never take a risk without complete preparation. As long as your info is correct, the Soul Pursuit Token will definitely be mine."

 1330 A Grandiose Blitzkrieg Attack

    The old man looked at the six strange faces and faintly sensed that these people were very strong, at least at the Golden Immortal Stage. Furthermore, this mysterious man had been preparing for so long before he was ready to storm the Vast Martial Sect, so the chance was very high that he came really prepared.


    "I''m going, then!" the old man gritted his teeth and replied in a deep voice.


    Tang Xiu nodded at his reply. Under the guide of this old man, it took them 2 days to come to a small land in this Immortal Domain. While looking at the pavilions in the dense forest of the mountain range, Tang Xiu asked, "So, this is where the Vast Martial Sect resides?"


    "Yes, this is their place," said the old man.


    Between his words, a murderous glint flashed in his eyes, apparently full of hatred toward the Vast Martial Sect.


    Tang Xiu shifted to Battle Peng and lightly said, "You and Dragonfly are to stay here. I believe I don''t have to tell you what to do when something unexpected happens, yes?"


    Battle Peng glanced at the old man and nodded. "Please rest assured, Master. I know what to do."


    Tang Xiu nodded slightly. Then he shifted to the six Perfected Golden Immortals and indifferently said, "Before you start working for me, I''m giving you hope first. Pledge your loyalty to me for 5,000 years. I''ll give you back your freedom as long as you''re still alive by then. At that time, you''re free to choose whether you will keep staying with me or leave directly. Further, I''ll also continuously provide you with various cultivation resources and teach you various divine and secret arts. The bigger your merits, the more handsome the rewards you''ll obtain. Do you understand?"


    "Really?!"


    The six people were surprised and asked in unison.


    "You can count on every word spoken by Great Tang Heavenly Emperor for I''ve never broken my promise." Tang Xiu nodded.


    The six people quickly exchanged glances and immediately nodded one after another. They knelt on one knee at the same time and vowed in a deep voice. "We''re willing to serve you, Master!"


    Tang Xiu took out six Praecantator artifacts and threw them over, saying, "I have no high-grade immortal artifacts available for you at the moment. You will refine these Praecantator artifacts. Use these weapons for the time being!"


    Sablefiend Scorpio took the Praecantator weapon, carefully observed it, and then blurted out in horror, "Isn''t this the weapon of Diabolos Praecantator Clan? Heavens! This is at least the high-grade weapon the combat generals of that Clan used! This weapon is definitely comparable to a 7th grade immortal weapon!"


    The other five were also shocked. They were all Perfected Golden Immortals¡ªold monsters who had lived for thousands of years. In particular, Sablefiend Scorpio had lived for tens of thousands of years and was naturally able to recognize the value of these Praecantator artifacts.


    "I have a lot of such weapons in my hand," said Tang Xiu casually. "There are even better ones, a lot of them. As long as you are loyal to me, not only will you become stronger in the future, there will also be countless resources for you."


    Sablefiend Scorpio''s group of six glanced at each other and said, "We''re pledging our allegiance till our death, Master!"


    Tang Xiu nodded with satisfaction. Then, he shifted to the surprised Star Tears and calmly said, "Alright, this time, what you have to do is help me get the Soul Pursuit Token from the Vast Martial Sect. I''m sure all of you already know what the Soul Pursuit Token is. I need this object since I''m going to need Battlesoul Supreme''s help in dealing with some issues in the future. Thus, you must storm over the Vast Martial Sect''s Perfected Golden Immortal Ancestor with overwhelming strength. You are not to give him any chance of using the Soul Pursuit Token."


    "Understood!" everyone replied in a deep voice.


    15 minutes later.


    Tang Xiu glanced around. Just as he was about to take out the Message Token, three streaks of light quickly flashed from the distance and appeared in front of Tang Xiu.


    Tang An, donning her usual black robe, arrived with Zenith Venerable and Seaway Monarch and respectfully reported. "We''ve destroyed all the protection arrays surrounding the Vast Martial Sect, Grand Master. They will no longer be able to activate their sect''s protection array even if they discover us."


    Tang Xiu nodded with satisfaction and sneered. "Heh, we got 9 Perfected Golden Immortals. If we fail to get the Vast Martial Sect''s Soul Pursuit Token, that will likely become the shame of your lives. Anyways, commence the action, now!"


    "Understood!"


    The nine people nodded and their figures suddenly bolted away as fast as meteors. In nearly a flash, they appeared in the sky over the Vast Martial Sect. Shortly after, the nine of them struck together and directly stunned all the Vast Martial Sect''s disciples below the Golden Immortal Stage. Even the Golden Immortals of this sect were all coughing up a mouthful of blood and looked terrified.


    "Which thieves came to provoke my Vast Martial Sect?"


    Three figures streaked up into the sky and instantly appeared in mid-air. Frantic killing intent gleamed in the eyes of the leader among them, a white-haired old man in a white robe.


    But when he clearly saw that the nine people in the surroundings turned out to be Perfected Golden Immortals, however, he sensed the terrifying pressure of their auras. He was terrified.


    "Suppress him!"


    As Tang Xiu and Tang An appeared thousands of meters in the sky out of nowhere, he shouted coldly.


    The nine Perfected Golden Immortals attacked fiercely at the same time. Aside from that elderly Perfected Golden Immortal, the other two were late-stage Golden Immortals and just a hair away from breaking through to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage. Both of them spurted out a mouthful of blood at the same time after getting bombarded by Star Tears and Sablefiend Scorpio. They didn''t directly die and fainted instead.


    "Who the hell are you, people? What kind of enmity does the Vast Martial Sect have with you, to think that you even dispatched nine Perfected Golden Immortals to destroy my sect?" The white-haired old man tried to fight back desperately but was still seriously injured.


    "Give up your resistance!" Tang Xiu ruthlessly and coldly said, "We can decimate everyone in your Sect. If you do not, nothing will be left alive in your sect, including chickens and dogs!"


    The white-haired old man furiously roared. But facing the fierce onslaught of nine Perfected Golden Immortals, he was forced to directly give up his resistance. As Star Tears captured and sealed him, Tang Xiu floated up in front of him, looked at him, and grabbed his collar before towing him into the tallest building below.


    "This place is the Hall to enshrine and pay homage to your ancestors, yes?" Tang Xiu asked with a smile.


    The white-haired old man looked as though he was dying and nodded. "That''s right."


    "Stun all those Golden Immortals hiding here!" ordered Tang Xiu with a smile.


    In a flash, four figures disappeared. In just several breaths, the four soon appeared near Tang Xiu out of nowhere.


    Tang Xiu shifted to the old man again and smilingly said, "You have quite the treasure yet you have no strength to preserve it. Quite the easy way to invite calamity upon you, am I right?"


    "You''re correct," the Ancestor of Vast Martial Sect replied in a muffled voice.


    "Well, since you also think that what I said makes sense, take out the Soul Pursuit Token received by your Vast Martial Sect! Don''t ask me how I know. I have my own intel channel."


    The Vast Martial Sect''s ancestor could only let out a mirthless smile and took a black token directly from his interspatial ring and handed it to Tang Xiu, saying bitterly, "This is the Soul Pursuit Token."


    Tang Xiu held the token and fiddled it in his hand for a while before he smiled lightly. "Yup, this is indeed the Soul Pursuit Token. I obtained two of them before but didn''t expect to get a third. Well, you''re a sensible man. I can spare all disciples of your Vast Martial Sect since you gave me the Soul Pursuit Token. But you also know what to say and what not to after we leave, don''t you?"


    "I know." The Vast Martial Sect''s ancestor bitterly replied.


    "Then I won''t waste more words since you already understand." Tang Xiu nodded with satisfaction. "But from now on, you can say that I owe the Vast Martial Sect a favor, so I''m leaving this Message Token. If your sect were to face a life-and-death crisis, use this token to notify me and I''ll send my people to the rescue."


    The Vast Martial Sect''s Ancestor froze for a moment and he said in disbelief, "You mean¡­"


    "Well, let''s just say that I hate to take advantage of others for nothing," said Tang Xiu lightly. "You may say that my methods are not honorable, but I have my own reason to do so. A very strong reason. I did sever your chance to have Battlesoul Supreme''s assistance, but I owe you a favor in exchange. No worries. Even if the person you must face in the future is a Supremacy Stage expert, I can still exterminate him for you."


    Having said that, Tang Xiu nodded to Star Tears.


    Star Tears lifted up the seal on the Vast Martial Sect''s Ancestor and indifferently said, "What my Heavenly Emperor has promised will be fulfilled. You can choose whether you want your Vast Martial Sect to be annihilated and be the target of endless pursuit, or to remain silent and keep this favor for use in the future. The choice is yours."


    Tang Xiu took out a healing elixir and handed it to the Vast Martial Sect''s Ancestor and then immediately left with the rest.


    "Ugh¡­ they left¡­ just like that?"


    Disbelief was cast on the face of Vast Martial Sect''s Ancestor. He originally thought that today was the day he met his death, but he never expected that the other party only demanded the Soul Pursuit Token. They didn''t even kill anyone.


    After a long while, he muttered to himself, "Who exactly are they?"


    After obtaining the Soul Pursuit Token, Tang Xiu didn''t immediately contact Battlesoul Supreme. He had met this Supreme several times in the past and even fought side by side with him in the endless abyss to kill a lot of extraterrestrial demons in the Outer Territory. But when it came to friendship, they had no deep bonds and could only be said to be ordinary friends at best.


    This Battlesoul Supreme was just a hair inferior to him in his heyday.


    Therefore, Tang Xiu decided not to use this Soul Pursuit Token unless it was absolutely necessary. The best time was to use it to invite Battlesoul Supreme in the final decisive battle.


    "Shall we go back now, Grand Master?"


    Seeing Tang Xiu and the rest return, Tang An quickly asked.


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, "We''ll return directly. There are some things that should be done."


    Tang An had no idea what these issues were about, but she still nodded. Prior to this, she received a message from Tang Xiu to bring Seaway Monarch and Zenith Venerable over, so there were only Apotheon Mu and her Master, Gu Yan''er, at the helm in the Great Tang Empire''s stronghold in the Misty Spring Ocean.


    "I hereby appoint you all as the Protector Elders of the Great Tang Empire!"


    Before returning, Tang Xiu solemnly spoke to the six Perfected Golden Immortals.

 1331 Star Tears’ Suspicion

    After hurrying back to the Misty Spring Ocean, Tang Xiu chose to retreat in seclusion directly. But instead of immersing himself in cultivation, he spent his time refining Five-colored Toadstools into poison pills.


    The work occupied him for an entire month. When Tang Xiu took the 10 Myriad Poison Pills and came out of Repose Cliff, he saw Gu Xiaoxue sitting cross-legged on the edge of the cliff while playing with two Immortal Crystals. Her face, however, looked thin and pale.


    "Xiaoxue!"


    Tang Xiu walked and smilingly asked, "Looks like you have something weighing in your mind, yes?"


    Gu Xiaoxue floated up and intimately grabbed Tang Xiu''s hand and forced a smile. "We''re broke. We have no money left, Grand Master. I think we''ll only be able to support military expenses for two more months at most."


    "Huh?" Tang Xiu froze for a moment and looked bewildered. "Didn''t I leave quite a lot of Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences before? How can all of them be used up this fast?"


    "Well, most of the Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences were used to purchase cultivation resources. The consumption rate of those 400,000 soldiers doesn''t need to be mentioned, while we also must give each Perfected Golden Immortal 1 million Immortal Crystals. We only have 2.6 million Immortal Crystals and a few hundreds of Crystal Essences left as of now."


    Tang Xiu frowned slightly, remembering that before returning from Agaric Castle, he had paid that old man 500,000 Crystal Essences and then sent tens of millions to Agaric Castle to pay the remaining 7 million Crystal Essences he owed and back with some Seven-colored Toadstool.


    It was still the same kind of problem time and again where their spending kept flowing enormously.


    Furthermore, Tang Xiu clearly remembered another thing. When Apotheon Mu returned from Immortal Lyceum, he told him that Apotheosis Bella gave him all the Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences the Immortal Lyceum had, so the Immortal Lyceum''s financial situation was also very tight now.


    Tang Xiu didn''t plan to visit the Convict Arena again. He just recently returned to the Immortal World, yet he visited the Convict Arena many times already, either to buy their deathmatch fighters or to gamble. It was bound to attract the attention of the high-level people there. Back when in the Immortal Domain when he left the Convict Arena, the other party was investigating him, though he did quickly leave the place without a trace.


    And now, if he were to visit the Convict Arena to gamble again, it was very likely that he''d easily be noticed by the other party.


    "Seems like going back to the old business can''t be avoided."


    Tang Xiu''s eyes flickered. After sending a message with the Message Token, Apotheon Mu came shortly after. Without waiting for him to speak, Tang Xiu straightly asked, "Do the star regions near the Misty Spring Ocean have some rich and wicked people?"


    Apotheon Mu thought for a while before replying, "I think there are some. I remember there''s a place about thousands of kilometers away from Misty Spring Ocean called Myriad Demons Grotto. The owner of this Myriad Demons Grotto is called Barefooted Demon, an old lunatic fiend. Ruthless and merciless as he is, he stops at nothing in doing all kinds of evil deeds. More importantly, many indigenous people in that star region are forced to flee because of their helplessness facing the persecution of this group of ruthless experts that plunge the region into chaos. Those that cannot escape can only be enslaved there."


    "And you haven''t dealt with him all this time?" asked Tang Xiu inquisitively.


    "To be honest, I''m not even a match for Barefooted Demon, Master." Apotheon Mu bitterly smiled. "He''s a very powerful Perfected Golden Immortal, and he still also has two other Perfected Golden Immortals and tens of Golden Immortals under him. I''ve been there and attempted to remove him before but returned back wounded."


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and sneered. "Hmph, he''s a devil, alright. Robbing him won''t leave any guilty feelings nor psychological burdens. Notify everyone except for Seaway Monarch and Zenith Venerable. You lead the rest to remove these fiends and bring back their wealth."


    "Do you really want to take our people to slaughter them, Master," Apotheon Mu was surprised.


    "We''re heavily short on money." Tang Xiu nodded. "Since Myriad Demons Grotto is such an evil place, then we might as well massacre these fiends and snatch their wealth. In this way, we still help those weak people so they can go on living indirectly."


    Apotheon Mu smiled at his statement. He had been following Tang Xiu for millenniums and naturally understood his nature well. Whenever they needed massive funds, his Master, Tang Xiu, always used such a slogan of helping the weak by slaughtering some fiends so he could obtain wealth.


    "Well, then I''m going, Master," Apotheon Mu replied and left quickly.


    Several days later, Apotheon Mu and the rest returned and brought back a lot of wealth. Just the number of Crystal Essences alone was around 20 million, and around 400 million Immortal Crystals.


    Tang Xiu gave part of the Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences to Apotheon Mu and the rest as their rewards and gave the remaining half to Gu Xiaoxue.


    The whole boundless sky was clear and speckless.


    Tang Xiu sat cross-legged on the Repose Cliff. His eyes seemed to be able to penetrate the endless void and saw the trembling scenes of countless stars from the distant universe. The planets inside his body simultaneously roared and, while lifeforce energy from the Heavenly Path Universe Tree kept drilling into the planets one after another, causing these celestial bodies to gradually appear alive.


    BOOM¡­


    Finally, the third layer of the Soul Smelting Stage of the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis had been broken through.


    "This feeling of power¡­"


    Tang Xiu floated up, allowing the inexhaustible Immortal spiritual force to be infused into his body from all directions, and then being absorbed and refined continuously before it was integrated into the space in his Dantian.


    Before this breakthrough, it was nearly impossible for Tang Xiu to kill a Golden Immortal Stage powerhouse, though he did have the ability to fight average Golden Immortals. With this breakthrough, however, his power grew tremendously and, even though he had yet to have the capability to kill a Perfected Golden Immortal directly, he could still slay a weak Perfected Golden Immortal by unleashing some divine abilities.


    But as for Golden Immortals, Tang Xiu now had all the confidence to crush any of them to pieces.


    Tang Xiu stood high in the sky. His white attire fluttered by the wind as he sent messages through the Message Token. Two hours later, 12 figures appeared in front of him. 10 of them were Perfected Golden Immortals in the Great Tang Empire, together with Gu Yan''er and Battle Peng, and all stood with respectful faces and waited for Tang Xiu to speak.


    "It''s about time."


    Tang Xiu took the Message Token from the interspatial ring and took a deep breath, stating, "Yan''er and Battle Peng, you both will stay in the Misty Spring Ocean to ensure the safety of the Great Tang Empire. During our leave, if any strong enemies were to appear here, immediately order the Great Tang Empire''s soldiers to evacuate and hold fast to defend the Repose Cliff."


    Gu Yan''er felt a bit unwilling inwardly, but her cultivation had not been fully restored and she was only at the Golden Immortal Stage now. Hence, she could only suppress her unwillingness and nod. "I understand."


    Tang Xiu nodded and continued, "This campaign will take half a year at the fastest, or 10 years at the slowest. But nonetheless, we''ll definitely come back to this place. The Great Tang Empire doesn''t need to continue expanding its territory for the time being and only needs to recruit more troops and train in secret for the war preparation. The army I need must at least consist of hundreds of millions of soldiers, so we still have a long way to go."


    "Please rest assured, Master," replied Gu Yan''er in a deep voice.


    Tang Xiu smiled lightly in response and immediately shifted to the 10 Perfected Golden Immortals and said in a deep voice, "We''ll have a slim chance of survival with this trip to the Heavenly Mountain. That''s why I want to ask you. Who among you dares not to go there? Tell me now and I''ll allow you to stay here to take care of the Great Tang Empire."


    The 10 people looked at each other, but none of them came forward.


    "Very well, then," Tang Xiu said with satisfaction. "You''re all worthy of becoming people this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor has selected. You''re going with me to Heavenly Mountain in order to rescue four disciples of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. If you''re still alive after rescuing them, each of you will be rewarded handsomely with precious treasures."


    Seaway Monarch''s expression shifted and he asked, "May I ask what kind of treasure you''re going to bestow us, Master?"


    A long spear suddenly emerged out of nowhere in Tang Xiu''s hand as he said in a deep voice, "This is a Praecantator artifact. I can bestow you with this artifact comparable to an 8th grade Immortal artifact. You all should be very clear about the divine armament the Diabolos Praecantator Clan once possessed. Their artifacts are definitely a treasure for battles and conquests. Once you obtain it, your combat power will definitely skyrocket."


    Seaway Monarch looked happily surprised and asked aloud, "Since we''re about to fight against strong enemies, why don''t you give us this Praecantator artifact now, Master? Having a weapon comparable to an 8th grade immortal artifact will surely make us more powerful, so we can kill more enemies later."


    "You also know that it will take a long time to fully refine a high-grade Praecantator artifact," said Tang Xiu lightly. "You won''t be able to unleash its full might when we get there if I were to bestow you the artifact now. It''s much better to continue using your current weapons now."


    "Understood!"


    Seaway Monarch and the rest knew that Tang Xiu was telling the truth, so he didn''t say much.


    Tang Xiu shook his right wrist and said lightly, "Star Tears, you are to follow me and everyone else in the Heavenly Abode artifact. This time is of great importance to us. We''re not only going to slay our enemies to rescue some people, but we must also keep our identity confidential. Thus, we need to change our appearance to hide our identity."


    Shortly after, the nine Perfected Golden Immortals entered the Heavenly Abode artifact, and Tang Xiu shifted to Star Tears and lightly said, "I''m sure you have some questions in mind. You can speak it out now."


    "Apotheon Mu is someone from my Vermilion Bird Holy Sect, yet he calls you Master," said Star Tears slowly. "I just really want to know when did you accept him as your disciple since he has been accepted by my nephew? Further, why do you also go so far so as to take huge risks to rescue the juniors of my Vermillion Bird Holy Sect?"


    "Apotheon Mu has become my disciple a long time ago," replied Tang Xiu indifferently. "You should be very clear that there are too many occasions where one can have many Masters at the same in the Immortal World. As for why I decided to save the disciples of your Vermillion Brid Holy Sect, it''s because of the condition of the exchange between me and Apotheon Mu. He gave me the Misty Spring Ocean to be the Great Tang Empire''s stronghold, and I''ll save his martial brothers and sister in return."


    Star Tears shook her head. "No, there''s something amiss. Apotheon Mu''s respect towards you is much like what he gives to someone else."


    "I presume that someone else is Star Cultivation Great Emperor, yes?" asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Star Tears took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Yes. It was Star Cultivation Great Emperor, my nephew."


    Tang Xiu thought for a while and then said, "If anything, if our trip goes well and we can rescue Apotheon Myriad Notes, Soaring Plumb, Nine Immortal Fingers, and Enchantress Yu, and you and I are both still alive, I''ll give you the explanation you want."


    "It''s a deal. I''ll hold you to your words." Star Tears shot a deep look at Tang Xiu and replied in a deep voice.


    "Well, aside from us, I''ve also invited some foreign aids to save the people in the Heavenly Mountains, though. By then, Apotheosis Bella Fern Regalia, who is now a Supreme, will also take her people to join forces with us," said Tang Xiu with a smile.

 1332 Trap

    13 Immortal Domains separated the Misty Spring Ocean and the Heavenly Mountain Immortal Domain, and Star Tears brought Tang Xiu all the way. It took them nearly 3 months to finally reach the Heavenly Mountain region.


    The Heavenly Mountain region itself was a desolate region in the Immortal World. Aside from Sunset City and Starmoon City, there was no other concentration of living beings in the region, and the vast Star River was filled by countless floating meteorites. Oftentimes explosions happened as meteorites crashed into the planet.


    The Heavenly Mountain Immortal Domain itself was shrouded by mysterious world law, thus the reason why it could survive in this desolate and dangerous place where the two landmasses connected to each other¡ªthe two lands where Sunset City and Starmoon City were located.


    This region had no Domain Master and was a chaotic zone. In order to be able to collect resources from the Heavenly Mountain region, the forces from other Immortal Domains had secretly established their foothold here, and the very reason for the intertwined connections and chaotic situation.


    Sunset City was located atop a towering precipitous and majestic mountain in the western side, surrounded by a ring of glowing clouds that then enveloped the entire mountain and formed a special gravity space. In this place, even Perfected Golden Immortals could only unleash their strength to a limited extent, at most to the Immortal Stage level. It was this powerful suppression that made countless Immortals unwilling to visit this place easily.


    At the moment, 16 thick chains made of thousands of years black, with four of them used to chain a person, consisting of 3 men and a female, on a cliff on the mountainside. There was also a Nine Thunder Array surrounding the four people, and nine lightning bolts bolted down every day and struck the four chained people.


    Dao Lord Green Firmament sat cross-legged on a floating futon, sipping the immortal wine in the purple gold gourd in his hand while smilingly watching the chained four people. Several thousands of kilometers away from him, three long-haired twin brothers were being besieged and beaten up by tens of his Golden Immortal subordinates.


    "Stop fooling around and just slay them directly!"


    Dao Lord Green Firmament comfortably hiccupped, expelling alcohol stench from his nostrils as he hummed with a lack of interest.


    Immediately after, the tens of Golden Immortals a few thousand kilometers away unleashed their respective immortal weapons and struck the three twin brothers at the same time. The twin Golden Immortal brothers had to face the fierce bombardment of tens of powerful enemies, and one of them looked desperate and shouted unwillingly, "Master, your disciple is incompetent! We can''t save you and Martial Uncles. If there''s an afterlife, the three of us will be your disciples again."


    In the next moment, the three of them wore a decisive expression and exploded themselves at the same time. The powerful explosion blasted in the middle of the tens of Golden Immortals, sending them flying upside down and coughing a mouthful of blood at the same time. Four of them who were the closest to the triplets were directly killed by the explosion.


    "Teng Yun, Teng Xiang, Teng Le¡­"


    A pained expression painted Enchantress Yu''s beautiful face and two lines of tears slipped down her fair cheek. No matter how hard she struggled, however, she still couldn''t break free from the shackles of the four chains.


    Dao Lord Green Firmament cursed angrily. "Hmph, a bunch of fools who have no long memory even after going through so many battles. All of you can''t even avoid something like those self-exploding bastards?"


    Having cursed at his goons, he shifted to look at Enchantress Yu, whose face now became twisted. A faint smile painted his handsome face as he said, "They die and that''s it. If anything, we captured those ants hundreds of years ago, to begin with. I don''t give a damn even if they died. But Apotheon Enchantress Yu, you raised those three disciples of yours, right? You surely have tried your best to teach them so that they became more and more powerful. Too bad that they are dead now¡­ you must really feel sorry now, yes? Hahaha¡­"


    Enchantress Yu glared at Dao Lord Green Firmament and roared furiously, "Green Firmament, I beat you and made you a cripple then. If it wasn''t for your damned Master who used many treasures to save you, your shitty corpse would have been fed to the Immortal Beasts already!"


    Dao Lord Green Firmament''s expression hardened and he immediately let out some killing intent, retorting fiercely, "B*tch, if it wasn''t for Master, who forbade me to kill you, I''d have already severed your muscles, skinned you alive and refined you into a puppet slave girl. Just you wait! Wait until you''ve been fully used up here and those who want to rescue you have been slaughtered. I''ll personally refine you into a puppet slave girl, so you''ll face the most brutal torment for endless years."


    Apotheon Enchantress Yu clenched her first. If stares could kill, she would have killed Dao Lord Green Firmament countless times already.


    Dao Lord Green Firmament happily hummed twice and then threw the purple gold gourd in his interspatial ring. He clapped his hands and, as two Golden Immortals came, he ordered with a smile, "Notify the rest that I''m going to Sunset City to rest. Tell them to take care of this place and don''t easily notify me unless there are some strong enemies."


    "By your command, Sir," said the two Golden Immortals respectfully.


    Dao Lord Green Firmament glanced at Enchantress Yu once again and grinned. "Well, I''m going to Sunset City first to gather enough auxiliary materials to make you my puppet slave."


    Having said that, he laughed uproariously and flew towards Sunset City.


    The calm, serene-looking Apotheon Myriad Notes shot a deep and calm look at Apotheon Enchantress Yu, who was thousands of meters from him, and lightly said, "Junior Sister Yu, evil has never vanquished good since ancient times. The Vermillion Bird Holy Sect has been in existence for hundreds of thousands of years in the Immortal World and our sect''s foundation is very deep and something we cannot imagine. I believe some experts in our sect are going to save us. Wait until the day we are freed from this trouble and that will be the day when we massacre these enemies."


    Apotheon Enchantress Yu shook her head with a pained expression and no longer spoke.


    Despair had almost overwhelmed her. During this short period of time, at least 1,000 people had died here because the four of them were used as bait. More than half of those 1,000 people were people they cared about. If they continued to be in such a predicament, in less than a century all their loved ones would be completely gone.


    ****


    Sunset City.


    Tang Xiu quietly sat in a teahouse while watching the endless stream of people on the street outside the window. He completely restrained his aura and looked like an ordinary mortal who enjoyed savoring the scented tea. Star Tears, who sat in front of him, stared blankly at the tea in her cup and didn''t even move in the slightest for a long while.


    Whoosh¡­.


    A figure suddenly emerged next to Tang Xiu out of the blue¡ªSeaway Monarch. He reported by transmitting his voice, "Master, we''ve investigated around and Myriad Thunder Supreme, Zither Demon Jiuyao''s Martial Uncle, is holding the fort at the Heavenly Mountain. Further, hearsay outside has it that of the 12 Perfected Golden Immortals here, 6 of them are at the helm, whereas there should be a group of 30-plus Golden Immortals. Other than that, I also picked up some good news."


    Tang Xiu''s expression shifted and he asked, "What good news?"


    "Myriad Thunder Supreme''s disciple Dao Lord Green Firmament came to the Sunset City two days ago and has been staying in the Golden Scent Tower for two days, fooling around with some Immortal prostitutes," answered Seaway Monarch with a voice transmission.


    Coldness gleamed in Tang Xiu''s eyes. He had met this Dao Lord Green Firmament in the past. However, this guy was just a nobody back then and followed his Master Myriad Thunder Supreme to visit his mansion as a guest. But the vermin from the past had now turned into an abominable bastard who persecuted his disciples.


    "Get rid of him!" Tang Xiu clenched his fists and transmitted his order while reminiscing for a long while.


    Seaway Monarch, who wore a quirky expression, smiled when he heard the order and nodded. "I''ll need Zenith Venerable to assist me on this one."


    Tang Xiu nodded and summoned Zenith Immortal and Sablefiend Scorpio from the Heavenly Abode artifact, saying, "The two of you will temporarily follow Seaway Monarch''s orders and help me get rid of Dao Lord Green Firmament. Our time is tight, so how about half a month?"


    "That won''t be a problem," said Seaway Monarch lightly.


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, "Then go! I''ll be waiting for you in the Fullmoon Star River."


    Afterward, Tang Xiu left with Star Tears and headed straight to the Eastern suburbs of Sunset City that led to the Fullmoon Star River. As they arrived in the region, Tang Xiu observed the surrounding environment and began to draw array patterns and buried some Immortal Crystals to arrange the Nine Chains Curve Array.


    After finishing, he sat cross-legged with Star Tears and waited in silence.


    ****


    At the Golden Scent Tower.


    Two belles occupied the left and right side of Dao Lord Green Firmament as he was surrounded by a group of alluring females, enjoying the services of the group of Immortal prostitutes. No one noticed that streams of Yin energy were continuously being extracted from the group of Immortal prostitutes and were silently absorbed by Dao Lord Green Firmament.


    It was the Vast Yin Demonic Art, a wicked and fearsome evil technique created by a certain fiend in the Immortal World that allowed those who practiced it to steal the Yin Essence of women around him secretly, to be refined and then absorbed to increase his own cultivation.


    Dao Lord Green Firmament looked like he was a righteous Immortal on the surface, yet he had been secretly cultivating the evil art of Vast Yin Demonic Art that harmed others to benefit himself. Countless women had fallen victim to him.


    BAM¡­


    A loud bang passed to Dao Lord Green Firmament''s ears.


    His grim and cold eyes instantly shifted to the source of the sound and he suddenly saw a burly man fly in and pulled in the female brothel keeper in the pavilion hall full of women. The belle looked like a docile little bird next to the burly man, who now kicked the chest of the old brothel keeper and nearly killed her.


    "What vulgar b*tches!"


    "Everyone of you here is nothing but cheat sl*ts. All the men who take a liking to b*tches like you here are nothing but blind idiots!"


    The woman¡ªSablefiend Scorpio in disguise after shapeshifting¡ªcontemptuously glanced at everyone around. Looking at the angry eyes aiming at her, she contemptuously said, "My man is a super expert, an invincible Perfected Golden Immortal in the Immortal World. If you have no more beautiful Immortal prostitutes here, you can see how I burn you all along with this place!"


    "What a crazy b*tch!"


    A grim voice was heard from one of the private rooms. A lean man then emerged and his eyes greedily swept across the sensitive areas of Sablefiend Scorpio as he said with a bizarre smile.


    Seaway Monarch raised his brows and indifferently glanced at the guy and slapped that Golden Immortal and sent him flying. Afterward, he looked disappointed and shook his head. "Heh, what a disappointment! The women here are so bad and disappointing. Might as well go to the casino to gamble."


    Sablefiend Scorpio smilingly said, "Do you still need to gamble after getting so many treasures and tons of Crystal Essences from Demon Dragon Grotto a while ago, Master? Besides, winning money from this dirt-poor bunch is really boring!"

 1333 Each with a Sinister Plo

    In the Immortal World, the Demon Dragon Grotto was famous as a treasure trove. It was well-known as a place ridden with grave dangers. Yet there were still countless powerhouses who went there and attempted their luck to take risks and braved deaths for treasure hunting. According to statistics, there were a total of 72 Demon Dragon Grottos in the entire Immortal World, and one of them had even rewarded some lucky people with Primordial Chaos treasures that were a level higher than a 9th grade Immortal artifact.


    In a flash, all the guests in the entire Golden Scent Tower shot hot-burning stares at Seaway Monarch. Among them were immortal prostitutes whose burning eyes were as though able to melt him.


    Dao Lord Green Firmament pushed the prostitute in his embrace away. His eyes gleamed and different thoughts kept churning in his mind. He looked at the back of Seaway Monarch and Sablefiend Scorpio leaving. After taking out 100 Immortal Crystals from his interspatial ring and throwing them to the surroundings like throwing garbage, he ignored the prostitutes around who were fighting to get the Immortal Crystals and flew away.


    The moment he appeared out of Golden Scent Tower, he quickly pinched a Message Token.


    Thousands of meters away from him, however, Zenith Venerable was leaning on a shop''s wall, watching Seaway Monarch and Sablefiend Scorpio leave. He also saw Dao Lord Green Firmament come out of the interior to trail them and sent a message. A sneer suddenly appeared in the corner of his mouth.


    At the Fullmoon Star River, eastern suburbs of Sunset City.


    Tang Xiu sat cross-legged on the riverbank and received a message from Zenith Venerable. Then, he sneered. "Hmph, I originally planned to kill this Dao Lord Green Firmament. But I didn''t expect him to summon his companions. I hope he''ll call some more people, else it will take us more effort when we go rescue those guys."


    "Dao Lord Green Firmament is very weak. He''s much weaker than me," said Star Tears. "Getting rid of him is very easy, and I expect that more enemies appearing will be much better."


    Tang Xiu pointed to the Fullmoon Star River in front and smilingly said, "Well, if the number of Perfected Golden Immortals who come with him is more than 3, then the Nine Chains Curve Array I''ve arranged will only be able to give them some troubles at most but won''t be able to trap them inside. But if their number is only 2 or 3 people, they can only enter and stay there for good."


    "The Nine Chains Curve Array is an offensive array as I reckon," said Star Tears. "But you sound like you have altered it into some entrapment array, is that true?"


    "Well, if anything, all the arrays in the world are subjects for changes. I once heard a line that the best defense in the world is taking the offensive initiative. Although the Nine Chains Curve Array itself was an offensive one, a slight alteration and improvement are enough to make the stacking layers of this array to ultimately form an entrapment feature. When attacking, it will also create that trap effect. Such a feature can give some headaches to Perfected Golden Immortals, am I right?"


    Star Tears'' eyes lit up. She didn''t expect that Great Tang Heavenly Emperor''s attainment in arrays was much better than her.


    Speaking about it, she felt that the young man in front of her was really too mysterious. Through the few contacts she had with him, she found that the more she knew him, the more she couldn''t see through this person at all. Back in the past, she had also met countless outstanding peerless geniuses, even meeting the best one among them, her own nephew, Star Cultivation Great Emperor. But compared to them all, the young man in front still seemed to be much more outstanding.


    Where did this guy come from?


    The thought flashed in Star Tears'' mind, though she no longer spoke again.


    Time fleeted by, and finally, when the figures of Seaway Monarch and Sablefiend Scorpio appeared in sight, Tang Xiu and Star Tears directly bolted away into a concealment array that had been arranged in advance.


    "Lead him into the Fullmoon Star River." Tang Xiu sent a message to Seaway Monarch.


    Seaway Monarch didn''t reply but flew directly to the surface of the 10,000 meters wide Fullmoon Star River with Sablefiend Scorpio in tow. After their feet stepped on the sparkling wave of the river surface, only then did they slowly halt their pace.


    "Some brigands and the like are stalking, huh? From which stone did you come under? Only daring to hide your head and tail and stalking us all the ways?" Seaway Monarch intentionally looked angry and glanced around as he shouted aloud.


    I was discovered?


    Dao Lord Green Firmament was surprised. But after ruminating for a moment, he sent a message again and then waited a few minutes. His figure then appeared in the line of sight of Seaway Monarch and Sablefiend Scorpio. Dao Lord Green Firmament then looked at the vigilant look on their faces and laughed aloud. "Hahaha, I just happened to pass by, but I didn''t expect to run into two Immortal Friends here. It was fate that brought us, predestined friends, to meet here!"


    Seaway Monarch frowned and indifferently said, "I don''t think our meeting is coincidental since you''ve been stalking all the way here, yes? I''ve been vaguely sensing that someone was following us since we left Sunset City. That someone must be you. Am I right?"


    Dao Lord Green Firmament wanted to stall him and immediately wore a smile and waved. "Well, you misunderstood, Fellow Immortal. I haven''t been to Sunset City before and just passed by here. However, seeing how vigilant you both are as though you''re facing an enemy kind of amazed me! Could it be that you''ve done something wrong and got a lot of enemies pursuing you?"


    "Mind your own business. You got nothing to do with whatever we''ve done," said Seaway Monarch indifferently. "But since you just passed by, then scram fast! Else, don''t blame me for being hostile and killing you here now."


    The smile on Dao Lord Green Firmament gradually disappeared. He shot a deep look at Seaway Monarch and shook his head. "It seems being polite has never been in your dictionary, doesn''t it, Sir? I greeted you with a smiling face, yet you threatened me directly. That makes me unhappy. I demand an apology from you!"


    "Heh, I''ve never and will never apologize to anyone." Seaway Monarch sneered. "Be wise and know your place and get the fuck away. Else, today will be the time of your death!"


    Dao Lord Green Firmament took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "I''ve seen countless arrogant people like you, but none is more rampant than you. You refuse to apologize, so don''t blame me for being ruthless. However, you''re a stranger and I''m giving you a chance to introduce yourself. Tell me, where do you come from? You even dare to act so arrogantly in front of Dao Lord Green Firmament?"


    With that said, he unleashed an immortal sword stored in his body and was ready to strike at any time.


    Seaway Monarch''s expression slightly shifted. He then recalled the message Tang Xiu sent him that told him to delay him, so he said in a deep voice, "Shouldn''t you be the first to introduce yourself before asking others'' details?"


    Dao Lord Green Firmament relaxed. He was also afraid that Seaway Monarch would attack him straight away. After all, he could sense that this guy was not weak. It was even likely that he was much more powerful than him. Therefore, he needed to wait for his companions to arrive. After thinking for a while, he said, "I''ve already told you my name previously, yet your shallow knowledge just made you ignorant. But I have no problem telling you again. I''m Dao Lord Green Firmament and my Master is Myriad Thunder Supreme. Don''t tell me you have never heard of the name of my Master!"


    Seaway Monarch intentionally looked shocked and quickly cupped his fists. "Well, well, I didn''t expect you to be a disciple of Myriad Thunder Supreme. Who in the Heavenly Mountain Immortal Domain doesn''t know Myriad Thunder Supreme? I admit that I''ve been offensive a bit and for that, I hope you can forgive me. I''m Skyhole Immortal Monarch. I just recently arrived in the Heavenly Mountain Immortal Domain after adventuring the Demon Dragon Grotto."


    Dao Lord Green Firmament loosened up and a smile climbed up his face again. "You''re not to blame since you didn''t know. But daring to venture deep into the Dragon Demon Grotto shows that you''re very capable, Skyhole Immortal Monarch. I presume that you gained quite a lot from there, yes?"


    "The gains are just so-so, not worth mentioning," replied Seaway Monarch with a smile.


    Suddenly, Dao Lord Green Firmament flew towards Seaway Monarch and Sablefiend Scorpio. As he descended tens of meters away from them, he smilingly said, "Well, I''m sure Skyhole Immortal Monarch doesn''t know the custom of this place. Those who harvest or gain benefits here mush share it with the others who know."


    "You¡­" Seaway Monarch''s expression changed and he immediately looked vigilant again.


    Whoosh¡­


    A hazy figure bolted from the distance and appeared beside Dao Lord Green Firmament in just a few breaths. Wearing greaves and a lance in his hand and donning a scarlet robe, majestic aura exuded from the person.


    "Styx River Venerable?" Seaway Monarch''s expression changed and he blurted out in a deep voice.


    "Styx River Venerable raised his brows and looked a bit surprised, saying, "I never thought to run into you here, Seaway Monarch. It''s been thousands of years. I didn''t expect to run into you here in the Heavenly Mountain Immortal Domain. This is truly the work of fate!"


    Dao Lord Green Firmament stared blankly for a moment and was confused. "Senior Brother Styx River, what did you just call him? Seaway Monarch? He just claimed to be Skyhole Immortal Monarch!"


    "Skyhole Immortal Monarch, huh?" Styx River Venerable wore a strange expression and immediately laughed aloud. "Junior Brother Green Firmament, he got you played! The dignified Seaway Monarch is a Perfected Golden Immortal, how could he become that Skyhole Immortal Monarch?"


    Seaway Monarch squinted and his eyes lingered on Dao Lord Green Firmament and Styx River Venerable before smilingly said, "Well, well. You followed me to this place after I left the Golden Scent Tower. You also intentionally hit a conversation with me surely because you were waiting for Styx River to arrive here to join forces with you to rob me of my treasures?"


    Dao Lord Green Firmament grinned and said, "Knowing it now is still too late for you. Senior Brother Styx River, this guy has some treasures from Demon Dragon Grotto. Since we Martial Brothers ran into him, we mustn''t miss this God-given opportunity!"


    "This is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." Styx River Venerable nodded with a grin. "The treasures in the Demon Dragon Grotto that can make Seaway Monarch happy must be of great value."


    With an eager attitude and itching to strike, Dao Lord Green Firmament grinned. "Then let''s slay him and rob him."


    "Hahaha¡­" Seaway Monarch burst into laughter. "Dao Lord Green Firmament, did you forget the name I just told you? I''m Skyhole Immortal Monarch, the hole in the sky that will become a grave for idiots like you.


    Buzz¡­


    In the dark, invisible energy surged.


    In the next moment, Tang Xiu and Star Tears appeared out of the blue. After coming to the side of Seaway Monarch and Sablefiend Scorpio, Tang Xiu grinned and said, "Well, I''m kinda disappointed here. I thought I could lure a few more Perfected Golden Immortals, but I didn''t expect to only have a stinking Styx River coming here."


    Dao Lord Green Firmament''s expression changed. He never thought that someone else had been hiding in a concealment array. That young man looked like he had a low cultivation level, but the woman beside him exuded a formidable aura and should be at least a Perfected Golden Immortal.


    Is this¡­ actually a trap?


    Dao Lord Green Firmament and Styx River Venerable exchanged glances and the former immediately said in a deep voice, "Just two Perfected Golden Immortals. Do you think you can trap us with this line-up?"

 1334 Going with the Flow

    "Setting up traps for your prey means you naturally have an absolute advantage." Tang Xiu slightly smiled and said, "Hey, what are you waiting for, Zenith Venerable?"


    A figure bolted fast from the distance and quickly appeared with his enormous aura. With a smile on his face, Zenith Venerable spoke aloud, "I''ve long known this Green Firmament bastard, Master. But this is my first time seeing him with this kind of big face, to think that he deserves so many people to smack him together."


    "Ah, so you know this Dao Lord Green Firmament?" Tang Xiu smiled.


    "Yeah, I not only know him, but I also have a feud with this guy." Zenith Venerable grinned. "A just and righteous guy on the surface, but an absolute hypocrite on the inside. Thousands of years ago, we were both Golden Immortals. At that time, his Junior Brother found a Floodlight shuttle artifact and was killed by him. But he gave a few million Crystal Essences to help him get rid of him."


    Dao Lord Green Firmament''s expression turned pale with incredulity on his face, shouting fiercely, "Zenith Venerable, you''re a Perfected Golden Immortal, yet you unexpectedly lowered yourself to serve others? You, you¡­ do you not have face anymore?"


    "Heh? What face? Is that a very important thing to have?" Zenith Venerable sneered. "What''s more important, preserving your face or your life?"


    Gasp¡­


    Dao Lord Green Firmament suddenly couldn''t help but gasp after hearing it. He did hear that Zenith Venerable had his life under the control of some people, so he could only take orders and serve that person as his Master. However, this guy was a Perfected Golden Immortal, so who could make him submit?


    Tang Xiu shot a look at Dao Lord Green Firmament and Styx River Venerable and smilingly said, "Well, what do you guys think now? Do you think all of us can slay you?"


    Dao Lord Green Firmament scoffed. "Hmph, 3 Perfected Golden Immortals may sound a lot, but you''re dreaming if you want to kill us two Martial Brothers with such a lineup."


    "So you say that we''re not enough, huh? But how about adding more people?" Tang Xiu responded with a smile.


    With that said he directly summoned the other 6 Perfected Golden Immortals from the Heavenly Abode artifact and smilingly said, "10 Perfected Golden Immortals ganging up to kill the two of you inside the Nine Chains Curve Array. I think it should be enough now, yes?"


    Only now was Dao Lord Green Firmament scared stiff and dumbstruck. His whole being was as though falling into an ice hole, overwhelmed with fear. He wouldn''t be this scared if they were just besieged by 10 Perfected Golden Immortals. But they were now trapped inside the Nine Chains Curve Array. What shocked him the most was that his Messenger Token couldn''t be used and no messages could be transmitted from the inside, neither could he use his life-saving treasure, the Floodlight Shuttle.


    Beside him, Styx River Venerable also looked panicked. Especially after he heard Tang Xiu say "10 Perfected Golden Immortals", he felt a chill down his spine. He could sense the auras the 9 Perfected Golden Immortals exuded. Though his vision lingered on Tang Xiu, it then finally focused on another particular person, Sablefiend Scorpio.


    "How about giving that Styx River guy to me, Master?" Sablefiend Scorpio came to Tang Xiu and respectfully asked.


    Tang Xiu raised his brows and asked, "Do you think you can kill him quickly with your current strength?"


    "Well, I can kill him in half an incense time, Master," said Sablefiend Scorpio confidently. "Also, this retainer of yours dares not to hide it from you, Lord. Styx River has a deep feud with me. Although I made him pay a terrible price in the past, this hatred has never dissipated. If it wasn''t for his Master, Myriad Thunder Supreme, sheltering him, I''d have already scattered his soul into oblivion never to be reincarnated again."


    "You got a feud with this guy? What happened between you two?" asked Tang Xiu in surprise.


    "He killed my four children and massacred my Scorpion Village," replied Sablefiend Scorpio.


    Styx River Venerable''s eyes shrunk after hearing Sablefiend Scorpio''s words. Panic overflowed in his eyes and he roared fiercely, "You''re Sablefiend Scorpion? Damn! Even a poisonous scorpion like you has become this guy''s slave?"


    Sablefiend Scorpio revealed her real face and grimly said, "Yell and roar as much as you want, Styx River. I''ll definitely beat you up and make your soul disappear as long as Master orders me."


    Styx River Venerable clenched his fists. Right as he was about to speak, his expression drastically changed all of a sudden because he saw his Junior Brother, Dao Lord Green Firmament, actually kneel in the void.


    "Green Firmament! You coward!"


    Dao Lord Green Firmament ignored him and fearfully looked at the 10 Perfected Golden Immortals around before his eyes finally landed on Tang Xiu. He then desperately begged for mercy. "This¡­ Lord¡­ I, Dao Lord Green Firmament, was confused and even thought of plotting against your people. Please spare me and I''ll definitely serve you as my Master in the future. As for my Senior Brother¡­ uh, I spoke wrongly. As for Styx River Venerable, this damn asshole has a blood feud with your retainer. I''ll help you kill him if you spare my life."


    "Green Firmament! You shameless bastard!"


    Styx River''s eyes turned bloodshot. He was invited by Dao Lord Green Firmament this time. But now that he saw the formidable line up of the enemy, this guy just begged for mercy from the enemy like a dog and even vowed to kill him. This abominable bastard was simply a fiend.


    Dao Lord Green Firmament turned to Styx River Venerable and grinned hideously as he sharply said, "I don''t wanna die, Senior Brother Styx River. That''s why you can only die in my stead. Who made you and his retainer to have such a deep blood feud? But rest assured, though. As long as this Lord is willing to spare me, I''ll definitely make your soul disappear."


    Wearing a bizarre expression, Tang Xiu looked at Green Firmament and suddenly recalled Zither Demon Jiuyao.


    Trash is trash, nothing good comes out of them!


    Tang Xiu grimly sighed inwardly and said, "How wise you are, Dao Lord Green Firmament. One who understands the situation is wise, and to live is indeed much more important than anything else. You chose to submit, so send a wisp of your Immortal Soul into this Soul Plate. I''ll spare your life as long as I can control your life. It''s not easy to get a Perfected Golden Immortal as a subordinate, after all."


    Dao Lord Green Firmament hesitated for a while before finally gritting his teeth and releasing a wisp of his Immortal Soul. After integrating the soul into the Soul Plate, he watched as Tang Xiu received the plate and refined it. He could only feel bitter inwardly as his life was now under the control of others. He would be dead as long as the holder willed it.


    However, that predicament was much better compared to getting beaten and have his soul disappear by 10 Perfected Golden Immortals!


    "Sablefiend Scorpio, we''re pressed for time and can''t waste much time here, so you strike with the rest to kill him as quickly as possible. However, the rest of you listen to my order! Reserve the final blow to Sablefiend Scorpio and let her scatter that guy''s soul to pay back the karma."


    "Understood!"


    The 11 Perfected Golden Immortals, including Dao Lord Green Firmament, launched a fierce onslaught on Styx River Venerable at the same. It took only a few breaths for the latter to be gravely injured. Although his whole body was not dismembered, the ghastly shocking wounds he received were very grave.


    Slash¡­


    An immortal sword suddenly slashed down on the head of Styx River Venerable the moment the latter resisted the others'' attack. The slash directly split him in half, and the moment his Immortal Soul rushed out to flee, Sablefiend Scorpio quickly cast a seal and a thunderbolt instantly blitzed down and struck Styx River Venerable''s Immortal Soul.


    "Extinguish!"


    Sablefiend Scorpio manipulated her immortal sword powerfully. Right as the thunderbolt struck Styx River''s Immortal Soul, her immortal sword slashed the devastated soul and directly wiped it out.


    This killing mission had been accomplished so easily¡ªsomething that Tang Xiu didn''t expect. He then looked at the fearful Dao Lord Green Firmament after receiving the interspatial ring Star Tears threw to him. Without checking the contents inside the ring, he calmly said, "I''m now giving you a chance to live. Immediately send messages to the Perfected Golden Immortals in the Heavenly Mountain region to come here and you''ll be eligible to follow me in the future."


    Dao Lord Green Firmament froze for a moment and then bewilderingly asked, "Who exactly are you, Master? Why¡­"


    Tang Xiu''s complexion turned cold and he replied with a chilling tone, "I won''t hide anything you should naturally know. But you are not to ask anything you shouldn''t know. I can tell you that I''m the Sovereign of the Great Tang Empire, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, the one who you will pledge your allegiance to in the future."


    Dao Lord Green Firmament''s complexion slightly changed before he nodded silently. Then, he said, "But I need to leave the Nine Chains Curve Array before I can send the messages, Master."


    Tang Xiu finally decided to open the Nine Chains Curve Array and said, "You should know what to say and what not to say."


    "This subordinate understands," said Deep Lord Green Firmament hurriedly.


    Quickly after, he sent messages through his Message Token.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Be prepared and wait for the prey to arrive. I hope we can harvest more from this."


    Prey and harvest?


    Dao Lord Green Firmament faintly realized that this Master didn''t seem to have any feud or hatred against himself and the rest of his acquaintances but rather to kill and rob them of their possessions. Yet, it couldn''t be denied that the resources and strength poured into this endeavor were really enormous¡ªsomething that only a handful of people in the Immortal World could pull off!


    Time fleeted by and two days passed by in a flash. However, the message sent by Dao Lord Green Firmament was like a rock sinking into the ocean. There was no response from anyone whatsoever.


    While sitting cross-legged in the concealment array, Tang Xiu''s eyes gleamed and he occasionally glanced at Dao Lord Green Firmament nearby. He found that the guy was looking uneasy and kept glancing at the direction of Heavenly Mountain.


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu''s expression shifted. His expression turned complicated when he saw a beautiful woman in full red battle armor and combat boots, leading four Perfected Golden Immortals to appear in his field of vision.


    He had not seen this woman for so many years, yet time didn''t leave any trace on her appearance. Apotheosis Bella Fern Regalia was as beautiful as ever with her stunning grace and gorgeous face and bearings.


    He was not a man with a heart of stone, nor was he a man who regarded reputation and fame as important. No matter the situation and place, he could brave himself to show his love, especially towards the women who show their care for him. It was something that his heart couldn''t help but grow some tender feelings towards them.


    It was just that tenderness was not exactly the love between men and women.

 1335 A Plan to Subdue and Kill a Supreme

    Apotheosis Bella approached fast as she stepped on the void and saw Tang Xiu emerge from the concealment array with a group of powerhouses behind him. Her eyes glanced at Tang Xiu''s handsome face first but didn''t stay long as she shifted to the other Perfected Golden Immortals around him.


    All of them are unfamiliar faces?


    Apotheosis Bella slightly pursed her brows and led the four Perfected Golden Immortals a kilometer away from Tang Xiu''s group before her pace immediately came to a halt.


    Tang Xiu sighed inwardly and said in a deep voice, "The rest of you except Dao Lord Green Firmament enter the Heavenly Abode!"


    "At your words, Lord!"


    The crowd cupped their fists and entered the Heavenly Abode artifact one after another. Star Tears, however, glanced at Apotheosis Bella with a strange expression before she left, her heart was filled with unclear feelings.


    Tang Xiu looked at Apotheosis Bella and motioned her. Right as her expression drastically changed, he sighed. "It''s been hard on you all these years."


    Apotheosis Bella''s eyes fixedly stared at Tang Xiu''s facial features. She could see the familiarity in his eyes very easily¡ªthe eyes she used to look at and long for countless times either in days and nights.


    "You guys stay here and wait for me."


    Apotheosis Bella looked to the side and issued an order before she flew towards Tang Xiu. When she came in front of him, she cast a concealment array and pulled Tang Xiu''s wrist as they entered it.


    "Are you really¡­ you?"


    Lips squirming, crystal tears emerged in Apotheosis Bella''s eyes.


    Tang Xiu nodded without a word. He could feel the turbulent emotions flooded inside her. He sighed again inwardly and said bitterly, "Everything happened and changed so fast in the past, whoever thought that we could meet again in such a situation in this place? Thank you, Bella. But still, I need to say that I''m really sorry to you again."


    The teardrops in Apotheosis Bella''s eyes flowed even though she tried her best to suppress her emotions. She rushed into Tang Xiu''s embrace and hugged him tightly. She had pangs of doubts before, but now she was 100% sure that the man in front of her was Tang Xiu¡ªthe man she had fallen in love with for thousands of years.


    His smell was still so familiar to her.


    "I missed you."


    Her Immortal body shivered ever so violently and her tears quickly wet Tang Xiu''s shoulders. Endless thoughts and lovesickness turned into tears as though venting all the grievances she had been enduring all these years.


    Tang Xiu''s body went stiff before he finally raised his hand gently and softly patted her back, giving her comfort through his action.


    After a long while, Apotheosis Bella stopped crying and looked at Tang Xiu''s face with teary eyes. Carefully holding this strange yet familiar face, she muttered, "Back in the past, I''ve been dreaming of this scene so many times that I even woke up crying countless times. Xiu, I really miss you so much."


    "¡­"


    Tang Xiu couldn''t utter any words. He didn''t know what kind of response he should give her. Despite some things he had learned about Apotheosis Bella, she had really paid too much for him.


    She had gone through fire and wither, risking her life to protect the people he once cared about. Her family and friends died in the battles one after another, just because of her true feelings for him. Yet, she still insisted and persevered even though she faced death countless times.


    Tang Xiu was now perfectly aware that since then, there was still one more person he cared about in this world¡ªa woman he would never want to see wronged.


    After a long while, tears still trailed down Apotheosis Bella''s cheek, but a smile now painted her face as she said softly, "I''ve not touched your cheek ever since you met her. I also never hugged you ever since you got together with her. You know what? Those days when we entered the Dao and got along together were the happiest of my life."


    "I''m really sorry." Tang Xiu was filled with guilt.


    Apotheosis Bella gently raised her hand to shut Tang Xiu''s lips and shook her head and continued with a gentle voice, "Please don''t apologize to me. That''s a word I never want to hear. Xiu, I''m now very happy because I already know that you''ve repented and straightened yourself out."


    I''ve repented and straightened out myself? Tang Xiu was puzzled and asked, "What do you mean?"


    Apotheosis Bella smiled. "Mu told me before that you have more than one woman now."


    Tang Xiu froze for a moment as a touch of awkwardness and embarrassment appeared on his face. He forced a smile and said, "I was not a native of the Immortal World, originally. I returned to the place I belong to after Great Emperor Danqing, Zither Demon Jiuyao, and she ambushed me. I have parents, relatives, and friends in that place. But then again, I really have to thank them since I wouldn''t have been able to eliminate my mental demon without them."


    "So¡­ it turns out that you¡­" Apotheosis Bella was surprised.


    "A wisp of my soul flew away and went to the Immortal World back then and I eventually became the young Lord of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. Those people there are also my parents and relatives, but I still also have my blood parents and family members in another world."


    Apotheosis Bella understood in a flash and she said, "I don''t care who you are. I just need to know that I, Bella Fern Regalia, am your woman from now on. Back in the past, I had some scruples since you were with her¡ªthe reason why I tried everything to make you accept me. My obsession still exists even though she''s gone now."


    "You¡­"


    Tang Xiu''s lips wriggled, but Apotheosis Bella raised her hand to stop him from speaking.


    Deeply staring at Tang Xiu, Apotheosis Bella continued and emphasized every word she said. "There has been only one man that Bella has ever recognized in life. I don''t care how many women you have. As long as you have me in your heart, your affection and love, that''s enough for me. Unless you want me to grow old in loneliness until my last breath and my soul is gone¡ªa woman who couldn''t love anyone and has no one to love her back."


    Tang Xiu gently grasped her wrist and said, "Why do you still choose to be like this, Bella?"


    "I love you, so I choose and am willing to do so. That''s what my heart wants me to do," replied Bella Fern Regalia with all seriousness.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and said, "I have wronged you and troubled you too much. I''m the one who''s at fault here. But if you don''t shut me out, then I want to take you with me."


    "I accept!"


    Apotheosis Bella burst into tears and hugged Tang Xiu again.


    Suddenly, her expression slightly changed and quickly stopped her tears and converged her aura. She then lowered her voice and said, "I sense a powerhouse''s aura. That person should be a Supreme!"


    A glimmer of light flashed in Tang Xiu''s eyes and he said in a deep voice, "If my guess is right, that person should be Myriad Thunder Supreme. Before you came here, my retainer killed Styx River Venerable, his disciple. And I made another disciple of his, Dao Lord Green Firmament, as my slave. Myriad Thunder Supreme must be here due to the death of his disciple."


    Apotheosis Bella''s eyes were full of murderous intent as she replied in a deep voice, "Then let''s make him stay here for good since he''s already here!"


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, "Quickly change your appearance and the aura of your qi. I''ve investigated clearly, the only Supremacy Stage powerhouse here is Myriad Thunder Supreme. He''s assisted by 6 Perfected Golden Immortals, one of whom has died and another one whose life is controlled by me now. We have a Supreme and 4 Perfected Golden Immortals to face now."


    "Anyway, I just saw that you have quite a lot of Perfected Golden Immortals around you." Apotheosis Bella suddenly asked, "Who are they?"


    "I bought all of them from the Convict Arena, including Auntie Star Tears," said Tang Xiu. "However, I have yet to tell her my real identity, so I cannot tell anyone except you and Mu. Else, we''ll have to face endless pursuit once Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao find out about it."


    "Mu has already told me about this issue as well." Apotheosis Bella nodded and said, "Rest assured! Nobody will ever know it from me."


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and pulled her out of the concealment array to then appear beside her four Perfected Golden Immortal subordinates.


    "What happened here, Green Firmament? The Life Token of your Senior Brother Styx River shattered, meaning his soul has vanished. Explain it to me!" Myriad Thunder Supreme was alone, but a fierce light flashed in his eyes as he inquisitively asked with a heavy voice.


    Dao Lord Green Firmament couldn''t help but panic inside, yet he didn''t dare to tell the truth even when facing his Master, Myriad Thunder Supreme. No matter how much he respected his Master, his life was, after all, being controlled by Tang Xiu. He didn''t want to die and he was even willing to take any action in killing his own Master.


    "Master, Senior Brother Styx River just ran into a strong enemy who seems to be called Sablefiend Scorpio. That person is fearsomely strong and only a hair away from the Supremacy Stage. Further, that person also has a very fearsome artifact in hand. When I arrived here, Senior Brother Styx River was already dying and I was too late to rescue him when he was killed by Sablefiend Scorpio," explained Dao Lord Green Firmament hurriedly.


    "Sablefiend Scorpio?!"


    A strong murderous intent burst out from Myriad Thunder Supreme. He knew that there was a blood feud between his disciple and Sablefiend Scorpio. If it hadn''t been for Sablefiend Scorpio escaping too fast, he would have helped his disciple get rid of this hidden danger. He then looked at the pale-looking Dao Lord Green Firmament and asked in a deep voice, "Then where did that damn scorpion go? And why did she let you off?"


    Dao Lord Green Firmament hurriedly replied, "Sablefiend Scorpio seemed to have been hit hard as well after she killed Senior Brother, Master. I wanted to avenge Senior Brother Styx River, but she didn''t want to get entangled by me and just fled away directly. Her speed was too fast for me to catch up, so I could only send messages to some Martial Brothers to help me pursue her together."


    "Is that so?"


    A cold light flashed in Myriad Thunder Supreme''s eyes. His big hand quickly moved and slapped Dao Lord Green Firmament, sending him flying for hundreds of kilometers. Then, he grimly and coldly said, "You may be my disciple, but you should be very clear what your fate will be for deceiving me!"


    Dao Lord Green Firmament flew back again and replied in pain, "Everything this disciple of yours just said is true, Master. I mentioned in the messages I sent to Martial Brother that there''s a Perfected Golden Immortal with a powerful artifact. It was because I needed his help and I worried that he wouldn''t come, so I lied in the message I sent him. If you don''t believe me, I can take you to the direction Sablefiend Scorpio escaped."


    "Heh, pursuing her?" Myriad Thunder Supreme sneered. "It''s been so long. Which direction are we going to chase her? Do you even know where she fled to?"


    "I know, Master," said Dao Lord Green Firmament hurriedly. "I''ve secretly poured Soul Chasing powder on her previously."

 1336 Playing People Is Fun

    Myriad Thunder Supreme didn''t notice that Dao Lord Green Firmament had already stood in mid-air above the Fullmoon Star River after flying back from a distance. He paced a step forward and directly appeared in front of Green Firmament. He grabbed his shoulder and was about to ask Sablefiend Scorpio''s escaping direction.


    At this moment, however, there was a sudden change in the atmosphere in the dark surroundings, along with the emergence of some figures. The moment Myriad Thunder Supreme shifted his focus to these figures, a cold light flashed in the eyes of Dao Lord Green Firmament as he unleashed the 8th grade Floodlight Shuttle artifact to impale his body.


    An enormous and destructive Immortal Force was poured into Myriad Thunder Supreme''s body like a tide, causing him to scream in the next moment and fly towards the distance.


    Immediately after, a rainbow-like sword beam flashed and seemingly tore the space as it slashed fiercely toward Myriad Thunder Supreme''s immortal body. The strike didn''t give Myriad Thunder Supreme the time to avoid it. The sword beam slashed his body and what followed was the strikes from other immortal artifacts. Even though Myriad Thunder Supreme instantly mended and combined the two halves of his immortal body instantly, the tens of immortal artifacts still inflicted wounds on his whole body, causing the flowing blood to wet his tattered clothes red.


    "WHY?!!"


    A resentful and hating expression painted Myriad Thunder Supreme''s face after he was badly wounded. He unleashed 13 black flags and quickly arranged overlapping layers of defensive shields around him as he glared at Dao Lord Green Firmament.


    Wearing a guilty expression, Dao Lord Green Firmament didn''t dare to look back at Myriad Thunder Supreme''s eyes. With a helpless face, he said bitterly, "Please forgive your disciple, Master. I was forced. My life is in the hands of the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor and I would''ve been the one who died the next moment if I didn''t attack you. You''ve been working hard to groom and cultivate your disciples, wasn''t that because you wanted us to be formidable and live well? The current you are now near to the limit, so you might as well give hope of surviving to your disciple."


    Dao Lord Green Firmament''s words made Myriad Thunder Supreme furious. It was like the line that said that a new Buddha may be born after two former Buddhas ascended to Heaven. Deep regret turned into an ocean of bitterness as he wished to smash Dao Lord Green Firmament''s body into pieces.


    "Deceiving your Master and destroying your own ancestry. You truly are an evil disciple!"


    After taking a healing elixir from his interspatial ring, Myriad Thunder Supreme swallowed it and looked around with boiling killing aura. Afterward, a mirthless smile was cast on his face as he said aloud, "A Supreme and 14 Perfected Golden Immortals. What great line-up and formation just to kill me. Truly unexpected! Truly awesome. Well done!"


    Standing in mid-air tens of thousands of meters away and being protected by Star Tears and Sablefiend Scorpio, Tang Xiu sneered. "You''re Myriad Thunder Supreme, yes? You know, we have no interest in you, only in your wealth. Take out your interspatial ring, all your treasures, and hand them over to me! Maybe we can spare your life, else today will be the anniversary of your death next year."


    The demand made Myriad Thunder Supreme seem to hear the most unbelievable thing in the world. While quickly healing himself, he asked with an incredulous face, "You mean¡­ you set a trap here just to capture and rob me of my wealth?"


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes at his words and hummed. "Hmph, if we didn''t rob you of your wealth, do you think we just need to stay still and not find you as our prey even if we had no enough things to eat? Do you think you''re so heavenly handsome that we fell for you or something?"


    Myriad Thunder Supreme trembled while a bizarre emotion surged inside him.


    This was all for my wealth? Seriously?


    Just for his wealth, these damned bastards even went so far as to harm him? If he wasn''t strong enough, they might have just wiped him out. Despite this, he had been very severely injured and he must find a safe place to heal himself before the injuries became more and more serious.


    "You guys have set up an array here in advance, haven''t you?" Myriad Thunder Supreme looked around and asked coldly.


    Tang Xiu gave him a thumbs up in response and exclaimed in praise, "Wow, you''re worthy of being a Supreme, aren''t you? You''re even able to see the array laid out by us here. You''re on the mark. These 18 consecutive arrays are just some small arrays that won''t pose any threat to a Supremacy Stage powerhouse, hehehe¡­"


    Seeing that Tang Xiu harbored bad intentions, Myriad Thunder Supreme nearly went mad and almost crushed his own teeth and quickly took a deep breath. He knew that he might not be able to defeat these people even though he didn''t get hit so badly. But now, he had been gravely injured. He would be the first to die if he were to confront toughness with toughness.


    Therefore, he shot a cold stare at Tang Xiu and asked, "Are you¡­ the one giving orders here?"


    "That''s right." Tang Xiu nodded and smilingly said, "I decide the course here."


    Myriad Thunder Supreme took another deep breath, took off his interspatial ring, threw it toward Tang Xiu, and spoke indifferently, "That''s my interspatial ring with all my wealth in it. Can you let me go now?"


    Tang Xiu took the interspatial ring and noticed the mark left by Myriad Thunder Supreme had been erased. He immediately sent his spiritual sense to check the contents inside it, and his eyes immediately shone afterward. The wealth in this ring was much more than all the wealth he had obtained before.


    Shortly after, Tang Xiu put it into his own interspatial ring and grinned. "Well, I just told you to hand over all your wealth, didn''t I? Else, I''ll completely have you annihilated."


    "All my wealth is inside that ring!" Myriad Thunder Supreme roared furiously.


    "Are you so fucking stupid?" Tang Xiu sneered. "Do you think it''s funny to get your eyes open yet speaking rubbish like you did? I''m sure that the set of flags around you must be a superb-grade immortal artifact, am I right? That''s a 9th grade defensive artifact with a quite sky-high value. Take off that Innate Natal Artifact and hand the rest to me!"


    "DREAM ON!"


    Myriad Thunder Supreme was furious. He would have already moved to slap this bastard to death if he wasn''t being stared at by a Supreme and more than a dozen Perfected Golden Immortals.


    "Heh, although the wealth in your ring is quite a lot, we deliberately plotted to rob a Supreme here, so we got Three All Policies here. You wanna know what Three All Policies are, huh? They are the kill all, burn all, and loot all. So get your ass up faster and hand over that set of flags as well as your Innate Natal Artifact. Else, you can expect me to issue an order to kill you!"


    Myriad Thunder Supreme was so furious by Tang Xiu''s demand that he coughed up a mouthful of blood and roared angrily. "DO YOU THINK I''M A FOOL?! Once I hand over the flags and my Innate Natal Artifact, I''m sure you''ll strike me in the next moment!"


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "You know, we may have to pay quite a terrible price if we want to kill a Supreme. I''m not that stupid to lose my people for wealth, mind you. Hence, I can assure you that I''ll spare your life as long as you give me that set of flags and your Innate Natal artifact to me. In any case, you cannot recognize us."


    Only now did Myriad Thunder Supreme realize that these people had changed their appearances. They even went so far to change the aura of their Qi.


    "Who exactly are you, people?" asked Myriad Thunder in a deep voice.


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes in response and snappishly said, "It''s said that the older someone is, the more mature they are. Yet, how do I feel that the longer you live, the more muddled you become? Has it ever crossed your mind that we have to kill you if we tell you our real identities?"


    Myriad Thunder Supreme was stunned and he cursed himself for being stupid. Then, he indifferently said, "I can give you this set of flags, but it''s absolutely impossible for me to give you my Innate Natal artifact! I''ll give you the flags now if you want. Otherwise, I''ll make sure to drag some of you to hell with me even if I must die today!"


    "Deal!" Tang Xiu happily nodded and slightly smiled.


    Myriad Thunder Supreme took back the set of flags and threw it to Tang Xiu. Then, he said in a heavy voice, "Now remove the array and let me go!"


    Tang Xiu took the flags and, after playing with it for a long while, he laughed. "Hehe¡­ what are you guys staring at me for? Didn''t you all hear what I just said? Quickly open the array and let him go!"


    Myriad Thunder Supreme was suddenly relieved after hearing it. As long as he was still alive, there would be a chance for him to get revenge. No matter who these people were, they were bound to leave some clues in this Immortal Region. He would make them pay him back thousands of times when he found them later.


    However, after waiting for a few minutes, he was shocked and fearful to find that the Supremacy Stage powerhouse and the dozen Perfected Golden Immortals didn''t move at all. Even the killing aura they exuded was a bit more intense than before.


    "What''s going on here? I''ve already given you what you wanted! Why haven''t you removed the array and let me go?" Myriad Thunder Supreme angrily shouted in exasperation.


    Apotheosis Bella, who had changed her appearance, looked at him as though looking at an idiot. She shook her head and sighed. "I originally thought that Myriad Thunder Supreme was a wise powerhouse, but to think that you''re this stupid is truly unexpected. This Lady is a Supreme, so why should I listen to a weak man who has yet to reach the Golden Immortal Stage? He gave you his promise and that was his business. He doesn''t want to hit you since he''s weak. But do you think so many of us here can still let you off? We''ll only do that if you also hand over your Innate Natal artifact!"


    Puah¡­


    A sweet yet sour taste penetrated Myriad Thunder Supreme''s throat as he crazily spurted out a mouthful of blood. At this moment, how could he not understand that the other party was just playing him?


    Why would they only snatch his wealth but avoid killing him? That was total bullshit!


    Boiling killing aura burst out of Myriad Thunder Supreme''s whole body. He unleashed his Innate Natal immortal sword to hover around him as he shouted loudly, "What shameless people! For good or bad you all can be considered as powerhouses in the Immortal World, yet you go back and forth even though you want to kill me. If so, then let me drag you all to the grave with me! BRING IT ON!"


    "HAHAHA¡­"


    Tang Xiu uproariously laughed and said, "Damn, this is really thrilling and pleasing, isn''t it? A dignified Supreme has unexpectedly become a muddle-headed idiot and got played by an insignificant nobody. This is really great and interesting, don''t you think? Anyway, I seemed to have recorded all the scenes here with a Nanolight Immortal Mirror Recorder. If I were to make 10 million copies of it and sell them, I''m sure I can sell them for quite a sky-high price, no?"

 1337 Killing and Extinguishing a Supreme

    Myriad Thunder Supreme was as though getting struck by a lightning bolt that made him stupefied. Never in his wildest dream had he ever dreamed that the scene had just been fooled was actually recorded by this damned bastard with a Nanolight Immortal Mirror Recorder. He didn''t expect that this bastard was unexpectedly so vicious that he would make 10 million copies of the recorded scene and sell it at a sky-high price.


    This was¡­ simply taking advantage of his dumped reputation and making profits out of it!


    Apotheosis Bella''s expression shifted. She could sense that Myriad Thunder Supreme''s mental state turned into a mess and immediately launched a powerful strike. She instantly unleashed her 9th grade immortal sword and the seemingly chaotic sword moves yet full of charm cut off one arm of Myriad Thunder Supreme in nearly a flash.


    "Death Strangle!"


    "Shadowless¡­"


    "Deicide Curse¡­"


    "¡­"


    More than a dozen Perfected Golden Immortals swiftly launched powerful strikes, especially after Tang Xiu''s orders. Sablefiend Scorpio even shapeshifted and left flashing afterimages as her sharp hooked tail stinger impaled Myriad Thunder Supreme''s buttock and tore a piece of his flesh and left a shocking bleeding wound.


    "What a good chance!"


    Tang Xiu, who stood tens of thousands of meters away, silently crushed a poison pill and wrapped it with his Primal Chaos energy and sent it away. The colorless and odorless poison gas quickly covered the area around Myriad Thunder Supreme.


    "GET. THE. FUCK. AWAY. FROM. ME!"


    Myriad Thunder Supreme flew fast and clashed with Seaway Monarch and Zenith Venerable, his Innate Natal immortal sword instantly piercing Celestial Litho Monstrum''s abdomen. As Celestial Litho Monstrum screamed, his punch hit the chest of Flaming Demon Feline. Everything happened in nearly a flash, but four Perfected Golden Immortals were severely injured by Myriad Thunder Supreme.


    Still, his injury was much more serious because he couldn''t fully avoid the strikes from the rest. He could only rely on his formidable physique to avoid getting hit on his vital parts as he was sent flying and spurted out some mouthfuls of blood.


    "BREAK¡­"


    As he was sent flying backward, Myriad Thunder Supreme shouted and a shuttle-shaped immortal artifact came out from his mouth and bombarded the Nine Chains Curve Array. Raging energy burst out as the consecutive layers of Nine Chains Curve Array barely withstood Myriad Thunder Supreme''s frantic blows.


    "Myriad Filament Coils¡ªIgnite!"


    A transparent coiling silk thread that was invisible to the naked eye instantly wrapped around Myriad Thunder Supreme''s bare feet. After shouting those words, Apotheosis Bella instantly made the transparent silk threat burst into flames. It was the Evil Karmic True Flame, a fearsome Immortal Relic Apotheosis Bella had succeeded in refining after absorbing the Heart Fire from thousands of enemies she once killed.


    "B*TCH!!!"


    Myriad Thunder Supreme roared furiously. He wanted to control and manipulate his Innate Natal immortal sword to cut off the line of fire, but the rest of his attackers were crazily launching their strikes at him, leaving him no chance to retract his Innate Natal sword. Just as he roared, however, he suddenly felt as though he was falling into a glacier cave and his instinct told him of the impending grave crisis.


    "Impeccable Kill¡­"


    Lupus Chimaera Monstrum suddenly appeared in front of Myriad Thunder Supreme. The two sabers in his hands were as though turning into a scissor that powerfully cut the neck of Myriad Thunder Supreme.


    So easy?!


    Lupus Chimaera Monstrum was stunned, watching in disbelief as Myriad Thunder Supreme''s head flew out and then exploded after getting hit by Apotheosis Bella''s immortal sword.


    "Huh?"


    Lupus Chimaera Monstrum suddenly shivered and his figure suddenly retreated ten thousand meters before he turned around and stared at Tang Xiu with fear.


    He sensed a very potent poisonous qi back there.


    He realized something that just made him puzzled. The reason Myriad Thunder Supreme was easily beheaded was very likely because he had unknowingly been poisoned previously.


    Blast, slash, puff¡­


    A series of immortal weapons'' bombardment then hit Myriad Thunder Supreme''s mangled body. After his Immortal Soul flew away from his broken body, a lightning bolt suddenly struck the Nine Chains Curve Array and a breaking mirror-like sound was heard. The Nine Chains Curve Array then shattered, but the Immortal Soul of Myriad Thunder Supreme also suffered heavy wounds. As a screaming voice was heard, it fled away towards the distance. However, he was hit by an arrow of light and eventually exploded and turned into a chaotic energy flux.


    Tang Xiu''s figure instantly came floating and appeared next to the mangled remains of Myriad Thunder Supreme. He grabbed the Innate Natal artifact of Myriad Thunder Supreme with a smile and loudly said, "Who said nobody can kill a Supreme? Myriad Thunder Supreme is Great Emperor Danqing''s Martial Uncle, yet didn''t he finally die in our hands? However, this matter must be concealed and no one is allowed to utter anything on what happened today!"


    "By your words!" Everyone around answered.


    Tang Xiu shifted to the sad-looking Dao Lord Green Firmament and lightly said, "Do you feel sad? After all, Myriad Thunder Supreme was your Master."


    Dao Lord Green Firmament''s complexion changed and he hurriedly shook his head. "No, Myriad Thunder Supreme deserved this death!"


    Tang Xiu intentionally looked satisfied at his response and nodded. "Well, being wise and understanding the situation means that you''re quite good. Especially when it comes to someone excellent like you. Anyway, do you know any other powerful Immortals nearby? If there are, let''s continue hitting the rest and grab some more wealth."


    Dao Lord Green Firmament hesitated for a moment. But he eventually gritted his teeth and replied, "There are some. Four Senior Brothers of mine are in the direction of Heavenly Mountain, and all of them are Perfected Golden Immortals, along with tens of Golden Immortals. Their total wealth is likely not much less than my Master''s¡­ umm, Myriad Thunder Supreme."


    Tang Xiu''s eyes lit up and he grinned. "Well, that''s great then! Let''s go straight to Heavenly Mountain now. We must butcher those guys and snatch all their wealth. Dao Lord Green Firmament, as long as our operation runs smoothly, I''ll reward you with a tenth of the wealth we obtain. I can even give you a secret and divine art¡ªsome fearsome divine arts only Supremacy Stage powerhouses can create."


    Dao Lord Green Firmament''s eyes lit and he immediately replied with a grateful face, "Thank you, Master. Green Firmament will definitely do his best to serve you!"


    Tang Xiu happily nodded. He then came to him and patted his shoulder, smilingly saying, "Lead the way, then! Let''s finish our work early, so we can go back earlier."


    ****


    At Heavenly Mountain.


    The four people, Apotheon Myriad Notes, Soaring Plumb, Nine Immortal Fingers, and Enchantress Yu, who were chained to the cliff of the mountain, had been immersing themselves in recuperation. Although they didn''t have any healing elixir, they were still able to heal their injuries in at least half a day with their strength.


    They kept insisting and persevering, unwilling to give up even though the chance of them getting rescued was slim. Hatred became their support, hoping that one day, they would be able to get away and escape and kill all their enemies.


    "Senior Brother Myriad Notes."


    Apotheon Soaring Plumb''s eyes that were closed while recuperating suddenly opened and gleamed as he called out.


    Apotheon Myriad Notes, Nine Immortal Fingers, and Enchantress Yu opened their eyes at the same time and looked towards Apotheon Soaring Plumb.


    "What is it, Junior Brother Soaring Plumb?" asked Apotheon Myriad Notes.


    Soaring Plumb looked around and said, "Have you noticed the number of people guarding us recently? The number seems to be much fewer than before."


    Apotheon Myriad Notes slightly lifted his brows and slowly nodded. "Since Green Firmament left, Styx River who has been guarding us also quietly left. Just recently, I also lost track of Myriad Thunder Supreme who usually stays at the summit."


    Apotheon Soaring Plumb nodded and said, "You''re right, Senior Brother. I can sense there are only 4 Perfected Golden Immortals in Heavenly Mountain now, along with some tens of Golden Immortals. If we can break free from this chain and sacrifice, say, 2 or 3 of us, perhaps some of us can escape."


    "No." Apotheon Myriad Notes shook his head and said, "Firstly, assuming that we''re not seriously injured, we are still under the seal cast by Myriad Thunder Supreme, while we also got no chance of fighting those 4 Perfected Golden Immortals. It wouldn''t be a problem to kill those four had we not been injured. But doing so now is not something we can pull off."


    "I just hate it that we are chained too close to each other, else I would''ve exploded my Immortal Soul!" Apotheon Soaring Plumb was fuming. "I''m absolutely sure I can blast out these chains and even shatter the chains shackling one of you!"


    "You''re right on that, but none of us can withstand the explosion of your Immortal Soul with our current injuries," said Apotheon Myriad Notes with a nod.


    As they spoke up to this point, Apotheon Myriad Notes'' expression suddenly shifted and he quickly asked, "Junior Brother Soaring Plumb, the seal on your body¡­"


    Apotheon Soaring Plumb nodded silently and then said, "Right, I''ve been using the lightning bolt strikes to attract the thunderbolts and guiding it into my body to erase the seal on me. There won''t be anything else that hinders me exploding my Immortal Soul."


    A cold light flashed in Apotheon Myriad Notes'' eyes and he said in a deep voice, "Brother Soaring Plumb, do you still remember the Soul Severing and Returning Art our Master has taught us?"


    "Ah, I remember it!" Apotheon Soaring Plum''s eyes shone and he said excitedly, "I have especially practiced this Soul Severing and Returning divine art. If those 4 Perfected Golden Immortals are not here, I''m absolutely sure I can use this divine art to cut off these chains on us."


    Apotheon Myriad Notes pondered for a moment and slowly said, "Instead of sitting still like this, it''s much better to fight for our lives than to resign ourselves to death. If those two Perfected Golden Immortals and Myriad Thunder Supreme haven''t returned within three days, you can cut off your chains first in exchange for a damaged Immortal Soul after you cast the Soul Severing and Returning Art. Remember, do not think to even help us and just immediately run away if you succeed. You must do anything you can to try to escape from this place should any chance to escape appear!"


    "No!" Apotheon Soaring Plumb hurriedly said, "I can''t just leave you all here and escape alone, Senior Brother Myriad Notes. We, brothers and sisters, must leave and die together!"


    "You''re really silly, you know that?" Apotheon Myriad Notes chided him in a deep voice. "If you stay here you''ll be buried with us. You might as well escape and try to come back to save us in the future. You''re the smartest among our Martial Brothers and Sisters, I''m sure you can save us in the future."


    "I understand your thoughts, Senior Brother. I do." Apotheon Soaring Plumb shook his head bitterly and said, "For the four of us to be in one group and still be alive is very fortunate in itself. However, I will never leave any of you behind. Once I can really cut off my chains, I''ll cut off the chains on you as fast as possible. Then I''ll rush to those 4 Perfected Golden Immortals to explode my Immortal Soul. Should any of us survive, then it must be you guys."


    Suddenly, four figures appeared out of the blue. They were the 4 Perfected Golden Immortals who guarded them, while tens of Golden Immortals also appeared one after another in the surroundings.

 1338 Insta-killing Perfected Golden Immortal

    In front of the four Perfected Golden Immortals, a jet-black Soul Stone suddenly shattered and turned into ashes before it was scattered by the wind.


    In that instant, the expression of the four Perfected Golden Immortals drastically changed and disbelief fully covered their faces. They knew the reason why the Soul Stone shattered.


    "Master¡­ Master is dead?" The long red-haired Perfected Golden Immortal in combat armor muttered in disbelief.


    The lips of the other 3 Perfected Golden Immortals wriggled, but none of them were able to utter anything. Who was their Master? A Supreme of the Immortal World!


    How many Supremacy Stage powerhouses were there in the entire Immortal World? Less than 100. Yet, their Master who was a Supreme died?


    Apotheon Myriad Notes, Soaring Plumb, Nine Immortal Fingers, and Enchantress Yu, who were chained on the cliff, all wore uncanny expressions. They were similarly shocked upon hearing the sudden death of Myriad Thunder Supreme.


    Suddenly, Nine Immortal Fingers uproariously laughed. "HAHAHA¡­ Myriad Thunder Supreme is dead? It''s great that he died! A sinful man, yet he can live to the present, the Heavens truly have bestowed its blessing to make him dead now! You guys just wait! Maybe it won''t be long before your turn to die comes and your souls vanish!"


    Apotheon Enchantress Yu was wild with joy and laughed aloud. "That''s right! Senior Brother Nine Immortal Fingers is right! It''s great that such a ruthless and despicable Myriad Thunder Supreme had his soul destroyed. He died now and that''s it! The more of you dies, the happier I will be."


    The long red-haired Perfected Golden Immortal looked furious and a frosty long whip appeared in his hand out of the blue as he powerfully whipped it toward Enchantress Yu''s direction several thousands of meters away.


    Whip-crack, whip-crack¡­


    Series of whipping sounds were heard, and each whiplash made Enchantress Yu''s skin and flesh rot. After dozens of whiplashes, Enchantress Yu''s wounds were covered in ice and froze the spilled blood. However, the injuries were not the most critical damage she received because the whip that flogged her was called Soul Whip that caused damage to her Immortal Soul. Despite her firm and tenacious will, the soul-splitting pain felt by her soul made her immortal body shiver unceasingly, causing her to grit her teeth and bite her red lips.


    Enduring such endless pain, Enchantress Yu''s face was twisted, yet she let out a smile and shouted in a shrieking voice, "Bring it on, keep hitting me! Kill me if you have the ability! Else, you can expect this lady to shred you into pieces in the future. At that time, I won''t destroy your Immortal Soul but will torment your soul day and night until my last breath. Hahaha¡­"


    "You don''t need to extinguish this bloke. How about I help you?"


    A voice came from the distance and a figure appeared tens of thousands of meters away just as the voice faded away.


    Crazy killing intent flashed in Tang Xiu''s eyes as he shouted aloud, "That guy is mine, the rest of you can deal with the others! It''s been a long time since I last time fought a Perfected Golden Immortal, so I hope this guy won''t let me down."


    "KILL!"


    Apotheon Bella was the fastest to move and appeared in front of the four Perfected Golden Immortals. Her Innate Natal immortal weapon was as though turning into Grim Reaper''s scythe. Even though her strikes weren''t aimed at those Golden Immortals, the impact waves from her immortal sword were enough to kill several of them and some tens of others to fly upside down to the back.


    "Who are you, people?!"


    The red-haired Perfected Golden Immortal''s face greatly changed and a look of fear was evident on his face. His complexion instantly became pale the moment he sensed Apotheon Bella''s aura. "Was it you who killed my Master?"


    Tang Xiu''s figure flashed and appeared in front of the red-haired Perfected Golden Immortal in nearly a second. Although Star Tears and Sablefiend Scorpio had been following him, he transmitted his order to them to prevent them from getting involved in his fight.


    "Don''t act recklessly, Your Majesty!"


    Star Tears was very anxious. She may have no deep affection toward this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor guy, but this man was the person who bought her from the Convict Arena and he had promised to give her freedom back after 5,000 years. Even after getting along with him for some time, she discovered that the man seemed to be very hostile toward Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao.


    Thus, she thought that this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor could be of great help to the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect if he kept aiming Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao.


    However, she didn''t expect that Tang Xiu, who had never showcased his strength and only had an aura comparable to an Earth Immortal, was going to clash with a Perfected Golden Immortal, even though his opponent was just at the early stage.


    The pale-looking red-haired Perfected Golden Immortal wore a contemptuous look when he saw Tang Xiu lunged at him. He didn''t have the will to fight knowing that he wouldn''t be able to turn the tide here. Right as Tang Xiu came at him, he lashed his whip as though whiplashing a lamb and then planned to escape afterward. Even at this moment, most of his attention was still focused on Star Tears and Sablefiend Scorpio a 100 meters behind Tang Xiu.


    "DEVOUR!"


    A cold light flashed in Tang Xiu''s eyes. A terrifying suction force erupted from him and everyone within a kilometer radius from him shivered uncontrollably.


    The red-haired Perfected Golden Immortal was stunned when he realized that his body was forced to move forward a bit toward Tang Xiu, while the whip he lashed at Tang Xiu instantly changed its trajectory and just brushed past.


    "Go the fuck away!"


    He waved his whip yet again as he kept being pulled toward Tang Xiu.


    "FUSION!"


    Tang Xiu''s figure suddenly transformed into eight shadows that instantly appeared in eight directions and surrounded the red-haired Perfected Golden Immortal. As the latter slightly frowned, the man''s body suddenly shook. When the man thought that dozens of his soul-whipping whiplashes were going to pull Tang Xiu, he was shocked to find that the whiplashes only passed through Tang Xiu''s several figures and didn''t seem to hit nor touch anything.


    BAM¡­


    The red-haired Perfected Golden Immortal suddenly looked down and saw a palm piercing through his left chest, a scene that birthed insane fear inside him.


    In the next moment, pain followed, an overwhelming pain that engulfed his whole being.


    Madness gleamed in Tang Xiu''s eyes. The terrifying devouring force coming from him was as though a magnet that controlled the body of the red-haired Perfected Golden Immortal. Every drop of his blood, lifeforce, energy, a wisp of his Immortal Force, and his qi essence were being extracted by Tang Xiu.


    It took only a second for everything to unfold, yet Tang Xiu had fully cast the last step of the Fusion supernatural ability. At the moment when the red-haired Perfected Golden was desperately struggling, the eight figures he scattered out finally fused and merged with his hand on the red-haired man''s chest, his right foot stretched out from the red-haired man''s right foot, and his head from¡­


    The unfolding scene was as though Tang Xiu had just drilled out from inside the body of the red-haired Perfected Golden Immortal, causing the man to explode into a bloody mist and his Immortal Soul to be shredded. The terrifying devouring force devoured all the energies into Tang Xiu''s body, and the universe inside his Dantian swallowed them before fusing it into the planets.


    "How is that possible?"


    Star Tears'' pupils shrunk and disbelief overflowed in her eyes. She was furious just now and chided Tang Xiu for being reckless and bit more than he could chew to clash with a Perfected Golden Immortal head-on.


    But now, the means Tang Xiu just showcased made her completely shocked to the core.


    Everyone in the surroundings, either the Perfected Golden Immortals and Apotheosis Bella, who were attacking the other Perfected Golden Immortals on the enemy side, couldn''t help but shift their attention to the clash between Tang Xiu and that red-haired Perfected Golden Immortal.


    However, that instantaneous fight ended instantly, blowing their mind and shaking them greatly.


    Sablefiend Scorpio, who stood in mid-air 100 meters away, had been watching that helpless red-haired Perfected Golden Immortal and was then killed by Tang Xiu in an instant. Her mouth was agape and her eyes turned saucers as though she couldn''t believe what she just saw. She even raised her hand and rubbed her eyes vigorously.


    "That was not hallucination¡­ right? My eyes didn''t deceive, did they?


    "Master¡­ he¡­ truly insta-killed a Perfected Golden Immortal?"


    She felt that her cognition and world view were subverted. It was obvious that her Master had just broken through to the Immortal Stage, yet being an ordinary Immortal, he had actually slaughtered a Perfected Golden Immortal by his own hand?


    Ignoring the attention, Tang Xiu didn''t even wipe the blood covering his hands and just stepped on the void and came to the chained Enchantress Yu on the cliff step by step. He took out a healing elixir from his interspatial ring and directly stuffed it into her mouth and said in a deep voice, "Take this and heal yourself."


    Apotheon Enchantress Yu stared blankly at Tang Xiu, feeling a sense of familiarity from the young man in front of her as though she had seen him before. But no matter how desperate she tried to recall who he was, she couldn''t remember where she had seen him before.


    "Who are you?"


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and said, "Just someone who saved you. No worries, I''ll never be your enemy."


    Enchantress Yu remained silent for a short while. As she took the healing elixir Tang Xiu stuffed into her mouth, he watched him cut off the chains that shackled her limbs. She shot a grateful look at Tang Xiu and said, "I won''t say thanks for this life-saving grace, but this Enchantress Yu will forever remember it."


    Tang Xiu didn''t speak to her anymore but appeared in front of Apotheon Myriad Notes, Soaring Plumb, and Nine Immortal Fingers in a flash. Using his divine sword, he cut off the chains that shackled them and also took three healing elixirs and handed them over, saying, "Don''t speak and don''t ask anything. Heal yourselves immediately right where you are. Star Tears, Sablefiend Scorpio, you both are responsible for protecting them!"


    Star Tears and Sablefiend Scorpio came to the four people and, after checking their conditions, they quickly lifted the seal cast by Myriad Thunder Supreme on their bodies before taking them to the ground and guarding them while they recuperated from their injuries.


    At this moment, all the Golden Immortals had been slain. One of the other three Perfected Golden Immortals who lost their will to fight had been killed by Apotheosis Bella, whereas the other two were still being besieged by several Perfected Golden Immortals.


    "Don''t waste more time and just kill them!" Tang Xiu shouted.

 1339 Nephew and Paternal Aunt Recognizing Each Other

    Apotheosis Bella shouted and her figure instantly bolted to the remaining two Perfected Golden Immortals. Her Innate Natal immortal sword continuously unleashed sword moves and quickly beheaded the two of them.


    "Aaaargh¡­"


    A shrieking scream came from Dao Lord Green Firmament. His facial features began to contort and blood spilled down from the corner of his mouth.


    "Heh, I killed your Senior Brothers and slew your Master." Tang Xiu sneered. "That''s a deep blood feud between you and me. Yet, I have your life in my hands, so you now look like a loyal dog in front of me. But I''m sure this deep blood feud will be your motivation to become stronger once I release you from my control. That''s why you have no choice but to die so as to eradicate the roots of future troubles."


    "You treacherous bastard! I¡­" Dao Lord Green Firmament miserably wailed.


    "Explode!"


    Tang Xiu didn''t give him any more chance to speak and directly exploded his Immortal Soul.


    Afterward, he shifted to the rest and ordered in a deep voice, "Star Tears and Sablefiend Scorpio, you stay here. The rest of you, enter the Heavenly Abode artifact!"


    "Understood!"


    It was everyone''s first time seeing Tang Xiu''s ruthlessness, so their attitude became even more respectful. They then entered the Heavenly Abode artifact one after another.


    "Xiu¡­"


    Apotheon Immortal Bella just opened her mouth and then realized the mistake. She hastily shifted the address and topic. "Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, our cooperation has ended and those four people of Vermillion Bird Holy Sect are yours to take care of."


    Tang Xiu slightly nodded in response and said, "I''d like to thank you for your help this time, Apotheosis Bella. I''ll be waiting for their injuries to get better first, so I can''t make you stay here. But I''ll be sure to visit the Immortal Lyceum when I have time in the future to express my gratitude."


    Apotheosis Bella was feeling reluctant to leave, but she knew that Tang Xiu''s identity couldn''t be exposed. So, she nodded and said, "Then I''ll be waiting for you at the Immortal Lyceum. Fare thee well, we shall meet again later."


    Having said that, she led the four Perfected Golden Immortals and left at a breakneck speed.


    Tang Xiu took back his vision and walked straight to the huge boulder nearby and directly sat cross-legged, waiting for Apotheon Myriad Notes'' group of four to finish recuperating.


    Time fleeted by quickly and six hours passed in the blink of an eye. The moment Apotheon Myriad Notes floated up, the figures of the other three also moved and instantly stood side by side next to him. They then looked at Tang Xiu sitting cross-legged on the huge boulder nearby. The four of them understood that even though there was a Supreme and several Perfected Golden Immortals here, the true leader among those people was this mysterious young man who seemed very weak yet was able to slay a Perfected Golden Immortal.


    "Sablefiend Scorpio, you too enter the Heavenly Abode Artifact now. Star Tears will stay to protect me," Tang Xiu opened his eyes and calmly said.


    Sablefiend Scorpio slightly nodded in response. Her figure then turned into a streak of light and entered the Heavenly Abode artifact.


    Star Tears?!


    Apotheon Myriad Notes, Soaring Plumb, Nine Immortal Fingers, and Enchantress Yu turned to Star Tears with gleaming eyes.


    Star Tears'' expression slightly changed. After she restored her original face, she wryly smiled at the four people. "You''ve been suffering in these hundreds of years."


    "Martial Aunt?"


    Apotheon Myriad Notes'' group of four looked incredulous before ecstatic expressions appeared on their faces. Even Enchantress Yu burst into tears and plopped down in front of Star Tears.


    Star Tears lifted up the four people and sighed. "The four of you are really great. You all deserve to be the juniors of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect and worthy to be my nephew''s great disciples."


    While suppressing his tumultuous emotions, Apotheon Myriad Notes respectfully replied, "Thank you for coming to save us, Martial Aunt. Too many of our people have come here over the past hundred years and died because of us. We would have long chosen to commit suicide had it not been for the fact that we were barred to do so."


    "You don''t need to thank me since the person who really saved you is him, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor." Star Tears sighed. "I had been in deep trouble myself, in fact. If it wasn''t for Great Tang Heavenly Emperor who purchased me from the Convict Arena, I would have very likely lost my life there soon."


    "Pardon?!"


    The four people were shocked. They shifted to Tang Xiu at the same time and cupped their fists and bowed. "Thank you for saving all of us, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor."


    Tang Xiu serenely looked at them while countless thoughts churned inside his mind. He wanted to tell them his true identity but was afraid that after telling them, if one of them was captured in the future, they might reveal his identity. Unless they could advance to the Supremacy Stage, the other way to work around it was to cast a Soul Sealing Spell on them.


    After a while, he sighed secretly and said, "You guys just need to serve me for 5,000 years to thank me! You don''t need to worry about the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect for the time being."


    The four people''s expressions changed. Immediately after, Apotheon Myriad Notes paced forward and cupped his fists. "We do have the obligation to stay by your side and serve you for 5,000 years since we owe you our lives, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. However, my sect is in a precarious situation now, or rather facing imminent dangers, to be honest. I hope Great Tang Heavenly Emperor can forgive us since we must return to the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. We must protect the sect and fight against the enemy."


    "You can also fight the same enemies if you stay with me," Tang Xiu said lightly. "When I killed Zither Demon Jiuyao''s Martial Uncle, Myriad Thunder Supreme, along with 6 hostile Perfected Golden Immortals, it''s safe to say that I''ve been helping the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, no?"


    "This¡­"


    The four people exchanged glances. Immediately after, Apotheon Myriad Notes said, "You''re right. What you''ve done indeed helped the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. Yet, we can''t help but feel anxious and uneasy if we don''t return to our sect. We really hope that Great Tang Heavenly Emperor can forgive us on this matter."


    Suddenly, Star Tears looked at Tang Xiu and interjected in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, if I remember correctly, you promised me before that you''ll give me an explanation after we saved these four about my wish to know who you really are."


    "Is it really that necessary for you to know who I am?" Tang Xiu wryly smiled in response.


    "Yes," Star Tears categorically replied.


    "Why do you keep insisting on this issue, though?" asked Tang Xiu helplessly.


    "My life was saved by you and you asked me to be your retainer for 5,000 years," said Star Tears. "I don''t have a problem with that, but you must give an explanation if you wish to make them pledge their loyalty to you."


    Tang Xiu was silent for a moment and then slowly said, "Let''s go back to the Misty Spring Ocean First. I''ll tell you my true identity after we get there. However, there''s one condition I want you to promise me."


    Apotheon Myriad Notes'' expression shifted and he immediately asked, "What condition?"


    "You''ve recovered your ability to move and your injuries have mostly been healed," Tang Xiu said. "However, you must not have any contact with any of your old acquaintances before I tell you my true identity. You must also stay in the Heavenly Abode artifact."


    "About this¡­" Apotheon Myriad Notes hesitated.


    Star Tears took a deep breath and interjected with a deep voice, "I promise you on their behalf."


    Tang Xiu nodded. "Then you must enter the Heavenly Abode artifact now! We just had a battle, and the death of Myriad Thunder Supreme, in particular, should have reached Zither Demon Jiuyao by now. It''s likely that he''ll catch up soon, so we need to leave fast."


    "Then we can no longer use the spatial teleportation array if we want to completely erase our traces," said Star Tears. "At the very least, we can''t use the ones in three Immortal Domains nearby."


    "I know that," said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    As Star Tears'' group of five entered the Heavenly Abode artifact, Tang Xiu summoned Sablefiend Scorpio out and told her to fly with him in tow.


    A year later, Tang Xiu finally returned to the Misty Spring Ocean. A smile appeared on his handsome face when he saw Gu Yan''er sitting cross-legged on Repose Cliff.


    "Yan''er." Her soft call made Gu Yan''er wake up from cultivation.


    The instant after, an excited expression painted Gu Yan''er''s stunning face as she rushed to Tang Xiu''s front like a bolt of lightning. She plunged herself into his embrace and said with a bit of grievance, "You''re finally back, Master! You''ve been outside for more than a year this time. I''ve been missing you and worrying about you all the time. There''s no way I want to be separated from you again later!"


    Tang Xiu gently patted her back and smilingly said, "Don''t worry, Yan''er! There are only a few people in the entire Immortal World who can kill me now unless I run into some misfortunes."


    Gu Yan''er nodded vigorously and, after releasing Tang Xiu, she hurriedly asked, "Did you save the four¡­ four of them?"


    "Yeah, I''ve rescued them," said Tang Xiu with a light smile.


    "That''s great!" Gu Yan''er was excited. "Can I see them now, Master?"


    Tang Xiu shifted to Sablefiend Scorpio and lightly said, "You enter the Heavenly Abode first. I''ll summon you out later, so you can live and cultivate outside."


    "By your words, Master!"


    After Sablefiend Scorpion entered the Heavenly Abode artifact, Tang Xiu summoned Star Tears, Apotheon Myriad Notes, Soaring Plumb, Nine Immortal Fingers, and Enchantress Yu from the Heavenly Abode. He led the crowd into the cave abode inside Repose Cliff and then shifted his vision to the painting scroll hanging on the wall.


    Star Tears'' expression shifted and she said, "We''ve returned. Now we''re all waiting for your explanation."


    As Tang Xiu turned around, two lines of tears trailed down his cheeks. He recalled Star Tears'' miserable appearance the first time he met her at the Convict Arena. He remembered the tragic scene of his four disciples being chained on the cliff of Heavenly Mountain. Under the gaze of everyone''s eyes, he knelt down in front of Star Tears as he took out her Soul Plate and slowly handed it over to her.


    "You¡­"


    A disbelieving look painted Star Tears'' face for she never dreamed that this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, who controlled her life, would actually kneel to her. It never crossed her mind that this mysterious Great Tang Heavenly Emperor would give her her Soul Plate.


    "Why?" Star Tears didn''t receive the Soul Plate but stared at Tang Xiu and inquisitively asked.


    Tang Xiu''s facial features shifted and slowly adjusted as he changed his appearance into his previous face in the past and muttered, "Auntie Star Tears, Xiu''er has been unfilial and has caused you to suffer so much. I''ve sinned too much, yet I don''t dare to easily reveal myself and recognize you in order to conceal my identity."


    BAM¡­


    Gu Yan''er and Apotheon Mu, who stood behind Tang Xiu, also plopped down and knelt towards Star Tears.


    Star Tears herself was as though getting struck by lightning bolts as her whole body trembled. She staggered back a few steps, dumbly looking at the familiar face. She didn''t even realize that her nails hand deeply pinched into her palms and blood was dripping down through her fingers.

 1340 Soul Sealing Spell

    While kneeling on the ground, Tang Xiu looked at Star Tears'' disbelieving expression and wryly said, "I''m Xiu''er, your nephew, Auntie Star Tears! I once died but am back alive."


    Star Tears took out a dagger and stabbed her own thigh under everyone''s attention. The moment her blood flowed and she felt the pain from the wound, she pulled out the dagger and didn''t even think to use her Immortal Force to seal it up. She lunged towards Tang Xiu, tightly grabbed his hands, and asked in a trembling voice, "Y-You¡­ are¡­ really Xiu''er?"


    Tang Xiu firmly nodded and let his tears fall, emphasizing every single word he said, "10,000 years ago, you tortured me enough with your training to lay a solid foundation for me to cultivate. 9,000 years ago, you took me to the Demon Realm to fight against demon powerhouses for three years. 8,000 years ago, you went to the Asura Realm by yourself in order to find materials to refine the Universe Origin Pill for me. Eventually, you found Matriarch Floret and returned with serious injuries. 7,000 years ago, you went to Desolate Deluge Secret Mansion alone to save me and brought me out in a narrow escape. 6,000 years ago, you watched me slaughter a Five-clawed Golden Dragon. You extracted the Golden Dragon''s tendon yourself to refine the Rainbow Phoenix Zither. 5,000 years ago, you gave me the Nine Transformation Mind Art to improve my spiritual sense. 4,000 years ago, it was you who¡­"


    "Enough! Enough."


    Star Tears hated to shed tears the most in her life. But at this moment, she burst into tears and was unable to control her emotions as she hugged Tang Xiu and cried.


    Back in the past, when she learned that her nephew failed his tribulation and his soul vanished, the pain she felt was like her art was gnawed by millions of ants. She traversed countless Immortal Domains to rush to the place where her nephew crossed his tribulation.


    Back then, she blamed herself countless times for not rushing to be his protector in crossing that divinity tribulation, and neither was she able to see her nephew''s last moment.


    For the last 8 centuries, she had been living in pain and blaming herself every day, praying countless times that her nephew''s soul didn''t vanish, praying that her nephew was still alive in a corner of another world.


    Her dream had truly come true.


    Star Teas hugged Tang Xiu and cried like a child.


    "M-Master¡­ y-you''re Master?"


    Apotheon Myriad Notes, Soaring Plumb, Nine Immortal Fingers, and Enchantress Yu were totally dumbfounded. They had made countless guesses on Tang Xiu''s identity for a year and thought of countless possibilities of his identity. Yet, it never crossed their minds that their Master Star Cultivation Great Emperor was still alive. In fact, it was something that they didn''t dare to think about.


    The four of them were in great pain after their Master died. If it wasn''t for the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect being attacked by powerful enemies, they would''ve probably retreated and lived in seclusion to guard the place they once lived with their Master.


    But right now, their Master turned out to be alive and appeared in front of them. He even braved the risk to rescue them from the Heavenly Mountain.


    No wonder that some people were willing to take the risk of being enemies of some Supremes and rescue them from the Heavenly Mountain. It turned out that the person who pulled it off was their own Master!


    PLOP¡­


    The four of them knelt down behind Tang Xiu and cried like children.


    After a long while, Tang Xiu loosened Star Tears'' hand and pulled her up from the ground. Then, he turned and pulled Apotheon Myriad Notes'' group of four one by one. Looking at these disciples who he had raised and trained by himself, Tang Xiu patted Myriad Notes'' shoulder and bitterly said, "You''ve been suffering all these years."


    "We didn''t suffer, Master," replied Apotheon Myriad Notes as he shook his head vigorously.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and shifted to Star Tears, saying, "Auntie Star Tears, please take the Soul Plate, but I must cast a Soul Sealing Spell on you."


    Soul Sealing Spell?


    After ruminating for a moment, Star Tears understood Tang Xiu''s intention and directly lifted her soul protection and said in a deep voice, "I was going to tell you about this later even if you didn''t mention it. The news that you''re still alive must be concealed. I don''t want you to be forced to reveal your identity because of me. Hence, feel free to cast the Soul Sealing Spell on us. If we were to be captured in the future and the enemy wants to check our memory through the Soul Scouring Art, they will touch the Soul Sealing Curse first and it will directly erase our memories."


    Apotheon Myriad Notes firmly nodded. "That''s right, Master. Please do it. Our souls will be under the threat of that soul art unless we reach the Supremacy Stage. Your identity can only be kept a secret later if you cast the Soul Sealing Art on us."


    "That''s right!"


    "Please do it, Master!"


    Soaring Plumb and the rest also voice their opinions.


    Tang Xiu took another deep breath. He not only cast the Soul Sealing Art on Star Tears and Myriad Notes'' group of five, Apotheon Mu and Gu Yan''er turned out to ask to be treated the same.


    After finishing the spell, Tang Xiu said, "Auntie Star Tears, as a matter of fact, I succeeded and survived the tribulation back then. It was just¡­"


    After detailing what really happened in the past, he finally said, "I just didn''t expect that the two brothers I once trusted the most turned out to hide such evil intentions inside. They even went so far to weed out the source of future troubles that is the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. But I''m still alive and have come back now, so their ends in the future are inevitable. But I''ll need your help in the future to cultivate a huge immortal legion and groom countless experts out of them. I''ll do my best to obtain cultivation resources for them while doing everything I can to return to the Supremacy Stage."


    "This issue is not your responsibility alone. It''s the common purpose of all of us," Star Tears said. "Xiu''er, you''ll become the Emperor of the Great Tang Empire and we''re all officials of the empire. I firmly believe that the empire will continue to grow and prosper under your leadership, where peerless geniuses and true powerhouses will constantly emerge. At that time, we will storm the dens of our enemies and annihilate them completely."


    ****


    Time fleeted by and years passed by in flash.


    It felt like a flash moment, but Tang Xiu had returned to the Immortal World for 10 years. During this decade, except for the early years that he spent wandering around, he stayed in the Misty Spring Ocean and immersed himself in his cultivation, while the situation in the Misty Spring Ocean itself constantly changed.


    At present, the entire Misty Spring Ocean was firmly under Tang Xiu''s control. The region may not be a huge star domain, but he had formed a large army here.


    All four legions, the Dragon Army, Tiger Army, Phoenix Army, and Martial Army, now consisted of 500,000 people each.


    Four major legions with a total of 2 million soldiers. Although most of them were children raised from a very tender age, they all had reached the first threshold after 10 years of training. Even in these 10 years, the four army commanders, Tang Guang, Mo Awu, Hao Lei, and Chen Shaohua, had been leading their respective army continuously in the campaign to sweep over the surrounding starfields. This tempering from frequent life-and-death battles yielded rich combat experience to them.


    On Repose Cliff.


    Tang Xiu stood on the edge of the cliff and watched the four rows of military officers of the Great Tang Empire, who stood in front of him. Then, he spoke in a deep voice, "I hereby announce that the expansion campaign starts now!"


    "By your command, Your Majesty!"


    Hundreds of generals and military commanders of the four major legions knelt on one knee and shouted loudly.


    The moment after, Gu Yan''er appeared next to Tang Xiu after they left. A smile adorned her beautiful face as she started to speak, "I just received the news from Jin Shi. His intel operatives have found some leads to the Secret Palace of Drunken Immortal Supreme. There are still 3 years left before that place opens, but experts from tens of Immortal Domains have begun to hurry towards the Immortal Abode region. Shall we get involved in this event?"


    Immortal Abode domain? Drunken Immortal Supreme?


    With a surprised look on his handsome face, Tang Xiu said, "Drunken Immortal Supreme was an extremely powerful expert with few rivals in the entire Immortal World about 80,000 years ago. Rumors have it that he left his legacy in the Immortal World when he ascended to the Gods Realm. I didn''t expect it to be discovered now, more so in the Immortal Abode region."


    "For hundreds of thousands of years, the number of powerhouses in the entire Immortal World who ascended to the Gods Realm is definitely less than 100 people." Gu Yan''er sighed. "It''s said that Drunken Immortal Supreme was an eminent one, the leading figure among these less than 100 people as well. The inheritance he left behind in that Secret Palace will absolutely drive countless Immortal powerhouses crazy."


    "If memory serves, from the historical records, Drunken Immortal Supreme said that the Secret Palace he left behind bars the Supremacy Stage powerhouses from entering. You must be at most at the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage if you want to get his inheritance. Further, the danger you''ll face in that Secret Palace will be more dangerous the higher your cultivation is."


    "Well, I think that would be quite a suitable place for us, no?" Gu Yan''er smiled.


    Tang Xiu nodded in response and then thought for a moment. Then, he said, "This is a huge opportunity, so we must go there. I don''t have much interest in the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme, to be honest, but we need the countless immortal treasures he left there. It should be noted that Drunken Immortal Supreme was the richest Immortal 80,000 years ago!"


    "That Secret Palace is going to open about 3 years from now," Gu Yan''er said. "It will take us about nearly 2 years to get there from here. I''m afraid that it will take us longer should we encounter some troubles and delays on the road."


    "Yan''er, I want you to stay here and guard the Great Tang Empire for me," said Tang Xiu.


    "No. I don''t want to stay, Master." Gu Yan''er refused with a forced smile. "Just ask Martial Aunt Star Tears to help you manage the Great Tang Empire."


    "No can do." Tang Xiu shook his head and said, " Auntie Star Tears'' character is not suitable for the job."


    "But¡­" Gu Yan''er''s lips wriggled and she wanted to argue more.


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt her and stated with all seriousness, "I understand what''s in your mind, Yan''er. I do. But you''re one of the people who can make me feel at ease with enough cultivation level and management ability to control the entire Great Tang Empire. I can only feel at ease to fight for this opportunity if you''re the one at the helm here."


    "But I¡­"


    "Please promise me, Yan''er."


    Tang Xiu grabbed and hugged her. With his lips pasted on her ears, he softly said, "Yan''er, Drunken Immortal Supreme''s Secret Palace is very likely ridden with grave dangers. I''ve got you back and I never want to see you run into any accidents again. I can only feel at ease if you stay here. I''m sure you''re very clear about your Master''s abilities, yes? I''m sure my chance of getting the treasures in that Secret Palace will greatly increase if I have nothing else weighing on my shoulders. Just wait for me to come back."


    Although Gu Yan''er was very unwilling, she couldn''t say anything since Tang Xiu took the initiative to hug her and spoke to her like this. She could only feel helpless and silently nodded before saying, "But you must be extra careful, Master. You must return safely even if you gain nothing over there!"

 1341 Tracking and Pursui

    With the war preparation currently undergoing in the Great Tang Empire and drilling millions of cultivators, the number of resources required was, without a doubt, astronomical. Even though the resources obtained after slaying Myriad Thunder Supreme, 6 Perfected Golden Immortals, and tens of Golden Immortals had solved the urgent needs of the Great Tang Empire, the number was still far from enough after calculating the long-term overhead cost.


    Tang Xiu left the Misty Spring Ocean without taking too many people and was only accompanied by 2 Perfected Golden Immortals: Star Tears and Sablefiend Scorpio. Even when he left, aside from the tens of Perfected Golden Immortals, he announced to the others that he was closing up to cultivate.


    ****


    Renault City, Immortal Lyceum.


    Tang Xiu descended outside the city and a thoughtful look flashed in his eyes when he saw hundreds of heavily armed Immortal soldiers. These soldiers were currently doing an inspection and asking each person who entered the city with cold faces.


    "Show your Jade Slip Pass."


    As Tang Xiu came to the city gate with the stream of people, a soldier pursed his brows coldly and his eyes lingered on him.


    Tang Xiu took out a Jade Slip Pass and handed it to him.


    "Where did this come from?" The soldier glanced at the Jade Slip Pass and asked with a slight frown.


    "The Misty Spring Ocean," answered Tang Xiu.


    The soldier''s eyes flashed a gleam and he lightly asked, "Are you a member of the Great Tang Empire?"


    "I am," said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    "Do remember that you''re not allowed to engage in any wrongdoings, nor are you allowed to fight with anyone in Renault City!" the soldier said. "If you run into your enemies here, either you leave the city to solve your feud or directly go to the Convict Arena to fight them. Anyone who breaks the rules will be apprehended and executed by the Immortal Guardian Force."


    "There were no such rules or whatever in Renault City before, no?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "Hmph." The soldier coldly snorted. "Renault City''s rules were formulated more than a year ago and have now been applied in every city under the Immortal Lyceum''s sphere of influence. You don''t need to enter the city if you think these rules are unreasonable."


    It seems Bella has started to clean the outsiders in the Immortal Lyceum''s sphere of influence according to my ideas. With her orders, the Great Tang Empire''s army will likely occupy a lot of territories under the Immortal Lyceum soon.


    Then again, after the Great Tang Empire absorbed the entire territory of Immortal Lyceum, its hundreds of thousands of Immortal troops will also become the Great Tang Empire''s army. In the next 10 years, it''s very likely that the Great Tang Empire will occupy a territory twice as large as the current Immortal Lyceum. Our military strength will also double at that time.


    Tang Xiu took back his Jade Slip Pass. After entering the city along with the streams of people, he couldn''t help but forced a smile inwardly.


    But then again, the larger the territory occupied by the Great Tang Empire, the larger the size of the legion will be, and the greater the resources needed in the future. The Great Tang Empire won''t be short on resources in the next decade, but if we don''t have huge income in resources during this time, we''ll likely be unable to make ends meet.


    After a long time, only then did Tang Xiu cast away all kinds of thoughts in his mind and looked around at the bustling and prosperous scenes in the city blocks. He didn''t bring any Immortal Stones, Immortal Crystals, or Crystal Essences when coming outside with Star Tears and Sablefiend Scorpio this time. He gave all the wealth he robbed from Myriad Thunder Supreme to Gu Xiaoxue previously.


    However, he brought some immortal treasures obtained from Myriad Thunder Supreme and those 6 Perfected Golden Immortals. He planned to sell some of them in the Immortal World''s black market. After all, the involvement of the Great Tang Empire''s people in the killing of Myriad Thunder Supreme and the rescue of Apotheon Myriad Notes'' group was an issue that must not be known to anyone. Hence, all the items he obtained from them must not be sold openly as it would otherwise be noticed by Zither Demon Jiuyao''s people. Should the other party investigate the Great Tang Empire through these clues, it would definitely cause troubles and may eventually be known to Zither Demon Jiuyao.


    In the remote corner of the northwestern part of the city, Tang Xiu rode a Cloudstep Beast while several Cloudstep Beasts followed behind him with their riders¡ªmen and women who had changed their figures and faces.


    "How long will it take us to get there now?"


    A lean man with a braided hair and a dark blue pattern on his forehead looked to the side and asked the young man who was guiding him.


    "No hurries," said the young man with a smile. "We''ll reach Eventide Market at half an incense time at most. I guarantee that whether you want to buy or sell immortal treasures, you''ll be satisfied when we get there."


    "Eventide Market''s scale of each city is different due to the different size of the city it establishes in." Tang Xiu suddenly interjected. "Although Renault City is considered a large city in the Immortal Lyceum, it can only be regarded as a medium-sized city in the entire Immortal World. Is the size of the Eventide Market here larger than the other Eventide Market in some large cities?"


    The young man shifted to Tang Xiu and looked at him for a short while. Then, he smiled and said, "Fellow Immortal, you should rarely wander around in the Immortal Lyceum region, yes?"


    "Yeah, I have only been here once and just passed by," said Tang Xiu.


    "Well, you''re right," the young man smiled and said. "There are only 3 cities in the entire Immortal Lyceum that have Eventide Markets, and the one on Renault City is the largest of the three. If you''re familiar with the Immortal Lyceum region as well as the three other Immortal Domains surrounding it, you will know that the Eventide Market in Renault City is the biggest in these four Immortal Domains, including Immortal Lyceum."


    Tang Xiu slightly frowned. The youth''s remark made him realize that some changes had happened in Renault City, but he was acutely aware that the rest of the people around him had their expressions changed a bit. They seemed to harbor malicious intentions.


    This guy is concealing malice.


    With his careful and meticulous mind, Tang Xiu instantly realized that the youth was not a good person. A murderous intent suddenly gushed out in his heart. However, the guy himself had yet to attack him, so he refrained from taking the initiative. But he secretly planned to kill this young man when they came to some covert places.


    Eventide Market.


    Located in the northwest corner of Renault City, the market covered an area of less than one-tenth of the city, yet the area it covered was at least hundreds of thousands of square kilometers. The area was full of buildings of strange shapes and the number of shops was in the millions.


    Ascending Cauldron Pavilion.


    It was the destination Tang Xiu was heading to¡ªa very familiar black-market branch store. The store was founded by Celestial Cauldron old man some tens of thousands of years ago, and now had branches all over the Immortal World, being found in nearly all the cities that had a black market. Compared to its black-hearted counterparts in the black-market business, the Ascending Cauldron Pavilion had won praise from many people in terms of reputation and price.


    "Huh?"


    The moment Tang Xiu entered the front door of the Ascending Cauldron Pavilion, a glint flashed in his eyes, since he was acutely aware that the young man who used to be a road guide appeared in the corner ten kilometers away. But now, he was accompanied by two other treacherous-looking young men.


    "Well, I don''t mind sending you to hell if you seek death!"


    Tang Xiu sneered secretly. After entering the pavilion, a beautiful female cultivator welcomed him. Her cultivation level was only at the Nascent Soul Stage, but she was applying some bewitching art to her smile, indicating that she had been cultivating some charm and bewitching art.


    "Welcome to our emporium, Honorable Patron."


    The woman came to Tang Xiu and greeted with a smile.


    "Put away your bewitching art since it''s useless and won''t work on me," said Tang Xiu lightly. "Take me to the place where you buy immortal treasures. I have something to sell."


    The female''s complexion slightly changed and her expression suddenly became more respectful. After canceling her bewitchment art, she took Tang Xiu to a secret chamber for immortal treasures purchasing.


    "Welcome."


    An old man in a grey robe with a messy and scattered long hair greeted them. His originally sleepy face suddenly changed and a smile appeared on his aged face.


    Tang Xiu was shaken inwardly. He had seen this old man before. At that time, it was in another branch store of the Ascending Cauldron Pavilion in another city more than 4,000 years ago. He clearly remembered that he was received by the same old man, who was already a Perfected Golden Immortal at the time. 4,000 years had passed, so to what extent was his cultivation level now advanced to? Had he broken through to the Supremacy Stage?


    "Greetings, Fellow Immortal," said Tang Xiu with a slight nod.


    The old man smiled and said, "Are you here to sell some immortal treasures, young friend? No worries, my Ascending Cauldron Pavilion always offers just and fair prices, and you don''t have to worry about confidentiality, either. We never ask about the origin or how the seller obtained the immortal treasures they sell to us. We only collect the treasures and pay for them to complete the transaction."


    "It''s precisely because I trust the Ascending Cauldron Pavilion that I came to Eventide Market and directly entered your door," replied Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Having said that, he saw the female who guided him here closed the secret chamber''s door from the outside. Then, he took out an interspatial ring and lightly smiled. "There are 172 immortal treasures inside. Please appraise them and state your offer, Fellow Immortal. If I like the price you offer me, we can make a deal directly."


    The old man nodded with a smile. He took the ring and, after sweeping the inside with his spiritual sense, his expression suddenly changed and he tilted up his head to shoot a deep look at Tang Xiu.


    Two hours later, the old man raised his head again and looked at Tang Xiu with a smile. "172 immortal treasures with a total value of 28 million Crystal Essences. This is the highest price our Ascending Cauldron Pavilion can offer you. If this young friend agrees, we can strike a deal now. You can, of course, try elsewhere if you think the offer is not to your liking."


    "Well, the price is indeed fair, so let''s trade!" Tang Xiu chuckled.


    The old man slightly smiled in response. After taking out 172 pieces of immortal treasure from the ring Tang Xiu gave him, he put 28 million Crystal Essences in it and handed the ring back to Tang Xiu with a smile. "It''s really joyful to trade with you, Young Friend. I always liked patrons who don''t bargain like you. Please come to my Ascending Cauldron Pavilion if you have something to sell in the future. The price we can offer is definitely higher than in other places in the Eventide Market."


    "Sure," said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Having said that, he directly bade farewell and left. After stepping out of the Ascending Cauldron Pavilion, he discovered that those three stealthy figures were still on the corner of the street 10 kilometers away. But their expressions turned ruthless the moment they saw him coming outside.


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu''s expression shifted. His keen awareness caught the sight of two Immortal soldier squads in battle armor moving torrentially to chase and kill four Immortals in the block tens of thousands of meters away. Those two Immortals were all covered with scars and wounds and looked particularly miserable, whereas the other two Immortals had also been wounded.

 1342 Senescent Fiend Yi Zun

    The Immortal World was a place with a cruel principle where the strong preyed on the weak. Having seen too many killings and battles, such a scene no longer surprised Tang Xiu. After retracting his vision, he waved to a middle-aged man who was watching over the Cloudstep beast by the roadside. After paying him 10 Immortal Stones, he boarded the back of the beast and rushed towards the city gate.


    He deliberately didn''t speed up and the trip out of Renault City took him more than half a day. What he didn''t expect was that the number of Immortal soldiers outside the gate of Renault City now exceeded 1,000, all fully armed and in battle-ready stances.


    Tang Xiu''s expression shifted. He carefully listened to the chatters in the surroundings and immediately understood the reason for the scene.


    "Senescent Fiend Yi Zun is really crazy. He slaughtered tens of thousands of people in just a few days. He also massacred more than half of the people in Freshwater Village near Renault City. He went so far to kill that village''s Profound Immortal. Now he actually came to Renault City for another fight and killings. Many will surely die here if no powerhouse gets into action to face him."


    "His only son was killed, though I think he''s the one to blame since he kept protecting and indulging his son who always runs amuck here. Besides, that bloke raised a group of ruffians over the past few decades, and how many people have been harmed by them all this while? How many lost their souls and became ghosts? And this old fiend Yi Zun keeps acting tyrannical relying on his cultivation? He never blamed his only son whenever that bloke made trouble. He even sent his henchmen to help solve the trouble. That shitty son of his has now been killed by others. A totally deserved death for him, I''d say."


    "Pity that I''m weak, else I''d have killed the only son of this old fiend myself. Such a scourge now has been slain. I''m sure the surrounding regions can finally be peaceful for a long time."


    "Well, we have a Perfected Golden Immortal at the helm in Renault City. No matter how powerful that old fiend Yi Zun is, he''s just a Golden Immortal. If he dares to come, the Perfected Golden Immortal guardian of Renault City will naturally deal with him. It would be great if that pair of father and son die."


    "You know, I heard that Venerable East Wu has some friendship with this fossil fiend Yi Zun, though. Kinda doubting if Venerable East Wu is willing to get rid of that fiend if he does come to Renault City to kill people. Right, I heard those four Immortal killers were chased by the Immortal Guardian Force. And if my guess is right, they should have been handed over to old fiend Yi Zun to appease his anger, no?"


    "Let''s have a look at the situation and not leave first. There are so many Immortal soldiers now, I don''t think that old fiend will dare to rampage and kill at the city gate."


    "Yeah, let''s wait and see here."


    After Tang Xiu learned about the situation clearly, he secretly sighed when he recalled those four Immortals who were chased and captured by the Immortal soldiers in the city after he left the Ascending Cauldron Pavilion. He had a vague hunch that Venerable East Wu, a Perfected Golden Immortal guardian of this city wouldn''t easily move to kill old fiend Yi Zun. It was likely that he would hand over the four people who killed that old fiend''s son to calm his anger.


    Suddenly, a blood streak of light appeared from tens of thousands of miles away along with suppressing enormous aura. Several dead bodies then crushed down to the ground and over a thousand Immortal soldiers immediately rushed to the air, arranged themselves in battle formations, and looked at the blood-drenched old man in a white robe.


    "SCRAM! I know the ones who killed my son fled into Renault City. If you dare to stop me, don''t blame me for stepping on your dead bodies!" Senescent Fiend Yi Zun''s killing intent was almost materialized, and all the cultivators who came in and out of the city could sense the violent murderous energy, scaring them greatly and making them flee.


    15 minutes later, except for some powerful people outside the city gate, most of whom were Profound Immortals and some Golden Immortals, the rest had all entered the city. The dozen or so powerhouses were scattered on both sides of the city gate, quietly watching the unfolded situation before their eyes.


    "Yi Zun, our city''s Lord Guardian has already sent some people to arrest the group of four who killed your only son. He also said that you don''t need to enter Renault City since he can catch those four killers and he''ll hand them over to you to proceed. But if you dare to enter Renault City, you''ll be regarded as Immortal Lyceum''s enemy. Even if you do have a friendship with our Lord Guardian, we, as his subordinates, won''t be merciful!" the tall and strong commander of those 1,000 Immortal soldiers stated while holding his spear.


    Senescent Fiend Yi Zun unleashed his immortal sword and furiously roared, "Hmph, Venerable East Wu is indeed very strong, but why should I be afraid of him? I told you to scram already, else I''ll kill you all even if East Wu must move!"


    The complexion of the Golden Immortal commander changed instantly. He was just an early-stage Golden Immortal, far from being Yi Zun''s opponent, who had been a very famous late-stage Golden Immortal for thousands of years. Even if he had some thousands of Immortal soldiers under him, they would totally be destroyed should they really fight this old fiend.


    Therefore, he quickly transmitted a message through his Message Token and reported the situation at the city gate to Venerable East Wu.


    The City Lord Palace of Renault City.


    Venerable East Wu sat cross-legged on the futon beside the pond with various blooming flowers around, watching the Arowana fish swimming in the pond. No trace of aura lingered around him. His cultivation was at the early-stage Perfected Golden Immortal, but he hadn''t yet been able to overcome the hurdle to break through for the last 2,400 years.


    Recently, he followed Apotheosis Bella to Heavenly Mountain Immortal Domain to rescue some people. Afterward, under the orders of Apotheosis Bella, he began to work seriously to eliminate some unstable elements in the Immortal Lyceum territory. It was such an unprecedented situation that he vaguely realized that something serious might be happening.


    Back in the past, as a respected Perfected Golden Immortal powerhouse, he believed that as long as he did not actively provoke those Supremes and stayed under the shelter of Supreme Apotheosis Bella, he could at least rest easy and be able to cultivate slowly and breakthrough slowly.


    But after the battle in the Heavenly Mountain, he watched Tang Xiu slay a Perfected Golden Immortal and the latter just couldn''t fight back. Only then did he finally realize that he was still too weak. Should a war that affected the entire Immortal Lyceum started in the future, even preserving himself would be difficult to accomplish given his current strength. Thus the reason he felt a sense of urgency now.


    Buzz¡­


    A streak of light came and he pursed his brows. As he reached out to catch the Message Token and read the contents inside, his expression suddenly changed and was replaced by anger. In the next moment, his figure vanished and appeared outside the city in nearly an instant.


    "You''re too much, Yi Zun!" Venerable East Wu stared at Senescent Fiend Yi Zun indifferently with a cold tone.


    Old fiend Yi Zun sneered. "Hmph. Brother East Wu, you know that I respect you and I don''t want to break the rules you set up here, but I have to get revenge on my son''s murderers. Let me enter the city and drag those four damned assholes. I''ll leave immediately afterward."


    East Wu shook his head. "No, the rules have been set and none can break it. I already sent my men to tell you about that. We''ll help you catch those four murderers and then hand them over to you to deal with later. That''s my bottom line!"


    "I just can''t believe you, Venerable East Wu!" retorted Yi Zun coldly. "Then don''t blame from ignoring all decorum. I have long been wanting to experience the ability of a Perfected Golden Immortal like you. Now the chance is finally here."


    "Come again?!"


    East Wu never dreamed that Yi Zun, this old fiend could say so. Judging from his attitude, was he ready to fight him?


    Is this oldster crazy? Relying on his Golden Immortal Stage cultivation level, he thinks he can defeat a Perfected Golden Immortal?


    Shooting a deep stare at old fiend Yi Zun, Venerable East Wu said indifferently, "Shortly put, you want to fight me, so let me fulfill your wish. But don''t expect me to go easy and be merciful to you."


    A contemptuous look flashed in Yi Zun''s eyes. His momentum burst out violently and, in nearly an instant, his aura soared by 10 times. Further, his skin began to crack as scales drilled out of his skin and quickly covered his whole body.


    "Come! Let me taste what you can do!"


    East Wu watched this with an incredulous expression and exclaimed, "Aren''t you a pure Immortal? But you¡­ you turn out to be a Perfected Golden Immortal yourself?"


    "You bet I am!"


    Old fiend Yi Zun hideously grinned and instantly unleashed his Innate Natal immortal sword. Overlapping layers of sword beams instantly covered the sky as he cast his sword arts to crush down towards Venerable East Wu.


    Venerable East Wu quickly cast his shock away and released his own Innate Natal immortal weapon. He had no idea why Yi Zun hid his identity and cultivation. He had been sincere to make a friendship with this oldster, but he didn''t expect that this old man turned out not to trust him whatsoever, so he didn''t feel the need to give this man any face anymore.


    "Red Lotus Karmic Flame Sword!"


    Without holding back, East Wu quickly conjured the most powerful and overwhelming move he could unleash. At the same time when he cast this technique, Karmic Flame emerged out of thin air and blazed forward to oppress Yi Zun.


    Senescent Fiend Yi Zun let out a contemptuous smile. The moment his expression turned ferocious and twisted, he lunged toward Venerable East Wu. The cascading sword moves he cast were like killing blows as they instantly appeared in the midst of the sea fire Red Lotus Karmic Fire in the sky, while the scales on his body silently shot out and mixed into the sword beams created by his immortal sword to barrage and clash with Venerable East Wu''s strikes.


    "So strong?!"


    East Wu groaned as he felt his chest being hit hard. His body flew some hundreds of meters to the back, shocked to find that Yi Zun turned out to be much faster than him. One of those sword beams this oldster unleashed was like a long whip that severely hit his chest.


    Puah¡­


    Blood splattered and the moment Venerable Wu was injured, his Innate Natal immortal weapon also hit his opponent''s waist and sent him flying backward. However, the scales on old fiend Yi Zun''s body were extremely hard and provided a very tough defense. Although his weapon hit the oldster''s wait, it was only able to inflict a minor injury on him.


    "Who exactly are you? Senescent Fiend Yi Zun must not be your true identity!" Venerable East Wu angrily roared.


    "Heh, show me the strength that can make me scared shitless if you want to know my true identity." Yi Zun sneered. "Else, you can only be a muddle-headed ghost today."

 1343 Using Devour Again to Kill

    Venerable East Wu was furious. He realized that he was not as strong as he thought. Being looked down by old fiend Yi Zun, someone who he once thought as a much weaker person than him, made him ashamed. In nearly an instant, he took a black pill and swallowed it.


    "Then show me what kind of capital you have to back that arrogance."


    Streaks of dazzling lights suddenly burst out from his immortal sword. The countless sword beams then fused into tens of thousands of sword beams and hacked powerfully toward old fiend Yi Zun. At the same time, his figure split into three, and two of them appeared beside Yi Zun to deliver furious blows.


    "Three-lines Clone Art?"


    Old fiend Yi Zun suddenly turned vigilant. He was very familiar with Venerable East Wu and was naturally aware that this was East Wu''s most powerful move. Therefore, he quickly unleashed a fingernail-sized black skull from his sleeve. In just a flash, its size turned thousands of times bigger and a black fierce beast the size of a cheetah burrowed out of the ear, nose, and throat of the huge skull as they bared its fang and lunged toward Venerable East Wu.


    East Wu''s Innate Natal Immortal weapon that turned into thousands of sword beams was blocked by the black fierce beasts. In but a moment, a sword formation full of evilness formed in the air and burst out three sword beams.


    "It got breached¡­"


    Venerable East Wu''s complexion changed greatly. He was acutely aware that the three black fierce beasts didn''t form such a sword formation but shot at him in strange trajectories. No matter how hard he tried to block them, one of the black fierce beasts cut off his left hand with the immortal sword and its sharp claws tore his chest.


    Buzz¡­


    At this time, East Wu felt like his brain went dizzy, while the other black fierce beast seized the moment in an instant and torpedoed his chest with its head.


    Puah¡­


    In a flash moment, Venerable East Wu was sent flying and smashed heavily on the city wall. A transparent shield then activated from the wall. Though he didn''t cause any damage to the city wall, the enormous impact made his injury become a bit more serious.


    However, at this moment, although old fiend Yi Zun''s injury was lighter than East Wu, the Three-lines Clone Art''s furious strikes still made him spit out blood.


    "Who are you, exactly?" After leaning against the city wall and then being able to stand firm, Venerable East Wu shouted fiercely.


    Old fiend Yi Zun raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth and sneeringly smiled. "You do have some ability since you can hurt me. Then let me enlighten you before you die. I''m Saurian Demon Lord. I''ve been hiding in the Immortal Lyceum for thousands of years to avoid the pursuit of a powerful enemy. I wouldn''t have exposed my identity if it wasn''t for my son''s death. But still, it''s worth celebrating for you to die in my hands, Venerable East Wu."


    "You''re unexpectedly that demonic fiend?" Venerable East Mu shouted incredulously, "You provoked a Supreme powerhouse a few thousands of years ago and got miserably chased down. I never thought that Senescent Fiend Yi Zun turns out to be your disguise and you unexpectedly have been hiding in the Immortal Lyceum. No wonder you hid your cultivation and identity all this time. But I guarantee you will pay a grievous price if you want to kill me."


    Whoosh, whoosh¡­


    Two figures moved like lightning bolts and appeared in front of old fiend Yi Zun. Two high-grade Praecantator weapons instantly barraged him as another lightning-fast moving figure appeared in front of Yi Zun, sending fearsomely powerful punches to him. The humongous impact force even made Yi Zun miserably shriek.


    "He got a very tough physique."


    Tang Xiu transmitted his order to Star Tears and Sablefiend Scorpio. At the moment when old fiend Yi Zun was beaten backward, the punch barrage that hit him was getting more violent. At the same time, Tang Xiu also unleashed his Devour supernatural ability to avoid the old fiend flying too fast.


    "What''s going on?"


    Even in his wildest dream, Senescent Fiend Yi Zun never thought that some powerhouses would come when he was confident and ready to kill Venerable East Wu. Further, these three powerhouses were at least Perfected Golden Immortals. The sudden strikes nearly made him a ghost, but an even more ruthless powerful enemy behind him rendered him unable to hold his ground firmly. The punch''s might that hit him had already exceeded his endurance and the pain made him scream unceasingly. Even his scale armor shattered by his barrage.


    "DIE AND GO TO HELL!"


    Tang Xiu unleashed his divine sword and directly impaled Yi Zun''s body at a very close distance, then he used his Primal Chaos force to destroy his internal organs. At the same time, he also cast his Fusion supernatural ability and began to dissolve the man''s Immortal Soul with irresistible force, transforming it into pure energy and then integrated into his body to increase his own cultivation.


    "Explode!"


    Tang Xiu madly circulated his Primal Chaos force into his fist and then punched Yi Zun''s body. The violent blow struck powerfully and directly pierced through the old fiend''s body, sending him flying thousands of meters backward before he exploded in mid-air.


    "This energy¡­ is very pure."


    Tang Xiu recalled the moment of killing a Supreme in the Heavenly Mountain last time. He devoured and fused someone''s immortal soul and strength, making his strength to soar by leaps and bounds. This time, he was thankful that the energy that had been refined by old fiend Yi Zun was much purer and more enormous.


    Prior to this, he likely had yet to understand how heaven-defying the Devour and Fusion supernatural abilities were. He would be an idiot if he couldn''t at least figure them out now. The mechanism was devouring others'' Immortal Souls and, after refining them, then fusing would turn it into his own power. He finally figured out some of the mysteries of the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis now.


    Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis seems to not only be a cultivation technique to improve his physical body and strength, but it can also be used to kill strong enemies and absorb their quintessence and strongest source of strength. Last time, he integrated the Immortal Soul''s energy of a Perfected Golden Immortal, which caused his cultivation to greatly increase, at least comparable to 100 years of cultivation. But this time, it increased much more. He estimated that he had gained 200 years of cultivation worth of energy.


    Killing and then using Devour and Fusion!


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath. After fully realizing the fact that Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis was against the natural order, his eyes gleamed. Now he had greater confidence that he could rapidly improve his cultivation. His revenge now didn''t seem so in the distant future.


    Star Tears and Sablefiend Scorpio''s expressions changed after witnessing how easy it was for Tang Xiu to kill old fiend Yi Zun. They had seen Tang Xiu killing a Perfected Golden Immortal once, but the enemy at the time was looking down on Tang Xiu and taking him lightly. It could be said that what happened then involved too much luck.


    But this time, although Tang Xiu applied a surprise attack and used both of their strikes as a starting point, his violent power, as well the means he used to strike that final blow, made the two finally realize that Tang Xiu''s might was already comparable to a Perfected Golden Immortal.


    Nearby, Venerable East Wu dumbly looked at the three people. But he then immediately relaxed, especially after his vision landed on Tang Xiu. Outsiders may not know the identities of Tang Xiu, Star Tears, and Sablefiend Scorpio, but he knew a few things about them. After all, the scene in the Heavenly Mountain when they teamed up to kill the enemy was still vivid in his mind.


    He was perfectly aware that had it not been for these three people, the result of him fighting Senescent Fiend Yi Zun would have ended up with him being killed ruthlessly and that old fiend gravely injured. It could be said that these three people were his life-saving benefactors.


    "Thank you for this life-saving grace, Heavenly Emperor."


    Venerable East Wu came to Tang Xiu''s group and respectfully cupped his fists.


    Tang Xiu slightly smiled in response and waved his hand. "It was just by chance that we met here, so we just extended our hands. Besides, Apotheosis Bella and I are truly on the same side. You''re her subordinate. There''s something I''d like to say to you, though whether Venerable East Wu would like to hear it is yours to choose."


    "Please grant me your instructions, Heavenly Emperor. I''m all ears," said Venerable East Wu hurriedly.


    "You''re the City Lord of Renault City with which comes the responsibility that you must shelter everyone here." Tang Xiu started to speak. "You may have some friendship with Senescent Fiend Yi Zun, but you shouldn''t have dispatched your men to catch the four people who killed his only son. Your Renault City has its own rules. As long as these people are not Immortal Lyceum''s enemies and inside the city under Immortal Lyceum, they are legitimate people of Immortal Lyceum, and some things are bound not to be overstepped. You may be the one who devised these rules, but one thing you must remember is not to cross the bottom line easily."


    Venerable East Wu slightly frowned and asked, "I understand what you mean, Heavenly Emperor. But that sounds like making a fuss over trivial matters, no? After all, those four weak¡­"


    Tang Xiu waved his hand again to interrupt him and continued, "It''s all about security sense, so everyone in the Immortal Lyceum''s territory, either they are just ordinary mortals or cultivators are just the same. Do not ever distinguish people with how strong and weak they are, what you must do is to differentiate whether they are enemies or our own people. Only when you provide them enough security will they be able to rely on you and support you. Besides, those four may be very weak in your eyes, but if they keep advancing in their cultivation in the future, they will really group up and become the strength that supports the Immortal Lyceum as well."


    As he spoke up to this point, Tang Xiu took a deep breath before he glanced over at the thousands of Immortal soldiers. Then, he added, "Treat your own people right and unite with them as one and band together like strands of rope. Even an ordinary person may affect the result of a battle at certain special moments. I once witnessed a fight between two Perfected Golden Immortals, but at the end of their fight, these two Perfected Golden Immortals were all gravely injured and no longer had any ability to strike. What if a Foundation Establishment cultivator passed by at such a moment? I don''t think I need to say more about this, do I?"


    Venerable East was as though getting struck by lightning, and his whole being was drowning into the meanings in Tang Xiu''s words.


    Unity and banding together just like strands of rope? Say, something like a sense of belonging?


    These seemingly ordinary words birthed a profound change in his state of mind, causing him to slowly raise his head to look at the vast sky of the universe.


    "All living things in the world have strengths and shortcomings.


    "A grain of sand may look minuscule, but hundreds of millions of grains of sand can form a vast mountain.


    "A drop of water may look insignificant, but hundreds of millions of them can form a vast ocean.


    "One person is only a single number, but hundreds of millions of people can form fearsome legions.


    "When many little things assemble and add up to something great, it may even shake the sun and moon, and quake the very life and livelihood."

 1344 Fortunate Breakthrough

    In the dark, a particular aura converged atop the head of Venerable East Wu. In just 15 minutes, transparent energy poured down from the sky into East Wu''s head and merged into his body. Under the injection of this energy, seven days later, East Wu''s aura continued to grow stronger and increased several times.


    Huff¡­


    A turbid breath burst out of Venerable Wu''s mouth. After opening his eyes, he looked at Tang Xiu with deep gratitude and bowed with cupped fists. "I deeply thank you for your kind instructions, Heavenly Emperor."


    "That is your good fortune," said Tang Xiu with a light smile. "If anything, I didn''t think that you could even grasp my words and breakthrough to the mid-stage Perfected Golden Immortal Stage."


    "Sigh, I''ve been stranded at the early-stage Perfected Golden Immortal for 2,400 years. No matter how much I accumulate anything and keep cultivating for such a long period of time, it was always difficult for me to advance to the next step. Now I know that my insight into the Heavenly Dao was not enough. Heavenly Emperor, I never thought that after hearing your words, all the contradictions and things that clouded my hearts were all cleared and directly made me breakthrough to the mid-stage Perfected Golden Immortal."


    "Well then, you''re no longer suitable to live an easy and comfy life anymore since you have broken through, though," Tang Xiu smilingly said. "You need to familiarize yourself with the strength of mid-stage Perfected Golden Immortal and are in need to find matching opponents and fight them. So, come with me! I''ll give you the opponents and battlefields you need!"


    "About this¡­"


    Venerable East Wu hesitated and said, "But I have a duty to protect Renault City, Heavenly Emperor. I won''t be able to face Venerable Bella if I leave with you."


    "The Immortal Lyceum will soon change, you''re just leaving one step in advance," said Tang Xiu with a smile. "No worries! I''ll send another Perfected Golden Immortal to take over the guardianship of the city from you. Well, just follow me to see Apotheosis Bella, then! She''ll definitely let you leave with me."


    Venerable East Wu looked bewildered. He really couldn''t figure out what kind of relationship Great Tang Heavenly Emperor shared with Apotheosis Bella. It was safe to say that apart from their meeting in the Heavenly Mountain, he had never seen Great Tang Heavenly Emperor before, nor had he heard anything about him from Apotheosis Bella. This Great Tang Heavenly Emperor seemed to appear out of nowhere, yet Apotheosis Bella trusted him so much that she didn''t hesitate to pull off a crazy stunt such as teaming up with him to kill another Supreme.


    "Alright, I''ll go with you to see Venerable Bella."


    East Wu felt that it was necessary to know the identity of this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor from Apotheosis Bella if she really gave her consent for him to leave with him.


    "Hold on¡­"


    Suddenly, his complexion changed when he realized something all of a sudden. Great Emperor Heavenly Emperor just mentioned that the Immortal Lyceum would soon change and that he would send another Perfected Golden Immortal to take over the guardianship duty of Renault City.


    This statement¡­ what does it mean?


    Renault City is a big city in the Immortal Lyceum territory and one that has always been under the control of Apotheosis Bella. Does this mean Great Tang Heavenly Emperor wants to occupy the territory after getting the maiden and take over all the territories under Apotheosis Bella? If that''s the case¡­ Apotheosis Bella will just brush it off, won''t she?


    No way! Who exactly is this person?


    He led a great number of Perfected Golden Immortals before and ventured deep into the Heavenly Mountain to rescue the powerhouses of Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. Could he be someone from that sect?


    Tang Xiu ignored all the wild thoughts that kept churning inside Venerable East Wu''s mind and directly ordered Star Tears and Sablefiend Scorpio to return to the Heavenly Abode artifact. Then, he turned to East Wu and said, "I give you an hour to arrange everything before we leave to see Apotheosis Bella."


    "Understood!"


    Venerable East Wu replied and quickly sent a few messengers. Then, he said respectfully, "I''ve sent messages to the commanding officer of the Immortal soldiers in the city. We can leave now."


    "Let''s hit the road, then!" Tang Xiu nodded.


    ****


    Half a month later, Tang Xiu and Venerable East Wu came to the palace of Immortal Lyceum where Apotheosis Bella resided. All the guards already knew Venerable East Wu, so they didn''t block Tang Xiu, so he directly entered the vortex portal and appeared on the square outside the palace. The Immortal on guarding duty was about to cross-check Tang Xiu''s identity when his expression slightly changed and he didn''t how he should be respectful toward this person. "Venerable Bella has just ordered me to make you wait a bit here, Venerable East Wu. She wants to see Great Tang Heavenly Emperor first."


    Venerable East Wu froze for a moment and cast a suspicious look at Tang Xiu before he slightly nodded and said, "Well then, I''ll be waiting here. Please proceed inside, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor."


    Tang Xiu slightly nodded in response. The moment he flew into the palace, he realized that the palace portal was closed directly as a fiery red figure atop the Nine Dragons Cathedra suddenly flew and lunged into his embrace nearly in a flash.


    The scent was so familiar that Tang Xiu secretly forced a smile inwardly. He knew that Apotheosis Bella had always been warm and enthusiastic. But to think that she would take the initiative to throw herself into his embrace was something he never expected. However, he did accept her in his heart, so he didn''t avoid nor push her away. He gently hugged her tender figure and patted her delicate back.


    Only after a long while did Apotheosis Bella reluctantly release Tang Xiu and murmur, "I really want to hug you forever until the end of time, you know."


    "Well, we both will become fossils if we really go hugging each other until the end of time, silly." Tang Xiu couldn''t help laughing at her statement.


    Apotheosis Bella grabbed Tang Xiu''s hands and happily smiled. She took him to the Nine Dragons Cathedra and softly said, "I''ll still be happy even if we become fossils. It may not be long from the last time we met, but a day pass felt like a year to me, you know. I''ve been praying that you can come earlier so I can see you earlier. It''s always a happy thing to see you."


    Tang Xiu gently hugged her shoulders and softly said, "Just be patient. Wait until we all become stronger and remove all the enemies. I won''t be bored even if you keep staying by my side every day."


    "I know that such a day won''t be far away." Apotheosis Bella firmly nodded.


    Tang Xiu then extended out his left hand and an interspatial ring appeared on his palm. "I heard from Mu that you gave me all the Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences you, so the Immortal Lyceum is seriously short of them. That''s why I brought you 20 million Crystal Essences now to solve the urgent problem here!"


    Apotheosis Bella hurriedly said, "Will it greatly affect the Great Tang Empire if you take out so many Crystal Essences now? Besides, I don''t need them for the time being¡­"


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt her and said softly, "When we slew Myriad Thunder Supreme, 6 Perfected Golden Immortals, and those tens of Golden Immortals, we harvested 200 million Immortal Crystals and quite a lot of Crystal Essences from them. I''ve given all of them to the Great Tang Empire. I looted their immortal treasures and got these 20 million Crystal Essences after selling some of them in the Eventide Market. The Great Tang Empire is currently not in a shortage of Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences. Further, I''m planning to leave for some time. The fastest time I return should be in 3 years, or 10 years at the latest."


    "Where exactly are you going?" asked Apotheosis Bella hastily.


    "The Secret Palace of Drunken Immortal Supreme in the Immortal Abode region is about to open, so I''m going there," said Tang Xiu with a smile, "Although I don''t care about the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme, he was one of the richest Immortals in the Immortal World. If we can get a lot of wealth from his Secret Palace, we can ensure the smooth development of the Great Tang Empire in the future."


    Without hesitation, Apotheosis Bella replied, "I''ve heard of the news about Drunken Immortal Supreme''s Secret Palace that is about to open as well. It''s very likely that countless Perfected Golden Immortals are heading there at the time. That''s why I must go with you. Waiting for you to come was so hard for me, and it was also difficult for me to be accepted by you. I can never lose you again."


    "Uh, who can recognize me in my current appearance?" Tang Xiu forced a wry smile. "Besides, I don''t think any Supreme will try to kill me should they appear there as long as I don''t provoke them, no?"


    Apotheosis Bella shook her head vigorously and replied with all seriousness, "No matter what, I must go with you. I can''t let you face any danger no matter how small it is. You''re still too weak now. I''m not worried about you facing any Perfected Golden Immortal, but you still have to be extra careful against Supreme powerhouses."


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and then said, "You going with me is not impossible, but you gotta promise me that you must not easily go into action if you don''t have my permission. Besides, I still must go through brutal fighting and battles if I want to restore my previous strength. Even if I have you to protect me, it''s likely that it will take me quite a long time before I can return to my heyday."


    Apotheosis Bella thought for a while and said, "I understand. I won''t move as long as you don''t run into a Supreme outside the Secret Palace. Is that OK with you? I can''t enter the Secret Palace with you, though. I heard Drunken Immortal Supreme bars Supremacy Stage powerhouses from entering his Secret Palace, and those who enter will be attacked. There''s a chance that even a Supreme can die inside."


    Tang Xiu nodded. "If it was a Secret Palace left behind by other Supremes, those Supremacy Stage powerhouses would definitely turn a blind eye to that warning. But I believe the strength of Drunken Immortal Supreme''s was much more powerful than mine back in my heyday, so I don''t think any Supreme will dare to break into this Secret Palace unless they are seeking their own death."


    Apotheosis Bella nodded and sighed. "Yeah, my thoughts exactly. But the most important thing is that this place was created and arranged by Drunken Immortal Supreme before he ascended to the Gods Realm. His power definitely skyrocketed after he became a deity. Such fearsome power is not something some Supremes can compare to."


    "Alright, let''s put off this topic first," said Tang Xiu. "There are a few things you need to pay attention to if you want to go with me. The first thing is to arrange another Perfected Golden Immortal under your command and put them into the Great Tang Empire. Also, assign someone to secretly manage the unification plan I sent you before."


    "Alright, I''ll get it done immediately."


    Apotheosis Bella acted and worked on it vigorously. She immediately summoned all the Perfected Golden Immortals under her to arrange some issues. Although her Perfected Golden Immortal subordinates were full of questions and doubts, she still ordered them to get all the things done.

 1345 Wordless Golden Medallion

    After Apotheosis Bella arranged everything, the other five people left except Venerable East Wu. When she cast a suspicious look at the guy, Venerable East Wu forced a wry smile and cupped his fists to Tang Xiu. "Great Tang Heavenly Emperor will explain to you about this."


    "Well, Venerable East Wu has just broken through to the mid-stage Perfected Golden Immortal, so I''m going to take him to the Immortal Abode domain. You also know he needs to temper himself in battles after the recent breakthrough."


    "Huh?" Apotheosis Bella was surprised. "You have just advanced to the mid-stage Perfected Golden Immortal, East Wu? If I remember correctly, you have been stranded at the early-stage Perfected Golden Immortal for 2,400 years, right?"


    "That''s correct," Venerable East Wu respectfully said. "If it wasn''t for Great Tang Heavenly Emperor saving my life in Renault City and giving me some advice, let alone breaking through to the mid-stage Perfected Golden Immortal, I may have died by now."


    Apotheosis Bella was taken aback and asked in a deep voice, "What''s going on, exactly?"


    East Wu''s bewilderment was getting more intense. He didn''t expect that Apotheosis Bella wasn''t even surprised that Great Tang Heavenly Emperor gave him advice. He then detailed everything that happened and finally said, "It was due to Great Tang Heavenly Emperor''s teaching that made my perception towards the Heavenly Dao go further and thus made me advance to the mid-stage Perfected Golden Immortal."


    "You''re really lucky to have received his pointers, you know." Apotheosis Bella smiled. "Well, since he wants you to go with us to the Immortal Abode region, enter the Heavenly Abode artifact he carries with him. Go inside, then!"


    "Are you perhaps also going?" asked East Wu in shock.


    "Yeah, I''m going there as well." Apotheosis Bella smilingly nodded.


    Her answer made him more curious about the relationship between Apotheosis Bella and Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. He remembered that Apotheosis Bella had always her eyes looking at the top and never once had she paid attention to any man save Star Cultivation Great Emperor.


    Could she have decided to sever all the karmic ties and whatnot since Star Cultivation Great Emperor''s soul has vanished... Say, has she decided to start a new life?


    But¡­ something feels amiss here¡­


    If Lady Bella has decided to sever all the karmic ties, she wouldn''t have led me and the rest to the Heavenly Mountain and rescued the people of Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, right?


    The confused Venerable East Wu eventually didn''t inquire anything to clear up his confusion. He went directly into the Heavenly Abode artifact Tang Xiu carried with him and then stabilized his new cultivation state.


    2 days later.


    Tang Xiu and Apotheosis Bella left the Immortal Lyceum. But instead of using Immortal Lyceum''s spatial teleportation array, they departed from the region by flying directly. Only after they spent half a year to cross 2 Immortal Domains did Apotheosis Bella change her appearance and aura and then cruise through space with Tang Xiu to the distant Immortal Abode region.


    2 and a half years later.


    Tang Xiu and Apotheosis Bella stepped out of the spatial teleportation array of Sacred Flame City in the Immortal Abode region. They saw thousands of Immortal soldiers with boiling killing intent in the surroundings. The commander of these Immortal soldiers was surprisingly a Perfected Golden Immortal who then left without even glancing at the pair.


    After a long time, Tang Xiu transmitted his voice as he asked, "How long have we been in the Immortal Abode region? We''ve run into so many powerhouses, and just the number of Perfected Golden Immortals alone should be no less than 10, right?"


    Apotheosis Bella transmitted her reply, "The Secret Palace left behind by Drunken Immortal Supreme does offer great temptation. It''s very likely that one-tenth of Perfected Golden Immortals in the entire Immortal World will come here, hoping to try their luck. But the number of Golden Immortals is surely many times more."


    Tang Xiu nodded. "Honestly speaking, I only admire a few people. But Drunken Immortal Supreme is definitely one of them. 80,000 years ago, he was able to distinguish himself and sit on the throne of the strongest in the Immortal World above the rest of powerhouses. That was not some unearned and groundless reputation. Pity that I wasn''t born in the same era as him, else I could have witnessed his elegance and style."


    "I believe you''ll be able to see Drunken Immortal Supreme one day, though," replied Apotheosis Bella. "I''m sure if there''s anyone in the Immortal World who is likely to advance to Godhood and ascend to the Gods Realm, that person will be you."


    "Hahaha." Tang Xiu couldn''t help laughing. "You really are very confident in me. But I admit that I have such confidence as well. After all, I was able to survive the Divinity Tribulation back then, so I''m more confident that I can cross the next time as well."


    2 days later.


    The couple was not in a hurry in the journey and just leisurely flew to the vast mountain range where the Secret Palace of Drunken Immortal Supreme was located. There was a small town that was the closest to the vast mountain range. But now, countless palaces had been established there, along with countless forces from the entire Immortal World.


    Apotheosis Bella had restrained her aura and changed her appearance, looking just like an ordinary person who followed Tang Xiu to observe a lot of forces as they descended on a remote riverside.


    "Haih, this reminds me that I need to buy a mansion artifact."


    Tang Xiu looked around and smiled bitterly. He had been the target of observation by countless people repeatedly ever since he arrived here. He could have blocked their spiritual senses if he had a mansion artifact.


    "Well, I just spotted some people of a certain Artificer Sect here," replied Apotheosis Bella with a smile. "Let''s look for them, we''ll definitely be able to buy that type of artifact."


    "Yeah, I plan to do the same."


    Tang Xiu grabbed her hand and flew in the direction of the palace where the Artificer Sect was staying. 15 minutes later, they arrived outside the gate of that palace.


    "Halt your advance, both of you!"


    Four Golden Immortals blocked Tang Xiu and Bella''s advance and kept them outside.


    "We''re here to buy a mansion artifact. It''s the custom of your Artificer Sect to sell Immortal treasures as long as you establish your palace in the outside world, right?" Tang Xiu said.


    The four men nodded in unison and one of them said, "Since your visit is to do business, we won''t stop you. Please come inside, two guests."


    After Tang Xiu and Bella passed through the palace gate, a stunningly beautiful Female Immortal greeted them with a warm smile. But Tang Xiu only glanced at her before his eyes landed on the backs of two people at the end of the corridor.


    Those backs looked somewhat familiar. Tang Xiu wanted to release his spiritual sense, but he then found that this palace had a suppression mechanism that suppressed one''s spiritual sense. Feeling helpless, he could only withdraw his spiritual sense and watch as the two familiar backs disappeared in the palace corridor.


    "May I ask what you need from us, two Honorable Patrons?" the pretty Female Immortal asked with a smile.


    "I want to purchase a mansion artifact. Please take us in!" answered Tang Xiu.


    The beautiful Female Immortal hesitated and forced a smile. "I''ll be frank with the two Honorable Patrons. Although our Artificer Sect came with a large number of mansion artifacts, too many VIPs who have purchased it, so we''re out of stock now. If you could wait for half a year, we''ll have a new batch of mansion artifacts delivered here."


    "We may not need such a mansion artifact half a year later, though." Tang Xiu shook his head.


    "Then I can only apologize to you on this matter, two Honorable Patrons," replied the belle.


    Suddenly, Bella put out a golden medallion, shook it at the beautiful female Immortal, and lightly said, "I know your Artificer Sect always likes to leave some backdoors. I think you should give us the first priority to purchase the mansion artifact if you have any surplus."


    "This is¡­"


    The female Immortal''s expression immensely changed after seeing the golden medallion. She took out her Message Token and sent a message immediately. Afterward, she respectfully said, "Please wait for a second, two Honorable Patrons. This Wordless Golden Medallion is something given to the genuinely distinguished patrons of my Artificer Sect. Only less than 50 people in the entire Immortal World have one. My status is too low, so the elder of my Artificer Sect will soon come to receive both of you."


    As she said, a figure then appeared in front of the pair a few minutes later. The one who came was a gray-haired and humpbacked rickety old man with wrinkles that could be seen on his bronze-colored skin. With their high cultivation level, Tang Xiu and Bella were able to sense that this old man''s life force had begun to disperse, indicating that he only had 300 years left of lifespan at most.


    "Wisdomless?"


    A complicated look gleamed in Tang Xiu''s eyes. He knew this old man. He even had a good relationship with him. Pity that this old man suffered grave injuries and his cultivation was stopped at the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage, no longer able to advance to the Supremacy Stage for the rest of his life.


    Back in the past, Tang Xiu also owned a Wordless Golden Medallion, a gift from the Senior Brother of Wisdomless Elder, the leader of this sect. Unfortunately, his interspatial ring was snatched after he got ambushed and the medallion was no longer with him.


    "I''m unfamiliar with both Fellow Immortals! May I know from which Elder of my sect did you get it?" Wisdomless Elder confirmed the Golden Medallion and asked with a sigh.


    "Colorless," answered Apotheosis Bella.


    Elder Wisdomless froze for a moment and immediately exclaimed in surprise, "Junior Brother Colorless did not leave my Artificer Sect for more than 500 years. Even then he only left the sect twice in the last 3,000 years. You unexpectedly can get a Wordless Golden Medallion from him. This is kind of¡­ strange."


    "I received it from him 500 years ago," said Apotheosis Bella lightly.


    Elder Wisdomless'' eyes flickered. He had seen the sect''s document about the gifting of Wordless Golden Medallion. He naturally knew who was the person his Junior Brother Colorless had given the object to. He contemplated for a moment and then asked with a slightly surprised expression, "Is this Fellow Immortal perhaps Apotheosis Bella Fern Regalia?"


    "Rumors have it that Elder Wisdomless likes to gossip the most. The rumors seem to really be true, huh?" said Apotheosis Bella calmly.


    "Ugh¡­" Elder Wisdomless'' breath came to halt for a moment and he immediately said with a dry smile, "Haih, this old man is really rude. Well, you come to my Artificer Sect with a Wordless Golden Medallion, so you naturally have priority to purchase our Immortal artifacts. Further, you can also take away three artifacts for free, though we have to charge you if you take more."


    Apotheosis Bella nodded and said, "Venerable Colorless has explained your sect''s custom before, so I already know it. We only need a mansion artifact."

 1346 Paying Bill for Others

    Elder Wisdomless raised his hand, taking out a mansion artifact and saying with a smile, "Of the items refined by my sect, weapons are the most popular. I didn''t expect we would be short on mansion-type artifacts after coming here. By the way, this one is an 8th graded immortal artifact. Not only can it be used as a residence, but it can also be used to fly for journeys.


    Apotheosis Bella received and then nodded. "Thank you."


    "There''s no need to be that polite, Fellow Immortal," replied Elder Wisdomless. "This is the custom of my sect and something I must uphold. But Junior Brother Colorless can''t come out this time, else he would be very happy to see you."


    Apotheosis Bella realized that Elder Wisdomless likely had already guessed her true identity, so she didn''t want to stay here for a long time. Then, she asked Tang Xiu, "Are we leaving now? Or¡­"


    "Let''s continue to stroll around since we''re already here, shall we? Maybe we can run into some unexpected surprises," said Tang Xiu.


    "Do the two of you still need my company?" asked Elder Wisdomless with a smile.


    "Temporarily no, but we''ll notice some others find you when we need you," said Tang Xiu. "Also, send my regards to Fellow Immortal Nameless."


    Senior Brother Nameless?


    Elder Wisdomless''s eyes gleamed as he watched Tang Xiu and Apotheosis Bella enter the corridor leading to the rear, secretly wondering their true identity. He had vaguely guessed Apotheosis Bella''s identity, but who was that young man, and what was his origin and background that he sent his regards to his Senior Brother Nameless through him? It must be noted that those who could have a relationship with his Senior Brother Nameless in the Immortal World were all powerful powerhouses who were at least at the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage or Supremacy Stage.


    In the corridor, Apotheosis Bella sent a voice transmission to Tang Xiu, "I ran into Elder Colorless 500 years ago when I was fighting in the vicinity of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect against Zither Demon Jiuyao''s people. I had no idea who he was since he changed his face, but I fought side-by-side with him to help the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect and stayed there for decades. Finally, he was forced to withdraw since he was hit hard and seriously injured."


    "Sigh." Tang Xiu sighed as he transmitted his reply, "I do have a deep relationship with this refiner sect, but I didn''t expect them to lend a hand to help the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect in the critical moments. I owe them this favor and will repay it in the future!"


    Suddenly, he recalled the physical condition of Elder Wisdomless and an idea crossed his mind all of a sudden. Elder Wisdomless had a grave injury and it was impossible for him to advance to the Supremacy Stage for life. Yet, he had an extreme means to alter this old man''s condition.


    It could be said to be an exchange between friends. The Artificer Sect had extended their hands to help the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect and he would pay it through Elder Wisdomless!


    The palace itself had an enormously spacious space in the interior. Tang Xiu and Apotheosis Bella had been strolling around for nearly a day inside and only saw one-third of the regions inside the artifact.


    "Can you sell it at a cheaper price? We have been on a tight budget recently. 2.4 million Immortal Crystals is my limit, I can''t take out more no matter how much we want to."


    As Tang Xiu and Apotheon Bella entered a hall at the side, they heard a bitter voice from inside. When the two of them looked at the voice''s direction, they saw two men in their 30s bargaining with someone from the Artificer Sect.


    "I''m sorry, the lowest price for this ax is 3.2 million Immortal Crystals. We can''t get even the manufacturing cost if we sell it for 2.4 million. Both patrons may have to look for some other weapons if you don''t have that many Immortal Crystals," said the beautiful female Immortal serving the two men as she shook her head helplessly.


    These two men were Star Luminous and Star Peng. Both were late-stage Golden Immortals and disciples of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. They were famous for being outstanding geniuses of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect since it was hopeful for them to reach the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage in less than 2,000 years. Even in the Immortal World, the geniuses that could rival them were very few and far between.


    However, the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect was now in a precarious situation that forced its disciples to withdraw and stay in the sect, increasing the consumption rate of various cultivation resources to a huge amount. This time, these two men who knew that the Secret Place of Drunken Immortal Supreme was about to open, begged their Martial Ancestor, Soul Star Supreme to allow them to go out and took the chance for the opportunity.


    Finally, after blazing through many interceptions on their journey with the help of immortal artifacts gifted by Soul Star Supreme, they escaped death time and time again before finally arriving at this place while concealing their identities. Unfortunately, their Innate Natal immortal weapons were destroyed after the battles, so they could only try to find a way to buy some artifact weapons. Only after buying them would they be more prepared and have more capital for fighting when they entered the Secret Palace.


    Yet, they couldn''t help but feel helpless now. Although the sect did give them some Immortal Crystals, the sect itself was on an extremely tight budget, so they were only given 3 million Immortal Crystals, while they had also spent 600,000 on the journey. The remaining 2.4 million Immortal Crystals were all they had.


    Star Luminous''s eyes were full of deep disappointment and said bitterly, "Haih, guess we can only choose some other artifact since this Skyshaker Ax''s price can''t be lowered."


    Sullen, vexed, and bitter feelings filled them. Due to being immediate family as well as having outstanding cultivation talents in the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, they had never lacked Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences before. All kinds of resources were provided to them in an endless number and literally exhaustible. Back then, there was never a chance for them to worry about some million Immortal Crystals.


    "Senior Brother, the Skyshaker Ax is already the lowest grade immortal weapon that can barely enter your eyes," said Star Peng bitterly. "Your combat power will be greatly reduced if you get an artifact with a lower grade."


    "But we just can''t take out so many Immortal Crystals now and we can''t afford to buy that ax no matter what," Star Luminous helplessly replied. "Besides, that Half-Moon Immortal Saber is also the most suitable weapon for you."


    "What a d¨¦j¨¤ vu¡­"


    Tang Xiu came over with Apotheosis Bella and spoke these words, attracting the attention of Star Luminous, Star Peng, and the female Immortal attendant. Then, he lightly said, "What the two young friends are facing is something that I''ve experienced in the past. But a Senior passed by back then and paid the artifact I took a liking to. He only said some words to me¡ªthis is fate. Further, I also had to go through life-and-death situations several times and barely escaped later. The scene of the past came into my mind after seeing you. I''m deeply sympathetic after seeing your situation, so let me pay for those two immortal weapons!"


    "Pardon?!"


    Star Luminous and Star Peng exchanged incredulous glances. They never dreamed that they would run into a generous man who would buy immortal weapons for them, especially when they were so dirt poor and couldn''t afford it.


    "May I know your honored name, Senior? Us Martial Brothers will never forget your grace today," Star Luminous gratefully cupped his fists and asked respectfully.


    "It was fate that made us meet, so I won''t pretend and act otherwise," said Tang Xiu with a smile. "This Lord is Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. You can address me as Senior."


    "Thank you, Senior Great Tang," saluted the two men again.


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, "I already said that it was the work of fate, so spare me all the pleasantries and politeness. You will still have a chance to repay this act of friendship if you go on living and become stronger in the future. Well, the artifacts here are cheap, so you should also pick some defensive ones! The more life-saving capital you have, the better the chance for you to survive in the future. Then you can repay me later!"


    "About this¡­" Both men hesitated.


    Contrary to their expressions, the female Immortal attendant''s beautiful face turned strange, and an envious look even flickered in her eyes.


    Seeing the hesitation on their faces, Tang Xiu lightly said, "Do not reject the hand that extended to you when you''re down. Only when you can go on living and become stronger will you be able to deal with all issues with confidence. Further, you won''t be able to get any defensive artifact should you refuse me, no?"


    Star Luminous and Star Peng both expressed similar looks and nodded to each other. After thanking Tang Xiu, they each took one offensive artifact and one defensive suitable for them even though they looked at Tang Xiu with embarrassed expressions.


    Tang Xiu then shifted to the female Immortal attendant and lightly asked, "How many Immortal Crystals in total then?"


    "34 million Immortal Crystals in total, Sir," said the female Immortal after calculating the price.


    Tang Xiu took out 340,000 Crystal Essences and gave them to her as he said lightly, "Please count them. If the number is correct, then conclude the transaction."


    "Understood!" Quickly after, the female Immortal respectfully said, "The number is correct, Sir."


    Tang Xiu shifted to Star Luminous and Star Peng. After contemplating for a moment, he said, "There''s still half a year before the Secret Palace opens. Even if both you are Perfected Golden Immortals, staying and living outdoors won''t be good for you. If you''re willing, you can run some errands for me for these 6 months. You''ll only do trivial things and I''ll give you shelter. I can also reward you 1 million Crystal Essences if the things I tell you to do are dangerous. How about it?"


    1 million¡­ Crystal Essences?!


    Star Luminous'' and Star Peng''s eyes suddenly lit up. This number of Crystal Essences to them was huge. Even if hundreds of thousands of people in the entire Vermillion Bird Holy Sect were to gather all their wealth now, the number wouldn''t even be close to it, right?


    As always, just as birds would die for food, men''s avarice for riches would always prevail.


    Let''s take it!


    The two exchanged glances quickly and then respectfully said, "We''re willing to follow you and work for you for six months, Senior Great Tang."


    Tang Xiu happily nodded and said, "Alright, then follow me if you are done here!"


    "Senior Great Tang, we still have 2.4 Immortal Crystals. So¡­ we also want to buy some healing elixirs. We ran out of any healing pills on the way here," said Star Luminous hurriedly.


    Tang Xiu serenely observed the two men and sighed secretly after seeing their bitter expressions. From Star Luminous''s words, he could guess that these two guys had blazed through many crises on the way here. Else, such Golden Immortals like them must have brought at least some healing elixirs.


    In the next moment, Tang Xiu took out two jade bottles from his interspatial ring and threw them as if throwing the trash. He then lightly said, "What grade of healing elixir can you buy with so few Immortal Crystals, and how many of them can you buy? Let''s just head out! Don''t waste my time."

 1347 Happy Days of Living Together

    Star Luminous and Star Peng took the jade bottle. Wry smiles suddenly appeared on their faces after they unplugged the corks and smelled the scent of medicine that fluttered from the inside.


    Purple Scent Pills. Each of which was worth a million Immortal Crystals. Even a Golden Immortal who was seriously injured could fully recover in just a few days after taking one.


    What left them speechless was that this mysterious Great Tang Heavenly Emperor threw them one bottle each as though throwing garbage.


    "20 of them?!"


    A Purple Scent Pill was worth a million Immortal Crystals, so the total value of these 20 pills was 20 million Immortal Crystals. Aside from this, he also bought them some artifacts worth 34 million Immortal Crystals. So, this time, he had already spent 54 million Immortal Crystals for them, brothers.


    He was really¡­ truly filthy rich!


    Both of them smiled bitterly and put the jade bottle into their interspatial rings and followed Tang Xiu. Their curious eyes kept lingering on the backs of Tang Xiu and Apotheosis Bella while silently wondering from where did this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor come from. They had never heard of him before!


    ****


    In the vast mountain range.


    Tang Xiu released the Myriad Golden Catamaran outside the riverbank millions of miles away, causing it to burst out into a ship-shaped building that covered an area of a few kilometers. Afterward, a portal was then opened and the four people floated into the interior.


    The Myriad Golden Catamaran itself had a total of three floors. Aside from the spacious hall on the first floor, there were 24 relatively small halls, each of which was completely empty. On the second floor, aside from the hall in the middle were 100 rooms connected by a corridor. As for the third floor, it only had four halls of the same size with a corridor, and the Profound Crystal windows easily allowed one to see the scenery outside.


    "You''re free to choose any room on the second floor. But you''re not allowed to enter the third floor without my permission." Tang Xiu then took Apotheosis Bella to the third floor after speaking.


    Shortly after, he took out every article he had put into his interspatial ring. All of which were a large number of household items he purchased back when he was on Earth. He even brought Earth''s most famous bed, Simmons, and placed hundreds of them, excluding some small military bunks he bought with Gu Xiaoxue.


    "Wow, all these things are very chic!"


    Casting curious looks at each article Tang Xiu brought out and watched him put them up quickly and formed unconventional-looking space, Apotheosis Bella exclaimed as she reached out to observe a desk lamp.


    Tang Xiu faintly smiled in response. The desk lamp itself had a spare battery, so he walked over and turned on the switch. As the light turned on, he smiled and said, "It''s a technological product from Earth. All the things here were brought from my world, Earth. I used to ignore these so-called technological products in the past, then I regressed and thought again that cultivation has its own merits, as do science and technology. After handling some things here, I plan to visit some technological star territories to get a lot of technological armament."


    "I''ve seen these technological armaments you mentioned before," said Apotheosis Bella with a frown. "But those regions are usually not in the boundaries of the Immortal World. The sentient beings there are all civilized empires of various levels in the distant void. But to me, it seems that those tech-based weapons are very appalling. I can smash a huge battleship with a slap."


    "Well, there''s quite a distinction in the military-grade tech armaments itself, though," said Tang Xiu with a smile. "Some powerful battleships are even able to kill a Golden Immortal with their bombardment. Even those state-of-the-art battleships have a main gun that can pose a threat to a Perfected Golden Immortal. Bella, it''s best to not underestimate anything, whatever it is. These things can exist for a reason, and that already explains their value."


    Apotheosis Bella thought for a while about it and felt that Tang Xiu''s reasoning made sense. However, she was still indifferent to these so-called technological armaments and casually brushed it off with a smile. "Well, I''m still going with you since you wanna go there, though. Consider it as strolling outside to relax and find something new."


    "Might as well." Tang Xiu nodded with a smile.


    On the second floor.


    Star Luminous and Star Peng didn''t separate and looked rather surprised. They casually picked a room and immediately arranged a soundproof array. Then, they took out two futons from their interspatial rings and sat cross-legged.


    "I can''t help but feel that something is amiss with this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, Senior Brother."


    Star Peng''s eyes flickered as he whispered.


    "My thoughts exactly." Star Luminous nodded and slowly said, "But I don''t sense any killing intent from him. Besides, with his cultivation level and the strength of the woman next to him, killing us would be very easy for them. Yet, they didn''t do anything to us, meaning that they harbor no malice toward us."


    "Whether they harbor malice or not is not something we can conclude for now." Star Peng argued. "Besides, there are too many people in need of help in this world. Why us?"


    "What do you mean?" asked Star Luminous. "You think he has some plan for us or something?


    "Yeah." Star Peng nodded. "We''ve changed our appearance and even disguised our aura. Only those very familiar with us could guess who we really are. But we''ve never met this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, so it''s very unlikely that he knows us. That''s why I think that the reason he helped us is not as simple as wanting to make friends. Maybe he''s paying attention to us since he wants to use us."


    Star Luminous nodded without a word. Then, he said, "I can''t rule out such a possibility, either. Though I just can''t figure out what he wants to use us for."


    Star Peng squinted his eyes and added, "He may have no place where to use us now, but the chance is high after entering the Secret Palace of the Drunken Immortal Supreme, though."


    Star Luminous''s expression shifted. After contemplating for a long while, he slowly said, "We''re just throwing guess after guess wildly, but we won''t be getting any answers. Whether he wants to use us or not, we only need to remember one thing¡ªstay vigilant and guard against anyone. We''ll immediately retreat once we notice something wrong."


    "Well, that''s the only way, I guess." Star Peng nodded and then said, "If anything, let''s just hurry up and refine our immortal weapons before the Secret Palace opens. We''ll have some more life-preserving means when we get inside the Secret Palace."


    Time passed by quickly and four months fleeted by in the blink of an eye. There were only two months left before the Secret Palace of Drunken Immortal Supreme opened. During this period of time, Tang Xiu and Apotheosis Bella stayed on the third floor of Myriad Golden Catamaran, observing the movements in the surroundings, aside from immersing themselves in cultivation.


    Here, they practiced pair cultivation, something usually done between Immortal couples.


    After Tang Xiu and Apotheosis Bella had such double cultivation, Tang Xiu''s Primal Chaos force rose several grades than an Immortal''s spiritual force, whereas Apotheosis Bella, who was still a virgin and at the Supremacy Stage, had her Yin Essence energy soar to an almost unthinkable extent. Therefore, both of them received huge benefits and their cultivation increased by leaps and bounds with such rapid progress.


    "The Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis truly has infinite mysteries. Although I can''t fully understand it, nor can I cultivate like others, the benefits I obtained in these several months are really hard to believe. The harvest I got from several months of cultivation is worth hundreds of years of lone cultivation."


    Apotheosis Bella herself advanced to the Supremacy Stage for some time. Due to having to fight continuously, she didn''t have time to stabilize her realm, but these few months were enough for her to stabilize her foundation, and the might she could unleash now was at least 10% stronger than before.


    Tang Xiu didn''t talk to her on this issue but came to the window to look outside. Within an area of hundreds of kilometers, aside from seeing Immortals everywhere, only mansions and palaces in his sight. Both of them had yet to see any familiar face among them and chose to be silent whenever some familiar figures flew by.


    "There are only two months left, Bella. I need to investigate the situation outside. Great Emperor Danqing never likes lively scenes and he always lives in seclusion, so he''s likely not here. But Zither Demon Jiuyao is the opposite of him. He always likes to show up wherever any major events occur. You''re a Supreme now, so those Perfected Golden Immortals won''t be able to detect your cultivation level. But Supremes can detect it, so you must stay here just in case you run into any Supremacy Stage powerhouse," Tang Xiu turned around and spoke with all seriousness.


    Apotheosis Bella thought for a while and nodded. "I understand. You still have Star Tears and Sablefiend Scorpio, so I can rest my worries. However, there are countless powerhouses from all over the Immortal World on the eve of such a major event like this. Many of whom have feuds with each other, so the situation will undoubtedly be chaotic. Do pay attention to your own safety and don''t easily clash with others, you hear?"


    "No worries! I know that." Tang Xiu nodded.


    Having said that, he came to the second floor and found that Star Luminous and Star Peng were no longer cultivating in their rooms but standing outside the cabin and looking around the ship. He immediately came to them and lightly asked, "Are you thinking of going outside to stroll around?"


    "Ah, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor."


    Both of them quickly saluted Tang Xiu and Star Luminous then said, "I do think of strolling around, Sir. After all, the Secret Palace will open soon and countless forces are about to gather. We want to investigate how many powerhouses and forces are preparing to enter the Secret Palace."


    "It''s likely that only a few Immortals, Celestial Immortals, or Profound Immortals will dare to enter the Secret Palace. I''m sure they are well aware that entering it is equal to being robbed of their treasures. The chance of them getting killed is just too great," said Tang Xiu. "However, the number of Perfected Golden Immortals in the entire Immortal World is at least around a million, and more than a half will definitely choose to enter the Secret Palace for the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme. The number of Golden Immortals is likely even greater, so I don''t think you need to inquire about this issue."


    Tang Xiu looked at the slightly changed expression on their faces and secretly sighed inwardly. How could he not see that these two guys had been wanting to investigate the situation of their enemies? However, he didn''t point it out to them openly and just lightly said, "Well, I''m also bored here. Since you guys want to go out and stroll around, then accompany me! Maybe we can get some unexpected gains outside."

 1348 Intriguing and Perplexing

    A large number of Immortals either hurried off or immersed in cultivation could be seen everywhere in the midst of the sea of mansion-type artifacts, and a road was formed between the tens of thousands of mansions and palaces.


    Leading Star Luminous and Star Peng, Tang Xiu quietly walked on the road while his eyes casually glanced around, observing the Immortals and palaces in the surroundings.


    At present, the weakest of those who dared to appear were ordinary Immortals. No mortals dared to be here for fear of running into some short-fused Immortals that were bound to harm them.


    Seeing these countless faces made Tang Xiu feel strange, though he wasn''t that surprised either. Back when he was a Supreme, he rarely went outside except when there were important things he needed to tend to or visit old friends. Rarely had he met or gathered together with those with low cultivation levels.


    7 days later, he finally spotted a familiar face and killing intent gleamed in his eyes. The instant after, however, he turned to Star Luminous and Star Peng and reminded them lightly. "I can sense a murderous aura from both of you. But you are not to cause trouble here even if you are Perfected Golden Immortals. Be aware that your purpose here is not to seek revenge but to strive and snatch your immortal fate."


    Star Luminous and Star Peng exchanged glances and immediately restrained their murderous auras. They just watched fixedly at the lean man sitting cross-legged several kilometers away outside a palace just like a guard dog. Still, they nodded to Tang Xiu in silence.


    That was Argent Martial Hale, Tang Xiu''s former disciple. Though young, he was extremely talented in cultivation and possessed both Fire and Ice arteries and veins in his body. Eventually, Tang Xiu took a liking to him and received him as a disciple. He taught him meticulously for a few hundred years, and 700-plus years ago Argent Martial Hale was just an early-stage Golden Immortal. But this guy now had unexpectedly reached the late-stage Golden Immortal in such a short time.


    Gotta change the course and keep on moving.


    Tang Xiu looked around and calmly listened to the conversation between many Immortals and soon learned many things. He also heard about where the people from Inner Pill Sect and Everlasting Palace were staying.


    "Let''s head to Boundless City," said Tang Xiu casually.


    He then floated up towards the small town near the Boundless Mountain Range. Star Luminous and Star Peng glanced at each other before they flew up to follow Tang Xiu.


    Established at the summit of a majestic mountain, the entire Boundless City itself was an Immortal Artifact, a 9th grade artifact to be precise. The person in charge here was a Perfected Golden Immortal who was backed by a Supreme.


    As the Secret Palace left by Drunken Immortal Supreme was about to open and attracted a large number of powerhouses from all over the Immortal World, the Boundless City''s City Lord, Boundless Star Guardian, not only felt like he was walking on thin ice, but he also must be very prudent in receiving these visitors. Even his Master Elder Golden Peak had to come and hold the fort.


    Before the Secret Palace opened, no one was willing to provoke any troubles and become enemies with a Supremacy Stage powerhouse, so the security of Boundless City was still stable and under control. The mortal and immortal denizens here were cautiously giving service to the powerhouses who came from everywhere. Many of the natives here had gotten a lot of rewards from the visitors for their services.


    Yue Tian was a guy who had been living in Boundless City for 18 years. Although he was only a Golden Core cultivator, his shrewd character allowed him to have a cozy life. Every day, he wandered around the city to serve as a guide for some Immortals, causing his blacksmith father to wish that he could break the legs of his son to make him stay at home and learn the ironsmith''s way for a living.


    "I got an Immortal Crystal yesterday. If I run into some other high-profile visitors today, I may even get more than yesterday. Pity this Boundless City''s is too small and those Immortals'' speed is too fast, else I''d have been able to get more since I can accompany them several days more."


    At the city gate.


    Yue Tian sat cross-legged on the edge of a curbstone, looking at the Immortals coming in and out of the city gate, wondering inwardly what kind of high-profile visitor he''d run into today and which one of them would ask him as a guide.


    "Scram, will you? I refuse to guide you!"


    A young man who also worked as a guide ran into and snapped at a group of finely-dressed yet menacing Immortals. As a result, the young Immortal slapped the youth guide. Fortunately, the latter''s cultivation was not bad at the Nascent Soul Stage, else he would have definitely died by the slap of that young Immortal.


    "Tsk, poor him to get so miserable."


    Yue Tian pursed his lips and clicked his tongue. He knew that Nascent Soul Stage guy¡ªa quite famous little fellow with quite an attitude. But two years ago, the guy eventually became much restrained and worked as a guide. Although he did get bullied many times, he still worked as a guide¡ªa work he relied on to get a lot of money from these powerhouses.


    Shortly after, Yue Tian focused his attention on this group of people and heard the clamoring of several people in the back. He immediately understood that these people were all from Myriad Sword Sect and that young man was the Young Lord of that sect.


    "Bah, that shitty Myriad Sword Sect again. They''re nothing but dogs."


    The news was no longer new to Yue Tian. He had even heard of it too much. Naturally, the Myriad Sword Sect was just a second-class sect attached to the Everlasting Palace. It was safe to say that they were their dogs that would bite anything targeted by its Master.


    "I heard that the Myriad Sword Sect has been particularly rampant in recent centuries. Even the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect that used to be super-powerful was harassed by them very badly. Alas, they truly are dogs who rely on their Master!"


    Yue Tian secretly shook his head. After taking back his vision from the Myriad Sect Sword''s bunch, his eyes wandered around again to some people who just entered the city.


    Suddenly, his eyes lit up when his sight fell on the finely-dressed handsome young man and then shifted to the young men behind him several seconds after. He thought for a moment and then decided to greet them. He respectfully said with an obsequious smile, "Senior Immortal really has extraordinary demeanor. You look so handsome, dazzling, and rich! May I know whether you''re new to the city?"


    Tang Xiu smiled and nodded. "You work as a guide here?"


    The youth raised his thumbs up and praised. "You also have keen eyes, Senior Immortal. Just like a dragon among Immortals, you make this unworthy one admire you! This little one has been living in Boundless City for 18 years indeed. It''s safe to say that this one knows this city well. Especially in the recent years since the Secret Palace of Drunken Immortal Supreme in the Boundless Mountain Range is about to open, so countless forces and powerful people with great supernatural abilities arrived here, letting me learn about quite a lot of special circumstances."


    Tang Xiu threw an Immortal Crystal to him and saw the youth take it with a surprised look. Then, he nodded and smiled. "I''ll reward you more if you don''t deceive me. But don''t blame me for killing you if you dare to brag yet can''t answer my questions later."


    "Yes, yes, yes. This little one absolutely knows everything here," replied Yue Tian hurriedly with a tense and prudent expression.


    "Well, does the city still have some unoccupied places to stay?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "No, all the taverns, restaurants, and inns are fully occupied, Sir. Let alone those places, even most of the natives here have been driven out of the city and their homes have been occupied."


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes and nodded. Then, he slowly said, "Accompany us to stroll around Boundless City! Let''s just walk and not fly."


    Stroll around on foot?


    Yue Tian was surprised. "Senior Immortal, even if the Boundless City is not very big, it will still take us at least a year to completely traverse all the streets here by foot!"


    After thinking for a while, Tang Xiu then said, "Then find something to ride. Take these 20 Immortal Crystals to rent them. You can have the remaining Immortal Crystals as the reward for your hard work."


    Yue Tian''s eyes lit up and he asked quickly, "How long would you like to rent it, Senior Immortal?"


    Tang Xiu thought for a mile and answered, "10 days! I think we can fully circle around Boundless City in 10 days."


    "No problem," said Yue Tian hurriedly. "I''ll go immediately."


    Quickly after, the youth came back riding two popular beasts that pulled a luxurious coach. After Tang Xiu, Star Luminous, and Star Peng boarded the coach, Tang Xiu said, "You take the reins and drive. Calculate in your head how to fully tour the Boundless City within 10 days. Remember, don''t drive too slow or too fast, just enough to stroll around for 10 days."


    "No problem, Sir!"


    Yue Tian was so happy. Renting this popular beast coach only cost 1 Immortal Crystal a day. 10 days would be 10 Immortal Crystals, so the remaining 10 would enter his pocket. Adding them with the other one Tang Xiu gave him before, he earned 11 Immortal Crystals in 10 days.


    While observing both sides of the street, Tang Xiu said, "While strolling, brief us about the surroundings. The name of the place and the people who occupied it as well as their origins. If you''ve run into some Immortals and some interesting events in recent years, you can also tell us about them. I''ll give you 10 Immortal Crystals more 10 days later should your service make me satisfied."


    He''ll reward me¡­ another 10 Immortal Crystals?


    Yue Tian gulped and repeatedly nodded with gleaming eyes. Afterward, he began narrating about the buildings and many Immortals who occupied them along the route they traversed.


    This fella really had great communication skills and was also very familiar with the situations of Boundless City. Tang Xiu was able to gradually learn the city''s forces and the forces who had come here. He even heard of a large number of forces he had never heard of before.


    "Ahead of us is the Hundred Joyous Mansion that used to be a red-light pavilion for those wild flowers. It was eventually given to the Everlasting Palace to occupy now. I heard that the mansion kept all the good-looking girls to serve those people, whereas the average-looking ones were sent home with money.


    "In the past 2 years, tens of powerhouses from several forces have visited this Hundred Joyous Mansion to seek pleasure with the girls here. They then clashed with the Everlasting Palace''s people. In the end, those who came late lost and left.


    "I also heard that some Supremes are staying in the Hundred Joyous Mansion, but as for who the person is and what he looks like, I''ve never seen the person myself."


    Hundred Joyous Mansion?


    A cold light flashed in Tang Xiu''s eyes.


    Everlasting Sect was the sect Zither Demon Jiuyao belonged to. Although it used to be inferior to the Vermilion Bird Holy Sect, the gap of power between the two was not as big as that sect was considered as a top sect in the Immortal World. 800 years ago, the entire Everlasting Palace had two Supreme experts, albeit losing Myriad Thunder Supreme at the moment.

 1349 Gathering Information

    The gloomy-looking Star Luminous, who stood next to Tang Xiu, slowly said, "How many experts from the Everlasting Palace have come here, exactly? Are there any prominent ones among them?"


    Yue Tian turned to glance at Star Luminous and slowly shook his head, saying, "I dunno about the exact number, Sir. But from my observations, it should be several hundred people. Else, the Hundred Joyous Mansion wouldn''t be filled up by them. Also, there''s one prominent person among them."


    "Do you know the name of that person?" asked Star Luminous.


    "I heard it from others. That person seems to be a Perfected Golden Immortal called Salientia Demon or something. He''s very powerful and he was the one who crushed those powerhouses who came to seek pleasure with the Hundred Joyous Mansion''s girl before," answered Yue Tian.


    Salientia Demon?


    Star Luminous and Star Peng exchanged glances and a similar look of hatred could be seen on their faces. If it wasn''t for not knowing how powerful the person was, they would''ve already rushed to kill him.


    "What''s wrong?" asked Tang Xiu lightly. "Do you have some feud or something with this guy?"


    Star Luminous hastily shook his head and said, "No, no. I just asked casually. After all, so many forces went to the Hundred Joyous Mansion to seek pleasure, but they were all kicked out by the Everlasting Palace''s people. That''s why we thought that there must be a very powerful figure among them. Since we now know that the Everlasting Palace''s people, we''ll be able to guard against them earlier when we enter the Secret Palace."


    Tang Xiu slowly nodded and felt satisfied with Star Luminous''s answer. Hiding their identities and waiting for a chance to get revenge was something that one must have aside from having patience. Only then would they be able to go on living and fighting against the enemy time and again. He felt that his guidance to these two fellas wasn''t wasted.


    8 days later, as the coach passed by a teahouse, Yue Tian introduced it. "This place is occupied by Immortals from Inner Pill Sect, about several hundreds of them. I heard their leader is someone called Venerable Multifarious Refiner, a fearsome Supremacy Stage expert. Rumors have it that this Inner Pill Sect is a top alchemy sect in the Immortal World. They brought a massive number of elixirs and pills with wonderful effects and various types, so they are sought after by countless forces. I''m sure they are now flushed with profits. Venerable Multifarious Refiner must be grinning from ear to ear."


    "You wait outside. We''re going in to buy some pills," said Tang Xiu lightly.


    Having said that, he got up in a flash, but his hands were pressed on the shoulders of Star Luminous and Star Peng since the two guys couldn''t restrain the murderous intent in their eyes. As they landed outside the teahouse, he looked at the four Golden Immortals guarding the entrance and lightly said, "I want to buy some immortal pills."


    The four men cupped their fists and one of them asked, "May I know your origin, Sir?"


    Tang Xiu casually fabricated a name and then brought Star Luminous and Star Peng, who had finally calmed down, into the teahouse. After entering, a white-haired old man greeted him. Then, Tang Xiu asked, "Do you still have Purple Scent Pill available?"


    The old man observed Tang Xiu for a few moments and smilingly said, "We still have some Purple Scent Pills in store. Please come with me, everyone."


    Tang Xiu and they followed the old man to the second floor and halted their pace in the corner of a hall. The old man then opened the cabinet door as he turned around and asked, "How many Purple Scent Pills do you need, Sir?"


    "Give me 10!" said Tang Xiu.


    The old man smiled slightly, took a cyan jade bottle, and handed it to Tang Xiu as he smilingly said, "There are exactly 10 Purple Scent Pills in this insulator, a total of 10 million Immortal Crystals."


    Tang Xiu took out 100,000 Crystal Essences and handed them to the old man. Then, he asked, "Do you have Thunder Pellets here?"


    "Thunder Pellets?!"


    The old man''s countenance slightly changed. After putting away the 100,000 Crystal Essences, he carefully scrutinized Tang Xiu''s trio for some time and then said with all seriousness, "We do have Thunder Pellets here, but the number is few and each is extremely expensive. Do you really need to buy it, Sir?"


    "How much is it, though?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "5 million Crystal Essences," said the old man.


    "Then get me one!" Tang Xiu nodded and said, "Running into fearsome Perfected Golden Immortals when entering the Secret Palace is bound to happen, so I can use this Thunder Pellet to snatch the time to escape in case of a grave crisis."


    The old man nodded and said, "The three of you, please follow me to the 3rd floor."


    Star Luminous and Star Peng followed behind the old man and Tang Xiu with strange expressions. They communicated each other in private through voice transmission:


    "Senior Brother, this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor not only uses a fake name to introduce himself but also spends big and dares to buy a Thunder Pellet. This person is definitely not simple. We need to be more cautious and guard against him."


    "My opinion is the opposite of yours, Junior Brother. He''s willing to buy a Thunder Pellet, meaning he has the ability to explode and kill a Perfected Golden Immortal. The might of the Thunder Pellet is enough to kill an early-stage Perfected Golden Immortal should the person be caught off guard. Even the late-stage Perfected Golden Immortal would still be gravely injured if they were hit by it. Just one Thunder Pellet is enough to kill us if he wishes to do so, though I don''t think he needs any trick or plot to harm us."


    "Ah, you''re right."


    Quickly after, Tang Xiu bought a Thunder Pellet and paid 5 million Crystal Essences. He observed around the 3rd floor of the teahouse and learned some things about the inside of Inner Pill Sect, while also memorizing their faces.


    After leaving the teahouse, Tang Xiu shifted to Yue Tian and said lightly, "Take the 6th road on the left and head to the city gate directly, we can traverse several times faster."


    Although Yue Tian had no idea why Tang Xiu changed his mind, he respectfully drove the two popular beasts and returned through the return route as per Tang Xiu''s instruction.


    A day later, the coach once again passed the Hundred Joyous Mansion occupied by the Everlasting Palace. Tang Xiu then shifted his attention to the weapon shop on the opposite side and lightly said, "Let''s go inside to casually pick some Immortal weapons. As for you, you wait here for us."


    Yue Tian hesitated but finally said, "Senior Immortal, if you really want to buy Immortal weapons from this place, please look for blacksmith Old Yue inside. He should be busy at work at this hour and he''ll give a cheaper price for the Immortal weapons you''d like to buy."


    Tang Xiu raised his brows and said, "Your surname is Yue, and that blacksmith you mentioned is also surnamed Yue. Are you his family member?"


    Yue Tian dryly smiled. "Well, he''s my father. He usually refines weapons in his own workshop. But in recent years, he has been called over to this place for 3 days every 10 days to help them refine some small stuff."


    "I see." Tang Xiu casually replied and then led Star Luminous and Star Peng into the shop.


    The place belonged to the Thousand Hammer Sect¡ªan equally famous artifact refining sect as the Artificer Sect that had a Supremacy Stage powerhouse at the helm, who was also a Grandmaster Artificer who could refine 9th grade artifacts.


    "Is there something you''d like to purchase, Sirs?" a young man in the shop greeted and asked with a smile.


    "We''re going to have a look around first, so please go ahead and tend to your work! We''ll call you later when we find the weapons we like," said Tang Xiu lightly.


    "By your will, Sir," the young man''s smile vanished after he heard it and then turned to leave.


    After entering the shop, Tang Xiu came straight to a shelf on the second floor. He only glanced at the immortal weapons on it and ignored them. His eyes, however, swept through the window of the building on the opposite side and silently memorized the faces of some people inside that building.


    After an hour, Tang Xiu turned and left. After returning to the coach, he said lightly, "Let''s go."


    Star Luminous and Star Peng were deeply puzzled by Tang Xiu''s behavior, though they were able to see some clues about him by following him outside this time.


    "Have you noticed something, Senior Brother? This Great Tang Heavenly Emperor has been acting very suspicious," said Star Peng with a voice transmission.


    "Yeah, he''s been acting very suspicious to me too," replied Star Hao with a voice transmission. "After we came to Boundless City, he only stopped by at two places besides finding a guide at the city gate. The first one is the Hundred Joyous Mansion, where the Everlasting Palace is staying. The second one is this where the building on the opposite side is occupied by Inner Pill Sect. We both saw clearly that he didn''t intend to buy any Immortal weapons whatsoever, but to observe the Everlasting Palace''s situation inside that building."


    "I noticed these too," said Star Peng. "But what I''m thinking now is, what exactly is his true identity? Why is he secretly observing the Everlasting Palace and Inner Pill Sect?"


    Star Luminous''s eyes gleamed. "I''m certain that he''s definitely not one of ours since we''ve never seen or met him in 700-plus years. Unless his face now is not his true appearance and he also has changed his aura."


    "But I have a hunch that he''s on our side, Senior Brother, though I have no idea to which faction he belongs to," said Star Peng. "He wouldn''t have gifted us Immortal weapons and healing elixirs and made us stay with him for no reason. Besides, even if he''s not on our side, he wouldn''t have secretly observed the Everlasting Palace and the Inner Pill Sect. There''s also another detail I noticed, though I dunno whether you also noticed it."


    "Detail? What detail?" Star Luminous''s expression shifted and he asked immediately.


    "Back when we were outside the place occupied by Inner Pill Sect, we both exuded killing intent to the people of Inner Pill Sect, but he directly got up and pressed our shoulders," said Star Peng.


    Star Luminous fell into silence. He didn''t pay attention to it before. But after Star Peng mentioned it, he suddenly realized that Tang Xiu''s action was definitely not normal.


    "Do you think he has found out our true identity?" Star Luminous asked incredulously after a long while.


    "I''m not sure about that, either," replied Star Peng with a wry smile.


    At the city gate.


    Tang Xiu took out 10 Immortal Crystals, threw them to Yue Tian, and lightly said, "You''ve done a very good job these days, so those are your rewards. But remember that we''re now strangers and you have never seen us before."


    "I understand!"


    Yue Tian memorized it and immediately replied respectfully.


    Tang Xiu then led Star Luminous and Star Peng back to the Myriad Golden Catamaran at their fastest speed. As they came to the second floor, his pace halted, he looked at Star Luminous and Star Face with a calm face, and then lightly said, "Our harvest this time is great. You both should have acquired the information you want to know, so you should also be clear about those you should pay attention to and those to be avoided when you enter the Secret Palace later, yes?"


    "Yeah, it''s clear now." The two nodded at the same time.


    "We''re leaving half a month later," concluded Tang Xiu.


    Seeing that Tang Xiu was about to head to the 3rd floor, Star Luminous hurriedly said, "Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, may we ask you a question?"


    Tang Xiu turned around, but he didn''t halt his pace and lightly said instead, "You''ve already guessed some parts, so why ask? Some things will no longer be interesting when they are pointed out openly."

 1350 A Fight Between Powerhouses

    Tang Xiu didn''t want to reveal his identity even though he knew that Star Luminous and Star Peng were very loyal to the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. It could be said that he had powerful enemies literally everywhere in the Immortal World nowadays. He had yet to fully investigate how many people took advantage when the Everlasting Palace and Inner Pill Sect attacked the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, becoming supporters of their evil works, cheering for them, and waving their flags.


    Such enemies must be completely annihilated so as to prevent future troubles.


    He had devised some plans after returning to the Immortal World, but the first part of his major plan was not to get revenge but to quickly improve his own strength while training a large number of powerhouses. Otherwise, even if his cultivation returned to the peak, he would have no means to get revenge considering he must face the Everlasting Palace and the Inner Pill Sect that had a deep heritage.


    As he came to the 3rd floor, Tang Xiu looked at the welcoming Apotheosis Bella and calmly spoke, "I''ve gathered some useful news. I decided that after entering Drunken Immortal Supreme''s Secret Palace, the first thing I''ll do is to snatch the wealth in the Secret Place and then collect some interests."


    "You mean the interests from the Everlasting Palace and Inner Pill Sect?" asked Apotheosis Bella.


    "That''s right." Tang Xiu nodded. "The number of people from these 2 forces who''ll enter the Secret Palace is likely quite a lot. Yet, they are still rivals when it comes to snatching fortuitous encounters. They won''t be united and definitely won''t team up in their actions. As long as they are separated, I can fish in troubled waters and inflict some losses to them. Further, there''s a lot of wealth there, but who can guarantee that these Golden Immortals and Perfected Golden Immortals are short on wealth? Killing them and snatching their wealth will be like killing two birds with one stone."


    "I believe in your ability, but you still have to pay attention to your safety." Apotheosis Bella nodded and exhorted. "After all, there will be a lot of Perfected Golden Immortals there, and some of them are even able to contend against early-stage Supremes. You must not take this lightly."


    "I know that," said Tang Xiu.


    On the second floor.


    An exciting look gleamed in the eyes of Star Luminous and Star Peng. Although they had already some guesses about the identity of the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, now they had finally determined that the person was on their side. It was simply the best gospel they had heard for hundreds of years. After all, to have support from an unfathomable powerhouse that belonged to their camp may help them in the Secret Palace.


    "This Great Tang Heavenly Emperor is very rich. If he''s really a friend of our Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, can we borrow some Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences from him? Without the support of Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences, the cultivation speed of our sect''s disciples will be slowed down a lot and we can''t have such a situation to happen for the next millennium. Else, our sect would be breached by the enemies and be destroyed," said Star Peng excitedly.


    Star Luminous, however, suppressed his excitement and forced a smile. "But the most important thing is, we''re not yet clear about his identity. Besides, there''s a chance that he''ll refuse if we rashly mention this issue. The most important point of all is that we absolutely can''t reveal how dire our sect''s financial situation is at the moment. Once our enemy found out our situation, they will definitely keep tabs on us more closely and those from our sect can only dream when they must secretly go out."


    His statement poured by a bucket of cold water on Star Peng and he smiled bitterly. He knew that his Senior Brother Star Luminous was correct. Outsiders may think that the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect was not in a shortage of Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences in a short time due to their deep heritage. But they were insiders who knew best about their own situation.


    Their sect had been maintaining the sect protective array all the time for centuries already. The number of Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences consumed by the activated array was astronomical. Coupled with the consumption of the people there to absorb the Immortal Force contained in the Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences to pick up their cultivation speed, it was just a disaster after another. No matter how deep the heritage of the sect was, such a long period of consumption still exhausted their resources.


    Suddenly, both of them flickered to the window and looked at the mighty waves of the river surface in the distance with shocked faces. They clearly saw three Perfected Golden Immortals besieging a Perfected Golden Immortal in white, though his cultivation was mid-stage Perfected Golden Immortal, a minor-stage higher than the three others.


    "Strange¡­ that''s Dao Master Qing Feng from Pristine Immortal Confucian Sect. How come he provoked the Myriad Sword Sect''s people? Those from Pristine Immortal Confucian Sect have always been pure-hearted and they rarely participate in the battles between the forces in the Immortal World." Star Peng frowned and his eyes flickered with incredulity.


    A cold light flashed in Star Luminous''s eyes and he said in a deep voice, "Our Vermillion Bird Holy Sect may have no friendship with the Pristine Immortal Confucian Sect, but, nonetheless, the enemy of our enemy is our friend. The Myriad Sword Sect has been behind the ass of Everlasting Palace every time they attack our sect. Too many of our relatives and friends died in the hands of their powerhouses. It''s hateful, but we can only blame ourselves for being very weak. I don''t think we can help even if we go out. Else, I would have rushed out to help and fight side-by-side with this Pristine Immortal Confucian Sect''s Fellow Immortal to kill all those Myriad Sword Sect''s bastards."


    Star Peng also clenched his fists and unwillingly said, "There are too many powerful enemies out there. If we were to help that person from the Pristine Immortal Confucian Sect rashly, we''re bound to have our identity exposed and be pursued by powerful enemies."


    On the third floor.


    Tang Xiu and Apotheosis Bella also noticed the fight outside. As both of them appeared by the window, Tang Xiu knitted his brows and said, "Who are they?"


    "That one is Dao Master Qing Feng from the Pristine Immortal Confucian Sect, a casual acquaintance of mine." Apotheosis Bella narrowed her eyes and slowly said, "That man is a decent person and his sect has a very good connection in the Immortal World. I''m sure you recognize the attire the three other Perfected Golden Immortals are wearing, no? They are Myriad Sword Sect''s people."


    Pristine Immortal Confucian Sect and Myriad Sword Sect?


    Tang Xiu slightly frowned and his eyes flickered. He would have sat firmly on this spot and turned a blind eye if the Myriad Sword Sect were to clash with someone from another sect. But he somehow was related to this sect. Especially because Xue Yu had obtained the inheritance of Dao Master Guai from this sect. It could be said that she was already a half disciple of the Pristine Immortal Confucian Sect. Looking at it, staying still and not to get involved with such a fact was not acceptable.


    Apotheosis Bella glanced at Tang Xiu''s face and asked slowly, "Xiu, do you want to help Dao Master Qing Feng?"


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, "Yeah. Xue Yu has inherited Dao Master Guai''s legacy, someone from the Pristine Immortal Confucian Sect. She can be said to be half a disciple of this sect. Besides, this Myriad Sword Sect has been the evil accomplice that has caused great losses to the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, so I want to help Dao Master Qing Feng."


    "Alright, then I''m going out," said Apotheosis Bella.


    "No." Tang Xiu shook his head. "Sablefiend Scorpio will go out and deal with it. She''s a late-stage Perfected Golden Immortal and can fight those three Perfected Golden Immortal of Myriad Sword Sect alone. Adding Dao Master Qing Feng to the lineup, it will be easy for that man to quickly flee even if he gets pestered by those three."


    After ruminating about it, Apotheosis Bella nodded. "That''s fine too. The Myriad Sword Sect has too many people here and they have Everlasting Palace behind them. Daoist Qing Feng is bound to face a dead-end if he were to get pestered here. Saving him now is the best choice."


    Tang Xiu then summoned Sablefiend Scorpio and said, "Do you see the fighting outside?"


    "Yeah, but I have no idea who they are," replied Sablefiend Scorpio respectfully.


    "The Immortal in white is Daoist Qing Feng from the Pristine Immortal Confucian Sect, while the three others clashing with him are from the Myriad Sword Sect. I''m tasking with helping Dao Master Qing Feng. You don''t need to kill his opponents, however. What you must do is to bring Dao Master Qing Feng here as fast as possible. I''ll have him secretly returned after the storm has subsided."


    "By your will, Lord!"


    Sablefiend Scorpio originally thought that Tang Xiu would order her to help Dao Master Qing Feng to kill those three Perfected Golden Immortals of Myriad Sword Sect, which would greatly increase the difficulty. But if she was just to help Dao Master Qing Feng to flee, it was not a difficult task for her.


    The moment after, Sablefiend Scorpio silently left the Myriad Golden Catamaran and took a detour to another direction without leaving any traces, preparing to move at any time.


    "Hahaha¡­ Qing Feng, your cultivation may be a level higher than ours, but I don''t think you can insist for long facing the attacks of us three Martial Brothers. You dare to poke your nose and meddle in the business of Myriad Sword Sect, so you must be ready to die!" Adjourn Northsword of Myriad Sword Sect manipulated his sword to block and stab Dao Master Qing Feng after laughing uproariously.


    "Hmph, the juniors of your Myriad Sword Sect keep harassing and terrorizing men and take their women. They even dare to kill mortals rampantly." Dao Master Qing Feng chided coldly. "Such deeds are something I must get involved with. Killing your juniors is a message from me to you. Whoever dares to wantonly kill mortals again, terrorizing men and taking their women, there will be others who will poke their noses and take care of this injustice as well!"


    The smile on Adjourn Northsword''s face faded away like a tide. He glared at Dao Master Qing Feng and intensified his attack, shouting, "Only death awaits those who meddle in our business! You killed my disciple, so you must pay with your life! Your Pristine Immortal Confucian Sect may have people stationed in Boundless City, but anyone who dares to help you means that they are declaring war with my Myriad Sword Sect."


    Dao Master Qing Feng no longer replied and conjured various immortal arts and supernatural abilities. Golden runes emerged in the sky and constantly bombarded his three enemies.


    Hundreds of thousands of meters in the surroundings.


    At least hundreds of thousands of Immortals could hear the exchange between the two men. Nearly all of them looked at the Myriad Sect Sword''s three Perfected Golden Immortals as shameless and despicable people. Although they also thought that it was stupid for Dao Master Qing Feng to meddle in others'' business, the declaration made by Adjourn Northsword that pulled his sect to the battle with such a fight was simply shameless.


    The reason was simple. The one killed was his own disciple. It was him who must avenge his disciple, so why must he pull his two Martial Brothers into the fray? Yet, if anyone from the Pristine Immortal Confucian Sect were to rush to help Dao Master Qing Feng meant that they declared war between two sects?


    What kind of principle was that?


    It was simply bullying! Pulling his Myriad Sword Sect that was stronger than the Pristine Immortal Confucian Sect to the table to bully others.


    Amidst the hundreds of thousands of people, Nine Nether Swordmeister''s eyes flickered with evident coldness. He unleashed his Innate Natal immortal weapons and was ready to move. He was a lifelong friend of Dao Master Qing Feng. Now that he ran into him and saw him in danger, he didn''t even think twice to get himself into great troubles.


    "Stay still!"

 1351 Being Driven Beyond Forbearance

    Venerable Netherworld, who stood next to Nine Nether Swordmeister, quickly grabbed the latter''s arm and shook his head indifferently. "Those three men have Myriad Sword Sect behind them. You''re also well aware of this sect''s power. Further, the Myriad Sword Sect still has the Everlasting Palace behind them. You may be able to help Dao Master Qing Feng for now if you fight them, but you''ll likely be the target of crazy pursuit by the Myriad Sword Sect once we enter the Secret Palace."


    "But I can''t just watch Qing Feng face such a predicament and misfortune without doing nothing!" Nine Nether Swordmeister angrily rebuked. "You also know what kind of relationship is between me and him."


    Venerable Netherworld was silent for a moment before slowly said, "Qing Feng has real connections with many people, and you''re not the only person who thinks like that at the moment. Just wait a bit more. If someone else takes action, it won''t be too late for you to step forward. Else, you''ll be hunted down endlessly in the future once you provoke such a feud with the Myriad Sword Sect."


    "But¡­" Nine Nether Swordmeister broke free from Venerable Netherworld''s grip and hesitated.


    "No buts," cut Venerable Netherworld with a cold face as he added with a heavy voice, "There are countless powerhouses in this place now, and the relationship between the various forces is intricate. No one can say if someone is an enemy or a friend. Endure it and be patient. Step forward when those people act beyond the limit of forbearance. You can expect that I won''t sit idly by then as well."


    Nine Nether Swordmeister hesitated for a while and then finally remained silent. He was well aware that even if he got involved, he could only lead Dao Master Qing Feng out of danger, but it was impossible for him to kill those Myriad Sword Sect''s three Perfected Golden Immortals. After all, the number of experts from this sect who came here was definitely more than these three. If Venerable Netherworld got involved, the odds of solving the problem would be much greater.


    A blurry figure suddenly flickered from the northwest and appeared in the middle of the fight in mid-air in the blink of an eye. The new arrival was a blue-haired stout man with an immortal sword sheathed on his back.


    "Blue Ocean Tidal."


    The instant he drew his immortal sword from its sheath, a blue sword wave formed in a flash and smashed toward the Myriad Sword Sect''s three Perfected Golden Immortals.


    Nine Nether Swordmeister''s complexion slightly changed and he blurted in a low voice, "That''s Indigent Whale Sea Emperor of Heavenly Ocean Immortal Domain! I never thought he was friends with Dao Master Qing Feng."


    Venerable Netherworld shook his head and sighed. "Indigent Whale Sea Emperor''s personality is similar to Dao Master Qing Feng''s. He''s also a warm and genial person, so it''s no wonder that they can become best friends. But this guy is now getting involved, no doubt he will incur a feud with the Myriad Sword Sect. He''s just pulling the grudge over to the sea clans in the Heavenly Ocean region."


    "Indigent Whale Sea Emperor is truly brave and loyal to go to such lengths for the sake of his friends," said Nine Nether Swordmeister coldly. "That''s the reason why he could fully unite the Heavenly Ocean region under him. Mortals and Immortals in that region are extraordinarily united under him. Further, many powerhouses who admire him have all gone there to take shelter, causing the region to increase in strength immensely. Unless the Myriad Sword Sect fully dispatches all their manpower, it''s nearly impossible to cause a big loss to Indigent Whale Sea Emperor and the Heavenly Ocean region."


    Venerable Netherworld silently nodded and was about to speak when his expression suddenly shifted and his eyes fell on another figure who took action. "That''s¡­"


    "Undemonized Sovereign Mo!" Nine Nether''s complexion changed as he blurted out. He could recognize the newly arrived person instantly since he had seen that man before.


    Venerable Netherworld frowned and muttered, "Undemonized Sovereign Mo is famous for being both nefarious and righteous in the Immortal World¡ªone who always does everything in a whim. But I haven''t heard that he has any friendship with anyone. How can he now go out and brave the risk to help Dao Master Qing Feng and offend the Myriad Sword Sect?"


    "I don''t care about anything else now," said Nine Nether Swordmeister with a heavy voice. "Undemonized Sovereign Mo has now moved to help Dao Master Qing Feng. There''s no way I can still keep here."


    With that said, his figure streaked into the sky and instantly appeared in the middle of the combatants. He fiercely shouted, "Hmph, relying on numbers to bully others is really what Myriad Sword Sect is, huh? I, Nine Nether Swordmeister, just can''t watch my friend Qing Feng being bullied by you!"


    Dao Master Qing Feng was very touched. Even in his imagination, he didn''t dare think that some old friends of his would stand up for him. He shifted to the powerful enemies from the Myriad Sword Sect and then said in a loud voice, "This Qing Feng is deeply grateful for the act of friendship the three of you have shown me. You all know my character. I never liked to be hypocritical, so please help me kill these three low lives together."


    "Count me in!"


    Venerable Netherworld rose into the sky and slashed with his immortal sword, instantly sweeping across the already distressed Adjourn Northsword. Had the latter not possessed a high-grade defensive artifact, he would have been killed by Venerable Netherworld''s strike.


    Qing Feng froze for a moment. Just as he was about to ask, he suddenly heard a voice transmission from Nine Nether Swordmeister and immediately understood. Quickly after, he gratefully said, "Thank you, Fellow Immortal Netherworld."


    Venerable Netherworld was feeling a bit regretful at the moment due to failing to slay Adjourn Northsword. He slowly shook his head and said, "I didn''t stand up to help you, but for my brother who likes to poke his nose everywhere."


    "Bahaha." Nine Nether Swordmeister laughed aloud. "Spare me the nonsense when making good friends, will you? Besides, the shitty Myriad Sword Sect is just a bully and they got nothing we need to fear. I heard from a certain Supreme¡ªa Great Emperor who once said that ''I''ll draw my word to help any friend who''s in need and in trouble and happily kill for their sake''. It''s just a pity that Supreme, the Great Emperor who I admire and respect is no longer here. Else some shitty sects wouldn''t have dared to act rampant and force others to fight!"


    The hundreds of thousands of Immortals present all wore strange expressions. From the line just recited by Nine Nether Swordmeister, they also knew who that Supreme Great Emperor was. Many powerhouses also had heard the famous line that he once said: I''ll draw my word to help any friend who''s in need and in trouble and happily kill for their sake.


    It was the line once declared by Star Cultivation Great Emperor¡ªonce the most brilliant and dazzling powerhouse in the Immortal World.


    Just that declaration alone won him many friends and countless admirers among supernatural beings in the Immortal World. If it wasn''t for their cultivation level being too low and not having enough qualifications to become friends with Star Cultivation Great Emperor, at least 90% of hundreds of thousands of renowned Immortals would have chosen to make friends with that person and become his genuine friends.


    And now, four Perfected Golden Immortal powerhouses, Indigent Whale Sea Emperor, Undemonized Sovereign Mo, Nine Nether Swordmeister, and Venerable Netherworld all stood up to help Dao Master Qing Feng. What was the difference between this occasion and the event 700-plus years ago where a massive number of powerhouses extended their hands to help the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect when it was being besieged by powerful enemies?


    In the midst of the Immortal crowd, Sablefiend Scorpio restrained her killing intent and quietly observed the situation in front. The order she received was to rescue Dao Master Qing Feng. But now, four Perfected Golden Immortals stood up for justice and took action, so Dao Master Qing Feng wouldn''t be in danger for the time being. She must make clear of the situation first and devise some plans accordingly.


    Thousands of kilometers away¡­


    One of the Myriad Sword Sect''s leaders, a Perfected Golden Immortal who brought the sect''s disciples to the Boundless Mountain Range to enter the Secret Palace, looked coldly at Dao Master Qing Feng''s group of five in mid-air. The calm-looking old man beside him, however, slowly said with a chilling light glittering in his eyes, "Tell those three to give up besieging Dao Master Qing Feng. Wait until the Secret Palace is opened and we''ll make plans accordingly."


    "This¡­"


    The burly late-stage Perfected Golden Immortal hesitated, but after seeing the old man''s cold and ruthless expression, he eventually could only sigh helplessly and instantly rose into the sky. He unleashed immortal flags that blocked the onslaught towards the three powerhouses of his sect, causing his body to shake slightly. Then, he shouted coldly, "This Lord is Myriad Sword Sect''s Elder, Northpeak Deluge. Please cease and halt, the five of you!"


    Dao Master Qing Feng''s group of five immediately gave up chasing after hearing this and coldly stared at Northpeak Deluge.


    "The grudges between us shall not be settled until the Secret Palace is opened," Northpeak Deluge arrogantly said. "I''m sure you''re all here for the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme in the Secret Palace. I don''t think you want both sides to get injured before we enter the Secret Palace and make things easier for others, no?"


    Dao Master Qing Feng realized that this issue was caused by him, so he immediately cupped his fists to the other four, saying, "Qing Feng is deeply grateful for your help. However, he''s right, yo all came here for the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme in the Secret Palace. I can''t let you all be affected by my problem when you will have to fight for such an enormous immortal fate. The Myriad Sword Sect is willing to put this issue on hold, so we shall refrain from being aggressive as well. We shall see what will happen, whether it is after entering the Secret Palace or after our trip to the Secret Palace is concluded."


    "Might as well. Fine with me."


    Indigent Whale Sea Emperor shot an indifferent look at Northpeak Deluge and snorted at him before he returned to the camp of powerhouses from the Heavenly Ocean region he brought here.


    Undemonized Sovereign Mo himself never uttered any word from the moment he took action. Now that the situation reached this point, he only let out a cold smile and said, "I, demonic Mo, am just rootless duckweed. I kill and help as my heart tells me to. If anyone of Myriad Sword Sect still dares to provoke Dao Master Qing Feng again, don''t blame me for slaughtering thousands of you to vent my anger!"


    With that said, he turned to Dao Master Qing Feng and lightly said, "Let''s go together from now on. One enemy comes, we''ll kill him or her, and if two more comes, then we''ll slay them as well."


    "Got it!" Dao Master Qing Feng felt warm inside and nodded seriously.


    "I already declared before that whoever bullies my friend is my enemy. I''ll deal with whoever it is even if my life is on the stake," said Nine Nether Swordmeister. "Northpeak Deluge, I, Nine Nether Swordmeister, will make it clear to you. When you''re prepared to deal with Qing Feng, then be prepared to be my enemy as well!"


    With that said, he slightly nodded to Dao Master Qing Feng and quickly retreated with Venerable Netherworld.


    Boiling killing intent filled Northpeak Deluge''s heart, but when he recalled the words of that old senior, he immediately sighed inwardly and slowly said, "It''s difficult to stay who will die inside the Secret Palace. We are all already feuding, so we might as well not wait until the trip to the Secret Palace is concluded. Let''s hope we run into each other in the Secret Palace!"


    "Fine!" Dao Master Qing Feng replied indifferently.


    The fighting between powerhouses quickly calmed down. As Dao Master Qing Feng and Undemonized Sovereign Mo left, the Myriad Sword Sect''s people also quickly disappeared from everyone''s sight.


    Sablefiend Scorpio also returned silently to the Myriad Golden Catamaran and directly entered the Heavenly Abode artifact. She didn''t want to know the relationship between Tang Xiu and Dao Master Qing Feng. For her, the most important thing was to cultivate and fulfill her job to serve Tang Xiu for 5,000 years.

 1352 The Opening of the Secret Palace

    On the third floor of the Myriad Golden Catamaran.


    Tang Xiu and Apotheosis Bella were standing side by side. Both of them didn''t retract their vision from outside even though the battle was over.


    "It''s quite unexpected. I never thought Dao Master Qing Feng would have such connections. Even those two guys, Nine Nether and Netherworld, didn''t hesitate to stand up for him and offend the Myriad Sword Sect. Seems like my goodwill went for nothing," said Tang Xiu with a pale smile.


    "Well, who in the Immortal World doesn''t have a few real friends after living for several thousands of years?" commented Apotheosis Bella with a smile. "It''s just that I didn''t expect that even the fiend Undemonized Sovereign Mo turned out to be Qing Feng''s life-and-death friend. Seems like the trip to the Secret Palace will be full of brutal fights beyond what I''ve expected."


    A complicated look flashed in Tang Xiu''s eyes. What Apotheosis Bella said touched the deep pain in his heart. He once thought that he also had several friends¡ªlife-and-death friends. Yet, in the end, those he thought as his best friends were the very ones who made him gravely injured.


    "I feel a bit regretful all of a sudden," said Tang Xiu suddenly.


    "Huh?" Apotheosis Bella turned her head and her beautiful face looked bewildered, asking, "What are you regretting, exactly?"


    "I regret bringing a few Perfected Golden Immortals with me," said Tang Xiu. "Else, I''d have been able to hunt more happily in the Secret Palace later."


    "Xiu, I don''t want you to court danger and be in danger before you''re strong enough, got it?" Apotheosis Bella smiled wryly. "In particular, I never want to see you end up miserable being hunted down by powerful enemies. I still remember the words you told me back then, that a man''s revenge is never too late even if you wait for 10 years or more since you will get the chance to get revenge as long as you''re alive. We''ll make our enemies pay a painful price when we''ve become stronger. That''s for sure."


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath to suppress the killing intent boiling inside him. He slowly nodded and said, "No worries! I''m not a reckless person. I won''t easily clash with them if I don''t have full assurance. Besides, my main purpose in going to the Secret Mansion is to get cultivation resources and massive wealth, to begin with."


    Time passed by quickly, and in an instant, it was time for the Secret Palace to open. As the glowing red blob from the eastern horizon of the Boundless Mountain Range raised, myriad streaks of light suddenly dyed the entire vault of heaven scarlet. A terrifying pressure suddenly descended from the sky and fell directly into the undulating mountain range.


    WOOOAH¡­


    Innumerable screams came from the vast mountain range. Those Immortal World''s powerhouses who had been hiding in the Boundless Mountain Range in order to be the first to enter the Secret Palace when it opened. The number of Golden Immortals was just enormous, and some Perfected Golden Immortals were even among them.


    However, that terrifying pressure was just too horrible. Even among Perfected Golden Immortal powerhouses, only five figures were able to run away in distress. Those with keen eyes could see that they had been seriously injured, increasing the risk and danger they would face when they entered the Secret Palace.


    At this moment, Tang Xiu summoned Sablefiend Scorpio from the Heavenly Abode artifact. He ignored the confused Star Luminous and Star Peng and shifted his vision to the Boundless Mountain Range, saying slowly, "He''s truly worthy as the strongest expert in the Immortal World 80,000 years ago. Just the immortal beams that opened the Secret Palace alone already have such great power. It''s highly likely the situation inside the Secret Palace itself is much more dangerous."


    "But we still must strive hard even if it''s ridden with dangers," said Star Tears.


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, "If anything, you may not be able to stay in the Heavenly Abode artifact before entering the Secret Palace. But you should be able to return to the Heavenly Abode after we''re inside. I hope we can have a great harvest."


    As of now, under the terrifying pressure, a rainbow gradually appeared and a 50 km wide square entrance fully appeared and instantly radiated a soft white light.


    "The Secret Palace has opened! Let''s go!"


    A group of figures suddenly rushed towards the 50km square entrance lightning-fast with tens of thousands of other people. Nearly all the groups were headed by Perfected Golden Immortals as all of them disappeared into the white light.


    It was a scene Tang Xiu had never seen before. While looking at the millions of Golden Immortals and Perfected Golden Immortals lunging into the Secret Palace''s entrance, he took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Let''s enter the Secret Palace''s entrance. I suspect there''s a teleportation array there, so keep in mind that if we get separated by that teleportation array after we enter it, remember to inform the rest using your Message Token and immediately gather with the nearest one among us. Do not try to show off your ability there, and do call any of us at once should you run into dangers."


    "Thank you, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor." The duo cupped their fists and gratefully said.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath, flew up, and bolted towards the entrance.


    Buzz¡­


    The moment Tang Xiu''s figure was submerged in the white light, enormous energy instantly wrapped him up. The earth and sky felt like spinning around and, after Tang Xiu''s sight returned, he found himself in an undulating mountain range. The mountains here towered into the clouds, at least thousands of meters high, while all the unrecognized trees with roots on the ground also similarly reached the sky. Nearly all of them were thousands of meters high, and some of them even reached tens of thousands of meters. Being here made anyone feel like they suddenly turned into a drop of water in the ocean.


    Suddenly, a vague sensation came from Tang Xiu''s left side. In nearly a flash, Tang Xiu wore an Invisibility Charm and restrained his aura as he silently blended into the bush ten meters high.


    "This is Origin Yang Fruit?"


    After calming himself, Tang Xiu glanced around, and what surprised him was the nine dazzling golden fruits at the distance several meters away. It took him only a glance to determine that it was Origin Yang Fruit, a spirit fruit that could increase one''s cultivation and quintessence energy.


    "As expected, treasures are just everywhere in the Secret Palace. After 80,000 years passed, any spirit herbs here will be extraordinary." Tang Xiu sighed inwardly.


    15 minutes later, Tang Xiu sensed a very vague aura. As it became clearer, a golden-robed and long-haired burly man was getting closer and closer until Tang Xiu was able to see his face clearly.


    It was a Golden Immortal.


    Tang Xiu ruminated for a second and decided not to harm this person, but waited quietly for this guy to pass by. Then, he silently picked the nine Origin Yan Fruits and then stuffed them into his ring. Afterward, he took out a Message Token to message the other four.


    Quickly, Tang Xiu received a reply from the other four. After figuring out the location where they had been teleported, he suddenly frowned since he found that the distance between him and Sablefiend Scorpio was just a few thousands of kilometers away. They could meet quickly if they were to fly straight and openly. However, they needed to avoid other people while also being alert to potential crises in this Secret House, so they wouldn''t be able to meet shortly.


    Quickly after, while keeping his vigilance, Tang Xiu met two other Golden Immortals. He chose not to disturb them since he couldn''t recognize their identities. He could tell that these two people were guarding against each other and then separated in two directions. Only then did Tang Xiu continue on his route.


    Half a day passed and Tang Xiu had traveled hundreds of thousands of kilometers. He encountered several waves of Immortals on the way, but he didn''t meet any of them, nor did he alarm them, he only silently halted his pace and hid nearby.


    "That''s¡­"


    Tang Xiu saw two sides fighting over a stalk of herbs called Solitary Thread Herb¡ªa very rare herb that could heal one''s Immortal Soul and also had significant effects on Perfected Golden Immortal.


    "A late-stage Golden Immortal against an early-stage Perfected Golden Immortal. The former is somewhat interesting since he can fight equally with the later. It seems like his identity is extraordinary. Unfortunately, he''s wearing a mask artifact that blocks any spiritual sense, so I can''t see his true face.


    "Well, might as well wait for both of them to get mutually wounded and be the third party who grabs the harvest without much effort. I can''t easily fight with anyone here. Else the risks will increase once I get injured."


    Tang Xiu thought inwardly while watching two people fight more fiercely. When that late-stage Golden Immortal was hit hard and seriously injured by that Perfected Golden Immortal and was ready to give up the Solitary Thread Herb, his complexion slightly changed since two sword beasts unexpectedly flashed from the grove nearby. The big tree towering to the sky was unscathed, but that Golden Immortal was hit by the two sword beams, causing his Immortal Soul to be instantly obliterated.


    "GET OUT!"


    The Perfected Golden Immortal''s expression changed and he instantly lunged towards the Solitary Thread Herb, uprooted it in the blink of an eye, and quickly stuffed it into his interspatial ring.


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Two figures flickered and appeared in front of him lightning-fast. One of them, a white-haired old man in a brown robe on the left, hideously smiled. "Hand over that Solitary Thread Herb and I''ll spare your life. Else, you''ll end up just like that one!"


    That Perfected Golden Immortal sneered at his demand and said in a deep voice, "I may not be able to fight both of you even if I go all out. But do you dare to openly chase me if I want to flee? The Secret Palace is now ridden with crises, just a slight misfortune is enough to either encounter some other powerhouses or even touch some restriction arrays here. Feel free to chase me if you think the Solitary Thread Herb is worth risking your life."


    Having said that, his figure had already dashed away to the distance in a flash. He even went so far so as to burst out a huge aura.


    "DAMMIT!"


    The two Perfected Golden Immortals'' expressions enormously changed and they could only watch that fella flee at breakneck speed with furious faces. They tried to pursue him for several thousands of kilometers before directly giving up. They indeed didn''t dare to hunt down the enemy in the crisis-ridden Secret Palace. Losing their lives just for one Solitary Thread Herb was not worth it.


    Tang Xiu kept tracking these people since the Perfected Golden Immortal who got the Solitary Thread Herb fled to the direction he was heading to. Hence, he made a short detour when the two Perfected Golden Immortal halted their pace and then tailed the other one all the way.

 1353 Killing People and Robbing Treasures

    The abrupt saber beam cut off several towering giant trees with diameters of several tens of meters. Despite his vigilant observation of the surroundings, that early-stage Perfected Golden Immortal was hit hard by the surprise blow and flew away to smash heavily on a tree trunk.


    As a matter of fact, he had restrained all the huge aura he released previously, but the enemy had been extremely deceitful and treacherous, thus inflicting heavy injuries on him. He wouldn''t be able to recover in a short time even though he took a Purple Scene Pill.


    "Who are you?! GET THE FUCK OUT!!"


    Unleashing his Innate Natal weapon, an iron chain-like weapon, he vigilantly stared at the front and shouted.


    Ahead of him, a burly figure appeared in front of that Perfected Golden Immortal. The man was more than 3 meters high and had a sharp horn on his forehead and a few sharp spikes growing on his shoulders. The most striking thing about him was his arm since he had four, each of which was holding an Immortal weapon.


    "Hand over your ring and I''ll spare you, or you can choose to die early!" Thornhead Sage licked his purple lips and stared fixedly at the Perfected Golden Immortal''s body with eyes resembling a dormant viper''s.


    "It''s you?!"


    Venerable Primal Forest''s expression changed. He had seen this Thornhead Sage and knew that he was a mid-stage Perfected Golden Immortal. Even if he were to fight against this person at his peak condition, it was likely he wouldn''t be his match. Not to mention that he had fought repeatedly and now was seriously injured after the ambush.


    Thornhead Sage grinned. "Well, well, you seem to know who I am! Very well, you should know my strength since you know me, so be obedient and do what I told you! Gimme your ring and I can let you off. Else, I''ll kill in this Secret Palace even though I must chase you down for thousands of miles and expose myself."


    "Thornhead Sage, I''ve fought against many strong enemies after entering this Secret Palace. Except for this one Solitary Thread Herb I just got, I haven''t obtained any other treasure. I can give you the Solitary Thread Herb, but we must avoid a fight between us," said Venerable Primal Forest.


    Solitary Thread Herb?


    Thornhead Sage''s expression shifted. Seeing that Primal Forest was afraid of him, he nodded happily and said, "Might as well. You chose to hand over the Solitary Thread Herb and have paid a big price for it. I accept your request, so take it out!"


    Venerable Primal Forest took the stalk of Solitary Thread Herb from his interspatial ring and threw it to Thornhead Sage.


    "What a great item!"


    Thornhead Sage was ecstatic after receiving the herb. Even if his Immortal Soul was injured, he would be able to recover quickly. Having this item was equal to having another half-life in this danger-ridden Secret Palace.


    Buzz¡­


    A sword light similar to a rainbow suddenly swept across Thornhead Sage, causing his defensive artifact to activate as it hit his body. The impact on his chest made him spurt out a mouthful of blood. The moment he grabbed the Solitary Thread Herb, he prepared to retreat to adjust his breathing and then kill this damn bastard. but to his shock, he found that several talismans had appeared around him.


    "Celestial Runes Array!"


    Primal Forest hideously grinned and loudly shouted to ignite the explosion of talismans. The last lightning bolt eventually formed a dazzling celestial star chart and only took an instant for it to explode the Celestial Runes Array directly.


    "SHIT!"


    Thornhead Sage instantly put the Solitary Thread Herb into his interspatial ring and took out a bamboo hat-like defensive artifact from the inside. However, he was too late to cover himself with it when the Celestial Runes Array burst and exploded. The explosion of this array not only caused great damage to him, but it also severed his ability to fight.


    Primal Forest was not unscathed, either, and coughed up a mouthful of blood. He''d have also fallen to the ground if it wasn''t for his Immortal Sword that suddenly appeared in his hand that he used to support himself. The Celestial Runes Array was great at killing, but the only drawback was that the caster would also be affected. He had been seriously injured and now was inflicted by the impact of this array, worsening his injury.


    Puff¡­


    A sword tip suddenly swept across. Even though Primal Forest saw the flashing of the sword strike, he was only able to retreat for several meters before the sword cut him into two halves. His Immortal Soul frantically tried to escape, but it then was hit by a lightning talisman and eventually vanished.


    "Well, well. Killing people and snatching their treasures is indeed thrilling."


    Tang Xiu took the Venerable Primal Forest''s ring and instantly shifted his attention to Thornhead Sage in front. A smile crept on his face and he straightly ignored the pleading look on the guy''s face. After killing him, he searched out the guy''s interspatial ring and then buried their remains as fast as possible before vanishing in this spot of the dense forest.


    15 minutes later¡­


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Three figures flickered lightning-fast and instantly appeared at the slaughtering spot. The three men looked hostile and guarded against each other only found the traces of battle here and nothing else. They then quickly left in three separate directions as though having a prior agreement.


    In the jungle.


    Tang Xiu silently moved along while observing Primal Forest and Thornhead Sage''s interspatial rings. What he found made him happy. Both men had lots of good things, especially a huge number of Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences. Thornhead Sage, in particular. This guy actually had obtained a lot of heavenly materials and earthly treasures though he was only in the Secret Palace for a short time. The fella seemed to have ambushed several unlucky ghosts, so the number of treasures and wealth in his interspatial ring was several times than Primal Forest''s.


    As he kept moving forward, Tang Xiu found many precious herbs and Immortal Stones, Immortal Crystals, and Crystal Essences scattered in the bushes. He inferred that the likelihood of this Secret Palace having some mines of these resources was very slim. It was very likely that the Immortal Stones, Immortal Crystals, and Crystal Essences he found in the bushes were casually discarded by Drunken Immortal Supreme.


    Buzz¡­


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu felt like he had crashed into a thread. At the moment when he wanted to retreat, a huge suction force instantly sucked him into a particular space.


    "Congratulations on activating the Chessboard of Drunken Immortal, Young Friend."


    A resonant voice suddenly rang in Tang Xiu''s ear and a white-haired and bearded old man appeared out of the blue. The old man was leaning on a dragon-headed cane and had a purple gold gourd hanging on top of his cane.


    A wisp of consciousness?


    Tang Xiu slowly cupped his fists and said, "Junior Tang Xiu greets Senior Drunken Immortal."


    The old man stroked his beard and smilingly asked, "How do you know that I''m Drunken Immortal Supreme? You don''t think that I may be the guardian of the palace left by Drunken Immortal Supreme?"


    "The most remarkable feature of Drunken Immortal Supreme is the wine that never leaves his body," replied Tang Xiu with a smile. "Hence, I''m sure this Secret Palace belongs to the Elderly. Further, there''s also a wine gourd hanging on your cane, so I have no doubt that Senior should be Drunken Immortal Supreme."


    "Smart." Drunken Immortal Supreme smiled and said, "It was not easy for anyone to come into contact with the Secret Palace I left in the Immortal after 80,000 years! It''s open now, but it wasn''t easy! Also, you''re the 3,600th person who has touched the enchantment, yet you''re the only one who correctly guessed my identity¡ªa more difficult feat to achieve. My main body gave three chances to fuse with this consciousness, so if you can answer one question from me, I''ll use one of the chances for you. How about it?"


    Fusing consciousness, meaning that his main body in the Gods Realm would be communicating with me?!


    Tang Xiu was taken aback and respectfully said, "Please do ask, Senior."


    The wisp of consciousness of Drunken Immortal Supreme asked with a smile, "You''ve been cultivating all this while, what are you cultivating for?"


    Tang Xiu didn''t even ponder and answered directly, "It''s to live."


    Drunken Immortal Supreme shook his head and said, "Your answer is ambiguous and the idea is nothing new."


    "You see, I''ve thought of the very question you asked me countless times already, but the answer I got is always the same¡ªto live and to be alive!" Tang Xiu firmly added, "Only by living can I pursue the meaning of the Great Dao and the essence of life itself. Only by being alive can I add more color to the canvas of life, tasting the emotions and realizing the true meanings behind every insight. The longer you live, the richer your experience, and the more you can gain in and from life. But the meaning of life itself lies in the process and the journey, not in the result."


    Suddenly, a fluctuation radiated from Drunken Immortal Supreme''s wisp of consciousness. After a while, a rainbow light flashed out of his eyes and firmly locked Tang Xiu within. A light whisper then rang in Tang Xiu''s ear:


    "Why is your aura a bit familiar?"


    Tang Xiu slightly frowned and then burst into laughter as he immediately said, "Surely you jest, Drunken Immortal Senior. You existed 80,000 years ago and I''m a cultivator of this age. We''re from different eras and not even on the same plane. How can you jest that I have a familiar aura? You must have made a mistake."


    Drunken Immortal Supreme shook his head and said, "I don''t think I''m mistaken. If it was eons ago, I may not remember your familiar aura, but I''ve sensed this aura 800 years ago¡ªan aura that appeared and then vanished as quickly as it came. I''m sure of it. Did you cross a tribulation and ascend to Godhood 800 years ago?"


    Tang Xiu''s countenance changed and he stared at Drunken Immortal Supreme with eyes full of vigilance. He didn''t expect that back when he had crossed his Divinity Tribulation and got exposed to the divinity force from the Gods Realm, Drunken Immortal Supreme who was in the Gods Realm was actually able to perceive him.


    "Senior, were you perhaps at the Immortal Exuviate Pond?"


    Drunken Immortal Supreme slightly nodded and smilingly said, "That''s right. Every newcomer who ascended to Godhood must guard the Immortal Exuviate Pond for 100,000 years. And I have been stationed here for 80,000 years, so that''s why I can sense your aura, though you eventually didn''t ascend to the Gods Realm."


    "I met some mishaps and ran into some wicked people," said Tang Xiu. "Let''s just say I encountered and got hit by a certain predestined fate. For lack of a better option, I can only re-cultivate again from scratch."


    "That''s really unfortunate." Drunken Immortal Supreme sighed. "Only two people from the Immortal World have ascended to Godhood in the last 80,000 years. I thought that our camp would have new blood from our world, but in the end, it turned out that an inescapable fate had hit the new member. Alright, you promise me one thing and I''ll teach you the secret of the Heavenly Circuit World Array. You''ll be able to receive the inheritance I left behind in the Secret Palace and won''t be subject to any restrictions here."


    Tang Xiu''s eyes shone and he immediately cupped his fist and said, "Please instruct me, Drunken Immortal Senior."


    Drunken Immortal Supreme said, "You already have sufficient cultivation level, so you won''t be pressured to re-cultivate again. As long as you''re not killed by other powerhouses, it won''t be a problem for you to reach Godhood again in the future. Hence, my inheritance won''t be of great significance to you. Besides, you already have your Dao, the path you need to walk on. Promise me not to get my inheritance but inherit any treasures in my Secret Palace. You can take away anything here if you have the ability."

 1354 Super Chea

    A smile crept up on the corner of Tang Xiu''s lips and climbed onto his face. "That was exactly my plan before coming here. Senior may be formidable, but your inheritance won''t help me and will instead affect my own cultivation path. I give you my word on that."


    Drunken Immortal Supreme happily nodded. A stream of torrential knowledge then merged into Tang Xiu''s sea of knowledge regarding the ancient array, as though it was directly engraved in Tang Xiu''s mind. In nearly an instant, he looked at this pocket world space. It was no longer a void environment but a running and evolving array pattern.


    "Thank you, Senior." Tang Xiu cupped his fists.


    Drunken Immortal Supreme shook his head and smiled. "It''s part of your Immortal fate and karma. I look forward to seeing you and I also hope that you can be¡­ kind to my inheritor. Our camp is kind of at the edge and on the losing side over here. Only by having a steady stream of new members joining us will we be able to¡­"


    Tang Xiu was bewildered and confused, but then he found that the rainbow light in the eyes of Drunken Immortal Supreme had gradually vanished. He wanted to ask some more questions but eventually swallowed them back since the divinity force dissipated.


    He was aware that Drunken Immortal Supreme had left, but what did he mean in the end?


    "Our camp is in a weak position?


    "Does it mean there are also battles in the Gods Realm? Do all the Gods and those who ascend from the Immortal World to the Gods Realm belong to one camp?"


    It was safe to say that Tang Xiu knew many things due to his distinguished status in the past. He finally inferred from the line said by Drunken Immortal Supreme that the Gods Realm was similarly chaotic and unstable. Perhaps the battles there were even more brutal than in the Immortal World.


    Ascending to Godhood and becoming a God was once an achievement very close to him in the past, but it was a very far destination for the present him. Hence, he decided to put it away first.


    Buzz¡­


    The wisp of consciousness of Drunken Immortal Supreme stared deeply at Tang Xiu and then smiled. "Young Friend has gained the approval of my main body, so this Drunken Immortal Chessboard is useless to you. There are 3 treasures stored inside the Drunken Immortal Chessboard, a 9th grade offensive artifact Soul Slasher Saber, a 9th grade defensive artifact Immortal Spirit Armor, and a Primordial Chaos Dao Pill. You can take all of them or choose one of them."


    "I''ll take all of them," said Tang Xiu without hesitation.


    Drunken Immortal Supreme''s wisp of consciousness slightly smiled. "Since you choose to take all of them, the enchantment here will no longer have any effect. This is the end of my duty. Fare thee well, Young Friend. We shall meet again in the Gods Realm."


    The starlight scattered from Drunken Immortal Supreme''s wisp of consciousness. As Tang Xiu put the three artifacts into his interspatial ring, the world in front of him changed and he returned to the jungle where he was before.


    "What a rewarding harvest!"


    Tang Xiu smiled gleefully. Through the memory in his sea of knowledge, he already knew the array structure of the entire Secret Palace, such as its complete map that had been engraved in his mind. He could clearly know which spots had restrictions, which ones were more dangerous, and which ones were safer, as well as some places suitable for fighting and hiding¡­


    "Damn, this is really a fraud, a super cheat!"


    Tang Xiu''s smile was exceptionally dazzling. Through his memory, he knew that there was a spot on the left side of the place that had a massive deposit of precious ores, so he immediately headed there and messaged Sablefiend Scorpio to hurry towards that place as fast as possible.


    He only needed to guard against other Immortal powerhouses since he already knew the route ahead and was able to ignore the hidden dangers. His speed multiplied several times and he moved like a gust of wind along the way while keeping an eye for the precious resources along the path. He avoided tens of traps arranged by other Immortals and obtained a lot of cultivation resources after a thrilling but not dangerous process. Then, he appeared near a sparkling lake.


    "There''s Violet Coral Agate at the bottom of this lake, a total of 108 pieces of them that formed an Immortal Pearl Protection Array. The Violet Coral Agate is a very precious material for refining. I''m sure there''s a more precious treasure protected by the Immortal Pearl Protection Array. I can see the Purple Coral Agate down there, but I can''t figure out what''s inside the array. It would be very dangerous if I were to go down there to have a look. Just that Golden-eyed Aquaproof Beast alone is very powerful and can definitely be ranked in the top ten Immortal Beasts in this Secret Palace. Unless my cultivation is a level higher, I''ll likely court my own death if I go down there now."


    Tang Xiu couldn''t help but sigh. He was unwilling, yet he could only look at the lake with desire. Just the total value of those 108 Purple Coral Agates was enough to purchase ten 9th grade artifacts. Giving up now without trying was definitely an enormous loss.


    Suddenly, his expression shifted and his figure instantly disappeared.


    The moment after, four figures slowly appeared¡ª3 men and a woman in black robes, and all of them were Perfected Golden Immortals.


    While restraining his aura, Tang Xiu observed the appearances of the four people. Then, his expression suddenly changed since he recognized the identity of one of them¡ªa member of Myriad Sword Sect, who besieged Dao Master Qing Feng in the Boundless Mountain Range outside.


    "Senior Brother Northpure, we already intercepted tens of people already, but none of them were from the Pristine Immortal Confucian Sect nor the Heavenly Ocean region. Also, the inheritance in the Secret Palace of Drunken Immortal Supreme will only be open for 3 years and this place will close if nobody can obtain it. It will take several thousands of years or even longer before this place opens again. We don''t have much time now!"


    "I know that, Junior Brother Northomen. But the atmosphere and vastness of this Secret Palace are nearly comparable to a large-scale Immortal Domain. Finding the people of Pristine Immortal Confucian Sect and those from the Heavenly Ocean region is no different than finding a needle in a haystack. Hence, we can only try our luck. If we''re lucky and run into them, then we''ll kill them to vent our anger. But if we don''t, then we can only go all out to rob immortal treasures and cultivation resources, as well as finding the inheritance place as fast as possible to snatch this immortal fate."


    "I''ll definitely kill those assholes of the Pristine Immortal Confucian Sect if I run into them, just like those dead bastards from the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect."


    "Yeah! Encountering them will be a blessing for us. Killing them and robbing them of their treasures will be quite a double harvest for us."


    "..."


    Tang Xiu watched the four people pass by as they quickly disappeared into the jungle in the distance. Intense killing intent boiled in his heart as these Myriad Sword Sect''s bastards had definitely killed quite a lot of Vermillion Bird Holy Sect''s members. Now that he bumped into them, he swore to make them pay greatly.


    Afterward, Tang Xiu quickly followed and kept thinking hard, hoping to find a good way to kill these four enemies from the Myriad Sword Sect.


    Suddenly, he abruptly halted his advance in a flash. His eyes flickered as a great idea suddenly crossed his mind. The next moment, he unleashed his spiritual sense for a moment, enough to be sensed by those four people in front.


    "Acting recklessly, huh?"


    The four people quickly returned and bolted towards Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu himself had devised a plan and didn''t bother to get pestered by these four and retreated back quickly. As he appeared at the lakeside, he took out an immortal sword from his interspatial ring and vigilantly stared at the Myriad Sword Sect''s four Perfected Golden Immortals.


    "Aside from that female mid-stage Perfected Golden Immortal, the other three are just early-stage Perfected Golden Immortals. The strength of those four should be more or less equal to that Golden-eyed Aquaproof beast. I just need to pull them into the lake and then wake up that beast, so it can help deal with something else."


    As Tang Xiu thought up to this point, he immediately shifted to the four people and said, "Where did you four come from, and why are you chasing me?"


    Venerable Northpure sneered and casually said, "You dare to release your spiritual sense in this Secret Place to stalk on us, meaning that you harbor malice to us and want to cross us four. Spit out your name. If your answer satisfies me, I may leave your Immortal Soul intact so you have a chance to be reborn."


    Tang Xiu deeply frowned and angrily shouted, "It turns out you''re nothing but some bastard brigands who want to kill me, huh? Let me tell you, I''m a late-stage Golden Immortal. You dare gang up on me, then I''ll risk everything to get the attention of all the powerhouses in the surroundings to completely destroy you!"


    Venerable Northpure''s eyes flashed with contempt. He glanced at the three others and immediately sneered. "Heh, just a late-stage Golden Immortal nobody, yet you dare to yell at four Perfected Golden Immortals? You really are impatient to die, aren''t you? Did you anything else to spit out? As always, ignorant people are free from fear. But you, cretin, it seems you''ve now hit a dead end."


    With that said, he immediately unleashed his immortal sword and shot it toward Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu intentionally wore a horrified expression and jumped into the lake in a flash. He submerged quickly and could sense that those 4 Perfected Golden Immortals were all chasing him with ferocious and thirsting-for-his-blood expressions.


    "Come chase me and I''ll help you fulfill your wish to die."


    Tang Xiu dove a kilometer into the lake and then stopped all of a sudden as he blasted away his divine sword in that instant to slash the four people. The sharp sword energy slashed the water surface and crushed down toward the four.


    Bang, bang, bang¡­.


    The four people were caught off guard and were forced to retreat. They never thought that such a weak Golden Immortal nobody was so audacious and daring to fight against them, four Perfected Golden Immortals. Even though they had tried their best to block his strike, the tumultuous blood inside their bodies made them realize that the strike of this man in front had injured them slightly.


    "KILL HIM!"


    The killing aura of the female Perfected Golden Immortal in black robes almost materialized. She dashed fast towards Tang Xiu even though they were still under the water surface.


    Venerable Northpure instantly followed and shouted coldly, "Something''s strange with this punk. His aura is only at the Earth Immortal Stage, yet the power he just unleashed is on par with Perfected Golden Immortal''s. It''s highly likely he has some kind of divine armament or something. Let''s join up and try to kill him as fast as possible!"


    "Got it!"


    The four people moved and attacked, resulting in a vacuum area a kilometer in diameter under the water.

 1355 Achieving Two Targets at Once

    1,000 meters deep at the bottom of the lake, Tang Xiu carefully and vigilantly observed the surroundings, watching the four Perfected Golden Immortals. He instantly released his aura and forced the lake water 3 meters around and then ignited the Nine Heavens Thunder Art instantly.


    CRACK¡­ BOOM!


    Loud explosions of thunder and bolts of lightning struck in the deep lake as though it was in the sky. The flashes of lightning were as though electric eels cruising and weaving the lake water into a power grid in an instant.


    The four Perfected Golden Immortals lunging towards Tang Xiu had their faces enormously changed and gave up attacking Tang Xiu and unleashed powerful strikes one after another to force the surrounding water lake away from them to avoid themselves from getting electrocuted.


    "It''s time to retreat."


    Tang Xiu didn''t prolong the clash and bolted to the back. At the same time, he sensed a terrifying aura coming from another direction very fast, so he quickly took out an Invisibility Charm to hide.


    "Watch out, everyone!"


    Venerable Northpure could only stare as Tang Xiu''s figure vanished with a helpless face. As he sensed Tang Xiu''s aura rapidly dissipating, a vigilant look was cast on his face and he shouted in a deep voice.


    The black-robed woman''s expression suddenly changed and she interjected with a deep voice, "There''s another powerful being in this lake, and it''s approaching us very fast. Let''s be careful even though a late-stage Perfected Golden Immortal won''t be able to make us stay here."


    Several breaths after, the elusive Aquatic Golden-eyes Beast came into the sight of the four Perfected Golden Immortals. However, they didn''t look afraid even though the aura of the beast was very powerful. The look of greed on their faces was more evident as they stared at the head of the golden crystal beast.


    That was a corona, a crown.


    They couldn''t tell what material the crown was made of, but they could recognize the 108 gorgeous Dragon pearls embedded on the crown. Each pearl was a multi-colored Dragon pearl formed after the death of a Sacred Dragon, whose essence then condensed into a Dragon bead and then turned into a five-colored Dragon pearl. At the center front of the crown itself was a fist-sized scarlet-colored Earth Core inlaid. It went without saying that each five-colored Dragon pearl was a priceless treasure, but that Earth Core alone was a treasure countless of Immortals always dreamed of having. Even those at the Supremacy Stage also desired it.


    "Let''s kill this beast and snatch those colorful Dragon pearls and the Earth Core!"


    The four exchanged glances and one of them shouted.


    BOOM¡­


    The Golden-eyed Aquaproof Beast was the first to attack. Its big mouth opened and shot out a mighty torrent of water. The powerful torrent of water was like a tide of artillery shells torpedoing the four people instantly.


    "Golden Aegis Shield!"


    "Quicksand Reticulum!"


    "Black-gold Immortal Tablet!"


    "Myriad Adamantine!"


    Venerable Northpure''s group of four simultaneously released their respective defensive artifacts and formed a net in front of them. They hadn''t yet figured out the true strength of this Golden-eyed Aquaproof Beast, so they directly chose to defend.


    BOOM!


    The tens of meters wide torpedo-like mighty torrent clashed with the four defensive artifacts. The four artifacts continuously cracked and then shattered into pieces, resulting in the water attack hitting the four people.


    Puah¡­


    The four people crazily coughed up some mouthfuls of blood and were forced back.


    It was just one blow, yet all of them had been wounded. Although their injuries were not too serious, the terrifying blow from the Golden-eyed Aquaproof Beast sent a chill down their spines, and fear now birthed inside them.


    With slightly trembling hands, Venerable Northpure shouted loudly, "This Golden-eyed Aquaproof Beast is very powerful. Even if it can''t be compared to a Supremacy Stage powerhouse, this beast is at least comparable to a late-stage Perfected Golden Immortal. I don''t think we have a chance to defeat it!"


    Venerable Northomen wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said aloud, "But we won''t get that crown if we can''t fight it. We can''t just enter a treasure mountain and return home empty-handed, no? I''m sure we brothers and sisters will regret it later."


    The black-robed female interjected with a heavy voice, "Let''s quickly find a way! Even though we can''t kill this beast, we must get the crown on its head. I suspect that that object is no longer an immortal artifact. It should be a Primordial Chaos treasure!"


    A Primordial Chaos treasure?


    The other three were shocked and the greed in their eyes intensified. It must be noted that a 9th-grade immortal artifact was already a terrifying artifact that even a Supreme may not necessarily have it in possession. As for Primordial Chaos treasures, such objects were priceless in the eyes of these Supremes.


    If¡­ this object is really a Primordial Chaos treasure, then if I get it, my combat power will be improved by at least several levels. I''ll definitely be able to slay a late-stage Perfected Golden Immortal. Venerable Northpure''s body shivered and he shouted fiercely, "We have no other choice but to go all out, everyone! It''s the way and the heart of the strong, so let''s go all out!"


    "KILL!"


    The other three were also battle-seasoned powerhouses with tenacity and wildness in their bones. Facing such heavenly treasures, they even forgot about Tang Xiu.


    The elusive Golden-eyed Aquaproof Beast was an Immortal Beast reared by Drunken Immortal Supreme for some tens of thousands of years. After staying here for 80,000 years, its real age had reached 120,000 years, so its strength was comparable to an early-stage Supremacy Stage powerhouse.


    At present, the beast saw four weak humans coming here and provoking it, stimulating its ferocity and wrath. The moment it shot bubbles from its mouth, its sharp claws also instantly swept over towards them, forcing the water to both sides as the claws pierced through the bubbles.


    Blob¡­


    The bubbles instantly exploded the moment its sharp claw clashed with the Innate Natal immortal weapons unleashed by the four, bringing out devastating energy that instantly increased the explosion power thousands of times.


    "GOD! This thing is even stronger than before¡­"


    "RUN!"


    The four people crazily coughed up blood and their bodies plunged upside down like snapped kites for hundreds of meters, while their defensive artifacts were all shattered.


    Suddenly, the black-robed female shuddered. A stream of water instantly wrapped around her body like a snake. The enormous suction force barred her from being able to resist and she was pulled to the beast''s mouth lightning-fast. The instant after, the beast''s crystal-like sharp front teeth snapped her body. Her Immortal Soul was not able to escape and was directly swallowed by the Golden-eyed Aquaproof beast.


    At the same time, Venerable Northomen was also being pulled to the front of the water beast. Terror covered his face and despair filled his whole being after witnessing how the black-robed female was instantly bitten and swallowed by the beast.


    I''m dead! Venerable Northomen closed his eyes in pain and growled. "Two Senior Brothers, please help me take care of my family!"


    BOOM¡­


    The Golden-eyed Aquaproof Beast was just about to swallow Venerable Northpure, but the action of Venerable Northomen to explode his Immortal Soul blew it away, causing it to wail in pain. Most of its teeth and mouth were blasted and the huge impact injured it heavily despite its powerful strength.


    Whoosh¡­


    A figure suddenly flickered and silently appeared above the Golden-eyed Aquaproof Beast. The beast would have been able to sense him had it not been for Venerable Northomen self-exploding action. However, it was now in pain after getting exposed to the explosion. Thus, its ability to sense anything in the surroundings was rendered useless.


    Stab¡­


    A piercing strike from the divine sword stroked its head, causing the crown on its head to be thrown off and then was caught by Tang Xiu''s hand, who appeared out of the blue. Afterward, Tang Xiu exerted all his strength and crazily circulated his Primal Chaos force in his body and then dashed to the distance like a lightning bolt.


    "Junior Sister Zhu Rong!"


    "Junior Brother Northomen!"


    Venerable Northpure and another Perfected Golden Immortal looked pained at the same time as they roared, gritted their teeth, and rushed toward the Golden-eyed Aquaproof Beast. To their shock, however, that figure who appeared in their line of sight and his action made them furious and cough up blood again more crazily.


    "You abominable thief! Return that Primordial Chaos treasure!"


    Both men no longer cared about taking advantage to attack the beast during its short moment weakness but instead tried to chase Tang Xiu. What had driven them so crazy? It was all for those great treasures!


    "Nine Heavens Thunder Art!"


    The moment Tang Xiu retreated like crazy, he didn''t hesitate to cast a spell, conjuring countless lightning bolts and thunder to blitz down to the lake surface. The crushing lightning bolts from the sky instantly made the bottom of the lake turn upside down.


    ROAR¡­


    The Golden-eyed Aquaproof Beast immediately sobered up after getting struck by lightning bolts. Its eyes turned bloodshot with crazy killing intent after it was gravely injured. Seeing that the two enemies just passed by it, it immediately roared and pursued.


    Venerable Northpure and the other Perfected Golden Immortal were desperate and felt like dying at the same time. The lightning sparks made them slightly helpless. Who would have thought the previously fainted Golden-eyed Aquaproof Beast would sober up at this time?


    "ESCAPE!"


    "RUN QUICKLY!"


    At this time, Venerable Northpure no longer cared about chasing Tang Xiu or the crown again. His figure turned as though a cannonball as he dashed forward, though he got struck by tens of lightning bolts in the process.


    "Aaaargh¡­"


    The other Perfected Golden Immortal, however, couldn''t escape and was hit by the Golden-eyed Aquaproof''s sharp claws and let out a painful shriek as he got swallowed by the beast. However, thinking that he couldn''t survive, he chose to explode his Immortal Soul.


    The Golden-eyed Aquaproof had just been hit hard. Although it barely survived the blast, it couldn''t withstand the second explosion from a Perfected Golden Immortal''s soul detonation. Its Beast Soul collapsed and its head was blown to death.


    Venerable Northpure was too close to the Perfected Golden Immortal who exploded himself. The impact of the explosion made him get struck by more lightning bolts, causing blood to flow out from his eyes and nose. The moment he escaped from the bottom of the lake, the man was already close to dying.


    Slash¡­


    A sword light that looked as if it was able to tear through space flashed, slashing the unprepared Venerable Northpure''s body into two halves in nearly a flash. Even his Immortal Soul was unable to run.


    "Huh? So easy?"


    Tang Xiu never thought that such a powerful Perfected Golden Immortal would be so easily slain by his sword. He didn''t even cast his Devour and Fusion abilities, for God''s sake!

 1356 Coincidentally Obtained Another Supernatural Ability

    Tang Xiu''s eyes flashed with excitement as he put away the crown into his interspatial ring. He didn''t care to see what grade and the kind of treasure the crown was and just submerged deep into the water again. Seeing the dead body of the Golden-eyed Aquaproof Beast, he quickly put the remains into his ring and then quickly went to the Immortal Pearl Protection Array at the bottom of the lake. In just half an incense time, he broke the array, took the 108 Purple Coral Agates, and stuffed them away. As he came to the ten thousand years old cold jade platform, he grabbed a round bead radiating a seven-colored light.


    "A seven-colored Dragon Pearl?!"


    Tang Xiu''s eyes instantly shone. The seven-colored Dragon Pearl formed by the lifelong quintessence of a Sacred Dragon which then fused and formed a core¡ªan absolutely priceless treasure in any Supreme''s eyes. If any early-stage Supreme powerhouse took and absorbed this seven-colored Dragon Pearl, it would greatly shorten the time needed for that person to advance to the late-stage Supreme. Further, that person would very likely have a chance to cross the Divinity Tribulation and ascended to Godhood.


    Obtaining a seven-colored Dragon Pearl was simply tailor-made for him. If he absorbed it, his cultivation speed would be greatly improved by at least several times.


    "Gotta take and ingest this thing!"


    After contemplating back and forth, Tang Xiu finally made up his mind to ingest the seven-colored Dragon Pearl. An inexplicable taste and sensation then suddenly enveloped his heart.


    "A supernatural ability¡­ Rainbow Phantasmagoria Realm?"


    Tang Xiu''s expression turned uncanny. He never dreamed that the Dragon Pearl would stimulate such a talent after ingesting it. What made him feel even more incredulous was that this "Rainbow Phantasmagoria Realm" was a supernatural ability that sharply increased his mastery in the illusion art. He could even use this divine ability to form a phantasm realm that could make the enemy hallucinate and expose their secrets to him.


    "Unbelievable! This is so damn incredible."


    Tang Xiu could tell how terrifying this Rainbow Phantasmagoria Realm was. It was a supernatural ability that was far more abnormal than the Devour and Fusion abilities. If he were to fight against powerful enemies and caught them under the influence of this Rainbow Phantasmagoria Realm, he could distract them instantly. Most importantly, he could also learn their weaknesses by confusing their minds.


    Suddenly, his expression shifted and he flashed to a small mud ditch in the blink of an eye. He quickly cast a concealment array disk and restrained his aura.


    A few moments later, two figures appeared in the spot Tang Xiu just stood. Using their spiritual sense, they observed the surroundings but then frowned.


    "There was obviously a fight here, but there are no traces of anyone. They must have erased their traces. If my guess is correct, they must have noticed our arrival and stopped fighting and then left."


    "I guess so. Besides, it was a fight between Perfected Golden Immortals. Pity that we came too early. Had we come after both sides got injured after the fight, we would''ve definitely been able to kill all of them and then obtained the benefit."


    "Haih, let''s set off again!"


    The two men just exchanged some lines and then left.


    Time went by.


    After two days passed, Tang Xiu silently removed the concealment array and then activated an Invisibility Charm before he left the bottom of the lake. As he appeared at the lakeside, he didn''t find anyone hiding in the surroundings and then hurried towards the nearest mansion.


    The number of people that entered the Secret Palace was big, but the Secret Palace was too large and Tang Xiu only ran into many Golden Immortals and Perfected Golden Immortals earlier. But a few days later, after having traveled for millions of kilometers, he only encountered two Golden Immortals.


    Skypillar Manor.


    It was a majestic manor surrounded and fully enveloped in an array in the Secret Palace with only a long bridge passage to enter it. For several days, however, tens of Golden Immortals and Perfected Golden Immortals who discovered this manor had not yet successfully crossed the bridge. Those who tried were either killed by the restriction and trap mechanisms on the bridge or returned with grave injuries.


    Some hundreds of kilometers from the manor.


    Sablefiend Scorpio''s figure trembled and dark-green blood flowed out of her mouth. Her black robe was tattered and showed some shocking bleeding wounds, with white bones appearing from several wounds on her body.


    "Hand over that Obsidian Urn and we may spare a wisp of your soul so you can be reborn and become a scorpion again. You can keep resisting, but don''t blame us for annihilating your soul. But then, you''ll never be able to be reincarnated." A delicate and pretty man in golden robes grinned strangely.


    Beside him were two tower-like stout men nearly identical in appearance. They were both about 4 meters in height with oil-luster-like dark skin, and they had an additional eye on their forehead¡ªa very rare and peculiar trait of members from the Violent Three Eyes race in the Immortal World.


    Sablefiend Scorpio was a bit desperate. Her cultivation was at the late-stage Perfected Golden Immortal now. It was safe to say that only a few people could kill her in this Secret Palace. But these three men were also late-stage Perfected Golden Immortals, while Whitespark True Monarch especially had a 9th-grade artifact, the Skyscraper Auger.


    "Think clearly, Whitespark True Monarch. You three may be able to kill me, but I''ll take at least one of you to the grave with me, while the two others won''t be unscathed either. There are at least tens of powerhouses in the surroundings waiting for a cheap harvest after both of us get injured," said Sablefiend Scorpio coldly.


    "Heh, do you think this Lord will be scared?" Whitespark True Monarch sneered. "You wanna pull some other sacrificial victims to us and are still trying to make us pay a grievous price? You''re already on the tip of a horn and we can slay you without going all out. Spare the shitty nonsense and just hand over the Obsidian Urn, else we''ll really annihilate your soul."


    Sablefiend Scorpio took a deep breath and looked around, shouting aloud, "Who dares to stand up now? Who else wants this Obsidian Urn treasure?"


    Whitespark True Monarch smilingly scoffed at her effort whereas the two three-eyed experts of Violent Three Eyes clan looked contemptuous. At the moment, who dared to stand up and face three late-stage Perfected Golden Immortals like them?


    As expected, nobody from the tens of Perfected Golden Immortals hiding in the surroundings came forward. It wasn''t that they didn''t desire the Obsidian Urn, but they were rather unsure whether they could defeat Whitespark True Monarch''s group of three if they helped Sablefiend Scorpio. Further, the enemy they had to face was not limited to Whitespark group of three alone since there were many auras hiding in the surroundings¡ªpotential enemies that would very likely strike when any of them were to fight against Whitespark group and then both sides were mutually injured. Should it happen, these people would definitely strike to kill them to snatch their treasures.


    Feeling vexed and unwilling inwardly, Sablefiend Scorpio hoped that her Master, Tang Xiu, could arrive soon. However, she was perfectly aware that even if Tang Xiu was able to slay a Perfected Golden Immortal with a surprise attack, it was just impossible for him to be an opponent to the 3 Perfected Golden Immortals. Even with his help, the final outcome would only add one more death.


    Then again, even if he does come here, the chance of him daring to help me in this predicament is very slim, no? After all¡­ this situation spells a dead end to anyone.


    Sablefiend Scorpio took another deep breath. She then took out a blood-red long saber from her body with madness-filled eyes. This high-grade Praecantator artifact was comparable to an 8th grade immortal artifact. She didn''t take it out before since she didn''t want anyone to know that she had such a high-grade Praecantator artifact, so as to guard against anyone from targeting her and hunting her due to coveting the treasure.


    But she couldn''t care so much about anything else now.


    "Bring it on, then! Let''s see which one of you who''ll go to the grave with me?" Sablefiend Scorpio shouted.


    Praecantator artifact?!


    The moment Sablefiend Scorpio took out a Praecantator saber, Whitespark True Monarch and his two subordinates were not the only ones who could sense the diabolic force radiating from the weapon, but also the tens of powerhouses in the surroundings. Some well-informed people could even recognize that Praecantator saber, a magical weapon originated from the once-famous Diablo Praecantator race in the Immortal World.


    "Interesting!"


    A grim figure flickered from a distance and a surging aura radiated from him as he said in a deep voice, "Sablefiend Scorpio, you had vanished for a few centuries, so I never thought that you''d appear here. Further, that weapon in your hands was once used by a warlord of the Diablo Praecantator race in the past."


    "Do you also want to have a share of killing me, Venerable Netherworld?" replied Sablefiend Scorpio aggressively.


    "You''re very strong. I''m well aware that I''m not your match." Venerable Netherworld shook his head and smilingly said, "Those three are certainly very strong. I cannot fight against them, either. I''m just curious. You were just a mid-stage Perfected Golden Immortal a couple hundreds of years ago, yet you quickly advanced to the late-stage Perfected Golden Immortal Stage. How did you do that? If you answer me, it''s not impossible for me to fight alongside you!"


    Sablefiend Scorpio''s expression shifted and she deeply stared at Venerable Netherworld. She knew that what the man just said was correct. Not to mention a few centuries ago, she was still a mid-stage Perfected Golden Immortal several days ago. But after entering the Secret Palace, her luck could be said to be extremely heaven-defying. She got teleported to a swamp where a Celestial Spirit Fruit tree grew. Further, that Celestial Spirit Fruit tree had two ripe fruits. She then took one, which made her cultivation sharply increase and then allowed her to successfully advance to the late-stage Perfected Golden Immortal within a few days.


    "Certainly, that''s because I ran into some fortuitous encounter."


    Venerable Netherworld narrowed his eyes and forced a smile after hearing Sablefiend Scorpio''s answer. He sighed. "Haih, I also wanted to wait for both of you to injure each other and then act to snatch the Obsidian Urn. I just never thought you would have a Diablo Praecantator Clan''s weapon, so I didn''t have a choice but to act ahead of time. Sablefiend Scorpio, you also realize the situation you''re in now, don''t you? Your chance of winning is nearly nil if you fight them alone. Only by fighting side-by-side with me will you have a chance of winning."


    Sablefiend Scorpio frowned and asked, "Why are you helping me?"


    "Because I also have an artifact like yours," answered Venerable Netherworld lightly. "Although I have no idea what kind of fortuitous encounter you experienced, I''m sure that Praecantator artifacts are very rare to find nowadays since the Diablo Praecantator Clan has vanished from the Immortal World. Anyone who has a Praecantator artifact has obtained their inheritance."

 1357 Routing Enemies Easily

    Sablefiend Scorpio quickly understood Venerable Netherworld''s meaning. The man seemed to have misunderstood that she had obtained the inheritance of Diablo Praecantator Clan, thus they could be said to be half-family.


    Standing a kilometer away, Whitespark True Monarch immediately looked angry after hearing Venerable Netherworld''s words and growled. "Are you sure you want to poke your nose in our business, Venerable Netherworld? Then, let me tell you one thing. We''ll slay you with her if you don''t retreat quickly!"


    "You know, tons of people have threatened me, but none of them has been able to realize their bragging," replied Venerable Netherworld coldly. "Rumor has it that you are very powerful, Whitespark True Monarch. Let me taste it from you directly today. Let''s see whether you''re really powerful or I can jump up levels and defeat you."


    "KILL HIM!"


    Seeing that Venerable Netherworld really wanted to interfere in their business, Whitespark True Monarch realized that wasting more time to reason would only give Sablefiend Scorpio time to heal herself. His figure bolted lightning-fast as he lunged to the two people while unleashing his Innate Natal immortal sword to attack them fiercely.


    The two Violent Three-eyed Clan twins teamed up and formed a double killing formation with long spears in their hands. A layer of spear shadows turned into a rain of meteors that instantly brushed past Whitespark True Monarch and attacked Sablefiend Scorpion and Venerable Netherworld.


    "Skynet!"


    A huge golden net instantly warded off in front of Venerable Netherworld and Sablefiend Scorpio. As both of them retreated, layers of sword shadows covered the space around them. In nearly a flash, the sword shadows split in front of Whitespark True Monarch, and the huge net began to change to various forms.


    Though it was their first time teaming up, Venerable Netherworld and Sablefiend Scorpio were able to cooperate well. The two experienced powerhouses fought sight-by-side, one in a defensive role and the other on the offensive. And they were actually able to fend off the onslaught of the three late-stage Perfected Golden Immortals.


    "The two of us are not their opponents. We have to find a way to escape."


    Venerable Netherworld transmitted his idea to Sablefiend Scorpio.


    "I know that," replied Sablefiend Scorpio. "I could take on one of them and have a chance to win had I not been injured. But my injury is rather serious and I can only unleash 80% of my power, making it too hard to defeat them. On top of that, we''re inside the Secret Palace and I''m not familiar with the situation nearby. Nothing I can think of to make any sound escape plan."


    Venerable Netherworld felt tense. He had sent a message to Nine Nether Swordmeister a few days ago. He learned that the man would need at least half a month before he could reunite with him. Therefore, he could only find a way to resolve the impending crisis by himself.


    "Let''s bluff them!"


    After thinking of a solution, Venerable Netherworld finally transmitted his idea.


    "And how do we do that?" asked Sablefiend Scorpio.


    "I''ll cast my Skynet later and you and I will unleash our strongest blow at the same time," said Venerable Netherworld. "Even if we can''t injure them heavily, it would make them immediately take a defensive stance and retreat. Then we''ll take the chance to escape at once. There are many dangers in the Secret Palace. Even if they are powerful, they need to think about whether to pursue us with all they have. I''m betting on the chance that they will immediately give up after chasing us for some millions of kilometers."


    "Alright, let''s give it a try," replied Sablefiend Scorpio after hearing his explanation.


    The instant after, she and Venerable Netherworld did their utmost to unleash their strongest killing blows. As the two people''s Innate Natal weapons turned into a flurry ocean of strikes, the expressions of Whitespark True Monarch''s group of three slightly changed.


    Buzz¡­


    Right at that moment, however, the three of them suddenly felt their sights go blurry all of a sudden. Yet their eyes turned wide as though they were looking at the most incredible thing in the world. The people¡­ they missed the most.


    Slash! Slash! Slash!


    The moment Whitespark True Monarch escaped from the illusion, he noticed a fearsome strike coming right before his eyes that was too difficult for him to avoid. He could only release his weapon artifact and raise his arm instantly.


    Aaaargh¡­


    However, his hand was cut off directly.


    The twin brothers of the Violent Three-eyed Clan were not as strong as Whitespark True Monarch in willpower. They seemed to be unaware of anything until the strikes reached them and they were directly slain by two immortal weapons.


    "F*CK!"


    Whitespark True Monarch furiously cursed while enduring the severe pain. As he flew backward, he quickly collected the Immortal Souls of the two Violent Three-eyed clansmen and then turned to flee.


    "What the hell is going on?"


    The sudden change caught Sablefiend Scorpio and Venerable Netherworld unprepared. They looked at each other, shifted to the back of the fleeing Whitespark True Monarch, and then looked at the bodies of the two Violent Three-eyed clansmen. They were shocked and speechless for a while.


    What, how, and when did their attacks become so powerful? How come they could even directly slay Perfected Golden Immortals so easily?


    In the surroundings, the tens of Perfected Golden Immortals secretly watching the fight felt as if they were dreaming. It was truly unexpected¡ªsomething they were unable to accept for a while.


    Whoosh¡­


    Tang Xiu''s figure suddenly appeared in front of them. With a nonchalant smile on his handsome face, he took the two interspatial rings from the remains of the two Violent Three-eyed clansmen and then stuffed them into his own ring. Then, he cupped his fists and offered a greeting. "We meet again, Venerable Netherworld."


    The man stared strangely at Tang Xiu and nodded in response. "I didn''t expect to meet you here Great Tang¡­ Heavenly Emperor."


    "Well, fate works in mysterious ways. It was that that made us meet here," responded Tang Xiu with a smile. "Also, I''d like to thank Venerable Netherworld for extending your hand to help me."


    I just drew my sword and he said I''ve helped him? Venerable Netherworld was slightly shocked.


    "Master."


    The moment Sablefiend Scorpio saw Tang Xiu, she immediately realized why those three people acted abnormally a while ago. What happened to that man''s group was absolutely something her Master, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, pulled off. However, though it was just guesswork, she couldn''t help but feel scared inwardly. After all, in her eyes, Tang Xiu was someone whose strength was inferior to Perfected Golden Immortals''. The first time she saw him kill an early-stage Perfected Golden Immortal was also thanks to a sneak attack he pulled off.


    Tang Xiu let out a pale smile and glanced at her veiled face, saying, "It was fortunate that I came in time, else it wouldn''t have been so easy to get out of danger."


    "Master?!"


    At the moment, Venerable Netherworld looked incredulous and his eyes turned bigger than a bell as he stared at Tang Xiu and Sablefiend Scorpio. He never dreamed that the female Perfected Golden Immortal would address this¡­ weak Heavenly Emperor Tang guy as Master.


    What the hell? What happened here?


    The tens of Perfected Golden Immortals in the surroundings were similarly in disbelief. They didn''t sense any powerful aura from Tang Xiu whatsoever. Further, the mysterious young man addressed by Sablefiend Scorpio as Master obviously had just crossed a tribulation for some time. Even if he did practice some kind of secret magical arts, his strength would only be at the Earth Immortal Stage at the strongest. But how¡­ how could he become Sablefiend Scorpio''s Master, a Perfected Golden Immortal?


    "Who the heck is this guy? Even such a great Perfected Golden Immortal like Sablefiend Scorpio has submitted to him? Everyone knows that a certain Supreme who wanted to make her submit some thousands of years ago failed¡­"


    "When did such a guy appear in the Immortal World? What kind of capital and abilities does he have to think that he could make Sablefiend Scorpio call him Master?"


    "Is he a scion of a certain huge force, by chance? But even if he is, he''s just too weak and doesn''t deserve to make Sablefiend Scorpio submit to him, no? What¡­ the hell is happening here?"


    "There must be some peculiar circumstances behind this abnormal situation. Definitely. I don''t believe that the mysterious young man is that simple. Could this mysterious young man be related to the easy defeat of Whitespark True Monarch in the hands of Venerable Netherworld and Sablefiend Scorpio just now?"


    "Who exactly is this guy?"


    "¡­"


    Certainly, Tang Xiu couldn''t hear the tens of Perfected Golden Immortals talking about him in private, let alone know what they were thinking. He looked at Venerable Netherworld''s dull expression and smilingly said, "Anyway, this is not a good place to reminisce, Venerable Netherworld. Why don''t we leave this place first and then have some drinks?"


    Venerable Netherworld raised his guard against Tang Xiu inwardly. But after hesitating for a while, he nodded and slowly said, "That''s exactly what has crossed my mind as well. Please lead the way."


    "Alright!" Tang Xiu slightly smiled and then turned to fly away with Sablefiend Scorpio.


    Nobody among the tens of Perfected Golden Immortals in the surroundings tried to block them. Although they also wanted to snatch the treasures in Sablefiend Scorpio''s possession, they just witnessed how Whitespark True Monarch''s group of three were beaten so badly that one fled and two died. They felt they didn''t have the ability to keep both of them here, as well as that mysterious young man.


    Some million kilometers away¡­


    As Tang Xiu led Sablefiend Scorpio and Venerable Netherworld to descend in a mountain valley, he then released his spiritual sense to observe the surroundings and found that there were no other people within hundreds of kilometers. He quickly arranged a soundproof array and then smilingly said, "Venerable Netherworld, please come."


    The man shot a deep look at Tang Xiu and then quickly glanced at Sablefiend Scorpio, who stood respectfully next to Tang Xiu. He then sat cross-legged on a large bluestone.


    Tang Xiu took out some Immortal Wine and poured it into two cups. He gave a cup to Venerable Netherworld, then raised his hand to toast and smiled. "I once again thank you for helping us out, Venerable Netherworld. Else my retainer would have met her end today."


    Venerable Netherworld didn''t hurry to down his cup. He stared at Tang Xiu and asked instead, "I want you to answer a question of mine."


    "Well, if you want to ask those three Perfected Golden Immortal suddenly forgot to fight back, please don''t ask," responded Tang Xiu with a smile. "What I can tell you is that I was the one who pulled it off indeed. But as for how I did it, that''s a trade secret of mine."


    "Then I won''t ask about it since it''s your secret," said Venerable Netherworld with a wry smile. "If anything, I may have some connections with Sablefiend Scorpion, so I wonder if she can answer me a question."


    "If it''s about that top-grade Praecantator artifact, I can tell you that the artifact was given to me by someone," said Sablefiend Scorpio. "And if you''re wondering whether I got the inheritance of the Diablo Praecantator Clan, I didn''t."

 1358 Tang Xiu’s Back Garden

    Venerable Netherworld looked a bit disappointed the moment he heard Sablefiend Scorpio''s answer. He shook his head and smiled bitterly. "It seems that it was I who misunderstood."


    "You may have misunderstood me as the inheritance disciple of the Diablo Praecantator Clan, yet I must still thank you. Had it not been for you standing up and extending your hand this time, I''d hardly be alive now. I won''t thank you more for the life-saving grace, but if you need my assistance in the future, I''ll surely do my best to help so long as Master allows me."


    Venerable Netherworld slightly nodded and sighed. "I didn''t expect to actually get the favor of a late-stage Perfected Golden Immortal for misjudging. It''s just that I''m still curious. How can you¡­"


    Sablefiend Scorpio glanced at Tang Xiu and lowered her head in silence. She didn''t answer his question.


    "Your curiosity seems heavier than I thought, Venerable Netherworld!" Tang Xiu said with a smile. "Alright, I''ll answer the question for you! Sablefiend Scorpio had been captured and shackled in the Convict Arena and I spent quite a lot to purchase her. That''s the real reason she followed me and became my retainer."


    The Convict Arena?


    With a strange expression, Venerable Netherworld asked, "When you sent some people to kill Nine Nether''s friend, was she one of them?"


    "Nope." Tang Xiu shook his head.


    "No?" Venerable Netherworld stared blankly for a moment and immediately asked with a shock, "Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, how many Perfected Golden Immortals have you bought from the Convict Arena, exactly?"


    Tang Xiu raised his hand and deliberately counted his fingers and smilingly said, "Well, it was actually a few, nearly a dozen or so! Why? Does Venerable Netherworld want me to give you some of them?"


    "No, no, no!"


    Venerable Netherworld gulped with incredulity on his face. He never dreamed that Tang Xiu was so bold and financially powerful that he could buy so many Perfected Golden Immortals from the Convict Arena. With so many powerhouses under him now, his force was comparable to a second-class sect in the Immortal World, right?


    "I''m very envious of you, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. You''re so rich that you can rival a country." After saying that, he downed all the wine in the cup. Then, he got up and said, "Anyway, I''m here to obtain some treasures, so I''ll take my leave now since Sablefiend Scorpio is already safe."


    Tang Xiu nodded with a smile in response and watched Venerable Netherworld leave. He then slowly turned to Sablefiend Scorpio and asked, "Do you know the origin of those three who just besieged you?"


    "They are people from the Cloud Cauldron Sect, Master," answered Sablefiend Scorpio.


    "The Cloud Cauldron Sect?" Tang Xu was surprised. "This sect resides in the Heavenly Cloud Immortal Domain, but this region is very far from here¡ªone must cross over a hundred Immortal Domains to get here from there. Further, that region is rather desolate. I never thought I''d run into three Perfected Golden Immortals from that region."


    Sablefiend Scorpio added, "As far as I know, the Cloud Cauldron Sect has four Perfected Golden Immortals. Except for Whitespark True Monarch and those two Violent Three-eyed clansmen, the last one is its Sect Master, Whitewing True Monarch."


    "We may have to guard against their revenge if they were disciples from a big sect, but the Cloud Cauldron Sect is not worth worrying about. Anyhow, how did you happen to clash with those there Could Cauldron Sect''s people, though?"


    Sablefiend Scorpio took out the Obsidian Urn and handed it to Tang Xiu, saying, "This is the treasure I got from a dangerous place some millions of kilometers away from here, Master. It happened that those Cloud Cauldron Sect''s bunch found me, so I got chased and then fought them near that mansion."


    The Obsidian Urn?


    Tang Xiu was surprised. He held the object and appraised it for a while. Then, he nodded and said, "This Obsidian Urn was refined by Obsidian Supreme when he traveled across most of the regions in the Immortal World. It took him nearly 500 years to collect a lot of precious materials to refine this 9th grade artifact. However, its only effect is to suppress the Immortal Soul."


    Having said that, a scroll appeared in Tang Xiu''s hand out of the blue. He then threw it to Sablefiend Scorpio and said, "You may be my subordinate, but I won''t take what you''ve obtained for free. This is the Flawless Myriad Beasts scripture, a very suitable cultivation art for exotic bestial races."


    "The Flawless Myriad Beasts Scripture?"


    Sablefiend Scorpio looked ecstatic and she quickly opened the scripture. The written simple ancient symbols flowed into her eyes. After 15 minutes, she knelt and gratefully said, "Thank you for your reward, Master. With this Flawless Myriad Beasts Scripture, I have some degree of assurance to break through to the Supremacy Stage in the future."


    "It would be great if you could soon advance to the Supremacy State. You''ll surely be a big help in the future." Tang Xiu faintly smiled. "Cultivate well! I''ll provide you with the resources you need. The better your performance, the more you''ll have various divine abilities and secret arts in the future since I''ll teach you those."


    "By your words, Lord." Sablefiend Scorpio excitedly said, "This subordinate shall do her best to serve you."


    Prior to this, she only thought that Tang Xiu was just a wealthy man with a mysterious origin. The reason she pledged her loyalty to him was that her life was in his hands, but she held close to no true respect toward him. But now, she realized that her Master was more mysterious and terrifying than she had imagined.


    Further, her Master also must have also some kind of supernatural ability back when she and Venerable Netherworld joined forces that made them easily kill the enemies. Even Whitespark True Monarch was gravely injured and then fled.


    Only now did Sablefiend Scorpio realize that her Master, whom she had been despising, in fact, not only possessed massive wealth but also had amazing strength. The reason he had always acted weak was likely for hiding and concealing purposes. Further, he still had many other things in his possession, any of which would definitely create a great sensation in the outside world if he ever took it out. It must be noted that the Flawless Myriad Beasts Scripture was a legacy inheritance of the Unblemished Sect from the Unblemished Immortal Domain¡ªa cultivation scripture that was said to be the highest immortal cultivation art of that sect.


    She couldn''t figure out why her Master would have such a top immortality cultivation manual. However, she was sure that her Master was probably more mysterious and more powerful than she thought.


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, "Let''s take away all the treasures in that manor since we''ve already gathered! Also, we still have to find Star Tears while gathering everything here."


    Sablefiend Scorpio respectfully replied, "Master, I''ve noticed some things even though I was chased to that manor. Many people have discovered that manor, but none of them could enter it smoothly in the past few days. Many Golden Immortals and Perfected Golden Immortals were either killed by the restriction and trapping mechanisms on the bridge leading to that manor or were forced back with heavy injuries. For safety''s sake, I think we need to wait until someone else breaks the restrictions and traps. It won''t be too late for us to go there afterward."


    "Well, how about we bet?" said Tang Xiu with a smile all of a sudden.


    Sablefiend Scorpio froze and stared blankly for a moment, then replied quickly, "Your subordinate doesn''t dare."


    "Haih, cast away your worries, will you?" Tang Xiu chuckled and smiled. "If anything, I won''t blame you for anything. Let me tell you, entering that manor will definitely be as easy as entering my own back garden. Do you believe me?"


    Sablefiend Scorpio shot a strange look at Tang Xiu and slowly shook her head. "No. I don''t believe you."


    "Well, let''s bet¡­ one Immortal Crystal since you don''t believe me, then," said Tang Xiu.


    After thinking for a moment, Sablefiend Scorpio nodded. "If it''s really as Master said, that we can enter the manor easily just like waltzing into your own back garden, then I''ll naturally concede on the game."


    "Deal. Now follow me."


    With a smile on his face, Tang Xiu removed the soundproof array and flew towards the manor through the previous route with Sablefiend Scorpio. About a thousand kilometers away from the palace, Tang Xiu found many Immortals hiding in some places. However, instead of alarming them, he decided to take a detour and then approached the manor.


    As they were a hundred kilometers away from the manor, Tang Xiu halted his advance and slightly frowned. He could sense that the closer they got to the manor, the more the Immortals hiding in the surroundings. Even if he wanted to take another detour, there was just no space left to do so.


    "Seems like I can only change my appearance here."


    Tang Xiu sighed inwardly. His facial muscles quickly shifted and changed and he soon wore a different face. After seeing him, Sablefiend Scorpio also followed suit and changed her appearance. Afterward, Tang Xiu led Sablefiend Scorpio and swaggeringly waltzed to the front of the place. Under everyone''s watch, he and Sablefiend Scorpio stepped on the several thousands of meters long bridge.


    "Look at my steps and follow me immediately. Keep in mind not to miss any, else you''ll be attacked by the restrictions and traps here," said Tang Xiu with a voice transmission.


    "Understood!"


    Sablefied Scorpio looked at him with a strange expression, but she didn''t ask because she wanted to see whether this mysterious Master of hers really had the skill to enter the manor or was just bragging.


    As they advanced all the way, they met tens of Immortals walking carefully on the long bridge as though they were walking on thin ice. As they advanced halfway, they saw a Golden Immortal blasted into pieces by the lightning sparks from the restriction and then heavily smashed on the bridge. There was only an instant scream from him before the man was wiped out by a large number of restrictions from both sides.


    "Huh?"


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu''s eyes turned chilly since he found a familiar face a hundred meters away. He remembered that person¡ªa Golden Immortal disciple of Inner Pill Sect he saw in the Inner Pill Sect''s accommodation in the Boundless City.


    At this moment, the Inner Pill Sect''s Golden Immortal simply ignored them even though that man had noticed that some people came behind him. His attention was fully diverted to the restrictions and traps on both sides of the bridge. He had been extremely meticulous to make accurate inferences for every step he took after he came here, constantly comprehending the mystery of the restrictions on the bridge to spot the position of the traps.


    "I can definitely cross this bridge and enter the manor within 7 days at most! I''m sure this manor hoards tons of treasure. Even the inheritance left by Drunken Immortal Supreme could be in this place!" The Golden Immortal of the Inner Pill Sect thought some happy things in mind after he successfully broke another restriction.

 1359 Sweeping Everything

    "Sablefiend Scorpio, remember to strike that guy when you bump into him later, but be sure not to expose the weapons you''ve used before so as to prevent those powerhouses who are hiding to find out who you are," said Tang Xiu with a voice transmission.


    "Understood!"


    Sablefiend Scorpio replied curtly and immediately looked at the Golden Immortal in front with a bit of killing intent. As the duo was just less than 10 meters away from that Golden Immortal, she flicked her finger and shot an Immortal Crystal driven by her Immortal Force, instantly piercing the back of that Golden Immortal. The man''s complexion greatly changed in a flash and was replaced by terror as his body was sent flying out of the bridge.


    Aaaargh¡­


    After the terrible scream, the Golden Immortal was directly killed by the terrifying restriction outside the bridge.


    "By the way, how much do you know about the Inner Pill Sect and the Everlasting Palace, Sablefiend Scorpio?" asked Tang Xiu with a cold tone via voice transmission. "And how much do you know about the Myriad Sword Sect and the Hundred Poisons Sect?"


    Sablefiend Scorpio''s complexion changed. "I know a little about the Everlasting Palace, but I know more about Hundred Poisons Sect. My knowledge on the Inner Pill Sect and Myriad Sword Sect is close to none. I only know that these two sects have some Perfected Golden Immortals at the helm."


    "That''s enough." Tang Xiu nodded and sent his voice again. "Now, remember what I''m going to tell you. You are to kill anyone from those four sects should you run into them in the future. Go all out to kill the people from those four forces without exposing your identity. From now onwards, those four sects are our enemies."


    Gasp¡­


    Despite having a cold nature and killing was like mowing grass to her, Sablefiend Scorpio couldn''t help but gasp after hearing Tang Xiu''s statement. Of those four sects, the Inner Pill Sect and the Everlasting Palace were the top sects in the Immortal World, whereas the Myriad Sword Sect and the Hundred Poison Sect were ranked at second-tier sects. Learning that she would have to face so many enemies all of a sudden, a chill run down her spine.


    "Pressure will give birth to stimulation and motivation. Only by stepping on the bodies of enemies can we live longer, go further, and become stronger," said Tang Xiu indifferently. "Certainly, it''s not like we don''t have any allies in fighting them. Should you ever run into anyone fighting them, they are our allies. Given the current situation in the Immortal World, these four sects must also have many enemies, yes?"


    "That''s right. As far as I know, their biggest archenemy is the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect and the Four Sacred Palaces," Sablefiend Scorpio replied.


    Four Sacred Palaces?


    Ever since returning to the Immortal World, Tang Xiu had heard of the name of this force many times. What puzzled him most was that the Four Sacred Palaces seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. There had been no instance of such a name ever existing in the past, but many powerhouses emerged from this force and they were also very hostile toward the Inner Pill Sect and the Everlasting Palace. Had it not been for the emergence of this sect, the present situation of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect would have been much worse.


    "Do you know the origin of these Four Sacred Palaces?"


    Tang Xiu scrunched up his brows and asked in a low voice while walking towards the front.


    "I don''t know the details of their origin. But around 600+ years ago, I ran into some people from the Four Sacred Palaces. They were fighting some powerhouses from the Myriad Sword Sect then¡ªa very intense battle I''d say. I know that the leader of the Four Sacred Palaces was called Venerable Azure Tiger, a late-stage Perfected Golden Immortal powerhouse who is said to have the bloodline of the ancient Divine Beast Azure Dragon, and he wore the Azure Qilin Armor that time. He alone fought against four mid-stage Perfected Golden Immortals and easily dispatched them, forcing those four skillfully and injuring them continuously."


    Tang Xiu''s complexion changed. He knew a little of the situation in a more distant period and was aware of the fact that the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect was originally a branch of a super-large sect that had several divisions. Of those divisions, the Azure Dragon lineage was one of them.


    The Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, Black Tortoise, and Qilin Clan were originally the Divine Beasts that acted as the Guardian Deities of that super-large sect.


    Tang Xiu and Sablefiend Scorpio kept moving forward while conversing. Several people had seen Sablefiend Scorpio''s sneak attack on the Golden Immortal just now, arousing their vigilance and making them halt their advance. These people were now glaring at the duo with a stance as though they were facing formidable enemies, keeping their vigilance to guard against their sneak attack.


    Within a range of several thousands of kilometers outside the manor, tens of Perfected Golden Immortals kept observing Tang Xiu and Sablefiend Scorpio''s advance. To their shock, they realized that the duo seemed very relaxed and faced no obstruction ever since they stepped on the bridge. It was like those restrictions and traps were just useless to them.


    "How come all these obstructions pose nothing to them? That''s strange. Do they know where and what restrictions and traps are, by chance?"


    "I don''t get it either. That''s beyond me. Do you know who these two are and where they come from? How can they just waltz through the restrictions and traps outside the manor like that? Huh? They¡­ actually headed to the front of everyone unscathed? This¡­"


    "They are very fast, much faster than everyone else. What the hell is going on here? Are they perhaps familiar with this place or something?"


    "It''s weird indeed¡­"


    "¡­"


    While conversing, Tang Xiu and Sablefiend Scorpio directly crossed the long bridge and came to the square in front of the manor. There were a total of 16 puppet beasts around the square. They suddenly left their previous spots and lunged toward Tang Xiu and Sablefiend Scorpio.


    "Big Dipper Revolution and Movement."


    Tang Xiu began to move in a certain pattern of footsteps. He grabbed Sablefiend Scorpio''s hand while his feet kept changing positions. The 16 puppet beasts soon lost their targets and circled around the square several times before returning to their previous spots.


    "Open!"


    Tang Xiu then decided to conjure a technique. Immediately after, the hundred-meter purple-gold door slowly opened. Golden rays were shining from the interior and Tang Xiu quickly led Sablefiend Scorpio directly into the gate as it slowly closed afterward.


    "They went in?"


    The tens of Golden Immortals and Perfected Golden Immortals on the long bridge were all dumbfounded. Some of them had been wandering here for several days, all of whom had gone up the long bridge to study the restrictions and traps, yet none of them was able to enter the manor''s gate. But the duo just waltzed in so easily. It felt like they were just strolling around their own back garden, so how could they not be dumbfounded?


    Inside the manor.


    To describe what it was like, it was a picturesque scene of a magnificent jade manor.


    Tang Xiu himself didn''t waste his time appreciating the beauty of the manor and quickly cast some techniques and gathered each immortal artifact hanging in various spots and places. He didn''t even miss any precious ore and jewelry inlaid in the manor. All of them were collected by him.


    Tang Xiu''s action was literally sweeping everything and missing nothing. He was unwilling to leave anything behind. Either he directly ingested them, or he stuffed them into his ring. To Sablefiend Scorpio''s shock, she calculated that the total value of treasures Tang Xiu had collected exceeded 100 million Crystal Essences in just half an hour.


    That was 100 million Crystal Essences! A number that could make any Perfected Golden Immortal envious to death.


    "Uh¡­ that mannerism is kind of unsightly¡­"


    Sablefiend Scorpio''s mouth twitched upon watching Tang Xiu dig out the Golden Sandstone on a wall and then stuffed it into his ring. She hesitantly said, "Master, why don''t you let me help you? Else, you may have to spend a long time gathering all the treasures here given how vast the manor is."


    "No, you''re not familiar with the situation of this place." Tang Xiu shook his head. "If you try to collect the treasures rashly, the restrictions will definitely attack you. Just stand where you are and wait for me!"


    Sablefiend Scorpio slightly frowned, but she didn''t think that Tang Xiu''s statement was false. After all, Tang Xiu could easily take her to this place, meaning that he was truly very familiar with this place. She had tried to use an Immortal Stone to shoot a Fire Bead inlaid on the pillar, yet the stone not only failed to hit it but was also straightly crushed by the restriction on the wall. Not to mention that detecting that restriction by naked eyes had been proved to be very difficult.


    Could Master have become the successor of Drunken Immortal Supreme? Did he get the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme a few days ago, so he can fully understand the situation in this Secret Palace? Sablefiend Scorpio''s eyes flickered and looked at Tang Xiu with a particular expression.


    Every other courtyard and literally every spot in the manor was getting cleaned-up, and Tang Xiu''s speed was getting faster and faster. He kept collecting a large number of immortal treasures and cultivation resources, storing them into his interspatial ring. After 6 days of harvesting, Tang Xiu came to the deepest part of the manor after collecting all the treasures inside the manor.


    While looking at the now completely empty manor, leaving only the frames intact, Sablefiend Scorpio could only force a wry smile inwardly. Even if those infamous thieves who rampaged to steal from some Holy Sect were to come here, I don''t think they''d be able to loot like this, no?


    Tang Xiu contentedly shifted to Sablefiend Scorpio and spoke with a beaming smile, "Well, that should be all, more or less. These many resources should be enough for the expense of the Great Tang Empire for centuries. Let''s head out and leave this place to harvest some more treasures and resources elsewhere. We gotta return home fully loaded since we already entered a treasure mountain."


    With a hesitant face, Sablefiend Scorpion asked, "Master, why do you seem¡­ very familiar with this place?"


    "I told you before that this Secret Palace is like my own back garden, didn''t I?" replied Tang Xiu with a smile. "Pity that I''m not interested in the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme, though. Else this entire Secret Palace would have been mine and I could have been able to take all the resources here."


    Sablefiend Scorpio''s mouth twitched yet again, but now her heart was boiling. If Master told the truth, that would mean they would have an extraordinarily rewarding harvest.


    Afterward, Tang Xiu took Sablefiend Scorpio to leave the place. Just as the duo came out of the manor''s gate, tens of eyes on the long bridge suddenly shifted their attention to them.


    With an unfazed expression, Tang Xiu said aloud, "Hey, you guys! There''s nothing inside, not even any treasure. Not to mention that those restrictions and traps inside are even more fearsome than the ones outside. This place is nothing but a death trap, so you had better leave. Don''t say that I didn''t give advice about this."


    "Did you just get a lot of treasures from the inside, brat?" a white-haired old man with a dragon-head cane meaningfully looked at Tang Xiu.


    "If you really think there are some treasures in there, you can try breaking the restrictions and traps here," said Tang Xiu lightly. "After you enter, though, I only hope that you won''t end up regretting later since you''ve wasted so much time here."

 1360 The Supreme’s Inheritance

    Tang Xiu straightly ignored them after saying those words and quickly headed outside with Sablefiend Scorpio. Just as they were about to reach the other end of the long bridge, however, tens of figures instantly flashed and blocked their path to the bridgehead.


    "Hand over your interspatial ring! Else today will be the day of the tragic death of the two of you," shouted a late-stage Perfected Golden Immortal coldly, eyes filled with a chilling light.


    Tang Xiu smiled in response. "Do you think we''ll be afraid of some idiots outside after we dare to venture deep into the manor so openly? I''m not afraid to tell you. Even if you had 100 times the numbers and 100 times the strength, you still wouldn''t still be able to deal with us whatsoever. Hear my advice, do not provoke us. Else your fate will be very miserable."


    The late-stage Perfected Golden Immortal shot back with contempt and said, "Hmph, not even a Supreme dares to brag so big when facing so many people, yet an infant like you dares to be so arrogant, huh? Everyone, these two shits seem very ignorant of their limits and are acting recklessly. Let''s f*ck them up and divide the treasures they got from the manor equally. What do you think?"


    "No problem!"


    "Agree!"


    "Fine with me!"


    The tens of Perfected Golden Immortals nodded one after another and glared at Tang Xiu and Sablefiend Scorpio with malice. However, none of them took the lead in attacking the duo even though they did say that. They were a bit wary about these two people, who just waltzed in and out of the manor so easily.


    Tang Xiu and Sablefiend Scorpio exchanged glances and then retreated for tens of meters in an instant. Quickly after, Tang Xiu sneered. "Come here to the bridge and we''ll accompany you to trade blows. Come on! Come here and fight us if you have balls!"


    Fight on the bridge?


    The complexion of the tens of Perfected Golden Immortals changed and they retreated a few steps.


    Tang Xiu and Sablefiend Scorpio shot each and every one of them a contemptuous look at the same time and immediately sat cross-legged on their spots.


    Time went by and the stalemate continued.


    A whole day later, while the tens of Perfected Golden Immortals kept staring at Tang Xiu and Sablefiend Scorpio, the previous white-haired old man''s expression suddenly shifted. He was keenly aware of the erratic slight movements of the duo while sitting cross-leg on the long bridge. It didn''t seem that it was because they were immersing in cultivation, but it was like¡­


    The instant after, a flying knife appeared in his hand and he threw it to Tang Xiu instantly. To his fury that nearly made him cough up blood, the flying knife directly penetrated Tang Xiu''s body, yet the body just blurred and burst into twinkling lights and vanished from their sight. At this moment, however, Sablefiend Scorpio''s eyes opened and she smiled strangely towards the tens of Perfected Golden Immortals before her body dispersed.


    "Sh*t! That was their Blood clones! We just got deceived by those two assholes!" the white-haired old man shouted angrily.


    The tens of others were also fuming, wishing they could shred Tang Xiu''s and Sablefiend Scorpio''s hearts into pieces.


    At present, Tang Xiu and Sablefiend Scorpio were some millions of kilometers away from that place, happily sitting under a large tree while savoring the immortal beast''s meat Tang Xiu had just grilled.


    "This thing tastes great, Master."


    Sablefiend Scorpio was a carnivorous bestial race, to begin with. Having no meat in her diet would make her unhappy, and she rarely had a chance to eat delicious fill since she was captured and shackled in the Convict Arena. Now that she tasted the delicacy gourmet Tang Xiu personally cooked, she suddenly had the illusion that serving this mysterious Master of hers may not be such a bad thing, after all.


    But then, she suddenly recalled the four sects, the enemies Tang Xiu told her, and immediately a shiver went down her spine. This thought immediately expelled the ridiculous idea that just crossed her mind.


    "Wow, what a great smell!"


    A lightning-fast moving figure suddenly flashed from the distance and came to the front of the duo in the blink of an eye. However, neither of them looked alert and they were instead smiling at the same time.


    "You''re late." Tang Xiu smiled and looked at Star Tears, whose body was decorated with wounds.


    "Got some troubles on the way. It was thrilling but not dangerous, though," responded Star Tears bitterly. "By the way, those two boys should be here soon. We bumped into each other on the way and kind of had an agreement that whoever ran into troubles, I''d lead the enemy while they should go elsewhere."


    "What troubles did you encounter, exactly?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "We happened to run into some Myriad Sword Sect''s people, so I went to slay them," said Star Tears. "Who would have thought there were two Perfected Golden Immortals of that sect nearby? I led those two bastards away and separated from them."


    "How many of them did you kill, then?" asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    "Perhaps around 6 Golden Immortals," said Star Tears. "But those two Perfected Golden Immortal didn''t come out unscathed and had no easy time either."


    "That''s just great." Tang Xiu gave his thumbs up and exclaimed, "The more you kill them, the happier I''ll be. Anyway, take a break, eat something, and begin to recuperate. When those two boys gather with us, we''ll then team up for treasure hunting. That''s right. I''ll take you to a certain place later."


    "Huh?" Star Tears was bewildered and asked, "Where to?"


    "Just have your fill first. You''ll know it later," replied Tang Xiu with a mysterious smile.


    Two days later, two figures with miserable appearances and distressed looks appeared in front of the trio. Star Luminous'' and Star Peng''s whole bodies were covered by blood, and they quickly took a Purple Scent Pill each as they sat cross-legged on the ground and began recuperating.


    The two of them were seriously injured after being chased by a Perfected Golden Immortal on the way here. But what made them nearly collapse was that it was the only encounter they had. They kept running into some other Perfected Golden Immortals time and again along the way, and even their interspatial rings were robbed by them. Thankfully, they didn''t stuff their Purple Scent Pill in their rings and stored it into their belts, else they would have lost the medicine as well.


    "Tsk, tsk¡­"


    Tang Xiu sighed a few times as he saw their distressed appearances. Then, he took out 2 Immortal Crystals and flicked them into their hands, saying lightly, "Go heal yourselves and quickly absorb the Immortal Force in the Crystal Essence to speed up your healing pace. We still got tens of millions of kilometers to go and it won''t be a peaceful trip."


    Traversing some tens of millions of kilometers again?


    Star Luminous and Star Peng couldn''t help trembling for a while after hearing this. They immediately grabbed the Crystal Essence and went all out to absorb the Immortal Force contained in it. Using it in tandem with the efficacy of the Purple Scent Pill, they began recuperating and replenishing the spent Immortal Force.


    Half a day later, just as Tang Xiu finished cooking an immortal beast''s meat, he suddenly slapped his own forehead and spoke with an expression that didn''t know whether to cry or laugh. "Haih, I was really muddle-headed. I told them to recuperate. It would have been much better for them to enter the Heavenly Abode artifact and do it inside. Why did I tell them to stay silly here and wait? Boys, quickly enter the Heavenly Abode artifact!"


    "Got it!"


    After Star Luminous and Star Peng entered the Heavenly Abode, Tang Xiu also ordered Sablefiend Scorpio to enter the artifact, while he and Star Tears took a roasted beast''s thigh and hurried along the way while munching on it.


    "By the way, did those two boys already figure out your true identity, Auntie Star Tears?" Tang Xiu asked with a smile while vigilantly observing the surroundings.


    "Nope, not yet." Star Tears shook her head and smiled. "They won''t be able to discover my identity with their current strength unless I take the initiative to expose it."


    "Remember not to conjure any of your signature divine abilities whenever they''re with us. I have some arts here, you can learn them. There are too many of our enemies in this Secret Palace, so our mission is both treasure hunting and killing them."


    Star Tears took some scriptures of secret arts from Tang Xiu and, after stuffing them in her interspatial ring, she said with all seriousness, "The Inner Pill Sect, Everlasting Palace, Myriad Sword Sect, and Hundred Poison Sect have sent quite a lot of their powerhouses to the Secret Palace, so we had better act more cautious. I still remember what you told me before, that there will be a chance to get revenge as long as we''re still kicking. We can slay some of them, but we must avoid them immediately should we encounter too many of them."


    "No worries, Auntie Star Tears. I know that." Tang Xiu nodded.


    Half a year later.


    Tang Xiu and Star Tears kept hurrying all the way while picking up treasures and slaying some people all the way. In the past 6 months, they had killed 16 Golden Immortals and 1 Perfected Golden Immortal from the Inner Pill Sect; 37 Golden Immortals and 2 Perfected Golden Immortals from the Everlasting Palace; 8 Golden Immortals and 1 Perfected Golden Immortal from the Myriad Sword Sect; and lastly, 6 Golden Immortals from the Hundred Poison Sect.


    "The Ocean of Stars should be ahead."


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and whispered something from his memory.


    At the moment, he and Star Tears were on the edge of a mountain range. They could now see a turbulent sea filled with mighty waves with their naked eyes, while some Immortal Beasts were seen wandering around above the surface.


    "Is this place also ridden with dangers?" asked Star Tears.


    "Dangerous is certain, but not like those restrictions and small arrays in other areas of this Secret Palace." Tang Xiu shook his head and explained, "The dangers will come from other Immortals. We''re now only tens of thousands of kilometers from our destination. As long as we enter the sea, we''ll be able to land on that island where Drunken Immortal Supreme left his inheritance."


    Star Tears forced a smile. "You know, Drunken Immortal Supreme told you that you can''t inherit his legacy, yet we still came here. Do you not feel vexed at least a bit?"


    "Not really. I don''t feel bad at all." Tang Xiu shook his head. "He already knew my identity, so he didn''t want me to inherit his legacy. But it''s not like it''s prohibited from anyone else to have it! I already learned the structure of this Secret Palace''s array. Shortly put, I know this place inside out, so I can naturally bring others inside. If anything, he didn''t say that I''m not allowed to bring anyone there to accept his inheritance."


    "And so you want me to accept the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme?" Star Tears was shocked.


    "Yeah." Tang Xiu nodded. "I do want you to accept his legacy. Besides, I dare to conclude that you''ll soon be able to advance to the Supremacy Stage after you''ve accepted his legacy, Auntie Star Tears. When you break through to the Supremacy Stage will be the time you return to the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect ahead of time."


    "Huh?" Star Tears was bewildered. "Don''t you want me not to go back to the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect ahead of time, though?"


    "It''s because you didn''t have sufficient strength before, so I didn''t want you to return to the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect," said Tang Xiu. "But if you can advance to the Supremacy Stage, it won''t be a problem. Also, I want you to tell the news that I''m still alive to my father."


    Star Tears contemplated for a moment and then nodded. "No worries, he''ll be the only one I''ll tell about it. I''ll also inform him about your methods and plans."

 1361 Supreme Pill Recipe

    The tens of thousands of kilometers sea area looked calm and peaceful¡ªno shadow nor ghosts could be seen. However, Tang Xiu and Star Tears still kept their vigilance and were very cautious. They didn''t rush out from the edge of the forested mountain but kept their auras restrained and conversed in whispers while gazing at the sea.


    Quickly after, four figures appeared on the coastline, and one of them was a rickety old man with a cane that radiated a thick death qi¡ªa sign that he was at the end of his lifespan. The three others beside him, aside from a silver-haired old lady, were two young men.


    "Dala?"


    Tang Xiu and Star Tears exchanged glances and looked surprised. They both knew who the old man was. Dala was a Supreme Elder of the Mandala Sect and he was 16,000 years old¡ªmuch older than Star Tears.


    About 8,000+ years ago, the old man had broken through to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage, yet he had not been able to advance to the Supremacy Stage 8 millenniums later.


    Star Tears whispered, "Dala is close to his limit, and the opening of the Secret Palace with Drunken Immortal Supreme''s inheritance is very likely his last chance. If he can obtain such a chance that will help him breakthrough here, his lifespan will double. But if he fails, I''m afraid it won''t take many years before he dies and enters the six paths of reincarnation to start a new journey in life."


    "He''s already a dying lamp, but he can say farewell to his former identity and memory once he enters Samsara." Tang Xiu nodded and said, "Unless a Supreme is willing to damage his millennium of cultivation to help him enter the six paths of reincarnation in a lower plane, only then will he be able to retain some bits of his memory."


    "Sigh, there are only a few Supremes in the Immortal World now, with each and every one of them maintaining their life force and energy in the hopes to cross the tribulation and ascend to Godhood." Star Tears sighed. "Who would be willing to lose millenniums of cultivation to help him for free?"


    Star Tears and Tang Xiu helplessly watched the Dala''s group of four as they flew above the sea and then disappeared from their sight.


    Tang Xiu''s eyes gleamed aa he stared at the sea for 15 minutes before he spoke all of a sudden, "I may have already learned a lot about this Secret Palace, but this is my first time here, so I have yet to comprehend the situation carefully. It seems that I''ll find a new formation array if I enter the sea. Let''s set off and dive in. We may be able to see another scene after we enter."


    "Got it!" Star Tears nodded slowly.


    As the duo appeared on the coastline, Tang Xiu used his spiritual sense to spread toward the front. In nearly the blink of an eye, he grabbed Star Tears'' hand and quickly passed through an energy shield. Afterward, another world presented itself before them appeared out of nowhere.


    It was still a calm sea, yet countless lightning bolts struck down from the sky from time to time, with each bolt causing ripples on the sea surface.


    There were nine long bridges above the sea surface, however. Each was 100 meters wide and extended toward the bottom of the deep sea. The long ladder-shaped bridge extended upward. Even with their eyesight, Tang Xiu and Star Tears were unable to see the end of these long bridges. It seemed like these long nine bridges had extended to the distant horizon that reached the heavens.


    Thousands of Golden Immortals and Perfected Golden Immortals had come and stood still at the end of the bridgehead. They also saw the backs of roughly 900 Golden Immortals and Perfected Golden Immortals on the long bridge as they advanced forward step by step.


    "It''s a Domain Bridge."


    Tang Xiu sighed as he saw such a scene. From the content of the entire formation array that made this space, he was fully aware of the whole situation. He knew that this was a test, precisely the second test one had to pass to obtain the inheritance. If one could cross this Domain Bridge, that person would then have the opportunity to enter the floating island and enter the Drunken Immortal Palace.


    "Let''s head there!"


    Tang Xiu touched Star Tears'' arm and then silently came to a spot near Dala. Although he realized that three people around the old man were showing their vigilance towards him, he directly ignored them and intentionally put on a curious look, asking with a smile, "Elderly Senior, may I ask about the situation here? We''re kind of bewildered after entering. Why is everyone gathered here? Also, how come some people are walking slowly on the bridge and not just flying directly?"


    Dala turned to look at Tang Xiu with a surprised look. However, the gentle old man didn''t scold Tang Xiu for asking and explained with a smiling face instead, "This is a space to test one''s potential. There are a total of 90,000 tokens in the whole Secret Palace and anyone who gets it can find it. At the end of this bridge is the place where the Drunken Immortal Palace is located. Only by passing this space of potential test will one be able to reach the Drunken Immortal Palace and obtain Drunken Immortal Supreme''s inheritance.


    Tang Xiu intentionally looked surprised. "The inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme is here? Then, those other places¡­"


    "Those other places are naturally the first test left by Drunken Immortal Supreme," said Dala with a smile. "Only after you survive in other places can you find the token and then come here. However, this young friend is really good. You unexpectedly reached this place accidentally without the token''s direction. Maybe Young Friend can obtain a big fortuitous encounter here!"


    "Surely you jest, Elderly Senior," said Tang Xiu modestly. "I just came in to join the fun. Besides, I''m only here for treasure hunting and making a little fortune. I don''t look forward to getting the legacy of Drunken Immortal Supreme."


    Dala looked a bit surprised. He had been passing the years for far too long and he was able to distinguish whether someone was telling the truth or not. However, the young man before him was absolutely indifferent to this matter, and it did come from his heart. It was something he never expected, so he carefully observed Tang Xiu and asked, "What''s your name, Young Friend?"


    "Great Tang Heavenly Emperor," said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    "¡­"


    Dala stared at Tang Xiu with an expression between laughter and tears. He had a good impression of this little fella¡ªso young yet dared to bestow himself the title of Heavenly Emperor at such a young age. He couldn''t determine Tang Xiu''s cultivation level, but if he were to make a guess, this kid should be a Golden Immortal at most.


    However, the purpose of his coming to this place was to get a fortuitous encounter from whatever was left behind by Drunken Immortal Supreme. So, despite his curiosity about Tang Xiu, he shifted his attention to the long bridge again towards those 900 people trying hard to climb the bridge.


    "Master, the Greenfinch Sect seems to have some amazing peerless geniuses!" the stout middle-aged man next to Dala suddenly exclaimed, "Among those 900 Golden Immortals and Perfected Golden Immortals, he''s able to firmly occupy the first place. That one on the second place is also just 100 meters away. They should be able to snatch the top three spots from this third batch of people, right?"


    "Indeed." Dala nodded and said, "Given his aptitude, it would be easy for him to advance to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage if he doesn''t die for some period of time, though it''s hard to say whether he can break through to the Supremacy Stage. However, Celestial Fleabane True Monarch in 2nd place is also good enough. Although he''s not as dazzling as that Greenfinch Sect''s peerless genius, he''s still a very powerful Perfected Golden Immortal. As far as I know, he should have just broken through to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage in the last millennium, yes?"


    "Well, it''s about 8 centuries ago, to be precise." The burly man nodded. "Among those 900 Golden Immortals and Perfected Golden Immortals, the number of Perfected Golden Immortals is 120, but Celestial Fleabane True Monarch definitely has the strongest aptitude. However, he never pledged his allegiance to any sect and keeps cultivating by relying on his own constant exploration and hard work, something very difficult to do on the path of immortal cultivation."


    Dala smiled bitterly in response. "Had I not had my background then and kept relying on my hard work to cultivate in its entirety, I would perhaps have broken through the Supremacy Stage by now, wouldn''t I?


    As Tang Xiu stood beside them and listened to their conversation, he couldn''t help but feel a bit of admiration toward this Dala old man. He was clear about the correctness of the statement Dala just said. Immortals who had a smooth ride on their cultivation path were bound to fail to achieve greatness but instead would end up harming themselves. The immortal cultivation path was not only hard and arduous, but one must also go through hardships and tribulations while comprehending the Heavenly Dao and blazing through a bloody path. Only then one would be able to reach the apex to the Supremacy Stage.


    For instance, the possessor of his identity in the past. As the Young Lord of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, he was definitely the very term of the darling of many people. He never knew how high and deep the sky and earth were. In the end, he failed to achieve enlightenment and died right after he ran into a trivial danger, thus his body was then occupied by his soul. Later on, he refused to stay in the shelter that was the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect and kept striving, fighting, and struggling time and again, making his way out of countless desperate situations, and then eventually becoming a Supremacy Stage powerhouse.


    Tang Xiu secretly took a deep breath and quickly took out a jade slip, engraved a certain pill recipe on it, and then secretly sent it to Dala without any trace.


    "Huh?" Dala slightly turned his head and looked at Tang Xiu. There was a slight surprise on his aged face, but then, he found that Tang Xiu didn''t even look at him but kept focusing on the 900 Immortals being tested on the bridge. Immediately after, he sent a wisp of his consciousness into the jade slip.


    This is¡­


    Shocked, his eyes gleamed. He quickly stuffed the jade slip into his interspatial ring and sent a voice transmission to Tang Xiu, "Thank you, Immortal Friend."


    "It was fate that made us meet here, there''s no need for thanks," Tang Xiu replied with a voice transmission.


    Dala shot a deep look at Tang Xiu before he shifted back to the Immortals on the long bridge. However, shock still quaked his heart, and he couldn''t calm himself down.


    This is a Supreme Pill recipe that will increase the chance of breaking through to the Supremacy Stage by 30% if a late-stage Perfected Golden Immortal takes it. Everyone knows what kind of mishap can be avoided with such a 30% increase in chance.


    Originally, I had only 30% of assurance, the exact odds that I can see. I''m aware that it''s still far and not enough for me to step on the path of becoming a Supreme. But with the Supreme Pill recipe, my chance to advance to the Supremacy Stage is increased by up to 60%. 60% is just my limit, but it''s enough for me to breakthrough. Even if I can''t get the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme in this Secret Palace, I can be said to have obtained an enormous chance myself.


    Then again, this grace is so enormous, a very heavy one.


    Who exactly is he?


    Dala wanted to ask the young man''s identity, but he could tell that the young man had no intention of telling him. He could only helplessly engrave this grace into his heart, waiting until that young man had a need of his assistance in the future to repay this friendship token¡­


    "Is there something wrong, Master?" the burly man noticed Dala''s unusual expression and asked immediately.


    "No. It''s nothing," Dala shook his head.

 1362 Black Zephyr Old Freak

    In the following two days, Tang Xiu and Star Tears observed the 900 people on the long bridge and completely figured out the circumstances. The space pressure in the long bridge was different and was adjusted according to each Immortal''s cultivation level, thus forming a unique pressure. For instance, a Golden Immortal would have to face much less pressure compared to a Perfected Golden Immortal.


    This magical spatial pressure varied according to each person''s cultivation level. So, in the end, it didn''t matter whether the person was a Golden Immortal or a Perfected Golden Immortal as all would face the same level of pressure.


    "I refuse to give up!"


    A Golden Immortal suddenly coughed a mouthful of blood and his body flew to the back as though he was a snapped kite and then crashed down under everyone''s eyes.


    "The first Immortal who was forced down has appeared in the third batch of the bridge climbers. I''m afraid some more will be forced back the next time." A sage-like Perfected Golden Immortal couldn''t help but sigh.


    The Golden Immortal who got forced back looked ashamed. After crawling up from the bridge floor, he swallowed all the despising look from the onlookers and left quickly.


    15 minutes later, another Golden Immortal also coughed up blood and flew backward before he crashed down to the crowd. The next moment had turned into the realization of the prediction of that sage-like Perfected Golden Immortal as another Golden Immortal and some Perfected Golden Immortals were pressed by the spatial gravity on the bridge that forced them to fly back.


    In the next four days, of the 900 Immortals on the bridge, only 7 of them were left. The most dazzling genius of the Greenfinch Sect was still climbing albeit facing difficulty as it took him several hours for every step he climbed. Everyone with keen eyes could tell that he had reached his limit and could very well be forced to return at any time given how his body kept trembling.


    As expected, the Greenfinch Sect''s peerless genius was forced to fly back and crashed down in front of everyone four hours later. However, nobody among the several thousands of Immortal onlookers looked at him contemptuously. On the contrary, aside from feeling a bit of regretful, all they felt towards him was admiration.


    "Of the 9,999 stairs on the long bridge, he was able to climb up to the 7,320th stair, whereas the second place was only able to reach the 6900th stair before he was forced to retreat. Of the 1,800 people from the first two batches, the best among them was only able to reach 7250th stair, wasn''t it?" A Perfected Golden Immortal some hundred meters away from Tang Xiu sighed bitterly and shook his head.


    His muttering made everyone nod in secret.


    Time went by and it was already the 10th day that Tang Xiu had arrived here. The 900 Immortals of the third batch had all been forced back by the spatial pressure. The best one among them was the genius of Greenfinch Sect, meaning that he was an Immortal with the best aptitude among the 2,700 Immortals from the first three batches.


    "Let''s get ready."


    Dala took a deep breath and issued an order to the three people around him.


    Tang Xiu had yet to learn any rules pertaining to ascending the bridge, so he quickly asked, "Senior, all the 900 people have been forced back and returned. Will the fourth batch also require another batch of 900 people to climb up together?


    Dala nodded and said, "That''s right. Each batch consists of 900 people and is given 18 days to try. If no one is able to reach the end of the bridge within 18 days nor is forced out by the pressure on the bridge, they will be blasted and killed directly. That''s why those who can''t get through within 18 days can only withdraw voluntarily."


    Tang Xiu immediately understood and asked again, "Is Senior perhaps preparing to climb the bridge in this fourth batch now?"


    Dala''s expression turned a bit solemn as he sighed. "Haih, this old man is approaching his limit, so I can''t waste any chance to snatch any immortal fate that appears. My chance of breaking through to the Supremacy Stage will be greatly increased if I can get the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme. Immortal Friend, you can also come with us."


    Tang Xiu contemplated for a moment before shaking his head. "I think I''ll pass this time. There are many experts waiting for their turn. It''s likely that it will be difficult to get some spots in the fourth batch. I''ll keep waiting and maybe try my luck in the fifth or sixth batch."


    "You must think it through, Fellow Immortal Great Tang," said Dala. "In case someone passes this test a step in advance, that person will be able to enter the Drunken Immortal Palace a step faster. On the path of immortality, one must keep striving forward on his own."


    Tang Xiu nodded in response. "I understand what you said, but I don''t want to try it now. Observing more may award me with better results."


    "Never mind me, then!" Dala no longer persuaded Tang Xiu after seeing his insistence.


    6 hours later, figures flickered and moved lightning fast towards the front of the long bridge. As each Immortal stepped on the first ladder 100 meters away, their bodies all trembled. Many of them even chose to completely stabilize their stances to adapt to the spatial pressure above, giving up advancing faster and then slowly moving forward.


    Tang Xiu''s gaze wandered over these 900 people and finally landed on Dala''s back. Although he didn''t feel anything, from his observation, he could tell that the spatial pressure that must be endured by Dala must be enormous given how cautious he was when taking each step forward.


    Time fleeted by quickly.


    In the blink of an eye, the ninth day came and the first person who could not bear the spatial pressure on the bridge was forced to fly backward, followed by some more people one after another.


    "There are 650 people left now."


    Star Luminous''s eyes gleamed and he muttered after he had been summoned back from the Heavenly Abode artifact.


    Star Peng immediately added, "There will be a constant stream of people being forced to retreat at this time. However, that Black Zephyr old freak seems to have enormous potential. He has already climbed up to the 7,500th stair and seemingly has yet to reach his limit. Maybe he can challenge up to the 8,000th stair."


    "He can indeed reach the 8,000th stair and may even pass the 9,000th one," commented Tang Xiu calmly. "Pay attention to his steps. Each step he takes may be very slow and take some time, but each is very stable and smooth."


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu slightly frowned when he saw Dala cough up a mouthful of blood and fly to the back. He immediately let out a wry smile. Dala had not been able to reach the Supremacy Stage for more than 16,000 years, yet he was still able to reach the 6,320th stair, a rare achievement on its own.


    "Are you all right?" Tang Xiu paced forward and helped him up while asking.


    "I thought I could obtain my immortal fate here," said Dala with a bitter smile. "I didn''t expect I would fail the test. The test left behind by Drunken Immortal Supreme is really too abnormal."


    "If it wasn''t abnormal, how can he select a successor with good aptitude?" Tang Xiu smiled lightly. "If anything, a selected will eventually be able to pass this test given the present trend."


    "Yeah." Dala nodded. "There''s also a chance that nobody can pass this long bridge and arrive outside the Drunken Immortal Palace."


    "Not really. If that Black Zephyr old freak can force out his full potential, he may be able to pass the long bridge."


    Dala looked a bit surprised and then quietly nodded. "Black Zephyr old freak? His cultivation speed is indeed very fast. He should be a little over 5,000 years old, yet his cultivation has reached the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage. With such a cultivation speed, he may be able to advance to the Supremacy Stage within 10 millenniums."


    Sure enough, Black Zephyr was really able to reach the 9,000th stair when the fourth batch spent 12 days in trial. Yet, his originally steady and smooth footsteps now seemed to stagger several times, as though he might be sent flying backward at any time. But the man was the only one remaining on the bridge.


    Dala looked a bit regretful and shook his head with a sigh. "Haih, he does have great aptitude. Pity that this bridge trial is really abnormal. I''m afraid he''ll also fail the test."


    "I don''t think so." Tang Xiu stared fixedly at the back of Black Zephyr since he spotted a slight abnormality in the back angle of the man. The moment after, Tang Xiu sent him a voice transmission, "You won''t be able to cross the bridge with your current strength. You must try to have a breakthrough. If you can advance to the Perfected Golden Immortal mid-stage, your potential will be stimulated further and the next stairs won''t pose any difficulty to you."


    On the stair.


    Black Zephyr''s expression changed slightly. He didn''t expect that someone would send him a voice transmission at this very moment. He slowly turned his back and his eyes swept across thousands of people''s eyes. His keen eyes then found Tang Xiu, who nodded to him. His eyes then flickered before he turned his back with difficulty.


    I have come to this point, so I must keep trying.


    If what he said is true, then I''ll have a much greater chance to inherit the legacy.


    Black Zephyr took a deep breath and immediately began to circulate his Immortal Force according to his cultivation technique, frantically trying to breakthrough.


    For two whole days, he didn''t attempt to take any step forward.


    Just when a lot of people began to get impatient, Black Zephyr''s body suddenly trembled and an enormous aura suddenly blasted out from him. All of a sudden, the man felt that the crushing spatial pressure lessened.


    I succeeded?!


    Black Zephyr was ecstatic and let out a roar of ecstasy. Then, he turned back and cupped his fists towards Tang Xiu''s direction and sent a voice transmission to Tang Xiu''s ear, "Thank you."


    Tang Xiu just smiled slightly and shook his head without replying.


    The moment after, Black Zephyr continued moving forward, his advance much faster than before. He was able to advance step by step steadily and was finally able not to increase the time he needed to take each step.


    "Heavens! He actually broke through to the mid-stage Perfected Golden Immortal on the bridge? Also, judging from his speed, is the spatial pressure on him after breaking through to the mid-stage still the same as before?"


    "How is that possible? Could he be moving forward that easily since his cultivation just advanced?"


    "What a freak! He''s just a little over 5,000 years old and yet he easily advanced to the Perfected Golden Immortal mid-stage. If memory serves, the number of those who reached the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage around 5,000 years old is very few, right?"


    "The difficulty of this bridge trial is likely no longer too difficult for him.


    "Damn, I''m so envious of him."

 1363 Who Is the Most Dazzling

    Hearing the chattering of the Immortals around him, Dala turned to look at Tang Xiu with a somewhat weird expression and asked with a voice transmission, "Did you just give some kind of instructions to Black Zephyr through a voice transmission?"


    "I did," Tang Xiu replied with a voice transmission. "But being able to break through under pressure means that Black Zephyr''s potential has yet to be fully stimulated."


    "You''re really amazing, Fellow Immortal," said Dala wryly. "It seems Black Zephyr now owes you an enormous favor."


    "Black Zephyr doesn''t belong to any forces and he has been exploring his own path in cultivation by his own," said Tang Xiu with a smile. "The hardships and tempering he has gone through are sufficient, thus he can be so dazzling. Being such a man, I just think he deserves to have such a chance."


    Dala shot a deep look at Tang Xiu and asked, "Where does Fellow Immortal come from? This old man also owes you a favor, an enormous one. I''d like to know to whom I must pay this grace in the future!"


    Tang Xiu contemplated for a while and then suddenly smiled. "If Senior really wants to pay the favor back, I wish you could help the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect after you''ve advanced to the Supremacy Stage. The Immortal World is now far from being peaceful and some people''s actions are just not to my liking, so I''m giving this advantage to the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect!"


    Dala squinted his eyes and nodded slowly after a long while. Then, he transmitted his voice again, "No worries about that, Fellow Immortal."


    On the 17th day of the fourth batch''s trial, Black Zephyr old freak was finally able to reach the 9,999th stair and was just a step away from crossing the bridge.


    ¡­ He must fail to go up!


    At the moment, more than 90% of the Immortal secretly prayed inwardly because once Black Zephyr passed the trial, there would be one more competitor should they be able to pass the trial later.


    Unfortunately, Black Zephyr disappointed these people. As he took the last step firmly, the huge spatial pressure vanished. Immediately after, he turned around and shot a deep look at Tang Xiu again and sent a voice transmission, "This Black Zephyr will remember this grace. I vow to accept Fellow Immortal''s request in the future."


    Having said that, he turned and rushed towards the gate of Drunken Immortal Palace opposite the square in front.


    Dala was not in a hurry to leave since he now had a deep curiosity about Tang Xiu, so he wanted to see how high the ladder Tang Xiu could reach after he stepped on the bridge.


    "Are you going now?" Dala asked.


    Tang Xiu pondered for a while and glanced at the four people around him before finally nodding. Then, he spoke to them, "The fourth batch trial is up, so we''re going up in this fifth batch! Keep in mind that you''ll have an easier breakthrough if you can withstand this huge pressure."


    "Understood!" Star Tears'' group of four nodded.


    Tang Xiu didn''t tell them that he could easily send the four of them to the other end of the bridge with his ability, hence bypassing the trial. However, he didn''t intend to do so, because this trial was not a bad thing and instead would be very beneficial for them.


    6 hours later, many figures flickered and moved lightning fast to the bridge. In nearly a flash, everyone there reached the first stair.


    Tang Xiu himself didn''t try to apply his knowledge on this Secret Palace''s spatial array since he also wanted to find out about his own potential, so he decided to give this trial a try. If he was finally unable to withstand it, only then he would resort to this method to cross the bridge. He would also help the other four even though they were only able to reach the 8,000th stair.


    "Follow me closely, Auntie Star Tears," ordered Tang Xiu with a voice transmission as he began to advance step by step.


    Half a day after, Tang Xiu stopped and looked back. Suddenly, his expression turned dull and strange. He found that not only was he ahead in the first place, but he even left the person in the second place some hundreds of stairs below.


    "So easy?"


    Tang Xiu furrowed his brows and looked puzzled. After the hesitation, only then did he decide to advance up to the 6,000th stair and then wait there.


    After one day and a half, Tang had climbed to the 6,000th stair. He had no idea that the thousands of Immortals, either who had taken the trial or not were shocked by his terrifying performance.


    "Is he still a human? He took only a day and a half, yet he''s able to reach the 6,000th stair? Why do I feel like this bridge is just like his own back garden?"


    "Where did this guy come from? His speed is too fast. Is he not afraid of advancing too fast and spending all his energy and then being left behind later?"


    "What''s his cultivation level? Why does it seem like the spatial pressure has no effect on him? What the hell is going on?"


    "That''s terrifying. This guy is really against heaven. But I''ve never seen him before. Where did he come from?"


    "What a peerless genius!"


    "¡­"


    Dala was fully shocked now, including the stout man next to him who was looking with a slack jaw. He didn''t expect that the brat who talked to his Master before turned out to be this terrifying.


    After a long while and then saw Tang Xiu did not continue his advance, he gulped and sighed. "Master, that Great Tang Heavenly Emperor guy is really amazing! At such a young age, yet having so much potential. If he doesn''t die prematurely in the future, it''s very likely that he''ll become Supreme later."


    "Sigh, I can''t tell whether he can become a Supreme, but breaking through to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage is definitely not a problem for him. This young man is very mysterious and very interesting. Although this old man only left the sect for a short time, I have never run into any young man who I can''t figure out."


    The stout man stared blankly. He didn''t expect that his Master would have such a high evaluation of this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor guy. After hesitating for a while, he asked, "Would you like me to investigate his identity after leaving the Secret Palace, Master?"


    "No." Dala shook his head and said, "Don''t arouse his ire. I owe this young man a favor!"


    "Pardon?!" The stout man was bewildered.


    Dala no longer spoke. Instead, he looked forward to Tang Xiu''s performance, expecting him to cross the bridge. He even anticipated Tang Xiu to receive the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme, as he may also get some benefits given his relationship with him.


    On the bridge.


    Heroic Sword Venerable''s eyes shone coldly when he looked up at Tang Xiu on the 6,000th stair. Originally, he was very confident that he could become the most outstanding and dazzling peerless genius of the fifth batch. But who would have thought that a mysterious young man would suddenly appear and draw all the glory that should belong to him?


    Being the second place was something Heroic Sword Venerable was very unwilling to have. But when he found that punk stopped his advance on the 6,000th stair and didn''t advance for a long time, he gradually let it go and felt that he would definitely overtake him. It was just a matter of time before he surpassed that guy.


    "The most dazzling peerless genius must be me! Being well-known as the most talented genius in the 10,000 years of the Myriad Swords Sect, I absolutely must finish the bridge trial first. I must successfully pass this trial and reach the Drunken Immortal Palace. Further, I''ll also get the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme, and all the treasures of this entire Secret Palace will be mine."


    On the 6th day.


    Heroic Sword Venerable finally reached the 6,000th stair. He stared deeply at Tang Xiu and immediately spoke proudly, "Feel free to chase my footsteps if you still have the strength. I''ll make you realize that I''m the most dazzling one among the fifth batch bridge trial takers."


    Having said that, he didn''t give Tang Xu the chance to reply and set foot on the 6,001st stair.


    Tang Xiu just looked at his back with a sneer. Immediately after, he looked down and saw Star Luminous and Star Peng approaching about 200 stairs away from the 6,000th one. Sablefiend Scorpio was about 300 stairs away, whereas Star Tears had just reached the 5,000th stair and would perhaps need quite a long while before she reached the 6,000th one.


    Suddenly, Tang Xiu saw Star Tears straighten up her stance and smiled, quickening her advance on the stairs all of sudden. It took her just half a day to reach the 6,000th stair and, at this time, Star Luminous and Star Peng were still several steps away from the 6,000th ladder.


    "I just found something interesting," Star Tears smilingly said after coming to Tang Xiu''s side.


    "What interesting thing?" asked Tang Xiu curiously.


    "If my inference is correct, all the Immortals who have a breakthrough in the Secret Palace after withstanding the spatial pressure here are those who have gone through the tempering on their cultivation path in the outside world. Sablefiend Scorpio is hiding hers, whereas I managed to break through after bearing the tremendous pressure here."


    "You broke through?" asked Tang Xiu, surprised.


    "Yeah, I just broke through." Star Tears slowly nodded with a smile.


    Quickly after, Star Luminous and Star Peng reached the 6,000th stair at the same time. But when they thought that they were better than Tang Xiu''s subordinate, both of them acutely sensed that a figure beside them also stepped on the 6,000th stair.


    "Well, I just started a bit slower," said Sablefiend Scorpio slowly with a smile.


    Star Luminous was surprised. "Weren''t you very slow before? You were quite far from us¡­"


    Sablefiend Scorpio glanced at Star Tears and smiled lightly. "Well, that just means that my potential is not worse than yours."


    "Alright, everyone, no chatting." Tang Xiu slightly smiled and said, "We all have reached the 6,000th stair, so we''re going to bolt to the 8,000th! If you all can reach the 8,000th stair, then I guarantee you will pass this trial. But if you can''t, then don''t think about the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme."


    Despite knowing and sensing how arduous and hard it would be, Star Peng''s eyes were extremely firm.


    "We''ve been facing hardships all this while, so we must pass the trial," said Star Luminous in a deep voice. "Only by becoming stronger and obtaining the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme can we resolve the crisis at home."


    "Your family is in crisis?" Tang Xiu asked lightly, "Do you want me to help you again?"


    "No need, but thank you," Star Peng and Star Luminous answered at the same time. Although they already guessed that Tang Xiu was someone on their side, they still weren''t 100% sure, so they directly refused.

 1364 Reaching the Summi

    Tang Xiu led the way and advanced again. His pace didn''t slow down and was even a level faster. Even though he could sense the pressure on him had become slightly bigger, it wasn''t that unbearable to him. He then quickly caught up with Heroic Sword Venerable on the 7,000th ladder.


    How can this be?!


    Heroic Sword Venerable noticed that Tang Xiu was catching up and was shocked. Due to the shock, his footing was staggered and he was almost forced back by the enormous oppressive force on the next step.


    A smile crept up on Tang Xiu''s mouth and he lightly said, "A human must never be too arrogant for one could have his face be smacked after bragging. You know, wanting to be the leader and the most dazzling man in the fifth batch will only be a dream."


    With that said, Tang Xiu took another step and took over Heroic Sword Venerable. He directly went to the 7,201st stair. Much to the chagrin of Heroic Sword Venerable, he kept his distance farther from the man and it took him only a little over a day to climb up to the 8,000th stair.


    There, he turned around and looked below.


    Tang Xiu saw Heroic Sword Venerable facing difficulty in advancing. Seeing his furious eyes, he gave the man a middle finger and contemptuously laughed. "Hahaha, a pebble wants to compete with a pearl? You really overstretch yourself."


    Puah¡­


    Heroic Sword Venerable spurted out a mouthful of blood after hearing Tang Xiu''s taunt. He trembled violently with resentment, knelt on one knee, and then was barely able to stabilize his body.


    At the bridgehead.


    Thousands of Immortals were completely shocked by Tang Xiu''s performance. After the continuous inquiry among them, they finally found out Tang Xiu''s name: Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. However, none of them knew where this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor came from, and from what sect or force he belonged to.


    "Did this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor pop out of a stone or something? Just his aptitude and cultivation alone are enough for him to gain fame in the Immortal World, right? But why has no one ever heard of this person before?"


    "Is this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor his real name? I''ve never heard of this name before. Could he be a peerless genius secretly groomed by a super sect and now he just recently started adventuring in the Immortal World?"


    "He''s really against the natural order! Had he not stayed too long on the 6,000th stair, he could have already passed the bridge and reached the Drunken Immortal Palace, right?"


    "He''s so young, I can sense that he''s really young. Yet such a young man has such great potential is simply unimaginable. Could he be the one who''ll get the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme?"


    "Awesomely terrifying! He''s fast, much faster than the other trial takers. It''s like the spatial pressure on the bridge has no effect on him whatsoever."


    "There are quite a lot of talented people in this fifth batch! Aside from that Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, there are more than 20 people left on the bridge. That''s incredible! Also, that Myriad Swords Sect''s peerless genius, Heroic Sword Venerable seems to be on the brink of death."


    "¡­"


    Dala stared at Tang Xiu with a complicated expression. Given his keen eyesight, how could he not be able to tell that Tang Xiu had been advancing forward with ease? He hadn''t yet exerted his full strength even under such enormous spatial pressure.


    The Inner Pill Sect and Limitless Palace will surely be out of luck if this kid grows. He¡­ must be related to the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, thought Dala inwardly.


    Next to him, the slack-jawed and shocked stout man muttered, "Master, this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor is really amazing. Aside from Black Zephyr old freak, no one else seems to be better than him. I have a feeling that he can definitely pass the bridge trial and arrive outside the Drunken Immortal Palace."


    "He''s going to pass, without a doubt." Dala nodded slowly and said, "However, those four around him are similarly powerful. They all have climbed up more than 6,800 ladders and they seem to be able to persist for a long time."


    "Do you know something about the origin of this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, Master?" asked the stout man. "How come we''ve never heard of his name until now given his aptitude? Also, those four around him, they obviously changed their appearances and auras. Why are they afraid to show their true faces to everyone?"


    "It''s likely they may have some powerful enemies!" replied Dala.


    "Then it will be very likely their enemies will be very unlucky!" said the burly man. "Should any one of these five grow and breakthrough to the Supremacy Stage, their might will be outrageously powerful."


    On the stairway.


    Star Peng''s eyes were filled with madness. He had reached his limit withstanding the huge pressure. However, he kept persevering¡ªfor that inheritance, for the sect to resolve their impending crisis.


    "Puah¡­"


    Right as he climbed the 7864th stair, he finally couldn''t bear the huge pressure anymore and was forced to fly back and then fell heavily on the bridge.


    "I refuse to give up!!"


    Star Peng''s eyes turned bloodshot. He tightly clenched his fists and punched the ground hard.


    Star Luminous, who was three steps behind him, saw that Star Peng was forced back. His eyes were also filled with madness. They were the only ones from their sect who came to the Boundless Mountain Range and entered this Secret Palace. Should Star Peng fail, then he would be the only one left. The pressure he felt inside was bigger than the spatial pressure he felt from the outside.


    I must persevere! I must insist. I must keep climbing even if I have to die!


    Star Luminous gritted his teeth and frantically circulated the Immortal Force in his body. He had made up his mind to never be forced back by the pressure even if he must die in this trial.


    He advanced step by step with a trembling body and madness-filled eyes, with every fiber of his muscles cracking violently.


    Perseverance and insisting to keep moving forward had become his only faith.


    Buzz¡­


    A surging aura suddenly blasted out from Star Luminous. In nearly a flash, he, who nearly had reached his limit under the pressure, suddenly felt that his body now became lighter.


    "A sudden¡­ breakthrough?!"


    Even in his dream, Star Luminous never imagined that he would break through to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage at this moment. It must be noted that he had advanced to the Golden Immortal late-stage only 700 years ago. He immediately realized an insight¡ªthe Heavenly Dao rewards the diligent and those who persevere unremittingly.


    He felt like crying at the moment. Ever since his Grand Master, Star Cultivation Great Emperor, failed his tribulation and vanished, the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect had to go through bitter tribulations and hardships of being attacked by several factions. Impending dangers and jeopardy were right in front of their door and many of their people were constantly killed. The sect''s resources were gradually depleted and he had been persevering and supporting the sect through these hardships.


    Many people in the sect abandoned themselves, resented their incompetence, and even despaired. Yet, he didn''t. He shouldered the title of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect''s peerless genius, so he kept cultivating all out instead, unleashed everything he got in the battles, and wandered the edge of life-and-death time and again while constantly accumulating experience.


    All he relied on was his perseverance, so he still survived to the present.


    "The path is so far and only by persevering one can move forward."


    Star Luminous took a deep breath and gradually suppressed his excitement. His eyes and resolve became extremely firm. He felt everything was a lot easier when he tried taking another step forward.


    Quickly after, Star Luminous came to the 8,000th stair. When he looked at Tang Xiu, he could see a relieved and grateful look on his face.


    Why does he look relieved and grateful?


    Star Luminous''s expression shifted and respectfully said, "Senior Great Tang, did you see me breaking through?"


    "Of course!" Tang Xiu replied with a smile. "You wouldn''t have been able to arrive at the 8,000th stair so easily without breaking through to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage. The Vermillion Bird Holy Sect is really blessed to have such a peerless genius in you."


    Star Luminous''s expression sharply changed and he stared at Tang Xiu vigilantly in an instant.


    "You don''t have to guard against me," said Tang Xiu with a voice transmission. "What you need to know is that I''m not hostile to you. Otherwise, you and Star Peng would have already died even before entering the Secret Palace."


    Star Luminous froze for a while and suddenly sobered up. With an embarrassed face, he awkwardly said, "I apologize, Senior Great Tang."


    Tang Xiu casually waved and said, "I''m deeply related to your Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. I didn''t expect that you could reach this point. Alright, let''s stop conversing here. Go forward! If your mind is firm enough, I''m sure you won''t be troubled by this trial."


    "Understood!" Star Luminous complied curtly and stepped on the 8,001st stair.


    Quickly after, Star Tears and Sablefiend Scorpio also came to the 8,000th stair, surpassing Heroic Sword Venerable. However, their distance from the man was only three stairs.


    "Let''s keep advancing! Don''t be caught up by some idiot lest we hear some stupid bragging from him again," said Tang Xiu while glancing at Heroic Sword Venerable with disdain.


    "Asshole!" Heroic Sword Venerable roared angrily.


    Tang Xiu straightly ignored him, but Star Tears couldn''t suppress her killing intent towards the guy. However, she realized that it was not yet the time to kill Heroic Sword Venerable, so she suppressed her killing intent and followed Tang Xiu up the stairs.


    On the 16th day.


    Tang Xiu, Star Tears, Star Luminous, and Sablefiend Scorpio had passed the bridge trial. When the four of them came to the outside of the Drunken Immortal Palace, Black Zephyr old freak greeted them quickly. Although he was a bit surprised to see Tang Xiu, he respectfully greeted him, "Thank you, Fellow Immortal."


    "No, there''s no need for you to thank me as that was your fortune and chance." Tang Xiu shook his head and smiled slightly.


    "May I ask whether Fellow Immortal has any request for me?" asked Black Zephyr.


    "Well, recently I met a very talented young man¡ªStar Luminous, a peerless genius from the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect," replied Tang Xiu with a voice transmission. "Coincidentally, he experienced a similar thing like you and broke through to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage under the pressure on the bridge. I''m sure you''re also aware of the predicament surrounding the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. If you really want to thank me, please help that sect for me in the future!"


    "Understood!"


    Black Zephyr carefully observed Star Luminous for a while and then nodded silently. Then, he said, "By the way, the 9 Immortals who have successfully arrived here are required to activate the Nine Stars Array. There are five of us now, so we need to wait for 4 more people."

 1365 Worthless Lives

    On the 18th day, Heroic Sword Venerable finally passed the bridge trial.


    Of the 900 Immortals from the fifth batch, a total of five people passed the bridge trial and shocked the thousands of Immortals below. Afterward, the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth batch followed.


    Finally, after the trial of the ninth batch of Immortals ended, the last three people successfully crossed the bridge, so the number of people outside the Drunken Immortal Palace reached 9. The nine people were: Black Zephyr old freak, Heroic Sword Venerable, Tang Xiu, Star Tears, Sablefiend Scorpio, Star Luminous, Blackhawk Venerable, Aureate Rosy Cloud Venerable, and Iron Scarless.


    "Everyone, we now have enough people, so we can activate the Nine Stars Array! Each and every one of us can only rely on our own chance after entering the Drunken Immortal Palace. Who will eventually become the inheritor of Drunken Immortal Supreme? Let''s strive and fight for it!" Blackhawk Venerable, the one with the highest cultivation level at the Perfected Golden Immortal late-stage, slowly said.


    "Um!"


    The rest nodded and stood above the nine nodes of the Nine Stars Array. As the nine people injected their Immortal Force, the Nine Star Array was immediately activated and the hundreds of meters high gate of the Drunken Immortal Palace slowly opened.


    "Let''s enter!"


    The nine rushed inside in succession and quickly appeared in the interior of the Drunken Immortal Palace. Nearly all of them had bloodshot eyes with greed after seeing a large number of treasures and various cultivation resources inside.


    "KILL!"


    Tang Xiu, Star Tears, Sablefiend Scorpio, and Star Luminous moved to strike Heroic Sword Venerable at the same time as though they had a prior agreement. In particular, due to the influence of the Rainbow Phantasmagoria ability Tang Xiu just cast, Heroic Sword Venerable was instantly in a bemused state and became an easy target of bombardment from Sablefiend Scorpio, Star Tears, and Star Luminous.


    Slash¡­


    Despite keeping his guard up against Tang Xiu, Heroic Sword Venerable never dreamed that he would be the target of four powerhouses at the same time. He was sent flying to the distance as a divine sword finally cleaved his body into halves.


    The complexions of Black Zephyr old freak, Blackhawk Venerable, Aureate Rosy Cloud Venerable, and Iron Scarless changed greatly. Never did it cross their minds that Tang Xiu''s group of four would actually slay the peerless genius from the Myriad Swords Sect, causing the four people to blink to four directions. Aside from Black Zephyr who thought that Tang Xiu wouldn''t attack him, the other three were deeply wary of the group of four.


    "You should join us to kill the rest, Black Zephyr. Only after we kill them will we have fewer competitors in snatching this immortal fate," Tang Xiu quickly sent a voice transmission to Black Zephyr. "No matter what, Blackhawk, Aureate Rosy Cloud, and Iron Scarless must die here."


    Black Zephyr took a deep breath and replied with a voice transmission, "Aureate Rosy Cloud is the first disciple of Auric Light Island, and I have a deep friendship with her Master. Can you spare her?"


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and slowly nodded. "No problem with me, but she must comply with my request later."


    "What would you like her to do?" asked Black Zephyr.


    "She must never tell a soul about us joining up to kill the enemies, especially the matter of killing Heroic Sword Venerable!" Tang Xiu said, "I want her to take an Immortal Oath on this one."


    "I''ll talk to her," said Black Zephyr.


    After a brief communication, Tang Xiu''s group of five pursued Blackhawk and Iron Scarless. Although Blackhawk was a powerful Perfected Golden Immortal, he had to face the encirclement of 5 powerful enemies. Under the influence of the Rainbow Phantasmagoria Realm supernatural ability, he was finally mercilessly slain, whereas Iron Scarless was easily killed since the man was only at the Golden Immortal Stage.


    "I''ll give up competing for the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme," despite being very unwilling and angry, Aureate Rosy Cloud could finally only choose to compromise in order to survive. She looked at the five men with vigilance and spoke helplessly.


    "Black Zephyr old freak told me that he has a deep friendship with your Master, so we can''t kill you," said Tang Xiu. "But you must take an Immortal Oath to never tell another soul what has happened in the Drunken Immortal Palace."


    Aureate Rosy Cloud looked at Black Zephyr with a strange expression and then took the oath immediately.


    "Well, you''re now our friend since you took that vow," said Tang Xiu contentedly. "As for the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme and whether you can get it will depend on your own abilities. We won''t intervene with you whatsoever."


    "Huh?" Aureate Rosy Cloud incredulously said, "You mean¡­ I can still compete for the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme? You¡­"


    "That''s right, you can." Tang Xiu nodded. "As long as you can pass the next trial, we will still congratulate you even if you become the ultimate winner."


    The unwillingness and anger in Aureate Rosy Cloud''s heart instantly vanished and she looked at Tang Xiu with a grateful face. "If I were to finally obtain the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme and have this Secret Palace under my control, I promise you I''ll take out half of the wealth here for you."


    "Hahaha, I''ll say thanks in advance then." Tang Xiu laughed.


    Quickly after, Black Zephyr and Aureate Rosy Cloud left in a hurry. This Drunken Immortal Palace was very large and everyone had no idea where the inheritance was placed, so they chose to separate and look for it on their own.


    Star Luminous took a deep breath and spoke to Tang Xiu, "Senior Great Tang, they have left. I will also seek my own immortal fate. If I can finally obtain Drunken Immortal Supreme''s inheritance, I''ll also take out half of the wealth here for you as a token of my gratitude."


    "Remember my words. You''ll have other chances as long as you''re still alive." Tang Xiu smiled and waved. "Don''t lose your life here even if you don''t get the inheritance in the end. The future Vermillion Bird Holy Sect needs you."


    "Understood. This Junior shall keep your advice in mind." Star Luminous respectfully saluted and then left quickly.


    Star Tears stared at Star Luminous as he left and sighed. "He''s a good boy. If he doesn''t die prematurely in the future, the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect is hopeful to have another Supreme powerhouse one day."


    "The path of the immortals is very far and no one knows what the future holds for any of us," Tang Xiu said. "I do look forward to seeing the day when he can become a Supreme."


    Star Tears nodded silently and asked, "So, what should I do next?"


    Tang Xiu smiled lightly in response and said, "Sablefiend Scorpio, you may be my subordinate, but I have brought you here, so you can find your own immortal fate! I''ll return your Soul Plate immediately if you can get the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme. I look forward to the day when you can become a Supremacy Stage powerhouse in the future."


    Sablefiend Scorpio froze for a moment, then deep gratitude could be seen in her eyes. She had followed Tang Xiu to the Secret Palace and, prior to this, she thought that she would only obtain some wealth here to support her cultivation later. Although she had imagined many times that such a chance would happen to her, she thought that Tang Xiu would never let her have this opportunity.


    However, now she realized that she was completely mistaken. Her Master not only had respect for herself, but he also did not treat her as a subordinate or slave, but as someone close to him.


    He does deserve to be a person to pledge my loyalty to. He saved my life from the Convict Arena. He would even give me my Soul Plate back if I obtain the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme. I swear I''ll serve and work for him for 5,000 years. This¡­ is what I can do to repay him. Sablefiend Scorpio thought inwardly before choosing a direction and leaving.


    At present, only Tang Xiu and Star Tears remained. Tang Xiu then smiled and said, "Anyway, Auntie Star Tears, it would be very difficult for you to advance to the Supremacy Stage given your present aptitude. However, you still have me, so it will be easy for you to obtain the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme. Let''s head to the Drunken Immortal Spring!"


    "Huh?" Star Tears was confused and asked, "What do you mean?"


    "Just follow me and you''ll know it later," replied Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Half a day later, Tang Xiu led Star Tears to the central area of Drunken Immortal Palace where the Drunken Immortal Spring was located. Along the way, all the restrictions and traps seemed to pose no threat to the two of them.


    "Auntie Star Tears, I''ve cracked the restriction around the Drunken Immortal Spring. Go accept the inheritance. Whether you can take the entire Secret Palace under your control, it depends on your fortune." After he said that, Tang Xiu conjured thousands of seas in succession. As a transparent energy shield rose, a half-meter wide and two-meter high gap was opened and Star Tears directly entered through it.


    "This is the Drunken Immortal Spring where one can get his inheritance?"


    Star Tears fully trusted Tang Xiu. She observed the space inside and felt slightly excited after seeing the spirit spring spray a green liquid a few meters high. Immediately after, she immediately lunged herself into the Drunken Immortal Spring directly.


    "Heavens! This dark green liquid is all life essences?"


    Star Tears could sense the enormous life force that was continuously being injected into her body, causing her appearance to return to her original face. A marvelous change happened to her appearance after the life essence fluid infused into her body, causing her to look much younger and full of life.


    After the life essence liquid in the Drunken Immortal Spring was absorbed by Star Tears''s body, a cluster of golden light at the bottom of the spring instantly wrapped her body and countless ancient runes turned into powerful torrents that flowed into Star Tears'' sea of knowledge.


    Time ticked by and half a year had passed in the blink of an eye.


    During these six months, Black Zephyr also discovered this area, but Tang Xiu secretly pulled some tricks to adjust the restrictions here, making it difficult for Black Zephyr to step inside.


    Buzz¡­


    At the moment, the entire Secret Palace was shaken and the complexions of the hundreds of thousands of Immortals still alive changed. They didn''t understand what exactly happened with the Secret Palace and couldn''t help but have a bad premonition inside their hearts.


    "Out!"


    The moment Star Tears opened her eyes, these hundreds of thousands of Immortals were wrapped by an invisible force and were directly expelled from the Secret Palace. However, there were two exceptions¡ªSablefiend Scorpio and Star Luminous. The two of them appeared directly in front of Tang Xiu with Star Tears''s arrangement.


    "What''s going on?"


    Sablefiend Scorpio and Star Luminous exchanged dismayed glances. They only glanced at Tang Xiu and then shifted to Star Tears who was floating above the Drunken Immortal Spring. Both of them could sense a special energy fluctuation from her that made them palpitated.


    "You¡­ you''re¡­ Great-Grand Martial Aunt?"


    After seeing Star Tears''s face, Star Luminous suddenly knelt in front of her and excitedly cried out.


    Star Tears smiled in response and sent a stream of energy to hold him up. Then, she lightly said, "I didn''t expect I''d be recognized by you, Kiddo."


    "This is great¡­"


    Star Luminous''s eyes were full of tears and he shouted excitedly.

 1366 Interception

    Tang Xiu shifted to Star Tears and asked with a smile, "You have obtained the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme? Do you now have a chance to advance to the Supremacy Stage?"


    "I''m sure I can break through to the Supremacy Stage within a century," replied Star Tears with a smile.


    "If that''s the case, then you''re to take these two little guys back!" Tang Xiu nodded happily. "It won''t be easy for them to return to the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect safely given their present strength."


    Star Tears hesitated for a while and said, "But I''d like to stay here to cultivate for a century since I plan to go back after breaking through to the Supremacy Stage."


    After contemplating for a while, Tang Xiu took 2 objects out of his interspatial right and handed them to Star Tears. "Take these two things and you may be able to advance to the Supremacy Stage in less than a century. You can stay here since you chose so. Also, the Secret Palace hoards a lot of wealth, so take it with you when you come back too."


    Star Tears nodded slowly. But when she saw the two objects, her pupils contracted and she looked ecstatic. "Earth Core and Five-colored Dragon Pearl? These two objects are all treasures and they are very important for me now! With them, I can definitely break through to the Supremacy Stage in a few decades at most."


    Tang Xiu just smiled lightly in response and then shifted to Sablefiend Scorpio. "Well, the Secret Palace already has a Master now, so let''s head out first!"


    Sablefiend Scorpio pondered for a moment and asked, "Master, you and Venerable Star Tears are¡­"


    "It''s not yet the time for you to know that." Tang Xiu shook his head. "Wait until I break through to the Supremacy Stage and I''ll naturally tell you."


    Sablefiend Scorpio nodded silently and no longer asked.


    On the contrary, Star Luminous, who knew the true identity of Star Tears, wasn''t able to suppress his excitement. Originally, he thought that his Great Grand Martial Aunt Star Tears had already passed away in some corners of the Immortal World long ago. During this trip to the Secret Palace, he and Star Peng were the only people from their Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. He never thought that he would run into their Great Grand Martial Aunt here. Furthermore, she was the person who obtained the inheritance of the Drunken Immortal Supreme.


    "The heavens have blessed the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect!"


    Star Luminous took a deep breath and looked at Tang Xiu and observed him quietly for some time, then he inquired, "Great Grand Martial Aunt, who is he, exactly?"


    "You don''t need to know for now." Star Tears shook her head. "The only thing you need to know is that you must be respectful whenever you see him in the future."


    "About this¡­ understood."


    Despite a bit unwilling, Star Luminous still nodded and complied.


    After some time, Star Tears sent Tang Xiu and Sablefiend Scorpio off to the outside. When the two of them appeared in the forested mountain range some million kilometers away from the Secret Palace, they turned into an azure smoke and flew away without slightest delay and headed towards the nearest spatial teleportation array.


    Both of them had obtained a lot of treasures during the trip to the Secret Palace. Star Tears, especially. She collected a massive number of immortal artifacts, Immortal Crystals, and Crystal Essences from various areas in the Secret Palace and handed them to Tang Xiu before they left. The amount was sufficient for the Great Tang Empire to cover their overhead cost for several centuries.


    A few months passed by.


    Tang Xiu and Sablefiend Scorpio arrived in the Great Peng Immortal Domain and stayed in its main city, the Wind Reticulum City. After inquiring some news, it was finally determined that the struggle for the Secret Palace had fully come to an end, though no one knew the person who finally inherited the Drunken Immoral Supreme''s inheritance was.


    Further, some news also said that the Inner Pill Sect and the Everlasting Palace suffered enormous losses during the trip to the Secret Palace. The Inner Pill Sect lost more than a dozen Perfected Golden Immortals and more than 100 Golden Immortals. The Everlasting Palace was even worse with over a dozen Perfected Golden Immortals dead along with nearly 200 Golden Immortals.


    However, these two powerful sects were still barely able to bear these losses. On the contrary, the Sect Master of Myriad Swords Sect was said to be so furious that he destroyed his palace residence, the impact causing thousands of palace servants.


    This Sect fully lost their entire 100,000 Golden Immortals and 46 Perfected Golden Immortals. Most importantly, this sect''s peerless genius, Heroic Sword Venerable, also died in the Secret Palace. It must be noted that Heroic Sword Venerable was the son of the Myriad Swords Sect''s Sect Master who had a 90% chance to be his successor.


    "Dao Master Qing Feng from the Pristine Immortal Confucian Sect is being hunted down by the Myriad Swords Sect''s powerhouses. Undemonized Sovereign Mo has been hit hard, and whether he''s still alive or has died is unknown."


    It was the other news that was obtained by Tang Xiu and Sablefiend Scorpio.


    In a flash, Tang Xiu made up his mind to leave for the neighboring region, the Hundred Sightless Immortal Domain, to rescue Dao Master Qing Feng. However, there were only two of them and they couldn''t take any rash actions for this rescue mission given their strength. Hence, they needed accurate intel as a support to save these men safely and then escape immediately.


    The Hundred Sightless Immortal Domain.


    In a barren rocky area, Dao Master Qing Feng anxiously looked at the fainted Undemonized Sovereign Mo in his arms. He flew extremely fast, but the four Perfected Golden Immortals were right on his heels, followed by tens of Golden Immortals. The more he saw them, the more helpless and powerless he felt.


    Cough, cough¡­


    During the escape, Undemonized Sovereign Mo finally sobered up faintly. He looked at the anxious-looking Dao Master Qing Feng who was fleeing quickly. A bitter smile appeared on his face and he said, "You haven''t shaken off those Myriad Swords Sect''s bastards?"


    "Not yet." Dao Master Qing Feng forced a smile. "They are lunatics and seemingly won''t ever let us off without killing us first."


    Sovereign Mo swallowed a Purple Scent Pill and adjusted his breathing for some time. He then sighed. "Haih, the Myriad Swords Sect was struck with huge losses during the trip to the Secret Palace, likely sapping nearly 50% of their power. They are venting their anger on us now."


    "Hmph." Dao Master Qing Feng sneered. "Let them come if they want to vent on us. The more their people die, the happier I''ll be."


    "Hehe, that''s so unlike you." Sovereign Mo chuckled and said, "You were always merciful in the past just like those bald old monkeys from the Buddhist Realm. How come you have such a unique quirk now?"


    "Meh, the Myriad Swords Sect is just a bunch of despicable assholes," replied Dao Master Qing Feng with a chuckle. "The more they die, the fewer people that will be bullied and killed in the future. Being kind to this sect means being cruel to others. I wish all of them to be fully annihilated!"


    "Bwahaha¡­" Sovereign Mo burst into laughter and said, "I used to think you were very old school, Qing Feng. I didn''t expect you to be so temperamental this time. Anyways, as long as we can escape this time, I''ll definitely make the Myriad Swords Sect pay a painful price!"


    "No, don''t act reckless and mess up now, Undemonized Mo!" Dao Master Qing Feng hurriedly blurted. "The Myriad Swords Sect may have suffered huge losses this time, but a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. That''s right. Junior Brother Dao Master Guai has messaged me, so we can''t act recklessly for now. We won''t end up great if we get caught by this sect''s powerhouses."


    "I know that. Offending the Myriad Swords Sect is equivalent to provoking the Everlasting Palace." Undemonized Sovereign Mo sneered. "In any case, I have a hunch that some people have specifically targeted the people of Inner Pill Sect and Everlasting Palace in the Secret Palace and they should be the ones who killed them."


    "You''re not the only one who thought so." Dao Master Qing Feng nodded. "This time, the Inner Pill Sect and the Everlasting Palace were hit hard and suffered enormous losses, worse than any other sect."


    Undemonized Sovereign Mo''s expression shifted and he said, "Do you think they are from the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect? Those two sects have been harassing and bullying this sect all these years. Only those from this sect would specifically target and strike these two sects during the opening of the Secret Palace. This sect still has the capability to inflict such serious damage to those two sects."


    Dao Master Qing Feng shook his head. "That''s unlikely. The Vermillion Bird Holy Sect is currently being forced to stay in their territory by the Inner Pill Sect and the Everlasting Palace. They won''t dare to easily leave their sect''s protection array. Further, as far as I know, Great Emperor Danqing and the other Supreme from the Everlasting Palace have assigned some people to blockade the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect''s land, making it very difficult for anyone from that sect to come out."


    "It''s very difficult, but it''s not like there''s no way out," said Undemonized Sovereign Mo.


    Dao Master Qing Feng shook his head and sighed. "Forget it, let''s not talk about them now. The most important thing for us now is to find a way to shake off the Myriad Swords Sect''s pursuit. By the way, are you familiar with this Hundred Sightless region?"


    "No. I''ve been here once, but I''m not too familiar with the place." Undemonized Sovereign Mo shook his head.


    "Then we''re in trouble." Dao Master Qing Feng sighed. "Our speed is too slow. If this situation continues, they will catch up with us in half a day at most."


    For a while, both of them felt a bit helpless and were at a loss as to what to do.


    Suddenly, Dao Master Qing Feng''s expression changed and his eyes were full of vigilance as he shouted fiercely, "Come out! We already found you!"


    "Hahaha, how can you say you found us since you''ve fallen into the trap we''ve laid out for you? You will definitely meet your maker this time!" Four figures appeared out of nowhere in front of them. The one who spoke was their leader, a Perfected Golden Immoral of the Myriad Swords Sect, Blackcrow Venerable.


    Dao Master Qing Feng frowned deeply and asked, "How did you judge our escape route and come here a step ahead?"


    "One of our Myriad Swords Sect''s people has secretly cast the Thousand Miles Scent on you before you fled previously." Blackcrow Venerable happily smiled. "No matter where you flee, we''ll quickly find you. Most importantly, the Stone City''s City Lord in this Hundred Sightless region is one of ours, to begin with."


    "You both never expected it, did you? I''m the City Lord of Stone City, Celestial Stone Old Man. Of course, I''m also a disciple of the Myriad Swords Sect." A white-haired old man with a white beard sneered. A contemptuous look was evident in his eyes as he looked at Dao Master Qing Feng and Undemonized Sovereign Mo.


    Blackcrow Venerable took out 7 black flags from his interspatial ring and quickly arranged the Seven Heavens Sealing Evil Array while looking at Dao Master Qing Feng and Undemonized Sovereign Mo playfully.

 1367 Fighting to Save the Critical Situation

    Dao Master Qing Feng immediately understood, but he shook his head and sighed. "It seems the direction we''re fleeing is your territory. No wonder you can find us so easily and determine the direction of our escape. Since you keep pursuing us, let the rumble begin then! But you''ll have to pay a terrible price if you want to make us stay here."


    Blackcrow Venerable nodded and said, "You''re right that we must pay a price if we want to kill both of you. But do you still think you can do so after you see this?"


    With that said, he took out a pair of scrolls from his interspatial right and cast a technique. The scrolls instantly flew and slowly unfolded in mid-air. The pair of scrolls turned out to be paintings with 18 patterns drawn on them. Each pattern was a design of an uncanny weapon. Even if they were in the form of paintings on the scrolls, these 18 weapons still gave off a chilling sense.


    "Immortal Executioner Armament Scrolls?!" Dao Master Qing Feng looked horrified and exclaimed in disbelief.


    Blackcrow Venerable proudly smiled. "You know it? This thing is the supreme treasure of your Pristine Immortal Confucian Sect. It took us a lot of effort to obtain this object, but now we''re using it to deal with you. The price we''re gonna pay is much smaller now, no? Hahaha¡­"


    An intense killing intent burst out from Dao Master Qing Feng and he shouted fiercely, "Did my Master Ancestor, Venerable Aries, was killed by your Myriad Swords Sect''s people?"


    "You guessed right." Blackcrow Venerable grinned. "I''m not afraid to tell you that I was one of those who slew your Ancestor 1,300 years ago! You know, Venerable Aries was a very powerful man. A Perfected Golden Immortal late-stage, yet he was able to withstand the onslaught of our six Perfected Golden Immortals for quite a long time before we slaughtered him. That was quite a brilliant performance, wasn''t it? Pity that he was still finally killed in our hands. You were not there then, else you could have seen how wonderful it was when he detonated his Immortal Soul."


    Dao Master Qing Feng''s eyes turned bloodshot and a battle armor suddenly covered his body along with a scripture that appeared in his hand out of nowhere. The armor was an 8th grade artifact, and what he held was also an 8th grade weapon, both of which were his killing cards.


    "Revenge is due. Blood for blood and a tooth for a tooth."


    Dao Master Qing Feng fell into madness. He had never hated anyone so much and wished he could crush Blackcrow Venerable. The closest and best person to him was not his Master, but rather his Master Ancestor who was killed 1,300 years ago, Venerable Aries.


    Undemonized Sovereign Mo glanced at Dao Master Qing Feng and sighed inwardly. He then took a jade bottle from his interspatial ring and poured a pill into his mouth. Suddenly, his aura gradually rose even though he was seriously injured. In just several breaths, his aura had surpassed his peak.


    "We only have an hour at best, Qing Feng. We''ll survive if we can kill them within the time. But if we fail to kill them, then only death awaits both of us! Let the showdown begin! Let this Undemonized Sovereign Mo accompany your madness today!"


    Dao Master Qing Feng replied with his actions. He waved his hand and scroll in his hand flew into the air, releasing golden runes like flowing water. As endless changes occurred to the runes, they then bombarded Blackcrow Venerable.


    On the other side, a flying knife appeared in the hands of Undemonized Sovereign Mo out of the blue. The flying knife that seemed to be only a few inches long instantly turned into tens of thousands of sword shadows that shot towards Blackcrow Venerable from all directions.


    "Focused Lightning Art!"


    Another art was cast and lightning bolts flashed down from the highest heaven. These lightning bolts did not directly strike Blackcrow Venerable''s group of four but bombarded together along with the blade shadows of the flying know. Suddenly, tens of thousands of sword shadows were connected in series by lightning sparks and formed a lighting chain blade net.


    Blackcrow Venerable looked solemn upon seeing it. Dazzling golden rays suddenly bloomed from the picture scrolls and the 18 weapon patterns on it suddenly materialized and flushed towards Dao Master Qing Feng and Undemonized Sovereign Mo. These 18 weapons then formed a special battle formation and clashed with the countless runes and blade shadows.


    It was a clash between magical weapons and spells.


    The six combatants from both sides showcased their respective magical powers and the fight began with each unleashing their strongest killing moves.


    An hour later, Blackcrow Venerable let out a bit of contempt. He just heard what Undemonized Sovereign Mo said that he could only insist for an hour, which should be related to the pill he swallowed.


    "Focused Finger of Sword Form¡ªSlash!"


    Acutely sensing the rapid weakening of Undemonized Sovereign Mo''s aura, Blackcrow Venerable was overjoyed. He finally decided to rush to the spot several meters away in front of Sovereign Mo in an attempt to slay him.


    "Let''s die together!"


    Undemonized Sovereign Mo suddenly shouted and his aura burst out again. In nearly a flash, he appeared in front of Blackcrow Venerable and directly unleashed his Innate Natal immortal sword and pierced through the shadow left by Blackcrow Venerable, causing the latter''s complexion to change greatly.


    Blast¡­


    One of the Myriad Swords Sect''s Perfected Golden Immortal behind Blackcrow Venerable never dreamed that a strike would come from the direction of Blackcrow Venerable. He was caught off guard and had no chance to evade nor defend himself as his chest was hit hard and left a bowl-sized hole.


    Blackcrow Venerable, who avoided the strike, suddenly felt deep regret upon seeing the miserable state of his companion, arousing and nearly materializing his killing intent. He knew that he was deceived by Undemonized Sovereign Mo. The pill the latter took definitely did not make him able to insist just for an hour, and the target of his attack a while was not him. After giving it a thought, he realized that the target was his companion.


    The instant after, Blackcrow Venerable no longer focused his attention to attack Undemonized Sovereign Mo but quickly took out a black jade bottle and put his companion''s Immortal Soul inside.


    "KILL THEM¡­"


    The other two Perfected Golden Immortals sent a barrage of powerful blast towards Dao Master Qing Feng. One of them then turned to lunge towards Undemonized Sovereign Mo and his Innate Natal immortal weapon blasted the latter''s chest in a split second after. However, even though he severely injured Undemonized Sovereign Mo, he couldn''t avoid the counter-attack by the latter and was wounded by Sovereign Mo''s flying knife. The strike could have killed him had it not been for his high-grade immortal defensive artifact.


    We''re now in a desperate situation and the array is barring us from escaping.


    Undemonized Sovereign Mo felt a bit bitter, yet he didn''t have any regret whatsoever. It was all for the sake of his best friend, so he had no regrets even if he lost his life here. His only regret was that he couldn''t pull Blackcrow Venerable''s group of four into the grave with him.


    My only choice left is to detonate my Immortal Soul! Even if the explosion can''t kill them, at least it will make them pay a terrible price. Undemonized Sovereign Mo took a deep breath and prepared to detonate his Immortal Soul.


    Buzz¡­


    Suddenly, an invisible force burst directly from outside the array. In a split second after, a kilometer-long divine sword beam flashed and directly tore the surrounding formations and slashed the Perfected Golden Immortal who attacked Undemonized Sovereign Mo before. Even though the man had a high-grade defensive artifact, his head was still hit and split into halves.


    "WHAT?!"


    Blackcrow Venerable and the other Perfected Golden Immortal looked horrified at the same time. The moment their complexions changed greatly, the scenery in front of them changed and they froze momentarily.


    Slash! Puff! Crack! Puff¡­


    The seriously injured Dao Master Qing Feng and Undemonized Sovereign Mo sent their final blows, directly striking Blackcrow Venerable and the other Perfected Golden Immortal. Although they failed to fatally injure them, both their targets were sent flying after getting hit by their heavy blows.


    "Shadowless Scorpion Tail!"


    Out of nowhere, a black shadow suddenly blocked the path of Blackcrow Venerable''s flying direction. A scorpion tail appeared and struck hard, directly piercing his abdomen. At the same time, a long whip suddenly lashed from that black shadow and hit Blackcrow Venerable''s Immortal Soul that attempted to run from his body.


    The sudden turn of events made Dao Master Qing Feng and Undemonized Sovereign Mo ecstatic. Although they had no idea who and where these two helpers came from, they were sure that these people were definitely friends since they helped them in such a desperate strait.


    "KILL!"


    After slaying Blackcrow Venerable, the four people teamed up without hesitation and launched a fierce onslaught on the last Perfected Golden Immortal who had just been hit hard. In just 15 minutes, that Perfected Golden Immortal roared in a rage full of unwillingness as he was killed by the four.


    Dao Master Qing Feng took a deep breath to calm down his boiling blood and then sealed up his bleeding wounds. Then he asked Undemonized Sovereign Mo, "How is your condition? Can you still bear it?"


    Undemonized Sovereign Mo''s pale face squeezed out a smile uglier than crying, but he shook his head and then nodded to Tang Xiu and Sablefiend Scorpio before directly slumping to the ground. He then took out a Purple Scent Pill and swallowed it before sitting cross-legged on the ground to recuperate.


    A concerned look flashed in the eyes of Dao Master Qing Feng. His eyes moved away from Undemonized Sovereign Mo and shifted to Tang Xiu and Sablefiend Scorpio. Then, he cupped his fists and said, "Thank you for your help¡ªthe virtue and benevolence this Qing Feng will never forget. May I ask who these two friends are?"


    "I''m Great Tang Heavenly Emperor and she''s my retainer," said Tang Xiu with a smile.


    "Ah, you''re that Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, the mysterious powerhouse in the Secret Palace?" Dao Master Qing Feng blurted in surprise.


    "Calling me a powerhouse is rather incorrect, though I do have a bit of talent," replied Tang Xiu with a smile.


    "Sight, your Great Tang Heavenly Emperor title has now spread through more than half of the Immortal World and is known to many powerhouses." Dao Master Qing Feng sighed. "You have displayed a shocking performance in the Secret Palace, outshining many powerful people there. Many people are speculating whether you''re the one who finally got the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme."


    "Well, the Secret Palace of Drunken Immortal Supreme should still be in the Boundless Mountain Range, right? How could I possibly be that lucky guy since I''m here now?" replied Tang Xiu with a pale smile. "Besides, fame is not a good thing for me, to begin with. After all, I understand the truth that the tallest tree in the forest will only court destruction from the wind."


    Dao Master Qing Feng nodded slowly and said, "That''s sound reasoning. But I just don''t understand one thing. You and I have never had any relationship before, so why did you help us?"

 1368 Inciting Troubles

    Tang Xiu glanced at Undemonized Sovereign Mo, who sat cross-legged in cultivation nearby, and replied lightly, "I have two reasons. Firstly, Dao Master Qing Feng is a good person with a righteous character. Even before the Secret Palace was opened and you were forced to fight in the Boundless Mountain Range, there were so many friends who came forward and stood up and fought with you to uphold justice. That just shows that you''re a friend worth making. And I, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, like to make friends with such people.


    "Secondly, I have a friendship with Dao Master Guai from the Pristine Immortal Confucian Sect. Though what I did was not for his sake but for someone related to him, you''re still his Senior Brother, so how could I just stand by and watch while you''re in danger?"


    "This Daoist, Qing Feng, will always remember your life-saving grace, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor," said Dao Master Qing Feng with all seriousness. "From now onwards, you''re now my friend. Heavenly Emperor can freely ask this one for assistance should you need it in the future. As long as your request is within this Daoist''s capabilities, this one will definitely carry it out. Also, I didn''t expect that you and my Junior Brother know each other. But he has never mentioned anything about becoming friends with you when I came back to the sect, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. That''s rather strange to me."


    Tang Xiu chuckled and said, "Well, maybe he thought that it was unnecessary to mention it. Because perhaps he didn''t even know from where a friend named Great Tang Heavenly Emperor emerged. Hahaha¡­"


    Dao Master Qing Feng stared blankly and was bewildered.


    "Anyway, let''s spare you from getting puzzled with this issue, okay?" Tang Xiu waved his hand. "By the way, where would you like to go now, Dao Master Qing Feng? We can go together if your destination is the same as us. If not, we can escort you to some Immortal Domains on the way."


    Dao Master Qing Feng hesitated and forced a smile. "Undemonized Sovereign Mo and I are seriously injured now. But I fear that I''ll implicate you if we go along with you since this region belongs to a disciple of the Myriad Swords Sect."


    Tang Xiu raised his brows and lightly smiled. "It''s fine. You can avoid the pursuit of anyone from the Myriad Swords Sect by entering my Heavenly Abode artifact. As for us, I don''t think that sect will have time to take care of me."


    Dao Master Qing Feng hesitated before he finally agreed. He could see that the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor didn''t have any intention to harm them. If he did, he wouldn''t have saved them before and they would have already died now.


    The moment after, Tang Xiu moved Dao Master Qing Feng and Undemonized Sovereign Mo to the Heavenly Abode artifact. Then, he shifted to Sablefiend Scorpio and slowly said, "I didn''t expect to become famous overnight after the Secret Palace event. I even got suspected by countless Immortals to be the lucky guy who got the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme. It seems like we need to create some incidents to be more famous, huh!"


    Sablefiend Scorpio nodded in response and said, "It''s as you said, Master. But the Secret Palace is still there. As long as you prove that you''re not inside it at this time, you can break the rumors that you''ve obtained the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme. Else, it won''t be just us who will become the target of surveillance from countless forces in the Immortal World, but also the Great Tang Empire."


    After contemplating for a while, Tang Xiu asked, "Are you familiar with this Immortal Domain or some other regions nearby, by chance?"


    "There''s an Immortal Domain I''m very familiar with about three regions away from here," said Sablefiend Scorpio. "It''s the Ethereal Immortal Domain, and the City Lord of Ethereal City is my friend."


    "If so, then let''s head there," said Tang Xiu without hesitation.


    Suddenly, his complexion changed because he could sense that tens of powerful auras were coming fast in their direction, and these auras belonged to Golden Immortals.


    "They must be the people from the Myriad Swords Sect. We can''t fight them since there''s too many them, so we''ll leave first! We''ll wait for some time and then clean them up," Tang Xiu said in a deep voice.


    Sablefiend Scorpio thought for a while and suddenly said, "Master, why don''t you let me kill them before we leave? Even if we can''t annihilate them, at least we can make some troubles for them."


    Tang Xiu gave it a thought and handed her a Thunder Pellet he had casually purchased before and said, "Then I''m going first and wait for you in the next Immortal Domain. Find me directly in the main city there, I''ll be waiting for you at the gate of the largest city."


    "Understood."


    Sablefiend Scorpio was surprised upon seeing the Thunder Pellet. She was sure she could inflict heavy damage on the enemy with this item.


    15 minutes after Tang Xiu left, tens of Golden Immortals came flying in a group. They turned vigilant after seeing the aftermath and traces of the battle. According to the agreement with the four Perfected Golden Immortals, they were to gather here after those four had slain Dao Master Qing Feng and Undemonized Sovereign Mo. However, there was no trace of those four Perfected Golden Immortals. Even Dao Master Qing Feng and Undemonized Sovereign Mo had disappeared without a trace.


    How did the battle end?


    It was the question they had in mind now.


    Suddenly, the complexion of a late-stage Golden Immortal changed greatly. In nearly a flash, he dashed away with the fastest speed he could unleash in his life when a black shadow suddenly bolted towards them.


    BOOM¡­


    A terrible explosion enveloped a radius of tens of kilometers and the fearsome explosion impact blasted to hundreds of kilometers. More than a dozen of the tens of Golden Immortals who were caught off guard were directly killed and the rest were heavily injured and spurted out mouthfuls of blood.


    "The might of this Thunder Pellet is very terrifying, and one costs 5 million Crystal Essences! Even a Perfected Golden Immortal caught off guard will probably be gravely injured, no?" Sablefiend Scorpio smiled gleefully. Her figure bolted lightning fast as she unleashed her Praecantator weapon and harvested the life of a nearby Golden Immortal who had been severely injured. In just 15 minutes, several Golden Immortal met their tragic deaths in her hands.


    "Join up and kill her, everyone!"


    The Golden Immortal that escaped the fastest previously only suffered minor injuries and roared loudly after flying back. Quickly, the remaining several Golden Immortals all gathered together and released their respected immortal weapons, intending to go all out to slay Sablefiend Scorpio.


    "Hmph¡­"


    Sablefiend Scorpio didn''t want to get pestered by these people. Not to mention that the combining attack power of a dozen Golden Immortals was still very scary. She may be confident that she could annihilate them, but she would likely be seriously injured as well. Further, she also had a concern that the rest of the powerhouses from the Myriad Swords Sect were still rushing to support them.


    10 days later.


    Sablefiend Scorpio and Tang Xiu met in a nearby Immortal Domain. Hardly without any hesitation, they dashed towards the Ethereal Immortal Domain. Even though both of them encountered some troubles along the way, they were just minor troubles and were easily dealt with by them.


    However, with the purpose of making himself more famous, Tang Xiu spent a lot of effort to announce his title, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, every time he dealt with an enemy. Therefore, when he and Sablefiend Scorpio were heading to the Ethereal Immortal Domain fast, some forces quickly obtained the intelligence about them and knew that the expert called Great Tang Heavenly Emperor was currently not in the Secret Palace. Thus, they now determined that the lucky guy who had obtained the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme was definitely not this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor guy.


    In the Ethereal Immortal Domain.


    This region was under the control of the Everlasting Palace''s branch. At the moment, tens of Perfected Golden Immortals and hundreds of Golden Immortals came out of the spatial teleportation array and showed up near Floating Snow City.


    Donning a white jersey, the long silver-haired Argent Martial Hale had been suppressing his anger inwardly. On the surface, however, he respectfully looked at a black-robed old man and said, "Senior Cambrian, this subordinate has a minor private matter to deal with, so this one can''t accompany you to the Floating Snow City. Please use the Message Token to summon me should you have anything to tell me. This one will definitely come over at once."


    The black-robed old man glanced differently at him and sneered inwardly. He knew the reason why Argent Martial Hale wanted to leave. It was because this guy was often bullied by the other disciples of Everlasting Palace, so he wanted to hide far away from them. He himself was very disgusted about a traitor like Argent Martial Hale, so he was also against him following him. Thus, with a gesture as though sweeping flies, he impatiently waved his hand. "Then scram quickly and don''t be an eyesore. Also, get more cultivation resources for me later and I''ll be happy if you find me some good things."


    "Understood," Argent Martial Hale respectfully replied. "Once this one encounters some good things, this one will immediately present them to you, Sir."


    The black-robed old man indifferently nodded and then left with a group of Perfected Golden Immortals and Golden Immortals quickly, leaving only Argent Martial Hale, whose complexion gradually changed.


    "Damn you, dog mongrel! The moment I''m no longer under your control and free myself from the Everlasting Palace''s restraints, I''ll kill all of you then. Just wait. You all just wait for me." Argent Martial Hale clenched his fists and a soul-stirring killing intent overflowed in his eyes.


    As of now, he missed the days when he followed Star Cultivation Great Emperor. The feeling of being at the apex, superior, free to do as he liked, and enjoying an inexhaustible supply of various resources.


    Yet, he was a traitor¡ªa label that was unpleasant to hear, causing him to feel guilty. However, he chose to survive. And compared to being alive, he chose such a heavy betrayal. Sometimes, the hatred toward his Master, Star Cultivation Great Emperor, birthed inside him. Why did he fail his tribulation and made him lose his shelter and protection?


    After quite a while, Argent Martial Hale quietly entered the Floating Snow City alone and came to a path leading to a low-rise residential area. He came to a courtyard, pushed the door, and came to the interior. He voraciously looked at the hot and voluptuous girls inside as he dashed to one and hugged her.


    "Do you miss me, Zither?" Argent Martial Hale voraciously kissed her and smilingly asked.


    Some disgust birthed in the heart of the stunning belle the moment she saw Argent Martial Hale. On the surface, however, she let out a dazzling smile and sweetly laughed and replied with a coy voice, "I miss you. I''ve been missing you all the time. I''ve always been missing the time when you held me in your arms. I even dreamed a few days ago that you''d come back. Just promise that you won''t leave again this time, okay?"


    Argent Martial Hale groaned as though he was coping with her plea. He then took her into a room while still hugging her.


    "Uh, no, I can''t. It''s inconvenient. I''m not available now," the stunning belle hurriedly cried out.


    "You what?"


    Argent Martial Hale stared blankly and looked annoyed. He directly threw off the lass from his arms and spoke with a cold face, "You''re not available now, huh? Then I''ll come for you another day. I suddenly remember that I have some things to deal with first."

 1369 Trapping a Worthless Dead Man

    Floating Snow City, Lithe Plume Mansion.


    The continuous mansion was the largest red-light district building in the Floating Snow City¡ªa lady of the evening''s mansion, a man''s paradise, and a money-squandering establishment. Given the popular statistics of some Immortals, each lady in the Lithe Plume Mansion was attractive in her own way. Each of whom was a lady of the evening of various races and immortal prostitutes.


    After leaving the woman working there, Argent Martial Hale rushed to the Lithe Plume Mansion and spent the Immortal Crystals he obtained from the Secret Palace generously to reward the two Immortal prostitutes he called over to accompany him. He had no idea that someone had been tailing him the moment he entered the Lithe Plum Mansion.


    Disguised as a pretty boy, Sablefiend Scorpio kept tailing Tang Xiu as they entered the Lithe Plum Mansion. Her always cold face looked unnatural for she had never been to such a place even though she had been living freely in the Immortal World for several thousands of years.


    Tang Xiu''s cold eyes were fixed on Argent Martial Hale''s back. He hated the Inner Pill Sect and the Everlasting Palace as they were his archenemies, but he hated traitors even more. Especially this peerless genius who had once been very close to him, a direct disciple he had spent great attention to and groomed him seriously.


    He spotted Argent Martial Hale outside the gate of Floating Snow City. He didn''t alarm the guy but kept following him all the way. He even observed the meeting between him and that voluptuous woman.


    "Just let me kill him directly, Lord," said Sablefiend Scorpio in a whisper. "I can kill him within 10 breaths at most."


    Tang Xiu shook his head. He looked at the private room on the opposite side and replied indifferently, "Do you know what Argent Martial Hale is best at?"


    "Pardon? What he''s best at?" Sablefiend Scorpio was puzzled.


    "He''s great at saving his own ass," said Tang Xiu lightly.


    "Does this guy really fear death that much?" Sablefiend Scorpio in surprise.


    Tang Xiu didn''t answer her question, but he then realized inwardly that his previous appraisal of his former disciple''s cautious approach was completely mistaken. This guy was not cautious at all, but one who always put his life first and feared death. Had he known that this guy had such a quirk, he wouldn''t have received him as his disciple and just killed him directly instead.


    Time went by.


    Argent Martial Hale had been staying in the private room on the opposite side for three days, enjoying the service of two Immortal hustlers. He was like a manifestation of one who led a befuddled life as if being drunk or in a dream.


    Whoosh¡­


    A figure flickered and came lightning fast silently in the private room where Tang Xiu was sitting. Aside from him, there was also a Golden Core female prostitute soundly sleeping.


    "How is the arrangement going?"


    Tang Xiu noticed the return of Sablefiend Scorpion and immediately asked.


    A smile was cast on the corner of Sablefiend Scorpio''s mouth as she replied, "Everything''s been arranged, Lord. However, we have to pay 800,000 Immortal Crystals."


    "No matter. Immortal Crystals are meant to be spent. As long as it can achieve its purpose, let alone paying 800,000, even spending 8 million is still worth it," replied Tang Xiu lightly.


    "Your subordinate understands." Sablefiend Scorpio nodded.


    Finally, after Tang Xiu and Sablefiend Scorpio waited until the fourth day, Argent Martial Hale then came out of the private room while hugging two Immortal prostitutes towards the lobby on the first floor and then headed outside.


    Thump¡­


    A loud gong-like sound suddenly reverberated and an obese middle-aged woman with thick makeup came to the hall, surrounded by tens of girls. After garnering the attention of hundreds of people in the hall, she smiled and said, "It''s really a good fortune and a blessing for you all, dear guests! We just received a beautiful immortal flower. And most importantly, she''s still a virgin. However, we shall arrange a new game today as this Immortal flower is not going to stay at the Lithe Plume Mansion and will be auctioned. Should any guest like to hug this belle, you can bid later."


    Amid the crowd, Argent Martial Hale was surprised because he rarely encountered such an interesting live-action in the Lithe Plume Mansion. He hesitated for a bit before sitting on a chair.


    "Jing Xian''er, come!" the obese woman waved her handkerchief and shouted loudly.


    Immediately after, a gorgeous young woman with a graceful stature and wearing a white veil walked down the stairs. A faint fragrance floated from her and the hundreds of guests in the hall were suddenly shocked. Their voracious and greedy eyes kept wandering around her sensitive parts.


    With his powerful strength, Argent Martial Hale had keen eyesight, but his crotch heated up when he saw Jing Xian''er''s face behind the white veil. A voracious look was evident in his eyes.


    A real beauty! A truly stunning, peerless belle!


    He, who had seen and ''tasted'' countless women, instantly made up his mind inwardly. No matter how much he must pay, he must bid and obtain this peerless belle. Else, he felt that he would regret it for a very long time.


    The fat woman smiled and said, "As I''ve mentioned, Jing Xian''er is still a virgin and our Lithe Plume Mansion has trained her for many years. She will definitely be a first-class expert in serving her man in the future. Any man who can bid and take her will definitely feel the best and absolute enjoyment.


    "Without further ado, Jing Xian''er, remove your veil. Everyone, please feast your eyes on her."


    In the next moment, under the gaze of countless eyes, Jing Xian''er raised her slim jade fingers to take off the veil covering her face. Shen then gently bowed forward to salute everyone and softly said, "Xian''er greets all the distinguished guests here. Regardless of any guests who would like to buy Xian''er, please treat Xian''er kindly. Xian''er will definitely do her best to please and serve her future owner."


    Buzz¡­


    The hall instantly exploded and countless cries of exclamation and chattering sounded.


    "Oh my God! This is the first time I''ve seen such a beautiful fairy maiden. Even the hottest immortal prostitutes in the Lithe Plume Mansion can''t compare with her, right? She''s so gorgeous¡ªdefinitely the most mind-blowing beautiful goddess in my heart."


    "What do I see here? How can there be such a beautiful woman in this world? The sun, moon, and stars are seemingly overshadowed by her. Dammit, my heart is beating so fast. I¡­ I must obtain her."


    "Let alone having her, even a kiss from her is enough to make me live a hundred years longer and younger! She''s truly a fairy maiden. All those women I''ve seen and met before are non-existent in front of her."


    "I must have her. I must. I''ll even sell my Innate Natal immortal sword for her."


    Argent Martial Hale stared straight at Jing Xian''er with a slightly trembling body. He had seen a lot of stunning beauties, but those on par with this Jing Xian''er were definitely rare. Her beauty was soul-stirring and soul-captivating, capturing his heart completely at the moment.


    I have to get her even if I must go bankrupt. Running into such a top woman like her in this life is very difficult.


    Argent Martial Hale took a deep breath. Then, he shifted to the fat woman and said aloud, "We''ve seen this belle''s true appearance, so can we start the bidding now?"


    On the sixth floor, Tang Xiu was standing in the corridor while observing that guy''s expression in the hall below. He sneered inwardly and turned his head, saying, "Be prepared to lend that guy some money if he doesn''t have enough. It''s likely he''ll burn all his capital given his expression."


    Sablefiend Scorpio''s eyes flashed with contempt, saying, "He has no good character at all, unable to resist the temptation of beauty whatsoever."


    Tang Xiu lightly smiled and said, "I admire you on this one, Sablefiend Scorpio. I didn''t expect you to find such stunning beauty in such a short time."


    Sablefiend Scorpio smiled and asked, "You may take her when the show is over if you like her, Lord. Her identity may be rather complicated, but it won''t be a problem if I get involved."


    Tang Xiu hastily waved. "No, no, no. You might as well harm me doing that. To begin with, those at home¡­ cough, cough¡­ I''m still in a deep headache until now!"


    Sablefiend Scorpio''s smile became more intense and she added, "Well, it''s just normal for a powerhouse to have 3 wives and some mistresses, Lord. Even having countless beauties is still considered normal. Besides, you''re the most outstanding genius I''ve ever seen. No matter how many Femme Fatales, you''re worth following by them."


    "Spare me the topic, will you?" Tang Xiu shook his head. "My goal is to become stronger. I don''t want to get too entangled with women''s affairs. Alright, arrange some people since I must trap him hard this time. I won''t just make him lose everything but also sweep his reputation down the drain. I''ll make this fella die in regret and anger."


    "Understood!" Sablefiend Scorpio put away her smile and silently disappeared in the corridor.


    In the lobby.


    The obese woman looked at Argent Martial Hale''s attitude and sneered inwardly. She knew that this auction was held entirely to trap this guy. Seeing him cooperate so well, she smilingly said, "Well, this noble guest seems unable to wait any longer, so I''m sure you''ve prepared a lot of money, yes? If so, for fear of wasting everyone''s time, I hereby announce that Jing Xian''er''s bid is starting with a floor price of 1 million Crystal Essences. If you''d like to participate in the auction, the increment of each bid must not be less than 500,000 Crystal Essences."


    Gasp¡­


    The hundreds of guests in the entire hall gasped. Most of them could afford to spend 1 million Immortal Crystals, but 1 million Crystal Essences would drive anyone crazy.


    "1.5 million Crystal Essences!"


    Right as the obese woman''s voice faded away, a womanizer-looking middle-aged man in the crowd raised his hand and shouted, "I''m the only who deserve such beauty! 1.5 million Crystal Essences and this peerless belle is mine later!"


    "What a bull! 2 million Crystal Essences! I have nothing else but money here!" Another youth sneered and directly increased the bid.


    "2.5 million!"


    "3 million."


    "¡­"


    Both of them kept increasing their bids and Jing Xian''er''s auction price sharply skyrocketed all the way to 5.5 million Crystal Essences before stopping.

 1370 Nothing was Gained but a Double Loss

    Seeing that the young man no longer raised the price, and when the obese woman was about to speak, Argent Martial Hale briskly raised his hand and said in a deep voice, "8 million Crystal Essences!"


    The greasy-looking middle-aged man suddenly turned around and glared at him, fuming. "10 million Crystal Essences! I''ll give up should anyone bid higher than me!"


    Gasp¡­


    The hundreds of guests in the entire hall gasped, including the other mortal and Immortal prostitutes. Disbelief covered their faces. They never dreamed that someone would be willing to spend 10 million Crystal Essences just for a woman.


    Argent Martial Hale smiled coldly. Had he not had a trip to the Secret Palace, he wouldn''t have been able to fork out 10 million Crystal Essences. He had obtained a lot of treasures back when he was adventuring in the Secret Palace, and the total value was beyond 10 million Crystal Essences, so he shouted again, "10.5 million Crystal Essences! Such a superb woman deserves a similar great lord with deep wealth."


    In that instant, the whole hall was so silent that anyone could hear a needle falling to the floor.


    Suddenly, a lean and ordinary-looking middle-aged man shouted with a deep voice, "Then I bid 20 million Crystal Essences for her! Let me see who dares to proclaim himself a great Lord with such deep pockets. Do you think I''ll be scared of comparing wealth with you? This stunning belle is not someone some dirt-poor fella can have."


    "F*CK!"


    Argent Martial Hale''s self-esteem was severely provoked. His killing intent filled glare swept over that middle-aged man again and again. He breathed heavily several times and shouted aloud, "30 million Crystal Essences! You wanna go crazier than this? Bring it on and bid higher if you got the capital!"


    The lean middle-aged man hesitated and fell into silence for some time. Then, he bid again after swallowing his tense feelings. "30¡ªno, 35 million Crystal Essences to buy this peerless belle. If anyone else bids higher than me, then I¡­"


    35 million?!


    Everyone present was deeply agitated by this fearsome amount. 35 million Crystal Essences was an astronomical figure in their eyes.


    Argent Martial Hale nearly blew up with rage. He never imagined that someone would dare to bid such an outrageous price for an immortal hustler. Most importantly, this man kept provoking him. He had been experiencing humiliation as though he was a dog in the Everlasting Palace, and now, after he left the sect, an outsider still crossed him too? That simply felt more painful than stabbing him, inciting his rage.


    "40 million Crystal Essences!"


    His words finally seeped out through his teeth. He didn''t have that many Crystal Essences, but he still had a lot of immortal artifacts in possession. Selling all of them should barely make up for the amount.


    The middle-aged man was as though getting struck by lightning and stared in a daze as he slumped to his seat, unable to speak for a long time.


    The obese woman was also stimulated by Argent Martial Hale''s bid, but she was well aware that such a huge amount did not belong to her. She took a deep breath and said aloud, "May I know your name, noble guest?"


    "Argent Martial Hale."


    The moment he spat out his name, Argent Martial Hale felt relieved all of sudden. But the instant after, a pang of regret began to multiply in his heart. After reflecting on himself, he realized that he had been reckless since 40 million Crystal Essences was an absolutely terrifying number. Yet, he prodigally burned all of it to buy a woman even though the female was a peerless stunning belle.


    No matter what¡­ it was just¡­ not worth it!


    The obese woman smiled. "Then I''d like Sir Argent Martial Hale to pay now. Jing Xian''er will be your private property once you''ve paid the Crystal Essences."


    Argent Martial Hale was silent for a moment and then slowly said, "I have not enough Crystal Essences with me now, but I have a lot of immortal artifacts that can be exchanged for sufficient Crystal Essences. Call the appraiser here. I need him to assess their prices."


    The obese woman''s expression suddenly turned cold. She made a few gestures, then tens of powerful auras could be felt silently appearing in the surroundings. Shortly after, she sneered. "Do you know what this place is? Do you think we''ll have any appraiser working here? Noble guest, you shouldn''t have played us and struck our ire. Just speak directly if you can''t pay. Of course, those who have played us never had any good end. You should have heard about our backers."


    Argent Martial Hale was furious, but under the gazes of the public, he finally replied with a headache, "Immortal artifacts can be mortgaged. Everyone knows it. I definitely can pay if I can mortgage these artifacts."


    "I''m sorry, but no." The obese woman shook her head.


    At this moment, the young man who previously bid in the auction blurted. "Hey, I can buy your artifacts, but surely I''ll only buy at a lower price than in the shops."


    Given that he couldn''t leave to sell his immortal artifacts, Argent Martial Hale was immediately very happy after hearing the youth''s offer. He quickly took out an interspatial ring and threw it to the young man. "Appraise the objects yourself and state your price."


    The young man took the ring and used his spiritual sense to check its space. After carefully appraising the items for a long time, he then slowly said, "16 million Crystal Essences! We''ll close the deal if you accept. And if you don''t, I''ll leave."


    "Are you taking advantage to rob me while I''m in a pinch?" Argent Martial Hale growled angrily. "I''ve already appraised these artifacts myself. All of them are worth 24 million at the very least, yet you offer me 16 million? Isn''t that too much of a trap?"


    "You know, you''re overestimating the total value of your artifacts, buddy." The youth sneered. "16 million, take it or leave it. To begin with, I''m helping you out of goodwill, yet you don''t even appreciate it and just lash out your tantrum at me."


    Being scolded right at his face made Argent Martial Hale''s become white and blue. He finally gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! 16 million it is. I still have 2 artifacts here¡ªone offensive and one defensive. Their total value must be over 10 million."


    The young man received the two objects and appraised them carefully. Afterward, he said expressionlessly, "8 million Crystal Essences and I''ll take them. If you don''t want to, then forget our previous deal. Consider me watching a spectacle of you buying your stunning belle here."


    The remark was so merciless and ruthless, causing Argent Martial Hale to bleed inside. However, for fear that the young man wouldn''t buy his artifacts, he finally nodded and said, "Fine, fine. You''re willing to buy my things, so let''s close the deal! A total of 24 million Crystal Essences then!"


    The young man nodded, took out an interspatial ring, and threw it to him, saying, "There are 24 million Crystal Essences in it. Your immortal treasures are mine from now on."


    "No problem," replied Argent Martial Hale bitterly.


    Quickly after, he paid 40 million Crystal Essences to the obese woman. As the obese woman brought Jing Xian''er to him, despite her unparalleled stunning beauty, he couldn''t help but want to slap her on impulse. It must be noted that he had sold everything he had except for the immortal sword inside his body. He only had 3.7 million Crystal Essences left after paying 40 million for Jing Xian''er.


    "Follow me." Argent Martial Hale took Jing Xian''er away under everyone''s watch.


    Quickly after, Sablefiend Scorpio came to see the obese woman and the young man in a secret chamber to receive all the Crystal Essences and artifacts. After collecting all of them, he casually threw 800,000 Crystal Essences to them and tipped each of them 10,000 more. Afterward, she took everything and quickly left.


    Tang Xiu silently followed Argent Martial Hale and Jing Xian''er. At the moment, this guy''s aura became a bit chaotic and his mind was definitely unstable, so Tang Xiu was confident that he wouldn''t be spotted.


    In the residential area of Floating Snow City.


    Right as Jing Xian''er followed Argent Martial Hale to a deep alley, her pace suddenly came to a halt and a pitiful expression was cast on her stunning face.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Argent Martial Hale was in a foul mood. After realizing that Jing Xian''er stopped walking, he immediately turned around and grimly asked.


    Jing Xian''er hesitated for a while before a blush gradually covered her face, saying, "I¡­ I''d like to go to a restroom, Master."


    Going to a latrine?


    Argent Martial Hale stared blankly for a while and observed Jing Xian''er''s blushing face. His foul mood calmed down a lot and he said in a deep voice, "Endure it first, we''ll soon arrive at my house."


    Jing Xian''er didn''t even move her legs and anxiously cried out and pleaded. "Please Master¡­ I can''t hold it any longer."


    "Shit¡­ how troublesome."


    Argent Martial Hale grunted unhappily and waved. "There''s a restroom just around the corner. Let''s go there."


    "Alright."


    Jing Xian''er deliberately looked relieved and happy. After following him to the outside of the restroom, she rushed inside while covering her lower part. Argent Martial Hale didn''t follow her but leaned on the wall while thinking quietly where to get a lot of wealth.


    Some thousands of meters away from that place, Jing Xian''er''s figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The moment she saw Tang Xiu appear, she casually came to him and asked respectfully, "Are you Great Tang Heavenly Emperor?"


    "I am." Tang Xiu nodded.


    "I''ve accomplished my mission. That Argent guy should now think that I''m still in the restroom," said Jing Xian''er with a smile.


    "Your act was great." Tang Xiu smiled with satisfaction. "Take this 7th grade artifact as your reward. Alright, you can leave now, but I advise you to go elsewhere. This Floating Snow City is not a good place to stay for long."


    Jing Xian''er received the 7th grade artifact and put it into her interspatial right without looking at it. Then, she smiled. "Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, Grandma told me that she''ll take me with her away of this Immortal Domain. Also, she promised me that if I perform well, she will take me as her disciple, so I''m going wherever you go in the future."


    "Come again?" Tang Xiu didn''t expect that Sablefiend Scorpio had given such a promise to Jing Xian''er.


    Whoosh¡­


    Sablefiend Scorpio bolted from a distance and then appeared in front of Tang Xiu and Jing Xian''er instantly. She then looked at Tang Xiu and respectfully said, "Lord, Jing Xian''er is the daughter of an old friend of mine. I hope you can allow me to accept her as my disciple."

 1371 Clash

    Tang Xiu glanced at Sablefiend Scorpio indifferently and said, "I don''t care about your private affairs, but don''t cause me troubles. You should be aware that I have many things at hand already. Do you want to know what kind of punishment you will suffer for bringing me troubles?"


    "This subordinate understands, Lord." Sablefiend Scorpio hurriedly nodded.


    Tang Xiu nodded and shifted the topic. "Anyway, this Argent guy should have now realized the problem, so carry out the next plan."


    Standing nearby the duo, a shocked look filled Jing Xian''er''s smart and beautiful eyes. She didn''t expect that the super-powerhouse she admired, Sablefiend Scorpio, would address this mysterious young man as Master.


    She had heard of the exploits of Sablefiend Scorpio ever since she was a child. Oftentimes she felt so intense and thrilled whenever she heard the exciting story, making her wish to experience such tumultuous moments, tasting such chances to frequent the edge of life-and-death, both to survive and get stronger unceasingly.


    Who''s this man? Is he stronger than Sablefiend Scorpio?


    She was a bit curious about Tang Xiu. She made up her mind to figure this man out should she find the chance. Certainly, she was also confident since the other party was a man. She was sure that she could captivate his heart and make him confess to her.


    "And you, you are to enter the Heavenly Abode artifact. Keep in mind to not disturb the two Perfected Golden Immortals who are recuperating inside." Tang Xiu shifted to Jing Xian''er and ordered in a deep voice.


    "Understood!"


    Seeing that Sablefiend Scorpio had gone away, Jing Xian''er could only follow Tang Xiu''s order to immediately enter the Heavenly Abode artifact. However, she trembled the moment she entered the artifact.


    "What did he say? Don''t disturb the two Perfected Golden Immortals who are recuperating here. There are still two other Perfected Golden Immortals in this Heavenly Abode artifact?"


    The shock was too much. In the past, encountering Perfected Golden Immortals was not that rare of an occasion to her. After all, her father was also a Perfected Golden Immortal. But what shocked her was that Sablefiend Scorpio was not the only Perfected Golden Immortal under him. It turned out that he had three of them.


    "Don''t tell me he''s¡­ a Supremacy Stage powerhouse?"


    Outside.


    Tang Xiu turned into an azure smoke and instantly vanished. At the next moment, he appeared in the alley just over 200 meters away from Argent Martial Hale. He quickly stunned a shoemaker nearby, stuffed an Immortal Crystal to his hand, and put him into the Heavenly Abode artifact before occupying the man''s position.


    "Shoe repair¡­ shoe repair¡­"


    The deep voice echoed in the alley.


    Outside the restroom, Argent Martial Hale had waited for a long time, yet he hadn''t seen Jing Xian''er come out of the restroom. He immediately frowned slightly and thought for a moment. Afterward, he quickly released his spiritual sense and shrouded the area towards the restroom. His expression drastically changed the moment he found out that nobody was in the restroom. Where could Jing Xian''er be?


    "Is there someone else?"


    Argent Martial Hale frantically unleashed his spiritual sense and immediately covered the few hundreds of kilometers radius. To his fury, not even the shadows of Jing Xian''er could be seen within hundreds of kilometers.


    "Did she¡­ run away?"


    His facial muscles twitched and an intense murderous intent seemed to materialize and burst out in all directions. Bad premonitions kept growing inside him as he finally realized that he had fallen into a trap some people had laid out for him.


    He lost his wealth and now the person he bought was gone. This was¡­ simply¡­ losing everything!


    Unleashing his spiritual sense and killing intent, he scoured the area within a few hundred kilometers. But what followed was torrential angry roars from all corners. Among them were two terrifyingly powerful spiritual senses which directly bombarded Argent Martial Hale''s spiritual sense, causing him to shriek painfully and retract his spiritual sense.


    Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh¡­


    Tens of figures flashed like lightning bolts and appeared around Argent Martial Hale one after another, surrounding him. One of them, a golden-robed old man glared at him with boiling killing intent and eyes that seemingly were able to release flame. "Damn asshole! You dare to release your spiritual sense and spy so outrageously in the Floating Snow City? You''re dead!"


    "Please, it''s a misunderstanding, everyone."


    Argent Martial Hale also realized his recklessness. Recklessly releasing spiritual sense in large cities of some Immortal Domains to find others and using it to check everyone there was considered a capital crime. It was seen as quite a provocation. He just momentarily lost his mind and did such reckless action, resulting in the ire of these several Golden Immortals and Perfected Golden Immortals.


    The golden-robed old man was furious. He just forgot to activate Soul Obstruction Array at his residence, thus the scene of his double cultivation with his woman had been clearly seen by this damn voyeur. It was still fine if it was him alone that had been seen, but seeing his woman was absolutely unforgivable.


    "Everyone, this damn bastard dared to peep at our privacy. That''s a blatant provocation to us! Let''s get rid of him!" the golden-robed old man shouted loudly.


    "Kill¡­"


    The tens of people released their respective immortal weapons one after another.


    Argent Martial Hale''s expression changed and he shouted fiercely, "I''m Argent Martial Hale, a subordinate of Cambrian Venerable from the Everlasting Palace. Do you dare to kill me? Do you not fear that the Everlasting Palace will seek revenge from you?"


    Everlasting Palace?


    The expressions of the several Golden Immortals and Perfected Golden Immortals changed and a look of dread immediately appeared on their faces. The golden-robed old man was shaken inwardly and his boiling killing intent instantly dissipated. He squeezed out a smile and then cupped his fist. "Ah, it turns out that you''re a Fellow Immortal from the Everlasting Palace. I wondered how could anyone dare to release his spiritual sense in the Floating Snow City. Is Fellow Immortal Argent Martial Hale currently chasing an enemy? Please forgive me and the rest since we had no idea before."


    Argent Martial Hale secretly sneered inwardly though he kept his composure on the outside. "You''re not to blame for having no idea about it. Quickly leave and don''t intervene in our Everlasting Palace''s matter."


    "Understood!"


    The tens of people were immediately at ease after hearing it. It wasn''t like they couldn''t kill Argent Martial Hale. Rather, they didn''t want to provoke troublesome issues for themselves. Being able to resolve the conflict directly, these people then apologized and left directly, leaving only Argent martial Hale in the alley.


    Who the hell is this Jing Xian''er? Who has set me up? Argent Martial Hale''s eyes glittered as he pondered about the whole thing back and forth. Finally, he realized that someone who had laid out this farce was definitely the obese woman. And that young man who bought a bulk of his artifacts was definitely related to her.


    As he thought up to this point, he immediately rushed back to the Lithe Plume Mansion and stormed inside with great force. Looking at the lively and extraordinary scene inside, he suddenly felt furious and released a huge aura, causing a lot of guests and prostitutes around to exclaim and flee in panic. Then, he shouted, "ROLL OUT! Fat hag who presided over the auction and that punk who tricked me of my artifacts! Both you come out!"


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Several figures flashed and appeared inside the hall and looked at Argent Martial Hale. A stout man then strode down the staircase and shouted fiercely, "I remember you, Argent Martial Hale. Daring to cause trouble at my Lithe Plume Mansion, are you that impatient to die?"


    Argent Martial Hale angrily shouted back, "Your Lithe Plume Mansion is the one who messed with me. I demand an explanation. Otherwise, the matters between us won''t be over just like this. Hand over that fat old hag and that punk who tricked me of my artifacts! Else, don''t blame me for tearing all decorum with you!"


    The stout man took out his immortal weapon and coldly said, "What an asshole! Still daring to provoke my Lithe Plume Mansion, huh? You won''t get away from this place without paying a price today. Activate the array and we''ll make him realize that our Lithe Plume Mansion is not some clown he can provoke easily."


    Immediately, a layer of rippling wave appeared out of thin air at the center of the hall and then spread out in all directions. In just a flash, it had spread throughout the hall and finally formed a layer of transparent energy shield. Inside the array, the stout man and a dozen guards of Lithe Plume Mansion fixedly stared at Argent Martial Hale with boiling murderous intent.


    "I''ve long heard that the background of Lithe Plume Mansion is extraordinary. I''ve long been wanting to witness it, and you do have some capital to boot. But I forgot to tell you, I''m from the Everlasting Palace, so I''ll clean you all up first before dragging your Master out to apologize to me," Argent Martial Hal shouted fiercely.


    Everlasting Palace?!


    A look of dread flashed in the eyes of the stout man, the leader of these men. But shortly after, he seemed to recall something and sneered. "Heh, even if you''re from the Everlasting Palace, so what? The Master behind the Lithe Plume Mansion will never be afraid. Everyone, let''s kill him¡­"


    Deep inside the Lithe Plume Mansion.


    Inside a magnificent palace were four long tables on both sides of the hall, each filled with delicacies, extravagant dishes, and Jade Dew fine liquor. A red-robed man, Venerable Wandering Slayer, who sat cross-legged, looked at the four distinguished guests and smilingly said, "The four of you bravely entered the Secret Palace. Though you didn''t obtain the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme, your trip should have been very rewarding, yes?"


    At the first long table on the left, Goldenray old freak uproariously laughed and said, "Damn right. It''s been a fruitful trip indeed. Drunken Immortal Supreme is truly worthy of being the richest Supreme 80,000 years ago. You could find treasures literally everywhere in his Secret Palace. Unfortunately, we couldn''t find the Lightflow Wing you need, Lord Wandering Slayer. We''re really ashamed!"


    "It''s okay," replied Venerable Wandering Slayer. "I read on the ancient record that Drunken Immortal Supreme obtained the Lightflow Wing about 80,000 years ago, but I have no idea whether he left it in the Secret Palace, so it''s fine if you didn''t get it! Anyway, let''s have a toast, old friends!"


    "Cheers¡­"


    The four of them were all open-minded people. They didn''t care much even though they weren''t able to accomplish Venerable Wandering Slayer''s entrustment. They just noted it down. Should they happen to obtain that object in the future, they would give it to him.


    "Huh?"


    As the five people emptied their cups, all of them wore strange expressions and shifted their attention to the Lithe Plume Mansion in front. In that instant, they released their spiritual sense to envelop the hall in the mansion in front. The array obstructed them, but their spiritual senses easily penetrated it and they were able to see the scene clearly.

 1372 Being Humiliated

    Goldenray old freak slapped the long table and grinned. "Now, now, Lord Wandering Slayer, you''re the strongest Perfected Golden Immortal in Floating Snow City, yet this man seems to not fear you! Those little guys are the guards of your Lithe Plume Mansion, right? Hehe¡­ they''re so soft and pitiful."


    The smile on Wandering Slayer''s face receded like a tide and was replaced by chagrin, wishing he could slap that bastard troublemaker to death. He even had the impulse to kill those several useless subordinates of his. It must be noted that this was the visit of his four old friends after 700+ years. Unexpectedly, they had to encounter such shameful things.


    He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Old friends, I''m ashamed to let you see such a farce. I''m going to slaughter that punk and then have a few cups with you."


    Goldenray old freak quickly raised his hand and said, "No need to hurry, Lord Wandering Slayer. Don''t you know who this brat is?"


    Venerable Wandering Slayer froze for a moment. Then, he deeply frowned and a look of disgust was cast on his face. He forced a wry smile and said, "Heh, it turns out to be the traitor of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. Star Cultivation Great Emperor was a powerful and brilliant man. The five of us once visited him and obtained his pointers. Yet, I never thought that one of his disciples would be such a coward inside out and a turncoat. This damned boy has ruined the reputation of Star Cultivation Great Emperor!"


    Goldenray old freak shook his head. "He should be damned and be killed, that I know. But he''s a member of the Everlasting Palace now. Don''t forget that we may end up being persecuted and suffer in the hands of the Everlasting Palace. The people of this sect may not let us go should we kill that punk now."


    "He came to my place to make trouble, do you think I should just let him do whatever he wants to harass me just because he''s now a member of the Everlasting Palace?" retorted Venerable Wandering Slayer coldly.


    Goldenray old freak raised his hand and stroked his chin. Then, he grinned. "Hehehe, killing that punk now would be too easy and cheap for him. We''re all old friends, so I suggest we humiliate this brat so heavily that it will drag the Everlasting Palace to shame as well. No matter what, this boy came to your place to make trouble, so let''s just deal with it!"


    The other man, a handsome man called Venerable Living Willow who was dressed like a scholar, interjected with a sneer. "It''s said that the Everlasting Palace was hit badly during the immortal fate plundering in the Secret Palace. The number of Perfected Golden Immortals they lost there alone was in the dozen, and they lost a lot more Golden Immortals as well. We adding fire to the flame will make them more infamous and definitely drive them like sitting on pins and needles."


    The other two men did not utter anything, but they nodded in agreement.


    Venerable Wandering Slayer hideously grinned. He slapped the long table and laughed aloud. "Well, since four old friends are so interested, let''s pave the way for this punk. We''ll shame this punk to the bottom while dragging some reputation of the Everlasting Palace to the ditch."


    Immediately after, the five men disappeared and appeared in the hall of the mansion in front. In nearly a flash, they appeared in front of Argent Martial Hale.


    "I already told you to hand over those two bastards to me! Else, I dare to burn your Lithe Plume Mansion no matter how big your backer is!" After inflicting heavy injuries to several guards of the Lithe Plum Mansion, Argent Martial Hale roared and threatened aggressively with a look of madness.


    "Heh, do you think my Lithe Plume Mansion is a place for a traitor who betrayed his Master and Ancestors to behave atrociously? You want to burn this place down, huh? Today, I''ll make you realize how miserable the price of arrogance is." Venerable Wandering Slayer sneered with squinted eyes.


    A large golden seal floated out of his palm and powerfully struck Argent Martial Hale, instantly hitting his chest several times and causing him to cough up some mouthfuls of blood crazily. He was sent flying upside down to the outside towards the direction of Goldenray old freak.


    "Dismembering Art¡­"


    Goldenray old freak laughed uproariously as he released a golden thread from his fingers. The golden thread instantly turned into a striking spiral thread. With his sophisticated control, Argent Martial Hale was caught off guard and both his arms were shredded. Then, he was kicked towards Living Willow Venerable.


    Living Willow Venerable bashfully smiled and winked at Argent Martial Hale with a playful expression. Thousands of invisible slaps suddenly hit Argent Martial Hale''s face in a flash, causing him to scream. The last slap then hit his chest in a flash and sent him flying towards Venerable Clearnight.


    "Ah, how great of you to come to me!"


    Venerable Clearnight released a ball of light and directly bombed Argent Martial Hall''s back. It was just one blow, but it was enough to severely injure him internally. The instant after, his body was wrapped with a stream of energy and was sent to Venerable Netherfire.


    Venerable Netherfire smacked his lips. Then, he instantly unleashed a ball of extinguishing flame that enveloped Argent Martial Hale in a flash, burning clean all the hairs on his immortal body and his clothes into ashes.


    BAM¡­


    Argent Martial Hale''s body crashed to the ground surrounded by the five men. Only now did Argent Martial Hale feel that the earth was so kind. At least, he no longer needed to be attacked by these five fearsome powerhouses.


    "Who are you?"


    After coughing up some mouthfuls of blood, Argent Martial Hale took a robe from his interspatial ring and put it on his now miserable body. He angrily roared even though fear engulfed him. Even in his wildest dream, the thought that the Lithe Plume Mansion would have so many powerhouses never crossed his mind. Given his present strength, fighting even an early-stage Perfected Golden Immortal was a tall order. Further, he was unable to even fight these five people back, meaning that these five should be at least late-stage Perfected Golden Immortals.


    "Who are we, huh?" Venerable Wandering Slayer sneered. "We''re naturally the people of Lithe Plume Mansion. You''re just a despicable traitor who betrayed the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect and smeared the face of Star Cultivation Great Emperor. Abominable! Killing you is letting you off easy!"


    Argent Martial Hale angrily fumed. "You¡­ for Master¡­ for the sake of Star Cultivation Great Emperor, you set up a trap and wanted to kill me?"


    A strange look flashed in the eyes of Venerable Wandering Slayer. He then shifted to his severely injured subordinate and asked in a deep voice, "What''s happening here?"


    The severely injured stout man wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and respectfully answered, "Some previously came to us and gave us 500,000 Crystal Essences to borrow our place to auction a certain immortal prostitute. The Manager agreed, thinking that auctioning an immortal prostitute would add excitement to our place. Later on, the other party auctioned that prostitute in our hall, and Argent Martial Hale finally won the bid with a sky-high price. Afterward, he took that immortal prostitute away, so the lively scene came to an end. Who would have thought that he would come back alone half a day later and threatened to kill us? He claimed our Lithe Plume Mansion is in cahoots with those people to trap him."


    Wandering Slayer furrowed his brows and asked in a deep voice, "Do you know who those people are?"


    "We have no idea." The burly man shook his head. "Our Lithe Plum Mansion only provided the palace and collected a fee. We have nothing to do with the rest."


    Venerable Wandering Slayer''s expression turned cold and was about to speak. However, Goldenray old freak was the first to laugh and then sighed. "Who the hell dared to plot against you, Venerable Wandering Slayer? But this Argent shitty guy is indeed unlucky enough to lose everything. Hahaha¡­ to think that he was once a disciple of Star Cultivation Great Emperor. I thought he was an extraordinarily intelligent brat, but I didn''t expect this punk to be nothing but some idiot coward."


    Venerable Wandering Slayer shook his head with a wry smile and sighed. "The scheme of those people was great indeed. But such an auction is something that one side is willing to bid and the other one is willing to suffer. Nothing of it has anything to do with my Lithe Plume Mansion, yet this punk actually stormed my site and did something that crossed my line. Go and notice the Everlasting Palace''s people. Ask them whether they will take responsibility for this brat. If they don''t want to, we''ll kill him."


    "Understood!" The stout man cupped his fists and then quickly left the array.


    At the lodging of the Everlasting Palace''s members in the Floating Snow City.


    With hands crossed behind his back, Venerable Cambrian quietly stood by the window of the hundreds of meters high pavilion. Killing intent surged out from him. The losses the Everlasting Palace suffered this time were just too great, sapping nearly half of the power of the entire sect all of a sudden. If the sect didn''t have two Supremes, it was likely that the overall power of the entire sect wouldn''t even be on par with those of a second-tier sect.


    "What shall we do now, Martial Uncle?" a voluptuous woman behind him frowned and asked.


    Venerable Cambrian hummed. "We''ll have to make up for these huge losses somewhere else. The number of treasures and other resources obtained by some disciples of our sect who came out alive from the trip to the Secret Palace can''t be said to be a few. Thus, we''ll send the message to our disciples in other Immortal Domains to find Dao Master Qing Feng and Undemonized Sovereign Mo and kill them on sight."


    "Understood! I''ll send the message at once," said the voluptuous woman respectfully.


    Venerable Cambrian remained silent for a long while afterward. Only after the beautiful woman sent the message did he finally say, "Sigh, the sect''s disciples must be very vexed now. Many forces are not very friendly to our sect and are rather hostile to us. They must be waiting to hit us while we''re down now! At this time, it''s necessary to kill some to warn the rest, to deter those who are about to move and make trouble!"


    Buzz¡­


    A message token suddenly shot from a distance and Venerable Cambrian instantly caught it. The moment he read the message contained in it, his complexion suddenly changed and his killing aura instantly skyrocketed as he shouted loudly, "Skypillar, Skymark! Follow me to the Lithe Plume Mansion!"


    15 minutes later, Venerable Cambrian arrived at the Lithe Plume Mansion with Skypillar and Skymark, two other Perfected Golden Immortals. Their complexions drastically changed the moment they entered the array in the hall and saw the crowd and the scene inside.


    "I didn''t expect I''d run into you here, Venerable Wandering Slayer, Goldenray old freak, Venerable Living Willow, Venerable Clearnight, and Venerable Netherfire. People say that before beating a dog, you must first ask its Master. Yet, the five of you are really unbridled enough to dare to cruelly injure a member of the Everlasting Palace." Venerable Cambrian unleashed his Innate Natal immortal sword, glaring and shouting murderously at the five people.

 1373 Positive Resul

    Venerable Wandering Slayer let out a contemptuous look. This Venerable Cambrian had once been defeated by a warrior under him and was nearly beheaded under his sword. He didn''t expect that the man would act so arrogant when they met again now.


    "The dog raised by your Everlasting Palace barks and bites everywhere. Trying to bite others and now relying on the name of your sect to bully others, huh?"


    Venerable Cambrian coldly replied, "What do you mean by that?"


    "Do you know what this place is?" Venerable Wandering Slayer sneered. "This Lithe Plume Mansion is my place, and your dog came here to cause troubles. Do you think I have to lower my face to beat him?"


    Venerable Cambrian frowned and turned to the miserable Argent Martial Hale, shouting in a deep voice, "What the hell is going on here?"


    "Someone colluded with the Lithe Plume Mansion to trap me into battle and kill me," answered Argent Martial Hale with a hoarse voice.


    "Slander¡­"


    Venerable Wandering Slayer shouted angrily. But at the next moment, his expression slightly changed and he snapped. "Who are you? Get out!"


    Whoosh¡­


    Two blurry figures appeared in the array out of the blue. After Tang Xiu and Sablefiend Scorpio appeared, he looked at the miserable Argent Martial Hale and immediately grinned. "I was just passing by Floating Snow City, but I didn''t expect to run into such an interesting scene here, so I came to join the fun. What''s your name, Mister? You look a bit familiar, and I heard your name is something like¡­ Wan¡­ Wandering Slayer?"


    Wandering Slayer''s face turned chilly and he coldly replied, "This Immortal is the owner of the Lithe Plume Mansion, Venerable Wandering Slayer. And who are you, Mister? I don''t think you are here just to watch a lively scene, no?"


    "I told you the truth," said Tang Xiu with a grin. "Coming here is really a coincidence. So your name is Venerable Wandering Slayer. Now I remember that a certain great figure once mentioned you to me."


    "And¡­ who exactly was that great figure?" asked Wandering Slayer with narrowed eyes.


    "Star Cultivation Great Emperor," answered Tang Xiu.


    Wandering Slayer''s expression slightly changed and he took a deep breath. Then, he slowly asked, "And who are you, Sir?"


    "I''m Great Tang Heavenly Emperor," answered Tang Xiu with a smile.


    Great Tang Heavenly Emperor?!


    Everyone was shocked. Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, a name that had become the talk of the town recently, turned out to be this young man in front of them? It must be noted that he was the most famous peerless talent among the bridge trial takers in the Secret Palace of Drunken Immortal Supreme.


    "But why are you here, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor?" asked Wandering Slayer inexplicably.


    "I failed to obtain that fortuitous encounter," Tang Xiu replied with a dry smile. "Naturally, I got expelled by the inheritor of Drunken Immortal Supreme. It''s just that I didn''t expect to run into this interesting scene when I happened to pass by the Floating Snow City. If anything, please continue and don''t mind me. Just treat me as¡­ free audience or something like that."


    Goldenray old freak burst into laughter. "Hahaha, you''re really interesting, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. You even crack a joke in this tense atmosphere where everyone is ready to slit each other''s throat. This old Goldenray really admires you!"


    Tang Xiu shifted to him and teased. "Well, I remember someone saying that a man was trying to prove that he had balls, so he went to the roof of a widow''s house to peek at her when taking a bath. That man then finally fell into that widow''s bathtub. Are you the man in the story?"


    Cough, cough,...


    Goldenray old freak was flushed red instantly. After coughing a few times, he glared angrily at Tang Xiu and shouted, "Who the hell are you? Only these four old buddies of mine know about this. The last one was¡­"


    Tang Xiu waved and said, "Never mind it, never mind it. That was a joke. Let''s stop it now, shall we? I just want to tell you that I have some origins related to you, old freak Goldenray! As for what that connection is¡­ well, you can tend to your business first and I''ll be watching the fun from the side. Anyway, Venerable Wandering Slayer, I plan to fill my stomach and have some drinks in your place. I don''t have to pay for anything, right? Alright, I''ll be waiting for you to finish your business. But you gotta introduce me to some chaste and lovely belles here later for free, deal?"


    "..."


    Wandering Slayer stared at Tang Xiu with a strange expression before a bitter smile appeared on his face.


    Looking for chaste and lovely belles? Here? My place is a brothel, so where the hell can you get some chaste and lovely young lasses here? Is this supposed to be a friend teasing me or something?


    Wandering Slayer coughed, shifted to old freak Goldenray, and said, "Let''s deal with the business at hand first. We were bullied by outsiders and are quite vexed now. I, Wandering Slayer, once indeed suffered a loss in the hands of Everlasting Palace. But the past enmity has been written off, after all. However, someone else from the same faction now came and harassed my place yet again. That already crossed the line."


    Goldenray retracted his angry glare from Tang Xiu and shifted to Venerable Cambrian. With an annoyed expression, he said in a deep voice, "You should''ve figured out the whole story first before barking. This dog of your Everlasting keeps biting everywhere. He even just threatened to burn down Venerable Wandering Slayer''s place. It was your dog who acted like a bully, so we demand an explanation from you. If you refuse to take responsibility, then don''t blame us for being merciless and bringing the fight to your Everlasting Palace."


    Venerable Cambrian was very furious at the moment. If it weren''t for the trip to the Secret Palace that ended up badly for them, he wouldn''t have cared a bit about Venerable Wandering Slayer''s group of five''s provocation. He did want to kill some people, but these five men were late-stage Perfected Golden Immortals. Should they tear all decorum, they would be very hard to deal with and would likely be quite a big threat to the current Everlasting Palace.


    His gaze shifted to Argent Martial Hale and interrogated coldly. "Can you show any evidence that they set you up?"


    "This¡­"


    Argent Martial Hale hesitated. The incident did take place here, but through the exchange between Venerable Wandering Slayer and that stout man, he realized that the people who set him up might have nothing to do with Venerable Wandering Slayer.


    However¡­


    Seeing his hesitation, Venerable Cambrian realized something. Then, the immortal sword in his hand stabbed Argent Martial Hale''s chest. And, in the next moment, his sword cut off his head directly. He then caught Argent Martial Hale''s Immortal Soul that frantically tried to flee from his corpse and fiercely said, "Courting troubles for my Everlasting Palace, you deserve to be executed!"


    Puff¡­


    After grabbing the guy''s Immortal Soul, Venerable Cambrian turned to Wandering Slayer and indifferently said, "He provoked you and I''ve given you a definite explanation. How do you see this explanation, then?"


    Wandering Slayer was about to speak when he suddenly received a voice transmission. His eyes immediately narrowed and he swallowed back the words he was about to speak out. He then took a deep breath and said, "It was a good explanation. But how about making a deal with me regarding this issue, Venerable Cambrian?"


    "What deal?" asked Venerable Cambrian indifferently.


    "I have yet to vent my anger even though this Argent Martial Hale has been punished by you," said Wandering Slayer. "So, I''ll buy his Immortal Soul for 2 million Crystal Essences. Do you agree to my offer, Venerable Cambrian?"


    Two million Crystal Essences for Argent''s Immortal Soul?


    Venerable Cambrian furrowed his brows and asked with a puzzled expression, "What do you wanna do with his Immortal Soul?"


    "Well, a certain old friend of mine is currently refining the Hundred Demons Blood Soul Streamer, and only one soul is missing. This Argent Martial Hale just irked me, so I want him to be the main soul for the Hundred Demons Blood Soul Streamer."


    The Hundred Demons Blood Soul Streamer?!


    Venerable Cambrian''s pupils shrunk. He looked terrified and agitatedly asked, "How come your old friend dares to refine such a wicked artifact like the Hundred Demons Blood Soul Streamer, Venerable Wandering Slayer? Is he not afraid he will be found out by the powerhouses in the Immortal World and be targeted for endless pursuit?"


    "That''s his business. What he does has nothing to do with me," said Venerable Wandering Slayer lightly.


    Venerable Cambrian looked at Argent Martial Hale''s Immortal Soul and saw his fearful expression. After contemplating for a few seconds, he slowly said, "Double it, and this dog''s Immortal Soul is yours."


    "It''s great to have a deal with you, Venerable Cambrian," said Wandering Slayer aloud. "Then this issue is now written off. Please take these 4 million Crystal Essences."


    Venerable Cambrian handed Argent Martial Hale''s Immortal Soul to Wandering Slayer and coldly said, "This issue has been resolved, so deactivate this array and let us leave now."


    "Alright¡­"


    Wandering Slayer squinted his eyes, deactivated the array quickly, and watched as Venerable Cambrian''s group of three left. Afterward, he shifted to Tang Xiu and meaningfully said, "Your visit is an honor to me, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. It''s also an honor for my Lithe Plume Mansion. However, your request for chaste and lovely young lasses is kind of hard to please. Would you be my guest and come inside with me, so I can immediately seek them for you?"


    "Well, a guest must naturally honor the request of the host¡­"


    Tang Xiu lightly smiled and followed the five men into the palace in the rear with Sablefiend Scorpio.


    As the array surrounding the palace was opened, Tang Xiu and Sablefiend Scorpio were directly surrounded by Venerable Wandering Slayer and Goldenray old freak''s group of five the moment they entered. While looking at their disgruntled expressions with killing intent looming in them, Tang Xiu lightly smiled and said, "Why the tense atmosphere? I told you that I have some connections with you a while ago, didn''t I?"


    "I wanna know your true identity, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. And what exactly is your relationship with Star Cultivation Great Emperor?" asked Venerable Wandering Slayer.


    Tang Xiu sighed and shook his head before he walked to a long table, took out a wine cup from his interspatial ring, and poured himself a cup of white wine. Then, he slowly said, "Like you all, I''ve also visited Star Cultivation Great Emperor and obtained his pointers. As for my background, I''m the Master of Mist Spring Island and the Immortal Lyceum region, as well as the Emperor of the Great Tang Empire."


    The expressions of these five men shifted after hearing this.


    "Can you repeat where your Great Tang Empire is located?" asked Venerable Wandering Slayer immediately.


    "I just told you. The Mist Spring Island," said Tang Xiu with a light smile.


    "Your words are nonsensical, Mister." Venerable Wandering Slayer sneered. "The Mist Spring Island is a territory under Venerable Bella Fern Regalia. How come she allowed you to found an empire in her territory?"


    "That was because I was happy to let him do it! Do you think you can tell me what to do?"


    A hazy figure suddenly appeared in the hall. Venerable Bella Fern Regalia, who had restored her original appearance, appeared with a majestic and aloof stance. She came to Tang Xiu''s side and softly asked, "I just received your message and immediately rushed over. Are you alright?"


    "It''s OK. I''m fine." Tang Xiu shook his head with a smile.

 1374 Missing a Chance

    Venerable Wandering Slayer and old freak Goldenray''s group of five immediately showed their respect the moment they saw Venerable Bella Fern Regalia. It was true respect from their hearts, not superficial at all. It was well known that Venerable Bella Fern Regalia had yet to become a Supreme when Star Cultivation Great Emperor was still around. Yet, she put down all the restraints of being a woman and actively and bravely pursued him. No matter how many times she was rejected, she still persisted and persevered.


    Being so brave and persistent in her love. There were many inspiring love stories in the Immortal World, but none of those could compare with the love story shown by Venerable Bella Fern Regalia that was worth their admiration. Especially after Star Cultivation Great Emperor was gone after failing his tribulation. She went so far as to help the family of Star Cultivation Great Emperor, experiencing brutal bloody battles, again and again, wandering on the edge of life and death time and again.


    It could be said that the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect would have ended up more miserable if it weren''t for the help of Venerable Bella Fern Regalia. Even after she had broken through to the Supremacy Stage, she forced the Inner Pill Sect and the Everlasting Palace to temporarily cancel their onslaught and only trapped the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect''s people in their territory.


    "Greetings, Supreme Bella Fern Regalia."


    The five men cupped their fists and bowed to salute.


    "Everyone, I may have advanced to the Supremacy Stage, but I still like my previous title, so keep addressing me as Venerable Bella in the future!" said Bella lightly.


    "By your words!" the five men respectfully replied.


    Bella then shifted to Tang Xiu and asked, "What did you run into that made you so happy?"


    Tang Xiu slightly smiled and took out 4 million Crystal Essences from his interspatial ring. He smiled at Wandering Slayer and said, "I have to thank you for your help a while ago, Venerable Wandering Slayer. Please take these Crystal Essences as reimbursement for what you spent in exchange for giving me the Immortal Soul of Argent Martial Hale."


    Venerable Wandering Slayer had just put Argent Martial Hale''s Immortal Soul into a Soul-refining container, but now he took out the Soul-refining container and directly handed it to Tang Xiu. "Those 4 million Crystal Essences are worth nothing to me. Besides, us brothers are also very disgusted with this traitor. This guy has smeared the reputation of Star Cultivation Great Emperor, so forget about it."


    But Tang Xiu insisted and reasoned with all seriousness. "You give an amount and return it in a similar fashion. I''m already grateful for your help, so please, you must take these Crystal Essences."


    "This¡­" Venerable Wandering Slayer turned to Bella.


    "Alright, take it since he insists," said Bella with a light smile. "Besides, we don''t like to owe too many to anyone."


    With that said, she grabbed and held Tang Xiu''s arm, her smile turning more brilliant.


    "You both¡­"


    Venerable Wandering Slayer''s pupils shrunk with disbelief. The other four men also reacted like him, as though they were looking at the most incredible thing in the world.


    "Remember that Great Tang Heavenly Emperor is my archenemy since he snatched my Immortal Lyceum, understood?" said Bella lightly.


    Venerable Wandering Slayer''s group of five exchanged glances and then understood the meaning of Bella''s words immediately. After a moment of silence, the five men immediately vowed an Immortal Oath. Shortly after, Wandering Slayer said with all seriousness, "I promise you that within a month at most, the entire Immortal World will know that there''s a bloody feud between Great Tang Heavenly Emperor and Venerable Bella Fern Regalia."


    "Alright, one day in the future, the five of you must come to the Great Tang Empire and I''ll explain to you the insights of how to break through to the Supremacy Stage," said Bella happily.


    "Thank you!" The five men were shocked but happily surprised.


    Tang Xiu calmly smiled and said, "We were destined to meet each other today, so why don''t you guys prepare some drinks for us?"


    "Hahaha. You didn''t shut us out, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, so please come and have a taste of my Azure Bamboo Immortal Wine. Let''s drink happily. Hey, some of you come here and bring my Azure Bamboo wine! Also, you are not to leave my place if you don''t get drunk first, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor!"


    For two whole days, Tang Xiu drank with them to their heart''s content while chatting about the situation in the Immortal World. Bella herself and Sablefiend Scorpio just stayed by his side and did not interfere with the happy drinking event between Tang Xiu and the five Perfected Golden Immortals. Finally, Goldenray old freak was the first to get drunk, and the other five, including Tang Xiu, finally got dead drunk as well.


    7 days later, when Tang Xiu woke up from his lethargic sleep, he found himself sleeping in Bella''s lap on a fast-moving carriage. The whole sky was filled with the sunset light and red clouds, and the mysterious scene of the world looked so charming and extraordinarily picturesque.


    "How long have I slept and where are we now?" Tang Xiu rubbed his pained head and asked right after he took a seat.


    "It''s been 7 days. We''re only three regions away from the Immortal Lyceum region. We should be back home a few days later," answered Bella with a smile.


    "So fast?" blurted Tang Xiu in surprise.


    "Well, Sablefiend Scorpio obtained a treasure garb back when she was in the Secret Palace of Drunken Immortal Supreme. She gave it to me, so we can now move faster," said Bella.


    "What treasure is it?" asked Tang Xiu.


    "Lightflow Wing," answered Bella with a smile.


    Tang Xiu was surprised and said, "Rumors have it that this streamer wing, the Lightflow Wing, was once obtained by Drunken Immortal Supreme and then disappeared after he ascended to the God Realm. It''s such a great treasure that it can at least double the speed of whoever obtains it. Be it for traveling or killing, it''s an absolute trump card."


    "I''ll give you the Lightflow Wing after we arrive at the Immortal Lyceum, Xiu," said Bella with a smile.


    "No, that Lightflow Wing will play a greater role with you using it." Tang Xiu shook his head. "Besides, our Great Tang Empire is planning to expand its territory and occupy many large Immortal Domains, so we''ll need a powerhouse like you at the helm. The first stage of the Great Tang Empire''s development should be completed within a century, with which we''ll lay a solid foundation. A century later, it will be the time when our Great Tang Empire will fully blast out!"


    "Only a few centuries? Isn''t it too hasty?" asked Bella with hesitation.


    "I don''t think so," replied Tang Xiu with a smile. "I have provided a massive number of cultivation resources. If we fail to lay a solid foundation, that means the people of the Great Tang Empire are just incompetent. You must know that I have prepared many things, namely various cultivation resources which are absolutely many times more than other forces."


    "But the most important aspect to a deep foundation such as those super forces is the number of Golden Immortals and Perfected Golden Immortals," said Bella. "Do you think the Great Tang Empire can have a large number of Golden Immortals and Perfected Golden Immortals within a few hundred years?"


    "You know, the Great Tang Empire already has more than a dozen Perfected Golden Immortals now," said Tang Xiu calmly, "As for the number of Golden Immortals, well¡­ we''ll have at least tens of thousands of them within a century."


    "Come again?!" Bella''s eyes were full of disbelief. It must be noted that even the most powerful force would only have roughly 10,000 or even 5,000 Golden Immortals. What kind of heritage did the Great Tang Empire have that tens of thousands of Golden Immortals could emerge within a century?


    "Bella, you have yet to learn much about the situation of our Great Tang Empire," said Tang Xiu with a smile. "You''ll understand a lot when we go back. What I can tell you now is that we have more than 30,000 Monster Immortals with terrifyingly deep foundations. Let alone advancing to the Golden Immortal Stage, if you give them enough time and teach them suitably in their cultivation, most of them will face no issue in advancing to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage."


    Gasp¡­


    That was something unimaginable to Bella. Where did Tang Xiu find so many Monster Immortals? Her scalp went numb upon imagining that the Great Tang Empire would have 10,000-20,000 Perfected Golden Immortals in their ranks. At that time, just relying on this force, they would likely be able to sweep over the whole Immortal World, right?


    "Bella, halt our advance." Tang Xiu suddenly ordered.


    Bella froze for a moment. She observed the surroundings first. After stopping, she looked bewildered and asked, "Why?"


    "We rescued Dao Master Qing Feng and Undemonized Sovereign Mo on the way back. They are now inside the Heavenly Abode artifact. We''re about to return to the Immortal Lyceum region, so we have to let them leave for now. I don''t want to expose my identity too soon," explained Tang Xiu.


    Bella quickly understood and nodded with a smile. "Ah, I see. Saving them is indeed for a good reason."


    The moment after, Dao Master Qing Feng and Undemonized Sovereign Mo came out of the Heavenly Abode artifact. They now looked much better even though they had yet to fully recover from their injuries. At least, they were now able to go all-out should they encounter another crisis.


    "Gentlemen, I''m going back to the Great Tang Empire soon and I can''t take you with me on the way. May I know what do you plan to do next?" asked Tang Xiu with a smile.


    "I''ve discussed it with Undemonized Sovereign Mo before. I may have escaped from danger, but the Everlasting Palace will likely vent their anger on my Pristine Immortal Confucian Sect. I reckon that a large number of powerhouses will storm my sect to demand something. That''s why I must hurry back. If the Everlasting Palace people do come to my sect, we''ll definitely get into a big fight with them at the worst."


    "Well, I''ve been living like a drifter, so I have no fixed place to live, to begin with. I''ve made up my mind to follow Qing Feng back to his sect as a guest. Let''s just say that I found a safe place to heal myself first," said Sovereign Mo lightly.


    "You''re really great. At least you''re not afraid to brave dangers and make great sacrifices for the sake of your friends." Tang Xiu gave his thumbs up and exclaimed in praise, "Anyway, since you are decided, I won''t be able to accompany you any longer. But both of you are always welcome to visit my Great Tang Empire. Let''s have some drinks by then."


    "That''s for sure!"


    "There will be a chance for that, sure!"


    The two men cupped their fists one after another and then quickly left under the gaze of Tang Xiu''s group.


    Tang Xiu then summoned Jing Xian''er from the Heavenly Abode artifact. Then, he pointed to Bella and said, "You want to follow us to the Immortal Lyceum, so I''m giving you to Venerable Bella to serve as her maid! Serve her well and you''ll definitely benefit in the future."


    Me? Becoming a maid?


    Jing Xian''er''s face turned a bit cold and she replied with a bit of anger, "Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, I''m not going to be someone''s maid. I''m going to be a disciple of Sablefiend Scorpio!"

 1375 Enormous Wealth

    Tang Xiu smiled at her response and lightly said, "Are you sure you don''t want to be her maid? Think about it. This is your only chance."


    Jing Xian''er carefully observed Bella for a while. Although she was indeed attracted by the majestically graceful woman in front, she was unwilling to be someone''s maid. She shook her head and said, "I''m the only one in command to choose my own path. I want to learn under a Master to be stronger, so I don''t want to be someone''s maid."


    "Sigh." Tang Xiu shook his head. "That''s a pity for you. She''s a Supreme, yet you don''t to be her maid. Alright, you can cultivate under Sablefiend Scorpio in the future then! I hope you can get what you want and become a powerhouse in the future."


    "What did you say?!" Jing Xian''er''s countenance changed greatly and disbelief filled her eyes as she exclaimed.


    She''s a Supreme? How is this possible? There are only a few people at the Supremacy Stage in the Immortal World, how could I easily encounter one here?


    Sablefiend Scorpio also looked regretful and sighed. "Lord is right, Xian''er. Although Venerable Bella still uses her old title, she''s really a Supremacy Stage powerhouse. In the entire Immortal World, the number of people who want to serve under a Supreme is definitely countless. Even Golden Immortals and Perfected Golden Immortals would likely be willing to serve under them. It was such a Heaven-sent opportunity, yet you just missed it. It seems you''re really fated to follow and cultivate by my side."


    She''s a Supreme?!


    Endless remorse filled Jing Xian''er''s heart. She never dreamed that she would do such a stupid thing in her life. One must know that even some Perfected Golden Immortals wanted to serve a Supreme, hoping that they would obtain pointers and direction from that Supremacy Stage powerhouse for a greater chance to advance to the Supremacy Stage later.


    Yet, why did I¡­ a trivial Celestial Immortal, a nobody far from being a Profound Immortal, much less a Golden Immortal or a Perfected Golden Immortal, refused a Supreme outright without knowing who she really is?


    She wanted to cry but had no tears!


    Bella only glanced at Jing Xian''er and no longer paid any attention to this trivial matter. Jing Xian''er may have very stunning looks, a beauty that only a few women in the entire Immortal World could have. Yet, she was not worried about what would happen to her and Tang Xiu. Firstly, she didn''t care whether it would happen or not, and secondly, she knew Tang Xiu''s character. Regardless of whether this female had a beauty that could topple a kingdom and ruin a country and their people with her absolute beauty, Tang Xiu would likely not be moved by her at all.


    Time fleeted by.


    Tang Xiu and Bella returned to the Immortal Lyceum region, roughly tens of thousands of kilometers away from the Misty Spring Ocean. They then discovered a company of 100 warriors searching for something in a dense mountain forest. They looked like they were searching for an enemy, likely a formidable one.


    "Let''s have a look."


    Tang Xiu''s expression shifted and he immediately flew towards them. As his figure appeared in front of them, the company immediately became vigilant, looking at him as though facing a formidable enemy. Then, Tang Xiu immediately said lightly, "It''s me! What happened here? You seem to be very vigilant."


    "Greetings, Your Majesty!"


    The Captain of the company led all the soldiers to kneel on one knee immediately before reporting to Tang Xiu, "Your Majesty, the army of our Great Tang Empire is centered at the Misty Spring Ocean and is now expanding outward in four directions at an extremely fast speed. Once in a while, we have some frictions with some people from the Immortal Lyceum region. We have them routed and taken them captive. But a few days ago, our army encountered unprecedented resistance from a group led by someone from the Immortal Lyceum. Our commander, however, suspects that the other party is not from the Immortal Lyceum but an undercover agent of another force."


    Tang Xiu raised his brows and asked, "How many people are in this group, and what is the cultivation level of their leader?"


    "This group has 24 people and its leader is a Celestial Immortal."


    Tang Xiu turned to Sablefiend Scorpio and lightly ordered, "You stay here to deal with this issue. Remember, if the other party refuses to surrender, expel them but do not kill them."


    "Understood, Lord!" Sablefiend Scorpio respectfully nodded.


    Afterward, Tang Xiu and Bella flew away, leaving Jing Xian''er to Sablefiend Scorpio. Due to Bella''s cultivation level aided by the Lightflow Wing, their flying speed was truly against heaven. It took them only 15 minutes to arrive at the Misty Spring Island.


    At the Myriad Golden Catamaran.


    After coming back, Tang Xiu placed the Myriad Golden Catamaran directly atop a towering mountain surrounded by clouds and fog, causing the place to look palatial and magnificent. Tang Xiu planned to use this site as the meeting hall of the Great Tang Empire and his residence.


    On the first floor.


    Tang Xiu sat on the temporarily placed Dragon Throne as he glanced across the faces of nearly a hundred high-ranking officials of the Great Tang Empire inside. Afterward, he began speaking with satisfaction, "This trip has been quite rewarding, so the first thing I need to announce is that starting today, all members of the Great Tang Empire, from the soldier rank to the Elder rank, will receive double their original allowance."


    "Thank you, Your Majesty!"


    Everyone present smiled. Most of them had followed Tang Xiu from Earth. They were perfectly aware now that having more cultivation resources would affect their cultivation. Being able to get more of them would increase their cultivation speed by a lot, which was definitely great for them.


    On the contrary, all the Perfected Golden Immortals such as Zenith Venerable, Seaway Monarch, Celestial Litho Monstrum, Flaming Demon Feline, Golden-eyed Great Peng, Lupus Chimaera Monstrum, Nethersea Whale King, Apotheon Mu, Apotheon Myriad Notes, Apotheon Soaring Plumb, Apotheon Nine Immortal Fingers, and Enchantress Yu were secretly taken aback. They knew that even though the present Great Tang Empire was not very powerful, it still had a large number of people. The amount of resources needed annually was astronomical.


    Further, as Perfected Golden Immortal Stage powerhouses, they had already received a lot of resources themselves. Doubling their allowance would likely make the rate of consumption skyrocket.


    "Grand Master," Gu Xiaoxue called out with a worried expression.


    "I understand your worries, Xiaoxue." Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, "However, we obtained a massive number of immortal artifacts, Immortal Crystals, and Crystal Essences from the trip to the Secret Palace. The resources we obtained are many times more than the previous entire wealth of the Great Tang Empire, so you don''t have to worry about it. Besides, the whole Immortal World is very huge and the number of resources here is countless. We can get these resources from other places even if all of our wealth is consumed."


    Having said that, he took out an interspatial ring and handed it to Gu Xiaoxue. "You command the Ministry of Finance of the Great Tang Empire and you''re in charge of all the treasury and resources of the state, so take care of the resource allocation."


    Afterward, he took a deep breath and continued, "I hereby announce that the Great Tang Empire will form an Internal Affairs Department. Apotheon Mu will serve as the Minister of the Internal Affairs Ministry with Tang Ning and Cheng Xuemei as his deputies. The three of you will be responsible to pick your own department members and to give the list of members you''ve selected to me for review later. Further, you will discuss with the rest of the departments, including the Ministry of Finance, to formulate a reward and punishment system.


    "Aside from that¡­"


    After finishing announcing all the orders, Tang Xiu dismissed everyone and then headed to the place where his parents lived, the Splinter Flower Sea.


    The beautiful villa was located in the sea of flowers. The building itself was not an ordinary building, but an artifact refined by Gu Yan''er.


    At this time, Su Lingyun was accompanying her Mother-in-law, Zhang Shi, chatting while reading some thick books, whereas Gu Yin was sitting cross-legged next to batches of flowers nearby with colorful butterflies and immortal bees flying around her as she immersed herself in cultivation. A faint aura then surged around her the moment Tang Xiu arrived, enabling him to sense that she had reached the Crossing Tribulation Stage.


    Sigh, how time flies. Gu Yin was just a little girl then, and now she has already grown up.


    Tang Xiu glanced at Gu Yin''s beautiful face and secretly sighed inwardly. Then, he went toward Su Lingyun and Zhang Shi, greeting them with a smiling face. "Hey, Mom, Grandma, are you busy now?"


    "Oh, Xiu''er!"


    Zhang Shi and Su Lingyun suddenly looked very happy upon seeing Tang Xiu. Ever since they followed Tang Xiu to the Immortal World, Tang Xiu often went out for a year and a half. His last trip was even longer, so they both missed him very much.


    "Master!"


    Gu Yin, who was cultivating in the shroud of flowers, immediately stopped cultivating the moment she heard Tang Xiu''s voice and rushed over with a joyful cry.


    Tang Xiu smiled slightly and patted her shoulder. Gu Yin held his arm intimately as he spoke to her with a smile, "How time flies! The little girl Yinyin has now grown into a big girl already! Come, Master will give you a treasure."


    "A treasure for me? What is it, Master?" Gu Yin''s eyes lit up and she asked curiously.


    Tang Xiu took out a Five-colored Dragon Pearl and handed it to her with a smile. "Swallow it and slowly refine it. This is a Five-colored Dragon Pearl of the Sacred Dragon that will greatly help your cultivation."


    "Woah, it''s so beautiful!" Gu Yin was surprised and happy and kept playing with it.


    Tang Xiu only smiled slightly at her response. He obtained a total of 12 Five-colored Dragon Pearls. He already gave one to Star Tears and now gave another to Gu Yin, so he still had 10 left in his interspatial ring. Quickly after, he took out two more and quickly cast a seal to insert it each into the bodies of his mother and grandmother. Afterward, he smilingly said, "Mom, Grandma, you both entered the cultivation path far too late, so your cultivations are too weak. The Five-colored Dragon Pearl will transform your physiques and speed up your cultivation. Therefore, you both must cultivate well. I look forward to seeing you break through to the Immortal Stage."


    Su Lingyun smiled slightly in response and said, "Xiu''er, becoming Immortals is not our concern. You know what we are concerned about most. It''s been so many years already, so when will you¡­"


    Tang Xiu hastily waved his hand and hollowly smiled. "Uh, please no rush about that, Mom. Just gimme some time. I assure you''ll definitely hug many grandchildren in the future."


    "Hey, you brat!" Su Lingyun unhappily snapped. "How come we''re not worried about you? I... Ugh¡­"


    Tang Xiu was stunned. How could Mother be sick? She entered the cultivation path and is now at the Golden Core Stage with the support of a lot of resources. How can this happen?

 1376 A Total Ingrate

    A Golden Core cultivator should have known his or her condition very well, and it was nearly impossible for them to get sick normally. Unless they contracted an old chronic disease or their injuries were not completely cured, only then would their sickness flare up again at some special circumstances. However, his mother had been living in such an environment that she shouldn''t contract such a problem, right?


    In the next moment, Tang Xiu bent over and squatted next to Su Lingyun to take her wrist. Half a minute later, his expression turned marvelous.


    Eh? What kind of rhythm is this? He blinked and slowly looked up at his mother quizzically.


    Su Lingyun was bewildered by Tang Xiu''s gaze and asked with a puzzled expression, "Why are you looking at me like that, Xiu''er? Why did you check my pulse too? Is there something wrong¡­ with my body?"


    Tang Xiu''s lips squirmed a few times before he released her wrist. He then turned and walked back several steps before laughing uproariously. "Hahaha. Mom, you don''t have to force me to have a baby anymore. Hahaha¡­ even if I have a child now, I''m afraid you won''t have time to take care of it. Because¡­"


    "Huh?" Su Lingyun frowned and angrily snapped. "What nonsense are you talking about? How come I will have no time to take care of my grandson? You¡­"


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt her and reappeared next to her. Then, he bent down to whisper to her ear with a smile, "Well, it seems like I''ll soon become a brother."


    "Come again?!"


    Su Lingyun was dumbfounded. Then, she sobered up and abruptly got up from her chair with disbelief on her beautiful face. Even more, she felt ashamed and angrily snapped. "What the hell are you talking about? I¡­ how could I¡­"


    Tang Xiu smiled in response and replied with all seriousness, "I told you the truth, Mom. What you need to do now is to protect the baby and give birth to it. Wow, I"m gonna be a brother now. Hahaha¡­"


    Zhang Shi, who was sitting at the side, had a strange expression and murmured, "Eh?!! Xiu''er, do you mean¡­ your Mom is pregnant?"


    "Yup!" Tang Xiu nodded and added, "It''s been 3 months."


    In that instant, Su Lingyun stood silly on her spot and even looked a bit panicked. She was now a mother-in-law, with more than a dozen daughters-in-law. Those dozen daughters-in-law of hers had yet to become pregnant, but she, their mother-in-law¡­ if¡­ she was found out to be pregnant now, wouldn''t that be quite shameful?


    Tang Xiu immediately released his spiritual sense and quickly found Mu Wanying cultivating in her residence. He transmitted the message to her and she quickly appeared in front of the villa a few minutes later.


    "Congratulations, Mom," said Mu Wanying, unable to bear a smiling face.


    "Uh, oh¡­"


    Su Lingyun''s mind was completely messed up. She really didn''t expect that only a few minutes passed by and she hadn''t yet warned her son to keep it a secret, now Mu Wanying had come and already knew about it. At the moment, she really wished she could find a burrow to hide. As of now, she was at a loss whether she had to cry or laugh.


    "This is a happy event, Mother. A great event for our family," said Mu Wanying with a smile. "Tang Xiu just told me to arrange everything, so you can rest your worries. I''ll take good care of you later."


    "No need. I''m fine by myself." Su Lingyun was embarrassed and wished she could strangle her son, this fast-gossiper brat.


    Tang Xiu just smiled and noticed his mother''s embarrassment. Then, he immediately said, "Grandma, I still have things to tend to, so I won''t stay here. Anyway, I''ll tell Xiaoxue to deliver everything needed by Mom later. That¡­ Hahaha¡­ well, I''ll take my leave first since I still got things to do."


    With that said, he quickly vanished without a trace.


    Half a day later, Tang Xiu found his father cleaning up his wounds at a military camp ten thousand kilometers southeast of Misty Spring Island. After giving a Purple Scent Pill to his father, Tang Yunde, he smilingly spoke, "Well, Dad, there''s something at home and you gotta go back now. Mom is waiting for you at home!"


    Tang Yunde took the Purple Scent Pill and swallowed it directly. Then, he asked, "What''s going on? You know that I''m not available now, don''t you?"


    A smile crept up on the corner of Tang Xiu''s mouth. "Well, it''s not a big deal. The thing is, you''re gonna be a father again. But I''ll go back and tell Mom that you''re not free now."


    Huh? Become a father? Again?!


    Tang Yunde was dumbfounded and his eyes turned saucer in an instant with disbelief as he exclaimed, "Your Mom is¡­ pregnant?!"


    "Yeah, she is." Tang Xiu nodded with a smile.


    Tang Yunde was overjoyed and he instantly soared into the sky, laughing and shouting, "Hey, Tang Wei, I''m gonna leave this place to you! Your Second Uncle has something important happen at home, so you have to manage and bring these good soldiers well!"


    A figure then flashed and quickly appeared in front of Tang Xiu. The confused Tang Wei looked at Tang Yunde''s back flying quickly and asked, "What exactly happened? Why did Second Uncle..."


    "It''s no big deal. You''ll soon become a Brother again," said Tang Xiu with a grin.


    "Bah. I''m already a Brother now, okay?" Tang Wei rolled his eyes and snappishly retorted.


    Tang Xiu just smiled in response. He patted his shoulder and stuffed an interspatial ring into his hand. As he rose to the sky, he sent a sentence to Tang Wei''s ear, "Seize the time to cultivate well. You must advance to the Immortal Stage within a century. Within a millennium at most, it will be the time for our Great Tang Empire to fight against our powerful enemies. Your chance of survival will be very slim if you haven''t advanced to the Golden Immortal Stage at that time."


    For the next several days, the happy event of Su Lingyun''s pregnancy had spread out throughout the Misty Spring Island. All the high-level officials of the Great Tang Empire were at a loss whether they had to cry or laugh before they finally set their sights on Tang Xiu''s Myriad Golden Catamaran. Everyone knew that the Great Emperor Tang Xiu had yet to have a male heir so fat, so they didn''t expect that his mother would be pregnant again, outrunning her son.


    "Please work hard, Your Majesty!"


    "Ganbatte¡­"


    Tang Xiu could hear such words and various encouraging eyes literally everywhere. At first, he thought it was a happy event and felt happy about it. But afterward, he couldn''t bear the nagging and strange eyes of the others and directly issued some orders before hiding in the Myriad Golden Catamaran to seclude himself in cultivation.


    However, he still couldn''t free himself and purely focused on his cultivation inside the Myriad Golden Catamaran. The women in his harem regularly visited him at intervals one after another. Using both hard and soft tactics, they all were super tacit to drag Tang Xiu to their residence with the obvious intention to conceive his children.


    Finally, whether it was Kang Xia, Mu Wanying, Andy, Tang An, Gong Wan''er, Viviani, Kuwako, and the other women he had never touched before, they eventually became his women in the truest sense. Double cultivation was actually another cultivation system in and of itself, so no matter whether it was Tang Xiu''s cultivation or his women''s, their cultivation began to advance by leaps and bounds. Especially for his women. Due to Tang Xiu''s special physique and the Primal Chaos force he cultivated, it became the drive that made their cultivation speed and progress much faster, leading to a rapid increase in their cultivation level.


    After a few months, Tang Xiu left the Misty Spring Ocean alone and went to the barren land at the southernmost part of the Immortal Lyceum¡ªa place no one had set foot except for a small group of ruthless cultivators.


    Shady Gale Stronghold.


    It was a site established by nearly a hundred cultivators who frequently came out of their den to loot and rob to support their cultivation. This ruthless group of people was so brutal that every victim they robbed always met their ends. Tang Xiu learned about them from the report of the Intelligence Department.


    "KILL¡­"


    The strongest members of this group were at the Spirit Formation Stage. They were like ants in Tang Xiu''s eyes, so he didn''t take out his divine sword and just resorted to his immortal sword to kill them all.


    Afterward, Tang Xiu used their souls and blood to arrange a Soul Extinguishing Array. After he successfully arranged it, a fierce look flashed in his eyes as he took out the Soul-refining container and then released Argent Martial Hale''s Immortal Soul.


    "Please have mercy, Honorable Immortal."


    Right after his Immortal Soul was released, Argent Martial Hale quickly kowtowed to Tang Xiu, trembling and begging for mercy. He was extremely terrified. It could be said it was his first time being so terrified. He was perfectly aware that once his Immortal Soul was extinguished, his soul would really scatter into oblivion and never have any chance to reincarnate or be reborn anymore.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and coldly said, "Do you want to live even if you have to live like a dog?"


    Argent Martial Hale looked up at Tang Xiu and was slightly taken aback. He had seen Tang Xiu before and knew that he was the onlooker watching the fun at the Lithe Plume Mansion then.


    "How can it be you?!"


    "Why can''t I?" Tang Xiu replied indifferently, "Your cheap life was sold to Venerable Wandering Slayer by your Everlasting Palace for 4 million Crystal Essences, and I bought you from Venerable Wandering Slayer for the same amount."


    Argent Martial Hale''s terrified heart immediately relaxed after hearing this. He believed that the man wouldn''t easily extinguish his soul since he had spent 4 million Crystal Essences to buy him. However, he was furious to hear that he was sold by the Everlasting Palace for only 4 million Crystal Essences.


    "Then I''m already yours since you bought me, Senior." Argent Martial Hale squeezed out a flattering smile. "I''m willing to be your dog if you so wish."


    Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes and lightly said, "Wants to be my dog, huh? Even my dog must have some abilities. Bark twice and let me hear it."


    Woof, woof¡­.


    Argent Martial Hale endured the humiliation and barked with a smiling face even though he was resentful inwardly.


    Bang¡­


    Tang Xiu punched his chest lightning-fast while releasing a strong killing intent. He watched as the fella flew away and then dashed to his front instantly, stomping on his chest. Seeing the cracks on his Immortal Soul, he coldly said, "How cheap you are, Argent Martial Hale. Did your former Master ever know this quirk of yours?"


    Suffering terribly from the pain, Argent Martial Hale still screamed for the sake of his own life, "He never knew about it. He''ll never know since¡­ he''s dead. He died before I really grew up!"


    His voice and tone carried intense hatred within.


    Tang Xiu was stunned and looked at him in disbelief. He asked incredulously, "You mean, you hate your Master that much? Just because he died before you grew up and can no longer shelter you?"

 1377 Cleaning up the House

    In order to survive, Argent Martial Hale told everything he felt before Tang Xiu, laying bare everything even though his thoughts were self-righteous. With intense hatred, he gritted his teeth and added, "You''re right, I just hate him so much. I could have become very powerful should he live at least a thousand years more.


    "He''s dead, but it went so easy for him. But for me¡­ what''s left for me to do? No one provides me with huge resources, no presents I can get from being respected, and nobody that can shelter me. The Vermillion Bird Holy Sect is facing impending doom due to the Inner Pill Sect and the Everlasting Palace, while some other forces are now hitting the already shaken sect, persecuting and attacking it, leading to its precarious state, including me¡­"


    As he growled to this point, he clenched his fists fiercely and shouted, "I was even severely injured by the Inner Pill Sect''s powerhouse and nearly died a few times, so why do I deserve to face such a tragic fate? Why should I be implicated by the evil shit deeds that my so-called Master left behind and become the target of killing by his enemies?


    "I''d respect him if he were still alive because he can bring me benefits and make me stronger. But he just brought me disasters since he died. All the more reason why I hate him. I wish I could resurrect him so I can kill him myself."


    During his rant, Argent Martial Hale completely laid bare all he wanted to vent and his roar was a bit hysterical, displaying his deep hate for Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu kept observing him, but his face turned ghastly pale after the fella finished venting. Never in his wildest dream had he thought that he raised such a thankless wild wolf, an ingrate with a twisted heart.


    "So, do you want to live?" Tang Xiu stared at him and asked slowly.


    "I want to live," Argent Martial Hale hastily replied. "You can order me to do anything as long as you don''t kill me. That bastard once said that it''s much better to live than to die. I''m afraid of death. I really don''t wanna die."


    Tang Xiu lifted his foot from his chest and his facial muscles vibrated, recovering his Star Cultivation Great Emperor appearance. It was a similarly stunning handsome face, yet it was now colored with desolateness and chagrin. He then shook his head bitterly and said, "It never crossed my mind that I would be mistaken in receiving a disciple after having gone through 10,000 years of struggles in the Immortal World. The child I''ve raised up so hard turned out to be an ingrate wolf that wants to devour my own flesh and blood."


    "WHAT?!"


    After crawling up from the ground and seeing Tang Xiu''s appearance, Argent Martial Hale''s countenance sharply changed. Especially when he heard what Tang Xiu said, his whole being was shocked to the core, and he staggered back several steps as though he was seeing a ghost.


    "YOU¡­ IMPOSSIBLE!" Argent Martial Hale screamed.


    With a chilling face, Tang Xiu coldly said, "Do you really think I''m dead? Do you really think Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao would become the final winners? Ridiculous! Totally absurd!"


    Argent Martial Hale''s Immortal Soul shivered violently and fear engulfed him. During Tang Xiu''s speech, he frantically dashed toward the distance, but the Soul Extinguishing Array not only made escape futile, but it instead counterattacked his soul. He staggered back to Tang Xiu''s front and heavily fell on the ground with more cracks on his Immortal Soul.


    "IMPOSSIBLE¡­ Absolutely impossible! You¡­ you''re already dead. You failed your Divinity Tribulation and your soul has scattered into oblivion! How come you''re still alive? That''s right, there''s the Bloodbead Seed¡ªsomething only he and I know in the entire Immortal World. Do you know what this Bloodbead Seed is?"


    "Hmph, with blood as the guide and soul as the medium, moving the Nine States of Destiny to complete the life source of a Bloodbead seed. You''re right that only you know this Bloodbead Seed secret art because¡­ it was an art I precisely created for you," said Tang Xiu disdainfully.


    Argent Martial Hale was so despairing he almost crawled to Tang Xiu''s feet, screaming, "I admit my mistake, Master. I thought your soul had already scattered. I had to speak ill about you for the sake of my life in front of the enemies. Please forgive me. I''m your favorite little disciple, Master¡­"


    Looking at his attitude, Tang Xiu secretly shook his head and forced a bitter smile. "This Tang Xiu had once been hailed as Star Cultivation Great Emperor, the strongest Supremacy Stage powerhouse in the Immortal World. Never once has it crossed my mind that I would receive a spineless disciple that would make me lose my face! Sirius''s death was because of your betrayal, wasn''t it? If the information of my intel is correct, you secretly colluded with Venerable Whitecleaver under Great Emperor Danqing to ambush Sirius, causing him to be killed by Whitecleaver. Am I right?"


    "No! That''s not true!" Argent Martial Hale cried out hastily, "I''ve never betrayed Sirius. Master, you must never trust such slander from those villains!"


    "Heh, do you think your Senior Brother Apotheon Mu can be such a villain?" Tang Xiu sneered. "Do you think Myriad Notes, Nine Immortal Fingers, and Enchantress Yu are also like that? Let me tell you something. Those four are now in the Misty Spring Ocean and have become a part of my Great Tang Empire. And I''m the Emperor of the Great Tang Empire, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor!"


    "You are¡­"


    Argent Martial Hale''s pupils contracted. He finally realized who the person called Great Tang Heavenly Emperor who had shaken the Secret Palace of Drunken Immortal Palace and become famous was. He finally understood who had set him up in the Floating Snow City.


    It turned out to be him!


    "I have dozens of disciples, and only five of them have survived to the present," said Tang Xiu lightly. "None of them have smeared my reputation, and they will absolutely accompany me back to the apex in the future, to dominate above those Supremes and look down on the myriad of races in the Immortal World. As for you, only death awaits you!"


    Tang Xiu instantly unleashed his divine sword and the violent sword beam straightly cleaved Argent Martial Hale''s Immortal Soul into two as he watched the guy''s Immortal Soul gradually disintegrate.


    "I was wrong. I admit my mistake, Master."


    It was the last thought Argent Martial Hale transmitted to Tang Xiu.


    Ever since he had returned to the Misty Spring Ocean, Tang Xiu wasn''t able to make up his mind to kill Argent Martial Hale even though this guy had betrayed him and the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. They were once Master and disciple, and he couldn''t take any ruthless action toward him. However, Argent Martial Hale''s confession exposed the hatred he showed him before, revealed himself as an ingrate wolf that aroused Tang Xiu''s intention to kill.


    Every mistake had a price to pay, but paying it with a scattering soul was still too high a price¡ªway too high.


    "Come out!"


    Tang Xiu put away his complicated emotion, turned to look to the distance, and said indifferently.


    Suddenly, an afterimage appeared out of nowhere in the Soul Extinguishing Array. It was a humpbacked old man with a walking stick, unkempt hair, and dirty ragged clothes. The most striking thing about him was his holed shoes that showed a few toes.


    The old man was so untidy and dirty that even a beggar was probably cleaner than him.


    There was a sarcoma at the center of the old man''s eyebrow and his lifeless-looking murky eyes looked at Tang Xiu before he sat on a large bluestone ten meters away from him. He then shook his head and sighed. "Heavenly Emperor Tianji was right. You''ve really come back to life. I thought I''d never have the chance to repay the favor you showed me in this life forever, and I''d have never been able to cross the tribulation that formed in my heart. But now, this old man sees hope again and sees the direction to reach Godhood."


    A complex look flashed in Tang Xiu''s eyes. He activated the Message Token and then stared at the old man. "How did you find me, Sky Exterminator Old Beggar?"


    Sky Exterminator old beggar took a worn white porcelain bowl from his sleeve pocket. A fragrance of Jade fine wine immediately fluttered and he took a few mouthfuls of it before he threw the porcelain bowl to Tang Xiu and hummed. "Drink it, I''ll tell you about it."


    Tang Xiu did not hesitate, took two sips, and immediately felt a surging Immortal Force that exploded in his lower abdomen. The torrential Immortal Force poured into his Dantian, causing a sesame seed-sized planet to suddenly increase by ten million times.


    "Now speak!"


    Tang Xiu threw the white porcelain bowl back to Sky Exterminator old beggar and spoke indifferently.


    "Sigh, this old beggar has been tracking a person called Great Tang Heavenly Emperor and I didn''t expect that person to be you." Sky Exterminator old beggar sighed. "It''s very strange that I can''t even sense your original aura. Even your Immortal Soul has changed. If it wasn''t that I saw your exchange with that wicked guy, I wouldn''t have been able to see through your identity."


    "So now, what are you waiting for?" asked Tang Xiu calmly.


    "I''m waiting for Apotheosis Bella," said Sky Exterminator old beggar with a wry smile.


    "Why?" Tang Xiu asked with a frown.


    "Only when she comes will I have no excuses to kill you," answered Sky Exterminator old beggar honestly. "I don''t want to keep worrying about a Supreme who will remember me as someone''s killer."


    Tang Xiu remained silent for a long while and then slowly said, "Go tell Heavenly Emperor Tianji to sever his arm and I''ll write off the issue of him bullying my disciple! Consider sending this message as you''ve paid back the favor and all of our grievances have been written off."


    Sky Exterminator old beggar was surprised and asked in a deep voice, "Can I take your words seriously?"


    "I mean it," said Tang Xiu lightly.


    "Are you not afraid I''ll expose your identity?" asked Sky Exterminator old beggar.


    "You won''t dare," said Tang Xiu lightly.


    Sky Exterminator old beggar bitterly smiled and sighed as he shook his head. "This old man has been wandering unhindered for nearly 20 millenniums, and yet you''re the only one who can make me feel very¡­ helpless. Star Cultivation, don''t die again. This old man has been very lonely because you died. Really lonely."


    Having said that, he glanced at the direction of the Misty Spring Ocean before he turned into a streak of light that blazed away to the distance to appear ten million miles away.


    "Are you alright, Xiu?"


    Bella rushed to Tang Xiu''s side asked with a gentle expression as she fiercely glared at the direction where Sky Exterminator old beggar just left.


    Tang Xiu shook his head. "It''s alright. I''m fine."


    "I''ve already heard of some issues between you and Sky Exterminator old beggar," said Bella. "Did he make things difficult for you?"


    "He didn''t, but I still sent you a message to catch up as fast as you can just in case." Tang Xiu shook his head and forced a smile. "I trust this man, but trust in this world may prove to be a false one. I don''t want to take any chances because¡­ I''m way too weak now."


    "I firmly believe you''ll become much stronger soon, Xiu," said Bella with all seriousness. "However, Sky Exterminator old beggar knows your true identity, which may become an uncertain factor. Do you want me to kill him?"


    "But can you kill him?" asked Tang Xiu back.


    "Well, the chance is less than 1 in 10,000," replied Bella with a forced smile.

 1378 The Great Sensations in the Immortal World

    Time zipped by and years advanced forward in haste.


    In a flash, more than half a year had passed since Tang Xiu cleaned up his house. Along with the birth of his younger brother, Tang Xing, the prestige of the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor had gradually grown and spread in the Immortal World. The hottest news was that Great Tang Heavenly Emperor occupied the Immortal Lyceum and ousted Venerable Bella Fern Regalia. Thus, the Great Tang Empire was founded in the Immortal Lyceum region with Great Tang Heavenly Emperor as its first emperor.


    In that instant, countless pairs of eyes began to pay attention to the situation of the Great Tang Empire. To everyone''s surprise, this new empire began to expand its territory very quickly and took only a few years to occupy the Immortal Lyceum completely. Even some desolate star fields around it had become this empire''s territory.


    Not only that, the Great Tang Empire''s swift and powerful movements spread out towards all directions. It was estimated that the territory of this empire would expand to the edge of the other three neighboring Immortal Domains within a few years. Should the Great Tang Empire have this ambition and continue its conquest, it would be possible for it to annex the three other domains.


    Another news then spread out when many forces in other Immortal Domains focused their attention on the Great Tang Empire. To the east of the Immortal Lyceum region where the Great Tang Empire was located, a powerful and ruthless Perfected Golden Immortal found a small state named Missing Star Empire in the Heavenly Phoenix Immortal Domain.


    This newly found state was not a mortal empire but an empire of immortal cultivators, and a Perfected Golden Immortal who was known as Missing Star Venerable was the first empress of this said empire. However, such a case wouldn''t have garnered the attention of many forces in the Immortal World if not for the fact that their movements were very unconventional, aside from other news that said this empire was very wealthy, from where the source was unknown. According to the calculation of some people with keen observation, the queen had purchased more than 30 Perfected Golden Immortals deathmatch gladiators from the Convict Arena in the span of just a few years.


    Furthermore, under her leadership for several years, she had fought with various powerful entities and killed tens of famous Perfected Golden Immortals, thus causing a huge sensation.


    However, during the time when all parties in the Immortal World were paying attention to the Great Tang Empire and the Missing Star Empire, another news spread faster than a lightning bolt to all forces in every Immortal Domain in the Immortal World, causing similar enormous shocks to the whole realm.


    "Heavenly Emperor Tianji has severed his arm and vowed an Immortal Oath that he''ll never reattach his seriously injured arm and will forever live with his damaged physique in the Immortal World. He swore to not remold his body until the day he ascends to Godhood."


    This news made the countless Perfected Golden Immortals in the Immortal World dumbfounded and shocked in disbelief. Even the Supremes were all similarly shocked. Nobody could understand why Heavenly Emperor Tianji would do such a thing.


    The Myriad Dao Immortal Domain, Heavenly Secret City.


    With a bitter expression on his exotic, bewitching face, Heavenly Emperor Tianji stood upright, looking at the round golden disc above the sky. A black line gradually faded away on that round golden disc and was replaced by a flashing red light.


    "Sigh. It''s really him." Heavenly Emperor Tianji sighed with a bitter smile.


    The shaggy and untidy Sky Exterminator old beggar grabbed a white porcelain bowl and downed the Jade fine wine in big gulps. After a long time, he burped and said, "Nirvana is born again and the Heavenly Dao laws won''t be able to stop him anymore. If he can live to that time, the structure of power in the Immortal World will be turned upside down and changed dramatically. Those two are doomed to be disasters."


    Heavenly Emperor Tianji slowly turned to him and smiled bitterly. "How would this Emperor know she was related to him back then? Else, I would have chosen to suffer a bit of loss given his narrow-minded character. I can only admit and accept this as my own misfortune!"


    "You know, you could have actually been able to divine that he would face such a tribulation before he became a Supreme, right?" Sky Exterminator old beggar grinned. "I just don''t get one thing here. Why are you so afraid of him?"


    Heavenly Emperor Tianji contemplated for a while and forced a smile. "Because I know that no one can kill him after he dies once. I paid the price of a millennium of hard work just to divine his fate. Yet, I was only able to divine the initial result, not the subsequent process nor the finale. But now, his fate has completely vanished from the Heavenly Dao¡ªa change that only has two possibilities for it to happen."


    Sky Exterminator old beggar''s expression shifted and he asked, "What are these two possibilities, exactly?"


    "Firstly, he really has died and completely disappeared from the Six Paths of Reincarnation," explained Heavenly Emperor Tianji slowly. "The second one is, the Immortal World is no longer his prison cage, meaning that he has actually reached Godhood and ascended to the God Realm."


    Sky Exterminator old beggar was startled and asked, "You mean he''s the second type given the current situation?"


    "I have no idea about that as well!" Heavenly Emperor Tianji shook his head and helplessly said, "All causes and effects, karma, and fate are variables. Thus, I must comply with his request since my chance is with him. Otherwise, let alone having that chance, I dare not say whether I can save my own life."


    "Bwahaha!" Sky Exterminator old beggar uproariously laughed. "Tianji, it turns out that you and I are in the same situation. My chance also lies with him, so let him continue to do what he should do! We''ll wait until that chance arrives, and we''ll naturally be able to see him again."


    Heavenly Emperor Tianji nodded silently and then said, "I have a feeling that such a time won''t be too long."


    Both men''s expressions suddenly shifted and they looked to the distant void as they suddenly saw a great figure pass across the endless Immortal Domains and appear directly in front of them.


    "You have a business with me?"


    Heavenly Emperor Tianji could tell the intention of the other party and asked with a cold face


    A Daoist donning a blue robe and a chignon hairdo smiled. "Heavenly Emperor Tianji, you''re a Supreme. Those who can force you to bow your head in the entire Immortal World are definitely very few. Who is so capable to force you to sever your own arm?"


    "That''s my business. What does it have to do with you?" asked back Heavenly Emperor Tianji indifferently.


    The blue-robed old man frowned slightly, but a chilling light suddenly flashed in his eyes as he said slowly, "It does have nothing to do with me, but we have known each other for millennia. You can ask my assistance should anyone dare to threaten you. It''s just a favor and nothing more, so you don''t have to sever your arm and give in to others."


    Heavenly Emperor Tianji lightly replied, "I never like to owe favors to anyone, so thanks but no thanks. Please go back if you have nothing else to say."


    "YOU¡­"


    The blue-robed old man''s countenance changed and his anger flashed across his face. He immediately snorted coldly. "Hmph, then I won''t bother. Farewell."


    In the next few days, tens of Supremacy Stage powerhouses also came. Some came directly with their real bodies, and some others used their avatars. All of them, without exception, were in disbelief seeing Heavenly Emperor Tianji''s act to sever his arm, so they came to ask the reason. However, Heavenly Emperor Tianji did not reveal anything. He didn''t even say much to his best friends.


    Several months later.


    After freeloading in the Heavenly Secret City for some time and satisfying himself, Sky Exterminator old beggar finally left. However, not long after he left, a message appeared in the message token in the hand of Heavenly Emperor Tianji:


    "Come and visit my Four Sacred Palaces when you have time."


    Heavenly Emperor Tianji played with the messenger with gleaming eyes. They had known each other for thousands of years, but only now did he know the origin of Sky Exterminator old beggar.


    The Four Sacred Palaces was the most mysterious force in the entire Immortal World. He was only barely able to divine where the Four Sacred Palaces resided but had no means to infer the origin of this force whatsoever. Although, based on their movements, he concluded that this force had a very deep relationship with the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect.


    And now, he finally learned another thing. It turned out that Sky Exterminator old beggar was the Master of the Four Sacred Palaces.


    ****


    The Immortal Lyceum region, the Misty Spring Ocean.


    Tang Xiu stood in the midst of flower patches, hugging his younger brother, Tang Xing, who had just been born, while continuously nourishing his body with his Primal Chaos energy. He even went so far as to cast a heaven-defying immortal art to retain the purest energy inside the baby''s body.


    "His aptitude and talent are probably on par with Gu Yin and Little Beggar then. Wait until he''s a few years older before he can take a Five-colored Dragon Pearl into his body, so he can advance faster on his cultivation path."


    Nearby, Tang Yunde was smilingly wryly, shaking his head as he looked at his two sons. Then, he said helplessly, "This brat Tang Xing is really awful. He has just been born shortly, yet he begins sticking to Xiu''er instead of his father, making me really annoyed here."


    Su Lingyun couldn''t help but smile. "Are you jealous of your own son?"


    "Why should I be jealous?" Tang Yunde blushed and snappishly said, "Being jealous is a woman''s trait. I''m already an old man, the father of the Great Tang Empire''s emperor. Why should I be jealous of such a trivial thing? What an absurd joke. By the way, I still got something to tend to, so I''ll deal with it first. Don''t disturb me if there''s nothing important."


    "Be careful, husband." Su Lingyun smilingly gazed at her husband and shouted with concern.


    After quite a while, Tang Xiu returned Tang Xing to his mother and said, "Mom, let him follow me to cultivate after he turns 2! There have been a lot of affairs in the Great Tang Empire that required me to tend to them personally in the past 2 years, but the empire will be completely stabilized in the next 2 years. At that time, I''m preparing to go into seclusion to cultivate and advance to a higher level. If he follows me, I can make him enter the cultivation path more easily. It will give him the best preparation and condition to face his cultivation life later."


    Su Lingyun hesitated and asked, "Isn''t it too early for him to start cultivating?"


    "No. What I mean is that I''ll lay the foundation for him when he turns 2." Tang Xiu shook his head. "What he must practice in two years is just his physique."


    "Uh?" Su Lingyun was bewildered.


    "Mom, you should''ve heard a line that many people described how come someone can cultivate faster, right?" Tang Xiu explained with a smile, "They say that these people begin their cultivation since they were still in the womb. As a matter of fact, I''ve personally allocated medicine for you before Tang Xing was born. It was all to change his talent and aptitude before he was born. After he was born, his aptitude has become many times higher, uncomparable to many cultivators who have embarked on the cultivation path."

 1379 Emotional Entanglemen

    Tang Xiu''s words weren''t without basis. As there was an abundance of resources in the Immortal World, a good number of the children borne by major experts belonging to the sects were nourished with elixirs before their birth. Some of these children possessed elite bloodlines that granted them strength equal to Golden Core and Nascent Core cultivators the moment they were born. In the case of the Primordial Spirit Beasts and the Ancient Immortal Beasts, on account of their powerful bloodlines, the progeny birthed by them similarly possessed the might of ordinary Immortals.


    Give your child a head start.


    This was a much-quoted line on Earth, and also a famous dictum.


    Su Lingyun knew her son was pretty impressive, so she was willing to leave decisions regarding matters relating to cultivation in his hands.


    "Master."


    Gu Yan''er flitted over gracefully with a smile on her face.


    Tan Xiu returned Tang Xing to his mother and followed up with a smile as well. "Since you have come out, I assume you have finished cultivating?"


    "Just a moment ago," Gu Yan''er answered with a nod.


    "How far are you from breaking through to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage?"


    Gu Yan''er shook her head. "Since I haven''t cultivated that long, there''s no opportunity to break through to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage right now. It won''t be an issue to achieve it within the next hundred years."


    Tang Xiu donned a faint smile and said, "Come along with me, then!"


    The two of them appeared above a secluded island above the Misty Spring Ocean a while later. Just when Gu Yan''er felt puzzled over why they had come here, four shadows emerged from the mist.


    "Your Majesty."


    The leader, Jin Shi, wore a face of reverence as he offered an interspatial ring.


    Tang Xiu took the ring, checked its contents with his spiritual sense, and nodded satisfactorily. "What''s the status of the Intelligence Department''s expansion?"


    "Our intel operatives have deeply infiltrated the Immortal Lyceum, so the intel network now spans across Aeternum, Obsidium, and Chalcedoneum, which are to the southeast, west, and north respectively. According to our estimations, it will only require three years for the intel network to fully integrate itself in these three regions. However, the expenditure for the intel and the purchase of Demon Stones and Demon Crystals have completely depleted the Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences you have given me, Your Majesty."


    "Give me two months." Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and said, "I''ll then provide you with enough Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences to sustain the Intelligence Department for a hundred more years."


    "Understood!" Jin Shi acknowledged and then inquired suddenly, "Your Majesty, we have discovered something recently. An old man with an undetectable cultivation base arrived at our Immortal Lyceum a week or two ago and has been asking about you everywhere. From what we have speculated, he should be arriving in the Misty Spring Ocean soon."


    Tang Xiu asked him, "Who is he?"


    "Old Sycamore," replied Jin Shi.


    Tang Xiu raised his brows and soliloquized. "I wasn''t expecting him to come looking for me. Fine. Since he has come, let me deal with him! Find out where he is at once and notify me as soon as possible. If you find his location, immediately inform him that I''m here."


    "Yes, Your Majesty!" Jin Shi replied and walked to the side before sending out ten Communication Signets. Soon after, one of them whistled through the misty ocean and glowed with a golden flame before everyone. Jin Shi handed this Communication Signet over to Tang Xiu, whose eyes narrowed slightly.


    At Aether City.


    Old Sycamore gazed at the scene across the street through a window of the biggest restaurant in the city. A squad of the Great Tang Empire''s soldiers donned in battle armor had surrounded two black-robed men over there. These two men had a high cultivation base and were already in the Crossing Tribulation Stage. On the other hand, the soldiers of the Great Tang Empire surrounding them were all just at the Great Ascension Stage, except for the captain who was in the Celestial Immortal Stage.


    "Great Tang Empire, you''re going too far!"


    An illusionary figure suddenly appeared before them. The grey-haired woman''s eyes filled with killing intent as she shouted, "Don''t blame us for acting heavy-handedly and killing all of you right here if you keep this up."


    The captain who wielded a long spear gazed at the woman as if she were their archenemy and said in a deep voice, "You have broken the law of the Great Tang Empire by brazenly killing someone within the city. If you were to announce your identity and your grudge with the deceased, you might have the chance to absolve your guilt. But if you continue acting so impudently, and ignore our advice, we will be forced to capture you and let the Justice Department punish you."


    The grey-haired woman became enraged. "This place belonged to the Immortal Lyceum and was the domain of Venerable Bella. You have seized it forcefully and even drawn up laws, so why would we surrender to you?"


    The captain replied in a cold voice, "Our Great Tang Empire''s Emperor said these words once: ''the strong reign supreme in the Immortal World.'' We can draw up laws because our Great Tang Empire has the strength and numbers to enforce them. As the old adage goes, ''submit, and you shall prosper, or oppose and perish.'' If you aren''t willing to abide by the Great Tang Empire''s laws, you''re free to leave this place. But as you have committed a crime here, you will receive punishment for it."


    The white-haired woman questioned in an icy voice, "With just you all?"


    Inside the tearoom, Old Sycamore actually approved of the words spoken by that captain. The Immortal World really was a place where strength reigned supreme. As long as one had absolute power, they could draw up laws. The words "submit, and you shall prosper, or oppose and perish" resonated perfectly with his heartfelt thoughts.


    "What a pity. This Aether City is just a small city in the Immortal Lyceum, so it only has a weak Celestial Immortal cultivator defending it. The grey-haired woman is a late-stage Golden Immortal cultivator, which will make it difficult for them to subdue her." Old Sycamore sighed ruefully.


    "Hmm?"


    Old Sycamore''s expression changed suddenly. He observed the young man that had entered the room in the guise of a tea room attendant.


    The attendant looked at the scene outside through the window and then greeted him with cupped fists. "Greetings, Senior Sycamore. This junior is a member of the Great Tang Empire''s Intelligence Department."


    Old Sycamore furrowed his brows and then asked him, "What''s this Intelligence Department? And how do you know me?"


    The server replied respectfully, "The Intelligence Department is the intel network of the Great Tang Empire. I''m the person-in-charge of Aether City. Actually, senior was already on the radar of our Intelligence Department even before you entered the Immortal Lyceum. A few minutes ago, I received a message from the department head to give you the answer you have been seeking for so long."


    Old Sycamore''s expression morphed as he asked in a deep voice, "Where is the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor?"


    "As long as senior can help me settle the matter outside, you will be able to obtain His Majesty''s location right away."


    Whoosh¡­


    Old Sycamore appeared mid-air above the street instantly, suppressing the grey-haired woman with a powerful aura while saying in a cold voice, "You have two choices. State your identity and your grudge with the deceased, or accept death."


    The grey-haired woman''s pupils contracted, and shock filled her eyes. She had never dreamt that a cultivator of the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage existed in Aether City. And that too a cultivator with a formidable cultivation base that was higher than the early Perfected Golden Immortal Stage.


    "Senior, I''m Snowfrost, the sect master of the Heavenly Arcanum Sect. The person who we chased till here and then killed is Xuan Fei, a traitor of my sect. He killed my daughter and stole my sect''s Sol Immortal Mirror. Although we don''t look well upon the Great Tang Empire''s laws, we had no intention of violating them deliberately."


    Old Sycamore glanced at the captain and said in a cold voice, "She has already spoken. It''s up to you to decide how to handle it."


    The captain contemplated for a while and took out a Communication Signet. It returned back after a few minutes, and realization dawned upon his face once he went through the information he received. He then said in a neutral voice, "You''re indeed the sect master of the Heavenly Arcanum Sect. It appears that a major incident took place in your sect in the last 6 months too, so you seem to have spoken the truth. Never mind, then. If you''re willing to live by my Great Tang Empire''s laws, you can stay in our Immortal Lyceum, but if you feel dissatisfied with them, you''re free to leave."


    Snowfrost mused over it for a moment and then said in a soft voice, "Actually, the laws of the Great Tang Empire are pretty good. They act as a force of deterrence towards criminals and their ilk. We''re willing to stay behind as long as the Great Tang Empire doesn''t make things difficult for the Heavenly Arcanum Sect."


    She then glanced towards Old Sycamore and asked respectfully, "May I ask who you are, Senior?"


    Old Sycamore replied indifferently, "There is no need for you to know that. You just need to act per the laws of the Great Tang Empire, and that will be enough. You all can leave now."


    "Understood!"


    Snowfrost smiled bitterly and left with the two other disciples after cupping her fists.


    Swoosh¡­


    The tea room attendant shot a jade slip towards Old Sycamore and disappeared after that. A few moments later, Old Sycamore glanced towards the tearoom and furrowed his brows slightly since he had discovered that the attendant was no longer inside the tearoom.


    "This is interesting."


    Covering a range of five thousand kilometers around him with his spiritual sense, the smile on Old Sycamore''s face froze instantly. In just a few seconds, the intel operative of the Great Tang Empire, who hadn''t even become an Immortal yet, had surprisingly disappeared without a trace from this range.


    "How can this be possible?


    "It''s impossible for him to have left so quickly.


    "Have my senses failed to detect a concealment array present in this Aether City? No, wait. This doesn''t feel like a concealment array. Is it perhaps a¡­ spatial teleportation array?"


    Old Sycamore trembled and raised his guard immediately.


    A few days later.


    Old Sycamore rushed to the location mentioned in the jade slip that the tearoom attendant had given him. When he arrived at that secluded island, he saw Tang Xiu and Gu Yan''er drinking tea calmly while sitting cross-legged before a tea table.


    "It''s been a while, but you are as classy as ever, Old Sycamore!"


    Tang Xiu raised his head slowly and let out a faint smile towards Old Sycamore.


    Old Sycamore gazed at Tang Xiu with complex emotions and asked in a gruff voice, "I want an explanation."


    Tang Xiu tapped the tabletop lightly, and the cup of aromatic tea on top floated up gently before stopping in front of Old Sycamore. He then smiled and said, "This tea is to thank you for helping my Great Tang Empire''s soldiers in Aether City, please have it."


    Old Sycamore remained silent for a moment but decided to accept it in the end. After draining the cup in one gulp, he asked, "You ought to tell me now, right?"


    The smile on Tang Xiu''s face faded away gradually, and a wry expression replaced it. "Is an explanation really that important? He''s already dead, and you have your own life too. Why must you tie yourself down with emotional entanglement?"

 1380 Eighty-Eight Years

    Old Sycamore let out a deep sigh and firmly stated, "There are some people who you can never forget in your entire lifetime even though you have seen them just once. The things that have already happened can''t be changed, so there''s no viable way to end this karma. Although he''s dead, I still haven''t repaid the debt I owe him. Tell me, just who are you?"


    Tang Xiu put away the tea table and the tea set, then slowly stood up and said, "Since you wish to seek the answer to this, serve at my side from now on! You shall learn what you wish to know in the future."


    "Hahaha¡­"


    Loud laughter came from Old Sycamore as he said, "You want me to serve you? Are you kidding me? There''s only one person who can let me serve him in all of the Immortal World, but unfortunately, he has long since disappeared¡­ both in flesh and soul."


    Tang Xiu countered back. "Since you believe he has disappeared in flesh and soul already, why have you come to bother me then?"


    "That''s¡­"


    Old Sycamore was left dumbstruck and tongue-tied.


    Tang Xiu''s expression changed suddenly when he sensed a shadow rush towards him like a bolt of lightning, and a somewhat wry expression emerged on his handsome face.


    "Why did you come here?" Tang Xiu asked helplessly.


    Apotheosis Bella glanced at Old Sycamore, and immediately after, she revealed a strange expression as she said, "I sensed a powerful aura make its way over here, so I followed it all the way here. I didn''t think Old Sycamore had actually come to find you. Are you two acquaintances?"


    A glimmer of light flashed in Old Sycamore''s eyes as he greeted. "Apotheon Bella¡­ No, it should be Supreme Bella Fern Regalia. Have your injuries healed completely?"


    Apotheosis Bella nodded and said, "I obtained a Holy Dragon Fruit, so they have healed fully. On the other hand, your injuries have healed faster than I was expecting them to."


    Old Sycamore smiled bitterly. "I found an interesting person, so I spent all my life''s savings to heal sooner and made my way over here. No, wait. Wasn''t it rumored that the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor has ousted you, so how come¡­?"


    Tang Xiu interrupted him, then looked towards Apotheosis Bella and asked, "Bella, you''re acquainted with Old Sycamore?"


    Apotheosis Bella said, "We have known each other for a few hundred years now. In the past seven hundred years, we have worked together multiple times to battle the experts of Inner Pill Sect and Everlasting Palace. If it weren''t for Old Sycamore holding the rear when we were besieged by the Inner Pill Sect, Everlasting Palace, and Myriad Sword Sect last time, I might have been unable to return to the Immortal Lyceum."


    Tang Xiu let out a deep sigh and firmly said, "Were you aware that he was on friendly terms with the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect?"


    Apotheosis Bella shook her head and said, "I wasn''t aware of it. However, I considered any power or person who had a grudge with the Inner Pill Sect and Everlasting Palace as allies."


    Tang Xiu turned to look at Old Sycamore and said in a bitter voice, "You¡­ did all this just to repay that debt of ten Immortal Crystals from back then? To repay his kindness for continuously sending you cultivation resources and helping you breakthrough?"


    Old Sycamore stated decisively, "You''re right. If it weren''t for the Star Cultivation Great Emperor, there would be no Old Sycamore today. Although my younger brother is already dead, I''m still alive. Since he has no way to repay the kindness, I can do it in his stead."


    "Was there a need to do that?" Tang Xiu continued bitterly. "Let it be. I shall give you a satisfactory answer for all that you have done over these past hundreds of years. If you''re still unwilling to follow me after that, that''s your choice to make. The reason your younger brother kept sending you all kinds of cultivation resources steadily and helped you achieve breakthroughs was that I urged him to do so. However, I wasn''t expecting him to willingly take on the blame for me and end up dying tragically at the hands of a disciple from a sect that I exterminated."


    "How could this be possible?"


    Old Sycamore''s eyes filled with shock as he retreated a few steps. He then anxiously asked with disbelief all over his face, "You¡­ are Star Cultivation Great Emperor?"


    Tang Xiu nodded and said with a sigh, "You didn''t think I was still alive, right? I believed I was done for too, but a fragment of my soul ended up surviving, and this allowed me to make a comeback. Old Sycamore, in this entire world, only two people know which art you are cultivating. One of them is your younger brother, and the other one is me. That''s because the Heavenly Art of Divine Wood Bestowal is a cultivation art I created."


    After hearing all this, the way Old Sycamore looked at Tang Xiu had changed thoroughly. His expression became more respectful and excited. His aged body straightened perfectly as he kneeled before Tang Xiu and said respectfully, "Old Sycamore greets Star Cultivation Great Emperor. I shall never forget the favor you have shown me by teaching me. I''m willing to become your subordinate and move at your beck and call."


    Tang Xiu said, "Old Sycamore, you''re good, and so is your brother. Since you have come to a decision, so be it then! I''m in need of men right now, so I hope you can consider the Great Tang Empire as a place you belong to and that you can treat it as your¡­ home."


    "Home?"


    Old Sycamore stared blankly as a long time had passed since he had heard this word.


    Tang Xiu said in an earnest voice, "That''s right. The Great Tang Empire is your home from now on, and I, Tang Xiu, am your family. He''s my disciple, and you''re his elder brother, so you''re my family as well. As long as I''m alive, you have to stay alive too. And when I advance to the Supremacy Stage, you have to follow behind me and embark on it as well."


    He then took out a brush, inkstone, and paper from his interspatial ring. In just a short minute, he drew a few thousand immortal characters with beautiful penmanship. After that, he handed over this sheet filled to the brim with immortal characters to Old Sycamore and said in a deep voice, "After you''re done memorizing it, burn it to ashes."


    Old Sycamore received the sheet and immediately revealed an excited expression after going over the immortal characters drawn on it. This was the late-stage cultivation art for the Heavenly Art of Divine Wood Bestowal, which now opened up the path to Supremacy Stage for him. He believed he would be stuck at the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage forever because he didn''t know the method to break through to the Supremacy Stage. Even if he had an epiphany, he wasn''t sure about how to proceed with cultivation after that.


    But now, he didn''t need to worry about all that since he had obtained the late-stage cultivation art for the Heavenly Art of Divine Wood Bestowal. He could cultivate up to the Supremacy Stage without any issues now.


    Old Sycamore read through the immortal characters a dozen times or so and learned each one by heart. Once he had fully memorized all of them, he immediately used Samadhi True Fire to burn it to ashes. He then said respectfully, "You have my gratitude, Star Cultivation Great Emperor."


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "Star Cultivation Great Emperor is already dead, I''m the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor now. You must also take care to keep my identity a secret as the current Great Tang Empire is still too weak. When I return to the Supremacy Stage in the future, the Great Tang Empire will also become stronger. That''s the moment when we will start a war with the Inner Pill Sect and the Everlasting Palace, and it will also be the day the Star Cultivation Great Emperor resurrects."


    Old Sycamore could comprehend the reason Tang Xiu had decided to conceal his identity, so he nodded and said, "I will cultivate as quickly as possible and breakthrough to the Supremacy Stage."


    Tang Xiu nodded. "Before you become a Supreme, you can cultivate here in the Misty Spring Ocean! I will be looking forward to the day you break through to the Supremacy Stage. Because when you reach it, I will have an important task for you to do."


    "All right!" Old Sycamore nodded solemnly.


    As time passed by, the Great Tang Empire''s influence over the Immortal Lyceum grew exponentially powerful. In just a decade, it had secured the Immortal Lyceum in its entirety.


    Seventy-eight years later, experts emerged in large numbers from the Great Tang Empire. The number of Golden Immortal Stage experts was exceptionally high¡ªthey had long surpassed 30,000 people. Furthermore, the Great Tang Empire had occupied a large section of Aeterneum, Obsideum, and Chalcedoneum that laid to the southeast, west, and north, respectively. These three Immortal Domains had a significant number of experts, and a lot of them had defected to the Great Tang Empire, leaving behind only those who were putting up a resistance stubbornly. However, with how the Great Tang Empire was developing, their resistance was but a futile one.


    Eighty-eight years later, the Great Tang Empire held its first Immortal Court Assembly at its headquarters, the Misty Spring Island. 34,650 Golden Immortals and Perfected Golden Immortals attended this assembly. Some of the top-level personnel of the Great Tang Empire was also present. Although they hadn''t reached the Golden Immortal Stage, they had all passed the tribulation of immortality and become Immortals. The total headcount finally came to 35,800 people.


    The majestic and lofty palace present here was a 9th-grade defensive immortal artifact, which was the highest-grade of its kind in the Immortal World until now. Its territory spanned several hundreds of kilometers, and it was surrounded by rainbow clouds that gave it a splendid magnificence.


    Nine Dragons Cathedra.


    This was a 9th-grade offensive immortal artifact that once belonged to Apotheosis Bella. It had been brought over from the Immortal Lyceum Palace and became Tang Xiu''s exclusive throne. Tang Xiu sat on top of the Nine Dragons Cathedra boldly and decisively. He swept his sharp gaze across the 35,800 Immortals present inside the hall and then said in a clear voice, "This is our Great Tang Empire''s first court assembly, and this marks the day our Great Tang Empire has finished laying its foundation. My fame as the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor and the glory of my Great Tang Empire shall spread across the entire Immortal World today and awe all Immortals."


    "Great Tang Heavenly Emperor!"


    All 35,800 experts of the Great Tang Empire kneeled, placed their right firsts on their hearts, and then roared out his title loudly.


    Tang Xiu got up from his seat and nodded satisfactorily. "You may rise."


    As everyone stood up, Tang Xiu asked in a deep voice, "Where is Tang Ahlang?"


    "Disciple is here, Master."


    Tang Ahlang looked just over 20-years-old like before. He even looked more handsome and scholarly than before. However, the aura his body exuded had clearly surpassed that of an ordinary human. He now carried an air of immortality that only Immortals possessed.


    Tang Xiu nodded and said in a low and deep voice, "Extensive preparation pays off eventually. You have reached the Immortal Stage in less than a hundred years, so your progress is pretty decent. Henceforth, you shall command the army of the Great Tang Empire, and also handle the distribution of the Great Tang Empire''s resources. You must completely occupy Aeterneum, Obsideum, and Chalcedoneum. I want to see the flag of the Great Tang Empire in each corner of the four Immortal Domains within ten years."


    Tang Ahlang revealed an excited expression on his face and acknowledged in a solemn voice, "Disciple shall carry out your command."


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, I need you to don your battle armors and embark on this expedition. All Perfected Golden Immortals shall oversee the entire army. Submit, and they shall prosper, or oppose and perish. My Great Tang Empire shall use the blood of our enemies to declare to the entire Immortal World that only death awaits those who oppose us."

 1381 Those Who Follow Me, Shall Prosper; Those Who Oppose Me, Shall Die

    All the spatial teleportation arrays, a total of four hundred, spanning across the immortal domains under the control of the Great Tang Empire, began operating along with Tang Xiu''s order. Millions of troops of the Great Tang Empire teleported to all the domains in succession and awaited further orders.


    At Heavenshold City in the Obsideum Immortal Domain.


    Here existed a dazzling palace that embodied grandeur and majesty. At its summit towered a ten thousand meters long sword running up straight into the skies. Within it, the ruler of the Obsideum was currently sitting cross-legged in cultivation. Four Perfected Golden Immortal Stage experts sat cross-legged around him, continuously supplying him with a steady flow of Immortal Force.


    Whoosh¡­


    A Communication Signet flew into the palace, and one of the Perfected Golden Immortals reached out to grab it. After going through the information stored in the signet, his expression instantly changed. He stopped supplying Immortal Force and said in a low and deep voice, "Immortal Father, something has happened."


    Obsideum Immortal Father opened his eyes, a fierce glimmer flashing past his eyes as he raised his arm and floated up while saying in a deep voice, "What happened?"


    The Perfected Golden Immortal answered, "A report has arrived from Outer Rain City to the east. It appears that three million immortal soldiers of the Great Tang Empire have surrounded the city. All the territories to the east of Outer Rain City have fallen into the Great Tang Empire''s hands too. According to the speculations of the War Fanatic City Lord, although the soldiers of the Great Tang Empire haven''t shown any signs of besieging the city yet, they appear to be waiting for someone''s orders. If they attack, Outer Rain City may fall into the enemy''s hands in less than half a day, and our men might get slaughtered to the last one."


    Obsideum Immortal Father revealed an infuriated expression as he said in a deep voice, "This Great Tang Empire has gone too far now. They took over the Immortal Lyceum a hundred years ago, and ever since then, they have harassed my Obsideum Immortal Domain with invasions. Their wicked and ambitious intentions are as clear as the skies."


    "Reporting."


    An anxious voice reached the hall from outside.


    Obsideum Immortal Father furrowed his brows and, along with the four Perfected Golden Immortals, he appeared outside the hall. He then asked the black-robed muscular man in a stern voice, "What has happened again now?"


    The muscular man answered, "Immortal Father, we just received news that the Great Tang Empire has launched a three-pronged attack. A total of eight million immortal soldiers altogether have attacked our Obsideum, Aeterneum, and Chalcedoneum Immortal Domains simultaneously. Aeterneum and Chalcedoneum are under attack by two million soldiers, while three million soldiers are attacking us. The defense of Outer Rain City crumbled in just a few minutes, and War Fanatic City Lord suffered heavy injuries. A subordinate rescued him while the others held back the enemy, and he''s rushing over to our Heavenshold City now."


    "What a quick speed."


    Obsideum Immortal Father''s expression morphed, and his killing intent grew stronger.


    The expression of the Perfected Golden Immortal who received the Communication Signet turned extremely unsightly as he spoke in a deep voice, "Immortal Father, there''s definitely a powerful Perfected Golden Immortal among the three million soldiers of the Great Tang Empire that attacked Outer Rain City. It''s even possible there''s more than one of them. War Fanatic City Lord is a mid-stage Perfected Golden Immortal and possesses a formidable battle strength. Even a late-stage Perfected Golden Immortal might not be his opponent. However, he was heavily wounded in just a few minutes. This indicates that the enemy is far more powerful than what we have imagined."


    Obsideum Immortal Father nodded and said grimly, "Since the Great Tang Empire wants war, we shall give them one then. We''ll slaughter them all. Inform all the Immortals of Obsideum that those who wish to serve me have to rush to the Obsideum Mountain immediately. We shall face the Great Tang Empire''s legion in a battle over there."


    The Perfected Golden Immortal''s expression changed as he said in a worried voice, "Immortal Father, your injuries haven''t healed completely yet. If the other side were to have an expert of the Supremacy Stage, I fear¡­"


    Obsideum Immortal Father said in a cold voice, "If the Great Tang Empire has a Supreme, there''s no need for us to fight them at all. We should simply surrender and hand over the Obsideum Immortal Domain to them. However, if they don''t have a Supreme, none of those three million immortal soldiers shall leave Obsideum alive!"


    Two days later.


    At Obsideum Mountain in Obsideum Immortal Domain.


    The Obsideum Mountain that spanned a continuous landmass of several million kilometers had no flora at all, just had a pitiful amount of fauna. However, hundreds of thousands of Immortals were currently walking around to the west of the Obsideum Mountain. Some of them were in groups of threes or fours, while other groups consisted of hundreds that had banded together. All of their sights were currently focused on Obsideum Immortal Father, who was sitting cross-legged on the tallest stone platform right now.


    Boom¡­


    A fireball shot up to the sky from the hundred thousand Immortals and exploded into a massive cloud of fire.


    In the next instant, Obsideum Immortal Father floated up in the air and gazed towards the east. His generals, the six Perfected Golden Immortals, Apotheon Northpeak, Lord Ferryman, Demon-Eyed Asura, Adina, War Fanatic, and Apotheon Tyro, appeared beside him one after another and looked towards the east as well.


    Apotheon Northpeak said in a deep voice, "Immortal Father, according to the intel we have collected, the army of the Great Tang Empire constructs a spatial teleportation array as soon as they make their appearance. It appears that they have an Array Master among them."


    Obsideum Immortal Father answered him indifferently, "So what? If all the soldiers of the Great Tang Empire had come to attack us, we would have had to act a bit cautious. However, they actually attacked all three great Immortal Domains simultaneously. It''s really too audacious of them. We shall teach them the price of splitting up their troops when we meet them in battle later on."


    After he finished speaking, he turned back to look at the dozens of Immortal subordinates behind him and revealed a complacent expression. He was fond of instructing his subordinates, and as a result, he had ended up producing a large number of experts. These hundred thousand Immortals were his hidden ace.


    Fifteen minutes later.


    Apotheon Northpeak''s expression shifted as he commented in a deep voice, "They''re here."


    When Obsideum Immortal Father got a clear look at the overwhelming number of Great Tang Empire''s soldiers flying towards them, his expression morphed instantly. His eyes glimmered with disbelief as he let out a deep breath.


    "What''s that?"


    Apotheon Northpeak''s eyes filled with shock as he gazed upon the formation formed by the troops of the Great Tang Empire across the eastern skies. He had never seen such a shocking formation of Immortals in his eight-millennium life in the Immortal World.


    Time zipped by, and when the entire three million-strong army of the Great Tang Empire appeared before the Obsideum Immortal Father and his hundred thousand-strong subordinates in a battle formation consisting of ten seemingly autonomous yet closely linked units, all of them revealed shocked expressions.


    Obsideum Immortal Father''s expression turned extremely unsightly. Although he was a Supremacy Stage expert, the battle formation of the Great Tang Empire shook him to the core. This formation formed of Immortals was entirely adopted from the mortal world''s empires, and even though they were tens of kilometers away from the Obsideum Immortal Father, he could feel their oppressive aura that seemed to faintly carry the scent of blood¡ªhe felt goosebumps all over.


    "Can¡­ they even be considered Immortals? They''re simply a killing machine," Apotheon Northpeak muttered with a somewhat pale face.


    His words caused the other five Perfected Golden Immortals to reveal tense expressions. Their gazes were finally dithered at the war chariot being pulled by nine flood dragons at the center of the Great Tang Empire''s army. They could clearly see a young man donned in battle armor with the insignia of a dragon standing on this war chariot, and beside him stood a grim-faced middle-aged man in an upright posture, looking straight ahead while holding a command flag.


    Whoosh¡­


    A strange voice resounded from the command flag. When the Great Tang Empire''s soldiers saw that the command flag had changed directions, all of them stopped in an orderly fashion.


    Tang Xiu had personally taken part in the expedition this time. He revealed a sneering look when he saw the familiar face of Obsideum Immortal Father. He had interacted with the Obsideum Immortal Father on multiple occasions before. Although they weren''t friends, they weren''t enemies. However, the Obsideum Immortal Father had failed to pay back the favor he owed until now.


    Obsideum Immortal Father felt shaken by the Great Tang Empire''s legion before him, so he took a deep breath to pacify the shock in his heart. He then flew a few kilometers ahead and spoke to Tang Xiu in a deep voice, "You''re the commander who the Great Tang Empire has sent to invade my Obsideum Immortal Domain?"


    Tang Xiu flew up and answered in a loud voice, "I''m not just the commander, I''m also the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, the emperor of the Great Tang Empire. Obsideum Immortal Father, your famed name and reputation have reached my ears too! It''s a wonder to meet you in person now."


    Obsideum Immortal Father felt wholly shocked as he responded loudly, "So you''re the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor who demonstrated extraordinary talent in the Secret Palace of the Drunken Immortal Supreme. However, are you unaware that I am a Supreme? Did you believe you can defeat me with just the soldiers of your Great Tang Empire?"


    Tang Xiu replied indifferently, "Let''s not even mention the fact that you are injured. Even if you weren''t, you and your motley group of trash is nothing much to my Great Tang Empire. However, since you have already broken through to the Supremacy Stage and also have a few Perfected Golden Immortals beside you, I will give you two options. Surrender to me, and live, or oppose me, and die."


    Obsideum Immortal Father sneered at him. "Although your Great Tang Empire''s soldiers look good on the outside, I wonder how their strength actually fares! Since you wish to fight, you shall have one then! We shall know who the final winner is once the battle ends. I hope you have strong people at your side to protect you, or else, don''t blame me for beheading and exterminating you in flesh and soul."


    Tang Xiu turned towards Chen Shaohua, who held the command flag and nodded. Immediately afterward, Cheng Shaohua signaled the troops to attack using the flag.


    In the next instant, the first two units of thirty thousand soldiers activated their immortal defensive artifacts simultaneously. In just a few moments, an absolute defensive system had formed between them. The other four units of thirty thousand soldiers, a total of one hundred and twenty soldiers, all took out immortal crossbow artifacts and nocked their arrows on them. They shot at the Immortals of the Obsideum Immortal Domain along with the signal of the flag.


    Arrows overshadowed the entire sky as they shot towards the enemies like a flood.


    Obsideum Immortal Father''s expression morphed, and he rushed to take out an immortal defensive artifact. The immortal shield grew in size instantly and tried to block all the arrows. However, the moment the leading arrow touched the immortal shield, it ended up exploding along with a thunderous sound.


    Boooom¡­


    The brutal explosions smashed apart the immortal shield into bits and pieces in an instant, and a volley of countless arrows cleansed through this space, leaving utter chaos in their wake.

 1382 Persuading the Enemy to Surrender

    Obsideum Immortal Father''s face turned ashen. The immortal shield he had taken out ended up exploding, and the aftershocks churned his insides. Although he had given it his all, the shield was only able to block one arrow, and the explosion from the Thunder Pellet that followed caused him to cough up a mouthful of blood. He was blown several tens of kilometers back instantly, but thanks to his six Perfected Golden Immortals'' assistance, all the arrows, and the Thunder Pellets were somehow blocked.


    "Another volley?"


    The expressions of Obsideum Immortal Father and the six Perfected Golden Immortals changed drastically. They had never imagined that the Great Tang Empire had such a terrifying amount of wealth. This war was nothing more than a spendthrift one. The arrows and Thunder Pellets were both of the immortal-grade, and with their keen gazes, they had already determined that each arrow was worth at least one immortal crystal. The first volley had one hundred and twenty thousand arrows, and with the second volley, this number had basically doubled. This was akin to crushing opponents through money!


    Obsideum Immortal Father screamed out, "Retreat at this very instant and make sure to block these arrows. Let''s see how many immortal crystals his Great Tang Empire has left to squander!"


    Whoosh¡­


    As his final words fell into everyone''s ears, the third volley of arrows followed up from the opposite side, covering the view of the entire sky.


    Obsideum Immortal Father felt distressed. As an apex expert at the Supremacy Stage, he had participated in countless battles. However, he had never encountered such a horrifying collective attack. He had once faced several tens of thousands of enemies alone, and that was already the highest number of enemies he had ever encountered.


    Moreover, with his strength, these arrows didn''t pose much harm to him at all, but each arrow had a Thunder Pellet attached to it, and those did pose some threat to him.


    After a total of ten volleys of arrows, casualties had already begun appearing under the Immortals of Obsideum Immortal Father. Their entire group was in a huge mess right now.


    "Attack!"


    A roar surged out from the battle formation of the Great Tang Empire, and immediately afterward, the ten units of well-ordered soldiers charged towards Obsideum Immortal Father and his subordinates while letting out battle cries.


    It was a scene of mayhem and carnage, explosions afoot everywhere, blood splashing all around.


    It just took a burning incense stick''s worth of time for Obsideum Immortal Father''s subordinates to suffer disastrous losses. Still, neither Obsideum Immortal Father nor his six Perfected Golden Immortals had the leeway to take the situation into consideration.


    Sablefiend Scorpio, Celestial Litho Monstrum, Flaming Demon Feline, Golden-eyed Great Peng, Lupus Chimaera Monstrum, and Nethersea Whale King, the six Perfected Golden Immortal Stage experts were attacking Obsideum Immortal Father from all sides right now. Although Obsideum Immortal Father was a Supremacy Stage expert, he had prior injuries that inhibited his battle strength by a considerable margin. Therefore, Sablefiend Scorpio and the other five Perfected Golden Immortals were able to deliver heavy blows to Obsideum Immortal Father at the same time. On the other hand, he had no means to kill these six people within the short term.


    As for the six subordinates of Obsideum Immortal Father, they were currently being besieged by three thousand Golden Immortal Stage experts under the lead of ten Perfected Golden Immortal Stage Immortal Monsters. With just a little effort, they had delivered a considerable amount of injuries to the six Perfected Golden Immortals. On the other hand, Obsideum Immortal Father''s forces of hundred thousand subordinates were under attack by three Perfected Golden Immortals that were leading ten thousand Golden Immortals as well as three million immortal soldiers. As a result, Obsideum Immortal Father''s forces had suffered a disastrous number of casualties.


    Whoosh¡­


    A vague form suddenly appeared beside Tang Xiu, following which, a powerful aura swept across the entire battlefield. Obsideum Immortal Father''s expression changed drastically. He was gradually taking the upper hand in his fight against the six Perfected Golden Immortals attacking him. He just needed a wee bit more time to gain the confidence to kill these six opponents.


    However, the aura which swept across Obsideum Immortal Father made him roar out sharply, "You win, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor! I surrender, so make your legion withdraw. Don''t kill any more of my subordinates."


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly, and then, he turned his head and nodded towards Chen Shaohua. A strange voice echoed once again. Immediately afterward, the soldiers of the Great Tang Empire attacking Obsideum Immortal Father''s subordinates stopped and began retreating in an orderly fashion. The Perfected Golden Immortal, War Fanatic, rejoiced at this as he almost died under the attacks of two Perfect Golden Immortals. He let out a deep breath with a fearful and bitter expression on his face as he saw the powerful enemies retreat.


    Tang Xiu watched as Obsideum Immortal Father and his six Perfected Golden Immortals congregated and then smiled at them calmly. "Submit to me, and prosper, or oppose me, and perish. Obsideum Immortal Father, we had already investigated about your hidden ace before the battle began. Therefore, even if you had double the amount of Perfected Golden Immortals, or weren''t injured, you would have lost all the same in the end. There''s a well-known adage in my hometown, it goes this way, ''Know thyself and thy enemy, and thy shall win every battle.'' Your defeat was justified."


    A complicated expression flashed through Obsideum Immortal Father''s eyes. Through this short battle, he had realized that Tang Xiu''s words rang true. The number of enemies was really too big. There were at least twenty Perfected Golden Immortals, and the number of Golden Immortals was in the tens of thousands. Hence, his forces had ended up with heavy losses.


    Moreover, there was also a Supreme who hadn''t joined the battle.


    Obsideum Immortal Father looked at the old man beside Tang Xiu and asked in a deep voice, "Just who are you? I''m well aware of all the Supremes of the Immortal World and know most of them. It''s my first time seeing you."


    Old Sycamore glanced at Tang Xiu, and when his nod, he smiled faintly and explained, "I broke through to the Supremacy Stage just recently, so it''s normal for Obsideum Immortal Father to not know about me. I''m just a minor subordinate of the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. You may call me Old Sycamore."


    Obsideum Immortal Father gave Old Sycamore a profound look. He then spoke to Tang Xiu immediately afterward, "The victor gets the spoils. Since we have lost this fight, I''m willing to hand over the Obsideum Immortal Domain to you. As long as you agree to it, I''ll immediately leave along with my subordinates."


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and smiled. "There''s no need to worry, Obsideum Immortal Father. Since we happened to meet each other today, it means there is some karma between us. There are too few experts in my Great Tang Empire, and I also cherish people like you. Why don''t you and your men pay allegiance to me? You will become the people of my Great Tang Empire then and accompany me to conquer territories and obtain the accomplishment of a lifetime. How about it?"


    Obsideum Immortal Father sneered. "Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, you actually want a Supreme to serve you? Don''t tell me¡­"


    Tang Xiu interrupted Obsideum Immortal Father''s words and said faintly, "Even Supremes of the Immortal World are nothing but ants before the Heavenly Dao laws before attaining Godhood. I have Supremes under me, and not just one of them. I''m inviting you to follow me because I believe you are someone worth cultivating. If you follow me, I can actually explain some of the Supreme Grand Dao to you before you face your Divinity Tribulation. I can also tell you about how the tribulation works."


    "What did you say?"


    Obsideum Immortal Father''s expression changed drastically, and disbelief filled his eyes. He had already determined from Tang Xiu''s aura that he was neither a Supreme nor a God.


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly. "Don''t think I''m cheating you as there''s no need for me to make you stay behind at all. Obsideum Immortal Father, the injury you received in the endless abyss four millenniums ago granted you the chance to break through into the Supremacy Stage. However, making progress gets harder the more you cultivate in the Supremacy Stage. Unless you have had a fortuitous encounter, surviving the Divinity Tribulation is but a pipe dream. Am I wrong?"


    Obsideum Immortal Father''s pupils contracted, and his heart filled with utter shock. Only a few people knew what happened to him in the endless abyss back then, and those who were aware of his body''s circumstances were even fewer. Hence, he felt shocked that the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor was aware of it even though he had never seen him before.


    The smile on Tang Xiu''s face turned brighter as he sent him a voice transmission, "It''s hard to go against an Immortal Oath. You feel regret in your heart, and this obstructs you from making further progress in your cultivation of the Supremacy Stage. Did I get it right?"


    "Just who are you?"


    Obsideum Immortal Father sent back a voice transmission.


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly. "You don''t really need to know who I am. All you need to remember is that you owe him a favor, and you can pay it back to me. When you learn my real identity in the future, the barrier in your heart will disappear, and you will attain the state of perfection. You can then prepare to face your Divinity Tribulation."


    When Tang Xiu mentioned the favor, Obsideum Immortal Father immediately realized that the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor had a deep link to the Star Cultivation Great Emperor and that they might have been on closer terms with each other.


    It was a very enticing offer that swayed Obsideum Immortal Father''s mind. He had faintly realized that as long as he was willing to serve the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, he might have a chance to achieve a breakthrough and become a late-stage Supreme. It was even possible that he might cross his Divinity Tribulation successfully and take the last step as an Immortal.


    However, as Obsideum Immortal Father didn''t know much about either the Great Tang Empire or the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, he couldn''t decide whether to believe in him. He felt that there was a chance that the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor might just send him to his death in the future.


    Tang Xiu seemed to have seen through Obsideum Immortal Father''s thoughts, so he said faintly, "I won''t place any restrictions on you as long as you decide to follow me. I''ll even provide you with all the resources you need for cultivation. All I need is for you to obey my orders unconditionally when the Great Tang Empire is battling other Immortal Sects, and charge at the enemies alongside my Great Tang Empire''s soldiers. Of course, if you wish to serve me, you''ll need to first complete a mission."


    Obsideum Immortal Father asked with a frown, "What mission?"


    Tang Xiu said faintly, "Bring me the heads of five Perfected Golden Immortals."


    Obsideum Immortal Father''s expression turned excited as he inquired, "Which ones?"


    Tang Xiu answered calmly, "I need you to answer me first. If you''re willing to serve me, you''ll naturally know who those five are. If you''re unwilling, just forget about it."


    After a moment of silence, Obsideum Immortal Father asked calmly, "Are there really no restrictions after joining the Great Tang Empire?"


    Tang Xiu said, "As long as you don''t invite disaster to the Great Tang Empire, you won''t receive any kind of restrictions. I hope you will cultivate on the Misty Spring Island temporarily and wait for the Great Tang Empire to conquer all of Obsideum, Aeterneum, and Chalcedoneum. Once the empire is done linking them with the Immortal Lyceum to form a true super-empire, you are free to test your mettle in the outside world or tour it if you wish to do so. If you run into trouble in the outside world, you can even send back a distress signal, and the experts of the Great Tang Empire will rush over to aid you."

 1383 Star Tear’s Return

    Tang Xiu observed Obsideum Immortal Father''s expression quietly. When he discovered that his words had swayed the Immortal Father a bit, he immediately summarized. "You''ll become one of us if you join the Great Tang Empire, and your matters will become matters of the empire. This is because the prime undisputed law of the empire is unity."


    Unity. Hearing this word, Obsideum Immortal Father was shaken to the core. He turned around to glance at the three million soldiers of the Great Tang Empire floating mid-air and felt there was no harm in joining the Great Tang Empire. If things were really as the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor had told him, it would mean that all people of the Great Tang Empire were united in their wills. This undoubtedly meant that the empire would be able to do anything they wished to do in the Immortal World later on.


    "I''m willing to join, but what about my people?"


    Tang Xiu replied calmly, "I''ll respect their choices. They are welcome to join the Great Tang Empire if they wish to do so, and if they aren''t willing to do it, they can choose to leave. However, I have to emphasize that if they choose to join the Great Tang Empire, you will no longer be the one they pledge their loyalty to. It will instead be me, and the entire Great Tang Empire."


    After hearing this, Obsideum Immortal Father looked towards the six Perfected Golden Immortals beside him. Then, he inquired. "What are your choices? Are you willing to join the Great Tang Empire along with me? Or are you going to leave? Of course, if you choose to leave, I''ll still respect your choice."


    "The strength of the Great Tang Empire has long surpassed my expectations. The best choice is obviously to join the empire since we can obtain such a powerful force''s protection, and without that many restrictions to boot. Therefore, I''m willing to join it," Apotheon Northpeak had already pondered on it while Tang Xiu and Obsideum Immortal Father were discussing, so he gave an immediate answer.


    "I''m willing to join as well."


    "Me too!"


    "I shall join too, then¡­"


    "¡­"


    The other five replied in succession, and without exception, each one of them was willing to join the Great Tang Empire.


    Tang Xiu nodded with a smile. Then, he said, "Welcome to the Great Tang Empire, everyone. The Great Tang Empire''s strength has increased by a considerable margin now that you have joined it. Overturning the entire Immortal World might not be that distant a dream for us anymore."


    "What?"


    The six Perfected Golden Immortals were stunned and revealed strange looks in their gazes.


    Overturning the entire Immortal World was an impossible feat. Such a dream was naught but a joke. The vast and boundless Immortal World had too many experts to count. In the past few million years, no one had been able to unify the Immortal World and become its ruler.


    Tang Xiu looked towards the miserable hundreds of thousands of Immortals nearby and narrowed his eyes momentarily. He then said faintly, "We were at war before, and life and death are ruled by fate in a war. Now, though, those alive can choose to join the Great Tang Empire or choose to leave. Those seriously wounded can obtain medical treatment from the Great Tang Empire, as well as monetary compensation for ease of livelihood. The families of those who died in the war will receive the same financial aid as the soldiers of the Great Tang Empire who die in battle, a fairly large amount of compensation. However, they will have to leave the Immortal Domains occupied by the Great Tang Empire."


    Obsideum Immortal Father and the six Perfected Golden Immortals all nodded at him in succession. He said with a sigh, "I''m grateful for the arrangements of the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. I shall also provide some compensation to the severely wounded Immortals and the families of those who died in battle."


    Obsideum Immortal Father and the other six had now completely accepted Tang Xiu and the Great Tang Empire from the bottom of their hearts. This was because Tang Xiu''s decision lessened the guilt they felt towards those who lost their lives in the battle a bit.


    Two years later, the Great Tang Empire had wholly taken over Aeterneum, Obsideum, and Chalcedoneum. Along with it, a vast number of spatial teleportation arrays were also constructed all over them and linked to the Misty Spring Ocean as the central core. These four Immortal Domains gradually took the form of a super-empire as they combined.


    In these two years, the battle prowess of the Great Tang Empire had once again awed the countless Immortals of the Immortal World. It even caused several Immortals from other Immortal Domains to seek shelter in the empire.


    "Two Supremes, tens of Perfected Golden Immortals, and innumerable Golden Immortals¡­"


    Each major power and sect had discovered this information after conducting an investigation. All the people paying attention to the Great Tang Empire had realized yet another behemoth whose strength was on par with the super-elite sects had appeared in the Immortal World.


    However, their intel lacked information about Apotheosis Bella. In reality, the Great Tang Empire had three Supremes and over a hundred Perfected Golden Immortals.


    In these two years, another sensational news had swept across the Immortal World. Followed by the appearance of a Supreme''s aura, the Secret Palace of the Drunken Immortal had completely disappeared without a trace.


    Thus, countless Immortals of the Immortal World had once again set their sights on the location where the Secret Palace of the Drunken Immortal was situated previously. All of them wished to know who had finally obtained the inheritance of Supreme Drunken Immortal and broken through from the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage to the Supremacy Stage in less than a hundred years.


    Immortal World.


    Aurora Immortal Domain.


    This domain was a vast continent that floated in the void, and out of all the powerful continents of the Immortal World, this continent ranked in the top ten. As a rainbow-hued illusionary energy barrier covered this entire continent, the eighty-one planets in its vicinity shone with a dazzling radiance and formed an immortal super-array.


    This continent was the home of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect and had a population of nearly one billion people. Besides the ordinary people of the nation, anyone who had broken through to the Immortal Stage was a disciple of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect.


    A palace existed on a planet that was a million kilometers away from this immortal super-array. This palace was the residence of Great Emperor Danqing, and also home to the tens and thousands of experts from the Inner Pill Sect, Everlasting Palace, Hundred Poisons Sect, and Myriad Sword Sect. In addition to this, on the other side, there existed several million Immortals of another four sects that blocked the path to Aurora Immortal Domain.


    A figure suddenly appeared in the endless void and bombarded this planet with ten Divine Thunderbolts of Annihilation. Soon after, an Immortal with a powerful aura around him rushed out from that planet.


    Boom¡­


    The massive explosion formed a terrifying black hole, and along with the planet vaporizing, almost half of the experts from the four great sects lost their lives tragically in the explosion. Only a few gravely injured Golden Immortals, lightly injured Perfected Golden Immortals, and two Supremes¡ªGreat Emperor Danqing and Hundred Poisons Devil¡ªmanaged to survive through this massive explosion.


    "Damn it! Who did this?"


    Hundred Poisons Devil roared out in anger and constantly scoured the void in all directions around him with his spiritual sense to find the enemy.


    Great Emperor Danqing, donned in a priest-like robe, shot out a throwing knife towards a figure blitzing away. The figure let out a shout of pain and entered the Aurora Immortal Domain''s immortal super-array.


    "A Supreme? Which Supreme has joined the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect?" Hundred Poisons Devil asked, his eyes brimming with killing intent as he arrived beside Great Emperor Danqing.


    Great Emperor Danqing remained silent for a long time and watched as that figure completely disappeared inside the immortal super-array. Then, he replied calmly, "Star Tears."


    Hundred Poisons Devil felt shocked the instant he heard this name. "Star Tears has broken through to the Supremacy Stage?"


    Great Emperor Danqing nodded. "She should have fallen in the battle several hundred years ago. However, I never expected her to have survived and also break through to the Supremacy Stage. It seems like we have yet another nemesis now!"


    Hundred Poisons Devil said in a cold voice, "Vermillion Bird Holy Sect is already on its last legs. They will exhaust all their resources in another thousand years at most. At that time, they won''t have any more Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences left to sustain this immortal super-array. The moment this array collapses is when we begin massacring the disciples of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect."


    Great Emperor Danqing stated indifferently, "Although a lot of experts have rushed into this super-array in the past hundreds of years, it will be challenging for them to leave it. As long as we guard this location, they will have no choice but to face us in battle sooner or later."


    After saying this, he looked at a wounded subordinate of his and said grimly, "Do a headcount and calculate how many people we have lost this time."


    In the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect.


    A palace of grandeur existed among the endless surging mountains. Countless experts of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect rushed out of the palace when that planet in the distant void exploded and watched the terrifying scene of it vaporizing.


    "That''s the planet where Great Emperor Danqing and Hundred Poisons Devil are residing. Who is so bold to actually go and attack that place?" A tall and sturdy figure suddenly appeared high up in the void and soliloquized.


    "No matter who it is, they are our ally." A person donned in white battle armor licked their lips seductively.


    Supreme Star Soul sighed. "Whenever someone attacks the enemy, they suffer disastrous losses, but we can only watch from here and provide no aid to them. It''s really suffocating. With how things are right now, our sect will run out of resources in just a few decades. That moment will become the day of judgment for our Vermillion Bird Holy Sect."


    The smile on Apotheon Carmen Mist''s face gradually faded away as she stated in a resolute tone, "If that moment were to truly arrive for our Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, we''ll just explode our immortal souls and bury the enemies with us."


    "In that case, my first choice would be Great Emperor Danqing." Another figure appeared beside them. He had a hunched back and seemed to have no aura around him.


    Supreme Star Soul and Apotheon Carmen Mist immediately greeted him with a bow when they saw this old man appear. Supreme Star Soul forced a smile and said bitterly, "Ancestor, how come you have come out of cultivation?"


    Supreme Star Radiance answered calmly, "With such a huge event happening outside, how could I¡­ Hmm? Who is rushing towards my Vermillion Bird Holy Sect''s immortal array?"


    "Let me come in."


    Donned in a black robe and black battle boots, Star Tears appeared in their line of sight and shouted out to them.


    "Star Tears?"


    The three of them immediately became jubilant when they saw Star Tears. Supreme Star Soul soared to the skies and used an immortal art to reveal a tiny opening in the immortal super-array. The moment Star Tears charged inside, he asked her loudly, "Where were you all these years, Star Tears? Did you know how worried your sister-in-law and I were about you?"


    "Brother!"


    Tears welled up in Star Tears'' eyes when she saw Supreme Star Soul. She hugged him for a moment and greeted her sister-in-law, Apotheon Carmen Mist. After that, she kneeled down towards Supreme Star Radiance in the void and said, "Ancestor, I''ve returned."

 1384 He’s the Star Cultivation Great Emperor

    As Supreme Star Radiance assessed Star Tears, his aged face lit up in excitement and prompted him to say, "Tears, you have done well to come back. Well, indeed. And you have actually broken through to the Supremacy Stage too. It seems like our Vermillion Bird Holy Sect''s forces to withstand the enemies have increased by yet another margin now."


    Star Tears was just about to speak when she discovered several figures taking to the skies and flying over towards them in a blitz. She continued saying in an excited tone, "Ancestor, I''ve indeed broken through to the Supremacy Stage, but I have something more important to tell you and elder brother."


    "Auntie Star Tears!"


    "Martial Aunt Star Tears!"


    "Star¡­"


    Hundreds had blitzed over towards Star Tears with quick movements, all of them revealing surprised and jubilant expressions when they sensed Star Tears'' aura.


    Star Tears'' sight wandered across all of them and sent an interspatial ring towards them. Then, she told them joyously, "I''ve returned."


    "What?"


    The upper echelon of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, these hundreds of members, all scoured the interspatial ring with their spiritual sense and immediately revealed ecstatic expressions.


    "Heavens! There are so many Immortal Crystals and medicinal pills in here!"


    "My Vermillion Bird Holy Sect has hope now with all these Immortal Crystals, Crystal Essences, and large amounts of medicinal herbs and pills¡­"


    "Auntie Star Tears has brought back so many good things."


    "The Heavens have eyes! I can finally see the hope now¡­"


    "¡­"


    The eyes of the upper echelon of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect turned moist, and their bodies trembled with excitement. Some of them even screamed towards the skies.


    Supreme Star Radiance and Supreme Star Soul glanced at each other, their expressions changing greatly. The things that Vermillion Bird Holy Sect lacked the most right now were Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences as the amount of Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences in the sect''s treasure vault were already running pretty low. It was so bad that even the disciples of the sect were rarely provided with Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences for cultivating.


    "Star Tears, follow me."


    Supreme Star Soul took a deep breath and suppressed the excitement in his heart from appearing on his face. After telling her this, he flew towards the meeting hall of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. Supreme Star Radiance and Apotheon Carmen Mist showed no hesitation in following behind him.


    Star Tears felt warmth bubble up in her heart as she looked at her close ones. She then seemed to recall something all of a sudden and immediately brought out Star Luminous and Star Peng from within the Heavenly Abode artifact.


    "Elders, I, Star Luminous, have broken through to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage."


    "Elders, I, Star Peng, have broken through to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage."


    The two of them roared loudly, tears running down their cheeks as they once again saw those dear and familial faces.


    Supreme Star Soul, Supreme Star Radiance, and Apotheon Carmen Mist all felt grateful that Star Tears had brought Star Luminous and Star Peng back, yet this only made them fly towards the meeting hall faster.


    After a short while, Star Tears entered the meeting hall and greeted Supreme Star Soul, who was seated on the sect master''s seat, deferentially. "Sect Master, Star Tears has returned."


    Supreme Star Soul took a deep breath and asked in a deep voice, "Tell me, where were you these past few hundred years? Although a lot of our Vermillion Bird Holy Sect''s allies have come to this place over the past few hundred years, none of them had any information about your whereabouts."


    Star Tears could feel the concern her elder brother had for her, so she said, "Sect Master, now isn''t the time to discuss this. I''ve returned with a large number of things this time. I''ll give them to you so you can distribute them to the sect''s members."


    Supreme Star Soul furrowed his brows and said faintly, "Star Tears, you being able to return was a good thing in itself, and though our Vermillion Bird Holy Sect needs the things you have brought, it''s not too late to distribute them later on."


    Star Tears took out six interspatial rings and sent them to the front of Supreme Star Soul before saying, "Sect Master, take a look at these things first. You can decide after that."


    Supreme Star Soul turned silent for a moment. After his spiritual sense checked the contents of the six interspatial rings, his tall and sturdy body stood up at once, and a shocked expression floated upon his face. He raised his head to look at Star Tears and asked with much difficulty, "These¡­ are all the things you have obtained outside over the past few hundred years?"


    Star Tears nodded and said, "They were all given to me by him to bring it back to you."


    "Who is he?"


    Supreme Star Soul asked anxiously.


    Star Tears shook her head and said, "Sect Master, distribute these resources first. We can talk about other matters in a little while."


    Supreme Star Soul took a deep breath and began laughing cheerfully as a smile climbed upon his face. "Our Vermillion Bird Holy Sect truly has hope now. The resources Star Tears has brought back are enough to sustain our sect for another thousand years. Grand Elder, I''ll give all these things to you. Distribute some of these and store the rest in the sect''s treasure vault."


    Apotheon Star River received the six interspatial rings with an excited expression. After checking the contents, he too began laughing out loud cheerfully.


    After a while, besides Supreme Star Soul, Supreme Star Radiance, and Apotheon Carmen Mist, only Star Tears remained inside the meeting hall. Star Tears then used an immortal art to cover the entire hall under a formation. When she saw the puzzlement on the trio''s faces, she explained, "I have two things I have to inform you all with my return this time, and both are related to the life and death of our Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. The final matter is also a very important one that''s a piece of delightful news, but¡­"


    Supreme Star Soul said, "Star Tears, if you have something to say, just say it. Don''t keep us hanging now."


    Star Tears said, "Elder Brother, you absolutely cannot let anyone else know what I''m about to tell you. Even in our Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, only the four of us must know it, no one else."


    Supreme Star Soul remained silent for a moment and then nodded firmly. "Speak! We promise not to tell anyone else."


    Star Tears smiled. "Although you''re trapped in the Aurora Immortal Domain, you''re still able to get some news from the outside world, right? Especially the events that have occurred in the recent hundred years."


    Supreme Star Soul nodded and said, "Indeed. Some of our sect''s members stranded outside were actually able to break through the enemy blockade and return to the sect. They also brought back a lot of news about the events that occurred in the outside world. Tell me, just what have you gone through these past few hundred years?"


    Star Tears said, "A few hundred years ago, I was gravely injured by Shade Demon Zhu Wushou''s disciple, Old Vicious, but he didn''t kill me and instead sold me to a Convict Arena to make me a deathmatch fighter. I was trapped inside the arena for several hundred years and had to keep facing other deathmatch fighters in battles. However, someone bought me from the Convict Arena ninety years ago."


    "Who was it?"


    Supreme Star Soul''s expression changed. But, although he realized that his little sister had suffered a lot over the past few hundred years, he didn''t forget to inquire about the identity of the benefactor who bought her.


    Star Tears said, "He''s called the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor."


    Supreme Star Soul, Supreme Star Radiance, and Apotheon Carmen Mist all looked at each other with excitement. They had heard about the legend of this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor over the past hundred years. He was a peerless genius that had awed the entire Immortal World and the founder of the Great Tang Empire.


    Supreme Star Soul asked, "Since he bought you, why did he let you return so easily?"


    Star Tears said, "He really returned my Soul Plate to me, and even accompanied me to the Secret Palace of the Drunken Immortal to obtain the immortal fate in there. In the end, I was able to receive Supreme Drunken Immortal''s inheritance with his help and was also able to get the Secret Palace left behind by Supreme Drunken Immortal."


    "What?"


    Looks of disbelief flashed across the trio''s faces. Although they weren''t in the outside world, they had made several guesses about who could have obtained Supreme Drunken Immortal''s inheritance. Still, they had never imagined that this person would actually be Star Tears.


    Apotheon Carmen Mist was the quickest to react and recovered from the shock shortly. She said excitedly, "No wonder you broke through to the Supremacy Stage so quickly, Little Sister Star Tears. So, you have actually obtained Supreme Drunken Immortal''s inheritance. This is already the most joyous news for our Vermillion Bird Holy Sect."


    Star Tears shook her head. "Sister-in-law, although me obtaining Supreme Drunken Immortal''s inheritance is something to feel happy about, it''s not the most joyous news. Also, I was only able to obtain Supreme Drunken Immortal''s inheritance because of the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor''s assistance. If it weren''t for him, it would have been difficult for me to even survive in the Secret Palace, let alone obtain the inheritance."


    Supreme Star Soul asked, "I don''t understand it. That Great Tang Heavenly Emperor should be a Perfected Golden Immortal, right? Why didn''t he take Supreme Drunken Immortal''s inheritance then and instead helped you obtain it?"


    Star Tears said, "He doesn''t need it. And after communicating with Supreme Drunken Immortal, even he didn''t wish for the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor to take it."


    Supreme Star Soul couldn''t believe this. "He''s actually capable of communicating with Supreme Drunken Immortal whose body is present in the God Realm? How is that even possible?"


    Star Tears said, "Elder Brother, it''s because he has crossed his divine tribulation once."


    Countless thoughts flashed through Supreme Star Soul''s mind momentarily. He then asked in a deep voice, "Just who is this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor? If he has crossed his divine tribulation, why didn''t he ascend to the God Realm and stay behind in the Immortal World as a Perfected Golden Immortal?"


    Star Tears explained slowly, "There''s a reason for that. At his weakest moment, that is, when he was about to cross his divine tribulation, his two best friends mounted a sneak attack on him and finally killed him. If it weren''t for a wisp of his divine soul that somehow managed to enter another world, he would have long perished in soul and body."


    Supreme Star Soul sighed and said, "The moment Supremes cross their divine tribulation is indeed their weakest moment. If you don''t have a trusted person protecting you, it''s quite easy to get attacked by others. Without obtaining the baptism of the divine radiance, it''s impossible to ascend to the God Realm and become a God."


    Star Tears nodded and said, "It''s indeed as you say."


    Star Radiance suddenly asked, "Tears, you have spoken so much, but you have yet to tell us who this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor is. I''ve once gone through records of all the Supremes that have appeared in the Immortal World over the past hundred thousand years, but there was no mention of this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. Is he an expert from an even older era?"


    Star Tears shook her head and said, "No, he isn''t."


    And then, her gaze fell on Apotheon Carmen Mist''s body. Seeing the inquisitive look on her face, she slowly said, "He isn''t an expert from an even older era, but rather an expert from the same era as us. He''s my nephew, Elder Brother''s and Sister-in-law''s son, and Ancestor''s bloodline descendant¡ªStar Cultivation Great Emperor."

 1385 He Has a Harem of Wives

    Star Tears'' words left Supreme Star Soul, Supreme Star Radiance, and Apotheon Carmen Mist thunderstruck, leaving them utterly confused and disjointed. It took a good amount of time for them to recover their senses.


    "What I just said is absolutely true," Star Tears said with a solemn expression after seeing the looks of disbelief on their faces.


    Once Supreme Star Soul had recovered from the shock, he instantly appeared before Star Tears and grabbed her shoulders with his hands, uttering word by word, "It''s really¡­ Xiu''er?"


    Star Tears said with a nod, "Yes! Not only is he alive, but he has also made a comeback to the Immortal World along with huge numbers of experts."


    "He didn''t die¡­ my son¡­ didn''t die."


    Although Supreme Star Soul had a firm will, tears still dripped down his cheeks and dropped onto his robes and the floor when he learned that his son was still alive.


    "Sob¡­"


    Apotheon Carmen Mist covered her mouth with her hands. Although her cheeks were streaming with tears already, she was doing her best to stop her sobs from escaping her throat as, to her, the most important person in her life wasn''t her husband or other kin, but rather her son.


    She had almost gone crazy when she heard that her son had failed his tribulation and perished in both soul and body. However, she still bore the pain in her heart and cultivated under closed doors for several hundred years, and when an imminent crisis had approached the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, she buried this heart-splitting pain in the deepest corner of her soul.


    However, now, she had learned that her son was still alive. This made her feel the happiest she had ever been. Just learning this alone had given her the determination to face death without even raising a brow.


    A gleam of light flashed past Supreme Star Radiance''s eyes as he asked in a deep voice, "Tears, you just told us that he didn''t fail the tribulation but rather got ambushed by two of his best friends, right? Are those two¡­ Great Emperor Daqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao?"


    Star Tears answered, "That''s right, it''s them."


    However, she didn''t mention Xue Qingcheng. It wasn''t that she didn''t want to say it, but rather because even though Xue Qingcheng had let her nephew down once, she still didn''t wish to take revenge on her.


    Supreme Star Radiance said slowly, "I understand now. The reason Xiu''er didn''t return to the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect immediately after returning to the Immortal World, and instead established the Great Tang Empire while hiding his identity and kept amassing power was all to¡­ take revenge."


    "Yes!" Star Tears explained, "After Xiu''er returned to the Immortal World, he rushed to Misty Spring Ocean''s Immortal Lyceum along with the hundreds and thousands of cultivators that came to the Immortal World with him. I also learned later that the ruler of the Misty Spring Ocean was none other than Apotheon Mu. After we reached there, we learned that Apotheon Mu''s four disciples, Apotheon Myriad Notes, Soaring Plumb, Nine Immortal Fingers, and Enchantress Yu had been kidnapped to the Heavenly Mountains. A trap was laid in place over there, and anyone who tried to save them fell into this trap and ended up perishing.


    "Xiu''er recruited Apotheon Bella, and then, we attacked the Heavenly Mountains along with ten Perfected Golden Immortals he procured from the Convict Arena. We were finally able to save Apotheon Mu''s four disciples after killing Supreme Myriad Thunder and six Perfected Golden Immortals from the Everlasting Palace.


    "I remained inside the Secret Palace to cultivate for nearly a hundred years while Xiu''er returned to the Immortal Lyceum. On my way back, I found out about the current circumstances of the Great Tang Empire through the Communication Signet. In just a short hundred years, Xiu''er has already developed the Great Tang Empire into a superpower that can contend with any of the other superpowers of the Immortal World."


    Supreme Star Radiance shook his head. "Tears, your words are a bit excessive. Those superpowers all took several thousand years to form, and some are even hundreds of thousands of years old, so all of them have a solid and formidable foundation. Not even a hundred years have passed since Xiu''er has established the Great Tang Empire, so how could it contend with those superpowers?"


    Star Tears said, "Ancestor, the Great Tang Empire already has three Supremes now. They are Apotheon Bella, Old Sycamore, and Obsideum Immortal Father. As for Perfected Golden Immortals, there''s already nearly a hundred of them, while the Golden Immortals number close to forty thousand. There are also countless numbers of Celestial Immortals and Profound Immortals present in the empire."


    "There''s so many of them?"


    The numbers had shocked Supreme Star Radiance, and even Supreme Star Soul revealed a look of disbelief.


    Supreme Star Soul muttered to himself, asking, "How did he even accomplish this?"


    Star Tears answered, "Elder Brother, you know best how capable Xiu''er is. I have never heard of any character more formidable than him appearing in the entire Immortal World, be in the previous eras or the current one."


    Supreme Star Soul revealed a pleased smile after hearing this and laughed out loud. "That''s right, he''s indeed worthy of being my son. The fact that he''s still alive and has already cultivated to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage is already pretty good. He will definitely be able to return to the Supremacy Stage as long as he''s given some more time, and even his cultivation speed had reached an unsurpassable stage already."


    Star Tears sighed. "By the time Xiu''er breaks through to the Supremacy Stage, perhaps our side will have seven, no, eight Supremes, then."


    Supreme Star Soul asked in amazement, "Who else?"


    Star Tears said, "Gu Yan''er."


    Supreme Star Soul revealed a puzzled expression. "This name sounds a bit familiar to me. I might have heard of it before."


    Apotheon Carmen Mist asked in a surprised voice, "It''s Xiu''er''s disciple, Little Yan''er?"


    Star Tears nodded with a smile. "That''s right, it''s Little Yan''er. Actually, she''s known by another name too. All of you might have heard of it as well."


    "What name?" Apotheon Carmen Mist asked curiously.


    Star Tears answered, "Rakshasi, also known as the Immortal Rakshasi Monarch."


    Even Supreme Star Soul was surprised. "It''s her?"


    Star Tears said with a nod, "That''s right, it''s her. After she learned something had happened to Xiu''er, she sought him everywhere. I learned later that she was the one who helped our Vermillion Bird Holy Sect when we were facing a crisis back then! However, she didn''t greet us and instead infiltrated Heavenly Emperor Tianji''s place and obtained a magical secret art from there. Then, she tore open a crack in the void and used this temporal-spatial art to follow Xiu''er''s soul imprint and finally reached the lesser dimension Xiu''er was located in."


    Supreme Star Soul said with a sigh, "What a good child she is!"


    Star Tears'' lips curled into a smile as she said, "There''s another thing that you might find hard to believe."


    Supreme Star Soul inquired inquisitively, "What else is there?"


    Star Tears smiled and said, "Actually, only a strand of Xiu''er''s divine soul had transmigrated into the Immortal World when he reincarnated in the Immortal World. He still had a life imprint left behind in his original lesser world. He has parents and relatives there, and unlike his one-track mind like before, he has changed a bit. Now, he already has over a dozen women, and each one of them is a beautiful woman with peerless looks."


    "What?"


    Supreme Star Soul wasn''t astonished about the fact that his son had relatives as he had already noticed his son''s unusual behavior before he had even matured. However, he never asked about it, and now, he guessed it was perhaps because of his relatives from that world. Furthermore, since a strand of his immortal soul had appeared in that lesser world, it would obviously need a life vessel as well.


    However, he had never expected his son to take so many wives. This felt too strange to him. Supreme Star Soul then recalled another person all of a sudden and asked in a deep voice, "What about Xue Qingcheng? I heard that she committed suicide when Xiu''er failed his tribulation and perished. Was that true?"


    The smile of Star Tears'' face faded away. After remaining silent for a good while, she said slowly, "Elder Brother, don''t ask any more about Xiu''er''s love life. Although she injured him as she had no choice but to do it, Xiu''er has already told me that things between him and Xiu Qingcheng are over now. Therefore, our Vermillion Bird Holy Sect no longer has a woman called Xue Qingcheng."


    "All right!" Supreme Star Soul seemed to have comprehended something and nodded silently.


    Immortal World.


    Misty Spring Ocean.


    Tang Xiu was seated in a cross-legged position inside the palace and browsing through an immortal book of records when his expression suddenly changed. He looked towards the entrance of the room and saw a handsome youth whose facial features resembled his a bit standing there.


    "Come inside, Tang Xing."


    Tang Xiu waved at him with a smile on his face.


    Tang Xing walked before Tang Xiu with a beaming smile and sat cross-legged before saying, "Elder Brother, I need your help with something."


    Tang Xiu said with a smile, "I knew you definitely have something to ask me since you sneaked back from the Azure Dragon Legion. Tell me, what do you need help with?"


    Tang Xing replied, "I heard you are planning to visit the Nefas Abyss. I also want to go along with you."


    Tang Xiu''s expression changed, and he shook his head. "If you came here to request this, you''ll have to return in disappointment then. Nefas Abyss is a terrifying place, and even Supremes act with caution in there as even the slightest slip can take your life. Even the Golden Immortals don''t dare to enter such a dangerous place without consideration¡ªit''s a place only the Perfected Golden Immortals and Supremes foray into. You have broken through to the Immortal Stage just recently, so I cannot take you along with me."


    Tang Xing said, "Won''t you be there, though? As long as you are together with me, I won''t face any danger at all!"


    Tang Xiu shook his head. "If I take you along with me, you''ll become a burden to me, and that will increase the chances of danger. Brother, you don''t wish for me to fall in the Nefas Abyss, right?"


    "That''s¡­"


    Tang Xing pondered for a moment and shook his head disappointedly. "You''re my own elder brother, I obviously don''t wish for harm to befall you. All right, then! Since my strength is insufficient, then I won''t burden you by following you there. However, Elder Brother, you have to promise me that you''ll take me to Nefas Abyss when I''ve broken through to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage. I want to see just how chaotic the legendary Nefas City is."


    Tang Xiu said with a nod, "I will have broken through to the Supremacy Stage by then, so it won''t be that dangerous if you were to accompany me anywhere then. You have my promise."


    Tang Xing revealed a smile and nodded. "Since we''re done talking about this, shall we talk about a new topic then?"


    Tang Xiu asked, "What else are you worried about?"


    Tang Xiu said sheepishly, "Mother has been pressuring me to get married recently. I haven''t even turned a hundred years old, yet she''s anxious to see me get married and have children. She even uses you as a bad example to tell me that I can''t be like you and have no children for so long. Elder Brother, you really don''t know how many times I''ve received Communication Signets while I was fighting in the legion."

 1386 A Fortuitous Encounter in the Nefas Abyss

    Tang Xiu gave his young brother a look of schadenfreude. He, too, had been pressured to get married and have children countless times previously. As his younger brother had become an adult, Tang Xiu''s mother had shifted focus from him to his younger brother now. As Tang Xiu watched Tang Xing leave, he chuckled inwardly as breaking free from such pressure was also a type of happiness.


    Nefas Abyss.


    Tang Xiu had been making preparations to visit this place for a few years already, as a lot of the resources he needed to cultivate were items related to the Demon Realm. Even though he had an abundant amount of Demon Stones and Demon Crystals, a lot of these resources could only be obtained in Nefas Abyss.


    Tang Xiu''s sole focus right now was to cultivate and achieve breakthroughs. Even though he was the emperor of the Great Tang Empire, his current strength only allowed him to contend with an early-stage Perfected Golden Immortal Stage expert. He would have no choice but to ambush or flee from a middle-stage Perfected Golden Immortal Stage expert as he simply had no chances of winning in a direct battle.


    "Master."


    A beautiful figure floated into the room with a smile on her face. Gu Yan''er arrived before Tang Xiu with a golden lotus that shone with a golden luster in her hands and said, "The Golden Lotus Regulus from the Lotus Sea in Chacledoneum has already shown signs of manifesting. Now is the best time to harvest it."


    Tang Xiu''s sight fell on that golden lotus. He could faintly hear a weeping voice from within the golden lotus. After some time, he placed this golden lotus in his hands, searched its interior with his spiritual sense, and entered a golden space after breaking through the barrier with ease.


    A mini-human-like golden entity who seemed to have donned starlight on its body was hugging its knees and weeping inside this empty golden space. Its tears, a viscous golden liquid, turned into specks of starlight and drifted all over this space.


    "It has already formed a sentient soul."


    When Tang Xiu saw the thumb-sized mini-human-like entity raise its head, he looked at it with his spiritual sense and revealed a smile. After withdrawing his spiritual sense, he poured his Primal Chaos Force into the golden lotus while chanting an ancient immortal incantation that turned into a river of immortal character and merged with the golden space.


    "Waah¡­"


    The golden entity blinked and stopped weeping suddenly. It sat on its knees and allowed the Primal Chaos Force to enter its sea of knowledge. The immortal incantation that had turned into immortal characters were akin to delicious and nutritious food to it, so it absorbed them rapidly.


    Gu Yan''er revealed a somewhat annoyed expression as she watched this action of Tang Xiu and stamped her foot in anger before turning around to leave, leaving behind whisperings of words, "Such goody shoes you are. It''s such a great restorative treasure, yet you''re actually helping it evolve into an essence. That''s no fun at all¡­"


    Tang Xiu''s lips curled into a smile as he saw Gu Yan''er leave. Three days passed by, and when Tang Xiu had expended almost half of his Primal Chaos Force, he let out a somewhat surprised sigh and stopped pouring in the Primal Chaos Force. Then, he beamed a smile and said, "Little Golden Lotus, how come you haven''t thanked me yet for granting you this immortal fate?"


    The golden lotus turned into a hazy golden light and transformed into a naked petite girl before Tang Xiu. She had fair skin and looked very adorable, but unfortunately, she was only a few dozen centimeters tall. She did appear very good-looking when she smiled.


    "Thank you, Master."


    Tang Xiu smiled and said, "You''re pretty clever to have actually recognized me as your Master right away. I''ve already transmitted the transformation art to you, so dress up now!"


    "Understood!"


    The little girl spun around, and in the next instant, she had donned a battle armor similar to the one Tang Xiu wore. The only difference between them was the insignia on it. Tang Xiu''s battle armor had nine golden dragons on it while the little girl''s battle armor had nine golden loti.


    Tang Xiu continued, "The golden lotus enters battle in this strife-stricken world. You shall be called Battle Lotus henceforth. Go look for Andy now, and learn cultivation from her."


    Battle Lotus, who had been conferred a name just now, inquired, "Who is Andy? Will she treat me well?"


    Tang Xiu said, "Andy is my woman, so she will naturally treat you well. Wait for her outside the palace, she will be there soon. Go now."


    "Understood, Master."


    Battle Lotus nodded cutely and flew outside.


    The golden lotus gaining human form was just a brief interlude to Tang Xiu. He was willing to help any plant that had awakened its wisdom to gain a human form as his Great Tang Empire''s strongest force was none other than a thirty thousand-year-old behemoth-ranked immortal monster.


    A few months later, Tang Xiu declared he was entering closed-door cultivation and handed control of the overall affairs of the Great Tang Empire to Gu Yan''er and Apotheon Bella. Then, he secretly left the Misty Spring Ocean for the Nefas Abyss. As this trip would be filled with danger, he was accompanied by four Perfected Golden Immortals, as well as Old Sycamore, who was in the Supremacy Stage.


    Two years later, Tang Xiu and his group arrived at Nefas Immortal Domain. Nefas was separated from Immortal Lyceum by hundred immortal domains and was located in an extremely desolate region in the Immortal World. It would take at least a few months for even a Supremacy Stage expert to travel from here to the nearest immortal domain through teleportation.


    "Master, the entrance to Nefas Abyss is right ahead of us. I''ve visited the Nefas Abyss once. It''s a very chaotic place, and it''s pretty common to encounter robbers or killers even if it''s at the entrance zone," Seaway Monarch explained as he surveyed the black vortex ahead of them.


    Tang Xiu''s lips curled into a smile as he said, "I once got blocked by robbers at the entrance of Nefas Abyss, but the result of that was that I snatched a lot of their treasures instead. Let''s go in. Although we haven''t brought much wealth with us from the Great Tang Empire, we have amassed some amount of wealth over the past two years while journeying over here. That should be more than enough for us to spend at Nefas Abyss."


    Seaway Monarch''s lips twitched a few times when he heard Tang Xiu refer to the wealth as just "some amount," and made him look to the other side silently. Actually, it would have just taken one year for them to have reached here from the Immortal Lyceum with their speeds. However, his Master had robbed a lot of people throughout the journey to gain some wealth. The wicked cultivators especially got the worst of it since they not only lost their wealth but also their lives too.


    According to his calculations, the amount of wealth they had amassed over the past two years would be at least worth a hundred million Crystal Essences.


    Soon after, two figures entered the black vortex and appeared inside a dark world after the spatial teleportation had ended. There were no sun, moon, or stars, and the vast sky was in the color of a gloomy grey. The floor was made of black hearthstone and was pretty hard. There were also all kinds of grotesquely shaped plants growing here, and most of them were all black or red-colored.


    Nefas Abyss had a total of nine layers, and each layer was as huge as one of the great immortal domains. The indigenous population and the cultivators from the Immortal World, Demon Realm, Monster Realm, Spirit Realm, and Asura Realm that lived in the first layer weren''t that strong, so the chances of danger were pretty low here. However, each deeper layer was much more dangerous than the upper one, and the strength of experts also increased in tandem.


    In truth, Nefas Abyss didn''t belong to the Immortal World. Yet, it also didn''t belong to any of the other worlds and was instead a nine-layered dimension. However, a deific expert had opened portals to all the realms from here, and as a result, this place became a nexus of chaos and a paradise for countless sinners.


    Kind-hearted people would get swallowed whole here and not even have a bone left for burial. It wasn''t a place where a fable similar to the farmer and the snake would ever take place.


    "Which layer are we visiting, Master?" Seaway Monarch asked, after checking that there weren''t any cultivators present in the vicinity.


    Tang Xiu said, "To the ninth layer, Nefas City."


    Seaway Monarch''s breath turned rushed as he smiled bitterly. "Master, how about letting Supreme Sycamore accompany you while I return to the Heavenly Abode?"


    Tang Xiu chuckled and said, "Rest assured. Although there''s a lot a danger from the sixth layer to the ninth layer, unless we''re attacked by a powerful enemy, it''s too early to let Old Sycamore and the rest come out. We will rest for a while in the Lost Nefas Forest when we reach the sixth layer. There''s an expert from the Spirit Realm who sells Myriad Spirit Immortal Wine there. Don''t you want to have a taste of it?"


    "Myriad Spirit Immortal Wine?" Seaway Monarch gulped down and said with a smile, "I tried it once before, but I was only able to purchase a cup of it and had to spend a whole one million Immortal Crystals for it. However, its flavor really is the best among wines, and it''s also pretty beneficial to the body."


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly. "It''s already been thousands of years since I last had a sip of Myriad Spirit Immortal Wine. There are many good wines in the entire Immortal World. However, there''s perhaps only a few that can compare with Myriad Spirit Immortal Wine."


    It took a few days for the two of them to reach the entrance of the second layer. They never thought they would have a smooth journey yet end up getting blocked at the entrance to the second layer. Moreover, the person who blocked them was a muscular middle-aged with an unkempt beard who had a broken sword on his back.


    "Selling swords," the 150 cm tall man stated in an overly stiff tone.


    Tang Xiu laughed at the man''s attitude and said, "Are you going to force us to buy it?"


    "Yes!" The middle-aged man slowly pulled the broken sword from his back, and then, he handed it over to Tang Xiu. "20 million Crystal Essences, not one less."


    Tang Xiu rolled his eyes and said unhappily, "Do you think we are spendthrifts? Isn''t it too outrageous to sell a broken sword for 20 million Crystal Essences? That''s almost the price of a 9th-grade immortal artifact, while this is just a broken sword, that''s all."


    The middle-aged man said, "I need Crystal Essences, so you won''t be making a loss."


    Tang Xiu said in a cold voice, "So what if you need Crystal Essences? That doesn''t matter to me at all. If you want to do business with me, you''ll need to let me appraise your item first. If I think it''s worth that much, I''ll naturally strike a deal with you. However, if I don''t feel like it''s worth that much, it''s up to your skills to place a sword on my neck to make me pay or else I won''t even take out a single Immortal Stone to give you."


    After saying this, he took the broken sword and poured his Primal Chaos Force inside it. To his shock, unlike other immortal artifacts that rejected his Primal Chaos Force a bit, it had smoothly entered this broken sword.


    There were only two possibilities for such a thing to occur.


    The first one was that it was an immortal artifact personally refined by the individual. After nurturing it inside the body for an extended amount of time, the immortal artifact would gain sentience and become the individual''s immortal life artifact.


    The second one was a situation similar to how Tang Xiu had obtained the divine sword. An individual could go through a trial of fire and become the artifact''s owner by gaining its recognition and make it into their divine life artifact.

 1387 The Splendor of a Legend

    Other than the Sword of Severance that had made a brief appearance in the Immortal World once before disappearing, the strongest and sharpest divine weapon Tang Xiu had ever seen so far was the divine sword he had within his body. The Index of Divine Weapons contained entries of tens of thousands of the strongest divine weapons, and the top ten among them were all divine artifacts. However, these divine artifacts were all in the hands of the Supremes of the super sects, so they rarely appeared outside. His former weapon, the Heavenly Star Sword, was also a divine artifact. However, it was destroyed while he was crossing his divine tribulation.


    "What is it called?"


    Tang Xiu inquired calmly while raising his head to look at the middle-aged man.


    "I don''t know," he replied.


    Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes and asked, "How did you obtain it?"


    "Demon King''s Abode," said the middle-aged man.


    Tang Xiu felt slightly shocked, and the way he viewed the middle-aged man standing before him changed. Demon King''s Abode was a hazardous and terrifying zone located in the 9th layer of Nefas Abyss. Even if it were a Supreme, the chances of them coming out from there unscathed were close to nil. He, too, had once attempted to enter the Demon King''s Abode after becoming a Supreme to obtain the inheritance treasure left behind by Demon King Regretless. However, he got seriously injured just after traversing half the distance and had to return empty-handed in the end.


    Demon King Regretless was a terrifying expert of the Demon Realm a hundred thousand or so years ago and was the undisputed strongest expert in the Demon Realm back in that era. Moreover, his cultivation soared at a breakneck speed. It took him just eight thousand years to successfully cross his divine tribulation and ascend to the God Realm.


    Tang Xiu gave the middle-aged man a profound look and asked, "You entered the Demon King''s Abode? If I haven''t guessed it wrong, you shouldn''t have even reached the Supremacy Stage yet, right?"


    "I''m a Perfected Golden Immortal, but I have entered inside once," the middle-aged man replied.


    Tang Xiu expressed his admiration with a gesture and then said, "Such is immortal fate and the wonders of providence. Let me make a final guess, then. You shouldn''t have entered Demon King''s Abode for Demon King Regretless'' inheritance, but rather to kill yourself, right?"


    "Yes!" the middle-aged man''s voice was still emotionless.


    Tang Xiu shook his head with a sigh. "It''s better to live a bad life than meet a good death, there really is no need to fret over happenings in life! Let it be, I shall buy this broken sword, but you have to answer a question of mine before I do so. You should have run into many Immortals who entered Nefas Abyss and forced them to buy the sword, but did no one want to buy it?"


    "There were many such people, but they were all too poor," the middle-aged man replied.


    Tang Xiu laughed out loud. 20 million Crystal Essences were a massive amount for a Perfected Golden Immortal. Only Supremes could possess such an enormous amount of wealth as it was even possible to purchase a Perfected Golden Stage Immortal deathmatch fighter from the Convict Arena with such an amount.


    Tang Xiu took out 20 million Crystal Essences from his interspatial ring in the next instant and handed it over to the middle-aged man with a smile. "Are you not afraid of us attacking you to snatch away this broken sword? I would definitely save 20 million Crystal Essences that way."


    "I do fear that, but death is also an eternal rest."


    Tang Xiu looked at him intensely before placing the broken sword inside his interspatial sword and said with a smile, "I have one last question. May I know what you are called?"


    The middle-aged man raised his eyelids and spoke slowly after pausing for a good while, "I''ll answer you since you bought the sword. I''m called Eagle."


    "Eagle? Just Eagle?"


    An unusual luster flashed through Tang Xiu''s eyes as he inquired about this.


    "Yes!"


    Saying so, the middle-aged man turned around and walked towards the entrance of the 2nd layer. In the next instant, he disappeared into the black and cloudy vortex.


    Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes before looking towards Seaway Monarch and asked faintly, "Have you ever heard this name?"


    A complicated expression floated up on Seaway Monarch''s face as he said with a nod, "I have heard of it before. The name has a well-known reputation too. A Golden Immortal expert named Eagle made his appearance 4000 years ago and killed tens of Golden Immortals as well as eight Perfected Golden Immortals within a short span of just eight years. He killed a Perfected Golden Immortal on average each year back then, and 3000 years ago, he slaughtered around 18,000 demons in the Phantasmagoria Ocean Immortal Domain that included more than ten Perfected Golden Immortal experts. He had already broken through to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage by then. 1800 years ago, he charged into the Sea of Death alone for a beautiful woman and slaughtered thousands of subordinates of Great Emperor Deathgod and fought with him for several months, then he disappeared without a trace after getting injured severely by him. All of his deeds are tales of legends, and except for one person, there''s no one else whose legend has such splendor."


    Tang Xiu''s expression changed as he inquired. "Who is that other person?"


    "Star Cultivation Great Emperor," Seaway Monarch stated.


    Tang Xiu chuckled internally as he never expected Seaway Monarch to have such a high evaluation of him. However, to become a Supreme, he had indeed experienced several hardships as well as countless battles, finally becoming a Supreme by standing on the corpses of millions of experts.


    "Come, let''s follow after him to see what''s the fun. I''m really curious about why he needs so many Crystal Essences."


    The two of them entered the vortex soon after.


    The 2nd layer of Nefas Abyss was a forest consisting of densely packed black stones, and each one of them varied in size, with the tallest being several thousand meters high and the shortest being just a few meters tall. Hence, this realm portrayed very unusual scenery.


    Tang Xiu and Seaway Monarch tailed Eagle from behind boldly with no intentions to hide.


    During the journey, Eagle had run into trouble several times. The inhabitants of Nefas Abyss attacked him to plunder his belongings, the demons from the Demon Realm besieged him, and even the experts of the Monster Realm attacked him. However, he resolved each of the attacks with much ease, and all the enemies who attacked him ended up perishing.


    Tang Xiu and Seaway Monarch didn''t help and looked at the scene as if they were watching a good show. During this time, Tang Xiu took out the broken sword he had received from Eagle and supplied it with a steady flow of Primal Chaos Force to restore the cracks in the broken sword and comprehend the secrets hidden inside it.


    It had no sword soul, yet it possessed an unparalleled sharpness.


    The Primal Chaos Force didn''t suffer any obstruction, and he could wield it with perfection. After attempting to control it with his divine intent, Tang Xiu discovered that he had a really fluid control over it and felt almost like he was controlling a needle that didn''t have any weight at all. After checking the interior of the sword with his divine intent, he even discovered that there was a minute point-sized light inside it that was releasing a powerful, esoteric aura.


    "Although it''s a broken sword, it should be an artifact of a higher grade than the Heavenly Star Sword I possessed before. Its strength can perhaps even match up to the top ten divine weapons from the Index of Divine Weapons! If I can restore it to perfection and make it give birth to a divine soul, perhaps its grade might even reach a level out of my expectations!


    "Although I''m quite proficient in refining artifacts, I don''t have any confidence in being able to perfectly restore this broken sword. I''m also clueless about the ingredients required to repair it, so restoring this broken sword to perfection might just be a pipe dream."


    After that, Tang Xiu and Seaway Monarch followed Eagle through the 3rd, 4th, and 5th layer of Nefas Abyss and finally reached the 6th layer. They then discovered that he wasn''t heading towards the entrance of the 7th layer, but rather towards the Lost Nefas Forest. Although the three of them had encountered several enemies who harbored evil intentions towards them, they held no fear at all.


    "The standard entry fee to enter the Lost Nefas Forest is 10 crystals for each person. You can pay with Immortal Crystals, Demon Crystals, Monster Crystals, Spirit Crystals, or Dark Crystals. Only those who pay the fee are allowed to enter the Lost Nefas Forest, and those who dare to intrude without paying will all be killed without exception."


    There was only a single pathway leading inside the Lost Nefas Forest. A Supreme Demon, an Immortal Monster, as well as four Perfected Golden Immortals, a total of six cultivators had set up a roadblock to collect a toll fee from those who desired to enter.


    Tang Xiu looked on as Eagle paid 10 Immoral Crystals and quietly entered. He immediately took out 20 Immortal Crystals and handed it over to those six cultivators before entering the forest along with Seaway Monarch.


    The Lost Nefas Forest consisted of randomly ordered black pine trees that were thousands of meters tall. Yet, each black pine tree was exceptionally hard. Abode-type immortal artifacts could be seen in intervals of ten thousand meters, and there were even some people who had set up stalls outdoors. All kinds of beings who had left their homes for the Nefas Immortal Domain strolled here and showed no enmity toward each other. They examined all the stores and stalls to select a treasure that caught their eyes.


    The number of stores and stalls reduced in number the farther someone forayed into the forest, and the distance between them also increased a lot. Tang Xiu and Seaway Monarch followed Eagle deep into the forest, and after two days, they saw him stop before a store.


    "Old Demon Wicked," Eagle''s voice seemed unusually cold as he called out this name.


    A tall and sturdy expert from the Demon Realm with ugly looks walked out from the store slowly. He raised his eyelids, and after seeing Eagle, his brows arched up as he revealed a smile on his face and asked, "Did you bring the 24 million Crystal Essences?"


    Eagle tossed an interspatial ring over to him and said, "Give me the Soul Consolidation Ambrosia."


    The Demon Realm expert checked the number of Crystal Essences present inside and exclaimed in admiration, "You barely had 3 million Crystal Essences a decade or so ago. I never expected you would actually amass a whole 24 million Crystal Essences in such a short duration of time. I really admire you for that. Here''s the Soul Consolidation Ambrosia."


    Eagle received it with lightning-quick movements, and after checking it, his face revealed an excited expression as he cupped towards the Demon Realm expert. "Since the deal has concluded, can you now tell me where I can purchase the secret Soul Consolidation Art?"


    The Demon Realm expert pointed towards the depths of the forest and said with a beaming smile, "Go 5000 kilometers that way, and you''ll see a store called Demon Soul Palace. That store''s boss specializes in selling all kinds of immortal records and secret arts from the Demon, Monster, Immortal, and Spirits Realms¡­ In short, it''s a place where you can obtain any and all kinds of secret arts."


    "Thank you."


    Eagle nodded and rushed towards the depths of Lost Nefas Forest without even giving Tang Xiu and Seaway Monarch a single glance, acting as if they didn''t exist at all. This journey of 5000 kilometers wasn''t that far for him, and since he hurried over with all his strength, it took him just ten breaths to arrive before the Demon Soul Palace.

 1388 A Departed Old Friend

    Eagle always had a grim expression on his face, and he acted decisively too, all to achieve his objective. However, when he stood before the Demon Soul Palace, his expressionless face revealed some hesitation, preventing him from stepping even a foot inside. At this moment, he turned back to look at Tang Xiu and Seaway Monarch.


    "Lend me 10 million Crystal Essences in exchange for a favor." After staying silent for a whole quarter-hour, he sent a voice transmission to Tang Xiu in a calm manner.


    Tang Xiu took out 10 million Crystal Essences from his interspatial ring and stored them inside an unbound interspatial ring before tossing it towards him.


    Eagle received the ring and inquired through voice communication. "May I know your name, lord?"


    "Great Tang Heavenly Emperor."


    "I shall remember it." Eagle took a deep breath before stepping inside Demon Soul Palace and rushing towards the sales counter. He looked at the sleepy old man sitting behind the desk and said in a deep voice, "I wish to purchase a Soul Consolidation Secret Art."


    The sleepy old man opened his eyes reluctantly and stretched languidly before replying calmly, "Exchange it with an 8th grade immortal artifact."


    Eagle furrowed his brows and said, "I''ll buy it with Crystal Essences."


    The old man shook his head and said, "You can''t buy a Soul Consolidation Art with money. You can only barter for it."


    "Barter with an 8th grade immortal artifact?"


    Eagle wasn''t aware of the rules of this Demon Soul Palace, and he didn''t have an 8th-grade immortal artifact on him too. The only immortal artifact he possessed right now was a 3rd-grade immortal artifact as he had already sold his higher-grade treasures to purchase the Soul Consolidation Ambrosia.


    After contemplating for a long time, Eagle turned to look towards Tang Xiu, who had walked in after him and wore a bitter smile as he sent another voice transmission. "Lend me an 8th-grade immortal artifact. I''ll owe you two favors."


    "Follow me!"


    Tang Xiu sighed internally as he had already figured out Eagle''s objective fully by now. He turned out to leave, and after reaching a nearby empty spot in the forest, he looked towards Eagle who had followed him and said calmly, "The reason you purchased the Soul Consolidation Ambrosia and tried to purchase a Soul Consolidation Art should be to consolidate someone''s injured soul, right?"


    "That''s right," Eagle answered.


    Tang Xiu took out a blank jade slip and engraved a Soul Consolidation Art on it shortly. He then tossed it towards Eagle and said, "There''s no need for you to use an 8th-grade immortal artifact to exchange for a Soul Consolidation Art. As for the Soul Consolidation Ambrosia, if you had asked me about it earlier, I could have refined it for you, and the price wouldn''t have even been a tenth of what you expended for it."


    Eagle quickly read the Soul Consolidation Art on the jade slip, and a grateful expression appeared on his face once he had finished going through it and had engraved it deeply into his memory. He gave Tang Xiu a profound look and asked, "Are you very formidable?"


    "Much more formidable than you can imagine." Tang Xiu smiled faintly.


    Eagle took a deep breath and asked another question, "If you used the Soul Consolidation Ambrosia along with the Soul Consolidation Art, what are the chances of successfully consolidating someone''s soul?"


    "100%," Tang Xiu replied calmly.


    Eagle''s heart thumped crazily, and a glimmer of disbelief flashed through his eyes. He understood the circumstances of such a case very well. Even a Supreme expert had an 80% chance of successfully consolidating the soul with the help of a Soul Consolidation Ambrosia and a Soul Consolidation Art. Hence, he really found it hard to believe that the person before him was 100 percent% certain about it, as that would mean there were no risks of failing at all.


    Tang Xiu noticed the change in his expression and said faintly, "I have consolidated souls close to a hundred times till now, and except for failing thrice in the first ten times, I''ve succeeded in all the rest."


    Eagle stared at Tang Xiu firmly and said, "It''s quite dangerous to follow you."


    "Only after wading through seas of blood and stepping over mountains of corpses and hovering on the boundary of life and death countless times can an expert sharpen themselves into a sharp blade." Tang Xiu continued speaking, "Only then can they cut through all the adversaries they face to obtain a valiant disposition and attain the qualifications to aim for the Supremacy Stage and Godhood."


    Eagle took out the Soul Consolidation Ambrosia and presented it to Tang Xiu. "Help me consolidate a soul, and I''ll be at your beck and call in the future."


    Tang Xiu didn''t accept it and instead asked calmly, "You already obtained the Soul Consolidation Ambrosia and a Soul Consolidation Art, so why don''t you do it yourself? You ought to know that if I help you consolidate the person''s soul, a trace of my aura will infect them, and if I were to die in the future, they would also suffer a backlash."


    "However, if you can successfully ascend to Godhood in the future, she would at least be able to break through to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage." Eagle continued after a pause, "Moreover, I don''t even have the confidence to reach a 60% success rate, let alone 100%. In addition to that, since she''ll be infected by your aura, that karma linking you with her will ensure my loyalty and devotion to you."


    "Tell me, who is she?" Tang Xiu asked in a deep voice.


    "Fairy Ignis, my wife," Eagle replied.


    Tang Xiu withdrew a long sword from his interspatial ring. This divine weapon was a magic artifact of the Diablo Praecantator Clan. In terms of grade, it was definitely on par with an 8th grade immortal artifact. He handed it over to Eagle and said solemnly, "You shall act as my blade henceforth and will have to charge wherever I point towards. Are you willing to do that?"


    Eagle''s heart shook fiercely, and he immediately took an Immortal Oath.


    Tang Xiu nodded with satisfaction and said faintly, "Nefas Abyss isn''t a good place to consolidate a soul. I also need to deal with some affairs first, so I''ll help you consolidate Fairy Ignis'' soul when we leave Nefas Abyss."


    "Alright!"


    Although Eagle was anxious to see his wife again, he knew that consolidating a soul was no easy feat to accomplish, and the Nefas Abyss really wasn''t a proper place to do it. If they were to run into some trouble or danger during the process, everything would be in vain, and his wife''s immortal soul would dissipate instead of consolidating.


    Seaway Monarch was alongside Tang Xiu from the very beginning, and he had never expected that Tang Xiu would actually recruit the renowned Eagle into his side successfully, and that too with so much ease.


    Blessed by Fate!


    Seaway Monarch could only explain it to himself using such words, or else he found it too difficult to explain everything that happened around the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor.


    "Master, someone''s following us," Seaway Monarch suppressed his heartfelt admiration to the depths of his heart and spoke out in a low voice after Tang Xiu and Eagle had finished having a proper talk.


    Tang Xiu said with a nod, "I have already discovered them. Two groups should have been following us for quite some time now."


    Seaway Monarch asked, "What shall we do, then? Shall we dispatch them?"


    Tang Xiu shook his head and smiled faintly. "There''s no need to be that anxious. Although it''s been a long time since I visited the Lost Nefas Forest, I still remember the rules of this place. No one is allowed to fight here regardless of their race or cultivation, or else, they will be besieged by the other cultivators and chased to their deaths. This Lost Nefas Forest is a place with many concealed talents, no one can guarantee that a supreme expert is hiding in seclusion here. I don''t want to die so soon, so let''s deal with those tailing us once we leave this place."


    "Understood!" Seaway Monarch nodded respectfully.


    Eagle also stated his view. "I know the history of one of the groups following us. They are a group of four Asura experts, and each one of their strengths can match a Perfected Golden Immortal of the Immortal World. I have once seen them attack two Demon experts, and it only took them half an incense time to kill the two Demon experts."


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly. "We have no need to fear anything as even if there are dozens of them as long as they have no Supreme among them! Let''s go, then. I haven''t tasted the Myriad Spirit Immortal Wine of Lost Nefas Forest in a long time. I wonder if Supreme Lord Wedra is still present here."


    "Supreme Lord Wedra has passed away. He left Lost Nefas Abyss 700 years ago and was killed before he could even leave Nefas Abyss." Eagle commented.


    The smile on Tang Xiu''s face froze, and he turned his head rigidly to stare into Eagle''s eyes before asking, "Who killed him? If I remember it correctly, he once took a heavy oath that he would never take a step outside Lost Nefas Forest."


    Eagle could sense the killing intent brimming within Tang Xiu''s gaze, so replied respectfully, "It''s rumored that Supreme Lord Wedra had a deep friendship with Star Cultivation Great Emperor, so when he learned that Star Cultivation Great Emperor failed his tribulation and perished in soul and body and that his clansmen were under attack by the Inner Pill Sect and Everlasting Palace, Supreme Lord Wedra decided to go against his oath to safeguard the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. However, countless experts of the Nefas Abyss eyed the wealth he had amassed during his long stay of nearly ten thousand years in the Lost Nefas Forest and from selling the unparalleled Myriad Spirit Immortal Wine. Those experts who coveted his wealth couldn''t act against Supreme Lord Wedra since he never left the Lost Nefas Forest, but¡­"


    "Who did it?" Tang Xiu interrupted his words and asked in a cold tone.


    "Supreme Heavenly Ghost," Eagle answered.


    The corners of Tang Xiu''s mouth twitched a few times fiercely before he laughed viciously. "What a good thing, it''s another old acquaintance. This is really too interesting. A piece of trash who begged me to spare his life once actually dared to kill my close friend. Answer me, Eagle. Since Supreme Lord Wedra has passed away, who is selling the Myriad Spirit Immortal Wine now?"


    "Supreme Lord Wedra''s four sons," Eagle answered.


    Tang Xiu said no more, and the three of them hastened with their journey. Although he hadn''t come here in thousands of years, he still remembered the entire route to Supreme Lord Wedra''s store clearly. Half a day later, he arrived before a palace that was pitch-black in color, just like ink, and looked at the store sign that had a dancing dragon and phoenix drawn around the words "Myriad Spirit Palace." He took a deep breath and then stepped inside the store.


    "Welcome, patrons." A tall, muscular man with a beard across his entire face greeted them. A glimmer flashed past his eyes as he surveyed Tang Xiu''s group and asked with a smile on his face, "Are you here to purchase Myriad Spirit Immortal Wine? If so, I may have to disappoint you, patrons, since the Myriad Spirit Immortal Wine is already sold out. If you are determined to buy it, you may have to wait for a few months."


    "Which one are you?" Tang Xiu inquired in a deep voice.


    "What?" The tall and muscular man was taken aback for a moment. Then, he revealed a bewildered expression.


    Tang Xiu asked again, "Which son of Supreme Lord Wedra are you? If I haven''t remembered it wrong, he had a total of six sons. I have seen the eldest, second eldest, and the third eldest son before, but not you."


    The muscular man checked Tang Xiu out for a moment and answered soon after, "I''m Wedra Darkshine, the fourth eldest son. May I ask who you are, lord?"


    Tang Xiu said, "I''m the emperor of the Great Tang Empire, the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. Wedra Darkshine, I can''t tell you some things right now. But, I hope you can summon your brothers at once and ask them to come over to see me right away because the matter I will be speaking about is greatly related to you all."

 1389 Myriad Spirit Palace’s Entire Wealth

    "That''s¡­" Wedra Darkshine showed some hesitation, but after seeing the cold look on Tang Xiu''s face, he nodded in the end and sent out three Communication Signets. Soon after, three figures appeared before Tang Xiu in succession with lightning-fast movements.


    "Fourth Brother, did something big happen? Why did you ask us to hurry over here?"


    "Yes, Fourth Brother. The new wine in the wine cellar is at the most critical stage right now, so if it''s not something important, I want to return and watch over it right away."


    "Who are they?"


    Wedra Darkbear, Wedra Darkwind, and Wedra Darkrage, the three brothers, inquired one after the other.


    Wedra Darkshine said, "Second Brother, Fifth Brother, Sixth Brother. Calm down first, we can talk about other matters later. Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, I have heard about you and your Great Tang Empire before. However, I can''t understand why you have asked me to summon my three brothers over."


    Tang Xiu swept his gaze across all of them who had tall and muscular builds. He then took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Take me to see your father."


    Wedra Darkbear''s expression changed, and he lashed out, "You''re the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, huh? What do you mean by those words? Are you unaware that my father has already¡­"


    Tang Xiu interrupted him. "As an old friend, I wish to offer my prayers to him."


    After hearing the words "old friend," the four brothers glanced at each other and immediately communicated via voice transmissions. After that, Wedra Darkbear replied to Tang Xiu, "Since you are my father''s old friend, Lord, please follow us."


    The entrance of the Myriad Spirit Palace closed with a loud bang, and the four brothers quickly entered the palace''s inner sanctums along with Tang Xiu and his group. After walking for a burning-incense stick worth of time, they reached a spacious hall that had various kinds of flowers blooming in it and also had immortal beasts lazing around. Supreme Lord Wedra''s memorial tablet had been placed at the innermost section of the hall.


    Tang Xiu looked at that pitch-black memorial tablet and couldn''t help but shed two drops of tears from his eyes. He approached the memorial tablet step by step and inserted an incense into the copper censer after burning it. He clenched his right fist tightly and placed it on his chest before bowing and said in a brooding voice, "Old friend, you once said that you no longer have any connections to the things that happen in the outside world, so why did you do it?"


    After a long period of silence, Tang Xiu straightened his back and proclaimed solemnly. "I, the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, take an Immortal Oath in front of you. I shall not rest in this life until I have avenged you. Unless Supreme Heavenly Ghost has already perished in both flesh and soul, I''m willing to even go down the Yellow Springs of the Underworld to invade the Nine Nether Underworld and tear apart his body into a thousand pieces."


    The four Wedra brothers looked at each other, and even though a glimmer of hatred flashed past their eyes, they were shocked by Tang Xiu''s oath because they had never heard that the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor had a friendship with their father.


    "Second Brother, this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor said that he has seen you once. Don''t you recognize him?" Wedra Darkshine sent his second brother a voice transmission.


    Wedra Darkbear was taken aback, and after scrutinizing Tang Xiu fixedly for a while, he shook his head and replied, "I''m certain I have never seen him before."


    "Maybe you forgot because it''s been too long? He mentioned that he has not only seen you but also First Brother and Third Brother as well," Wedra Darkshine said.


    Wedra Darkbear shook his head and said, "There''s no way I would remember it wrong unless he doesn''t exist in my memory at all. I really haven''t seen him before."


    Tang Xiu turned back and swept his gaze across the four brothers before asking, "How did your eldest and third eldest brothers die?"


    Wedra Darkbear replied to him, "They spent a massive amount of money to employ a group of Perfected Golden Immortals to avenge my father and went to look for Supreme Heavenly Ghost, but all of them ended up dying to him."


    Tang Xiu asked, "Since you have an absolutely irreconcilable hatred with Supreme Heavenly Ghost, you must be keeping track of his movements. Can you tell me where he is right now?"


    Wedra Darkbear replied, "Heavenly Ghost Immortal Domain, Immortal World."


    Tang Xiu laughed viciously. "I never thought he would actually go to the Immortal World. That''s good. I will give you four a choice right now. Store the Myriad Spirit Palace back and leave the Lost Nefas Forest with me to make preparations for avenging your father and brothers. I won''t force you at all if you''re unwilling to do that. I shall avenge my old friend, no matter the case."


    After hearing these words, Wedra Darkbear turned to look towards his father, Supreme Lord Wedra''s memorial tablet. His brothers also followed his actions. He then kneeled down on both knees and kowtowed so hard that his head slammed the floor a few times and said in a deep voice, "As a son, a younger brother, and an elder brother, I have a duty to resolve this deep and irreconcilable hatred. We brothers have long heard about the fame of the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. Father, First Brother, Third Brother. We originally believed that we won''t have a chance to avenge you in our entire lives, but we can see the hope now. We''re willing to follow the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor as long as we can avenge you all. We four brothers, the progeny of the Wedra family, won''t even raise a brow even if we end up dying in achieving this."


    *Slam¡­ Slam¡­ Slam¡­*


    Wedra Darkshine, Wedra Darkwind, and Wedra Darkrage also kneeled after him. Although they said nothing, their eyes had teared up, but all of them had determined expressions on their faces.


    An Immortal Oath was a very important oath in the Immortal World. The higher the cultivation of an individual, the more binding it was on them. They could sense how powerful Tang Xiu was, so they were willing to trust him this once.


    Wedra Darkbear got up and looked at Tang Xiu before saying solemnly, "Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, we will leave this place and follow after you, but you have to answer a question of ours first. If we''re satisfied with your reply, the lives of us four brothers will be yours to wield."


    "Ask away!" Tang Xiu replied firmly.


    Wedra Darkbear said, "Fourth told me that you mentioned you have seen me once before, but I don''t recall seeing you. Please clear this doubt for me."


    "If you want me to tell you, you must agree to a condition of mine first," Tang Xiu replied.


    "Please say it!" Wedra Darkbear said earnestly.


    Tang Xiu continued, "I''ll have to first place a Soul Sealing Spell inside your body. In case you get captured by a Supreme someday in the future, it will prevent them from scouring some details from your memories."


    "I agree!" Wedra Darkbear replied while clenching his teeth.


    After that, Tang Xiu placed down a Soul Sealing Spell inside his body and sent him a voice transmission, "The Gyldan Immortal Art you six brothers cultivate was imparted to you by me. You ought to have realized my true identity now, right?"


    "You are¡­"


    Wedra Darkbear was shaken to the core, and his eyes filled with disbelief as he cried out in alarm. However, he sensed the terrifying aura being released by Tang Xiu and prevented himself from finishing his words.


    "I''m the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor right now. You aren''t allowed to tell my true identity to your three brothers as well, or else, you might invite a disaster upon you all. Even I would have to face the pursuit of all my powerful enemies as I''m too weak right now," Tang Xiu said through a voice transmission.


    Wedra Darkbear finally realized he had made a slip of the tongue and immediately replied to Tang Xiu through a voice transmission, "I understand. I never thought you were actually still alive. If my father knew it, he would have been delighted. Please feel relieved, I absolutely won''t tell anyone else that you are still alive."


    Tang Xiu nodded satisfactorily and said, "That''s good. Arrange your things in order and prepare to leave with me, then! You four brothers will accompany me in the future to attack the enemy and avenge your father and brothers."


    "Understood!" Wedra Darkbear replied through a voice transmission.


    In the next instant, he turned around and faced his brothers before saying solemnly, "Hereafter, the lives of us brothers belong to the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. If you believe me, I hope you can place your trust in him as he will definitely be able to help us avenge our father and brothers."


    "Second Brother!" Although the other three brothers were still perplexed, they understood that their second brother definitely knew something, and they had complete trust in his words.


    "We pay respects to you, Master." Wedra Darkbear turned around and kneeled towards Tang Xiu on one knee, following which, the other three brothers also did the same.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "Hereafter, you four brothers can just call me Martial Uncle Great Tang."


    "Martial Uncle Great Tang," the four of them called out to him again.


    Tang Xiu withdrew his Primal Chaos Force and helped the four of them stand up before beaming a smile at them. "I haven''t tried your family''s Myriad Spirit Immortal Wine in a long time. Since it will take a few more months for the new batch of wine to ferment, you can remain here for the time being. I have some matters to deal with in the 9th layer, so I''ll return once I''m done with that, and then, you can leave this place with me."


    Wedra Darkbear asked in a hurry, "Martial Uncle Great Tang, are you going to the 9th layer''s Nefas City?"


    Tang Xiu nodded. "That''s right. There''s something I need in Nefas City, so I need to go there to purchase it."


    Wedra Darkbear contemplated for a moment, then he took out an interspatial ring from his interspatial ring and handed it over to Tang Xiu. "Martial Uncle Great Tang, the 9th layer is strife with danger, and the price of materials there is extremely high. Please feel free to use the money inside this interspatial ring as you wish. From now on, our belongings are all yours."


    Tang Xiu took the interspatial ring. After checking its contents with his spiritual sense, he drew in a cold breath. Even though he had a massive amount of wealth, the amount of Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences inside this interspatial ring had alarmed him, nonetheless. He counted them roughly and surmised that the two mountain-like stacks of Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences inside totaled up to a billion Immortal Crystals and a little more than a billion Crystal Essences.


    "Your father¡­"


    Wedra Darkbear stated earnestly, "My father didn''t carry his wealth with him when he left Lost Nefas Forest back then. As he was going out to do something, he handed down all the wealth he had accumulated over the past ten thousand years to us. Martial Uncle Great Tang, this is half of our wealth. If you believe this isn''t enough, we will hand over the remaining half to you right away."


    Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, "This is more than enough."


    After that, he put the interspatial ring into his interspatial ring and took out an ancient book from inside before handing it over to Wedra Darkbear. "This is the Quadro Sacred Swords Formation Array, a suitable formation for you brothers to cultivate. Even if you are still Perfected Golden Immortals, I hope that you can use the power of this Quadro Sacred Swords Formation Array to kill a Supreme someday in the future."

 1390 A Complete Slaughter

    "Quadro Sacred Swords Formation Array?"


    The Wedra brothers revealed shocked expressions instantly as they had heard of this "Quadro Sacred Swords Formation Array" before. It was a very formidable sword formation array that ranked in the top ten rankings of the Index of Sword Formations. If the four of them succeeded in learning this formation and reached the state of perfection, they would be able to defeat enemies across cultivation stages with ease.


    "Thank you, Martial Uncle Great Tang." The four brothers expressed their gratitude with excited expressions on their faces.


    Tang Xiu waved at them and said, "We''re all on the same side henceforth, so it''s my duty to give you the means to become stronger. So, you better hold in that gratitude and focus on cultivating earnestly. I''m looking forward to the day when you''ll be able to fight alongside me."


    "Understood!" The four of them were touched by Tang Xiu''s words.


    After that, Tang Xiu, Seaway Monarch, and Eagle departed from Myriad Spirit Palace and directly left Lost Nefas Forest. Even though the groups tailing them had increased in number compared to when they were inside Lost Nefas Forest, they didn''t deal with the groups right away and instead made way towards the entrance of the 7th layer.


    "Master, why haven''t we killed them yet?" Seaway Monarch inquired.


    "The time is not ripe yet," Tang Xiu said faintly. "They were at least four groups tailing us when we left Lost Nefas Forest, and even I''m uncertain whether any other expert is tailing us on top of these four groups. So, there''s no rush to eliminate them. There''s a good spot in the 7th layer that''s suitable for killing and looting people, so we just need to lie in wait for them there. If they dare to follow us there, I can guarantee that none of them will return alive."


    "Blackstone Cliff?" Eagle asked all of a sudden.


    Tang Xiu nodded with a smile and said, "Indeed, it''s Blackstone Cliff. That place is a strategic location and has a very potent spatial gravity field covering it. Even Supremes find it difficult to exert their full strength over there. That''s the reason I''ve chosen that location. Let''s increase our speed now, we can''t allow them to catch up with us before we reach Blackstone Cliff."


    "Alright!"


    Seaway Monarch held utmost admiration for Tang Xiu currently. Hence, he believed that Tang Xiu would never make the wrong choice.


    The trio reached the 7th layer of Nefas Abyss six days later, and when they entered the range of Blackstone Cliff, they felt a spatial pressure loom over them. However, the trio didn''t show any anxiety and made a stop at an empty and spacious area soon after.


    *Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*


    A dozen or so experts followed after them. Altogether, they were divided into three groups, of which two consisted of six members each while the final group consisted of four members. The weakest among them was an early-stage Perfected Golden Immortal, and the strongest among them was a late-stage Perfected Golden Immortal.


    "Demons, Monsters, and Asuras." Tang Xiu''s lips curled into a smile as he looked at them. After that, he asked them in a harsh tone, "You thought I have a lot of wealth on me, so you followed us from the 6th layer to the 7th layer to kill and loot us, right?"


    The mysterious leader of the Demons donned in black robes and covered in black mist sneered back. "You''re right. We never let an easy mark like you off. However, you do seem to have some abilities since you were actually able to subdue the well-reputed Eagle of the Immortal World."


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly and said, "My abilities are much greater than you can imagine. If you wish to kill me and obtain my treasure, you better be prepared to die in return. I''m giving you one last chance right now. Scram right now, or else none of you will be able to return from here today."


    An expert from the Monster Realm within their ranks chuckled and said, "Since we dared to pursue you into the 7th layer, we have already made our preparations. None of you are Supremes, so even if all of you are late-stage Perfected Golden Immortals, once we besiege you, the only outcome that awaits you is death."


    Tang Xiu smiled and said, "It seems like all of you have negotiated beforehand and plan to attack us together! Since that''s the case, all of you shall stay behind then! Appear, Formation¡­"


    In the next instant, the surrounding five thousand kilometers were covered by a transparent light dome, and under the shocked looks of the sixteen enemies, Tang Xiu released Old Sycamore and the others from the Heavenly Abode.


    "There''s a lot of enemies, eh!" Old Sycamore smiled faintly as he had gleaned into the situation the moment he appeared outside.


    The sixteen Demons, Monsters, and Asuras revealed terrified expressions one after the other when they saw a Supreme appear. They never imagined that Tang Xiu had a Heavenly Abode which not just had a Supreme, but also three additional Perfected Golden Immortals.


    A Supreme and six Perfected Golden Immortals, this terrifying group was the one that these sixteen had tried to kill and loot. Their hearts filled with fear and the thoughts of escaping took root in each one of their minds.


    Tang Xiu smiled at them and said, "I''ll give one more chance. I''ll tell the method to leave this grand formation to anyone willing to hand over all their wealth to me and allow you to leave this place alive. If not, all of you will perish in both soul and flesh here, unable to reincarnate forever."


    "Attack!" The leader of the demons commanded, and the black mist around him transformed into a long sword as he attacked Tang Xiu. His five companions also struck in succession.


    "Attack!""Attack!" The members of the other two groups were also unwilling to hand over all their wealth, so they chose to battle as well.


    "Old Sycamore, deal with them." Tang Xiu ordered and immediately used the Rainbow Phantasmagoria Realm. At the instant Old Sycamore had acted, the sixteen enemies had fallen under the influence of the Rainbow Phantasmagoria Realm, and although they regained their senses in the next instant, a 9th-grade immortal sword flitted across two of the Monster Realm''s experts suddenly.


    Seaway Monarch, Zenith Venerable, Golden-eyed Great Peng, and Nether Sea Whale King, who had accompanied Tang Xiu, also attacked one after the other and inflicted significant injuries on four enemies.


    Eagle also acted with lightning-quick movements. His hands were akin to sharp blades as he appeared before an Asura expert and held him with one of his arms while the other hand jabbed through his chest and gouged out his heart from the back.


    "Divine Power¡­ Devour."


    Tang Xiu''s body suddenly generated a massive attractive force towards the remaining enemies, and the moment they fell under its influence, they suffered a series of brutal attacks from Old Sycamore and the others.


    As they were caught off-guard, out of the sixteen Perfected Golden Immortals, three ended up dying while four were injured grievously, and although six of the rest only had light injuries, it influenced their battle prowess considerably.


    A bitter battle unfolded within the light dome, and although Tang Xiu possessed potent auxiliary abilities, it didn''t mean he lacked strength. He identified one of the early-stage Perfected Golden Immortals and launched fierce attacks on him. In a burning-incense stick worth of time, he had delivered heavy blows to the enemy and left them in a perilous position.


    The battle continued for two days, and by now, Tang Xiu had gotten hurt seriously. Even Zenith Venerable, Seaway Monarch, Golden-eyed Great Peng, Nether Sea Whale King, and Eagle similarly suffered severe injuries. Although Old Sycamore was a Supreme, he had killed a total of six Perfected Golden Immortals in these two days and also had some injuries on his body.


    However, the outcome of the battle was pretty good. Twelve of the sixteen Perfected Golden Immortals were dead, and the remaining four were barely putting up a fight, so defeating them was only a matter of time.


    An old man and a youth were sitting cross-legged at the summit of a mountain five hundred kilometers away from Blackstone Cliff outside the formation. Both of them held bamboo tubes that glowed with a light on both ends in their hands. These tubes were known as Formation Penetrating Stargazers that allowed the users to see through the restrictions of a formation without any obstruction.


    "Master, it seems like there''s really no need for us to act. Those people are almost done dealing with the evil scoundrels," a smile rose upon the face of the young-looking Perfected Golden Immortal as he said this.


    The old man, carrying the aura of a Supreme, laid down the Formation Penetrating Stargazer within his hand and sighed. "I''m still unclear about the history of these people. Although I was able to recognize Eagle since he has stayed in Nefas Abyss for a long time, I never expected he would actually acknowledge someone as his master."


    The youth smiled and said, "Eagle has an eccentric character, and his sole purpose in coming here was to purchase Soul Consolidation Ambrosia and obtain a Soul Consolidation Art to piece together his wife''s shattered immortal soul. I believe that this mysterious expert has something that Eagle requires."


    The old man nodded and said, "You''re right. However, their group actually has a Supreme that even I don''t recognize among them. This is really something unexpected. Dao''er, who do you think they are?"


    The youth shook his head and said, "Except for Eagle, the other members seem to have appeared in Nefas Abyss baselessly, so even I''m clueless about their identity."


    The old man nodded calmly and sighed. "We came here this time to handle these scoundrels, but since someone is already dealing with them, we have no need to act. Let''s go! We needn''t watch any longer."


    The youth said, "Master, what if the remaining four detonate their immortal souls? If that happens¡­"


    The old man waved his hand and said, "There''s no need to worry about that! Those four would never detonate their immortal souls, and the outcome of the battle wouldn''t change even if they did that because the strength possessed by a Supreme isn''t something you can imagine. According to what I''ve gleaned, that Supreme hasn''t used his full strength at all."


    The pair disappeared from Blackstone Cliff soon after.


    *Boom!*


    Followed by the sound of a violent explosion within the grand formation, Tang Xiu and the others rushed out in succession. Although all of them had sorry appearances and had many grievous injuries, Old Sycamore had blocked the impact of the explosion released by the detonation of the final enemy''s immortal soul, so none of them had received much harm from it.


    *Cough¡­*


    Old Sycamore coughed out a mouthful of blood and wiped the bloodstain off his mouth after rushing out of the explosion''s range, a wry smile appearing on his aged face.

 1391 A Treasure Brought by a Tempes

    Tang Xiu expressed grave concern on his face and immediately appeared beside Old Sycamore. He fed him a Purple Scent Pill and asked, "Are you all right, Old Sycamore?"


    Old Sycamore smiled wryly and said, "I''ve reached the Supremacy Stage too late in life and ended up getting severely injured in the end. The force behind the detonation of a Perfected Golden Immortal''s immortal soul really isn''t something to look down on!"


    Tang Xiu nodded solemnly and said, "You''re right about that. Even Supremes can suffer grievous injuries from the detonation of a Perfected Golden Immortal''s immortal soul if they are caught off-guard. However, we can consider it a glorious victory since we were able to eliminate all the enemies with this battle."


    Old Sycamore asked, "Master, there''s something I''m perplexed about."


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly and said, "You''re wondering about the moment when all of them had suddenly become absent-minded for an instant when we attacked them, right?"


    Old Sycamore chuckled and said, "Indeed. If it weren''t for us taking the upper hand in the beginning, it would have been quite a challenge to eliminate all of them."


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly and said, "A divine power of mine can confuse the opponent''s mind and trap them in an illusion when caught off-guard, and that''s also the optimal moment to kill them."


    Old Sycamore suddenly came to a realization, and the others also revealed shocked expressions. Although they had faintly guessed that the reason the enemies had become absent-minded had something to do with Tang Xiu, the shock they felt in their hearts after hearing it directly from his mouth was no lesser.


    Tang Xiu examined everyone and handed Purple Scent Pills to them. Then, he said in a deep voice, "Eagle, you will accompany me hereafter while the others will recuperate in the Heavenly Abode. You don''t have much time, so you must focus on recovering as soon as possible because we never know what kind of danger we might face later on. You will only be able to face those dangers properly if you have recovered to the peak of your strength."


    "Understood!"


    Old Sycamore and the others acknowledged before entering the Heavenly Abode.


    Tang Xiu looked at Eagle and said, "We also need to look for a place to recuperate. We will leave this place after we have recovered from some of our injuries."


    Eagle said, "I''m not that familiar with the 7th layer, but I do know a place in the 8th layer that place should be safe for us. However, we won''t have an easy time making it to that safe zone."


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and said, "We can''t go to the 8th layer, then. The entrance to the 8th layer is still quite far away, and we will need to pass through several danger zones to reach it. It wouldn''t be easy for us to rush over there with how severe our injuries are! Let''s do this, then! We shall clear up some of the demon beasts in one of the mountains of Blackstone Cliff and create a safe zone there. I''ll also reinforce the place with a formation, so we should be able to recuperate there safely."


    After much difficulty, Tang Xiu and Eagle successfully recovered from their injuries two months later and hastened with their journey once again. They encountered one crisis after another and went through several life-threatening situations before finally arriving at the entrance to the 8th layer. After the two of them entered the 8th layer, they were ambushed by enemies, monster beasts, and demon beasts several times during their journey. A spatial crack''s turbulence had almost pulled them inside on one occasion too.


    "Master, the entrance to the 9th layer is a million kilometers away. We must¡­" Before Eagle could finish speaking, his expression turned unsightly as he stared ahead fixedly. He directly grabbed Tang Xiu''s arm to stop him after that.


    Tang Xiu frowned and asked, "What is it?"


    Eagle said, "Looks like our fortune is quite not good since we have run into the Nefas Tempest.


    Tang Xiu inquired. "What''s this Nefas Tempest?"


    Eagle explained, "Those who haven''t lived in Nefas Abyss for long are unaware of the Nefas Tempest''s existence. It''s a very terrifying natural calamity of Nefas Abyss, and it''s highly likely that even Perfected Golden Immortals will die if they get trapped inside it. It''s known as the Tempest of Doom in Nefas Abyss, and everyone avoids it as soon as they see it."


    Tang Xiu came to a realization, and after a short moment of silence, he said, "Since that''s the case, let''s just avoid it then!"


    Eagle forced a smile. "It''s too late. We can''t avoid this Nefas Tempest with our current strength. Unless we break through to the Supremacy Stage, it will be difficult for us to fully avoid it. However, we can escape the danger range of the tempest''s eye, so let''s leave quickly!"


    "Let''s ask Old Sycamore to take us away, then."


    Tang Xiu called Old Sycamore out from the Heavenly Abode and explained the circumstances to him swiftly. After that, the two of them fled towards the distance quickly along with Old Sycamore.


    A quarter-hour later, a bitter smile rose up on Old Sycamore''s face as he stated helplessly, "This Nefas Tempest is too fast. Although I''m a Supreme, it''s difficult for even me to avoid it completely. We need to prepare to face the winds of the tempest and hope that we can preserve our lives."


    After a short period, the lingering winds of the Nefas Tempest enveloped the three men. Although the force behind the lingering winds was quite powerful, as Old Sycamore was a Supreme, he was able to safeguard Tang Xiu and Eagle adequately.


    "What''s that?" Tang Xiu questioned after his gaze penetrated through the helical windstorm of the tempest and saw a mountain-like shadow within its depths.


    Eagle explained, "According to the legends, although Nefas Tempest is a terrifying calamity, it holds a huge treasure within it. However, even though a lot of Supremes tried to obtain it, they found it difficult to obtain the treasure within the tempest''s abyss while being able to preserve their lives."


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and asked in a deep voice, "Old Sycamore, do you have the courage to venture into the eye of the tempest along with me?"


    Old Sycamore replied in haste, "I don''t. It''s really too dangerous inside, only death will await us if we enter it."


    Tang Xiu took a 9th-grade immortal defensive artifact out from his interspatial ring and handed it over to Old Sycamore. "I have a 9th-grade immortal defensive artifact, and you have one now too. I believe we should give it a try. After all, fortune favors the bold!"


    Old Sycamore saw the determined expression on Tang Xiu''s face and forced a smile immediately. "Since you have already decided on it, I shall follow you inside too, then. I hope we can obtain a rare treasure inside the tempest."


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, "Eagle, enter the Heavenly Abode."


    "Understood!" Eagle acknowledged and immediately entered the Heavenly Abode.


    *Whoosh! Whoosh!*


    Two indistinct figures appeared inside the tempest in the next moment. The two resisted the tempest''s crazy onslaught desperately, resulting in numerous wounds forming on their bodies. Tang Xiu, however, was in a better state compared to Old Sycamore as he was cultivating the "Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis," a top-grade cultivation art of the Demon Realm, so his physique was much stronger than of a Supremacy Stage expert like Old Sycamore.


    "That''s¡­" After Tang Xiu realized the identity of the item inside the tempest, his eyes opened as wide as saucers, and even his body shuddered slightly.


    Old Sycamore was in a similar situation too. He looked at the item with disbelief, his eyes almost popping out of his sockets.


    "It''s¡­ a corpse," Old Sycamore said in a trembling voice.


    As Tang Xiu had gone through the divine tribulation once, he could sense the divine aura around it. The humongous corpse was brimming with divine force. This meant that the corpse belonged to a god¡ªan incredibly powerful True God at that.


    Old Sycamore''s breathing turned rushed as he looked towards Tang Xiu and asked, "What do we do now?"


    A glimmer flashed through Tang Xiu''s voice as he stated solemnly, "I told you before that fortune favors the bold. Since we have entered the tempest and found such a huge treasure, it won''t make sense for us to return empty-handed. This corpse should be the corpse of a god, and obtaining it would bring us unimaginable benefits in the future."


    "We shall receive it, then." Old Sycamore also nodded in agreement and sent his immortal force towards the god''s corpse and coiled around it. At the moment he was about to pull the corpse towards them, the immortal force he had released ignited all of a sudden, and the fierce flames reached before him in an instant and were just a step away from igniting his body.


    "Damnit!"


    Old Sycamore withdrew his immortal force and retreated thousands of meters as if he had seen a cosmic horror and somehow managed to avoid getting burned by the flames.


    Tang Xiu''s heart palpitated rapidly. Although he had witnessed Old Sycamore almost get burnt by the flames, he still released his Primal Chaos Force and coiled it around the god''s corpse to pull it over towards him.


    As expected, the Primal Chaos Force didn''t ignite. After the god''s corpse had reached before him, Tang Xiu could clearly see the huge hole that had been gouged in the corpse''s chest. This hole had a diameter of a hundred meters, and although it looked minute in comparison to the thousands of meters tall body of the god, it was indeed a fatal wound.


    Tang Xiu could feel that this god''s corpse was akin to a raging volcano. Although the god was already dead, the body contained dreadful energy within it that was even more powerful than his strength back when he was a Supreme in the Immortal World.


    "Come to me," Tang Xiu circulated his "Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis" to the limits. The tens of thousands of planets within his body trembled as he pulled that god''s corpse near his Heavenly Abode. In the next instant, he sealed that humongous, ten thousand meters tall corpse within a corner of the Heavenly Abode and even used the aura of the god''s corpse to place down a formation to protect it.


    "Let''s leave!" An ecstatic expression appeared on Old Sycamore''s aged face when he saw Tang Xiu receive the corpse successfully. He grabbed onto Tang Xiu with all his strength and rushed out of the tempest along with him.


    *Pfft¡­*


    Coughing a few mouthfuls of blood, Old Sycamore''s body stumbled forward. Tang Xiu stepped forward to support him immediately. After concealing themselves under a black rock, he summoned the Heavenly Abode within a small crack of the black rock and entered it along with Old Sycamore.


    "How are your injuries?" Tang Xiu asked with deep concern on his face.


    Old Sycamore shook his head and managed to squeeze out a smile as he replied, "I''m fine. Although I did suffer some heavy injuries during our previous battle, I haven''t kicked the bucket yet. Let''s take a look at that god''s corpse quickly."


    Tang Xiu nodded and examined the sealed god''s corpse. He discovered that Eagle, Seaway Monarch, and the others had also rushed over in succession.


    "Heavens! This is a¡­ god''s corpse?"


    "This corpse¡­"

 1392 A Step Away

    Tang Xiu looked at their astonished expressions and said in a deep voice, "You have guessed it right, it''s the corpse of a god. We obtained it from within the Nefas Tempest. Everyone, I can assure you that breaking through to the Supremacy Stage is no longer a dream for you all as this entire corpse is a treasure trove."


    Saying so, he took out a jade bottle and pierced the corpse''s arm with this divine sword, following which, a stream of golden blood poured out from the wound and Tang Xiu collected all of it within the bottle and sensed the immense divine power that was within the god blood. He then used an esoteric art to seal the wound on the corpse''s arm and gave the six people before him a drop of blood each from the jade bottle.


    "So, this is god''s blood? It indeed contains powerful energy within it. Even if I bring out all the power within the body, it would still pale in comparison to the energy contained within this single drop of god blood," Seaway Monarch stated in excitement.


    Tang Xiu smiled and said, "Stop with the nonsense now. Absorb the god blood and begin cultivating right away. I really wish to see how much assistance a single drop of god blood can provide you all."


    "Alright!"


    The six men, including Old Sycamore, showed no hesitation in following Tang Xiu''s orders. They swallowed the god blood and sat down cross-legged at once.


    Tang Xiu gave these six men a profound look and also swallowed a drop of god blood a moment later. The moment this drop of god blood entered his throat, it transformed into an essence surging with divine force and flowed into this body. When this essence of divine force reached his stomach, it gushed out in all directions. It rushed to each nook and cranny of his body, a vast section of it flowing into the universe in his Dantian.


    Tang Xiu could feel that his body was being nourished and tempered at a breakneck speed right now, and in just a short ten breaths of time, his physique had strengthened by a large margin. The most important thing was that all his internal organs, meridians, bones, and even his blood had undergone a qualitative change. As a result, he had become much stronger than before.


    Time flitted by, and for a whole three years, Tang Xiu and the others had spent time inside the Heavenly Abode to cultivate. And within these three years, the cultivation of the seven men had made immense progress.


    "What a nice feeling." Tang Xiu revealed a satisfied expression on his handsome face as he floated up in the air and brandished his fist gently. Although he had absorbed over a dozen drops of god blood over these three years, he could feel that his strength had advanced by only several folds. However, he had the confidence to fight a late-stage Perfected Golden Immortal right now and even had the means to kill an expert in such a stage.


    "Master." Old Sycamore and the others floated up one after the other with immense auras flowing out from their bodies and bowed towards Tang Xiu at the same time.


    Tang Xiu smiled and asked, "How did it go?"


    Old Sycamore smiled as he replied, "After absorbing ten drops of god blood over the past three years, I''m just a step away from breaking past the early-stage of the Supremacy Stage. If you give me another ten drops of god blood, I''m confident in breaking through to the middle-stage of the Supremacy Stage within ten years."


    Tang Xiu nodded with satisfaction and said, "That''s quite a notable achievement. What about you all?"


    "I''m a late-stage Perfected Golden Immortal now, and I just need one final push to be able to break through to the Supremacy Stage," Seaway Monarch answered in excitement.


    "It''s the same for me!"


    "Me as well!"


    Except for Eagle, all the others answered excitedly one after the other.


    Tang Xiu observed Eagle and felt a little puzzled because Eagle didn''t show any fluctuations of a cultivator and seemed to appear just like an ordinary human.


    "Master, I''ve already become a Supreme," From the smile he was trying to hold back, it was pretty obvious that he was satisfied by his progress over the past three years.


    Tang Xiu revealed an astonished expression and asked, "Have you really broken through to the Supremacy Stage?"


    Eagle released his aura at once and nodded with a smile. "I have."


    Tang Xiu patted his shoulder energetically and sighed. "Our Great Tang Empire has four Supremes now that you too have broken through to the Supremacy Stage. It seems like this god blood is a really priceless treasure. If all the hundred Perfected Golden Immortals of our Great Tang Empire were to absorb the god blood, a lot of them might break through to the Supremacy Stage. That''s a good thing indeed."


    Saying so, he handed another 20 drops of god blood to each of them and said deeply, "Obtaining the god''s corpse is my fortune and also yours. Seaway Monarch, the four of you have to make an all-out effort to cultivate within the Heavenly Abode now. As long as the god blood is beneficial to you, I definitely won''t act stingy with it. So, all of you must strive to break through to the Supremacy Stage within the next ten years for me."


    "Understood!" Seaway Monarch and the others looked at Eagle with envy and nodded with solemn expressions on their faces.


    The god''s corpse contained around a million drops of god blood, so even Tang Xiu couldn''t estimate how many Supremes and Perfected Golden Immortals the Great Tang Empire would produce if he were to make use of them all.


    "Eagle, you''ll accompany me outside, and the others will remain here to cultivate!"


    Tang Xiu used an esoteric art to fully seal the god''s corpse and left the Heavenly Abode''s space along with Eagle. The two of them appeared in the outside world, and after surveying their surroundings, Tang Xiu suddenly chuckled. "This visit to the Nefas Abyss was indeed worth it. Eagle, we shall head to the 9th layer''s Nefas City directly and leave Nefas Abyss once I''ve acquired the thing I need. I''ll help you consolidate your wife''s immortal soul after that."


    "Thank you, Master." A glimmer of fervor flashed through Eagle''s eyes as he thanked Tang Xiu respectfully.


    A magnificent, huge black castle existed in the 9th layer of Nefas Abyss. This place was none other than Nefas City. All kinds of beings existed within Nefas City, and this place had neither laws nor regulations, so anyone could fight and kill inside the city. It was a place where strength reigned supreme, and the feeble lived under the protection of the strong. The city was chaos incarnate, and the only law at play here was the cruel law of survival. All newcomers were marked by the countless inhabitants of the city the moment they entered it and suffered from endless provocations.


    "Die." Tang Xiu suffered an attack from two Perfected Golden Immortal Stage experts of the Monster Realm the moment he stepped foot across the gates of Nefas City. However, he didn''t dodge their attacks and simply took out his divine sword to deal with them. In just a few short breaths, he had killed one of the enemies and delivered a grievous injury to the other one, then watched along as that expert fled inside the city.


    Tang Xiu didn''t chase after him and instead entered the city along with Eagle. He faced the endless malicious gazes with a cold smile on his face and roared. "Feel free to team up and attack us if all of you wish to die. I may as well begin a slaughter here today to make an example out of you. Come!"


    "Such arrogance." A three-eyed Asura suddenly appeared before Tang Xiu and Eagle. He was just a step away from breaking through to the Supremacy Stage and was publicly known as the 3rd strongest expert in Nefas City.


    "Kill him!" Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes and said deeply.


    Eagle''s figure transformed into a beam of superimposed light rays and struck the three-eyed Asura in the next instant. This was because of the pike that Tang Xiu had given to him a while ago. Eagle''s attacks turned fiercer with each strike that tore into the enemy''s flesh and made him scream in pain miserably.


    *Whoosh¡­*


    An indistinct figure appeared before Eagle suddenly, and in the next moment, he blew Eagle away with a wave of his ghost banner and scoffed. "A Supreme?"


    The person who had arrived was an old man with ghost tattoos on his face. He withdrew his ghost banner and gave Eagle a profound look before sighing. "I never thought you would actually break through to the Supremacy Stage, and even more so didn''t believe that you would become someone''s subordinate after breaking through to the Supremacy Stage. Eagle, Arthur didn''t know that you have already broken through to the Supremacy Stage, so it''s his mistake for offending your master. However, I hope you can give me some face and spare his life!"


    Eagle just smiled at him coldly and looked towards Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu revealed a smile on his face and asked, "How much is your face worth? And what would you do to me if I refuse to give you face?"


    The old man shook his head and said, "Young man, don''t think that you can do whatever you wish in Nefas City just because Eagle has broken through to the Supremacy Stage. This old man has spent 20,000 years in Nefas City, and just a single sentence from me would send endless experts coming after you."


    Tang Xiu smirked and said, "Who do you think you''re trying to scare? Fine, I can spare that three-eyed Asura, Arthur''s life, but he has to compensate me for causing mental anguish. I was frightened because of his sudden appearance and felt deep distress, so he must compensate me for that. It''s not that much of an amount, he just needs to compensate me with ten million Demon Crystals. Then, I''ll write this matter off. However, if he''s unwilling to do that, he will die even if he has you to protect him."


    The old man frowned and thundered. "Young man, don''t cross the line too much. Ten million Demon Crystals is not a small amount, so it will be difficult for him to take out such a huge amount with his abilities."


    "Are you planning to back out, then?" Tang Xiu asked.


    The old man just smiled coldly and didn''t reply to Tang Xiu''s question.


    Tang Xiu called Old Sycamore out from the Heavenly Abode and grinned. "I''m really curious about how many Supremes exist in Nefas City and how many experts within the city would be willing to lay down their lives for you. If you wish to fight, I, the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, am willing to accompany you to the end."


    Saying so, he called Seaway Monarch and the other Perfected Golden Immortals out from the Heavenly Abode as well. Then, the seven of them directed their entire killing intent at the old man, an expert from the Ghost Realm.


    The old man''s expression changed instantly. He never expected that the young man shrouded in an aura of mystery actually had two Supremes following him, and even had four late-stage Perfected Golden Immortals as subordinates. His killing intent dissipated into nothing in an instant as he waved his hand with a bitter smile on his face. "Fine! I''ll admit that you all are pretty strong. I''ll pay the ten million Demon Crystals for Arthur."


    Tang Xiu smirked and said, "As they say, a wise man submits to circumstances. Since you have spent 20,000 years in this city, I assume you are a well-known expert? May I know how to call you?"


    "Blackface Ghost Emperor," the old man answered after handing over ten million Demon Crystals to Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu was shocked. He had heard of this name countless times in the past and knew he was one of the top experts of the Ghost Realm who was at least as strong as a middle-stage Supreme.


    Tang Xiu cupped his fists and said, "So, it''s the famous Blackface Ghost Emperor. I never thought our first meeting would occur in such a manner. I''m well-aware of your strength, so pardon me for offending you before. I hope that you won''t blame us for acting that way, Blackface Ghost Emperor. We have only come to Nefas City on this occasion to procure some items, so we will be leaving this place the moment we have accomplished that."

 1393 Looking Like a Dandy Silk Pants

    The intentions Tang Xiu wished to express were as clear as day. He had no plans to forcibly take over this region that was like a home to Blackface Ghost Emperor, who had spent the past 20,000 years here and would leave the place as soon as he was done procuring the items he needed.


    Blackface Ghost Emperor gave Tang Xiu a profound look and laughed out loud suddenly. "As a character whose reputation has seen a meteoric rise in the Immortal World over the past hundred years, you''re indeed worthy of me paying attention to you, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor! Guests from afar, I won''t invite you to a banquet since I believe you have far more important things to do. Still, I shall pass down my order so that you can enjoy a twenty percent discount no matter what you buy in Nefas City. If anyone refuses to comply, they can rest assured that they will have an empty spot ready for their soul in my ghost banner."


    Tang Xiu''s eyes lit up as he cupped his fist towards Blackface Ghost Emperor and said, "It''s an honor for me, the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, to be able to meet you, Blackface Ghost Emperor. If you were to ever come to the Immortal World and plan to visit any region of my Great Tang Empire, I assure you that no one will hinder your path and that you will receive the best hospitality no matter where you go."


    "Very well." Blackface Ghost Emperor smiled faintly and cupped his fists towards Tang Xiu before disappearing in the next moment.


    The countless kinds of inhabitants of Nefas City withdrew their malicious gazes one after the other. Their hearts were beating crazily at the moment as Supremes were existences that even they looked up to, and the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor had two of them beside him. So, there was no doubt that they would be walking to their deaths if they were to covet the Great Tang Emperor''s wealth.


    Tang Xiu went on a spending spree over the next six months in Nefas City. His total expenditure had long crossed 2 billion Crystal Essences, and he spent it all to procure a vast array of items that would allow him to cultivate to the summit of Supremacy Stage without any hiccups. A lot of them were treasures that would invoke the avarice of other Perfected Golden Immortals if he took out even one of them.


    In the City Lord''s Residence.


    Blackface Ghost Emperor was seated in his residence with a black mist shrouding him, and a ghost jewel was suspended in the air before his eyebrows. It continuously extracted dense amounts of ghastly energies from a crack in the void behind him.


    "Master." A Ghost King shrouded in baleful energies floated over towards the Blackface Ghost Emperor.


    "What is it?" The black mist surrounding the Blackface Ghost Emperor dissipated by a lot, so his face could be vaguely seen now.


    That Ghost King bowed towards him respectfully and said, "Master, the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor has purchased the legacy treasure of the Lightning Storm Demon Palace."


    Blackface Ghost Emperor revealed an amazed expression as he asked, "Heavenly Magic Mirror?"


    "Yes, the Heavenly Magic Mirror," the Ghost King replied.


    Blackface Ghost Emperor furrowed his brows slightly and said, "He has purchased the legacy treasures of six stores within these six months, so he should have spent a lot of his money, right?"


    The Ghost King smiled wryly and said, "This Great Tang Heavenly Emperor is the richest Immortal I''ve seen till now. According to our estimate, he has spent over 2 billion Crystal Essences within these six months, and that''s on top of the twenty percent discount that you''ve ordered."


    Blackface Ghost Emperor was left speechless, as even though he had a lot of wealth, it would perhaps just total to the amount that the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor had spent in this short duration of time. However, the reason he had such a vast wealth was that he had amassed it over the past 20,000 years, and it also included the tributes his subordinates provided to him. Hence, he couldn''t understand where the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor got all of his wealth from as he had only appeared in the Immortal World pretty recently.


    "Continue following their movements, but make sure that you don''t alert them. There''s no need for us to feel bothered even if he swipes all the treasures of Nefas City clean as long as he has enough money to pay for them. Also, send a messenger to the Ghost Palace and tell them to remove the legacy treasure of the store and claim that someone has brought it already." Blackface Ghost Emperor seemed to have realized something, so he immediately sent the following orders.


    "This subordinate shall do as you say at once." The Ghost King acknowledged.


    A glimmer flashed through the Blackface Ghost Emperor''s eyes as he looked towards the direction his subordinate disappeared in. He had already contacted his old friends within the Immortal World to inquire about the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. However, from the information he received from them, it seemed like the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor was really too much of an enigma even in the Immortal World. He seemed to have come from some minor world and had also brought along a vast number of cultivators along with him. However, no one had been able to figure out which minor world he had come from until now.


    "The outside world believes that the Great Tang Empire only has two Supremes protecting it, but no one has realized yet that Eagle has already broken through to the Supremacy Stage and actually also became the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor''s subordinate. He obviously hasn''t reached the Supremacy Stage yet, but he has three Supremes under him¡­ Just how did he accomplish this?"


    Tang Xiu had revealed his ace card already by making a strong impression through killing anyone who dared to covet his wealth. However, in these six months, there were still some ignorant beings in Nefas City who attempted to plunder his treasures, but all of them perished in soul and flesh in the end.


    Nine experts each from the Monster Realm, the Demon Realm, the Spirit Realm, and the Asura Realm, a total of thirty-six men, were currently carrying a massive palanquin on a straight road right now. They proceeded towards the gates of Nefas City under the watch of the countless inhabitants of the city, and although it portrayed a very pompous and pretentious picture, no one dared to offend the rider of the palanquin.


    "I believe no has dared to act so imperiously in Nefas City over the past tens of thousands of years. Is this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor an idiot or what? Is he unaware that acting so snobbish would just provoke others and hasten his death?"


    "The Vaewolf Monster Emperor from the Monster Realm was also so unbridled in his actions 40,000 years ago, but Vaewolf Monster Emperor was a Supreme who was just a step away from attaining Godhood. This Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, on the other hand, is only able to act so haughtily because he has two Supremes on his side. Acting so arrogant when his strength is lacking is pretty much equivalent to courting death."


    "It does look pretty damn impressive, though! I would be willing to get such treatment just once in my life even if I had to exchange a thousand years of my lifespan for it!"


    "This Great Tang Heavenly Emperor is my idol from now on. He really looks very handsome."


    "He''s just acting recklessly."


    "Such arrogance¡­"


    The inhabitants of Nefas City, as well as its visitors from all kinds of realms, stood inside the buildings on either side of the street and conversed privately through voice transmissions as they commented on the scene before them.


    Tang Xiu had a downcast expression on his face as he sat on the palanquin while fiddling with the Heavenly Magic Mirror in his hands. The reflection of this mirror could see through disguises and had the ability to reveal the real appearance of any creature that had transformed into a human.


    "I acted like a wolf in sheep''s clothing during my last visit to Nefas City and was able to obtain a massive amount of wealth, but I never thought I would have to act so ostentatiously this time and end up showing a bit of aggressive behavior. Sigh. I''ve also spent almost all the Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences I had on me. As for the legacy treasure of the Ghost Palace, I have no use for it, so there''s no point in obtaining it! I might as well give some face to the Blackface Ghost Emperor in that case and leave it alone."


    Tang Xiu sighed inwardly while he examined the real appearances of the various creatures in a somewhat meticulous manner. Although Nefas City had a lot of Immortals from the Immortal World, they were all vicious criminals, so he really felt the itch to get rid of them.


    All of a sudden, Tang Xiu''s expression changed. Although he wasn''t paying any particular attention to the onlookers on the sides of the street, he had actually discovered an old acquaintance standing there through the reflection of the Heavenly Magic Mirror.


    Zi Tong stood at the side of the street in a black robe with her beautiful face hidden under a black mask. Although she had a petite figure, she possessed a remarkable strength and had already reached the Profound Immortal Stage by now. She had come to Nefas Abyss along with her ancestor this time to look for a spiritual item that could heal her immortal soul.


    Her fascination with painting and calligraphy had allowed her to comprehend the secrets of the heavenly laws eight hundred years ago and given her access to their might. However, as her body was too weak, what should have been initially a joyous occasion turned into misfortune for her. Her physique couldn''t bear the sudden increase of the power in her immortal soul, so she was forced to seal her soul and ended up suffering a wound as a result.


    Zi Tong found the handsome youth sitting lazily on the huge palanquin to be a little interesting because she really couldn''t comprehend how bored he must have felt to have actually done such a pretentious thing.


    "Ancestor, let''s leave!" Zi Tong regained her sight and pulled the arm of the white-haired old man beside her.


    The old man smiled faintly and prepared to hasten with their journey to look for a spiritual item that could heal an immortal soul.


    *Whoosh¡­*


    A powerful force coiled around Zi Tong''s waist and pulled it along, prompting her to cry out in alarm immediately. Her body was dragged along by that invisible power, and in the next instant, she fell within Tang Xiu''s embrace.


    "Oh, look. It''s a girl. I wonder if you are beautiful, though?"


    Tang Xiu''s palm gently fell on Zi Tong''s back and sent a Solitary Thread Herb into her body, while his other hand reached out to unmask her.


    "You¡­ pervert." Zi Tong felt both angry and embarrassed once she realized that she was almost lying within Tang Xiu''s embrace and tried to struggle with all her might after chiding him in anger.


    Tang Xiu acted swiftly and caught Zi Tong''s tender palm within an instant and sent a purple light inside her palm. He lifted his other arm and punched out with his other arm to face the white-haired old man, who had pounced towards him in a screaming rage and met his fist.


    "This is interesting."


    Tang Xiu''s body trembled as his other hand pushed Zi Tong away. He then smiled at the white-haired old man who had fallen back and said, "Your Excellency is really too petty. I just hugged your great-granddaughter, that''s all! Is there a need to stake it all out to battle me just for that? Let it be, I''ve lost all interest now because you''re so stingy."


    Saying so, he assumed a languid appearance again and waved his left hand slowly while ordering casually. "Move! Exit the city now."


    Zi Tong''s expression was filled with indignation at his behavior. She appeared beside the white-haired old man momentarily and pulled his arm in worry. "Ancestor, are you fine?"


    The white-haired old man had donned a look of fury and his eyes brimmed with murderous intent as he stared at the leaving palanquin and the languidly seated Tang Xiu fixedly. If he hadn''t heard that Tang Xiu had two Supremes protecting him, he would have immediately killed such a pervert.


    "I''m fine," Zi Yinshou shook his head slowly. After noticing that a lot of the surrounding individuals were giving him looks, he grabbed Zi Tong''s wrist and quickly departed from the place.


    Zi Yinshou finally felt a bit better once he had vented out all his resentment with a sigh after stopping in one of the corners of Nefas City and stated gloomily, "That damn Great Tang Heavenly Emperor really has no limits to his arrogance. I would have flailed him to death if it weren''t for the two Supremes protecting him. Little Tong, you¡­ what''s wrong?"

 1394 People Will Die for Wealth, Just as Birds for Food

    Zi Yinshou''s acute senses had noticed that something seemed to be wrong with his great-granddaughter, whom he had pulled along.


    Zi Tong wore a blank expression, and her heart shook with disbelief right now. She seemed to have regained her senses after hearing her ancestor''s question and answered with a stutter, "A-Ancestor¡­ m-my body¡­"


    Zi Yinshou''s expression changed, and he immediately grabbed Zi Tong''s wrist to check her pulse and observed the interior of her body with his spiritual sense. A short moment later, even he had donned an incredulous expression on his face.


    "A leaf of Solitary Thread Herb?"


    Zi Tong answered in an unusual tone, "Ancestor... when he¡­ that man placed his hand on my back, I never noticed that this leaf of Solitary Thread Herb had entered my body. I can feel my injured immortal soul recovering rapidly right now."


    Zi Yinshou remained silent for a long time and then looked towards the direction they were in before and muttered, "So, he wasn''t harassing you back then and actually gave this leaf of Solitary Thread Herb to you because he had discovered that your immortal soul was injured? All so that your injured immortal soul can heal. Little Tong¡­ Little Tong, why have you blanked out again?"


    Zi Tong raised her left hand and muttered, "A-Ancestor, my hand has¡­"


    Zi Yinshou''s expression changed as he grabbed Zi Tong''s left hand momentarily, and a look of disbelief cropped up on his yet again after he had investigated it with his spiritual sense.


    "Origin essence of Purple Coral Agates?" Zi Yinshou muttered.


    Zi Tong said, "Ancestor, I don''t know what it is or how it appeared inside my left hand, but I do remember that he¡­ that man grabbed my left hand before. Did he¡­"


    Zi Yinshou''s expression became even more complicated. He would be really too stupid if he hadn''t realized that the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor wasn''t harassing his great-granddaughter, but instead bestowing her with treasures.


    "I don''t get it," Zi Yinshou said slowly with his brows furrowed deeply. "We aren''t acquainted with that Great Tang Heavenly Emperor and even learned about his name in the past few decades. So, why did he suddenly bestow you with two treasures that are the best supplements for you?"


    Zi Tong inquired. "Ancestor, I know that the Solitary Thread Herb is an excellent supplement for healing a severely injured immortal soul, but what is that purple thing? I have neither seen nor heard anything about it before!"


    Zi Yinshou explained, "It''s the essence contained within Purple Coral Agates, why else would it be called origin essence? Purple Coral Agates are excellent supplements for refining artifacts, and a great expert can extract the essence inside it to use it for a wide variety of applications, including concocting pills. And the thing inside your hand is the origin essence of Purple Coral Agates. Now that you have it, it will influence your constitution imperceptibly in the future and strengthen your physique. Hence, your physique will keep progressing over time, and you will be able to pursue a higher stage of cultivation without putting a painstaking amount of effort into refining your body."


    Zi Tong asked in amazement, "Really?"


    "There''s no doubt about it!" Zi Yinshou sighed. "That Great Tang Heavenly Emperor is really extravagant, but his style of doing things is bizarre. He acted low-profile and went by unheard in the beginning but amazed the entire realm with a single brilliant feat and became an unparalleled genius of the Immortal World. He then caused a great sensation in the Immortal World by establishing the Great Tang Empire and become famous in the entire Immortal World. Now, he has even made such a pompous and haughty show of display in Nefas City, acting with no inhibitions. He seems to have a thousand sides to him, and even I''m unsure which one is the real him."


    An unusual glimmer flashed through Zi Tong''s eyes as she asked, "Ancestor¡­ do you think the Empress would be able to figure him out?"


    Zi Yinshou contemplated for a while and seemed to have realized something suddenly, so he answered her in a low voice, "The Empress and this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor are actually a bit similar as both of them appeared in the Immortal World suddenly and seem to possess a vast amount of wealth. They both have powerful forces of Perfected Golden Immortals and have the protection of a Supreme."


    Once Tang Xiu and Eagle reached the 6th layer of Nefas Abyss, they returned to the Lost Nefas Forest and arrived at the Myriad Spirit Palace. After the four Wedra brothers had gathered over, Tang Xiu told them solemnly, "Withdraw your Myriad Spirit Palace and enter the Heavenly Abode I have on me. Also, there''s an area within the Heavenly Abode that I have sealed, so take care not to enter inside forcibly."


    "Understood!"


    The four brothers exited the Myriad Spirit Palace together with Tang Xiu, and once they had handed the ten thousand jars of Myriad Spirit Immortal Wine to him, they withdrew the Myriad Spirit Palace and entered the Heavenly Abode he carried on him.


    *Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*


    A few figures rushed over from a distance one after the other, and their eyes flashed with a cold glimmer as they looked at Tang Xiu and Eagle. Since the Myriad Spirit Palace and the four Wedra brothers had disappeared together, there was only one possibility. They were planning to leave the Lost Nefas Forest along with the man whose Heavenly Abode they had entered.


    Tang Xiu furrowed his brows slightly and revealed a bitter gaze as he ordered. "Eagle, prepare for a battle!" Saying so, he brought Zenith Venerable, Seaway Monarch, Golden-eyed Great Peng, and Nether Sea Whale King, the four late-stage Perfected Golden Immortals, out from his Heavenly Abode. As the old adage went, people would die for wealth, just as birds for food. As the Wedra family had spent ten thousand years in the Lost Nefas Forest and sold the Myriad Spirit Immortal Wine over such a long duration of time, everyone knew that the Wedra family had a vast sum of wealth in their hands.


    The rule of Lost Nefas Forest stipulated that none were allowed to fight inside the forest. However, the moment anyone left the forest, they would face the blatant onslaught of several experts who were aiming for their wealth.


    As expected, Tang Xiu''s group discovered around ten experts following them with malicious intentions before they had even left the Lost Nefas Forest.


    "Eagle. Take us along and rush ahead." Tang Xiu ordered in a deep voice the moment they had stepped out of the Lost Nefas Forest.


    "Understood!"


    Eagle released his immortal force and surrounded Tang Xiu and the others in it, and then, he rushed towards the entrance of the 6th layer as fast as he could. As experts from all the realms appeared in groups of threes and fours to block him, Eagle''s aura climbed up unceasingly, and he brandished his pike madly to repel all the enemies ahead of him.


    "Barrier of Darkness."


    "Web of the Celestial Monster!"


    "Asura Shield!"


    After Eagle got blocked by over a dozen high-grade defensive Demon, Monster, and Asura artifacts stacked on top of the other, he decided to let go of Tang Xiu and the others. He then assumed a strategic stance to fend off the enemies that caused the nearly one hundred experts to withdraw in succession.


    "Kill them all¡­" Tang Xiu called Old Sycamore and the Wedra brothers out from the Heavenly Abode to join them in battle. And then, the eleven of them charged forward ferociously and enacted a massacre. The land they passed by gradually got steeped in blood and corpses of all kinds of beings filled the surroundings.


    After a full two days of killing and rushing in their journey, they had finally reached the 5th layer. However, the number of experts who wanted to obtain their wealth had far surpassed their imagination already. By the time they reached the entrance of the 5th layer, they had several hundred experts ahead and behind in pursuit of them.


    However, Tang Xiu''s group had two Supremes who had experienced endless battles and were decisive characters with enriched battle experience, and also had deathmatch fighters like Seaway Monarch and the rest who had come from the Convict Arena and could kill opponents on the same level as them with ease. Hence, although their speed was reduced because of the obstructions, they continued killing a bloody way out of the enemies.


    They slaughtered their way through the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd layers. By the time the eleven of them had reached the 1st layer, they had already killed dozens of Perfected Golden Immortals and injured even more severely.


    "Stop." Tang Xiu''s killing intent soared as he stood inside the entrance of the 1st layer and revealed a fierce expression on his face after wiping the watery blood off his face. Although all his companions had sustained injuries, none of them were fatal ones. They consumed Purple Scent Pills to convalesce after stopping.


    "Come attack us if you have the guts." Tang Xiu provoked the Supreme before him.


    This fully-armored Demon Emperor was the only Supreme who had appeared until now. He even had a long horn on his hand and wielded a 9th-grade demon offensive artifact in his hand. Blood kept oozing out from the horrible wound he had suffered to his chest, but he acted like nothing had happened to him at all. Old Sycamore had seized the moment when Tang Xiu had influenced the Demon Emperor''s mind with his Rainbow Phantasmagoria Realm to deliver this heavy blow to the Demon Emperor.


    Tang Xiu gave the Demon Emperor before him a provocative look and said shouted gallantly, "The Great Tang Empire only has brave spirits who die in battle and no cowards. All of us will either die fighting here or eliminate all of you shameless scoundrels today. Tell me, men, are you willing to accompany me in achieving this?"


    "We are willing," the other ten men answered at the same time and revealed crazed expressions as their auras climbed up unceasingly. They were prepared to fight with their lives on the line in exchange for the enemy''s lives at any moment.


    The nearly hundred enemies felt utterly shocked by this development. They never imagined that they would run into such decisive characters in their pursuit of the Wedra family''s wealth. Although they were criminals, the Immortals before them were equally vicious and merciless in their methods.


    People would die for wealth, just as birds for food.


    They understood the meaning of these words and were willing to do anything for wealth as its lure tempted them to attack Tang Xiu''s group so they could obtain a higher share of it.


    "Senior Brother, a lot of people wondered where the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor had obtained the wealth of nearly 2 billion Crystal Essences that he spent in the 9th layer of Nefas City. It''s clear to me now that he might have obtained that wealth from the Wedra family. As they have already spent all their wealth, we won''t be able to obtain that many gains even if we manage to come out victorious in our battle with them. Let''s just withdraw!" A Monster General from the Monster Realm suddenly chimed in at this perilous moment.


    Although he hadn''t spoken loudly, the dozens of experts from the Demon, Monster, and Asura Realms, as well as the Immortal World, were able to hear it clearly. As such, all of their gazes focused on the Monster General that had spoken these words.


    "What are you looking at me for? I just spoke the truth. They have just returned from Nefas City, and even Blackface Ghost Emperor is aware that they have spent an exorbitant amount of Crystal Essences in Nefas City," that Monster General stated in a deep voice.


    In the next moment, the experts who had pursued Tang Xiu''s group all the way here consulted with each other and retreated in succession one after the other. They then stopped five hundred kilometers away to watch how the situation unfolded. Even Tang Xiu hadn''t anticipated that the situation would suddenly take such a strange turn.

 1395 The Miserable State of the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sec

    The Demon Realm''s Demon Emperor wasn''t expecting the words of a Monster General to cause nearly half of the pursuers to lose their will to battle and withdraw. He remained silent for a short moment while giving a murderous look to Tang Xiu and the others. Then, he snickered suddenly. "The Great Tang Empire indeed deserves its reputation. It''s even more incredible that you have been able to conquer four immortal domains after establishing the empire, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. Since someone believes that neither side will have many gains from this, there''s no need for us to battle to the death. You can leave now!"


    Tang Xiu grinned as he asked, "May I know Your Excellency''s name?"


    "Morodan," The Demon Emperor replied with a deep voice.


    Tang Xiu smirked and said, "I shall remember your name. Let''s hope there doesn''t come a day when we meet again, or else, I won''t mind putting an end to you both in soul and flesh at that moment."


    Morodan smiled sinisterly. "I''ll be looking forward to that day."


    A few moments later, the nearly hundred pursuers chasing Tang Xiu and the others returned to the depths of Nefas Abyss one after the other. Tang Xiu used a spell to rinse his body clean with water and smiled wryly. "I wasn''t expecting the inhabitants of Nefas Abyss to chase us so frantically for wealth."


    Old Sycamore sighed. "People will die for wealth, just as birds for food. These aren''t empty words. Some of the experts mingling in the Nefas Abyss reside here because they have offended a powerful enemy in their original world so that they can hide from the enemy''s pursuit. As for the others, they come here to obtain wealth¡ªa lot of these experts are even willing to put their lives on the line to obtain this wealth!"


    Tang Xiu grinned. "No matter what they came here for, we won in the end and were also able to kill to our heart''s content this time. So, it was indeed worth it."


    Old Sycamore smiled faintly and nodded in silence. The gazes with which the others viewed him, however, were a bit different, because they could sense that even though Tang Xiu hadn''t reached the summit of the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage, the strength he exhibited allowed him to contend with a late-stage Perfected Golden Immortal.


    And even more importantly, he had divine powers and mystic arts in his arsenal that could catch the enemy off-guard. He had revealed an innumerable number of tricks during the battles in the past fifteen days, and each one of them had broadened their horizons.


    "Let''s return." Tang Xiu grinned and left the Nefas Abyss through the vortex.


    Tang Xiu and the others hastened on their journey back, and within a short half-year, they were just a dozen or so immortal domains away from the Immortal Lyceum. As long as they didn''t run into any problems for the rest of their journey, it would only take them a few more months to return to the Great Tang Empire.


    Right now, Tang Xiu and the others were resting on a planet within the vast void and suddenly saw a dozen or so Golden Immortals pass by them. Their leader, a Perfected Golden Immortal, was a tall and muscular man donned in golden armor.


    "Hurry up, you all. Move your legs faster for me. The earlier we reach the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect, the more treasures we will be able to obtain," the muscular, golden-armored man stated impatiently.


    Tang Xiu raised his head to look at them, and after a short moment of silence, he ordered in a grim voice. "Stop them."


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Old Sycamore and Eagle rushed towards the Immortals ahead of them momentarily and blocked their way.


    The golden-armored man''s expression changed when he sensed the dreadful aura around Old Sycamore and Eagle, so he flew up immediately and said to them respectfully, "Junior Vermillion Lightpeak greets Seniors. May I ask what command you have for us to have blocked our path, Seniors?"


    Tang Xiu and the others hurried over and arrived before Vermillion Lightpeak. He swept his gaze across the men in the entire group and asked faintly, "I heard that you were going to the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect to plunder their treasures just now. Although they are just a second or third-rate sect in the Immortal World, they are not so weak to be bullied by you people, right?"


    The golden-armored man answered respectfully, "Senior, perhaps you aren''t aware that the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect is already in a dire state as the Myriad Sword Sect might break through their defenses at any moment now. A lot of treacherous sects from the immortal domains adjacent to the Pristine River Immortal Domain have joined hands with the Myriad Sword Sect after realizing that the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect''s doom is nigh near and are now attacking the sect as well."


    Tang Xiu''s expression changed as he asked in a deep voice, "You''re saying that the Myriad Sword Sect has actually initiated a war between sects?"


    The golden-armored man nodded. "Indeed."


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and asked, "So, you''re also planning to join the attack?"


    "Well¡­" The golden-armored man smiled wryly. "I had a grievance with an expert from the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect in the past. They bullied me quite miserably with the support of the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect behind them. Hence, I''m planning to use this chance to teach them a lesson along with my group."


    Tang Xiu ordered indifferently. "Kill them all for me."


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Eagle and Seaway Monarch attacked at the same time and blew that golden-armored man away. As for the Golden Immortals behind him, all of them suffered an attack almost instantaneously, and within a short quarter-hour, Eagle and Seaway Monarch had killed them all.


    "There''s really an explosive increase in strength after reaching the Supremacy Stage." Seaway Monarch sighed satisfactorily.


    Seaway Monarch had used a few more drops of god blood during the return trip and broke through to the Supremacy Stage successfully. Zenith Venerable and the others were filled with envy when this happened because they were able to contend with Seaway Monarch in a frontal battle previously. Now, though, they weren''t his opponent even if all of them besieged him together.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "The Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect has some relationship to me, so I can''t just watch with folded hands when they are in danger. The Pristine River Immortal Domain is only one immortal domain away from here, so we should be able to reach the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect''s territory within four days if we hurry over there."


    "Understood!" His companions nodded in succession and revealed dense killing intent.


    As Seaway Monarch had broken through to the Supremacy Stage, their battle strength had experienced a qualitative increase, so even if they were walking into a sect war, they didn''t have to be that afraid. They were already planning to unfold a massive massacre once they reached there.


    When Tang Xiu and the others reached the sect doors of the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect in the Pristine River Immortal Domain four days later, they saw that tens of thousands of Immortals had already surrounded the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect. These Immortals had varying strengths, as much were just ordinary Immortals. At the same time, there were also Earth Immortals and Celestial Immortals present, along with Golden Immortals and Perfected Golden Immortals.


    Northsword Bel Espion, a Supreme of the Myriad Sword Sect, and also the Sect Master, was standing above the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect under the escort of a group of Perfected Golden Immortals right now. He gazed at the remaining members of the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect standing behind the grand formation and laughed out loud. "I gave you a chance to live, but you didn''t treasure that opportunity, so the only outcome that awaits your sect is destruction now. Here''s a piece of advice from me to you all. Don''t send your ordinary disciples out secretly because my Myriad Sword Sect has already blocked all the routes leading out of your sect. The one hundred disciples that you sent out before have already departed into the afterlife under the swords of my Myriad Sword Sect''s members."


    Supreme Pristine Spring, the Grand Elder of the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect, and also their sole Supreme, had been grievously injured already and was being guarded by the provisional Sect Master, Daoist Pristine Force, right now. He looked at Northsword Bel Espion, who stood on the other side of the grand formation, with hate, as less than half of the original several ten thousand core disciples of the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect remained alive now.


    "Northsword Bel Espion, no matter how arrogant you act, you still cannot break through the sect''s defensive protection array within a short amount of time. I feel that you should spend your strength on breaking the array instead of tooting your horn here. All of us will detonate our immortal souls the moment you break through the array so that we can take the Myriad Sword Sect down along with us," Supreme Pristine Spring said with a bitter smile after wiping the blood off his mouth.


    Northsword Bel Espion''s expression changed slightly, and he scoffed in the next instant. "We will exterminate your Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect even if we have to suffer a considerable loss in doing so as we absolutely cannot let you scourges remain alive. Eliminating the Pristine Immortal Confucianism Sect is our Myriad Sword Sect''s objective. Therefore, you won''t be able to mislead anyone with your words. Heed my orders, everyone. No matter whether you are members of the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect or not, you are friends of our Myriad Sword Sect as long as you are willing to aid us in attacking them. All of you will be able to obtain a share of the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect''s wealth once we eliminate these hypocrites."


    "Attack!"


    The tens of thousands of Immortals surrounding the sect bombarded the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect''s defensive protection array with their most powerful attacks one after the other. The protection array that was already on the verge of destabilizing began to ripple unceasingly and seemed like it would break at any moment.


    At a distance away from the sect, Tang Xiu took a deep breath and transferred the god''s corpse into his interspatial ring silently and then handed the Heavenly Abode to Zenith Venerable and said deeply, "Return to the Great Tang Empire immediately and tell Apotheon Bella and Obsideum Immortal Father to rush over with all the Perfected Golden Immortals. Make haste now."


    "Understood!"


    Zenith Venerable accepted the Heavenly Abode and disappeared into the far horizons momentarily.


    Time flitted by, and in a flash, 13 days had passed already.


    Tang Xiu and the others observed the circumstances of the Myriad Sword Sect and the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect over the past 13 days while hiding far away. The sect''s defensive protection array was really quite formidable, as even though it appeared like it would break down at any moment under the continuous attacks of tens of thousands of Immortals over the past dozen or so days, it had still managed to hold on.


    Boom¡­


    Northsword Bel Espion laughed madly and ordered as the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect''s defensive protection array broke down. "Heed my orders. I''m allowing everyone to slaughter all the members of the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect and pillage them as you wish. Feel free to use the vilest methods you possess to eliminate all the disciples of the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect."


    Supreme Pristine Spring smiled bitterly and soared to the skies in the next instant. He took out an immortal sword from within his body and killed all the hundred Immortals charging towards him with a single wave of his sword.


    "You will have to pay a huge price if you wish to exterminate my Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect! Come, then! We will kill as many of you as possible and then take the rest of you down along with us!" Supreme Pristine Spring bellowed in a rage.


    At a distant place, Old Sycamore wore a cold look on his face as he asked Tang Xiu in a low voice, "Master. When will we begin acting?"


    Tang Xiu grinned. "Right now. Let''s go!"


    In a short quarter-hour, Tang Xiu and the others had silently arrived behind the Myriad Sword Sect and the other forces. Followed by a single order to attack from Tang Xiu, they began massacring the enemies crazily with a thunderous momentum.

 1396 The Stronger Party Wins

    Tang Xiu had three Supremes under his command, with the others all in the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage. Hence, they sliced through the enemy ranks like a sharp blade and killed hundreds of them before anyone from the Myriad Sword Sect realized it.


    Beams of sword light flashed by along with afterimages of the swords, leaving behind a foul wind and a rain of blood.


    By the time the experts of the Myriad Sword Sect realized it, Tang Xiu''s party had massacred close to a thousand people already. However, most of the deceased were actually ordinary Immortals, as well as Earth Immortals and the weak Celestial Immortals. They had only managed to kill two of the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage experts until now.


    "Who are you all?" Northsword Bel Espion roared as he brought his Innate Natal immortal sword out and glared at Tang Xiu''s party as if they were his nemesis. He was just an inch away from coming out victorious, but these experts had suddenly popped out of nowhere and began killing his sect''s members, so this made him deeply anguished. What made him evermore furious was the fact that although the other side only had ten people, they actually had a total of three Supremes. This simply made him feel like running away with his tail tucked between his legs.


    Tang Xiu didn''t answer Northsword Bel Espion. Instead, he looked at the bruised Supreme Pristine Spring and shouted, "Supreme Pristine Spring, we can reminisce later on. Let''s team up and get rid of all these shameless disciples of Myriad Sword Sect first instead. What do you say?"


    Supreme Pristine Spring never expected that their Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect would ever receive reinforcements. Although the other party numbered few, they were all experts with shocking strength and even had three Supremes among them. This allowed him to see the hope for the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect''s survival.


    "You have my gratitude for helping us. My Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect will definitely repay this great favor later on in the future. Let''s team up, then. These crooks of the Myriad Sword Sect must be exterminated at all costs, even if I end up paying for it with my life," Supreme Pristine Spring roared.


    Dozens of Perfected Golden Immortals from the Everlasting Palace observed the sudden turn of events from another location. The old man who led them sighed after hearing Tang Xiu''s and Supreme Pristine Spring''s exchange. "It seems like the Palace Master was right about it. Nothing is definitive. The circumstances indicated that the Myriad Sword Sect would win without a doubt. Yet, the sudden appearance of powerful enemies barred them from achieving this. They even have three Supremes among them, so it would be hard for the Myriad Sword Sect to exterminate the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect even if all of us help them."


    "Grand Elder. What do we do, then?" One of the Perfected Golden Immortals asked respectfully.


    The old man sneered and said, "Myriad Sword Sect is akin to a dog that we have raised, so we obviously cannot let them suffer such a huge loss here. Hence, we will be helping them! If you aren''t able to kill those enemies, you must ensure that the Myriad Sword Sect''s losses are as low as possible."


    "Charge ahead!"


    Half a day passed, and no matter whether it was the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect, the Myriad Sword Sect, or those forces who had come to profit from the situation, all suffered disastrous losses. However, the burden on the Myriad Sword Sect''s Sect Master, Northsword Bel Espion, was lesser because he had the Everlasting Palace''s experts helping him. He directed the battlefield in such a way that their party gradually drifted farther from the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect and prepared to evacuate covertly.


    "Attack!"


    A loud voice came through from behind. Apotheon Bella and Obsideum Immortal Father had arrived with nearly one hundred Perfected Golden Immortals in tow and were killing their way through from afar.


    "Damn it! Where did they come from now?!" Northsword Bel Espion cried out in alarm. He could sense that out of the nearly one hundred experts attacking, two were Supremes, while the rest were all Perfected Golden Immortals.


    Northsword Bel Espion had lived in the Immortal World for over ten thousand years, yet he had never heard of any sect having so many powerhouses. The Perfected Golden Immortals of their Everlasting Sect only added up to less than fifty members, and although the Inner Pill Sect had more of them than their Everlasting Palace, even their numbers didn''t cross sixty.


    Tang Xiu laughed out loud at this moment. "You''re finally here. Kill them all for me! Spare none of the members of Myriad Sword Sect and their scoundrel allies. Friends of the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect, please continue killing them if you still have the energy to do so. However, go back and heal your injuries if you are severely injured."


    "Kill them!"


    Even Supreme Clear Spring had been frightened by the array of experts that had arrived. However, after hearing Tang Xiu''s words, he immediately realized that these people were the mysterious expert''s men.


    And what followed after that¡­ was a bitter massacre.


    After Apotheon Bella and Obsideum Immortal Father rushed over with nearly one hundred Perfected Golden Immortals, the battle turned into a one-sided massacre. The lives of tens of thousands of Immortals were harvested like grains, and blood rained across the skies as they collapsed one after the other.


    Eagle, Old Sycamore, Supreme Pristine Spring, and Obsideum Immortal Father, a total of four Supremes, besieged the Sect Master of the Myriad Sword Sect. As a result, Northsword Bel Espion was only able to resist their offense for an hour before succumbing to their attacks. Even his immortal soul didn''t manage to escape and perished under the attack of Eagle''s offensive artifact.


    None of the enemies, including the dozens of experts of the Everlasting Palace, managed to escape and were slaughtered clean.


    The tragic scene stifled everyone''s senses.


    Tang Xiu arrived before Supreme Pristine Spring, and after seeing all the injuries on his body, he remained silent for a moment before saying the following words, "I won''t give you a medicinal pill, but I can give you and your Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect an opportunity. The only question is whether you all desire it."


    Supreme Pristine Spring asked, "What opportunity?"


    Tang Xiu slowly said, "Although I cannot guarantee that you will be able to cross the tribulation and attain Godhood, I can ensure that you will at least be able to become a late-stage Supreme and obtain the qualifications to challenge the divine tribulation. The disciples of your Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect will also experience an explosive increase in strength, and there''s even a chance that a few Supremes might appear from them."


    Supreme Pristine Spring looked at Tang Xiu with shock and asked in disbelief, "How is that possible? Unless a god helps, that''s¡­"


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly and said, "I''ll take full responsibility for saying this to you¡ªI''m a god."


    Supreme Pristine Spring looked at Tang Xiu with disbelief. After a long moment of silence, he slowly asked, "Your Excellency has saved my Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect from the throes of extermination, so you have my utmost gratitude for that. My Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect shall remember this favor till the end of times and do our best to repay it. However, may I ask what to call you?"


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly and said, "I''m the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, the emperor of the Great Tang Empire."


    Supreme Pristine Spring asked in amazement, "So, you''re the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor who saved my sect''s Dao Master Qing Feng?"


    Tang Xiu nodded with a smile. "Indeed."


    Supreme Pristine Spring pondered for a moment and then asked, "Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, what price would my Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect have to pay to obtain all that you have mentioned?"


    Tang Xiu answered honestly, "The Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect will have to come under my Great Tang Empire, and you must become my Great Tang Empire''s Protector."


    "That''s¡­"


    Supreme Pristine Spring hesitated for a bit. "My Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect is in the Pristine River Immortal Domain while your Great Tang Empire is situated in the Immortal Lyceum. The distance between us is too large. Do you intend to move my sect inside the range of the Great Tang Empire''s immortal domains?"


    Tang Xiu stated faintly, "Why not? Your Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect would have been exterminated if it weren''t for our aid. This is a chance for your Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect to reform and start anew. If I''m not mistaken, the enemies we killed didn''t just consist of the Myriad Sword Sect. It also consisted of dozens of Perfected Golden Immortals from the Everlasting Palace. Do you think that the Everlasting Palace wouldn''t take revenge on you alone if you were to continue staying here?"


    Daoist Pristine Force, the Sect Master of the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect, was unwilling to pay allegiance to the Great Tang Empire initially. However, his expression changed after he heard Tang Xiu''s words. After going through a struggle in his mind, he finally looked at Supreme Pristine Spring and said, "Grand Elder, the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor is right. All forces of the Immortal World know the Myriad Sword Sect is the hunting dog of the Everlasting Palace. As we have killed the Myriad Sword Sect''s Sect Master and so many of the Everlasting Palace''s Perfected Golden Immortals, there''s no doubt that the Everlasting Palace will target us. If we continue living here, we will face another battle of sect extermination, so we should join the Great Tang Empire."


    Supreme Pristine Spring pondered for a long while and finally said, "Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, this is a pretty significant matter. I need to discuss it with the other elders of the sect first. If all of them agree to it, our Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect wouldn''t mind coming under the Great Tang Empire."


    "Fine!"


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly and returned to the group of powerhouses of the Great Tang Empire. He then took a hundred jade bottles out, each of which contained ten drops of god blood, and handed it over to each of the Perfected Golden Immortals quietly. After that, he communicated with them via a voice transmission solemnly. "No one is allowed to leak the news about the god blood outside. Any violators will be tried with the crime of treason and dealt with accordingly."


    All the Perfected Golden Immortals revealed shocked expressions after hearing about the god blood.


    After that, Tang Xiu handed over a jade bottle to Apotheon Bella and Obsideum Immortal Father each and sent a voice transmission to the both of them. "I have given ten drops of god blood to each of the Perfected Golden Immortals, and I''m giving both of you thirty drops of god blood each with the hope that your cultivation will progress to the next step. Also, I''ll be going into seclusion to make pills once we return to the Great Tang Empire. If you have become a late-stage Supreme by the time I have finished refining the Divinity Attainment Pills, I shall give you one of them each so that it can aid you a little in successfully crossing the divine tribulation."


    Apotheon Bella and Obsideum Immortal Father glanced at each other. They trembled in excitement after hearing about the thirty drops of god blood and the Divinity Attainment Pill as both were unquestionably precious treasures to powerhouses at their stage. Their chances of attaining Godhood would increase exponentially with these two items in their hands.


    "Xiu. Where did you obtain so much god blood?" Apotheon Bella inquired via voice transmission.


    Tang Xiu replied back, "I obtained a god''s corpse back in the Nefas Abyss. It''s practically a fully intact corpse, so I have a lot of god blood within my hands right now. It contains at least several million drops of god blood inside it, and even a single hair of the corpse is a rare treasure in the eyes of the Immortals. This will allow our Great Tang Empire to develop rapidly, and it won''t be long before we can take revenge on our enemies."


    Apotheon Bella gasped in surprise. Even though she had a strong mental fortitude, Tang Xiu''s words had really startled her at the mention of an almost intact god''s corpse! This was undeniably a treasure vault within the eyes of Immortals; it would allow any force to increase their strength exponentially if they exploited it properly.

 1397 The Beautiful Daughter-In-Law and the Parents-In-Law Mee

    A while later, Supreme Pristine Spring arrived before Tang Xiu and said with a bow, "After a discussion, the decision all the elders of the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect arrived at is to join the Great Tang Empire. As long as you honor the arrangement you mentioned previously, our Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect is willing to integrate with your empire and serve you."


    Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes and asked, "Do you wish to know why I took the risk of offending the Everlasting Palace and made such a huge fuss by bringing a huge entourage to save your Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect?"


    Supreme Pristine Spring answered, "This has indeed perplexed me till now. I hope you can dispel my doubts, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor."


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly. "My wife can be considered the disciple of your Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect''s Dao Master Guai. If you wish to know my real identity, summon Dao Master Guai over here."


    Supreme Pristine Spring was taken aback and asked in disbelief, "All the disciples of my Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect are men. Where would we have a female disciple?"


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly. "You''ll know once you summon Dao Master Guai."


    A few moments later, Dao Master Guai, riddled with injuries, flew over towards Supreme Pristine Spring and Tang Xiu. He revealed a slightly excited expression on his face when he saw Tang Xiu and greeted him respectfully. "Greeting to you, Star¡­ Great Tang Heavenly Emperor."


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly. "You''re my wife''s teacher and someone on the same side as us, so there''s no need for such courtesy. Help me explain things now."


    Dao Master Guai revealed a slight smile on his face and said, "Grand Elder, we both have ascended to the Immortal World from Earth, and before my ascension, I left an inheritance behind there, which landed in the hands of Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. Hence, she can also be considered a member of our Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect."


    Supreme Pristine Spring came to a sudden realization and gazed somewhat peculiarly at Tang Xiu as he asked, "Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, your wife ascended to the Immortal World from Earth?"


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly. "I also ascended from Earth, and the tens of thousands of cultivators of my Great Tang Empire have all come from Earth as well. You could even say that Earth is my origin for my ascension to Godhood. Supreme Pristine Spring, which dynasty did you ascend from? What was your name when you were back on Earth?"


    Supreme Pristine Spring replied with a smile, "I ascended to the Immortal World in 479 B.C., and from what I recall, the official name of the state was Lu back then. As for my name, I went by the clan name of Kong and the given name of Qiu, while my courtesy name was Zhongni."


    "Master Kong?" Tang Xiu cried out with alarm.


    Supreme Pristine Spring asked in amazement, "You actually know me, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor?"


    Tang Xiu was left between laughter and tears as he replied, "All Chinese people on Earth are aware of your name. You have been venerated as the founder of Confucianism by countless people of China for the past five thousand years and are hailed as a great philosopher and educator. Tsk¡­ I never expected that I''d get to meet such a great personage of the past."


    Supreme Pristine Spring smiled and said, "These are events of the past from when I was still an ordinary person, so they aren''t worth mentioning."


    Tang Xiu sent him a voice transmission, "Supreme Pristine Spring, remember my former title. Star Cultivation Great Emperor of the Vermilion Bird Holy Sect."


    "You are¡­" Supreme Pristine Spring''s pupils contracted, and a glimmer of disbelief flashed past his eyes. He cried out in alarm, almost as if he had seen a ghost, "Didn''t you perish in soul and flesh?"


    Tang Xiu sent him another voice transmission, "Don''t divulge this as I''m only willing to tell you this because you are already a Supreme. However, you must remember that my enemies are the Inner Pill Sect and the Everlasting Palace. I didn''t die and merely started anew once again. My purpose in founding the Great Tang Empire is to exterminate the Inner Pill Sect and the Everlasting Palace, as well as the Myriad Sword Sect¡­"


    Supreme Pristine Spring realized his intentions and looked at Tang Xiu even more respectfully. He then bowed towards him once again and said, "Henceforth, you''re the person our Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect will serve, Your Majesty. All members of the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect will address you in this manner from now on."


    "Alright!" Tang Xiu patted his shoulder and said, "The identities of your Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect''s disciples are too sensitive right now. Hence, I need all of you to enter my Heavenly Abode, so I can take you to the Great Tang Empire. Also, I need all the members of the Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect to cultivate in seclusion for the next 300 years and not appear in any region of the Immortal World. 300 years later is the time when we go into battle against the Inner Pill Sect and the Everlasting Palace."


    Two days later, Tang Xiu and Eagle made their way towards the immortal domains of the Great Tang Empire, while the others resided within the Heavenly Abode. A few days after they had left, a piece of information began spreading through the entire Immortal World like wildfire.


    The entire Pristine Immortal Confucianist Sect seemed to have disappeared, sect and all, and the Sect Master of the Myriad Sword Sect, Northsword Bel Espion, had perished in battle along with tens of thousands of experts from the Myriad Sword Sect and a few dozens from the Everlasting Palace.


    Immediately afterward, the leader of the remaining six Perfected Golden Immortals of the Myriad Sword Sect, Supreme Lord Windsword, declared that the Myriad Sword Sect was closing its doors for the next thousand years and wouldn''t get involved in the matters of the Immortal World for that duration. Over the next six months, tens of thousands of the Myriad Sword Sect''s disciples began disappearing one after the other, leaving no trace behind. Even the sect grounds of the Myriad Sword Sect had become desolate and empty, bereft of the shadow of even a single person.


    Outside the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect.


    Great Emperor Daqing was seated cross-legged within a palace. After seeing the endless fury on the ashen-faced Zither Demon Jiuyao, he said indifferently, "Don''t let the anger get to your head. Have you still not realized that an invisible adversary is targeting our Inner Pill Sect and Everlasting Palace secretly?"


    Zither Demon Jiuyao expressed his fury. "Since you have realized it, why don''t you tell me who is so reckless to actually dare provoke our two elite sects?"


    Great Emperor Daqing said, "It''s not just provocation. They have already begun targeting us. Do you know how many powerhouses our two sects have lost within the past one hundred years?"


    Zither Demon Jiuyao replied in an enraged voice, "What''s the point in counting them? My Everlasting Palace has lost more than half of our powerhouses, and even my¡­ Supreme Myriad Thunder got killed by someone."


    Great Emperor Daqing said, "Although the casualties of Golden Immortals and Perfected Golden Immortals that my Inner Pill Sect has suffered hasn''t passed the halfway mark, we have had a lot of them too. Hence, it''s of utmost importance that we find the string-puller acting behind the scenes and fully understand what kind of forces they possess by any means. We can then deal with them and put an end to the source of all these troubles."


    Zither Demon Jiuyao regained his composure and asked calmly, "Did you ever think that perhaps this string-puller has some relation to the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect or the enigmatic Four Sacred Palaces?"


    Great Emperor Daqing said, "It shouldn''t be the Four Sacred Palaces. Although the Four Sacred Palaces are pretty enigmatic, I have already figured out their history after investigating them for so many years."


    Zither Demon Jiuyao asked in amazement, "You have figured out their history? Who are they, and just where are they located? And why are they helping the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect?"


    Great Emperor Daqing stated, "The Four Sacred Palaces actually have a deep link with the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect and were actually a single body a hundred thousand years ago. I don''t need to tell which force was the strongest in the Immortal World back then, right? So, you shouldn''t find it strange when I say that the current Palace Master of the Four Sacred Palaces is Sky Exterminator Old Beggar."


    Zither Demon Jiuyao''s expression changed, and a murderous look appeared on his face as he said gloomily, "So, it was actually that old fool. Tell me, where are the Four Sacred Palaces?"


    Great Emperor Daqing shook his head. "I haven''t been able to find its exact location, but it shouldn''t be within the Immortal World and is probably inside some heavenly realm in the far corners of the Immortal World. Don''t worry, though, since we will annihilate them the moment my Inner Pill Sect discovers their exact location."


    Zither Demon Jiuyao stated gloomily, "The Four Sacred Palaces have brought us huge losses over these past few hundred years. We have to find their location and exterminate them at all costs."


    Great Emperor Daqing looked at the continent that was the base of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect and sneered. "It won''t just be the Four Sacred Palaces. We will also eliminate the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect as well. If I haven''t guessed it wrong, the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect will only be able to hold on for another thousand years, and the instant that moment arrives is when they perish."


    Great Emperor Daqing''s expression changed all of a sudden, prompting him and Zither Demon Jiuyao to disappear and appear before the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect''s protection array momentarily.


    "Who is it?" Great Emperor Daqing observed the two figures approaching them and asked loudly.


    Apotheon Bella let out a burst of peal-like laughter. At the same time, Sablefiend Scorpio, who had reached the Supremacy Stage just recently, laughed out loudly. Then, Apotheon Bella said the following words, "Great Emperor Daqing, Zither Demon Jiuyao, it''s good that you two are actually here. It seems like our luck is pretty good! We hope that you can remain here forever, right until we bombard your immortal bodies and crush your immortal souls."


    Great Emperor Daqing took his immortal saber out when he saw the two female Supremes appear and swung his saber at the two of them.


    "I''m Apotheon Bella. I request you to open the grand formation so we can enter the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect." Apotheon Bella grabbed Sablefiend Scorpio and used her light wings to their limits to evade Great Emperor Daqing''s fierce attack. Then, she rushed inside the protection array of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect.


    Star Tears looked at Apotheon Bella and Sablefiend Scorpio and said immediately, "Sect Master, they are on our side. Allow them inside quickly."


    Supreme Star Soul showed no hesitation at all. Apotheon Bella had assisted their Vermillion Bird Holy Sect several times over the past several hundred years, so she was absolutely trustworthy. As for the other Supreme, although he didn''t know her, she had accompanied Apotheon Bella here, so he felt relieved after hearing Star Tears'' words.


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    Apotheon Bella and Sablefiend Scorpio sensed the small gap that had appeared in the protection array and rushed inside with lightning-quick movements to arrive before Supreme Star Soul and Star Tears momentarily.


    "Who arrived?"


    Supreme Star Radiance came rushing over from a distance and appeared before everyone quickly.


    "Greetings to you, Supreme Star Radiance." Apotheon Bella and Sablefiend Scorpio knew that Supreme Star Radiance had very high seniority, so they greeted him immediately.


    Supreme Star Radiance revealed an excited expression after seeing Apotheon Bella and sighed. "Apotheon Bella, we have been looking forward to seeing you arrive for a long time now, unlike your battles outside. All of us have engraved the aid you have provided our Vermillion Bird Holy Sect over the past several hundred years in the depths of our hearts."


    Apotheon Bella answered respectfully, "You''re embarrassing me, Supreme Star Radiance. It''s something I should have done."


    Saying so, she looked towards Supreme Star Soul and revealed a somewhat hesitant expression on her beautiful face.

 1398 Rapid Developmen

    Apotheon Bella recalled what Tang Xiu had told her before she made for the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. She glanced at Supreme Star Soul, and after a few moments of hesitation, she greeted him with a cup of her fists. "Bella greets Father."


    "Pfft¡­" Star Tears couldn''t hold back her laughter.


    An embarrassed expression cropped up on Apotheon Bella''s face as she whispered, "He¡­ told me to address you that way."


    Supreme Star Soul''s lips curved up into a smile as he laughed out warmly. "Good. This is a very nice appellation. I''m quite satisfied with it. So, Bella¡­ you can address me this way from now."


    To escape from the embarrassment in her heart, Apotheon Bella suddenly said the following words, "Let''s find a quiet location to talk. I have an important matter to tell you."


    Since Apotheon Bella and Sablefiend Scorpio had risked their lives to enter the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, Supreme Star Soul knew they must have done so for a very important matter. Hence, he brought the two of them to the meeting hall of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect and activated the array inside the hall to isolate it from the outside world. Then, he inquired. "Bella, what''s so important that Xiu''er sent you here? Also, since the two of you have come over, does he still have a powerhouse protecting him?"


    Apotheon Bella took a jade bottle out from her interspatial ring and handed it over to Supreme Star Soul. "There are three reasons Xiu sent me over to the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. Firstly, it was so that Sablefiend Scorpio and I can guard the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect just in case the Inner Pill Sect and the Everlasting Palace succeed in breaking the protection array and attack all of a sudden. Secondly, we came here to bring over a large number of medicinal pills and divine weapons that would be a great help to the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. Thirdly, it was to hand over the thing inside the bottle."


    Supreme Star Soul felt excited. "We have a total of five Supremes on our side now that the two of you have arrived here. So, it would be hard to say who would win even if they decide to battle us right now."


    Star Tears shook her head. "Elder Brother. Although we indeed have five Supremes on our side, you know that the enemy consists of not just the Inner Pill Sect, but also that person¡­ His battle strength is very overpowered, so it would be hard to kill him even if several Supremes besiege him, and there''s even a chance of suffering some losses."


    Supreme Star Soul calmed down and nodded silently. "That''s true. Bella, what''s inside this jade bottle?"


    Apotheon Bella saw that Supreme Star Soul intended to open the cork on the jade bottle, so she rushed to stop him. "Father, don''t open the cork right now. The bottle contains the blood of a god, so every single drop of it''s very precious. You must make sure to contain its aura when you take out the god blood from inside later, or else it would bring us needless troubles if someone nearby were to sense it."


    "What did you say?" Supreme Star Soul''s body stiffened as he directed a gaze full of disbelief at Apotheon Bella.


    Star Tears clutched Apotheon Bella''s arm suddenly and asked with a shocked expression, "Bella, this jade bottle has god blood inside it? How¡­ is that even possible? I haven''t remembered it wrong; the Myriad Saint Sect obtained a few drops of god blood a hundred thousand or so years ago and suffered the assault of countless powerhouses of the Immortal World. Even dozens of Supremes had attacked them back then.


    "At least ten Supremes fell during this battle along with many Perfected Golden Immortal Stage powerhouses, and the nearly hundred drops of god blood were obtained by the powerhouses of the surviving forces. It''s rumored that the amount of god blood has been on a declining slope over the past hundred thousand years, so the number of forces that still have some god blood left can be counted on one''s fingers.


    "Bella. Where did Xiu''er obtain the god blood from? How many drops are inside this bottle?"


    Apotheon Bella''s lips curved up into a smile as she looked at the three pairs of eyes that were observing her fixedly. She burst out in laughter and said, "There''s a total of a hundred thousand drops of god blood inside it."


    "What?" Star Tears'' eyes turned wide open. She snatched the jade bottle from Supreme Star Soul''s hands instantly and checked its contents with her spiritual sense once she had sealed the bottle''s mouth with her power. Her body trembled when she realized how many drops of god blood the jade bottle really contained, and an irrevocable shocked expression appeared on her face.


    It was really too shocking to Star Tears as she had never thought that so much god blood would appear within the Immortal World. The amount was just too terrifying.


    Supreme Star Soul snatched the jade bottle back. After checking the amount of god blood present inside the jade bottle, he had gone wholly numb from the shock and asked Apotheon Bella with a glazed expression, "How?"


    Apotheon Bella chuckled. "Xiu went to the Nefas Abyss sometime ago and obtained an almost intact god''s corpse from there. It has a few million drops of god blood at the very least and may even have as many as ten million drops inside it. He prepared these hundred thousand drops for the powerhouses of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect and asked me to bring them over, so please make use of them to the very best and ensure that all the powerhouses above the Golden Immortal Stage make enormous progress in their cultivation."


    After saying this, Apotheon Bella took out another thing from her interspatial ring and handed it over to Supreme Star Soul. "Father, this is a piece of god bone. Xiu said that you are quite gifted in the field of artifact refining, so he asked me to bring this piece of god bone over and told me to tell you to refine it into your ideal immortal artifact."


    "A god''s bone?" Supreme Star Soul clenched his fists tightly, and his voice brimmed with excitement. "I could barely produce an 8th-grade immortal artifact even with an abundant amount of precious resources in hand. However, I''m fairly certain that I will be able to produce a 9th-grade immortal artifact with this piece of god bone in hand, and perhaps there''s even a chance of producing a quasi-divine artifact. Xiu''er is indeed worthy of being my Supreme Star Soul''s son. With so much god blood in hand, the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect will undoubtedly experience an explosive increase in strength and become at least twice as strong."


    Supreme Star Radiance remained silent all the while. Although he felt quite excited as well, he still felt deeply concerned and asked the question which kept bothering him the most yet again, "Bella. Does Xiu''er still have the protection of a powerhouse now that you two Supremes have come over to the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect? The Great Tang Empire has been developing too fiercely in the past one hundred years, so a few of the elite powers might show hostility towards them. What if¡­"


    Apotheon Bella said with a smile, "Even without the two of us, the Great Tang Empire currently has four more Supremes, namely the Obsideum Immortal Father, Old Sycamore, Eagle and Supreme Pristine Spring. Even if some of the elite powers covet the wealth of the Great Tang Empire, there''s no need to feel worried about it since these four Supremes are protecting it. Moreover, according to the plan which Xiu has drafted, the Great Tang Empire will have at least dozens of Supremes within the next 300 years."


    Star Tears, Supreme Star Soul, and Supreme Star Radiance, all of them drew in a cold breath after hearing this. They never imagined that the Great Tang Empire already had so many Supremes right now. If they included Apotheon Bella and Sablefiend Scorpio in it, the number of Supremes in the Great Tang Empire came to a grand total of six!


    And if they added the three Supremes of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect to it, the number of Supremacy Stage powerhouses on their side totaled up to nine.


    Nine Supremes!


    Even the strongest force in the entire Immortal World, the Ghost Sect, just had a total of four Supremes.


    Supreme Star Soul took a deep breath as he could already see hope in obtaining revenge. Thus, he said in a deep voice, "Since Xiu''er wants to wait for another 300 years, all members of our Vermillion Bird Holy Sect will make haste on improving our cultivation within this duration. And then, 300 years later, we shall eliminate all the enemy forces who harmed our Vermillion Bird Holy Sect over all these years."


    In the Great Tang Empire.


    Once Tang Xiu had returned to the empire, he passed down a series of orders and entered seclusion to cultivate. All the upper echelon of the Great Tang Empire also chose to fade into the background around the same time, and the entire empire had turned exceptionally quiet.


    Time flitted by, and in a blink, 240 years had passed since the time Tang Xiu had returned from Nefas Abyss. He had absorbed thousands of drops of god blood over these 240 years and had used countless kinds and amounts of cultivation resources. As a result, his cultivation shot up rapidly and experienced tremendous growth.


    Boom¡­


    A huge change occurred inside the cosmos present within Tang Xiu''s Dantian. The tens of millions of planets in it trembled altogether, and innumerable threads of life source flowed towards all the planets. All the planets seemed to come alive as the life source poured into them and gained a weak life force.


    The entire cosmos inside his Dantian turned dark as the planets trembled again, and it almost seemed like space was about to collapse. However, the darkness shattered, and light re-emerged in the next moment. Following that, the space within the cosmos expanded at least ten times larger than its size 240 years ago. According to Tang Xiu''s observations, the size of his Dantian''s space was now equivalent to the size of ten great immortal domains put together.


    "This is¡­


    "The fourth stage of the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis¡ªStars Cosmos?


    "According to the records, the space in the Dantian is only considered as a Stars Cosmos when all the planets inside obtain the source of life. However, it requires the nourishment of a long period to reach the formation stage and can take at least a few thousands of years to tens of thousands of years or hundreds of thousands of years at most. I''ve only cultivated for a short amount of time, so how is it that I have already attained the formation stage of Stars Cosmos?


    "Is it because of the god blood and marrow?"


    Tang Xiu opened his eyes, and in the next instant, he disappeared from within the palace and appeared tens of kilometers up high in the sky. As he observed the boundless cosmos above him, his eyes glistened with a golden color.


    "Divine Power¡ªHeavenly Net."


    Tang Xiu used the divine power he had obtained just now, and in the next instant, the world before his eyes no longer appeared the same to him. He saw densely packed lines of all kinds of gorgeous colors spanning across the entire void that seemed to form a special net. It almost seemed like this world had actually been designed based on these densely packed multicolored lines.


    "Are these the traces of the heavenly laws?"


    Tang Xiu had once touched upon the locus of the heavenly laws back when he was a Supreme in the Immortal World. However, the locus he had seen back then was just a vague grayish line, a far stretch from the splendid and clear view before his eyes right now.


    Most importantly, he could sense the flow of all energies present within the world, so this would allow his strength to increase exponentially during a battle.

 1399 A Terrifying Number of Supremes

    While Tang Xiu was inside the palace, his whole body was filled with great energy. All sorts of different types of energy spanning thousands of kilometers away from him were all absorbed continuously into his body.


    "The Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis undoubtedly surpasses all cultivation techniques in the Immortal World. Although my power has seen tremendous growth, I''m only able to contend with an early-stage Supremacy Stage powerhouse. However, I can already see the loci of the heavenly laws this clearly.


    "Unfortunately, the effects of god blood are already greatly ineffective. Otherwise, I would be able to return to the pinnacle within two hundred years if I continued to train at this rate.


    "It''s time to take a break from training and prepare the Divinity Attainment pills."


    Tang Xiu stood up. When he stepped outside the palace, he froze slightly. This was because he saw that nearly half of the upper echelons of the Great Tang Empire were standing outside. Each of them had worried expressions on their faces.


    "What''s happening?"


    Tang Xiu did not understand the meaning of this and asked.


    Ouyang Lulu quickly walked forward with her worried expression now dissipated from her face. She said, "You sealed yourself away for so long, and furthermore, all the Immortal Force energy within thousands of miles from here has all rushed into the palace. We were afraid that there was a problem with your cultivation, that''s why we all came here to wait for you. You¡­ Are you okay?"


    Tang Xiu laughed and replied, "I''m okay. I''m very well! Everyone! Go do your own things! I won''t be in solitude to cultivate for the foreseeable future. I just need to refine some pills now."


    "Yes!"


    As the crowd proceeded to decrease in size, Tang Xiu looked at the few left. They were all Tang Xiu''s women. They hadn''t seen Tang Xiu in a while, so they obviously missed him a lot. It was only after Tang Xiu''s reassurance and calming words that they were willing to leave and return to their homes.


    "Master."


    The unbelievably beautiful Gu Yin was spectating from afar. She floated over to Tang Xiu with a leaf hanging from the side of her mouth.


    "Not bad!" Tang Xiu chuckled. "You haven''t even been training for three hundred years, and you''re already an Earth Immortal stage cultivator. A rapid growth rate such as yours is extremely rare even in the whole Immortal World."


    Gu Yin laughed and replied, "Master, at the most, I will be able to break through to the Celestial Immortal Stage within the next six months."


    Tang Xiu happily replied, "Not bad. Not bad at all."


    Gu Yin said, "Master, my training speed is actually quite slow. Compared to sister Yan''er, I''m so horrendously slow that it''s shameful. You don''t know this, but sister Yan''er told me six months ago that with another three years of cultivation, she would be able to break through to the Supremacy Stage. Yinyin also wants to become a Supreme cultivator in the Immortal World and also be able to assist my master."


    Tang Xiu chuckled and replied, "Your master doesn''t need your help. As long as you can happily cultivate and become stronger and stronger, there will be a day where you will be able to protect your loved ones. That will be sufficient."


    They continued to chat.


    Suddenly, the sky was filled with tribulation clouds, and thunder rumbled. When Tang Xiu raised his head and looked at the heavens, the edges of his face crawled into a bigger smile. This was already the thirteenth time seeing such a sight in the last two hundred and forty years. It looked like someone else was breaking through to the Supremacy Stage.


    "It''s Senior Sister!"


    Gu Yin watched as a silhouette rushed into the sky and squealed in surprise and excitement.


    Tang Xiu watched Gu Yan''er in her white robes, floating in the air. He nodded his head and chucked. "Your senior sister is already a powerhouse in the Perfected Golden Immortal stage. She''s only a silver away from stepping into the Supremacy Stage. After a few hundred years of cultivation, not only did she recover her strength back to her peak, but she even broke through to the Supremacy Stage! Truly, the speed of her growth is extremely fast. With the help of the god blood and adding onto her potential, she should be able to pass the 49 Heavenly Tribulations with no difficulties. Looks like our Great Tang Empire will be adding another Supremacy Stage powerhouse to our numbers."


    Woosh! Woosh! Woosh!


    Silhouettes suddenly appeared in front of Tang Xiu, as quickly as lightning. There were sixteen of them in total, and all of them were Supremacy Stage powerhouses. Although there were only Old Sycamore and the Obsideum Immortal Father at the middle-stage Supremacy Stage, many powerful cultivators in the Supremacy Stage still suddenly appeared at the same time. This was an extremely frightening and impressive sight that struck awe into all spectators.


    Obsideum Immortal Father''s expression was a little complicated. He watched on as Gu Yan''er rushed towards the clouds and said, "The clouds are so incredibly thick. When she breaks through to the Supremacy Stage, she may already be a full-fledged early-stage Supremacy Stage cultivator. My lord, I don''t admire many people. However, for you, I''m utterly in awe and have a deep respect for you. In just a short period of two to three hundred years, our Great Tang Empire already has so many Supremacy Stage cultivators! I dare say that in the whole Immortal World, our Great Tang Empire is definitely the strongest of all.


    Tang Xiu laughed and replied, "Obsideum Immortal Father, how rare it is that I''m able to experience your praises! However, these praises do make me feel quite nice. Hahaha."


    Obsideum Immortal Father laughed and replied, "When I first decided to follow my lord, I felt that your ambitions were too great. I felt that your targets and goals were simply impossible! How narrow-minded was I then? That''s right, now that we have immense military power, is it time for us to destroy those enemies who you have named?"


    Tang Xiu calmly replied, "There''s no rush. We still have sixty years until the three-hundred-year deadline that I have set. In the next sixty years, we will continue to produce and train soldiers. Then, we will conquer the surrounding six immortal domains. This way, we will be able to establish the Great Tang Empire''s territories. When that time comes, we will then mobilize our troops to eliminate those enemies that you speak of."


    Obsideum Immortal Father immediately nodded his head and replied, "I''m willing to be your vanguard. When I chose to serve you back then, the six lords of those immortal domains laughed at me countless times. When our Great Tang Empire marches onto their territory, I want to see how they will react when that time comes."


    In the sky.


    Gu Yan''er wielded a 9th-grade immortal artifact, and she used this artifact to destroy each lightning bolt that shot at her from the sky. For Perfected Golden Immortal Stage cultivators, the 49 Heavenly Tribulations were extremely dangerous. If they passed this, they would be able to become a powerhouse in the Supremacy Stage. If they failed, then they would disintegrate and disappear forever.


    Previously.


    Out of ten thousand Perfected Golden Immortal Stage cultivators, only one out of twenty cultivators managed to pass the 49 Heavenly Tribulations. This was already an extremely impressive rate. However, for the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage cultivators in the Great Tang Empire, the success rate was one hundred percent. Everyone knew that this was the effect of the god blood.


    After half a day, Gu Yan''er laughed as she watched the 49 Heavenly Tribulation recede. Her energy surged at an incredible rate. After half an hour, her energy was already many times her previous reserves.


    Woosh¡­


    As quick as a lightning flash, Gu Yan''er appeared in front of Tang Xiu. With a broad smile on her face, she immediately gave Tang Xiu a big hug and said, "I once dreamed that I would be able to break through to the Supremacy Stage. Furthermore, I dreamt that at the moment that I broke through to the Supremacy Stage, you would be the first person that I saw. Now, my wish has truly been realized. Supremacy Stage¡­what a great feeling."


    Tang Xiu lightly patted her back and laughed, saying, "Now that you have successfully stepped into the realm of the Supremacy Stage, you are now one of the most powerful cultivators in the whole Immortal World. Give it a bit more time, when our Great Tang Empire becomes even stronger, we will flip the Immortal World by its heels and crush all our enemies when the three hundred years have passed."


    "Yes!"


    Gu Yan''er nodded her head enthusiastically.


    Tang Xiu released her and swept his gaze over those now seventeen Supremacy Stage cultivators. Now with a serious expression on his face, he said, "Everyone. Since you have chosen to follow me and stay loyal to me, I will not neglect you. Although we, as the Great Tang Empire, can walk the Immortal World with no fear, our goal is not to become the supreme rulers of the Immortal World. My goal is to bring all of you to ascend into God Realm and kill there."


    Obsideum Immortal Father chuckled and replied, "My lord, the Divinity Tribulation is too terrifying! The success rate is only one out of a hundred Supremacy Stage cultivators! This success rate is already impressive. Even if we do have the god blood with us, I''m afraid that¡­"


    Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him. He calmly replied, "You''re correct. The god blood is beneficial when assisting Perfected Golden Immortal Stage cultivators to break through to the Supremacy Stage. However, to multiply our chances of passing the Divinity Tribulation by many folds, there would need to be other things too. From today onwards, I will begin refining the Divinity Attainment Pills. You should all have heard of this pill. When all the Supremacy Stage powerhouses in our Great Tang Empire have achieved the late-stage Supremacy Stage, then I will give all of you one Divinity Attainment Pill. I once was able to successfully pass the Divinity Tribulation by my own strength. Therefore, I will be able to help you all pass the Divinity Tribulation as well."


    Obsideum Immortal Father replied with a surprised expression on his face, "You have previously passed the Divinity Tribulation? Furthermore, you succeeded? How¡­ how is that possible? If you really passed the Divinity Tribulation, then why aren''t you in the God Realm right now?"


    Tang Xiu chuckled lightly and released his Primal Chaos Force, binding the seventeen in front of him and bringing them into the palace without a single one of them resisting. Tang Xiu sat on the Nine Dragons Cathedra and said, "I believe that most of you are wondering about my true identity. Obsideum Immortal Father, am I correct?"


    Obsideum Immortal Father was in deep thought and replied with a nod, "You''re correct, my lord. Your strength is something that I have not seen in my life. All the upper echelons of the Great Tang Empire know that we have great nemeses in the Immortal World. Furthermore, all of those enemies are also enemies of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. Adding to that, Star Tears is also part of that Holy Sect, and Apotheon Bella is also someone that the Star Cultivation Great Emperor greatly cares for. Therefore, we suspect that even if you aren''t part of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, you surely must have a deep connection to them."


    Tang Xiu looked at Apotheon Mu, Apotheon Myriad Notes, Soaring Plumb, Nine Immortal Fingers, and Enchantress Yu, then calmly laughed and replied, "Now, you can tell them. How should you refer to me?"


    The five of them looked at each other with excitement in their eyes. They immediately knelt in front of Tang Xiu and simultaneously said, "Your disciples pay respect to the Master!"


    "What?"

 1400 Complete Shock

    Besides Gu Yan''er, all the other Supremacy Stage cultivators were shocked and in complete disbelief. They all knew who Apotheon Myriad Notes, Apotheon Mu, and the others were. They previously thought that these were only powerful people from the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, who Tang Xiu had accepted into the Empire. It was unbelievable that they would call Tang Xiu "Master."


    The master of these five people was the one once widely feared in the Immortal World, the Star Cultivation Great Emperor! However, the Star Cultivation Great Emperor had failed to pass the Divinity Tribulation, which led to the breaking and disintegrating of his spirit.


    Tang Xiu slowly stood up, signaled for the other five to stand as well, then said, "Your eyes are not mistaken. Your ears are not mistaken, either. I''m the master of these five people. Yes, I was once the supreme prodigy in the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, who was feared throughout the Immortal World as a powerhouse in the Supremacy Stage. Yes. I''m the Star Cultivation Great Emperor."


    Star Cultivation Great Emperor?


    Obsideum Immortal Father and the rest of the Supremacy Stage cultivators all had an expression of absolute shock and awe. They had wondered and suspected countless times of Tang Xiu''s identity. However, they did not expect that he would be the Star Cultivation Great Emperor himself.


    A great chill and piercing light shot from Tang Xiu''s eyes as he spoke. He said, "You have all heard of my history. Furthermore, you should all know that I once had two friends who I was extremely close to. One is the Great Emperor Danqing of the Inner Pill Sect, and the other is Zither Demon Jiuyao of the Everlasting Palace. It was these two close friends of mine who struck me fatally while I was at my weakest state after passing the Divinity Tribulation. If it wasn''t for a fragment of my soul that traveled to another world and revived me, my soul would definitely have been broken into fragments and disintegrated. I have decided to tell you this because the day of retribution is nearly upon us. I have not recovered back to the peak of my strength as of now. However, I''m still able to contend with middle-stage Supremacy Stage cultivators. After another sixty years, though, I''m confident that I will be able to easily kill these same middle-stage Supremacy Stage cultivators."


    After a long time, Obsideum Immortal Father finally spoke after letting the news that the Great Tang Emperor was also the Star Cultivation Great Emperor sink in. He said, "No wonder the most affectionate woman in the Immortal World, Apotheon Immortal Bella, became your woman, my lord. No wonder Apotheon Mu and the rest are so loyal to you to the point where they would give their lives for you. No wonder the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect is in imminent danger right now. No wonder your power has grown in leaps and bounds! No wonder you constantly sent people and resources to the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect for them to train and cultivate!"


    Nethersea Whale King, who was now a Supremacy Stage cultivator, also breathed a deep sigh and said, "All the powerhouses in the Immortal World know that you were once great friends with the Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao. However, during the time that you¡­ disappeared, they attacked the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect relentlessly. These two shameless brats. We will follow you and beat these scums to the ground and let them regret their births!"


    Tang Xiu, fully satisfied now, nodded and said, "Everyone. I have now told you my greatest secret. I hope that you can keep this to yourselves."


    "Without a doubt."


    Everyone present while Tang Xiu revealed his true identity immediately swore an Immortal Oath.


    The days following after.


    Besides Gu Yan''er, the other sixteen Supremacy Stage powerhouses were split into six forces. Each force was armed with two or three Supremacy Stage powerhouses. Each of these forces was used to attack the surrounding six immortal domains. Four of these six domains did not have Supremacy Stage cultivators, so within a couple of years, these four domains were conquered. The other two immortal domains had Supremacy Stage cultivators to protect them. However, under the fierce and powerful hand of the Great Tang Emperor, they were all killed.


    Two years later.


    Now the Great Tang Empire had ten immortal domains under its rule.


    Twenty years later.


    The Great Tang Empire had fortified all ten of their conquered territories heavily, making them virtually impenetrable.


    Fifty years later.


    There was an addition to the ranks of Perfected Golden Immortal Stage cultivators. Besides Apotheon Immortal Bella and Tang Xiu himself, there were now eighteen Supremacy Stage powerhouses in the Great Tang Empire. There were also now twenty military forces, with five million Immortals in each force. With this, there were a total of exactly one hundred million Immortals in the Great Tang Empire''s fighting forces.


    One hundred million.


    These were only the soldiers specializing in fighting alone. Each of them had countless experiences in battles under their belts, as well as the harsh trials and tests that they had to go through in training. There were also other types of soldiers, such as the soldiers specialized in healing, logistics, and other fields, including weaponry and armory. All of these soldiers would add up to a number that exceeded thirty million Immortals.


    During these fifty years.


    Besides training every day, Tang Xiu had constantly been refining Divinity Attainment Pills. For the sake of refining these pills, the Great Tang Empire''s resources had been cleared and sucked dry. Fortunately, they had conquered the six Immortal Domains, which gave them an abundance of treasures and wealth. This was how they managed to keep the Empire afloat despite the draining of their own resources.


    In these fifty years, the few Supremacy Stage powerhouses in the Immortal World came and visited Tang Xiu. They had two goals. Firstly, they were there to scout and gather information about the Great Tang Empire''s situation. Secondly, they also hoped to build a favorable relationship with Tang Xiu and the Empire.


    "The forty-sixth pill!"


    Tang Xiu immediately absorbed the recently refined Divinity Attainment Pill into his interspatial ring. While doing so, his face was lit up in delight.


    When he walked out of the alchemy chamber, he saw Gu Yan''er, who had been waiting for a while.


    "Master, there''s a guest. He''s already been waiting for nine days," Gu Yan''er said.


    Tang Xiu looked around, then asked, "Which Supreme is it?"


    Gu Yan''er replied, "He called himself Supreme Purgatory. He didn''t say where he was from, though. That aside, he''s quite strong. At the very least, he''s a lot stronger than me."


    Tang Xiu squinted his eyes, then nodded and said, "Take me to him."


    Once upon a time.


    Tang Xiu hadn''t heard of this Supreme Purgatory before. This was something that he found interesting and was curious about. If this Supreme was someone who had broken into the Supremacy Stage in the last millennium, then it would be impossible for him to be stronger than Gu Yan''er. Therefore, this Supremacy Stage cultivator was hiding from the public eye. Tang Xiu wanted to meet this person and understand where he came from.


    Inside the palace.


    When Tang Xiu saw Supreme Purgatory, he immediately sized him up. Then, he calmly laughed and said, "You must be Supreme Purgatory."


    Supreme Purgatory smiled and replied, "You must be the Great Tang Emperor."


    Tang Xiu nodded and replied, "That''s right. I am. Since you have arrived in our Great Tang Empire, you should introduce yourself and say where you are from, should you not?"


    Supreme Purgatory continued smiling and replied, "Convict Arena. Supreme Purgatory."


    Tang Xiu was shocked when he heard this. He knew a lot about the Convict Arena, but he didn''t know much about the powerful figures behind the Convict Arena. Since this Supreme Purgatory in front of him claimed to be from the Convict Arena, Tang Xiu could not neglect him.


    "I have never heard of a Supreme Purgatory. Looks like you have hidden quite well. If I''m correct in my guess, you should be the real power controlling the Convict Arena in this era. Am I correct?" Tang Xiu asked.


    Supreme Purgatory smiled and replied, "That''s right. I''m the one who controls the Convict Arena in this era."


    Tang Xiu nodded, then asked, "Why did Supreme Purgatory visit us?"


    Supreme Purgatory calmly replied, "I only wanted to confirm something. That''s why I came. I also hope that the Great Tang Emperor can explain."


    "Go ahead."


    Tang Xiu signaled for Supreme Purgatory to sit.


    Supreme Purgatory said, "The Great Tang Empire has only been established in the Immortal World for around a thousand years. However, in such a short time, you have already conquered ten immortal domains. What a powerful army. I wanted to ask if the Great Tang Emperor is aiming to conquer the whole of the Immortal World?"


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "My Great Tang Empire will not invade recklessly anymore. However, we will reclaim our old territories! Furthermore, there are also enemies of our Empire, so we will eliminate them. Therefore, once we do that, their territories will become one of the Great Tang Empire''s."


    Supreme Purgatory paused, smiled, then replied, "Since the Great Tang Emperor does not plan to completely conquer the Immortal World, then you must not have the ambition to become the only Emperor in this world, then. I''m relieved. My Convict Arena has dwelled in the Immortal World for countless years and is extremely powerful. However, we don''t have the ambition to conquer the Immortal World either. Therefore, as long as the Great Tang Empire does not make things difficult for us, then we will not fight the Great Tang Empire either. Who knows! Maybe we will be able to work together for many things in the future! Perhaps we will be able to help each other."


    Tang Xiu nodded his head and replied, "If Supreme Purgatory thinks like this, then we don''t need to wait until the future to work together! We can already work together now."


    Supreme Purgatory was surprised. He asked, "How does the Great Tang Emperor plan to work together with us?"


    Tang Xiu calmly replied, "According to what I know, there are many deathmatch gladiators in the Convict Arena. The Great Tang Empire requires a lot more soldiers, so we have been recruiting and hiring. If the Convict Arena can send a group of deathmatch gladiators, then please allow us to owe you that money for a short while. When the time comes, then I will give you one percent more as interest. What do you think? Is this to your liking?"


    The smile was beginning to disappear from Supreme''s Purgatory face. He said, "Is the Great Tang Emperor trying to gain valuable assets with worthless things?"


    Tang Xiu continued to smile and replied, "That''s not what I''m trying to do. In a small world where I was once in, there are places called banks. This is similar to the money shops that they have in the normal citizens of the Immortal World. However, I have taken a great liking to this form of borrowing money. As for the deathmatch gladiators in the Convict Arena, besides dying, they would only win the bets of the gamblers. However, if you have too many deathmatch gladiators, then you might as well sell us a group of them. I¡­"


    Supreme Purgatory raised his hand, smiled, and replied, "Great Tang Emperor, I understand. If it wasn''t for an event that occurred a few hundred years ago, I would be able to help you out here. Unfortunately, not only do we not have excess deathmatch gladiators, but we are severely lacking in them. Therefore, I also have something to discuss with the Great Tang Emperor. In the future, if the Great Tang Empire is fighting strong enemies, you can sell the captured people to the Convict Arena. We will definitely pay a high price for them."


    Tang Xiu looked at him with a puzzled look and replied, "What happened a few hundred years ago? What happened to the Convict Arena? I remember that the Convict Arena from before did not lack deathmatch gladiators at all. Furthermore, I have even bought a few deathmatch gladiators from you to bolster my forces previously."

 1401 Chaos of War

    Supreme Purgatory replied with a bitter smile on his face, "There was a patron with immense wealth and a hot temper. In a few short years, he secretly arranged for people to buy large numbers of my gladiators. He even bought ten of my Perfected Golden Immortal Stage deathmatch gladiators!


    "Sigh."


    Tang Xiu was shocked. He couldn''t even hold his breath in. In a few years, this person was able to buy ten Perfected Golden Immortal Stage cultivators! Even in his prime, not even Tang Xiu was financially capable enough to do this!


    Tang Xiu stared straight at Supreme Purgatory and asked, "Where is this person from?"


    Supreme Purgatory replied, "Is the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor aware of the Missing Star Empire in the Heavenly Phoenix Immortal Domain?"


    Tang Xiu nodded his head and replied, "I''ve heard of it from a few hundred years ago. There was a ruthless Perfected Golden Immortal Stage cultivator who managed to quickly establish a small state known as the Missing Star Empire. However, this state was not a mortal empire but an empire of immortal cultivators. The ruler of this empire is called the Missing Star Venerable. I have heard of them, but I don''t know much about them."


    Supreme Purgatory then replied, "Yes. The first empress of this Missing Star Empire was once the focus of many powerhouses, just like your Great Tang Empire. She had also caused great disturbances across the whole Immortal World. However, the person who would know most about her would be me."


    Tang Xiu was surprised. He asked, "What do you mean?"


    Supreme Purgatory replied, "This is because this Missing Star Venerable is the same person who bought our Perfected Golden Immortal Stage powerhouses. There were sixty of them. This person ended buying nearly half of all our Perfected Golden Immortal Stage cultivators. In terms of Golden Immortal Stage cultivators, they bought six hundred of them."


    "How wealthy!"


    Tang Xiu couldn''t hold in his disbelief.


    Supreme Purgatory continued, "Indeed. They are extremely wealthy. This Missing Star Venerable is extremely capable. After becoming the empress of the Missing Star Empire, their actions became quite unconventional. With a large pool of resources and wealth, they were also able to constantly hire soldiers and mercenaries into their ranks, expanding and strengthening their forces rapidly. The Missing Star Empire of today is the result of that growth. They are no longer the little state that resided in the Heavenly Phoenix Immortal Domain. The Missing Star Empire has now conquered six immortal domains with countless Immortal soldiers and generals in their ranks. There are now even five Supremes standing with the Missing Star Venerable. Unfortunately¡­"


    Tang Xiu suddenly became alert. This was because he realized that the style of expansion and growth was remarkably similar to his own Great Tang Empire. Furthermore, the inclusion of Supremacy Stage powerhouses within the ranks also exceeded some of the dominant forces in the Immortal World.


    "What''s unfortunate?"


    Tang Xiu asked.


    Supreme Purgatory sighed and replied, "Unfortunately, this Missing Star Empire was met with great trouble recently. They came in conflict with the Hundred Poisons Sect. Around four years ago, the Hundred Poisons Sect and Missing Star Empire were in conflict. The Hundred Poisons Sect''s people were extremely ruthless. They used poison to decimate many of Missing Star Empire''s cities and killed hundreds of millions of Missing Star Empire''s citizens. As a result of this, both forces are in a large-scale battle and have already massacred countless people from both sides. This battle continues to this day, and both sides have already suffered great losses."


    "Hundred Poisons Sect?"


    Tang Xiu was filled with rage. He said, "This Hundred Poisons Sect is truly too cruel and ruthless. They were even willing to kill so many people in the Immortal World. They are no different from demons."


    Supreme Purgatory didn''t care much for life, so he just continued to say, "This is the law of the living. If there is one thing to blame, it''s because of the conflict between the Missing Star Empire and Hundred Poisons Sect. I¡­"


    Suddenly.


    Supreme Purgatory received a Communication Signet. After reading the contents of the Signet, his face was lit up in delight. Then, he said, "The Hundred Poisons Sect''s Hundred Poisons Devil has been killed! The Hundred Poisons Sect has been destroyed. Interesting. Very interesting. How terrifying is this Missing Star Empire!"


    Tang Xiu was shocked. In complete disbelief, he replied, "Although the Hundred Poisons Sect is definitely not considered a powerhouse in the Immortal World, they are at least a tier below! They have deep roots in the Immortal World, and yet¡­ they were destroyed by the Missing Star Empire who has only been established for a century?"


    Supreme Purgatory chuckled and said, "The Great Tang Empire has only been established for around a century as well. You guys probably have enough power to destroy the Hundred Poisons Sect, do you not?"


    Tang Xiu didn''t deny it. He proudly replied, "Although the Hundred Poisons Sect is powerful, they are indeed incomparable to my Great Tang Empire."


    Half a day later.


    Supreme Purgatory was leaving for the Convict Arena. However, before he left, he made a deal with Tang Xiu. This deal involved the Convict Arena sending five hundred Golden Immortal Stage deathmatch gladiators to the Great Tang Empire for a fee that would be paid at the end of a thousand years. The interest rate was at 2%.


    After Supreme Purgatory left, Tang Xiu immediately summoned Jin Shi. He also summoned Golden-eyed Great Peng and Lupus Chimaera Monstrum.


    "My lord, what are your orders?" Jin Shi understood Tang Xiu''s personality. If Tang Xiu directly summoned him, then there was something big going on.


    Tang Xiu breathed a deep breath, then said, "Jin Shi, what are the developments from today''s intel gathering?


    Jin Shi replied, "Our intel operatives are completely in control of the ten immortal domains that we have conquered. We know every single thing that happens within the Domain. Nothing escapes our ears or eyes. In other news, we have also placed a large part of our intel operatives in the surrounding eighteen immortal domains. I estimate that after another century, we will be able to build a complete network of intel in those immortal domains."


    Tang Xiu then replied, "I will give you a month to sort out everything here. Then, I want you to personally bring people to the Missing Star Empire. Your mission is to establish the most classified intel network at the quickest speed you can. Jin Shi, you need to know this. The Missing Star Empire is an empire of immortal cultivators. The control that they have over the empire will not be any worse than our Great Tang Empire. This is why I have arranged from Golden-eyed Peng and Lupus Chimaera Monstrum to go with you to protect you. I hope that you will be able to complete this mission."


    Jin Shi replied, in deep respect, "My lord, I will give my all."


    Tang Xiu took out a mini-version of the Heavenly Abode immortal artifact, then gave it to Jin Shi and said, "There are many cultivation resources here and some Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences. There are also some divine weapons in there. You will need to employ every strategy that you know to establish this intel network. This is all I can give you to support you."


    Jin Shi excitedly replied, "My lord! Don''t worry! According to my experience in establishing an intel network, if the Missing Star Empire has tight control, then I will establish it slowly. However, if their control is more relaxed, then I will unleash everything I have in the shadows. You will definitely see results within the next century.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and replied, "I will give you twenty years. Within these twenty years, no matter the progress, you will return from the Missing Star Empire. There''s not that much time left from our three-hundred-year plan."


    "Yes, my lord!"


    Jin Shi replied, feeling deep respect for his lord.


    Tang Xiu waved his hand to dismiss Jin Shi. He said, "Alright, then. Go and make your necessary preparations."


    Half a month later.


    Tang Xiu stood at the palace''s entrance, watching as Jin Shi left for the Missing Star Empire. He turned his head, looking at Zenith Venerable and Seaway Monarch, and said, "I''m extremely curious about the Missing Star Empire. Let''s go as well! I want to know about this Missing Star Venerable from the Missing Star Empire. She has done a huge favor for our Great Tang Empire! We should go and visit her anyway."


    Seaway Monarch was confused. "The Missing Star Empire did us a huge favor? How come I don''t know about it?"


    Tang Xiu smiled and replied, "In the past few years, the Missing Star Empire has been in a constant battle with the Hundred Poisons Sect. Now, they have destroyed the Hundred Poisons Sect. This sect, alongside with the Myriad Sword Sect, are both enemies of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. Naturally, they also are our enemies. An enemy of an enemy is our friend."


    The Seaway Monarch understood. He laughed and said, "My lord, since you have decided to personally visit the Missing Star Empire, why did you not go with Jin Shi? Instead, you have decided to follow them in secret."


    Tang Xiu replied, "One walks in the shadows while the other walks in the light. This way, we will then be able to resolve any dangers if it arises. Right now, we don''t know much about the Missing Star Empire. Furthermore, we will be passing through a few dangerous areas, so it will be better if we are more cautious."


    Whoosh.


    A blurry silhouette suddenly appeared out of thin air in front of Tang Xiu and the rest. It was the beautiful Mu Wanying. Her gaze swept over Zenith Venerable and the other three, hesitated for a second, then said, "Respected elders, could you all vacate this area for a bit? I have something to tell the emperor."


    "Yes."


    All three of them agreed and immediately flew away.


    Tang Xiu was a little confused, then curiously asked, "Wanying, what is it? What matter requires you to talk to me privately?"


    Mu Wanying hesitated, then a hint of red appeared on her cheeks. She lowered her voice and said, "I¡­ I''m pregnant."


    "What?"


    Tang Xiu froze. He was in disbelief. This was something that he didn''t even dream about. He hadn''t expected that the purpose behind Mu Wanying''s visit was to tell him of such news.


    Pregnant?


    He was becoming a father?


    Tang Xiu looked at the blushing Mu Wanying. Suddenly, he laughed loudly and said, "Yes! What good news! I, Tang Xiu, am becoming a father! This is great news! I thought there was a problem with my body because I have never had a child! Now, it''s not that I have a problem, but that it was just simply not the time! Wanying, how long has it been?"


    Tang Xiu pulled Mu Wanying into an embrace, and she replied bashfully, "It has been around two months. I know that you are leaving soon, so¡­ so could you leave at a later date? I want you there when the child is born."


    Tang Xiu instantly replied, "No problem. I planned to leave the Great Tang Empire immediately to deal with some things outside. However, since you are already pregnant, then I will delay my date of departure. Oh, that''s right. Is Mother aware of your pregnancy?"


    Mu Wanying shook her head and replied, "She doesn''t know yet. You''re the first person I have told."


    Tang Xiu hugged her tightly, then they both disappeared from the palace doors. When both of them appeared again, they were inside their mother''s backyard. As Tang Xiu looked at his younger brother Tang Xin and his mother Su Lingyun, he smiled and released Mu Wanying. Then, he laughed as he said, "Mother! We have something to tell you."

 1402 Great Celebrations

    Su Lingyun saw Tang Xiu, then replied in a disapproving tone, "I''m not interested in knowing about the great happenings in your empire. Xiu''er, come help me convince your brother. He''s already quite old, yet he still doesn''t want to get married and have children. Look, I already have white hairs from you, and now him¡­"


    Tang Xiu laughed and replied, "Mother, since he doesn''t want to get married and have kids yet, then you shouldn''t nag him about it. If the time comes, then he might marry really quickly. Mother, do you not want to hear some great news?"


    Good news?


    Su Lingyun suddenly got excited. She immediately walked over to Mu Wanying, then hurriedly asked, "Are you pregnant?"


    Mu Wanying immediately blushed and shyly nodded her head.


    Su Lingyun''s eyeballs popped out of her sockets and she became extremely excited. She hurriedly asked again, "Really? I¡­ I''m about to become a grandma?"


    Tang Xiu''s handsome face suddenly had a confused expression. He didn''t expect that his mother would be able to guess that Mu Wanying was pregnant straight away. How much did she want grandchildren?


    After a short while.


    All of the upper echelons in the Great Tang Empire received a piece of confirmed news: The queen of the Great Tang Empire, Mu Wanying, was now pregnant. This news spread throughout the empire like wildfire.


    As a result of this news, Tang Xiu''s plans to head to the Missing Star Empire were delayed.


    Misty Spring Ocean, Fragrant Garden Island.


    Inside a palace, two elderly people, one male and one female, were resting on their knees. They were reading the contents from many jade slips. Suddenly, the old lady looked up, then gazed at the girl sitting at the window and said, "Commander, I have news."


    The girl turned her head and asked, "What is it?"


    The old lady replied, "We just received news that the Great Tang Empire has produced their first heir. One of the empresses of the Great Tang Empire, Mu Wanying, is confirmed to be pregnant. She will soon be bearing their first heir."


    The girl paused, then sent out a Communication Signet. Then, she replied, "Our lady commanded us to build an intel network in the Great Tang Empire. Although we have put our best efforts forward, the Great Tang Empire''s intel network is still better than ours. In the last 100 years, we have lost far too many men. Now, we have finally received something useful."


    The old lady smiled bitterly and replied, "The Emperor of the Great Tang Empire is quite similar to our Empress. They both place great emphasis on information. As for our intel network, there are frequently problems regarding getting found out, which causes holes in the intel network. When will this come to an end?"


    The girl shook her head and replied, "Our empress is surely familiar with the Emperor of the Great Tang Empire. Otherwise, she wouldn''t be this cautious towards the Great Tang Empire. Furthermore, she wouldn''t be this focused on the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor either."


    Immortal World, Heavenly Phoenix Immortal Domain.


    There was an unbelievably tall and large palace. The roof of this palace pierced the clouds in the sky, and it was covered in black. Hundreds of layers of arrays engulfed this palace, and there were also countless Immortal soldiers guarding this place. The palace was guarded exceptionally heavily.


    "Hm?"


    There was a Golden Perfected Golden Immortal Stage cultivator, donning black battle robes with a red cloak. Her beautiful face suddenly twisted into one of astonishment. After grabbing the Communication Signet, she didn''t even dare to read the contents of the Communication Signet. Instead, she quickly entered the palace.


    "Empress."


    The person, Dark Wind, appeared in front of the Missing Star Venerable, seated on her Nine Winds Cathedra, then respectfully said, "We have news from the Great Tang Empire. Empress, please have a look."


    The Missing Star Venerable, in her long black robes and donning a black mask, slowly raised her head. Then, she grabbed the Communication Signet and read the contents of the Signet. After reading it, her body, covered in dark clothing, shook a little. Her whole body was covered entirely in black as if a moving mass of black smoke covered her body.


    "I got it. Dismissed."


    Dark Wind paused for a second. She realized that there was a hint of instability in the Empress'' voice.


    Two days later.


    The Missing Star Venerable issued an imperial decree which stated: "I''m sealing myself away for a hundred years. Supreme Murong is to act as my proxy and govern the Missing Star Empire. Unless the nation is at risk of being destroyed, I''m not to be disturbed."


    In a blink of an eye, half a year had already passed.


    Great Tang Empire.


    After the loud cry of a baby was heard, flashes of light were seen flying in all directions from the palace of the Great Tang Empire.


    "The prince has been born! Rejoice! Rejoice!"


    Tang Xiu stood at the end of the bed, holding his newborn son. He was extremely excited, having a sense of fatherhood and a blood connection to this newborn baby. However, his emotions were quite complicated. The things of the past were still hidden in the depths of his heart. All of these old feelings were still as clear as day as the scenes flashed in his mind. It still pained him.


    ...


    "Lord husband, Supreme Myriad Herbs is here. He''s going to examine us. I hope that there aren''t any problems with us."


    "Lord husband, Qincheng is so happy! We have no problems at all. I want to bear a child for us as soon as I can!"


    "Lord husband, it''s already been six times. Supreme Myriad Herbs has already come six times. Why is it that our bodies are healthy, and yet I''m unable to bear your child?"


    "Lord husband, I envy Ying Wei. She''s only around two thousand years old, and yet she already has six children."


    "Lord husband, I really want to further your bloodline."


    "Lord husband, you should take concubines! I can''t bear it¡­"


    "Lord husband¡­"


    ...


    Tang Xiu''s heart was in pain. It was so excruciatingly painful that the hands that he used to hold his newborn son were slightly trembling. He once dreamed countless times of this reality. He dreamed of this reality that he was able to hold his own child while gazing lovingly at the beautiful face on the bed.


    "Xiu, let me hold him."


    When Mu Wanying, lying on the bed, called out to Tang Xiu, it woke him up from his memories. A hint of guilt then grew in his heart. He carefully handed the baby to Mu Wanying.


    "Xiu, give him a name!"


    "Tang Nian."


    Tang Xiu didn''t even think twice. He immediately blurted the name out. After saying it, his whole body shook. Then, he suddenly disappeared. When he reappeared again, his face was twisted in pain and rage.


    That''s right.


    Pain. Rage.


    However, he wasn''t angry at other people, but himself.


    He once thought that he had forgotten about his past. He thought that he had forgotten that woman. However, he now realized that it wasn''t that easy. This was a love that spanned thousands of years. How could he just simply forget it that easily?


    After a while.


    Tang Xiu finally calmed down. He sighed deeply, then said, "Maybe giving it time will be the best choice."


    After a month.


    The Great Tang Empire held an extravagant event. It was a grand celebration of Tang Nian being one month old. It was also during this day that Tang Xiu decided not to wait any longer. He was going to announce the beginning of the war.


    He wanted to kill.


    He wanted to give his newborn son a peaceful future. He was going to use the Great Tang Empire as his spear and shield to carve out a new future.


    He could bear the consequences of this rage and hatred alone, but he did not want his son to bear it. Therefore, he wanted to eradicate all of his enemies before his son matured.


    Vermillion Bird Holy Sect.


    Supreme Star Soul was sitting on his Sect Leader seat at this time. He was smiling as he held his wife, Apotheon Carmen Mist''s hands. He gazed into the distance as if his line of sight pierced through space and fell on his dear grandson.


    "Lord husband, it should be starting soon, right?"


    Apotheon Carmen Mist was extremely excited, but she managed to keep her composure.


    Supreme Star Soul''s smile slowly disappeared. Then, with a heavy look in his eyes, he said, "The Great Tang Empire''s military movements have become abnormal. A lot of their soldiers have disappeared. If my guess is correct, then I think that Xiu''er is preparing a peaceful era for our future grandson to be born into. It has already been a long time. Now, it''s time for revenge.


    Apotheon Carmen Mist replied, "I have always blamed my weakness and lack of power. Now, it will be different. I''m now a Supreme, and our Vermillion Bird Holy Sect now has eight Supremes. Adding Apotheon Bella and Sablefiend Scorpion into our ranks, we have ten Supremes in total. Even if we declared war today, we would still be able to massacre all the scum of the Inner Pill Sect and the Everlasting Palace!"


    Supreme Star Soul nodded his head, then replied, "You''re correct, but we cannot be complacent. Even with our strength, we would still suffer great losses if we wanted to completely destroy our enemies. Therefore, we need to wait for Tang Xiu and his great armies."


    "Yes!"


    Apotheon Carmen Mist nodded her head furiously.


    Outside of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect.


    On a planet somewhere in the vast starry sky, Great Emperor Danqing was deep in cultivation. Suddenly, his expression changed slightly. In a flash, he was outside the palace. He watched as four black-robed people flew towards him from afar. His attention slowly became focused on the chest area of their black robes.


    "Ghost Sect. Shade Demon Zhu Wushou''s servants?"


    Zither Demon Jiuyao silently appeared next to the Great Emperor Danqing and said.


    Great Emperor Danqing coldly laughed and replied, "Shade Demon Zhu Wushou is a cunning man. He''s always plotting. When we surrounded and attacked the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, he personally brought a large group of the strongest Immortals in the Ghost Sect to destroy the disciples of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. They also killed them in cruel and horrific methods, even more than us. Now that his people are here, I''m not sure what they want this time."


    Those four people already arrived in front of the two of them while they were still talking.


    "Great Emperor Danqing. Zither Demon Jiuyao."


    The leader of those four was an elder with red hair, and his name was Yin Wufa. His eyes swept over the two of them, then said, "In the name of my Sect Leader, I have come to tell you that there is a Supreme powerhouse in the Great Tang Empire. This Supreme is the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect''s late Star Cultivation Great Emperor''s disciple. This person is an Apotheon. The former lord of the Misty Spring Ocean is also an Apotheon as well."


    Zither Demon Jiuyao then calmly replied, "Yin Wufa, you''re a Supreme powerhouse in the Immortal World. This can''t be the only news that you have to relay if you have come here personally."


    Yin Wufa shook his head and replied, "Naturally, you''re correct. What I have come to say is that the appearance of the Great Tang Empire is truly quite enigmatic. The speed of their growth is also terrifyingly fast. It''s simply unheard of. Our Sect Leader thinks that the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor has deep ties to the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. Today, the Great Tang Empire has begun to mobilize its troops. In a few days, 80% of their troops have already vanished into thin air. Therefore, our Sect Leader is afraid that something had happened here, that''s why he sent us over as reinforcements."

 1403 An All-Out Figh

    Black Wind Immortal Domain.


    Three figures suddenly appeared on top of a planet like a bolt of lightning. Tang Xiu had come dressed for battle, wearing black armor and wielding his divine sword in hand as he surveyed the surroundings coolly.


    After the army of the Great Tang Empire had entered his Heavenly Abode nine days ago, he had made haste to reach the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. Although he could faintly sense someone spying on him during this time, he couldn''t find their tracks even after using the Heavenly Magic Mirror.


    As such, he had left the ranks of his entourage along with Old Sycamore and Eagle in an attempt to draw out the enemy. If the enemy were to appear, Tang Xiu planned to engage in battle with them after summoning the four Supremes that were stationed within a small-sized Heavenly Abode he carried on him.


    "Your Majesty, could it be that you were mistaken?" Eagle asked in a slightly hesitating tone as he checked the surroundings unceasingly with his keen gaze.


    Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "That''s very unlikely. I''ve had this feeling countless times before, and it has helped me survive through danger equally if not more times. I''m certain that someone is hiding within the darkness and spying on us. If they are a hostile party, they would be making an appearance soon enough."


    Time flitted by and two whole days passed by in a flash. Although Tang Xiu and the others were seated cross-legged on this planet, they were on high alert at all times over these last two days.


    Eagle''s heart trembled in palpation as he spoke, "They''ve come."


    Tang Xiu flew up and looked towards the distant void. He could already see the clear image of a war chariot making its way towards them, and soon after, there was only a distance of 10,000 meters left between them. The chariot just had one mysterious black-robed man riding on it, and he had donned an immortal robe that prevented the spiritual sense of others to sense him along with a black mask on his face.


    "Who are you?" Tang Xiu asked as he stood mid-air and directed his gaze towards the mysterious man.


    On the chariot, Shade Demon Zhu Wushou''s lips curled into a smile, and a dark look appeared on his face as he enunciated his words, "Many have asked me this question before, but all of them have perished in soul and flesh after asking it. If I remember it correctly, a vast majority of them belonged to the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect."


    A cold glint flashed across Tang Xiu''s eyes as he replied in a deep voice, "Someone once told me that he injured my disciple and almost caused my Yan''er to perish perpetually. I believe you''re him, right?"


    "Asura Witch¡­ Gu Yan''er?"


    Shade Demon Zhu Wushou took his mask off along with the hat he was wearing to reveal his beguiling, handsome looks as well as scattered white hair.


    Tang Xiu said with a sneer, "Shade Demon Zhu Wushou. I never thought you would drop in before I even went looking for you. Even I hadn''t sensed the deep hatred you held for my Vermillion Bird Holy Sect at all. I really commend you for that!"


    Shade Demon Zhu Wushou laughed out loud. "I really never expected this. Who could have known that the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor of the Great Tang Empire is actually the former Star Cultivation Great Emperor? Hahahaha¡­ This is indeed interesting, very interesting. That foolish disciple of mine actually betrayed me for you, hehehe¡­ She had a pretty straightforward death, yet you have managed to survive, this is indeed pretty vexing. Also, Great Emperor Daqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao, these two good-for-nothings. They plotted so long back then yet still failed in the end."


    Tang Xiu clenched his fists hard and gazed at Shade Demon Zhu Wushou with rancor. If someone were to ask him who he hated the most in this world, it was neither Great Emperor Daqing nor Zither Demon Jiuyao, but rather this Shade Demon Zhu Wushou before him.


    It was him who had made him feel the sense of betrayal by his true love!


    It was him who had persecuted him by manipulating events while hiding in the shadows!


    A somewhat sinister expression appeared on Tang Xiu''s face as he replied to him gloomily, "Your darling disciple didn''t betray you. If she hadn''t snuck an attack on me first, it would have been hard for Great Emperor Daqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao to kill me with their paltry abilities. I''ve always guarded my back against others except for those closest to me, and she was the only outsider other than my father and family among those exceptions."


    Shade Demon Zhu Wushou laughed out loud. "So it was like that. It seems like you hate her very much, huh? It''s a pity that she''s already dead, or else it would have been pretty interesting to see you two meet each other again. Aren''t I right? The most dazzling Supreme of the Immortal World, Star Cultivation Great Emperor?"


    Tang Xiu sneered. "You better stop counting your chickens before they are hatched since it''s just going to be futile."


    Shade Demon Zhu Wushou said with a laugh, "It doesn''t matter even if it ends up futile. After all, she''s just a chess piece of mine, so as far as I''m concerned, I have suffered no losses even if she has perished eternally. I''m actually more curious about you. You have actually re-cultivated so quickly and also managed to establish a behemoth like the Great Tang Empire. This is really impressive!"


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and said, "Since you know my Great Tang Empire is a behemoth with plenty of powerhouses afoot, I don''t know whether to praise you for your courage or to curse your stupidity for showing up."


    Shade Demon Zhu Wushou raised his hand and laughed. "I have one last question. If you are able to answer this, I''ll give you one chance to battle me directly."


    "Ask away!" Tang Xiu stated indifferently.


    Shade Demon Zhu Wushou chuckled. "You must be the reason Heavenly Emperor Tianji amputated his arm, right? Just what ace did you use to make him do that so resolutely?"


    Tang Xiu said faintly, "I just made someone tell this to him¡ªAmputate your arm if you wish to live, and that will resolve the grudge."


    Shade Demon Zhu Wushou''s expression changed slightly. The smile of his face vanished as he gave Tang Xiu a profound look before responding coldly, "That''s quite impressive, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. This Heavenly Emperor Tianji, on the other hand, is pretty trashy. A stately Supreme like him actually got scared by a few words from you and amputated his arm, what a fool he is. Never mind, I''ll eliminate you here today and then find a way to crush that Great Tang Empire of yours."


    Saying so, he waved his arms, and in just a few breaths, a total of six Supremes as well as a few dozen Perfected Golden Immortals, surrounded Tang Xiu, Eagle, and Old Sycamore.


    "How is this possible?" Tang Xiu''s expression changed suddenly. He felt enraged when he saw the six Supremes who had appeared and roared at them. "Supreme Mantis, Supreme Mega, Supreme Icesnow. I never thought you three would actually become the lackeys of Shade Demon Zhu Wushou."


    Supreme Icesnow sneered back at him. "Star Cultivation Great Emperor¡­ oh, pardon me. You''re Great Tang Heavenly Emperor now, right? Since we can obtain what we want the most from Shade Demon Zhu Wushou''s hands, we''ll obviously have no qualms working for him. Do you know? We can get a Divinity Attainment Pill as long as we succeed in killing you. Hahaha¡­ I have 60% confidence in crossing the divine tribulation and ascending to the God Realm to become a Deity with the Divinity Attainment Pill''s aid."


    "Killing me is just a pipe dream for you all," Tang Xiu called the four Supremes stationed within his Heavenly Abode outside and said majestically, "Although you are a bit stronger than us, our side doesn''t lack in killing methods at all. Shade Demon Zhu Wushou, since you chose this place as the battlefield, you must have planned to battle us here at once, right? It''s just that¡­"


    Supreme Icesnow''s expression changed greatly as he asked in a deep voice, "What?"


    Tang Xiu smirked and said, "It''s just that you are on a time limit. If you fail to eliminate us all within seven days, your judgment day might just end up falling upon you. My Great Tang Empire has close to 20 Supremes now, so I really wish to see who will come out alive in this final game between us."


    "Just empty talk." Supreme Icesnow snorted as he didn''t believe Tang Xiu''s words. After all, he had never heard of any force possessing more than 10 Supremes, let alone 20.


    Shade Demon Zhu Wushou stated gloomily, "Stop wasting your breath and attack now! We still need to make a trip to the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect after this. It took a lot of effort to obtain the Formation Breaking Talisman from the Demon Realm, so it''s time to destroy the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect after a millennium-long struggle at death''s door."


    "Kill them!"


    The six Supremes who had arrived with Shade Demon Zhu Wushou, as well as dozens of Perfected Golden Immortals, unfounded a fearsome attack on Tang Xiu''s group.


    "Rainbow Phantasmagoria Realm." Tang Xiu employed one of his divine powers at the instant they moved and targeted Shade Demon Zhu Wushou and the other six Supreme powerhouses.


    Spurt! Spurt! Spurt!


    The subordinates of Shade Demon Zhu Wushou and the six Supremes were caught off guard and fell under the illusion of the Rainbow Phantasmagoria Realm. Although they broke free from the illusion almost instantaneously and even managed to dodge Tang Xiu and the others'' fatal attacks, they had gained some flesh injuries on their bodies.


    "Die, Star Cultivation Great Emperor!"


    Shade Demon Zhu Wushou was a late-stage Supreme powerhouse and could contend with two to three Supremes at the early-stage or mid-stage with his battle strength. As such, while the other Supremes confronted Eagle, Old Sycamore, and the others together with the Perfected Golden Immortals, Tang Xiu faced Shade Demon Zhu Wushou''s attacks and got blown away in just a few dozen breaths.


    "What a strong physique. I never expected the new Star Cultivation Great Emperor to actually become a body cultivator."


    Although Tang Xiu hadn''t suffered that many injuries when he got blown away, he could feel the disparity in strength between him and Shade Demon Zhu Wushou.


    "We''re outmatched and outnumbered, so we''re unable to take the upper hand." Tang Xiu took a deep breath and used his strongest divine power immediately.


    "Heavenly Net."


    The powerful Primal Chaos Force flowed out from Tang Xiu''s body steadily along with the appearance of illusionary lines within the void. The six Supremes confronting Eagle, Old Sycamore, and the others were affected instantaneously, and two of them suffered from heavy injuries because of the split-second gap that had opened up, while the other four were also inflicted with light injuries.


    "What''s this damned thing? Break for me." A wrathful expression appeared on Shade Demon Zhu Wushou''s beguiling face as he struck Tang Xiu with his saber. The countless multicolored lines that had appeared suddenly had stopped the beam of saber light his saber had emitted.


    Boom¡­


    The saber struck the Primal Chaos Force that Tang Xiu had released after slicing through all the lines and blew him away, and Shade Demon Zhu Wushou appeared before Tang Xiu in the next instant. A beam of light flashed by as he struck at Tang Xiu''s head fiercely, seemingly with an intent to behead Tang Xiu with this single attack.

 1404 A Life Saved at the Cost of Others

    "Your Majesty!"


    Although Old Sycamore and the others were battling power enemies, their attention was on Tang Xiu at all times. They used their most formidable attacks as if their life depended on it to force back their opponents and rushed towards Tang Xiu and Zhu Wushou immediately.


    "They are quite loyal!" A cold gleam of light flashed past Shade Demon Zhu Wushou''s eyes as he used his strongest divine power, Twilight Nightmare, and enveloped all seven of them in it.


    "Break for me!"


    "Break!"


    "Go!"


    Crazed expressions appeared on their faces as they unfolded a fierce offense towards Shade Demon Zhu Wushou, almost with the intent to exchange their lives with his.


    Boom¡­


    The planet nearby exploded within the vast starry skies, yet the explosive force behind the explosion didn''t have any influence on them. Shade Demon Zhu Wushou''s strongest attack also got defeated by their superimposed attacks.


    "Kill them all!" Shade Demon Zhu Wushou commanded in an enraged voice, and following that, the six Supremes that had accompanied him immediately charged at Old Sycamore and the others.


    The intense battle caused the stars around them to tremble, and the nearby planets exploded one after the other because of the energy fluctuations. The blasts from the explosion of the planets as well as the attacks of the Supremes even caused space to destabilize and form innumerable black holes.


    This battle continued for five days, and during this time, no matter whether it was Tang Xiu or the others from his group, all of them had suffered grievous injuries. On the enemy side, Shade Demon Zhu Wushou had just suffered light injuries, and the same could be said for Supreme Icesnow. However, the other five Supremes who had accompanied Shade Demon Zhu Wushou had all gotten severely injured.


    "Twilight Nightmare, Void Blast." Shade Demon Zhu Wushou revealed a dense killing intent on his face as he watched Tang Xiu get blown away. As soon as he uttered those words, he immediately followed up with his strongest attack once again.


    Pain flashed across Tang Xiu''s eyes as he spewed out blood. As he was almost ten times weaker than before, there was a huge chasm between his strength and a late-stage Supreme like Shade Demon Zhu Wushou. The reason he had managed to hold on for five days was that Old Sycamore and the others had gone all out to protect him, and also because of the aid provided by the fully matured Supremacy Stage Star Devourer Insect residing inside his body.


    If not for them, he would have died in Shade Demon Zhu Wushou''s hands five days ago.


    Shade Demon Zhu Wushou revealed a crazed smile on his face as he watched Tang Xiu and seized this opportunity to teleport and arrive before him momentarily. His saber struck down towards Tang Xiu''s head and he almost felt like he could see the scene of his saber splitting Tang Xiu into two any moment now.


    "Twilight Nightmare." A cold, monotonous voice echoed from behind Shade Demon Zhu Wushou, and a demon artifact pierced through his defenseless body along with an explosive amount of fearsome energy.


    "Scram!" Shade Demon Zhu Wushou''s expression changed greatly. His saber that was just inches away from reaching Tang Xiu''s head changed directions and struck towards his back. At the same time, he gathered his energy to use Twilight Nightmare once again and bombarded the person behind him with it resolutely.


    The person who had attacked Shade Demon Zhu Wushou at almost the same moment got hit in the chest badly and flew back within the void as Shade Demon Zhu Wushou fell back several thousands of meters, blood spewing out from the wound on his chest.


    Tang Xiu''s gaze fell on the person who had got blown away from Shade Demon Zhu Wushou''s attack. Although he couldn''t see their appearance, he had recognized their identity after hearing their toneless voice.


    "Leave now!" Tang Xiu roared at them with a crazed expression on his face.


    That person paused for a moment, and after looking at Tang Xiu deeply, they immediately charged at Shade Demon Zhu Wushou in silence. A storm of demon flames appeared all of a sudden as a crazy amount of black mist surged up from the surroundings, instantly enveloping Shade Demon Zhu Wushou and them in it.


    "Damn it! Who are you and why can you use my Twilight Nightmare? Argh¡­ you scoundrel! You actually plan to detonate your immortal soul?! Scram for me!"


    A figure flew out of the roiling black mist like a broken kite while spewing out blood crazily. Their right arm had been amputated while a huge hole had appeared on their chest. Furthermore, their mutilated body was suppressed by a flickering golden soul seal.


    Whoosh¡­


    Tang Xiu felt like his heart had ripped into two pieces, his cheeks trailing with tears. He appeared behind that figure instantly and held them in his embrace.


    "Cough¡­"


    The person''s mask had broken into pieces already, and their black robes were in a tattered state. Xue Qingcheng coughed out a few mouthfuls of blood, and although her forehead had creased up in pain, she had a poignant smile on her face right now.


    "You idiot!"


    Tang Xiu poured a crazy amount of Primal Chaos Force inside her body as she laid within his embrace. He could sense that Han Qingwu was losing her vitality at a rapid pace, and from the looks of it, it seemed like she would die thoroughly in just a few hours.


    "Cough¡­ I am¡­ an idiot."


    Xue Qingcheng''s eyes brimmed with tears, yet the smile on her face turned even brighter. She raised her blood-stained hands and caressed Tang Xiu''s face gently before speaking in a weak voice, "I owed him a favor before, and all my relatives were in his hands too. If¡­ Cough¡­ I hadn''t struck you back then, they would have all died and I wouldn''t have been able to pay back the favor I owed him.


    "Xiu, you''re the person who I''m most indebted to in this world. My life is yours even if you''re unwilling to see me again. If you wish to have a tranquil life, just watching you silently from far away is enough to fill me with happiness. If you wish to kill someone, you just need to point your blade at them, and I will¡­ Cough¡­ kill them for you.


    "Do you know? This is the happiest I have felt ever since that day.


    "I''m pleading with you. Please break the soul seal on me.


    "Xiu, this is the first time I''ve ever asked something from you. Please¡­ leave.


    "Leave¡­"


    Tang Xiu cried his heart out, tears bursting out like a broken dam and the heart-rending pain almost made him go insane. At this moment, he had finally realized that although she had struck him back then, it wasn''t because she didn''t love him. On the contrary, she was so deeply in love with him that the pain she had to bear was much worse than his.


    "She died before.


    "She really committed suicide after attacking me back then.


    "She is Xue Qingcheng, yet she''s also Han Qingwu.


    "She loved me all along.


    "But I kept thinking of killing her and always hated her.


    "And she¡­ persisted just as before, enduring everything¡­"


    Tang Xiu''s heart filled with remorse. He had always seen things from his perspective and never considered the pain in Xue Qingcheng''s heart.


    "LEAVE!"


    A scream echoed out from Tang Xiu''s bosom as a fearsome force pushed him hundreds of kilometers away. In the next instant, Xue Qingcheng appeared near Eagle. After taking a fierce hit from Supreme Icesnow for him, she roared at him, "Help me break the soul seal!"


    "ARRGGHHH!"


    The gravely injured Old Sycamore who was on the brink of losing his life issued a beastly roar all of a sudden as he bellowed out loud, "Your Majesty. Old Sycamore has forgotten the grace you have shown me. And now, it''s time for me to pay you back."


    Boom¡­


    A terrifying explosion that was a hundred times more powerful than the explosion of a planet unfolded after that with Old Sycamore at the center. The dreadful energy from the detonation progressed in all directions with terrifying speed and resulted in the nearby Supreme Icesnow''s body exploding into a battered state. Only his immortal soul managed to escape and fled towards the distance in fear.


    "Old Sycamore."


    Tang Xiu''s body trembled violently as pain overcame his entire body, following which, all the planets inside the cosmic space of his body shone with intense light. A terrifying halo of energy shrouded his body and his aura soared up explosively in an instant as he made way towards the place Eagle and Xue Qingcheng were located with lightning-quick movements.


    "Don''t break the soul seal!" Tang Xiu screamed at Eagle.


    Eagle smiled bitterly and pushed her hundreds of kilometers away by hitting her shoulder with his immortal force and yelled back at Tang Xiu, "Your Majesty, I should have died in the Nefas Abyss a thousand years ago, but I survived and could even have a child with my wife because you saved her. Please take care of them for me."


    In the next instant, Eagle charged towards Apotheon Myriad Notes and punched him in the chest. Once he was far away, he donated his immortal soul as well.


    The Supremes besieging him and Apotheon Myriad Notes were both mid-stage Supremes and were already gravely injured right now. Their expressions changed greatly when they realized Eagle''s intentions, but they were unable to withdraw in time, and their bodies vaporized within the explosion. Even their immortal souls failed to escape the detonation of Eagle''s immortal soul.


    "Eagle!"


    Tang Xiu''s eyes filled with despair as he caught Xue Qingcheng in his embrace, feeling outraged. His eyes turned bloodshot and his body grew in size crazily. His muscles expanded, his bones shattered, and his meridians ruptured. In just a few breaths of time, his height increased by ten meters, and the fearsome Primal Chaos Force then nourished his muscles, fused his bones, and rejoined his meridians.


    At this moment, his visage resembled a Demon God as the divine sword returned to his hands. He instantaneously appeared before Shade Demon Zhu Wushou, who had an unsightly expression on his face.


    "Damn it! I''m the Demon here!" Shade Demon Zhu Wushou roared in anger.


    Although Xue Qingcheng had inflicted a severe wound on him through an ambush, he was confident that he could kill Tang Xiu just as before. The space around him collapsed as a torrent of energy amassed in front of him. His saber then exploded with a bang and turned into a saber light spanning thousands of meters as it struck towards Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu acted as if he hadn''t sensed the danger and cut through space with his divine sword to meet the incoming saber light. His current strength wasn''t that far from his former self''s strongest might. The divine sword in his hand sliced through the saber light and pierced into Shade Demon Zhu Wushou''s chest firmly.


    "Divine Power¡ªHeavenly Net."


    Tang Xiu coughed out a mouthful of blood and, followed by a flash of blood-colored light, countless multicolored lines appeared, extended with him as the source, and covered a range of 500 kilometers around him in an instant.


    The entire world.


    Appeared to have frozen.


    The magnificent radiance from the multicolored lines made this section of the world appear like an illusionary dream and repressively beautiful. The dozens of Perfected Golden Immortals were sliced into pieces instantaneously, and their blood seemed to augment this section of the world with dazzling amaryllises.

 1405 A Mutual Defea

    "How is this possible?"


    Shade Demon Zhu Wushou sent Tang Xiu flying with a punch, disbelief filling his eyes. Victory was just inches away from him, yet it had turned into such a miserable outcome in the end. Not only had three of the six Supremes he had brought perished, but there was even a chance of him dying in this battle.


    "It''s all or nothing now!"


    A cold glint appeared in Shade Demon Zhu Wushou''s eyes. His immortal soul flew out of his body and appeared five hundred kilometers away almost instantaneously. Even the numerous multi-colored lines that spanned across the void couldn''t obstruct him from escaping that far.


    "Detonate!" Shade Demon Zhu Wushou yelled frantically, and following that, his body exploded with a loud bang. Although the force of the explosion wasn''t as deadly as an immortal soul''s detonation, it had blown Tang Xiu away momentarily.


    Tang Xiu''s body flew out towards the distance like a broken kite while blood spewed out from his mouth. In the next instant, Xue Qingcheng''s figure appeared behind Tang Xiu and caught him within her embrace, streams of tears flowing down her cheeks as she gazed upon his grievously injured body.


    "Master!"


    "Your Majesty!"


    Apotheon Myriad Notes and the other three Supremes called out in alarm. They couldn''t be bothered to battle the three enemy Supremes who had lost their will to battle already and rushed towards Tang Xiu and Xue Qingcheng''s side immediately.


    Shade Demon Zhu Wushou''s immortal soul escaped and so did the other three Supremes. The remaining dozen Perfected Golden Immortals also fled with their bruised bodies.


    Xue Qingcheng coughed out a mouthful of blood in the chaotic void and handed Tang Xiu over to Apotheon Myriad Notes very carefully. "Take good care of him."


    Saying so, she covered the hole in her chest and flew across into the distance.


    "Stop her." Tang Xiu wobbled his head dizzily and ordered Apotheon Myriad Notes when he realized Xue Qingcheng was planning to leave.


    Apotheon Myriad Notes hesitated for a moment and smiled bitterly. "Master, although she saved you, she¡­"


    Tang Xiu interrupted his words and said deeply, "She indeed committed a sin once, but how could the pain she felt be any lesser than mine? Myriad Notes, I''ve thought about it clearly now. Just the fact that she rushed over to save me today and was even willing to detonate her immortal soul and perish eternally so that I can make it out alive is enough for you to call her Madam again. Stop her, or else she absolutely won''t live past an hour."


    Apotheon Myriad Notes'' expression changed, and he left to chase after Xue Qingcheng immediately. In just a short quarter-hour, he had arrived before Xue Qingcheng to block her path. "Madam, Master has told me to not let you go."


    "Madam?"


    Xue Qingcheng couldn''t hold back her tears as she muttered, "Is he¡­ willing to see me?"


    Apotheon Myriad Notes said, "Master just told me a few moments ago that the reason you endangered your own life to save him and were willing to even detonate your immortal soul to safeguard him is that you really love him. Furthermore, Master has realized the reason behind your actions back then and believes that you must have suffered much harder than him."


    "Did he¡­ cough¡­ really say that? He doesn''t hate me?" A faint blush appeared on Xue Qingcheng''s face, but these emotions just burned her life even faster. Even her flight had become a bit unstable because of it.


    Apotheon Myriad Notes said solemnly, "Madam, Master really doesn''t hate you. Please return with me quickly! Master''s injuries are pretty grave, so he needs you by his side."


    "What?" Xue Qingcheng cried out in alarm and rushed towards Tang Xiu immediately. As she had forcefully increased the speed of her flight, it caused her to cough two mouthfuls of blood again.


    "Xiu¡­"


    Xue Qingcheng''s trembling voice was filled with concern and her tears flowed faster once she had arrived before Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and reached out to hold Xue Qingcheng tightly. "Let the matters of the past drift within the winds! You are still my, Tang Xiu''s wife, and forever will be."


    Xue Qingcheng''s eyes glimmered with happiness. She had dreamt about hearing these words from Tang Xiu ever since she had regained her memories. Now that her dream had come true, she was ready to accept her death gladly at any moment now.


    Tang Xiu took another deep breath and clasped Xue Qingcheng''s face suddenly. "Since you''ve experienced a new reincarnation and have a new identity, you''re no longer Xue Qingcheng. You''re Han Qingwu now. Do you believe me, Qingwu?"


    Xue Qingcheng¡­ Han Qingwu nodded solemnly and said, "I believe you, even more so than I believe myself."


    Tang Xiu said, "Your injuries are pretty serious. Even though I have a great amount of medicinal immortal pills and treasures, I still can''t preserve your life. Therefore, I''ll need to send you to a place. Even though I don''t know whether you will be able to survive after entering there, there''s at least some hope if you doing so."


    Han Qingwu said with a nod, "I''ll listen to you, and go wherever you want me to go. I won''t even hesitate if you want me to die right now."


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and raised his head slowly. He utilized the fourth stage of the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis to its fullest with all his strength and then used his divine power after assimilating his spiritual sense with the cosmos inside his Dantian. After that, a strand of Primal Chaos Force circled around Han Qingwu and pulled her inside the black vortex that had appeared on his chest suddenly.


    This¡­ was his first attempt to bring a human from the outside world to the cosmos inside his Dantian. The other entity that he had absorbed inside was the Heavenly Path Universe Tree, but he was attempting to bring an actual human inside this time. So, he needed to use the huge vitality of the Heavenly Path Universe Tree to protect Han Qingwu''s soul and reignite her vital force again.


    A few moments later, Han Qingwu felt her head spin in confusion as she found herself in a brand-new world. This expansive world had a series of planets in all directions, and she simply found it hard to believe her senses as she could feel a breath of life from all these planets.


    "That tree¡­"


    Han Qingwu trembled. She had a faint feeling that the beautiful and vivid multicolored tree was brimming with vitality. She could even see a light green energy flow towards her from the tree and enter her body as she absorbed the spiritual energy of the world. In the next moment, she could clearly sense that the strand of light green energy was raising her dwindling vitality.


    "I never imagined it''s really possible to hold life within this cosmos. Qingwu, how do you feel now?" An indistinct figure appeared before Han Qingwu suddenly.


    Han Qingwu looked at Tang Xiu, who appeared a bit illusionary and unreal, and revealed an excited expression on her face. "The energy emitted by that tree is complementing my vitality. I should be able to survive if I remain here. Xiu, where is this place?"


    Tang Xiu answered, "Inside my Dantian. It''s a cosmos that I''ve established inside my Dantian."


    Han Qingwu found this hard to believe. "You''re actually able to establish this kind of world inside your Dantian? This is just¡­ unbelievable."


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly and said, "Since this place can preserve your life, go up that Heavenly Path Universe Tree to recuperate now! You can contact me using your spiritual sense if you need me. I''ll be able to sense it."


    "Mhm!"


    Han Qingwu knew that her injuries were too serious, so she agreed to it and flew towards Heavenly Path Universe Tree.


    Tang Xiu regained his divine sense and coughed out another mouthful of blood. His injuries were actually pretty grave. He surveyed his surroundings with his ice-cold gaze after he helped Han Qingwu settle and enveloped the surrounding ten thousand kilometers with a tremendous amount of Primal Chaos Force in just a few seconds.


    "Souls, Gather, and Assemble."


    Tang Xiu enunciated the words with his ice-cold voice, and in the next instant, rainbow-colored specks of starlight appeared within this range of hundred thousand kilometers. As Tang Xiu couldn''t figure out which specks of soul force belonged to Eagle and Old Sycamore, he gathered all five types of specks and absorbed them into his body after segregating them into five rainbow-colored light spheres, sealing them inside his left hand.


    He believed that he would be able to find a method to revive Eagle and Old Sycamore.


    "Let''s go!"


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and consumed a Purple Scent Pill, as well as two drops of god blood to heal on his way back to the army of the Great Tang Empire. He finally saw Apotheon Mu and the others who were rushing over half a day later.


    "Master!"


    "Your Majesty!"


    Apotheon Mu and the others revealed shocked expressions and rushed before Tang Xiu, wearing worried looks on their faces when they saw their dire states of Tang Xiu and the others.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and said deeply, "We encountered Shade Demon Zhu Wushou and almost died in their hands. However, now isn''t the time to talk about this. We need to rush to the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect at once and help settle their crisis first. After that, we''ll immediately engage in war with the Inner Pill Sect and Everlasting Palace."


    "Understood!"


    A few days later.


    Tang Xiu recuperated while sitting cross-legged on an immortal flying artifact, and his expression changed suddenly as he sensed Han Qingwu call out to him from the cosmic space inside his Dantian. He immediately transmuted his divine sense into an avatar and appeared before Han Qingwu.


    "What is it? Have your injuries healed?"


    Han Qingwu answered, "The dwindling of vitality has already stopped, so the energy from the Heavenly Path Universe Tree is nourishing my immortal soul and body now. However, it would at least take a few years for me to recover completely."


    Tang Xiu nodded slowly. "Recuperate here. I''ll let you go outside once you have recovered fully. By the way, why did you call me?"


    Han Qingwu asked, "You must be planning to attack the Inner Pill Sect and Everlasting Palace, right?"


    Tang Xiu said with a nod, "That''s right. The Great Tang Empire has a well-trained and powerful army now, and plenty of powerhouses. Even if all the powerhouses of Inner Pill Sect and Everlasting Palace band up together, they still aren''t our match."


    Han Qingwu nodded and said, "I know that the Great Tang Empire already has over a dozen Supremes currently. However, to ensure a certain victory, send someone from your faction to contact Missing Star Empire''s Murong Tianbo, our former housekeeper. He will lead the Missing Star Empire''s army to aid you."

 1406 Declaration of War

    Tang Xiu''s eyes filled with disbelief as he muttered, "You mean that Apotheon Missing Star is actually Murong Tianbo?"


    Han Qingwu shook her head. "I''m Apotheon Missing Star. This is the new name I assumed after returning to the Immortal World, and the Missing Star Empire was also established by me. We have a total of eight Supremes now. I knew you would want to take vengeance sooner or later, but I never thought it would be so early. However, our current strength is enough to handle the Inner Pill Sect and Everlasting Palace."


    This piece of news shocked Tang Xiu. Han Qingwu''s arrival in the Immortal World wasn''t as early as his, yet, she had accomplished such a great achievement in just 300 years. Tang Xiu had never imagined that Hang Qingwu was actually so formidable.


    "Amazing!" Tang Xiu sighed sincerely.


    Han Qingwu revealed a smile and shook her head. "My luck was good, that''s all. I believed I was about to die, but I actually had an immense fortuitous encounter and obtained the legacy palaces of four Supremes and obtained all of their inheritances, as well as their wealth."


    Tang Xiu felt amazed. "Which ones?"


    Han Qingwu replied, "Supreme Heavenly Core, Old Demon Night, Monster Lord Regretless, and Blood Asura. They reached an agreement to have a battle in the Immortal World, but they fell into a spatial crack, and even though they were all Supremes, they couldn''t make it out alive as the spatial crack led to the Sea of Death."


    Even Tang Xiu felt a bit jittery after hearing this as even he would have barely made it out of a spatial crack connected to the Sea of Death back when he was at his strongest as a Supreme of the Immortal World. All immortals of the Immortal World knew that running into a spatial crack that connected to the Sea of Death was equivalent to encountering the God of Death, so it was very hard to come out of it alive.


    Tang Xiu suddenly recalled what Supreme Purgatory had told him. He had told him that the ruler of the Missing Star Empire, Apotheon Missing Star, had bought a large amount of Perfected Golden Immortals and Golden Immortals from the Convict Arena. This meant that Han Qingwu had really obtained a huge amount of wealth from the legacy palaces of the four Supremes.


    "When did you break through to the Supremacy Stage? Also, how did your Missing Star Empire manage to produce so many powerhouses?" Tang Xiu inquired.


    Han Qingwu smiled and said, "It wasn''t me, it was Murong Tianbo. Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao carried out a massacre in our former immortal palace and destroyed it, and also injured him grievously, but he was able to escape from them. The endless battles actually allowed him to benefit and opened the doors to the Supremacy Stage for him. You also know that he was a late-stage Perfected Golden Immortal powerhouse and just a step away from breaking through to the Supremacy Stage. I ran into him coincidentally and informed him that you have already returned, but he chose to leave after learning that I wanted to establish a force to help you in the future. He only requested a method that would allow someone to break through to the Supremacy Stage as well as the way to produce the Divinity Attainment Pill, and this is the reason a large amount of Supremes emerged from the Missing Star Empire in such a short duration of 200-300 years."


    Tang Xiu nodded after understanding how everything had spanned. "That''s already a pretty decent achievement. Give me the communication signet that connects to Murong Tianbo. I''ll contact him shortly."


    "All right!"


    Han Qingwu nodded gently and took a communication signet out from her interspatial ring.


    A short moment later, Tang Xiu summoned the communication signet outside and sent it out after leaving a message in it.


    Heavenly Phoenix Immortal Domain.


    Murong Tianbo sat cross-legged in the main hall of the Missing Star Empire''s Imperial Palace and cultivated in silence, his hidden and formless aura enveloping the entire palace. As the palace had a huge energy gathering array inside it, the interior of the palace contained a rich amount of immortal spiritual energy.


    Whoosh¡­


    A communication signet passed through all the layers of the array and appeared before Murong Tianbo. His expression changed once he read the message inside it¡ªMurong, it''s me. Qingcheng and I were attacked my Shade Demon Zhu Wushou and she got injured pretty badly. I''m leading the Great Tang Empire''s immortal army to the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect right now, and I hope to see the reinforcements of the Missing Star Empire''s army as soon as possible.


    Murong Tianbo''s heart trembled after he finished reading the message. If anyone were to ask him which person''s aura he was most familiar with, it was undoubtedly that of his former master, Star Cultivation Great Emperor. He knew that his master was still alive and had established the behemoth that was the Great Tang Empire.


    Hence, he didn''t doubt this message even a little.


    He rushed out of the palace momentarily and announced solemnly in a loud voice, "It''s an order from His Majesty. The generals of the Missing Star Empire must prepare the armies to set out immediately. We will begin marching towards the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect with haste half-a-day later."


    All the Supremes, Perfected Golden Immortals, Golden Immortals, and ten million immortal soldiers of the Missing Star Empire began to answer the call immediately. The dozens of Perfected Golden Immortals led a large number of immortal soldiers to steadily enter Heavenly Abodes under the supervision of the Supremes.


    Outside the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect.


    Great Emperor Danqing''s expression changed immediately when he received a communication signet as he stood in the vast starry skies. He appeared outside the palace instantly and thundered. "Heed my orders. Summon all the powerhouses of the sect who are above the Immortal Stage here right away. The Inner Pill Sect will prepare for war from this moment onwards and exterminate the Great Tang Empire and the Vermillion Bid Holy Sect."


    Whoosh¡­


    A figure rushed over from the distance and arrived before Great Emperor Danqing. He inquired about the situation after seeing the grim look on Zither Demon Jiuyao''s face in a deep voice, "What happened?"


    Great Emperor Danqing''s expression turned a little complicated, but it still brimmed with grim killing intent as he replied, "Star Cultivation Great Emperor didn''t die. A piece of his soul managed to enter a lesser world, and he''s actually back to kill in the Immortal World after a thousand years. The Great Tang Empire is also an empire he established personally. Shade Demon Zhu Wushou led six Supremes to eliminate Star Cultivation Great Emperor a few days ago, but he failed to do so and had to return in defeat. The immortal soldiers of the Great Tang Empire might be rushing over here already."


    Zither Demon Jiuyao''s expression changed, and fear flashed through his eyes as he asked gloomily, "Since we were able to kill him once, we can do it twice. Even if he''s talented, it''s impossible for him to cultivate back to a peak-stage Supreme in just a thousand years. Heed my orders, disciples of the Everlasting Sect. Send a message to the sect and tell all the powerhouses to rush over immediately. I don''t believe that the tens of millions of immortals of my Everlasting Palace will fail to eradicate the Great Tang Empire that''s only a few hundred years old."


    A moment later, several figures shot over towards the duo from different directions.


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    A total of four figures arrived before Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao momentarily. The red-haired Yin Wufa''s eyes brimmed with killing intent as he said the following words, "I just received a message from the Sect Master of my Ghost Sect. The Ghost Sect will soon send tens of millions of experts to aid the Inner Pill Sect and the Everlasting Sect face the Great Tang Empire and Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. From this moment onwards, the powerhouses of my Ghost Sect will all follow the lead of Great Emperor Danqing."


    Great Emperor Danqing wasn''t surprised by this, on the contrary, he revealed a bit of worry on his face and asked, "How are Shade Demon Zhu Wushou''s injuries?"


    Yin Wufa forced a smile. "The Sect Master''s injuries are pretty grave as he almost died in the battle. However, the enemies aren''t any better. Two of the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor''s six subordinate Supremes detonated their immortal souls while the other four are were badly injured. Even the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor came close to dying in the hands of my Sect Master."


    Great Emperor Danqing revealed an ecstatic expression when he heard that and laughed out loud. "That''s really good. Even if your Sect Master failed to kill that Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, he won''t be able to join the battle within a short while. That''s good news for us! Also, Zhu Wushou sent me a message just now that the Formation Breaking Talisman that can break the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect''s protection array is on the way along with the experts of your Ghost Sect. We shall attack the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect as soon as they arrive and attempt to eliminate them before the Great Tang Empire arrives."


    Yin Wufa explained, "The person bringing the Formation Breaking Talisman is already on the way and will arrive in six days at most. However, it will take longer for the powerhouses of my Ghost Sect to arrive."


    Great Emperor Danqing smirked. "The powerhouses of my Inner Pill Sect and the Everlasting Sect will probably arrive within those six days. They are more than enough."


    Immortal World.


    The Great Tang Empire''s declaration of war towards the Inner Pill Sect, Everlasting Palace, and the Ghost Sect spread like wildfire to all corners of the Immortal World in a short span of just a few days.


    All the immortals were shocked by this.


    The Immortals, as well as the Perfected Golden Immortals and the Supremes of all the forces of the Immortal World, felt utmost admiration for the Great Tang Empire since they never imagined that the Great Tang Empire would be actually so daring to declare war on three super sects of the Immortal World at the same time.


    This had even caused a few old monsters hiding in the corners of the Immortal World to make an appearance and pay close attention to the battle that was about to happen.


    Headquarters of the Convict Arena.


    Supreme Purgatory and four other Supreme powerhouses were gathered before the Immortal Soul Mirror to observe the starry skies around the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. They saw Great Emperor Danqing, Zither Demon Jiuyao, as well as Yin Wufa and the four others from the Ghost Sect there.


    "It seems like I overestimated that Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. He''s acting too reckless for a young man. Does he really believe his Great Tang Empire is on the same level as the three super sects that have existed for tens of thousands of years? The Great Tang Heavenly Emperor''s first group of subordinates were deathmatch fighters he bought from the Convict Arena a few hundred years ago. Does he think just a few hundred years of development would allow him to contend with the ancient sects with such a long history?" Supreme Purgatory shook his head and a look of contempt flashed across his eyes.


    An old man donned in an azure robe nodded slowly and said, "The Great Tang Heavenly Emperor really acted too hastily by declaring war on the three super sects. Although he''s a talented genius, it''s a pity that he has wrought such huge trouble on himself so soon. I thought another genius had appeared in the Immortal World and would become the strongest Supreme ever, but this is indeed a real pity!"

 1407 An Outcome Beyond Everyone’s Expectations

    Supreme Purgatory said faintly, "If the Grand Tang Empire had developed for another thousand or a few thousand years more, I would have considered sending our Convict Arena''s powerhouses as an aid to him for assisting the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect and sow good karma with him, but unfortunately¡­"


    The azure-robed old man sighed. "It''s really quite unfortunate. There''s no doubt that this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor will die, and he might even implicate the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect too. The Inner Pill Sect and Everlasting Palace were strong enough already, but the Ghost Sect has also got involved now. Although others can''t figure Shade Demon Zhu Wushou out, I know he''s quite a troublesome foe. He usually acts pretty low-profile, but he''s probably as strong as Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao. The Ghost Sect also has four Supreme powerhouses at the very least, and probably many more than the Inner Pill Sect and Everlasting Palace."


    A shining object flew into the palace from outside suddenly, and Supreme Purgatory grabbed it immediately. His expression changed greatly when he finished reading the message inside the communication signet.


    "What is it, Arena Master?"


    "Did something big happen?"


    The other four Supreme powerhouses inquired simultaneously after noticing the change in Supreme Purgatory''s expression.


    Supreme Purgatory closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened his eyes again, all he could do was smile wryly. "We were criticizing the Great Tang Empire just now, but the information I received just now caught me a bit unprepared. Shade Demon Zhu Wushou led six Supremes and dozens of Perfected Golden Immortals to ambush the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor somewhere in the Immortal World. However, I bet no would have imagined the outcome of the battle."


    "How did it end?"


    The azure-robed old man asked anxiously.


    Supreme Purgatory forced a smile. "The Great Tang Heavenly Emperor also had six Supremes on his side along with a Star Devourer Insect that''s as strong as a Supreme. He suffered grievous injuries from the battle, but two of the six Supremes under him detonated their souls and killed three of the enemy Supremes, and also inflicted heavy injuries on the remaining three. As for Shade Demon Zhu Wushou, he ended up in an even worse state as his immortal soul had to flee after detonating his immortal body."


    "How could such a thing have happened?"


    "Heavens! How come the Great Tang Empire has so many Supreme powerhouses? The number of Supremes in the Immortal World totals less than a hundred people, yet the Great Tang Empire actually has six of them, and also a Star Devourer Insect on the level of a Supreme. This is a very terrifying lineup."


    "No wonder he dared to challenge the three super sects of the Immortal World simultaneously. He actually had so many Supreme powerhouses under him. If we consider the two Supremes from the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, the Supremes on their side wouldn''t number less than the number of Supremes on the enemy''s side."


    "I wasn''t expecting Shade Demon Zhu Wushou to end up in such a miserable state. This is indeed too unexpected."


    Supreme Purgatory sighed. "Let me finish speaking first. An unknown woman suddenly appeared in the middle of the battle, and she was the one who saved the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor''s life, inflicting a heavy injury on Shade Demon Zhu Wushou. However, that Supreme also got injured badly because of this."


    The four men drew in a cold breath of air as they weren''t expecting so many Supremes to get involved in this battle.


    Supreme Purgatory sighed. "Forget it. Let''s see how the situation turns out!"


    Somewhere else in the Immortal World.


    Heavenly Emperor Tianji sat upright on the Golden Imperial Throne and observed the heavens of the distant void with his pupils that had already turned golden and sighed in relief internally.


    "Heavenly Emperor, how does the situation of the battle look?"


    A tall and muscular man donned in white armor with his long hair scattered behind his back asked.


    Heavenly Emperor Tianji smiled wryly. "The Great Tang Empire''s side won with much difficulty."


    The muscular man asked in disbelief, "Shade Demon Zhu Wushou had six Supremes with him. Even a total of seven Supremes failed to eliminate the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor?"


    Heavenly Emperor Tianji remained silent for a long time and then muttered, "I''m already unable to see his fate. But I can predict one thing. An immense and chaotic war will soon occur in the Immortal World."


    In the Nefas Abyss.


    The Blackface Ghost Emperor observed the virtual image produced by a divine artifact of the ghost race in the 9th layer of Nefas Abyss and muttered, "The imminent war will probably engulf the entire Immortal World in endless turmoil. No matter who wins, the Great Tang Empire, or the three super sects, it would cause chaos in the Immortal World since powerhouses from all realms might pass through Nefas Abyss with the intent to invade the Immortal World."


    After a short moment, Blackface Ghost Emperor sent out a few communication signets and continued observing the scenes shown by the virtual image before him and waited for the war''s commencement.


    A lot of Supreme powerhouses in all the domains of the Immortal World were similarly keeping an eye on the situation of the war and speculating who would win in the end. However, although they were speculating about it, they were all biased towards the Inner Pill Sect, Everlasting Sect, and Ghost Sect. After all, these elite sects were all super forces and had a huge influence over the Immortal World. Moreover, Inner Pill Sect''s Great Emperor Danqing, Everlasting Palace''s Zither Demon Jiuyao, as well as Ghost Sect''s Shade Demon Zhu Wushou, were all peak-stage Supremes, so they didn''t believe that the Great Tang Empire which only had a history of a few hundred years could win against all of them even if they gave their best in the battle.


    Time fleeted by, and in the blink of an eye, six days had passed already.


    Outside the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, Great Emperor Danqing revealed an excited expression when he saw the group of Perfected Golden Immortals tasked by Shade Demon Zhu Wushou''s faction to bring the Formation Breaking Talisman appear.


    Millions of experts of the three sects were on standby in the void, well prepared for the imminent battle.


    Inside the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect.


    All the ordinary people of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect had entered the Heavenly Abodes of the sect''s powerhouses. And all Immortals, no matter which cultivation stage they possessed, had prepared for the imminent battle. The unprecedented war that was about to begin filled them with tension as they waited for the moment that would mark the start of the battle.


    Supreme Star Soul stood before a grand palace and observed the millions of experts from the three sects above in the starry skies, his heart filling with the intent to battle them. He absolutely wouldn''t have felt this way if it were a few hundred years ago and hoped to hold back the enemy with the help of the sect''s protection array.


    However, things were entirely different now. The Vermillion Bird Holy Sect had a lot of experts currently. A majority of their Golden Immortals had broken through to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage, and a few of the Perfected Golden Immortals had even become Supremes. Moreover, in recent times, a few more Perfected Golden Immortals had managed to become Supremes with the investment of a large amount of god blood.


    As such, the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect had a total of 11 Supremes if Apotheon Bella and Sablefiend Scorpio were included together.


    Supreme Star Soul was confident that the current strength of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect would allow them to contend with the millions of enemies even without the aid of the Great Tang Empire''s army that his son, Tang Xiu, was bringing over with haste.


    "Sect Master, looking at the situation outside, it seems like they want to storm inside our Vermillion Bird Holy Sect!" As they were present in front of everyone, Star Tears called Supreme Star Soul by his title instead of a familial appellation.


    Supreme Star Soul narrowed his eyes and said slowly, "You''re right. From their actions, it seems like they are really planning to storm inside our Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. I suspect that they must have obtained some method or item that can break the protection array of our sect."


    Star Tears'' expression changed. "From what I know, there''s indeed an item that can break our sect''s protection array. However, it''s an item of the Demon Realm and not our Immortal World."


    Supreme Star Soul asked, "What kind of item is it?"


    Star Tears explained, "Supreme Demon Heavenlife Fanatic, an unrivaled expert of the Demon Realm, excels in producing demon talismans, and one of them is known as the Formation Breaking Talisman. All arrays of the Immortal World, other than the powerful divine arrays, and even many of the protection arrays of the elite sects, cannot withstand the Formation Breaking Talisman. We might we forced to battle our enemies if they have obtained this talisman."


    Supreme Star Soul took a deep break after hearing this and said solemnly, "I believe they must have obtained the Formation Breaking Talisman. Inform everyone to prepare for battle! Also, it''s highly likely that this continent will get smashed into pieces, so we will have to look for a new place for our sect once the war ends."


    Star Tears smiled wryly. "I fear that the imminent battle will not just destroy the continent but also destroy the entire immortal domain and perhaps even the surrounding ones. However, Xiu''er has already occupied ten immortal domains around the Immortal Lyceum, so our Vermillion Bird Holy Sect can choose a location in one of them."


    Supreme Star Soul nodded silently.


    Boom¡­


    A tremendous explosion caused the ears of all the Immortals to slightly buzz in pain, and following that, a small crack gradually appeared on the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect''s protection array under the gazes of ten million Immortals. In just one hour, the crack expanded to the entire array and smashed it into motes of energy, exposing the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect to the millions of experts of the three elite sects.


    "Hahaha¡­"


    Zither Demon Jiuyao held a zither in his hand as he overlooked the ten million Immortals of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect from above and laughed out loud. "Imbeciles of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, you must have not expected us to break your sect''s protection array, right? Hahaha¡­ Your time of death has finally arrived. Your Vermillion Bird Holy Sect will no longer exist from this day onwards."


    Supreme Star Soul flew up instantly, his eyes brimming with grim killing intent as he replied fearlessly, "The current Vermillion Bird Holy Sect is no longer the same as before. Zither Demon Jiuyao, are you sure you will be able to destroy my Vermillion Bird Holy Sect?"


    Zither Demon Jiuyao sneered. "Of course. Based on the strength of your Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, we would have already eliminated all of you if it weren''t for the damned array protecting your sect. Although your beloved son didn''t die, he has already become trash and is just an ant in our eyes. I''ll spare your life, and once we are done killing all the people of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, I''ll let you witness how I behead your son and use his head as a chamber pot."


    Supreme Star Soul shook his head and sighed. "I have seen several brazen fellows, but only one of them was able to match their words with their abilities. Forget it, in the end, you are just a fool with some abilities, Zither Demon Jiuyao. Since you are leading this battle, don''t you retreat to the back now. Come have a chat with me."

 1408 Blocked at the Front, Chased from the Back

    Donned in armor, Great Emperor Danqing walked on the void and stepped closer to the members of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. His eyes flashed with viciousness as he grinned. "Supreme Star Soul, we shall call you uncle for the sake of giving respect to Star Cultivation Great Emperor. Now that your son has become an ant, you better stop resisting! As long as your Vermillion Bird Holy Sect surrenders to us, we might allow some of your clansmen to live and pass down their legacy."


    Supreme Star Soul failed to hold back his laughter as he replied, "Great Emperor Danqing, do you really believe you''ll be able to exterminate my Vermillion Bird Holy Sect today?"


    "Indeed!"


    Great Emperor Danqing waved his hand, and four Supreme powerhouses appeared behind him instantly. He said while smiling, "Me, Zither Demon Jiuyao, and Yin Wufa are all Supremes, and with these four, we have a total of seven Supremes on our side. Do you believe your Vermillion Bird Holy Sect will be able to survive our relentless pursuit and attacks?"


    Supreme Star Soul smiled curiously. "You''re relying on your superior number of Supremes? Are you sure about this?"


    Great Emperor Danqing sneered. "Of course, I am. I wish to use our superior numbers to frighten and intimidate you so that you will completely lose your will to battle."


    Supreme Star Soul laughed out loud. "Since you''re relying on your superior number of Supremes, how could I disappoint you? Supremes of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, come out and broaden the horizons of the Inner Pill Sect''s Sect Master."


    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!


    A total of ten figures appeared behind Supreme Star Soul momentarily, each carrying the aura of a true powerhouse and ubiquitous spiritual pressure that made the smiles on Great Emperor Danqing''s and Zither Demon Jiuyao''s faces freeze, filling their eyes with disbelief.


    E-Eleven Supremes?


    The Vermillion Bird Holy Sect actually has a total of eleven Supremes? Are you kidding me? How is this even possible?


    Supreme Star Soul smirked. "Great Emperor Danqing, are you stunned now? Filled with shock yet? It feels really good to see the expression on your face right now!"


    Great Emperor Danqing thundered in disbelief. "This is simply impossible. We''re very clear about the strength of your Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, and I''m well aware of the number of Supremes you have after so many years of battling each other. Even if two Supremes managed to enter your sect recently, you should have only had four Supremes at most. How could so many of them emerge in such a short while?"


    Supreme Star Soul laughed out loud. "So many? Do you think our Vermillion Bird Holy Sect has a lot of Supremes? You''re just a frog at the bottom of the well, unaware of the wideness of the world. Heed my orders, disciples of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. The time has come now, this is the moment that will decide the fate of our Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. Bring out all your potential if you wish to survive, and let them know that the ones who shall come victorious out of this war are us, not them."


    "Kill them!"


    "Charge ahead!"


    "Go!"


    The ten million disciples of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect took out their innate natal artifacts and charged towards their enemies along with Supreme Star Soul and the ten other Supremes fervently. The hundred Perfected Golden Immortals were even more so unwilling to be left behind and rushed forth with murderous looks in their eyes.


    "Kill them!"


    The void above the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect turned into a meat grinder instantaneously. The attacks from millions of immortal artifacts and divine artifacts ripped the skies apart and bombarded the enemy ranks, leading to the death of tens of thousands of immortals at the moment the two sides collided with each other.


    An unprecedented battle unfolded following the clash, so tremendous that darkness seemed to have encroached upon the entire world.


    The stench of blood enveloped the entire immortal domain, reaching even the distant starry skies. Life seemed to have become the cheapest commodity in this battle.


    Three days later, at the moment when the two sides were evenly matched in battle, the tens of millions of immortals from the Inner Pill Sect, Everlasting Sect, and Ghost Sect arrived at the battlefront. Their addition caused the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect to suffer higher losses immediately.


    "From the same root we hail, join this battle we shall."


    Followed by the echoes of an aged voice, Sky Exterminator Old Beggar, as well as three other Supremes and several million immortals of the Four Sacred Palaces joined the battle one after the other.


    Nearly one hundred Supreme powerhouses, as well as tens of thousands of Perfected Golden Immortals, and the experts hidden in the corners of the Immortal World, were all observing this battle. Even the powerhouses of the Demon Realm, Monster Realm, Spirit Realm, Ghost Realm, and Asura Realm were using all kinds of marvelous methods to observe it.


    The members of all the forces were shocked by the number of Supremes and Perfected Golden Immortals that had suddenly emerged from the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, yet they were still biased towards the Inner Pill Sect, Everlasting Sect, and Ghost Sect.


    "The Vermillion Bird Holy Sect was already at a disadvantage. Fortunately, the Four Sacred Palaces arrived just in time to assist them, or else, they would have suffered higher losses. The three elite sects will undoubtedly become the final victors of this battle."


    "This is really interesting. It looks like the Immortal World is going to suffer huge losses this time. Let''s wait longer! This war won''t end so quickly, so the most optimal moment for us to act is when both sides have exhausted all their strength."


    "Isn''t the Great Tang Empire still left? Where have they gone? Is the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor unwilling to assist the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect? Did he get scared or what? If this goes on, the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect might get destroyed completely!"


    "It won''t be just the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, even the Four Sacred Palaces will suffer the same fate."


    "Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao are really fearsome opponents. As late-stage Supremes, they are actually able to deal with the joint attack of six Supremes with ease and even managed to deliver considerable injuries to two of them. Things really don''t look well for the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect and Four Sacred Palaces this time."


    "What a pity¡­"


    The powerhouses observing the battle evaluated the battle, and from their perspectives, the destruction and extermination of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect and the Four Sacred Palaces looked pretty imminent.


    Nearly half of the tens of millions of immortals participating in the battle had died by the fifth day, and the losses of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect and the Four Sacred Palaces were much more disastrous than their enemies. However, they were able to withstand the attacks of the three sects by relying on their superior numbers of Supremes and Perfected Golden Immortals.


    "Kill them!"


    An infuriated roar traveled through the distant horizons, following which, over a dozen Supremes and nearly one hundred Perfected Golden Immortals hurried towards the battlefront from 50,000 kilometers away. They then operated the Heavenly Abodes on them and released legions upon legions of immortal soldiers outside.


    "Who are they?"


    "Heavens! It''s the banner of the Great Tang Empire! Are they the empire''s soldiers?"


    "What battle array is this? How come it looks similar to the battle formations of the mortal empires?"


    "Those Supremes¡­ No way, this is just impossible. How could the Great Tang Empire have over a dozen Supremes? I must have seen it wrong for sure."


    "So many Supremes and Perfected Golden Immortals! The Great Tang Empire has a history of just a few hundred years, so how come so many powerhouses have emerged from it?"


    "This is too terrifying¡­"


    All the forces observing the battle were terrified by the strength revealed by the Great Tang Empire momentarily.


    In the void.


    Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao teamed up to bombard the six Supremes surrounding them, but the appearance of the Great Tang Empire''s army ended up scaring the both of them as well and even caused their battle intent to dwindle rapidly at this instant.


    "The Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, Great Tang Empire, and Four Sacred Palaces have a total of around 30 Supremes altogether. Where did so many Supremes come from?" Great Emperor Danqing despaired a little. He never imagined that their enemies were so strong, so strong that the fear killed his battle intent in its entirety and even made him feel the impulse to turn around and flee the battlefield.


    Zither Demon Jiuyao''s heart filled with shock as well, as the lineup of the Great Tang Empire had scared him out of his wits. His head tingled when he saw the ever-changing formations of the Great Tang Empire''s army charge towards them like a river that had burst the dam open and made him feel like fleeing from the battlefield right away.


    Tang Xiu stood on top of an imperial carriage and looked at the familiar faces of Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao coldly, his heart filling with killing intent. As his injuries hadn''t healed completely, the current strength that he could muster only allowed him to barely contend with an early-stage Supreme. If not for that, he really wished to charge forth and kill Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao personally.


    "Escape!"


    In just two days, the powerhouses of the three elite sects had already suffered disastrous losses and messaged their disciples via voice transmissions with bitter looks on their faces.


    As such, the three parties converged together and killed a bloody path out of the battlefield just like a surging flood, hoping to flee.


    "Follow me to battle!"


    The remaining hundreds of thousands of members of the three elite sects believed they would finally be able to flee once they had killed their way out of the encirclements. However, the declaration from ahead of them dashed all their hopes.


    An orderly battle formation consisting of a large number of Immortals, Earth Immortals, Celestial Immortals, Profound Immortals, Golden Immortals, and even Perfected Golden Immortals, a total of around ten million immortals, blocked their path and killed the members of the three sects at the forefront because they were the quickest to escape, crushing them as if they were ants.


    "Kill them!"


    Murong Tianbo''s aura surged as he led a group of Supremes to block the three elite sects'' path of escape.


    "Who are you all?"


    Zither Demon Jiuyao roared in fury, falling back quickly because of the simultaneous attacks from eight Supreme powerhouses.


    Murong Tianbo thundered. "We''re the soldiers of the Missing Star Empire and subordinates of Apotheon Missing Star. We received orders to team up with the Great Tang Empire, Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, and Four Sacred Palaces to annihilate all the disciples of the Inner Pill Sect, Everlasting Sect, and Ghost Sect in their entirety."


    Missing Star Empire?


    The entire Immortal World was abuzz with discussion as the current development meant that two immortal empires that had expanded crazily within the recent times actually belonged to the same faction.


    They could imagine that the most fearsome force of the Immortal World in the future would consist of the faction of these four forces, and with their combined strength, it wouldn''t even be that hard for them to conquer the entire Immortal World.


    The battle turned even more desperate after this.


    Immortals detonated their immortal souls one after the other and powerhouses were slain successively. After 14 days, Great Emperor Danqing, Zither Demon Jiuyao, as well as Yin Wufa had been forced to converge together and only around 20 Perfected Golden Immortals still remained alive on their side as the rest had all died in the battle.

 1409 Tang Xiu’s Voice

    The cruel war was already approaching its climax. The continent that was the homeland of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect had already been smashed into pieces and was drifting within the vast void like debris. About one hundred planets nearby to the continent had become implicated because of the battle between the two sides and exploded in succession.


    These starry skies were chaos incarnate right now with a large number of corpses drifting within the void that reeked with the dense stench of blood.


    "Kill them!"


    A murderous aura shrouded Tang Xiu as his divine sword transformed into a sea of swords and attacked the remnant members of the three elite sects that were putting up a final resistance. Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao, especially, received the most care as most of the Supremes focused on exchanging greetings with them. Thus, their injuries which were already pretty grave worsened abysmally.


    "Star Cultivation Great Emperor, for the sake of our past friendship, leave out a route of survival for us. I, Zither Demon Jiuyao, promise you that I will never appear in the Immortal World for the rest of my life!" Zither Demon Jiuyao''s face was pale already and he was forced to make such a shocking proclamation after he spewed out a mouthful of blood because of an attack on his back from a 9th-grade immortal artifact.


    Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes and a ruthless glimmer flashed through his eyes as he withdrew fifty kilometers instantaneously. He looked at Zither Demon Jiuyao who was on the verge of collapsing icily and sneered. "Past friendship? What a great joke. Why didn''t you recall that past friendship when you attacked me at my weakest moment while I was crossing my tribulation? In the past thousand years, you have massacred a large number of my clansmen along with millions of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect''s disciples, but did you ever recall this past friendship you just mentioned?"


    Zither Demon Jiuyao smiled bitterly. "I thought my heart was callous, but I never thought yours would be even more so than mine. How vexing this is! We should have been more prudent back then, or else that strand of your soul would have never escaped, and the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect would have never had the chance to reverse the odds."


    Tang Xiu''s eyes filled with killing intent as he laughed out loud. "History is written by the victors. Since you forgot our friendship and slew me, you should have prepared for the same to happen to you someday. Hahaha¡­ Didn''t you want to obtain the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis and comprehend a higher-leveled cultivation art to try and pass the trial of divine tribulation? Let me tell you this, I cultivated the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis after reincarnating. Did you know this? The requirement for cultivating the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis is to cripple your cultivation and start anew again. I would have never realized this requirement to cultivate the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis and learned the strongest cultivation art if you hadn''t slain me."


    Zither Demon Jiuyao thundered. "That''s impossible. You must have understood the secret of the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis already and intentionally concealed it from us. How could we ever forgive such a selfish person like you so easily? The reason we slew you back then was because you never considered us as your brothers."


    Tang Xiu snorted coldly. "Zither Demon Jiuyao, do you think I have any need to deceive you at this point in time? Even though I studied the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis for quite a long time back then, I never really figured out the way to cultivate it and didn''t even have a single clue about where to begin. In fact, the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis is the cultivation art of the Demon God, so it conflicts greatly with the immortal spirit force within the bodies of us immortals. So, it''s simply impossible for an immortal to cultivate it. You were the ones who suspected me because of your envy and harbored hatred for it. However, did you forget that I already passed the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis to you both? The two of you also studied it, so why couldn''t you cultivate it in the end?"


    Zither Demon Jiuyao turned silent. They had indeed believed that Tang Xiu had intentionally hidden things from them and given them a fake version of the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis, but, after hearing Tang Xiu''s words, he finally realized that Tang Xiu''s words probably rang true.


    There was no need for him to continue deceiving them now.


    Great Emperor Danqing also felt some regret, but now that things had already come to this, he could only force himself to press on. Thus, he said indifferently, "Star Cultivation Great Emperor, what''s done is done, we can only blame fate since you obtained the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis back then. You''re right about the fact that history is written by victors, so let''s stop with the needless talks. If you wish to kill us, we''ll make sure you pay a bitter price for it."


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and ordered, "All Supremes of the Great Tang Empire, Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, Four Sacred Palaces, and Missing Star Empire, as well as the Perfected Golden Immortals. I still have one hundred drops of god blood left in my hands. You know its value very well, so, eliminate the enemies before your eyes, and those hundred drops of god blood shall belong to you. Furthermore, all Supremes will obtain a Divinity Attainment Pill each as a reward."


    God blood?


    Divinity Attainment Pill?


    As the old adage went¡ªGenerous rewards often gave rise to heroes.


    The Supremes who had obtained god blood from Tang Xiu were able to remain calm, but the other Supremes as well as the nearly two hundred Perfected Golden Immortals revealed excited expressions and attacked with their all in the next moment.


    "I¡­ don''t accept this!"


    Zither Demon Jiuyao''s injuries had reached an extremely grave state because of the continuous attacks and this had already begun to influence his battle potential. He knew that he wouldn''t be able to escape today. Hence, a decisive expression appeared on his face as he ignored the ten immortal artifacts charging at him and rushed toward the eight foes closest to him.


    "Boom!"


    A terrifying wave of explosion extended in all directions momentarily. The force behind the detonation of the immortal soul of a late-stage Supreme like him was more dreadful than the concurrent detonation of ten planets.


    However, the eight Supremes fished their immortal defensive artifacts in tandem, and by the moment Zither Demon Jiuyao had detonated his soul, they had already formed a multilayered defensive shield. The force of the explosion sent all of them flying while coughing blood and their top-grade artifacts were also destroyed within the explosion.


    The eight Supremes fell back thousands of kilometers and barely managed to stop themselves, their bodies riddled with grievous injuries. A small portion of the Perfected Golden Immortals nearby had perished in the explosion while the others had also suffered heavy injuries. Fortunately, the souls of the Perfected Golden Immortals had managed to escape and were received into the Heavenly Abode by Tang Xiu instantly.


    Great Emperor Danqing''s heart filled with distress. He gave Tang Xiu a profound look and shouted at him, "Star Cultivation Great Emperor, you know my cultivation art very well. You''re aware that I have two more clones. Even if you kill this emperor today, my clones will continue existing, so you better let us leave unless you want to wait for my clones'' revenge in the future."


    Tang Xiu sneered. "If you surrender, I may actually leave you alive. If not, we will chase you to the ends of the world even if you still have two additional clones. Don''t you worry, we will be able to find you no matter where you go because I believe no one in the Immortal World or the other realms will dare to provide you asylum. More importantly, I have around one hundred drops of god blood in my hands, so how long do you think you will be able to survive if I offer just a single drop of it as a reward for killing you in all the realms?"


    "You¡­"


    Great Emperor Danqing''s heart filled with despair as he knew Tang Xiu''s words were right. The enticement of god blood was too hard to ignore even for the Supreme powerhouses and would undoubtedly prompt them to hunt him with their all. He would land in a truly hopeless situation if that were to happen.


    "Haahh¡­"


    Great Emperor Danqing took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Star Cultivation Great Emperor, you better keep your promise. Tell your men to stand back, we will surrender."


    Tang Xiu raised his hand slightly and the numerous Supremes as well as Perfected Golden Immortals stopped attacking one after the other and withdrew a few kilometers away. However, they still encircled Great Emperor Danqing and his followers to prevent them from escaping.


    "Surrender your weapons and items. Also, I need you all to seal your cultivation," Tang Xiu said deeply.


    Great Emperor Danqing remained silent for a long while before nodding bitterly. He severed the link between him and his innate natal immortal artifact, which caused him to spew out a mouthful of blood, and handed it over to the ordinary Immortal that had arrived before him along with his interspatial ring.


    The other Perfected Golden Immortals also gave up their final resistance when they saw that even Great Emperor Danqing had surrendered and handed over their innate natal immortal artifacts and their treasures within their interspatial rings.


    "Seal your cultivations," Tang Xiu said deeply.


    Great Emperor Danqing and the Perfected Golden Immortals hesitated for a while and sealed their cultivations following a long sigh from Great Emperor Danqing.


    Tang Xiu smiled coldly and sat cross-legged with his eyes closed.


    "What''s going on?"


    No matter whether it was Tang Xiu''s subordinates or the members of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, Four Sacred Palaces, and Missing Star Empire, all revealed puzzled expressions. Even Great Emperor Danqing and the Perfected Golden Immortals on his side were confused by his actions, utterly clueless about his intentions.


    Time fleeted by, and two days had passed by within such an impasse. Supreme Star Soul, the Sect Master of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, finally couldn''t help but arrive before Tang Xiu, and ask via voice transmission, "Xiu''er, what are you planning to do?"


    Tang Xiu opened his eyes and emotions filled them immediately as he greeted back via voice transmission, "Father, Xiu''er missed you a lot."


    Supreme Star Soul also felt equally emotional, but he was, after all, a sect master, so he knew this wasn''t the time for them father-and-son to catch up. He proceeded to ask, "Your mother and I also missed you a lot. However, you still haven''t explained why you have taken such a weird action."


    Tang Xiu said, "Father, don''t worry. Just wait for a while longer and you''ll know the reason for it. I need to end the future trouble of this battle once and for all."


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 1410 Five Great Bloodlines

    Supreme Star Soul gave Tang Xiu a profound look. Although he didn''t know what his son was planning, he realized that his son might have some hidden motive for doing so.


    "All right. I''ll do as you say. I believe you more than I do myself," Supreme Star Soul answered via voice transmission.


    Tang Xiu felt warmth encompass his heart as he replied back, "Father, please tell Mother that I don''t plan to meet her right now because there are too many factors of danger around me currently. I''ll look for her and apologize once I have eliminated Great Emperor Danqing and the others completely."


    Supreme Star Soul glanced towards his wife who had Sablefiend Scorpio accompanying her to ensure her safety from the very beginning. He nodded immediately after realizing that his son must have made arrangements for this quite a long time ago.


    Time fleeted by, and when everyone was feeling puzzled, Great Emperor Danqing snapped his eyes open. His face twisted in pain and his body shuddered as he released a bestial roar before giving Tang Xiu a look of rancor. He then screamed out loud, "Star Cultivation, you damned bastard! You went back on your word. Even if I die, I''m going to take you down with me!"


    Saying so, he dashed towards Tang Xiu, and a tiny, exquisite golden tower emerged out from in-between his eyebrows along with his body''s concurrent bloating.


    "Attack!"


    A glimmer of disdain flashed through Tang Xiu''s eyes as he passed down the order while retreating back momentarily.


    In the next moment, the Supremes attacked Great Emperor Danqing in tandem with their strongest attacks. Although Great Emperor Danqing had sealed his cultivation, he could still detonate his immortal soul, and his bloating body was an omen of that.


    Spurt¡­ Spurt¡­ Spurt¡­


    The attacks of the immortal artifacts landed on Great Emperor Danqing and harvested his life before he could even manage to detonate his immortal soul. His immortal soul had suffered grievous injuries, and even that tiny, golden tower had been flung to the distant void because of the attacks.


    Tang Xiu laughed out loud in the few moments before Great Emperor Danqing''s soul perished. "I was the one who gifted this golden tower to you back then, so why wouldn''t I know that it''s your hidden ace? Great Emperor Danqing, your despicable nature led to your end. As a human, one needs to always act with righteousness!"


    The Perfected Golden Immortals on the enemy side revealed shocked expressions immediately when they witnessed the death of Great Emperor Danqing. They wanted to escape, but since they had sealed their cultivation, they didn''t have any other route except soul detonation left for them. However, a few of them didn''t wish to die, so they fled towards another direction to pull some distance between their six or seven companions who were planning to detonate their immortal souls. Unfortunately, their speed was too slow because of their sealed cultivations, so none of them were able to escape far before their bodies perished within the explosions and only their immortal souls barely managed to make it out.


    However, Tang Xiu had no plans to leave any of them alive, so he drew out his divine sword and sent out a beam of sword light that shattered their immortal souls into oblivion.


    "Xiu''er," Supreme Star Soul appeared before Tang Xiu and asked, "Just what are you planning to do?"


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly. "I used three drops of god blood to request three Supremes of the Immortal World to kill Great Emperor Danqing''s clones. I know him for so long, so I obviously know the location of his clones. Great Emperor Danqing is truly dead now."


    Supreme Star Soul felt overjoyed by this news and nodded repeatedly. "You''ve done well. Since you were planning to kill him, it''s better to eliminate him completely, or else it would be akin to leaving a hidden danger behind. Xiu''er, you really did well this time."


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly. "Father, Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao have perished in body and soul now, and about 90% of their powerhouses have also died. Thus, it''s now time to eliminate the remaining fools! We have to wipe them all out clean."


    "Indeed, we must." Supreme Star Soul nodded and said, "Xiu''er, you''re the Sect Master of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect from this day onwards. Heed my orders, disciples of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. Great Tang Heavenly Emperor is my son, Star Cultivation Great Emperor. He didn''t die a thousand years ago and just reincarnated once again and killed his way back into the Immortal World. Therefore, my son''s orders are equal to mine henceforth. All disciples of the sect must follow his orders."


    "Understood!"


    The eight or so million immortals of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect acknowledged with loud voices. About 95% of these immortals were born a thousand years ago, so they knew who Star Cultivation Great Emperor was, and even the exceptional geniuses who were born later on had also heard about his legend. His position in their hearts wasn''t that different from the sect master''s and he was actually admired even more than the sect master.


    Tang Xiu nodded with a smile and gazed at the distant Sky Exterminator Old Beggar, the Palace Master of Four Sacred Palaces, with a cup of his fists. "Everyone from the Four Sacred Palaces, you have my gratitude for helping us this time and for the assistance you have provided the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect over the past thousand years. I''m planning to assimilate the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect and the Missing Star Empire into the Great Tang Empire. May I ask what plans you have for the future, Senior Sky Exterminator?"


    Sky Exterminator Old Beggar floated up and offered his salutations before asking, "Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, how much do you know about the history of the Four Sacred Palaces?"


    Tang Xiu replied deeply, "We belonged to the same family over a hundred thousand years ago, and after experiencing another tribulation in this current era, we are still family. No matter what you plan to do, I shall respect your and the Four Sacred Palaces'' choice."


    Sky Exterminator Old Beggar laughed out loudly. "Hahaha¡­ You said it well. We were family, so is there a need for us to part again? Henceforth, the Four Sacred Palaces shall join the Great Tang Empire as well, and all disciples of the Four Sacred Palaces will be at your disposal."


    "Great Tang Heavenly Emperor!"


    "Great Tang Heavenly Emperor!"


    "Great Tang Heavenly Emperor!"


    "¡­"


    The millions of immortals of the Four Sacred Palaces thundered out loud. They had already received orders from their superiors, so they knew their final destination. Hence, none of them held any doubts this moment, nor did anyone disapprove of it.


    Tang Xiu chuckled and said, "Since the Four Sacred Palaces wish to join the Great Tang Empire, we are all members of the empire now, a real family. From what I know, the Four Sacred Palaces'' Qilin Branch still exists, right?"


    "It does."


    A tall and muscular armored man donning battle boots with flames shrouding his entire body arrived before Tang Xiu and said loudly, "Supreme Flamelord of the Qilin Branch greets Your Majesty."


    Tang Xiu nodded satisfactorily. "Although I don''t know whether our ancestors, Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, Black Tortoise, and Qilin are alive, Ancestor Qilin''s son is currently the guardian beast of the Great Tang Empire. You can reunite once you have joined the empire."


    Supreme Flamelord''s pupils contracted as he cried out in alarm, "My Qilin Branch''s Ancestor has left a descendant behind? Heavens! The Heavens must be helping my Qilin Branch! Over these past one hundred thousand years, the Azure Dragon Bloodline, White Tiger Bloodline, Vermillion Bird Bloodline, and the Black Tortoise Bloodline have all been able to proliferate by producing offspring, but our Qilin Branch found it very difficult to achieve this and has almost completely disappeared from the Immortal World. Since the Ancestor of my Qilin Branch has left a descendant behind, it means that the Qilin Branch is still a member of the entire family."


    "Congratulations to the Qilin Branch."


    "Congratulations to the Qilin Branch."


    "Congratulations to the Qilin Branch."


    The chiefs of the Azure Dragon Branch, White Tiger Branch, and Black Tortoise Branch floated up and congratulated him with loud voices.


    Tang Xiu also laughed out loud and said, "Congratulations to the Qilin Branch. My Vermillion Bird Branch wishes for the eternal continuation of the Qilin Bloodline."


    Saying so, Tang Xiu soared up and stood a thousand kilometers above everyone before stating solemnly, "Henceforth, the four factions become whole voluntarily, making our Great Tang Empire the strongest immortal nation in the Immortal World. I declare that we won''t provoke the other sects or harm the other immortals of the Immortal World intentionally, but if anyone dares to conspire against our empire or kill our members, they will suffer the reprisal of the entire Great Tang Empire. Although I, the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, am not the strongest powerhouse of the Great Tang Empire, if you give me some time, I shall lead all the powerhouses of the empire to cross the divine tribulation and break free from the shackles of the Immortal World, taking you to have a blessed and unfettered life in the God Realm."


    "Cross the divine tribulation, break the shackles, and attain Godhood."


    "Cross the divine tribulation, break the shackles, and attain Godhood."


    "Cross the divine tribulation¡­"


    "¡­"


    The eight or so million immortals yelled in tandem and caused the void around them to tremble. As for Tang Xiu''s declaration, it also caused a huge shock in the entire Immortal World.


    The Great Tang Empire.


    All the elite forces and sects of the Immortal World knew about this newly formed Great Tang Empire, and it had now already become the strongest force of the entire Immortal World.


    Over 30 Supreme powerhouses.


    Hundreds of Perfected Golden Immortal powerhouses.


    As for the Golden Immortals, they were too many to even count.


    The legions of the empire were akin to valiant lions waiting to reveal their sharp teeth and claws to tear their enemies apart.


    The powerhouses at the summit of the Demon Realm, Monster Realm, Spirit Realm, Ghost Realm, and Asura Realm were originally feeling restless and planning to dispatch their armies to plunder the domains of the Immortal World and seize the treasures of the immortals after slaying them by taking advantage of the moment when the Immortal World would become embroiled in chaos and partake in the delicacies of the Immortal World. However, the situation of the Great Tang Empire had infuriated all of them and made them feel unreconciled. The ambition thriving in their hearts suffered a heavy blow, so they could only renounce their original plan.


    The Great Tang Empire was really too terrifying.


    If they charged into the Immortal World, it was highly likely they would get completely wiped out in case they faced the powerhouses and armies of the Great Tang Empire.


    At the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect''s former homeland.


    Tang Xiu stood in the void and thundered. "We shall now attack the Inner Pill Sect, Everlasting Palace, and Myriad Sword Sect and kill the remnant disciples of the Hundred Poisons Sect. Then¡­ we''ll attack the Ghost Sect."


    "Understood!"


    As the legions and the powerhouses got ready to set out, Tang Xiu handed this affair over to the dazzling commander of the Great Tang Empire, Tang Ahlang, who was already a Golden Immortal by now, to handle. Tang Xiu believed that Tang Ahlang would definitely complete this mission perfectly after all the effort he had put into cultivating him over the past several hundred years.


    After that, Tang Xiu arrived before Apotheon Carmen Mist, who had become a Supreme just recently, under the gazes of everyone, and kowtowed towards her in the void.


    "Mother, your son has returned."


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 1411 Eight Hundred Years Later

    Time flitted by and years passed like minutes.


    In a flash, eight hundred years had passed.


    A whole hundred years had passed since the extermination of the Inner Pill Sect, Everlasting Sect, Myriad Sword Sect, and Ghost Sect. The unrest that had appeared in the Immortal World because of the Great Tang Empire''s annexation of the domains and establishment of the eight immortal domains gradually died down.


    The citizens of the Great Tang Empire kept increasing exponentially under its iron-clad laws and a steady amount of peerless cultivation geniuses emerged from it. Peace and justice had established themselves under the laws of the Great Tang Empire. As such, the Great Tang Empire often had visitors from even the distant immortal domains who arrived here intending to settle down.


    One remarkable mention over these eight hundred years was that Tang Xiu had around 40 children by now. A majority of them were sons while a few of them were daughters.


    Misty Spring Ocean.


    It was home to the Imperial City of the Great Tang Empire that was its core, and over these years, it had already become the most flourishing city of all the immortal domains in the Immortal World. It was so peaceful that its safety made all the other city lords who believed their cities were safe to feel ashamed. The entire Immortal World knew that the Great Tang Empire''s Imperial City was under the watch of ten Supreme powerhouses.


    Inside the main hall of the Golden Imperial Palace.


    Tang Xiu distributed a large number of cultivation resources to the upper echelon of the Great Tang Empire before they left one after the other, and in the next moment, a figure rushed inside from the outside. The man was shrouded in a lively aura and had handsome looks that resembled Tang Xiu a bit.


    "Father."


    Tang Nian''s lips curled up into a smile as he bowed towards Tang Xiu and beamed a smile at him. "Senior Sister brought me back from the Endless Sea. I have some good news for you. Senior Sister has already become a Supreme and is now our Great Tang Empire''s 100th Supreme powerhouse."


    Tang Xiu''s eyes lit up as he nodded with a smile. "Gu Yin is indeed one of the most talented people in the Immortal World. I already expected her to become a Supreme within 2000 years. On the other hand, you''re still a Golden Immortal till now."


    Tang Nian revealed a somewhat embarrassed expression and said, "Father, you know I don''t like cultivation much. I prefer traveling everywhere to gain experience more. However, don''t worry, Father. At most, I will become a Supreme within the next 100 years."


    Tang Xiu shook his head and smiled. "I was hoping to hand the title of the Great Tang Empire''s Emperor down to you in the future, but you''re really unsuitable for receiving this title with your nature!"


    Tang Nian smiled. "Father, you better give up your thoughts on handing me the title of the Emperor. You know me the best. If you make me the new Emperor, this constraint will probably vex me to death."


    Tang Xiu asked him with a vague smile, "Who do you think is most suitable to inherit my throne among all your brothers?"


    Tang Nian pondered for a bit and shook his head with a smile. "Although all my brothers are quite outstanding, I believe it isn''t the time to ponder over such things right now. If you really want me to choose one of them, I believe Tang Song would be a good choice. If you give him another thousand years, his excellence will probably leave everyone surprised."


    "Tang Song?"


    Tang Xiu looked at Tang Nian in a daze and asked, "Tang Song is 16 years old this year, so why would you select him? And what''s your basis about his excellence?"


    Tang Nian said, "Although Tang Song is only 16 years old, his cultivation talent is the best among all my brothers and sisters. Even Senior Sister Gu Yin commented with a sigh that his talent in cultivation is even more heaven-defying than hers. He has attained the Great Ascension Stage in just 16 years, so it''s highly probable that he will ascend to become an Immortal before he turns 30. Furthermore, out of all the Empresses, only one person doesn''t wish for her child to become the new Emperor, and this is the Grand Empress. Thus, the instruction Tang Song received endowed him with a broad and just mind."


    Tang Xiu turned silent.


    He had also paid some attention to how Han Qingwu instructed his son, Tang Song. He knew his eldest son was speaking the truth. Han Qingwu had to face the estranged sights of several people when he had brought her back to the Great Tang Empire 800 years ago and also had to bear huge pressure. However, she used her sincerity to redeem herself and completely eliminated all of their preconceived notions towards her.


    Over these eight hundred years, Han Qingwu secluded herself from worldly affairs and the only thing she did other than cultivating daily was to help Tang Xiu with a few tasks. This continued until 16 years ago when she gave birth to Tang Song, her only son. Ever since then, she invested all her time into raising him up.


    A long time later, Tang Xiu looked at Tang Nian and smiled faintly. "Brat, you''re quite astute. Never mind, let''s not talk about this issue. According to the rumors, Shade Demon Zhu Wushou''s immortal soul fled towards the Endless Sea. Were you able to find any information on him during your trip there?"


    Tang Xiu nodded slowly. "I did find something. A disciple of Shade Demon Zhu Wushou lives in the depths of the Endless Sea all year round. However, there were no traces of him left when we reached that disciple''s hideout. It''s highly likely that Shade Demon Zhu Wushou and his disciple have fled the Endless Sea long ago, but we weren''t able to find out where they have fled to."


    A ruthless glimmer flashed through Tang Xiu''s eyes as he said slowly, "As they say, the most dangerous location is the safest location. The safest place in the entire Immortal World is our Great Tang Empire right now. However, our intelligence department spans across the entire empire and all people have to identify themselves properly if they wish to live under our laws, so it''s quite difficult for him to operate within our empire. Therefore, the Endless Sea which has been searched several times should be the safest place in their opinion. It seems like I''ll have to make a personal trip over there."


    Tang Nian cried out in alarm, "Father, you''re going to the Endless Sea personally? You must know that it''s a place fraught with danger, and even Senior Sister who has become a Supreme already only dared to bring me to the outer regions to gain experience, not even daring to step a foot inside. If Shade Demon Zhu Wushou and his disciple are really hiding in the depths of the Endless Sea, then you¡­"


    Tang Xiu interrupted his words and shook his head. "I have gone to the Endless Sea several times and even entered its depths, so I''m well aware of the dangers that exist there. Furthermore, I''ll be taking ten Supreme powerhouses with me on this trip to the Endless Sea, so don''t worry about it!"


    Tang Nian sighed in relief after hearing this as having the company of ten Supremes would probably allow his father to hold on if they ran into a huge danger.


    "Father, I still haven''t visited the depths of the Endless Sea. Can you take me along with you?"


    Tang Xiu couldn''t hold back from laughing. "You just came back from that damned region and you are actually itching to go back now. Did those marine beasts fail to scare you?"


    Tang Nian forced a smile. "They did scare me a bit, but I''m much more curious about the depths of the Endless Sea. I was actually planning to make a personal trip there once I become a Supreme."


    Tang Xiu smiled. "You need to strive on your path and attain your goal yourself. Therefore, you better stay in the Imperial City to cultivate obediently! You can go out to travel when you have become a Perfected Golden Immortal."


    "Father, I¡­" Tang Nian said hastily.


    Tang Xiu''s lips curled up into a smile as he said, "You have become too accustomed to a smooth-sailing life ever since your childhood, so you need to experience some restraint! Just consider the pressure as motivation now! If you cultivate properly, you may reach the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage within just a few decades! If you don''t have anything else to talk about, go and see your mother now!"


    "Alright!"


    Tang Nian left somewhat unwillingly.


    Tang Xiu sat upright on the Nine Dragons Cathedra and a ruthless glimmer flashed through his eyes. The hatred from back then still hadn''t ended entirely. The person who he hated the most, Shade Demon Zhu Wushou, was still alive, and from the information he had received over the past few decades, it appeared that Shade Demon Zhu Wushou''s immortal soul was looking for the Soul Dissolution Ambrosia all over. If he were to find it, he would be able to undergo a rebirth, and it would leave no negative after-effects at all. However, his cultivation wouldn''t be the same as before.


    "Appear!" Tang Xiu said calmly.


    Whoosh¡­


    A figure appeared before Tang Xiu with lighting-quick movements, and then, Feng Yang inquired Tang Xiu with a respectful expression. "Your Majesty, what command do you have for me?"


    Tang Xiu said faintly, "Contact Jin Shi and order their intelligence members to spread the news to the entire Immortal World that Apotheon Feng Yang of the Endless Sea possesses the Soul Dissolution Ambrosia. You will accompany me to the Endless Sea tomorrow!"


    "Understood!" Feng Yang acknowledged.


    Tang Xiu looked at Feng Yan''s back as he left and smirked inwardly. Shade Demon Zhu Wushou''s biggest weakness right now was that he needed the Soul Dissolution Ambrosia urgently to undergo a rebirth. And the reason he hadn''t been able to obtain it was that Tang Xiu had sent four Supreme powerhouses to guard the entrance of the Nefas Abyss. They would immediately attack him if they saw him, so he couldn''t find a way to infiltrate the Ghost Realm via the Nefas Abyss and obtain the Soul Dissolution Ambrosia.


    A few moments later, Tang Xiu arrived outside the palace where Han Qingwu resided and saw Tang Song, who had just turned 16, practicing battle arts in the wide training ground when he entered. He was only a Great Ascension State cultivator right now, but his battle arts had already reached the level of perfection. His movements were fierce and bold yet also swift.


    "Song''er."


    Tang Xiu appeared before Tang Song suddenly and called out to him with a faint smile on his face.


    Tang Song had a very handsome appearance and had a 60-70% resemblance to Tang Xiu. Furthermore, he had a perfect physique with a height of 185cm and simply looked like a majestic battle deity.


    "Father?"


    Tang Song stopped training and revealed a somewhat astonished expression.


    Tang Xiu smiled and asked, "How''s your cultivation progressing recently? Have you gone out to gain experience?"


    Tang Song smiled and replied, "My cultivation has been progressing smoothly, and I just accompanied Mother to the Red Lotus Immortal Domain to procure some things there a while ago. Father, do you want Monkey Wine? I got some very strong Monkey Wine from an old immortal there and felt it tasted pretty good after sampling it."


    Tang Xiu smiled and said, "Take it out then and let me give it a try."


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 1412 Old Friends

    At the edge of the Misty Spring Ocean, there was a lone boat, drifting wherever the wind took it. On top of the boat were two middle-aged men, wearing ragged robes and with bodies full of battle scars and injuries. Next to these two people, another person could be seen. This person was drenched in fresh blood and still conscious. He was constantly scanning his surroundings while gritting his teeth in anger.


    "Damn, it totally wasn''t worth it!!


    "If these two guys dare to trick me, I will then cut their willies and feed them to the dogs.


    "While passing through nineteen Immortal Domains, I''ve already suffered countless ambushes. I''ve nearly gotten killed so many times!


    "This is the greatest gamble that I''ve done. We cannot lose! Otherwise, I will lose my home, my land, and my countless women¡­ I will lose too much."


    The young man clawed at his face and looked around. He found that he was no longer in danger. It was then that he was able to finally breathe a big sigh of relief. Then, he moved one of the unconscious males to one side of the boat, then laid down in the boat and gradually grew deep in thought.


    Woosh! Woosh! Woosh!


    Flashes of a group of people suddenly shot towards the boat from afar. In a few breaths, they already appeared on the boat. Their leader, a Perfected Golden Immortal wearing silver battle robes and armed with a weapon, looked at the three people on the boat and asked, "Who are you, people? Why have you chosen to enter the Forbidden Sea instead of passing through using the ocean bridge?"


    The young man stood up, then looked at the Immortal in front of him. Then, in reverence and fear, he replied, "My lord, we did not know that this is the Forbidden Sea. We''re being pursued by our enemies and have managed to escape by coming here. That''s right, my name is Eleven Fingers and I''m from Brightpeak Immortal Domain. These two are my good friends. As for why we''re being pursued, it''s completely because of these two. The reason as to why I have brought them to the Great Tang Empire''s Misty Spring Ocean is to bring them to the imperial city to find the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. They said that they were once good friends with the Emperor."


    The Golden Immortal leader suddenly had a weird expression on his face. He hesitated for a second, then asked, "Are you sure that they were once good friends with the Emperor? If you can vouch for them, then I will heal them and escort you safely to the city. However, if I find that you have lied to me, then I will, in accordance with the law of the Great Tang Empire, label you as spies who have attempted to infiltrate our Great Tang Empire. If that happens, then I will kill you."


    "This¡­"


    The young man was suddenly quite uneasy. Although he was quite strong and was a powerhouse in the Great Ascension Stage, his little bit of strength was simply outmatched by the Immortals in front of him. If¡­


    Internal conflict ensued within him. In the end, he gritted his teeth and said, "Although I''m not sure if they have lied to me, I will vouch for them."


    The Golden Immortal nodded his head, then threw out two healing pills. Then, he said, "Give them the pills, then we will leave for the imperial city."


    Half a day later.


    The Golden Immortal brought the three of them to the entrance of the imperial city. He spoke to his superior, then left.


    "Wake up."


    The Perfected Golden Immortal powerhouse standing in front of them used a special technique to wake the two previously unconscious men from their slumber. Then, looking at their dazed expressions, he asked, "Who are you, people? How dare you call yourselves the Emperor''s old friends? Do you not know that that is a death sentence?"


    Miao Wentang looked around, then suddenly asked, "Is this the imperial city of the Great Tang Empire?"


    The Perfected Golden Immortal proudly replied, "Of course! In the whole Immortal World, which other city can compare to our Great Tang Empire''s imperial city?"


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen met each other''s gaze, then laughed loudly. Miao Wentang then hurriedly said, "Quick. Take me to Tang Xiu."


    "How audacious."


    The Perfected Golden Immortal''s body suddenly emitted a strong and powerful aura. He immediately silenced Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen. Then, he said, "The name of the Emperor is not a name that you insignificant Immortals have a right to say! Just because of your words, I can immediately kill you."


    "I can prove it."


    Miao Wentang''s body was completely paralyzed in fear. He feared that this powerful figure was going to kill them both.


    The Perfected Golden Immortal raised his eyebrows and replied, "What proof?"


    Miao Wentang hurriedly replied, "I have a phone in my spatial ring. Within the phone, there is a picture of Brother Tang and I¡­ No. There''s a picture of the Emperor and me. You will understand when you see it."


    The Perfected Golden Immortal retracted his aura, then replied, "Take out the¡­ phone."


    Miao Wentang immediately took out the phone within his spatial ring. When he found the picture of him and Tang Xiu, he showed it to the Perfected Golden Immortal and said, "My lord, this is the proof. When the Emperor was still on Earth, we were extremely good friends and were at risk of dying with one another. It''s also him who told us that if we ever traveled to the Immortal World, then we can just find him. He said that we will definitely be able to find him."


    When the Perfected Golden Immortal saw the picture, he was shocked. He hesitated for a while, then replied, "This is an important matter. I will need to report this to my superiors. You can go and wait at the entrance of the temple in the meantime. If the Emperor wishes to see you, then I will escort you to him."


    "Alright. Thank you."


    Miao Wentang thought about it, then hurriedly took out two Immortal Crystals from his spatial ring and gave it to the Perfected Golden Immortal.


    "What are you doing?"


    The Perfected Golden Immortal was taken aback, then replied with rage in his voice.


    "Uh¡­"


    Miao Wentang''s face immediately froze up, then started to laugh. "My lord, this is something that we wish to give you for your efforts. I hope that you will not reject it."


    The expression on the Perfected Golden Immortal''s face immediately lit up.


    A gift?


    Are they bribing me?


    Just two mere Immortal Crystals to bribe me, a Perfected Golden Immortal general?


    Miao Wentang looked at his expression and thought that he hadn''t offered enough. He took out four more Immortal Crystals from his spatial ring, then handed it to the Perfected Golden Immortal. With a smiling face, he said, "My lord, this is all I have. I hope that you won''t reject it."


    The Perfected Golden Immortal did not take it, but instead, he laughed and replied, "Are you trying to kill me? The Great Tang Empire has an iron law that any officer found taking bribes will be killed immediately."


    "Ah¡­"


    Miao Wentang paused, then replied, "Tang Xiu brought that to the Immortal World, huh?"


    The Perfected Golden Immortal coldly stared at Miao Wentang, then brought the three of them into the imperial city. After two hours, he finally brought them to the entrance of the temple.


    Inside the palace.


    Tang Xiu was talking to his son, Tang Song. Suddenly, his expression changed. Without moving his head, he asked, "What is it?"


    "Emperor, there are a few outsiders who claim that they are your friends. They even said that¡­" A Perfected Golden Immortal powerhouse came to deliver the news to Tang Xiu. However, before he could even finish his sentence, he hesitated.


    Tang Xiu frowned and said, "What did they say?"


    The Perfected Golden Immortal powerhouse replied, "They said that they were your brothers from a place that you were in. I think they called it¡­ Earth."


    Earth?


    Tang Xiu''s expression suddenly changed. He turned around and asked, "What are their names?"


    "Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen. As for the other person, he''s a citizen of the Immortal World and their guide," the Perfected Golden Immortal replied respectfully.


    Miao Wentang?


    Shao Mingzhen?


    Tang Xiu''s face was filled with surprise. He hadn''t even dreamt that they would come to the Immortal World this quickly! Furthermore, he didn''t even think that they would be able to find this place!


    "Tell me! Where are they?"


    "In front of the temple."


    Tang Xiu held Tang Song''s arm, then cheerily said, "Song''er, let''s go and meet a couple of my old friends."


    After half an hour.


    Tang Xiu appeared in the hall situated in the front of the temple, then looked at the busy workers and asked, "Where is Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen?"


    In the receiving room.


    The young man couldn''t sit still and looked at Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen. He hurriedly asked, "Did you lie to me? Bro! Please answer me! I beg you! If you both lied to me, then only death awaits us all."


    Miao Wentang replied, "If this is the Great Tang Empire that we knew previously, and the Emperor of the Great Tang Empire is Tang Xiu, then we are definitely not wrong. Eleven Fingers, don''t worry!"


    Eleven Fingers replied angrily, "What? Don''t worry? I don''t know where you guys are from, and you still managed to trick me to take you here. What have you experienced during all of this? If it wasn''t because of me, both of you would have already died a hundred times over!"


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen looked at each other and began to laugh. In the three short years that they came to the Immortal World, they were immediately met with trouble. All their belongings were taken from them and they were also heavily injured.


    After that, they employed many methods to try and get immortal stones and crystals. In the end, they finally managed to build wealth for themselves. However, in the process of doing so, they had offended a Silk pants young master. They only injured him, but the other side kept sending people to chase them. In the end, they could only run for their lives. In these three years, although they had killed a hundred people, they also came close to dying several times. As for Eleven Fingers, he was someone who they managed to trick to join them in their run for survival.


    Miao Wentang began to hesitate and said, "Brother Shao, if we managed to get this wrong, then we''re in trouble, aren''t we?"


    Shao Mingzhen bitterly laughed and replied, "Yep. Definitely in trouble. This is the Great Tang Empire, which looks to be the greatest Empire in the Immortal World. No other forces can topple them. If we offended the Emperor of this Great Tang Empire, then we are only waiting for death."


    Miao Wentang went silent, then said, "I don''t believe that we''re wrong. It''s not like you don''t know just how capable Brother Tang is. No matter if it''s Earth or the Immortal World, he will definitely make a name for himself. Who knows? Maybe this Great Tang Empire is the same Great Tang Empire on Earth."


    "Hahaha! Although my parents gave birth to me, it''s Brother Miao who knows me best!"


    The door to the receiving room swung open and Tang Xiu''s bright laughter was immediately heard. Tang Xiu then appeared in front of them.


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 1413 The Matters of Earth

    "Greetings, Your Majesty."


    All the officers of the Great Tang Empire immediately hurried over to where Tang Xiu was. As soon as Tang Xiu entered the hall, they immediately kneeled at his sight.


    Tang Xiu looked at them, then said, "I''m here to meet two of my old friends. You''re dismissed! On another note, abundantly reward the person who brought these two brothers to me."


    "Yes, my lord!"


    All the officers replied simultaneously, then left immediately.


    Tang Xiu looked at Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen. With open arms, he laughed and said, "My two brothers. I didn''t think that you would ascend to the Immortal World that quickly! Welcome! The Great Tang Empire welcomes you."


    "Hahaha¡­"


    "What a good brother."


    Although Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen were frightened by the previous sight, once they heard Tang Xiu''s words and saw his familiar face, they immediately started to laugh happily and hugged each other.


    On the side.


    Eleven Fingers was speechless as he watched the three people in front of him. He was so grateful that he felt quite dizzy. After all, he knew that it was the famed Great Tang Heavenly Emperor standing in front of him! How could he not know? This person was once the legendary Star Cultivation Great Emperor!


    However.


    What made him excited was that this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, who had an untouchable aura around him, had truly deep friendships with these two friends of his that he made every effort to help. Otherwise, as the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, why would he appear here personally? How was it possible for him to look at them with such excitement?


    "Hit the jackpot."


    Eleven Fingers was extremely excited. He knew that by risking it all, he made the right choice.


    After they released each other from their hug, Miao Wentang excitedly said, "Brother Tang¡­ no¡­ I should call you Emperor! When we first came to the Immortal World, we already heard your name! Strong! How powerful!"


    Shao Mingzhen also added, "That''s right! To think that you haven''t been in the Immortal World for that long, and you''re already the Emperor of the most powerful Great Tang Empire. We''re in complete awe of your capabilities. We have risked our lives countless times before finally getting here, in the Great Tang Empire. Finally, we have seen you."


    Tang Xiu laughed and said, "Not very long? Brother Shao is full of jokes! It has already been over a thousand years since I''ve been in the Immortal World. However, there is a time difference in the Immortal World and Earth. For every year that passes on Earth, around a hundred years would have passed in the Immortal World. Alright, then. Let''s stop talking about this. Let''s go. I''ll take you to the palace. In the future, you guys can just follow me and eat and drink!"


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen nodded their heads furiously. These two men had already truly grasped the terrors of the Immortal World. With such an opportunity in front of them, they would not let it slip.


    "Who is this?"


    Tang Xiu finally realized Eleven Fingers'' presence and he curiously asked.


    Eleven Fingers, with full respect and awe visibly on his face, kneeled down before Tang Xiu and said, "I''m Eleven Fingers, a friend of Brother Miao and Brother Shao."


    Miao Wentang said, "Emper¡­"


    Tang Xiu immediately said, "Don''t call me Emperor. I''m already quite tired of that. You can call me Brother Tang, just as you did back on Earth. I will do the same and call you my brothers."


    Miao Wentang nodded, then laughed. "Brother Tang, Eleven Fingers is someone who we got to meet when we were being pursued by other people. He has helped us before, so we asked him to take us to the Great Tang Empire. In these three years, we have suffered constant battles and pursuits and have nearly died in the enemies'' hands countless times. If it was not for Eleven Fingers, then it''s more than likely that we would not be here today."


    Tang Xiu nodded his head in silence, then looked at Eleven Fingers. He then took out a spatial ring, threw it to him, and said, "This is your reward for taking them here, and also an expression of my thanks. Since you have saved my two brothers, then you are a friend of the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor as well. Give a request, and I will satisfy it."


    Eleven Fingers took the spatial ring and couldn''t even bother to look at the treasures inside it. He immediately replied, "Many thanks, your majesty. I wish to stay beside the two brothers."


    Tang Xiu was speechless and laughed, "You''re a smart one. Alright. If you want to become strong, then I will allow you to become strong, since you have proved yourself with your deeds. From today onwards, you can follow these two brothers! I will not neglect you."


    "Thank you, your majesty."


    Eleven Fingers was extremely excited and immediately kneeled on the ground once again.


    Tang Xiu laughed, then said, "Brother Miao, Brother Shao, let''s go. When everything settles down, then you guys can come back and look for this young man later."


    "Sounds good!"


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen looked at Eleven Fingers. Suddenly, they felt a sensation akin to being in a washing machine. When their vision came back to them, they found themselves inside a palace. This palace was simply glorious, to say the least. It had an aura of grandeur and absolute majesty. The old European castles were simply incomparable to this.


    "Come."


    Tang Xiu said with a booming voice. A person immediately appeared next to him. Then, Tang Xiu loudly said, "This is an order for the chef. Prepare the best that we have to offer. I want to welcome and indulge with these two friends of mine who have traveled from afar."


    "Yes."


    Tang Xiu brought Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen to the dining room and sat down. Then, Tang Xiu laughed and asked, "Both of you have worked hard to get here. I should be letting you rest first, but I became very excited upon seeing the both of you. So, I want to eat and drink with you first!"


    Miao Wentang sighed, then replied, "Brother Tang, let me say something that''s truly from my heart. All of what we have accomplished would not have been possible without you. In our hearts, you are not only our friend and our brother but also our inspiration and guide in life. Upon seeing you again and realizing that you did not treat us differently because of the differences in status and strength, it has only strengthened my belief that I was incredibly fortunate and wise to have become brothers with you back then."


    Tang Xiu laughed and replied, "Brother Miao, don''t say that. Back on Earth, both of you have helped me tremendously. Truly, if it wasn''t for both of you helping me back then, it would not have been easy to expand the way I did. Therefore, we are a family! Don''t treat me as a stranger. Since you have come to the Immortal World, stay in the Great Tang Empire. If you are willing to become officials, then I will prepare for you a position, and arrange for a group of powerful bodyguards for you. If you want to train in peace, then all our cultivation resources and armory is open for you to use freely. Anything that you want, you can have. All in all, the Great Tang Empire is your home! Oh, that''s right, I will also arrange a place for the both of you inside the imperial city. I''ll give you two palaces!"


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen looked at each other, then tears began to flow out of their eyes quickly. However, it also disappeared just as quickly. They both looked at Tang Xiu, then Miao Wentang said, "Brother Tang, we will follow whatever you have planned."


    Tang Xiu asked, "Brother Miao, Brother Shao, after a thousand or so years in the Immortal World, it should have been only around a decade or so on Earth. I remember when I left Earth, your cultivation levels were still very low. How did you both manage to ascend to the Immortal World this quickly?"


    Miao Wentang gratefully replied, "It''s solely because of the things that you gave us! Long Zhengyu has also helped me. Besides, we also found a place that had three pills. However, we didn''t recognize what they were, but the smell was extremely strong, so we guessed that it was something good. We swallowed two of them, then our cultivation levels soared. That''s right, we also left one for Long Zhengyu, so he should be at the Crossing Tribulations Stage and ascending to the Immortal World soon."


    Tang Xiu was shocked. Then, he asked, "Before you came to the Immortal World, what was the situation like on Earth?"


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen looked at each other, then both of them had a bitter smile on their faces. Then, they said, "We had a conflict with the Special Abilities Bureau. Duanmu Lin couldn''t control some of his people, whose strengths were rapidly growing. Then he hopelessly resigned from his position, then entered the minor world that Long Zhengyu was in control of to cultivate in peace. During these few years, we have come in conflict multiple times with the people of the Special Abilities Bureau. In the most intense and most serious conflict, there have already been extremely fierce fighting on both ends. If it wasn''t for a powerful old man, we fear that many of those guys would have already died."


    Tang Xiu''s aura suddenly grew cold. Then, he coldly smiled and said, "Because of his foolishness, Duanmu Lin lost his chance at ascending to the Immortal World with me. Then, I handed him a group of brothers for him to manage, but he also failed at that. However, him resigning from the position in the Special Abilities Bureau was actually a good thing. How are Long Zhengyu and his people? How is the Magnificent Tang Corporation now?"


    Miao Wentang said, "The Magnificent Tang Corporation has become the greatest corporation in the world. However, a new law has passed that no one from the Magnificent Tang Corporation is allowed to communicate with anyone in the government. No cultivator is allowed to have a position in the government either. As for Long Zhengyu and that group, they are already powerful figures and known throughout the whole Earth. Each of them has grown well."


    Tang Xiu happily nodded his head and said, "I have left them a lot of things on Earth. If their potential is good, then they can ascend to the Immortal World. I have already established a foundation here, so once they come to the Immortal World, they can enjoy immortality."


    Miao Wentang smiled and nodded his head. Suddenly, as if he thought of something, the smile quickly receded. Then, he said, "As for the group of guys, not all of them have been well. One of them who is suffering."


    Miao Wentang replied, "Ji Mu."


    Tang Xiu asked, "What happened?"


    Miao Wentang replied, "He went insane."


    Tang Xiu hurriedly asked, "What happened? From what I know of his emotional state, unless a drastic event happened, he would definitely not go insane."


    Miao Wentang smiled bitterly and replied, "Ji Mu''s daughter was harmed by some people from the Special Abilities Bureau. In his rage, Ji Mu went to find the people who harmed his daughter. Instead, he was the one who was inflicted serious damage. Because his daughter committed suicide after being harmed and Ji Mu himself sustained serious injuries, his wife managed to find some explosive bombs, found where the Special Abilities Bureau people lived, and blew herself up along with them. Ji Mu, seriously injured, was inflicted further pain, so he went insane. In the last two years before we ascended, he vanished without a trace. We have tried all we can to find him, but our efforts have been futile thus far."


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 1414 Nicely Done

    Tang Xiu was filled with a cold rage. Then, he coldly laughed. "You guys should remember who those Special Abilities Bureau people are, right? I hope, for their sake, that they never come to the Immortal World. Otherwise, if you ever meet them again, we will kill them on sight."


    Shao Mingzhen replied, "Most of the Elementalists in the Special Abilities Bureau are nearly dead. Long Zhengyu showed his ruthless side and already secretly has the whole country under his control."


    "You guys did this?"


    Tang Xiu asked.


    Miao Wentang replied, "That''s right. We did this. We chose the main base of the Special Abilities Bureau as our place of ascension. Hehe. Those arrogant fools were full of ignorance and that cost them their lives. All of them, if not most of them, died during our tribulations."


    Tang Xiu gave them a big thumbs up and praised them. "Nicely done."


    At this moment.


    Tang Song, who had been next to Tang Xiu this whole time, suddenly raised his voice and said, "Wow! Both of these uncles are impressive!"


    Tang Xiu turned around and saw Tang Song. Then, as if he woke up from a dream, he slapped his head and said, "Look at me now¡­ After seeing my two brothers, I forgot about this little brat! I''ll introduce you. This is my son, Tang Song. Tang Song, greet them."


    Tang Song laughed and said, "Uncle Miao. Uncle Shao."


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen were shocked. They didn''t expect Tang Xiu''s son to be this grown-up already. Both of them stood up, looked at each other, then they each took out an item from their spatial rings.


    Miao Wentang smiled and said, "Tang Song, your Uncle Miao is quite poor, so I''ll use this as a greeting gift! Please don''t dislike it."


    Shao Mingzhen laughed and said, "I''m just as poor, but a greeting gift cannot be forgotten."


    "Thank you, Uncle Miao and Uncle Shao." Tang Song laughed as he took the two items. Although he didn''t lack anything, they were still gifts from his elders.


    After Tang Xiu''s eyes fell on those two items, he immediately reached out his hand and said, "Let me have a look at those two items."


    An instant later.


    He already took the red bead and blue bead in his hands. Then, after closely examining it, he sighed and said, "Two Heaven''s Beads. One represents destruction and the other represents creation. These two Heaven''s Beads, even in the Immortal World, are very rare treasures."


    Miao Wentang smiled and replied, "We''re not sure what these are, but these beads are the only thing that we can take out right now."


    Tang Xiu laughed and replied, "Brother Miao, my children already have quite a few of these!"


    "What?"


    Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen looked at each other, then immediately started laughing.


    Tang Xiu gave these two Heaven''s Beads to Tang Song and said, "Swallow both of these beads at the same time. One represents destruction and the other represents creation. I hope that you will be able to understand their meanings and have them completely under control. If you are able to do this, then your future accomplishments will not be any less than mine."


    "Yes!"


    Tang Song lightly nodded his head and replied.


    After a few days.


    Tang Xiu already ordered his people to arrange two palaces for Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen. Furthermore, he also arranged for many people to serve them. Tang Xiu also gave them ten million Immortal Crystals each for them to use. Of course, Tang Xiu also gave them a bunch of cultivation pills, cultivation techniques, and some weapons for them to use as well.


    After a while.


    He brought ten Supreme powerhouses and began his journey to the Endless Sea. At the same time, all of the intel operation departments had completely turned their attention to the Endless Sea. A large portion of the intel operatives had already either entered the Endless Sea or stayed in the surroundings of the Endless Sea, strictly monitoring all information within that area.


    Endless Sea.


    It wasn''t a violent water body, but rather a place that was full of terrain that was shaped by meteorites. Many different landmasses could be seen, whether they were big or small. Furthermore, those meteorites would come at unexpected times and explode upon landing on the landmasses. The meteorites in the outer regions were smaller, so the dangers were extremely low. However, the meteorites within the inner regions were much larger and the landmasses were also much larger. And in the depths of the Endless Sea existed an impressive small-scale Immortal Domain.


    Energy tides.


    If this was in the starry skies, then they would be the harbinger of death for countless Immortals. However, in the Endless Sea, energy tides protected the landmasses from being struck by the meteorites. Wherever there were energy tides, meteorites would not land there. Therefore, energy tides were a safe haven for those in the Endless Sea.


    There were countless treasures and wealth within the Endless Sea. The wealth and resources were mainly left behind by the Immortals who had ventured here. After a while, the number of Immortals who came here accumulated and naturally, the number of deaths because of the meteorites also accumulated accordingly. In the end, the Endless Sea became a paradise for the risk-takers.


    "We''re here."


    Next to Tang Xiu were Seaway Monarch and Nether Sea Whale King. As for the other eight Supreme powerhouses, they were inside the Heavenly Abode.


    The Nether Sea Whale King scanned their surroundings and said, "Your Majesty, are we going to enter the Endless Sea directly? Or are we going to investigate the surroundings first? That Shade Demon Zhu Wushou is extremely cunning. I don''t know what he''s planning at all."


    Tang Xiu replied, "He won''t be able to enter the inner regions of the Endless Sea unless he can enter its depths where the energy tides are protecting the landmasses. He was once a late-stage Supreme powerhouse, so he was able to freely traverse the Endless Sea, but he''s a mere immortal soul now and as powerful as a Celestial Immortal Stage cultivator at most. If he dares to enter the Endless Sea in his current state, he could die at any time. From what I know of his careful character, he will not take that risk so easily."


    The Nether Sea Whale King replied, "Your Majesty, do you mean that Shade Demon Zhu Wushou will not enter the depths of the Endless Sea and that we just need to look for him in the outer regions?"


    Tang Xiu shook his head and replied, "Quite the opposite. According to Shade Demon Zhu Wushou''s intelligence, he would be able to think of the things that we think of. Furthermore, he also has a Perfected Golden Immortal disciple next to him. With that Perfected Golden Immortal disciple with him, he need not be afraid of entering the depths of the Endless Sea. Therefore, once he heard the news that I have deployed my people to the Endless Sea, he would most likely have already entered the depths of the Endless Sea in his search."


    The Seaway Monarch nodded his head slowly and replied, "That sounds quite logical, Your Majesty. Shade Demon Zhu Wushou is extremely cunning and has many cards up his sleeves. If he wants the Soul Dissolution Ambrosia, then he will most likely enter the depths of the Endless Sea. I have come here previously, so I know the places protected by energy tides. We can search from the deepest areas of the Endless Sea and conduct our search from there. We may be able to find traces of him easily that way."


    Tang Xiu smiled and replied, "If we rely on manpower alone to search, it would be akin to finding a needle in a haystack. The whole Endless Sea is much too big for us to search. Its area is larger than ten large Immortal Domains combined! Therefore, we need to prepare something. We may not need to go and search for him ourselves, but that he may come and look for us instead."


    The Seaway Monarch hurriedly asked, "Your Majesty, what do you have in mind?"


    Tang Xiu nodded his head and replied, "I have already thought of a plan on the way here. Seaway Monarch, there is a powerful figure in the Endless Sea known as the Tidal Empress. Since you have been here before, have you heard of this person?"


    Seaway Monarch''s facial expression slightly changed, then he bitterly smiled and replied, "Your Majesty, not only have I heard of this Tidal Empress, but I have also interacted with her. This woman is extremely ruthless and cruel. Anyone who wronged her would be constantly pursued and attacked by her as long as you were in the Endless Sea. She''s remarkably powerful and is extremely suited to fight in the Endless Sea. Even a late-stage Supreme powerhouse would find it extremely difficult to kill her in the Endless Sea."


    Tang Xiu was surprised and said, "You had a run-in with her? Tell us what happened."


    Seaway Monarch explained, "At that time, because I wanted to catch a flying sky fish, I entered a piece of land that was protected by energy tides. There were countless Immortal Beasts on that land, and they were all very gentle, like domesticated animals. When I entered the place, I ended up meeting the Tidal Empress. Fortunately, the Tidal Empress needed Immortal Crystals and Crystal Essences that day, so she asked me for them. I gave it to her, so she didn''t kill me."


    Tang Xiu asked, "Is that piece of land her home?"


    The Seaway Monarch shook his head and said, "I''m not sure."


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath, then nodded and said, "It doesn''t matter whether or not that place is her home. We need to find her. That Tidal Empress has a remarkable innate talent. That talent of hers allows her to control the energy tides. Furthermore, she''s able to use the energy tides to find traces of living energy in her surroundings. If Shade Demon Zhu Wushou is in the Endless Sea, then she can quickly find him."


    The Seaway Monarch was shocked. "Emperor, do you mean to ask the Tidal Empress to help us? Is this possible? I know this woman very well. She''s as cold as a person can be."


    Tang Xiu calmly replied, "If I''m willing to give a drop of god blood for her assistance, do you think that she will agree?"


    The Seaway Monarch''s eyes brightened. He nodded and replied, "I think that she will agree to help us. God blood has great benefits for even a Supreme powerhouse, after all."


    Tang Xiu said, "Let''s go! Let''s go and find her."


    In the depths of the Endless Sea.


    There was a piece of land that was covered by energy tides. The area of the land was extremely large. Tang Xiu and the rest of them searched the Endless Sea for four years and had finally found it now. When the few of them breached the energy tides and entered the inner parts of the land, they saw countless Immortal Beasts resting there.


    The sights were extremely beautiful. The water was crystal clear, and the mountains soared far above the sky.


    Tang Xiu looked around and didn''t find any traces of an Immortal living here. Then, he yelled, "Tidal Empress! We wish to meet you."


    "Scram!"


    A furious voice traveled from the top of a large mountain.


    Tang Xiu instantly locked onto the mountain and brought Seaway Monarch and Nether Sea Whale King to the foot of the mountain. He said deeply, "Tidal Empress, I''m the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor of the Great Tang Empire. I have long heard the name of the Tidal Empress, but I have never had the opportunity to meet you personally. This time, I''m here to make a deal with you. I believe that this deal will benefit both of us greatly."


    "Get lost right now."


    The cold voice traveled down once again.


    Tang Xiu coldly laughed and replied, "God blood. I have a drop of god blood in my hands. If you have not passed the Divinity Tribulation, I''m afraid that you will need it."


    "God blood? You have god blood?"


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 1415 Mutual Deception

    An indistinct figure flickered in front of the three of them instantly. She was extremely quick, not even Tang Xiu was as quick as her.


    Tang Xiu looked at the woman before him who was dressed in black and immediately guessed that this was the famed Tidal Empress of the Endless Sea, a Supreme powerhouse. He smiled, then said, "I do have god blood. Furthermore, I have more than a drop. Let''s make a deal that will benefit both of us."


    The Tidal Empress coldly stared at Tang Xiu, then asked, "What deal?"


    Tang Xiu calmly replied, "Help me find Shade Demon Zhu Wushou, and I''ll give you a drop of god blood. This is a fair trade."


    The Tidal Empress mulled over the deal, then asked, "Is that it?"


    Tang Xiu smiled and replied, "That''s it. It''s quite easy, is it not?"


    The Tidal Empress nodded her head and replied, "It''s indeed easy. In fact, I don''t even need to lift a finger. This is because I already know where Shade Demon Zhu Wushou is."


    Tang Xiu immediately asked, "Where is he?"


    The Tidal Empress curled her finger, beckoning for Tang Xiu to hand the god blood over, then said, "Give me the god blood first."


    Tang Xiu retrieved a jade bottle from his spatial ring and gave it to the Tidal Empress. "There is one drop of god blood in there."


    The Tidal Empress was visibly excited. After examining the bottle closely and determining whether or not the god blood was real, she raised her head and looked at Tang Xiu, then asked, "The god''s corpse inside Nefas Abyss. It was you who got it, right? Back then, I spent all my efforts and still failed to get even a single drop of god blood."


    Tang Xiu nodded his head and replied, "You''re indeed correct. The god blood from that place is here with me."


    The Tidal Empress then said, "If you want me to tell you where Shade Demon Zhu Wushou is, then besides the god blood, you will need to give me one more thing. If you can fulfill this request, then I promise that Shade Demon Zhu Wushou will appear in front of you very soon. If you do not agree, then the deal is canceled. You guys can search the Endless Sea by yourselves!"


    Tang Xiu replied, "What is it that you want?"


    The Tidal Empress replied, "I need a god''s eye."


    Tang Xiu immediately shook his head and replied, "Impossible! You know full well of the value of god eyes. I have never touched other parts of a god''s corpse besides extracting god blood. Therefore, I''m afraid that there must be a change of request. Otherwise, I will cancel the deal."


    A smile crawled onto the Tidal Empress''s face. She said, "The Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. I have heard of you before. You''re the most powerful Emperor in the whole Immortal World. I''ve heard the rumor that you have countless Supreme powerhouses serving you. Can you confirm that?"


    Tang Xiu smiled slightly, then summoned the other eight Supreme powerhouses from the Heavenly Abode immortal artifact. Then, he replied, "Saying that I have countless Supreme powerhouses is an exaggeration, but the rumor is partly true. I do have around a hundred Supreme powerhouses in my Great Tang Empire. Tidal Empress, you must be aware that although this might be your home, even you will find it difficult to survive under the attacks of eleven Supreme powerhouses. Instead, I have come here in peace and have not forced you to make the deal. In fact, the deal is a fair one. I hope that you can put your personality aside and work with me peacefully."


    The Tidal Empress'' eyes suddenly became extremely alert and she scanned each person that appeared in front of her. When her eyes fell on Seaway Monarch, she paused for a second, then looked at Tang Xiu and said, "Alright, then. I''ll tell you where Shade Demon Zhu Wushou is. Come with me."


    Tang Xiu was slightly surprised, as he didn''t expect the Tidal Empress to surrender that easily. However, given how easily she gave up, Tang Xiu was suddenly extremely cautious. He then sent a message to everyone else, telling them to be on guard as well.


    After half a day.


    Tang Xiu eyes beamed. This was because he had been here before. This was the place where he prepared an ambush and killed a Supreme and two Perfected Golden Immortals.


    This was the Maelstrom Space.


    It was an interesting place. This was a place that was extremely suited to killing people.


    "Tidal Empress, this is a very peculiar place! I didn''t think that there was such a place in the Immortal World," Tang Xiu said this with an unwavering expression and a slight smile on his face.


    The Tidal Empress had a calm expression on her face, but her heart was full of murderous intent. She said, "This is called the Maelstrom Space. This is the safest place in the whole of the Endless Sea. Don''t be afraid of the energy emitted by the maelstrom, as it''s safe inside it. I have lived for so long in the Endless Sea, so I know most of the Endless Sea pretty well."


    The safest?


    No dangers?


    Tang Xiu laughed in his heart. He already recognized something amiss. This Maelstrom Space was a nightmare for countless Perfected Golden Immortals. Even Supreme powerhouses were at danger of dying themselves! And yet, the Tidal Empress was saying that it wasn''t dangerous? Was she trying to trick them as if they were three-year-olds?


    "That''s right. With the Tidal Empress here with us, a Supreme powerhouse who is familiar with the area, we need not worry! However, where is Shade Demon Zhu Wushou? Is he here?" Tang Xiu asked this with a smile on his face.


    The Tidal Empress pointed to the largest flock of swirling clouds at the distance and said, "Shade Demon Zhu Wushou is there. Furthermore, it is I who placed him there. This is because I received some good things from him before, that''s why I helped him. However, the things that he gave me cannot compare to the drop of god blood. It''s simply rubbish in comparison."


    Tang Xiu thought about it for a second, then said, "The Tidal Empress is correct. How many drops of god blood are there in the whole Immortal World? Close to none. However, although I don''t have a lot of god blood myself, I can still give enough to around 810 cultivators. If we can kill Shade Demon Zhu Wushou, the last enemy of mine, then I''m willing to give even more. Therefore, when we kill Shade Demon Zhu Wushou, I will give you another drop of god blood. Furthermore, if you are willing to serve under me, the doors of the Great Tang Empire will be wide open for you. I will happily receive you into the Empire."


    The Tidal Empress smiled, then said, "Many thanks to the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. If I ever plan to do that, I will hurry to the Great Tang Empire at once. Now, I''ll bring you to Shade Demon Zhu Wushou first, then I''ll help you kill him. After that, I will take the god blood and cultivate for a few hundred years. Then, we shall see."


    "I respect your decision," Tang Xiu smiled and replied.


    As they were talking, they came to the largest flock of swirling clouds. The Tidal Empress did not hesitate and flew in immediately and quickly disappeared into the cloud layer.


    "All of you, be on guard. I have been here. This is definitely not as safe as the Tidal Empress has said. Instead, it''s extremely dangerous. Even careless Supreme powerhouses will lose their lives here. Seaway Monarch, stay next to me. Golden-eyed Great Peng and Nether Sea Whale King, stay out here. If something happens inside, then you will immediately attack these clouds later. As for the rest of you, enter the Heavenly Abode."


    "Understood!" They acknowledged in succession.


    After an instant, Tang Xiu and Seaway Monarch followed the Tidal Empress'' lead and entered the Maelstrom Space. Upon entering it, they saw a seemingly endless ocean. However, the water was not the normal blue color. Instead, it was of a pitch-black color.


    "Weakening Water?"


    Seaway Monarch''s looked at the water with his vast knowledge, and he couldn''t help but sigh.


    Tang Xiu''s eyes beamed with a cold aura. He looked at the Tidal Empress, who had stopped moving around ten thousand meters in front of them. Then, he coldly smiled and said, "This is all ocean water, and it''s also Weakening Water from the Ghost Realm. For Shade Demon Zhu Wushou, this is definitely something that would harm him. By hiding here, is he not afraid of death?"


    The Tidal Empress then laughed and said, "Hiding here? My senior is not that stupid to hide here. Instead, I think you, the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, is the stupid one. You clearly aren''t as smart as my senior said you were. You even dared to come into the Maelstrom Space with me!"


    Tang Xiu continued to smile and said, "What do you mean by this?"


    The Tidal Empress looked at Tang Xiu condescendingly and replied, "Tell your servants to come out of the Heavenly Abode! If they don''t come out, then they can just be awaiting death. This is the Maelstrom Space. This is one of the most dangerous places in the Immortal World. Even Supreme powerhouses have a high chance of dying here. Furthermore¡­ Hahaha, I have arranged this place to be your graves."


    Tang Xiu nodded his head, then replied, "You''re indeed correct. The Maelstrom Space in the Endless Sea is indeed one of the most dangerous places in the Immortal World. I have been here before and have even killed a Supreme and two Perfected Golden Immortals here. The last time I was here, I was only a mere Perfected Golden Immortal."


    The Tidal Empress froze in shock, then slowly replied, "Since you knew that I was lying to you, you still dared to enter?"


    Tang Xiu coldly laughed and said, "Of course. You aren''t the only one familiar with this place. I, too, am familiar with it! However, I didn''t expect you to be Shade Demon Zhu Wushou''s junior. It seems that we did not do a clean job of killing everyone last time! Everyone from the Ghost Sect should die. Call out your people! I want to see what you can do and what you have prepared for us. You''re so confident that you have even called all eleven Supreme powerhouses to stay."


    The Tidal Empress coldly laughed and replied, "How arrogant. Since you want to know, then I will fulfill your wish! Ghost Sect Elders, please come out and assist me."


    Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! Woosh!


    Sixteen silhouettes flickered and immediately surrounded Tang Xiu and the team, flying in from all directions. The aura that these sixteen people emitted was stronger than the later stages of Perfected Golden Immortal cultivators and was comparable to early-staged Supremes.


    "They''re not Supremes. They''re¡­ Fallen Immortals?"


    Tang Xiu had a weird look in his eyes. His eyes fell over the sixteen Fallen Immortals and only found two familiar faces within the sixteen of them. As for the other fourteen, he did not recognize them. Furthermore, the aura that the fourteen emitted was stronger than the other two.


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 1416 Ji Chimei’s Meritorious Contribution

    Tang Xiu turned his head to gaze at the Tidal Empress and sighed with a click of his tongue. "16 Fallen Immortals. I never thought your Ghost Sect had such cards hidden. Unable to become Supremes and faced with the impending roadblock, some Immortals choose to become Fallen Immortals and enter a deep state of sleep and exert themselves for the sect after being awakened by the sect during a huge crisis. They''re stronger than Perfected Golden Immortals to some degree but equally weaker than Supremes. This is really interesting. Your Ghost Sect indeed lives up to its vicious nature, you are even squeezing this last bit of strength out of your ancestors."


    The Tidal Empress sneered. "We aren''t vicious at all. We''re members of the sect when we''re alive, and ghosts of the sect when we''re dead. What''s wrong with sacrificing this tiny bit of life for the sect''s development?"


    Tang Xiu lauded her and exclaimed, "It will be impossible to eliminate us thoroughly with just these 16 Fallen Immortals, so why not reveal your trump card? Or else you will be just making a fool of yourself."


    "Is that so?"


    The figures of two people shot over from the distance with lightning-quick movements and arrived before the Tidal Empress instantly. These two people were dressed in black robes and had all their features hidden under them. They also wore masks to cover their faces and the aura shrouding them revealed them to be powerhouses in the Supremacy Stage.


    Tang Xiu''s expression changed slightly, and he said deeply, "I didn''t expect the Ghost Sect to still have so many surviving members. You actually still had two Supremes hidden, and have a total of three Supremes together with the Tidal Empress. With such a lineup, it''s indeed possible to make us stay behind."


    The Tidal Empress sneered. "Do you really believe we only have this much strength left?"


    Along with her words, a tsunami rose up at a distance of five hundred kilometers away in the boundless sea and formed a multilayered curtain of Weakening Water that covered this entire space with archaic golden runes appearing and disappearing alternatively within the water.


    "Golden Empyrean Bell?"


    Tang Xiu''s pupils contracted, and his eyes filled with disbelief. He had seen the Golden Empyrean Bell once just before he had become an Immortal, and this bell was within the hands of a Supreme of the Immortal World, who definitely wasn''t an opponent of the Ghost Sect back then.


    Furthermore, that Supreme had disappeared 6000 years ago, and no Immortal had seen him ever again. From the current situation, it seemed like he had perished under the hands of the Ghost Sect.


    The Golden Empyrean Bell was a treasure that was ranked 9th among the Ten Great Divine Artifacts of the Immortal World, and any sect that obtained it gained the ability to reinforce the sect''s protection array by a large margin. The surviving members of the Ghost Sect had actually used the Golden Empyrean Bell to lay down an array here, so there was no doubt that it possessed a truly fearsome strength!


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and asked in a deep voice, "Tell me, where is Shade Demon Zhu Wushou?"


    The Tidal Empress broke into loud laughter. "My senior brother isn''t in this Maelstrom Space. He''s actually in a safe region in the outside world. Unfortunately, you will never have the chance to see him ever again. Once we get rid of you, all of our Ghost Sect''s members will infiltrate your Great Tang Empire and win the trust of all the upper echelon members before making it destruct thoroughly from within. You have a lot of friends and relatives, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor! I hope they can live a bit longer, hahaha¡­"


    Tang Xiu''s eyes brimmed with murderous intent as he summoned the other seven Supremes from his Heavenly Abode and then tried to send a voice transmission to the Golden-eyed Great Peng and Nether Sea Whale King, but he failed in the end. He even sent a communication signet outside, but they were all ineffective as the array formed by the Golden Empyrean Bell obstructed it.


    The Tidal Empress chuckled and said, "Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, are you feeling despair right now? Did you fail to contact the two people you left outside? Indeed, if they attacked the clouds from outside, they may have broken the Maelstrom Space and rendered our array ineffective, but unfortunately, you are unable to contact them, so only death awaits you here, and then, we shall kill those two as well."


    Tang Xiu narrowed his eyes. He had once sealed a special immortal soul force within the bodies of the Golden-eyed Great Peng and the Nether Sea Whale King, so he tried to contact them through his immortal soul force and successfully sent his intended message to their immortal souls shortly.


    "Kill them!"


    Tang Xiu revealed a somewhat nefarious grin and dashed towards the Tidal Empress and the two Supreme powerhouses of the Ghost Sect.


    "Attack!" The Tidal Empress and the two Supremes were all vicious characters. They charged towards Tang Xiu and the others along with the 16 Fallen Immortals controlling the array.


    A battle between powerhouses was always cruel and dreadful.


    After two burning-incense sticks worth of time had passed, the Maelstrom Space began to tremble suddenly, and this made Tang Xiu and the others, who were in an inferior position in the battle originally, reveal expressions of glee.


    Boom¡­


    A terrible explosion began propagating from the distant array and, at the same time, the 16 Fallen Immortals suffered a backlash as well. They spewed blood and fell back in succession.


    Without the array or the 16 Fallen Immortals to block them, Tang Xiu and the eight Supremes rushed out of the crumbling clouds in tandem and appeared outside them within just a few short breaths and met up with the Golden-eyed Great Peng and the Nether Sea Whale King. The 11 of them then looked at the 19 enemies that had rushed out from within the clouds.


    "Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, just how did you do this?" The Tidal Empress roared in fury with a look of indignation on her face.


    Tang Xiu smirked. "How could you all comprehend my methods?! Since we''re outside the trap you made for us, let''s have a fair battle now! I shall let you experience my methods!"


    In the next instant, Tang Xiu employed his divine power, the Rainbow Phantasmagoria Realm, and caused the 19 enemies to become absent-minded for a moment. Tang Xiu and the 10 Supremes used this gap to charge at them.


    Spurt¡­ Spurt¡­ Spurt¡­


    The Fallen Immortals either perished or got wounded badly, and even the Tidal Empress lost one of her arms and got severely wounded by two Supremes.


    "Kill them!"


    After the Rainbow Phantasmagoria Realm lost its effectiveness, everyone unfolded a crazy volley of their strongest attacks. All of their strengths had made enormous progress after refining a large amount of god blood, so it just took half-a-day for them to eliminate the two black-robed Supremes and the 16 Fallen Immortals.


    "Tidal Empress. Tell me where Shade Demon Zhu Wushou is, or else, you shall perish eternally here today." Tang Xiu''s voice thundered.


    The Tidal Empress was riddled with injuries right now and they were so severe that she could barely put up a fight. A decisive look flashed through her eyes when she heard Tang Xiu''s words and it made her scream sorrowfully, "Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, my senior brother is an unparalleled genius, so even though his immortal soul alone remains, he will obtain the item he needs very quickly and cultivate back to the Supremacy Stage again. And the day he achieves that is the day your Great Tang Empire will meet its doom, and also the moment you will perish eternally. You can do nothing but wait for it to happen!"


    Boom¡­


    Saying so, she detonated her immortal soul.


    Tang Xiu and the 10 Supreme powerhouses retreated in succession and were able to withstand the blast with much difficulty, each receiving considerable injuries.


    "Look for him. You must find Shade Demon Zhu Wushou even if we have to scour the entire Endless Sea once again. If we leave him alive, it would be akin to inviting a calamity upon us in the future, so we must eliminate him at all costs," Tang Xiu yelled.


    "Understood!" All of them acknowledged.


    After a half-burning-incense stick worth of time, all of them revealed astonished expressions as they sensed the signs of a battle occurring at a space a few ten thousand meters away from them.


    "Let''s go!"


    Tang Xiu showed no hesitation and dashed over towards that location.


    "Shade Demon Zhu Wushou? And¡­ Ji Chimei?"


    Tang Xiu''s pupils contracted when he ascertained the identities of the people battling and revealed an excited expression immediately. After he had brought the Great Tang Empire''s army from Earth to the Immortal World, he had tasked a group with collecting information about Ji Chimei, but it was a fruitless endeavor as they couldn''t find anything at all. However, he never expected to run into her at such a moment, and she was even battling Shade Demon Zhu Wushou and four other Perfected Golden Immortals with her group.


    "Kill Shade Demon Zhu Wushou and his men."


    Tang Xiu yelled as he sprinted towards Ji Chimei immediately and helped her block the attack of a Perfected Golden Immortal.


    "Your Majesty!"


    Ji Chimei revealed an emotional expression when she saw Tang Xiu appear. She and her clansmen were on the brink of losing, but she never expected Tang Xiu would appear at this moment along with so many Supreme powerhouses in tow.


    Tang Xiu didn''t participate in the battle and instead tapped Ji Chimei''s shoulder. After that, he shot a drop of god blood into her mouth and said deeply, "Refine this drop of god blood first, we can talk once we have eliminated all of them."


    "Understood!"


    Ji Chimei retreated a few thousand meters away, then sat cross-legged on a landmass and began cultivating.


    A faint smile rose up on Tang Xiu''s handsome face as he observed Shade Demon Zhu Wushou, whose expression changed greatly all of a sudden. He smirked at him and said, "Don''t even think of escaping. You won''t be able to escape from the hands of us 11 Supremes. Zhu Wushou, you''re dead today."


    An infuriated look appeared on Shade Demon Zhu Wushou''s face as he glared at Tang Xiu fiercely and yelled, "This can''t be happening. My junior sister, Tidal Empress, brought you inside the Maelstrom Space along with the powerhouses of my Ghost Sect. They laid down a grand array there, so how did you escape from it? Where are my junior sister and my elders?"


    Tang Xiu sneered. "Did you believe that just the Tidal Empress, two Supremes, and 16 Fallen Immortals could kill us? That''s just a terrible joke, Zhu Wushou. You have expended all your hidden cards by now, so the only path left for you is death. Therefore, you might as well detonate your immortal soul. How about it?"


    Shade Demon Zhu Wushou took a deep breath and a bitter smile appeared on his face as he gazed at Tang Xiu and asked, "Star Cultivation Great Emperor, is there a way for you to leave me with my life? How about I exchange it with all the wealth I possess?"


    Tang Xiu summoned his divine sword and smirked. "The wealth you possess is worthless in my eyes. Moreover, I will naturally obtain your wealth once I kill you. Zhu Wushou, you''re the person I hate the most in the Immortal World, so you shall die today."


    A resplendent light broke out from the divine sword as a series of sword images sliced through Shade Demon Zhu Wushou''s immortal soul. Just a single hit from one of them shattered Shade Demon Zhu Wushou''s immortal soul into pieces, and even the four Perfected Golden Immortals 10,000 meters away from the point of illumination perished at the same time. When the immortal souls of the four Perfected Golden Immortals tried to flee, Seaway Monarch and Nether Sea Whale King beside Tang Xiu acted immediately and destroyed the four immortal souls at once.


    "This was too easy."


    Seaway Monarch revealed a radiant smile. He originally believed that it would take them a long time to find Shade Demon Zhu Wushou''s tracks before they could kill him. However, they didn''t even have to use some of the plans formulated by his master, the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, and had settled the matter with just a single drop of god blood.


    Tang Xiu withdrew his divine sword and looked at the place where Shade Demon Zhu Wushou perished and felt empty all of a sudden. He had always seen Zhu Wushou as a target of vengeance, but now that he had killed this enemy of his, he felt a little lost now.


    A long while later, Ji Chimei awakened from her state of cultivation and flew before Tang Xiu to greet him respectfully. "Ji Chimei greets Your Majesty."


    "We greet Your Majesty." Ji Chimei''s severely injured clansmen fell on their knees in the void one after the other.


    Tang Xiu requested them to stand up and said with a smile, "There''s no need for such formalities. Ji Chimei, you returned to the Immortal World earlier than us. Over 1000 years have passed since then, so where were you all this time?"


    Ji Chimei smiled bitterly. "As soon as I arrived in the Immortal World, I looked for my clansmen to assist them, but I ran into Shade Demon Zhu Wushou''s men and got severely injured by them. I was brought over here and got tormented by them day and night for a 1000 years after that. However, we seized the opportunity to escape from the Maelstrom Space when Shade Demon Zhu Wushou returned recently and were in a constant battle with him ever since. Although we lost a lot of members, we were able to persist until now."


    Tang Xiu finally understood what happened to her and said with a smile, "You cannot go unrewarded for helping us eliminate Shade Demon Zhu Wushou once and for all. Frankly, it would have been pretty difficult for us to find his hideout if it weren''t for the battle between you."


    Ji Chimei forced a smile and said, "It''s all your achievement, Your Majesty. I feel too ashamed."


    Tang Xiu waved his hand while smiling and said, "Let''s return. Our Great Tang Empire has already become the strongest force of the entire Immortal World by now. You shall become a venerated immortal of the empire once we return and all your clansmen can live in the empire too."


    "Understood!"


    Ji Chimei felt excited when she recalled her master, Gu Yan''er, and wished to reunite with her soon.


    Tang Xiu didn''t say much and just smiled at her before all of them left the place quickly.


    "Your Majesty. I know a place in the Endless Sea that has divine stones, but no one has been able to obtain it till now since they failed to reach that place," Seaway Monarch muttered suddenly.


    Tang Xiu asked in astonishment, "There''s a divine stone in the Immortal World? Are you sure about this?"


    Seaway Monarch shook his head and said, "I''m absolutely certain about it because I have seen the divine stones personally once. I could neither enter that place nor had a way to obtain the divine stones from inside since I was just a weak Perfected Golden Immortal back then. However, we have a lot of people this time, and all of us are Supremes, so we should have some chance of obtaining a few divine stones from there."


    "Where is it?"


    Tang Xiu found it hard to resist the temptation as the divine force inside the divine stones was a lot stronger than the immortal spiritual force. It was especially beneficial to the Supreme powerhouses as their bodies would gain a divine aura if they were to absorb it. And if they cultivated diligently under such a state, their chances of crossing the divine tribulation in the future would increase by a few degrees.


    Seaway Monarch said, "Please follow me."


    A few months later, all of them arrived at a chaotic belt of meteorites. However, Tang Xiu never expected to actually discover a vortical portal inside such a location.


    "Those are¡­ divine stones?"


    Tang Xiu could clearly see some golden ores floating on the other side of the portal. He had studied the records of divine stones before and the golden ores inside the portal looked the exact same as the rocks mentioned in those records.


    Seaway Monarch said solemnly, "Your Majesty, that golden ore inside the portal should be made of divine stones. However, this portal is pretty weird. I used a tremendous amount of gravitational force back then, but I could neither enter inside nor pull the divine stones outside."


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and asked, "A lot of powerhouses probably know about the existence of these divine stones here, but it seems like none of them have been able to obtain them. Why is this? Did none of the Supremes ever try to obtain them?"


    "I''m also clueless about this." Seaway Monarch shook his head with a wry smile on his face.


    Tang Xiu took a deep break and employed his divine power, Heavenly Net, and the world before his eyes turned into a multicolored world of countless bright lines following their designated loci. Tang Xiu focused his gaze upon a series of golden lines within this multicolored world.


    "Divine force?"


    The Immortal World actually has divine force? Just what''s going on here?


    Tang Xiu had crossed the divine tribulation once, so it only took a moment for him to make it out as he was very familiar with it. He concluded that the other side of the portal contained a large amount of divine force.


    Seaway Monarch said, "Your Majesty, someone once speculated that the portal doesn''t actually link to a place in the Immortal World, but rather some corner of the God Realm. If we can enter the portal, we would be able to bypass the divine tribulation and enter the God Realm as an Immortal."


    Tang Xiu said, "Let me have a try."


    Saying so, he gestured with his hands in succession and controlled the series of golden lines to induce a change in the loci they followed.


    In the next moment, a dreadful gravitational force emerged from the portal and pulled Tang Xiu''s entire group inside almost instantaneously.


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 1417 Divine Artifact, Star Disk

    The spacious void teemed with a golden radiance, but it wasn''t a blinding one. It was instead very soothing. As he had exceptional control over his body, Tang Xiu could sense that his eyes were getting strengthened at a rapid pace as if they had been cleansed by a miraculous medicinal concoction.


    *Screech¡­*


    A mysterious black bird suddenly darted over from a distance and in the snap of a finger, it landed before Tang Xiu and the others. Its two eyes gazed at Tang Xiu fixedly as it asked in the human language, "I can sense a divine aura inside your body. To think the Immortal World actually still has a divine aura left, this is really too unbelievable. You probably have a divine artifact within your body, right?"


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, "Indeed, I have a divine artifact inside my body. However, who are you? And where is this place?"


    The mysterious black bird sneered at him. "I can sense that your divine artifact has entered a dormant state. Unless some external force influences it, it will be pretty hard to awaken it or bring out all its strength. What a pity this is, indeed. It''s such a waste in your hands even though it''s a nice thing."


    Tang Xiu said faintly, "I''m just an Immortal right now, and even though I''m already a Supreme, I''m still an Immortal, not a God. However, I''m certain that I will be able to ascend to the God Realm with ease when my strength surpasses my own from my previous incarnation, and then, I will be able to master it completely and bring out all its strength while battling."


    The mysterious black bird rolled its eyes and revealed a look of contempt as it said the following words, "Forget it, I won''t waste time saying needless words to you. The Star Disk inside is yours now! I have waited in this place for hundreds of thousands of years and have finally seen someone enter inside successfully, so I should have completed my mission now."


    Tang Xiu watched as the mysterious black bird dissipated into thin air and thundered. "You still haven''t answered me. Just what are you and where is this place?"


    "Go take the Star Disk." The mysterious black bird dissipated completely followed by a flash of light, leaving behind such final words.


    Tang Xiu took a deep breath and hurried over towards the distance along with the 10 Supremes accompanying him. Their speed was swift and in just half a burning incense stick worth of time, they had already appeared in another region. A cloud of golden light floated within the void here, and a golden Star Disk that emanated a tremendous pressure existed inside it. Even Tang Xiu who had become a Supreme once again felt a bit stifled under its aura.


    "Come!"


    Tang Xiu pondered for a while and finally decided to take the Star Disk. However, he felt a stinging sensation in his palm when he touched the Star Disk and it disappeared following that.


    "Sun and Moon Star Disk?"


    Tang Xiu''s eyes filled with disbelief. He had learned from an ancient book that the Sun and Moon Star Disk was the most valuable treasure of the God Realm and whoever possessed it would walk the furthest on the path of cultivation. Hence, Tang Xiu revealed an ecstatic expression after storing the Sun and Moon Star Disk inside his body.


    The Sun and Moon Star Disk had already split into two divine artifacts after it had appeared in the cosmos inside his Dantian. A golden radiance showered the entire cosmos, and Tang Xiu could clearly see the two divine artifacts transform into two giant planets and then turn dark in the next instant.


    "What''s going on?"


    This sudden occurrence had left Tang Xiu a bit perplexed. However, a short while later, a stream of ancient divine runes flooded his sea of knowledge, and even though he couldn''t read them, he could understand their meaning.


    "Two treasures are vital for a god to establish a world in their Dantian, namely the Sun Disk and the Moon Disk. If I hadn''t come here, I would have simply failed to understand how beneficial the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis has been to me.


    "Gods can establish a world in their Dantian, yet I''ve achieved this long ago.


    "If I manage to ascend to the God Realm, the world inside the Dantian would manifest immediately. In other words, it''s equivalent to having a world within my body, a world that''s under my complete control."


    Tang Xiu suppressed the excitement in his heart a while later and said deeply, "Collect the divine stones in this world. Since even the Heavens wish for me to become a Deity, I shall cross the divine tribulation on the day I become a late-stage Supreme."


    Seaway Monarch asked hastily, "Your Majesty, have you seen the hope to attain Godhood?"


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly. "The hope has always been inside my heart."


    There were a total of 108,000 divine stones here with each containing a huge amount of divine force. Tang Xiu speculated inwardly that he would be able to become a late-stage Supreme if he were to absorb all the divine force contained in these 108,000 divine stones, and that would be the moment he would cross the divine tribulation again.


    "Let''s return!"


    Tang Xiu used his divine intent and left this space along with the 10 Supremes immediately. They then departed from the Endless Sea and sped over to the Great Tang Empire with their fastest speeds.


    Misty Spring Ocean, Imperial City.


    Tang Xiu went into seclusion immediately after his return to cultivate.


    3000 years flitted by just like that and the first news Tang Xiu heard after coming out of seclusion was that although Gu Yan''er had helped him manage a few affairs of the Great Tang Empire, she had Prince Tang Song helping her with them all the while.


    Tang Song had already become a late-stage Perfected Golden Immortal by now and was just a step away from becoming a Supreme. Tang Xiu learned from Tang Song that he actually had the confidence to become a Supreme 1000 years ago, but he wasn''t in a rush and continued accumulating his strength. Hence, the immortal spiritual force he had accumulated until now had already reached a terrifying amount.


    "Send down the decree. I shall pass the title of Emperor to Prince Tang Song three days later." Tang Xiu immediately made his proclamation after he made a trip to the place where Han Qingwu resided.


    3 days later.


    All powerhouses of the Great Tang Empire above the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage returned to the Imperial City, and the information about the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor''s abdication and Prince Tang Song''s succession of the throne spread across the entire Immortal World like wildfire, and all the huge powers of the Demon Realm, Monster Realm, Spirit Realm, Ghost Realm, and Asura Realm, as well as the powerhouses, received this information one after the other.


    At the same time, 36 of the late-stage Supreme powerhouses among the 185 Supreme powerhouses of the Great Tang Empire all received an order from Tang Xiu¡ªEnter seclusion and cultivate.


    Time flitted by, and on the 300th year after Tang Xiu had passed the throne to Tang Song, another piece of information began spreading to all the realms¡ªThe First Emperor of the Great Tang Empire, Tang Xiu, had decided to cross his divine tribulation within half-a-year and 36 Supreme powerhouses would cross it alongside him.


    This news gave rise to a great sensation.


    All powers of the Immortal World and the powerhouses of all the realms directed their gazes towards the Great Tang Empire one after the other.


    Inside Su Lingyun''s residence.


    As Tang Xiu''s mother, Su Lingyun worried that something might happen to her son when she learned about his plans to cross the divine tribulation. However, she was unwilling to stop him from doing so as she knew that all immortals hoped to become a deity one day.


    "Xiu''er, have you really decided on it?"


    Su Lingyun asked worriedly.


    Tang Xiu nodded and said, "I have, indeed. However, we will have to leave the Immortal World and continue cultivating in the God Realm after reaching the Deity Stage. Even I''m unsure about how long it would take me to return, so the safest option would be for all my relatives to seize the moment and cultivate so we can meet again in the God Realm."


    "Xiu¡­"


    Han Qingwu flew in from outside and, after bowing towards Su Lingyun, asked the following, "Hundreds of peak-stage Supreme powerhouses from the Demon Realm, Monster Realm, Ghost Realm, Spirit Realm, and the Asura Realm have sent a message that they wish to visit our Great Tang Empire to witness your ascension to the God Realm. Are you okay with it?"


    Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and nodded. "Why wouldn''t I be okay with it? Tell them that the Great Tang Empire will await their arrival with open arms."


    Han Qingwu asked hesitantly, "Are you not afraid they would make trouble for you while you cross the tribulation?"


    Tang Xiu smirked. "Our Great Tang Empire currently has a total of 185 Supreme powerhouses, so even me and 36 Supremes are ascending to the God Realm together, the Great Tang Empire would still have over 140 Supreme powerhouses left. Hence, there''s no need to worry about those who come to make trouble."


    Tang Xiu then added suddenly, "Since the powerhouses of the Demon Realm, Monster Realm, Ghost Realm, Spirit Realm, and Asura Realm wish to observe the ascension at the Great Tang Empire, we might as well send an invitation to all the Supreme powerhouses of the Immortal World and request their presence to observe our ascension to the God Realm half-a-year later too."


    Han Qingwu hesitated for a moment and forced a smile. "Xiu, I know the dangers of crossing the divine tribulation. You will become especially weak after you have successfully crossed it and will only be safe after the light of divinity finishes molding your divine body completely. Inviting so many people makes me a bit worried."


    Tang Xiu said faintly, "There''s no need to worry. I''m confident in the strength of the Great Tang Empire. Moreover, the powerhouses of all the realms are well aware that if they cause trouble here, just a single one of us can kill all of them if we manage to cross the divine tribulation. Therefore, they probably won''t act thoughtlessly."


    "Mhm! I''ll listen to you, then." Han Qingwu nodded.


    Tang Xiu spent an idle life during the next half-a-year and spent each day with his friends and family, enjoying the final warmth of the Immortal World before he crossed the divine tribulation. Although he had a lot of worries and felt reluctant to leave, he still wished to cross the divine tribulation, become a Deity, and pursue a higher strength.


    Furthermore, he had another purpose as well, which was to look for a method to resurrect Eagle and Old Sycamore in the God Realm since it had many more treasures than the Immortal World.


    In this short half-a-year, a large number of Supreme powerhouses had rushed over to the Great Tang Empire, and no matter whether they were natives of the Immortal World or powerhouses from the other realms, none of them caused trouble in the Great Tang Empire and laid in wait to witness the miraculous moment.


    Finally.


    The day everyone was waiting for had arrived.


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 1418 Ascending to the God Realm End of Main Storyline

    Time flitted by, and in the blink of an eye, half-a-year had passed already.


    A large number of immortal arrays had been placed under the vast ocean of the Great Tang Empire''s Misty Spring Ocean as this was the location where Tang Xiu and the 36 late-stage Supremes were planning to cross the tribulation.


    The number of Supremes who had assembled in the Misty Spring Ocean on this day, including the peak-stage Supremes from the other realms, had crossed over 500 altogether.


    "Xiu''er. Are you really confident?"


    Supreme Star Soul was also among the 36 members who were planning to cross the tribulation and ascend to the God Realm. Although he wasn''t worried because his son had planned things, they were, after all, going to cross the divine tribulation, so he felt a little nervous as the slightest miss on their end would cause them to perish eternally.


    Tang Xiu smiled faintly. "Don''t worry! I''m confident."


    Supreme Star Soul nodded silently and looked towards a faraway place from where his wife, Apotheon Carmen Mist, was gazing towards him with a teary face.


    After leaving this time, neither Tang Xiu nor the 36 Supremes knew when they would be able to see their friends and families left behind in the Immortal World again.


    "Activate the array."


    Tang Xiu commanded solemnly after he soared into the skies and gave a few glances to the 500 or so Supremes in the surroundings.


    In the next instant, a numinous transparent energy shield enveloped Tang Xiu and the 36 Supremes. All of them swallowed two drops of god blood after that and absorbed the energy contained in the divine rock within their hand steadily.


    The skies were overshadowed by a dense amount of dark clouds, and thunder rumbled within them along with flashes of lightning.


    The 2nd Emperor of the Great Tang Empire, Tang Song, appeared outside the grand array and gazed at his father''s handsome face before yelling out loudly under the gazes of all the powerhouse, "Father, I''ve found my goal already. Wait for me. We''ll definitely meet again in the God Realm."


    Tang Xiu nodded satisfactorily and said, "Father is looking forward to meeting you in the God Realm, Song''er."


    A dreadful aura descended from the Heavens following that.


    The dreadful divine tribulation caused the 500 or so Supremes in the surroundings to fall back in succession. Although they had observed several tribulations, they had never seen 37 Supremes attempt to cross the tribulation simultaneously. The powerhouses of the various forces revealed tense expressions one after the other as they gazed at Tang Xiu in the sky.


    "I believe it would be easy for the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor to cross the tribulation and become a deity if he wishes to do so. After all, he has undergone the onslaught of the divine tribulation and crossed it successfully once."


    "I have the same opinion. The Great Tang Heavenly Emperor never does anything without the proper preparation. However, he has actually chosen to cross the tribulation alongside 36 Supremes. This is a huge mistake. Just look at the lightning clouds in the skies, they will be obviously facing a terrifyingly abnormal divine tribulation."


    "The Great Tang Heavenly Emperor has always succeeded in accomplishing his resolutions, so I believe he will be able to cross it safely this time too."


    "¡­"


    A lot of them speculated while the others prayed.


    Tang Xiu lifted his arm up and yelled loudly, "Prepare to greet the divine tribulation!"


    Boom¡­


    A dreadful aura descended from the Heavens and brought tremendous pressure on them. However, Tang Xiu and the 36 late-stage Supremes were still capable of maintaining their calm.


    Eighty-One Divine Tribulation.


    It was one of the most terrifying heavenly tribulations in the Immortal World and would only manifest when a Supreme attempted to become a Deity.


    Cultivation was, after all, a battle against Heaven and Earth.


    A series of lightning bolts rained down along with flames that transformed into a blazing sea of fire. Tang Xiu strengthened his physique through the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis that he cultivated and took the lead to crush the attacks of the incoming divine tribulation.


    As the old adage went¡ªthe best defense is a good offense.


    Tang Xiu and the 36 Supremes gambled with the tribulation that had descended from the Heavens a few times, and the strength they revealed shocked the numerous Supremes who had gathered to observe the tribulation. Even the Perfected Golden Immortals also revealed similarly astounded expressions.


    After a whole three days, Tang Xiu and the 36 Supremes, all of them crossed the tribulation successfully.


    "Congratulations, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. Congratulations, Supremes of the Great Tang Empire." The Supremes who had come to observe soared up to the skies and cupped their fists towards Tang Xiu at the same time.


    Tang Xiu broke into loud laughter and said, "Thank you, everyone. I''m aware of a few things about the God Realm. No matter if you are from the Immortal World, Demon Realm, Monster Realm, Spirit Realm, or the Asura Realm, we will all belong to the same side once you become a Deity. I shall wait for you all in the God Realm."


    "Xiu''er." Su Lingyun rushed over from a distant place and arrived before Tang Xiu, who was a bit pale right now after undergoing the tribulation.


    Tang Xiu kowtowed towards Su Lingyun a few times in the void and muttered, "Mom, forgive me for being unfilial as I cannot accompany you at your side for the time being. I have left something for you in advance, you must protect it well. Besides, it may not that take long for me to find a way to descend down from the God Realm if I can progress quickly over there."


    Su Lingyun nodded and said, "Xiu''er. If there''s no danger in descending from the God Realm, you have to return and visit us, but if it''s dangerous, you better forget about doing it. Although I cultivated pretty late and have an average aptitude, I will strive hard to cultivate so that I can see you in the God Realm again in the future."


    "That''s right. We will come to see you."


    Apotheon Carmen Mist suddenly appeared before them with a sentimental expression on her face.


    Tang Xiu kowtowed towards Apotheon Carmen Mist then turned around and said, "Believe in me. We will definitely meet again soon."


    Saying so, he arrived before his women and wiped the tears off their faces gently before placating all of them.


    "Be safe, Husband." When Tang Xiu arrived before Mu Wanying, she began sobbing with a face that was already marred with tears.


    Tang Xiu hugged her tightly and said, "Don''t worry! I''ll make sure I''m safe and work hard to cultivate and become stronger. When I can break the spatial barrier between the Immortal World and the God Realm with a single punch, I promise I''ll find any viable method to bring you all to the God Realm."


    "Mhm!"


    Mu Wanying nodded and hugged Tang Xiu''s arms with a bit too much strength.


    "I''ll wait for you."


    Kang Xia said quietly as she hugged Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu revealed a smile and said, "Believe in me. I have never disappointed you."


    "Mhm!"


    Finally, Tang Xiu arrived before Han Qingwu, and after noticing her reluctance to part with him, he hugged her and said, "Qingwu. I''ll have to trouble you to take care of the Empire''s matters. You''re Tang Song''s mother and he''s now the current Emperor of the Great Tang Empire. I hope the Great Tang Empire will become even stronger under his guidance and your assistance. Also, tell Xiaoxue that I have left a lot of things behind for her that will be beneficial for the Great Tang Empire in the future."


    "Leave it to me!"


    Han Qingwu nodded silently and gave Tang Xiu a deep, hot kiss.


    People always felt down when they parted with each other.


    Tang Xiu didn''t like this feeling and neither did his father, Tang Yunde. After the father and son gazed at each other from a distance, Tang Xiu kowtowed towards Tang Yunde and then directed his gaze towards the 36 powerhouses and thundered. "It''s almost time. Let''s leave now!"


    "Wait a moment!"


    A figure zipped across the skies from the distance and arrived before Tang Xiu in a few short breaths.


    Tang Xiu felt some reluctance to leave after seeing her. Gu Yin had already grown up to become an outstanding beauty by now and was akin to a daughter in Tang Xiu''s eyes. Tang Xiu pulled her into his embrace gently when he saw her tear-filled gaze and whispered, "Yinyin, dear, Master is leaving for the God Realm to establish himself there and become stronger, so I''ll leave our home in your hands. I hope you will be able to help me take care of the Great Tang Empire like Yan''er and look after our family."


    Gu Yin lifted her arm and wiped the tears off her face, and even though she still sobbed, she replied in a firm tone, "Master, Yinyin won''t fail you."


    Tang Xiu patted her shoulder and said in a clear voice, "Everyone, I hope you all can ascend to the God Realm soon. I shall work hard there first and await your arrival. At that time, I shall prepare good wine and wait to have a drink together with all of you."


    A few moments later, a cylindrical beam of golden light that spanned several thousands of meters flashed down from the Heavens and encircled Tang Xiu and the 36 powerhouses who had crossed the tribulation with him successfully.


    "Please take good care of yourself!"


    Countless words of parting converged to become a powerful wave.


    Countless pairs of eyes watched along as the golden beam of light slowly rose up and finally disappeared into the Heavens together with Tang Xiu and the 36 powerhouses.


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 1419 God Realm 1 : Trouble at the Immortal Exuviate Pond

    Tang Xiu discovered himself within a pond the next time he opened his eyes.


    After making sure all 36 people who ascended with him were present around him, he sighed in relief subconsciously.


    However, Tang Xiu''s expression turned unsightly in the next moment as an unprecedented feeling of danger engulfed his entire heart when he realized that he seemed to have become similar to a mortal. Apart from physical strength, his entire body was bereft of any immortal spiritual force, which meant that the only outcome left for them was death if they were to encounter any danger within the pond.


    "Husband, what''s up with the water in this pond? It''s like a swamp, and even moving my feet feels difficult to achieve," Apotheon Bella was the second one to open her eyes and asked with shock written all over her face when she saw Tang Xiu.


    "From what was recorded in the memory fragment left behind in Supreme Drunken Immortal''s inheritance, this place should be the Immortal Exuviate Pond. After Immortals ascend to the God Realm, they have to undergo the refinement of their immortal body to a divine body through the water present in the Immortal Exuviate Pond, only then would they be considered a genuine deity," Supreme Star Tears said deeply. "However, although the Immortal Exuviate Pond is an opportunity for us, it''s equally dangerous because the Supreme Immortals of all galaxies arrive in the same Immortal Exuviate Pond. As such, the deities of the galaxies attempt to kill the Supreme Immortals of other galaxies so that their own Supreme Immortals can become deities faster and also strive to obtain more cultivation resources for them."


    At the instant Star Tears finished speaking, Tang Xiu and Bella, both heard two screams reach their ears.


    They followed the voices and discovered a giant donned in full-body golden armor in the midst of killing a Supreme Immortal with a sadistic grin on its face. This Supreme Immortal had really ugly looks and looked the same as the human form of a lizard spirit monster. Tang Xiu and the others felt a bit better when they realized it clearly hadn''t ascended from the Milky Way Galaxy.


    "Don''t say anything and hide your heads within the water as much as possible. As we''ve run into a crisis, let''s wait for our bodies to finish molding patiently and wait for an opportunity to move," Tang Xiu whispered when he noticed everyone had woken up and looked towards the direction of the screams with a worried face.


    Tang Xiu''s calm voice made everyone find their support and suppressed the anxiety in the hearts of the 36 Supremes, including Supreme Star Soul in it. They showed no hesitation at all and bent their legs to submerge their entire bodies inside the pond water.


    Tang Xiu sighed in relief when he saw that the golden-armored giant was relishing in the feeling of killing the newly ascended creatures and hadn''t noticed the movements on their side. He also submerged his body inside the water silently.


    "Huh? How come the Heavenly Path of Cosmic Genesis is progressing suddenly? The space inside my Dantian has actually expanded by thousands of square kilometers and is also brimming with life force?" Tang Xiu was left stunned when he sunk his consciousness into his body.


    "The twelve zodiac jade carvings actually had such a miraculous effect. I really hit the jackpot when I collected them unintentionally back when I was on Earth." It didn''t take long for Tang Xiu to figure out what had caused the change in the world inside his Dantian.


    Back when Tang Xiu was on Earth, Miao Wentang had given him two zodiac jade carvings that were family heirlooms. Tang Xiu could only make out that these jade carvings contained dreadful energy as well as traces of the heavenly laws inside it, and the sole reason he had collected all twelve of them was to increase his chances of ascending to the God Realm.


    Tang Xiu never expected that these twelve zodiac jade carvings that hadn''t shown any exceptional reaction in the Immortal World would actually undergo such a huge change after arriving in the God Realm. They were releasing the tremendous energy contained within them alongside the traces of the heavenly laws.


    Only the Heavenly Path Universe Tree thrived inside the world in his Dantian before, but it thrived with vitality and was as vibrant as the real world now. Tang Xiu was left utterly shocked by this development.


    "So, the water of the Immortal Exuviate Pond can actually activate the real function of the twelve zodiac jade carvings?" Tang Xiu''s eyes glimmered with radiant light as he observed the world within his Dantian absorb the water within the pond similar to a crunching galaxy. Moreover, the twelve zodiac jade carvings also fused together with the world inside his Dantian gradually.


    Tang Xiu could clearly sense that although the immortal spiritual force inside his body had already disappeared, a new divine force was being produced inside his body at an extremely ridiculous speed.


    Tang Xiu''s cultivation stage also progressed incrementally along with the increase in divine force.


    Deity, True God, Great God, Heavenly God, Profound God, Ancient God.


    Early-Stage Ancient God, Middle-Stage Ancient God, Late-Stage Ancient God, Peak-Stage Ancient God.


    When Tang Xiu was about to cross the bottleneck of the Ancient God Stage and become a God-King, the Sun and Moon Star Disk shone with a resplendent glow suddenly, following which, the twelve zodiac jade carvings that were mere carvings, transformed into twelve animals under the illumination of the Sun and Moon Divine Radiance and began to wander across the world in his Dantian. The rise of divine force within Tang Xiu''s body also slowed down eventually before coming to a stop.


    "My cultivation actually broke through so many stages at once. Isn''t this a bit too excessive?" Tang Xiu muttered in a daze after a long time.


    According to what Tang Xiu knew, cultivation in the God Realm was divided into 12 stages, namely the Deity, True God, Great God, Heavenly God, Golden God, Profound God, Ancient God, God-King, God-Monarch, God-Emperor, God-Sovereign, and Supreme God Stage.


    Among these, the Deities, True Gods, and Great Gods belonged to the bottom rung of the God Realm and were tasked with guarding the Immortal Exuviate Pond for 100,000 years and could die at any time because of all the dangers they might encounter.


    They were only qualified to leave the Immortal Exuviate Pond and establish themselves in the divine domains after becoming a Heavenly God.


    However, as the place with the weakest divine force within all the divine domains, the Immortal Exuviate Pond didn''t have any other cultivation resources except for the pond water which had the effect of refining the body, so it was extremely difficult to become a Heavenly God. As such, a lot of Supreme Immortals were only able to spend their lives in the divine domains adjacent to the Immortal Exuviate Pond after ascending to the God Realm and finally embraced their natural death within the pond.


    "I thought I would have to wait for 100,000 years in the Immortal Exuviate Pond just like Supreme Drunken Immortal before leaving and then resurrect Old Sycamore and Eagle after a really long time. However, since my cultivation has rocketed to the summit of the Ancient God Stage, I should be able to leave the Immortal Exuviate Pond quickly and resurrect them soon."


    When he recalled how Old Sycamore and Eagle had advanced bravely during his battle with Shade Demon Zhu Wushou and detonated their immortal souls to fight for an opportunity for him to live, Tang Xiu''s eyes teared up slightly and he felt a warm feeling well up in his heart.


    Tang Xiu used his divine sense to scan the surroundings and discovered that the 36 Supremes who had ascended along with him had already finished refining their bodies and were waiting to leave the Immortal Exuviate Pond eagerly. However, since they hadn''t received an order from him, they refrained from acting rashly.


    Among the 36 Supremes, other than Supreme Star Radiance and Supreme Bella who had deep foundations and had become middle-stage Deities, the rest were all still early-stage Deities.


    "Old Geezer Drunken Immortal, I finally understand why you arranged for so many Deities of the Milky Way Galaxy to enter Immortal Exuviate Pond recently. So, 37 people have actually ascended from your Milky Way Galaxy this time, but do you believe the Deities you arranged would be able to protect all 37 of them?"


    "Old Geezer Drunken Immortal, you have waited for nearly 100,000 years and over 30 people have finally ascended from the Milky Way Galaxy. These fresh blood from the Milky Way Galaxy are your hope, so would you be willing to let them die in the Immortal Exuviate Pond?"


    "How about this? 10,000 high-grade divine stones for one of them. As long as you prepare 370,000 divine stones, we''ll let these newcomers from the Milky Way Galaxy reach the shore successfully. What do you say?"


    Just when Tang Xiu was planning to tell Supreme Star Radiance and the others to go ashore, a series of rambunctious voices resounded within everyone''s ears. At the same time, a dozen or so silhouettes appeared above them, each looking at Tang Xiu and the others playfully.


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 1420 God Realm 2 : A Show of Divine Migh

    In the God Realm, divine stones were the most foundational cultivation resources used by everyone because of their ubiquitous and distributive nature, and they were also the most widespread currency in the God Realm.


    A high-grade divine stone was equivalent to 100 middle-grade divine stones, and a middle-grade divine stone was equivalent to 100 low-grade divine stones.


    The deities in the bottom rung of the God Realm could only amass 300 divine stones each month even if they worked really hard, and this amount barely satisfied their cultivation needs, so it was impossible to have any surplus amount of divine stones left. The deity from Marionette Galaxy was obviously asking for a sky-high price when he quoted 10,000 high-grade divine stones for a person each and wasn''t actually planning to let anyone from Tang Xiu''s group leave alive.


    Although the deities of the Milky Way Galaxy knew that this deity of the Marionette Galaxy was playing around with them and trembled in fury because of it, they were helpless about the situation too.


    It was because the Marionette Galaxy was a powerful force in the God Realm that had control over most of the Jade Pool Divine Domain where the Immortal Exuviate Pond was located. As such, the deities of the Marionette Galaxy deprived the deities of the other galaxies often, and this caused their strength to soar higher while the strength of the other galaxies tanked lower.


    "Great God Eternum, we, the deities of the Milky Way Galaxy have always labored at the bottom rung and have no other means of income, so we can''t gather so many divine stones. We''re willing to give up all our savings, so please show some leniency and spare them." When Tang Xiu and the others thought the deities of the Milky Way Galaxy would protest, an obsequious voice reached everyone''s ears.


    These words were spoken by a hunchbacked gray-haired old man who carried a golden gourd at his waist.


    "Scram to the side if you aren''t willing to pay up. I believe I would be able to sell these wretches for at least a few ten thousand divine stones if I took them to the slave market." Eternum kicked the old man to the side after hearing his words and then checked out Tang Xiu''s group closely.


    "Huh. The quality of these newcomers from the Milky Way Galaxy is pretty good. They actually have a lot of beauties, so it seems like we''ll make a killing this time!" Eternum''s eyes lit up when his gaze scanned across Bella, Gu Yan''er, and the others inadvertently, and he turned spirited immediately.


    "Hahaha. Congratulations, Elder Eternum. You have gained yet another few bed-warmers."


    "Elder Eternum, could you send them to us for a while once you are tired of them before selling them to the slave market?"


    "It''s not just the women who are pretty among the newcomers from the Milky Way Galaxy, the men look quite handsome too. I just recalled that Lord Pearwood hasn''t found a suitable boy toy recently, so he will definitely reward us generously if we send these gigolos to him."


    ¡­


    The deities of the Marionette Galaxy scanned Tang Xiu and the others with their unbridled gazes and passed comments while laughing heartily.


    The deities of the Milky Way Galaxy showed furious and sorrowful expressions, and even Bella and the others standing behind Tang Xiu felt despair and helplessness.


    "You must be Senior Drunken Immortal, right? I''m the Star Cultivation Great Emperor as well as the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. I would like to know what''s the highest cultivation of the deities among the protectors of the Immortal Exuviate Pond and the Jade Pool Divine Domain." Tang Xiu patted Bella''s shoulder and pacified the others behind him with his gaze before he walked in front of the deities of the Milky Way Galaxy and inquired the old man with the golden gourd.


    Tang Xiu had once seen the projection of Supreme Drunken Immortal in the Secret Palace, so he had recognized the old man with the golden gourd at his waist to be him at a single glance and also made out his cultivation as well. He was a middle-stage True God and also the deity with the highest cultivation among the deities from the Milky Way Galaxy.


    "As the protector of the Immortal Exuviate Pond, Lord Pearwood possesses the highest cultivation over here and is a middle-stage Heavenly God. As for the deity with the highest cultivation in the Jade Pool, it should be a peak-stage Heavenly God." Although Drunken Immortal didn''t know why Tang Xiu asked this, he nodded towards him kindly and answered it immediately.


    "Senior Drunken Immortal¡­" Tang Xiu sighed in relief after hearing that the deity with the highest cultivation within the Jade Pool Divine Domain was a peak-stage Heavenly God, and a crazy thought manifested within his mind simultaneously.


    "How dare you speak, gigolo! Scram to the side now!" While Tang Xiu intended to inquire more information about the God Realm to make the best choice, he heard a sharp voice echo at his ears suddenly and felt a gust of wind hit him at the crown of his head.


    A deity from the Marionette Galaxy became infuriated when he saw Tang Xiu ignore everyone and chat with Drunken Immortal and thus struck his palm towards him.


    "Dear, watch out!"


    "Master, watch out!"


    "Xiu''er, watch out!"


    ¡­


    The members of the Great Tang Empire almost had a stroke and called out to him in alarm subconsciously when they sensed the fearsome strength within the palm of the malevolent-faced deity from the Marionette Galaxy.


    The deities of the Milky Way Galaxy led by Drunken Immortal closed their eyes in dread as they didn''t wish to see the scene of Tang Xiu getting swatted into grounded meat.


    Conversely, all the deities of the Marionette Galaxy revealed malicious smiles on their faces.


    Everyone thought it would be difficult for Tang Xiu to escape this calamity, but Tang Xiu grunted coldly and reached out to grab that deity''s palm with his left hand in the next moment.


    Tang Xiu grabbed the opponent''s palm with ease under the stunned gazes of the deities from the Marionette Galaxy and punched towards his opponent''s face with his right fist.


    Followed by a bang, the deity''s head then vanished before he could even realize what was going on.


    Tang Xiu looked at the headless body within his hands before he observed his fist and then tried to comprehend the sudden strength he had gained.


    "This guy wasn''t on guard just now, so it''s difficult to judge my real strength from this exchange," Tang Xiu muttered and then laid his gaze upon the dumbfounded deities from the Marionette Galaxy.


    "How dare you murder a deity of our Marionette Galaxy?! Do you wish to die?"


    "You''ve dug your own grave now. Your actions harm not just yourself, but will also lead to the extermination of all the Milky Way Galaxy''s deities in the Jade Pool Divine Domain!"


    ¡­


    The deities of the Marionette Galaxy finally reacted after a long time and berated Tang Xiu one after the other.


    The faces of the deities of the Milky Way Galaxy turned ashen with angst as they knew Tang Xiu had indeed provoked a huge disaster.


    The deities of the Milky Way Galaxy had been somehow eking out a living in this corner of the God Realm for the past tens of thousands of years and Tang Xiu''s actions had undeniably given the deities of the Marionette Galaxy the perfect excuse to eliminate them.


    However, Drunken Immortal recalled the two questions Tang Xiu had asked him after seeing the calm expression on his face and his eyes glimmered with hope.


    "I''ll kill wretches like you if I want to, it''s nothing to fuss up about at all." Tang Xiu grunted coldly when faced with the curses of the Marionette Galaxy''s deities and leaped out of the Immortal Exuviate Pond. After that, he punched towards the deity who had scolded the most viciously among the Marionette Galaxy''s deities.


    This deity felt infuriated when he saw that Tang Xiu actually dared to attack him, so he welcomed Tang Xiu''s fist with his own while wearing a malicious smile on his face.


    However, his smile froze in the next instant.


    Followed by a crunching sound, this deity''s fist was crushed from his palm to the arm, bone, and all.


    "If you all have only this much strength, you''ll find it very difficult to leave the Immortal Exuviate Pond alive." After saying this, Tang Xiu grabbed the head of the deity before him.


    The pitiful deity couldn''t accept the fact that Tang Xiu had defeated him and followed his companion''s footsteps in the next moment.


    "Stop making a fuss now and bring out your entire strength! I don''t like a rowdy scene!" Tang Xiu took a stance with his hands after dealing with yet another deity from the Marionette Galaxy, following which, another two deities that had berated Tang Xiu darted towards him immediately.


    Tang Xiu showed no hesitation as he sliced off their necks momentarily.


    The deities of the Marionette Galaxy finally quietened down after the death of four of their own and sized up Tang Xiu in a panic, trying to figure out what was so exceptional about him.


    Unfortunately, Tang Xiu hated the way they blabbed and threatened a few moments ago, so he didn''t give them any time to react.


    Tang Xiu seized the opportunity while the Marionette Galaxy''s deities were dazed and killed yet another dozen or so of them instantly.


    The Immortal Exuviate Pond sunk into a strange silence momentarily, and Tang Xiu seemed to act out a feast of killing for the observers. They seemed to have lost their sense of hearing as they couldn''t hear any voices and could only observe the scene of Tang Xiu taking down the deities of the Marionette Galaxy with his punches.


    The showy and bossy deities of the Immortal Exuviate Pond seemed just like powerless kids before Tang Xiu and were wiped out clean by him easily.


    Soon after, Eternum was the only one left alive from the Marionette Galaxy''s deities in the Immortal Exuviate Pond. However, Tang Xiu had grabbed even him by the neck as if he was a little chick.


    "Will you choose to redeem your life with a million high-grade divine stones or choose death?" Tang Xiu asked while observing Eternum, who was frightened out of his wits right now.


    "I-I¡­ don''t have a million high-grade divine stones. Only Lord Pearwood could have so many divine stones in the entire Immortal Exuviate Pond. Lord, please spare my life. I''m willing to serve you with my all." Eternum abandoned his former superior attitude and chose to surrender without the slightest hesitation.


    "Lord, as long as you spare my life, I can help you take control of the Immortal Exuviate Pond and even help you take over the entire Jade Pool Divine Domain. The deities of the Milky Way Galaxy will be able to live in peace as long as you take over the Jade Pool Divine Domain.


    "With enough time, you''ll certainly be able to conquer the three divine domains adjacent to us with your cultivation."


    Eternum explained his worth in haste when he sensed the dense killing intent on Tang Xiu''s body.


    "You can sense my cultivation?" Tang Xiu was planning to get rid of Eternum, but he frowned when he heard Eternum''s final sentence.


    "Lord, I awakened a perceptual innate ability when I became a Great God that allows me to sense the cultivation of any deity. If I''m not mistaken, you''re a peak-stage Ancient God right now and are just a step away from becoming a God-King." Eternum''s heart filled with bitterness as he said these words.


    Eternum''s perceptual innate ability had brought him countless advantages during battles and allowed him to avoid a lot of calamities, but he never imagined that his arrogance and carelessness of not activating the perceptual ability would lead to such a disaster.


    Eternum''s words spread across the entire Immortal Exuviate Pond like wildfire and caused all the deities to look at him with shock and reverence.


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 1421 God Realm 3 : Chaos Wrought by Carnage in the Divine Domain

    "A mere perceptual innate ability is far from enough if you want to live." Saying so, Tang Xiu tightened his grip.


    Eternum still had things he wanted to say, but Tang Xiu had no intention of giving him such a chance.


    Tang Xiu''s family had already become his sensitive spot ever since he returned to Earth, so even if Eternum was highly valuable and worthy of exploiting, just the fact that they had looked at Tang Xiu''s women in an unbridled manner and the proclamation of his intentions to sell the members of the Great Tang Empire to the slave market had already doomed the fate of Eternum''s group.


    "You all need to prove you are worthy enough for me to leave you alive, or else you will welcome the same fate of the members of the Marionette Galaxy." Tang Xiu''s gaze swept across the deities other than those from the Great Tang Empire and the Milky Way Galaxy after he killed Eternum.


    The God Realm had thousands of Immortal Exuviate Ponds that were scattered across different divine domains, and each divine domain was controlled by a dozen or so galactic immortal worlds. The Supremes of a galaxy''s Immortal World would ascend to the corresponding divine domain''s Immortal Exuviate Pond, so almost all the galaxies of the divine domain would send a group to welcome the newly ascended deities from their galaxies.


    Jade Pool Divine Domain''s Immortal Exuviate Pond wasn''t that huge, so the deities of the other galaxies had sensed it immediately when a conflict arose between the deities of the Marionette and Milky Way Galaxies, but none of them spoke up for the Milky Way Galaxy and instead watched the scene in glee, so Tang Xiu obviously didn''t have a good impression of these groups.


    "Hah?"


    "You better know your place, newcomer. We didn''t offend you, so why would you want to kill us?"


    "Eternum claimed you are a peak-stage Ancient God only because he wanted to live. Did you really think you are an Ancient God or what?"


    ¡­


    The onlooking deities obviously hadn''t expected to get implicated just because they were spectating the scene in glee, so a few of them shouted back indignantly after blanking out for a few seconds.


    Tang Xiu grunted coldly and waved his palm, following which, the deities making a fuss all turned into a mist of blood.


    Tang Xiu''s cold-blooded actions subdued all the onlookers in the Immortal Exuviate Pond thoroughly and even the deities of the Milky Way Galaxy exchanged glances with each other and their leader, Drunken Immortal. On the other hand, the members of the Great Tang Empire were already habituated with Tang Xiu''s style, so they were still in the middle of digesting the fact that Tang Xiu was already an Ancient God, entirely unfazed by his action of killing the other deities.


    Faced with Tang Xiu''s gaze, the onlooking deities handed over the divine stones on them without the slightest hesitation and also told him about the information they believed was most valuable within their possession with the hope to come out alive from his ordeal.


    Tang Xiu just listened to all of them from start to finish in silence and didn''t kill anyone, but he also didn''t say he would let them off, so it placed the deities under huge mental pressure.


    "Xiu''er, if they haven''t engaged in wicked deeds and are willing to work for us, why not let them live? After all, it''s better to make friends than enemies. We have just ascended to the God Realm, so just the 37 of us are far from enough to establish ourselves as a force here." Star Soul stood up and suggested Tang Xiu.


    The expressions of the onlooking deities lit up after hearing Star Soul''s words that had revealed his relationship with Tang Xiu.


    They kowtowed towards Star Soul and Tang Xiu in succession and thanked them for sparing their lives before Tang Xiu had even promised anything.


    "Senior Drunken Immortal, you''ve been defending this Immortal Exuviate Pond for around 100,000 years now, so you probably know the backgrounds of these men. Can you tell me which ones to kill and pardon?" Tang Xiu nodded towards Star Soul and inquired Drunken Immortal immediately after that. "If you don''t mind it, you are welcome to join our Great Tang Empire, Senior Drunken Immortal. After all, we have a deep relationship between us since my aunt is the inheritor of the legacy you left behind in the Immortal World."


    The expressions of a few deities who were in the middle of kowtowing towards Tang Xiu for his leniency changed after they heard Tang Xiu''s words and they immediately turned around to flee.


    The strength of the Milky Way Galaxy was almost at the bottommost position in the Jade Pond Divine Realm, so they would have probably been eliminated already if it weren''t for their cohesiveness and communicativeness.


    However, as they were weak and small in number, they were humiliated and bullied often as members of the bottom rung, and those who had fled just now were undoubtedly ones who bullied the deities of the Milky Way Galaxy mostly.


    "Did you think you can flee?" Tang Xiu knew they had fled because of their guilt. So, grunting coldly, in the next moment, those deities fell in front of him.


    Tang Xiu didn''t even give them a chance to plead for their lives and deprived them of their lives immediately.


    "Drunken Immortal greets the Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. It''s my luck to be able to serve you and your ascension to the God Realm is a blessing for all the deities of the Milky Way Galaxy as well." Drunken Immortal''s eyes lit up after seeing Tang Xiu kill the deities swiftly and he knelt on the ground immediately.


    The other deities standing behind Drunken Immortal blanked out for a few moments and followed suit after him by bowing their knees to Tang Xiu.


    After seeing Tang Xiu''s actions and style, Drunken Immortal and the others knew that the Tang Xiu would leave carnage in his wake in the God Realm.


    "Heavenly Emperor, although the deity with the highest cultivation in the Jade Pool Divine Domain is just a peak-stage Heavenly God, Jade Pool Divine Domain is just a mere subsidiary domain of the Sky Jade Divine Domain and even I''m unclear about the highest cultivation of the deities there. If you intend to make the Jade Pool Divine Domain as the base for our Milky Way Galaxy, I propose that you should eliminate the protector as well as the Domain Lord of the Jade Pool Divine Domain swiftly before your strength is exposed to them and then block the information channels to prevent the Sky Jade Divine Domain from learning about the changes that have occurred in the Jade Pool Divine Domain.


    "As long as we have 10,000 years, the resources of the Jade Pool Divine Domain would be enough to allow you to become a God-King and also allow the other deities of the Milky Way Galaxy to promote their strengths and contribute their power for the expansion of the empire."


    "¡­"


    After realizing that Tang Xiu respected and valued him, it didn''t take long for Drunken Immortal to figure out Tang Xiu''s purpose in inviting him to the Great Tang Empire. Hence, he assumed a proper state immediately and described the situation of the Jade Pool Divine Domain and Sky Jade Divine Domain briefly, raising a few appropriate and realistic suggestions.


    Tang Xiu revealed a pleased smile after hearing Drunken Immortal''s words as they matched well with his actual intentions.


    The fact that Drunken Immortal had guessed Tang Xiu''s intentions wasn''t strange at all, but his methodical suggestions implied that Drunken Immortal had already made such plans priorly and just couldn''t implement them because he couldn''t find the opportunity to do so because he lacked the strength for it. Hence, it was a real boon for the Great Tang Empire to have obtained such an excellent strategist who was also familiar with the divine domain.


    "We shall follow your suggestions, Senior Drunken Immortal. I shall head out to implement the plan of beheading the top brass of the Jade Pool Divine Domain immediately and leave the job of cleaning up and gathering the resources to you. I also hope that you can keep an eye out for methods related to resurrecting Supreme Immortals when you are cataloging the resources." Tang Xiu teleported away after getting a simple explanation of the power distribution of the forces within the Immortal Exuviate Pond as well as the Jade Pool Divine Domain.


    And the location he had teleported towards was none other than the residence of the Immortal Exuviate Pond''s protector.


    With his strength, it took less than 10 breaths for Tang Xiu to cleanse the entire residence. As such, he left towards the residence of the Jade Pool Divine Domain''s Domain Lord immediately afterward and eliminated him before he could even react.


    Tang Xiu finally shifted his focus to check the changes in the world inside his Dantian after he scanned the entire divine domain with his divine sense and discovered that there wasn''t anyone above the True God Stage left anymore.


    Tang Xiu had sensed that the world inside his Dantian had undergone a fantastic transformation the moment the twelve zodiac jade carvings incarnated into animals. The twelve zodiac jade carvings had released countless heavenly laws into the world that consisted of heavenly laws from countless galaxies and the strongest ones among these heavenly laws were those belonging to Earth.


    Tang Xiu even had a faint feeling that he would be able to return to Earth with just a single casual thought of his.


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 1422 God Realm 4 : Legacy of the Supreme God, The Free and Unfettered Path

    Tang Xiu did his best to suppress the urge to return to Earth and investigated the changes in the world within his Dantian solemnly.


    It was because Tang Xiu knew that just like how a barrier existed between the Immortal World and Earth, a similar barrier existed between the God Realm and Earth. It also wasn''t that easy to pass through this barrier or else Immortals and Gods would have roamed free on Earth and left the entire world a mess.


    "Huh? This is¡­ an Immortal Exuviate Pond?" Tang Xiu had only observed the transformation of the twelve zodiac jade carvings into animals before the deities of the Marionette Galaxy had interrupted him and he had actually discovered a new lake within the world of his Dantian in this subsequent inspection of his that looked the exact same as an Immortal Exuviate Pond.


    Actually, it wasn''t proper to call the world inside Tang Xiu''s Dantian a world as it was rather apt to call it a cosmos instead.


    This was because the world inside his Dantian was too huge compared to the space within the Dantian of the average deities. Furthermore, the world inside Tang Xiu''s Dantian also contained countless planets that thrived with endless vitality, which was an impossibility for the worlds in the Dantian of the other deities.


    "This isn''t an Immortal Exuviate Pond, it''s actually the Ying Yang Divinity Lake!" After carefully observing the energy contained within this lake in his cosmic world, Tang Xiu discovered that the lake water''s energy had far surpassed the Immortal Exuviate Pond''s and this made him subconsciously link it to the legacy he had obtained in the Walled Hill Village before.


    When Long Zhengyu had helped Tang Xiu construct the Walled Hill Village, the land had undergone a collapse and injured the workers. Tang Xiu and Yang Le, a disciple of the Thief Sect, ventured inside first to investigate it and discovered a multilayered grave there that finally transported them to a sub-world.


    Tang Xiu had obtained the legacy of the Free and Unfettered God in this sub-world and also obtained the Ying Yang Divinity Vein that had been brought to Earth from the God Realm by the Free and Unfettered God, which had promoted his cultivation of the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis from the Meridian Transformation Stage to the summit of the Viscera Transformation Stage.


    "They say that the Immortals cleansed themselves in the Ying Yang Divinity Lake to ascend to the God Realm in the distant past, but ever since 200,000 or so years ago, Immortals could only cleanse themselves in the Immortal Exuviate Pond''s pond water to ascend to the God Realm. Could the reason behind this be the Free and Unfettered God moving the Ying Yang Divinity Vein and the Ying Yang Divinity Lake to Earth?


    "If the Ying Yang Divinity Lake in the cosmic world inside my body is the same as the Ying Yang Divinity Lake from the ancient times, does it mean that I would be able to make my family in the Immortal World ascend to the God Realm without going through the divine tribulation by allowing them to cleanse themselves in this lake water once I have shattered the barrier between the God Realm and the Immortal World?


    "Why did the Free and Unfettered God move the Ying Yang Divinity Vein and the Ying Yang Divinity Lake to Earth and not some other planet? He even said that Earth was the primogenitor star, but that it had experienced a huge change and wasn''t as glorious as before.


    "The Walled Hill Village had traces of the God Realm and so did the Resting Cemetery Island. Just what is the link between Earth and God Realm?"


    ¡­


    A series of questions popped up in Tang Xiu''s mind that forced him to ponder on them deeply.


    "I''m really stupid. The Free and Unfettered God had told me that his legacy is inside the Ying Yang Divinity Lake, so wouldn''t I understand these intricacies as long as I obtain the legacy from it?" Tang Xiu slapped his forehead a moment later and sent his divine intent towards the depths of the Ying Yang Divinity Lake.


    A golden orb shot from the Ying Yang Divinity Lake in the next moment and entered the space between Tang Xiu''s brows.


    A golden light flashed before Tang Xiu''s eyes before he found himself in another space.


    His eyes turned into wide saucers the moment he entered this space because he saw a huge halberd drop from the skies and hack down towards him. He couldn''t budge his body at all under the pressure of this giant halberd''s aura and couldn''t even use his divine sense, so he couldn''t help but want to scream.


    However, Tang Xiu soon discovered that this giant halberd wasn''t hacking down towards him but instead towards the body his divine sense had attached itself to, which was the reason he actually hadn''t screamed out in reality.


    The giant halberd was being wielded by a muscular, curly bearded man who was hundreds of meters tall and was shrouded in purple crackling lightning. The man moved with swift movements as he brandished the giant halberd and left a lifeless barren land in his wake while all human and organic life had turned into ashes.


    "Free and Unfettered God, you have ignored the laws of the God Realm and disturbed the order of the realm with your crooked behavior. You ought to receive a thousand deaths for your crimes and today is the day you shall suffer judgment!" A devious smile appeared on the bearded man''s face as he watched his giant halberd that was close to striking the Free and Unfettered God.


    "What are the laws? The only law is the law of the jungle. Do you want me to allow the twelve of you to continue deceiving and enslaving all the deities?


    "If even becoming a deity doesn''t give us freedom, what''s the point in becoming one? What''s the use of becoming a deity if we can''t even pursue our ideals after becoming one?


    "I, the Free and Unfettered God, swear that as long as I am alive, I won''t allow the twelve of you to hide the truth of the primogenitor star''s destruction and will prevent you all from lording over all the deities!"


    Once the bearded man finished saying his piece, a familiar voice echoed at Tang Xiu''s ears that he recognized to be the Free and Unfettered God''s voice. This also made him realize that he had possessed the Free and Unfettered God''s body right now and was watching this scene from the perspective of the Free and Unfettered God.


    "Free and Unfettered God, nothing can be accomplished without proper laws in place. If it weren''t for us twelve Supreme Gods spending such a large amount of time and energy in bringing order to the God Realm, the God Realm would have probably remained in a war-stricken state and wouldn''t have flourished as much as it has to this day."


    "Free and Unfettered God, we may invite you to become the 13th Supreme God if we approve of your strength, but the condition is that you need to act according to our laws."


    When he turned around, the Free and Unfettered God saw a dark-faced Buddhist monk and a white-haired Daoist priest approach and surround him from the other side with trepidation in their eyes.


    Other than the curly bearded man as well as the black-faced monk and the white-haired priest, there were another four people glaring at the Free and Unfettered God present in this world right now.


    "What laws, heh. They allowed you to deceive me for about a million years. If I hadn''t discovered the truth of the primogenitor star''s destruction accidentally, you might have continued to deceive me forever¡­" The Free and Unfettered God stated mockingly with a disdainful sneer.


    However, he stopped speaking soon after as the seven Supreme Gods had finished deploying the array the moment he had finished speaking and had unfolded an assault on him simultaneously.


    "Die! Did you really think we came here to make peace with you because we were willing to chat with you?" The bearded man grinned maliciously and hacked his giant halberd towards the frozen Free and Unfettered God.


    "Oh, Free and Unfettered God, don''t blame us for being tyrannical. The sole blame lies in you for being too smart as smart people never have good endings."


    "Free and Unfettered God, this lord has never admired anyone in my entire life, but I really admired you with all my heart. However, the world you want to build harms our interests, so the only end left for you is death."


    "Don''t become enemies with us in your next life!"


    The seven Supreme Gods had schemed for thousands of years to develop a divine artifact that targeted the Free and Unfettered God and pretended for a few decades after that to lure him into a trap. They sighed in relief internally after realizing they were finally on the eve of killing the Free and Unfettered God successfully and looked at him with sympathy and pity.


    "I put on a show for so many decades and thought I would be able to exchange it with the lives of the twelve Supreme Gods, but it seems like I can only exchange it with the lives of seven of them. What a huge loss this is. Looks like I''ll have to leave the remaining five demons for my successor to deal with." The Free and Unfettered God sighed all of a sudden and a blazing aura exploded out from within his body immediately afterward.


    Unfortunately as it was, as they were on the eve of succeeding, the seven Supreme Gods never imagined that the Free and Unfettered God still could move nor did they think he would choose to take them down along with him.


    Followed by a loud bang, the eight Supreme Gods, including the Free and Unfettered in it, disintegrated into a fine powder.


    Two trails of hot tears ran down Tang Xiu''s cheeks as sorrowful emotions welled up from the depths of his heart.


    The world then descended into endless darkness as a stream of information flowed into Tang Xiu''s mind.


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 1423 God Realm 5 : Karmic Cycle, Golden Peng Joins the Ranks

    "Earth is the real God Realm and the current God Realm is just a new world established by the twelve Supreme Gods that imitates the comprehensive environment of Earth?" Tang Xiu felt stunned after he digested the information obtained from the golden orb as it was too unbelievable for him.


    Tang Xiu had obtained the legacy of the Free and Unfettered God through the golden orb, and at the same time, he had also learned about the origin of the God Realm and the truth of how the twelve Supreme Gods had enslaved all the deities using underhanded means.


    The twelve Supreme Gods were neither the strongest entities in the God Realm nor were they the earliest to have become Supreme Gods. However, during an exploration, they had unexpectedly found the Land of Divine Origin¡ªDivine Origin City.


    Divine Origin was also known as origin force in the God Realm. It was the fundamental requirement necessary for a God-Sovereign to become a Supreme God and was the most precious and expensive resource in the God Realm without exception.


    The discovery of the Divine Origin City invoked the greed within the hearts of the twelve Supreme Gods and caused them to kill the other dozen or so God-Emperors and God-Sovereigns in the exploration team.


    If it weren''t for the fact that the twelve Supreme Gods feared they may lose their lives because they were equally matched in strength and the fact that the Divine Origin City had an abundant amount of origin force that could satisfy all of their needs completely, they would have undoubtedly fought each other.


    After seizing the Divine Origin City, the twelve Supreme Gods feared that the other Supreme Gods might come over and plunder the Divine Origin, so they didn''t hesitate to launch an unprecedented war against the other Supreme Gods.


    The twelve Supreme Gods used the Divine Origin as bait and employed a majority of the God-Emperors and God-Sovereigns to attack the other Supreme Gods. As such, faced with the overwhelming assault, all the other Supreme Gods fell into the hands of the twelve Supreme Gods and even their godheads and legacies were deprived after they perished.


    This unprecedented war was known as the Battle of Ruin and it had almost destroyed the entire God Realm.


    The twelve Supreme Gods always came up with dignified reasons in each of their campaigns, so they always held the moral high ground in the public and thus didn''t incur the revulsion of that many deities.


    After the war ended, to eliminate all chances of anyone discovering the Divine Origin City, the twelve Supreme Gods announced that they were willing to offer all the resources in their hands to build a new God Realm and solicited contributions from all the deities concurrently.


    As the twelve Supreme Gods had completely isolated the Divine Origin of the Divine Origin City, all the deities responded to their call after discovering that the Divine Origin on Earth wasn''t enough to satisfy their cultivation needs, and the twelve Supreme Gods even obtained the highest honor and respect thusly.


    After establishing the new God Realm, the twelve Supreme Gods discovered that they hadn''t actually used up that many resources and instead gained a lot of rare cultivation resources, so they spent several tens of thousands of years to continuously thicken the barrier between the new God Realm and the God Realm of Earth to prevent the other deities to leave for Earth and find the Divine Origin City, leaving behind a backdoor to Earth which only they were aware of.


    By establishing the new God Realm as a result of the Battle of Ruin, the twelve Supreme Gods had not just managed to eliminate all the forces stronger than them, they had also accumulated deep fame at the same time that allowed them to candidly become the supreme rulers of the God Realm without any qualms.


    After realizing the benefits brought by the authoritarian regime, the twelve Supreme Gods began to plunder the cultivation resources, cultivation methods, and battle skills of all the deities in an unbridled manner and enslaved all the deities. At the same time, they began to closely monitor all corners of the God Realm for any anomalies and nipped the danger in the bud if any such uncontrollable elements made their appearance.


    Under the enslavement of the twelve Supreme Gods, the God Realm was no longer a place where entities lived a free and unfettered life and instead became an existence similar to the eighteen layers of Hell. It became very difficult for the deities to promote their strength and even more difficult to survive as almost all the deities served either the twelve Supreme Gods or their affiliated forces.


    And this only changed with the appearance of the Free and Unfettered Supreme God.


    It was because the Free and Unfettered Supreme God cultivated the free and unfettered path that allowed him to have countless incarnations and understood his heart well. Furthermore, he always acted in a low-profile manner because of his prudent nature, so the twelve Supreme Gods who had grown lax from an easy life for so long failed to discover his existence from the very beginning.


    By the time the twelve Supreme Gods had found the Free and Unfettered Supreme God, they were already unable to defeat him and instead suffered defeats at his hands, which damaged their reputation greatly.


    As the divine power of incarnation was too powerful, the twelve Supreme Gods were even on guard against each other because they feared one of them might be an incarnation of the Free and Unfettered Supreme God.


    It was also this divine power of incarnation that allowed the Free and Unfettered Supreme God to find out about the truth behind the Battle of Ruin and gave rise to the thoughts of eliminating the twelve Supreme Gods in his mind.


    "Senior Free and Unfettered God, please rest at ease. I will definitely fulfill your final wish and return the God Realm to all the deities from the hands of the twelve Supreme Gods."


    Tang Xiu had also figured out the history behind the twelve zodiac jade carvings from the huge amount of information he had obtained from the golden orb.


    The Free and Unfettered Supreme God had carved these twelve zodiac jade carvings when he was in the God Realm and they contained the heavenly laws of Earth, the primogenitor star of the God Realm, and also contained the heavenly laws of the entire God Realm. As long as he had sufficient cultivation resources, these heavenly laws would allow Tang Xiu to ignore any bottlenecks in cultivation and reach the Supreme God Stage without any hindrance. However, as Tang Xiu''s body wasn''t strong enough to handle so much power, his cultivation stage stopped increasing when he became a peak-stage Ancient God.


    Moreover, the heavenly laws contained within the twelve zodiac jade carvings also allowed Tang Xiu to return to Earth.


    After communicating with Drunken Immortal, Star Soul, and the others with his divine intent, Tang Xiu appeared in another space momentarily with a single thought.


    This space contained a dense amount of Divine Origin Force along with a blue sky full of white clouds, black land, and a series of mountain ranges. However, these mountains didn''t have any plants and instead had countless gravestones and ancient graves packed together.


    After seeing a totally different scenery compared to Earth, Tang Xiu almost believed he was still in the God Realm and hadn''t returned to Earth.


    "Youngling, thirty years hath passed yet thou still haven''t ascended to the Immortal World? How long am I to wait for mine returneth to the God Realm?" A weak voice echoed in Tang Xiu''s mind suddenly and caused his gaze to shift over to another direction.


    A 300-meter-tall huge Golden Peng that had its two bare feet chained with two thick manacles and had a conflagration of flames burning on its body came into Tang Xiu''s view.


    However, after experiencing decades of torment, the Golden Peng obviously lacked its former spiritedness and rested its head on the ground morosely instead of raising it up arrogantly. The gaze with which it observed Tang Xiu had also turned dimmer.


    "Karmic Cycle." Tang Xiu understood the reason he had appeared in this space immediately after seeing the Golden Peng.


    The Golden Peng had helped him consolidate the Buddhist Golden Body when he arrived at the sub-space under the Resting Cemetery Island back in the past and that had allowed his cultivation of the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis to experience enormous progress, causing his strength to leap from the Meridian Transformation Stage to the Viscera Transformation Stage. In exchange, Tang Xiu promised to free the Golden Peng after becoming a Supreme and returning to the summit of the Immortal World.


    Unfortunately, although he wished to return to Earth to rescue the Golden Peng after cultivating back to a Supreme in the Immortal World, he was unable to find a way to shatter the barrier between Earth and the Immortal World and had to shelve the matter as a result.


    Tang Xiu felt a twinge of guilt after recalling this and looked at the Golden Peng with a guilty gaze.


    Tang Xiu actually didn''t care much about the 30 years mentioned by the Golden Peng. This was because of the special nature of the spatial barrier which caused a time dilation when he ascended to Immortal World. A similar time dilation might have existed when he returned to Earth from the God Realm. Hence, Tang Xiu wouldn''t have found it strange even if only a single day had passed since his ascension to the Immortal World after returning to the God Realm.


    In any case, for Tang Xiu, it was better to return to Earth earlier than later.


    "Senior Golden Peng, pardon me for coming so late. I will free you from the dharmic flames and the chains right away." Tang Xiu didn''t give an explanation to the Golden Peng and instead took out the sword he had obtained from the Free and Unfettered Supreme God''s legacy within the Walled Hill Village and hacked at the chains binding the Golden Peng''s feet with force.


    As for the dharmic flames on the Golden Peng''s body, they were even easier to solve. With just a single thought from Tang Xiu, the Ying Yang Divinity Lake inside his body jetted out a stream of lake water and extinguished the dharmic flames on the Golden Peng''s body that had been burning for several million years.


    "Thou¡­ Thou hath used the Ying Yang Divinity Lake''s lake water to extinguish the flames?! This is too wasteful!" The Golden Peng felt like it was dreaming when the dharmic flames on its body were extinguished and then, it berated Tang Xiu with an incredulous tone after glaring at him.


    In the next moment, the Golden Peng no longer bothered to criticize Tang Xiu for his wasteful extravagance and opened its mouth as it unfurled its wings, following which it sucked all the Ying Yang Divinity Lake''s lake water that had splashed onto the ground after hitting its wings dry, not even leaving a drop behind.


    After swallowing the Ying Yang Divinity Lake''s lake water, the Golden Peng''s spirit, energy, and soul experienced a monumental change as it was freed from the torment of the chains and the dharmic flames, and its aura climbed up little by little.


    "Huh¡­ thou cultivation¡­ shouldn''t thou be a Supreme Immortal? How art thou an Ancient God?" The Golden Peng was dumbstruck when it sensed Tang Xiu''s strength as it prepared to thank him.


    "Senior Golden Peng, perhaps only 30 years have passed on Earth, but I have already experienced several tens of thousands of years in the Immortal World and the God Realm." Tang Xiu only knew that the Golden Peng''s master was a Supreme God who possessed the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis once and was the nemesis of the Buddhist Sect. Other than this, he was completely clueless about the Golden Peng''s circumstances and also had no intention of demanding any answers from it, so he explained things with a smile on his face.


    "Allow this junior to seek forgiveness, Senior Golden Peng. This junior failed to find a method to shatter the barrier between the Immortal World and Earth after becoming a Supreme Immortal, so this junior couldn''t return to rescue Senior immediately. This junior barely managed to return to Earth from the God Realm because of the help of an almighty deity."


    The reason Tang Xiu was explaining things to the Golden Peng patiently wasn''t that he was afraid the Golden Peng would harm him, but rather because its former master possessed the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis. Tang Xiu believed his cultivation speed would increase by several degrees with the help of the Golden Peng, so he felt tempted to recruit it into his ranks.


    "Good! Good! Good!" The Golden Peng laughed out loud after observing Tang Xiu for a while. "Thou art loyal and resolute! Thou eke hast a deep affinity with Buddhism and hast an exemplary cultivation aptitude! Youngling, let us hast another deal. Help me avenge mine master and I shalt fight for thou in the God Realm!"


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 1424 God Realm 6 : Forming a Master and Servant Contract, Divine Origin City’s Location

    Tang Xiu''s face blushed a little when he heard the Golden Peng''s words and also felt sincere admiration towards it from the bottom of his heart as he felt that compared to him, the Golden Peng was the one truly loyal and resolute. Even though several hundred thousand years had passed, the first thought in its mind after regaining its freedom was to avenge its master.


    However, Tang Xiu didn''t agree to the deal that the Golden Peng had proposed that rashly.


    From the legacy of the Free and Unfettered God, Tang Xiu had learned that deities placed a lot of importance on karmic links in their cultivation, and the deeper karmic links they had, the harder it would be for them to progress. Often, just one of the karmic links could lead them to cultivation deviation and prevent them from reaching the next stage of cultivation.


    "Senior Golden Peng, have you never wondered who sealed you here?" Tang Xiu asked slowly while facing the Golden Peng''s expectant gaze.


    "Although my memory was erased once, I clearly remember that the person who sealed me here was a Buddhism disciple from another world. He killed my master and even sealed me in this land bereft of Divine Origin for several hundred thousand years." The Golden Peng fumed.


    "You once told me that Holy Monk Amitabha tried to steal the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis and was chased to death by your master before. Did your master never tell you that he killed countless Buddhism disciples during his several million years long chase of the Holy Monk Amitabha¡­" Tang Xiu asked faintly after arranging all the information he knew in his mind.


    However, Tang Xiu''s heart filled with doubts as he asked this because the Golden Peng had told him once that its master was a peak-stage Supreme God powerhouse who stood at the pinnacle of the God Realm.


    But from what Tang Xiu knew, the God Realm was under the control of the twelve Supreme Gods, so they absolutely wouldn''t allow a powerhouse who they couldn''t control to appear in the God Realm.


    Moreover, if the Buddhism disciple could really kill a peak-stage Supreme God powerhouse, he wouldn''t have had to flee here and there and finally come hide on Earth.


    And although Tang Xiu could understand the reasoning behind sealing and tormenting the Golden Peng, the Buddhism disciple had no reason to erase the Golden Peng''s memories.


    A horrible truth faintly took shape in Tang Xiu''s mind, but after taking a look at the Golden Peng, he didn''t have the heart to tell it his conjecture.


    "You''re saying my master killed millions of Buddhism disciples? That''s just impossible. My master is the leader of the twelve Supreme Gods, a well-reputed virtuous deity in the entire God Realm. He unified the God Realm of the primogenitor star along with the other eleven Supreme Gods and even pushed to establish the new God Realm. If it weren''t for him, the current God Realm wouldn''t exist at all¡­" The Golden Peng screamed emotionally before Tang Xiu could even finish his words.


    The Golden Peng''s scream had pretty much confirmed Tang Xiu''s conjecture and this made him turn silent.


    "Youngling, hark not selectively. I hast followed mine master for millions of years. If it be true he''s yond kind of evil deity, I would hath left him already. How about it? Mine desire is for thee to ponder on mine offer. Mine strength hath not recovered to mine peak, but with enow resources, mine cultivation can recover to Supreme God Stage speedily." The Golden Peng reiterated once again after justifying its master.


    "Senior Golden Peng, if I told you that your master isn''t dead and that the person who imprisoned you isn''t that Buddhism disciple, but rather your own master, Sacred Demon, would you still ask me to avenge your master?" After remaining silent for a while, Tang Xiu decided to speak out as he couldn''t bear to keep it hidden from the Golden Peng any longer.


    "What? Mine master, Sacred Demon, hath not died, and be the one who hath imprison me? This be impossible!"


    "The fact that I know Sacred Demon''s name is already enough to prove it. If that Buddhism disciple really killed your master, he should have killed you too instead of just erasing your memories since he had no reason for letting you live. Furthermore, Sacred Demon isn''t as powerful as you imagine, and he had selfish motivations behind his actions¡­"


    Since he had decided to tell the truth, Tang Xiu obviously didn''t hold back on anything and spoke about his conjecture from what he had learned from Drunken Immortal as well as the information he obtained from the Free and Unfettered God''s legacy.


    In the beginning, the Golden Peng was still feeling a bit emotional and wished to interrupt Tang Xiu''s words, but Tang Xiu didn''t give it a chance to do that.


    The Golden Peng''s expression changed slowly as it listened to him and it turned silent in the end too.


    In fact, after several hundred thousand years had passed, the Golden Peng had already recovered most of its erased memories and its fabricated memories had also turned vaguer as well.


    However, the Golden Peng just wasn''t ready to believe the memories that didn''t conform with its actual recognition of the events, and it even believed the reason his memories were a mess was because of some injury it might have suffered to its brain during the war several hundred thousand years ago or because they had been tampered by the Buddhist disciple using divine power to make it hate its master and dull its intentions of avenging its master.


    "So, mine master hast deceived me for millions of years?" Although the Golden Peng had a simple mind, it wasn''t a fool. A part of its memories indeed conformed with what Tang Xiu had told it, and this proved that Tang Xiu had actually spoken the facts just now. Furthermore, it and Tang Xiu were just strangers, so Tang Xiu had no reason to dupe it.


    Moreover, even if Tang Xiu had lied to it, it would have learned the truth after reaching the God Realm, so it didn''t believe Tang Xiu had duped it.


    Huge drops of golden tears fell down from the Golden Peng''s eyes.


    Its condition that had become rejuvenated just recently declined again.


    And even its life aura began to diminish little by little.


    There was nothing sadder than a withered heart in this world. The Golden Peng had got acquainted with Sacred Demon, a newly ascended deity, just after it had escaped from the extermination of its clan and signed a master and servant contract with him. From that moment onwards, the Golden Peng had fought for Sacred Demon in the God Realm for millions of years and even saved him from countless calamities.


    However, after several million years, someone had told it that the Sacred Demon it knew wasn''t the true Sacred Demon, and that he was actually a selfish and evil demon, so the Golden Peng felt it had been made a fool of.


    "Senior, you must live on if you wish to avenge your clan!" Tang Xiu felt anxious when he saw that the Golden Peng intended to kill itself and had a flash of brilliance in his mind that prompted him to shout at it, "The extermination of the Golden Peng Clan wasn''t because of a powerhouse from the Monster Realm but rather an insidious plot schemed by Sacred Demon. The Golden Peng Clan got exterminated because of you, but if you die just like this, they would never be able to rest in peace in the Underworld!"


    Tang Xiu''s words struck the Golden Peng like a bolt of lightning. Its body quivered as it directed its ferocious gaze at Tang Xiu and raised its voice. "Youngling, doth thee dare taketh responsibility for thy words?"


    "Senior, I have no reason to kid about this matter with you since the truth will come out eventually. Senior must have already had guesses about what I just said, right?" Tang Xiu said sincerely after meeting its gaze for a while.


    "Youngling, I shalt sign a master and servant contract with thee as long as thee taketh a Heavenly Oath to help avenge mine clan. I can sense Free and Unfettered God''s aura on thee, so thou art forsooth a foe of Sacred Demon. Since we hath the same goal and I am more familiar with Sacred Demon and the God Realm, thee won''t refuse this request of mine, shalt thee?" A glimmer of determination flashed through the Golden Peng''s eyes after a while.


    After deciding to trust the memories it had regained, the Golden Peng had received answers to a lot of things it was confused about before. Moreover, Tang Xiu''s huge potential and the character he had shown had made the Golden Peng trust him and ally with him without the slightest hesitation.


    Tang Xiu felt ecstatic after hearing the Golden Peng''s words.


    He believed that he had no chances of recruiting the Golden Peng after he had refused to kill that Buddhism disciple, but he never imagined that he would see the light at the end of the tunnel and that the Golden Peng would choose to form a master and servant contract with him.


    Fearing that the Golden Peng would go back on its word if he delayed any longer, Tang Xiu took a Heavenly Oath immediately before it.


    And under his expectant gaze, the Golden Peng also handed over a drop of its lifeblood essence to Tang Xiu.


    Tang Xiu received the drop of lifeblood essence solemnly and refined it slowly according to the Golden Peng''s instructions.


    After spending 6 hours on it, Tang Xiu finally finished refining the lifeblood essence of the Golden Peng fully and a faint connection formed between it and him simultaneously.


    Tang Xiu even had a feeling that he could kill the Golden Peng with just a single thought of his.


    "Master, art thee planning to return to the God Realm or art thee planning to settle thy karmic links on Earth first?" After forming the contract, the Golden Peng didn''t call him "youngling" anymore and instead asked for his instructions in an obsequious manner.


    Tang Xiu wasn''t accustomed to its momentous change in mannerism, so it took him some time to adapt to his new identity.


    "Golden Peng, the reason I came to Earth this time was mainly to free you and also to seek the Divine Origin City to promote my strength. I wonder if you know where the Divine Origin City is hidden?"


    "Divine Origin City? Master, the Divine Origin City is Shennong Ridge''s Ghost King Valley. T''s defense ist too well, though. The twelve Supreme Gods hath killed nearly 100 Supreme Gods back in the Battle of Ruin then refined those deities into puppets and placed them deities ''round the Divine Origin City. Move they shalt not in times ordinary, but they shalt attack anyone who hast entered a range of 300 meters ''round the Divine Origin City,'''' the Golden Peng said faintly after hesitating for a moment.


    "Nearly 100 Supreme God puppets?" Tang Xiu''s expression changed after he heard the Golden Peng''s words. He thought he would be able to find the Divine Origin City with his cultivation after returning back to Earth and that no one would be able to stop him from taking the Divine Origin City, but now, it appeared that even if he found it, he would only be able to gaze at it from afar because he lacked strength.


    "Master, though thee hast nay way to obtain the Divine Origin City, others eke hast nay way too. The twelve Supreme Gods hath left 100 Supreme God puppets to protect the Divine Origin City back then to prevent other Supreme Gods from obtaining it.


    "Moreover, the twelve Supreme Gods wast on guard ''gainst one other, so the twelve of them deities art essential to remove the barrier between Earth and the God Realm, even one canst be missing. From what thee hath told me, seven hast fallen already, so the remaining five hast nay way to returneth to Earth."


    Tang Xiu was stunned after hearing the Golden Peng''s words and even felt like laughing.


    "Golden Peng, since we have no way to obtain the Divine Origin City right now, I shall resolve some of my mortal karma in the secular world. Will you come with me or return to the God Realm first?" Tang Xiu hadn''t given up on the Divine Origin City as he had a faint feeling that the Free and Unfettered God definitely left a method to deal with the 100 Supreme God puppets and he just hadn''t found it yet.


    "Master, mine appearance too improper to appeareth ere mortals and with thy cultivation, nothing can harm thee unless thee wend to the Divine Origin City, so I shalt returneth to the God Realm lest I am powerless at which hour thee needeth mine help." After learning that Tang Xiu was planning to remain on Earth, it didn''t hesitate in choosing to return to the God Realm.


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 1425 Earth Realm 1 : The Beauty Hasn’t Aged, But Where Is the King?

    In a certain part of the Qilian mountain range in Qinghai Province, an old lady in a linen coat and a headscarf was lying on a bamboo chair in the thatched cottage.


    Her hands danced in the air as if she was conducting an orchestra, and streams of energy fluctuated around her. In the end, the streams of energy combined to form a handkerchief with brilliant lights and vibrant colors.


    Suddenly, a loud sound rang from the door''s direction. The old lady immediately stopped her hand movements and stood up.


    "Daoist Tang, did you not already ascend to the Immortal World? How did you come back?" After seeing who it was, the linen-robbed old lady put down the handkerchief. "Don''t tell me that you failed to pass the Tribulation and a fragment of your soul came back again."


    "Cough¡­" Tang Xiu originally planned to have a big smile when greeting the old lady, but after hearing what the old lady said, his handsome face began to blush a bright red.


    After seeing the old lady''s mischievous facial expression, he then realized that she did that purpose.


    "Good to make you laugh. I came to visit you to show my gratitude for fostering the Nine Maids back then." Tang Xiu cupped his fists towards the old lady, which represented a greeting.


    Tang Xiu held a great deal of respect for the old lady.


    Compared to the other rulers throughout China''s different eras, this old lady was someone who truly protected China. She was already nearly a thousand years old, and yet, she had never abandoned China. She chose to remain and protect this land all this time in secrecy and had rescued China from many genocidal threats. At the same time, her power managed to keep the other countries at bay as well.


    "Daoist Tang is too polite. It was fate that brought Zhong Ling and those other brats to me. They also helped me solve many problems in my cultivation as well. If we really are to talk about gratitude, I should be the one grateful towards Daoist Tang." The old lady was not excited and calmly replied.


    Tang Xiu couldn''t help but pause. When he ascended back then, did the old lady not ask him to take her with him to the Immortal World? Why was it that after a few decades, the old lady seemed to be uninterested at the notion of ascending to the Immortal World?


    Tang Xiu understood very quickly. He didn''t know what the old lady had been through, but he knew that her life was coming to an end soon.


    "Daoist Li, when I ascended, did some dangerous figures appear again?" Upon recognizing the heavy wounds on the old lady''s body, Tang Xiu couldn''t hold back his curiosity and asked.


    "Daoist Tang, my old body is already spent. Don''t tease me anymore. A couple of decades ago, when Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen successfully passed the Tribulation and ascended, I thought that the Tribulation had become easier. In the end, when I tried to cross the Tribulation two years ago, I nearly lost my life," the old lady said this and stared daggers at Tang Xiu.


    Upon hearing her words, an expression of awkwardness crept onto Tang Xiu''s face.


    "I''m truly sorry. When I ascended back then, I was only focused on revenge. I was afraid that by bringing you with me, it would karmically affect your Heavenly Dao, so I had to refuse. Please accept this gift from me as my apology." When Tang Xiu said this, he pointed a finger at the old lady.


    The old lady, looking at Tang Xiu''s finger, was suddenly immobilized.


    She saw lines of green light appear out of Tang Xiu''s finger, then they rapidly surged into her body.


    After the green light entered her body, her inner injuries and wounds were instantly healed. Her life force rapidly increased as well and finally, her appearance also turned younger by the second.


    After a while, Tang Xiu retracted his finger with beads of sweat visible on his forehead.


    This was because he had just injected his own vitality into the old lady to use. He felt that this was worth it.


    "This¡­ This¡­ I''m unbelievably grateful to Daoist Tang. I have nothing that I can give in return. If Daoist Tang does not dislike it, then I''m willing to be your servant and do whatever it is that you wish." After feeling a complete change within her body, the old lady was completely in awe of Tang Xiu''s divine abilities and was also filled with gratitude.


    "Daoist Li, you have already cultivated on Earth for a thousand years. Have you felt that there''s something abnormal on Earth? For example, many things that belonged to the Immortal World and the God Realm suddenly appeared on Earth." Tang Xiu looked at the old lady and laughed. He only asked this after the old lady had calmed down.


    "Now that Daoist Tang has mentioned it, that''s true. I have realized that many abnormal things happened. Although my power on Earth can be considered as top tier, there are still many places that I''m completely unable to see and do not dare to get near to either." The old lady didn''t know what Tang Xiu was hinting at, so she just went along with it.


    "What if I told you that Earth was not always like this, but it was once the God Realm. However, because of a great war, Earth has become what it is today. Would you believe me?"


    "What? How''s that possible?" The old lady heard this and was completely shocked. She started to refute that claim, but she slowly fell into deep thought. After a while, she mumbled. "If Earth was really once the God Realm, then the things that happened to me in Shennong Ridge, Ghost King Valley back then can be explained."


    "Daoist Li, I have something quite unfair to ask of you. If you don''t mind, would you be able to stay on Earth and not ascend, while helping me to investigate all the abnormal places on Earth? If Daoist Li can provide me with valuable information, then I will naturally reward you abundantly for them." After he heard that the old lady also knew of the things in Ghost King Valley, Tang Xiu''s eyes lit up.


    After he received the old lady''s promise, Tang Xiu breathed a sigh of relief.


    Star City, Old River Street district, Shanty Area, Su Family Restaurant.


    Even though it was still quite early in the morning, there was already a line of customers waiting for the restaurant to open.


    After a few decades of city growth, Star City was already changed completely. The Old River Street district was already renovated and rebuilt. Only the Shanty Area and the Su Family Restaurant remained. At most, they just renovated the outer walls, which made this area a special venue in Star City.


    "Do you guys reckon that Cheng Yannan would come and join Teacher Xia''s sixtieth birthday? She was once her favorite student, after all."


    "I heard that Su Xiangfei did invite Cheng Yannan. As for whether or not she would show up, that''s another story. After all, Magnificent Tang Corporation is such a big responsibility. Anything can happen at any moment."


    "I saw Cheng Yannan on the news yesterday and she looks just like a twenty-year-old lady. There were no marks of age on her face and she did not look like a forty-year-old at all! She looked just like a fairy."


    ¡­


    Cheng Yannan was a hot topic at that time.


    Although Cheng Yannan did awaken special abilities, her cultivation aptitude was average, so she couldn''t keep up with the cultivation speed of the Tang Sect''s members. Even then, Tang Xiu was willing to take her with him when he ascended to the Immortal World, but she refused him tactfully.


    The reason for her refusal was simple. The Magnificent Tang Corporation was too big. Long Zhengyu might not have been able to handle it if she left. Furthermore, even if she did ascend to the Immortal World, she wouldn''t be of much help anyway. Therefore, it was better for her to stay on Earth and take care of the Magnificent Tang Corporation in Tang Xiu''s stead.


    Since Tang Xiu and Cheng Xuemei failed to persuade her, they could only allow Cheng Yannan to have her way and stay on Earth. At the same time, they gave all the responsibilities of the Magnificent Tang Corporation to Cheng Yannan. As for Long Zhengyu, he was left in charge of Nine Dragons Island and the other businesses. However, he was now able to put more time and effort into cultivating.


    South Gate Town, Villa Number 9.


    Before leaving Earth, Tang Xiu had given his house to Cheng Yannan to take care of. Cheng Yannan did not make any changes and moved in right away.


    "President Cheng, Mr. Xia Mingjie''s birthday party begins at 12:10 pm officially. Would you like to go there before it begins? Or would you like to wait until the party has already officially begun to go?" Her beautiful secretary, Dai Mi, asked her gently as she brushed and styled Cheng Yannan''s hair.


    "Let me have a look at the list of attendees." Cheng Yannan did not answer Dai Mi''s question, but instead, asked her to do something.


    Dai Mi paused for a second, then proceeded to walk into the lounge room. Then, she took a Magnificent Tang Corporation''s iPad into the room with her. After a few quick swipes, a list that was updated three minutes ago was now in front of Cheng Yannan.


    As expected, the first name on the list was Xia Mingjie. Then, it was Principal Wei Zhentai, as well as other teachers of the school in Star City. At the very end of the list, those names included the past students of Xia Mingjie from the past few decades. There were nearly three hundred people on the list. Cheng Yannan was only familiar with her classmates in class 10, the principal, and some of the teachers.


    After seeing that the list named Wei Zhentai, Hu Qiusheng, and Yang Jian as some of the attendees, Cheng Yannan immediately frowned.


    Tang Xiu was once nearly kicked out of Star City by these people. If it wasn''t for Han Qingwu, the teacher in charge of class 10 defending him and his results improving suddenly, Cheng Yannan did not think that she would get to know Tang Xiu back then and got into an unforgettable relationship with him.


    Cheng Yannan wanted to call Su Xiangfei to erase Wei Zhentai, Hu Qiusheng, and Yang Jian from the attendee''s list. However, after mulling over it, she dismissed that notion.


    It had already been so many decades since then, so she didn''t feel it was necessary to bring up little things that happened in the past again.


    "Xiu, it has already been a few decades. Are you doing well in the Immortal World?" Cheng Yannan refreshed the attendee''s list two times and still couldn''t find the name that she wanted to find, and a poignant smile appeared on her face.


    "Xiu, if you were to give me another chance, I would have definitely chosen to follow you to the Immortal World and fight alongside you.


    "Xiu, it wasn''t that I didn''t want to ascend with you, but because there are too many transcendental beauties by your side, so I never found a sense of belonging beside you¡­"


    Two lines of tears flowed from her eyes silently, and the faint sorrow hidden inside them was enough to evoke pity.


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 1426 Earth Realm 2 : A Fateful Meeting, A Fateful Love

    After 7 am, Su Xiangfei arrived at the Su Family Restaurant in a daze. When he saw the crowd gathered in front of the restaurant, he thought that he was still asleep and rubbed his eyes.


    "Su Xiangfei, did Teacher Xia not ask you to come and open the restaurant earlier last night? Why are you still so late?" As he slowly walked towards the restaurant, a sound, akin to the rumbling of thunder, resonated next to Su Xiangfei''s ears.


    After hearing this, Su Xiangfei immediately woke up and began sprinting to the restaurant subconsciously.


    The person who said this was Zhang Jingdong, the security guard for the Star City First High School. He was a retired veteran from the military and a very kind old man. He was well-liked by the teachers and students of the high school. Furthermore, because he was an old man with unwavering principles, he also gained the respect of many people, especially a few of the misbehaving students.


    "Old man Zhang, our restaurant''s usual opening time is at 9 am. I have already come here early enough. I just didn''t think that you all would come here this early." As Su Xiangfei spoke, he swiftly unlocked and opened the doors.


    Zhang Jingdong was the only person there who dared to raise his voice at Su Xiangfei. No one else standing outside the restaurant dared to do that. Everyone else just greeted Su Xiangfei, some with a tone of respect and some with a tone of flattery.


    The Magnificent Tang Corporation was already one of the top ten corporations globally. Although the Su Family Restaurant didn''t seem to have any relationships with it, everyone knew that the restaurant was founded by Su Lingyun. Furthermore, Su Xiangfei was Su Lingyun''s nephew, so Su Xiangfei''s relationship with the Magnificent Tang Corporation greatly affected the Su Family Restaurant''s popularity.


    Perhaps Tang Xiu''s lesson was too unforgettable. Ever since Su Xiangfei took the reins of the restaurant, it was like he had been reborn. He was no longer that show off from back then. He was now a mature young man and had great relationships with his friends.


    After passionately greeting the crowd, Su Xiangfei immediately got to work.


    It was Xia Mingjie''s sixtieth birthday, and his son Xia Tao was classmates with Su Xiangfei, so he asked Su Xiangfei because he wanted to help his father have a magnificent party.


    Once Su Xiangfei heard that it was the birthday of his respected teacher Xia Mingjie, he slapped his chest and said that he would take care of it. Then, after consulting with Xia Tao and Xia Mingjie, he got in contact with all his classmates in Class 10. This was like a high school reunion after 35 years, so the Su Family Restaurant would not cater to the public during Xia Mingjie''s birthday party. The restaurant would only cater to the guests of the party, as well as Star City First High School''s teachers and students, and Su Xiangfei footed the entire bill for the event.


    Because Su Xiangfei grew prosperous in these few decades as well as the great reputation that the Su Family Restaurant had in Star City, pretty much none of the Class 10 students rejected the invitation. Furthermore, when Xia Mingjie''s own guests heard that the party was going to be at the Su Family Restaurant, they hurried to the restaurant early.


    After two hours, Su Xiangfei and Xia Tao finally sorted out the guests. After these two hours, both of them were covered in sweat, and Xia Tao looked at Su Xiangfei with immense gratitude in his eyes.


    "Xiangfei, just a mere thank you is not enough for this. If there''s anything that you need help with and I can help, feel free to call me." Xia Tao clearly did not realize that the event would take that much work. If it wasn''t for Su Xiangfei''s efforts and patience with every little thing that arose, he definitely would have broken down.


    "Tao, don''t be a stranger. Your task today is to take good care of Teacher Xia. As for the rest, just leave it to me," Su Xiangfei replied as he wiped his forehead full of sweat.


    "Xiangfei, I saw that you glanced over at the entrance a few times. You''re waiting for Cheng Yannan, right?" Xia Tao realized that Su Xiangfei was not quite himself, so he decided to ask.


    "Yeah. President Cheng arrived in Star City last night. She should be nearly here." Su Xiangfei frowned and couldn''t help himself as he walked outside.


    His eyes lit up very quickly. This was because he saw Cheng Yannan''s car and also saw Cheng Yannan herself as well as her own personal assistant, Dai Mi.


    Just as Xiangfei rushed to greet Cheng Yannan, he suddenly stopped and nearly fell over.


    This was because he saw something and was completely surprised.


    The President Cheng in front of him was not the usual cold and elegant president he knew. She was embarrassed and, without hesitating, dove headfirst into another person''s embrace. Furthermore, she was crying quite heavily and did not stop hitting the other person''s chest. She was crying so hard that the words that she was saying were all incomprehensible.


    "Cou¡­ Cousin." When Su Xiangfei saw the man''s face, it was as if he saw a ghost. After a while, he finally got the words out of his mouth.


    "Xiangfei, you have done quite well! I thought that you were going to bankrupt the Su Family Restaurant at the start." After seeing his cousin who was seemingly in fear upon seeing himself, Tang Xiu laughed and greeted him.


    "Cousin, it really is you! I thought that I was dreaming. After a few decades of not seeing you, you still look the exact same as before." After seeing that Tang Xiu did not hate him, Su Xiangfei immediately started to smile upon being at peace.


    "There are too many people in the restaurant. Yannan can''t possibly see people like this, so both of us won''t enter. If there''s anything, just call Yannan''s phone." After seeing a few people who called out to Su Xiangfei walking out of the restaurant, Tang Xiu handed two red packets to Su Xiangfei and entered the car while holding onto Cheng Yannan.


    When Su Shangwen, Zhang Meiyun, and Xia Tao walked to the entrance, they only saw Tang Xiu and Cheng Yannan''s back.


    "Fei''er, was that Cheng Yannan just then? Since she''s here, why didn''t she come in?" Zhang Meiyun asked with a tone of uncertainty as she watched the car leave.


    "Mhm. That was my cousin and Cheng Yannan. Since there''s a lot of people at the restaurant, it wasn''t good for them to show their faces, so they left after giving me their presents." Su Xiangfei wasn''t quite himself as he handed the red packets to Xia Tao.


    "Was Cheng Yannan not here to attend Teacher Xia''s event? Why was it not good?" Su Shangwen asked. However, as soon as he finished that sentence, he suddenly realized something. "Who else did you say was here with her? Was it Cheng Yannan''s older cousin?"


    "It''s not Cheng Yannan''s older cousin, but my older cousin. It''s Tang Xiu, your nephew." Su Xiangfei explained as he looked at his father''s confused expression.


    "Ah¡­ It''s him. Did Tang Xiu not go to Heaven already? When did he come back? Well, since he''s back, why didn''t he come and greet us?" After confirming his guess, an incredulous expression appeared on Su Shangwen''s face.


    Although other people did not know what had happened to Tang Xiu and his family, the people close to him knew that Tang Xiu was not a normal person and was a successful cultivator and an Immortal. They had all ascended to the Immortal World a few decades ago.


    Su Shangwen thought that once they ascended, they wouldn''t be able to return here. This was also the reason why even though he thought the man''s silhouette looked familiar, he didn''t link it to Tang Xiu.


    "Dad, Tang Xiu is not the same as us. The reason behind his appearance is probably to see whether or not the Su Family Restaurant still existed. At the same time, he probably also wanted to take Cheng Yannan to that place." As he thought about Tang Xiu''s personality and his way of doing things, Su Xiangfei became disheartened. Tang Xiu did teach Su Xiangfei the way to cultivate and as a result, he was much stronger than the average person. However, because Tang Xiu did not provide him with cultivation resources, it was impossible for him to ascend to the Immortal World unless there were special circumstances that allowed him to do so.


    "Haha, Tang Xiu also came. If my dad heard this, he would surely be overjoyed." After a while, Xia Tao finally understood what Su Shangwen and Su Xiangfei were talking about. He was extremely excited upon seeing the messages on the two red packets. Then, with the red packets in his hands, he ran into the restaurant.


    "Our family offended and treated Su Lingyun and Tang Xiu so badly back then, and yet, they were so kind as to save us from being thrown into jail and gave us the restaurant, which helped us prosper and live luxurious lives. What can we complain about? If Xiu''er doesn''t wish to meet us, then there must still be scars in his heart. As long as we take care of the restaurant and take care of the Su family properly, then I think Xiu''er will definitely forgive us one day." Zhang Meiyun felt ashamed when she recalled the past events.


    Zhang Meiyun was correct. Although Su Lingyun was a kind person and had already forgiven Su Shangwen and his family, Tang Xiu could not. This was also why Tang Xiu immediately left upon seeing Su Shangwen and Zhang Meiyun.


    Actually, Tang Xiu had already been at the restaurant for a while. The sight of such a crowd outside of the restaurant already scared him. After understanding the situation, he thought about going inside and greeting his past teachers and classmates.


    However, he dismissed this notion. After all, he no longer belonged to this world. As long as they were happy, it was enough for him. It was completely unnecessary for him to disturb their peaceful lives.


    As for being discovered by Cheng Yannan, that was a complete coincidence. Tang Xiu was standing in a secretive area and he even used a technique to hide from normal people. No average person would have been able to see him.


    However, Cheng Yannan was not a normal person. Not only did she awaken her special abilities, she even trained at the Nine Dragons Island. As the years passed, Long Zhengyu also provided her with an abundance of cultivation resources, which allowed her to become a cultivator in the early stages of the Crossing Tribulation Stage. Other people may not have been able to see Tang Xiu, but Cheng Yannan quickly found him.


    When Tang Xiu realized that Cheng Yannan''s fervent eyes were on him with feelings of longing written all over her face, he thought about avoiding her, but in the end, he didn''t. As a result, Cheng Yannan dove headfirst into his chest.


    "Tang Xiu, don''t ever leave me behind again! Wherever you go, I will go!"


    "In all these years, I have already made all the necessary preparations. I have properly trained and nurtured Su Yaning. She can definitely take over the Magnificent Tang Corporation from me."


    ¡­


    After entering the car, Cheng Yannan couldn''t help but tell Tang Xiu of her thoughts.


    He felt the sincerity of her words and feelings. As a result, his heart was warmed. He didn''t say anything, and instead, lowered his head gently and kissed her tender lips.


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 1427 Earth Realm 3 : Duanmu Lin’s Hidden Ill-Intentions, Ji Mu’s Fortuitous Opportunity

    After a few more gentle kisses and embraces, Tang Xiu took Cheng Yannan to Shanghai Airport.


    Actually, Tang Xiu always knew that Cheng Yannan had special feelings for him. He also admired and liked her too. However, because of his desire to ascend to the Immortal World and take revenge, his mind was only on cultivation and did not bother pursuing relationships with girls, which meant that his meeting with her was a short one.


    Now that he didn''t have the burden of revenge on his mind any longer and Cheng Yannan was the one who initiated it all, Tang Xiu was not going to reject her advances.


    After seeing Tang Xiu''s responses, Cheng Yannan was overjoyed. She couldn''t wait to be beside Tang Xiu every day and at every moment. However, she knew what Tang Xiu meant and recognized it as the truth as well. It wasn''t going to be possible for them to be together all the time on Earth. After all, Tang Xiu wouldn''t be staying here for a long time either. She needed to deal with all the things in the Magnificent Tang Corporation and make sure that it was in capable hands when she left. It was only then that she would be able to leave with Tang Xiu without any worries.


    After seeing Cheng Yannan''s plane take off, Tang Xiu turned and left.


    He looked around for a discreet place with no one around. Then, he suddenly vanished into thin air.


    In an instant, he appeared in the prison in Changxi.


    In the damp and dark underground prison, there was a malnourished body curled up at a corner. From the way they were dressed, it could be made out that they were a man, and this man was drawing on the ground with the wooden stick in his hand. From the outlines of the beautiful sketches, they seemed to be of a woman and a child.


    The man muttered silently as he drew on the ground.


    "Ranran, don''t leave me."


    "Rou''er, your dad misses you."


    "Ranran, please¡­ please don''t leave me."


    "Rou''er, your dad misses you so much."


    ¡­


    If it was anyone else, all of these words would mean nothing to them. However, for Tang Xiu, these words rang like thunder. Upon hearing these words, tears began to fall from his eyes.


    This man was once the young master of Changxi''s Ji Family, Ji Mu himself.


    Tang Xiu hadn''t interacted with Ji Mu a lot, but his impression of Ji Mu was a favorable one.


    Flashes of his past interactions with Ji Mu appeared in Tang Xiu''s mind.


    That year, he attended the underground car race in Changxi with Chi Nan. That was where he met Ji Mu.


    That year, Ji Mu unintentionally betted on Tang Xiu killing a few powerful people from the Stygian Club, then gifted Tang Xiu abundantly and also asked Tang Xiu to teach him.


    That year, Ji Mu decided to let go of his identity as the wealthy young master and devoted himself to Tang Xiu. He gave Tang Xiu his ancestors'' Growth Amelioration Wood and Tang Xiu gave him an opportunity in return.


    That year, Ren Ranran proposed to Ji Mu in public. However, because he was afraid that this marriage would only hinder his training, he rejected the proposal. In the end, he accepted the proposal after Tang Xiu managed to convince him to.


    From the start to finish, Tang Xiu did not spend too much time and effort on Ji Mu. He couldn''t even attend Ji Mu''s wedding because he was busy with setting up an intelligence system for the Tang Sect. He only met with Ji Mu once right before he was about to ascend to the Immortal World.


    And the next time he heard about Ji Mu was from Miao Wentang and Shao Mingzhen who had ascended to the Immortal World. A person from the Special Abilities Bureau had harmed his daughter and also inflicted heavy injuries on Ji Mu. Afterward, Ren Ranran had created a few explosives and blew herself up along with the people who heavily injured him. Upon knowing this, Ji Mu became insane and disappeared. Long Zhengyu sent people out in all directions to find him. However, it was to no avail.


    If it weren''t for the fact that Tang Xiu had fully grasped the heavenly laws of Earth and the karma links between him and Ji Mu together, Tang Xiu couldn''t even dream that Ji Mu was actually imprisoned on his own territory.


    Upon seeing Ji Mu''s shattered Dantian, a hole right where his shoulder blade was, and the heavy chains that bound his feet, Tang Xiu''s body suddenly released a powerful killing intent.


    Tang Xiu waved his arm and received Ji Mu into his own body. Then, he submerged Ji Mu inside a cauldron that had water from the Ying Yang Divinity Lake that had been diluted hundreds of times. He also, with a little pain in his heart, added a few droplets of the Heavenly Path Universe Tree''s essence into the water.


    "Ji Mu, when I told you back then that I was going to change your life, I only gave you your Ji Family''s lost art. The fortune I bestowed upon you does not compare to the gift you gave me. Today, I will give you a greater fortune." As Tang Xiu spoke, he placed a finger on Ji Mu''s forehead. He not only inserted his understanding of the Ji Family''s lost art into Ji Mu''s mind but even gave him a few lost arts from the Immortal World while supplying him with divine force.


    Ji Mu, submerged in the Yin Yang Divinity Lake, cried out in excruciating pain. His skin began to break apart and peel and his flesh began to break away from his body. In the end, he was left with nearly just bones.


    The Yin Yang Divinity Lake was an extremely powerful thing. Even Perfected Golden Immortals would not be able to handle the energy from it, let alone a mere human.


    If it wasn''t for Tang Xiu holding Ji Mu''s spirit together with his divine force, Ji Mu would have already been reduced to a pile of dead bones under the attack of the energy from the Yin Yang Divinity Lake.


    Under the effects of the water, Ji Mu was only left with his heart, skeleton, and a smidgen of his soul in his skull.


    Very soon, a clear change was observable with the naked eye. From a dull red color, Ji Mu''s heart quickly became a bright red color and emitted a faint golden light. From a dull grey color, his skeletons quickly became white, then transparent, and in the end, it also emitted a golden light as well.


    His soul also grew thousands of times stronger than before. His spirit was originally only as large as the eye of a needle, but it was now as large as an infant''s fist. It looked like it was in the fledgling stages of the Soul Formation Stage.


    When the water became slightly more transparent than before, fresh blood and flesh began to grow on his skeleton that was emitting a faint golden aura before. However, the difference was that his flesh and the blood that flowed throughout his body brimmed with spiritual energy and vitality. This was mightily different from the blood and flesh that was washed away by the diluted lake water from before.


    When Ji Mu finally woke up, it had already been three days since then.


    "¡­" As Ji Mu opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Tang Xiu. His lips moved, but he didn''t know how to greet him.


    Tang Xiu looked at Ji Mu, then said, "I already know what happened to you. I have changed you from the inside out, and you can digest that at your own pace. After digesting it, you can tell me your decision."


    As he was speaking, Tang Xiu''s body slowly vanished into thin air, leaving a lifeless Ji Mu behind.


    Very soon after, Ji Mu did not have time to worry about anything else. This was because all the memories came alive within his mind like a flood of water.


    "Ranran. Rou''er. I will definitely avenge you and revive both of you." After half a month, when Ji Mu completely grasped the techniques that Tang Xiu bestowed him, his heart was filled with great ambition. At the same time, he cried out in sorrow that welled up from the depths of his heart.


    After hearing what Ji Mu said, Tang Xiu''s body suddenly materialized from thin air. Then, he looked at Ji Mu with great satisfaction.


    Ji Mu had completely digested all of the lost arts of the Ji Family as well as the lost arts of the Immortal World in half a month. His body and aura were now comparable to a cultivator in the Soul Formation Stage. Although Tang Xiu had invested a little bit too much into Ji Mu, his potential and cultivation did not disappoint him at all.


    "Greetings, Master. Your student Ji Mu greets you. I thank you for saving and for giving me another chance at life." After he saw Tang Xiu again, Ji Mu was overwhelmed by his emotions and fell onto his knees.


    Tang Xiu frowned a little after seeing this. In the end, he still sighed, but he didn''t reject how Ji Mu addressed him.


    "Ji Mu, since you are calling me master, then I will take your karma. Are you planning on destroying the whole Special Abilities Bureau? Or are you just planning to destroy a specific branch of the Special Abilities Bureau?" Tang Xiu recalled what had happened to Ji Mu and asked.


    "Master, the whole Special Abilities Bureau is already corrupted and rotten to the core. They''re no longer an organization that works for the country. They''re now a group of thugs and scumbags, especially that Duanmu Lin. He left the Special Abilities Bureau on the surface and acted like he was ashamed that he failed you. Then, he successfully entered the pocket world that Long Zhengyu was in control of and cultivated there. However, in truth, he was actually the main person in control of the Special Abilities Bureau! Furthermore, he used us to gain a large pool of cultivation resources. It was also him who imprisoned me here."


    After hearing the three words "Special Abilities Bureau", Tang Xiu was immediately filled with rage and his voice boomed.


    "What did you say? Duanmu Lin is still the highest figure of authority in the Special Abilities Bureau?" After hearing Ji Mu''s words, Tang Xiu was stunned.


    In this half a month, Tang Xiu was not always next to Ji Mu. After laying down heavily defensive arrays to protect Ji Mu, he left and secretly visited all of his old friends and family.


    These included the prominent families in Beijing, the Ouyang family in Hong Kong, and the prominent families in Guangdong as well.


    He saw that they were all living well and were happy, so Tang Xiu did not appear to disturb their lives. Instead, he left quietly.


    As for the Great Tang Empire that was now led by Long Zhengyu, Tang Xiu monitored that quite heavily.


    This was because before leaving Earth, Tang Xiu had given Long Zhengyu all his resources, besides the Magnificent Tang Corporation, and also asked Long Zhengyu to take care of all his friends and family. Therefore, the prosperity of the Long family also determined how Tang Xiu''s loved ones were going to live.


    Tang Xiu was extremely satisfied with the Great Tang Empire that was led by Long Zhengyu. This was because not only did Long Zhengyu reach the summit of the Crossing Tribulation Stage, Li Laoshan also reached the Great Ascension Stage. Yue Kai, Hu Qingsong, and Zhao Liang had all reached the Soul Formation Stage as well. All of them stood at the pinnacle of the world and could take on the entire world if they acted together.


    Tang Xiu was most surprised at Duanmu Lin''s growth. When Tang Xiu crossed the tribulation to ascend to the Immortal World, he remembered that Duanmu Lin''s cultivation was only at the Golden Core Stage. He didn''t think that after thirty years, Duanmu Lin was able to reach the Great Ascension Stage. This growth was comparable to the speed of a rocket and had stunned Long Zhengyu and the rest as well.


    Because of Duanmu Lin''s identity, Long Zhengyu and the rest of them had their guard up when they first met him. They were extremely cautious around him, as they were afraid that he was a spy that had infiltrated the Great Tang Empire. However, after witnessing Duanmu Lin kill many people from the Special Abilities Bureau without any hesitation, they began to let down their guard.


    "Why did Duanmu Lin imprison you?" Tang Xiu asked.


    "It''s because I had a divine stone. When I was preparing to boost my cultivation by refining the divine stone, the people from the Special Abilities Bureau suddenly appeared. Duanmu Lin also appeared, but he instantly killed everyone from the Special Abilities Bureau. He also wanted to kill me, but he felt that besides the divine stone, I had other things as well, so he imprisoned me and interrogated me frequently through torture," Ji Mu replied while gritting his teeth in rage.


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 1429 Earth Realm 5 : Those Whom the Heavens Wish to Destroy, They First Make Mad

    The moment Long Zhengyu fell from the sky, the five monster beasts that had the upper hand in the battle swarmed forward to devour him.


    The Tang Sect disciples struggling to hold off the group of monster beasts cried out in alarm when they saw that Long Zhengyu was about to get eaten and their eyes filled with despair.


    The next moment, the five peak-stage Great Ascension monster beasts disappeared into thin air, as though they were illusions and had never existed all along. The monster beasts that had been swarming the hills and trampling the Tang Sect disciples also faded out of existence.


    Having barely escaped the gates of death, the Tang Sect disciples looked around with fear still lingering in their minds. As they tried to comprehend how they managed to survive the ordeal, the disciples noticed that Tang Xiu was approaching them. They greeted Tang Xiu emotionally and sat down cross-legged to recover while he returned their greeting.


    "Duanmu Lin, who gave you the guts to cast your eyes on the Great Tang Empire?" Tang Xiu, after taking care of the monster beasts and settling down the Tang Sect disciples, turned to question Duanmu Lin in a harsh voice.


    Duanmu Li had actually thought of escaping while Tang Xiu was greeting the Tang Sect''s disciples. However, he knew Tang Xiu''s personality too well. Since he would have to face Tang Xiu''s pursuit even if he managed to escape from this pocket world, he decided that he might as well take on Tang Xiu right at this very moment.


    "Tang Xiu, you speak so loudly and proudly of the Great Tang Empire, yet do you even hold the country in your heart?" Duanmu Lin calmed himself down and responded loudly with a question of his.


    "Duanmu Lin, you are too na?ve. The things I''ve done for the country, you should know better than I do. If I don''t hold the country in my heart, will the country be as prosperous as it is now? Will it lead the trends of technology, culture, and economy of the world as the strongest country?" Tang Xiu cast a gaze full of irony at Duanmu Lin as if he was speaking to a retard.


    "Tang Xiu, the benefits you''ve brought to the country are but mere specks of sand slipping through your palms! The Great Tang Empire consumed and occupied so much of the country''s resources, and with them, your empire has developed and trained a powerful army. Just the fact that the Great Tang Empire poses a threat to the country is a good reason to have you die thousands of times!" Duanmu Lin, triggered by Tang Xiu''s gaze, denounced him in a righteous tone.


    "If you''re gonna shove ridiculous arguments down my throat, I don''t see why I have to reason with you anymore." Hearing Duanmu Lin''s seemingly upstanding words, a sense of disgust emerged from within him. Sighing, he twisted and closed his palm, then a stone glowing in a rainbow hue flew from Duanmu Lin and landed safely on Tang Xiu''s palm.


    Duanmu Lin was celebrating his verbal victory over Tang Xiu when he suddenly noticed that the World Core in his Storage Ring appeared in his enemy''s hand. His expression took a quick turn for the worse, the speech he had prepared beforehand now stuck in his throat.


    An owned Storage Ring could not be opened by anyone apart from the owner. Others could only open a ring if the owner had died and the soul imprint was removed.


    Yet, he was sound and alive, nor were there any signs of abnormality on the soul imprint on his ring. Having the most precious item hidden in his ring stolen by Tang Xiu, Duanmu Lin was not only nervous about having lost the World Core, but he also feared Tang Xiu''s strength.


    The thing he feared more, though, was that he was the only one who knew of the existence of the World Core apart from Ji Mu. However, the first thing Tang Xiu did was take it from his ring. This made him wonder if Tang Xiu knew what he had done to Ji Mu.


    "Duanmu Lin, are you going to continue your act?" Noticing the nervous look and fluttering emotions on his face, Tang Xiu couldn''t help but grin. "Presenting yourself as the hero of justice all the time, don''t you get tired? Ji Mu told me everything already and there are no outsiders here, so there''s no need for you to act anymore."


    "Give it back, give the World Core back!" Duanmu Lin was still struggling whether to continue putting up his act or just turn hostile, but he made his mind up instantly once he heard what Tang Xiu said. His expression quickly turned into a sinister one.


    As Duanmu Lin spoke, he flicked his arm to reveal a golden gun barrel and aimed it at Tang Xiu.


    "Tang Xiu, this is an energy pistol that took the Taklamakan Desert secret base thirty years to develop. Just one shot is enough to destroy a pocket world. If you don''t want to die, you better hand the World Core back."


    "Will you let me go if I return it to you?" Sensing the destructive power within the energy pistol, Tang Xiu looked worried and asked with a tense expression.


    "The World Core was mine, to begin with, it''s only natural for you to return it to me. Also, give me your storage ring along with all the funds and resources the Great Tang Empire has. If not, I''ll not only end your life but also decimate the Great Tang Empire as well." Duanmu Lin started laughing at the sight of Tang Xiu''s troubled face.


    "Actually, I should be thanking you. If you hadn''t handed over the technology from the three-star vestiges to the country, we couldn''t have invented this world-obliterating weapon. Now that our country has such a weapon, the entire world will kneel before the power of our weapons. Unfortunately, Shao Mingzhen and Miao Wentang left too soon, if not, I would have given them a shot each for all the troubles they caused for the Special Abilities Bureau.


    "Tang Xiu, I bet you never expected us to create an energy pistol which was on par with the weapon of a powerful expert from the Immortal World, right? No matter how hard and fast you cultivate, no matter how strong you become, one shot is all I need to turn you into dust.


    "Tang Xiu, you''ve been an eyesore for so long. I''ve always wanted to get rid of you and the Great Tang Empire. Thanks to your empire, our Special Abilities Bureau has always been shoved down the pecking order, so much that we can''t find our reason to exist. The country can''t even breathe because of your empire''s existence and it has become the largest source of instability for the country.


    "For the few years after you''ve ascended, the Great Tang Empire almost reigned over the country. You people keep showing your superiority to the government, keep flaunting your strength in front of the Special Abilities Bureau, suppressing us to the point that we had no way to retaliate. But now, with the energy pistol, we will slowly eliminate all cultivators so that only special ability users of China remain. We''re the world''s true enforcers."


    ¡­


    Perhaps he had been repressing his emotions and constraining himself for too long, Duanmu Lin ditched his disguise and revealed all of his inner thoughts. He didn''t hold back his words at all, and a crazed smile had crept upon his face as well.


    "Those whom the heavens wish to destroy, they first make mad." Tang Xiu merely snickered and waved his hand. The energy pistol in Duanmu Lin''s hand was gone without a trace, along with his cultivation and special abilities.


    If it had been another person, the energy pistol might have indeed frightened them, and even peak-stage Crossing Tribulation experts might have surrendered under its threat.


    However, the twelve zodiac jade carvings within his body had suddenly activated when he had become a deity and the heavenly laws of Earth had come under his complete control, so he could create or destroy anything on Earth with just a single thought, and this spelled tragedy for Duanmu Lin.


    It did not take long before Duanmu Lin noticed the abnormality. One moment he was blabbering about his plan to destroy the world, the next moment his energy pistol was nowhere to be found.


    Shocked, Duanmu Lin tried to pull out another energy pistol from his Storage Ring in haste only to realize he could no longer access it, almost as if it had turned into a decorative ring. He then discovered that his entire cultivation base had disappeared along with his special abilities.


    "No, no, no, this isn''t real, I must be dreaming!" When Duanmu Lin realized that he had suddenly aged a few decades in a matter of seconds and was now nothing more than an ordinary old man who had half-a-foot inside his coffin, he finally knew what true terror felt like.


    Duanmu Lin tried everything he could to open the Storage Ring. He then tried to circulate the True Essence Energy within his body. At last, he attempted to use his special abilities.


    Duanmu Lin repeated these actions several times yet failed on each occasion, and half-an-hour later, he had become completely drenched in sweat as though he had been dunked in water and his face had taken a deathly pale shade.


    During the whole process, Tang Xiu did not say a single word. He simply looked at Duanmu Lin''s desperate struggle, his eyes filled with ridicule.


    The Tang Sect disciples had been terrified by Duanmu Lin''s energy pistol. Added with his insane speech about how he was going to destroy the world, the disciples had been in fear and trepidation.


    However, after witnessing Duanmu Lin''s changes, the Tang Sect disciples couldn''t help but cheer. As they looked down on him with contempt, they also directed their ardent gazes at Tang Xiu.


    Although they didn''t know how Tang Xiu did it, they were sure that he was responsible for the changes.


    "Your Majesty, I was wrong. I shouldn''t have laid my hands on Ji Mu, I shouldn''t have cast my eyes on the Great Tang Empire. Please, I beg you, return my cultivation to me. I will serve you and the Great Tang Empire faithfully for all eternity.


    "Your Majesty, the country trusts and relies on me a lot now. If you spare me, I will find some way to let people of the Great Tang Empire dominate the political scene in the country. The whole country will belong to the Great Tang Empire."


    ¡­


    When Duanmu Lin finally understood that all his efforts and struggles were in vain, he quickly knew what the fundamental issue was. He did not hesitate to bow down and beg Tang Xiu with tears and snot all over his face.


    "Sorry, the Great Tang Empire doesn''t need a back-stabbing person like you, nor do I think the country needs such an unfaithful, unjust, unkind, and unfilial person like you. I gave you a chance once, but you failed to make good of it." Tang Xiu sighed, then pointed his finger at Duanmu Lin.


    Hearing Tang Xiu''s response, Duanmu Lin was filled with pain. He was still trying to come up with words to save his own life when he saw Tang Xiu point his finger at him and then, Duanmu Lin could not say anything more, for his world had faded into darkness.


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 1430 Earth Realm 6 : Tang Sect Enforcers Wipe Out the Dissidents, World Core’s Divine Power

    Around the same time when Tang Xiu killed Duanmu Lin, Ji Mu also wreaked havoc in the Changxi Special Abilities Bureau.


    After his so-called resignation from the Special Abilities Bureau, Duanmu Lin had transferred a majority of his aides from Beijing to Changxi City, so it had become the 2nd command center for special ability users other than the main branch in Beijing.


    Over the past few decades, Duanmu Lin had gained complete control of the Special Abilities Bureau while remaining behind the scenes and had the members of the bureau do all the disreputable things that were inconvenient for him to handle personally. This included tracking, capturing, and interrogating Ji Mu, so the Changxi Special Abilities Bureau didn''t have any innocent members.


    After eliminating the members of the Changxi Special Abilities Bureau, Ji Mu combed through all the records stored in the bureau, and after a day of research, he found a comprehensive list of all of Duanmu Lin''s aides and also learned of the voracious desires of the Special Abilities Bureau after analyzing the numerous records.


    Initially, Ji Mu planned to kill his way into Beijing after wrecking the Changxi Special Abilities Bureau to make the members of the main branch crumble in despair. However, after learning about the grand plan of the Special Abilities Bureau, he directly entered the pocket world and handed over all the information he had gathered from the bureau''s Changxi branch to Tang Xiu.


    "Duanmu Lin is really too bold!" A frosty expression appeared on Tang Xiu''s face once he went through the information gathered by Ji Mu. "His loyalty to the country that he kept spouting about was probably all fake. The only one he is truly loyal to is himself."


    "Sigh. Even I''m left speechless by Duanmu Lin, this sly old fox." Other than Ji Mu, Long Zhengyu was the person who had been deceived most tragically by Duanmu Lin. Even he couldn''t help but sigh after he finished reading Duanmu Lin''s plan.


    "Zhengyu, Ji Mu, summon all the Tang Sect''s disciples and get rid of the people on this list. I''ll make a trip to Beijing to meet a few elders." Tang Xiu decided after pondering on it for a while.


    Long Zhengyu and Ji Mu revealed excited expressions after hearing this. Before he had ascended, Tang Xiu had repeatedly warned them not to get into a conflict with the country and told them to avoid any confrontations as much as possible. This really tied their hands whenever they dealt with the government and even the members of the Special Abilities Bureau looked down on them.


    However, Tang Xiu had now given them free rein to handle the members of the Special Abilities Bureau, so they were obviously delighted by the turn of events.


    Tang Xiu then met with the disciples of the Tang Sect and teleported to Beijing after giving them some words of encouragement.


    "We must act with haste. Although the Sect Master doesn''t venerate the country, he''s pretty sentimental towards it, or else, he wouldn''t have repeatedly warned us to avoid any confrontations with the country. I suspect that the reason he allowed us to get rid of the Special Abilities Bureau this time is that Duanmu Lin infuriated him, so the time given to us by him is quite limited. He definitely won''t allow us to continue with the slaughter as that would lead to unrest in the country and harm the bigger picture."


    "Indeed. Master places a lot of importance on the bigger picture and also loves the country a lot, or else, he wouldn''t have gone to visit the elders in Beijing and would have accompanied us instead."


    ¡­


    Long Zhengyu and Ji Mu acted swiftly after Tang Xiu left.


    At the same time, the disciples of the Tang Sect that were spread across the country felt their blood boil in excitement when they received the summoning orders.


    In less than a day, the disciples of the Tang Sect had assembled into teams at the 40 or so provincial capitals of the country.


    And the Special Abilities Bureau got completely wiped out before they could even realize anything.


    It was close to a perfect ambush where the Tang Sect''s disciples practically steamrolled their opponents. The haughty members of the Special Abilities Bureau didn''t even have a chance before the strength of the Tang Sect''s disciples.


    By the time Long Zhengyu and Ji Mu made blood rain in all parts of the country, Tang Xiu had already arrived in a courtyard located halfway up a mountainside in the middle of Beijing.


    The elders were having tea and discussing some of the internal affairs of the country when Tang Xiu descended into the courtyard suddenly, spooking the daylights out of them.


    The elders obviously knew Tang Xiu since he was the core member of the Tang family, the once number one family in China, and had a deep impression of him.


    While the others weren''t aware of why the Tang family had withdrawn their core power and disappeared, these old men were in the know about it.


    Hence, these elders felt respect and gratitude for Tang Xiu, the core of the Tang family, because they knew that if the Tang family hadn''t chosen to withdraw their core power, the country''s authority would have long fallen into the Tang family''s hands and they would have never got the chance to take the reins. Moreover, if the Tang family hadn''t handed over the technology from the three-star vestiges to the country, China wouldn''t have become the leading figure of the world in terms of science and technology, and if the Tang family hadn''t restricted the Tang Sect''s disciples, the country wouldn''t have achieved its current prosperity and stability.


    The Tang family had invested a lot into the country, yet they never asked anything in return for it.


    "Elders, the reason I came over this time is to give each of you an immortal pill that can extend your lifespan by 50 years and also make you dissolve the Special Abilities Bureau and allow the Tang Sect''s disciples to act as the enforcers of the country on Earth. The disciples will listen to all your orders. How about it?" Once the elders had gone through all the information collected by Ji Mu, he revealed the purpose behind his visit straightforwardly.


    "This Duanmu Lin ought to be put to death for conspiring against the country!"


    "The Special Abilities Bureau is no longer the same as when it was established and has instead become an ailment plaguing the country, so it''s time to get rid of this ailment now."


    "We have already received a lot of reports this past year and were aware of the rampant and nefarious conduct of the Special Abilities Bureau. However, we didn''t take any measures lest it leads to unrest, but now that Sect Master Tang has made a proposition, we shall act accordingly and dissolve the Special Abilities Bureau."


    ¡­


    Tang Xiu''s words received the approval of all the elders, but they kept silent about allowing the disciples of the Tang Sect to become the official enforcers of the country.


    Tang Xiu knew these elders had a few misgivings in their hearts, but he didn''t point it out and instead sat down to have tea with them and also narrated some anecdotes from the Immortal World to them. This made their hearts itch and made them subconsciously feel a lot more apathetic about the secular world''s authority.


    Tang Xiu then showcased a set of therapeutic boxing maneuvers for them and helped them strengthen their bodies a bit.


    Before they knew it, an entire day had passed.


    Just when Tang Xiu was planning to get up and bid them farewell, a figure rushed out from the interior of the courtyard suddenly and whispered into one of the elders'' ears.


    The elder was alarmed after listening to it and directed a gaze full of uncertainty at Tang Xiu before letting out a long sigh in the end.


    "Sect Master Tang, please wait a moment. We agree with allowing the Tang Sect''s disciples to become the official enforcers of the country that you mentioned before." With this promise, Tang Xiu had succeeded in his purpose behind his visit to Beijing on this occasion.


    "Elders, please rest at ease. Although the disciples of the Tang Sect are quite powerful, they are devoted to cultivation and have no ambitions of becoming the rulers of the country. So, unlike the Special Abilities Bureau that dipped their fingers in the power struggle, they will only appear when necessary to protect the country. I request the elders to avoid calling upon the disciples of the Tang Sect as much as possible unless the country is facing danger. After all, it''s best to allow the corresponding departments of the country to deal with some of the minor affairs." Tang Xiu smiled and then disappeared into the skies.


    The elders smiled at each other when they saw Tang Xiu leave with ease.


    By the time Tang Xiu returned to the pocket world in Longquan Mountain, Long Zhengyu, Ji Mu, and the others were already waiting for him there. To his surprise, even Dai Xinyue was present.


    Tang Xiu held complex emotions for Dai Xinyue.


    While he was in the Chinese Medical Hospital of Star City, Tang Xiu had come to appreciate her kind-hearted, hardworking and introspective nature and hence took her in as his disciple.


    However, Dai Xinyue was too devoted to medicine and had an average cultivation aptitude too. Her cultivation was also delayed often by all kinds of major operations, so she was only an early-stage Golden Core cultivator till now and this was also because Long Zhengyu had always shown favor to her by giving her more cultivation resources.


    Contrarily, her achievements in the medical field were indeed extraordinary. In just a few decades, Dai Xinyue had become the top medical expert in the medical circle of the country and had even gained the moniker of "Miracle Healer Guanyin" and even received a Nobel Prize in the medical field while representing the country.


    Actually, Tang Xiu had used his divine sense to locate Dai Xinyue when he had arrived on Earth. She was in the middle of a major operation along with a team at that moment, so he didn''t disturb her.


    "Master, this disciple has failed you." Dai Xinyue kowtowed towards Tang Xiu when she saw him with an ashamed look on her face.


    "Xinyue, you have done well. Everyone has their own path in life¡ªsaving the dying and the injured is your calling. If you can keep pressing on ahead, your future achievements definitely won''t be inferior to your fellow apprentice-brothers." After comprehending the heavenly laws of Earth, Tang Xiu had a deeper understanding of the truth of the world, so he didn''t believe that Dai Xinyue was taking the wrong path.


    Dai Xinyue felt ecstatic after hearing her master acknowledge her choice instead of reprimanding her and the smile on her face also became deeper.


    After having some small talk with Long Zhengyu, Ji Mu, Dai Xinyue, and the others, Tang Xiu entered the depths of the pocket world impatiently and took out the World Core he had seized from Duanmu Lin.


    Whether it was when he was having tea with the elders in Beijing who stood at the summit of the country or when he was talking to Dai Xinyue and the others, Tang Xiu''s full attention was on the World Core the entire time because he had heard a lot of rumors about this item that had become a myth of the Immortal World.


    "Would refining the World Core really allow me to control the Immortal World? Wouldn''t that mean I will be able to travel between the three realms freely?" Tang Xiu poured a smidgen of divine force into the World Core while harboring such thoughts in his mind.


    In the next moment, Tang Xiu''s body disappeared from the pocket world and appeared in an entirely unfamiliar world.


    However, when Tang Xiu saw the scenery before him, a stupefied look appeared on his face.


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 1431 Myriad Realms 1 : Master’s Fail-Safe, Fortune-Blessed Disciple

    After entering the World Core, Tang Xiu actually saw his master, Free and Unfettered Supreme God. He, too, was as stupefied as Tang Xiu, but he called out to Tang Xiu with a genial smile on his face in the next moment.


    "My disciple, aren''t you are surprised to see your master here?"


    Tang Xiu could feel that his master was happy to see him from his face.


    "Master, can you tell what the World Core is exactly? And why does it have a smidgen of divine sense that you have left behind?" Tang Xiu greeted his master respectfully and voiced out his curiosity.


    "The World Core is also known as the Myriad Realms Core, and the person who has it can control the myriad realms. The reason why my divine sense is present here is that I obtained the World Core once." The Free and Unfettered Supreme God remained silent for a while after hearing Tang Xiu''s question and also revealed a sad look on his face before he answered the question gloomily.


    "Didn''t the myth say it''s only possible to control the Immortal World by refining the World Core?" Tang Xiu was shocked by the Free and Unfettered Supreme God''s revelation, so he failed to notice the abnormal expression on his master''s face.


    "What you''re referring to is just a myth. Aren''t there always people who take rumors seriously?" The Free and Unfettered Supreme God sighed. "Do you know the history of the World Core? While the twelve Supreme Gods engaged in the Battle of Ruin, they actually extracted the divinity vein of the primogenitor star and then stripped it from all its cultivation resources as well. After that, they spent another thousand years creating a divine item and then transplanted this divinity vein into it.


    "This divine item doesn''t just have the primogenitor star''s divinity vein, it also contains all the heavenly laws comprehended by the twelve Supreme Gods as well as their subordinate God-Kings, God-Monarchs, God-Emperors, God-Sovereigns and Supreme Gods. The ambitions of the twelve Supreme Gods don''t just lie in controlling the God Realm, they wish to control the myriad realms and proclaim themselves as the rulers of all realms.


    "Refining the World Core is equivalent to obtaining countless cultivation resources as well as gaining control of countless heavenly laws that allow the person to control the God Realm, Immortal World, Demon Realm, Void Realm, Asura Realm, and the other realms. Unfortunately, I saw through their schemes, but they besieged me after I obtained the World Core.


    "While battling with the twelve Supreme Gods, I destroyed all the heavenly laws of the God-Kings, God-Monarchs, God-Emperors, God-Sovereigns and Supreme Gods and also messed up the heavenly laws of the twelve Supreme Gods intentionally, using an ultimate divine power to send the World Core to the Immortal World."


    "In the following years, I was pursued by the twelve Supreme Gods endlessly and simply didn''t have any time to look for the World Core. The twelve Supreme Gods should have also sent their incarnations to the Immortal World to look for the World Core, but since I had messed up their heavenly laws within the World Core, they found it very difficult to find it with just their incarnations.


    "As they couldn''t find the World Core, the twelve Supreme Gods released a mission in the God Realm and requested the help of all deities to look for the World Core, but they didn''t reveal the truth about the World Core to anyone."


    ¡­


    After listening to the Free and Unfettered Supreme God''s words, Tang Xiu was deeply shaken by the truth.


    The rumors he had heard about the World Core were actually all false as it wasn''t the core of the Immortal World and was instead an ultimate divine item that could control the myriad realms. It wasn''t an item of the Immortal World and was instead a treasure of the God Realm created by the combined efforts of the twelve Supreme Gods.


    After its creation, other than the twelve Supreme Gods and the Free and Unfettered Supreme God, only five people had ever come into contact with the World Core, and one among them was an almighty deity who had crossed over to the Immortal World. Although he hadn''t refined the World Core entirely and just comprehended a few heavenly laws within the World Core, it allowed him to expand the Immortal World by several million times and establish the strongest force there.


    This deity obviously knew some secrets of the World Core, so he was often dissatisfied by the power he had obtained from it and was eliminated by the backlash of the heavenly laws in the end.


    After the almighty deity, the next person to obtain the World Core was an almighty asura. He refined a section of the World Core because of a fortuitous encounter and almost ascended to the God Realm by relying on it, but at the crucial moment, he entered a state of cultivation deviation under the mental hints of the divine sense left behind by the Free and Unfettered Supreme God and perished eternally.


    After that, the World Core passed through the hands of Ji Mu and Duanmu Lin before falling into Tang Xiu''s hands in the end. As Ji Mu and Duanmu Lin''s cultivation was too low, they never had a chance to refine the World Core, and only Tang Xiu who could use divine force managed to do it.


    "My disciple, you''re quite fortunate to have obtained the World Core because my divine sense would have disappeared after three years. So, even if you obtained the World Core three years later, it would have been quite difficult for you to truly obtain it." Seeing that Tang Xiu was still reflecting over the story behind the World Core, the Free and Unfettered Supreme God didn''t disturb him and instead waited for him to digest the information before he continued speaking.


    "Since you have obtained my legacy as well as the World Core, let me do one last thing for you as your master," the Free and Unfettered Supreme God waved his hands as he spoke and formed an esoteric symbol in the void. "The twelve Supreme Gods really believed that I destroyed all the heavenly laws except theirs, but how could I be willing to destroy such a nearly perfect divine item?"


    The Free and Unfettered God revealed a pleased smile on his face and said, "This old man is proud of three things in his entire life. The first thing is creating the Free and Unfettered Divine Path and fooling the twelve Supreme Gods. The second thing is acting like a wolf in sheep''s clothing and seizing the World Core from the hands of the twelve Supreme Gods and playing a trick on the World Core and deceiving the twelve Supreme Gods. Those poor fellows didn''t know who stole the World Core to the very end. The third is actually taking down seven of the twelve Supreme Gods along with me."


    The old man let out a burst of bold and magnificent laughter within the pocket world, and even Tang Xiu felt restless after hearing his words as the three feats performed by the Free and Unfettered Supreme God were all major world-shaking events that benefited everyone.


    The chaotic pocket world gradually gained colors along with old man''s laughter as a series of heavenly laws that embodied the ultimate divine powers emerged one after the other, followed by a rich amount of divine origin force that permeated the entire pocket world rapidly.


    Tang Xiu just took a single breath of air and felt the bottleneck of his cultivation relax a little and his understanding and control over this world to deepen.


    "My disciple, refining the World Core will allow your cultivation to soar by three stages, so I''m not worried about your cultivation right now. However, you must remember to avenge me by getting rid of the remaining five Supreme Gods and their immoral subordinates after your cultivation progresses and restore order to the God Realm."


    The Free and Unfettered Supreme God''s voice echoed in his ears while Tang Xiu observed the changes within the World Core inquisitively.


    It was also at this time Tang Xiu noticed that the image of the Free and Unfettered Supreme God was dissipating slowly and his voice was also becoming more and more illusory.


    "Master!" Tang Xiu''s eyes welled up with tears when he recalled everything this old man had done for him and he couldn''t help but call out to him loudly.


    Unfortunately, the divine sense of the Free and Unfettered God had already weakened a lot over these years. Having already expended his remaining energy after unsealing the heavenly laws and the primogenitor star''s divinity vein in the World Core, he dissipated thoroughly from this world.


    "Master, your disciple shall fulfill your desire and eliminate the remnants of the twelve Supreme Gods for you and restore order to the God Realm." Tang Xiu enunciated his words while silently kowtowing towards the region where the Free and Unfettered Supreme God had dissipated.


    After calming down, Tang Xiu began to analyze the interior of the World Core solemnly.


    After the Free and Unfettered God had cast the spell, the World Core had changed into an entirely different appearance.


    Although the former World Core was also filled with heavenly laws and had a rich amount of divine origin force, the world inside the World Core was just a chaotic space. He wasn''t able to see anything three meters away from him and also couldn''t investigate it with his divine sense.


    However, the current World Core was filled with blue skies full of white clouds as well as mountains and rivers. It was now possible to clearly see the location of the divinity vein, the length and thickness of the loci of all heavenly laws, and the numerous cultivation resources present in this world.


    "9th-Grade Amethyst Mushroom, Divine Yin Flower, Blazing Yang Spirit Leaf, Frostflame Soul Consolidation Fruit, and Resurrection Devil Fruit. Hahaha. All the items required for reviving Old Sycamore and Eagle are present here." Tang Xiu felt really pleased as he had found all the items required for resurrecting Old Sycamore and Eagle after taking a few steps around the pocket world.


    According to his plans, it would have taken at least several hundred more years for him to gather all these items.


    Tang Xiu couldn''t wait to refine the divine herbs in the cauldron after collecting the divine herbs.


    However, he felt a rumbling sound from his sea of consciousness when he took out the pill cauldron and his cultivation broke through the bottleneck of the Ancient God Stage and progressed into the God-King Stage momentarily.


    The originally tame divine force present in the World Core had now turned violent after the Free and Unfettered Supreme God''s spell and poured inside Tang Xiu''s body crazily. The rich energy present in the World Core became even more violent after Tang Xiu stepped forward and almost crammed inside his body forcefully, so he broke through to the God-King Stage without any sign at all.


    The violent undulations of the energy present in the World Core didn''t weaken even though Tang Xiu had become a God-King and slammed against his meridians and flesh fiercely. His cultivation also soared up like a rocket and progressed through the early, middle, late, and peak God-King Stage, and, followed by an unshackling sound, Tang Xiu''s cultivation had now reached the God-Monarch Stage.


    In just half-an-incense stick''s worth of time, Tang Xiu''s cultivation had progressed from the God-King Stage to the God-Monarch Stage, which was an unprecedented speed of cultivation even in the God Realm.


    However, the matter had yet to end. The rich energy present in the World Core kept flooding Tang Xiu''s body even after he broke through to the God-Monarch Stage and wreaked havoc inside his body.


    The same phenomenon occurred again. His cultivation progressed from the early, middle, late, and peak God-Monarch Stage. In just 4 hours, he had broken through to the God-Emperor Stage.


    After he became a God-Emperor, the pace with which the energy of the World Core poured into Tang Xiu''s body slowed down by a lot, and 6 hours later, the energy stopped flooding his body. Tang Xiu was a peak-stage God-Emperor by now and just a step away from breaking through to the God-Sovereign Stage.


    This sudden progression in cultivation had spooked Tang Xiu, and after making sure that it hadn''t left any sequelae in his body and divine sense multiple times, he sighed in relief and began preparing to resurrect Old Sycamore and Eagle.


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 1432 Myriad Realms 2 : An Eternity Is Too Long; One Needs to Seize Every Moment!

    Tang Xiu actually planned to resurrect Old Sycamore and Eagle inside the World Core, but he still had some lingering fears after going through the terrifying experience just now, so he decided to exit the World Core and returned to the pocket world in Longquan Mountain Range.


    Tang Xiu could resurrect Old Sycamore and Eagle with just the cultivation of a Supreme Immortal as long as he succeeded in refining the divine medicine, let alone now when his cultivation had already climbed to the God-Emperor Stage.


    A burning incense stick''s worth of time later, the two fragrant medicinal pills shrouded in spiritual energies were produced successfully in the two cauldrons.


    Tang Xiu took out Old Sycamore''s and Eagle''s soul and blood essence and used the pills to help model perfect bodies for them according to their appearance when they were alive. After that, he injected their soul and blood essence into their medicinal bodies respectfully.


    Tang Xiu acted with the utmost prudence during the entire process and finally sighed in relief after finishing the entire procedure without a hiccup.


    He used his divine sense to manifest the lake water of the Ying Yang Divinity Lake in the air before him after that and transformed it into two clouds of mist and shrouded the two medicinal bodies in them, allowing the mist to permeate the bodies little by little.


    Old Sycamore was the first one to open his eyes two hours later and revealed a dazed expression when he saw a smiling Tang Xiu before him, unable to comprehend where he was right now.


    "Old Sycamore, you did well, and your brother did well too," Tang Xiu said emotionally after directing his gaze at him for a while.


    "Your Majesty, it seems like my death wasn''t in vain since you are still alive. Did you resurrect me and Eagle?" Old Sycamore looked all around and then asked hesitantly after seeing Eagle look at him with an equally puzzled expression.


    "That''s right. I would have unquestionably died back then, but your and Eagle''s sacrifice allowed me to live¡­" Tang Xiu recounted the events that had occurred after Old Sycamore and Eagle''s death selectively.


    "You have our gratitude for resurrecting us, Your Majesty. Our eternal loyalty shall belong to none other than you." Old Sycamore and Eagle''s eyes welled up with tears after learning what happened, and the two of them kneeled in front of Tang Xiu immediately.


    "I still have some things I need to deal with on Earth, so consolidate your cultivation in the world inside my Dantian. We shall battle in the God Realm once we return." Tang Xiu chatted with Old Sycamore and Eagle for a few moments and then transferred the two of them into the world inside his Dantian directly.


    After making arrangements for them, Tang Xiu entered the World Core again and analyzed the heavenly laws inside carefully.


    He chose the simplest and easiest heavenly law first and gradually moved on to comprehend the relatively harder and complex heavenly laws.


    Tang Xiu even sat down on the peak of the divinity vein mountain directly to comprehend the heavenly laws better, as it was common sense in the God Realm that refining divine stones could promote the rate of comprehension. As such, the increment in the rate of comprehension through refining the divine vein was 100,000 times faster.


    This session of comprehension lasted for 10,000 years.


    In these 10,000 years, Tang Xiu had comprehended the heavenly laws of the God-Kings, God-Monarchs, God-Emperors, and God-Sovereigns left inside the World Core, and also comprehended the heavenly laws of the twelve Supreme Gods and the Free and Unfettered God. Tang Xiu''s cultivation also soared as a result of this and he had already become a peak-stage Supreme God now.


    "Just a single instance of enlightenment actually lasted 10,000 years. This divinity vein is too magical!" The clothes on Tang Xiu''s body disintegrated into dust when he stood up and his gaze had also become much more mysterious and charming.


    An attached look appeared on Tang Xiu''s face when he looked at the divinity vein mountain that had halved in size.


    Actually, Tang Xiu could have comprehended all the heavenly laws in the World Core even without the divinity vein, but it was hard to say how long that would have taken him. It could have been a hundred thousand years, a million years, or even ten million years.


    However, Tang Xiu didn''t want to wait that long as he was afraid that the remaining five Supreme Gods would have long perished by then and that would leave him incapable of avenging his master.


    "An eternity is too long; one needs to seize every minute!" The words of a famous person from Earth appeared in Tang Xiu''s mind suddenly.


    Tang Xiu had obviously made a lot of gains from using up so much of the divinity vein.


    Setting aside the fact that his cultivation had climbed to the summit of the Supreme God Stage, he had comprehended the heavenly laws of hundreds of thousands of God-Kings, God-Monarchs, God-Emperors, and God-Sovereigns, and also experienced their entire cultivation process, which was equivalent to cultivating with divine force, and progressed his cultivation by leagues.


    Furthermore, another gain of his was that he had already become the Lord of Myriad Realms after refining the World Core and could control the life and death of the myriad realms now.


    And becoming the Lord of Myriad Realms actually wasn''t his largest gain. After he had comprehended all the heavenly laws inside the World Core, he had combined all them through a flash of inspiration and created a dozen or so heavenly laws that belonged to him, and the strongest heavenly law among these was the space-time law.


    "An eternity is too long; one needs to seize every moment!" Tang Xiu whispered in his mind and exited the World Core.


    As he used the space-time law, Tang Xiu''s surroundings rippled with spatiotemporal fluctuations and his body directly entered the time axis at the point when it was a day before he entered the pocket world in Longquan.


    "Ji Mu, since you sent this fortune to me, I shall give you a satisfactory result." A favor needed to be repaid tenfold. Tang Xiu had obtained the World Core because of the information provided by Ji Mu, so he didn''t want to owe Ji Mu; accepting him as a disciple was far from enough to repay the favor of him providing information regarding the World Core.


    Tang Xiu''s figure shuttled through space-time and arrived in the Netherworld.


    Dark mists lingered within the Netherworld and depicted a truly eerie scene. Even the palace of the King of Hell was overcast in gloomy darkness and was shrouded in an aura of decay.


    The extraction of the divinity vein, as well as the sealing of the Divine Origin City after the Battle of Ruin, had led to the gradual disappearance of divine origin force from the primogenitor star, and the divine origin force within the Netherworld inside the Yellow Springs had been equally affected by this.


    The King of Hell had God-Monarch Stage cultivation before the Battle of Ruin, but due to the disappearance of divine origin force after it, he was forced to sacrifice his cultivation to keep extending his lifespan. Hence, he barely had a peak Crossing Tribulation Stage cultivation right now. As his cultivation had dropped by a lot, his control over the Six Paths of Reincarnation had also weakened greatly and he could barely control the life and death of Earth''s creatures now.


    "King of Hell, you do remember me?" Using the divine power of incarnation, Tang Xiu transformed into Sacred Demon Supreme God''s appearance and sauntered into the King of Hell''s palace before shouting at him.


    The King of Hell almost attacked reflexively in anger after hearing someone shout inside his palace, but an invisible force bound his movements before he could even say anything and filled his mind with endless fear momentarily.


    The King of Hell revealed an ecstatic look when he saw the appearance of the person who had arrived before him.


    "This King greets the Supreme God. Your Excellency, you have finally come to visit us in the Netherworld. We have waited for you at the Netherworld for several epochs." The King of Hell didn''t dare to look up at Tang Xiu and bowed his head subserviently.


    "You good-for-nothing. I assigned you to manage the Six Paths of Reincarnation, yet you have made such a mess of it. What''s the use in keeping you alive then?" Tang Xiu ignored his subservient manner and slapped him directly. "Fetch the Book of Life and Death. I want to see how well you have managed the Six Paths of Reincarnation."


    The King of Hell didn''t show any resentment after being slapped a few dozen or so meters away by Tang Xiu and didn''t hesitate to hand the Book of Life and Death over to him after crawling up.


    Tang Xiu scanned the Book of Life and Death with his divine sense and found Ren Ranran and Ji Rou''s name quickly. He then erased their names from the book cleanly and requested a few thousand souls from the King of Hell before leaving.


    From the very beginning, Tang Xiu neither revealed his purpose behind this visit to the Netherworld nor did he assign any new task to the King of Hell. The pitiful King of Hell racked his brains hard for the next several hundred years about why the prime Supreme God had descended to the Netherworld and whether he had missed an opportunity unknowingly.


    After leaving the Netherworld, Tang Xiu allowed the thousands of souls to enter the Six Paths of Reincarnation and then reconstructed Ren Ranran''s and Ji Rou''s bodies before sending their souls inside.


    Ji Mu cried in joy when Tang Xiu appeared before him with Ren Ranran and Ji Rou and almost thought he was dreaming.


    "Ji Mu, what are your plans for the future?" Tang Xiu called Ji Mu to the side after a while and asked his opinion.


    "Disciple shall leave the decision in master''s hands," Ji Mu replied without the slightest hesitation.


    "You have a responsible nature and I suspect you don''t want to live a life of killing after experiencing what happened to Ranran and Rourou. How about helping me supervise the Netherworld then?" Tang Xiu asked after pondering for a while.


    "Supervise the Netherworld?" Ji Mu''s eyes turned into wide saucers after hearing this and thought his master was kidding with him.


    "That''s right. Become the King of Hell who commands all the Palace Lords of the Yama King Palaces and supervise the Six Paths of Reincarnation." Tang Xiu explained patiently, "After obtaining the World Core from Duanmu Lin and refining it successfully, I have already become the Lord of Myriad Realms and am the overseer of the life, death, and order of the myriad realms now. The Netherworld and the Six Paths of Reincarnation are the most special and important division of the myriad realms, so I''m not reassured in leaving its supervision in others'' hands. Only you can undertake this heavy responsibility."


    "Thank you, Master. This disciple will definitely live up to the trust you have placed in me." Ji Mu finally understood how heavy a responsibility it was after hearing Tang Xiu''s explanation, but he didn''t hesitate to bear this responsibility at all.


    After talking with Ji Mu, Tang Xiu went to meet Long Zhengyu and the others.


    Long Zhengyu, Li Laoshan, Yue Kai, Hu Qingsong, Zhao Liang, and the rest of the Tang Sect''s disciples were discussing crossing the tribulation, so they gathered around him subconsciously with ecstatic expressions on their faces when they saw him arrive.


    Over the past few decades, other than Long Zhengyu, three more disciples of the Tang Sect had reached the Crossing Tribulation Stage, so the four of them were planning to cross the tribulation together this time while the rest of them planned to cultivate patiently and ascend to the Immortal World when they reached the Crossing Tribulation Stage in the future.


    As they were going to ascend together, Long Zhengyu handed over almost all of the cultivation resources to Li Laoshan along with the administrative rights of the Tang Sect while the Su Family undertook the management of the Magnificent Tang Corporation.


    Tang Xiu greeted everyone and then teleported to the Ghost King Valley in Shennong Ridge.


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 1433 Myriad Realms 3 : Tang Xiu Refines the Puppets, Golden Peng’s Tough Battle with Sacred Demon

    Ghost King Valley was a deep valley formed by the three huge mountains around it and was steeped in dense fog the entire year. The shrubs here were almost 1-2 meters tall and it was covered in brambles everywhere while the mountain rocks were rugged and steep. Just a slight mishap could cause one''s foot to slip and make them disappear into the depthless chasm.


    The creatures of the valley were so strong that they could contend with a Crossing Tribulation Stage cultivator. As such, the place had become deserted and rarely had any visitors.


    Tang Xiu had only visited the outer sections of the Ghost King Valley during his previous visit and left quickly after obtaining the Soul Phantasmagoria Demonic Flower and the Demonic Revival Grass. This was because the strength of the fierce beasts in just the outer sections of the Ghost King Valley was as strong as his, so he didn''t dare to enter the depths of the valley.


    This time, Tang Xiu had come here as a peak-stage Supreme God and as the Lord of Myriad Realms, so he obviously held no fear at all.


    A few fierce beasts targeted Tang Xiu and surrounded him the moment he stepped into the Ghost King Valley, but he just glared at them once and continued walking deeper into the valley.


    The unfortunate fierce beasts thought a delicious prey had come to deliver itself to them, but they never thought that it was actually the arrival of their nemesis. The fierce beasts didn''t even have a chance to howl before their entire existence was wiped out by Tang Xiu''s glare.


    Learning from this event, Tang Xiu didn''t hide his aura anymore and used his divine sense to manifest eleven incarnations alongside his main body, and the twelve figures walked into the depths of Ghost King Valley directly.


    If Sacred Demon Supreme God were present, he would have definitely recognized them as the auras of these twelve''s heavenly laws and divine force were actually the same as the group of twelve Supreme Gods headed by him.


    No other fierce beast dared to block Tang Xiu''s path for the rest of his journey because of the suppression from his powerful aura.


    An hour later, Tang Xiu reached the depths of the Ghost King Valley and discovered the aura of a destructive divine force from inside.


    "The 100 Supreme God Puppets? If I obtain these 100 Supreme God Puppets, wouldn''t that mean I can take over the entire God Realm in an instant?" Such a thought emerged within Tang Xiu''s mind suddenly.


    "Greetings, Lords!" Tang Xiu had subconsciously crossed the 100-meter range of the Supreme God Puppets while pondering on the matter, so the puppets had sensed his arrival as well.


    Tang Xiu commended his wit when the 100 Supreme God Puppets surrounded him suddenly as he would have definitely entered a fierce battle with dozens of puppets if he hadn''t made prior preparations.


    As Tang Xiu had incarnated into the twelve Supreme Gods right now, these Supreme God Puppets didn''t show any hostility or vigilance towards him.


    Tang Xiu passed through the Supreme God Puppets and erased the soul imprints left behind by the twelve Supreme Gods and replaced them with his own soul imprints.


    Although it sounded like a simple task, it was a pretty arduous one since just a slight mishap on his end could ruin the Supreme God Puppet.


    Tang Xiu spent three whole days converting the Supreme God Puppets into his battle puppets. He was dead tired by now, as erasing a soul imprint and replacing it with his own were both extremely delicate tasks and required him to rest and recover for some time to refine just a single Supreme God Puppet. However, since he was inside the Divine Origin City, he wasn''t worried about running out of divine origin force at all.


    "It''s indeed worthy of being called the Divine Origin City. The divine origin force present here is much denser than the God Realm''s, and if it weren''t for the array isolating this place, this divine origin force would have spread to the outside world and made the entire Earth Realm much stronger than the God Realm." After coming to the Ghost King Valley one more time, Tang Xiu had already determined that the three mountains around the valley hadn''t formed naturally and had been moved over by someone using divine force and were the key elements of the array. Furthermore, the main function of the three mountains was to prevent the divine origin force from flowing outside.


    "Huh? The divine origin force inside the Divine Origin City isn''t replenishing itself." Tang Xiu discovered the abnormality quickly. "Is it because of the missing divinity vein mountain?"


    Tang Xiu felt relieved internally when he recalled that the twelve Supreme Gods had extracted the divinity vein to create the World Core.


    According to Tang Xiu''s speculation, it was highly likely that the divinity vein was hidden under the Divine Origin City and was the source of the divine origin force of the city. The twelve Supreme Gods had extracted the divinity vein to create a new Divine Origin City, but unfortunately, Tang Xiu was the one who picked up this windfall in the end.


    "Since the Divine Origin City and the divinity vein were a singular entity, it''s time to let them become one again." Tang Xiu waved his hand and moved the Divine Origin City inside the World Core and placed it above the divinity vein.


    As divine origin force was the source of their powers, the Supreme God Puppets became restless when the Divine Origin City disappeared.


    Tang Xiu chuckled and received the 100 Supreme God Puppets into the World Core as well.


    After he was done with this, Tang Xiu left one of his Supreme God incarnations on Earth to handle some of the unfinished matters while his main body returned to the God Realm immediately.


    The reason why he had returned to the God Realm with haste was that his connection with the Golden Peng was becoming weaker by the moment and this gave him an ominous premonition. He obviously didn''t plan to keep staying on Earth since the members of the Great Tang Empire were all still in the Jade Pool Divine Domain.


    Right now, in the Jade Pool Divine Domain, the Golden Peng''s wings had been snapped off already and its entire body was crawling on the ground right now. A sea of corpses laid behind it, and even Drunken Immortal and the others were covered in blood right now and couldn''t even put up a resistance.


    "Golden Peng, I''m giving you one last chance. Form a master and servant contract with me and become my battle mount again, or else, the ants behind you will all die along with you," Sacred Demon Supreme God said impatiently while directing an ice-cold gaze towards the Golden Peng.


    "Sacred Demon, you exterminated my Golden Peng Clan and deceived me for several eras. You even kept me trapped for a dozen or so eras, so do you believe I would join the ranks of a traitor like you?" The Golden Peng spat out a mouthful of foul blood after hearing Sacred Demon Supreme God''s words.


    "Since you want to continue acting stubbornly, don''t blame me for acting ruthlessly." A vicious glint flashed through Sacred Demon Supreme God''s eyes as he swung his divine artifact at the Golden Peng.


    The Golden Peng ignored the threat and turned its head towards Drunken Immortal and the others before saying guiltily, "Forgive me for implicating you. You still had some chance to live, but you all fell into danger because of my arrival."


    After Tang Xiu had left the Jade Pool Divine Domain, Drunken Immortal and Star Radiance led the members of the Great Tang Empire to quickly take control of the Jade Pool Divine Domain.


    The number of people that ascended through the Immortal Exuviate Pond in the Jade Pool Divine Domain kept increasing year by year over the next 100 years, and these consisted of the people from other galaxies and the Milky Way Galaxy, which included a lot of members of the Great Tang Empire.


    Under the supervision of Drunken Immortal, Star Radiance, and the others, the Jade Pool Divine Domain became more and more prosperous, and their strength also climbed up like a growing bamboo shoot. Drunken Immortal had the highest cultivation and had already become a peak-stage Heavenly God and Star Radiance had also become a Great God, while the others had also progressed their cultivation collectively.


    However, an unexpected event occurred while the members of the Great Tang Empire focused on progressing their strength.


    The leader of the twelve Supreme Gods, Sacred Demon, was someone from the Marionette Galaxy, so the Marionette Galaxy had a lot of domains under its control. The Sky Jade Divine Domain was also the domain of the Sacred Demon Supreme God, so, as its subsidiary domain, the Jade Pool Divine Domain was also a domain of the Sacred Demon Supreme God, and all the important posts of these domains were held by descendants of the Sacred Demon Supreme God.


    It was the centennial birthday celebration of the Sacred Demon Supreme God 2 years ago, so all his descendants had sent him presents to congratulate him. However, after tallying up the presents, the deity in-charge of counting them found that two presents were missing. After a thorough investigation, it was discovered that the Peargold and Pearwood brothers from the Jade Pool Divine Domain hadn''t sent presents and hadn''t even made an appearance in the celebration.


    The deity in-charge of Sky Jade Divine Domain felt infuriated after learning this and planned to dispatch the army to capture and penalize the brothers before the Sacred Demon Supreme God learned of the matter. However, when the army of Sky Jade Divine Domain reached the Jade Pool Divine Domain, they discovered that it had changed hands.


    The Jade Pool Divine Domain was on guard about the arrival of the Sky Jade Divine Domain''s army. They led the army into a maliciously prepared trap and wiped it out before it could even declare war on them.


    Two days had passed by the time the deity in-charge of Sky Jade Divine Domain realized something was wrong and the Sacred Demon Supreme God had already learned that Peargold and Pearwood hadn''t attended his birthday celebration. However, as he had too many descendants, he wasn''t bothered by this event and just passed a casual directive to punish the deity in-charge of Sky Jade Divine Domain appropriately.


    The pitiful deity in-charge of the Sky Jade Divine Domain had his life reaped by the enforcers of the Divine Palace and, before they could even figure out where their army disappeared to and once a new deity took the reins, they launched a full-on attack on the Jade Pool Divine Domain immediately.


    Although the comprehensive strength of the Jade Pool Divine Domain was weaker than the Sky Jade Divine Domain, they had prepared well to secure a victory and were also proficient in the art of war because of their ample experience. Hence, this battle actually continued for almost half-a-year.


    The new deity in-charge of the Sky Jade Divine Domain sensed something was wrong and was forced to retreat through the dangerous battlefield and reported back to the Divine Palace.


    The Sacred Demon Supreme God became infuriated after learning that someone had already taken over a domain of his and sent an aide to deal with the matter personally.


    It was also around this time that the Golden Peng returned to the God Realm. After showing the token Tang Xiu had given it, it obtained the approval and trust of all the members of the Great Tang Empire, and its strength recovered back to the Supreme God Stage rapidly by using the large number of cultivation resources that the empire had gathered.


    This led to the tragic end of the people from the Sacred Demon Supreme God''s faction who had arrived in the Jade Pool Divine Domain to deal with the issue, with each subsequent one welcoming their death.


    The Golden Peng would have already led the Great Tang Empire to conquer the Sky Jade Divine Domain if it weren''t scared of the possibility of the Sacred Demon Supreme God discovering its identity.


    The battle continued for more than a year this way and the members of the Divine Palace kept falling to their enemies in this battle. This turned the Sacred Demon Supreme God into the laughingstock in the eyes of the other four Supreme Gods, so he was forced to make a trip to the Jade Pool Divine Domain personally to find out what was going on.


    The Sacred Demon Supreme God was frightened out of his wits when he saw the Golden Peng and the master and servant contract on its body, thinking that another variable like the Free and Unfettered Supreme God had emerged in the God Realm, so he began to scheme behind the scenes.


    The cautious Sacred Demon Supreme God didn''t dare to show his face because of the fear, hid in a secret location, and kept sending large forces to deplete the Golden Peng''s divine force, coming close to killing the Golden Peng a few times. After probing for another half-a-year, the Sacred Demon Supreme God confirmed that the Golden Peng had returned to the God Realm alone and also confirmed that the master and servant contract on its body hadn''t provided any assistance to it at all.